Author's notes:
As always, I don't own Glee or any of the songs/movies/television shows/websites/ real things referenced.
Rating is for language and some sexual content.
Approximate words this chapter: 9,500
Monday, May 21, continued
"How could you do that to me?" Blaine nearly squeaked, high-pitched at Kurt.
Kurt, taken aback at the excessive display, shook his head. "Okay, Blaine, what am I doing to you?" Kurt's tone was controlled, unemotional.
"I feel like you dumped me for Karofsky." Blaine's eyes fixed, accusing on Kurt, voice strong but raspy, an audible hint of breakdown.
"Blaine, you and I broke up almost two months ago." Kurt's voice was strong but quieter, determined. "You seemed fairly well-adjusted. I wasn't detecting any resentment or bitterness. And, and David and I, well, it just felt like it was happening."
"I guess my being the lead-voice of the Warblers last year and successor to the face of the New Directions next year and the guy who took you under his wing and helped you with every little crisis you had last year, well, I guess that wasn't enough; I guess that can't compete with someone who turned an attempted suicide into an internet sensation. I mean, I guess I'm just no competition for that." Blaine's tone was hard.
At this point a crowd was beginning to gather: Mercedes, Rachel, and Tina were watching from one side. Chris Strando and some of the other football players were gathering from the other.
Kurt lost his indifferent demeanor, and his face took on an expression of disgust. "First of all, Blaine, you are making a scene here in the school hallway. If this can't wait, which, for you it obviously can't, I'd like you to at least speak with some measure of civility. Second, I can't believe that I had misjudged your character so drastically. I thought you were the well-mannered, well-appointed, unfailingly proper, respectful, understanding, perfect man you projected. This has revealed you to be unbelievably vain, incredibly cruel, self-centered, selfish, inexcusably petty, and irrationally needy. It's like you feel as though your prep-school credentials, undeniable talent, charm, and well-monitored breeding entitle you to preferential consideration. I don't think you want a boyfriend who represents any level of equality with what you feel about yourself: what you want is a groupie."
As the level of Kurt's voice lowered, conscious of the attention he and Blaine were drawing, the gathered parties drew closer.
"You know, the sickest thing about this is that David really likes you. He respects you. Do you know how hurt he'd be if he heard what you just said, Blaine?"
Blaine's eyes widened as if enraged, then narrowed in an expression of near-repulsion. "Oh, and I suppose Karofsky treats you like an equal," Blaine spat, voice quieter than before.
Kurt's eyes shot to Blaine's, straight-on: "Off the record, yes he does; for the record, that's really none of your fucking business." Kurt's voice was nearly a hiss: quiet but aggressive. "I don't get this, Blaine. You were fine with David a week ago. You've been fine with him ever since you made an ass out of yourself that Sunday night when we all went to karaoke. And, Blaine, you owe him for the respectful way he treated you that night. I thought that was understood."
"That was before it occurred to me that this thing with you and Karofsky was probably going on the whole time." Blaine's voice was quieter but no less angry, and it had developed an audible tremble; for that matter, the tremble was visible as well.
"Blaine, you know me better than that. I thought I knew you. I was obviously wrong. I will not dignify anything you just said with a response. If you cool off and come to your senses, you know where I can be reached. Until then, this conversation is over."
Kurt turned, a hard, strong expression on his face, and began walking away from Blaine. As if instinctively, Strando and Brandon jumped behind Kurt forming a two-man shield against any assault, verbal or physical, which might have been coming from Blaine's direction. When Kurt was several yards away, he heard Blaine emit a howl of pain and rage which echoed in the hall. Stunned, Mercedes raised her hands to Blaine's mouth, silencing him, as Finn nervously held Blaine by his shoulders, preventing him from advancing in the direction of Kurt. Kurt did not look back.
Once around a corner and near a side exit, Kurt, expression unbending, turned to face Chris and Brandon. "Thanks, you two," Kurt spoke to the larger boys. "Listen," Kurt continued, "I don't want you two to mention this to David, okay?" Chris and Brandon nodded silently. "I will tell David about this on my own," Kurt concluded, "Thanks again, guys."
Brandon nodded while Chris reached out and gave Kurt a one-armed bro-hug, gentler but no less symbolic than one he would have given one of his team-mates as a sign of solidarity.
Kurt left the building and cut a straight path to the student parking lot and his Navigator, face stoic and unbending: strong. Once inside his car, however, he slowly began to melt. With his forehead resting on the steering wheel, his entire form dissolved from strength to heartbreak. When Blaine unfairly insulted David, it didn't merely hurt Kurt on David's behalf; it hit Kurt harder than if he'd have been the object of Blaine's attack. After some minutes, Kurt, realizing that the school day was only half-over, decided to approach the office to request an early dismissal: technically, Kurt wasn't sick, but he certainly felt unwell.
Kurt drove home to an empty house: Finn and Sam were likely staying the rest of the day in school. Kurt sent them both a text message informing them that he had left early. Both of them correctly assumed that they knew the reason why. Burt and Carole would be arriving Tuesday evening. Kurt appreciated the time by himself. He wanted to call David, but he didn't want to reveal the reason why he'd left school early: he felt that David might blame himself for Kurt's and Blaine's splintering friendship.
Instead, Kurt pecked out a text message to Blaine.
Kurt: I want to talk to you when you're ready to speak to me in a civil manner. Not before. 1:22PM
Kurt received an immediate response.
Blaine: what if i can't talk to you in a civil manner? 1:23PM
Kurt replied immediately.
