Author's note: I have been hanging out to write this chapter. This story is AU since the First Time, but I still felt like Kurt deserved some serious affection and attention come Valentine's Day.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Kurt hasn't been looking forward to this day at all, which feels odd because he had been looking forward to it ever since he got together with Blaine. Even though he doesn't want to be with anyone, he can't help but feel a little pang that today is Valentine's Day and yet again, he's alone. He's okay with that. He is. Really. Mostly. He sighs as he locks his car and heads inside, pretending disdain at the poor freshman who has been dressed up as cupid and made to deliver valentines.

The metallic flash of balloons up ahead catches his eye, and as he gets closer he realizes that attached to his locker are heart-shaped balloons. About five of them bobbing around as students walk past and he instantly looks up and down, wondering who they're from. There's a small pink envelope, a gold star holding it closed and there is his answer. He smiles as he flicks it open, touched that Rachel has done this. Rachel and Mercedes he corrects mentally as he sees her handwriting in the card alongside Rachel's.

It buoys him up for a good part of the morning, balloons trailing after him as he moves between classes. He's in French when flowers are delivered, and bored, the teacher calls his name, snapping his attention from the text in front of him. Beautiful bright yellow roses, a half-dozen, wrapped in blue. There's a tiny card stapled to the side and he tries to ignore everyone's eyes on him as he tugs it off and opens it.

'Happy Valentine's Day. A friend.'

Hmm. He hopes Blaine hasn't decided to send him flowers. Yellow roses are the symbol of friendship but he doesn't want to really be friends with Blaine. Not outside of school anyway. He twists in his chair to quickly look at Azimio who just looks amused, so no clues there, and he doesn't think Dave would send him flowers, but maybe he would. Surely he'd sign his name though? Actually the handwriting looks a lot neater than what he's seen of Dave's. A mystery then.

He leaves French and heads to lunch, feeling pretty happy. Everyone seems to be feeling pretty good, there's a positive vibe, and he supposes, or hopes rather, that it's going to last longer than one day. He sits at the table with the other glee club members already there and Puck makes a comment about him getting the goods, motioning towards his full hands.

"I don't know if getting balloons from Rachel and Mercedes counts as getting the goods exactly."

"And the flowers?"

"Well, actually, I don't know who sent those."

"Oh, a secret admirer?" Artie asks.

"No, just a friend."

"Friends don't send other friends roses."

"My friends do."

"Pfft. You don't even know who it is."

He hates that Puck and Artie have a point, but he ignores them and goes to collect his lunch. When he gets back to the table there is another bouquet of flowers, this one far more elaborate, larger and hiding a person behind them. He places his tray on the table, looking around the cafeteria to note that once again he's the centre of attention again.

"Mr Hummel?"

"Yeah, that's him," Puck says, and he shoots him a dirty look.

"Can you sign here please?"

A handheld digital device is thrust toward him along with a stylus and he scribbles his name before being handed the large floral arrangement. It has a vase and everything, and he places it on the table. The note he's looking for is whipped off too quickly and Artie is opening it, wheeling in reverse to avoid him grabbing for it and he reads it out loud. Who needs enemies when you have friends like this?

"Hope you have a nice day. A secret admirer."

"Oh, seems we have a battle for your affections…"

He really wants to tell both of them to F off but instead he takes the proffered note from Artie and sits down to eat his lunch. He'll need help getting it all to his car anyway.

LSY

"Hey man," Az greets as he settles himself on the sofa with his milk and cake, letting Adam and Lily rest on each of his legs.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Good. Crazy at school today. Chicks are crazy."

"Yeah well, you would know…"

Although he knows as well, Honey had given him a card in person this morning and later he'd received a jar of honey 'anonymously' with a not-so-subtle note saying he could lick it off the giver's body. He'd made a very public display of giving the jar to Nathan telling him very loudly he didn't like honey. Some of the guys nearby had snickered under their breaths, and Carl had narrowed his eyes. He's been cornered later, asked why he wasn't interested in what was a sure thing in Honey and the answer had frozen in his throat. There's being honest, but there's also not getting beaten up.

He'd made some blasé comment about actually enjoying the chase, and how Honey really wasn't his type. He liked height, and someone with a bit of a fire. He hadn't wanted to do it, but he'd pulled out his phone and showed him a picture of Santana, listed what he viewed as her positive attributes and Carl had taken and look and nodded approvingly, passing comment that Honey definitely wasn't in her league. He'd agreed, mainly because he considers Santana in a league of her own.

The encounter had put him on edge for the rest of the day though and he'd been glad to leave for home, because even Terence and Nate had managed to annoy him a bit. He'd just decided they were all high on the candy being passed around by girls who refused to eat an entire box.

"Yeah, I would know. I tried to give Ellie a rose, picked it out especially and everything, and she just handed it back to me and told me I should hold on to it."

He winces, because rejection sucks in all forms, which is why he's been trying to let Honey down gently; but he's thinking that taking a front page ad on the front page of the Lima Tribune might be too subtle for her.

