Disclaimer: If you recognize anything, it's probably not mine. I do own a few OC's shown here and the plot. But that's about it.
oO0Oo
Cindy waddled back outside with her keys in her hand. "Be careful with the brakes," she warned Kurt as she handed them to him. "And don't forget to call us when Miranda makes a decision."
"We know, Aunt Cindy," Blaine said, sounding bored but the grin told Kurt that he had been joking. That smile had taken Kurt's breath away when he first saw it and still managed to do so. "Try and distract Zoey by asking how high she climbed today."
The black haired woman stared at her nephew with wide eyes which quickly narrowed. "Oh, she is in so much trouble." Without another word she hurried back into the house, most likely to scold her daughter.
"That can't be good," Blaine murmured but started walking to the minivan.
It didn't take long to arrive at the vet's but the ride had still been uncomfortably quiet. At least when they were walking back to the house – Really? Bright pink – Zoey had filled the silence with her amusing babbling. Now that it was just the two boys there was nothing to say.
When they were parked, Kurt noticed Blaine struggling with the seatbelt and helped him out. "Thanks," he said, giving a small smile and opened the door. Kurt inhaled deeply to calm himself. Why had that smile caused his heart to beat faster?
Kurt quickly unbuckled himself and hurried after Blaine, but was successful in not letting it show.
The waiting room was empty aside from a few chairs, the front desk, and a scale they used for weighing the dogs. Upon the desk were a couple of old computers, a lot of paperwork, some dog and cat treats, and Patty.
"Is that a parrot?" Blaine asked stunned and Kurt couldn't stop the smile that formed.
"That's Patty," he explained, walking to the front and greeting the bird. It squawked back and flew through the doorway behind the desk. "She was given to the veterinarian as a thank you gift a couple years ago."
Blaine walked up to the desk right beside Kurt, "How…interesting?"
Kurt chuckled and waved to the nurse who walked in. Together the two boys explained why they were there and were led into a room down the hallway. "Here," the nurse said, handing Kurt a blanket after he set his bag down next to one of the red, plastic seats. "Just put him in here and Miranda will be in really soon."
"Thanks, Kelly," Kurt said and held it out for Blaine to place the kitten in the middle. Carefully, he wrapped the kitten up and held it close. "So, is this your first time bringing a kitten to the vet's?"
Blaine chuckled lightly and nodded. "But not the first time bringing a pet to one," he said and leaned back in the plastic chair. "When I was about Zoey's age we had to take our dog to one so she could get her shots. I begged mom to never take me with her again."
Kurt opened his mouth to say something but the door opened again to reveal the redheaded veterinarian. "Hello, Kurt," she greeted with a warm smile and looked at Blaine. The two stared at one another for a moment before she walked over and offered a hand to him. "I'm Miranda Biel. And you are?" She was acting like she hadn't heard about him yet even though he had stayed at the B&B, which Kurt greatly appreciated.
"Blaine Anderson," he answered with a chuckle as he shook her hand. "Very nice to meet you."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, too," she replied with her warm smiled then walked over to Kurt to peer into the blanket bundle. "Now, what can you tell me about this cute little kitty?"
While the two boys explained again, the veterinarian gently took the kitten from Kurt and placed it on the high table placed against the wall so she could examine animals better. By the time they were done with their story the little tabby had crawled out from the blankets and was cautiously walking around the table, sniffing.
"The good news is that she looks to be about 10 weeks old," the vet explained, gently grabbing the kitten to examine her further. "That means she doesn't need her mother anymore. And she's a healthy size for her age. I assume she's just lost from her home. If that's the case then we can call around."
"But what if she's not someone's pet?" Blaine asked a little worried. Miranda had set the kitten back on the table and she had found her way back over to Blaine. He gingerly held out a hand and smiled lightly when the tabby rubbed her head against it.
"Then we have two options," Miranda replied, watching him with her own smile. She looked over to Kurt to explain. "We can keep her here and hope to find her a home. Or one of you can take her."
Kurt nodded and glanced at Blaine out of the corner of his eye. The slightly shorter boy was now smiling bigger as the tiny cat nibbled on his finger. "So you'll call us if she's not lost?"
