Freedom
Kurt couldn't believe what Blaine was telling him. He couldn't understand who would have sent in these claims, or why. He knew someone who might, but he had no idea what Chandler would.
He angrily paced Blaine's bedroom, furious that he'd wasted months on a fake relationship for nothing.
"My parents..." Blaine mumbled from his bed where he was laying and staring up at the ceiling. "They haven't spoken to me since they got home. Haven't even looked at me since they got back."
"From Greece?" Kurt wondered.
"Cooper told them not to." Blaine breathed but felt hot tears start pouring from the sides of his eyes as he tried to contain his emotions. "He said they should enjoy relaxing before they kill me. I guess they couldn't."
"They won't actually kill you." Kurt reminded.
"I wish they would." Blaine cried. Kurt looked at him then and threw himself onto the bed next to him, hugging him tightly. "I can't keep doing this. I'm always a failure."
"You're never a failure!" Kurt argued pulling him tighter into the hug until Blaine surrendered and rolled over to press hi face into Kurt's chest. "You've mastered everything you've ever tried."
"Yet I keep disappointing everyone." Blaine cried.
"This isn't your fault." Kurt told him.
"No, it's Chandler's." Blaine cried. "I wish..." He looked down trying to convince himself not to say it. He didn't even want to consider blaiming Kurt, but he was too angry to keep him in. "I wish you'd never fucking dated him. I was right there, Kurt! You didn't even try!"
Kurt would have argued but he did agree that Blaine had a point. One, he'd never tried to pursue Blaine but also why would he? Even if he knew Blaine was gay he couldn't have handled that kind of rejection, especially not from someone who was friends with his bullies. Two, he shouldn't have continued seeing Blaine and Chandler at the same time. Even if the relationships were different, even if they'd never said they were exclusive. He should have known it would cause problems. But how could he have estimated this?
"I love you." He replied quietly instead.
"I'm sorry." Blaine whimpered.
"I know." Kurt kissed his head softly. He wasn't too depressed to continue gelling his hair and that was the most significant sign Kurt needed to know how Blaine was doing.
They lay like that for a while during which time Kurt could only think of Chandler. Did he do this? Blaine seemed certain. And he'd read the letters so he'd have a better idea than Kurt.
"Do you think he knows?" Kurt wondered breathlessly.
"What?" Blaine asked but there was no power behind the question.
"Do you think Chandler knows about us?" Kurt wondered.
"I don't care." Blaine grumbled rolling deeper into Kurt so that his face was pressed into the small space between Kurt's chest and the bed.
"Why else would he do this?" Blaine didn't answer. Kurt wasn't sure if he was listening. Every few minutes his body would tremble or shake as if he might be crying but he didn't answer. "If only we could show Dalton he was a liar. Then he'd have to stop. Or at least he wouldn't have anything to hold against us."
Blaine remained quiet.
"You think he'd want you to stay at Dalton." Kurt continued after a few more minutes of thought. "He can't really think it will help keep us apart if we're always together."
"Nothing can keep us apart." Blaine mumbled into the sheet and his shirt.
Kurt nodded and kissed his head. Then paused, "What if it could?"
Blaine rolled then and looked at Kurt with tired, puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. He sucked in a deep breath but didn't push Kurt for more details.
"What keeps people apart?" Kurt wondered.
"I don't know." Blaine grumbled thoughtlessly. "Drama, money, cheating... a crazy ex extorting them?"
"What if I cheated on you?" Kurt wondered.
"How about fucking not?" Blaine wondered rolling back into Kurt's chest and wrapping his arms around him.
"Obviously not really." Kurt moaned somewhat amused. "But if we broke up because I cheated on you, it would seem real, wouldn't it?"
"How would that get me back into Dalton?" Blaine inquired. "This seems like a lose-lose, but honestly I'd get it. I don't think I'm meant to be happy anyways."
Kurt slapped Blaine's butt lightly and wrapped his arms tight around him.
"Chandler needs to want you to stay at Dalton." Kurt decided. "Then he could retract his complaints."
