13:57

A/N: Super, super short chapter, I'm sorry! I actually wasn't planning on writing any more of this for a while, since I've been so busy, but then I just logged on and read all of these wonderful reviews, and realized that I couldn't leave it on that horrible note! So I give you this: clunky and a bit clumsy, and I may completely rewrite it in the next chapter, but we'll see.

It actually turned out to be pretty easy to find Karofsky. He literally walked out of the choir room door and kablam! Massive, Neanderthal in his face. Karofsky watched with a worried expression on his face as Finn, Sam, and Blaine hobbled away

"Hey, homo," he said, "is everything okay?"

Kurt thought about coming back with a snide remark, but in his current mood, wasn't sure that he could summon all of the sass necessary to put the other boy in his place. Instead he settled for simply relaying the message he'd been given.

"Blaine and Jesse got into a fight. Blaine's going to the infirmary. He asked for you."

And then Karofsky does the unthinkable. Whereas Kurt, upon hearing the news that a beautiful boy wanted him would have gone running to Madame Pomfrey's, Karofsky just frowned even deeper, the lines on his forehead looking like vast chasms.

Oh my Dumbledore, Kurt sighed, did nobody appreciate the importance of a good moisturizing routine?

"Where's Jesse?" Karofsky asked. "Is he okay."

"Jesse st. Douchebag will be fine, he's just in there."

Kurt stuck his thumb out to point the direction, and then instantly tensed his shoulders, waiting for Karofsky to pummel him, or hipcheck him, or maybe just fart in his general direction. Instead of doing any of those things, the Durmstrang student just nodded his head and darted toward the door.

"Tell Blaine I'll be in later," he said.

Kurt stared at the door, dumbfounded. That was. . .unexpected.

He walked over to the door, beyond curious now. Most of the students were leaving, and he had to wait until they'd all filed out, though Rachel and Mercedes paused to wait for him. He ducked his head in. Karofsky was over at the far side of the room, with Mr. Schuester, bent over Jesse. The three of them were talking together, quick rushed whispers. As Kurt watched, Karofsky reached forward and, with a tender movement that could only meant one thing, brushed a tendril of hair away from Jesse's face.

"Oh my God," Rachel whispered.

"Do you know what this means?" Mercedes asked breathlessly.

"Not really. . ." Kurt admitted.

"Mr. Schuester favors Durmstrang in the competition!" Rachel gasped. "That is completely inappropriate, seeing as he is a Hogwarts teacher, after all."

"No," Mercedes snapped, rolling her eyes. "It means that the reason Karofsky's been being such a bully to Kurt is because he was jealous."

"Of my fabulous hair and style?" Kurt sniffed. "Well, obviously. Who isn't?" He reached up his hand for a high five, but Mercedes just snorted indelicately, grabbed him by the wrist, and towed him into the hallway.

"No, boo. Jealous of your relationship with Jesse."

"But I don't have a relationship with Jesse!"

"You know that," Mercedes said, "And I know that –"

"Me, too!" Rachel interrupted.

"But he doesn't. He knows that you two went to the Yule Ball together. He knows that Jesse flirts with you. And he knows that you're the hottest gay guy on campus."

Kurt considered for a moment. The puzzle pieces did fit, after all. Except. . .except for one piece that just wasn't falling into piece.

"What about Blaine?"

"What about him?" Mercedes asked. She cocked one eyebrow, and jutted out her hip, putting on a full diva expression.

"Well, aren't they together? I mean, they went to Yule Ball, and they're always talking in dark corners. And then Blaine just"

Mercedes looked like she was about to explode. Rachel sighed, and put a gentle hand on the other girl's forearm.

"Allow me. Kurt, who did Blaine kiss last night?"

"Well, me, but maybe –"

"Kurt, in the second task, who was Blaine's most treasured person?"

"Me, but it was rigged, so. . .

"Who did Blaine serenade the very first day back in class? Who's coffee order does Blaine know?"

Huh. She did kind of have a point. Kurt glanced over his shoulder, to where Karofsky was helping Jesse to his feet. He understood what Rachel was saying, but he still didn't understand why Blaine had asked for Dave, after the fight. Unless. . .

"You know what, guys. . .I think Blaine might have wanted me to get Karofsky to help Jesse. They're friends. Maybe he already knew."

Mercedes and Rachel exchanged a look. If Kurt's head hadn't been busy whirring around, he might have evalutated that look, and he probably would have been pissed. AS it was. . .

"If you'll excuse me, I think that I have to visit my future boyfriend in the infirmary."

He began to think that it might be okay. He'd walk into the infirmary, and Blaine's face would light up. He would grab a wet cloth, and brush it lovingly across Blaine's forehead, before leaning down to catch the other boys' lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. And then Blaine would miraculously heal, and they would have crazy gay sex on the hospital bed.

Kurt was still a teenage boy, after all.

But, because nothing in Kurt Hummel's life ever went according to plan, instead of getting kinky with the dreamiest boy in school, he was accosted by his lumbering halfl-brother and big-mouthed lackey mere feet from the door. And, oh Dumbledore save him, they were wearing their fedoras again.

"Kurt come with us!" Finn said urgently, grabbing Kurt's hand and dragging him down the hallway. Since Finn outweighed Kurt by about seventy pounds, and since he was moving at the rate of a college tailback, the shorter boy really didn't have much of an option.

"Finn . . .let go of me, you big oaf!"

"Shhh!" Sam said urgently. "We're on a spy mission! You have to be quiet!"

"A spy mission? Oh, for the love of magic, let go of me!"

Finn did not let go. Instead, Finn put a fedora. On Kurt's head. Disturbing his hair. So Kurt cast a Bat Bogey hex on him.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Sam said in awe, even as he unjinxed his best friend. "You didn't take out a wand, or anything!"

"What do you guys want? You're just going to abandon Blaine?"

"Nah, he's sleeping," Finn said. "But we saw Coach Sylvester and Blade Houdini walking this way, and we thought"

"Oh my Gaga," Kurt breathed out. This was perfect. Their two biggest suspects for rigging the competition were actually meeting together? Now he would finally be able to figure out who was rigging the competition. "Why didn't you say that to begin with?"

Kurt Hummel is going to rock the fedora.

A/N: Once again, sorry. Not the best written, but at least you have some idea where it's going. The Finnamurt investigation is going to be hilarious, I can tell already!

Also, consider checking out my newest story, Concrete Jungle. It's a not-really-AU, showing Rachel, Klaine, and Brittana in New York City following graduation.

Reviews are love!