McKinley Towers.
Glee AU, set in an early 1900s boarding school setting. Based on Enid Blyton's Malory Towers, St Clares and Naughtiest Girl series. Klaine centric.
Warnings: None. Little note for Blaine being a tad self absorbed at first, but all will come right.
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Blaine Anderson has spent his entire school life at the Dalton Academy for Boys, when his parents realized he had become too accustomed to his life of privilege. They decided to send him to McKinley Towers, a co-ed boarding school, to learn that there is more to life than parties and one-upmanship.
Kurt Hummel is an only child doted on by his father. He has always been schooled at home, until his father remarries and he decides to send Kurt to the same school as his new step-brother. Kurt has had little experience socialising with others his own age and finds it difficult to fit in at first.
Prologue.
Blaine couldn’t believe his ill luck. He had been looking forward to a summer filled with horse riding and dinner parties with his chums from the Dalton Academy for Boys. Wes had already invited him to stay with his family at their London house and they were going to take him along to the theatre. Both he and Wes belonged to the academy’s theatre group, where Blaine was hoping to take the lead role in the pantomime again this year, so a trip to a real London show would be as insightful as it was enjoyable.
But much to Blaine’s dismay his parents had politely declined Wes’s parents offer, citing that they would be taking a family vacation during that time. They had not mentioned where they would be going, but Blaine would have bet ten pounds that it wouldn’t be anywhere near a London stage. He had sent Wes an apologetic look before climbing into his parent’s car, and they pulled out of the drive and away from Dalton’s gilded gates.
Blaine didn’t find out any more about where they would be going on vacation until a few days later. His mother had received a telegram from his aunt in Cornwall, and it was arranged that they were to visit them a week from Friday. Blaine groaned inwardly at this revelation. Cornwall was as far away from London as you could get, and his cousins were a far cry from the camaraderie he had at Dalton. Elena and William boarded at a co-ed school that served a large rural district, and were more interested in school sports and playing pranks on Blaine than discussing recent music or the latest London trends. He couldn’t wait for summer to be over and he was back at Dalton with his friends.
The whole family was sitting down to supper in his aunt’s dining room. Blaine was seated between his cousins; trying to get through the meal without having to talk about how ‘wizard’ their school was with their large dorm rooms and second rate sports teams. He doubted their school have even had a tennis team good enough to enter a national tournament, where Dalton’s team won trophies in both singles and doubles every year. He had barely taken three bites when Elena asked spoke.
“It’s a shame our schools are far away. William is likely to get on the school lacrosse team this year, and it would be absolutely wizard if you two played a match against each other.”
“Dalton sends its sports teams out to challenge all the top schools in the country. Our senior lacrosse team was top of their tables last year and beat Eton three nil.” Blaine replied matter-of-factly.
“Well I’m sorry our school isn’t good enough for your precious Dalton then!” William snapped. The three cousins sat silently for a few moments before Blaine placed his knife and fork down neatly on his barely touched plate and excused himself from the table.
Blaine checked his sheets were tucked in correctly before sliding into bed. It had become a habit during the past week as his cousins had already short-sheeted his bed twice. He nearly kicked a hole in the sheets his first night there before realizing what was wrong. Nobody would have ever tried something like that at Dalton, they were above playing such childish tricks there. He tossed and turned for a few minutes before sitting back up. He usually had trouble getting to sleep but it was worse tonight. He got back out of bed and located his slippers, before heading down to the kitchens for a glass of water.
He was just passing the dining room when he heard voices coming from inside. He peeked through the door to see his mother and aunt were deep in discussion, their heads bent together.
“I’m sorry Pamela, I’m sure Blaine liked the food. He must not have been feeling well.”
“Sister dear, you know I love you, but you need to know. Your son is a snob. He has done nothing but turn his nose up at everything since he’s come here. And every time my children mention start talking about all that is fun and good in their lives, he starts saying how much better things are at that fancy school of his. You can see the disdain in his face when he looks at them, and it’s just not fair.”
