A/N: Thank you for following and reviewing!
I'm going to be busy over the weekend and I didn't want to leave it until Monday so this update is earlier than planned. :)
- Turn Your Back On Mother Nature -
A day later, the results are posted. Rachel will play Maria, which has Mercedes throwing a tantrum, and Kurt will be Officer Krupke. It is no surprise to Kurt that Blaine has gotten the lead. Even from his biased perspective, he has to admit that Blaine is a perfect fit for the role.
It still hurts, though, and Kurt doesn't congratulate Blaine when they both sit down at their desk in English. He can tell that Blaine can guess what the reason for his silence is because he keeps glancing at Kurt and sighing before turning his gaze away again.
Don't give in, Kurt tells himself. He's competition, nothing else. Focus on NYADA.
Channeling his inner Rachel works even though he knows he is being unfair. Anyone would have given the role to the most fitting candidate. But doesn't he deserve a break?
He keeps moping for the remainder of the week, not breaking the stoic silence whenever Blaine is around, be it Glee club, cheerleading practice or English class.
Which is why he is beyond surprised – shocked, really – when Blaine suddenly shows up at his house.
"Hi, Kurt," he says with his usual bright smile, though it seems a bit off to Kurt.
He stares at the other boy for about a minute, trying to figure out what is happening.
Blaine clears his throat. "Um, is Quinn here?" he asks shyly.
"Oh!" Kurt exclaims, momentarily forgetting why he is upset with Blaine (or really isn't, why is this so hard to decide?). Of course Blaine is there to see Quinn. That really was a no-brainer, wasn't it?
Blaine is looking more confused than ever. "So… is she?" he asks again.
Kurt feels the need to face-palm. Or hit his head against the wall repeatedly, really. It'll have to wait until Blaine is gone, though.
"Sorry, I was- I mean, yes, uh, yeah, she's here," he gets out in one breath and the nearest wall still seems so tempting. He opens the door wider, finally remembering his manners. "Sorry, Blaine, please come in. She's in Finn's room, I think."
"Thanks, Kurt," Blaine says, stepping inside and removing his shoes in the hallway.
"Second to the right," Kurt provides and points to the stairs when it becomes apparent that Blaine has no idea which way to turn.
"And straight on til morning," he hears Blaine mumble as the other boy makes his way upstairs.
Kurt stays rooted on the spot.
Why can't his competition be a dumb jerk he couldn't care less about? Why does it have to be someone who sings like a dream and knows important pop culture references?
He goes back to his own room, deliberately not closing the door so he will know when Blaine leaves again (the plan of hitting his head against the wall is still very much on the list of possible reactions to his earlier display of stupidity), and distracts himself with an old Vogue magazine. Still, his mind can't help but wander back to Blaine and his stupidly charming demeanor. If Kurt wasn't mad at him and jealous of how much he is achieving when Kurt is still trying to get his foot in the door, he'd probably be head over heels for him.
He's been rereading the same paragraph over ten times when he hears Finn's bedroom door open and someone stepping back into the hallway. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Blaine walks by Kurt's open bedroom door. At first, Kurt thinks he is going to rush by without noticing Kurt. But then, Blaine turns suddenly and leans against the doorframe.
"Hey, um, Kurt?" he asks.
Kurt pretends to drag his eyes away from the magazine. "Yes, Blaine?" he says, keeping his voice cool enough to convey nonchalance and indifference.
Blaine steps into the room a little, his hands clasped tightly in front of his belly. He seems a bit nervous to Kurt. Why would he be nervous?
"Are we…" Blaine starts, clears his throat and then repeats himself, "Are we okay?"
Kurt inhales deeply. He wasn't counting on Blaine going with direct confrontation. Of course, he also wasn't counting on Blaine showing up at his house to visit his sister, so he really hasn't been preparing for these kinds of situations in the first place.
"What do you mean?" he asks, sitting up on the bed and putting the magazine aside.
"Well, you haven't talked to me ever since they announced the results for the West Side Story auditions and I just wanted to make sure that there are no bad feelings between us," Blaine says with his gaze on the floor rather than on Kurt.
Kurt feels trapped. He just doesn't have it in him. He can't be mad at someone as nice as Blaine, even though that same someone is slowly ruining all of his chances of getting into the school of his dreams.
He knows Rachel would tell him to stick it out, to not give in, to make Blaine's life a living hell.
He isn't Rachel, though.
"Sorry," Kurt says earnestly. "It's not… you. I've just been having little to no success lately. It's – well, it's messing with my head."
Blaine lets out a long breath and steps a bit closer.
"I'm sorry, too," he says. "I know you wanted Tony. I… I could have probably just withdrawn from the audition or told them that I wanted a smaller role."
"Oh my god, are you for real?" Kurt says without thinking. "Your audition was perfect."
Blaine gawks at him and – oh yeah, he didn't know Kurt was watching. Oops. "You were there?" Blaine asks quietly.
Kurt nods. "I couldn't help it, I heard you were auditioning for Tony and… god, Blaine, you were a completely different person up on that stage."
