Author's Note: Kurt's lyrics are in bold, Mercedes' are italicized, and both are bold and italicized. Also, I'm not that great at writing Sue's personality as seen on Glee so I'm gonna do it my own way.
It was Kurt's first day of middle school and he couldn't find anything that deemed good enough to be worn on such a joyous occasion. He would finally be leaving behind the continuous downs of elementary school and joining the drama-filled world of middle school with lockers and seven different classes and bells that signaled the ending and beginning of each of them. He was excited to say the least and his dad was a little worried because, well, shouldn't kids be nervous at least a little bit about going to a new school- and one with so many differences?
Burt had tried to insist that he drop Kurt off on his first day of school but Kurt had insisted otherwise, thinking on the inside of how embarrassing that would be, and he, as per usual, got his way. He knocked on Kurt's door and, at his son's permission, walked in and down the stairs.
"If you don't get a move on you won't make it to school on time," the father warned, watching as Kurt carefully rejected outfit after outfit.
"Too bad you don't know fashion or you could help in this time of need," Kurt grumbled lowly. "Oh my Gaga, why couldn't last night's outfit have worked today?" he fretted.
"Uh, why didn't last night's outfit work today?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of what else to do as he stood awkwardly at the foot of the steps.
"For obvious reasons," he replied simply, as if he expected the clueless father to know.
"Right, right," Burt agreed, because there was nothing else he could say and, if he questioned Kurt about it then they would be stuck down here forever. "Well, find something fast or I'll be forced to drive you to school," he threatened because, secretly, he knew that Kurt had declined for fear of being embarrassed by his dad.
That certainly got Kurt moving and he ended up picking out black skinny jeans that sparkled (Kurt's special touch), a skin-tight white shirt that buttoned together at his right shoulder, and a sparkly black vest to go on top. He grabbed his already-packed messenger bag that he'd been using for the majority of his school life and would continue to use until it lost it's charm.
"I'm leaving now, Dad," Kurt said as he topped the stairs, looking around and finding his dad sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.
Burt looked up, trying to hide his frown of disapproval at all the sparkles. "Have a good day, bud," he said with a nod in his son's direction because he just wasn't a touchy type of person.
Kurt frowned sadly, feeling a little rejected, even if that was fairly stupid. He glanced self-consciously down at his outfit, wondering if his dad was repulsed by his outfit or maybe it was himself. His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
Burt glanced up to see that his son had stayed put instead of leaving. "Somethin' wrong?" he inquired, setting down his coffee cup.
"Uh... should I change?" he asked self-consciously, crossing his arms over his chest.
He shook his head slowly. "Erm... no, you look good. Now get to school," he said gruffly, looking back at his newspaper.
"Okay," he mumbled, a bit disbelievingly, hurrying out of the house. He walked in the direction of Mercedes' house because they had already agreed that they would walk in together.
Another reason why last night's outfit wasn't good enough was because it had been picked out absentmindedly and in a rush for he had been trying to help Mercedes, over the phone, with her own outfit. He didn't blame her though because he had felt honored that she had asked for his fashion advice.
"Hello there, Kurt," Mrs. Jones greeted as she opened the door, ushering me inside. "Are you hungry? I made pancakes," she offered.
Kurt smiled thankfully but shook his head. "No, thank you, Mrs. Jones," he declined. "I've already eaten."
She patted Kurt's back, smiling, because he was always such a sweet and polite boy. "Mercedes!" she called, her whole demeanor suddenly changing into stern mother. "You don't wanna be late for your first day of school!"
"Coming, Mom!" Mercedes' easily recognizable voice called from upstairs, the distance slightly muffling it. She suddenly appeared and took her sweet time strutting her stuff down the stairs.
"Oh, you look gorgeous, Hun!" Kurt exclaimed, feeling proud with himself for picking out the perfect outfit for his best friend.
"I know, don't I?" She smirked lightly, doing a little twirl. "I feel like Rihanna."
"You rock it better than Rihanna, Honey. And you have a better voice," he said, linking arms with her.
"Alright, kids. Get along now and no detours," Mrs. Jones said sternly, ushering them out the door.
Glee Time Warp
"Choir tryouts are about to happen. Tell me you've signed up," Kurt demanded, meeting up with Mercedes as she played with the combination on her lock; she still couldn't get it on the first try. "I wouldn't know because I was the first one to sign the sheet. Are you still having trouble? Here." He swatted her hand away from the combination and expertly twisted it a few times; it easily slid open.
"Show off," she scoffed, secretly wondering how in the hell he'd gotten so fantastic at this in such a short time.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Showing off is what I do best. Now answer the question."
