Title: So hot you're hurting my feelings
Warnings: explicit language, underage drinking, near drowning
Reviews:
tomdarryecs: we heart Burt in this house. He's the absolute best! And sassy Blaine gives us life lol.
Iris7124: we love Kent too lol. Yeah, we both kind of wish we could have gone to a camp like this! Aw thank you so much! So sweet!
MarciaChapter2: thank you lol. We have fun with it. Ya'll have us blushing lol! So nice.
Onyx115: hope you liked it! Thanks!
Day seven-end of audition week:
Blaine was completely screwed.
The whole first week had been nonstop preparation, grueling exercise while Sue hurled obscenities at them, and Blaine dying inside at his friend he had feelings for all cuddled up next to Kent who had managed to win over every other one of their friends. Traitors.
Watching Kurt audition that second day had Blaine beating himself up. How the hell did he not see how cute Kurt was? He glittered and sparkled on the stage, like he had been born to be there, singing his heart out. He was an idiot. A complete idiot.
Santana has sauntered by and told him he was an idiot to which he very maturely stuck his tongue out at her.
Then there was that evening in the showers. Oh my god. Kurt went from being the cutest guy in the world to the cause of every boner ever and Blaine was dying. He couldn't get his nude form from his mind and it was killing him.
Then there was Kent. Goddamn Kent. He had told Kurt he would try to be friendly with him and he was, but he still wanted him to disappear somewhere far far away. Kurt was consistently trying to give enough attention to the both of them and he was doing a pretty good job. But the problem was that Blaine wanted the same attention he was giving to Kent. He couldn't believe he ever had a crush on him when Kurt had been right there all along. And he might have even been open to going on a date at one time, but no. Blaine had to be obsessed with a bunch of other guys who didn't even give him the time of day. Ugh. He needed advice and to talk to the people who understood him the most: his parents.
Or at least his mom since his dad was probably working. They would be completely shocked at this revelation.
He had some free time before they had to go to Campfire Callbacks and the others were trying to see if the cast list was completed yet. Coach Sylvester and Mr. Shue had been fighting about who got what part so they didn't already know their parts like they usually did at this point.
"Hello?" His mother's voice came clear over the call and something rustled in the background. "How is camp?"
Blaine flopped back on his bunk and stared at his pictures of Kurt. All that time, wasted.
"It's fine," he sighed, unsure how to begin.
"Well, that doesn't sound fine." He heard the sink turn on and off.
"Are you washing dishes? Is your arm well enough for that?"
"I'm fine. Now tell me what's wrong. I appreciate you remembering to check in, but you already did once this week." She paused. "Don't make me sing!"
Blaine knew he better confess. He did not get his gift from his mother, that was certain. She loved to sing, but she was completely tone deaf.
"I think I'll start with Fiddler On The Roof," she threatened.
"Okay! Okay." Blaine sighed, resigned. "You might want to sit down for this."
"A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no?"
"Agh! It's Kurt! Well, specifically how I feel about him…"
Silence. Her giggles, the water, even her breathing. He knew he had shocked her.
"Hold on," she finally said. The line went dead and he pulled his phone away from his ear. Seriously? He stared at the call ended screen. Suddenly it lit up again, this time a FaceTime call between him, her and his dad. He answered. "You know, my mother taught me it's rude to hang up on people," he grumbled when her face appeared along with his dad's.
Dad was in his scrubs along with different glasses and his hospital ID handing from his front pocket. He frowned. "You hung up on Blaine? What's going on? Is anyone hurt?"
Mom shushed him. She was seated in their kitchen. "He's calling about Kurt. I thought you'd want to hear this."
His dad's blue-grey eyes widened and he grinned. "Why, yes! Yes I would! Thank you!"
Blaine narrowed his eyes. "Why are you guys excited? I need to talk to you about something serious! About Kurt!"
They smothered their giddy little smiles and put on their Serious Talk faces. Mom folded her arms on the table in front of her and Dad went into the staff room full of lockers. He sat on a cot.
"Thank you." Blaine sat up a little and looked into the phone somberly. "So, I think I have feelings for Kurt."
Dad's mouth twitched and his eyes sparkled, but he didn't break. He just nodded slowly. Mom raised her eyebrows indicating he should go on. He waited, pausing for effect. His dad opened his mouth to probably tell him to spit it out.
"I realize this might come as a shock to you both. Believe me, I was super surprised as well and I need advice—"
"Pam, I don't think I can hold it in any longer," Dad said with a relieved sigh.
"Brian! Let him get it all out!"
"But this has been torture!"
"And we agreed to let him come to us and now you're steamrolling him!"
Dad gave Blaine a contrite look. "Sorry, son."
Blaine looked from his father to his mother. "What are you talking about? I just figured this out myself!"
Mom and Dad shared a laugh that Blaine glared at. "Honey, we aren't making fun of you, but we've seen this coming for while. We had our suspicions you liked him and didn't realize it yet. You know how you get sometimes. It's pretty obvious to us."
Blaine's mouth fell open. "And you didn't think to ask me this?"
"We aren't going to tell you how you feel, son," Dad said. "We thought you would know your own mind. Even if that poor boy never seemed to lose hope."
Poor boy? Surely he didn't mean… "What are you talking about?" Blaine's voice was high and squeaky to his own ears. His parents shared a look.
"We've never discussed this with him," Mom started. "But we are pretty sure he has had a thing for you for awhile. He looks at you the way you look at cronuts."
"Mooooom." Blaine dropped his pillow over his face. "He doesn't like me like that! And I don't like cronuts that much."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Mom said.
