A/N: Hey guys! I'm finally here with new fic! This particular story was written for the Kurt Hummel Big Bang Fall 2014, and I was lucky enough to collaborate with both frumiousme who made an awesome fanmix and riverance who made the beautiful cover art. :D The link to the fanmix is on my profile as well as links to the blogs of both wonderful artists. It was truly a pleasure to work on this fic with these talented individuals (and of course my beta and a great friend and second beta), and I hope you enjoy the finished product!
The funny thing about growing older was that Kurt never really felt very different. Sure, he had grown an inch or two over the past year and lost some baby fat, but he still felt like the same Kurt, the Kurt who sang in the glee club and consistently begged his father to raise his allowance so that he could keep his wardrobe up to date. The same boy who had never grown out of his love for a certain book series about a famous boy wizard.
He didn't think it was anything to be ashamed of, but it wasn't something he needed to flaunt. The last thing he needed was yet another reason for bullies to target him at school.
So when he woke up bright and early on his sixteenth birthday, it felt like any other ordinary Saturday. That is, until his dad entered his room with an almost mischievous expression on his face, holding a small box behind his back.
"Happy birthday, kiddo," he said gruffly. "Get up. I have a surprise for you, and I can't wait much longer."
Kurt couldn't help but smile, feeling the excitement radiating from his father. He quickly threw the covers off himself and scrambled out of bed.
Having a late May birthday definitely had its perks. There were only a few weeks of school remaining, the weather was generally nice, and Kurt always had the entire summer to revel in whatever milestone change, if any, he reached at his current new age. This year, after months of driving lessons with an instructor, Kurt was getting his license. It was kind of a big deal.
But he had no idea that he would be taking his driver's test behind the wheel of...
"An Escalade? Oh my god, Dad! It's - you're - this is crazy! I love it!" Kurt blurted out, wrapping his arms around his father and squeezing him tightly. When he let go, he was still squirming in excitement.
"Hurry up and get yourself together. Your driver's test's at noon. I know you're gonna want to show off your new baby and spend some time with your friends," Burt said, tossing the keys to Kurt. He stood there staring at them in his palm in complete awe for a moment before closing his fingers over them and looking back up at the vehicle in the driveway. It was huge, and he couldn't believe his dad had bought him something so nice. He knew he had connections from owning the tire shop in the neighborhood, but he must have really had to pull some strings for this one.
Kurt realized he had been standing outside in his pajamas with sleep-tousled hair for all the neighborhood to see, so he quickly rushed back into the house to ready himself for the day. He hurried through his morning routine in his impatience and nervous excitement. Sixteen was a good age, a great new place to be in his life. The world was gradually opening up to him, and Kurt Hummel had no doubt that he would take it by storm.
He just needed to make sure he could parallel park the monster of a vehicle in between the cones without casualties. Then the world was his for the taking.
-s-
When Kurt returned home from the DMV, thin hunk of shiny new plastic with his face on it in hand, his ticket to freedom, there was a small package on the doorstep. Burt leaned down and picked it up, examining the shipping label, and then held it out toward Kurt.
"It's from your aunt." But Burt still seemed a bit baffled and scratched his head before handing it over. "Happy birthday, Kurt," he said for the third time that day. Burt couldn't help it. His only son was growing up, and he was so proud of the man he was becoming. "I'm gonna make lunch. Go ahead and bring that inside. You can open it, eat, and then head over to pick up Rachel and Mercedes. Just be safe on the road, and be home before curfew. Today's your day."
He carried the package into the house, following behind his dad, and then sat down at the table. As he held it in his hands, Kurt noticed that the box was long, thin, and relatively light. Kurt couldn't imagine what it could be and refrained from shaking it, knowing that that never told a person much of anything about mystery contents of a box - unless it happened to be a puzzle, of course. Considering the shape and weight and the sheer fact that that would be a terrible gift, Kurt was certain it wasn't a puzzle, and he carefully tore open the overwrap, lifting the flap of the box inside.
When he saw the Warner Brothers logo, a grin stretched wide across his face as he quickly removed all the packaging to reveal a Harry Potter wand prop replica.
