A.N.: Okay, I'm not even waiting for more reviews because I just wanted to get this chapter up and out of the way! And, as long as I know that some people enjoy this story, that's enough for me! I don't own GLEE, and I probably never will!
Over the weekend, the roads to Dalton Academy were salted and cleared, and school was back in session without even missing a day. Most students groaned, others cursed because of tests due on Mondays, but Jeff couldn't be more thankful. He hadn't been able to talk to Nick on Sunday (because Nick was probably at church), and he hadn't been able to show up to his dorm again. Jeff could only hope that his friend would once again be rooming with him once the day was over.
It was hard to single out one student from a school so large as Dalton, but it was quite easy when Jeff noticed the large swarm of boys surrounding a single person. Curiously, the crowd was made mostly of Warblers. The blonde made his way through the group and couldn't keep the dumb smile from sliding across his face. Now he was just trying to figure out how to get past everyone and to his friend. Such a short way, but with all those students, it seemed a bit daunting, almost.
Putting aside the pale face and slightly unkempt hair, Nick Duval was alive and laughing with the boys. On instinct, he looked up and smiled to his best friend. "Hey," Nick greeted, making his way past the swarm and falling into stride with Jeff.
"Hey. How was your weekend?" Jeff responded, switching his bag to his left arm so that he didn't hit Nick with his backpack.
"After you and Kurt and Blaine called," the brunette laughed, emphasizing how many people had called him on Saturday, "I got some major sleep. On Sunday, we really didn't do a whole lot because Dad didn't feel like going to church. I'm kinda glad."
Jeff met eyes with his friend, grinning for no apparent reason. "You look like crap," he said truthfully, watching as Nick hits him in the shoulder; the brunette made an appalled sort of noise like a woman from an old romance movie would. "You're not still sick, are you?"
In retrospect, he didn't actually expect Nick to confirm his suspicions, so he really didn't expect a whole lot. He just didn't expect his friend to shake his head like Jeff had asked a completely absurd question; it was as if the answer was obvious. "I wouldn't be at school if I was sick, now would I?" Nick asked. And it was a valid case, Jeff couldn't deny that.
But he wasn't so sure if it was the case. "You know that Wes is gonna give you the day off from Warbler practice if you need it," the blonde said; he wanted Nick to know that he wasn't obligated to sing or dance around or exhaust himself even further.
Nick only laughed. "I know. But I'm not getting behind; we all know when you miss just one day of practice. Wes never lets you catch up!" It was true; one would miss a day of school and come back the next, looking like a complete idiot during practice. Wesley Montgomery took no prisoners, not even if one was sick (maybe if one was on a death bed - the point was still being argued).
The blonde only allowed himself an ironic chuckle (he supposed that there was no other way to put his feelings). "I just don't what you getting sick again. You seriously scared me!" Jeff tried to keep his voice low, but it was rather hard when he was trying to prove a point. It was extremely hard to scare him, as Dalton's Movie Night always seemed to show - he was the only one who could watch three horror movies in a row without even burying his face in a pillow once.
"I guess I should be impressed with myself." The brunette turned his head to the side to greet a few freshmen that had undoubtedly heard what had happened; that was when Jeff noticed a discontinuity in Nick's usually perfect skin.
"Are you wearing make-up?" Jeff asked, perhaps a bit too loudly for his own liking and especially too loudly for Nick's. But the way that his best friend was shushing him only verified his suspicions.
Nick was wearing cover-up. And now the question stood as to why Nick was wearing cover-up. Jeff attempted to reach over and find out for himself but found his hand being forcefully slapped away by Nick, who looked quite displeased. "Seriously? I am a teenager; I have facial issues." The brunette smiled gently and looked up at his friend, catching a head start up the steps; Jeff followed after his friend and grabbed Nick's hand, eyes still firm with, as Kurt liked to call it, confrontation.
"What's the matter?" Nick asked, huffing. "It's not like you've never worn eyeliner before."
"It was a bet!" the blonde shot back, now embarrassed; he was so embarrassed, in fact, that he forgot what the two were talking about in the first place. Nick caught on to this and slipped his hand out of Jeff's, greeting David and Wes, who were wide-eyed over something.
No one could believe that Blaine Anderson, the lead Warbler who seemed to flirt all the time yet could never settle down with a boyfriend, was holding hands with Kurt Hummel, the beautiful brunette who never truly seemed to be happy. The two were practically waltzing down the hallway, Blaine making some corny joke about something (his jokes were never truly funny), and Kurt laughing at them like they were the best jokes ever made. Now, it was quite certain what David and Wes were goggling over.