Blaine preens. "Thank you," he says, bouncing on his feet a little. "And… um. I heard you, too. From backstage. Your voice is amazing. Why doesn't Mr. Schue give you more solos?"
Kurt laughs. Wow, this is so nice, I could get used to this, he thinks. "Good question," he says with a wink. "Pretty sure he might be tone deaf."
They both grin and there is a brief but comfortable silence settling over them when Quinn's head appears behind the door.
"Oh, Blainey, you're still here," she says. "Hi, Kurt."
"Hey, Quinn." Kurt waves at her. They have only talked a few times since they sorted things out between them but if Kurt isn't mistaken, they've both mutually decided to be… friends, sort of.
"I was going to ask you if you could help me with turning some of my clothes into maternity fashion?" Quinn asks, hesitation in her voice like she doesn't want to interrupt anything.
As much as Kurt wants to keep talking to Blaine – if Rachel knew, he'd be dead, but he's becoming an expert at hiding the truth, anyway – he can't turn down an opportunity to re-design clothes for someone as fashionable as Quinn.
"Sure, bring them over," he says, smiling at her and already getting up to get his sewing machine and some more fashion magazines.
Blaine is still standing in his room awkwardly when Kurt turns back around.
"Can I help?" he asks, looking at the items in Kurt's hand curiously.
Kurt looks him up and down and notices that he hasn't really seen Blaine out of the cheerleading uniform a lot. He's quite well-dressed, red jeans with a white belt, a simple black shirt topped off with a colorful, yet subtle bowtie. Blaine squirms a little under the scrutiny.
"Well, you do look like you know a thing or two about fashion," Kurt decides. "Why don't you help me peruse these magazines for some nice pregnancy looks?"
Blaine flashes him an excited smile and takes about half a dozen Vogue magazines from Kurt's arms.
"I think I remember a pregnancy fashion article from one of recent issues," he says, dropping most of the issues and himself on Kurt's bed unceremoniously and already flipping through the remaining magazine in his hands.
"You read Vogue?" Kurt asks happily, sitting down on the bed next to Blaine.
"Oh, please," Quinn snorts from the doorway, or at least Kurt assumes it's Quinn because her head is hidden from view by the huge stack of clothes she is carrying. "Blaine has been stealing my fashion magazines ever since he was twelve years old – and that doesn't say much because he didn't live with us before then."
Kurt laughs. "I wish I could say the same thing about Finn but the boy has as much fashion sense as a cocooned caterpillar."
Quinn laughs so hard she almost starts crying and Blaine is so visibly happy that his sister is having a good time that Kurt can't even bring himself to make a snarky comment at the fact that Blaine is currently reading a men's fashion article instead of looking for maternity fashion.
They work in perfect unison for the next few hours, Kurt and Blaine bookmarking and color-coding important articles with post-it notes and Quinn arranging her clothes in different piles by priority so they know what to work on first. By the time Finn comes home from football practice and Carole is done making dinner, they have already transformed two of Quinn's pants and three of her dresses into fashionable pregnancy wear.
When they decide to take a break, all three of them lying on their bellies next to each other on Kurt's bed, reading different Vogue issues, Kurt is so engrossed in an article written by Isabelle Wright and in the fact that Blaine is lying so close that their sides are almost glued together that he doesn't notice Burt leaning against his doorframe for a whole minute.
"Hey buddy, hey Quinn," his father finally says, "and …?"
Blaine gets up immediately and strides over to Burt to shake his hand.
"I'm Blaine, sir," he says, polite as ever. "I'm Quinn's brother."
Kurt shakes his head fondly at Blaine and then hurriedly pretends not to see the curious look his father gives him – raised eyebrows and the hint of a smile.
"No need for that sir nonsense," Burt tells Blaine. "Call me Burt."
Blaine smiles. "Thanks, Burt. And thank you for taking care of my sister."
Kurt glances at Quinn. Her smile stays on her face but it turns sad for the fraction of a second. Given how close she and Blaine seem to be, Kurt can't even begin to imagine how it must feel for her to be separated from him all of a sudden.
Burt must think the same thing because the next thing he says is, "Both of you are welcome here anytime. Now, anyone hungry?"
All three of them nod enthusiastically, which elicits a good-natured chuckle from Burt. "Come on down, then," he says. "Dinner is ready."
After Carole and Blaine have been introduced, they all head to the living room where they barely all fit around the table. They make it work somehow, Kurt sitting between Finn, who's already happily munching away, and Blaine, who, naturally, is waiting for everyone to start eating before taking some for himself.
"It's clear as day that you and Quinn were raised together," Carole comments, smirking at Blaine and giving her own son a light shove. Finn is so busy eating he doesn't even bother looking offended in the slightest.
"Tastes good, mom," is all he says.
"Manners are so hard to come by these days," Kurt says with an exaggerated sigh and starts serving everyone food.
"Pah, you love me," Finn says between bites.
"I do," Kurt replies. "But I'll deny that we're family in public."
"You're rude."
"You're gross."
