For four of New Directions' finest, it's a time of realizations and important decisions that could affect the rest of their lives. AU season 3, where Sam never left Lima. Eventual Sam/Kurt and Quinn/Mercedes. Mentions of canon Sam/Quinn, Kurt/Blaine and Sam/Mercedes.
His eyes blinked open; he rolled over in bed and blearily read the clock on his bedside table: 7:27. For once, he'd beaten the alarm. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the light on his cell phone blinking - he may have beaten his alarm, but he had a missed alert of some sort. Probably a drunk text from Santana, or a wrong number voicemail, or something of the sort.
Two text messages. One from Kurt, one from Quinn.
She'd sat out on the roof of her house the night before and stared up at the stars. They'd been particularly beautiful, and ever since Sam had made his astronomical observations to her - had it really almost been a year before? - the concepts of stars and Sam had been inextricably linked despite the fact they had barely spoken since the end of the school year. She jotted off a quick text to him before she went to sleep: "the stars are pretty and i miss u :("
Kurt was sitting up in his room, ruminating over all of the members of Glee Club and their talents like he did every night. He needed something to occupy his mind while he was doing his skincare routine and sizing up the competition seemed like as good of an option as any. On this night in particular, though, his mind didn't catch on Rachel Berry or Finn Hudson or even his best friend, Mercedes Jones. It caught on Sam Evans. Sweet, bottle blond, and nice as could be Sam Evans. He really could be a force to be reckoned with if he'd treat his voice with the right song. He finished his routine and grabbed his phone, quickly shooting off a text to Sam. "You've got talent, Samuel. Just stick with me this year and allow me to help you with song choice and our competitions will be filled with you and I blowing the competition away. -KH" He hit send and then cozied up in his bed, putting on his sleeping mask and fading away to slumber.
Sam frowned as he read Quinn's message and smiled as he read Kurt's. There were still a lot of loose ends with him and Quinn. More than likely, they'd never be resolved, but maybe this was a step in the right direction for them. And then it was always nice to receive compliments, especially from someone like Kurt. In a way, it was like Peyton Manning saying he was a good football player or something. Totally mindblowing, in a good way.
To Quinn, he wrote back, "miss you too, talk at lunch maybe? :)"
And then he wrote Kurt back, saying, "we'll just have to see, won't we? got any ideas?"
The message was brief, but to her, it was almost a salvation. Sam had been the nicest guy she'd ever dated, and she had been so stupid to ever let him go. Especially for Finn, of all people, who couldn't see beyond whatever Rachel's odd form of sex appeal was. That was a mistake she planned to learn from and not make twice. She excitedly texted him back with a broad smile on her face: "sure, see you in the cafeteria, i'll be wearing pink"
Kurt smiled at the message he got back. Sam's enthusiasm was so easy to read even through his texts and he knew that he had a solid friend in Sam this year. It was a little odd to think of himself having a male friend. Yeah, there was Finn, but that was purely out of obligation, and Mike and Puck only seemed to care about him because Finn did. Sam was different, though. Sam actually seemed to genuinely like him as a person and after Blaine, that felt nice. He shot back, "Oh believe me, it'll happen. You should lean more on your country roots. It'd suit your voice well. If you're asking for specifics, you'll need to specify solos or duets."
Sam quickly responded to Quinn. "I'll be wearing blue, see you then," and then he turned his attention to Kurt's text, which demanded more than a simple color as an answer. He had never really put that much thought into his song choices before, besides the Bieber fiasco, and to have someone offering him solid advice on song choices was a nice gesture. "ummm, I guess solos? although I wouldn't protest to doing a duet with you… if you're offering :)"
Kurt heard his phone buzzing and reached over, picking it up and smiling. That little smiley face made him think of Sam's wide smile and how it always managed to make his eyes glisten just that extra bit more. He shook off those thoughts as they were dangerously close to those he experienced during "Finngate" which he'd rather not relive. He typed back, "Look into Toby Keith and Blake Shelton for solos. As for the duet, I'd love to do one with you! As long as you're sure it wouldn't ruin your reputation any. There's a perfect Sugarland song that we could practice if you're serious. :)" Yes, the smiley face may've been a bit much for Kurt, but he couldn't help it. Sam just made him feel giddy and happy. Sam's happiness was clearly infectious.
Sam laughed as he read Kurt's latest text. The smiley face at the end was something completely out of character for Kurt, but it was endearing. People who smiled were people that Sam tended to like, and maybe Kurt was softening his ice king demeanor a bit. Maybe. He texted back, "I'm walking out the door now but I'll look them on YouTube later, and I *want* to sing with you ok? my rep should be the same if I sing with you or anyone else. talk to you at school!" It'd be nice to spend more time with Kurt, and Quinn for that matter, and less time with his siblings. He loved them quite a bit, but now that his father had a job again and he didn't have to spend his evenings washing the smell of stale pizza out of his hair, he wanted to regain a social life. This could be just the first step.
