:-:
'cause i was told to get out
told to leave
:-:
told i have my things in the parking lot
no, no, no, baby
:-:
yeah, just send me that ambulance
oh, just send me that ambulance
:-:
"Favorite superhero?"
"Batman."
"Really?"
"Have you seen Christian Bale?"
"Uh-huh. You sure it's not 'cause the Joker was in that gay cowboy movie?"
"I'm not gay, Finn."
"Sure."
"I'm not. Favorite band?"
"Ooh, that's tough. Right now it's...REM."
"Funny. I pegged you as a Journey fanatic."
"Ooh! Can I change my answer?"
"Sure."
"Journey. They're bad-ass."
"I've always been partial to Don't Stop Believing."
"'Cause it's awesome! Alright...if you could live anywhere, where would you live?"
"New York. That's not even a question. I will live in New York City one day."
"Really? It's so big!"
"Exactly! It's amazing!"
Finn and Kurt were sitting cross-legged in their hiding spot on the roof above the science wing. They'd been chased from the lunchroom by the football jackasses, and Kurt - an expert at escaping and hiding when needed - took Finn to his favorite spot. Kurt was eating some sort of fancy salad thing, and Finn had two whole PB&J sandwiches to himself, plus a bag of cheetos, a rice krispie treat, and an apple.
"What about you?" Kurt asked, eyebrow raised. "What are your aspirations for the future?"
Finn looked down and shrugged. "I guess I'll try to get a football scholarship, go to college. That'd make my mom proud." He sighed, leaning back against the railing. "I just don't wanna be a Lima Loser. I've thought about joining the army, but it would kill Mom to lose me to war, too."
"You're not a Lima Loser, Finn," Kurt murmured, face red.
"Thanks, man."
They sat in amiable silence for a bit, concentrating on their food. Suddenly, Kurt spoke up.
"You...you like music, right?"
Finn nodded dumbly, mouth full of Cheetos. "Yeah. I play drums. Puck and I tried to form a band last summer, but then he traded his amp for some booze and joints. Didn't even share with me..."
"You should join glee club with me." Kurt's face was still red, but he was stuttering less. "I mean, it's another extracurricular that's not a sport, and it would look good on your college transcripts..."
"Cool!" Finn beamed at his new friend. "What's a glee club?"
:-:
"Ah, I see we have a new member!" Mr. Ryerson cried cheerfully. "Absolutely wonderful!"
Kurt placed his hand on Finn's arm. "Everyone, this is Finn Hudson. He's our new tenor."
Mr. Ryerson threw his hands in the air ecstatically. "Perfect! Snaps for Mr. Hudson, everyone!"
The flamboyant teacher snapped loudly; the others did the bare minimum, except for a short, peppy brunette in a puppy-dog sweater.
"Welcome to glee club, Finn!" She cried. Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm Rachel Berry, as you might remember since we've been going to school together since Pre-K, and I would just like to say that our humble little club is very lucky to have you joining our ranks!"
Finn nodded slowly. "Um...thanks."
Mr. Ryerson started blathering on about Broadway and Josh Groban and the kids took their seats: Rachel, in the front row all by herself, hanging onto the teacher's every word; A sassy-looking black girl in the second row, next to Kurt - Mercedes Jones, he remembered - with Finn next to Kurt; and the other boy, their bass Hank Suanders, sitting next to Finn, listening politely to Ryerson's spiel.
Having the three boys in a row seemed to be a bad idea, as it turned out. Ryerson's eyes never left their row as he rambled on, his gaze lingering on each male student for much longer than was socially acceptable. Hank seemed to bask in the attention, holding his head high like a prize horse. Finn shrank under the teacher's gaze, feeling very much a carnivore's prey. Kurt didn't notice, since he kept whispering with Mercedes, sending her into fits of silent laughter.
"This week I think we'll try something a little more...romantic," he said, passing out sheet music. Finn didn't miss the way Mr. Ryerson fumbled with the music a little, hands lingering on Kurt's. The Protector growled inside of Finn, but bided his time.
"I'll Cover You! A classic!" Rachel exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
"Mr. Ryerson, isn't this a duet?" Kurt asked. "I thought we were learning a group song."