Nick smiled and elbowed Jeff in the rib; the blonde couldn't help but smirk lightly. For once (and they had all known Blaine for a while), Blaine seemed content with walking in public with his boyfriend. And, it was a sure fact that 'Klaine' was about the cutest couple known to man. Even if Kurt was taller.
"So are you finally going public?" Nick (who had been oblivious to Mr. Hummel discovering the existence of the couple due to hospitalization), asked with a knowing smile. Despite his naive appearance, the brunette could tell a true couple a mile a way. And he and Jeff were definitely not a couple, even if he had been asked more than a million times before.
Blaine was the first to answer. "Yeah. We are." Kurt was chattering to Jeff about nothing in particular and didn't notice his boyfriend look at him with those hazel eyes that seemed oblivious to nearly everything; but for once, Nick realized, Blaine saw everything. About Kurt, that was.
"Well, congratulations. And, I'd advise you not to make him upset because his dad is really scary!" Nick stressed; even after one meeting with Burt Hummel, Nick knew well enough not to mess with him. Or his family, for that matter.
"Yeah, I've kinda got all this established with Mr. Hummel on Saturday. While we were shoveling snow." The lead Warbler seemed slightly bitter that Burt had asked him to help clear the driveway and adjacent sidewalk; then again, he was Kurt's boyfriend. Which meant that, if Blaine was hoping for anything long-term of serious, he'd have to learn how the Hummels roll. And that was apparently with hard work and manual labor. Something that neither Blaine nor Nick were very used to, coming from privileged families.
"That sounds exciting. We have a Chemistry test, don't we?" The way Blaine's eyes flickered in anticipation alerted Nick to the fact that they did have a Chemistry test; the brunette cursed under his breath, gaining Jeff's attention.
"Nicholas Duval! I'm surprised at you!" the blonde said in a mock tone that was supposed to mirror disappointment. And, while it seemed a joke to Kurt and Blaine, Nick was sure that Jeff was just keeping the tension off the situation until the two were alone and could talk in private. Jeff was not one to include others into arguments that he might have with others.
"I can't help that I hate Chemistry," Nick retorted. He tried to keep his voice in an equally fake tone but found it rather hard, now that he knew that Jeff wouldn't let the matter drop.
The bell rang then, and Blaine curled his hand once more into Kurt's, who only blushed in response. "We'll see you at lunch," the lead Warbler said, turning his boyfriend into the direction of their first class (Kurt's first class, but Blaine just wanted to walk him there). And, as much as Nick wanted to avoid Jeff and leave the conversation on a stale note, the two shared their first class together. They shared every class together.
"Shall we go?" Jeff asked, beginning to walk towards the adjoining hallway and into the Geometry classroom; Nick nodded in response and followed him, choosing the seat farthest away from Jeff. Unfortunately, that led him to sit by some weird boy that always tried talking to Nick (Jeff claimed that he liked Nick, but he refused to entertain that scary thought).
"Good morning," Nick said softly, pulling out his Geometry book. Loose papers were sticking out in different directions, drawings of odd triangles and angles scattered in a disorderly fashion among the papers. If one wasn't Nick, one wouldn't be able to decipher the notes. If one was Nick, it was simple.
The strange kid, Christopher, smiled. "I heard you got sick over the weekend. Are you feeling any better?"
In response, Nick picked up his bag and Geometry book from the desk and took the seat beside Jeff; he was so done with that question. Jeff only made a tutting noise with his tongue and returned to finish some last-minute homework, leaving Nick to run a hand through his unruly hair in frustration.
"I'd rather be interrogated by you than spend another minute with him." Jeff took this as a compliment and smiled lightly, placing a flourish on the end of his angle.
"I'm flattered, good sir."
Geometry class went off without a hitch, save for the fact that Nick nearly fell asleep while trying to listen to the teacher drone on about quadrilaterals (or something of the sort). The next three classes were simple and needed no effort, but the Chemistry test during fifth period was quite a problem.
Finally, after Nick had long since given up on obtaining the answer to a certain problem, the bell rang, and he fell back in step with Jeff while on the way to the lunch room. The two (who coordinated their lunches so that they could trade with the other), sat down at the Warblers' designated table. It didn't have a set position, but Wes promised a prompt gavel to the head of any student (who was not a Warbler), that might attempt and sit down at their table. It hadn't been touched in four months.