Dad sighed. "We did this, hun. We sent him to drama camp. We've only ourselves to blame."
Blaine ripped the pillow from his face to see his parents smirking at him. He returned a glare to them. "I'm not being dramatic! This is serious!"
His mother's smile fell. "I know you're confused and upset, but why don't you just try talking to him? He's your best friend and he's a very nice boy. I'm sure he won't be mean about it."
"I might if he didn't bring his boyfriend," Blaine all but spat.
Both his parents gave him pitying looks.
"Well, if he doesn't like you back, it's his loss," his mom said.
"I'm sure you're much better than the boyfriend," his dad tried.
Blaine threw his arm over his eyes. "Kent is a freaking himbo so probably not."
"Aw, Kent Morris you had a crush on?" Mom asked. "I remember him from last year! He's precious!"
Dad's face screwed up. "What's a himbo?"
Mom rolled her eyes. "Google it. I can't keep explaining all the new slang terms to you, Brian."
Dad checked his watch. "I have to go, but I love you son. I'm sorry things aren't working out for you, but you are just seventeen. You have your whole life to fall in love and it will happen when it's meant to happen. I like Kurt and he's a nice boy, but you can't fixate on this." He looked sternly over his glasses. "We want you to worry about having fun, not chasing boys. Plays before baes. Did I say that right, hun?"
Mom smiled, eyes twinkling. "You did! Good job!"
He preened and Blaine made retching sounds.
"Can you two please not be like this while I'm having my teen angst moment? And Dad, I'm begging you to never say that again. The embarrassment will kill me."
Dad ignored him. He kissed his screen and hung up, leaving Blaine's mother alone on his screen. She eyed him until he got all squirmy and uncomfortable.
"What?"
"I just can't believe you're seventeen and crushing on your best friend when you were just a toddler who got got scared by his own toots."
"MOM!" Blaine quickly glanced around the cabin in mortification. Satisfied no one heard that, he gritted his teeth. "Can you stop making that kind of stuff up?"
"I assure you I didn't!" She grinned maliciously. "I'm sure I have a video of it somewhere…"
"Mom, please! Destroy it!"
She laughed until tears came, but sobered when Blaine stared at a picture he had of him and Kurt. "Sweetie, your dad is right. You need to stop worrying about Kurt and focus on having fun. No matter what happens, he is still your best friend and you need to enjoy this last summer with him. If you really love him, you will find your way to each other."
Blaine sniffed. "Thanks, Mom. You're right. This is our last summer. I need to make it count."
Mom nodded. "Right. Enjoy summer and being friends—"
"If he liked me, which I still don't believe, I need to win him back!"
"Now, that's not what I said—"
"I've got to show Kurt that I love him more than Kent!"
"Blaine!"
At his mother's sharp tone, Blaine shut his mouth.
"Don't try to get in between them." She cocked an eyebrow. "It will only make you look like an asshole and hurt your best friend. Does Kent treat him well?"
Blaine sighed sadly. "He's the best…"
She tilted her head in a pitying way. "Is he happy with Kent?"
Blaine shrugged.
"I'm going to take that as a yes. As long as he's not hurting Kurt, you let them be. Sometimes these things run their course. If he's Kurt's first boyfriend, they might not be serious. Don't do something you will regret." She softened. "Now, I know you're hurting. Believe me, I wish I could take that away from you. But the answer is not to push them apart. That's not what best friends do. That is selfish."
She was right. Of course she was. It made him feel terrible thinking how he had been plotting a minute ago. But this was Kurt. He wanted the world for Kurt, even if it made him miserable.
"When will it stop hurting?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, honey. I don't know, but it will eventually. You will be okay, I promise."
Blaine sniffed again, trying not to cry. It honestly didn't feel like everything would be okay, but he trusted his mother.
"You call me if you need anything," his mom reminded him. "No matter what time. Understand?"
"Yes, Mom."
Her smile returned, sweet and playful. "And if you are single at the end of the summer, Dad and I will take you out for ice cream or something, okay?"
Blaine glared at her through the phone. "I am disinviting you and Dad both from Parent Night."
She threw her head back and laughed with her whole body. He loved that about her. "Nice try, pumpkin. Will you be okay now?"
"Yeah. I think so."
"And we are going to be the upstanding boy your father and I raised you to be?"
"Yes, Mom. Thank you for the advice."
She tucked her curls behind her ear and smiled fondly at him. "Anytime. Thank you for coming to us."
They chatted for a few more minutes about what shenanigans his brother was getting into before hanging up. He was kind of relieved he wouldn't be seeing Cooper for the rest of the summer. He needed to focus on himself and what he was going to do about his not-so-little crush.
He noted the time and heaved himself out of bed so he could get to Campfire Callbacks.
His friends were waiting for him. He tried to ignore the stab in his heart when he saw Kurt and Kent with their arms wrapped around each other while gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. His parents words echoed in his head, so he pasted on a smile and approached, hands in his pockets.
"Blaine!" Sam shouted in relief. "Thank god. Someone who is on my side! Tell Artie and the rest of these fools which Captain Kirk is the best."
His fake smile turned real at that and he was about to respond when Santana interrupted. "Hey dorks, listen up. Tomorrow is our first free day so Britt, Quinn, and I are hosting a little party in our cabin tonight at midnight." Her dark eyes glittered with mischief. "We will have special beverages of course, and games—"
"I hope you mean punch, Santana," Rachel said haughtily. "We don't need to ruin our chances with hangovers."
