Author's note: This I wrote for cfaben who asked for some sweet and sexy Furt during that lovely scene in Ballad, in which Kurt helps Finn dress for his dinner over at the Fabrays. It stays true to the actual scene up until the end. I hope it lives up to your expectations! Enjoy!
Of all the places he thought he would spend this particular Thursday evening, the cluttered basement of one Finn Hudson was not one of them. Still, he found himself surveying his dusty surroundings with a watchful eye – careful not to look too interested, even though his fingers itched to discover all the stashed away secrets of his future husband.
"Thanks for coming over, Kurt. I know you're into fashion and stuff and I need to find something nice to wear for the Fabrays dinner. So..."
Kurt spun around softly where he stood and the breathy little huff escaped his lips before he had the chance to stop it; like he would ever pass out on an opportunity like this.
"Couldn't be more pleased and honored to help you find something vintage and appropriate to wear", he eloquently informed him, even though he doubted that any clothes found amongst cardboard boxes and discarded, old Halloween pumpkins would be good for anything but burning.
Finn stood towered over (in all his giantlike glory) a chest with a fine layer of dust resting on top of the dark surface. His large hands, which Kurt had imagined all over his own body, opened the chest with ease.
"Here it is. My mom never had the heart to throw this stuff out."
There was an affectionate, soft edge to Finn's tone as he spoke. Kurt imagined him not being bothered at all by his mom's inability to throw away his deceased father's remnants, much like Kurt himself felt did not mind that his dad never was able to discard of his mother's possessions. It only meant that he did not have to save them from the trashcan himself.
Finn chuckled and Kurt peeked over the edge of the chest to be able to see what he grabbed. Next thing he knew, his hair was viciously assaulted by a way too large camouflage helmet. He only caught a glimpse of Finn's adorably, amused grin before he could see nothing but the black inside of his assailant.
"Hang on to that for the next time Puck throws you in the dumpster", Finn smiled.
He was awarded with a gentle pat upon the head for denying the instant need to yank of the helmet in hopes of saving his impeccable 'do. It was so worth it. Kurt felt a smile spread across his own face as he carefully took off the helmet, his fingers automatically reaching up to adjust his fringe.
"My dad's the same way. My mom died ten years ago and he still keeps her toothbrush on their holder by the sink", Kurt shared while clutching the helmet to his abdomen. He sunk down upon another chest, identical with the one Finn was rummaging around in. "The broken dresser in their room... It still smells like her perfume. I know it's stupid, but sometimes I'll sneak in there and open all the drawers and..." why did he keep on talking? He had not even told Mercedes this yet. "... lie on the floor and close my eyes and just smell her."
His eyes had drifted while he spoke, looking at everything but Finn. Though, when the words were all out and he had nothing else to add, he could not avoid looking up at him. He had never seen him that serious, that understanding before. It made his heart skip a beat.
"That's not stupid", Finn replied gently, a thoughtful crease appearing right above his eyebrow. "I guess in a way I'm lucky I never knew him... you know?"
For a second, if only for a second, their eyes met and Kurt had never felt so close to the tall boy than he did in that moment. It was brief and over far too soon, but Kurt knew and Finn knew that he understood completely. It was intense, maybe even too intense, because Finn changed the subject very swiftly after that.
"Check this out."
Their small, awkward chuckles mingled together as they broke through the thick air left by the heavy subject. Finn held out a not at all awful suit jacket before him, smiling yet again as he pulled it on with his own characteristic enthusiasm.
"Not half-bad... Your father had good taste", Kurt admitted, though, he never mentioned that there was little that looked exceptionally bad stretched over those muscles.
"Can't believe it fits", Finn spoke in awe, walking around the chest to approach a mirror further amongst the scattered belongings of the Hudson household.
Two ties, one striped and the other one in something resembling paisley, laid on display by the chest and Kurt instinctively brought them with him when he hurried over to assist him. He laid both ties on display upon Finn's broad shoulders, his own hands forming so naturally over the soft shoulder pads. Even through several layers of fabric, he could still feel the warmth of his body beneath his palms.
