Blaine was debating the pros and cons of strangling Rachel just to see if that would actually quiet her as he pulled into school on Tuesday morning. Unfortunately, since the cons of that plan included life in prison, Blaine ultimately had to decide it wasn't worth it. However, it was a very close call, and he was starting to understand why the New Directions found her so intolerable. It was going to be a long year.
The tenor pulled into his regular spot, determined to block out all of the words Rachel was spewing. They had made it a tradition over the past week, Blaine and Kurt always parking next to each other. This arrangement gave Kurt and Blaine the chance to chat and walk into school together, and Finn and Rachel the opportunity to disgust everyone else on the east side of the parking lot. However, when the Navigator pulled up next to the Prius as usual, there was no sign of Finn in the passenger seat. Rachel immediately hopped out of the car and started searching around for Finn's truck, but Blaine was more focused on his ex-boyfriend.
Kurt didn't get out of the car immediately, holding the steering wheel tightly and staring at nothing. The countertenor looked tired, and upset, and even the few moments he gave himself to collect his thoughts obviously weren't enough, because the mask this Kurt wore so often was weak as Kurt stepped out of the car and faced a new day at McKinley High School for the Criminally Insane.
The mask was another difference Blaine had slowly been getting used to. It was a concept he was familiar with, having employed one himself for much of his career at public high school and during his early years at Dalton. He was more than able to recognize, read, and see straight through Kurt's mask, but he wasn't accustomed to it. Yes, Kurt had been more reserved when they had first met, more likely to hide his emotions, but Dalton had changed the blue-eyed boy, and Blaine hadn't seen his Kurt use a mask for the longest time. The Kurt climbing out of the Navigator used one constantly, accustomed to protecting himself from the wear and tear of attending McKinley. Still, seeing his boyfriend, usually shy and blushing and adorable, wear the mask of expressionlessness that was his go-to (Blaine's had been cheer, when he had used one) was slightly disconcerting.
Blaine got out of his Prius as Kurt gathered his things from the backseat, and it was clear Finn had not been relegated to the backseat. Whatever had happened at the Hummel-Hudson household, the family carpool had deteriorated, as he had suspected it soon would. Blaine walked around the back of his car and came to stand next to Kurt, who managed a weak smile before sighing. "Everything okay?" Blaine asked, worried. Finn was by nature insensitive, and if something had upset Kurt enough to result in Finn's expulsion from the carpool, it wasn't good.
"I…" Kurt shook his head, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder. Blaine, knowing how protected Kurt tended to be with him, wasn't expecting any more information, so he was surprised when the countertenor suddenly wrapped his arms and Blaine's neck and pulled him close.
"I'll take that as a 'no,'" Blaine muttered, wrapping his arms around Kurt and hoping there would be some form of explanation forthcoming.
"Finn is an idiot," Kurt muttered, hiding his face in the crook of Blaine's neck. The tenor resisted the urge to point out that they had already known that. "Last night, he…" Oh, no, Kurt, don't stop now. "Last night he told me he 'totally' would have dated me if I was a girl." Kurt's voice was muffled and saddened.
Blaine rubbed a soothing hand up and down Kurt's back, not sure what to say. Insulting Finn was not the right avenue, and he wasn't stupid enough to think that the jock's words had actually been a compliment (an assumption he was sure the idiot had made), but there was no other way to comfort Kurt, and getting angry really wouldn't help.
He couldn't help it though. Finn had no idea how to handle Kurt or relationships, and it amazed Blaine that he had actually managed to keep so many girlfriends considering he always managed to say the wrong thing at the absolute worst moment possible. Still, Kurt needed to be comforted, so Blaine held his ex-boyfriend close and mumbled nothing words into his ear.
"Would you stop that? I might have to boot-stomp you," Artie said during AP English, and Blaine sighed, apologizing for his incessant pencil tapping throughout the last half hour of the class. "What's up with you, anyway?" the bespectacled boy asked.
"Nothing," Blaine answered as calmly as possible, but it was one of the worst lies he had ever told, and Artie could obviously tell, though he didn't ask.
Truth be told, he couldn't stop thinking about earlier that morning. Eventually, Kurt had released him and thanked him for always being so kind, a comment that had made Blaine blush like a teenage girl, before heading off to class as if everything was normal. Kurt was far too good at going from intimate to casual at a moment's notice, but Blaine wouldn't complain. They had settled into a routine of flirting without escalation, and it was the best Blaine could do for now.
What was annoying him was, of course, Finn. He couldn't stop thinking about the idiot jock's comment, as if Kurt being a girl would be the ultimate improvement. He had hurt Kurt enough by telling him about the basement, did he have to continue to demean Kurt and break his heart by tormenting him about his former crush? Because everything Finn said related back to that stupid crush that Blaine wished he had diffused earlier through some other means, and if the idiot thought bringing it up constantly was a way to get Kurt to forgive him, he obviously needed a brain transplant. Or maybe just another lobotomy to finish the job.
"Dude!" Artie objected, and Blaine realized that in his agitation he had started tapping his pencil again.
