Music Inspiration:Cough Syrup, Blaine Devon Anderson {played by Darren Criss}. I mention the music as inspiration because the words are relevant, and sharing my muse adds impact to the story. Cough Syrup starts with the line, Life's too short…. So again three, well four words that inspired this chapter.
Rating and Warning: M
Ownership: I don't own Glee, but this story I do.
Dedication: For those who can't decide who they're attracted to, those who lie to themselves. And those not brave enough to act on their impulses.
I don't have any association with anyone for music. I've purchased all that I listen to. But if you're going to buy anything, please don't go down the pirate road. Worst thing to do. I don't ship pirates.
Thank you: To my collection of supporters, esp Marla's Lost, I'm truly wonderfully encouraged and massively inspired by such nice words and belief in me. So read, enjoy, review, follow, fave, just don't forget.
~ Converting Kurt E Hummel ~ Ch 22 Confronting ~
And here's what you missed, …
Blaine joined the engagement party, being Tina's date. He managed the waltz perfectly, he and Kurt used to do ballroom dancing, and this was their favourite. Knowing Kurt as he does, Blaine suspected there'd be a 'partner swapping' waltz. He and Tina listen outside, waiting for the best opportunity to make their entrance.
He's quite nervous, knowing also that Kurt will most likely play politely and then turn quite nasty at Blaine gate crashing the event. Sebastian had driven them to the venue and then parked the car, waiting with a good book for their return.
"I think now is the best time to go in Blaine." She says, clearly wanting to get this confrontation underway. She takes her shawl off, he removes his overcoat and they step in and push their coats onto the hired help's waiting arms.
"Where's Sugar?" Tina asks. They look around the room of dancers, everyone clearly happy and enjoying themselves. "There's her daddy, Al and who is he with?"
Blaine looks where she's pointing, he recognizes the guy and remembers a terrifying Halloween party where he really thought the guy was a mobster. "Oh, that's Phil, he's their personal Chef. He makes a mean quiche." Tina looks quizzically at Blaine, "A quiche? Really?"
He shrugs, "What's wrong with quiche?" She blushes, feeling awkward that if Blaine doesn't know then she's not telling him. "Nothing, nothing wrong with quiche!" She rambles and continues looking for Sugar and Kurt.
"There's Sugar, on the stage. Perfect!" Tina pulls in the imaginary chain of victory. Blaine spots Kurt, "There's Kurt." Sigh! "Gorgeous as ever." He whispers out.
"Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, let's go." Feeling confident that he'd picked the best suit he knows Kurt likes him wearing, he sucks in a breath.
Hand in hand, he leads Tina to the edge of dancers, they watch the pattern progress, the music nice and loud so as to drown out difficulties if anyone calls out.
He holds himself in dance position to invite her in, she accepts. A preliminary chaste kiss on his cheek and then she spots Sugar on the stage looking directly at them. Sugar appears frozen with shock. "Hold a sec Blaine." She smiles wide and confidently, guessing that what Sugar can see will be upsetting her.
Tina leans in to Blaine's ear and whispers, "This is going to be very interesting." She pecks his neck, still smiling at Sugar, eyes locked. "What are you doing?" He queries back, wanting to rub away her affection.
She pulls his chin around and looks him in the face, looks to his fine chin, adorable lips and quickly to his eyes again. "You need confidence, I'm giving you confidence Blaine. We came here to make him remember what he's missing out on annd remind him how fantastic and wonderful and lovely you are." A peck on his lips, "So I'm showing Sugar up there, …" she nods to the stage, "How fantastic and what a catch you are." Repositioning to dance again, "Believe me Blaine, she won't interrupt you tonight."
He holds her waist firmly, which sends an electric-love shock through her. "Ready, one and two and …."
They join the dancers. Steps and turns and keeping a firm eye on where Kurt is, partner's swap, but not Blaine and Tina. The music is infectious and Tina doesn't want to ever let him go. Waltz and step and turn and swap ..., and one more time, and Kurt hands Dottie to Tina quite effortlessly.
