Chapter 2- Any Regrets?

When Kurt woke up, he strongly wished that he hadn't.

His head felt like somebody had just dropped a shit ton of bricks on it. His stomach turned nauseatingly and all of his muscles were on fire, like he had just wrestled a bear.

"Blaine?" He mumbled, thinking that his new fiancé would have the answers to why he was the epitome of trailer trash right now.

Wait.

"Morning!" An enthusiastic voice cried happily.

Go the hell away, Kurt thought. Who is trying their hardest to ruin his morning? And where is Blaine?

"Kurt, seriously, get up."

That's not Blaine.

"Where is Blaine?"

"Blaine, who's Blaine?"

Before opening his eyes, Kurt giggled. He debated several possibilities, ranging from wild theories like a dream or that he had lost his memory and Blaine had moved on.

Blaine…had…moved…on.

Those words rang in his ears.

Kurt opened his eyes.

"Good morning, gorgeous," The voice spoke again. Kurt thought that he recognised it, but he wasn't so sure.

"Who the hell are you and why are you making unnecessary noise?"

A laugh.

"This is not funny. I have a hangover."

"Considering that you almost drank the bartender out of house and home last night, I'm not at all surprised by this."

Kurt wanted to glare at the man making all the noise, but his head hurt way too much to even move. "Seriously. Who are you?"

"The name's Connor. Walsh. And I'm surprised you don't remember me. You said that I was the most attractive man in the country."

Kurt paled and not because of impending vomit. He always said the most embarrassing things when he was wasted. It was how he and Blaine began speaking to each other. He had told him years and years ago that he thought the man's bowtie was "absurdly adorable but in need of modernisation" and had said it pretty loud. Blaine had apparently found it endearing.

"We didn't…Did we?"

Connor simply smirked. Kurt didn't remember him so he could at least tease him a little. It was what he deserved. Well, not really but Connor liked having fun messing with people sometimes.

"Oh my God. What's Blaine going to say?" Kurt looked at the ring on his finger, sparkling in the morning light.

Connor had heard the name more times in this very morning than he had in his entire life. He glanced at Kurt pointedly before he realised who Blaine actually was.

Kurt had told him the story of his broken engagement, causing him to be at the local bar to drink away his problems and bathe them in alcohol.

"Kurt, we didn't have sex. Do you know why?"

Kurt did, but he didn't want to say it. Unfortunately, he had to. "Blaine. I left him. Oh God, I'm so stupid, why did I do that?"

Connor just stared. This Blaine still had Kurt wrapped around his little finger, even though he was an adulterous liar. Connor found himself getting increasingly furious at him, even though he had never even met him before in his life. "Do you not remember?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, I guess I just—."

When really trying to think hard about it, Kurt remembered. He remembered the elation from being newly engaged, the feelings of love that he felt for Blaine and then…the woman lying naked where he slept every day, asking Blaine if she had picked the wrong day to come over.

Then Kurt remembered the fury and the sorrow, so potent, spinning in and out of each other. He remembered the intense need to forget. Which was precisely what he did.

"He was cheating. With a woman."

"And you wanted to drown your sorrows."

Slowly, it came back. "And you're the rookie lawyer looking for information about my job. Well, my former job."

Connor smiled apologetically and perched on the bed. "Look, I'll admit that I sought you out for information. But after actually meeting you, I'll get my information somewhere else. I don't care if I lose the stupid trophy."

"Trophy?"

"Oh, right. Annalise, my boss, hands out a trophy to one promising student in order to basically skip an exam if we're not thoroughly prepared. She gave it to me after our first class and she threatened to give it to somebody else if I don't maintain my exceptionality. Her words."

Kurt groaned. "No words longer than ten letters, please. At least not until I've had coffee. Then I can verbally spar with the best of them."

"Good thing I came prepared," Connor smirked and retrieved the Americano he had purchased for Kurt on his daily coffee run.

"Oh, you're a saint. Americano. How did you know?"

Connor shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I have a knack for reading people's coffee orders."

"That's a useful gift."

