Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. The characters and all things associated with glee belong to Fox, and Ryan Murphy. I make no profit from this work of fiction.
As the final notes of their tribute to reverberated around the practise room, New Directions held their finishing poses for a beat, and then broke apart to high five each other, hugging and cheering in accomplishment.
Will Schuester leapt to his feet. "Guys, that was amazing! I'm so proud of you, you've really come together as a team. And winning sectionals too, we need to celebrate this occasion."
At this last statement, Kurt turned from where he was chatting to Mercedes and Artie, swept a hand across his forehead fixing his fringe, and, smile in place, held up a finger clearing his throat for attention.
"On that note, I have an announcement to make." Kurt walked forward and turned to face his club mates. "So, as you may know, I managed to get one of the Av boys to attend sectionals and tape it for those people who couldn't be there. Therefore I'm inviting you all to bring your parents and come to my house after school tomorrow, where I will be screening the video. I thought we could make an evening of it, perhaps perform something for our parents, and we'll order take out or something. You can bring anyone you want to, every one of you is invited, including you sir, and I have a flier here with my number on it and directions to my house. There's one for each of you, so I hope to see you all there."
Kurt's face, set into his usual superior smirk, was unchanged by the excited reactions of his friends, but he was pleased that his idea was met with such enthusiasm.
"That's a great idea Kurt" chimed several of the group.
"Oh, I'm so glad that you taped it, my dads' will definitely want to be there." This was from Rachel.
"Yeah my mom's been wanting to see me sing for a while now-she won't quit nagging me about it." contributed Finn.
Everyone grabbed a flier from Kurt on their way out of the room, eager to get home, excitedly discussing their parents' (and their teacher's) possible reactions to their performance. Kurt turned to collect his belongings, for one did not leave a Marc Jacobs jacket laying around, when he noticed that Artie was still present, frowning at the invite he held.
"Artie?"
"Oh, Kurt, I…er. I wanted to ask," he trailed off, looking a strange mix between embarrassed and sheepish.
"Yes?" Kurt enquired. He really couldn't think of anything about the gathering that might have upset Artie.
"It's just," Artie began hesitantly, before visibly summoning his courage to continue "I need to know the layout of your house; I'm not sure if I'll be able to get around easily, and Tina told me your room is in the basement and how would I get down there. I mean I suppose my dad could carry me down, or some of –" Artie was speaking quickly, trying to feel less awkward about the topic, but Kurt was just as swift to respond.
"Artie, don't worry. I have thought about that, and my house has been designed for handicapable people. There's a small elevator that goes to the basement, and it's generally wheelchair friendly, so you're fine to come over, no drama necessary." Kurt smirked. "Well, we can't guarantee anything with Rachel attending but you know what I mean." Artie was relieved to hear this, but there was a nagging thought he couldn't dismiss.
"Why is your house equipped for the handicapped? Did the previous owners modify it?" A brief flicker of sadness appeared on Kurt's face before he answered; in as solemn a tone as Artie had ever heard from the boy.
"No. I doubt you're aware that my mother passed away ten years ago." With these words Kurt's expression became pained, his eyes dropping to look at the ground. "It was a car accident, she died instantly. I was in the car with her, and got hurt- badly. I spent fifteen months recovering, 13 of which were in a wheelchair. We had the house modified so that I could get around unaided." Kurt looked close to tears, his expression one of anguish and loss. He met Artie's eyes before continuing, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but it's not something I like to think about."
Artie was gob smacked. Of all the things he expected to hear form Kurt Hummel, this wasn't even in the running. That he understood Artie's life, even if just a fraction, was overwhelming and saddening. But he wasn't mad at Kurt, they'd not long ago become friends, and it sure did explain why, when learning the Proud Mary number, Kurt was miles more proficient in it's use than all the others. Gotta love muscle memory, he mused. Jerking from his thoughts, he realised Kurt was waiting on him to say something.
"Thanks for sharing this with me Kurt. It means a lot to me." Kurt's face cleared with relief, before settling once more into his bland look of superiority.
"Okay then. Guess we'd better head home now. I'll see you tomorrow Artie."
"Bye Kurt." He was acknowledged with a small wave as Kurt strode proudly out of the room. Artie, though still stunned at the unexpected revelations, proceeded to make his way through the deserted school to the parking lot to meet his dad for his ride home.