Please see chapter one for all warnings etc…
Make My Heart Start Beating
07
Once again Principal Figgins has managed to pull off a fund raising occasion with the cheapest budget and the least amount of fun he could find.
The threadbare assortment of tents proclaiming fun for all are scattered about the football field. Here the school is attempting to bilk the public of any funds it possibly can. There are lemonade stands, food stalls selling heart attacks in a bun, the jocks are throwing balls at tin cans to win dodgy plushy toys for their sweethearts, boys of all types throng the arcade area to shoot zombie hoards rather than sit at home and shoot them for free, oh I was wrong, boys of all types and some girls are doing that.
Of to one side the cheerios and glee club are in a stand off arguing who gets to go first entertaining the masses. Coach Sylvester is doing her best to push Mr Schue over the cliff of homicidal rage, while a very pregnant Miss Pillsbury, no its Mrs Schue now, tries to calm him down.
Avoiding the whole thing I duck behind a tent and refuse to get involved, I help out at both clubs I don't want her mad at me, and I don't want Mr Schue being all clingy and self absorbed at me.
Of course I can call them by their first names now, it's just a habit I find hard break, and most of the kids call me Mr Hummel anyway, so I can get away with pretending it's a polite thing to do.
Furtive movements from some jocks and I follow them to where they have a tiny freshman, soon to be sophomore, trapped. No matter how many times I try and get it through their thick skulls they still keep this behaviour up and it is not acceptable.
"Gentlemen," I project my voice, they spin around guilty at being caught. "I'm sure you have a perfectly innocent reason for all of this?"
They don't and their tiny little minds panic running in circles until one of them, oh joy it's Mr Paris' son steps up, "We don't have to take this from you homo," the others gasp and resemble bunnies in headlights, "You're not a real teacher, we don't have to do as you say, and you got my old man to ground me."
"Ah good old Mr Paris," I cross my arms, "How is your dad? I do hope you didn't disappoint him too much when he found you what you're really like. Are you by any chance grounded over the summer? Shame," I don't mean it, "Think of all those girls who can party without fear of you being a perverted creeper."
His friends snigger and he huffs taking a menacing step towards me, "Tiger," comes from behind me, oh no, not him, "Don't tell me, you either work here or you volunteer here."
"Hello Sebastian are you lost again? I'm sure you can find the exit route from Lima, it is signposted," I snark back bitchily and all the students including Mr Paris Jr stare at me wide eyed, they're used to mild mannered Kurt Hummel.
I turn my head to see Sebastian stepping up next to me, "But Kurt I live here now, inspiration for my new book, you do know I'm a writer don't you?"
In the sunlight you can really tell his eyes aren't brown, they have tiny brown streaks in them but they're green, "I am aware of it, congratulations Sebastian, though I'm shocked you have an occupation that isn't illegal and involves you not getting naked and then arrested."
Laughing at me he moves closer not quite touching me but close enough my stomach is dropping to the floor and my heart is kicking me painfully in the chest. "Oh Kurt," his eyes fall onto my mouth, "Such sweet things you say to me, I'd almost think you cared." His face leans in even closer crowding into my personal space. I refuse to back down to him and stand my ground.
Ready with a remark about oral hygiene and how he needs to be acquainted with it due to bad breath, a complete lie but it's all I can think of for now, I'm stopped by one of the jocks stunned exclamation, "Is he flirting with you Mr Hummel?" What is it with people and being shocked that someone would flirt with me?
Even if it is Sebastian.
Ah the joy of being the gay helper who doesn't date and leads a boring meaningless life, "Actually you'll find Sebastian's default setting is flirting, he doesn't mean a word of it."
"Oh," they all stare at us even Paris.
"Now why are you all still here?" I verbal swipe at them and they flee the scene. Shaking my head I go to the downed nerd, "Are you okay, do you want me to escort you to your parents or a group of friends?"
