Hey everyone!
So this is a long chapter! Sorry it took so long, I was stuck halfway through but once I got past that it got quite long oops!
You may recall me talking about big plans. I pushed them back further, oops.
song is listed at the end! enjoy!
ChapterFour
Sitting in glee club the next day was a whole different perspective. Everyone was giddy and full of excitement; Puck, Mike, and Artie were talking in the corner, while Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel spoke loudly in their chairs about some sort of musical or something. Quinn was cuddled into Finn's side by the drums, where he was obviously trying to adjust the setup, but the blonde's affection was keeping him from doing so. Brittany and Santana were both leaning on the piano, talking quietly. Blaine began to walk over, until he saw who was sitting at the piano: Kurt. He was slowly pressing the keys, not seeming to be following any sheet music but instead just testing the piano.
After a moment of staring, Santana approached Blaine, her pinky linked with Brittany, as always.
"I didn't know you could sing, shortie," Santana said. Her tone wasn't hostile, per se, but still somewhat harsh. Blaine thought for a moment, watching as Santana gazed at him.
"I didn't know you could, either," he replied calmly. She simply rolled her eyes, gesturing to Quinn, who now had her face buried in Finn's next as he shifted uncomfortably under Rachel's watchful eye. Blaine rolled his eyes as he turned back to Santana.
"Oh, please. That's the least I can do. Just watch when I get Quinn to stop me from singing backup for her-"
"We should sing a duet, San. We can sing Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Don't worry, I'll let you sing lead," Brittany said, looking at Santana.
"Does that song even have words?" Blaine muttered, walking towards a seat in the back row and slumping onto it. Mr. Schue soon walked in, and upon seeing Kurt at the piano, walked over to talk to him. Blaine watched as Kurt stood and spoke with Mr. Schuester. His brilliant blue eyes stayed focus on the teacher as he spoke, nodding slowly. Kurt licked his lips after a minute of speaking with the teacher. Blaine tilted his head slightly at the movement. Santana had never done that before. Would he be as intrigued if she did it?
Stop, Blaine! He scolded himself, looking at Quinn and Finn again. Finn seemed to have finally escaped Quinn's arms and was now properly adjusting the drum set.
"Alright, everyone!" Mr. Schue's voice broke through the quiet conversations. Everyone turned to look at him, settling into their seats. "Since Kurt was absent yesterday, he will be performing the song he has been preparing."
Kurt walked up to the front of the room. Today, he was wearing black and white patterned pants with a black coat fixed over his white shirt. A silvery bird brooch was attached to the jacket. It reflected the light as he moved, drawing the attention of the crowd. Maybe that was his goal.
"Take it away, Kurt!" Mr. Schue said after a moment, and the room fell silent. Blaine watched him take a breath as the piano started.
Someone to hold me too close
Someone to hurt me too deep
Someone to sit in my chair,
And ruin my sleep,
And make me aware
Of being alive
Being alive
Blaine's eyes widened with shock and wonder as Kurt sang. His voice was unlike any other he had heard before; of course, he had heard echoes of it before he slushied him in the past and when he was singing to himself in the locker rooms, but never like this. He radiated confidence and power. Blaine couldn't take his eyes off of him as he sang.
Somebody need me too much
Somebody know me too well
Somebody pull me up short,
And put me through hell,
And give me support
For being alive
Make me alive
Make me alive
Blaine saw Rachel wipe a tear from her eye a few rows down. Part of him wanted to laugh at the action, but he, honestly, didn't blame her. Kurt's singing was full of emotion; he poured his soul into every word. Even Santana and Quinn were smiling softly as they listened, their heads tilted as they watched.
Make me confused
Mock me with praise
Let me be used
Vary my days
But alone,
Is alone
Not alive
Somebody crowd me with love
Somebody force me to care
Somebody let me come through
I'll always be there
As frightened as you
To help us survive
Being alive
Being alive
Being alive
The music died down and everyone gazed at Kurt, their eyes wide. Everyone began applauding. Rachel ceased the opportunity to rush up and throw her arms around Kurt, smiling wide.
"That was amazing, Kurt! That- that was perfect! It's your song! It's your Don't Rain On My Parade!" she squealed, pulling back. His face was red from the applause and the praise from Rachel.
Blaine gazed at Kurt, dumbfounded, as he took his seat behind Rachel, who was still talking loudly to him. Maybe being with Kurt in glee wouldn't be so bad.
To Kurt Hummel, hairspray was a must to get him through the day. The daily stress would cause his hair to get flat and greasy. Greasy hair never worked for anyone besides Severus Snape.
He stood as his locker, fluffing his hair and spraying a generous amount of hairspray around his head when a voice surprised him.
