Author's Note:
I Do not own Glee
I do not own the songs I use
This is my first fic
I love reviews but not mean ones. Constructive criticism is ok as long as it is not hurtful.
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 1
Teenage Dream
Kurt had never been so irritated in his life. Puck was always being stupid and Finn promised he would help with the teasing in Glee and out, and he had for a while, but after one too many extra slushy facials, Finn quit. Kurt knew that this was a consequence of his own decisions to come out to the world but it didn't make it hurt any less sometimes. This week, Mr. Schuester had found out the competition for sectionals: a glee club of a bunch of old people (The Hipsters) and the Dalton School for Boys' glee club (The Warblers). The New Directions had been the default winner last year against girls who were in an alternative high school for juvie kids (all-girls school) and a deaf glee club. This year wouldn't be so easy.
The glee assignment for the week was another mash-up but the twist was that the girls had to perform songs that guys would usually choose and the guys had to perform songs that girls would choose. Kurt had tried to be in the group with the girls where he felt he belonged, but Mr. Schue had made him work with the guys. Kurt knew he had the most experience with the feminine side of things than the other glee guys but when he tried to out his ideas out there, Puck wouldn't shut up.
"Dude, I am not wearing a sequin dress!" Puck exclaimed at the first mention of clothing. "Or sequin anything! Or feathers! Seriously, Kurt, go take your ball gowns and tell the glee club over at the all-boys school all about it. They would love it!"
Kurt couldn't take it anymore, "Fine", he agreed. "Maybe they will be so supportive that I'll just stay." And he left.
It was a lovely late September day as Kurt pulled into one of the parking lots of the prestigious all-boys private school. The building was massive. It looked like it was one of the buildings that Harvard didn't want so shipped it to Ohio. The ivy that grew over the walls reminded Kurt of an old mansion from the Gone with the Wind era.
"I couldn't pay the tuition here if I sold my car and all of my Armani boxers, not that I would do that anyway. There the most comfortable boxers ever", Kurt chuckled to himself nervously as he contemplated backing out of the parking space and going home. But there was a nagging voice in the back of his head that told him that he should go in if for no other reason than to have something to get a summer job for to try to pay tuition. Maybe. And with that, Kurt climbed out of his car and went inside.
Blaine Anderson never got nervous before performances. It just didn't happen. Performing was his outlet, his life. When he wasn't in a classroom, he was on a stage. But today as he fixed his tie in the mirror, he noticed that he was just fidgeting. He knew that there was nothing wrong with his navy blue and red uniform blazer, but he fixed it anyway.
"You look gorgeous. Now let's go or we'll be late!" Wes, Blaine's Asian-thinks-being-late-will-kill-you roommate, was nagging him to get down to the senior lounge for an impromptu performance. "The front man can't be late. We can't start without you!"
"Okay! Okay! I'm coming! Don't pop a blood vessel!" Blaine chuckled at his best friend as he grabbed his book satchel. "You know, ever since kindergarten, you've never been late to anything. It's kind of scary!"
Wes laughed at his friend, "I'll show you scary if you don't hurry you're skinny white ass up!"
"I'm locking the door!" Blaine countered as he turned the key.
"Whatever. You're still slow!" Wes teased as they walked down the hall towards the stair case. "What is with you today? You never fidget or get nervous before a performance. What's up?"
"I couldn't tell you. I just can't stay still! It's like I'm missing something. Like I should know something and I don't!" Blaine knew he wasn't making sense but he couldn't explain the feeling. "I'm sure everything will be fine after I perform. That always helps." Blaine reasoned.
Wes shook his head, "You don't make sense sometimes. People are nervous before they perform and usually try to get out of it somehow. You are never nervous before performing and you do it to relax. You are so strange!"
"But you love me anyway!" Blaine called after his friend who had run ahead as to not be late.
Kurt followed the mass of students, confused as to what all the excitement could be about at school. He noticed that they wore uniforms similar to the outfit that he was wearing but different enough that he stuck out like a sore thumb. The navy blue and red blazers with matching ties and grey pants and white shirts didn't go well together, but Kurt had seen worse, mostly on Finn or Rachel. A boy blew past him like there was no tomorrow with a worried look on his face. He'd just pretend to be a new kid. Hopefully he'd be convincing.
