"Kurt…Kurt…Hey Kurt!"
Kurt Hummel looked up from the coffee in front of him that he was idly stirring, blinking into the concerned dark eyes of his boyfriend Blaine Anderson.
"Are you all right?" Blaine asked, a worried tinge to his voice "You seem like you're a million miles away."
The pair sat in their favorite coffee shop enjoying some quality time together that had become rare ever since Kurt had transferred back to McKinley High School from Dalton Academy where he had met Blaine and where the dark-haired teen still attended. Considering that even before they had started dating, the pair had been practically inseparable and now that their time together had dwindled down to mere weeknights and weekends with even that little time being cut thanks to having to study for upcoming final exams and the increased time Kurt was spending preparing for the nationals competition he was in with his school's glee club, New Directions, which would completely separate them for a week when they had never gone more than a day without seeing each other, Blaine was taking the separation very well. He hadn't complained when Kurt had tentatively mentioned the possibility of returning to McKinley. In fact he had actively encouraged it as long as Kurt would be safe from the torturous bullying from a classmate, David Karovsky that had sent him to Dalton in the first place. And he hadn't complained when they began realizing that their increasingly busy and conflicting school and show choir practice schedules were leaving them less and less time together or been spiteful and mentioned that if Kurt had stayed at Dalton, their schedules would be essentially identical.
But that was just the kind of guy Blaine was. He was rational enough to understand that Kurt's desire to return to McKinley even though it would mean they would no longer attend school together was in no way an insult towards him but simply remorse over missing the school he had attended for all of his high school career with the people he had become so close to and the glee club that, despite Kurt's love of being in the Warblers, he loved better; not to mention feeling left out when New Directions had won over the Warblers at regionals meaning that his former glee club would be attending nationals without him. He was also understanding enough to be completely patient as the weeks that had passed since Kurt's transfer brought him further and further away, and confident enough in their relationship, thanks to small actions of Kurt's such as their nightly phone call which always ended with how much they missed one another to the little texts they exchanged during the day to show that they were thinking of one another and how excited they were to see one another when they did have time to get together, to know that once nationals had come and gone and school ended for the summer, he and Kurt would be reunited and better than ever. Basically, Blaine wanted what was best for Kurt, even if what was best separated them because he knew it was only a physical separation. Mentally and emotionally, they were as close as ever.
Kurt blushed, feeling a stab of guilt since he knew how much Blaine was willingly giving up so he could be happy "I'm sorry" he apologized "we get so little time together as it is and I'm wasting what time we do have together acting like a kid with ADD off their meds"
Blaine smiled that smile that always made Kurt's heart melt and reached across the table to place his hand over Kurt's, which idly rested on the table, making Kurt's heart melt further "Don't be sorry. I'm not mad. Even if you were asleep or spent the entire time doing homework or something, as long as I'm with you, I could never consider any of that time wasted. I was just concerned. You've seemed sad and preoccupied all afternoon"
"It's Finn" Kurt admitted, speaking of his brother. Technically speaking, Finn Hudson, his classmate at McKinley and his fellow New Directions member, was also his stepbrother thanks to the marriage of Finn's mother to Kurt's father last fall. However, thanks to the bond formed between the two McKinley High juniors due to their shared love of glee club, which had only strengthened since their parents' wedding, Blaine had never known either boy to ever employ the title of 'step'. Blood or not, they were brothers. It was as simple as that.
"What's the matter with Finn?" Blaine asked, concerned. Blaine had gotten to know his boyfriend's brother well with all the time he was spending at the Hummel-Hudson household even with the limited time Kurt and Blaine got to spend together and he'd grown to like and respect Finn a lot. He thought Finn was a really good guy; friendly, caring and extremely protective of his brother, which Blaine found absolutely adorable. And not even just as related to all the drama with Karovsky but right after Blaine and Kurt had started officially dating, Blaine had been over at the Hummel-Hudson household picking Kurt up to go to the movies and, while Kurt had been finishing getting ready, Finn had taken Blaine aside and bluntly asked Blaine what his intentions were regarding Kurt. Not because he didn't like or trust Blaine, Finn was quick to assure because he thought Blaine was a good guy and had been really good for Kurt thus far, but, as the tall, stocky football player explained, he needed to make sure it was going to stay that way as Kurt had been through a lot that year and though he was fully aware that people broke up all the time, if they broke up because Blaine started acting like a jackass and broke his brother's heart, Finn assured Blaine that he would be answering to him for the deed. Finn had quickly added that Blaine didn't seem like that kind of guy but he just had to make sure for his brother's sake because Kurt had come to mean a lot to him. Strangely touched by Finn's speech, which had been accompanied by an awkward shuffling of feet though during the parts where Finn had directly mentioned Kurt, he suddenly became very confident and dominant, Blaine had assured Finn that he had nothing to worry about and that Kurt's heart would be safe with him and hadn't been offended in the slightest by Finn's protectiveness. It had actually made Blaine like Finn even more then he already did because anyone who saw how amazing Kurt was the same way he did was more than all right in Blaine's book.
"He's been completely depressed since he broke things off with Quinn but every time I try to get him to talk about it, he just tells me he doesn't want to talk about it and he's fine. But I know Finn, he's not fine" Kurt explained.
"Well, you know Finn, he's not really the type to talk about his feelings" Blaine pointed out.
