It had been a long afternoon practicing with the New Directions for Rachel and Kurt. They were all good kids, just not very coordinated all together as a team. But they were shaping up well. The boy named Connor and the girl with the braid, who they learned was named Samantha, took the lead and tried to steer their teammates, earning a smile from Mr. Schue.
Rachel was starting to think maybe that Mr. Schuester had been right. They just needed a little motivation from someone their own age, or close to their age. She was 20, and Kurt was 21.
Those numbers still felt weird to her. When she turned 20 just days ago she had cried in Kurt's arms. 20 just seemed so old.
She couldn't even imagine what the kids in front of her were thinking at 15 and 16.
Mr. Schue gave them a break while he talked to the kids, and the pair wandered out in the hallway again. Rachel brushed up against Kurt, rubbing his side.
"You know, there is a nice sized closet on the third floor," she murmured.
"That will have to wait," gulped Kurt. He squeezed Rachel's hand tight. She turned around and saw Mercedes Jones and Blaine Anderson walking towards them.
"Breathe," commanded Rachel. When Kurt didn't do so, she kicked him in the back of the knee. He limped forward and made it look like he was going towards Mercedes for a hug.
"It's been so long!" The black girl hugged him tightly with a squeal. Blaine hugged Rachel, though it was more of a friendly acquaintance hug than anything. Rachel was not soon to forget the yelling bitch fit she (and others) had made in Blaine's ear right after he had let Kurt go to follow his dreams.
Rachel was still pretty sure the yelling hadn't been in Blaine's plans.
"What are you two doing here?" she said brightly. "Are you helping Mr. Schue too?"
"Yeah, he was looking for some more people for a small group number and a couple of songs?" said Blaine. "I'm guess you two are the other part of the group."
"So it would seem," said Kurt. "He invited us to come work with the kids he's got now to get them into shape before the show."
"Wow... is he okay?" asked Mercedes. "That doesn't sound like Mr. Schue."
Kurt and Rachel shared a look, and Rachel grimaced.
"I think he's feeling... nostalgic."
"In other words..."
"He needs a push."
"Pretty much."
All four of them sighed.
"So what were you two talking about?" grinned Mercedes. "You were awfully cozy. Discussing boyfriends? You two never tell me anything anymore. Are you dating?"
A yes and a no came from both Rachel and Kurt's lips. Rachel looked at Kurt. He whimpered.
"I—I can't."
"Mercedes," said Rachel quickly. "How about you and I let Blaine and Kurt talk? Privately."
The black girl gave Kurt a look that said that he'd have to explain later, but nodded. She and Rachel linked arms and they headed for the stairs.
"Kurt, I—"
"Let's go for a walk," he said softly. Kurt smiled at Blaine as they started down the hall. "How have you been? I'm sorry I haven't talked much. I—"
" You've been busy," said Blaine. "Finn was telling me. Still doing Tisch and Vogue both Kurt?"
"Well, I try," he joked. "I love them both."
Blaine smiled sadly. "You've always been something else."
"What about you?" said Kurt. "Still attending Michigan?"
The black haired boy nodded. "It's nice. I needed some grounding I think. I love dreaming big like you and Rachel, but I need something stable too."
Kurt nodded. "Quinn too. She's becoming a lawyer."
"She talks to me sometimes," said Blaine. "I think she misses people."
"Well, she is quite missed. She comes to New York to visit. Has dinner with us and Brittany and Santana."
"At least all four of you live in the same city."
"It's nice," said Kurt, nodding. "Especially seeing Brittany trying to study hard over pizza. It's cute, actually."
"Good for her," said Blaine. He cleared his throat.
"Is there anyone in your life?" said Blaine. "Anyone important I mean."
Kurt took a breath. He pictured Rachel with a smile. "Yes, there is."
"Hold on," said Blaine, pulling out his phone. He was getting a text.
