Fic: She's Just the Girl for Me, Chapter 1
Title: She's Just the Girl For Me (Chapter 1)
Pairing: Finn/Kurt (Kate)
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Absolutely none
Summary: While auditioning for a vocal group at his new college, Finn is instantly attracted to a confident soprano, Kate. He soon learns that Kate used to be called Kurt, and that she is trangendered. This is their story.
He was nervous, which was to be expected. This was an audition, after all, for the college's best vocal group. Anyone who was serious about singing was in this group - that is, if they got in. And most people didn't. But still, Finn mustered up his courage and forced himself to audition, because he really wanted this. If only he didn't feel like throwing up on himself.
He knew he'd have to wait a while, because there were tons of people trying out. There was a girl sitting next to him singing quietly to herself, and he listened closely, because she had a really nice voice and it was calming him down. Eventually, she glanced over at him and gave him a look.
"Sorry about that," Finn said, blushing slightly. "You're really good, though. You'll totally get in."
She smiled at him, charmed. "That's really sweet of you - I hope so. I guess you're auditioning too."
Finn nodded.
"Well maybe we'll both get in, then. I'm Kate, by the way. Kate Hummel."
"Finn Hudson," he responded, trying not to make an ass of himself by like, drooling or something. It wasn't like he'd never seen a cute girl before. But Kate was different, somehow. "I hope we do. I mean, this is supposed to be the best group on campus, right?"
Kate nodded. "The key is confidence. The way I see it, when you go into an audition, all you should think about is how fabulous you are, and getting everyone else to realize it."
Finn grinned. "I like that. Hey, um... if one of us doesn't get in... do you wanna like, hang out sometime anyway?"
Kate raised her eyebrows at him. "I suppose that could be arranged. Let me give you my number..." She reached for her bag and then looked up. "Oh, sorry, that's me."
Finn watched as she stood gracefully. "Wish me luck," Kate said, sauntering off.
There was absolutely no doubt in Finn's mind that she'd get in.
-
The shocking part was when he got in.
And maybe he had a fantasy about singing a duet with Kate, and maybe that fantasy turned him on way more than it should, but whatever. She was cool, okay? He wanted to ask her out on a date, but he wasn't sure what a girl like her would want to do.
He went to the first rehearsal, though, and she was there. She came over to him, beaming. "Try not to get threatened by my incredible talent," she said, smirking. "It's a lot to handle."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even heard me sing yet. Get ready to be dazzled."
"Alright, alright, settle down," said the man who Finn recognized from his audition. They sat in chairs that were arranged in a circle, and then the man continued, "I'm Will, your fearless leader. I thought that since we have a few new members today, we could go around and introduce ourselves, break the ice a little."
A very hyper girl named Rachel went first, explaining how important and meaningful this group was, and some other stuff that Finn didn't really pay attention to. He zoned out a little, thinking about how smooth Kate's legs were, and was startled when Kate nudged him. "Oh! Hey, I'm Finn," he said, flustered. "I really like singing. And uh, football... but mostly singing."
There was a collective chuckle, and then it was Kate's turn. She smiled. "I'm Kate," she said, smoothly. "I love singing as well, have since I was a little boy." There was a somewhat confused silence, and then she continued, "I was born into a male body - I'm transgendered. I hope that won't be a problem for anyone, but I thought I should get it out there."
The girl on the other side of Kate smiled at her warmly, and everyone else made encouraging and approving sounds. Finn was speechless. Kate was really a guy. Huh.
-
They left, walking in the same direction, when Kate said, "Sorry for not telling you before. Guess you're not interested in hanging out anymore."
"I didn't say that," Finn replied, quickly. "So you, like... do you have a... you know?"
"A penis?" Kate asked, and Finn nodded. "For the time being."
"You mean you're gonna get it, like..."
"Yes. I plan to get gender reassignment surgery, but one needs money for that sort of thing, and I'm exactly going to ask my father to pay for it."