Kurt: Well, then I will assume that we won't be talking again. 1:23PM
Kurt nearly jumped in his seat as, seconds later, his phone rang. It was Mercedes.
"Hello, Mercedes," Kurt held out the words as if slightly annoyed.
"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel!" Mercedes scolded from the other side. "Where in the hell are you?"
"I'm home," Kurt vocalized, sounding calm. "I couldn't put up with that insanity, and the rest of the day would have been spent marking time while other students fulfilled their final-exam requirements. Where are you calling me from?"
"I ditched my study hall for the choir room," Mercedes replied, her voice sounding less frantic. "With finals over, it's not like there's anything left to study for anyway."
"How's everything at the school, Mercedes?" fatigued-sounding again.
"Kurt, I told you on Saturday night that this was gonna be trouble. I knew there was gonna be a shitstorm when Blaine found out about you and Dave."
"Mercedes," Kurt sounded pleading, "you know, I lost sleep over this Saturday night after we talked about it; I considered calling Blaine over the weekend to try and be preemptive." Kurt paused. "Do you really think this, today, was called-for?"
"No. Absolutely not, but I also know Blaine, and I could see it coming."
Kurt shook his head. "Well, I'm baffled. Honestly, I thought he was completely over this. He and David had been around each other recently, and he seemed fine with that, even friendly; and Blaine and I were back to being friends. I really don't know how to approach this, and I told Blaine that I won't approach this until he's ready to speak to me in a conversational tone-of-voice."
"Honey," Mercedes began, "I could see it sometimes when you weren't around, and sometimes when you were and he wasn't the center of attention."
"What do you mean?"
"It was bad enough if all eyes weren't on him, but if he thought you were stealing his spotlight, I could just see him go all livid beneath the surface," Mercedes ominously voiced. "It's like he considered you his property or apprentice or something."
Kurt rolled his eyes and dramatically answered. "Mercedes, honestly, now you have me... almost mad. Why do you like Blaine so much when you could see that was going on? I mean, I'm supposed to be your best friend here."
Kurt heard Mercedes nearly sigh and remain silent for some time before answering. "It's embarrassing, Kurt."
"What?"
"The reasons why," Mercedes answered.
"Out with it, Mercedes," Kurt began to sound impatient.
"Kurt, you two were so cute together, and you looked so right together. It's like you and Blaine looked like you belonged. It was the kind of gay couples they show on TV all the time. And, honestly, I thought it worked out really nice with Blaine being one of the boys and you being... "
"Okay, stop right there," Kurt interrupted. "I don't want to hear any more of that."
"Kurt, I thought that's what made you happy; what made you you," Mercedes managed to get out.
Kurt was silent for a moment before he asked, "How does everyone else at school feel about this thing that happened today with Blaine?"
"Oh, after Blaine's spoiled-brat hissy-fit this afternoon?" Mercedes said directly, "Everyone's on your side."
"And where is Blaine now?" Kurt asked.
"Last I heard, he was sent to Miss Pillsbury's office and was cooling down there."
"And you say everyone's on my side?" Kurt asked.
"Everyone is with you, everyone who knows the story. You and Blaine have been done for over a month. He had no reason to be hanging onto you like that."
Kurt exhaled loudly before speaking. "How do you feel about this, Mercedes? Along with Rachel, you are collectively Blaine's and my closest friends."
"That boy Blaine is on the edge of psycho and really has some issues to work out," Mercedes opined. "Kurt, I know Dave makes you happy."
Kurt snapped sarcastically, "But can you get over losing your perfect gay couple consisting entirely of media stereotypes?"
Mercedes didn't react, feeling justly scolded.
Kurt continued. "For the record, David and I look incredible together. Also for the record, and possibly counter to impressions I may have given in the past, I'm a man, and I wouldn't be anything else." Kurt's voice became quieter. "David understands that about me, and I don't think Blaine ever did."
"I'm sorry, Kurt," Mercedes was genuinely contrite.
"It's okay, Mercedes. We're all growing up and becoming more defined versions of ourselves. I guess it's the last thing anyone expected from me."
"You're still you, Kurt. I can see that."
"Thanks," Kurt paused. "And thanks for calling, Mercedes. It's good to know that there are people with me on this. Sometimes I felt like if I said anything against Blaine, I'd get scolded as if he was my best and only option. Like I was lucky that he'd even look at me. Like I'd end up being some pathetic gay spinster without him, and, y'know, for a while, I almost bought into it."
"Kurt, you're a really special guy, and I know you and I have grown apart," Mercedes sounded regretful.
"Hey," Kurt cut her off before she could continue. "You and I helped each other get through high school. I'm always going to love you as one of my best friends for that."
"Thanks, Kurt, and you're right," Mercedes replied through a relieved laugh, "there's no way we'd have made it through the last three years without each other."
"Mercedes, I should probably get going and figure out how I'm going to handle this thing concerning Blaine going forward," Kurt explained, "and I have no idea how I'm going to tell David."
"Do you have to tell David?" Mercedes asked.
"Yes, I do," Kurt answered directly. "I can't just sweep this under the rug or something, it would be too obvious when Blaine and I have been best friends. I don't think David will take it well. He's sometimes really hard on himself, and I have a feeling that he'll blame himself for this."
"Well, I hope everything goes okay with that, Kurt," Mercedes said.
"And I'd like for some of us to go somewhere and hang out with David and me sometime so you can see how awesome we are together," Kurt proposed.
Mercedes laughed happily. "We'll hafta work that in before I leave for the west coast. Goodbye, Kurt. See you in school tomorrow?"
