Author's Note: I procrastinated writing this chapter, so it's not completely betaed yet. Thank you hkvoyage for your lightning-fast review of the first part! I'll try to have the next chapter ready faster... This chapter is again from Kurt's point of view. Enjoy! Thank you so much to everyone who left me a review - I truly value your feedback :-)

Chapter 5: Trying New Things

April to September 2012

On Monday, during class, Professor Anderson seemed as cheerful as ever, but Kurt noticed that his smile never reached his eyes, and that every now and then, he seemed to drift off into a daydream.

Kurt was determined to get to the bottom of it, so the next day, after his morning class, he went to see the professor during his consulting hours, and was please to elicit a real smile from the man when he noticed who had come in.

"Kurt! How can I help you?"

Kurt, who'd been struggling to make something of a series of tragically underexposed photographs for the jewellery section on the Vogue website, confided his woes to Professor Anderson, who looked at the photographs on Kurt's laptop and grimaced.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to work miracles. I can make them look slightly better, but they will still be too dark and too grainy."

Kurt sighed. "I thought you'd say that. Well, it can't be helped. I'll ask Isabelle if they can be re-shot. Thank you anyway, Professor."

Then, as he stood up, he looked the professor straight in the eye and asked, "By the way, is everything all right? I saw you on Saturday in the park, and you looked…"

Professor Anderson looked surprised for a second, and then touched. "I'm fine, Kurt, thanks for your concern. I was just sad because my roommate was moving out over the weekend."

"Oh, right," Kurt commiserated. "Finding a new roommate is always a hassle. And you never know what they're like until you've lived with them for a good while. Rachel's boyfriend lived with us for a few months, and he tended to walk around our loft naked. Now, I can appreciate a good-looking guy with the best of them, but there are some things I don't need to see before I've had my coffee in the morning."

Professor Anderson chuckled. "I can imagine. The thing is, I've never lived with anybody else but Trent. Well, except when I was in boarding school. And we've lived together for a long time, so I'm really going to miss him. But I get that Trent would rather live with his boyfriend than with me. That's only normal."

Kurt hummed in understanding. "True. At least he has the courtesy of moving out. Rachel just invited Brody to come live with us, without even consulting me! One morning, he was there, and he never left again. Well, until they broke up because she found out he worked as an escort, but that's a story for another time."

Professor Anderson raised his eyebrows, and Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes as dramatically as he could. "Don't even ask."

That earned him another chuckle, and a warm smile that crinkled the professor's eyes. "I won't. Thanks for cheering me up, Kurt."

Kurt beamed. "Any time."

He slipped out of the office, humming under his breath, happy in spite of the extra work it would take to arrange a new photoshoot for the jewellery.

A giggle startled him, and when he looked for the source of that sound, he saw Maizie lounging against the wall in front of Professor Anderson's office.

"Look who's on top of the world again," Maizie singsonged, threading her arm through Kurt's and falling into step with him. "Crush back in full force, is it?"

Kurt shrugged and grinned at her. "It never left. I tried, but, no such luck. Seems like you can't help who you crush on, so I figured, what's the harm, as long as I'm not being creepy about it?"

"Hmm, true," Maizie agreed.

"What were you doing here anyway?" Kurt asked.

"I had something to ask Professor Scher about our final. When I saw you, I thought I'd wait for you so we could have lunch together."

Kurt licked his lips. "At your sister's diner?"

"Yep. Lemon cheesecake today for dessert."

Kurt's eyes lit up. "Oh, that sounds amazing! Only… I was going to eat with Elliott and Neil, in fact. Can they come too?"

"Sure, honey. Violet and Marissa are coming too, 'cause we have a group project to wrap up."

"Same," Kurt sighed, whipping his phone out to text Elliott and Neil about the change of plans. "I hate the end-of-school-year crunch. Will your sister mind if we hog the table after dinner to work on our projects?"

Maizie laughed. "Nah, Suzie's cool. She says she'd rather keep an eye on me to make sure I actually do my school work."

At the diner, the teasing continued. All of Kurt's friends, even the ones not taking any graphic design classes, knew about his humongous crush on Professor Anderson by now, and it had become a running gag.

Kurt just shrugged it off good-naturedly, enjoying the novelty that to none of them, his being gay was even a factor. No-one sneered at him or told him he was an abomination, or that he would go to hell, or that he had better stay away from other men, or else! No, they just poked fun at him and suggested silly ways for him to show the professor how much he loved him, or to ask him out, or to get him to kiss Kurt, cracking each other up until he rolled his eyes and reminded them they had a project to work on.