"That's cool."
"Is it?"
They looked at each other, and Kate was still, like, the cutest thing Finn had ever seen. He didn't even know her that well yet, but he really wanted to. So he smiled at her and said, "Totally."
Sure, it was kinda weird, but... it felt right.
-
It was really easy to forget that Kate was really a dude because she could sing higher than any of the real girls in their group.
Of course, Finn did some research online and quickly learned that he should really be more careful describing Kate. Like, she probably didn't want to be thought of as "really a dude." More like, "really a girl." The important thing, really, was that she was the first real friend Finn made in college. She was really nice to him - she always gave him these really encouraging smiles when he sang solos, and sometimes they ate lunch together, and it was good. The only difference between her and real... well, between her and other girls is that Kate was way easier to talk to. She even answered all of his weird questions, like,
"So I know you don't like having a penis, but do you ever use it anyway? Like, do you jerk off?"
Kate shook her head, piercing a piece of lettuce with her fork.
"I'm sorry, that was really weird to ask."
"It's fine," Kate replied briskly, and Finn believed her. She was really patient with him - she never got annoyed, no matter how dumb he was.
"When did you... like... how'd you know?"
Kate placed her fork on the table and looked thoughtful. "I suppose I've always known. I just never felt like my body... belonged to me. I felt completely separate from it. I felt like when people looked at me, they never saw me as who I really am."
"That sounds..." Finn frowned. "That sounds like it sucked."
"It did," Kate shrugged. "I got bullied a lot - thrown in the dumpster more times than I care to think of. But I survived. And people here are remarkably accepting, so. It worked out."
"That's good... that's really good," Finn said, nodding. "It's weird, because like, I've never thought about guys before... I don't like guys. But I mean... I kinda like you."
Kate smiled at him. "Do you?"
He smiled back, shyly. "Yeah. You're... really awesome, Kate."
She leaned across the table and kissed his cheek, and he blushed. "You are very, very sweet," she told him, beaming. "I thought you might ask me out on a date, but I wasn't sure if the trans thing would get in the way of that."
Finn bit his lip, thinking about that, hard. "No. No... I mean..." Did it get in the way?
"It's okay if it does," she said, quietly. "It usually does. And that's fine."
"No! I like you!" Finn replied, quickly. "Let's go out on a date. On Friday. We can see that play they're putting on."
"'The Laramie Project'?" Kate asked. "Finn, do you have any idea what that's about?"
"Uh... some guy named Matthew Shepherd? That's what the sign said."
"Matthew Shepherd was killed because of his sexual orientation, Finn."
"Oh."
"Yes. And it's a very important play to see, but not really for a date... unless your dates usually involve long periods of crying like a baby."
"Not usually," Finn conceded. "We could see a movie."
"Alright," Kate agreed. "There's this really cute one playing in the independent theater downtown - 'Imagine Me and You.' It's a romantic comedy about two women. Much more pleasant."
"Okay. And then we can get dinner. And neither of us will cry."
"Sounds like a brilliant plan."
-
Finn went to see The Laramie Project.
Maybe it wasn't a good thing to do on a date, but it seemed pretty important. So he went alone. And holy shit, Kate was right. Matthew Shepherd seems like some totally cool, nice gay guy and he got killed for being gay. Finn didn't even realize until he was leaving that he was crying. Seriously, he needed a hug or something, because he felt, like, fucking devastated.
He heard a voice calling his name and it was Kate, who was behind him on the path back to his dorm. "Finn," she said, catching up with him. She looked concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he replied quickly, wiping off his face.
She glanced at the program from the play sticking out of his pocket and smiled gently. "You saw The Laramie Project?"
Reluctantly, Finn nodded.
"Oh, sweetie," she said, really kindly and sympathetically, and he hugged her.
"I don't get it," he said, clutching her and trying to keep his crying to a minimum. "I mean, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone."
