Fic: Be Wary of Warblers
Title: Be Wary of Warblers
Genre: Romance, Humor
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/OC
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jealous after losing another solo to Blaine, a Warbler sets out to take away something he doesn't think Blaine fully appreciates: Kurt Hummel.
Notes: After writing this for FF.net, I decided to see how well it would fair on LJ. I haven't actually read a whole lot of Dalton fic, so I'm unfamiliar with the general fanon interpretations of characters like Wes or Dave, so I just went with what fit for the story. I also used the actor's last names for characters without established last names.
Kurt poked his head into the senior commons and glanced around the room for Blaine. As a junior, he technically wasn’t allowed in there outside of Warbler meetings and in-school performances, but do to the fact that they didn’t have any classes together, Kurt hadn’t seen Blaine all day. He spotted him on a leather couch with Wes and David. The three of them were huddled around Wes’s laptop. Blaine looked up and waved. Kurt waved back and smiled as Blaine got up from his seat to walk over to him.
“Hey,” said Kurt, “What are you guys up to?” He clutched his books to his chest and eyed the two councilmembers across the room.
“We’re making the program for the Valentine’s brunch in a next week,” said Blaine. “You excited?”
Kurt ginned. “Have the council decided on the solos yet?”
Blaine smiled slyly and leaned in. “If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. But you’ll find out at the meeting this afternoon.”
Every year on the Sunday before Valentine’s, Dalton Academy held a special brunch for all the boys to bring their significant others to. The Warblers, of course, were required to sing for the event.
He turned around at the sound of Wes calling him. Wes raised an eyebrow and Blaine sighed.
“Hey, um,” Blaine scratched the back of his head and turned to face Kurt. “Can you help Seth and Andrew decorate the library? Connor and some other juniors were gonna help but apparently they bailed.”
Kurt blinked. “Oh, uh, ok, sure.”
Blaine bit his lip. “Plus, you’re kinda not supposed to be in here, you know?”
Kurt nodded. “Right, of course,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”
He waived a quick goodbye and ducked out. It wasn’t that Kurt didn’t like his fellow juniors, he just felt a bit awkward around them. All of their friendships and group dynamics were already established, and Kurt felt like he intruded. Things were just so much easier with Blaine. He sighed and made his way toward the library.
Among the ancient stacks and shelves of books, Andrew and Seth hung up streams of paper hearts. Seth stood atop a long ladder resting against a wall while Andrew held pieces of scotch tape out to him. Kurt came out from behind a shelf.
“Hey, I heard you guys needed help?” he said, placing his books on a table.
“Yeah, thanks,” said Andrew as he tore off another piece of tape.
Seth reached down to take it. “You can start by cutting out hearts out of that construction paper over there.” He took the piece of tape and pointed to a pile of pink and red paper on the table.
Kurt nodded and picked up a pair of scissors. “Any idea who’s getting the solos for the Valentine’s brunch?” he asked casually.
Andrew scoffed. “Oh, lemme guess.” He tore off another piece of tape with unusual force. “Blaine, Blaine, and, hmmm, I don’t know, Blaine?”
Kurt forced a chuckle.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Seth as he secured a heart to the wall, “Blaine will probably only get that lover boy song.”
“The song is called Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy and it’s awesome.” Andrew crumbled up a piece of tape and threw it at Seth. It stuck to the sleeve of his uniform jacket and Seth struggled to wipe it off.
Kurt finished cutting a large, red heart and handed it to Andrew. He wasn’t really sure what to think of the two of them, especially after they were caught spying on New Directions. Sure, it was against the rules, but Kurt was guilty of doing the same thing, and he knew he would be a hypocrite for thinking negatively of them for it. Andrew took the heart and pressed a piece of tape to it.
“God, I hate Valentine’s day,” Andrew sighed as he handed the heart up to Seth. “As if I need any more reminders of how I’m perpetually single.”
Kurt smiled. “No kidding.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being single,” said Seth, climbing down from his latter.
“What about you?” asked Kurt, picking up a pink sheet of paper and cutting into it. “Do you have anyone special?”
Andrew laughed and helped Seth move the latter to another shelf. “Seth doesn’t date. He doesn’t believe in love.”
Kurt put down his scissors. “Oh?”
Seth sighed, his breath blowing his wispy black hair out of his eyes.
“It’s not that I don’t believe in love,” he said, “it’s that as teenagers, we don’t have the mental or emotional capacity to fall in love. I don’t think anyone can really fall in love until they’re, like, twenty five.”
Kurt thought about it for a moment, then picked up his scissors again and started to cut. “And anything before that?”
“Infatuation, or platonic love mixed with sexual attraction.”
Andrew tore off another piece of tape. “Sorry, Seth, but I can’t wait that long. What about you, Kurt?”
Kurt smiled and handed him another paper heart. “Me neither.”
Andrew grinned and took the heart. “Yeah, you’ve got a thing for Blaine, haven’t you?”
Kurt blushed. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”
Andrew nodded. “Of course not.”
A few hours later, the Warblers gathered in the senior commons, eagerly awaiting the announcement declaring the soloists for the Valentine’s brunch. Blaine sat down next to Kurt as the council situated themselves at their table. He grinned at him and held up a pair of crossed fingers. Kurt grinned back. Wes banged gravel against the table and the chatter in the room died as all eyes turned to him.
“I know what you all are waiting for,” said Wes, “and yes, today we will be discussing our set list for this year’s Valentine’s brunch. I would like to thank you all for auditioning for solos. Such enthusiasm is greatly appreciated. However, there are only five songs, and therefore only five solos. David, if I may?”
David reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Wes, who stood up.
“Can I have a drum roll?” he said, holding the paper out.
The boys padded the tables and chairs, filling the room with noise. They stopped the moment Wes spoke.
“The first solo, for Time After Time goes to Nick!”
The boys shouted and clapped as Nick stood up to take a bow. They quieted down as Wes announced the next solo.
“Our second solo, for Blue Moon, is Thad!”
Once again the room erupted into applause.
“Next, for Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy is…”
Andrew perked up in his seat. He loved this song. He wanted it so bad.
“Blaine!”
It took a moment for Andrew to join in on the clapping. He should have known Blaine was going to get it. Blaine got every solo Andrew wanted every single time. He clenched his jaw and crossed his arms as Wes announced the next solo.
“Next, for You’ve Got the Love, is our newcomer Kurt Hummel!”
Applause exploded throughout the room as Kurt turned bright red and beamed. Andrew was happy for him. After hearing him Don’t Cry for me, Argentina, he knew the kid deserved a solo.
“And finally, for Weezer’s Buddy Holly, the solo goes to Andrew!”
It didn’t even register until Seth shook his shoulder and ginned at him. Andrew looked up and blinked as his fellow Warblers applauded him. He sat there in stunned silence as the rest of the meeting unfolded. He didn’t audition for that song. He barely even liked it. He couldn’t understand why they were even singing it at this brunch. The meeting concluded, and Andrew shuffled up to Wes to pick up his sheet music.
“Are you happy?” Wes asked as he pulled the papers out of a folder. “You’ve been craving a solo forever.”
Andrew nodded. “Uh, yeah, I did, but um…”
Wes handed him the music. “Don’t push it, Andrew.”
Without another word, Wes walked off. Andrew stared at the sheet music in his hands, wondering how in the world he got this stupid song. Seth came up to him, smiling.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“I don’t get it,” said Andrew, walking back to the couch and picking up his bag.
“Don’t get what?”
He held the sheet music out to Seth. “I don’t get why they gave me this song!”
Seth blinked. “Obviously they thought you were best suited for it.”
Andrew paced around the empty room while Seth stood still and listened.
“Of course they go ahead and give the song I wanted to Blaine, but to give me a song I didn’t even audition for? Are they just trying to piss me off? And after all that shit we went through to get them to give solos to people who cared. I mean, why didn’t they give it to you? You actually wanted it!”
Seth shrugged. “I think the song requires a certain amount of stage presence that I lack.”
Andrew stopped pacing and collapsed onto a chair. “Why does he get everything?”
Seth sat down next to him. “Who?”
“Blaine! He gets the solos, he gets the grades, he gets all those perfect white teeth…”
“He does have nice teeth.”