"I know. But that just makes it all the more frustrating. He can be such a boy sometimes" Kurt scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Blaine had to smother a laugh at how Kurt could 'forget' that he was included in the category of boy sometimes. How many times had he heard Kurt complain about his glee coach, Will Schuester's annual assignment of pitting the boys and girls of the club against each other in a sing-off? Finn had assured him that the complaining only got worse during the week of the assignment and Blaine was already somehow both looking forward to and dreading next year's. "Do you know if it's just the break-up with Quinn that's bothering him or is there something else? I'm thinking if it's just the break-up then maybe he's starting to think he made a mistake but doesn't know how to get her back"
"Oh no. One of the few morsels of information I've gotten out of that brick wall is he's happy he broke up with Quinn because he felt like he was leading her on, though he hates how he had to hurt her in the process" Kurt began "It's partially that depressing him and other stuff"
"Like what?" Blaine asked, "Unless you can't tell me which is totally fine. I don't want to get in the way of any brotherly confidences," he added quickly.
Kurt smiled "No, don't worry about it. If I told anyone else, that'd be different, but you don't count"
"Gee thanks a lot, Kurt" Blaine teased lightly; sticking his tongue out playfully to show Kurt that he was kidding.
"You know what I mean" Kurt stuck his tongue out back and playfully tapped Blaine's hand with his own "You're my boyfriend, you're an extension of me so THAT'S why you don't count, silly"
"So what's bothering Finn about the break-up?" Blaine asked, returning to their original topic of conversation "When did this all start?"
"Sue Sylvester's sister's funeral" Kurt answered, "That was what made Finn decide he had to break up with Quinn, another detail I managed to weasel out of Finn. It was when…oh right you didn't come" Kurt remembered suddenly.
Due to Blaine's limited contact with the coach of McKinley High's cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, coach Sue Sylvester, and the fact that what little interaction he had had with her had consisted of thinly veiled insults to the amount of hair gel he used to tame his outrageously curly black hair down to lie flat on his head as well as his thick, dark eyebrows which she said reminded her of hairy caterpillars which made her completely incapable of making eye contact with him without wanting to vomit profusely all over him hadn't made him inclined to continue the relationship, and despite his connection to Kurt, Blaine had decided he didn't feel comfortable attending the funeral of Sue's sister, Jean, that Kurt and Finn had made the preparations for.
"Was Finn not comfortable with the whole death thing?" Blaine asked "He was only a baby when his dad died so that's understandable and that's the sort of thing, not just the first time you go to one but every time, that really makes you step back and evaluate your life. Life's short and you gotta make sure you're living it to the fullest"
"True, but it wasn't just that" Kurt started "It was this part in the eulogy. Coach Sylvester wrote it…she actually broke down in the middle of it which surprised me considering I was pretty sure she had Botoxed her tear ducts off" Kurt mused, making Blaine laugh "Anyway, Mr. Schue finished it for her and the part that really got to Finn was Coach Sylvester saying she had always felt tethered to her sister and hated the fact that the connection was no longer there. That apparently made Finn realize that he didn't feel connected to Quinn in that way, or pretty much at all"
"And who does he feel connected to that way?" Blaine asked, leaning forward in anticipation, though thanks to conversations with Kurt filling him in on the history and gossip about Finn, not to mention the rest of New Directions, from the last year and a half, he was pretty sure he knew the answer.
"Rachel. That's right, we're back to Rachel. Will the poor boy never learn?" Kurt rolled his eyes, mockingly though Blaine knew Kurt well enough to know that, though he was good friends with both girls, secretly Kurt liked Finn and Rachel together better.
"Why doesn't he tell her? She'd be thrilled. It's painfully obvious that she never got over him. Even if she hadn't pretty much told us" Blaine laughed. After the kiss they had shared during their game of drunken Spin the Bottle and the following epic failure of a sober kiss to test their compatibility, the bubbly Rachel Berry had apparently decided that that made Blaine the perfect confidant. She now told him everything, which was perfectly all right with Blaine who, despite her shortcomings, which included a profound ability to insult every one around her without realizing it or even trying very hard, really liked the self-professed star of New Directions. He happily reciprocated her attempts at forming a friendship not just due to his own positive feelings toward Rachel but also because a friendship with not just Rachel but any of Kurt's friends from New Directions made Blaine feel closer to Kurt and like he could be a part of Kurt's life at McKinley, which had largely helped Blaine be okay with Kurt's transfer. And, partially by extension and partially due to the bond that had formed between them during Kurt's brief stint as a Dalton Academy student which had made them no longer sworn enemies as they constantly competed for solos in glee, which strangely hadn't completely returned yet even when a few days ago had marked their first competition against each other since Kurt's return, Rachel now told Kurt everything as well.
"Because just as Finn was about to tell her, he walks into the auditorium with a flower, which was a touch of romance I never would have expected from Finn, might I add" Kurt added sarcastically but with a sniff of approval "just in time to see Rachel get kissed by Jesse St. Thick-Head"
"You're really having fun mocking his name aren't you?" Blaine said, hiding a smile.
"With such an easy name for wordplay as his, it'd be a complete waste if I did actually like him" Kurt returned easily. It was a typical offhanded remark for Kurt but only the few who knew him as well as Blaine did could see the contempt that lurked just underneath.
"No offense, Kurt, but are you sure you just don't hate Jesse because he stole the girl you want for your brother?"