"If he retracts his complaints he can't make anymore." Blaine mumbled mindlessly. A moment later he sat up with slightly spry hair and a mattress squashed puffy face. "What if we could get him to rescind his complaint?"
"That's what I'm saying." Kurt noted somewhat annoyed.
"If we break up," Blaine mused while deep in thought.
"It would need to look real." Kurt noted. "If we aren't fooling him, he won't believe us anymore."
"So we fess up." Blaine agreed. "You admit it and..."
"We'd need to have a messy break up." Kurt added.
"Somewhat public if not public." Blaine continued.
"So bad I never wanted to see you again."
"And if Chandler thought it could really be the end of us, he might try to keep us apart by keeping me out of McKinley."
"Worst comes to worse, we let off some steam and get together happily at McKinley." Kurt smiled.
"Yeah, he'd hate that." Blaine mused. "He'll do anything to prevent that."
"Even admit to lying." Kurt agreed.
"What's bad enough and messy enough that no normal couple survives it?" Blaine wondered.
"Murder?" Kurt asked.
"That's hard to fake." Blaine mused critically, "And I think it actually brings people closer."
"Cheating."
"That's much more rational." Blaine praised. "And easier to fake."
"You're not cheating on me." Kurt snapped suddenly.
"Of course not." Blaine agreed leaning forward to kiss Kurt twice softly. "But we do need to fake it."
"How?" Kurt asked skeptically.
"You'll both have to catch us in the act." Blaine said then added when he noticed Kurt's expression, "We'll get a straight guy to help us. It's not cheating if they're straight."
"That is absolutely not true." Kurt snapped. "No."
"Sam?" Blaine wondered.
Kurt sighed, "It should be someone Chandler and I don't know."
"Someone from Dalton." Blaine asked and when Kurt nodded he added, "How about Harry?"
"Harry?" Kurt asked. "You mean..."
"You've met him." Blaine reminded. "He said if he was attracted to me. Maybe he's a little curious."
"I hate everything about all of this." Kurt grumbled.
"Would you hate it if you were the one cheating on me, Kurt?" Blaine inquired.
"I hate it all." Kurt snapped.
"Kurt." Blaine said suddenly in a much more serious tone. "I don't want to push you or pressure you into anything. Ever. But... my parents have wasted so much money on this already. And if I go to court?!"
"Why would you go to court?" Kurt demanded.
"Someone is saying I tried to force myself on them while they were passed out at a party! Another person said I threatened to hit them with my car if they came back to school!"
"Did you?" Kurt wondered.
"Really?" Blaine asked in disbelief.
"Did you!?" Kurt demanded.
"No!" Blaine snapped but sighed and shook his head. Kurt had every right to ask, Blaine reminded himself, it wouldn't be fair to expect him to blindly trust him indefinitely. "I'm sorry, Kurt. No. I didn't do anything they accused me of. Except hit Chandler. I did that."
"They can't prove anything, then." Kurt told him.
"They can still try." Blaine reminded. "My parents don't want to waste anymore money on this... what if they kick me out!?"
"They won't."
"I'm a failure!" Blaine cried. "I've done nothing to make them proud- -nothing Cooper didn't do years before me, oh but I'm also gay so why not let this be the final nail on the coffin, huh!?"
"Blaine." Kurt tried. "They won't, but even if they did, you can stay with me. Or Sam, I'm sure."
"Your parents aren't going to let me stay with you and Sam's parents have their own problems." Blaine complained.
Kurt sighed and shook his head. "This won't be an issue. Call Harry. Or anyone from Dalton who will help. We'll get Chandler to admit what he did."
Blaine had found an incredible amount of support when he told the Warblers what was going on. All of them were willing to play along but since Harry was willing and he was the one Blaine told about to Kurt, he invited him over.
"This seems backwards." Harry mused as he lounged on Blaine's bed watching Blaine pace around his bedroom.