“He get’s Kurt…”
Seth frowned. “Kurt?”
Andrew shifted in his seat. “Yeah! That kid follows Blaine around like a little puppy dog and he just lets him. He never tells him if he feels the same way or not, he just leads him on!”
Seth shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the case. Blaine probably doesn’t even know that Kurt likes him. Lots of guys like Blaine all the time and he never seems to notice.”
Andrew ignored him. “Not this time. I’m not gonna let Blaine get something he doesn’t deserve.” He grabbed his bag, stood up and marched toward the door.
“Wait, what?” Seth got up to follow him.
Andrew opened the door and turned to Seth. “I’m gonna make Kurt like me.”
The door slammed, leaving Seth alone. He stood there in silence, trying to comprehend what he had just heard.
“This is why I don’t date,” he announced to the empty room. “Teenage boys are all so stupid.”
Andrew waltzed into his first period class with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. He winked at Seth as he walked passed him. Normally, he and Seth would sit together, but today Andrew sauntered over to the other side of the room were Kurt sat, looking over his notes. Andrew pulled up a chair next to him and sat down.
“Wanna kiss?” said Andrew.
Kurt jumped and stared at him. “Excuse me?”
Andrew held out his hand. A Hershey’s chocolate kiss rested in the middle of his palm. Kurt blinked at it for a moment before laughing.
“Oh,” he said, rubbing his forehead in embarrassment, “I thought you meant, um, never mind. I’d love one.”
He took the candy out of Andrew’s hand and unwrapped it. “Merci.”
Andrew smiled. “De rien.”
Andrew was pretty sure French was Kurt’s favorite class, because of all the classes they had together, this was the one he participated the most in. He watched as Kurt popped the chocolate into his mouth, and then pulled out another piece for himself.
“Congrats on your solo,” said Andrew as he unwrapped his candy. “You totally deserved it.”
Kurt swallowed the chocolate and smiled. “Thanks. You too, by the way. I love Buddy Holly.”
Andrew grimaced inwardly, but nodded. “Yeah, Seth does too. I don’t know why they gave it to me and not him.”
Kurt shrugged. “It’s a goofy song, you’re a goofy guy.”
Andrew popped the candy into his mouth, leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. “Hardly. I am the epitome of seriousness.”
Kurt rolled his eyes and laughed as their teacher entered the room and started to hand out papers. It was the quiz they took last week that Andrew had forgotten to study for. The teacher placed his quiz facedown on the desk before him, giving him a look that said You could have done better.
Kurt took his own quiz and turned it over. “Ah-ha! An A!”
Andrew picked up the paper in front of him and examined it. “C minus. Better than I expected, actually.”
Kurt glanced at Andrew’s quiz as he tucked his own into a folder. “Oh?”
Andrew folded the paper up and tossed it onto his bag. “Yeah. I got the vocabulary, but I just can’t seem to conjugate the verbs. They’re all so weird.”
“You just have to learn the difference between the regular and irregular verbs.” The teacher finished handing out the quizzes and began to write out their new vocabulary words on the blackboard. “It’s funny,” said Kurt, “even languages have their freaks and weirdoes.”
Andrew laughed. “We’re everywhere.”
Kurt took out his pen and notebook to write down the new words. Andrew turned and reached down into his bag to grab his own book. Across the room, he saw Seth scowling at him. Andrew grinned and flashed him a thumbs-up. He sat up, placed the notebook on his desk and tapped it with his pen.
“Hey, Kurt?”
Kurt looked up from his notes. “Yeah?”
“You seem to really get the hang of these verbs. Do you think you could maybe help me out with them sometime?” Andrew asked, smiling.
Kurt blinked. “Oh, well, sure, I guess. Why not?”
Andrew’s smile widened. “Thanks.”
Andrew spent the rest of class trying to hold back his grin. When the bell rang and he and Kurt went their separate ways, Seth caught up to Andrew in the hallway.
“Why are you doing this?” Seth pleaded. “I mean, do you actually like him or are you doing it out of some warped sense of revenge?”
Andrew adjusted his jacket. “Kurt deserves better than Blaine. I’m just trying to show him that.”
Seth sighed. “How do you even know that? You barely know him.”
“We barely know him because he only ever hangs out with Blaine!” Andrew said as they reached their next class. “I just want to help him branch out.”
They settled into their classroom, but Andrew couldn’t quite pay attention. He was too busy contemplating his next move.
At lunch, Andrew sat with Seth, Jeff and the other Warbler juniors. He chewed on a celery stick as wondered how he would get Kurt to sit with him instead of Blaine. He looked up to see Kurt exit the food line, his tray piled with a salad. Andrew watched as Kurt smiled and waved to Blaine at a table a few feet away, only to see his face fall when he realized Blaine’s table was full.
Andrew grinned. This was going to be easier than he thought. He put down his celery and stood up.
“Hey! Kurt!” he called out, waving his hand.
Kurt turned at the sound of his name, and his face brightened up to see Andrew.
“Come sit with us!”
Kurt smiled and nodded as walked toward their table.
“Scoot over, Jeff,” said Andrew as he pushed the boy’s tray to the side.
Jeff begrudgingly moved the farther end of the table as Kurt sat down in his place. Seth raised an eyebrow at Andrew, who winked in return.
“Man,” said Andrew, taking another bite of his celery, “I can’t believe Monsieur Keller is giving us another quiz this week.”
“I know, right?” said Kurt, picking up his fork and stabbing a piece of lettuce on his plate. “I think he just doesn’t know any other way to grade. I mean, he barely ever gives us any homework.”
A few tables away, Blaine sat between Wes and David. He had wanted to sit with Kurt, but the table filled up so fast. But it was for the best, he thought. Kurt needed to make more friends. He smiled as he watched Kurt sit between Jeff and Andrew. They were cool guys; Kurt would get along with them.
Then Andrew leaned in close to Kurt, not quite to whisper, but certainly to say something low. Blaine watched as Kurt raised his eyebrows, smiled and nodded. Blaine frowned, and took a sip of his soda. He rubbed his eyes and turned back to his conversation with Wes. He was just reading into things, he thought.
After school, Andrew burst into Seth’s house, waving briefly to Seth’s brother before racing up the stairs to his friend’s room. Seth sat at his computer with his headphones on, and couldn’t hear the door slam open. Andrew grabbed the cord and yanked it from the computer.
“Hey!” Seth turned around in his swivel chair. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I need your help,” said Andrew, plopping himself down on Seth’s bed.
Seth pulled off his headphones. “With what?”
“I’m going over to Kurt’s tonight to study French and I need a good song to sing.”
Seth stared at him. “A song? What, are you going to serenade him?”
“Not exactly,” said Andrew, “I’m gonna bring it up, like, conversationally, and then I’ll sing it and he’ll be completely enchanted by my vocal prowess.”
Seth sighed. He felt like he sighed a lot lately. “This is ridiculous.”
“This is awesome and you have to help me.”
Seth rubbed his eyes. “Fine. What kind of music does Kurt like?”
Andrew lay back on the bed. “I don’t know, show tunes, I think? He sang that Evita song.”
“You’re looking for a song you can bring up in conversation, right?” Seth asked, tilting his head to the left in thought.
“Right.”
“Hm.” Seth turned back to his laptop and scrolled through is iTunes. “We’re doing the Florence and the Machine version of You’ve Got the Love, right?”
“Uh, I dunno, are we?”
Seth nodded. “She also covered this other song. Here it is.”
He pressed play, and Florence’s jazzy voice poured through the speakers. Andrew sat up and listened.
“This sounds familiar,” he said.
“It’s Addicted to Love,” Seth explained. “It was a big hit in the 80s. This version is more… seductive.”
Andrew grinned. “This is perfect. You are perfect.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “Let me try and find the sheet music online so you can practice while you still have time.”
That evening, Andrew pulled up to the Hummel household, his nerves jittering with excitement. He grabbed his French textbook out of the back seat and made his way up the driveway. Like most boys who attended Dalton Academy, Kurt lived in a pretty nice house, although more modern in architecture than Andrew expected. He reached the front door and rang the bell. After a few moments a boy Andrew did not recognize opened the door.
“Holy shit, you’re tall.” Andrew blurted, staring up at the person towering above him.
The tall boy frowned. “Uh, can I help you?”
