Nothing's So Loud (6/10)
Title: Nothing's So Loud (6/10?)
Media: Fic
Author: a_glass_parade (GlassParade)
Rating: PG-13 to mild R in the future.
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine, reference to past Quinn/Finn and current Rachel/Finn
Genre: Romance, AU, Movie Adaptations
Warnings: Mentions of attempted suicide.
Spoilers: While events and references from all three seasons of Glee may be adapted and worked into the story occasionally, it's otherwise fully AU.
Word Count: Currently 30,000+
Summary: Blaine Anderson is the easy going skateboarding slacker who's carried a torch for sheltered class Valedictorian Kurt Hummel for the last year. On the day they graduate from high school, he decides to do something about it. There's no way they should work. Everything will conspire against them. Can this unlikely pairing prevail?
Additional Notes: gameboycolor and naderegen wanted 90's Klaine. I suggested updating Cameron Crowe's iconic movie "Say Anything" to 1998 and making Blaine and Kurt into an analogue of Lloyd and Diane's star-crossed romance. This very loose adaptation, for better or for worse, is the result. Title is from the song "All I Want" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.
“...the doctor says it was a pretty mild heart attack, all things considered.” Kurt scrubbed at his sore eyes with the heel of his hand before craning his head around to stretch his neck. He'd been at the hospital with his father all night and most of the day, waiting for the doctor's verdict, at which point his father had ordered him to go home and not come back until the next day. Now he felt grubby, tired, and overwhelmed, but he knew Blaine would be worried, so he'd called the minute he finally got home.
“God, Kurt, will he be all right? Will you?” The concern in Blaine's voice was clear down the line, bringing the first ghost of a smile to Kurt's face in hours. He had to admit it was nice to have someone who wasn't family being concerned for him.
“He definitely has to go on medication and he has to take it really easy for a while.” He paced the worn rug in his pajamas, fitting his bare feet to the geometric border as if walking on a balance beam. “He won't like it, but he's just going to have to cope. The mechanics can run the shop for a while, and I've done the books for years. There's no reason he can't rest.”
“Except that he won't want to,” Blaine pointed out, making them both laugh. “This is not a job
I envy you at all...and speaking of you. Seriously, what about you, Kurt? How are you doing? You sound exhausted.”
Kurt nodded before remembering the other boy couldn't see him. “I am tired. I need a nap. But...” He paused, wondering how to put his next request without it sounding weird. “Blaine...I...I just...I don't want to be alone right now. The house seems so big, can...would you mind? You don't have to but -”
“I can be there in ten,” Blaine assured him without hesitation. “No, make it fifteen. Okay?”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Kurt answered, relief and gratitude almost swallowing him whole. “I can't thank you enough.”
“Kurt, you're so welcome.” Affection warmed Blaine's voice. “Really. I am beyond happy to do whatever it takes to help out, okay? I'll be there before you know it.”
“Okay,” Kurt agreed, sagging down onto the couch. “Okay. See you then.”
“See you.”
He clicked the phone off and set it in its charger on the end table before leaning his head into the sofa cushions. He'd only close his eyes for a second. Just to rest them a little.
The doorbell woke him twenty minutes later, an almost frantic repetitive pealing like someone was pressing the button over and over - which was in fact entirely the case. Kurt shot to his feet before he was fully awake, tangling his feet in the rug and landing hard on his right knee when he went down. “Ow,” he yelped, loud enough for the person outside - presumably Blaine, he thought - let up on the doorbell.
He struggled up to his feet, clutching at his abused knee. “Coming,” he croaked out. It throbbed painfully as he limped to the door, gritting his teeth against the ache. Kurt guessed he looked truly pathetic when he opened up, because Blaine looked horrified.
“What did you do to yourself?” Blaine set down the two paper bags he was carrying, reaching immediately to pull Kurt's arm over his shoulder, wrapping the other around his waist and all but carrying him to the couch. “Don't move,” he ordered, returning to the doorway to pick up his bags.
“Whatever you say.” Kurt leaned his head back again, listening to the sounds of rustling paper and things being placed on the coffee table. A light touch on his ankle made him jump, opening his eyes to see Blaine kneeling in front of him.
“Is it your knee?” At Kurt's nod, Blaine reached to touch the hem of his pajamas. “Mind if I take a look?”
“You're a doctor now?”
“Nope, but my sister's a nurse and I've had enough knee injuries that I can at least tell you if you need to go back to the hospital or not.” A crooked smile tilted Blaine's mouth up when Kurt groaned at this prospect. “The longer you wait, the more likely it is.”
“Fine.” Kurt threw his arm over his eyes as he leaned his head back again, trying not to think about the feelings that Blaine's hands on his leg were calling up. The cream colored silk slipped up his calf, one of Blaine's hands firm and warm as he anchored the material above his sore knee. The other hand cupped his ankle gently, turning it in tiny increments this way and that as he looked at Kurt's injury.
“Silk pajamas, silk pajamas, he was wearing silk pajamas,” Blaine sang softly, laughter brightening his already pleasant voice. “Usual outfit, big pith helmet, Doctor Martens and silk pajamas...”
Kurt cracked up, opening his eyes to see Blaine smiling up at him. “That is not a real song. You're making it up.”
“I assure you, I am not. I would never joke about Thomas Dolby.” He tugged the pajama leg back down and stood up. “Your knee looks okay, a little swollen and it's going to bruise. I'll get you an ice pack.”
“What's in the bags?” Kurt called out after him as he vanished into the kitchen. After a few moments of drawer opening and ice dispenser rattling, Blaine reappeared with a towel full of ice cubes.
“Lunch.” Blaine handed the makeshift ice pack over to Kurt so he could start opening the bags. “I took a guess that you hadn't eaten anything since last night.”
“I had a thing from the vending machine. It was labeled food, but I don't think it actually was food.” He gingerly rested the ice pack on his knee before closing his eyes again. “That probably doesn't count.”
