Chapter 5

Cockney Accents and Safari Outfits

"So, I have something to confess" said Harry, eyes on the road.

"Should I be concerned?" asked Kurt.

"Hopefully not" Harry said in an easy going manner. "I'll sum up, I had somebody pick pocket your phone so we could have a conversation, invite you to the mall and slowly show you how adorable I am" he said with no traces of shame.

Kurt couldn't help his reaction once the surprise passed.

He laughed.

"For real?" he asked between giggles.

"Yes… and I won't say I'm sorry, considering how well our date has been going, but it's one of those things that is best to get out in the open personally" he said with a smirk.

"Personally?"

"I am many things Kurt, but I've never been a liar" Harry said with an honest and open expression. "Not to the people that matter to me at least, and I find the less secrets you have, the less people can use against you."

Kurt smiled fondly. "You know, after that confession if I was anybody else, I would have been concerned and wary since I am sharing a car with you and I have no idea where you are taking us" Kurt said still laughing. "But considering the kind of friends I had in McKinley, my own personality and past actions, I am finding what you did strangely attractive" he said with a hum of surprise.

"Glad that you do" Harry said smiling brightly.

"That being said, if you ever take my phone or any of my possessions again, I will murder you in your sleep" Kurt said smiling happily.

"Dully noted" said Harry with a shrug. "I have your number now; I'll text you next time."

"See that you do" Kurt said, still amazed and flattered.

He meant what he had said to Harry. It was exactly the kind of thing he would have done to get somebody alone. His friends tended to be manipulative, he was manipulative… Hell! Even his teachers had been on occasion. It made sense, in a twisted way, that he would be attracted to somebody clever enough to outsmart him.

Besides, it was strangely touching to know that Harry had spent so much time trying to get closer to him. Planning and scheming things like this required effort and genuine interest. He had never been on the other side. It was surreal to think somebody was so blatantly determined to get him to say yes to a date. It made what Harry did seem sweeter than it should.

He laughed quietly once more.

"I think my old school might have seriously done a number on me, because my reaction can't be normal" he said out loud.

"Oh Kurt" said Harry shaking his head. "I wouldn't be interested in you if you were normal" the expression on Harry's face, like he had tasted something foul made Kurt laugh again.

"Normal is not too bad" Kurt said.

"Normal is boring" insisted Harry.

"I spent a lot of time wanting to be normal. Sometimes I still do" Kurt said, surprising himself with the revelation. It was a conversation he didn't want to have on a first date. He suddenly felt very exposed, and in response he tensed, almost readying himself to defend himself.

"I guess I can understand that. I might have even wanted that at some point, but normal and I have never exactly clicked. Either way Kurt, you are better than normal" Harry said finally with a sense of closure to the topic and a brief smile in his direction.

They spent the rest of the short ride in silence listening to the radio. Despite his best efforts, Kurt couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

IIIII

"No way!" said Kurt, an excited shiver going down his spine. "Are we going in there?"

"Indeed we are" Harry said holding two tickets already. "They sell surprisingly fast. I picked them up this morning."

"You brought me to a sing along screening of Mary Poppins" gushed Kurt.

"I confess that I'm hoping to have guessed right how you feel about musicals, and if I did, to exploit this movie" Harry said seeming, for the first time, a little self-conscious. "I haven't seen many musicals, but I sort of know this one, if you don't like it, then we can still catch a different movie."

Kurt was trying not to tear up at the middle of his date. "How did you know?"

"You sang 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' for your audition, and your phone has 'Defying Gravity' as the ring tone. I might or might not have cheated and used Google to find out about those two" Harry responded. "Also, I have Dalton full of spies… but that's irrelevant unless you want to start planning how to rule the school by my side."

"I love it" Kurt said, and feeling in a weird state of wonder, he closed the gap and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek. "It was spot on. I love musicals. Let's get inside and find good places. I'm giving you a free pass on the spy comment tonight. I think is too soon to plan our regime over Dalton… give us a week or two."

"Fair enough" laughed Harry. Kurt grabbed Harry's hand without the need of being offered or hesitations this time.

"Come on, the sweets are on me" decided Kurt. His attention strayed. "Oh my God!" he said gasping when he saw a girl walking by dressed as Mary Poppins, an umbrella on her arm and everything. "If I had known this is where we were going, I would have prepared a more colorful outfit…" as Kurt started to ramble, Harry gently led them towards the refreshments.