"Sorry," Blaine apologized again, putting his pencil away so that he wouldn't be temped to use it as a weapon. Thankfully, he had yet to see the lumbering jock that day, so he hadn't actually bodily injured him, and they didn't have Glee practice, so there was no hurry to see him. The New Directions' practice schedule seemed totally random and was mostly planned through text messages.
Blaine was beginning to regret his decision of living with Rachel. Not only because it hadn't taken long to discover she could be an insufferable human being, but also because not living with the Hudson-Hummels almost made him too isolated from Kurt. He had no idea what was going on with him and Finn, if this was an escalation or just common idiocy that had pushed one of Kurt's very sensitive buttons, and he certainly didn't want to ask the countertenor about it. Kurt was going through enough. "Hey," he said to Artie as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Do you have Sam's number?"
"Yeah, sure," Artie said, handing over his cell phone without hesitation. "You know, just because your boyfriend is indisposed, doesn't mean you should start straight-guying-it."
Blaine rolled his eyes at the good-natured joke. "Kurt's not my boyfriend," he corrected as Kurt always did, "and this is about Kurt."
"And Finn, I'm guessing," Tina added, and she was obviously more perceptive than Blaine had given her credit for being.
"Something like that," Blaine muttered as he copied Sam's number into his phone, and the teacher didn't even seem concerned that he was holding two phones as she directed the next question at him, and he continued inputting numbers as he spoke. He managed to finish his answer just as the bell rung.
World History was his last class before lunch, and Blaine debated texting Sam. He had no idea what class Sam had, and he didn't want to get the blond boy in trouble, but he also wanted to know what was going on with Kurt and Finn. Because he didn't believe there could be that much variance in how much of an idiot Finn was, and what had happened thus far obviously proved that Finn was consistently beyond the realm of logic. How the hell could he even suggest… But Blaine made himself stop thinking about it, because all thinking about Finn did was make him angry. Not only had Finn broken Kurt's heart many times in the past, he continued to break Kurt's heart by bringing up former heartbreaks. It was heart-break-inception, and it was absolutely vicious in the unintentional way that only true idiots could manage.
Blaine wasn't even aware that he was cracking his knuckles until some sophomores looked at him in fear. Good. Maybe they would shut up.
Blaine skipped out on lunch, knowing that Finn would be at the New Directions table, and he was well aware that he couldn't handle seeing Finn anytime soon. Instead, Blaine headed to the weight room (one of the few amenities McKinley had that Dalton didn't, and one of the ones he was enjoying the most), and set up the bag. He didn't want to get too sweaty and have to shower, so he blasted some heavy music and did some light warm-up combinations. If there happened to be a picture of Finn's face plastered on the bag by his imagination, that was a different matter.
Blaine didn't even look up as the door swung open, resolving himself to showering before last period as he started harder combinations, beating on the bag and making it swing a little as he took out his anger on it.
"Oh, hey, man," came the voice he least wanted to hear, surprisingly friendly.
"Finnegan," was Blaine's answer, and he didn't stop boxing. He was already seeing Finn's stupid face on the bag, he didn't need to see it in real life.
"What's up?" Finn asked casually, coming to stand behind the bag so he could look Blaine in the face, and Blaine noticed the jock wince as he hit the bag particularly hard.
"Kind of wondering how you got to school this morning," Blaine said, his attempt to be casual failing as he slammed his fists into the bag so hard the whole thing was shaking. The thought occurred to ask Finn to steady it and then 'miss,' but he resisted the urge. Kurt wouldn't be happy with that.
"Oh, Kurt told you he kicked me out of the Navigator?"
"Justly," Blaine mumbled, but he knew his comment was covered by the sound of his own fist hitting the bag.
"Yeah, he was totally mad because I said-"
"I know what you said, Finn," Blaine gritted out.
"I meant it as a compliment!" Finn said innocently, and Blaine hit the bag so hard his knuckles started to bleed. It was better than hitting Finn, in Kurt's eyes.
"I'm not even talking about yesterday!" Blaine said, failing in his attempts not to raise his voice.
"Dude, what is your problem?" Finn demanded, raising his voice as well. Blaine noticed him flinch whenever Blaine yelled, but Finn's issues really weren't his problem.
"Kurt never needs to hear that word, especially not from your mouth!" Blaine finally yelled, fed up with Finn's oblivious idiocy. "Did it ever occur to you there was another way to discourage him without breaking his heart? Not every memory is a good one! Hell, not every memory is even necessary, and I'm sure this is one of the things that was better left forgotten!"
"He would have found out, and he would have hated all of us!" Finn yelled back. "Just like he found out about his dad's heart attack. Someone would have said something, and Kurt's not dumb, dude! I know you haven't been here for very long, but nothing at this school is private!"
"You are such an idiot jock!" Blaine declared, slamming his fist into the bag for the last time, ignoring the streak of blood it left on the pristine leather. "You broke Kurt's heart, and you damaged him permanently! I know you're too fucking stupid to see this, but Kurt was in love with you, and you crushed him, time and time again!" Finn stared at him dumbly. "You should see how relieved he looked every time a reference was made to my sexuality, back when we were dating, because he was so afraid that what happened with you was going to happen with me! Why the hell do you think my date with Rachel bothered him so much? Because of you, and your stupid inability to handle crushes!"
