Author's Note: Hello again! :) I don't have much to say, except THANK YOU to those of you who have left reviews! It's wonderful to get any feedback on my stories at all. And, also, sorry again for the increase in time between updates lately. As much as I'd love to write all the time, I really must get out there and be inspired and such. Enjoy this next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the show Glee. Song credits in this chapter go to Katy Perry: "Teenage Dream." (But, of course, since that song is canon, the Darren Criss versions apply to this chapter, as well.)

~Chapter 3: Teenage Dream~

Another typical Monday passed at McKinley before Kurt found himself once again approaching the doors of Dalton Reform. He was almost thankful to have a distraction on that particular afternoon; his thoughts were plagued by the echoes of a loud Rachel Berry rant and the not-so-pleased responses of Mr. Schue. Glee club had, consequently, been particularly chaotic, and Kurt was sure that he would explode if he even tried to think about the mound of homework piled on his desk at home.

…Since when had tutoring the ill-disciplined become a sought after escape from reality?

Despite this uncertainty, Kurt was happy to be greeted immediately by Lacey as soon as he entered the building. "Hey there, Kurt," she said cheerfully. He smiled in return- this girl really was a sweetheart, after all. "We're both working in the library today. I just checked in, and Mary said that you were free to tutor in there if you'd like. I hope that's okay?"

Lacey's hopeful look was enough to make Kurt instantly want to be her friend. It was clear that she didn't have much experience with social interaction, but, still… she was too kind to reject. He nodded his approval and followed her up a nearby staircase.

"I found this place yesterday after we talked at lunch," she explained. "It's a pretty nice library, actually. Lots of hidden corners and places to explore."

Through the heavy wooden doors, Kurt was met with the sight of endless stacks of books and antique-looking décor. The place in which he now stood was clearly timeless. The dusty, leathery scent of old books in the air was somehow calming, and the sunlight that filtered through the huge, glass windows around the room made it feel like a different world from Dalton Reform entirely. Libraries just had that unique feel about them in general, and even Kurt couldn't resist the opportunity to look around a little. His tutoring job could wait a few minutes… besides, Lacey had lots of books to restock, and he wanted to help.

It was once the two had become separated by the wide expanses of shelves, however, that Kurt really began to enjoy himself. This place held so much more peace and quiet than he had experienced in a while, and the monotonous task of sliding battered novels into their proper dwellings was oddly relaxing. Softly, Kurt began to sing under his breath, muttering the lyrics to a song that had been playing on the radio as he had driven to Dalton that morning.

"You think I'm pretty, without any makeup on

You think I'm funny, when I tell the punch-line wrong…"

Kurt hesitated as the distant murmur of another voice began to sing along with him. Searching out the source of the harmony, Kurt looked down and was met by the sight of Blaine. He was curled into a corner at the end of the shelf, a large book placed open in his lap, breathing the song's lyrics. The tiniest of smiles tugged at the corners of his lips.

In shock, Kurt jumped, dropping a rather thick book to the floor with a loud thud. He had felt quite sure that he was alone.

Blaine smiled up at him. "G'afternoon, Pretty Boy. I see you've caught me skipping French."

Feeling a bit annoyed at Blaine's stealth, Kurt huffed and bent down to retrieve the fallen manuscript. "You shouldn't skip class, Blaine," he retorted lamely.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Right," he said dryly. "I also shouldn't be in a reform school, but you know: life. Anyway-" He paused, shutting the book in his lap. "Enjoying the library?"

Kurt shrugged. He loved it, actually, but he didn't want to start discussing the aesthetics of it with Blaine. He probably wouldn't appreciate the miniscule details, anyway. "It's nice," Kurt replied simply, and moved down the aisle to place another book in its proper spot.

Getting to his feet, Blaine turned to face Kurt. He was dressed a little differently than yesterday; today he wore no more than a casual pair of Converse sneakers, a black t-shirt, and slightly worn jeans. Still, he looked excellent. Kurt tried not to think about that too much. "Good," Blaine said. "Because it's probably the only decent place in this school. Well, that and the music room, but it's much easier to hide out in here."

"Music room?" Kurt blinked at Blaine curiously. He wondered if maybe Dalton had a glee club of its own… then again, it was hard to imagine reform school boys singing and dancing to show tunes.