"If that's what you want me to do," Miranda answered and when Kurt looked at her he noticed the smirk before it disappeared. "I assume you're staying at the B&B, Blaine. They don't allow pets so that means…"
Kurt's blue eyes went wide as he realized what the vet was insinuating. "You can't expect me to take care of her!"
Blaine and Miranda looked at him curiously but the older woman knew not to push his buttons. "Then we'll try and find a home for her." She reached across the table and gently pulled the kitten away from Blaine. "I'll take her to the back to make sure she's as healthy as I think and I'll be right back for you to fill some paperwork out."
Kurt and Blaine watched as she cradled the kitten close to her and slipped through the swinging door. "So…" Blaine said sounding dejected and sighed almost inaudibly.
"You can't expect me to keep a cat," Kurt said getting a little mad. What did this stranger expect him to do? Just let a stray into his home where it could crawl all over his designer clothes and mess up his stuff? He wasn't going to let some boy he barely knew guilt trip him into taking this cat.
Blaine just shrugged and pulled his phone from his back pocket. Kurt watched as he dialed his aunt's number and headed into the hallway. There was nothing Blaine could do to get him to keep this cat. "Hi, Aunt Cindy," he heard him say just before the door closed behind him.
Kurt cursed silently when he had seen the look on Blaine's face right before he disappeared. It wasn't just sad but a little disappointed. And for some reason it made Kurt feel bad.
He sat down in one of the chairs as he waited for someone to return to the room. While he waited he looked around. Much like the other rooms, these walls were a calm yellow color with random pictures of animals Miranda had treated over the years.
Most of the pictures were of big dogs or older cats. But there was one photo on the opposite wall that caught his eye; a white cat sleeping with her kittens close to her. There was a little bronze plaque on the bottom of it and Kurt had to get up to see what was written. The caption said Abby and kittens, 2009.
"She's eating," Miranda said as she came back. She wrote something down on the clipboard she was carrying and arched an eyebrow when she saw where Kurt was standing. "Where did Blaine go?"
Kurt glanced at the door that led to the main hallway before speaking. "He's telling his aunt about the kitten," he told her and returned to his seat. "Does it look like she has owners?"
Miranda shook her head sadly and hopped up onto the table where she examined the kitten before. "You already know she didn't have a collar and we couldn't find a chip in her. I have one of the nurses calling the police department to see if anyone's phoned in a missing animal and another phoning the community center to see if anyone's put up flyers there. But you know how fast news travels in this town, Kurt. You and I both know that she has no one."
Although he knew the vet was right he had hoped that someone was looking for the little kitten. "You said if no one claims here then you'll find her a home?" Miranda nodded and smiled when Blaine opened the door and poked his head in. Before he could speak Kurt stood. "Call me if no one claims her. I'll take her."
"Are you sure, Kurt?" the vet asked but was smiling broadly.
The brunet nodded and picked up his bag from the ground. "I'm sure Carole would love to have someone else to care for," he replied with a smile and waved to the woman.
Blaine opened the door to give him room to pass by and waved to Miranda, too. "Thanks for all your help," he said smiling broadly and chased after the taller boy. They were both silent as they walked to the car but once they were buckled in Blaine couldn't hold it in. "What changed your mind?"
What could Kurt say that wouldn't make him sound crazy? He said he'd take the kitten because he felt bad for it? Because his heart ached when he saw the look on Blaine's face when he refused the first time? That maybe having a cat would make Kurt a little happier than he was now?
He just shook his head minutely before starting the car. "I just changed my mind," he answered and backed out of the parking lot. Although he kept his eyes on the road, Kurt just knew that Blaine was smiling next to him in his seat.
Unlike the ride to the vet's, Blaine tried making conversation. "So, you mentioned a glee club earlier," he said casually and turned a little in his seat so he was facing Kurt a more.
Kurt chuckled lightly and nodded, being cautious as they stopped at a stop sign. "It's actually a fairly new club," he informed him as he slowly turned right. "Mr. Shue – he's the Spanish teacher – started it a couple years ago. We made it to Regionals last year but were beaten by another glee club."
