Title: Wanted
Author: CastleQuill
Rating: K+
Warnings: None

Prompt: Sam realizes he has feelings for Blaine just as Kurt rolls into town to nab him back. Refusing to once again be the casted-off party, Sam whips out the guitar.

This prompt came from the website Blam Central. For those of you who don't know it, you really should check it out and send your love, because it is an amazing and magical place!

Much love to my truly phenominal beta, Tuuzmorado!

The songs used are All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera and Wanted by Hunter Hayes. I choose not to include the full lyrics to cut down on length, so there are some verses missing. (Hey, if the show can do it, then so can I!)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I'm telling you, dude, it'll work! We just got to make Mr. Schue see it," Sam insisted. "Hear me out, okay? The theme for Nationals is power. What's more powerful than superheros? We can dress half the club as heroes and half as villains, and maybe Kitty and Marley can do Holding Out For a Hero, 'cause that was awesome. And the final song can be a giant good-vs-evil showdown!"

Blaine smiled, leaning back in his chair. Glee had started five minutes ago, but Mr. Schue still wasn't here yet, and everyone had divided into groups to goof around. Sam and Blaine had ended up at the end of the top row, over by the extra chairs, mostly so they could talk about superheros and other nerdy things in peace. Then they'd switched to talking about the upcoming competition, and at some point, Sam had decided to combine the two. "I really don't think anyone else is going to go for the idea," Blaine said.

"Why not?" Sam demanded. "I was up all night thinking of what we've got that the other teams don't, and it hit me – Nightbird and Blonde Chameleon. Don't you see how much we'd rock the duet?"

Blaine laughed at Sam's enthusiasm, even if his idea was slightly crazy. "You know, the duet is usually supposed to be romantic." And Blaine was trying not to think about how much he'd love to sing it with Sam.

Sam gave a small shrug, a smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, about that. I-"

Mr. Schue came in then, clapping his hands for attention and interrupting whatever Sam had been about to say. "Now, we all know that Nationals is less than two weeks away," he said without any preamble. "And I have some surprise visitors to help up prepare. Here they are, fresh from their first year in New York City!" He gestured dramatically toward the door as it slowly opened.

In walked Kurt and Santana.

All of the older New Directions hurried forward to greet them, while the newer members hung back, trying to look enthusiastic even though none of them knew who Kurt was. They'd all met Santana, of course, but she hadn't exactly left the best impression when she went psychotic trying to win Brittany back.

Blaine hurried down with all the rest and moved to greet Santana, only to discover that she was already straddling Brittany, the two of them sharing a kiss that a lot of the boys seemed to be having a hard time looking away from. This was heavy PDA even for their standards. Blaine quickly turned away (kissing girls were kind of disgusting), only to discover Kurt standing right next to him, wearing a hesitant smile.

"Hey," Blaine greeted, leaning forward to give Kurt a quick hug, making sure to keep it light and friendly and hopefully not awkward. "How are you doing? How did your final exams go?" They hadn't gotten a chance to talk much in the past couple months. Both of them had had a lot of projects to complete before the end of school. Plus, with Kurt getting serious about his relationship with Adam, it had been weird for him to spend too much time with his ex. Not that Kurt had ever said it out loud, but Blaine knew that was one of the reasons. He didn't really mind. There were plenty of other things to keep him occupied.

"I'm good. Passed with flying colors," Kurt said, giving Blaine an extra squeeze before letting go. "I missed you," he added in a softer voice.

"You, too," Blaine said. "We should go out for coffee sometime. You and Santana can tell me all about life in the Big Apple." They should probably bring Sam along, too, since he planned on going to an art school in New York next year. It was close enough to NYADA that he and Blaine could share an apartment, hopefully one that was close to where Kurt, Santana, and Rachel lived. Speaking of which- "Where's Rachel?" Didn't she come home?"

Kurt shook his head. "She got a chorus role in an off-Broadway production, so she has to stay in New York for another month." He stepped closer, placing one hand on Blaine's shoulder, his voice dropping to little more than a whisper. "And I think we should go out just the two of us. We have a lot to talk about, and I've really missed being alone with you."

Oh, yeah, they had sort of left off at a bad place, considering that last time they were together, Blaine had still been hopelessly convinced that they would start dating again someday. "Talking is probably a good idea," he agreed, secretly a little pleased that Kurt was comfortably enough with their break-up that they could once again spend time together as friends, without their mistakes getting in the way. "Lima Bean after school?"

