Blaine offered to pick up Kurt from his house the next day, but Kurt decided that it was best if he drove, as he didn't want to rely on Blaine's motorcycle. Blaine reluctantly agreed and gave Kurt his address. The shorter boy left Kurt's home at 11:00 am after two hours of comfortable conversation, when he realised that his mother was texting him non-stop about lunch. Blaine had sighed and apologised to Kurt, who told him that it didn't matter, and he should go home.
The guest left and Kurt had the home to himself. Burt was at the garage, Carole was working and Finn was on a date with Rachel. He went to his room and tried to find where Blaine's house was located through an online map service, only to find that Blaine actually lived quite close to Kurt. He was surprised that Blaine hadn't told him before, but it didn't matter. Maybe that was why Blaine always offered to pick him up.
Blaine had told Kurt to go over to his house at 11:30 am the next day, as his parents would be home for lunch. The Eurasian boy asked Kurt to have lunch with them, before assisting him in confronting his parents. Kurt agreed.
So here he was, at 11:15 am on Thursday, in front of Blaine's house. He looked up at the structure and ran his eyes over the architecture from the driver's seat of his car, which was parked on the Andersons' driveway. There were also two other cars, which Kurt assumed belonged to Blaine's parents, and that one blue motorcycle that Kurt was so familiar with.
Kurt got out of the car and headed towards the front door, carrying Blaine's spare helmet that he had given Kurt. He rang the doorbell, and attempted to final-check that his wings were indeed hidden. Within seconds, Kurt heard the rustling of keys and the door swung open to reveal Blaine dressed in his usual, wings at the ready. He smiled at Kurt, before allowing the taller boy to enter.
As soon as Kurt stepped into the house, he was struck by the sound of sizzling and a strong aroma of spices. He glanced around to see that Blaine had closed the door, taken the helmet and invited Kurt to follow him to meet his mom.
They entered the kitchen, which was large and open. There was an island in the middle, where various ingredients and plates were stacked. Kurt saw an Asian woman with curly brown hair in front of the stove top, busily stirring something in a large pot as her short but elegant wings stretched out behind her. Blaine motioned to Kurt to stay where he was, as he crept behind the woman and threw his arms around her shoulders. The woman jumped a bit, before relaxing. She turned around to face Blaine with a large grin on her face, and hugged him back.
"Blaine, did you want me to spill the soup?" The woman, whom Kurt deduced to be Blaine's mother, asked with a large grin, obviously joking around with her son.
"Of course not, mom." Blaine said as he unwrapped his arms from his mom. He cleared his throat and held out an arm towards Kurt. "Mom this is my friend that I said I was bringing to lunch today." Blaine's mother turned around and faced Kurt.
"Hello, my name is Kurt Hummel. It's great to meet you, Mrs Anderson." Kurt stepped forward and held out his hand towards Blaine's mother. A look of shock passed over her face, before smiling and stepping towards Kurt and talking his hand. Kurt's smile faltered.
"It's nice to meet you too, Kurt. I'm Gloria Anderson, Blaine's mom," she said as she shook Kurt's hand. "Make yourself at home. Blaine's dad is in the study, but I don't think you'll want to distract him." She released Kurt's hand. "Would you like a drink?" Kurt shook his head and thanked her for the offer. "Blaine, lunch is in an hour."
"Okay, thanks mom. Come on, Kurt. I'll show you around." Blaine said as he exited the kitchen. Kurt thanked Mrs Anderson one more time, before following Blaine.
Blaine showed Kurt the backyard, lounge room, dining area, garage, then proceeding to the second floor before inviting Kurt into his room.
"Nice room you have," Kurt said. It was actually very nice. It was as big as, if not bigger than, Kurt's room, but much cleaner and brighter. The walls were painted with a pale blue and posters and pictures were stuck to them. On one wall, a series of certificates were framed and hung, displaying Blaine's academic achievements. Blaine laughed softly.