Emergency New Directions Meeting. Lima Bean 4:00. If you are in the company of Kurt Hummel or Rachel Berry, do not mention it to them. See you there.
Blaine stared at the message. It was from Quinn obviously. A New Directions meeting without Kurt and Rachel? That made no sense.
"I've got to go," said Blaine. "Tell Mr. Schue that Mercedes and I both have individual numbers ready. We'll see you later."
"Blaine?" said Kurt confused. "You alright?"
"Yeah," said Blaine with a small smile.
"I'm happy if you're happy Kurt. Really."
"Blaine..."
He waved goodbye and took off. Not even a minute later, Rachel came down the hallway with her arms crossed, frowning.
"Did Blaine take off too?"
"Yeah," said Kurt. "After he got a—"
"Text," said Rachel. "Mercedes too." She sighed. "I didn't get a chance to tell her anything."
"Thank you," said Kurt. "I just— I couldn't do both of them at once."
"Don't thank me yet," said Rachel, nudging his hip. "Did you get a chance to tell Blaine?"
"Not everything," said Kurt. "He knows I'm seeing someone. He said he was happy for me."
"That's good, right?"
Kurt sighed and smiled. He held Rachel close.
"I think it is."
"I wonder where they got off to."
"No telling," said Rachel. She snapped her fingers. "I know. I bet Finn needed help setting up for the party."
Kurt huffed. "He didn't even ask me. Although I did run off early this morning."
"It was nice waking up to you," said Rachel softly. Kurt chuckled.
"It's getting to where I can't go anywhere without you Rachel Berry."
Rachel smiled and kissed at Kurt's throat. "And you'll never have to. We'll be the perfect 'it' couple in New York. You impeccably dressed at some fashion show, me on Broadway, singing my heart out. You'll be there too of course, and —"
"You'll be at my fashion show, cheering me on as my own line goes global. You'll be impeccably dressed in something from my line too of course."
Rachel laughed. "Of course."
They held hands a little longer and Rachel laid her head on Kurt's shoulder.
"Do you ever regret this?"
"No, why?"
"You changed... just for me."
Kurt scoffed. "Are you thinking that just because I get flustered around Blaine?" He heard a sniffle from somewhere in his shirt sleeve.
"Oh no you don't," said Kurt. He pulled her in front of him. "I'm still me Rachel. You know that. I didn't change. I just— I just added you to me. Well, you were already there, but you kind of— grew on me more."
"Like a fungus or mold."
"Rachel Be—"
Rachel smirked. "One step at a time Kurt."
"I hate you sometimes," he huffed, fixing his hair.
"Kurt, Rachel?"
"Up here," called Kurt. Mr. Schue ascended the stairs. They sprang apart.
"Have you seen the others? I thought Mercedes and Blaine would be here by now."
Kurt and Rachel shared a look.
"They were here, but they got called away. They said they'd be back. They both have their numbers ready."
"Well, that's good," nodded Will. "I wonder where they went."
"No idea," said Kurt truthfully. "But I'm sure they'll be back soon."
Mr. Schuester nodded. "Think you two are ready yourselves?"
"Yeah," said Rachel with a smile. "We're ready."
"Mattttttt!" cried Brittany, tackling him and giving him a fierce hug as she and Santana arrived with Quinn at the Lima Bean. He and Mike were standing outside when they pulled up.
"I can't believe you're here! Wow!"
"My parents moved back to Lima," he said with a smile. "I came home for the holidays. Was visiting Mike when he got your text. I thought I'd surprise everyone."
"It's so good to see you," said Santana, getting in a hug after Brittany let go.
"And I hear you two are together and in love," he with a small smirk. "You look cute."
Quinn gagged and hugged Matt. "Don't. They're adorkable enough as it is."
Matt and Mike grinned at each other before turning back to the girls. "But thhhhhheyyy are."
"Oh god, here it goes," laughed Santana. "It's been a while since we've seen the twins."
"We."
"Don't."
"Know."
"What."
"You're."
