A/N: Ok. #1 priority: THANK YOU to everyone who read/favorited/reviewed this. What a thrill! I'm really sorry, people. I HATE it when fan fiction writers promise updates and then disappear. I'm not going to stress you out with all the crap I've been doing lately—let's just say it includes snow, international travel, broken bones, family, surgeons, professional obligations, etc, and leave it at that, ok? While I've been gone, there's been a lot of progress on the Klaine front—most of which I hate. Look, I had eight chapters of this planned way back in December. Let's just agree that this is AU, because I love the Blaine I had imagined for Kurt and don't really want to forfeit him (don't get me started on the travesty of Finn). I SHOULD be more frequent with updates since life has slowed down. In this chapter: BICO (hopefully in a non-lame manner?)!

Disclaimer: I still own neither Glee, Cyrano de Bergerac, nor the song Baby, It's Cold Outside.

Chapter 2:

Mercedes had been surprisingly enthusiastic about the idea of getting Finn back with Rachel, Kurt mused as he tried to focus on the history page in front of him. Of course, he hadn't actually broached the subject with Rachel, since he had found himself buried in an avalanche of work. The teachers at Dalton arranged their curricula so that major projects were due before the winter break and then finals were in the very beginning of January. This nicely balanced the schoolwork for everyone who WASN'T a mid-term transfer. The mere number of papers and projects Kurt had due in the next week made him shudder. In fact (he glanced at his watch), he only had thirty minutes until he had a group project meeting for Chemistry. Thank goodness David was in that class and had some sort of autistic-savant ability to solve equations, since they had to present the results of a chromatography experiment from last week. However, he really didn't have time to worry about that when his European History paper was due tomorrow.

Briefly, Kurt buried his face in his hands and scrubbed. Hard. Transferring from McKinley to Dalton was like being transferred from community college to Harvard. On a surface level, his classes were the same, but the intellectual expectations were worlds apart. Still, Kurt knew that deep down he was enjoying himself. It wasn't just the chance to hang out with Blaine without a two hour drive, either, although it certainly didn't hurt. No, he was starting to feel more comfortable with the other boys, and he was beginning to enjoy the rhythms and quirks of Dalton life, too. With a sigh (of contentment or frustration, even he couldn't identify), Kurt turned back to Charlemagne and tried to catch up.

Outside the door, Blaine leaned on the wall and concentrated on breathing slowly. The only way this would work was if he maintained a casual air. Ok, sure, he was lying to his best friend. But his intentions were honest. He missed Kurt, and he felt really bad about the "audition." So, he could totally pull this off. He placed a steadying hand on his elbow—his hands were shaking really badly—and turned into the room.

"Hey," he breathed as Kurt looked up. And then the world faded to Kurt's face. With as much "game" as he could muster, Blaine convinced him to sing Baby, It's Cold Outside with him. After his initial reluctance, Blaine watched joyfully as the soprano's natural acting ability came to the forefront. Kurt was playful, possibly even flirty, and by the end of singing the duet, Blaine never wanted to stop staring at his friend. He managed to compliment Kurt on his masterful cover and then escaped, blindly pushing past a tall man with curly hair. By the time he reached his dorm room, he was practically running.

Oh crap. He liked Kurt. He didn't just like him as a friend, and he didn't just feel like a mentor. No, he recognized these butterflies all too well. This wasn't like Keith—he knew that Kurt wasn't jerking him around. But even trusting Kurt wasn't enough to make the wave of nausea fade. He could feel the panic welling up inside him. At the same time he was completely freaking out, however, it was nice to know that he was still capable of having a crush. It was his first in almost a year, and he'd basically thought that part of him had been destroyed at his last school.

Wes came in, still shouting down the hall to David about their next Halo night. Blaine looked up blindly, but it only took Wes a split second to assess the situation and go into protective mode.

"Dammit, Blaine, what happened?"

"It's nothing," Blaine shook his head determinedly. "I just realized I'm a complete idiot and that I really should be more introspective."

"What does that mean in English?" Wes asked impatiently.

"I like Kurt," Blaine whispered.

Wes laughed. "Really, that's the problem? Man, I thought this was going to be a revelation or something. Everyone knows you're crazy about him. Why on earth do you look like someone killed your cat over a crush? Especially one I'm fairly sure is reciprocated?"

"I haven't liked anyone in over a year," Blaine admitted sadly. Wes stared at him blankly.

"Wait a second; you're saying that since Keith there's been no one…" Wes trailed off awkwardly as Blaine shook his head. "That's freaking ridiculous, Blaine. I know they messed you up, and I know it was horrible. I still think you should have pressed charges. But you are ALLOWED to have a crush. Didn't your shrink cover this?"

Blaine managed a laugh at the question. "Being allowed to and wanting to are completely different things, Wes. I really can't handle thinking about Kurt ridiculing me and exposing me that way."

Wes got right into his face. "He wouldn't, Blaine. Kurt is far too nice a guy to ever hurt you like that. When you first got here, I understood why you equated relationships with hell, but Kurt has never been less than extraordinarily great to you. Maybe you should trust him a little more? I admit that I don't really know the guy, but from what you've told me about his old school and his situation, you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

Blaine just shrugged at him hopelessly.

"Are you done with your homework?" Wes finally asked.

"Yes," Blaine whispered.

"Ok, then hang tight while I call reinforcements," Wes murmured. "Are we watching The Music Man or The Man in the Iron Mask?"

"Best friends ever," Blaine answered. Wes just saluted as he texted David and Thad.