A/N: GOOD LORD, it's been so long since I've updated this; frankly, I'm ashamed of myself and I apologize deeply! My other multi-chapter, Prince Charming (haven't read it? Go check it out! :D), seized my muse and wouldn't let it go for a while. And a little selfish part of me kept putting off publishing this because that means this fic is almost over! After this, there will be either on uber long chapter or broken up into two, depending on how long it actually gets - a lot still needs to happen!
Enjoy!
TWENTY-ONE:
Kurt drove slowly down the street which held the Anderson residence, eyes scanning for a spot along the street where he could park his car. The area right in front of the Anderson's long driveway was obnoxiously taken by a dark blue, sleek looking car that took up enough space for what could have been two cars, had it been parked correctly. Consequentially, Kurt parked a bit up the street and walked.
He squinted inconspicuously into the blue car as he passed but the windows were tinted too darkly to afford him a view of the inside. Of course, he thought as he rolled his eyes. It was just like a Westerville resident living in this fancy area to do such a thing and then, on top of it all, park so annoyingly.
As he walked down the long driveway, Kurt began to talk to himself. He didn't want to call it a pep talk…though that's exactly what it was. Cayden Anderson was somewhere in that big house and the last thing Kurt wanted was to face him again quite so soon. With any luck, Blaine would open the door and he wouldn't have to talk to either of his parents.
An idea occurred to him as he approached the house, one that meant he definitely wouldn't have to speak to either of the elder Andersons. Instead of knocking on the door, Kurt went around the house to the second floor window that was Blaine's – at least, he was pretty sure it belonged to Blaine. Blaine had done this once to him, after all.
Kurt scanned the ground for something small and relatively harmless that he could throw at the window. He settled for several large pieces of bark that lay around the base of a nearby plant. He tossed several pieces and heard them all clink against the window with a sound that no one inside the room could miss.
"Blaine?" Kurt whispered as loud as he dared. "I just need to talk to you for a few minutes."
"Hello?" A voice called out just around the corner from Kurt. "Who's there?" He didn't even have time to unhand the bark – let alone run away – before Blaine's father walked around the corner looking wary. He paused when he saw Kurt.
Kurt simply stared. He couldn't break away the line of his eyes and he certainly couldn't move his feet. He opened his hand slowly and the bark dropped to the ground; it was the only sound he made.
Blaine's father cleared his throat and took a step back. Kurt could see the differences in him, the most notable being that this version of Cayden was alcohol-free and presumably lucid. "We didn't spend five thousand dollars on a front door to have people skipping around the side yard and throwing rocks at windows," he said, face expressionless.
Kurt figured that 'it's bark' would be a bad place to begin, though it was one of the only sentences he could formulate. "I'm sorry," he stuttered quickly. "I thought it might be difficult to hear a knock at the door. The house is so…large," he finished lamely.
Cayden was silent for a few moments. "Hummel, right?"
Kurt didn't know if he was pleased or frightened that Blaine's father knew that. Though he had to admit that the meeting had advanced in a different direction than he'd imagined when Cayden turned the corner. "That's me," he said. "I was just…I wanted to tell Blaine something."
"He isn't here," Cayden said. He was still talking in that carefully flat and emotionless tone. "He called to say he was with Wesley and David. Good boys; Blaine says they both have girlfriends."
Kurt hardly understood why that made them good boys but he imagined that Cayden's opinion of people was swayed differently than his. "Right…yeah, they're…great." Was he making small talk with the man that had beaten Blaine for God only knew how many years? Kurt knew that the shock of seeing him again hadn't even sunk in. He'd almost forgotten what he'd come there to do. "Well if he isn't here, I should go. Uh…goodbye then."
Blaine's father didn't say anything. He nodded his head once and Kurt figured that was his cue to walk away quickly. His legs were trembling by the time he got to the end of the driveway. He was trembling so much, in fact, that he didn't even see Blaine coming around the corner in front of him.
