FIC: "At The End of Each Day" (3b/?)
Chapter too long for LJ.
First part is HERE.
Chapter 3 - Of Décor and Miscommunication
8.
"Kurt? Can I come in?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"I've brought milk."
There was a long pause.
Finn pressed his ear against the door to Kurt's bedroom, trying to pick up any noises. "Kurt?"
"Fine," was the huffed response. "Come in."
Finn grinned. Then made a face when he became aware of an obvious obstacle. "Hey, Kurt? Could you open the door for me? I kind of have my hands busy here."
The exasperated sigh was unmistakable even through the door. "You are so utterly hopeless..."
The door opened, and one of the mugs was immediately extracted from Finn's hands. The next moment, Kurt was already on the other side of the room, sitting next to Pavarotti's cage by the window.
Finn stepped inside, looking around with a stunned look in his face. "Wow, I don't think I've been in here since we moved."
"You haven't," said a miffed Kurt.
"It's great! Wow, it really... it really does look great!"
"You don't need to sound so surprised."
"Well, it looks... different. I mean... from your usual style. I don't know, less..."
"Flamboyant? Flashy? Feminine? Fancy? Florid? Frilly? Fulgent? Ffffffff...?"
"I was going to say 'less overwhelming'. The basement in the other house was so modern and clean and white..."
"Dior gray," Kurt corrected.
"And that other decoration you tried was so full of colors and weird shapes and curtains everywhere. And this is... calmer. Warmer." Finn took a seat at Kurt's vanity. "It's pretty cozy, actually."
Kurt's shoulders relaxed a little bit. "Thanks."
"Are you going to throw the F-word at my face every time you're mad at me?"
"Are you going to shut me out every time you're mad at... whatever?"
Finn took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to shut you out."
Kurt snorted. "Right."
"I didn't want to talk to you about Karofsky."
"But I told you it's okay to talk to me about him! And we did talk about him!"
"No, we didn't. I didn't. What I said... it wasn't true."
Kurt frowned, shifting in his seat to look at Finn straight in the eyes. "What wasn't true?"
"He's not terrible. At all." The admission seemed to cost Finn a lot of pain. "He can sing. He can dance. Dances better than me. Probably better than Sam. Mr. Schue seems to think he's really good. I think he's good. And he was having fun with glee. Pretending not to, but definitely enjoying it a lot. He was the one who suggested a practice number for the guys."
"Wow," Kurt murmured. "Can't say I foresaw that."
"I don't think he did either."
"I don't understand, why didn't you want to tell me that?"
Finn grimaced. "Because... I was having fun with him there. Like he was just... one of the glee guys."
Kurt stared into his mug, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "Well. Wasn't that the idea? Getting him... all of them... to appreciate what the glee club does? Using music to patch things up with the team, to get everyone to be... friends?"
"And then what? I come home and tell you, 'Hey, Kurt, you know that guy who threatened to kill you and drove you out of school? Guess what, he's joined the club you belonged to, he's singing and dancing with your old friends. And me, your brother, I'm kind of having a good time with him too. Ain't that great?'"
Kurt's knuckles were turning white as his hands tightened around his mug. "Point taken," he hissed.
"How screwed up is this?" Finn shook his head. "I want to hate him. I do hate him. But... wouldn't it be cool if I didn't have to hate him, if none of us had to hate him? If we could just... get him to get over whatever stupid issues he has with you and with glee and... everything?" He gazed at his brother's gloomy face. "But then how do I stop hating him without hating myself for it, without having you hate me for it, without having Burt hate me for it?"
"I don't know," Kurt admitted.
"Then again, that's not really something we need to worry about anymore. Because Karofsky and the others would rather be kicked off the team and give up on all the good work we did this year, say goodbye to a championship we really had a great shot at winning, than having the hockey mullet squadron call them losers or gay."
Kurt raised his head at that bit of information. "Is that what happened?"
"Yeah, the puckheads slushied them, and they couldn't take it. Karofsky in particular. He led the others out." Finn snorted. "Even Dave Freaking Karofsky makes a better leader than I do."
"Was that the reason behind your leadership crisis the other night? You mentioned Sam, though."
Finn sighed. "That was earlier. The Cheerios had quit glee, and I tried to get Quinn to change her mind, and... that didn't go so well. And Sam said things might be better if the Titans and the New Directions had him as a leader."
"Go back a little. What did you say to Quinn?"
"That it was glee club who had her back when she was pregnant, not Sue."
"Hmmm. Anything else?"
"That she doesn't need to be a Cheerio to be cool."
"I see. And?"
"What makes you think there was something else? Has anyone else been gossiping to you?"
"I'm just trying to understand why Sam felt the urge to challenge you so openly now."
Finn growled something under his breath.
"What?" asked Kurt. "I didn't get that."
"I said Quinn was weak. And Sam heard it."
Kurt eyed his brother with a strange expression in his face.
"What?" Finn prompted.
"The football team quit glee because people are telling them glee makes them gay. The Cheerios were told to choose between glee and an activity that makes them popular at school, and they chose being popular. Why do those stories sound so familiar to me?"
Finn gaped, his cheeks on fire. "I... That's not..."
"Oh, right!" Kurt mock-exclaimed. "Because you did exactly the same last year!"
Finn gritted his teeth. "You're calling me a hippie-crate."
"Uh, no. And I'm not calling you a hypocrite either. I'm just trying to make you realize that... you know how they feel. You know why they're acting this way. You know what they're so afraid of." Kurt's lips curved into a mere suggestion of a smile. "So maybe you know what to tell them to make them understand how stupid they're all being."
Finn stared at Kurt, unsure. "I do?"
"What better lesson to teach than one that you've learned yourself the hard way? I know the game is tomorrow, but maybe there's still time..."
"Actually, the game's been saved. That's why I'm here, really."
"Oh?"
"The glee girls have joined the Titans. Rachel, Mercedes, Tina and Zizes."
