Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Sam/Kurt
Summary: They might not have won the trophy at Nationals, but Kurt came back from New York with something far better. This is SLASH – you have been warned.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
Warnings: Nothing too graphic - just a bit of frottage. Or, as they like to put it in Glee, grinding.
Author's Note: Being a total Gleek, I wanted to have a go at writing Glee, so I started this story, with plans to write a far, far, longer Sam/Kurt story later on. I've got a soft spot for the idea of Sam and Kurt, and as much as I love me some Klaine, I've never been good at working with something that's already canon.
Then Sam left the show and I thought, well, bugger. But now, he's coming back! So, I finished this off, and who knows? I may even work on that longer story after all – although I am a little 'meh' at how this one turned out.
Three nights in New York.
The hotel room was large and split into two sections, separated by the bathroom. After they'd all lugged their bags through the door and dumped them into the middle of the floor, and Mr. Schue had gone to check on the girls, Kurt had looked at the two double beds and then quietly dragged his suitcase down the short hallway into the other section.
As he passed it, he glanced into the bathroom, relieved to see that it was stocked with an abundance of towels, and had a large counter and two sinks. At least it wouldn't be complete torture sharing a bathroom with five other boys.
He leaned his suitcase against the wall and sank onto the double bed, and waited. The silence from the other room was deafening, and whilst he'd been careful not to look at their faces as he'd left, he knew just what expressions they would have.
"Guys…" it sounded like Finn's voice, but it was so soft he couldn't be entirely sure - it might have been Sam. But the next voice that spoke was definitely Artie's.
"Look, we should just draw straws," he said. "It's the fairest way." And Kurt closed his eyes, because did Artie really think that this was so very fair for Kurt?
"Yeah, cool," said Puck, his voice hesitant in a way that Kurt had never heard before. "I'll find something we can use."
Kurt sighed softly, his eyes still closed. At first a part of him had hoped that Finn would have just volunteered and made this situation far less painful. After all, they were brothers now, but whilst things were a lot better between them, he knew that about some things Finn was still uncomfortable, and now Kurt was actually hoping that Finn wouldn't draw the short straw. Why, oh, why, hadn't one of the beds in the other room been big enough for three?
"Guys, this is stupid." It was Sam, he sounded annoyed, and Kurt's eyes flew open in surprise. "You're all making a big fuss about nothin'. I got no problem sharing with Kurt, so you can all relax."
Kurt was still recovering from the shock, when Sam loped into the room and dumped his bag on the floor. He grinned at Kurt and shrugged slightly, and Kurt tried not to blush.
The sound of the television came from the other room and Sam grinned again and then winked at Kurt as he left. Kurt managed to hold in his gasp of amazement but he slowly sank backwards to lie on the bed, stunned. Somehow the fact that another boy had actually winked at him in a non-threatening manner was almost more confusing than the fact that another boy had actually volunteered to share a bed with him. His heart beat erratically for a few moments and Kurt knew he would have to be careful not to read too much into what had just happened.
Quickly, he rose to his feet and swung his suitcase onto the bed. Unpacking and hanging his precious clothing would be a welcome distraction as well as imperative for his survival in New York, and he hadn't even checked yet if there was a suitable iron available. Luckily there was a large closet in this room with a lot of hanging space - although he suspected he would be the only one using it - and he breathed a sigh of relief when, as well as spare blankets and pillows, he found an ironing board and a basic iron. He looked at it critically, it wasn't great, but it would certainly do the job if he needed it.
He decided to leave his toiletries bag safely locked in his suitcase instead of leaving it in the bathroom – he was not going to risk the boys rifling through his stuff – but he was pleased with the hairdryer that he found in one of the cabinets. He'd risked not bringing his own, and the gamble had been in the back of his mind for most of the flight to New York, taking the edge off his excitement… and really that was the last time he'd take packing advice from Blaine, even though his assurance that the hotel room would have one had been proven correct.
Kurt gave a small sigh of satisfaction as he left the bathroom and headed into the other room for he now felt adequately prepared for New York.
The others were still watching the television when Kurt wandered into the main room. They all looked over as Kurt took a seat in a chair against the wall and picked up the room service menu but he only glanced briefly at their faces. He sighed gently for, except for Sam, they all had guilt of varying degrees on their faces and the quick glimpse he'd had of Finn's face was enough to assure Kurt that he'd probably be listening to an emotional apology and a garbled explanation at some point in their time in New York. And really, he'd rather that they just forget it – it had been unpleasant but hardly unexpected, and as he thought back to a year ago, it could have been much worse.
Luckily at that point, there was a slight tap on the door, and the girls trailed into the room, followed by Mr. Schue.
After their impromptu exploration of New York they all went back to the hotel, relieved to find that Mr. Schue hadn't yet returned. Kurt followed the girls to their room; he felt more comfortable with them, and the boys still had remorse in the back of their eyes when they looked at him. He supposed that he should be grateful that they felt it, but it only made him anxious, and he'd been trying to act as normally as possible with them so that they'd get the message that he wasn't angry with them.
The song writing session with the girls quickly degenerated into a huge pillow fight, only Rachel persevered, her disapproval obvious in the tight lines of her back. Eventually the fight wound down as hunger distracted them, and it was at this point that they realized that Rachel had disappeared, and when Kurt went to check if the boys wanted to eat he found that they, also, were missing.
All the girls looked confused at this news and then Quinn made a frustrated sound and rolled her eyes.
"I guess she's not content with Finn mooning over her," she said, bitterly. "She wants the whole damn bunch, and she's welcome to the idiots."
"Hey," said Lauren. "My boy may be an idiot but he's not mooning over anyone except me."
Quinn flopped onto a bed. "Yeah, well, lucky you," she muttered.
