"Hey, Kurt." Finn smiled at his "little brother" as he skipped down the stairs to his basement bedroom. "What's up, dude?"
He played it cool, but Finn was really concerned about his friend. He may not be the brightest, but he could tell when someone was upset and Kurt was definitely upset. Something was getting to him and Finn wanted to know what it was.
"Nothing," Kurt sighed, sitting in the white bubble chair.
Finn took a deep breath and sat on the end of Kurt's bed, facing him. "C'mon dude. I know something's up. Just tell me. We're brothers!"
"It's nothing, Finn," Kurt lied, brushing a piece of his perfectly styled hair into place. "You don't have to worry."
"But you're so upset lately," Finn whined. "I haven't seen you smile in months."
"Just leave me alone, alright?"
And that's when Finn vowed: he would make Kurt Hummel smile.
"Hey, dude." Finn greeted Kurt at his lunch table, taking a seat next to Mercedes.
Kurt continued to pick at his food, not making a move to eat any of it. He was starting to lose weight.
"I've got a joke for you," Finn grinned. Kurt dragged his eyes up from his food, looking at him expectantly. "Alright… Knock-knock."
"Who's there?" Kurt groaned. He hated knock-knock jokes.
"Aardvark," Finn beamed, so confident that the joke would make his brother smile.
"Aardvark who?"
"Aardvark a hundred miles for one of your smiles!" Finn waited for Kurt to give him a grin, but nothing.
"That was so cheesy," Mercedes said, rolling her eyes at the tall boy.
Finn got up and left the lunch table, giving Kurt a warm pat on the back. He refused to get discouraged. He would make him smile.
That night, the Hudmel family went out for dinner at Breadstix. It was a monthly tradition now that everyone really enjoyed. Kurt had started the tradition and was usually very eccentric about it, but tonight he nearly didn't go until Finn came and (literally) dragged him out of the house.
They got to their table and the waitress, used to their presence, brought them their usual drinks. Kurt absentmindedly sipped on his Virgin Shirley Temple, chin resting on his hand.
Today was usually the highlight of Kurt's month. Finn had to make it special. He had to make him smile. He munched on a breadstick as Burt and Carole chatted about living arrangements. And it came to him.
"Hey, Kurt," he grinned.
The small boy turned his attention to the larger one. "What is it now, Finn?" he sighed.
"Watch." Finn picked two breadsticks and shoved them up his nose. "I'm a walrus!" he beamed. Burt and Carole burst into laughter at her son's ridiculous actions. Kurt didn't even blink.
"Number One: That's completely unsanitary. And Number Two: Walrus tusks come out of their mouths." Kurt stated dryly, spinning his straw.
Finn's smile quickly turned into a frown. How was he going to make Kurt smile?
"Dad, can I have a friend over tomorrow?" Kurt asked.
"Sure thing, son," Burt quickly agreed. "Who?"
"Blaine," Kurt answered, a smile almost creeping onto his face.
"Oh, that kid from Dalton? Sure." Burt complied, happy to see his son looking at least a little less down.
Blaine, Finn thought. He'll know how to make him smile.
Finn knew when Blaine would show up at the Hummel house. He made sure to come after he arrived. It would involve tricking Kurt, but Blaine may be the only one who would know how to make Kurt smile.
Finn knocked on the door of Kurt's house and waited anxiously. He hoped they hadn't gone out. After a few minutes, Burt came to the door. "Oh hey, Finn. How's it going?"
"Hi. I'm good. Um, is Kurt here?" Finn asked quickly.
"Yeah, him and his friend are downstairs. Why?" Burt questioned the impatient boy.
"I just gotta see him." Finn pushed past Burt, briskly making his way down the familiar basement stairs into the white and grey bedroom. Blaine and Kurt were sat on the end of the bed, musing about the latest issue of Vogue. Being as large as he was, Finn made a spectacle of himself.
"Finn?" Kurt cried in exasperation. "What are you doing here?"
"Um, your dad wants you." Finn lied.
Kurt sighed heavily. "I'll be right back," he informed Blaine and passed Finn.
"Hey," Finn greeted with a smile, still standing at the foot of the stairs.
"Hey, I'm Blaine," The uniformed boy introduced himself, standing and crossing the room to offer Finn a handshake.
Finn grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Finn." He had never actually met Blaine, he had only heard about him from Kurt. He knew that he made Kurt happy and that he more than likely had a crush on Blaine.