"Oh no. I completely hated that Neanderthal from the minute he told me that a boy singing a girl's part would never win nationals and I didn't like him much last year when he was spying for Vocal Adrenaline while pretending to date Rachel either but that didn't help" Kurt remarked. But then all traces of his characteristic snarkiness fell away to reveal the true emotions that Blaine knew he was one of the few privileged to see "It just sucks, you know? Finn's shattered and I never thought I'd see him thrown by anything. Not like this at least. Usually he just gets really pissy and angry like last year when he found out that his best buddy Puckerman got Quinn pregnant but usually he's so annoyingly happy-go-lucky and obtuse that he'll ignore something until he's forgotten it's there. But I've never seen him react to something like this…like honest to god depressed and not wanting to do anything about it. He had no problem convincing Quinn to cheat on Sam because he liked her again, but he won't even hear of telling Rachel that he likes her anyway, despite seeing the kiss in the auditorium"
"That just surprised me. Rachel can never keep anything to herself for that long. Wonder if her phone's broken…" Blaine mused jokingly.
"I couldn't even begin to tell you why but for whatever reason she's keeping it to herself. I'm pretty sure it's the best kept secret in all of New Directions history" Kurt said, deadpan "And then finding out that Quinn seemingly could care less about being single when Finn asked her if she was all right the other day after glee only made it worse. He's been so out of it lately; it's getting downright scary. He only started just caring about nationals again after being so vehemently against the solo competition when Jesse St. Arrogant Asshat tried to change too much about us. That lasted about five minutes and now Finn's back to being completely apathetic about New Directions. He refuses to even attempt to write a song for nationals, no matter how hard I nag him about it. He's completely stopped trying to stay in shape for football season. I'm pretty sure he's not doing his homework because I overheard his English teacher talking to him about a crappy grade he got on a test he took which is surprising considering though half the time he strings two sentences together about as well as someone who immigrated to this country last year, he actually makes pretty good grades in English. And just yesterday I found him sitting in the cafeteria at lunchtime staring off into space with a completely empty tray in front of him. And for Finn not to eat, that's definitely a shock but 'oh no nothing's wrong, Kurt, I'm good, thanks for worrying though, man'" Kurt said sarcastically, obviously quoting something Finn had said to him.
"I know my brother, Blaine, he's definitely hurt but the idiot won't even admit something's not normal." Kurt continued, depressed "Finn's lashing out at everyone who even attempts to ask him if everything's all right; me, my dad, Mr. Schue, he's got half the glee club wanting to take him out back and shoot him. He even yelled at Carole the other day and Finn's such a mama's boy that's definitely not normal. If you're just making normal conversation with him, he's fine. Obviously out of it, even for Finn, but he's fine, but the minute you ask him what's wrong, he bites your head off. And honestly, that's not Finn either. Until now, I've never known him to raise his voice unless he had a good reason for it. But he won't talk about it, won't let me help him and it's driving me crazy. I'm not even sure what's bothering him exactly, if it's Quinn, Rachel, Jesse, some combination thereof because he won't even talk to me about it. I just hate seeing him like this. I want to help him and I hate that he won't let me. Finn's a great brother" Kurt admitted sadly, "I couldn't ask for a better one. He's backed me up on everything from the minute we became brothers. He didn't get mad when I told him I was transferring to Dalton without talking to him about it first. He didn't even get mad that he found out at the same time that the rest of the club did. I didn't tell him by himself and he's my brother I should have. I just couldn't bear to see the look on his face when I did but he was fine with it all. He was mad that I had to do it but he wasn't mad that I was transferring itself and do you know what he told me? He told me that he understood and yeah it sucked but whatever I wanted to do, if it made me happy, he was behind me with whatever choices I made 100%. He's why I felt completely comfortable going back to McKinley. Karovsky's apparent change of heart was what started it but…knowing that if Karovsky went back to his old tricks, Finn would be there, that was what made me feel comfortable coming back. Finn is the reason I feel safe at McKinley again, not Karovsky embracing equal rights for homosexuals or whatever. He's always there for me, no questions asked, I hate that I can't do the same. I want to do something to make him feel better, show him that I care the same way he showed me, but he won't let me" Kurt frowned into his coffee.
Blaine had stayed silent, letting Kurt ramble on, but his heart went out to his boyfriend. Not being able to help his brother deal with the pain of whatever was bothering him was obviously bothering Kurt nearly as much as the pain was bothering Finn. Finn was having a rough time but was being too stubborn to let anyone help him deal with it or even to be able to admit that he was having a rough time to begin with and all Kurt wanted to do was help Finn and the fact that Finn wasn't letting him was clearly killing Kurt. Blaine had to come up with something to make both brothers feel better and fast. Blaine grinned suddenly, the perfect idea occurring to him "Hey Kurt," Blaine reached out and took one of Kurt's hands in his own. At both the sound of his name and the touch, Kurt's eyes met Blaine's "I know exactly what you can do. How do we express ourselves?"
"In song of course. I'd really like to do that but Finn hates when I sing to him" Kurt answered, looking like he had tasted something sour.
"No, he hated when you'd sing to him last year when you were trying to serenade an obviously straight man with love songs" Blaine corrected.
"What can I say, I excel at ignoring what's right in front of me…like someone else I know" Kurt said sarcastically, giving Blaine a pointed look.
"Don't be mean. I woke up, smelled the coffee, and realized that the man of my dreams was my best friend and had been right in front of my face for months, didn't I?" Blaine retorted, smiling at Kurt, trying to cheer him up even though he had been deliberately sarcastic and mean. Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand "I'm trying to help. And I'm being serious here. There's a difference between love songs and songs of support or comfort, right? Songs that tell someone, not necessarily a romantic partner, just what you mean to them? Didn't you tell me that Finn sang to you at your parents' wedding?"
