Author's note: thanks to everyone who has reviewed and added the story to their favorites. This story represents the end of a very long dry spell so I'm just going with the flow. Apologies for my fatal case of "comma-itis" and any spelling errors
Standard disclaimers apply.
It had been a crazy two weeks – hell it had been a crazy two months. Kurt Hummel had started out November as a lonely, bullied boy with only his father as his only family and now it was the day after Christmas and he had a new stepmom (and stepbrother) and he was going to his boyfriend's house to hang with said boyfriend and his friends.
Repeat that for anyone who hadn't been paying attention – Kurt Hummel had a boyfriend. He and Blaine had been dating for little over a month although most of their interaction had been via email, text and Skype. They'd even had a serious relationship discussion after the debacle at sectionals and as a result of that discussion, Kurt didn't feel at all nervous about spending the night at Blaine's house although he was still amazed that his dad had allowed it. And that Burt and Carole were driving him over to Blaine's house because his dad and stepmom were going to a Browns game with Blaine's parents and the four of them were spending the night in Cleveland in Blaine's dad's corporate apartment then seeing an exhibit the next day.
"You didn't have to drive me over, Dad." Kurt said from the backseat next to his sleeping bag, overnight case, laptop bag and Tupperware container of Hot Cocoa Cupcakes. "You could have met Mr. and Mrs. McGregor in Cleveland."
His dad just grunted (he'd been doing that all week) and Carole turned around to smile softly at him, "You're not supposed to drive until you go back to the doctor on Tuesday so it's no problem and I'm looking forward to spending time with Jack and Mary Lee."
Kurt smiled back at her and met his dad's eyes in the rear view mirror then looked away. He knew the anger in Burt's eyes was not directed at him – that was reserved for Dave Karofsky, Principal Figgins, McKinley High, the Lima School Board and everyone that had hurt Kurt. The sadness was what Kurt couldn't bear seeing – Burt had been so hurt that Kurt hadn't told him about Dave and just how bad the bullying was at McKinley. Finding out about it from Mercedes and Tina and Blaine while Kurt was being treated in the ER just made it hurt worse.
He still didn't know who called Blaine and how Blaine and his parents ended up at the hospital but the Hummels and the McGregors had become fast friends. That still kind of boggled Kurt's mind but maybe that was the slight concussion he'd suffered from being slammed into a brick wall.
**
"Could he be any cuter?" David asked Wes as they watched Blaine fuss around with the snacks laid out on the kitchen counter. Blaine's parents had come through earlier to say hi and were finishing their packing upstairs.
"Nope. He's as cute as the dickens. The only thing cuter is going to be watching him with Kurt." Wes replied with a smirk.
"Man, are you sure you're not the gay guy in the room?" Randy asked Wes, trying to sneak a couple of cookies from one of the trays only to pull his hand back when Blaine tried to slap it, "Hey! Stop bogarting the goodies."
"You can eat once Kurt gets here." Blaine replied, straightening the napkins. "I want him to see I'm not totally undomesticated."
"Dude, you opened snack bags and put the snacks into bowls. You put the ice in a bowl. You opened cookie packages and put them on plates. I think we can all safely assume that you still need to have some edges sanded off." Thad said, opening a soda. "Kurt's probably quivering in his Doc Martens at the very thought of sanding down your edges."
The other guys in the room went silent and turned to look at Thad, who had the grace to blush once he realized just what he said.
Randy, who'd been tutoring Thad in English for two years slowly raised his arms in victory, "Yes! The guy has finally learned what a double entendre is!"
Blaine shook his head and said, "I think I'm more surprised that he came up with Doc Marten."
Thad just shrugged, "Blaine, you couldn't shut up about his Doc Martens that day – just don't ever tell me if you were referring to his underwear, okay?"
Blaine didn't bother wearing a coat when he dashed out into the driveway to greet Kurt and his parents.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, hey Kurt. How was the drive?"
"It was fine, Blaine." Burt said, shaking the younger man's hand. Blaine got a quick hug from Carole and then turned to help Kurt get his stuff out the car.
"Blaine! You are going to catch your death! Go back inside!" Kurt said with a shooing motion.
"I'm only out here for a minute besides you might need help with the cupcakes."
Kurt laughed, "If that's your subtle way of asking if I brought them –."
"I wasn't being subtle."