"Excusez-moi! Pardon! What's going on?" Kurt asked the boy. They were almost to the bottom of the stairs and the people rushing past were turning down a hall. "What's the hurry?"
The boy turned around and Kurt's heart skipped a beat. The boy that had been standing in front of him was now an angel. This boy was quite possibly the most beautiful sight in the world. His dark brown curly hair tamed with, what Kurt imagined to be, tubs of gel, his face sharp and angular. His eyes were the colour of dark honey and his smile was enough to make Kurt melt. "The Warblers are putting on an impromptu performance in the senior commons. They are going to do great!" The boy took Kurt's hand and led him down the hallway and around a corner different from the one that the other boys were taking. "This is a short cut." The boy clarified. "I'm Blaine, by the way."
"Kurt. So, why are The Warblers putting on a performance?" Kurt was now really confused. "Don't you guys have class?"
"We do but this is kind of like an assembly that the teachers know about so they don't plan anything but the students don't know about until first period." Blaine informed him.
"So your teachers let you guys just skip class to listen to your glee club sing?" Kurt was intrigued. "And you guys actually want to go?"
"Yeah! The Warblers are like rock stars!" Blaine looked at Kurt like he'd grown another head. "We're almost there", Blaine informed Kurt as they passed a small group of boys.
"I stick out like a sore thumb", Kurt voiced his thought from earlier.
"Well, next time don't forget your jacket, New Kid!" Blain teased. There were probably twenty or so boys in two lines on the back wall of the room that they had just entered. They began to harmonize the a capella beginning of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. "Now if you'll excuse me…"
They will kill me if I'm late again! Blaine thought as he ran down the hall and turned the corner to the hall that lead to the stairs. No, that would be too easy. They will torture me slowly, then kill me and cut me up into little pieces and feed me to the fish in Ohio River! He ran as fast as he could down the hall but halfway down a mass of students thwarted his efforts. Somehow, he made it to the stairs. He was halfway down and looking at his watch when he heard a voice behind him, "Excusez-moi! Pardon! What's going on?" Blaine rolled his eyes and grimaced. He put on his best fake charming smile and turned around.
What he saw was not what he expected. The boy that stood in front of him now was gorgeous. His eyes were a vibrant green and his smile was an adorable mix of nervous and trying to be confident. He must be a new kid. He's not wearing a uniform, Blaine noticed. Not that I would want to see him in these ugly jackets and these grey slacks wouldn't hug him like those skinny jeans. Blaine stopped his mind before it got too out of hand. The moment he saw the boy, Blaine's fake smile turned more genuine than it had ever been before.
"The Warblers are putting on an impromptu performance in the senior commons. They are going to do great!" Blaine didn't want to tell the new kid that he was the front vocalist for the glee club. He didn't want to scare the boy off. His arm didn't get the message. He found himself taking this boy's hand as he led them down to cut through the Warbler's practice room. No one knew this was a shortcut except the members. There was a secret door in the wall that led to an abandoned hall that connected to the hall where the senior commons was located a little farther down.
"This is a short cut." The Blaine felt he should clarify when he saw the look of confusion on the other boy's face. "I'm Blaine, by the way."
"Kurt. So, why are The Warblers putting on a performance? Don't you guys have class?" Blaine chuckled at the mixture of confusion and shock on Kurt's face.
"We do but this is kind of like an assembly that the teachers know about so they don't plan anything but the students don't know about until first period." Blaine informed him.
"So your teachers let you guys just skip class to listen to your glee club sing?" Kurt was intrigued. "And you guys actually want to go?"
"Yeah! The Warblers are like rock stars!" Blaine looked at Kurt like he'd grown another head. Someone must have told him by now, unless he's not a new kid, Blaine thought. Hmm. Maybe he just never got the memo. They turned the corner to the hall that led to the room they were looking for. "We're almost there", Blaine informed Kurt as they passed a small group of boys.
"I stick out like a sore thumb", Kurt noticed.