"Yes, you'll see me in school tomorrow. I'm not going to avoid having a life because Blaine can't handle something. I did that kind of thing too often when Blaine and I were together. Bye, Mercedes, and thanks again for keeping me in the loop."
Kurt ended the call to see that a text message had arrived during the call.
David: Hi Kurt. I know you won't be home from school for a while, but I figured your day would be pretty boring. If you're bored, I'm here. 2:13PM
Kurt wasted no time dialing David's number immediately.
"Hey, Kurt. What's going on?" Kurt heard, warm-sounding, through the phone.
"Hello, David," Kurt answered, a slight whine in his fatigued voice. "I left school early today. I need to talk to you."
"Something's wrong," David detected from Kurt's tone of voice. "You want me there? I'm there in fifteen if you do."
Kurt made a few uncertain-sounding noises before saying, "You don't have to go out of your way, really; I just need to talk to you, like, today."
"Kurt, that's all I need to know. I'm on my way over. See you in a few."
With David's words, the call went silent.
As promised, David arrived at Kurt's house within fifteen minutes. Kurt let him in the front door, and David could sense by Kurt's expression that Kurt was under some weight of stress. David approached Kurt and held him loosely, studying Kurt's face for clues as to what might be wrong: he wanted to hold him closer but was unsure of the problem.
"Kurt, what's wrong?" David finally said quietly.
Kurt moved into David's arms more closely, holding his cheek against David's shoulder, calming David's uncertainty.
After a moment of holding himself close to David, Kurt said, "Come sit down, David; I need to talk to you."
Kurt led David to the couch: David on a far side near an armrest; Kurt sat beside him.
Kurt exhaled, nearly a sigh of defeat, before speaking. "Blaine had a tantrum today."
David's expression became quizzical: creased brow, subtle head-shake.
"It's you and me. He says that he feels like I dumped him for you."
David's eyes widened as he looked downward, shaking his head. "Kurt, that doesn't make any sense." He spoke quietly, but his twitchy gestures betrayed his discomfort and feelings of guilt.
Kurt reached for and touched David's hand, sensing David's unease. "David, Blaine has no reason to feel like that. We were over for nearly two months. And, and the way it happened, well, he walked into that; he gave me every reason to not want him that way. His behavior now is an extension of that. I'm not going to stand for it."
"But I thought you guys were gonna remain friends," David spoke softly, almost a pleading tone. "Y'know, I was hoping that you and I would have this great time together this summer before going away in the fall. And I wanted all of our friends being part of that, Blaine included." David's face pained somewhat. "I considered Blaine a friend, I mean, it really felt that way."
Kurt held his forehead in his hands, elbow on his knee, body pitched forward. "For the past few months, Blaine has revealed himself to be someone other than the person I thought I knew. He's said and done things I really didn't think he was capable of."
David reached his hand up to Kurt's back, a gesture of support. "Um, Kurt, I really don't know Blaine much at all. I mean, we've only talked one-on-one a couple of times. Do you think it'd help if I talked to him?"
"No!" Kurt's answer was emphatic and immediate. "I really would rather that you didn't do that."
"Kurt, I'm part of this," David spoke in a reasoned tone, hand gently rubbing Kurt's back. "I feel terrible if what happened with you and me caused a problem between you and one of your closest friends. I'd feel the same way if the idea of you and me being together caused a problem with you and Mercedes or you and Finn; but it wouldn't change my mind or make me regret where you and I are right now. This feels good for me, and I know it's something that you want too."
Kurt smiled, small but genuine, turning to take in David's face. "I don't want you talking to Blaine, David. He said some things that I don't want you to hear."
David smiled somewhat crookedly, shaking his head. "You're protecting me, Kurt. It's really sweet." David reclined into the corner of the couch, placing his hand around Kurt's shoulder to pull him back with him; Kurt offered no resistance, gently falling into David and resting his cheek on David's shoulder. A lock of Kurt's hair had fallen forward onto his forehead; David lightly swept it back with his index finger.
"Did I ever tell you about what happened between Azimio and me?" David began in a soft voice.
Kurt, facing down, turned his eyes upward at David and shook his head. "No, I only assumed that something happened and you weren't friends any longer."
"See, Kurt, a few months ago, when everything was going really bad for me, when I was at my lowest point, I considered Zee to be my best friend. I really needed to talk to someone. My dad said he was okay with me, but he didn't show it; my mom was ready to ship me off to have me deprogrammed or something. I didn't feel I knew or trusted any of my other friends well enough to talk to them. Azimio had been my best friend for years." David paused, inhaling and biting his lower lip momentarily. "When I came out to Zee, he rejected me, flat out. It was the coldest, hardest thing I'd ever felt, and it hurt so freaking bad, Kurt. It hurt like nothing else I ever felt. Three days later, when I was ready to end it, I was numb. In pain, but numb. Even what I felt right then didn't hurt me like Azimio's last words to me did. They just ripped me apart inside." David paused for a moment as Kurt's face took on a sorrowful expression. "The thing is, Kurt, Zee wasn't the friend I thought he was. I had people I could have talked to who would have been okay with me. I have more real friends now than I did then, and Zee certainly didn't turn out to be a real friend."
"You tried to talk to me," Kurt muttered, betraying guilt.
"We've already talked about that, Kurt, and you shouldn't hold onto any guilt with that just like I shouldn't want to keep apologizing for things that happened months ago. But, just as I have this tendency to feel sorry for my past horrible behavior, I know that's probably going to continue to bother you on some level; and I don't want to know that you still have guilt feelings about that any more than you want to hear me say that I'm sorry for things that happened a year-and-a-half ago."