"Oh."
"And Mercedes mentioned that you and Blaine might have had something to do with that?"
Kurt sighed theatrically. "Mercedes. That girl sure has a big mouth, hasn't she?"
Finn smirked. "So it's true. I have a team, and I owe it to you."
"Mostly Blaine, really. He was the one who explained the rules to them and answered their questions about how to avoid suffering personal fouls. Me, I told them about the afflictions of wearing football gear on very soft skin, and suggested some creams."
"Well." Finn had a full smile on now. "That's pretty important too."
Pavarotti stretched his wings and cheeped.
"Hey! Your bird is singing again!"
Kurt gazed fondly at his little ward. "Finally, yes. I was starting to get worried, but he started trying on his vocals a couple of days ago. Still a bit shy, though."
Finn placed a warm hand on Kurt's shoulder. "So, I guess we're all done with the silent treatment?"
Kurt smiled, leaning a little into the touch.
9.
"Finn, would you hold still? Don't blame me later if I accidentally poke your eyes."
"Sorry, sorry, it's just... Dude, did you see it? That quarterback, like, completely forgot about the game! Ball went straight over his shoulder and... Man, so perfect! It was just what we needed! Did you see it?"
"Yes, Finn, I did see it. It was amazing. Now close your eyes and stay still."
"Brains... brains... brains..."
"I can't help you remove the makeup if you devour my brains. So please, be a good zombie and let me do my work, okay? I promise you a nice mug of warm milk if you behave for the next fifteen minutes."
Finn grinned from ear to ear and closed his eyes. "Best. Day. Ever."
Kurt went back to gently wiping Finn's eyelids and under his brows with a cotton pad. "I really wish you'd take better care of yourself. Your skin is very dry, and you won't be a teenager forever. A bit of moisturizer every night wouldn't hurt, you know."
"Bro, tonight you can give me the full spa treatment. I totally deserve it."
"You are really proud of yourself, aren't you?"
"You think I shouldn't be?"
"Let's see... Captain of the conference champion team. Most Valued Player. And a pretty impressive job with Vincent Price's monologue. Nah, I think you have enough reasons to be smug."
"Oh, man, that performance was the bomb, wasn't it?"
"Finn, stop bouncing. Yes, it was fantastic. Possibly the best number ever performed by the New Directions."
"Really?!"
"Yes. And unfortunately for me, now Blaine thinks the wonderful number I suggested for the Warblers, the one we've been practicing all week, simply isn't enough to beat you guys at Regionals." Kurt dropped the dirty cotton pad on the trash can next to his vanity, and picked up a new one. "Now open your eyes."
Finn complied, gazing sadly at his brother. "I wish you had been with us. You'd have made the most awesome zombie."
Kurt's eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. "I'll try to take that as a compliment." He moistened the cotton pad with more eye makeup remover and started applying it under Finn's eyes. "I noticed Karofsky did make a great zombie. Even without makeup."
"Uh... are you being sarcastic now? Because I really can't tell."
Kurt let out a little sigh. "I guess I'm not sure either. I suppose he deserves both the insult and the compliment. I still hate him. But he really can dance."
"Yeah..."
"So. What happens now?"
"I don't know," Finn shrugged. "Coach Sylvester will totally come after us, madder than she's ever been, especially if the Cheerios lose Nationals tonight. God, I hope she doesn't bring that cannon back with her."
"I meant with Karofsky."
"What about him?"
"You said he liked being in glee, and he clearly has some talent."
Finn stared hard at the other boy. "And you'd be okay with that? After all he's done to you? Kurt, come on..."
"I think... glee might be exactly what Karofsky needs to... get his head screwed on straight." Kurt rolled his eyes. "No pun intended."
"What?"
"Never mind." With a moist towelette and regular makeup remover, Kurt moved on to Finn's forehead. "I'm not saying you guys should take him in if he's still the same creep from when I was there. Even if he were good enough to eclipse Rachel, you neither need nor deserve that kind of headache. But if he is willing to put the past behind and give glee an honest try... like Puck did... well, maybe it's worth considering."
"You really think so?" asked Finn gravely. "You're not just trying to be noble or something."
"There's nothing noble about me being safe at Dalton while you guys deal with the fallout if this turns out to be the worst idea I've ever had."
"I don't know, Kurt. I can try talking to the others, but I'm not sure they'll go for it. Rachel in particular was very loud about not wanting to share the choir room with a homophobe. And I can't imagine Mercedes being happy about it either."
"Well, for whatever is worth, you can tell them the idea came from me." Kurt grimaced. "Although... you probably shouldn't let Karofsky know that."
"Burt will probably kill me, you know."
"No, he won't." Kurt held Finn's chin with one hand while wiping his cheeks with the other.
"He already gave me a hard time tonight because I shook Karofsky's hand on the field."
"I know. In fact, it wasn't nearly as hard as it could have been. Dad was ready to jump onto the field and give you a piece of his mind, but Blaine managed to dissuade the tension by pointing it out that you were just thanking him for blocking that troll from the other team. Good sportsmanship and all that."
"And didn't Blaine want to give me a piece of his mind too?"
"Blaine gets it. If Karofsky can change... if we don't really have to hate him anymore... Maybe it is for the best."
"Really?" Finn sounded surprised. "Huh. I really was expecting him to try to punch me in the nose or something. Not that he could ever reach it."
Kurt poked the point of Finn's nose with the moist towelette, just for good measure. "Why? Blaine is not a violent guy."
"Yeah, but he's your..."
"Friend!"
"...plus-one."
"To a football game! With my family!"
"Exactly! With the family! You already went through the awkward introducing-the-boyfriend-to-your-parents stage. Congrats."
"Blaine met them when they went to Dalton to sign on my transfer. And he's not my boyfriend."
"I thought you weren't supposed to rub that thing on my skin," said Finn with a wince. "You're kind of scratching me."