Watching his face glow with enthusiasm, Harry decided he could get used to this.

They held hands as the movie started and only let go so that Harry could pass an arm around his shoulders. The British boy clearly didn't know all the songs, but he followed as best as he could. His accent making the people around them give him approving looks. Kurt was both intrigued and amused by some of the insights Harry was able to explain about the movie afterwards.

"Bert was talking in a Cockney accent" he said on their way to the dorms. "A very respectable attempt on it, better than the one Hepburn's did in My Fair Lady; mostly because he probably knew he sucked and was just having fun with it."

"You've seen that one?" asked Kurt excitedly.

"Hermione's favorite, I like it..."

Once they were in the car again, Kurt decided to see if trying to educate Harry about Broadway trivia would be a hopeless cause.

"Did you know that they rejected Julie Andrews for the role of Eliza in My Fair Lady? Even thought she was the original actress in the Broadway show? She was then picked to play as Mary Poppins. She ended up beating Hepburn for best actress in both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes for her role as Mary."

"Poetic justice I'd say" commented Harry. "It also shows that Disney will always win... I bet you it won because the panel of judges consisted of parents that needed something to do with their kids during the weekend and between the two movies, Mary Poppins was more appropriate."

Kurt laughed. "I love Disney, and I'm sure that Audrey is rolling on her grave now that she knows the truth."

"Who doesn't? I like Mary Poppins more. The songs are catchier. I never got what's the big deal about Hepburn."

"Shush you, Ms. Hepburn was an amazing actress, but more importantly, she is a fashion icon that transcends time."

"And does a terrible Cockney accent; to be fair, there's no such a thing as a good one" added Harry making Kurt giggle and roll his eyes. They stopped in front of Kurt's door, Harry glanced at his watch. "Wow... that went pretty fast didn't it?"

"We made it with ten minutes before your car turned into a pumpkin. This would work better if curfew was at 12 instead of 11."

Kurt's happy feelings were suddenly replaced by dread. Would Harry try to kiss him? He didn't think he could do that just a few weeks ago Karofsky had stolen his first kiss. He was still trying to get over that. He desperately wanted his first kiss to be with somebody he felt strongly about and they were simply not there yet. He couldn't, he couldn't. Harry was closing the distance between them and he was frozen in fear.

A pair of lips connected with his cheek.

"I won't kiss you if you don't want to Kurt" whispered Harry and stepped away. "I had fun. Good night."

He stared almost in slow motion as Harry started to walk away.

"Wait!" he called. "It's not that I didn't have fun, or that I don't want to, it's just..."

"You don't have to justify yourself Kurt" Harry said gently.

"I like you ok?" Kurt said annoyed at the patronizing tone. "I don't know how much yet, because we're still getting to know each other, but I do like you. I just, there's probably some stuff you should know about me... but we're still learning the superficial stuff and I need time to get to that point."

"Not first date conversation material then" Harry said and smiled clearly pleased things were going good. "I like you too Kurt, would you like to go out again some other time?"

"I'd love to, but I'm going to be busy for a while" said Kurt desperately trying not to make it seem like a rejection. "We have Sectionals coming very soon, so Wes is being very strict about rehearsals. I still have loads of catch up homework to do, and visit my family in Lima..."

"Sit with us at lunch" offered Harry. "We can still get to know each other and it won't be taking any of your time. Regretfully, you will probably have to be around the twins."

"That sounds great!" Kurt said enthusiastically. "If I have to listen to another conversation about homework while eating, I might scream. I'll get used to the twins, I hope."

"What else do we have together? I've seen you in English, sit with us."

"Won't I be intruding in your alone time with Ron?" asked Kurt with teasing smirk.

Harry made a diva-esk gesture of dismissal. "What Ron and I have goes beyond sitting at English together."

"I kind of wish we could still go out on a date" confessed Kurt. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Thursday" said Harry in a tone that left no space for arguments. "Reserve me Thursday lunch hour, I have an idea. It'd be our second date, you won't have to worry about what to wear and it will be on campus. I guarantee you would be in time for class."

"Don't I get commentary? Where's my context and..."

"Sorry, the offer only applies for the first date. See you at lunch" waved Harry starting to walk backwards.

"Hey Harry" he stopped in front of the portrait. Kurt blushed and mumbled barely hard enough for Harry to hear. "Thanks... it was a perfect first date."

