A/N: Heh. I can't believe we actually made it to chapter 50! Long ass author's note ahead, by the way just so you know. The reason this took a little longer was, well, Klaine week on Tumblr, my issues with posting two things for the same fandom on one day, and then 's traffic stats issues, which, I'll admit, I'm sort of obsessed with. Anyway - yay for chapter 50! No, seriously, it's crazy for me that there are 50 one-shots here about Kurt and Blaine's first meetings :P
Let's get down to business, yes? Some months ago, blue-starryeyed-songjay prompted 'swimming pool'. Back then, it was probably a public pool, but after Y/N, it became the pool at McKinley (or wherever the synchronised swimming team practises). And then Kurt and Blaine didn't even really meet there. *facepalm* I hope you'll like it anyway :) And as for Blaine's nickname, I'd like to thank burtkaharris on Tumblr (whom I'm not even sure reads this story) for the suggestion.
Next point of order, the chapter notes :P I think in WFL, Blaine's hair is gelled(?). I'm aware of that. This story kind of contradicts that, though. And I'm just going to say that when practising that number, they all wore 'normal' bathing suits, if you will, and only wore the more old-fashioned ones when they performed the song for Emma. Another point: I may be mistaken, but I really think that most of the school doesn't really care much about whether or not someone's gay, personally. They might not speak up for them against the jocks because, well, they might become a target themselves and most people don't want that, but a lot of them wouldn't be offended by the gay population at McKinley, so to say.
Anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter. Please leave a review at the bottom (and I mean it; I'm starting to suspect interest in this story is dwindling, and while I won't just stop posting or anything, I might start thinking about what to do with this instead. Any criticism is also more than welcome, of course) :)
Two and a half weeks in, Blaine Anderson was certain that he'd gotten used to the dynamics at McKinley High as well as he could. He knew which people to avoid (the football players, but the hockey players even more so; also, the cheerleaders, especially since he'd turned down two of them on his first day and all Cheerios now glared at him as he walked by), where his classes were, who his teachers were, and where his niche was.
The synchronised swimming team.
Not a lot of people knew that McKinley had such a team, and Blaine had been surprised to hear about its existence as well. Dalton hadn't had a synchronised swimming team, but since Blaine had always rather liked swimming, he readily joined when coach Beiste had informed him that it was the only sports team still taking new members.
Contrary to popular belief, the team was actually pretty good. Better than, for instance, the hockey team, compared to the other teams in the competition. Blaine figured it was a lot more fun than hockey as well. Yes, it was quite exhausting at times, but the McKinley workload was almost non-existing in comparison. While their coach didn't openly pick favourites, Blaine was relieved that she didn't seem to dislike him either (she could be quite scary to those she didn't like). He was both strong and relatively light, which, he figured, was a good combination for this sport.
Furthermore, his teammates were all nice enough, and let him sit with them at lunch. A few of them, who were in his grade, had told him more about the classes and teachers, and they'd all taken part in giving Blaine as many tips as possible to help him survive McKinley.
He wasn't sure if he was ready to come out to them, though. He most definitely wasn't hiding the fact that he was gay, but no one had flat-out asked him about his sexuality either. He suspected that most people figured he must have a girlfriend at another school. Blaine just hoped that his team would accept him when he came out to them.
Currently, he was taking a short break. With a few teammates, he watched the others practise from the sidelines and their coach talk heatedly to a couple of other students. As he watched Sam, the new guy who'd joined them only two days before, wobble as he tried to balance on the girls' arms, Blaine shook his head, smiling a bit. It was hard to imagine that that had been him, only a little over two weeks earlier. He liked to think that he was much better already, now. Not as good as some people on the team, but definitely better than he had been.
Later, as Blaine was getting dressed, Sam came out of the showers, pulling a shirt over his head. "Hey, man," he greeted Blaine, studying him for a moment. "Are you a freshman, or something, because I don't remember seeing you here before?"
Blaine snorted. After a few weeks of people thinking he was younger than he actually was, Blaine had started to get used to it. "No, not a freshman; just short. I'm a junior, actually, but I only transferred here after Christmas break, so…"
Sam nodded pensively. "Sam Evans," he introduced himself, holding out a hand for Blaine to shake.