Kurt took a deep breath, trying to ignore the rising tension in the room.
"Well ladies," he said. "I guess they miss out on the joys of running up a massive room-service bill."
The distraction worked and between figuring out what they were all going to have, arguing about it, ordering it, waiting for the food and eating it, Rachel's defection was forgotten.
It was late when Kurt went back to the boy's room. Rachel had not yet returned, and neither had Finn and the others, and Kurt could only be thankful that Mr. Schue also hadn't reappeared. He was kind of glad for their absence in a way because it meant that he could get through his nightly skin care regime in peace, but once he was laying in bed in the close darkness the extreme quiet was strangely oppressive.
His eyes stayed stubbornly open, and Kurt sighed, for he'd hoped that sleep would come quickly, wanting to avoid the inevitably awkward moment when Sam came back and climbed into the bed with him. Kurt shivered slightly in the air-conditioned room and rolled onto his side.
He couldn't seem to avoid thinking about what had happened that afternoon. Sam had really surprised him and Kurt realized, suddenly, that he really did not know the other boy that well. There had been the initial tension over the duet project, and then Kurt had been distracted with the problem of Karosfky and not long after that he'd been at Dalton.
And, sure, after that he'd known about Sam's secret, but they'd only talked about it a couple of times, and Kurt had only gone to the motel once to drop off some clothes. It had surprised him when all the nasty rumours had been flung around that Sam had been more upset about the exposure of his secret then the fact that his name had been linked with Kurt's, but they'd not talked about that either. So, he didn't really know anything about Sam at all, except that he seemed to be capable of surprising Kurt. And that he didn't have a problem with sharing a bed with Kurt.
Kurt swiftly squashed that train of thought because there was no way he was going to go down that road again. He was sick of unrequited crushes and if that meant he had to keep strict control of his thoughts, heart, and hormones, before he could get the hell out of Lima, then so be it.
At some point he must have finally drifted off to sleep because the next thing he knew he was woken up by a herd of elephants stampeding into the room. After jerking upright in shock, Kurt relaxed. It was only the boys and he sighed in frustration at the sheer volume of the noise they were making.
"Guys, can it." It was Finn's voice, and he sounded strangely flat. "You'll wake Kurt."
"Too late." Kurt called out, and rolled his eyes but the noise level did diminish an impressive amount and he almost didn't hear Sam enter the room.
"Sorry we woke you," Sam whispered. "Hey, do you mind if I turn the lamp on. I've gotta find my stuff."
"Sure." Kurt answered quietly, and blinked into the sudden soft lamplight. He watched Sam dig around in his bag for a moment, but when the other boy stood, Kurt quickly rolled over onto his side to face the other way.
He heard Sam go into the bathroom. Kurt could hear soft talking over the sound of running water, and it sounded like Puck was in there as well. Finally Sam came back into the room and Kurt held his breath as the mattress dipped, and the lamp went off.
It wasn't completely dark, for the light was still on in the bathroom and the other room and Kurt lay stiffly, listening to the others blundering around as they got ready for bed.
"Are you still awake?"
Kurt blinked at the soft whisper and then smiled.
"You don't think I'd sleep through all that, do you?" he asked.
Sam gave a soft snort of laughter and Kurt felt the bed move as the other boy shifted. It was a strangely intimate feeling, lying beside someone in the dark, whispering, and Kurt felt his face heating up.
"What time is it anyway?" he whispered, after clearing his throat slightly.
"About one thirty in the morning," Sam answered and Kurt sat up in shock.
"Jeez, where were you guys? You're lucky Mr. Schue didn't catch you."
"Don't think he's back yet," Sam said, quietly. "Finn had a date with Rachel and we were helping him with a serenade. It didn't go very well."
Kurt winced slightly and then lay back down on the bed with a sigh.
"So, the saga of Finchel continues," he whispered, and Sam gave another soft snort of laughter. "That was certainly one thing I didn't miss when I was at Dalton."
"Hey, he's your brother," Sam said.
"I know," Kurt whispered, nodding in the darkness, for the lights were now all off, and it was quiet in the other room. "And Rachel's my friend. I love them both, but you have to admit neither of them can get their act together when it comes to their relationship."
"Yeah," Sam softly agreed, and they fell silent. Kurt slowly began to relax, but it still felt strange to be sharing a bed with someone, especially a cute boy. Briefly he wondered what his Dad would think if he could see Kurt at this moment, and again his face started to get hot. Luckily the room was still chilled slightly from the air-conditioning.
"So, what did you miss when you were at Dalton?"
Kurt's eyes flew open, and he was sure that Sam would have heard his slight gasp at the whispered question. He frowned into the darkness, for the question seemed strangely… flirtatious. Kurt rolled his eyes at his own imagination, but still, he had no idea how to answer it.
"Um…" he eventually mumbled. "Just everyone, I guess."
"We all missed you," Sam answered. "A lot. I always wished…" he continued but then fell silent.
"Wished what?" Kurt asked softly, his heart suddenly leaping into his throat.
"Well," Sam said after a moment in which Kurt almost died of panic. "I wished that we'd figured out what was going on a lot sooner. With Karofsky. I thought if we'd helped you more, maybe you wouldn't have had to leave."
"Oh," Kurt breathed, with a strange mixture of relief and disappointment. "Well, I'm back now." He rolled his eyes at his own lame reply but he really couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Yeah," Sam whispered. "I'm glad."
After that they didn't speak anymore. Kurt stared with confusion into the darkness as Sam's breathing evened out and grew heavy. Finally Kurt's eyes drooped and fell shut.
