Twists and Sweeps
Author Note: Like a good deal of people (mostly on tumblr), I've been pretty obsessed with Darren/Blaine's arms. Add to that the fact that RIB decided to gift us with boxer!angry!frustraited!Blaine, and this was really just waiting to happen.
Kurt's voice told his mood. It was something Blaine had picked up on early into their friendship, and it was a knowledge that had only grown as their friendship had evolved into the only relationship Blaine could ever see himself having. Maybe that was a bit naïve on his part, especially with Kurt going off to college in six months, but as far as Blaine was concerned, if Kurt wanted to wait their separation out, then Blaine could as well. A long distance relationship was nothing Blaine wanted in his future, but for Kurt, he would manage. And there were sure to be phone calls. Blaine took solace in the idea of hearing Kurt's voice regularly over the phone. And hearing his mood, of course.
His mood right now, with Blaine stretched out on a choir room chair, science homework in front of him, was evident in the pitch of his voice. And in one word, Kurt was aggravated. When Kurt got worked up, or frustrated, or was generally unhappy, his voice rose in tone. It was a vast difference from when they were laying in bed together, limbs tangled up, and Kurt mumbled endearments in a hushed, low voice. Kurt's happy voice was soft and low. It was nearly mistakable for the voice he used when he was concerned, which was equally as low and quiet.
"No, no!"
Blaine balanced a chemical equation, preoccupied by trying to decide where the take Kurt the following Saturday. They traded off weekends, surprising each other with lunches and activities and destinations. It was Blaine's turn, but he was coming up short. And with Kurt's time in Ohio growing shorter and shorter, each Saturday needed to count more than the last.
"Tina, here, look at my feet. It's an easy two step. Don't bend your knees."
Blaine's eyes rose from the paper in front of him, over to where Kurt was standing behind Tina, his hands on her hips as he tried to move her into position. Flanking Kurt, Brittany and Rachel stood close, the most likely to pick up the moves he was trying to teach them. Mercedes looked bored, and Santana, well, Blaine wondered if not for Brittany, if she'd even be there. Blaine wondered why he was there for a brief moment. Then he remembered. He was an awesome boyfriend. Not to gloat. He really thought he was, though. Kurt said so, and that was good enough for Blaine.
Earlier in the day Kurt had decided, thought Rachel claimed the idea was hers, to give the ladies a few extra pointers for their upcoming competition. If Finn was their worst dancer, and Mike and Brittany were the best, then Kurt was just after them (no matter what Schuester said). There were rumors of a Single Ladies dance, and if they were to be believed, Blaine knew what he wanted for Christmas the following year. Tina assured him the tape had survived. And Blaine new first hand just how well Kurt moved his hips. Kurt was an excellent teacher.
But the boys, of course, had had absolutely no interest in sticking around and watching the girls dance. They'd all gone to play basketball, and Blaine had been invited.
But Blaine was a good boyfriend. And that was why he was with Kurt, listening to his voice grow in pitch, not accomplishing much with his homework. And god, Kurt's jeans were distracting.
"It's hopeless," Tina nearly wailed, hands on her hips as she huffed. "I'm never going to get it." Next to her, Brittany gave a suggestive thrust with her hips, legs moving along. She shrugged at Tina, unsure of what the problem was.
"It's not," Kurt insisted. He lined up next to Tina and said, "And I know you know how to move what your momma gave you. I've seen you shake it." He arched an eyebrow and Tina burst out laughing. She nodded and signaled that she was ready to start again.
"Kurt?" Blaine called out, catching his attention. He gestured to the clock on the far wall. "It's after four."
Kurt's face was blank for a moment, then he nodded and explained to the girls, "We're going to have to finish this up, ladies. Blaine and I promised my dad and Carole we'd help with some packing. We're going to work on the attic today."
"Oh, Kurt," Mercedes said. "I still can't believe you're all leaving."
