Log: Sectionals Pt1: The Road to Beavercreek
Who: TOO MANY PEOPLE! (EVERYONE AND THEIR MOM) Rachel, Quinn, Puck, Tina, Artie, Mike, Brittany, Santana, Lola, Finn, Kurt, Blaine, Tommy, Millie, Abby, Jen, Alvin, Gabe, Molly, Josie, Emily, Lily-Puck, Bree, Rose and Josh (mentions of other New Directions members)
When: Saturday 15th January, 2019
Where: William McKinley High School and Beavercreek, OH
What: These are a few of my favorite things...
Getting on the bus
Rachel glanced around the parking lot of the school. It was 6:50am and they had finished loading the props onto the back of the bus. The glee club and a few parents were making their way onto the bus and Rachel made sure to check their names off one by one. She frowned as she felt a twinge in her back but took a deep breath as it quickly passed. She smiled gently as Sophia Ben Israel boarded the bus, her blue eyes following Rachel.
Rachel glanced to her right when she felt a presence approach from behind. She smiled at Quinn. “Everything set at the back?” She asked, nodding behind her at the end of the bus where the driver was slamming the door closed and heading toward them.
Quinn smiled and saluted her. “Sir, yes sir,” she said, smirking over at the shorter woman. Only Rachel would have her up this early on a Saturday morning. Quinn stifled a yawn and took a sip of her decaf coffee. She was exhausted, up all night because Rachel kept tossing and turning, but she had to admit that the excitement radiating off of the kids and Rachel, herself, was contagious.
Rachel grinned and pulled Quinn in for a quick kiss, tasting the coffee on her lips. “Don’t mock me,” Rachel replied with a playful glare. “I know you’re just as excited as they are. These ones, though,” she said, pointing to her belly, “sleeping soundly.” Rachel ticked off Talia, Tyrell and Timberly as they piled onto the bus, one after the other. “Thank you for coming with us. It’ll be nice to have some support for me, too,” she said with a grin and a nudge.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Quinn said quickly, stepping away from the other woman so that she could check the students in. She grinned as she saw three Cheerios walking toward the bus. Two blondes and a brunette. It reminded her of her high school days. She smiled and said hi to Bree as she stepped onto the bus, frowning when the other two didn’t even bother to acknowledge her presence. Man, we really were snotty little brats, weren’t we?
Bree grinned when she saw a familiar face, her sister’s best friend, Quinn. “Hey!” she greeted excitedly, before catching up to Molly and Emily.
Emily turned back to Bree as they checked in and got on the bus. “Was that...was that Quinn Fabray?” She asked, frowning. She’d seen the woman before of that she was sure, but it didn’t make any sense as to why she’d be here.
Bree nodded. “Yeah, that’s Quinn Fabray. I didn’t know she would be here, but I guess it makes sense, since Ms. Berry needs someone to accompany her. Plus, they’re dating.” She wondered whether any of the other glee club pioneers were going to attend the show. It would make her even more nervous, but even more motivated to do well.
Eyes widening , Emily peered out of the window, Miss Berry and Quinn Fabray? That was...well she didn’t know what it was. Surprising? Disappointing maybe...Either way, she thought as she took a seat near the back of the bus, it was strange to see.
Molly followed close behind Emily and Bree as they boarded the bus, making sure to catch every word. Dating? Her eyes widened, her head whipping around to stare at the two women standing outside the bus, almost running into one of the seats in the process. Molly cleared her throat, composing herself again as she ignored the other two girls and found a seat. Of course, it was common knowledge that Ms. Berry was gay. Such a shame. Molly stared out the window at the blond woman, shaking her head. Ms. Berry was so talented and Molly had nothing but the utmost respect for her but her sexuality was just so unfortunate. She turned away from the window, still shaking her head as she crossed her legs delicately. Bree said her name was... Quinn? Molly chewed her lip thoughtlessly, filing the name away to remember for Coach Sylvester later.
Rachel watched the three Cheerios step onto the bus and waited for them to be out of earshot before she turned to Quinn. "That brunette, that would be Emily," she whispered. Her mind flashed back to one of their last glee meetings and she remembered all the teenage angst and song dedications, without the verbal dedications. "I have so much to catch you up on," she said to Quinn as Alvin and Gabe hurried up the steps of the bus.
Quinn watched as the girls climbed the bus, her mind flashing back to how she, Santana and Brittany had been. “I’m almost afraid to know,” she admitted. Now that she was a parent and Abby seemed to be rapidly hurtling towards the teen years, she was hoping things weren’t the same. But it seemed they definitely were.
From Lima to Beavercreek
Puck slipped into the space beside Emily on the bus. “Hope you weren’t saving that spot for your ego or anything,” she teased with a grin.
Emily rolled her eyes and moved over. “Aren’t you worried people will see you talking to the enemy? This situation has the makings of a real West Side Story tragedy.”
Puck shrugged. “For today, you aren’t the enemy,” she replied. “We’re supposed to be a team, right?” She smiled. “But I’ll be extra careful not to die anyways.”
“Darn, I guess my plan failed,” Emily said in mock disappointment. “Still this is suspicious. People may talk. On second thought, they’d probably think I was doing loser outreach. No one would ever believe I’d let you anywhere near me otherwise.”
Puck scoffed. “Loser outreach? I’m so much better, and so much hotter than that,” she said. “And besides, look around you. Who here is important? Me. You. Let them talk. Who gives a fuck? No one.” She grinned. “I mean, unless there was someone else you were dying to sit with.”
Emily smirked, but didn’t reply. Instead, she turned and looked out of the window, shifting closer to Puck discreetly.
Puck smiled and leaned her knee against Emily's knee. This is going to be an interesting day.
~*~*~
Gabe shifted in his seat, moving closer to Molly. He waited until she looked over at him and waggled his eyebrows. “You wanna...you know?”
Molly narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, her hands folded in her lap. “No, Gabe, I do not want to make out with you in front of our fellow Glee club members!” She glanced around for a moment at the other students on the bus, her voice raised a little louder than it should have been. “You know perfectly well that that sort of thing should be reserved for when two people are in private and not out in the open for just anyone to watch! I don’t care who you are!” Molly looked back at him, her eyebrows raised. “Now. If you wanted to have a pleasant conversation with me, which I know you are capable of, I would rather enjoy that.”
“You’re so bloody frustratin’ sometimes. No, I don’t want to have a pleasant conversation,” he said, slinking lower into his seat. He was so happy he’d brought his uListen. This was going to be the longest ninety minutes of his life.
Molly frowned, huffing a little as she watched Gabe put his earphones in. She stuck out her bottom lip, but he had already stopped paying attention to her. Rolling her eyes, she turned away from him again, leaning her forehead against the window, inching her hand out until she found his. She didn’t go so far as to actually hold his hand, but she let her hand rest against his to remind her that he was still there.
~*~*~
Rachel felt the muscles in her abdomen and lower back tense slightly just as the bus hit a pot hole in the road. She hissed in pain and grabbed at her belly as if holding it close to her. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath, taking a deep breath, trying to keep it discreet as she felt Quinn’s suspicious eyes on her.
Rachel had been unusually tense all morning and antsy, but right now it was like she couldn’t sit still. Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay? Is it your back again?”
Rachel scrunched up her nose and twisted slightly, trying to find a comfortable position. "These Braxton Hicks are driving me nuts. They're nothing significant, just uncomfortable," she said before settling down and reaching over for Quinn's hand and lacing their fingers together. "Thank you for coming with me."
“Oh right, is it normal to have them so frequently?” Quinn asked with a slight frown. Rachel had been suffering Braxton Hicks contractions for over a week, but so far, the twins had made no appearance. “I’m sure the bus isn’t helping. That’s why I’m here and I’m glad I’m getting to experience it with you.”
Rachel tilted her head back and smiled up at Quinn. “I love you, you know?” She asked before kissing Quinn’s jaw.
Quinn tensed a little. “Should we be...doing this in front of your students?” She asked hesitantly.
Rachel frowned and began to move away from Quinn as she felt her girlfriend tense up next to her. She settled into her seat, leaning toward the window. “I apologize,” she said, beginning to untangle their fingers. “I wasn’t thinking,” she said, laying her hands in her lap with a small, apologetic smile.
“Rach, you know I don’t care about this stuff, but these aren’t our children and I don’t know what the school’s policy is now that you’re a teacher. Plus, just think of how we were eight and nine years ago. Would we have really wanted to see Mr. Schue and Ms. Pilsbury making out on the bus?” Quinn moved closer to Rachel, taking her hand again and relacing their fingers as she let her lips brush Rachel’s ear as she whispered. “Though, given how things have turned out, I’m almost disappointed with my high school self for never taking advantage of sitting next to you in the back of the bus.” She pulled back and smirked at her girlfriend.
Rachel grinned and ducked her head, lowering her voice. “You know, at the front of the bus, they can’t actually see... or hear anything,” she replied with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a giggle.
Quinn shook her head before pressing a quick kiss to Rachel’s lips. “You heard the ruckus that that one Cheerio made. We should lead by example, but tonight we’ll celebrate the team winning all night long. Or...you know, until one of us older pregnant ladies gets too tired and falls asleep.”
"I love it when you talk dirty to me," Rachel replied with grin before kissing Quinn quickly. "But for now," she began in a low voice so only Quinn could hear. "We'll act like we don't try to fornicate as often as possible." Rachel leaned her body back against Quinn's, her head on Quinn's shoulder.
Registration
Ms. Berry had instructed Josie to register the team while the rest unloaded the costumes and props and got settled in the lobby. She queued behind a senior from another school, glancing back at her glee-clubbers, who were chattering excitedly. She played with her lucky charm bracelet nervously. It was ridiculous, she never got nervous in ballet or piano recitals, but Glee meant an even greater deal to her than anything else.
