This story is inspired by (but not based on) spookyclaire's "The boy with the laser pointer" which you can find on her tumblr – spookyclaire. Just thought I'd put it out there in the spirit of honesty. I started writing it after reading the first part of it. :) I hope you'll enjoy it!
Part 1
Kurt eyes the kid sitting at the courtyard corner table. He's never seen him before. He must be a new student. He's just sitting there, legs pulled up into a pretzel position, and his back straight as he played with the muffin in his hands, sometimes tearing a small bit and putting it carefully in his mouth. The boy looks straight ahead, not even phased by the bright light shining on his face, only occasionally looking towards a loud voice or a bark of laughter, someone running by, or a stray ball. From afar Kurt can't tell much beyond a strong jaw, thick eyebrows and a pleasant nose, but there is an obvious balance to his features that makes Kurt sure the boy was pretty hot.
Also gay.
Yeah. The boy screams gay.
It's probably the bright blue bowtie and the matching suspenders, over a crisp, immaculate white button-up shirt and dark denim shorts. It makes him look both like a kid and a teenager from another decade – maybe the fifties. One of his feet, clad in immaculate red Converse All Stars, is tapping away the rhythm to some song only he was privy to, and Kurt is surprised at how curious he is to know the song. He's even more surprised that he is curious about something that innocent rather than about how his lips would look stretched over his cock.
No.
With a sigh Kurt has to admit to himself he isn't surprised about that. At all. His friends might've been, had he told them, but he isn't.
It's been two years since he lost his virginity, in the back of his car (and wasn't that an embarrassing stain he'd had to lie about to his dad), and yet the fact that he doesn't even remember the name – Devin? Daniel? Dylan? – is what disappoints him more than anything (more than the fact that the boy in question hadn't ever called back, more than the fact that it hadn't been all that it was cracked up to be, and more than the fact that, yes, he really was that much of cliché and lost his virginity on the backseat of a car). Since then there had been numerous anonymous faces – as many as Lima, Ohio has to offer as far as gay appropriately aged men goes (ok, maybe there was one or two older encounters which had taught Kurt that age does not always mean experience).
He'd thought he'd want that – casual, easy, unattached, even anonymous –, but even after two years of only that he can't help the empty, hollow feeling it always leaves behind. Of course his friends don't know that, because more than him having thought he wanted that at some point in his life, there is the fact that he did so because he was supposed to.
God forbid they find out he had actual fantasies about… relationships and maybe making love. So, as far as they're concerned, he'd loved casual hook ups, and he continues to love them.
That isn't to say Kurt wants to fall in love with the fifties boy over there. But he definitely isn't looking at him because he just wants to fuck him. He's looking because the boy looks cute in those clothes, even adorable, because he looks like he'll be nice to talk to, because he looks strangely peaceful and happy – because that is a change Kurt would very much welcome at this point in his life, even if he isn't ready to admit to anyone but himself –, and he is looking because he's curious – innocently curious (mostly).
Finally, Kurt flicks his finished cigarette and steps on it "Who's that?" he asks, jerking his head towards the boy.
Quinn shrugs "I don't know…" she mumbles "New kid? Probably… never seen him before."
"Me neither." Santana says with barely a glance over her shoulder "but he's oh so gay."
"I know, right?" Kurt smirks "See you guys later."
"I'm not sure pink hair, leather jacket and combat boots are his type…" Santana drawls, giving Kurt a lingering look.
"Because bowties and suspenders are mine? Who cares? He looks hot. In a nerdy kind of way… And he's probably a virgin. I've never fucked a virgin – it must be hot." he lies seamlessly "So. See you later, ladies."
Their laughter trails after him as he walks away from them and towards the boy, his handsome face all the more clear as he steps closer, and all the more handsome, too.
When Kurt is barely two yards away the boy cocks his head a little, eyebrows knitting a together and bottom lip disappearing between his teeth, as he turns his head ever so slightly in Kurt's direction, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
It confuses Kurt that the boy won't look right at him. Anyone else would – actually anyone else would've just stared. Either that or flat out ignore him. But they usually look. Especially when he's this close, and his pink, spiked up hair, and his leather jacket are unmistakable.
But not this boy, not until Kurt is right up there – less than four feet away – hands in his pockets and trying not to look too confused or, god forbid, upset over the cold shoulder. Still, for some reason, he can't help taking one hand out of his pocket and scratching the back of his neck, trying, at the very least, to look relaxed about it.
That's when the boy does turn his head all the way towards Kurt – he's got his hair gelled back with what Kurt think is a little bit too much product, but it sort of suits him, in his own nerdy, preppy kind of way.
