(A/N): Here's this chapter a bit earlier than next Thursday, but Chapter 1 was really short and I felt this sort of compensated. :) Or if you don't believe that... Happy Friday the 13th!

Get ready for some plot and a character introduction! This chapter (and chapters 3 and 4) will still be sort of setting up the premise, so… yeah. :)

This one's longer, too! I hope it holds you over until Thursday!

Special thanks to Sunday morning on saturday, who was my first reviewer!

**UPDATED**

Disclaimer: No Glee ownage. Sorry. :(

Chapter 2:

When at Dance

-:-Kurt-:-

I couldn't wait to get out of the house. I needed to get out of the house.

The fight with my father left the air in the house thick with tension. My skin crawled and my lungs ached to breathe, a feeling that was becoming all too familiar recently. This house hasn't seen peace in years, and it was all because of me and my faults.

My sexuality. My sight. My general lack of perfection.

And with that frame of mind, I left for dance class, the one thing I could look forward to in my life. I loved to dance. I loved the feeling of being able to just let all my thoughts go and just move. I loved the feeling of my body moving to the music, the burning in my muscles, the rush of oxygen to my lungs. There was no thinking, just doing.

My dance class was my sanctuary. It was one of the few places that I felt okay. Ms. V, my dance instructor, felt more like a mother to me than anything else. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without her.

In my haste, I arrived incredibly early. But instead of loitering around, I decided to dress and stretch, maybe find some time to talk with Ms. V about the new routines she has planned for upcoming recital.

My body moved smoothly through the practiced motions. I felt the warmth spread through my muscles and the tingling in my limbs. Already I was breathing easier, feeling looser and calmer than I had been all day. I smiled.

More people burst through the door, laughing boisterously. My moment of quiet peace was shattered, and my smile faded to one of cursory greeting as the other dancers filed in. I instinctually shifted a little closer to the wall, not quite feeling up to interacting with so many people at once.

Soon enough the entire class was present, apart from Ms. V. I felt concern tightening my throat; she was never late. Something had to be wrong, this wasn't—

"Enough chatter!" A woman walked briskly through the door, her features stern and harsh. "Get in a line."

We did so. Before anyone could ask she continued, "Ms. V is taking an extended leave due to personal reasons. I am taking over for her until she returns. My name is Coach Hawkins."

My heart sank, settling somewhere down around my ankles. Ms. V's absence unsettled me for reasons I couldn't really place—not helped at all by the way Coach Hawkins was staring us down, almost sizing us up. "Stand up straight!" She admonished me, grabbing me by the chin and tugging upwards. I grunted in discomfort and annoyance.

"Now…" She trailed off into a short lecture akin to one a teacher would give on the first day of class. A grumpy teacher. Who hated children.

I really wasn't paying much attention to what she had been saying. My thoughts had wandered to the reasons behind Ms. V's sudden disappearance in an attempt to block out the echoes of my father's voice that Coach Hawkins' speech brought about. I closed my eyes for a second, drawing in a deep breath before focusing back on Coach.

"…and I am not afraid of kicking you out if you don't work, and work hard." She paced back and forth in front of our line. Her voice was fierce and rough. Kind of grating, and ringing with authority.

She stopped in front of Brielle, who was at the front of the line, and eyed her up and down. She spit out a couple of moves for Brielle to do. Was she testing us?

Yes.

With an unreadable look on her face, she moved on down the line. Luckily, I was near the end, so maybe I could pick up on some key details.

Tristan, Laura, Jessie, Sierra. Her reactions ranged from seemingly pleased smiles, downright derisive glares, and noncommittal grunts.

Sooner than expected, it was my turn. I smoothly went through the part of the routine she specified. It was my favorite part, fortunately, and I felt I did it well.

But as I took in the look on her face, apparently not. "You think that was up to par? Do it again!" She ordered harshly as she pressed her hand hard against my abdomen. "And suck it in! Dancers are supposed to be lean and muscled, especially the men. It wouldn't kill you to lose a few pounds, okay kid?"

I stood there, mouth gaping open unattractively. "Keep it closed, you'll attract flies." She sneered, tapping my chin. I shut my mouth so fast you could hear my teeth clack together.

I held my breath as she moved on, resisting the urge to grind my teeth. I turned my attention to Arianna, who was standing next to me. "Did I really do that bad?"

"No, you did wonderfully," she insisted, a confused look on her face. "And trust me, Kurt, you're figure is beautiful. I don't know what her problem is."

I left dance that day feeling even worse than before. The feeling was akin to disorientation, my head spinning as if the floor under my feet has been ripped away.

I slumped onto my bed as soon as I returned home. I could only pray to the Questionable God that this was all just a horrible dream that I would soon wake up from, Ms. V would be back and I wouldn't have lost the only one who cared.

-:-Blaine-:-

Simply put, I'm hopeless.

I can't believe that I even found a job like this, just so I could go and screw it up by not even being there because I couldn't find the building. Yeah. Way to go, Blaine!