“Not so much.” Paper rustled and crinkled again for a moment before Kurt felt his free hand being taken and something put into it. “Here. Eat.”
Kurt pried his eyes open yet again. He seemed to be holding a turkey sub on wheat bread. “Oh, that looks fantastic,” he breathed.
“Good. Eat.” Blaine watched and waited for Kurt to start eating before taking a bite of his own sandwich. “And you're taking a nap after this.”
Kurt didn't even bother to answer, preoccupied as he was with trying to eat without appearing to be a complete pig. He'd never been so hungry in his life, and no sandwich had ever tasted so good. Furthermore, he wasn't even about to argue about taking a nap. A nap sounded like the best thing ever.
Despite his hunger, he only got through about half of his lunch before he realized he was too tired to chew anymore. The sandwich dangled loosely in his hand as he sat staring off at nothing. He barely noticed when Blaine reached over and gently took it away.
“Do you want me to help you upstairs for your nap?” Blaine asked softly, rubbing Kurt's back. Kurt all but felt like purring and melting into a puddle of sleep. He could only muster the energy to shake his head once.
“Don't leave,” he mumbled, eyes beginning to droop closed. “Don't...”
“I'm not going anywhere,” soothed Blaine's voice. “I'm right here.”
Before his eyes shut completely, Kurt leaned over and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, resting his head on the other boy's chest. He felt Blaine's start of surprise before he relaxed and scooted to lean back against the arm of the couch, pulling Kurt with him. Fingers scratched gently at the nape of Kurt's neck, the soothing action combining with the steady beat of Blaine's heart against his cheek to lull him into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When he awoke, the afternoon sunlight had given way to early dusk, and he was alone on the couch. Blaine's voice was a gentle murmur in the next room. He must be on the phone, Kurt decided, pushing up to his feet. Maybe with his sister. He thought about going in and letting Blaine know he was awake, but the taste of his mouth made him grimace in distaste. Probably best to tend to that first.
One thing led to another, and forty-five minutes later, Kurt was clean, dressed, and feeling distinctly more human - though also deeply guilty for leaving Blaine on his own for so long. Guilt that was only compounded when he padded into the dining room to find Blaine unloading several cardboard containers of Chinese food onto the table, humming the silly little song about silk pajamas as he did so.
“Blaine,” Kurt started, feeling a little awkward. “What's all this?”
Blaine looked up, startled into dropping the container of steamed rice in his hand. “Kurt! Oh, crap.”
“I've got it.” He grabbed a stack of paper napkins from a side table and moved to Blaine's side to clean up. “Seriously, though, what is this?”
A sheepish look crossed Blaine's face. “I can't cook. At all. But I thought maybe you might end up being hungry again and I wanted to do something.”
“You've already done a lot by bringing lunch and staying with me.” Kurt scooped rice into his hand and went to dump it into the sink, thanking gods he didn't believe in that they had hardwood in the dining room. “Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate it. I just don't want to take advantage of your generosity.”
“You're not.” Blaine was cheerful as he set out containers of steamed vegetables and spicy chicken. In the next second, however, a bit of the light did go out of his smile. “I have to go after dinner, though. Connie's doing overnights this week, I have to stay with my nephew.”
Kurt considered the prospect of being in the house alone all night. He did not care for it in the slightest. “Bring him here,” he suggested impulsively. “We have a spare room, you two can sleep in there.”
“Are you sure?” Though once again caught by surprise, Blaine managed this time to set the box in his hand carefully on the table as he stared at Kurt. “You want me to stay? To bring Jason?”
“Please.” Kurt toyed with a pair of chopsticks, splitting them up so they could be used. “If it's okay with your sister. And if your nephew would be all right sleeping in a strange house.”
“As long as I'm there with him, I don't think he'll have a problem,” Blaine replied slowly. “And Connie knows your dad's in the hospital, so she'll understand - but are you sure? Really sure? I don't want to impose.” He cracked a smile. “After all, it's only our third date.”
“It does seem rather forward of me to invite a young man to stay over so early in the courting process,” Kurt drawled airily, waving an insouciant hand as Blaine cracked up laughing. “No, really. Stay, please. I want you to.”
Blaine shrugged, a smile beaming across his face. “Sure, absolutely. It'll be fun. I'll go call Connie now, then we'll eat.” With a flash of bright smile, he disappeared to find the cordless phone. Kurt went around the table finishing the set up and contemplating the events of the day.
He wasn't quite...sure, exactly, what was between himself and Blaine. Things seemed to be proceeding quickly, at least on his own side. He'd thought nothing of falling asleep in Blaine's arms, only felt that he wanted to be somewhere that felt like a safe harbor - and in that moment of overwhelming exhaustion and being taken care of, Blaine had been that safe harbor.
It had felt exactly, perfectly right, and Kurt supposed he probably ought to be alarmed by it. But...he wasn't. Not right now. Not after years of social isolation. Not when his only living parent was in the hospital.
For a fleeting moment, it crossed his mind that maybe he was using Blaine, but he dismissed it almost as soon as it occurred to him. No, he genuinely liked Blaine, liked him a very great deal. He liked being around him, liked seeing him smile, liked making him smile, and he definitely liked falling asleep in his arms.
There were other things he liked, too, but he wasn't quite ready to dwell too hard on those, on the feel of Blaine's hand on his ankle, the thump of his heart, the roughness of his hand on Kurt's skin. The attraction between them was as strong as it was nearly completely inexplicable.
No, he wasn't using Blaine.
As if summoned by the mere thought of his name, Blaine hustled back into the dining room, interrupting Kurt's train of thought. “Hey, wow, the table looks great. You didn't have to do all that.”
Kurt blinked, coming back to reality and realizing he'd fully set the table for two. All of the food was beautifully plated and he seemed to have even retrieved a centerpiece from the sidebar. “I...I actually didn't even notice I was doing it.”
“That is one hell of a superpower,” Blaine surmised in admiration, surveying the table with a pleased look on his face. “Um, anyway! Connie's going to bring Jason by in about an hour. You're absolutely positive you're okay with us being here?”
