CHAPTER FOUR

"Hey Brother"

Kurt's Apartment: Thursday, July 2

Kurt stood at his bedroom window with a mug of piping hot tea in his hands. His favorite patchwork quilt was draped over his bare shoulders like an expensive shawl. Everything beyond the thick glass was distorted because of the rain. If this were any other day, Kurt would have dragged himself back to his bed, tea in tow, and spent the day watching old episodes of Project Runway. He peered over his shoulder at the Louis Vuitton duffel bag open on top of his bed.

Finn's flight was due to arrive at JFK in less than an hour so they could make the trip to Sebastian's lake house together. Kurt wasn't too thrilled about being stuck inside a car for nearly seven hours with his stepbrother, but a part of him, scratch that, a large part of him missed having Finn around and at least they would have some time to catch up.

Since coming out as bi, Finn had been particularly cagey when it came to his dating life. It's not that he could blame him. There was still a stigma towards men who were attracted to both men and women and until very recently Kurt had participated in perpetuating that stigma. Maybe Finn would never feel comfortable broaching the topic of his romantic life, but Kurt needed to let him know that he supported him 100-percent and that above everything else he wanted Finn to be happy.

Kurt sat his "I'm holding this cup of coffee so yeah, I'm pretty busy" mug down on the small table beside his bed and padded into the adjoining bathroom. He shed his nightclothes and stuck his head into the clear shower stall to adjust the temperature of the water. Kurt pivoted underneath the showerhead about four times before he shut off the water and stepped out onto the Ralph Lauren bathmat he'd found on sale at Macy's a few weeks ago. He wrapped himself in a plush white towel and marched right back into his bedroom.

He grabbed his phone off the TV stand opposite his California king and began scrolling through his notifications. The latest text was from Finn letting him know that his flight had arrived, and he was currently waiting in line at the Budget kiosk. A follow-up text said that he would text Kurt when he was on his way to his apartment.

Kurt exited out of his messaging app and clicked on the voicemail icon. He saw that he had a new voice message from a number he didn't recognize. He moved over and took a seat on the edge of his bed. He pressed play on the message and turned up the volume as high as it would go.

"Hi babe, it's Dale, and I really hope you get this because I know how you feel about answering phone calls from numbers you don't recognize. I'm using my assistant's phone just in case you're wondering. Mine is back in my trailer and it looks like I'll be stuck on set for most of the day."

Kurt lifted his free hand and placed it to the center of his chest. He felt the beginnings of a smile forming on his lips and a familiar flutter behind his rib cage.

"I really wish I was there with you right now. If I had to guess, you probably haven't finished packing yet."

Kurt reached over and placed his hand on his duffel bag and grinned.

"Oh, and you're probably regretting not calling Lucy to come over and help you."

The man is a psychic, Kurt thought to himself. Lucy was his main assistant at the magazine, and he had been known to call on her from time to time to help him with things like packing for his various trips out of the country and organizing his closet. The only reason he hadn't asked her to come over this time was because she'd been working around the clock for the past 48 hours trying to meet an important deadline so that he would be able to get away from the office for a few days.

Lucy Jones was a saint, and he definitely didn't deserve her.

"So, by the sounds of it," Dale continued. "It looks like you're gonna have to finish your own packing. Oh, and you better move fast because you don't want to keep your brother waiting."

Well, he can't be right about everything. He certainly didn't mind having Finn wait on him. After two years of living under the same roof and sharing the same bathroom, how many times had Kurt stood outside the door yelling at Finn to hurry up and to not use up all the hot water. Finn had insisted the reason for his showers being so long was because it was the only time he had by himself to really think about things. Kurt wasn't sure he believed his stepbrother, but it certainly was a much better alternative than considering what was more than likely the real reason for why Finn locked himself in the bathroom for nearly an hour every morning.

"I really wish I could be there with you right now. Looks like we'll be wrapping up early today so I might just leave straight from here and head to your friend's place."

Sebastian Smythe is not my friend. Kurt stood up and walked over to his closet. He grabbed a few T-shirts off their padded hangers and walked them over to his open bag.

"I hope you and Finn have fun today. I know you're not exactly a huge fan of being in the car for long periods of time, but you'll be fine. I know for a fact that you have plenty of playlists and audiobooks to keep you occupied."

Kurt moved over to the outlet next to the side of the bed he usually slept on and unplugged his phone charger from the wall. He placed it and his back up charging cord in a small bag alongside a pack of extra batteries, the charging cable for his iPad, and his AirPods. He then zipped the bag and placed it inside the side compartment of his duffel bag.

"I look forward to spending the weekend with you. I can't wait to meet your brother and whoever this new person he's been seeing."

