Chapter 13: Leave Out All The Rest

Kurt cut his eyes nervously from his father to Carol as they marched him down the hallway toward Finn's locker. The trepidation in Finn's expression matched his own.

"Oh," the tall boy said, "What's goin' on? Is…this one of those interventions, 'cause…" Kurt decided to spare him the mental strain.

"If it is, it's for the both of us," he interrupted. "They bombarded me and forced me to bring them to you."

"Okay, c'mon, tell 'em!" Burt burst out, seemingly unable to contain his excitement. Carol tried to object, and for a few moments Finn and Kurt could only bounce back and forth between looking at their respective parents like cartoon characters, trying to decipher the jumble of protestations. Finally, Burt turned to the two of them, taking Carol under his arm and looking happier than Kurt had seen him in as long as he could remember.

"Alright, so you know how I drive Carol to work every Tuesday? Well, today, I drove here, and we snuck into that classroom where Kurt introduced us—very romantic of me, I might add—and I—" Carol, practically vibrating with excitement at Burt's side, couldn't contain it any longer, and broke in with a shriek.

"HE PROPOSED! HE PROPOSED!"

The other three dissolved into making various excited, happy sounds, but all Finn could hear was a weird rushing in his ears. He watched and tried to find some normal emotional response as his mom and Kurt exclaimed over the ring, coming up out of his shocked haze for a moment to give Kurt a weird look when he revealed that he kept wedding magazines under his bed like most guys keep porn. Then his mother was asking him to be happy for her, and looking down into her face, he couldn't help but be. Her eyes were shining. He could practically see the happiness coming off her in waves. He smiled at her.

"I am, mom."

And then Kurt launched into wedding plans, and Finn had to hold back a groan. He was going to be brothers with Kurt. Brothers, for real. They were definitely going to live in the same house. He could hear the jokes now…he could almost feel the cold of the impending slushie facials. And a part of him felt awful, because none of that should matter. Kurt was his friend. Kurt had taken slushies to the face on a semi-daily basis for years, had even taken one for Finn once, thrown it in his own face so that Finn wouldn't catch crap from the football team. Kurt had been a real friend to him, and they had really started to get over all the awkwardness from last year and become what Finn always thought a family should be. Kurt confided in him, trusted him. And here he was, worrying about what being Kurt's brother was going to cost him. Cheesus. I'm a horrible person, he thought. He tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear his brother-to-be's excited declaration.

"Long story short…you're having a Glee wedding!"

Finn hoped Kurt didn't notice how forced the smile he gave him was.

Dave was really, really bored. As adorable as a super-excited Kurt could be, the hockey player wasn't sure he could take much more talk of fabric swatches, color combinations, and floral arrangements. He'd been through three cups of coffee already, and they were still on the damn wedding. Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel—who had recently joined their mall excursions—were eating it up, of course, even though Rachel kept suggesting things that made even someone as disinterested as Dave want to toss her down the escalator. I mean, really? He thought. Who in their right mind would want a carousel-themed wedding? Oh God, it's rubbing off on me. He groaned and let his head drop heavily onto the table, earning him a look from Kurt and the girls.

"Problem, Dave?" Kurt asked dryly. Dave looked up at him over his crossed arms with a long-suffering expression that made the smaller boy want to laugh.

"Oh, no problem. By all means continue the torture. Seriously, guys, how long can you possibly argue about orchids versus roses?"

Kurt rolled his eyes at Dave—a truly annoying habit he was picking up from Melodie—and made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat. "Sure," he said, "Leave it to the Neanderthal to fail to appreciate the finer points of event coordination. This is a wedding. Everything has to be perfect."

From Dave's other side, Melodie groaned, earning her a raised eyebrow.

"I agree with Dave. If I have to hear you guys talk about train lengths and tiaras much longer, I'm going to vomit. What's the big deal? It's just one day."

Kurt, Tina, Mercedes, and Rachel stared at the two cousins like they had each sprouted an extra head. From the horrified expressions, a really ugly extra head, with lots of teeth and bad breath. Kurt recovered first.