"I know, I know," she told him, rubbing his back. "Shh, it's okay."
"It's not okay!" he yelled, pulling away. "Sorry... but it's not! What if... what if something like that happened to you? I mean, it's not going to. Nothing like that is going to happen to you." He looked at Kate, deathly serious. "I swear, nothing like that is going to happen to you."
"What, are you going to protect me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
He nodded, determined.
She took both of his hands in hers. "Finn Hudson, I'm reasonably certain that you're the sweetest boy I've ever met."
He blushed and looked at the ground, but squeezed her hands back. "Thanks... I mean it, though. If people do that just because someone's gay, what you have to go through must be way worse."
"That's all in the past," she told him. "Things are better now, for me anyway. And you should come to meetings of the Alliance, we talk about this kinda stuff all the time." She saw his confused look and clarified, "It's the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Alliance. And straight allies can come too. I think you'd really find the meetings helpful."
"You go to the meetings?" he asked.
Kate nodded. "And we're always looking for new members."
"Okay," he said. He was pretty sure that he'd do whatever Kate asked, and then he felt scared a little, realizing that. He really would. He was pretty sure that he was like, falling for her or something, and he hadn't felt this strongly about anyone else, ever. Not even Quinn, and they dated for three years. And this had only been three weeks.
"C'mon," Kate said, letting go of one of his hands but still holding the other. "I have something that might take your mind off things."
Holy shit. Finn was really, really not ready for sex with Kate yet. He was crazy about her and all, but like, the penis. He wasn't really ready to meet it, to be honest. But when they walked, holding hands, they weren't walking in the direction of the dorms. They walked to a nearby swing set instead and Finn laughed. "This is awesome," he yelled, running over to claim a swing. They didn't talk that much, just enjoying the breeze and each others company. When they were finally too dizzy to continue, Kate climbed off her swing and dug through her bag. "Dammit, I forgot a sweater," she said, frowning.
Finn took off his own hoodie and handed it to her. She looked at it, and then at him. "Really? That's so... chivalrous of you."
"That's a good thing, right?"
Kate pulled the hoodie on and they both laughed, as it fell to her knees. She took his hand again. "Walk me back to my dorm?" she asked. "Make sure I get home safe?"
"Totally," he murmured, unable to contain his smile. They walked back to the dorms hand in hand. Later, when she gave his hoodie back to him and it smelled like her, he really didn't want to wash it.
-
"I don't think it should be allowed!"
"Just because she got a solo you wanted doesn't mean we're kicking Kate out of the group, Rachel."
Finn came into the rehearsal room, frowning. "What's going on?"
Rachel sat down in a chair, rolling her eyes. "The audition flyers said that auditions were open for men and women. Last time I checked, Kate isn't either of those."
"She got in because of her talent," Will replied, firmly. "She sings soprano just as well as any other girl, so she's in the group. And she told me she was transgender during the audition."
"But she... is that good for the group's image?" Rachel asked. "I mean, we don't want people to be confused when they're watching us."
"Rachel..."
"Shut up."
Will and Rachel both turned to Finn, shocked. "Excuse me?" Rachel asked.
"Shut. Up. Just because Kate got the solo for Defying Gravity just means that she's a better singer. Suck it up."
Rachel slapped him, hard.
Practice was, quite obviously, awkward.
Rachel glared at Kate, but also at Finn and Will. Finn glared right back. Will looked tired, and Kate looked confused. When it was time for Kate to rehearse her solo, Rachel left the room.
It was a relief when practice finally ended.
Will pulled Kate aside as everyone was leaving, but Finn pretended to be interested in something in his bag. "Hey... listen. I'm not really sure about your solo..."
Kate frowned. "How can I improve it? Was I sharp?"
"No, I mean... I'm not sure it really fits in our repertoire."
"We sing mostly show tunes. It's a show tune."
"I know, I know..."
Kate looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you having second thoughts about giving me the solo?"