"Yeah, you know… pianos and such?" Blaine offered, moving his fingers as if to mime playing an invisible keyboard.

Kurt rolled his eyes. This boy certainly knew how to shoot back a clever response- that was for sure. "I don't live in a cave," Kurt replied. "I know what they are." Sliding a few books into place, he avoided Blaine's eyes. He didn't want him to see how curious he really felt. "Do you go there a lot…?" Kurt wondered, trying to sound indifferent.

Blaine shrugged and leaned back against the opposite shelf. "Sometimes. A few of the guys and I like to hang out there every once in a while, but I'm the only one who-" He stopped abruptly, staring at Kurt as though he had just remembered that he was talking to someone at all. Blaine shook his head quickly and looked away. "Never mind. What about you? Are you into music?"

Biting his lip, Kurt thought over the thousands of hours he had spent analyzing musicals, rehearsing songs for glee, and dreaming of a future role on Broadway. He had to admit it: what Blaine wanted to know wasn't even a question to him anymore. Maybe it never had been. "It's my life," Kurt answered doubtlessly.

Blaine nodded his understanding. "You have a pretty good singing voice," he admitted with a smirk. "You know, for a Pretty Boy type like yourself. I sing, too, if you were wondering."

Secretly, Kurt was glad to hear this little fun-fact; he could imagine Blaine to have a very good voice. Plus, Kurt had to confess- artistic talent was sexy. Singing ability was a definite bonus in his opinion. Still, he just rolled his eyes. "You probably think you're just amazing, don't you?" he remarked.

Smiling, Blaine pondered the question for a moment. "As a singer or as a person?" he asked at last.

Kurt shrugged. "Both," he replied, and began scaling a ladder to reach the upper shelves.

"As a singer: yes; more than amazing, for your information," Blaine answered with a smirk. Kurt grinned down at him, only to watch his expression darken a bit and his smile fade. "As a person… let's just say that I'm hoping to make up for the wrong I did to wind up here in the first place."

Kurt stared down at Blaine. For the life of him, he could not even begin to imagine the layers of secrets that this boy was covering up. "How can you be like that?" he wondered. "So… so full of yourself, yet… not."

Blinking back at him, Blaine shrugged. "I guess it just comes naturally," he replied, voice more sincere than Kurt had ever heard it. "It's my 'normal,' so to speak."

Truly, Blaine was such a mystery; Kurt simply couldn't help but feel intrigued. He smiled softly and quirked an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, Blaine."

"Speaking of my wonderful over-confidence," Blaine added with a smirk, his eyes lingering on the conveniently displayed sight of Kurt's legs. "I've been meaning to inform you that you have been wearing pants that are far too tight for your own good. My mind's kinda blown."

Cheeks burning, Kurt hurried down from the ladder and turned his backside away from Blaine and his somehow annoyingly flattering stare. Subtly was clearly not in his nature. "Er… sorry?" Kurt stammered.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Hello Mr. I-Can't-Take-A-Compliment. Need I be more bold? You're kind of hot. Just saying."

Kurt was sure his cheeks were redder than ever now. "I… w-what?"

As if trying to make some sort of big decision, Blaine stared at Kurt for a moment, eyes distant and thoughtful. Finally, he turned his head a bit, nodding in the direction of the doors. "Come on, Pretty Boy," he said.

"Where?" Kurt blinked unsurely, clutching the remaining books in his arms more closely to his chest.

"French class?"

Kurt rolled his eyes at the thickly sarcastic tone of Blaine's voice. "Blaine," he stated flatly.

With a smirk, Blaine reached out and pulled the leftover books from Kurt's arms. "Come on," he said again, placing the stack on an empty table. "Don't you trust me?"

No; I have no reason to trust you, Kurt thought, eyes on the novel at the top of the pile. He barely knew Blaine, not to mention the fact that he was clearly not the ideal citizen. Still… Kurt was mystified. He simply had to know more… and, after all, Blaine had done nothing to convince Kurt of potential danger as of yet. He could take a risk, couldn't he? Hesitantly, Kurt's gaze drifted back to Blaine, and he took a small step forward.

Blaine, smiling, turned and began to lead Kurt out the doors and down the hall. "Interesting choice," Blaine remarked. "I kinda like your style, Pretty Boy."

