Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long! For anyone who has forgotten, here is a quick summary of what has happened so far.
Karofsky is in hospital after a suicide attempt and Kurt, with Blaine, goes to visit one day after school. Kurt told the seemingly sleeping Karofsky that he doesn't feel guilty, but that he is there because he feels he needs to understand why Karofsky acted the way he did - Karofsky didn't respond. That Friday night Kurt attended the Warblers' weekly game of Truth or Dare that they held in the common room for all the unlucky singers without dates that evening. When Kurt finally picks Dare, the Warblers dare him to do something they've been dying to see since Kurt transferred. Kurt kisses Blaine, but when he returns to his own home for the weekend he starts to worry that the kiss hadn't done for Blaine what it had for him. Kurt visits the hospital again, and this time speaks to Karofsky, offering, somewhat reluctantly, to help him get through it. That Sunday, during a slightly awkward movie night with Blaine, Blaine admits how much he likes Kurt and asked him to be his boyfriend. Kurt, thrilled, said yes, but their celebratory kiss was interrupted by Wes, and they were left to finish watching their movie in awkward silence.
"David Karofsky," Kurt repeated, furrowing his brow.
The receptionist pushed her glasses up her nose and shook her head at the computer. "I'm sorry," she said, "but it looks like he checked out earlier this evening."
"And you're sure?"
The reception sighed. "I've checked twice now."
"I see," said Kurt, confused. "Thank you."
He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he left the hospital – There were no new texts from unknown numbers. For some reason it made him angry. He would have appreciated a 'Thank you' or a 'Sorry'. Not that he would have accepted them - Dave still owed him a lot, and there was no way he was going to forgive him just like that, if at all - but Kurt thought it would have been nice to know his visit had been worthwhile.
In hindsight, he should have asked for Dave's number instead.
"What was that about?" Burt asked as Kurt got into the car.
"Nothing," Kurt sighed, loosening his scarf and putting on his seatbelt.
"Is your friend okay?"
"It was just a tonsillectomy, Dad. He actually got discharged this afternoon. He's probably at home doing his French homework or something. I'll text him."
Burt breathed out heavily. "When you said you needed a ride to visit a friend in hospital, I got a bit worried, but that's not so bad. I hope it's not anyone from your singing club, though. Doesn't getting your tonsils out change your voice or something?"
"It can do, but don't worry, he doesn't sing."
Kurt put his phone on the dashboard and looked out the window at the darkening sky. Whatever, he thought. Karfosky can look after himself. Kurt had bigger things to worry about – like how he was going to break the 'boyfriend' news to his dad.
Kurt jumped as his phone beeped. It wasn't from Dave, but it left him smiling all the way home.
Ur my teenage dream
The moment Kurt walked into Breadstix he was tackled straight back into the door by Mercedes.
"Boy, where were you on Saturday?" she exclaimed into his ear. Kurt couldn't see past her head, but he could hear everyone laughing, and was grinning when Mercedes pulled away. The sight before him took his breath away.
"You only saw him sometime last week," Rachel was saying. "Let the rest of us get a look at him." To the mild annoyance of the Breadstix waiting staff, New Directions were standing by the reception, a crowd by themselves and receiving curious glances from the few customers Breadstix had that evening (It was 5:30pm and a Wednesday). Kurt had almost forgotten what an unusual assemble they were.
Everyone was smiling – Rachel, Tina and, weirdly, Brittany, all came to give Kurt a hug at once, before someone shouted "Group hug!" and he was comfortably sandwiched in the biggest, warmest hug he could ever remember.
He hadn't seen New Directions since sectionals – not all together, like this. He was surprised by all the little changes that he wouldn't have noticed if he had still been at school with them – who had gotten a inch or two cut off their hair, who had stopped biting their nails, who had switched perfume. Artie's wheelchair had new wheel lights; Tina had started parting her hair to the right instead of the left; Rachel was wearing a new pair of shoes.
