Bit nervous about this chapter, but hopefully you can all understand why is so crucial to get it right!

IIIII

Chapter 26

Heart to Heart to Heart

For the first time in their life, for reasons not outside their control or shopping in one of their cases, Blaine and Kurt skipped classes. In all fairness it hadn't been intentionally, but they all had been having so little sleep lately that when the alarm sounded, Blaine knocked it off the nightstand, breaking it on the process.

When they didn't make it to breakfast, Wes and David went to look for them; neither had the heart to wake them up. Also, Harry glared at them with a crazy gleam in his eyes. The evil eyes were intensified when Kurt made a distressed sound because of the light they had let in. Blaine muttered something and pressed closer to his favorite source of warmth.

"Out" hissed Harry. David swore it sounded more snake than human.

They called administration to let them know that the three boys had caught the same stomach bug that seemed to be going around. Jenna, from administration, cancelled the check-up she had been planning to do.

She felt slightly guilty for not believing the bunch of boys that had been calling all day with the same excuse. Considering the twins had been among the first ones to call it was understandable. But if Blaine Anderson, Tom Riddle and Kurt Hummel, three students with a perfect record had also caught it, then instead of inspecting the boys she should have someone inspect the cafeteria.

She shivered. She could also ignore the problem. That seemed like a better idea than imply to Olga that her kitchen was anything less than perfect.

IIIII

Harry was annoyed with David and Wes. He had put most of his time with the Dursley's out of his mind; however one thing he had not been able to leave behind was his sleeping habits. He saw it as a useful survival skill. A conviction that became stronger when Sirius never managed to prank him in his sleep, or now that the twins occasionally tried.

He was rested and alert enough that he couldn't go back to sleep. He rolled on his stomach, uncaring that Kurt and Blaine had been using his chest to rest their heads. If they woke up they could finally have a proper dialogue. He covered his pillow with his arms; it smelled like Kurt and a bit like Blaine. He smiled when the two of them made sounds of displeasure. He huffed slightly when instead of turning away both of them clung to him, using his shoulder blades as resting spot for their heads.

Sometimes he couldn't win with these two. His stomach grumbled.

Careful not to wake them, he dethatched himself and after getting dressed, escaped through the window. Their room was close enough to a three for him to climb in and out with little to no trouble. He was coming back, after all, he promised Blaine they would all talk in the morning.

He liked to think that if nothing else, he was a man of his word.

IIIII

Kurt woke up next to Blaine and frowned.

He remembered going to sleep on the bunk bed. Sleeping on this bed had become depressing. It only reminded him of how stupid he was. Kurt and Blaine had fallen into an uncomfortable friendship. They met in public places and kept a reasonable distance between each other. Neither of them wanted to give Harry the impression they've gotten together without him.

Kurt was almost sure they wouldn't work out together anyways, not that they wanted to. They wanted Harry to be there with them. For Kurt it has become an all or nothing kind of deal. Blaine was amazing and charming and a great guy in general, but Puck was right. Blaine and Kurt are sort of, maybe, he will never say this out loud, like girls.

But not in the way Puck or everybody else would mistakenly assume.

Before meeting Harry, Kurt used to fantasize what having a boyfriend would be like. He imagined a guy pulling out his chair at restaurants, helping him in and out of his jacket, holding doors open for him, ordering his coffee by memory and refusing to split the bill. He didn't even care it was a cliché and that people would consider him a stereotype, he wanted somebody that wanted to do this things for him.

Before Harry, that guy had been Blaine. However, he didn't realize that Blaine wanted that type of guy too until Harry came along. Blaine knew his coffee order and paid sometimes, but he didn't put his hand on Kurt's back and guided him through crowds, or carried his bags during shopping trips.

Those things came naturally to Harry, he liked doing those things and Kurt was confident enough to admit it made him feel special. Harry got that. He got that those things didn't make Kurt any less of a man. That he could plan dates and take initiative if he damn well pleased and he was happy to go along with that too. It wasn't about gender stereotyping or fitting into a heteronormative view. It was simply about the dynamics that worked for them.

Kurt and Blaine weren't quite right for each other.

Harry wasn't quite right for them either.

But Kurt was sure that the three of them would be perfect for each other.

They balanced each other out. Blaine and Harry could be sporty together. He could go to musicals with Blaine. He and Harry could talk about cars. The three of them could be perfect, if only Harry was willing to forgive them and stop being a stubborn mule. He had already lost hope by this point and after the conversation with Blaine last night; he had been wondering what to do. If to give up on the idea of Harry and what they could be, try to at least save his friendship with Blaine or wait a little longer.

