AN: this is part of a personal challenge/project filling all the prompts of past Kadam weeks, and posting one every day from March 28 to May 8th, 7 prompts per year 5 previous rounds (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 last two managed by vcg73) the first week of May 2-8 will present to you the offering for the Kadam Week 2021 you can search for more on tumblr
This is the offering to Kadam Week 2013 prompt 7: Kadam in Essex
Once things became serious, Adam had been the first one to take the trip to meet the family and exploring Kurt's hometown, more due to logistics than actual desire.
Kurt had naively believed that, if given the chance, he would have preferred to go to Essex, rather than drag Adam to Lima.
Now that he was actually on the long flight there, he was starting to, not exactly regret that position, but his nerves were eagerly rearing their ugly heads up, and his mind was more than willing to supply all the doubts and possible terrors to come.
Kurt wasn't a nervous flier, but their destination was surrounded by unknown. Adam of course was not worried at all, but that was easy understandable he was going back home. Adam's family and friends were the one waiting to greet them.
And Kurt had not a single clue on what to expect from any of them. The fact was that out of Adam's family he sort of managed to interact only with his parents Drew and Alan, over brief skype calls. They had both been lovely, and made him feel very much welcome, but at the same time what if that would change in person?
Adam had been completely unhelpful on the matter, simply kissing his cheek and telling him all would be grand. That his family as whole was already enamoured enough to with Kurt that he should actually worry more about being kidnapped and forcibly adopted into the Crawford's clan rather than not being accepted.
But years of doubts, and previous experiences where he had been actively kept away from meeting the family, weren't helping.
The fact that Adam's family was huge. Or at least seemed so to an only child, who had lived with only one parent for most of his life. It didn't help that clearly, the inclination for the saucy teasing humour Adam had, seemed to have had its origin from his parents...
And apparently it was decidedly a Crawford trait wanting to fuck with other people's mind.
It had started some seven generations before, and since then each man in the Crawford family had been named with a given name starting with the letter A. Family rumours vowed that it was done so that all the monogrammed heirlooms could be passed off as new, while still maintaining status, or so Alan told Kurt at one time.
Drew however was very much progressive and supported the idea all their children should have equal opportunities... Later on Adam had commented grinning, that it was also a lot easier having each sibling passing through the same schools, with the same set of textbooks, if they all shared the same A. Crawford on their school things.
So the final result was that Adam had two older siblings. The first was Andrew who was seven years older than Adam, who married Annabel, and then proceeded to keep up the family tradition by naming his six years old son Aaron and his four years old daughter Abbigail.
Then Ashley, who only was four years older than Adam, and at least as far as anyone heard, she was not serious enough to introduce the possible boyfriend to the family yet, especially not when Adam was taking home someone special.
Apparently that too was a family tradition that each sibling agreed to do and was fond of the practice, having only one significant other visiting, to allow them to get the full blast of the family's attention. And basically they usually either got adopted by the end of the visit or fled. That was as far as Kurt had been informed at least.
It was one of the very few times in which Kurt had levelled Adam with one of his unimpressed looks. When the night before their flight, he had shrugged and told Kurt to be prepared for some heavy handed teasing, because his siblings had some payback to hand down.
It was only when they were cuddled in bed before sleeping that Adam admitted in a soft voice how, unlike his siblings, who had at least a couple of partners running away after meeting the family, Kurt was going to be the first one Adam actually wanted to and had decided to bring back home to meet them all.
Which, while sweet, put a lot more pressure on Kurt's shoulders, and even more fears of being found somewhat lacking.
Younger than Adam there were Anthony, who was nineteen and three years younger than Kurt himself, and the babies of the family were the fifteen years old twins Ayleen and Arianne.
All in all the thought of being one of twelve people under the same roof sounded overwhelming...
Especially since they promised to be welcoming... Adam himself was a very tactile person, and having had the chance to actually see Alan and Drew being just as affectionate as he and Adam were... It sort of made sense to expect the rest of the family to have similar dispositions.
And while Kurt welcomed and adored Adam's physical presence in his own personal bubble, he wasn't sure if the unfamiliarity would make him awkward, and the prelude of a disaster.
