Glee fanfic: New Fashion (2)
Media: Fanfic
Title: New fashion
Part: 2 of 5
Word Count: 2174
Author: lola_mejor
Summary: Kurt and Blaine continue their relationship following Kurt's transfer back to McKinley high.
Characters: Kurt, Blaine, Burt Hummel, Mr Anderson
Rating: PG
Category: Angst/Romance
Author's Note: This is part two of a five-part fic. Part 1 is here. My aim with this fic is to provide part of the story that isn't (and probably won't be) on-screen, but is still consistent with what we see on-screen. If in the future the official canon contradicts my story, please keep that in mind.
--
Kurt scrutinised his skin in the mirror as he applied his routine skincare products for the evening, moving his fingers on his cheeks with rhythmic precision, in time with the Lady Gaga track playing on his computer.
The sound faded mid-song and Kurt looked expectantly to see who was skyping him, nearly putting a glob of moisturiser in his mouth as he opened his mouth to grin while clicking "answer" on the screen.
"Hey I'm glad you're still up," Blaine's image appeared in semi-pixellated form before clearing against the softly-lit background of his room, lit only by a small lamp. "Sorry I didn't call or text earlier - I got your texts but... you know."
Kurt didn't really know, but tried not to make a big deal of the fact that he'd heard nothing from Blaine for almost four hours.
"Sure it's fine," he said with deliberate nonchalance. "I'm glad you called now - I didn't see you come online." He paused, checking the image of himself on the screen to see that he didn't have any obvious bits of un-spread moisturiser remaining on his face. "How did dinner go?" he tried to ask casually.
Blaine ran his fingers through his hair, shaking it loose from the hair gel a bit and looked away from the computer as he spoke. "Dinner was... dinner. There was food..." he stopped for a moment, "I don't know - is it better to have tense conversation or tense silence?"
"I don't know," Kurt wished he could reach through the screen and touch Blaine. "Which was it this time?"
"Silence." Blaine place his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in his hands. "I think my dad suspects that something is going on with me but is too afraid to ask."
"So why don't you tell him?" Kurt knew he was in dangerous territory but the issue could not be ignored.
"I-" Blaine fidgeted and cast his eyes down to the desk in front of him, his hand reaching for a pen and twirling it between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't know... it's complicated." He looked up for a moment before concentrating again on the twirling pen. "He's not like your dad, Kurt." Blaine's voice dropped to almost a whisper, "he doesn't love me like yours loves you."
At that moment Kurt's door sprung open with a simultaneous knock and Finn barged in, holding two T-shirts against his chest.
"Kurt, Quinn won't tell me which of these is more suitable for our date tomorrow night and I-" he stopped, realising that the room was completely silent, and looked to the desk where Kurt was sitting to see the computer and Blaine's face on the screen. "Oh, hey Blaine," he said, then paused. "Sorry Kurt," he added, looking to his step-brother, "I really shoulda knocked... hey is everything ok?"
What had been left of Blaine's resolve had disappeared while Finn was talking. He had bowed his head, clenching his fists.
"Finn - leave," Kurt hissed angrily and glared at his step-brother's hasty retreat. He quickly turned back to Blaine. "Hey, Blaine? Talk to me. Tell me what's going on - please?"
Blaine rubbed his eyes tiredly, taking deep breaths before speaking again. "You don't know how lucky you are, Kurt," he said. "Your dad... Finn... Carol... They just love you for you. I- gosh..." he grimaced with annoyance. "I spend my whole time at home just praying that someone will include and accept me for me me like you're included and accepted - but it's like we live in a prison and we're all in solitary confinement... and even during the hour of rec time we get each day for dinner, we're not allowed to talk to each other or we talk so mechanically we may as well not be talking at all." He stopped for a moment, calming himself again, and looked directly at Kurt through the computer: "I just feel so trapped."
Kurt didn't know what to say, and he felt a couple of tears fall to his cheeks, like those he could see Blaine trying to blink away. "You don't have to be trapped Blaine," he said, defiant through the pain. "You broke out of that prison once by telling your father that you're gay. If you're trapped again, and if you feel they're not accepting you for you, then as soon as you tell them about me - about us - it has to start getting better because you will have shown them all of you."