"So, Hummel got a lot of gifts today. You send him anything?"

"I—what?"

"He got balloons, and some yellow roses and then at lunch this massive display thing that looked like it belonged in a shop window or something. Fancy."

"No, I didn't send him anything… do you think I should have?"

Oh fuck, now he's starting to worry that maybe he should have considered sending Kurt something, except he's pretty sure Kurt isn't ready for anything, and he doesn't want to put any pressure on him.

"Dude. He got so much today some girls were seriously jealous, and he doesn't even have a special someone spoiling him. Just saying."

"I… even if I had sent something I don't think Kurt would be interested in me. In any guy right now…"

"So… the rumors I heard a couple of months ago were true then?"

"Ah… maybe. Depends. You should ask Kurt."

"Hmm. Okay."

They exchange a silent loaded look, he's gotten good at keeping other people's secrets, having guarded his own so closely for many years and Az nods once slowly. Normally they'd play Halo, but Claire had asked if he minded looking after the twins while she had a nap, and he knew Az wouldn't mind. They build block towers just so Adam can knock them down and Lily is fascinated with the short tight curls on Az's head.

The next day at school Nate sidles up to him to walk into the main building, Terence swinging away from the main group of jocks to join them.

"So, did you hear from Kurt last night?"

"No. Why?"

"Yeah, why should he have heard from Kurt? Tonight's their date night," Terence says, hiding a smile.

"I just thought that maybe with it being Valentine's Day yesterday you guys might have seen each other or something."

"No… Kurt and I are just friends. Anything more than that gets complicated. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Dude, you guys might just be friends, but it's obvious you'd go out with him in a heartbeat if he crooked his finger at you," Terence states.

"Fuck off. It's more complicated then that. He's not in a place for another boyfriend and I'd be the last person he'd consider anyway. Jesus, you're both as bad as Az…"

"Wait, what did Az say?"

"Same as you guys. Just he gets a bit more of where Kurt is coming from. Why are you guys looking at me like that?"

"I…might have done something you might not like," Nate says, face scrunched up in consideration.

"Oh fuck, what?"

"I sent him some flowers anonymously, thinking that maybe he'd think they were from you…"

"What? Why?"

"Shit. I did that too."

"Oh fuck. Both of you?"

"Well, it's not like you were helping your love life along yourself, especially with the whole Honey situation."

"Oh god, how did you even know where to send them?" What Az was saying yesterday suddenly makes a lot of sense and if there was a handy wall or desk he'd bang his head against it helplessly. He tunes back in to their conversation to hear that Terence sent yellow roses and Nathan sent a large floral arrangement. Great. He can't believe how out of control he feels of his life sometimes and he can't believe how unhelpful his fucking friends are.

LSY

"Dave? Where are you?"

He pokes his head around the corner and pulls his shirt down quickly, the one he's just removed covered in spaghetti sauce courtesy of the twins enthusiastic approval of dinner. He's taken to helping even more, wanting to spend as much time with the twins as he can before he has to make a decision about possibly moving away.

"Sorry, just needed to change. Dinner was messy."

"I can tell, you have sauce on your face."

"Gah. I cleaned them up, but didn't even think to check myself. Is it bad?"

"Uh, yeah. You might want to go and check a mirror." Dave sighs and motions Kurt to follow him. "So, uh, I have a questions, but it's kind of embarrassing… did you, um, happen to send me anything yesterday?"

His head snaps up from the sink where he's washing his face and he blinks water out of his eyes, but even with his slightly blurred vision he can tell Kurt is chewing the inside of his cheek, lips pursed slightly and studying the floor. Fuck, maybe he should have sent something, because it's slightly better than the truth that he needs to tell him.

"I -? No… I didn't." He actually feels like apologizing for not sending anything.

"Oh." He'd swear Kurt sounds disappointed, but he knows it could easily just be wishful thinking and he needs to be as objective as possible. "It's just, I got two lots of flowers delivered yesterday, and I'm trying to figure out who they're from and I thought that maybe… sorry. Just me being silly."

Oh god. He wants to tell him he isn't being silly, because he'd shower Kurt in flowers if he thought it would be welcome, but he can't imagine him ever being okay with that.

"I know who sent the flowers. Uh… it's kind of embarrassing."

"What? Why? For you or for me?"

"Both? I don't know. It was Terence and Nate, they both separately sent you flowers. They, uh, seem to think I have a thing for you or something. I explained we were just friends…" he shrugs and hopes that encapsulates how useless he feels, that he doesn't expect more than friendship. That he considers himself lucky to have Kurt's friendship at all.

"Oh. Well… wow. So my Valentines Day consisted of receiving balloons from my two closest girlfriends, flowers from two straight guys and a completely unromantic father-son dinner."

He glances up again to see Kurt looking sad and it makes him feel sadder but there's one thing he can say that might make him feel a bit better. Terence had said he could tell Kurt if he wanted, he's okay with Kurt knowing.

"Well, if it's any consolation one of the straight guys isn't actually straight."

Kurt's surprised 'oh' makes him smile and he grins in reply.