Glee-Fic: Caligo Nox Noctis, Chapter Thirty (Finn/Kurt)
Title: Caligo Nox Noctis
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: R overall
Characters/Pairing: Finn/Kurt overall; some minor Blaine/Kurt
Chapter: 30/?
Word Count: 3081
Spoilers: Let’s say everything to be safe :)
Summary/Warnings: (Vampire!Kurt, so completely AU) The good news about all of this is that there’s a cure. The bad news, of course, is what the cure actually is.
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I’m done with them. :)
Caligo Nox Noctis
Chapter Thirty
“Nervous?”
“To perform in front of your school? Not especially,” Blaine admits, peeking through the curtains at the auditorium. “And it’s not like it’s a particularly strenuous number so I think I’ll be okay.”
“Based on the last few performances we’ve had I’m shocked that Figgins actually wants us to perform,” Quinn walks over to them, a smile on her face.
“Why? What’s happened in the past?” Blaine asks curiously.
“Well, our first official performance we did a rather racy song and I…ah…slapped Finn on the butt about halfway through,” Kurt admits, grinning. “This was long before we were friends, mind you; Glee Club had really just started. The second time we did another racy song that Mr. Schuester performed with us so you can imagine how that panned out.”
“And last time Brittany and Santana threw up all over the stage, although apparently Figgins decided that this was enough to turn people off of alcohol altogether so he considered it a good thing,” Quinn explains, resting her hand on Kurt’s shoulder.
“Well, you do have adventures in this place,” Blaine chuckles and looks back at the curtains. “What are we performing for today?”
“I don’t know. We’re promoting some concert the school band has because they figure we’ll be more interesting than a bunch of people playing instruments,” Santana puts in, fluffing her hair out and heaving a disinterested sigh. “Whatever. Let’s just get through this.”
“Agreed,” Quinn adds and suddenly Kurt feels like his whole body’s just been doused with freezing water, chest contracting and heart pounding and he gasps as Quinn grabs his arm. “Kurt?”
“Oh, God,” Kurt moans, nearly falling over (he would have if Sam hadn’t suddenly come out of nowhere and caught him, anyway) and he leans against the blonde’s chest, shivering harshly.
“He’s here, isn’t he?” Blaine asks softly, reaching to rub Kurt’s back and trying to calm him down. “Breathe, babe, he can’t hurt you here.”
“I…” Kurt takes a shuddery breath and stands up a little straighter, Sam still holding him tightly just in case. “Thank you. I think…I can still feel it, but I’m okay. I think.”
“You’re sure?” Sam asks, looking into his eyes.
“Yeah. If I don’t go out there? He’ll know. I’m sure Derek’s given him a description of me and if I don’t show up he’ll know I have a way to sense him. I have to act like nothing’s out of the ordinary,” Kurt decides, swallowing harshly and pushing himself away from Sam to stand on his own.
“Has Wes gotten you a picture yet?” Blaine asks and Kurt shakes his head.
“He told me that Derek’s working on it but his father’s watching him like a hawk, probably trying to figure out if Derek’s actually helping us or not,” he sighs and absently reaches up to fix his hair. “So right now I have no idea who he is, and with the number of people out there I doubt I’ll figure it out.”
“We’re on in five minutes,” Santana sounds unnaturally subdued as she slides an arm around Kurt’s shoulders and hugs him.
“I’ll be okay,” Kurt assures her with a tremulous smile. “Promise.”
“Kurt!” Finn comes rushing to their side of the stage, wrapping Kurt up in a fierce embrace as Kurt hangs onto him as tightly as he can. “Quinn came and got me, I…”
“It’s okay; I’m okay,” Kurt pats his back and lets himself lean into Finn’s embrace for a few moments. “Now get back there and take your place.”
“But…”
“Nothing’s wrong. We have to act normal,” Kurt glances around before kissing Finn quickly and giving him a push toward the other end of the stage. “He’s not going to try anything in the middle of a crowded gymnasium, besides.”
“Hopefully,” Santana puts in. “I think we’ve learned by now that anything can happen at these assemblies, and…Kurt?”
Kurt coughs, covering his nose. “Garlic. He’s…got garlic,” Kurt decides after a moment, sniffing the air carefully. “And a lot of it.”