"You can't blame all the mistakes you made with Kurt on me!"
"And I won't, but you can't even begin to understand what you did to Kurt's heart! You were his first love, and saying it the first time was bad enough! I can't even image how he's feeling now!"
"He's not even mad at me, dude, you're the only one with the problem!"
"Which is why he cried in my arms this morning!" Blaine exaggerated slightly. "He remembers that night, that's how traumatic it was for him. You're up there with Karofsky and his dad's heart attack! Congratulations!"
"I've never done anything like Karofsky did to him!"
"You're right, Finn, you might have done something worse! At least Karofsky he hated, and the line was clear. You were terrible to him, and he loved you anyway!"
"You mean just like you?" Finn shot back, and Blaine had no defense for that one. "Kurt fluttering his eyelashes at me was only making everything worse for everyone! Especially you! Everything's out in the open now, whether you think it's better or not. That story would have come out eventually, it's better it came out now."
"By what logic?" Blaine demanded. "It wasn't my place to tell Kurt about the basement, and honestly I never wanted to, but you needed to apply some delicacy to the situation! You can't just blurt it out because you're uncomfortable!"
"I wasn't uncomfortable!" Finn insisted.
"And that might be ever worse! You were so accommodating to Kurt right after the accident that I'm pretty sure he was starting to hope that you had suddenly become an accepting human being, and maybe could reciprocate his feelings! You gave him the hope of being with you, and then you crushed it in the most vicious way possible! At least the first time, Kurt had backed you into a corner! This was one hundred percent free will, Finn!"
"How betrayed would Kurt have felt if he remembered it before anyone told him? He would be super mad at both of us!"
"No one gives a damn about my feelings, Finn, especially not me, and you're the only one placing yourself above Kurt right now! You're just selfish! Kurt needs to be protected right now, he's fragile, whether he wants to admit it or not, and you risked his life to rid yourself of unwanted attention!"
"The story needed to come out eventually, Blaine!"
"But you were the one thing he had left!" Blaine yelled, and he had never been so angry. "You were the one relationship that hadn't changed, the one constant he could rely on in a time of constant change. A new house, new relationships, new people, new family members, even a new ex-boyfriend! The only thing in his world that hadn't changed was you. You were 'Finn Hudson,'" Blaine mocked the dreamy tone Kurt always used, "no one could compete with charming, sweet, protective, goofy, perceptive, gorgeous Finn fucking Hudson! You were the one thing he had left that hadn't changed, and you took that away from him! You threw him headfirst into chaos!"
"Dude, I know there are consequences, and I know he hates me right now, but every story needs to be told! No matter how painful it is for you!"
"I'm not worried about me!" Blaine yelled. "I'm worried about Kurt! You went from one extreme to the other in a matter of sentences, and if it hadn't been for me he probably never would have come home!"
"You're not the center of his world, dude! He doesn't rely on you! And that's not your home!"
"You're right, he relied on you, and you let him down worse than I ever could have imagined," Blaine said icily as he pulled on his shirt and left the locker room, not caring how sweaty he was from the boxing and the fight.
"I tried to help you!" Finn yelled as he followed him, people in the hallway immediately looking toward the disagreement with curiosity. "I tried to promote you in his eyes, because I knew he cared about my opinion! He's my brother, I want him to be happy!"
"No, you want him to be the person he was before, and he's not! No matter how much everyone, including him, wants him to be!"
"And who would benefit the most from that?" Finn demanded. "You! Because you only want to get with him! Hell, that's the reason you want him to get better!"
Blaine almost punched him. He almost laid Finn out in the middle of the hallway. Because Finn's words almost echoed Kurt's about 'incentive' and why couldn't anyone believe that he loved Kurt, and that was the reason he wanted him better? Blaine clenched his fists, ready to do Finn some serious damage, but Mr. Schue had held his promise: there was a purple piano in the hallway.
Circling your, circling your, circling your head,
Contemplating everything you ever said
He knew Finn knew the song, had heard the idiot singing along to it on the radio during the summer. He also knew that one of the magical things about McKinley was that instrumentalists appeared out of absolutely nowhere, so by the time the song popped into his head, there was full guitar and drums. How? Blaine had no clue.
Now I see the truth, I got a doubt
A different motive in your eyes and now I'm out
See you later
I see your fantasy
You want to make it a reality paved in gold
See inside, inside of our heads (yeah)
Well, now that's over
I see your motives inside
Decisions to hide
(Ahh!)
Back off, I'll take you on!
Headstrong to take on anyone!
I know that you are wrong!
Headstrong, we're headstrong!
Back off, I'll take you on!
Headstrong to take on anyone!
I know that you are wrong!
And this is not where you belong!
