Multiple Choice Questions Would Be Better for PONTABULOUS
Title: Multiple Choice Questions Would Be Better
Recipient: pontabulous
Author/Artist: rebootuniverse
Rating: PG
Word Count: 10,379
Summary: Kurt and Blaine deal with the aftermath of a drunken night and what it means for their friendship.
Notes: A million thanks to my three lovely betas. Without you this would never have gotten done. I hope you like it pontabulous, your prompt really inspired me, so I hope it was everything you wanted.
Kurt lounged on Blaine’s bed, flipping through a stack of old magazines while Blaine shuffled around, throwing things in and out of suitcases.
“I thought you were here to help, not lie around and take advantage of my mother’s hospitality by eating all of her organic cookies.”
“Excuse me, but I am going through these issues of Vogue for you. Instead of having to take all of these heavy and space consuming magazines, you‘ll only have to take a select few - leaving more room for important essentials like clothes and the glue you use to keep your hair on your head. Then, the rest of them will be left in my care.”
Kurt went back to the magazine before quickly looking back at Blaine.
“I’ll have you know that your mother loves me. I’m like the son she never had.”
Blaine gasped in mock offense.“I’ll have you know I am more than enough son; I meet all of her mothering needs.”
Kurt tossed another Vogue on to his Keeping pile on the floor. “Maybe, but she still likes me more. I’m not leaving her to go to some fancy Ivy League school in Boston.”
Abandoning his attempt at actually getting anything done, Blaine flopped down at the foot of the bed. “And I’m sure that’s because of your devotion to my mother, and has nothing to do with the fact that you still have a year of high school left.”
“Semantics,” Kurt said with a dismissive wave of his fingers.
Blaine smiled softly as Kurt returned his attention to the magazines. The thing he was going to miss the most about Ohio was this. In the two years they’d spent together Kurt and Blaine had grown closer than Blaine had ever gotten with anyone else. Moments like these, when they were just hanging out or when they spent the night curled up watching old movies, it was easy to pretend that they were more than friends, that there wasn’t a line they didn’t cross for the sake of their friendship.
Lately, Blaine had been wondering about them more and more . About what would have happened if he’d ever asked Kurt out, if they’d ever taken that chance. Would they have broken up? Would they still be speaking to each other? Or would they be the same as they were now, just enjoying being together and doing nothing?
Kurt made a sound of disgust from his spot on the bed. “2008 was a horrible year for fuchsia.”
Blaine laughed and got back up to finish packing. Some questions were better left unanswered.
---
Kurt quickly checked his hair in the mirror before sitting at his desk. Blaine might only be a friend, and it might only be a Skype date, but there was no excuse to not look ones best for any occasion.
His laptop pinged when Blaine’s call came through.
“Hey Kurt!”
On his screen was Blaine’s smiling face, still wearing his Dalton sweater and looking just like he had all summer. Like everything was still the same. It had only been a week since Blaine left, but the fact that they’d never gone so long without talking since they met made it feel like months had passed.
“Hello, College Boy.”
“I’ve been here a week, I don’t think I count as a full-fledged college boy just yet. At least not until I
wake up in a frat house with a hangover and no memory of what happened the night before.”
“Well you’ll never get to experience a proper night of drunken college debauchery dressed like that. Everyone knows you’re only truly a college student when you stop wearing your high school logo emblazoned on cheap, poly-cotton blend t-shirts and start wearing your college logo emblazoned on cheap, poly-cotton blend t-shirts.”
“Hey, at least I actually went to Dalton! I’m not the one with the Princeton Plainsboro shirt, even if it was a gift. I don’t even know where that school is.”
“Oh Blaine,” Kurt said, a look of fake pity on his face.
After a moment they broke out laughing. There wasn’t even anything funny said, but they were both so happy to see each other that the giddiness in the air meant it didn’t have to be.
“So,” Blaine began, once they composed themselves. “How are the hallowed halls of William McKinley?”
There was an edge of worry in Blaine’s voice, hiding behind his casual tone.
“It’s... well, it’s McKinley. Two years and almost nothing has changed. But Karofsky’s graduated, so it’s not that bad. It feels like it did before I left, really. Only one of my fabulous sweaters has been ruined by a slushie hit, and luckily they were almost the same colour so it won’t even be that hard to get out. Puck, of all people, stopped the baseball team from throwing me in the dumpster. I mean, he pretty much called me a girl while he did it, but still... progress.”
Kurt smiled stupidly at the web cam, and looked just like he always did when he was the only one in the room who thought he was funny.
“And is it worth it? To be at McKinley instead of Dalton?”
Blaine tried to keep the confusion off of his face. This was one thing that he and Kurt had just never understood about each other; why Blaine never wanted more than Dalton offered, and why Kurt never felt truly at home there.
Kurt smiled, something bittersweet and small.
“You know, it is. Dalton is amazing, really, but aside from you there was no one that really meant anything there. I mean, All the Warblers are all great, Stanford is the only person in the world willing to have entire conversations in French with me and Thomas might be a jerk but he is so fine, but at the end of the day, they’re no Mercedes, or Tina, or hell, even Rachel.”
Kurt paused and his smile grew just a bit bigger.
“McKinley has a thousand and one things working against it in comparison to Dalton. But it also has New Directions, and they’re worth everyone of them.”
Blaine might not understand completely, but the smile on Kurt’s face was more than enough for him to let it go.
“Okay, but don’t come crying back to me when Rachel keeps you back an extra three hours for a song you’re not even going to perform for anyone. Or tries to lock you in the school overnight to practice.”
“She only did that twice.”
Before long, a voice came booming from upstairs. “Kurt! We found all of the Monopoly pieces. Carole’s setting it up now.”
Kurt sighed and yelled back, “Coming, Dad!”
“Monopoly?”
“Yes. Dad and Carole have decided to add game time to Friday night dinners. This week
is Monopoly, last week was Uno.”
“That sounds like so much fun.” Blaine said, trying to hold in his laughter at the idea of the Hummel-Hudson’s gathered around a small table playing board games.
“Laugh all you want, Blaine, but your mockery only makes me stronger-”
“I wasn’t mocking!” Blaine yelled, interrupting.
Kurt gave him a bitch face before continuing, “Besides, I think one of the only reasons Carole wanted it is so Finn has no free nights to see Brittany. She’s been jumpy ever since they started dating. I think everything that happened with Quinn scared her off letting him outside with girls. She probably would have done the same with Rachel if she wasn’t part of the sane group of people who are afraid of Rachel Berry.”
Blaine laughed at the animated look on Kurt’s face
“Wow, Rachel sure is taking a lot of heat in this conversation.”
“Oh please, she’s one of my best friends, but you’ve met her, she’s crazy. Don’t start defending her just because you want her to be your girlfriend.”
“What? She’s talented... Also, she’s shorter than me. That’s rare, I can respect it. You top shelf reachers could never understand our bond.”
“Your joint Napoleon complexes are creepy.”
A yell come from upstairs. “KURT!”
“I’m coming!” Kurt looked back at the screen, “I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you tomorrow?”
“Sure thing, night Kurt.”
Kurt smiled contentedly at Blaine through the screen and held in a soft sigh. “Goodnight Blaine.”
---
“Good morning, Mercedes!”
Kurt grabbed one of Mercedes’ arms and linked it with his own. Mercedes beamed and greeted him back while they headed toward their lockers. Things had been slightly strained between them even before Kurt had transferred to Dalton, but his return and a steady stream of shopping sprees and sleepovers were slowly bridging the gap between them.
“Oh dear god,” Kurt stopped in his tracks when they reached a hallway decked in red and orange streamers and signs. “My eyes are burning from this travesty of colour.”
“I guess it’s time for the homecoming dance then,” Mercedes said, trying to pull Kurt down the hallway without much luck.
“This is what happens when the student council thinks they’re qualified to decorate anything aside from a poster board with dumb voting slogans. They couldn’t coordinate their way out of a tastefully wrapped paper bag.”
“I heard Lauren wanted to make it a Twilight themed danced, but Principal Figgins wouldn’t allow it. So at least it’s not as bad as it could have been.”
“I don’t know. Black is timeless, and it goes with everything. But red and orange? They’re not even shades, like tangerine and maroon, it’s just red and orange. There is no possible way anything a person could wear wouldn’t clash with this. It clashes with itself.”
The two finally got to their lockers through the sea of half filled balloons and random paper leaves. When they finally got there, they noticed someone waiting for them.
“Rachel,” Mercedes said with an aggravated sigh.
“Hello, Mercedes, Kurt.” Her voice cut through the other noises in the hallway, even though she hadn’t been yelling. “I was wondering if either of you had noticed anything about the upcoming autumn formal?”
“The homecoming dance? No, Rachel,we hadn’t noticed. We just thought the school suddenly decided to replace the paint with construction paper because they felt like it.” Kurt said sarcastically.
“I refuse to call it that. Not everyone cares about a silly homecoming football game, so it’s ridiculous that a dance would be named after it, especially while everyone is affected by the fall.”
“I feel like something you said isn’t right, but I can’t explain what it is.”
Kurt frowned in contemplation, trying to figure out what was wrong with Rachel’s logic.
“Anyway, that’s not the point. The important thing is that I have a proposition for the two of you.”
Mercedes snapped her locker shut and looked at Rachel with exasperation. “I am not going to vote for you to sing I Will Always Love You at the dance, Rachel.”
“That is not what I meant! I was hoping that perhaps we could all go together, the entire Glee Club, in the spirit of inclusiveness and team unity. Since Kurt has returned from Dalton, and we have a few new members, I think it would be an excellent way to begin our new school year as a team.”
She beamed at the two before quickly adding an afterthought, “Besides, Principal Figgins said Coach Sylvester wouldn’t allow that song for some reason. His hands are tied.”
“Man, Figgins is on the ball with not letting the crazy out lately.” Mercedes said.
After a moment, Kurt spoke up. “Okay, something is definitely wrong with me today because that actually sounds like a good idea.”
“Well,” Kurt spoke again, turning back toward Rachel. “It certainly isn’t your worst idea, but ultimately, it depends on what my date says. Mercedes?”
“Um, excuse you, but who said I was your date? I don’t remember being asked. Besides, I have someone else in mind.”
Kurt raised his eyebrow. “Oh really? And who is this someone that you’re ditching me for? He better be incredibly handsome or I’m going to be so hurt.”
Mercedes smiled shyly.
“Anthony. And before you say a damn thing, it has nothing to do with you. His mom bought the store next to my dad’s practice and we saw each other a lot over the summer.” Mercedes paused and raised her head in pride, “So I’m going to ask him to the dance.”
Kurt sighed dramatically and put a hand over his heart. “Fine, I suppose I can take the heartbreak of rejection if it means clearing the way for a blossoming modern romance. “
Rachel looked back and forth between the two, her smile gone. “Is that a yes?”
“That depends, is all of this just some master plan to get Finn back for the six thousandth time?”
“Actually, after our most recent break up, I’ve decided I’m no longer going to forgive and overlook his many transgressions. If he wants to date Brittany and sing nothing but classic rock songs without my notes on the multitude of ways he could improve his performance, then he’ll just have to live with that decision. I’ve decided to focus solely on my career for the time being.”
She paused. “And if a casual glee club outing at a school function leads to a romantic dance between myself and someone else, say the new tenor Michael, well then so be it.”
“Alright then,” Kurt said with a shrug, “I guess that means that you’ll be without a Kurt Hummel for homecoming, so I really have no opinion one way or the other. It’s just as well, really. There’s almost nothing that’s worth putting myself through the torment of being stuck in a room with what are bound to be the most painful decorations since someone thought a sticking rubber duckies on the wall constituted an Under The Sea dance.”