Santana smiled sweetly at Rachel. "That's why we are doing it on our free day, hobbit. You don't have to come. In fact, that would be preferable."
"Well, someone needs to keep an eye on things," Rachel said hastily. "Be the DD."
"We all know who you want to keep an eye on…" Santana muttered at the same time Brittany blinked in confusion.
"Wait, why are we driving if the cabins are in walking distance?"
Santana wrapped an arm around her while Rachel rolled her eyes.
Kurt managed to disentangle himself from Kent to grace them all with his reddened mouth and glazed expression. Blaine had to look away. "Speaking of Quinn, where is she?"
"And how did you girls get three to a cabin when the rest of us have four?" Artie asked with narrowed eyes.
"I have no idea where Quinn is because I don't care," she informed Kurt. Then she turned to Artie. "And as for the cabin, perks of being Sue's minion."
"Wait," Kent said, his hair messed up from sucking face with Kurt. And of course it looked hot instead of stupid like his would have. If he was sucking face with Kurt. Ugh. He had to stop. "Who's Sue? I thought there was only three of you?"
Everyone gave him a look full of pity or disbelief. Kurt looked ready to fight anyone who said something mean to Kent. Right. He was going to try to be nice to Kent. For Kurt. Blaine cleared his throat. "Um, Coach Sylvester. Her first name is Sue. But I wouldn't call her that because she might cook you and eat you."
Realization dawned and Kent grinned at Blaine, throwing a muscular arm around his shoulders. "Aw, thanks Ka-Blaine-o! Most people make me feel really stupid, but you're always so nice. I see why you and Kurt are friends."
"The best," Kurt agreed and the smile he gave Blaine was so warm, he knew he had done the right thing.
"Attention losers!" Coach Sylvester's voice blared out over the kids. "Butts in seats, now!"
They all complied, Kurt giving Blaine a secret smile that made him feel like he was floating. Yeah, he could do this.
Blaine soooo couldn't do this.
The Campfire Callback went as per usual: Sue and Shue tried to talk over each other, Rachel and Quinn avoided even looking at each other, Trent basically tried to sit on Blaine's lap and flirt with him, and Kent held Kurt's hand the entire time. Blaine tried not to sigh too loudly, but then Kurt leaned his head on Kent's shoulder and he felt like his lungs were being squeezed by a giant hand.
As they finished up, Blaine went to follow his friends but someone grabbed his sleeve. Blaine turned to see Trent staring at him shyly.
"Can I ask you something?" He let go of Blaine.
Kurt and Kent giggled together. Kurt pulled his boyfriend away, winking obviously at Blaine. "We will leave you guys to it!"
"You don't have to do that!" Blaine called out, but they were already hurrying away. Probably to go slobber all over each other. Blaine sighed and turned back to Trent. The poor thing looked like he was about to faint. Oh god. He was about to ask him out, wasn't he? He didn't want to go out with Trent, but he didn't want to hurt his feelings either. He liked the boy and considered him a dear friend. "Hey, Trent."
"Blaine. Uh, so, I had a question…"
"Trent—"
"We've known each other for some time now…"
Blaine felt it bubbling up from within. He was about to word vomit and just like real vomit, it caused people to step away in shock and disgust. "I like someone else, but you're really nice and I don't want to hurt your feelings because your my friend and if I didn't like someone else I'd be super into you I bet because you're really cute so I'm really sorry but I can't go out with you because it would be hopeless…" He spouted it all in one breath.
Trent's eyes had grown wider and wider as Blaine went on. He seemed disappointed, but also a little confused. His shoulders dropped and he rubbed his arm. "Wow. Um, okay. Sorry about that. I thought— Never mind. I appreciate you being honest though."
"I'm really sorry." Blaine scuffed his boat shoe against the concrete. "I shouldn't have been so blunt. But I genuinely think of you as my friend and don't want to hurt your feelings."
"I'm… actually okay," Trent said. "Just always thought you were cute and wanted to see if you would like to go out. But I get it." He stepped a little closer to Blaine. "So who is it?"
"Is what?"
"That you like!" Trent poked him in the ribs. "You said you liked someone else!"
Heat crept up Blaine's neck and face. "I— I—" He said the first name to pop into his head. Someone he actually had been a little bit attracted to years ago. "S- Sam. Evans. Sam Evans. He's a cutie!"
Trent bobbed his head slightly in agreement, considering. He tapped his chin with a finger. "It's Kurt, isn't it?"
Blaine spent way too long sputtering and stammering, face going red and waving his hands so erratically that he nearly smacked himself in his face.
Trent only watched, his smile slowly growing. "Wow. You've got it bad." His smile dissolved. "Oh, and he's dating that hunk! Oh, you poor thing!" Trent grabbed him by the arm and led him towards the cabins, stroking his arm like a cat. "That has to be so hard! Hah! See what I did there? Bet it is hard. Sorry, too soon. Anyway, tell me the whole story!"
Blaine spent the short walk to the cabins explaining his situation quietly and quickly. Many other campers were traipsing towards the bathroom buildings for their showers as the sun was going down. Blaine stopped in front of Trent's cabin.
"So, that's the gist of it. I would really appreciate it if you kept this between us though. I'm trying to be supportive, you know?"
Trent mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key. "Your secret is safe with me. I hope it all works out for you. No offense, but Kent is a catch." He patted Blaine sympathetically on the arm and went to walk up the short path.
Impulsively, Blaine called his name. Trent turned back around. "Hey, wanna go to a little party tonight?"
