After cleaning the dining hall, they all then had to go clean themselves, which may or may not have led to a brief makeout session in their dorm between Kurt and Blaine. Apparently, 'killing' him had really turned Blaine on and he practically tackled Kurt as soon as they entered the room, stage makeup, fake blood, and all.
Now the whole lot of them were in the middle of dinner. Nick and Jeff were both still very much shaken up. They were relieved that no one was really dead and that power and cell service had been restored now, but it was still terrifying.
"There's still one question that's bugging me," Nick finally spoke up. The others looked at him. "How does Kurt keep getting across the floor without anyone seeing him?"
Kurt smirked. "Maybe this really is Hogwarts? Maybe I have magic, and I just apparated where I needed to be?"
"You can't apparate inside Hogwarts," Quinn pointed out, once again forgetting herself.
"We can answer that," Wes said, looking between David and Thad. They both nodded at him. "As you know, Dalton was once a stop on the Underground Railroad, and there are several hidden chambers and passageways. After the building was turned into a boarding school, many of the secret rooms were repurposed, and a few sealed off, as Kurt and Blaine discovered.
"But, during the Spanish Flu pandemic of nineteen eighteen, several students were quarantined here. This was right after the Warblers were established, and the original council wanted a way to distract the boys, to keep them from getting bored and causing mayhem. One of them found the original blueprints of the building, locating all the secret passages and rooms. They used these to set up pranks and activities for the boys.
"The leader of the council wrote it all down in a journal, which he titled, 'The Sacred Book of the Warblers' Council.' Over the years, various council members have added to the book, and as technology became more advanced, more and more gimmicks and prank ideas were added to the book, and certain tricks set into place. They then started rumors about ghosts and paranormal activity, so that if ever one of the preset tricks were triggered, people would attribute it to ghosts or whatnot.
"They did it for situations just like this, when the school is in lockdown, but it also detailed ways to get revenge on those who took jokes too far, or who become a nuisance."
"So, you're telling me there is no Frank in the attic?" Rachel said, frowning at him.
"Actually, there was a Frank," David said. "He used to go up into the attic and get drunk all the time, and scare the bejeezus out of any student who went up there for any reason. He passed away in the sixties, and was added to The Sacred Book after several students were scared out of their wits when the door slammed shut behind them and the lock got jammed. They blamed it on the ghost of the old caretaker.
"Of course, what really happened was that the door frame had begun to sag with age, and the weather had been damp. One of them stepped on a floor board that loosened the door and caused it to swing shut, and the lock slipped into place."
"Most of what you guys have been experiencing is one of those tricks and traps set by Warbler council members past," Thad continued. "However, we do have to ask you not to completely discount the possibility of ghosts. This is a very old building."
"So that hall of mirrors is part of your Warblers' council funhouse tricks?" Lauren asked.
"Yes," Wes replied. "That was added in the seventies, when one of the councilmembers at the time was the son of a famous Circus performer."
Trent was about to ask about the experience he had had with Tina and Artie, but just then, Mrs. Alexandria, one of the administration staff, entered the dining hall. "Gentlemen, and ladies, we've been asked to have you all return to your rooms early tonight, so that the faculty and staff may have time to assess the situation with the fallen tree."
"Fallen tree?" Trent asked.
She raised an eyebrow. "You didn't see the tree the storm struck down in the front of the school?"
The teens exchanged looks. They were all too busy playing murderer. Of course they hadn't noticed.
"No," Wes simply said.
The woman rolled her eyes but in good nature. "Kids," she said as she turned to leave the room. "They notice when there's a killer on the loose but not when trees are falling down."
The group all went completely still with that. How the hell did she know what they'd been up to?
"I guess this means no drinking games tonight," Nick said.
"At least for us," Jeff added. "I'll bet a thousand dollars they just want us out of the way so they can have a party."
"Well," Rachel huffed, arms crossed over her chest. "I certainly would have noticed if a tree had been struck down!"
The teens broke up and headed for the dorms. The girls had been assigned to a separate area from the boys, so headed down the west corridor, while the rest of them headed up the spiral staircase and down the east hallway. No one noticed that Jeff had pulled Nick into an abandoned classroom.
"What are you doing?" Nick asked, quietly.
"Didn't you hear Wes earlier? The council has a blueprint that shows where all the secret rooms and passages are!" Jeff exclaimed in a loud whisper.
"And?"
"And, if we found it, we'd rule at hide and seek!"