Ryerson eyed Kurt flirtily. "I thought maybe we could have a competition. Of course, with Mister Tall, Dark, and Handsome amongst us, the numbers are uneven. Kurt!"
The small boy sighed. "Yes, sir?"
"How about you and I be partners for now? Hank and Rachel, Mercedes and Finn - ooh! It'll be perfect!"
"What does the winner get?" Mercedes asked, eyeing Finn warily.
"We'll just have to see about that..." Finn was certain Mercedes noticed the suggestion in the older man's voice, and the way he pointedly stared at Kurt. She shot Finn a look, lips pursed. He nodded, eyes wide and scared.
"Mr. Ryerson, should we break into our groups for the remaining fifteen minutes of rehearsal and begin work on our duets?" Rachel asked, sitting primly in her chair.
"Yes, yes! Come, Kurt, let's discuss our approach to this tragically beautiful song."
Kurt headed down to sit by his teacher at the piano, and Hank scooted down to the front row of chairs to argue about style. Finn inched closer to Mercedes, eyes still on Kurt.
"He's creepy."
"Tell me about it," she huffed. "Alright, white boy, I guess you're singing Collins' part. If you can even hit those notes."
Finn nodded, and stared down at the page. He could still sort of read music from that dreadful year when his mom's boyfriend at the time had tried to teach him piano. The dude, Darrin, was pretty cool, but a really crappy teacher. Still, Finn got the gist of it.
The song actually seemed pretty sweet - in a totally sappy, "my girlfriend totally forced me to listen to it" kind of way. "I've longed to discover something as true as this is. With a thousand sweet kisses, I'll cover you. Wow. This Collins guys has it bad for Angel."
Mercedes chuckled. "Yeah. I've never actually seen this musical, but I'll bet you anything that Kurt and Rachel are both obsessed."
Finn smiled at that. When he got Kurt started talking about Wicked - the small boy's favorite musical - he'd been subjected to a twenty-minute monologue on its perfection. Not that he minded; when Kurt became passionate about something, his eyes lit up so brightly that Finn could make out every single color that swirled together - blue, green, grey, and the splotches of gold around the pupils. Finn could listen to him talk like that for hours if it meant seeing his eyes like that.
Music floated across the room, and Kurt and Mr. Ryerson were singing. The teacher wasn't a bad singer, but compared to Kurt, anyone would sound like crap. The term "voice like an angel" had always seemed stupid to Finn - how could you know what an angel sounded like? - but now, listening to his friend sing with such heart, Finn knew that angels had nothing on Kurt Hummel.
"With a thousand sweet kisses-"
"When you're worn out and tired-"
"-I'll cover you! With a thousand sweet kisses-"
"-When your heart has expired!"
"-I'll cover you!"
The room hushed as the teacher and student sang. Rachel's eyes widened in surprise; Hank's narrowed in jealousy.
"Wait, stop!" Kurt held up his hands. "Mr. Ryerson, I'm not comfortable singing this with a teacher. I'm sorry."
"I'll do it!" Hank offered, and the teacher grudgingly acquiesced.
"That's all we have time for today. I'll see you kids later," Ryerson said, arm brushing Kurt's deliberately.
Finn and Mercedes both sped out of the choir room, flanking Kurt on either side. The small boy didn't seem too concerned about his teacher's behavior.
"Honestly, we're a glee club. We should be singing the reprise of that song. At least it's a group number," Kurt griped, reaching up to swipe at his bangs. He pouted when he remembered they weren't there anymore.
"Well, you tell him that next week. And have fun singing with Berry," Mercedes jibed, before turning down another hallway. Kurt made a face.
Finn stared at his feet awkwardly. "Dude...you need to quit glee club."
"Is this one of those things where you're trying to help me by improving my reputation? 'Cause it won't work." Kurt huffed a little and sped up. Finn lumbered behind him.
"No, dude. It's Ryerson. He's totally hot for you."
Kurt's eyes widened, then he let out a bark of a laugh. "Oh, please, Finn. Just because he's obviously gay doesn't mean he wants to sleep with every male student of his."