The light was very dim when Kurt woke again, and he figured that the sun wasn't fully up yet. He stretched luxuriously in the comfortable bed and then blinked in confusion as his foot brushed against someone's leg. The person beside him snuffled slightly and then shifted closer and Kurt finally remembered. He was sharing a bed with Sam.
Gingerly he rolled onto his side and stared at the other boy. Sam was, thankfully, facing away from Kurt, his blonde hair a scattered mess on the pillow and the sheet falling down his arm. Kurt's eyes widened as he saw that Sam's shoulder and arm were bare and then his heart stuttered as he wondered if Sam had slept beside him completely naked. Surely not, he thought in a panic and then remembered the feeling of soft cotton against his foot and sighed with relief.
Obviously Sam was only shirtless and Kurt couldn't stop his eyes from lingering in appreciation on the other boy's muscled arm. He couldn't deny that Sam had a great body, but what Kurt was doing was extremely risky and he quickly rolled out of his side of the bed, grabbed his toilet bag and his planned outfit, and snagged the bathroom.
After all, he had a plan for this morning, and he wanted to be completely ready before he woke Rachel.
Breakfast at Tiffany's had been a great success but Kurt was in a state of euphoria after the moment he'd shared with Rachel on the Wicked stage.
They waltzed down the hallway and burst into the girl's room, singing loudly. Everyone was there, the mood strangely sombre, and it was Quinn who told them to shut the hell up.
Kurt blinked at her for a moment and then burst into speech. "My god, Quinn, your hair looks fabulous. I totally approve. Where did you get it done?"
Quinn gave him a tight smile but didn't answer and beside him Rachel suddenly gripped his hand.
"What's going on?" she asked, and that was when Tina told them about Mr. Schue.
After Mr. Schue had reassured them that he definitely wasn't leaving them, they had finally settled down, written and rehearsed their first song. It was the group number, and whilst Kurt didn't think it was the greatest song ever created he certainly felt that it could win them the competition. As long as they came up with a strong duet, and Finn looked so determined as he said he'd take care of it that Kurt had a good feeling about it.
Finn went to the boy's room to do some writing and Mr. Schue went off to explain things to April Rhodes, making them promise to stay in the hotel and rest up for the next day, before he left. Once he was gone, they all looked at each other blankly.
"I'm bored," said Lauren, grinning at Puck. "Let's do something… naughty."
"Like what?" Quinn asked with interest.
"Hmm, I don't know," said Lauren, looking momentarily flustered, and then she grinned again. "How about Spin the Bottle?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because that went so well last time," and he stared at Rachel, who had the grace to blush.
"I'm not kissing any of you," said Quinn, firmly.
"Okay, okay," Lauren huffed. "What about if when the bottle lands on you, you have to tell us about your first kiss, you know, who it was with and stuff."
"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard," said Santana, her voice dripping with contempt. "And we're not even drunk."
"I could try to get somethin' from the bar," Puck suggested, but Artie shook his head.
"We signed those pledge forms, remember?" he said. "We promised Mr. Schue."
"Kurt didn't," Puck said with a fierce grin, and he winked at Kurt. "He was at Dalton."
"Oh please," Santana drawled. "Kurt may not look like he's twelve anymore, but there is no way he could pass for of age. Besides, we still couldn't drink it anyway, dumbass."
Kurt flushed as everyone laughed, but inside he was secretly relieved that the idea had been dropped. He knew there was no way he could have pulled it off; he would have died of nerves anyway.
"Well, what shall we do?" Mike asked, and they all looked at each other silently.
"Let's play the dumb game then," said Santana finally. "It's better than doing nothing."
It was when the empty water bottle finally landed on Kurt that he wondered if maybe he would have been better off suggesting that he help Finn with the other song.
He'd laughed along with everyone else at Puck's description of a playground kiss with another five-year old, and rolled his eyes when Brittany asked if cats counted. When Rachel blushed and softly said 'Finn', Kurt gently held Quinn's hand. She'd smiled at him gratefully and when he'd finally looked at the bottle again it was pointing at him.
"Ah," he said, as they all looked at him expectantly. "Well, it was last year, with Brittany."
Brittany frowned. "But you weren't my first kiss," she said, and they all smiled at her with varying degrees of fond amusement.
"Don't worry about it, Brit," Santana said, patting her hand, and then she grinned at Kurt. It wasn't the friendliest grin he'd ever seen and Kurt shifted nervously, his stomach sinking. He had a feeling he knew what she would say next.
"And that doesn't count, gay boy," she said, confirming his fears. "Tell us about your first boy-kiss."
Kurt stayed silent and he could feel the blood draining from his face a little. This was a ridiculous situation to find himself in and he just couldn't think of anything to say. He couldn't even think of a lie.
"Hey," said Mercedes. "Don't push him. Maybe he hasn't done that yet."
"Oh sure," said Santana. "All those months with those preppy pretty boys and you're telling me Kurt didn't get a little action? What about that Blaine guy?"
"It wasn't Blaine," Kurt said quickly, without thinking. "It's not like that. We're just friends."
Everyone was staring at him, and Kurt could imagine how pale he must now be. His heart was hammering in his chest, hard. He met Mercedes eyes and saw the slight disbelief in them, and frowned. She knew that he'd had a crush on Blaine, but it was a crush that had slowly died after Blaine's disastrous liaison with Rachel Berry, and now Kurt was just happy to have such a good friend in Blaine. He smiled at Mercedes.
"Honestly," he said, and she returned his smile brightly.
"So, who was it then?" Lauren asked, and Kurt blinked at her in confusion. "You said 'it wasn't Blaine'," she continued. "That implies it was someone else. So who?"
And damn her, Kurt thought, he'd suspected that Lauren was dangerously observant but what a time to be proved right.
"Was it someone else at Dalton?" Tina asked, her voice full of curiosity. "That guy with the blonde hair was cute."