Andrew held up is book. “Um, I’m here to study with Kurt?”
“Oh,” the boy nodded, “Yeah, come in.”
He stepped aside and Andrew entered the doorway. A short, plump woman entered the foyer and smiled.
“Hello!” she said, “You must be Andrew.”
Andrew nodded and shook her hand.
“I’m Carole,” she said, “Kurt’s stepmom, and this is my son, Finn.”
Finn waved awkwardly before stepping out of the room. “I’ll go get Kurt.”
“Do you like Dalton, Andrew?” Carol asked.
“Yes, I do,” he replied, “My dad went there, and so did my grandpa. It’s kind of a tradition in my family.”
Kurt popped in from around a corner. He looked different outside of his uniform. The clothes he wore looked like they came out of a high-end magazine. Kurt put a hand on his stepmother’s shoulder.
“Thank you, Carole,” he said, “I can take it from here.”
Carole smiled. “I’ll leave you kids alone, then.”
Kurt took Andrew by the sleeve and pulled him down a flight of stair into what Andrew thought would be the basement.
“Welcome to Château du Kurt.”
They turned a corner and entered Kurt’s bedroom. Andrew gawked at the size of it.
“This room is huge!” he said, spinning in circles to take in everything.
Kurt shrugged. “It works. Finn and I were going to share because there’s so much space, but he ended up taking the guestroom upstairs.”
Andrew sat down on a circular chair. “You know, I didn’t recognize him at first, but he’s in New Directions, isn’t he?”
Kurt sat down on the white loveseat next to him. “He is. He’s kind of their leader.”
“That’s cool,” said Andrew, nodding. “But isn’t it weird now that you’re a Warbler?”
“It was a little awkward at first,” said Kurt, “but it was a necessary change.”
“Oh, yeah. I heard about McKinley’s bullying problem. When Seth and I made our, uh…” he held up his hands to make air-quotes, “’visit’, some guy just slammed him into a wall for no reason and walked away.”
Kurt closed his eyes and sighed. “That happened to me on a regular basis.”
“I’m sorry,” said Andrew, leaning forward in his seat. “That really sucks.”
Kurt shrugged again. “I’m in a better place now.” He stood up and walked to a shelf where he pulled out his own French textbook. “We were learning about relative pronouns, right?
“Yeah.”
Andrew flipped through his own book as Kurt brought over his. He sat back down on the couch and opened his book to their latest chapter.
“So you use que when talking about a direct object,” Kurt said as he scanned the book, “and qui when using an indirect object.”
Andrew squinted at the text. “And what’s the difference between the two?”
They sat together for a while, going over pronouns and pronunciation. After about forty-five minutes, Andrew closed his book and rubbed his eyes.
“Ugh, my brain is completely fried,” he said as a slouched in his seat.
Kurt chuckled and closed his own book. “We should probably take a break.”
Andrew stood up and stretched before sitting down on the loveseat next to Kurt. A ding-dong sound reverberated out of Kurt’s pocket, and he pulled out his phone.
“Who is it?” Andrew asked.
“Oh, just a text from Blaine.” Kurt said as he read it. “He wants to see if he can practice our songs tomorrow night.”
Andrew smiled. “Like he needs to practice.”
“He might not, but I sure do.” Kurt tucked his phone back into his pocket. “I’m so nervous. Solos weren’t such a big deal at McKinley. Well, I mean, they were a big deal but they weren’t so hard to get.”
Andrew smiled and remembered the conversation he had with Seth earlier. “We’re doing the Florence and the Machine version, right?”
Kurt nodded. “Yeah. I’m really starting to get into her.”
Andrew scooted in closer. “Have you heard her cover of Addicted to Love?”
Kurt shook his head.
“It’s really cool. It’s different from the original in that it’s really slow.” He leaned in a little closer, putting his arm on the back on the loveseat to support him. “And sexy.”
Kurt sat very still. “Oh, uh, like how?”
Andrew smiled and started to sing.
“The lights are on, but you’re not home. Your mind is not your own.”
Kurt breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, letting Andrew’s voice wash over him.
“Your heart sweats, your body shakes, another kiss is all it takes.”
As Andrew sang, he moved in closer to Kurt, until his lips were almost touching his ear.
“You can’t sleep, you can’t eat. There’s no dawn. You’re in deep.”
Kurt gulped.
“Your throat is tight, you can’t breath, another kiss is all you need.”
Andrew’s breath tickled Kurt’s neck, causing him to shiver.
“Oh-whoa, you like to think that you’re immune to the stuff, oh yeah. It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough. You’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to love.”
The sound of steps erupted in the stairwell, and Kurt jumped up to see Finn standing in the entrance of the room. Andrew quickly moved away from Kurt, who blushed furiously.
Finn cleared his throat. “Um, Mom wants to know if you guys want any, like, snacks or something.”
Kurt coughed and stood up. “We, um, we…”
Andrew stood up next to him and picked his French book off of the circular chair.
“Actually, I’d better get going.” Andrew gave Kurt a small wave and a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?”
Kurt blinked at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, tomorrow, right.”
Finn escorted Andrew back up the stairs, were he waved goodbye to Caroel. Once they were out of the house, Finn pulled Andrew aside.
“This is just obligatory brother stuff,” said Finn, scratching the back of his head, “but if you hurt him in any way possible, I’m gonna have to beat the crap out of you. That’s just the way it works.”
Andrew nodded. “I understand completely.”
“Cool.”
Finn went back inside, leaving Andrew alone in the cold February air. He leaned against his car and grinned. Victory was at hand, he was sure of it. Soon, very soon, Kurt Hummel would be his, and Blaine would finally learn the sting of losing.
Blaine had a feeling something was off when Kurt didn’t respond to his text asking to practice with him. Not only did Kurt usually respond to his texts immediately, he always jumped at the chance to sing with him. He brushed it off at first, assuring himself that Kurt’s phone was just dead or something. Then he checked his facebook to distract himself, only to see Kurt’s Status.
Kurt Hummel is addicted to love.
What the hell did that mean? Blaine squinted at the computer screen, and his frown deepened when he saw the text beneath the status.
Andrew Starkofsky likes this.
Blaine closed his browser and reached for his phone, hoping that Kurt had responded and he just didn’t hear it. Nothing. He hooked his phone up to his charger and lay down on his bed to think. He told himself he was just being paranoid, not to mention clingy. Kurt was allowed to have other friends. He needed to have other friends. He thought about the way Andrew whispered in Kurt’s ear at lunch and turned over in his bed.
The next morning, Blaine caught up with Kurt on the stairs leading up to Dalton. He smiled at him, but it took a moment for Kurt to smile back.
“Hey,” said Blaine, “What were you up to last night? I texted you and you never replied.”
Kurt adjusted his bag strap. “Oh, you did, didn’t you? I must have forgot. I was, um studying with Andrew.”
Blaine swallowed. “Studying?”
Kurt nodded, but didn’t quite catch his eye. “Yeah, French. Andrew can’t really get the verbs down.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
They stood there in silence. Blaine couldn’t really remember a time with Kurt that had felt so awkward.
“That sounds, um.” Blaine scratched the back of his head. “That sounds like fun.”
Kurt nodded and adjusted his strap again. “Yeah, um, I gotta get to class.”
“Oh, right,” said Blaine, “Me too. I’ll see you later?”
Kurt gave him a small smile. “Yeah, sure.”
Blaine watched as Kurt quickly pushed past the other boys and into the building. The rest of the day, he was completely out of sorts. He couldn’t pay attention during class, and between classes he desperately searched the crowded corridors for any sign of Kurt. At lunch, Blaine avoided Wes and David, hoping to find Kurt and sit with him, only to be ambushed by Thad and Nick who wanted advice on how to handle their first solos.
After the last class finally ended, Blaine shuffled down the hall toward the senior commons for Warbler rehearsal. When he reached the door and opened it, he heard a familiar laugh. Across the room, Kurt sat on a leather couch next to Andrew, who held out a Hershey’s kiss.
“Actually, you know what?” said Andrew, reaching into his jacket pocket. “Let’s make out.”
He pulled out a handful of kisses and let them pour out of his hand and onto the coffee table. Kurt laughed, and Blaine seethed.