"Uhm, thanks..."
His hands left his shoulders reluctantly, still clutching the paisley tie. He took solace in the fact that Finn did not kid himself with believing that he actually could pull of paisley.
Finn sighed in resignation, his eyes averting themselves from their reflection in the mirror.
"My father was brave enough to fight in some desert, thousands of miles away, and I can't even go over to Dudley Road and... tell the Fabrays the truth."
Kurt wanted to hold him. He wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright. That he was perfect in every possible way. A barrier between them made him refrain from doing so.
"Your father didn't charge into the breach empty-handed. He had a weapon", he settled on in hopes of pulling him out of his funk.
Though, instead of the curiosity he had expected to flood his features, there was an hesitant, almost alarmed look upon that handsome face of his.
"You think I should bring a gun?"
… rrright. He still cheated off the girl who thought the square root of four equals rainbows. For a minute, he had forgotten all about his endearing stupidity.
"N-no, I think you should use your greatest weapon. Your voice."
Their eyes met in their reflection and Kurt tried not to think about how good they looked together or how they would look even better if he was enveloped in Finn's strong arms. Finn's eyes shone of gratitude and maybe a little hint of shock. For once, Kurt was the one to look away first.
"You... you really think I have a nice voice?" Finn asked carefully, shuffling around slowly to face him.
Kurt nodded.
"You've got a wonderful voice", he murmured softly. "It could need some polishing, but I think that you're full of potential."
He did not dare to look up at him. Wonderful might not have been his most carefully chosen word. At school, it would have earned him a ticket straight to the dumpster.
"Not like you, though", Finn replied with a hint of a smile to his voice, his fingers grazing Kurt's elbow.
It might have been nothing but a light brush, but it felt like he was going to burst into flames. Kurt's cheeks were flushed when he dared to raise his gaze and meet Finn's kind eyes.
"Me?"
"Yeah, I mean... You're pretty awesome, Kurt. I don't know any other dude who can sing Defying Gravity like you do."
"If I recall correctly, I failed, didn't I?"
"Well yeah, but uhm..."
Finn's struggle for words was terribly adorable.
"It was, you know, really great before that, uhm, part."
"Thank you, Finn."
He really was thankful. That Finn even thought about his voice at all made his entire inside bubble with excitement. He ached to tell him the truth, to say that he could hit that note, that it was easy, but he thought better of it. It was better if no one knew. Another thought hit him just as achingly hard, but this one he was not able to keep in.
"I'm sure that Rachel has already offered her services, but if you would like me to, I could help you. With your voice."
Watching Finn's eyes widen with joy and excitement was very much like watching a puppy receive a delicious bone.
"Really, man? I mean, Rachel is super great and all, but when she's talking I kinda zone out, you know?"
Take that, bitch.
"I know", Kurt smiled softly.
"I try really hard to listen, but she talks a lot",Finn continued, smiling widely now too as his fingers fumbled with the tie around his neck. "I mean, like, a lot a lot."
"I know", he repeated, shaking his head when his hands automatically reached up to smack away Finn's, adjusting the collar of his blue shirt. "Enough is not in her vocabulary."
He had gone so far as to buttoning up the shirt when he realized what exactly he was doing. The act was so familiar, since he had forced his father into several nice suits during important occasions over the years. Though, the feeling of muscles stiffening beneath his hands were nothing he had felt before. As he stared upon the white button in his hand, the soft fabric of his shirt, he could feel Finn looking at him. No, he was staring. Kurt's hands trembled as he let go of him swiftly, his heart stuttering in its usually even pace.
"Excuse me. I'm sure you know how to button up your own shirt.
The nervous laughter gushed out of him before he could stop it, this incredibly awkward chuckle humming behind closed lips. Surely, he had never blushed so furiously ever before. The silence following was, if possible, even worse to suffer through. Their breaths seemed to echo around the basement and he could have sworn that Finn must have heard his deafening heartbeat.
