Of Brothers and Enemies
By
thevalravn
Disclaimer: I neither own nor claim to own Glee, the characters of that show, and any of the properties associated with the show which appear in this piece of fiction. I also do not own "My Brother, My Enemy" as written by Ada Palmer and found on Eclectic I: Concertino by Sassafras. This story is set during Season 2, Episode 4, "Duets" and contains spoilers up to that point. Slight liberties are taken with show time vs. real time for the sake of inserting the song. The story contains vulgar language, references to male nudity, LGBTQ characters, and references to Nordic Pre-Christian beliefs. If any of those offend you, please stop reading now. Now without any further to do I give you…
Kurt should have known not to approach a hot jock in his all together while showering and also to stick to his guns like any Hummel man worth his salt. However, Kurt was but human, and when Sam had all but pleaded, saying he had heard the perfect duet at the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention the year before, Kurt had caved in. His self-control was far from perfect. And whoever had thought of the phrase had clearly never seen Sam Evans in only a white towel that barely covered from his hips to his mid thighs. Gay, straight, lesbian, no matter the orientation, that sight was bound to make any human 'Sam-sexual' in Kurt's personal opinion. Granted, he had thought the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention sounded as nerdy as hell, but he wasn't complaining. More than that though, they had agreed to keep their practices a private thing and let whole group think that Sam would be performing a duet with Quinn and Quinn alone.
When Kurt had first looked over the lyrics to the song and the part that Sam had wanted him to sing, he had to say that he approved. It was out of his usual wheelhouse, but it was a challenge and probably unlike any of the other duets that were likely to be performed. According to Sam, when he had seen it performed, it had just been the two singers with no musical accompaniment. If they were somehow able to pull that off, Kurt had no doubt that the meal at Breadstix would be all theirs. So, with the energy that he had previously reserved in case of Coach Sylvester's most sadistic practices, he began rehearsing his part of the song. When he wasn't doing that, his homework, or any of the numerous things he had to do around the house to take care of his father, Kurt began to research Nordic myths. It didn't take long before Kurt had an idea for what they could do to enhance what was relatively simple choreography. They didn't need to be Tina and Mike nor Santana and Mercedes to get this thing in the bag. While choreography was important, it was the music which was at the heart of Glee performances.
Kurt and Sam had found scheduling rehearsal times close to impossible, but they had somehow managed to pull it off. Normally, they would practice in the small house owned by Sam's family. Between rehearsals Kurt helped Sam with his Spanish and English homework and Sam showed Kurt his rather extensive collection of comics. Kurt had almost instantly fallen in love with The Young Avengers series and despite himself found reading some issues of Batman incredibly enjoyable. The two boys also found they shared a love of the films of Vincent Price. Kurt's mother had loved to watch those types of B movies, so growing up Kurt had developed a bit of a fondness for them. As he had grown older, he had gravitated towards Vincent Price because the man's acting was just so much fun to watch. Sam liked them because Vincent Price was great for impressions. They also found a common interest in the Harry Potter books and movies, although their respective shippings were rather different. In short, they were now friendly with each other and while Kurt still was attracted to Sam, he was rather glad to have a male friend for once.
When the day of the performance arrived, Kurt couldn't but put subtle references to the role he was to take into his outfit. He blamed all of Sam's old Thor comics as well as sketches for the movie that wouldn't be coming out for another year at the least. Seriously, his new friend was an influence for the worse. A dark green vest over a stone grey shirt, a gold chain linking the upper part of the vest, and black pants, Kurt was more of the Marvel version than the classic image from myth, but reds, oranges, and yellows were three of the colors Kurt tried to wear in moderation. Channeling the god of mischief put a certain spring in Kurt's step and a dark fire in his eyes that had more than a few people turning their heads, even if they weren't able to exactly put their fingers on why.