Only when Blaine chuckled did Kurt realize he was glaring at the windshield before him. With a blush he changed the subject to Blaine's clubs. "We don't have a glee club at my school," he said and leaned back against the door a little. "The only thing we have related to music is the marching band."
"You don't have a band class?" Kurt asked scandalized and took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at him.
Blaine was smiling shyly and shrugged. "We do, but it's not very big," he admitted and looked out at the road before them. They were getting closer to the bright pink house. "You don't have to be in the class to be in marching band. My school focuses more on academics and sports than the arts."
"That's so depressing," Kurt said quietly as he pulled into the driveway and turned the car off.
Blaine made a noise that sounded like an agreement and unbuckled the seatbelt. "I guess the school board doesn't think art is very important." Kurt watched him climbed out of the van with an open mouth. "Aren't you coming?"
"You can't be serious," he asked, appalled. It took some concentration to actually get out of the car because he was so mad at the mere thought that some school thought the arts weren't good enough to have. "Why would they think that?"
The raven haired boy just shrugged, "I really don't know, Kurt. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. We have one art class, band, and choir. But no clubs like yours."
"That is absurd!" he cried, climbing out of the van. "Why hasn't anyone complained before?" Blaine sighed and walked over to his side of the car. Kurt knew that his cheeks were flushed from rage but when the other boy got closer he felt them heat up even more. "No one wants to complain, do they?"
Blaine just gave him a look that answered his question but then smiled at him. "Thanks for doing…well, this," he said and Kurt was happy to see a faint blush on his cheeks. "I'm just going to tell Zoey and Aunt Cindy about what happened then probably go back to the B&B. You can go back to whatever you were doing before."
The previous topic was all but forgotten as a new thought crept into Kurt's head. Blaine was telling him he could go…He didn't want to spend any more time with him. "Oh, yeah," Kurt replied, hating that he sounded a little hurt. He grabbed his bag from the backseat and started to walk away. "It was nice seeing you again, Blaine."
Before he could make it to the sidewalk he felt someone grab his hand. "Would you want to go for a walk?" Blaine asked without Kurt even looking back at him.
Kurt knew better than to get his hopes but he couldn't stop himself. Slowly, he turned around and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the nervous but hopeful look on Blaine's face. "Where to?" he asked sounding a little stunned. Hadn't he just dismissed him?
Blaine instantly looked relieved and smiled. "You pick after we tell Zoey about the kitten, okay?" Kurt just nodded and was happy to see that Blaine was still holding his hand.
As soon as Blaine realized it too, he dropped it and blushed. "Uh…come on."
They found out that Zoey had gone to take a reluctant nap after Blaine's call but Cindy had promised to tell her what Kurt had done as soon as she woke. "Thank you, Kurt," she said, kissing him on the cheek lightly.
"If I were any other man…" Roger joked and pulled his wife close to kiss her on the lips sweetly.
"Get a room," Blaine laughed and Kurt just rolled his eyes in amusement. They chatted for a few minutes before Cindy excused herself due to her aching feet. "I'll call you later, uncle."
Roger waved goodbye to them as they walked toward the sidewalk. It was a little awkward for Kurt and he suspected that Blaine didn't know why. Instead of explaining it to Blaine, he decided on continuing their conversation from before. "So, you know I'm in glee, what do you do after school?"
"Play football," Blaine answered with a small chuckle which turned into an actual laugh when he saw Kurt's shocked expression. "What?"
"You just don't seem like the football type," he admitted reluctantly, not wanting to explain why he thought that. But Blaine must have known what he was thinking because he just blushed and started talking about their last game.
As they walked down the sidewalk Kurt couldn't help but smile at Blaine's gestures while he told the story. It almost seemed like the other teen's arms couldn't stay still. It would have been endearing if he hadn't lost his balance a few times making him almost fall. But then that wasn't so bad because Kurt got to grab his arm and surreptitiously squeezed the muscles.
"Do you play any sports?" Blaine asked after Kurt saved him for the third time.
The tall brunet looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Really?"
"What?" Blaine asked, lifting his own eyebrow. "It's just a question."
Kurt shook his head lightly but was smiling. "I played football a couple years ago. I was the kicker and even earned the winning point for our first game that season. But the only reason why I did it was to hide my-" He stopped talking immediately when he realized what he was about to say.