"Blaine Anderson," Blaine replied. "So, Sam… if you don't mind me asking… why the synchronised swimming team?"
Sam shrugged. "Trying to win my ex-girlfriend back, you know? Her new boyfriend's a football player, so I figured I'd need a letterman jacket at the very least. I know this isn't the coolest thing to do – no offense – but this was the only team that lets people join even now." A moment later, he continued, "We… started dating after junior prom last year, but we broke it off at the end of the summer. My parents decided to move to Kentucky, so we figured it'd be for the best to stop dating."
"Kentucky?" Blaine asked, curiously, as he took out his tub of hair gel. "But… you're back now."
"My friends' doing," Sam explained. "I like to think they missed me, even though Finn and Rachel did make it sound like they only wanted me to come back so they'd have more Glee club members for Sectionals."
"You're in the Glee club?" Blaine had been thinking of joining as well, but he hadn't quite gotten around to it so far. Perhaps Sam would be willing to help him get in.
Sam nodded. "I know it's not very cool around here, but it's fun. Anyway, why did you choose for synchronised swimming?"
"Well, as you said, this was one of the only teams I could still join," Blaine replied as he plastered his hair down forcefully. "I've always liked swimming, and the sports I did at Dalton, like fencing and polo, don't seem to be popular enough here to start teams for. I wanted to join a sports team, be a part of something, so here I am."
"Dalton?" Sam asked, looking up from where he was doing his hair in surprise. "As in the Dalton Academy Warblers?" When Blaine nodded, Sam asked, "Were you in the Warblers?" Again, Blaine nodded. "You should join New Directions!" Sam exclaimed happily. "Unless you're a spy, of course. Wait – if you went to Dalton before this, why did you come here?"
"My dad's company's not doing so well at the moment," Blaine replied. "My parents decided that it would be a better idea to put the money usually spent on Dalton's tuition in a college fund. Then again, I'd asked them to send me to public school at the start of the school year already, so I don't really mind, in that respect."
"Why?" Sam enquired. "I'm just curious; a friend of mine had some major problems here last year, and his parents looked into sending him to Dalton, but it was too expensive for them. Seems to me like you should be thankful your parents could send you there in the first place, you know?"
Blaine nodded. "I know. And I was – still am, actually. When I first went to Dalton, it was… paradise. I'd had some… issues as well, and coming to Dalton was so different from what I was used to. It's just that I realised that Dalton's not the real world, and staying there wasn't going to help me survive in the real world either."
Sam shrugged. "Fair enough. Hey, were you planning on joining Glee club?"
Blaine paused for a moment. "Yeah, actually. I figured I'd first get settled here, though, but now that I have… I might stop by sooner or later."
"Awesome." Sam grinned. "Tell you what – come with us and you can join Finn and me for some computer games while we talk about this. Finn's one of the unofficial captains of the team, together with his girlfriend, so if you can convince him, he could also back you up if Rachel or someone else accuses you of wanting to spy on us." Before Blaine could reply, Sam added, "Besides, if you came over, you could meet Kurt as well. That's three Glee members!"
"Sure," Blaine replied, finally getting the chance to do so. "Would that be okay with them, though?"
Sam frowned. "I doubt they'd have a problem with it, but yeah, we should probably ask them first. It's their house, after all."
"Brothers?" Blaine asked, packing his bag swiftly.
Sam did the same. "Stepbrothers," he clarified. "Their parents got married last year. We got to sing at the wedding, it was a lot of fun."
Blaine could understand that. "Let's go then," he said. "Are they still here?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, they should be. Kurt said he'd go study in the library or something, otherwise Finn would've brought his own car as well. He just had football practice."
"Were you on the football team last year?" Blaine inquired, and Sam nodded.
"I was. It really sucks that I can't even be on the reserve team, because it was awesome. You're not much of a football fan?"
"Oh, I am." Blaine grinned. "I just never played it. I'm not exactly the right build to be a football player. I love watching it, though."