“I'd be a wreck if you weren't,” Kurt confessed. “I don't think I'd sleep. Dad's...he's never not been here. Not like this. I mean, yes, he's gone on overnight trips, but this...it's different. I don't like it.” He didn't realize he was wringing his hands and cracking his knuckles until Blaine crossed over and covered his hands with his own, stilling their mindless activity.
“I'm here. Whatever you need, I'm here. Okay?” At Kurt's nod, he stepped back and smiled. “Wanna eat?”
“Absolutely.” They took their seats and fell to eating as if they were starving, even though they'd eaten just a few hours before. A comfortable silence lay between them, the kind of silence that was like a warm blanket or a really good bath. A luxury to Kurt, who was accustomed to silences between himself and other people being deeply, deeply awkward.
Blaine broke it. “Did they say when your dad could come home?” He reached out and picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks, dunking it in soy sauce a few times. “At least a general guess?”
“Sometime this week. They wanted to keep him tonight for a few more tests, then they said they'd decide after the results came back.” Kurt swirled a spoon in his egg drop soup. “After that comes the hard part: keeping him resting.”
“Better you than me,” Blaine joked with a chuckle. “He seems stubborn.”
“Master of the understatement, that's you, Blaine Anderson.” Pointing his spoon across the table, Kurt winked playfully. “I'll have to be home a lot. At least I'll get some studying done then.”
“I can run errands for you when I'm not working or watching Jason,” Blaine volunteered. “I told you, I'll do whatever you need me to do to help.”
“I can't ask you to -” Kurt began to protest, only to be interrupted by a wave of Blaine's hand.
“You keep telling me you can't ask me to do things that...you're not actually asking me to do in the first place, Kurt.” Propping his head on his hand, Blaine let a rueful smile curl his mouth. “I'm actually offering my help. It's okay to let people do that, did you know?”
“I'm not used to it. I'm just not. I'm an only child with one parent, Blaine, I can't help but have an independent streak.” He tossed his head back and smirked for a moment, smiling when he made Blaine snicker softly. “I appreciate it, though. You just have to give me time to get used to it.”
“You can have all of my time that you want,” Blaine promised, scooping up another dumpling. “Hey, do you want to go to the video store later? We can go get something for Jason to watch, and then a couple of movies for us after he falls asleep?”
The idea was appealing. It would keep them awake much too late, but it was summertime. And his father didn't want him back at the hospital until tomorrow afternoon. Kurt only mulled it over for a moment. “Yes. I think that's great.” He leaned over and swatted Blaine's hand. “But you have to quit hogging the dumplings.”
Blaine's sister had been in too much of a hurry for Kurt to get a full impression of her, but he liked that she was an older, female version of Blaine - uncontrollable hair, warm smile, bright hazel eyes. She gave him a hug as soon as they were introduced and promised to look in on his father before shoving a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies into his hands, waving at both of them and scampering out the door.
The cookies were excellent.
Jason took a little more getting used to. He was a younger version of Blaine, only with big sober gray eyes and a suspicious demeanor. Jason had had to be pried off of Constance's leg and wrapped around Blaine's like Velcro, where he still clung, staring at Kurt like he was waiting for him to do something horrific.
Never having had close cousins or younger siblings, Kurt was at a loss. He glanced over at Blaine, who was rummaging through Jason's overnight bag to make sure they had everything. “Do you think if I offer him a cookie, he'll stop looking at me as if I were going to turn him into an ottoman?”
“No, but it'll be a start.” Blaine gently tugged Jason's arms free and knelt down by his nephew, giving him a hug. “Hey, buddy. This is my friend Kurt. Remember when I was on the phone the other day? And I asked you to be quiet for me?” At Jason's solemn nod, Blaine went on, pointing at Kurt. “Well, that's who I was on the phone with. He wants to thank you for being good, too. Why don't you go let him?”
Slowly, Jason disentangled himself from Blaine's grasp and crept over to Kurt, who had extracted one of Connie's cookies from the bag and was holding it out with what he hoped was an encouraging smile on his face. “Hi there. You seem nice.” He wiggled the cookie. “Thank you for letting me talk to your uncle the other day. It was very good of you.”
A tiny smile lit up Jason's face at that, and he moved over to Kurt's side a little more eagerly. He tugged at the leg of Kurt's jeans and motioned for him to kneel down. “You're too tall.”
Both boys laughed, and Kurt stooped down, even going so far as getting onto his knees when Jason kept motioning him lower. He held out the cookie, letting out a silent sigh of relief when the child took it and bit into it, all suspicion gone. “And what do you say to Kurt, Jason?” Blaine prompted, leaning down to ruffle a hand through the boy's halo of curls.
Jason carefully chewed and swallowed, and motioned Kurt closer, like he wanted to tell him a secret. Cupping one chubby hand around Kurt's ear, he loudly stage whispered, “He likes you.”
Kurt blurted out a surprised shout of laughter as Blaine buried his face in his hands. “Does he?” Jason nodded, eyes big as he nibbled on his cookie. “And how do you know that?”
“Heard him telling my Mom,” Jason shrugged. “Do you like him, too?”
Rubbing the back of his neck while he looked up at a deeply embarrassed Blaine and remembered falling asleep with him just hours ago, Kurt could only smile and nod. “I do. He's a good person to like.”
“Okay.” Jason motioned him to stand back up. “Thank you. Can I have a glass of milk, please?”
“It's may I, and yes, you may.” Blaine had recovered just enough to be able to reach down and grab his nephew's hand to lead him into the kitchen. He cast an apologetic glance over his shoulder. “Out of the mouths of babes. I'm sorry.”
“Not at all. The honesty is...certainly refreshing.” Kurt moved past them to pull a plastic cup down and fill it with milk. He lifted his eyebrow and offered Blaine an arch little smile. “And it certainly does away with many of the awkward social conventions of early courtship rituals. I'd almost suspect you of planning it.”