"Kurt..."
He did not sound mad, did he? Was he disgusted? Was he going to throw him out now?
"Yes?" he whispered, still staring straight into the blue shirt.
His palms were pulsating with the need to touch him again.
"Would you... uhm... would you continue with... what you were doing?"
The shock was enough for Kurt to raise his gaze and finally look up at Finn. His cheeks blossomed in crimson red. Was he embarrassed too?
"I don't know how to fold it... could you do it?"
Kurt, stunned into silence, only nodded. Was he imagining this? Had he fainted with dehydration and conjured this image in his mind? It seemed far too likely than it actually happening. He forced his eyes away from staring at the beautiful blush across Finn's cheeks to focus on the striped tie. His hands trembled when they closed around the ends.
"I... I prefer the full Windsor Knot", he explained quietly, since his voice betrayed him.
The move he had to make was well-rehearsed and he thanked the God he did not believe in for at least allowing him to keep some of his brain cells in this moment, even if his voice was not there to completely support him.
"Up, under and over... across, up through and down..."
If repeating the motions in words were for Finn to actually learn, or for him to remember the correct way to fold it, he had no idea. He swallowed hard when he tightened the knot around Finn's neck. His hands lingered.
"Is that alright?"
"Yeah... it's awesome..."
Finn's voice was darker than usual. He would have said huskier, but that was maybe just wishful thinking.
Only mere inches kept their bodies apart. Kurt could not find the will to remove his hands from their place around the tie, basking in the feel of his warmth and his chest heaving next to him. If only he could have stayed there forever. If only he had the courage to ask him for what he wanted – a kiss, to be embraced, to be... loved.
Oh, only to feel his lips, his hands cover him, to be held in his arms for a short moment and he would be happy for the rest of his life. If he only did not belong to someone else.
A large hand gently touched his elbow, much like it had done before. Was it a sign for him to let go? What if he refused? What if he would not budge from this spot? Would Finn get mad?
The hand's partner settled itself lightly on top of his shoulder – big and warm, enveloping his shoulder completely with its size. Long fingers touched his shoulder blades. Was he going to push him away now? Was he disgusted by him?
Chapped lips grazed his and he had not even realized that he had closed his eyes. He kept them close, because if this was a dream, he had no plans of waking up. His lips responded with shy hesitance, reaching out to meet his carefully, as if afraid to scare him away.
He did not scare him away. Those large hands moved, tightening their grip around his hips and waist and those lips advanced – coming closer and firmer upon Kurt's. Goosebumps had exploded all over his body.
His own hands finally let go of the tie. They trembled when they explored his broad shoulders and the soft skin of his exposed neck, settling with ease buried deeply into brown strands of short hair. Finn brought him close to his chest; their rapidly beating hearts racing together.
A pink tongue prodded his lower lip, asking for entrance and the request was granted with fervor. Those hands, those magnificent hands gripped his military beige jacket so hard it felt like tearing, but Kurt could not care less. At times, their teeth clashed in their rush to be as close as possible, but it was quickly brushed over with another set of heated kisses – adrenaline pumping hotly through their veins while matching their ragged breaths to each others.
What pulled them apart was simply biology – humans die without oxygen. Their stressed panting, the rushed inhales were not enough. Kurt soon felt his head spinning and not solely because of the mind-blowing kisses he received; his body was actually caving in. It took every last piece of strength in his tired limbs to tear himself apart from the one boy he had always loved. Eyes wide, lips parted as he sucked in air, feeling the blood flood his face and his knees give in beneath him. Thankfully, strong arms encircled him before he went crashing to the floor.
The silence was only broken by their sharp inhales of oxygen, the heaving of their chests and the slight rustle of clothes as Finn held Kurt tight to his body. Long minutes passed. The adrenaline wore off. The world stopped spinning. It was over.
"That was..." Finn whispered, obviously still weak. "... hot."
Kurt's heart skipped a beat.
Their reflection in the mirror was of utter perfection to Kurt. It was of utter perfection to both of them.