Kurt took a long, calming breath, and started wiping Finn's chin and neck clean with softer moves.
"You know," said Finn after a while, "I was afraid it'd make things worse, having you and Burt watch the game. I mean, Mom had to miss most of them because of her job, but whenever she came to watch, I wasn't too nervous about it, because... well... I hate disappointing her, but I know she doesn't care that much about football. If I lose, she's sad for me, because I'm sad, not because she thinks I'm a loser. But Burt gets the game, he likes a game well played, and if I sucked he'd totally be able to tell. And you..."
"I... what?"
"You might not care much about football, but you care about performance. And... you can be pretty harsh when you think I'm screwing things up."
Kurt cringed a little at that. "I didn't know you cared about my opinion."
"Well, duh, of course I care. I mean, I already cared before our parents got married, and now... Can't have my little brother thinking I suck, can I?"
"Older."
"Little. Anyway, it wasn't bad at all. It was actually nice knowing you guys were there. I felt like... even if we lost and the performance was a disaster... you guys were there for me, just like Mom."
Kurt's eyes glistened and he blinked quickly, making a quick inspection of all the products displayed on his vanity. "Were you serious about the full spa treatment? Because I meant it, your skin would greatly benefit from a facial."
Finn wrinkled his nose. "Is that the thing where you paint your face with some gooey, smelly crap?"
"Okay, now you're sounding more like the old Finn Hudson I knew. Guess the endorphins are finally running out."
"No, wait, let's do this. Just... can it be something not disgusting?"
"How about a nice milk and honey mask?"
"Eew!"
"You can't tell me you find milk disgusting," Kurt prostested. "You got me into drinking it every night!"
"That's different from slathering my face with it!"
"Fine. What about some avocado and yogurt cream?"
"Don't you have anything that I won't want to eat off my face?"
"White clay and jojoba oil?"
Finn considered it. "Yeah. That could work. I mean... what does jojoba oil taste like?"
Kurt stared at Finn with eyes as big as saucers.
"Nah, I'm kidding," said Finn. "I'm not eating anything with clay in it."
"Glad to hear it."
"I did it once. Or twice. Not that tasty."
10.
"Finn?"
"Hmmmwhat?"
"You're in my room."
"I know."
"Lying on my bed."
"It's comfy."
"Finn?"
"Yeah."
"What are you doing here?"
"I was waiting for you to come home from school."
"Lying on my bed."
"I like this fur blanket thing. It's like lying on a big fluffy bear. And the bear is totally letting me. Like a pet bear."
Kurt set his messenger bag on the dresser, took off his Dalton tie, and sat on the bed next to Finn's thighs. "You said you were waiting for me?"
"Yeah."
"Waiting for our warm milk? I'll get it in a sec, just let me change first."
"No, we... we can leave the milk for after dinner. I wanted to talk."
Kurt tilted his head to the side. "I thought the milk was our pretext to talk."
Finn frowned. "It is? I thought the milk was the milk... and the talk was the talk."
"I see," said Kurt with a self-conscious smile. "Why complicate things, right?"
Finn nodded, but remained stretched on his back on the fur throw, eyes closed and hands entwined on his stomach.
"Okay, so... what did you want to talk about?" asked Kurt, crossing his legs.
"I talked to the glee club. You know. About making Karofsky into a permanent member."
"And?"
"And that went pretty much as I expected. A lot of yelling, Rachel saying she'd call in her dads, Mercedes threatening to cut off Karofsky's balls and mine, Sam telling me only a man without honor betrays his clan, and Brittany saying something about lions eating their cubs with pepper but no salt."
"Wow. Even after what happened at the game?"
"They're still your friends, Kurt, not his."
"And when you told them it was my idea?"
"They calmed down a little. They still weren't happy, though. Said there was no way they'd let him in the club until he apologized to you. So I talked to Karofsky, and suggested I could take him to Dalton to see you..."
"What?! Finn! I don't want to see him! I don't want to talk to him! Ever!"
"Don't worry, it's not gonna happen. He said no, said he's happy with things as they are, doesn't want anything to change."
"I... I can't believe you, Finn!" Kurt got on his feet and started pacing anxiously around the room. "Do you forget why I'm going to Dalton? And you wanted to take him there?"
"It's not like I'd have left you alone with him!" Finn sat up on the bed. "Have a little faith in me, okay? I'm not that stupid. I'd have been there with you the whole time. I just thought it'd be better to take him to your territory, to a place where acting the way he does is not tolerated."
Kurt snorted. "He'd never have apologized in front of you. At least he wouldn't have said the things that could've made any difference."
Finn frowned. "Why not?"
Kurt just kept on with his pacing, looking more and more distressed by the second.
"Kurt, what exactly would he have to say?"
"I don't know! He threatened to kill me! How does one properly apologize for something like that?"
"I don't know either, but what made you say he wouldn't do it in front of me? What about his apology needs to be private?"
"I just... I just meant that he's a pusillanimous creep. He'd have to say all the things he'd be apologizing for. All the things he's said and done to me. All the insults, all the shovings, slushies and swirlies. In front of you. He just wouldn't. He's too much of a coward to face you and me alone, without any of his Neanderthal friends to back him up."
Finn watched as Kurt walked back and forth between the door and the large curtained window, wringing his hands nervously. "Kurt, are you okay?"
Kurt froze suddenly, staring out the window. "Yes. Yes, I'm okay. You said he refused, right?"
"Yeah. He wouldn't even hear about it." Finn lay back on the bed, hands clasped under his head, still observing Kurt out of the corner of the eye. "And I'm beginning to think that's really for the best."
"Right," Kurt murmured absently. "It was a crazy idea."
"It was a noble idea," Finn corrected him. "It'd have been super awesome if we could really fix everything that's wrong in the world with music. Change the bad guys into good guys and, like, stop the wars and all. But we're just not there yet."
