With everything finally back to normal, Kurt made several unscheduled weekend trips home over the next few months. Sometimes Blaine would be around while other times he wasn't. Kurt knew he still had a lot of unresolved feelings towards Blaine but for now they had just been pushed back below the surface. It was his burden to deal with the unrequited emotions and he could live with that. He had missed having him around and the more time they spent together as friends reminded Kurt what he would have to give up if he kept pushing the boy away.
As the holidays drew closer, his workload and bank balance started to catch up with him and Kurt had to stop himself travelling back so much. Burt offered to cover his fair home for Thanksgiving but Kurt felt guilty with the lack of time he had spent with New York friends plus the band had arranged a meet up during the break. They came to an agreement that Kurt would stay in New York during Thanksgiving but make up for it by spending a whole week at home over Christmas. It hadn't been a hard decision to make as Kurt had always preferred their Christmas celebrations. It was a time for immediate family where Thanksgiving usually ended up with cousins and aunts that he forgot even existed half the time as he saw them so rarely.
So for the first time ever, Kurt spent Thanksgiving with his friends, each bringing a dish to the apartment Rachel and Kurt shared. Rachel had invited over her new boyfriend and two fellow classmates that had also decided against travelling home to families. The rest of the group consisted of a few other friends originally from Lima that had ended up located close by. Elliot stopped by quickly to wish them all a happy holidays before leaving town for a few weeks, but Dani stuck around after being introduced to Santana, one of the Ohio escapees who was actually crashing in Kurt and Rachel's spare room while she tried to figured out if she wanted to stay in New York for the long haul.
It was an amazing night filled with laughter and ridiculous party games once a few bottles of wine had been finished off. When it came to reflecting on what they were all thankful for that year, Kurt's mind flashed back to the feeling of Blaine's lips pressed against his own before he looked around and said he was thankful for his friends, old and new.
As fun as Thanksgiving had been, by December Kurt could not wait to get back to see his family again. Hugging his dad in the arrivals section of the airport was the best feeling in the world and it got to the point that Burt asked if he was planning to let go any time soon.
"I'm sorry. I've just missed you Dad. It's been too long."
"Me too, kiddo. Me too."
Together they set the world to rights on their drive back. Then as soon as they stepped foot through the front door, Kurt made a b-line to the kitchen to catch up with Carole while they prepared dinner together. Finn arrived home from football practice just as the food was being served up and Kurt couldn't wipe the smile from his face even if he tried. He was ecstatic to be home.
The next evening, Finn sat on Kurt's bed playing on his phone as the older boy finished styling his hair, nearly ready to head out for the evening.
"Haven't you got any plans tonight?" Kurt asked. He knew Finn was hanging around in hopes of hearing any information relating to his ex-girlfriend but Kurt didn't want to be the one to break the news of her current plans to have Brody move into the loft with them.
"I'm heading over to Puck's in a bit. He's having a bunch of the guys over so I'll probably crash there."
"No Blaine?" Kurt queried. If Blaine was going then Finn would leave with him and the pair would most likely end up at the their home instead. Blaine wasn't unwelcome at Puck's but Kurt knew he didn't feel comfortable staying the night after one of their teammates had made a comment about not wanting him trying to cop a feel while they were sleep not long after he came out publicly.
"Nah, he's out with those fancy private school boys tonight." Kurt laughed at his brother's not so subtle jab at Blaine's friends.
"Still not joining the Warbler fan club?" He teased as he sat down on mattress beside Finn.
"I mean… there's nothing wrong with them. I've met them a couple of times and most of them seem fine, but it's like he's got this whole other life. It's weird."
"Let him have this. I would have killed to know another gay kid when I was back in high school."
"I get it. It's just… I don't know man. I'm pissed at Brad for making him fell like he can't hang out with the team anymore. He won't even be there tonight but Blaine still made other plans so he could get out of coming. Of course I want him to spend time with whoever he wants but it just gets to me that it's mostly due to the fact that the others think it's funny to joke about everything. They take everything too far."
"I get that you're angry at them and I'm sure Blaine is grateful to have you in his corner but he can fight his own battles. People fear anything that is different to their believes and sometimes joking is the only way they know how to deal with it, even if that sometimes comes across as crass and insensitive. Be glad that's all they've done. In my day I had the bruises to prove how uncomfortable my life choices made them feel."
"I know." Finn sighed. "I'm sorry."
That was where this overprotective streak stemmed from and the two brothers had been over this many times before. Finn was carrying around a lot of unresolved regret relating to what Kurt had gone through at the hands of some of the people he used to call his friends.
