I have two more chapters completely written. The next chapter will hopefully be posted by Sunday. The chapters are all getting a bit longer now than the usual ~2k. I've written over 16k total so far, and I think the story will be coming to a close relatively soon. Perhaps within 5 or 6k. Who knows though with me. The last time I said I wanted to write a 5k story I ended up with this beast.
Lastly, this chapter, per usual, is completely unbetaed. If you see any mistakes then please (kindly) let me know!
It's loud. It's really loud. And crowded. There's music blasting from every corner of the room. People are yelling over each other, singing, screaming, cheering. Blaine can barely get from one side of the room to the other, and when he does it takes much longer than it should.
He's in a random house on a random street off campus. Kurt invited him. And when Kurt invites him somewhere, he goes willingly.
The party spans almost the entire house. There are a few kegs in the unfinished basement, as well as a beer pong table and a make-shift dance floor. The living room upstairs is being inhabited by more people who are just hanging around and talking, occasionally dancing to the music that someone is controlling with an iPod. And Blaine wonders whose iPod that is and why they are just leaving it out on the table for anyone to touch, steal, or break. The kitchen houses even more people, and the fridge is filled with hard liquor. He knows that people outside are smoking cigarettes and weed and taking a small break from the happenings inside, and that the upstairs is technically off limits, yet people keep disappearing up the stairs and returning a bit later looking obviously more disheveled, with sly and secret grins across their faces.
Blaine came here with Kurt, Charlie, and Ben. Kurt knows the girl whose boyfriend lives in the house, and he was given free rein to come and bring whomever he wanted. So he invited Blaine, and Blaine accepted immediately. But when Charlie and Ben found out that he'd be spending his last Saturday night at a party with Kurt before going home a few days later for Winter Break, instead of getting smashed with them, they moaned and groaned so much that Kurt was forced to invite them along as well. Not that he minded. He's become strangely close with the two of them, a fact that makes Blaine unbelievably happy. He loves knowing that these two worlds have collided, that these two completely different types of people can blend together and become friends.
So all in all, Blaine's really happy to be here with his three good friends. If only he could find them, that is. Because right now Blaine is stumbling into the kitchen, noticeably drunk but far more sober than a significant number of people here, looking for his friends who seem to have disappeared quite mysteriously.
He spots the girl that Kurt is friends with at the fridge, grabbing a bottle of Smirnoff.
"Hey!" he calls, smile stretching his face as he walks up to her. "Have you seen Kurt around anywhere?"
She turns to look at Blaine, eying him up and down. It's then that Blaine realizes that she obviously doesn't know him—they've never met. Kurt only pointed her out earlier in the night.
"Hummel," he amends. "Kurt Hummel. I came here with him. He's my roommate." He has to scream the last part because the kitchen has gotten momentarily louder as a group of six or so guys walk through it to get to the back door.
"No," she says, pouring a liberal amount into her plastic cup. "Try downstairs." She shoves the cap back on the bottle and practically throws the vodka back into the fridge, and walks away.
Blaine stands there for a few moments before taking a sip of his own drink and heading towards the basement. He's already checked down there, but that was ten minutes ago.
About an hour ago Blaine ran into an acquaintance; a kid he shares a Philosophy class with was in the basement getting a cup of beer. They started talking and he refilled Blaine's cup, effectively lengthening their conversation. Kurt, who was standing right next to Blaine, was smiling on shyly. When Blaine went to leave his friend urged him to stay and meet some of his buddies. Blaine tried to back off, not wanting to leave Kurt or make Kurt feel uncomfortable or bored, but Kurt assured him it was fine and that he could entertain himself. He left with a small grin and a peck to the cheek, leaving Blaine half startled and half hard.
But now he just wants to find Kurt. He misses Kurt and doesn't feel like meeting new people. He wants his friends. His mission has thus far proved fruitless, though.
He makes the short trip to the basement fairly quickly, only having to push a few people out of his way who wouldn't move from their spots. When he gets downstairs he doesn't see Kurt, Charlie, or Ben. He does, however, see the keg—the very last keg. He downs the rest of his drink and heads towards the line, hoping to be able to get at least one more cup of free, shitty beer before the keg runs dry and he's forced to sober up.
After that he takes a look at his surroundings. His friends still aren't in the basement, and he makes an educated guess that it's likely Kurt won't come down here at all for the rest of the night. Charlie and Ben, maybe. But right now the one half is filled with a bunch of people waiting in line to play beer pong, and the other half is filled with loud music and grinding couples. So in an effort to widen his search, he heads back upstairs and into the living room. After that he checks the bathroom and heads upstairs. When he sees that all of the doors are closed and hears the tell-tale sign of grunting and moaning he turns fire engine red and practically runs back downstairs.
