A/N: I've been so busy with the end of high school, so I apologize that it has been so long! But here's the next chapter!
Kurt returned from helping clean up dinner to find the beginnings of a fire pit. Rachel and Mrs. Anderson were chatting animatedly on a log around the pit while Finn was hoisting firewood into the stone circle in the middle. He grunted as he threw a particularly large log on the ground.
"Need any help with that, Finn?" Kurt asked, walking over to him to get away from the women. He felt like he was intruding on their conversation.
Finn looked up somewhat surprised. He thought he was going to have to do it all by himself. "Y-yeah. That's...that'd be great."
Kurt followed him to the wood pile near the side of the other barn where he had first met Blaine. It was hard to believe it wasn't that long ago, and yet Kurt had felt like he had known Blaine for years. Finn seemed to notice that his thoughts had strayed away from the present and he picked up on it right away. He must be learning from Rachel.
"So...what do you think of Blaine?" Finn asked as he lifted a few logs into the wheelbarrow.
Kurt bit his lip. He really has to work on not being so obvious. "He's um...he's very nice." He put his hands in his back pockets of his dark jeans.
Finn nodded. "Yeah, he is. His whole family is really. I can tell Mrs. Anderson likes you. A lot." Finn rolled up his checked sleeves.
Kurt tried to make himself less obvious. "That's good...but why would I care what she thinks of me?"
"Aw, come on Kurt. Everybody here knows you like Blaine...except for maybe Blaine." Finn laughed. He wiped his brow with the edge of his sleeve on the upper part of his arm. That move reminded Kurt of Blaine once more and he felt his cheeks grow hot.
Kurt didn't have a comeback. As much as he hated to admit it, Finn was right. He wasn't falling for Blaine...he's already fell. And he's too far down to pull out.
Instead Kurt crossed his arms. "So what do you want me to do?"
Finn looked up from putting the final log in the wheelbarrow. "Whoa, man...I didn't mean to...offend you or anything. I mean, I don't know how it works with two dudes, but um...you should go for it. I mean...I think Blaine is into you too. So if you really, er... like him. You should do something about it," Finn stumbled.
Kurt relaxed a bit. Finn was right again. He actually gave Kurt some good advice in his own special Finn way. Kurt nodded. "Thanks...Finn. That was actually...good of you." He shook his head trying to think about the fact that Finn just gave him some advice.
"Glad to help, little bro. Now let's get back so we can have dessert!" Finn picked up the wheelbarrow and ran, looking awkward as the front wheel bounced over the various bumps on the ground.
Kurt jogged after him, laughing. He could use some dessert.
When the pair reached the fire pit, Finn began nursing a small flame. Kurt decided to sit opposite of Rachel and Mrs. Anderson to spare being quizzed yet again about his relationship with Blaine. And also he wanted to have a spot on the log open for Blaine if/when he decided to show up.
He didn't have to wait long. Blaine came jogging out of the back door of the cabin with a guitar in hand. It was an amber color with a dark mahogany pick guard following the contours of the instrument. It was absolutely gorgeous and Kurt knew it must make a sound to reflect it's appearance.
"This seat taken?" Blaine inquired when he reached Kurt.
"No, not at all." Kurt smiled.
"Great." Blaine grinned as he plopped himself down on the log seat, his curls looking more wild than usual.
Finn succeeded in creating a nice campfire, sat down next to Rachel, and then Blaine spoke again. "Well, Rachel and Kurt - " he began and looked at each of them in turn, Kurt swearing that Blaine looked at him a fraction of a second longer than Rachel - "this is a tradition we like to do as often as possible before dessert. We Andersons find it really relaxing and it just gives us a moment to be connected with each other through music. That's one of our favorite inventions ever. Creation through sound. We can sing together or we can do solos if you're feeling brave...or even duets." Blaine looked at Kurt and whispered into his ear: "I'm holding you to that agreement we made in that barn over there." Blaine's breath tickled and Kurt nodded.
Rachel was practically bouncing out of her seat next to Finn. "Oh! Blaine, can Finn and I go first? We have the perfect duet." Finn smiled at Rachel. Kurt was surprised that she actually convinced Finn to do this impromptu performance with her. Or maybe he didn't have a choice and he was too tired to argue.
Blaine chuckled. "Sure, Rachel. What song?" He took a pick out of his pocket.