David paused for a moment before continuing. "See, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive Azimio," David confessed. "It just hurt too much, and it was so fucking deliberate and cold; and I came to him as a friend in a desperate, hurt state. Blaine, though, I don't know what he could have said, but it was probably in the heat of anger or confusion or something." David paused. "Do you think Blaine still maybe has feelings for you?"
Kurt paled for a moment before answering. "I think this is a vanity thing with Blaine. If that's the case, it shows me how really unimportant a factor I was in our friendship as well as our relationship. It wasn't that he was so attached to me as much as it was the fact that someone besides him could have me: that's what got to him."
"Wow," David sounded genuinely surprised. "Is he really like that? I mean, he seems so, like, together and friendly and confident and genuine."
"He's definitely fantastic at being exactly what he thinks everyone expects him to be at any given time: proper, well-groomed, universally desirable; and, yes, when all of that hard work of a well-honed image and reputation doesn't seem to be enough, he acts out of selfishness."
David puzzled further. "You don't think he ever had feelings for you? I mean, he defended you from me. More than once we were in each other's faces."
Kurt shook his head. Confused. "Honestly, David, I think he was acting out of what he thought some rule book would tell him to do. Everything about Blaine on every level conforms to some stereotype of perfection, some pre-determined etiquette, but it's all just a mask. I won't say that some of his actions aren't borne out of responsibility or a genuine sense of integrity, but that's something that can be affected also."
"And you don't think that he's just hurt that you found someone else before he did?" David asked.
"No, that's exactly why he's bothered," Kurt interjected. "He'd have probably been fine if he'd have had a new boyfriend before I did. As long as his 'someone else' was hotter than I am."
David's brow creased. "People are so confusing. I don't like what Azimio did to me, but at least I can chalk it up to ignorance. And maybe I still prefer to believe that Blaine's still acting as the bitter ex-boyfriend. And if that's the case, I feel bad about it. I honestly thought I did everything I could to consider his feelings before moving forward with anything with you."
"You did, David," Kurt murmured softly.
"I guess we both lost the people we thought were our best friends," David spoke, slightly louder.
"David, It's not inconceivable that, someday, Azimio will understand that what he did to you was wrong," Kurt offered quietly.
"Yeah, and maybe Blaine will get that there are feelings other than his own that need to be considered," David countered. "The thing is, every time I think about Azimio, I get this nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. It doesn't last long, but it's there. You can't see Blaine changing any more than I can see Azimio changing."
"Doesn't mean it won't happen, David," Kurt remarked. "I told Blaine I want to talk to him. I also told him that he had to lose his attitude or it wasn't going to happen. I'm not going to suffer through an irrational shouting-match with him."
Kurt turned more tightly into David's shoulder and rested his hand on David's chest. David smiled and tipped his head to Kiss Kurt's forehead. Kurt didn't look up, but he smiled at the action, warmed by the touch of David's lips.
"Did you tell your parents about us?" Kurt asked, still smiling, sounding as if speaking from a daydream.
David chuckled slightly. "Yes. They already knew." At this admission, David reached into his jacket and retrieved the T-shirt which Lorraine had brought back for Kurt and tossed it into Kurt's lap.
"What's this?" Kurt said as he picked up the shirt, eyeing it suspiciously.
"My parents, well, my mom really, have this long-standing tradition of bringing me back a T-shirt from any trip they take which doesn't include me," David explained. "My mom brought back one for you as well as one for me this time."
Kurt laughed at the quaintness of the gesture. "It's actually pretty cool," Kurt surmised, visually critiquing the shirt.
"As I was on my way out the door, my parents asked me to ask you if you'd like to join us for dinner," David added. "They just got back from a vacation, so they didn't feel like making something. I don't know where they're going, but you're invited. I think they want to get to know their son's boyfriend a little better."
Kurt smiled, an almost drowsy-looking smile, and rolled his head playfully on David's shoulder. "I don't feel like cooking tonight either. Let me run upstairs and change my clothes. I'll be back in about ten or fifteen." Kurt stood and walked toward the stairway, about to ascend, then turned back toward David. "What should I wear?"
David smiled and shook his head. "Wear whatever you want to wear. Be as appropriate or as inappropriate as you feel you need to be. We won't be going anyplace extravagant, I'm sure. Breadstix or something like that, maybe."
Kurt grinned at David, nodding, before turning around and climbing the stairs. David sat on the couch and closed his eyes, not sure if he'd be able to doze while waiting for Kurt when the door opened and Finn entered.
"Hey, Dave," Finn spoke after seeing David on the couch, "I saw your truck outside."
"Hey, Finn," David greeted in return. "Yeah, Kurt called me and said he was kinda down about things so I thought I'd come over,"
Finn smiled before seating himself on a chair adjacent to the couch. "It was a crazy day, that's for sure," Finn stated, his expression more serious.
"You mean about Blaine?" David began. "It bums me out, Finn. I thought we were all friends, and I hate thinking that this has caused a problem with Kurt and Blaine."
Finn shook his head. "I've gotten to know Blaine fairly well. Yeah, I'm friends with the guy, but he's really, like, weird and emotional about things; and, in some ways, worse than Kurt used to be, but he hides it most of the time. There were some things I never liked about the way he treated Kurt, but as long as Kurt seemed happy, I wasn't gonna question anything. This thing that happened in school today, though, dude, that's all on Blaine. Him and Kurt have been done for weeks, and he seemed cool with being friends. Blaine's just too wrapped-up in being the center of attention and being the guy that is never wrong and the guy that can't lose. I went around with him a while back over how greedy he was being with stuff in the glee club. The thing is, if you know Blaine a little, he seems like the nicest guy; the more you get to know him, though, the more you see how messed-up he can be."