She meant Jeff, Kurt realized, and for a moment he was so tempted to lie. But Jeff wasn't gay, Kurt knew, and it would be horrible of him to suggest that Jeff was something he wasn't, so eventually he just shook his head. He'd have to be as honest as he could and hope to get out of the situation without giving too much away.
"Look, I'd prefer not to talk about it," he said seriously, and saw the effect of that on their faces and really, he was so thankful that Finn wasn't in the room. "It wasn't that pleasant to be honest."
"Kurt? What do you mean?"
It was Rachel who spoke softly and Kurt briefly met her eyes trying to think of a way to divert her but before he could think of anything, Santana spoke and completely shocked him.
"Okay, guys, back off," she said, and when Kurt looked at her she was frowning fiercely. "If Kurt doesn't want to talk about it, that's all we need to know." Then she looked at Kurt and he gasped at the sincerity in her eyes. "I'm sorry I pushed you, Kurt."
And Oh. My. God she knows, he thought, his heart beating franticly again as he stared into her eyes. Did Karofsky tell her?
A part of him desperately wanted to know the answer to that question, but he knew he wouldn't ask and he knew that she wouldn't volunteer to tell him. Something strange was going on with Santana, he knew that, and he suspected that it was tied up with Brittany.
The light-hearted mood had been darkened by what had just happened but Kurt was relieved to see that most of them had been distracted from him and were staring at Santana in total astonishment. And with good reason, Kurt thought, as he glanced nervously around the circle of his friends, for he didn't think any of them had ever heard Santana apologize to anyone before. Except maybe Brittany.
Kurt's eyes fell on Sam and he felt the blood rush hot to his face, as he saw that Sam was not looking at Santana. Instead he was frowning thoughtfully at Kurt and when a moment later Finn burst into the room with the completed song, Kurt heaved a sigh of relief. As they rehearsed, Kurt hoped, rather fervently he had to admit, that the disastrous conversation had been forgotten.
When Mr. Schue finally returned they ran through both songs for him and he looked pleased.
"That was great, guys," he said, bouncing slightly on his feet. "I have a really good feeling about this. Now, I want everyone to get a good night of rest before tomorrow so let's all get an early night," he held up a hand as a chorus of groans went through the room. "I mean it, guys," he said firmly. "Everyone to bed. Now."
"Fine time for Mr. Schue to decide to be a proper chaperone," Artie muttered as they walked along the hall to the boy's room, but Kurt could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't really serious about the complaint.
"Do you guys mind if I use the bathroom first?" Kurt asked, once they were back in the room. It had been a long day, he'd got up early and he was feeling tired. Besides, this was different from last night when they'd all been out when he'd gone to bed. He was feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"No problem, dude," Puck answered, as he flung himself onto a bed and grabbed the remote. The sound of the television drowned out Kurt's thanks and he left the room quickly.
He'd finished in the bathroom and was placing his toiletry bag back inside his suitcase when he heard a movement behind him.
"Hey, nice pyjama's."
It was Sam, and Kurt flushed as he looked over his shoulder at the other boy.
"Um, thanks," he said, rising an eyebrow in surprise when Sam shifted nervously.
"I mean… great color, I, uh, like that dark blue. On you," Sam said, and then he was gone and Kurt heard the water running in the bathroom.
Kurt rose to his feet and blinked in confusion for a moment. That had been… odd. Then shaking his head in amusement, he climbed into the bed, just as Finn walked into the room.
"Hey, Kurt," Finn said, coming over and sitting on the bed, and Kurt sat up nervously because Finn had that look on his face – the look that meant he had something to say and that he was going to say it. He wondered, panic rising, if someone had repeated the first kiss conversation to him.
"Finn," he said, and waited.
"Look," Finn said. "I wanted to say I'm sorry about yesterday."
Kurt frowned, puzzled, and then almost laughed in relief as his mind cleared. Of course, the whole sharing the bed debacle, and Kurt patted Finn's hand comfortingly.
"Don't worry about it, Finn," he said. "It's really not a problem."
"No, dude," Finn said earnestly. "We should have handled that better, especially after everything that's happened this year. I just wanted you to know that we all talked about it, and we're all sorry about it."
Kurt sighed softly. For a moment he thought about explaining to Finn that he'd really prefer not to be a problem that had to be handled, better or not – and the fact that he was one, to them, was actually the problem – but he knew that Finn wouldn't really understand, and his brother meant well.
"I know," he said, firmly. "Honestly, don't worry about it. I'm not upset or anything. We can forget it."
"Okay," Finn nodded. "Well, are you sure about sharing with Sam, though? I mean, I can swap with him if you want."
For one brief, horrifying moment Kurt struggled not to laugh in Finn's face, because honestly, he thought, how could anyone not be sure about sharing a bed with someone as hot as Sam? But Finn meant well, and Kurt was also touched by his offer. Perhaps they'd come further than Kurt had thought.
He smiled and patted Finn's hand again. "No it's fine," he said, and as Finn looked like he was going to say something more, he quickly changed the subject. "How are things going with Rachel?"
Finn sighed and rolled his eyes. "Dude, I just don't get her, you know," he said, sounding frustrated. "One minute she's all over me, and the next she says she won't go out with me. And then there's Jesse St. Jerkoff. I thought she was done with him."
"Oh, I think she is," Kurt said, trying to sound comforting. "And don't forget, Finn, you've only just broken it off with Quinn. Rachel probably just needs a little time." He wondered if he should tell Finn about his and Rachel's plans for the future, but it wasn't up to him to do so, Kurt decided. Still, maybe he could give Finn a bit of a hint.
