Disclaimer: Glee and it's characters don't belong to me.
AN: Thanks to peanutmeg for the beta. You rock even if you do encourage the bunnies too much.
This story would take place during the episode "Special Education" after Kurt's audition at Dalton. It was supposed to be strictly Kurt/Finn but Blaine decided he wanted in on the fun. Hope you enjoy!
Finn was in the kitchen with Burt and his mom, talking about his day at school. His mom was at the counter, making dinner, while he and Burt sat at the kitchen table. The opening of the front door told them that the fourth member of their new family was home.
"Kurt," Burt called out. "We're in the kitchen. Why don't you come join us? Tell us how auditions went."
"Not right now, Dad," Kurt called back, his voice fading as he moved away from the kitchen. Soon hurried footsteps were heard on the stairs, quickly followed by a door being forcefully shut.
Finn watched as Burt and his mom exchanged looks. It was clear to all three that Kurt was upset by something. Apparently transferring to Dalton hadn't been the magic cure all to all of Kurt's troubles.
"I'll go talk to him," Finn volunteered, getting to his feet. The voices of his parents' fading as he headed toward the stairs.
Taking the steps at a slower pace than his stepbrother, Finn soon found himself standing outside Kurt's room. After hearing a quick 'come in' in response to his knock, Finn pushed the door open and was surprised to find that Kurt had already managed to change out of his Dalton Academy uniform, well, partially. What surprised him even more was where the discarded pieces of the uniform were: the blazer lay in a heap on the carpet only a few steps into the room, the tie draped over his messenger style type bag that had been left on the floor by Kurt's bed. Kurt had pulled on a yellow and black plaid vest, one with a black silk back, and he was standing in front of his mirror.
"Got a date?" Finn joked, stepping into the room.
"No." Kurt worked to striaghten a black bow tie with white polka dots. "Just because I have to wear that stupid uniform at school doesn't mean I have to wear it on my time. Despite Blaine Anderson's flippant remarks, I do realize everyone at Dalton dresses the same, and frankly I find it quite boring."
"Yeah, Glee club isn't quite as - colorful without you there," Finn remarked carefully. He didn't understand his stepbrother's interest in clothes but even he realized that fashion was not the sole reason behind Kurt's mood. "So how did the audition go?" he ventured, echoing his stepfather's earlier question.
"Well, my rendition of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" was flawless; however apparently I put too much passion into it," Kurt replied, turning away from the full length mirror.
A comment about needing sunglasses due to the bright yellow in Kurt's vest briefly crossed Finn's mind as Kurt paused briefly before continuing.
"Singing is all passion! But those robots at Dalton haven't figured that out, or perhaps it's just been bled out of them by traditions and rules. Like they need more conformity at Dalton." Kurt let out a soft sigh. "'Don't try so hard next time', I never thought I would hear those words when it came to singing. We should always try our hardest regardless of why we are performing, whether it's a class assignment or we're singing at Nationals, it doesn't matter. The setting doesn't matter; we should always try hard when performing."
"I couldn't agree more, Mr. Schue is always telling us that we should give our all in every performance," Finn said as he took a few more steps into the room. He glanced down at the blazer on the floor wondering if he should pick it up. Before he could make up his mind about it though Kurt was talking again.
"And Blaine tells me to give it time and I'll fit in there. How's that for irony - a dress code and I still can't manage to fit in," Kurt said, turning his back to the bed and letting himself fall onto it.
"That's because you're one of a kind, Kurt."
"Lot of good that's doing me. Death threat at one school and the inability to blend in even with a uniform, at another. At least one is only damaging to my emotional health."
"Stop trying so hard and just give yourself time to adjust."
"Stop trying so hard! I'm really starting to hate that phrase. Everyone's been saying it. Maybe I should just stop trying! Apparently I can't get a solo regardless."
Finn sighed. "What's with you? You've lost auditions before and I've never seen you act like this. Something else has got you worked up."
Finn waited, giving Kurt a chance to speak. Kurt however didn't say a word as he continued staring up at the ceiling.
"It's this Blaine guy isn't it?" Finn asked, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the end of it. Kurt had mentioned him twice this afternoon, and had begun talking about him before he had even transferred to Dalton. "I don't think you care what all those prep school boys think of you anymore than you cared about what the kids at McKinley thought about your wardrobe."
"True."
"But I think you do care what Blaine thinks of you. You mentioned him twice in just since I came into the room. You like him, don't you?"
"So what if I do?" Kurt asked.
Finn smiled. "Nothing. He is ...he does play for your team right?"
"Yes, Finn," Kurt replied exasperated. "He's just as gay as me. At least I got that part right this time around."
