The morning sun and the dull pain in his head had Blaine slowly drifting back to consciousness, and he found himself alone in Sam's bad. As the night before came back to him he squeezed his eyes shut again and pulled the covers over his head with a silent groan.

"Oh, good you're up!" Blaine heard Sam's cheerful voice from outside his cocoon. The next thing he knew bright light pierced his eyes and he saw Sam smirking down at him.

He covered his face again with his forearm, "Sam, I'm s..."

"Yeah, I know you said that like a million times last night, and it's fine – it's totally fine," Sam assured him sitting down on the side of the bed. "How are you feeling today?" He put his hand on Blaine's upper arm and rubbed his thumb across where his arm met his chest. Over the thick fluffy covers but still it stirred up the feelings Blaine had used all his willpower on suppressing last night. He had sort of managed to not throw himself at Sam, but now his whole body ached for more of Sam's touch. He focused on not moving against it and keeping his breathing steady.

"Oh, I'm y'know, no worse off than I deserve," Blaine chuckled dryly, rubbing his sore eyes. Looking up at Sam he asked softly, "But how are you?"

Sam sat up a bit and as he did his hand slid down to rest at Blaine's waist. "Sweaty," he smiled, obviously having none Blaine's seriousness, running a hand through his damp hair.

"Yeah, you should have woken me up, I would have joined you."

"Like this?" Sam chuckled, "You would have just slowed me down."

"What? I'm faster than you!"

"You think?" Sam grinned widely as he poked Blaine's side playfully, making him squirm.

"Yeah," Blaine laughed.

But then they were both still. Blaine breathing in shallow gasps, burning under Sam's stare.

"Y'know, I actually meant about Brittany," he awkwardly broke the spell.

"Right. Yeah, that," Sam seemed to deflate at the thought of it.

Blaine pushed himself up on his elbows, "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really, actually. It's just, it's so new and I don't really know what I feel about it yet. So it's kinda difficult to talk about. But yeah, while we're on the subject, she's... coming over after breakfast and, er..."

"Oh! Right. Yeah, I should probably get back to Tina's anyway. Try and convince her to still be my friend after bailing on her last night," he half-joked, barely managing a weak smile.

"One could argue that she bailed first falling asleep on you like that. Though I don't get why you'd agree to sleep in the same room with her in the first place, after what she did."

"Come on, Tina's cool, cut her some slack."

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try," Sam smirked and added, "I'll let you get dressed." And with that he stood up and left the room.

"Are those macaroni portraits?"

Sharing this intimate secret with Blaine felt so natural and so good. Maybe he could really do it, after all it was the only reasonable thing to do, just talk to him. Clear the air between them, straighten everything out. What he wouldn't give to be able to do that. Maybe he could. Maybe he was wrong, and it wouldn't be the same. He'd swear he'd felt it; sometimes during those fleeting moments they'd had together in the past few weeks, when they'd let their bodies do the talking – it really had to be more than just getting off, right? Then again, maybe not...

"I even did, um, Kurt."

When Sam had started the Kurt portrait he hadn't really known why. It just felt like something he had to do, something he had to put himself through. Because thinking about Kurt, studying his pretty face so closely, was really painful. Could he ever dare to believe that it was really over between Blaine and Kurt? Blaine had said it was, so that should be that he guessed. Still Sam wasn't sure Blaine was over Kurt at all. Not after the wedding. He didn't really consider himself a romantic, but even he knew that hooking up with someone on Valentine's Day meant something. What if Blaine actually still wanted to get back together with Kurt? He never really spoke about Kurt anymore, but that was probably him trying to spare Sam's feelings. Blaine was just the kindest with stuff like that, with everything really – that was one of the many reasons he was the most awesome best friend anyone could have. And he happened to be Sam's, and that was already more than he deserved so of course it was stupid to hope for more. And of course it made sense. Kurt was everything Sam wasn't. He was smart and witty – all Sam had was his impressions. And though he was beautiful, Sam had to admit that he was, obviously Blaine liked him for more than his abs. He had, like, depth, and cared about all kinds of things that Sam didn't know the first thing about. He was gay, properly, unambiguously gay. And he was out. Sam knew that hadn't been an easy journey for him, but the point was that he'd made it, whereas Sam still hadn't figured out how to tell anyone about it, how to talk about it. Or how to think about it, for that matter. And he had a bright future staked out – Sam could never get into a college like NYADA, probably not any college. But... Slowly but surely, as he was picking out the right shade of sea green for an eye-macaroni or trying out the angle for a piece in the ear those little tentative but's had found their way into his thoughts. But... Blaine always laughed at Sam's impressions, and not only a polite giggle like most of the chicks – he actually laughed his perfect ass off most of the time. And Blaine liking Sam's abs was so not a bad thing. That one time he'd shown him just how much he liked them, licking them slowly, making him wonder if he could come from that alone (well, that and the delicious noises of appreciation he made), though in the end he hadn't left him to find out. Oh, that especially was not bad. In fact out of all the places on his body where Blaine's tongue had been this was surely top three... okay top five, but still... Still, Blaine was actually the only person, with the obvious exception of the members of his family, that Sam was sure liked him for more than his body. With the way Blaine had been there for him when he crashed, knowing just what to say and do. Supporting him through it all the way. And hanging out together was always fun and comfortable and he'd actually never got the feeling from Blaine that it wasn't enough for him. Obviously Blaine was his best friend, but he was Blaine's too.