"Do you even have to ask, White Boy? It's really a no-brainer- even for you." She winked lightly and giggled as he slapped her arm. She slid her binder into the backpack and linked her arm with the boy. "Let's get going."
"What are you going to sing? I've been thinking about this ever since the beginning of the summer and I just have to sing I'll Cover You from Rent," Kurt explained, nervously shifting his bangs in that delicate way of his.
"Isn't that a duet?" Mercedes inquired, remembering from that one time she had sat down with Kurt to watch it.
He nodded his head, bit his lip for a moment, then stopped suddenly. "I was hoping you would sing Collin's part for me."
She smirked, tugging him forward to get his feet working once again. "Of course! Just, refresh me real quick on the lyrics and I'll follow your lead."
Glee Time Warp
"Now, we'll start off with Kurt Hummel, considering he's first on the sign up sheet," Mr. Lane announced looking up at the small group of kids that had shown up. "Kurt?"
Kurt stood up, bursting with confidence. "Actually, if you don't mind Mr. Lane, Mercedes and myself will be doing a duet."
Mr. Lane nodded his confirmation, stepping to the side to give Kurt and Mercedes their space. Kurt handed the sheet music to Bradly, the pianist, and took his place beside Mercedes, facing her.
"Ready?" he mouthed and she nodded. "Hit it," he said aloud.
Live in my house
I'll be your shelter
Just pay me back
with one thousand kisses
Be my lover
and I'll cover you
Open your door
I'll be your tenant
Don't got much baggage to lay at your feet
But sweet kisses I've got to spare
I'll be there and I'll cover you
I think they meant it Just slip me on
When they said you can't buy love
Now I know you can rent it
A new lease you are my love
on life Be my life
I'll be your blanket
Wherever whatever
I'll be your coat
You'll be my king
and I'll be your castle
No you'll be my queen
And I'll be your moat
I think they meant it I've longed to discover
When they said you can't buy love
Now I know you can rent it
A new lease you are my love
on life all my life
Something as true as this is
So, with a thousand sweet kisses
If you're cold and you're lonely
I'll cover you
With a thousand sweet kisses
You've got one nickel only
I'll cover you
With a thousand sweet kisses
When you're worn out and tired
I'll cover you
With a thousand sweet kisses
When you're heart has expired
I'll cover you
Oh, lover
I'll cover you
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, lover
I'll cover you
The few people in the audience hesitantly applauded, seeing that the two singers had great voice but having never heard the song before and unsure of what exactly to think about the lyrics, and Mercedes and Kurt smiled, the girl's a bit more genuine than the latter's.
Glee Time Warp
"Look at those losers. Thinking they're big and buff and all that," Mercedes pointed out, gesturing towards the group of football players gathered on the field, practicing, because football training had begun sometime during the summer.
"That's because they are big and buff and all that in the minds of most of the kids in this school. But none of them will shine and most of them will end up doing drugs- mainly meth and steroids- and grow up to live alone and an alcoholic," Kurt said coolly, glancing only for a few seconds over at the football team, and man did he wish he hadn't because the quarterback was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.
He forced himself to look away, biting his lip as his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. He tugged Mercedes along a little faster so they would pass the football players, trying to be nonchalant about it.
"But..." She bit her lip in a cute way, glancing back at the boys with something close to admiration in her eyes, allowing Kurt to almost drag her away. "You've gotta admit they're kinda cute." She giggled.
No, Kurt thought, I can't really admit that...
Glee Time Warp
Burt wasn't home when his son got there, which he had been warned of the previous night. The door was still left unlocked, because it still freaked him out. It was just one of those odd fears that you can't help and never tell anyone.
Kurt did lock up behind him, as his dad had instructed, and gingerly sat his bag next to the door that led to the basement. He would usually, upon returning from school, immediately head downstairs, put his bag away, and change into something more comfortable, but something was bothering him. He took a detour, heading to his dad's room.
Hesitantly, he pushed open the door, biting his lip against the emotions that filled him upon seeing the room his dad used to share with his momma. His eyes fell onto the dresser that had two, exactly two- no more, no less, drawers filled with absolutely nothing. He walked over to it with a tentative slowness like he was approaching some kind of beast three times his size. He brushed his fingers across the worn wood that had begun to collect a thin layer of dust. He glanced at his fingers before rubbing the dust away. He pulled open the top two drawers, still empty save for the beautiful perfume that still remained.
He sat down Indian style and took in a deep breath. If he closed his eyes, he could almost remember what it felt like, sitting in his momma's lap, her hands running gently through his hair, watching Disney movies. He could almost remember the warm hugs that he had found so much comfort in. He could almost remember assisting in the building of this very chest alongside his momma and dad, though he didn't do much considering how young he was.
