Something to Talk About Chapter 1
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Warning: spoilers from most episodes
A/N: This is loosely based on the song "Something to Talk About." I plan on having this be very long. This is my own AU of Glee starting when Kurt first transfers with canon intersperse throughout randomly. It was actually meant to start later on as a future-ish fic with Blaine at McKinley, but then I decided to go further back. This is meant to go from when Kurt goes to Dalton, up until Silly Love Songs and maybe other episodes. It is still a WIP so bear with me, please.
Beware: this has no beta and is not going to be nearly as awesome as Dalton so don't expect it to be anything like it
Summary: "…we've always been completely honest with each other. You and I, we hang out, we sing flirty duets together...you know my coffee order. Was I supposed to think that was nothing?"
Something to Talk About
By Dev Daron
Chapter 1
When Kurt Hummel first joined the warblers, they gifted him with a Warbler. A bird Warbler, that is - not a student Warbler because apparently Dalton isn't that much of a gay magical paradise. ("You mean like a gay Hogwarts?" "Harry Potter references, Blaine? Really?") They bestowed Pavarotti upon him with grand finesse, as the warblers do, and with little apprehension - despite their apparent lack of humor. Kurt wasn't too excited, but it was a bird and it seemed simple enough to take care of.
Since Dalton was not, in fact, a boarding school, it had been difficult for Kurt to decide what to do with the bird. Blaine assured him that leaving Pavarotti in the Warbler common room would be just find, and Kurt agreed since he doubted his teachers would approve of a new addition to their classrooms. So, he left the cage in the commons and continued on with his day,
The courses at Dalton were far more advanced than at William McKinley High, and the course load was so difficult and advanced that the teachers would grade you on a curve based on the highest score in the class. Unfortunately, this didn't always work out as the teachers expected. Especially if Jimmy, for instance, got a 97% and the rest of the class got less than 50. In other words, it was imperative to maintain the same academic level as your classmates.
This was a strange concept to Kurt, considering that at McKinley, it was all individual work where the other students failings or achievements had not affect on another. But here at Dalton, whoever got the highest score on a test set the curve. So, if Jimmy got a 97% and everyone else got 50%...well, it was just too bad.
It definitely wasn't a system that Kurt was accustomed to and what made it even worse was that he definitely was not on par with his fellow classmates. At McKinley, Kurt had been a valedictorian shoe-in, but here, he was just…average.
To say that the academics and the stress left him preoccupied was a horrible understatement. Not to mention that after the Warbler meeting that day, Blaine had told him that the Warblers would let Kurt audition for a solo for sectionals. So, really, it wasn't his fault that as he scurried to his car in the freezing cold, that he forgot that he now had a new responsibility in the form of a small yellow bird. And thus, he left Pavarotti alone, in the Warbler common room that first night.
The next morning, Kurt had still been preoccupied. He had spent all night going through his ipod for the perfect song, and then spent even more of it practicing. It wasn't until he walked into the Warbler common room and saw the bird cage still on the side table where he left it did he remember his new responsibility.
To make it worse, he wasn't the only one who had discovered this new development. Much to Kurt's horror, Wes, the Warbler committee leader, stood beside Pavarotti's cage, quietly replacing the birdseed.
"Wes," Kurt breathed. Panic welled in his throat. Shit, he was in so much trouble. He was probably going to get kicked out of the Warblers, and then he'd have to go back to McKinley out of pure humiliation.
Wes turned, not looking at all surprised to see Kurt standing in the doorway. He ignored Kurt's gaping.
"Ah, Kurt. There you are," Wes said.
"I-" Kurt floundered for the words.
"I must say that I was quite surprised to find Pavarotti here when I arrived this morning," said Wes as he emptied Pavarotti's water bowl, where feathers had collected.
Kurt remained silent.
"I arrive early, you see," Wes continued. He grabbed a water bottle from his bag and began to fill the water bowl carefully, "to prepare for meetings later in the day."
Wes paused and shot a tight smile over his shoulder at Kurt, "I like to be efficient."
He slowly capped the bottle of water, and pursed his lips at the cage. From here, Kurt could see the bird droppings already littering the bottom. Pavarotti was cleaning his feathers.
"Since I could see no other reason for Pavarotti to be here so early in the morning," Wes continued. "I figured it would be safe to assume that you had arrived early as well, correct?"
Kurt didn't know what to say, because it seemed obvious to him that no, that was not correct.
Wes moved to his council table and started arranging the sheet music, shuffling and choosing songs at random to place at the top of the pile. He hmm and hawed as he looked them over.
He glanced over at Kurt with a cool gaze, and gave him a once-over, "I am glad to see that you are able to take your responsibilities here at Dalton so seriously."
Wes walked to Kurt, finally giving him his full attention. Kurt found it difficult to look Wes in the eye. He felt like he was being reprimanded by a teacher.
"Dedication," Wes said intently, "earns recognition amongst the Warblers." The opposite went unstated. "I hope that you remember that in the future, Kurt."
With that, Wes patted Kurt's shoulder and left, leaving Kurt feeling unsettled and queasy. He walked over to Pavarotti's cage and bit his lip.
"Hey, Kurt!"
Kurt jumped.
"Omygod," he said, putting a hand to his chest to still his frantically beating heart. "Blaine, don't do that!"
Blaine laughed and moved around to Kurt's front, holding his hands up. "Geez, what go you so worked up?"