Blaine looked into the webcam uncertainly. "I've already told you it didn't go well at first last time Kurt - when I came out." He buried his face in his hands, but then snapped his head up abruptly and looked over his shoulder. "I gotta go," he said, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "I'll see you later."
"Blaine wait - maybe seeing me on the screen could help-" Kurt was mid-sentence as the connection was lost.
He sat staring at the screen for some minutes. The Lady Gaga track faded back in and continued playing, but the music and words didn't penetrate. Kurt's thoughts were miles away as he tried to imagine what was happening in Blaine's bedroom. He picked up his phone and typed a couple of encouraging messages, deleting them each time; mindful that if Blaine was in some sort of confrontation, receiving a text message from Kurt may not help.
Or maybe it could force the issue into the open, he thought, and began typing again.
Before he could press 'send', there was a soft knock at the door, followed - this time a couple of respectful seconds later - by Finn's cautious voice as he pushed the door a couple of inches open.
"Kurt? Everything ok?" Finn pushed the door further open once he was sure he wasn't interrupting anything.
"Sorry 'bout before," he raised his hands in a gesture of apology, "You know how Quinn stresses me out with her demands." Finn sat down on the end of Kurt's bed and waited for his stepbrother to speak.
"You should wear the light blue shirt," Kurt said after a moment, putting his phone - text message still unsent - on the desk in front of him. "It looks better against your skin-tone in the artificial light of Breadstix."
"Oh right," Finn nodded quickly. "Thanks." He fidgeted for a moment on the bed and was just getting up to leave Kurt's room when the sound of Kurt's voice again stopped him.
"Do you think it would have been different for Quinn if you hadn't have told her parents that she was pregnant last year?" Finn sat back down quickly, taken aback by the question. "I mean," Kurt continued, "did her dad throw her out because he was suddenly confronted with her pregnancy by the person he thought got her pregnant, or would he have done the same no matter how he found out?" Kurt swivelled on his chair and began picking and preening at his pants as silence filled the room.
"Everything was... is... always so complicated with Quinn," Finn began, thinking back over the situation only one year ago and shaking his head at how different things had been. "There was so much lying and manipulation back then - not just her, but her mom and dad too. They've all learned a lot since I think." As Finn said the words, he started to wonder whether that was in fact true, but shook the thought off and concentrated on Kurt's question.
"I think the most important thing back then was to have the truth out in the open." He said, nodding his head to himself as if in reassurance. "I mean, things got worse at first - but look at them now right?" He looked to Kurt, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Just because the truth causes trouble at first, doesn't mean it wasn't the right way to go. I don't regret what I did."
While Finn had been talking, Burt had come to Kurt's door from the hallway.
"That's partly right," he boys jolted slightly hearing Burt's voice, having not realised he was there, "the truth always comes out eventually and even if it causes trouble it is better to be out there." Burt paused for a moment, measuring his next words carefully. "But, if it's not your truth to tell then it's not your place to reveal it." He looked directly at Finn for a moment. "Especially since, as you well know Finn, you might not actually have the whole truth."
Burt looked from one boy to the other, deciphering what had brought this conversation to the fore. "Finn, would you mind giving me and Kurt a minute? Your mom wants you to say goodnight to her before bed anyway." Finn stood up awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," he said, making a quick exit. "G'night Kurt."
Kurt nodded his thanks to Finn and took his phone into his hand again, considering the message he had typed but had still not sent - he was more torn than ever as to what to do. He felt his father move closer and sit down a few feet away on the closer-side of the bed.
"Is this about Blaine?" Burt asked quietly.
"Uh huh". Kurt didn't look up, his eyes fixed instead on the unsent message. "He hasn't told his dad that we're going out." He looked up into his father's eyes. "It's like he's afraid or something - but his dad knows he's gay so what's the big deal?" Kurt's eyes pleaded with his father's for answers.
"First off, I'm sure his reluctance to tell his dad about you two isn't in any way a reflection of his feelings for you," Burt said, getting the obvious out of the way. "From what I saw when you got home before dinner tonight I get the feeling his home-life isn't too pleasant right now, right?" he paused for confirmation as Kurt nodded his head. "But it's his home-life Kurt, and you need to let him deal with it his way."