"Rachel's got dreams, Finn, big dreams, you know that," he said quietly. "Maybe you need to think about how you can be a part of those dreams, rather than competition to them."
Finn now looked thoughtful and Kurt smiled.
"Yeah, thanks Kurt," Finn finally said. "I'd better let you get some sleep. Good night."
"Good night," Kurt said, as Finn loped out of the room, and then he settled down and turned out the lamp.
Five minutes later Sam stumbled into the room and swore when he stubbed his toe on the end of the bed.
"I'm so sorry," Kurt gasped, as he sat up quickly. "I completely forgot about you."
Sam laughed, and climbed into the other side of the bed, and even in the dim light Kurt could see that he was only wearing a loose pair of pyjama pants.
"I'm shattered," Sam said, still laughing and Kurt smiled nervously as he buried his head in his pillow. His cheeks were burning and suddenly he was very relieved that Sam couldn't clearly see his face.
They were both silent, listening to the sound of water from the bathroom and noise from the television filtering in from the other room, but Kurt couldn't relax. He could sense a similar tension in Sam, and he shifted nervously and then jerked in surprise when, a moment later, Sam leaned up on his elbow beside him and looked down at Kurt.
"Kurt, can I ask you something?" Sam asked in a low voice.
"Um… yeah?" Kurt whispered, his heart sinking. He had a feeling about this.
"What exactly happened with Karofsky?"
Kurt shivered, his eyes closing briefly. "I don't… I can't…" he faltered.
He'd so wanted the whole thing over. When he'd returned to McKinley, Karofsky had promised to leave him alone, and he'd kept that promise. Even better, they had reached a tentative understanding, but if the story got out – how long would that last?
"He's the one, isn't he?" Sam said, when Kurt fell silent. "He's the one who kissed you."
Kurt held his breath for a moment, the panic rising, but then he squashed it down fiercely.
"Please don't tell anyone," he said, as calmly as he could.
"What?" Sam sounded surprised. "Of course I wouldn't. I just want to make sure that you're okay. That he didn't, well…" he faltered, and then cleared his throat. "That he didn't try to go any further."
"Aside from threatening to kill me?" Kurt asked, and he couldn't keep the tinge of bitterness from his voice. "No, he didn't."
"If he had I'd kill him, you know," Sam said softly, but Kurt could clearly hear the anger in his voice, and couldn't contain his startled gasp. Beside him Sam shifted closer, and before Kurt could think of anything to say, the other boy was talking quietly.
"You shouldn't have had to go through that alone, Kurt. I kind of wish that you'd told us what he'd done. We could have helped you. Protected you."
"No," Kurt whispered. "I couldn't take the risk of telling anyone, and I didn't want anyone else to get hurt. You'd already had a black eye, Sam, and Artie was covered in bruises after that fall. Anyway, it's all over now. But, please, let's just keep this between us. I don't want the others to know about it."
"Hey, no problem," Sam replied. "But does anyone else know? Like, your father?"
"Are you serious?" Kurt laughed, quietly, for the other room was now dark and silent. "My father would have committed murder if he'd known. No," he shook his head, "only Blaine knew. And obviously Santana has found out somehow."
"Blaine?" Sam asked, his voice sounding tight, and Kurt turned his head curiously and looked up at Sam, but all he could see was the faint glitter of his eyes.
"He helped me confront Karofsky after it happened," he said, slowly. "Not that it did much good."
"I wish you'd tell me about it," Sam said.
And Kurt found himself doing exactly that. He wasn't sure why, but suddenly he began talking quietly, explaining what had happened, talking about how he'd felt - the despairing loneliness of it, and the sheer terror of it all as he'd felt as if the walls of McKinley were closing around him, trapping him in Karofsky's clutches. And then the feeling of isolation at Dalton, even though he'd had Blaine, then the happiness of returning to McKinley, and the pure shock of Karofsky's apology.
By the end of it, he was trembling, but mainly with the sheer relief of letting it all out. Even though he'd had Blaine, he had not, until this moment, realized how much of it he had held inside, and Sam was surprisingly easy to talk to. Almost with a shock, he noticed that his cheeks were damp - he must have been crying at some point - and Sam had moved closer. He was pressed against Kurt's side, and his arm was a warm weight across Kurt's chest, his hand resting gently on Kurt's shoulder.
"Wow," Kurt said, finally, running a hand over his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have unloaded it all on you like that."
He felt Sam's hand tighten on his shoulder.
"No, it's okay," Sam said. "I'm glad you did. And I'm glad he apologized, but…"
"But?" Kurt prompted, curiously, and something in his stomach twisted at the strange tone of Sam's voice.
"But I still want to punch him out," Sam whispered.
It must have been the light-headed feeling of having unburdened the secret that made Kurt burst out with laughter, he thought, but it felt good, and Sam soon joined him.
"Kurt, Sam, shut up in there," Finn's voice echoed through from the other room. "Some of us are tryin' to sleep, you know."
"Sorry Finn," Sam called out, for Kurt was still sniggering softly. "I was just telling Kurt a joke that I heard the other day."
"Well, that's great, Sam," came Finn's reply. "But perhaps you should tell Kurt jokes in the morning coz you know what Mr. Schue said. We have a big day tomorrow. Get some sleep."
"Huh," Sam said softly, his voice full of amusement. "He's in Fearless Leader mode."
Kurt laughed again, but this time much more quietly. "He's right though," he said. "We really should get some sleep. But thank you, Sam, really."
Sam rolled onto his back and for a moment Kurt missed the warmth of Sam's arm across his chest, but he quickly suppressed the thought. Instead he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but for some reason he felt wide awake, and he could tell by Sam's breathing that he wasn't sleeping yet either.
"So, Kurt," Sam whispered, after a few minutes. "Can I ask you something else?"