“You are not clever, nor funny.” Seth said. He sat in an armchair across the table from them, reading a book. “You’re just quoting an old Michael J. Fox movie.”
Andrew picked a kiss off of the table and threw it at him.
“Ow!” Seth put down his book and threw the chocolate back at him.
Andrew ducked it, grinning. Kurt picked the piece up and pointed back and forth at the two of them.
“Be nice,” he said, “Both of you.”
Blaine dropped his bag on the floor next to a bookshelf and walked over to them. He forced a smile and grabbed a kiss off of the table.
“Hey,” he said, “What’s with all the candy?”
“I think Andrew has a fixation with Hershey’s kisses,” said Kurt, grinning at the boy next to him.
Andrew popped the chocolate into his mouth. “I have a healthy appreciation for them. There’s a difference.”
Blaine unwrapped his piece and bit into it as he watched the two boys smile at each other. Wes banged his mallet and told them to get in formation for Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. As they rehearsed, Blaine was off on his choreography. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kurt and Andrew singing and dancing behind him. When the song ended, Wes put a hand on his shoulder.
“What’s up with you today?” he whispered.
Blaine shrugged him off. “Nothing.”
“Well, this nothing had better be resolved by Sunday.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Blaine as he moved to his position on the next number.
Throughout each song, Blaine tried to catch Kurt’s eye. The few times he did, Kurt would look away quickly and bite his lip. When rehearsal ended, Wes pulled him aside to lecture him about being an example, and Blaine could only watch impotently as Andrew took Kurt by the hand and pulled him out of the room.
Kurt and Andrew wandered the mall, talking, window shopping and eating soft pretzels. To be honest, Andrew really did like hanging out with Kurt. Kurt was funny, and easy to talk to. Andrew gawked in horror as Kurt recounted the memory of his first kiss.
“…And then he just grabbed my face and laid one on me!”
“Oh my God, that’s awful.” Andrew said before taking another bite of his pretzel.
“I know, right?” said Kurt, “I was absolutely horrified. I don’t know what I would have done if Blaine hadn’t been there to help me through it.”
Kurt looked down, and then to the side. Andrew knew Kurt hadn’t talked to Blaine very much recently. He had been instrumental in that fact. Kurt sighed, and looked back up at him.
“What about you?” he asked as they approached the large fountain in the middle of the building. “What was your first kiss like?”
Andrew sat down on a bench. “Relatively uneventful.”
Kurt sat down next to him. “Golden Globe Awards uneventful or MTV movie awards uneventful?”
Andrew laughed, then shrugged. “Summer before ninth grade. I was still in denial about things, and I begged Seth to, uh, practice making out with me so that I’d be a good kisser by the time I got a girlfriend. Seth, being so accommodating, obliged.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Seth? Really?”
Andrew nodded. “Pretty soon I came to my senses and asked him out, but he said no, because of, you know, his philosophy about dating.”
Kurt picked at his pretzel. “The philosophy that doesn’t stop him from making out with random guys?”
“That’s the one,” said Andrew. “Especially when he’s drunk. Are you going to Dave’s party on Friday? It’ll be worth it just to watch Seth get smashed and hit on everyone.”
Kurt swallowed a bit of his pretzel. “I just can’t picture Seth getting drunk.”
“It’s his only vice,” said Andrew. “He once told me that the only times he doesn’t feel like a robot are when he’s singing, or when he’s drunk.”
Kurt chuckled. “He must go crazy a karaoke bar.”
Andrew laughed and nodded. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I don’t really think that counted as your first kiss.”
Kurt tilted his head. “Oh?”
Andrew smiled. “Did you kiss him back?”
Kurt shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Then it doesn’t count.” Andrew took another bite out of his pretzel. “You didn’t consent to it, so it doesn’t count.” He swallowed. “Seth says that only things you consent to count on your, like, roster or whatever.
Kurt smiled. “I guess.”
There was a moment of silence. Andrew glanced around at the shoppers, wondering what to say next.
“So, um, are you going to Dave’s party?” he asked.
Kurt shrugged. “Maybe. If I can figure out what to wear first.”
Andrew blinked. “What’s it matter?”
“What’s it matter?” said Kurt, his mouth hanging open in shock. “What do you mean ‘what’s it matter?’ What are you wearing?”
Andrew shrugged. “Clothes?”
Kurt stood up, grabbing Andrew’s arm and pulling him onto his feet. “You have to let me shop for you.”
“I have to?”
Kurt beamed and pulled him into a department store, grabbing clothes off the racks and pushing them into Andrew’s arms. When Andrew thought he couldn’t carry any more, Kurt dragged him to the dressing rooms. Andrew tried on outfit after outfit, with very few things reaching up to Kurt’s standards. Andrew had never really been one for clothes. It was part of the reason he liked going to a school with uniforms so much. It was just one less thing to worry about.
“I don’t even know how to get this thing off!” Andrew called from inside the dressing room and he struggled with a particularly complicated vest.
“Fine, fine, let me in.” Andrew opened the door and Kurt pushed his way into the cramped compartment. “You just unbutton this and untie this…”
Kurt stopped and stood very still. Andrew then noticed that the claustrophobic room forced them to stand very close to each other. Kurt gulped noticeably and blinked at him. Andrew smiled. They stayed like that for a few seconds, until Andrew leaned in a few inches. Kurt closed his eyes and Andrew’s smile widened. He moved forward, closing the gap between them and capturing his mouth with his own. Kurt exhaled and leaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Andrew’s shoulders. Andrew snaked his arms around Kurt’s waist and pulled him in closer.
There was a knock on the door, and the two pulled apart.
“Is everything ok in there, boys?” asked a clerk on the other side of the door. “Anything I can get for you? Another size? Color?”
Kurt cleared his throat. “We’re fine,” he said, “thank you.”
As the clerk walked away, Andrew picked up a blue button-down shirt off a hanger.
“I liked this,” he said, holding it up.
Kurt nodded. “Yes, so did I.”
Andrew smiled. “Then I’ll get it.”
They made their purchases, and exited the store. As they re-entered the brightly lit mall, Andrew took Kurt’s and squeezed it. Kurt smiled, blushed, and squeezed back.
For the next couple days, Kurt went out of his way to avoid Blaine. He didn’t know why he felt so guilty. It wasn’t his fault Andrew beat him to the punch. He dodged him in the hallways, ignored his texts and keep away from the cafeteria at lunch, opting instead to hang out with Andrew in a secluded section of the library.
Blaine finally managed to catch up with Kurt after Warbler rehearsal while Andrew was busy discussing designated drivers with Seth.
“Hey,” said Blaine, approaching Kurt as he gathered his things. “Are you, um, are you going to Dave’s party tonight?”
Kurt looked up at him, then swallow. “Oh, um, yes, I am.”
“Do you need a ride?” Blaine asked.
Kurt looked away. “No. I, uh, I’m going with Andrew.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Blaine shuffled his feet. “You guys have been hanging out a lot lately.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s, uh, nice.” Blaine adjusted his jacket. “I’m glad you’re making more friends.”
Kurt smiled. “Me too. Um, listen, I gotta go.”
“Oh, ok.”
“Yeah,” said Kurt, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll see you at the party, ok?
Blaine nodded. “For sure.”
Blaine sank into a leather couch as he watched Kurt shuffle out of the room. Andrew walked up behind him, and leaned over the chair.
“No hard feelings, right?” said Andrew, grinning.
“Excuse me?” Blaine sneered as he stood up to face him.
Andrew shrugged. “Things are moving pretty fast for me and Kurt, is all. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna get crazy jealous or anything.”
Blaine’s jaw clenched. “Kurt is young, ok?”
“He’s about four months older than me, but sure.”
“He doesn’t know what he wants.”
Across the room, Seth put on his jacket. “Technically, none of us are old enough to know what we want.”
“Shut up, Seth!” Blaine and Andrew shouted. Seth rolled his eyes and left the room.
Blaine pointed a finger in Andrew’s face. “This isn’t over.”
Andrew laughed, and picked up his bag. “Blaine, this was over before you even knew it started.”
With that, Andrew left, leaving Blaine alone in the empty room.
END OF PART ONE.
Thank you for reading, Part two should be up soon.