"Good," Finn replied, trying to squash the weird feeling he had inside. He didn't think less of Kurt because he was gay but that didn't mean talking about the subject didn't make him uncomfortable. He wasn't proud of that fact and he was working to come to terms with it since he knew that until he could there would be something lacking in his relationship with Kurt. "You want to talk about it?" Finn ventured.
Kurt shot his stepbrother a disbelieving look. "You want to talk to me about my crush . . . on another guy."
"Isn't that what brothers are supposed to do? Talk about the people they like."
"I wouldn't know. Having a brother is one subject that I'm not exactly up to speed on. Nor have I ever been included in locker room talk with other guys," Kurt replied, his gaze returning to the ceiling.
"Well being a brother is new to me too but I am trying Kurt, so how about cutting me a little slack here?"
Kurt glanced over at his brother. Sure he had confided in Mercedes when he had liked Finn, though he hadn't given her a name. Recently, he had mentioned Blaine to her and Rachel but only in the context that if was nice to have a gay friend. Perhaps he hadn't said more because he wasn't sure how to put his feelings into words. This felt different than his crush on Finn, and he had spent hours trying to analyze it and figure out why. He finally decided it was because his crush on Finn had been like have a crush on a celebrity, the fantasy was nice but deep down you knew it would also stay just that - a fantasy. He had always know Finn didn't play for the same team as him, and that had made the crush safe. These feelings that he had for Blaine weren't. This time if he got rejected it was because he wasn't be good enough, not because the interest of his affection wasn't interested in guys.
Looking at Finn, Kurt tried to gauge what his response should be. Just how much could he say without Finn getting embarrassed and leaving? He didn't want to risk making their relationship even more awkward than it already was.
"Come on, Kurt. You usually take criticism and advice from people about your performances so well usually. It doesn't take a genius to see that this time was different and I think what was different was your feelings about the guy who was doing the talking."
His stepbrother's words broke through the wall that was keeping Kurt from speaking. "You're right, Finn. It's just that I really wanted to do well. To impress Blaine. But now he just thinks I'm not being a team player. I never felt like this about anyone before. It's like..."
Kurt let his voice trail off as he tried to think of how to put what he felt every time he saw Blaine. It wasn't hard for him to picture the dark hair, hazel eyes and thousand watt smile. Though he reacted to the mental image just the way he would seeing him, Kurt still couldn't was still having trouble forming words.
"It's like your heart is beating so hard that you're sure everyone else can hear it. Your knees feel weak and your breath catches."
"Yeah," Kurt replies quickly, surprised that Finn, who has never come off as the most articulate person, has just described exactly what he was feeling. Turning on his side, he props himself up on an elbow. "How did you know?"
"Because that is exactly how I feel when I see Rachel, even now," Finn told him. "See we can still share things. The feelings are the same even if we'll never feel them for the same person."
Kurt smiled, the first genuine smile Finn had seen on him since their parents' wedding.
"Think I stand a chance with Blaine?" Kurt asked.
"Well, he is gay, so I think there's a definite possiblity. And you're an amazing person, Kurt. Just be yourself," Finn advised, already knowing how devastated Kurt would be if this Blaine guy didn't return his feelings. He found himself hoping that this would work out for Kurt, wanting to see his stepbrother happy even if he couldn't quite picture Kurt getting close with another guy and acting like Mike and Tina or even Artie and Brittany.
"Easy for you to say," Kurt said, letting himself flop back onto the bed. "You've got Rachel. Is having one good thing happen to me too much to ask?"
Not sure what to say, Finn reached out and placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. He hoped this conversation had done some good. He wanted his stepbrother to be happy. Kurt had already been forced to leave McKinley and his friends behind because of Karofsky and his failure to stand up for Kurt. Finn couldn't help but wonder if things wouldn't have come to this if he had just stood up against Karofsky in the first place.
Without saying anything else, Finn stood up and headed out of the room. Reaching the doorway, Finn paused and looked back. Kurt was still lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Finn figured he'd give Kurt some time alone and if he didn't seem to be in a better mood by the time they all sat down for dinner, Finn would try something else to cheer up his stepbrother. Maybe he'd call Rachel and Mercedes and ask if they wanted to come over; the two girls seemed to understand Kurt better than he did anyway.
Blaine Anderson sat at a table in a student lounge at Dalton Academy. His Geometry book was opened in front of him but since Wes had left fifteen minutes earlier he hadn't progressed any further in his homework assignment. Wes had been working with him all year with Geometry since math had never been a strong subject for him. And one thing that Dalton Academy enforced just as well as it's zero tolerance no-bullying policy was its policy on grades affecting a student's eligibility for extracurricular activities - students had to maintain a B average in all their classes in order to participate in anything - no exceptions. Blaine knew his Geometry grade was hovering around the eighty percent mark and the last thing he wanted was to be ineligible to perform at Sectionals. If only he could start making sense of these theorems, postulates, givens and corollary that he was supposed to use to create the proofs.
