**At the suggestion of a few reviewers, I am going back to my beginning chapters and trying to format my paragraphs and phrasing better. I hope this helps!**

This is my first attempt at a Klaine based fanfiction. This little plunny has been running roundabout my head for some time, so I hope that I manage to do it justice and that some people find enjoyment in it. This is AU, although I plan to reference people and things from Season 2. They will be different than canon, but hey, that is what it's all about, right? In any case, hope you enjoy! I definitely do not own Glee or any of its characters.

Chapter 1

Blaine Anderson took a deep breath and sighed, looking out the window from the back seat of Wes' SUV. Up front, his two best friends Wes and David bickered back and forth good naturedly over whose iPod got plugged in for the drive over to the party they were all going to. To Blaine's right, plotting their flirting and drinking strategy for the evening, were Jeff and Nick, two more of his friends. The boys were all students at Dalton Academy together, and were all members of The Warblers, the elite a capella singing group that was pride of the school. Wes and David were members of the leadership Council, and Blaine himself was the lead soloist. The five boys were fast friends and it was rare not to see them in each other's company in some way, form, or fashion. Tonight, however, Blaine found himself wishing that he had not let his friends talk him into going to this party. He had the beginnings of a headache which would no doubt not be helped by the loudness of the music and the crowd. He did not really feel like drinking and he definitely was not looking forward to fielding advances from drunken girls that were beyond comprehending that he just wasn't interested.

It could be awkward trying to explain to a girl blitzed out of her mind that he was, in fact, gay. And experience told him that the likelihood of meeting another gay guy at a party in this part of Ohio were not all that great. Blaine sighed again and hoped that he wouldn't end up staying until the wee hours while his friends drank and tried their luck with the female population of the party. He was already regretting not staying at Dalton, or at least driving himself.

"Blaine, if you looked any more cheerful, someone might think you were going to a funeral instead of a party." David glanced back at Blaine. He had won the argument and Pink was blaring from the speakers. He turned around and gave Blaine a long look. "Something on your mind?"

All eyes turned to Blaine as Jeff and Nick looked at him with concern and Wes looked back at him in the rear view mirror. Blaine smiled what he hoped was a convincing smile and said to his friend, "Just wondering how I am supposed to keep tabs on the four of you party animals tonight."

All four boys broke into grins. Jeff and Nick were easy going and flirtatious. They were always popular at parties. David, for all that he was serious at Warbler practice, was a skilled dancer and even Wes was known to cut loose when not in the confines of his school uniform or in possession of his gavel. Oftentimes it fell to Blaine to play the part of wingman. Or babysitter. Or peacemaker. Sometimes it got a little old, but his affection for the boys who accepted and befriended him when he was a scared and lonely transfer to Dalton ran deep. They had supported and encouraged him and given him confidence, and he would always love them for their unconditional friendship. Still, he just couldn't work up much enthusiasm about this party tonight. With any luck, his friends would opt for a decent return time. Blaine never thought he would feel disfavor towards the looser curfew time Dalton had on weekends. Giving himself a mental shake, he plastered a smile on his face that he hoped didn't look too fake and joined in the lively banter going on between his friends.

Kurt Hummel stared at Finn Hudson, wondering if he had heard him correctly. "I'm sorry, you want me to do what?"

Finn grinned at him. "I want you to come to a party with me. Puck and I are going, there's supposed to be chicks and booze…"

At this point Kurt cut him off, looking up at the tall teen incredulously. "And what of any part of this makes you think that I would even remotely be interested? Gay, remember?"

Finn blinked in slight confusion, then looking a bit shamefaced said, "Well, Puck and I thought you could be our designated driver," and then pressing forward before Kurt could indignantly reply questioned "Besides, what does being, you know, gay have to do with anything? Mom and Burt are out of town. There's a good time to be had, and whether or not you like girls you can still come with us. What are you gonna do otherwise, stay home and read Vogue?"

Kurt started to send a scathing retort at his sometimes less than clever step-brother when he stopped himself. What else would he do on a Friday night? Mercedes was at a church retreat for the weekend. Rachel was away with her dads, and Quinn, Santana and Brittany were at a cheerleading clinic. His hesitation did not go unnoticed by Finn. "Dude, just come with. I promise, we won't stay all night. Besides, who knows what sort of blackmail material we will give you?" Kurt had to laugh at that, knowing that Finn was half serious.

Well, why the hell not? Kurt reasoned with himself. As Finn pointed out, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. In truth, it made him feel rather pathetic to admit so. But if being a part of New Directions, the high school glee club put him at the bottom of the school hierarchy, being the only out gay kid (and flamboyantly fabulous at that) in McKinley high placed him just above a massive STD outbreak. And there were more than a few of his fellow students that would take their chances with the STD. His circle of friends did not expand outside of New Directions. He was picked on daily by the jocks, whether it was being thrown into the dumpster, shoved into the lockers, or having a slushie thrown into his face. Kurt gave an involuntary shiver just thinking of the freezing ice hitting his face. He had taken to keeping spare clothes at school as well as toiletries to repair the damage to his person. And while the jocks and cheerleaders who were in Glee with him no longer were a part of his torment, they didn't exactly do much to stop it.

Kurt heaved a deep sigh. Finn was really trying to do the good brother thing. Their awkwardness towards each other in light of Kurt's massive crush on Finn last year had faded and they were getting along better than ever now that their parents were married. While things were by no means perfect, Kurt gave Finn credit for the effort he was putting into their relationship, trying to include him. And it seemed that with Finn came Puck, the two friends having worked out their issues involving the girls they had both been involved with. Puck used to be one of the main jocks ready to toss Kurt in the dumpster or shove his head in a toilet for a swirly, but time had changed things and now Puck acted as another brother to him, albeit a rather crude, rude and at times obnoxious one.