Blaine’s mother sighed. “I was aware of it, although I didn’t realize how much others could see it in him too. That’s the reason I brought him here instead of letting him go off to London with that boy’s family. He would have come back with an even bigger sense of self importance than he has now. I was hoping his cousin’s influence might rub off on him, but all it seems to have done is show just how bad that school has been for him.”
“Then send him somewhere else. He’s in the lower fourth next term, so he will have time to settle in before taking any major exams. I would suggest sending him to school with William and Elena, but it is rather far from where you live.”
“I was thinking the same thing myself. I was talking to an acquaintance of mine that lives in town. Her daughter Quinn is such a lovely girl, and she goes to a school called McKinley Towers. I had a look at the curriculum, it seems perfect from an academic point of view, and has a good sports program. They encourage their students to be out of doors as much as possible. Quinn herself had a spot of trouble in her first year; by all accounts she was a bit of a madam. But the other students soon put her in her place and now she can’t stop talking about how much she loves it there. That is what I want for Blaine…”
Blaine slumped back against the wall, not able to believe what he was hearing. Wasn’t Dalton everything a school was meant to be? Refined and filled with culture. How could he possibly leave there to go to some school where everyone undoubtedly acted like his childish cousins? He would refuse to go, of course. He had too much going for him at Dalton and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep in contact with Wes and the others if he went to some second rate school like this McKinley Towers. He was going to make sure that didn’t happen.
~***********************~
Kurt’s father had never been what you would call verbose, so he knew something was up when he started talking rather animatedly about how beautiful the garden looked. True, Kurt had spent a lot of time in planning the flowerbed to make sure all of the plants worked in harmony with each other, but he never expected his father would actually notice. He thanked his father before asking.
“Did something nice happen today Dad? You look really excited, or something.”
Burt Hummel sat down on the corner of his son’s four poster bed. He gestured for Kurt to do the same. He was looking rather sheepish as he stared down at his hands.
“You know Mrs Carole Hudson that lives down Emerald Drive? Well, I met her down at the market a few months ago and I got talking to her… You know, she’s really a nice gal. She lost her husband just after her boy was born and has been a bit lonely. I’ve been taking her out on picnics and we went to that show down at the theatre…”
Kurt had to pinch himself to make sure he was actually awake. His father going on picnics and to theatre shows? Surely not… He eyes grew wide as it started to dawn on him.
“You like her.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I-I asked her to marry me, Kurt. And she said yes.”
It was at that moment that Kurt realized his life was about to change forever.
They married over the summer, and Carole and her son joined the Hummel household. Finn Hudson was a friendly sort, and Kurt warmed to him immediately. He didn’t have Kurt’s sharp wit but they both had a love of music, albeit rather differing tastes. They were the same age, although Finn looked much older. More like a man, Kurt found himself thinking.
Finn went to a boarding school during the school term, and he started telling Kurt about all the things he and his friends did during the school term. Kurt was sure he must have been making some of it up, especially when Finn told him about how they played practical jokes on the teachers. Kurt was particularly interested in hearing about the end of year productions the students put on. The previous year they had performed a musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk, which had been enjoyed by both students and parents alike. Kurt was in the middle of asking how they decide on who gets to play what parts when he noticed his father staring at him, a sad look on his face.
“What’s wrong, Dad?”
Burt Hummel shifted in his seat. “I was just wondering if I did right by you, thinking you would do better under private tutelage. Perhaps I should have sent you off to school once you turned 12. I never did because I couldn’t bear to see you go. You were all I had after you Mum died.” There was emotion in his eyes. “But you should go now. You can go to McKinley Towers with Finn when term starts again. At least you will have one person you know.”
Kurt smiled at his father. He had heard a lot about McKinley towers over the last few days, and would be glad to spend some more time with Finn. He couldn’t wait for the new term to start.