Kurt frowned slightly into the darkness. Why on earth did Sam suddenly seem so curious about Kurt's life?
"Sure," he answered, finally, and beside him he heard Sam take a deeper breath.
"Um… you said that Blaine," Sam said quietly, "you said he wasn't your boyfriend, but did you break up… or were you just not interested-"
"Are you asking me if I had feelings for Blaine?" Kurt interrupted and he couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. No boy had ever asked him about his love life before, not even Finn, and it was something that Kurt had never expected to happen. Not from a straight boy that lived in Lima, Ohio.
There was a moment of silence and then Kurt heard Sam clear his throat.
"Um… yeah," he finally whispered. "Sorry, if that was too personal."
"No, it's okay," Kurt said, and maybe it was the safety of the darkness and the fact that he'd already told Sam so much already, that it really did feel okay to tell him about this. "I did… like him, when I first met him. But I don't think he ever felt the same way and somehow, as I got to know him better, the feelings faded. But, don't get me wrong, he's a fantastic friend."
"Oh, good," Sam said, and Kurt frowned, because did Sam mean that it was good that Kurt was no longer interested in Blaine romantically - or that Blaine was a good friend? And this was the problem, he thought, with trying to over analyse everything that a boy said to him. So, once again, he wasn't going to go there.
"I don't mean… I'm sorry that he didn't… I mean, you really deserve…" Sam faltered, sounding incredibly awkward, so Kurt guessed that Sam had probably realized how his response could be taken and was trying to back pedal.
"Don't worry about it, Sam," Kurt said. "I'm a gay teen in Lima, Ohio. I'm kind of used to the unrequited thing." He laughed softly, relieved when Sam joined him.
"Yeah, you're not the only one with the unrequited thing," Sam said, and Kurt blinked, intensely curious. Who could Sam possibly have feelings for? Was it someone in Glee? He wanted to ask but before he could, Sam suddenly yawned and rolled onto his side facing away from Kurt.
The message seemed clear that Sam didn't want to talk any further and Kurt sighed softly. All in all, the whole conversation had been a little confusing and he could only speculate on why Sam had been so interested in Kurt's life. But after all, Kurt thought, Sam's own life wasn't that fantastic at the moment, so maybe he'd just wanted the escape of hearing about someone else's problems.
Kurt rolled onto his side and snuggled down into his pillow, his eyes growing heavy and a few minutes later he was asleep.
Sam was already gone when Kurt woke up, and when he went into the other room the others were already dressed and watching television with the sound low.
"Oh hey," Finn said when he saw Kurt. "Mr Schue said to meet up in the girl's room for breakfast in half and hour."
"Half an hour!" Kurt gasped. "Why didn't you wake me?"
"Thought we'd let you sleep for a bit longer," Finn shrugged. "You looked peaceful."
Kurt shot Finn a reproachful glare and dived into the bathroom. Half an hour was cutting it fine, but as he only had to wear the competition outfit Kurt figured he could make it.
Breakfast was a bit odd. Everyone was nervous and this displayed itself differently for different people. Some were quieter than normal; some were loud and boisterous. Oddly enough, Rachel was one of the quiet ones, and she looked intently focused. But the strangest thing was that everyone was getting along, which wasn't like the usual pre-comp situation for New Directions at all.
Kurt mainly concentrated on eating his cereal and it wasn't until everyone laughed at something Artie had said that he looked around the room. Immediately he eyes met Sam's and he flushed a little. He had a feeling that Sam might have been watching him for a while and the idea made Kurt's heart start beating wildly. He grabbed a piece of toast and tried to ignore it.
Mr. Schue told them that they hadn't made it into the top ten and the argument that broke out between Finn, Jesse and Rachel was immediate and heated. Numb with disappointment, Kurt ignored it. Finally he felt Mercedes hand slide into his and he squeezed it in comfort and then looked around at the others. They all seemed frozen, except for the three who were arguing and Mr. Schue, who seemed to be trying to reason with them. And Sam was talking into his phone, his eyes on Kurt, and Kurt flushed and quickly looked away.
Eventually some of them drifted away and it was when Mercedes wandered off with Tina that Kurt realized that Sam was now standing beside him.
"Come with me for a sec," he said, gripping Kurt's arm gently and guiding him away from the rest of New Directions.
Kurt followed him, frowning with confusion, and the confusion only grew when Sam pulled him into an alcove hidden behind a pillar and a tall pot plant.
"What's going on, Sam?" he asked, leaning against the wall as Sam stood in front of him and fiddled with his phone.
"My Dad just called me," Sam said, after a moment. "I got some good news."
"Well, at least someone did," Kurt sighed.
"Yeah," Sam nodded his head. "Well, see, he went for this job a week ago. It was sort of our last chance to stay in Lima. And, well, he just called to tell me that he got it."
"Oh, Sam," Kurt could not stop himself from clapping his hands together and grinning at the other boy. "That's fabulous news."
Sam returned the grin. "Yeah, I know," he said, and then Kurt was surprised to see him blush. "And, so, I was wondering… um… if I could kiss you."
Kurt froze, and a stab of something painful jolted through his body, because somehow he'd never thought that Sam would tease and make fun of him like this. He felt his face heat, and lowered his eyes.
"What?" he finally managed to say. "Sam, why would… I mean-"
"Look, I like you, Kurt," Sam broke in and Kurt met his earnest gaze. "I'll explain everything, I promise, but I really want this so please let me kiss you first. I mean," and he frowned slightly, "ah… I mean if you want to, that is."
Kurt's heart was now beating so hard and he felt so breathless that he wondered how he could still be standing upright. He certainly couldn't speak, so he simply nodded, and waited to see if Sam really meant it.
