Fic written because I was bored and looking through the
glee_fluff_meme comments for fun.
Prompt: Finn calls Kurt something like little buddy. Kurt is stuck somewhere between amused, pleased, and slightly weirded out. Bonus points if Kurt is actually a little older than Finn.
Genre: friendship/family
Rating: K+ for saying Hell... twice.
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Enjoy!
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It had been all Dad's idea.
Stupid Dad.
He had gone to the library to see if they had the newest recording of A Little Night Music - his pocketbook was looking a little bit empty of late - and Dad had tailed along. He had, of course, gotten distracted by the old editions of Vogue, which meant Dad had been left to wander around the library, unattended, for two hours. When he finally did go on the time-to-find-Dad hunt, he found him laughing hysterically in one of the DVD aisles.
"Dad?"
"Kurt, oh my God, look!"
"Dad... please tell me that's not Gilligan's Island."
It was. And that was how he, Dad, Finn, and Carole all ended up in the Hudson family room, Dad and Carole practically peeing themselves as they laughed so loud he was afraid the neighbors would call to complain. It didn't help that he was practically sitting in Finn's lap, either.
Stupid small couch.
Finn seemed to be enjoying himself, though. He wasn't laughing nearly as much or as loud as the two adults, but whenever Gilligan would fall over himself or make some stupid mistake, Finn would chuckle and Kurt would hate him for it, because he could feel Finn laughing all through his body.
Finn also got into the habit of asking Kurt questions whenever he didn't understand something. This happened very often, and Kurt was beginning to feel like a broken record.
"No, Finn, I don't know why Gilligan's hat never blows off his head."
"No, Finn, I don't know how the Howells got all their clothes onto the island."
"No, Finn, I don't know why Ginger and Mary Ann wear heels."
"No, Finn, I don't know how they keep themselves so clean."
"Finn, this is an old show. That's why there's no color."
"No, the technology wasn't advanced enough. Color existed in the early 1900's, I promise."
So Kurt was relieved when Dad and Carole called it quits after six (six!) episodes. He said a polite goodbye to Finn and Carole (giving the latter a hug and the former a handshake) and spent the drive home trying to drown out Dad's laughter. This sort of thing was apparently hilarious for him, but it bored Kurt to no end.
He said nothing to Mercedes the next day at school when she asked him where he had been all night. Apparently she'd tried to call him twice and he hadn't answered, to which he just shrugged noncommittally and mumbled something about being busy with Dad.
Then Finn walked up to them with an absolutely adorable dopey grin on his face, put an arm around Kurt, and said, "Hey, little buddy."
Please, God, just kill me now, because this was not happening.
There was no way in Hell that Finn Hudson just came up and put his arm around him. Absolutely none. It was all in his imagination, all of it. The way he fit neatly under Finn's arm, how Finn's hand dangled almost lazily over his shoulder, how all he could suddenly smell was Finn, how his entire body had suddenly seized up, how he was incapable of both speech and movement.
But... no, if he was imagining things, then Mercedes definitely would have disappeared by now. No offense.
"H-hey Finn," he managed to choke out.
"You mind if I ride home with you today, Kurt? Your dad told me I could work after school at your guys's garage a couple days a week."
"No problem." He couldn't breathe.
"Great, see you at Glee practice, little buddy."
And just like that, the arm was removed from his shoulders and he could breathe again. He started to regain feeling in his body, and he was suddenly very conscious of Mercedes' disapproving glare.
"It's pretty obvious which one of you is adapting to this step-brother thing better," she said, crossing her arms. Kurt felt as if his entire head was on fire. His face had to be redder than his Cheerios uniform.
"He called me 'little buddy,'" Kurt's voice was breathy and quiet, almost a whisper. "I'm his buddy. His... little... buddy?" Oh. Right. Gilligan's Island. Crap.
"Come on," Mercedes grabbed his arm and tugged one very confused, but slightly pleased, Kurt off to their first class.
The day passed very... strangely. Every time Finn saw Kurt, he would wave, smiling like a madman and shout, "Hey little buddy!" for everyone to hear. It was nice, knowing that Finn cared and that he had obviously liked Gilligan's Island enough to borrow its well-known term of endearment, but after the fifth time it got a little embarrassing. Not only did Kurt not like being the Gilligan to Finn's Skipper, but being called "little" just was not his cup of tea. Sure, he was little in build and stature, but he was a bigger and better person than over half the population of Lima, Ohio.
He'd have to talk to Finn about this later.
Later meant before Glee practice, so Kurt claimed the vacant seat next to Finn, feeling his entire arm tingle when Finn nudged him and said, quieter this time, "Hey, little buddy."
"Um, Finn?" Kurt looked at him apologetically. "Why are you calling me that?"
"Little buddy?"
Kurt nodded.
"Well, because you're my buddy, right?" Another nod. "And... you're little. So it fits. Right?"
"But you got it from Gilligan's Island, Finn."
"So?" Finn was obviously confused. "I liked that show. I mean, it's kind of unrealistic and stuff, but I liked it. They're all friends, like the Glee club."
"And you're our Skipper?" Kurt raised an eyebrow. That was a bit... big-headed.
"Well, I hadn't actually thought through it that much," Finn covered quickly, "but I do get most of the solos. Apart from Rachel. So yeah, I'm your guys's Skipper."
"So why am I Gilligan?" Kurt asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Why not Puck?"
"Puck would beat the crap out of me if I called him 'little buddy,'" Finn said honestly. "Besides, you're going to be my brother. Well, step-brother, but that's not the point. Who better to be my little buddy than my little brother?"
Kurt sighed, shaking his head with silent laughter. He put a hand on Finn's shoulder, saying, "I'm not actually your younger brother, Finn."
Finn opened his mouth to protest, but Kurt cut him off.
"I'm a month older than you."
Then, "Oh." Finn looked thoroughly embarrassed, if his pink-tinged cheeks and slumping posture were any indication. But it was sweet, how he had already accepted Kurt into his family, so...
"But you can call me it anyway, Skipper."