It goes back and forth for a bit until Burt's chuckling so hard he can't keep the food on his fork. Kurt and Finn quit teasing each other and the conversation soon shifts to Glee club assignments. Since he has never really talked to either Quinn or Blaine about their shared hobby, he is learning something new with each comment they make, for example Quinn's love for cheesy duets and Blaine's slightly pathetic obsession with P!nk and Katy Perry. He tells him as much, causing Quinn to laugh hysterically and Blaine to pout like a kicked puppy.
"I was going to sing Last Friday Night next week in Glee club," Blaine says.
"Dude, I love that song," Finn agrees.
"Blaine, you're good, but there's nobody who will change my mind about Katy Perry songs," Kurt says.
Blaine turns to look at him solemnly. "Challenge accepted."
Burt comes up to his room later in the middle of Kurt's moisturizing routine.
"Kurt, can I talk to you?" he says, already closing the door behind him.
Kurt eyes him suspiciously. "What is this about?" he asks.
Please don't be another sex talk. Please.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud of how you are handling this thing with Quinn living here. You two seem to get along quite nicely."
Oh. Well, then. "I like her," Kurt says. "She's really cool once you get to know her."
Though it certainly is very hard to keep her secret in the whole baby department, he adds in his mind.
"I'm glad to hear that," his father says. "Her brother seems nice, too."
"He is."
Burt squints. Kurt knows he is trying to figure out if there is something going on between them but he won't give him the satisfaction of jumping right to the case. His father can figure this out all on his own if he thinks he has to. Plus, there is absolutely nothing to hide. Blaine is just someone he knows from school and came over to see his sister, that's all there is to it, isn't it?
"Are you two…?" Burt starts.
Kurt rolls his eyes. The confrontational way then. "No, dad."
Burt throws up his hands at Kurt's reaction. "Just asking."
Kurt continues to apply moisturizer to his cheeks and only turns back to his father when he hasn't left the room after a minute. "Good night, dad."
Burt laughs. "Alright, alright. Good night, buddy."
Kurt stands corrected. Blaine does make Katy Perry work. Everybody gets up to dance to Last Friday Night, even Rachel, who obviously puts up a bit of a fight initially. Kurt is already thinking about taking bets how long it will take Rachel to fall under Blaine's spell as soon as rehearsals for the musical start. Who knows, maybe this whole NYADA competition drama will vanish into thin air.
They drop back into their chairs, Blaine taking a seat right next to Kurt and looking at him expectantly.
Kurt is aware of Rachel's eyes on him but he can't bring himself to care much when Blaine is smirking at him like that.
"Okay, you won," he confesses to Blaine. "That was surprisingly good for something as… uncultured as a Katy Perry song."
Quinn cackles and comments, "You should hear him sing Teenage Dream. I swear it has turned people."
Kurt scoffs playfully but he feels his lips twitch in an attempt to smile, especially when Blaine throws him a wink and sits back down next to Quinn, giving her a little fist bump that is entirely too adorable to look as cool as they probably intended it to be.
Rachel leans close to Kurt's left ear as soon as Mr. Schue takes over again. "What was that about?" she asks, her voice clipped.
"I more or less challenged him to make me like a Katy Perry song," Kurt answers truthfully.
Rachel huffs. "If that is your idea of scaring the competition off, it backfired," she says sarcastically.
"Not everything is about competition," Kurt snaps. He wants to add that Blaine is a perfectly likeable person but the boy in question is sitting too close for Kurt to feel comfortable doing so. From the look in Rachel's eyes, he can tell that she is onto him, anyway.
She doesn't speak to him for the rest of rehearsal and Kurt is starting to get really annoyed with her. After all, it's not his fault that she hates anyone who stands in her way of stardom. Sure, Kurt admires her ambition, but the road she chooses must be very lonely.
He doesn't, however, expect her to be ruthless enough to leave him behind as well.
Which is why he is not expecting her next move at all.
"Mr. Schue!" Rachel quips, her usual pretentious tone making most of the group roll their eyes at her. "I have news to share with everyone. Several people have already announced their lineup as potential senior class presidents and today, I want to tell everyone in this group that I will be running for president as well. As the star of this group, I want to encourage my fellow Glee clubbers to support me in the election."
A heavy silence settles over everyone. Kurt feels eyes flitting from Rachel to him. He stares ahead, not giving her the satisfaction of showing any weakness. But he can feel tears threatening to spill and if he has to sit next to his best friend – if she even is his best friend, how can she do this to him? – for much longer, he won't be able to keep them in anymore.
He gets up as soon as class is dismissed and heads straight to his locker, ready to get his homework and drive home immediately. But Rachel is a bit faster than him. She stops next to his locker.
"Kurt," she says, formal as if she is about to speak in the White House. "We need to talk."
"Do we, Rachel?" Kurt snarls.
"I have the same right as you do to run for senior class president and just because we're friends-"
"But you didn't do it because you wanted to!" Kurt yells, causing several students in the hallway to do a double-take. "You did it out of spite, Rachel, and because nobody is more important to you than yourself." He gets right up in her face and hisses, "I'm done being your henchman. I have a life of my own."
Rachel almost looks hurt. Kurt turns on his heel before he can regret his words.
When he reaches his car, he sees Blaine leaning against it. He sighs to himself, wondering if he is ever going to get home so he can bawl his eyes out in peace.