"Melodie, Dave is a boy and a jock and just slightly primeval," he ignored the dirty look and the muttered "watch it, Fancy," said primeval jock shot him, "but I expected more out of you. Haven't you ever been to a wedding?"

"No," the cousins answered simultaneously, earning them a horrified squeak from the other boy.

"Well, that settles it, then," he said emphatically.

"Wait," said Dave, pausing midway into a sip of his fourth latte, a feeling of dread coming over him, "settles what, exactly?" Kurt gave him a lopsided smile and a raised eyebrow that just made Dave's dread even worse.

"Melodie was already required to attend, seeing as she'll be singing with New Directions. But now, Dave Karofsky, you will be coming with her. I hope you have a suit!"

Dave almost choked on his latte.

"Melodie…hey, Melodie, wait!"

Melodie sighed and spun around in the hall, clutching her books to her chest like a shield. Sam, who had been almost jogging to catch up, just barely managed not to run right over her.

"What do you want, Sam? If the five unreturned phone calls, me blowing off Avatar movie night, avoiding talking to you in English all week, and de-friending you on Facebook were too subtle for you, here it is: I. don't. want. to. talk. to. you." She turned to go, but Sam grabbed her arm.

"Seriously, Melodie, just tell me what I did, alright? I thought we were having fun together, and now you won't even talk to me long enough to tell me what I did wrong?"

She looked at him hard for a second, and then let out an exasperated sigh and dragged him into an open classroom, looking over her shoulder to make sure nobody was paying attention. Shutting the door, she turned to him.

"Okay, I thought you were smarter than you looked, but apparently not. Do you even have to ask what you did, Sam? Nothing sticks out in your mind?"

"Well…I…kissed you?" Melodie threw up her hands.

"Exactly! You kissed me! We were doing a project together and having fun and getting along just fine, and you had to go and ruin it by kissing me! What the hell were you thinking?" Sam just stared. Melodie had never struck him as particularly girly before now, but she was definitely showing a crazy streak to rival Quinn's—or even Rachel's. He tried to adopt a calming tone of voice, and kept his distance from her as he spoke.

"Um, well…I was thinking that you're funny. And easy to talk to. And then I was thinking about how I've never really been able to tell what color your eyes are behind your sunglasses, but I wanted to know, and then…I just wanted to kiss you. So I did." He mumbled the last part, looking down at his hands, blonde hair falling over one eye and a sheepish grin on his face. Melodie forced herself to look away, at a temporary loss for words. When she did speak, her voice was softer and had lost its hysterical edge a bit.

"Look, Sam…I'm new here. I'm just getting my bearings. And…well, I don't actually plan on staying that long." Sam looked up, a question in his eyes, and she sighed and tossed her spiky bangs aside with one hand, coming to lean against a desk next to him.

"I had friends at my old school, Sam. Good friends, and now I'm not even allowed to see them or talk to them. That's part of the reason I don't have a phone of my own, it makes it easier for Aunt Gina and Uncle Paul to keep tabs on who I'm talking with. I can message them online, because it would be almost impossible to keep me from doing that, but for all intents and purposes I'm completely cut off from everyone I know."

"You were getting to know me…and the other Glee kids, too," said Sam, hastily adding that last part on. She shot him a rueful smile.

"Yes, and you're great. You all are. But I don't want to get to know you." Sam looked hurt, and she hurried on to explain. "Okay, that's not true. I do, but I don't want to stay here. I'm only here for the rest of the school year, and then I'm hoping my parents will let me come home, and go back to my school, my friends. I miss them like crazy. It sucks."

"Okay, that's fine," Sam said. "But I don't get it…what's the harm in making new friends in the meantime? Are you seriously just going to be alone the whole time you're here?"

"As much as possible. Sure, I've made a few friends here, more than I meant to. And I have fun with you, and I love hanging out with Mercedes and Kurt and Tina, and even crazy Rachel Berry sometimes. But I'm leaving, Sam. I'm going home the first chance I get, and I don't want a whole new set of people to miss when I do."

She got up and swung around to face him.

