Hey guys! Here's a bit of a more serious chapter, along the terms of humor; more fluff and romance in this one. :) Includes Fabrevans, Klaine, and Brittana. I don't know what to think of the Klaine bit. Not sure if I'm very good at writing Blaine, but I enjoyed it all the same. Next chapter should be up mid-next week. Hope you like it! R&R
Fifteen minutes later the Glee kids found themselves settled, once again, in their circle of chairs. It was two a.m. right about now, and exhaustion clearly showed on all thirteen faces, revealed by the beams of light streaming from the flashlights around the room. Sam was the one who spoke first, his eyes closed as he leaned against Quinn.
"Can we go to sleep now?" He asked in irritation. Quiet murmurs of agreement came from around the circle in a unanimous decision that they should. Rachel leaned forward in her chair, hugging herself tightly.
"I-I agree." She said, shivering. The electricity and heat in the building had now been off for about six hours, and the rooms were starting to get very cold. Finn slid over and wrapped his arms around Rachel, who gave him a thankful glance, before continuing to speak.
"I think that we should split up and go find some places to sleep, different places. We're going to get sick of each other if we keep sticking together like this." The group nodded in unison. "We should meet back up again tomorrow. Sound good?" The group nodded again, too tired to speak. Quietly, the girls gave each other hugs before moving off into separate groups and making their way out into the hallway. Everyone was fatigued; they couldn't wait to find somewhere to rest and just sleep, hopefully staying relatively warm.
Soon after the kids had split off into groups, Sam and Quinn found themselves walking alone down the hallway by the auditorium and the teacher's lounge. The blonde football player wrapped his arm around Quinn as they traveled; both were quiet, but the silence was a comfortable one.
Quinn leaned softly against Sam as they walked on in hush, her arms wrapped around her body. She didn't know whether it was from the fact that she was freezing, or from the nagging in her mind, but she felt like she needed to comfort herself, not just to be comforted by Sam.
Through the whole evening, Quinn couldn't stop thinking about whether her relationship with Sam was right. They had both sort of rushed into it, she realized. So soon after she had let go of Puck, she had transformed back into the popular cheerleader, and had found another guy – yet another guy she felt was 'perfect' for her.
But what did perfect really mean? At first, Quinn had thought Finn was perfect. She had felt like she had finally found a relationship worth lasting, a relationship that could carry beyond the trials of high school. He was everything she needed: sweet, caring, a great kisser, a great best friend…but she had taken advantage of him. She had let her priorities slip, and suddenly, she was pregnant with Puck's baby. She threw everything she had away in one night, along with Finn, but he still held on; he was supportive, even though she was hiding from him.
After Finn had finally let go, finding out that Puck was the father of her baby, she had suddenly fallen into Puck's arms. He offered to take care of the child, to help her raise it. She had felt so safe with him, so protected…that had felt perfect. But after having Beth, and deciding to give her up, she had also, without realizing it, made the choice to give Puck up, too.
And now, here she was, with another 'perfect' guy. Was she in yet another relationship with a cool football player and a great kisser, just for her popularity and pleasure? Surely she hadn't made that mistake again, after so much trial and error? She had been so careful…
Quinn paused. She hadn't made a mistake again. Something about Sam was different. Was it the way he had tried so hard to win her over? The way he was proud of who he was, not afraid to show off his geeky side in public? Quinn mentally shook her head. It didn't matter what it was that made Sam so special. The only thing that mattered was that they were perfect, both of them.
"Quinn?" The girl blinked, glancing up at Sam. Crap. Had he said something?
"Sorry, what?" She asked, blinking rapidly. He laughed, smiling. Even in the dark, that smile was the most spirit-lifting grin Quinn had ever seen.
"I said, do you want to go into the teacher's lounge? There's a couch in there." Sam asked again, wondering if he was going too far by asking her to share a couch with him. Quinn paused, as if considering it, before lifting her head with a smile. She nodded.
"Sure." She replied. Sam released his breath with a relieved sigh. Pushing open the door, he walked in, Quinn behind him. He didn't feel the need to ask any questions, or speak at all – they were both too exhausted. Instead, he simply kicked off his shoes and sat down on the couch, lying down, and scooting over to give his girlfriend plenty of room. Quinn copied him, lying right next to him, snuggling against his warm body. Sam smiled, wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes.
Quinn smiled too. Yes, she was certain this time. This was perfect.