Rachel slowly made her way toward Josie, gently placing her hand on Josie’s left shoulder. “Nerves are a natural reaction to a competition,” she whispered just for Josie. She squeezed the young teen’s shoulder before releasing it. “You’re going to be spectacular,” she said with an encouraging smile.
Josie bit her lip, and nodded, relaxing a bit at her teacher’s touch. “I’m not usually like this. I’m usually calm, composed and ready for anything, but right now...” she took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “I just feel like its my responsibility, and if we don’t win, knock on wood... I don’t want to disappoint anybody, especially myself.”
Rachel wrapped her arm around Josie's shoulders and pulled her into her side as they took a step closer to the registration desk. "May I be so bold as to suggest that perhaps you're nervous because the song selection was left up to you guys?" She asked with a small smile. Rachel hugged Josie to her side before releasing her. "You sound amazing, look amazing and are amazing."
Josie’s face relaxed into a smile. “Maybe. But it was a great experience, and it was really fun. And thanks.” The line moved and it was finally their turn to register.
“School? And tier?”, the lady receptionist asked the pair.
“McKinley High, Tier 2.” Josie replied, with some confidence. She tapped her fingers on the counter impatiently as the woman checked through her computer database.
A few minutes later they were checked in and Rachel began to lead Josie away and toward New Directions’ area. “Take a deep breath, Josie. You’ll work yourself up if you don’t calm down,” she said with a smile, nudging Josie’s shoulder slightly.
Josie nodded, breathing slowly. Today was going to be a great day.
Car rides and catching up
Finn pulled on his jacket, starting to get really excited about this trip. It brought back some really good memories of his own days in the spotlight, singing his heart out, standing side by side with Rachel and in those moments feeling like nothing could stop them. He smiled, almost feeling those spotlights on him now. “Alright, Drizzle,” Finn called out, shaking his head as he could hear her bouncing around just around the corner. “We can finally go.” He smiled, teasing his impatient daughter. She was probably more excited than he was and he wasn’t sure that was possible. “We’ve gotta go pick up your uncle.”
“Okay. I can’t wait to see Uncle Kurt again.” Abby was practically bouncing up and down. She also couldn’t wait to watch Sectionals. She was really excited and couldn’t sit still. All her adults had stories about the times they were in glee together. “Do you think he’s excited too?”
"I bet he's wondering what's taking us so long," Finn replied with a grin. He made sure he had his keys then led Abby outside to his truck. "What are you most excited about?" He asked her, making sure she buckled her seatbelt before pulling out of his parking spot and getting on the way.
“A lot of things.” Abby bit her lip, trying hard not to smile but failing. “I can’t decide. I think the singing is gonna be really good since Rachel was teaching them. And the dancing. Aunt Brittany helped. Mike too. They’re the bestest dancers I know. So everything together will be, will be awesomedary!” She couldn’t think of anything to say that could accurately capture how great New Directions was going to be. So she made up a word.
"Awesomedary?" Finn asked, pausing to consider the sound of it. "I'm gonna steal that." He glanced over at Abby and grinned before turning the wheel. "Yeah, I bet it's gonna be really great. Almost like old times, except you won't get to see me up there on stage. I was awesome. Awesomedary, even." Finn smiled, proud. "Well, your mom was too, and Rachel, and Mike, and... okay we were all pretty awesomedary." He pulled up to the curb and put the car in park. "Let's go get your uncle, Driz."
“Okay. And you can use my word anytime, Daddy. But it’s gonna cost you a nickle every time.” Abby opened the car door and got out. She grinned and got an idea. “I’ll race you to the door!”
"You're never gonna beat me," Finn teased as they lined up by the truck. "Ready, set, go!" He made a big show of starting out ahead of Abby, but slowed his long steps to an awkward gallop as Abby pulled in front, racing up the walkway to the door. "Man, Driz, you're gonna have to tell me your secret," Finn said as he caught up, her face beaming. He ruffled her hair with affection and knocked on the door.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret no more.” Abby grinned. The father and daughter only had to wait briefly for the other passenger to show up. “Hi Uncle Kurt! You look dressed to impress. Like always.”
The anticipation of meeting with his old friends had been something Kurt was over-analyzing and stressing about for the past few days, even more so in the recent hours as he prepared to meet up with everyone. Since he had returned home, he had struggled to keep a low profile and when it came down to it, he had mostly only met with his friends one on one or in small groups. He hadn’t been with his New Directions friends since the first winter break of their freshman year of college- he had no idea whether or not he was ready for this.
The knock at his door told him that Finn and Abby had arrived and almost immediately his heart began to pound. He turned to face the mirror in the foyer and inhaled sharply, his eyes holding onto his reflection for a few seconds before he grinned and turned to open his door. His eyes met with Finn’s first, then fell down to Abby’s as his arms pulled her into a hug. “Hi Abs! Like I’ve always told you, you should dress to impress, you never know who you’ll see,” he laughed softly as his arms released her. “You both look really good too, did you pick out the outfits?” he smiled as his eyes caught Abby’s.
"Hey bro!" Finn smiled widely at Kurt and leaned forward to give him a one-armed hug. "Ready to see the new New Directions?" He pulled back and tugged at his clothes self-consciously. "Quinn chose mine. She says I have no fashion sense and it's her duty to save the world from my horrible clothes," Finn said, shaking his head with a fond smile. "At least until I get my own girl, anyway." He shrugged as if saying 'what am I gonna do about it?' and looked down at Abby again. "I think she actually trusts Drizzle with her own clothes most of the time, but I don't know about today."
Abby looked down at her clothes. She was wearing the long sleeved pink dress she got for Christmas, paired with peace and love black and white leggings. She had on her black high top converse and a pink knit cap on. “You’re just jealous of my flare.”
Kurt had to admit, seeing Finn and Abby at his door had sent a wave of ease over his body and he began to think that maybe seeing everyone again wouldn’t be as bad as he feared. At least he had the two of them there too if he needed them. “I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied to Finn as he straightened his posture. “I’ve heard good things about them already though, so I’m excited to see what they’ve got.” Really, since Kurt and the original New Directions had taken the stage at McKinley High, the glee club had grown immensely and definitely for the better.
He laughed softly as his eyes rolled over Finn’s outfit again and he smiled. It was obvious that he hadn’t chosen the clothes for himself and now that he mentioned Quinn’s name, he could certainly see Q picking out the outfit. “Well, I would definitely allow Abs to pick the clothes for the both of you, too. She does have flare,” he smirked as his eyes caught onto Abby’s. “You two ready to get this show on the road?” he beamed his large smile and combed his bangs to the side, his nerves sparking up again.
"Yeah, let's go," Finn grinned, leading the way back to his truck. "Quinn probably saved us seats, but... just in case, we should get there as soon as possible." He watched Abby climb in, ready to help her if she needed it, but she wasn't so little anymore. Every so often it just amazed him how fast she grew. "I'm glad you're coming along, Kurt," Finn said, climbing in on his own side. "Brittany's really been working to get everyone together. It's gonna be great."
“I know, it’s been quite a few years since we were all together, hasn’t it?” he didn’t expect Finn to answer, he knew very well that it had been a long time since the gang had all been together. There wasn’t one specific person to blame for that, but Kurt definitely hadn’t made it easy while he was out in New York, but that wasn’t the case now. He pushed the thoughts of New York away and focused on today, on New Directions, and on spending some quality time with Abby and his brother. “All buckled in, Abs?” he asked as he stepped into the truck and buckled himself. “Quinn has told me that Rachel has been working hard with these kids, I’m excited to see how it all works out!"
Finn nodded, pulling away from the curb. "Yeah, she's been really dedicated. She can't leave the house really, doctor's orders, but she's still doing everything she can to make sure they're ready." He smiled fondly. "She's got two in the oven ready to pop out and she's still got the same energy she had in high school. There's just no one like Rach."
Since returning home, Kurt had only met up with a very select group of his old friends and unfortunately, he’d only seen Rachel once for a very brief moment with Quinn. Of course Q had shared with him some of the details about their relationship and how the pregnancies were going, but regrettably there wasn’t a whole lot that Kurt really knew about Rachel herself, aside from everything the public eye knew about her in the past recent years. “Yeah, Quinn was telling me she was on bed rest, but leave it to her to still make her kids shine, right?” he smirked and ran a gentle hand through his hair. “You’re right, there really is no one else like Rachel Berry.”
"Do you ever miss it?" Finn asked. He glanced over at Kurt's confused face and chuckled at himself. "I mean, not Rachel. Not that you wouldn't miss her,but... performing, glee club, being up there and singing. Do you miss it?"
Kurt bit down on his bottom lip, a nervous habit he had picked up on in the more recent months working at the magazine before he finally nodded his head. “Well, there are,” he began but paused for a long second. “Yeah, I miss it. I miss being on stage and feeling those nerves fueling my adrenaline, I miss spending time with everyone backstage or at rehearsals, I miss..” he trailed off and looked over at Finn. “I miss being here, I miss Lima.”
Finn smiled a genuine smile back at him, reaching over with his free hand to pat him on the shoulder. "We missed you, too," he said, his hand travelling to rub Abby's back fondly before settling back on the wheel. "Right, Driz? We're glad to have you back. You think we could convince the others to do some karaoke? It'd be like getting the club really back together."
The smile on his face hadn’t been this large probably since he had returned home and to be honest, it felt good. To think of it, there had been a lot of good things that had been happening to Kurt as of lately, yet through all of it he only focused on the negative things, like being fired. You’ve got to be real, things are... things are good, he thought to himself as his eyes traveled over to meet Finn’s. “We can definitely get the gang to do a little stand up karaoke,” he told him as a soft laugh came to his lips. “That will be fun.”