"Kurt," said Blaine in shock. The countertenor looked up to see disbelief written across Blaine's face. The shorter boy took hasty steps toward the taller one. "You…you were just at…my house. What did you…you didn't…did you?"
Kurt's brow dipped momentarily. "Don't bother trying to talk coherently," he said sarcastically.
"I was with Wes and David," Blaine said quickly, his eyes skirting away. Kurt nodded. "Why are you here, Kurt? Does this have to be harder than it already is?"
Kurt bit his lip to hold back his biting retort. It wouldn't help to start a fight. Blaine needed his help. "If it being harder means things will get fixed properly," Kurt said, "then yes. Yes it does have to be."
"What are you talking about?"
"I could ask you the exact same question," Kurt said, attempting a delicate air. He looked at Blaine and fixed his eyes to his face, refusing to look away. "We haven't known each other for too long, but in that time, I imagine that I've gotten to know you – Blaine – pretty well. And for fear of sounding indelicate, that wasn't Blaine talking to me, was it?" He paused, noting all the emotions that played across Blaine's face. "You know what I'm talking about."
"Why are you doing this?" Blaine asked, skirting around the question. "I told you that I don't want to drag you into a complicated mess. You deserve better than me and the tangled baggage I come with."
"That isn't what you said," Kurt said softly, after a short pause. "You said that you didn't want me in danger. You didn't want to take a chance."
"Same thing," Blaine mumbled.
"No, it isn't," Kurt insisted. He stepped forward and grabbed Blaine's hand; he felt the other Warbler tense up at his touch, though he didn't draw away. "The only thing they have in common is that they're both excuses. They're excuses as to why we shouldn't be together and never in a million years would Blaine give excuses for that sort of thing. Blaine, who climbed up my trellis to take me to sing at a gay parade –"
"It was a rally," Blaine muttered, causing Kurt to crack a momentary smile.
"Blaine, who bought me tickets to Chicago and skirted the guards backstage," Kurt continued. "Blaine, who left me his lunch when I forgot to pack mine; Blaine, who never gave up on me even when I was literally walking away. That Blaine would never give the sort of excuses you're giving now."
"But things were different then," Blaine said weakly.
"Different because you were keeping a secret," Kurt said, waving his free hand in exasperation. "Don't you hear yourself? I'm trying to tell you how it is, because you're a box of paradoxes and everything that's happened has taken you from you."
"What am I supposed to do then?" Blaine snapped, finally drawing back his hand. He crossed his arms across his chest.
"Talk to someone," Kurt answered. "I'm serious. If you don't go to talk to someone – the counselor at Dalton – I'll go to him and tell him myself." Blaine narrowed his eyes slightly but Kurt's expression didn't falter. "You can be mad at me for giving you an ultimatum but," he couldn't believe the words that were about to come from his mouth, "bringing you back from whatever has its hold over you is more important than getting on your good side."
Blaine's amber eyes were wide and he bit down roughly on his bottom lip. He was silent for a long moment. Kurt was about to repeat his statement once more and leave when Blaine spoke. "I could never be mad at you," he said, meeting Kurt's eyes. "Not really." His voice was rough. "I feel…I don't even know how I feel. I feel like I should have faith in what will come, but I don't. I feel afraid for myself…but afraid for you more than that. I feel like I'm weighing you down, like you always have both my problems and your own to contend with. I feel like…" He paused and squeezed his eyes closed. "Like my mother doesn't want what's best for me but what's best for her. My father wants what suits him. I…I just want someone to think about me."
Kurt listened to Blaine's speech, his jaw opening wider with each word. After Blaine stopped talking, he moved forward to wrap his arms around the other boy and hold him tight. "I think about you," he told Blaine strongly. "I think about you all the time. I think about what's best for you. I think about how lucky I am to have you. I think about how horrible my life would have been without you. I think about things I can do to make you happy. I think about how I would face anything for your sake."
"But I don't deserve it," Blaine said, speaking a paradox once again.
"See what you've been made to think?" Kurt asked, still holding Blaine tightly. "You want someone to care about you but you've been surrounded by people who only care for themselves so you don't believe you deserve that. But you do." Kurt pulled back and waited until Blaine looked him in the eyes. "Promise me. Promise me that you'll go speak to someone. Please."