He has half a cup of beer left and is starting to worry that everyone has left without him. The party is still in full swing, though, and he hasn't gotten any text messages telling him that his friends have left. He decides to head outside and clear his head a little. He has a really good buzz going on; he's loose and happy and his body is thrumming with energy. But he misses his friends. He's a very clingy drunk and it's hard now because he has no one to cling to.
He heads out the back door, located in the kitchen, and onto a small, shoddy cement porch. There are about six people crammed onto it, drinking booze and talking animatedly. Blaine descends the steps into the much bigger backyard and looks around. It's there where he finds Kurt. He's standing in the middle of the yard, but off to the side, surrounded by a small group of guys and girls. He's laughing, his cheeks rosy in spite of the cold. He has his winter jacket on and black gloves which are stopping the chill of his beer bottle from seeping into his hands. Blaine takes a minute to just look at him, at how happy and relaxed he looks. He never thought he'd see the day where Kurt was willingly hanging outside in frosty December weather, but he thanks his lucky stars that there's no snow on the ground. In fact, it's unseasonably warm for winter in the northeast.
"Hey you," he says, walking up to Kurt's side. Kurt smiles back brightly, letting Blaine wrap himself around him, arms circling Kurt's front and chin on his shoulder. Kurt leans back into Blaine's warmth, and Blaine revels in the feel of holding Kurt's weight. They sway for a second before breaking apart, and Kurt moves over to allow Blaine into the circle. Blaine still crowds in close, hand around Kurt's waist. Not possessive of him, but not yet ready to let go of the person he's spent the last hour looking for. He's drunk off beer and happiness and he wants to communicate all of that to Kurt. The only way he can think to do it is with the touch of a hand.
Blaine pays only mild attention to the conversation everyone is having. But Kurt seems absorbed in it. Blaine is just absorbed in Kurt; the way he feels, the way he smiles, the way he chuckles at some inside joke that Blaine doesn't understand. When he looks over at Blaine, smile still bright, he whispers, "What's up?"
Blaine grins. "Nothing," he replies dopily. Kurt just leans in and bangs their foreheads together. "Have you seen Ben and Charlie?"
"Ben's macking on some girl he just met. Charlie's out here somewhere." Kurt looks up and turns his head to the far back corner of the yard, nodding his head in that direction. When Blaine follows his gaze, he sees Charlie huddled out there surrounded by people. "He made some friends," Kurt explains proudly, as if he's happy to have helped Charlie branch out and meet new people—welcoming him into the crazy and kooky world of Kurt that revolves around house parties and conversations with friends as opposed to frats and one night stands.
"Awesome," Blaine responds, glad that Charlie found his own group of people to jive with.
They turn back to the conversation at hand, and Blaine tries to pay better attention. He realizes that these must be Kurt's friends, and he wants to make a good impression on them. Doesn't want them to think he doesn't care.
When there's a small lull in the conversation, Kurt takes the opportunity to introduce him to the group.
"Oh," he exclaims. "By the way, this is Blaine. Blaine, these are my friends." He points them out when introducing them. "Mark, Mindy, Peter, and Ever."
Blaine waves to them all, issuing a friendly hello to each of them individually.
"So this is the famous roommate Blaine, right?" Ever asks as he turns to look Blaine in the eye, smiling presumptuously.
"I didn't know I was famous," Blaine replies, goading Kurt.
"Yes, Blaine. You're very popular among my friends," Kurt laughs, indulging Blaine's ego.
"Yeah. Especially after the infamous jerk-off story," Mindy laughs.
Blaine's eyes go cold for a second, his jaw slack. He's not quite sure what story they're talking about. And the fact that at least two different scenarios come to mind probably isn't a good thing.
"Oh my god!" Kurt screams, swatting at her. His sudden movement and small lurch forward causes Blaine's arm to fall off Kurt's side. He keeps it down by him instead of putting it back on Kurt's waist. "I haven't even told him!"
Kurt's cheeks are red as fire, and while his tone is playful, his eyes are accusatory, oozing embarrassment and anger. Blaine stands in the group like a statue, not wanting any movements to betray him.
"Seriously?!" Ever asks, looking between the two and trying to hold back laughs. He wipes his black bangs out of his eyes, smiling broadly. "Tell him!"
The rest of the group laughs and nods in agreement, prodding Kurt to spill the beans.
"Ugh," Kurt groans. "Alright."
He turns to Blaine, who is still standing stock still, and blushes an even more furious red. He tries to look Blaine in the eyes, but when he continuously ends up averting his eyes towards the ground, Blaine's stomach jumps.
"I uh, I heard you," he slowly mutters out, "…uh, jerking off…one night." He still doesn't look Blaine in the eyes as he rolls on the balls of his feet, hands clasped in front of him.