“So, this should be easy. We look for the guy who nobody wants to sit by,” Santana crosses her arms and grins as Kurt holds an arm across his stomach and moans quietly.
“Santana, I think we may have another wet cleanup today on stage if this keeps up,” Kurt warns her, because while it isn’t nearly as overpowering as the time Carole was making spaghetti sauce, it’s still pretty bad and it’s making his stomach turn.
“Just run offstage if you’re gonna blow chunks,” she says, although she’s looking at him with some sympathy.
“Thanks. Finn, go,” he pushes Finn again and Finn finally nods and leaves, leaning down to kiss Kurt’s forehead before he heads for the other side of the stage. “God,” Kurt covers his nose again and gags.
“Hey! Wait!” Quinn perks up, looking like she has an idea. “Does anybody have strong perfume or cologne? If we spray it on you you’ll smell that instead of the garlic.”
“Quinn, darling, I hope you know that cheap cologne gives me hives,” Kurt sniffs and she rolls her eyes.
“Sam, what’s that stuff you wear? That’s expensive, right?”
“Um, it was totally a gift from like my uncle or somebody, but yeah,” he admits. “Gimme a minute.”
“You’ve got three until we’re on, Trouty Mouth,” Santana calls as he rushes off, but he comes back in about half a minute and holds a bottle out to Kurt. “This okay?”
“Armani,” Kurt looks at the bottle and smiles. “I’m impressed, Mr. Evans.”
“Well, I try,” Sam grins and turns to look at Blaine, who returns the smile.
“I knew it was high end, but I didn’t know what it was,” the dark-haired boy admits, and Quinn turns to him curiously.
“How would you know? Have you been spending a lot of time with Sam?”
“Um…I just…I went over to visit one day when he was stuck in bed and I was dropping Finn off,” Sam flounders, a blush evident on his pale skin, and Quinn gives him a knowing smirk and shares a rather significant glance with Santana that tells Kurt they’ll be discussing this later.
“Is there something you want to tell us, Sam?”
“Am I not allowed to hang out with Blaine? The guy’s cool,” Sam puts his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and Kurt can see Blaine lean subtly into his touch.
“One minute!” Rachel pops in from somewhere and hisses before taking off again, and Kurt sprays the cologne far more liberally than he ever would and is surprised to find that, with his heightened sense of smell, it really does completely overpower the scent of the garlic.
“Better?” Quinn asks hopefully.
“Much. Thank you, Sam.”
“No problem, dude,” Sam takes the bottle back and sets it on a table backstage. “Now, let’s get out there and give ‘em a show.”
000
Kurt goes backstage after, a slight hint of garlic taking over even the…he sniffs at the cologne again…citrus and bergamot, he’d say, that’s in there. But he got through the performance flawlessly, if he says so himself, and this more than anything makes him realize just how much he’s missed it here.
He’s looking mostly unlike himself at the moment, in his costume from the performance and his hair sweat-slick and sticking to his forehead, so when he passes the man in the hallway he notices him immediately although the man seems to walk right by him.
He stops and pretends to fiddle with a locker that isn’t his, sneaking a glance at the man who looks remarkably like Derek.
So this is Mr. Brown, then, he thinks, jiggling the lock and looking for as long as he thinks won’t be suspicious before moving down the hall and stifling a cough at the rush of garlic-scented wind that follows the man down the hall.
He moves on quickly to the choir room, boots clicking against the tiles in the hall, and closes the door behind him when he gets in.
“So. I just passed by Mr. Brown in the hall, but from what I can gather he does not, in fact, know what I look like. At least, he ignored me completely so I can only assume this to be the case,” he mentions casually, going to sit down before anybody could freak out on him (and they would, he’s quite sure of that).
“What the crap, man?!” Puck’s the first to break the silence, shooting to his feet. “He could have, like, killed you right there!”
“Noah, he didn’t…”
“I don’t believe for a second that he didn’t know who you were; he has to know…”
“Actually, if I may?” Blaine calls and Puck stops yelling to look at him. “The fact may well be that Mr. Brown only received from Derek the information about where Kurt goes to school and that he’s part of the Glee Club here. The only time Derek and Kurt have met face-to-face was when Derek came to see me in the hospital, and I somehow doubt he’d tell his father that he came to apologize to the man he’d stabbed in the chest.”
