^(9) There From The Start
A/N: This is where things start to get interesting...
Wheels
Mr. Shue walked into the choir room with an announcement. "Alright guys," he said. "We're gonna do a new number for Sectionals." He started passing out sheet music. "Now, I know that pop songs are our signature pieces, but I did a little research on past winners. And it turns out, judges like stuff that's more accessible, songs they know: standards, Broadway!"
Kurt's face lit up when he saw the song title. "Defying Gravity?" He asked hopefully. "I have an iPod shuffle dedicated exclusively to selections from Wicked! This is amazing!"
Mr. Shue turned to Rachel. "Think you can handle it, Rachel?"
Blaine didn't miss the way Kurt's face fell.
"It's my go to shower song," she stated matter-of-factly. "It's also my ringtone"
Wait a second, why did Rachel automatically get the song? Thought Blaine. That wasn't fair.
He was about to voice his opinions when Mercedes jumped in. "I don't understand why we have to go all vanilla on this song. See what we need is my chocolate thunder!"
"We don't have time to rearrange a song for you Mercedes. Rachel is doing it. Don't worry," he reassured. "We'll find something for you to dip in chocolate." The class laughed good heartedly. "On item two, the school won't pay for the special bus we need to take Artie to Sectionals."
"W-w-what!?" Stuttered Tina.
"That's completely unfair!"
Other shouts of protest were made.
"So!" Interrupted Mr. Shue. "We're gonna have to rise money to pay for it ourselves." Most of the kids looked "See, when I was in Glee Club, and we needed new silk cumber buns for Regionals, we held a bake sale!"
Puck gave a distasteful look in his direction and there were scattered laughs throughout the room. "Wait, you're kidding, right?" Santana butted in. "I mean, bake sales are kind of bogie."
"So hip people stop eating sugary treats?" Mr. Shue asked condescendingly.
"It's not that," stated Brittany. "It's that most of us don't know how to bake."
Blaine turned around. "Well, I do." He announced.
"So do I," said Kurt. "And anyways, guys, its not that hard to follow instructions off a box."
Will gave them a grateful look. "My family's fully commuted to takeout," Rachel said.
"Yeah, kids are busier than ever nowadays." Said Finn. "We just don't have time for that."
"Can't Artie's dad just take him?" Mercedes asked. Tina glared at her disappointedly.
"I can't believe how insensitive you're all being..." Mr. Shue shook his head, arms crossed. "Aren't you a team?"
"Of course!" Quinn piped in. "But Artie understands, don't you?"
"Of course," he mumbled sadly. "It's cool. Anything that takes away our time from practicing doesn't serve the team."
It was silent for a few seconds before the bell rang, dismissing them.
Kurt got up and Blaine followed. "Hey, um Kurt?"
He turned around. "Yeah?"
"You wanna come over today and we could bake something together?" He asked timidly.
Puck brushed past them and snickered. "Is that what they're calling it these days?"
Blaine turned and glared at him. Puck threw his hands up in mock surrender and left them alone.
Kurt chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "I'd love that."
XXX
"Ok, Blaine, I need you to beat the eggs."
Blaine mocked a frown. "What did the eggs ever do to you?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Idiot," he mumbled.
"You boys better clean up your mess!" Warned Burt, passing through the kitchen.
He leaned over Kurt's shoulder trying to get a good look at the cupcake batter he'd prepared. He reached in to dip his finger into the batter, but Kurt swatted his hand away. "Those are for the bake sale!"
Burt pouted. "You don't get mad at Blaine!"
"What!?" Kurt spun around to see Blaine with his finger in his mouth, caught red handed. "Blaine!" From behind him, Burt snuck a taste then left before Kurt could scold him.
Blaine pulled his finger out of his mouth, making a popping noise and accidentally smudging some on the side of his mouth. "It was just the frosting, I swear!" He threw his hands up in surrender.
Kurt giggled. "You got a little something–" he pointed to his own mouth.
"Here?" Blaine tried licking the side of his mouth, missing the spot completely.
Kurt shook his head. "No! Here," he took a step forward, towards Blaine, and used his thumb to wipe off the smudge.
The boys locked eyes, and Kurt cupped Blaine's cheek. Just as quickly as it happened, Kurt pulled away quickly, turning back to his batter.
Blaine did the same. Oh my god! A cold shower is not something you should need after a baking session! He picked up his whisk and started stirring. Maybe I should just tell him how I feel... Is it the right time, though? Oh jeez.