“Kurt!” Rachel yelled indignantly, frowning. “These are the most precious years of our youth. Our senior year of high school is supposed to be the best one. Social functions like these are the building blocks of our future interactions with our peers. We will never have another homecoming dance, you have to come.”
“Okay, see, now I’m back to not understanding what you’re saying. And while I appreciate the sentiment, Rachel, I’d rather not be the lone dateless member of Glee Club. No, since you and Mercedes are taken, I’ll just spend a night in with the good lady Liza, and not be offended by an overuse of glitter in all the wrong ways.”
He smiled and offered both his arms to Rachel and Mercedes. “Now, let’s head to math class while discussing how both of you can improve your outfits, and why you’re no longer allowed to dress yourselves without my input.”
---
“Yes mother. I know mother. I love you too, mother.”
Blaine droned on, just barely listening to the other side. In his defence, the super fit guy from his poli-sci class was sitting across the quad and Blaine was pretty sure he was checking him out.
“Blaine, you’re not even listening to me.”
“Huh, what?” Blaine was brought out of his trying-not-to-stare-but-really-just-staring by his mom yelling over the phone. “Sorry, mom, just a little distracted.”
“Well I don’t know what could possibly distract you from your own mother, but nevertheless I need an answer.”
“...This would probably work better if I knew the question.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Blaine, you’re just like your father sometimes. Your grandparent’s fiftieth anniversary is in a few weeks and they’d love it if you could come down from school for the
weekend.”
Blaine groaned into the phone. “I don’t know mom. I’m really busy with school right now. I don’t know if I can take the time off before I get into a routine.”
“It’s just for the weekend. There’s no reason why you can’t just do your homework on the plane. You’d only have to miss the Monday, since I know for a fact you don’t have any Friday classes. Please, Blaine, you’re their only grandchild and I know it would so much to them if you came. You never know how many of these events they have left, after all.”
Blaine inwardly groaned, regretting having told her his schedule.
“You get better at this guilt thing every year, mom. Look, I’ll think about it. I might be able to get some notes off of people, but I need to check first.” Blaine sighed, trying to figure out all of the ways he could get out of this.
“You do that, and when you come down, be sure to invite Kurt to the party. He’s such a nice boy and he’s the only one that ever eats my organic cookies.”
“Okay, listen mom,” Blaine said, cutting her off before she could go into a tirade about those cookies, again. “I’m entering the library, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”
He hung up before she could say anymore, and the bell tinkled as he walked into Starbucks.
As he was putting his phone back in his bag, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Behind him was the super cute, incredibly hot guy from across the quad.
“Hey, you’re in Politics 105, right?”
“Yeah, hi, my name’s Blaine,” he said politely, reaching his hand out for a shake.
“I’m Jackson.”
---
That night, Kurt and Blaine had another Skype date scheduled. They had spoken almost every day that week, and Kurt was always questioning the things Blaine had done, and the people he met, eager to know more about what it was like finally being outside of Ohio.
“So what did you do today? It had to be more entertaining than Ms. Phillips’ English class. Apparently throwing a shoe was the most interesting thing she’s done in her entire life.”
Blaine laughed and awkwardly and paused before he answered. “Nothing, just stayed in my room and organized really. This curriculum is going to take some getting used to.”
He tried not to dwell on why he didn’t tell Kurt about Jackson, when he’d told him about everyone else. Some questions were better left unanswered.
---
A week later, Kurt led Rachel around the mall. They had spent the last two hours looking at dresses for Rachel to wear to the dance, but Kurt had vetoed every one she’d tried on so far.
“I must admit,” Rachel said, as they paid for their soy lattes. “I thought you would be making this trip with Mercedes and Tina instead of myself. Not that I’m complaining, of course. I may be the superior vocalist here, but even I can humble myself and admit that your style is more suitable than mine for a dance.”
Kurt turned to Rachel with his bitch face on.
“Okay firstly, there is nothing about animal sweaters and pant suits that can ever be called style. And secondly, Mercedes wanted Quinn to join us and Quinn said she would rather rip her skin off than willingly spend an afternoon with you, so we’ll be going next weekend.”
“Oh.”
Rachel bowed her head, trying not to let Kurt see her face, and Kurt sighed when he noticed, feeling bad.
“If it helps, she didn’t say it with the same venom she used to. More of an annoyed disinterest.”
Rachel made a noise of agreement and perked up.
“Jealousy does have many forms.”
They walked through the mall, occasionally stopping when something shiny caught Kurt’s eye. After some extensive bow tie shopping, they finally made their way to another dress store.
While Kurt was inspecting a rack of dresses for anything with potential, Rachel finally broached the subject she had been worrying about.
“Kurt, do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Yes, but you’re going to do it anyway, so I guess the point is moot.”
“Yes, well, I was wondering if you wouldn’t reconsider joining us at the dance?”
Kurt looked up with interest at that.
“I thought Michael actually asked you to the dance. Surely you don’t require an extra date, even one as fabulously dressed as I.”
“I’m perfectly satisfied with just the one date, thank you. But I was hoping you might come anyway. Everyone in Glee is coming except for you.”
Kurt sighed in exasperation.
“The glee club isn’t going as the glee club, Rachel. Everyone is going together, as dates. Mercedes has Anthony, Quinn has Sam, there’s Santana and Puck, Finn and Brittany, Tina and Mike, and Artie is going with Lauren for some reason. Rachel, even you have a date. I don’t really feel like being the fifteenth wheel at some boring school dance with disgusting spiked punch and awful music from the nineties.”
Kurt started going through the rack again, hoping Rachel would take it as a sign to drop the
conversation.
They stayed silent while Kurt searched the whole store for various dresses; when he was finally satisfied with his choices, he led Rachel to the dressing rooms.
“Okay, nine definites that you have to try on, seven maybes just in case there’s nothing in the definites, and if we still haven’t found anything we’ll start all over again.”
Three trips and twenty nine dresses later, they had finally found the right dress. Kurt had a complaint for each dress Rachel had tried on and after various too-shorts, too-darks, and too-poofys, Kurt had finally settled for one where the only issue was not-enough-feathers.
Oh, and Rachel liked it too.
They stood in front of a mirror while Kurt detailed what accessories Rachel should wear and how to style her hair. He stopped in the middle of a curling iron tutorial when he noticed she was
being oddly silent.
“Okay, you haven’t said anything in like ten minutes. I’m not complaining I just want to know
what’s making it happen so I can do it the next time I want to gag you with your sheet music.”
Rachel looked down and swallowed nervously before looking at Kurt.
“I know people don’t really like me.”
“You’re just realizing this now? Because I don’t think anyone was trying to hide it, Rachel.”
She carried on, ignoring Kurt’s interruption. “And whether it’s because they’re jealous of my superior singing voice or the grand future that awaits me, I do seem to inspire some rather extreme feelings in people.”
“I’m almost afraid to know where you’re going with this.”
Rachel looked at Kurt with an intense look on her face. “Kurt, you’re my best friend.”
“That’s terrifying.” Kurt said blankly.
“Kurt, I’m trying to be serious here.” Rachel huffed at the interruption of their touching moment. “Now, over the years the relationships formed between myself and fellow glee clubbers may have grown somewhat kinder than they were originally, but I’m just not as close to any of them as they are with each other, and as I am with you. Kurt, you really are my closest friend, and while I respect your decision to not come to the dance, I was really hoping you might still change your mind. Not because it would mean a lot to the glee club, but because it would mean a lot to me.”
Kurt said nothing during while Rachel took a breath, so she carried on.
“I know I seem like I have everything together and that there’s nothing missing, and while that’s true for the most part, it’s entirely possible that there is something missing. I was serious about wanting to concentrate on something aside from boys this year, and I was hoping you might still come to the dance, because I think I might enjoy myself more if I could spend it with my best friend.”
Kurt stayed silent for a while, just taking in everything Rachel had said. Finally he sighed and responded. “I don’t know what’s more sad, that I’m your best friend or that I’m actually being affected by this.”
Rachel’s face brightened with hope at that. “So you’ll come?”
“I’ll think about thinking about it, and if by some insane twist of fate I do decide to go, then I’ll only do it on condition. Next time we do a Sound of Music song for Glee, you won’t put up a fight when I take Maria’s part.”
The distress was evident on Rachel’s face the second the words came out of Kurt’s mouth.
---
Blaine was starting to get frustrated during their Skype session that night. He had cancelled a study session with Jackson and some other friends so he wouldn’t miss their weekly date, but he might as well have not even been there for as interested as Kurt seemed. By the time Kurt had given up all pretense of listening and was just staring at the wall just behind his laptop Blaine was beyond frustrated, and edging into pissed off territory.
“I’m sorry, am I boring you? Because I can always come back at a time that’s better for you.”
Kurt was pulled out of his haze by Blaine’s angry tone. “Sorry, what?”
Blaine sighed. “Is there somewhere else you have to be or something, because even though I’m awesome, it can get kind of boring having a conversation with myself.”
Kurt had the decency to look ashamed and offered Blaine an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little distracted. I’m thinking about redecorating my room.”
Blaine interrupted before Kurt could continue, “I know interior decorating can be fascinating, but do you want to tell me what’s actually wrong or just talk about what shade of blue for the drapes?”
“Drapes?” Kurt said sheepishly.
Blaine just stared at Kurt silently, waiting for him to give in.
Kurt bit his lip and sighed, before accepting that Blaine wouldn’t let him get away without talking.
“It’s not a big deal. It’s just that there’s this dance coming up soon and Rachel and Mercedes have been trying to convince me to go, even though I’ve repeatedlystated how little I want to go. Somehow, through extremely convincing nagging and dramatics, Rachel managed to make me feel guilty about not going. I just...” Kurt paused looking for the right words to describe how he was feeling.
“You don’t want to sit alone while everyone is slow dancing and having cliche teenage movie moments.”
“Pretty much.” Kurt sighed and rested his chin in his hand. “They’re all going to be there with real dates, and are going to hold hands, and have some cheesy romantic dance where one person rests their head gently on the other’s shoulder and it’s all stupid and romantic. So, okay, fine, maybe I’m not going to get that for a while, but that doesn’t mean I want to watch other people do it.”
Blaine watched as Kurt tried to keep on a brave face. He knew how much it hurt to know that you won’t get the moments all of your friends do. He knows the feeling of jealousy and anger, and the loneliness and guilt for being angry at someone who doesn’t deserve it.
It sucks.
“When is the dance again?” Blaine asked.
“Next Friday.Which means only one more week of barfing into my hat every time I walk into school. I swear, there are prisons that are decorated better.”
The words were out of his mouth before Blaine had a chance to think about them. “What if I take you to the dance?”
“Blaine, that’s not funny.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. Seriously Kurt, let me take you to the McKinley High Homecoming dance. I know it’s still not an actual date, but-”
“Blaine, you’re not travelling hundreds of miles and taking time out of school just to take me to a stupid dance,” Kurt huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
“No, I’m not. I’m traveling hundreds of miles and taking time out of school to go to my grandparent’s fiftieth anniversary, which just happens to be on the same weekend as the stupid dance,” Blaine said smugly. “My mom already bought the ticket and didn’t really give me a chance to say no. I’m going to be stuck in Ohio anyway, might as well spend a night making dozens of people in a high school gym feel uncomfortable.”
“Really?” Kurt questioned, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well I was trying to earlier, but someone didn’t feel like paying attention, so....”
Kurt blushed. “Sorry about that, but I guess I’ll be able to make it up to you in person soon.”
“Yeah, I guess you will.” Blaine smiled. “And I’ll even let you put your head on my shoulder during a slow dance. Just so you can get the full experience.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow at that, and waited for Blaine to continue.
“Okay fine,” Blaine said, giving in. “I’ll rest my head on your shoulder.”
“Good, because unless you’ve had a growth spurt and are suddenly regular-people sized, that would have been really awkward.”
“I hate you.”
---
“Hey mom!”
