A/N: This story is a crossover between Glee and a (tiny) Real Person Slash fandom called So Damn Skippy (SDS). SDS is dedicated to the (cracktastic!) pairing of Kevin Jonas (from the Jonas Brothers) and Mike Carden (from The Academy Is...). Basically all you need to know to enjoy this fic is that Kevin Jonas is from a relatively religious family, he has brothers, and his hair is very curly (which has lead to him being affectionately called a poodle). Mike Carden looks like a serial killer (long, lanky hair that he doesn't wash often, etc). He plays bass in a band that's perpetually on the verge of making it big, and is an asshole to basically everyone he knows.
This was written for the So Damn Skippy little bang challenge. If you would like to see the fanmixes made for it, please check out the So Damn Skippy livejournal community. If you google So Damn Skippy and Livejournal, it will be one of the first results.
Enjoy!
Quinn Fabray is 7 months pregnant, which makes climbing in and out of cars almost a challenge and definitely something she will not be taking for granted again. She's wearing maternity clothes, including jeans that have elastic around the waist, and she has stretch marks and, okay, pimples. On her ass. Which is something she will never admit to, not even on pain of torture by Sue Sylvester herself, because seriously. Pimples on her ass. She has to pee all the damn time too, but that she can deal with. Its not like McKinley High doesn't have a zillion bathrooms all over the place, and it's a good excuse to get out of class. But all in all, Quinn Fabray is 7 months pregnant, and her cousin Kevin is standing in front of her with a look of shock and mild confusion, and this is not how Quinn wanted her extended family to find out.
"Quinn?" Kevin says, looking at her face and then her stomach and then her face again.
"Hey Kevin." Quinn looks at her cousin and smiles. "Um, surprise?"
"I'd ask what's new, but-"
"Yeah." Quinn shrugs. "So what brings you to Lima?" And suddenly Quinn is thankful for all of those years of Cotillion lessons her parents force on her because the art of polite small talk is suddenly actually helpful. Who would have thought?
Kevin doesn't say anything for a second, just looks at her, almost evaluating. "Look, can we go somewhere a bit more private?" Is what he finally says and Quinn nods.
"The choir room should be empty now." Quinn says. She silently leads her cousin through the bustling halls and for once Quinn is actually thankful that Mercedes gets to school early enough that the majority of the jocks aren't there yet. Quinn doesn't even want to imagine how her cousin would react seeing her take a big gulp full of red slushy to the face.
And then they're there, outside the choir room and the lights are off, so Quinn was right. It's empty. She opens the door and is about to flick on the lights when Kevin says: "No, um-can you leave them off?"
So Quinn shrugs and walks into the darkened room. It's not pitch black, there's more then enough light to see, and it's kind of nice. Quinn would almost say more intimate, but it's her cousin and that's just wrong on so many levels.
"So..." Quinn says a few minutes later. She's sitting in one of the chairs and Kevin is standing in front of the piano and he looks awkward, nervous, neither of which are attributes Quinn would have ever used to describe him. Especially around music-Kevin's entire family took to music like ducks to water, but now Kevin is looking out of his element.
"I'm staying with your parents for a little while." Kevin says. "Maybe just the rest of this school year, but um, it depends."
Quinn nods because she knew it had to be something like that because it wasn't like Kevin knew a lot of people in Lima, Ohio. And it stings a little, that he gets to stay with her parents while she's been relegated to Finn's then Puck's and now Mercedes' homes, but he's family and he probably hadn't gotten pregnant after sleeping with someone, so-it's all-relative.
"Okay." Is what she ends up saying, because she can't yell at him for something he has no control over. "Can I ask why?"
Kevin looks at her and nods, slightly. "I can tell you the official reason, if you want."
"And if I want the truth?" Quinn asks gently.
Kevin squirms. "Um. It's pretty personal." Quinn takes a deep breath and then calmly lets it out. Just because her pretty personal is evident to basically anyone with eyes doesn't mean she has any right to pry into Kevin's.
"No, it's okay. I understand. So what's the official reason you're here in the great city of Lima, Ohio?" Quinn smiles, hoping to put Kevin at ease.
"Nick's busy recording his album and I wanted a regular junior year, without having to deal with concerts and media and stuff." Kevin says. Quinn frowns because—album? But then she remembers he mom going on about how Nick was recording music for Church and how he was apparently cute and so, yeah, she supposes it all makes sense.
"I can totally understand that." Quinn looks at her watch and her face pales. "Come on, we need to leave now if I'm going to show you to Ms. Pillsbury's office before first period."
The two leave the choir room just as silently as they entered, Quinn leading her cousin through the increasingly busy halls to the guidance counselor's office. When they're finally there Quinn turns to him and smiles. "If you have space in your schedule for an elective, you should take Glee. It's pretty fun."
"Glee?" Kevin asks.
"It's like, singing and dancing show choir. I'm in it, and the rest of the group is pretty awesome too."
"Well if my favorite cousin is asking me, how can I say no?" Kevin says gallantly. The bell rings and Quinn frowns.
"I gotta go. Mr. Shue doesn't like it when we're late to Spanish."
"Go."
Quinn walks away without looking back.
##
It's lunch time by the time Quinn runs into Kevin again, standing in front of the cafeteria with a lost look in his eyes.
"Come sit over here," Quinn says, walking towards the back corner where Glee normally sits. "You can meet everyone in Glee."
Kevin nods. "It'll be nice to meet my future classmates."
"Oh, so you signed up for Glee?" Quinn asks. She sits down at the table and pulls out her bag lunch. "What else did you get?"
"The usual." Kevin shrugs. He doesn't pull out a bag lunch, just looks at the food line as if debating if it was worth it. Eventually he shrugs, reaching out towards Quinn's lunch and steals half of her sandwich. Quinn slaps at his hand but doesn't protest when he lifts the sandwich to his mouth. "So tell me how you ended up in Glee. It doesn't necessarily seem like-"
"Something I'd do?" Quinn shakes her head. "I totally understand. It's just kind of embarrassing."
"Really?" Kevin's eyes perked up and he leaned forward. "Spill, Quinn."
"Yo, who's the poodle?" A voice interrupts before Quinn can say anything.
"Puck." Quinn rolls her eyes. "The poodle is my cousin Kevin."
"Cousin?" Puck looked him up and down. "I can see it. You as big of a prude as Quinn?" The mohawked teen sits down next to Kevin, reaching forwards towards Quinn's lunch. Quinn slaps the hand away.
"PUCK!"
"What, you know it's true." Puck rolls his eyes. "Even with a bun in the oven she's like, the president of the celibacy club."
Quinn sighs. "Ignore the idiot. He's just mad because Santana probably didn't put out earlier today."
"Um-" Kevin looks back and forth between the two teenagers.
"At least I'm getting some on a regular basis. What've you got?" Puck asks.
"What's the expression? Quality over quantity?" Quinn muses. "Well, it's not like I've had either, so." She shrugs.