"Your what?" Blaine asked curiously but the way he was looking at him made Kurt think that he already knew what he was about to say.
With a sigh, Kurt answered him. "At the time my dad didn't know that I was gay and I was trying to hide it from him. Apparently he's known since I was three." He couldn't help but smile as he remembered what his father had told him after that.
"He sounds like a great dad," Blaine said and smiled at Kurt.
Kurt nodded glad he had a father like him. They walked in silence again, but this time it was more comfortable. "What position are you?"
Blaine's steps faltered at the question and Kurt realized what the it sounded like. Before he could rephrase it Blaine collected himself. "I'm the running back," he answered and refused to look at Kurt. But the brunet could see a faint blush on his cheeks.
The conversation went from football to New Directions – Kurt's glee club – to music. "Your mom said that you played guitar," Kurt commented casually and saw Blaine straighten just a little as they walked. "What can you play?"
"Just a little of this and that," Blaine answered with a shrug. "But my best song is definitely Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Kurt looked at him curiously and saw that he was grinning.
He quickly realized that it was a joke and playfully pushed him with a laugh. "Seriously, what can you play?"
"I'm actually good with music," Blaine confessed with a small smile. "I can hear a song once and play it after practicing a couple of times."
"Really?" Kurt asked suspiciously but was still smiling. "I'd like to see that."
"Uh…sure," Blaine said with only a moment's hesitation. Kurt looked at him with a bigger smile and turned so they could make their way to the B&B.
oO0Oo
Because it was getting later in the day, there was only a few people eating near the kitchen area. Kurt waved to a few of the patrons before following Blaine upstairs. Of course he'd been in the bedrooms up here; he'd even spent some nights with Mercedes when they were younger. But being up here all alone with a boy he found very attractive was different.
"Oh, you got one of the bigger rooms," he commented, trying to dispel his nervousness. But it was true. There were five rooms in the B&B and only the two at the very top of the stairs were big; the others had enough room for a queen sized bed, a set of small dressers, and an equally small desk.
But the rooms that Blaine and his mother had gotten had the same things – the bed was a king size instead – but a lot more room to move around. Not to mention each of the two larger rooms had windows facing the backyard.
After setting his bag on the desk, Kurt pulled the chair out and sat down while he waited for Blaine to get ready. The shorter boy seemed a little nervous as he grabbed the guitar case. Almost the entire outside was covered with stickers of different bands, some that Kurt had never even heard of. But that wasn't so surprising considering what kind of town he lived in.
"Who's…" Kurt leaned forward so he could read one of the upside down stickers better. "The Knocker?"
Blaine almost dropped his guitar as he laughed. "That's just a joke," he explained as he carefully removed the instrument from its case. "One of my friends made the sticker for my birthday last year. For one of our classes we had to read a couple of folklores and Wes found some stories about some creatures called the Knockers. They're about 2 feet tall and he thought it'd be a great nickname for me."
"Because you're sho-" Kurt cut himself off before he could finish and blushed more when Blaine laughed again.
"Compared to a lot of my friends? Yes." Blaine closed the lid of the case and sat on his own bed with the guitar. "What kind of song do you want to hear?"
After composing himself, Kurt leaned back in the chair and looked at Blaine. "Something fun?"
Blaine chuckled again and started to play 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.' After a few rounds he started to sing a song that Kurt had never heard. It wasn't until the second verse that he realized Blaine was making it up off the top of his head.
When he finished his impromptu song, Kurt clapped sarcastically but was smiling. Blaine just laughed again and started to play another song. "How about I play…"
"Do you write songs?" Kurt asked suddenly and was only a little shocked at how self-absorbed he sounded, not even letting Blaine finish his suggestion.
He looked at Kurt and nodded a couple of times. "They're not very good, though. I can play something you know."
"I'd like to hear one of them," Kurt interrupted when Blaine started to play a song he'd heard on the radio too many times to count. "Please?"
The raven haired boy stared at him for a moment before sighing and giving in. "I've been working on this one for a couple of months. It's called Don't You." Kurt smiled as he stared to play a slow song.
oO0Oo
Reviews make me happy! And a happy writer writes more! :)