IIIII

"So?" Ron asked the moment Harry stepped into the room. Fred and George paused their game to stared at him expectantly.

"Don't be such gossip queens" Harry said, changing for bed.

"Come on! Don't be a wet blanket in a cold winter night" Ron said throwing a pillow his way. "Sharing is caring."

Harry smiled at them once, before letting himself fall on the mattress. Back against it, hands behind his head.

"You know, this friendship is really going down the toilet if we need to judge your mood by a face-mattress ratio" said Fred, smirking. Without a word, Harry pulled the curtains around his bed closed.

IIIII

"Hey Kurt!" called a cheerful voice.

Kurt raised his head from the mountain of papers he had buried himself into. "Blaine, hi..."

"That was not a happy hi" said Blaine slightly more subdued.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired right now" he gestured to the table. "All the teachers had plotted to torture me."

"Have you been doing this all weekend?" asked Blaine setting his bag down by his bed. "That can't be healthy."

"Not all weekend, Friday I went to the mall. You have to see some of the stuff I got!" Kurt said excitedly. "Then I did some homework on Saturday morning, and then in the evening I went out on a date and..."

Blaine stopped himself from opening his bag. "Did you just say date? With whom?"

"Harry" said Kurt starting to feel a tension forming in the room. "He got me a flower" he added lamely, pointing at the rose next to Pavarotti's cage.

"Kurt, you shouldn't be going out with that guy" Blaine said slowly.

"Why?" asked Kurt in a disbelieving tone. "I had a great time with him; it's the most fun I had all week, not counting the shopping trip with him and his friends."

"He's trouble" Blaine stopped when Kurt started laughing.

"I'm sorry, but you're starting to sound like the priest in Footloose. Oh Gaga, he was wearing a leather jacket yesterday. Has he called you a square Blaine?" Kurt chuckled while starting to put his papers in order.

"Kurt, this is not a joke..."

"Alright Blaine" said Kurt turning his chair around. "Tell me why he is a bad influence, and if your arguments make sense I'll stop seeing him."

"He is always in detention!" started Blaine immediately.

"One, he helps to run them and two, I came from a public school, detention there is practically in our timetable. Hell, Puck actually has a criminal record Blaine; he went to juvie and all. Mercedes almost got suspended for filling a car with tots, not to mention the time she smashed the window of my car. Finn slashed the tires of another glee club, Santana smokes in the bathrooms, Tina pretended to be a vampire, threatened our principal and Mr. Shue praised her for it. Even Rachel breaks rules! She sent a girl to a crack house because she didn't want her in New Directions, and deep down I thought it was hilarious, diabolical and plain genius" Kurt frowned deep in thought. "I should have thought of sending her to a crack house..."

"That's not the..."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Do you remember how we met? I was spying on another school, this school, which constitutes as a breach of private property and the only reason I was spared is because you guys found it endearing or something. Also, I once showed to school drunk and got sick over one of our teacher's shoes. I'm sorry Blaine, but my moral compass is not as black and white as yours. What else you got?"

Blaine was staring at Kurt shocked. "Uh... he's always sneaking off campus."

"Wow" Kurt said with a chuckle. "We are teenagers Blaine. You really need to loosen up. By the way, if your next item is that he drinks, don't bother because as I said before, even I have done that" Kurt sighed. "Do you really think that if he was such a bad influence he would still be in Dalton? I read the code of behavior and rules. They aren't very flexible with misbehavior."

"I... actually... you heard them talking when we went to their room..."

Kurt gave him a condescending look. "Blaine, name one person they had done any of that to" Blaine's mind became blank. "You know coach Sylvester? Working with her I learnt one thing, while she does dabble in unusual, outrageous and possibly illegal activities, most of what she talks about is empty talk. Have you considered that they say what they say because they find it amusing to play to the idea the school has built about them?"

"How would you even know Kurt?" asked Blaine starting to get frustrated.

"They told me on Friday, when I went with them to the mall..."

"Oh my God Kurt! Are you that gullible?" Blaine asked with a roll of his eyes.

"You didn't let me finish" said Kurt coldly. "I know it's true, because I plan to apply for a scholarship next year. The four major requirements are good grades, an extracurricular activity, voluntary work, which by the way, they fill by tutoring people in detention, and a clean record" he stood up and glared at Blaine. "That means no detention, no warnings, no suspensions and no trouble. To be able to afford this school Blaine they need to follow the rules even more closely than you do!"