"Then yes I did although I'm rethinking my role in your struggle with chocolate addiction." Kurt said, handing over a Tupperware container before pulling the strap of his laptop bag over his shoulder. His dad and Carol had already taken control of his overnight case and sleeping bag. "Okay, let's get in there and get the awkwardness over."
Kurt wasn't sure if he was talking about the awkwardness of the events at Sectionals or the bruises on his face and neck that no amount of make up would cover.
"It's not going to be awkward," Blaine replied, holding the door for Kurt and the Hummels.
"He's right, Kurt." Wes said meeting them in the hall to take Kurt's bags. "I know show choir is competitive but importing three people who've performed on Broadway and the London stage and calling them GED students? If it hadn't been for Rachel, Blaine and you recognizing the ringers, the Hipsters would have won."
"And then one of the judges got disqualified for sleeping with one of the other Hipsters getting his vote thrown out, bringing the Warblers and New Directions to a tie. We both get to go to Regionals. That's show biz," David added coming up behind them. "I've got the consoles hooked up so we're ready to go."
"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, these are my classmates Wesley Jackson and David St John. Wes and David, these are Kurt's parents Mr. and Mrs. Hummel." Blaine said, making the introductions.
Once the nice-to-meet-yous were done, Blaine asked, "Wes, David? Can you guys take the Hummels into the kitchen and introduce them to the rest of the crowd? I'm going to go check on Mom and Dad."
Seeing his dad and Carol in Blaine's kitchen was kind of surreal although the rest of Blaine's friends all seemed like perfectly nice guys as David and Wes made the introductions. Blaine had said that there'd be about eight other guys over and they were all Warblers but Kurt was having a hard time putting faces with names. After a couple of minutes, it finally dawned on him.
"You guys aren't wearing your uniforms!"
The room went silent and then the guys all started laughing; not in a mean way just in a 'oh, aren't you funny' way.
"It's weird for us too, Kurt." Thad said, giving him a light pat on the arm. "I don't always recognize myself out of uniform either."
Blaine returned carrying two small bags trailing his parents who greeted the Hummels enthusiastically and spent a few minutes going over the very general rules like 'make sure you set the security system when you leave for dinner later and reset it when you come back', 'if you use the fireplace, close the glass doors before you go to sleep' and hysterically, 'Kurt, don't let Blaine touch the stove.'
Once the parents had hugged (Carol & Mary Lee), patted (Jack) and grunted (Burt) their way out of the door, the young men left in the kitchen seemed to give themselves little shakes and Randy turned to Kurt and motioned to his face.
"That looks like it hurt."
Kurt looked around at the suddenly solemn faces. "Uh, yeah. It did."
"Does it still hurt? Do you need ice or something?" Thad asked, hovering next to him looking concerned.
"Thanks but maybe later."
"Okay."
And just like that, it was okay. His injuries were acknowledged, his physical well-being was inquired upon and Kurt almost felt like he was actually one of the guys. There were moments when the casual touches and fist bumps of the Warblers made Kurt freeze but he was slowing relaxing and returning the gestures as they nibbled on the snacks on the kitchen counter.
When Stacy and Alex arrived with the pizzas (none of the pizza places delivered to Blaine's house), the group settled around the breakfast table and ate with plates, napkins and manners. There was actual conversation and everyone made an effort to include Kurt.
Stacy noticed Kurt's look of amazement and explained.
"Everyone at Dalton has to take etiquette classes. As snot nosed firsties, we're taught how to," Stacy's voice rose three octaves and became extremely patrician, "comport ourselves around a dining table like gentlemen.'"
"Mrs Olivier!" the rest of the guys chorused.
"As silly sophomores, we learn how to have conversations that," Stacy's voice dropped a half octave and he gained an Italian accent, "'don't include the words: dude, booyah, huh, props and diggity."
"Mr. Antonelli!"
"Now that we're juniors, we're learning that – David, you'll have to do this one."
David nodded and sang in high tenor, "A well-rounded man dances with grace and elan."
"Miss Galloway!"
"And Kurt, there ain't nothing sadder than a group of teenage guys – most of whom are straight – partnering up and waltzing while being told to 'keep your bottoms tight!'" Randy said mournfully.
"Although we Warblers do appreciate the dance practice." Alex added.
Kurt dabbed at his mouth and took a sip of soda before asking, "What about senior year?"
"Then, dear Kurt," Blaine answered wiggling his eyebrows, "We learn how give good college interview, engage in further social intercourse and experience deeper levels of pleasant entertaining."
Kurt was glad he wasn't the only one who choked on his drink.
