Chapter Text
In the choir room were Finn and Rachel. They were practicing their duet song for the competition, Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John and Kiki Dee.
Now, in a Glee world, they were the couple. Finn and Rachel sang perfectly together. Always in perfect harmony, perfect pitch, and in sync. Rachel probably wouldn’t even be with Finn if he couldn’t sing. His dancing on the other hand…not so great.
The song played like normally, only it was an instrumental to showcase the couple’s voices. Finn played the drums as Rachel danced around him. He was practically admiring her. He got up halfway to dance with her.
“We’re totally gonna win this thing.” Finn said to her when it was over.
Rachel, on the other hand, looked guilty. She slowly walked to sit in a front row chair.
“What’s the matter? I mean, Breadstix has these vegan meatballs. They’re okay.” He shrugged, not picking up on Rachel’s dread.
“I’m not really a nice person. I’m selfish.”
Finn’s smile dropped slowly and he walked to sit next to her. “Yeah, but I still like you.”
“And you? You’re-you’re so kind and open. Well, it’s made me want to be a better person.” The couple exchanged glances at one another with half assed smiles.
Rachel was silent for just another minute before gears slowly turned in her head. “We have to throw the competition!” She exclaimed. Her eyes widened and her head shot up.
“But I love Breadstix.” Finn protested softly.
“No, if-if we want to win at nationals, then Sam has to win this contest.” She shared, as if it was like the most important thing ever. “Okay? He has to feel like he belongs, and the team has to believe in him.”
Finn nodded along, agreeing with her. The two shared a quick peck before pulling away.
“Technically, you’re only doing this to help us win nationals which means there’s something in it for you.” He explained to her, letting her down gently.
“Ignoring what you just said, we have to find a way for me to lose the singing competition so the new kid sticks around.
They talked for a while before agreeing on deciding later. However, Finn was still occupied with thoughts about Sam singing with Kurt.
Locker room...
“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Sam told Finn who was doing everything to try and get him to stop singing with him.
“He emailed me like 60 MP3’s of him singing, and I thought it was Faith Hill. He’s good.” Sam confessed, opening his locker.
He really wanted to say “Kurt is really good. I don’t mind singing with him.” But, Sam isn’t quite ready to admit that.
“Look, this isn’t about how good Kurt is.” Finn began as he sat on one of the benches by Sam’s locker. “Being in Glee Club is like…It’s like walking down the double yellow lines of a highway. If you get just a little off course, you’re gonna get crushed.”
Sam turned to Finn, holding his clothes. His blond hair dripped down on his clothing. “I gotta be honest. You’re kind of confusing my head right now.”
Finn tilted his head in confusion. What is there to be confused about?
“Do you remember what you said to me when you talked me into joining Glee Club?”
Oh right. Finn had persuaded Sam to join by giving him an amped up talk about how amazing Glee Club is. That it’s like heaven on earth.
“I joined the club because I’m new here, you said it would make me popular. And now, you’re telling me it’s gonna get me killed?” Sam was genuinely confused. In his defense, Finn was being awfully hypocritical.
“Well…eve-eventually, you’re gonna get popular from it! But until then, you gotta lay low for a little bit. And singing a duet with another due is not laying low.”
“Didn’t realize you had a problem with gay dudes.” Sam pointed out as he put his shirt on.
“I don’t have a problem with gay dudes. Everyone else does, and we’re living in their world And in their world, you singing a duet with Kurt is a death sentence. All I’m saying is that…you shouldn’t sing with him.” Finn was extremely adamant about Sam not singing this duet.
“Well, I gave him my word. In my world, that’s that.” Sam didn’t back down even with the possibility of getting harassed.
Sam never once had a problem with those who are different. In fact, he was different too. He never really noticed how much he found interest in both the male and female genders. Nobody ever told him differently. Being bisexual never occurred in Sam’s mind.
Up until now.
As Sam exited the locker room, two bigger guys on the football team came down the hall with slushies in their hands. Sam didn’t think anything of it, until…
SPLASH!!
