It took me a long time. Again - but I'm just really really busy. Luckily for you, NaNoWriMo is approaching, which means I am going to procrastinate and last time this meant ... writing on this story instead of the one I should be writing on. So ... that means more updates. Anyways, thanks for reviewing Razzleflag, AceinWonderland and Ali. I had some of you there with the lesbian thing, though there were some slight hints earlier on. Never mind, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, and the quotes above the chapters belong to the show. I do not own the songs. I do own the main character, though.
Song(s) used: Nooo soooong agaaain. Sorry.
Sadie Hawkins
"My first order of business, destroy the Glee club."
"I thought we were friends."
"That got boring."
"Are you coming or what?" Hunter groaned. He was standing on the hallway, in front of her door, his fingers rubbing over his temples while his eyes were closed. The captain had been standing there for half an hour.
Marie-Claire wasn't that late, though, just ten minutes. Her date had only been a bit too excited. She rolled her eyes, closing the door to Sebastian's room behind her. "What a fine gentleman you are," she responded sarcastically while she walking towards him, being very self-conscious about her clothing. Jeff had decided he was the person to help her, since her own brother hadn't been useful – instead shouting and cursing the whole time and eventually threatening Hunter – and he had forced her to wear skinny jeans and some kind of fancy shirt that showed way too much skin for the time of the year. He had claimed she shouldn't wear a jacket or coat, so Hunter could put his own around her shoulders, but she had decided that was ridiculous and very unpractical, so she wore the leather jacket Nick had given her for her birthday. She was wearing the sneakers Jeff had bought her, though, but refused to call tem sneakers because they had heels and therefore weren't comfortable.
"You're late," Hunter sighed. He wore some simple jeans and a shirt. Jeff had definitely not been involving. "Also, if I say something about how you look, will you kill me?"
"You were just damn early. And yes, probably." She stopped in front of him.
Hunter shook his head. "Why did I ask you on a date again?" She raised an eyebrow. "Never mind. I like the make-up, though." Jeff's work as well. He had a sister – very useful. "Let's go. Finally," Hunter exclaimed.
Hunter was a bit more gentlemanlike after that. He actually opened some doors for her – not all, though – and drove her to the restaurant. She was even allowed to pick the music. This, he obviously regretted, when she put on an album of Linkin Park, effectively blocking their form of communication. When she stepped out of the car, she looked at the place they had stopped in front of and smiled slightly. No Breadstix. Instead, a Japanese sign hang above the doors, probably saying something about sushi.
"Bonus points," she told Hunter. "I love fish."
The captain seemed quite happy with himself. "Come on, I made a reservation."
Soon, they were sitting at a small table in a quiet corner. She had to admit, Hunter was a bit more romantic that she'd intentionally thought – but for her, that wasn't a necessarily good thing, since Marie-Claire was the kind of person who felt awkward when something became too romantic. Then again – this was Hunter Clarington. She knew how to handle the guy.
Silently, she looked at the boy. He was, she had to admit, quite handsome. That boys weren't her type didn't mean she couldn't appreciate a good body and Hunter definitely had one. His eyes were now focused on the menu, with a bit too much force – she realized he was nervous. His hands were shaking a bit, his fingers putting too much pressure on the table, his look being kept focused on the letters in front of him, not daring to look at her. She smirked and already had her mouth opened before she decided not to say anything. Instead, she studied his face. There was something about it, something unfamiliar. His greenish eyes stood tired, she saw, there were bags under his eyes and his skin was a bit pale, but it all was hardly noticeable. She smirked. Maybe Hunter had been even more nervous than she thought.
"So … how's life?" he eventually spoke.
She groaned. "Clarington, you ask me out at Christmas eve, then disappear for the whole vacation so the date weeks after, you don't apologize for it but just demand that I should go with you, not giving me any warning, just suddenly standing in front of my door. Jeff was freaking out – he had this all prepared for ages but you ruined his whole idea!"
"I gave you two hours," Hunter protested. "And your clothes look perfectly fine."