He turned around. "Hey Kurt—" he cut himself short as he saw he had accidentally flicked his whisk too hard and some batter went flying and landed in Kurt's face.
He gasped and slowly turned towards Blaine. "You did not just do that!" He warned.
"Oh, my god! I'm so sorry it was an acc—" this time, he was cut off by a layer of sugar covering his mouth.
"There, now we're even!" He smirked.
"Oh no we are not!" Claimed Blaine. "This means war, Hummel!"
"Bring it on, hobbit!"
Blaine grabbed some of the frosting and smeared it all over Kurt's face, the latter shrieking in resistance.
Kurt grabbed the cinnamon and threw it in Blaine's hair. "Not the hair!" Kurt yelled as Blaine chased after him, wrapping his arms around his waist and holding him back.
Kurt loosened himself from Blaine's grip and turned to face him, still wrapped in his arms. Blaine giggled. "Kurt, you got a little frosting there on your nose."
Kurt used his finger to wipe it off, laughing. "Here," he pointed it out to Blaine. "Mr. Taste tester." Instead of wiping his finger off Kurt's, Blaine decided to suck it right off Kurt's finger.
Kurt was nearly speechless as he felt Blaine's tongue swirl in an attempt to get all the frosting off. Oh, god. Why is my face so hot? Jesus, we're baking why am I so nervous?
Kurt pulled his finger out, just as Blaine let go. He hadn't meant for that to be so... erotic, but he couldn't help himself. Kurt just looked so adorable when he was flushed and...
"So!" Blaine tried to change the subject. "You like Wicked?" That was a stupid question. He's mentioned it before! Now he's gonna think that you don't pay attention!
Kurt smiled. "Yeah... I really wanted to try for that solo."
"Well, why didn't you?" Blaine asked, brows furrowed.
The brown haired boy sighed. "Mr. Shue seemed pretty intent on giving it to Rachel."
Blaine scoffed. "Just tell him that you want to audition, and I'm sure he'd give you a chance."
"Really?"
"Kurt," Blaine started. "You are extremely talented. I don't see any reason anyone would deny you an opportunity like this." He smiled at the younger boy.
Kurt smiled sheepishly and looked at his feet. "Thanks." He looked up at Blaine. "For everything."
XXX
The next day, Kurt stood up in class. "I have something I'd like to say!" He took a deep breath. "I'd like to audition for the Wicked solo."
The room filled with "oohs" of anticipation. "Kurt, there's a high F in it." Will pointed out.
"That's well within my range," he remarked. Blaine had to bite his cheek to keep from smiling so wide.
"Well, I think Rachel is fine for the female lead," Will stated. "But I'm happy to try something else for you Kurt. And we'll make sure it has a killer high note in it." Kurt sat down slowly, disappointed.
Blaine furrowed his eyebrows. "Mr. Shue, that's not fair!"
"Look, Blaine–"
"No, Mr. Shue!" He nearly shouted. The whole room looked surprised at him. "Why does Rachel get the solo automatically? Why isn't there an audition being held? What if Mercedes, or Tina, or anybody else wanted that song?"
"Blaine just let it go," whispered Kurt.
"It's what I think is best for the team, that's all." Will said.
"What's best for the team is letting one girl get all the solos all the time? Kurt, Tina, Artie and I are the only ones who even bothered to help with your bake sale! Rachel doesn't do squat to help out around here unless it benefits her!" The petite brunette scoffed. "And it seems like you're rewarding that by not—"
"Blaine, sit and calm down!" Will scolded.
Kurt grabbed Blaine's arm and pulled him down slowly.
Mr. Shue gave him one last stern look then continued in with his announcements. Something about using wheelchairs and a wheelchair number, but Blaine was too upset to listen.
"Thank you," mumbled Kurt.
Blaine smiled back at him sheepishly. "No problem." But just as quickly, the smile faded from his face. That was just plain unfair...
XXX
Burt flipped open the donut box. "Where's my jelly filled center?"
"Sorry," Kurt mumbled. "I must've forgotten."
"What's up with your brain today?" He asked. "You know, I think it's going soft from all the crap you put in your hair."
Kurt furrowed his eyebrows. "It's organic. I'm fine..." Burt took a bite out of a donut. "I'm sorry... It's a glee club thing."
"It's not about a guy is it? About that Blaine guy? Cause I'm not ready to have that conversation." He shook his head, looking seriously worried.
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Blaine and I are just friends. And hey," he joked. "At least you don't have to worry about me getting anybody pregnant..." He forced a laugh as his dad stared at him. "It's not a guy... We're doing this amazing song for Sectionals, a personal favorite of mine, and Mr. Shue won't let me audition."