"I can't believe he's tearing up," said Santana, picking flint off her shoulder as everyone pulled away. "It's only been-"
"Two and a half months," said Kurt defensively. "And it's the heat."
"I made them to turn it up," said Brittany. "I'll go tell them to turn it down again."
"We should sit you down." Mercedes grabbed Kurt's wrist and pulled him towards the one of the bigger tables. Everyone else followed – everyone started talking at once.
"Since you left, our costumes look like crap," said Santana flatly.
"No one has your range-"
"Mike and Schue are great at choreography, but sometimes-"
"I swear you've grown, dude-"
"I didn't realize how much you kept Rachel in check until you left-"
"We've really missed you," said Mercedes warmly as they all sat down. "Everyone, even though some of them are trying not to show it." Here she looked pointedly at Puck, who just shrugged.
"Sam and Mr. Schue are coming later," Finn said loudly over everyone as they sat down. "Sam has to go to his nan's birthday or something, and Mr. Schue said he'd meet us here for desert to give us some time with you."
"He's paying, though," said Santana. "So we have to eat a lot."
"He's paying even though he's not eating with us?" asked Kurt, awestruck by the generosity.
"He likes you a lot."
"I invited Blaine too," said Mercedes as the waiter brought them jugs of water and handed around menus. "Didn't he come with you?"
Kurt suddenly felt a tickle of excitement run through him, but he didn't want to break the news until Blaine got there. "He should be here soon," he said, smiling. "He gives his cousin guitar lessons after school on Wednesdays, so said he'd be running late."
Kurt wondered momentarily if he should have told Mercedes about him and Blaine first, but he hadn't had a chance to ask to meet up with her in the last couple of days, and he hadn't wanted to tell her over the phone.
"So," said Puck, leaning over to pour himself a drink. "What's Dalton like? Any hot teachers? Female, I mean."
"The lessons," said Kurt, "are a lot harder."
Everyone listened as Kurt told them about the halls and the dorms and the homework, and listed all the unusual rules that Dalton had and McKinley didn't. And even when the food arrived, they had more questions, and Kurt told them about the cafeteria food and described the size of the library and the enormous auditorium. And then he mentioned the Warblers' Friday night Truth or Dare games.
"We should do that!" Rachel exclaimed."We don't do anything as a group outside school. It would be an excellent way to strengthen the group's bond."
"Isn't Truth or Dare like, so 5th grade?"
"Wouldn't the Warblers be annoyed at us if we copied them?"
"Oh, wait. We could invite them," said Santana, smirking. "Some of them were really hot."
"I liked the lead singer," said Brittany.
"Thank you," said a voice politely, "but, I'm taken." Everyone on the left side of the table, with their backs to the entrance, jumped - especially Kurt, who knocked over his water, much to his chagrin. Blaine's last two words raised a couple of pairs of eyebrows. Mercedes short Kurt a questioning look, but he shook his head in a noncommittal gesture as he grabbed some napkins and Blaine pulled up a chair next to him.
"Thanks for coming," Kurt said quietly as Blaine sat down.
"Kurt," said Santana, coating her voice in honey and leaning over the table towards them, "Aren't you going to introduce us?" Apparently, whether someone was already in a relationship or not was irrelevant to Santana, but Kurt was in too much of a good mood to let it bug him. Blaine's hand found his under the table and squeezed.
Kurt's heart was hammering pleasantly beneath his chest as he took a deep breath and announced, "Everyone, this is Blaine, lead singer of the Warblers-"
"Who we totally owned at sectionals," Puck interrupted.
"Don't be rude," Quinn muttered, but Blaine only laughed.
"You guys were pretty amazing," he admitted.
"Of course," said Rachel smoothly, and then smiled almost unusually at Kurt. "But we would have had a harder time if you had given Kurt a solo." Kurt gave Rachel an amused look, which she returned with a satisfied one. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of this.
"So," said Santana, looking between Kurt and Blaine. "Have you guys done it yet?"