"Hey, the Puckasaurus is damn good in bed. Don't lie."
"The 'Puckasaurus'?" Kevin raises a brow, looking at Quinn. "Please don't tell me this is the baby daddy."
Quinn smiles apologetically. "I was drunk."
"And I'm a stud." Puck adds. "Pregnant on the first try! My swimmers really are the best."
"Again, not sure that's something you want to brag about." Quinn rolls her eyes. "Kevin, meet Noah Puckerman, aka Puck, aka the baby daddy."
"Nice to meet you?" Kevin asks warily, instinctively holding his hand out.
"Um, no." Puck shakes his head. "Dude. You're gonna be eaten alive if you do that. Just say 'sup, okay?"
Kevin looks at Puck and then at Quinn. She shrugs. "Okay, 'sup?" Kevin finally says.
"Better my man, better. Now what's with the poodle? He bothering you Quinn?" Puck asks.
"Who's bothering Quinn?" "Do I need to kick some ass?" Two voices chime in at once. Quinn smiles.
"Guys, chill. Poodle's my cousin."
"Poodle? Interesting name." A snarky voice cuts in. "Although if he's related to you, Fabray, that's probably as interesting as he gets. He a Jesus freak too?" A Latina girl asks, sitting down next to Quinn.
"Where's Brittany? She normally keeps you on a leash." Quinn replies.
"She'll be here. She was helping Man-hands clean slushy out of her hair."
"Oh no, Rachel got slushied?" Someone says before getting up and running away from the now crowded table.
"Um, slushied?" Kevin asks. "Like, with a slushy?"
"Who's the poodle?" Santana asks. "He new? And he's already hanging out with you mamacita? Man he's got balls."
"The poodle," Quinn grits her teeth. "Is my cousin Kevin. He just transferred here."
"He staying with your folks?" Santana asks. "Because I can kick his ass if you want me to."
"What?" Kevin almost jumps up. "No one needs to kick my ass! I'm just trying to eat lunch."
"Calm down, Santana." Quinn places a hand on the Latina's girls arm. "He's my favorite cousin and I'd be pretty sad if he got his ass kicked. And that probably wouldn't be good for the baby."
Puck perks up at this. "Yeah, Santana. No hurting the baby."
"As if." Santana grumbles. She turns to look at Kevin. "So, you as big a prude as Quinn here? Or should we maybe go somewhere and get a little bit better acquainted?"
Kevin idly looks at his hand and almost wishes he'd kept his purity ring. "Um, prude?" He offers up, shyly.
"Damn it, all the good ones are either taken or gay or Jesus freaks."
"Sorry." Kevin offers. "Just-"
"Yeah, yeah. But if Brittany offers? You'd better at least make out with her. My girl loves having a perfect score. She even got with Hummel."
"Um-okay?" Kevin looks at Quinn, confused.
"Don't worry about it, you'll meet everyone in Glee."
##
Kevin isn't quite sure what he signed himself up for when he took Quinn's advice about Glee. Lunch had been pretty chaotic, filled with petty bickering and more drama then he'd ever seen in one place at one time, but he'd had fun. And it's been a little while since he laughed that hard.
So he walks into the choir room a little nervous, but not nearly as much as he thought he'd be. It's not like he's a stranger to performing, and he loves music, so he's actually kind of excited. He's performed with Nick a few times, and he and Joe used to put on magic shows in their backyard for their church youth group. Somehow he doesn't think either of these is enough preparation for New Directions, though.
"Hey, are you Kevin?" A voice interrupts his musings and Kevin looks up to see a man with more gel in his hair then Kevin could have ever imagined.
"Um, yes?" He says, a little intimidated.
"I'm Mr. Shuester, but the club calls me Mr. Shue. Welcome to McKinley!" Mr. Shue says, smiling brightly. "What brings you to our little club?"
Kevin shrugs. "Quinn asked me to."
Mr. Shue nods. "I take it you knew Quinn before today?"
"Yeah." Kevin smiles. "She's my cousin. I'm staying with her folks while I'm here."
"Well, great!" Mr. Shue beams at him and Kevin's momentarily distracted because he never thought teachers were this peppy, this happy-go-lucky, and it feels a little morbid but he (kind of) wants to quash Mr. Shue's happiness, just a little.
Kevin turns and walks towards the row of seats that line the back of the classroom. He wants to be able to watch everything and know he isn't being watched, know that people aren't looking at him and making fun of his hair or his religion… and he seriously, seriously, wishes he still had his purity ring on if only so it would stop some of the questions he's going to be getting. But he left that with his parents, he didn't really want a reminder of his failings staring back at him everyday.
"Hey." A voice says and Kevin startles for a second before looking up and he sees maybe one of the most flamboyant people he's ever seen in his life, dressed to the nines in something that's probably designer because it looks like something his mom would wear, and she only wears name brand stuff now, but it suits him.
A little bit of time passes and it occurs to Kevin that he hasn't actually said anything, so he offers a shrug and a "hey" back. The other guy is looking like it isn't enough, that Kevin has some how insulted him, and Kevin isn't really in the mood to try and figure out even more drama on top of his already drama filled day, but he hates making people hurt even more.
"Sorry, I was kind of thinking about my family." He offers.
"Just moved here with your family?" The boy asks, smiling.
"Um-" Kevin shakes his head. "Just moved in with my cousin's family."
"Oh. I'm Kurt, by the way."
"Kevin." Kevin holds out his hand before remembering Puck's advice and he's about to withdraw it when Kurt reaches forward and shakes it, tentatively, like he can't believe someone is offering to shake his hand, and yeah, Kevin really needs to figure out what teenagers in Lima do to say hi if it isn't hand shaking. He hopes there aren't any fist bumps involved.
"Hey Kurt. Move over, I wanna sit next to my cousin." Quinn says and Kurt looks at Kevin and then at Quinn, back and forth like a tennis match and Kevin has to fight the urge to say something ridiculous like 15 Love, 30 Love, 45 Love, game/set/match.
Kurt moves over a second later and Kevin shrugs an apology, as if to say "family, what can you do about it, huh?" to Kurt's smiling face.
"Alright, so we have a new student with us today that needs to audition."
Kevin hopes for half-a-second that there's another new student because Quinn didn't say a word about having to actually sing in front of people. He'd been hoping to maybe sit in the background and sway, dance a bit. But now Mr. Shue is looking at him and Quinn is smiling and putting her hand behind his back, trying to force him up and Kurt is grinning and shoots him a "thumbs up" so Kevin sighs and stands.
"I wasn't actually told I'd have to sing," he says when he's finally standing in front of the classroom. "So I don't have anything prepared. But um-I know a couple songs by heart, if you guys promise not to laugh."
Quinn laughs at that. "Sorry Cuz," she calls out. "I'll try to hold it in."
"Thanks, Quinn." Kevin shakes his head before walking over to Mr. Shue and whispering in his ear.