Jeff pulled out a peanut butter sandwich and looked to Nick, who then pulled out a jelly sandwich. Out of tradition, each took off a slice of bread from their meals and gave it to the other, easily making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The blonde tossed an apple to Nick and was thanked with a large orange. After throwing a box of grape juice to his best friend, Nick responded with giving apple juice to Jeff.
They didn't notice Wes roll his eyes behind them. "I'll never understand why you two just don't bring the lunch that you guys want? You're wasting time!" He, of course, did not understand the tradition that had been started in the fourth grade, once Nick kept complaining about having too much peanut butter on his sandwiches, while Jeff griped about the overbearing amount of jelly.
"It's hard to break a habit," Nick said simply, tearing the crust off his sandwich.
David, who was behind Nick, gave a chuckle and sat across from the pair. "You guys are worse than 'Klaine' over there." He motioned towards Blaine and Kurt, who were still laughing with each other; they looked as if they hadn't left the other for even a moment.
"That Chemistry test was wonderful, wasn't it?" Blaine asked, pulling away from Kurt to sit down beside David; Kurt sat across from him, giggling once again about something that made no sense (one might think that Blaine was high, or perhaps Kurt was drunk). "I mean, I don't think there's ever been a test so easy! Thanks for tutoring me." Blaine shot a look to his boyfriend, who blushed in slight embarrassment.
"I had already taken Chemistry, and I bet yours is a lot harder than mine was."
David began to laugh about some joke that he had thought of in his mind, then decided to expand upon it. "So, was this 'studying' similar to you guys practicing your duet together? Or was this more in depth?" Wes was the only one who chuckled at the joke.
The excited face that Kurt had previously been wearing vanished in an instant. "Oh, grow up. I don't suppose you've never had a study session with Wes?" His blue eyes were so innocent that it was impossible to tell whether or not he was up to something; Nick had a sinking feeling that he was.
"We have girlfriends!" David shot back, eyes wide. Kurt only smiled.
"Correction, Blaine said that you have a girlfriend. He never said anything about Wes, and on a similar note, your Facebook status is set to "Single", and it was "In A Relationship" about two weeks ago. That was when you were studying for a, correct me if I'm wrong, history test with Wes?"
David said nothing in return, only glared at Kurt Hummel, silently hoping that he might vanish into thin air; no such thing happened.
This time, Blaine was the one to laugh. "I didn't tell him - He figured it out on his own!" The lead Warbler tried to keep his eyes from Wes, who was most likely giving him a horribly scary stare. Upon looking over, his suspicions were confirmed.
When the rest of the Warblers filed in, the table fell silent once more (except for Kurt and Blaine looking at each other for a few moments before breaking out into wonderfully cheesy smiles). Wes' blush had faded long ago, and David refused to say anything. The only ones who were speaking were Thad and Trent; Trent was complaining about not having a snow day, and Thad was listening with a half-hearted interest.
Nick wasn't quite sure what Jeff was thinking; he knew that the blonde was mad at him, but he couldn't think about the matter. The once wonderful sandwich was beginning to cause a bitter taste in his mouth, and the apple juice was a tad too sour for his liking. To be honest, he felt horribly sick altogether. The brunette stood up and excused himself to the restroom, quite intent on just sitting there until the next bell. It wasn't until he was halfway there that Nick realized that he might have ulterior opinions (unconscious or not), as to why the food tasted so horrible.
After the short Warbler left, Jeff looked up with a concerned face. "Kurt, your plan's not working! And he's wearing cover-up!"
The countertenor shrugged, handing Blaine a fruit snack. "I wear cover-up, too." Blaine made a snorting sound and bit into the fruit snack.
"You do not. Your skin is perfect." To this, David made a gagging noise; he seemed to forget that Kurt had just ratted him and Wes' relationship out and was testing his luck.
Jeff sighed heavily; no one was getting the point. "He had perfect skin, too! I've known Nick for a really long time, and I don't think he's gotten a pimple once! I'm really worried about him, but he's been joking a lot more today. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
When it came to relationships, Jeff was completely oblivious to them, almost to Blaine's extent. The blonde looked hopefully at Kurt, who took a long sip of his bottle of water in deep thought. "Well, why don't you go try talking to him now? You still have twenty minutes." The countertenor handed his boyfriend another fruit snack, as Blaine seemed to genuinely enjoy them. "You don't get these a lot, do you?"