Blaine gaped at him. A small part of him was starting to feel guilty. "Kurt, Potter doesn't have a scholarship..."

"So what? Does that mean he's not a good person?" he hit himself in the head and made a fake intake of breath in shock. "That's right, he's a bad influence. That's why instead of going to dinner we kicked puppies and snorted cocaine. But hey, the really bad stuff was afterwards, when he took me to see the controversial film of Mary freaking Poppins, it was a riot, people started to get really crazy, burning stuff and singing" he paused for dramatic effect "off key."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" asked Blaine. "I'm just looking out for you!"

"First of all, you are the one making a big deal out it. It was one date and I had fun, why can't you react like a normal friend and ask me about it?" Kurt asked in a snappy tone.

"Hey, there's no need to take that tone. Seriously Kurt, why are you acting like this?"

"Because I am mad at you!" screamed Kurt.

"Why?" Blaine stared at him confused. It only made Kurt madder.

"I thought you understood what it's like for people to hate you for who you are! For people to want to change you to fit into their idea of what's right! I even started looking up to you!" Kurt said trying to keep his voice from rising too high.

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Blaine annoyed and mystified.

"Blaine your advice after my audition was to 'tone myself down' to 'not try as hard' well screw you Blaine! The bullies and McKinley didn't change who I am, and you and Dalton sure as hell won't. I rather get a bad reputation and be around people who aren't afraid of being themselves, than fit in and be... be sheep!" Kurt stopped, breathing heavily. He grabbed his keys and stormed out, closing the door with a bang.

He tried to decide where to go. He wanted to go home, which of course he couldn't. He wanted to talk to Mercedes, but if he called her, she would only try to get him to come back. Then he realized. Blaine was not his only friend at Dalton anymore. He marched down the hall and yanked at the cord next to the portrait until it opened.

"Oh, hi Kurt" Ron said surprised. Kurt pushed him away and entered, throwing himself on the couch and crossing his arms.

"Blaine's an idiot" pouted Kurt. "I stormed out of the room and didn't have anywhere to go."

"Ice cream?" offered Fred, opening their mini fridge.

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind one" responded Kurt.

"Alright" said George dropping from the top bunk bed. "For the purpose of not messing up our blossoming friendship, do you want to A bitch about Blaine or B watch movies and ignore the problem?"

"I chose option A" said Kurt, stabbing the ice cream with his spoon. "He's..."

"Wait, last question, do you want us to A agree with everything you say and say mean stuff about him in return, or B be rational about things" asked Ron, dropping on the couch next to him and grabbing his own spoonful of ice cream.

"A definitely" said Kurt, his bad mood lessening. "Done this with the girls before?"

"Learnt the hard way" muttered one of the twins, turning a chair so that he was straddling it and giving Kurt his complete attention.

"But we're ready, what did he do?" asked the other, returning with a bag of chips and sitting on the floor.

"You know that I auditioned for a solo right?"

"Yep, and you nailed it" added Ron.

"You got Harry smitten with your siren voice" said Fred in a faraway voice.

"Where is he by the way?" asked Kurt, loving to have his ego stroked.

"Grocery shopping" the three of them said in unison.

"Somebody call him and ask for more ice cream" said George.

"On it" replied Fred already pulling his phone out and texting. "Ok Kurt, carry on."

IIIII

"That son of a bitch!"

"What an asshole..."

"The hair should have been our first clue..."

Harry closed the door with his foot and placed the shopping bags on the table. "Who are we trashing?"

"Can you believe what Blaine said to Kurt?" asked Fred genuinely upset.

"Look Kurt, I know we don't know you that well, but just so you know, we would never ask you to be anything other than yourself. If the preppy canaries or whatever can't see that, then they don't deserve you" said George, fist banging against the floor.

"What? Oh yeah... right thanks" Kurt said while still staring at Harry in surprise. He was wearing loose running shorts and a tight shirt with no sleeves that were highly inappropriate for the cold weather. He was hot. He was ridiculously hot. Like super, super hot and Kurt was sort of dating him.

"Hi Kurt... Hey! What the hell!?" asked Harry after Ron and the twins threw a glass of water each at him. He frowned at them and took his dripping shirt off, grabbing another one from his dresser and moving to the bathroom while still scowling at them. "Put the groceries away, and clean that up!" he ordered from the inside.