The cold, harsh slushy made contact with his face. Sam froze up and shivered.
“Boom!”
“Welcome to Glee Club, lady lips!”
The guys laughed as they walked away, and Sam could only stand there, shaking from the impact. One Kurt Hummel was walking and caught a red-faced Sam Evans standing still in the hallway. He hurried over.
“Azimio and Karofky?…” He asked. Sam only nodded, which was enough for Kurt to take his arm- Oh my god. His arm. Sam was sort of jacked. The only thing rumbling through Kurt’s brain was SamevansSamevansSamevansmusclemusclemuscleohmygod.
Kurt, though pre-occupied with his thoughts, led Sam to the restroom. He walked to the sink and pulled a red rag out of his bag, turning on the faucet. Sam, first, washed his face off.
“The blueberry is…arguably way worse. It just makes you look like an avatar.” Kurt joked, but Sam slowly perked his head up at the other boy.
“I saw Avatar, like, six times.”
For the first time, Sam actually looked at Kurt. Not just looking, memorizing. Studying his features, like his softer features. He looks younger than the average junior, Sam thought.
God, why was Kurt so pretty?
Stop it, Sam. Don’t think like that.
You don’t think like that.
He quickly blocked out those thoughts. I mean, he’s not gay. He couldn’t be. He never thought he was, so what’s changing?
Sam was scanning his face, looking for any facial movements or twitches. All he found was how Kurt was looking at the side of his neck, wiping away the slushie. He hadn’t noticed the way Sam was looking at him.
“I never saw it. My friends begged me to go, but I always opted out. Anyway, you’ll get used to it.” Kurt informed. Part of him most definitely found it endearing about how Sam could see one movie multiple times.
“…Uh, what’s it like?” Sam asked out of the blue. Kurt’s face twisted in confusion.
“Glee Club, I mean.”
“Oh! It’s pretty chill. I mean, if you enjoy singing, you’ll find that it’s a nice place to be.” Kurt paused, putting the rag on the side of the sink. “Though, why’d you join?”
“Like you said. I like to sing.” Sam almost laughed at his question. Maybe he didn’t understand it.
Kurt softly giggled. Sam was so dorky-looking, it was cute. “No, like, you’re new and on the football team. You’re on the road to popularity. Glee will only hold you back.”
“Ah, I see. Finn persuaded me. I think he also lied to me. It doesn’t matter.”
“Still didn’t answer my question.”
“I did.”
“You only joined because you like to sing? I don’t buy it.” A smart boy like Sam would know that Gleeks aren’t at all popular. He’s practically sacrificing his popularity to do this.
“What’s the point of being popular if you can’t do what you want?
Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but was at a loss for words. Sam definitely had a point.
“Thanks for your help, Kurt.” Sam spoke softly and genuinely.
“It’s really not a problem. Just try not to take it to heart. It’ll happen more than you think.” Kurt smiled at him and walked away to leave the restroom, replaying their interaction in his head.
Sam smiled back before continuing to clean himself off.
The day carried on like usual. Nothing too out of the ordinary. After what must’ve felt like years to every kid in the school, the final bell rang and kids filed out of classes to the bus’.
Kurt’s home…
Kurt was cooking up soup for his father, Burt who was just recently discharged from the hospital after a heart attack. He was ordered to take it easy. Burt was on the couch, waiting. Kurt eventually brought it out to him.
“So, what’s up? How’s school going?” Burt asked as he was handed his soup.
“Fine, I guess.” He paused, pondering if he should share more. “There’s this new kid in Glee Club. He and I are singing a duet together.”
“Is that a problem?” Burt asked before taking a spoonful of soup.
“Finn practically begged me not to. He said it would ruin Sam’s reputation.”
“This kid, Sam… uh, does he for your team?
“Undetermined.” Kurt sighed upon speaking. Burt nodded in understanding.
“Maybe, Finn has a point.”