His eyes are bright and searching, and Kurt takes another step forward just so he can make sure they're as lovely as they look. Yes, they're a perfect shade of hazel, practically golden as the sunshine lights them up. He's got a sort of confused look about him, apprehensive, too – well, Kurt wouldn't blame him… most people were apprehensive about Kurt approaching them, too – before he looked away, ducking his head, and finally releasing his lower lip with a nervous smile and saying a timid "Hi…?"
"Hi!" Kurt says "I'm Kurt." Kurt says with a self-contained smile, and then adds in a tone of slight indifference "So, I've never seen you here before… Are you new?"
"Yes, yeah, yeah I am." The boy mumbles out and Kurt chuckles at how nervous he sounds, but then the boy is taking a deep breath and shaking his head to himself before adding, with a glance in Kurt's direction "My name is Blaine, by the way, and I was just sitting here hoping that someone would come by and prove to me that McKinley High has a better welcoming committee than a seriously challenged Principal and a freakishly nervous student counselor." Blaine smiles, looking almost relieved as Kurt chuckles, and adds "So, do tell, are you my actual welcoming committee?" he asks with a nervous smirk and another glance towards Kurt.
Kurt's never been called anything close to welcoming – mostly because he's not exactly warm, or nice, or… well, welcoming. But something about Blaine fascinates him and makes him want to say yes. "Well, I'm not sure you can make a committee out of one single person, and I doubt most people would think of welcoming as a descriptor for me, but I'll take what I can get, Blaine."
The boy's smile grows wider and he turns to face Kurt fully, for the first time, and Kurt doesn't have time to consider how there's something wrong about the way the boy's eyes seem to be focusing on his shoulder rather than his face, - can someone really be that shy? - because a hand stretches out a chocolate muffin and he asks "Would you like some?"
"Humm…" Kurt frowns, amused at the half eaten cake "Actually, yes…" he says, stepping forward as Blaine breaks the remaining muffin into two parts and offers one to Kurt. Their fingers brush as Kurt takes it and maybe that's just his imagination running wild but it feels a little like Blaine chases his fingers "Thanks." He says.
"No problem." Blaine shrugs.
They stay silent for a few minutes, quietly chewing the cake – and Blaine's continuing his little game of playing with it more than eating it, while staring at the courtyard in front of him.
Kurt's finished with his part before Blaine's even halfway through, but it's still the new boy who speaks first.
"So, if you're not my official welcoming committee – and you'd be surprised at how many schools I've been to have had honest to god welcoming committees for students that were made of students, and it was just usually super awkward, so… anyway – if you're not that… can I ask you why you came over, or are you just that fond of chocolate muffins?" he finishes with a playful grin.
"I do enjoy a good pastry once in a while." Kurt nods, and as he contemplates a better answer he gestures towards the rest of the bench where Blaine's sitting "Can I sit here?"
"Sure!" Blaine smiles and scoots over, hand reaching out to grab the other edge of the seat and pull himself toward it.
"Thanks." Kurt mutters as he sits, and pulls one leg up, to tuck his combat boot clad foot under his other leg, and holds his knee "I don't know, honestly. I saw you from across the courtyard and… I just thought 'hey, there's a cute guy I've never seen before, let's go talk to him!'" Kurt shrugs, trying to keep everything from his face to his voice cool.
He looks over to find Blaine ducking his head and blushing, and biting his lip – but he's smiling, so it's probably ok, Kurt figures. Blaine chews on his lip a moment longer before taking a deep breath and pulling his lips into the same nervous smirk from before, like he's trying to be cheeky but he's not quite there yet, and says "Cute guy, huh?"
Kurt smirks, wishing the guy would just stop playing so coy, so he could actually look him in the eye and not feel like he was having a conversation with the whole courtyard, or something. "Well, if you ignore the bowtie and the suspenders…"
Blaine's smile doesn't even falter and he chuckles as he asks "What? You don't like them?" his fingers come to touch at the bowtie, gently outlining it.
And now Kurt kind of wants to backpedal because, when you really take it all in, it does look adorable even if a little dorky. Of course, Kurt's not exactly supposed to be into adorable and dorky, but… if anyone asks, he's just trying to get into tight little virgin pants. That thought alone makes him shudder, though. "If I said I did my reputation would be ruined, so let's stick to an inconclusive answer like it's not just anyone that can pull off a bowtie and suspenders…"
"And I can?" Blaine looks at him, eyebrows raised in hopefulness and eyes a little lost and searching.
"Like I said, Blaine, my reputation's at stake here…" Kurt teases, giving him a wink.
