Wednesday

Blaine

                Blaine tapped his pencil against his lips, considering the math problem he has scribbled down as soon as he walked into his Advanced Calculus class. His teacher, Ms. Abrams, always put an especially challenging practice problem on the blackboard every day before class. Every person who got the correct answer was awarded points for extra credit. So far, Blaine had gotten every single one right. After a few minutes, Blaine worked through the problem and jotted down his answer. After he was finished, he tapped his fingers on his desk and looked around the room. Most of the students around him were still contemplating the question and there was still another ten minutes until Ms. Abrams reviewed the problem and started the class.

                Blaine let his thoughts drift to Kurt. Right now, he’d be touring the campus or meeting with the Dean. Blaine had seen him for a quick second between classes. He wasn’t able to go say hello, but he waved enthusiastically across the busy hallway to catch Kurt’s attention.

                “You are such a dork,” Kurt mouthed from across the hall. Blaine just shrugged his shoulders and smiled widely.

                The second bell, also known as the “last chance” bell, rang and Blaine stuck his thumb towards the direction of his class.

                “I have to go,” he mouthed, frowning.

                “I love you!” Kurt mouthed, his smile squinching his eyes up.

                “I love you too!” he mouthed back, bouncing on the balls of his feet and smiling just as wide.

                The shrill ringing of the classroom phone interrupted Blaine’s thoughts. Ms. Abrams answered the phone on her desk. After a few moments of hushed conversation, she hung up the phone.

                “Mr. Anderson, the Dean would like to see you in his office,” she said to him.

                Blaine immediately felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, but then he realized, first of all, he wasn’t in elementary school anymore and second of all, he was a model student.

Guess the fear of being called into the Principal’s office never leaves, even when you attend a high end private school and haven’t done anything wrong, he thought.

Blaine picked up the bag that was slung on the back of his chair and shoved his notebook and pencils in there.  He made sure to hand the paper with the solved equation to his teacher before he left for the Dean’s office and she ensured him that’d she mark it and hand it back to him tomorrow.

Blaine left the class and started towards the Dean’s office. Blaine figured that the Dean probably wanted to talk to him about Kurt, or the Warblers, or something like that. He hummed the tune to the latest song they were working on in the Warblers under his breath, waving to the janitor Mr. Humphries on his way into the office. The Dean’s secretary looked up from the paperwork she was transcribing onto the computer when she heard Blaine enter the office.

“Hello, Mr. Anderson! The Dean is waiting for you in his office, go on in,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks,” he said. He walked into the opened doorway off to the left of the secretary’s desk and knocked his knuckles on the doorframe as a courtesy. Inside the prestigious office, the Dean, no younger than 35 years old, sat behind the large wooden desk. He was wearing a light gray suit, with a navy button down underneath and a striped tie. If he wasn’t the Dean and if Blaine didn’t have Kurt, Blaine mostly likely would have had a crush on him. But who was he kidding, most of the gay population at Dalton did.

“Blaine! Come in, come in. You know Kurt and his parents, of course,” he said. Burt, Carole and Kurt were all seated in front of the Dean’s desk. All three of them, almost completely synchronized, turned around in their respective chairs and smiled at Blaine.

“Hi sweetie!” Carole called out happily.

“Hi! It’s nice to see you guys in the middle of the week,” he said. He was always happy to see Burt and Carole and of course Kurt. They were like a second family to him and he had to admit he had missed them this week after spending time with them all weekend.

“Nice to see you too, kid,” Burt said, reaching across to pat his arm. Burt was smiling and he looked relaxed. Blaine figured the orientation day was going well for them. Kurt’s expression was a mirror if his father’s. His cheeks were rosy and his smile was so very sweet, looking at Blaine. His eyes were absolutely shining. Blaine went over to Kurt’s chair and pressed his hands on Kurt’s shoulders. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Kurt’s cheek.

“Are you having a good time?” he whispered close to Kurt’s ear.

“Mhmm, a really good time. I’m excited to move in!” Kurt’s cheeks and the tops of his ears were flushed red and he was kind of flitting his eyes back and forth to the Dean and to Blaine.

Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed him in front of the Dean…he mused.  Kurt wasn’t a huge fan of public displays of affection, but he figured a quick kiss on the cheek would be okay. Speaking of the Dean, he was kind of looking at them like they were the most adorable couple on the face of the planet. Well, maybe after the Dean and his partner, Michael, who Blaine had the pleasure of meeting once or twice at one of the charity events his mother planned.

                “Kurt’s mentioned you a few times today, Blaine. I figured you might want to see each other. It’s a long drive between Lima and Westerville,” said the Dean, with a smile. Blaine gave Kurt’s shoulders another squeeze.

                “Thankfully Blaine’s parents live in Lima and we get to see each other during the weekend most of the time. But…now I guess we’ll be seeing each other all the time,” said Kurt.       

                “That’s great. I’m really glad you have each other,” said the Dean, sincerely. This was the reason why Blaine loved Dalton so much. Unlike McKinley, Dalton has a strong leader who was kind and genuine. The Dean was a big enforcer of the traditions, rules and policies at Dalton and he made sure everything was running smoothing. Blaine didn’t know a single student in the school who was intimidated by the Dean. Blaine had even run into him a few times in the common room of the dorm, playing air hockey or x-box with the students. The Dean was also 100% supportive of the gay students at the school and he had even started the PFLAG group at the school when he had been hired.

                “Oh my god, I’m so sorry sir, I tried to get here as fast as I could but I was all the way in the Parker building and it took forever to walk over here!” A boy with a bright shock of blonde hair had rushed into the room, spewing out this apology as he tried to straighten his blazer. The tie around his next was loose, and Blaine tugged on his own as an indicator to the boy. He shot him a quick smile and tightened the tie around his neck and ran his fingers through the long hair lying across his forehead.

                “It’s alright Jeff, we weren’t timing you,” said the Dean, with a kind voice. “I called you in to meet your new roommate, Kurt.” Blaine watched both Jeff and Kurt’s eyes widen. The two of them had met several times at the many Warbler gatherings Blaine had invited Kurt to.

                Thank god the Dean found someone that Kurt knew, he thought. Meeting the roommate was one of the scariest parts of starting at a boarding school. Blaine was glad that he had had the same roommate for the two and a half years he had been here. Jeff was one of Blaine’s favourite Warblers; he was one of the most kind-hearted people Blaine had ever known. Jeff loved animals (he wanted to be a vet) and Blaine had never once heard him say anything rude or disrespectful, even in a joking manner.  Jeff was very energetic and friendly and smart as a whip. Blaine couldn’t even express how relieved he was that Kurt was going to be rooming with Jeff.

                “No way! That’s so awesome! I didn’t know you were transferring, Kurt! This is so exciting!” Kurt giggled at Jeff’s excitement.

                “I’m excited too! Oh, we’re going to have so much fun, Jeff!”

                Blaine stood back and watched the two of them chat. Kurt’s hands were flailing as he described the bedding and other decorations he had bought with Carole the other day. Jeff was nodding excitedly and hanging on Kurt’s every word. He remembered the first time that he had brought Kurt to one of the Warbler gatherings. His normally exuberant boyfriend was quiet and shy at his side. The first person to approach Kurt was Jeff, who had invited him to join him and Blaine’s roommate, Nick, in a game of Mario Kart on the x-box.

                Kurt had won everyone’s hearts that day when he thoroughly kicked their asses in each and every race.

                The Dean interrupted Kurt’s and Jeff’s conversation with a clearing of his throat.

                “So, it looks you two have already met,” interrupted the Dean.

                Both Kurt and Jeff stopped talking and looked over at the Dean, bashful.

                “I’ve invited Kurt to some of the gatherings that the Warblers have had, so he could meet my friends and such,” Blaine said, smiling. “I haven’t broken it to the Warblers yet that Kurt’s transferring, but I know that they’ll be very exciting to have him here with us,” said Blaine, assuredly, squeezing Kurt’s hand slightly.

                “Blaine, maybe you should consider borrowing some equipment from the lacrosse team…” the Dean mentioned. When Burt, Carole and Kurt all responded to the Dean’s joke with a blank expression, Blaine laughed.

                “The Warblers are famous for their tackle hugs. The Dean just wants to ensure your safety.”

Jeff burst into giggles next to him. “It’s true. We do like to hug.”