"No, it's just..."
Finn, who was listening in, spoke up. "You can't take away Kate's solo. She auditioned, just like everyone else, and we all voted that she was the best."
Will gave Finn a sharp look. "This is a private conversation, Finn."
"So what if Rachel complained? She complains about everything!"
"I don't want her leaving the group, Finn. She threatened to do that."
"Because I got the solo?" Kate whispered, nervously.
"She thought she was better suited for it," Will replied, quietly.
"Then give it to her," Kate said, simply. "I don't want to cause trouble."
"What?" Finn asked, gaping at her. "No way! It's yours!"
"It's called taking one for the team," she told him. "I'm used to it."
-
It was a cold night.
"Are you upset?" she asked, quietly.
"I just... I don't get it."
"It's just a solo," Kate replied. "There will be others."
"But it was yours," Finn insisted. "It was your solo. And you were really, really good at it."
Kate held his hand and sighed. "I know. But I really don't want my gender identity to become an issue in the group. I'm very, very lucky I got in in the first place."
"But you're an amazing singer."
Kate smiled, sadly, withdrawing her hand. "Thank you... but sometimes people have a hard time with... this."
Finn paused, and took a minute to just look at her. He brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I'm really sorry."
"Finn. I really don't want you to start pitying me, okay? I mean, I have it very good. Not getting a solo really isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things."
He sighed. They walked back to the dorms silently, and when they part ways, Kate kissed his cheek. "Thank you for caring, Finn," she whispered. "It means a lot to me."
To him, it didn't feel like nearly enough.
-
He was watching a video on YouTube the next afternoon when his phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hey... Finn."
"Oh, Kate. Hey, what's up?"
"I know that last night... well, I know you weren't really happy with me, and I don't blame you. And I was just wondering if you still want to go on our date tonight. I mean, I understand if you don't want to - you have plenty of good reasons not to."
When he thought about Kate, he felt this almost overwhelming sadness. He wanted to protect her from the world, make everything perfect for her, and he couldn't. And he hated that.
"Alright," Kate said, quietly. "I guess that's your answer, then."
"No!" Finn yelled. "Sorry, I was just... tonight. Yes. You and me, our date. I'll be there."
"Are you- are you sure?"
Finn nodded, and then remembering that Kate can't see it, said, "Hell yes."
She laughed, and it was a beautiful sound.
-
He went to her room to pick her up, clutching some yellow flowers he picked outside that actually looked kinda wilted now, and he wished he hadn't brought them at all because now he looked like an idiot. But then Kate opened the door and saw them and her smile lit up her entire face. "You brought me flowers," she said dreamily, putting them in a glass of water. "This is my first date and you brought me flowers."
"It is?" he asked, surprised. There was no way he was the first guy who'd been interested in her.
She gave a rueful smile. They walked into town companionably, and they'd hung out lots of other times before, but this felt different. It was different, Finn remembered. They were on a real date now. And that gave him an excuse to hold her hand. And sure, this wasn't really conventional. There was still a penis under that skirt (the penis thing - Finn was really having a hard time getting past it). But there was also Kate, and her smile, and her soft hand in his, and he loved that.
He paid for the movie, and for dinner, despite Kate's protests. "I'm a guy," he told her, warmly. "The guy pays for the girl, that's how it's done."
And then she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck in the middle of the sidewalk. When they pulled apart, he grinned. "And all I had to do was pay for dinner, good to know."
She shook her head, grinning. "All you had to do was be absolutely fucking perfect, Finn Hudson. I still can't believe a guy like you would go for... me."
"Guys like me are usually idiots, then," he told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And as awesome as this sidewalk is, I was kinda hoping we could go back to my room."
"Oh?" Kate replied, wrapping her arm around his waist. "And what will we do there? Work on songs?"
"I guess we could do that too."
Chapter Two
--
All feedback will be appreciated. A lot of this story has been written, so I felt I should finally post some of it.
