This story is set at the end of Kurt's first semester at Dalton Academy. For all intents and purposes the boys are in the same grade and have just finished their junior year. Please leave a quick review with your thoughts on the story, it will be much appreciated.
Kurt's junior year was over. He'd survived a semester buried under homework at Dalton and couldn't even remember what it felt like to have a slushie slap him in the face. It was safe to say he could hear his wardrobe shouting praise for their new stain-free existence.
He'd made quite a few friends, but none of them affected him as much as Blaine. Even his fellow Warblers had noticed their chemistry, but Kurt admired from afar as he always did and Blaine remained clueless.
A clunking noise roused Kurt from his thoughts. Blaine was lugging a terribly overstuffed suitcase down the stairs of the Dalton dormitories and was having trouble keeping it from toppling over. He stopped beside Kurt to catch his breath,
"You'd think after two years of boarding school I'd know how to pack properly but it seems I've just gotten worse." He poked the suitcase with the toe of his polished shoe, "And that's the smallest one."
Kurt hugged his binder of music from glee club to his chest, "I had to get Wes to zip my suitcase up while I was sitting on it; I totally empathise."
The boys felt the silence wash over them like ice. Blaine tilted his head towards the front door of the building before shooting Kurt a quick smile and continuing to drag his suitcase behind him. Kurt sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. It wasn't like they didn't know what to say to each other, they were the best of friends; they just didn't want to say goodbye. After living under each other's noses for six months, winter break had sounded like an eternity. They had survived that with daily calls and multiple text messages between; but now they were faced with three whole months apart. As far as Kurt knew, Blaine was spending the summer basking on some gorgeous beach in Greece with his family while Kurt himself was going back to Lima. His family couldn't afford to go on a vacation now that he was boarding at Dalton, which made him feel guilty no matter how much his father, Finn and Carole tried to tell him they didn't care.
As Kurt turned to return to his room, David caught his elbow,
"Hey, you and Blaine coming to the dorm party tonight?"
Kurt shrugged half-heartedly, "I guess."
It annoyed him how everyone always spoke of him and Blaine as a couple. They weren't a couple and always being asked you-and-Blaine-this and you-and-Blaine-that only reinforced the fact that he couldn't have him as anything but a mentor and friend.
David clapped Kurt on the shoulder and let him continue up to his room on the second floor. It was an elegant room with beige walls and timber accents, just like the rest of the school. It wasn't particularly large, but he had a double bed, a desk and a wardrobe with a floor length mirror and that was all Kurt needed.
He placed his folder down and stepped around his mountain of luggage to the window. Many of the boys had brought their cars around to the dormitory to load their belongings, one boy in particular catching Kurt's eye.
Blaine was absentmindedly singing along with the music on his car stereo as he and Wes unceremoniously wedged his belongings into the back seat.
"You really can't help yourself can you?" Kurt whispered as he leaned on the windowsill and felt the cool summer breeze caress his face.
You remind me of August
The way that I still care about
All the things that you promised
When I was still around
Pick you up and drive you down
A few Warblers who knew the song came outside and began singing as well. This was one of the many reasons Kurt loved Dalton; it wasn't uncommon for a harmony to break out at any moment.
We are the same blood
All of us, we are, we are
While half of us were lost
The others half forgot
We are the same blood
The group faded out at the end of the chorus and a few boys exchanged high fives before dispersing. Kurt noticed that Blaine was no longer at his car, so he turned away from the window and was met with worried hazel eyes.
"You okay? You weren't singing with us."
"I am absolutely fantastic Blaine. I can't wait to get home and eat myself to death. Finn will have candy everywhere and I'll get so bored that I'll eat and eat until I look like Jabba the Hutt. You'll have to knock a wall down just to roll me back into the building next semester."
Blaine laughed; Kurt could be such a drama queen sometimes. He sat on the bed and patted the mattress beside him, motioning for Kurt to sit with him.
"It's about this summer isn't it?" He raised an eyebrow when Kurt shook his head, "I know your parents spent their savings so you could board here, but you shouldn't feel so guilty. They wouldn't have done it if they didn't want to. Would you rather still be at McKinley and doing what you do every summer?"
Kurt shrugged, "I would rather be here. I'm going to miss you though. Three months is a long time... What if we change? You're going to Greece after all."
"There is nothing wrong with change if it is in the right direction." Blaine smiled. He nudged Kurt's shoulder with his own before standing, "I have to run a few errands, but I'll see you at the party tonight yeah?"
"I've already confirmed our attendance with Wes so if you bail I'll spray bleach on your sweatervest collection."
Blaine let his jaw drop in amplified shock, "You wouldn't! Kurt Hummel you are despicable!"
The boys shared a quick hug before heading in opposite directions down the hallway. Kurt could still feel the warmth that Blaine's smile created within him and wondered when exactly he'd fallen in love.
ooo
"I know I said I'd be home tonight, but we're having an end of year party at the dorms. I promised I would be there."