An hour later, the group had moved to the media room where David and Randy had routed several video gaming systems through the house's WiFi for better group play. The games were displayed via the digital projector onto a super sized screen which gave the guys who weren't playing plenty of opportunity to critique and kibbutz the others.
It had taken a while to get past the bruises but Blaine could only think that Kurt was so cute as he used the controller to speed his character along in Mario Kart while taunting Stacy and Thad to 'stop driving like Grandmas'. Kurt had teamed up with Jeff and Randy and they were doing a good job of helping each other while jamming up the other players.
Spotting Kurt's cashmere cardigan, Blaine snagged it before it hit the carpet, smoothing out the soft material and folding it carefully. He closed his eyes for a moment when he caught the faint hint of Kurt's cologne.
"'I think my boyfriend's ever so dreamy.'" David quoted in a whisper as he slid into a seat next to Blaine.
"Stop it." Blaine said, looking down to hide the faint blush at being caught daydreaming.
"No seriously. You think we're teasing you when we say you're cute together but it's true. Teasing you about it is just a bonus. And that's a really nice sweater," David said, reaching out to touch the weave. "You know, it's too bad he's not my size or I'd ask to borrow it for my date tomorrow."
"Hey, I get first dibs on his wardrobe; it's part of the boyfriend code."
Kurt was having a blast but he'd been in the last six games and it was time for a breather. He'd shed his sweater earlier but even in the light dress shirt, he was glowing a bit and feeling a little light headed. He grabbed a Snapple, exchanged some helpful hints with Jeff and Randy then flopping down on the couch next to Blaine.
He managed not to panic when Blaine reached over and took his hand in a very boyfriend-like gesture. A few of the guys, David and Wesley especially, certainly noticed the move but all they did was smile and continue trying to smash each others' characters off the track.
"You feel up to going later?" Blaine asked lightly after playing with Kurt's hand for a minute.
"I'm fine, Blaine. I know my limits and see? I'm sitting down. But I can't believe you guys go to karaoke."
"We go once a month or so – Randy's uncle owns the place; he's got a killer set up and draws a good crowd."
"And you get to perform?"
"Would you turn away from a perfectly good audience?"
Blaine hadn't been kidding when he said Randy's uncle had a killer set up, Kurt thought to himself when they walked into the Grandview Cafe in downtown Columbus. The stage was raised enough for the audience to see the performers without being so high as to intimidate the room. The sound system was top of the line and the karaoke machine was so complex that a guy with dreads and big dark shades was managing the controls.
The medium sized crowd was mixed between young high school types like Blaine's friends to a really intense clutch of sorority and fraternity college aged types and even some older people.
In the best corner of the room, a couple of girls waved and Blaine slung an arm around Kurt's waist to lead him over like it was the most normal thing in the world.
The girls were introduced as Amanda, Riley, Jennifer and Tracy, the girlfriends of Randy, David, Wes and Stacy respectively, and who turned out to be just as nice as the guys. They had a good half hour to talk, get their drinks and snacks ordered (although Kurt was still stuffed from the Chinese they'd had for dinner and couldn't imagine who was going to eat the six different appetizers).
"Wes, you totally should have ridden in Blaine's car with us," Alex said as he joined them, having made a pit stop in the mens room. "Blaine and Kurt, you guys need to do that song here tonight!"
"What song?" David asked.
"It was nothing," Kurt started.
"A song came on the radio and we were singing along with it." Blaine finished.
"But you guys sounded so good!" Alex protested. "You should do it."
"I repeat, what song? And I'm asking not just as your friend but as your captain. Your very desperate glee club captain who needs to come up with new material for Regionals." David said.
"'Baby, It's Cold Outside.'" Blaine, Kurt and Alex said in unison.
"Oh. Well, we can't do that for Regionals. And Kurt, I forgot you weren't a Warbler so as far as you're concerned, we're totally doing 'Baby It's Cold Outside'."
Kurt gave him a mock salute, "Aye aye Captain."
At seven sharp, the lights dimmed and a statuesque woman dressed in a chic black evening gown took the stage.
"Good evening little children of the world, I hope you had good cheer yesterday. I am Etoile, your lovely mistress of ceremonies. Etoile means star in French and while I am dazzling you here on the stage, my loyal minions will be roaming the aisles to assist you with your song requests. Now don't be shy; you can't be all as fabulous as Etoile but you should still try."
Etoile then kicked into an impressive but short rendition of "On Broadway," and Kurt could only sit there frozen.