"Are you okay?" Blaine asks him.
Kurt nods. Then frowns. And shakes his head.
"What's going on?" Blaine probes.
Kurt can't possibly explain the situation without revealing the whole NYADA audition shebang. He debates the pros and cons in his mind for a minute and then decides that Rachel was the one who had the problem with Blaine auditioning, Rachel wanted to manipulate Blaine's chances and improve their own, and Rachel was the one who was against interacting with Blaine at all.
So Kurt spills.
And Blaine listens.
When Kurt is done talking, Blaine seems to be confused.
"So… the problem is that we all want the same thing?" he tries to clarify.
Kurt nods again.
Blaine furrows his eyebrows. "But… you two wanted the same thing before I came along. Why wasn't that a problem?"
Huh. Why wasn't it?
"I don't know," he answers.
And pauses.
Because – doesn't he know? There is this little voice in his head, that voice that stays quiet all the times that Rachel makes plans for when they are fabulously famous and only pipes in situations like these when Rachel hogs the spotlight and doesn't share. The little evil voice that says, Rachel doesn't see you as competition, Kurt. She could drop you right this instant and never look back. You'll only ever be the supporting role to her leading lady.
It sounds awful even in his head. Kurt cringes.
"Probably because you weren't our friend. It's easy to make someone into an enemy if you don't know them well," he says instead.
"We could all get in, though," Blaine says. "I know Rachel has a phenomenal voice. And I heard you at your audition – you have the most impressive vocal range I've ever heard. The chances are the same for all of us."
"Except for the extracurriculars," Kurt counters, "Rachel and you are the leads in our musical, you are cheerleading captain and whoever wins this damn election, it's probably not going to be me."
Blaine looks as if all the puzzle pieces just fell into place.
"Oh," he says. "Oh, Kurt, I'm so sorry." He opens his mouth a few times to speak and then rearranges his words. "That… that was why you were so upset when you didn't get Tony, wasn't it? That was the week Brittany and I decided to run for senior class president, too."
Kurt looks at his hands. "And you were made co-captain of the Cheerios before I even had a chance to throw in my name," he adds. "I'm sorry, too. It's not that I think you don't deserve it, it's just that there aren't enough leadership roles for everyone and if I don't have anything to add to my application, my chances of getting into NYADA are going to be slim."
"Kurt," Blaine says, and damn him, he has a way of softly curling the 'r' sound in his name that makes it sound so… intimate. "You can still put Glee club and Cheerios and the musical on your résumé. Just because you're not the lead or the captain or whatever, doesn't mean your contributions aren't important. Besides, ultimately, it's going to be the audition that counts. We can practice together if you want to. They'd be crazy not to let you in."
Kurt sees Rachel leave the building out of the corner of his eye.
"Do you want to get coffee?" he suddenly finds himself asking.
Surprised, Blaine blinks a few times before nodding. "Sure," he says.
They both get into Kurt's car, Kurt steering them out of the parking lot as quickly as he can without driving past Rachel.
Blaine seems amused. "Did you just take a detour to avoid Rachel?"
Kurt snorts. "If you were friends with her, you'd understand."
"Why are you friends with her?" Blaine asks.
"It's… complicated. She isn't a bad person." Kurt starts tapping his fingers on the wheel when they stop at a red light, trying to articulate his feelings so that Blaine will understand. "She gets intense, especially when she wants something as badly as she wants to make it on Broadway. I know she cares about me. She rarely does care for anyone else but herself but once she becomes your friend, she stands up for you whatever the cost."
"Unless you're in her way?" Blaine guesses.
Kurt shrugs. "She'll come around eventually. At least she usually does. Mercedes and Rachel have an annual diva-off, you know, like the one earlier this week when they fought over the musical lead. I've learned to ignore it as long as it doesn't involve me. Of course, this time, it's personal."
"Have you been friends for a long time?"
"No," Kurt says with a chuckle. "We hated each other with a passion. We, uh… both had a crush on Finn."
"… what?!" Blaine gasps.
Kurt smirks. "Yeah, it seems incredible now, doesn't it? Our current living arrangement would have been so awkward," he muses. "Anyway, Rachel helped me through a lot of stuff my junior year. I was bullied, which is something she thankfully has zero tolerance for, and she decided to take me under her wings. We somehow became best friends along the way. Well, and-"
"Take a turn to the left here," Blaine interrupts. "Sorry, didn't mean to cut you off but it's a shortcut."
"No, it's fine," Kurt says. "Let's talk about you now. I don't really feel like talking about my problems anymore."
Blaine leans back in his seat and throws out his arms in an I-am-an-open-book gesture. "Okay," he says. "What do you want to know?"
"For starters, how did you become co-captain of the Cheerios?"
Blaine laughs. "Peculiar choice for a first question but I'll roll with it," he says. "Well… Coach Sylvester got word that Quinn was pregnant and she almost threw her off the team. Quinn came to me for help and we managed to convince Coach that having us be co-captains might be a wise choice, considering nobody had the leadership skills Quinn possessed – she is going to train me as captain before the pregnancy will become too much for her. And… well, I guess Coach still isn't too happy with Quinn being pregnant but at least she didn't kick her out."