Genre: Romance, Humor
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/OC
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jealous after losing another solo to Blaine, a Warbler sets out to take away something he doesn't think Blaine fully appreciates: Kurt Hummel.
Notes: After writing this for FF.net, I decided to see how well it would fair on LJ. I haven't actually read a whole lot of Dalton fic, so I'm unfamiliar with the general fanon interpretations of characters like Wes or Dave, so I just went with what fit for the story. I also used the actor's last names for characters without established last names.
Kurt poked his head into the senior commons and glanced around the room for Blaine. As a junior, he technically wasn’t allowed in there outside of Warbler meetings and in-school performances, but do to the fact that they didn’t have any classes together, Kurt hadn’t seen Blaine all day. He spotted him on a leather couch with Wes and David. The three of them were huddled around Wes’s laptop. Blaine looked up and waved. Kurt waved back and smiled as Blaine got up from his seat to walk over to him.
“Hey,” said Kurt, “What are you guys up to?” He clutched his books to his chest and eyed the two councilmembers across the room.
“We’re making the program for the Valentine’s brunch in a next week,” said Blaine. “You excited?”
Kurt ginned. “Have the council decided on the solos yet?”
Blaine smiled slyly and leaned in. “If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. But you’ll find out at the meeting this afternoon.”
Every year on the Sunday before Valentine’s, Dalton Academy held a special brunch for all the boys to bring their significant others to. The Warblers, of course, were required to sing for the event.
He turned around at the sound of Wes calling him. Wes raised an eyebrow and Blaine sighed.
“Hey, um,” Blaine scratched the back of his head and turned to face Kurt. “Can you help Seth and Andrew decorate the library? Connor and some other juniors were gonna help but apparently they bailed.”
Kurt blinked. “Oh, uh, ok, sure.”
Blaine bit his lip. “Plus, you’re kinda not supposed to be in here, you know?”
Kurt nodded. “Right, of course,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”
He waived a quick goodbye and ducked out. It wasn’t that Kurt didn’t like his fellow juniors, he just felt a bit awkward around them. All of their friendships and group dynamics were already established, and Kurt felt like he intruded. Things were just so much easier with Blaine. He sighed and made his way toward the library.
Among the ancient stacks and shelves of books, Andrew and Seth hung up streams of paper hearts. Seth stood atop a long ladder resting against a wall while Andrew held pieces of scotch tape out to him. Kurt came out from behind a shelf.
“Hey, I heard you guys needed help?” he said, placing his books on a table.
“Yeah, thanks,” said Andrew as he tore off another piece of tape.
Seth reached down to take it. “You can start by cutting out hearts out of that construction paper over there.” He took the piece of tape and pointed to a pile of pink and red paper on the table.
Kurt nodded and picked up a pair of scissors. “Any idea who’s getting the solos for the Valentine’s brunch?” he asked casually.
Andrew scoffed. “Oh, lemme guess.” He tore off another piece of tape with unusual force. “Blaine, Blaine, and, hmmm, I don’t know, Blaine?”
Kurt forced a chuckle.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Seth as he secured a heart to the wall, “Blaine will probably only get that lover boy song.”
“The song is called Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy and it’s awesome.” Andrew crumbled up a piece of tape and threw it at Seth. It stuck to the sleeve of his uniform jacket and Seth struggled to wipe it off.
Kurt finished cutting a large, red heart and handed it to Andrew. He wasn’t really sure what to think of the two of them, especially after they were caught spying on New Directions. Sure, it was against the rules, but Kurt was guilty of doing the same thing, and he knew he would be a hypocrite for thinking negatively of them for it. Andrew took the heart and pressed a piece of tape to it.
“God, I hate Valentine’s day,” Andrew sighed as he handed the heart up to Seth. “As if I need any more reminders of how I’m perpetually single.”
Kurt smiled. “No kidding.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being single,” said Seth, climbing down from his latter.
“What about you?” asked Kurt, picking up a pink sheet of paper and cutting into it. “Do you have anyone special?”
Andrew laughed and helped Seth move the latter to another shelf. “Seth doesn’t date. He doesn’t believe in love.”
Kurt put down his scissors. “Oh?”
Seth sighed, his breath blowing his wispy black hair out of his eyes.
“It’s not that I don’t believe in love,” he said, “it’s that as teenagers, we don’t have the mental or emotional capacity to fall in love. I don’t think anyone can really fall in love until they’re, like, twenty five.”
Kurt thought about it for a moment, then picked up his scissors again and started to cut. “And anything before that?”
“Infatuation, or platonic love mixed with sexual attraction.”
Andrew tore off another piece of tape. “Sorry, Seth, but I can’t wait that long. What about you, Kurt?”
Kurt smiled and handed him another paper heart. “Me neither.”
Andrew grinned and took the heart. “Yeah, you’ve got a thing for Blaine, haven’t you?”
Kurt blushed. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”
Andrew nodded. “Of course not.”
A few hours later, the Warblers gathered in the senior commons, eagerly awaiting the announcement declaring the soloists for the Valentine’s brunch. Blaine sat down next to Kurt as the council situated themselves at their table. He grinned at him and held up a pair of crossed fingers. Kurt grinned back. Wes banged gravel against the table and the chatter in the room died as all eyes turned to him.
“I know what you all are waiting for,” said Wes, “and yes, today we will be discussing our set list for this year’s Valentine’s brunch. I would like to thank you all for auditioning for solos. Such enthusiasm is greatly appreciated. However, there are only five songs, and therefore only five solos. David, if I may?”
David reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper. He handed it to Wes, who stood up.
“Can I have a drum roll?” he said, holding the paper out.
The boys padded the tables and chairs, filling the room with noise. They stopped the moment Wes spoke.
“The first solo, for Time After Time goes to Nick!”
The boys shouted and clapped as Nick stood up to take a bow. They quieted down as Wes announced the next solo.
“Our second solo, for Blue Moon, is Thad!”
Once again the room erupted into applause.
“Next, for Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy is…”
Andrew perked up in his seat. He loved this song. He wanted it so bad.
“Blaine!”
It took a moment for Andrew to join in on the clapping. He should have known Blaine was going to get it. Blaine got every solo Andrew wanted every single time. He clenched his jaw and crossed his arms as Wes announced the next solo.
“Next, for You’ve Got the Love, is our newcomer Kurt Hummel!”
Applause exploded throughout the room as Kurt turned bright red and beamed. Andrew was happy for him. After hearing him Don’t Cry for me, Argentina, he knew the kid deserved a solo.
“And finally, for Weezer’s Buddy Holly, the solo goes to Andrew!”
It didn’t even register until Seth shook his shoulder and ginned at him. Andrew looked up and blinked as his fellow Warblers applauded him. He sat there in stunned silence as the rest of the meeting unfolded. He didn’t audition for that song. He barely even liked it. He couldn’t understand why they were even singing it at this brunch. The meeting concluded, and Andrew shuffled up to Wes to pick up his sheet music.
“Are you happy?” Wes asked as he pulled the papers out of a folder. “You’ve been craving a solo forever.”
Andrew nodded. “Uh, yeah, I did, but um…”
Wes handed him the music. “Don’t push it, Andrew.”
Without another word, Wes walked off. Andrew stared at the sheet music in his hands, wondering how in the world he got this stupid song. Seth came up to him, smiling.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“I don’t get it,” said Andrew, walking back to the couch and picking up his bag.
“Don’t get what?”
He held the sheet music out to Seth. “I don’t get why they gave me this song!”
Seth blinked. “Obviously they thought you were best suited for it.”
Andrew paced around the empty room while Seth stood still and listened.
“Of course they go ahead and give the song I wanted to Blaine, but to give me a song I didn’t even audition for? Are they just trying to piss me off? And after all that shit we went through to get them to give solos to people who cared. I mean, why didn’t they give it to you? You actually wanted it!”
Seth shrugged. “I think the song requires a certain amount of stage presence that I lack.”
Andrew stopped pacing and collapsed onto a chair. “Why does he get everything?”
Seth sat down next to him. “Who?”
“Blaine! He gets the solos, he gets the grades, he gets all those perfect white teeth…”
“He does have nice teeth.”
“He get’s Kurt…”
Seth frowned. “Kurt?”