I can't give everything away…
I won't give everything away…
It was at the point in the song that Blaine saw the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he had ever encountered staring back at him from the crowd. Blaine knew they were making a spectacle in the hallway, but nobody seemed to care, though a few people seemed to be enjoying his song choice. Knowing McKinley, things like this probably happened often. So he ignored the students and faculty and administrators who walked by without taking note. A few Glee members were in the hallway, and Blaine saw they were concerned. He didn't really care; he and Finn were circling each other, occasionally shoving, their argument perfectly transitioning into song. Somehow, singing made him more tempted to hit Finn, and the warnings that he would take the jock on were real. Finn may have been fourteen feet taller than him, but he didn't stand a chance. Finn seemed equally as angry, though he had no right to be.
Still, it was at the slightly-softer end of the chorus that he saw Kurt in the crowd. The countertenor smiled sadly at him, almost as if he had been expecting this. Still, Kurt's disapproval couldn't hold Blaine back anymore, he couldn't handle trying to be civil to Finn anymore. The idiot was ruining everything, and he deserved to know that.
Conclusions manifest
Your first impression's got to be your very best
I see you're full of shit
And that's all right
That's how you play
I guess you'll get through every night
Well, now that's over
I see your fantasy
You want to make it a reality paved in gold
See inside, inside of our heads (yeah)
Well, now that's over
I see your motives inside
Decisions to hide
(Ahh!)
Back off, I'll take you on!
Headstrong to take on anyone!
I know that you are wrong!
Headstrong, we're headstrong!
Back off, I'll take you on!
Headstrong to take on anyone!
I know that you are wrong!
And this is not where you belong!
I can't give everything away…
I won't give everything away…
They had been wandering through the halls aimlessly, focused only at each other, and Blaine wondered if Finn was trying as hard as he was not to take a swing. Still, McKinley High was centered on one room, and all roads led to it, so Finn and Blaine ended up in the choir room as they continued to sing, the Glee club following closely behind them. The band kids wheeled in the purple piano, but Blaine had yet to see Mr. Schuester.
I know, I know all about
I know, I know all about
I know, I know all about
I know, I know all about your motives inside
And your decision to hide
(Fuck!)
Back off, I'll take you on!
Headstrong to take on anyone!
I know that you are wrong!
Headstrong, we're headstrong!
Back off, I'll take you on!
Headstrong to take on anyone!
I know that you are wrong!
And this is not where you belong!
Where you belong…
(This is not) where you belong…
I can't give everything away…
I won't give everything away…
This is not where you belong!
"Break it up, break it up!" Mr. Schuester yelled preventatively, since no one had actually began fighting. It felt like they had though, both of their chests heaving, both sweaty and angry, and Finn glaring at Blaine with menace in his eyes. Blaine was sure he returned the look. "What the hell is going on with you two?"
"They both want to get in Hummel's pants," Puckerman offered the dirty joke as he always did, and that was enough to make Finn storm out like his pixie of a girlfriend. The piano bench suffered from his wrath.
"I don't think that joke was well-received," Tina commented softly. Blaine realized his fists had been clenched for so long his knuckles were white, and he grimaced at the pins and needles as he relaxed them and the feeling returned.
"Blaine, what's going on?" Mr. Schuester asked, but Blaine didn't feel like answering that question.
"Ask him," he said, pointing towards the door Finn had left through. He didn't even let his eyes scan over the Glee club, the one reaction he cared about was standing near the other door. Kurt was, for once, truly expressionless. Perfectly calm. It was extremely unnerving.
"May I speak to you?" Kurt asked once they had met eyes, and Blaine realized from the whip sounds that followed him: he pretty much obeyed Kurt like a sad puppy.
Kurt walked all the way to the auditorium without saying a word, and he walked not onto the stage, but up to the front. Then he hopped gracefully up on the edge and patted the seat next to him. Blaine obeyed, but he walked onto the stage and then sat down, because he was certain trying to replicate Kurt's little jump would end in his embarrassment.
"Hey," he said after a few moments of silence.
Kurt smiled at him. "I'm not mad at you, you can stop acting so meek."
"I thought you would be," Blaine said honestly.
"I'm not," was all Kurt said.
"I am sorry, though," Blaine admitted. "But singing an angry song seemed like a better course of action than beating the crap out of him." Kurt nodded, still not saying anything. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," Kurt said, and it was this kind of honesty that Blaine had missed between them. When they had first met, Kurt had trusted him implicitly, inherently, without a touch of doubt, and they had shared everything. The Kurt he was sitting next to seemed to alternate between being cold and trusting Blaine with everything. "I don't know how I feel about Finn," Kurt continued. "He's frustrating, and irritating, but he is my step-brother, and cohabitation isn't intolerable. But I don't… I don't know how to move past this," Kurt said, obviously upset, and Blaine wrapped an arm around his ex. "I'm not sure how to feel or how to begin forgiving him, even though I know I need to." Kurt suddenly laughed a bit, and Blaine looked at him quizzically. Was he in hysterics? "Why do we have all of these emotional conversations while you're all sweaty?"
"Oh, God," Blaine said, realizing that he was still mussed from the boxing and the fight. "I'm sorry, I must stink," he apologized, removing his arm from around Kurt's shoulders, but his ex-boyfriend rolled his eyes and leaned into him.
