Fic: Beauty (6/10)
Title: Beauty (6/10)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Blaine Anderson was blessed with the perks of being beautiful in a world where people are literally separated into classes based on being "beautiful" or "ugly". Kurt Hummel was not. This is their journey together in throwing off the world's labels, of finding true beauty among a constellation of charades. This is their love story.
Word Count: this chapter, 2,545
A/N: Again, thank you to everyone who reads this!
Chapter 6
Blaine officially had a favorite place in the world.
They always asked you where your favorite place was; it was a standard “getting to know you” question, one they often asked on surveys on websites or those worksheets teachers used to hand out at the beginning of the year in an attempt to know a little bit about you before real learning began. Blaine never quite knew what to put for those; he was always torn between putting the truth down, that he had yet to visit his favorite place, or writing a standard answer: wherever the heart is, with my family, with my friends, etc. Now he could answer it.
His favorite place was in the middle of Lima, Ohio, a rundown park where almost no one visited, where the air was pure and crisp and untainted by others. Leaves spiraled to the ground on small gusts of wind, scattered all around the rusted metal contraptions and kicked about mulch. There was a sense of clarity, a feeling of relief from some acute pain when he stepped into its boundaries. It was affection that he could hold in his hand, tingling he could taste in his mouth, light he could have and enjoy beneath his fingertips.
It was where he had his first kiss.
It was where he experienced joy he had never felt before.
It was his and Kurt’s place now. He wasn’t afraid to claim anything in his and Kurt’s name anymore, it was undeniably theirs.
~~
The rest of the day passed quickly for him. He headed back home, giddy on his delight, and his parents were both sitting on a leather couch in the living room, whispering quietly among themselves. His mother looked worried, her waxed eyebrows furrowing lightly as she looked on at her father. His father’s back was turned to him, but he could see his slight hand gesticulations. He was clearly worried about something too.
“Are you guys alright?”
His mother’s back straightened almost imperceptibly. “We’re fine dear, thanks for the concern.”
Blaine shrugged and went up to his room.
~~
The cold blond haired comely from the day he met Kurt was waiting for him outside of Dalton Monday afternoon as he walked out the doors.
She searched for him in the crowd for a moment, and when she finally located him, pushed through the crowd (or rather walked through, as they all parted like the red sea for the pretty girl in their midst, some of the cruder boys whistling below their breath and the shyer ones looking down fondly at her before lowering their heads and marching on) and pulled him aside.
“Alright, this is our second encounter and I don’t know your name,” he said before the girl could say anything. “My name is Blaine Anderson, you are?” He stuck out his hand.
“Quinn Fabray,” she answered, shaking it delicately. “Listen, I know we don’t really know each other and the weight of what I’m saying is pretty serious, but there are rumours being spread about you, you know. You and Kurt. I have no idea if they’re true, but I can’t imagine that your parents would be too happy about it, not if they’re like my parents. So I’d suggest either going home and facing the music now, or avoiding them for a couple of hours so they can cool off. I can even offer up my presence if you don’t want to wander around aimlessly.”
“That’s… incredibly thoughtful of you, Quinn. To be honest, I wouldn’t expected you to have been so nice, especially after our first encounter.”
She shrugged. “I was having a bad day, sorry. Besides, I was feeling particularly tired of being a comely that day, and then you just bump into me, so obviously being a comely yourself. It irritated me.” She shrugged. “So what’s your decision? Going home? Coming with me?”
“Sure you’re not accompanying me just to get me alone?” he asked playfully.
“I’m absolutely sure,” she answered, the corners of her mouth twitching.
“Well, in that case, we have much to talk about! May you grace me with your company this afternoon, Miss Fabray?”
“Slow down, Blaine, we’re still in the 21st century here. Which means outdated language isn’t appropriate in this time era.”
~~
“You said you’re tired of being a comely?” Blaine asked curiously, looking through his eyelashes at Quinn.
They were walking aimlessly, merely observing the scenery and talking.
“It’s a more complicated life than it seems, don’t you think?” she answered, smiling weakly at him. “Or maybe that’s just because I think about it too much… or maybe because I don’t belong here… something just feels off about it all.”
“What do you mean about ‘off’?”