"Where's Harry?" asked Blaine with a yawn, stretching with a happy air.

"I don't know, seeing how he has avoided us for a while" snapped without real bite Kurt.

"He slept here last night" muttered Blaine with another yawn. "He went to look for me at Wes and David's room and got you into bed. He promised we'd talk in the morning."

Kurt and Blaine stayed in bed, not sure what to do. A text from David revealed that they had been exempt from classes. Kurt kept glancing at the door, hoping that Harry would appear.

"You know..." the voice came in between puffs of breath. "This is a lot easier when I don't have to carry coffee" Kurt and Blaine turned to the window, only to see Harry dangling from a three branch. In an amazing feat of balance, he had gotten there while holding three cups on top of each other.

"Harry!" gasped Kurt moving towards the window. "You are going to get yourself killed! Drop that, just... just get inside!"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Non-fat mocha grande for you" he said while passing the cup at the top, Blaine grabbed it when Kurt didn't seem to be able to do anything but stare at Harry and the distance to the ground. "Medium drip for Blaine and horrible, horrible, American tea for myself! Be right back. I left the croissants down."

Blaine hid his smile behind his coffee. It wouldn't do to get Kurt mad at him now.

IIIII

Breakfast was awkward and nerve wracking. Kurt and Blaine couldn't get comfortable, waiting for Harry to do or say something besides eating. Harry rolled his eyes and put his croissant down. Letting the two squirm in nervousness was becoming cruel.

"I am still hurt, that hasn't changed" Harry started, crossing his arms. "I do want to try, but you two will need to give me some space before we can do this properly. Both of you betrayed my trust..."

Kurt immediately jumped to try to apologize. "Harry I..."

He raised a hand to stop him. "Let me finish. I know that you were confused by your feelings, that you two have been attracted to each other and I am the one that got added into the mix, but I like to think that I was understanding about it. I agreed to help Blaine and let him sleep with us because he had nightmares. I did that because I thought I could trust you both."

"What happen..."

"Kurt, please, if you want me to get on board with this, you both need to listen to what I have to say. Then I'll listen to you."

"We'll stay quiet" agreed Blaine immediately. Kurt nodded while hugging his knees, keeping his tongue in check was not something he was used to doing.

"I am willing to work on things because I have feelings for Blaine too, but if I didn't... If I didn't then I don't think I could ever forgive either of you" Harry sighed and stood up, pacing the available space on their room.

"Kurt, you knew what Ginny did to me, you knew how much that screwed me over and you didn't care..." he raised an eyebrow when Kurt tried to say something, killing the protest before it began.

He turned to the other boy.

"Blaine, before going out with Kurt, I asked if you were dating, if you had feelings for him, anything at all and I said that if you did, I would back down. You said no. You said that you only saw Kurt as a friend. That's fine, because feelings change, but I tried to do things right. I honestly did, so it bugs me that you couldn't have the same consideration towards me."

He sighed staring at the guilty faces in front of him. "You two being friends never bothered me. I got to know you Blaine because you were an important part of Kurt's life and then you became a part of mine too. But you kissed Kurt and it doesn't matter who started it, you both kissed each other. I spend a lot of time with Hermione, she's one of my best friends and I don't feel anything for her, but if I did, I could never, ever, kiss her because she is dating Ron. My friend. Friends don't do that to each other."

Blaine blushed, and stared at the floor.

"So yes, I am angry because regardless of how I feel for you Blaine, you kissed my boyfriend" he turned to Kurt, whose eyes were starting to get watery, which made things a lot harder. "I am hurt, because you kissed not only another guy, but someone that I considered a friend. I kind of feel like an idiot... I lost count of the amount of times I said to you and other people, that you both had my complete trust. I am trying to put that aside, I really am, but I am not going to lie to you. Right now, I don't feel like I can trust either of you."

"Harry... I am sorry" said Blaine as heartfelt as he could. "I should have talked things with you and Kurt. I don't care how long it takes or what I need to do, but I want you to be able to trust us again. I kissed Kurt because I was so overwhelmed and the only thing I was sure of was that I loved him. But then when I heard that you saw us and ran away, I realized... I realized how much I love you too. I don't want to ruin you and Kurt, because you are great together. I... I don't know what to do to deserve your forgiveness, your trust and you, both of you."

Kurt stood up and walked towards Harry, he grabbed his face and the image of Ginny in the rain flashed on his mind. Of how she was crying desperately, willing to do anything to earn Harry's forgiveness and being rejected. Of how heartbroken she was when Harry raised his head to avoid being kissed. His heart clenched at the idea that Harry might do that. That he might not be able to forget.