"You're welcome" said Fred with a wink at a flustered Kurt, all of them spotting self-satisfied smirks.

"If that didn't cheer you up, nothing will" said Ron while starting to put things away.

"You're the best straight guy-friends a gay guy could ever want" declared Kurt.

"Awww" cooed the twins in unison.

IIIII

Kurt got back to his room with only 5 minutes before curfew. Blaine was sitting on his bed waiting for him. He started his night routine without acknowledging the other boy.

"Kurt" said Blaine once he couldn't stand it any longer. "I'm sorry, it wasn't right for me to tell you how to act or who to date. Believe me when I tell you I was only trying to look out for you."

"I know" Kurt said with a sigh.

"I went too far" admitted Blaine.

"It's ok Blaine, just, just never tell me to tone myself down, or act differently, or stop hanging out with people you think are a bad influence because you have never met them yourself, because if that's what you want, then I don't think we can be friends" added Kurt turning around.

"I promise" said Blaine looking like Kurt had burned his Vogue collection. "I am really sorry Kurt, it was really wrong of me to do so. Can we move past this?"

"Sure" said Kurt with a smile. He looked at him for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"Always" Blaine said, his mood improving now that they had solved things.

"Do you like Harry?" asked Kurt. Blaine stared at him, tilting his head to the side confused. "As in like-like…"

"Not really" said Blaine confused. "Why?"

Kurt blushed embarrassed. "I think a part of me assumed you've been so against this because you might have liked him."

Blaine laughed. "Sorry Kurt, I am not blind, so I can honestly tell you he's good looking, but until you got here I never even talked to him. I don't want you going out with him because of his reputation of sleeping around, he sneaks out of campus and doesn't come back until the next day and he's, I guess he's not somebody I trust. But if you want to date him, I can't tell you not to. Are we good?"

"We're good" said Kurt, deciding to ignore a few of the comments. "I'm having lunch at Harry's table tomorrow, want to join?"

Blaine visibly tensed. "I'll think about it"

IIIII

The next day he didn't sit with them, but at least he ran interference with Wes when Kurt picked his food and said he'd see them at practice. Lunch was fun and he had the chance to get to know more about the Weasleys and more importantly, Harry. Rehearsal was uneventful and he dutifully ignored the glances that Wes and David kept throwing his way. All in all, it seemed like a good day at least until he spotted Ron growling at something on the phone, Harry not far away.

"What do you mean she didn't spend the weekend at the dorms!?" screamed Ron at his phone while moving towards the entrance. "Why did nobody called me straight away?" his friend stared at him with a raised eyebrow, he mouthed a name and Harry's face blanked.

He followed after Ron, barely closing his locker.

"Harry?" called Kurt when he passed right next to him and Blaine. Harry and Ron continued to power walk towards the parking lot.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. When was the last time..." people moved away from them in the hallways. The front doors slammed open with one simple push from Harry. Suddenly he froze at the top of the stairs, Ron bumping into him.

"Harry?" asked Kurt softly, having followed after them, he turned to see what had caught their attention. There, uncaring of the rain, a red headed girl stood in the middle of the parking lot. A bag threatened to fall from her shoulder.

"She's here" Ron said to the person on the phone. His voice was breathless and relieved at the same time.

Harry moved down the steps.

The girl smiled brilliantly.

Kurt's stomach clenched, her eyes shined with pure adoration. Maybe this was her. This was it, one of those few moments in real life when two soul mates find each other. He was going to lose Harry... to a girl. The whole thing played perfectly of course, it was Harry after all. He seemed to have been taken straight out of a fairy tale book.

It made sense that he would have a perfect kiss under the rain.

He stopped in the middle of the rain, and they stared at each other in devotion. He started to walk towards her rapidly and she let the bag fall, running towards him. Her arms went around his neck and his grabbed her face gently. Their foreheads rested together and finally...

Kurt opened his eyes. Ready to see if everything was going to happen in the same way it played in his mind.

Harry and the girl were staring at each other. Any moment now they would run towards the other. His friend/guy he was dating however turned sharply to the right and opened the back door of his car. The girl's expression fell and she let out this horrible, heart breaking sob. Ron winced next to him.