The halls, by now, were practically deserted. In the distance, however, Blaine heard someone talking. It seemed like Sam did, too, as he instantly perked up and picked up his speed. Soon enough, it became clear to Blaine – they turned around the corner, and the girl standing a few feet away instantly locked eyes with Sam. This must be the girl he was trying to get back, then.
She was talking to a boy, but Blaine figured this couldn't be the new boyfriend. He didn't look perturbed by the fact that Sam was approaching them and the girl hadn't looked away once. Then, suddenly, she did, and she muttered something to the boy before walking off hastily.
Glancing at the boy at his right, Blaine wasn't very surprised to see that Sam's expression had fallen. "You're not making it any easier for her, Sam," the boy still leaning against the locker commented.
Sam must've responded, but Blaine didn't notice. He'd seen this boy around a few times, but had never heard him speak. Which, in hindsight, was quite a pity.
"This is Blaine, by the way," Sam introduced him, clapping Blaine on the back. "He's on the team with me. Just transferred here from Dalton."
The boy's eyebrows rose. "Dalton?" he echoed. "Why would you want to be here if you could be there?" He sounded almost affronted.
"Oh, it was a great school," Blaine replied. "Public school will prepare me better for what the real world is like, though. And there were some money issues."
Thankfully, the boy didn't question him any further. Instead, he reached into his bag and pulled out his phone. "It's Finn," he told Sam. "He's waiting at the car."
"Blaine's coming along, if that's okay with you," Sam replied. "We're going to play some video games. He wants to join Glee club, too."
The boy scrutinised Blaine for a moment. "You were a Warbler?" he asked. His eyes drifted from Blaine's face to his hair and back. "Weren't you their lead last year? They must be devastated by the fact that you left Dalton."
Blaine shrugged. "I guess so. Then again, some of them couldn't wait to try out for solos and actually stand a chance."
"Sounds like something that will happen here as well," the boy muttered as he started walking towards the exit. "You know, once Rachel graduates."
"Should I bring my own car?" Blaine asked as they crossed the parking lot. "That would be easier, right?"
"I'll ride with you," Sam volunteered. "I know where they live, so. Hey, Finn!" He waved at a tall boy standing some distance away. The boy waved back somewhat awkwardly.
"So Finn's the tall guy?" Blaine asked – just to be sure – when he and Sam reached his own car.
Sam nodded. "Yeah, and the other guy was Kurt, but you probably figured that out already. You don't have navigation in your car?"
"No, I don't," Blaine replied. Personally, he didn't really mind. He just tended to forget most other cars did have navigation nowadays. "You'll just have to tell me where we're going."
At first, Sam didn't say much more than directions, but all of a sudden, he asked, "So, do you have a girlfriend? You know all about my love life, so…"
Blaine glanced sideways for a split second. "No, no girlfriend for me," he responded carefully, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"We can form a regular single's club," Sam said. "Any girls you're trying to impress? I know I've only been on the team for two days, but I definitely think some of the girls might like you."
Blaine shook his head. "I'm… not particularly interested," he replied. "I'm not really looking for a girlfriend."
Sam was quiet for a few seconds, before saying, "Turn right here. So, a boyfriend, then?"
Blaine's hands clenched around the steering wheel and he could feel his body go rigid. "What?" he all but squeaked. "How did you – please don't hurt me."
"Of course I'm not going to hurt you." Sam sounded slightly confused. "So you're gay? That's what got you in trouble at your last public school?" Blaine nodded curtly, and Sam made a sympathetic noise. "I'm sorry, man. Well, McKinley's definitely a bit safer for gay students now than it was last year… and the years before that, I think – last year was my first year here. You're still only about one fourth of the gay population, though. Wait – are you even out?"
"I'm out," Blaine confirmed. "Just – nobody's asked me about my sexuality yet, here, so I haven't said anything either. I think a lot of people think I'm straight. I don't really like it, but for now, I suppose it's not a bad idea to just… lie low for a while."
"If it helps any, we'll all be there for you," Sam said. "Oh – turn left here. All the kids in Glee, I mean. In case anyone gives you any trouble." He paused for a moment, then added, "Though I think coach Washington may just get revenge on those people if they hurt you. She could give coach Sylvester a run for her money when it comes to being scary and intimidating."