"He did" despite his upset; Kurt smiled reminiscently "'Just the Way You Are' by Bruno Mars"
"Great song" nodded Blaine.
"Definitely. Kind of weird choice, but it was sweet" Kurt said softly "It was right at the breaking point of the stuff with Karovsky and Finn wanted to make up for refusing to confront Karovsky and the other football players with the rest of the glee guys because he didn't want to risk getting hurt and losing the quarterback position to Sam instead of defending me." Kurt remembered, "Yet another way that he can be there for me but I can't be there for him" Kurt scowled.
"Don't talk like that, of course you can"
"He won't even admit he's got a problem let alone talk to me about it!"
"You don't need to get him to talk. Hopefully that will come but what you need to do is show him that when he's ready and even if he's not, you're there either way"
"In song"
"In song"
"In song!" Kurt agreed, happier, the diva in him not being able to resist the thought of being the center of attention for long "You're right, Blaine, explaining myself in song is definitely the way to go. The type of song I need here is completely different than love ballads. Not to mention Finn's different than he was back then. He's more used to the way I express myself"
"The same way I express myself," said Blaine "through song"
"Exactly" grinned Kurt excited now "But what song?"
"You're in luck, handsome, I just happen to have brought my laptop with me today" Blaine produced his shiny black laptop from his Dalton Academy cross-shoulder bag.
Kurt's grin grew wider "To I-Tunes!" he cried.
After an hour of fervent searching and another round of coffee, Kurt and Blaine, now sitting on the same side of the table, Kurt having pulled his chair next to Blaine's, their bodies casually pressed together as they bent over the laptop, looked at each other and grinned "This is perfect" praised Kurt.
"I can't believe I didn't even think of this…everybody knows this song" added Blaine.
"Don't remind me" Kurt's nose wrinkled in disgust "It makes me almost want to find something else if this song wasn't perfect
"Don't be a snob" chided Blaine "So how are you thinking about doing the song, with back-up or acapella?"
"I want back-up definitely" Kurt grinned, whipping out his cell phone "And I know just who to call…"
"Thanks again for letting me sit in on your rehearsal, Mr. Schuester" Blaine said to the New Directions coach as they walked through the hallway of McKinley High School towards the choir room.
Will Schuester grinned, "It's my pleasure, Blaine. Any friend of Kurt's is always more than welcome. Feel free to come visit any time…as long as Dalton's not our competition that is" cracked Will.
Blaine grinned "I'll keep that in mind"
"I've gotta confess though, Blaine, I'm not entirely sure why you're here" Will admitted "All Kurt would tell me was he needed to make a presentation at rehearsal today and he wanted you there but he wouldn't tell me what it was about"
"Honestly, I can't tell you much more than that" Blaine confessed, "I'm sworn to secrecy. But I can tell you that this is really important to Kurt so I'm glad you're letting him do this when you should be preparing for nationals"
"If it helps Kurt than I'm definitely all for it" Will said loyally "and I'm hoping it will help the rest of the club too. Things haven't been right this week and that's not good with nationals barely a week away"
"How so?" Blaine asked casually.
"Some of it's Jesse St. James. Rachel thinks he's amazing and I've gotta admit, he helped Vocal Adrenaline to four consecutive first place wins at nationals, so he had to have been doing something right and he does know a thing or two." Will admitted "But a lot of it's Finn though"
"Finn?" questioned Blaine, adopting a surprised look that Will believed.
"He hasn't been acting like himself lately. He keeps walking out during rehearsal for one thing. He's done it three times in the last week and a half, skipped out on two completely and didn't even have a reason why. He just said he didn't feel like coming, and when he does bother to show up, he's been off. Missing cues, snapping at everyone, especially Jesse. He's completely refusing to write an original song for nationals which is weird because he loved doing it for regionals." Will said, glumly "Just yesterday in fact…"
FLASHBACK
"All right, guys" Will called, striding into the choir room, effectively quieting his chattering glee club down. As he glanced at the group of 13 teenagers, he couldn't help but notice that Finn was actually there, after having stormed out fifteen minutes in on Friday, came in when rehearsal was half over on Monday and hadn't even bothered to show up on Tuesday. But at the same time, Finn wasn't there. Not really at least, if you asked Will. Because the boy who sat in front of him wasn't the Finn that Will knew. Not the happy, passionate about singing male lead that Will had come to depend on in the last almost two years but instead in the last few days had turned into this sullen, brooding teen for no explicable reason. Or at least no reason that was clear to Will or one that Finn was willing to share for whenever Will took him aside to make sure everything was okay, Finn would either clam up or blow up. And Will hated it. For one thing, a week from nationals, Finn had picked the absolute worst time to apparently have a mental breakdown, but for another thing, Will cared for each of his glee kids like they were his own and seeing Finn obviously hurting over something and angry all the time killed Will because he seemingly couldn't do a damned thing to reach him and as an educator, not to mention as someone who cared, that cut deep. And Will was determined to do something about it, to get the caring, friendly Finn that he so sorely missed back. He just had absolutely no idea how to go about doing it.