"But you have no idea where the council keeps it!" Nick tried to reason. "It's probably in one of the hidden rooms or passages we still haven't found!"
"Well then, Nicky, we'll just have to redouble our efforts of finding those rooms and passages!" Jeff had a maniacal look on his face. "Come on! The staff will be too busy getting drunk and pretending they don't have spouses waiting for them at home to notice us snooping around!"
…
"I for one, am happy to have an excuse to have some alone time," Kurt stated as Blaine shut the door to their dorm. The pale boy was grinning at the shorter boy and Blaine couldn't help but to grin back.
"We don't get enough of it, now do we?" Blaine asked, moving forward and wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist. The taller boy giggled and slid his arms around the other's neck.
He leaned in and nuzzled him with his nose. "Well, we can't exactly just skip off for it like Nick and Jeff. No one knows we're a couple."
"Mm," Blaine said. "I like the sound of that. Us being a couple." Kurt giggled again. "My bed or yours?"
It only took one glance at Kurt's bed, which he still hadn't remade after the whole murder game for both boys to declare in favor of Blaine's bed.
The younger boy practically threw Kurt down on top of it. He grinned at the taller boy. But in one swift movement, Kurt had flipped them so that he was on top.
"Ah, ah, ah," He said, drawing a finger slowly down Blaine's lips. "Payback is a bitch."
Kurt started with a heated kiss, pressing his lips hotly to Blaine's and trailing away just when the other boy was getting really flustered by it. He kissed across Blaine's jaw, feeling just the very slight edge of stubble there and for some reason, that only served to heighten his arousal and he growled, trailing his lips down to the boy's tan throat.
"Fuck!" Blaine called, kicking his feet as he squirmed beneath the other boy.
Kurt's hands roamed to tug up Blaine's shirt and he used his knee to part Blaine's legs. It was becoming clear to Blaine that his new boyfriend really wasn't the baby penguin he'd declared himself to be. Or maybe it was just that Blaine brought the animal out in him. The very thought nearly caused him to break into laughter but a well placed knee applying pressure to his groin was enough to push it down.
"Damn Kurt!" Blaine cried out. Kurt was kissing and sucking and nipping at the boy's throat, a smile on his lips the entire time. One hand was placed beside the shorter boy's head and the other was fisted in his shirt. He had one knee between Blaine's legs, pressing firmly into the boy's growing arousal.
Suddenly, Kurt bit into the spot just above Blaine's collarbone and the curly haired boy let out a bunch of garbled sputters that sounded like nothing and everything at the same time.
It was moments later that Kurt pulled away from his neck with a pop. He smirked at his handiwork.
"Y-you should l-let me take c-c-care of you," Blaine stuttered, blushing. His underwear felt hot and sticky but hell, did it feel amazing.
Kurt chuckled. "Oh no, baby. We need to learn not to cream our pants," he said, frowning at the obvious stain on the front of his white jeans. He knew he shouldn't have put them on after they cleaned up from the murders.
Blaine was about to respond when there came a sharp knocking on their door. Kurt hissed and jumped up off the bed, muttering something Blaine just managed to make sense of, which turned out to be a disparaging evaluation on whoever was at the door's timing and heritage. The pale boy grabbed his pajamas and disappeared into the bathroom.
Blaine got up and pulled off his shirt as there was a second knock on the door. "Hang on a sec! I was getting changed!"
He opened the door a few inches and leaned around it to see Wes standing there. Blaine mentally cursed at the head Warbler's presence.
"What do you want Wes?" he asked, tone slightly terse.
The Asian boy whistled. "Wow, wound up much? Try getting laid sometime," he replied casually. Blaine gave him a cold look, one he usually reserved for Cooper, something most people never got to see on the usually friendly boy.
There was a sudden strange half-choking like noise that came from the bathroom at that moment and Blaine threw a concerned look at the door.
"Do you mind not being so lewd Wesley? We're trying to get ready for bed!" Blaine stated.
"Together, or apart?" Wes said, not reacting in the slightest.
The curly haired boy had just about had enough of the older boy and he reached out and smacked him in the forehead. "Could've had a V8," he said.
"Yuck!" Wes declared. "I hate that stuff."
"That explains why you have the timing of a hyperactive puppy on kool-aid." And for the next moment, it seemed like Blaine had done the impossible. It seemed like he had shut Wes up. But all good things were usually too good to be true.
"Very funny," Wes replied and at least Blaine had the small triumph that he couldn't come up with anything better.