K&B

Kurt found himself stifling yawns all week long. He had so many essays and projects to finish and so much studying to do now that the school year was almost at its end, and coupled with his internship at Vogue and his dog-walking, it was a bit too much. If only he could get into bed and sleep for a week, but that wasn't an option. Well, he was young, he was fit and healthy, and he was thriving both at school and at work, so a few weeks of constant exhaustion wasn't going to kill him. He'd already decided to go to Ohio for a month in summer, though, to see his dad and to get some much needed rest.

Kurt had enrolled for the first summer class, in June, and he'd contacted the R/GA design agency about the paid internship they'd offered. He'd be starting there in August. He hadn't had the time to visit the company premises yet, but he'd talked to the HR department on the phone and had a good feeling about this internship. He had loved working with Isabelle at Vogue, but it hadn't paid the bills, nor had he learned as many marketable skills as R/GA had on offer.

Burt was fully on board with Kurt taking graphic design on as a minor. "You've shown that you can do it, winning that competition and all. And you say you like it. So why not? Now's the time to learn as much as you can, in all sorts of fields, kiddo. Once you have a job, and maybe a family, you won't have the time. So go ahead and take those classes. You'll do great."

So, as Kurt worked for his finals, he was already looking forward to new graphic design classes, and he decided not to torture himself and to just enjoy his friendship with Professor Anderson without feeling any qualms about it. The professor was right, they weren't doing anything wrong. Kurt had a crush, yes, but he didn't act on it, and he never would. He promised himself not to go out of his way to visit the professor during his consultation hours, but once in a while would do no harm.

Feeling so much lighter now that he'd absolved himself of guilt, he breezed through his finals, and before he knew it, June was upon him, and he was wheeling his suitcase into the apartment of a rich businesswoman. She was travelling to Hong Kong for a month, but needed someone to look after her two Dalmatians. They came with a whole set of instructions, and Kurt's new client cross-examined him thoroughly, but Kurt fielded the woman's questions to her satisfaction and promised to keep her updated by sending her pictures of the dogs. At long last, she click-clacked off to the elevator with a suitcase of her own.

The summer course he was taking dealt with Colour Theory, and was taught by Professor Anderson, who seemed genuinely glad to be teaching Kurt again, and came to chat with him after class of his own accord, discussing summer plans and Kurt's internship at R/GA. "Paula knows someone at R/GA. You should talk to her and get his name. Maybe he could take you under his wing?"

Kurt promised he'd look into it, and then told the professor that he was dog-sitting now instead of dog-walking, and that he still didn't know his new neighbourhood well enough to find all the good spots to buy coffee and food. Professor Anderson proved to live in the same area, and was happy to help. "And you have to try the Esterhazy cake at Coffee Clock, it's SO good."

The professor turned around when another student cleared her throat to catch his attention. "Yes, Anna, did you have a question for me?"

Kurt smiled at the professor and slunk away. Yes, starting to talk to him again had been the right decision. As long as he didn't expect more to come of it, he could have this, and enjoy it.

July in Ohio passed more quickly than Kurt would have liked. Though he didn't have much love to spare for Lima, Ohio, and its narrow-minded inhabitants, he loved seeing his father and Carole again, helping out his dad with car check-ups and repairs, going shopping in the mall, though NYC had far better shops, and going for coffee at the Lima Bean.

Mercedes happened to be visiting her family too at the end of July, and Kurt enjoyed catching up with her. Her first album was quite successful, and she'd be touring the rest of the summer. She told Kurt about the guy she was seeing and showed him pictures. His nickname was Tank, and it was obvious why: he was a solid wall of muscle. In every photograph, he was glaring, but Mercedes swore up and down that he was sweet and gentle and respected her boundaries, so Kurt squashed down his concerns and was happy for her.

He told her about his crush on his professor, and Mercedes sighed and rolled her eyes. "Even in New York City, you fall for the guys you can't have, do you? All right, all right, tell me all about him. I bet he's dreamy."

Yes, his month at home offered him everything he needed: rest, good food and companionship. Elliott sent him picture after picture of sights he'd seen and things he'd done on vacation in Peru, but Kurt wasn't jealous. Not even a little. He liked his summer holidays uneventful. A slice of home was all he needed to be happy.

Really, the only memorable thing that happened during his vacation was when he and Mercedes went to see a musical in Westerville one night, and right before the intermission, a woman stood up, blocking their view, and led a DOG out of the theatre. Who on earth would take their dog to a musical? Kurt and Mercedes had a good laugh about that.

It wasn't until Kurt was in bed, later that night, that it occurred to him the dog had been quite similar to Devon. While it had been relaxing not to have to get up at the crack of dawn every morning, he'd be glad to be back in New York soon, and to have dogs to look after again.