"So, when you kissed me, it freaked me out. I can't afford to do that right now. I don't need the complication and I certainly don't need the attachment. So…can't we just stop at me being funny and easy to talk to? Leave out the other stuff?"

Sam considered his feet for a moment. This really sucks, he thought. First Quinn, now Melodie. Quinn, the perfect girl, the girl he'd thought he'd wanted, didn't really like him. The more time he spent with Melodie, the more he realized that. And now here was this girl who did like him, liked the same things as him, didn't make him feel ten kinds of awkward and stupid every time he let his guard down…and she didn't want him. What the heck, he thought, looking up at her half-pained, half-quizzical expression. At least I'll have one friend who'll watch Avatar with me. And who knows, maybe…

He smiled, looking out at her from under his hair. "Sure. We can leave it out."

Kurt was ninety percent sure he was moments from imploding out of sheer joy. Yes, there would be no more Kurt Hummel, just a gaping black hole tearing the fabric of reality and sucking all excitement into it inexorably…he took a deep, steadying breath.

I really need to stop watching those sci-fi movies Dave keeps recommending.

He watched as his parents had their first dance together, both looking so happy. It was a fight to keep himself from tearing up again—he hadn't even tried to hold back during the ceremony itself. At the other end of the table, Finn grinned at him, and something in that grin made Kurt suddenly suspicious. He knew Finn pretty well by now, and he could swear that the combination of emotions in that expression were nervousness, excitement, amusement, and smugness. Finn was up to something, he just knew it.

As their first dance ended and Finn got up to give his speech, Kurt found out what it was, and he slowly found himself losing the battle against the happy tears.

"In Glee club, whenever two of us got together we got a nickname. Rachel and I are Finchel; Rachel and Puck were Puckleberry. And today, a new union was formed: Furt." The crowd chuckled a bit, and Kurt felt his face coloring up. "You and me, man. We're brothers from another mother, and quite frankly, no one else has shown me as much as you about what it means to be a man." Kurt felt the tears spill over, but he was past caring. "And sometimes, I haven't been there for you like I should. I've worried about what people would think of me." Finn looked down at his feet for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and looked back up, his eyes on Kurt's watery blue ones. He was determined he was going to be a real brother, the kind he wanted, the kind he thought his father would have wanted him to be, and the kind he knew Kurt needed.

"I guess…that's kind of always been my problem. But you…you teach me every day how not to care about all that stuff. So from now on, no matter what it costs me, I got your back. Even if it means getting a slushie in the face now and then." The Glee kids laughed a little at that, and then got up and began taking their places at the edge of the dance floor. Kurt looked at Finn, wide-eyed and questioning. Finn smiled.

"The fact that you managed to put all this together by yourself just blows my mind. So this is something we put together for you in Glee club." He leaned in as he sat down his drink, and grinned at Kurt's expression. "And…you're gonna dance it with me, bro," he said. Kurt gave him a mortified look and shook his head emphatically, but Finn just grinned and stepped back onto the dance floor, breaking seamlessly into "Just The Way You Are" as Kurt looked on, amazed and proud.

Dave shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was definitely out of his element here. He was in a suit and tie, at a wedding, and surrounded by members of the Glee club that kept throwing him suspicious looks throughout the night, as if expecting him to suddenly turn into the Hulk and start smashing things. Not that I can blame them, he thought ruefully. He supposed he was lucky the guys in the club had let him through the door in the first place. They had been all for throwing him out on his ass, especially Finn and Sam, but Kurt, Mercedes, Melodie…and, to his surprise, Tina and Rachel as well, had managed to convince them all that he was cool. That didn't keep Puckerman from glaring at him every five minutes. Dave tried to tune that out as he watched Kurt through the whole ceremony and well into the reception.

Watching Kurt dance was…well, it was beautiful. His pale face was flushed with excitement, his eyes were positively shining, and he moved with absolute grace. Dave couldn't take his eyes off him. Consequently, it took him a few seconds before he realized someone was prodding his shoulder. He turned, his blissful expression collapsing into annoyance as he saw Melodie peaking out at him from under her ridiculous hair.