"Talking."
"About."
"Santana."
Brittany giggled and clapped her hands. "Do it again!"
"Uh, let's not," laughed Quinn. "Inside please."
"We've got quite a group going. With you guys here, all that's missing is Kurt and Rachel," said Mike.
"Perfect," said Quinn. "Just what we needed."
"What is going on Quinn?" asked Mike. "So is this like a pre-party?"
"It's a… I need answers so Coach Sylvester won't kill me." Quinn hoped he wouldn't notice she was lying through her teeth.
"Al-alright," said Mike, giving her a weird look. He opened the door and Quinn gasped. They really did have a large group.
"Wow."
Tina nodded in agreement to Quinn's statement as she sat down at a table.
There was Artie, Blaine, Sam, Puck, Finn, Mike, Matt, and Joe of the New Directions Boys. Including herself, Mercedes, Santana, Brittany, Tina, Sugar, Unique, Lauren of the New Directions girls. Unique had come after them, but Quinn knew she was close to Tina and Sugar, and was friends with Kurt and Mercedes.
Quinn gave Lauren a look in amusement. The former wrestler shrugged.
"I was at Puck's when he got your text. We both just flew in from L.A. Decided to tag along and see what you losers were up to."
"It's nice to see you too Lauren," smiled Quinn. Lauren quirked her lips into a smirk and nodded.
Blaine and Finn were talking low next to the table with Sam, Artie and Tina. Matt was chatting with Mike and Joe. Joe was introducing Unique, who was giving Matt a shy wave.
Standing there in the middle of all her friends, Quinn suddenly felt lost. For a few moments today, she had felt like old Quinn again obeying the commands of her cheerleading coach. Now seeing them all here together like this, it was emotional, overwhelming. They were all talking, laughing together about their lives.
If Rachel and Kurt were really together, then they should be in the middle of all this, having a good time with all their friends, sharing their happiness.
Quinn decided that's what she should do. She clapped her hands together, which got the attention of the others. They had taken up practically half of the Lima Bean.
"So yeah, hi... everyone," said Quinn. "Geez. We're huge."
This got a laugh from the group.
"I know we're supposed to have a party tonight at the Hudson-Hummel household," said Quinn. "But I've just been informed by three different sources this afternoon that two of our members have been secretly together for a year and a half and have not told any of us who would be happy for them."
"Wait, who?" said Artie. "Everyone's here."
"Not all of us," said Quinn.
"So who's missing?" said Joe, looking through the crowd.
"Oh. My. God." screeched Mercedes. "You've got to be kidding me. Santana Lopez you'd—"
Brittany wailed. "They're going to kill me. Rachel's going to sing me to death. I'm going to die from Rachel Berry singing."
Santana patted Brittany on the back to keep her calm. "It's true. Brittany and I have known for a while now. Hard to keep that information a secret when you actually catch them kissing in Central Park."
"OUR Kurt and Rachel?" said Sam in disbelief. "But Kurt's—"
"Still as gay as Finn is tall," said Santana. "It's kind of hard to explain. New York is hard. Lord knows we've been busting our asses off trying to survive. They found comfort and love in each other. Kurt and Rachel are happy together, which is the fucking weirdest thing I have ever had to say."
Everyone sat in stunned silence for a moment. Brittany was uncomfortably shifting from side to side.
"I don't believe it," said Puck. "I mean seriously? Finn did you know about this?"
Finn looked at Blaine, who was staring at the floor.
"Yeah, we sort of did."
Now everyone stared at Finn.
"We've kind of always known," said Blaine. "Rachel and Kurt were closer to each other than either of us really, especially the past couple of years." He gestured to himself and Finn. "Like Kurt can tell you at which stanza, at which note Rachel's voice broke when she auditioned for the Life on the Mississippi."
"And I... I was the bad one," admitted Finn. "I barely could remember that Rachel was vegan or that her idol was Streisand. Rachel tried to do everything for the both of us, but she couldn't hold us together. You all know what we've been through."
