Life for Rent - Chapter 1
Life for Rent
Sequel to It’s a 90’s Thing. My second fanfic; Kinn ftw.
Direct spoilers for Power of Madonna & Home, but I’m assuming everyone has seen up until Home. Everything not to do with Finn and Kurt has still happened up to Home.
I'm really grateful for the comments I've recieved so far, they're really helping me with the quality of my writing, so keep going!
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Kurt POV
I can hardly believe it’s been a month since Finn and I officially became a couple in the eyes of the rest of the world. Way too much has happened in that small space of time. New Directions officially have full command of the auditorium since Coach Sylvester tried to Bogart it. We’re all so thankful to April for what she did for us. Things have been really good with Finn; his mom wasn’t at all fazed when Finn introduced me, she just welcomed me to the family and nothing much has changed since then.
Well, almost nothing.
She and my dad are now dating, crazy I know. But Finn and I have decided that it doesn’t make us stepbrothers since we were a couple before our parents were, and we’ll stick to that no matter what Puck says.
My dad reacted in the most incredible way when I announced Finn officially as my boyfriend; he hugged me, whispering congratulations in my ear and just shook Finn’s hand, telling him he’s always welcome in our home. Little did I know that that same night he was taking Finn’s mom out to dinner, I don’t know whether he was really that happy for Finn and I, he could have taken it so well because he wanted us to react the same way towards him and Carole. He seemed pretty genuine and he and Finn have got on like a house on fire since meeting eachother.
There was no reason for us to be annoyed with them, we were all happy with each other, and best of all, we were starting to become a real team, a family even. It was difficult at first to accept that my dad was dating again, but after talking it over with Finn and finding that he felt the same way we kind of coached each other into accepting it. Oh Lord listen to me I’m making sports metaphors! Finn really is rubbing off on me. I like it.
Things us wise at school are less easy, we still get bi-weekly Slushee facials and all of the usual crap. Finn hasn’t really had any trouble coming out, but then again he hasn’t come out per-se. He stands firmly by the fact that he doesn’t need to specifically come out, because he doesn’t love boys, he loves me.
I find that incredible. Every now and again I have to stop and take in the situation. If someone had come up to me three months ago and told me my life would be this good I would’ve laughed in their face until I got so many wrinkles I’d have to double my night time moisturising routine. But I don’t have to do that as much as I’d like to because whenever anyone sees Finn and I together in the corridors, just talking or giving each other a kiss goodbye, he will be clipped on the back on the head with a folder or I’ll be pushed into a locker by a passing person, but none of that bothers us anymore. It upset me a little when it first started but Finn said to me: they don’t know what its like, they don’t know us; they don’t know how happy we are together so all they can do it try to stop it before they start to understand.
Oh and how could I forget, the problem with Rachel? Not so much of a problem anymore since Glee club got a thirteenth member. Jesse Saint-James, the male lead and ‘star’ of Vocal Adrenaline has quit his school and joined McKinley so he can be her boyfriend. It’s kind of romantic but everyone is still very wary, you can call me superstitious but thirteen isn’t a good number of members. He seems like a nice enough guy, and dear God he and Rachel are made for each other, egos and all, but it’s unnerving. I suppose only time will tell.
So that basically takes us up until now, here we are again sitting in the choir room, waiting for Mr Schuster to arrive. Finn and I are sitting next to each other as always, Glee club is one of the few times during school hours we get to see each other uninterrupted. Quinn and Puck have become a real solid couple, I'm kind of happy for them, they’ve still decided to put the baby up for adoption but Quinn mentioned to me that she loves how it feels being pregnant. I guess in the future another baby could be something she likes the idea of.
Rachel and Jesse were on the far right smoochifying… we don’t all have to see that thank you. At least Finn and I control ourselves, well, most of the time. Everyone else is scattered around the two rows of seats either practicing random songs or chatting. Finn and I were discussing what songs we’d like to do when Mr Schue walked in.
‘Afternoon everyone, how we all doing?’ He was met with murmurs and a resounding Afternoon from Artie and Tina, which made them giggle to each other. They’re such a cute couple, needs to happen… now. However we do have three, possibly four with Brit and Santana, Glee couples already at the moment. Oh well, one more couldn’t hurt.
Brittany raised her hand rather sharply before he had a chance to talk.
‘Mr Schue, What’s a Purple Summer?’ She asked as she played with a lock of her blonde hair in her other hand.
‘Uh, why do you ask Brittany?’ Mr Schue looked absolutely baffled. We’re all used to hearing Brittany’s confused musings but never something that random.
‘Well I walked past the auditorium the other day and I heard Rachel and Jesse singing about a Purple Summer. I wondered what it was.’ Brit tilted her head and squinted slightly.
‘Uhm, I’m not too sure… Guys?’ Mr Schue just looked at Rachel with an obvious help me face.
Jesse looked to Rachel ‘You wanna take this one?’.
‘Certainly’ Rachel got up from her chair, pulling her skirt down as she rose. She stood up next to Mr Schue and addressed us all, why she always does that I never know.
‘Purple Summer is the finale song from the colossal Broadway hit musical Spring Awakening. The show itself follows a difficult time in the life of teenagers in ‘50s Germany due to sexual ignorance and being forced to resist the natural urges of their age group. It transferred to various theatres around the world including many in Europe, but it was closed spectacularly and nauseatingly early in most places’. Rachel gave a huge smile to Brittany and sat back down.
‘So… what is it?’ Brit still looked just as confused, if not more so.