He stayed there, sort of frozen, staring at Harry and hoping he hadn't lost him. Harry sighed and leaned forwards, placing a kiss on his forehead. He embraced Kurt and held him, burying his nose on the smaller boy's neck.

It was so comforting that Kurt started to cry. He was surrounded by warmth and it felt safe, because it was Harry. He couldn't lose Harry any more than he could lose Blaine or his father or his friends or his new family.

"We are going to take things slow" said Harry looking over Kurt's shoulder at Blaine, who was staring at them longingly.

Harry half carried Kurt to the bed. He understood that Blaine hadn't been hit with this unexpectedly; he went to sleep last night knowing that there was some hope. Kurt needed a minute or two before being rational about this and he could give him that.

For someone as skinny as he was, Kurt was surprisingly strong and refused to let him go. He lay down with the countertenor literally over him. He kept his right arm around him and used the other one to pull Blaine next to them, keeping a firm and reassuring grip on his waist. Blaine buried his face in Harry's shoulder and fisted his shirt. He didn't cry, but his eyes watered anyways.

"We'll have to talk about ground rules" muttered Harry over the sniffling. "We are not going to dive into a relationship right away or hold hands in the hallway. We are starting from scratch, the three of us, equal ground. No expectations."

"Can we still share the room and... the bed?" asked Blaine, moving his head to the side and connecting eyes with Kurt.

Harry stayed quiet for a moment, considering the best way to proceed. "We'll share the bed. We can talk more later. Go to sleep."

"Promise you won't leave" muttered Kurt while nuzzling his face against Harry's chest, his nose almost touching Blaine's.

"I won't. I'll be here when you wake up, both of you."

"Can you..." softly requested Blaine not knowing how to voice what he wanted and afraid he was asking too much already.

Harry began to hum and caress Kurt's back and Blaine's side, it was a feather like touch that did wonders to their nightmares.

IIIII

"We are going to need ground rules" repeated Harry while pacing in front of Kurt and Blaine. "I haven't agreed yet and I won't if we don't sit down and seriously talk about this" he felt forced to point out when they smiled, eyes shining.

"Whatever you want" said Kurt eagerly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Blaine nodded next to him with the same enthusiasm "We can make it work."

"This is exactly the problem!" exclaimed Harry frustrated "You two are not taking this seriously. You are looking at the whole thing with pink tinted glasses! It's not as simple as saying we love each other and bam, happily ever after. I am going have to be the voice of reason here and you know how much I hate to be the voice of reason! Unfortunately, someone has to be realistic."

Blaine seemed to understand what Harry was trying to say. "You are right. We are so focused on getting you to agree that we aren't thinking about what it would imply."

"What would imply?" asked Kurt with a snort. "We'll all be dating together."

Harry sighed "Kurt, I am going to put the experience card on the table. Dating between two people is complicated enough, it gets messy. You have to be careful not to hurt the other person, put your needs aside. You learn to become we instead of me. Dating between three people? That's mad."

"We handled being a couple fine..."

"We are in high school Kurt. You left your old school because of people's intolerance. We live in Ohio. Being gay, it's hard. Being a gay couple it's harder. Tell me Kurt, how do you think it would be if instead of a couple we are a threesome?" Kurt seemed to finally understand the point. "I say this, because if we do this, I don't want it to be behind doors. It's not going to be you and me and then Blaine or any other combination."

Blaine blushed, touched by what Harry said. Admittedly, he had been having those exact concerns. He wanted to be able to held hands and kiss with both of them in public. He wanted the three of them to be equals in the relationship.

"When you put it like that..." agreed Kurt deflating.

"I am being hard on this, because one of us has to. You remember what you said to me on our first date? When I told you I was bisexual?" Kurt grimaced.

"What did he say?" asked Blaine. "He never really told me that much about the date."

"Bisexual is a term that gay guys in high school use when they wanna hold hands with girls and feel like a normal person for a change" recited Harry with a teasing smirk "Do you remember what I told you in response?"

"You date people for who they are..." recited Kurt with a roll at the cheesy line.

"And that I would be equally proud to hold hands with a guy than with a girl" finished Harry. "The same sentiment applies here. I am not going to hide either of you or myself because people won't be accepting, and this is not going to work unless it has a solid foundation."

Blaine nodded. "Where do we start?"

Harry dropped on the desk chair with a tired air. "We are already starting with a disadvantage here. We are three boys, we don't talk feelings at least I don't" he added with a shrug.

"We can try now" offered Blaine "What's the hardest part about dating Kurt?"

Kurt huffed, but didn't protest.