“Blaine?” said an incredulous voice on the other end. “No that’s not possible, my Blaine would never willinlyg call his mother with no prompting unless something horrible had happened. Oh my god, Blaine is something wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”
The quick change in tone might have thrown someone else off, but years of dealing with his mother meant Blaine was just trying to hold in his laughter over it.
“Nothing, mom, relax. I just wanted to let you know that I can come home for the anniversary party, I got a few people to let me borrow their notes. Actually, I figured I could come home about a week early, so I could help you with the planning.”
“That would be wonderful! As long as you’re sure you can miss the school.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll book the ticket now, and try to get in late next Thursday.”
---
Kurt made a beeline for Rachel once glee was over.
“Well, you got your wish,” He said once he was standing in front of her.
Rachel looked up from her sheet music. “Barbra Streisand is coming to Ohio for a revival of Funny Girl and wants me to be her understudy?”
“What? No, I mean - wait, are you being serious or just kidding?” Kurt asked, confused.
“I was making a joke at the expense of myself and my idolization of Barbra. Did I do it wrong, was it to intense?” She asked, finger quotes included.
“No, it was actually slightly funny. Good job.”
Rachel smiled smugly and shifted in her chair.
“Anyway,” Kurt continued, “I have good news. I’ve decided to attend the dance.”
“Oh good! I knew I’d be able to get through to you eventually. There’s nothing wrong with going without a date, and now we can all be together.”
“Actually, Blaine is going to be accompanying me. It’s not quite a date, but at least there will be someone to be mean with while all of you are having your romantic entanglements.”
“That’s excellent! Despite my initial doubts about his intentions towards our glee club, I’ve grown quite fond of him. It’s not often there are people I can look in the eye without straining my neck.”
Kurt rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s great, but more importantly, we’re going to the mall so I can buy a new outfit. I had to do it for you, Mercedes, Quinn and Tina, and now you have to do it for me.”
Rachel quickly hurried up to grab her things and followed Kurt out of the room, leaving a copy of My Favourite Things sheet music on the piano for Mr. Schue.
---
“Mom! I think I need your help!” came Finn’s cry, as he barreled down the stairs.
“Honestly, Finn,” Kurt scoffed from the living room. “What is so complex about a tie that you need your mom’s help?”
“There are a lot of, like, knots and stuff, okay? Why do I have to wear a tie anyway? Puck’s not wearing one.”
“Because it matches Brittany’s dress, and I have gone to great lengths to to ensure that no one in our group will be clashing.”
Carole came bustling into the room and headed straight to Finn when she noticed his tie. “Oh Finn.”
While she fixed Finn’s tie, she started talking about the ground rules for the night. “Now, when Brittany and Blaine get here, I want as many pictures as possible, and no complaining. In exchange your curfew is two am, and no later. Now. I know there will probably be some alcohol, and I’m going to trust you both to be responsible. Burt has money for a cab. I don’t want anyone driving home if you’ve had anything to drink.”
Kurt tuned out and fixed his hair in the mirror as Carole continued to drone on. She had repeated the same thing multiple times over the course of the week. He could practically recite it from memory at this point.
Suddenly, the sound of Burt’s voice cut through Carole’s. “Wow, you two look fancy. Hey Kurt, can I talk to you for a minute?” He said awkwardly.
Burt immediately scurried back into the kitchen and Kurt rolled his eyes. Burt had been skittish ever since Kurt had said he was going to the dance. He had been waiting all week for his dad to finally work up the nerve to say whatever he had planned, and it looked like he finally had.
Kurt followed his dad into the kitchen as Carole went back to lecturing Finn. He heard a faint “and don’t get anyone pregnant this time,” before he joined his dad at the table.
“Son, I think it’s time we had a talk.”
Jumping right in then, Kurt thought.
“Now, I know you’re a teenager and a boy, so you’re bound to have some teenage boy urges.” Burt pushed the last word out, turning his head and taking a chug of beer right after. “And I know how these things work. I was a teenager once myself. I want you to know that the feelings that you feel are normal, and natural, but that doesn’t mean you can just go around all the time being natural. You need to take some time to be safe and...”
Burt groaned and rubbed his hand over his hat. He shook his head and started over.
“It’s like this, Kurt. When you’re playing baseball, you can’t just let the ball hit you and then run all the bases. You gotta take it slower than that. And just because someone is willing to throw the ball at you doesn’t mean you have to catch it, you know? You can decide to not play or something. And always wear a mitt, if you do decide to play.”
Burt continued to fumble his way through a one-sided conversation, and Kurt would have been horrified at the idea of his dad trying to talk about sex if it wasn’t so entertaining and confusing at the same time.
Finally showing sympathy for his dad, Kurt interrupted him before his face turned anymore red.
“Dad? Blaine and I are just friends. There will be no sports of any kind tonight, okay? Besides, even if there was, I’ve got enough pamphlets from Ms. Pillsbury over the years that this talk is completely unnecessary. Really.”
Burt sighed, and gave his son a tight smile. Kurt was sure he never really thought that he and Blaine were just friends. He had spent an entire year convinced Kurt was just pretending so Burt would let them be in Kurt’s room alone.
“Just...be careful okay? No matter, all I want is for you to be safe and happy.”
Kurt smiled at his dad and got up to hug him across the table.
“I will, dad.”
There moment was interrupted when the bell rang and Carole shouted from the living room.
“Oh! Quick, I want a picture of you opening the door!”
---
“Is it always like that?” Blaine asked when the four finally escaped the clutches of Carole and her digital camera.
“From what I’ve seen, yes. Last week she made me look through all of the pictures she had of Finn since he was a baby. There were thousands, and they all looked the same. Some of them were just random shots of body parts, too. Like just an arm or something.”
“Maybe she’s just trying to get all of him. Then she can print it off and piece it together. His height might be too much from a regular camera to get. He has to be filmed in sections.”
Kurt tilted his head and smiled mockingly at Blaine.
“Aww, it’s adorable how you can use humor and insults to hide your jealousy. Is that just you, or is it a common trait of the munchkin people?”
Blaine gasped with a hand over his heart.
“I am so offended. Munchkins are horrible people. As a child, they use to invite me to play so there was always someone shorter than themselves.”
“Well it’s good you can joke about it, most people are so insecure about their own horrible deficiencies.”
They continued bantering all through the ride to the school, with the occasional interruption from Finn or Brittany.
It felt like nothing had changed, like they had never been apart.
---
All of the other glee members were already there when they finally arrived. They were split between two tables, with the glee jocks at one table, and the others at a different one. There were a few exceptions, like Mercedes (who was looking fabulous) who was sitting with Anthony and next to Quinn, and Mike who was plastered next to Tina and making jokes with Lauren.
No matter how close they got as a club, some things never did change.
A slight nervousness set in, and Blaine nudged him in the shoulder.
“You okay? You kind of zoned out for a minute.”
Kurt smiled and said he was fine, because some things did change.
---
The night was going much better than Kurt had expected. The first part was spent mostly at the table. Tina and Kurt alternated between making Rachel’s date feel comfortable enough to talk to them, and then messing with him right after.
Kurt decided to let Rachel sweat it out for the rest of the evening before telling her he approved of him.
Blaine had spent most of the night with Mike, getting drinks for the table and talking about So You Think You Can Dance, Asian moms, and how the Power Rangers are better than Transformers.
As the night went on, the club finally all gathered around the dance floor. Kurt got his dance with Mercedes, and Blaine spent a lot of time near Rachel, enjoying the feeling of height.
Somewhere around nine, the first slow dance came on and with a lot of awkward shuffling, everyone fell into pairs.
After a moment, Kurt started walking back to the table, expecting Blaine to follow. If nothing else, they could at least make fun of all the awful taffeta Kurt had seen earlier.
Before he made the edge of the dance floor, a hand caught Kurt’s wrist. He turned around to find Blaine with an anxious, almost desperate, look on his face.
“Look, I’ve never gotten to do this before, and I didn’t really think I wanted to, but then Mike started talking about how awesome it was with Tina, and Puck came over and started in about how he was going to do it with Lauren, and... I don’t know. I just think I want it.”
Blaine paused to take a nervous breath and Kurt stood completely still, his eyes comically wide.
“Okay,” Blaine continued. “The thing is, I would love if we could just slow dance like it wasn’t a big deal, but we both know that here it is. And I might not have to face these people on Monday, but you do. So if you want to go back to the table and make fun of all the awful dresses and powder blue suits, then it’s totally fine, but if you’re okay with it, I’d really like to have that cheesy slow dance now.”
Kurt’s heart quickened and his breathing got harder. He didn’t know if this was better or worse than what he initially imagined. He took a quick look around the room. Most people were too wrapped up in themselves to notice them. There was only one boy who was eyeing them from a table, but Kurt didn’t even know who he was.
Finally, Kurt looked into Blaine’s eyes and answered, “I do believe I was promised psuedo-romantic head-to-shoulder contact.”
Blaine laughed and pulled Kurt to him. They stayed at the edge of the floor, sticking to one of the darkest corners.
“So is it everything you thought it would be?” Blaine asked, as he placed his hand on the small of Kurt’s back.
“Well, we had the embarrassing picture moment with my parents, spent most of the evening talking to other people instead of each other, danced to a song I’m pretty sure came out in the seventies, quite horribly, and there was a unique aftertaste to that punch that was either alcohol or feet. So overall, it’s been the best cliched night I could have asked for.”
Blaine laughed and slipped his other hand from Kurt’s and down to his waist. He made sure to look nowhere but at Kurt’s face, as if ignoring stares meant they didn’t exist.
“It has been quite the evening so far, I’ll give you that. All we need now is a strict but misunderstood authority figure with a heart of gold and a virginity pact, and we have our very own straight to DVD teen comedy.”
“I do believe there’s something else missing,” Kurt said, raising his eyebrow.
Blaine sighed, knowing what Kurt was talking about. He finally gave in and rested his head on Kurt’s shoulder and nestled his face into Kurt’s neck.
Kurt held in a gasp when Blaine’s breath hit a sensitive spot a sensitive area. it hadn’t taken more than a few seconds for them to forget that this was suppose to be a joke, a silly little thing to make fun of what people thought romance was supposed to be. It wasn’t supposed to be real, it wasn’t supposed to feel that way, but it did.
It felt like all of those moments when they were lying too close to one another in a Dalton dorm room, the times they held hands at the mall, the hugs and cuddling and everything else. It was all of those moments rolled into one, and it felt impossible that they were just friends and nothing more.
A crash knocked Kurt out of his daze. Startled, he saw Sue Sylvester leading the boy from earlier out of the room over an upturned table. Before she left the gym Sue looked at Kurt with a deep scowl on her face.
Kurt smiled back at her. He had no idea what had just happened, but some questions were better left unanswered.
---
The entire club made their way from the dance at ten and headed over to Santana’s house. By eleven they were sitting in a circle, playing some weird mix of I Never and Truth or Drink and Puck and Lauren were back together. By twelve the group was split up all over the house and so were Puck and Lauren.
Kurt and Blaine were sitting on Santana’s stairs and passing a bottle of peach schnapps to each other, laughing loudly.
They told dumb stories about things that had happened while they had been apart, like the time Mercedes slushied a hockey player as payback, and the time someone streaked through Blaine’s European History class.
As the night went on they moved from the stairs to the hallway, and from the hallway to one of the five spare bedrooms. The bottle got emptier throughout the night, and before they knew it, they’d both finished the whole thing.
At three am Kurt woke up, naked and plastered to Blaine’s side, and lying on the floor. He groaned as he got up, wishing they had made the extra two feet to the bed last night. After getting dressed he set the alarm on Blaine’s phone for five, so he could still sneak out while everyone was asleep.
Kurt quietly made his way through Santana’s house, stepping over most of the other New Directions members. When he finally got outside he called a cab and headed home, trusting Finn to drive his car back later.