Kurt was unable to rest, he sort of envied Adam's ability to fall into an apparently restful slumber, despite being in what looked like a very cramped and uncomfortable position.
He didn't even realise how lost into his own thoughts he was until Adam's hand on his cheek startled him.
"Da'ling it's going to be fine, everyone back home will love you, not just my family but my friends as well. I can already see it, by the time we're ready to leave they will all ask either how to trade me up to keep you, or offering you many viable alternatives more palatable than me should you be interested…"
Kurt snorted and replied with full certainty "I highly doubt anyone could make me a tempting offer, even less one I'd actually be interested in when I'm with you luv."
Adam's smile was tight, a clear sign that there was a story there. It was unlikely that he would choose to share it in such a public setting, no matter how low he could whisper, but Kurt attempted asking anyway, just in case, "Anything I should be aware of hon?"
There was a brief flash in Adam's eyes that looked like guilt, but Adam had looked away fidgeting with the hem of Kurt's shirt before Kurt could be sure, the soft "I'll explain later" was all confirmation Kurt needed. But he respected Adam's clear need to wait and simply nodded, knowing that he would get an explanation later on was enough.
God only knew Kurt had been in the same position before, not really feeling like talking about something, and Adam had always waited for him to feel like sharing, even when it was painfully obvious he could see something was amiss.
Once they landed he was pretty surprised to see they managed to pass the custom and reaching the luggage belt in a relatively short amount of time. Kurt wasn't exactly sure what to expect, once they passed through the door separating the incoming travellers and the people waiting at the arrivals. But the small gang of both friends and family wasn't what he had pictured.
For one, he recognised Drew, an older looking guy that resembled both Alan and Adam, which Kurt supposed was Andrew, and a younger man in what looked very much like a prep school uniform, identifying him as Anthony.
All three of them made a bee line for him rather than Adam, who instead got surrounded by two guys and a girl, though Kurt didn't have the time to get a proper look at them.
Drew smiled and without hesitation wrapped Kurt into a gentle yet firm hug talking excitedly at one mile per minute "Oh Kurt it's soo good you've finally managed to come, you don't know for how long I've wished to see you in person. And I was totally right the first time, you both look like you need some meat on your bones, you're soo thin, are you sure you guys are eating enough? Doesn't matter, you're here now, and I'll take proper care of my boys. You can't imagine the pouting Alan had going when he didn't manage to pick the winning ticket to come and pick you up..."
Drew's enthusiasm was infectious and her fast spoken pitch brought a smile on Kurt's lips. It was eerily similar in besotted tone, speed and amount of words within a single breath, to how Adam's first speech to him had been...
Andrew, if Kurt had guessed right, was smiling just as brilliantly as Drew. He patted both her and Kurt's shoulder gently before offering his hand to Kurt to shake it, only to turn it into a one arm hug once Kurt actually took his hand
"Mom it's my turn now, Kurt it's so nice to see you in person man, not sure if Addy had any pictures of us so that you might have more than just the names to go on, but I'm the handsomest of the current generation of Crawford, the name is Andrew, and let me tell you our parents are crap at taking screen shot because you certainly look a lot better in person than the smuggled pics they scraped from skype phone calls."
Anthony snorted and then gave a not so gentle looking shove to his older brother before possessively hug Kurt pouting "It's my turn now with Addy's beau, you got yours by cheating now get out of the way" then without even seemingly taking a breath he turned to Kurt "I'm sure Addy had actually pics of me and you do know I'm Anthony, and you look so fine I can totally get why my brother liked you, especially your voice, you'll have to let us hear you sing. I saw some of the videos on youtube of your past performance from your school days and I want to hear a live one, please pretty please with cherries on top... though if you don't like cherries I'm sure we can find something else more palatable as long as you do sing. You have no idea the madness you're walking into, but please know we all mean well... Even when we come across as too much."
Kurt briefly wondered if being part of such a large family taught them all to either speak quickly or held their thoughts, because this far it was four out of four of the Crawfords who seemed able to fit so many words within a single breath.