Blaine's expression had changed into what Kurt hoped was realization. "I promise," he answered. "Monday, if it's what you want."
"I want what will help you," Kurt explained.
"Monday then," Blaine said, looking uncomfortable. "A-about earlier…"
"You don't have to say anything about that," Kurt said quickly, wrapping his arms around his stomach. He wanted Blaine back more than almost anything else. But what he did want most of all was to see a different Blaine than the one he'd spoken to earlier, whatever the consequence. "Just do what I asked, please? After that we can…straighten things out."
Blaine still looked uneasy. "I'm sorry," was all he said.
Kurt shook his head and attempted to smile. "Don't be," he said. "Don't say you're sorry until the matter is settled. It's far from it." He gave Blaine another forced smile and bid him a half-optimistic farewell.
Blaine might still be in a strange mindset but at least he'd gotten him to agree to talk to a professional, Kurt thought. Mr. Anderson had seemed almost normal. He was a bit uptight to be sure, but normal enough. Kurt's unsinkable tendency to forgive too easily and see the best in everyone had him thinking that things were beginning to look up. Perhaps everything was going to be alright.
His optimism floated along unmarred all through the weekend. When Blaine entered Mrs. Alcott's classroom on Monday, he gave Kurt a little smile and a nod to show that he hadn't forgotten. As soon as the bell rang, Kurt looked at Blaine expectantly.
Blaine bit his lip as if he was about to protest, but he didn't. "I'm going, I'm going. I just wanted to say…I thought a lot about what you said, after you left," he whispered, "…I get it." Kurt didn't know what say. He half thought Blaine might be saying that to appease him but he didn't press the matter.
"I'll talk to you later," Kurt said. "Afterwards, alright?" Blaine nodded and made his way to administration to talk quickly to the Dalton counselor during the short break.
"You two will give me whiplash," said a dry voice from behind Kurt. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was. "I don't suppose you could either stay mad at each other or stay on good terms for any length of time?"
"Eavesdropping, Jordan?" Kurt asked placidly, turning toward the older boy. "You know, you were the one who told me to go talk to him."
"Yeah, I know," he muttered. "It doesn't mean I can't lament my temporary madness now that I'm in a saner frame of mind."
"You don't really believe that," Kurt told him, smile twisting his lips.
"Keep thinking that," Jordan muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.
Kurt shook his head indulgently. "You know, Jordan…deep, deep down, you're a good person." Jordan's eyes narrowed but Kurt still believed he was putting on an act. "I take it you didn't go out of your way just to complain at me."
"No, actually," he responded, almost shyly. The older boy tapped a toe against the hardwood floor of the hallway. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Do tell."
Jordan looked up from where he'd been scuffing the ground with his shoe to make eye contact with Kurt. He deserved one last chance, in his own opinion. Hadn't Blaine forced the exact same issue, when it should have been too late for him? He'd never been told exactly what Blaine had wanted to say to Kurt on Valentine's Day but it didn't take a genius to figure it out. "Can you come to the stage after practice? Just for a few minutes."
Kurt was immediately unsure. He didn't exactly trust Jordan…or, if he was being honest, he didn't exactly trust himself with Jordan. But he'd been so helpful in the last few days, perhaps he really just had something to say. "You can't…tell me now?"
"Do you have to ask a million questions?" Jordan snapped. "Can't you just say yes or no?"
"Fine," Kurt said, slightly affronted, "if you're going to get so snappy about it."
"Good," Jordan said quickly. "Okay then…" And he walked away without saying another word.
Kurt stared after him, shocked into stillness. If that wasn't weird, he didn't know what was. He was far past trying to figure out Jordan. He had more important things to think about, like Blaine.
He went through the rest of the day with half of his mind on how Blaine's venture had gone, but didn't get a chance to talk to him alone until right before Warbler practice.