Andrew shifted in his seat. “Yeah! That kid follows Blaine around like a little puppy dog and he just lets him. He never tells him if he feels the same way or not, he just leads him on!”
Seth shook his head. “I don’t think that’s the case. Blaine probably doesn’t even know that Kurt likes him. Lots of guys like Blaine all the time and he never seems to notice.”
Andrew ignored him. “Not this time. I’m not gonna let Blaine get something he doesn’t deserve.” He grabbed his bag, stood up and marched toward the door.
“Wait, what?” Seth got up to follow him.
Andrew opened the door and turned to Seth. “I’m gonna make Kurt like me.”
The door slammed, leaving Seth alone. He stood there in silence, trying to comprehend what he had just heard.
“This is why I don’t date,” he announced to the empty room. “Teenage boys are all so stupid.”
Andrew waltzed into his first period class with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. He winked at Seth as he walked passed him. Normally, he and Seth would sit together, but today Andrew sauntered over to the other side of the room were Kurt sat, looking over his notes. Andrew pulled up a chair next to him and sat down.
“Wanna kiss?” said Andrew.
Kurt jumped and stared at him. “Excuse me?”
Andrew held out his hand. A Hershey’s chocolate kiss rested in the middle of his palm. Kurt blinked at it for a moment before laughing.
“Oh,” he said, rubbing his forehead in embarrassment, “I thought you meant, um, never mind. I’d love one.”
He took the candy out of Andrew’s hand and unwrapped it. “Merci.”
Andrew smiled. “De rien.”
Andrew was pretty sure French was Kurt’s favorite class, because of all the classes they had together, this was the one he participated the most in. He watched as Kurt popped the chocolate into his mouth, and then pulled out another piece for himself.
“Congrats on your solo,” said Andrew as he unwrapped his candy. “You totally deserved it.”
Kurt swallowed the chocolate and smiled. “Thanks. You too, by the way. I love Buddy Holly.”
Andrew grimaced inwardly, but nodded. “Yeah, Seth does too. I don’t know why they gave it to me and not him.”
Kurt shrugged. “It’s a goofy song, you’re a goofy guy.”
Andrew popped the candy into his mouth, leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. “Hardly. I am the epitome of seriousness.”
Kurt rolled his eyes and laughed as their teacher entered the room and started to hand out papers. It was the quiz they took last week that Andrew had forgotten to study for. The teacher placed his quiz facedown on the desk before him, giving him a look that said You could have done better.
Kurt took his own quiz and turned it over. “Ah-ha! An A!”
Andrew picked up the paper in front of him and examined it. “C minus. Better than I expected, actually.”
Kurt glanced at Andrew’s quiz as he tucked his own into a folder. “Oh?”
Andrew folded the paper up and tossed it onto his bag. “Yeah. I got the vocabulary, but I just can’t seem to conjugate the verbs. They’re all so weird.”
“You just have to learn the difference between the regular and irregular verbs.” The teacher finished handing out the quizzes and began to write out their new vocabulary words on the blackboard. “It’s funny,” said Kurt, “even languages have their freaks and weirdoes.”
Andrew laughed. “We’re everywhere.”
Kurt took out his pen and notebook to write down the new words. Andrew turned and reached down into his bag to grab his own book. Across the room, he saw Seth scowling at him. Andrew grinned and flashed him a thumbs-up. He sat up, placed the notebook on his desk and tapped it with his pen.
“Hey, Kurt?”
Kurt looked up from his notes. “Yeah?”
“You seem to really get the hang of these verbs. Do you think you could maybe help me out with them sometime?” Andrew asked, smiling.
Kurt blinked. “Oh, well, sure, I guess. Why not?”
Andrew’s smile widened. “Thanks.”
Andrew spent the rest of class trying to hold back his grin. When the bell rang and he and Kurt went their separate ways, Seth caught up to Andrew in the hallway.
“Why are you doing this?” Seth pleaded. “I mean, do you actually like him or are you doing it out of some warped sense of revenge?”
Andrew adjusted his jacket. “Kurt deserves better than Blaine. I’m just trying to show him that.”
Seth sighed. “How do you even know that? You barely know him.”
“We barely know him because he only ever hangs out with Blaine!” Andrew said as they reached their next class. “I just want to help him branch out.”
They settled into their classroom, but Andrew couldn’t quite pay attention. He was too busy contemplating his next move.
At lunch, Andrew sat with Seth, Jeff and the other Warbler juniors. He chewed on a celery stick as wondered how he would get Kurt to sit with him instead of Blaine. He looked up to see Kurt exit the food line, his tray piled with a salad. Andrew watched as Kurt smiled and waved to Blaine at a table a few feet away, only to see his face fall when he realized Blaine’s table was full.
Andrew grinned. This was going to be easier than he thought. He put down his celery and stood up.
“Hey! Kurt!” he called out, waving his hand.
Kurt turned at the sound of his name, and his face brightened up to see Andrew.
“Come sit with us!”
Kurt smiled and nodded as walked toward their table.
“Scoot over, Jeff,” said Andrew as he pushed the boy’s tray to the side.
Jeff begrudgingly moved the farther end of the table as Kurt sat down in his place. Seth raised an eyebrow at Andrew, who winked in return.
“Man,” said Andrew, taking another bite of his celery, “I can’t believe Monsieur Keller is giving us another quiz this week.”
“I know, right?” said Kurt, picking up his fork and stabbing a piece of lettuce on his plate. “I think he just doesn’t know any other way to grade. I mean, he barely ever gives us any homework.”
A few tables away, Blaine sat between Wes and David. He had wanted to sit with Kurt, but the table filled up so fast. But it was for the best, he thought. Kurt needed to make more friends. He smiled as he watched Kurt sit between Jeff and Andrew. They were cool guys; Kurt would get along with them.
Then Andrew leaned in close to Kurt, not quite to whisper, but certainly to say something low. Blaine watched as Kurt raised his eyebrows, smiled and nodded. Blaine frowned, and took a sip of his soda. He rubbed his eyes and turned back to his conversation with Wes. He was just reading into things, he thought.
After school, Andrew burst into Seth’s house, waving briefly to Seth’s brother before racing up the stairs to his friend’s room. Seth sat at his computer with his headphones on, and couldn’t hear the door slam open. Andrew grabbed the cord and yanked it from the computer.
“Hey!” Seth turned around in his swivel chair. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I need your help,” said Andrew, plopping himself down on Seth’s bed.
Seth pulled off his headphones. “With what?”
“I’m going over to Kurt’s tonight to study French and I need a good song to sing.”
Seth stared at him. “A song? What, are you going to serenade him?”
“Not exactly,” said Andrew, “I’m gonna bring it up, like, conversationally, and then I’ll sing it and he’ll be completely enchanted by my vocal prowess.”
Seth sighed. He felt like he sighed a lot lately. “This is ridiculous.”
“This is awesome and you have to help me.”
Seth rubbed his eyes. “Fine. What kind of music does Kurt like?”
Andrew lay back on the bed. “I don’t know, show tunes, I think? He sang that Evita song.”
“You’re looking for a song you can bring up in conversation, right?” Seth asked, tilting his head to the left in thought.
“Right.”
“Hm.” Seth turned back to his laptop and scrolled through is iTunes. “We’re doing the Florence and the Machine version of You’ve Got the Love, right?”
“Uh, I dunno, are we?”
Seth nodded. “She also covered this other song. Here it is.”
He pressed play, and Florence’s jazzy voice poured through the speakers. Andrew sat up and listened.
“This sounds familiar,” he said.
“It’s Addicted to Love,” Seth explained. “It was a big hit in the 80s. This version is more… seductive.”
Andrew grinned. “This is perfect. You are perfect.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “Let me try and find the sheet music online so you can practice while you still have time.”
That evening, Andrew pulled up to the Hummel household, his nerves jittering with excitement. He grabbed his French textbook out of the back seat and made his way up the driveway. Like most boys who attended Dalton Academy, Kurt lived in a pretty nice house, although more modern in architecture than Andrew expected. He reached the front door and rang the bell. After a few moments a boy Andrew did not recognize opened the door.
“Holy shit, you’re tall.” Andrew blurted, staring up at the person towering above him.
The tall boy frowned. “Uh, can I help you?”
Andrew held up is book. “Um, I’m here to study with Kurt?”