"Wait," said Rachel, looking at Kurt. "Last time we talked you said-"
"Don't worry," said Mercedes, "they're not dating. They're just friends. Right, Kurt?"
The silence that followed wasn't exactly awkward, but it was telling - Kurt glanced at Blaine and Blaine smiled down at his menu.
"Oh, my, God," said Rachel.
"What?" said Mercedes. "Kurt?"
Someone let out a whistle, everyone exchanged glances, but no one else said anything. They were all waiting for Kurt to confirm it.
"What I was about to say, before Puck interrupted me," Kurt stressed. He took a breath before continuing. "This is Blaine, member of the Warblers and -" here Kurt paused for dramatic effect, "-my boyfriend."
The table erupted - with congratulations, wolf whistles, and a drowned out "wait, what?" from Puck and a "I didn't even know Blaine was gay," from Artie. Only Finn and Mercedes looked put out, apparently unimpressed that Kurt hadn't told them sooner.
"My question still stands."
"That would be hot."
"So," said Rachel as everyone ignored Santana and Brittany, "how did this less-than-shocking development happen?"
"Who asked who?" Mercedes added with narrowed eyes.
Blaine glanced at Kurt before answering.
"Well," he said, "Kurt was actually the one to initiate it." Encouraged by their expressions of disbelief, and Kurt's elbow to his ribs, he added with a grin, "Late one evening, last Friday, actually, I think it was a full moon – not that we were outside, but – anyway, it was late, the moon was full, and Kurt crawled into my lap and put his hand in my hair and told me I was blind for not seeing how he felt, and then he kissed me. It was all very romantic, and passionate, and dramatic. Kurt is an amazing kisser, and then – Kurt, stop elbowing me!" Blaine finished with a whine.
"Okay, okay, we were playing Truth or Dare and he was dared to kiss me," he adjusted quickly, rolling his eyes. "But that doesn't make any of the rest less true."
Everyone "aww'd" appropriately and laughed and told them how cute they were. Kurt's face was burning, and he had sunk as low into his chair as he possibly could, but Blaine's bragging and the approval on everyone's faces made him feel secretly amazing. New Directions had met Blaine briefly after sectionals, but most of them probably hadn't know him well enough to even remember his first name. But they were already treating him as though he were part of the group, trusting him because Kurt trusted him. Kurt smiled.
"And then I asked him out and now we're living happily ever after," Blaine concluded, grinning.
"I'm never bringing you out on a date again," Kurt moaned teasingly. "I hope you don't tell the same story to my dad."
"I'll start drafting something more exciting," Blaine promised.
"Oh god," said Kurt as everyone laughed.
The rest of the dinner passed more casually. People turned to their own conversations, giving Kurt a chance to eavesdrop on what everyone was doing at the moment - who was dating who, what songs New Directions were considering for regionals, which teachers had quit or been fired - even what Sue was up to. Kurt couldn't believe how warm everyone was treating him; it made him happy, but also a little jealous and more than a little homesick. He loved the Warblers, but they weren't his Glee club. Despite what Randy said, Kurt still felt like the new guy, like the outsider, like a McKinley student.
But no one seemed too worried about this – they happily bragged about how they were going to win regionals, about how much fun they were having. As the dinner progressed and people were finishing their plates (Santana was on her second), the warm, happy feeling Kurt had started the evening with was starting to ebb.
He looked at Blaine, who was deep in discussion with Puck about a recent sci-fi-action movie, and realized that if it wasn't for Blaine, he would probably go straight home and beg his dad to let him transfer back to McKinley.
He sighed as he picked at his pasta. Maybe this dinner hadn't been such a great idea after all.
Sam stood outside Breadstix, stepping back and fourth to warm himself up. If he had known he was going to spend the evening loitering outside the diner instead of sharing spaghetti with Quinn he would have brought a jacket. He scowled at the entrance as he tried to make up his mind; go home, or grow some and go in. Neither option seemed particularly tempting.
"Sam?"
"Mr. Schue. You made me jump."
