I'm not one to ask for reviews, and I don't want anyone to take it as me asking for reviews, because I get that sometimes you aren't signed on, or you're reading on an ipod or phone and can't, but I have to question the drop in both reviews and hits. Only because I'm wondering if there's something that just didn't work in this fic somewhere along the line that just drove people away...after all there are over 300 alerts on this fic and last chapter garnered only 3 reviews, and none of those reviews came from any of the readers that nearly always leave me reviews. Just a thought I'd throw out there...because seriously, 3 reviews is better than nothing and I appreciate it all the same, but I'd like to just know if there is something (maybe the too long drag out) that just drew readers away...just for later consideration...
On the other hand, I do have to say, that I broke the 200 mark! meant to mention this last time, but I forgot...I really don't pay attention to that much...but I looked at it today and I just went, "woah? Really?"
And now I will rant a bit about the chapter...this one is an interesting one because I didn't have it planned out to its entirety when I wrote it...only two scenes were really planned and the others just happened. I did enjoy writing this one...and it was supposed to be up yesterday but a certain thing that happened on Tuesday night distracted me enough to delay me in finishing this and such.
Anyhow, enjoy...
Disclaimer: I do not own glee, if I did...I really don't think you want to know what my mind might make the characters do...
Summary: Klaine. Kurt is stepping into a whole new world whether he is ready for it or not. After all, behind the face of structure, tradition, and well mannered boys there is chaos just waiting to be unearthed.
Chapter Twenty Six
Kurt rolled his eyes at Blaine. "Come on, you've met my dad before, this won't be any different."
Friday night dinners had been reestablished after his first week back at Dalton, and Kurt had decided it made the perfect excuse to finally introduce Blaine to his family as his boyfriend. He'd been wanting to bring it up since it happened, but hadn't had a chance to do so until Carole asked if he maybe wanted to invite Blaine to join them for dinner.
Blaine mumbled something and took a deep breath. "I think I'm ready...I'm pretty sure that I am, but you know if I pass out or have to run to your bathroom to throw up, I'm blaming it on you."
"And I'm supposed to be the melodramatic diva?" Kurt raised an eyebrow and grabbed Blaine hand. "Now, come on, they're going to love you."
"I could debate that," Blaine muttered.
Kurt let Blaine go in first and then followed. Blaine looked at Kurt in panic and Kurt thought that if he had been able to, he would have already run out the door and never looked back.
"Kurt, is that you?" his dad called out from the living room.
"Yeah, dad. I'll be right in."
He heard his dad grunt and then Finn poked his head out of the living room and stared at them.
"Hey, Blaine," he said and then looked at Kurt, "what's wrong with him?"
Kurt laughed. "Nothing. He's just a little worried about meeting dad."
Finn looked puzzled. "But he's like met him before. That time he was over during break?"
Blaine was taking his coat off shakily and not looking at Finn. So far only some of the boys at Dalton knew that he and Kurt were actually together. Kurt hadn't wanted to tell anyone from Lima so that the news wouldn't get to his dad before he could tell him in person. Blaine thought that Mercedes and Rachel had to suspect something, and now Finn looked like he was drawing the same conclusion they most likely had.
"Oh," Finn said. "Um. Good luck." That said he ducked back into the living room.
Kurt shook his head and helped Blaine with his scarf and before taking it off, let his hands rest on Blaine's shoulders and looking into his eyes. "They'll love you, Blaine," he told the slightly shorter boy, "do you know why?"
Blaine shook his head.
Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's shoulders. "Because I love you," he whispered and felt Blaine shiver against him. They stayed wrapped up in each other for a few more minutes before Burt's voice carried out of the living room asking what Kurt was up to.
"Come on," Kurt said, "nothing to be afraid of." He took Blaine's hand again and pulled his boyfriend towards the living room.
Blaine took a deep breath and followed Kurt only slightly less reluctant than before.
"Dad," Kurt said as he stepped into the room, "I want you to meet someone."
Burt grunted. "I've met Blaine, Kurt."
