Kurt POV
My day had gotten off to a lousy start, and didn't seem to be getting any better. I'm not talking Sweeny Todd 'let's slit some throats and bake them into meat pies' lousy, or Little Shop of Horrors 'kill people and feed them to an alien plant' lousy, more of a 'my boyfriends in trouble and I'm not going to get to see him all morning' lousy.
Carol had been furious when she finally tracked Finn down to my house last night. Not only had he missed his appointment, but we had managed to sleep through her increasingly frantic phone calls. By the time she had tried my phone, which had a significantly louder ring, she was nearly hysterical, convinced that her baby boy was dead in a ditch somewhere, and she would be called on to identify his mutilated body. If it had been my father, he would have shrugged and assumed I was spending the night at one of the girls' houses. I'm not sure whether I should be glad about that or not.
Finn hadn't woken up when my phone started blaring 'Defying Gravity', nor had he so much as twitched when I squirmed out from under his arm and out of bed. However, as soon as Carol started shrieking through the phone, he vaulted to his feet. Of course, he immediately fell over, since he was still pretty much asleep, but he knew his mothers voice, even blurred and crackly because the reception wasn't that great in the basement.
As soon as I had assured her that Finn was, in fact, with me, and not dead and mutilated, her fear morphed into anger, and I was certainly glad that she was his mother and not mine. Finn had taken the phone, letting her know that he was fine, and he had just fallen asleep and a lot of 'yeah, Mom', 'yeah, Mom', 'I know, Mom'. Finally he had hung up and nodded at me. "She's coming to get me, and it would probably be best if I was wearing pants when she gets here."
"I can see where finding you with another boy, sans pants, might be a little disturbing for her." Disappointing for me, but I didn't want to have to explain to Dad why Carol never wanted to see him again because his queer son had corrupted her sweet baby boy.
Finn paused in trying to get his shirt right side out again. "Does 'sans' mean, like, you don't have any?"
That was the really cute thing about Finn. He seemed to get embarrassed about what he did and didn't know, because he wasn't too prideful to ask for clarification. I guess it's something I could pick up from him. "Yes, Finn, it means without."
"Yeah, it would be seriously creepy and gross if she saw me without pants on. I don't think she would care about me being with a boy though, she's cool like that." He carefully fixed the sling and slipped his shirt on. "She's a good Mom, but, I'm warning you right now, she might kill me tonight. She worries about me when I'm out of her sight. I think it's because of my dad."
Talking about dead parents was not only a mood killer, but extremely dangerous territory. I missed my mother desperately, and I think Finn misses his father, too, just in a different way. The thing was, I didn't want to talk about her, and there wasn't much Finn could say about him. I didn't know the mans name, and I was pretty sure that I had never told Finn that my mother had been named Sophie. Funny that I could let him see me naked, and have no problems touching his body or allowing him to touch mine, but I couldn't recite such a simple fact.
He kept on. "So, if she kills me, feel free to find someone else. I won't, like, haunt you or anything."
Did he really think that he was so easy to replace?
Of course he does. After all, Quinn replaced him with Puck, just like that. Then Rachael replaced him with Puck, too. What is it with these girls and their stunning lack of taste?
"Finn, we live in Lima, Ohio. You know, the homophobic capital of the US? Other then you, there isn't one person here willing to acknowledge my boyfriend potential."
He stretched his arms up over his head, giving a jaw-cracking yawn as he did so. "Oh, I don't know about that."
The doorbell rang before I could ask what he meant by that rather odd statement. He grabbed his backpack and took a deep breath, no doubt preparing himself for his mother's wrath. The bell rang again, leaving me to wonder how she could make the mechanical chime sound so furious.
"One last hug?" He held out his arms, and I jumped into them, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. I squeezed as tightly as I could, memorizing his scent and his feel and everything about him, just like this was the last time we would be together. He gripped me back, having no trouble supporting my weight. He nuzzled the top of my head. "Ok, let's face the dragon lady."
With a quick check in the mirror to ensure that we were both decent (and that I was fabulous) I bounded up the stairs, Finn trailing along behind me, looking like a man on his way to the guillotine. "Oh, quit looking like someone burned your Vogue collection. How bad can she be?"