Mr. Shue tells the guy sitting behind the piano and then the room is filled with music and Kevin's standing there, waiting for his cue. And suddenly he's singing "With Arms Wide Open" and the glee club is looking at him as if he's grown a second head. Quinn isn't laughing, but her eyes are dancing and Kevin thinks that if she'd been alone she would have been possibly rolling on the floor.
Finally the song ends and he's able to stop singing. Mr. Shue gives him a round of applause and the rest of the club clap politely. It's only after everything dies down that Kevin's able to speak: "Sorry 'bout that. My parents only listen to Christian music and well, I figured you guys would probably at least know that one."
"And indeed we do." Kurt says from the back row.
"Welcome to Glee Club, Kevin!" A short brunette says before anyone else can comment. "You have a strong voice and I think I speak for everyone when I say how lucky we are to get you just a few months before Regional's. It's always better to have more then the minimum number of participants in case someone has to drop out." The girl glares at Quinn before turning and sitting down.
"Um, thanks?" Kevin says, a little confused, but either way it looks like he's in so he goes back to his seat and sits down next to Quinn. He spend the next forty minutes ignoring whatever the rest of the club is talking about, instead settling back and trying to take everything in.
Quinn gets up and performs once, and Kurt slides over to take her seat without commenting. He just sits there and then leans forward. "So, you're staying with her parents after they kicked her out?"
And Kevin blanches because, okay, he knew Quinn wasn't staying there but he never put that together with her pregnancy, never thought in a million years that his aunt would kick her own daughter out. His uncle, yeah, that guy wasn't exactly a nice one.
"They really kicked her out?" He asks. "I just figured she was living with her boyfriend or whatever."
"Quinn was living with Puck's family, but um-" Kurt pauses, as if trying to figure out the right way of saying whatever it is he's about to say. "That situation didn't work out for the best. She's staying with my girl Mercedes."
"Oh, Mercedes is your girlfriend?" Kevin asks.
Kurt chokes a little bit, laughs, and shakes his head. "Hell no. Not that she isn't a wonderful girl, but I'm sort of gay." He leans back as he says this, as if he's afraid of whatever Kevin's reaction would be.
Kevin doesn't say anything for a second before turning to Kurt and saying: "Oh, that's cool. Is one of these guys your boyfriend?" And he gestures towards the Glee club.
"Um, no." Kurt shakes his head. "I'm the only out kid in this entire school, so no boyfriend for me." He looks a little sad as he says this.
Kevin reaches out and pats Kurt's hand gently. "I'm sure you'll meet somebody wonderful, who'll sweep you off your feet."
Kurt smiles. "It might not be 'til college, but yeah, I'll meet somebody wonderful."
The two are quiet for the rest of Quinn's performance.
##
Kevin's been in Lima for nearly two weeks the first time he's alone with Kurt. They're practicing in the auditorium for Glee and it's after school and Kevin really, really doesn't want to hurry home to his aunt's house because he's beginning to see exactly why Quinn had been a little happy to be kicked out.
Kurt's practicing on the piano and Kevin's sitting on the floor, looking out over the empty room and trying to imagine it filled with people. Trying to imagine what it would be like for Nick to be here, performing, making everyone in the audience eat of his hand because that's what Nick does, he's good at it. Kevin hasn't talked to Nick since he left, though. He hasn't called Joe or Frankie or his parents, they're just there, existing somewhere while he exists here in Lima, and it's a weird feeling.
"How are you liking it, so far?" Kurt asks, idly plucking different keys on the piano, nearly forming a melody but not quite. It's disjointed and distracting and Kevin thinks he's almost doing it on purpose.
"It's-" he hesitates, because it's not different, it's too much the same, just like home. Filled with small people and small opinions. "It's not home," Kevin finally says. "I mean, it's nice enough, and I like Glee, but-"
"You miss your family." Kurt fills in.
Kevin looks up at him. "I miss my family. And I-" Kevin pauses, debates with himself before he plunges forward. "I need to get used to missing them."
"It's only for the semester, right?" Kurt asks, and Kevin knows exactly what he isn't saying. Why do you need to get used to missing them, it's only for the semester? And he doesn't know how to answer it. Doesn't know if he should tell the truth or just hide it like he's been doing. But something in him says that Kurt, of all people, will understand.
"It's until I'm willing to follow their plan." Kevin replies. "And I don't think I can, so-its kind of forever."
Kurt stops playing. He looks down at Kevin and there's sympathy in his eyes, but no pity. Kevin's glad because he doesn't think he can deal with pity right now.
"What's their plan?" Kurt asks. He doesn't move from the piano bench and Kevin's glad of the distance. He can almost pretend he's alone, that he isn't about to spill everything to somebody he's only known for two weeks. But he also knows that if anybody were to understand, it'd be Kurt.
"You know— meet a nice girl, get married and have babies…be in a band with my brothers. The usual." Kevin says, a little bitterly.
"Do you not want to be in a band with your brothers?" Kurt raises an eyebrow. "Because I know that whole Partridge Family thing didn't work out but I'm pretty sure Hanson's still going strong."
Kevin laughs. "Yeah, well. I actually wouldn't mind that, I don't think. I'd be in the back and that'd be good."
"Oh." Kurt whispers this and Kevin smiles bitterly because Kurt knows now, he understands and Kevin knows that if anybody were to understand it'd be Kurt but it's still a little raw, and he really hasn't known Kurt for that long.
"Yeah. What can I say." Kevin shrugs. "They want it to be a phase and well, I know it's not."
"Does Quinn know?"
Kevin shakes his head. "You're kind the first person, outside of my parents."
Kurt looks like he's going to say something, maybe stand up, but Kevin makes some kind of face and Kurt stops. "We need to practice," is all Kurt says a minute or two later.
"We really, really do." Kevin agrees.
##
Kevin's wardrobe consists of basically jeans, shirts, sweatshirts and the occasional sweater. It's nothing fancy, but it all fits well and the colors compliment his skin tone. He likes simplicity, being able to pull almost anything from his closet and have it match. Nick likes button up shirts and khakis and Joe prefers stylish clothing, clothing with labels and designer names attached. Kevin likes that his style is different from his brothers, and it helps him blend in at McKinley.
Now, though, he's staring at his closet and he's not sure what to wear. Kurt's going to be there any minute and it's not a date, it's just two friends hanging out, going to a concert together. But he still wants to look nice.
His aunt thinks he's going out with kids from the glee club, a deception Kevin is particularly proud of because he hadn't had to lie once. He just had Mercedes mention the concert in front of her and Kurt ask if he was interested in going and if his aunt assumed the rest of the club would be there? She didn't say a word (she didn't say much of anything to him, actually, ever since he mentioned Quinn looking well and she'd had tears in her eyes).
Eventually he decides he'll just pull on his trusty jeans and a shirt, no need to over think it. If the shirt had a collar and was just a *little* tighter then usual, well, he didn't think Kurt would complain.