"Jeff needed more. He was seriously having a panic attack – I sent him to Nick," she said, giving Hunter a wink. "Can't you put them together as dance partners? We need to get them together, but they are usually the shippers from the Warblers. I mean, they got Kurt and Blaine together, only then they went to McKinley and Niff couldn't keep an eye on them anymore."
Hunter shook his head. "Why are we talking about other couples on our date?"
"They are much more interesting," she responded. "Anyway – life is fine, I guess. McKinley is hopeless, I get A's without studying and I skip some classes every week and still haven't been called to the Dean. I really just want to go to Dalton." She shrugged, drinking a bit of her coke and looking at Hunter.
He nodded softly. "And with … you know, your father?"
"Howard?" she repeated, then remaining silent for a while. She wasn't exactly sure why the conversation was going this way. She felt no need to talk about her father. He wasn't an issue in her life anymore and she didn't want him to be. But she understood why Hunter asked about him – he wanted to know if she really was fine. Clarington was a good captain, but maybe even a better friend. He knew when something was up and he just informed instead of turning around the subject. She licked her lips. "Well, he's in prison, surprisingly." She wondered what Hunter wanted to hear. And she wondered why the hell she was okay with talking about it. "I don't really see him. I'm out of his reach and I don't want to see him. Not yet. Maybe later on, but right now, when I see him, I would just want to kill him for doing all that shit to Sebastian and me."
"How was he, in court, I mean? What he ashamed, angry?" Hunter kept on informing.
She crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair. "He was … broken," she softly said. "I think he didn't realize how much he had fucked up until he was there, sitting in front of Sebastian and me, seeing and hearing our injuries. He didn't protest, he didn't do anything except for accepting what was said." She brought a hand up to her head, pulled it through her hair. "Fuck – now I think back… I think he was sorry. I think he agreed with the charges because he realized he hurt us and we weren't safe with him." Her eyes were burning and her throat dry, but she didn't let a tear come up. The realization dawned over her. "Before my mother died, he wasn't a bad father. Not the most caring, but not bad. I think he still isn't entirely."
"Did he know you guys were gay?"
She looked up, surprised by the unexpected question. "Yeah – he just accepted it, didn't really spoke about it," she answered truthfully.
Hunter, lost in thoughts, nodded. "Would you want to speak to him again, eventually?"
She focused her look on her fingertips, tapping on the table. "Perhaps…" she said, wondering if she wanted to. "Not yet. But he isn't that pure evil guy everyone thinks he is. I don't want him in my life anymore and I hate him for what he did to Sebastian. I'll never forgive him. But I wouldn't rule out seeing him again, speaking to him." She hesitated. "Why do you ask all this?" Right now, she added in her mind. Why do you ask all this right now, while we're at a date.
"Because you needed to voice it," Hunter answered confidently, having already expected the question. "You and Sebastian are really alike – you want to deal with your problems alone and even when you think you are changing and opening up to others, you still don't open your heart and show your true feelings."
She opened her mouth, wanting to protest, but the captain kept on talking.
"Sebastian told me what happened last year. In fact, he told me about basically his whole life. When he spoke about it, he was being just like you when you speak about your father or your past. Sarcastic, not being that serious, sounding uncaring. And you truly think that is the way to talk about it." Hunter rolled his eyes. "It doesn't help, you know. Acting as if it wasn't important. I know that. But just now, you talked about it seriously. How you really feel. Still uncertain, hurt, not sure what to do."
She bit her lip, suddenly realizing that Hunter was right. He was so right. And she felt relieved right now, having talked about it, having emptied her mind. A hesitant, small smile appeared on her face. "You're almost creepy, reading minds like that," she commented.
Hunter winced. "Let's say I know something about it." One look from him and she knew that now wasn't the time, even though they had just discussed her troubles, his eyes made clear that he wasn't going to talk about whatever he was referring to.
Instead, she took a piece of sushi. "Now, let's go back to date business," she said. "Having awkward silences, laughing very fake and feeding each other sushi – that's what they do at dates, right?" She raised an eyebrow.
"You really are pulled out of your comfort zone," Hunter grinned.
"Don't be so happy about it, bastard," she countered.