"Be careful with that, if you spray any more you'll set off an alarm," the voice said. Kurt turned to see who the voice belonged to. Blaine stood before him, a binder in his arms and an awkward smile on his face. His eyes were low, but a small smirk was on his face. Kurt couldn't help but admit how adorable the expression was, but he simply stared at Blaine.
"I- uh-" Blaine began, adjusting his grip on the binder. "Your solo was really good yesterday. Really good." Kurt looked at his feet, rolling the small hairspray container in his hands.
"Thank you," Kurt replied quietly. He never expected to hear that from Blaine.
"That's not really the main reason I came here, but your solo was just- wow- I mean-" Blaine stuttered, his gaze shifting between Kurt and his feet. Kurt smirked and raised an eyebrow.
"What is it, then?" he asked, putting the can back into his locker.
"We have that project in English, and if we don't get it done my grade will drop, and I just-"
"You don't strike me as one to care about his grades much," Kurt replied smoothly. He had no sharpness in his voice; the tone was almost questioning. Blaine just looked at his feet.
"We should probably meet sometime-" Blaine started, but Kurt stopped him. He was obviously about to ramble. Again, Blaine didn't strike Kurt as one to ramble. It was somewhat funny.
"Alright, Anderson. Just, uh, come by my house tonight, okay? My dad will be working." Kurt began scribbling his address on a small piece of paper, which he cautiously handed to Blaine.
"If you even think about bringing a slushie, I will make sure that you fail the project. Alright?'
Blaine nodded before grabbing the paper tightly and walking away. Kurt rolled his eyes with a small smile as he shut his locker and walked away.
Blaine checked the small piece of paper he was holding and looked back up at the house. The addresses were the same. As he looked closer, he saw that the mailbox had neatly painted-on
Hummel Household lettering. He slowly pulled into the driveway.
He was lucky that he was allowed the car today. Ever since Cooper had moved away and basically left all of his belongings, his parents began letting him use the car more and more. After they found out that Blaine had joined glee club, though, they were angry that he was "putting too much on his plate" and would let his "grades slip so far that they couldn't be recovered." Even the thought of it made him roll his eyes.
He grabbed his backpack and walked to the front door. He knocked three times, looking at his feet. After a moment, Kurt appeared at the door. He seemed to be more dressed-down than usual, with simple, black jeans and a red, off-shoulder sweater. Blaine found himself staring at his exposed shoulder. Kurt had never been one to show much skin, though this seemed almost tame for his fashion. He shook off the thought and looked back at his feet.
"Oh, Blaine, uh, hi." Kurt moved to the side to let Blaine in. "Come in."
Blaine slowly stepped in, holding his bag tighter to his body. The house was neatly decorated, with neutral-colored walls with some splashes of color from the pillows on the couch, flowers, and tablecloths. He stopped himself from admiring the decor too much, as he thought that it would seem like overstepping to Kurt. Hell, he had been throwing slushies at him not even a week ago.
Kurt silently led Blaine to a small kitchen table. It had four chairs, but only two had cushions. Kurt's books were already open, and a loose-leaf sheet of notebook paper sat, covered in scribbles and notes. Kurt sat down quietly as Blaine did the same.
"Good to see you didn't bring a Big Gulp," Kurt said quietly. Though the comment was supposed to relieve the tension, Blaine felt himself tighten more.
"I never did it because I wanted to," Blaine replied after a moment. He looked up at Kurt, who was watching him with those dazzling blue eyes. "I was always being forced to. I don't even like doing it, Kurt." Kurt raised an eyebrow at this.
"Why do I seem to be a main target?" Kurt asked, more forceful this time. Blaine looked down.
"It's never my choice. After I do it I just feel so guilty. If I stopped, Santana and Quinn would kill me."
Kurt nodded silently before returning to his book. Blaine sighed. If Kurt had forgiven him, he had a strange way of showing it.
Part of the time the two were working, Blaine found himself watching some of the small things Kurt did, like running his fingers through the front of his hair. Something that caught his attention was how he licked his lips. He had noticed this before, of course, but he did it so much without even noticing. It was kind of a cute action.
Cute? Not cute. Definitely not cute. Innocent? Yes, innocent. Innocent.
After an hour or so, the two had finished a considerable amount. Blaine looked down at his watched and gasped, causing a curious glance from Kurt from across the table.
"I have to go," Blaine said, collecting his things. He reached for his wallet and fumbled with it before he finally stuffed it into his bag and left without saying anything else. He shut the door behind him and left, leaving Kurt in silence.
Blaine turned the corner of McKinley, clutching his binders close to his chest. There stood Kurt, at his locker, pulling out folders and fixing his hair. For someone who's hair always looked perfect, Blaine noticed that he always tried to make it better. He remembered a time when he was like that with his gel.
He took a breath and walked towards Kurt's locker. Kurt raised an eyebrow when he saw Blaine approaching, but kept quiet. Blaine shuffled uncomfortably. He could feel Kurt's blue eyes piercing his skin, though it wasn't in a hateful way. Somehow, Blaine knew that he didn't hate him. He could sense it.