I found out as soon as I opened the door. Carol smiled tenderly at me. "Hi, Kurt. How are you doing, precious?"
As always, I looked down. Logically, I knew it wasn't bad to like Carol, and it wasn't bad for my father to like her either, but I still couldn't help feeling like my mother would have resented being replaced like that. "I'm good."
"That's good. You!" She pointed at Finn, who had come creeping up behind me. "Get your little ass in the car. You are in big trouble." Her voice would have had Coach Sylvester shaking.
Finn raised on hand in a half wave, then slunk out to the car. Good move, I wouldn't have risked her anger by pausing for too long either. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hudson. He specifically asked me not to let him fall asleep, and I did. Then I fell asleep and it's really all my fault."
She shook her head. "That's very sweet of you, but Finn needs to take responsibility for himself. He knows to call me if he's going somewhere after school, and I had to reschedule his appointment for tomorrow when he's supposed to be at school. Tell your father hello for me."
"I will." I still couldn't meet her eyes, but she seemed alright with that. "I'll see you this weekend."
She smiled one last time and patted my shoulder. "I'll see you then."
I had sat and worried until nearly 10, when I had finally texted Finn to ask how he was doing. I didn't want the phone to ring and his mother to hear it, but stress leads to acne and wrinkles, and I was not about to have either one. He had called back, immediately, telling me that his mother was already in bed and it was safe to talk.
As it turned out, he wasn't grounded, or even really in trouble. In a classic Mom move, she had just talked to him until he felt so guilty that he found himself swearing to never upset her again. "Ouch."
"Yeah. It gets worse, though. After she made me feel terrible about myself, she took both of my hands and looked into my eyes and said 'Finn, you know I love you, and I'm only saying this because I'm your mother and I care about you. Are you being safe with Kurt? Do you need me to take you to buy condoms?'"
Anything else he might have said was drowned out by my laughter. Had it been Dad and I having that same talk (and I didn't delude myself into thinking that we wouldn't have it as soon as he found out about Finn and I) it would have been mortifying, but at least we were both guys. Having the condom talk with your mother? No.
Finn was chuckling, too, but he still managed to sound affronted. "Dude, it's not funny! How does a guy recover from his mother asking how big his dick is?"
My giggles had almost been under control, but that made them start again. "Finn, she didn't ask how big it was. She just wants you to be safe."
It was surprisingly easy for me to picture Finn's eyebrows drawing together when he talked. "She might as well have. You have to pick a size, and she would be able to see that. Then I might have to die."
Sometimes I think Finn missed his calling as an actor. He can be such as drama queen, and when I say that, it means a lot. Then I had another thought. Condoms came in sizes? I mean, it makes sense, but I had always been too embarrassed to even glance at the condom aisle in the store, so I had never thought about it. Wonder what size I needed? My flush deepened as I wondered what size Finn needed.
Do they come in huge? Because, damn! You might need to do a little research on this stuff, Kurt; you seem a little confused about it all.
I was not! Ok, maybe I was. I understood the basic premise of how to give a blow job, and what actual intercourse would entail, but I wanted things to be perfect for Finn and I. Maybe Galinda was right, and a little research was in order. There had to be a place on the internet that just gave factual advice, I would just have to shuffle through all of graphic porn to find it.
Maybe graphic porn is what you need. You know, learn it from the professionals? Even better, invite Finn over again and you can practice on each other. Learning by doing is always best in my book.
See, my diva always had good ideas. Now I could look at hot naked guys and not feel like a pervert. I was gathering facts and data, so it was like an assignment. I just had to figure out a way to pay for it using my father's credit card and not have him find out about it. I could just see .com popping up on his statement. He had taken away my baby for the tiara collection; I couldn't even imagine what this would cause me to lose.
Your virginity?
"What about my virginity?" I suddenly realized that Finn was still on the line, probably wondering if I had fallen asleep or died or been eaten by a fire breathing dragon. Finn tended to worry about the strangest things happening to me.
"Not yours, mine, and I was just thinking out loud." There was no way I was going to tell him what I was really thinking. He would either be so creeped out that he would never talk to me again or so turned on that he would sneak out of his house and get in even worse trouble. "Listen, I have to let you go. It's time for my shower and nightly moisturizing routine."