“Uh, no, as much as I'd like to facilitate a speedier progress of our acquaintance, given the time left - yeah, I would have chosen a method that involved embarrassing me less.” Blaine's cheeks were still faintly pink, a fact Kurt found completely enchanting. “Though I admit it's useful to know you do like me back. I had an idea when you fell asleep on me this afternoon, but...”
Now it was Kurt's turn to be bashful. “I'm sorry. I mean, if that made you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all! No, no. I would have said something. Maybe. No, I liked it. I mean, it was nice. I mean,” Blaine seemed to be caught in a furious babbling loop. “Jason! Do you want to go rent a Disney movie with Uncle Blaine and Kurt? I think 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' is out on tape now.”
“Yeah!” Jason gulped down his milk and grabbed Blaine's hand to pull him out to the car. Kurt didn't miss the look of relief on Blaine's face as he pretended to be helpless against Jason's childish charms. Using his longer stride to catch up just as they got to the front door, he leaned over to whisper in Blaine's ear.
“He has to go to sleep sometime, Blaine.”
Watching blushes crawl up the other boy's face was turning out to be a much more entertaining pastime than Kurt would ever have expected.
“That was terrible.”
As the credits for 'Batman Forever' rolled, Blaine was shaking his head. “Not even Chris O'Donnell in tights redeems that one. What were we thinking?”
“We could have rented 'Clueless',” Kurt replied, rolling over onto his back on the floor. “But no, someone didn't want to look at fabulous fashions or listen to the brilliant bon mots of Cher Horowitz. This -” he pointed at the TV screen, “ -is entirely your fault.”
“No, I suggested a perfectly good movie,” was Blaine's protest. “I've heard nothing but good things about 'Jerry Maguire.'”
“All I know is that you shot down every one of my amazing cinematic choices and could offer nothing suitable in return.” Kurt's tone was teasingly sharp. He rolled his head to look over at Blaine in the flickering light of the television. “This is what happens when you say, 'Oh, let's just pick something, surely random choice can't be that bad.' We end up watching Jim Carrey run around in a putrid green unitard.”
“It was on the Popular Rentals wall,” Blaine pointed out, resting his head on his hand.
“So was 'Space Jam',” Kurt retorted. “And 'Showgirls'. We live in Lima, Ohio, Blaine, I don't think that wall is really a great representation of whether or not a movie is good.” He rolled back onto his stomach, kicking his feet back and forth as he picked at the carpet. “How's Jason doing?”
Blaine peered under the flowered sheet that made up part of the pillow fort they'd built his nephew. “Out like a light. We can watch the other movie if you want. What'd we get? 'Before Sunrise'?”
“Mm. No. Tired again.” He yawned. “Pass me a pillow?”
“Do you ever sleep in your bed?” Blaine's voice was full of amusement as he scooted over to Kurt's side with a pillow in his hand. “First you sleep on me, now you want to sleep on the floor. You have a perfectly good bed, I know, I sat on it yesterday.”
“Yes, but...” Kurt turned his face away, glad for the dim light of TV. “If I go up there, you have to stay down here with Jason. And I liked sleeping next to you this afternoon.”
Blaine froze, still with the pillow in his hand. “I...I don't think that's a good idea.”
That was unexpected. Now Kurt was even more glad that the light was low, so Blaine couldn't see how that hurt. “Oh. I'm. I'm...I didn't...”
“No. No, Kurt.” Blaine set the pillow aside and lay down next to Kurt, reaching forward to grab his hands. He seemed to sense Kurt's distress despite the difficulty seeing his face. “Kurt, it's just...if I hold you in my arms again, I'm going to want to kiss you. And I don't actually want to rush things or make you uncomfortable or take advantage of you while your father is sick -”
Kurt discovered very quickly that it was easy to shut Blaine up if you just grabbed his face in your hands and kissed him.
This was nothing he'd ever actually practiced. Stage kissing with Rachel in the school play didn't prepare you for a real kiss, for the awkwardness of too much teeth and tongue, for bumping noses and hands that neither of them seemed to know what to do with.
Nor did it prepare you for the rush of heat from mouth to belly, for the urgency that had them pulling each other closer, slotting their hips together and pushing, grinding together with an unfamiliar desperation. Kurt didn't even know what he was trying to get to, but he wanted it, wanted it now. When he hitched his leg over Blaine's and linked them even closer together, a moan spilled out of Blaine's throat, into his mouth and over his tongue where Kurt swallowed it greedily and chased after more.
A sleepy whine from Jason sent them shoving away from each other all too soon, turning as one to check the fort to see if the boy was awake. When he didn't emerge, they relaxed, Blaine rolling to peek under the sheet again. “Still asleep,” he reported in a whisper, a smile on his bee-stung lips. He edged back over to Kurt, linking their hands together. “So...” he began, taking a deep breath before looking Kurt in the eyes. “Um, not that I'm opposed, but what brought that on?”
“In the spirit of honesty and directness that your nephew so handily established,” Kurt replied, fluttering his eyelashes coyly, “It seemed the very best way to let you know that I very much reciprocate your interest in kissing.”
“Oh, really?” Now it was Blaine's turn to be arch. “You don't say. And did you have any other opinions or ideas that you wished to share, Kurt?”
“Not really.” He shifted forward and wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist, smiling at the surprised gasp elicited when he pulled them close together again. “I actually thought I might like to reiterate my message. To be sure it was coming across clearly.”
In the end, the $3.00 overnight rental fee on 'Before Sunrise' went completely to waste, but neither of them minded at all.
...Chapter Seven...
A/N: So the song that Blaine sings to Kurt is real. It's "Silk Pyjamas" by Thomas Dolby (yes, he of "She Blinded Me With Science" fame). It's a silly, fun little number from Thomas' 1992 album "Astronauts and Heretics," if you want to go looking for it.
My headcanon is that Skater!Blaine was shopping in a Virgin Megastore on one of his and his mom's trips down into London and he heard this on the overhead speakers and liked it right away.