Kurt laughed a little and Blaine thought he could detect some nervousness. "I know, dad, but you haven't met him as my boyfriend."
At those words, Burt looked away from the TV and straight at them, eyes lingering for a moment on their clasped hands. "Boyfriend?" he asked.
Kurt nodded.
Burt eyed them both and looked at Blaine for a moment longer. "You going to treat him right, Blaine?"
"Yes, sir."
Burt nodded thoughtfully. "No funny business. No pressuring my son into anything he isn't ready for. No means no, you hear, and if you do anything to hurt him..."
Wide eyed, Blaine nodded along as Burt spoke. Kurt squeezed his hand and swept his thumb over the back of his hand in reassurance.
"Dad I think he gets it," Kurt said when his dad began to go on a rant about not hurting him.
"Right. Right." Burt set a glare on Blaine for a few seconds and then he relaxed his stare and added, "I'll be talking to you again in private."
Blaine gulped.
"Dad!"
Burt ignored Kurt and continued, "I have a shot gun I'll have you know and..."
He was cut off by shouts from Kurt and Carole who had just entered the living room, wiping her hands on her apron.
She smiled at Blaine and pulled him into a hug. "It's nice to see you again, Sweetheart, and don't mind Kurt's dad, he gets it into his head that he's tougher than he actually is..." she trailed off with a roll of her eyes and then turned to the rest of them, "well, the food is ready, so if we want to head into the dining room."
Finn was the first out of the room and Blaine and Kurt followed soon after. Kurt heard Carole telling his dad to behave and grinned at Blaine. "With Carole on your side I don't think you'll ever have anything to worry about."
"I love your stepmom," Blaine informed him.
"Not as much as I love yours," Kurt told him back. "Did I tell you she requested me as a friend on facebook? I was so excited, easier to exchange recipes, you know? Oh, and pictures."
Blaine groaned. "Can we not talk about anything that could possibly be humiliating to me tonight?"
Kurt leaned towards him and quickly pecked him on the cheek. "Sure."
They still hadn't had an official first kiss. Blaine had made it clear that Kurt was the one setting the pace and Kurt was happy about having so much control over how fast they went, but at the same time he had no idea what he was doing and trying to find the perfect moment to lean over and just lay one on him was harder than Kurt had expected and he half regretted not kissing Blaine on the night they became official.
Nothing had actually changed since that night, other than the fact that both boys felt more comfortable just pulling the other into a hug or that they now sat closer than they had before and that now they held hands whenever it was possible for them to.
Talk over dinner wasn't as stilted as Blaine had thought it would be. In fact, once he admitted to liking football, he was immediately pulled into a conversation with Burt and Finn. This left Kurt and Carole to discuss the finer details of how the two of them had gotten together without input from Burt.
"It's good to see you so happy, Kurt," Carole said with a motherly smile. "I knew from the moment I met him that the two of you would be great together."
Kurt blushed.
"I like him, Kurt," his dad said after dinner was over and he had volunteered himself and Kurt to do the clean up.
Finn who would usually have been doing that ran out of the room at once and Carole went after him, laughing. Blaine had offered to help, but Burt had informed him that he was a guest and then called Finn to take him away.
"I don't know how I feel about Finn being alone with Blaine," Kurt had protested, but one look from his dad had made him relent.
"Oh?" Kurt said, now.
His dad nodded. "He seems like a good kid. You've always chosen good people to hang around you and that Blaine...well, he's respectful. He has manners and he looks at you like you're the only thing that matters, Kurt."
Kurt felt himself blush a little.
"I really like him, dad," Kurt said after a while, beginning to wash the dishes. "He just understands me...no one's ever..."
"I know."
A few minutes later, Burt broke the silence again, "There's something we've been meaning to tell you, kid," he said.
"What...what is it?"
His dad dried a few cups and set them aside before he answered, turning to face Kurt head on. "We found a house."
"So...we're moving? Is it here in Lima?" Kurt didn't know how he was supposed to react. He wasn't home as much as he'd like as it was but this was the house where he'd grown up. Memories of his mom rested in this house.