Kurt feels so ashamed all of a sudden. All this time he had thought that Blaine had done it for himself. He even somehow managed to believe that Blaine became captain to tamper with Kurt's NYADA chances, even though, all this time, Blaine hadn't even been aware of Kurt's plan to get into the same school as him.
"I didn't know that," he says truthfully. "It's really nice of you to stick up for her like that."
Blaine shakes his head. "It's what siblings do, isn't it?" Kurt feels a little sting when he thinks of Kurt and the secret that he's keeping from him. He shakes himself out of it quickly and continues to listen to Blaine's explanation. "It's not like I've never wanted to become captain. I know Santana has been calling me an 'attention whore'… maybe she's right. I do love the spotlight."
"That's not the same!" Kurt protests. "Jeez, how can you be so nice about everything? You're not mad at me or Rachel for treating you like an enemy, you're not mad at Santana for calling you names…"
"For the record, I am mad at Rachel," Blaine says, "for treating you the way she did earlier. And because I know she has been messing with Quinn, too. But Santana changes her opinions, like, every other day. I really couldn't care less. And you haven't done anything bad, have you?"
"I think you should be a bit nicer to yourself, Blaine," Kurt tells him. "Santana might change her opinion about you but that doesn't make it okay for her to talk behind your back." He turns right onto the Lima Bean parking lot and continues, while looking for a good spot to park, "As for me… I did treat you unnecessarily harsh."
"It's okay, you apologized," Blaine says and shoulders his bag once they are parked.
Kurt smiles at him. "If you say so."
As soon as they buy their coffee – medium drip for Blaine, grande non-fat mocha for Kurt – and sit down at one of tables over the window, they do start talking about Blaine for real. Kurt learns that Blaine grew up in Westerville, that his parents separated because his father had an affair and that his mom married Quinn's father when Blaine was nine years old. His biological brother Cooper lived with them at first, too, but moved to LA for his acting career soon after. Blaine took up boxing at a young age because of bullies and was held back a year due to the apparently very heavy bullying aftermath – Blaine doesn't seem willing to talk about it much so Kurt doesn't push and instead files the information away for later. He also learns that Blaine hasn't been in Glee club because he spent most of his high school years getting extra credits to skip the grade he had lost and was finally able to make room for it once he got his senior year schedule sorted out.
They're in the middle of a passionate discussion of their favorite Broadway shows when Blaine glances at his phone and gasps, "Fuck, I'm supposed to pick up Quinn from her doctor's appointment! She's gonna be out in, like, ten minutes."
Kurt shrugs. "Relax, I'll drive you there, she lives at my place anyway. You could come home and join us for Friday night dinner, too. I can't imagine how lonely you must feel without Quinn at your place."
Blaine shrugs while he watches Kurt finish his coffee. "It's not the same, no," he says earnestly. "I haven't talked to my stepdad much ever since he threw Quinn out. He doesn't 'approve' of my lifestyle anyway." He makes air quotes. "I'm pretty sure my mom is going to divorce him, too."
They reach the car and Kurt lingers on Blaine's side of the car for a second. "I'm sorry, Blaine," he says.
"It sucks, really," Blaine says. "But Quinn and my mom are my real family and nobody can tell me otherwise. I don't care about a father figure. I'm just sad for my mom."
Blaine gives Kurt directions, all the while texting Quinn that he'll be a bit late, which is why their drive is almost silent.
Quinn raises an eyebrow when Kurt stops the car right in front of her.
"Hi, boys," she says when she gets into the backseat. "I wasn't expecting you to pick me up, Kurt."
"It sort of… happened," Kurt says, hoping that neither Blaine nor Quinn notice his blush, but when he looks back up he sees that they are having some sort of silent conversation consisting of raises eyebrows (Quinn), a shrug and a sheepish grin (Blaine) and an amused smirk (Quinn again). He decides not to comment.
"Well, thanks anyway," Quinn addresses Kurt and he tells her it's fine.
"How did the appointment go?" Blaine asks.
Quinn's eyes turn a bit glassy. "It's a girl," she breathes out. "I'm going to have a baby girl."
Everyone at the Hummel-Hudson household is excited about Quinn's news and Kurt barely manages to swallow around the lump in his throat when Finn hugs Quinn to his chest and promises to take care of "their girl".
Blaine catches Kurt's grimace and mouths "You ok?". Kurt nods quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly, because he has a feeling Blaine keeps frowning even when Kurt looks away and focuses on helping Carole with dinner.
After dinner, Burt suggests they all watch a movie together. Finn and Quinn decline the offer, both claiming to be really tired, and Carole nods understandingly. She turns to Kurt and Blaine. "What about the two of you?" she asks.
Kurt has to bite his cheeks so he doesn't show his reaction to the phrasing – as if somehow Blaine and Kurt belong together. He suppresses a groan. He is getting so ahead of himself. If he isn't careful, this might become another crush gone horribly wrong. Sure, Blaine is good looking and talented and super nice, but that doesn't have to mean anything, does it?
"I'll need to call my mom and ask her if she can pick me up later," Blaine says hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I'll drive you home," Kurt rushes to say.