He didn’t look back while he waited, or when he got in the taxi. He didn’t wish things were different. That he could have stayed, or that he could have woken Blaine up so they could leave together.
He didn’t do anything but head home.
---
Kurt quietly closed the door behind him as he entered the house. He toed off his boots and carried them towards the basement, but before he could make it all the way he noticed a light coming from the kitchen.
Knowing he’d get in less trouble if he made himself known instead of sneaking in, he put his boots down and headed towards the light.
Burt sat on the same spot he had been in when he and Kurt had spoken before the dance. It would have been like he never moved if it wasn’t for the hoagie on the table.
“A hoagie, dad? Really?.”
Burt looked up at his son, not surprised to see him.
“I think you can cut me a break this one time. My son missed his curfew by almost two hours.”
“That’s a low blow. You know you’re not suppose to be eating those, and my social activities have nothing to do with your health.”
Kurt slumped into the seat across from his father and was close enough to hear Burt mumble what sounded like they really do under his breath. Kurt rolled his eyes and stole a sip otu of Burt’s glass of milk.
“Okay, fine,” Burt said. “I’ll only have half of this and I’ll save the rest for next time I have to spend the night worrying about you.”
Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No you won’t. You’re going to eat half, and I’m going to eat the other half, and then you’re not allowed to have another one until I graduate.”
Burt smiled and slid the other half of the sandwich to Kurt, and got up to get another glass of milk. They hadn’t had a night like this since Kurt was just a little kid and couldn’t sleep because of the monsters under his bed. Burt can still remember driving to McDonalds in the middle of the night, right after his wife died, before he learned to cook. They spent a month splitting chicken nuggets and warm milk because it was the only thing that would make Kurt fall asleep.
Sitting back down, Burt sighed and braced himself for a conversation he knew would have to happen eventually.
“So, you’re home late, your hair’s all messed up, and you’re not complaining about all the meat in the hoagie. Does that mean the night went well or not so good? Do I have to complain to somebody, because I will.”
Kurt laughed awkwardly at Burt and took a bite out of his sandwich to stall.
They stayed in silence for another ten minutes, Burt waiting for Kurt to answer but not wanting to push him.
Finally, Kurt set down the rest of his sandwich and answered. “It was good, for the most part. No one said anything about two guys going to a dance together, and I had an amazing time with all of my friends. It was everything you’d expect a cliche high school dance.”
Burt stayed silent, knowing there was more to the story.
Kurt sighed. “Dad, how do you know when someone is more than a friend?”
Burt pressed his lips into a thin line. He’d been expecting something like this since Kurt first brought Blaine home and insisted they were just friends; he just thought it would happen a lot sooner.
“That’s a question that only you and your friend can answer. Stuff like that is different for everybody, Kurt. Your mom was my best friend, but she was my girlfriend a long time before that. It depends if you think they’re just a friend, or if there’s something more there.”
Kurt sighed. He knew his dad was right, but he had hoped that he could have given him an answer. Told him that if you said you were friends, then that’s what you were, and maybe then he wouldn’t be compromising his flawless complexion with three kinds of deli meat.
Burt got up and cleared away the dishes. He wanted to help his kid, but he had no idea what to do or say. All this stuff was new to him, and it killed him that he didn’t know what to do to make Kurt feel better. Burt squeezed Kurt’s shoulder before heading up to bed. He hated it, but this was something Kurt had to do without him.
---
A week later, Blaine sat miserably at his grandparents anniversary. He hadn’t spoken to Kurt since the dance and had been stuck helping his mom actually plan the party. He had expected to be doing something more entertaining than deciding between seven different shades of green for the centerpieces.
He had woken up to his phone alarm after the party. It had taken him a while to realize that Kurt wasn’t with him, but he found a note on his phone, explaining why he put the alarm on. He called Kurt later on that day, and texted, and called again, but he never got an answer. The only thing he’d received was an email two days ago, saying Kurt needed some time to think and asking if he could stop calling him.
Blaine was at a loss for what to do. He never wanted this to happen. He never even thought that he might lose Kurt without them ever really getting together.
Blaine sighed and got up, moving to the entrance of the hall. The room was starting to feel smaller with all of the dancing couples and happiness in the air. There’s nothing worse than trying to mope when everyone else is celebrating.
He found his way to the front entrance of the hotel after passing dozens of confusing side doors and lounge areas. He had hoped he would finally get a minute to himself, but that proved impossible when he saw someone standing at the bottom of the hotel stairs.
Planning to just ignore the person, Blaine moved to sit on one of the steps of the building. It wasn’t until he sat down that he saw who the person was.
“Kurt?”
Kurt turned, his eyes wide, obviously only just noticing Blaine.
“What are you doing here?” Blaine asked after Kurt said nothing.
“Your mom sent me an email asking if I needed directions to the place. I thought there was a mistake since the date was a week after the dance instead of a day, like you said, but apparently it wasn’t a mistake.”
Blaine stood awkwardly silent as Kurt’s eyes bore into him. He didn’t know what to say. He was caught. It was probably ridiculous to think Kurt would never find out that he had lied, especially considering how much the other boy already knew about him, but Blaine had wanted to avoid it as long as possible. Maybe in five or ten years, when he might have a better chance at facing what missing a week of college for a dance meant, but he was being faced with it now, and he didn’t know what to say.
“You told me you were going to be here anyway. You said that you were going to be in town anyway. You’ve been complaining about huge difference in school work since you got there, and then you just up and miss an entire week just to take me to a dance? If I had known you would miss so much school, I wouldn’t have let you come.”
Blaine sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I know you wouldn’t. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t tell you. It’s not that big of a deal, I’m not missing anything important, and I’m getting notes from people in my class. If I thought it would have a bigger impact I wouldn’t have come.”
“Yes you would. I know you, and you would have found a way, just to get the chance to be the hero of the story.”
Blaine stepped forward angrily, being legitimately offended for one of the first times in a conversation with Kurt. “That’s not fair, I didn’t-”
Kurt interrupted before he could continue. The look of rage on his face was one Blaine had only seen reserved for people at the mall who would give them dirty looks and that kid in his French class who was always correcting his grammar.
“It must be nice, Blaine. To get to just sweep in and act like Prince Charming and then just walk away knowing you did a good deed, but do you stop to think about what you’re doing to everyone else? What you’re doing to me?”
“I’m just trying to help you. You know you wanted to go to that dance. To be with your friends, and I wanted you to go, too. I was being helpful. I thought that’s what best friends did for each other?”
“Best friends don’t have sex with each other Blaine!” Kurt yelled, his face getting red. Suddenly all of the things he had been holding in, for the past week, for the past two years, came rushing to the front. “People who are just friends don’t make out and give each other hand jobs more than once and never talk about it.”
Kurt started pacing in the parking lot, the words were spilling out of his mouth faster than he could think of them.
“How many times have we told people we aren’t dating, that two gay guys can be just friends and nothing more. And how many times have we spent time in bed together doing more than just sleeping? We’ve spent a year doing things friends don’t do together, and we act like it’s just two people helping each other out because there are no other options. But that’s not true anymore is it Blaine? You’ve got a brand new city, where you can be yourself, and actually date who you want to.”
“What does that even have to do with anything?” Blaine yelled.
“Because, Blaine, when we did all that stuff at Dalton we could pass it off as being lonely, but you can’t do that anymore. It’s not just two friends who are stuck together, now it’s you actually choosing to come down here and act like my boyfriend. And I can’t do it anymore, Blaine. I can’t keep pretending like you’re just a friend if you’re going to keep acting like you’re more than that.”
Kurt sighed, his shoulders slumping as he whispered, “I can’t keep pretending that nothing has happened between us when everything has.”
Blaine still didn’t know what to say. He went from angry to sad to feeling pathetic all while Kurt ranted and at the end of it he couldn’t think of anything to make it better. There weren’t any perfect words to make Kurt happy again, or to make the whole issue go away. He couldn’t take back that night, and he couldn’t take back all the time they had spent being “just friends”.
Kurt stood waiting for an answer, and Blaine did something he could only do with Kurt.
He said what he was really thinking.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here anymore than you do, Kurt. I know that my best friend needed me, and that I would do anything for him.”
Blaine took a hard breath and continued.
“But, I also know that you’re the only person I would do that for, and that I really missed you. I broke off a date with a really hot guy because I would rather spend the night with you in a school gym, that smelled kind of weird by the way, than have coffee with him. After that... I’ve got nothing, Kurt.”
Blaine stared at Kurt, hoping he understood what Blaine was trying to say, especially since Blaine just barely knew.
Kurt sighed and moved to sit on the last step. He looked up at Blaine from his spot and said nothing. After a few minutes Blaine joined him and just stared at his hands until Kurt said something.
“What is this, Blaine? What are we doing? Are we dating? Are we just friends? Because we need to decide right now. I won’t keep doing this. Either we’re together and we just keep doing what we’re doing but admitting it, or we’re just friends and we reign it in and do just what friends do. I know what I want, but now you need to decide.”
Kurt stared at Blaine, willing him not to reject him, but knowing it was a huge possibility, and maybe even the better decision.
If he was honest with himself, Blaine had been expecting this moment for a while. Probably since they first decided to do whatever it was they were doing. It had been a stupid Warbler’s party the night after Regionals, instead of a school dance; a bottle of scotch one of the Warbler’s had snuck in from home instead of schnapps. They had kissed that night. A lot. And after that, it just became something they did, but didn’t talk about. In public they were just overly affectionate friends, and behind closed doors they were a lot more.
They’d been dealing with the aftermath of that night for two years, and now it was staring them down, because the excuses they told themselves didn’t extend this far.
Blaine thought about what a life as Kurt’s friend meant. What it meant to really be just friends, no cuddling while watching Sleepless In Seattle, no quick goodnight kisses when no one was looking, and no sleeping together when they were too tired to move after a long night.
Then Blaine thought about what a life dating Kurt from hundreds of miles away meant. No cuddling, or kissing, or sleeping together at all, except for a few short times when they could visit each other, and not with anyone else either, whether they had the chance to or not.
He didn’t know how long it had been since Kurt asked him, but finally Blaine turned to Kurt an answered.
“I’m not a risk taker, Kurt. I can’t give up my safety just to express myself, or throw everything away on a whim. And the idea that being together might end badly, that I might lose everything we have - it terrifies me, Kurt.”
Blaine took another breath and turned to look at his hands, trying to work up the nerve to finish.
“But the idea of actually being just your friend actually hurts. I don’t know how we’re going to do this, but if you can promise me that even if we break up, and it’s horrible and mean, if we can just try and stay in each other’s lives, then I want to do this.”
Kurt’s smile was huge and looked like it hurt his face, and Blaine knew he had made the right choice; maybe it wouldn’t end well, but right now it was the greatest decision he’d ever made.
“I think I can live with that,” Kurt said softly, before leaning in to kiss Blaine.
They stayed outside for a few minutes longer, just holding hands and talking softly. Blaine invited Kurt to come into the party with him before he got in trouble for being gone.
As they were walking up the stairs, Blaine stopped quickly and turned to Kurt.
“Wait, why does my mom have your email address?”
Kurt waved a hand through the air dismissively. “We send each other recipes all the time. You know that coconut shrimp you like so much? I traded it for her organic cookies, but I think she might have scammed me. No matter what I do I just can’t make them taste likes hers.”
Blaine and Kurt laughed as they made their way through the hotel and back to the hall. The future in front of them was definitely unsure. The odds were a even more against them as a couple than as friends. Blaine didn’t know if they were going to last beyond school or crash and burn next week. They might be perfect for each other, or too alike to be in a relationship. Everything after this point was a big question mark to whether or not they would work out.
But some questions had answers worth waiting for.