"I just, uh, wanted to apologize for running out yesterday," Blaine said, looking at his feet. When he looked up to meet Kurt's gaze. "It's just my-"
"Your dad," Kurt cut him off, shutting his locker with a clang. "Santana told me. She said-" he began to do air-quotations- "even though I radiate gay, she's kinda into it and likes me." He stopped the air quotations. Blaine smiled at his feet as Kurt continued. "She told me how your dad is really homophobic and probably thinks I'm rubbing my gay off on you or something. She was telling me about that time he almost kicked Brittany out because she was a bi-corn? Or something?" Kurt seemed confused at the last part as he remembered it, but shrugged.
Blaine looked up, sighing. "I- just-" he took a breath. "I'm sorry. And I would study today right after glee, but Quinn-"
"Blaine." Kurt's voice was sharp as he said Blaine's name. It sent a shiver down his spine as he looked up. "I need to get this project done. If I ever want to do something with my life besides getting slushied every day, I need a good grade." He seemed thoughtful for a moment as Blaine stared at the floor in silence. "Come by my house around eight. We can work again. Alright?"
Blaine nodded, a small smile tugging at the ends of his lips. "Great."
Kurt left before Blaine could.
Santana had saved Blaine a seat in glee club next to her. Blaine sat down, watching her. She was chatting quietly with Brittany, who was on the other side of her. Brittany seemed dead serious about whatever she was saying, but Santana was laughing quietly. Blaine's eyes moved to Santana's hand. It was obvious she had gotten her nails done; Blaine overheard her showing Quinn earlier that day at the Cheerios lunch table. As he inspected the brightly-painted acrylics, he noticed that the pointer and middle finger of her right hand were filed shorter. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.
Blaine looked behind him to see Kurt chatting with Mercedes. He was smiling brightly and laughing. Mercedes was doing the same. Blaine's eyes followed Kurt as he grinned and laughed with his friend. He was snapped back to reality when Mr. Schuester came into the room holding a top hat with a bedazzled ribbon around it. Once everyone saw the ribbon, they all looked to Kurt, who only smiled innocently.
"Alright! I have a fun lesson planned to prepare us for competition!" he announced, placing the hat on the piano. "And, yes, Kurt graciously donated the ribbon to add a little- pizazz- to the lesson."
Kurt nodded approvingly as Mercedes patted him on the back, laughing quietly with him.
"For this lesson, I'm letting fate decide…" he paused and turned to Finn, who played a drumroll on the set before him, causing Quinn to smile proudly.
"- your duet partners!" Mr. Schue exclaimed, clapping his hands together. Everyone except Rachel applauded, excited.
"What if I'm put with someone who doesn't match my talent?" she squealed, crossing her arms across her chest. "I don't have the time to baby anyone!"
"Why should we even care?" Santana quipped from beside Blaine. "Duets? All week? Won't that get boring?"
Some of the glee club murmured in agreement, shuffling in their seats.
"Not if it's a competition!" Mr. Schue said, shaking the hat. The room sprung back to life, and the glee club shouted and cheered. "The winners get a dinner for two to Breadstix!"
"Damnit, I need those 'stix!" Mike said, causing the other jocks to laugh and high-five.
"Come and pull your partners!" the teacher offered, holding the hat up. Everyone watched Rachel stand first, brushing off her skirt and walking to the front of the room.
"This better be someone musically inclined," she chirped, reaching her hand into the hat. She pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. Upon opening it, she gasped in horror. Blaine tilted his head to the side.
"Rachel, who is it?" Mr. Schue asked, looking over Rachel's shoulder. Rachel was silent for a moment as she looked over the glee club. Her harsh gaze fell on Quinn.
"Quinn," she muttered, slapping the paper onto the piano and stomping back to her seat, slumping down and crossing her arms across her chest. Quinn didn't seem as bothered, but she still shot Rachel a dirty look from her spot next to Finn.
"Brittany, how about you pick?" Mr. Schuester offered to the blonde besides Santana. She shrugged and stood, walking to the front and plunging her hand into the hat.
"I want Lord Tubbington as my partner," she said proudly. As she pulled out the paper, she grinned. "Santana!"
Blaine looked at Santana, who's wide grin spread across her face. Brittany sat back down, linking pinkies with Santana as she did.
Mercedes stood and walked to the front of the room, pulling out a paper from the top. She opened it and sighed. "Puckerman," she said, sliding it into the piano and sitting down. Blaine could see Kurt stifling a laugh.
"Go up there, white boy!" Mercedes said jokingly, poking Kurt's arm. She laughed with him as he stood and walked to the front. His gaze passed over Blaine for a moment, and it lingered before he turned to the hat. Blaine could feel his cheeks burning from the sudden attention. He watched Kurt pull out a slip. His face didn't change as he read the name and put it on the piano.