"I hate having to guess your insecurities" said Harry staring at Kurt. "I hate that I have to be constantly reading your body language to get what you really want to say. It's exhausting Kurt and I want you to stop. I want you to be able to talk to us when you feel sad or giddy or neglected. When you are upset, I want you to tell me right away, to include me. Most of all Kurt, I am afraid all the time that I am pushing you too far, because you never tell me if I am crossing a line."

"I do!" protested Kurt crossing his arms.

"You promised me that you would, but you only do when I ask" responded Harry "And I keep asking, because I am truly afraid of how far you'd let me go if I don't." Harry leaned forwards and grabbed his hands. "Kurt, I could never forgive myself if I push you further than you are willing to go. I could never look you in the eyes again, even if you forgave me. So I am asking you to stop suppressing what you feel and just talk to me, us" he added nodding to Blaine.

Kurt nodded slowly. "I can do that... since we are sharing" he closed and opened his hands in a nervous gesture. "I don't know anything about your past. Sometimes I feel like I don't know you at all. You told me about some of your... conquest and that's a topic we might need to revisit by the way. But I don't know the little things, where you were born, your childhood, nothing. It's like you don't exist before Dalton."

Blaine frowned. "You mentioned nightmares when we went to Finn's game at the beginning of the year, but we never brought the subject again."

Harry gave a deep sigh. "I will tell you, I promise, just not now. It's a long conversation, probably overdue, but if I start, then this whole thing it's going to become about me."

"Ok" agreed Kurt. "I hate that we haven't really talked for two months. I know the reason it's mostly our fault, but... I guess I thought our relationship was stronger than that; that it wouldn't be so easy for you to push me away."

"Kurt, if our relationship and my feelings for both of you weren't as strong as they are, then I would not have come back" said Harry honestly. "I am not proud of how I behaved since we broke up, but if it makes you feel better. Being a mess wasn't all about you two... I'll tell you soon and we'll talk more about this because we really need to."

Kurt nodded and made a mental note to make sure they got their answer. After a moment and turned to Blaine "And you"

"Me?" asked Blaine surprised. He had assumed the only ones airing their issues would be them.

"I am sick and tired of you holding back in public. You are this wonderful, amazing guy that I, we..." corrected Kurt. Harry was right, it was hard to think in terms of we "Love. However you always have to pretend to be perfect when other people are around. You smile even when you don't mean it, you need to loosen up and be yourself."

"I might try to fit in a little too hard..." concealed Blaine, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We need to be comfortable bringing all this issues the moment they appear, otherwise they are going pile up and burn us" concluded Harry.

"Sex" said Blaine suddenly, blushing when he realized he blurted it out loud. "How are we handling that? I know we are not ready, not even close, but it feels like a huge elephant in the room already."

"If Kurt and I were moving at the pace of a snail, the three of us are going to move like a snail dragging a brick" decided Harry. "As a matter of fact, I think we should take a step back."

"Wait, what?" asked Kurt a little upset, cheeks red. It had taken him forever to get to where they were in the first place and he missed it. He missed how close it made him feel to Harry and the intimacy it required.

"This would be a three way relationship" said Harry. "I didn't pressure you and I am certainly not going to pressure Blaine. You have more experience than he does, which means that you are going to have to make sure you don't pressure him."

"It's not like I haven't done anything" protested half-heartedly Blaine, staring at his hands to avoid Kurt's apologetic stare.

"I don't mean to sound patronizing, but we are three boys. If we dive into the physical part, we risk the chance of this becoming all about sex. With two people, you only have to worry about one person, now each one of us is going to have to worry about two..." Harry massaged his temples. "That's dangerous territory. Either we can end up paying so much attention to each other that we forget about ourselves, or we pay more attention to one person, or we don't take the others into consideration at all."

"I see" muttered Blaine dejectedly.

"I'm simply saying that we are going to have to make adjustments, find each other's comfort zones and work there."

"Harry..." started Kurt, blushing furiously. "I just had an idea; maybe, you could... uh... take the metaphorical steering wheel of the physical part of our relationship."

"Pardon me?" asked Harry raising an eyebrow.

"That's not a bad idea" said Blaine. Harry opened his mouth to protest. "I see where he's coming from. We don't mean we'll let you take all the decisions, but maybe, when the time is right and we are all comfortable with each other, it would be easier if you steer us in the right direction. It's a bit intimidating you know? For me and I suspect for Kurt as well, to think of sex and try to apply all we know to this thing we are starting."