“I just… I’m supposed to be the stereotype. I’m a cheerleader, I’m skinny and beautiful, right? Well, you didn’t know that. But that’s what everyone thinks of me. Always got the boys at my fingertips, I’ve got the world at my feet. In high school, I’m who everyone wants to be.”
“I don’t beli-“
“-I’m sorry, Blaine, I know I’m being rude. And you don’t know me. But I have to finish saying this. Then you can go or tell me I went too far.”
Blaine pressed his lips together but nodded. She sighed and continued.
“I feel like the more you supposedly fit in, you know, the more you end up standing out. It’s an internal battle, always trying to figure out how to hide yourself. And eventually you just get tired. Really, really, tired. And you don’t know how to go on.”
“And uh, I realize this sounds slightly pretentious,” she continued, “but I just wanted to offer my consolatory friendship. Again, I have no idea how your parents are, but I can recognize when someone’s hurting behind their mask. Know it all too well. And we can all use a friend in a time of need, right?”
“I was saying that I don’t believe in stereotypes,” he said abruptly. She smiled, either a “he’s an idiot” smile or a “thank you for your concern” smile, but a bare smile.
“They seem stupid to me.”
She laughed. “Well, aren’t we articulate when we believe in something?”
“The entire classification, it’s so unjust,” he persisted. “I don’t want to be a stereotype. I don’t like the idea of stereotype. You’re right about the’ more you fit in, the more you stand out’ idea; it’s true. The more people build walls around you, the more the real you tries to break out of them. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it’s to no avail.”
“Do you feel boxed in by what people think of you?”
“More by what people think I should be. I’m a comely, I should be ever the gentleman in the presence of other comelies, yet treat the ‘others’ like dirt. I should be well mannered, and know when I’m stepping out of line. I should be the exemplary son, student, and friend, yet somehow fund a secret rebellion against those very institutions once anyone who matters has turned their back. It’s exhausting, and I’ve spent my entire life trying to do that very thing, and failed every time. And as soon as I get the chance to do something natural, something that’s completely mine… someone has to go and tell someone else about it. That someone else being my parents. Who will probably freak out at me when I get back home.” He sighed. “It’s all so unfair.”
“You know what,” she said; there was an undeniable twinkle in her eye. “You’re right, this is unfair. And I don’t want you to stand for it.”
“But what can I do? We can’t change our worlds, even if we team up together. All we can do is throw them into chaos and hope they turn out right. And I don’t know if I’m willing to take that chance.”
“Ready or not, Blaine Anderson, your world is about to be thrown off its axis. So you better be ready. Here’s what you’re going to do: you’re going to go home, stand up to your parents, and if they give you much trouble I’ll be here to talk to you,” she reached her hand out then. Blaine placed his phone in her hand with a smile, and she continued talking as she fiddled with his phone, “and you’re not going to let yourself be mowed over by them. And you’re not gonna let yourself lose what you just got because everyone else says you can’t have it. Got it?” She handed him his phone back and waited patiently.
“Got it, Miss Fabray.”
“Good. Now get your butt in gear and go out and change the world for me, ‘kay?”
He mock saluted, grinning.
~~
When Blaine walked in, his parents were whispering on the couch again. The similarities between this encounter and the last were almost amusing, the way his father’s hands splayed out in the exact same way, the way his mother looked on concernedly at his father the same way, and the way her back straightened when she realized he was there the exact same way.
“Blainey, honey,” she cooed, standing up. “Blaine, what’s going on?”
Blaine prayed playing dumb would work this time. “What do you mean ‘what’s going on’?”
It didn’t work. It never did. “You and Kurt Hummel,” his father said, getting up to stand alongside his mother.
Blaine could run now. He was closest to the door, and they probably didn’t care enough to stop him.
“I like him.” He tried to stop his legs from shaking traitorously, his muscles from tensing into a running position.
“Blaine, you’re allowed to like someone,” his mother said, crossing the distance to pat him in an act of comfort on the shoulder.
At that, the shaking in his legs stopped. “What?”
“You’re allowed to like someone,” his father repeated.
“I… I’m allowed?”