~*~*~
Lola turned the music down a little before looking over at Santana. “So, this is exciting. Does it feel like when you used to do this all of the time?”
Santana smiled. “When I did this, I was... mostly running on adrenaline. Before and afterwards. Now, I’m just nervous for the kids. But only a little. And don’t you dare tell anyone.”
Laughing, Lola shook her head. “I won’t say anything. It’s really cute that you’re nervous for them. Rachel mentioned there are a lot more members now than before. I’m guessing you all were like pioneers. That’s impressive.”
“We were good. The first McKinley glee club since Mr. Schue that actually won something, I think.” Santana shrugged.
“Do you ever miss performing? You did a lot of it in high school. You were a nationally ranked cheerleader and in the glee club...very different from the woman who spends most of her time reading manuscripts.” Lola reached for Santana’s hand and laced their fingers together.
Santana squeezed Lola’s hand gently. “Sometimes, yeah, I miss it. It feels like my entire high school experience was performing, but... I like what I do now. I had to smile entirely too much,” she joked. “And you know how I hate to do that.”
Lola rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you never smile ever. Maybe you should get into performing again. That would be a neat hobby. We could do it together. Start our own lesbian folk duo. It could be epic.”
“A lesbian folk duo,” Santana repeated flatly. “That’s a little gay, even for me. And I can’t play an instrument. I can only sing and dance.” Yeah, she can dance. With Brittany. She shrugged helplessly. “Face it, babe. We’re just going to have to take up some other hobby. Like hunting. Or team-fishing.”
“I’m appalled you mentioned either of those things. It’s like you don’t know me at all. I should get Rachel on you for your non-vegan views,” Lola threatened. It was nice to have Rachel around as backup with her mother so far away. “Maybe our hobby could be PETA related. They’ve been trying to get me on board with their campaigns for a year now.”
Santana frowned. “Their campaigns, huh? I’ve seen those campaign things. They’re the ones of famous people without clothes on. And we’re not doing that. My mother would have a heart attack. Your mother might have a heart attack. Let’s... I don’t know, hold off on hobbies until things settle down.”
Lola grinned. “Actually, my mom’s done some pretty wild things and has no problem with public nudity. I’d love to get to ride a horse naked,” she said with a wink. “But I haven’t wanted to champion PETA because, while I agree with what they do, sometimes their methods are extreme. It gets too political and I feel like sometimes you lose the real message.”
“Any naked photos you take are going to stay firmly in my possession,” Santana said, only half-serious. “But you’re right. It’s... risky. So, no PETA stuff. We’ll check it off the “Possible Hobby” list.”
“Fine, deal, but we don’t like too many of the same things. Books are our passion, but sometimes it’s like all I do is read. I read books on serial killers and psychology and everything else under the sun,” Lola said with a sigh. “I love books, but they’re my life. I’d like a change of scenery. I even told Finn I’d maybe stop by the shop on the days I’m bored and you’re hanging with your friends.”
“Oh.” Santana frowned. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been hanging out with people, but you can come with me, you know. I don’t mean to leave you at the apartment all the time.” She shifted in her seat. “You should have said you were bored. I didn’t realize.”
“I know. I don’t mind it. I promise. If we were back in San Francisco, it would probably be you in my position. You haven’t seen your friends in years. I don’t want you to think I need to be entertained. I don’t and I love your friends, but you do deserve to reconnect on your own. I’m looking forward to hanging out at the shop and maybe the fire station. Maybe I’ll learn a few things I can use for my books,” she said, making a mental checklist of things she might need to pay special attention to. “I just want to make sure we’re staying connected and not allowing the only things we talk about to revolve around the wedding.”
Santana smiled gently. “If you’re sure, then okay. We’ll find a hobby, or something to do, something that doesn’t have anything to do with the wedding.” She rubbed her thumb across Lola’s knuckles. “Hey, this sounds crazy, but... Want to go on a date with me? Like, a real date? We haven’t done that in a while. You could wear something sexy, I could open your car door for you...”
And that right there was the reason she’d fallen in love with Santana. She smiled brightly and nodded. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Ms. Lopez. You can show me around Lima.”
“You’ve already seen our finest restaurant,” Santana said dramatically. “But I can show you other places. Other secret places.” She winked.
Lola chucked and blushed. “I do enjoy secret places.” The GPS announced that they’d be reaching their destination in five miles. She straightened a little in her seat and gave Santana’s hand a light squeeze. “Almost there.”
Santana smiled over at Lola. “This better be worth the drive. I’m kidding,” she says quickly. “I’m sure they’ll be great. With Rachel Berry as their leader, how can they be anything else.”
Watching Classic Connection perform
It was an interesting experience for Jen to watch a group of competitors who she didn’t know anything about. Usually with a soccer team she was playing against she would know who she needed to watch out for and who was just on the field so that the team had enough players. Her knee bounced with what she refused to call nervous energy as her eyes slid from one performer to the next. She was glad Classic Connection was in a different tier, they were good. But even if they were in the same tier Jen believed that New Directions was better.
Sitting between Jen and Gabe, Alvin watched in awe as Classic Connection performed. They were really good and he was glad that New Directions wasn't competing against them today. He caught Jen bouncing her legs almost nervously out of the corner of his eye. He reached over and placed his hand gently on her leg, giving her a reassuring smile.
Jen tensed slightly, surprised at Alvin’s hand. She smiled over at him, but she crossed her legs, pulling her leg out from under Alvin’s hand.
Josie had filled in the aisle seat next to Jen, and being her nosy self, noticed Alvin and Jen’s interactions. She raised her eyebrow and smiled slightly, turning back to watch Classic Connection while they performed their second song, the latest one by Lady Gaga. Their costumes were wild and their dancing was strong, but Josie found comfort in that their female lead wasn’t a very strong singer. She smirked and leaned back in her chair.
Gabe looked on in amusement as the other group shuffled across the stage. “They’re terrible. They look like a bunch of wankers.” He laughed as one guy turned completely the other direction. “If the other groups look like this, we’re definitely going to win.”
Molly pursed her lips tightly, her hands twisted in her lap anxiously. “Be quiet, Gabe. That’s rude.”
Shrugging, Gabe smirked as he continued to watch the other group and made snide comments about them.
Bathroom and Snack Break
Artie was glad that he decided to come see the Glee Club, but he had to admit that it was weird not knowing any of the performers. He knew that Brittany and Puck’s little sisters were in the Glee Club, but he didn’t really know them. Artie did wonder what songs they would be doing from the past, and when he would start running into everyone from the past.
Going into this, Kurt had no idea what to expect, he knew that the original members of New Directions were supposed to show up and he expected there to be some huge reunion, but so far he’d mostly stuck to Finn’s side and watched Abby with him. It was a bit nerve wracking to wait around for someone, but Kurt wasn’t entirely comfortable going out of his way to find everyone, either. After all, most people had no idea that Kurt was home at all, let alone home for good.
Kurt approached the snack bar as he desperately scrambled in his pockets for the few dollars he had packed away. Before returning home, paying for anything was as simple as swiping a card and being done with it, but Kurt had made it an effort to limit his credit card use and focus on actually finding another job around Lima. He stopped immediately when he saw Artie, his old friend who was in line. He swallowed hard and inhaled deeply, before he approached him. “Well, well, well look who we’ve got here! Hello Artie!”
Artie turned to hear the voice of the high pitched tenor. “Kurt Hummel? Don’t you have better more exciting things to do than be at a Glee club performance on a Saturday afternoon?”
Before Kurt realized it, a genuine smile had broke across his face when he heard Artie address him. He took a short breath in and caught onto his friend’s eyes as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. “And miss this new spectacular New Directions performance? Never in a million years,” he laughed softly and leaned down to hug his friend quickly. “It’s been so long Artie, how have you been?”
Artie really didn’t know how to answer that. The last time that the two of them spoke he was a happy college student with a hot girlfriend, and now he was back in Lima, Ohio spending time making sure his mother didn’t completely fall apart and working at the record store. “I guess I have been good. That’s a pretty loaded question after all these years though. Life gets complicated. What have you been up to in the last couple years?”
Kurt knew that Artie was right, it was a sort of loaded question and probably not the best to bring up during their first interaction in roughly six or so years. He blinked a few times as he wondered how things had gotten complicated with Artie, he knew a few things here and there from word of mouth, but there was still a lot that he had no idea about. “Me?” he asked as his mind tried to register the question. Normally, Kurt loved to talk about himself, it was one of his favorite subjects, but as of lately it was more difficult than ever.
“Oh I was busy working for a fashion magazine in New York that took up a lot of... my whole life,” he forced a laugh to make it seem as if he were lightly joking. He swallowed again and began biting out his bottom lip out of habit. “I ah,” he paused for a second. “Like you said, things get complicated. But, the complications allowed me to be here for this and for that, I’m happy.” he explained as his smile sprung across his lips again.
Artie considered this for a moment, and knew that Kurt was right. Sure things weren’t all rainbows and unicorns in his life at the moment, but it allowed him to be here and although he didn’t believe in fate, he had to think that maybe this was supposed to happen, in some way. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. If life had stayed the same there’s no way I would be in Ohio right now. So I guess that’s something. I always knew that you were going to work in fashion, since what other sixteen year old guy knows the names of every designer?”
As awful as it was to have lost his job at the magazine, Kurt had to admit that things weren’t entirely bad anymore. Since he had returned home, his relationship with his father had begun to grow stronger again and it was such a good feeling to see Abby and the others, he hadn’t realized just how much he had missed them all until he was face to face with them. And then there was Kellan, who for the time being was certainly allowing for a permanent smile to live on his face... as hard as it was to say out loud for Kurt, losing his job definitely had some good outcomes so far. “Exactly! And if that were the case, neither of us would be here right now seeing each other,” he beamed again and nodded his head. “Yes, fashion was always my forté if you will, it was nice to get into the industry and I got to meet so many of those designers!”