"Yeah." His dad nodded. "House market isn't that good now but we managed to sell off Carole's house a few weeks ago and this one may take a little longer, but we have enough money for the new house and once we sell this one we'll be fine. I think you'll like it Kurt."
There was a lot that Kurt wanted to think about, not the least wondering what kind of color scheme he could persuade Carole to let him implement in their new house.
"I know," Burt continued, "this house...it was such a big part of your mom and I know you'll miss your basement, but it'll be better for all of us. It's not that we're trying to push away her memory...we just do need a bigger house."
Kurt nodded a little bit. "Can I be in charge of decorating?" he asked at last and his dad clapped him on the back.
"Sure, kid."
Kurt sat back in his bed and regarded Neil and Ian as they moved in Neil's things.
"I have no idea why I actually agreed to this," he told Blaine who was sitting at his desk working on his math homework.
"Because you actually secretly love me and want to have me at your disposal all the time," Neil said, jumping on Kurt's bed and puckering up his lips.
Kurt snorted. "Right. In your dreams..."
Blaine shook his head, looking up at them. "You shouldn't have said that. It'll give him ideas."
Kurt pushed Neil off his bed and sighed.
"Oh, Kurt, it'll be fun, don't worry. Like having a lovable brother. You've always wanted one of those haven't you?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "You've met Finn, Neil," Kurt informed him as David popped his head into the room, looking a bit distraught. He found Kurt and motioned for him.
"David?"
"Kurt, can I talk to you?" David wrung his hands together. He added, "alone" when Neil looked particularly interested.
Neil shrugged. "I'll find out later...I always find out."
Blaine who looked at David concerned had made to get up, but settled himself back down with a frown as he tried to catch David's eye, but David wouldn't look at any of them. His eyes were for the most part lowered to the ground unless he was looking up quickly at Kurt.
Kurt grabbed his phone and instructed Blaine that under no circumstances was Neil allowed to move any of his things and followed David back to his and Wes' room.
"David, are you okay?"
"No. Yes. I don't...I don't know, Kurt." He paced his room like a caged animal.
Kurt walked farther into the room and settled himself on Wes' bed, watching David for a while.
"What happened, David? Something must have happened."
David paused and looked at Kurt as if surprised that Kurt was there with him which made Kurt more and more concerned that something had happened. David seemed to be in shock about whatever it was. Kurt got up and went to stand in front of David, taking in his friend and trying to figure out what could have gone wrong.
"You can tell me anything, David, you know that. I won't judge you...I keep questioning why you came to me and not Wes or Blaine, but I'm your friend and I'll listen. You've listened to me enough..."
Suddenly David was hugging him and sobbing into his shoulder. Kurt's arms came up around David's and rubbed at his back in a manner he hoped was comforting. He had never seen this boy as anything less than composed. It was strange to have a crying David in his arms, but Kurt pushed away his shock and discomfort in order to comfort his friend.
"It'll be alright," he whispered. "Just talk to me."
Kurt didn't know how long it took for David to calm down enough to pull away and grab a few tissues to clean himself up, but he waited patiently until David was ready to talk.
"We know everyone talks," David said at long last. "They've been doing it for years. It's nothing new."
Kurt didn't try to pretend he knew what David was talking about, but instead let him just say what he needed to say because he imagined that was really what he needed more than anything.
"It started in middle school, probably even before that...our parents called us inseparable. But we were best friends, so it was okay. You're supposed to be like that with your best friend."
David sniffled, and blew his nose into one of the clean tissues still in his hands. He got up to throw it out. Kurt watched him. He knew now it had something to do with Wes.
David sat down next to Kurt on Wes' bed and Kurt immediately wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Go on," he urged, "you need to get it out."
"I think everyone expected it to be a phase or something that once we got girlfriends we'd just pull away. I don't know why I never saw it...to us it was just a joke. We used to sit around just accepting that some people thought we were together when we weren't. We were very comfortable with each other. He's my best friend, Kurt, and no one seems to understand that you can be that close with your best friend..."