Kurt laughed. "I'd be leaving anyway, Mercedes. It's just my dad is going to be in DC, and I'll be in New York. And they're not selling the house. Just packing some of it up for the eventual move."
Finn would stay, Blaine recalled. Finn had no plans to leave Ohio. He'd stay in the house, and keep the garage going and that would be enough for him. In a lot of ways, Blaine envied him.
"Fifteen more minutes?" Kurt called out to him.
Blaine nodded.
Kurt beamed at him and Blaine felt himself flush with pleasure. It was almost ridiculous that one smile from Kurt, one happy, joyous grin, could get him so worked up.
Blaine looked back down to his chemistry homework, determined to get it finished before they had to leave. And if they both hurried, and got on the road in under twenty minutes, there would be just enough time to make out in the car. That was worth a little hustle.
"One more time," Kurt said, then nodded to Brittany who hit the CD player. Music flooded the room and if Blaine hummed along contently. He could hear Kurt singing, occasionally, interrupting the lyrics to count out beats, or encourage Tina.
When Kurt was hurt, he had no voice. That's how Blaine knew something was wrong. That was what had him on his feet even before the music stopped, and before any of the other girls could react to what was wrong.
"Kurt," Blaine breathed out, to his side in an instance, one hand cradling his jaw. "Are you okay?"
From the floor, Kurt blinked a bit blearily, pain in his eyes. "I don't know." He reached down at held his left ankle gingerly. "I …."
It was swelling already, Blaine's untrained eyes could see that. He followed his own fingers down Kurt's long leg to rest along side his hand. "You fell?" Blaine moved slowly, giving Kurt time to protest, and moved his white sock further down his foot, as far as his shoe would allow. "It looks pretty bad."
Tina, kneeling down next to Kurt, looked close to tears. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled, forehead pressing towards Kurt's shoulder. "I'm so sorry I bumped you."
Kurt smiled kindly. "Tina, look at my shoes. I should have taken them off before we started."
"Do you mind if I take your shoe off?" Blaine asked, prompted by the words. At Kurt's nod, Blaine fought with the silver buckles for a moment, then pulled the shoe free. He remarked, "I always thought it wasn't possible for you so much as stumble." Blaine glanced once more at the platform of Kurt's shoe. "I was always so impressed."
Kurt made a face.
"That looks bad," Rachel said, "should I call an ambulance?"
"What?" Kurt demanded. "No. Of course not. It's a twisted ankle. That's all. Nothing life threatening here. Just help me up."
Blaine motioned for the girls to stand back and leaned in close as he gained leverage against the floor to maneuver Kurt up. "On three, okay?" He counted off slowly, and then helped Kurt to his feet.
Kurt swayed immediately and it was Blaine's grip on his waist that kept him upright.
Tina asked quickly, "Are you okay?"
Blaine frowned, and remarked, "You look pale." He looked down to where Kurt had his foot elevated off the floor. "Very pale."
"I'm in pain," Kurt said, teeth clenched. "A lot of it, actually."
With only the girls watching, Blaine felt brave enough to dive in and kiss Kurt's cheek. He sighed a bit, then said, "I don't think you're going to be able to walk on it."
The kiss had brought some color back to Kurt's face, and he agreed. "Maybe one of you girls should go get Finn, or Sam. One of them should be able to help me out to the car. Blaine, you'll have to drive the Navigator for me."
Rachel was halfway to the door when Blaine called out, "Hey, wait, Rachel. That's not necessary." Blaine pulled Kurt tighter to his body and recommended, "Hold on tight." Then he bent, angled one arm firmly under Kurt's knees, and leveled him up with only a slight grunt.
Kurt gave a high pitched shout and nearly strangled Blaine.
"Kurt," Blaine wheezed, "You have to let go of my neck."