“I’ll be sure to brace myself then,” said Kurt, “Although I’d much prefer a tackle hug compared to anything else…” The room fell silent.

The Dean looked over at Kurt knowingly and suggested that Blaine and Jeff take Kurt to the dorms so he could see his new dorm room while he went through some paperwork with Burt and Carole. The boys readily agreed and Jeff was practically skipping out of the office in his excitement.

Blaine grabbed Kurt’s hand and they followed Jeff out of the office.

“He’s very excited to have you as his roommate,” Blaine pointed out.

“I know,” Kurt looked him with a puzzled expression. “I wouldn’t think someone who has had a room to themselves at a boarding school would be excited to gain a roommate unexpectedly.”

“That would be true for anyone who isn’t Jeff. His roommate moved away during Christmas break and he’s been kind of lonely since then. He’s always in mine and Nick’s room. He has a bunch of brothers and sisters back home, so he’s not really used to living by himself. Plus, Jeff loves you. He also asks me about you, you know. He misses you; all of the Warblers do.” Blaine leaned his head on Kurt’s shoulder and Kurt pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“Does this mean I am automatically granted a position in the Warblers?” Kurt asked cheekily.

“No...?” Blaine tried to keep a straight face, but it was impossible. Wes had expressed to Blaine many times how amazing the group would sound with Kurt’s countertenor.  Kurt’s face had fallen, not picking up on his tone. “Kurt, I’m pretty sure Wes has been secretly planning a way to steal you away from New Directions ever since he heard you sing at Sectionals. Don’t worry. The council will probably ask you to try out with a formal audition, but I can guarantee you that you already have a spot.”

Kurt’s face relaxed into an easy smile. “Good. I don’t think I could give up my singing, even if it means joining an A cappella group.”

“Hey! Don’t knock A Cappella before you try it!” Kurt just laughed and knocked his elbow into his side a little bit. He hurried past Blaine to catch up to Jeff ahead and Blaine followed behind. Kurt caught up to Jeff and they fell into easy chit chat once again.

Once they had reached the Whistler dorm, Jeff swiped his key card and let them all into the building. On the way to the floor where both Blaine and Jeff roomed, they made sure to point out the common areas, the game rooms, and the laundry room and computer lab for the student who didn’t have laptops or printers. They pointed out the communal kitchen, where the boys liked to keep their frozen pizzas, ice cream and other junk food for when the cafeteria was closed at night.

“I didn’t think I would be this excited,” Kurt whispered into Blaine’s ear. “I never really noticed a lot about this place when I came to visit, but now that I think about living here, I think I’ll really like it. Except for the uniforms, of course.”

“It has a certain homey-ness to it, doesn’t it? I often imagine the common rooms at Hogwarts looking like the ones we have here.”

Kurt rolled his eyes playfully, “You’re a geek.”

“It adds to my charm”, Blaine sing-songed as he brushed past Kurt, skipping down the hall to catch up with Jeff. Blaine heard Kurt chuckling behind him. Jeff stopped at the door to his room and waited for Blaine and Kurt to catch up. Once they were all standing in front of the door, Kurt stopped and looked around.

“Hey isn’t this...” he trailed off when Nick, Blaine’s roommate and Jeff’s best friend, came out of a room three doors down from where they were standing. Blaine started to count mentally in his head, one, two, three…”

Kurt gasped loudly, his jaw slack. “BLAINE! How come you didn’t tell me Jeff’s room is three doors down from yours!” Kurt smacked his shoulder playfully and Blaine just laughed.

Nick slung a bag over his shoulder and made his way towards to group, eyebrows perking when he noticed Kurt standing with Jeff and Blaine.

“Kurt! It’s good to see you!” Nick pulled him into a side hug. “What do we owe the pleasure to having you here at Dalton?”

“I’m transferring,” Kurt said shyly.  Nick looked over at Blaine knowingly. Blaine winced a little when he realized he had been so preoccupied with everything going on that he hadn’t even told Nick that Kurt was transferring. After he had come home last weekend utterly distraught and run down, Nick had forcibly sat him down, shoved a mug hot chocolate in his hands and they talked for hours about what was going on and what Blaine was feeling. He had shared with Nick his hope that Kurt would get the chance to transfer, but…it completely left his mind to tell his roommate that Kurt was actually transferring.