The curly haired Warbler shut his eyes. "What did you want, Wes?" he asked, already feeling the aggravation at the boy's impeccable yet unfortunate timing returning.
"Besides to get David on his back?" the head Warbler replied. There was a thud in the bathroom, followed by a loud expletive. Blaine shut his eyes again. He'd be damned if Wes had just caused Kurt to bang his head on something with those less than appropriate words.
"Aren't you in the wrong room for that? Unless you were planning on defiling one of our beds with your perversions…"
Wes barely batted an eyelash. "Seriously though, I only came by to tell you to bring your iPod downstairs tomorrow, and tell Kurt to bring his as well," he said.
"Why?" Blaine asked, furrowing his brow.
The Asian boy grinned. "Self mutilation," he said. "Have a pleasant night Blaine." And in true Wes fashion, he started to walk off without more of an explanation. Blaine knew by now there was no point in trying to call after him for more information. Not that he wanted to. Honestly, he was just happy the boy was gone.
"Perverted bird brain," he mumbled, shutting the door.
Kurt limped out of the bathroom, wearing the pajama pants and a tank top, muttering a curse with every step.
"Kurt! Are you okay? What happened?"
"First I banged my head on the medicine cabinet door trying to spit the mouthwash out before I choked on it when Wes mentioned you needing to get laid, and then banged my toe on the commode while I stumbled around from the pain."
Blaine rushed over to hug the boy and helped him to bed. "I'm sorry, sweetie!"
Kurt just waved that off. "I think we created a monster. Has Wes always been such a sex fiend?"
The curly haired Warbler did his best to hold back the snort. "I kind of think it used to be worse," he said.
Kurt gave him an incredulous look. "Worse?"
Blaine shrugged. "Well, maybe not to a straight guy. He used to have a habit of going into detail about his sexcapades with his ex-girlfriend."
Kurt paled even more at the words and suddenly he understood what Blaine meant by it used to be worse. Sexual comments about doing things with another guy were easier for him to stomach, oddly. Probably because he had no interest in a woman's anatomy.
"But to be fair, yes, he has always been a sex fiend."
Kurt just shook his head, and then a thought occurred to him. "Remember how I said it will be funny watching them all try to play matchmaker for us?"
Blaine nodded, looking at him curiously.
"Well, I think the harder they try, the more oblivious we should play."
Blaine thought about it for a moment, and then a huge grin split his face. "You really are evil, aren't you, Kurt Hummel?"
"Well, Santana might be Satan, but I can be the devil, too!"
…
The next morning, before Kurt and Blaine arrived, the Warblers and the New Directions sat around the table in the dining hall having what they would call, a very important discussion. In which case, for once, they were glad no one was hungover that morning.
"So," Wes said. "I believe we are all on the same page, correct?"
There were nods and scattered murmurs of agreement around the group.
"Okay," Rachel piped up. "But how do you propose we do it? I mean, no offense to your lead singer, but he's the most oblivious kid I've ever met. Even Finn picked up on the fact that Kurt liked him and people think he's clueless!"
"Can we not bring that up?" Finn stated, with a small shudder. "Kurt is past that and it's something the both of us would really like to forget."
It was Sam that spoke up next. "You thought he was crushing on me dude."
Finn shook his head. "Because he wanted to do a duet with you and you were still new to school and I really didn't want your reputation tarnished and...I'm just going to shut-up now." He stopped talking and looked around the table.
"Past crushes aside," Wes began again, "As much as I hate to say it, Rachel is right. Blaine may possibly be the most oblivious human being on earth. He's always getting the wrong message."
"You mean like that Jeremiah guy?" Mercedes said.
The Warblers all looked at her.
"How did you know about that?" Trent asked.
She rolled her eyes goodnaturedly. "Please, Rachel and I are Kurt's girls. He tells us everything."
Wes cleared his throat. "Well Jeremiah was an idiot anyway," he stated.
"No," Jeff piped up. "Jeremiah was a bullfrog."
"Except he wasn't a good friend of mine," Nick added and the two boys burst into laughter. Wes shot the two boys a glare.
"As I was saying," he said loudly, effectively cutting off Niff's laughter. "Jeremiah was an idiot. He was too worried about Blaine being underage and he was barely eighteen himself. As if Blaine would be interested in someone a gazillion years older than him."
David coughed. "I think Jeremiah just said that crap as a way of trying to let Blaine down easily. But God knows what he was really thinking!"