“Absolutely, you’re a teenager, you’re allowed to have crushes.” His mother was tentatively smiling.
“You’re… okay with all of this?”
“Just crushes, unfortunately,” his father rang in. His mother winced but stood her ground.
“Just crushes? Just crushes? What world do you live in? I’m 17! I should be allowed to date if I want to!”
“Darling, it’s for the best.”
“What do you mean, for the best? You’d let me date someone else; it’s Kurt!”
“We never had to make a decision on it before because you haven’t dated anyone before him.”
“What is it about Kurt that you both dislike so much?”
“Blaine-“
“Have you even seen Kurt?”
“No,” his father cut in. “We don’t need to.”
“You don’t need to? What kind of nonsense is that? Why have you judged him already?”
His mother shook her head as if she were in pain. “We haven’t-“
“It’s because he’s an unsightly, isn’t it?” Blaine was clenching and unclenching his fists. He knew he did this when he was angry, and that was why he had taken up boxing when he noticed it, because he was a relatively peaceful person with a lot of concealed frustration, and he didn’t want it to boil over one day with catastrophic consequences.
There was no response from his parents.
“You guys are unbelievable!” he shouted. “Why can’t you let me have something for once in my life? Please? All you ever do is tear me down in your own special way! Why does it matter so much if he’s an unsightly anyways? This is not the 1920s; it’s not like classes matter as much anymore!”
“You wouldn’t understand,” his mother said, tears brimming her eyes. “Please, Blaine, listen to us.”
He tried to calm down, sit on the sofa. His father started to approach, but carefully kept his distance.
“You’d just be mixing with the wrong kind, Blaine, and then you could fall into being one of them.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Blaine asked in a threatening tone underneath his breath.
“Things beyond your control,” he answered.
“Such as?”
“The economy is so bad right now, and we really need the extra income,” his mother tried to add in, coming again to stand beside his father.
“The extra income from me being a comely? We don’t need extra income; we’re rich!”
“It helps in ways you don’t understand,” his father said.
“You just don’t want to give up the rich lifestyle!” he responded. “Look, we’d still be rich if I wasn’t a comely. Not much would change either. My social status, maybe. That’d be about it. Why are you getting so upset anyways? There’s not a way to change the fact that I’m a comely, no matter how much I want to.”
Silence greeted him again.
“Okay, look, I don’t want to fight with you guys, okay?” His mother let out a huge breath and started forward. “But I don’t like this decision that you want to make on my behalf.” She stopped. ”Could you at least give me the dignity of making my own decisions for myself? I don’t know what I feel for Kurt, but it feels a lot like something bigger than just liking him. And I’d appreciate it if you accepted that.”
There was a pause that Blaine absently filled by counting the growth rings of the wood floor beneath his feet.
“Okay,” his dad finally said.
“Okay?” Blaine was careful to keep his voice schooled.
“Okay.”
“Thank you guys,” he said cordially, and with a small smile fled to his room to relive his victory.
~~
The victory wasn’t complete, of course, as it had become an unspoken rule among them that they were not to be made purposely aware that him and Kurt were now dating, and that Kurt could not come over. He didn’t think it was that they were homophobic, because they’d never seemed to have much problem with that, but they had never been thrilled by it either. The rest of Lima, however, was a different story. Maybe it was because he was trying to break through the ranks of people who wanted to be just like each other. Maybe it was because he was daring to start living his life the way he wanted to. The reason, just like the reason all bad things happen, was unknown, but the consequences were quite clear. He was to be secretive about this new wonderful thing he’d found, and he was to like it. It was what was best for everyone, and of course he wanted what was best for everyone, so he’d be generous and take one for the team, and never look back. There was only one issue, though: he wasn’t sure this was a team he wanted to be on.
~~
Blaine Anderson: It was a success!
Quinn Fabray: It was a success?? It was a success!! Phase 2: prep you for the rest of the world.
Blaine Anderson: What do you mean?
Quinn Fabray: I mean that this is not going to be easy, Blaine. Especially not in this town. But you can do it.
Quinn Fabray: Is he worth it, Blaine?
Blaine Anderson: I think so, yeah.
Quinn Fabray: Then, like I said, go out there and change the world for me, okay? Make me proud.