It's not every day you come across a job doing something you love. Even more so when that something you love is music. I got a job playing piano and managing the music for a competitive dance group and I could not be more grateful for that.

Unless I'm already fired.

I checked the address one more time, glancing around me. Oh! There it is. I fought the urge to face palm. I had passed this building several times, but its unassuming exterior, almost dingy with its old red brick and faded writing on the windows, never caught my attention.

I pushed open the door tentatively, searching around for the scary lady who had employed me.

"Where were you?" I heard from behind me. I could have sworn my heart was trying to jump straight through my ribcage. Where the hell did she come from?

"I had some trouble getting here," I said, trying to calm my rapid heartbeat and plastering on my most charming smile that probably came across more desperate. "I apologize." Hopefully this wouldn't be over before it even had the chance to begin. I didn't really want to spend more time than I had to at home.

She eyed me critically. For such a tiny woman, she had a severe-looking face and a stance that screamed dominance. Her entire vibe was similar to that of a bird of prey. To say the least, I would not want to be on her bad side. "Alright. You know where it is now, I'd hope. Be here for tomorrow's practice at noon."

I nodded, holding back a sigh of relief. That went better than I'd had the audacity to hope. After a bit of stilted small talk, she pulled me outside so she could lock up and leave.

I clambered into my car and headed back towards home.

I hope all goes well tomorrow.

I take extreme care to make sure I arrive on time the next day. In doing this, I'm actually there about ten minutes early. I enter cautiously, and am relieved to see there are a few people here. It would have felt weird if it had been empty, leaving me to just sit at the piano and wait.

I watched curiously as the few people stretched, talked, and danced. I notice one person in particular, a boy, who was standing off from the others in a corner. The room was filling quickly as starting time neared. As more people filed into the room, the warier the look on the boy's face grew.

His eyes scanned the room, squinting slightly. His eyes widened fractionally and he quickly got to his feet. I hardly had the time to wonder why before a loud, resonating voice filled the room. "Alright! Today, we are getting down to business. Your routines are sloppy! We need to sharpen the movements, get the syncopation down!" Coach Hawkins slapped her fist on her palm. "The judges will notice if even one of you gets off." She glared at each and every one of the group, lingering on the boy in the corner. "Synchronization is key. Don't screw it up."

Wow. She was passionate, if a little brash. I looked around the room idly, unsure of what I was supposed to do.

"Oh, yes!" Mrs. Hawkins started again. "Blaine is our new piano player. He'll also be in charge on managing any other tracks we may need for performances. Kurt!" She called. The boy I had noticed earlier approached her slowly. Now that I've had a closer look, he looks oddly familiar. "Take the sheet music to him."

"Where is he?" I heard him ask.

Mrs. Hawkins gave Kurt a disarming smile. "Blaine!" she barked. I shot up from the piano bench. "There." She pointed at me, and Kurt made his way across the room.

I couldn't help but notice the sheer grace in which he moved. His footsteps were light, his posture incredible. Every move he made had a sort of fluidity to it, as if every motion was part of a dance.

Once he reached me, I shook myself out of my haze. I nodded in thanks as he handed me the papers, looking them over quickly. I glanced up right before he was to turn away…

And caught a glimpse of his eyes.

His eyes! It seemed that they had no true, single color to describe them. They couldn't seem to decide whether to be blue, grey, green, or somewhere in between. I was entranced. I've never seen eyes so beautiful, so enrapturing in my entire life.

He shot me a nervous look. Oh, I was staring..

"Can I help you?" His eyebrow rose slightly. His voice was high and clear, like an angel's.

"No, no. Sorry. Your eyes are just… beautiful. What color are they?" I asked mindlessly, trying to remain cool and collected as my thoughts went on a rampage. And then I realized what had come out of my mouth and winced internally. I could feel my face heat up in embarrassment.

"I don't know," he responded cautiously, his eyebrows creasing. I held back a smile as his head tilted to the side. It really was too adorable.

We both turned sharply as Mrs. Hawkins as she called out for the start of a routine. Kurt nodded to me before merging into the group.

I watched Kurt move. I saw as the thoughts, the worry slipped from his face, and was replaced with a sense of serenity and calmness.

I had a bit of time to think as I watched them dance. Then I realized why Kurt had looked so familiar; he had just transferred into Dalton about a month and a half back. My thoughts were derailed when I heard an annoyed grunt.

I grimaced as Mrs. Hawkins roughly pulled Kurt out of formation, shoving on his torso and scolding him.

The worry was back.

(A/N): Hope you enjoyed! Any feedback is welcomed.

Oh and here are some things I felt may have needed clarification:
Kurt is completely colorblind. He can see only in shades of black and white. For more information you can PM me or just look at the end A/N for last chapter. :)

Also, there are warnings in the summary; those things are going to happen, just not yet. Some things are getting set up and then I'll hop into that. And looking forward, I can't tell if I may need to up the rating, but I'll let you all know if I do.

Thank you all so much for your support. It means so much!

~DFTBA and Best Wishes!