"This is so cool," he said, wrapping his fingers around the handle and lifting it out of its casing into the air before him. He couldn't remember telling anyone that he had wanted one, secretly wishing and praying that he could somehow find the money to fly to Orlando and spend a day or two in Wizarding World where he would secure one, but he figured that he hadn't needed to say anything. He was sure most of his family knew of his obsession, having caught him at many a family function with one of the books or sneaking away to read in his room.
Burt looked over and laughed. "That's pretty neat. Just like the movie, eh?"
"Yeah. I'm going to go put it away in my room for now. I'll be right back." And Kurt set the toy back into the box, closed it, rose from his seat at the table, hurried down the stairs to his basement bedroom, and placed it on his bed. He would come back to it later and figure out where he would keep it, maybe rig up a wall display of some sort.
After a quick, light lunch, Kurt grabbed the keys to his new baby which he hadn't let out of his sight since he got it, and climbed into the vehicle on his way to show it off. The girls were going to be extremely jealous, but he was sure that they'd like the idea of him chauffeuring them around when they wanted to go to the mall or possibly even carpool to school.
In a few short minutes, Kurt navigated the neighborhood, and then Rachel and Mercedes were in the car, babbling incessantly about how insane his dad must be.
"I guess this is your sweet sixteen, then," Rachel said. "You absolutely refused a party, so your dad made up for it with this. My dads would never buy me such a lavish gift." She proceeded to mess around with buttons and knobs on the dashboard and then ran her fingers over the window switch on the door.
"This ride is pretty fabulous, Kurt," Mercedes said, leaning forward between the two front seats.
"I know," he admitted. "I'm kinda scared to take it too many places. Speaking of, where did you guys want to go? I was thinking...is the Lima Bean okay for you two?"
"Of course," Rachel said, answering for both of them. "I bet you'll feel all grown up driving your new car and drinking coffee."
"I've always wanted to see what all the hype was about since all the upperclassmen hang out there," Mercedes said, looking at Kurt through the rearview mirror from the back seat. "They must have some really good cheesecake or something."
"Which would be perfect for celebrating Kurt's birthday!" Rachel said, beaming and clasping her hands together.
Kurt switched his blinker on as they approached the entrance to the parking lot outside the building. "You know me so well, Rachel Berry. And I hope you're right, Mercedes, because I could definitely go for a slice."
They pulled into the parking lot, and Kurt was careful to park away from other cars because he didn't fully trust himself or others yet. He set the gearshift in park and killed the engine before the three of them hopped out and made their way into the small coffee shop.
When they entered and looked around, they saw that the shop wasn't very busy, but there were still a few kids here and there, sipping drinks or just sitting around the tables deep in conversation or goofing around or flirting and throwing crumpled up straw wrappers at each other.
The short line leading to the register soon tapered off, and when it was their turn, they stepped up to the counter to order. Kurt looked up at the menu on the wall and was unsure of what to get, having never really ordered from a place like this before. This was the first time he was aware that there were so many different types of coffee drinks and not just the stuff his father brewed and left in the pot every morning.
"Can I help you?" the barista asked, and Kurt turned his gaze forward. She had a kind face and wasn't trying to be pushy, but Kurt felt bad that he was holding up the line that began to form behind him.
"I, uh, I'll have a -"
One of the baristas came over from the back and said something to the other, too quiet for Kurt to catch. "Oh! Are you Kurt? They just told me that someone already ordered something for you," she said, shrugging her shoulders at the bemused expression on Kurt's face that followed.
"Wha -? Huh? For -? Who?" Kurt spluttered.
"It was a nice gentleman who ordered earlier. Didn't leave a name, but asked for us to make a nonfat mocha for a boy named Kurt - said you'd have blue eyes, be well-dressed, and sporting a hippo head brooch." She tapped the accessory displayed on the left breast of his vest with the pen in her hand. "Claimed it was your birthday."
"It is," Kurt said, utterly baffled. "I have no idea who could have done that." He looked to Rachel and Mercedes for an answer. A wide-eyed Rachel shrugged, and Mercedes just frowned and shook her head. Could it have been his dad? But Kurt wondered how he would have known he was coming here and if he had mentioned wanting to recently.
"Wasn't us, Kurt. Besides, they said it was a guy," Mercedes said.