“It’s great that everything worked out for you. So how are you enjoying the show?” Artie said as the soda he ordered was placed in front of him. He didn’t want to admit it but the first half of the competition had made him a little sleepy, so he needed the caffeine to keep himself awake for New Directions performance. “I have to say, if it were us up there we would have kicked all their asses.”
Kurt stepped up to the counter next, after Artie had ordered and asked politely for a bottle of water. He turned his attention back to his friend and cocked his head to the side. “So far the other teams have been pretty good although I can assume it will be nothing compared to how Rachel has prepared New Directions,” he told him honestly as he handed over a few dollars for his drink. He twisted the cap off his bottle and raised it to his lips before he took a small sip. “Finn was telling me on the way here that they have been putting a lot of work in while she has been on bed rest,” he threw in as he lifted the bottle to take another sip.
With the bottle at his lips, Kurt glanced down at Artie right as the water spilt all over him and down his one of a kind Louis Vuitton vest. His eyes widened in alarm as he frantically began to wave his hands in attempt to air dry the water stain. “Oh my God Artie! I need to get this cleaned up right away, I- oh goodness! It was so good to see you, I’ll see you in there, okay?” he asked, not waiting for a response before he set the bottle down and rushed away from the lobby toward the nearest bathroom.
~*~*~
Leave it to Kurt to embarrass himself almost immediately after reconnecting with one of his old friends from New Directions by spilling his water all over himself. Of course he didn’t think Artie cared much about it and he didn’t expect him to think any less of Kurt because he clearly made a fool of himself, but nevertheless it was still mortifying. After he had excused himself from Artie, he had rushed to the bathroom, eager to get himself cleaned up and salvage whatever he could of his vest without it looking completely ruined.
He grasped the paper towels and began patting down the water splotches all over his vest, his chipper smile lost now to a frown as he held back a sigh. This vest was a one of the kind and as much as he hated to admit it, even the smallest spill like this may have ruined it forever. He closed his eyes in frustration and tossed the paper towels into the trash can. His eyes fluttered open as he peered into the mirror ahead of him. His frown returned and for the first time all day, Kurt felt defeated.
Blaine pushed the door open, relieved to see it not full. It was the perfect time for a bathroom and apparently, everyone else thought so. He went about his business and walked towards the sink to wash his hands. He paused at the sight in front him. Of all the places... He shook his head, stepped up to flick the faucet open. "You look down."
Kurt stared at his reflection and it was obvious how frustrated he was with himself. As much as he hated to admit it, he got flustered over little things like ruining his vest or running into old friends and having to awkwardly lie about the fact that he was fired from the magazine. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to calm himself down. He heard the door open before the footsteps and already he wished he was in a better condition than right now. Don’t make a scene, just clean yourself up and get out, chances are you don’t even know the person, he cautioned himself.
Then the voice came. He could feel the color draining from his face and immediately he wished he was anywhere but in that bathroom. He didn’t open his eyes, in fact he squeezed them tighter as he tried to pretend that the voice he heard belonged to someone else, but he knew it wasn’t true. There was no denying who the voice belonged to, it was the same voice that Kurt had fallen in love with years ago. Now hearing it made his skin crawl and his heart burst out of his chest. His eyes snapped open and quickly found his. “Blaine... What, what are you doing here?”
“Using the bathroom?” Blaine smiled as he shook his hands and grab a paper towel to dry them.
Kurt blinked his eyes a few times as he tried to comprehend what the hell was going on right now. Was he looking at a ghost? Surely there would be no reason why Blaine of all people would be here tonight. “I ah mean,” he stammered to get the right words out, but nothing was coming. He could feel his fingers trembling now, but he had no way of stopping them. His eyes stared at Blaine as a mixture of emotions took over his body. “Blaine,” he muttered again as he looked away quickly. “Ah... well, um go ahead and use the bathroom.” he reached for a paper towel and spotted his vest again as he tried to turn away.
Blaine chuckled softly to himself. “I’m done actually.” He turned to face Kurt. It took him a moment to fully look at him. He was struck by the familiarity. It’s been years, but Kurt looked the same. “To seriously answer your question, I’m here to support Josh.”
“Josh?” he blinked a few times as his mind raced through his memories, desperately trying to put a face to the name Josh. He couldn’t remember any Josh, so who was he? He ruled out the option that Blaine was dating some high school student and from what he could remember, there was no younger cousin of his named Josh. He finally turned to face Blaine, his fingers clutched tightly to the paper towel as his eyes focused in on Blaine.
Confusion flashed through Kurt’s eyes and Blaine can’t help but think how adorable he looked right now. It brought him back to the past. Shaking his head slightly to bring himself out of memory lane, he smiled at Kurt. “Josh is my son.”
It took Kurt exactly forty-seven seconds to register what Blaine had just said. It came off of his lips so naturally at first and Kurt didn’t question it, but when it hit him, he was floored. “Your- your son?” he asked in disbelief. He swallowed hard and stood up straight, his knuckles flushing white as his grip on the paper towels tightened. “What do you mean your son? I- I don’t quite understand what you’re saying,” he told him honestly as he attempted to understand it. What did he mean his son? It hadn’t been that long. Not to mention the fact that it would be physically impossible for him to have a son in high school, even a freshman. “I don’t get it.”
“That’s okay. Most people don’t. Not during the initial introduction.” Blaine smiled. “Josh is my foster son.”
Why was any of this happening right now? Why hadn’t the two of them avoided each other, wasn’t that was exes were supposed to do? Especially exes who had ended on rocky ground years ago. He swallowed again and this time dropped the paper towel into the trash can to his right, his fingers throbbing. “Oh,” he stared at Blaine for a second as he opened his mouth to say more, but no words came from his lips. What am I even supposed to say? Congratulations on having a foster son, what else has changed since high school? He frowned and looked down at his hands. “Then I, I won’t hold you up anymore.” he told him and quickly turned to walk away and out of the bathroom as his nerves returned and his fingers began to shake again.
Blaine watched him walk away. He didn’t expect to run into Kurt like this, not in a bathroom. He wasn’t prepared at all to see him but it felt...good, nice to talk to him again. It was one of things Blaine missed the most. They talked a lot back then. They’d have long conversations deep in the night. They were friends first before becoming something more. He wanted that back. He walked out of the bathroom and looked around. Spotting Kurt, he jogged over towards him. “You left pretty quickly back there.”
Kurt hurried out of the bathroom as quickly as he could, desperately trying to put as much space between himself and Blaine as he possibly could. He was not supposed to be here tonight. This was a sort of reunion for the original New Directions, this was not the night to run into the only person he had ever loved and awkwardly try to have a conversation with him. “Where the hell is Finn?” he muttered to himself under his breath as he pushed through the crowd of people. It was no use, Blaine found him and he stopped and turned to face him again. “I told you, I didn’t want to keep you from your,” he paused and swallowed again. “Your son. What do we have to talk about, Bl- Blaine?”
“You’re not keeping me from anything. I’m sure Josh is with his friends right now.” Blaine said, wincing slightly as he was pushed around by the crowd. “How long will you be in town for? I was thinking maybe we can have coffee. Just like the old times.”
The question replayed itself in his head four times before he really began to process what Blaine had asked him. How long will you be in town for? he repeated again as he felt his fingers begin to tremble again. “I um,” he paused and did his best not to let his nerves get the better of him. “I should be in town for a little longer, a few weeks maybe... and then,” he looked up to Blaine and finally made eye contact with him again. “Sure Blaine, sure we can.. ah, have coffee. Yeah, okay.”
A small smile graced Blaine’s lips. “Yeah? Great. I thought for a second that you’d say no.” He stepped closer to Kurt. “I never imagined you to be the type to visit Lima for a few weeks.”
Kurt hated that he was lying to people by telling everyone that he was only temporarily in Lima, but it was something he needed to do, at least for now. Eventually he would have to tell his father and Finn and well, everyone else... but Blaine, no he didn’t need to tell Blaine. They could have their coffee, make awkward banter, and then be done and go their separate ways again. He told himself that it would be the easiest thing to do, he could not allow his feelings for Blaine to ever surface again. “I’m just working a few things out,” he lied and forced a fake smile. “But, back to coffee.. our ah,” he paused and cursed himself in his head. “Our usual spot?” he finally asked.
“Our usual spot is fine.” Blaine nodded. He reached into his pocket to pull out his phone and held it. “Mind putting in your number? So we can work out the details?”
His eyes settled on the phone that Blaine had dug out of his pocket and for a moment, his gaze remained on it. He blinked a few times and carried his eyes back up to meet the brunette’s as he nodded his head slowly. Very hesitantly, he reached his hand out and took the phone from Blaine, his eyes still locked on his ex’s. He looked away and down at the phone, his thumbs moving over the sensitive keys as he put his number into Blaine’s contacts. He held his hand out, the phone resting in his hand as he looked back up at him. “Okay, just send me... tell me when and I’ll meet you there, oh-okay?” he bit his bottom lip again as his smile grew.
He took the phone from Kurt, fingers brushing by his hand. He fiddled with the keys for a moment before shrill ringing broke the silence. Blaine smiled. “So...that’s my number.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “I’ll have to check when I’m free but count on me texting you.” Blaine locked eyes with Kurt as he reached out to pat him on the arm. “It was nice seeing you, Kurt. It was a pleasant surprise.” He flashed him one last smile before walking off into the crowd.
He couldn’t help himself from jumping slightly at the sound of his ringtone coming to life and breaking the small silence that had settled between them. He shoved his hand into his pocket and fumbled to turn the sound off. He returned his eyes to Blaine’s and again he nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll be waiting for that text,” he told him as he forced a soft laugh. What am I doing? This is going to end badly, very badly... No, no it’s just two friends catching up, he told himself as he felt his pulse race beneath Blaine’s touch. He watched him walk away and took a deep breath, his heart pounding a million times a second.
