A short story based on CP Coulter's brilliant fan-fiction 'Dalton', which is based on the show Glee.
I don't own these characters, but I am in love with them!
Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson belong to Fox.
Reed van Kamp and Shane Anderson belong to CP Coulter.
Enjoy!
The small boy slowly blew a strawberry-blond curl out of his face. His tongue stuck out just slightly as he painted. A sigh escaped Reed's pink lips as he noticed who he had been painting.
Shane. It's always Shane.
Reed just couldn't stop painting the dark curls of the youngest Anderson boy. The green eyes of his painting stared back at him, making him frown.
Shane was all he could think about, no matter what he was doing.
Pushing away the canvas, Reed pulled out a new one, ready to make something his mother could actually sell.
After a minute, he found himself painting Shane again. He groaned in frustration.
Kurt laughed at his roommate from his side of their room, "You've got it bad." He was lounging on his bed, texting his boyfriend, Blaine.
Of course, Blaine was Shane's older brother.
Reed pouted at his best friend, "I can't help it!" He put his paint brush down and stood up, staring at the many colors that covered his hands, "I always end up painting Shane. His beautiful, green eyes. His curly brown hair," a smile spread across his lips as he blushed a light pink.
Kurt just laughed again, "Of course you do! You looooove him!" He sat up and crossed his legs when he saw his roommate's uncomfortable expression, "All right, all right. I understand that you're confused. I apologize for bringing it up."
Reed nodded, exhaling deeply, "Thank you, Kurt."
The other boy nodded, "If you need to talk about your feelings," he paused, "I'm sure it's better than painting them."
Once again, Reed blushed, "I don't need to talk about anything!" He began pacing around, trying to tidy up his side of the room, though it would involve paint remover to get the mess out of the carpet.
Kurt stood up and watched the boy walk up and down the room. With a deep sigh, he mumbled about getting lunch with Blaine before he walked out of their room.
Reed waited until he was alone before he plopped down on the couch and threw his head in his hands. He'd never felt this way before about anyone. That changed when he met Shane Anderson, who claims to have fallen in love with Reed at first sight.
'How wonderful is that?' he thought to himself, sarcastically, as he stared at the many unfinished paintings, all of the same boy, 'I find someone who likes me..no, loves me, and I can't figure out how I feel about them. Way to go, Reed.'
All Reed knew was that when he was with Shane, his heartbeat sped up, his face became colored with red, his chestnut eyes shifted. Shane made him feel alive. He made him feel free.
The boy's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of his name.
"Reed?"
He almost groaned at the sound of Shane's voice. He looked at the door to find the curly headed guy.
Shane had his usual goofy grin plastered on his face, "What are you doing? Blaine and Kurt went to eat..you wanna come with?"
Reed blushed a little, "And be the third wheel? Not today."
The dancer walked over to the couch in three long strides, "Not the third wheel. If I go with you, then you wouldn't be alone."
This only made the boy blush harder, "No, no.." he looked away from Shane's gaze, "I have some paintings to finish. Mom wants me to send her three more by Thursday, and it's already Monday afternoon.."
Shane's smirk grew, "Oh! Well, I can help you with that!" he sat next to Reed, trying to ignore the screaming in his head as their knees touched, "Do you need supplies? Inspiration? A model?"
Reed looked up a little, mumbling under his breath, "I don't need you to model. I already have you memorized," he raised his volume, "I'm sure I can get it done myself.."
He hadn't realized, but Shane had heard his first comment.
Now the dark haired boy's mind was screaming, 'Me? Memorized? What does that mean? Does he look at me enough to have studied all of my features? ..Calm down, Shane. He probably didn't mean it like that.' Shane tried keeping his expression calm, though it was too late. He was beaming like a maniac.
Reed frowned at Shane's smile, "Are you all right?"
Shane could only manage to nod once.
Reed couldn't help but giggle a little, "You're so weird. And that's coming from someone who lives in Windsor!"
Shane's face and ears turned red and he quickly looked away. That giggle was too adorable to believe. He just stood up and eyed the paintings.
Reed stood up as well, placing his hand on Shane's arm, "Are you all right, Shane? Did I say something wrong?"
Shane nearly jumped out of his skin when the tiny hand made skin contact with him. Then it dawned on the taller boy. Every single painting in the room was of him. His heart began jumping out of his chest. He bit his lip to stop himself from smiling harder, if it was possible, "No, no, Reed. You never say the wrong thing." He turned to meet his gaze, getting hypnotized by the large, brown eyes.
Reed turned scarlet, speaking quickly, "Good!"
Barely able to look away from his eyes, Shane managed to look down at Reed's lips, only making his mind want to explode. They were so small and plump, the perfect shade of pink. The voice inside his head began wondering what they would taste like. 'Maybe strawberries? Reed smells like strawberries..and paint. I never thought I could love a smell as much as I love that.'
Reed quickly looked away, chewing softly on his lower lip, "Er, Shane?"
"Hmm?" was all he could reply with.
Reed began his pacing again, fiddling with his fingers, "I've been thinking. You know how you told me how you feel about me? And how I told you that I didn't know how I felt? Well, I might have figured it out," the boy rambled on and on, "because Kurt said that labels don't matter..you know, straight or gay or bi? He's right you know. They really don't matter, as long as I'm happy. I'm happy when I'm with you, Shane. Ecstatic, even. I realized that even if I'm not sure what I am….I know that I wan-WOAH!" The boy tripped over a canvas, mid-sentence.
Shane caught him by the arm almost immediately, not missing a beat. He pulled Reed up and held him in his arms, "Reed.."
"Yes?" the boy could feel his face burning as he stared up into the twinkling, green eyes.
Shane slowly leaned his head forward, his forehead touching Reed's, "Can I kiss you?"
Though this caught Reed by surprise, he didn't have time to answer before he felt himself leaning up to close the distance between their lips.
The two's lips melted into each others, fitting perfectly. Shane kissed back passionately, his hand resting in the small of Reed's back, pushing him up more.
Reed's arms found their way around Shane's neck as invisible fireworks set off in their heads.
The kiss lasted twenty second, but it could have been a life time.
Shane pulled away. 'They do taste like strawberries,' he chuckled, opening his eyes and beaming with the other boy. He reached over and tucked one of Reed's curls behind his ear before whispering, "I love you, Reed van Kamp."
Reed looked up, his eyes pricking a little with small tears, "I think I love you too, Shane Anderson."
That was enough for Shane. Just the possibility of his love being returned. It didn't take long for his lips to find their way back to Reed's.