Kurt rolled his eyes as he collected his toothbrush, his favorite pair of slippers, and his army of skin care products from the bathroom. He wasn't exactly shocked that Finn was seeing someone new. Finn Hudson had always been a relationship guy. Whenever he'd break up with Rachel a few weeks later he would be back with Quinn or vice-versa. Since coming out as bi, Finn had only had two relationships, both of them with women he'd met on Tinder.

What if this new person was a guy? Is that why he was being so cagey about the details surrounding his dating life? Kurt had tried scouring his Instagram and Facebook to see if he could gain any intel, but Finn was keeping this latest relationship pretty close to the vest.

Oh my god. What if it's Sebastian? What if Finn was in a relationship with Sebastian Smythe?

"I should probably give Jake his phone back," Dale said. "I will text you to let you know I'm on the way. I can't wait to see you. I have a feeling this weekend is gonna be pretty special. Okay, so I'm gonna stop talking because this voicemail is getting pretty long. I love you, Kurt, and I'll see you soon."

Kurt lowered his phone and was tempted to play the voice message again just to hear Dale's voice again. He exited out of his voicemail and took a moment to stare at the photo he was using as his iPhone background. The thing he loved most about Dale Ketcherside was his smile. No matter what was going on in the world, Dale always seemed to be smiling and his smile made those around him smile in spite of themselves. It was the first thing Kurt noticed about him the very first day they met.

Kurt sat his phone down and resigned himself to the task of finishing packing. When Finn arrived at his door thirty minutes later, his bags were by the door and he was dressed in his favorite Andy Warhol T-shirt, a pair of red skinny jeans, and black Converse sneakers. When he pulled open the door to his apartment, he felt a pair of arms immediately wrap around him and pull him into a tight embrace.

"It's good to see you, too," Kurt muttered into his stepbrother's chest. He inhaled and sighed. Finn Hudson still smelled the same – Axe body spray and whatever fabric softener Carole picked up from the grocery store.

Finn released Kurt and took a few steps back to get a good look at him. "Hi Kurt," he said, the dopiest grin plastered to his face. His eyes immediately went to the bags beside the door. "Is this all you're taking?"

"Well, yeah. We're only gonna be gone a few days."

"I know but -." Finn shrugged his shoulders and shot Kurt a sheepish look. "You usually have like five suitcases. Plus, that little bag you keep all your super expensive face creams in."

"Well, I'm traveling light this time," Kurt said. "I wasn't sure what kind of vehicle you were renting."

"Oh, good news – I got a truck. It sort of looks like mine back home."

"Awesome," Kurt said. "I guess we better get going. We've got a long trip ahead of us."

Finn stood on his tiptoes to look over Kurt's shoulder. He then looked back at his stepbrother and furrowed his brow. "Where's Dale?"

Kurt sighed and said, "Dale will meet us there. He had something come up last minute."

"Oh?" Finn folded his arms over his T-shirt clad chest and pouted. "I was looking forward to him riding with us. I was planning on giving him the fourth degree."

Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's the third degree, Finn, and no – you will not be asking my boyfriend a bunch of questions. We've been together for nearly a year."

"Okay – fine." Finn dipped his head and looked at the ground like a puppy that had just been scolded by its owner for peeing on the carpet.

Kurt took a step forward and placed his hand on Finn's arm. He was somewhat taken aback by the hard muscle his fingertips brushed against. Finn had always been in shape thanks to his involvement in numerous sports, but he'd never been the six-pack abs, rock hard pecs kind of jock like Puck was. Apparently in addition to working at his dad's garage and leading the glee club, he'd been hitting the gym.

"Don't worry," he said. "You'll have plenty of time to talk to him this weekend. He's really excited about meeting you."

Finn lifted his head and grinned. "Really?"

"Well, yeah. He wants to me you and eventually he wants to meet Dad and Carole."

"Awesome," Finn gushed. "So, what's he like? You never post pictures of him, and I couldn't find him on social media."

"Dale doesn't do social media," Kurt said quietly. "He's pretty private … which I really like. It's nice to be someone who isn't desperate for attention."

"Very subtle, little bro."

"Anyway, I'll tell you more about him in the car," Kurt said. "Do you mind taking my things down. I'm just gonna grab us some snacks."

"Sure thing, boss." Finn bent over and grabbed the duffel bag sitting next to his feet. He threw it over his shoulder effortlessly and then grabbed the smaller bag next to it. He looked over his shoulder at Kurt who was standing in front of the refrigerator in the kitchen and said, "I'm headed down."

While Finn left to load his things, Kurt shoved a couple of water bottles, some trail mix that was nearing its expiration date, and a couple of protein bars into a small knapsack and then checked to make sure he had his wallet, phone, and keys. After locking up his apartment, he took the six flights of stairs down to the street where a bright yellow pickup truck was parked.