Kurt nodded silently. He took off the uniform jacket and set it on a hanger hooked on the doorknob of his closet.
"Kurt, do you get girls?" At Kurt's bewildered look, Finn elaborated. "You've said you're, like, an honorary girl, and before Dalton you spent much more time with girls than with guys... Do you think you understand them? Better than other guys do?"
"You mean, does my sexuality offer me more insightful knowledge of the female sensibilities?"
Finn made a face. "Why do you need to use a bunch of big words if you're just going to say the same damn thing I did?"
Kurt's lips twitched into a smirk. "All right, so let's put it into your words. I get Mercedes, she's my girl. And as much as it pains me to admit, I get Rachel. We have similar tastes and ambitions. But Tina's moods are a little more mysterious for me. Quinn and Santana... that's like 1970's fashion to me: I understand some of it, but it can be hard to relate. And Brit... The inner workings of the mind of Brittany S. Pierce are simply the universe's most intricate enigma." Kurt sat down at his vanity. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason."
"Come on, which lady has got your head spinning this time around?"
"You're going to tell Mercedes, and she's gonna tell everyone."
"Contrary to your beliefs, I am actually very good at keeping secrets. When I want to."
Finn sent him a suspicious glare.
"And you have my solemn promise that I will not betray to anyone whatever you tell me in the next five minutes."
"Quinn kissed me."
An arched eyebrow was Kurt's most eloquent reaction. "I see."
"You don't look surprised. Why aren't you surprised? Did someone tell you about this already? I didn't think anyone saw us."
"No one told me."
"Did Quinn tell you?"
"I said no one. This is the first time I've heard of it," Kurt assured him.
"But you're not surprised."
"No, not really. Well, a little. Because of Sam. Are they still together?"
"As far as I know. Yeah, they are."
"Wow," Kurt murmured somberly. "I imagined things would turn out bad for him, but I didn't think it'd be this soon. Was there any preamble to the kiss?"
"What?"
"What led to it?"
Finn gazed at the ceiling, seeming a little lost in the memory. "I asked her how she felt being out of the Cheerios uniform again. She seemed okay with it. Definitely more at peace than when Sue kicked her out last year. Then she said I was amazing, in and off the field, that she remembered why she fell in love with me. And she kissed me."
"Well. That was very... honest."
"You're making it sound like a bad thing."
"No, it's just... It's Quinn. She needs to be on the top. And now she's lost what put her on the top, so she needs another way to get there. And who's the new school hero? So naturally now she remembers how lovable and amazing you are."
Finn propped up on an elbow to face Kurt. "Okay, I'm confused. You're saying she has interior motives..."
"Ulterior."
"...but you also said she was very honest. Which is it?"
"I'm not saying her feelings aren't real. I think Quinn is honestly attracted to power. You already were the quarterback and the glee club's captain. In her eyes, victory makes you now more appealing than ever."
Finn knitted his brows as he tried to process that. "So... she does like me. For real."
"Well. Yes. But..."
"But what?! You just said..."
"Remember what you said after the game, about having your family in the stands? And knowing that we'd be there for you even if you lost? Wouldn't you like to feel the same certitude about your significant other?"
Finn flopped back on the bed. "I don't know. Maybe. But it totally rocks... thinking I'm the only one cool enough for Quinn Fabray."
"I think you may be forgetting Sam."
Finn didn't reply. Kurt rolled his eyes and leaned down to remove his shoes.
"Kurt?"
"Hmmm?"
"I really like your room."
"Thanks."
"You think you could... you know... help me with mine?"
Kurt stared at Finn in shock. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah. If you can come up with something like this. Maybe a little less... clean and organized than yours."
"You want a dirty, messy room? Isn't that what you have now?"
"No, I mean... I don't want to be afraid of moving a lamp five inches to the left and ruining the whole... fangshoon of the place or whatever."
"Feng shui. And I understand your concern. One little torment of sharing a room with you was that my things kept somehow moving mysteriously from place to place while I wasn't looking. Even things I'd have bet you'd have no interest in. Like my French novels, or my tiara collection."
"I didn't touch your tiaras!"
"Right."
"Well. Maybe once. They were inside a chest, I thought they were some kind of pirate treasure. And the books had cool illustrations on the covers."
"Oh. That explains it, then," said Kurt with a smirk. "How about this? We start by listing all the stuff you already have, then we try to come up with a palette based on that. Your dad's recliner, your wardrobe, your bed, your drums..."
"Not the drums. They take too much space, and... I like your idea of the music room."
Kurt brightened up immediately. "Really?"
"Yeah. We don't get to sing together in glee anymore, so... we can do it at home, right?"
Kurt nodded happily.
"And... let's get rid of the bed too," said Finn with a sigh.
"But you said..."
"I've had that bed since I was 5'4". Ages ago. I guess it's time for a change. And it's not fair that your bed is bigger than mine. Hey, you think I could get a bunk bed? I always wanted to sleep on the top of a bunk bed."
"We are definitely not getting you a bunk bed, Finn."
"Hold it right there! You can play the designer, but I'm the customer! You can't veto my decisions!"
"Fine, then Carole will veto it. I'm sure she's aware of your habit of literally falling out of the bed every morning when the alarm goes off."
"Oh. Right. Okay, that could be painful."
"Don't worry, Finn. I promise to find you a bed that is very comfortable, extremely safe, and totally cool, and worthy of your... major awesomeness."
Finn beamed. "Water bed?"
###
A/N 2: I'm aware that the guy who played Anthony Rashad in The Substitute was not the same guy we see nodding to the rhythm of the Puckleberry duet in The Sue Sylvester Shuffle. But for the sake of continuity, I thought Rashad should be part of the group joining New Directions in the latter episode, and since he agreed to a date with Mercedes he couldn't be a total idiot, hence my merging Rashad with the nameless jock who looked least like an asshole in that group.