Soon Blaine would be in New York, with Kurt, and then it would inevitably be over. So yeah, he got why Blaine didn't see him as more than a friend, albeit a fuckable one. Why a closeted bi guy with a girlfriend and no future wouldn't be Blaine's first choice for a boyfriend. But those were all things he could change, right? Well, except for the part about being bi, if that's what he was, but that was also the one thing he was pretty sure Blaine wouldn't really have a problem with. And maybe none of the things Kurt had that he lacked mattered, for there was one thing he knew, with all his heart, that he could do. Something he somehow wasn't sure Kurt had ever even tried to do; he could make Blaine happy. When they were together they were both happy. And that was something that just didn't change. And there was still time, he still had a few months to make those changes and convince Blaine to give him a chance.

"Do... do you have feelings for me?"

So accepting that he had to tell Sam the truth apparently didn't mean he wasn't still panicking about it. Talking to Sam was sometimes the easiest thing in the world and sometimes the hardest; it was like there was two of him. There was the Sam that was his best friend, with moods and looks he all knew by heart, who he was always comfortable around and who he knew how to talk to about anything. Then there was the other Sam – the boy of his dreams, who drove him crazy in every way and turned him on more than he'd thought possible. Who made his heart shatter and his voice catch in his throat.

But the Sam that stood before him right now just wanted to talk to his best friend. About something real. And Blaine couldn't let him. No, he had to blurt out that damned question, like a final desperate attempt at getting out of it. Why did he always have to do stupid, weird stuff like that? It wasn't Sam that had something to confess.

An echo of their latest conversation fluttered across Sam's mind as he watched Brittany walking towards him through the hall. I'm going to miss you, Sam. Though he knew she already had, he wondered if he'd ever forgive himself for what he'd done to her. I'll always be here. And he couldn't help to wish he could have been what she needed. I know, but it won't be the same. She smiled brightly as she approached him.

"What are you waiting for, Sammy?"

"Spanish, class."

"Haha, yeah. But no. C'mon, let's get out of here."

"No, I can't skip class, if I'm going to graduate..." Sam tried to protest.

"You'll be fine, trust me."

"But Mr Shue's gonna kill me when he finds out."

"Just trust me," Brittany repeated, cutting him off again and added with a wink "you owe me that much, don't you think?" before she resolutely grabbed his hand and all but dragged him down the corridor, away from the classroom.

…

"So, really – what are you waiting for?"

"Well, I was waiting for my class, now I guess I'm waiting for you to tell me why I'm not in it."

"With your guy," Brittany clarified patiently and added, "I mean it's painfully obvious that you're still not getting it on."

"I can't believe we're talking about this," Sam muttered, slightly under his breath.

"I know, finally! So?"

"Really?"

Brittany nodded eagerly.

"Okay, yeah I haven't talked to him."

"Why?"

"Britt, we just broke up."

"I know that, babe. Now answer the question," she insisted.

Sam sighed heavily, "I have to do this right. And I have no idea how to."

"You're crazy about him, he's crazy about you, what's the problem?"