"Hey, get up Neanderthal. Time to dance." His protests were lost as she pulled him out of his seat and onto the dance floor, shoving him into the group of dancing Glee kids, their parents, and the Hummel-Hudson foursome. He tripped and stumbled right into…Kurt.

The smaller boy turned and laughed at the embarrassed look on Dave's face. Then he grabbed Dave's hands and started dancing him around, not really trying to look good, just having fun and swaying to the music. And Dave decided not to think about it…he just went with it, dancing along, surrounded by the members of Glee club. Mercedes twirled him around once, too, before passing him off to Rachel, then Tina, and finally Melodie, who laughed and shook her head and pushed him back towards Kurt just as the music slowed down and grew softer. Quickly, the dancers paired off: Brittany with Artie, Puck with Santana, Finn and Rachel, the bride and groom, Mike and Tina, Melodie and Sam—he idly wondered, but didn't really think about that one too hard—and…Quinn and Mercedes? The two girls were dancing together and laughing about something. Dave hadn't even known they were friends. That just left…oh God.

Kurt was smiling radiantly, still riding the high from the wedding ceremony and Finn's speech and the song he'd put together for him, and he spun away from Mercedes and Quinn over to Dave without thinking. He'd danced with Finn and his dad, and he'd even done a twirl or two with Puck and Mike, so why not? He grabbed Dave's hands and pulled him along, laughing as the bigger boy blushed and stumbled over his own feet before gaining his balance and some sort of rhythm. And then, he was dancing with Dave, the music swelling around them as they waltzed through a crowd of Kurt's closest friends and loved ones, both oblivious to the astonished and curious glances said friends and loved ones were throwing their way—particularly Burt and Finn.

Tears on the sleeve of a man…don't wanna be a boy today. Heard the eternal footman bought himself a bike to race. Grady writes letters and burns his CDs. They say you were something in those formative years. Well, hold on to nothing, as fast as you can…well…still, a pretty good year.

"Who is that?" Dave asked, his voice a little husky. "I've never heard it before."

"I'm not surprised," Kurt replied. "It's something Carol's in love with, one of those 90s female alternative singer-songwriters. Tori Amos, I think? Most of her music is a bit weird for a wedding, but Carol really wanted something by her, so I found one that was dance-able."

Dave smiled down at the other boy. "It's pretty, although I hear what you mean. It is kind of weird. But…I like it." And he pulled Kurt into a surprisingly elegant twirl as the music grew around them, the singer's voice morphing into a heartfelt almost-cry.

Some things are melting now…well, hey…what's it gonna take till my baby's alright? What's it gonna take till my baby's alright…

Kurt laughed as Dave steadied him coming out of the spin. He looked up at the jock with something Dave couldn't identify in his eyes.

"David Karofsky, I had no idea you were such a good dancer." Dave ducked his head, blushing.

"My parents made me do cotillion when I was, like, twelve. They thought it might make me less of a klutz. Turns out, the only thing that could do that was hockey." He grinned sheepishly at Kurt, and the smaller boy felt the heat creeping into his face as his heart sputtered and skipped over a few beats. Their steps had grown slower and their bodies had moved closer, till their chests were almost touching. Kurt's hand suddenly felt too warm in Dave's larger one as he realized the song had changed to a bouncier number, that he was practically within kissing distance of Dave Karofsky—again, he tried very hard not to think—and that a few of his friends were staring at them. With a small gasp, he dropped Dave's hands as if they were red-hot irons and took a step backwards.

"Kurt?" Dave made to move towards him, and Kurt turned and ran. Dave just looked at him, resignation on his face, before he sighed and returned to his seat, feeling the eyes on his back and for once in his life, not caring.

"So, one heck of a party, right?" Dave looked up to see Finn Hudson staring down at him from his freakish height. His expression was guardedly sympathetic, and it put Dave on edge instantly.

"What do you want, Hudson?" He mentally cringed at the sound of Karofsky in his voice. He really enjoyed being just Dave, and he hated the angry sound of the bully that crept in whenever he felt cornered or scared. But Finn just held up his hands, motioning for Dave to chill.