"You're fine." Blaine knew hygiene was one of those things Kurt would never lie about, so he took the countertenor's words for it. "Finn was… he was one of the only things that hadn't changed, but he really, really had."
"I don't know if I've been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good," Blaine sang softly, making Kurt smile. "I know this is hard to believe, in light of the circumstances, but the combination of what happened in the basement as well as his increasingly-confusing relationship with Rachel and his brotherhood with you has changed him, for the better. What he did was… awful, yes, and he did the wrong thing by rehashing it, and I'm not telling you that you need to forgive him. You just need to know that not all of the changes are bad." Blaine thought it through. "Of course, there are also some improvements that could be made to the current model-"
"I get it," Kurt said with a little laugh.
"That's why he wanted to tell you, for a chance at redemption, and simultaneously didn't want to tell you ever, for the obvious reasons." Kurt sighed.
"I don't know if I'm starting to forgive him, or if I'm just starting to get used not liking him and discovering a new dynamic, but I think things between us will be okay."
"Not loving him," Blaine corrected, and Kurt glared at him. "What? It's an important distinction!"
"In the grand scheme of things…"
"Just say it."
"What?"
"Please."
Kurt apparently caught on. "I don't love him, Blaine."
"Good." Blaine smiled at his ex-boyfriend. "Apparently, you can read my mind, too." Kurt giggled.
"Actually, I was thinking about that the other day," Kurt admitted, and Blaine raised an eyebrow. "You are fantastic at reading my mind because you know absolutely everything there is to know about me."
"This is true," Blaine said sagely, even though it really wasn't.
"And I'm bad at reading your mind, most of the time, because I know absolutely nothing about you," Kurt continued.
"Is this about to be followed by the worst first date line ever?"
"Yes, tell me about yourself."
"Well," Blaine said as he thought it through, "I would make the argument that you already know quite a bit about me."
"Oh, really?"
"There's a big difference between knowing my background and history and stories, thing I'll admit you are mostly ignorant of, and actually knowing the important things: how I feel, what I'm like, what kind of person I am."
"I know what kind of person you are?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you?"
Kurt smiled and nodded in answer. "I still want to know more though."
"Ask away."
"Where are you from?"
"Westerville."
"When's your birthday?"
"October 12, 1995."
"How many siblings do you have?"
"Just the one brother, Cooper."
"Favorite subject?"
"Glee club."
"Do you play any instruments?"
"Piano, guitar, digeridoo, panflute, violin, cello, drums, mandolin-"
"All right, I get it, you're talented!" Kurt said with a laugh. "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
"New York."
"Favorite season?"
"Spring, the season of new love," Blaine teased, making Kurt blush.
"Favorite sport?"
"Football," Blaine admitted, and Kurt sighed. "Though I do box."
"I noticed. College?"
"Yes on attending, and somewhere in New York. Columbia, NYU, NYADA, I don't have to decide right now."
"Children?"
"Three," Blaine answered immediately, and now he was pretty sure Kurt was just seeing how much he would be willing to say, how many questions he could answer lightning fast.
"Ticklish?"
"Not as badly as you." Kurt blushed redder, for some reason.
"How many bow ties do you own?"
"I can't count that high." Blaine laughed.
"Pen or pencil?"
"Pen."
"Were you named after Pretty in Pink?"
"Different spelling, and no, it's a family name."
"Can you change a tire?"
"Absolutely."
"Clean or messy?"
"Closer to clean."
"Bath or shower?"
"Shower."
"Can you sew?"
"Sadly, yes. I also am a fantastic darner."
"Longest car trip you've ever taken?"
"Thirty-five hours, Westerville to Los Angeles."
"Have any pets?"
"No."
"Favorite book?"
"J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye." Blaine didn't care how stereotypical his answer was.
"Favorite childhood memory?"
"First time I played catch with my brother."
"Favorite color?"
"…That's a hard one," Blaine admitted, and they both died laughing.
"You know how many… children you want to have… but you can't pick… a darn color?" Kurt gasped out between fits of laughter, and Blaine shrugged once they both had calmed down.
"I like colors. You finally found a difficult question." Kurt smiled.
"Can I ask?"
"I have absolutely no idea to what you are referring."
"Don't lie to me."
"I was at a public high school, I was out, I went with a friend to a Sadie Hawkins dance, we were intercepted by three jocks, and we got the shit beat out of us. We both ended up in the hospital, and I transferred to Dalton," Blaine answered Kurt's unspoken question, giving the abridged version.
"I'm sorry," Kurt said softly, placing a hand over his. They were silent for a few minutes. "Are you ready to forgive Finn?" Kurt asked quietly.
"I'm ready to stop being angry," was the best answer Blaine could give him, and that seemed to satisfy for the moment.
"I have to admit, it surprised me that you have a temper."
"Oh?" Blaine asked, resisting the urge to snort unattractively. Instead, he twisted his hand up so they were holding hands properly. Kurt didn't seem to mind, lacing their fingers together.
"I mean, I heard about you flipping out at Finn, but I assumed it was an exaggeration. At this school…" Kurt trailed off. "Still, it surprised me."