A few minutes passed by and Kurt had drained the contents of his cup, his memory and clarity returning to him quite quickly. The pain of Blaine's adultery was still fresh in his heart like a razorblade tearing at his walls. He remembered a few things about the night before, including meeting Connor and, unfortunately, the comment about him being the most attractive man in the country. He regretted that, though he wasn't sure he was entirely wrong about the fact. Kurt spent some quiet time looking at the man, memorising the features of his face unconsciously. He also unwillingly noticed the few similarities between Connor and Blaine, making everything so much more vivid.

"Listen, I have to report to Annalise before classes start. I hate to run out on you, but you can stay here for as long as you like."

Kurt was slightly disappointed, but couldn't figure out exactly why he felt the way he did. "Connor, wait a second."

Connor frowned. "What's up?"

"I…I need to repay you for letting me stay here."

"This isn't a motel, Kurt. You didn't put me out or anything." Connor fidgeted, tugging on his tie.

"So you don't want any information on the shooting?" Kurt's lips curled slightly.

Connor raised an eyebrow, surprised at Kurt's willingness to divulge the information. Perhaps sober Kurt was more generous, Connor wasn't sure. "Maybe you did impose a little."

"I thought so."

"Did you see it take place?"

Kurt chuckled. "Wow, you don't waste any time, do you?"

"You'll come to learn that about me."

"I did see it, yes. It's not something you just erase from your mind. Liz was dealing with the customer and he asked for Marlboro Reds but she was all out. The new stock wouldn't arrive until the next day. The man, he…well he used the 'n' word on her and started making threats about trashing the place. He also said that he would go as far as making sure she didn't stop him from getting what he wanted. He looked at her in a way that clearly made her uncomfortable. I knew that the gun was under the counter for if she ever needed it, but I never thought she would. We don't usually get much trouble. Anyway, he continued making noise about getting his cigarettes and started cursing and making more threats. He got up in her face and went to grab her when she stepped back and fired the gun."

Kurt couldn't stop the sluggish flow of tears trickle down his face like a reluctant waterfall, the marks of weakness staining his face prominently enough for Connor to notice and put a soothing hand on his knee. "I'm sorry, Connor. I'm not usually weepy."

"Kurt, you saw something truly traumatic. You saw the life being drained from someone's eyes. That's not an easy thing to recover from, believe me." Connor picked at imaginary lint on his sleeve.

"You've seen…that before?"

Connor coughed. "No, I haven't. I just meant that studying the law means you basically know what it feels like, seeing the pictures and crime scene photos and all that. Kurt, are you willing to testify?"

"Anything to help Liz. And if it helps you along the way, then that's not a bad thing."

Connor smirked. "Thank you, Kurt. If I miss an exam because of your help, I'll spend the day treating you to whatever you want."

Kurt appraised the immaculately dressed man curiously. "Whatever I want…well, that could be interesting to say the least."

"Hey now, when you reach a stage in your post-breakup period where you need that, all you have to do is ask. Well, don't ask…demand. I promise you, I won't turn it down. Now, I do really have to run. Annalise is going to lynch me if I'm late. The spare key is on the table if you leave. There's a gap beneath the door so you can just slide it through after you lock up. I'll see you, Kurt."

As the door slammed, Kurt marvelled at how weird the day was turning out to be. His engagement was down the drain, probably reaching the stage of shortest engagement ever, and he woke up hungover in the guest bed of a law student and was invited to hang out there for the day. Kurt didn't have anywhere else to go, so he had no reason to leave, really. He did want to shower though, but he would have to borrow a full selection of Connor's clothes for that. Perhaps he would, that was kind of hot when he thought about it. Kurt wondered if he should be thinking about wearing Connor's clothes when he was supposed to be mourning his relationship. Mourning had quickly turned to spitefulness and rage and Kurt had no room for shedding tears over his cheating ex-fiancé. What kind of weak person had Kurt almost become?

He didn't know and he certainly didn't want to find out.

Connor slipped into Annalise's law office, praying that he wasn't the last one to arrive.

As luck would have it, he was.

He was greeted with Annalise's bored and unamused tones. "Mr. Walsh, I hope you were late because you found me something to work with."

Connor was ecstatic that Kurt had told his story. Asher's smug grin could suck it. Well, not it because that was rude and pretty gross. But a metaphorical it. "Actually, I spent my time acquiring an eye-witness who can prove racial motive. Consider this case closed."