Blaine wasn't entirely sure who that was, but he strongly suspected that coach Sylvester was the Cheerios' coach. "Well, I'd rather it doesn't happen in the first place… but it's a comforting thought."
Not too long after that, Blaine pulled up in front of the Hudmel (as Sam called it) house. The first thing Blaine noticed was that his was the only car there, and he turned to Sam confusedly. This wasn't some sort of trap, was it?
"I think Kurt stopped by the Lima Bean for some coffee," Sam told him, noticing Blaine's confusion. "They'll be here any minute. Don't worry, though, I've got the key."
"You couldn't tell me sooner that we could've gone for coffee?" Blaine asked him.
Sam rolled his eyes. "You could've said something. But hey, at least you know now that you're not the only one here who likes coffee. You could be… coffee buddies, or something."
As he followed Sam to the guest room, Blaine looked around. The house looked very nice, and it seemed very cosy – something his own house was not, as least not as much.
Before long, the front door opened and closed again, and within moments, the guy Blaine now knew was Finn came stuck his head around Sam's door. "Hey, dude," he greeted Sam, before catching sight of Blaine. "Who's this?"
"This is Blaine," Sam replied. "He's on the swimming team with me, and he may want to join Glee club as well. Apparently, he was the lead singer of the Warblers last year so he's definitely good."
"The Warblers?" Finn asked. "Are you here to spy?"
"No, of course not," Blaine responded. "I go to McKinley now. My parents couldn't afford Dalton anymore."
"And even if he was a spy, he wasn't really going to tell us, Finn," Kurt piped up from somewhere behind Finn.
Blaine smiled at that. "Yes, that too," he admitted. "But I swear I'm not a spy," he quickly added when Finn shot him a distrusting look.
A while later, the three boys were sitting in the living room, playing some video game Blaine had never played before. He figured that might be a good thing, though, seeing as Finn beating him seemed to make the taller boy like him more. At some point, Kurt came downstairs, shot the three of them a look, and disappeared into the kitchen. Finn and Sam paid him no mind, but Blaine was somewhat curious about what took him so long. Right when he wanted to ask Finn and Sam about this, the front door opened again, and moments later, a man walked into the room.
"Hey, Burt," Finn greeted him, his eyes still fixed to the screen. How did he do that?
"Hey, Finn. Sam," the man replied, before he looked at Blaine. Not unkindly, he asked, "Who're you?"
Blaine cleared his throat. "Blaine Anderson, sir. I'm – a friend of Sam's." They'd only known each other for a couple of hours, but Blaine hoped that Sam wouldn't mind that title, at least while this man was still in the room.
"You're in that Glee club, too, then?" the man asked.
"No, sir," Blaine replied. "I'm not. Not yet, at least."
"He's on Sam's swimming team," Finn supplied.
The man scrutinised Blaine for a few seconds before asking, "The swimming team, huh? Are you any good?"
"I'm… decent, I hope," Blaine replied, still slightly nervous. "I've only been at McKinley for a few weeks now, and my old school didn't have a synchronised swimming team, so I'm really just starting."
The man nodded, and then he stood up and walked into the kitchen. About a minute later, he returned, an exasperated look on his face.
"Is Kurt making you eat healthy stuff again?" Finn asked, sounding a little too sympathetic.
The man grunted. "It's been over a year," he then said, probably loud enough for Kurt to hear him as well. "Aren't I old enough to decide what's healthy for me and what's not?"
"Kurt often makes the rest of us eat healthy as well," Sam muttered to Blaine in a low voice. "It's good for my abs, but Burt and Finn don't like it very much."
"Well, I'm sorry for not wanting you to die any time soon." Kurt was standing in the doorway, looking entirely unimpressed by the complaints of his father and stepbrother. Before they could continue bickering, they were interrupted by a loud noise.