Kurt's eyes flashed with frustration and he looked up at his father. "But he's not dealing with it at all - and to make it worse he says feels like a prisoner in his house. His father doesn't-... he won't-... I feel like I have to help!"
"I know, I know." Burt placed a reassuring hand on his son's knee. "But sometimes there's nothing we can do to help the people we love, no matter how much we want to. We just have to be there for them."
"But I want so badly to help - I don't even know how to be there for him... to let him know, like he let me know, that he's not alone." Kurt's hands started shaking. "And I want to help him be strong - help him stand up to his father and break through-"
"Kurt, you cannot do this for Blaine - he has to do it himself." he said firmly, a clear warning tone in his voice. "You don't know the full story, and you could make things worse."
"But his father needs to face the truth?" Kurt said hopefully. "You said yourself it's better when people know the truth-"
"You're being selective about what I said," Burt responded quickly but calmly. "Sure, being honest with people and telling the truth is important - but whatever Blaine's issues with his father, you can't face them for him. At best you can be there with him when he confronts his father, if he wants you there, but," Burt paused to emphasise the word, "but, it is still Blaine's issue to resolve and you need to leave it to him to do that."
Kurt's phone chirped loudly, breaking the silence that had settled after Burt's last words.
"That him?" Burt nodded towards the phone. "I'll let you get ready for bed. Don't be chatting too late." He got up and started moving out of the room. "I love you, Kurt." He said while paused in the doorway. "I know you'll be there for Blaine, and I know you'll do the right thing."
"Thanks Dad," Kurt lifted his head and smiled weakly at his father. "For everything." He watched the door close behind his father before looking at the text again.
New house rule regarding phone - don't try to text or call until I message you in the morning with an all-clear. Wish I could say good night to you properly. xx
"And now I'm trapped too." Kurt said with melancholy, throwing the phone to the side in disgust. He shut his computer down and let silence settle over the room. Slowly and deliberately, he got up, changed into pyjamas, and flopped down onto his bed, putting a pillow over his head. He remained like that until sleep came, his pillow damp with the frustrated tears he had tried to keep in.
---
Link to Part 3.
Title: New fashion
Part: 2 of 5
Word Count: 2174
Author: lola_mejor
Summary: Kurt and Blaine continue their relationship following Kurt's transfer back to McKinley high.
Characters: Kurt, Blaine, Burt Hummel, Mr Anderson
Rating: PG
Category: Angst/Romance
Author's Note: This is part two of a five-part fic. Part 1 is here. My aim with this fic is to provide part of the story that isn't (and probably won't be) on-screen, but is still consistent with what we see on-screen. If in the future the official canon contradicts my story, please keep that in mind.
--
Kurt scrutinised his skin in the mirror as he applied his routine skincare products for the evening, moving his fingers on his cheeks with rhythmic precision, in time with the Lady Gaga track playing on his computer.
The sound faded mid-song and Kurt looked expectantly to see who was skyping him, nearly putting a glob of moisturiser in his mouth as he opened his mouth to grin while clicking "answer" on the screen.
"Hey I'm glad you're still up," Blaine's image appeared in semi-pixellated form before clearing against the softly-lit background of his room, lit only by a small lamp. "Sorry I didn't call or text earlier - I got your texts but... you know."
Kurt didn't really know, but tried not to make a big deal of the fact that he'd heard nothing from Blaine for almost four hours.
"Sure it's fine," he said with deliberate nonchalance. "I'm glad you called now - I didn't see you come online." He paused, checking the image of himself on the screen to see that he didn't have any obvious bits of un-spread moisturiser remaining on his face. "How did dinner go?" he tried to ask casually.
Blaine ran his fingers through his hair, shaking it loose from the hair gel a bit and looked away from the computer as he spoke. "Dinner was... dinner. There was food..." he stopped for a moment, "I don't know - is it better to have tense conversation or tense silence?"
"I don't know," Kurt wished he could reach through the screen and touch Blaine. "Which was it this time?"
"Silence." Blaine place his elbows on the desk and rested his chin in his hands. "I think my dad suspects that something is going on with me but is too afraid to ask."
"So why don't you tell him?" Kurt knew he was in dangerous territory but the issue could not be ignored.