"Um, I think I'm okay Mr Hummel, but my friends are right on the other side of the field," he stands up and he's shaking slightly, I remember the after effects of bullying so I lead the boy to the nearest lemonade stand, pay the exorbitant price for a cup and hand it over, "Oh you don't need to…"
"Alex, please, it's for you, you should at least have something good happen after that experience, drink your lemonade and go have fun with your friends," I push the cup on him, technically I could get in trouble for that but it calms him down and when I drop him off at his friends he's stopped shaking.
"Thank you Mr Hummel," he runs off and I turn to leave only Sebastian steps into my way.
"Yes Mr Hummel that was very kind of you," the meerkat shudders, "I'd forgotten things like that happen in high school."
"I hadn't," I say quietly and go to step around him. He matches me and I sigh, "Sebastian please move."
"No, I thought we were either having a conversation or…" he grins, "A dance."
"Sebastian," I growl and put my sunglasses on to block him out, "Please move, I do not want to talk to you, I'll end up with a headache."
"Oh am I too sweet for you?" He tilts his head.
"Sour, you are too sour," he pouts at me. "As flattering as your attention is," I lie, kind of, "I have other things to do with my life, like put my heart in a food blender."
"Heart?" He frowns all traces of his smile gone.
"Hand, I said hand," I correct.
"Hmm," he lets it slide and then twists so he's standing next to me, "How about we walk and talk? I can even help you with your oh so important things to do, oh and Kurt?"
"What?" I grump wanting to get rid of him.
"Flirting is no longer my default setting, I think I'm growing up," he smirks at me and I'm baffled as to what to say next.
"Um…"
"So yes I was flirting with you, and you alone," he expands and I'm glad I'm wearing sunglass so he can't see me blink rapidly.
"And a question for you…" his grin vanishes, "Why did Blaine say you don't sing? I've heard you, I know you sing, a little high, but you should have gotten the NYADA spot."
"I haven't sung in years," I admit while trying to fend off how warm his comment at how I should have gotten the spot makes me.
"Why?" He presses.
"I didn't feel like singing," I shrug it off.
"So why sing in the Warbler common room?" he's not giving up.
"It reminded me of when I used to be happy," I go to step away but his hand catches my arm and I freeze in place at how warm his hand is, how warm his eyes are as they stare into my covered ones, and how warm I feel all over.
"What happened to you? What happened to the boy who dreamed so big he made the world sit up and take notice? What happened to the stars in your eyes? And why are you rotting away in this town? Why aren't you beating men off of you with sticks?"
"That's a lot of questions," I go to walk off but his hand is there, and I sigh, "Sometimes frogs can dream they're really a prince in disguise, but eventually they learn they really are frogs, and frogs don't get to dream or find love, they get to sit on lily pads all day and eat flies."
"Kurt," his hand lets go of my arm and reaches up to touch my face, "You're not a frog, you really are a prince, but a prince that clearly thinks he's a frog," he leans in closer, and for a mad moment I think he's going to kiss me.
"Hey homos," oh great it's Mr Paris Jr again.
Stepping back from Sebastian I turn to the annoying boy and get a face full of ice cold blue slushy bitch slapping me and it brings bad memories of high school tumbling back with a vengeance.
A/N: Sorry for any and all mistakes, I've tried to catch those I could, but I'm only human.
Oh dear I may have written Blaine a bit too OTT in this, I didn't mean to Blaine bash, but I've gone with him being fairly oblivious to Kurt and not really SEEing him when they were teens (at that age we don't tend to see everything after all), and he really didn't understand how devastating it was for Kurt when they broke up, plus Blaine's been off to college, lived in a big city (New York), and as Kurt hasn't, Blaine is being condescending, the fact Kurt runs a flourishing business on his own, helps with his dad's office in Lima (by being a go between sometimes for people), helps coach the cheerios, new directions and the warblers hasn't really occurred to Blaine, Kurt's grown up and matured and leant things (as you do) without Blaine really seeing it.