Blaine smiles brightly. "Thanks, I'll text her that I'll be home late. I guess she won't mind on a Friday night."
Kurt catches Burt and Carole exchanging a meaningful look and manages not to roll his eyes so that Blaine won't catch on as well. He just hopes they won't be too embarrassing during the movie. He doesn't even know if Blaine is his friend yet, and his dad is probably assuming god knows what.
They decide on watching Notting Hill when Carole confesses she has never seen it. Carole likes to sit on the armchair so Kurt gets comfortable between his father to his left and Blaine to his right… yeah, he'll just pretend it's not awkward at all to sit between his father and the guy his fatherseems to think he's dating. Thankfully, Burt seems to know when not to embarrass his son just as much as he knows when to embarrass him.
Carole, not having seen the movie, makes for some hilarious commentary on the side, urging the characters on screen to get a grip and clapping her hands together happily when Anna and William finally get together in the end. She also downs about three and a half glasses of wine, which somehow only adds to the overall quality of the entertainment.
When the time comes to drive Blaine home, Kurt gets him his coat and helps him shrug it on. Carole nudges Burt. "You raised a gentleman, I see," she giggles, clearly tipsy.
Kurt would roll his eyes at her if Blaine wasn't biting his cheek with an ill-concealed smile that didn't make Kurt feel so… content. He watches as Blaine bids Burt and Carole goodbye and thanks them for the nice evening.
When they reach the car parked in the driveway, a voice calls after them, "Blaine! Kurt!"
They turn around to see Quinn sitting on Finn's windowsill with her legs resting on the roof of the house.
"Quinn!" Blaine says in surprise. "What are you doing?"
She shrugs. "Watching the stars calms me down."
"Why do you need to calm down?" Kurt asks.
"I- she was kicking." Quinn points to her little baby bump. "I think I had a panic attack. She felt how scared I was."
Blaine looks at his sister worriedly. "Do you need to see a doctor?"
"No, it's fine," Quinn assures him. "I just had this feeling… like everything was going to fall apart. It's better now."
"Where's Finn?" Kurt asks, wondering if there had been a fight.
"Sleeping," Quinn says and peeks back into the room, probably to make sure that that's still the case.
Kurt raises an eyebrow. "He slept through your panic attack?"
"I didn't want to wake him." Quinn says. "And it wasn't… Finn didn't need to be involved. I just… got a text from Puck that brought up some bad thoughts."
Blaine tenses a bit next to him, glancing at Kurt for a second, before looking back up to the window. "Are you sure you're alright? I can stay with you for a while, if you need me to."
"I'm fine, don't worry," Quinn says. "Go home, you'll need your beauty sleep," she adds, sticking her tongue out at her brother.
Blaine doesn't seem entirely convinced but when Quinn swings her legs back inside and tells him she is going to sleep as well, he sighs and gets into Kurt's car.
Blaine's expression stays solemn for a while and Kurt shoots him some worried glances every time they hit a red light. Blaine's jaw is set and his hands are drawing patterns on his jeans so furiously that Kurt decides to stop the car at the side of the road somewhere in the middle of Lima, halfway to Blaine's house.
"Blaine, what's wrong?" Kurt asks.
Blaine doesn't look at him.
"Blaine, come on," Kurt tries again. "Is this about Quinn? Or did I do something wrong because I'm not sure I'm follo-"
"You know, don't you?" Blaine interrupts. The tone in his voice tells Kurt that, just like himself, Blaine doesn't want to spill a secret that isn't his to tell.
Kurt bites his lip. Somehow, he just assumed that Quinn told Blaine about their confrontation the other day, but now it seems like she kept quiet about it.
"Yes, I know," he says truthfully.
"Did Quinn tell you?" Blaine asks.
Kurt considers lying. But what good is lying about knowing someone's lie? When does the lying stop? And why would he protect Rachel when she doesn't do the same for him? So he goes for the truth. "Puck told Rachel," he says. "And-"
"And she told you," Blaine concludes for him. He sounds a bit angry. Kurt feels torn between being glad Blaine apparently does know how to be angry when he feels wronged and sticking up for Rachel even when they are technically not on speaking terms. Instead, he just nods.
"Have you told anyone?" Blaine continues with narrowed eyes.
Whoa, is Blaine accusing him now? Kurt feels a bit irritated.
"What are you implying?" he asks, and if his tone is clipped, he decides that that's entirely on Blaine.
"Nothing," Blaine says, not keeping his eyes off Kurt. "Just asking if you told anyone."
He's not sure if it's Blaine's expectant attitude or Kurt's sudden need to jump to Finn's defense – but something in Kurt snaps and makes him breathe heavier.
"You mean, have I told the only person who should have a right to know his girlfriend's baby is not actually his?" he retorts with a sarcastic, hollow laugh.
"It's not like the question doesn't come to mind," Blaine snaps back.
"Have you noticed that Finn and Quinn are still together?" Kurt sneers icily, and while he instantly knows that they're both taking this a step too far, he can't make himself stop. "Whoever you think I am, I actually didn't spill your sister's dirty little secret."