The rest of my fic can be found HERE
Pairing: Finn/Kurt (Kate)
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Absolutely none
Summary: While auditioning for a vocal group at his new college, Finn is instantly attracted to a confident soprano, Kate. He soon learns that Kate used to be called Kurt, and that she is trangendered. This is their story.
He was nervous, which was to be expected. This was an audition, after all, for the college's best vocal group. Anyone who was serious about singing was in this group - that is, if they got in. And most people didn't. But still, Finn mustered up his courage and forced himself to audition, because he really wanted this. If only he didn't feel like throwing up on himself.
He knew he'd have to wait a while, because there were tons of people trying out. There was a girl sitting next to him singing quietly to herself, and he listened closely, because she had a really nice voice and it was calming him down. Eventually, she glanced over at him and gave him a look.
"Sorry about that," Finn said, blushing slightly. "You're really good, though. You'll totally get in."
She smiled at him, charmed. "That's really sweet of you - I hope so. I guess you're auditioning too."
Finn nodded.
"Well maybe we'll both get in, then. I'm Kate, by the way. Kate Hummel."
"Finn Hudson," he responded, trying not to make an ass of himself by like, drooling or something. It wasn't like he'd never seen a cute girl before. But Kate was different, somehow. "I hope we do. I mean, this is supposed to be the best group on campus, right?"
Kate nodded. "The key is confidence. The way I see it, when you go into an audition, all you should think about is how fabulous you are, and getting everyone else to realize it."
Finn grinned. "I like that. Hey, um... if one of us doesn't get in... do you wanna like, hang out sometime anyway?"
Kate raised her eyebrows at him. "I suppose that could be arranged. Let me give you my number..." She reached for her bag and then looked up. "Oh, sorry, that's me."
Finn watched as she stood gracefully. "Wish me luck," Kate said, sauntering off.
There was absolutely no doubt in Finn's mind that she'd get in.
-
The shocking part was when he got in.
And maybe he had a fantasy about singing a duet with Kate, and maybe that fantasy turned him on way more than it should, but whatever. She was cool, okay? He wanted to ask her out on a date, but he wasn't sure what a girl like her would want to do.
He went to the first rehearsal, though, and she was there. She came over to him, beaming. "Try not to get threatened by my incredible talent," she said, smirking. "It's a lot to handle."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "You haven't even heard me sing yet. Get ready to be dazzled."
"Alright, alright, settle down," said the man who Finn recognized from his audition. They sat in chairs that were arranged in a circle, and then the man continued, "I'm Will, your fearless leader. I thought that since we have a few new members today, we could go around and introduce ourselves, break the ice a little."
A very hyper girl named Rachel went first, explaining how important and meaningful this group was, and some other stuff that Finn didn't really pay attention to. He zoned out a little, thinking about how smooth Kate's legs were, and was startled when Kate nudged him. "Oh! Hey, I'm Finn," he said, flustered. "I really like singing. And uh, football... but mostly singing."
There was a collective chuckle, and then it was Kate's turn. She smiled. "I'm Kate," she said, smoothly. "I love singing as well, have since I was a little boy." There was a somewhat confused silence, and then she continued, "I was born into a male body - I'm transgendered. I hope that won't be a problem for anyone, but I thought I should get it out there."
The girl on the other side of Kate smiled at her warmly, and everyone else made encouraging and approving sounds. Finn was speechless. Kate was really a guy. Huh.
-
They left, walking in the same direction, when Kate said, "Sorry for not telling you before. Guess you're not interested in hanging out anymore."
"I didn't say that," Finn replied, quickly. "So you, like... do you have a... you know?"
"A penis?" Kate asked, and Finn nodded. "For the time being."
"You mean you're gonna get it, like..."
"Yes. I plan to get gender reassignment surgery, but one needs money for that sort of thing, and I'm exactly going to ask my father to pay for it."
"That's cool."
"Is it?"