Burt furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"
Kurt but his lip. "It's traditionally sung by a girl."
"You sing like a girl." Burt pointed out. "You know, in a good way." Kurt shrugged. "Look, Kurt. I don't know how this stuff works. I pretty much exclusively stick to my Mellencamp collection, but isn't there more crossover nowadays? Chicks doing construction, guys wearing dress shoes with no socks? Didn't that girl from your school just join the boys wrestling team?"
"Yes but her parents had to sue the school." Kurt looked down in despair.
"This is really getting you down, isn't it?" Burt asked.
"I'm full of annui." He said. Kurt got up suddenly. "Well, I should probably go finish up my homework or something."
Burt twisted his mouth, deep in thought. He would do anything for his son, after all they were all they had. And if this is what he wanted, he'd make it happen.
XXX
The next day at school, Mr. Shue made a surprising announcement. "Guys, I've decided that there will be open auditions held for the Defying Gravity solo!"
There were cheers throughout the room, and one scoff from Rachel. "But you gave the solo to me!"
Mr. Shue shrugged. "I'll give it to you again, if you can sing it better than Kurt. You all are going to be the judges. Whatever singer has the most votes gets the part."
"This isn't going to be about talent," whined Rachel. "It's going to be a popularity contest."
"Stop right there!" Said Kurt, and he wheeled to the front of the class. "We all know I'm more popular than Rachel. And I dress better. But I want you all to promise me that you're going to vote for whoever sings the song better. Raise your right hand." Everyone raised their right hand, except Brittany who raised the opposite. "You're right hand, Brittany." Santana helped her. "Repeat after me: I promise to vote for whoever sings the song better."
The entire class complied, Mercedes and Blaine adding "which will probably be you." To the end discreetly. Well, Mercedes not so discreetly.
The bell rang dismissing them, everyone started heading put the door to their next class, when Blaine noticed Kurt wasn't behind him. "You coming, Kurt?"
He shook his head. "I've got lunch next anyways, and there are a few things I need to work on, to prepare for the audition." He gave Blaine a crooked little smile.
Blaine laughed. "Alright, then. Best of luck."
He had been wheeling down the hallway, on his way to his next class when all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice shout. "All I know is that you're a punk who doesn't deserve to have Quinn as a girlfriend!" And a loud crash.
He wheeled faster towards the commotion, where he saw Finn and Puck wrestling on the ground. He got up out of his chair and ran towards them, trying to break them up.
Mr. Shue came and helped break them up.
"What the hell Puck?" Asked Blaine, holding his friend back. He turned to face him. "What is going on between you two? You've been angry at each other for no reason, avoiding each other! Is there something in missing? Please, fill me in!" He yelled. "I've been a good friend, and I pretended like everything's fine when its not! So, what aren't you telling me!?"
"Even if you're right, its none of your god damned business, so leave me alone, Anderson!" Puck shoved the smaller boy off of him and headed down the opposite direction.
Blaine's head was going a million miles an hour as he chased after his friend through the hallways. Why would Finn and Puck be fighting. And about Quinn of all things?
After a few minutes, he lost track of him, and ended up somewhere back near the choir room again. He was about to call out for Puck when he heard the faint sound of a voice singing—well, more like warming up.
Blaine peered through the door to see that it was Kurt. The brunette played a high C and sang it effortlessly, Blaine silently rooting for Kurt.
Come on, Kurt. Three more keys.
He moved up one note, playing and singing a D.
Two more..!
One more key... An E
Almost there! You can do this!
Last note. Kurt hit the high F.
He did it! Blaine had to keep himself from shouting for joy. He would've gone in to congratulate Kurt personally, but the warning bell rang, meaning Blaine had a minute to get to class.
As he was walking to his next class, he had one thing on his mind. Kurt could hit the note, which meant one thing.
He was going to win.
XXX
The first thing Kurt did when he got home was run to the garage to tell his dad the news. But Burt was occupied with the faulty coffee maker. "What the hell is wrong with this machine!?"
Kurt ran over to held him fix it. "I hit it!" He exclaimed. "The high F that I need for Defying Gravity." His dad hardly looked up at him. "It means I'm going to win!"
"That's great, good for you, just how long until the damn coffee's ready?" He asked, irritated.
"What's going on?" Kurt asked.
"I got a phone call this morning," Burt explained. "Of the anonymous kind." Kurt's face fell as he understood what his dad meant. "It was some dude telling me my son was a fag..." Kurt nodded and swallowed back the lump in his throat.