The congealed mass of something off-white and creamy and a vaguely meat-like substance on his lunch tray, peppered with the occasional dot of mashed green product, turned his stomach as he glanced down at it. "How is this supposed to be meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas?" he muttered under his breath, as he looked around the cafeteria for Quinn. He caught Finn's eye and nodded his way in acknowledgment. And then he saw her, sitting off to the side. Walking over, he set his tray down across the table from her. "Hey, Quinn," he said with a smile.
She looked up from the book she had been flipping through distractedly. "Oh, hey, Sam," she replied, an easy smile spreading across her face. It was easy to smile when Sam was around. "I see you bought the 'meatloaf surprise'?" She gestured to the remains of a sandwich next to her. "I brought mine today. Less likely to end up with food poisoning."
He pushed his tray away at her words. "Um. Thanks, I guess? I never thought of it that way before." The silence after his tray scraped across the top of the table was awkward; months of barely talking beyond the casual exchanges at Glee practice, compounded by the fact he had dated one of her friends for a brief portion of the summer, had made it to where he almost forgot how to talk to her. Almost. "So, about that text message you sent…" he said, breaking the silence.
"Yeah. That's kinda why we're here, isn't it?" She paused for a second, before continuing. "I…miss you. A lot." At his silent acknowledgment of her words, after all, it was basically a rehash of what she'd already said, she continued. "Leaving you for Finn was just another one in the series of big mistakes I've made. And I'm sorry. And if you can ever forgive me -"
"You were my first real girlfriend, Quinn. I was prepared to be faithful to you, and then you went back to -" He cut away. The memories of the betrayal were still too strong and sharp. "Doesn't mean I don't miss what we had, though, I guess."
"They called us Ken and Barbie," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Can we ever go back to that? Just the two of us, in love again?" The first bell for the next period rang, distracting her from her question. "At least tell me you'll think about it, Sam," she said, turning away. "I'll talk to you later."
"Quinn. Wait. Quinn!" he called out. As she turned around at the sound of his voice, he walked over to her. "I'm not going to put myself out there to be hurt again, and definitely not by you and Finn." Wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tightly, he whispered just loud enough so she could hear, "You still have the prettiest eyes, though."
"Thanks," she whispered back. It felt good to be held by him again. Sam didn't have to worry about Finn anymore, but she couldn't blame him for worrying about it. That was one road she never wanted to travel down again. "See you later?" She slipped out of his arms and into the crush of students clawing their way out of the cafeteria, melting in like she was just another face in the crowd.
After Glee practice ended and the other members of the choir filtered out, Sam turned to Kurt. "So, it was a good practice today," he said. "Rachel was…well, you know." A handful, to finish the sentence, but he knew that Kurt and Rachel were friends, and he didn't want to insult any of Kurt's friends. Intentionally, at least, even though handful was mild at worst. "You said you had some ideas for duets?"
Kurt laughed at Sam's statement, finishing it for him. "A pain in the ass? An attention hog?" He winked at Sam and stood up, moving to sit down on the piano bench. "Yes, I do have some. I'm sure our voices would work together on any country song, but I've narrowed it down to 'If I Die Young' by The Band Perry, 'Stuck Like Glue' by Sugarland, and 'Islands in the Stream' by…well, you definitely know who that one's by." He winked and laughed at Sam again, starting to play the piano a little just to waste the time before Sam answered. "So does any one choice stick out to you?"
"Isn't that The Band Perry song a little, uh, depressing for a duet?" Sam asked with a laugh. "I mean, death, dying, I was thinking we could sing about more, you know, fun things. Like life, and living, and friendship!" He sat down on the piano bench next to Kurt and rested his hands on the sheet music. "And didn't Rachel and Blaine…"
Kurt laughed and shrugged. "I was trying to think of songs that fit your voice, silly. Not the tone of them. But okay, that leaves us at two." He smiled at Sam sitting next to him and instinctively leaned closer to him. He hummed a little and then closed his eyes and sighed as Sam brought him up. "You don't have to freak about bringing him up, Sam. I'm…I'm over it. I wasn't enough for him. It's not a big deal." He shrugged. "And no, if you weren't so busy slobbering all over Santana, you would've heard that they sang 'Don't You Want Me.'" He winked at Sam, nudging him gently. "But I see you've ruled that out too. So what about 'Stuck Like Glue?'"
