Hey, guys :) Thank you for reading.
This chapter we learn more about Blaine...and stuff gets crazy. And obviously I messed around with Blaine's age a bit, because, as you've hopefully discovered, this fic is definitely AU.
Loads of thanks to my friend lovemeforalways. You guys should check out her writing. She has a couple of adorable Klaine fics :)
Enjoy!
Blaine has never lived in the middle of the United States, or the middle of any country for that matter. He was used to coast lines, to the ocean, and the exercising of free thought. There was just something about all that open sea that seemed to make people more understanding, more aware. New ideas come in from across those vast stretches of water, and the people are welcoming to these ideas and cultures and thoughts. That's not to say that people here aren't kind, he's already met people he likes in Ohio, at least a few. He had loved San Fransisco, almost more than any city he'd ever been assigned to, with the exception of New York. Two opposite edges of the country, both so well known for being big and bright and bold. That's why he fit in so well there, he was able to be himself, or as like himself as he's ever able to be.
When his plane had been in the air over Ohio he'd been shocked by the openness. He had never seen a stretch of brown land look so much like the sea. But as soon as he's stepped off the plane the illusion had been lost to the heavy air. Everything here seemed thick to him. The air was thick, the roads were thick, even the people were thick. The lady behind the desk in the airport terminal had looked at his outfit in shock as she's added his miles to his account. He was wearing a tight purple polo with a black bow-tie, black pants, and a pair of yellow casual leather shoes to match his sunglasses. But from the look on the woman's face he knew he'd need to tone it down if he was ever going to fit in here.
"You have a lot of miles," the woman said as she stared at the computer screne intently, as if it would tell her Blaine's secret.
"I travel a lot," he shrugged and took his receipt from her.
That had been his first day in Ohio and he'd been hoping it would get better but his second day had proved far worse.
As soon as he'd settled in to his new apartment and had a full night's sleep he'd called the agency and they'd given him the details of his new assignment. He was going back to high school.
High school had been the four worst years of Blaine's life, but thankfully the agency had taken an interest in him and offered him the job at the conclusion of his senior year. Between the bullying and the ridicule and the hate he'd been more than happy to take the job, which at the time had seemed really cool. Who didn't want to be a spy?
Of course, they'd never called it that. It was a branch of the Federal Witness Protection Program. The part that made sure people stay in line and don't abuse the system. The branch was unknown; secret from the public for obvious reasons.
The Agency of Professional Supervision, his department, had called to inform him that he was now a senior at McKinley high school in Lima, Ohio. He needed to watch Mr. Murphy; a powerful political figure who'd been digging a little to far into the past of an opposing party member who'd gone through the protection system in his youth.
Blaine liked protecting people, probably because no one had been there to protect him.
But he was not thrilled about going back to high school, and he'd done something he'd never tried before; he'd argued with the agency. He could get a job at the local paper, he could work in one of Mr. Murphy's offices, he could do the family's yard work, anything but high school. But his supervisor has been persistent; he was going to McKinley High School, and he was to befriend Mr. Murphy's youngest daughter. The sooner he figured out if Mr. Murphy was threatening his opponents protection from the program, the sooner he could leave Ohio and leave high school, hopefully for forever this time.
His third day in Ohio, his last before the first day of school, he'd purposefully run into Mr. Murphy's daughter. The agency had given him a file on her, and in turn he knew more than he should. She's a musician, a junior in high school, and she's in a band called The High Titles. They had a show at 7 at the park. When the agency told him the address he assumed that the park would be a nice green area, maybe with a playground and a pond. When he showed up there at 6:45 it was not this image that greeted him. The park was a empty field with a slab of some sort of concrete creating a slightly raised platform in the dead center of the clearing. The crowd was almost nonexistence when he showed up, but they began to appear as the sky darkened. He recognized Mia right away from the pictures he'd spent the night before studying. She was beautiful in a very dramatic way with raised cheek bones and pale skin. Her brown hair hung in long waves down her back and she paused in the tuning of her guitar when she noticed Blaine standing beside her. Blaine took in her thick makeup and bright smile.
She let the bass guitar hang by it's strap as she stuck her hand out to Blaine, "I'm Mia, are you my biggest fan?" Her big smile was replaced by a more alluring one; with one edge of her full lips a bit higher than the other, and her eyebrows raised. Blaine thought she looked young. Maybe a little too young to be giving him that look.
"I'm Blaine. And I don't know, I haven't heard you preform yet."
"Then what are you doing here?" Mia asked. She blew a piece of hair out of her eyes and stared intently at Blaine.
He shrugged, "I didn't have anything else to do, I'm new in town."