"Before you ask," Blaine said immediately, "we only talked for a few minutes." His face broke into a grin. "But he's nice enough. He…listens. I've never really been listened to like that before."
"Well, that's good. Maybe you just need a chance," Kurt said quietly as both Alcotts entered the music hall. He noticed that Oliver had dark circles under his eyes and looked a bit worn down, as if he'd been working too hard. He glanced surreptitiously at the students present. Jordan wasn't among them, and yet he'd asked Kurt to meet him later. Kurt sighed. How typical.
Jordan had gone straight to the performance stage after class got out. It was almost the end of the year and the Warblers really had nothing to practice for besides nursing home shows. The only reason he'd stayed with the group was because there was no other shows his profession would disqualify him from. Now that Chicago had wrapped, he was back on the prowl for another role; he was sure that it wouldn't be long before he booked another job.
But as a consequence, he didn't feel bad about skiving off Warbler practice. Instead, he tinkered lamely on the piano on stage, glancing periodically at his watch to see how long it would be until Kurt came to meet him.
Half an hour, twenty minutes, ten, and then five. Impatient, Jordan decided to pass the meandering minutes with something that always made time slide by faster: a song.
After practice, Kurt almost left for home without going to the stage. If Jordan hadn't been with the Warblers, what were the chances that he would show up there? But hanging on the off chance that he might be, Kurt stole out of the room after practice and left for the stage at a quick clip.
Three pairs of eyes followed Kurt's retreating form. "You see?" Jeff whispered quickly to his two companions.
"But he wasn't at practice," Wes whispered. "Maybe Kurt just needs to get home quickly for something. He does live far away."
"Would wandering in the same direction by happenstance really hurt anyone?" David mumbled, quickly pulling his bag onto his shoulder. "That way we can see for sure. Jeff said they were together after school on Friday, why don't we just see where he's going now before we jump to conclusions?"
The three exchanged another look before following Kurt's path through the halls.
Before Kurt was even able to see the stage, he heard music. Wondering if this was what he was supposed to be bearing witness to or if he'd stumbled onto something he shouldn't see, Kurt inched around until he could see Jordan, who appeared to have just started singing.
You're so hypnotizing
Could you be the devil? Could you be an angel?
Your touch: magnetizing
Feels like I am floating, leaves my body glowing
They say be afraid
You're not like the others, futuristic lover
Different DNA
They don't understand you
Jordan bit down on his lip between verses. Good Lord, what was coming out of his mouth? He was much more at ease with seventies and eighties powerhouse rock songs, or else something that he'd been trained to sing for the theatre. But all he could think of were the lyrics.
You're from a whole other world
A different dimension
You open my eyes
And I'm ready to go, lead me into the light
His gaze slid sideways and Jordan saw Kurt standing there, staring at him. He was of half a mind to leave off singing and pretend like Kurt hadn't already heard him at it. He wasn't sure what force propelled him to take steps toward Kurt…but he had the presence of mind to notice that Kurt didn't back away.
Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me
Infect me with your love and fill me with your poison
Take me, ta-ta-take me
Wanna be a victim, ready for abduction
Kurt knew that what he was about to do was crazy. He didn't even really like Katy Perry; he had only developed an interest in her because Blaine did. After he'd heard Blaine sing "Teenage Dream" the day they met, Kurt had gone home to look up every Kay Perry song in existence. Hence, he knew most of them. But that was something he shared with Blaine and it was strange to see Jordan singing one of her songs now.
He knew that his associations with the circumstances of when he'd heard her songs meant that Katy Perry had some sort of strange power over him. Kurt told himself that it was for that reason alone that he opened his mouth and did the last thing he would have expected.
Boy, you're an alien
Your touch so foreign
It's supernatural
Extraterrestrial
You're so supersonic
Wanna feel your powers, stun me with your lasers
Your kiss is cosmic
Every move is magic
The three spying Warblers watched, jaws agape. Their eyes followed Kurt as he stepped onto the stage properly, and they noticed how neither of the singers seemed inclined to look away.
