Feb. 26, 2012, 12:44 p.m.
Unexpected: Tent
T - Words: 1,334 - Last Updated: Feb 26, 2012 Story: Closed - Chapters: 14/? - Created: Nov 29, 2011 - Updated: Feb 26, 2012 1,047 0 1 0 0
Kurt Hummel rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's goofy facial expressions; Blaine was strumming his guitar and happily singing with the rest of Warblers. There was a sense of excitement thrumming through the air, infecting the other boys with giddiness.
Well, except for Kurt.
He tried to have a good attitude, and he really was glad that this glee club had been so accepting of him, but there were some things that Kurt just couldn't muster up much enthusiasm for. Sure, he could fake excitement over how hot the actress was in the latest movie geared towards teenage boys, and he could even tone down his fashion criticisms because he understood that most of the other boys weren't as style-conscious as he was. If they came to him when it came down to impressing girls on dates, well he wasn't going to complain. He did seem to understand the female psyche better than most boys, plus he had a contact list full of girls he could call for advice. But Kurt was human, and he couldn't fake it for everything. This was one of those things: the Warbler's annual camping trip.
Being a naturally early riser, Kurt had enjoyed the first leg of the trip. Almost all of the others had dropped back off to sleep immediately after the bus had gotten to the highway, which Kurt didn't mind at all. He got to cuddle with his boyfriend and catch up with the few Warblers who were also early birds. He had revelled in the quiet and enjoyed watching the sun ascend above the horizon line.
Finally the rest of the group had begun to stir. Once they were up, they were up. The other boys had been literal bouncy balls, singing and moving around the bus despite the warnings from the driver. Kurt had resigned himself to a very long weekend. He only hoped that he would be able to relax by the lake that was close to the campsite without having to use his CPR training – one of the main reasons the Warblers were allowed to go camping unsupervised.
"We're here!" Trent exclaimed excitedly. Kurt looked out the window, and his face must have shown his confusion because Trent then added, "We hike from here."
Joy.
"C'mon babe," Blaine grinned a little too mischievously at the unimpressed look on his boyfriend's porcelain face, grabbing his hand, "It will be fun! Once we get there, we can get cozy in our tent, and have the first marshmallow roast. I make killer s'mores."
Kurt decided that, as long as Blaine was holding his hand, he would willingly go anywhere this silly boy desired. Ignoring the snickers of Nick and Jeff, Kurt threw his backpack over his shoulder and started walking, thankful he had thought to wear a sturdy pair of boots instead of a shiny pair of Oxfords.
The rest of the Warblers were hitching on their packs and adjusting their shoes, falling into line along the path. They marched along, with Thad and Cameron bringing up the rear, and Kurt and Blaine in the lead. Someone began another cheerful song and the others quickly joined in, the music singing in their blood and raising their voices above the treetops.
Even Kurt had to admit that the energy his fellow teammates were giving off was starting to catch up with him. He grinned and tipped his face up to the sunlight, his neon green Ray Bans bright against his skin. Blaine had been swinging their clasped hands back and forth until the clearing ahead caught his eye. He flashed Kurt a brilliant grin before taking off with a whoop. A handful of the others joined his war cry and rushed ahead excitedly. Kurt and Wes laughed with each other and watched the others throw down backpacks, stretch and goof around, starting sword fights with sticks and claim territory.
Blaine had secured space along the edge of the group, close enough to the fire to be comfortable, but far enough away from most of the other groups that he and Kurt would be undisturbed. Nick had claimed the space nearby for himself and Jeff, and was already pulling out their two-man tent.
"Okay I know we're all pumped to be here, but we need to get tents set up while we still have the light!" David cupped his hands around his mouth to be heard about the cacophony of teenagers, "I'm not your mom, so if you don't get your tent set up then you're sleeping outside tonight! Get it done!"
He ignored the grumblings from the others and turned to work with Wes, Thad, and another Warbler named Justin to set up a large group tent. Blaine turned to Kurt with a flourish and a bow, "My darling, you don't need to worry about a thing! I will have our tent set up in no time!"
Kurt laughed and Blaine tried to move in for a goofy kiss on the cheek. He made a ridiculous fish face and Kurt scoffed and pushed away him away, "All right outdoor man, do your worst!"
Kurt took a recline against a tree trunk and observed the failing and flailing that was the Warblers attempting to set up camp.
"You idiot! Pole A goes into side pocket D! And Pole B does not go anywhere Slot B! They're two different things!" Ethan was shouting at Evan and waving about an enormous piece of paper that looked like it had gibberish written on it. Evan was holding a bundle of tent poles in one hand and a mallet for the grounding nails in the other; he looked ready to hammer Ethan's head.
In fact, it appeared that most of the Warblers couldn't set up a tent. There were a few exceptions of course: Trent loved to camp and was putting the finishing touches on the tent he was sharing with Cameron. Jeff had been smart enough to realize that he couldn't set up a tent and had brought a tent in a can. He and Nick had been content to sit and laugh at the others until Wes had gotten annoyed and sent them to gather firewood and set up kindling. Blaine was holding his own set of instructions and scratching the back of his neck. The tent supplies were spilling out of the bag and on the grass, but Blaine looked like he didn't even know where to start.
Meanwhile, David had somehow managed to get wrapped up in a tangle of nylon and rope. The others were trying to unwrap him. Unsuccessfully.
"Hey Blaine! You like puzzles right?" Thad called, knowing that Blaine wouldn't be able to resist helping his fallen comrade.
"What the hell David?" Blaine laughed, jogging over to help. It took the combined efforts of Blaine, Wes, Thad, and Justin to get David untangled. Blaine left the four to attempt to set up their tent once again and turned back to his own task. He was starting to panic a little because he honestly had no idea what he was doing and he didn't want to end up stuck sleeping outside. Plus, he wanted to impress Kurt; embarrassing himself was definitely not the way to do that.
He stopped and stared in confusion. His tent was up, and Kurt was nowhere to be seen until the doorway unzipped and he poked his head out.
"Oh you're done! Good. I thought I would get this out of the way while you were helping David," Kurt smiled brightly at him and stepped out, slipping his shoes back on and zipping the tent shut.*
"How the hell did you get that done so fast!" Ethan was pointing at Kurt in bewilderment. The countertenor looked around in amusement at the surprised (and jealous?) looks on his friends' faces. Even Blaine looked a little surprised, but he wasn't envious because it was his tent, therefore he had less work to do. Kurt quirked an eyebrow up and strolled over to take Ethan's instructions from his hand.
"Really guys? We live in Ohio."
Comments
I LOVE IT! And not only do they live in Ohio, but with Burt as your father and Finn as your brother, it's just something you'd have to pick up. But I totally get what you mean. I live in the middle of farm country (Iowa) and in a way my dad was like Burt. I've been able to set up our tent since I was like...8. And my dad told me that if I was gonna drive a car, I had to learn maintenance, so I know how to check/change/fill all fluids and filters, change/rotate my tires, and fill the gas tank! (Which seems basic, but I had to teach 4 of my friends, all older then me, how to do that.) HEY! Maybe that could be a topic for one of your future chapters? Blaine (Or even Jeff or Nick) can't figure out why their car is doing something, and their all trying to figure it out and that's when Kurt steps in and fixes it in like 2 minutes :p HAHAH I love it. I love what you write, too!!