Another Angle – The Substitute:

Kurt was doing the dishes when his phone rings:

"Hello?"

"Kurt? It's Blaine. Listen, I need you."

Kurt's heart started beating really fast. What Blaine meant by that? Did Blaine...He should stay calm; keep himself together and... say something, for crying out loud:

"Sorry?"

"It's this family thing I have to go and my mother reminds me of it 24/7. She won`t stop talking about how important it was for me to make a good impression. It’s like she is obsessed. Would you help me figure out an outfit?"

Oh! Blaine just needed fashion advice. Kurt really shouldn`t nurture so much expectations about Blaine feeling something else about him. He was glad he now had a friend like him to talk to. Even if Blaine wasn't the stereotypical gay, he still understood Kurt better than nobody.

"Sure Blaine, you are sometimes helpless when it comes to fashion."

"I'll thank you for the help and pretend I didn`t hear that last comment. Could you come over tomorrow? Maybe we'll need to go shopping..."

"Awesome!" He shouldn't sound so excited. "I mean... I love shopping."

"See you tomorrow then."

*

            Blaine was absent-minded during the whole Warblers’ practice. He didn’t even notice when Wes approached him at the end of rehearsal:

            “So, Blaine, do you want to come with me to buy sheet music for sectionals?”

            He was taken by surprise:

            “What? But I’m not even in the council.”

            “Come on, it’s no official mission. It’s just that Lydia has to rehearsal for her play and David is having a date with his girlfriend tonight. I just wanted some company.”

            “Sorry, I’m hanging out with Kurt tonight. He’s helping me pick an outfit for that family reunion I told you.”

            Wes gave him a crooked smile:

            “Kurt as in that kid that came to spy on us the other day? Are you guys going out?”

            “We sort of became friends. It’s nice to talk to someone like me.”

            “Just friends?”

            “Come on! Don’t be silly!”

            “Pity; I liked him.”

*

Sue was the new principal. Mr. Schue was sick. Rachel was trying to take over the Glee Club and Kurt had to figure out a way to make amends to Mercedes because they had settled to go bowling and he had forgotten. But nothing mattered: Blaine had asked him to hang out.

            Mercedes keeps asking if he and Blaine are together. Just because the two of them are gays does it mean they can’t be best friends? Sure Kurt’s got a crush on him; but now having someone to talk to outside McKinley was the most important. Besides, he made Blaine promise they wouldn’t talk about Glee Clubs; he didn’t want people saying that Blaine was just approaching him to spy on the New Directions. It isn’t anything like Rachel and Jesse; Blaine is really Kurt’s friend and no one can deny it.

*

            As soon as Kurt arrived at the Anderson’s, Blaine pull him by the hand to his room and opened the closet:

            “It’s an emergency! Look at these clothes and see if you can find something that I can wear to this family reunion that’s important for some reason I couldn’t quite get.”

            Kurt was concentrated in the task. His eyes examining every piece of clothing Blaine had:

"Wow! Even when you are not in the Warblers' outfit you just dress up in navy and red."

"Come on! The Warbler’s jacket is nice."

"Not arguing that; the Warbler’s jacket is really fashionable. You all look very dapper, elegant and sexy in it."

"Wait! Did you just say sexy?"

Why did Blaine found it so cute when Kurt blushed? Maybe it was Kurt's innocence that made him want to protect this boy. Kurt couldn't even keep eye-contact as he answered:

"I'm just saying that the jacket is a nice fashion choice." 

Blaine could tell that Kurt was embarrassed. He decided to break the tension:

“Speaking of nice fashion choices; what do you say? What should I wear? Don’t be shy; you can touch my clothes.”

Kurt didn’t hesitate; he had already analyzed the whole closet and went straight to a shirt and a pair of trousers:

 “I don’t know the dress-code of the event, but if it’s not very strict this would look cute.”

“Understood; to the shopping then…”

*

            They had an amazing time together trying on clothes and just chit-chatting. Kurt couldn’t remember feeling so happy for a long time: he was doing his favorite thing in the company of someone who was really easy to talk to. Mercedes was right; he had been very lonely lately.

            Blaine insisted on buying him a frozen yogurt to thank him for the help. Kurt was enjoying every little moment of intimacy they had. They sat in one of the mall's benches just in front of a CD store. Blaine suddenly remembered and turned to Kurt:

            “Say, do you like Rent?”

            “The musical? Of course! Angel is one of my favorite Broadway characters.”

            “Do you want to watch it at the Community Playhouse this Friday? Greg Evignan is in the cast and so is Lydia, Wes’ girlfriend. She said she could get me tickets.”

            “Aren’t you going to keep Wes company? I don’t think he’ll like if I went too.”

            “He’s going Thursday, on the opening night. She invited me to go on Friday and said I could take whoever I wanted. I don’t know anyone who likes musicals as much as I do but you. So? Maybe we can grab a bite after.”

            Oh My! Kurt was hyperventilating. Blaine was asking him out. Was it a date? Probably not; but it still would be amazing to watch Rent with Blaine:

            “I’d love too.”

            “Cool!”