Hunter shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "At least you act like your age, for once," he shrugged. He stared at the sushi for a while, remained silent while she just went on eating, not going to waste the delicious fish. When the captain of the Warblers suddenly leaned forward, a devilish grin on his face, she moved instinctively back.
"What … what are you doing?" she muttered.
Hunter did a perfect copy of a Smythe's smirk and revealed his chopsticks, which held a piece of tuna. "Feeding you," he answered smugly.
They didn't go on another date after that. This had nothing to do with Hunter not trying, though – and neither with her refusing or Sebastian interfering, surprisingly. Instead, the captain of the Warblers had been incredibly busy and Marie-Claire herself too. Having friends sure took a toll on her time. She hang out with the New Directions more often, just as with some of the Warblers – most of the time Nick and Jeff. They'd tried to get Trent to join them, but the boy had only once accepted their offer to watch a movie or grab a coffee.
Tonight, Hunter had planned something at last. She wasn't yet sure what he was going to do, but she had become good at reading the boy. He had been acting different, eyeing her more, talking about random, light subjects when she was around. Often, she had chuckled his at obvious efforts to keep something secret. She hadn't tried to find out what it was, though. Her problem at the moment wasn't Hunter's surprise, but Sebastian's big brother attitude. He hardly trusted Hunter – his best friend, for heavens sake – to do anything with her, let alone be in one room together. It was amusing and terribly tiring.
She was in the car, wondering why the hell she trusted Nick to drive while Jeff was in the backseat. Luckily, she had called out shotgun before the blonde could, successfully making their trip a bit more safer, though the risks of Niff together in one car could never be entirely dismissed. The couple – who called themselves friends, biggest lie in Dalton history – was singing along to a McFly song. Marie-Claire shook her head, not understanding the boy's obsession with the band. Sure, they had nice songs, but Nick and Jeff? They were the biggest fangirls in the world.
Could you come over? – Blaine
She frowned at the message and shot a quick glance at the time. They were just twenty minutes on their way, they could turn around to get to her friend, she was sure the boys wouldn't mind. But she had seen Blaine an hour ago and everything had been perfectly fine. Or this was a situation like the one she had two weeks ago, with Blaine being ill and Tina vaporaping him in his sleep. Damn, she was glad she had come to check on him, then. Claire had the suspicion Tina had a crush on Blaine and it bothered her. The Asian girl was slowly growing on her, but she still had her moments of hatred towards the girl and trusting her was absolutely not an option.
Please? – Blaine
She rolled her eyes. "Nick, we have to go back," she announced, not even bothering to ask if the boy was fine with it. He didn't even hear her over his music, though. "Nick!" she shouted. The boy glanced at her and she turned the volume down. "Damn, you are so incompetent."
"Hey! Don't –"
"Shut up, Jeff, I'm not hurting your lover." Both boys huffed at the comment. She smirked. "We have to go back," she repeated her words, raising an eyebrow and gesturing towards her phone.
Nick groaned. "Do we? Come on, we're so close to Dalton now," he complained.
"Emergency," she shrugged, uncaring.
"You could be a bit more thankful," the brown haired Warbler shook his head – to his credit turning the car around easily, heading back to Lima. "What's the emergency? It's doesn't sound very … emergent."
She raised an eyebrow on the use of the word. "Something with Blaine," she answered then, knowing this would get the attention of the driver – and his friend. And indeed, Jeff leaned forward while Nick speeded up the car. She smiled satisfied. "I'm not sure," she said before either one of them could ask her the obvious question. "He was fine an hour ago, not ill or something."
"Maybe he has a bowtie dilemma," Jeff wondered.
She shook her head. "He has dropped the bowties."
At least she had their attention now. The green eyed girl smiled, then started talking, telling the boys about Klaine, Blam and even Blina. Niff was silent and listened. They could be good boys, for a little while. Of course, ten minutes later they were shouting along with some crazy love song that only existed out of the lyrics 'it's all about you' and Jeff was excitedly adding information about some kind of wedding speech during the instrumental parts.
Somehow, when she rang Blaine's doorbell, she was still alive. Traumatized for life, knowing everything about where to hit Jeff so he would shut up and how to get Nick to concentrate on the road, but she was still walking, they hadn't gotten in a car accident. She wasn't sure if she would ever step in a car with the boys again, though. This time had been worse than the others.