Finn, or rather the angry Finn as Will had started of thinking of him as since it hurt to think that this sullen teen was once his sunny lead singer sat in the front row, arms crossed over his chest, long legs outstretched and crossed at the ankle, a dark scowl marring his usually pleasant features and looking like he wanted to be anywhere but where he currently was, next to his brother, Kurt, who was obviously pointedly ignoring his perpetually angry brother. Will had quizzed Kurt in an attempt to determine a possible cause for Finn's sudden mood swing, along with the rest of the glee club, but if any of them knew anything, they weren't talking. For a group of very different teens who last year could barely stand each other and even this year, had seemed to spend the majority of it up in arms with each other over something, they also had the tendency to close ranks to protect each other, a quality that usually Will absolutely loved and had been working for from the moment he had taken over the glee club but now found rather annoying. If it was the reason why the usually gossipy club wasn't talking about Finn's recent anger issues that was but Will had the sneaking suspicion that they really knew as little as they said they did. The only one who had been able to volunteer anything remotely helpful had been Quinn who had mentioned that Finn had broken off their relationship after Jean Sylvester's funeral but, though she had been deliberately vague on the specifics, she had said that it had been Finn's idea. Nothing there. As for Kurt, at first, Will couldn't help thinking that the contralto had faked innocence in knowing the cause of Finn's anger rather than betray his brother's confidence, but, as Will looked at Kurt now, Will could tell that Kurt was about as much in the dark as he was. Kurt wore masks well. You had to really know Kurt to be able to see through them and Will had gotten to know Kurt very well over the last couple of years, just as well as he knew any of the rest of his glee club and right now, just under that mask of constant exasperation with his brother that had in the last week become his default expression, was worry and concern. Will knew just how much that must be killing Kurt as, for two very different boys that this side of two years ago barely knew each other back when one was decidedly uncomfortable with the personality of the other and the other could barely tolerate the first, Finn and Kurt were now inseparable and as devoted and loyal to each other as brothers came. So to be completely clueless about the cause of one's pain would be just as painful to the other.
"Before we start, I just have a couple orders of business, one…" Will took a deep breath, not wanting to bring this up again at all but knowing he had to as part of being a teacher "Finn, we still haven't heard an original song from you"
Will was pretty sure none of the glee club breathed as they all waited for a response. "No." it came finally.
"What?" Will asked, taken aback.
"No, I'm not writing an original song, Mr. Schuester"
Trying to ignore the pang of sadness and surprise that came when Finn used his full last name, which he seldom if ever did as from the moment Finn had joined the glee club and had become close with its director, it had been 'Mr. Schue' from practically the very first, Will instead put on his sternest teacher face and asked "Why not?"
"Not feeling very creative," Finn said lightly, ignoring Kurt's bony elbow digging into his gut and his muttered order to stop being an ass.
"Finn, you have to do the assignment"
"Why?" Finn asked mockingly, a tone that was not in any way his.
"It's part of your grade, Finn"
"Not to mention might help us win nationals. Which your attitude lately is getting in the way of," Rachel Berry added snottily from behind, earning herself a glare from Finn.
Hurt, upset and annoyed, Will sighed wearily "Finn, just write a song. It doesn't even have to be good."
"No!"
"You know, Mr. Schuester, this type of rebellion wasn't allowed in Vocal Adrenaline" Jesse St. James put in loftily, his long legs stretched out almost lazily, his feet hooked on the back of Finn's chair "We had zero tolerance for anything remotely resembling a difference of opinion and anyone who dared…" Jesse trailed off, giving Finn a pointed look and smirking. "As your assistant, I move…"
"Finn, I'm not going to ask you again, you need to write a song" Will said loudly, pointedly ignoring Jesse.
"Why? What are you going to do to me, Mr. Schuester?" Finn asked, smirking evilly.
"Look, Mr. Schue, Finn may be being a complete jackass lately and nationals next week or not, if you kick Finn out, I'm out" Noah Puckerman put in defensively.
"Me too" Sam Evans agreed, his full head of blonde hair moving rapidly, showing his agreement.
Wordlessly, Artie Abrams and Mike Chang too nodded their agreement to Puck's words. The girls of the club seemed frozen with shock and while Kurt didn't vocally add his agreement to the rest of the boys and despite his tight-lipped and completely blank expression, Will knew that loyalty to Finn would win out even over his love of show choir.
"Guys, that's enough! No one's getting kicked out" Will assured, an edge to his voice despite his assuring statement.
"Mr. Schuester, Finn is being insubordinate. I for one haven't seen him contribute anything useful since I came. He just can't stand the attention not being on him, which, as I've said before, I've never understood as he's largely talent-less, but that's a discussion for another time. Anyway, right now his behavior is taking away from time we should be spending working on winning nationals. You hired me to make sure you had the right vibe to win nationals and…" Jesse said, his innocent tone fooling nobody, least of all Finn who stood up suddenly, his chair making a terribly loud, horrible sound as it scraped roughly along the floor and he turned to glare at Jesse, whose feet heavily fell to the floor as the chair they had been propped up on was forcibly and suddenly removed. Finn only broke the glare when he noticed Kurt had stood up beside him. Though Kurt hadn't made a single move other than to stand, for all intents and purposes looked like he had merely decided he'd had enough of sitting and in fact looked entirely disinterested in the proceedings since he seemed to be examining his fingernails, anyone who knew Kurt knew that this was a mere ruse and one more word or action from Jesse, would prompt Kurt to become very vocal and angry in defense of his brother. Finn fixed Kurt with a look that clearly said to stay out of it and unsuccessfully attempted to prod the smaller teen back into his chair by lightly pushing on his shoulder. Somehow, unseen to Will, Puck, Sam and Mike had moved from their seats; Puck and Mike next to each other in the back row, flanked by their girlfriends, and Sam from the other side of Rachel, while Artie, who had been next to Kurt, had turned his wheelchair around, almost to form a circle around Jesse in defense of the insult to their friend's talent. All four boys wore nasty scowls on their faces, even the affable Artie, and Puck cracked his knuckles menacingly. Finn glared at them too.