Finn scowled. "I don't think that 'cause he's gay. I think that 'cause he's creepy. He was totally hitting on you. It was inappropriate."
"Really, now," Kurt said, smiling fondly at Finn. "So are Coach Tanaka's shorts, and you don't see me telling you to quit football."
"But-"
"Does he really make you that uncomfortable, Finn?" Kurt asked suddenly, teasing gone from his voice.
"Yeah. I mean, I could take him in a fight, but I don't know if you could."
"Oh, Finn." Kurt gave him such an endearing look that Finn felt his heart melting a little.
"I mean, I know you like singing and stuff, but maybe you could form your own club? You and me and Mercedes? And leave the Dynamic Duo on their own with that creep."
"I'll talk to Mercedes about it tomorrow," Kurt promised.
Finn breathed a sigh of relief.
:-:
"This is an outrage!" Burt yelled. "My kid gets hurt at the hands of these ignoramuses, and you give two of them detention for a month? They should be expelled!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel, but there's no proof that this event actually took place-"
Burt slammed his fist on the desk. "My kid has a fuckin' gash in the back of his head! And a black eye from a deliberate attack! And Finn witnessed everything!"
"It's one student's word against a very large group's."
"So my son doesn't get a say in this, then? His word doesn't count?" Burt sat back down, fuming. "What kind of shit-hole school are you running?"
"Burt." Carole held out her hand. "Let me." She stood and braced her hands on Figgins' desk, glaring at the man with all her might. "Do you know what this attack was? A hate crime. They attacked him because they think he's gay." She paused for a moment, then: "Do you know what happens when principals ignore blatant hate crimes in this day and age?" Another pause. "You'll never work in another school again."
Figgins paled. "I'll need to talk to Mr. Hummel." Burt stood. "The other Mr. Hummel."
"If Kurt comes in and tells you his account of the attack, will you punish those boys more severely?" Burt asked, hand shaking with anger.
"Yes," Figgins replied, nervously glancing between Burt and Carole.
"All of them?" Carole asked, crossing her arms.
Figgins looked shaken, but held his head up stubbornly. "If the appropriate evidence of their involvement is there."
Burt and Carole exchanged a look, then stared Figgins down.
"We'll accept that," Burt said slowly and dangerously. Carole raised an eyebrow at the principal.
"For now."
:-:
"Hey, Hummel, wait up!"
Kurt turned to see Noah Puckerman, self-proclaimed "bad-ass and MILF-connoisseur" running after him in the hallway. The small boy huffed.
"I swear to god, if you ruin this shirt, Puckerman, I will-"
"Spit rainbows on me? Right." Puck walked casually next to Kurt, ignoring stares from the other students. "Listen, I need to ask you something."
"No, I'm not sleeping with Mr. Ryerson. I'm not that desperate," Kurt quipped, stopping by his locker to retrieve a textbook. Puck snorted, and leaned against Kurt's locker.
"Whatever, homo. What you do with older men is of no concern to me."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Then why do you keep tossing slushies at me?"
"If you hadn't noticed," Puck drawled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I slushie everyone." There was a pause, where a silent "who isn't cool" was inferred. "I figured that it would make me pretty hypocritical to hate you for sucking dick when I get a boner from watching Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez get freaky under the bleachers." Kurt was shocked by the other boy's logic (and the fact that he knew the word hypocritical.)
"That weirdly…makes sense…" Kurt admitted, closing his locker door. "So what was that question?"
Puck grinned wickedly. "Is my boy, Finn, gay? 'Cause if you turned him into a homo, I-"
"You can't turn people gay, Puckerman."
The taller boy continued, ignoring Kurt. "'Cause if he is gay, then I need to thank you for pulling him out of Narnia and helping me win a bet against Matt Rutherford that we've had going since seventh grade."
Kurt blinked a couple of times, trying to wrap his head around what Puck had just told him. "You…you bet on his sexuality? In middle school? Seriously?"
Puck shrugged. "I've been best friends with Finn since third grade. I just get a vibe from him, you know? Like, a really, really gay vibe."
Kurt blushed. "Well, as far as I know, he is as straight as you, so don't try to cash in that bet just yet." A pause. "What…was the bet, exactly?"