They looked at each other, and Kate was still, like, the cutest thing Finn had ever seen. He didn't even know her that well yet, but he really wanted to. So he smiled at her and said, "Totally."
Sure, it was kinda weird, but... it felt right.
-
It was really easy to forget that Kate was really a dude because she could sing higher than any of the real girls in their group.
Of course, Finn did some research online and quickly learned that he should really be more careful describing Kate. Like, she probably didn't want to be thought of as "really a dude." More like, "really a girl." The important thing, really, was that she was the first real friend Finn made in college. She was really nice to him - she always gave him these really encouraging smiles when he sang solos, and sometimes they ate lunch together, and it was good. The only difference between her and real... well, between her and other girls is that Kate was way easier to talk to. She even answered all of his weird questions, like,
"So I know you don't like having a penis, but do you ever use it anyway? Like, do you jerk off?"
Kate shook her head, piercing a piece of lettuce with her fork.
"I'm sorry, that was really weird to ask."
"It's fine," Kate replied briskly, and Finn believed her. She was really patient with him - she never got annoyed, no matter how dumb he was.
"When did you... like... how'd you know?"
Kate placed her fork on the table and looked thoughtful. "I suppose I've always known. I just never felt like my body... belonged to me. I felt completely separate from it. I felt like when people looked at me, they never saw me as who I really am."
"That sounds..." Finn frowned. "That sounds like it sucked."
"It did," Kate shrugged. "I got bullied a lot - thrown in the dumpster more times than I care to think of. But I survived. And people here are remarkably accepting, so. It worked out."
"That's good... that's really good," Finn said, nodding. "It's weird, because like, I've never thought about guys before... I don't like guys. But I mean... I kinda like you."
Kate smiled at him. "Do you?"
He smiled back, shyly. "Yeah. You're... really awesome, Kate."
She leaned across the table and kissed his cheek, and he blushed. "You are very, very sweet," she told him, beaming. "I thought you might ask me out on a date, but I wasn't sure if the trans thing would get in the way of that."
Finn bit his lip, thinking about that, hard. "No. No... I mean..." Did it get in the way?
"It's okay if it does," she said, quietly. "It usually does. And that's fine."
"No! I like you!" Finn replied, quickly. "Let's go out on a date. On Friday. We can see that play they're putting on."
"'The Laramie Project'?" Kate asked. "Finn, do you have any idea what that's about?"
"Uh... some guy named Matthew Shepherd? That's what the sign said."
"Matthew Shepherd was killed because of his sexual orientation, Finn."
"Oh."
"Yes. And it's a very important play to see, but not really for a date... unless your dates usually involve long periods of crying like a baby."
"Not usually," Finn conceded. "We could see a movie."
"Alright," Kate agreed. "There's this really cute one playing in the independent theater downtown - 'Imagine Me and You.' It's a romantic comedy about two women. Much more pleasant."
"Okay. And then we can get dinner. And neither of us will cry."
"Sounds like a brilliant plan."
-
Finn went to see The Laramie Project.
Maybe it wasn't a good thing to do on a date, but it seemed pretty important. So he went alone. And holy shit, Kate was right. Matthew Shepherd seems like some totally cool, nice gay guy and he got killed for being gay. Finn didn't even realize until he was leaving that he was crying. Seriously, he needed a hug or something, because he felt, like, fucking devastated.
He heard a voice calling his name and it was Kate, who was behind him on the path back to his dorm. "Finn," she said, catching up with him. She looked concerned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he replied quickly, wiping off his face.
She glanced at the program from the play sticking out of his pocket and smiled gently. "You saw The Laramie Project?"
Reluctantly, Finn nodded.
"Oh, sweetie," she said, really kindly and sympathetically, and he hugged her.
"I don't get it," he said, clutching her and trying to keep his crying to a minimum. "I mean, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone."
"I know, I know," she told him, rubbing his back. "Shh, it's okay."