She forgot all about the trip when Blaine opened the door though. He looked just like the weeks after the break-up with Hummel. His face was pale, he was wearing sweatpants and that was all – not socks, no shirt. A normal, sane Blaine Anderson would open the door like this. Especially when he had no gel in his hair. She repeated – no gel.
Not bothering to say hi or to await his invitation, she stepped inside, quickly closing the door behind her. Then, she could puzzled at Blaine, wondering what to do. She didn't know his house very well. Luckily, he took the lead. "Thanks," he said, smiling halfheartedly. "Come on, upstairs."
When they were finally sitting on his bed, she pulled her legs up and folded her arms around them, giving Blaine a serious look. He had been very quiet. "What's wrong?" she asked, a thousand thoughts running through her head. "Was it Hummel? If Hummel did something, I swear to a god I don't believe in that I'll just kick his gay ass. Again," she threatened.
Blaine looked shocked. She almost burst out into laughter because his face was priceless, but she couldn't forget the situation. "Kurt did nothing! He's wonderful, he did nothing wrong, Christmas was great and we're friends and we talk and – what do you mean, again?" he frowned, suddenly looking even more worried.
"Calm down, killer," she smirked. "No need to worry. I didn't actually kick his ass – I could have, but it didn't seem right at the time. I just made sure he knew exactly what he was throwing away and … you know, the usual shit, that he shouldn't torture you and stuff." She felt a bit awkward about telling Blaine this. It seemed like a weakness.
Instead, he smiled – tiredly, but he smiled. "Well talk about this later. Just – he is good for me. We're friends, so – no more 'talks', okay?" he stared at her. She raised her hands defensively and nodded. He sighs. "MC, do you know why I came to Dalton in the first place?"
She hesitates. Of course, there were rumors. And there was the truth. She wasn't exactly sure what Blaine wanted from her. She was one of the only people who knew that Blaine had been beaten up by some homophobic assholes – David had told her, worried that the ex-Warbler would get into trouble without Hummel at McKinley. Marie-Claire had promised David to keep an eye on Blaine, just when she was a week in Glee club and the guy had noticed that she was friends with the gel haired boy. It was made very clear that not many people knew about this, though. Only real friends. "You got beaten up, right?" she eventually said.
Blaine just nodded.
A thought ran through her mind, turned her blood cold. "Did someone hurt you?" she said. "Blaine, were you assaulted?" Her voice had turned demanding. She knew very fine that her reaction might be slightly extreme, but right now, she couldn't take another beating. They could manage a few weeks without hospitals, right? It wasn't unearthly to ask.
"No! No!" Blaine shook his head. "It's just… Tina… There is going to be a Sadie Hawkins."
She was silent, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. "So?" she wanted to know.
"I got beaten up at a Sadie Hawkins. You know – beaten up like … badly. I got knocked out at the street and woke up in a hospital. Never heard of my date again, switched schools immediately. I didn't have the courage to stand up against my bullies." He winced at the word courage, as if it was a taboo to say.
She understood. She understood why he had come to her – she had been beaten up so many times now. She understood why the Sadie Hawkins bothered him – she didn't even want to be in her own house. Slowly, a bit doubtful, she moved over to Blaine putting an arm around him. "You don't have to go," she offered.
"I do," Blaine protested. "I'm the captain of the Glee club, school president, leader of the superheroes club –"
"Fuck, does that still exist? I thought that crap was behind –"
"Claire."
"Oh, yes, sorry. Please start your mental breakdown now, I always find it easier when those are over, then you can focus on the real problem." Blaine tried to glare at her, but he couldn't keep a straight face and laughed. She smiled in satisfaction, having reached what she wanted to do. She took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to do in this situation. Blaine had actually asked her to help. This was new to her – lately, she had helped people, but that was because they were either having a breakdown in front of her or being beaten up and almost unconscious. They never texted her to ask if she could come by and offer tissues while they could cry their eyes out.
Maybe she should make tea. And get a tissue box.
