********

That night, the prom was in full swing. Everyone was having a good time and, as beautiful as Quinn looked, Finn could not help scanning the crowd for any sign of Kurt. His heart leapt inside of his chest when he finally spotted him - looking unbelievably gorgeous - and Finn excused himself to weave his way toward the other teen. "Hey, you look great," he enthused, smiling warmly as he suddenly felt more nervous than ever before.

Kurt smiled brightly at the compliment. Since Finn had left early to pick up his date, he hadn't even been halfway through getting ready before the his stepbrother was gone. Kurt wore a black suit in an appropriately shiny fabric with velvet cuffs and lapels along with a deep maroon bow tie of an equally velvety material. He gave a little spin lest Finn miss a bit of the look. "Why thank you." Once his own reveal was done, Kurt stepped back and looked Finn up and down. "Mmm... I like it. Classic." Finn's dark suit and blue tie set off his eyes perfectly and, Kurt felt sure, matched Quinn's dress to a T. "It suits you." He reached out and smoothed a bit of lint from Finn's lapel so that the look wouldn’t be spoiled even momentarily.

Finn couldn't quite catch his breath. Indeed, he felt as if he had swallowed his tongue. Kurt looked amazing, and Finn had never been more attracted to anyone in his life. "I... like yours too," he finally managed, warmth visibly spreading up from his neck. "Looks great..." Finn couldn't tear his eyes off of him, no matter how hard he tried. He was rooted to the spot, unable to do anything other than gape and open and close his mouth like a fish.

"Well, Finn Hudson, aren't you just the sweetest thing?" Kurt couldn't help smiling. He opened his mouth to speak again only to see Quinn winding her way back through the crowd. "I think you're wanted to kiss more babies and shake more hands." He glanced back at the stage and saw that Puck and Artie were finishing up their number. "Besides, I have work to do."

Kurt approached the microphone with a smile on his lips and Brittany and Santana on his heels. "Let's slow things down for a moment." He gave a nod to start the music, and the slow, melodic strains filled the room as couples moved together on the dance floor.

I've been watching your world from afar,
I've been trying to be where you are,
And I've been secretly falling apart, unseen.
To me, you're strange and you're beautiful,
You'd be so perfect with me but you just can't see,
You turn every head but you don't see me.

I'll put a spell on you,
You'll fall asleep and I'll put a spell on you.
And when I wake you,
I'll be the first thing you see,
And you'll realise that you love me.

Yeah...
Yeah...

Sometimes, the last thing you want comes in first,
Sometimes, the first thing you want never comes,
And I know, the waiting is all you can do,
Sometimes...

I'll put a spell on you,
You'll fall asleep,
I'll put a spell on you,
And when I wake you,
I'll be the first thing you see,
And you'll realise that you love me.

I'll put a spell on you,
You'll fall asleep 'cos I'll put a spell on you,
And when I wake you,
I'll be the first thing you see,
And you'll realise that you love me, yeah...

The song drifted right through Finn and struck his heart with such force that he felt himself gasp. Quinn had led him out onto the dance floor but, even as he swayed with her to the music, his eyes kept drawing away from her and toward the stage where Kurt was singing. Kurt had come alive, fairly sparkling beneath the lights, and God he was beautiful! The urge to let Quinn go and simply walk over and kiss Kurt nearly overwhelmed Finn. He almost sighed with relief when the set came to an end - almost because he was torn over not hearing Kurt's sweet voice anymore.

As soon as the song was over, Kurt exited the stage and found himself accosted by a giggling Mercedes. She shoved a cup of punch in his hand and motioned for him to drink. He complied and found himself wishing he'd taken a more judicious gulp. "Puck?"

"Who else?" Mercedes laughed and slipped away - he presumed back to Sam's side. The two of them together was strange but sort of sweet. They'd gone as friends, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they were on their way to being more.

Kurt's limited experience with inebriation hadn't exactly been positive. When he saw Quinn on her way to do another circuit of the crowd, he slipped back over to Finn and held up the cup. "Here. Before Coach Sylvester notices. If you're going to get up there and dazzle everyone with your charm, you might as well have some fun first."

Finn almost dropped the cup Kurt passed to him when their hands briefly brushed. An electric current shot through his arm, startling more than just his heart. "Thanks," he somehow managed, grinning drunkenly without taking a single sip. "Hey, you were sensational up there." Again Finn felt himself blushing and he suddenly had the comical image of the lights going out and him standing there with his face glowing like a beacon.