Downstairs, behind the front door, stood Sue Sylvester, digging her spare set of keys to the Hummel household from the pocket of her track pants. She never bothered to knock because, for one, she had keys and she simply couldn't be bothered. She opened the door and frowned when she heard the eery quietness; surely Kurt was home- it was nearly three-thirty. Then she heard a soft voice.
"Hey, momma," Kurt spoke, his eyes closed, imagining that his dead mother was indeed with him- listening. "I'm not quite sure... where exactly you are... but I hope you're listening," he continued, unsure, completely oblivious to the woman in a red track suit standing to the right of the doorway, peeking in.
"I've been having some weird feelings lately. Like, maybe... I might like boys. … But that's totally impossible, right? I mean... boys and girls go together like a car engine; put together correctly and it runs smooth as melting butter, it fits, it works. Then boys liking boys... that's wrong, isn't it? Everyone says it is... So it must be like a broken engine? Okay, that simile didn't quite work out so well, but hopefully you see my point. Well... what should I do?" He finally risked peeking one eye open, glancing at the wardrobe in front of him, half expecting his momma's reassuring voice to whisper that answer to him, half knowing she never would.
As the silence drug on, Kurt felt like he would do one of two things: cry his eyes out or go crazy mad. Eventually, he chose the former, bowing his head slightly, resting it on the dresser, as he began to sob.
Sue wasn't really shocked. She'd had a feeling Kurt liked boys for, well, forever. The fact that she knew didn't make her any more inclined to go in there and comfort him when she knew she should, tell him it's okay to be gay, reassure him that she loved him and shit like that. She didn't know how to handle emotional crap like this so she avoided it, walked silently back to the living room, flipped on the television, turning it loud enough for Kurt to hear so he knew he was no longer alone in the house, and waited for Burt to return from work so they could watch the football game together.
I'm trying to keep your promise, Elizabeth... okay? I'm trying and that's what matters, right? Sue silently asked her long-dead friend. You even said yourself this wouldn't be an easy promise to keep... and I'm beginning to realize that.
Kurt heard the television turn on and the tell-tall signs of ESPN. He hurriedly wiped away his tears and made sure that there was no signs of him ever entering this room left behind. Hesitantly, he reentered the living room and saw his Aunt Sue sitting on the couch.
"Oh, it's you," he said, some type of relief in his voice, seeing as it wasn't his dad. Sue never asked invading or personal questions.
Sue merely raised an eyebrow. "Oh, it's you," she mocked, rolling her eyes. "Where's Daddy Dearest?"
"Work. Where else would he be?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. Most of the time he would just deal with Sue but, right now, he really didn't want to. "I have homework to do." He turned and quickly escaped to his basement.
"On the first day of school?" Sue's voice followed him downstairs. She had a point but Kurt couldn't be bothered to come up with a better excuse.
Glee Time Warp
The weeks began to blur together as Kurt got settled into the new 'Middle School' routine. He continued seeing The Quarterback occasionally during school hours or when he was practicing football after school but not often because he was in eighth grade but, for some reason, Kurt shared Home Economics with the jock and had learned that his name was Taylor. He will admit to having stayed after school once just to watch one of his practices from underneath the outdoor bleachers.
"Alright, class," Mrs. Sandra said, clapping her hands together to get her class's attention. "Today you all will be getting your first project of the semester. It's worth half your grade so I expect you'll do you absolute best." She smiled as half her class groaned in perfect harmony, bent behind her desk and pulled out a realistic baby doll. She set it down. "Welcome to Parenthood 101."
Kurt felt a rush of shame, sliding down a little in his stool. After he had finally come to terms with the fact that he may or may not sorta kinda have a crush on Taylor(okay, he really hadn't come to terms with it, whatever), he had researched what it meant to be gay. Some of it was okay but a lot of it was pretty degrading and hurtful. Also, you can't get a guy pregnant. Everyone expects for there to be a man and a woman, fall in love, get married, start a family. That's just how it was.
He looked over at Brittany, who sat at the table across from his. He attempted to check her out like he had with Taylor, but the sight of her developing chest and too-short skirt just wasn't appealing in a 'let's go have sex' kind of way- more like 'let's go shopping and hang out and get makeovers and mani/pedis'. Why wasn't it? He felt so confused.
"... And because of our outnumbered boy-to-girl ratio, Taylor and Kurt will be partners." Is what Kurt heard when he finally tuned back into his teacher's conversation.
"What!" he spluttered, looking in shock at Taylor, who was looking at him with those smoldering green eyes, a determined look on his beautiful face. He blushed, training his gaze on the teacher as she said, "Is there a problem, Kurt?"
He quickly shook his head. "N-no," he lied when, in all actuality, he wanted to run for the hills, screaming bloody murder.
Author's Note: Reviews are appreciated!