"I don't know, Kurt? Why are you asking me? This isn't my school." Blaine replied to his friend. Why had they been walking so long? Kurt was being stubborn, that's why. For some reason, he was being a perfectionist, and trying to find somewhere where they could both have a place to sleep – somewhere that was also comfy and heated; yeah, right. Kurt huffed.
"I'm sorry. I just wish I could find some place for us to sleep. I'm getting kind of exhausted." The boy muttered, shaking his head. Blaine rolled his eyes.
"Stop trying to find the perfect place, and let's just find something that's a little bit softer than the floor to sleep on; that would make me incredibly happy." Blaine sighed, though there was a hint of humor in his voice. Kurt glanced at him, nodding in defeat.
"Yeah, alright." He agreed. "Let's head to the auditorium. Maybe we can sleep in the chairs or something…" Blaine nodded also, and absent-mindedly reached down, grabbing Kurt's hand and squeezing it. The boy's eyes widened, his cheeks flushing, but he didn't pull away. Blaine hadn't held his hand since the first day they had met; did it mean something, or was it just a friendly gesture? Was he thinking too much into things? Kurt sighed for what must have been the tenth time that night. He needed to relax. Just relax…
Ten or so minutes later, the two found themselves walking up the back steps of the auditorium, into the backstage area. Kurt glanced around in the darkness, wishing they had brought a flashlight with them. To his great despair, Blaine let go of his hand to branch of a little bit, running his hands along the walls, looking for doors of some sort. Kurt did the same, and suddenly his hand hit a knob.
"Ow!" He cried out, drawing his hand back in surprise. Blaine startled and walked forward, trying to find Kurt in the blackness of the space.
"Kurt? Are you okay?" He asked, walking swiftly with his hands out in front of him. Kurt spun to go towards the sound of Blaine's voice, and the two crashed into each other. Blaine grabbed Kurt's elbows as the boy fell forward into him, and helped him back up, both of them laughing.
"Yeah, fine." Kurt found the breath to reply. "There's uh…there's a door over here." Blaine nodded, and the two turned once again, walking back the direction Kurt had come from, towards the door. They found it again in the darkness, Blaine stepping back as Kurt turned the knob, and the door opened with an ominous creak. The two looked at each other, though their faces were barely visible and shrouded in shadow, in apprehension. Kurt simply nodded. There could definitely be something in here; it was worth journeying into the black abyss if they could find something to sleep on.
This time, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand, and Blaine held onto it firmly, smiling to himself in the gloom. Kurt led the way, and the two walked slowly forward. At first, they thought it might be an empty room. They had walked at least ten feet, and had found nothing.
Suddenly, that was proven wrong as Blaine ran into something about up to his knees; it was cool to the touch and hard, probably made of metal. As Blaine stumbled backwards, he yanked Kurt towards him, and Kurt ran into it, too.
"Whoa. What is it?" Kurt asked, letting go of Blaine's hand to feel the object. Blaine shrugged, though Kurt couldn't possibly have seen it in the pitch black. As Kurt tried to figure out what the object was, Blaine could hear little clicks as Kurt's watch banged against the metal. Suddenly, the room lit with a bright light, and Blaine brought his hands up in surprise, covering his eyes from the sudden illumination. Kurt, squinting, stood up, dusting his hands off.
"It's…a lantern?" Blaine asked, completely confused. Kurt nodded with a thoughtful look. Blaine shrugged. The two stood beside each other, looking around the dank room. They now found that there were indeed objects in the space.
Around the room were scattered different set pieces for the drama club's plays. Along the pale walls were tables, chairs, picture frames, and various assorted, random items, like the lantern the two had stumbled into. None of these caught the boys' attention, but something in the center of the room did.
Directly in front of the two stood a large bed. It was intricate and old-fashioned, as if a set piece for a Victorian show, set somewhere in the 1800s. The quilts on the bed looked warm and inviting, along with the plush pillows lining the headboard.
Kurt glanced nervously in Blaine's direction. How awkward would it be to share a bed? Yes, it was a single bed, but they were both freezing; it looked warm, inviting, comfortable…all of the things Kurt had wanted. They would just stay on opposite sides of the bed, and it would be totally un-awkward. Right? Kurt began to wonder if they should keep looking, but his train of thought was stopped as Blaine returned the boy's gaze, nodding. Kurt let out a sigh of relief.