Not helping matters was the memory of the conversation he'd had with Kurt during Warbler practice this afternoon. Blaine hadn't meant the words to be unkind, but the more he thought about it the more he realized how condescending the words could have sounded, especially since Kurt was probably self-conscious having just transferred. Not to mention he hadn't been completely honest with the new kid. His advice of 'not trying so hard' the next time was okay for Kurt's future auditions but there hadn't been any flaws in his performance. Blaine had been blown away by his performance, and he was sure Wes and the other council members had been too, but that worried them - it was new and different. Dalton Academy, the Warblers in particular, were big on tradition and maintaining the status quo. Blaine knew that what had his fellow show choir members worried was that Kurt's presence could change the dynamics of their group. By all rights Kurt should have been given a solo at Sectionals, but his voice was unique within the all male group, and that coupled with the talent he had shown them frightened them. Personally, Blaine thought they had lessened their chances of winning at Sectionals by passing Kurt over for the solo.
~And instead of telling him that I got on about the school dress code and being a team player,~ Blaine thought, tapping the eraser of his pencil on the page of his notebook. ~Great way to make him feel welcomed here, Blaine,~ he silently scolded himself.
Blaine glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was still too early for him to head home. His Dad had gotten home from his business trip this afternoon and his family would just now be sitting down to dinner. Given the events of this afternoon, the last thing he wanted to do was to go home and have to deal with his father's disapproval and stifled conversation over a quick dinner. He had called his mother right after Warbler practice and told her he was doing school work with friends and would be home late - which had been true up until Wes had left. Blaine's plan was to raid the kitchen when he got home and then retreat to his room to eat it.
Switching his gaze from the clock to his open school book, Blaine returned to the problem he had been working on. Ten minutes later he threw down his pencil and closed the book in frustration. The Warblers just might be down one member come Sectionals at this rate. He really needed more friends who were good at math.
Blaine fished his cell phone out of his pocket. Wanting to start a conversation with Kurt but not knowing what to say Blaine texted the first thing that came to mind - are you any good at geometry?
It wasn't long before he got a two word reply back - yes. Why?
Any chance you could give me a hand with my homework? It's not making any sense to me.
Blaine sat staring at his phone for a few minutes waiting for a reply. He didn't have to wait long as soon the message , sure, come on over, flashed on the screen. Kurt followed the reply quickly with a second text giving his address.
Blaine smiled. The evening didn't look quite so bleak any more, he thought as he texted back a reply that he was on his way. The dark-haired teen quickly gathered his things and headed out to his car, putting Kurt's address into his GPS. Seeing an already familiar black Navigator that confirmed the GPS's announcement that he'd arrived at his destination, Blaine pulled his jeep behind it. Feeling a bit nervous, Blaine pulled the key from the ignition, grabbed his Geometry book and notebook, and climbed from the vehicle.
Trying to pull off an air of confidence he didn't really feel, Blaine strode toward the front door. Some of his friend's parents had been less than welcoming to him over the years after he had come out of the closet, and even Kurt was gay, that didn't mean his parents were accepting of that. Blaine's own father was proof of that. Showing up at a friend's house for the first time had become a nerve-wracking experience for Blaine and this time was no different.
Taking a deep breath as he reached the front stoop, Blaine reached reached out and pressed the doorbell. As he waited, he absently hoped Kurt had at least told his family that he was coming so his arrival wasn't completely unexpected. Even if that wasn't the case the Dalton Academy Blazer should give them a clue as to who he was.
Blaine felt a bit of a relief when tall teen about his own age opened the door.
"Hi. I'm Blaine. I came by to see Kurt. He was going to help me with some math homework," Blaine replied when the other teen had greeted him.
"Oh, right," Finn replied. He held his hand out to Blaine. "Finn. I'm Kurt's stepbrother," he said.
Even as he shook his hand, Blaine didn't miss the way Finn looked him up and down, as if he was sizing him up and his look wasn't one of admiration. Instead Blaine had the feeling Finn was trying to decide just how easy he would be to take.
~I'd probably surprise you at just how well I can hold my own in a fight nowadays,~ Blaine thought to himself. He might have walked away from the bullying of public school but that didn't mean he hadn't learned how to protect himself.
"Come in," Finn said, stepping aside.