"No, he's not. I mean, it's not about getting it on, well it is, but it's also... more. I want more than that. And he doesn't think of me like that. And I don't blame him. I mean, why would someone like him go for a guy like me?"

"Hey! I went for you, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes you did. But you said it yourself; it was never meant to last past graduation. With Blaine,it just... And he has all these plans for the future, and I have no clue what I'm gonna do... I couldn't even get into college if I wanted to, and even if I did I wouldn't afford to go."

"Perhaps you should start with not feeling so sorry for yourself. It's really not very sexy. But if you want my advice I'll give it to you."

"Please."

"Awesome! You know the story about the boy and the dragon?"

"Uh, maybe?"

"Okay, so once upon a time there was this boy – the son of a simple cobbler, or was it a thatcher? Anyway, he dreamed of being a knight and practiced every day with his wooden sword." As Brittany got into the story her voice shifted to a lower pitch that swept Sam away to a land far far away. "One day, when the boy was almost of an age, a great misfortune fell upon the kingdom where he lived. The prince, a beautiful boy, (though arguably a bit silly), and about our 'knight's' own age was taken prisoner by a fierce dragon. The king sent forth all his knights to save the boy. When they all failed the king summoned everyone in his kingdom who could ride a horse and wield a sword to slay the dragon and save his son. Time went by and so far all who'd seen the dragon had fled in terror – the lucky ones with all their arms and legs still attached. And no one had gotten as much as a glimpse of the prince. Our young knight rode to the dragon's lair in the mountains, armed with a sword of the finest steel, convinced like all the brave men that had gone before him that he surely must be the one to succeed in his mission. But when he got there and was stood face to face with the dragon – red flames coming out of its nostrils and long, sharp teeth glistening – terror grabbed hold of him and he froze. His legs wouldn't move, his hand rested on the hilt of his sheathed sword, he was trapped between fight and flight. By some chance of fate, or might it have been his own curiosity, his gaze turned up to the dragon's eye. People say that the eyes are the mirror of the soul and be that as it may, but with dragons that is literally true. There was no malice in the eye of the dragon. He'd expected to see searing flames, but there was instead molten gold. At once..."

"Really?" Sam interrupted, "Like real gold?"

"Shh!" Brittany hushed him, "This is the good part!" She continued in her husky story-telling voice, "At once fear lifted from the knight's heart and instead he felt like he was remembering a happy memory that had been long since forgotten. But he saw not only his own happiness he saw also the fear, and this time it wasn't his. He let go of the sword and reached his hand out to the dragon, speaking calmly to it, 'I'm not going to hurt you.' For a few moments everything was still, man and beast both staring into the other's eye. Then suddenly in a swirl of crimson smoke the dragon vanished and where it had been now stood a boy. The most beautiful boy our young knight had ever seen. The prince smiled at his savior, and took the hand that was offered to him. Together they walked out of the dungeon, and never looked back. The boy got his prince and half the kingdom and they lived happily ever after. The End."

"That's a cool story!"

"I thought you'd like it," Brittany smiled. "We'd better get back, you really can't afford to miss any more classes," she said casually as she jumped off the bench.

"Wait, what about the advice?"

Brittany chuckled, and said with a fond smile, "You're funny, Sam."

"Now it's your turn to be honest, because you haven't really been yet so far," Sam declared, suddenly turning all serious.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Blaine claimed, though he did have a pretty solid idea what Sam was talking about.

"Well, you know, you're only as sick as your secrets, dude, and that's what this week's assignment is really about."

Wait, what? What sick secrets?! As if his admitting to loving Barry Manilow was really that much bolder than Blaine's Wham!-confession. It wasn't, so what the hell was he talking about?

"This is your chance to really set an example for the Glee Club. What's yours gonna be?" Sam smirked as he got up, leaving Blaine bewildered.

He'd definitely lost Sam's trail of thought but he also had a feeling Sam had too. He wasn't even sure this was really about him. Though whatever Sam had been talking about he had a point. Telling the truth was the only way forward. Whatever happened between them – whatever their friendship was – as long as he wasn't being honest, part of it would always be a lie. And there was never going to be a perfect time, he wasn't going to wake up one morning saying to himself: today is the day, I know I can deal with it today.