She ran around the fire and whispered into his ear to have it be a surprise for Kurt and Mrs. Anderson. Blaine nodded. Kurt was impressed that Blaine knew whichever song she had chosen. Rachel had a tendency to choose...different songs for singing off stage.
Blaine started strumming the opening tune and Finn jumped in right on cue.
"Don't go breaking my heart."
"I couldn't if I tried." Rachel rocked back and forth, her brunette hair swinging about her shoulders.
The duet continued expertly, as if Rachel and Finn had prepared choreography and everything. They were soon up our of their seats and dancing around, Finn twirling Rachel and and the audience cheering them on. Kurt let himself have fun, even, he was smiling and clapping with them as Blaine kept playing. Blaine let them go acapella at one part when he stopped strumming and tapped his hand against the bottom of the guitar, providing a percussive sound.
They ended together in a final chord and the last lyric: "Don't go breaking my heart..."
And Finn dipped Rachel gracefully and they shared a kiss. It was so disgustingly adorable that Kurt couldn't help but roll his eyes. But he wasn't turned off by it. He was happy that his best friend and sort-of-brother were so close and so happy together.
Everyone applauded afterwards and Blaine was seriously beaming. Kurt turned to him and said out of the corner of his mouth, "It's not that special when you realize they do that after every single song they sing."
Blaine chuckled. "It's totally fine, Kurt." He turned to Finn and Rachel who had finally broke apart. "Fantastic, guys!"
Mrs. Anderson was clapping excitedly. "Bravo!"
"Thank you, Blaine. I'm glad that our talents can be appreciated in such an impromptu setting." Rachel giggled and she kissed Finn's cheek.
Blaine continued. "So..." he turned to Kurt, his guitar poised on his lap. "Will you sing with me, Kurt?"
Kurt nodded. "Yes." Yes yes yes yes a million times yes.
"If you know me," Blaine said, "you should know this one." Blaine strummed a starting pitch as he looked at Kurt and Kurt knew what song it was instantly.
"Made a wrong turn once or twice."
Blaine almost missed the next chord because he was in awe of Kurt's voice. He picked this duet on purpose, so he could hear Kurt sing before jumping in himself. Kurt's voice was musical in so many ways but the tone of it was unlike anything Blaine had ever heard. Some people might argue and say it was feminine, but Blaine thought it was pure and full. He was entranced by it right away and just wanted to hear more. He decided that he would never get tired of hearing Kurt sing.
When the chorus came Kurt looked to Blaine as if to say Are you with me? Blaine nodded and joined, their voices blending together flawlessly and beautifully. Kurt heard Rachel gasp and saw tears blooming in Mrs. Anderson's eyes.
"Pretty pretty please don't you ever ever feel like you're less than less than perfect..."
Their voices harmonized expertly with them silently communicating for Kurt to take the higher note. Blaine tapped his foot along with the beat. They reached the part of the song where Kurt began and Blaine would repeat:
"You're so mean..."
"You're so mean..."
"When you talk..."
Blaine jumped to a higher pitch of first note of the next repeated line to provide contrast: "When you talk..."
They continued to the rapping part and Blaine looked at Kurt to ask if he was okay with it, but Kurt simply plowed through it flawlessly with Blaine. They were both laughing as Blaine sang the line "Why do I do that?" and Kurt followed soon after "Why do I do that?" Their audience laughed with them.
Blaine erupted with a belting note next, taking Kurt by pleasant surprise. Kurt accompanied him through this in the background, letting him take the melody.
They continued on with their performance, sounding as amazing as they did at the beginning, joining together for the ending, the guitar's sound fading into the night air around them.
"You are perfect to me..."
Kurt didn't realize it, but he was staring straight into Blaine's hazel-green eyes and had oriented himself to be facing him on the log. But...Blaine had done the same. They couldn't hear the applause surrounding them in that short moment of just them looking at each other and the chord vibrating off of the strings. It was just them and the music.
They snapped out of it when Rachel ran up to hug them both. Instead they smiled at each other over Rachel's hug.
"That's was incredible!" Rachel said, kissing Kurt on the cheek and practically tackling Blaine with another hug.
"It was." Blaine said, looking at Kurt. He then cleared his throat and asked if everyone wanted to sing one final song together before dessert. Everyone agreed and Blaine started another melody, while Kurt was busy asking himself if that actually happened.