Title: Brother-in-Training
Author: Elizabeth Wilde ()
Rating: PG
Pairing: vague Finn/Kurt (Kinn) if you squint - mostly just gen/friendship
Summary: "No, see, it was... like.. slapping. With lips. That's not kissing."
Spoilers: Through "Never Been Kissed"
Genre: friendship, general
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any Glee characters. I am making no money from this, just enjoying myself.
Distribution: My site at http:/www.biteyourtongue.net/wilde
Author's Notes: This is sort of AU. I'm saying Kurt & Finn's parents had already found them a new house, so they're all living together in a nice middle class neighborhood. So domestic!
Normally Finn didn't go into Kurt's room. He considered it his future step brother's domain. A man needed his own space. Plus he didn't want to track in mud. Again. Kurt could be a little bitchy on a good day. A day when Finn made brown tracks across his white rug was not a good day.
Besides, after all the times Kurt had tried to put the moves on him, he wasn't sure he wanted to get too close to the other teen's bed. Their status as impending relatives meant that Finn felt extra protective of whatever friendship was slowly blooming between them. He didn't want to do something stupid and mess it up when their parents were so happy. The sound of sobbing from inside, however, changed Finn's course quickly from going to get a snack to knocking on Kurt's door. Chips and dip could wait. "Hey... uh, can I come in?"
He heard a muffled, snuffling reply from inside and took it as a yes. He pushed the door open and found Kurt curled up on the bed hugging his pillow. For a second he was tempted to turn and run. It was hard enough dealing with Rachel when she got weepy. He had absolutely no idea what to do with Kurt. Instead of giving in to the urge to flee, Finn pushed himself forward and sat on the edge of the bed. "Hey... what's up?" Kurt sniffled again and buried his face against the pillow. It was then that Finn saw he wasn't just crying, he was shaking. Startled and more worried by the second, Finn offered, "Hey... look, it's okay. Whatever it is, we'll fix it, okay?"
"You can't," Kurt answered, face still pressed against the pillow. The words were muffled but clear. "Karofsky... he... nevermind."
"No, not nevermind. Tell me." Whatever Karofsky had done, he would pound the guy until he passed out, then wake him up, then pound him again. Finn was surprised by the anger that rose within him at the idea of the jock doing more than a little shoving. Not that it was okay that he did that much. He spared a second to kick himself for not stepping in, for being a bad brother-in-training and not looking out for Kurt when he should have been first in line to kick the jock's ass.
Kurt hesitated and seemed to consider once again just blowing it off, but finally he sat up and managed, "He kissed me." The other boy's face was flushed from crying and his eyes still shone with unshed tears, but he seemed bound and determined to maintain some sort of dignity.
Finn's brow furrowed as his brain tried to process the idea let alone the reality. "What-"
"It... it was my first kiss." The way Kurt's voice cracked made Finn's stomach clench. He sounded absolutely defeated, nothing like the flamboyant, confident young man he was used to. The forcefully squared shoulders slumped again, and Kurt's face crumpled. "He just... just..."
That did it. Finn threw his arms around Kurt and pulled him into a bear hug that didn't show any hesitation at all. He felt bad for having waited that long to do so. "Kurt, man, I'm so sorry." The sobs that shook Kurt's shoulders were muffled against his shoulder now, but Finn didn't feel like running away as much anymore. He just wanted to be sure that Kurt was okay. "But, hey, it's... I mean, it isn't like it was a real kiss."
Kurt shook his head without actually moving away. "But he-"
"No, see, it was... like.. slapping. With lips. That's not kissing," Finn protested. He was proud of himself for the logic involved.
Kurt drew back, somehow managing to look distressed, depressed and incredulous all at the same time. He opened his mouth but stopped when he saw the look of absolute joy on Finn's face at having, in his own estimation, figured the whole thing out. Instead he took a steadying breath and nodded once. "Well... you may have a point."
The look of relief on Finn's face was comical. He grinned and gave Kurt's shoulder a friendly shake. "Yeah! So you totally haven't had your first kiss yet. It'll be awesome," he added with enthusiasm.
That broke up any attempt at remaining serious, and Kurt choked out a laugh. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I am, dude. Totally sure. It'll be, like, romantic. Candles and stuff," he assured, suddenly wide-eyed and solemn.
Kurt reached out and gave Finn's hand a quick squeeze. "Thank you, Finn. I'm sure you're right. I deserve candles at the very least."
"Totally."
Again Kurt sat up straight and carefully wiped his eyes. "Now, get out. If I'm going to salvage my face for tomorrow, it's going to take some work."
"Oh, sure." Finn bounced up, heading for the door only to pause at the threshold and offer Kurt a lopsided smile. "So am I doing good?"
Utterly baffled, Kurt's brow furrowed. "Good at what exactly?" he asked warily.
"At being a brother, dude. Am I, like, getting better at it?"
Kurt nodded his affirmation as he worked to smooth the wrinkles from his shirt. "You're wonderful at it, Finn. Thank you."
Finn's face lit up. "Cool!" He ducked out, then pushed the door open again a second later. "Um, I'm gonna have some chips and stuff and watch TV. You want to come? When you're done with," he gestured to his face to indicate Kurt's rather stringent routine.
After a second to consider, Kurt smiled his agreement. "I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Cool!" Finn echoed before shutting the door again. He was definitely getting the hang of this.