"Get in" Harry said unaffected by the display. He stared ahead, ignoring her completely. By now the red headed girl was crying without a care of who was watching.

"Harry! Please!" she screamed. Kurt scowled when he saw the small audience the display was attracting. Their voices could barely be heard.

"Get in."

"No!" she screamed, stomping her foot childishly. Kurt felt better knowing she was not the picture of perfection he had imagined.

"Get in the car. Now" he hissed, eyes flashing.

"No!"

Harry glared "Ginevra Weasley get inside the bloody car or I will get you inside!"

She approached him determinately and grabbed his neck, trying to kiss him. Harry raised his face, taking advantage of his extra height and closed his eyes. The girl, Ginevra, what kind of name was that anyways? Kissed his jaw and kept trying to reach Harry.

"Car" was his only response.

She finally relented, still crying. The door was slammed after her. He made his way back towards the school and threw the keys to Ron.

"Harry..." started Ron

"I have nothing to say to her" he replied cuttingly. "I am tired of having the same discussion with her, with you, the twins, your parents, Hermione, Luna. I forgave her Ron, but that does not mean I forgot."

Ron sighed. "Alright, I'll drive her home."

Harry turned to Kurt and offered his hand. In that moment Kurt felt like crying. Harry was still his. Kind of. He interweaved their fingers and let his, whatever Harry was to him, pull him along. They moved around hallways and stairs, Harry slightly dripping from the rain. They made it to a part of the school he had never been in. It was empty and it looked messy. There was plastic covering the walls and random tools around.

"They are fixing the pluming of this wing" explained Harry. They entered an empty classroom and Harry squeezed their joined hands once before letting go. "I like you Kurt."

"But?" asked Kurt disappointed, Harry was about to break up with him, could they even break up if they weren't officially dating? At least he had been nice enough to do it in private.

"Uh... but there's a lot you don't know about me and I would like to remedy that?" asked Harry slightly confused. "I like what we have going on here, and I want to see where it can go, because I think we can be great together Kurt. I want you to ask me, all the questions you might have in your mind, anything you ask I promise I will answer honestly."

Kurt blushed, feeling hopeful again. "Who was that girl?"

"Ron's sister, my ex" said Harry while taking a seat. "We never... I wanted to make sure she didn't waste her first time with me. I felt she was too young. I was in no rush, I was happy with going slow, but she slept with someone else while we were dating and I walked in on them. I broke up with her the same day. That happened last year..."

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

"No" replied Harry frankly. "She was not the person I thought she was. Relationships need trust and I would never be able to trust in somebody that cheated on me. You should know that I could never put someone through that either. "

Kurt stared at Harry opening himself up and couldn't help but feel suspicious. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because I want you Kurt. I want to hold your hand in the hallways and take you out on dates, I even want to go shopping with you and carry your bags" answered Harry, blushing for the first time since Kurt met him. "I know the reputation I have, and if I want to have a chance at being your boyfriend, it's what I have to do."

Kurt smiled softly. "Boyfriend huh?"

"Not yet, I want you to ask, I want you to know about all my baggage and then if you still want, we can keep going as we have so far. I mean, we've only been on one date."

"How many relationships have you had?" he asked, deciding not to waste a golden opportunity.

"Real ones, two, you now know about Ginny, and I mentioned Cedric..."

They talked for as long as they could.

Harry told him about the people he had been with, both serious and casually and answered all the questions Kurt had. He was surprised to find out that Harry's reputation of sleeping around was actually true. But to be fair, he had done it after his break up with Ginny. He had been hurting and while Kurt was sure there were better methods to get over somebody, he couldn't blame Harry for his past.

And yes, it was intimidating to think that Harry had so much more experience than he did, but also, it was so liberating to not have this cloud hanging over them. Harry told him about his first crush, his first kiss, with a girl and a boy and after he had run out of stories, Kurt felt compelled to share too.

So he told him about his crush on Finn, the Sam fiasco, about his almost feelings for Blaine and finally about Karofsky. He hadn't been able to look at him when he revived the last part. This was the first time he actually told anybody after having time to process.

Without waiting for Harry to react and using what little courage he had left, he blurted out. "I know nothing about sex. I have the sex appeal of a baby penguin, and I know you have experience, but I... I don't think I can... not for a long time and if that's something you want then..."

"Ok" Harry said while hugging him, Kurt trembled relieved that he had not spooked him away, yet. "I promise that if you give us a chance, we'll take things slow."