"You have never had any problems with being gay at McKinley, right?"
Blaine raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged. "I mean – real problems. Physical."
"You know, insults –"
"– can hurt just as much or even more as punches. Yeah, yeah, I know the crap. Well, believe me, I have experience in both. Receiving and giving. Usually, the punches hurt a bit more." She ignored the softening in Blaine's eyes. She didn't want his pity. She didn't want anyone's pity – she made that clear. The Smythe just wasn't a person to carefully avoid touchy subjects. "You were never beaten here, or threatened?"
"No, not me…" Blaine started hesitantly. "But Kurt…"
"Yeah, the whole shit situation with Karofsky."
The homo in front of her shook his head. "Do you know everything?" he exclaimed.
"I try to keep up to date. And remember my brother accidentally caused that guy to commit suicide? Okay, attempt it, but that's basically the same thing, only without the fune- never mind." She cursed herself. Sometimes, her fast tongue was horrible and she realized it all too well. "Anyway, yes, I even visited him in the hospital. Kind of."
Blaine shot her a questioning look.
"Not important, long story," she shook her head. "Back to the point. Sadie Hawkins."
"I don't even know why I called you." Blaine hid his face in his hands.
She smirked. "Because I think of a proper solution and won't start singing to fix everything."
"I just don't know what to do," Blaine sighed. "I mean, you know, it's just that I don't know what to expect. I have never been in such situation before. Yes, I did other school dances and eventually got used to them, but those weren't … Sadie Hawkins dances. It's different and I don't want to go through the same again or have a breakdown in the middle of the dance-"
"Blaine, you're overreacting," she cut him off. He looked hurt, but she shook her head. "Look," she started, raising from her place and standing in front of him. "A normal school dance and a Sadie Hawkins are exactly the same thing, only in this case the girl asks the boy. The thing you should be worrying about is who you are going with, because this school won't react differently to you when the dance is called another name. And even if someone did or even if you have a breakdown, I promise you, I'll get you out of there." The last words passed her lips before she could stop herself, but the look her green eyes gave Blaine were enough for him to understand that she meant have not meant to say it, but she certainly meant the message.
He smiled nervously. "Thanks, MC," he responded softly. "I'll just have to find a date…"
"Too bad Lady Hummel is out of town, so she can't ask you. It would have been nice, you would have played by the Sadie Hawkins rules in that case." She ignored the mutterings from Blaine, claiming that Hummel wasn't a girl. It was a good thing he was finally not wincing when she mentioned his ex. She eyed her friend for a while, silently, then added: "Sam will go with Brittany, you know that, right?"
His confused eyes met hers, but she smiled reassuringly. She wouldn't tell anyone, though it was a miracle that his crush on Sam hadn't been obvious to everyone. A sigh escaped his lips and he rested a hand on his forehead. "Yeah, I know…" he whispered softly.
She smiled. "I'm your backup, Blaine. There is no way you're going to that dance alone."
He laughed tiredly. "Thanks, MC. You're nice. For a Smythe."
She grinned. "Get some sleep, Anderson. I'll find the way out myself. Niff is waiting."
Blaine's eyes widened a bit when he heard the names of his – former? – friends, but didn't respond immediately. She walked towards the door and her hand was already on the handle when she heard his soft voice. "Marie-Claire?" She stopped. "Sam and I, we figured out…"
"What?" she turned around slightly, raising an eyebrow, but Blaine shook his head.
"Never mind. I'll see you at Glee club."
The Lima Bean was crowded. Sebastian, Nick and Jeff had managed to get a place, now waiting for their drinks to arrive. She had just walked into the coffee shop, later than the Warblers, since she had had Glee club before. When Hunter had texted her to have coffee, she had expected him to come alone, but then again, her brother had probably forced his presence upon them, not trusting his little sister to be alone with his best friend.
She rolled her eyes, taking a step towards the counter. "Hi," she started.
"Hi there. Skinny white café mocha? Without cream?" the girl responded.
Marie-Claire raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. Size…"
"… medium, I know," the blond haired girl once again finished.