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Kurt said for what felt like the hundredth time at this point. "If anything, I'm stronger because of it and now hold the knowledge of how to get any stain out of even the most delicate materials."
Finn smiled at how Kurt made light of it all and knew neither wanted to dwell on the past. He watched as Kurt stood and straightened out his outfit before checking the time.
"Where are you heading to all dressed up?"
Kurt rolled his eyes as he grabbed his phone from his desk along with his wallet and house keys.
"Do I always need to point out that just because I'm well dressed, it doesn't mean I'm 'dressed up'?"
"I don't know, you look pretty fancy to me. Bit much to just be meeting a friend."
With that remark, Kurt grabbed one of the cushions from his bed and threw it at Finn who easily ducked out the way. It was true that he was slightly more overdressed than his usual attire but that was for two reasons, neither of which even close to what his brother was implying. First of all, he had arranged to meet up with Elliot who was passing through Ohio on his way back to New York, and he absolutely refused to look like the shabby friend next to Elliot's impeccable sense of style. Secondly, it didn't hurt to show the people of this backwards thinking town that they hadn't managed to beat the gay out of Kurt as much as they had tried in the past.
It wasn't that late after Kurt and Elliot had finished their meal. They had met about half an hour away from Lima where there was a row of slightly more upscale restaurants that bordered on the town of Westerville but that didn't stop the side glances that they kept receiving from other patrons.
"Is there somewhere we can go where we won't be the main attraction?" Elliot asked as they settled the bill between them and collected their coats. "Not that I don't love the attention but this isn't really the kind I'm after."
"There's a gay bar not far from here," Kurt informed him. "And don't worry, I'm pretty sure that most eyes will still probably be on you. It isn't often that they get fresh meat, to put it in so many words."
Elliot laughed and hooked arms with his friend.
"Now that kind of attention I can handle." He grinned widely as they waited for their cab to arrive. "Plus the perks of two obviously gay guys out together means that everyone already assumes we are a couple. So I have you on hand to ward off any undesirables."
Kurt used his free hand to tap Elliot's arm that was linked with his own and teased, "but of course. Anything for you."
Unbeknown to Kurt, Blaine was already in the bar that he was now heading to and he wasn't in the best mood about it either. He enjoyed spending time with Wesley and David and had readily accepted their invitation to hang out once he heard that the team were planning a gathering at Puck's. He knew Finn was annoyed at him for not going but it was just easier this way.
It would have been the perfect plan to avoid a situation he didn't want to be in and instead spend a quiet evening out with friends at this coffee shop they had found that stayed open late on weekends and hosted a variety of musicians. That was at least the plan before Sebastian had managed to convince the others that they would much rather go to a bar he had discovered a few weeks ago that rarely checked IDs. I was true that all 4 boys were instantly ushered right in as Sebastian shamelessly made eyes at the bouncer before promising to save him a dance later.
They relaxed slightly when they found it was already quite busy inside meaning they could blend into the crowd. Sebastian convinced a guy at the bar to get a round of shots for all of them while David found that the other side of the bar had a couple of pool tables with a few places to sit to the side of them. They made conversation with some college guys that were finishing off a game before Blaine and David were racking up the balls to play.
Time passed quickly and after another drink, Blaine switched between playing pool and chatting with David and Wesley to joining Sebastian on the dance floor. He was finally starting to come around to the idea what maybe this was more fun than what they originally planned until his eyes caught sight of the familiarly styled chestnut hair belonging to one Kurt Hummel on the other side of the bar. His heart skipped a beat at the discovery before it plummeted to the floor on seeing who was seated next to Kurt.
Jealously flared uncontrollably as Elliot leaned in closer to said something to Kurt that made him break out into laughter before jovially pushing the other man away. The last time he had spoken to Kurt, the older boy had confirmed he was only friends with his new band mate but they looked pretty close as they shared the same side of a booth, heads close together to keep talking over the loud music that was playing.
Blaine kept dancing with Sebastian but couldn't stop his eyes from wondering back over to Kurt at every given chance. The looks didn't go unnoticed by one of the occupants at the table who had been keeping his own eyes surveying the crowd.
"I think you've got yourself an admirer." Elliot have given Kurt's arm a nudge and was now nodding his head in the direction of the dance floor. Curiosity getting the better of him, Kurt turned and scanned the sea of bodies moving with the music. It didn't take long for him to catch sight of Blaine. Even though he never would have thought that he would bump into him in Scandals, he too had ventured out to this bar when he was younger knowing how easy it was to get in so he wasn't that surprised either.