"You don't know the first thing about my sister," Blaine spits.
"I know that she doesn't intend to clue my brother in on the fact that she has been sleeping with his best friend behind his back anytime soon."
Blaine stares him down, his nostrils fluttering angrily.
"You know what, on second thought, I'll walk home," he finally says, getting out of the car without so much as looking at Kurt again.
At first, Kurt feels relieved that Blaine gets out of his car, out of his sight. Because he's still angry enough to bite back.
But then he feels empty.
Kurt stares into space for a few minutes, wishing the night could just swallow him up and never spit him out again.
What just happened?
One minute, they were perfectly fine and the next, they were hissing at each other like cats protecting their offspring. Or, well… siblings.
And hasn't he had enough fights for one day? First Rachel, now this… he could really use more friends instead of enemies.
Kurt shakes himself out of his thoughts. Quinn's and Blaine's parents live all the way across town and it is late. And Blaine is nowhere to be seen.
He starts the car and follows the route he would take if he was walking the way to Blaine's house.
Thankfully, Blaine hasn't made it far yet. Kurt can tell by his walk that Blaine must be still tense so he approaches him cautiously, slowing the car down and opening the window on the passenger's side when he is close to the other boy.
"Blaine!" he calls out.
Blaine sighs and turns to Kurt. "What?" He sounds exhausted.
"We can talk about this calmly," Kurt says. "I know we can. But please, come back into the car, or I'll have to drive you home like this and it'll take five times as long."
Blaine isn't stubborn enough to fight him. He gets into the car and puts on the seatbelt, closing his eyes and resting his head on the seat. Kurt waits for him to come back to earth, cautious not to speak too soon and upset Blaine again.
"Look, I haven't told anyone, okay?" Kurt says after a while.
"I couldn't hold it against you even if you did," Blaine admits. "At least not when it comes to your brother."
"It is not my place to tell," Kurt says simply.
"Quinn isn't a bad person," Blaine says and his face turns so sad Kurt wants to swoop him up in his arms and hold him.
Instead, he just assures Blaine, "I never said she was."
"You did call it her 'dirty little secret'."
Kurt sighs. "Everyone has secrets, Blaine. Some are worse than others, sure, but they're kept secret for a reason. I know Quinn has her reasons for what she's doing. I talked to her – kind of had a fight with her, actually, the day after she came to stay with us. I almost told Finn. But… I shouldn't be the one to break it to him. It just isn't right."
"Won't he be mad at you if the truth comes out?" Blaine asks hesitantly. He seems to be just as scared as Kurt that they end up fighting again. So… bad communication skills on both sides. Good to know.
"Sure he will," Kurt says. "How do you think you would feel if everyone and their mother knew that you're not actually becoming a father?"
"Biological father," Blaine says. "He could still be the baby's dad."
Kurt has to admit that this hadn't crossed his mind before. He stays silent.
"I know what you mean, though," Blaine continues. "And I understand that it is hard for you to watch him deal with this unknowingly."
"I…," Kurt starts, closing his eyes briefly and taking a deep breath. "I catch him crying sometimes. He doesn't when Quinn is around so I know he's trying to play tough. And I just wish I could make it easier for him."
Blaine nods, biting his lip. "I'll talk to her," he says after a while.
"Blaine." Kurt turns to him. "I wasn't trying to-"
"No, I know. I know that's not what you were implying. I can't promise you that she is going to come out with the truth anytime soon, but, as much as she loves Finn, I know that Quinn has feelings for Puck, too. The only reason she hasn't given him a chance is because she's trying to gauge if he is father material or not."
"Finn isn't exactly happy with her either," Kurt admits. "I think he secretly still likes Rachel."
Blaine giggles despite the situation. "Our siblings are messed up."
Kurt smiles. "And we aren't?"
"Huh." Blaine pretends to think really hard. "We're probably just lucky we can't get anyone pregnant."
Kurt lets out a hearty laugh and pats Blaine on the knee before starting the car. "Come on, let's get you home, you idiot."
When Kurt gets back home and turns in for the night, he can feel his limbs settling into the mattress like heavy stones drowning in a stream.
The day he's had would probably leave anyone utterly exhausted but Kurt can't help thinking that he's taking all of this extra hard because he can't get all these bad feelings out of his system – the guilt over keeping Quinn's secret instead of telling Finn, the anxiety over having to accumulate all these great achievements before he can turn in his NYADA application feeling at least slightly positive about it, the sadness over Rachel walking all over him with her senior class president candidacy…
As much as he enjoyed some parts of the day, his mind won't stop shutting up about those wavering moments. He wishes he could just make it go away.
Groaning, he turns over onto his side.
At least he made two new friends in the process. Quinn is a sweetheart once she lets go of that fake persona she's created, and Blaine is… well, he's a sweetheart, too, and kind of amazing.
They made a pact earlier not to fight over their siblings anymore because they shouldn't ever be in the way of their friendship. Their established ground rules include asking about the latest developments and sharing concerns but forbid them from getting deeper into the issues if they might lead to bad blood.
Kurt smiles to himself as he thinks of the way Blaine looked over at him before getting out of the car, a bit sheepish but overall quite content.