Kurt chuckled and said simply "I'm just glad this far you are all being so welcoming." The whole experience was so surreal and overwhelming that he missed seeing Adam's interaction with his friends.
When his boyfriend came over with them in tow and reclaimed back hugging rights and privileges. After briefly ruffling Anthony 's hair, provoking the outrage of the young man "Addy keep those shovel hands far away from my hair, do you know how long it takes to look this good? and how hard it is to get my turn in the bathroom with Ash, Alye and Ari in the same house?"
Adam chuckled gleefully and retorted unrepentant with a teasing "I'm sure we'll all discover who's the greatest bathroom hogger soon, for now let me get my boyfriend back, squirt, it is my turn to have some snuggling time. You've already got yours, and I have dibs on him so back off"
Adam poked his tongue out as he wrapped himself on Kurt, taking the occasion to press as much of his own longer frame against his boyfriend body. He then turned a bright smile at Kurt and continued redirecting the both of them to face his friends "Those three are some of my best friends, they too had a straw picking contest on whose turn it was to come and greet me at the airport. This lovely lady here is Eirin Klinger"
Kurt took a moment to smile at Eirin and appreciate her copper braided hair and the complimenting simple dress she was wearing. She was on the shorter side, lean and pixie looking. While her smile was more reserved than the Crawfords, she still offered her hand and Kurt took it with a shy smile, taking comfort from Adam's presence
"Nice to meet you, I'm..." The blond athletic man, as tall as Adam but with broader and more filled shoulders that spoke of contact sport, interrupted Kurt, in a way that had a very reminiscent feeling to the first time Adam introduced himself.
"Kurt Hummel, we know, we had to investigate who was soo interesting to Adam here, that he'd be brought home for our inspection and seals of approval, I'm Matthew Stone and do not listen to everyone else I'm not as stoner "
That weirdly specific denial sent all the other friends into chuckles. And when he managed to have it under control, the last boy, a willowy brunette with sparkling green eyes hidden behind glasses and freckles all over his face took his turn to shake Kurt's hand smiling welcoming
"I'm George, and I do hope you rested on your flight here Kurt, because tonight we're taking you both out for some good ol' pub crawling. to get a pint and catch up, it's been so long since Adam was around, lots of us missed him dearly."
Kurt nodded, he knew that in the years Adam had been at nyada he had managed to return at least once per year. But since he got into the master program, and to be honest also since they got together. This was basically the first time Adam returned home in almost two years. Since the previous summer, both their savings were spent visiting Kurt's family in Lima...
Kurt managed to offer a brave smile and a nod, he wasn't too fond of the idea of a night moving from place to place as people grew more and more imbibed with alcohol.
But he trusted Adam, and he also reasoned that if it became too much, there was always the option of taking a cab back to the Crawford's home if the worse came to it...
Not that he would really do that to Adam, but the comfort of having a backup plan and an escape route should he it be necessary, it was the kind of mental comfort Kurt needed to be able to face the prospect of the planned evening. Kurt had felt Adam stiffening behind him when the plan was exposed, which was why his voice sounded more secure than Kurt really felt about it "We'll be there, even if I have to beg for a nap time so I won't fall asleep on you during the evening."
Kurt knew it was the right response when the smile on Adam's friends turned more genuine, and Adam relaxed a little. The drive home from the airport wasn't too long. Kurt found the animated chatter in the car, the cuddling in Adam's arm, while he caught up with the latest news of his family, very comforting to the point he didn't realise he fell asleep.
To his immense mortification, Kurt woke up still in Adam's arms, but with the both of them laying on a bed in a bedroom that in his sleepy state Kurt didn't recognise, despite the presence of Adam's familiar scent. Kurt tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes. He snuggled closer to Adam, seeking the warmth of the exposed skin with his nose and nuzzling it lovingly.
It was a soft chuckling sound from the opposite side of the room that finally tore Kurt away from his sleepy cuddling bliss. He offered an unarticulated grunt, that would have made Finn and any of the other gleek boys proud of him, in lieu of an answer, or maybe it was a question...