Kurt gave him a withering glare.
Blaine laughed again. "Alright, alright, I won't sneak up on you ever again, okay? But to be fair, I did text you to let you know that I was coming."
Blaine turned and his eyes alighted on Pavarotti's cage.
"Hey, you brought Pavarotti," Blaine exclaimed. He looked back at Kurt with a teasing smile, "You don't have to bring him every day, you know."
Kurt bit his lip, feeling guilty. "No, actually. I…kind of left him here last night on accident.
Kurt expected Blaine to freeze and to stare at him with a betrayed look. He expected Blaine to get angry and begin to regret begging for Kurt's solo audition. Or at the very least, he expected Blaine to throw him a disappointed look. Instead, Blaine just laughed and started cooing at Pavarotti.
"Oh, you poor Pav," he cooed, bending over so he was eye level with the bird. Pavarotti remained unfazed. "Kurt left you here all by yourself, that meanie. You must have been so cold and scared!"
Kurt rolled his eyes, trying not to be amused. "O my god, stop! What are you even doing?"
Blaine laughed, his face scrunching up with his teasing grin.
Kurt smiled, feeling relieved. "So, you're not mad? I'm not in trouble?"
Blaine straightened up and gave him an odd look, "Why would I be mad?"
Kurt sighed and looked away.
"I don't know," he said and shrugged. "Because it was irresponsible?"
Blaine nudged Kurt with his shoulder.
"Hey," he said, and waited until Kurt looked him in the eye. "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not like you did it on purpose. It was an honest mistake." Blaine stared at him intensely, making sure Kurt understood.
"And look," Blaine gestured to the cage, "Pavarotti looks fine, so it's no big deal."
Blaine reached up and squeezed Kurt's shoulder comfortingly. He grinned and teased, "Just don't let it happen again. You don't want Wes to find out."
Kurt blanched.
Blaine must have seen the dawning horror on Kurt's face because he groaned and scrubbed at his face with his hand, "Oh, Kurt. He didn't."
"Oh god," Kurt said.
Blaine looked at him with concern, his hand sliding down to cover his mouth. "What did he say?"
Kurt grew quiet. Blaine's eyes bulged. "Did he- did he verbally beat you, Kurt?"
Kurt gulped. "No. He just- subtly - suggested that I be more responsible, and - I think he may have…threatened?...to kick me out of the Warblers…"
Blaine's triangle eyebrows shot up toward his hairline, "Oh."
"Oh?"
Blaine let out a sigh, his shoulders sagging, "Oh."
"What?" Kurt almost shrieked in his panic."'Oh' what? Is it bad that he didn't verbally beat me? Should he have verbally beat me?"
Blaine shook his head, and sighed again. He leaned his hand heavily on Kurt's shoulder. "Oh god, this is such a relief."
Kurt didn't say anything for a few moments. Blaine released a huff of air.
"What?" Kurt snapped, irritated now.
"I got so worried-"
"Blaine!" Kurt scowled.
Blaine looked up at Kurt with comically wide eyes.
"You don't understand, Kurt. You got off so easy," he paused, letting it sink in. He looked off into space for a moment, before a slowly beginning to grin, "this means Wes likes you."
Kurt scrunched up his nose, "What? I got the impression that he tolerated me at best. I wouldn't go that far."
Blaine threw his head back and laughed, "Oh, come on, Kurt, he called you endearing-" "David was the one who called me endearing" "-and now he is letting you off with a warning!" Blaine shook his head, "soon, you two will become bffs-"
Kurt groaned. "Oh, please shut up."
Blaine mock-gasped, " -and ohmygod, maybe he'll even let you touch his gavel!" Blaine flapped his hands in mock excitement.
Kurt grinned and rolled his eyes. "You did not just say that. And you did not just do that!"
Blaine laughed, then tried to hide his grin, "Trust me, its even better than it sounds. To hold his gavel, in your hands, to feel the raw cosmic power-"he sighed dramatically, "let's just say…" he placed his hand on his chest and tried to look sincere, "it is pure bliss, I assure you."
Kurt nodded, his face serious as if Blaine was bestowing him with the knowledge of the world and everything. Then their faces both slipped, Blaine giggled, Kurt snickered a bit, and then they were gone - their heads were thrown back and they were laughing until their faces were red and Kurt was wiping tears from his eyes.
"Oh my god, we are not talking about this again," Kurt declared amidst giggles, calming down.
Blaine shook his head, his laughter reduced to chuckles, "I can't believe I just said that!"
That common room had become filled with boys who were shooting Kurt and Blaine odd looks. Kurt felt his face redden again, and he nudged Blaine, who was still giggling.
"Come on," Kurt said, amused. "we should probably start heading to class.
"Alright, alright," Blaine straightened up and smoothed down his blazer.
Kurt gestured to Pavarotti, "Will it be okay if I left him here, for now?"
Blaine looked at the bird cage where Pavarotti was softly trilling and hopping around in his bird seed.
He shrugged, "Yeah, he seems fine so I don't see why not."
Kurt nodded and gathered his things.
"As long as you don't forget again," Blaine teased.
Kurt huffed and blushed.
"I won't," he said with a smile,
Kurt grabbed his black messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder. He glanced at Blaine shyly, who just grinned and presented Kurt with his arm. Kurt laughed and looped his arm through, just like he used to with Mercedes, and like that, they began walking down the corridor.
Chapter 2
Chapter 3