“You make a good point,” Artie admits. “But we can’t take that chance. We have to assume that he does know what Kurt looks like.”
“Okay, so we assume that,” Quinn agrees with a short nod. “There’s not much we can do about it now except keep close to Kurt so he’s never left alone for too long.”
“Again,” Kurt sighs, dropping into a chair beside Blaine who pats his leg.
“Babe, you walked back alone today and look what happened.”
“Yes, thank you, I know. More bodyguards,” Kurt rolls his eyes and drops his head onto Blaine’s shoulder, sighing heavily. “Please don’t follow me into bathroom stalls; that’s all I ask.”
“Promise, dude,” Sam assures him. “Besides, if he’s waiting in a bathroom stall for you he’s a lot sicker than we’re giving him credit for.”
“Right. Well. If that’s all, and we’re finished, I think I’m going to head home. Coming?” he asks Blaine, who seems to think for a moment.
“Actually, I might stick around for a while. If that’s okay,” he adds and Kurt shrugs.
“If you want. Give me a call when you want to be picked up, okay?” Kurt gives the other boy’s hand a squeeze before standing. “Finn?”
“Yeah, dude,” Finn lumbers down the stairs and puts his arm around Kurt’s shoulders, pressing his lips against the shorter teen’s temple as Kurt huffs and leans into him. “Let’s get home.”
000
Blaine’s fingers skim over the keys, the sound echoing rather pleasantly in the empty auditorium, and as such he doesn’t hear the door squeak open or the footsteps start to cross the stage. Kurt had told him that most of them had come in here at one time or another to practice or play the rather impressive instrument and that as long as it was free he was welcome to do the same.
And yes, Kurt has a piano, but there’s something…powerful about playing on a grand piano, lid up and watching the hammers strike the strings. He guesses that Kurt probably wishes he could own a grand or at least an upright, but he’s admitted that at least having an electric piano means that Finn can play around with all of the different instrument sounds that are stored on there.
He finishes the song and hears somebody clearing their throat behind him so he turns, a little surprised.
“Oh. Hello, Sam.”
“Hey, man,” Sam pulls over a nearby stool and perches on it, staring at the piano. “You’re really good.”
“No, I’m not,” Blaine shakes his head. “I’m passable, but you should hear Kurt play: he’s far more advanced than I could ever hope to be.”
“Whatever, dude; you can at least play the thing. I can play guitar alright but I’m hopeless when it comes to piano,” Sam grins and Blaine definitely feels a flutter of pride at those words.
“Well, thank you,” Blaine inclines his head slightly, turning himself on the bench so he can look at the blonde. “Is there a particular reason you’ve come after me?”
“Dude, I just wanted to ask you about…”
“Kurt’s apparent indifference in regard to Derek’s father?” Blaine raises an eyebrow and Sam gawks at him for a few seconds before nodding. “Don’t worry about it. Kurt’s…proud, and while I have no doubt he’s a little fed up with the constant shadowing that we’re all doing, he knows that it’s necessary and he’s not nearly as annoyed as he pretends to be. And I think he’s also trying to be aloof to hide the fact that he really is terrified but he doesn’t want anybody…except Finn and maybe, maybe me…to see him break down,” he adds, pretty sure he’s right on the mark with this speculation, and Sam nods.
“That makes sense,” he admits, scooching closer to the piano and letting his arms rest on top of the instrument. “I’m just worried, y’know? None of us have ever been through anything like this before. I mean, the bullying was bad but we can handle that, but this…”
“I know. I suppose, being at Dalton, I’d grown used to the rumors even if I’d never fully believed them, but to experience it in reality…”
“It’s rough, dude,” Sam reaches out to pat his shoulder and Blaine leans instinctively toward the touch. He’s decided, after spending a few days with the Club, that Sam’s more than decent and he definitely wouldn’t mind trying…something with him, if the other boy will ever admit to not being totally straight, that is. “Anyway, if you’re ready to head out, I can give you a ride so Kurt doesn’t have to drive all the way back here.”