            Kurt was looking away from Blaine trying to hide the fact that he was blushing. Luckily, Blaine was too distracted with his yogurt to notice. Kurt wandered if he could pass his excitement of going out with Blaine at nighttime as a passion for the play.

*

            Blaine picked up the outfit Kurt had chosen him to go to the play. Kurt was really good at it: it was surely cute. However, Kurt doesn’t seem to notice it. They were a little late and didn’t have much time to talk before the play begun.

            They just had time to talk during dinner. After about half-hour discussing the adaptation choices and the quality of the cast, Blaine decided to check-out what was wrong:

            “Kurt, is something wrong? You seemed distant. Is it your bully?”

            “No, he hasn’t done anything lately. It’s actually a friend, Mercedes. She’s my best friend, or used to be.”

            Kurt looked a little sad. Blaine just wanted to reach out for his hand to comfort him but he found that Kurt might not like it. He simply smiled sympathetically then:

            “What’s the problem with her?”

            “Well, we seem to be in an odd phase it’s been a while. But now I think she’s jealous of you.”

            Blaine couldn’t contain a chuckle:

            “Sorry. But why?”

            Kurt took a few moments running his finger in his glass before answering. It was torture to Blaine: he hated feeling that Kurt was hiding something from him. He wanted to know all of Kurt’s secrets.

            “I’m kind of guilty. This week I have cancelled plans with her twice to see you.”

            Blaine knew he shouldn’t be so selfish, but this last piece of information made him extremely glad. So Kurt liked to spent time with him just as much as he liked spending time with Kurt. He could easily see himself cancelling plans with Wes to hang out with Kurt. Blaine was trying to hide his smile as Kurt went on:

            “But what could I do? The first time you said it was an emergency and today… well, I couldn’t say no to Rent.”

            Blaine was a little disappointed: it wasn’t just about him, after all:

            “Maybe if you found her another company she wouldn’t feel so left out. A date, maybe.”

            Kurt opened a beautiful smile. Blaine tried to shake off the thought that he just suggested that so Kurt could have more time to spend with him. But if Mercedes found a boyfriend it would make her happy as well, wouldn’t it?

*

            So the attempt to make amends with Mercedes by finding her a date hasn’t worked out. At least Kurt tried. Mercedes was being hard; maybe it was this whole tots war she was beginning. But Kurt had other worries: Karofsky had winked at him today. What did he want now? Blaine would know…Blaine! Today is his family meeting, Kurt should call him.

            “Hi Kurt.”

            “Hey Blaine, just wanted to wish you good luck with your family dinner. I know you must be busy, so that’s all.”

            “I’m not that busy. I mean, my mother had already given me a dozen different instructions, but I’m pretty much ready. I just need to gel my hair. But tell me, how was it with Mercedes today?”

            Kurt sighed:

            “At least I tried. She didn’t take it very well and she’s also looking for trouble with the new principal. I’ll have to figure out some other way to talk to her.”

            “I’m sad to hear that. I feel like I’m getting in the way between two good friends.”

            “You are not.”

            “Anyhow, what do you say the three of us have dinner together at BreadStix tomorrow? Maybe we’ll get along fine and we can start going out as a trio.”

            Kurt found cute that Blaine was caring about him and Mercedes but, somehow, he didn’t wanted to share Blaine. Maybe he still had hope Blaine would like him back:

            “I’ll talk to her.”

            “And any other news?”

            Blaine had a special way of making Kurt tell more than he first intended to:

            “Karofsky winked at me…”

            Blaine’s voice was angry:

            “This guy is getting on my nerves!”

            “Really? Now I kind of pity him.”

            “Pity him? After all he did to you? Kurt, you really are an amazing person.”

            An amazing person. Kurt would definitively sleep with a smile tonight.

*

            Blaine was at Dalton waiting for the Warbler’s practice to begin. He and some others had arrived early and were killing time. He decided to message Kurt:

            “Have you seen the new Vogue`s article about argyle patterns?"

He received a message back:

"I haven't bought the new Vogue yet..."

            Okay, something serious happened and he should speak to Kurt immediately. He called forgetting that he was surrounded by eavesdroppers. Kurt answered:

"Hi!"

"Don`t try to fool me, Kurt Hummel, something is very wrong and I want to know what`s happened."

            “Oh Blaine, its Karofsky. He menaced to kill me if I told anyone that I kissed him.”

            Blaine was completely furious:

            “Do you still pity him now?”

            He could hear the hurt on Kurt’s tune:

            “You really don’t need to turn this on me.”

            Blaine was devastated:

            “Sorry Kurt, I didn’t mean…”

            Kurt interrupted him:

            “It’s okay, Blaine; I’ll talk to you later.”

            Kurt hung up the phone. Blaine didn’t notice he was being very loud. Neither did he notice that Wes was approaching him:

            “Is everything ok?”

            Blaine sighed:

            “It’s Kurt. His bully is picking on him again. I’m worried about him.”

            Wes smiled:

            “At least he has you now, right?”

            That was right; now Blaine was there to help Kurt and to protect him in every way he could.