Catalyst
Chapter 3
By Dani J.
...
Summary: Kurt and Blaine have decided to just be friends, the dapper boy realizing he really missed Dalton Academy so he's gone back. No Klaine-bashing is intended, it just wouldn't have worked for this fic. However, Kurt has an admirer in a new kid… and Puck isn't happy at all but doesn't seem willing to step up.
Disclaimer: I own nothing whatsoever. Blame RM and company for this unfairly attractive and addictive group of characters. Well, except for my cute, original character, Kristopher.
…
.
Last chapter: As he passed through the school's gates, Kris thought of something else he wanted between his legs. Who knows, maybe sweet Kurt with the beautiful blue eyes would let him take him for a ride one day soon.
.
The next morning, Kristopher made his way into the classroom, hitching up his satchel and looking around for an empty seat. When he spied the back of a perfectly coiffed head, a huge grin spread across his face and, as luck would have it, noticed an empty chair beside the owner of said head.
He leaned down to say, in an almost seductive whisper, "Is this seat taken?" He leapt back as Kurt spun around, their heads almost bumping had he not moved quickly. He stared down into the boy's stunning blue eyes, noticing the striations of green and flecks of amber and grey before blinking back at him.
Kurt barely held in the gasp at the soft voice sounding so close to his ear, the speaker's breath fluttering against the tiny hairs. He flushed but nodded – and then realized what he'd done and shook it quickly.
"Uhm, no, go ahead, it's nobody's," and he closed his eyes at how stupid he probably sounded.
Kris smiled softly, placed his bag on the armrest and slid into the seat. "Thanks, I'm glad I'm beside someone who knows this place."
Kurt glanced at the tall boy with the pretty green eyes and then his eyes slid down to vaguely leather-like pants Kris was wearing. His eyes narrowed curiously and then it hit him. "Are those riding leathers you're wearing?" He nearly dropped his head into his hand at being so forward but when he heard Kris chuckle he looked up.
Kris smiled at him when Kurt gazed at him with a trace of mortification but nodded. "Yep, I drive a Yamaha RD350LC; know it?" He couldn't imagine that this elegant boy in his no doubt designer outfit knew what that was but he was interested to know if he did.
Kurt's eyes widened and he grinned unselfconsciously for the first time since meeting Kris. "Wow, yes, I know it!" His eyes sparkled and he laughed when Kris's eyebrow went up in that sexy way he had. It absolutely did not remind him of Puck, he reprimanded his stupid brain.
Kris's eyes ran up and down Kurt's lanky form, clearly liking what he was seeing and then stared back into the other boy's eyes.
"What would a boy like you know about bikes, huh?"
If Kurt wasn't sure before, he was definitely certain now; Kris was flirting with him. And it felt so good!
He felt his cheeks flush and he bit his lip, lowering his lashes before looking back up quickly. He was just in time to see Kris's pupils dilate and he felt his already tight jeans become a tad more uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, lowered his voice to that unusual husky tone that was his alone and prepared to enlighten this cocky boy beside him.
"Well, there's a lot I know that you don't know that I know, isn't there?" He smirked as he watched Kris lick his lips and lean back, widening his legs ever so slightly. If that wasn't an invitation right there, Kurt didn't know what was.
"Oh?" Kris was enjoying this banter with Kurt and prayed the teacher wouldn't turn up too soon. "I would love to know how much you know… Kurt," he said, his own voice lowering and sounding slightly rough.
Suddenly, the classroom door banged open and their teacher hurried in looking and sounding out of breath as she addressed the class. "Sorry I'm late, people; had a flat!" She glanced up and saw Kurt sitting near the front row with a stranger beside him. "Oh, Mr. Hummel, could you give me your dad's number later, please?"
Kurt simply nodded and then glanced shyly over at Kris who was staring at him now with his eyes wide. He giggled when the taller boy leaned over slightly and asked, "Your teacher wants to hook up with your dad? This is certainly a different kind of school!"
Shaking his head and biting his lips to hold back his giggles, Kurt put one hand lightly over Kris's, patting it before replying. "No, silly, my dad owns an automotive business here in town. Hummel Tire and Lube, it's called."
Kris let out a soft laugh and then turned his hand over so that he could grip Kurt's fingers briefly. "Oh, that's how come you know about my 'Elsie'."
Kurt tipped his head in an unconsciously cute manner and asked, "'Elsie'?"
Kris squeezed Kurt's hand and then allowed him to withdraw it. "Yeah, 'Elsie', my bike. It's just my way of humanizing her; you know, my Yamaha RD 350 'L', 'C'?"
Kurt nodded, a few giggles escaping him and then he turned forward to listen to their teacher. English Lit was one of his favorite subjects and despite how cute he found Kris, he wanted to pay attention. He suspected it was going to be an uphill battle, though, because Kris was powerfully attractive.
Kris watched the fair-skinned boy with the cute freckles and pointy nose and thanked whichever deity was looking out for him. He hadn't wanted to move here but his dad had got a new job and in this economy, you didn't turn up your nose at a well-paying job, even if it was out in the boondocks.
He smiled as Kurt did a little wriggle in his seat as he got comfortable, unwittingly drawing Kris's eyes to his cute backside. An idea came to life in the tall boy's mind and he determined that he would find a way to spend more time with Kurt that very day.
Near the back of the room, lost in a sea of letterman jackets, the owner of a pair of green-flecked brown eyes stared unrelentingly at the two boys, his lips tightening. He didn't understand where this anger, this tight, uncomfortable feeling came from but he suspected he was not going to like this new kid at all.