"Harry, you were great with me, more than great" confessed Kurt after they had time to process what Blaine had said. "Your experience freaks me out all the time, but you never took it personally or let it bother you. I hear stories of the girls in glee, how their boyfriends make them uncomfortable sometimes. How they feel bad for saying no. I have never told you to stop Harry, because you always do it yourself. I trust you to take things at the right pace and I know I can tell you if it doesn't feel right."

"There's a big difference that you two should be aware off. The girls in glee, in general, are dating guys at their same level. They are experimenting along with them. Between us, I have experience; me asking more than you are willing to give, would be me taking advantage."

"You are so freaking noble it's not even funny" said Kurt suddenly. Blaine chuckled. "Here we are, two really hot guys, if I do say so myself, giving you the chance to be in charge of our sex life and you going all 'gay yoda/sex guru' on us" he made the air quotes and all. "It just proves how perfect you are for the role."

Harry frowned at them in disapproval, but it didn't last long. The idea was very tempting after all. "Fine, but we will take it slow, and you will tell me if we pass your comfort zone, and I am not going to be starting things, you will at your pace."

They stayed in silence for a while.

"Is it bad that I am tired of sharing?" asked Kurt. "Can we take a break? I'm sure more stuff will come out, but I really just want to process for a moment."

"I am with you on this one" said Harry. "Get changed and let's go have lunch, my treat."

"Before we wrap this up for the day, I would like to know exactly where we are standing right now" said Blaine. "I know you said we aren't in a real relationship, but will you… we date other people?"

"If I wanted to date other people, I wouldn't be having this conversation" said Harry neutrally. "I think right now, we should hang out with no pressures involved. We'll see how it goes."

"So we aren't really dating, but we are exclusive to each other" summarized Blaine.

"Pretty much, think of it as laying the foundations" shrugged Harry, passing a distracted hand over his hair and messing it up. "I never tried something like this before, so it's new territory for me too. I don't have all the answers this time, but I'm willing to figure them out with you."

"I can live with that" decided Kurt, before staring at Harry and at his shoes awkwardly. "Did you... while we weren't together, where you really with other people?"

"Yes" responded Harry evenly. Kurt flinched and Blaine closed his eyes trying not to feel jealous. "I wasn't lying when I told you the things I told you at the mall. Yes, more than one person, and yes, twice with guys."

"Did you..." started Blaine before cutting himself off, he closed his fists, feeling both angry and guilty.

"No, I felt nothing for them. It used to be fun you know?" said Harry conversationally. "It used to make me feel good, now it doesn't feel right, I feel guilty all the time. I am exhausted of being angry and while it stills hurts, I rather try to work those feelings out and have both of you in my life, than to keep feeding the anger and drive you away for good."

"I... I promise to never do it again" said Kurt, raising his head in determination. "I promise never to... to cheat again, but you have to promise too. You have to promise that from now on, we are it. I'm not saying I don't trust you and I can't really hold you accountable for anything you did while we were broken up, even if it hurts... I am just saying that if we are going to work on this, this should be it for all of us, and I promise this is it for me."

"I promise too" said Blaine with conviction.

Harry sighed and gave them a tired smile, passing a hand over his hair. "The truth is, without you two, I am miserable. Completely and utterly miserable and I've tried to move on, but I... I don't think I really want to. It didn't mean anything, none of those people meant anything and I kind of feel relived I have a reason to stop, in a way, this has always been it for me."

"Good" said Kurt nodding in approval.

"One more thing" said Blaine. "No more smoking, no more drinking, no more partying, we already said no other people, no more skipping classes or spending the night God knows where. I want a relationship with the Harry I know, not the one that I've seen lately."

"Ok" agreed Harry, but it didn't feel like he was being forced to give up something he cared for. It felt good actually. Being with Kurt had always made him want to be better person and adding Blaine only seemed to increase that feeling. "I promise."

"And Harry…" mumbled Kurt blushing. "Just for the record, me and Blaine? Nothing… nothing happened after that kiss, we haven't… we…"

"We haven't slept together or with anybody else. If this works out, and things go down that road eventually, you'd still be our first time and each other of course" said Blaine glancing at Kurt for a second once he said it.

Harry's eyes softened and he smiled. "Thanks for letting me know. It would have probably driven me crazy not knowing. Not that I would have had the right to be mad at you if it wasn't the case. We still have a lot to talk about, but I think for now it's a good start."

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look and moved forwards, embracing Harry. Kurt pressed his nose against the taller boy's neck and let out a shaky breath, taking in the fact that he wasn't pushed away and feeling a weight lifting from his whole body. Harry passed an arm around him holding him. He felt Blaine next to him, resting his cheek on Harry's chest. It would take a while to get used to this, but it was worth it, so completely worth it.