"Underage my butt," Trent muttered. "Blaine's sixteen. Last time I checked, that's the age of consent in Ohio. And there has to be three or more years age difference for it to even have been considered statutory."
Wes threw the bubbly Warbler a look. "How do you even know that?" he asked.
Trent blushed. "I may have been into a twenty-five year old once," he said in a small voice. The Warblers all gave him unreadable looks. Clearly, this was not something they had expected from Trent. "So I looked it all up," he added hastily, trying to wave it off. "It's all swept under the rug now though. Can we move on? This is about making Klaine, not my past crush history."
"Rachel was into Mr. Schue once," Finn suddenly blurted.
The petite diva widened her eyes and smacked the tall teen on the arm. "Finn!" she growled and he had the decency to look chagrined.
"Berry," Lauren said. "He's like, ancient or something."
Santana rolled her eyes. "Oh please, even that hot ass dentist asked us if Mr. Schue was easy on the eyes."
"I still can't believe Miss. Pillsbury married him," Puck remarked.
There was a sudden banging sound and they all jumped. Wes was standing from his seat, gavel in hand. "Thank you. Now if you are all done conversing off-topic, can we please get back to the main discussion of this meeting. Kurt and Blaine."
However, as if to put a wrench in their progression, so-called Klaine chose that moment to make their grand entrance into the dining hall and Wes had to hold back a groan. He mentally gave them all a sarcastic 'well done' for the most unproductive planning session he'd ever been a part of.
"Sorry, are we interrupting something?" Kurt asked, taking a seat next to Mercedes.
The group all hastened to tell them they weren't and the two boys exchanged a knowing glance. They were most definitely interrupting something.
Blaine pulled out his and Kurt's iPods and slid them across the table to Wes. "Here. Katy only knows what you plan on doing with them," he said to the older boy.
"I told you," Wes said, slipping his gavel back into his pocket. "Self mutilation."
The curly haired Warbler rolled his eyes. "And in your mind that could mean just about anything," he said.
"Precisely," the councilman replied, overlooking the apparent insult from the young soloist.
Wes stood and moved around the table to where Rachel was sitting, "Ms. Berry, I would like to make a proposition that would satisfy both of our needs for musical battle."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Do tell."
"I propose Kamikaze Karaoke, New Directions vs The Warblers." Kurt, who was sitting close enough to overhear, frowned, but before he could open his mouth, Wes nodded at him. "And Kurt may decide which team he wants to sing with. I've collected the iPods of all the Warblers. I suggest you do the same for New Directions, and together we can compile a list of songs to be chosen at random by each team."
Rachel didn't need to think twice, and quickly asked all the New Directions to hand over their MP3 players.
"Also, to make things a little more fair, I am going to impose a no Disney, no Wicked, no Rocky Horror rule."
Before Rachel could protest about the loss of her beloved Wicked, Blaine was on his feet. "What? No Disney! That's not fair!"
"I shall amend it to no Disney animated film songs," Wes clarified.
"And no High School Musical!" David added. "My little sister played the soundtrack nonstop all Winter Holiday. I swear if I hear We're All in This Together one more time, I will do bodily harm!"
Wes patted the darker boy on the shoulder. "Ms. Berry and I will compile the lists, and set things up in the Warblers' Commons. We'll let you all know when we are ready. In the meantime, Kurt can think about who he wishes to compete with."
"I don't need to think about it," Kurt said. "I will sing for BOTH teams."
Wes and Rachel exchanged a look, each expecting the other to object, but neither did. "Fine," they both said in unison, before excusing themselves to go through the two dozen or so iPods and MP3 players.
...
It was just over an hour and a half later that they were summoned to the Warblers' Commons for the competition. With the extra people in the room, Kurt and Blaine didn't need an excuse to sit so close together. It actually seemed that the others were trying to force Kurt to sit in Blaine's lap.
Once they were all seated, Wes banged his gavel to get their attention. "Okay, Rachel and I have agreed that we will do three rounds; Groups, Duets, and Solos. Each team will perform five songs in each of the first two rounds, and ten songs in the solo round. We've compiled a list of over a hundred songs. We've broken them down into separate lists. We've compiled one list of forty five group numbers. Now just because we're calling them group numbers doesn't mean everyone on your team must participate. You can have three or more singers per group number.
"We also have lists of solo and duet songs. You will not choose your own songs. Songs will be randomly drawn from a hat this first round. Once the song is selected your team can choose who will sing it. We'll start with the group songs. Rachel and I flipped a coin to determine who would go first, and New Directions won."