She shook her head. "I come here too often…"
The girl didn't respond on that, though. Instead, she stared at something that was happening to their right, her eyes round. Marie-Claire frowned – she heard familiar shouting. Already suspecting what was happening, she turned around … to see Hunter Clarington have a major breakdown in the middle of the Lima Bean.
"Oh crap…" she muttered, glancing at Sebastian, whose eyes were focused on her.
"I freaking hate Splenda!" Hunter.
"Oh fuck." Herself.
"MC!" Sebastian.
"You might want to do something." The blonde barista who knew her coffee order.
"Bastard," she whispered before moving forward. From the corners of her eye, she saw Sebastian instructing Nick, while Jeff clung onto his best friend, and then her brother ran off towards her. Hunter was going outside, fast. The Smythes shared a quick look, then sprinted after their friend.
Hunter had already crossed the street and sat down on a bank before they had reached him. He had buried his face into his hands, breathing heavily. Sebastian gave Marie-Claire a helpless look, but she didn't exactly know what to do herself.
The Smythes had already realized there was something up with Hunter. He had built walls around him, very much alike the siblings themselves, and could appear cold and uncaring, while he eventually warmed up a bit for his newfound friends. There were expressions he had and some simple things he said that made the Smythes suspicious, though they hadn't proved truthful until two weeks ago, when the nightmares started. Sebastian had been the first to find out, but Claire didn't come soon after, finding her friend screaming on his bed, his face pale and sweat on his forehead. They hadn't spoken about it, not with Hunter, not with the Warblers. Only the two of them sometimes had conversations, concerned for their friend. He had been getting less sleep lately, snapping at the Warblers more often and only being civil to Sebastian, Claire and Jeff – no one could be angry with the blonde.
Now, the boiling point was reached.
It was Sebastian who moved first, sitting down next to his captain, but not touching him. She came forward slowly, sitting down on the other side and putting an arm around the guy. He had always appeared so strong, but like everyone, he had his weaknesses. Both Smythes tried to ignore the tears in his eyes when they sat next to him, not saying anything, just their presence comforting.
When Nick and Jeff appeared some time later, Sebastian just shook his head and the friends nodded, taking the hint and walking away – but not before handing Marie-Claire her coffee, on which she frowned. Half an hour after that, Hunter suddenly moved, standing up and walking towards the car. Sebastian sighed. "He's not going to tell us any time soon, is he?"
She bit her lip. "Nope."
Neither of them dared to suggest to just ask the Warblers' soloist.
She really couldn't keep up to the drama.
McKinley – Blaine and Tina were both crushing on people they couldn't ever get.
Dalton – Trent was acting awfully distant and skipped on most practices.
McKinley – All the guys were anxious because of the Sadie Hawkins.
Dalton – Hunter was having more breakdowns and the Warblers were noticing.
McKinley – Loser girls couldn't even have loser guys.
Dalton – Nick and Jeff still weren't together.
Also, above all of this, the Sadie Hawkins was this evening. And she just realized she hadn't even asked someone and she was supposed to go, because she had promised Blaine, even though he was suddenly going with Tina – something she was not feeling rejected about. She wasn't. Honestly. Just a bit … irritated that Blaine was going to the Sadie Hawkins with his crush who totally forgot about the fact that very same dance was the reason why he went to Dalton.
So, of course she could ask Hunter to go with her and she was quite sure he would say yes, but the guy looked more and more miserable with the day. He was pale and had huge bags under his eyes. She couldn't take him to a dance when she had to be afraid for him collapsing right in front of her. Also, the New Directions wouldn't approve her bringing the leader of the Warblers to McKinley. The same could be said about every single Warblers she could ask to go with her.
Which meant that she was pretty much lost. Even Noah Puckerman, Puck, already had someone to go with – she very much tried to ignore that this was Kitty Wilde of all people – while he wasn't even at that school anymore. All her friends were taken and she didn't particularly feel like going with someone who wasn't a friend of hers, because in that case it would feel like a date, which she didn't want.
Damn.
She would have never thought she would be worrying about a school dance.
"Hi MC, why are you calling? I thought you were at the Sadie Hawkins dance."
"I am. Bas, the Warblers – we are in trouble."
