7
Mentor
Fandom: Glee
Characters: Kurt/Blaine, OCs.
Rating (this chapter): PG.
Warnings: None.
Spoilers: Season 2.
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own any of the songs used every other chapter.
Author's note: Sorry that that I didn't post earlier this week. Work got in the way. Hopefully I will be posting the next chapter tomorrow.
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Mentor
Kurt and Blaine sat together in the bus and suddenly, there was no conversation for a while. Kurt's smile started to fade as he remembered Blaine's last words before they got in and compared it to where they stood now. There was only one way to know what was going on – keeping it real.
Kurt took a deep breath as he looked through the window. "You're quiet."
It took Blaine a couple of seconds to reply. "I guess I'm just… excited. I'm going to see my brother. I really don't know what I would say to him."
That was a strange answer. Kurt tried some of the possibilities. "Hi, maybe? I've missed you? I love you?" And then he stopped, thinking he'd exposed himself too much there, but if Blaine noticed it, he didn't mention it.
"It's not that easy," Blaine muttered. "We've been through a lot. I gotta admit that the last time we spoke it wasn't nice, despite whatever we might talk on the phone. Being face to face is different. Things will come up, I'm sure."
"I get that, but he's back and you're supposed to have fun and share a nice meal together."
Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes and gave him a hopeful smile. "I know. I have missed him a lot."
Kurt looked at his own hands, feeling his cheeks burn. "How is he, your brother?"
"Ah, he's great. I'll never say this to him but I think he made me who I am today."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He… He was there, you know? He was in my room when I cried because someone had called me a fag at school. I knew it was a teenager thing for my classmates and that it wasn't serious. Then it got kind of ugly."
"Did you…?"
"No, I never got beat up. I was lucky. That's why sometimes… I feel like I'm so week and that I should be ashamed. When people pushed me away and called me dirty names, I couldn't take it and I left. I found Dalton and stayed there. I could never go back, even if what happened to me was meaningless compared to what other gay kids go through."
"Blaine, don't say that. Everyone reacts in a different way. Plus, your family was very supportive."
"That's true. My mom was like Xena, she would always make me smile when I was having a crappy day. She'd bake, turn on the radio and we would dance and sing together like we were rock stars," Blaine said heartedly. "And my brother – he was awesome. It wasn't only that he was so good at playing the guitar and the coolest kid in the neighborhood. He'd endlessly encourage me to enjoy the moment and be proud of who I am. The two of them helped me keep going until we found Dalton. I don't know what I would have done without them."
"I don't know what I would have done without them, because then I wouldn't have you with me right now."
There, Kurt had said it. He would be eternally grateful to the Anderson family for their love and support and happiness. Blaine was definitely touched by the comment, given the soft smile no his face.
"Ok, we're almost there," Blaine said, and he pointed at the corner. The bus followed that path and he and Kurt got up from their seats. Soon they were getting off the vehicle and walking a couple of blocks. "I bet my mom's baking and reinventing memories. She loves that."
"Does she know I'm coming?"
"Eh…" Blaine stopped in his tracks and he frowned. "No, but that's fine."
Kurt couldn't believe his ears. "No? Oh, c'mon, Blaine. This was a family reunion for your brother, now she's going to think I'm some stranger who's…"
"… who's going to make her evening a fabulous one, full of love, cuteness and joy," Blaine finished, and he looked into Kurt's eyes, silently asking him to stop worrying about the whole issue.
"Mmm. Ok, but remember that I do this for you, because I really care about you," Kurt responded, and they continued walking towards their destination.
Blaine's house looked like a regular one on the outside –pale and white, a nice front yard and a SUV parked at the entrance. Blaine opened the door with his keys, letting Kurt come in first. After closing the door behind him, he started taking off his scarf, revealing his sexy neck again. Kurt swallowed as he heard him call, "Hello! Mom, where are you?"
"In the kitchen!" a strong voice said from not very far away, and Blaine's smile grew bigger as he went towards it in the next room. In the meantime, Kurt observed what surrounded him in the living room. There was an old leather sofa near the main window, a TV, a collection of magazines and books and a lot of paintings hanging from the walls. Blaine's mother must have liked art very much. The place didn't look expensive at all but it had a very personal touch and was enjoyable to be in… Kurt felt Blaine's hand taking his and walking him towards the kitchen.