Kurt tilted his head to look at David better. "What happened with Wes, David?"
"I don't know," David shrugged. "He's been...it's been weird with him lately, you know, and I thought maybe he was trying to keep something from me as a surprise or something. So I didn't really think anything of it, but today we were in the library - did you know the librarian's referring students to Thad now? - anyway, I said something, I can't even remember what it was, it was so irrelevant, and he got all annoyed at me and defensive and now he's ignoring my calls and...and I just want my best friend back."
Everything he said was broken up with sobs and sniffles, but he managed to say everything coherently. Kurt stared at him for a while and then he sighed. "You need to talk to Wes, David."
David nodded. "I know." He wiped a few tears away and lifting his head from Kurt shoulder said, "I love him, you know. I didn't know how much."
Kurt stared at him. "What do you mean, you love him? As...what kind of love?"
David didn't answer, because suddenly his phone was ringing and Kurt managed to catch a glimpse of Wes' name on the screen. David answered at once.
"Wes," he said.
Kurt got up and left the other boy after patting him on the shoulder, wondering if everything would be resolved. He had never met best friends like Wes and David. That was partly the reason he and most of the house were convinced that there had to be more between them and now he couldn't help but wonder just what was happening with the two boys.
Blaine hated Neil. He hated him more than he'd hated him back when he was stalking him around Dalton. He hated him more than he did when he'd gotten it into his head to mess with everyone's alarm clocks - although really that had probably been Ian's idea - and set David into an alarm clock destruction tirade on a weekend. Now, Blaine had more of a reason to hate Neil than ever. He and Kurt had just returned from their third date earlier that night and Kurt had been leaning towards him with what Blaine assumed was every intention of finally kissing him, but Neil had opened Kurt's bedroom and said something about gravy that Blaine didn't understand and Kurt had blushed and excused himself before running into his room.
Blaine groaned. He hated Neil.
"What's wrong?" Thad's voice asked from behind a stack of books.
Blaine rushed forward to take half the pile. "Your room?" He asked.
"Yup. So, what's got you so gloomy and maybe a bit angry?"
They got to Thad's room and Blaine set the books he'd taken from Thad down on Thad's bed, dropping himself down next to them. "Neil is acting the part of Kurt's dad, except he's creepier and he keeps saying something about gravy," he told Thad.
Thad who had left his pile of books on the floor was now pulling his chair to right in front of his closet and got on it. "Ah. So, he's not letting you get your mooch on?"
Blaine couldn't help but laugh. "Mooch? How much time did you spend with Mercedes on New Years and are you still talking to her?"
Thad shrugged. "She's cool. I set her up with Andrew from my French class the other night and it apparently went well."
"Oh, really? Kurt didn't mention anything. But I guess they haven't talked. Apparently I'm seeing her tomorrow though. Coffee after practice. Want to join us?"
"And distract Mercedes so you and your boy can get your mooch on?" Thad fixed Blaine with a look but then nodded and added a, "as long as you're paying."
Blaine picked up the first book on the pile next to him. "Not like that will help or anything," he told Thad. "I'm letting Kurt set the pace and I don't know if it's inexperience or that he actually wants to be a tease, but he just won't kiss me. We came close tonight, but then Neil...and it's just...we're actually together now."
Thad hummed and opened up a panel above the door to his closet, smiling to himself. "Well, maybe he wants it to be perfect and all your moments are just ruined or something...have you thought of kissing him first?" He got off the chair and walked to the bed to look through the titles of the books there.
"I just don't want to just kiss him out of the blue or anything."
"He probably feels the same, you know." Thad picked out four books from the pile.
Blaine sighed and fell back onto the bed. "Probably. I just really hate Neil right now anyway. He's like always around all of a sudden."
"It's because of Ian," Thad said knowledgably. "They're competing, you know."
"What?" Blaine had been so focused on Kurt since they'd gotten back that he'd begun to stop paying attention to everyone else around him. If he wasn't with Kurt, he was thinking about Kurt.