David shook his head. "Just confusing. Kurt didn't want me talking to Blaine, maybe about something Blaine might have said about me? Do you know what that's all about?"
Finn shook his head, answering. "No, I didn't catch the whole outburst. I think most of what was said happened before I arrived."
Kurt returned from the upstairs wearing a solid black button-down shirt worn open over the T-shirt which Lorraine had bought for him, rugged-looking black jeans, and engineer boots; his hair was styled but relaxed-looking. "Oh, hi, Finn, I didn't hear you come in," Kurt voiced upon his arrival.
"Hey, Kurt," Finn answered. "Looks like you're in a better mood." Finn shot a smile and a nod in David's direction.
"Yes, David and I are going to dinner with David's parents, so I don't know what there is around here for your dinner."
"I'll look in the fridge and find something," Finn said, adding, "Have a good time, then, guys."
David stood and Kurt met him halfway between the couch and the stairs; both thanking Finn before walking to the entryway and departing.
Dinner was indeed at Breadstix, and the feeling was casual and relaxed. Lorraine was talkative as ever; but, much to the relief of David and Paul, not awkward. Lorraine was impressed by Kurt's knowledge of fashion and his interest in pursuing the performing arts, but she was not patronizing in the least: she seemed genuinely interested in knowing Kurt, and Kurt was receptive and interested in her as well. For the number of times they and their parents had shared breakfast on weekend mornings, the quick dinner was revelatory in ways none of them could have predicted. Silent across-the-table eye-contact between Paul and David signaled at various times unfounded concern, amusement, surprise, but, above all, ease: if Lorraine was making an effort, it wasn't apparent. She seemed to be settling into this situation with an incredible poise, if not downright elegance.
The four returned to David's house after dinner. Paul and Lorraine walked ahead of David and Kurt as they climbed out of Paul's car.
"It's pretty early," David mentioned to Kurt, looking away, appearing slightly nervous. "It's not even seven o'clock. Do you wanna hang out for a while? Here or we could go back to your place?"
"We can stay here," Kurt answered. "I just want to be home by nine-thirty or ten. I know I don't have to worry about any actual school work tomorrow, but there's no way I'm not going after today's craziness."
David nodded, ushering Kurt into the house. "Do you want to go up to my room or the gameroom?"
Kurt's face grimaced slightly, "Probably the gameroom would be best with your parents around," he said at a hushed volume.
"Yeah, good call," David agreed. "We can hang out, and they won't feel like they need to keep an eye on us. You want something to drink?"
"Just a glass of water or something would be fine," Kurt answered.
"Sure you don't want diet cola?" David smirked a reply.
"Whatever, I just don't want to be up all night," Kurt remarked.
"Okay, you can head down to the gameroom, and I'll be down in a few," David smiled. "Help yourself to the TV," David said more loudly as he walked toward the kitchen.
David busied himself in the kitchen, removing two glasses, filling one with iced tea for himself and the other with diet cherry soda. Lorraine approached him quietly from behind.
"David," Lorraine spoke upon her approach to alert him without startling him.
David turned to see his mother. "Hey, mom."
Lorraine walked closely toward David, smiling, and spoke quietly. "Thank you for bringing Kurt tonight. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to talk with him and get to know him better."
David nodded, twisting the cap onto the bottle of soda, and placing the bottle on the counter. "Well, he wanted to come to dinner when I asked him."
Lorraine continued. "Until tonight, I only knew Kurt first as a faceless name for which your father was called to the school to speak about your behavior; then I knew him as the boy you met on weekend mornings to run with at the park. Now that I've actually spoken to him for a while, I think Kurt and I will get along very well, David. He's delightful."
David smirked, crooked. "Thanks. I guess he meets with your approval then?"
"David, I can see that you are both happy to be with each other. I could see that weeks ago." Lorraine paused for a moment before adding, "And he seems to like the shirt I bought for him."
David smiled, nearly a chuckle, with a nod. "Yes, he does."
Lorraine walked to the other side of the kitchen, and turned to face David. "I'd like to introduce him to my other friends, if you think it wouldn't be too strange for him. Maybe him and Mrs. Hummel?"
David's face puzzled though he retained a smile, awkward. "I can ask him about it," he said, unsure.
Lorraine smiled and nodded, exiting the kitchen.
David descended to the gameroom where Kurt had seated himself on the couch and was surfing channels on the television. "What's this?" Kurt asked politely referring to the glass filled with fizzy red liquid.
"It's diet cherry soda," David answered. "No caffeine. It won't keep you from sleeping."
Kurt smiled enthusiastically as David sat beside him on the couch.
"Finding anything interesting?" David asked referring to the television.
"Not really," Kurt voiced with a skeptical expression.
The two sat next to each other, not speaking, the low-volume sound of the random channels the only sound. David was sitting back in his seat, resting on the couch's back; Kurt sat forward on the edge of the seat as he surfed the channels, finally coming to rest on a music channel and, keeping the volume at a low, background-noise level, he placed the remote control on the coffee table and slid back in his seat next to David.
"Mom was glad to see that you're wearing the shirt she brought back for you," David commented causing Kurt to smile as he sipped his soda.
"How do you do that?" David said to Kurt after a few moments of silence, turning to face Kurt with an inquisitive grin.
Kurt returned an unsure smile, facing David. "Do what?"
"Shift gears effortlessly from being worried about Blaine and seeming all down-to-earth into a complete, uh, fashion maven in front of my mom," David explained, still smirking.