IIIII

They snuck out and went to a small restaurant not far from Dalton. Things were more than a little awkward. Blaine and Kurt trying to not think about the people Harry has been sleeping with, while Harry tried not to feel like lashing out when Blaine and Kurt interacted with each other. In a weird, very selfish way, he wanted to separate them, but still keep both of them for himself.

"So, what was the boat for?" asked Blaine curiously. "Nobody ever found out."

Harry grinned. "Luna's birthday, she always wanted to celebrate on a boat, so I got a boat... rented of course."

Kurt and Blaine smiled in amusement, because only Harry would hire a boat to have a party for a friend. Things progress to a more comfortable territory after that, it almost felt like they had been away on a trip and came back to each other's life. Kurt and Blaine still didn't ask everything they wanted, like why Harry went back to England or who was the blond Tom mentioned and Harry wasn't quite ready to open up about how he was subtly keeping tabs on them, waiting to see them together any day. But he felt he needed to let them know he cared.

"I liked your performance of Candles, much better than Misery and surprisingly not top 40" he said casually, while gesturing to the waiter for the check and sipping the remaining tea from his cup.

Blaine's and Kurt's heads snapped to watch him with incredulous eyes. "You were there?" asked Kurt in a whisper.

"We saw Hermione and Luna, but not you" Blaine shifted self-consciously.

"Second floor, at the back, just under the reflector" confessed Harry. "It was planned so you wouldn't see me and only Luna knew I was there, I left when you were finishing Raise Your Glass."

"You came to see us" said Kurt, trying to refrain from letting his voice break. Harry had missed them and cared for them, he had just hidden it better.

"I couldn't have missed it" admitted Harry. "I was surprised to hear you didn't win." He received two noises of resignation in response.

"New Directions did originals songs" said Kurt slightly bitter.

"We saw the Robins perform" said Blaine unnecessarily. "They were amazing. I hear you coached them. I still can't believe they destroyed Vocal Adrenaline."

"I just directed Hermione's craziness in the right direction" said Harry. "Vocal Adrenaline underestimated them, kind of like you did before the interschool competition."

Kurt stared at his cup of coffee and as nonchalantly as he could he commented. "Ginny's performance was very... intense."

Harry nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "She was having trouble connecting with the song, I told her to try to place an emotion she could relate to and well, I didn't know she was going to use me as emotional crutch."

"Did you and her..." said Blaine and flinched, stopping himself and looking somewhere else.

"Oh God no!" said Harry genuinely taken aback. "I could never be casual with Ginny, it would just...no" said Harry shaking his head. "I am actually playing matchmaker for her. She has a date tonight."

"Oh" said Kurt and perked up.

"And for the record, I didn't sleep with Fleur" said Harry. "The blond in the expensive dress you saw with me at the dinner" he clarified further.

"But… she spent the night" said Blaine, he shrugged when Harry gave him a surprised look. "We overheard the story of your daring escape at the library."

Harry sighed. "She's from an old family like me. I introduced her to Ron's older brother and they had an instant connection. Her dad found out she was dating somebody and she broke up with him, because Bill wouldn't be the 'proper' sort for her to mingle with. I know, very stupid" he said when he saw Kurt's surprised face, Blaine nodded along, having a better understanding of what family and parental pressure could do to a person. "She told her dad I was the one she was dating and I went to the fundraising dinner with her. I was surprised to see you there."

"Wes and Thad were supposed to go, but they got a request from administration to send us instead" explained Kurt.

"Yeah" said Harry amused. "I'm pretty certain that 'administration', was actually Luna hacking the school system."

Blaine shivered, that girl was scary. He changed the topic before Kurt could latch onto that information. "What happened with Fleur then?"

"Well, after pointing out some harsh truths to her, she confronted her dad. She got cut off from the family till she comes to her senses. She came to Dalton looking for me, because she's my friend. I wasn't there, so Ron and the others let her in and she stayed the night. They called me in the morning panicking about the school board being around."

"Will she be ok?"

"Of course she will. She's not some air head socialite. She's actually a very smart woman and she has a good job. She'll have to get used to not being able to buy whatever catches her fancy, but I'm not worried about her and I think she's relieved" said Harry fondly. "I've known her since I was 14, we competed in a fencing tournament and I liked her, but nothing happened between us. She and Bill are kind of working things out now."

They fell into a comfortable silence once more.

"Pavarotti has been sad for the past week, he doesn't sing much" said Kurt for lack of anything else to share. "But at least I don't feel completely lost when taking care of him. I even got him a new Burberry cover to cheer him up before regionals, but I don't think he likes it. I'm going to try something with more colorful tones next time."