Media: Fic
Author: a_glass_parade (GlassParade)
Rating: PG-13 to mild R in the future.
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine, reference to past Quinn/Finn and current Rachel/Finn
Genre: Romance, AU, Movie Adaptations
Warnings: Mentions of attempted suicide.
Spoilers: While events and references from all three seasons of Glee may be adapted and worked into the story occasionally, it's otherwise fully AU.
Word Count: Currently 30,000+
Summary: Blaine Anderson is the easy going skateboarding slacker who's carried a torch for sheltered class Valedictorian Kurt Hummel for the last year. On the day they graduate from high school, he decides to do something about it. There's no way they should work. Everything will conspire against them. Can this unlikely pairing prevail?
Additional Notes: gameboycolor and naderegen wanted 90's Klaine. I suggested updating Cameron Crowe's iconic movie "Say Anything" to 1998 and making Blaine and Kurt into an analogue of Lloyd and Diane's star-crossed romance. This very loose adaptation, for better or for worse, is the result. Title is from the song "All I Want" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.
“...the doctor says it was a pretty mild heart attack, all things considered.” Kurt scrubbed at his sore eyes with the heel of his hand before craning his head around to stretch his neck. He'd been at the hospital with his father all night and most of the day, waiting for the doctor's verdict, at which point his father had ordered him to go home and not come back until the next day. Now he felt grubby, tired, and overwhelmed, but he knew Blaine would be worried, so he'd called the minute he finally got home.
“God, Kurt, will he be all right? Will you?” The concern in Blaine's voice was clear down the line, bringing the first ghost of a smile to Kurt's face in hours. He had to admit it was nice to have someone who wasn't family being concerned for him.
“He definitely has to go on medication and he has to take it really easy for a while.” He paced the worn rug in his pajamas, fitting his bare feet to the geometric border as if walking on a balance beam. “He won't like it, but he's just going to have to cope. The mechanics can run the shop for a while, and I've done the books for years. There's no reason he can't rest.”
“Except that he won't want to,” Blaine pointed out, making them both laugh. “This is not a job
I envy you at all...and speaking of you. Seriously, what about you, Kurt? How are you doing? You sound exhausted.”
Kurt nodded before remembering the other boy couldn't see him. “I am tired. I need a nap. But...” He paused, wondering how to put his next request without it sounding weird. “Blaine...I...I just...I don't want to be alone right now. The house seems so big, can...would you mind? You don't have to but -”
“I can be there in ten,” Blaine assured him without hesitation. “No, make it fifteen. Okay?”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Kurt answered, relief and gratitude almost swallowing him whole. “I can't thank you enough.”
“Kurt, you're so welcome.” Affection warmed Blaine's voice. “Really. I am beyond happy to do whatever it takes to help out, okay? I'll be there before you know it.”
“Okay,” Kurt agreed, sagging down onto the couch. “Okay. See you then.”
“See you.”
He clicked the phone off and set it in its charger on the end table before leaning his head into the sofa cushions. He'd only close his eyes for a second. Just to rest them a little.
The doorbell woke him twenty minutes later, an almost frantic repetitive pealing like someone was pressing the button over and over - which was in fact entirely the case. Kurt shot to his feet before he was fully awake, tangling his feet in the rug and landing hard on his right knee when he went down. “Ow,” he yelped, loud enough for the person outside - presumably Blaine, he thought - let up on the doorbell.
He struggled up to his feet, clutching at his abused knee. “Coming,” he croaked out. It throbbed painfully as he limped to the door, gritting his teeth against the ache. Kurt guessed he looked truly pathetic when he opened up, because Blaine looked horrified.
“What did you do to yourself?” Blaine set down the two paper bags he was carrying, reaching immediately to pull Kurt's arm over his shoulder, wrapping the other around his waist and all but carrying him to the couch. “Don't move,” he ordered, returning to the doorway to pick up his bags.
“Whatever you say.” Kurt leaned his head back again, listening to the sounds of rustling paper and things being placed on the coffee table. A light touch on his ankle made him jump, opening his eyes to see Blaine kneeling in front of him.
“Is it your knee?” At Kurt's nod, Blaine reached to touch the hem of his pajamas. “Mind if I take a look?”
“You're a doctor now?”
“Nope, but my sister's a nurse and I've had enough knee injuries that I can at least tell you if you need to go back to the hospital or not.” A crooked smile tilted Blaine's mouth up when Kurt groaned at this prospect. “The longer you wait, the more likely it is.”
“Fine.” Kurt threw his arm over his eyes as he leaned his head back again, trying not to think about the feelings that Blaine's hands on his leg were calling up. The cream colored silk slipped up his calf, one of Blaine's hands firm and warm as he anchored the material above his sore knee. The other hand cupped his ankle gently, turning it in tiny increments this way and that as he looked at Kurt's injury.
“Silk pajamas, silk pajamas, he was wearing silk pajamas,” Blaine sang softly, laughter brightening his already pleasant voice. “Usual outfit, big pith helmet, Doctor Martens and silk pajamas...”
Kurt cracked up, opening his eyes to see Blaine smiling up at him. “That is not a real song. You're making it up.”
“I assure you, I am not. I would never joke about Thomas Dolby.” He tugged the pajama leg back down and stood up. “Your knee looks okay, a little swollen and it's going to bruise. I'll get you an ice pack.”
“What's in the bags?” Kurt called out after him as he vanished into the kitchen. After a few moments of drawer opening and ice dispenser rattling, Blaine reappeared with a towel full of ice cubes.
“Lunch.” Blaine handed the makeshift ice pack over to Kurt so he could start opening the bags. “I took a guess that you hadn't eaten anything since last night.”
“I had a thing from the vending machine. It was labeled food, but I don't think it actually was food.” He gingerly rested the ice pack on his knee before closing his eyes again. “That probably doesn't count.”
“Not so much.” Paper rustled and crinkled again for a moment before Kurt felt his free hand being taken and something put into it. “Here. Eat.”