Mercedes just shook her head and sighed. "I'm going to have to have a talk with my boy. He's not supposed to be keeping secrets that huge for no year and a half."
"It's a shock to everyone," agreed Tina. "I mean... just wow. They were best friends and all, but—"
"Rachel Berry and Kurt Hummel. It's kind of cute," giggled Sugar.
"Hummelberry?" smirked Puck.
Lauren snorted, which made Quinn laugh.
"Hummelberry it is."
Unique squealed. "I'm happy for Kurt. He should be with the one he loves, no matter gender." She clapped her hands together. "So why don't we go see them? Tina said they're at the musical revue thing right? At McKinley."
"Crap," said Blaine, standing. "Mercedes, we should get going. We're supposed to be doing songs for the show too. It starts in about an hour."
"Actually," said Finn. "Can everyone wait a minute? I have an idea. How about we move the party to McKinley? I'm sure they wouldn't mind leaving it open for a little bit longer. I mean, we're such a large group now. We have more of a family..."
"Yeah," smiled Quinn. "We do." She looked at Joe who was giving her a thumbs up and a smile. "Alright then, so it's settled. Let's go grab the inevitable chips and soda and pizza that we all know Finn bought and head to McKinley."
"Hey!" said Mercedes brightly. "That reminds me. Did you bring your girlfriend home for the holidays Finn? I wanted to meet her since you posted about her online."
Finn smiled and nodded. "Yes, I did. And she's my fiancee now."
"Wait, you have a fiancee?" asked Mike. "How did I miss that?"
Finn shrugged. "It just happened. Juliet is really nice."
An "awww" went through the group. Sugar and Unique were both sniffling and wiping their eyes.
"We're all growing up aren't we?" sniffed Tina. "We're all like Juniors in college now."
"And working," said Puck, flexing his muscles. "You wouldn't believe how many underwear ads I've been in."
Lauren pulled at his ear. "It's only been four. Get off your high horse."
Puck pouted.
"Whipped," smirked Santana. Puck met her smirk with one of his own.
"Alright, let's head out," said Quinn. It felt good to be in control again. "We have a party to set up... again. Sorry Finn."
He shrugged it off.
Everyone started leaving and Finn was still sitting there. Blaine looked at Mercedes and the two of them sat down beside him.
"You've been awfully calm about this," said Mercedes.
"I mean... what am I supposed to say? Rachel... Rachel isn't mine anymore." Finn frowned.
"Although I wish my own step-brother would have talked to me about this."
"I'm sure he may have meant to," said Mercedes. "But life kind of got in the way, you know?"
"I guess."
"He hasn't exactly spoken to me either," said Blaine. "You Mercedes?"
She shook her head. "Rachel either."
"Yeah," nodded Finn. "Do you think they're like, embarrassed?"
"Not if they're kissing in Central Park," said Blaine, rolling his eyes.
"New York is not Lima, Ohio either," Mercedes added gently. "It's not where we all are at heart."
"Well, I'm happy for her. Him. Them both," said Finn. "I'm just... disappointed I guess."
"I don't think they wanted to hurt us Finn."
"But didn't it though?" frowned the taller boy. "It's like they expect that we can't be happy for them."
"Maybe they think they're being selfish," said Mercedes. "Kurt always thinks he needs to stand behind his label because he had to fight for it. Up to the day he dies he'll be attending elections and gay pride parades because he feels he owes the world something for being himself."
Blaine chuckled weakly and nodded his head in agreement. "Mercedes is right," sighed Blaine. "They're both idiots..."
"And we have to show we're bitter, better?" asked Finn. "I loved Rachel, but..."
"Just be supportive," said Mercedes. "Because otherwise, they're going to run like rabbits and never come home again."
Finn looked up in surprise. "They'd really do that?"
Mercedes and Blaine shared a look.
"Yeah, they would," said Blaine. "Definitely would."
