fic: underneath and unexplored.
24. Emma.
Some days, like today, Emma really loves her job.
Other days, not so much. As a high school guidance counselor, she hears an awful lot of sad stories. Trouble at home (she can relate, just a phone call with her parents leaves her re-organizing her kitchen cabinets for hours), trouble in school, trouble with relationships, trouble with drugs or alcohol, trouble with unplanned pregancy. Trouble trouble trouble. Trouble is starting to not seem like a real word, she thinks, as she straightens the items on her desk.
But today? Today she likes her job. Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson are adorable. She'd stopped by the choir room during glee club to invite them both to her office for a chat, and stayed to watch them perform a duet of "God Only Knows" that had made her as giddy as a little girl, even if songs by The Beach Boys always remind her, for some reason, of Carl and their failed marriage. Still, it had been delightful, and Emma had even caught Santana smiling as she watched. I should call her in for a talk soon too, come to think of it.
Blaine and Kurt arrive in her office right on time, looking cautious. Their outfits complement each other nicely -- the stripes on Blaine's bowtie are the exact colors of Kurt's shirt and jacket -- and she wonders if they planned it. She likes the effect; it's soothing.
"Hello, boys," Emma says with a wave. "Will you take a seat?"
Blaine nods and steps towards the chairs to sit, but pauses when Kurt lays a hand on his forearm.
"Are we in trouble?" Kurt asks, narrowing his eyes.
"What? No, not at all," Emma says. "I'm the guidance counselor, not the principal! I just wanted to check in with you both and see how you're doing."
"Oh," Kurt says, mollified. He sweeps in and sits down, crossing his legs neatly. Blaine throws himself down in the other chair and scoots it slightly closer to Kurt. Emma smiles at both boys.
"So, as you two may know, you're the first openly gay couple in McKinley history, and as your guidance counselor I just wanted to let you know that I'm always available to you."
"Thank you, Ms. Pillsbury," Blaine says earnestly. "That's very nice of you, and we really appreciate it."
"You don't have to thank me, Blaine, it's my job. But on a personal level," she continues, lowering her voice, "you also have my full support."
"Thanks," Kurt says, giving her a small smile. "Is that everything? We have plans to rehearse for Nationals during lunch. Gay or otherwise, the show must go on!"
"Actually, Kurt, Ms. Maxwell mentioned that another student was verbally harassing you in her class this morning. She was rather...unhappy about it."
"What?" Blaine asks, turning to look at Kurt. He bites his lip, his eyebrows furrowed. "Why didn't you tell me about that?"
"I hadn't gotten a chance. Besides, it was nothing," Kurt says dismissively, fluttering a hand. "Azimio was being an imbecile as usual and I told him he was just bitter that I'm the one with the ridiculously hot boyfriend."
Blaine perks up. "You said that?!"
"I did," Kurt says with a shrug. "Because you are."
Blaine beams and takes his hand. "You are, too. Crazy hot."
Kurt laughs. "Crazy hot?"
"Crazy hot."
I think they've completely forgotten that I'm here.
"Yes, well," Emma cuts in, and both boys' heads snap toward her. They did forget I was here! "Ms. Maxwell said you handled yourself extremely well, and she reported Azimio to Principal Figgins, so hopefully he won't bother you again. But I do want to make sure you have someone to talk to if you have any other problems."
"He has me," Blaine says without hesitation, and Kurt smiles.
I wonder if Will and I could ever be so darn sweet together. Maybe. I hope so.
"That's great that you two have each other," she says sincerely. "But I meant an adult to talk to. Can I ask how things are at home?"
"They're really good for me," Kurt says softly, glancing at Blaine. "My dad and Carole have been wonderful. And Finn, is...well, he's trying." He shrugs. "He means well."
"I'm glad to hear it," Emma says. "What about you, Blaine? How are things with your family?"
"We don't really talk about it," he says, and Emma sees Kurt squeeze Blaine's hand. "They're not especially happy with me, but it's all right. I've got Kurt, and his parents are great. And Mike said I can stay at his house whenever I want, so... it's fine."
Emma pauses.
"They haven't -- you're still living at home, though?"
"Yes, yes," Blaine says quickly. "They didn't kick me out or anything. It's just, you know. Family."
"I understand," she says, nodding. "I really do. If you ever want to talk about it..."
He ducks his head and smiles at her. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
"Please do," Emma says. She reaches for the pamphlets that she has stacked in a neat pile in the center of her desk. "Before you go, I wanted to give you these. I only have one copy of each -- they're actually just samples, since I didn't know when I'd ever have a use for them -- but I hoped you two wouldn't mind sharing."
She holds out the small stack, and Blaine reaches for them. He reads the title of the top pamphlet aloud.
"You Want to Put What Where?: A Beginner's Guide to Sex for Gay Teens. Uh. Wow. Thanks?"
"Yes, well," Emma says, feeling herself blush. "They're not all that, um, specialized. Most of them are focused on the more social aspects of being a gay teenager." Two quick pumps of hand sanitizer bring her back to baseline, and she continues. "I'm new at this particular issue, but I just wanted you both to know you're not alone, and there are plenty of people at this school and in the community who support you."
"Thanks," they say in unison, and they grin at each other.
"We're fine, honestly," Kurt says, rising to his feet and straightening his jacket. "But thank you for reaching out and for the, uh, pamphlets."
"I'm sure they'll be very educational," Blaine says, laughing, then clapping a hand over his mouth when Kurt glares at him. "I'm sorry," he says, still giggling. "It's not funny."
Kurt snorts and shakes his head, his eyes sparkling. "Fine, you're a little bit funny," he says, and Blaine grabs his hand, and Emma knows she's been forgotten again.
On the way out of the office, Blaine's so busy smiling at Kurt that he collides with a heavyset blonde girl in glasses, who ends up with half of the pamphlets in her hands. She glances down at them, then back up at the boys, quickly looking back and forth between the two.
"Oh," she says, passing the pamphlets back to Blaine. "Oh, how cute!"
"Thanks," Blaine says, grinning at her. "See, Ms. Pillsbury? We'll be just fine."
"I think you will be, too," Emma says with a smile. "I really do."
Today, Emma definitely likes her job.
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