“That would be great. Thank you,” Blaine smiles and goes to stand up, and what happens next feels like it should be a part of some cheesy romantic comedy and not real life, because for whatever reason Blaine completely forgets that he can’t just bound out of his seat like a normal person and this results in a rather sharp, stabbing pain shooting through his chest.
Which results in him losing his balance and falling basically into Sam’s arms.
“Hey, you alright?” Sam asks, pulling him upright but keeping him in a loose embrace.
“Yeah. Just…forgot,” Blaine realizes how lame that sounds because he’s not usually one to forget anything that important, but it’s the truth.
“What is it with people falling into my arms today, man? First Kurt, then you,” Sam shakes his head.
“Sorry about that,” Blaine straightens up, tilting his head up and yes, there’s a proximity issue here and he has a feeling that if he just throws all caution to the winds and kisses Sam things are going to end badly so he’d better back off for now.
“Um,” Sam’s blinking down at him, one arm tight around his waist, and Blaine pushes himself away. “Hey, if you need help to walk out or something it’s cool.”
The shorter boy takes a couple of steps and decides that help certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing so he nods and Sam loops an arm around his middle again, steering him toward the door. “Thank you.”
“No problem, dude,” Sam gives him what could probably be considered a one-armed hug but is more likely just some platonic guy-thing.
He’s not getting his hopes up.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Santana marches up to them in the hall as they near the exit, looking like she’s got a rather fixed purpose. “I’m not gonna ask because y’alls can get freaky on your own time and whatever, but I meant to give this to Kurt earlier and he took off, so here: it’s a present for him and Frankenteen,” she holds out a pair of handcuffs and Blaine takes them cautiously.
“Um…”
“Puck and I wanted to get them something but the sex shop wouldn’t believe we were eighteen so they kicked us out. It’s the best we could do,” she shrugs. “Here, I want you to keep the extra key because Finn’s just gonna lose the first one.”
“Um…” Blaine says again, wondering where his normal eloquence has gone. “Why?”
“Look, Frodo, you may not know this, but Finn and I have had sex, okay? I know he’s probably the most boring man in bed I’ve ever met so if they’re going to stick this out, they’ve gots to find some excitement, she tells him, hands moving constantly and cocking her head from side-to-side at the end which in his books reminds him of some sort of bird.
He decides that Santana scares him a little and takes the handcuffs. “Okay. I’ll pass that along.”
“Great. And, y’know, I’m sure if they’re willing to give them up the two of you could find a use for them as well,” she smirks and turns around, walking briskly down the hall as Blaine blinks after her, still holding the handcuffs up.
“Yeah, she’s something, isn’t she?” Sam sounds a little wistful and Blaine turns to him.
“Oh, right, you dated her.”
“Nor for long, but she’s pretty cool,” the blonde informs him as they exit the school. “And I get the feeling she likes you so you don’t have to be scared of her.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Blaine gives him a weak smile as they reach Sam’s truck and the other boy holds the door open for him. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Sam heads around to the driver’s side and gets in, starting the truck and pulling out of the parking lot and onto the street.
Blaine watches him out of the corner of his eye for a while, still trying to figure out the best way to casually bring up the…question of mutual attraction without Sam thinking Blaine is some kind of creep. He knows Sam likes him; at least, he doesn’t know any other straight boys who would do as much for an openly gay kid as Sam’s done for him, so he knows there’s some sort of connection between them.
Glancing at the handcuffs, he wonders absently how Kurt’s going to feel about Santana’s…present, as it were.
And he really, really hopes Finn doesn’t come banging on his door in the middle of the night for the extra key.
Of course, like Santana said, with Finn…well, it’s something he’d better be prepared for.
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Notes:
1. Yes, more Blam in this chapter. Hope that’s okay :)
2. I talk a lot about cologne in this fic, don’t I? Anyway, the cologne Sam’s using is called ‘Armani Code,’ and while I’ve never actually smelt the cologne I got the perfume as a gift and it’s really nice (it has, like, orange and ginger or something in it) so I thought I’d use the men’s version of it for the fic.
3. The handcuffs are a gift from BiestesNiece that were given for the boys to use, so I figured I’d best take advantage of that, and the suggestion of giving Blaine the extra key to counter the fact that Finn will inevitably misplace the first one was also from them, so thank you :D I’m sure the boys will appreciate the gift!