Blaine frowns only a little before looking back ahead and Kurt whishes he could just ask him not to "And what exactly is your reputation, Mr. Cigarette smell?" Blaine only glances this time, with a quirked eyebrow before he pops some chocolate muffin into his mouth and adds "Those are really bad for you, by the way. Worse than the dorkiness of bowties and suspenders, I fear."
Kurt chuckles, more out of habit than anything – he's gotten used to people telling him he should quit (actually no, he hasn't, he's just stopped talking to most of the people who don't smoke, which is actually quite limiting, but also a relief in a lot of ways: less expectations to live up to, and less opinions to give a shit about) "I've heard the tales before, but thanks for the concern."
"It's not just concern, though." Blaine says with a teasing smirk, almost all traces of nervousness hidden (but still very much there) "I don't think this is going to work out between us if you're going to smell like that, or god forbid, taste like that." Blaine shoots him a self-satisfied smirk and then looking ahead with his chin held high like he's so proud of himself, like he's maybe thinking that he's done it! He's managed to be cheeky to the bad kid with the pink hair and the combat boots.
Kurt laughs at how adorable it is (again, if anyone asks, he's just trying to get laid) and is surprised to find there's actually a small part of him that wants to say 'ok, I'll quit, then', but instead he shrugs and says "There's always breath mints, don't worry. I can even buy your favorite flavor." To which Blaine smiles, blushes and ducks his head, ripping another piece of cake and shyly putting it into his mouth, quickly losing all of his previous hard-worked cockiness. Kurt watches the way his lips graze the tips of his fingers. Blaine has really nice lips, too. They're plump, and red, and just the tiniest bit pouty – it must feel great kissing them.
Surprisingly though, Kurt actually wants to see them smile more than he wants to kiss them, so when they've fallen silent again for another few minutes, he tries to come up with something clever, or funny, or at the very least, flirty – because that seems to do the trick, too, with the added bonus of a blush.
But again, Blaine beats him to the punch and he prompts "You never did tell me about that reputation of yours."
"Oh." Kurt frowns "I thought it… was pretty obvious."
"How so?"
"Well, how many guys in leather jackets, combat boots and dyed hair, who smoke do you know to have the reputation of an upstanding student and citizen that would appreciate your bowtie?"
"Oh." Blaine frowned "I… I didn- I… Huh… Right. I just…"
"Blaine?" Kurt frowns, leaning forward and closer, considering putting a hand on his shoulder because Blaine's face is a deep shade of red, but the bashful smile is long gone and he's just frowning as he bites his lip and his eyes dance from spot to spot without ever focusing on anything, hands suddenly tearing the pastry to bits, loitering the ground, the bench, even his pants. "Did I… What's wrong?"
"Right" Blaine sighs"– huh- I'm blind…?" he cringes, glancing at Kurt in a way that Kurt didn't notice before wasn't exactly meant to see him more than it was to clarify that he was there and listening and a willing participant of a conversation "Like… My eyes don't work. I have… blind eyes. I'm blind."
"Right!" Kurt gasps, everything from the way Blaine just seems to always be staring into nothing in particular, to how he never actually looked Kurt in the eyes, suddenly made a lot of sense "Of course! I didn't, shit…!" he cursed "Fuck. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, it's ok…" Blaine said, his voice tentative and a little smaller, though "I won't blame you if you just… go… or whatever. So…"
"What?! No!" it's out of Kurt's mouth before he can even register what he said. Not that he regrets it. But the way it's so automatic is sufficient reason for concern – or at least it will be, when he's explaining all of this to the rest of the skanks.
"Kurt…" Blaine chuckled, but it was tinged with a little sadness, or resignation, maybe "Come on… I don't really need anyone's pity, or anything, so if you wanna go, just go. You obviously weren't expecting me to be blind when you said I was cute, and I promise I won't hold it against you…"
"But – huh – I don't want to go…?" Kurt says, trying to work out exactly why he's never had such an easy answer before.
"You don't?" Blaine frowned, skeptical.
"No." Kurt shook his head.
There was a moment of silence where Blaine seemed to consider Kurt's answer before he finally straightened up, and pushed the rest of the muffin into his mouth and said with the cutest and most charming, even if terribly fake, nonchalance "Cool! I'm glad! I needed someone to show me where Mrs. Lindson classroom is, anyway."
Blaine's amused little smirk took Kurt a little aback.
xXxXx
He's leaving school, surprisingly late (but only because he lost track of time smoking with Quinn behind the bleachers), when he sees Blaine exiting the school building, his walking cane hitting the floor in front of him in small, constant movements.
It takes him all of two seconds to decide to go over.