He's outside, waiting at the curb, when Kurt pulls up. The younger teen doesn't bother honking the horn, just waits for Kevin to climb in before giving him a once over and smiling approvingly. "Nice," is all Kurt says though.
Kevin looks at Kurt's decidedly more complicated outfit and smiles back. "You look good, too." He offers and it's feeling more and more like a date, with the smile that lights up Kurt's entire face, but Kevin kills the thought. He isn't actually *attracted* to Kurt, and he's pretty sure Kurt isn't attracted to him, either. He's caught Kurt looking at Finn Hudson more then a few times-Kurt apparently goes for the athletic types. Kevin can't really blame him-Finn is nice to look at.
"So tell me about this band we're seeing?" Kevin says once Kurt's pulled away from the curb.
Kurt smiles. "They're local-kind of pop/punk. Mercedes is in love with the lead singer."
"Any good?"
"Better then what you'd expect from a local band." Kurt allows. "I think they're going to try and get on Warped this summer, if they can."
Kevin nods. "How'd you get into them? I didn't think this was quite your scene."
"You'd be surprised." Kurt doesn't say anything else, just reaches over and turns the volume up on his radio.
The two ride the rest of the way to the venue in silence. Kurt finds parking with little difficulty and then the two of them are wandering around, looking for Mercedes. She was meeting them after dinner with her family, and, Kurt confided in him, she liked being up close during the shows so she'd probably gotten there earlier and was somewhere in the crowd.
There are a lot of teens hanging around, quite a few of which Kevin recognizes from McKinley, but even stranger is the large number of guys. He'd always assumed shows like this were filled with teenage girls wearing little to no clothing, but the number of all-male groups is defies his expectations. A few of them even seem to be wearing ties and jackets.
"What's this group called again?" Kevin asks.
"The Academy Is..."
"And they're local?"
"Yeah. Most of them are like in college but I think a couple of them are still in high school." Kurt shrugs. "Mercedes knows a lot more if you want like, details."
"Nah, I'm fine. Just-lots of guys here, with ties." Kevin shrugs. "And somehow I don't think it's a fashion thing. Even if it is, they can't pull it off as well as you."
Kurt blushes a little. "Thanks. But um, I think they're from some private school over in Westerville."
"Makes sense." Kevin looks around, finally spotting Mercedes over by the bar. "Hey, there's Mercedes."
Kurt grins, grabs Kevin's hand and pulls him over. "'Cedes!" He calls out but she doesn't appear to hear him. She's caught up talking to a thin guy with slightly wild hair. Kevin wants to rub his eyes because it looks like the guy has a bandanna wrapped around his thigh (and whoa, but he's really skinny) and that's something he hasn't seen before.
"Hey Mercedes!" Kurt says once he's guided the pair of them over to her. "Almost didn't find you in the crowd."
"Kurt!" She's happy, smiling, eyes dancing. Kevin likes it when she's happy, her entire face shines and it's almost intoxicating. "Poodle!" She says next, reaching out to tug at one of Kevin's curls. He's gotten used to the treatment since starting at McKinley but it's still slightly weird.
"And who is this nice young man you're talking to?" Kurt asks, standing half in front of Mercedes, prepared to defend her from whoever this was.
Mercedes rolls her eyes and pushes Kurt a little. "This is Bill. He's the lead singer for The Academy Is…" Mercedes smiles. "And Bill, this is Kurt and Kevin. They're good friends." And that startles Kevin a little bit because he wasn't even sure he'd describe Mercedes as a friend yet, he's so new.
"Nice to meet you." Bill smiles at both of them. "Glad you could come out for the show."
"We had to," Kurt smiles a little evilly. "Mercedes is kind of in love with your band and if I didn't show? I'd never hear the end of it."
Bill laughs at this. "Glad to hear. We can use all the fans we can get."
"Bill was just about to introduce me to the other people in the band," Mercedes says, a little flirty. Bill shifts a little, and if Kevin didn't know better he'd say Bill was uncomfortable but he pushes the thought out of his mind.
"Sounds great." Kurt says, grabbing Kevin's hand and smiling up at Bill.
"Um, sure." Kevin throws in. It's not like he has anything better to do, and Mercedes is kind of cute with her crush and Kurt is seriously into playing defensive friend. Mercedes was lucky to have him as a BFF.
"Great." Bill says, reaching towards the bar and picking up a beer. "Let me finish my drink and we'll be good to go."
Kevin shrugs and looks around. The room is almost packed now, definitely more crowded then when they entered, and he figures he might as well go to the bathroom now before it gets even more crowded. He gestures towards the bathrooms and Kurt drops his hand. "See you in a minute!" Kurt shouts to be heard over the crowd.
Kevin nods and turns to fight his way through the crowd.
##
Kevin's washing his hands when his phone buzzes against his thigh. He wipes his hands on his jeans before grabbing it and staring at the screen in shock. It's a text message from Nick.
Miss you, bro.
And okay, it's not exactly an invitation back home but its something, an olive branch, and Kevin's in shock. He'd almost expected never to hear from his family again. His parents had made it really clear that they didn't approve and Nick always did what his parents said. Always.
Carefully, Kevin begins to type out a response. Miss you too. Love you. before he puts his phone back in his pocket. His smile is shining across his entire face and he's happy and bouncy and suddenly he thinks everything is going to get better. He leaves the bathroom and makes his way out into the crowded room.
The music hasn't started yet, but Bill's on the stage which means it's probably about to start. Kevin looks around, trying to spot Kurt or Mercedes. He finally finds them up against the front of the stage and he's happy, so he pushes his way through the crowd to get to them. He comes up behind Kurt and just can't help himself. He leans forward and rests his head on Kurt's shoulder so he can whisper in Kurt's ear:
"My brother texted me!"
Kurt knows exactly how big this is and he's turning around, happy and grinning and Kevin can't really help it. He leans forward and suddenly he's kissing Kurt. It's only a second or two, but it's enough. Mercedes looks at him with wide eyes and fuck, Kevin isn't exactly out yet and a good portion of McKinley is here, watching the show.
He pulls back and then shrugs. Whatever, his ibrother/i texted him! Everything else doesn't matter because it's his family and family always, always, always comes first.
##
The ride back to Kevin's aunt's house is silent. The concert had been fun—Mercedes was right, The Academy Is… was pretty good, especially for a local band, and the trio had had a blast dancing along. Now that it's just him and Kurt, though, the silence is deafening.
Kevin knows he has to say something, say something about the kiss and about coming out because people know now. He doesn't know who knows, nobody said anything, but he's pretty sure come Monday people at school people are going to be talking.
"Sorry 'bout that, earlier." He finally offers up into the silence. "I was just so happy…"
Kurt smiles at him but the smile isn't as bright as earlier. "I don't mind, really, it's just-" Kurt looks at him. "Um, you're a really nice guy Kevin, and I'm really happy for you about your family, but…"
"No, no, don't worry man." Kevin interjects. "I know, you're totally crazy about Finn."