"Well…" Puck smirked. "I told Matt that Finn would come out by the end of freshman year. He said Finn would be a college-gay. And Mike – though he didn't bet – seemed to think that he'd be a later-in-life gay. You know, after he gets married and has kids and stuff."
"Are they okay with…?" Kurt couldn't finish the question. "I mean, they don't hate that…?"
Puck's smirk softened. "Dude, Mike and Matt don't have the capacity to hate anyone. Me, I just think you're a spoiled little diva with stupid clothes and a bad attitude. But I don't hate you. Especially not 'cause you're flaming."
That was probably one of the most reassuring things anyone had ever said to Kurt, sadly enough. He felt a lump rising in his throat, so he croaked out, "Thanks, Puckerman," before turning to leave.
"No problem, Hummel." Puck's voice lacked its usual coarseness, and was almost kind. "But don't think this means I won't still give you shit."
Kurt turned around, rolling his eyes. "I'd be worried if you didn't."
:-:
"He said that? Really?" Finn seemed torn between wanting to punch his friend for having tormented Kurt with slushies and shoves into lockers, or wanting to hug him for almost being nice to Kurt. Kurt left out the discussion of Finn's sexuality.
"Yeah. I think he was giving me his blessing, or something. Whatever his intention, it was…unexpected."
The two boys were leaning against the side of the school, waiting for their respective parents to pick them up. The air was chilly, and Kurt shivered a little.
"That's just…huh. But you aren't gay, so what does it matter?" Finn said, but the tone of his voice implied that he didn't actually believe what he was saying. Kurt blushed.
"Oh, come on. You know I'm gay. Everyone knows I'm gay. Except my father, but I'll have to tell him eventually." Finn winced sympathetically. Kurt sighed. "Thanks for not freaking out on me. It's nice to know that not every guy at this school is a homophobic douche."
Finn smiled sadly at Kurt. "Well, you've got me. And Puck, apparently. And Matt and Mike, even though you've never met them. And Artie. And Hank Saunders only hates you 'cause he's in love with Ryerson-"
Kurt made a gagging noise and they both fell into hysterics, drawing attention to themselves from passing students. A couple girls started whispering, and a jock or two cracked their knuckles menacingly. But neither boy noticed, too wrapped up in their laughter and the other's presence to notice such petty threats.
A car pulled up next to them, window rolled down. "Uh-oh, looks like someone drugged your food, Finnegan. I haven't seen you laugh that hard since Noah spit soda out of his nose when you were twelve."
Carole Hudson grinned at the boys. "Come on, sweetie, time to go." Finn patted Kurt's shoulder goodbye, promising to text him later. "You too, Kurt."
"What?" Finn asked. He thought Kurt was waiting for his dad. Judging by the look on his face, Kurt did, too.
"Your dad is taking us all out to dinner," Carole explained. Kurt looked bewildered. "He and I were down here earlier terrorizing Figgins. We want to see those boys properly punished." Kurt paled a little, but seemed grateful. "And I am sorry for whatever speech about lying your dad gave you after I ratted you out," Carole continued. "I just want some justice to come from this."
Kurt slipped into the backseat and rested a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Thank you."
Carole just smiled at him, then said, "Alright. Who's up for Breadstix?"
Kurt just laughed at the way Finn's face lit up like a puppy's, and he could have sworn he saw the boy drool a little. "Normally I avoid empty carbs," he started, speaking slowly. Finn turned around to mock-glare at him. "But I think I can indulge myself tonight. To celebrate."
"Yeah!" Finn threw his fist into the air. "Breadstix bread sticks are the best!"
Carole nodded, then turned to Kurt. "Any restaurant that can fill this giant up on unlimited bread is worth the money."
The three of them drove off, laughing and joking, and for the first time in a while, Kurt felt like he had a family.
:-:
Notes: Alright, boring chapter. I promise the drama and romance will be happening soon. Also, gonna be gone for a week, then soon after than I'll be moving, so bear with me, okay? Cool. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews so far! (And keep 'em coming!)
Also, I did realize that Finn and Quinn didn't date freshman year in the canon, but I wanted that added drama. We haven't seen the last of Quinn Fabray.