Highest rating preferred: PG 13
Prompt(s) used: 1. Aftermath
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Recipient: pontabulous
Author/Artist: rebootuniverse
Rating: PG
Word Count: 10,379
Summary: Kurt and Blaine deal with the aftermath of a drunken night and what it means for their friendship.
Notes: A million thanks to my three lovely betas. Without you this would never have gotten done. I hope you like it pontabulous, your prompt really inspired me, so I hope it was everything you wanted.
Kurt lounged on Blaine’s bed, flipping through a stack of old magazines while Blaine shuffled around, throwing things in and out of suitcases.
“I thought you were here to help, not lie around and take advantage of my mother’s hospitality by eating all of her organic cookies.”
“Excuse me, but I am going through these issues of Vogue for you. Instead of having to take all of these heavy and space consuming magazines, you‘ll only have to take a select few - leaving more room for important essentials like clothes and the glue you use to keep your hair on your head. Then, the rest of them will be left in my care.”
Kurt went back to the magazine before quickly looking back at Blaine.
“I’ll have you know that your mother loves me. I’m like the son she never had.”
Blaine gasped in mock offense.“I’ll have you know I am more than enough son; I meet all of her mothering needs.”
Kurt tossed another Vogue on to his Keeping pile on the floor. “Maybe, but she still likes me more. I’m not leaving her to go to some fancy Ivy League school in Boston.”
Abandoning his attempt at actually getting anything done, Blaine flopped down at the foot of the bed. “And I’m sure that’s because of your devotion to my mother, and has nothing to do with the fact that you still have a year of high school left.”
“Semantics,” Kurt said with a dismissive wave of his fingers.
Blaine smiled softly as Kurt returned his attention to the magazines. The thing he was going to miss the most about Ohio was this. In the two years they’d spent together Kurt and Blaine had grown closer than Blaine had ever gotten with anyone else. Moments like these, when they were just hanging out or when they spent the night curled up watching old movies, it was easy to pretend that they were more than friends, that there wasn’t a line they didn’t cross for the sake of their friendship.
Lately, Blaine had been wondering about them more and more . About what would have happened if he’d ever asked Kurt out, if they’d ever taken that chance. Would they have broken up? Would they still be speaking to each other? Or would they be the same as they were now, just enjoying being together and doing nothing?
Kurt made a sound of disgust from his spot on the bed. “2008 was a horrible year for fuchsia.”
Blaine laughed and got back up to finish packing. Some questions were better left unanswered.
---
Kurt quickly checked his hair in the mirror before sitting at his desk. Blaine might only be a friend, and it might only be a Skype date, but there was no excuse to not look ones best for any occasion.
His laptop pinged when Blaine’s call came through.
“Hey Kurt!”
On his screen was Blaine’s smiling face, still wearing his Dalton sweater and looking just like he had all summer. Like everything was still the same. It had only been a week since Blaine left, but the fact that they’d never gone so long without talking since they met made it feel like months had passed.
“Hello, College Boy.”
“I’ve been here a week, I don’t think I count as a full-fledged college boy just yet. At least not until I
wake up in a frat house with a hangover and no memory of what happened the night before.”
“Well you’ll never get to experience a proper night of drunken college debauchery dressed like that. Everyone knows you’re only truly a college student when you stop wearing your high school logo emblazoned on cheap, poly-cotton blend t-shirts and start wearing your college logo emblazoned on cheap, poly-cotton blend t-shirts.”
“Hey, at least I actually went to Dalton! I’m not the one with the Princeton Plainsboro shirt, even if it was a gift. I don’t even know where that school is.”
“Oh Blaine,” Kurt said, a look of fake pity on his face.
After a moment they broke out laughing. There wasn’t even anything funny said, but they were both so happy to see each other that the giddiness in the air meant it didn’t have to be.
“So,” Blaine began, once they composed themselves. “How are the hallowed halls of William McKinley?”
There was an edge of worry in Blaine’s voice, hiding behind his casual tone.
“It’s... well, it’s McKinley. Two years and almost nothing has changed. But Karofsky’s graduated, so it’s not that bad. It feels like it did before I left, really. Only one of my fabulous sweaters has been ruined by a slushie hit, and luckily they were almost the same colour so it won’t even be that hard to get out. Puck, of all people, stopped the baseball team from throwing me in the dumpster. I mean, he pretty much called me a girl while he did it, but still... progress.”
Kurt smiled stupidly at the web cam, and looked just like he always did when he was the only one in the room who thought he was funny.
“And is it worth it? To be at McKinley instead of Dalton?”
Blaine tried to keep the confusion off of his face. This was one thing that he and Kurt had just never understood about each other; why Blaine never wanted more than Dalton offered, and why Kurt never felt truly at home there.
Kurt smiled, something bittersweet and small.
“You know, it is. Dalton is amazing, really, but aside from you there was no one that really meant anything there. I mean, All the Warblers are all great, Stanford is the only person in the world willing to have entire conversations in French with me and Thomas might be a jerk but he is so fine, but at the end of the day, they’re no Mercedes, or Tina, or hell, even Rachel.”
Kurt paused and his smile grew just a bit bigger.
“McKinley has a thousand and one things working against it in comparison to Dalton. But it also has New Directions, and they’re worth everyone of them.”
Blaine might not understand completely, but the smile on Kurt’s face was more than enough for him to let it go.
“Okay, but don’t come crying back to me when Rachel keeps you back an extra three hours for a song you’re not even going to perform for anyone. Or tries to lock you in the school overnight to practice.”
“She only did that twice.”
Before long, a voice came booming from upstairs. “Kurt! We found all of the Monopoly pieces. Carole’s setting it up now.”
Kurt sighed and yelled back, “Coming, Dad!”
“Monopoly?”
“Yes. Dad and Carole have decided to add game time to Friday night dinners. This week
is Monopoly, last week was Uno.”
“That sounds like so much fun.” Blaine said, trying to hold in his laughter at the idea of the Hummel-Hudson’s gathered around a small table playing board games.
“Laugh all you want, Blaine, but your mockery only makes me stronger-”
“I wasn’t mocking!” Blaine yelled, interrupting.
Kurt gave him a bitch face before continuing, “Besides, I think one of the only reasons Carole wanted it is so Finn has no free nights to see Brittany. She’s been jumpy ever since they started dating. I think everything that happened with Quinn scared her off letting him outside with girls. She probably would have done the same with Rachel if she wasn’t part of the sane group of people who are afraid of Rachel Berry.”
Blaine laughed at the animated look on Kurt’s face
“Wow, Rachel sure is taking a lot of heat in this conversation.”
“Oh please, she’s one of my best friends, but you’ve met her, she’s crazy. Don’t start defending her just because you want her to be your girlfriend.”
“What? She’s talented... Also, she’s shorter than me. That’s rare, I can respect it. You top shelf reachers could never understand our bond.”
“Your joint Napoleon complexes are creepy.”
A yell come from upstairs. “KURT!”
“I’m coming!” Kurt looked back at the screen, “I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you tomorrow?”
“Sure thing, night Kurt.”
Kurt smiled contentedly at Blaine through the screen and held in a soft sigh. “Goodnight Blaine.”
---
“Good morning, Mercedes!”
Kurt grabbed one of Mercedes’ arms and linked it with his own. Mercedes beamed and greeted him back while they headed toward their lockers. Things had been slightly strained between them even before Kurt had transferred to Dalton, but his return and a steady stream of shopping sprees and sleepovers were slowly bridging the gap between them.
“Oh dear god,” Kurt stopped in his tracks when they reached a hallway decked in red and orange streamers and signs. “My eyes are burning from this travesty of colour.”
“I guess it’s time for the homecoming dance then,” Mercedes said, trying to pull Kurt down the hallway without much luck.
“This is what happens when the student council thinks they’re qualified to decorate anything aside from a poster board with dumb voting slogans. They couldn’t coordinate their way out of a tastefully wrapped paper bag.”
“I heard Lauren wanted to make it a Twilight themed danced, but Principal Figgins wouldn’t allow it. So at least it’s not as bad as it could have been.”
“I don’t know. Black is timeless, and it goes with everything. But red and orange? They’re not even shades, like tangerine and maroon, it’s just red and orange. There is no possible way anything a person could wear wouldn’t clash with this. It clashes with itself.”
The two finally got to their lockers through the sea of half filled balloons and random paper leaves. When they finally got there, they noticed someone waiting for them.
“Rachel,” Mercedes said with an aggravated sigh.
“Hello, Mercedes, Kurt.” Her voice cut through the other noises in the hallway, even though she hadn’t been yelling. “I was wondering if either of you had noticed anything about the upcoming autumn formal?”
“The homecoming dance? No, Rachel,we hadn’t noticed. We just thought the school suddenly decided to replace the paint with construction paper because they felt like it.” Kurt said sarcastically.
“I refuse to call it that. Not everyone cares about a silly homecoming football game, so it’s ridiculous that a dance would be named after it, especially while everyone is affected by the fall.”
“I feel like something you said isn’t right, but I can’t explain what it is.”
Kurt frowned in contemplation, trying to figure out what was wrong with Rachel’s logic.
“Anyway, that’s not the point. The important thing is that I have a proposition for the two of you.”
Mercedes snapped her locker shut and looked at Rachel with exasperation. “I am not going to vote for you to sing I Will Always Love You at the dance, Rachel.”
“That is not what I meant! I was hoping that perhaps we could all go together, the entire Glee Club, in the spirit of inclusiveness and team unity. Since Kurt has returned from Dalton, and we have a few new members, I think it would be an excellent way to begin our new school year as a team.”
She beamed at the two before quickly adding an afterthought, “Besides, Principal Figgins said Coach Sylvester wouldn’t allow that song for some reason. His hands are tied.”
“Man, Figgins is on the ball with not letting the crazy out lately.” Mercedes said.
After a moment, Kurt spoke up. “Okay, something is definitely wrong with me today because that actually sounds like a good idea.”
“Well,” Kurt spoke again, turning back toward Rachel. “It certainly isn’t your worst idea, but ultimately, it depends on what my date says. Mercedes?”
“Um, excuse you, but who said I was your date? I don’t remember being asked. Besides, I have someone else in mind.”
Kurt raised his eyebrow. “Oh really? And who is this someone that you’re ditching me for? He better be incredibly handsome or I’m going to be so hurt.”
Mercedes smiled shyly.
“Anthony. And before you say a damn thing, it has nothing to do with you. His mom bought the store next to my dad’s practice and we saw each other a lot over the summer.” Mercedes paused and raised her head in pride, “So I’m going to ask him to the dance.”
Kurt sighed dramatically and put a hand over his heart. “Fine, I suppose I can take the heartbreak of rejection if it means clearing the way for a blossoming modern romance. “
Rachel looked back and forth between the two, her smile gone. “Is that a yes?”
“That depends, is all of this just some master plan to get Finn back for the six thousandth time?”
“Actually, after our most recent break up, I’ve decided I’m no longer going to forgive and overlook his many transgressions. If he wants to date Brittany and sing nothing but classic rock songs without my notes on the multitude of ways he could improve his performance, then he’ll just have to live with that decision. I’ve decided to focus solely on my career for the time being.”
She paused. “And if a casual glee club outing at a school function leads to a romantic dance between myself and someone else, say the new tenor Michael, well then so be it.”
“Alright then,” Kurt said with a shrug, “I guess that means that you’ll be without a Kurt Hummel for homecoming, so I really have no opinion one way or the other. It’s just as well, really. There’s almost nothing that’s worth putting myself through the torment of being stuck in a room with what are bound to be the most painful decorations since someone thought a sticking rubber duckies on the wall constituted an Under The Sea dance.”
“Kurt!” Rachel yelled indignantly, frowning. “These are the most precious years of our youth. Our senior year of high school is supposed to be the best one. Social functions like these are the building blocks of our future interactions with our peers. We will never have another homecoming dance, you have to come.”