Trent smiled. "Why, I'd love to."
"All right bitches! I want to see these bottles empty before I come back around! Bottoms up!" Santana distributed some beer to each of the boys and girls sitting in various places around the cabin.
Blaine was staring at the full bottle in his hand of smelly liquid. His dad had let him sip one of his beers once and he found it completely disgusting. However, he was thinking of downing the whole thing after Kent pulled Kurt into his lap while the teen protested. He eventually relented when Kent whispered something in his ear. Blaine was a thousand percent sure he did not want to hear what was said.
Trent was beside him, cheerfully sipping from his bottle and chatting with Artie about some new movie. Some of the others had been surprised when he came along with Blaine at precisely midnight, but they just shrugged and handed him his own bottle. Kurt stared at Trent oddly, probably trying to gauge whether or not they were together. Blaine didn't give him anything, instead staring down into the brown bottle.
Brittany accepted a beer from her girlfriend and then pulled Santana down onto her lap. They kissed deeply, smiling against each other's mouths. Sam was seated next to Quinn who was nursing her beer and staring off into space. Finally, Rachel was seated next to Blaine on the floor. She was more lively, but quiet for once.
Santana downed her beer and slammed it onto the small table next to her bunk. The lights were low so that anyone walking around doing checks wouldn't see the cabin full of teens who weren't supposed to be there. "Now it's time for games!" She said as she cracked another open with a hiss. "Any suggestions?"
"Spin the bottle?" Rachel said.
Quinn, Santana, and Brittany snapped up their heads to look at her. She held up her hands. "Never mind."
"I don't want anyone else kissing Kurt," Kent said with a pout. Blaine tried really hard not to roll his eyes, so he squeezed his bottle neck instead.
"Okay, did something happen at that sleepover a few months ago?" Sam asked. "Because Tina said something about a spin the bottle game that got out of hand."
Everyone looked to the girls who all found other things very interesting except Santana who chuckled ferociously behind the lip of her bottle. "Ask Tina," she said before swigging from her bottle again. Brittany just giggled while Quinn smiled softly at the floor.
"Okaaaay," Trent broke the uncomfortable silence. "What about truth or dare?"
"Not a drinking game," Santana said. She got an idea and a wide grin took over her face. "Never have I ever!"
Everyone agreed to that and got more comfortable. Santana wiggled into Brittany's lap further and the blonde wrapped her arm not holding her beer around her waist. "Okay, okay. Rules. We go around the circle. We say never have I ever… been to theater camp…" Everyone took a drink, some with disgusted faces and coughing. Blaine caught eyes with Kurt who had his nose wrinkled at the sip he took. He shrugged a little and Blaine shook his head, not able to keep the little smile from his face. They had often talked about not liking the taste of beer. "If you didn't do the thing suggested, don't drink. Okay, we all good?" Everyone nodded and she raised her bottle, the brown glass almost black in the dim light. Her smile bordered on devilish. "I'll start. Never have I ever… kissed someone in this room." She drank along with Brittany obviously. Kurt and Kent exchanged giddy glances and sipped. Sam looked at the girls in the room and drank with a shrug. Artie tipped his bottle to Brittany and drank. Trent and Blaine shyly thumbed the lips of their bottles. He himself hadn't even kissed anyone for awhile. Rachel sat still, her fingers tightening around the bottle. She slowly raised the glass to her lips and sipped, her cheeks pinking.
"What? Who did you kiss?" Kurt asked. He had been watching her very carefully.
Rachel daintily wiped the edge of her mouth and looked down her nose. "That wasn't the question. Who's next?"
Brittany raised her bottle and exchanged a wicked look with Santana. "Never have I ever had a crush on someone in this room." They both drank as did Sam, Artie, Quinn, and Trent. Kent smacked a kiss to Kurt's cheek and drank, but Kurt's eyes were on Blaine. He raised his bottle to his lips and drank.
Blaine did as well. He supposed he could be drinking for Sam or Kent since he had crushes on both once, but he knew who he was drinking for now.
Artie was next and he considered the room before lifting his bottle. "Bouncing off of Brittany, never have I ever had a crush on more than one person in this room!" He snickered and drank. "I'll admit to having a thing for Quinn as well as Brittany obviously since we dated."
The cheerleader shook her head gently, but she was smiling. She also sipped from her bottle as did Sam, Brittany, Trent, Kent, Santana, Rachel, and Kurt.
"If we are saying who our crushes are," Kent said, a pretty smile making his dimples stand out. "I think I could crush on just about anyone in this room because you're all so beautiful!"
Kurt chuckled. "Do we need to cut you off already?"
Kent looked up at him cutely and batted his eyelashes. "Just being honest babe. You have pretty friends."
"Whose turn is it now?" Blaine choked out. "Trent?"
"New game!" Santana said with a wicked smirk aimed straight at Blaine. "Everyone name who in this room they have had a crush on!" Her cheeks and forehead were a little flushed from the amount she had had to drink.
Blanching, Blaine tried to laugh it off. "Or we can just play never have I ever—"
"Easy." Brittany took a drink. "Santana, Quinn, Artie, Sam, and Blaine once when he wore that blonde wig during costume week last year. But just for about five minutes."
Blaine stared at her, but she just grinned and drank again.
Sam drank. "Mine were pretty much every girl in here. Some for only like a day, but oh well."
Trent lifted his bottle and then drank. "Mine are Blaine and I have a little bit of a crush on Kent. No worries Kurt! Don't get the claws out!"