For a moment, Sam was very still in front of him, but then he shifted closer and leaned over Kurt. Kurt shivered slightly, turned his head up to meet Sam, and then suddenly Sam's lips were against his, warm and full.
It was like a shock wave going through Kurt, making his whole body fill with tension, and then as Sam's mouth moved gently against his, the tension suddenly released and he relaxed, his lips falling open under Sam's. He heard a soft moan of approval, almost a whisper, and then Sam's tongue was sliding against his, hot and slick, and this was so different, Kurt thought, to anything he'd felt before. He'd had no idea, after Brit and Karofsky, that it could feel this good.
Sam's arm was wrapped around Kurt's waist, holding him tight, and the feel of it made something twist in Kurt's stomach, something hot and needy, and he slid his hand over Sam's shoulder, and around to the back of his neck, his fingers tangling in Sam's hair.
His other hand was trapped between them, his fingers curling against Sam's chest as their kiss deepened and Sam pressed him against the wall. Sam's body was solid heat, and Kurt felt as if he could melt against it. Suddenly he felt light-headed as he struggled for breath, and he pulled away. Sam's mouth immediately found its way to Kurt's throat and Kurt shocked himself with a throaty groan as the sensation shot straight to his groin.
"God," he whispered.
"So, yeah," Sam said against Kurt's ear. "I'm gay, and I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to do that."
"But… but…" Kurt gasped, trying to find words despite the distraction of Sam's arm around his waist, Sam's hand resting on his hip, and Sam's lips brushing his ear. "Quinn… and Santana," he finally managed to say.
"Well, I'd never had a girlfriend before, so Quinn was sort of how I finally knew for sure that I was gay. I just couldn't make it work, and I guess that's one of the reasons that, in the end, she cheated on me."
"She shouldn't have though," Kurt couldn't help saying.
"I know," Sam said softly, and the hurt in his voice made Kurt close his eyes and brush his fingers through Sam's hair. "As for Santana," Sam continued, "I think she had as much to hide as I did."
Kurt nodded, and then frowned thoughtfully. "And are you still hiding?"
Anxious tension rose in Kurt as he asked the question, for aside from the fact that he felt as if he was being intrusive, he also felt that the answer would shape whatever might happen between them next. For as much as he could feel the attraction that he had to acknowledge he'd always had for Sam slipping free of his control, he also knew that he was done with hiding. He'd had enough of that this year.
Sam raised his head and met Kurt's eyes. "No, I'm not," he said, and some sort of excitement uncoiled in Kurt's stomach. "I came out to my parents a couple of weeks ago. I knew that they'd be fine with it – one of my mother's brothers is gay. I didn't tell anyone else because I was waiting to see if we'd stay in Lima. You see, my parents were thinking of going back to Tennessee. That phone call from my Dad actually made me feel more free than coming out to them did. Because I felt like I could tell you, finally. It's been hard, holding it back, especially the last couple of nights."
And Kurt felt himself blush hotly at those words, and Sam laughed softly and his head bent towards Kurt's again. But before their lips could meet, Kurt heard Mercedes calling his name, and rolled his eyes in frustration.
They quickly untangled themselves and walked back out into the corridor. Kurt could see Mercedes ahead of them and called out to her and she turned around.
"Oh, there you are, where have you been?" she asked, but thankfully she didn't seem to expect an answer. "Oh good, Sam's with you. Mr. Schue wants to get back to the hotel and I have to tell you, Santana looks like she's gettin' ready to blow."
Mercedes continued to talk as they all got onto the hotel bus, and sure enough, when they finally got back to the girl's room, Santana exploded.
Later that night, Kurt lay beside Sam, with Sam's hand held tightly in his, and tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. He knew that they were both waiting for the same thing; for the lights to go out in the other room and the sounds the others were making to die away as they settled into sleep.
When the lights finally did go out, Kurt couldn't help letting out a soft giggle. By mutual, silent consent they had left one of the curtains open, and when Sam leant up on one elbow and looked down at Kurt, he could clearly see the smile on Sam's face in the moonlight.
It was a sight that made his heart beat harder.
They stared at each other for a moment and then Kurt reached up and pulled Sam down to meet his lips.
It was a different kiss from their previous one, more heated and more forceful, and Kurt felt as if he couldn't get enough of it. Sam was wearing only pyjama pants in his usual fashion, and for a moment Kurt didn't know where to put his hands, but when he finally did rest a hand on Sam's shoulder, his skin was so smooth and velvety that Kurt quickly slid both hands down his back, feeling Sam's muscles against his palms. Sam gasped, and a surge of heat went through Kurt's body.
Then Sam's own hands began to wander, one sliding up under Kurt's pyjama top, making Kurt shiver, and the other opening the buttons. Kurt couldn't help tensing, shifting nervously, and Sam raised his head.
"Do you want to stop?" he whispered.
Kurt smiled. "No," he whispered. "It's just, this is all kind of new to me."
"It's new to me, too," Sam said, softly, brushing his lips along Kurt's throat. As he undid the remaining buttons, his fingers brushed Kurt's stomach and Kurt's fingers clenched against Sam's back.
Their lips met again in a deep kiss that Kurt felt all the way down to his toes. He was getting painfully hard now, and when Sam shifted closer, Kurt couldn't help moving, thrusting against the pressure of Sam's hand on his hip.
"Yeah, Kurt," Sam breathed against his lips, and suddenly Sam was on top of him, his body pressing down hard against Kurt's and, okay, Kurt thought, maybe you could think that might be too fast, but he really didn't care. It felt too good and he wanted it.
He spread his legs and Sam settled between them, and Kurt had to quickly stifle a groan at the sensation of Sam against him. He felt the puff of breath on his face from Sam's soft moan and then they were kissing again, hard and hungry.