“Oh,” the boy nodded, “Yeah, come in.”
He stepped aside and Andrew entered the doorway. A short, plump woman entered the foyer and smiled.
“Hello!” she said, “You must be Andrew.”
Andrew nodded and shook her hand.
“I’m Carole,” she said, “Kurt’s stepmom, and this is my son, Finn.”
Finn waved awkwardly before stepping out of the room. “I’ll go get Kurt.”
“Do you like Dalton, Andrew?” Carol asked.
“Yes, I do,” he replied, “My dad went there, and so did my grandpa. It’s kind of a tradition in my family.”
Kurt popped in from around a corner. He looked different outside of his uniform. The clothes he wore looked like they came out of a high-end magazine. Kurt put a hand on his stepmother’s shoulder.
“Thank you, Carole,” he said, “I can take it from here.”
Carole smiled. “I’ll leave you kids alone, then.”
Kurt took Andrew by the sleeve and pulled him down a flight of stair into what Andrew thought would be the basement.
“Welcome to Château du Kurt.”
They turned a corner and entered Kurt’s bedroom. Andrew gawked at the size of it.
“This room is huge!” he said, spinning in circles to take in everything.
Kurt shrugged. “It works. Finn and I were going to share because there’s so much space, but he ended up taking the guestroom upstairs.”
Andrew sat down on a circular chair. “You know, I didn’t recognize him at first, but he’s in New Directions, isn’t he?”
Kurt sat down on the white loveseat next to him. “He is. He’s kind of their leader.”
“That’s cool,” said Andrew, nodding. “But isn’t it weird now that you’re a Warbler?”
“It was a little awkward at first,” said Kurt, “but it was a necessary change.”
“Oh, yeah. I heard about McKinley’s bullying problem. When Seth and I made our, uh…” he held up his hands to make air-quotes, “’visit’, some guy just slammed him into a wall for no reason and walked away.”
Kurt closed his eyes and sighed. “That happened to me on a regular basis.”
“I’m sorry,” said Andrew, leaning forward in his seat. “That really sucks.”
Kurt shrugged again. “I’m in a better place now.” He stood up and walked to a shelf where he pulled out his own French textbook. “We were learning about relative pronouns, right?
“Yeah.”
Andrew flipped through his own book as Kurt brought over his. He sat back down on the couch and opened his book to their latest chapter.
“So you use que when talking about a direct object,” Kurt said as he scanned the book, “and qui when using an indirect object.”
Andrew squinted at the text. “And what’s the difference between the two?”
They sat together for a while, going over pronouns and pronunciation. After about forty-five minutes, Andrew closed his book and rubbed his eyes.
“Ugh, my brain is completely fried,” he said as a slouched in his seat.
Kurt chuckled and closed his own book. “We should probably take a break.”
Andrew stood up and stretched before sitting down on the loveseat next to Kurt. A ding-dong sound reverberated out of Kurt’s pocket, and he pulled out his phone.
“Who is it?” Andrew asked.
“Oh, just a text from Blaine.” Kurt said as he read it. “He wants to see if he can practice our songs tomorrow night.”
Andrew smiled. “Like he needs to practice.”
“He might not, but I sure do.” Kurt tucked his phone back into his pocket. “I’m so nervous. Solos weren’t such a big deal at McKinley. Well, I mean, they were a big deal but they weren’t so hard to get.”
Andrew smiled and remembered the conversation he had with Seth earlier. “We’re doing the Florence and the Machine version, right?”
Kurt nodded. “Yeah. I’m really starting to get into her.”
Andrew scooted in closer. “Have you heard her cover of Addicted to Love?”
Kurt shook his head.
“It’s really cool. It’s different from the original in that it’s really slow.” He leaned in a little closer, putting his arm on the back on the loveseat to support him. “And sexy.”
Kurt sat very still. “Oh, uh, like how?”
Andrew smiled and started to sing.
“The lights are on, but you’re not home. Your mind is not your own.”
Kurt breathed in deeply and closed his eyes, letting Andrew’s voice wash over him.
“Your heart sweats, your body shakes, another kiss is all it takes.”
As Andrew sang, he moved in closer to Kurt, until his lips were almost touching his ear.
“You can’t sleep, you can’t eat. There’s no dawn. You’re in deep.”
Kurt gulped.
“Your throat is tight, you can’t breath, another kiss is all you need.”
Andrew’s breath tickled Kurt’s neck, causing him to shiver.
“Oh-whoa, you like to think that you’re immune to the stuff, oh yeah. It’s closer to the truth to say you can’t get enough. You’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to love.”
The sound of steps erupted in the stairwell, and Kurt jumped up to see Finn standing in the entrance of the room. Andrew quickly moved away from Kurt, who blushed furiously.
Finn cleared his throat. “Um, Mom wants to know if you guys want any, like, snacks or something.”
Kurt coughed and stood up. “We, um, we…”
Andrew stood up next to him and picked his French book off of the circular chair.
“Actually, I’d better get going.” Andrew gave Kurt a small wave and a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, ok?”
Kurt blinked at him for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, tomorrow, right.”
Finn escorted Andrew back up the stairs, were he waved goodbye to Caroel. Once they were out of the house, Finn pulled Andrew aside.
“This is just obligatory brother stuff,” said Finn, scratching the back of his head, “but if you hurt him in any way possible, I’m gonna have to beat the crap out of you. That’s just the way it works.”
Andrew nodded. “I understand completely.”
“Cool.”
Finn went back inside, leaving Andrew alone in the cold February air. He leaned against his car and grinned. Victory was at hand, he was sure of it. Soon, very soon, Kurt Hummel would be his, and Blaine would finally learn the sting of losing.
Blaine had a feeling something was off when Kurt didn’t respond to his text asking to practice with him. Not only did Kurt usually respond to his texts immediately, he always jumped at the chance to sing with him. He brushed it off at first, assuring himself that Kurt’s phone was just dead or something. Then he checked his facebook to distract himself, only to see Kurt’s Status.
Kurt Hummel is addicted to love.
What the hell did that mean? Blaine squinted at the computer screen, and his frown deepened when he saw the text beneath the status.
Andrew Starkofsky likes this.
Blaine closed his browser and reached for his phone, hoping that Kurt had responded and he just didn’t hear it. Nothing. He hooked his phone up to his charger and lay down on his bed to think. He told himself he was just being paranoid, not to mention clingy. Kurt was allowed to have other friends. He needed to have other friends. He thought about the way Andrew whispered in Kurt’s ear at lunch and turned over in his bed.
The next morning, Blaine caught up with Kurt on the stairs leading up to Dalton. He smiled at him, but it took a moment for Kurt to smile back.
“Hey,” said Blaine, “What were you up to last night? I texted you and you never replied.”
Kurt adjusted his bag strap. “Oh, you did, didn’t you? I must have forgot. I was, um studying with Andrew.”
Blaine swallowed. “Studying?”
Kurt nodded, but didn’t quite catch his eye. “Yeah, French. Andrew can’t really get the verbs down.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
They stood there in silence. Blaine couldn’t really remember a time with Kurt that had felt so awkward.
“That sounds, um.” Blaine scratched the back of his head. “That sounds like fun.”
Kurt nodded and adjusted his strap again. “Yeah, um, I gotta get to class.”
“Oh, right,” said Blaine, “Me too. I’ll see you later?”
Kurt gave him a small smile. “Yeah, sure.”
Blaine watched as Kurt quickly pushed past the other boys and into the building. The rest of the day, he was completely out of sorts. He couldn’t pay attention during class, and between classes he desperately searched the crowded corridors for any sign of Kurt. At lunch, Blaine avoided Wes and David, hoping to find Kurt and sit with him, only to be ambushed by Thad and Nick who wanted advice on how to handle their first solos.
After the last class finally ended, Blaine shuffled down the hall toward the senior commons for Warbler rehearsal. When he reached the door and opened it, he heard a familiar laugh. Across the room, Kurt sat on a leather couch next to Andrew, who held out a Hershey’s kiss.
“Actually, you know what?” said Andrew, reaching into his jacket pocket. “Let’s make out.”
He pulled out a handful of kisses and let them pour out of his hand and onto the coffee table. Kurt laughed, and Blaine seethed.