Everyone is snickering around them, but Blaine is utterly confused. He can't place this story. Can't remember a time Kurt would have heard him masturbating. Was it in the shower those first few times? Or maybe one time he came home from class early, heard Blaine getting off, and left.
"When?" Blaine asks.
"Uhm," Kurt stalls. "A while ago?" It comes out as a question.
Blaine quirks an eyebrow at Kurt when Kurt finally looks up and meets his gaze, silently asking for clarification.
"It was at night," he finally cedes. "You thought I was sleeping. I uh…woke up." Kurt somehow manages to keep his stare firm on Blaine's. Blaine sees an apology etched into his eyes.
Blaine can remember only one time that he jerked off in his bed while Kurt was there. One time that Kurt would have heard him masturbating without Blaine realizing. He suddenly understands the implications of this; the reason why Kurt is embarrassed. It's not because he heard Blaine coming, but because he heard what Blaine said after coming.
Fuck, Kurt. I wish that were you.
"Oh," he says, not quite sure what else to say. Kurt looks so sorry. And his friends seem to have started another conversation amongst themselves. "I have to go," he decides, turning around on the spot and heading inside to the kitchen. He shivers, realizing how cold it actually is outside. The thought suddenly occurs to him that he doesn't have his jacket. He places his unfinished beer in the trash and walks into the living room. There are still about twenty people in there, sitting on couches or standing around, all talking or dancing or laughing. He goes to the corner of the room and reaches behind an old and ugly orange couch—he, Kurt, Charlie, and Ben had all shoved their coats behind the couch when they got to the party for safekeeping. He retrieves his jacket and goes to leave.
He's not angry. Not upset. Not hurt. He's insanely embarrassed and he really wishes that Kurt had just never told him this little tidbit of information, but other than that he just feels really confused. Because apparently Kurt has known about his crush for over a month. For almost two months. He just feels a bit suffocated and could use some time to himself. He knows that he can't avoid Kurt—and really, he's not actually trying to avoid Kurt. He's just looking to piece together the puzzle pieces of his brain.
He's about to step out of the living room when a hand grabs his arm and pulls him back, forcing him to turn around.
"Wait," Kurt pleads, eyes desperate and glinting with wetness. "Don't go. I am so sorry, Blaine."
Blaine's not really sure what Kurt's sorry for, though. Sorry for telling him the story? Sorry for sharing it with friends? Sorry for waking up when Blaine was jerking off? He knows it's not Kurt's fault that Blaine's moans woke him up. And while he's not mad at Kurt, he does still wish that he never shared that story with other people. So he assumes that this is what Kurt is apologizing for. And, to be honest, he's happy for the apology.
"Mmhmm," Blaine nods, because he's not sure what to say. He feels a bit claustrophobic right now. "I have to go," he declares, going to turn around again.
"Please," Kurt says, his voice breaking. "Please." He says it stronger, and Blaine turns around and looks at him. "I'm sorry. I swear though, it's not what it seems like."
Blaine's confused even more now, because he's pretty sure it's exactly what it seems like. He jerked off to the thought of Kurt giving him a hand job. He did this while Kurt was barely three feet away. He came with Kurt's name on his lips and Kurt overheard and told some of his friends. It's pretty cut and dry.
His confusion is probably evident, because Kurt screams, really fucking loudly, loudly enough for the entire room to hear, "I like you, too!"
It's an annoyingly perfect movie moment. At least for a second.
People stop talking but the music keeps playing. They all pause their conversations to look at the two people standing in the middle of the room and apparently confessing their love to each other. One guy even sarcastically shouts out, "Awesome, dude. You go!" Replete with a lazy fist pump. But then everyone goes back to talking and ignoring them, and Blaine says, "Beg your pardon?"
Kurt, whose hand is still encircling Blaine's arm, lowers his hand to Blaine's hand and begins walking towards the front hallway and out the front door onto the porch. He closes the door after them and turns towards Blaine.
"I like you, too. That's the only reason I didn't mention it. I didn't want to embarrass you either. And I know it seems as if I was gossiping about you," he explains, "but I wasn't. I just…I told them in confidence. I know they haven't told anyone. They're just drunk and thought it would be a fun story to tell. They were under the impression that I already told you." Kurt's voice is measured; his words are slow and calculative. He doesn't rush or babble or stutter, and the entire time he maintains eye contact with Blaine, as if trying to impart this information upon him is the most important thing.
"Oh." Blaine has literally been stunned into silence. He's not quite sure what to say next, but he knows that the boy he likes, the boy who apparently likes him back, is holding his hand. He looks down at their intertwined fingers and feels Kurt squeeze it in reassurance. When he looks back up at Kurt he states confidently, "Let's go home."
Aight. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you liked or didn't like. FYI. We like Kurt's friends. They're awesome and great people.