Kurt nods. "It's not that you're not a good guy," he offers and Kevin smiles.
"Kurt, really. You're a great guy, but I don't like you like you. I mean, you're a really good friend…"
The two of them look at each other and suddenly Kevin starts laughing. Kurt joins in a few seconds later and the two boys laugh for nearly a minute.
"Friends?" Kurt offers up.
"Good friends." Kevin replies.
The car is silent again but this time the silence isn't as awkward.
"I'm really glad that your brother texted you." Kurt says. "I know how important family is."
Kevin nods. "I know." He's quiet for a second, picking at an imaginary piece of lint on his pants. "Do you think it's going to be all over school? Or did nobody notice?"
Kurt thinks for a second before shrugging. "I honestly don't know. I mean, Bill definitely noticed, and Mercedes, but…" He falls silent.
"Yeah." Kevin agrees. "I think I'm going to tell Quinn, though, before the whole school tells her."
Kurt laughs a little at this. "Kevin, don't take this the wrong way, okay?" And Kevin nods, unsure about what Kurt is about to say. "Quinn is living with Mercedes family. Mercedes who saw us kiss tonight. There's no way she doesn't already know."
Kevin blinks at this because yes, he knew Mercedes was quite the gossip, but he hadn't thought beyond that. Hadn't really put together what it meant that Quinn was living with her.
"Oh." He smiles. "At least I won't need to tell her!"
Kurt laughs a little at this. "And you know she'll be okay with it, right?" He asks. "She's been pretty supportive of me, and she doesn't say anything but I can tell she likes Brittany and Santana together."
Kevin stares at Kurt in shock. "Brittany and Santana?"
Kurt doesn't take his eyes off the road in front of him, but he shrugs a little. "They say it's just to turn guys on, but I'm pretty sure they're the ones that are real, you know?"
Kevin doesn't respond to this, just thinks back to the different conversations he's had with Brittany, with Santana, and yes, he can actually see it. Santana took care of Brittany, always defended her, and Brittany saw the best in Santana. He could definitely see it.
He turns the radio on a second later, and the rest of the ride home is filled with music and laughter. Kevin pull's his phone out of his pocket and debates sending Nick another text before saying fuck it and typing in: I had my first kiss tonight.
He isn't sure Nick will respond, but it seems like something you're supposed to tell your brother, your family, and Kevin wants that. He wants his family back.
A second later the phone buzzes and Kevin's kind of scared to see what Nick's response is, but he forces himself to look: details! Do you have a boyfriend now?.
He replies quickly with a no, good friend and tucks his phone away. His smile lasts the rest of the ride home.
##
"Hey fag." Someone shouts as Kevin walks by. He flinches out of habit—it's been like this all day—everywhere he looks, every hall he walks down—someone goes out of their way to insult and belittle him. He hasn't had a slushy to the face yet, or been tossed in the garbage, but Kevin figures it's only a matter of time. His kiss with Kurt is apparently all anyone's talking about and Kevin doesn't want to think about what his friend is probably going through.
Kevin holds his head high, though, and keeps walking towards his math class. He isn't going to dignify anyone with a response, especially not high school homophobes who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. It's the principle of the thing.
"Hey hot stuff." Kevin looks up and smiles at his cousin.
"Hey mamacita." He replies. "Look—I'm sorry you had to find out this way." And Quinn shakes her head.
"Don't worry about it. How's your day going?"
Kevin shrugs. "Could be worse, I suppose."
"Yeah. I know what you mean." And Kevin nods because Quinn does. She's seen her fair share of teasing and bullying since getting pregnant. She's been slushied at least three times since Kevin's been there alone, and he's only been at McKinley for a couple weeks.
"Eh. At least I got my first kiss, right?" Kevin jokes and Quinn smiles.
"So you and Kurt?" Her voice is light.
Kevin knows what she's asking though and shakes his head. "I was just excited because Nick texted me and got a little carried away."
"But your brother's been texting you?" Quinn asks, her face bright and shiny and this, this is why Kevin loves his cousin. She understands exactly how important family is.
"Yeah." He blushes. "I told him about kissing Kurt and now he's texting me all the time, asking for details. He wants a picture of Kurt to make sure he's worthy of my lips."
Quinn laughs at this. "That definitely sounds like Nick." The two fall into silence, walking down the hallway. "So you're good?" And Kevin nods.
"Yeah, surprisingly."
"Well." Quinn shrugs. "You deserve it, you know?"
"So do you, Quinn." Kevin reaches out, puts his hand on her shoulder and squeezes a little. "Your mom misses you."
"Does she ask about me?"
Kevin shakes his head. "But she finds reasons to be in the room when I'm talking to you on the phone. Last time she kept folding and refolding the same towels just to hear what we were talking about."
Quinn takes a second to digest this. "And my dad?"
Kevin stops and looks at her. "Your dad is an asshole, Quinn, and I mean that with all the respect in the world. But he's an asshole to your mom and he's an asshole to me and I'm sure he was an asshole to you. He isn't worth it."
Quinn breathes deeper. "He's my dad."
"My parents are my parents but they're still people who put their religion ahead of their family." Kevin says.
"I wondered. Your dad especially."
"Yeah, well, they sent me out here so I wouldn't tarnish Nick's reputation, you know? He's going to be a star and the last thing they want is his fag of a brother getting in the way."
Quinn stops and stares at him. "I would slap you if we weren't in school. Don't you ever call yourself that again." She's angry and the look in her eyes is enough to startle him. "You deserve so much more then that, Kevin. You are so much more then that."
Kevin doesn't say anything in response, just looks at her. Quinn stares right back at him. Eventually Kevin looks away. "Sorry." He offers before turning and walking towards his math class. Quinn doesn't follow.
##
"One medium peppermint tea," Kevin orders before looking at Kurt and saying: "and, one medium non-fat vanilla latte?"
Kurt nods. "Exactly right."
Kevin smiles before turning back to the cashier and handing over enough money to cover the order. It's afternoon and while the Lima Bean isn't exactly crowded, there's a good mix of people. The two boys wait for their drinks and then head over towards an empty table against the far wall.
"Thanks for the coffee." Kurt takes a sip. "It's exactly what I like."
"I wasn't sure if you'd go for latte's or mochas. But then I remembered you used to be on the Cheerios and figured you wouldn't go for the extra calories."
Kurt hums appreciatively, taking another sip of his coffee. "I do occasionally, but for right now this is perfect."
Kevin smiles into his tea. It's not done seeping yet so he'll have to wait a few minutes to really appreciate it the way Kurt is appreciating his coffee, but it feels good to hold a warm drink in his hands. It warms him.
"Hey, mind if I sit here?" A voice says and Kevin looks up. It's a skinny guy with long, slightly greasy hair hanging in his face. He's wearing a school uniform that Kevin remembers seeing at the concert and suddenly he can place the guy—he'd been playing guitar.