"Yes. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you," Blaine smiled warmly.
"Yeah, you too," Finn said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I actually came here to ask you something." Finn took his silence as a go-ahead and continued. "You see, Kurt's been kinda down lately and I really just wanna make him smile. I know you make him happy so I was wondering if you had any ideas."
Blaine chuckled. "I think you know Kurt a lot better than me. Look, Kurt's told me all about your… antics. Just don't try so hard! Be yourself! Kurt adores you. Just be there for him."
Finn nodded. "Thanks," he smiled.
Kurt made his way down the stairs. "Finn, you're crazy. Dad had no idea what you were talking about."
"Oh, um, I'm sorry." Finn stammered. "See ya around," he told the pair and left the basement.
Blaine's advice was good, but it still didn't help Finn. He still wanted to make Kurt smile. He really didn't know what to do.
Monday was a slow day. Rachel was out of town with her dads, seeing some show on Broadway. She invited him, but he was honest with her and told her he'd probably just fall asleep so she left him behind. Suddenly though, Finn got the best idea for how to make Kurt smile.
Finn made sure to get to Glee Club rehearsal early to talk it out with Mr. Schue. Luckily, Mr. Schue was early too.
"Hey, Mr. Schue," Finn greeted as he walked in.
Mr. Schue diverted his attention from the sheet music he was reading over and saw the awkward teen in his doorway. "Oh hey, Finn. You're early. What's up?"
"I have a proposition to make," Finn smiled.
"Let's hear it."
"Kurt's been kinda depressed lately and I don't know why. I just really wanna make him smile. So, I was wondering if you could give him a solo. You know how much that would mean to him." Finn explained.
Mr. Schue smiled at the kind gesture. "Yeah, I think I can do that."
When everyone had arrived for Glee rehearsal, Mr. Schue called their attention. "Now, not that we don't all love Rachel –"
"I don't." Santana sneered from her seat in the back.
"But with her gone for the next couple days, we have a little more freedom. So, I was thinking we should start preparing for Sectionals. I want to showcase all of the talent we have. And that's why I'd love to give our friend, Kurt, the solo at Sectionals." Mr. Schue announced.
The entire Glee Club whooped and cheered but Kurt's face remained emotionless. "I'm flattered, Mr. Schue, but I really don't wanna risk assassination a la Rachel Berry."
"We can't let Rachel dictate the Glee Club's choices. We are a team." Mr. Schue stated.
"I think Mercedes should take the solo." Kurt offered. "She lost her chance last year."
"I'm all for that." Mercedes grinned. "We're gonna need some of my chocolate thunder if everything Kurt said about the Warblers is true."
Mr. Schue gave Finn a weary look. Finn simply nodded. If the solo wasn't going to make Kurt happy, there was no point in making him take it.
"Are you sure about this, Kurt?" Mr. Schue asked. Kurt quickly nodded, patting his friend on the shoulder. "Alright, Mercedes. Show us what you got."
Finn was baffled. How was he going to do this? He felt like he was totally running out of options. But then it came to him. The one thing he hadn't tried.
Mr. Schue was always telling them that music was the ultimate form of self-expression. That any feeling or situation can be explained through music. He knew what he had to do. He'd sing to Kurt.
Finn had ran the idea by Mr. Schue and together they came up with the perfect song to sing for Kurt. The next day, in Glee Club, Mr. Schue told everyone that Finn had a performance prepared.
Finn stepped in front of the class. "Kurt, this is for you. I know how upset you've been lately and I hope this will make you smile." Finn nodded to Brad and let the song begin.
"Smile again
Just smile again
I'll always be there for you
What can I do to make you smile again?
Just smile again"
This had to make Kurt feel better. If it didn't he didn't know what would. It didn't seem to be affecting Kurt much yet.
"I'd like to know what's on your mind
Because I see you crying all the time
I don't understand
Who'd wanna hurt your heart like this and
Cause you so much pain
Here's my shoulder
You can lean on me
I wanna see you happy"
The lyrics were scary accurate. It was like Usher had been eavesdropping on the Glee Club for the past month or so. That was why Finn thought it would make Kurt feel better, but his expression was stone cold. He looked more annoyed and embarrassed than flattered or happy.
"Just wanna see you smile
How can I ease the pain you feel?