"So, on a scale of one to ten, how annoying was Rachel Berry?" he asks. Upon arrival to Blaine's classroom they had been interrupted by the hobbit in person as she forcefully introduced herself and started spewing off fast words about handicaps and clubs.
Blaine's face breaks out into a smile instantaneously and Kurt tries not to think too much about how that makes him smile, too. "I've had worse." Blaine shrugs as he continues walking, and Kurt takes his side "You would not believe how obviously condescending some people can be."
"Worse than Berry?" Kurt cringes.
Blaine lets out a bark of laughter "Ha! Please, she's a dream compared to most. She's actually not that condescending, as much as she is accidentally offensive every two minutes."
"I know, right? I still remember when she came to talk to me because she wanted to start a LesbAll alliance – a straight and gay alliance, whatever that means…" Kurt sighs "She has two dads, so for the whole of our freshman year she thought we were necessarily friends."
"Well, of course!" Blaine rolls his eyes "What do you mean there's more to you than your sexuality?"
Kurt tries and fails mostly at concealing the gasp of, finally, someone understanding his problem with not just Rachel, but most people that had ever tried to befriend him in this school "Thank you…!" he breathes and looks to find Blaine shooting a smile in his general direction.
"Just so I don't make a fool of myself here, I am going towards the front gate, yeah?" Blaine asks after a moment of silence.
"Yeah." Kurt nods with a chuckle and then bites his lip and even if he's not sure if he should ask he does anyway "Do you need help getting home?"
"Huh… well…" Blaine seems to consider his offer, and at least Kurt can be relieved that apparently he didn't take it badly "I don't need it desperately… but… sure." He smiles.
"Awesome." Kurt smiles to himself.
"Even if I'm not sure I should give alleged Mr. Leather Jacket and Pink Hair my address." Blaine teases, and even if there's still an edge to his voice, like before in the courtyard, he certainly does sound a little surer of himself.
"Better me than Berry, I tell you."
Blaine chuckles "Oh, I don't know. She did tell me some interesting things about you…"
"What?! She talked to you about me?" Kurt gasped, feeling his face heating up with sudden rage.
Blaine just laughed harder and shook his head "I asked."
"Oh. Well. You could've asked me."
"Relax. I was just teasing you. It was mostly innocent. Like what color is your hair and if you're as bad as you make yourself out to be."
"Mostly…?"
Blaine blushes and his smile becomes shy and nervous, though it never falters as he shrugs "I may have asked if you were cute…"
Kurt's torn between blushing himself and enjoying the warmth that settles on his stomach or asking him what the answer was – of course Berry, like anyone else at that school, would probably take any chance to badmouth him. "Oh… well…" he tries for nonchalance "Not that Berry would know cute if it hit her in the face, since she's dating Finn Hudson, but… do tell. What did she say?"
Blaine's smile grows a little "You are walking me home, aren't you?" Kurt's gasping at how flirty the boy's smile has become to actually answer that and Blaine dissolves into a chuckle before he can, anyway "I'm kidding, don't mind me… I really couldn't care less what you look like – obviously. But yes, she said you're kind of cute, if that interests you."
"Not really, I don't give a fuck…" Kurt scoffs and Blaine just laughs "What? I don't! I know I'm hot, and I'm not interested in her opinion, anyway."
Blaine's chuckles are soft as they walk together, side by side. "Ok, Rachel Berry and perceived cuteness aside… Can… Can you tell me about yourself?"
The question takes Kurt aback, not just because of the general broadness of it – it is, after all that kind of question to which anyone will answer with a strained I don't know! – but also because Blaine asks it like he really is interested in the answer – whatever it may be. So Kurt avoids the obvious and finally says "I hate smoking…"
Blaine's eyebrows shoot up and his smile doesn't falter even as it grows confused, but he offers no answer and so Kurt continues.
"My best friend thinks my favorite book is Kerouac's On The Road, but it's actually Catcher In The Rye… and she doesn't know it for the exact same reason that it's my favorite book. It's that it was only when I read it, a few months ago, that I realized just how… stuck and bored I was." He sighs and looks to find Blaine smiling softly "And sometimes, when I'm completely alone at home I'll put on Nicki Minaj, crank up the volume and just dance."
Blaine laughs and then sighs in a happy, wistful sigh "Me too."
"Are you serious?" Kurt gasps.
Blaine nods with a face-splitting grin and offers "Va Va Voom is my current obsession…"
Kurt throws his head back in laughter and runs a hand through his hair before shaking his head in disbelief "I went through that one last week."