Will had reached his breaking point "I said that's enough, guys! And Jesse…when I say that's enough, that includes you too!" he snapped, "I hired you to help us win, sure, but I'm still the director of this club"
"Mr. Schuester, I must protest the unfair treatment of Jesse…he's only trying to help and…" Rachel stood too, explaining quickly.
"And you, Rachel!" Will turned his look on Rachel before turning to Finn "Look, Finn, I don't know what the matter is with you lately but you need to start feeling creative. I want a song from you by the time we reach New York. No exceptions." Will took a deep breath, trying to calm down and, deliberately ignoring the murderous look on Finn's face at the mention of writing an original song, Will continued still somewhat snappishly, "All right, we need to get to work…"
PRESENT
"I hate to ask you this, Blaine, because I don't want you to break any confidences but...is everything all right at Finn and Kurt's house? I know it must be tough trying to blend two different families with two teenage boys the same age involved. Especially two boys as different as Finn and Kurt are..." Will asked nervously.
"No. I can honestly tell you everything's fine at Kurt and Finn's" Blaine answered matter-of-factly, "Kurt's dad and Finn's mom are still in the nauseatingly romantic stage of wedded bliss and, all things considering, Kurt and Finn get along amazingly"
"I know…" Will admitted, "I can see how well they've been getting along just by watching them. At least before Finn started acting completely unlike himself that is. The weirdest thing is he's fine as long as he's not in glee. Well maybe not completely fine because he's still been kind of preoccupied but he's not overtly angry anywhere else but in glee. I don't know what's wrong…not even Kurt can seem to reach him. That must be killing him…"
Will had hit the nail on the head but fortunately Blaine was saved from attempting to dance around the subject by their arrival at the choir room.
The entire glee club plus Jesse were already there. Kurt's face lit up at the sight of his boyfriend even though he was expecting Blaine and threw his arms around him tightly. The rest of the club seemed quite surprised to see Kurt's boyfriend, not to mention their former, albeit friendly rival, and greeted the Dalton boy with smiles and claps on the back and excited words asking why he was there, which Blaine pretended not to hear. Even Rachel who, despite suddenly becoming mysteriously deaf whenever anyone asked her if she was dating Jesse again, hadn't been seen outside of Jesse's company in days, abandoned the former Vocal Adrenaline star to show her utter delight at Blaine's unexpected arrival with her friends. Even Finn looked less surly than he had in days.
"All right, guys, calm down" Will began. The club members filtered back to their seats, Rachel eagerly linked her arm with Blaine's and pulled him to the seat next to hers in the front row, Kurt sitting on Blaine's other side "We have a lot of work to do with nationals just a little less than a week away, but first, Kurt said he had a special presentation to make. I'm honestly not sure what about so I'll just let Kurt take it away. Kurt?" Will smiled at Kurt and took a seat in one of the chairs.
Shooting Blaine a nervous smile, Kurt bounced up out of his chair and took the floor "Thanks, Mr. Schue. Hi guys" he greeted his friends, smiling and clasping his hands in front of him, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet "Now normally I wouldn't dream of taking away even a minute of the little time we have left before nationals but…a really good friend of mine is having a hard time right now" Kurt held up his hands "Now before anyone tries guessing, stop, I don't want you to. That's not the point I'm trying to make here and it's his or her own business. You're probably all wondering why Blaine's here…he helped me pick out this song and I wanted him to be here to hear me sing it. But he won't tell you the identity of this person and neither will I and the friends I asked to help me with this…" Kurt gestured and Puck, Sam and Artie left the risers, Puck and Sam grabbing their guitars while Artie wheeled himself behind the drum set "don't even know what this is about. All they know is they're doing back up for this song. All you need to know is this. I just wanted to show this person that this song is dedicated to that even when things are rough and they don't want to talk about it, they're not alone, even when they think that's where they want to be. So no guessing who this person is. It's none of your business and the person who I'm dedicating this song to will know who he or she is. The song I selected will forever be connected with a horribly popular television show" Kurt shuddered "that's still popular today even though it really shouldn't be but I'm hoping to give this song a new meaning. At least for one person. Oh and this song technically isn't in my wheelhouse, but it's really important to me that I sing it so please bear with me" Kurt grinned cheekily, making everyone laugh. Kurt took a deep breath and looked over at Blaine. The reassuring smile Blaine shot him instantly made all the butterflies in his belly go away. Nodding at Puck, who grinned back, the teen began to play…
'Duh duh duh duh dur dur dur dur dur…'
'Durrr!'
Sam joined Puck on a held, echoed note and began playing his own riff as Artie began tapping on the drums to the beat.
Duh duh duh duh dur dur dur dur dur… The two guitarists played together now, with Artie as back up and, at the end of it, Kurt began to sing,
"So no one told you that was gonna be this way"
Artie hit the drums to the beat as Kurt held the last note of the line.
"Your job's a joke, you're broke, your life life's DOA. It's like you're always stuck in second gear. When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year…I'll be there for you…" Puck, Sam and Artie joined in singing the chorus, holding the last note of 'you', holding that note each time it came up in the chorus as Kurt continued with the next part.