I was banking on Finn not caring about any of that, and, sure enough, he had quickly made an excuse to get off the phone. "Bye then, I'll see you tomorrow. Aren't we having more visitors in Glee?"
"Right, the deaf school. Finn, I….I'll see you." For a terrible second, I had almost told him I loved him. Not that I didn't, but I didn't want to scare him away. Easy does it, especially when dealing with a skittish teenage boy who had only been having homosexual thoughts for a week.
"Kay, bye. Go back do your face stuff and…stuff." His voice had suddenly dropped, so I could only assume that Carol had come to check on him. "I might miss lunch, but I'll see you in Glee."
I wondered how he could make those few words sound like a date.
The next day passed slowly. Mercedes was full of questions about where I had been yesterday, questions that I wasn't sure how to answer. Finn had been pretty clear about not wanting her to know, but she was my best (and sometimes only) friend, and I desperately needed someone to talk to about this. I stammered my way through some lies, my face so red that I was going to have either confess soon or start wearing concealer, which was just not possible. I had tried that once, in an attempt to cover up the freckles that popped up in the summer, and ended up with my skin all broken out.
"I told you, Mercedes, I went home and fell asleep, which is why I didn't hear the phone ring. Now, are you going to lend me your homework or not?"
She passed it over with a smug expression. "Kurt, no one believes you, sweetheart. But you keep your little romance a secret for now. I know who it really is, and one day you'll confess it to me. But since you've snagged yourself a man, we need to work on getting one for me."
I had no idea how to help her, since I still wasn't quite sure how I had managed to get my own, but as her best male girlfriend, I was required to do my best. "Well, what do you want in a man? Is there anyone specific you have your eye on?"
Her arm came around my shoulders. "Oh, I don't know. I was kind of looking at Finn the other day and-Kurt, did you just growl at me?"
"Mercedes, I would never do something as low class as growling at you." I gave my hair an expert toss and glared. It was a move that worked on everyone else, but Mercedes knows all of my tricks by now.
"Nice try, Baby, but I'm not impressed by that any more. Anyway, Finn is your man, and totally not my type. Chicks before dicks and all that. Now what I want is a beautiful black man, with a gorgeous smile and big hands."
"Big hands?" I understood everything else, but hands?
She smirked again. "You know what they say about guys with big hands…"
I knew exactly what she was implying. "I think that's big feet, not hands."
"Uh-huh, and what shoe size does Finn wear?"
"13" I answered before I thought. "I mean…well…"
Well, what? You may have to explore the possibility that a correlation does, in fact, exist between shoe size and penis size. The living proof was in your basement last night.
Mercedes gave me that look that was somehow both tender and intimidating. "Alright, Kurt, I'll quit teasing you. Walk me to class."
I spent the rest of the morning carefully evaluating the boys in the school and trying to figure out which one might be a match for her. Unfortunately, none of them measured up to my admittedly high standards. Still, I wasn't ready to admit defeat yet. The right guy was out there, I just had to find him.
Finn wasn't at lunch, nor was he in any of his afternoon classes. I missed him, with his goofy smile and dark eyes and the way he almost never had the right answer, but still tried as hard as he could. More than anything, I missed the way he had looked at me yesterday, like I was the most important person in the entire world.
By the time Glee practice rolled around, I had almost given up hope of seeing Finn at all. Maybe Carol had decided to let him stay home for the rest of the day, or the maybe something had gone wrong at the doctors. What if his arm was infected, or not healing right? He might be back in the hospital right now.
I was working my way up to a true diva hissy fit tantrum, when Galinda stepped in. Why don't you ask someone? I'll bet Mr. Shue could tell you.
When I actually bothered to listen to her instead of flying off the handle and coming up with some over elaborate scheme, she had some pretty good advice. I paused for a quick stop at my locker, just so I could ensure I was looking my absolute best, and knocked tentatively on Mr. Shue's door.
"Come in." He sounded frazzled, which he always did these days. The man needed a good massage and sandalwood scrub, though I wasn't going to be the one to suggest it. "Hi, Kurt, what can I do for you? How's your solo going?"