Chapter 4 - Of Signals and Infections
First part is HERE.
Chapter 3 - Of Décor and Miscommunication
8.
"Kurt? Can I come in?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"I've brought milk."
There was a long pause.
Finn pressed his ear against the door to Kurt's bedroom, trying to pick up any noises. "Kurt?"
"Fine," was the huffed response. "Come in."
Finn grinned. Then made a face when he became aware of an obvious obstacle. "Hey, Kurt? Could you open the door for me? I kind of have my hands busy here."
The exasperated sigh was unmistakable even through the door. "You are so utterly hopeless..."
The door opened, and one of the mugs was immediately extracted from Finn's hands. The next moment, Kurt was already on the other side of the room, sitting next to Pavarotti's cage by the window.
Finn stepped inside, looking around with a stunned look in his face. "Wow, I don't think I've been in here since we moved."
"You haven't," said a miffed Kurt.
"It's great! Wow, it really... it really does look great!"
"You don't need to sound so surprised."
"Well, it looks... different. I mean... from your usual style. I don't know, less..."
"Flamboyant? Flashy? Feminine? Fancy? Florid? Frilly? Fulgent? Ffffffff...?"
"I was going to say 'less overwhelming'. The basement in the other house was so modern and clean and white..."
"Dior gray," Kurt corrected.
"And that other decoration you tried was so full of colors and weird shapes and curtains everywhere. And this is... calmer. Warmer." Finn took a seat at Kurt's vanity. "It's pretty cozy, actually."
Kurt's shoulders relaxed a little bit. "Thanks."
"Are you going to throw the F-word at my face every time you're mad at me?"
"Are you going to shut me out every time you're mad at... whatever?"
Finn took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to shut you out."
Kurt snorted. "Right."
"I didn't want to talk to you about Karofsky."
"But I told you it's okay to talk to me about him! And we did talk about him!"
"No, we didn't. I didn't. What I said... it wasn't true."
Kurt frowned, shifting in his seat to look at Finn straight in the eyes. "What wasn't true?"
"He's not terrible. At all." The admission seemed to cost Finn a lot of pain. "He can sing. He can dance. Dances better than me. Probably better than Sam. Mr. Schue seems to think he's really good. I think he's good. And he was having fun with glee. Pretending not to, but definitely enjoying it a lot. He was the one who suggested a practice number for the guys."
"Wow," Kurt murmured. "Can't say I foresaw that."
"I don't think he did either."
"I don't understand, why didn't you want to tell me that?"
Finn grimaced. "Because... I was having fun with him there. Like he was just... one of the glee guys."
Kurt stared into his mug, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "Well. Wasn't that the idea? Getting him... all of them... to appreciate what the glee club does? Using music to patch things up with the team, to get everyone to be... friends?"
"And then what? I come home and tell you, 'Hey, Kurt, you know that guy who threatened to kill you and drove you out of school? Guess what, he's joined the club you belonged to, he's singing and dancing with your old friends. And me, your brother, I'm kind of having a good time with him too. Ain't that great?'"
Kurt's knuckles were turning white as his hands tightened around his mug. "Point taken," he hissed.
"How screwed up is this?" Finn shook his head. "I want to hate him. I do hate him. But... wouldn't it be cool if I didn't have to hate him, if none of us had to hate him? If we could just... get him to get over whatever stupid issues he has with you and with glee and... everything?" He gazed at his brother's gloomy face. "But then how do I stop hating him without hating myself for it, without having you hate me for it, without having Burt hate me for it?"
"I don't know," Kurt admitted.
"Then again, that's not really something we need to worry about anymore. Because Karofsky and the others would rather be kicked off the team and give up on all the good work we did this year, say goodbye to a championship we really had a great shot at winning, than having the hockey mullet squadron call them losers or gay."
Kurt raised his head at that bit of information. "Is that what happened?"
"Yeah, the puckheads slushied them, and they couldn't take it. Karofsky in particular. He led the others out." Finn snorted. "Even Dave Freaking Karofsky makes a better leader than I do."
"Was that the reason behind your leadership crisis the other night? You mentioned Sam, though."
Finn sighed. "That was earlier. The Cheerios had quit glee, and I tried to get Quinn to change her mind, and... that didn't go so well. And Sam said things might be better if the Titans and the New Directions had him as a leader."
"Go back a little. What did you say to Quinn?"
"That it was glee club who had her back when she was pregnant, not Sue."
"Hmmm. Anything else?"
"That she doesn't need to be a Cheerio to be cool."
"I see. And?"
"What makes you think there was something else? Has anyone else been gossiping to you?"
"I'm just trying to understand why Sam felt the urge to challenge you so openly now."
Finn growled something under his breath.
"What?" asked Kurt. "I didn't get that."
"I said Quinn was weak. And Sam heard it."
Kurt eyed his brother with a strange expression in his face.
"What?" Finn prompted.
"The football team quit glee because people are telling them glee makes them gay. The Cheerios were told to choose between glee and an activity that makes them popular at school, and they chose being popular. Why do those stories sound so familiar to me?"
Finn gaped, his cheeks on fire. "I... That's not..."
"Oh, right!" Kurt mock-exclaimed. "Because you did exactly the same last year!"
Finn gritted his teeth. "You're calling me a hippie-crate."
"Uh, no. And I'm not calling you a hypocrite either. I'm just trying to make you realize that... you know how they feel. You know why they're acting this way. You know what they're so afraid of." Kurt's lips curved into a mere suggestion of a smile. "So maybe you know what to tell them to make them understand how stupid they're all being."
Finn stared at Kurt, unsure. "I do?"
"What better lesson to teach than one that you've learned yourself the hard way? I know the game is tomorrow, but maybe there's still time..."
"Actually, the game's been saved. That's why I'm here, really."
"Oh?"
"The glee girls have joined the Titans. Rachel, Mercedes, Tina and Zizes."