Annalise seemed to be searching for ways to continue being unimpressed, but she seemed pleased that he had gotten a witness. "Good work, Connor. Make sure he's ready for prepping tomorrow. The rest of you have some catching up to do, it seems. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from Mr. Walsh."

Asher let out some kind of alien grunt before sitting and reading through the case files once more. Wes gave Connor a curious look before striking up a conversation with Michaela about god knows what. Laurel approached him.

Laurel Castillo was probably his best friend. Connor didn't necessarily do friends, apart from when he found that he genuinely liked someone. He had absolutely no time for Asher Millstone, who grinded his gears whenever he spoke. Wes Gibbins was shier than he usually preferred, though he seemed to be a stand-up guy with good intentions, if a little bit annoying because of that. Michaela Pratt was the exact opposite. She was fiery, self-assured and Connor wondered why she didn't get the trophy. Laurel, however, appeared timid but had a wealth of sass and confidence under the selective veneer she carried around with her. The girl was gorgeous and had caught Annalise's assistant Frank's eye right off the bat. From his first conversation with her, Connor immediately spotted the real her, the one that she hid from the rest of the Keating Five in order to trigger their underestimation of her.

"Do I even want to know how you 'acquired' this witness?"

Connor grinned smugly at her. "I'll have you know, Laurel, that I did not sleep with him. I know. I'm shocked and proud of me too."

Laurel laughed, bemused and also impressed. "Was he straight?"

"Absolutely not."

"So what stopped you? You're usually game for tapping pretty much anyone."

"He was drowning his sorrows. He just broke off an engagement."

Laurel sighed. "That's awful. I'm surprised he didn't just hop into your bed anyway."

Connor found himself feeling defensive of Kurt, though he didn't know where it had come from. He wasn't attached to Kurt or anything, he was just hot and pretty funny to talk to. So why was he about to snap at Laurel for judging him? Connor certainly had no idea. He restrained himself a little, though got his point across anyway.

"Kurt isn't like that. He has class. Though he spent the night, we were in completely different rooms."

Laurel stifled a giggle. "Kurt? Oh, Walsh, you so have feelings for this one. You sound totally boring and domesticated."

Connor shook his head. "I do not have feelings for him. I met him like ten hours ago. I am never boring and I do not do domestication. Now if you don't breathe a word of this to the others, I'll invite you to join my study group for Property."

"Okay. Deal," Laurel nodded as she thought about it, "but I want to meet him. Outside of the courtroom, obviously."

Connor scowled at her. "That sounds awful."

"Well, I might just go and talk to Michaela and Asher about how couple-y you are with your new boyfriend."

"I hate you, Castillo. Fine, we'll all go out sometime. Just keep that mouth zipped. Unless you're opening it to pleasure Frank, now that I approve of."

Laurel blushed and her face hardened. "I guess I deserved that. But I am not getting into anything with Frank, okay?"

"Now who's boring? Frank's hot, Laurel. I'd tap that."

"So what's stopping you?"

"His preference for all things estrogenic."

Laurel snorted. "That is so not a word."

"It totally is," Connor laughed as Annalise heading towards them, probably about to yell at them for occupying the hallway. Annalise was going to court to get an extension so that she could prep the witness for testimony.

Connor and Laurel slipped out of the way and nodded curtly. Annalise stopped in her tracks.

"While I'm gone, why don't you all review your oral homework presentations? God knows you need the extra practise."

The Keating Five exchanged glances as the door was closing.

Asher frowned. "Did she just subtly tell us to have an oral orgy?"

"In your dreams, Millstone," Michaela scoffed.

Laurel smirked and leaned over towards Connor. "Maybe we should wait until Kurt is here to start that orgy…"

Connor rolled his eyes as Michaela looked at them curiously. Instead of sparring with Laurel or answering Michaela's unanswered question, Connor tried to actually go over his presentation for the class, interrupted by the image of Kurt's face flitting in and out of his thought process.

He saw Kurt's angelic face as he slept soundly. He saw Kurt's ass as he lifted him on his shoulder. He saw the grateful and surprised smile when Connor offered him coffee. He saw all things Kurt, just knowing that the other man was going to settle into his bloodstream and invade everything in his life until he was completely consumed by thoughts of him. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing after all.