Rachel bowed graciously and stepped up to the table, reaching into the hat for a song. "Sippin' Cider! I've never heard of it before!"
"Oh that's a camp song!" Brittany clapped giddily. "It's easy! I'll sing first and you just repeat what I sing!"
Wes cleared his throat. "This is a group performance so you need at least three people.
"I'll sing with her," Santana said. And Brittany clapped giddily again. "Are you joining us manhands?" the Latina asked Rachel.
The brunette diva just shrugged. "As much as I love to perform, I don't even know the melody. Perhaps someone else would be a better choice."
"I'll sing," Sam said.
"Okay!" Brittany giggled and pulled Santana and Sam up to the front of the room with her. Wes found the appropriate song and started the campy music. Brittany started off.
(Brittany, Sam and Santana, All)
The cutest boy
The cutest boy
I ever saw
I ever saw
Was sipping ciiiii
Was sipping ciiiii
Der through a straw
Der through a straw
Sam was blushing as he sang, thinking perhaps this was a poor idea after all, but doing his best.
The cutest boy
I ever saw
Was sipping cider through a
Cider through a straw
I asked him if
I asked him if
He'd show me how
He'd show me how
To sip the ciiiii
To sip the ciiiii
Der through a straw
Der through a straw
I asked him if
He'd show me how
To sip the cider through a
Cider through a straw
Now cheek to cheek
Now cheek to cheek
And jaw to jaw
And jaw to jaw
We both sip ciiiii
We both sip ciiiii
Der through a straw
Der through a straw
Now cheek to cheek
And jaw to jaw
We both sip cider through a
Cider through a straw
And now and then
And now and then
The straw would slip
The straw would slip
And we'd sip ciiiii
And we'd sip ciiiii
Der lip to lip
Der lip to lip
And now and then
The straw would slip
And we'd sip cider lip to
Cider lip to lip
And now I have
And now I have
A mother-in-law
A mother-in-law
Cause I sipped ciiiii
Cause I sipped ciiiii
Der through a straw
Der through a straw
And now I have
A mother-in-law
Cause I sipped cider through a
Cider through a straw
Now fourteen kids
Now fourteen kids
All call me ma
All call me ma
Cause I sipped ciiiii
Cause I sipped ciiiii
Der through a straw
Der through a straw
Sam almost choked on the line about being called ma, and everyone was laughing at his red face, but he just grinned and kept going.
Now fourteen kids
All call me ma
Cause I sipped cider through a
Cider through a straw
The moral of
The moral of
This story is
This story is
Is don't sip ciiiii
Is don't sip ciiiii
Der through a straw
Der through a straw
The moral of
This story is
Is don't sip cider
DRINK ROOT BEER
The gathered teens cheered and whooped as the song came to an end. "Who's iPod did they snag that off from?" Trent wondered.
No one fessed up to being the owner of the song, and Wes drew the first song for the Warblers, grinning from ear to ear like the cheshire cat. "David, I think you'll be singing lead on this one, with Nick, Jeff, and Blaine! Oh, and Beatz, too!"
He showed them the slip, and they all laughed. When the music started, with some additional sound effects from Beatz, the group of teens all jumped up to dance.
(David, Nick, Jeff, Blaine)
Ghostbusters!
If there's something strange in your neighborhood,
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
If there's something weird and it don't look good,
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
I ain't afraid of no ghost.
I ain't afraid of no ghost.
If you're seeing things running through your head,
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
An invisible man sleeping in your bed,
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
I ain't afraid of no ghost.
I ain't afraid of no ghost.
Who you gonna call?
Ghostbusters!
If you're all alone, pick up the phone and call
Ghostbusters!
Ghostbusters!
Once again, everyone was in fits of laughter because so far, the randomness had not given them anything that could be considered a real song. It was a great way for them to all have a little bit of fun though so at least they were loosening up.
With New Directions up, Santana went to pull a song from the hat. She looked at it for a moment. "Okay, I feel like in the authenticity of a group number, this should be a full ensemble with no solos."
"Actually, no offense, Santana," Kurt said, looking over her shoulder, "I think Quinn would be good on leads, with everyone else, myself included, giving the refrain." Santana shrugged and tossed the paper onto the table.