"Ah, I see, I have to go, but stay after the show, okay? We can talk then," she said this all too confidently and then she swung around with a wink and walked onto the raised platform. Her band members stood in their places and waited for her lead.
The show was energetic to say the least. The loyal following of fans the band had gained in Ohio jumped and danced until they could barely breathe. The band was good, really good for such a young rock band. Mia's hands moved across the bass guitar effortlessly; they almost looked lazy in their perfection. Her voice was rough and slurred; barely making it through the notes, and the meaning of the words was lost. It wasn't Blaine's type of music, but it was definitely something.
After the show he did talk to Mia. They talked for a long time about all sorts of things; music, school, life. When Blaine revealed that he was a new student at McKinley and tomorrow was his first day Mia offered to give him a ride, that way he wouldn't be alone. Blaine agreed, and their conversation went on long into the night. When Mia's father called to ask where she was, and to remind her that it was a school night and she had curfew, she just assured him that she'd be home soon.
Hearing the voice of Mr. Murphy, even if it was just a slight whisper from the cell phone pressed to Mia's ear, was a reminder to Blaine that none of this was real. That the friendships he made here weren't going to last past this assignment. A new town; a new life. He's have to leave it all eventually. All this town held for him was a job; a goal.
Maybe that's why he didn't stop Mia when she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He knew it was wrong, he knew he didn't feel that way about her, not at all, but that didn't stop his hand from finding her's and holding it tightly in the moonlight.
It was nice to feel wanted.
It was Mia's idea that Blaine join the Glee Club. Ultimately, the agency was the one that recommended Blaine join some sort of school affiliated club, if only to fit in better. Personally, Blaine was taking this all in stride. His first high school experience had been a nightmare and now he had a second chance, whether he wanted it or not. Mia recommended Glee Club because of what he'd told her the night before; about his passion for music. Mia nodded enthusiastically at that because she knew the feeling. There's is something music does to a soul that is tuned to it; it changes a person, claims them. Mia and Blaine both understood this; they had both had music when everything else seemed lost. And when you have given yourself over to the escape and the release of music there is no turning back. Music can lay claim to your emotions; it can trigger the fondest and the worst of all memories, and it has a way of making all of them beautiful.
Blaine had never been a part of a Glee Club. He'd played solo in the streets and subways of big cities with a change jar laying at his feet. Not because he needed the money, the agency always gave him plenty of that, but because he was a people watcher. He liked to guess at lives, and though he was almost always exuberantly wrong he still enjoyed the art of it.
But he took the agency's advice and then he took Mia's advice and that's what landed him in the classroom of the male Spanish teacher the first morning of school.
Mr. Shuester had assured Blaine that they would love to have him and that he should try out that very day after school, if he had a song prepared, of course. Blaine smiled and nodded at Mr. Shuester's excitement. Blaine couldn't even count on all of his fingers the number of songs he had committed to memory.
At school Blaine had tagged along with Mia for lunch and a few classes they had together. Blaine was in pretty low classes for an average senior and Mia was an exemplary student. Mia flirted throughout the day and Blaine smiled back without restraint. She really was a nice girl, but that didn't mean much to him.
The audition had gone fine and Blaine had managed to remember all the lyrics to the Backseat Goodbye tune he's decided on.
He'd only faltered once on the last line when the tall boy with the blue-green eyes and smooth hair had stared directly at him. Blaine was distracted by the grace of the boy; even just sitting on the chair with his legs crossed casually he looked like a dancer. The way his limbs flowed together into one whole body was something Blaine was not used to, and the high set of the boy's chin and the haunting look to his eyes made him seem superior to absolutely everyone.
He was beautiful and Blaine had to tear his eyes away from him just to finish the song.
The reception from the club had been enthusiastic and Blaine had smiled a real smile. This was good for him; the music and the appreciation. He had missed the warm feeling that comes with a group's applause.
Mr. Shuester spoke for a minute before dismissing the kids, and Blaine watched the boy named Kurt the whole time; the one with the eyes the color of the sea. Blaine really loved the ocean, and he wanted to know if this boy personified the acceptance and freedom he associated with open waters. The boy certainly looked regal and kind and maybe a little haughty, but certainly not without reason.
Blaine tore his eyes from the Kurt and slipped out the door.
Mia was waiting at the end of the hallway and her wide smile made Blaine's lips twitch in return. He wrapped his arm around her waist and looked into her eyes briefly before they walked through the door.
Her eyes were a deep brown; the color of rich soil and Ohio.
Blaine remembered another set of eyes, already so familiar to him, and shook his head. He was here for a job, not for life, and certainly not for love.
Tell me it's crazy. Tell me it's totally awesome.