Chapter Text
Perhaps it would have been better if the short boy with the gelled back hair had taken off his uniform before they drove over to the local public school. McKinley. That was where the mysterious bright eyed stranger had come from. They’d found it out by Googling his name and discovering that Kurt Hummel was apparently a member of their competition. Which brought Blaine here today. The others involved (David and Wes - two teens who were always far too eager to get involved where their noses didn’t belong) had voted that he be the one to go. Blaine had tried to get out of it at first because public schools were terrifying.
But then they’d watched another of the New Directions videos and he could just swear that those bright eyes were the greatest stand outs on the whole stage. He was just so beautiful.
The thing that had really changed his mind was one of the related videos. It had about 200,000 hits which was practically viral for an Ohio town like Lima. It was of that same bright eyed boy daring the bullies to get out from behind their screens and try saying things to his face. Blaine both cringed and sat up taller. It was so brave, so bold, so beautiful. And so very dangerous. As shown by the video’s conclusion where someone sprayed his face with some kind of bright red slushie thing. As they laughed. As Blaine noted a great deal of the commenters were also, apparently, laughing (out loud).
Blaine had to go.
So he went.
He fixed his tie as he darted through the hallways. Apparently Dalton lunch break (plus the ride over - Wes had been driving since Blaine couldn’t even get his permit for a few months yet) lined up with that in-between classes time at McKinley. Blaine noticed the varsity jackets first. All the giant guys seemed to be wearing them. It was kind of intimidating the way they walked in packs. Just wolf packs of varsity jacketed giants who could very easily put their fists right through his face.
There was one that was bigger than the rest though. He was the worst spy Blaine had ever seen. Kurt had stood out at Dalton but if they hadn’t known his name from the show choir circles he would have been able to pass off his lie. This giant was peeking out around corners and from behind half open lockers. Blaine spotted him a mile away. And he looked scary. Well, actually he looked kind of dopey but his size and that jacket put up huge red flags in Blaine’s book.
The small teen tried to duck around the massive flocks of girls and boys walking around as best as he could. He had no idea where to look for his bright eyed stranger. They knew where the choir room was based on maps but when he passed by the first door he didn’t spy Kurt there. The second door produced the same results. And what was worse, the giant passed through the choir room and got a couple of what appeared to be cheerleaders to block the doors. They’d all seen him. And they were not happy.
He had to hurry.
It would be so much easier if he’d just gotten Kurt’s number. He had certainly wanted to. But he hadn’t. That was a huge mistake. Especially because Kurt was so, well, gay. Blaine didn’t want to assume but he’d never met someone with a voice like that who wasn’t. His own voice was something his dad had cited as a reason he couldn’t be gay. But he was. He really, really liked men. He’d known that since he was very young and he’d wanted nothing more than to marry that prince from Beauty and the Beast. The one without a name but those unmistakable eyes. He just happened to be a dapper gay, apparently.
Kurt was the beautiful, flawless kind of man he expected to see on television. Hopefully not catty like that though. Blaine found himself highly turned off by men that acted like girls. He liked men after all, not girls. Especially catty middle school girls with no class. He’d had plenty enough of that at his own public school. Kurt didn’t seem catty though. He hadn’t really said much of anything yesterday actually. He’d just kind of stood there with that adorably goofy grin on his face.
The hulk kept following him. He also kept up those creepy half-attempts at hiding. Blaine took a deep breath and glanced back.
They locked eyes.
It took all his strength not to run as the man started to come towards him. He turned. And then there his goal was. Like a dream descended down from the clouds at just the right moment. Kurt Hummel. At his locker. Dressed in what Blaine could only assume was fashion. He was rocking it, definitely, but it wasn’t something Blaine would ever consider for himself. Not that he thought much about clothes these days. He had his uniform after all.
Kurt seemed fixated on something down the hall. Blaine couldn’t see what. He just hurried over and pressed his back up against the locker, trying so very hard to appear casual though he was sure his heart was pounding right out of his chest. This? This was crazy. It wasn’t like he was asking the kid out on a date.
“Excuse me, can you help me?” he crooned out as calmly as possible. “I seem to be a bit lost.” Kurt jumped at his sudden presence. Another giant teen that had been curving his path towards them veered away and passed them by.
“Blaine! What. What are you doing here!!” He didn’t have any of Kurt’s attention. Kurt was watching the other giant boy. A suspicious knot churned around in his stomach.