"Well, next time don't forget your jacket, New Kid!" Blain teased. The Warblers were in two lines on the back wall of the Commons. Wes saw them enter the room and motioned for them to begin to harmonize the beginning of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream a capella, of course.
"Now if you'll excuse me…" Blaine put on his charming smile again.
And Blaine turned away from him and walked toward the two lines of boys, and began to sing,
You think I'm pretty without any make-up on
You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong
I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down
Before you met me, I was alright
But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life
Now every February you'll be my valentine, valentine
Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I, we'll be young forever
You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep
Let's runaway and don't ever look back
Don't ever look back
My heart stops when you look at me
Just one touch, now baby I believe
This is real, so take a chance
And don't ever look back, don't ever look back
We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach
Got a motel and built a floor out of sheets
I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece
I'm complete
Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I, we'll be young forever
You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep
Let's runaway and don't ever look back
Don't ever look back
My heart stops when you look at me
Just one touch, now baby I believe
This is real, so take a chance
And don't ever look back, don't ever look back
I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep
Let's runaway and don't ever look back
Don't ever look back
My heart stops when you look at me
Just one touch, now baby I believe
This is real, so take a chance
And don't ever look back, don't ever look back
I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Blaine and Kurt never broke eye contact during the song and Blaine pointed to Kurt every time they sang, "You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream." When the song ended, Blaine smiled at Kurt before he was congratulated by anyone. Blaine knew that he had to make the rounds of the room and then talk to Wes and David. Blaine found himself checking the doorway every couple of seconds to make sure Kurt was still standing there, and, for a reason that neither boy could really understand, Kurt was waiting patiently for Blaine to finish his rounds.
Blaine made his way across the crowded room to his two best friends. It was difficult because he was going against the masses who were trying to get out of the room. When he finally made contact with the two boys, they asked him about the "new kid".
"His name is Kurt and I'm certain he's not a new kid," Blaine explained to them about the confusion and underlying shock that the boy's face had shown when Blaine had told him that their glee club wasn't the school's laughing stock. "I think that he's supposed to be a spy but there's something else there that I can't put my finger on." Blaine looked behind him to the doorway where Kurt still waited. "I think we should have a coffee with him. I can't explain it but it's almost like we have to."
Wes and David understood the feeling and agreed. "Plus, now we can see where he's spying from and find out if it's a real threat." David joked.
The four boys sat down at a table with their coffees in silence. Kurt couldn't bear to look at the boys across the circular table from him. He'd been caught and now he didn't know what came next. When he finally lifted his head, he noticed that the boys were not angry as he expected. Their looks were gentle, patient, waiting for him to make the first move. He didn't know what to say.
It took all of Blaine's strength to stay in his seat and hold his coffee instead of go around the table and hold the boy. He felt oddly protective of this boy and he wasn't sure why. He just knew that this boy needed someone to talk to and he was determined to be that person, no matter what was shared. When Kurt finally looked up, Blaine saw shame, uncertainty and a mixture of emotions that he couldn't name on Kurt's face though he knew the boy had tried to hide the emotions. Blaine's heart ached for the boy. He has no reason to be ashamed or uncertain. What can I do to make him understand that? Blaine's thoughts were reeling.
"You guys are really good," Kurt's voice was so quiet that Blaine wasn't positive that he'd heard it but when Wes and David smiled, he knew it wasn't his imagination.
"Thanks! Our school prides itself in our music department, but especially the Warblers," Wes informed the boy proudly from Blaine's right side. "I'm Wes, by the way. You've met Blaine, and he's David." Wes pointed at the African American boy that was on the other side of Blaine.
"Yeah! No one really cares about the band when the Warblers are in the same building." David added exuberantly.
Kurt's mouth twitched up to form a small, sad smile. "So, people actually care about your glee club?" He let out a humorless chuckle. "That's a new one."
Blaine's reassuring smile faltered. "How do you mean?"
Kurt looked at the boys as if it should be obvious. "My school prides itself in the ten am 'slushy facial' and the afternoon of seeing how many glee kids can fit in a dumpster at a time."
Wes and David looked at each other and then at their cups. Blaine watched Kurt's face. He saw a question roll over the flawless features before Kurt stared into his cup again. He saw him take a deep breath, as if to prepare himself for something. And then Blaine watched him lift his head again.