"Oh."
"And Mercedes mentioned that you and Blaine might have had something to do with that?"
Kurt sighed theatrically. "Mercedes. That girl sure has a big mouth, hasn't she?"
Finn smirked. "So it's true. I have a team, and I owe it to you."
"Mostly Blaine, really. He was the one who explained the rules to them and answered their questions about how to avoid suffering personal fouls. Me, I told them about the afflictions of wearing football gear on very soft skin, and suggested some creams."
"Well." Finn had a full smile on now. "That's pretty important too."
Pavarotti stretched his wings and cheeped.
"Hey! Your bird is singing again!"
Kurt gazed fondly at his little ward. "Finally, yes. I was starting to get worried, but he started trying on his vocals a couple of days ago. Still a bit shy, though."
Finn placed a warm hand on Kurt's shoulder. "So, I guess we're all done with the silent treatment?"
Kurt smiled, leaning a little into the touch.
9.
"Finn, would you hold still? Don't blame me later if I accidentally poke your eyes."
"Sorry, sorry, it's just... Dude, did you see it? That quarterback, like, completely forgot about the game! Ball went straight over his shoulder and... Man, so perfect! It was just what we needed! Did you see it?"
"Yes, Finn, I did see it. It was amazing. Now close your eyes and stay still."
"Brains... brains... brains..."
"I can't help you remove the makeup if you devour my brains. So please, be a good zombie and let me do my work, okay? I promise you a nice mug of warm milk if you behave for the next fifteen minutes."
Finn grinned from ear to ear and closed his eyes. "Best. Day. Ever."
Kurt went back to gently wiping Finn's eyelids and under his brows with a cotton pad. "I really wish you'd take better care of yourself. Your skin is very dry, and you won't be a teenager forever. A bit of moisturizer every night wouldn't hurt, you know."
"Bro, tonight you can give me the full spa treatment. I totally deserve it."
"You are really proud of yourself, aren't you?"
"You think I shouldn't be?"
"Let's see... Captain of the conference champion team. Most Valued Player. And a pretty impressive job with Vincent Price's monologue. Nah, I think you have enough reasons to be smug."
"Oh, man, that performance was the bomb, wasn't it?"
"Finn, stop bouncing. Yes, it was fantastic. Possibly the best number ever performed by the New Directions."
"Really?!"
"Yes. And unfortunately for me, now Blaine thinks the wonderful number I suggested for the Warblers, the one we've been practicing all week, simply isn't enough to beat you guys at Regionals." Kurt dropped the dirty cotton pad on the trash can next to his vanity, and picked up a new one. "Now open your eyes."
Finn complied, gazing sadly at his brother. "I wish you had been with us. You'd have made the most awesome zombie."
Kurt's eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. "I'll try to take that as a compliment." He moistened the cotton pad with more eye makeup remover and started applying it under Finn's eyes. "I noticed Karofsky did make a great zombie. Even without makeup."
"Uh... are you being sarcastic now? Because I really can't tell."
Kurt let out a little sigh. "I guess I'm not sure either. I suppose he deserves both the insult and the compliment. I still hate him. But he really can dance."
"Yeah..."
"So. What happens now?"
"I don't know," Finn shrugged. "Coach Sylvester will totally come after us, madder than she's ever been, especially if the Cheerios lose Nationals tonight. God, I hope she doesn't bring that cannon back with her."
"I meant with Karofsky."
"What about him?"
"You said he liked being in glee, and he clearly has some talent."
Finn stared hard at the other boy. "And you'd be okay with that? After all he's done to you? Kurt, come on..."
"I think... glee might be exactly what Karofsky needs to... get his head screwed on straight." Kurt rolled his eyes. "No pun intended."
"What?"
"Never mind." With a moist towelette and regular makeup remover, Kurt moved on to Finn's forehead. "I'm not saying you guys should take him in if he's still the same creep from when I was there. Even if he were good enough to eclipse Rachel, you neither need nor deserve that kind of headache. But if he is willing to put the past behind and give glee an honest try... like Puck did... well, maybe it's worth considering."
"You really think so?" asked Finn gravely. "You're not just trying to be noble or something."
"There's nothing noble about me being safe at Dalton while you guys deal with the fallout if this turns out to be the worst idea I've ever had."
"I don't know, Kurt. I can try talking to the others, but I'm not sure they'll go for it. Rachel in particular was very loud about not wanting to share the choir room with a homophobe. And I can't imagine Mercedes being happy about it either."
"Well, for whatever is worth, you can tell them the idea came from me." Kurt grimaced. "Although... you probably shouldn't let Karofsky know that."
"Burt will probably kill me, you know."
"No, he won't." Kurt held Finn's chin with one hand while wiping his cheeks with the other.
"He already gave me a hard time tonight because I shook Karofsky's hand on the field."
"I know. In fact, it wasn't nearly as hard as it could have been. Dad was ready to jump onto the field and give you a piece of his mind, but Blaine managed to dissuade the tension by pointing it out that you were just thanking him for blocking that troll from the other team. Good sportsmanship and all that."
"And didn't Blaine want to give me a piece of his mind too?"
"Blaine gets it. If Karofsky can change... if we don't really have to hate him anymore... Maybe it is for the best."
"Really?" Finn sounded surprised. "Huh. I really was expecting him to try to punch me in the nose or something. Not that he could ever reach it."
Kurt poked the point of Finn's nose with the moist towelette, just for good measure. "Why? Blaine is not a violent guy."
"Yeah, but he's your..."
"Friend!"
"...plus-one."
"To a football game! With my family!"
"Exactly! With the family! You already went through the awkward introducing-the-boyfriend-to-your-parents stage. Congrats."
"Blaine met them when they went to Dalton to sign on my transfer. And he's not my boyfriend."
"I thought you weren't supposed to rub that thing on my skin," said Finn with a wince. "You're kind of scratching me."