"Everybody's got their problems," Blaine said with a shrug. "I'm usually pretty good at controlling it, but Finn just makes me…" He tightened the hand not holding Kurt's into a fist. Kurt just rolled his eyes.
"Do you want to sing?" he asked, gesturing behind them, and when Blaine turned around there was another frickin' purple piano.
"I swear to God that piano was black when we came in," Blaine said, and Kurt laughed, shrugging. Apparently, McKinley was weirder than Blaine had originally thought. "But sure, duet with me."
"Have a song in mind?" Kurt asked, and Blaine smiled, because yes, he did.
"Ever heard of Once? I think that was around during times you remember." Kurt pushed at him and laughed.
Blaine stood up from the stage and offered Kurt a hand to help him up. Blaine sat on the piano bench, ready to play the introduction without the guitar portion, and he was surprised when Kurt settled next to him with a smile, sitting close enough that their thighs were touching. The countertenor raised an eyebrow that clearly said, 'what are you waiting for?' and Blaine started playing.
I don't know you but I want you all the more for that
Words fall through me and always fool me and I can't react
And games that never amount to more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
Kurt was close enough, watching Blaine's fingers flutter effortlessly over the keys, that Blaine could have leaned over and kissed him, and the song was making the temptation hard to resist. Blaine was about to launch into the chorus when the auditorium door slammed open, and a little brunette head came bobbing down the aisle in a hurry.
"Kurt Hummel!" boomed out that powerful and impressive voice. "I cannot believe you didn't tell me about NYADA immediately when Miss Pillsbury told you." Rachel reached the stage and stood at the edge of the piano glaring at Kurt with absolutely no regard for the sweet moment she had just ruined. "We need to start planning and rehearsing for our auditions immediately. Blaine, you can stay, we'll need a male voice."
"Rachel, we're kind of in the middle of-" Blaine attempted to make his crazy housemate go away, but she grabbed Kurt's bicep and hauled him off the piano bench. She also smacked down some sheet music on the piano and gestured to Blaine.
"I'm sure you know this," she said to Kurt. The countertenor looked over at Blaine, who rolled his eyes, but he knew there was no chance of finishing their song, so he began to play Rachel's.
The elevated train by my window doesn't faze me anymore
The rattling screams don't disrupt my dreams
It's a lullaby in its way
Kurt brightened up immediately when he recognized the beginning of the song, Blaine knew how much he loved In the Heights… and really any musical set in or related to the city of his dreams, and he took over for Rachel much before the girl had planned, judging by her expression.
The elevated train drives everyone insane but I don't mind, oh no
When I bring back boys, they can't tolerate the noise
And that's okay, 'cause I never let them stay
And one day, I'm hoppin' that elevated train and I'm ridin' away!
It won't be long now
Kurt winked at Blaine as he talked about bringing back boys, but he was too absorbed with singing to continue teasing Blaine. The little shimmy he did along with the music was adorable.
The boys around the way
Holler at me when I'm walkin' down the street
Their machismo pride doesn't break my stride-
It's a compliment, so they say
Never one to stay out of the spotlight for long, Rachel jumped in front of him and began singing again. Kurt rolled his eyes, but he was used to the attention-stealing (it was one thing that would probably never change about Rachel), and he waited patiently. It was adorable to watch the two of them perform, despite the competition. They both strutted around the stage like Blaine was sure they had strutted around the streets of New York.
The boys around the way
Holler at me everyday but I don't mind, oh no
If I'm in the mood, it will not be with some dude
Who is whistling 'cause he has nothing to say
Or whose honking at me from his Chevrolet
And one day, I'm hopping' in a limousine and I'm ridin' away
It won't be long now
Blaine had no idea why Rachel has asked him to stay, as she had rightfully chosen the available single version that cut out Usnavi and Sonny's little rap interlude (thankfully, she wasn't always a stickler for authenticity). He had absolutely no idea when the band had snuck up behind him with trumpets and such, but it made the song much better.
The neighborhood salon is the place I am working for the moment
As I cut their hair, ladies talk and share-
Everyday, who's doing who and why
The neighborhood salon doesn't pay me what I wanna be making
But I don't mind
As I sweep the curb, I can hear those turbo engines blazing a trail through the sky
I look up and think about the years gone by
But one day I'm walking to JFK and I'm gonna fly!
It won't be long now!
Any day…
Kurt and Rachel bowed to their audience of one, Kurt giggling and Rachel being entirely serious. Blaine made sure to applaud, appeasing both divas (even though only one would admit it). "I think you'll both be fine for your NYADA auditions," Blaine said, hoping Rachel would leave. If she was going to be this much of a pain in the ass for the next few months, he and Kurt would never get a second alone.
"I, of course, will be doing Don't Rain on My Parade, because I am destined to be Fanny Brice on Broadway one day," Rachel said, wrapping her arms around Kurt like some sort of octopus and dragging him off the stage, "but we need to decide what you'll be singing, because we both need to get into NYADA, because what will I do without my best gay?" she continued to talk, pulling Kurt away.