"It's not okay!" he yelled, pulling away. "Sorry... but it's not! What if... what if something like that happened to you? I mean, it's not going to. Nothing like that is going to happen to you." He looked at Kate, deathly serious. "I swear, nothing like that is going to happen to you."
"What, are you going to protect me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
He nodded, determined.
She took both of his hands in hers. "Finn Hudson, I'm reasonably certain that you're the sweetest boy I've ever met."
He blushed and looked at the ground, but squeezed her hands back. "Thanks... I mean it, though. If people do that just because someone's gay, what you have to go through must be way worse."
"That's all in the past," she told him. "Things are better now, for me anyway. And you should come to meetings of the Alliance, we talk about this kinda stuff all the time." She saw his confused look and clarified, "It's the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Alliance. And straight allies can come too. I think you'd really find the meetings helpful."
"You go to the meetings?" he asked.
Kate nodded. "And we're always looking for new members."
"Okay," he said. He was pretty sure that he'd do whatever Kate asked, and then he felt scared a little, realizing that. He really would. He was pretty sure that he was like, falling for her or something, and he hadn't felt this strongly about anyone else, ever. Not even Quinn, and they dated for three years. And this had only been three weeks.
"C'mon," Kate said, letting go of one of his hands but still holding the other. "I have something that might take your mind off things."
Holy shit. Finn was really, really not ready for sex with Kate yet. He was crazy about her and all, but like, the penis. He wasn't really ready to meet it, to be honest. But when they walked, holding hands, they weren't walking in the direction of the dorms. They walked to a nearby swing set instead and Finn laughed. "This is awesome," he yelled, running over to claim a swing. They didn't talk that much, just enjoying the breeze and each others company. When they were finally too dizzy to continue, Kate climbed off her swing and dug through her bag. "Dammit, I forgot a sweater," she said, frowning.
Finn took off his own hoodie and handed it to her. She looked at it, and then at him. "Really? That's so... chivalrous of you."
"That's a good thing, right?"
Kate pulled the hoodie on and they both laughed, as it fell to her knees. She took his hand again. "Walk me back to my dorm?" she asked. "Make sure I get home safe?"
"Totally," he murmured, unable to contain his smile. They walked back to the dorms hand in hand. Later, when she gave his hoodie back to him and it smelled like her, he really didn't want to wash it.
-
"I don't think it should be allowed!"
"Just because she got a solo you wanted doesn't mean we're kicking Kate out of the group, Rachel."
Finn came into the rehearsal room, frowning. "What's going on?"
Rachel sat down in a chair, rolling her eyes. "The audition flyers said that auditions were open for men and women. Last time I checked, Kate isn't either of those."
"She got in because of her talent," Will replied, firmly. "She sings soprano just as well as any other girl, so she's in the group. And she told me she was transgender during the audition."
"But she... is that good for the group's image?" Rachel asked. "I mean, we don't want people to be confused when they're watching us."
"Rachel..."
"Shut up."
Will and Rachel both turned to Finn, shocked. "Excuse me?" Rachel asked.
"Shut. Up. Just because Kate got the solo for Defying Gravity just means that she's a better singer. Suck it up."
Rachel slapped him, hard.
Practice was, quite obviously, awkward.
Rachel glared at Kate, but also at Finn and Will. Finn glared right back. Will looked tired, and Kate looked confused. When it was time for Kate to rehearse her solo, Rachel left the room.
It was a relief when practice finally ended.
Will pulled Kate aside as everyone was leaving, but Finn pretended to be interested in something in his bag. "Hey... listen. I'm not really sure about your solo..."
Kate frowned. "How can I improve it? Was I sharp?"
"No, I mean... I'm not sure it really fits in our repertoire."
"We sing mostly show tunes. It's a show tune."
"I know, I know..."
Kate looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you having second thoughts about giving me the solo?"
"No, it's just..."