He already had a new address where he'd be house-sitting and dog-sitting in August and September. This time, there was only one black Labrador to look after, who apparently loved to play with other dogs, so Kurt had told the agency that he could walk a few others too. The Dalmatians he'd taken care of in June had not enjoyed the company of other dogs. Like with Precious, it made them anxious, so Kurt had taken them to quiet places where only the occasional jogger came. Kurt had liked them, but looked forward to getting to play with several dogs again.

K&B

A week later, Kurt was jogging up the subway stairs like he'd never left New York. He had a meeting at R/GA to further discuss his internship and to sign the papers, and he couldn't wait to start working there.

The HR rep – "Call me Ellie" – took him on a tour through the building and explained what all the people were doing. "And here's the PR department, who make sure people hear about us and want to work with us – that's André over there, Sandra, Bonnie and Sebastian."

The guy called Sebastian turned around on his desk chair and gave Kurt a once-over. "So you're Paula's new protégé, are you?"

He pronounced protégé with a French accent, and Kurt almost swooned because that sounded so suave, barely managing to nod.

"Hmm, not very chatty, huh?" Sebastian continued. "I bet you're a loud one in bed, though. All moans and screams."

Kurt felt his cheeks heat up.

"Sebastian!" Ellie admonished him. "That's very inappropriate!"

Sebastian waved that off. "Yeah, yeah, I need to remember I'm in America and you're all terrible prudes, bla, bla, bla."

Ellie stood her ground. "It's not about being a prude, it's about not making unwanted advances at work. You've had warnings before, Sebastian. If you want to pick up a new guy every night, go to a club. Don't come on to people at work. They're off limits to you. Especially interns. Do I need to remind you of Chandler?"

"Unwanted advances? Chandler wanted my attention," Sebastian drawled. "He wanted it very much. And judging from this one's blush, he wouldn't say no either."

Ellie glared at him. "Off. Limits. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sebastian said. "Hey, New Intern, is that yummy Anderson still teaching at Parsons? Curly hair, glasses and an ass that won't quit."

"Sebastian!" Elle warned him.

"What? That was just a question for information!"

Kurt cleared his throat, and Sebastian's gaze swivelled towards him again. "Yes, Professor Anderson is still at Parsons."

Sebastian smirked. "Maybe I should come and give a presentation about R/GA again. I'll talk to Paula about it."

The gleam in his eyes was predatory, and now that it was meant for Professor Anderson and not Kurt himself, it made Kurt angry instead of shy.

Who did that guy think he was, gobbling men up and then spitting them back out? Who would even fall for that spiel? But then Kurt remembered Sebastian's French accent, and imagined him speaking whole sentences in those lilting, caressing tones. Okay, yes, that would help. He was still pretty sure that Professor Anderson wouldn't fall for someone that sleazy. He wouldn't, would he?

K&B

Kurt settled in his new routine faster than he'd thought possible. Now that he limited himself to three dog walks a day, and only dogs that lived in the neighbourhood where he was staying, that opened up his schedule for his internship and the extra classes he was taking.

He was learning a lot at R/GA. They had newer and better computer programmes and drawing pads, and Kurt loved trying out all the features. The designers whose team he'd joined were creative and driven, and enjoyed teaming up with Kurt for an assignment, praising his innovative ideas.

One of them, Joanne, had poor eyesight, to the point of being nearly blind. She showed him the magnifying software and hardware she used to be able to see everything properly.

They designed a website together, and she taught him all about making his designs inclusive, not just for users with low vision, but also for people who happened to be deaf, dyslexic, autistic or had physical disabilities. Basically, the trick was to make the lay-out logical and linear, to use a clear colour contrast throughout, to keep the content short, simple and to the point, and to provide audio and video and images for whoever needed that, as well as shortcuts for forms that needed to be filled in.

Kurt filed all that away for an essay he had to write for his Graphic Design History class on the topic of social change. Making websites more accessible for people with a disability was definitely a change he was in favour of.

Yes, all in all, he was very pleased with this new road he had taken. Though the graphic design classes added considerably to his workload, he thrived in them, and he found that they helped him improve his fashion designs as well. He took to designing his own fabrics and having them printed, and he pared down the structure of his garments to the bare essentials, but impeccably made, and always with his very own twist.

Professor Scher and Professor Anderson continued to encourage and stimulate him in class, and Professor Scher regularly wanted to discuss his work at R/GA and what he learnt there. "If we're falling behind here, Kurt, you need to tell me. This programme is supposed to get students ready to work as a designer for one of the big companies. If there's new software they have to master or new guidelines they have to follow, you must tell me, so that we can adapt the programme. Okay?"

So when Professor Scher stopped him in the hallway one day by putting a hand on his arm, Kurt thought it would be for another chat about his internship. But she whispered, low and urgent, "Come with me."