“Well. I was sent to formally invite you to come have coffee at Dalton this afternoon and hang out with some of the Warblers, New Kid. It was really hard to find you though. I had to get permission to leave school for lunch and get a friend of mine to drive me over here so I could give you this.” He pulled a postcard out of his pocket and held it out to Bright Eyes. The front had a picture of the very same stairwell they had met on. The back had some very well formed cursive:
The Dalton Warblers
formally invite you
for coffee in our coffee lounge
“Wow. This...this really is formal.” He brushed his hands over the school crest. It was imprinted in the paper.
“And this time you’re actually invited. No more spying.” He watched as the pale cheeks flared a little bit. It was just a hint of pink but it was kind of beautiful. “If you promise to come we promise we won’t tell anyone about that by the way.”
Kurt’s hand clenched down tighter on the postcard. So tight he put a wrinkle in it. The Warbler tried his hardest not to let his heart crawl its way out on his sleeve. That was hard, of course. ‘Bright Eyes’ was only a half-fitting nickname. ‘Piercing Bright Eyes’ was more accurate. They cut deep. It was like they were searching deep inside his soul. Blaine had no idea what he was looking for though and apparently he wasn’t about to share either.
“I’ll be there. Uhm...where is the coffee shop anyway. You dragged me all around that school and I didn’t see any restaurants or stores. Trust me I’d remember if I saw one.” If anyone was a walking billboard for gay - it was Kurt. Blaine tried really hard to keep his heart under control. It was kind of, well, hot that he was so sure of himself.
“Oh it’s...you know what, how about this.” Blaine took the postcard back and fumbled around in his pockets for a pen. Then he carefully wrote out a phone number underneath the text. His handwriting wasn’t quite as elegant. “That’s my phone number. Why don’t you give me yours and we can text each other. You tell me when you get there and I’ll come get you and show you the way.”
Kurt was silent for just a moment before he ripped off a piece of notebook paper and put his own number down. A bell rang out.
“If I don’t go I’ll be late for practice. Not that I’m missing much but I do have to perform with the rest of the boys.”
“Your whole group doesn’t perform together?”
“It’s boys versus girls week. We’re having a competition but without prizes this time because apparently we can’t handle that.”
“Oh. Uhm, ok? I guess I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Yeah. See you.” The locker shut with a quiet click instead of the loud clangs Blaine heard throughout the hallway. As the bright eyed spy headed up the hallway that giant from before all but ran up to him. Blaine braced himself, ready to go step in if need be. He was absolutely terrified, but he’d do it. If he really had to. If this kid who’d been slushied and who was sneaking around Dalton needed him to, he would.
Then the most amazing thing happened. They just talked. Actually they seemed to be arguing until Kurt showed him the postcard. Then they disappeared around the corner. Blaine thought that he saw the giant put his hand on Kurt’s shoulder - and Kurt brushed him off with a laugh, of all things.
--- --- --- --- ---
Wes and David tried not to pace as they waited for Blaine to finish up flirting (or whatever he was doing but their bets were on flirting) with the McKinley kid. They could hear a bright twinkling sort of laughter coming from both teens. The two had been in there for thirty minutes and Blaine had shown no signs of wanting them to come back. But they had pressured him into inviting this boy out here so they felt responsible if things went sour. Kurt was a public school kid and Blaine did have a history of issues with that sort of thing. They knew about how his Sadie Hawkins date had abandoned him to his fate.
Of course they wanted Blaine to be happy and find a nice boyfriend, but the key there was that he had to be nice. Not someone who was cute for a second then flaked out. Kurt...there were some stereotypes perpetuated by the society they lived in that did not bode well in his favor. They didn’t want to judge him, of course, but they also wanted to protect their secret weapon singer now that they’d gotten him to a point where he was comfortable being center stage and proud enough of himself to do it. Also there was the small thing of him being the boy they’d taken under their protective wing at the beginning of last year. He’d bloomed well with them. They wanted him to keep blooming.
Wes grabbed onto Dave’s sleeve and pulled him over to some chairs along the wall when he spotted the two getting up. They leaned in to watch as best as they could. Blaine’s hand brushed over Kurt’s shoulder. He definitely liked the public school spy. The way Kurt leaned into it had them suspecting that he liked their little Warbler star back.
“Text me, ok?” they heard Blaine saying. “I’m here for you. You’re not alone Kurt.”