(Quinn, all)
All the leaves are brown (all the leaves are brown)
And the sky is grey (and the sky is grey)
I've been for a walk (I've been for a walk)
On a winter's day (on a winter's day)
I'd be safe and warm (I'd be safe and warm)
If I was in L.A. (if I was in L.A.)
California dreamin' (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day
Stopped into a church
I passed along the way
Well, I got down on my knees (got down on my knees)
And I pretend to pray (I pretend to pray)
You know the preacher lites the cold (preacher lite the cold)
He knows I'm gonna stay (knows I'm gonna stay)
California dreamin' (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day
The Warblers politely applauded, though Trent was frowning slightly.
"What's the matter, Trent?" Kurt asked, as he moved to sit back down next to Blaine.
"Huh?" the cherubic Warbler said. "Oh, nothing. That song just kind of made me long for LA. I was born there."
Kurt patted the boy on the back as Blaine refrained from kissing Kurt's cheek and got up to choose the song. He grinned and called Wes, David, and Thad over for a mini council. He showed them the slip of paper.
"So, I'm thinking we should give the lead on this to Kurt," Blaine whispered to them. "What say you, oh wise council?"
Wes considered for a moment. "It is within his range. Who do you suggest he perform with?"
"I'd suggest Nick, Trent, and Michael."
"You aren't going to sing?"
Blaine either didn't hear him or was pretending not to hear him before he set the paper aside and grinned. "The council and I have decided that Kurt will sing lead on this song. Nick, Trent and Michael will back him up."
"Me?" Kurt said.
"Yes, you!" David replied. "It's well within your rather impressive range, and you're able to give the song the depth of emotion it deserves."
Mercedes just smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
"I don't even know what song it is!" Kurt said.
"Only one way to find out!" Blaine said as the pale boy stepped aside and bowed him into center stage, so to speak.
The music began, and all the New Directions, except Rachel, were smiling at him.
(Kurt, Trent, Nick, Michael, all)
I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
Then I saw his face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer, I couldn't leave him if I tried
I thought love was more or less a giving thing
Seems the more I gave the less I got
What's the use in tryin'
All you get is pain?
When I needed sunshine, I got rain
Then I saw his face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer, I couldn't leave him if I tried
Oh
Oh, love was out to get me
Now, that's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all of my dreams
Then I saw his face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer, I couldn't leave him if I tried
Yes, I saw his face, now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
Said, I'm a believer, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (I'm a believer)
Said, I'm a believer, yeah (I'm a believer)
I said, I'm a believer, yeah (I'm a believer)
Kurt was amazed with himself by the end of the song that he had managed to keep his cool the entire number. His eyes kept periodically flicking in Blaine's direction, trying to hint that the song was all for him. Though the thought that he was telling the other boy in song, without anyone else knowing, that he was in love with him, was enough to make his ears red.
To his credit, Blaine kept face very well also. He managed to make it look like he was watching them as a group, although he couldn't take his eyes off Kurt. Kurt was a beautiful spectacle when he was centerstage. That was the place that Kurt Hummel needed to be. In the spotlight.
The curly haired Warbler was in awe of his own thought process and was one of several people who jumped up to applaud in a standing ovation. So at least his true feelings wouldn't show in that reaction.
Finn gave Kurt a congratulatory hug before moving to pull a slip from the hat.
"Hardknock Life? I don't know this song!"
"I do!" Tina said a fraction of a second before Rachel.
The two girls glared at each other for a moment, and then Quinn gave a frustrated sigh. "Just shoot for it," she said. The rest of us girls will sing back up."
They both nodded. "On three," Rachel said. "One, two, three!"
She threw out the two finger 'scissors,' thinking the other girl would believe Rachel would choose rock, so would take paper, but Tina surprised her and threw rock instead.
"I win!" Tina crowed.
Rachel stamped her foot. "But your hair's not red!" she whined.
Santana frowned. "Hate to break it to you Manhands, but neither is yours. I'm singing whatever lines Pepper sings, since she's the bitchy orphan."
The petite diva was still grumbling as she got into place after the girls decided who would do which of the other mini solos while Tina took the Annie lead.
They actually really started getting into it, even adding some random choreography. Quinn was hilarious when she sang the Molly lines, particularly the part when Molly was supposed to be imitating Miss. Hannigan.
The Warblers had to admit that the girls were really going all out for this and they briefly wondered if maybe they should do something more with Annie in the future. But shrugged it off.
It's a hardknock life!
As the last line echoed around the room and everyone applauded, Lauren decided to cap the moment and said, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!"