"Put me down!" Kurt took deep, uneasy breaths. "I mean it, Blaine. This isn't funny. You'll drop me. Or put out your back. Or-"
"Stop squirming!" Maybe it came out a little rough, but it had Kurt stilling almost right away. His grip was as strong as ever, not letting up a bit, but his legs stopped swinging, and Blaine was able to get a better hold on him. He had to jostle Kurt a little, hefting him higher, but he felt comfortable in his hold. "There. Now just calm down. I've got you. You can't walk on your foot. I'm going to carry you to the car."
Kurt had been pale either, and now his face was more than flushed. His head ducked down against Blaine's neck a bit in embarrassment and he said, "I'm too heavy."
"You're not," Blaine said. "Tina, could you get our bags and follow us out?"
Kurt's face pressed even further into the junction between Blaine's neck and his shoulder as they moved through the halls quickly. Blaine's strides were sure and swift, and there was no other students around, but Kurt felt like he'd die from humiliation any moment.
"It's okay," Blaine assured as they reached the parking lot. "Don't you trust me not to drop you."
A quiet tone followed, the wispy and airy voice of insecurity as Kurt said, "Yes. I do. I just … I don't want people to … to see … and …"
"I don't care about them," Blaine said gruffly. "I care about you, and your hurt ankle, and getting you better. Now, we're almost there. I'm going to take you home, and get you an ice pack, and that's all that matters."
Behind them, not only Tina, but Rachel and Mercedes followed. Mercedes whispered, "This is so romantic. It's just like in Officer and a Gentleman."
"Absolutely romantic," Tina swooned. "I wish Mike would sweep me off my feet."
"Finn sweeps me off my feet all the time!" Rachel hastened to add.
Mercedes giggled, "They are so in love." Tina nodded furiously.
"We can hear you!" Kurt called over Blaine's shoulder.
"I've got the door," Tina said, swiping Kurt's keys out of his pocket when they reached the SUV. She held the passenger side door open as Blaine maneuvered Kurt inside.
"You good?" he asked, pulling at the seatbelt before leaning over Kurt's lap to strap him in.
"Fine," Kurt assured, both annoyed at Blaine's overprotective nature, and moved by the care he exuded.
"Here," Tina said, handing Blaine their bags. "Take good care of our boy."
"I'm not three," Kurt reminded.
Tina reached around Blaine to deposit Kurt's wayward shoe in his lap.
Blaine took the straps. "I will."
They were nearly halfway home when Kurt broached carefully, "Blaine, upon retrospect, I found the entire event very heroic, and dare I say romantic, as the other girls did, but I … I'm not sure how to say this …"
"Just say it," Blaine suggested.
"I'm not light," Kurt enforced.
"You're no dainty little thing." Blaine nodded. "But if you hadn't been aware up until this point, I kind of tend to prefer boys, though that's questionable when I drink. But I digress, I prefer boys, Kurt. I prefer boys who look like boys, and feel like boys, and are rough like boys."
Mock outrage, Kurt demanded, "Are you saying I'm rough?"
"Not like that," Blaine laughed. "You're soft too, Kurt. Your hair is silky and your skin is flawless. You're a mechanic's son, but your hands are smooth to the touch. And when I hold you in my arms, I want to wrap you up and not let anything bad ever happen to you. Ever again. Under any circumstances."
Kurt looked out the window at the compliments.
"But you're also a boy," Blaine continued. "You're tall, and you have wide shoulders. When you hug me, I can feel how strong you are."
"I'm not light," Kurt pressed. "I don't understand how you picked me up and carried me for so long. And as if I it wasn't a bother."
Blaine reached across the SUV to take Kurt's nearest hand. "It wasn't. Do you find it so hard to believe that I could pick you up because I'm shorter than you?"
Kurt winced a little. "Maybe?"
"I told Finn," Blaine said easily enough, "that I took up boxing as a way to deal with my bullying. And that was the truth. But I stuck with it because I liked it. I liked the way I felt after working out. I liked the ache in my muscles, and the strength it gave me. I liked the slow burn of the workout and the results that came with it. So I kept with it. And yes, I might be a little on the short side, at least compared to you, Mr. Hummel. But I've got plenty of strength, and lifting you wasn't any trouble at all. I'm a lot stronger than I look.