When: Saturday 15th January, 2019
Where: William McKinley High School and Beavercreek, OH
What: These are a few of my favorite things...
Getting on the bus
Rachel glanced around the parking lot of the school. It was 6:50am and they had finished loading the props onto the back of the bus. The glee club and a few parents were making their way onto the bus and Rachel made sure to check their names off one by one. She frowned as she felt a twinge in her back but took a deep breath as it quickly passed. She smiled gently as Sophia Ben Israel boarded the bus, her blue eyes following Rachel.
Rachel glanced to her right when she felt a presence approach from behind. She smiled at Quinn. “Everything set at the back?” She asked, nodding behind her at the end of the bus where the driver was slamming the door closed and heading toward them.
Quinn smiled and saluted her. “Sir, yes sir,” she said, smirking over at the shorter woman. Only Rachel would have her up this early on a Saturday morning. Quinn stifled a yawn and took a sip of her decaf coffee. She was exhausted, up all night because Rachel kept tossing and turning, but she had to admit that the excitement radiating off of the kids and Rachel, herself, was contagious.
Rachel grinned and pulled Quinn in for a quick kiss, tasting the coffee on her lips. “Don’t mock me,” Rachel replied with a playful glare. “I know you’re just as excited as they are. These ones, though,” she said, pointing to her belly, “sleeping soundly.” Rachel ticked off Talia, Tyrell and Timberly as they piled onto the bus, one after the other. “Thank you for coming with us. It’ll be nice to have some support for me, too,” she said with a grin and a nudge.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Quinn said quickly, stepping away from the other woman so that she could check the students in. She grinned as she saw three Cheerios walking toward the bus. Two blondes and a brunette. It reminded her of her high school days. She smiled and said hi to Bree as she stepped onto the bus, frowning when the other two didn’t even bother to acknowledge her presence. Man, we really were snotty little brats, weren’t we?
Bree grinned when she saw a familiar face, her sister’s best friend, Quinn. “Hey!” she greeted excitedly, before catching up to Molly and Emily.
Emily turned back to Bree as they checked in and got on the bus. “Was that...was that Quinn Fabray?” She asked, frowning. She’d seen the woman before of that she was sure, but it didn’t make any sense as to why she’d be here.
Bree nodded. “Yeah, that’s Quinn Fabray. I didn’t know she would be here, but I guess it makes sense, since Ms. Berry needs someone to accompany her. Plus, they’re dating.” She wondered whether any of the other glee club pioneers were going to attend the show. It would make her even more nervous, but even more motivated to do well.
Eyes widening , Emily peered out of the window, Miss Berry and Quinn Fabray? That was...well she didn’t know what it was. Surprising? Disappointing maybe...Either way, she thought as she took a seat near the back of the bus, it was strange to see.
Molly followed close behind Emily and Bree as they boarded the bus, making sure to catch every word. Dating? Her eyes widened, her head whipping around to stare at the two women standing outside the bus, almost running into one of the seats in the process. Molly cleared her throat, composing herself again as she ignored the other two girls and found a seat. Of course, it was common knowledge that Ms. Berry was gay. Such a shame. Molly stared out the window at the blond woman, shaking her head. Ms. Berry was so talented and Molly had nothing but the utmost respect for her but her sexuality was just so unfortunate. She turned away from the window, still shaking her head as she crossed her legs delicately. Bree said her name was... Quinn? Molly chewed her lip thoughtlessly, filing the name away to remember for Coach Sylvester later.
Rachel watched the three Cheerios step onto the bus and waited for them to be out of earshot before she turned to Quinn. "That brunette, that would be Emily," she whispered. Her mind flashed back to one of their last glee meetings and she remembered all the teenage angst and song dedications, without the verbal dedications. "I have so much to catch you up on," she said to Quinn as Alvin and Gabe hurried up the steps of the bus.
Quinn watched as the girls climbed the bus, her mind flashing back to how she, Santana and Brittany had been. “I’m almost afraid to know,” she admitted. Now that she was a parent and Abby seemed to be rapidly hurtling towards the teen years, she was hoping things weren’t the same. But it seemed they definitely were.
From Lima to Beavercreek
Puck slipped into the space beside Emily on the bus. “Hope you weren’t saving that spot for your ego or anything,” she teased with a grin.
Emily rolled her eyes and moved over. “Aren’t you worried people will see you talking to the enemy? This situation has the makings of a real West Side Story tragedy.”
Puck shrugged. “For today, you aren’t the enemy,” she replied. “We’re supposed to be a team, right?” She smiled. “But I’ll be extra careful not to die anyways.”
“Darn, I guess my plan failed,” Emily said in mock disappointment. “Still this is suspicious. People may talk. On second thought, they’d probably think I was doing loser outreach. No one would ever believe I’d let you anywhere near me otherwise.”
Puck scoffed. “Loser outreach? I’m so much better, and so much hotter than that,” she said. “And besides, look around you. Who here is important? Me. You. Let them talk. Who gives a fuck? No one.” She grinned. “I mean, unless there was someone else you were dying to sit with.”
Emily smirked, but didn’t reply. Instead, she turned and looked out of the window, shifting closer to Puck discreetly.
Puck smiled and leaned her knee against Emily's knee. This is going to be an interesting day.
~*~*~
Gabe shifted in his seat, moving closer to Molly. He waited until she looked over at him and waggled his eyebrows. “You wanna...you know?”
Molly narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, her hands folded in her lap. “No, Gabe, I do not want to make out with you in front of our fellow Glee club members!” She glanced around for a moment at the other students on the bus, her voice raised a little louder than it should have been. “You know perfectly well that that sort of thing should be reserved for when two people are in private and not out in the open for just anyone to watch! I don’t care who you are!” Molly looked back at him, her eyebrows raised. “Now. If you wanted to have a pleasant conversation with me, which I know you are capable of, I would rather enjoy that.”
“You’re so bloody frustratin’ sometimes. No, I don’t want to have a pleasant conversation,” he said, slinking lower into his seat. He was so happy he’d brought his uListen. This was going to be the longest ninety minutes of his life.
Molly frowned, huffing a little as she watched Gabe put his earphones in. She stuck out her bottom lip, but he had already stopped paying attention to her. Rolling her eyes, she turned away from him again, leaning her forehead against the window, inching her hand out until she found his. She didn’t go so far as to actually hold his hand, but she let her hand rest against his to remind her that he was still there.
~*~*~
Rachel felt the muscles in her abdomen and lower back tense slightly just as the bus hit a pot hole in the road. She hissed in pain and grabbed at her belly as if holding it close to her. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath, taking a deep breath, trying to keep it discreet as she felt Quinn’s suspicious eyes on her.
Rachel had been unusually tense all morning and antsy, but right now it was like she couldn’t sit still. Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay? Is it your back again?”
Rachel scrunched up her nose and twisted slightly, trying to find a comfortable position. "These Braxton Hicks are driving me nuts. They're nothing significant, just uncomfortable," she said before settling down and reaching over for Quinn's hand and lacing their fingers together. "Thank you for coming with me."
“Oh right, is it normal to have them so frequently?” Quinn asked with a slight frown. Rachel had been suffering Braxton Hicks contractions for over a week, but so far, the twins had made no appearance. “I’m sure the bus isn’t helping. That’s why I’m here and I’m glad I’m getting to experience it with you.”
Rachel tilted her head back and smiled up at Quinn. “I love you, you know?” She asked before kissing Quinn’s jaw.
Quinn tensed a little. “Should we be...doing this in front of your students?” She asked hesitantly.
Rachel frowned and began to move away from Quinn as she felt her girlfriend tense up next to her. She settled into her seat, leaning toward the window. “I apologize,” she said, beginning to untangle their fingers. “I wasn’t thinking,” she said, laying her hands in her lap with a small, apologetic smile.
“Rach, you know I don’t care about this stuff, but these aren’t our children and I don’t know what the school’s policy is now that you’re a teacher. Plus, just think of how we were eight and nine years ago. Would we have really wanted to see Mr. Schue and Ms. Pilsbury making out on the bus?” Quinn moved closer to Rachel, taking her hand again and relacing their fingers as she let her lips brush Rachel’s ear as she whispered. “Though, given how things have turned out, I’m almost disappointed with my high school self for never taking advantage of sitting next to you in the back of the bus.” She pulled back and smirked at her girlfriend.
Rachel grinned and ducked her head, lowering her voice. “You know, at the front of the bus, they can’t actually see... or hear anything,” she replied with a wiggle of her eyebrows and a giggle.
Quinn shook her head before pressing a quick kiss to Rachel’s lips. “You heard the ruckus that that one Cheerio made. We should lead by example, but tonight we’ll celebrate the team winning all night long. Or...you know, until one of us older pregnant ladies gets too tired and falls asleep.”
"I love it when you talk dirty to me," Rachel replied with grin before kissing Quinn quickly. "But for now," she began in a low voice so only Quinn could hear. "We'll act like we don't try to fornicate as often as possible." Rachel leaned her body back against Quinn's, her head on Quinn's shoulder.
Registration
Ms. Berry had instructed Josie to register the team while the rest unloaded the costumes and props and got settled in the lobby. She queued behind a senior from another school, glancing back at her glee-clubbers, who were chattering excitedly. She played with her lucky charm bracelet nervously. It was ridiculous, she never got nervous in ballet or piano recitals, but Glee meant an even greater deal to her than anything else.
Rachel slowly made her way toward Josie, gently placing her hand on Josie’s left shoulder. “Nerves are a natural reaction to a competition,” she whispered just for Josie. She squeezed the young teen’s shoulder before releasing it. “You’re going to be spectacular,” she said with an encouraging smile.
