Eighteen Again
Chapter Two
Things were fairly quiet after that, the only sounds being Kurt sipping his coffee and the soft clinking of mugs as they were placed on the shelves. Blaine was no longer interested in the tree, and his gaze had yet to move from Kurt's face. The planes of his face appeared to be smooth and soft, the tone a nice ivory color. A few strands of hair had fallen in his face, and every once in awhile Kurt would reach up and brush them away, nose scrunched up in annoyance. The slope of his nose was straight, but the tip was vaguely button-shaped, and some small part of Blaine wanted to reach out a finger to poke it. That small part was the same part that made him want to tack on a few more days of life when he first came up with his suicide plan. Blaine squeezed his eyes shut before slowly opening them again, gaze once again focussing on Kurt. He watched as the teen brought his mug up to his lips, and he watched as said lips puckered to blow at the hot drink in an attempt to make it cooler. Kurt looked up then, and they locked gazes.
Blaine frowned.
"Hey," Kurt whispered.
Blaine wanted to ignore him, but instead he merely whispered a greeting back.
Kurt smiled softly, obviously choosing to disregard the expression on the other boy's face, and tucked another loose strand behind his ear before taking a sip from his drink. He blinked before removing the cup from his lips. "Do you want something to drink? I just realized you don't have one."
Blaine glanced up at the menu above the barista's head. "Um, medium drip?" He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Sorry, I just … I'm not used to this."
"It's fine. And if you don't like it, no problem. I'll get you a different one," Kurt still wore that smile. Blaine could feel the protest growing, but Kurt was already standing, setting his cup down and stretching slightly, lithe body on display. Blaine licked his lips and looked back at the tree.
"Thanks."
Kurt nodded and sashayed up to the counter. "Hi. Sorry to bother you. It's just that my friend over there would like to try a medium drip. Thanks." Blaine watched as the other teen grinned at the barista and leaned against the counter. The coffee was quickly made and passed to Kurt who thanked him again and slid him a five dollar bill. "Keep the change." He carefully lifted the mug and began to make his way over to Blaine. When he got back to his seat, he handed the other teen the drink. "One medium drip for Blaine."
Blaine took a nervous sip before shooting Kurt a grateful smile. "Thanks, Kurt. And it's very good."
They shared a cautious grin before focusing on their respective drinks.
"So," Blaine leaned forward, "what do these eighteen days entail?"
Kurt set down his cup and arched a brow. "Why should I tell you? No. The next eighteen days are going to be great and full of surprises."
"Really?"
The only response was a mischievous curl of the lips behind a cup.
That look kept him going as he anxiously led Kurt to the parking lot of the apartments. He stopped at the entrance, holding out an arm in a signal for Kurt to stop. "So this is where I live." The statement lacked any grandeur, and most definitely any pride or dignity. "Home, horrible home." He stared at Kurt as the boy inspected the run-down building and mangy lot, and his heart beat nervously in his chest as he waited for some type of response. When he didn't receive one, he began to point at the door that signified where he lived. "That's where I stay. A2. So great, huh?" He glared down at the torn up cement under his shoes.
"Blaine," the look Kurt was giving him when Blaine met his eyes was sympathetic, Blaine hated it, "you don't have to be embarrassed. I get that your situation isn't entirely ideal."
"No," Blaine said, tone irritated, "I'm not embarrassed, and I don't need your sympathy."
Kurt took a step back and held his hands up. "Okay. I'm sorry I offended you, but why would you be mad about that?"
Blaine gave him a tired look. "I'm not ready to disclose that yet."
Kurt stayed silent.
"Okay, look, it's obvious you're not going to back out of your ridiculous eighteen days thing, so now you know where to find me. I don't have a phone, so you'll just have to come here if you have to talk. Or go to where we met. I go there a lot."
"But you never get anything?" Kurt asked, eyebrows furrowed.
Blaine closed his eyes. "I believe it was you who said you get that my 'situation isn't entirely ideal'? That includes money."
Kurt frowned, but once again remained silent, opting to look at the building instead of Blaine.
"So yeah. That's all. See you, Kurt," he gave a pathetic wave to the boy who wasn't even looking at him before beginning to make his way to the small apartment.
"Wait," Kurt's voice broke the heavy quiet that settled around them, "you're leaving me, just like that?"
"That's what I do best. Tomorrow, remember?"
"But that was before…," Kurt trailed off, meeting Blaine's hard gaze.
"Still not that different," Blaine shrugged. "It's my life. I can put myself on the edge like that whenever I want. You're just delaying the process."
"I never said you have to agree with me, Blaine," Kurt's voice was firm. "That means that you still have some hope to live."
Blaine froze, but he shook himself out of it before Kurt could realize something was wrong. "Maybe you're not as good at reading people as you think," and with that, he turned and made his way to his home, leaning against the door and accepting the blows from his father as soon as he made it inside.
He could end it all whenever he wanted.
DISCLAIMER: Any characters that seem to be associated with the television series Glee belong to the show's producers, directors and the actors portraying the characters. (Mainly Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson, portrayed by Chris Colfer and Darren Criss.)
Hey, guys! Hope any of you who celebrate it had a great Christmas. :) Mine went very okay. I got some pretty great things, and the clothes I got were amazing. I had picked most out myself earlier in the year when I went shopping with family, but I had forgotten that we purchased them until I was opening the package and oh, yeah, that's a thing.
Anyways, I'm sorry this was a lot of dialogue and generally boring, and I'm sorry if the tone sort of shifted at random. The last couple of days have been very weird and mood-dampening and overall tiring. Hopefully chapter three will be wonderful and plot-filled and interesting, but it might take some time to write.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed or favorited or followed! It was very exciting to see I got a response. Can't wait to get started on chapter three! xx
Emma Wants a Warbler