"Nothing, dude. I just…I saw what happened with you and Kurt."

"Nothing happened with me and Kurt. I was just…being nice. It's his parents' wedding, he wanted to dance."

"Since when does Kurt want to dance with you, man? He was terrified of you a few weeks ago."

Dave didn't look at Finn. When had Kurt stopped being afraid of him? It had been awhile. He hadn't slushied anyone for a long time; he'd been pretty inconspicuous as far as the Glee kids were concerned, actually. He'd been hanging out with Kurt a lot, via Melodie. Kurt hadn't really seemed afraid of him since that day with the sunglasses. But when had 'not afraid' turned into 'willing to dance with him?' He figured Kurt wouldn't want to be any closer to him than he had to, after that kiss…he grimaced and put a hand to his forehead. But Finn's next words brought him up short, causing his hand to drop to the table with a loud thud as he turned to look at the tall boy with fear evident on his face.

"I know what happened between you guys, Karofsky."

Dave's mouth felt like it had gone completely dry.

"How? I mean…who told you?" Kurt didn't. Kurt wouldn't. Would he?

"Well…I kind of figured it out," Finn said with a sigh, pulling up a chair and sitting in it backwards. His voice was sympathetic and his face was friendly and understanding.

"Look, man…Kurt's my brother. Even before today, we talk. He mentioned that there was this guy who'd kissed him. Didn't tell me anything about who it was. Just said he was scared of this guy and thought this guy hated him, until one day he yelled at him and got kissed instead of punched." Dave cringed a bit, but he didn't lose his temper like Finn would have expected, so he continued.

"He wouldn't tell me who it was. Said it wasn't his secret to tell. But…I dunno. After you showed up today, I wondered. And then after I saw you guys dance, and the way Kurt freaked there at the end. It was you, wasn't it? You kissed him."

Dave didn't meet his eyes, and when he spoke his voice was harsh and defensive.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Hudson. I'm not gay, alright?"

Finn sighed again, standing up. "Fine man, whatever. Just…look, if you ever need to talk, you can come to me. There are people who would accept you. You don't have to hide who you are. I know that sounds totally hypocritical coming from me, but take it from someone who knows. Being who you are and getting crap for it is a whole lot better than trying to be someone you're not and getting slapped on the back by a bunch of people who don't know the real you or care about that person. Because all the time you're soaking up that praise, you'll know that you don't really deserve it because you're just lying, to yourself…and to everybody. Just think about it, okay?"

"There's nothing to think about," said Dave, the defensive tone ruined by the bitter, tired quality to his voice now. "I'm not gay. And even if I were," added so low that Finn just barely caught it, "Kurt would never be interested in me anyway." Finn just stared at the jock's hunched shoulders, not really sure how to comfort the guy. Finally, he settled on the truth.

"I know I should technically tell you to stay the hell away from my brother, but I think maybe that's something the two of you should work out on your own. You'd better not hurt him, but if you want something…you'll never know until you try for it, right?" And Finn was gone, leaving Dave with too many thoughts.

Author's Note: Phew! That was a long time coming. I'm so sorry about the lack of updates for the last two weeks. Real life came calling and I just had to answer, but now I'm back to writing and I'm on a roll. I actually have already written ahead a bit, so I'm going to have to go back and fill in gaps before I can post even though I technically have two chapters already written up and ready to be edited.

I would like to take a moment to welcome thedarklordfluffy to FFN! She is the illustrious roommate I've mentioned who keeps the whip cracking behind this story's progress, and she has been awesome as far as inspiration and motivation go.

Before I go, I'd like to point out that I have gone through and done some minor editing on various chapters, including changing the names of all the chapters. I liked the musical terms concept at first, but it stopped working very well awhile ago, so now the chapters will simply be named whatever I feel works best for their content, and there's really not a theme involved, although since I think in song it'll probably be mostly music-related things. Thanks so much for reading, you guys are awesome!

-The Raisin Girl