"You should see your face," Blaine said from beside him. "That's Randy's Uncle Bob by the way."
"Randy's uncle is a drag queen?" Kurt said, still in shock.
"Yeah. She used to live in New York and don't believe her about singing with Bette Midler in the bathhouses. She's way too young for that." Randy answered standing in front of the table, dropping pencils and slips of paper on the table then sighing dramatically. "I'm one of the loyal minions tonight so, you know, do that thing."
David grabbed one of the pencils and shoved it into Kurt's hand. "Dude, you know you aren't getting out of here without performing at least one song."
Kurt took the pencil and then looked helplessly around, "Uh, okay. What should I do?"
Tracy handed him an iPad, "The list of available tunes is on here and trust me, if Stacy could get away with doing Beyonce, the sky is the limit. "
"Although we could have lived without the costuming and choreography," Blaine quipped as he filled out his slip, "He just doesn't have a big enough butt to truly do Beyonce's dance movies justice."
After a couple of frantic minutes of searching the truly impressive song list and some advice about putting down several songs in case someone else sang your song first, Kurt finally finished.
Randy gathered their selections, took them to the stage and then came back with a guy (who Kurt had already noticed for his red SUPRAs, Marc Jacobs red and black sweater and towering height) in tow. "Kurt, this Charlie. Charlie this is Kurt."
Charlie waved as he and Randy sat down, just in time for the first performer to be called to the stage. While a conservative older woman went to the stage and talked to Etoile, Kurt turned to say something to Blaine and caught sight of Alex and Charlie kissing at the end of the table. They weren't sucking face or anything, just two guys kissing each other. In public. No one was grabbing torches, the sky wasn't falling. It was the hardest thing he'd ever seen.
As the familiar beats of 'I Love Rock n Roll' started, Kurt was pretty sure he was going to have a stroke.
It was halfway through Joan Jett when Blaine realized how still Kurt had become.
"Hey, Kurt are you okay?"
"Hm um."
If Kurt held his mouth any tighter, Blaine was pretty sure his teeth were going to snap. He was also sure that Kurt was holding back tears and kicked himself. He'd lived in this safe and welcoming environment for so long and hadn't thought about what it would be like for Kurt who faced hate and ignorance every minute. Blaine was still shocked at the level of bullying that was allowed at McKinley but this didn't solve the immediate problem of helping Kurt.
Kurt started when he felt a hand rub his back and it wasn't either of Blaine's since Blaine's hands were wrapped around his hands.
"Honey, you okay?" Amanda asked quietly.
"Uh mn." Kurt sort of answered, nodding slightly.
"If I promise that most of the people here can sing better than that wanna be up there, will that make you feel better?"
Kurt gave a watery hiccup, breathed deeply and nodded, "Uh. Yeah. Sorry."
Amanda just smiled at him and kept rubbing his back in an almost maternal gesture. The rest of the table was silently offering him their support with caring glances and Wes even reached across the table to pat his arm and quietly say, "Just take a couple of deep breaths, Kurt."
He took those deep breaths and turned to a very worried looking Blaine.
"I'm okay now. Just needed a moment."
Blaine looked at him closely, "You sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
Blaine's hands loosened on Kurt's but from the extra squeeze Blaine gave, Kurt knew that Blaine was going to want to talk about it later but wouldn't push him about it.
"Finally!" David said, as 'I Love Rock n Roll' finished a minute later and the woman's friends applauded loudly. "Randy, couldn't you get Etoile to require auditions or get tapes?"
"Uncle Bob has a life you know." Randy retorted. "If you feel so strongly about it, you should volunteer your services."
"Oh hell no!" Riley said, tossing her napkin at David, "We'd be forced to sing those obscure bands you think are cool just to get a slot."
"The Epoxies aren't obscure! Neither is October Project."
"Okay, let me rephrase that to 'lame pretentious bands that only you listen to.'"
"Oh, like Foreskin 500 is better?"
Before the argument could really get started, the next performer was announced – one of the fraternity guys – so David and Riley quieted down.
The quality of the singers steadily improved over the next hour and Kurt was starting to understand that most of the performers were regulars and that Etoile and the Mixmaster (that's what Etoile called him anyway although Randy mentioned the guy's name was actually Eugene) had some method going. It was also obvious many of those getting up on stage had some kind of training. Kurt had seen one of the sorority girls in local theater productions and Blaine pointed out that the two guys who did 'Hole Hearted' were professors at the OU drama department.