"How slow?" asked Kurt, still feeling embarrassed.

"As slow as you feel comfortable with. If that's the speed of a paralytic snail... or a baby penguin, then that would be our speed. Are we still on for Thursday?"

"You better wow me..." said Kurt arrogantly.

"And wow you I shall" winked Harry, he leaned and kissed Kurt's cheek. "For the record, your sex appeal is far, far more powerful than you think."

IIIII

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" Kurt raised his head from his homework and stared at Ron confused for a second.

"Sure, but be warned that I am likely to spontaneously combust at any moment."

"Chemistry?" asked Ron sympathetically.

"Physics" replied Kurt with a tired sigh.

"Oh, actually that's cool; I can help you if you want."

Kurt was momentarily taken aback by the offer. Ron and Kurt had never really spoken to each other for more than a few passing comments, or been alone together. It wasn't that he had something against the guy; the situation simply hadn't presented itself to them before.

"Thanks, but it's not that I don't understand it, it's this guide I need to finish. It doesn't end. I am barely past the first seven pages."

"Oh, I know which one, they gave it to us at the beginning of the year… do you want mine? I think it's the same. It's already corrected, so you don't have to worry about it being wrong or something."

"Really?" asked Kurt hopefully. In his whole life he had never copied, cheated or needed somebody else's homework, but he was tired and the stupid guide was a bunch of exercises he could do in his sleep.

"Yeah, sure, do you need it now? It's in our room, somewhere" Ron paused. "We might need some shovels to clear the mess and get to the beginning of the year" Kurt blinked confused. "Our mess is chronologically organized. We have a system."

"Of course you do" said Kurt patronizingly. He had seen the system and he wasn't impressed by it. "I'll find a fabulous safari outfit and help you look, I have until next Tuesday and I'm sure there's some undiscovered species under that pile that I can use for my biology report."

"Ok… but Luna has dibs on most of them, so check with her" Ron said perfectly unfazed by the conversation. Kurt had been sarcastic, but he wondered if around Harry's friend it would be wise to implement a sign policy. "Hey since you don't have to worry about that anymore, how's your French? Harry says it's good, but then again, all he says about you is good" he smirked. "Care to prove him right?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, I would hate to make him a liar."

It was easy to like Ron. Mostly because he reminded him a little of Finn, a smarter, more grounded Finn, but in that alley none the less.

He wasn't that great at French, but he wasn't atrocious either. Ron had already done his assignment and only needed a couple of corrections, soon they were past homework and getting to know each other instead. This was good, thought Kurt. Making a good impression with Ron would surely gain him some major brownie points with his... his what? They hadn't made anything official yet. They have gone on several 'campus dates' since they had the heart to heart.

Harry was incredibly, scarily, resourceful, with an imagination a little too active to be safe. Their dates could be separated in two types, the small sweet ones, which were exactly that. Simple things, like Harry brining him hot chocolate and quietly reading next to him while he did his homework. They also frequently got together to listen to music, cuddled on a sofa in the common room and sharing headphones in between classes. Harry liked to take him to his favorite spots in Dalton, walking around the frozen campus with their hands held and saving Kurt on more than one occasion after slipping on the ice.

Then there were the other type of dates. The big, elaborate, over the top ones, which were more than amazing, but also completely surreal and happened at either lunch or dinner time, when they had the most time to spare. Kurt seriously didn't want to know how Harry had managed to turn the auditorium into a replica of Paris on such short notice, a scale Eiffel Tower and authentic French food included.

Nor did he want to know how he put a lot of glow-y things on the ceiling of the swimming pool area (looking back on that date, he was thankful they hadn't been electrocuted), or gotten the small row boat on the inside so they could just look at the pretty lights that moved in tune with the music that had been coming out of who knows where and being gently swayed by waves that should not be there.

The twins had surprisingly provided him with some insight into Harry's way of thinking.

"Oh Gaga, what is he planning?" asked Kurt to the twins, when he spotted Harry talking in hushed whispers to somebody. Refusing to admit a thrilling kind of expectation settled in his stomach.

"Probably your next date" said George grinning.

"It's going to be epic by what we have overheard so far" nodded Fred excitedly.

"Does he know he doesn't need to do this?" asked Kurt blushing. He had tried to tell Harry he would be happy to just do the small, simple, sweet things, but the conversation that followed had made his head spin. He had finally given up when he realized Harry was talking circles around him and confusing him to the point of frustration.