So much had happened that it took a minute before I remembered what he was talking about. "It's going good. I can hit the high F now."
He gave me a searching look. "That's fantastic! Although, I must confess, I was a little surprised that you failed to hit it properly the first time. You have a very impressive range."
If he had pushed the issue, even a little bit, I would have confessed that I had thrown the competition, but he just let it go. "Is there a reason you came to see me?"
Now that I was actually here, it sounded stupid and clingy to ask, not to mention it would totally give away Finn and my real relationship. "I guess not. I'll see you at Glee."
I turned and was almost out the door before he broke the silence. "Finn will be at practice. His mother just called and said they got held up at the hospital, then decided to go for a late lunch. She wanted to make sure it was alright for him to attend Glee if he hadn't been in school."
It wasn't in my nature to be affectionate, except with a very select group of people, but I found that I had to restrain myself from giving him a hug. Not only had he relieved the worst of my worries, but he had done it in a way that didn't draw any attention to the fact that Finn and I were now more than friends. Still less then actual boyfriends, but more then we had been 24 hours ago.
Coach Sylvester had claimed the auditorium for some trumped up Cheerios function, so we were using the choir room for when the deaf school came. This might make me totally politically incorrect, but I was pretty curious to see how they performed.
"Hey Spider Monkey." It was only Finn, but the sudden thump of having more then 200 pounds toss itself down next to you made me yelp. "Easy, it's just me."
"Spider Monkey?" A part of me was horrified that he would call me that, but a larger part found it really, really cute. "I call you Cowboy, and I get Spider Monkey in return?" I'm not sure why that surprised me, considering he was the one who wanted to name the baby Drizzle.
"Yeah." He patted my knee. "You know, because of the way you jumped up into my arms last night. You hang on like a little spider monkey."
Awww. Even you have to admit how freaking adorable that is. As long as he keeps it to himself, that is. Do you even want to know what Puck would do to you if he found out? Or what he'd do to Finn?
"Let's keep the nicknames between you and me." I laid my hand over his; just now realizing that it was his right hand. "Hey, they took your sling?"
"Yeah. The doctor said that as long as I was careful and didn't try and do too much with it, that it was better not to have it kept up all the time because it would make the muscles abrofee or something. Basically they would all shrivel up."
"Atrophy." It was disturbing how quickly I was coming to interpret Finn-speak. "Atrophy is when your muscles deteriorate from lack of use."
"Yeah, that's it. I'm supposed to start physical therapy tonight, and they'll help me with what I should and shouldn't do."
I desperately wanted to give him just a little kiss, but the door banged open and Rachael marched in. I leaned back in my chair, away from Finn, and stared at the ceiling. My hands folded in my lap, holding each other so they wouldn't suddenly get the idea to take his hands. Finn cut his eyes at me, but wisely kept his own counsel.
"Hi, Finn." She was doing that obnoxious thing where she fluttered her eyelashes and looked down while smoothing her skirt. "Are we still on for tomorrow? My dads are going to be out, so we'll have some privacy." It was a little hard to tell, but I was pretty sure that she was watching me as closely as she was watching Finn.
"Yeah, of course." Finn still didn't know about our little bet, but he was obviously picking up on something, because he started chewing nervously on his lip. "I have to stop at home first, but I can be over about 5."
"That sounds wonderful; I'll have everything ready for you." She put a hand on his thigh; far higher then could be considered even slightly appropriate for a school setting. My fingernails dug into my palms, but I forced my face to be blank. I wasn't going to give her the pleasure of seeing me react.
What the Hell are you doing? Smack the hell out of that bitch! Look at her digging her atrociously polished fingernails into your mans leg. If you have to roll around on this disgusting floor in a claws out bitch fight with her it will be totally worth it.
God, I was all but peeing on Finn to mark my territory. See what Rachael Berry reduced me to? If Finn was stupid enough to go over there, and let her put her dry, flakey hands all over him, that was his problem, but he better not think he was ever touching me again.
"Cool." Finn scooted a tiny bit closer to me, just enough to be reassuring. He knew what she was doing, and he wasn't going to let her trick him into anything. "I'll see you then."