"Oh!" Blaine jumped up. "Sorry! I forgot to – " He frowned down at the text he'd just received. Predictably, his mother was enquiring where he was and what was keeping him. "I forgot to let my mom know I'm here. I think I should be going." He put his phone back in his pocket and smiled apologetically at Finn and Sam – they were in the middle of a game, after all. After thanking the family for their hospitality, he left the house and drove back home. His mother wouldn't be too angry, he thought; in fact, she would probably be happy that he was making friends.
o-o-o-o-o
The next morning, Blaine left a little early in order to get some coffee at the Lima Bean. As he arrived there, he suddenly remembered Sam telling him the day before that Kurt got his coffee here as well. Blaine hadn't come here an awful lot yet, and he hadn't bumped into the other boy so far. Then again, he didn't know if Kurt only came here after school, or before school as well.
Why was he even thinking about that in the first place?
As he waited for his coffee to be made, he suddenly heard, "Hey, Blaine!"
And yes, there he was. "Kurt," he acknowledged the other boy with a smile. "Good morning."
"I didn't know you were a caffeine addict as well," Kurt remarked. "If I'd have known, I would've brought you a cup yesterday."
Blaine shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I am. But if I had known you were making a detour yesterday, I would've done so as well. Sam didn't mention it until we arrived at your house."
By now, both boys had gotten their drinks. "Do you want to sit down for a bit?" Kurt asked. "We still have some time to get to school." Blaine nodded, and they found themselves a table. "So…," Kurt started, "excuse me for asking, but… why the synchronised swimming team?"
Blaine chuckled, and proceeded to give Kurt the same explanation as he'd given Sam the day before. "Everyone asks that question," he added. "Still, it would surprise you how many people are on the team. I'd definitely say at least twenty."
"Well, at least it's not as uncool as Glee club," Kurt replied. "And I suppose your coach is intimidating enough to scare of most people who would give you trouble for being on the team in the first place."
"Your Glee club is really that uncool?" Blaine asked, frowning slightly. "In that case, I might have to rethink my decision to join. I don't really want to give anyone anymore reason to pick on me."
"It hasn't been as bad this year," Kurt told him. "Last year and the year before that, it tended to get really bad sometimes. There were weeks when we'd all get slushied daily, and now it happens at most once a month to one or two of us. Most of the bullies were in the year above us or in the same year, so they graduated already or they finally realised that causing trouble isn't going to give them any advantage when it comes to getting into college somewhere." He studied Blaine for a moment before continuing. "Of course, it's your own decision. If you don't want to join, then you shouldn't join."
Before he fully realised what he was saying, Blaine said, "Yesterday, Sam told me that one of his friends wanted to transfer to Dalton last year. Was that you?"
"He told you that?" Kurt seemed surprised. "Well – yes, that was me. It was too expensive, though, and the other guys had already figured out some sort of schedule that made sure at least one, but preferably two, of them were with me at all times when I wasn't at home."
"Wow." Blaine shook his head in disbelief. "That's really… nice of them. I hope you don't mind Sam telling me, though. He was just curious as to why I would leave such a place."
Kurt nodded in understanding. "No, it's fine. As long as he doesn't go around telling anyone he meets about it, I don't mind. Now – I think we should get going."
"Same time, same place tomorrow?" Blaine asked, wondering when he'd suddenly become so daring.
Kurt looked up in surprise, and he eyed Blaine for a few seconds before replying. "Sure. I'll be there."
o-o-o-o-o
As it turned out, Blaine didn't have to wait until the next day to see Kurt again. He instantly scolded himself for thinking this, though. Kurt seemed like a nice guy, sure, but that didn't necessarily mean that Blaine actively looked forward to seeing him again.
Apparently, the director of the Glee club wanted to propose to his girlfriend, who, Blaine was somewhat shocked to learn, was the school's guidance counsellor. Dalton, after all, had a strict no-dating-amongst-the-staff-members policy. Anyway, the club had been asked to help come up with a way to propose, and Sam had suggested that they perform a number in the pool.
With the help of the synchronised swimming team.
Blaine supposed that this could, in a way, work to his advantage as well – he could now see what the other members of the show choir were like, and base his decision of whether or not to join on that.
Surprisingly, coach Washington was also on board – she instructed the swimming team, while the Glee club (including Sam) tried to figure out what they could contribute to the act. Today, Blaine had remembered to call his parents that he'd be home late – the proposal was to take place tomorrow, so they had a lot of rehearsing to do.