Kurt shrugged, but he was staring down at his bottle, twirling it in his hands. He seemed nervous and kept glancing up at Blaine. It was odd. Blaine felt like everything was spiraling out of his control. He was having trouble breathing again.
"Let's go around the room!" Brittany said with drunken joy.
Sweat broke out on Blaine's forehead and dripped down his back. He could lie of course, and just say Sam and Kent since everyone pretty much knew. But he was also a terrible liar and they would know. They would know and Kurt would know and everything would be ruined. Kurt would hate him and his friends would shake their heads at his betrayal and Kent would probably beat him to a pulp—
"I'm not playing this game!" Rachel stated as she set down her bottle with a loud click. "We either play a different game or I'm leaving!"
"Bye!" Santana replied as she cackled and tipped her nearly empty bottle back. She leaned so far back that she nearly fell off of Brittany's lap, but her girlfriend caught her.
Rachel huffed and got up, storming out the door. Everyone watched her go with mostly indifference, but it seemed to break up the game and get everyone talking about other things. Blaine felt relief at not having to try and lie. He glanced around, but no one really seemed aware of his near breakdown. Santana excused herself to the edge of the woods where she had hidden the beers and Kurt immediately extricated himself from Kent's octopus-like hold to follow her, loudly stating he would help her with the beers. He winked at Blaine on his way out the door, stunning Blaine and making him hot all over again. So he sipped his lukewarm beer and grimaced at the taste and temperature.
"You're going to have to cover yourself better if you want to hide your feelings," Quinn said as she slid to the floor next to him.
Blaine watched Kent and Trent chatting and laughing. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you mean," Blaine said softly.
Quinn laughed, harsh and bitter. "You know exactly what I mean. You're too obvious. You stare at him and get way too excited when he so much as looks at you."
Trent felt Kent's bicep and Blaine looked away. "I don't still have a crush on Kent if that's what you're concerned about. I would never to do that to Kurt even if I did."
"You even say his name like you have feelings for him." She took a long pull of her beer and licked her lips clean. She rolled her head towards him and searched his face. "Just do what I do and act cold. Then he won't know how how much he's hurting you."
"You don't know what you're talking about," he said, nervousness kicking his voice up a few notches. "I'm sorry about you and Finn, but it's nothing like my situation."
Whatever camaraderie was between them was swept away with the dark look Quinn shot him. She downed the rest of her beer and stood. "You know nothing. And this beer is disgusting." Then she crossed the cabin and slipped out into the night. Where to, Blaine had no idea. But he didn't really care as long as she wasn't there, interrogating him.
This wasn't good. Now Santana, Trent, and Quinn knew about his crush. And if Santana knew, Brittany probably did as well. How long before they let it slip to Kurt? Trent laughed as something Kent said and gripped his shoulder. He looked way too comfortable there. Blaine's eyes narrowed. He better not cheat on Kurt or Blaine would… well, he had no idea what he would do, but it wouldn't be nice. As much as he wanted them to break up, he didn't want Kurt to be hurt even more. But if he was flirting with other guys, he couldn't be trusted right? Maybe he should try to prove Kent was a bad person.
Plop!
"Let me walk you back to your cabin! I don't want you to get hurt!"
Plop!
"You are drunk and you need to get back in bed. Blaine and I will be fine!"
Plop!
"Maybe I just want an excuse to keep kissing you. You just taste so good…"
Plop! Plop! Plop!
Blaine threw a whole armload of rocks into the lake as Kent and Kurt playfully argued behind him. They had stayed in the girl's cabin for another hour talking and hanging out. Once Brittany started taking her clothes off and Santana screamed at everyone in Spanish, it was time to leave. The others had gone on, but Blaine waited for Kurt. He had to talk to him or he couldn't sleep. Unfortunately, Kent was stuck to him like glue. So he waited, tossing stones into the lake while they flirted.
Kurt apparently convinced Kent that they could make it back to their cabin safely and he finally stumbled off into his own with a dopey smile on his face.
Kurt joined his best friend and they walked in awkward silence for a ways, both of them sliding their hands in their pockets.
"I talked to Santana," Kurt said, breaking the silence.
Blaine didn't look up from the path. "Did you?"
"Yeah. She's not saying anything. See, a few months ago there was a sleepover I didn't go to and after that Finn and Rachel fought constantly for like a week. Quinn didn't come to Glee and Finn wasn't talking. It eventually seemed to blow over, but I'm thinking that was the start of everything."
"Good. Cool." He honestly didn't care at the moment. He just wanted to stop feeling so hopeless. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he was getting a little depressed.
"What's wrong?" Kurt stopped on the path and put his hand on Blaine's arm. It was questioning rather than demanding, like he would let him go if he just pulled away. Except he didn't want to. Crickets chirped their little songs along with the frogs and the birds of the night. He looked up into concerned blue eyes.
"Who was it?"
Concern blended with confusion. "Who was what?"
"Who did you have a crush on? Like, I knew about Sam and there's Kent, but… I just got this… feeling." Hope more like it.
Kurt looked away. Even in the moonlight and dim glow of the lights along the path, it looked like Kurt was blushing. "Did you?"
"Tell me?"
"No," he giggled.
"Kurt."
The teen was trying to walk away, but Blaine grabbed his sleeve. Perhaps it was unfair to blast the puppy eyes at Kurt, but he did it anyway. "I won't tell. Please?"
His resistance flickered, waning at the expression on his face. "Blaine…"
"Come on. Tell me!"
Heaving a great sigh and staring off at the glittering black surface of the lake, Kurt shook his head. "If I told you, it would make things very awkward. Just leave it."