Kurt smiled, a subtle blush. "It's a guilty pleasure. I love frivolity. I won't apologize for it, and I have no trouble accessing that part of me, even if it lies dormant for a while."
"Well, you might regret that," David snickered. "My mom wants you to meet her group of shallow society friends. She wants to include your stepmom too, but I wouldn't want to subject anyone to that without fair warning."
Both Kurt and David broke into laughter. "That sounds like fun, actually," Kurt admitted. "I can do shallow pretty well."
"Maybe this is my mom rationalizing an upside to having a gay son," David joked. "His boyfriend will elevate her standing with her vapid friends."
"Oh, David," Kurt's face soured intentionally. "Your mom has an incredible son, and she knows it. She doesn't need to rationalize a damned thing." Kurt slapped David's shoulder playfully.
"So," David began, "are you going to meet me in the park to run on weekdays when your school stuff is all done?"
Kurt smiled and nodded. "I think I can do that as long as there's no specific reason for me not to, like, maybe, some employment obligation." Kurt's eyes addressed David's with a slightly more serious expression. "I'm going to want to spend as much time with you this summer as I can."
David smiled and lingered on Kurt's face for a few seconds before turning to face the television again.
"Thank you for coming to see me this afternoon," Kurt said quietly, looking at David. "It's like you dropped everything and came to me. Talking with you really helped."
David smiled and looked at Kurt. "Hey, it's part of the job." Kurt giggled as David continued. "I want to make you happy if I can. If you're not happy, I want to help you with that. If I can help you turn that around, hey: job satisfaction."
Kurt laughed again, looking downward, face reddening slightly.
David cast his eyes toward the floor. "New boots?"
Kurt smiled. "Yes. They're for when I'm feeling a more toned-down, rugged look. Do you like them?"
"Mm-hmm. Yeah. They're sexy." David blushed slightly, still uneasy at his admission.
Kurt's face became more serious before he spoke again. "David, when you were talking this afternoon about Azimio, I mentioned that you tried to talk to me back then also. What would you have said if I'd have answered one of your calls?" Not receiving an immediate answer, hanging in silence for a moment, Kurt added, "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."
"No, no, it's okay." David's face became serious also, but he didn't appear uncomfortable. "It would have depended upon which call you answered. If it had been one of the earlier ones, I'd have probably been kinda, like, 'What's up? How are you? I'm fine here.' If it had been one of the last few, I probably would have asked you how you dealt with it for so long. Like, how could you get up in the morning and face everything? How did you do it when things were so fucking hard, when I was making things so bad for you?"
Kurt reached over and placed his hands into David's, leaning his head gently on David's shoulder as the two sat side-by-side. David held both of Kurt's hands in his left hand and reached his right arm around Kurt, resting his right hand on Kurt's shoulder. The two turned their heads slowly and their lips met gently. The kiss was almost chaste, more one of bonding and support than anything else.
Paul was on his way to the gameroom to check on the boys. He witnessed from a distance the two of them together, deciding to turn around and quietly go back up the stairs but not before absorbing the image.
As their kiss parted, David's hand gently rubbed Kurt's shoulder as Kurt slid more closely into David.
"I could sit like this, like, all night," David whispered, "but I should probably get you home."
Kurt smiled and nodded. "Tomorrow is still a school day, and who knows what I'll be walking into."
The two exited the house, and David drove Kurt home, taking several minutes for an extended farewell before Kurt exited David's truck.
Once inside the house, Kurt powered his cell phone to find three text messages and a voicemail.
Blaine: kurt, i want to talk, but i don't know if i'm ready yet 6:08PM
Blaine: kurt, did you get my message? 6:43PM
Blaine: where are you? why aren't you returning my messages? 7:20PM
Kurt shook his head. He felt no guilt at the missed text messages. He accessed the voicemail message to hear a shouting, nearly hysterical-sounding Blaine:
Kurt, where are you? I've been... trying to reach you for hours! It's after eight o'clock. What are you doing? Where are you? I want to talk to you. Just... like... call me or something!
Kurt rolled his eyes before pecking a text-response to Blaine.
Kurt: It still doesn't sound like you're ready to talk to me in a civil manner. I'll see you in school tomorrow. We can talk there or somewhere else as long as you keep it conversational. Bye. 8:43PM
David had returned home and was taking his and Kurt's empty glasses to the kitchen when Paul approached him.
"I, uh, came down to the gameroom while you and Kurt were there, but it looked like I'd have been intruding if I said anything, so I just left you alone."
David appeared stunned, speechless, as Paul continued.
"Nothing to worry about. If I'd have seen that six months ago, I would have been stunned, but I'm ready for it now. Besides, you two were sitting next to each other, your hands were all visible and not doing anything questionable, and it looked like you were both enjoying the moment." Paul paused as David smiled and looked downward, blushing. "I told you before, I remember being your age. It was sweet. I think after tonight, even your mom could have handled seeing that."
Tuesday, May 22
Kurt sat in his homeroom. Blaine was conspicuously absent, but, then Kurt didn't waste time to find out if Blaine would arrive at his locker. Kurt was planning his day, a large part of which would be spent in the choir room helping to organize and store sheet music for the summer, when his phone buzzed with an incoming text message.
David: Good morning, Kurt. Just checking to see how things are at school. You can text any time or call if you can. Thinking about you. 7:38AM
Kurt pecked out a response to David immediately.