Mr. Schuester stood on the pavement in a button up shirt and jeans, looking unusually casual without a tie.
"What are you doing out here? Isn't anyone here yet?" He cast a confused glance at his watch.
"No, everyone's here," said Sam. "Look, can I ask you a favor?"
"That depends on what it is," said Mr. Schuester slowly. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine." Sam looked back at the door and then made his decision and took a deep breath. "It's just, I can't go inside. It's a long story, and it's personal, but you'd understand if you knew. I don't want to mess things up for them."
"Whatever it is, Sam, they're your friends-"
"You don't understand," Sam said quickly. "It's not a matter of being their friends-" He hesitated, wondering how to word it.
Mr. Schuester sighed. "You texted me half an hour ago to say you were at home with a headache and won't be coming," he supplied reluctantly. "You should talk to your friends though."
Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Mr. Schue."
"You owe me."
"It was good seeing you again," Rachel admitted as she hugged Kurt in the parking lot outside the diner, half an hour later. Rachel, Santana and Brittany were getting a ride home with Mr Schuester because their houses were on the way; Mr Schuester was leaning against his car as they said their goodbyes. Lauren had left as soon as she had finished her desert; Mike, Artie and Tina had just left in Mike's car; Puck was loitering, probably wondering if he should say goodbye or just leave; Quinn had come with Mercedes, but both were hanging around too; and Kurt was going to drop off Finn (who had come with Puck), and was already waiting in Kurt's car. Blaine was standing apart from everyone, texting, tweeting or playing a game on his phone, Kurt wasn't entirely sure.
"Thanks for dinner, Mr. Schue."
"No problem, Kurt." Mr. Schuester smiled. "I owed you for helping me pick that Secret Santa gift. I'm glad you had a good Christmas."
"Thanks, you too."
They stood around for a moment in silence before Rachel said, "I guess we should go."
"Yeah," said Kurt. "But I'll see you all next Wednesday."
Rachel grinned, and even Santana smiled a little.
"Next Wednesday?" asked Mr. Schuester.
"We'll be meeting at the Hummel's for Truth or Dare," said Santana wickedly. "You're welcome to join us, Mr. Schue."
Mr. Schuester laughed uneasily. "I'll think I'll pass. But thanks for the offer, Santana."
Kurt waved as Mr. Schuester and the girls drove away, feeling elated. Sure, he wasn't a part of McKinley Glee Club anymore, but if he could still meet with them like this once a week, that would be enough. Then he thought back to the stack of Advanced Calculus homework he had due in the following day with a cringe. He would just have to learn to juggle his homework a little better.
Puck left after the girls, with an awkward pat-on-the back hug for Kurt and a "If anyone gives you shit at this new school, just let me know. No one messes with any of my boys" line that made Quinn smile. It wasn't until Puck was gone that Kurt noticed Mercede's expression.
Blaine noticed it too.
"I should probably go," he said, pocketing his phone. "We've still got that calculus homework to do. See you back at the dorms?"
"Yeah," said Kurt, flashing a grateful smile. "See you soon."
They watched as Blaine walked away, across the lot to his car.
"I'm sorry Sam couldn't come," Quinn said as they waved him off. "I can't believe he didn't text me. But then, he's never really been huge on the whole texting thing."
"Really?" said Kurt, a little surprised. "Because he texted me all the time when we were planning our duet. Half of the messages were illegible – I've never known anyone to use such appalling text language, including Finn – but he definitely seemed to try and make up for the quality with quantity." Kurt paused, aware that that might not have been what Quinn wanted to hear. "Maybe he's just too embarrassed to show you his poor spelling," he amended.
"Maybe." Quinn smiled.
"Kurt," Mercedes interrupted, unable to hold her tongue any longer. "We need to talk."
Quinn looked surprised at the coolness of Mercedes' tone, but stood back and nodded. "I'll go wait in the car," she offered. "You're looking good, Kurt. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, Quinn."