Blaine's heart leapt to his throat at that. Dare he hope? "It won't! I'm sure the person will be flattered and will still be your friend. Promise!"
An internal battle was being fought behind Kurt's eyes. One side was his best friend who wanted to tell Blaine his every secret; the other was afraid. He saw the moment one side won, a decision settling his mouth into a little smile. Kurt looked down and his crossed arms. "Fine." He met Blaine's eyes. "It was you," he said quietly.
Blaine did a little happy dance inside. His heart tripped all over it's self and his breath caught.
"But don't worry! It's over!"
Blaine sobbed internally. His heart cracked and broke into a million pieces.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Blaine winced at how upset he sounded. He hoped Kurt took it as concern for his friend rather than devastated that he missed his chance.
Kurt thumbed at his sleeve, a nervous gesture. "I tried. God, so many times. But you weren't interested." Sadness furrowed his brows. It was familiar, this look. Blaine searched through his memories until… finding Kurt at their spot all those times. The way he would get so upset anytime Blaine would try to talk about his crushes. He had just assumed Kurt was flustered or hesitant… He did this. He was the cause of all his best friend's sorrow.
"When?"
Kurt sighed like it was painful. "Several times."
Now that he was looking through his memories with new eyes, everything made so much more sense. The time Kurt brought him flowers at his new house… The phone calls… The hints Kurt would drop… He was the biggest idiot.
"All those times you were sad… I'm the biggest jerk in the world. Kurt, I'm so, so sorry."
Kurt shrugged and gently took Blaine's hand. He wanted to rip it away. He didn't deserve the comfort. "You really had no idea, huh?"
Blaine shook his head. He was regretting wheedling the information out of Kurt now.
"It hurt. Mostly the fact that I didn't even cross your mind as a possibility. And then I couldn't ever get over you, no matter how hard I tried." A grin popped the dimple at the corner of his mouth out. "But then I met Kent!" He might as well have shoved a dagger through Blaine's heart. "So it's okay now! You an I were obviously meant to be best friends and we will find you your Kent!"
Blaine laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah. Totally."
They started walking again, Kurt looking like a huge weight had been lifted and Blaine feeling the crushing weight of guilt and misery would smother him.
"And you're sure that's not weird for you?" Kurt asked as they approached their cabin.
"What? No!"
Kurt was startled since he had all but shrieked.
"Sorry. No, it's not weird. I just feel so awful about hurting you. I never want that."
Kurt hugged him for definitely not long enough. "I know. But everything is fine now. You can make it up to me with your Oreo stash."
That made him smile genuinely a little. "I don't feel that badly."
Kurt laughed at that, a lovely sound that Blaine felt to his toes.
He lay awake for a long time, even as Kurt's soft snores joined Artie and Sam's. He slipped from his bunk, out of the cabin, and down the path to their spot. He sat there for a long time watching the wind move through the trees and scatter the moon's reflection on the lake. He kept remembering things that took on a whole new meaning. The way Kurt would look at him and hold him. The things he would say. Most devastating was how they could have been something if Blaine would have only realized his feelings sooner. Even if Kurt broke up with Kent, he would soon be going to college and Blaine wold be stuck here.
And why didn't he realize sooner? Blaine was puzzled. He always thought love would be like it was in movies. He thought he would just look at someone and know. But Kurt changed that. It had been so gradual that he hadn't seen it coming. He had always loved Kurt since the beginning, but the feelings had deepened all on their own. He had been so obsessed with the act of falling in love, he hadn't realized when it was happening to him. Blaine wiped at his wet face and mourned his loss. He would make up for it. He would be the best friend to Kurt he could be.
And he would start with vetting Kent. The way he was seemingly flirting with Trent while Kurt was interrogating Santana bothered him. He should be loyal to Kurt since he was the best thing to ever happen to anyone. Blaine resolved that the very next day he would test Kurt's boyfriend…
It was Sunday, their free day, and they all drug their hungover selves out of bed to get breakfast. Blaine dropped money on the ground to prove Kent was a thief! Except, he picked it up and started asking who dropped it. Then, when no one claimed it, he donated it to charity. Blaine cursed.
Next, he divulged his suspicions to Artie and convinced him to flirt with Kent. The idea was to get Kent to show he was a cheater, but the only thing that happened was Kent was nice and Artie came away questioning his sexuality. Nothing worked!
He was running out of ideas by the afternoon when several of them decided to go for a swim in the lake.
He didn't really want to go, but Kurt begged him to and he couldn't say no to him.
"Cannon ball!" Sam screamed as he leapt from the rocky overhang and into the lake. There was an old rope with a handlebar tied to it that they used to swing into the water, but he jumped around it. The others already in the water squealed as he splashed them with more water, arms over their faces to shield them. Seconds later, he popped out of the water and shook his wet hair like a dog, much to the dismay of Rachel and Trent who happened to be where he surfaced. "Aw, relax. You're already wet."
"Not on my face!" Rachel said as she deliberately wiped off her cheek.
Sam playfully splashed her a little and she snarled, hands outstretched like she was going to strangle him. He giggled wildly and dove out of her reach. They narrowly avoided Brittany and Santana making out in the water and Kent demonstrating how long he could hold his breath. Quinn glared at them from where she floated alone.
"Such children," Artie said as he sipped some iced tea from his spot in the shade.
Kurt sat next to him, slathered in sunscreen and wearing a big floppy hat that Blaine tried very hard not to laugh at. Unsuccessfully. He still looked really cute somehow. "Sorry, Artie. I doubt they thought it through when they suggested going to the lake."
"It's fine. Ever since Mr. Shue's proposal, I've avoided water anyway. Plus, the view isn't bad." He indicated the girls and Kurt rolled his eyes.
"Don't be gross."
Stripping off his shirt, Blaine stretched out in the sun. He was on the other side of Kurt, but he liked being warm. So he scooted out of the shade to soak up some sunshine. He tanned easily and if he was going to be miserable, he would be tanned and miserable. He folded his arms behind his head and stared at the pink of his eyelids. "So did you have any luck finding out parts yesterday?" He waited for a response, but none came. He cracked open an eyelid to see Kurt staring at him. "What?"
"You… Um…" He licked his lips. "You need some sunscreen," he finished breathlessly.
Blaine shrugged and closed his eyes. Kurt was so adamant about skin care. He had taught Blaine a lot, but he could overdo it sometimes. Hence the hat. "I put some on."
"You're literally cooking."
"It's fine."
"Just come here and let me put some on your face."
"Kurt, I already put some on!"
"Not enough! Do you want wrinkles?"
Artie unlocked his chair and rolled off. "God, you guys are like an old married couple."
Blaine was glad he was toasting in the sun and it hid his flush. He peeked at Kurt again who looked uncomfortable and kept glancing over at him. Blaine was about to give in and put more sunscreen on so Kurt wouldn't worry when there was shouting from the water.
"I didn't say anything!" Rachel shouted at Quinn.
"That's not what it looked like!" Quinn shot back.
Kurt dropped his head to his chest with a deep sigh. "Here we go again. I need to just corner Rachel and get her to tell me what this is all about. It's getting on my last nerve."
Blaine sat up on his elbows. "Quinn said something off last night in the cabin. I could try talking to her again. I think we might have a lot in common."
Kurt snorted. "What do you have in common?"
Don't blurt! Don't blurt! Whatever you do Anderson, don't freaking blurt!
He was definitely about to blurt when Quinn splashed Rachel full in the face. "Just say you don't care about anyone but yourself! You don't care about anyone else's feelings!"
Rachel gasped when the water hit her and she seethed at Quinn. "Just because I don't agree with you doesn't mean I don't care!"
Quinn sneered. "Oh please! Don't try to lie to my face."
Rachel clenched her fists and opened her mouth to retort, but her rage crumbled into despair. She sobbed once and ran towards the shore, the back of her hand to her mouth. Kurt made a pained noise and ran after her as she took off towards the cabins. Snatching her towel, Quinn stormed off into the woods.
The others stared after them wide-eyed and confused. They eventually shrugged when the show was over and went back to splashing and swimming. Looking back later, Blaine should have gone after Quinn then. At that moment however, he felt she was too angry and wouldn't want to talk. Then he overheard Kent and his attention was diverted.
"I'm telling you, I was on the swim team for awhile. It was all over when I saw Jaws and I got terrified of the pool for awhile."
Sam tilted his head. "But sharks are in the ocean. Not the pool."
Kent shrugged. "It doesn't make sense, but I just knew I was going to get eaten and I couldn't do it for awhile."
"Aw poor thing!" Trent exclaimed while petting his back. "How old were you?"
Kent sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, it was last summer."
There were looks shared. Blaine waded out towards them.
"So how did you get over your fear?" Sam asked as he squirted water with his cupped hands.
"Well, I guess I didn't," Kent frowned. "I still have trouble in pools and definitely the ocean."
More silence.
"But the lake doesn't bother you?" Blaine asked incredulously.
"Brains, my guy!" Kent exclaimed. "Who knows how they work?"
Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose.
"As I was saying," Kent said. "I really think I could make it."
"Make what?" Blaine asked.
"Across the lake!" Kent framed the other side of the lake with a square he made with his fingers. It was at least a mile. "Anyone want to race?"
The others all shook their heads, unwilling to even try after taking one look at Kent.
"Seems a bit dangerous," Trent said.
Blaine's heart thudded in his chest. "I could."
Everyone's heads swiveled to the shorter and probably— okay definitely less-muscular teen.
Kent's eyes sparkled with the challenge and one of his pretty smiles spread across his face. "Ka-Blaine-o! All right! Let's freakin' go!" He rubbed his hands together in excitement.
"What are you doing?" Kurt had apparently returned and was standing at the shore. He shaded his eyes with a hand and nibbled his bottom lip.
"Babe! Babe! Me and Blaine are going to race!" Kent bounced like a kid on Christmas.
"What?" Kurt grumbled and splashed into the water up to his ankles. "What do you mean?"
"I'm going to beat Kent in a race," Blaine stated.
The others ooohed and Kent cracked his knuckles. "I like the confidence. Let's do this!"
Kurt sloshed closer to Blaine as Kent started stretching for reasons only he understood. "Um, Blaine. Are you sure about this? It's really far…"
Blaine winked at him. "Kurt, Kurt, Kurt. I have excellent breath control. I can make out for like ten minutes without stopping."
Kurt's mouth dropped open and his eyes flicked from his boyfriend to his best friend. "But swimming is different."
"I got this. Don't worry about me." Then, looking really cool, Blaine dove into the water and swam over to where Kent was waiting. This was his chance to impress Kurt and show Kent up. He was determined.
Kent brushed his wet hair back and turned to Blaine. His whole body shone in the sunlight, muscles rippling.
"How much baby oil do you go through to look like that?" Blaine muttered.