"You sleepy heads need to wake up and get decent, it's dinner time and you've been granted a whole " there was no interruption but it seemed to Kurt like there were two different people talking "and terribly boring long afternoon naps, you've been worse than having to babysit for Aaron and Abby"
If he wasn't still trying to wake up from the weirdly restful sleep, Kurt would have been humiliated by the length of time it took to realise that he hadn't imagined two voices. Nor that he wasn't seeing double, but simply that Ayleen and Arianne were leaning on each side of the door frame, both wearing matching school uniforms, shoulder length blond hair styled in the same double braids, and had matching mischievous grins on their faces.
Adam grumped a sleepy "Gimme five, we'll be down in a moment" Sniggers met the affirmation and the twins answered as one "Better be fast, the laws around here haven't been changed, if you're not at the table when we the soup arrives you forfeit your dessert"
Adam reaction was more swift and practised than any of the siblings would admit, he flung the pillow at the two girls saying "That won't work banshees keep yer finga' far away from my share or I'll chop 'em off"
Adam's accent thickened now that he was back amongst others with the same cadence. And hearing it, it was doing things to Kurt, that made him blush.
So he kept his face against Adam's chest to hide it. And he crossed his legs, finding himself grateful that he was still dressed in comfy clothes, under a blanket, so that his reactions were not too visible.
Kurt grinned looking up at the fake crossed look on Adam's face, while he kept bickering with his sisters, Kurt took small deep breathes and tried to clear his mind before asking only half joking
"Do we have the time to clean up before risking to forfeit dessert ?" Then one of the twins smiled sweetly at him "Ohh Kurt you're a cute one, and since you're still a guest, your dessert is fine, Addy's however is already in a probation clause, because he hadn't shown his ugly mug in here for far too long..."
Kurt recognised it was probably all meant as teasing, but still he frowned a little then looked down and murmured a soft "I'm sorry" He knew that there were chances Adam might have returned back here more often had Kurt not been in the picture. Maybe not for as long as the two weeks they had planned, to make up for the missed time in the past couple of years, but still he would have been there more for his family.
Kurt didn't even realise the change in Adam's touches, from just barely there to actively comforting. Nor the fact that all three siblings stopped their playful bickering, not until Ayleen huffed irritated "Ari you oaf see what you've done, now you made Kurtie sad and Addy worried" Arianne run up to the bed and threw herself on Kurt in a flying hug, for which Kurt wasn't at all prepared.
So he found himself laying on top of Adam, with a contrite girl hugging him tightly and pouring apologies in that one mile per minute speed that Kurt was growing to associate as a family trait
"I'm so so sorry Kurtie I didn't mean to make you sad, it is not your fault Addy is soo much over the moon about you, that he forgets that things like skype exist, and he should damn well connect on it if picking up a damn phone and international calls are too freaking expensive... I do bet he has an internet connection at home that he could use, and if not, there're always cafes or libraries or somewhere... please please don't be sad mom would be mad at me, if we had managed to make you sad before you met in person the rest of the family, and you can have a bite of my dessert if you want..."
Kurt smiled softly with a nod before finally hugging back Arianne. From the door Ayleen was looking with a frown still on her face, as Arianne snuggled more comfortably on Kurt he opened up his embrace and then smiling said "I'm sure there's enough room on this bed to held you too if you want to join us Ayleen" that was all the invite she needed to fly herself on the bed as well, nudging her way into the cuddle pile before whispering in Kurt's ear "I like you"
Kurt smiled and enjoyed the quiet moment, before Alan came to call them down for dinner "I thought that by sending up two we'd get four back down to eat. Not that I'd have to walk up all the way up here with my poor old and tired bones. Just to find an unannounced cuddle pile for which I didn't get an invite, I'm feeling left out here... Is that the way to treat your loving father kids?"
That provoked a general laugh and prompted everyone to get up and actually surround Alan for a standing group hug.
It surprised Kurt immensely that, despite being the last one out of the bed, when he was close enough to join in, all the siblings rearranged themselves to make room for Kurt.
