A/N: Wow. What a week. Crazy as f*ck, but I'm not here to talk about this. Instead, what did you guys think of Sadie Hawkins? I thought it was great! And I'm positively sure Blaine is transforming into a puppy... We'll see. Oh, also, does anyone have any links to Chris' photoshoot in AugustMan? I only saw the video, and damn did that boy grow well.

Enough with my drooling :P back to the story. This chapter is sort of a filler... But worry not, next week's gonna have some lovely plot *le gasp* yes, you heard right, plot! Chapter six is where the plot begins, so get ready, munchkins (yes, you too, dear evalilly ;))

So, there's nothing more to say other than enjoy! And leave a review or something... No? Okay. I'll live without them. ;)

Chapter Five – When You Go, You Leave Me Breathless

Blaine woke up freezing. His blanket had fallen from his bed and he was curling up in a tight little ball. He reached out, feeling for the fabric, and pulled it up again, over his head. The weather sure hadn't been nice to the company the last few days. He tried to go back to dreamland, but found out that he couldn't. Pity, it was such a nice dream, although he couldn't remember why. It did leave him with a cozy, fuzzy feeling inside though. He kept the blanket over his small frame and made for the drawers.

With sleepy eyes he looked over to Canarino. "Good morning" he whispered, the corner of his mouth raising to form a small smile. He rumpled through his clothes and found a thick sweater, which he put on over his long-sleeved flannel. He grabbed his unitard, slipped his shoes on, and managed to gather the courage to step outside.

He was met with a world of white. So that's why he'd been freezing this morning. He hurried back to his tent and threw a big, warm coat over him and bid the warbler good-bye. He ran as quickly as he could to the canteen tent, where the air was warm due to all the cooking. Blaine sat next to Finn, the giant teen looking down on him with an amused look on his face. "What?" asked Blaine, his face forming a suspicious frown. "Man, your nose is entirely red! You look like Rudolf!" Finn admitted, cracking up. Blaine's hands flew to cover his nose, but Quinn crept from behind and grabbed his arms, so he wouldn't attempt anything resembling murder.

"Aw, aren't you just adorable? Our little Blaine, with his little nose red from the cold" she laughed, her hands never releasing their grip. "I'm not that little" Blaine mumbled, pouting. He struggled a little and finally freed himself. Quinn ignored him and started humming under her breath, "Blainey, the red-nosed reindeer…". He walked away and sat between Rachel and Noah. "What did Q do to you?" he asked Blaine, a knowing look in his eyes. "Nothing, you know, her usual" Blaine answered, grabbing a pancake. His eyes wandered around for a little, searching for the syrup. After a few seconds, he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sam, if you please, could you please pass me the syrup?" he asked, momentarily eyeing the blonde.

Sam, who was ready to pour the contents of the bottle into Jake's shirt frowned at Blaine and wordlessly passed him the syrup. "You are always spoiling my pranks" he mumbled. "You know very well that chocolate syrup is my favorite, I've told you a million times to use another one" Blaine answered. Careful so no one could see him, he took the maple syrup bottle that rested by Rachel's dish and discreetly passed it to Sam, winking. Sam's face lit up and continued on with his prank. Jake's shriek tore everyone's ears but Blaine and Sam's, who had the mind to cover them up. Sam wasted no second and took flight as soon as possible to evade Jake's wrath.

Blaine dried his eyes and took a deep breath to stop his laughter. The moment he opened his eyes he was met with Rachel's frown. "What?" he asked her, as if he wasn't already prepared for the lecture that was sure to follow.

"Blaine, you are one of my best friends, but sometimes you act in such an immature way, it really baffles me" she told him, her arms crossed in their signature way.

"Baffles you?"

"Well, you usually are so put together and serious, which is a rare trait around here, if you hadn't noticed" she said, pointing at Finn who was currently juggling an apple on the top of his nose, "and it's nice to take a break of all the childish manners of everyone" she finished off, nibbling at her eggs.

Blaine simply smiled at her, scooted closer and put an arm around her. "Rachel", he started, when she looked at him, a questioning look in her brown eyes, "can you answer me a question? Well, tell me, why don't we just recycle our acts, but constantly look for new ones? It's not like anyone can see two of our shows, right?"

"Well, Blaine… First off, words travel really quickly. If an act is a sensation, someone's bound to write about it, correct? And then, I guess we would get bored" she shrugged. "It would be doing us no good, we would lose interest. It would be like… a routine" she concluded.