Next Chapter: Welcome to McKinley Towers
Warnings: None. Little note for Blaine being a tad self absorbed at first, but all will come right.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Blaine Anderson has spent his entire school life at the Dalton Academy for Boys, when his parents realized he had become too accustomed to his life of privilege. They decided to send him to McKinley Towers, a co-ed boarding school, to learn that there is more to life than parties and one-upmanship.
Kurt Hummel is an only child doted on by his father. He has always been schooled at home, until his father remarries and he decides to send Kurt to the same school as his new step-brother. Kurt has had little experience socialising with others his own age and finds it difficult to fit in at first.
Prologue.
Blaine couldn’t believe his ill luck. He had been looking forward to a summer filled with horse riding and dinner parties with his chums from the Dalton Academy for Boys. Wes had already invited him to stay with his family at their London house and they were going to take him along to the theatre. Both he and Wes belonged to the academy’s theatre group, where Blaine was hoping to take the lead role in the pantomime again this year, so a trip to a real London show would be as insightful as it was enjoyable.
But much to Blaine’s dismay his parents had politely declined Wes’s parents offer, citing that they would be taking a family vacation during that time. They had not mentioned where they would be going, but Blaine would have bet ten pounds that it wouldn’t be anywhere near a London stage. He had sent Wes an apologetic look before climbing into his parent’s car, and they pulled out of the drive and away from Dalton’s gilded gates.
Blaine didn’t find out any more about where they would be going on vacation until a few days later. His mother had received a telegram from his aunt in Cornwall, and it was arranged that they were to visit them a week from Friday. Blaine groaned inwardly at this revelation. Cornwall was as far away from London as you could get, and his cousins were a far cry from the camaraderie he had at Dalton. Elena and William boarded at a co-ed school that served a large rural district, and were more interested in school sports and playing pranks on Blaine than discussing recent music or the latest London trends. He couldn’t wait for summer to be over and he was back at Dalton with his friends.
The whole family was sitting down to supper in his aunt’s dining room. Blaine was seated between his cousins; trying to get through the meal without having to talk about how ‘wizard’ their school was with their large dorm rooms and second rate sports teams. He doubted their school have even had a tennis team good enough to enter a national tournament, where Dalton’s team won trophies in both singles and doubles every year. He had barely taken three bites when Elena asked spoke.
“It’s a shame our schools are far away. William is likely to get on the school lacrosse team this year, and it would be absolutely wizard if you two played a match against each other.”
“Dalton sends its sports teams out to challenge all the top schools in the country. Our senior lacrosse team was top of their tables last year and beat Eton three nil.” Blaine replied matter-of-factly.
“Well I’m sorry our school isn’t good enough for your precious Dalton then!” William snapped. The three cousins sat silently for a few moments before Blaine placed his knife and fork down neatly on his barely touched plate and excused himself from the table.
Blaine checked his sheets were tucked in correctly before sliding into bed. It had become a habit during the past week as his cousins had already short-sheeted his bed twice. He nearly kicked a hole in the sheets his first night there before realizing what was wrong. Nobody would have ever tried something like that at Dalton, they were above playing such childish tricks there. He tossed and turned for a few minutes before sitting back up. He usually had trouble getting to sleep but it was worse tonight. He got back out of bed and located his slippers, before heading down to the kitchens for a glass of water.
He was just passing the dining room when he heard voices coming from inside. He peeked through the door to see his mother and aunt were deep in discussion, their heads bent together.
“I’m sorry Pamela, I’m sure Blaine liked the food. He must not have been feeling well.”
“Sister dear, you know I love you, but you need to know. Your son is a snob. He has done nothing but turn his nose up at everything since he’s come here. And every time my children mention start talking about all that is fun and good in their lives, he starts saying how much better things are at that fancy school of his. You can see the disdain in his face when he looks at them, and it’s just not fair.”