Blaine had gotten his parents a gift card to get dinner tonight. Although they still wouldn't speak to him, they accepted the card and left. It shattered Blaine's heart knowing they'd been so desperate to get away from him for the night that it didn't even take any convincing. And they certainly didn't invite him.
At this point he'd accept being grounded. He'd tried cleaning the entire house. He'd tried to explain to them that none of it was true. They didn't want to hear it. He could see it in their eyes. They were done.
"What does?" Blaine wondered trying desperately to keep himself together but there was too much riding on this and honestly, he thought, it felt ridiculous. Why, in a million years, would this ever work? What had they been thinking? Blaine should just send himself to military school. Somewhere far away and so strict he could never screw up bad enough to be expelled. Or maybe he should just start dating a girl. Maybe if... no. He surrendered. None of that would work.
"I'm straight, but I'm pretending to be gay and hoping to be caught." Harry mused. "Doesn't it normally go the opposite way? Gay guy pretends to be straight and avoids getting caught?"
"It's a new world." Blaine mumbled.
"Hey." Harry tried. "Don't worry. Dalton won't let you go that easy. Even if this doesn't work, Dalton will get teams of lawyers to prove you're innocent."
"Not if my parents stop paying them to." Blaine mumbled and sat on the bed with slumped shoulders. "Maybe they should. Maybe they would be happier if I just confessed to everything and went to jail."
"Don't be like that." Harry tried but stopped when they heard a car pull in. "Is that them?"
They listened and when they heard a knock on the door they both moved next to each other on the bed.
"This feels weird." Harry admitted.
"Yeah, it does." Blaine agreed. "Take your shirt off."
They pulled off their shirts and Blaine reached into the drawer to grab a condom.
"What the hell." Harry asked as calmly as he could. "I'm curious, but not that curious."
"Relax." Blaine groaned. "I love Kurt, this is for show."
He dropped the condom on the bed and tried to mess up the sheets to look like they'd been messing around.
"This too." Harry said pulling a small bottle of oil from the drawer and tossing it on the bed. It fell off immediately though and both looked over the edge as they heard Kurt's voice downstairs. "Thank god that wasn't open."
"My mom would have to notice me to kill me." Blaine muttered before turning to Harry and pinning him to the bed. "You ready?" Harry closed his eyes, sucked in a breath, and nodded as Blaine lowered his face to Harry's just in time to hear Kurt and someone outside the door.
Blaine grabbed Harry's leg as he kissed him and hooked it over his hip and pressed his hips into him a little deeper, feeling a little bit of satisfaction that Harry made a pleasurable moan in response.
When the door opened Blaine was relieved to see Chandler looking shocked and oddly vindicated. Blaine didn't care because suddenly he felt a little hope. He put his attention onto Kurt fearing that noticing Chandler too long would lead him to slip up.
Kurt and Blaine had determined that they would play this up to the fullest to ensure they hadn't wasted any of their time, but after a couple days Blaine was really starting to panic. He needed Kurt. He couldn't continue to deal with the disappointment and anger of his parents any longer.
Ironically, this seemed to be the time they worked the least, and were almost always home. The only thing they said to Blaine was "No." whenever he did anything they somewhat didn't approve of or if they wanted him to leave.
Finally, though, as he lay in bed and contemplated jumping off the roof or a nearby bridge and making it look like an accident, his mom walked into the room with a phone in one hand and a tray of freshly baked cookies in the other. Blaine had smelt her making them. It was assumed she'd done it to torture him.
Was this to ensure the torture really worked?
But she slid the cookies onto the bed beside him and hugged him, "I'm so sorry my beautiful baby boy."
Blaine sat frozen for a moment, not sure how to react, but suddenly he was hugging her, not caring what she was sorry for, and crying weakly into her shoulder.
After a few minutes of them sitting there, she explained that the dean called and explained the students had submitted formal retractions and had admitted that their accusations were unfounded and incorrect so Blaine would be returning and the school would put the tuition spent on the missed time towards next year. Blaine would be welcome back immediately.
Blaine barely cared because his mom was talking to him again, and apologizing for not believing him, and feeding him cookies which was somehow the least fantastic thing about it. And after a family dinner to the nicest restaurant in the area Blaine arrived at Kurt's house.