“Okay, see, now I’m back to not understanding what you’re saying. And while I appreciate the sentiment, Rachel, I’d rather not be the lone dateless member of Glee Club. No, since you and Mercedes are taken, I’ll just spend a night in with the good lady Liza, and not be offended by an overuse of glitter in all the wrong ways.”
He smiled and offered both his arms to Rachel and Mercedes. “Now, let’s head to math class while discussing how both of you can improve your outfits, and why you’re no longer allowed to dress yourselves without my input.”
---
“Yes mother. I know mother. I love you too, mother.”
Blaine droned on, just barely listening to the other side. In his defence, the super fit guy from his poli-sci class was sitting across the quad and Blaine was pretty sure he was checking him out.
“Blaine, you’re not even listening to me.”
“Huh, what?” Blaine was brought out of his trying-not-to-stare-but-really-just-staring by his mom yelling over the phone. “Sorry, mom, just a little distracted.”
“Well I don’t know what could possibly distract you from your own mother, but nevertheless I need an answer.”
“...This would probably work better if I knew the question.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Blaine, you’re just like your father sometimes. Your grandparent’s fiftieth anniversary is in a few weeks and they’d love it if you could come down from school for the
weekend.”
Blaine groaned into the phone. “I don’t know mom. I’m really busy with school right now. I don’t know if I can take the time off before I get into a routine.”
“It’s just for the weekend. There’s no reason why you can’t just do your homework on the plane. You’d only have to miss the Monday, since I know for a fact you don’t have any Friday classes. Please, Blaine, you’re their only grandchild and I know it would so much to them if you came. You never know how many of these events they have left, after all.”
Blaine inwardly groaned, regretting having told her his schedule.
“You get better at this guilt thing every year, mom. Look, I’ll think about it. I might be able to get some notes off of people, but I need to check first.” Blaine sighed, trying to figure out all of the ways he could get out of this.
“You do that, and when you come down, be sure to invite Kurt to the party. He’s such a nice boy and he’s the only one that ever eats my organic cookies.”
“Okay, listen mom,” Blaine said, cutting her off before she could go into a tirade about those cookies, again. “I’m entering the library, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”
He hung up before she could say anymore, and the bell tinkled as he walked into Starbucks.
As he was putting his phone back in his bag, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Behind him was the super cute, incredibly hot guy from across the quad.
“Hey, you’re in Politics 105, right?”
“Yeah, hi, my name’s Blaine,” he said politely, reaching his hand out for a shake.
“I’m Jackson.”
---
That night, Kurt and Blaine had another Skype date scheduled. They had spoken almost every day that week, and Kurt was always questioning the things Blaine had done, and the people he met, eager to know more about what it was like finally being outside of Ohio.
“So what did you do today? It had to be more entertaining than Ms. Phillips’ English class. Apparently throwing a shoe was the most interesting thing she’s done in her entire life.”
Blaine laughed and awkwardly and paused before he answered. “Nothing, just stayed in my room and organized really. This curriculum is going to take some getting used to.”
He tried not to dwell on why he didn’t tell Kurt about Jackson, when he’d told him about everyone else. Some questions were better left unanswered.
---
A week later, Kurt led Rachel around the mall. They had spent the last two hours looking at dresses for Rachel to wear to the dance, but Kurt had vetoed every one she’d tried on so far.
“I must admit,” Rachel said, as they paid for their soy lattes. “I thought you would be making this trip with Mercedes and Tina instead of myself. Not that I’m complaining, of course. I may be the superior vocalist here, but even I can humble myself and admit that your style is more suitable than mine for a dance.”
Kurt turned to Rachel with his bitch face on.
“Okay firstly, there is nothing about animal sweaters and pant suits that can ever be called style. And secondly, Mercedes wanted Quinn to join us and Quinn said she would rather rip her skin off than willingly spend an afternoon with you, so we’ll be going next weekend.”
“Oh.”
Rachel bowed her head, trying not to let Kurt see her face, and Kurt sighed when he noticed, feeling bad.
“If it helps, she didn’t say it with the same venom she used to. More of an annoyed disinterest.”
Rachel made a noise of agreement and perked up.
“Jealousy does have many forms.”
They walked through the mall, occasionally stopping when something shiny caught Kurt’s eye. After some extensive bow tie shopping, they finally made their way to another dress store.
While Kurt was inspecting a rack of dresses for anything with potential, Rachel finally broached the subject she had been worrying about.
“Kurt, do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Yes, but you’re going to do it anyway, so I guess the point is moot.”
“Yes, well, I was wondering if you wouldn’t reconsider joining us at the dance?”
Kurt looked up with interest at that.
“I thought Michael actually asked you to the dance. Surely you don’t require an extra date, even one as fabulously dressed as I.”
“I’m perfectly satisfied with just the one date, thank you. But I was hoping you might come anyway. Everyone in Glee is coming except for you.”
Kurt sighed in exasperation.
“The glee club isn’t going as the glee club, Rachel. Everyone is going together, as dates. Mercedes has Anthony, Quinn has Sam, there’s Santana and Puck, Finn and Brittany, Tina and Mike, and Artie is going with Lauren for some reason. Rachel, even you have a date. I don’t really feel like being the fifteenth wheel at some boring school dance with disgusting spiked punch and awful music from the nineties.”
Kurt started going through the rack again, hoping Rachel would take it as a sign to drop the
conversation.
They stayed silent while Kurt searched the whole store for various dresses; when he was finally satisfied with his choices, he led Rachel to the dressing rooms.
“Okay, nine definites that you have to try on, seven maybes just in case there’s nothing in the definites, and if we still haven’t found anything we’ll start all over again.”
Three trips and twenty nine dresses later, they had finally found the right dress. Kurt had a complaint for each dress Rachel had tried on and after various too-shorts, too-darks, and too-poofys, Kurt had finally settled for one where the only issue was not-enough-feathers.
Oh, and Rachel liked it too.
They stood in front of a mirror while Kurt detailed what accessories Rachel should wear and how to style her hair. He stopped in the middle of a curling iron tutorial when he noticed she was
being oddly silent.
“Okay, you haven’t said anything in like ten minutes. I’m not complaining I just want to know
what’s making it happen so I can do it the next time I want to gag you with your sheet music.”
Rachel looked down and swallowed nervously before looking at Kurt.
“I know people don’t really like me.”
“You’re just realizing this now? Because I don’t think anyone was trying to hide it, Rachel.”
She carried on, ignoring Kurt’s interruption. “And whether it’s because they’re jealous of my superior singing voice or the grand future that awaits me, I do seem to inspire some rather extreme feelings in people.”
“I’m almost afraid to know where you’re going with this.”
Rachel looked at Kurt with an intense look on her face. “Kurt, you’re my best friend.”
“That’s terrifying.” Kurt said blankly.
“Kurt, I’m trying to be serious here.” Rachel huffed at the interruption of their touching moment. “Now, over the years the relationships formed between myself and fellow glee clubbers may have grown somewhat kinder than they were originally, but I’m just not as close to any of them as they are with each other, and as I am with you. Kurt, you really are my closest friend, and while I respect your decision to not come to the dance, I was really hoping you might still change your mind. Not because it would mean a lot to the glee club, but because it would mean a lot to me.”
Kurt said nothing during while Rachel took a breath, so she carried on.
“I know I seem like I have everything together and that there’s nothing missing, and while that’s true for the most part, it’s entirely possible that there is something missing. I was serious about wanting to concentrate on something aside from boys this year, and I was hoping you might still come to the dance, because I think I might enjoy myself more if I could spend it with my best friend.”
Kurt stayed silent for a while, just taking in everything Rachel had said. Finally he sighed and responded. “I don’t know what’s more sad, that I’m your best friend or that I’m actually being affected by this.”
Rachel’s face brightened with hope at that. “So you’ll come?”
“I’ll think about thinking about it, and if by some insane twist of fate I do decide to go, then I’ll only do it on condition. Next time we do a Sound of Music song for Glee, you won’t put up a fight when I take Maria’s part.”
The distress was evident on Rachel’s face the second the words came out of Kurt’s mouth.
---
Blaine was starting to get frustrated during their Skype session that night. He had cancelled a study session with Jackson and some other friends so he wouldn’t miss their weekly date, but he might as well have not even been there for as interested as Kurt seemed. By the time Kurt had given up all pretense of listening and was just staring at the wall just behind his laptop Blaine was beyond frustrated, and edging into pissed off territory.
“I’m sorry, am I boring you? Because I can always come back at a time that’s better for you.”
Kurt was pulled out of his haze by Blaine’s angry tone. “Sorry, what?”
Blaine sighed. “Is there somewhere else you have to be or something, because even though I’m awesome, it can get kind of boring having a conversation with myself.”
Kurt had the decency to look ashamed and offered Blaine an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little distracted. I’m thinking about redecorating my room.”
Blaine interrupted before Kurt could continue, “I know interior decorating can be fascinating, but do you want to tell me what’s actually wrong or just talk about what shade of blue for the drapes?”
“Drapes?” Kurt said sheepishly.
Blaine just stared at Kurt silently, waiting for him to give in.
Kurt bit his lip and sighed, before accepting that Blaine wouldn’t let him get away without talking.
“It’s not a big deal. It’s just that there’s this dance coming up soon and Rachel and Mercedes have been trying to convince me to go, even though I’ve repeatedlystated how little I want to go. Somehow, through extremely convincing nagging and dramatics, Rachel managed to make me feel guilty about not going. I just...” Kurt paused looking for the right words to describe how he was feeling.
“You don’t want to sit alone while everyone is slow dancing and having cliche teenage movie moments.”
“Pretty much.” Kurt sighed and rested his chin in his hand. “They’re all going to be there with real dates, and are going to hold hands, and have some cheesy romantic dance where one person rests their head gently on the other’s shoulder and it’s all stupid and romantic. So, okay, fine, maybe I’m not going to get that for a while, but that doesn’t mean I want to watch other people do it.”
Blaine watched as Kurt tried to keep on a brave face. He knew how much it hurt to know that you won’t get the moments all of your friends do. He knows the feeling of jealousy and anger, and the loneliness and guilt for being angry at someone who doesn’t deserve it.
It sucks.
“When is the dance again?” Blaine asked.
“Next Friday.Which means only one more week of barfing into my hat every time I walk into school. I swear, there are prisons that are decorated better.”
The words were out of his mouth before Blaine had a chance to think about them. “What if I take you to the dance?”
“Blaine, that’s not funny.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. Seriously Kurt, let me take you to the McKinley High Homecoming dance. I know it’s still not an actual date, but-”
“Blaine, you’re not travelling hundreds of miles and taking time out of school just to take me to a stupid dance,” Kurt huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
“No, I’m not. I’m traveling hundreds of miles and taking time out of school to go to my grandparent’s fiftieth anniversary, which just happens to be on the same weekend as the stupid dance,” Blaine said smugly. “My mom already bought the ticket and didn’t really give me a chance to say no. I’m going to be stuck in Ohio anyway, might as well spend a night making dozens of people in a high school gym feel uncomfortable.”
“Really?” Kurt questioned, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well I was trying to earlier, but someone didn’t feel like paying attention, so....”
Kurt blushed. “Sorry about that, but I guess I’ll be able to make it up to you in person soon.”
“Yeah, I guess you will.” Blaine smiled. “And I’ll even let you put your head on my shoulder during a slow dance. Just so you can get the full experience.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow at that, and waited for Blaine to continue.
“Okay fine,” Blaine said, giving in. “I’ll rest my head on your shoulder.”
“Good, because unless you’ve had a growth spurt and are suddenly regular-people sized, that would have been really awkward.”
“I hate you.”
---
“Hey mom!”