“You’re siding with him? After what he called me in our basement?”
Burt set down the soup bowl to have a real conversation with his son. “I was talking to Carole, and she told me you weren’t totally honest with me. She told me you had a crush on Finn and you weren’t afraid to show it. Is this true?” Burt asked calmly.
Kurt stood up off the couch in frustration. “So, a gay guy can’t be friendly to a straight guy without it being predatory?” He grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. “Is that what you think?”
“You have to understand, most guys don’t know how to deal with unwanted advances. Especially from the same sex.”
“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t sing with this Sam guy because it might upset a couple homophobes? I thought you said nobody pushes the Hummels around. I believed that, I still want to!” Kurt was genuinely hurt in his heart.
“No one does. I’m not saying that. I’m saying that maybe it’s…you…who’s pushing this kid Sam around, trying to take advantage of him because you’re interested in him.” It was hard for Burt to say this about his son, but he just wanted to understand fully.
“Dad, you have no idea what it’s like.” Kurt’s eyes began to go glossy. “I am the only openly gay kid in this school, in this town. Why can’t I walk hand in hand down the hall with the person that I like? Why can’t I slow dance at my prom?” All Kurt wanted was to have someone like him. Someone who could understand. Kurt walked back to the couch.
“You think I don’t want those things for you? I do. You know, until you find somebody as open and as brave as you, you’re just gonna have to get used to going it alone.” Burt was speaking gently with Kurt, trying to make his son feel as best he could without truly hurting his feelings.
This was hard for the both of them. Kurt rested his head against his fathers shoulder. It was quiet. A comforting quiet.
***
The next day at Glee Club rehearsal, Santana and Mercedes were singing their duet song: River Deep, Mountain High.
Their voices were perfect together. They clearly had a lot of practice because every step they took was in amazing sync. The two had an almost perfect balance in vocal harmony.
As the song came to an end, the two girls were insanely confident. They were 100% sure that they were going to win. The others seemed on edge, like they were afraid.
After club rehearsal, Kurt found it difficult to focus. He couldn’t do this to Sam. He had to let him know that. He found Sam in the locker room shower. He had just turned the water on, didn’t even notice Kurt. Kurt cleared his throat and Sam turned his head.
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna go all Shawshank on you.” He joked.
“This is…kind of weird. Guys don’t usually talk to each other in here.” Sam felt awkward and turned back towards the shower head.
“Well, this can’t wait. I’m setting you free. You can do your duet with someone else in Glee. Someone that the world deems more appropriate.” It pained Kurt a little in his chest to let Sam go like this, but he felt it was right.
“Did I do something to offend you?” Sam looked Kurt in the eyes, that was the last thing he wanted to do: offend him.
“No! No. It’s not you, it’s me. You’ve been honorable, actually, and I wish you the best. But I’ve realized I needed to sing with someone who matched my passion and talent level.” A lie. Kurt just didn’t want to admit Finn had talked him out of their duet.
Sam fought back a small smirk. “Who’s that?”
Kurt, refusing to answer the question, chose to change the subject. “You know, they make special shampoo for color-treated hair.” He said before turning on his heel and walking out of the locker room.
“…I don’t dye my hair.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sam was stumped. He wanted to sing with Kurt. He really admired Kurt’s musical talent.
Even since Sam heard Kurt’s voice on the bunch of MP3’s he was sent, he adored it. Hell, he even said his voice reminds him of Faith Hill.
Why didn’t Kurt want to sing with him anymore?
Kurt offered and now he was backing out. Sam’s mind ran through every interaction they had. Every glance he gave Kurt when he wasn’t looking. Maybe Kurt did catch the way he looked at him in the bathroom and thought it was weird.
Sam came to one conclusion: Finn Hudson. If he talked to Sam, he must’ve talked to Kurt. He’d be right. Well, partly right. Kurt did back out because of Finn, but out of respect for Sam too.