He just kept looking at her, until she got it. She rolled her eyes at some point, shoving him lightly. "I hate it when you're so obviously right. And wipe that smug smile off your face, Mr. Smarty-Pants" she dead-panned, pointing at him.

Blaine chuckled and stood. "Come, fair princess; it is time we rehearse our dance."

Secure in his little "dressing-room", or in other words a small gathering of curtains and old sheets that he'd shaped into a rectangular form, Blaine changed into his uniform; brown and dark green, to resemble a hunter's outfit. He was rather proud of what he, Rachel and Mike had planned out for the acrobatics act. Blaine was supposed to be a hunter that entered an enchanted forest, where he met a fairy, namely Rachel. He instantly falls in love with her (Blaine almost choked with laughter when Mike proposed that plot point, eliciting a dark glare from Rachel's place) and courts her. However, the fairy is engaged to a soldier of her tribe, who appears and fights with the hunter. At that point, Blaine had proposed that he would lose the fight and die, which Rachel only accepted as long as the fairy would return to mourn over his dead body. Mike had choreographed the entire act, with Blaine – and Rachel, of course – supervising, and now would be the first time they performed it in front of the rest of the company.

He stopped his train of thought, because if he didn't, he would have to remember the fuss that Rachel made for their costumes. Thankfully, Tina's persuasion and Quinn's death threats served their purpose and the costumes were much more subtle – and much more tasteful – that the ones Rachel had proposed.

He stepped outside his dressing room and joined Mike and Rachel in stretching.

With Rachel's last figure on the pole, the tent erupted in cheers. Blaine stood up from where he was lying, a huge smile on his face. The support he received daily from his friends and teammates was one of the most significant things in his life, and he always needed reassurance that his job was well-done, because he was constantly doubting himself. With one last pat on the shoulder from Sam, he waved at Mike – Rachel was nowhere to be seen – and took to his tent. Next day was their performance, so they got the day off to rest. Some remained in the big tent, to keep practicing, but Blaine always preferred to calm down before the big day. He stopped by the canteen to bring some seeds to Canarino, replaced the water in the tiny tin container he kept in his cage, and sat on his bed. He lay back until his shoulders touched his pillow and then he started daydreaming.

He really liked his life, he thought. He had good friends, a loving family, he was having fun with his "job", he didn't actually miss anything. Although money was scarce, no one complained because no one needed to buy anything more than what the circus already provided them with. They weren't rich, that's for sure, but they certainly weren't poor either.

Lost in his thoughts, Blaine realized he did miss something. He needed someone to love, someone to hold and whisper to at night. Someone to calm him from the nightmares that were haunting him now and then, someone to caress their cheek and look deeply in their eyes.

The moment he thought of that, the clearest blue shone brilliantly in his mind. Then again, it wasn't really blue, he could see it fading to an almost-green, albeit at the same time he spotted traces of grey. A strong jaw-line, warm breath coming out of rosy lips and the flutter of lashes against toned cheekbones. Second by second, the face that showed up in most of his dreams started to form.

Yes, truth was, he was still thinking about Kurt Hummel. The boy had taken him by surprise, so much that that he often caught himself asking Will when would the Cheerios return. Will probably assumed that he was interested in one of the many girls, and Blaine didn't have the intention of correcting his thinking too soon. After all, he had accepted – with a little struggle – who he was, knowing he was not alone, but he didn't know how anyone else would react to the news.

He suddenly frowned. Come to think about it, he didn't even know if Kurt… shared his way of thinking. He quickly brushed this thought away, deciding that it didn't really matter, as the chances were he wouldn't even have the strength to confess his feelings. The realization of that gave him an unpleasant punch in the chest, and he winced as in physical pain. To watch from afar, a mere viewer, he could not stand.

He shook his head, deciding that if he wanted to be on his best page next morning, he had to concentrate on his routines alone. He sat on his desk, the sketchpad he had scribbled the choreography on in hand, the only sound in the small space Canarino's chirping. After a few hours and a satisfying, albeit quiet dinner – everyone's stomachs were tied in knots, so the usual shenanigans and food wars were absent that night – he lied in his bed, not entirely tired, but knowing he should rest, he tried his best to fall asleep.

"Goodnight, Canarino" he called to the now-silent bird. He got a tired chirp in return. He smiled, looking at the tiny slice of sky that he could see from the opening of his tent.

"Goodnight, Kurt" he whispered, turned around and fell in the arms of Morpheus.