"Flattery will get you... well, actually, pretty much anywhere." Kurt grinned and gestured for Finn to drink up. "They'll be announcing prom king in a few minutes." He looked around, half surprised that Quinn wasn't already circling like a hungry shark. It was no shock that the former Cheerio was competitive, but the way Quinn had sunk her claws into the idea of being prom queen was very nearly frightening. "If Quinn catches you with that," he pointed to the glass, "she'll kill both of us."

Finn chuckled nervously, "You're right; better get rid of it now." He slugged down the drink in one gulp, only to cough a moment later. "Wow-that's strong!" he whispered, glancing conspiratorially at Kurt. "Dunno how they got away with it." Finn nodded at the punch bowl where Coach Sylvester, looking grim as always, was keeping guard. He blinked, shook his head and pressed his hand against the back of his neck. "I think it's starting to hit me."

"And not a moment too soon." Kurt withdrew as Quinn stepped up and laced her fingers tightly together with Finn's free hand. Figgins had climbed up on stage, and she knew exactly what that meant. It was no surprise to anyone when Finn's name was called to mount the steps, though a few of Karofsky's friends heckled for a moment before being glared down by the principal. Kurt whistled his appreciation of the choice along with most of the glee club, including a giggling Rachel who was too distracted by Jesse to be bitter for the night.

An embarrassed flush came over Finn as his name was announced. It was what Quinn had wanted, and he didn’t want to deny her moment of glory. As he started up the steps and took his place on the stage, Finn's eyes wandered over his classmates until his gaze settled on Kurt. He didn't have long to watch him because a crown was being placed on his head, and then came the announcement of prom queen. Quinn wasn't named - nor any other girl in school - it was Kurt! Finn's heart sank. How could they do something so cruel to Kurt?

All of the blood drained from Kurt's face, and he was glad for the miracle that was Rachel happening to be nearby. The young woman put a firm hand on his shoulder, hissed, "Smile," and gave him a shove. The shock of that was enough to remind Kurt of why he'd asked Blaine to come with him to begin with. He was tired of hiding anything. He'd come back to prove that he could, that he wasn't going to let people who were filled with hate run his life. Kurt tipped his chin up defiantly and walked toward the stage with as much grace as he could manage. Despite the sick feeling in his stomach, Kurt came to stand next to Finn and silently thanked heaven that it was Finn and no one else who was there. As the crown was placed on his head, it was Finn to whom he looked for support rather than anyone in the crowd.

Filled with conflicting emotions, something very definite stood head and shoulders above the rest for Finn: pride. He was so proud of Kurt for taking the stage and claiming the crown, a 'fuck you' to all the ignorant bastards who'd tried to make a joke out of him. Finn was completely oblivious to the fact that Quinn had fled from the room. His focus - hazy though it was from the spiked drink - was entirely on Kurt. "C'mon," he whispered, leaning in close to Kurt and nearly tipping his crown off. "Let's show 'em..." Taking Kurt's hand, Finn led him back down onto the dance floor.

Caught off-guard by the bold move, Kurt went along easily. Finn had been kind and accepting and generally wonderful to him since they'd come to an understanding and realized where they'd each overstepped the boundaries between them. Kurt knew he'd been coming on too strong, so caught up in his crush that he'd forgotten how he was making Finn feel. He couldn't quite believe that now the very person he'd made an utter fool of himself over was leading him out onto the dance floor at prom. Foolish though it was, Kurt let himself forget for a moment that Blaine would be awaiting a call from him that evening and that Quinn was probably watching and plotting his death from the sidelines. Instead Kurt let himself simply enjoy the feeling of Finn's warm hand clasped gently in his own. "You don't have to," he whispered softly as the crowd parted uncertainly for them.

Finn drew Kurt in closer once they had taken their places on the dance floor, and he whispered in his ear, "But, I want to." It was almost shocking how much Finn wanted to lose himself in the moment with Kurt. Deaf to the whispers and blind to the stares of their less-than-open-minded classmates, Finn prepared himself for a slow dance with Kurt. He was completely taken aback when Mercedes and Santana started to sing the upbeat "Dancing Queen." What was wrong with that? Was he really that disappointed not to be dancing to a romantic ballad with Kurt? Although confused and a little buzzed, Finn smiled all the same as he started to move to the rhythm of the song.

Finn was as graceless as usual when it came to busting a move, but Kurt couldn't even pretend to care. He was too happy to not be stranded and alone at so strange a moment. That Finn was offering the comfort he so badly needed only made it sweeter. The pace of the music saved them from being uncomfortably close, but every time their hands touched or Kurt caught sight of Finn's somewhat goofy smile, he felt his heart melting in an all-too-familiar fashion.