Kurt pried his eyes open yet again. He seemed to be holding a turkey sub on wheat bread. “Oh, that looks fantastic,” he breathed.
“Good. Eat.” Blaine watched and waited for Kurt to start eating before taking a bite of his own sandwich. “And you're taking a nap after this.”
Kurt didn't even bother to answer, preoccupied as he was with trying to eat without appearing to be a complete pig. He'd never been so hungry in his life, and no sandwich had ever tasted so good. Furthermore, he wasn't even about to argue about taking a nap. A nap sounded like the best thing ever.
Despite his hunger, he only got through about half of his lunch before he realized he was too tired to chew anymore. The sandwich dangled loosely in his hand as he sat staring off at nothing. He barely noticed when Blaine reached over and gently took it away.
“Do you want me to help you upstairs for your nap?” Blaine asked softly, rubbing Kurt's back. Kurt all but felt like purring and melting into a puddle of sleep. He could only muster the energy to shake his head once.
“Don't leave,” he mumbled, eyes beginning to droop closed. “Don't...”
“I'm not going anywhere,” soothed Blaine's voice. “I'm right here.”
Before his eyes shut completely, Kurt leaned over and wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, resting his head on the other boy's chest. He felt Blaine's start of surprise before he relaxed and scooted to lean back against the arm of the couch, pulling Kurt with him. Fingers scratched gently at the nape of Kurt's neck, the soothing action combining with the steady beat of Blaine's heart against his cheek to lull him into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When he awoke, the afternoon sunlight had given way to early dusk, and he was alone on the couch. Blaine's voice was a gentle murmur in the next room. He must be on the phone, Kurt decided, pushing up to his feet. Maybe with his sister. He thought about going in and letting Blaine know he was awake, but the taste of his mouth made him grimace in distaste. Probably best to tend to that first.
One thing led to another, and forty-five minutes later, Kurt was clean, dressed, and feeling distinctly more human - though also deeply guilty for leaving Blaine on his own for so long. Guilt that was only compounded when he padded into the dining room to find Blaine unloading several cardboard containers of Chinese food onto the table, humming the silly little song about silk pajamas as he did so.
“Blaine,” Kurt started, feeling a little awkward. “What's all this?”
Blaine looked up, startled into dropping the container of steamed rice in his hand. “Kurt! Oh, crap.”
“I've got it.” He grabbed a stack of paper napkins from a side table and moved to Blaine's side to clean up. “Seriously, though, what is this?”
A sheepish look crossed Blaine's face. “I can't cook. At all. But I thought maybe you might end up being hungry again and I wanted to do something.”
“You've already done a lot by bringing lunch and staying with me.” Kurt scooped rice into his hand and went to dump it into the sink, thanking gods he didn't believe in that they had hardwood in the dining room. “Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate it. I just don't want to take advantage of your generosity.”
“You're not.” Blaine was cheerful as he set out containers of steamed vegetables and spicy chicken. In the next second, however, a bit of the light did go out of his smile. “I have to go after dinner, though. Connie's doing overnights this week, I have to stay with my nephew.”
Kurt considered the prospect of being in the house alone all night. He did not care for it in the slightest. “Bring him here,” he suggested impulsively. “We have a spare room, you two can sleep in there.”
“Are you sure?” Though once again caught by surprise, Blaine managed this time to set the box in his hand carefully on the table as he stared at Kurt. “You want me to stay? To bring Jason?”
“Please.” Kurt toyed with a pair of chopsticks, splitting them up so they could be used. “If it's okay with your sister. And if your nephew would be all right sleeping in a strange house.”
“As long as I'm there with him, I don't think he'll have a problem,” Blaine replied slowly. “And Connie knows your dad's in the hospital, so she'll understand - but are you sure? Really sure? I don't want to impose.” He cracked a smile. “After all, it's only our third date.”
“It does seem rather forward of me to invite a young man to stay over so early in the courting process,” Kurt drawled airily, waving an insouciant hand as Blaine cracked up laughing. “No, really. Stay, please. I want you to.”
Blaine shrugged, a smile beaming across his face. “Sure, absolutely. It'll be fun. I'll go call Connie now, then we'll eat.” With a flash of bright smile, he disappeared to find the cordless phone. Kurt went around the table finishing the set up and contemplating the events of the day.
He wasn't quite...sure, exactly, what was between himself and Blaine. Things seemed to be proceeding quickly, at least on his own side. He'd thought nothing of falling asleep in Blaine's arms, only felt that he wanted to be somewhere that felt like a safe harbor - and in that moment of overwhelming exhaustion and being taken care of, Blaine had been that safe harbor.
It had felt exactly, perfectly right, and Kurt supposed he probably ought to be alarmed by it. But...he wasn't. Not right now. Not after years of social isolation. Not when his only living parent was in the hospital.
For a fleeting moment, it crossed his mind that maybe he was using Blaine, but he dismissed it almost as soon as it occurred to him. No, he genuinely liked Blaine, liked him a very great deal. He liked being around him, liked seeing him smile, liked making him smile, and he definitely liked falling asleep in his arms.
There were other things he liked, too, but he wasn't quite ready to dwell too hard on those, on the feel of Blaine's hand on his ankle, the thump of his heart, the roughness of his hand on Kurt's skin. The attraction between them was as strong as it was nearly completely inexplicable.
No, he wasn't using Blaine.
As if summoned by the mere thought of his name, Blaine hustled back into the dining room, interrupting Kurt's train of thought. “Hey, wow, the table looks great. You didn't have to do all that.”
Kurt blinked, coming back to reality and realizing he'd fully set the table for two. All of the food was beautifully plated and he seemed to have even retrieved a centerpiece from the sidebar. “I...I actually didn't even notice I was doing it.”
“That is one hell of a superpower,” Blaine surmised in admiration, surveying the table with a pleased look on his face. “Um, anyway! Connie's going to bring Jason by in about an hour. You're absolutely positive you're okay with us being here?”