4. That’s it. I can’t believe this story’s gone on for 30 chapters already!!!
Author: AoiTsukikage
Rating: R overall
Characters/Pairing: Finn/Kurt overall; some minor Blaine/Kurt
Chapter: 30/?
Word Count: 3081
Spoilers: Let’s say everything to be safe :)
Summary/Warnings: (Vampire!Kurt, so completely AU) The good news about all of this is that there’s a cure. The bad news, of course, is what the cure actually is.
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I’m done with them. :)
Caligo Nox Noctis
Chapter Thirty
“Nervous?”
“To perform in front of your school? Not especially,” Blaine admits, peeking through the curtains at the auditorium. “And it’s not like it’s a particularly strenuous number so I think I’ll be okay.”
“Based on the last few performances we’ve had I’m shocked that Figgins actually wants us to perform,” Quinn walks over to them, a smile on her face.
“Why? What’s happened in the past?” Blaine asks curiously.
“Well, our first official performance we did a rather racy song and I…ah…slapped Finn on the butt about halfway through,” Kurt admits, grinning. “This was long before we were friends, mind you; Glee Club had really just started. The second time we did another racy song that Mr. Schuester performed with us so you can imagine how that panned out.”
“And last time Brittany and Santana threw up all over the stage, although apparently Figgins decided that this was enough to turn people off of alcohol altogether so he considered it a good thing,” Quinn explains, resting her hand on Kurt’s shoulder.
“Well, you do have adventures in this place,” Blaine chuckles and looks back at the curtains. “What are we performing for today?”
“I don’t know. We’re promoting some concert the school band has because they figure we’ll be more interesting than a bunch of people playing instruments,” Santana puts in, fluffing her hair out and heaving a disinterested sigh. “Whatever. Let’s just get through this.”
“Agreed,” Quinn adds and suddenly Kurt feels like his whole body’s just been doused with freezing water, chest contracting and heart pounding and he gasps as Quinn grabs his arm. “Kurt?”
“Oh, God,” Kurt moans, nearly falling over (he would have if Sam hadn’t suddenly come out of nowhere and caught him, anyway) and he leans against the blonde’s chest, shivering harshly.
“He’s here, isn’t he?” Blaine asks softly, reaching to rub Kurt’s back and trying to calm him down. “Breathe, babe, he can’t hurt you here.”
“I…” Kurt takes a shuddery breath and stands up a little straighter, Sam still holding him tightly just in case. “Thank you. I think…I can still feel it, but I’m okay. I think.”
“You’re sure?” Sam asks, looking into his eyes.
“Yeah. If I don’t go out there? He’ll know. I’m sure Derek’s given him a description of me and if I don’t show up he’ll know I have a way to sense him. I have to act like nothing’s out of the ordinary,” Kurt decides, swallowing harshly and pushing himself away from Sam to stand on his own.
“Has Wes gotten you a picture yet?” Blaine asks and Kurt shakes his head.
“He told me that Derek’s working on it but his father’s watching him like a hawk, probably trying to figure out if Derek’s actually helping us or not,” he sighs and absently reaches up to fix his hair. “So right now I have no idea who he is, and with the number of people out there I doubt I’ll figure it out.”
“We’re on in five minutes,” Santana sounds unnaturally subdued as she slides an arm around Kurt’s shoulders and hugs him.
“I’ll be okay,” Kurt assures her with a tremulous smile. “Promise.”
“Kurt!” Finn comes rushing to their side of the stage, wrapping Kurt up in a fierce embrace as Kurt hangs onto him as tightly as he can. “Quinn came and got me, I…”
“It’s okay; I’m okay,” Kurt pats his back and lets himself lean into Finn’s embrace for a few moments. “Now get back there and take your place.”
“But…”
“Nothing’s wrong. We have to act normal,” Kurt glances around before kissing Finn quickly and giving him a push toward the other end of the stage. “He’s not going to try anything in the middle of a crowded gymnasium, besides.”
“Hopefully,” Santana puts in. “I think we’ve learned by now that anything can happen at these assemblies, and…Kurt?”
Kurt coughs, covering his nose. “Garlic. He’s…got garlic,” Kurt decides after a moment, sniffing the air carefully. “And a lot of it.”