There were a few wolf whistles from the straight boys in the room, as the others laughed at Lauren's imitation of July.
"I hope you know," Rachel stated, "You're wolf whistling at girls that are no more than like, ten years old and Molly's six I think."
"Wow," Thad said. "You really do take everything to a literal level."
She rolled her eyes at him and flounced back to her seat as Thad made his way up to select a song. "Alright!" he shouted, showing the paper to the others. "I'm taking the lead!" He glared at the other two councilmen, and they just nodded graciously.
"Fine, Wes and I will back you up, and I think Beatz can add some vocals as well," David said.
They took their marks and waited as the first strains of Eye of the tiger began to play. Thad was smooth, showing off a few well executed dance moves. Wes and David's voices harmonized perfectly on the choruses, with Beatz providing more depth to the song.
Thad seemed to be flirting a little with Quinn as he sang. There was polite applause from both groups when they finished singing. Artie rolled forward to choose the next song for New Directions.
"Dope! Let's do this, boys!"
Puck took lead, with Finn singing harmonies, and Artie and Sam added their voices to the chorus as they sang Every Rose Has Its Thorn. The girls (and a couple of the guys) teared up during the performance, and they received a standing ovation.
With a hop, skip, and a jump, Jeff bounded up to the hat to select the Warblers second to last group song. When he pulled the slip out, he almost blurted something, but covered it with his laughter and grabbed Nick and Blaine.
"Whoa, what's so funny Jeff?" Blaine asked the blonde boy, rubbing his arm because Jeff had pulled it just a little too hard.
Jeff grinned and showed the two of them the slip. "It's my guilty pleasure," he said so only they could hear.
"Everyone is going to be in such uncontrollable laughter by the end of this," Nick replied, but he was grinning from ear to ear.
Blaine contemplated that thought for a moment. "Might make it harder for the New Directions to get smoothly through their last group song."
"Which will be all the more entertaining for us," Jeff finished.
Blaine was grinning now. "Alright, let's do it."
The music began to start, and there were a few confused looks from most people, but Kurt swore he heard Santana say something along the lines of, "Jo was so hot!"
(Jeff, Blaine, Nick All)
You take the good, you take the bad,
you take them both and there you have
The facts of life, the facts of life.
There's a time you got to go and show
You're growin' now you know about
The facts of life, the facts of life.
When the world never seems
to be livin up to your dreams
And suddenly you're finding out
the facts of life are all about you, you.
It takes a lot to get 'em right
When you're learning the facts of life. (learning the facts of life)
Learning the facts of life (learning the facts of life)
Learning the facts of life.
You'll avoid a lot of damages
an enjoy the fun of managing
the facts of life;
they shed a lot of light
If you hear them from your brother,
better clear them with your mother
better get them right,
call her late at night
You got the future in the palm of your hands
all you gotta do to get you through is understand
you think you rather do without,
you will never make without the truth
the facts of life is all about you
Blaine was right about everyone being in fits of laughter by the end of the theme song. And the way the three of them had put in seamless choreography, pointing at people and dancing crazy. Like Blaine jumping up on the table, which he was pretty sure Wes would scold him for later.
"Okay!" Wes shouted, giving Blaine a disapproving glare and the curly haired Warbler just shrugged, falling back into his seat next to Kurt, who gave him one of those brilliant smiles of his. "The next song will be the last for the New Directions in the group round!"
Mercedes stood up to go draw a slip and smiled at the paper. "Oh, I love this song! I think we all need to do this together. Boys on lead, girls on refrain and chorus."
Finn looked thoughtful for a moment. "In that case, Kurt can sing all the high note lines for us."
Rachel surprisingly piped up. "Actually Mercedes, I think this should be an all guys number. So all the boys can sing it!"
Finn had to say he was impressed. "Okay, let's do this."
"New Directions, Beach Boys style!" Puck cheered.
The boys all took their places.
(Finn, Kurt, Artie, All)
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take ya
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go, Jamaic
Off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo
That's where you want to go to get away from it all
Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand
We'll be falling in love to the rhythm of a steel drum band
Down in Kokomo
The girls had gotten up and were clapping along as the boys jammed to the song. A couple of the boys, Puck and Sam were miming guitar since they didn't have real ones and the Beach Boys did play their own instruments.
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
oh I want to take you down to
Kokomo, we'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo
Martinique, that Montserrat mystique
Wes and David glanced at each other, hiding the frown they exchanged. They were not particularly impressed by Finn's idea of showcasing Kurt's vocals.