Josie bit her lip, and nodded, relaxing a bit at her teacher’s touch. “I’m not usually like this. I’m usually calm, composed and ready for anything, but right now...” she took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “I just feel like its my responsibility, and if we don’t win, knock on wood... I don’t want to disappoint anybody, especially myself.”
Rachel wrapped her arm around Josie's shoulders and pulled her into her side as they took a step closer to the registration desk. "May I be so bold as to suggest that perhaps you're nervous because the song selection was left up to you guys?" She asked with a small smile. Rachel hugged Josie to her side before releasing her. "You sound amazing, look amazing and are amazing."
Josie’s face relaxed into a smile. “Maybe. But it was a great experience, and it was really fun. And thanks.” The line moved and it was finally their turn to register.
“School? And tier?”, the lady receptionist asked the pair.
“McKinley High, Tier 2.” Josie replied, with some confidence. She tapped her fingers on the counter impatiently as the woman checked through her computer database.
A few minutes later they were checked in and Rachel began to lead Josie away and toward New Directions’ area. “Take a deep breath, Josie. You’ll work yourself up if you don’t calm down,” she said with a smile, nudging Josie’s shoulder slightly.
Josie nodded, breathing slowly. Today was going to be a great day.
Car rides and catching up
Finn pulled on his jacket, starting to get really excited about this trip. It brought back some really good memories of his own days in the spotlight, singing his heart out, standing side by side with Rachel and in those moments feeling like nothing could stop them. He smiled, almost feeling those spotlights on him now. “Alright, Drizzle,” Finn called out, shaking his head as he could hear her bouncing around just around the corner. “We can finally go.” He smiled, teasing his impatient daughter. She was probably more excited than he was and he wasn’t sure that was possible. “We’ve gotta go pick up your uncle.”
“Okay. I can’t wait to see Uncle Kurt again.” Abby was practically bouncing up and down. She also couldn’t wait to watch Sectionals. She was really excited and couldn’t sit still. All her adults had stories about the times they were in glee together. “Do you think he’s excited too?”
"I bet he's wondering what's taking us so long," Finn replied with a grin. He made sure he had his keys then led Abby outside to his truck. "What are you most excited about?" He asked her, making sure she buckled her seatbelt before pulling out of his parking spot and getting on the way.
“A lot of things.” Abby bit her lip, trying hard not to smile but failing. “I can’t decide. I think the singing is gonna be really good since Rachel was teaching them. And the dancing. Aunt Brittany helped. Mike too. They’re the bestest dancers I know. So everything together will be, will be awesomedary!” She couldn’t think of anything to say that could accurately capture how great New Directions was going to be. So she made up a word.
"Awesomedary?" Finn asked, pausing to consider the sound of it. "I'm gonna steal that." He glanced over at Abby and grinned before turning the wheel. "Yeah, I bet it's gonna be really great. Almost like old times, except you won't get to see me up there on stage. I was awesome. Awesomedary, even." Finn smiled, proud. "Well, your mom was too, and Rachel, and Mike, and... okay we were all pretty awesomedary." He pulled up to the curb and put the car in park. "Let's go get your uncle, Driz."
“Okay. And you can use my word anytime, Daddy. But it’s gonna cost you a nickle every time.” Abby opened the car door and got out. She grinned and got an idea. “I’ll race you to the door!”
"You're never gonna beat me," Finn teased as they lined up by the truck. "Ready, set, go!" He made a big show of starting out ahead of Abby, but slowed his long steps to an awkward gallop as Abby pulled in front, racing up the walkway to the door. "Man, Driz, you're gonna have to tell me your secret," Finn said as he caught up, her face beaming. He ruffled her hair with affection and knocked on the door.
“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret no more.” Abby grinned. The father and daughter only had to wait briefly for the other passenger to show up. “Hi Uncle Kurt! You look dressed to impress. Like always.”
The anticipation of meeting with his old friends had been something Kurt was over-analyzing and stressing about for the past few days, even more so in the recent hours as he prepared to meet up with everyone. Since he had returned home, he had struggled to keep a low profile and when it came down to it, he had mostly only met with his friends one on one or in small groups. He hadn’t been with his New Directions friends since the first winter break of their freshman year of college- he had no idea whether or not he was ready for this.
The knock at his door told him that Finn and Abby had arrived and almost immediately his heart began to pound. He turned to face the mirror in the foyer and inhaled sharply, his eyes holding onto his reflection for a few seconds before he grinned and turned to open his door. His eyes met with Finn’s first, then fell down to Abby’s as his arms pulled her into a hug. “Hi Abs! Like I’ve always told you, you should dress to impress, you never know who you’ll see,” he laughed softly as his arms released her. “You both look really good too, did you pick out the outfits?” he smiled as his eyes caught Abby’s.
"Hey bro!" Finn smiled widely at Kurt and leaned forward to give him a one-armed hug. "Ready to see the new New Directions?" He pulled back and tugged at his clothes self-consciously. "Quinn chose mine. She says I have no fashion sense and it's her duty to save the world from my horrible clothes," Finn said, shaking his head with a fond smile. "At least until I get my own girl, anyway." He shrugged as if saying 'what am I gonna do about it?' and looked down at Abby again. "I think she actually trusts Drizzle with her own clothes most of the time, but I don't know about today."
Abby looked down at her clothes. She was wearing the long sleeved pink dress she got for Christmas, paired with peace and love black and white leggings. She had on her black high top converse and a pink knit cap on. “You’re just jealous of my flare.”
Kurt had to admit, seeing Finn and Abby at his door had sent a wave of ease over his body and he began to think that maybe seeing everyone again wouldn’t be as bad as he feared. At least he had the two of them there too if he needed them. “I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied to Finn as he straightened his posture. “I’ve heard good things about them already though, so I’m excited to see what they’ve got.” Really, since Kurt and the original New Directions had taken the stage at McKinley High, the glee club had grown immensely and definitely for the better.
He laughed softly as his eyes rolled over Finn’s outfit again and he smiled. It was obvious that he hadn’t chosen the clothes for himself and now that he mentioned Quinn’s name, he could certainly see Q picking out the outfit. “Well, I would definitely allow Abs to pick the clothes for the both of you, too. She does have flare,” he smirked as his eyes caught onto Abby’s. “You two ready to get this show on the road?” he beamed his large smile and combed his bangs to the side, his nerves sparking up again.
"Yeah, let's go," Finn grinned, leading the way back to his truck. "Quinn probably saved us seats, but... just in case, we should get there as soon as possible." He watched Abby climb in, ready to help her if she needed it, but she wasn't so little anymore. Every so often it just amazed him how fast she grew. "I'm glad you're coming along, Kurt," Finn said, climbing in on his own side. "Brittany's really been working to get everyone together. It's gonna be great."
“I know, it’s been quite a few years since we were all together, hasn’t it?” he didn’t expect Finn to answer, he knew very well that it had been a long time since the gang had all been together. There wasn’t one specific person to blame for that, but Kurt definitely hadn’t made it easy while he was out in New York, but that wasn’t the case now. He pushed the thoughts of New York away and focused on today, on New Directions, and on spending some quality time with Abby and his brother. “All buckled in, Abs?” he asked as he stepped into the truck and buckled himself. “Quinn has told me that Rachel has been working hard with these kids, I’m excited to see how it all works out!"
Finn nodded, pulling away from the curb. "Yeah, she's been really dedicated. She can't leave the house really, doctor's orders, but she's still doing everything she can to make sure they're ready." He smiled fondly. "She's got two in the oven ready to pop out and she's still got the same energy she had in high school. There's just no one like Rach."
Since returning home, Kurt had only met up with a very select group of his old friends and unfortunately, he’d only seen Rachel once for a very brief moment with Quinn. Of course Q had shared with him some of the details about their relationship and how the pregnancies were going, but regrettably there wasn’t a whole lot that Kurt really knew about Rachel herself, aside from everything the public eye knew about her in the past recent years. “Yeah, Quinn was telling me she was on bed rest, but leave it to her to still make her kids shine, right?” he smirked and ran a gentle hand through his hair. “You’re right, there really is no one else like Rachel Berry.”
"Do you ever miss it?" Finn asked. He glanced over at Kurt's confused face and chuckled at himself. "I mean, not Rachel. Not that you wouldn't miss her,but... performing, glee club, being up there and singing. Do you miss it?"
Kurt bit down on his bottom lip, a nervous habit he had picked up on in the more recent months working at the magazine before he finally nodded his head. “Well, there are,” he began but paused for a long second. “Yeah, I miss it. I miss being on stage and feeling those nerves fueling my adrenaline, I miss spending time with everyone backstage or at rehearsals, I miss..” he trailed off and looked over at Finn. “I miss being here, I miss Lima.”
Finn smiled a genuine smile back at him, reaching over with his free hand to pat him on the shoulder. "We missed you, too," he said, his hand travelling to rub Abby's back fondly before settling back on the wheel. "Right, Driz? We're glad to have you back. You think we could convince the others to do some karaoke? It'd be like getting the club really back together."
The smile on his face hadn’t been this large probably since he had returned home and to be honest, it felt good. To think of it, there had been a lot of good things that had been happening to Kurt as of lately, yet through all of it he only focused on the negative things, like being fired. You’ve got to be real, things are... things are good, he thought to himself as his eyes traveled over to meet Finn’s. “We can definitely get the gang to do a little stand up karaoke,” he told him as a soft laugh came to his lips. “That will be fun.”
~*~*~
Lola turned the music down a little before looking over at Santana. “So, this is exciting. Does it feel like when you used to do this all of the time?”
Santana smiled. “When I did this, I was... mostly running on adrenaline. Before and afterwards. Now, I’m just nervous for the kids. But only a little. And don’t you dare tell anyone.”