"Blaine," he said, walking back to his seat. Blaine, eyes wide with shock, watched person after person walk up to the front of the room. His head was spinning. The only other matching he could focus on was Tina and Mike, which earned a slight smile from Tina as Mike nodded at her.
Blaine heard the bell ring, and he stood up automatically. Kurt's voice surprised him and he turned to see the taller boy standing behind him. Today, he was wearing tight, bright red pants and a white shirt, topped with a red ascot that matched his pants. Blaine was surprised by the simplicity of the outfit. It was the smaller accessories that brought the outfit together.
Blaine missed his small accessories. He missed his bow ties and hair gel and put-together look. He had an eye for fashion, but once a Cheerios uniform got shoved into his hands, all of his outfits were left untouched in the closet. He wanted to wear them, but his protection and role in the fragile McKinley social pyramid was more important.
Kurt, right. Kurt was talking to him. He looked back up. He could tell that Kurt was worried after watching him drift off.
"You okay?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. Blaine noticed that he did that a lot, but something about it was enchanting.
Enchanting? What was he thinking?
"I- I'm fine," Blaine lied looking at his pristine white shoes. Kurt was silent for a moment.
"We still on for tonight?" he asked. Blaine looked up. Kurt had a faraway look in his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah," Blaine replied. Kurt nodded, concerned.
"Alright, Blaine. I'll see you then."
"Yeah, you too."
Blaine stood at the doorway of Kurt's house. He was lucky that he remembered the number from how exhausted he was. From Cheerios practice to glee to putting up with Santana and Quinn, his schedule was packed full of stress and too much work. However, there was something about working in silence with Kurt that put his mind at ease. The silence between them was almost calming in a way.
He knocked on the door once more, checking the clock. He wasn't late. He was right on time, actually. The lights inside the house were on, and he could see that the television was flashing colors. The only problem was that nobody was answering the door.
Maybe Kurt was asleep. Maybe he didn't want to deal with Blaine. Blaine sighed as he turned around, walking back towards his car. His dad wouldn't have to question him now. He wouldn't have to make sure that he was still dating Santana, just in case that "gay kid" didn't influence him. The thought made his blood boil as he drove down the road.
Pacing in the hospital was causing Kurt to go insane. He couldn't stop thinking about his dad. He couldn't get the image of his dad in the hospital bed from his first heart attack out of his brain. Was this deja vu? He couldn't tell. His mind was spinning, and it wouldn't slow down. He felt as if he was about to drop to the ground. His knees were going to give out any second. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't stop replaying the events in his head, and his frantic, less-than-conversation as he called 911 with shaking hands.
Kurt fell to the ground in sobs, numb to the hands of nurses and receptionists who ran to his side.
Blaine sat in glee club, in his usual spot beside Santana, scanning the room. Kurt was nowhere to be seen. Everyone hadn't heard from him, and today they were supposed to be working on their duets.
The duets! Blaine remembered with a jolt. He would have to sing with Kurt. God, everything kept shoving them together, didn't it?
All eyes turned to Kurt when he walked through the door. He looked miserable; his eyes were puffy and red, dark circles hung underneath his eyes, and his face was flushed. His clothes were the same as yesterday, too, which earned a shocked look from both Rachel and Mercedes. He took a seat next to Mercedes, who immediately began stroking his arm and hugging him.
"Alright, guys, you work on your duets, okay?" Mr. Schue said, walking through the door. He looked frantic. "Sue told me that I'm 'doomed' and that I should meet her in her office at this time. I-" he stopped, looking around. His gaze stopped on Kurt for a moment, but he shook it off and nodded. "Work on the duets." He hurried out the door.
The room was silent for a moment before Quinn spoke up.
"I have an idea," she said, her HBIC voice back. Everyone turned to the blonde, heads tilted with interest. "We should have a party. My house, friday night."
"Like, with alcohol?" Rachel asked, scrunching her nose up.
"Well, it's not a party without, is it?" Quinn said, smirking. Puck and Artie high-fived.
"I got you covered," Puck said. Blaine looked at him, raising an eyebrow, but turned back to Quinn.
"Well? You guys in or not? What else are you doing on a friday?" Quinn finally asked.
"I don't know, the alcohol kind of-" Rachel started, but Kurt's voice cut her off.
"I'm in," he said. The first words he had spoken. Rachel looked at him, shocked, but before she could respond, everyone began agreeing with Kurt, laughing and fist-pumping.
Blaine looked at Kurt, intrigued. Kurt merely sighed, looking at his hands.
Ooo snap!
So my "big plans" are next chapter (and possibly the chapter after that? I may spread them out)
The song from this chapter was Being Alive from Company!
Have a great day! Next chapter should be out ASAP!