"Thanks. Your room was cool, too." Blaine said as he sad on the bed. Kurt moved towards a chair which was near Blaine's desk and sat down.
"No it wasn't. Your room is like 100 times more awesome than mine." Blaine laughed.
"Okay okay, I give up." He said as he threw his hands up in the air in surrender. Kurt nodded in satisfaction. "Aren't you going to take of your jacket? It's really warm today."
Kurt froze. Indeed, it was warm today, but if he took his jacket off, Blaine and his family would know about his wings. He tried to make up an excuse.
"I could just push up the sleeves, if that will make you happy." Blaine shook his head.
"That won't make me happy." Blaine said as he frowned.
"But I'm cold." Kurt crossed his arms in front of his chest, pouting.
"It's so warm today though. How could you possibly wear a jacket?" Blaine inquired. Kurt just shrugged. "How could you wear a jacket in this weather? You've been wearing them to school, too." Kurt shrugged again. "Come on Kurt. Answer me."
"I just feel really cold sometimes." Kurt made up.
"You sure you're not hiding anything?" Kurt hesitated, but nodded. Blaine stared at him for a while, but let it go. "So what do you want to do for the next-" Blaine paused and glanced at the clock above the bed. "45 minutes?"
"Well, I was thinking, instead o just telling your parents, why don't you tell them the way you know best?" Blaine raised an eyebrow.
"And that is?"
"By singing, of course." Blaine nodded in thought.
"And what song do you suggest, I may ask?" Blaine asked with a smirk on his face.
"Wonderful Life, by Tina Cousins."
"Oh really? I like Black's version better, though."
"But Tina's version has more melody in it." Kurt argued. Blaine gave a small nod and gestured for Kurt to start. The taller boy frowned at the notion of singing acapella, but started singing anyways.
Here I go
Out to sea again
The sunshine fills my hair
And dreams hang in the air
Gulls in the sky
And in my blue eye
You know it feels unfair
There's magic everywhere
Blaine had his mouth open ajar. It occurred to Kurt that Blaine had never heard him sing. He smiled as he sang.
Look at me standing
Here on my own again
Up straight in the sunshine
By now, Blaine had his eyes closed, a faint smile appearing on his lips. His wings were folded behind him, swaying in a non-existent breeze.
No need to run and hide
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
No need to laugh and cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
Kurt kept singing to the end, smiling to himself as Blaine kept his eyes closed. As he ended the last note, Blaine opened his eyes and started clapping.
"Wow, that was... wow." Blaine said in awe.
"I'm guessing you liked it?" Kurt said with a smirk. Blaine nodded enthusiastically.
"It was great! I'm totally doing that." Blaine said as he walked towards Kurt. As soon as the shorter boy reached him, he wrapped his arms around Kurt's shoulders. "Thanks for helping me again." Kurt laughed.
"No problem," replied Kurt. "Except, this better not end like last time." He added. Blaine chuckled as he pulled away. Kurt instantly felt colder, like the heat from his body had disappeared. He shivered.
"I forgot to ask, but what was the 'Finn-related emergency' that you had to dump me for?" Kurt laughed nervously and replied that he didn't want to worry Blaine with the details. Blaine nodded and began talking about his family. "Don't worry, I'm sure my dad's going to like you. My mom did." Kurt had kept quiet about the shocked look that Gloria had given him earlier. He didn't want to trouble Blaine even further.
Soon, the two boys were called down for lunch. Blaine led the way, with Kurt being careful that he wasn't poked by Blaine's feathers. They reached the dining area to find the table filled with enough food to feed an army. Blaine's mom was already seated at the table, patiently waiting for her husband, son and friend. Blaine and Kurt sat down next to each other, as Kurt didn't know anyone else. All they had to do no was to wait for Mr Anderson.
Kurt examined what there was for lunch. There seemed to be a fusion between American and Filipino food, ranging from garden salads to chicken adobo. His mouth watered, and wondered how they were going to finish all this food.