"No, but I'm going to start. These things are amazing!" Blaine answered, putting his head down in embarrassment once Kurt just threw the rest of the pack at him. "You don't have to-"
Sometimes, Kurt Hummel really was an angel in human clothing. He always seemed to know exactly what was going on in a relationship and how to fix it; he was kind of like Cupid, adorable face and all. Jeff also excused himself from the lunch table and practically ran in the direction of the restroom. He had never put much value into the thought that it took a swift kick to get someone to realize what one really wanted, but now he was quite certain of the myth.
He opened the bathroom and found Nick, who looked even paler. The brunette looked up with a face that might put a frightened doe to shame. "You scared me," he said gently, checking his reflection in the mirror. "Are you already done with lunch?"
"I came to find you," the blonde answered, relieving some of the space between the two. Nick smiled lightly. "Why are you here, anyway?"
"I thought I was gonna throw up, but I didn't," Nick responded truthfully. "I do look like crap, don't I?" Something, and Jeff wasn't quite sure what, had changed in the matter of six minutes. Nick wasn't denying anything any longer, only saying what he truly thought.
Jeff laughed. "Yeah, you do. Come on, let me see your forehead." Upon placing a slightly shaking hand to the brunette's forehead, Jeff wasn't surprised to find that it was quite warm but not burning. "I think you have a bit of a fever." Without saying another word, he grabbed a paper towel and wet it, placing the sopping towel on Nick's forehead; then, without making another movement, he slowly turned the direction downwards and towards Nick's cheek. Once the concealer had been washed away, a purple bruise remained.
Nick made no attempt to stop Jeff, only took in a sharp breath at the sudden pain. He said nothing when Jeff's brow furrowed in confusion, did nothing when the blonde inhaled deeply. They were both trying to keep their calm, some succeeding more than others.
"What happened?" Jeff asked plainly, throwing the paper towel away. "And don't tell me you ran into a door because I know you didn't."
Nick closed his eyes for a moment; he wasn't quite sure what to say (or even if he should say anything at all). "My face made contact with something." He wasn't joking, because he was quite serious; he had been hit, and a hit always makes contact.
"I should say. But what else?" Jeff had never been one for prodding, but he knew that there was something more to the bruise than just smacking a face against a door; though a smack may have been involved, actually.
The brunette sighed, sitting on the edge of the counter; they could both tell that this conversation might last more than a few seconds. "I got into an argument, but this isn't anything serious. It's never happened before." Nick's voice was mystified, as if he was surprised that he had a bruise on his face as well.
"Yeah?" Maybe Kurt's first advice was the best advice; Jeff couldn't, after all, force Nick to say anything that he didn't want to.
"I just- I should've been more careful. I don't know why he was so mad, but I-"
"He?"
Nick took another sharp breath. He knew that Jeff knew too much and would never let the case rest if he didn't come clean then. "My dad. You saw him."
Jeff made a sympathetic sort of sound. "Nick, if I had know, I wouldn't have let you go. I-"
This time, they were both stumbling over their words, each not quite sure what to say to the other. Nick, for once, was the first to respond by placing a hand on Jeff's cheek. "I asked Trent what you said when the ambulance was about to come. You said you loved me."
"I thought we were talking about-"
"It doesn't matter. I'm fine, but we're not. Listen, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm kind of tired of just waiting for something to happen. Something did happen, and we almost never got to talk again. I don't want to wait." The brunette felt bolder than before. Somehow, after his secret had gotten out, a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Jeff put his head down for a moment. "I'm not going to lose you," he said firmly, catching Nick by surprise. "Not by your dad, not by my stupidity, and not by a walnut! You mean too much to me, and I was a complete idiot for not seeing it before! I want to protect you, and if that means having to fight really hard for a really long time, I will!" The blonde closed what little space there was between the two. "I love you."
"You already said that."
"And I'm going to a lot more."
Jeff leaned in to kiss Nick, and for a moment, nothing else really mattered. The brunette leaned forward into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Jeff's shoulders. Nothing bothered them, not even the bell.
Until, of course, Jeff cupped Nick's cheek, earning a smack on his own.
"Ouch!" Jeff exclaimed, feeling quite accomplished, even as Nick was rubbing his own cheek. The two stared at each other for a few moments before each bursting out into a wonderful sort of laughter.
"We should get to class," Nick said gently.
And Jeff, feeling quite cocky, responded with, "I thought we already were." Oh, yes, Kurt was going to most certainly kill him.
A.N.: The next chapter will be the last, and I have had a ton of fun writing this! I got wonderful feedback for my first attempt at mixing Klaine and Niff, so I feel quite accomplished! I think the ending is spectacularly cavity-inducing, but I had to do it! Also, Kurt and Blaine are the newlyweds. They're so cute, aren't they? I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!