"Sorry for making you fight with a friend again today," he had mumbled shly.
"I guess we both were a little out of line there," Kurt had relented. "And I'm sorry, too."
"Anyway, before that happened, I… uh," Blaine had cut himself off and bites his lip, "I had a really fun night."
Even in the safety of his own bedroom, Kurt actively keeps himself from reading too much into it. Blaine had called him a "friend" and they had a nice, friendly evening together – he draws the line there.
It doesn't stop him from dreaming about Blaine and when he wakes up a little happier than on other days, he figures it's probably because he finally got a break from all the nightmares.
Kurt spends the next week trying to avoid Rachel even though almost all of his activities in school not only include her, but put her on display right in front of him. He tries not to scowl at her during Glee club when she gets an important competition solo and he tries not to strangle her when she acts like the biggest star on Broadway as soon as West Side Story rehearsals start. She also campaigns for senior class president at every chance she gets, telling people to "vote for Rachel Berry" in her signature sing-song voice while plastering the McKinley walls with posters of a headshot of herself surrounded by little stars, half of which Santana has already defaced with hideous moustaches. Santana tells Kurt to grow some balls when he asks her to cut it out already.
On the upside, he gets to spend a lot more time with Blaine than with her. As cheerleading captain, Blaine can pretty much give the group orders to his own liking and Kurt doesn't think it is his imagination that he gets paired with Blaine in one-on-one practice more often than not. He starts occupying the seat next to Kurt in Glee club where Rachel used to sit, both of them ignoring Rachel's glowering looks. And they get coffee together after rehearsals for the musical.
Mercedes and Tina corner Kurt to probe him concerning his relationship with Blaine at every chance they get but Kurt tells them the same thing over and over again – Blaine and he get along perfectly fine, but they aren't dating.
Well, okay, sometimes Kurt does catch himself thinking about Blaine as a little bit more than just a friend, like when he comes over to the Glee club table during lunch and asks if he can sit with them, addressing all of them technically, but looking at Kurt the entire time. And whenever Blaine comes over to visit Quinn, he always makes sure to stop by Kurt's room to talk to him, more often than not ending up spending at least another hour with Kurt, sometimes staying over for dinner, too.
But it's not like he's got a crush on Blaine. He does not.
Besides, he's got more important things to focus on, like the development in Finn's and Quinn's situation. At first, Kurt thinks nothing has changed, even though Blaine told him first thing during English the Monday after their fight that he has had a long, serious talk with her when they went shopping at the mall together. Blaine's prognosis: She doesn't seem too willing to let go of the safe space she has built in pretending that the baby is Finn's. Kurt thanks Blaine for trying, anyway.
But then, he starts noticing the small things, like Quinn mumbling something incomprehensible and looking disappointed in herself whenever Finn leaves the room. He also catches her talking to Puck in the hallway during lunch time once, keeping just enough space between the two of them to make it seem inconspicuous.
That's why one day, when he sees Rachel approaching Finn with a determined expression on her face, he sprints towards them and gasps, "Rachel! I need to talk to you right now!"
He pulls her away from a confused looking Finn and drags her into the nearest classroom.
"Jesus Fucking Christ, Rachel Berry," Kurt pants once they're out of plain sight.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rachel demands to know. "And just so you know, this doesn't mean we're on speaking terms."
Kurt rolls his eyes. "Give me a break, I wouldn't dare to talk to Your Highness if it wasn't an emergency."
"What emergency?"
"You almost told him," Kurt says and the look in her eyes tells him everything he needs to know.
"I wasn't-"
"Don't lie to me," Kurt says. "We might not be friends right now but I know you like clockwork, Rachel. You were so close to telling Finn about Quinn and Puck."
"I don't understand how you can take her side in this," Rachel whines.
"It's not about picking sides, it's about giving people a chance to sort things out themselves."
"So you're just leaving him clueless."
Kurt squints. "I lie awake every night for hours, trying to think of a way to spare him the misery of finding out what most of his friends already know. But it's not my place to tell him, and besides, Quinn is going to come out with the truth sooner or later."
"How would you-"
"Blaine talked to her, Rachel," Kurt says. "She listens to him. Let her deal with this and tell Finn on her own terms. Please."
Rachel stays quiet.
"Please, Rachel."
"Fine," she mumbles. "I won't tell him."
Kurt hugs her briefly. "Thank you. I know this is hard for you." When he pulls back, Rachel is blinking back tears. "Rachel…"
"I love him," she says miserably, fiddling with her skirt. "I love him, and I miss you, Kurt. I miss my best friend."
Kurt readjusts the strap of his messenger bag on his shoulder, holding back the premature words of forgiveness he wants to utter but isn't ready for yet, at least not until she apologizes properly.
"I miss you, too" he says simply. "But that doesn't make anything right between us."
She nods, clearly wanting to say more but holding back as well.
"Kurt?" she calls out before leaving the room.
"Yes?"
She taps her fingernails against the doorframe and hesitates for a moment before saying, "Maybe I was wrong about Blaine."
And just like that, she's gone.
Kurt smiles. It's not much, but it's a start.