"Your chariot awaits," Finn said as he opened the passenger side door. He waited for Kurt to climb in before he shut the door. He then walked around to the other side and got in behind the wheel. "Lake Chautauqua, here we come," he announced before inserting the key into the ignition.

Kurt sat the knapsack in his lap down on the floor between his feet. He then adjusted the seat so that he had a little bit more leg room. He looked at the console and saw there was a jack to plug in his phone. He then looked over at Finn who was busy fiddling with the A/C.

"By the way – is your friend meeting us there?"

Finn glanced up from what he was doing and looked over at Kurt. "You mean Sebastian?"

Kurt scoffed and then chuckled. "No – the person you've been dating. Are they meeting us there?"

"What?" Finn asked, reaching up to scratch his head. "What are you talking about? I'm not dating anyone."

Kurt's jaw dropped. "But – you said the other day when we were on the phone that you were bringing someone."

Realization finally dawned on Finn's face, and he slowly shook his head and laughed. "No, what I meant is, I invited someone to come along with me. Sort of as my plus one."

"I'm so confused," Kurt said tugging at the seatbelt.

Finn placed the truck in drive and placed his foot on the gas. "What are you confused about?"

"Well, I was sort of under the impression this was supposed to be a couples' trip. Just you and me and our … significant others."

"Well, I certainly didn't mean to give you that impression. I was just looking for an excuse to get away from Lima for a few days and Sebastian mentioned that his family's cabin was free this weekend. I thought it would be fun to get the gang all back together."

Kurt blinked a few times before asking, "Who all did you invite to come to the lake this weekend, Finn?" There was a slight edge to his voice, but he didn't care. Everything he'd initially believed about this little getaway was proving to not be true.

"Well, Sebastian will be there, of course."

"Of course," Kurt muttered under his breath.

"Well, it is his place," Finn said. "Besides we don't have to pay for anything except for food and stuff."

"Who else?"

"I invited Puck."

"Wait – Puck's back in town? For how long?"

"He just got in town a few days ago," Finn stated matter-of-factly. "He stopped by the choir room on Tuesday, right after practice. He said he'd be in town for the next few weeks, so I invited him to come along. What's the saying? The more the merrier?"

"Well, that's great," Kurt said. "It'll be nice to see, Puck. It's been … forever."

"Just wait to you see him," Finn said. "He's like a completely different person – yet he's still the same Puck."

"Does he still have the mohawk?"

Finn shook his head. "Nope. His hair is all grown out now."

Kurt scrunched his nose. "What does that look like?"

"Remember Man of Steel?"

"Henry Cavill?" Kurt blurted.

"Yup," Finn answered nodding his head emphatically.

"Wow."

"That's exactly what I said when I first saw him."

"I can't wait to see him."

"I can't wait for you to see him either," Finn said. "He's really grown up."

"I hear the military will do that to you."

"Air Force."

Kurt turned his head to look at Finn. "Huh?"

"Air Force," he repeated evenly. "Puck's in the Air Force."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Same difference."

Finn shook his head and said, "No, actually they're not and he'll get really pissed if you say that. Trust me – learned that lesson the hard way."

"Duly noted."

"Well, we've got about seven hours until we arrive at the lake house. Is there anything you want to listen to? You can be DJ."

"Oh, Finn Hudson – that's a lot of power you're giving me right now."

"I trust that you won't play anything that will annoy me … or make me fall asleep."

"No, I need you to be wide awake." Kurt pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the music app. "I made a few playlists for the road. I think you might enjoy some of the songs I've picked out." He leaned forward in his seat and plugged his phone into the jack on the console. He scrolled through all of the playlists he'd created over the years until he landed on one titled 'Finn's Playlist'. He pressed play and sat back against his seat.

The biggest grin spread across Finn Hudson's face as the first song started to play. He reached for the volume knob and cranked it up as far as it would go. Finn drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he bobbed his head to the beat.

With the bright yellow pickup pointed towards Lake Chautauqua, Kurt watched his stepbrother seemingly in his own little world. This was the thing that Kurt loved most about him. Finn Hudson loved music so much and in many ways music was the thing that had brought them together. Their parents together.

"Just a small town girl," he sang in his smooth baritone that hadn't changed since high school. "Livin' in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere."

Finn slowly turned his head to look at Kurt. Feeling his stepbrother's eyes on him, Kurt slowly turned his head to look at him. He saw the expectant look on Finn's face and stifled a small laugh.

"What?" he asked.

Finn smirked back at him and said, "You know what."

Oh, great. Finn was expecting him to join in, to cover the same lines that Rachel usually sang anytime they performed the song.

"Fine," Kurt groaned. "Just a city boy. Born and raised in south Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere."

Finn shot him a grin and Kurt couldn't help but smile back. Finn turned his attention back to the road in front of them.

Maybe this trip won't be so bad.