Chapter 9 ~ Of Fashionestas and First Loves

1. Reputation

Kurt's always prided himself on his ability to spot love a mile away. He knew from first glance that Finn and Rachel wouldn't work, (Ok, so maybe he was a little blinded by his own feelings, but hey, the prediction came true, didn't it?), spotted the beginnings of Chang Squared, and even predicted the Puckleberry twist. Consequently, he's a little annoyed that Brittany, of all people, spotted Sunshine's crush before he did.

Ok, so he was at Daltons and she was miles away. They still met for coffee every week and chatted over the phone. By Beyonce's angelic voice, they'd even had sleepovers together! How did he let this one slip through his fingers? Kurt can only conclude that he has spent too much time away from the female population, and vows to set things back where they belong—with him in the know about all the love gossip.

2. Standards

"No, no, no." Kurt paces as the Santana's favorite stylists look helplessly at each other. "What we want, ladies, is a natural, yet sophisticated shine that retains our Sunshine's natural beauty and yet gives her a little extra mrow that propels her from 'friend material' to 'where-have-you-been-all-my-life-you-sexy-tiger.' Not this," he waves disgustedly, "Too much, ladies, too much. Remember, first rule of fashion. Less is more. Now, give me that mrow!"

Patricia Lonson, chief specialist and caretaker of Santana's pores for over two years, glances at her staff, who appear as shell-shocked as she feels.

"Well, chop chop," Kurt orders impatiently. Honestly, these are the "professionals" Santana's been bragging about all these years? He might as well skip fashion school and go straight into a full-time career.

3. Modesty

"No," Sunshine says, crossing her arms and glaring stubbornly at the boy holding up the offensive piece of material, "That's not even a dress. It's two pieces of cloth barely tied together with a flimsy excuse for a belt. There's no way I'm going out in public wearing that."

Kurt sighs, but put the dress away. "You have the body to pull it off, sweetheart," he says, regret coloring his tone, "But I suppose you wouldn't be the Sunshine we all know and love if you wore something that made you so uncomfortable."

Sunshine looks at Kurt suspiciously. "Thank you?"

Kurt sighs again. "You would have blown the school away, darling. There would have been nothing left but broken hearts and jealous bit—" At the look on Sunshine's face, he stops. "You're really too modest, you know."

4. Open Mind

Kurt's not the quitting type, especially when it comes to fashion, so he nags, begs, and threatens Sunshine until she promises to attend a shopping-extravaganza with him, Santana, and Mercedes.

"Just promise me you'll at least consider my choices," Kurt says, and Sunshine rolls her eyes, but they both know that Kurt didn't just invite Santana and Mercedes along for the former's wallet and the latter's fashion sense. She was going to end up trying Kurt's choices if the two girls had to strip her themselves.

5. Stunned

Santana is struck speechless, Mercedes can't muster up a squeak, and Kurt smiles in satisfaction. "And this is why, ladies," he says proudly, "That I am the fashionesta of the group."

6. Aftershock

"Looking hot, Corazon."

"Babe, you're gonna blow French boy's mind to next Wednesday in that."

Sunshine pulls uncomfortably at the pseudo-sailor outfit. Kurt slaps her hand away, leading her to a mirror. "Come on, darling," he says, forcing her to look at herself, "You can't really hate this look. It compliments your skin tone perfectly, shows just enough skin to be sexy and yet makes you look as charming and innocent as ever."

7. Spending

It turns out, the sailor suit is just the beginning. After Sunshine gets over Kurt's unusual choices and realizes that she really doesn't have to worry about the money, she starts pointing out cute outfits as well. Kurt has to remind the group, several times, that they're there for Sunshine, and for the Filipina to please stop distracting his more fallible partners with gorgeous clothes when they're there for her.

"Though," he adds as an afterthought, "You do have excellent taste."

8. Natural

Kurt considers hiring Santana to teach Sunshine the art of looking sexy without being slutty, (there's a reason the Latina's the most drooled-after girl in school). However after watching her interact with the gawking cashier in one of her new outfits, he decides that her natural smile and innate charm is more alluring than anything Santana can teach her.

9. Undercover

Kurt's not ashamed to admit that he's listening at Finn's door when Puck comes over with a scowl the size of Ohio and starts muttering about Sunshine and pansy-ass gymnasts before they even shut the door. If Sunshine's romance is going to succeed, he's going to have to watch out for protective "older brothers," including the infamous Puckerman. He can't help thinking it's adorable though, when he hears, "Celeste's a freaking girl's name," and Finn's confused, "What does that have to do with anything?"

10. All-Out

Blaine thinks he's going a little too far when Kurt declares that he's ditching Dalton for a day to escort Sunshine and see the results of his handiwork, but decides to come along. (Didn't Kurt mention a creep who'd threatened to kill him back at McKinley?) The two stick out like a sore thumb but luckily no one notices. Everyone's staring, awestruck, at the drama unfolding in the halls.

11. Twist

"Hola, Chiquita, never thought I'd see the day you wore something brand. Did Mama finally get the job she deserves?"

Kurt gapes unashamedly at the Filipino boy who's currently got Sunshine trapped between his, (very well-muscled) arms. Celeste Depaul hangs back, her books in his arms, obviously having just accompanied her to her locker. The blond looks like he wants to interrupt, dreamy blue eyes confused, and Sunshine glares unabashedly at the newcomer.

"And the plot thickens," the fashionesta finally chokes out, noting the easy familiarity with which Sunshine pushes the boy off her. The boy is lean, muscled, and has the deadly confidence of someone who's seen the dark side of the streets. He also emanates raw sensuality like Beyonce emanates talent.

Puck's going to have a heart attack.


Author's Note: I know, I'm evil to leave off right here, but I want a minute to explain a little background/crossover. The new boy is Ramos, from "Take the Lead," (youtube "Take the Lead tango" and you can see him dancing). I love the movie, and Ramos is one of my favorite characters, but I didn't like how he was pushed aside and limited to the rejected boy in a love-triangle. So, I brought him into this fic. If you want more Ramos, then review/PM me and let me know. If you want a separate fic all about him and Sunshine, let me know as well. Otherwise, I might just drop this fic for a while and work on my other work. (That's not a threat, but it's easier to write stories for an appreciative audience.)