Because he would have to deal with it. What were the odds that they could just go back to normal, whatever that was, after he told him? Pretty bad probably. So what would happen? Would Sam be mad that he'd lied? Would he think Blaine was a creep for keeping it a secret all this time? Would he... No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't because this wasn't a freaking Disney movie. But what if he did? Then he'd have to deal with that. But he wouldn't so that wasn't going to be a problem.

But what if he didn't actually misinterpreted the way Sam looked at him sometimes, the way he touched him. Sam and Brittany had broken up. Did that have anything to do with him? Did he really need to ask himself that? It probably did. But what? And the way he'd asked him about Kurt, well Blaine knew that Sam thought that Kurt wasn't right for him, so he was just looking out for him but what if... Some of the things he'd said in the auditorium that night. What if he'd actually meant them as more than words, more than some silly idea he'd gotten in his head.

Either way it didn't make a difference anymore. Sam had asked him to be honest. And really that was what this week was all about, letting go of secrets. So he'd be damned if he wasn't able to do just that.

So far this week had been mostly confusing, Sam knew he'd been sort of weird, but at least he knew why that was. He had no idea what was going on with Blaine. First it had seemed it was all just about sharing their musical shame, that that was all Blaine wanted to talk about. And that was okay, but then out of the blue he'd asked him that. Like he actually wanted him to say it right there in the locker room. In front of everybody. But yeah, at some point he'd have to do it, and this was the obvious time. This was his chance. Not that it was really a guilty pleasure, he wasn't feeling guilty about it, it was just something he hadn't had the guts to be honest about. He wasn't even sure why, he hadn't thought about it a lot until recently. But how would he even do it? Should he make a public announcement in school like "Hey guys it's Sam Evans, your Vice President, FYI I like fucking dudes. Enjoy the rest of your day!" That sounded awfully general. He had only ever fucked two dudes. And Blaine he hadn't even fucked, well not like properly fucked anyway. Though he was very sure he'd like that very much, like really, really like it. A lot. Still, making an official statement to the whole school actually seemed weird. Maybe he should just tell someone like Kitty and let the word spread. No, that didn't really cut it as the big gesture he felt it should be. He should just come out and say it to all of the Glee club. There was no way they wouldn't be cool about it, right? They had been incredibly cool about the Fanilow thing. Though he realized that thinking he'd get the same reaction for this secret was hoping for a bit too much... Except perhaps from Ryder. It hadn't really been possible for him to not notice the way Ryder would sometimes stare at him. And also that Ryder was actually really hot. But he wasn't interested in him like that; and this was actually the part he couldn't get to add up, why was he making some big declaration about liking boys when the only boy, the only one, he was really interested in was Blaine.

Blaine had never backed out of a performance, and this was probably his most important one yet – it felt a million times more important than it had felt going out on the stage at Nationals.

When he started to play and the stage light switched on, he felt all of it so clear. There probably wasn't a song that could describe everything they'd been through, but in a way this was perfect because it really was about all the things he'd been too scared to say. Well, that he was still way too scared to say but he'd make himself say anyway. It wasn't just about explaining to Sam, it was about so much more. Ultimately it was about giving it one final chance, despite himself.

There was no such thing as getting used to seeing Blaine perform. He was always absolutely stunning. It was almost hard to believe it was really him, that it was the same Blaine, his goofy, sweet, hilarious best friend, but at the same time he was even more real like that. If Sam had ever tried keeping track of all the times he'd heard Blaine sing a romantic song and secretly wished he was singing to him – not that he was into sappy love songs, but somehow with Blaine none of them seemed silly – by now he'd have surely lost count. Even as Blaine struck the first key a shiver went up Sam's spine and as the stage was lit and Blaine started singing there was no doubt – this was the real Blaine, there was no veil however thin on his emotions. The slight tremor in his voice, so naked so vulnerable. And it made Sam want to cry.

How can I just let you walk away,
just let you leave without a trace?
When I stand here taking every breath with you

You're the only one who really knew me at all

How can you just walk away from me,
when all I can do is watch you leave?

'cause we've shared the laughter and the pain,
and even shared the tears

You're the only one who really knew me at all

I wish I could just make you turn around,
turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you,
so many reasons why

You're the only one who really knew me at all

Take a look at me now,
'cos there's just an empty space
But to wait for you,
is all I can do and that's what I've got to face

Now take a look at me now,
'cause I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
It's the chance I've got to take
So take a look at me now

Finally Blaine stopped talking.