The countertenor turned around while Rachel was busy talking and mouthed 'coffee?' to which Blaine nodded. Still having ten or fifteen minutes left of lunch, which his housemate would doubtlessly spend torturing poor Kurt but also thus not bothering him, Blaine stayed in the auditorium and played a few pieces he hadn't heard since he was a child.
"Why, exactly, would the lead singer of an a cappella choir need to play about a billion instruments?" Kurt asked as he walked through Blaine's music room. Blaine and Kurt had finally decided to spend one of their precious weekends at the Anderson household (Blaine had made sure his dad wouldn't be home) instead of with the Hudson-Hummels, and Blaine had been a little bit nervous about Kurt seeing his mansion for the first time. It tended to either intimidate or inspire jealousy, and he didn't want either reaction from his new best friend.
"It's one of those things that comes with growing up wealthy," Blaine answered with a shrug. "My parents deem playing a variety of instruments as part of being cultured, so they spent me to a bunch of music lessons. It was also part of their whole thing about not wanting to raise me themselves." Kurt grimaced, as he always did whenever Blaine's parents and their propensity for nannies was mentioned, and stroked his fingers over the keys of the grand piano. "Wanna play?"
"I do have a piano," Kurt said with a laugh. "We're not that poor."
"I wasn't implying-" Blaine immediately corrected him, but Kurt just laughed, teasing.
"Have I ever told you that you worry too much?"
"Repeatedly," Blaine answered with a smile, "and I'm sorry."
"This house is… amazing."
"It's just a house," Blaine said with a shrug, "I would rather be with your family, in your home." Kurt smiled sadly at him.
"Blaine, my parents love you. Carole would adopt you in a heartbeat, Finn treats you more like a brother than he treats me, and my dad offered to let you work in the shop. That's about as close to a declaration of love as you'll ever get without actually being his flesh and blood. I know this is kind of sappy, but that's as much your home as it is mine. We've spent an equal amount of time in it," Kurt said, and Blaine laughed. Kurt had spent so much time at Dalton since his family moved, and Blaine had spent so much time with the Hudmels, he was practically one of them. The countertenor promptly sat on a truck of sheet music. "Play me something."
"What?"
"Well, you play, right?" Kurt asked, and Blaine nodded. "Play me something. Besides a few bars of Baby, It's Cold Outside, I've never seen you play an instrument. I'm curious."
"I… okay," Blaine agreed, sitting down on the piano bench and trying to bring to mind something that Kurt would enjoy. It had been so long since he played the piano. He settled on a simple piece and played a portion of it, after which Kurt clapped.
"I hate you for being so multitalented," Kurt teased as he sat down on the piano bench next to Blaine. "You should play more often." They were close enough to kiss, but it would be a long time until they did.
Once again, Blaine made the agreement with Rachel that she could take the Prius as long as Finn didn't drive and absolutely no funny business occurred in his car, and he carpooled with Kurt in the Navigator to the Lima Bean. "I do love your car," Blaine admitted as he ran his hands over the Lincoln's dashboard.
"Well, it's easy to love my luxury vehicle next to your little bug of a car," Kurt said with a laugh, and Blaine rolled his eyes. He had been expecting that kind of thing from Kurt, who could be a little bit of a snob about cars. At least he was a well-informed snob.
"I'm sorry, exactly how many miles do you get to the gallon in this car?" Blaine asked. Kurt sniffed, mumbling something unintelligible. "I'm sorry?" Blaine teased.
"Fifteen," he said, slightly louder.
"And I get around fifty, so you really have no room to talk." Kurt quieted, and it was probably the first car argument Blaine had ever won. Kurt continued to be quiet, obviously trying to think of a new angle, until they arrived at the Lima Bean.
Juliette wasn't working the counter, which Blaine was grateful for, and he let Kurt order his own coffee. Surprisingly, he ordered a grande nonfat mocha, clearly liking his old-new choice… or something like that. When Blaine raised an eyebrow, Kurt just smiled.
The plaque was still hanging on the column by their table when they reached it, and Kurt sat down. Hopefully, he was no longer perturbed by the idea of them being in love. "So, was I the only one ready to throttle Rachel today?" Blaine asked, and Kurt laughed.
"She can be overbearing, but I think she's improved since…" Kurt trailed off, but Blaine got the message.
"There wasn't much she could do to worsen," Blaine said with a shrug.
"Hello, love bugs," Juliette said as she walked by, car keys clutched in one hand. "I'm sorry I didn't get my favorite shift today, but I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you two later." Juliette winked at Blaine before heading out.
"She's a little…"
"Unnerving?" Blaine offered, making Kurt laugh and nod. "I agree, and I've known her for a while. She's just very… bold. She was the one who lead the Klaine brigade."
"I'm sorry?" Kurt asked incredulously, eyebrows reaching his hairline, and whoops.
"Well, at Dalton we were mocked for being a couple even before we were. I mean, it made sense, because we had a lot of inside jokes and private conversations and were generally very esoteric, so they decided to refer to us as a joint entity, and the word 'Klaine,' was born." Kurt didn't say anything, looking down at the table instead of at Blaine. "And then the Klaine brigade was the crusade by several Warblers and some of the staff here to get us together. They were… very committed."