“I'd be a wreck if you weren't,” Kurt confessed. “I don't think I'd sleep. Dad's...he's never not been here. Not like this. I mean, yes, he's gone on overnight trips, but this...it's different. I don't like it.” He didn't realize he was wringing his hands and cracking his knuckles until Blaine crossed over and covered his hands with his own, stilling their mindless activity.
“I'm here. Whatever you need, I'm here. Okay?” At Kurt's nod, he stepped back and smiled. “Wanna eat?”
“Absolutely.” They took their seats and fell to eating as if they were starving, even though they'd eaten just a few hours before. A comfortable silence lay between them, the kind of silence that was like a warm blanket or a really good bath. A luxury to Kurt, who was accustomed to silences between himself and other people being deeply, deeply awkward.
Blaine broke it. “Did they say when your dad could come home?” He reached out and picked up a dumpling with his chopsticks, dunking it in soy sauce a few times. “At least a general guess?”
“Sometime this week. They wanted to keep him tonight for a few more tests, then they said they'd decide after the results came back.” Kurt swirled a spoon in his egg drop soup. “After that comes the hard part: keeping him resting.”
“Better you than me,” Blaine joked with a chuckle. “He seems stubborn.”
“Master of the understatement, that's you, Blaine Anderson.” Pointing his spoon across the table, Kurt winked playfully. “I'll have to be home a lot. At least I'll get some studying done then.”
“I can run errands for you when I'm not working or watching Jason,” Blaine volunteered. “I told you, I'll do whatever you need me to do to help.”
“I can't ask you to -” Kurt began to protest, only to be interrupted by a wave of Blaine's hand.
“You keep telling me you can't ask me to do things that...you're not actually asking me to do in the first place, Kurt.” Propping his head on his hand, Blaine let a rueful smile curl his mouth. “I'm actually offering my help. It's okay to let people do that, did you know?”
“I'm not used to it. I'm just not. I'm an only child with one parent, Blaine, I can't help but have an independent streak.” He tossed his head back and smirked for a moment, smiling when he made Blaine snicker softly. “I appreciate it, though. You just have to give me time to get used to it.”
“You can have all of my time that you want,” Blaine promised, scooping up another dumpling. “Hey, do you want to go to the video store later? We can go get something for Jason to watch, and then a couple of movies for us after he falls asleep?”
The idea was appealing. It would keep them awake much too late, but it was summertime. And his father didn't want him back at the hospital until tomorrow afternoon. Kurt only mulled it over for a moment. “Yes. I think that's great.” He leaned over and swatted Blaine's hand. “But you have to quit hogging the dumplings.”
Blaine's sister had been in too much of a hurry for Kurt to get a full impression of her, but he liked that she was an older, female version of Blaine - uncontrollable hair, warm smile, bright hazel eyes. She gave him a hug as soon as they were introduced and promised to look in on his father before shoving a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies into his hands, waving at both of them and scampering out the door.
The cookies were excellent.
Jason took a little more getting used to. He was a younger version of Blaine, only with big sober gray eyes and a suspicious demeanor. Jason had had to be pried off of Constance's leg and wrapped around Blaine's like Velcro, where he still clung, staring at Kurt like he was waiting for him to do something horrific.
Never having had close cousins or younger siblings, Kurt was at a loss. He glanced over at Blaine, who was rummaging through Jason's overnight bag to make sure they had everything. “Do you think if I offer him a cookie, he'll stop looking at me as if I were going to turn him into an ottoman?”
“No, but it'll be a start.” Blaine gently tugged Jason's arms free and knelt down by his nephew, giving him a hug. “Hey, buddy. This is my friend Kurt. Remember when I was on the phone the other day? And I asked you to be quiet for me?” At Jason's solemn nod, Blaine went on, pointing at Kurt. “Well, that's who I was on the phone with. He wants to thank you for being good, too. Why don't you go let him?”
Slowly, Jason disentangled himself from Blaine's grasp and crept over to Kurt, who had extracted one of Connie's cookies from the bag and was holding it out with what he hoped was an encouraging smile on his face. “Hi there. You seem nice.” He wiggled the cookie. “Thank you for letting me talk to your uncle the other day. It was very good of you.”
A tiny smile lit up Jason's face at that, and he moved over to Kurt's side a little more eagerly. He tugged at the leg of Kurt's jeans and motioned for him to kneel down. “You're too tall.”
Both boys laughed, and Kurt stooped down, even going so far as getting onto his knees when Jason kept motioning him lower. He held out the cookie, letting out a silent sigh of relief when the child took it and bit into it, all suspicion gone. “And what do you say to Kurt, Jason?” Blaine prompted, leaning down to ruffle a hand through the boy's halo of curls.
Jason carefully chewed and swallowed, and motioned Kurt closer, like he wanted to tell him a secret. Cupping one chubby hand around Kurt's ear, he loudly stage whispered, “He likes you.”
Kurt blurted out a surprised shout of laughter as Blaine buried his face in his hands. “Does he?” Jason nodded, eyes big as he nibbled on his cookie. “And how do you know that?”
“Heard him telling my Mom,” Jason shrugged. “Do you like him, too?”
Rubbing the back of his neck while he looked up at a deeply embarrassed Blaine and remembered falling asleep with him just hours ago, Kurt could only smile and nod. “I do. He's a good person to like.”
“Okay.” Jason motioned him to stand back up. “Thank you. Can I have a glass of milk, please?”
“It's may I, and yes, you may.” Blaine had recovered just enough to be able to reach down and grab his nephew's hand to lead him into the kitchen. He cast an apologetic glance over his shoulder. “Out of the mouths of babes. I'm sorry.”
“Not at all. The honesty is...certainly refreshing.” Kurt moved past them to pull a plastic cup down and fill it with milk. He lifted his eyebrow and offered Blaine an arch little smile. “And it certainly does away with many of the awkward social conventions of early courtship rituals. I'd almost suspect you of planning it.”