Kurt, a bit puzzled now, followed her. She led him to Professor Anderson's office, where instead of the professor himself, a dog sat on the desk chair.

And it was a dog Kurt recognised. "Devon! Devon, is that really you?"

Devon jumped off the chair in a fluid movement and raced towards Kurt, who squatted down to hug and pet him.

"You know this dog?" Professor Scher asked.

"Yes, yes, I do," Kurt said. "I've looked after him several times. But I swear I didn't bring him here as a prank or something. I wouldn't, I swear."

Professor Scher laughed. "Calm down, Kurt. You're not in trouble. I know you. You're far too busy to be playing pranks on anyone. I just brought you here because I know you're a dog walker and you might be able to help. Could you take this dog back to his house?"

"His apartment," Kurt corrected, checking his key-chain. Yes, the Devon key was still on there. "Yes, Professor, I'll bring him home. No problem. My classes are done for the day anyway."

Kurt rummaged in his backpack for a spare collar and a leash, and put them on Devon, whose tail was wagging so hard his whole backside moved to and fro.

"Ready, champ?" Kurt said, and Devon trotted off immediately.

Kurt turned his head towards Professor Scher. "Bye!"

She grinned at him and waved. "See you in class tomorrow!"

K&B

Devon tugged Kurt in the direction of the park, so Kurt, figuring that the dog needed to relieve himself, brought him there, and played with him for a while, too.

Then Kurt headed to the apartment where the dog lived, but as soon as they reached the building, Devon started to whimper, and when Kurt opened the door and ushered Devon in, the dog full-out whined and refused to go in.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" Kurt asked. "Why won't you go in? I guess nobody's home, but there never was anyone home last time I looked after you either. Did you run out of food, or water, is that it?"

Kurt went inside, followed by a whimpering Devon. He checked all the rooms, but didn't find any dog dishes or dog food anywhere, and the fridge was empty except for some left-over Chinese food that looked mouldy. The whole place looked deserted. The beds made, no dirty dishes or laundry anywhere, nothing to suggest anyone had been there recently.

Kurt sighed. "I guess your owner went on vacation and forgot all about you, huh? Or maybe something happened to him? Well, I can take you home with me, just for tonight, but I'm only dog-sitting that place for two more days, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with you after Carla's owner comes back home. You'll be nice to Carla, won't you? She's a black Lab, and she's very friendly. I think you'll like her."

Kurt led Devon out of the apartment again, the dog cheering up as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"Did you jump out of a window onto the fire escape?" Kurt asked Devon, squatting down again to pet him. "You must have escaped somehow. And you came to my school to find me? You clever boy, you!"

Devon let his tongue hang out of his mouth, the very picture of contentment.

K&B

Later that evening, Kurt was at the park with Devon and Carla when his phone rang. It was the dog agency.

"So we have a new assignment for you," Sheila said. "Devon needs a dog-sitter for a week, starting tonight. The black Portie, you've looked after him before. And I know you're still with Carla 'till the end of the month, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind checking up on Devon and walking him three times a day until then? You'd be paid for it as though you were dog-sitting him."

Kurt exhaled slowly. So Devon's owner hadn't forgotten about him, had he? Should he mention anything to Sheila?

"Kurt? Is three walks too demanding with your current school schedule?" Sheila asked.

"No, no, it's fine," Kurt answered. "I was just… Okay. Okay, I'll do it."

"You will? Fantastic, you're a lifesaver!"

Sheila hung up, leaving Kurt staring at his phone, thinking hard. Well, tonight and tomorrow were no problem. Devon could stay with Kurt and Carla. But the last day of September, Carla's owner was coming back, and he wouldn't be pleased to find another dog in his home. So Kurt would either have to leave Devon at his apartment, or if that upset him too much, take him along to school and to R/GA.

Kurt pocketed his phone and looked up. Carla was running around chasing a squirrel, barking happily, but Devon was sitting on his haunches right in front of Kurt, looking way too serious for a dog. Was he worried Kurt would abandon him, too?

"Come," said Kurt, and he sat down on the grass, pulling the Portie half on his lap. He petted Devon's neck and caressed him behind his ears until the dog let out a deep sigh and all the tension left his body.

"You're staying with me and Carla for the next two nights," Kurt announced. "And then I'm coming to live at your place for the rest of the week. The dog agency called. Your owner paid for a week of dog-sitting. You will be alone during the day, though, 'cause I have school and work, but that's not me saying goodbye to you, okay? I would never do that. I promise you I will always come back and look after you, as long as you need me."

Devon nuzzled Kurt's hand to demand more petting, and sighed again, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Kurt laughed. "I take it you're okay with that? All right, then, let's get home and to bed. Carla? Carla, come here, girl!"