"Sounds perfect."

The two of them grinned at each other, and Blaine cast his mind around for something else to say before the silence got a chance to turn awkward. "Are you going to miss seeing Adam every day?"

"We broke up about three weeks ago, actually," Kurt said.

Blaine winced. Of all the topics he could have brought up, he had probably stumbled across the absolute worst choice. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Kurt said simply. "I liked him, but it wasn't fair to keep dating him when we both knew he wasn't who I actually wanted to be with."

"That's very mature of you," Blaine said, giving Kurt's arm a comforting pat. Privately, he felt bad for Adam. Blaine had suspected from the beginning that Adam was a rebound, and from what he could gather from the way Kurt spoke, Adam was aware of that fact. Still, it must have hurt to hear that Kurt had moved on and didn't want to date anymore. At least Kurt seemed to be handling it well.

It was kind of incredible that they could stand around the choir room casually chatting about Kurt's ex like it was no big deal. Maybe it was a sign that they had both grown up.

Before either of them had a chance to say anything more, Sam grabbed Blaine's hand. "Come on, let's sit down so Mr. Schue can start the lesson." He pulled Blaine toward their previous seats, not giving him a chance to argue. Blaine doubted that they had to hurry that much, but he just rolled his eyes at his friend and didn't protest.

For some reason, Sam sat down in the chair Blaine had used earlier, the one on the very end of the row. Which seemed a little odd, Blaine thought as he sat in Sam's earlier chair, which was between Sam and Jake. He would've liked to be able to sit on the end, so that there would be room for Kurt to sit next to him, but it really didn't matter. Although he did want to know what Sam was doing.

"Now, we all know that we'll be preparing for Nationals today," Mr. Schue said. "But first, Kurt has something he'd like to perform, for old time's sake."

Blaine clapped along with everyone else as Kurt took his spot in the center of the floor.

Kurt smiled, looking straight at Blaine. "If there's one thing I learned while watching my dad go through cancer treatments, it's that you've got to hold on to the people you love." Blaine nodded at that, thinking of all the friends he had made in glee – Kurt, of course, but also Mike and Tina and Sam. Especially Sam. Maybe Kurt was thinking along the same lines, because his smile grew. "I didn't do a very good job of that this year. I went off to the big city and forgot about the family I left behind in Ohio. But I think it's never too late for a second chance." His voice was soft, and he obviously believed in what he was saying with everything he had.

The music began behind him, and his face looked inexplicably nervous for a split second before he began.

No more talk of darkness
Forget these wide-eyed fears
I'm here, nothing can harm you
My words will warm and calm you
Let me be your freedom
Let daylight dry your tears
I'm here, with you, beside you
To guard you and to guide you

Around the room, the couples were drifting together. Brittany and Santana were wrapped in each other's arms, staring at each other's eyes instead of toward Kurt. Marley was cuddled up against Jake, and even Kitty had moved a little closer to Artie, even though they weren't dating (despite all of Artie's attempts to win her over). Blaine couldn't keep his eyes from turning toward Sam, no matter how he tried to stop it. Every time he looked, Sam seemed to be watching him as well. Blaine's stomach fluttered even though he knew that Sam was straight, and this couldn't mean what Blaine wanted it to mean. So he did his best to focus on Kurt, the sound of his voice and the glowing of his eyes, to keep his mind from going to dangerous places. Sam would never be more than a friend.

Blaine had wondered how Kurt would handle singing this song on his own, since it was supposed to be a duet. He shouldn't have worried. When the time came, Kurt transitioned smoothly from his lower register to his higher one in order to sing Christine's part. Which he probably enjoyed much more than playing Raoul, Blaine thought with a chuckle.

Say you'll love me every waking moment
Turn my head with talk of summertime
Say you need me with you now and always
Promise me that all you say is true
That's all I ask of you

Sam leaned toward Blaine, close enough that Blaine felt Sam's warm breath in his ear. "What do you think?" Sam whispered.

Blaine gave him a weird look – talking during someone's performance was the one thing you never did – but he answered anyway. "Kurt's voice has gotten a lot better since he went to NYADA. Which is pretty amazing."