Laughing, Lola shook her head. “I won’t say anything. It’s really cute that you’re nervous for them. Rachel mentioned there are a lot more members now than before. I’m guessing you all were like pioneers. That’s impressive.”
“We were good. The first McKinley glee club since Mr. Schue that actually won something, I think.” Santana shrugged.
“Do you ever miss performing? You did a lot of it in high school. You were a nationally ranked cheerleader and in the glee club...very different from the woman who spends most of her time reading manuscripts.” Lola reached for Santana’s hand and laced their fingers together.
Santana squeezed Lola’s hand gently. “Sometimes, yeah, I miss it. It feels like my entire high school experience was performing, but... I like what I do now. I had to smile entirely too much,” she joked. “And you know how I hate to do that.”
Lola rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you never smile ever. Maybe you should get into performing again. That would be a neat hobby. We could do it together. Start our own lesbian folk duo. It could be epic.”
“A lesbian folk duo,” Santana repeated flatly. “That’s a little gay, even for me. And I can’t play an instrument. I can only sing and dance.” Yeah, she can dance. With Brittany. She shrugged helplessly. “Face it, babe. We’re just going to have to take up some other hobby. Like hunting. Or team-fishing.”
“I’m appalled you mentioned either of those things. It’s like you don’t know me at all. I should get Rachel on you for your non-vegan views,” Lola threatened. It was nice to have Rachel around as backup with her mother so far away. “Maybe our hobby could be PETA related. They’ve been trying to get me on board with their campaigns for a year now.”
Santana frowned. “Their campaigns, huh? I’ve seen those campaign things. They’re the ones of famous people without clothes on. And we’re not doing that. My mother would have a heart attack. Your mother might have a heart attack. Let’s... I don’t know, hold off on hobbies until things settle down.”
Lola grinned. “Actually, my mom’s done some pretty wild things and has no problem with public nudity. I’d love to get to ride a horse naked,” she said with a wink. “But I haven’t wanted to champion PETA because, while I agree with what they do, sometimes their methods are extreme. It gets too political and I feel like sometimes you lose the real message.”
“Any naked photos you take are going to stay firmly in my possession,” Santana said, only half-serious. “But you’re right. It’s... risky. So, no PETA stuff. We’ll check it off the “Possible Hobby” list.”
“Fine, deal, but we don’t like too many of the same things. Books are our passion, but sometimes it’s like all I do is read. I read books on serial killers and psychology and everything else under the sun,” Lola said with a sigh. “I love books, but they’re my life. I’d like a change of scenery. I even told Finn I’d maybe stop by the shop on the days I’m bored and you’re hanging with your friends.”
“Oh.” Santana frowned. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been hanging out with people, but you can come with me, you know. I don’t mean to leave you at the apartment all the time.” She shifted in her seat. “You should have said you were bored. I didn’t realize.”
“I know. I don’t mind it. I promise. If we were back in San Francisco, it would probably be you in my position. You haven’t seen your friends in years. I don’t want you to think I need to be entertained. I don’t and I love your friends, but you do deserve to reconnect on your own. I’m looking forward to hanging out at the shop and maybe the fire station. Maybe I’ll learn a few things I can use for my books,” she said, making a mental checklist of things she might need to pay special attention to. “I just want to make sure we’re staying connected and not allowing the only things we talk about to revolve around the wedding.”
Santana smiled gently. “If you’re sure, then okay. We’ll find a hobby, or something to do, something that doesn’t have anything to do with the wedding.” She rubbed her thumb across Lola’s knuckles. “Hey, this sounds crazy, but... Want to go on a date with me? Like, a real date? We haven’t done that in a while. You could wear something sexy, I could open your car door for you...”
And that right there was the reason she’d fallen in love with Santana. She smiled brightly and nodded. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Ms. Lopez. You can show me around Lima.”
“You’ve already seen our finest restaurant,” Santana said dramatically. “But I can show you other places. Other secret places.” She winked.
Lola chucked and blushed. “I do enjoy secret places.” The GPS announced that they’d be reaching their destination in five miles. She straightened a little in her seat and gave Santana’s hand a light squeeze. “Almost there.”
Santana smiled over at Lola. “This better be worth the drive. I’m kidding,” she says quickly. “I’m sure they’ll be great. With Rachel Berry as their leader, how can they be anything else.”
Watching Classic Connection perform
It was an interesting experience for Jen to watch a group of competitors who she didn’t know anything about. Usually with a soccer team she was playing against she would know who she needed to watch out for and who was just on the field so that the team had enough players. Her knee bounced with what she refused to call nervous energy as her eyes slid from one performer to the next. She was glad Classic Connection was in a different tier, they were good. But even if they were in the same tier Jen believed that New Directions was better.
Sitting between Jen and Gabe, Alvin watched in awe as Classic Connection performed. They were really good and he was glad that New Directions wasn't competing against them today. He caught Jen bouncing her legs almost nervously out of the corner of his eye. He reached over and placed his hand gently on her leg, giving her a reassuring smile.
Jen tensed slightly, surprised at Alvin’s hand. She smiled over at him, but she crossed her legs, pulling her leg out from under Alvin’s hand.
Josie had filled in the aisle seat next to Jen, and being her nosy self, noticed Alvin and Jen’s interactions. She raised her eyebrow and smiled slightly, turning back to watch Classic Connection while they performed their second song, the latest one by Lady Gaga. Their costumes were wild and their dancing was strong, but Josie found comfort in that their female lead wasn’t a very strong singer. She smirked and leaned back in her chair.
Gabe looked on in amusement as the other group shuffled across the stage. “They’re terrible. They look like a bunch of wankers.” He laughed as one guy turned completely the other direction. “If the other groups look like this, we’re definitely going to win.”
Molly pursed her lips tightly, her hands twisted in her lap anxiously. “Be quiet, Gabe. That’s rude.”
Shrugging, Gabe smirked as he continued to watch the other group and made snide comments about them.
Bathroom and Snack Break
Artie was glad that he decided to come see the Glee Club, but he had to admit that it was weird not knowing any of the performers. He knew that Brittany and Puck’s little sisters were in the Glee Club, but he didn’t really know them. Artie did wonder what songs they would be doing from the past, and when he would start running into everyone from the past.
Going into this, Kurt had no idea what to expect, he knew that the original members of New Directions were supposed to show up and he expected there to be some huge reunion, but so far he’d mostly stuck to Finn’s side and watched Abby with him. It was a bit nerve wracking to wait around for someone, but Kurt wasn’t entirely comfortable going out of his way to find everyone, either. After all, most people had no idea that Kurt was home at all, let alone home for good.
Kurt approached the snack bar as he desperately scrambled in his pockets for the few dollars he had packed away. Before returning home, paying for anything was as simple as swiping a card and being done with it, but Kurt had made it an effort to limit his credit card use and focus on actually finding another job around Lima. He stopped immediately when he saw Artie, his old friend who was in line. He swallowed hard and inhaled deeply, before he approached him. “Well, well, well look who we’ve got here! Hello Artie!”
Artie turned to hear the voice of the high pitched tenor. “Kurt Hummel? Don’t you have better more exciting things to do than be at a Glee club performance on a Saturday afternoon?”
Before Kurt realized it, a genuine smile had broke across his face when he heard Artie address him. He took a short breath in and caught onto his friend’s eyes as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. “And miss this new spectacular New Directions performance? Never in a million years,” he laughed softly and leaned down to hug his friend quickly. “It’s been so long Artie, how have you been?”
Artie really didn’t know how to answer that. The last time that the two of them spoke he was a happy college student with a hot girlfriend, and now he was back in Lima, Ohio spending time making sure his mother didn’t completely fall apart and working at the record store. “I guess I have been good. That’s a pretty loaded question after all these years though. Life gets complicated. What have you been up to in the last couple years?”
Kurt knew that Artie was right, it was a sort of loaded question and probably not the best to bring up during their first interaction in roughly six or so years. He blinked a few times as he wondered how things had gotten complicated with Artie, he knew a few things here and there from word of mouth, but there was still a lot that he had no idea about. “Me?” he asked as his mind tried to register the question. Normally, Kurt loved to talk about himself, it was one of his favorite subjects, but as of lately it was more difficult than ever.
“Oh I was busy working for a fashion magazine in New York that took up a lot of... my whole life,” he forced a laugh to make it seem as if he were lightly joking. He swallowed again and began biting out his bottom lip out of habit. “I ah,” he paused for a second. “Like you said, things get complicated. But, the complications allowed me to be here for this and for that, I’m happy.” he explained as his smile sprung across his lips again.
Artie considered this for a moment, and knew that Kurt was right. Sure things weren’t all rainbows and unicorns in his life at the moment, but it allowed him to be here and although he didn’t believe in fate, he had to think that maybe this was supposed to happen, in some way. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. If life had stayed the same there’s no way I would be in Ohio right now. So I guess that’s something. I always knew that you were going to work in fashion, since what other sixteen year old guy knows the names of every designer?”
As awful as it was to have lost his job at the magazine, Kurt had to admit that things weren’t entirely bad anymore. Since he had returned home, his relationship with his father had begun to grow stronger again and it was such a good feeling to see Abby and the others, he hadn’t realized just how much he had missed them all until he was face to face with them. And then there was Kellan, who for the time being was certainly allowing for a permanent smile to live on his face... as hard as it was to say out loud for Kurt, losing his job definitely had some good outcomes so far. “Exactly! And if that were the case, neither of us would be here right now seeing each other,” he beamed again and nodded his head. “Yes, fashion was always my forté if you will, it was nice to get into the industry and I got to meet so many of those designers!”