“Blaine?” said an incredulous voice on the other end. “No that’s not possible, my Blaine would never willinlyg call his mother with no prompting unless something horrible had happened. Oh my god, Blaine is something wrong? What happened? Are you okay?”
The quick change in tone might have thrown someone else off, but years of dealing with his mother meant Blaine was just trying to hold in his laughter over it.
“Nothing, mom, relax. I just wanted to let you know that I can come home for the anniversary party, I got a few people to let me borrow their notes. Actually, I figured I could come home about a week early, so I could help you with the planning.”
“That would be wonderful! As long as you’re sure you can miss the school.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll book the ticket now, and try to get in late next Thursday.”
---
Kurt made a beeline for Rachel once glee was over.
“Well, you got your wish,” He said once he was standing in front of her.
Rachel looked up from her sheet music. “Barbra Streisand is coming to Ohio for a revival of Funny Girl and wants me to be her understudy?”
“What? No, I mean - wait, are you being serious or just kidding?” Kurt asked, confused.
“I was making a joke at the expense of myself and my idolization of Barbra. Did I do it wrong, was it to intense?” She asked, finger quotes included.
“No, it was actually slightly funny. Good job.”
Rachel smiled smugly and shifted in her chair.
“Anyway,” Kurt continued, “I have good news. I’ve decided to attend the dance.”
“Oh good! I knew I’d be able to get through to you eventually. There’s nothing wrong with going without a date, and now we can all be together.”
“Actually, Blaine is going to be accompanying me. It’s not quite a date, but at least there will be someone to be mean with while all of you are having your romantic entanglements.”
“That’s excellent! Despite my initial doubts about his intentions towards our glee club, I’ve grown quite fond of him. It’s not often there are people I can look in the eye without straining my neck.”
Kurt rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s great, but more importantly, we’re going to the mall so I can buy a new outfit. I had to do it for you, Mercedes, Quinn and Tina, and now you have to do it for me.”
Rachel quickly hurried up to grab her things and followed Kurt out of the room, leaving a copy of My Favourite Things sheet music on the piano for Mr. Schue.
---
“Mom! I think I need your help!” came Finn’s cry, as he barreled down the stairs.
“Honestly, Finn,” Kurt scoffed from the living room. “What is so complex about a tie that you need your mom’s help?”
“There are a lot of, like, knots and stuff, okay? Why do I have to wear a tie anyway? Puck’s not wearing one.”
“Because it matches Brittany’s dress, and I have gone to great lengths to to ensure that no one in our group will be clashing.”
Carole came bustling into the room and headed straight to Finn when she noticed his tie. “Oh Finn.”
While she fixed Finn’s tie, she started talking about the ground rules for the night. “Now, when Brittany and Blaine get here, I want as many pictures as possible, and no complaining. In exchange your curfew is two am, and no later. Now. I know there will probably be some alcohol, and I’m going to trust you both to be responsible. Burt has money for a cab. I don’t want anyone driving home if you’ve had anything to drink.”
Kurt tuned out and fixed his hair in the mirror as Carole continued to drone on. She had repeated the same thing multiple times over the course of the week. He could practically recite it from memory at this point.
Suddenly, the sound of Burt’s voice cut through Carole’s. “Wow, you two look fancy. Hey Kurt, can I talk to you for a minute?” He said awkwardly.
Burt immediately scurried back into the kitchen and Kurt rolled his eyes. Burt had been skittish ever since Kurt had said he was going to the dance. He had been waiting all week for his dad to finally work up the nerve to say whatever he had planned, and it looked like he finally had.
Kurt followed his dad into the kitchen as Carole went back to lecturing Finn. He heard a faint “and don’t get anyone pregnant this time,” before he joined his dad at the table.
“Son, I think it’s time we had a talk.”
Jumping right in then, Kurt thought.
“Now, I know you’re a teenager and a boy, so you’re bound to have some teenage boy urges.” Burt pushed the last word out, turning his head and taking a chug of beer right after. “And I know how these things work. I was a teenager once myself. I want you to know that the feelings that you feel are normal, and natural, but that doesn’t mean you can just go around all the time being natural. You need to take some time to be safe and...”
Burt groaned and rubbed his hand over his hat. He shook his head and started over.
“It’s like this, Kurt. When you’re playing baseball, you can’t just let the ball hit you and then run all the bases. You gotta take it slower than that. And just because someone is willing to throw the ball at you doesn’t mean you have to catch it, you know? You can decide to not play or something. And always wear a mitt, if you do decide to play.”
Burt continued to fumble his way through a one-sided conversation, and Kurt would have been horrified at the idea of his dad trying to talk about sex if it wasn’t so entertaining and confusing at the same time.
Finally showing sympathy for his dad, Kurt interrupted him before his face turned anymore red.
“Dad? Blaine and I are just friends. There will be no sports of any kind tonight, okay? Besides, even if there was, I’ve got enough pamphlets from Ms. Pillsbury over the years that this talk is completely unnecessary. Really.”
Burt sighed, and gave his son a tight smile. Kurt was sure he never really thought that he and Blaine were just friends. He had spent an entire year convinced Kurt was just pretending so Burt would let them be in Kurt’s room alone.
“Just...be careful okay? No matter, all I want is for you to be safe and happy.”
Kurt smiled at his dad and got up to hug him across the table.
“I will, dad.”
There moment was interrupted when the bell rang and Carole shouted from the living room.
“Oh! Quick, I want a picture of you opening the door!”
---
“Is it always like that?” Blaine asked when the four finally escaped the clutches of Carole and her digital camera.
“From what I’ve seen, yes. Last week she made me look through all of the pictures she had of Finn since he was a baby. There were thousands, and they all looked the same. Some of them were just random shots of body parts, too. Like just an arm or something.”
“Maybe she’s just trying to get all of him. Then she can print it off and piece it together. His height might be too much from a regular camera to get. He has to be filmed in sections.”
Kurt tilted his head and smiled mockingly at Blaine.
“Aww, it’s adorable how you can use humor and insults to hide your jealousy. Is that just you, or is it a common trait of the munchkin people?”
Blaine gasped with a hand over his heart.
“I am so offended. Munchkins are horrible people. As a child, they use to invite me to play so there was always someone shorter than themselves.”
“Well it’s good you can joke about it, most people are so insecure about their own horrible deficiencies.”
They continued bantering all through the ride to the school, with the occasional interruption from Finn or Brittany.
It felt like nothing had changed, like they had never been apart.
---
All of the other glee members were already there when they finally arrived. They were split between two tables, with the glee jocks at one table, and the others at a different one. There were a few exceptions, like Mercedes (who was looking fabulous) who was sitting with Anthony and next to Quinn, and Mike who was plastered next to Tina and making jokes with Lauren.
No matter how close they got as a club, some things never did change.
A slight nervousness set in, and Blaine nudged him in the shoulder.
“You okay? You kind of zoned out for a minute.”
Kurt smiled and said he was fine, because some things did change.
---
The night was going much better than Kurt had expected. The first part was spent mostly at the table. Tina and Kurt alternated between making Rachel’s date feel comfortable enough to talk to them, and then messing with him right after.
Kurt decided to let Rachel sweat it out for the rest of the evening before telling her he approved of him.
Blaine had spent most of the night with Mike, getting drinks for the table and talking about So You Think You Can Dance, Asian moms, and how the Power Rangers are better than Transformers.
As the night went on, the club finally all gathered around the dance floor. Kurt got his dance with Mercedes, and Blaine spent a lot of time near Rachel, enjoying the feeling of height.
Somewhere around nine, the first slow dance came on and with a lot of awkward shuffling, everyone fell into pairs.
After a moment, Kurt started walking back to the table, expecting Blaine to follow. If nothing else, they could at least make fun of all the awful taffeta Kurt had seen earlier.
Before he made the edge of the dance floor, a hand caught Kurt’s wrist. He turned around to find Blaine with an anxious, almost desperate, look on his face.
“Look, I’ve never gotten to do this before, and I didn’t really think I wanted to, but then Mike started talking about how awesome it was with Tina, and Puck came over and started in about how he was going to do it with Lauren, and... I don’t know. I just think I want it.”
Blaine paused to take a nervous breath and Kurt stood completely still, his eyes comically wide.
“Okay,” Blaine continued. “The thing is, I would love if we could just slow dance like it wasn’t a big deal, but we both know that here it is. And I might not have to face these people on Monday, but you do. So if you want to go back to the table and make fun of all the awful dresses and powder blue suits, then it’s totally fine, but if you’re okay with it, I’d really like to have that cheesy slow dance now.”
Kurt’s heart quickened and his breathing got harder. He didn’t know if this was better or worse than what he initially imagined. He took a quick look around the room. Most people were too wrapped up in themselves to notice them. There was only one boy who was eyeing them from a table, but Kurt didn’t even know who he was.
Finally, Kurt looked into Blaine’s eyes and answered, “I do believe I was promised psuedo-romantic head-to-shoulder contact.”
Blaine laughed and pulled Kurt to him. They stayed at the edge of the floor, sticking to one of the darkest corners.
“So is it everything you thought it would be?” Blaine asked, as he placed his hand on the small of Kurt’s back.
“Well, we had the embarrassing picture moment with my parents, spent most of the evening talking to other people instead of each other, danced to a song I’m pretty sure came out in the seventies, quite horribly, and there was a unique aftertaste to that punch that was either alcohol or feet. So overall, it’s been the best cliched night I could have asked for.”
Blaine laughed and slipped his other hand from Kurt’s and down to his waist. He made sure to look nowhere but at Kurt’s face, as if ignoring stares meant they didn’t exist.
“It has been quite the evening so far, I’ll give you that. All we need now is a strict but misunderstood authority figure with a heart of gold and a virginity pact, and we have our very own straight to DVD teen comedy.”
“I do believe there’s something else missing,” Kurt said, raising his eyebrow.
Blaine sighed, knowing what Kurt was talking about. He finally gave in and rested his head on Kurt’s shoulder and nestled his face into Kurt’s neck.
Kurt held in a gasp when Blaine’s breath hit a sensitive spot a sensitive area. it hadn’t taken more than a few seconds for them to forget that this was suppose to be a joke, a silly little thing to make fun of what people thought romance was supposed to be. It wasn’t supposed to be real, it wasn’t supposed to feel that way, but it did.
It felt like all of those moments when they were lying too close to one another in a Dalton dorm room, the times they held hands at the mall, the hugs and cuddling and everything else. It was all of those moments rolled into one, and it felt impossible that they were just friends and nothing more.
A crash knocked Kurt out of his daze. Startled, he saw Sue Sylvester leading the boy from earlier out of the room over an upturned table. Before she left the gym Sue looked at Kurt with a deep scowl on her face.
Kurt smiled back at her. He had no idea what had just happened, but some questions were better left unanswered.
---
The entire club made their way from the dance at ten and headed over to Santana’s house. By eleven they were sitting in a circle, playing some weird mix of I Never and Truth or Drink and Puck and Lauren were back together. By twelve the group was split up all over the house and so were Puck and Lauren.
Kurt and Blaine were sitting on Santana’s stairs and passing a bottle of peach schnapps to each other, laughing loudly.
They told dumb stories about things that had happened while they had been apart, like the time Mercedes slushied a hockey player as payback, and the time someone streaked through Blaine’s European History class.
As the night went on they moved from the stairs to the hallway, and from the hallway to one of the five spare bedrooms. The bottle got emptier throughout the night, and before they knew it, they’d both finished the whole thing.
At three am Kurt woke up, naked and plastered to Blaine’s side, and lying on the floor. He groaned as he got up, wishing they had made the extra two feet to the bed last night. After getting dressed he set the alarm on Blaine’s phone for five, so he could still sneak out while everyone was asleep.
Kurt quietly made his way through Santana’s house, stepping over most of the other New Directions members. When he finally got outside he called a cab and headed home, trusting Finn to drive his car back later.
