Author's note: I was rereading this after editing and then posting and realized I had made some ridiculously awful grammatical mistakes. I also made some changes to some sentences that sounded a little weird.

Wes sat down in the center chair, relishing the rush of power he always got from that spot in the room. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. What a magnificent place; in here, the fear of classwork and midterms seemed to melt away.

This senior Warbler always enjoyed a little alone time before a meeting. It gave him some time to collect himself before the mayhem began. Plus, he liked admiring the weight of the gavel in his hand without anyone judging him.

But there was a slight creak as the door opened, breaking Wes from his free-time reveries. He dropped the gavel quickly onto the table and stood up quickly.

"Warbler Blaine, what are you doing here so early? The meeting doesn't start for another ten minutes." Wes did his best to hide his disappointment.

"I need some help with something."

He didn't like the sound of that. No matter how wonderful his lead vocals were, Wes still had a difficult time getting behind one of Blaine's plans. They always seemed to end in some kind of embarrassment and disaster. But the look on his face endeared Wes to the junior member and he found himself walking around the table to sit on a couch with him.

"What's wrong?"

Blaine heaved a sigh and looked as though he were struggling with something pretty big.

"It's Kurt."

"What happened to Kurt?" Wes was startled. Was he hurt? Who would hurt a sweet, innocent young man?

"Nothing. Nothing happened to Kurt."

Wes held back a sigh of relief and let Blaine finish. Whatever he wanted to say, it wasn't easy.

"I – well…the other day, when he sang Blackbird…there was this…and I felt so – " Blaine wasn't making much sense.

"Is everything okay?"

"'Blackbird' was so moving."

"It really was," Wes agreed. He had never felt that much for a bird until Kurt's emotionally heightened rendition of the Beatles song.

"But, it was more moving for me than…" Blaine began, but he seemed to change his mind. Suddenly, he sat up straight and turned to face Wes. "I'm telling this to you in complete confidence. You won't say a thing to anyone, right?"

Wes was taken aback. What was so important about Kurt and Pavarotti that Blaine needed to ask him for secrecy? "Of course. My lips are sealed."

"That song made me realize how deeply I care for Kurt." There was a pause and Blaine looked like he was gathering the rest of his confidence. Reluctant to break his courage, Wes said nothing.

"I'm falling for Kurt."

Wait. Weren't they already a thing? What about those looks they gave each other? What about the fact that the two of them were practically attached at the hip? But, Blaine was looking at him with a mix of relief, apprehension, and expectation.

"Blaine, I'm very happy for you," he said sincerely. Wes figured if they hadn't figured it out before, good thing Blaine was getting it now. They just fit together so well. "But what can I do for you? I'm not exactly one of Kurt's confidants. I don't hold any sway."

"Oh no, that's not it. I had this idea that I'm pretty sure isn't going to go over too well in the meeting."

Wes's interest continued to be piqued.

"I want to propose singing a duet with Kurt for Regionals."

First, there was some shock. Someone else singing with Blaine? Without an audition?

Blaine seemed to notice. "Not just because I like him. I just don't think I should be the only one carrying us against the other groups. And Kurt has this rare counter-tenor voice that is rarely brought to the table. I think, with him, we'd have a better shot."

It made sense. Perfect sense. But it wasn't going to go down well with the rest. There would need to be some coaxing and a bit of trying to make them think the Warblers were 'sticking it to the man,' or something.

"I can help you with that."

Blaine's eyes lit up.

"Just, if I act like I'm against it, don't worry. I'm just easing them into the idea."

"Sure. Of course. I trust you."

A sound in the hallway made We jump out of his seat.

"I have to – "

"Yup. Go be authoritative. Thanks again, Wes."

"Anytime," he replied as he took his seat once again at the table.

Wes watched while the Warblers entered the room, quickly filling it with the sounds of bags being dropped onto tables, conversations being held in raised voices to compensate for the noise, and the general hustle and bustle of a lot of boys.

For a moment, he wished he'd had those ten minutes to himself, completely uninterrupted. This meeting was going to be rowdy and he hadn't had a real chance to be by himself.

But then, he saw the look on Blaine's face when Kurt walked in. Losing his free time was completely worth it.