"I-" Blaine fidgeted and cast his eyes down to the desk in front of him, his hand reaching for a pen and twirling it between his thumb and forefinger. "I don't know... it's complicated." He looked up for a moment before concentrating again on the twirling pen. "He's not like your dad, Kurt." Blaine's voice dropped to almost a whisper, "he doesn't love me like yours loves you."
At that moment Kurt's door sprung open with a simultaneous knock and Finn barged in, holding two T-shirts against his chest.
"Kurt, Quinn won't tell me which of these is more suitable for our date tomorrow night and I-" he stopped, realising that the room was completely silent, and looked to the desk where Kurt was sitting to see the computer and Blaine's face on the screen. "Oh, hey Blaine," he said, then paused. "Sorry Kurt," he added, looking to his step-brother, "I really shoulda knocked... hey is everything ok?"
What had been left of Blaine's resolve had disappeared while Finn was talking. He had bowed his head, clenching his fists.
"Finn - leave," Kurt hissed angrily and glared at his step-brother's hasty retreat. He quickly turned back to Blaine. "Hey, Blaine? Talk to me. Tell me what's going on - please?"
Blaine rubbed his eyes tiredly, taking deep breaths before speaking again. "You don't know how lucky you are, Kurt," he said. "Your dad... Finn... Carol... They just love you for you. I- gosh..." he grimaced with annoyance. "I spend my whole time at home just praying that someone will include and accept me for me me like you're included and accepted - but it's like we live in a prison and we're all in solitary confinement... and even during the hour of rec time we get each day for dinner, we're not allowed to talk to each other or we talk so mechanically we may as well not be talking at all." He stopped for a moment, calming himself again, and looked directly at Kurt through the computer: "I just feel so trapped."
Kurt didn't know what to say, and he felt a couple of tears fall to his cheeks, like those he could see Blaine trying to blink away. "You don't have to be trapped Blaine," he said, defiant through the pain. "You broke out of that prison once by telling your father that you're gay. If you're trapped again, and if you feel they're not accepting you for you, then as soon as you tell them about me - about us - it has to start getting better because you will have shown them all of you."
Blaine looked into the webcam uncertainly. "I've already told you it didn't go well at first last time Kurt - when I came out." He buried his face in his hands, but then snapped his head up abruptly and looked over his shoulder. "I gotta go," he said, wiping his face with a handkerchief. "I'll see you later."
"Blaine wait - maybe seeing me on the screen could help-" Kurt was mid-sentence as the connection was lost.
He sat staring at the screen for some minutes. The Lady Gaga track faded back in and continued playing, but the music and words didn't penetrate. Kurt's thoughts were miles away as he tried to imagine what was happening in Blaine's bedroom. He picked up his phone and typed a couple of encouraging messages, deleting them each time; mindful that if Blaine was in some sort of confrontation, receiving a text message from Kurt may not help.
Or maybe it could force the issue into the open, he thought, and began typing again.
Before he could press 'send', there was a soft knock at the door, followed - this time a couple of respectful seconds later - by Finn's cautious voice as he pushed the door a couple of inches open.
"Kurt? Everything ok?" Finn pushed the door further open once he was sure he wasn't interrupting anything.
"Sorry 'bout before," he raised his hands in a gesture of apology, "You know how Quinn stresses me out with her demands." Finn sat down on the end of Kurt's bed and waited for his stepbrother to speak.
"You should wear the light blue shirt," Kurt said after a moment, putting his phone - text message still unsent - on the desk in front of him. "It looks better against your skin-tone in the artificial light of Breadstix."
"Oh right," Finn nodded quickly. "Thanks." He fidgeted for a moment on the bed and was just getting up to leave Kurt's room when the sound of Kurt's voice again stopped him.
"Do you think it would have been different for Quinn if you hadn't have told her parents that she was pregnant last year?" Finn sat back down quickly, taken aback by the question. "I mean," Kurt continued, "did her dad throw her out because he was suddenly confronted with her pregnancy by the person he thought got her pregnant, or would he have done the same no matter how he found out?" Kurt swivelled on his chair and began picking and preening at his pants as silence filled the room.