After that, dinner passed quickly. Kurt was, as he had suspected earlier, rather overwhelmed by the whole affair. But at least for this first evening, the whole family was very much welcoming and kind to him.
There had been some teasing, about how pretty Kurt looked when Adam had taken him up to his room holding him like a princess when they arrived. But since it came from the angelic face of Aaron, Kurt knew there was no malice in the child's opinion.
He wasn't so sure about the rest of the teasing remarks, which sounded surprisingly way more suggestive than Kurt thought they would get in front of kids. They were certainly all of the well meaning kind, even if a couple did manage to tease a blush out of both Kurt and Adam.
And sooner than Kurt thought possible, he found himself back into Adam's room to get ready for the pub crawling mentioned by Adam's friends.
Kurt's worries were starting to nag his mind again, to the point he had already cycle three times through all the clothes he took with him, trying to decide what to wear.
Usually at home Adam allowed Kurt to settle his nerves this way without interfering. But apparently the lack or maybe the limited amount, of familiar things beside the content of his suitcase, was part of what was making Kurt nervous.
So Adam decided to step in, he knew that Kurt was still not particularly fond of being in the presence of people drinking. And having had the displeasure of finding himself in the presence of Kurt's ex while the boy was drunk, Adam could totally understand the origins of Kurt's uneasiness. Yet despite that Kurt had agreed for the both of them to go out with Adam's friend.
Adam was not blind, he knew it had been mainly for his own benefit, and part of him was feeling guilty because if he knew his friends something would happen.
And maybe it was better if he called ahead and simply asked his friends to behave... He knew he could trust Kurt, there were good reasons why he brought Kurt back home after so long they'd been together.
And seeing Kurt with his family, treating each and every one of them with the same respect and affection, as Adam had seen Kurt do to his own family. It was a wonderful feeling...
Why ruin it all for what was probably going to be the hardest test of all. After all they had been together for almost four years now, Adam shouldn't still feel so worried about Kurt leaving.
He was very much sure that Kurt wouldn't cheat on him, not after being on the other end of it.
Still insecurities were sometimes nagging and gnawing in his mind, even if it happened rarely, but being back home seemed to have brought those back...
And more than likely Alexander would try out something during the evening, and in all honesty since his friend had been the one to patch Adam back after the Mark debacle, he couldn't really fault his best friend for wanting to look out for him...
It was just, well apparently they were both very much nervous for the outing, so he offered Kurt an out "Love if you're still tired we can postpone going out with my friends, we do have a whole two weeks I'm sure we can find another time and no one will hold it against us…"
Kurt shook his head and looked at Adam intently studying closely every minute detail on his boyfriend's face "If that's for my benefit I'd rather prefer to get the judging done sooner rather than later, I told you when we back in Lima that I wouldn't expect of you to simply hit on and be bffs with my friends. And I'm sure some of them didn't make you feel welcome at all, I just hope you'll still be ok if they'll end up being at odd with me, I promise to be on my best behaviour and keep the snark down to a minimum"
Adam interrupted Kurt's speech with a kiss "I like your snark Love, and your, sass and your salty comments, it was just that you didn't seem comfortable"
Kurt shrugged not bothering to deny Adam's assessment "I'm not particularly comfortable with the idea of what I think a pub crawling outing means... and I've had way too many instances when I got mocked for my straight lacedness in regards of alcohol."
Kurt offered a rueful snort at that before continuing. "I don't know what to expect and that's something that worries me a little, it is also something that won't pass until we go in, so I'd rather strike it out of the list sooner rather than having it hanging over my head for the rest of our time here"
Adam nodded and smiled softly then he smirked teasingly "You know, if you want we have the time for me to dig out some of the clubbing clothes I used to wear in here, that could allow you to have a larger picking pool..."
Kurt levelled Adam with a look that clearly stated I know what you are doing there as he replied flatly "Why Mister A. Crawford, are you actually offering to dress me up in your clothes so everyone would recognised them and interfere that I belong with you?"
Adam's breath got caught in his throat and his mouth went suddenly dry. It wasn't where his mind had gone initially when he had proposed it, but hearing Kurt putting it this way it was... well extremely attractive and exciting.