He raised his hand off the table to offer Blaine a small wave before turning back to Elliot.
"That's just Blaine. He's my younger brother's best friend."
Elliot looked over again and found Blaine eyes were still locked in their direction.
"It looks like he wouldn't be very happy with such an introduction."
Kurt tried to look over at Blaine once more to see what Elliot was talking about but the younger boy quickly turned away and continued dancing. Trying not to be distracted by the way Blaine's hips were swaying in time with the song, Kurt made a very conscious effort to keep his gaze away from the dance floor.
"I thought we were going to go over the changes you wanted to make to our set list?" That got Elliot talking once again and Kurt was happy for the distraction.
The night went on as Blaine kept dancing. David and Wes had now also joined him but he had no idea where Sebastian had disappeared to. Every so often his friend would appear with a new drink on offer that Blaine readily accepted before slipping away again.
Blaine didn't feel drunk drunk but he definitely wasn't sober either. It was enough to help distract his thoughts from the fact that Kurt was here on what seemed to be a date with the guy that he kept raving about before.
His stomach lurched every time he chanced a glance back over towards the pair in fear that he was going to suddenly see them doing more than just talking. Fortunately it hadn't happen so far.
The song changed as Blaine noticed Kurt get up and make his way to the bar. Before he even had a chance to think about what he was doing, his feet moved of their own accord, taking him towards Kurt.
"Having fun?" Kurt asked with a smile when Blaine turned up next to him at the bar. Blaine started to nod a bit too enthusiastically before instantly regretting it. Now that he was standing still, it started to hit him exactly how much alcohol he has drunk already.
"It's my first time here," he admitted.
Kurt chuckled and Blaine had to bit his lip before he confessed how sexy he found the gesture on the older boy.
The bar tender stopped in front of them and Kurt ordered two drinks before looking expectantly at Blaine. Realising that they were waiting for him to add his drink to the order, Blaine suddenly felt anxious about ordering the wrong thing. If he ordered a soft drink then it would remind Kurt that he wasn't old enough to hang out and drink at a bar, unlike Elliott.
"I'll have the same," Blaine shouted to the bartender before he had a chance to overthink it all, not really knowing what he had just ordered.
Kurt raised his eyebrows slightly in amusement before giving a small nod to the bartender, confirming the order of 3 double rums with diet coke. Straight away, the bartender left them alone to gather the drinks.
As they were waiting, Kurt leaned closer to Blaine so that he didn't have to shout and admitted, "My first time here, I ran home the second someone offered to buy me a drink."
The older boy laughed at his own confession but his eyes told another story, clouded with a darker memory of the events. It did not go unnoticed by Blaine that there seemed to be more being left unsaid but he didn't say anything.
Looking over towards the dance floor where Blaine had been most the night, Kurt said "you're lucky to have friends with common interests."
"Yeah," Blaine smiled. "They're good guys."
The conversation was interrupted as the drinks arrived. Blaine looked over to the table where Elliot was watching them, waiting for Kurt with a smug grin on his face.
"Well, I don't want to keep you from you date..."
Kurt laughed and rolled his eyes but didn't correct him. Blaine stomach dropped as he took it as the confirmation he had been dreading. Kurt slid one drink over to Blaine before picking up the other two.
"Just be careful, okay? Not everyone here has your best interests at heart."
Blaine couldn't bring himself to watch Kurt as he walked off. He didn't wait to see the couple reunited at the table. Instead Blaine grabbed his drink and took it back to the dancefloor with him. His friends made a few suggestive comments about what took him so long but instantly noticed how his mood had turned sour. Wes tried to ask if everything was okay but Blaine only shrugged him off before downing dark liquid in his glass with two large gulps.
"Are you sure you should be supplying an underage kid with alcohol?" Elliott teased as soon as Kurt was seated back at the table, this time choosing to take the seat opposite his friend.
"He's only two years younger than us. Plus, he wasn't exactly having trouble getting his hands on drinks before I showed up."
Trying to change the subject, Kurt steered the conversation back to the band. Elliot had come up with a few new original songs that he wanted to work into the set list they usually played so they would need to switch around a few things.
Kurt would end up agreeing to most of the suggestions Elliot made that night. It didn't slip past his friend that Kurt's mind wasn't fully focused on what he was saying, but instead of pointing it out, he decided to use that to his advantage. It was only when he started trying to talk about costume changes that Kurt instantly turned towards Elliot and put his foot down on the topic.