“It’s great that everything worked out for you. So how are you enjoying the show?” Artie said as the soda he ordered was placed in front of him. He didn’t want to admit it but the first half of the competition had made him a little sleepy, so he needed the caffeine to keep himself awake for New Directions performance. “I have to say, if it were us up there we would have kicked all their asses.”
Kurt stepped up to the counter next, after Artie had ordered and asked politely for a bottle of water. He turned his attention back to his friend and cocked his head to the side. “So far the other teams have been pretty good although I can assume it will be nothing compared to how Rachel has prepared New Directions,” he told him honestly as he handed over a few dollars for his drink. He twisted the cap off his bottle and raised it to his lips before he took a small sip. “Finn was telling me on the way here that they have been putting a lot of work in while she has been on bed rest,” he threw in as he lifted the bottle to take another sip.
With the bottle at his lips, Kurt glanced down at Artie right as the water spilt all over him and down his one of a kind Louis Vuitton vest. His eyes widened in alarm as he frantically began to wave his hands in attempt to air dry the water stain. “Oh my God Artie! I need to get this cleaned up right away, I- oh goodness! It was so good to see you, I’ll see you in there, okay?” he asked, not waiting for a response before he set the bottle down and rushed away from the lobby toward the nearest bathroom.
~*~*~
Leave it to Kurt to embarrass himself almost immediately after reconnecting with one of his old friends from New Directions by spilling his water all over himself. Of course he didn’t think Artie cared much about it and he didn’t expect him to think any less of Kurt because he clearly made a fool of himself, but nevertheless it was still mortifying. After he had excused himself from Artie, he had rushed to the bathroom, eager to get himself cleaned up and salvage whatever he could of his vest without it looking completely ruined.
He grasped the paper towels and began patting down the water splotches all over his vest, his chipper smile lost now to a frown as he held back a sigh. This vest was a one of the kind and as much as he hated to admit it, even the smallest spill like this may have ruined it forever. He closed his eyes in frustration and tossed the paper towels into the trash can. His eyes fluttered open as he peered into the mirror ahead of him. His frown returned and for the first time all day, Kurt felt defeated.
Blaine pushed the door open, relieved to see it not full. It was the perfect time for a bathroom and apparently, everyone else thought so. He went about his business and walked towards the sink to wash his hands. He paused at the sight in front him. Of all the places... He shook his head, stepped up to flick the faucet open. "You look down."
Kurt stared at his reflection and it was obvious how frustrated he was with himself. As much as he hated to admit it, he got flustered over little things like ruining his vest or running into old friends and having to awkwardly lie about the fact that he was fired from the magazine. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to calm himself down. He heard the door open before the footsteps and already he wished he was in a better condition than right now. Don’t make a scene, just clean yourself up and get out, chances are you don’t even know the person, he cautioned himself.
Then the voice came. He could feel the color draining from his face and immediately he wished he was anywhere but in that bathroom. He didn’t open his eyes, in fact he squeezed them tighter as he tried to pretend that the voice he heard belonged to someone else, but he knew it wasn’t true. There was no denying who the voice belonged to, it was the same voice that Kurt had fallen in love with years ago. Now hearing it made his skin crawl and his heart burst out of his chest. His eyes snapped open and quickly found his. “Blaine... What, what are you doing here?”
“Using the bathroom?” Blaine smiled as he shook his hands and grab a paper towel to dry them.
Kurt blinked his eyes a few times as he tried to comprehend what the hell was going on right now. Was he looking at a ghost? Surely there would be no reason why Blaine of all people would be here tonight. “I ah mean,” he stammered to get the right words out, but nothing was coming. He could feel his fingers trembling now, but he had no way of stopping them. His eyes stared at Blaine as a mixture of emotions took over his body. “Blaine,” he muttered again as he looked away quickly. “Ah... well, um go ahead and use the bathroom.” he reached for a paper towel and spotted his vest again as he tried to turn away.
Blaine chuckled softly to himself. “I’m done actually.” He turned to face Kurt. It took him a moment to fully look at him. He was struck by the familiarity. It’s been years, but Kurt looked the same. “To seriously answer your question, I’m here to support Josh.”
“Josh?” he blinked a few times as his mind raced through his memories, desperately trying to put a face to the name Josh. He couldn’t remember any Josh, so who was he? He ruled out the option that Blaine was dating some high school student and from what he could remember, there was no younger cousin of his named Josh. He finally turned to face Blaine, his fingers clutched tightly to the paper towel as his eyes focused in on Blaine.
Confusion flashed through Kurt’s eyes and Blaine can’t help but think how adorable he looked right now. It brought him back to the past. Shaking his head slightly to bring himself out of memory lane, he smiled at Kurt. “Josh is my son.”
It took Kurt exactly forty-seven seconds to register what Blaine had just said. It came off of his lips so naturally at first and Kurt didn’t question it, but when it hit him, he was floored. “Your- your son?” he asked in disbelief. He swallowed hard and stood up straight, his knuckles flushing white as his grip on the paper towels tightened. “What do you mean your son? I- I don’t quite understand what you’re saying,” he told him honestly as he attempted to understand it. What did he mean his son? It hadn’t been that long. Not to mention the fact that it would be physically impossible for him to have a son in high school, even a freshman. “I don’t get it.”
“That’s okay. Most people don’t. Not during the initial introduction.” Blaine smiled. “Josh is my foster son.”
Why was any of this happening right now? Why hadn’t the two of them avoided each other, wasn’t that was exes were supposed to do? Especially exes who had ended on rocky ground years ago. He swallowed again and this time dropped the paper towel into the trash can to his right, his fingers throbbing. “Oh,” he stared at Blaine for a second as he opened his mouth to say more, but no words came from his lips. What am I even supposed to say? Congratulations on having a foster son, what else has changed since high school? He frowned and looked down at his hands. “Then I, I won’t hold you up anymore.” he told him and quickly turned to walk away and out of the bathroom as his nerves returned and his fingers began to shake again.
Blaine watched him walk away. He didn’t expect to run into Kurt like this, not in a bathroom. He wasn’t prepared at all to see him but it felt...good, nice to talk to him again. It was one of things Blaine missed the most. They talked a lot back then. They’d have long conversations deep in the night. They were friends first before becoming something more. He wanted that back. He walked out of the bathroom and looked around. Spotting Kurt, he jogged over towards him. “You left pretty quickly back there.”
Kurt hurried out of the bathroom as quickly as he could, desperately trying to put as much space between himself and Blaine as he possibly could. He was not supposed to be here tonight. This was a sort of reunion for the original New Directions, this was not the night to run into the only person he had ever loved and awkwardly try to have a conversation with him. “Where the hell is Finn?” he muttered to himself under his breath as he pushed through the crowd of people. It was no use, Blaine found him and he stopped and turned to face him again. “I told you, I didn’t want to keep you from your,” he paused and swallowed again. “Your son. What do we have to talk about, Bl- Blaine?”
“You’re not keeping me from anything. I’m sure Josh is with his friends right now.” Blaine said, wincing slightly as he was pushed around by the crowd. “How long will you be in town for? I was thinking maybe we can have coffee. Just like the old times.”
The question replayed itself in his head four times before he really began to process what Blaine had asked him. How long will you be in town for? he repeated again as he felt his fingers begin to tremble again. “I um,” he paused and did his best not to let his nerves get the better of him. “I should be in town for a little longer, a few weeks maybe... and then,” he looked up to Blaine and finally made eye contact with him again. “Sure Blaine, sure we can.. ah, have coffee. Yeah, okay.”
A small smile graced Blaine’s lips. “Yeah? Great. I thought for a second that you’d say no.” He stepped closer to Kurt. “I never imagined you to be the type to visit Lima for a few weeks.”
Kurt hated that he was lying to people by telling everyone that he was only temporarily in Lima, but it was something he needed to do, at least for now. Eventually he would have to tell his father and Finn and well, everyone else... but Blaine, no he didn’t need to tell Blaine. They could have their coffee, make awkward banter, and then be done and go their separate ways again. He told himself that it would be the easiest thing to do, he could not allow his feelings for Blaine to ever surface again. “I’m just working a few things out,” he lied and forced a fake smile. “But, back to coffee.. our ah,” he paused and cursed himself in his head. “Our usual spot?” he finally asked.
“Our usual spot is fine.” Blaine nodded. He reached into his pocket to pull out his phone and held it. “Mind putting in your number? So we can work out the details?”
His eyes settled on the phone that Blaine had dug out of his pocket and for a moment, his gaze remained on it. He blinked a few times and carried his eyes back up to meet the brunette’s as he nodded his head slowly. Very hesitantly, he reached his hand out and took the phone from Blaine, his eyes still locked on his ex’s. He looked away and down at the phone, his thumbs moving over the sensitive keys as he put his number into Blaine’s contacts. He held his hand out, the phone resting in his hand as he looked back up at him. “Okay, just send me... tell me when and I’ll meet you there, oh-okay?” he bit his bottom lip again as his smile grew.
He took the phone from Kurt, fingers brushing by his hand. He fiddled with the keys for a moment before shrill ringing broke the silence. Blaine smiled. “So...that’s my number.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “I’ll have to check when I’m free but count on me texting you.” Blaine locked eyes with Kurt as he reached out to pat him on the arm. “It was nice seeing you, Kurt. It was a pleasant surprise.” He flashed him one last smile before walking off into the crowd.
He couldn’t help himself from jumping slightly at the sound of his ringtone coming to life and breaking the small silence that had settled between them. He shoved his hand into his pocket and fumbled to turn the sound off. He returned his eyes to Blaine’s and again he nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll be waiting for that text,” he told him as he forced a soft laugh. What am I doing? This is going to end badly, very badly... No, no it’s just two friends catching up, he told himself as he felt his pulse race beneath Blaine’s touch. He watched him walk away and took a deep breath, his heart pounding a million times a second.