If it had gone on much longer, I might have had to embarrass myself by actually lunging at her, but Mr. Shue entered the room and she was on him, loudly complaining about the lack of a page in the yearbook for the Glee club. I took the brief lull to lean over and whisper to Finn. "Just remember, don't lead her on."
He smiled, a brief quirk of his lips. "Do you really want to tell me that if I touch her I'm never allowed to touch you?"
"Am I that obvious?" Foolish question. If Finn could figure it out, I was pretty obvious.
"You're glaring at her like you want to jump up and claw her eyes out. It's kind of sexy when you get all possessive." His voice had dropped into that half growl thing that was making my already tight pants extremely uncomfortable.
Please God don't let me jump his ass in front of Rachael and Mr. Shue, please God don't let me jump his ass in front of Rachael and Mr. Shue, please God-
Why not? This is Rachael Berry we're talking about. She probably won't get it if you do anything less.
That was mean, but true and I snickered quietly to myself. As tempting as it was to just grab Finn and stake a claim on him, it wasn't right or fair. To start with, it would scare him, which was never good, and anyway, I had made him swear he would do nothing inappropriate in front of the rest of the student body, and I felt like I was probably bound by that promise as well. Plus more and more of the Glee club was filing in, and while kissing Finn in front of Rachael and Mr. Shue had a delicious naughtiness about it, kissing him in front of Puck was only going to lead to slushies and dumpster dips for both of us.
The director for the other group strutted in, loudly barking out instructions for Tinkles, and signing at a group of student who had just wandered it. It was a small group, probably not much bigger then ours, and they looked nervous. I understood that feeling from the pep assembly, when New Directions had performed for an audience for the first time.
The piano started, and they turned as one to an African-American boy in the middle, waiting for their cue. I had recognized the song from its beginning notes, but was still surprised when he started speaking. The rest of the Glee club must have read his lips to keep on beat, because they all signed the words along with him. There was something eerily beautiful about their movements, all in perfect sync.
I tried to memorize their signs exactly, so I could replicate some of them later. It was all so smooth and perfect that it was like they were dancing without ever moving their feet. Besides me, Finn's breath caught; as if, he too, was transfixed by what he was seeing. They moved so quickly that I could only clearly see a few signs. Man, imagine, people. My hands turned in my lap as I repeated them as closely as I could.
Our entire Glee Club was quiet, as if every one of them felt the same magic that I did. Even Puck and Brit, who could usually be counted on to say something either disgusting or inappropriate, were silent, leaning against their respective partners. I wanted to lean against Finn so badly that it was like a physical thing, and I couldn't force myself to hold back. My hand was nearly on his when I heard Mercedes start to sing.
Her voice was soft and clear, the best I had heard it yet. Slowly she rose, keeping tempo with the group leader, their eyes locked on each other. I might not be the greatest at figuring out relationships, but I knew sparks when I saw them. I gave Finn a quick nudge, then jerked my chin towards the risers. He nodded once and rose himself, choosing a spot of his own.
Once Finn got up and did it, the rest of the club followed suit. Imagine was such a classic song that everyone knew the words, so we could focus on the signs. Both Mr. Shue and their teacher watched us in amazement, blinking back tears. For a few minutes, there was no competition, no rivalry. Just two groups, singing together.
The song ended, and we all started laughing. Finn caught my eye and grinned. Mr. Shue cleared his throat. "That was fantastic, you guys. We have pizzas waiting for you in the cafeteria, courtesy of Coach Sylvester. I don't know why she's being so nice, but I'm pretty sure they aren't poisoned."
The other group's teacher gave him a confused look, but signed rapidly to his group, who looked thrilled at the thought of free food. The followed us happily, signing among themselves as we chattered. I looked for Finn, but he seemed to have vanished for the moment.
Pizza, especially the fast food type pizzas waiting in the cafeteria has to be one of the worst things you can eat. It's filled with nothing but fat and grease, not to mention the empty carbs that come from the white flour in the crust. Still, I didn't want to be left out, so I took a single piece and prayed that I wouldn't end up all broken out because of it.
Mercedes sat down next to me. "Hey, Kurt."
"Hey yourself. That was pretty awesome back there." Mercedes tended to get overlooked and forgotten, and I was glad that she had gotten a chance to shine.