Sam reached his hand over to rub Kurt's back quickly. "You'll find someone who deserves you one day, Kurt. All of you." He exhaled at the thought of Santana. Strangest relationship ever, and he had been front-row witness to Puck and Lauren. "But, I'd rather save 'Islands in the Stream' for…you know, some other time? And 'Stuck Like Glue' is a pretty awesome song…"
Kurt nodded as Sam patted him on the back like a friend. His buddy old pal. He rolled his eyes and immediately felt bad for it. Sam was just trying to help. "Yes. And pigs will fly and Coach Sylvester will put all her support behind the Glee Club." He laughed and nodded at Sam's request. He was probably saving it for someone like Quinn. He looked down at the piano and began playing again, trying to take his mind off of that thought and why it evoked such intense emotion within him. "Yeah, it is pretty…awesome."
"If I ever see a parachuting pig, I'll let you know," Sam said. "C'mon, Kurt, let's practice…whoa-oh, whoa-oh, stuck like glue…you and me, baby, we're stuck like glue." He smiled over at Kurt as he sang. The poor guy looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders; maybe a nice song would boost his spirits.
Kurt nodded and sang in unison with Sam. He figured they'd split the verses and sing the chorus together. They could figure out the specifics later. He smiled back at Sam weakly, standing up and moving around the piano so he could avoid that concerned look written all over Sam's face.
They finished singing the song, and Sam threw his hands down on his thighs. "Our voices sound awesome together," he said. "You're a great singer, Kurt. So…is that going to be our duet? Should we practice more? Or, I was going to go grab a bite to eat before heading home, do you want to get a burger?"
Kurt smiled and nodded. "Yeah, they sure do," he said a little amazed at just how good they really did sound together. Continuing, he said, "Thank you, so are you, Sam. It's up to you. We can stick with that or we can mess around with a few other options." He looked at his pocketwatch and smiled at Sam. "I'd love to, but…I…um…have to catch, uh, a Project Runway marathon. Sorry! Ask Quinn, though. She'd probably love to go with you." He didn't mean to sound so cold, but…he did. Damn it. Finngate was going to nothing compared to Samgate.
"Quinn seems content to hang around with Mercedes and Puck these days," he said. "Project Runway will still be on your DVR when you get home; it'd be my treat." He smiled and offered out his hand in a gesture of companionship. "You can even talk all you want about the ins and outs of this season."
Kurt raised an eyebrow as Sam responded to him. Sam was actually…fighting for him. Maybe not in the way his sick desires would've hoped him to be, but he was still fighting for his companionship. And Kurt would never leave someone hanging in a situation like that, so he grabbed his hand. "Fine. I'll gladly accept your invitation, but I'll spare you the fashion talk." He laughed and let go of Sam's hand, blushing. "Sorry. And just so you know, we'll pay half and half. I don't want anyone to see and think it's a date. No need to get you bullied any more than you already are."
A date? Kurt thought people would think it was a date? Dates were Color Me Mine and Breadstix and making out in the back seats of cars and on couches…and, okay, maybe, some people went on dates for hamburgers and milkshakes. Wasn't that the theme of Grease, after all? "Come on," he said. "This place gets really creepy after dark, and one time they accidentally locked the football team in the locker room overnight. Sleeping in my sweaty workout clothes - so not cool."
Kurt nodded and smiled, following Sam. "Yeah, happened once when I was a Cheerio too. We just gossiped all night, though." Kurt was never a very sexual person, but good Lord what the image of Sam in his sweaty workout clothes did to him. He shook it off and followed Sam out the door. "Carpool there in your car and then take my back here when we're done?"
"Yeah, sounds good," Sam said. "I can imagine that Santana and Brittany were probably all over each other that night?" He laughed a bit about it as they walked along. They were the worst kept secret in the history of secret relationships, and that was saying something.
"They took one side of the lockers and we took the other. I have no urge to know what the banging sound and the little whimpers were, but I'm pretty sure I have a good idea." He shuddered slightly at the memory.
"Oh, I have a pretty good idea now too."
Kurt nodded and smiled at Sam, shaking his head in dismay. "I think the entire school has a good idea about it."
"Don't mind the mess in my car, by the way. It's nothing too bad - but you may have to clear some of my stuff off your seat," Sam said, getting in the driver's side of the car and putting the keys in the ignition. He wasn't used to people riding in his car with him, especially not other people his own age.
"Don't worry about it. A messy car just means it's more lived in and comfortable. A too clean car feels like a rental car, and it's just uncomfortable." He smiled at Sam and got into the car, brushing a few bags off of his seat.
"Just…make yourself comfortable, and I'll try to take the turns easy." He glanced over at Kurt as he buckled his seat belt. There was something so natural about this, but he couldn't quite explain the feeling even if he tried.
Kurt laughed and nodded, relaxing back against the seat. He liked this. It was comfortable. He had a friend in Sam and he liked that. He definitely wasn't going to do anything to endanger that. No repeating what happened with Finn. Sam was going to be different. He'd make sure of that.
To be continued.
Just a little introductory chapter to set some of the things up. We're going to try to update this once a week, more than likely on Fridays, but no guarantees. The rating will rise later on.