Thad shrugged. "It's not exactly known to everyone yet, but they're trying to prove something to each other. I really don't know the particulars and doubt anyone could understand them anyway, but they're both up to something."
Blaine groaned. "Wonderful. Does David know?"
"He has his own problems to deal with."
"Girlfriend issues again?" Blaine questioned. He really had to get back on top of things.
"Not sure on that one, actually. He and Wes have been acting stranger than usual. At first I suspected they might be in on the thing with Neil and Ian, but I can't be too sure. You miss one meal and all observation gets thrown into chaos."
Blaine stared at Thad and began to grin, remembering why he liked the other boy. He always knew everything and knew exactly what to say to anyone. Blaine suspected it had something to do with all the reading he did. What no one ever saw Thad doing was reading his actual school books.
"How's the French coming along?" He asked, changing the subject.
"Kurt and David have both tried to help me...but it's not exactly working I'm just going to fail at ever grasping that language. And I will never read the original Count of Monte Cristo. That was a dream."
Blaine snorted. "It's the same in English isn't it?"
Thad gasped and looked horrified. "I expect that from Wes or Neil...even from Mark..."
"Sorry. Sorry."
Thad scrambled onto his chair and reached for a book and handed it to Blaine.
"Linguistics?" Blaine asked.
"Yes. Educate yourself. You know, it's believed that every language has its own thought world. Well books are the perfect look into someone's mind and soul, so in what language should they be read but their original one?"
Blaine looked at him thoughtfully and weighed the book. "I'll skim it and get back to you on this."
"That's all I ask."
"Karofsky in Glee, and actually liking it not to mention being good at it," Kurt said this in shock, as if saying it and repeating it to himself under his breath would make it more believable.
Mercedes rolled her eyes at him and leaned towards Thad who was sitting next to her. "The boy was fine," she said and Thad nodded readily.
"Told you I could find you someone perfect for you."
Blaine tuned them out and looked at Kurt. "Are you okay?"
"I just...I can't picture it. Him dancing and singing with my friends and Finn being okay with it." Kurt glanced up and made sure Mercedes and Thad were distracted enough. "Finn knows what he did and to hear that they're being friends again and...I haven't been around other than Friday dinners lately and that's hardly enough time to talk to Finn...I just..."
Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt. "It could mean a step in the right direction for Karofsky."
"I don't know. To me he'll always be that guy that stole that from me...he damaged me, Blaine."
Kurt pulled them into a better position a few minutes later so they weren't facing away from their friends.
"So, the football team is dancing and singing with you guys? I might have to see this," Kurt said with a smile that wasn't fully formed.
Mercedes frowned at him. "Well, I didn't finish telling you what went down today..." she went into a long explanation of why the team now only consisted of the glee guys.
"Oh. That's awful. Poor Coach Beiste." Kurt brought his coffee up to his lips for a sip.
Rachel who had tagged along with Mercedes again, appeared then with her own half drunk cup of coffee. She sat down next to Kurt and he shifted closer to Blaine who smiled at him, to make more room for her.
"Ah, so you've filled them in. I'm so depressed, guys," she said with a sigh.
Kurt wanted to ask if she was actually talking about the football team or her relationship with Jesse, but decided not to. They had made headway to getting back to being good friends and Kurt didn't want to bring up the subject of Jesse and Finn and her love life again.
Thad who had been quiet for this entire time lifted a hand as if he were in class and ready to be called upon.
"Yes, Thad?" Rachel asked.
"Well," he said, "if this book is up to date, and I think it is...then you wouldn't need all of those guys to return..."
Kurt didn't know what to make of the "I've got an idea" look that Rachel was displaying while Thad spoke, or the way she grabbed Mercedes and practically dragged her out of the coffee shop. The three boys that were left behind shared a look.
"I don't like where this is going," Kurt muttered.
"I don't know if I like her," Thad said at the same moment. "She was...strange."
Blaine laughed at both of them. "How about, we don't care what Rachel Berry has up her sleeve and go to that football game if it does, you know, happen, and do some spying on New Directions, find out what her idea is, and maybe show some support."
"Sounds like an idea," Thad said with a grin.