"We usually have leftovers," Kurt heard Blaine whisper to him, as if answering his question. "Thursday is our 'restocking' day."
"So, does your mom usually make this much food?" Kurt whispered back. Blaine nodded.
"It may be unusual, but that's how my dad prefers things."
"Speaking of which, where is he?" Kurt asked as he glanced around, as if Mr Anderson would pop out at any moment.
"He's just finishing up a phone call." Said Mrs Anderson in a stiff tone. Kurt felt offended for some reason, but decided not to show it.
"Sorry about mom," whispered Blaine. "She just wants dad to hurry up." He ended with a smirk. There was a silence. Nobody bothered to break it.
Down the hall, a door creaked open, then slammed shut, before heavy footsteps echoed through the house. Blaine had his head down and Kurt guessed that this was Blaine's dad. The footsteps came closer and closer, until they stopped right behind Kurt's chair. Kurt braced himself, but he wasn't sure about against what. Slowly, he turned around to see a man towering over his chair. Kurt scrambled off his chair to face the man. Kurt stuck out his hand.
"Hello, sir. My name is K-" Kurt's voice caught in his throat. Although this was his first time meeting Blaine's father, there was something familiar about him. The man had short, light brown hair and blue eyes which shone in the sunlight which filtered through the window. His strong wings were out behind him, stretching out. "Kurt." The boy finished weakly. Something flashed in the man's eyes, but it disappeared before Kurt could tell what it was. Mr Anderson shook Kurt's hand with a grin.
"Welcome, Kurt. Hope you enjoy your stay." Said the man in a light, joyful tone. He let go of Kurt's hand and proceeded to his seat. "Gloria makes the most wonderful food. Please take as much as you want." The man waited for Kurt to sit down, before sitting down himself, before standing up again. "Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself." He chuckled. "I'm Lawrence, but you can call me Larry."
For the second time that week, Kurt's wings felt like if they were going to break free of his jacket. If Kurt wasn't sitting down, he would have collapsed there and then. Lawrence 'Larry' Anderson, Burt's best friend. Also Kurt's mother's murderer. Blaine's father was the one who killed his mother. Kurt's stomach clenched and he felt the blood drain out of his face. He had to get away. Away from Lawrence, away from Gloria, away from this house, and away from Blaine. Kurt was too busy thinking to hear that Lawrence had asked him what his surname was. Blaine noticed that Kurt was unresponsive and looking ill, so he decided to take control.
"Mom, dad, I forgot to tell you, but Kurt had a really sore stomach when he came over. I told him to go home and rest, but he insisted that he wanted to stay and meet you. Is it okay if he could go home?" Gloria and Lawrence looked at their son, and then at Kurt, who was staring at his plate. Blaine's parents exchanged worried looks, before nodding at Blaine. He got up and assisted Kurt out of his seat and gently led him to Kurt's vehicle.
"Hey are you okay?" Blaine softly asked Kurt on the way to the car. Kurt nodded numbly, but stayed silent. "Can you drive home?" Again, Kurt nodded. "I would come with you, but my parents don't exactly like me skipping on our first family lunch in Ohio."
"It's okay, Blaine. I'll be fine. I just don't really feel too well." It wasn't exactly a lie. A mixture of emotions swirled inside Kurt, which made him feel sick. "Thanks for the offer though."
"Anytime." Blaine made sure that Kurt was in the driver's seat and safely buckled in, before watching Kurt pull out of the driveway and drive away.
Once Blaine had disappeared out of sight in Kurt's rear view mirror, he started to weep.
Reviews? You'll get a freshly baked gingerbread cookie or equivalent. :D
Sorry for the delay in uploading. My parents wanted me to make gingerbread cookies, and it takes forever to make from scratch.
So, seventeen down, three to go. The ending would be in two parts, which are the next two chapters, and there would be an epilogue. :)
Wonderful Life – Tina Cousins
See you on the 20th. :D