"And when we got together?" Kurt asked, and Blaine sighed.
"They threw a series of parties celebrating, and I quote, 'the removal of your heads from your respective asses.' One of them happened here, and was actually a pretty big deal. There were Klaine balloons, and a Klainebow piñata, and… it was embarrassing."
"I won't even ask about Klainebows," Kurt said, laughing but still looking down. "Blaine, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," Blaine said, because he could tell by the fact that Kurt wouldn't meet his eyes that he had a serious question.
"My dad…" Kurt shook his head, still not meeting Blaine's eyes. "Last night, before what happened with Finn," Blaine gripped the edge of the table to keep his cool, "he said something that implied that we were, or we have been… intimate," Kurt breathed the word out barely louder than a whisper, cheeks bright red.
"I… oh," Blaine said, thinking it through, and then, "Oh!" Kurt looked at him curiously, still flushing. "Your father may have been under that impression due to… certain circumstances, but we weren't, actually. I don't blame him for thinking that."
"'Certain circumstances?'" Kurt asked, not letting anything slip by him. Dr. Abernathy could say whatever he wanted about Kurt's recovery, the senior was certainly much sharper now than he had been during the summer.
"I told you about that week when the Warblers tried to be sexy, and Animal, and all that, but there was one detail I neglected." Kurt was silent, the color in his cheeks beginning to dim. "You revealed to me that you had no… sexual knowledge, and because you objected to my attempts to talk to you about sex, I… approached your father and suggested that he take advantage of your relationship and talk to you about it."
Kurt was quiet for a long moment. "I guess that explains the pamphlets I found in my dresser." Blaine nodded. "My relationship with my father was really that good?" he asked quietly, and he sounded shocked.
"Kurt, your father loves you, and you know that, but the way it was before Sectionals isn't the way it is now. Your father was learning to be accepting, you were starting to reach a comfortable middle ground, and while I wasn't there for the talk he had with you, I know he embarrassed the crap out of both of you because he wants you to be safe." Kurt blushed again, and Blaine realized his wording. "In… not like… well, yes like that, but he wants you to make sure you respect yourself."
"I…" Kurt pinched the bridge of his nose, and Blaine realized he had a headache. Did he have a bottle of Advil with him? Shoot, it was in the Prius. "I can't even imagine…" Kurt didn't seem to have words, and Blaine could understand. If he suddenly woke up one day, and his father was extremely accepting instead of wildly uncomfortable, he wouldn't be able to believe it either. "What are your parents like?" Kurt asked, and Blaine recognized the slight desperation in his voice and eyes. He needed a distraction.
"Well…" Blaine swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "My parents aren't exactly acceptance role models," was the only nice way he could think to put it.
"Oh," Kurt said softly. "I'm… I'm sorry," he said, not meeting Blaine's eyes again. "I just… you're so confident, I assumed…"
"Not exactly a product of my environment," Blaine said with a shrug. Kurt placed his hand lightly over Blaine's.
Blaine could hear Rachel humming as she walked from her room to the bathroom and back again, getting ready for bed. He didn't recognize the song, but he was sure she had NYADA on her mind. It was all she had talked about during dinner, and her dads were as excited about the school as she was. Blaine lay on his bed, feet against the pillow and head on the end, debating. He had pulled out his phone and texted Sam, and he was waiting for a reply.
From: Sam
'Hey, is this Blaine? Artie told me you might be texting me, what's up?'
To: Sam
'I know this is a little strange, but I was kind of wondering about Kurt and Finn. I know me living over there wasn't a good idea, but I have no idea what's going on, and Kurt won't tell me, and… I just worry, you know?'
From: Sam
'You really love him, don't you?'
To: Sam
'Would you just shut up and fill me in?'
From: Sam
'Touchy, much?'
From: Sam
'I don't really know, dude. I know Finn's trying really hard to make Kurt forgive him, but he's not doing so well, and Kurt's getting really annoyed.'
To: Sam
'I would imagine, considering what Finn thinks is an apology.'
From: Sam
'Don't be too hard on him, he's taking this pretty bad.'
To: Sam
'Not my fault he's not equipped to deal with adversity.'
From: Sam
'Spoken like a true cynic, dude.'
A/N: Yay, new chapter! I apologize that it's been around three weeks since I posted, but I had trouble getting the anger scene to sound right (and even now, I'm not sure). Still, I've done a lot of planning for this story, and hopefully there will be more soon.
Songs used/mentioned:
'Headstrong' by Trapt (Bold is Finn, Italics is Blaine, Bold Italics is Both)
'For Good' from Wicked
'Falling Slowly' from Once (Bold is Blaine, Bold Italics is Blaine and Kurt)
'It Won't Be Long Now' from In the Heights (Bold is Kurt, Italics is Rachel, Bold Italics is Both)
'Don't Rain on My Parade' from Funny Girl (in the style of Glee; mentioned)
'Baby It's Cold Outside' from Neptune's Daughter (in the style of Glee; mentioned)
'Animal' by Neon Trees (in the style of Glee; mentioned)
Reviews are Love.