"Hey, c'mon. I want you to meet her."
Kurt let Blaine guide the way and when they got into the kitchen, he could see Blaine's mom. She was nothing like he'd pictured her as she made scrambled eggs and popcorn. She had dark, long, curly hair just like Blaine's, black eyes and an attitude you could see from miles away. "The radio is turned on, food is not really ready… Oh!" She said, frowning when she noticed Kurt standing at the kitchen door. She immediately took off her glasses and offered her hand, smiling widely. "Well, hello. My name's Cassandra, I'm Blaine's mother."
"I'm Kurt, nice to meet you. You have a beautiful house," Kurt responded, a bit nervous, and he noticed that her fingernails were painted in blue.
"Thank you, I really appreciate the comment. Do you go to Dalton with Blaine?"
"Yeah. I transferred there a few months ago."
"I invited him to our reunion because I'd like him to help me sing a song to Josh. It would be a good way to show him what I do with the Warblers and also to remember the old days," Blaine explained quietly.
Cassandra's face lit up. "A song? Sweetie, that's such a great idea," she held Blaine in a close hug. When they separated, Kurt noticed that she was a bit shorter than Blaine. "Everyone's welcome here. Kurt, please feel free to join us. If you're a friend of Blaine's then you're a friend of the Anderson's."
"Thank you very much," Kurt responded, and with that his nervousness was gone.
Blaine started helping his mother by cleaning the dishes. "Did Josh call? It's almost six."
"Yeah, he did. He said he'd be here in five. We better have all of this ready by seven, you know he has a voracious appetite."
"Can I help?" Kurt offered himself. It would be rude not to do it and he enjoyed cooking.
"Oh, it's ok, don't worry," Cassandra told him. "It's fine, we've got it covered. Plus, we've got enough popcorn to keep him satisfied until actual dinner arrives." That's when the doorbell rang and both Blaine and his mother looked at each other with hope. Blaine suddenly seemed a bit uncomfortable with the situation but Cassandra held his hand and muttered, "It's gonna be ok, sweetie. You love each other."
Blaine nodded and he went towards the living room to open the front door. Kurt followed him while Cassandra stayed in the kitchen finishing dinner. It was strange to see this side of Blaine, afraid but also excited. He reached for the door knob and then his brother came into the scene.
A handsome man with dark blue eyes and black hair stared at him with an apologetic smile. "Hey."
Blaine held his breath. "Hi."
Josh took Blaine into a tight embrace. "You cut your hair."
"I thought it was time."
They patted each other's shoulders and Josh stepped aside and closed the door behind him. Then he noticed Kurt standing there, and just like Blaine's mom had done it, he frowned. It was amazing how much they looked alike when they did that. "Wow, you're taller than Blaine."
"Josh, c'mon," Blaine muttered between gritted teeth, and he pushed him a bit forward while Josh shook Kurt's hand. "I'm Josh, Blaine's brother."
"I know," Kurt muttered. "I'm Kurt. I'm from Dalton Academy too."
"It's great to meet you, Kurt," Josh said politely, and then he exchanged looks with Blaine like he was asking something. Yep, he definitely thought Kurt was Blaine's boyfriend or something. Why people kept making the same assumption? Blaine liked Freddie!
"Joshua, where are you?" Cassandra called from the kitchen.
"In here, Mom! At the door!" Josh responded, and a second later, his mother was out of the kitchen, running towards him and then holding him tight.
"Come here. I've missed you." She asked Blaine to join them and held them both. "This is a great moment. My two boys are with me today." She let them go and frowned in shock. "Why the hell are you wearing that?" she said, beckoning the dark blue Boston PD sweatshirt Josh had on. "You know you gotta leave your job at the door."
"Yeah, but I didn't have time to stop and pick an outfit. I came here as soon as my boss let me go."
Cassandra seemed to consider the reasons he had and finally nodded. "Ok, I'll allow it. Let's go to the kitchen. I'm making popcorn."
"Really? God, I love you, Mother," Josh said, following her, and she winked at him.
The four of them went into the kitchen again and Cassandra handed Josh a bowl of popcorn. Kurt didn't understand why someone would eat that right before dinner, but Josh seemed to be pretty sure that it was the most amazing pre-meal in the world.