“So, this should be easy. We look for the guy who nobody wants to sit by,” Santana crosses her arms and grins as Kurt holds an arm across his stomach and moans quietly.
“Santana, I think we may have another wet cleanup today on stage if this keeps up,” Kurt warns her, because while it isn’t nearly as overpowering as the time Carole was making spaghetti sauce, it’s still pretty bad and it’s making his stomach turn.
“Just run offstage if you’re gonna blow chunks,” she says, although she’s looking at him with some sympathy.
“Thanks. Finn, go,” he pushes Finn again and Finn finally nods and leaves, leaning down to kiss Kurt’s forehead before he heads for the other side of the stage. “God,” Kurt covers his nose again and gags.
“Hey! Wait!” Quinn perks up, looking like she has an idea. “Does anybody have strong perfume or cologne? If we spray it on you you’ll smell that instead of the garlic.”
“Quinn, darling, I hope you know that cheap cologne gives me hives,” Kurt sniffs and she rolls her eyes.
“Sam, what’s that stuff you wear? That’s expensive, right?”
“Um, it was totally a gift from like my uncle or somebody, but yeah,” he admits. “Gimme a minute.”
“You’ve got three until we’re on, Trouty Mouth,” Santana calls as he rushes off, but he comes back in about half a minute and holds a bottle out to Kurt. “This okay?”
“Armani,” Kurt looks at the bottle and smiles. “I’m impressed, Mr. Evans.”
“Well, I try,” Sam grins and turns to look at Blaine, who returns the smile.
“I knew it was high end, but I didn’t know what it was,” the dark-haired boy admits, and Quinn turns to him curiously.
“How would you know? Have you been spending a lot of time with Sam?”
“Um…I just…I went over to visit one day when he was stuck in bed and I was dropping Finn off,” Sam flounders, a blush evident on his pale skin, and Quinn gives him a knowing smirk and shares a rather significant glance with Santana that tells Kurt they’ll be discussing this later.
“Is there something you want to tell us, Sam?”
“Am I not allowed to hang out with Blaine? The guy’s cool,” Sam puts his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and Kurt can see Blaine lean subtly into his touch.
“One minute!” Rachel pops in from somewhere and hisses before taking off again, and Kurt sprays the cologne far more liberally than he ever would and is surprised to find that, with his heightened sense of smell, it really does completely overpower the scent of the garlic.
“Better?” Quinn asks hopefully.
“Much. Thank you, Sam.”
“No problem, dude,” Sam takes the bottle back and sets it on a table backstage. “Now, let’s get out there and give ‘em a show.”
000
Kurt goes backstage after, a slight hint of garlic taking over even the…he sniffs at the cologne again…citrus and bergamot, he’d say, that’s in there. But he got through the performance flawlessly, if he says so himself, and this more than anything makes him realize just how much he’s missed it here.
He’s looking mostly unlike himself at the moment, in his costume from the performance and his hair sweat-slick and sticking to his forehead, so when he passes the man in the hallway he notices him immediately although the man seems to walk right by him.
He stops and pretends to fiddle with a locker that isn’t his, sneaking a glance at the man who looks remarkably like Derek.
So this is Mr. Brown, then, he thinks, jiggling the lock and looking for as long as he thinks won’t be suspicious before moving down the hall and stifling a cough at the rush of garlic-scented wind that follows the man down the hall.
He moves on quickly to the choir room, boots clicking against the tiles in the hall, and closes the door behind him when he gets in.
“So. I just passed by Mr. Brown in the hall, but from what I can gather he does not, in fact, know what I look like. At least, he ignored me completely so I can only assume this to be the case,” he mentions casually, going to sit down before anybody could freak out on him (and they would, he’s quite sure of that).
“What the crap, man?!” Puck’s the first to break the silence, shooting to his feet. “He could have, like, killed you right there!”
“Noah, he didn’t…”
“I don’t believe for a second that he didn’t know who you were; he has to know…”
“Actually, if I may?” Blaine calls and Puck stops yelling to look at him. “The fact may well be that Mr. Brown only received from Derek the information about where Kurt goes to school and that he’s part of the Glee Club here. The only time Derek and Kurt have met face-to-face was when Derek came to see me in the hospital, and I somehow doubt he’d tell his father that he came to apologize to the man he’d stabbed in the chest.”