Kurt: Good morning, David. Things are quiet. I'll be spending a good part of the day doing busy-work in the choir room. I'll probably give a call sometime then. Thinking of you too. 7:39AM
Halfway through his second-period class, Kurt excused himself to the choir room. He had seen Blaine earlier in the hallway, but their eyes contacted only through sideways glances. The feeling was odd but not unexpected. Kurt was busy with sorting through a disorganized stack of sheet music when the bell rang signalling the end of the period. Kurt had already informed his third-period instructor that he'd be in the choir room for the duration of the day. Chris Strando and Brandon were in the hallway passing the choir room; Chris saw Kurt shuffling through the stack of paper and took the opportunity to approach with him. He and Brandon entered the choir room.
"Hey, Kurt," Chris spoke tentatively as if he was not welcome in the space; Brandon, just as tentatively nodded a greeting.
Kurt smiled in response. "Hi, Chris; hi, Brandon."
Chris approached more closely. "Everything been okay today, Kurt?"
Kurt nodded in his reply. "Yes, and I don't foresee a problem, at least not on school grounds. Besides, I don't think Blaine is violent that way."
Chris and Brandon nodded with Chris adding, "Well, if something is wrong, you have my number, right?"
Kurt nodded again. "Yes, I have your number. Thank you, Chris." Kurt paused as the two boys were beginning to exit the choir room back into the hallway, then spoke again. "I talked to David. He knows about all of this. I'll probably be talking to him shortly, actually."
"Tell him we said 'hi'," Chris hollered through a smile as he and Brandon became part of the crowded between-classes corridor.
As the noise in the corridor died, Kurt pulled out his phone and dialed David. He answered almost immediately.
"Hi, Kurt," David's voice was low and smooth-sounding.
Kurt chuckled his reply. "Hello, David."
"I take it from your slight giggle there that things are okay today?" David replied, voice brighter.
"That was not a giggle," Kurt replied trying to sound offended but betraying a true giggle instead, "but everything is fine here."
"Well, whatever it was, you sound happy, and that sounds great to me," David replied.
"I just saw Chris and Brandon," Kurt informed. "They asked me to say 'hi' to you for them."
"We should all get together sometime soon, you included, and do something," David suggested.
"I agree," Kurt seconded. "Do you want me to greet them in return for you?"
"Nah, I'll just text them a 'hello' after I get off the phone with you," David answered. "Hey, how are things with Blaine today?"
"Quiet," a single-word answer. "I passed him in the hall earlier. No words. Barely any eye-contact."
"Is that good or bad?" David asked.
"Well, he's not making a scene. If he did, it wouldn't play well for him." Kurt paused before adding, "After his infantile display yesterday, everyone has been siding with me."
"Do you think he's taking any heat for it?" David asked.
"I don't know," Kurt replied. "I have heard a few jokes, but I'm trying to remain above the fray, and I don't know what's getting back to Blaine. I just want this to be done. You know, there were three text messages and a voicemail on my phone last night after you brought me home."
"From Blaine?"
"Yes." Kurt sounded fatigued of the entire drama. "He said he wanted to talk, but his hysterical tone on the voicemail leads me to believe otherwise."
"Geeze," Dave nearly sighed. "Well, I'm here twenty-four-seven if you want to talk or you need anything else, that goes without saying."
Kurt smiled. "I know. You didn't need to tell me that, but it's good to hear it just the same. I'm going to get back to what I'm working on, though. Talk to you later this afternoon."
"Okay," David spoke, sounding content. "Thanks for calling."
"You're welcome. I wanted to hear your voice anyway. Goodbye, David."
"Goodbye, Kurt," David spoke through a chuckle.
Kurt was visiting his locker for the last time of the day when Blaine approached him and calmly spoke. "I'm ready to talk to you."
Kurt turned to face Blaine. He appeared exhausted and sweaty, hair in minor disarray, clothes wrinkled. "I'll be around at home."
"Okay," Blaine said in response. "Okay if I stop by after I leave here?"
"Yes, that'll be fine," Kurt replied, soft-spoken but indifferent. "Let me know when you're on your way over."
Kurt was reclining on the family room couch. The house was quiet. Finn had returned home, and Kurt informed him of Blaine's likely visit. After Kurt assured him that there was no need for alarm, Finn retreated upstairs to his bedroom. Kurt's phone buzzed with a text alert.
Blaine: i'll be there in ten 3:13PM
Kurt punched a quick reply.
Kurt: I'm here. 3:14.
The doorbell rang and Kurt answered the door ushering Blaine into the living room.
"Can we go up to your bedroom?" Blaine asked quietly but seeming somewhat uneasy.
Kurt shook his head. "I think we can talk down here in the family room just fine. Finn's upstairs, but the house is otherwise empty."
Blaine nodded and sat in the chair which angled the position of the couch where Kurt seated himself.
Blaine drew a long breath and spoke. "Everyone at school wants us to be friends."
"Blaine, I don't think anyone really cares much if we're friends or not," Kurt replied. "They don't like the way you acted yesterday."
Blaine cast his eyes downward, nodding. "Kurt, I've decided to forgive you for all of this."
Kurt's eyes widened, betraying bafflement. "Um," Kurt broke into an involuntary laugh. "I didn't do anything wrong. You acted like a jealous idiot. I didn't apologize to you for your infantile behavior, and I'm certainly not going to apologize to you."
Blaine's face puzzled, slight anger. "After all I did for you? I helped you last year when you were having problems. I switched schools for you. You don't think you owe me something?"
Kurt inhaled loudly and rolled his eyes, I'm dealing with an insane person, he seemed to be thinking.