"Thanks," Blaine said, stepping into the house. Blaine looked around the place as Finn pushed the door closed. It didn't take him long to realize that Finn was still eyeing him. "Um, is there something on my uniform?" Blaine asked, wanting to know up front where he stood with Kurt's stepbrother.
"No, it's fine. But look, if you ever do anything to hurt Kurt then you won't have to worry about your uniform."
Blaine held his hands up in a defensive gesture. "Hey, I'm just trying to be a friend but message received."
An awkward silence fell over them as both Finn and Blaine continued to start at one another. The sound of footsteps coming toward them caused the two of them to look away at about the same time.
"Finn, I put your clothes in the washer," Carole said to her son. "Put them in the dryer when they're done, please. When I asked you to do your laundry I didn't mean to just put your dirty clothes in the laundry room."
Blaine bit his lower lip to keep from grinning as Finn assured his mother he would do as she asked.
"Oh, I didn't realize we had company, sorry," Carole said when she noticed Blaine standing next to Finn.
"It's okay, ma'am." Blaine replied politely.
"You must be Kurt's friend. He mentioned someone was coming over," Carole commented, having taken notice of the Dalton uniform. "I'm his stepmother, Carole."
"Nice to meet you, ma'am," he said holding out his hand. "Blaine Anderson."
"Nice to meet you, Blaine. I believe Kurt's up in his room," Carole said, looking to her son for confirmation. Finn nodded in reply. "Just go on up," she told him before giving him directions to Kurt's room.
"Thank-you," Blaine said politely. As he started up the stairs he overheard Carole's comment to Finn.
"It's good to see Kurt's already making friends at his new school."
"I think Kurt knew him before he transferred," Finn replied.
Blaine didn't hear anything else as he approached the top of the steps. Not being far from the steps, it didn't take him long to reach Kurt's room. He could hear Kurt describing his "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" audition as he stepped into the doorway. The first thing he noted was that Kurt had changed partially out of his school uniform. Blaine found himself imagining the possible reactions at Warbler practice if Kurt showed up to practice in the plaid vest and bow tie he was wearing now, instead of the blazer and tie of their uniforms. Reaching out, he knocked on the open door to announce his presence.
Kurt, who was sitting on his bed facing the door, looked up and Burt turned his head to look over his shoulder.
"Blaine, hi. I didn't realize you were here already."
"Just got here, actually. Your stepbrother let me in and your stepmother sent me up. I'm sorry if I interrupted something."
"It's fine. Kurt told me you, were on your way over," Burt commented getting to his feet.
"Dad, this is Blaine. Blaine my father."
"It's nice to meet you sir," Blaine said, holding out his hand.
Burt nodded as he gripped Blaine's hand firmly and shook it. "You the kid that ended up with the solo?" Burt asked, not really needing an answer to the question.
"Yes, sir," Blaine replied. "But Kurt was amazing this afternoon too."
"I'm sure he was," Burt said, casting a proud glance in Kurt's direction. "I've heard him sing. I imagine you all think his voice doesn't represent an all-boys group though."
"Dad!" Kurt said, simultaneously embarrassed and touched by his father's words. It was nice to know his father had his back, but Kurt didn't like the implication he was making about why Kurt didn't get the solo.
"It's okay, Kurt," Blaine said, before Kurt could say anything else. Blaine met Burt's gaze as he continued. "It's not exactly like that, Mr. Hummel. Kurt's voice is," Blaine paused, searching for words, "it's amazing. And something we've never had the opportunity to hear before at Dalton. The audition piece showed his range and ability and the vocals - the vocals were perfect. But Dalton's big on tradition, and The Warblers aren't used to Kurt's style. Not yet, anyway. The council leads the Warblers, and personally, I think the council was a bit scared by just how talented Kurt is. He's going to make an impact on our group, make us better, but like I said, Dalton, The Warblers, are big on tradition, and they're going need time to open up to the inevitable change that Kurt is going to make on our group."
Even as Blaine continued to hold Burt's stern gaze, he could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. He couldn't believe he had just said in front Kurt's father, whom he had just met, what he had been afraid to tell Kurt earlier that afternoon.
"Well, at least you're honest," Burt finally said, the words causing a wave of relief to come over both Blaine and Kurt - Blaine because his speech had seemed to at least placate his friend's father and Kurt because it seemed as though his father was going to let the subject drop. "I'll let the two of you get to work. Kurt, make sure your own homework gets done," he added, looking toward his son.
"Yes, sir," Kurt replied.
Burt looked back at Blaine. He wasn't sure what team the kid played for, but there was something in Kurt's voice when he mentioned Blaine that made Burt uncomfortable. Of course, he couldn't claime to be an expert on these things. Still, a parent couldn't be too careful when it came to teenagers these days.