Feeling more than a little buzzed now, Finn's head spun while his limbs flailed to the music. He was utterly oblivious to anything around him, his attention firmly on Kurt. His classmates seemed to melt away until it was only him and Kurt on the dance floor. When the music stopped, Finn kept right on dancing in a stupor of euphoria. He sobered a little when a different song began, and he blushed as his whirling eyes took in Kurt's expression. "I think maybe I need some fresh air," he decided, resting one arm across Kurt's shoulder and leading him toward the exit. "Wanna come with?"

"Um, sure," Kurt answered, sounding as uncertain as he felt. He caught Mercedes giving him a 'what the fuck?' look and shrugged his free shoulder. Frankly he wasn't sure what was going on either, but he wasn't about to leave Finn alone and mostly inebriated - especially when he'd been the one to give him the punch to start with. //Should've known better than to think Puck would spike it in moderation or something.// It struck him belatedly that he didn't see Quinn staring him down and wondered just how bad a sign that was. //Probably really, really bad.// Even Rachel had stuck around to glare a little, though soon enough Jesse was leading her into the fray of dancers who had begun to crowd the floor. "You okay?" he inquired as they stepped into the hallway and out of the crowd. "Look a little flushed."

Finn grinned drunkenly. "Probably shouldn't've downed all that in one go," he decided with a slight giggle. That was true, but there was also the fact that being in Kurt's presence was making him want to do things he'd only ever done with girls. Feeling more than a little lightheaded, he stumbled through the crowd and brushed against Kurt. "S'sorry," Finn slurred, pressing close to him. //Not sorry a bit... feels good...//

Once they were clear of everyone, Kurt breathed something of a sigh of relief. He had no idea whether it was his own nerves or Finn's strange behavior or a desire not to be beaten up by Quinn, but he wasn't in the mood for prying eyes. "Yeah, I'm thinking not so much. Sorry. Guess I didn't realize it was so... potent." Kurt felt like an idiot for putting his stepbrother in such a position. The dancing part had gone relatively well, but he was going to catch absolute hell with his cheerleader lady love once she came back around. He helped Finn over to the lockers so that the other teen could lean on something slightly more stable. "Just breathe for a minute, okay? You'll be fine."

“Yeah, I'll be okay... in a minute," Finn agreed, nodding and swallowing hard at the same time. Rivulets of sweat traveled down the sides of his flushed features, and the heat of his body was damned near oppressive in the monkey suit he was wearing. Finn loosened his collar, ticking his head toward the exit at the end of the hall. "Really need some air," he murmured, lifting himself away from the lockers and shuffling toward the doors.

Kurt found himself trailing after his stepbrother in the hopes that Finn really would recover easily. He glanced over his shoulder and saw no one in pursuit. If Quinn was looking for a fight, she wasn't ready for it yet, and Kurt chose to be thankful for small favors. Finn looked as if he was just this side of passing out. "You sure that's all?" he pressed, wondering if the alcohol had done more damage than the obvious. If Finn was really sick, a bit of fresh air might not fix the problem.

"Yeah, that's much better," Finn assured Kurt as a gentle breeze kissed his skin. He rubbed the back of his neck, and his hand came away damp with perspiration. "I guess I oughta know by now I can't hold my liquor." Shambling over to the one of the parked cars, Finn leaned up against it and fairly sighed at the caress of the cool metal. He glanced over at Kurt, feeling a sudden pang of guilt. "You don't hafta stay out here with me and miss all the fun, y'know?"

"Being the punchline, you mean?" Kurt gave a slight shake of his head. "I think I prefer your company, thank you." The truth was that Kurt wasn't ready to go back in and face everyone else. "Besides, if Quinn shows up, I'm not dealing with that alone," he added, leaning back against the car and crossing his arms as he fixed Finn with an accusatory stare. It didn't manage to be nearly as threatening as he'd intended since the truth was he was too worried about Finn to even jokingly dress him down. Instinctively he reached out and pressed the back of his hand to one flushed cheek as if checking for a fever. That the move was strange and probably intrusive came over Kurt quickly, and he snatched the hand away. "Think you'll live?"

//Jesus...// Finn caught his breath and felt his heart thump hard against his ribs. Kurt's touch reignited the flame of his desire, which had managed to cool somewhat in the night air. It was almost as if something more powerful than himself was driving him to do things he'd otherwise would have never thought of. "I think..." he started, only to admit, "I really don't know what to think..." And that's when Finn made him move, giving into the temptation that had been driving him near insane for the past few days. He cupped Kurt's face in his hand, leaned in and pressed their lips together.