After Sam finished his shower, he scanned the halls for Finn. After around 15 minutes of searching, he found Finn at Rachel’s locker. They were looking at each other all lovey-dovey.
Way to ruin the moment, Sam.
He stormed over and tapped Finn’s shoulder. Sam looked sort of irritated.
“The hell did you say to him?”
“Who’s “him”? I talk to a lot of people, dude.”
“You know who! Kurt! He backed out of the duet competition. FYI: he offered me to sing with him. I don’t know if you recall, but I genuinely wanted to sing with him. He’s good.” Sam started to get more frustrated.
“Oh my god. That’s what this is about? It’s about Kurt? Fine. Yes, I talked to him.” Finn crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
Sam sighed out of anger. “That is not what I meant and you know it. What did you say to him?”
“Ugh.. Just that if he sang with you then your reputation would be mutilated. Basically the same thing I told you.” Finn scanned Sam’s face and body language.
Oh.
Sam was truly upset with Finn. He really wanted to sing with Kurt.
“Look, if he backed out, it means he thought it over and wanted to. Talk to him, not me.” Sure, Finn felt a little guilty about it, but it was for Sam’s own good. Right.
“Hm. Fine. Where’s Kurt.”
“The auditorium. He’s practicing his number for tomorrow.”
Sam groaned. The auditorium just so conveniently was on the other side of the school. Without another word, he jogged to hopefully find Kurt.
Just like Finn said, there Kurt was. He was trying to nail his choreography. Sam figured he was struggling.
Kurt hadn’t even noticed Sam. He cleared his throat when he approached, causing Kurt’s head to snap up.
“Oh. Hey, Sam.”
“Hey. Uhm, what, uh, what song are you doing?”
“Le Jazz Hot. You heard of it?” Kurt fiddled with his hands as he spoke.
“Yeah. Who hasn’t? Uh, anyway, I wanted to talk to you. How come you backed out of our duet partnership? Like, obviously, I get Finn was part of it, but…” He paused, glancing at Kurt’s restless hands, then back at his face. “I take it that’s not all?”
Kurt sighed and shook his head. “No. No, it’s not.” He took a deep breath in, then out. “I respect you, Sam, I really do. But, talking with Finn…and other people, I don’t know, I guess it made me realize that…you shouldn’t sing with someone like me.”
“Like you?” Sam tilted his head in confusion.
“You know…gay.”
“Oh. I don’t have a problem with you being gay.” Sam shrugged.
“You…don’t?” Kurt was sort of surprised.
“Why should I? You’ve been nothing but respectful to me and the least I can do is tell you this: I really wanted to sing with you. Like really did.” No backing out now, Sam. “I mean, you have an incredible voice! And when you told me to do my duet with someone else, I didn’t really want to.”
Kurt was at a loss for words. He hadn’t been spoken to like this, not ever.
“What I’m trying to say is…I just wanted to sing with you. Nobody else. It would be my first performance in the club and personally, I would be honored for it to be done with you.” Sam didn’t look Kurt in the eyes. He couldn’t. He was practically showering him in compliments.
“…I- uhm. That…that’s so kind of you to say. I’m sorry, Sam. I just can’t.” Kurt felt guilty about being so persistent that he sing with someone else. He just felt wrong to do this to Sam.
“Kurt. Be honest with me. Why not?” Sam frowned. His heart hurt a little.
“You deserve a chance at this school. A chance to be popular. A chance to be somebody.” He paused, trying to read Sam. He looked…so unhappy. “Being in Glee Club- no. Singing with me will only hold you back. I’m telling you now, go sing with someone else.”
But I want to sing with you. That’s all I want, Sam thought. He wouldn’t say it. I mean, there was no room for bargaining. Instead, he just nodded and turned on his heel.
“Maybe next time, huh, Hummel?” He called out as he left the auditorium, giving Kurt a soft, gloomy smile.
“Next time.” Kurt called to him. When the door closed behind Sam, Kurt could only think. Did he do the right thing?