"So you like it?" Sam asked.

Blaine definitely liked having Sam leaning this close to him while a love song played in the background... but he wasn't about to say that. "Yeah, I do," he said instead. It was completely true, and didn't make things uncomfortable the way that admitting his feelings would have. Sam may be fine with his crush, but Blaine still did his best not to draw attention to it.

Sam moved away, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, scowling toward the front of the room. Clearly he wasn't enjoying the song as much as everyone else. Why did he-?

Oh. Blaine felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner.

It had been a couple of months since Sam had been dumped by Brittany, but when he fell for someone, he fell hard. It must hurt for him to see her and Santana together, just like it had hurt for Blaine to hear Kurt talk about Adam back in February. Blaine made a mental note to make sure Sam was okay. And maybe see if they could share another awesome hugs. Entirely for Sam's sake, of course. Because he could use the comfort.

The song was near the end. Kurt's voice reached up toward the top of his range to hit the final notes.

Anywhere you go, let me go, too
Love me. That's all I ask of you

He completely nailed them. His voice was breathtaking.

The last notes faded, and everyone burst into applause. Even Sam clapped halfheartedly.

"That was incredible," Marley said, and the rest of the club quickly shared similar sentiments, their voices running together into an excited blur.

Mr. Schue came up and clasped Kurt on the shoulder. "I am incredibly impressed. You've really improved, which is saying something."

"Thank you," Kurt said. But he was still looking at Blaine.

As soon as glee was over about half an hour later, Sam turned to Blaine. "Want to come over? I won't even make you watch the Avengers again." Blaine was the only person who was willing to watch it with Sam more than once, so it ended up being the movie they played pretty much every time they hung out. Blaine didn't really mind, though. Especially since they usually talked the whole time instead of paying attention.

Today, though, he shot Sam an apologetic look. "I'm going out with Kurt to get coffee. I can come over tomorrow, though?"

"Yeah," Sam said dully, looking much more disappointed than Blaine thought he would be, considering that they hung out after school all the time, so it's not like missing one day would be a big deal. The Brittany thing must have hurt worse than Blaine thought. He hesitated, wondering if he should rub Sam's arm comfortingly or if that would be weird, and if he should ask to get coffee with Kurt some other time. Part of him really wanted to catch up with Kurt – they hadn't seen each other in months, after all, and they're still close friends – but he didn't want to leave Sam so upset.

"Are you coming?" Kurt asked. Blaine bit his lip, wondering what his answer should be.

Sam made the decision for him. "I'll see you tomorrow, dude," he said, pushing to his feet and walking off. After a second, Blaine joined Kurt. As the two of them headed for the parking lot, Blaine made a mental note to check on Sam later that night.

"I'll see you in ten minutes," Kurt said when they reach his car. He leaned forward like he was trying to get a better look at Blaine – at least, that's the only reason Blaine could think of for why Kurt's face was suddenly so close to Blaine's, their lips barely an inch apart, almost like they were about to kiss. A second before they would have touched, though, he jerked back and gave Blaine a tight smile. "Bye," he said, voice breathless. Then he climbed into his car and slammed the door.

Great, so Sam wasn't the only person acting weird. Blaine shook his head as he walked to his own car. Kurt hadn't looked like anything was really wrong, and he probably had a good reason for whatever he was doing. Unless it came up, Blaine figured it was better not to ask.

Kurt was already in line when Blaine joined him at the Lima Bean. There weren't a whole lot of people, and when Blaine reached him, he was just beginning to order for them both.

"You still remember my coffee order?" Blaine asked, slightly surprised. Of course, he still remembered Kurt's (after spending two years buying coffee with someone every day, sometimes multiple times a day, their order tended to stick with you), but he hadn't really expected Kurt to do the same.

"Of course I do," Kurt said with a smile.

He reached for his wallet, but Blaine shook his head. "Don't even think about it. Let me get this one."

"I can," Kurt protested, though he was grinning even wider. Probably thinking about the early days of their friendship, when they bickered constantly over who got to buy the other person's coffee.

"No way." Blaine got his money out first and handed it to the cashier. "You're the struggling college student, and I'm the privileged high school kid with his dad's money. I can handle it."

Kurt blushed slightly. "Thank you."