“Thank you. Really. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“I think I do. I remember being where you are. I would have given anything just to have one person that got it. I promise I’m going to be there for you through this.”
“Thank you. I...I’d really love to stay longer but I have to get some paperwork done at work before I make dinner. We’re having a big family night for everyone since Carole, uh that’s my Dad’s girlfriend, might not be able to make it Friday night. I’m thinking Flammekueche...et pour désert? Une tarte tartin que je-j’ai cuit? La nuit dernière.” The two had to cover their mouths to keep from giggling. They both knew that Blaine wasn’t doing so hot in his French classes and there was his potential future boyfriend speaking French right at him. Something about food and some kind of pie that he’d made last night. It was, they had to admit, adorable.
Their short young friend floundered for a moment. The McKinley boy had to be well aware of what he was doing. He’d have to be an idiot not to. They were definitely witnessing flirtations in the form of announcing what he was making his family for dinner. And Blaine was falling for it.
“That sounds...exquisite?”
“Oh it will be. I’ll...uhm, I’ll talk to you later then.” Blaine seemed to be in a daze as his new elfen friend darted away. Seriously - his skin was practically translucent and his ears stuck out. He was an elf. And noticed that Dave and Wes were watching and ducked his head and picked up his pace. But the grin never left his features.
“All of that and he has a job too? Maybe for your first date you could take him your French homework,” Wes teased. “Unless you don’t think learning the language of love together is romantic enough.”
“My what!” Blaine exclaimed.
“Your date. You can’t expect us to believe you aren’t going to ask him out. You’ve been trying to get a boyfriend since you came here. And one just dropped almost literally onto your lap.”
“I am not going to ask him out!”
“Blaine,” David sighed from his other side. “Why not?”
“Well one, I don’t know if he’s single. I mean. It’s likely he is but it’s very possible he’s seeing someone at McKinley and they’re so on the down low no one knows about it. Uhm. He uh...Er.”
“He’s not still in the closet is he? You seem to always go after all the boys that don’t want anyone to know. You really need to stop that. Its too messy and breaks too many hearts. Mostly yours from getting shot down again and again and-”
“No! He’s out. He’s very...very out. But he’s the only one.”
“So your only hold up is not knowing if he’s seeing someone else? The worst that could happen is he’ll say ‘sorry Blaine but I have a boyfriend.’ Trust me. I’ve had plenty of girls tell me that. It’s not a definite no forever - just keep an eye out and when he breaks up, well...maybe you can just swoop on in and heal his heart and make him yours.”
“Guys he’s not in a place for that! What he needs right now is friends. People who are going to support him through what he’s going through at McKinley. I don’t know if he’s alone there, I mean I think he has friends. He was hanging out with some guy in a varsity jacket earlier. Varsity jackets usually mean popular kids though it could be a fluke. But he feels alone there. I don’t want to make him potentially feel uncomfortable with me too, ok? He needs me right now. What he doesn’t need is the pressure of someone flirting with him or hitting on him or the pressure of having to make someone happy in a relationship, and I can’t have a one-sided relationship you guys know me. He needs a friend who gets it.”
“...That’s why he was here, huh?” Wes asked. “He’s just like you?”
“Just like me.”
“...I actually feel like we need to apologize for thinking bad things about him now. You know, after that boy flaked out on you-”
“I don’t blame him. If I could have run, I might have too. I mean, I did run, as soon as I could. I came here. He’s still at that school.”
“Deeper in the closet than you ever were.”
“Yes. For his own protection. Its for the best in his case. His family is way too poor to send him here and...and that school, it’s...it’s not safe. I would know.”
“Does he blame you? For what happened?” Blaine fell silent and let them make of that what they would. He just didn’t want to talk about his almost middle school boyfriend. It hadn’t ended well and he just wanted to put the past behind him. He wanted to move on.
“Point is, Kurt’s not like that. Or even if he is, I won’t blame him. But I don’t think he is. He needs support. Can we give him that?”
“Sure,” David said. “Actually why don’t you invite him out to karaoke tomorrow? You know, a bunch of the guys are going to be bringing dates. Not that he has to be a date. Just a friend, properly invited to hang out with some new friends and get to know us informally, and just kick back and relax with someone who gets it.”
“...Ok, I’ll do that. But no one had better say anything about it being a date. It’s not a date!”
“Of course. It’s not a date.”