Burt groaned on the other end of the phone, "Kurt, you know we already made a reservation at Breadstix. Finn's really looking forward to it. You can bring Blaine along if you like."
"Dad, we can go to Breadstix every day this summer, but this is the last time I'm going to see any of my friends for months!"
"What about Blaine? Wes? David? Darien? I'm sure you can visit them during the summer."
Kurt sighed, knowing his father wasn't going to budge, "Not unless you want to send me to Greece, Hawaii, Vanuatu or California. Look, I'll go to the party to say goodbye to everyone then drive straight home okay? I'll be back in time to go to Finn's beloved Breadstix."
Kurt turned to close his door, in case anyone in the hallway could hear him losing his temper, and came face to face with Blaine yet again. He was leaning against the doorframe with his hands crossed over his chest, and had changed from his uniform into jeans and a thin white t-shirt. A knowing smirk graced his lips, and he gestured for Kurt to pass him the phone before winking at him and closing the door. What was he saying to Kurt's father that he wasn't allowed to hear?
Ten minutes passed and Blaine finally opened the door, holding Kurt's phone out to him,
"Your dad invited me to dinner tonight. If it's alright by you of course. I'm not really in the mood to party with the guys; early flight tomorrow and all."
Kurt smiled a little more enthusiastically than he'd intended, but it didn't really matter when Blaine was beaming just as much. As casually as he could, Kurt linked elbows with Blaine and desperately tried to prevent himself from blushing. He had dealt with six months of Blaine's touchiness, but it never seemed to affect him any less.
They entered the common room just as the football team were taking turns inhaling helium.
"Hey! Hey! That's for the balloons! Justin Hennessey, I swear on my life that if you take one more breath of helium I will hold your mouth on the nozzle until you pass out!" David warned from atop a ladder in the far corner of the room. He attached the last of the streamers to the ceiling and threw the roll of tape at the shaggy haired brunette. Justin squeaked, rubbing the back of his head,
"Ow! David, stop being such a dick!"
The group of rowdy boys in the room erupted into laughter at the sound of Justin's voice, which attracted more attention from outside. Kurt and Blaine ignored the trivialities, instead wading through the squawking mass towards David and a boy with a mop of mousey brown curls past his shoulders.
"Darien, I see you still haven't had that hair cut your father paid you to get."
Kurt smiled fondly at the mischievous sparkle in Darien's hazel eyes. His father was an ex-army officer and detested any hairstyle other than a buzz-cut, so naturally Darien refused to cut his hair. He shook his head a little, letting his hair settle around his face like a mane and laughed,
"I slicked it back with enough gel to fill a swimming pool and sent him a photo. Now he's happy and I have a hundred dollars to go towards our –"
Darien cut himself short as Blaine jerked a hand to his lips. They were hiding something and Kurt knew it. He was about to ask Blaine what the big secret was when Wes pushed through the now crowded common room and leaned on his shoulder,
"You ready to party hard fellas?"
He saw the distant expressions on Kurt and Blaine's faces and crossed his arms, "You are coming tonight, aren't you?"
Again, Blaine came to Kurt's rescue and explained the family dinner situation. Once he mentioned Burt's shotgun, Wes agreed that a party was the last place Kurt should have been that night.
Kurt clapped his hands together and grinned, but the sadness in his eyes was obvious to his friends, "I'm going to miss you all so much. A whole summer with Finn is going to be torturous. Especially if he has Puck, Sam and Mike over as much as he used to. You better bring me souvenirs from your adventures abroad!"
Darien jumped forward and pulled Kurt into a crushing hug, his hair enveloping both their faces, "Cheer up man, at least you're going to keep your beautiful complexion. I'm going to fry in Cali and I wouldn't be surprised if Blaine comes back browner than David!"
From beneath Darien's hair he could hear Blaine, David and Wes laughing and couldn't help but hold onto his friend a little tighter to savour the moment. Darien was one of the first boys that had spoken to Kurt when he'd joined the Warblers and had instantly become one of his closest friends at Dalton. They frequently practiced their vocal and dance routines together; as Darien wasn't the best of dancers, and in return for Kurt's help, he provided a confidential outlet for Kurt's troubles. In the beginning it had been simple things like talking about how much he missed New Directions, but over time Kurt had begun to tell Darien things he hadn't even told Mercedes. Things like the time he was looking for his Chemistry class and ended up in the showers listening to Blaine singing after a soccer match.
Kurt pulled away and wiped his eyes, "This is ridiculous, I have to go. Dad will have another heart attack if we're late." He gave David and Wes a quick hug, "I hope you guys have a fantastic summer."
They smirked and exchanged a discreet fist-bump, "Oh, we will Kurt, we will."
Songs featured: Same Blood – The Academy Is...
Quotes: "There is nothing wrong with change if it is in the right direction" - Winston Churchill.
If you'd like to suggest a song or quote or something for me to work into the story, feel free to let me know. Just tell me who you'd like to sing/say it and I'll see what I can do!