coward, coward
title: coward, coward
summary: blaine's born this way shirt reads COWARD.
rating: pg13
pairings: some klaine & brittana, nothing explicit
genre: gen
warnings: none
notes: written for a prompt over at the glee_angst_meme
New Directions (and Blaine) was gathered at Rachel's house, dads out for the evening. They were having a little Born This Way party to celebrate what they all agreed was an excellent performance, watching Gaga vids, dancing to the music and fondly remembering the girls' and Kurt's Gaga performance from last year. Everyone was still in their born this way shirts, even Santana (no one really got the Lebanese shirt, and any sneaking suspicions they had were cut off by Santana's sharp glares.)
"I'm kinda sorry I didn't do Gaga, ya know?" Puck said with a laugh from where he lay on the floor. Quinn had just told a particularly side-splitting story about how difficult it was to choreograph a whole routine in their outfits. "Kiss was fun, but I bet the Puckinator's freaky costume would've been the best."
"You wish! I spent hours bedazzling mine!" Kurt retorted, pressing a little closer to Blaine who was smiling widely. He, Lauren and Sam had obviously not been there when all this went down but the way last year's New Directions remembered everything (and the photos they had currently spread all over the coffee table admist chips, dip and pop) helped paint a vivid picture.
"Thank god these shirts didn't need that much effort," Tina said, plucking at her BROWN EYES shirt.
"Yeah, they were easy to make." Blaine said casually, and everyone else glanced at him in confusion, especially since Kurt looked as baffled as everyone else.
"I remember calling you up to complain about the stupid machine jamming on me," Kurt remarked, expression a little grumpy as he smoothed down LIKES BOYS. Blaine shrugged awkwardly, embarassed, and everyone slowly noticed that there was a hint of white t-shirt underneath his cardigan.
"Did you make your own?" Mike asked, and Rachel chimed in with "Show us!" Blaine hesitated, fingers playing with the top button, so more encouragements were added. Finally Kurt raised an eyebrow, asking "please?" and Blaine caved.
"It's nothing special. Just sounded like fun, and Dalton had the materials in the art room ..." Blaine sat up and unbuttoned his cardigan, letting it fall open to reveal his shirt. Of course everyone had had their own ideas about what it would say: EYEBROWS or LIKES BOYS just like Kurt's, but truth be told none of them knew Blaine very well. His shirt said COWARD.
"Coward?" Finn asked in the confused silence that followed. Next to Blaine, Kurt made an angry noise and grabbed Blaine's arm, but Blaine avoided his gaze pointedly. Santana, who was sitting next to Blaine and had been strangely silent all evening, was staring at Blaine in ... not exactly understanding, but there was something there.
Blaine didn't reply to Finn's question, but Kurt did. "Because he ran from the bullies at his last school. Blaine, that doesn't make you a coward!"
"What?" Puck asked, propping himself up so he could gape at Blaine. "Dude, if you're a coward for that then that makes my boy Kurt one, and nobody thinks that." Nods of agreement went throughout the room, but Blaine remained unconvinced.
"Kurt had it worse than I did." Blaine stated evenly. "It was just words with me." Kurt's hand on his arm tightened.
"It's never just words. When people make it so gay sounds just as bad as fag, and your name equivalent with all of those ... that's not nothing, Blaine." Kurt said, and some of his former bullies in the room winced while everyone else simply voiced sympathetic agreements. Blaine fidgeted a little but still tried to shrug it off.
"But it's less than what you face and you still came back. I'm not as brave as you Kurt, and that's okay. I was born this way, right?" Blaine laughed weakly, offering Kurt a wobbly smile. "Anyways, I love how much courage you have." Anyone who had seen the inside of Kurt's locker understood the significance to this, glancing expectantly at Kurt.
"Blaine, I only came back when Karofsky promised not to be a threat. If Santana's keeping an eye on him, I know I don't have to worry too much," Kurt said, shooting a small smile at Santana who didn't return it, instead blinking widely before darting a nervous glance at Brittany. "Before that, my insistence to stay despite how bad things had gotten ... that's not bravery, that's stupidity. I ... I have problems admitting when I need help, sometimes."
"Listen to your boyfriend, Anderson." Santana snapped, finally speaking up. Nobody knew what had gotten her down, and the intensity with which she was glaring at Blaine was a little shocking. "Being whiny about getting away from getting shit for something you can't control is stupid as hell. You were just thinking of your own safety."
"I just ..." Blaine trailed off, still stunned by Santana's outburst. "Can't shake it. I just can't shake it. I hear it from my f--" The F died on his lips, and whatever he was going to say -- friend? father? went with it. Shaking his head, he closed his cardigan firmly. "You're right. I'm being stupid."
"Blaine --" Kurt tried, but Blaine cut him off.
"Don't worry Kurt, I'm fine." Blaine smiled, perfect and charming as ever, but his hands were shaking slightly as he buttoned his cardigan. "So, what would you had made Mr Schuester's shirt say, if you could?"
There was a long silence before Santana, who was eyeing Blaine speculatively, spoke. "Likes 'Em Young."
"Oh, ew!" Finn declared. "No way. He totally didn't go after Rachel when she was hitting on him --" Rachel squealed at that memory being brought up, and conversation continued from there. Only Kurt and Santana watched Blaine, watched COWARD be slowly covered up. Maybe it was appropriate.
end