We'll put out to sea and we'll perfect our chemistry
And by and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity
Afternoon delight, cocktails and moonlit nights
That dreamy look in your eye, give me a tropical contact high
Way down in Kokomo
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
oh I want to take you down to
Kokomo, we'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo
Port au Prince, I want to catch a glimpse
Everybody knows a little place like Kokomo
Now if you want to go and get away from it all
Go down to Kokomo
Most of the Warblers and the girls were all clapping and dancing along to the music now, because how could you not when it was the Beach Boys? But Wes and David were still concerned. Wes made it a point to have a private word with Rachel either when the karaoke was over, or when they took a break. Something did not sit right with him.
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
oh I want to take you down to
Kokomo, we'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow
That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo
Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
Everyone clapped as the song came to an end, although Wes and David were holding a whispered conversation as they applauded. They nodded at each other in agreement as Simon came forward to draw the Warblers' last group song.
"Kurt and Blaine will sing leads!" Wes announced, without even bothering to see what the song was. "The rest of us will sing back up."
Kurt just raised an eyebrow, while Blaine looked a little confused. They glanced at each other and shrugged.
Rachel, however, had an expression on her face no one could read. The petite diva glanced from the group of Warblers to the head councilman and back again. She was starting to smell a rat. And think this whole game might be some sort of ploy. There were words to be had with Wes later.
In centerstage, when the music started, Kurt felt his ears go warm and almost immediately, shot Wes one of his bitch glares. Blaine did not look all too pleased either and he thought Wes might be up to something.
However, both of them kept things professional and got ready to dive into the song.
(Kurt, Blaine, All, Kurt and Blaine)
Step inside
Walk this way
You and me babe
Hey hey!
Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on
Livin' like a lover with a radar phone
Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp
Demolition woman, can I be your man?
Kurt found himself watching Blaine out of the corner of his eye, while trying to look like he was just into his co-leads words, which to be fair, he was. Only because Blaine was singing them though.
Blaine was already equally fired up just by the idea of doing this song with Kurt. It was so incredibly hot and he wanted to dance with him. He inched a little closer to Kurt's already swaying hips.
Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light
Television lover, baby, go all night
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet
Little miss ah innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah
So c'mon, take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C'mon, fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
I can't get enough
It felt like in the blink of an eye, Kurt found himself with his back pressed up against Blaine. Neither boy noticed the rest of the Warblers exchanging glances.
I'm hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah
Kurt pulled away, dancing away from Blaine trying to keep his head. And that was when he realized if he let himself go like this, there would be no more cover to keep.
All the pale boy had to do was look at Blaine and the two of them practically had an entire conversation with their eyes.
Listen! red light, yellow light, green-a-light go!
Crazy little woman in a one man show
Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love
Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up
Loosen up
You gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little
Tease a little more
Easy operator come a knockin' on my door
Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet
Little miss innocent sugar me, yeah, yeah
Give a little more
Slightly reluctantly, Kurt and Blaine separated, with Blaine dancing backwards as he sang and grinding against Thad, while Kurt danced his way over to the girls to sway his hips with Santana. The Latina had to admit that she was impressed and couldn't help guiding the pale boy along.
Take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C'mon, fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
I can't get enough
I'm hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah
Blaine quickly, but naturally, moved away from Thad, mostly because he had a sudden urge to lick into the other boy's mouth and really, the only person whose mouth he wanted to be licking into, was dancing with a girl.
You got the peaches, I got the cream
Sweet to taste, saccharine
'Cause I'm hot, say what, sticky sweet
From my head, my head, to my feet
Do you take sugar? One lump or two?
With the song drawing to its close, Kurt found himself dancing between Quinn and Santana. He was swinging his head the way rockers tended to do and some of the New Directions boys were caught by surprise.
Blaine took that as his cue, to dance rescue Kurt from the girl sandwich, pulling him back to center stage where they went into the wrapup with rockstar grace.
Take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up (Break it up)
Pour some sugar on me
Ooh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
C'mon fire me up
Pour your sugar on me
Oh, I can't get enough
Pour some sugar on me
Oh, in the name of love
Pour some sugar on me
Get it, come get it
Pour your sugar on me
Pour some sugar on me
Yeah! Sugar me!
There were whistles and cheers as the song came to an end.
"Okay, I believe we should take a break now," Wes said. "Lunch will be served in about thirty minutes. We'll continue with the last two rounds afterwards."