"And next we have the wonderous Riley, Tracy and Tim. Come up here, you beautiful kids."
The table clapped for their friends, the trio arranged themselves and the music started. Kurt was torn between clapping and laughing when he realized they were going to do "Knock Three Times" and that Tracy was doing the lead.
The funny thing was is that they were really good and Kurt felt a little twinge of nervousness. Or maybe that was just his bladder protesting the two apple ciders he'd consumed. Once the trio had taken their well deserved bows, Kurt nudged Blaine.
"Where's the bathroom?"
"Out that door, take a left and it's the third door on the right. If you've hit the kitchen, you've gone too far." Blaine said pointing to a door to the far left of the stage.
Kurt looked down at their entwined hands, "You're going to have to let go of me first."
"I'd say something corny like 'but what if I don't want to' but – ow!" Blaine said, dropping Kurt's hand to rub the place on his arm where Stacy hit him. "What was that for?"
"It's still corny even if you say it like that. Let the guy go to the john already."
The room had gotten quite crowded since they'd arrived and it took Kurt a couple of minutes to find the bathroom which was cleaner than most other bathrooms he'd been in but he still didn't linger. He could tell from the applause that another act was starting so he rushed back to the table only to spot the empty seat next to his.
Amanda pointed towards the stage. "You got back just in time."
Blaine was up there talking to Etoile and just as Kurt was sitting down, the two of them turned and looked at the table. Blaine gave a little wave and Etoile nodded then turned to the Mixmaster.
"Were they waiting for me? I wasn't gone that long." Kurt said, feeling his face turn a little pink.
"Of course Blaine's going to wait for you," David answered, "You're like -."
"Dude." Tim interrupted, "He's starting."
While Kurt was dying to know just what David was going to say, he turned to the stage because he really didn't want to miss any of the song. Blaine had refused to reveal his choices. When the music started, Kurt didn't recognize the tune at first and then Blaine started singing:
When the sun came up,
We were sleeping in,
Sunk inside our blankets,
Sprawled across the bed,
And we were dreaming,
There are moments when,
When I know it and
The world revolves around us,
And we're keeping it,
Keep it all going,
This delicate balance,
Vulnerable all knowing,
Sing like you think no one's listening,
You would kill for this,
Just a little bit,
Just a little bit,
You would, kill for this
Sing like you think no one's listening,
You would kill for this,
Just a little bit,
Just a little bit,
You would, you would...
Sing me something soft,
Sad and delicate,
Or loud and out of key,
Sing me anything,
we're glad for what we've got,
Done with what we've lost
Our whole lives laid out right in front of us,
Sing like you think no one's listening,
You would kill for this,
Just a little bit,
Just a little bit,
You would,
Sing like you think no one's listening,
You would kill for this,
Just a little bit,
Just a little bit,
You would, you would...
Sing me something soft,
Sad and delicate,
Or loud and out of key,
Sing me anything. (1)
Once Blaine took a bow, he came back to the table and accepted the congratulations of the table and all of the people around them.
"So what did you think?" Blaine asked, once they'd all sat back down.
"That was great!" Kurt said, squeezing Blaine's hand. "I'm kicking myself that I didn't record it."
"Kurt, give your digits and I'll send it to you." Wes said, holding up his iPhone. While Kurt was obliging, the rest of the table – who all seemed to have been recording it – also sent him their copies and so did a few folks at the surrounding tables.
Since it appeared the karaoke was on some kind of break, the group started talking about (and sending) some of their favorite links around. Randy and Charlie got up and cleared off some of the empty dishes and plates to help out the wait staff, waving away offers of help from the table.
"We know where everything goes, guys. Anyone want refills on their drinks?" Charlie said, loading up a tray then wiping up a small spill of nachos. "How about dessert? There's apple pie a la mode, pumpkin pie a la mode, chocolate cake a la mode, and carrot cake a la mode."
"But do you have any ice cream?" Amanda asked with a smirk then leaned back from Charlie's weak attempt to swipe at her with his Handy-wipe.
"Kurt? You want dessert?" Blaine asked.
"No thanks but I will have a hot chocolate. Charlie, are you sure you don't need help?"
"Maybe next time, shortcake." Charlie answered with an easy smile. "Mighty Mouse, you want your usual."
"Yes, please." Blaine answered without blinking at the nickname.