.
…
.
Will Schuester glanced up at the clock, noting that it was five to the hour yet his kids were still straggling in. As usual, they were almost all chatting, arriving in groups of twos or threes. He couldn't wait to land them with the project he had thought of. Maybe it wasn't all that original but he loved the idea so they would just have to suck it up.
Will turned back from writing on the board to see that all the kids were finally inside and just as he was about to welcome them back for this last semester of their senior year, his door opened again.
He looked around to see a tall, slender good-looking kid stepping inside and then he recognized him. "Ah, Kristopher, hi!" Will smiled at him and received one in return. "Did you want to sign on with the glee club or have you lost your way again?"
Kris chuckled but looked around the room until his eyes landed on Kurt who was sitting beside his friend Mercedes up on the second to last row of the risers. Kris turned back to Mr. Schuester and explained.
"Well, some of the Glee clubbers invited me to sit with them and I thought it would be great to come and see what the club was about."
Will's eyes widened with interest and he grasped Kris's arm to tug him to stand in front of the assembled group, most of whom had fairly welcoming expressions on their faces.
Kris had, indeed, eaten lunch with some of them – the jocks and cheerios being absent because of some joint meeting their coaches had lined up – and he had toyed further with the idea of joining Glee club.
Will looked smug now as he patted Kris's arm. "Well, that's great. We are called The New Directions and if you want to join, you're going to have to perform for us, young man!"
Kris's eyes widened as Mr. Schuester laughed happily. Audition! He hadn't realized he'd have to do that and he glanced up, his eyes colliding with Kurt's. The boy's sweet face was a mix of emotions; apparently he feared that Kris would audition and make a fool of himself but he also looked curious.
Kris looked back at Mr. Schuester, thought for a second and then nodded hesitantly. There was a man at the piano (hmm, he hadn't noticed him when he'd first stepped into the room) so the accompaniment was taken care of. His family – well, half of them – were musical and he did have a Jamaican grandparent so he figured he could handle this.
With an approving nod, Will stepped back, saying, "Kids, please welcome Kristopher Marshall. He's new to Lima and McKinley so be kind, okay?"
There was a murmur and one or two of them rolled their eyes but some called out, "Hey, Kris, wassup?" The jocks looked at each other and the Cheerios perked up; they hadn't expected to get anyone new in this semester but all the girls (and Kurt) thought he was hot so they'd give him a chance.
Kris cleared his throat, looked over at the piano man and said something so softly that the other kids couldn't hear. The music started playing and Kris turned back to his 'audience'.
"This is a song my mom loved because her dad always used to sing it. I hope you like it…"
Home is a wounded heart, haven't you heard the story?
He's out for love and for glory and
He's waitin' home by the fire.
And wasn't it yesterday, wasn't it me who said it?
I swore that you'd never regret it.
Now home is a wounded heart.
It's a complicated thing, not an ordinary thing
and my heart just breaks in two
'cause I can see you standing there.
You know that I can't bear your wounded heart.
Paint me a red balloon; give me a string and baby I'll tie it,
give me a ring and baby I'll buy it and bring it on home to you.
Home… to a wounded… heart.
There was a beat or two of silence and then all the girls and some of the guys broke into whoops and loud applause, someone yelling out, "Wow!" and someone else, "Oh… my… god!" Predictably, though, Rachel Berry was the first – okay, only – person to leap out of her seat and plant herself beside the new kid.
Rachel grasped Kristopher's hand and stared up at him, batting her lashes and smiling crazily as she breathed deeply. Obviously she hadn't heard the change in pronoun in the third line but Kris smiled down at her anyway.
"Kristopher, where did you learn to sing like that?! You are as good, if not better than the man – a great songwriter, no disrespect – who wrote and sang that song. Mr. Neil Diamond would have been absolutely thrilled with your rendition!"
She would have continued but Will Schuester took her by the shoulders and turned her towards the chairs, giving her a little push to help her on the way. Kris grinned at her avid expression and then turned back to look at one person. No one else mattered at the moment; he needed to see Kurt's reaction.
Kurt had his hands still clasped together in front of his chest as if when he'd finished applauding he'd simply forgotten to lower his hands. Kris grinned at him and nodded, giving him a tiny wink and was gratified at the blush he could see from where he was still standing in front of the group. The other kids were chatting and laughing, a couple of the girls with their heads together but he didn't care.
However, for the first time he noticed that some of the jocks were looking less than pleased with his performance – or maybe it was just that he was new and they thought he was too cocky. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at Mr. Schuester who was still standing, trying to get the other kids' attention back on him.
"Okay, okay, guys, settle down, please!" He turned to grin at Kris and then looked back at the other kids. "Well, I can say that Finn has got his work cut out for him for the solos, eh?" He chuckled as if he thought it was truly funny but when he got a glare from not only Finn but Puck as well, he subsided.
"Well, Kristopher, I can safely say you're the newest member of the glee club. Welcome to The New Directions!" He clapped one hand on Kris's shoulder and with the other gestured towards the chairs.
Kris had a feeling a couple of people were not as welcoming as Mr. Schuester but he really didn't care. He had always been pretty self-confident and right now, there was no reason for anyone here to have a problem with him. Yet…
.
TBC
.
A/N: Once again, thank you guys so much for your response. I loved how you're looking forward to each update. I can say the next one will be a doozy, courtesy of… Puck. The song, obviously, is by Neil Diamond.
PLEASE REVIEW!