He didn’t look back while he waited, or when he got in the taxi. He didn’t wish things were different. That he could have stayed, or that he could have woken Blaine up so they could leave together.
He didn’t do anything but head home.
---
Kurt quietly closed the door behind him as he entered the house. He toed off his boots and carried them towards the basement, but before he could make it all the way he noticed a light coming from the kitchen.
Knowing he’d get in less trouble if he made himself known instead of sneaking in, he put his boots down and headed towards the light.
Burt sat on the same spot he had been in when he and Kurt had spoken before the dance. It would have been like he never moved if it wasn’t for the hoagie on the table.
“A hoagie, dad? Really?.”
Burt looked up at his son, not surprised to see him.
“I think you can cut me a break this one time. My son missed his curfew by almost two hours.”
“That’s a low blow. You know you’re not suppose to be eating those, and my social activities have nothing to do with your health.”
Kurt slumped into the seat across from his father and was close enough to hear Burt mumble what sounded like they really do under his breath. Kurt rolled his eyes and stole a sip otu of Burt’s glass of milk.
“Okay, fine,” Burt said. “I’ll only have half of this and I’ll save the rest for next time I have to spend the night worrying about you.”
Kurt rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No you won’t. You’re going to eat half, and I’m going to eat the other half, and then you’re not allowed to have another one until I graduate.”
Burt smiled and slid the other half of the sandwich to Kurt, and got up to get another glass of milk. They hadn’t had a night like this since Kurt was just a little kid and couldn’t sleep because of the monsters under his bed. Burt can still remember driving to McDonalds in the middle of the night, right after his wife died, before he learned to cook. They spent a month splitting chicken nuggets and warm milk because it was the only thing that would make Kurt fall asleep.
Sitting back down, Burt sighed and braced himself for a conversation he knew would have to happen eventually.
“So, you’re home late, your hair’s all messed up, and you’re not complaining about all the meat in the hoagie. Does that mean the night went well or not so good? Do I have to complain to somebody, because I will.”
Kurt laughed awkwardly at Burt and took a bite out of his sandwich to stall.
They stayed in silence for another ten minutes, Burt waiting for Kurt to answer but not wanting to push him.
Finally, Kurt set down the rest of his sandwich and answered. “It was good, for the most part. No one said anything about two guys going to a dance together, and I had an amazing time with all of my friends. It was everything you’d expect a cliche high school dance.”
Burt stayed silent, knowing there was more to the story.
Kurt sighed. “Dad, how do you know when someone is more than a friend?”
Burt pressed his lips into a thin line. He’d been expecting something like this since Kurt first brought Blaine home and insisted they were just friends; he just thought it would happen a lot sooner.
“That’s a question that only you and your friend can answer. Stuff like that is different for everybody, Kurt. Your mom was my best friend, but she was my girlfriend a long time before that. It depends if you think they’re just a friend, or if there’s something more there.”
Kurt sighed. He knew his dad was right, but he had hoped that he could have given him an answer. Told him that if you said you were friends, then that’s what you were, and maybe then he wouldn’t be compromising his flawless complexion with three kinds of deli meat.
Burt got up and cleared away the dishes. He wanted to help his kid, but he had no idea what to do or say. All this stuff was new to him, and it killed him that he didn’t know what to do to make Kurt feel better. Burt squeezed Kurt’s shoulder before heading up to bed. He hated it, but this was something Kurt had to do without him.
---
A week later, Blaine sat miserably at his grandparents anniversary. He hadn’t spoken to Kurt since the dance and had been stuck helping his mom actually plan the party. He had expected to be doing something more entertaining than deciding between seven different shades of green for the centerpieces.
He had woken up to his phone alarm after the party. It had taken him a while to realize that Kurt wasn’t with him, but he found a note on his phone, explaining why he put the alarm on. He called Kurt later on that day, and texted, and called again, but he never got an answer. The only thing he’d received was an email two days ago, saying Kurt needed some time to think and asking if he could stop calling him.
Blaine was at a loss for what to do. He never wanted this to happen. He never even thought that he might lose Kurt without them ever really getting together.
Blaine sighed and got up, moving to the entrance of the hall. The room was starting to feel smaller with all of the dancing couples and happiness in the air. There’s nothing worse than trying to mope when everyone else is celebrating.
He found his way to the front entrance of the hotel after passing dozens of confusing side doors and lounge areas. He had hoped he would finally get a minute to himself, but that proved impossible when he saw someone standing at the bottom of the hotel stairs.
Planning to just ignore the person, Blaine moved to sit on one of the steps of the building. It wasn’t until he sat down that he saw who the person was.
“Kurt?”
Kurt turned, his eyes wide, obviously only just noticing Blaine.
“What are you doing here?” Blaine asked after Kurt said nothing.
“Your mom sent me an email asking if I needed directions to the place. I thought there was a mistake since the date was a week after the dance instead of a day, like you said, but apparently it wasn’t a mistake.”
Blaine stood awkwardly silent as Kurt’s eyes bore into him. He didn’t know what to say. He was caught. It was probably ridiculous to think Kurt would never find out that he had lied, especially considering how much the other boy already knew about him, but Blaine had wanted to avoid it as long as possible. Maybe in five or ten years, when he might have a better chance at facing what missing a week of college for a dance meant, but he was being faced with it now, and he didn’t know what to say.
“You told me you were going to be here anyway. You said that you were going to be in town anyway. You’ve been complaining about huge difference in school work since you got there, and then you just up and miss an entire week just to take me to a dance? If I had known you would miss so much school, I wouldn’t have let you come.”
Blaine sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I know you wouldn’t. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t tell you. It’s not that big of a deal, I’m not missing anything important, and I’m getting notes from people in my class. If I thought it would have a bigger impact I wouldn’t have come.”
“Yes you would. I know you, and you would have found a way, just to get the chance to be the hero of the story.”
Blaine stepped forward angrily, being legitimately offended for one of the first times in a conversation with Kurt. “That’s not fair, I didn’t-”
Kurt interrupted before he could continue. The look of rage on his face was one Blaine had only seen reserved for people at the mall who would give them dirty looks and that kid in his French class who was always correcting his grammar.
“It must be nice, Blaine. To get to just sweep in and act like Prince Charming and then just walk away knowing you did a good deed, but do you stop to think about what you’re doing to everyone else? What you’re doing to me?”
“I’m just trying to help you. You know you wanted to go to that dance. To be with your friends, and I wanted you to go, too. I was being helpful. I thought that’s what best friends did for each other?”
“Best friends don’t have sex with each other Blaine!” Kurt yelled, his face getting red. Suddenly all of the things he had been holding in, for the past week, for the past two years, came rushing to the front. “People who are just friends don’t make out and give each other hand jobs more than once and never talk about it.”
Kurt started pacing in the parking lot, the words were spilling out of his mouth faster than he could think of them.
“How many times have we told people we aren’t dating, that two gay guys can be just friends and nothing more. And how many times have we spent time in bed together doing more than just sleeping? We’ve spent a year doing things friends don’t do together, and we act like it’s just two people helping each other out because there are no other options. But that’s not true anymore is it Blaine? You’ve got a brand new city, where you can be yourself, and actually date who you want to.”
“What does that even have to do with anything?” Blaine yelled.
“Because, Blaine, when we did all that stuff at Dalton we could pass it off as being lonely, but you can’t do that anymore. It’s not just two friends who are stuck together, now it’s you actually choosing to come down here and act like my boyfriend. And I can’t do it anymore, Blaine. I can’t keep pretending like you’re just a friend if you’re going to keep acting like you’re more than that.”
Kurt sighed, his shoulders slumping as he whispered, “I can’t keep pretending that nothing has happened between us when everything has.”
Blaine still didn’t know what to say. He went from angry to sad to feeling pathetic all while Kurt ranted and at the end of it he couldn’t think of anything to make it better. There weren’t any perfect words to make Kurt happy again, or to make the whole issue go away. He couldn’t take back that night, and he couldn’t take back all the time they had spent being “just friends”.
Kurt stood waiting for an answer, and Blaine did something he could only do with Kurt.
He said what he was really thinking.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here anymore than you do, Kurt. I know that my best friend needed me, and that I would do anything for him.”
Blaine took a hard breath and continued.
“But, I also know that you’re the only person I would do that for, and that I really missed you. I broke off a date with a really hot guy because I would rather spend the night with you in a school gym, that smelled kind of weird by the way, than have coffee with him. After that... I’ve got nothing, Kurt.”
Blaine stared at Kurt, hoping he understood what Blaine was trying to say, especially since Blaine just barely knew.
Kurt sighed and moved to sit on the last step. He looked up at Blaine from his spot and said nothing. After a few minutes Blaine joined him and just stared at his hands until Kurt said something.
“What is this, Blaine? What are we doing? Are we dating? Are we just friends? Because we need to decide right now. I won’t keep doing this. Either we’re together and we just keep doing what we’re doing but admitting it, or we’re just friends and we reign it in and do just what friends do. I know what I want, but now you need to decide.”
Kurt stared at Blaine, willing him not to reject him, but knowing it was a huge possibility, and maybe even the better decision.
If he was honest with himself, Blaine had been expecting this moment for a while. Probably since they first decided to do whatever it was they were doing. It had been a stupid Warbler’s party the night after Regionals, instead of a school dance; a bottle of scotch one of the Warbler’s had snuck in from home instead of schnapps. They had kissed that night. A lot. And after that, it just became something they did, but didn’t talk about. In public they were just overly affectionate friends, and behind closed doors they were a lot more.
They’d been dealing with the aftermath of that night for two years, and now it was staring them down, because the excuses they told themselves didn’t extend this far.
Blaine thought about what a life as Kurt’s friend meant. What it meant to really be just friends, no cuddling while watching Sleepless In Seattle, no quick goodnight kisses when no one was looking, and no sleeping together when they were too tired to move after a long night.
Then Blaine thought about what a life dating Kurt from hundreds of miles away meant. No cuddling, or kissing, or sleeping together at all, except for a few short times when they could visit each other, and not with anyone else either, whether they had the chance to or not.
He didn’t know how long it had been since Kurt asked him, but finally Blaine turned to Kurt an answered.
“I’m not a risk taker, Kurt. I can’t give up my safety just to express myself, or throw everything away on a whim. And the idea that being together might end badly, that I might lose everything we have - it terrifies me, Kurt.”
Blaine took another breath and turned to look at his hands, trying to work up the nerve to finish.
“But the idea of actually being just your friend actually hurts. I don’t know how we’re going to do this, but if you can promise me that even if we break up, and it’s horrible and mean, if we can just try and stay in each other’s lives, then I want to do this.”
Kurt’s smile was huge and looked like it hurt his face, and Blaine knew he had made the right choice; maybe it wouldn’t end well, but right now it was the greatest decision he’d ever made.
“I think I can live with that,” Kurt said softly, before leaning in to kiss Blaine.
They stayed outside for a few minutes longer, just holding hands and talking softly. Blaine invited Kurt to come into the party with him before he got in trouble for being gone.
As they were walking up the stairs, Blaine stopped quickly and turned to Kurt.
“Wait, why does my mom have your email address?”
Kurt waved a hand through the air dismissively. “We send each other recipes all the time. You know that coconut shrimp you like so much? I traded it for her organic cookies, but I think she might have scammed me. No matter what I do I just can’t make them taste likes hers.”
Blaine and Kurt laughed as they made their way through the hotel and back to the hall. The future in front of them was definitely unsure. The odds were a even more against them as a couple than as friends. Blaine didn’t know if they were going to last beyond school or crash and burn next week. They might be perfect for each other, or too alike to be in a relationship. Everything after this point was a big question mark to whether or not they would work out.
But some questions had answers worth waiting for.
Highest rating preferred: PG 13
Prompt(s) used: 1. Aftermath
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