Tina takes Dottie firmly, winks to Kurt, winks to Blaine, turns Dottie around and waltzes her backward away from the Klaine as nature intended. Tina looks toward Sugar, smiles wide and dances Dottie further away …
It seemed shorter than what it was, after quite a few turns the flow of dancers abruptly halts and Tina has to turn around and find the cause of interruption.
She hears Kurt, "Please leave, I'll organize to see you during the week. I'll see my therapist first and then we'll organize a mediation." He looks to Sugar and then back at Tina's Boo, "Would it make you happy if we do that?"
Riled up and wanting to defend Blaine, Tina rushes to his side and declares for him, "No, it would not make him happy for you to do that." Surprisingly Blaine contradicts her. "Tina, it would make me happy."
She wants to protest, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Amazingly Blaine makes her feel bad again when he rushes out to Kurt, "I'll look forward to your call then."
Tina isn't given a moment to voice what her mind is yelling when he grabs her hand, interlocking their fingers and directs her, "Let's go."
It's so very quick, she looks at their hands and then he is pulling to walk briskly out of the building. They get to the little alternate foyer, he lets her go for a moment to grab their things, sweeps them under his arm and interlocks with her fingers again.
Her heart is pounding from the intimacy and an overwhelming desire to smooch him has to be quashed as he rushes them to Sebastian's waiting car.
Finally they arrive and he, ever the gentleman, opens the door for Tina.
To a startled Sebastian he rushes out, "Sebastian, book down, I want to get the hell out of here." To Tina, "You were wonderful, thank you so much." He pecks her cheek and shuts the door, still not giving her a moment to really speak or complain. He rushes around to his door, puts a hand on the window and looks at Sebastian looking at him.
And then his adrenaline rush of super confidence is spent. The other hand he throws over his mouth, his eyes wide as the tears of emotion come flooding up. He starts to sob as he turns his back on his friends. Biting his thumb he lets himself lower to the ground. Sebastian kills the engine, he and Tina rush out of the car and Blaine can hear their feet moving on the gravel around to him.
"Oh BlaineyDayze!" Tina squats down and tries to soothe his shoulder.
"I take it didn't go too well then?" Asks Sebastian.
Finally Tina can talk, seeing as how Blaine is occupied with emotion. "Oh, no it went really well. He got to do most of what he wanted, but then she got in the way and we left." Not wanting to finish her opportunity of letting Blaine know how she felt, she continues, "But not before Blaine here agreed to a mediation session."
"A what? Blaine are you serious?"
Between settling sobs, "We danced and he felt so good. I held him like you told me to Sebastian, and even though he tried to protest I didn't let him go." He takes a tissue from Tina. "And the next I knew everyone was watching us, he blurted out something and asked me if it'd make me happy. Anything he gives me right now, that would make me happy," he blows his nose, and whispers, "Very, very happy." He looks at Tina and then Sebastian, "Even being angry and growling, even just that, is better than nothing." Sniffle!
Taking Sebastian's outstretched hand, Blaine is pulled up and Tina, standing too, wraps her arms around Blaine.
"Oh he smelled so good." He sighs and wraps his arms around himself as if Kurt were there too. "I think he's muscling up as well."
"Come on Casanova!" Sebastian opens the back seat doors, indicates for Blaine to get in, Tina goes around to the other side. "Time for home. We'll sort the rest of this out later."
Blaine holds before getting in, steps toward Sebastian, grabs his chin and kisses his lips, a moment, and then another warm delicate moment of yum.
This time though, Sebastian knows he's being used as a fall guy. He doesn't kiss back, doesn't push him away, but holds firm. Blaine eventually releases him, taps his cheek, smiles and hops in the back seat.