"Just met a boy, just met a boy when/ He could come inside of my play pen/ 'Cause he look like a superstar in the making" Blaine starts with a sort of embarrassed but eager smile, shooting a glance towards Kurt, who stifles his laugh with a hand. "So I think that I'm going in for the taking/ Hear through the grape vine that he caking"
Kurt rolls takes a deep breath, not quite believing that he's actually doing this in the middle of the street "W-w-we could shoot a movie, he could do the taping/ B-b-boom, boom pow, this thing be shaking/I ain't even tryna find out who he dating"
They sing together, laughter taking over 90% of the lyrics. Blaine is practically skipping, instead of walking, as he jumps right into it and at some point actually stops walking just to dance happily.
"Fuck my life!" Kurt gasps as they finish, practically cackling "I cannot believe I just did that in the middle of the street."
"And yet the world lives on." Blaine shrugs with a smirk.
"Shut up, I have a reputation to uphold." Kurt sighs, still smiling, though.
"So you keep saying." Blaine nods, his expression clearly coy.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurt squints.
"Nothing…" Blaine shrugs.
"Blaine…"
The boy doesn't answer at once, his smile fades a little before, after a while he turns to Kurt, and even if his eyes don't exactly find Kurt's it's as good as "I just wonder, how much do you actually want to uphold that reputation."
"I…" Kurt starts at once "I do."
Blaine doesn't even flinch, doesn't give the slightest indication of disappointment or surprise as he nods and says "Ok then."
"I do!"
"Ok." Blaine repeats and a sort of almost awkward silence falls between them, and it's the way Blaine starts worrying his lips, and his smile kind of vanishes that makes Kurt want to take it all back. But Blaine speaks first, with a sigh and refreshed smile "Don't tell anyone I listen to Niki Minaj and I won't tell anyone you're hitting on me, then. Deal?"
"What?" Kurt frowns.
"I also have a reputation to maintain, Kurt." Blaine smiles "I play the violin and the piano proficiently, I give recitals, and my parents like to think I stick with Mozzart and Mendelson."
"Oh, how do you-"
"I went to very… hum… special schools. And… well… playing instruments is a lot more about touch and hearing than it is about sight. Anyways, it took a lot of begging from me to get my parents to agree to let me have one year of normal high school experience."
"If your mom found out you listened to Ms. Minaj she would send you back to your special school?"
Blaine nods.
"Well, we can't have that, can we…? Not without me having your number at least…" Kurt teases because it's been too long since he's seen the blush and the bashful smile, and sure enough they return and they're just as charming as ever.
"Such forwardness…! Oh my…" Blaine laughs once he stops nervously nibbling on lip "Maybe if you can get me safely to my house… Tell me, are we passing a grocery store?"
"Yes."
"Then we turn right, now." Blaine announces taking a right and he does so walking a little too close to the road. Kurt doesn't even think before his hand is taking Blaine's elbow and pulling him closer. Blaine startles a little.
"Sorry… you were…"
"No, I know… It's fine! Thanks!" Blaine says a little flustered, and embarrassed though Kurt doesn't see why he should ever feel so.
"No problem… here, you should walk on the other side anyway…" Kurt mumbles, stepping over to the other side of Blaine so he's the one walking alongside the road and then, probably because Blaine is still sporting an embarrassed blush, though quietly smiling to himself – and that smile is honestly the cutest thing Kurt's ever seen-, his brain short circuits and he finds himself saying "Maybe I could… walk you home every day? Just so you won't…"
Blaine's eyebrows raise "Well, I don't need that, but…"
"I'd like to, anyway…"
"Are you sure you won't get sick of me, tough?" Blaine teases "let's take it one day at a time, shall we? Walk me home tomorrow?"
"Sounds cool." He nods trying to regain some sort of composure. When did Blaine become the cool one here?
"Besides, you don't want to endanger that reputation of yours, do you?"
"Oh…"
The half teasing is coupled with honest curiosity, as Blaine stops at the front gate to an honest to god white picket fence, a beautiful, big house behind it. He's running deft fingers through the carved 36 number, "Do you?"
There's a long stretch of silence as Blaine just stands there, hand gripping the wood a little nervously, blushing more and more by the minute. Kurt sighs and gives up on the walls, because this kid certainly knows how to kick them down "Maybe I am a little tired of everything."
Blaine sighs with what seems like relief and a smile flickers through his face, but he doesn't say anything and they become silent again. Kurt wonders if this just made it all the more awkward, but then Blaine says, completely out of the blue "I've never read the Catcher in the Rye."
"Oh." Kurt frowns, trying to figure out what he's supposed to say to that "You should. It's great."
Blaine nods with one of his gentler smiles "What is it about?"