What can I do to take the tears away?
Baby talk to me
Smile again for me yeah
Let me be the one
Let me be the one to make you smile
Smile again
Just smile again
I can show you
Just what it means to me
Please smile for me"
Finn finished the song and the Glee Club loudly applauded him. Finn knocked it out of the park.
"That was really great, Finn," Mr. Schue grinned. "Fantastic job."
"Thanks, Mr. Schue," Finn beamed, returning to his seat next to Kurt. "So what did you think?" he whispered.
"You did great," Kurt complimented in his best monotonous voice.
"Feel better?"
"Worse, actually," Kurt spat. "That was mortifying. You're bringing so much attention to this. I wish you would just leave me alone already. I'm not going to tell you what is upsetting me and you're not going to make me feel better. Give up, Finn." Kurt huffed.
Finn simply turned and stared forward blankly. What was he going to do? He refused to give up.
Finn was on the phone with Rachel that night, telling her about everything that was going on. He was so confused and he needed advice. As much as Rachel would hate to admit, she loved Kurt just as much as Finn did.
"Why don't you kiss him?" Rachel joked. "I always feel better when you do that."
Finn's jaw dropped. Maybe that was it. Kurt had always had a crush on him. He probably felt alone right now. As far as Finn knew, he had never been kissed. It was a little weird since they were gonna be brothers and all, but whatever it took.
Finn faked a laugh for Rachel. "Sure." he said sarcastically. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright."
"Love you, Rach," Finn smiled.
"Love you too."
For the second time that week, Finn rushed to Kurt's house, knocking urgently on the door. Burt answered again. "Oh hey, Finn. What are you doing here again?"
"Gotta talk to Kurt," Finn answered, pushing past Burt and making his way to Kurt's bedroom. He had to do this before he could talk himself out of it.
Finn got downstairs just as Kurt finished drying off his face after washing it. Kurt looked towards the noise he heard as Finn stomped down the stairs. "Finn," he sighed. "What do you want now?"
Finn took a deep breath and crossed the room, got down on his knees and grabbed Kurt's tender, chubby face in his hands.
"Finn! What are you –" Kurt got cut off by the impact of Finn's lips against his. How many gay kids have this happen to them twice in one month in high school? Kurt pushed against Finn's chest as Finn's tongue tried to dart into his mouth. "Finn!" Kurt shouted when Finn came up for air.
"What?" Finn asked breathlessly.
"What are you doing?" Kurt asked incredulously.
"I'm trying to make you feel better," Finn replied innocently.
"For God's sake, Finn!" Kurt exclaimed. "What in the hell gave you the idea what kissing me would make me feel better?"
"I don't know," Finn admitted. "I was getting desperate. Please tell me what's wrong." he begged.
Kurt sighed. "If I tell you, you can't tell anyone. Okay?" Finn quickly nodded. "Karofsky kissed me."
"What?" Finn nearly screamed. "When?"
"A few weeks ago. I guess he's having trouble coming out of the closet and he's jealous that I'm so open and confident about my sexuality."
"That's no excuse! That asshole! I'm going to rip him!" Finn growled.
"No, Finn. If anyone can say that violence isn't the answer, it's me." Kurt sighed.
Finn got up from his knees and began pacing back and forth. "I can't believe this! How dare he? He's such a hypocrite! That's the right word, right?" Kurt nodded and he continued to rant. "I mean, seriously! If he thinks that he can mess with my family, then he has something coming." Finn turned to Kurt. "You are my brother. We may not be related by blood, but we're related in all the ways that count. I love you, man. Karofsky is never gonna mess with you again after I'm done with him." He started pacing again, hands in the pockets of his football jacket.
Kurt beamed. Finn and Kurt had thought of each other as brothers for a while now, but they had never told each other "I love you." Kurt felt so accepted and loved and happy.
"Finn?" he called. The tall boy stopped in his tracks and turned towards his smaller friend. Kurt got up from his seat and hugged him. "I love you too," he told him with the biggest smile he had ever worn.
Finn quickly wrapped his arms around him. "I made you smile," he whispered.
Kurt nodded into his shoulder. "And you didn't even try."
AN: Hehe, I hope you guys liked that. The beginning is a little weak, but oh well. R&R!
Prompt: Five times Finn tried to make Kurt smile and it didn't work and one time he made Kurt smile unintentionally.