"Did you feed him glitter?" asked Harry raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not! I've followed your instructions to the letter" he said offended. "Besides, you said it wasn't acceptable to feed glitter to birds… he's fine, just very quiet. I think he's sulking."

"Hmmm" said Harry and frowned, quickly paying the check. "Come on, let's go back."

Blaine and Kurt exchanged a confused look, but followed him. The ride back had a sense of urgency, and they were both puzzled as to what had brought the change along. Once in Dalton, they went back to their dorm and Harry immediately zeroed in on the bird. He carefully examined it.

"Has he been drinking a lot of water lately?"

"Yes" replied Kurt after exchanging a look with Blaine to confirm it.

"He's sick" announced Harry surely, grabbing the cage. "We need to take him to the vet"

"He's sick?" asked Kurt distressed and moved to examine the bird. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he turned to Harry once again.

"His feathers are dull" said Harry pointing it out. "He's not eating a lot, he's staying at the lower level of the cage and he has his head under his feather. Those are signs that he doesn't feel well."

"I don't know any vets!" Kurt said.

"I do" said Harry and was already out of the door, the two of them rushing behind him.

IIIII

"Could you please get Charlie?" asked Harry to the receptionist. "I have an emergency."

"Sure thing Harry" she said pleasantly, while dialing an extension and relaying the message. "Did you find another stray? I hope you weren't bitten again; you'd have to get your rabies shot renewed. I keep telling you to call animal control instead of trying to grab them yourself."

"No, I am free from scratches and bites this time. Thank God, that stupid shot made my arm useless for fencing for a week, and after last time, Hermione yelled at me for an hour" said Harry smiling a little bashful. He ended up coming here once a month because animal related rescues. "I have to say, I think she might have been more dangerous to my health than the stray dogs… this time it's my friend's bird, I think he's sick" he said lifting the cage and gently putting it on the counter.

She nodded, casting a look at the two boys behind him and then at the bird. She was going to make a comment, but was interrupted by a handsome arrival.

"Harry!" called a voice joyfully, and they manly hugged. "Did you bring me another patient or just came to see my pretty face?" he asked.

"Yeah, Kurt's bird is sick" he said pointing to Pavarotti.

Charlie stared at the bird carefully, before nodding in agreement. "Yes, you're right. I'll have a closer look…" they moved to one of the examination rooms, where he took Pavarotti out of his cage. He looked to the two boys behind him and tilted his head. "I am assuming you guys are Warblers."

"Yes sir" said Blaine politely.

Harry and Charlie blinked at him, and looked to each other, snorting.

"That's Blaine" said Harry. "He's far too proper sometimes, and that's Kurt. Guys, this is Charlie Weasley, Ron and the twins' brother."

"Oh" said both of them with understanding. They could see the resemblance in his features, and of course the red hair. He was in shape, and Kurt suspected he was wearing a sleeveless shirt under his lab coat. He had tight jeans and leather boots, and quite frankly, looked like nothing but trouble.

"Nice to meet you" settled for saying Kurt.

"I thought you moved away from Ohio" said Blaine curiously, blushing when the three of them looked at him with various degrees of amusement.

"I see Dalton keeps that strange fascination with my family" said Charlie with a friendly laugh. "To answer your question, I did for college and then for work, but I came back like a week ago" he explained, his focus on Pavarotti. "I'm going to Africa to work in a conservation program. I'm just crashing with my parents for two more weeks and then I'm leaving."

"He's volunteering here" further explained Harry. "And man, I can't believe you're going to Africa, I am so jealous."

"You should visit in the summer" said Charlie putting Pavarotti back in his cage. He gave Harry a flirty look. "Once you are legal. For trivia purposes, age of consent in Ohio is 16" he smirked. "Keeping you informed, that's all."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid I'm not in the market and you are as subtle as a concussion."

"What? When did this happen?" he asked pouting. "So unfair, here I was thinking all the animals you brought were an awkward attempt at flirting."

Harry laughed. "Charlie, when I am flirting with somebody, they know" he declared and his eyes went to Kurt and Blaine, a small smirk in place that promised them they would find out soon enough.

"This blows" said Charlie handing him a prescription. "What the hell am I doing in Ohio then if not to lay the work to get in your pants?"

"Beats me mate, but you and me? Never going to happen" said Harry shaking his head.

"You say that every time" he pouted.

"I mean it every time" added Harry. "Now stop it, Kurt and Blaine are getting the wrong impression and I really don't want them to."