"Can I know where it is you're taking me?" Kurt wondered with a questioning look.

"Nope. I like surprises."

Kurt let out an exasperated sigh. Why it was that he had to become so intrigued by a smartass like Blaine was beyond him. "Well I don't," he protested. "I swear to god, Blaine, if you're leading me to some haunted attic or something-"

Laughing, Blaine reached out and took Kurt's hand. The action was too abrupt for Kurt to really form a verbal response, and too intimate for him to avoid looking genuinely surprised. Still, he let Blaine lead him hurriedly down the hallway, down a set of stairs and into a quiet room with a gorgeous piano at its center. "Wow," Kurt breathed, glancing around at the golden wallpaper and crystalline chandelier. The hidden aspects of Dalton Reform's interior were truly incredible. He never would have expected something so beautiful upon first sight of the school.

"See? Not so bad, right?" Blaine said, releasing Kurt's hand and turning to look at him with a small smile.

Kurt nodded slowly, making his way around the piano to trace his fingers over the dusty keys. The room was so abandoned and lonely, an underestimated treasure. He could see why Blaine liked to spend his time here when he wasn't in the library.

"Sing with me."

Kurt looked up in surprise. Had Blaine really just said that? "I…" he started unsurely. He had no clue what this meant, to be honest. Was Blaine just messing with him again? "What song?"

Blaine shrugged. "You pick," he said.

Well, had Kurt ever been one to deny a challenge when it came to vocals? He chewed his lip, considering. Truth be told, Blaine's "more than amazing" claim about singing had made him curious, and he really couldn't turn down the offer to hear the real thing. Tentatively, he set his fingers on the piano keys, and began to play the same melody that had been on repeat in his head all day.

"You think I'm pretty, without any makeup on

You think I'm funny, when I tell the punch line wrong."

With a soft smile, Blaine rested his elbows on the flat top of the piano, leaning forward a bit. "I know you get me, so I let my walls come down… down."

Kurt was taken completely off-guard by the all-too-authentic beauty of Blaine's voice. It was unique and captivating and full of emotion… Kurt was sure that under different circumstances, Blaine would have made a wonderful performer.

"Before you met me, I was alright-"

"But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life."

"Now every February, you'll be my Valentine… Valentine."

They sang together, eyes locked, bodies moving steadily closer as if pulled by some unseen force. By the end of the song, Kurt found himself face-to-face with Blaine, their combined voices trailing off into oblivion. He blinked at the intensity of the hazel eyes that were now seemingly lost in his own, his fingertips at rest on the piano keys. Blaine was close enough to touch… so close that Kurt could feel his breath against his cheek… close enough to kiss-

With a soft gasp, Kurt stepped back, moving away from Blaine and whatever opportunity he may have been about to take advantage of. Kurt knew better than to let people make those kinds of moves on him; he was- hopelessly- a huge romantic. That didn't leave a lot of leeway for arbitrary hookups in deserted reform school music rooms.

Luckily, Blaine seemed to get the message. He froze, eyes calm and searching. "You're… you're really good, Kurt," he said softly.

"So are you," Kurt answered, his eyes downcast and cheeks tinged pink. He never would have expected such sincerity from Blaine, and the understanding that seemed to be forming so quickly between them was enough to stun him a bit.

Blaine looked away, smiling coyly. "You'd better go… there was a kid asking the librarian about tutoring on our way out the door. Figured you didn't hear."

"Crap," Kurt blurted, eyes widening a little in surprise. Caught up in Blaine and the song, he hadn't even remembered the fact that he was supposed to be volunteering. He didn't really want to go back, either. Oh, if it weren't for that stupid gym class…

Deciding to take a risk and make a bold move, Kurt dug up a pen from within the depths of his bag. "Hand," he ordered coolly, reaching out his own for Blaine's.

With a slightly surprised look, Blaine offered Kurt his palm and allowed him to scribble a phone number onto his skin. "You know," Kurt said, capping his pen and turning to leave with a little smile. "You really aren't very tough."

"Mmm," Blaine hummed in agreement, eyes shining. "Neither are you, Pretty Boy."

Kurt rolled his eyes, wondering if Blaine Anderson- of all people- might just make this little Dalton Reform adventure into something truly worthwhile.