"No problem." Blaine smiled as the worker brought over their drinks. Getting coffee with Kurt still felt the same as it had two years ago, back when they were best friends and never even thought about dating (or, at least, Blaine hadn't thought about it yet). Which was exactly what he wanted, really. To have his old, easygoing friendship with Kurt back.

They sat at their usual table, chatting about absolutely nothing important, mostly just enjoying each other's company. Blaine winced sympathetically when Kurt told him about spraining his ankle the day before an important dance recital, and Kurt almost snorted up his coffee when Blaine told him that Sam was now using Blaine to distract the lunch ladies while he stole macaroni for his portraits. By now, they pretty much had it down to an art, and nobody had made the connection between the missing noodles and the times that innocent Blaine Anderson came by to compliment the meals or ask what they'd be serving tomorrow.

"I should get going," Blaine said after an hour had passed and they'd gone through two drinks each.

"Okay." Kurt stood, and they walked outside in comfortable silence.

"I really missed this, you know," Kurt said out of nowhere when they had reached Blaine's car. "That was the worst part of the break-up. Losing the times when we'd go out and do nothing but talk and goof around. I hated not having you there."

"Me, too," Blaine said honestly. As much as it hurt to lose his boyfriend (and to know that it was entirely his own fault), it was about ten times worse to lose his best friend, the person that he had spent the past two years of his life going to with every little thing that happened to him, the person that he could spend the rest of his life just listening to talk.

"Then I'm glad I have you now," Kurt whispered.

Then he kissed Blaine.

Blaine's eyes widened, and he was too surprised to even register anything about the kiss, except that Kurt's lips were apparently against his and why the heck had that happened? This wasn't what friends did, and that was all they were. Kurt had been the one to decide that. Blaine had wanted to date him, and Kurt had decided that they shouldn't, so what was going on now?

Kurt pulled back after just a few seconds. "Are you okay?"

"What are you doing?" Blaine asked, his voice higher-pitched than he wanted, except he didn't really care because he was just so confused and he needed to know what was going on now.

"I like you," Kurt said, his voice still breathy. "No, I love you. And I think we're finally ready to try again."

Oh.

OH!

Blaine swallowed hard, thinking over the day's events with new eyes. It was just like that time sophomore year, at this same coffee shop, when Kurt confessed to having feelings for Blaine on Valentines Day. And suddenly it was so obvious that he couldn't believe that he'd never seen it before. The request to get coffee together, just the two of them. The way he said that Adam wasn't who he wanted to be with. The love song sung directly to Blaine.

Kurt smiled at his shocked expression, leaning forward for a second kiss.

And Blaine, to his own surprise, stepped back. "I- I don't know."

Kurt froze, uncertainty flooding over his features, and maybe a tint of annoyance. "What do you mean? At the wedding, you said that we were meant to be with each other. And it took me a while to realize it, but I know now. It's true."

Kurt was right. Blaine had said that, only a few months ago. So he wasn't sure why he didn't feel that way now. "I... We couldn't handle the distance. Maybe we're not so meant for each other, after all."

"But we can make it past that, and we'll be stronger now," Kurt insisted. "And it doesn't matter how we handle distance, because we're both going to go to school in New York next year, so we won't have to be alone."

Blaine should say yes. It was on the tip of his tongue; all he had to do was make himself say it, and he'd have what he'd wanted all year. What he'd cried about and prayed for, even though he wasn't actually religious, and spent long hours moaning to Sam about how stupid he'd been to let go.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" he asked.

Kurt looked disappointed, but he nodded immediately. "Go ahead. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah." Blaine climbed into his car and drove off without another word. It was a miracle that he made it home without crashing his car, because he couldn't pay attention to a single thing he did.

The first thing he did when he got home was collapse onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. If he hadn't known it before, it was clear to him now – he was over Kurt, to the point where he didn't even know if he wanted to date again. Now he had to figure out why.

Although, that was a pretty easy thing to figure out when he ran the time line through his head.

He'd stopped crying for Kurt somewhere around November. At Christmas, he'd been convinced that they would get back together, and had put on his happy face no matter how awkward it had been to stay in the same apartment together. After that, he'd started to get over Kurt, slowly. He'd spent more time with Sam and Tina – mostly Sam – he'd been distracted with his clubs, and they'd had Regionals to prepare for. By Valentines Day, he hardly thought about Kurt most days – but that hadn't stopped them from falling into bed when they saw each other again. Because that was what Blaine wanted. Blaine had always been in love with Kurt, he would always be in love with Kurt, so that was the kind of thing they should do. At least, that's what Blaine had thought at the time.