When the time finally came for glee rehearsal, Finn and Rachel went up first and sang a song that had both Quinn and Mercedes promising all sorts of retribution. Even as an atheist, Kurt found the way that Finn and Rachel had interpreted the song to be offensive. However he kept his mouth shut and tried not to move in his seat too much. Mr. Schuester even chastised them, and Rachel made some comment about winning. Kurt rolled his eyes and had a feeling that he wasn't the only one to do so. Rachel had no idea about how to play the games, not really.
Sam and Quinn got up next and it was Quinn who decided to give the introduction to the song. "Both Sam and I have been in this place recently, and we know how it is to be at the center of this song," she explained and then turned her head to Sam who begun to strum his guitar. The two of them sang a sweet version of "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. It was sweet and the sort of song that people would have expected from what should be the power couple at McKinley. When the song was over, there was a polite round of applause and Quinn returned to her seat giving Kurt a conspiratorial wink as she did so. Mr. Schue looked puzzled, clearly expecting Sam to follow.
"At this time, I'd like to invite Kurt to come on up here. We have a little number we've been working on also," Sam announced and there was a wave of shock that went through the choir room. Kurt didn't have to turn his head to know that Finn was glaring daggers into his back, but he moved with all of the grace that he could muster in the situation. Sam and Kurt exchanged looks quickly and it was Sam this time who spoke, "I'd like to thank Kurt in particular for being so welcoming and for being the best partner for this song." With that he laid down his guitar and motioned to the jazz band to remain silent. The murmurs which had started with Kurt sauntering up died down as quick as they had begun. Sam began in a lower voice than the one he had used with Quinn.
"The view from above has no start and no end, just the fields and the halls and the calls of the men," Sam more chanted than sang. As he came to end of the opening verse, Kurt joined in, using his higher register, causing an eerie back and forth between the two as they sang two different sets of lyrics, but the lyrics were woven with each other. As Kurt began with, "You banished all my ancient race to ice and stone and harsher boarders, but I survived and carved my place where gods would never dare to wander," he let himself forget that he was Kurt Hummel. For a moment, he was Loki. He knew what it was to have carved his own way, to have lived his own life, and more importantly to be linked to someone whom he both loved and hated in his own way.
The verses of the song played off each other and the physicality of the choreography mirrored it, sometimes Sam leaning in and Kurt retreating, sometimes Kurt standing strong and Sam moving back. However when they came to the first chorus they turned away from each other and towards the audience and moved to where Finn sat in the first row. To each other and over the stunned bigger boy, Sam and Kurt sang in perfect unison, "My brother, my enemy, don't dare say the word destiny. I offered you the best of me, you turned it into this!" Kurt had laid a hand on Finn's shoulder with the word' brother', Sam with the word enemy and as soon as it was done they lifted hands and shifted positions, continuing to sing to each other over the stunned quarter back.
"My traitor, oath breaker, don't say you had no choice," they sang, and Sam had put a hand on Finn's shoulder for 'traitor' where as Kurt had mirrored the gesture with 'oath breaker.' Out of the corner of Kurt's eye, he could see a stunned Mercedes, a smirking Santana, and a spell bound Tina who clearly loved all of the back forth between the two guys. Kurt wanted to blame all of the slash and smut she read on the internet, but he would be lying if he said his thoughts were completely innocent about Sam and things that they might do together. However that was for later, in the moment, Kurt focused on the back and the forth of the lyrics and made sure not to overpower Sam while still being distinct.
It was a delicate dance, and when it finally came to an end with both of them singing in unison "…see my justice done" there was a terrible moment of silence before Kurt heard a resounding "Hot Damn!" from Mercedes a sting of things that were far from decent in Spanish falling from Santana's lips, and a holler of praise from Artie before the choir room burst into applause. Mr. Schuester came up and looked at the two of them for a long moment. "Interesting choice boys. Can't say I was expecting that from you Kurt," he eventually said.
"Like I said last year, I'm not a box," Kurt replied with a smile as he walked back to his seat. While winning would be nice, it didn't really matter. The fish like expression on Finn's face was more than enough to keep him happy for the rest of the day, perhaps the rest of the week. It depended on how long it took before Finn remembered to shut his jaw.