When it was time to take a break, Blaine fully intended to sit with his teammates. He might want to know what the Glee club was like, but he didn't really want to bail out on the people who'd been there for him since he'd come here. However, as he was putting on his bathrobe, a voice said, "Hey. Fancy seeing you here."
Since he wasn't a member of the synchronised swimming team, Kurt wasn't wearing a robe; he simply had a towel around his neck. For a moment, Blaine was distracted by Kurt's hair, as the water dripped from it onto his face and further down –
Blaine cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey. Kurt." He ran a hand through his hair, barely noticing the way Kurt's eyes followed this movement. "How's it going?"
"It's harder than it looks," Kurt admitted. "It's a lot of fun, too, though."
"You should join the team," Blaine exclaimed enthusiastically. "The more the merrier, right? And you're right, it's really fun."
"Thanks, but I think I'll decline," Kurt replied, shrugging apologetically. "I'm already busy enough as it is."
They continued talking for a few more minutes, until Blaine realised that most of his team was back in the pool. Hastily shrugging off his robe – and completely missing the way Kurt stared at his chest for a second – he said, "I should go back in, too. I'll see you around, I suppose?"
Kurt nodded. "Yeah – wait, what does this say?" He picked up Blaine's robe and studied the back of it. "Gellyfish?" he asked confusedly.
Blaine winced. "Yes. Everyone on the team has a robe like that with their own… water related nickname. When I first came here to ask if I could join, coach Washington called me, well, that, and I guess it stuck. Even though she told me to make sure to wash it all out before getting in the water, or else I have to clean the pool myself. So…"
Kurt looked amused. "You do wear an awful lot of gel normally."
"If I don't gel it, it gets incredibly curly and unmanageable after it dries," Blaine told him.
"I bet it looks cute," Kurt countered. "I mean – sorry, was that out of line? I'll just… go now."
Blaine stared after him as he went. Had Kurt figured him out? Did he know Blaine was gay? Or had he simply been caught in the moment?
Taking a deep breath, Blaine attempted to clear his thoughts. It didn't matter. He needed to focus on getting ready for this proposal thing, and after that, he could just… figure out what to do next. It worried him slightly that his decision whether or not to join the Glee club now depended not so much on what the other kids were like, but what he wanted to do about Kurt.
o-o-o-o-o
The next day, Blaine arrived at the Lima Bean ten minutes earlier than he had the day before. It pleased him to no end that two minutes later, Kurt came in. Today, they talked about movies and books and classes – nothing too deep, but definitely important knowledge, Blaine figured.
In between classes, they exchanged smiles if they happened to pass one another in the hallways, and when it was time for lunch, Blaine found himself glancing around for Kurt as inconspicuously as possible.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn't very inconspicuous.
"They usually spend lunch break in the choir room," Tara, one of his teammates, suddenly said.
"What?" Blaine stared at her with wide eyes.
"The Glee club," Sophie said. "That's who you were looking for, right?"
"What's going on between you and Kurt Hummel anyway?" Tara asked. "You're always staring when he passes you in the corridors nowadays, and you spent your break with him instead of us yesterday. Are you dating, or something?"
"What?" Blaine repeated. "No, of course not!"
"Because it would explain a lot if you were gay," Norah continued, and Blaine was sort of glad that the people around them were all immersed in their own conversations. "Why you're not interested in any of the girls throwing themselves at you, for instance."
"I think it'd be sweet," Sophie commented. "You know, if you and Kurt were dating. I doubt a lot of people would care, and if anyone would give you trouble, I'm sure coach would rip them apart."
"You… don't care?" Blaine asked, baffled. "But… I thought – are you really okay with it?"
The three girls shrugged. "Of course," Tara responded. "I'm sure the rest of the team would be as well. We actually spied on you a bit yesterday. Most of us girls think it would be cute. Maybe some of the guys would be a little uncomfortable with it at first, but they'll get over it."
"I'm not dating Kurt, though," Blaine felt the need to specify.
"We'll help you figure something out," Norah promised.
A/N: So... what do you think? :) Let me know, please review!
PS: there's a sequel to this now - it's called 'Operation Klaine' and can be found on my page, for those interested :)