"Wait." Kurt turned to look at him more intensely. "I thought Finn was joking when he said you told him you started a Dalton branch of Fight Club."
Blaine grinned wide, all teeth. "I said fight club because I thought it was something he'd understand. It's an over simplification. There were just a lot of boys at Dalton who were like me, dealing with pent up anger and frustration due to whatever landed them at Dalton. So we got together and let that anger and frustration out."
Voice flat, Kurt asked, "A Fight Club, really?"
"Have you even seen Fight Club?
"Of course." Kurt's nose turned upward. "Of course I have. What gay man hasn't seen Brad Pitt sweaty and very attractive in that movie?"
Eyes narrowing, Blaine asked, "Then you can tell me what the movie is about?"
Kurt paused, then in a voice a little too questionable, said, "Fighting."
"Kurt."
"I watched!" Kurt crossed his arms. "You asked if I saw the movie. You didn't ask if I had it on mute or not."
Blaine squeezed his hand. "I love you, you know?"
"Okay," Kurt said when Blaine parked the Navigator in the driveway and crossed around to his side of the SUV. "You can't carry me into the house. My dad is home."
Blaine arched an eyebrow. "And how else were you planning on getting in the house?"
Kurt sighed and held out an arm for Blaine. "Come here, Romeo."
Blaine kissed him firmly, sneaking past Kurt's arm to press Kurt back against the car seat. "Does that make you my Juliet?" Blaine kissed him once more, then smiled against Kurt's lips.
"It makes you single," Kurt said, sliding an arm around the back of Blaine's neck, "if you ever call me Juliet again."
Once more Kurt found himself lifted into Blaine's arms as the boy promised, "Never again, dear."
Kurt let his head rest against Blaine's shoulder. "My dad is going to think is this absolutely the funniest thing he's sever seen. I'll hear about it for weeks."
"You think?"
Kurt shrugged. "That or he'll think you're trying to soil my honor."
Blaine snuck a kiss to Kurt's neck. "It's a little late for that, don't you think?"
The front door opened and Kurt said, "You'd better hope he doesn't know that."
"Every day."
They postponed the packing until the following day and Kurt ended up on the couch in the living room, foot elevated and an ice pack on top. Blaine sat next to him for most of the day, arm around Kurt's shoulders, snuggling under a warm throw blanket. Burt's head peeked around the corner from time to time, still apprehensive about leaving them alone, and Carole brought their refreshments. Finn was nowhere to be found.
"So maybe," Kurt admitted laying against Blaine, "I kind of liked you carrying me. Just a little, of course."
Blaine kissed his forehead, and then Kurt leaned up to meet him.
"It's okay to admit that," Blaine said. "Plus, I like to be able to sweep my boyfriend off his feet once in a while."
"Do you go to the gym a lot?"
"A few times a week." Blaine took a moment, then risked asking, "Maybe you want to go with me the next time?"
Kurt's face scrunched up. "You were pretty hot today, but I'm not the sweaty type myself, Blaine." Kurt's hand reached for his bicep and squeezed firmly. "However, I wouldn't mind going to keep you company. Maybe just to watch you, if you wanted."
Blaine said quietly, "We could take a shower together afterwards." Blaine's eyes raced to the doorway, almost convinced he'd see Burt Hummel lurking about.
Kurt squeezed Blaine's arm again. "Maybe. We'll see."
"How does your foot feel?" Blaine asked. "The swelling has gone down, but it's still discolored."
Kurt wiggled his toes a bit, then relaxed completely back against Blaine. He let his eyes close and said, "Much better. Thank you. You took very good care of me."
Blaine detected a drop in Kurt's voice, and it was soft, indicating he was genuine in his words, and very content.
Blaine let their fingers thread together. "No problem."