"When the rain starts to pour. I'll be there for you like I've been there before. I'll be there for you…cause you're there for me too"
"You're still in bed at 10 and work began at 8. You've burned your breakfast, so far, things are goin' great. Your mother warned you there'd be days like these oh but she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees that I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour. I'll be there for you like I've been there before. I'll be there for you…cause you're there for me too"
The guitars and drum softened as Kurt sang, loud and proud, his favorite part "No one could ever know me. No one could ever see me. Seems like you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me. Someone to face the day with. Make it through all the rest with. Someone I'll always laugh with. Even at my worst, I'm best with you, yeah!"
Puck and Sam increased their sound for the solo, playing contrasting parts that somehow worked together. Artie picked up the drum part as the lyrics kicked back in.
"It's like you're always stuck in second gear. When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year…I'll be there for you when the rain starts to pour. I'll be there for you like I've been there before. I'll be there for you…cause you're there for me too"
"I'll be there for you…" Kurt sang, the drums and guitars filling the background as Kurt held the note.
"I'll be there for you…"
"I'll be there for you…cause you're there for me too"
As the final notes of the song died away, the silence was broken by Brittany S. Pierce "But I love Friends!" Brittany protested, pouting.
Kurt navigated the streets with ease. Inside the car, was an unusual dead silence. Unusual considering just previous to this before Kurt had dropped Blaine off at home, he, Blaine and Finn had held a steady conversation. Unusual considering even without the presence of Blaine and despite Finn's current withdrawn behavior, the brothers never had any problem keeping up a conversation filled with the many things they had in common and their usual steady banter. Even lately as long as they kept the conversation away from Kurt trying to get Finn to talk about his problems, Quinn, Rachel, or writing original songs, despite the occasional spacieness, Finn was perfectly good company.
As both boys had their own cars, if they had something to do after school and glee that wouldn't take them directly home, they would usually drive to school in the morning separately. Even though Burt Hummel occasionally complained about the steadily rising price of gas and how ridiculous it was for them to take two separate cars to the same destination, Finn and Kurt had decided it was worth it to be free to be able to come and go as they pleased without having to wait for the other one to be ready or accompany each other on errands when they could be doing something that was a more productive use of their time. But on days when there were no errands, no reasons to stay at the school after glee had ended, the boys, enjoying each other's company, drove together. These days had somewhat increased in frequency now that Finn wasn't spending time with Quinn, not that the brothers could talk about that. More often than not Kurt drove, claiming he wasn't comfortable driving with anyone who hit poor, defenseless mailmen to tease Finn. Really, Kurt thought Finn was a good driver, but he was just better and, ever since Kurt had gotten his license, he got somewhat antsy being in the passenger seat and not in control of the car.
So Kurt had been somewhat surprised to see Finn climb into his car that morning before school even though Kurt had told him Blaine was coming to glee rehearsal and would have to drive Blaine home immediately after as Blaine had a physics exam the next day to study for. Not that Kurt was complaining. He enjoyed spending time with Finn anyway and he couldn't help thinking that Finn was probably feeling lonely right now not having a girlfriend to occupy his free time as he had for most of the time Kurt had known him. Not that Finn was saying that or anything.
Kurt glanced at Finn out of the corner of his eye. Finn had his cell phone out, probably playing one of those silly games that Finn loved and Kurt thought was a colossal waste of time. Kurt tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to a random beat in his head anxiously. Finn's unusual silence for the entire ten minutes since Blaine had gotten out of the car had sparked a bunch of worries in Kurt's very creative imagination especially as the time had increased. Had Finn somehow not gotten that Kurt's song had been directed at him? But that wouldn't explain Finn's lack of conversation about everything, not just the song. Or was it simply, even with all the advances Finn had made in acceptance of others, he was still very uncomfortable at a gay man singing him a song? But surely that couldn't be true. Kurt liked to think that he knew Finn well enough to know that Finn had gotten over his homophobia and, as Blaine's voice reminded him from the other day in the coffee shop, Finn had sung him a song once after all. And surely not even Finn could be that dense to miss that the song had been dedicated to him…could he?
"Hey Kurt?" Finn's voice said suddenly, a few minutes later.
"Yeah?" Kurt said, distractedly. If it hadn't been for the intense amount of concentration required to get across two lanes of traffic during rush hour with unyielding Ohio drivers so he wouldn't miss the exit, Kurt probably would have felt a sudden jolt of excitement mixed in with a touch of fear at Finn suddenly breaking the silence. But as it happened, maybe on purpose to ease both brothers' anxiety for all Kurt knew as he reflected on the conversation later, Kurt, completely focused on the traffic, barely processed Finn suddenly hailing him.
After a long pause, Finn whispered "Thanks, bro"
Kurt's head whipped to look at Finn, having successfully taken his exit and now able to completely process Finn's words. Kurt's smile could have easily lit up a Christmas tree.
"You're welcome" Kurt returned quietly.
"This explains why I've heard the theme song to Friends coming from your room constantly for the last couple of days. I thought you always hated that show" Finn remarked.
"It's my guilty pleasure" Kurt admitted "But if you tell that to anyone, I'll deny it and convince the entire glee club that you're the one who likes it. And you know I can" Kurt shot, half-jokingly.