“Uh, no, as much as I'd like to facilitate a speedier progress of our acquaintance, given the time left - yeah, I would have chosen a method that involved embarrassing me less.” Blaine's cheeks were still faintly pink, a fact Kurt found completely enchanting. “Though I admit it's useful to know you do like me back. I had an idea when you fell asleep on me this afternoon, but...”
Now it was Kurt's turn to be bashful. “I'm sorry. I mean, if that made you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all! No, no. I would have said something. Maybe. No, I liked it. I mean, it was nice. I mean,” Blaine seemed to be caught in a furious babbling loop. “Jason! Do you want to go rent a Disney movie with Uncle Blaine and Kurt? I think 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' is out on tape now.”
“Yeah!” Jason gulped down his milk and grabbed Blaine's hand to pull him out to the car. Kurt didn't miss the look of relief on Blaine's face as he pretended to be helpless against Jason's childish charms. Using his longer stride to catch up just as they got to the front door, he leaned over to whisper in Blaine's ear.
“He has to go to sleep sometime, Blaine.”
Watching blushes crawl up the other boy's face was turning out to be a much more entertaining pastime than Kurt would ever have expected.
“That was terrible.”
As the credits for 'Batman Forever' rolled, Blaine was shaking his head. “Not even Chris O'Donnell in tights redeems that one. What were we thinking?”
“We could have rented 'Clueless',” Kurt replied, rolling over onto his back on the floor. “But no, someone didn't want to look at fabulous fashions or listen to the brilliant bon mots of Cher Horowitz. This -” he pointed at the TV screen, “ -is entirely your fault.”
“No, I suggested a perfectly good movie,” was Blaine's protest. “I've heard nothing but good things about 'Jerry Maguire.'”
“All I know is that you shot down every one of my amazing cinematic choices and could offer nothing suitable in return.” Kurt's tone was teasingly sharp. He rolled his head to look over at Blaine in the flickering light of the television. “This is what happens when you say, 'Oh, let's just pick something, surely random choice can't be that bad.' We end up watching Jim Carrey run around in a putrid green unitard.”
“It was on the Popular Rentals wall,” Blaine pointed out, resting his head on his hand.
“So was 'Space Jam',” Kurt retorted. “And 'Showgirls'. We live in Lima, Ohio, Blaine, I don't think that wall is really a great representation of whether or not a movie is good.” He rolled back onto his stomach, kicking his feet back and forth as he picked at the carpet. “How's Jason doing?”
Blaine peered under the flowered sheet that made up part of the pillow fort they'd built his nephew. “Out like a light. We can watch the other movie if you want. What'd we get? 'Before Sunrise'?”
“Mm. No. Tired again.” He yawned. “Pass me a pillow?”
“Do you ever sleep in your bed?” Blaine's voice was full of amusement as he scooted over to Kurt's side with a pillow in his hand. “First you sleep on me, now you want to sleep on the floor. You have a perfectly good bed, I know, I sat on it yesterday.”
“Yes, but...” Kurt turned his face away, glad for the dim light of TV. “If I go up there, you have to stay down here with Jason. And I liked sleeping next to you this afternoon.”
Blaine froze, still with the pillow in his hand. “I...I don't think that's a good idea.”
That was unexpected. Now Kurt was even more glad that the light was low, so Blaine couldn't see how that hurt. “Oh. I'm. I'm...I didn't...”
“No. No, Kurt.” Blaine set the pillow aside and lay down next to Kurt, reaching forward to grab his hands. He seemed to sense Kurt's distress despite the difficulty seeing his face. “Kurt, it's just...if I hold you in my arms again, I'm going to want to kiss you. And I don't actually want to rush things or make you uncomfortable or take advantage of you while your father is sick -”
Kurt discovered very quickly that it was easy to shut Blaine up if you just grabbed his face in your hands and kissed him.
This was nothing he'd ever actually practiced. Stage kissing with Rachel in the school play didn't prepare you for a real kiss, for the awkwardness of too much teeth and tongue, for bumping noses and hands that neither of them seemed to know what to do with.
Nor did it prepare you for the rush of heat from mouth to belly, for the urgency that had them pulling each other closer, slotting their hips together and pushing, grinding together with an unfamiliar desperation. Kurt didn't even know what he was trying to get to, but he wanted it, wanted it now. When he hitched his leg over Blaine's and linked them even closer together, a moan spilled out of Blaine's throat, into his mouth and over his tongue where Kurt swallowed it greedily and chased after more.
A sleepy whine from Jason sent them shoving away from each other all too soon, turning as one to check the fort to see if the boy was awake. When he didn't emerge, they relaxed, Blaine rolling to peek under the sheet again. “Still asleep,” he reported in a whisper, a smile on his bee-stung lips. He edged back over to Kurt, linking their hands together. “So...” he began, taking a deep breath before looking Kurt in the eyes. “Um, not that I'm opposed, but what brought that on?”
“In the spirit of honesty and directness that your nephew so handily established,” Kurt replied, fluttering his eyelashes coyly, “It seemed the very best way to let you know that I very much reciprocate your interest in kissing.”
“Oh, really?” Now it was Blaine's turn to be arch. “You don't say. And did you have any other opinions or ideas that you wished to share, Kurt?”
“Not really.” He shifted forward and wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist, smiling at the surprised gasp elicited when he pulled them close together again. “I actually thought I might like to reiterate my message. To be sure it was coming across clearly.”
In the end, the $3.00 overnight rental fee on 'Before Sunrise' went completely to waste, but neither of them minded at all.
...Chapter Seven...
A/N: So the song that Blaine sings to Kurt is real. It's "Silk Pyjamas" by Thomas Dolby (yes, he of "She Blinded Me With Science" fame). It's a silly, fun little number from Thomas' 1992 album "Astronauts and Heretics," if you want to go looking for it.
My headcanon is that Skater!Blaine was shopping in a Virgin Megastore on one of his and his mom's trips down into London and he heard this on the overhead speakers and liked it right away.