"A troubled kid who's expelled from his boarding school,… and he's trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life and what kind of person he wants to be, or should be… and he's kind of numb to most things, and trying to come to terms with… well, life and feelings in general."
"That's nice…" Blaine sighs "Do you have a favorite quote?"
Kurt thinks for a moment before saying, in the exact same tone he imagines Holden Caulfied used "I like it when people get excited about things. It's nice."
Blaine smiles again, and then asks in the same soft tone he's been using "Do you?"
"What?"
"Like it when people get excited about this?"
"I guess…"
"Or is it that you wish you got excited about things?"
Kurt tries not to feel it when his heart skips a beat at that "Both… but mostly that." Kurt gives a sort of a sad chuckle "I used to get excited, and then… I just…" he sighs "I don't know…"
"Well…" Blaine says, his tone taking on a little more energy, even if nervous and shaky as he takes a deep breath and steps a little closer towards Kurt "Do you want to get excited about Nicki Minaj tomorrow after school?"
"Oh?!"
"I can't today, I have piano lesson, but… if you wanted you could come over tomorrow and… we could just hang out because… I kind of… I like talking to you, and I'd really like it if we could be friends, or… yeah, so… maybe that could be exciting, right? I'm sorry, I'm being awkward and lame, but I…"
"I'd love to." Kurt interrupts. He doesn't say cool, or dope, or ok… he doesn't want to seem nonchalant when Blaine's put himself out like that – this boy deserves more than fake coolness. And so does Kurt.
"Great!" Blaine gasps with a brilliant grin, and then suddenly he's covering his face with a hand and mumbling "I mean, cool, or…"
Kurt laughs and touches Blaine's shoulder, to his surprise, but at least he doesn't look scared "I'll see you tomorrow in school, then?"
"Definitely."
Teasing "And can I get your number, then…?"
Teasing back with a blush "Maybe tomorrow…?"
"Well, then, see you tomorrow, Blaine."
"See you, Kurt."
xXxXx
Blaine's house is kind of big, and kind of… intimidating. Thirteen year old Kurt would have orgasmed with the interior design in there. Seventeen year old Kurt was trying not to be a silly teenager who liked fashion and interior design too much. But then again. This was Blaine. He lets out a low whistle and Blaine chuckles.
"So I've heard." He says with a smirk, even though Kurt hasn't really said anything "But our old house was actually bigger."
"You moved?"
"Of course!" Blaine shrugs, starting to walk up the stairs easily, hand trailing softly along the wall "That's how I managed to convince them to let me go to a normal school anyway. Told them, if we were moving to Lima, I should at least get what I wanted right? And I was going to have to change schools anyway… And were they really going to drive me two hours there and back every day so I could go to Dalton Academy in Westerville? I don't think so."
"You're not manipulative at all." Kurt snickers and Blaine shoots a grin over his shoulder before opening the first door on the right.
"Welcome to my chambers." Blaine announces.
It's all in dark colors, and it's all very pretty and it's all very Blaine, somehow. There's a violin case sitting on the desk. "Are you any good?"
"Excuse me?"
"At the violin…" Kurt sputters – obviously Blaine didn't know he'd been looking at it "I mean are you good at playing the violin?"
"Oh!" Blaine smiles "Yeah… I'm pretty good, actually. The piano, too. And I've been learning the guitar – took some convincing from my parents, because it's such a… common instrument, but I told them it's cheaper than the violin and easier to transport than the piano, so I can play something when I'm with friends. Not that…" his smile falters but he shrugs "well… anyway, they said yes."
"You're quite the music genius, aren't you?"
Blaine's smile is practically gone when he says "Yes, but it just… it takes a lot of time… and I… I just… wanted to…"
"Live a little?" Kurt suggests and Blaine nods with a little sad smile. A stretch of silence falls between them and then Kurt sighs and plops down on the bed "I was lured here under the pretense of Niki Minaj!"
Blaine laughs at once and nods "You are correct!" he says before he yanks open the bottom desk drawer and removes a stack of papers from the top to reveal a lengthy collection of CD's that include Niki Minaj, but also Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears Maroon 5, Pink, Wham, Billy Joel, Backstreet Boys, Coldplay, The Killers, Spice girls, Mika, Scissor Sisters…
"Wow, that's a lot of original CD's. Keeping food on their plates, are we?"
Blaine chuckles as he slips the CD into his stereo "Well, someone has to." He shrugs "I can only hope someone will do the same for me one day."
Kurt cocks an eyebrow, but the gesture is obviously lost on Blaine and as the music starts he refrains from asking, instead he laughs and watches as Blaine turns to his general direction and starts shimmying happily.
"Are you dancing?" Blaine asks with a big, challenging smile on his face "I don't think you're dancing!"