Once Charlie and Randy were gone, Kurt leaned into Blaine (who'd somehow maneuvered so Kurt's arm was slung around his shoulders and he was tucked into Kurt's side) and asked, "Mighty Mouse?"
"Yep. He's called me that since I started at Dalton. I'm thoroughly convinced he doesn't know my real name."
Alex threw a napkin down the table, "Hey, don't pick on my man. Kurt, the real reason that Charlie calls Blaine 'Mighty Mouse' is that Blaine had a Mighty Mouse ring tone during freshman year. You know, before Blaine joined the Warblers and became one of the cool kids."
"Mighty Mouse is cool!" Blaine exclaimed, throwing the napkin back. "You have no appreciation of the classics."
Randy and Charlie returned with fresh drinks and several desserts and quickly passed them out. Blaine's 'usual' turned out to be a hot chocolate with a scoop of ice cream which Kurt found to be delicious when Blaine let him have a taste.
By ten, Kurt was thinking that he wasn't going to get a chance to sing and he was starting to feel a little relieved because he wasn't really at his best and the singers were getting really good. Wes and Randy had killed on '500 Miles' and Amanda did a great version of 'Chicago, Illinois' from Victor/Victoria.
Once she was back at the table, she and Kurt bonded over their mutual love of Julie Andrews and she'd gotten Kurt to promise to send her his version of 'Le Jazz Hot'.
"And now we have a new singer with us tonight, please welcome Kurt Hummel!"
Surprised, Kurt sat for a moment until Amanda and Blaine urged him up.
He walked up to the stage and paused in the bright light before stepping up and over to Etoile. Before he could even speak to her, Etoile made a motion to Eugene and the stage light was dimmed. It took Kurt a moment to realize that the lights must have really highlighted the bruises and he felt -. Before he could start blushing, Etoile took his hand and held it tightly. Her grip was rather startling until Kurt remember that Etoile wasn't really a woman.
"You're Blaine's lovely young thing?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"And you're polite too. We'll have a chance to talk later but are you okay to sing, dearling?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well, none of your songs were done so you have your pick." Etoile said, handing him his slip of paper with her free hand. "What will it be?"
"Um. The third one."
Etoile smiled at him and finally let go of his hand, "An excellent choice. Mixmaster, please play this young man's song."
When the familiar strains of the music came on, Kurt felt himself relax and feel the notes. He looked across the room and caught Blaine's eyes before he started singing.
Well our hearts beat like thunder
I don't know why they don't explode
You got your hands in my back pockets
And Sam Cooke's singin' on the radio
You say that I'm the boy who can make it all come true
Well I'm tellinya that I don't know if I know what to do
Chorus:
You say that's all right, hold tight
Well I don't even know if I'm doin' this right
Well all right, hold tight
We can stay out all day or we can run around all night
Well all night, all night
Well it's time to go home
And I ain't even done with the night
Well I don't know no good come-ons
And I don't know no cool lines
I feel the heat of your frustration
I know it's burnin you up deep down inside
You say that I'm the boy who can make it all come true
Well I'm tellin ya that I don't know if I know what to do
Chorus (2)
Once the music faded, there was a slight silence and then a wave of applause hit him. He thanked Etoile and Eugene, handing Etoile the mic and headed back to the table. He was stopped several times and congratulated by complete strangers and then got mobbed by Blaine and the rest of the table.
There were a couple of other singers take the stage after him but Kurt wasn't really paying attention. It had felt really good to sing for an appreciative audience. He was also a little worried about Blaine, who had wrapped his arms around Kurt and snuggled in really close with his face in Kurt's neck.
"Blaine?"
"Yeah?"
"Uh was it that bad?"
"No. It was . . .wonderful." Blaine murmured then pulled back suddenly, "Oh god, I'm not hurting you, am I? I forgot about your neck."
"It's okay. But you seem upset."
Blaine looked up and stared in his eyes, "I know I'm acting weird but I promise I'll explain later, okay?"
"Okay."
The Karaoke part of the evening came to a close about thirty minutes later with a sing-a-long of 'Sweet Caroline' and almost everyone got up to leave as the lights came back up.
"We're not rushing out of here – I want to wait for the parking lot to clear." Blaine said, still cuddled up against him.
"All right." Kurt said, realizing that no one at their table seemed to be in a rush either.
"We usually help clean up the tables once the room clears," Wes said from across the table. "We'll give you a pass tonight Kurt. You're looking a little pale."
"Nonsense Wes. I'm naturally pale and I'm perfectly capable of helping." Kurt protested.