Finn, who was listening in, spoke up. "You can't take away Kate's solo. She auditioned, just like everyone else, and we all voted that she was the best."
Will gave Finn a sharp look. "This is a private conversation, Finn."
"So what if Rachel complained? She complains about everything!"
"I don't want her leaving the group, Finn. She threatened to do that."
"Because I got the solo?" Kate whispered, nervously.
"She thought she was better suited for it," Will replied, quietly.
"Then give it to her," Kate said, simply. "I don't want to cause trouble."
"What?" Finn asked, gaping at her. "No way! It's yours!"
"It's called taking one for the team," she told him. "I'm used to it."
-
It was a cold night.
"Are you upset?" she asked, quietly.
"I just... I don't get it."
"It's just a solo," Kate replied. "There will be others."
"But it was yours," Finn insisted. "It was your solo. And you were really, really good at it."
Kate held his hand and sighed. "I know. But I really don't want my gender identity to become an issue in the group. I'm very, very lucky I got in in the first place."
"But you're an amazing singer."
Kate smiled, sadly, withdrawing her hand. "Thank you... but sometimes people have a hard time with... this."
Finn paused, and took a minute to just look at her. He brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. "I'm really sorry."
"Finn. I really don't want you to start pitying me, okay? I mean, I have it very good. Not getting a solo really isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things."
He sighed. They walked back to the dorms silently, and when they part ways, Kate kissed his cheek. "Thank you for caring, Finn," she whispered. "It means a lot to me."
To him, it didn't feel like nearly enough.
-
He was watching a video on YouTube the next afternoon when his phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hey... Finn."
"Oh, Kate. Hey, what's up?"
"I know that last night... well, I know you weren't really happy with me, and I don't blame you. And I was just wondering if you still want to go on our date tonight. I mean, I understand if you don't want to - you have plenty of good reasons not to."
When he thought about Kate, he felt this almost overwhelming sadness. He wanted to protect her from the world, make everything perfect for her, and he couldn't. And he hated that.
"Alright," Kate said, quietly. "I guess that's your answer, then."
"No!" Finn yelled. "Sorry, I was just... tonight. Yes. You and me, our date. I'll be there."
"Are you- are you sure?"
Finn nodded, and then remembering that Kate can't see it, said, "Hell yes."
She laughed, and it was a beautiful sound.
-
He went to her room to pick her up, clutching some yellow flowers he picked outside that actually looked kinda wilted now, and he wished he hadn't brought them at all because now he looked like an idiot. But then Kate opened the door and saw them and her smile lit up her entire face. "You brought me flowers," she said dreamily, putting them in a glass of water. "This is my first date and you brought me flowers."
"It is?" he asked, surprised. There was no way he was the first guy who'd been interested in her.
She gave a rueful smile. They walked into town companionably, and they'd hung out lots of other times before, but this felt different. It was different, Finn remembered. They were on a real date now. And that gave him an excuse to hold her hand. And sure, this wasn't really conventional. There was still a penis under that skirt (the penis thing - Finn was really having a hard time getting past it). But there was also Kate, and her smile, and her soft hand in his, and he loved that.
He paid for the movie, and for dinner, despite Kate's protests. "I'm a guy," he told her, warmly. "The guy pays for the girl, that's how it's done."
And then she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck in the middle of the sidewalk. When they pulled apart, he grinned. "And all I had to do was pay for dinner, good to know."
She shook her head, grinning. "All you had to do was be absolutely fucking perfect, Finn Hudson. I still can't believe a guy like you would go for... me."
"Guys like me are usually idiots, then," he told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "And as awesome as this sidewalk is, I was kinda hoping we could go back to my room."
"Oh?" Kate replied, wrapping her arm around his waist. "And what will we do there? Work on songs?"
"I guess we could do that too."
Chapter Two
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All feedback will be appreciated. A lot of this story has been written, so I felt I should finally post some of it.
The rest of my fic can be found HERE