Kurt took a long, calming breath, and started wiping Finn's chin and neck clean with softer moves.
"You know," said Finn after a while, "I was afraid it'd make things worse, having you and Burt watch the game. I mean, Mom had to miss most of them because of her job, but whenever she came to watch, I wasn't too nervous about it, because... well... I hate disappointing her, but I know she doesn't care that much about football. If I lose, she's sad for me, because I'm sad, not because she thinks I'm a loser. But Burt gets the game, he likes a game well played, and if I sucked he'd totally be able to tell. And you..."
"I... what?"
"You might not care much about football, but you care about performance. And... you can be pretty harsh when you think I'm screwing things up."
Kurt cringed a little at that. "I didn't know you cared about my opinion."
"Well, duh, of course I care. I mean, I already cared before our parents got married, and now... Can't have my little brother thinking I suck, can I?"
"Older."
"Little. Anyway, it wasn't bad at all. It was actually nice knowing you guys were there. I felt like... even if we lost and the performance was a disaster... you guys were there for me, just like Mom."
Kurt's eyes glistened and he blinked quickly, making a quick inspection of all the products displayed on his vanity. "Were you serious about the full spa treatment? Because I meant it, your skin would greatly benefit from a facial."
Finn wrinkled his nose. "Is that the thing where you paint your face with some gooey, smelly crap?"
"Okay, now you're sounding more like the old Finn Hudson I knew. Guess the endorphins are finally running out."
"No, wait, let's do this. Just... can it be something not disgusting?"
"How about a nice milk and honey mask?"
"Eew!"
"You can't tell me you find milk disgusting," Kurt prostested. "You got me into drinking it every night!"
"That's different from slathering my face with it!"
"Fine. What about some avocado and yogurt cream?"
"Don't you have anything that I won't want to eat off my face?"
"White clay and jojoba oil?"
Finn considered it. "Yeah. That could work. I mean... what does jojoba oil taste like?"
Kurt stared at Finn with eyes as big as saucers.
"Nah, I'm kidding," said Finn. "I'm not eating anything with clay in it."
"Glad to hear it."
"I did it once. Or twice. Not that tasty."
10.
"Finn?"
"Hmmmwhat?"
"You're in my room."
"I know."
"Lying on my bed."
"It's comfy."
"Finn?"
"Yeah."
"What are you doing here?"
"I was waiting for you to come home from school."
"Lying on my bed."
"I like this fur blanket thing. It's like lying on a big fluffy bear. And the bear is totally letting me. Like a pet bear."
Kurt set his messenger bag on the dresser, took off his Dalton tie, and sat on the bed next to Finn's thighs. "You said you were waiting for me?"
"Yeah."
"Waiting for our warm milk? I'll get it in a sec, just let me change first."
"No, we... we can leave the milk for after dinner. I wanted to talk."
Kurt tilted his head to the side. "I thought the milk was our pretext to talk."
Finn frowned. "It is? I thought the milk was the milk... and the talk was the talk."
"I see," said Kurt with a self-conscious smile. "Why complicate things, right?"
Finn nodded, but remained stretched on his back on the fur throw, eyes closed and hands entwined on his stomach.
"Okay, so... what did you want to talk about?" asked Kurt, crossing his legs.
"I talked to the glee club. You know. About making Karofsky into a permanent member."
"And?"
"And that went pretty much as I expected. A lot of yelling, Rachel saying she'd call in her dads, Mercedes threatening to cut off Karofsky's balls and mine, Sam telling me only a man without honor betrays his clan, and Brittany saying something about lions eating their cubs with pepper but no salt."
"Wow. Even after what happened at the game?"
"They're still your friends, Kurt, not his."
"And when you told them it was my idea?"
"They calmed down a little. They still weren't happy, though. Said there was no way they'd let him in the club until he apologized to you. So I talked to Karofsky, and suggested I could take him to Dalton to see you..."
"What?! Finn! I don't want to see him! I don't want to talk to him! Ever!"
"Don't worry, it's not gonna happen. He said no, said he's happy with things as they are, doesn't want anything to change."
"I... I can't believe you, Finn!" Kurt got on his feet and started pacing anxiously around the room. "Do you forget why I'm going to Dalton? And you wanted to take him there?"
"It's not like I'd have left you alone with him!" Finn sat up on the bed. "Have a little faith in me, okay? I'm not that stupid. I'd have been there with you the whole time. I just thought it'd be better to take him to your territory, to a place where acting the way he does is not tolerated."
Kurt snorted. "He'd never have apologized in front of you. At least he wouldn't have said the things that could've made any difference."
Finn frowned. "Why not?"
Kurt just kept on with his pacing, looking more and more distressed by the second.
"Kurt, what exactly would he have to say?"
"I don't know! He threatened to kill me! How does one properly apologize for something like that?"
"I don't know either, but what made you say he wouldn't do it in front of me? What about his apology needs to be private?"
"I just... I just meant that he's a pusillanimous creep. He'd have to say all the things he'd be apologizing for. All the things he's said and done to me. All the insults, all the shovings, slushies and swirlies. In front of you. He just wouldn't. He's too much of a coward to face you and me alone, without any of his Neanderthal friends to back him up."
Finn watched as Kurt walked back and forth between the door and the large curtained window, wringing his hands nervously. "Kurt, are you okay?"
Kurt froze suddenly, staring out the window. "Yes. Yes, I'm okay. You said he refused, right?"
"Yeah. He wouldn't even hear about it." Finn lay back on the bed, hands clasped under his head, still observing Kurt out of the corner of the eye. "And I'm beginning to think that's really for the best."
"Right," Kurt murmured absently. "It was a crazy idea."
"It was a noble idea," Finn corrected him. "It'd have been super awesome if we could really fix everything that's wrong in the world with music. Change the bad guys into good guys and, like, stop the wars and all. But we're just not there yet."