Jeff got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had hoped that last Friday was coincidence. He had hoped that Blaine and Kurt just had a little fight, but from what Wes and David had said, Blaine was pretty messed up about something – messed up enough to potentially ruin everything. Now Kurt was with Jordan again, singing. He didn't see any painless way out of the situation.
Jordan continued,
You're from a whole other world
A different dimension
You open my eyes
And I'm ready to go, lead me into the light
Kurt was there. He was there with Jordan and he'd even started to sing with him, completely unbidden. Jordan couldn't help the sudden cloud of emotion that blossomed in his chest. Why would he have started to sing along? He wouldn't have done so if he didn't want to; Kurt didn't do anything that he wasn't inclined to do. He stared into the countertenor's blue eyes as Kurt took up the next verse. Step by step, Jordan drew closer until he was a mere foot away, close enough to lean forward and…
Kiss me, ki-ki-kiss me
Infect me with your love and fill me with your poison
Take me, ta-ta-take me
Wanna be a victim, ready for abduction
Boy, you're an alien
Your touch, so foreign…
Kurt's voice faded out as Jordan drew closer. For a moment there was only silence, and Kurt's eyelashes fluttered closed. He didn't want to push Jordan away, and he'd temporarily forgotten all about Blaine. For a few crazy moments, he wondered what it would be like to kiss Jordan. In those moments, he realized that it wasn't the first time he had thought such a thing.
On the back of his eyelids and in his mind's eye, Kurt watched as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Jordan's, the second boy he would have willingly kissed in his entire life. In real life, he felt gentle fingers trail up his arm, over his shoulder, and around the curve of his neck. By the time he opened his eyes, Jordan's trailing fingers had made it to the line of his jaw, and his face was incredibly close.
From a hidden spot on the stage, the hiding Warblers saw everything that was happening with gaping jaws. "He can't be," started David. "What about Blaine?"
"What about Blaine?" Wes hissed quietly. "He's the one who messed everything up."
"Then we have to make him change his mind," Jeff said quietly. "Kurt's upset. I…I can't believe he's…well." He looked away from the two on the stage. "Blaine might still be in the parking lot. Come on, hurry." As Jordan and Kurt drew closer, the three boys quietly rushed away from the stage, thinking that there was only one direction Kurt and Jordan's situation could have progressed.
They would have been wrong.
At almost the last moment, Kurt's heart gave an unsteady flip. Part of him ached to lean over to make contact with Jordan's lips. Blaine had left, a spiteful part of Kurt's mind thought. That same spiteful voice thought that kissing Jordan might make the sting of what was happening with Blaine less painful. But a more grounded part of his mind knew that pain was rooted in love.
"I can't," Kurt whispered, even as he could feel Jordan's warm breath on his face. "Jordan…I can't."
He saw Jordan's eyes flutter shut slowly and heard a sigh escape him. Only then did he say the last thing that Kurt ever expected him to: "You still love Blaine." Jordan leaned backward and his sapphire eyes flicked open to bore into Kurt's. "In spite of what he did, how he made you feel…you love him."
Kurt gaped. Jordan didn't understand everything – he couldn't – and yet for what he did now, he was being remarkably insightful. "Yes," he whispered finally.
Jordan shook his head. Kurt was having trouble identifying his expression. "I know," Jordan said simply.
"I-if this were another time…another circumstance…I mean, if Blaine and I had never –"
"Spare me the pitiful excuses," Jordan interrupted with a wave of his hand, "since this isn't another time or place and will never be."
"I don't know what to say," Kurt admitted.
"How about you just say that you won't mess it up?" Jordan asked. He smiled wryly. "I don't want to have lost for nothing."
Kurt could think of no other words to say. It turned out that he didn't need to, because Jordan gave him one last lamenting smile before walking off of the stage.
Jeff, Wes, and David had all hastened to the parking lot to catch Blaine before he left. The lot was almost empty, as most students had left hours ago, but Blaine was just getting into his car.
"I have an idea," said Jeff. The other two were shocked to see that he was smiling. He walked right up the car and rapped on the window. "Blaine? Blaine?"