And after Kurt went back to New York and began dating Adam for real, Blaine watched cheesy romcoms with Sam and they ate ice cream together (occasionally flinging it at each other's faces). And Blaine had moved on.

Which brought Blaine exactly to his reason for moving on. Sam.

Blaine didn't want to be in love with his straight best friend. Really didn't want to be, because nothing could ever happen between them, and it was only going to break his heart if he couldn't make it shut up and fall for someone else instead. But nothing he did seemed to work. It reminded him of the days right after the break-up, this wanting someone that he couldn't have. The only difference was that then, Kurt had been in New York and they never saw each other anymore. At least with Sam, Blaine could walk with him in the halls and laugh at all his jokes. That was so much better than nothing.

He didn't know when his feelings for Sam had grown so out-of-control. Even a month or so ago, Blaine would have jumped at the chance to get back together with Kurt, and quite possibly might have collapsed on the spot if Kurt actually said that he wanted the same thing. Now, though, everything was different.

But Sam would never like him back, Blaine reminded himself. Kurt did. If what he wanted was impossible, should he spend the rest of his life chasing it anyway? Sam had told him that he had to find a way to move on from Kurt. Now Blaine had to move on from Sam.

He didn't want to, but at the same time, he also didn't want to be alone.

Blaine stayed up far into the night thinking about Kurt and Sam, and as a result he overslept a little and was running later than usual the next morning. But he still had enough time that he could hopefully get to his first class with a few minutes to spare. And more importantly, he had made a decision.

He was going to tell Kurt everything – that he still cared about him, but that he was hopelessly in love with a straight guy. It wouldn't be fair for Kurt not to know, and the last thing Blaine wanted was to hurt Kurt again, the way he had with Eli. And they both know that emotional cheating was as bad as the physical kind, and maybe even worse. Kurt at least had to know what he was getting into.

But Blaine was going to say yes to dating him. At least, if Kurt still wanted him after he learned the truth, and there was a good chance that he wouldn't. But Blaine wasn't going to spend his whole life waiting for someone who'd never return his feelings. It was time to move on, and if Kurt wanted to be the one to help him with that, then he could be. But even if Kurt chose to back out, Blaine still wasn't going to act hung up on Sam forever. This stupid lovesickness had to end, one way or another.

Just thinking about moving on made him want to cry, but he had to do it.

And he did still love Kurt. Just because the love wasn't the same as it used to be didn't mean it was gone completely. And Blaine knew that if a love like that could be lost, it could also be regained. They would go on dates, kiss, sing each other duets and slowly fall back in love, until they both meant it completely. Blaine could even picture them moving in together, getting married, raising a family. And if something felt off about that image, well, he'd get over it eventually and stop picturing Sam standing at the end of the aisle instead.

He hoped.

Blaine hurried to his locker, knowing that class started in less than five minutes, and he wanted to keep his perfect attendance record. He was in such a hurry that when he yanked open the locker door, it took him a minute before he realized what was waiting for him.

Sitting on top of his books was a stuffed dog that instantly made Blaine think of Kurt's senior skip day, and the dog he'd stolen from Finn to give to Blaine. Not that they looked the same – they didn't at all, except for the fact that they were the same type of animal – but because that had been the last stuffed animal anyone had given him. Next to it was a folded piece of paper with the words Meet me in the auditorium as soon as you see this typed across it.

It had to be Kurt. No one else would do such a romantic gesture, or ask him to meet in the auditorium before school, when everyone knew that that was prime territory for secret kisses.

Blaine grimaced slightly. He wasn't sure he was ready for this conversation, but then, he'd probably never be. That didn't mean that it didn't have to be said. At least they wouldn't have time for the discussion right now, but still, Blaine would have to arrange a time. And once he did that, there would be no backing out.

No sense putting it off, and anyway, there wasn't any time to. He left the dog in his locker (because carrying it around seemed too romantic for the conversation he had planned) and headed off.

The lights were on when Blaine walked in, and there was a stool set up in the middle of the stage, but he didn't see any sign that anyone else was there. "Kurt?" he called, walking down the steps toward the stage, looking around as if Kurt would suddenly materialize in one of the rows of seats.