“You are not clever, nor funny.” Seth said. He sat in an armchair across the table from them, reading a book. “You’re just quoting an old Michael J. Fox movie.”
Andrew picked a kiss off of the table and threw it at him.
“Ow!” Seth put down his book and threw the chocolate back at him.
Andrew ducked it, grinning. Kurt picked the piece up and pointed back and forth at the two of them.
“Be nice,” he said, “Both of you.”
Blaine dropped his bag on the floor next to a bookshelf and walked over to them. He forced a smile and grabbed a kiss off of the table.
“Hey,” he said, “What’s with all the candy?”
“I think Andrew has a fixation with Hershey’s kisses,” said Kurt, grinning at the boy next to him.
Andrew popped the chocolate into his mouth. “I have a healthy appreciation for them. There’s a difference.”
Blaine unwrapped his piece and bit into it as he watched the two boys smile at each other. Wes banged his mallet and told them to get in formation for Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. As they rehearsed, Blaine was off on his choreography. He couldn’t stop thinking about Kurt and Andrew singing and dancing behind him. When the song ended, Wes put a hand on his shoulder.
“What’s up with you today?” he whispered.
Blaine shrugged him off. “Nothing.”
“Well, this nothing had better be resolved by Sunday.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Blaine as he moved to his position on the next number.
Throughout each song, Blaine tried to catch Kurt’s eye. The few times he did, Kurt would look away quickly and bite his lip. When rehearsal ended, Wes pulled him aside to lecture him about being an example, and Blaine could only watch impotently as Andrew took Kurt by the hand and pulled him out of the room.
Kurt and Andrew wandered the mall, talking, window shopping and eating soft pretzels. To be honest, Andrew really did like hanging out with Kurt. Kurt was funny, and easy to talk to. Andrew gawked in horror as Kurt recounted the memory of his first kiss.
“…And then he just grabbed my face and laid one on me!”
“Oh my God, that’s awful.” Andrew said before taking another bite of his pretzel.
“I know, right?” said Kurt, “I was absolutely horrified. I don’t know what I would have done if Blaine hadn’t been there to help me through it.”
Kurt looked down, and then to the side. Andrew knew Kurt hadn’t talked to Blaine very much recently. He had been instrumental in that fact. Kurt sighed, and looked back up at him.
“What about you?” he asked as they approached the large fountain in the middle of the building. “What was your first kiss like?”
Andrew sat down on a bench. “Relatively uneventful.”
Kurt sat down next to him. “Golden Globe Awards uneventful or MTV movie awards uneventful?”
Andrew laughed, then shrugged. “Summer before ninth grade. I was still in denial about things, and I begged Seth to, uh, practice making out with me so that I’d be a good kisser by the time I got a girlfriend. Seth, being so accommodating, obliged.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Seth? Really?”
Andrew nodded. “Pretty soon I came to my senses and asked him out, but he said no, because of, you know, his philosophy about dating.”
Kurt picked at his pretzel. “The philosophy that doesn’t stop him from making out with random guys?”
“That’s the one,” said Andrew. “Especially when he’s drunk. Are you going to Dave’s party on Friday? It’ll be worth it just to watch Seth get smashed and hit on everyone.”
Kurt swallowed a bit of his pretzel. “I just can’t picture Seth getting drunk.”
“It’s his only vice,” said Andrew. “He once told me that the only times he doesn’t feel like a robot are when he’s singing, or when he’s drunk.”
Kurt chuckled. “He must go crazy a karaoke bar.”
Andrew laughed and nodded. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I don’t really think that counted as your first kiss.”
Kurt tilted his head. “Oh?”
Andrew smiled. “Did you kiss him back?”
Kurt shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Then it doesn’t count.” Andrew took another bite out of his pretzel. “You didn’t consent to it, so it doesn’t count.” He swallowed. “Seth says that only things you consent to count on your, like, roster or whatever.
Kurt smiled. “I guess.”
There was a moment of silence. Andrew glanced around at the shoppers, wondering what to say next.
“So, um, are you going to Dave’s party?” he asked.
Kurt shrugged. “Maybe. If I can figure out what to wear first.”
Andrew blinked. “What’s it matter?”
“What’s it matter?” said Kurt, his mouth hanging open in shock. “What do you mean ‘what’s it matter?’ What are you wearing?”
Andrew shrugged. “Clothes?”
Kurt stood up, grabbing Andrew’s arm and pulling him onto his feet. “You have to let me shop for you.”
“I have to?”
Kurt beamed and pulled him into a department store, grabbing clothes off the racks and pushing them into Andrew’s arms. When Andrew thought he couldn’t carry any more, Kurt dragged him to the dressing rooms. Andrew tried on outfit after outfit, with very few things reaching up to Kurt’s standards. Andrew had never really been one for clothes. It was part of the reason he liked going to a school with uniforms so much. It was just one less thing to worry about.
“I don’t even know how to get this thing off!” Andrew called from inside the dressing room and he struggled with a particularly complicated vest.
“Fine, fine, let me in.” Andrew opened the door and Kurt pushed his way into the cramped compartment. “You just unbutton this and untie this…”
Kurt stopped and stood very still. Andrew then noticed that the claustrophobic room forced them to stand very close to each other. Kurt gulped noticeably and blinked at him. Andrew smiled. They stayed like that for a few seconds, until Andrew leaned in a few inches. Kurt closed his eyes and Andrew’s smile widened. He moved forward, closing the gap between them and capturing his mouth with his own. Kurt exhaled and leaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Andrew’s shoulders. Andrew snaked his arms around Kurt’s waist and pulled him in closer.
There was a knock on the door, and the two pulled apart.
“Is everything ok in there, boys?” asked a clerk on the other side of the door. “Anything I can get for you? Another size? Color?”
Kurt cleared his throat. “We’re fine,” he said, “thank you.”
As the clerk walked away, Andrew picked up a blue button-down shirt off a hanger.
“I liked this,” he said, holding it up.
Kurt nodded. “Yes, so did I.”
Andrew smiled. “Then I’ll get it.”
They made their purchases, and exited the store. As they re-entered the brightly lit mall, Andrew took Kurt’s and squeezed it. Kurt smiled, blushed, and squeezed back.
For the next couple days, Kurt went out of his way to avoid Blaine. He didn’t know why he felt so guilty. It wasn’t his fault Andrew beat him to the punch. He dodged him in the hallways, ignored his texts and keep away from the cafeteria at lunch, opting instead to hang out with Andrew in a secluded section of the library.
Blaine finally managed to catch up with Kurt after Warbler rehearsal while Andrew was busy discussing designated drivers with Seth.
“Hey,” said Blaine, approaching Kurt as he gathered his things. “Are you, um, are you going to Dave’s party tonight?”
Kurt looked up at him, then swallow. “Oh, um, yes, I am.”
“Do you need a ride?” Blaine asked.
Kurt looked away. “No. I, uh, I’m going with Andrew.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
Blaine shuffled his feet. “You guys have been hanging out a lot lately.”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s, uh, nice.” Blaine adjusted his jacket. “I’m glad you’re making more friends.”
Kurt smiled. “Me too. Um, listen, I gotta go.”
“Oh, ok.”
“Yeah,” said Kurt, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. “I’ll see you at the party, ok?
Blaine nodded. “For sure.”
Blaine sank into a leather couch as he watched Kurt shuffle out of the room. Andrew walked up behind him, and leaned over the chair.
“No hard feelings, right?” said Andrew, grinning.
“Excuse me?” Blaine sneered as he stood up to face him.
Andrew shrugged. “Things are moving pretty fast for me and Kurt, is all. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t gonna get crazy jealous or anything.”
Blaine’s jaw clenched. “Kurt is young, ok?”
“He’s about four months older than me, but sure.”
“He doesn’t know what he wants.”
Across the room, Seth put on his jacket. “Technically, none of us are old enough to know what we want.”
“Shut up, Seth!” Blaine and Andrew shouted. Seth rolled his eyes and left the room.
Blaine pointed a finger in Andrew’s face. “This isn’t over.”
Andrew laughed, and picked up his bag. “Blaine, this was over before you even knew it started.”
With that, Andrew left, leaving Blaine alone in the empty room.
END OF PART ONE.
Thank you for reading, Part two should be up soon.