Kurt switched off the lamp, and the two climbed into the bed, both on opposite sides, pulling the covers up over their cold bodies. Speech was unnecessary as they settled down, Kurt lying on his side facing the wall, and Blaine lying on his back to look at the ceiling.
Within a few minutes, Kurt's breath had grown shallow with the coming of sleep, but Blaine found it hard to shut his eyes. Only a few feet away from him was the most adorable, wonderful, sweet boy in the whole world; a guy that he was totally in love with, and they were sharing a bed. Did Kurt not find that strange at all? Of course, Blaine didn't mind but…he shook his head. It was a rather different situation; this was practically their only choice. Blaine nodded. Right. This didn't mean that Kurt liked him. Though, he desperately hoped that the boy did.
Blaine was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard a slight chattering noise, like the soft clanking of dishes, but faster, more repetitive. He glanced around, only to remember that he couldn't see anything. The boy softly turned his head to the direction of Kurt, and found the source of the noise.
The chittering was Kurt's teeth. They were clacking together rapidly, and his body was vibrating slightly. Blaine's breath hitched. He must be freezing. Even though Kurt was balled up under thick blankets, he was still incredibly cold. Worry crept into Blaine's mind. Would he be alright?
The shaking and shivering continued for a few minutes, until Blaine couldn't take it any longer; he couldn't stand to see the boy he cared for so deeply freeze to death. Without a second thought, he gingerly scooted over next to Kurt, their bodies touching. Blaine waited in apprehension to make sure that Kurt wouldn't wake up; he couldn't risk an awkward situation, not now.
To Blaine's relief, Kurt didn't stir. After a mental debate, Blaine decided to just go for what his heart was telling him to do, though his head screamed no. Ever so gently, Blaine raised his arm and wrapped it around Kurt, hugging the shivering boy to his body. He laid his head on the pillow next to Kurt, closing his eyes. As the boy's body calmed after a few moments, Blaine didn't regret a thing. He had made plenty of mistakes, but this wasn't one of them – that, he knew for sure.
"Santana, I can't sleep." Brittany's voice cut through the darkness of the room, waking the Latino from her slumber. The two had found a few beds in the special ed. room, and had chosen to sleep there. They weren't incredibly comfortable, but at least they provided a soft place to rest. Santana groaned.
"Brittany, for the last time, Batman is not going to get you." Santana murmured in a half-awake state, rolling over. Brittany sighed wearily from across the room.
"I just…I don't like the dark." She moaned softly, almost sounding apologetic. Something about Brittany's voice hit a nerve in Santana's heart, and the girl sat up, propping herself up on her elbows. Maybe she could talk Brittany into sleep, or make her feel a bit better.
"Why's that, Britt?" She asked the blonde, focusing her attention on her best friend. There was a pause before Brittany replied.
"I watched a scary movie a long time ago about the tooth fairy. If you go into the dark, she gets you. It's…it's always scared me." Brittany muttered, sounding slightly frightened. Santana tilted her head; a movie like that sounded completely ridiculous, but something deep inside Santana understood Brittany and felt sympathy for her. As a child, she herself had gotten scared of plenty of horror movies; she knew what it felt like.
"Um…alright. How can I help?" Santana asked. Anything to make Brittany go back to sleep, and let her do the same. Another pause as Brittany thought it over.
"Will you sleep with me?" Brittany asked quietly into the gloom. Santana contemplated it. These beds were tiny; there was barely enough room for one of them on the bed, let alone two. But Santana was Brittany's best friend. It was her job to help her out when she was scared, to comfort her in her fears. The girl sighed before complying.
"Okay. Scoot over." She murmured as she stood on exhausted legs and felt her way through the dark to find Brittany's bed. Reaching it, Santana climbed over her friend and lay down beside her, pushed against the wall. The only comfortable place for her hand was across Brittany's waist, and so she snuggled down next to the blonde, closing her eyes. Brittany cuddled next to her.
"Is this better?" Santana muttered. She heard a contented sigh from Brittany.
"Thanks, San…" She murmured in contentment, falling asleep. Santana rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile.
"Yeah, you owe me for squishing me up against this wall." She replied in mock anger, but tightened her arm around the girl's waist. Even though she didn't exactly want to admit it, Santana came to the conclusion that she would be squished against a wall a million times harder, if meant that she could be this close to Brittany again. The Latino closed her eyes. She loved Brittany. But it was more than she could ever admit.