Mercedes sighed as soon as Quinn was out of earshot, and Kurt could almost hear the unspoken 'finally alone'. He swallowed. He had a feeling this was going to be about Blaine.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Mercedes accused, sure enough. "I'm your best friend, Kurt."
"Mercedes, I didn't have a chance."
"It's been six days," said Mercedes flatly, crossing her arms. "You could have called. And boy, you didn't even text me."
"Four days," Kurt adjusted. "We only officially started dating on Sund-"
"I really don't care, Kurt. I just thought you might have told me. I just thought I was the person you could trust with anything, the person you called first when something exciting happened. I thought I was your best friend. But I guess you have new ones, now."
Kurt sighed. "We'll always be friends."
"I need more than that, Kurt. Since you left, I don't have anyone in Glee club who gets me anymore."
"Oh, because I had a choice," said Kurt, suddenly feeling snarky. He found himself crossing his arms to mirror Mercedes. "Because I left McKinley just to get into Blaine's pants."
"I know you didn't," said Mercedes, looking a little guilty. "But we could still be friends outside of school."
"We are still friends," Kurt stressed. "But we live too far away. We can't go shopping together after school anymore, or just hang out before school and help each other pick out outfits. We can't have what we used to! Besides, you can't say you don't have anyone – I saw you and Quinn talking at dinner. The two of you get along just fine."
"She has Brittany and Santana. You know I'll never fit in with them." Mercedes stopped and frowned at Kurt. "And I guess now you have your prep school boys, who I'll never fit in with either." She raised an eyebrow for a second, and when Kurt didn't say anything, sighed and turned away.
"Mercedes!" Kurt called, but she ignored him, slamming her door as she got in the car. Only Quinn leaned out the window and waved as they drove away.
Kurt felt winded. What could he have said? He couldn't invite Mercedes to hang out with the Warblers – not when she was on the 'enemy team'. And none of the Warblers were allowed to invite their girlfriends to practice or Truth or Dare games anyway, so why would Kurt be allowed Mercedes? Kurt barely had enough time for Glee club practice and homework, let alone the Friday Truth or Dare games and Blaine. Now that he had agreed to weekly Wednesday Truth or Dare with New Directions as well, there was no way he would be able to schedule in date time with Mercedes. Not if he wanted to pass this high school year, anyway.
He kicked the wheel of his car in frustration.
"Dude," said Finn as soon as Kurt opened the driver's seat door. He had the same accusing tone as Mercedes.
"I don't want to hear it," said Kurt flatly.
"No, I'm serious, Kurt. We're your family. Every time we see you, you've been denying that there's anything going on between you and that Blaine guy. Don't you think we should have been the first to know?"
"To be blunt, no," said Kurt as he turned on the ignition. "I don't. I think I'm just as entitled as anyone else to keep secrets. This was just the most convenient time to tell everyone. I really don't think it's as big a deal as you guys are making it out to be."
"Not a big deal? It's your first boyfriend, and you tell Lauren Zizes before you even tell your dad?"
Kurt swallowed. "I'll tell him soon," he said.
"How soon is soon?"
"Soon," Kurt snapped.
They drove the rest of the way to the new Hummel house in silence. Finn muttered an almost sarcastic "Thanks for the ride" as he got out, and Kurt spent the remainder of the journey back to Dalton listening to Finn's Linkin Park CD and praying to Gaga that Finn wouldn't let slip the news to Burt before Kurt could decide on the most tactful way to do it.
Author's Note:
Sorry it's such a clumsy chapter! More will happen in the next one, I promise.
I've decided not to reply to every review I get - I keep forgetting who I've replied to and accidentally replying to people twice, and I feel like some of my replies are getting a little repetitive. But I really do appreciate every single review, more than you know! I love getting to know my readers, and visit every reviewer's page. I can't promise to read and review something of everyone's, but I will check to see if you have any stories that catch my eye.
Thanks again for reading! I'll try and get the next chapter up before Christmas. But just in case I don't manage it, have a very Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays c:
