DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee, nor am I associated with it or Ryan Murphy. I am just an out-of-college daydreamer who sometimes gets into these writing funks and ends up tossing out a story after letting the idea sit in my brain for a few days!
Sometimes You Need More Than Courage
By: xSlythStratasfaction (formerly known as LadyStrata821)
Pairing: Kurt x Blaine (friendship only)
WARNING: There's some language in here that may be offensive!
"Son, I need to talk to you for a moment."
Blaine looked up from the book he was reading and let his eyes fall onto his father. The elder Anderson was standing in the doorway with a strange look on his face. The look on his face read nothing but annoyance to Blaine, but there was also something else behind his dad's hardened gaze.
"Yeah, dad. What is it that you want?"
Honestly, it was shocking to see his dad standing there. Blaine hadn't really spoken to the man since school let out. Here it was the middle of July and school had let out at the end of May. Plus, Blaine had been home from the hospital for almost a month and it had been a few weeks since his last emotional breakdown; however, his father hadn't really spoken to him at all since their early morning confrontation weeks ago. So to see the man standing there in the entrance to his room, it was a shocking sight.
The older man looked down at his feet for a moment before glancing back up at his son. He offered the young teen a smile, something unusual to see come upon his face. "I have something I want to show you. Would you please follow me downstairs?"
Blaine tensed up immediately at the thought of his dad wanting him to go downstairs. His mind filled with images of Josh sitting downstairs on the couch, begging to apologize. He really didn't want to deal with something like that again, so instead of standing up and following his dad, he stayed cemented to his spot in the bed.
"I'm not going downstairs until you tell me what's going on."
His father rolled his eyes and leaned up against the doorway, letting his dark hazel gaze bore holes into Blaine. "I have a gift for you. If you want it, you must come downstairs."
"I'm not moving," the dark haired teen whispered, pushing himself farther back into his bed.
William Anderson sighed then, realizing that it was going to take a lot more explaining to get his boy to follow him downstairs. Raising both hands towards his temples, he tried to rub away the dull ache that was trying to form into an angry migraine. "Blaine, listen… I had a discussion with your mother last night and she told me that she took you to take your driver's permit test. She said that you passed it with flying colors and that she thought we should reward you for doing so well."
He paused to glance up at his son and found the boy watching him intently. "I determined that since you are going to be out on the road soon, we would get you a car. It's downstairs in the garage. That's what I wanted to show you. Will you follow me now?"
It didn't take long for Blaine to hop up off of the bed and dash out of the room behind his father. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard his dad say that he bought him a car; it wasn't something he ever expected his parents to do, especially after they found out he was gay.
Smiling profusely, he tore through the downstairs of the house and skidded to a halt in front of the closed kitchen entryway to the garage. He glanced back at his father to see if it was alright if he could go on ahead in. When he saw his dad's eyes crinkle into a smile, he threw open the door…
…and found himself face to face with a beaten up, rusted 1959 Chevy Impala.
"Ooh, vintage."
The statement flew out of Kurt's mouth like air; it was breathy and soft and made Blaine smile when he heard it.
"I forgot about your fascination with old cars."
"Of course, I would have that fascination. My dad works in an auto shop. I've grown up around cars, Blaine. You knew that."
Blaine smiled and laid back on the air mattress. He stared at Kurt for a moment before he decided to answer the boy, "I know. I just get a little shell-shocked whenever I'm reminded of the things you do that people wouldn't expect you to do or like."
"Kind of like you and football?" The younger boy asked as he raised a brow and smirked at his friend.
"Yeah, kinda like me and football."
Both boys chuckled a bit before things got quiet between them. After a few moments of silence, Kurt broke the no-sound issue and yawned rather audibly. Blaine looked at him with a knowing look that said I know you're sleepy, but the other boy just waved a hand at him.
"You can continue on at any time. And no, don't even bother to tell me to go to bed. I'm not tired."
He yawned again, earning a laugh from Blaine.
"Well, if you're curious as to what happened with me and the '59 Impala… I worked on it all summer, when I had the time of course. My dad helped me out and it was the most time I had ever spent with him. I'll tell you something though: my dad really only built up that car with me because he was trying to get me to get my hands dirty. He wanted me to get all manly and expel my testosterone like other guys do. I think he thought that if I got down to the nitty gritty that I'd turn straight or something."
Kurt frowned and stared at his crush, "As if getting dirty is going to turn you straight!"
"Exactly," Blaine whispered as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "When I wasn't running or working on the car, both of my parents worked on teaching me how to drive both automatic and manual cars. Right before I went back to school, I got my license."
"But I thought you said your dad got you a car to celebrate you passing your permit test… and doesn't Ohio have a six month limit on how long someone under 18 has a permit before they can get their license?"
A small smile flashed upon Blaine's dark features before he answered, "My dad was never a very observant person. I actually had my permit for quite a while when he bought the car; I got it once I hit the proper age. I guess he thought that it was for the best to get me something to work on during the summer, to keep my mind off of things. I think the whole 'I got you this car in celebration for your permit' thing was just an excuse."
"Oh," was all Kurt could say.
"Anyway, I worked on that car all the time. I hated it though. I hated how getting dirty felt and I hated the fact that my dad thought he could get my sexuality to change just by having me throw on coveralls and change the motor oil."
"Sometimes I help my dad work on cars. I hate getting dirty too, but there's something about putting a car together that makes me feel… umm, good."
Blaine interlocked his fingers over his abdomen and focused on a crack in the wall, "I bet you like working on cars because it's time you can spend with your dad. Your dad's a great guy, you know. I would love to have a dad like yours. He accepts you and that's something I don't think my dad would ever do."
Kurt sat up immediately, feeling his stomach drop to his feet. He gazed down at the hazel eyed boy below him and frowned, realizing that Blaine had just admitted that his father's views on his sexuality had never even changed. "Your dad still ignores the fact that you're gay?"
"Like the plague."
"Oh," Kurt was speechless once more. He looked down at his perfectly trimmed fingernails and studied each one carefully as he racked his brain with something to say to Blaine.
He didn't get a chance to respond.
"I spent all summer trying to get closer to my dad and in some aspects, we did get closer. However, after the summer had gone and I had gotten my license, we drifted apart again. I think the last straw for him was right after I finished the car."
"What happened?" Kurt asked, still watching Blaine stare at the wall.
"He brought over a girl."
Blaine slid out from underneath the undercarriage of the Impala. He was covered in motor oil and grease; his white t-shirt streaked with inky liquid. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was hot outside. If given the chance to be anywhere else, Blaine probably would have chosen being in his bed, curled up with a good book. However, today was the final day of working on the Chevy and his father had been so excited to get the car done that he pestered Blaine all day until the boy finally conceded and surrendered to the garage.
Mr. Anderson slowly walked around the car, taking in every single detail that they had put into the vehicle, "Looks good, son. I think we've finally finished. How about you start her up and see how she purrs?"
Blaine shot his father an honest smile as he wiped his hands on his jeans and climbed into the car. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and slid them into the ignition, turning the car on. It purred like a kitten.
"Dad! We did it!"
When the sounds of his son's ecstatic cries reached his ears, William smiled and walked over to the driver side window, reaching in and patting his son on the shoulder. "You did a good job, Blaine. I'm proud of you."
Just those words alone, that simple compliment, made Blaine's heart swell with love. His father was proud of him. Proud! For once, he had done something right in his father's eyes. It had been far too long.
"Thanks, dad. I never could have done this without you."
The curly haired teen climbed out of the car and wrapped his arms around his dad, tears filling his eyes when he felt his dad's arms envelope him in return.
"How about we take this car out for a test drive, hmm?"
Blaine opened his mouth to respond when he heard a soft knock on the side of the garage. He leapt out of his father's arms and turned around to find himself staring at a tall, leggy blonde girl. She was peeking into the garage, her ice blue eyes focusing on Blaine with a sweet smile.
"Oh, hello! I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Anderson, but I was just wanting to see if your wife was around?"
William walked up to the young girl and took her hand, bringing her into the garage. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, Lauren." He waltzed her right up to Blaine and didn't miss the way his son instantly froze up when the girl came into arms reach.
"You remember Lauren Meyers, don't you?"
Blaine stared at the girl with wide eyes. Of course he remembered Lauren. The girl had lived next door to the Andersons for years; she had been in every single class that Blaine had been in since the first grade. She was also a cheerleader, as well as one of the girls who rode his bus every single day. Lauren was one of those girls who stood around and did nothing while Blaine was getting the crap kicked out of him.
He definitely knew who she was.
Offering a fake smile, Blaine nodded at his father. "Yes, dad. I know Lauren. We've been neighbors and friends," he lied, "for years."
Lauren let her icy gaze fall up and down Blaine's body, as if she were drinking him in. A perfectly white, straight smile fell upon her lips as she spoke, "Mister Anderson, I never imagined Blaine to have gotten so handsome over the summer."
Blaine fought the urge to throw up on himself as he stared at the girl standing across from him. His father, on the other hand, beamed with pride as he stared at his son interacting with the girl. He turned to Blaine and started to reach into his pockets.
"You know, Lauren… my wife isn't home at the moment, but I was thinking," he took a handful of cash out of his wallet and started to count through it, "Blaine and I just finished this car and we were thinking about taking it out on a test run. I've got some chores to do around the house, but perhaps you and Blaine could take the car for a test drive and maybe see a movie or something."
Lauren smiled and Blaine blanched as his father continued, "This car is perfect for a drive-in movie." He gestured towards the convertible top, "You two can sit and watch a movie like we old folks did back in the day. It's very romantic." He offered another smile to the blonde, who reciprocated the gesture.
Blaine opened his mouth, feeling his tongue start to dry up, "But dad, I-"
His dad shushed him immediately by thrusting a wad of big bills into his hands. "I'm sure Lauren would love to go out, wouldn't you sweetheart?"
The blonde brightened and tossed a glance over to Blaine, "I haven't been out all summer!" Lies! Blaine frequently saw her sneaking into her house after 3 AM, drunk off of her ass. "I would love to go see a movie here with Blainey bear."
The nickname made Blaine gag and he turned away before he truly felt like vomiting. He regained his composure and turned back to his father, ready to protest, but instead found himself standing alone with Lauren. His father's retreating form could be seen going into the kitchen. The man called back a 'have fun you two and no hanky panky' before he fled into the house; Blaine was mortified.
The movie was boring.
Blaine glanced over at the girl sitting in the passenger seat next to him and noticed that she was giving him a frigid stare as she popped piece after piece of caramel corn into her mouth.
"Why did you even agree to come on this excursion with me?"
He wasn't about to call this a 'date' and he frowned when he noticed the girl make a confused face at him; obviously she didn't know what an excursion was. Finally, after a few minutes of sitting there thinking, the blonde opened up her mouth.
"I only came because your dad offered me a hundred bucks to take you out and see if I could straighten you up."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Lauren turned to smirk at the boy and found him sitting there, frozen in his seat. His eyes started to water and she chuckled at him, reaching over and placing a small hand on his cheek.
"Now don't freak out, hobbit. I'm not going to rape you or anything. I'm just here stuck in this tiny ass car with you because your dad wants to see if any sexual tension you may have for chicks will come out and fix you up. You can't be a fairy forever."
"Get out."
The blonde tensed up as she pulled her hand back away from Blaine's face; it was like she had been burned by him or something by the way she pulled back so quickly.
"What did you say?"
"I said get out," Blaine hissed as he turned towards the small girl. His hazel eyes were furious, growing darker by the second, and the cheerleader froze as she watched him grow angrier and angrier.
"I'm not getting out. I need a ride home!"
"I said GET THE FUCK OUT, LAUREN!"
The girl jumped up and opened the door, staring down at him with a feral gaze. "You're gonna be sorry you kicked me out, Blaine Anderson. I will make your life a living hell! You'd better believe that!" She grabbed up her refreshments and kicked the car door closed with her foot before she stalked off towards another car.
Blaine whispered after her, "My life is already a living hell."
The drive home was hard.
Blaine couldn't see half of the time he was driving and ended up having to pull over several times in order to try and compose himself. His hands were shaking, his body trembling as he made his way home. He was just so furious; furious because his father had sent him out with some trollop and furious because his dad had paid the said trollop to try to turn him straight.
He was honestly heartbroken.
Pulling into the driveway, he pressed the open garage button on the keypad he installed in the Chevy and waited until the door came fully up before he pulled into the garage next to his mom's Mustang. With a strangled sob, he yanked the keys out of the ignition, climbed out of the car, slammed the door, and burst into his house.
"DAD! HOW COULD YOU?"
His parents were both standing in the kitchen, staring at him with wide eyes. Their son was standing before him, his face red and contorted into an angry sneer. He was crying hard and his fists were balled up. He looked horrible.
"Blaine, honey, what happened?"
His mother came forward first, reaching out a hand to touch her son, but he backed away, his hazel eyes still on his father.
"How could you?" He whispered, staring at the man that he thought had finally started to love and accept him, "How you could do this to me?"
"Do what?" Maria asked as she glanced between the two men. "What happened?"
Blaine sobbed, "Dad paid Lauren Meyers t-to d-date me! He paid her to date me to make me s-straight!" He looked back at his father again, feeling a pit of fire burning in his stomach. "Nothing that you is going to make me straight, dad! NOTHING!"
He flung his car keys at his dad and they hit the older man in the shoulder before clattering to the floor.
"I HATE YOU!"
He spun around then, running as fast as he could upstairs. The tears were still streaming down his face and he felt horridly sick. Dashing into his bedroom, Blaine quickly ran into his private bathroom and dropped to the floor, dry heaving and choking.
He was having another panic attack.
His mother was the first one to enter the room, rushing to her son when she saw him struggling to breathe on the cold, tiled floor. Sobbing, she pulled him into her bosom and tried her best to hush his tears. "Breathe, baby, breathe." She cooed as quietly as she could, hoping her voice could calm the panicky boy.
She rocked him back and forth in her arms and cried quietly, especially when she felt him still for a moment before catching his breath.
Together, the two sat in the bathroom and cried: Blaine crying out for love and acceptance and his mother crying for her broken son.
Blaine finished what he was saying and then turned to look at Kurt, finding the boy's eyes focused vehemently on him.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he waited for the other boy to blink.
Kurt nodded as his eyes fluttered open and shut for a moment; he paused for a few seconds before he let his gaze fall from Blaine's face.
"I just don't see how anyone could do that to their own child."
Blaine sighed, "It happens every day… to millions of people. Why do you think some kids take gay beards?"
The blue-eyed boy rolled onto his back and hummed to himself for a moment before responding, "I know it happens a lot. I've already told you about my somewhat gay beard experience with Brittany."
"Mmm hmm."
"But what I don't understand is how people think someone is just going to change if they try to put them together with someone that they obviously don't want to be with."
The dark haired teen glanced over at his friend, "Isn't that kind of what you did with Finn though? Trying to get him to like you even though you knew he wasn't gay."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted what he said. His heart fell when he saw Kurt shoot up from his laying position on the bed. It looked as if someone had just kicked him; he reminded Blaine of a scolded child or an abandoned puppy.
"Oh Kurt, I didn't mean-"
"I can't believe you would say that, Blaine!" His blue eyes grew dark and stormy again and Blaine felt his stomach flip. "I know what happened between me and Finn was something that was absolutely ridiculous and we've talked it over and everything. That's the past! Plus, I've never really told you what went down between us, so how is it that you can automatically judge me if you don't know what happened?"
Blaine opened his mouth to speak, but ended up closing it again when he felt his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment.
"I know that some of the stuff I did to Finn was pretty out there and flamboyant, but we've gotten over that fact now that we're related by marriage. What I was trying to express to your earlier was that I didn't understand how someone could do that to their own CHILD!" Kurt was turning red now, heated from arguing. "I just don't see how you could sit there and judge me like that. I-I…"
The countertenor grew quiet and Blaine glanced up at him, noticing the tears that were starting to fringe at the end of his long lashes. "Kurt, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I-"
Kurt raised a hand to silence the shorter boy. He then raised both of his fists towards his eyes and started to brush away the tears that wanted to fall.
"I have to go to the bathroom," he whispered before he rose up from the bed and dashed across the room.
Blaine mentally kicked himself.
Way to go, Blaine. Way to go…
A/N: Just a few more chapters to go people! I'm excited. I don't think I've ever written this much on a story before (well minus the term papers I had to do in college, but I absolutely hated writing those and I wanted to die every time I had to write an essay on Shakespeare, but this is different because I actually like Klaine, haha). Anyways, thanks to all my loyal reviewers and thanks to anyone who reviews this newest chapter!