Blaine tilted his head and mouthed “Sorry!” while shrugging his shoulders. Nick just laughed and shook his head, like he was used to Blaine doing something like this.

“That’s great, Kurt! I’m sure you’ll make a wonderful addition to the Warblers, if you wish to join. I know Wes has had his eye on you for a while,” said Nick.

“Oh, trust me. I definitely plan on auditioning,” Kurt said, assured.

“Good,” Nick clapped his shoulder. “Anyways, I’m off to Biology. Did you guys get excused from class for some reason?”

“Kurt’s my new roommate! The Dean asked me to show him to my…well I guess our room,” Jeff explained.

“And…the Dean just called me out so I could see Kurt,” said Blaine, blushing.

“Isn’t that just adorable, Nick?” Jeff teased.

“Absolutely,” Nick nodded. He winked and then left to go to his class, waving behind him. “See you soon Kurt!” he called out.

Blaine looked over at his boyfriend. Kurt had an effervescent smile on today. He looked so happy to be here. Blaine knew exactly what was going through Kurt’s mind. The simple fact that he was going to be safe at school, for once in his life was showing all over his face. His shoulders were relaxed, his smile was easy and his eyes were practically sparkling. Blaine walked over to him and squeezed his hand.

“Ready to see the room, Kurt?”

“Yes, yes! Let’s see what I have to work with here. Now, Blaine gave me a list to work off of, so I did my best when we went shopping, but I still have tomorrow if I need to pick up anything else before I move in,” Kurt said.

Honestly, Blaine thought Kurt had picked up too many things, if anything. He had gone through each of the bags he had brought home from his shopping trip with Blaine on Skype, and while Blaine approved of everything Kurt had picked up, he hoped that Kurt would be able to fit everything in the room. Blaine had never really gone into Jeff’s room so he wasn’t too sure about space, so maybe Kurt would be okay.

Jeff grabbed his key card out of his pocket and swiped it through the card scanner above the door handle.

“It reminds me of a hotel room,” Kurt says.

“That’s what everyone says. It loses its novelty after a while,” Jeff said while walking into the room.

Blaine followed Kurt and Jeff into the room and looked around. The room wasn’t decorated much, except for personal photos that Jeff had tacked to the bulletin board hanging over his desk. Books and DVDs filled the shelves, along with neatly folded clothes. The desk was neatly organized, stacked with school books and binders, with Jeff’s laptop settled right in the middle. Jeff’s bed was neatly made with a light blue comforter. The bed across from his was completely bare, except the mattress was covered in a simple fitted sheet.

“The ugly pattern of the mattress was driving me insane, so I got my mom to bring me a sheet so I could cover it.” Kurt nodded in sympathy as he walked towards his new bed and lifted the corner up. Kurt practically recoiled at the ugly blue and pink floral pattern of the old mattress.

“No kidding. This is absolutely horrible.”

“I hope you bought a sponge to put on your mattress, Kurt,” Jeff said. “They try to change the mattresses every 10 years or something, and the last time they got new ones was about 6 years ago. It’s not that bad, but I mean…compared to the mattress we all have at home, these ones are like rock solid.”

Kurt sat down on the mattress gingerly, bouncing up and down a little bit. Blaine walked over and sat next to Kurt on the bed.

“You won’t really know what it’s like until you lie down,” Blaine said.

“And you’ve come to join me?” Kurt said, raising an eyebrow. Blaine just shrugs and smiles widely.

Kurt lied down on the mattress and wiggled around a bit, trying to get as comfortable as he could without any pillows. Blaine lied down next to him and moved around until his upper body was positioned comfortably on Kurt’s chest. Kurt wrapped his arms around him and sighed softly.

Jeff cleared his throat and said, “If you guys want to stop being sickly adorable for five seconds, I’ll be in the dining hall grabbing lunch.”

“We’ll be down soon, promise!” Blaine called out.

Jeff laughed as he left the room and Blaine snuggled just a bit closer to his boyfriend.

“It’s not that bad, is it?” he asked.

“It’s perfect,” Kurt said softly.

Blaine had a feeling Kurt wasn’t talking about the mattress.