"Hey, I see that you re decorating again." Josh beckoned the paintings that had been hanged in the kitchen too. "Those are new."
While Cassandra nodded and checked out the oven, Kurt commented, "I've noticed those paintings. Where do you buy them? They're gorgeous."
"My mom paints them herself," Blaine explained as he joined his mother behind the counter. "She works at a bank but deep down inside, she's an artist."
"She's really talented."
"Oh, thank you for that," Cassandra said, and she kept cooking.
Kurt came closer to one of the paintings to see it better. It was a beautiful sunset. He felt someone coming to stand beside him and heard the sound of Josh eating his popcorn.
"They make fantastic decorations," Josh said about the paintings.
"Yeah, definitely."
Without any warnings, Josh rested his back on the wall as he ate, facing Kurt, and lowered his voice. "Hey, can I ask you something? And I hope it doesn't offend you."
"If it's about me being here, it was not my intention to interrupt your reunion…" Kurt started saying, "Blaine invited me but…"
"No, it's not that. I think it's cool that you're here. The more, the merrier. I just wanted to know… you know, if you were gay, just like my brother."
That was it? Kurt was relieved. "Yes, a hundred percent gay. I transferred to Dalton because I was having trouble at school and there I met Blaine. He's become kind of my mentor."
Josh's eyes narrowed. "Your mentor."
"He's always talking about courage. It's been inspiring for me."
"That's good. Very good." Josh played with his popcorn smiling, like Kurt had told him exactly what he wanted to hear.
"Hey, what are you two talking about?" Blaine asked them, coming towards them. He certainly seemed nervous to find them whispering to each other.
"Oh, just stuff. Kurt was telling me that he's happy to be a student at Dalton Academy, that's all," Josh said, winking at Kurt. "I gotta say I'm very glad Blaine got someone who can bear with him."
"What?" Blaine said.
"Kurt, you gotta know what you're dealing with," Josh explained. "You'll see, Blaine snores."
Blaine looked offended. "Excuse me? I don't."
"Tell that to the person who slept in the same room as you for over ten years."
"Funny, Dirty Socks."
"Rooowdy," Josh sang in a dramatic imitation of Blaine's voice, mocking him.
"Unfair." Blaine was not enjoying it and he looked embarrassed, although Kurt couldn't understand the inside joke.
"Just warming up, little brother." Josh popped some popcorn into his mouth, smiling. "I gotta be ready to fight back. Comes with the job."
"So how's life at Boston anyway?" Blaine asked.
"Busy. It's amazing how many people are willing to steal and kill for the weirdest reasons. It's like the longest list of stupid felonies ever, but I like the thrill of the chase."
"Did you ever get close to…?"
"Getting show? Of course I did. Just don't tell Mom."
Blaine's mouth opened slightly but nothing came out of it. He just simply walked away and Kurt followed him, leaving Josh behind.
"Are you ok?" Kurt asked once they were alone in the living room, and Blaine ran one hand over his face, worried.
"It's just… I can't… Damn it. How do I tell him that I hate it that he's a cop and that he risks his life every single day? I mean, he already knows that since that's why we fought the last time but I'd like him to understand that he can not say things like 'don't tell Mom I almost got killed' like he's talking about the weather. He's twenty six, for God's sake."
"He's protecting other people. Someone's gotta do it and most people run away, but your brother's brave enough to step up and do the job well."
"I don't know."
Kurt took a deep breath and placed his hand on Blaine's shoulder to comfort him. He could feel the tension in his muscles. "You don't want to lose him. I understand."
"Yeah…" The door bell rang. "I'll go get that. I don't know who would knock on our door tonight, though."
As Blaine went towards the door, Kurt was afraid he knew the answer to that question. Right now he was not sure about whether he should have told Blaine who else was coming that night.
"Freddie, what are you doing here?" Blaine asked Freddie, who had come visit him without telling him first. "Wait. Guys, why...?"
Freddie smiled in his Dalton uniform, and another figures dressed exactly like him starting to appear behind him with their hands clasped behind their backs. Blaine was speechless, and so was Kurt, at the sight of the Warblers also standing by the open door.