Finn laughed, "I know. Your secret's safe"
"Look, I know you haven't exactly wanted my advice lately but you know me, I like to butt in whether something's my business or not, so I'm going to give it to you anyway" Kurt said, deadpan, making Finn laugh "Relax. You don't want to talk about whatever's bothering you, fine, but relax. Acting like you're pissed at the world all the time isn't going to make people ignore you; it's actually going to do the exact opposite. Believe me, I know"
"You're right" Finn said softly
"I love hearing people say that" Kurt said cheerfully. "And do your damned schoolwork, Finn, before the parents find out and ground you. Including the song for glee"
"I actually like writing songs" Finn admitted, "I just hate that it was Jesse's idea." Finn continued, more darkly "Idiot's taking over Rac…my life" Finn quickly corrected and Kurt pretended not to notice.
"Do it anyway" Kurt ordered lightly, always happy to boss people around. Kurt sobered and looked away from the road to Finn "You gonna be okay, bro?" he asked quietly. Kurt considered using 'bro' as a term of address horridly pedestrian but Finn was actually his brother so it didn't count and Kurt felt like referring to their relationship would make them both feel better.
"I don't know" Finn admitted sadly. But he smiled as he caught Kurt's eye "But as long as I know I've got you to be there for me, I'll be okay"
Kurt smiled back "That's what brothers do. 'Cause you're there for me too"
*A/N: For those of you who might be reading this from a foreign country or have otherwise been under a rock since the mid-nineties, Friends was an immensely popular TV show set in New York about six best friends who, through good times and bad, were...well...always there for each other. It still plays in reruns today, even seven years after the show ended its ten year run. The song I had Kurt borrow to sing to Finn, "I'll Be There For You" by the Rembrandts was its theme song. Bet some of you didn't know there was a second verse! ;-) Download it! It's a really cute song! I remember the song playing on the radio when I was a kid, and I always really liked it. It came up on my mp3 player the other night when I was driving home from work last Sunday (before the season finale obviously) and I was, as always, thinking of Glee. Specifically the song prompted thoughts of Finn and Kurt and how absolutely adorable I find their new brotherhood and I started thinking about how Finn's come out in support and defense of Kurt but Kurt's never really had the same opportunity. And that got me started on Kurt wanting to support Finn but for whatever reason, Finn not letting him. And, thinking about the previous episode, specifically the scene with Finn and the flower in the auditorium coming in just in time to watch Jesse kiss Rachel, how much that must have upset Finn (even though the finale didn't agree but then again it was like a few days to a week later in show time lol). Finn also spent the entire episode annoyed at how Jesse was taking over New Directions so that all had to have come out somehow and, in my opinion, it would be just like Finn to keep it all inside, pretend it wasn't there and not let Kurt help him deal with it, which would undoubtedly upset poor, loyal Kurt even as his words affectionately mock Finn at every turn. Honestly, I originally meant this story to end right after the song and not delve into Finn and Kurt reflecting on it mostly because the song seemed to me like it perfectly described Kurt's frustration at not being able to support Finn the same way Finn has him and who else would Kurt confide that to but Blaine? So the story was originally supposed to be Kurt/Blaine centered, talking at the coffee shop because I love and am obsessed with those two...pretty sure if the writers broke them up, I'd stop watching ;-) But yeah apparently my muse had other ideas. And I don't even know where the mini-flashback minor plot point of Finn not wanting to write the original song for nationals came from... ;-) It was part of Kurt's original dialogue as one example of how Finn's been rebellious lately but it was never supposed to become a plot point, minor or otherwise! But I should have known Finn at least would show up. I have several other fics started on my computer written during both seasons and they're all centered around Finn and Kurt with Blaine popping in now too. Depending on what he's up to, I don't always like Finn some weeks but I'm always a sucker for loyalty, love, family and affection from anything really but I love watching it with Finn and Kurt, even last season long before the wedding (specifically the end of the Gaga episode)
I never watched Friends much, not that I think it's a bad show like Kurt pretends to. It's actually a very cute show but I was too young to watch it when it first went on the air and even now, I've seen it a dozen or so times but there's just so many other shows out there, it's on my perpetual list of things I'll watch "when I have more time"...not that that ever happens ;-) As for Kurt's constantly mocking it...it just seemed like a show that would be too mainstream for Kurt to be able to admit to enjoying but its themes of friendship, loyalty and affection would be right up Kurt's alley.
On another note...at the beginning of the story, Kurt makes a crack at people with ADD. Please, no one take offense to this! I don't mean it that way! I actually have ADD too (and yes I know technically it's ADHD: Inattentive, Hyperactive, or Combined Type but when I was diagnosed back in the nineties, it was only ADD or ADHD depending on if you had the hyperactive part or if you were just inattentive so it's still automatic for me to say ADD. Also I was specifically referring to being inattentive, not hyper) and you can't have ADD and not be at least aware that you're just a little spacey when you're off your medication :-)
Anyway, I haven't posted a story in about two and a half years...I have a nasty habit of starting stories, then the ADD kicks in and I get distracted, then forget what the story's about when I try and go back to it later on. I'm also pretty much perpetually busy so that doesn't help. Not to mention I'm a pretty detailed thinker, which doesn't always go well with the ADD lol but this story was one of my extremely rare one-shot ideas (or at least it was before the additional scenes came up...I don't know, is this too long to be considered a one-shot now? Haha. Well not one of my usual multi-chaptered ideas at least) so it was short enough to be able to keep my attention to let me finish it. This is also my first Glee fic so I hope I did the show and the characters justice! I like to think I kept everyone mostly in character and especially that there were a few good snarky, sarcastic comments for Kurt in here but I'll let you be the judge! Please review! I hope you enjoyed my story! Oh and sorry for the long author's note which was, like everything I write, not originally intended to be this long...my obsessively detailed mind strikes again!