Hello,
This is a future-fic and is very different than my other stories.
I do not own Glee.
Introductions
Kurt had always known he was different. He could feel it like he could feel the soft cashmere of his favorite scarf wrapped around his neck in the chill December air. At first, he thought that being gay made him different. He remembered the exact moment he had told his father he was gay. He was nervous, excited, apprehensive, but he was also ready. He thought that as soon as he said those words, 'I'm gay,' that the feeling would subside and fade away. It didn't. Although there was a huge weight lifted from his shoulders now that one of his hugest secrets was out in the open, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was still something different about him. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He knew when he lay awake at night he could feel something shifting underneath his skin; moving with his muscles and tendons and following the angled curve of his bones.
He was afraid to tell his father any of this. He knew that his father needed time to process the fact that he was, indeed, gay, so he shoved this foreign feeling deep into the recesses of his brain.
It wasn't until he graduated high school that the feelings slowly died away, numbing into something he could barely feel at first, and then disappearing all together. He could sleep deeply at night now that his body didn't feel like it was being ripped apart, and he could concentrate better during the day now that he wasn't plagued by thoughts of the strange sensations rippling just beneath his skin.
He had chosen to major in Psychology when he entered college. It wasn't his first choice, and three years ago, he would have never dreamed he would study the field. These days, he felt like he was drawn to it. He had a knack for reading people and he needed to understand what made them tick; from the bored tone of the cashier at CVS, to the annoyed huff of the customer at the supermarket who just didn't understand that you had to buy two Pepsis to get the third one free, he sought to understand why people behaved the way they did.
Now, trolling around the finest streets in New York City, Kurt continues to soak everything in like a giant sponge. It's early October of his Junior year, the days are becoming shorter and the dip in temperature gives Kurt an excuse to go shopping.
Just as he rounds the bend to spend an afternoon in the lap of luxury, his phone vibrates in his pocket and he flips it open, annoyance flickering in his eyes. He knows exactly who it is. Jason, his housemate, with all the best intentions in the world, knows Kurt almost as much as Kurt knows himself.
"Yes?" Kurt quips lightly as he tucks the phone in between his shoulder and ear. He can practically see the smile on the other boy's lips while he continues walking down the sidewalk.
"What are you doing, Kurt?" Jason asks, his tone matching Kurt's evenly. Kurt hears the shuffling of papers and assumes they ran out of printer paper again. They were always running out of paper, which wasn't all that surprising since Jason was an English major and wrote 24/7.
"Shopping."
Jason chuckles on the other line. "Mmhhm, I guessed that much. We both know what happens when you spend an afternoon shopping on your own. You do remember that time you maxed out your credit card and your dad had to wire money-"
"Yes, Jason. I know. I don't need you to remind me, thank you very much." Kurt sighs and holds the phone in his hand as he sits down on a nearby bench. He isn't one to usually sit on public benches, but he was too annoyed to care right now. He gingerly settles his bag on his lap and continues listening to Jason rambling on and on about Kurt's future and his responsibility to be able to support himself. It made Kurt call his housemate, 'dad' at times and question his motives.
Not that they didn't know their boundaries. They were unwritten and unspoken, but had both boys respecting one another, nonetheless. Kurt's love life was pretty non-existent, save for one date the past month and another semi-serious relationship his senior year of high school. It wasn't that bad. And besides, Kurt wasn't exactly fishing for the best catch at the moment either.
He hung up with Jason and sat back against the wooden bench-seat, watching the people pass by. They were all in such a hurry. Kurt could read the emotions on their faces as easily as he could read a book. People were so predictable. For instance, a young blonde woman rushed past him, her eyes screwed up in concentration and her mouth opening in surprise as she checked her wrist-watch. Kurt could safely say she was late for something.
He enjoyed sitting down in random places and watching people. Not in a, I'm-a-creep way either, more in a, look-what-you-can-see-when-you-pay-attention kind of way. It was fascinating. After a while, he glanced at the time on his phone and decided to head back to his apartment. Juniors and seniors could room in off-campus housing and Kurt was glad for the extra space.
Life was pretty easy for the time being. It was just school and living on his own for the next couple of months as the semester ran it's course. He was graduating in another year and would be able to do something amazing with his degree, even if it wasn't as much as a Psychologist with a Master's degree could do. That, and he would be interning somewhere; maybe a school, counseling clinic, hospital…he could feel the blood rushing through his veins at the very idea.
He smiled to himself. Life was definitely in his favor.