"Huh…"
"Is this about your reputation?" Blaine teases, spinning a little and using it to stand closer to where Kurt was sitting "Cuz you can forget about that here, no one can see you!" he winks and then laughs at his own joke, while Kurt gapes and blushes because for some reason he's actually almost offended on Blaine's behalf.
"This isn't going to work if you're not gonna dance!" Blaine insists, pouting and Jesus, Blaine's lips sparkle with moisture, and when he spins again Kurt has to wonder how he's never ever noticed that ass before… "The whole point was to get excited!"… Jesus.
"Oh I'm excited alright…" Kurt mutters, and Blaine turns to him, still smiling with a slight frown.
"What was that?"
"Watching you is exciting enough, thank you very much!" he says before he loses the nerve to, and he doesn't regret it because suddenly there's a halt in Blaine's movements and he blushes – actually, honest to god blushes a crimson red, smiles and ducks his head.
"Well… I… huh… now I can't dance, can I? I'm self-conscious."
Kurt chuckles "Trust me, you shouldn't be."
Blaine seems to blush some more, though how that's physically possible Kurt doesn't know, and bites his lips before saying "Please dance with me… Please…?"
Kurt looks between Blaine's pleading face and his outstretched hand and with a sigh he takes it and lets Blaine pull at it and guide him closer.
He puts his hands lightly on Blaine's waist, barely touching it, let alone holding it. With a grin Blaine lets his own hands fall on Kurt's shoulders and then throws his head back with laughter "Oh my god! You are wearing a leather jacket!"
"What? Of course I am, what's the problem?"
"Kurt, it's like three hundred degrees out there!" Blaine teases, but starts to move again, slides one of his hands down to find Kurt's and pulling at it until Kurt's dancing too.
"So?!"
Blaine just shakes his head and turns around, leaving Kurt to dance on his own, while he goes off twirling and moving shoulders and hips and oh that ass, and all the while singing along, never missing a single word. Hardly believing this is actually happening Kurt rolls his shoulders and starts singing along too.
They rock out to four songs in a row before Kurt holds up a hand to Blaine's shoulder and sighs "I need a break!"
Blaine grins "It's from the smoking, you know…" but he does push the stop button on the stereo and silence comes back "Makes you tired too soon."
"Yes, yes…"
"Do you want a drink?"
"I wouldn't mind a beer." He shrugs and then Blaine turns to him with a sort of exasperated expression of 'really…?' so Kurt sighs and says "Coke's fine."
Blaine shoots him a smile "Alright, come on then!" and then he's off, practically skipping his way downstairs and Kurt wonders if it's safe. "You know you have a great voice!" he calls over his shoulder.
"So do you."
"We could sing together, some day." Blaine grins as Kurt enters the kitchen "I'm thinking of joining glee club. It'd be nice if you were there."
"I like my face slushy free, thanks." Kurt says "But let me know whenever you get a solo." He adds, to which Blaine beams.
The kitchen, like the rest of the house actually, is pristine. There's a collection of photos on one of the walls, one from each year since – apparently – Blaine was born, and so he features in each one, growing from baby, to toddler, to kid, to slightly awkward teenager, to now.
"Oh my god…!" Kurt gasps "Oh my god!"
"What?" Blaine frowns "Oh! The photos! I always forget about those!" Blaine sighs "Please, please ignore them! I'm sure they're embarrassing!"
"Ahaha!" Kurt inspects each one closer "Oh, such a cute baby with such a cute afro!"
Blaine groans.
"Is that what the gel is about?"
Blaine doesn't say anything as he screws the tap back on the Coke bottle and puts it back in the fridge.
"You wore braces!"
"Stop it!" Blaine whines, but there's a sort of embarrassed smile there.
"I'm sorry! I'm not making fun of you."
"Yes you are." Blaine says, handing him the glass.
"Just a little bit."
"It's not fair because I'll never get to make fun of your pictures!" He whines and Kurt stops dead on his track. The silence is thick and then Blaine sighs and laughs "Relax, I'm kidding."
"I'm… I…"
"You're gonna have to get used to blind jokes if this is gonna work." Blaine announces smirking as he leaves the kitchen, glass in hand.
"What's gonna work?" Kurt jogs after him. Blaine's already halfway up the stairs and only sends him a coy smile over his shoulders that makes Kurt's heart beat a little faster.
xXxXx
Blaine is reading a braille version of their mandatory English book, and Kurt has his own normal version open in front of him, but he's not reading much of it. Instead his eyes are glued to Blaine – Blaine's fingers on the paper, Blaine's tongue peeking out of his lips, sometimes running over them leaving a trail of moisture, Blaine's feet kicking behind him as he lies on his stomach in the middle of his bed… Blaine's cheeks getting flushed and Blaine's tiny little smile as he turns his face towards Kurt.