"I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again." Kurt spat when he answered the door to see Blaine.
Blaine smiled widely in response. "Chandler retracted. I'm back in Dalton."
"Oh, Blaine!" Kurt cheered, switching his mood instantly and hugging Blaine. After hugging a moment they kissed and Kurt invited Blaine inside. "So you're in Dalton."
"Yes."
"100%"
"Yes."
"Can Chandler change that?"
"No." They both smiled and hugged again.
"What's going on?" Burt wondered walking into the room and eating an after dinner sandwich. "I thought you two broke up... again... or something."
"That was nothing." Blaine shrugged off proudly, unable to pull the smile from his face.
"Chandler was trying to get Blaine in trouble" Kurt nodded. "It was this whole thing."
"It's good now, we don't have to pretend." Blaine nodded.
"Uh-huh." Burt nodded once then turned to leave the room, "Glad I'm not a kid anymore."
"My parents are sending me back to Dalton tomorrow." Blaine told Kurt.
"Tomorrow?" Kurt breathed.
"Meet me at the Lima Bean at 7:30 tomorrow morning, okay?" Blaine asked.
"Yes." Kurt smiled and hugged him again.
"I'm so happy to have you." Blaine breathed.
"I'm so happy to have you." Kurt replied holding him tighter. "You're the only thing that's made my life tolerable this year."
"I love you more than anything." Blaine told him kissing the side of his head. "I just want you to be happy."
"You make me happy." Kurt told him. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you so much."
Blaine returned to Dalton with a smile on his face and a weight lifted off his heart. He didn't have to hide his boyfriend anymore. He could proudly show pictures of himself and Kurt to everyone at Dalton and in the Warblers. On Friday afternoon Kurt came up to visit and was once more properly introduced but this time not as a friend but as a boyfriend.
"We shouldn't have done that." Kurt mused as they drank coffee at Dalton's café.
"Done what?" Blaine wondered grinning a bit in anticipation.
"We told everyone we were dating."
"So?"
"So, they won't let me stay in your room anymore." Kurt explained.
"Oh." But Blaine found his smile wouldn't disappear. "I can come home on weekends too, you know."
"I know." Kurt shrugged mindlessly. "Are you excited for regionals next week?"
"Yes." Blaine replied, "But I'm a little worried about after."
"What happens after regionals?" Kurt wondered.
"My boyfriend's going to be mad that I beat him."
"Oh, that's funny." Kurt laughed jokingly. "So funny. Not as funny as your reaction when you're holding second... or third."
"Don't even joke about that!" Blaine hissed. "I've never gotten third!"
"First time for everything." Kurt shrugged.
Blaine smiled at him a little bashfully but started watching him as Kurt were his own personal heaven.
"What?" Kurt wondered suddenly wanting to check his face.
"You're so perfect." Blaine mused blissfully. "I could stare at you all day."
Kurt smiled at him and replied, "Have I ever told you how much I like that uniform?"
"You could wear one too, you know." Blaine suggested raising an eyebrow at him over his cup as he took a sip.
Kurt laughed because he'd already rejected the Warbler's offer to have him move to Dalton.
"My parents couldn't afford it." Kurt said.
"There are scholarships."
"I love McKinley." Kurt shrugged.
"Why?"
"It's my home. It sucks sometimes because of bullies but I love everyone there and I love the glee club."
"Warbler's are better." Blaine reminded.
"They're not, though." Kurt mused skeptically.
Blaine laughed once, "I guess we'll find out when you lose at Regionals."
"It's weird to talk to yourself in public Blaine." Kurt mused and before Blaine could fully understand the comment Kurt added, "Want to see a movie before I go back?"
Blaine looked down for a moment and smirked before leading Kurt out of the school and heading for a movie.
Thank you for reading!
I think this is the end but I'll wait a few days before changing it to complete. If people want me to continue I will, if not, I'll change it to complete. Please let me know what you think, and thanks again!