Sam had pulled Kurt's pyjama top open and down his arms, and Kurt struggled for a moment to untangle his hands. Once free, he pulled Sam closer, his hands sliding into the dip of Sam's lower back and his fingers sliding under Sam's waistband, and this time it was Sam who groaned, into Kurt's mouth.
Encouraged by the sound, Kurt let his hands delve deeper but his heart leapt into his throat when Sam suddenly pulled away and knelt above him.
"Sam?" Kurt whispered. "I'm sorry, was that…" but he didn't get any further for the feeling of Sam's hands tugging at the waistband of his own pyjama bottoms, silenced him.
"Do you want to?" Sam asked, quietly.
Kurt didn't hesitate; he nodded his head and lifted his hips and a moment later Sam was on him again, skin against skin.
"Oh god, Sam," Kurt murmured as they moved together, gently at first, but quickly picking up strength and speed, and this – this was better than he had ever imagined.
"Your skin is so soft," Sam whispered, his lips against Kurt's ear, and Kurt blushed, for he could feel the tight, muscled hardness of Sam's body against him. His blush burned even hotter when Sam whispered again, "So beautiful", but he couldn't help smiling against Sam's shoulder.
The pressure was building in Kurt and all he could focus on was the feeling of Sam's erection sliding and thrusting against his. He lifted his legs, wrapped them around Sam's hips and almost whimpered at the increased contact. They were rocking hard against each other now, and Kurt spared a moment of thankfulness for the fact that the bed did not creak.
He was so close now, and he was trying really hard not to dig his fingernails into the skin on Sam's back as he clutched at the other boy. Sam was breathing heavily into Kurt's ear, with an occasional quiet moan that made Kurt's stomach twist.
"I've dreamt about you like this," Sam whispered, and that was it for Kurt – his mind blurred, his hips jerked hard against Sam's, and he came hard, gasping and clutching at Sam's shoulders, his toes curling. A moment later, Sam had followed him, with one last, grinding thrust, and a satisfied moan muffled against Kurt's throat.
For a few minutes, they held tightly to one another, sharing breathless, gentle kisses, and then finally, Sam pulled away. Kurt hissed slightly at the cold, sticky mess between them, but Sam quickly wiped it away.
"I hope those were your pyjamas," Kurt whispered, and Sam laughed, dropping onto the bed beside Kurt and draping his arm over Kurt's chest.
"That was amazing," Kurt said, and Sam hummed his agreement, his hand tightening on Kurt's shoulder.
"I know we've kind of gone backwards with this," he said, quietly. "But I really can't wait to go on a proper date with you."
Kurt flushed, thankful for the dim light. "You're actually a bit of a romantic, aren't you?"
"Does it bother you?" Sam asked, laughing softly.
Kurt rolled onto his side and brushed his lips over Sam's. "Oh, I think I really like it," he replied.
"Jeez.Us! What the fucking hell? Kurt! Are you… are you guys… naked?"
Kurt slid one eye open and gazed blearily up at the figure standing over the bed.
"Oh, hi, Finn," he said, and then snuggled his head into his pillow.
"Oh, hi, Kurt," Finn answered, and Kurt frowned slightly at the sarcastic tone. "Don't give me that. What the hell is going on here?"
Under the blankets Kurt felt a hand trail down his back and he shivered.
"Well, I don't know about Kurt," Sam said. "But I'm trying to sleep in with my boyfriend."
Kurt's eyes flew open and he sat up quickly, the blankets pooling in his lap, and gazed down at Sam.
"Boyfriend?" Kurt and Finn asked at the same time.
Sam blinked and then smiled at Kurt. "Well, I was hopin'…"
"Oh. Yes," Kurt answered, nodding his head, and then flushing at his own eagerness.
Sam laughed, sat up, and pressed a quick kiss to Kurt's mouth. A strangled sound came from Finn, and then a harsh laugh burst through the room.
"Way to go, Hummel," Puck said. "You sure don't waste any time."
"Neither does Sam," Finn said, sourly.
Kurt frowned. "Look, would you both give us some privacy, please?"
"Privacy for what?" Finn asked, looking scandalized. "Jeez, Kurt, what do you think Burt's gonna say about this?"
"Finn Hudson," Kurt said, his voice soft and menacing, and his eyes narrowed. "If you tell Dad that Sam and I shared a bed here I will make your life a living hell. I will turn all of your clothes pink. I will remove the spark plugs from your car whenever you want to go on a date with Rachel. I will shrink your underwear and your football uniform. I will put snails in your bed and I will tell Rachel that you want to wear matching animal sweaters. I will-"
"Okay, okay," Finn yelled over the sound of Puck's laughter. "I think I'd prefer to forget I ever saw this anyway."
He stomped out of the room - and after sending an amused wink in an astonished Kurt's direction, Puck followed him.
Kurt turned to look at his boyfriend, who was smiling at him in a fond way that made Kurt's heart beat faster.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm glad you're on my side," Sam said.
By the time they'd all dressed and met up for breakfast, everybody seemed to already know about them (including Mr. Schue, who looked rather reproachfully at them). In a way, Kurt was thankful for it, and it made it easier for Sam as well, even if Quinn looked mortified and had returned to her post-Finn break up surliness.
Mr. Schue, in a fit of uncharacteristic competence, had managed to get them onto an earlier flight home, so after breakfast, they quickly packed and went to the airport.
Everyone was very quiet on the plane, their heads buried in magazines, each separately dealing with their disappointment.
But Kurt held Sam's hand and decided he had nothing to be disappointed about. He'd flown for the first time, he'd sung on a Broadway stage, and, best of all, he had Sam.
The End