"Everything was... is... always so complicated with Quinn," Finn began, thinking back over the situation only one year ago and shaking his head at how different things had been. "There was so much lying and manipulation back then - not just her, but her mom and dad too. They've all learned a lot since I think." As Finn said the words, he started to wonder whether that was in fact true, but shook the thought off and concentrated on Kurt's question.
"I think the most important thing back then was to have the truth out in the open." He said, nodding his head to himself as if in reassurance. "I mean, things got worse at first - but look at them now right?" He looked to Kurt, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Just because the truth causes trouble at first, doesn't mean it wasn't the right way to go. I don't regret what I did."
While Finn had been talking, Burt had come to Kurt's door from the hallway.
"That's partly right," he boys jolted slightly hearing Burt's voice, having not realised he was there, "the truth always comes out eventually and even if it causes trouble it is better to be out there." Burt paused for a moment, measuring his next words carefully. "But, if it's not your truth to tell then it's not your place to reveal it." He looked directly at Finn for a moment. "Especially since, as you well know Finn, you might not actually have the whole truth."
Burt looked from one boy to the other, deciphering what had brought this conversation to the fore. "Finn, would you mind giving me and Kurt a minute? Your mom wants you to say goodnight to her before bed anyway." Finn stood up awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," he said, making a quick exit. "G'night Kurt."
Kurt nodded his thanks to Finn and took his phone into his hand again, considering the message he had typed but had still not sent - he was more torn than ever as to what to do. He felt his father move closer and sit down a few feet away on the closer-side of the bed.
"Is this about Blaine?" Burt asked quietly.
"Uh huh". Kurt didn't look up, his eyes fixed instead on the unsent message. "He hasn't told his dad that we're going out." He looked up into his father's eyes. "It's like he's afraid or something - but his dad knows he's gay so what's the big deal?" Kurt's eyes pleaded with his father's for answers.
"First off, I'm sure his reluctance to tell his dad about you two isn't in any way a reflection of his feelings for you," Burt said, getting the obvious out of the way. "From what I saw when you got home before dinner tonight I get the feeling his home-life isn't too pleasant right now, right?" he paused for confirmation as Kurt nodded his head. "But it's his home-life Kurt, and you need to let him deal with it his way."
Kurt's eyes flashed with frustration and he looked up at his father. "But he's not dealing with it at all - and to make it worse he says feels like a prisoner in his house. His father doesn't-... he won't-... I feel like I have to help!"
"I know, I know." Burt placed a reassuring hand on his son's knee. "But sometimes there's nothing we can do to help the people we love, no matter how much we want to. We just have to be there for them."
"But I want so badly to help - I don't even know how to be there for him... to let him know, like he let me know, that he's not alone." Kurt's hands started shaking. "And I want to help him be strong - help him stand up to his father and break through-"
"Kurt, you cannot do this for Blaine - he has to do it himself." he said firmly, a clear warning tone in his voice. "You don't know the full story, and you could make things worse."
"But his father needs to face the truth?" Kurt said hopefully. "You said yourself it's better when people know the truth-"
"You're being selective about what I said," Burt responded quickly but calmly. "Sure, being honest with people and telling the truth is important - but whatever Blaine's issues with his father, you can't face them for him. At best you can be there with him when he confronts his father, if he wants you there, but," Burt paused to emphasise the word, "but, it is still Blaine's issue to resolve and you need to leave it to him to do that."
Kurt's phone chirped loudly, breaking the silence that had settled after Burt's last words.
"That him?" Burt nodded towards the phone. "I'll let you get ready for bed. Don't be chatting too late." He got up and started moving out of the room. "I love you, Kurt." He said while paused in the doorway. "I know you'll be there for Blaine, and I know you'll do the right thing."
"Thanks Dad," Kurt lifted his head and smiled weakly at his father. "For everything." He watched the door close behind his father before looking at the text again.
New house rule regarding phone - don't try to text or call until I message you in the morning with an all-clear. Wish I could say good night to you properly. xx
"And now I'm trapped too." Kurt said with melancholy, throwing the phone to the side in disgust. He shut his computer down and let silence settle over the room. Slowly and deliberately, he got up, changed into pyjamas, and flopped down onto his bed, putting a pillow over his head. He remained like that until sleep came, his pillow damp with the frustrated tears he had tried to keep in.
---
Link to Part 3.