"Do you or do you not like the dates?" asked Fred.

"I do, but…"

"No, no buts" said George.

"Harry is not the type of guy that does things half way" shrugged Fred.

"He didn't go all out at first, because he was testing the waters" carried on George. Kurt wished they could stop the twin act for a second, but he knew when he asked for too much.

"But he's far too Harry to consider doing normal stuff, and he really likes you Kurt" said Fred smirking at him knowingly. He blushed, Harry had said so already, but it felt strange when his friends said it. "He enjoys coming up with the dates as much as you enjoy being surprised by them, deep down he's a show off… it's like… like, give me a second, I'm trying to come up with the perfect metaphor…"

"Look, let me put it as plainly as I can. Harry works in a very simple manner" said George. "If this is the amount of interest" he said, placing his right hand, palm down, at his chest level. "Then this is the amount of effort" he added doing the same with the other and putting it at the same level. He raised his right hand and the other followed.

"Oh, I know, it's a bird metaphor and everything" said Fred snapping his fingers. "He's like one of those paradise birds, that makes this really outrageous…"

"I feel I should be offended by your patronizing ways" Kurt stopped him with a sneer. "But Harry is approaching, so…" he stood up, his face changing into an uncomfortable one and his frame was tense. "Harry! George is being awfully crass about… stuff, I sooo didn't need to know that about Katie!"

Fred and George looked at him confused, until Fred noticed how the gesture might have looked without the conversation as context.

"Seriously George!" Harry said frowning, he grabbed Kurt's hand. "Grow up! Don't think I won't tell Katie about this!"

"But… but… I…" he said trying to defend himself, hands still in front of him.

Fred fell from his chair to the floor laughing madly. Uncaring of how many turned to see him make a spectacle out of himself. Harry and Kurt walked away, hands held together; the countertenor turned enough to throw a smirk their way and waved with his free hand sardonically. A few of the people around them shivered at his malicious smirk, some of them surprised at how viciously satisfied the innocent new transfer could look. One thing was for sure, Kurt had more than proven he could fit in among the craziness that were Harry and his friends.

"That little…" George said mouth hanging open, Fred holding his stomach in pain.

"Hey Kurt?" asked Ron snapping him back to the present. "You were out of it for some time, everything ok?"

"Yes, just thinking…" he said and didn't elaborate further. As much as he loved Harry's friends, they were still Harry's friends and telling them was like telling Harry by default.

Was he supposed to wait for Harry to ask him? It was usually the guy that asked, but… well they were both guys. This was all very confusing. Maybe he should ask Blaine? He was his gay mentor so that was a possibility. Then again, Blaine was not Harry's biggest fan… Mercedes? Even worse, at least on this particular situation. Was it too soon to get into a relationship?

Finn and Rachel had jumped straight to that part. Actually, everybody he knew jumped straight to that part after a painfully long period of liking each other and not acting on those feelings. It was after making things official that his friends went out dating. Harry, as he had proven countlessly by now, wasn't the type to wait from afar and hope for the best. He took action and had in a short amount of time inadvertently, convinced Kurt that he was part of the beginnings of an epic love story.

He and Harry had been dating for two weeks and it did seem things were moving along, but he was getting tired of waiting. Sure, they already held hands almost every time they were walking together in the same direction, and he was always invited to join him with his friends in whatever shenanigans they were involved into, but did that made them boyfriends already? Had he somehow missed that part and Harry expected him to know they were together now?

"She's here!" announced one of the twins excitedly, barging into the study hall. He pulled Ron out of his seat, grabbing him by the shoulders and shook him a little. "She's here!"

Ron's eyes widened. "For real?"

Present twin nodded enthusiastically. "Harry is picking her up! Meet you there!" He ran out of the room, practically vibrating from excitement.

"Come on Kurt, you'll want to be there to meet her" Ron said with a smirk while shoving all his notes and books in his bag.

"Meet who exactly?" asked Kurt imitating him, with far more care.

"Your competition for our Lord's affections of course…" said Ron and left the room with a sense of urgency.

Kurt's eyes narrowed, like hell he was going to let a girl take away what was his… sort of… whatever. They really needed to talk. He hurried after Ron, not sure where they were going, but determined none the less to size up his competition.