"I don't know how I feel about the spying, but if we must."
There was another box that he had yet to empty, the one he kept back at his dorm. That one was full of pictures. Garret had almost forgotten it existed if it weren't for Trip dropping his wallet under his bed. And then, when Garret saw it, he began to remember again why he and Blaine had been so perfect together. It was a last moment, he assured himself. A last time for him to remember everything he and Blaine had before he officially pushed it away. Because even after burning the other box his thoughts kept going back to his ex.
"What's that?" Tripp asked.
"The last remains of my Blaine," Gar muttered.
Tripp cocked his head to the side. "Your Blaine? I thought you were over the whole trying to get him back thing."
"Yes, I'm done with that," Gar said and smiled sadly, "first I have to get rid of these...it's the last things I have from that time and just looking at them...I just can't keep them."
Tripp frowned at him. "Don't you want to, though? In twenty years you'll think back to the wonderful boy that you were happy with for a while and you won't have anything to remember him by."
Garret grunted. "I'll have the heartbreak."
"That'll go away eventually. You'll love again."
"I don't know if I want to," Garret whispered and then pushed the box towards his best friend. "Could you, please get rid of it...and maybe...will you keep one for me so in twenty years when I'm over it I can look back."
Tripp nodded. "Sure. Any one in particular?"
Garret shrugged. "Whichever one portrays him best. You're right, I want to remember him...but for now I have to get him out of my head and out of my heart and that starts with subjecting myself to being around him and Kurt more."
Tripp opened his mouth, but Gar glared at him and he sighed, picking up the box and leaving the room. He pulled out his phone a few minutes and called Blaine. He hadn't since New Year's, but now felt like a good time as any.
"Hey," Blaine said, "haven't heard from you in a while."
Gar could hear Kurt in the background singing along with the radio.
"So, I was wondering," Garret said, "are you and Kurt doing anything next weekend? I think I need to get out there and I want to get to know your boyfriend. I haven't exactly been an exemplary Dalton boy to him." After a while he added, "I could give him pointers."
Blaine laughed and Gar heard him relate everything he was saying to Kurt. He heard Kurt's musical voice say something about a football game and about a Finn.
"McKinley's having a championship football game Friday night if you want to go to that. A bunch of the Warblers are going too. You could come to that with us if you wanted."
Garret hated football. He'd barely tolerated watching a few games when they were still dating and he'd managed to persuade Gar to watch them with him. "Yeah, I guess, sure."
"Cool. You'll have something to talk about with Kurt, then."
Gar laughed. "You will be forever cursed to find yourself boyfriends that detest that atrocious sport."
Blaine laughed. "Alright, well, I'll text you about where we're meeting up before heading to Lima. It'll be fun."
"Sure."
"I'm glad you're sounding better than last time, Gar. Well, I have to go..."
"Yeah, alright. Bye." Garret didn't wait for Blaine to reply and ended the call. He took a few deep breaths. He could do this.
The first two scenes in this were sort of planned. I knew they were going to happen...I just didn't know what would happen when they did...I kind of just let the characters play. And David just really surprised me. But I sort of know what's going on with Wes and David...those boys will be the death of me. Thad is the only one I can rely on. He's my buddy who just hangs out with his books and doesn't cause dramatic chaos.
They were supposed to kiss in this chapter...but, well, they didn't...I sort of had it planned...but I'm really glad now I didn't write it out that way (Thank you Neil) because it would not have compared to what actually happened in "Original Song" which I'm sure everyone has seen by now. I just saw it slowed down earlier tonight and...just...wow...incoherency was exactly what happened. I can't even properly explain my excitement, but everyone must be feeling it...so there's probably no need. All I have to say is, that they're cannon! And Darren and Chris are just adorable when talking about it.
Anyhow, now the kiss will happen as originally (sort of) planned...as I started writing next chapter earlier today while I was in my comp. lit class and I have to say that it'll be interesting even if it still probably won't happen in next chapter. Sorry. These characters, though.
Please review. Hope you liked it.
-Erika