"Uh, no," a very different voice said, and then Sam was stepping out of the wings, walking forward with his guitar in his hands. "Hey, dude."

Blaine frowned. Not because he was upset at seeing Sam – of course he wasn't – but he didn't have any idea what was going on. Maybe it had something to do with whatever had had him so upset the day before. With a flash of guilt, Blaine realized that he'd forgotten all about checking up on his best friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Just listen to me and don't say anything, okay?" Sam asked. When Blaine nodded, he took a deep breath and blurted, "I know you were hoping it'd be Kurt, and I know you wanted to get back together with him all year. And a few months ago we talked about the crush and I turned you down, and now you're back with Kurt and I missed my chance, so I really shouldn't be saying this. But I can't help it. I really need to tell you."

"I don't understand what you mean," Blaine said. Something about Blaine's crush and missing his chance, but that couldn't mean- No, of course it couldn't. Sam was straight. He had to get these thoughts out of his head immediately.

"I'm not making a lot of sense," Sam admitted. "Just... Could you sit down and listen? Just let me say it? Or, sing it, anyway."

Blaine still had no idea what was happening, which wasn't exactly a feeling he liked, but he trusted Sam. So he nodded and took a seat in the front row, while Sam sat on the stool and began absently strumming the guitar.

"I'm not as good a singer as Kurt," Sam said after a few moments had passed. "There's no way I can hit those notes, or sound so perfect. But you were so good about making me feel like I was worth something during the Men of McKinley photo shoot, and I've wanted to sing these words to you ever since. It just took me a long time to realize it. I've finally found the right song, and it may be too late, but listen close, okay? Because I really mean it."

Blaine nodded slowly, because Sam seemed to be waiting for it. Sam nodded back, and began to play.

The song was slow, and simple. Blaine didn't recognize it, but something about the melody made his heart beat faster without knowing why.

Than Sam started singing

You know I'd fall apart without you
I don't know how you do what you do
'Cause everything that don't make sense about me
It makes sense when I'm with you
Like everything that's green, boy, I need you
But it's more than one and one makes two
So put aside the math and the logic of it
You gotta know you're wanted, too

Blaine was holding tight to the armrests, trying not to let himself believe it. There was no way this could be real, that Sam could mean what Blaine thought he did. It was simply him saying how much he appreciated their friendship. Sam was worried that they'd lose touch if Blaine got back with Kurt, and Blaine had to assure him that they'd be best friends no matter what happened. Then Sam would grin and feel better, and go fall in love with some girl, and Blaine would still be alone.

It couldn't actually be a love song. There was no chance.

But Sam kept singing, and Blaine couldn't doubt it any longer.

I wanna wrap you up
Wanna kiss your lips
I wanna make you feel wanted
I wanna call you mine
Wanna hold your hand forever
And never let you forget it
Baby, I wanna make you wanted

Images entered his mind. Kissing Sam. Holding him, cuddling with him, intertwining their fingers in the hallways, the cheesy pet names they'd give each other. All things that Blaine had tried not to let himself think about, because they'd never happen. But now Sam was saying that he wanted it just as much.

Blaine didn't believe it. Couldn't believe it. But maybe he didn't have to.

He could come up with a hundred reasons why this didn't make sense, but instead, he watched the way Sam's face lit up with such sincerity, and all of the reasons didn't matter. Blaine stopped thinking and just let himself feel.

As good as you make me feel
I want to make you feel better
Better than your fairy tales
Better than your best dreams
You're more than everything I need
You're all I ever wanted
All I ever wanted

Sam's eyes locked with Blaine's as he said the last word. There was something about the smile on his lips, the tenderness in his eyes, the worried set of his shoulders like he really did think there was even a chance Blaine would turn him down. And in a flash, Blaine felt the knowledge run through him like lightning. This was real.

'Cause you're always wanted

Sam's voice trailed off softly, the last notes dying away. He carefully pulled the guitar strap over his head so he could set the guitar on the ground, his eyes not leaving Blaine's the whole time. "I'm too late, aren't I?" he asked quietly. "You and Kurt are in love again, and if I'd only told you sooner..."