"And keep the door open," Burt said, as he headed out of the room, not waiting for a reply from Kurt.
Blaine glanced briefly over his shoulder as Burt disappeared down the hall. Looking back in Kurt's direction he caught the embarrassed look on his new friend's face. "Your dad's great, Kurt," Blaine remarked, giving Kurt a small smile as he walked further into the room. "Not quite what I expected though, given your stepbrother's greeting."
Reaching the desk, Blaine placed the textbook and notebook on the desk and pulled out the chair. Straddling it, he rested his hands on the back of it as he gazed over at Kurt.
Kurt's eyes, widened, "My stepbrother's -" Kurt groaned and covered his eyes, "What did Finn's lack of social graces cause him to do now? Or am I better off not knowing?"
"I think he just watched a few too many sit-coms and he wanted me to know that he's looking out for you. It was actually kind of funny, before the awkwardness set in. It's easy to see that they all care about you," Blaine said, thinking of his own father's disapproval of his life style.
"I guess death threats have a way of bringing that out in people," Kurt commented dryly.
Blaine looked at Kurt, unsure how to respond to his last sarcastic comment. He recognized it for the defensive gesture it was and given what Kurt had told him about what had been going on at his old school and his own past experiences, Blaine figured it was justified. He remembered how hard it was, and in some cases still was, to trust people after what had happened at the Sadie Hawkins dance.
"Well, why don't we get started on the Geometry so I don't take up too much of your time," Blaine said, rather obviously redirecting the conversation. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the desk behind him. "Although, if you don't help me you'd have another shot at the solo for Sectionals when I get banned from the Warblers because of the academic policy."
"Well, as much as I love the spotlight, we can't have that," Kurt said, getting to his feet. "I'm competitive but I don't use those kinds of methods to get solos. If I'm going to beat someone I want to beat them on talent alone."
"Good to know," Blaine said with a smile.
Kurt felt his breath catch at the sight of Blaine's smile. After a brief pause he spoke again. "Let me go get another chair," Kurt said, mentally shaking himself for letting Blaine's smile get to him. They were friends. Given that he didn't have any other friends at Dalton right now he didn't want to do anything to mess that up. "I'll be right back."
Blaine nodded. As Kurt disappeared, he looked around the room. Blaine wasn't sure what he had expected Kurt's bedroom to look like, but somehow the room seemed to fit him perfectly. Well, except for the wrinkled Dalton blazer that was draped carelessly on one corner of the bed. Knowing Kurt's usual put together look, Blaine had a feeling that the blazer would meet up with an iron at some point tonight.
The inspection of the room over, Blaine turned around in the chair so he was sitting at the desk properly. He flipped the book open to the right page and let it sit on the desk. Picking up the notebook, Blaine searched for his where his current homework assignment was as Kurt walked back into the room.
"So let's see what you're working on," Kurt said, placing the chair he had brought in next to Blaine's and sitting down next to him. Reaching out for the text book Kurt pulled it closer to him so he could read it.
"I'll warn you, I'm really bad at this," Blaine said, placing the notebook down on the desk, the eraser smeared page a testament to his words. "I'm surprised Wes still tries to help me at this point in the year. If I were him I would have given up on me weeks ago."
"Well, then I guess you're lucky you sing so well and he doesn't want to see you ineligible to compete."
"Is that why you agreed to help me?" Blaine asked.
"No, I just have a hard time saying no when someone asks me for help. Dad says I get it from my mother," Kurt replied.
"Lucky me," Blaine said, giving a small laugh.
The two grew serious as Kurt started walking Blaine through the Geometry problem he had been stuck on. Neither one of them realized they were being watched from the doorway by Finn.
Even without his earlier conversation with Kurt, Finn would have been able to figure out his brother's feelings toward the other Dalton Academy student. He recognized the flirty looks that had at one time been directed toward him. Saw Kurt's subtle movements that allowed him to brush his hand against Blaine's hand or arm. He could also see that Blaine was totally oblivious to all of that.
Stepping from the doorway, Finn hoped that Kurt would get that one good thing he so desperately wanted. Unfortunately, from where he stood Finn wasn't so sure that Blaine was going to be the one to return the feelings Kurt had for him. Right now, Blaine seemed oblivious, though at least he wasn't pushing Kurt away. Then again, what did he really know about relationships. Things weren't going well with Rachel right now and Quinn had slept with Puck while they were dating. The one thing he was sure of was that caring about something opened you up to getting your heart broken, and that wasn't something he was going to be able to protect Kurt from. The best he could do was to be ready with his support if it did happen.