She narrowed her eyes and grinned at me. "Kurt, I'm always awesome, and you better not forget it."
"Yes, Mistress." I crossed my arms and bopped my head, just like Jeannie from the old shows, but she wasn't looking at me any more. "What in the world your man doing?"
"He isn't my-"I looked around, finally catching sight of him on the other side of the room. "I have no idea."
Finn was at a table with the leader of the school for the deaf. There was a notebook between them, as they communicated by writing notes back and forth. Finn looked intense, more so then I usually saw him, but I had no idea why.
"Quit staring, you creeper." There was something in Mercedes voice that broke my concentration, and I looked over at her. The blush wasn't as obvious on her as it was against my pale skin, but she was definitely embarrassed.
This was a perfect chance to get her back for the teasing I had endured every since Finn's accident. "Ooh, does someone have a little crush?"
She huffed, but I could tell I had scored a point. "Maybe, but is someone else's boyfriend over there flirting with him?"
Point to Mercedes. "As if any mere mortal could tear him away from me." After all, Finn wasn't attracted to other boys, just me.
"Claiming him now, are you? He wasn't your boyfriend 20 seconds ago."
Even though I had lost this round, I had to admire Mercedes skill and determination at getting the secret out of me. I leaned forward. "Yes, alright? But don't let him know I told you, because he asked me not to, and he's got all these trust issues and could you just not say anything for now?"
She handed me some extra napkins so I could blot my slice of pizza and nodded. "Of course. But that doesn't explain what he's up to."
Honestly, I didn't know Finn well enough to even guess. Finn wrote something and the boy nodded, making a quick sign. Finn looked at him and tried it out for himself. The boy laughed and gently took both of Finn's hands, folding them in his own and guiding him through the sign.
Forget Rachael Berry, kill this bastard. Look at him, holding Finn's hands when even you aren't allowed to do that. Faster pussycat, kill, kill, kill!
I was about to rise to my feet, when the boy looked over in my direction. It was a quick glance that went nowhere near my eyes. He scrawled something in the notebook, and Finn nodded. Were they talking about me?
Finn repeated the sign again, this time correctly. He jotted another quick note, which caused his companion to give him a funny look and write something back. Finn grinned at him and nodded enthusiastically. They went through two more signs before Finn got the thumbs up. Whatever they were doing, they had done it right.
"Why don't you go over there and see what's happening?" Mercedes was obviously dying of curiosity.
Because I couldn't. My jealousy and jumping to conclusions had gotten me in trouble before, and I wanted Finn to have his space. Throwing a big tantrum would only remind him what a control freak I really was and that he could do miles better, with a male or female.
I could barely hold back though, when they both stood and the other boy moved close to his face, one hand on his neck. They were so close that they could have kissed, and, for a horrible moment, I thought they were going to. Maybe Finn was attracted to other boys. I had been a good start, but now he wanted someone more like him.
"Chill out, Kurt. I think he's showing Mr. Hottie something."
Yeah, like his tongue. I told Galinda to shut the hell up and looked over. "What?"
She lightly touched her own neck. "He's feeling the vibrations in Finn's throat, so he can make the same sounds. I wonder what they're talking about."
Finn gave his new friend a big grin and a double thumbs up, sign language that everyone understood. "I guess we're going to find out, because here they come."
He came up behind me and lightly took my arm. "Kurt, can I see you outside for a minute?" His tone was deceptively sweet.
"I'm not done eating." Whatever was about to happen, I didn't want to miss it.
He snorted. "You don't eat pizza and you know it. It's filled with empty calories and sugary starches and that wrecks havoc on your complexion."
The fact that he had actually paid attention when I was telling him all of that was kind of sweet. Not that he took that advice for himself (and damn his metabolism that let him eat like a starving tiger and never gain an ounce or get a single pimple!), but he didn't hassle me to eat it any more.
His grip tightened and he tugged gently. "Please?"
I had never been able to deny Finn anything he wanted, and I found myself nodding. "Fine. Is your new friend coming along with us?"
"Huh? Oh, Sean? No, he wanted to talk to Mercedes, which is why we're going to give them some privacy."
Now I was desperate to find out what was about to happen, but I had just asked her to respect my privacy, so I guessed I had to respect hers, too. "Alright."