"You're staring…"
"What?" Kurt gasps "No, I'm not!"
"You are!"
"How would you know?" Kurt quirks an eyebrow and crosses his arms in defiance.
"You haven't turned a page in like twenty minutes." Blaine mumbles, blushing deeper. There's something about how shy he seems all of a sudden – after two weeks of several afternoons spent together in which Blaine's been increasingly cheeky and confident about flirting, the sudden bashfulness makes Kurt pretty sure something might actually happen today. It makes him excited. And then scared – because… he's never felt like he does about Blaine before, and he's not quite sure he knows what to do about it. He's not quite sure he knows how to be it for Blaine – the way he wants to be.
At school he never quite manages to shake off the feeling Blaine's disappointed in him whenever he only says crude, lewd things and avoids being seen with Blaine without it looking like he's just trying to get into his pants. Everyone else thinks Kurt's exploring a kink, Kurt tries to hide it's so much more. He doesn't want to hide it, he shouldn't, he wouldn't… but…
"Well, I can't help it if your ass looks entirely too fuc-"
"Don't." Blaine says with a stern look, but then shoots him a softer smile "Not here."
"I'm sorry…" Kurt sighs "I… You … I was just looking at you. You're – huh – you're beautiful."
"Oh." Blaine blinks, cheeks red and bites his lip.
"But I… Hum… I'm not… I know you… Huh, you deserve… huh – more, and I just…"
"Kurt…" Blaine interrupts, closing his book slowly and sitting up "I've never read the Catcher in the Rye. Would you read it to me?"
"Huh…"
"I… huh…" Blaine gets off the bed and plucks a book out of his bookcase – it's not braille. Blaine offers it towards Kurt, who takes it, still confused, and Blaine follows Kurt's fingers to wrap his own lightly around Kurt's wrist and pull gently at it "I asked my parents if we had it… I would really enjoy it if you'd-"
"Sure." Kurt finds himself muttering as he stands practically flush against Blaine, between desk chair and bed. Blaine's lips turn into a brilliant even if shy smile, and tugs him towards the bed until they're both sitting shoulder-to-shoulder against the headboard.
"Thank you…" Blaine whispers as Kurt flicks the book open.
He nods and clears his throat "Alright… So… The Catcher in the Rye, by J. . Chapter one. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied an all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."
Blaine chuckles and leans a little more into Kurt.
Kurt smiles to himself and continues. They're well into the book when the sound of a door opening downstairs yanks them out of it. Blaine lifts his head out of Kurt's shoulder and frowns "What time is it?"
Kurt looks at his cell "Seven…" just as downstairs a woman's voice calls "Blaine, sweetie, I'm home!"
"Damn…" Blaine mutters before turning to Kurt and shooting a hundred words a minute under his breath "I really don't want you to take this the wrong way but I need you not to be in a leather jacket and, and I suppose there's nothing we can do about the hair, but-" there are steps coming up the stairs "Oh god, fuck, just get off the bed!"
Kurt scrambles off the bed and sits back on the desk chair, scooting it over towards the desk, while Blaine flies towards the door and yanks it open "Mom!" he gasps and Kurt glances to get a glimpse of a well tailored midnight blue suit and pristine high heels from where Blaine's body isn't covering her.
"Blaine, hi, how was your day?"
"Fine, listen, huh, I, hmm, I have a friend over, and huh…"
Kurt takes a deep breath and decides to put Blaine out of his misery. He stands up and walks to his side "Hi, Kurt Hummel." He sees the way the woman's eyes – darker than Blaine's, but just as big – travel all the way up and down his body taking him in with only a hint of a sneer. Thinking Blaine will probably thank him he adds "Blaine here was cool enough to agree to tutoring me. I am kind of hopeless, but it's either try or flunking English, and my dad would be pis-mad if I didn't graduate on time."
"Oh!" She says with a tight smile, eyes lingering on Kurt's hair "Of course."
"We just got distracted with the time, I guess. Turns out books are kind of cool, huh…" Kurt says lightly "I'll just go now… Leave you two to catch up."
"Kurt…" Blaine says in a small voice as Kurt moves around the room collecting his jacket and school bag.
"I'll see you tomorrow in school, Blaine!" Kurt says cheerily "See you around, Mrs. A."
"See you, huh, Kurt."
He glances over one last time towards Blaine and doesn't miss the way his shoulders are sagging and he's frowning, hand gripping the book with white knuckles.