Rachel just sighed.
‘Alright guys, lets get on with rehearsals, I’ve got something really exciting for you today.’ Mr Schue walked over to the piano and picked up the rather large wad of sheet music that was sitting on the key cover.
‘Now I know we all love a good harmony to sink our teeth into’ Mr Schue passed out the scores as he spoke.
‘Yeah, but some of us don’t have a choice most of the time.’ Quinn said from behind us, she sat back in her chair, placed a hand on her belly and pouted a little.
Mr Schue took a beat; he just blinked at her, completely speechless. Probably from shock, we all fight for solos and I guess she’d finally had enough, the Quinn Fabray we all know and used to love to hate is back, but she doesn’t act any different towards us anymore, it’s lovely. A general murmur was heard from around the room, the rest of the group obviously felt the same way too.’
‘Noted Quinn, I’ll see what I’ve got for you next time maybe’
‘Yeah’ Santana spoke up ‘Well we’ll have to see wont we.’ She shot Mr Schue a fake smile and looked down to the music in her hands.
‘‘Seasons of Love’? Isn’t there enough love going around at the minute already?’ she said as she gestured around the room as Finn and I, Rachel and Jesse and Quinn and Puck.
‘No! You can never have too much love Sanny’ Brittany looked over at her slowly and smiled.
Rachel shifted in her seat excitedly itching to speak. The minute Brittany finished her sentence she pounced ‘Mr Schue, Rent is one of my favourite musicals of all time, its so Avant Garde, so painfully beautiful. Am I right in saying that there will be the standard male and female solos offered along with the harmony parts?’ She smiled over at Jesse. There we go then, standard Jesse and Rachel song while we sway in the back. Brilliant. This is a beautiful song with some amazing harmonies and melodies, and it’s just going to be like all the others. Rent was one of my favourites too, Jonathan Larson was a genius and he died way too much before his time, such talent pointlessly lost. But I wasn’t about to do a Berry and get all happy about a song which I probably wouldn’t even get a melody line in, its not like we’re going to be assigned roles or anything, that would be fantastic.
‘Yes Rachel there will be solos offered, but I’m thinking since Quinn expressed a concern which obviously the majority of you guys agree with, how about we let fate decide again? I’ll be two seconds’ Mr Schue ran out of the room and returned, as he said, seconds later with his trusty hat of fate. He was met with confused looks.
‘So, who would like to be entered for the chance for the solos?’ he waved his pen at us.
Rachel’s hand shot up, along with Santana, Quinn and Tina. Quite a few of the girls wanted this then.
I leant back to Mercedes who was sitting directly behind me.
‘Don’t you want this one then?’
‘Nah I dunno this song, lets see if one of our girls gets a chance for once’ She nodded her head and I turned back around. Mr Schue was writing names on a piece of paper, which he proceeded to rip up and place into the hat.
He shook the hat up and down and asked Artie to pick a name from it. Artie rolled himself over and chose one piece from the hat.
I could feel the tension as he opened the folded rip of paper.
‘Santana’ he said with a slight surprised tone of voice.
Brittany clapped manically and hugged Santana. She just sat there with a look of smug happiness on her face. But who was going to sing with her? I could give it a go I think.
Rachel pouted massively and turned to Jesse, looking lost.
‘Its alright, you’ll get the next one wont you’ He said rubbing her back in small circles.
‘Guys? Who wants the male lead?’ Mr Schue had another piece of paper in his hand now, ready to write more names down.
I raised my hand, along with Puck, Jesse and, surprisingly Finn.
He grinned at me widely as he slowly raised his hand. ‘Oh, look at that, I want it too’
I smirked back at him and gave him a peck on the lips. ‘Oh, then I guess it’s on isn’t it.’
We giggled to each other silently as Mr Schue repeated the process with our names and asked Tina to come and pick a name.
‘Quinn??’ she said, shooting a confused look over at Mr Schue.
‘Oh, I probably should’ve taken the girls names out of there first.’ The room giggled as he emptied the hat onto the piano and put the guys’ names back again.
‘F-f-finn’ she said, smiling over at us.
All Finn did upon hearing his name was swing his head toward me dramatically and smile even wider ‘Look at that, guess I win’ He gave one of his adorably goofy smiles and gave a huge shrug of his shoulders. Cute.
I leant into him so he could hear me whisper.
‘Your time will come, sleep with one eye open’ I said playfully, as quietly as I possibly could.
‘He just gave me a teethy grin and chuckled as Mr Schue passed him and Santana the lead part scores.
‘Now this solo is a biggie Santana, you sure you can handle it as your first main one?’ Mr Schuster asked the Cheerio.
‘I'm sure I’ll be fine Mr Schue’ she replied, looking happily at the sheet music.
‘Ok guys, get to work on your various parts and we’ll meet back here on Wednesday to discuss any choreography and stage set-up. Seasons of Love has a very specific style to it and I think if we keep to that it will be very effective, but I’ll see what everyone thinks then. Off you go’ and with one of Mr Schue’s standard hand claps we were into our harmonies as Finn and Santana went off to the Auditorium to learn their parts.
‘Good luck’ I said to Finn. He squeezed my hand as we stood up and he was beckoned over by Santana. ‘Hands to yourself girl’ I shouted jokingly to Santana with a wink.
‘Oh god yes, ill try to control myself’ she said, kind of imitating a robot, such sarcasm…such wit.
Right, second part harmony, meant for a Soprano, but I’m a Countertenor, I’m all over this.