Kurt looks at Kevin and then shrugs. "Go for it," he smiles at stranger.
"You guys played a good show on Saturday." Kevin says, once the teen's seated.
"Yeah, it was a good show. I'm Mike, by the way." Mike looks at the two teens.
"Kevin. And that's Kurt." Kevin gestures to the smaller boy.
"Kurt your boyfriend?" Mike asks casually, "Because I gotta tell you, me and Bill have a bet running on it."
Kevin looks at him. "You bet on us?"
Mike smiles. "We bet on pretty much everything. So?" He leans forward, clearly waiting for some gossip.
Kurt looks at Mike and then Kevin, smiling a little to himself. "No, no. Kevin's just a good friend."
Mike smiles at this. "Great! Well, I mean—" and he backtracks. "It's just—"
"You won your bet." Kevin fills in, eyes dancing with laughter.
"Yeah, I mean. Bill said you guys were all holding hands and stuff, and you kissed, but I figured if I was dating someone as hot as you I'd probably want to do a lot more then kiss and you guys didn't, so…" Mike trails off.
Kurt's smiling delightedly now, looking at Kevin and wiggling his eyebrows. Kevin just shrugs. "So, you go to that private school over in Westerville, right?" Kevin asks, looking at Mike's uniform.
"Yeah, last year, thank god."
"And I think my friend Mercedes mentioned that your band might be going on tour this summer?" Kurt asks.
Mike nods. "We're trying. Bill knows some people who know some people, you know?" And Kevin's suddenly reminded of a thousand conversations he's had with Nick about this very topic. Connections and how it's not necessarily what you know but whom. Nick would be very at home talking to this Mike with greasy hair and a slightly scary smile.
"Good luck." Kurt offers before the table falls silent again.
Kevin takes a sip of his tea and yeah, ouch, he over seeped it. Sighing, he pries the lid off and takes the tea bag out. He'll have to pour some of the tea out and ask the barista for more hot water. He doesn't really offer explanations as he stands up, just gestures to the front and wanders away. He's talking to the barista when his phone vibrates. And vibrates again.
He pulls it out and stares at it. Nick is calling him.
"Hey Nick!" He says, gesturing to the barista to just hold his tea, that he'll be back. And then he turns around and disappears outside. It's only been a few weeks but it feels like forever since he's actually talked to his brother.
##
Kevin wanders back inside nearly half-an-hour later. He looks at Kurt still talking to that guy from the band, and actually, now that Kevin looks at him from a distance he's more than a little scary looking. Kevin isn't sure what it is, but if he hadn't met him already he might be the kind of person Kevin would go out of his way to avoid.
He stops at the barista and smiles apologetically, hoping she still has his tea. She makes a face and laughs a little before brewing him a new one. When he gets his wallet out to pay she waves him off. "Thanks!" Kevin says before turning and walking back towards Kurt.
"Sorry 'bout that, Kurt. Just—Nick called me."
Kurt nods. "I figured it was something like that. Don't be sorry, it gave me an excellent opportunity to get to know Mike here."
Kevin nods. "Cool."
Mike looks at him. "You blew your friend off to talk to your boyfriend?" He shakes his head and Kevin has to remind himself that he shouldn't hit guys he's just met. Especially not guys that make Kurt's eye's light up.
"No." Kevin takes a deep breath. "I blew my friend off to talk to my brother, who I haven't spoken to since I came out to my family and got kicked out for my trouble." He doesn't bother waiting for a reply. "Kurt, I'm just going to walk home. Enjoy your time with Mike here." And Kevin walks away.
He has to deal with enough assholes at school, he doesn't actually want to hang out with one.
##
So the thing is, Kevin's staying with Quinn's parents, but they don't know why he left his parents house. He didn't tell them and he's pretty sure his parents are pretending his whole 'coming out' never happened, so he doesn't see them telling the Fabray's either.
He told them about Nick's career and his desire to have a normal high school experience and Quinn's mom let him in before he knew what was happening. She'd hugged him close and said he was always welcome, while his Uncle stood back and just kind of glowered at them. His uncle didn't say no though, so Kevin counts it as a win.
It's been three weeks and the entire school knows about Kevin, but Kevin knows school and home are separate. He doesn't think the Fabray's will find out. But he also forgot about how many of the kids go to church still, and well, when Kevin walks in one Thursday after Glee practice, he's more then a little surprised to see his bags packed and standing by the door.
His aunt is frowning and looking apologetic at least, but the message is quite clear: "get your freak ass out of our house. You're not welcome here."
Kevin doesn't start crying, not right away. Instead he looks at his Aunt and Uncle and shakes his head. "Religion is about acceptance," he whispers before grabbing his bags and walking out. He's two blocks away before he realizes he doesn't know where to go, doesn't know who to go to. Quinn's his cousin and they're close but she's already been kicked out of the same house and he can't see the Jones' putting up two teenagers that aren't their own.
He's not sure where Kurt lives and he doesn't want to impose on the teen. They've barely known each other a month and they're friends but he isn't sure. Instead Kevin sets his bags down on the curb and just kind of sinks into the ground. He's been kicked out again, second family in a month to kick him out, and as much as he can pretend to be strong it still stings. Family is about love, religion is about acceptance-but apparently it's only about love and acceptance if you were just like everybody else.
He's sobbing before he realizes it, shaking and curled in on himself. He doesn't know how long he sits there, crying, but eventually he realizes that he isn't alone. Someone's almost patting his shoulder and saying "it's okay. It'll be okay," over and over again. The voice is soothing.
Kevin finally stops crying and opens his eyes. Mike from the coffee shop is sitting next to him, leaning forward and whispering still: "don't worry, it'll all be okay." And Kevin wants to shout at him because there's no way it'll all be okay. His family kicked him out, his other family kicked him out and he's homeless and gay and a teen and he's practically a statistic at this point.
So he does. He shouts and he cries and he even hits Mike once, but not hard. Kevin doesn't hit hard. Mike doesn't move through the entire thing, just sits with him and listens.
When Kevin's out of energy he just sits there, staring at Mike. "You don't even know me." He finally says. "You were an asshole to me the last time we talked."
"Dude, you were kind of sitting in front of my house crying." Mike says. "And don't worry, I'm an asshole to basically everyone, including my friends." Kevin stares at him.
"You don't even know me." And Kevin thinks about that, thinks about how a basic stranger has offered more comfort than his family and he's about to start crying again when Mike says:
"Yeah, well." Mike shrugs. "You're kind of cute, in a drowned poodle way."
Kevin looks up at him and shakes his head in disbelief: "I'm not a poodle."
"But your hair's so curly!" Mike reaches out and tugs on a curl. Kevin slaps half-heartedly at his hand.
"Yeah, well—you look like a serial killer." Kevin retorts when it becomes obvious Mike isn't going to stop playing with his hair.