Blaine was on his feet in a second, ignoring the stairs in favor of jumping straight onto the stage, just so he could get to Sam and crush their lips together a second sooner.

Sam only froze for a second before wrapping his arms around Blaine and tugging him closer, one hand on the small of Blaine's back, the other running through his hair. Blaine pressed himself against Sam, their chests hitting together, both of his hands on the sides of Sam's face.

He'd been fantasizing about this since January, and yet it still managed to be better than he'd ever imagined.

They were both gasping when he finally pulled away. "I think you were exactly on time," he whispered.

"But what about Kurt?" Sam asked. "I thought you were in love with him." He suddenly shifted uncomfortably, ducking his head slightly. "You're not just feeling sorry for me, right? Because I don't want to date you unless you want it, too."

Date. Blaine couldn't stop the thrill that ran through him at that word. "I thought I was in love with him, too," Blaine admitted. "But yesterday, I didn't even realize that he wanted to get back together with me until after our coffee date, when he kissed me. And I told him I needed time to think, because I realized when he did it that I'd rather it was you."

Sam snorted, giving Blaine an affectionate smile. "You're ridiculous, you know?" he said. "He sang a Broadway love song staring straight at you and you seriously had no idea?"

Blaine just shrugged, far too happy to feel even remotely embarrassed right then. "What about you?" he asked. "I thought you were straight."

"I thought I was, too."

Sam smiled, clearly not too concerned with the shift in his sexuality. Blaine couldn't help but chuckle – right after he got through marveling at how open-minded Sam was, and the fact that this amazing boy was somehow in love with Blaine of all people. "It sounds like we have a lot to figure out," he said, reaching down to take Sam's hand, shivering as Sam's calloused fingers rubber against his palm.

"Together?" Sam asked.

"Together," Blaine promised, leaning forward for another kiss.

At some point, they both realized that the bell had rung already, but it didn't seem particularly important. A perfect record really wasn't it was cracked up to be, not when the person who mattered the most was finally within his reach.

As happy as Blaine was, there was one part of dating Sam that he was dreading, and that was telling Kurt.

He'd sent a text during one of his classes, asking Kurt to meet him in the hallway before glee. The temptation to just break the news over text so that he didn't have to see Kurt's face when he found out was almost overpowering, but he resisted. He owed his best friend more than that. And Kurt would always hold that spot, no matter what happened.

"I'm sorry," he said as soon as he saw Kurt approaching. No sense dragging it out, and that was the kindest way he could think to say it.

"It's Sam, isn't it?" Kurt asked quietly, looking down.

Blaine's eyes widened, though he tried to hide his surprise. "How did you know?"

Kurt snorted, some of his usual snark showing through. "I sang you the very love song that got me the second highest grade in my singing class in one of the most prestigious performance academies in the country, and you spend the whole time stealing glances at another guy."

Blaine hadn't known he'd been so obvious about his feelings. "I'm sorry," he said again, not knowing what else he could do.

Kurt swallowed hard and leaned against the wall. "I still hoped. I mean, he's straight, so you had to see that it won't work out. Even if I was your second choice, it was better than nothing."

Blaine winced, recognizing the same sentiment he'd thought about Sam just the day before. There really wasn't anything to add to what Kurt said that wouldn't sound condescending, except for reciting pointless platitudes about how Kurt would find someone someday, so Blaine said the only thing that came to mind. "Sam isn't straight. He doesn't know what he is – maybe bi – but he'd definitely not straight."

Kurt blinked, looking at Blaine for the first time. After a moment, a small smile appeared. "He likes you back, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Blaine whispered, still not sure he could believe it was real, even though his lips still felt tender from the half hour they'd spent in the auditorium that morning before deciding that they really did need to get to class.

"I'm really happy for you," Kurt said, and sounded genuine. They stood in silence for a minute, Blaine shifting uncomfortably and wondering if he should say something, even though he didn't know what. Then Kurt said, "I talked to my dad about it yesterday. My feelings for you, I mean, and your feelings for Sam. And I feel a lot better about it. I am still in love with you, and I probably always will be in some way, but that doesn't mean I have to run back to you just because Adam didn't work out. No offense, of course."

Blaine waved his words away. After everything Blaine had done - trying to get Kurt to take him back and then rejecting him as soon as he tried, no matter how unintentional all this had been - he deserved a few mild insults. "Is that what it was?" Blaine asked. "You broke up with Adam and came back to me because-" He stopped, not sure what he could say that wouldn't accidentally sound insulting.