He licked his lips and answered honestly "I won't deny I find your description very attractive, I wish I could have thought of that myself, though I was honestly just thinking of a way to calm you down a little. It's the fourth time in less than ten minutes, that you went through the whole content of your suitcase searching for what to wear. Not that I don't enjoy the view of your undressed body in my room. But I honestly would probably enjoy it more if I could join you in the same state and we could actually move the action on the bed on a more horizontal level, something not completely doable right now" Adam teasingly waved his hand pointing to the amount of clothes spread on the bed as he said so.
They both chuckled and Kurt pressed himself against Adam nuzzling his face on the crook of Adam's neck then murmured softly "Hmm that sounds like a plan for later. Even if I'm not exactly sure how much horizontal action your bed could see with so many other people in the house. That said, lemme see what passed for clubbing clothes back in your days, here in the old world.."
Adam snorted "Hey, you were the one pointing out there's not such a huge age difference between us two, and just because those are only a few years old it doesn't mean they are as ancient as you're implying with that tone mister..." Kurt smirked and quipped back modulating his voice to mimic the British's accent "Dahling you're just proving my point, few years in fashion equals aeons on current times"
Adam snorted and pulled Kurt in for a kiss then said smugly "I'll show you luv and you'll be so ah-mazed that you'll choose my picks. That's how awesome they are, you'll see."
Said that he went inside his closet and took out a box from the top hat storage space. Then he picked out from the box a pair of skinny jeans in dark petroleum, those used to have that deceptive appearance of being almost painted on Adam's legs, while still being comfortable to the point that dancing was still as much of an option as sitting the whole night in a chair at the pub.
Kurt nodded approvingly humming his surprise that such piece was even present in Adam's wardrobe. Even more surprising was an ivory silk shirt and the complementary racer jacket.
Kurt looked up at Adam with a frown, it wasn't that the clothes weren't good, on the contrary, they were of fine quality, and definitively right up Kurt's alley. They were also the kind of clothes he had never seen his boyfriend wearing, and they had been out clubbing more than a handful of times.
He tilted his head and saw the traces of that same tight smile Adam had during their flight... Kurt fiddled with the clothes Adam placed on the bed, removing any crease and confirming with his hands what his eyes were already able to pick up. Then he tilted his head and took Adam's face into his hands. With their foreheads touching Kurt looked into Adam's eyes and asked softly "Are those part of the story about how you reached the misleading assumption that there could ever be any possible and more palatable alternatives to you?"
Adam's flinch would have been barely noticeable, if Kurt hadn't searched for it, or waited for Adam's eyes to do that flickering down thing that he did every time Kurt had hit a rather important sore point, and they both knew it, but words about it to explain the problem wouldn't come out just yet. Not allowing things to get more complicated, right before what was probably going to be a difficult outing, Kurt nuzzled the tip of their noses together and offered instead a brilliant smile "Well those are very nice clothes but I think I know exactly what to wear now. Thanks for the help hon"
He planted a quick peck on Adam's lips and then went rummaging on the drawers where Adam had already placed the clothes he brought with him from their home.
He found out a dark grey hawaiian shirt, a dull white V-neck sweatshirt that was tight enough to show off Kurt's defined body, and one of Adam's soft scarves. He then picked up his own dark painted on skinny jeans, and he was ready in a matter of minutes, to Adam's continued surprise at the efficiency.
Adam had been grateful, when Kurt had pointedly ignored the time it took him to get himself under control and blink away the tears. He threw a look at the garments on the bed and started putting them back in the box, before putting it out of the way.
Barely five minutes later and there was no trace of Kurt's previous outfit crisis, and the bed looked as ready as they were.
Reaching the pub Kurt was surprised to hear that the music was at a decent level, not high enough to prevent any chance of conversation, nor low enough that it would have been impossible to hear over everything else.
As he suspected the group of friends that rounded up for the evening was way larger than his own gatherings had been. More similar to parties with the Apples, old and currents, rather than the small dwelling numbers of the new directions ones.