"In a good way or a bad way?" Mike leans back on his heels, looking interested in Kevin's answer. "Like, do you think I'd kill you or like, other people?"
Kevin pretends to think about it for a second before answering: "Maybe other people, if they pissed you off enough."
Mike nods. "That's fair. Sisky thought I'd kill him after our last fight." Mike stands up and holds out a hand to Kevin, helping him off the ground. "Look, why don't we go inside? I can get you a glass of—well, whatever poodles drink—and you can clean up in the bathroom before I drop you at your boyfriends."
"I don't have a boyfriend." Kevin replies. It isn't like he has another choice, he'll have to go to Kurt and maybe the two teens together can figure something out.
"I know." Mike smiles at him. "But I forgot that dude's name, from the coffee shop, so." He shrugs before turning and walking back into his house. Kevin follows.
##
Mike helps Kevin put his bags in Mike's car, but they're quiet except for when Kevin gives out a direction. It's ten minutes of almost absolute silence. Kevin doesn't know what to think. Mike finally pulls up in front of Kurt's house and shrugs a little. "Give me your phone."
Kevin looks at the older teen before handing his phone over. Mike presses a few keys, and is clearly entering something and then he hands it back. "If you need anything give me a call." And Kevin nods. He's still in shock.
Mike turns the car off. He turns and looks at Kevin but doesn't say anything for a few seconds. Finally he says: "I mean it, you know. Call me, text me, whatever. I want you to." Before he turns and climbs out of the car. He walks to the front door and rings the doorbell before Kevin's even really aware of what's going on. Kurt answers and Kevin watches as the two of them talk for a couple minutes.
Kevin blinks and before he knows exactly what's going on Mike and Kurt have brought him into the Hummel's house. His bags are beside him and Kurt is looking almost as though he wants to cry. Mike is just standing there, a little awkwardly. He finally shrugs and leans forward, hugs Kevin quickly before turning towards the front door.
"Call me." He says, looking at Kevin, before opening the door and walking out. Kevin blinks and then looks at Kurt.
"Um." He clearly doesn't know what to say.
"Come on downstairs. You look like you could use a hot shower." Kurt says instead, taking Kevin's hand and leading him towards the basement. "We'll figure everything out later, okay? Just know that you can stay here as long as you need to."
Kevin blinks again. He really doesn't know what to say.
##
He goes to school the next day and the day after and the day after and it's almost like nothing's changed. Except it has and Kevin knows it has and Kurt knows it has and Quinn knows too. It's almost like the three of them against the world and for half-a-second Kevin feels hope. He hasn't talked to Nick since the day at the coffee shop, hasn't told him that he's been kicked out again, a freak again, homeless (except not because Kurt and Burt have insisted that he stay there for however long he needs) and family-less (except Quinn has more then stepped up and the two of them are all the family they need, anyways, she says).
He hasn't texted Mike but he wants to. Wants to thank the scary looking teenager for not ignoring him, for helping him and offering him more then his own family saw fit to offer him but Kevin's pretty sure that the second he calls he'll break down again and he doesn't want to do that to Mike, doesn't want to be that gay kid who Mike had to keep rescuing over and over again.
Glee is going better then Kevin expected and he has fun while he's there, dancing and singing and goofing around and just acting like a kid (even though he isn't one; even though he's alone and scared and desperately wishing things were different). Kurt doesn't say anything really, about the whole mess. Just treats Kevin like normal, like his staying over is practically a sleepover and an excuse to get nicer clothes and dress more fashionably. Kevin doesn't say anything about it because he's staying at Kurt's house and if Kurt wants him to wear a scarf to school then he'll wear it; it's not hurting anyone. Besides, he kind of likes them. They meet him feel special and shiny and they're something new, something he didn't have before and he's trying to be all about the present and not the past.
It's only when Nick texts him Friday afternoon that things become even sort of real. y didn't u tell me? and Kevin doesn't know what to think.
He ignores the text, hopes it'll go away, but another one quickly replaces it: ur an idiot. U should have told me. Love u. and Kevin blinks because he knows Nick loves him but it's nice to hear after everything.
There's a knock on the Hummel's front door later that day and Kevin answers out of habit. He doesn't check to see who it is (although he knows he should) and he definitely doesn't say "who is it?" before opening the door. Either way it wouldn't have mattered because he's not sure he's believing his eyes. Nick's standing in front of him with Joe right behind him and they're both carrying bags. Kevin blinks.
"Nick. Joe." He says this evenly, measuredly, trying to keep a rein on his emotions.
"Poodle!" Nick shouts, rushing forward and engulfing Kevin in a hug. Joe stands back a little and smiles at him, almost as if he was waiting his turn. Nick eventually lets go and Joe rushes forward.
"KEVIN!" he shouts just as dramatically. "Missed you." Joe whispers in Kevin's ear as the two brother's hug.
The trio eventually all stop hugging each other and instead step inside the Hummel house, looking around to avoid looking at each other. There's a slight tension in the air, Kevin can feel it, almost reach out and touch it.
"It's good to see you guys," He finally offers. "I've missed you."
"You've been missed, bro." Joe says in response. "It isn't the same without you."
"Yeah. We really missed you Kev." Nick adds in.
Kevin doesn't know what to say. It's already been an emotional week and now to have his brother's here at Kurt's; to actually see them and hug them. It's family, exactly what he knows he's been missing.
##
"We want you to come home." Nick says later, when the three of them are camped out in the Hummel living room in sleeping bags. Kurt and his father had taken one look at the brothers and invited Nick and Joe to stay as long as they needed to.
"Mom and dad know they messed up." Joe offers. "They just—they don't know how to say sorry."
"But they miss you. They love you." Nick adds in. "Frankie keeps asking when you're coming home and mom just starts crying."
"And they found a new church." Joe says this part slowly, lightly, and Kevin has to strain to hear the words. "And the minister talks about how love is love, and family is family."
"Sounds nice." Kevin says. He falls silent because he wants to believe them, wants more then anything for their words to be true. He misses his mom's hugs and his dad's stern smiles and Frankie's exuberance and following Nick around for his concerts and going to dinner and breaking out into song. He misses everything.
"Will you come home?" Nick asks, timidly. "Come home. Please. We'll all try harder and you know we love you."
"You're our big bro, bro." Kevin smiles because he knows Joe is smiling here, in the dark. Both Nick and Joe are here and they're asking him to come home and he wants to, more than anything.
"I—I don't know." Kevin finally answers. He doesn't say everything that's passing through his mind, doesn't ask how long they'll let him stay and how much he'll have to change, and he isn't sure he can change, not now that he knows what it's like to actually be out. And yes he's being teased at school, bullied, but he's also kissed a boy and made friends and sung and danced and he thinks McKinley could be good for him, if he lets it be.
"You—" Nick pauses, stops, takes a breath and Kevin waits to hear what he has to say. "You don't need to go back in the closet—that's the expression, right?" Nick asks Joe and Joe nods, Kevin can hear it. "We all know you're gay and it's okay, Kev. We love you no matter who you love."