"Alright everybody, give it up for Blaine Anderson!"

And finally, finally, the rest of the New Directions left the auditorium. And it was just the two of them, standing beneath the stage.

"Sam... I just, uh, the song wasn't about Kurt – it was about you."

"Yeah, I actually got that."

Blaine smiled a small tentative smile and looked up at him, "Good."

Sam held his gaze, "It was beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Blaine, I..."

"Sam," Blaine reached out and lightly touched Sam's arm, "can I please go first?"

"Yeah, sure," Sam nodded breathlessly.

"I'm not good at this, y'know?" Blaine looked down at his fidgeting hands again.

"At what?"

Blaine took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Talking about my feelings, I guess. But you were right, I haven't been honest with you."

"Oh, okay?"

"I love you, Sam. I mean... I mean I'm in love with you. And I'm sorry to be telling you this now and it's not like I expect anything from you, I just, I had to tell you..."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry."

"No oh my god, you don't have to be sorry. But is that really how you feel? Did you really say what I thought you said?"

"That I'm in love with you? Yeah."

"Wow."

"Wow?" Blaine asked quietly.

"I mean, me too."

"You... too?"

"I love you too. I'm crazy about you!" And though by now he sort of knew the answer, he added softly, "But, you knew that, right?"

Blaine shook his head slowly, and just looked at him his eyes so huge and so beautiful.

"B..." Sam took the half step forward to close the distance between them and let his hand find Blaine's and their fingers intertwined. Stroking his thumb across Blaine's cheek he leaned in and let his lips brush against Blaine's. Blaine responded to the touch, parting his lips, kissing him back gently, his soft lips so perfect against Sam's. Kissing Blaine was like coming home and at the same time the most exciting thing. He tasted so sweet and felt so right. But in this moment there was this calm he hadn't felt with Blaine before. Not like this, that he didn't need to take things further right away. The need to seize the moment before it slipped away, perhaps. Now they were just kissing and that was so amazing and not that it didn't turn him on, but that wasn't important right now – the kiss itself was important. Blaine was important. Eventually the kiss had to end, and as it did Sam rested their foreheads together. He felt an intense joy bubbling up inside him, grinning widely he asked, "So, you love me, huh?"

Blaine lowered his lashes and smiled in an adorable expression somewhere between mock-bashful and bashful,"Yeah, I guess I do."

"You guess?"

"I do!" he beamed, "So much," and kissed Sam again. And they were lost in the kiss, in each other. Just having each other close. Could this really be happening? Was he going to wake up and find that it was just another dream?

Sam slowly broke the kiss, cupping Blaine's face in his palm. No, this was real, nothing had ever been more real. As the first sign of Blaine's smile creased the corners of his eyes he felt the same wide grin spreading across his own face. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "Hey, B? Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Does this, uh, does this mean you want to try this for real? I mean, like, us being together for real, and I'm not talking about sex, well, that too of course, but I mean more than that. Like, boyfriends, I guess?"

Blaine was quiet for a few moments, as his smile faded Sam's heart sank in his chest. Finally he spoke slowly, "Sam..." another, shorter pause, "I don't know."

"Oh, okay, uh...But...?"

"I mean, I do! I do want that. I want that more than anything. But I don't know if it's a good idea."

A million thoughts swirled around Sam's head, a million desperate questions. So he wasn't good enough for Blaine after all, what was wrong, what could he do... But he looked up at Blaine, and held his gaze. And there it was. He didn't have to be scared anymore, Blaine loved him. Blaine loved him. So he was going to fight for him, but he wasn't going to fight him. I'm not going to hurt you.

"Hey, tell you what? We don't have to decide anything right now. Let's just get out of here, okay?"

A/N: Though Brittany is a genius she didn't come up with the story about the dragon herself. It is based on an absolutely beautiful Draco/Harry story called Draco Dormiens by the lovely Juliet'sEmoPhase. All credit for the story goes to her and I'm deeply grateful that she was so amazingly kind as to let me use her fic for this. You should really check out her work, every single one of her stories are just wonderful.

Thank you for reading! I'm so happy that you're still around!