Kent scrunched his nose in confusion and looked down at his defined chest glistening in the sun. "I don't… I mean I put on lotion sometimes. And Kurt makes me wear sunscreen… I guess it's just natural?"
Blaine's eye twitched. "Of fucking course it is."
They lined up and Sam counted them off. Kent was fast, but Blaine was faster. He cut through the water like he was a machine, swimming faster and better than he ever had in his entire life. He was going to do this! He was going to beat Kent! But just as hope swooped through his belly, Kent appeared at his elbow and gained on him steadily. Blaine pushed harder, ignoring the cheers of encouragement from their friends.
That was the moment his leg cramped.
At first, he just ignored it, but that made it worse and then he was sinking. He ended up inhaling water by accident, his lungs burning at the intrusion. Things got fuzzy after that. Strong arms pulled him from the water and there was warmth at his back.
"Stay back!"
"Oh my god! Is he okay?"
"Is he dead?"
"Oh no! I killed him! Oh my god! Oh my god!"
"Blaine! Blaine, you better fucking answer me!"
Someone was rocking him… No, someone was shaking him… hard. But he couldn't breathe…
Someone was pumping his chest. It hurt, but also was a relief at the same time. Then lips were pressed to his. He was being kissed? It was nice. Air forced itself into his mouth and body.
Oh god. He was dying. He almost drowned trying to race Kent.
He sucked in the breath and opened his eyes. Kurt was giving him mouth to mouth while their friends hovered over him worriedly. Kurt was kissing him. Blaine kissed him back, feebly trying to reach up to press Kurt to him more, but he jerked back.
"Blaine?" Tears shone in his eyes as he studied his best friend. "Are you okay?"
Blaine opened his mouth to say something witty that would make Kurt laugh. What actually came out was more water than he thought possible shooting Exorcism style all over Kurt.
Kurt flinched and immediately sluiced water from his face.
"Sorry," Blaine said hoarsely.
"Ew," Santana said as she pulled Brittany back.
"Is he okay?" Trent asked as he wrung his hands.
Kurt finished wiping the water from his face. "Yup. I think so. Can you stand?"
Blaine sat up with Kent's help and then stood a little shakily.
"Blaine, I'm so sorry!" Kent looked close to tears himself. "I had no idea… I almost killed you."
"You didn't almost kill him," Kurt snapped as he pulled Blaine to lean on him. "But this was a stupid idea. I'm taking him to the nurse to get checked out. Can you guys go get his bed ready?"
Sam and Kent nodded while the others watched Kurt carefully lead Blaine away. The trip to the nurse's cabin was quiet. Blaine honestly didn't feel like talking since his head hurt, his throat burned, his chest hurt, and he kind of wanted to take a nap. That and he was trying to replay how it felt to have Kurt's lips on his. Kurt didn't seem eager to start a conversation either, instead just helping him across the camp. His mouth was a firm line and his eyes downcast.
The nurse did her tests and cleared Blaine to go back to his cabin and take a nap, slipping out quietly after informing him that she would be calling his parents. Kurt spent the entire time staring at the floor with arms crossed and hip leaning on a cabinet full of medical supplies. Once she had left, Blaine scrambled for something to lighten the mood, but Kurt beat him to it.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
Blaine rubbed his neck. "I wasn't I guess. Just having fun…"
Kurt shook his head. "Why would you do something so stupid?"
They met eyes and Blaine couldn't look away. "I don't know."
"I could have lost you!" He was pissed. His eyes were full and red and his mouth trembled. Blaine had screwed up. Again. How could he just keep hurting his best friend? "When I pulled you out of the lake… I thought you were dead, Blaine."
"I'm sorry," Blaine said around the lump in his throat.
Kurt made a pained noise and launched himself at Blaine. He clutched Kurt's heaving shoulders and held him, crying along with him. He would be receiving a lecture later from his parents about water safety and knowing his limits. This was way worse though. For a long time, he just held Kurt and let him cry. He knew Kurt needed this and he felt just awful that he was the cause.
Kurt finally let him go and wiped his face off with a tissue he found on the table. Blaine was crying a little bit too. Kurt sat next to him on the paper covered bed. "Promise me you aren't going to do something like that again."
"It wasn't—"
"Promise."
"I promise."
Kurt nodded as he dabbed at his eyes again.
"Are you mad at Kent too? Because it's not really his fault."
Kurt only shook his head.
Blaine was disgusted at the thrill it gave him to think that Kurt and Kent were having a problem that was pretty much his fault. He couldn't just leave it. "Seriously, Kurt. It's my own fault. If you're going to be mad at someone, be mad at me."
"Don't tell me who I can be mad at, Blaine." His tone indicated he was done talking about it.
Blaine decided to change the subject. "Is Rachel okay?"
Kurt rubbed at his face, his thumb and finger massaging his forehead. "She didn't say much other than she and Quinn had a falling out after that sleepover. They have been sniping ever since. According to her, she's tried to move past it, but Quinn continues to pick fights with her."
"I feel like there's more to it than that," Blaine replied.
"Definitely. I was thinking—"
But Blaine didn't get to hear what he was thinking because the nurse knocked at the door and came in. She was holding a phone. "Blaine, your mom is on the line and wants to talk to you."
He could hear her yelling already and he knew he probably would have a million missed calls and texts from her. He sighed and held out a hand for the phone. "This might take awhile," he said to Kurt as the nurse passed him the phone.
Kurt nodded and slipped from the room. Before he closed the door, he cast one more glance back at Blaine and smiled. Maybe he wouldn't stay mad at Blaine forever.