Kurt was shaken from his reverie by none other than Puck himself when he slapped him on the shoulder, yelling "So how about it, Princess? You in?" Kurt smirked at the boy with the Mohawk hairstyle and heaved a dramatic sigh. "I suppose I really have no choice. I couldn't live with the guilt if you drove drunk and ended up a vegetable or something."

Finn rolled his eyes at him and said, "Whatever, dude, we would never do that." Kurt laughed and said, "I don't wanna be the one who has to explain things to our parents anyway. And don't call me dude." Laughing, the three boys headed for Kurt's Navigator.

Blaine winced slightly, stepping back as a drunk couple stumbled past him heading for the stairs. He took a sip of his soda and glanced around the room, looking for his friends. Jeff was chatting animatedly with a pretty red haired girl in one corner of the room while Nick was on a couch flirting with a blonde, wrapping one of her curls around his fingers while he smiled at her. David was dancing to Get Low by Lil Jon, surrounded by at least three girls grinding up on him. Blaine wondered where Wes was until his friend came up to him, swaying slightly on his feet, hair mussed. "Blaine! Blaine, what are you doing holding up this wall? Don't you wanna dance or have a drink or do something?"

Blaine laughed at Wes, noting that he was more than a little bit buzzed. "Wes, don't worry about me, I am fine watching over the four of you, making sure no one gets molested or sets anything on fire or throws anything into the pool. Why don't you give me your keys, you've had too much to drive and I will be the designated driver, okay? Have a good time, don't worry about me."

Wes focused blearily on Blaine, fishing his keys out of his pocket to hand them over. "Are you sure, B? You don't mind? I probably don't need to be behind the wheel." "Positive," Blaine reassured him.

"Well, in that case, thanks, and I am about to go brighten the night for some lucky girls over there," Wes gestured to a group of girls that were dancing together. Blaine laughed and started to push his friend in that direction when suddenly something caught his eye. Through the crowd he glimpsed a tall boy with chestnut colored hair. He was laughing, his porcelain looking skin flushed along the high cheekbones. His lips looked soft and pink and suddenly the crowd parted, giving Blaine a detailed glimpse. The boy was lean, wearing skinny jeans that hugged his body in all the right places and were tucked into knee high boots. The black and silver shirt he wore accentuated his slender waist and looked to be some sort of designer label. But the most striking thing about him was his eyes. They flashed blue, or was it green? Blaine couldn't tell for sure, all he knew was that he was looking at the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. He didn't even notice he was holding his breath until suddenly someone stepped in front of him, blocking his view. He grabbed Wes by the arm and said, "Oh my God, who is that?"

Confused, Wes looked through the crowd, trying to see someone he knew. "What are you talking about? Who is who?"

"That boy!" Blaine said breathlessly, searching through the crowd. Where had he gone?

Wes rolled his eyes at Blaine and said, "You are gonna have to be just a bit more specific, there, my friend. The room is full of guys, in case you hadn't noticed."

Blaine grimaced at his friend and started shoving his way through the crowd. He got to where he had seen the boy but he was nowhere in sight. Feeling a bit frantic, he looked around wildly, trying to get a glimpse of luminescent skin or a black and silver shirt. People were everywhere, but there was no sign of the boy. Striding into the kitchen, he asked a girl with short black hair, "Have you seen a guy go through here? Tall, wearing black and silver, knee high boots?"

She glanced at him flirtatiously and said, "I haven't seen him, handsome, but what say you forget all about him and join me for some dancing?" Blaine looked away in disappointment, saying to her "Sorry, sweetheart, I don't play for your team." He turned away from the disgruntled girl, scanning the room. He saw guys everywhere, dancing with girls, drinking, milling around, but there was no sight of the one who had stolen his breath away. Groaning to himself in dejection, he slid down the wall and sat on the floor. He hoped that his friends would be ready to leave soon.

Kurt leaned against his Navigator, breathing deeply of the night air. To his surprise, he had enjoyed himself with Puck and Finn. Puck had been on a roll with his people watching commentary, and on more than one occasion Kurt found himself laughing at his antics and words. Both Puck and Finn had been drinking but fortunately neither was sloppy drunk. Kurt felt relieved since the last thing he wanted was one of them puking in his car. The heat and the noise had gotten to be a bit much for Kurt, and when he left his compadres Finn had been chatting up a giggling brunette while Puck was on the couch making out with a ponytailed blonde. They had agreed to meet at Kurt's vehicle at 1AM, so Kurt had a bit of time to enjoy the coolness of the night breeze in semi solitude. He laid his seat back and opened his sunroof to be able to see the stars in the evening sky. He lost himself in thought, thinking that it had to be the definition of pathetic to feel this alone in a huge crowd of people. Despite his pleasure in the company of his step-brother and his friend, he just felt so alone most of the time.

Kurt thought back to the conversation he had with his father, the one where he had wondered aloud why he couldn't walk down the hall with the person he liked or hold hands with the person he liked. His father had been truthful in his answer, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Kurt wondered if he would ever find someone who would complete him. He was so tired of being alone. He closed his eyes as he waited for Finn and Puck to come meet him. Outside he could hear snatches of conversations as some people were headed for their cars. Idly, he listened, overhearing one group of boys pass near his car. "Geez, what the hell crawled up your ass and died? I was totally about to score with that girl," complained one voice as another cut in, "Save it Nick, we all know the closest you would have been to scoring would have been to invite her to play video games with you, and even then it would be questionable." Laughter faded as the group moved away, and Kurt heaved a melancholy sigh as he put in his earphones to listen to his iPod while he waited for Puck and Finn to join him.

So, there you have it! Thanks for reading!