Finn's hand lingered on my back, almost guiding me towards the door. Together, we walked out into the hallway then into an unused classroom. Finn used his foot to nudge the door closed, then leaned down and kissed me on the lips.
Anyone could have walked in and seen us, but I was having trouble remembering why that was bad. Finn tended to have that affect on me. Finally I was able to draw away. "W-why did you do that?"
He shrugged. "Because I wanted to. You worry too much sometimes."
And he didn't worry enough. Finn was a sweetheart, too sweet to know just how bad things could get if someone like Karofsky or Azimio were to see him kissing me like that. Slushie facials and dumpster dips were bad enough, but the look in Karofsy's eyes last week, when he had tried to get me away from the school, was truly frightening. He had been capable of hurting me that day, and he wouldn't hesitate to include Finn in with me. Finn was a big guy, but even a big guy would fail against three or more hockey players.
I didn't tell him that, though. No matter what I said, he wouldn't quite believe it. Finn always looked for the good in people, which was one of the reasons Quinn had been able to sucker him in like she had. "Maybe. So, what were you and Sean talking about?"
He smiled and released me. "Ok, let me see if I remember this right. I wanted him to show me a sign that I could show you. You know, something that could be just for us."
He curled his thumbs and pointer fingers together, like he was making an 'ok' sign, then brought both hands around and lightly touched them together in front of his chest. "There."
As hard as I tried, I couldn't figure out what he could possibly be trying to tell me "What does it mean?"
"Precious. Because, you know, you kind of are."
Kurt, you need to listen to Galinda. The next time this boy does anything to piss you off, and he will, I want you to remember this. Remember that he loved you so much that he learned some sign language, just so he would be able to tell you that he cared without drawing too much attention to the pair of you. Even if he never says the words, he loves you right now.
Yes, he did. It was so incredibly perfect that I had to look down so he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes. "Finn, that has to be one of the sweetest things I have ever seen." Deciding that I would deal with Karofsky when he appeared, I stood up on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Thank you so much." It came out as a choked whisper.
See, this is why Finn isn't as stupid as most people think he is. Most people would have drawn attention to how overwhelmed I was, and ended up embarrassing the both of us. Finn just hugged me back until I could get the tears to stop. He understood when he should talk, and when he was just better off staying close and offering a hug.
Finally I was able to pull a silk handkerchief out of my pocket and wipe my face. "So, want to see what else I had him show me?"
Why was I suddenly afraid of that goofy grin? Oh, wait. It was because that was the same smile he gave me before he picked me up of the counter at his house, or before he shoved his hand down my pants, or he tried to sneak off with the keys to my baby. It meant his sneaky, mischievous side was coming out to play. "Alright, show me what else you learned."
This time, there was very little doubt about what he was signing, especially with the sound effects. Spider Monkey. I would never say this out loud, even if threatened with having to wear nothing but normal blue jeans and flannels for months, but the nickname was kind of growing on me. It wasn't Baby, or Darling, or Sweetheart, or Snookums. Those were names that anyone could have. This was a name that Finn had picked out especially for me.
Another thought occurred to me. "So, did Sean wonder why you wanted to learn the sign 'precious' which is incredibly sweet, then the sign for 'spider monkey'?"
"Yeah. He said that mostly people want to learn how to say 'I love you' or curse words. But I told him that I wanted to learn it for someone special, and that they would really, really appreciate it."
"What did you show him?" I was being nosy and I knew it, but I couldn't erase the memory of Sean's fingers resting on Finn's throat. Damn it, the only person who should be putting their hands on him like that was me!
Finn looked a little confused, so I hastened to clarify. "You were showing him how to say something, weren't you? He had his hands right here." I ran my fingers over the same spot, feeling his Adams apple move as he swallowed hard.
"Oh. That. Well, it's kind of a secret, but I think you'll find out really soon." He looked down as he spoke, uncomfortable with keeping things from me.
I could have forced the truth out of him, but decided to let him off the hook instead. "Alright. What did he say when you told him you wanted to learn the signs for someone special?"
He smiled again. "He said that you and I must have a very interesting relationship."
I laid my cheek against his chest. "That we do, Cowboy. That we do."