"But then who'll keep me company?" A man with short slicked back hair and wearing a robe asked, coming towards them
The rest of the table greeted him with "Bob!"
"Hey kids. Thanks for helping out." Bob said hinting broadly, shooing Amanda out of her chair so he could sit down next to Kurt. "Now go off. You too Blaine."
The rest of the table got up and moved towards the wait station, in Blaine's case moving very slowly and looking back over his shoulder until Wes grabbed him and moved him along.
"So. I'm Bob." The man said, once they were alone. The only sign he'd been dressed as a woman just a few minutes earlier were his well manicured and red polished nails.
"Hi Bob. I'm Kurt."
"I know. How are you doing?"
"Me? Um, I'm okay."
"Are you feeling dizzy? Nauseous?"
"No." Kurt replied, leaning back a bit.
Bob sighed and leaned back himself. "Sorry. You can take the doctor out of the hospital but not the doctor out of the man."
"You're a doctor?"
"I spent almost twenty years at Sloane Kettering." Bob said with a smile then dropped the facade and just looked like a tired, sad man. "I always say it was the best job in the world for nineteen years, eleven months and twenty eight days. Then I had seven patients die on the twenty ninth day, walked out and quit the next day. Rationally, I know it wasn't my fault because sometimes cancer wins but that day was just - well, I got out."
"I'm sorry."
"Oh honey, you have nothing to be sorry for." Bob said, patting his hand. "I may not have a license anymore but you've taken some damage in the last week or so. Randy said you had trouble at school."
"Yeah, one of the guys at school pushed me into a wall."
Bob used one finger to gently tilt Kurt's chin up and peered at his neck, "While he was choking you?"
"Yeah."
"Concussion?"
"A slight one."
"You're following the instructions from your doctor? Getting plenty of liquids and lots of rest?"
"Yes. I'm not a total idiot." Kurt said with a sigh.
"I didn't say you were. You are, however, a man and we men tend to feel like we should bounce right back from injuries. I should know since I once insisted on going skiing with a broken collar bone." Bob said, with a light laugh then added, "And now that we've covered the tough stuff, I hope you'll be coming back next month. I really would like to hear you do Kylie."
It was almost eleven by the time they got in the car since it had taken a while to clean up. Kurt had been allowed to help by setting out tableware for the next morning's breakfast at the cafe and then everyone wanted to make sure that Kurt had their contact info and finally, they were on the road back to Blaine's house.
By some mutual silent agreement, they didn't talk much on the way but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. The roads were a little slick so Blaine had to spend extra attention around the corners but he got them safely back and parked in the garage.
"Come on. It's cold out and I'm sure the heat's down in the house. It's going to take a while to warm up."
Kurt followed Blaine into the dark house and waited for him to get the alarm reset.
"Do you want to watch a movie? Have some coffee?" Blaine asked, taking Kurt's hand.
"Blaine, I'm kind of tired. Can we just go to bed?"
Blaine nodded then asked, "Uh, do you want to sleep in the guest room?"
Kurt frowned, "Um. If you want me to. I thought -."
"No! Um. Kurt, you know I would never take advantage of you ever. I'd really like to just sleep with you and wake up with you in the morning."
"I know you wouldn't and I'd like that too."
They smiled at each other and Blaine turned to fiddle with the panel. "Then I guess I don't need to turn the heat on downstairs."
Blaine's bedroom wasn't quite what Kurt expected. He knew Blaine actually lived at Dalton and just spent a few weekends and breaks at home during the school year so he thought the room would be empty and sterile. Instead it had almost three walls of floor to ceiling bookcases stuffed full of stuff and well, books. The fourth wall contained a queen sized bed with a green and blue comforter, a nightstand on either side and lots of pillows, a door to a private bathroom and a decent sized window. One of the bookcases had a foldout shelf that held Blaine's laptop. There was a flat screen TV across from the bed and a nice iPod dock with speakers.
"So what do you think?" Blaine asked from the door where he'd been watching Kurt.
"I think you have a lot of books. Have you read all of these?"
"I've read some of them. Some of them were Mom and Dad's books, some of them were Stephen's and Mary's. I think there are a couple from Dad's parents. Every time Mom comes in here, she says we really should get rid of some of them but every time I come home, there seem to be more." Blaine said with a charming shrug. "Do you want to take a bath?"
Kurt blinked at the sudden change of subject and looked down at himself, "Um. Do I need to?"