"Because I was lonely?" Kurt asked. "Because I was scared that my new relationship wasn't working out and I wanted something comfortable? Because I knew Adam was on the verge of breaking up with me, so I beat him to the punch and convinced myself it was what I wanted? Would it make you feel better about turning me down it I said yes?

"No," Blaine said sincerely. "I mean, I'm kind of glad you're not actually interested in me, but I'm never going to feel good about something that makes you feel bad."

"Thanks," Kurt said, tilting his head back and staring toward the ceiling. After a moment, he straightened his shoulders and looked back at Blaine. "Let me tell you something. As soon as I get back to New York, I'm finding myself the best guy in the city and making you insanely jealous."

Blaine smiled, but said sincerely, "I hope you do." Kurt deserved to find someone wonderful. It was too bad that Adam couldn't be that person, and that Blaine couldn't, either. But there had to be someone for him. "You still have Chandler's number?" he joked, thinking back to the boy who'd nearly broken them up a year ago.

Kurt laughed, but actually looked a bit thoughtful. "You know, you have a point," he said. "Not that I should date Chandler – I don't think so – but there are some gay guys in Ohio, even if they aren't as common as in New York. We should go back to Scandals some time, so that you and Sam can make out without people thinking you're freaks of nature while I see who I can find."

"Sounds like a plan," Blaine agreed. There were plenty of things that probably wouldn't be smart about Kurt finding a guy in Ohio – mainly that the long-distance thing hadn't worked last time, so there was no reason to think it would work with anyone else – but Blaine of course didn't say anything. Kurt was smart enough to figure it out for himself. "You coming to glee?"

Kurt shook his head. "Not today," he said, in a voice that made it clear he wasn't as comfortable with the rejection as he let on. But there was nothing Blaine could do, so he pretended he didn't notice. "I'll call you in a few days to plan that Scandals trip, okay?"

"Sounds good," Blaine agreed.

Kurt leaned forward to give him a quick, purely-platonic hug, then he walked away.

Mr. Schue had already started rehearsal when Blaine got there. Everyone was throwing around song ideas for Nationals, and Mr. Schue stopped talking just long enough to scold Blaine for being late before continuing to explain what his big set list idea was, which everyone else seemed to be shooting down unanimously.

"How did it go?" Sam asked quietly as Blaine dropped into the seat next to him.

"Better than I thought," Blaine replied. "The three of us are going to hang out at a gay bar sometime soon."

Sam looked confused by how a gay bar had anything to do with the answer to his question, but he didn't ask. "Sounds great," he said instead, slinging his arm over Blaine's shoulders and running his fingers down Blaine's arm. "I'm glad you two can still be friends."

"Me, too," Blaine agreed. They already had their heads bent together to make it easier to talk without disturbing the others, and Sam's face was so close that Blaine couldn't resist leaning forward that last inch and pressing a kiss to the corner of Sam's mouth. Which quickly turned to pressing a kiss straight on his lips.

After a few seconds, they realized that the rest of the room was completely silent. When he pulled back, Blaine saw that everyone was turned in their chairs to stare at them.

Sam chuckled and scooted even closer to Blaine. "You want to tell them?" he asked.

"I think they can figure it out for themselves," Blaine said, and leaned to kiss Sam again.

After a few seconds, Mr. Schue awkwardly cleared his throat and asked them to break apart. There were a ton of questions about when they'd gotten together and how it had happened, which were answered easily. Ryder in particular looked confused when Sam declared that he was completely straight except for the fact that he happened to like Blaine, but he didn't argue after Jake hissed something in his ear. After the initial shock wore off, nobody seemed that surprised. Kitty probably put it best when she rolled her eyes and asked, "Oh, so you've just now realized that you've been gay for Blaine all year?" Ten minutes later, they were back to throwing around ideas, just like any other rehearsal. But with one major difference.

Now, Blaine had his hand linked with Sam's, and neither of them had to let go or pretend that it didn't mean everything. Every couple minutes, Blaine could squeeze Sam's hand, and Sam would squeeze back, just so Blaine could remind himself that this was real.

It was. And it always would be.

For the first time since the break-up, Blaine really did feel wanted.