Kurt couldn't make eye contact with any of the boys. He opened his mouth and then shut it again. He took another deep breath and tried again. "Can I ask you guys a personal question?"
Wes and David looked at Blaine. "Anything," Blaine assured him.
Kurt nodded and continued, "Are you guys all gay?"
Blaine relaxed and the three boys looked at each other and chuckled. "No." Blaine looked at his lap and then back up. "Well, I am. But these guys", he gestured to the boys on either side of him, "have girlfriends."
"This isn't a gay school, Kurt." David explained. "We just have a zero tolerance harassment policy."
'Just', Kurt didn't understand how they could take the policy for granted.
Blaine noticed the dubious look on Kurt's face, "Guys, can you excuse us?" Blaine was a bit more forward to his friends than he meant to be. He sent them an apologetic look.
"Of course," Wes smiled at Kurt as he stood. "Take it easy, Kurt."
David followed Wes's lead and smiled at the boy as well, "Later Kurt." He waved as he followed Wes out of the coffee shop.
Kurt had lowered his head again. Blaine's smile was nowhere to be found. "How bad?" Kurt gave him a puzzled look. "The bullying. The taunting. How bad?"
Kurt lowered his head again. "I'm the only out kid at my school." Blaine nodded. "I used to be able to be strong though it but there is this Neanderthal whose made it his life mission to make my life hell and no one seems to notice. I cannot walk the halls without being pushed into a locker or some jock yelling some insult at me. The glee jocks used to help out a little but it hurt their reputation so they backed off. I talked to Mr. Schuster, my choir teacher, and we talked to the principal but he said that there was nothing he could do." Kurt was now looking past Blaine and staring at something in the wall behind him. "He's like, 'You brought this on yourself by coming out. We can't do anything about that. Sorry.' Mr. Schue still tries to help but there is only so much he can do."
Blaine's heart ached for the boy that sat across from him. "At my old school, there was this jock and his friends who decided that it would be fun to see how long it would take me to figure out how to get out of a dumpster that was held shut by bench press weights. It happened every morning and each time I would get out before first period ended, they would put more weights on." Blaine was staring at something on the table. "I talked to teachers and the principle about it and they told my parents but all they said was that there was nothing they could do. It was like, 'You're gay. Your life's just going to suck. Sorry.' It was obvious that nobody really cared."
Blaine saw that this boy was stronger than he could ever be and knew that this he could do the one thing that he couldn't, "You have two options, Kurt. I'd love to tell you to just come here to Dalton, but tuition is steep and its not an option for everyone." He hoped that Kurt would choose this option but knew that it was unlikely. "Or, you can call them out."
Kurt was really confused now. "How do you mean?"
"Confront them. Don't let yourself be the victim."
Kurt went home that night with the first true smile on his face that he'd had since he was eight. He finished his homework in record time, ate dinner with Carol and watched his two most favorite Disney movies: Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid and was in bed by eleven and slept better than he had in a very long time. He dreamt of the boy in the coffee shop, of his own perfect world and his friends.
As Blaine walked back to his dorm room, all he could think about was Kurt. He knew that the boy was strong and that he had persevered this far and that he would be strong enough to confront his tormenters, but what worried Blaine was whether or not the tormenters would push back and, if they did, how hard. He's so small, Blaine remembered. He'd never stand a chance against a football jock let alone more than one. He ran his hands over his face as he opened his door to find Wes and David in their usual spots in the middle of the room on the floor.
"So, how'd it go?" David asked.
Wes saw Blaine's hand drop from his face. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Blaine gathered a few things and made his way toward his bathroom. "I need to shower really quickly. I just need to think." He went into the bathroom and started the shower without letting them answer. When he was finally alone again in the shower, he washed the gel out of his hair and thought of the beautiful boy he had just met. He knew that this couldn't be just a one time accidental meeting. There had to be something else. Blaine felt something in his heart. He couldn't explain it. He just felt super protective of this boy and he was sure that no matter how much he texted or called or had coffee with the boy, he wouldn't be able to get enough.