Shutting the door, Sebastian walks around, gets in, belts up, looks at Blaine in the rear-view mirror, resting his head on Tina's. He smiles for his friend, appreciating the moment of a good Blaine kiss.
Being a Kurt-substitute has it's rewards, and tonight he might push for more of a reward.
Blaine's father, Michael Anderson, sits on the comfy couch, in the office of a family friend who is a counsellor/therapist.
Alongside the couch is a side table with various photos in frames. He picks up one of Gary riding a horse, the horse is barrelling down the side of a mountain, with many other riders.
Michael pulls his brows together, recognizing the handwriting of the inscription, 'An enjoyable weekend, better, much better than expected, love Kurt XxOo'.
He's pulled from his wondering eyes when Gary shuts the door behind himself, and claps his hands loudly.
"Well, if it isn't my best friend's father, Michael Anderson. What can I do for you?" Offering his hand to shake, he then sits alongside him on the couch.
"I need help understanding something." Gesturing along the wall of books, "You must have the answer in there somewhere."
"Okay, well yes hopefully I do." Gary scratches at his beard, an annoying habit for Michael Anderson. He smooths it down after the vigorous scratch then wipes his moustache left and then right. He snuffles up the moustache and licks his lips.
He indicates with his fingers, "Come on then, spill, how can I help." Resting his head on his fist, "Do I need to get my note book and start the clock or is this informal?"
Michael pulls a note out of his shirt pocket, ignoring the question, opens the note and Gary can see the familiar handwriting of his best friend. "What do you have there?"
"It's an explanation from Blaine, that he wrote me, like you suggested." He quickly shows it to Gary and then turns it back to himself.
"If what he writes is true for them, then how is it that his heart is breaking from Kurt friggin' Hummel turning straight?"
"Again, you need to stop generalizing. It isn't about 'them' and 'us', it isn't about being 'bent' or 'straight'."
Michael Anderson stands, walks gently to the wall of books, his hand dragging along the big desk. He stops at the end, turns around, sits against it, a hand on either side of his hips.
"My son, was fine until he met that boy. Then, …" he speaks calmly, carefully choosing his words, "he then spends too much time with this kid, comes to me with said kid holding his hand, and tells me that he loves boys."
He stretches his legs forward, resting back further on the desk and folds his arms over his chest. "And although I didn't approve, although we had our huge problem, although we don't talk out loud to one another, he's still my son and I still care for him."
Gary stretches his legs onto the couch, stretches his back as he reaches for his ankles. Coming back up, "You've had your challenges, you'll get there."
Michael continues, "And now years down the track, the punk who made my son be this way, has dumped him and joined 'our' team."
"Again it's not 'our' team, and he didn't make Blaine anything."
"But he's dumped him, and is now opposite all that you told me. That Kurt is going against all that you explained, all that this note explains." He waves the note in the air. "You want to explain how I undo what you've told me? Things you told me so as I could accept?"
"Without making things more complicated, let me put this simple angle, to you?"
Michael puts the note back in his shirt pocket, folds his arms once more, this time his annoyance and pissed attitude isn't being hid.
"A person who writes well with his or her left hand, wakes up one morning and can't write left handed but now writes with his right hand."
"What made the change?" Michael puts to him.
"There is not always an explanation, that's easy to explain. You just have to accept that it is what it is."
Michael Anderson stands, looks at his feet, looks at Gary, considers what to say and how to say it.
He chooses one word, one word that fits his emotions, it resolves nothing but it'll make him feel slightly better.
He walks to the door, holds the handle and looks back at Gary, and says "Bullshit!".
He doesn't wait for a response, he leaves the office door open as he walks away.
Turning his back on the counsellor/therapist, his mind wonders of the dirt Blaine has on Gary, and how he can use it to fix this problem.
Extra Kute Author Notes: I pinched a little scene from Travelling the White Line Chapter 11, and twisted it to fit. So if you think you've read parts of this before, if you've read that story, then that's probably where you know it from.