"Oh," he said softly. "That's not a big deal, I get that all the time."
"But I don't," Burt deadpanned. "Look, Kurt. I try to do right by you, open some doors, what father wouldn't do that for his kid? and I know it's good for you to be out there with all that Glee club stuff, I just... I don't want you to get hurt."
"So... You don't want me to audition for the solo?" He asked cautiously.
"No, no." Burt said quickly. "Let me be clear. Nobody pushes the Hummels around, especially cowards on the phone." Burt's eyes watered. "Sometimes I wish... I wish your mom was still around, you know. She was better at handling this kind of thing..." He let the words hang in the air for a few seconds. "Congrats on the kool-aid or high C or whatever."
"High F," Kurt corrected. All he could do was nod and watch in sadness as his dad walked away.
He could deal with this stuff himself, but watching his dad go through it was a whole different story. His dad would always be there to protect him, no matter what. Now, it was his turn to return the favor.
Kurt looked down sadly as he realized his only option.
He had to throw the competition.
XXX
Mr. Shue walked to the front of the room. "Alright," he declared. "Welcome to the Glee Club's first official Diva-Off! Lets get this party started! Kurt will start us off."
The brunette got up, and Blaine reached for his hand and smiled. "Good luck, I'm rooting for you."
Kurt smiled and nodded nervously.
Brad played the beginning notes to the song, and Kurt began.
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!
It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
And you wont bring me down!
Blaine couldn't help but smile when Kurt threw a glare in Rachel's direction.
I'm through accepting limits
cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you won't bring me down!
On the high F, Kurt was flat and sounded like he couldn't find the note, much less hit it. It was forced and screechy.
bring me down!
ohh ohhh ohhhh
Everyone slowly clapped politely, though they knew he had messed up on the high note.
But Blaine shook his head. He'd heard Kurt hit that note; effortlessly, at that. When he'd overheard him, it didn't sound anything like how he'd just performed. It just didn't make any sense.
Kurt took a seat and Blaine placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That's ok, you did great, Kurt."
He smiled sadly and shook his head. "No, I didn't..."
XXX
When he got home, Kurt walked to the garage to meet his dad who was working on a car. "Hey, dad. What're you doing?" He asked.
"I'm making biscuits, what does it look like I'm doing?" He shook his head. "How did your audition go?"
Kurt crosses his arms and looked down. "They gave the part to Rachel."
"I knew they were gonna rig it!" Burt was infuriated. "I'm going down to that school and talking to Shue."
"I blew the note." Kurt explained. "I wanted to lose."
"Kurt, I stuck my neck out for you and you go and throw the game!?" He asked, bewildered. He sat down, obviously upset.
Kurt walked towards him. "Dad..." He said calmly. "I've known who I was since I was six. I adapted. Being different made me stronger. At the end of the day, its what's gonna get me out of this cow town... You never had to do that."
"I can handle myself just fine," Burt defended.
"No you can't," Kurt said softly, shaking his head. "Not about this... That phone call yesterday was just the beginning. Especially if I get up in front of a thousand people to sing a girl song. When I saw you, right after you got the call, and you were so hurt, and so upset. It just killed me. I'm not saying I'm gonna hide in the closet—I'm proud of who I am. I'm just saying that I love you more than I love being a star."
Burt's eyes watered. "You are your mother." He said. "She was always the strong one... Look uh," he changed the subject. "You wanna help me get a 195 on this badboy?" He motioned to the car.
Kurt smiled, still emotional from the talk. "Let me change into my coveralls, this sweater's an Alexander McQueen."
XXX
Left a good job in the city
Workin' for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleep'n
Worryin' about the way things might have been
Big wheels Keep on turnin'
Oohh the Proud Mary keeps on burnin'
And we're rollin' (rollin)
Rollin yeah (rollin), rollin on the river (rollin on the river)
Said we're rollin' (rollin)
Rollin (rollin), rollin on the river (rollin on the river)
The beat quickened and everyone started rolling around faster on their chairs.
So I Left a good job in the city
Workin' for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleep'n
Worryin' about the way things might have been
Big wheels Keep on turnin (turning)
Proud Mary keeps on burnin' (burning)
And we're rollin' (rollin)
Rollin' (rollin'), rollin' (rollin'), rollin' on a river (rollin')
da do do do x3 ba da da ba ba ba ba ba yeah
After the number, everyone got out of their chairs, congratulated each other on a job well done and headed out.