"No! I mean, you're looking a little sore and there's a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom."
And that's how Kurt found himself sitting in a very deep tub of hot water with the jets burbling around him. Blaine was right, it was just what he needed to take some of the soreness away.
There was a gentle tap on the door and Blaine stuck his head in. "I'm bringing you towels."
"Come on in,"
Blaine carried over three big thick towels and placed them on the warming rack. "You want to know what the worst thing is about Dalton?"
"No what?"
"They have the worst towels. Now I can't blame them because, come on, we're teenage boys and we are hard on towels but the ones at school are like cardboard and they really chafe my skin."
Kurt grinned at the note in Blaine's voice and said, "Oh, you poor baby."
Blaine laughed, "I know. My diamond shoes are too tight. Anyway, do you mind if I take a shower? It's around the corner so I won't be exposing myself and I can keep an eye on you. You look ready to turn into mush."
"No I don't mind and get me out before the mush stage, please. Can you hand me that little blue bag on the counter?"
"Sure."
Kurt had washed his hair before getting into the tub so he busied himself with his moisturizer and conditioner and listening to Blaine hum to himself in the shower. He'd just rinsed off and was thinking about getting out when Blaine came around the corner wearing ratty sweatpants and an equally ratty black t-shirt with the faded words 'I Solemnly Swear I'm Up to No Good' across the chest.
"Nice T-shirt. I had no idea you were a Harry Potter fan." Kurt commented.
Blaine looked down and laughed once he read the words, "It was a phase. I still like the books and movies but when I didn't get my Hogwarts letter, well . . . I upset for weeks."
"Me too although I always suspected I'd be put in Hufflepuff so maybe I wasn't that upset."
"No way, you'd have been Gryffindor all the way. Do you need help getting out?"
"I think I can manage although I feel guilty about wasting all this water."
"We have a gray water system so it's not going to waste. It goes into a tank, gets filtered and is used to flush the toilets."
"Oh so you're not only cute, you're ecologically friendly?"
"That I am."
Okay, Kurt felt a little awkward about coming out of the bathroom although he was wearing perfectly respectable stripped pajama bottoms and a short sleeved white t-shirt. His hair was still a little damp but he'd flossed and brushed and was ready for bed.
Blaine had turned down the bed and left a single light on on the nightstand closest to the bathroom door although Blaine himself was sitting at the foot of the bed.
The gentleman in question stood up as Kurt approached and pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's lips. "Hi. Make yourself comfortable and I'll be out in a minute."
Blaine went into the bathroom and Kurt was left staring at the bed which looked awfully comfortable. He finally decided to get in on the side away from the light and bathroom door. A few minutes later, he heard a click in the bathroom and Blaine opened the door, having already turned off the light. Then Blaine kind of dashed over to the bed and bounced into it.
Kurt bounced too and had to giggle. "What was that all about?"
"I don't know. This kind of reminds me of being nine and having sleep overs with Eliot Stammerfield. We were best friends and I think he was my first serious crush although I really didn't know what I was feeling."
"Are you still friends?" Kurt asked, rolling over to lean up on his hand and look down at Blaine.
"No. His dad got transferred to Florida a year later and they've never come back. We wrote for a couple of years and we're friends on Facebook but we don't really connect anymore. What about you? Who was your first crush?"
"Hm. The first one I remember was Bob on 'Sesame Street'. He was great because he taught music and singing. It's actually kind of funny because the actor who plays Bob was in glee club in college."
"Isn't he also married with a ton of kids?" Blaine asked.
"See? It was hopeless from the start," Kurt said mournfully then laughed. "This is nice."
"It is." Blaine agreed then moved closer and pulled Kurt's arm so it was draped across his waist. "And this is nicer."
"It is."
They laid quietly for a few minutes and then Blaine asked softly, "Can I tell you a secret?"
"Okay."
"The reason I kind of lost it at the club? I've never had anyone sing a song for me and to me. And then you did and then I realized that you almost weren't here tonight and that I could have lost you and we just found each other and god is this world screwed up and -." Blaine made kind of choking sound and rolled himself into Kurt's body and held on tight.
The sound of Blaine's hitching sobs and wetness his shoulder was enough to make Kurt tear up himself and for the first time since he woke up in the hospital, Kurt allowed himself to cry as he tried to comfort Blaine.
(1) "Existentialism On Prom Night" by Straylight Run
(2) "Ain't Even Done With The Night" by John Cougar