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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

He feels slightly disorientated. His daily routine completely thrown by Blaine turning up at his school. He'd listened as Kurt broke down again, watched as Hudson's and Blaine's moms enveloped Kurt in their arms while he felt completely useless. He knows exactly what happened now, Kurt detailing it with precision in a detached voice, and he feels like finding Sebastian and punching him, because he knows Blaine isn't alright and he'd feel bad for punching him. Sebastian not so much.

When he'd turned up back at his house with Blaine's mom in tow things had kind of become a bit awkward. Claire had talked like everything was normal, inviting Blaine's mom in for coffee, and she'd cooed over Lily and Adam. That's left him with Blaine, making an awkward situation even more awkward by adding conversation. Blaine keeps looking at him like he wants to say something, except he doesn't want to talk. Erg. He's going to have to talk. And worse, listen.

"Thanks… for uh, this afternoon," Blaine finally manages to say, quietly in deference to his mom being right there. He shrugs. He didn't do it for Blaine, he did it because it was the right thing to do. "And, um, I'm glad you were there…for Kurt."

It hits him then that Blaine still thinks the worst, and while he's warring with himself to do another right thing and tell him, he can't. Not here, not now, not with his baby brother and sister not even a few feet away. He knows Blaine's mom will tell him, so he'll know soon enough, and he knows it isn't nice but he feels a perverse kind of pleasure in the idiot stewing in his own juices for a while.

"I'm glad I was there too. I don't know what he would've done if I hadn't showed up…" It's true. He has no idea what Kurt would've done. The Kurt he has built up in his mind, the one he's pretty sure is completely imaginary, not to mention unrealistic? Well, that Kurt is so strong he would've got into the car and driven himself home and likely left Blaine to freeze to death in the car. The mental image has him smiling although he's pretty sure that no version of Kurt would do that.

Blaine and his mom leave, and he's offered his help to bathe Lily and Adam. He normally stays away, because he ends up just as wet as them, his clothes soaked through, but he needs a distraction. Making sure you don't accidentally drown a baby is a pretty good distraction as they go. Of course Claire has other ideas.

"Your friend was nice…" He rolls his eyes.

"He's not a friend."

"Oh? Something more then?" She says it cheekily, but his eyes shoot wide open and he shakes his head emphatically.

"Fuck no!" Looks down at Lily and Adam. Oops. "Shit… sorry."

"Hmm. If one of their first words is a curse word I fully expect you to become my accomplice and lie about it for the rest of their lives."

"Yeah, yeah… deal."

"That was a very ah… definite response. He's pretty um… open about his sexuality."

He snorts. If she thinks that about Blaine dressed how he was today he'd love to know what she thinks of him dressed in full-on gay-apparel.

"I don't like him. Especially now. He just… did dad tell you that I've been going to a gay bar?"

Claire looks delightedly intrigued, face splitting in a wide smile.

"No. I'm not sure if I should be disapproving as a parent or give you a high five…"

He laughs out loud, because this is why he likes her, she's so upfront with how she feels and doesn't hold anything back. There's no agenda with her. He fills her in on his previous Saturday night, and she's watching him transfixed, eyes flicking to the bath and then back to his face. He finishes up with a shrug and splashes the water for Adam, getting a delighted high-pitched squeal and splashing in response.

"Not even eighteen and so much drama already… but, you're a good boy Dave…"

"Gee, thanks Claire. That makes me feel like I'm ten…"

"Ah, you kids these days want to grow up too fast…"

"You can stop being so condescending. I get it. I did good."

"Yeah, you did."

The next morning he leaves for school a bit earlier. He wants to avoid sneak attacks of the Honey variety and he still needs to figure out what he's going to do about tomorrow night. He can't see her when he pulls up. But that means nothing, he hadn't seen her yesterday either. He spies Nathan and waves, gets a small wave in response and for the first time he walks over to meet him at his car, bag slung over his shoulder.

"Hey man…"

"Hey. You going to walk beside me today huh?"

"Well, it's earlier. Less people you know?"

"Oh right. Sure. That's kind of what I was hoping for too. You haven't spied uh…Honey have you?"

"Ha. No. She normally gets a ride with another cheerleader. And she's normally late. Yesterday was an anomaly. You really don't like her huh?"

"I'm sure she's a really nice girl… or not. I don't know. Anyway, I really don't want a girlfriend. It's… complicated. And I told her I didn't want a girlfriend but she…"

"Seems pretty freaking persistent?"

"Yeah."

"You could always tell her you're gay."

He stops in his tracks. Freezes. He knows it's not written on his forehead, but it doesn't stop the old fear course through him. Even though he knows it wouldn't be the end of the world he's still not ready for everyone to know. To come out at school. It's his biggest fear.

"W– what do you mean?"

"You know, some guy doesn't want to date a girl so he tells her he's gay to let her down easy…"

"But that's… lying?" Except it wouldn't be. He'd be telling her the truth. And okay… there's heaps of potential for this to fail on multiple levels, but she seems to like him enough that she might… maybe… go for it. Of course, she might still want to be his friend, but he could live with that, if she knew the truth. That he really is gay. And doesn't want to come out yet. He'll have to see how it goes, if she keeps on being so blatantly persistent.

"Lying? Our society is based on lies man. And going out with her when you don't like her would just be another lie…"

"What are you doing on Friday night?"

"Dude. I said tell her you're gay, not prove it."

"Shut up. She's coming round on Friday to watch a movie and eat pizza. It's meant to be just friends, and she said to invite other friends so…"

"Oh. Yeah. Sure. That's cool. Thanks."

It's not until later he realizes that maybe Nathan wasn't just thanking him for the invite, but for calling him a friend.