"I feel like a creeper," Blaine said to himself. "But it's true. God, what do I do?" He dried off and put on his Ohio State sweat pants and old Breaking Benjamin t shirt that he had gathered form the other room and went back out to his two best friends.
They were still sitting on the floor where Blaine had left them. When they heard the bathroom door open, they looked up at him with worried faces. He knew that they had guessed as to what the conversation was about.
"So, how'd it go?" Wes asked, trying to sound casual.
"He's got it bad at his school. Worse than I did," Blaine sat down with the other boys on the floor. "But he's strong. He's the only out kid at his school and he stands tall." He looked at his lap and wrung his hands. "I told him to confront them. To call them out. He's so small. He'd never stand a chance against one jock let alone more than one." Blaine put his head in his hands. "What have I done?"
"What you thought was best." A female voice came from the doorway of the room. "What is best. And it's something that you should do, too."
Blaine's female mirror image, now walked toward him, setting her beige messenger bag on the small couch on her way, her wavy ebony hair playing freely around her hips as she made her way to the middle of the room and sat next to her twin. She had a twenty-one inch waist that made her DD chest seem out of proportion with the rest of her body, but her hips were perfectly proportionate to her chest, giving her an hourglass figure that even the most beautiful super models would envy. Her skin, like Blaine's, was a tan-olive shade. She was slightly shorter than average, but had a grace about her that came from years of being a dancer. She had the figure of a dancer and an athlete. She wore jeans that looked like they were painted on and accented her butt and thighs nicely and her favorite brown leather belt to make absolutely sure they stayed up. On top, she wore a blue lacey camisole under a white tee shirt and a navy Abercrombie zip up hoodie with a black peacoat to ward off the cold that had set in. Her shoes were blue and off white checkered Vans and her socks were white with coloured stripes and didn't match. Her face was beautiful. Her eyes were the same dark honey shade as her twin. Her lips, without lip gloss, were a medium pink. She knew she would never need to wear make up but she did anyway. Today, she wore her usual black eye liner and mascara as well as the usual dark pink lip gloss. Her eye shadow was a purple colour that was dark at the bottom and grew lighter as it went up her lid. Her cheeks had a slight pink-apricot blush to them. No one could deny she looked stunning.
"What are you doing here, Bailey?" Blaine asked as he sat down next to him. "And why are you in street clothes?"
"You were really emotional and sucked me into your head." She hugged her brother and smiled knowingly at him when she pulled away. "Kurt's super cute, by the way." She watched him blush bright red. "But when I realized what advice you were giving him, I decided to come by and give you a pep talk." She looked at David. "I called Dave and Wes and we came up with an idea but you are going to hate it."
Blaine swallowed, "What?"
Bailey took his hand, "Take your own advice. Stand up to your tormentors."
Blaine looked at her quizzically, "We can't move back to New York."
David and Wes looked at each other to see who should break the news. They silently decided on Wes, "We weren't thinking of moving back to New York, Blaine. Kurt goes to McKinley. We were thinking that it would be easy enough to transfer there."
Blaine was astounded. "I don't know if I'm ready."
Bailey squeezed his hand, "Honey, it's been a year and a half. You have come to terms with it. I have too. We need to get back to the real world. You can't hide behind Dalton's walls just like I can't hide behind Crawford's walls. We both know that we are ready."
Blaine searched his sister's eyes for any hint that they would give away as to their truthfulness and what he saw there was honesty and love. He looked over to his two best friends and saw the same in their eyes. "Okay."
"There is no need to worry, Blaine," Wes assured his best friend. "We will be going with you. All three of us." Blaine opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Wes scolding him for interrupting. "David and I already talked to our parents and they are cool with this."
"They all got together and got us a condo in Lima ten minutes away from the school. We each will still have our cars but we do get our own rooms. They will send us extra money for food and spending and such but we have to be responsible." David looked directly at Wes and smiled. "What they don't know won't hurt them." Bailey threw a pillow at the boy across from her and gave him her best "Mom look". David just laughed and continued, "They trust us to be good and we will. We are doing this for you two. We won't screw this up. We promise."
The group shook on that promise.
For the first time in his life, Blaine felt like everything would be ok.