Kurt nodded silently. He took off the uniform jacket and set it on a hanger hooked on the doorknob of his closet.
"Kurt, do you get girls?" At Kurt's bewildered look, Finn elaborated. "You've said you're, like, an honorary girl, and before Dalton you spent much more time with girls than with guys... Do you think you understand them? Better than other guys do?"
"You mean, does my sexuality offer me more insightful knowledge of the female sensibilities?"
Finn made a face. "Why do you need to use a bunch of big words if you're just going to say the same damn thing I did?"
Kurt's lips twitched into a smirk. "All right, so let's put it into your words. I get Mercedes, she's my girl. And as much as it pains me to admit, I get Rachel. We have similar tastes and ambitions. But Tina's moods are a little more mysterious for me. Quinn and Santana... that's like 1970's fashion to me: I understand some of it, but it can be hard to relate. And Brit... The inner workings of the mind of Brittany S. Pierce are simply the universe's most intricate enigma." Kurt sat down at his vanity. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason."
"Come on, which lady has got your head spinning this time around?"
"You're going to tell Mercedes, and she's gonna tell everyone."
"Contrary to your beliefs, I am actually very good at keeping secrets. When I want to."
Finn sent him a suspicious glare.
"And you have my solemn promise that I will not betray to anyone whatever you tell me in the next five minutes."
"Quinn kissed me."
An arched eyebrow was Kurt's most eloquent reaction. "I see."
"You don't look surprised. Why aren't you surprised? Did someone tell you about this already? I didn't think anyone saw us."
"No one told me."
"Did Quinn tell you?"
"I said no one. This is the first time I've heard of it," Kurt assured him.
"But you're not surprised."
"No, not really. Well, a little. Because of Sam. Are they still together?"
"As far as I know. Yeah, they are."
"Wow," Kurt murmured somberly. "I imagined things would turn out bad for him, but I didn't think it'd be this soon. Was there any preamble to the kiss?"
"What?"
"What led to it?"
Finn gazed at the ceiling, seeming a little lost in the memory. "I asked her how she felt being out of the Cheerios uniform again. She seemed okay with it. Definitely more at peace than when Sue kicked her out last year. Then she said I was amazing, in and off the field, that she remembered why she fell in love with me. And she kissed me."
"Well. That was very... honest."
"You're making it sound like a bad thing."
"No, it's just... It's Quinn. She needs to be on the top. And now she's lost what put her on the top, so she needs another way to get there. And who's the new school hero? So naturally now she remembers how lovable and amazing you are."
Finn propped up on an elbow to face Kurt. "Okay, I'm confused. You're saying she has interior motives..."
"Ulterior."
"...but you also said she was very honest. Which is it?"
"I'm not saying her feelings aren't real. I think Quinn is honestly attracted to power. You already were the quarterback and the glee club's captain. In her eyes, victory makes you now more appealing than ever."
Finn knitted his brows as he tried to process that. "So... she does like me. For real."
"Well. Yes. But..."
"But what?! You just said..."
"Remember what you said after the game, about having your family in the stands? And knowing that we'd be there for you even if you lost? Wouldn't you like to feel the same certitude about your significant other?"
Finn flopped back on the bed. "I don't know. Maybe. But it totally rocks... thinking I'm the only one cool enough for Quinn Fabray."
"I think you may be forgetting Sam."
Finn didn't reply. Kurt rolled his eyes and leaned down to remove his shoes.
"Kurt?"
"Hmmm?"
"I really like your room."
"Thanks."
"You think you could... you know... help me with mine?"
Kurt stared at Finn in shock. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah. If you can come up with something like this. Maybe a little less... clean and organized than yours."
"You want a dirty, messy room? Isn't that what you have now?"
"No, I mean... I don't want to be afraid of moving a lamp five inches to the left and ruining the whole... fangshoon of the place or whatever."
"Feng shui. And I understand your concern. One little torment of sharing a room with you was that my things kept somehow moving mysteriously from place to place while I wasn't looking. Even things I'd have bet you'd have no interest in. Like my French novels, or my tiara collection."
"I didn't touch your tiaras!"
"Right."
"Well. Maybe once. They were inside a chest, I thought they were some kind of pirate treasure. And the books had cool illustrations on the covers."
"Oh. That explains it, then," said Kurt with a smirk. "How about this? We start by listing all the stuff you already have, then we try to come up with a palette based on that. Your dad's recliner, your wardrobe, your bed, your drums..."
"Not the drums. They take too much space, and... I like your idea of the music room."
Kurt brightened up immediately. "Really?"
"Yeah. We don't get to sing together in glee anymore, so... we can do it at home, right?"
Kurt nodded happily.
"And... let's get rid of the bed too," said Finn with a sigh.
"But you said..."
"I've had that bed since I was 5'4". Ages ago. I guess it's time for a change. And it's not fair that your bed is bigger than mine. Hey, you think I could get a bunk bed? I always wanted to sleep on the top of a bunk bed."
"We are definitely not getting you a bunk bed, Finn."
"Hold it right there! You can play the designer, but I'm the customer! You can't veto my decisions!"
"Fine, then Carole will veto it. I'm sure she's aware of your habit of literally falling out of the bed every morning when the alarm goes off."
"Oh. Right. Okay, that could be painful."
"Don't worry, Finn. I promise to find you a bed that is very comfortable, extremely safe, and totally cool, and worthy of your... major awesomeness."
Finn beamed. "Water bed?"
###
A/N 2: I'm aware that the guy who played Anthony Rashad in The Substitute was not the same guy we see nodding to the rhythm of the Puckleberry duet in The Sue Sylvester Shuffle. But for the sake of continuity, I thought Rashad should be part of the group joining New Directions in the latter episode, and since he agreed to a date with Mercedes he couldn't be a total idiot, hence my merging Rashad with the nameless jock who looked least like an asshole in that group.
Chapter 4 - Of Signals and Infections