He quickly recognised Eirin, George and Matthew, and was introduced to a bunch of other people who barely paid attention to him, not even enough to allow him to get their names sorted out.
Still Kurt kept to his good intentions, he didn't snark nor threw shades at them, but simply focused on seeing Adam bask in his friends' attentions observing the light in Adam's eye as he rekindled his friendships.
Since they had arrived on the later side Kurt didn't complain when he was told they had already ordered him a pint. He never cared much for beers and he figured out that one wouldn't be a problem, on the second round some started giggling at the fact he hadn't even finished his first. Kurt managed to keep his smile on and offered a calm "I'm not much of a drinker"
Then came the suggestion of moving to a different pub, after the third round in the present one, during which Kurt had still held firmly onto his first pint, making sure to have more than half so no one would suggest they took a refill.
When they moved to a different pub Kurt noticed that only four or five from the previous group were coming along.
And once they reached their destination he found there was a group of ten, twelve more people waiting for them, once more with drinks ready.
Kurt wasn't particularly happy with the situation but smiled tightly, he made small talks with those interested, and pointedly ignored the veiled passes at him some of the guys seemed intended to do, despite the fact that his boyfriend was right there sitting next to Kurt.
It wasn't until they hit the third pub that Kurt met Alexander Mason. He could appreciate the classical beauty look, the flawless, well proportioned face, with the straight nose. The blond artfully messy hair that was a couple of shades lighter than Adam's making, it appeared almost pure gold. Crystal clear grey eyes, and painted on clothes of the best quality highlighting his statuesque body. Lean muscles and a really attractive ass, on top of long defined legs.
All in all Alexander looked like he just walked out of one of the photo set Kurt had helped creating for Vogue.
Kurt smiled and when he discovered that indeed Alexander, you can call me Alex if you want, was working as a model and had a few gigs for the London Vogue. After that Kurt became a little more animated and interested in the subject, asking questions and listening attentively while still enjoying every once in a while nudging his leg against Adam's.
As they moved to the fourth pub Kurt dug his heels in and refused yet another beer, asking instead for a bottle of water. When someone from the group of new faces called him a party popper Kurt started to lose some of his control. And started to throw some shades back at the offending party "Well you might enjoy spending your morning nurturing a hangover, but I happen to have plans with my boyfriend tomorrow that I plan to enjoy. And those plans will start bright and early... So no time to waste on staying in bed if it's not for more interesting reasons than a pounding headache"
After that however, Kurt started to feel like Alexander's comments were becoming more about making advances and passes than actually telling stories.
But as nothing over the top or above double meaning sentences had happened Kurt kept it quiet, hoping it was just his mind misreading the situation.
When on the fifth pub spirits were high and most of the group was well on their way to be royally pissed, Alexander held Kurt back "Let Adam go for a little while, won't you? Allow him the chance to have a moment with dear friends who haven't got the chance to be with him in so long. You do have him all the time, let some of us have his attention tonight will ya?"
Kurt didn't have much to say about that, but when he walked inside Adam had already been surrounded by his friends. So Kurt took the first free chair and tried to not look as disappointed as he actually felt and put on a brave face.
He stuck to yet another bottle of water refusing the offered beer, even when they tried to pressure him. Talking with Alexander changed from what Kurt considered professional curiosity into what become personal prodding. He tried to stay friendly, especially because Adam had been grateful that he and Alex were getting along, since Alex was his best friend.
Every time Alexander tried to move closer, Kurt moved back hoping that was going to be enough. And then hell broke loose, Kurt had escaped to the bathroom trying to get away and have a minute to gather himself. Not thinking that it would be seen as an offer, not in a pub, not when he clearly hadn't meant it as one.
When Alexander made a move and tried to kiss Kurt, flashbacks of a locker room came forward and Kurt's fight reaction kicked in. Before he even realised Kurt raised his hand and hit Alexander's nose with the heel of the palm of his hand.
Kurt's fear also kick-started his mouth falling back on his defensive mechanisms, which included an extremely furious tirade "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm together with the man who calls you his best friend. What makes you think that it's ok to even think about doing such thing? Who do you think you are? But more importantly who do you think I am? I'm in love with Adam and I've done my damned best to not ruin this evening for him. And I won't allow you to do it either. So find a way, an excuse whatever,3 to explain your stupid bloody nose because you will not destroy his feeling explaining exactly what just happened."