“You make a good point,” Artie admits. “But we can’t take that chance. We have to assume that he does know what Kurt looks like.”
“Okay, so we assume that,” Quinn agrees with a short nod. “There’s not much we can do about it now except keep close to Kurt so he’s never left alone for too long.”
“Again,” Kurt sighs, dropping into a chair beside Blaine who pats his leg.
“Babe, you walked back alone today and look what happened.”
“Yes, thank you, I know. More bodyguards,” Kurt rolls his eyes and drops his head onto Blaine’s shoulder, sighing heavily. “Please don’t follow me into bathroom stalls; that’s all I ask.”
“Promise, dude,” Sam assures him. “Besides, if he’s waiting in a bathroom stall for you he’s a lot sicker than we’re giving him credit for.”
“Right. Well. If that’s all, and we’re finished, I think I’m going to head home. Coming?” he asks Blaine, who seems to think for a moment.
“Actually, I might stick around for a while. If that’s okay,” he adds and Kurt shrugs.
“If you want. Give me a call when you want to be picked up, okay?” Kurt gives the other boy’s hand a squeeze before standing. “Finn?”
“Yeah, dude,” Finn lumbers down the stairs and puts his arm around Kurt’s shoulders, pressing his lips against the shorter teen’s temple as Kurt huffs and leans into him. “Let’s get home.”
000
Blaine’s fingers skim over the keys, the sound echoing rather pleasantly in the empty auditorium, and as such he doesn’t hear the door squeak open or the footsteps start to cross the stage. Kurt had told him that most of them had come in here at one time or another to practice or play the rather impressive instrument and that as long as it was free he was welcome to do the same.
And yes, Kurt has a piano, but there’s something…powerful about playing on a grand piano, lid up and watching the hammers strike the strings. He guesses that Kurt probably wishes he could own a grand or at least an upright, but he’s admitted that at least having an electric piano means that Finn can play around with all of the different instrument sounds that are stored on there.
He finishes the song and hears somebody clearing their throat behind him so he turns, a little surprised.
“Oh. Hello, Sam.”
“Hey, man,” Sam pulls over a nearby stool and perches on it, staring at the piano. “You’re really good.”
“No, I’m not,” Blaine shakes his head. “I’m passable, but you should hear Kurt play: he’s far more advanced than I could ever hope to be.”
“Whatever, dude; you can at least play the thing. I can play guitar alright but I’m hopeless when it comes to piano,” Sam grins and Blaine definitely feels a flutter of pride at those words.
“Well, thank you,” Blaine inclines his head slightly, turning himself on the bench so he can look at the blonde. “Is there a particular reason you’ve come after me?”
“Dude, I just wanted to ask you about…”
“Kurt’s apparent indifference in regard to Derek’s father?” Blaine raises an eyebrow and Sam gawks at him for a few seconds before nodding. “Don’t worry about it. Kurt’s…proud, and while I have no doubt he’s a little fed up with the constant shadowing that we’re all doing, he knows that it’s necessary and he’s not nearly as annoyed as he pretends to be. And I think he’s also trying to be aloof to hide the fact that he really is terrified but he doesn’t want anybody…except Finn and maybe, maybe me…to see him break down,” he adds, pretty sure he’s right on the mark with this speculation, and Sam nods.
“That makes sense,” he admits, scooching closer to the piano and letting his arms rest on top of the instrument. “I’m just worried, y’know? None of us have ever been through anything like this before. I mean, the bullying was bad but we can handle that, but this…”
“I know. I suppose, being at Dalton, I’d grown used to the rumors even if I’d never fully believed them, but to experience it in reality…”
“It’s rough, dude,” Sam reaches out to pat his shoulder and Blaine leans instinctively toward the touch. He’s decided, after spending a few days with the Club, that Sam’s more than decent and he definitely wouldn’t mind trying…something with him, if the other boy will ever admit to not being totally straight, that is. “Anyway, if you’re ready to head out, I can give you a ride so Kurt doesn’t have to drive all the way back here.”
“That would be great. Thank you,” Blaine smiles and goes to stand up, and what happens next feels like it should be a part of some cheesy romantic comedy and not real life, because for whatever reason Blaine completely forgets that he can’t just bound out of his seat like a normal person and this results in a rather sharp, stabbing pain shooting through his chest.