"So?" the barista cut in. "What size do you want? It's already been paid for."
"I guess, wow, okay..." He squinted at the sizes on the menu board. "I guess I'll take a grande then."
"Happy birthday," the one guy said as he handed Kurt his drink a few minutes later, and Kurt felt a blush rise all the way up his neck and into his cheeks and ears. It really was turning out to be an interesting and special birthday after all, if not also a tad eerie.
Once they had all claimed their drink orders, Rachel led them to a table by the front window, a spot she claimed was perfect for people watching. They slid the chairs out and took a seat.
"You seem to have a secret admirer, Kurt," Rachel said, squirming excitedly in her seat.
"But I don't know anyone in here," Kurt replied, glancing around. He blew on his drink and then hesitantly took a sip. "Mm! Oh, my god. This is perfect," he said, his eyes closing for a moment as the bittersweet, steaming beverage rolled over his tongue and down his throat.
"Well whoever ordered that drink must know something about you," Mercedes said.
"It's just really strange," Kurt said, taking another sip. He set the cup down on the table. "It was probably my dad. It couldn't really be anyone else. I must have mentioned wanting to come here in passing. It was a very nice gesture though. I'll have to thank him when I get home."
His eyes scanned the assortment of people crowded around the tables in the small shop, allowing himself to entertain the fantasy of a secret admirer and ponder who his mystery guy could possibly be.
Then Kurt's eyes locked on a dark-haired boy seated off in the corner who was speaking animatedly with two other boys. The boy would bow his head, almost bashful, every time his friends seemed to be telling a joke, and his body shook as he laughed softly. Kurt couldn't take his eyes off him, realizing certain things about him such as the way his thick, dark eyelashes fluttered, the way the corners of his eyes crinkled up when he smiled, the stately way he held himself as he sat there. He seemed so out of place in a drab small town like Lima.
If only he was his mystery coffee guy, Kurt thought. No, that was just wishful thinking, hoping that the first hot guy he noticed in the place just happened to be his guy. Then he realized how ridiculous it was to entertain any of those thoughts. He had never seen the boy in his life, and, clearly, the coffee guy had to be someone who knew him and at the least knew his name.
Kurt turned back to Rachel and Mercedes, catching back up with their conversation, the topic of which had turned to glee club, a subject Rachel could talk about for extended periods of time.
As Kurt sat there silently listening, his mind wandering as he finished his coffee, he felt eyes on him, and he tried to inconspicuously glance around the room. When his eyes found the dark-haired boy from earlier, he was met this time with a pair of bright golden, smoldering eyes.
Kurt's heart began to race, and he swallowed nervously, trying hard to look away. Then the boy smiled, shook his head, and turned back around toward his friends. Kurt blinked hard and snapped his head back toward the girls, a blush rising under his skin as he redirected his gaze to the tabletop. He must have been imagining it. There was no way that had actually happened, and Rachel and Mercedes were now in a heated discussion, too preoccupied to witness any of the exchange, albeit wordless, but filled with meaning.
No, he was being silly again. He shook his head and chuckled quietly at himself. Rachel looked up and glared at him, crossing her arms.
"What, Kurt? You think my idea is funny? I, for one, thought it was a brilliant song choice for Sectionals in the fall."
"No, Rachel. I wasn't laughing at you. It was nothing." Kurt drained the last few drops of his coffee, shook it gently, and set the now empty cup back down with a sense of finality. He took in a deep breath and rose from his chair. "Are you two ready to get out of here?"
"Yes, please," Mercedes answered, rolling her eyes and following his lead. They pushed in their chairs, hearing the wooden legs scrape across the floor, and made a trip to the trashcan to toss their cups.
"I'm not ready to go home yet, but we could hit up the mall. I think we are due for a shopping trip, and, besides, I need to do something with the money and gift cards I very recently acquired," Kurt said.
"Oh! Yes! And you can pick out your birthday present while we're there," Rachel said. "My dads gave me the credit card." She slid her arm into Kurt's linking them. Kurt offered his other arm to Mercedes who gladly took it with a smile, and together they practically skipped out of the coffee shop like Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz crew down the Yellow Brick Road, laughing as they went.