"Jeff?" Blaine asked, getting out of his car and shutting the door. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine. So I know how you hate to fill anyone in on anything concerning your personal life, but a little birdy told me you screwed things up with Kurt."
Blaine glared at Wes and David. "And you wonder why I keep things to myself," he muttered. "It's complicated and hard to explain, okay? Maybe it's better this way for a while."
"Oh, I didn't come to talk you out of it," Jeff said with a shrug. "I just wanted to say that you are so right." Wes and David – and Blaine for that matter – blanched. Still smiling mischievously, Jeff shocked them all by singing his next words.
Forget about that guy
Forget about the way you fell into his eyes
Blaine's mouth pressed into a hard line, but Wes and David's stretched out into identical grins.
Forget about his charm
Forget about the way he held you in his arms
Blaine narrowed his eyes to glare at Jeff. "I know what you're doing," he muttered. "I watch movies too, you know." Unperturbed, Jeff merely continued.
Walking on air's obnoxious
The thrills, the chills
Will make you nauseous
And you'll never get enough
Just forget about love
"This is ridiculous," Blaine complained, throwing his hands in the air. To his horror, Wes and David each threw an arm across his shoulders and led him a few steps away from the car. Taking a cue from Jeff, David was the next to sing, leaving Blaine to wonder whether they planned to be a nuisance or if it came naturally.
Forget about romance
Forget about the way your heart begins to dance
Wes, grinning, stepped in, pinching Blaine's cheek playfully as he started.
Then you feel the blush
As he's spouting out some sentimental mush
Jeff winked at Wes and David, glad that they'd picked up on his mode of operation so quickly. He wouldn't tell Blaine about what he'd seen, but Jeff, being chronically optimistic, was certain that it wasn't too late. He continued where Wes left off.
Love really is revolting
It's even worse than when you're molting
Enough of this fluff
Just forget about love
Simultaneously, the three turned to look at Blaine expectantly. He shook his head but, after a moment, sang in a soft, wavering voice.
I had almost forgotten the way it felt
When he held out his hand for mine
My heart all aflutter
David was grinning widely as he sang the line,
Oh how I shudder…
Blaine had started to grin reluctantly, his friend's antics putting him back in a good mood.
The first time we kissed
Blaine's cheeks heated at the very memory, something he was sure all three of them saw as Wes sang,
It won't be missed
Forget about his touch
The younger boy shook his head, grin fully fledged on his face now.
I can't forget about his touch
Jeff nudged Blaine with his shoulder playfully.
In the scheme of things it doesn't matter much
Blaine pushed back at him with a bashful grin.
It matters so much
David grinned cheekily and shook a playful finger at Blaine.
You're better on your own
A meal becomes a banquet when you eat alone
Love's filled with compromises
And don't you hate those big surprises?
Blaine broke out of their grips and gained a faraway look when he next sang. Behind his back, the three Warblers exchanged self-satisfied grins.
A cozy rendezvous
Candlelight for two
Look, you're calling my bluff
I can't just forget about love
He stopped singing but didn't immediately turn around. "So?" Jeff asked finally.
"So what?" Blaine replied, though he was still grinning. "Like I said, it's complicated. I have more than just one thing to think about, but..." He made eye contact with each Warbler. "Thanks. Even if that was possibly the gayest thing that I've ever done."
"Really? I think you're forgetting the gay parade," Wes supplied unhelpfully.
"It was a rally!" Blaine exclaimed, distressed. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" But a moment later he began to laugh, and soon they were all chuckling along with him.
On the other side of the parking lot, Jordan rolled his eyes at the distant figures of the laughing Warblers as he got into his car and drove away alone.
E.T. - Katy Perry
Forget About Love - Iago and Jasmine (Aladdin: The Return of Jafar)
Next time: Blaine is so hopeful and enthusiastic about what's happened in the course of his Monday, he decides to relate the event to his mother - but how will Cayden react if he finds out Blaine's begun to speak to a counselor about his home life...and that he's been prompted to go by Kurt?