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Joe asks and Kevin wants to laugh because really, it's already been a messed up few weeks, he's been kicked out of two homes and welcomed into a third and had his first kiss and fallen apart and he's kind of put himself back together and now they're asking if he has a boyfriend?
"No." He shakes his head.
"Okay." Joe says. "There are a lot of cute boys at our new church, though, and I think some of them are gay. That's what the rainbow flag pin means, right?"
And Nick is nodding this time. "Yeah," he says and Kevin's mind boggles that his family is going to a church and boys wear rainbow flag pins and he can't believe it.
"Um." He stands up. "I gotta—" and he points to the bathroom but what he really wants to do is call Mike. Mike who he's only met twice, who has already seen him at his worst and still been there for him. Kevin doesn't wait for the others to respond, just walks over towards the bathroom and at the last second decides to go outside, instead. The fresh air will probably help.
He takes his cell out of his pocket and stares at it for a second, debates dialing but knows he needs some outside perspective and Mike's it. Mike who's an asshole and a bastard and acknowledges it; Mike who picked him up off the ground and made him hot chocolate and petted his hair; Mike who has texted him almost daily since then, asking after him and making sure he's alright. He isn't sure he'd call Mike a friend just yet, but he's there, under Kevin's skin, like an itch he can scratch but still doesn't go away.
He dials. And waits for the phone to ring. And ring. Eventually someone answers and it's bleary and slightly slurred: "'lo?"
"Mike?" Kevin says. "Mike? Can you talk?"
Kevin waits for a few minutes, hears some muttered words and a few clanks, and a couple moans and Kevin wonder's what exactly he interrupted when suddenly Mike is there: "Hey Kev." And he sounds happy to hear from him.
"Hey Mike." Kevin falls silent. He isn't sure exactly what to say or how to say it. Doesn't know if he should ask Mike how he is or engage in small talk and maybe this phone call wasn't the best decision ever when suddenly Mike's talking.
"So, okay, Bill and Sisky have been writing lyrics for like, 8 hours now, and Sisky keeps staring out the window whenever anyone says anything to the two of them and it's kind of freaky." Mike rambles. "So I tried to steal their pad, you know, to see what they've got, but it's all in pictures. Like, pictogram pictures or something. Bill and Sisky are writing a song without words."
And Kevin laughs, because that's exactly what he needed to hear. He laughs for a few minutes and Mike laughs and the two of them are laughing together and it feels nice, safe.
Kevin finally stops laughing and takes a deep breath. "My brother's showed up today." And Mike sucks in a breath but doesn't say anything. Kevin's silent for a second before he says: "they want me to come home."
And now he's crying, but not like before. Its more quiet and dignified because Kevin can't believe it, isn't sure he should believe it, because it's his family and they want him back.
"And your family?" Mike asks.
"They say mom and dad are sorry, but that they don't know how to apologize." Kevin whispers. "That they switched churches and they're—they're trying. Joe asked if I have a boyfriend." Mike doesn't say anything, just hums and lets the silence grow longer and longer until Kevin says: "I'm not sure. I don't think I could stand it again. I mean—I can't…"
"You could, you know." Mike says this quietly, confidently. "You're strong and brave."
"Thanks." Kevin whispers.
"Look, I can't tell you what to do. But just—do what you want." Mike says this as if it was that easy, that if Kevin just did what he wants that everything would work out. It doesn't—Kevin knows this much first hand.
"It's not that easy." Kevin says.
And Mike laughs a little before saying: "Dude, it kind of is. Look, I gotta go make sure Bill's writing lyrics with actual words and shit." And he hangs up without waiting for Kevin's reply.
Kevin should be used to this, he doesn't know Mike very much, but he does know that Mike's kind of an asshole to most people (even his friends) and he doesn't believe in apologies, just getting shit out there. He's rude and sarcastic and when he's done with something he just moves on to the next thing.
Kevin sits outside for a few more minutes, thinking, before turning around and walking back into the Hummel's living room. Joe and Nick are sitting up against the couch, talking, but they fall silent when Kevin walks in. He looks at them and then blinks a couple times.
"Look…" Kevin sits down on the floor and leans against the couch, right next to Joe. "If I come back—you guys can't do it again. I mean, not you guys, but—mom, dad."
Nick and Joe nod, earnestly. "They won't Kev," Joe whispers. "You don't know how badly they feel."
"And I'm not going back in the closet, not for anything." Kevin says this and waits for his stomach to twist up because he knows it sounds like an ultimatum, his way or the highway, but it doesn't. His stomach doesn't twist or knot and that's when he knows he's made the right choice.
"We wouldn't ask you to." Nick says this, leaning forward and wrapping an arm around Kevin's shoulder. "We love you just the way you are."
Kev blinks back a tear and then smiles. "Okay, I'll come home."
##
In the end, Kevin leaves almost as quietly as he'd arrived. He says goodbye to everyone in Glee, apologizes for not sticking around for Regionals but they assure him it's okay, that they understand about family coming first. He invites Quinn to come back with him, sure his parents wouldn't hesitate to take his cousin in, but she declines the offer. She wants to see her glee club win, wants to be with her friends and (she hopes/she's pretty sure) that her family will come around. Eventually.
Kevin understands that more now, understands the importance of family and its not like he didn't before but he thinks he might just walk through fire to be there for his brothers, to be that person they could rely on as much as he's going to rely on them and he gives Quinn a big hug and whispers in her ear that she'd better call him at least once-a-week and if she dares have her baby and not tell him? That heads will roll.
He doesn't say goodbye to Mike in person, just texts him and waits for a response that doesn't come. Kevin isn't sad about this, though, just—pensive, he decides. Pensive because Mike's been there for him, helped him through this, and nobody even knows it. He can't tell his brothers, isn't sure how to, and Kurt understands but doesn't because he's never been kicked out, never lost his family.
Kevin drives away with Nick and Joe and they don't stop until they're out of Lima. It feels like a dream, the entire month, but it also feels more real then anything else in Kevin's recent history. The car ride home is long, but filled with happiness and smiles. The three brothers sing along to the radio and Nick talks to them about maybe forming a group together, their voices certainly compliment each other's well. And Joe and Kevin laugh, except for how they really don't; Kevin thinks it's a good idea, as long as they do it right, like Hanson and Joe just wants them to play their own instruments.
It's good. It's not perfect yet, Kevin doesn't know if it'll ever be perfect, but it feels right and he feels more at home then he ever has before. He has his brothers and his friends from Lima and he's pretty sure he can take on the world. He blinks, but everything is still the same. His phone vibrates suddenly against his thigh and Kevin smiles, pulls it out.
Poodle—better come see us on Warped this summer.
Kevin puts his phone away and leans back into his seat, listening to his brothers argue about what radio station to listen to.
He could get used to this.