"Fine" said Charlie rolling his eyes, in a friendlier, less flirty manner he spoke to them. "Sorry about that, there're not many guys in Ohio I can get flirty with, and Harry is the only one that I see in a somewhat regular basis, but he dated my sister and it would be way too weird to go there" he resumed. He paused giving them a contemplating look. "Now, you two I wouldn't mind seeing around more often" he smiled at them charmingly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "And you call me a slut…"

"Hey, you brought the eye candy to my domain, don't complain when I lick it" said Charlie shrugging.

"I'd like to see you try" Harry said raising an eyebrow.

"Wow, getting pretty defensive there" said Charlie surprised. He laughed. "Anyways, the bird is yours Kurt, right?"

"Yes, is he going to be ok?" asked Kurt trying to ignore the weird encounter.

"He will be" said Charlie giving the cage to Kurt. "Nothing a few drops of medicine in his water every morning won't fix, just make sure to refresh it in the afternoon. It's a little infection, but with the right medicine and diet, he'll be back to normal in no time. You did the right thing bringing him here."

"Harry insisted" said Kurt with obvious affection, reaching to stroke Pavarotti's little head carefully through the bars.

"He has good instincts when it comes to animals" said Charlie approvingly.

"Hence why I get along so well with you" muttered Harry and Charlie gave him an annoyed look.

"So, any of you single?" he asked sweetly. Harry immediately pulled his ear.

"Ow" hissed Charlie. "That was uncalled for… have you been spending time with my mother?"

"We are leaving" declared Harry. "Thanks for the help Charlie"

"Anytime, you can pick the medicine next door" he said. "Mom will probably have a big farewell dinner before I leave, will you be there?"

"Probably" shrugged Harry. "Now let's go before you two are late for glee… or before I punch you for being inappropriate."

"So, it is one of them" said Charlie turning to the two with curiosity. "Why can't I get the one you aren't slee… Ow!" he yelped when Harry punched his arm unapologetically. "So uncalled for" muttered Charlie as the three of them exited.

"Don't make me call your mother!" called Harry on his way out.

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look as they exited the examination room, their eyes sparkling with amusement. Harry had been jealous and overprotective. He had all but growled mine to the older Weasley. While his semi flirting with Charlie had confused them at the beginning, at the end it had reassured them that he hadn't completely buried his feelings for them.

IIIII

"Come to bed Kurt, Pavarotti will be fine" said Harry already in bed and feeling strangely exhausted for a rather uneventful day. Blaine's happy humming could be heard from the bathroom, making them both smile.

"I just want to check on him one last time" he whispered.

"Kurt, you need to let Pavarotti sleep" said Harry yawning.

"Will you check on him in the morning?" asked Kurt biting his lip.

"I will" promised Harry and Kurt nodded, climbing into bed and resting against Harry. He closed his eyes blissfully when an arm came around him and pressed himself against him as much as he could.

Blaine exited the bathroom and joined them eagerly; snuggling tightly into Harry and shyly extending his arm to rest it on Kurt's hip. He glanced at Harry to make sure it was ok, and received a fond, sleepy, smile in return.

IIIII

"How is he doing?" asked Kurt hovering over Harry's shoulder.

"Better" said Harry. "He's eating, he's moving around and he drank all the medicine. I think he'll make a full recovery."

Kurt sighed relieved. "I was so scared. He was sick and I didn't even notice!"

"It's not your fault Kurt" said Blaine putting a hand on his shoulder. "To be honest, it's a stupid tradition to give a bird to somebody who might not have any knowledge on pets… my warbler died like two months after I got it."

"I think Pavarotti has survived because of Harry, he's the one that told me how to take care of him since I got him" said Kurt.

"I still have Hedwig back home. She's snowy white, very majestic bird if I say so myself, but too big to keep in dorms here" shrugged Harry. "Besides, I didn't think it would do her any good to travel across the ocean… and the Ohio weather would have definitely not been good for her. I quite miss her."

Blaine and Kurt nodded, both noticing how Harry had made the effort of sharing something about his life instead of giving a vague comment.

"I'll see you guys later" said Harry. "I need to go shower and change."

They nodded, neither mentioning how they would have gladly waited for him so they could have breakfast together. Kurt smiled and grabbed Blaine's hand for a second and squeezed.

"We'll make it work" he promised and they went to the cafeteria.

IIIII

As I said, I'm a bit anxious about this chapter because it is literally them laying out a foundation for a relationship that isn't very straight forwards. I promise we will return to the more normal pattern of action and dialogue after this.

I want to be as realistic as possible, so I would love to hear what you guys think about what is discussed and what you think they should cover in the future and what I got right/wrong.

All the best,

SweetCaroline91

PS: I'm starting to publish the story in achieves of our own. Same username and same story name if you are interested.