Kurt caught Blaine, just before he could leave. "Blaine!" Hearing his name, he spun around, smiling when he was greeted with the sight of Kurt's smiling face. "I was wondering if you minded staying behind to help me with some of the choreography?" He asked shyly. "You seem to be pretty nifty with this wheelchair stuff."
Blaine smiled back at him. "Sure thing, though I'm sure Artie would be more equipped to help. I could probably go catch up with him still!" He offered.
Kurt resisted the urge to facepalm. How oblivious could one guy be? He shook his head. "I'm sure he's long gone by now. Besides, I've grown fond of you."
Blaine chuckled. "Of course you have," he joked.
They walked back to the stage, hopped in their wheelchairs, and prepared to practice.
"The part I don't get is the one where we rock out chairs side to side," Kurt mentioned. "Like, I can never get a good rhythm."
"Ok," began Blaine. "So you're gonna grab your wheels like this, and pull up with your right. You see, but the trick is, as soon as you let go, start pulling up with your other side."
"Like this," Kurt tried it, getting the first few ok, but the third one he must've pulled too hard because he lost his balance, and with a yelp from him and Blaine, sent both of them tumbling down on the ground, one on top of the other.
"Yup, nailed it!" Blaine laughed, rolling off of Kurt and lying on his side.
Kurt glared at him. "Shut up..." He rolled on his side, mirroring Blaine. "The floor's cold." He said.
Blaine shrugged. "I'm lying next to you," he smiled. "Things could be a lot worse." Kurt's face flushed a bit from the compliment, and Blaine's mind suddenly remembered something. "Hey, Kurt?"
"Yeah?"
"Why did you throw the competition?"
Kurt froze. "I don't know what you mean..."
"I know you can hit that F, Kurt." He said. "I heard you the day before the competition. You hit it. Flawlessly, I might add... So.. Why?"
Kurt sighed. "My dad got an anonymous phone call calling me a fag." Blaine's face fell. "I've been dealing with this for a long time, but he hasn't. And I don't think he could handle all the harassment if his openly gay son stood out in front of a crowd and sang a song written for a girl..."
Blaine stared in awe. He could handle all the admittedly flirty looks Kurt gave him in class, all the platonic handholding, heck, even all the innocent flirtatious subtext in their conversations. He knew how to deal with the butterflies in his stomach, the sweaty palms, and the weak knees. But it was now that Blaine really saw how beautiful of a person Kurt really was to give up something so important like that for his dad.
He could hold it back any longer.
Blaine leaned over and kissed Kurt.
At first, it caught him off guard, but within seconds, Kurt found himself with his eyes closed and leaning into it.
Blaine pulled away for a second to catch his breath, only to have Kurt pop his head up and pull him back down with another kiss, Blaine a bit embarrassed when a small whimper escaped his throat.
Kurt pulled away, breathless. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time." He exhaled, absolutely beaming.
Blaine huffed a small laugh. "Ditto." There was a beat of silence. "Do you want to do it again?"
Blaine was answered by Kurt pulling him down again by the back of his neck and muttering, "What do you think?" Before kissing him again.
Just then, they were interrupted by a loud buzzing noise accompanied by Mamma Mia! coming from Blaine's pocket. Kurt refrained from laughing. "Is that your mom's ringtone?"
Blaine rolled his eyes. "Don't mock me," he mumbled as he silenced it. "Whatever it is cant possibly be that important... Now where were we?" He dipped his head again, lips just about to meet Kurt's when—
Mamma Mia! Here I go again
My my how can I resist ya?
"Are you kidding me?" Blaine pleaded. He dug his phone out of his pocket and answered it.
"What? Mom? No, I can't here you, you're all crackly! I'm in the auditorium, there's no reception..." He covered the speaker to the phone and mouthed "I'll be right back." to Kurt and headed out into the hallway.
Kurt waited.
He waited for five minutes, then ten minutes. Eventually, he checked his phone and nearly a whole hour had passed, no response from Blaine whatsoever. Not even a text.
"You have got to be kidding me," muttered Kurt. He got up and walked to the hall where Blaine should've been, but he wasn't there.
Kurt took a shaky breath, picked up his things and what dignity he had left, and walked out, feeling like a complete idiot.
XXX
"Ok, mom I'm in the hallway I can hear you now." Blaine said.
"You need to come home, right now!" She said, urgency in her voice.
"I'm um... Kind of in the middle of something." He offered up a small laugh.
"Blaine... Please!" She pleaded.
"Mom, what's going on?"
"You just need to come home right now!"
"You're scaring me mom! Why?"
"... It's your father... He's here."