Kurt was livid, his voice dropping to ice cold as he finished "This is the one and only free pass you'll get from me, and it's only because Adam considers you his best friend have I made myself clear? I don't have the time nor the crayons needed to explain to you that what you've tried to do was so not okay that it didn't even see the shape of those letters. Just stay away from me."
In his fury and indignation Kurt didn't even notice that he had simply rubbed his hand against his jeans as got out of the bathroom.
He marched resolutely to where Adam was sitting and wrapped himself possessively around Adam's shoulders, giving Adam a small peck on his cheek but saying absolutely nothing, letting the conversation carry on around them as Kurt soaked up Adam's warmth.
The core group of people who had joined them from the beginning of the evening were sending concerned and secretive quick looks between Kurt and the bathroom.
Kurt pointedly ignored them but when there was movement from that direction and Alexander came out with a still damp paper towel on his nose all the chatter at the table stopped.
Adam's eyes zeroed on Alexander and Kurt's arms tightened a little, a barely perceptible movement that was more a way for Kurt to anchor himself on the present. With all eyes on him, even if still in pain Alexander grinned cheekily and said "Well Kurt I can confirm Adam got an upgrade with you in the boyfriend department."
Kurt levelled Alexander a glare and stated deadpanned "So did I with Adam."
That made the rest of the group smiling at Kurt, everyone suddenly less guarded and more relaxed as Alexander sat on his previous seat, his grin transformed into a softer smile.
After that the group started to include more Kurt into the general conversation, sharing memories of funny moments, asking for stories from the other side of the pond.
Through it all Kurt stayed either wrapped around Adam, or after a new round of drinks arrived, sitting directly on Adam's lap, as requested by the latter.
The evening ended not long after the confrontation and Adam's friends warming up.
When they were ready to part way and return to the Crawfords' home and most of the group had dispersed, Alexander came to the couple, and Kurt tensed staying exactly by Adam's side.
Alexander stood in front of Kurt and told him honestly "I won't apologise for wanting to make sure you're not like Mark was" Kurt felt and saw with the corner of his eye Adam's flinching next to him when what was presumably an ex's name was mentioned.
It was enough to mollify Kurt a little, at least understanding the reasons why what happened happened. But not enough to forget or quell the unpleasantness it provoked. So Kurt gave a curt nod and said instead "Good for I won't apologise for how I reacted."
Alexander smiled and nodded before turning a worried glance at both of them "That's fair, though I wanted to apologise for how I went about it. I'm sorry if I've made you think back to something unpleasant that happened in your past"
Kurt took a sharp intake and saw Adam tensing and looking between Kurt and Alexander with wariness but still kept silent. Alexander noticed and rushed to finish, unsure whether his offer would be accepted or rejected
"Look if you both will allow I'd like the chance to sit with Kurt and actually talk about what happened with Mark, so he could know at least part of it without you having to relieve it all Adam, please think on it. Whatever you decide I'll be here"
He looked pleadingly at Adam, knowing full well the couple would follow Adam's decision. Then he turned back to Kurt and he offered his hand, unsure whether it would be accepted or not after the way he behaved.
"Kurt has been a pleasure meeting you in person, and I'm glad to find out you're nothing like that douche. Any chance we might start over and get past my acting like a prick to you?"
To Alexander surprise, Kurt shook the offered hand and offered a tight smile in return. "I accept your apology, though I agree it was a dick move, even if I can understand the reasons behind it. As long as anything of the sort won't happen again we'll be good and we can let the past rest."
Alexander smiled nodding at that, offered his goodbyes and left.
Few nightmares and bad memories were bound to come up sooner or later, it was the price to pay for having not so good past experiences. In the days to come, they would discuss and share what was causing them.
For the time being, they simply rested in each other arms holding on tight and reining in the questions and worries burning in their mind, they had the time to heal at their own pace and simply support each other through it all.