"Blaine, I would hope that the advice and help you gave to me would have been the same for anyone in my situation at the time. I don't think I owe you anything. Switching schools ultimately benefited you. You're not only part of a winning showchoir as opposed to the one that sang at retirement homes, but you're going to be the leader of that showchoir next year. At Dalton, you'd have been scrapping with Sebastian for the lead parts and fading into the sea of identical navy-and-red blazers, being defeated by McKinley yet again."
Blaine's breathing became louder as he shot Kurt an expression of disbelief. The two were silent for a moment before Kurt continued.
"Blaine, do you know what this whole thing is really about? It's about a guy who has meticulously constructed himself to be unfailingly desirable, charming, and talented. Media standards and stereotypes have dictated his every move, and he bought into his own hype. He doesn't have an out-of-place hair on his head, he worked hard to have a great voice and smooth dance moves, and he masks his air of superiority so well that he almost comes off as human. But he's not. He's a gay Frankenstein's monster made of bits and pieces of the cream that rises to the top of every facet of what society finds acceptable in a young gay man. But, see, because he's worked so hard, he has trouble with indifference. When his Gap-crush didn't want him, he settled for the young man who adored him from afar. What he didn't count on was that young man ever seeing through the disguise to the self-centered, selfish person underneath. He began to regard that young man as an accessory, a property. After all of his hard work at constructing himself as the ultimate available gay man, he's confused by indifference. Then the veneer cracked and the ugly behavior obscured the fragile facade."
Blaine's mouth gaped, and he trembled subtly.
Kurt expanded further. "Now we've arrived at a point where we've been done for two months, more really. Did you actually expect me to become some gay spinster, pining for you? I think you could have handled it if you began dating again before I did, but, no, I was first, and that's just unacceptable to you. It was okay for David and me as long as we knew our subordinate place under your perfection of gayness; but forbid that we should ever have minds of our own without checking with you first. And the fact that it happened publicly, in front of everyone at school, was just too much of a threat to your precious ego to deal with."
Blaine rose to his feet, eyes unfocused-but-angry. "Kurt, is this really what you think about me?"
"Considering the evidence before me, yes, Blaine." Kurt nodded as he stood as well, slightly defensive but unshaken.
"Kurt, I love you," Blaine pronounced, raising his voice.
Kurt's eyes widened and rolled once again, he spoke through a laugh, dismissive and almost mocking. "Blaine, you just think that you love me. You don't really love me."
Blaine's expression betrayed outright rage as Kurt's words furthered. "You don't love me. You love you, and you can't conceive of somebody else loving you less than you love yourself."
"Ugh!" Blaine suppressed an angry howl. "Don't I even get a goodbye kiss?" Blaine advanced upon Kurt, enraged.
Kurt's expression was defiant. "What are you going to do? Force yourself on me like you tried to do in the back of my car that night at Scandals? You were drunk that night. What's your excuse now? Drunk on your self-delusion this time?"
At the sound of raised voices, Finn appeared at the foot of the stairs just in time to watch Blaine reach his hands up, grasping the sides of Kurt's head, and Kurt's knee placing a solid kick to Blaine's crotch. Blaine's body doubled and fell to the floor, knocking the entertainment center slightly askew as he let out a pained cry. Kurt stood watching him writhe for a moment before reaching downward and scooping Blaine up from beneath his shoulders, dragging him for a moment. Blaine rose assisted, partially of his own power, as Kurt forcibly moved him toward the front door.
"Oh, come on, you pussy," Kurt hissed at Blaine who was slightly regaining strength in his legs. Kurt opened the front door and shoved. He watched Blaine stumble from the walkway and fall into the lawn before slamming and bolting the door.
Finn stood amazed watching from the landing of the stairway, a dazed grin on his face. "That was awesome, Kurt. He won't be walking right anytime soon. Are you okay?"
Kurt inhaled and looked up at Finn with a slight, smug grin on his face. "Yes, I'm okay."
David's phone sounded an incoming call. He was expecting to hear from Kurt, but the call came instead from Finn.
"Hey, Hudson," David answered. "What's going on?"
"Dude, I just watched Kurt kick Blaine in the nuts and throw him out of the house."
David was stunned silent for a moment before responding, "No!"
"Yeah, dude, I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it for myself," Finn elaborated. "I knew that Blaine was supposed to come over and talk, but, like, I was up in my room, and I started hearing this yelling. I ran downstairs to see Blaine, like, going in like he was gonna attack Kurt, and Kurt just, like stood there and kneed him full-on, solid, right in the nuts. Blaine just, like, crumbled and Kurt dragged him to the door and threw him out on his ass."
David couldn't help but laugh. "Aw, man. I wish I could have seen it."
Finn laughed as well. "I'm glad I saw it so when people ask why Blaine is hobbling around for the next week, I'll be there to verify what happened."
"Is Kurt okay?" David asked, concern showing through the laughter.
"Yeah, Kurt's fine," Finn verified, "He was grinnin' like a boss after he slammed the door."
"Finn, dude, I would love to give you a big fucking hug right now for telling me this, and I wanna kiss the hell outta your brother," David laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I thought Blaine was okay, like, I considered him a friend, until all the shit hit the fan yesterday. Now, I'm like, I don't know what to think, except that it's good to know that Kurt isn't gonna be pushed around by him."
Finn laughed. "Well, I just had to call and tell you because, knowing Kurt, he's going to be all modest and spare you all the gory details."
"You're probably right about that," David agreed. "Should I give Kurt a call?"
"Definitely," Finn advised. "And you can tell him that I called too. He'll probably figure out that I told you what happened so he won't feel like he needs to tell you anything."
"Hey, Finn," David sounded awed, "thanks, man."
"Any time, Karofsky," Finn responded. "Later, guy."
"Bye, Finn."