Which results in him losing his balance and falling basically into Sam’s arms.
“Hey, you alright?” Sam asks, pulling him upright but keeping him in a loose embrace.
“Yeah. Just…forgot,” Blaine realizes how lame that sounds because he’s not usually one to forget anything that important, but it’s the truth.
“What is it with people falling into my arms today, man? First Kurt, then you,” Sam shakes his head.
“Sorry about that,” Blaine straightens up, tilting his head up and yes, there’s a proximity issue here and he has a feeling that if he just throws all caution to the winds and kisses Sam things are going to end badly so he’d better back off for now.
“Um,” Sam’s blinking down at him, one arm tight around his waist, and Blaine pushes himself away. “Hey, if you need help to walk out or something it’s cool.”
The shorter boy takes a couple of steps and decides that help certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing so he nods and Sam loops an arm around his middle again, steering him toward the door. “Thank you.”
“No problem, dude,” Sam gives him what could probably be considered a one-armed hug but is more likely just some platonic guy-thing.
He’s not getting his hopes up.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Santana marches up to them in the hall as they near the exit, looking like she’s got a rather fixed purpose. “I’m not gonna ask because y’alls can get freaky on your own time and whatever, but I meant to give this to Kurt earlier and he took off, so here: it’s a present for him and Frankenteen,” she holds out a pair of handcuffs and Blaine takes them cautiously.
“Um…”
“Puck and I wanted to get them something but the sex shop wouldn’t believe we were eighteen so they kicked us out. It’s the best we could do,” she shrugs. “Here, I want you to keep the extra key because Finn’s just gonna lose the first one.”
“Um…” Blaine says again, wondering where his normal eloquence has gone. “Why?”
“Look, Frodo, you may not know this, but Finn and I have had sex, okay? I know he’s probably the most boring man in bed I’ve ever met so if they’re going to stick this out, they’ve gots to find some excitement, she tells him, hands moving constantly and cocking her head from side-to-side at the end which in his books reminds him of some sort of bird.
He decides that Santana scares him a little and takes the handcuffs. “Okay. I’ll pass that along.”
“Great. And, y’know, I’m sure if they’re willing to give them up the two of you could find a use for them as well,” she smirks and turns around, walking briskly down the hall as Blaine blinks after her, still holding the handcuffs up.
“Yeah, she’s something, isn’t she?” Sam sounds a little wistful and Blaine turns to him.
“Oh, right, you dated her.”
“Nor for long, but she’s pretty cool,” the blonde informs him as they exit the school. “And I get the feeling she likes you so you don’t have to be scared of her.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Blaine gives him a weak smile as they reach Sam’s truck and the other boy holds the door open for him. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Sam heads around to the driver’s side and gets in, starting the truck and pulling out of the parking lot and onto the street.
Blaine watches him out of the corner of his eye for a while, still trying to figure out the best way to casually bring up the…question of mutual attraction without Sam thinking Blaine is some kind of creep. He knows Sam likes him; at least, he doesn’t know any other straight boys who would do as much for an openly gay kid as Sam’s done for him, so he knows there’s some sort of connection between them.
Glancing at the handcuffs, he wonders absently how Kurt’s going to feel about Santana’s…present, as it were.
And he really, really hopes Finn doesn’t come banging on his door in the middle of the night for the extra key.
Of course, like Santana said, with Finn…well, it’s something he’d better be prepared for.
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Notes:
1. Yes, more Blam in this chapter. Hope that’s okay :)
2. I talk a lot about cologne in this fic, don’t I? Anyway, the cologne Sam’s using is called ‘Armani Code,’ and while I’ve never actually smelt the cologne I got the perfume as a gift and it’s really nice (it has, like, orange and ginger or something in it) so I thought I’d use the men’s version of it for the fic.
3. The handcuffs are a gift from BiestesNiece that were given for the boys to use, so I figured I’d best take advantage of that, and the suggestion of giving Blaine the extra key to counter the fact that Finn will inevitably misplace the first one was also from them, so thank you :D I’m sure the boys will appreciate the gift!
4. That’s it. I can’t believe this story’s gone on for 30 chapters already!!!