Blaine’s mother sighed. “I was aware of it, although I didn’t realize how much others could see it in him too. That’s the reason I brought him here instead of letting him go off to London with that boy’s family. He would have come back with an even bigger sense of self importance than he has now. I was hoping his cousin’s influence might rub off on him, but all it seems to have done is show just how bad that school has been for him.”
“Then send him somewhere else. He’s in the lower fourth next term, so he will have time to settle in before taking any major exams. I would suggest sending him to school with William and Elena, but it is rather far from where you live.”
“I was thinking the same thing myself. I was talking to an acquaintance of mine that lives in town. Her daughter Quinn is such a lovely girl, and she goes to a school called McKinley Towers. I had a look at the curriculum, it seems perfect from an academic point of view, and has a good sports program. They encourage their students to be out of doors as much as possible. Quinn herself had a spot of trouble in her first year; by all accounts she was a bit of a madam. But the other students soon put her in her place and now she can’t stop talking about how much she loves it there. That is what I want for Blaine…”
Blaine slumped back against the wall, not able to believe what he was hearing. Wasn’t Dalton everything a school was meant to be? Refined and filled with culture. How could he possibly leave there to go to some school where everyone undoubtedly acted like his childish cousins? He would refuse to go, of course. He had too much going for him at Dalton and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep in contact with Wes and the others if he went to some second rate school like this McKinley Towers. He was going to make sure that didn’t happen.
~***********************~
Kurt’s father had never been what you would call verbose, so he knew something was up when he started talking rather animatedly about how beautiful the garden looked. True, Kurt had spent a lot of time in planning the flowerbed to make sure all of the plants worked in harmony with each other, but he never expected his father would actually notice. He thanked his father before asking.
“Did something nice happen today Dad? You look really excited, or something.”
Burt Hummel sat down on the corner of his son’s four poster bed. He gestured for Kurt to do the same. He was looking rather sheepish as he stared down at his hands.
“You know Mrs Carole Hudson that lives down Emerald Drive? Well, I met her down at the market a few months ago and I got talking to her… You know, she’s really a nice gal. She lost her husband just after her boy was born and has been a bit lonely. I’ve been taking her out on picnics and we went to that show down at the theatre…”
Kurt had to pinch himself to make sure he was actually awake. His father going on picnics and to theatre shows? Surely not… He eyes grew wide as it started to dawn on him.
“You like her.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I-I asked her to marry me, Kurt. And she said yes.”
It was at that moment that Kurt realized his life was about to change forever.
They married over the summer, and Carole and her son joined the Hummel household. Finn Hudson was a friendly sort, and Kurt warmed to him immediately. He didn’t have Kurt’s sharp wit but they both had a love of music, albeit rather differing tastes. They were the same age, although Finn looked much older. More like a man, Kurt found himself thinking.
Finn went to a boarding school during the school term, and he started telling Kurt about all the things he and his friends did during the school term. Kurt was sure he must have been making some of it up, especially when Finn told him about how they played practical jokes on the teachers. Kurt was particularly interested in hearing about the end of year productions the students put on. The previous year they had performed a musical version of Jack and the Beanstalk, which had been enjoyed by both students and parents alike. Kurt was in the middle of asking how they decide on who gets to play what parts when he noticed his father staring at him, a sad look on his face.
“What’s wrong, Dad?”
Burt Hummel shifted in his seat. “I was just wondering if I did right by you, thinking you would do better under private tutelage. Perhaps I should have sent you off to school once you turned 12. I never did because I couldn’t bear to see you go. You were all I had after you Mum died.” There was emotion in his eyes. “But you should go now. You can go to McKinley Towers with Finn when term starts again. At least you will have one person you know.”
Kurt smiled at his father. He had heard a lot about McKinley towers over the last few days, and would be glad to spend some more time with Finn. He couldn’t wait for the new term to start.
Next Chapter: Welcome to McKinley Towers