Aug. 25, 2013, 8:11 a.m.
Laundry Room Escapades
Goodbye, Physics...: Chapter 11
M - Words: 3,225 - Last Updated: Aug 25, 2013 Story: Closed - Chapters: 30/? - Created: Jul 25, 2012 - Updated: Aug 25, 2013 883 0 1 0 0
"You've got to be kidding me," he laughed, and Blaine grinned. The sight caught him off-guard, despite the fact that it wasn't the first time to see it, and a small part of him wondered if he would be left breathless every time Blaine smiled or laughed or just existed.
"I swear, I'm not," Blaine replied, and Kurt struggled to focus. "What I'm about to tell you is strictly between us."
Kurt raised a brow as his conspiratorial look. "Do tell."
"I am a Disney addict."
Kurt choked on a laugh, and schooled his face to look normal, even serious.
"Is that so?"
"I know every single Disney song by heart."
"Uh-huh."
"And I learned how to play them on the piano and guitar."
"That's...impressive."
"I also have played them in public venues."
The grin broke through his serious fa�ade and Kurt shook his head.
"Okay, now that's embarrassing."
"Oh, it gets worse," Blaine grinned in return. "When I explained to my mom my lack of conventional music knowledge, she sent me the soundtrack to every single musical, Broadway or West End or otherwise, ever released."
"Oh my god..."
"Yeah, you see my problem, then. So one of my roommates made me a bunch of mixes and I've spent the last week learning new stuff, which includes the lovely Katy Perry."
"And you had never been on YouTube before?"
A small flush rose beneath the brown leather jacket he had pulled on over his shirt, and Kurt stared at him a moment. What was with his reactions? Love at first sight was supposed to be romantic, right? Back in high school, Kurt had used to think the touch of the fingertips was as sexy as it got. In the years since then, though, he had realized that romantic ideal was kind of silly and certainly unrealistic. But aside from Brittany, he had only ever kissed one other person, a boy he had met at the community college in Ohio, who had ran as soon as he met Sunny. He wasn't exactly na�ve, but he was definitely inexperienced, with boys, at least, and he didn't understand this rush of heat he got every time he looked at Blaine.
"I'll have you know I led a very sheltered youth," Blaine said after a moment. Kurt managed to tear his gaze away from him to swipe his student id over the entry port. The doors were rarely locked before sundown, but Kurt had learned to have his id ready just in case to save the time it would take him to fumble for it when the doors didn't open at his tug.
"So did you grow up in a monastery then?"
"Because monks are such big fans of Disney," Blaine replied, and they both laughed as they walked inside the compound.
"Of course. Friar Tuck, you know?" Kurt returned.
"Ah, yes. Robin Hood. But the real question is, would they have had me watching the one with the fox or the live one?"
Kurt paused at the fork in the path and looked over at the dark-haired boy in surprise.
"You weren't kidding about being an addict, were you? Most of my friends didn't know there was a live action version in the first place. It's one of my favorites, though. I used to watch it with my mom when I was a kid."
"It's great, isn't it?" Blaine asked, smiling and turning to the left when Kurt grabbed the arm of his jacket.
He wondered if his heart was beating as loud as he thought it was as he said, "Uh, I'm this way, Blaine."
"Oh, right. Sorry. Force of habit."
Kurt smiled and shook the feeling off as they continued to the right.
"No problem. So a monastery is out, then. Are you perhaps the victim of child kidnapping and all your captors had to watch was Disney films?"
Blaine laughed and shook his head.
"You have such a strange imagination, Kurt."
"You've only just heard of Katy Perry now, Blaine. Tell me who's strange?"
He only grinned.
"It's not like I didn't get any outside musical influence. My high school choir made sure of that. It was just...limited."
"Extremely limited, I'll say," Kurt returned as they stopped just before his door. "Well, here we are. Home sweet home." Kurt winced at his voice cracked on the last word, but simply pushed the door open and held it for Blaine.
"You don't lock your door?"
He didn't sound judgmental, only curious, but the question added to the sudden barrage of nerves that was overcoming Kurt.
"Well, normally, yes. But I--"
"See that pretty girl in that mirror there? Who can that attractive girl be?"
Kurt shut his eyes and laughed, and he didn't see the strange look that crossed Blaine's face as he asked, "So your girlfriend likes to sing, too?"
His eyes shot open, and he shook his head vehemently.
"Oh, no. That's Rachel. Though Brittany sings, too, but she's not--"
"Daddy!"
Kurt turned automatically at the excited cry and knelt down to snatch the little girl up into his arms.
"Hi, baby. Did you miss me?"
"Daddy, daddy! Aunt Rachel painted my nails for me!" She held up her hands to show off the sparkly pink polish and Kurt looked at them with a critical eye before grinning and pressing a kiss to her fingertips. He knew it wasn't just some silly thing, getting them painted like that. Nail polish had quickly become one of the frilly things that he and Brittany had agreed to stop buying--he often reminisced on the good old days when they gave each other manicures almost daily, with the occasional pedicure thrown in for kicks. They had one bottle in the house, a pretty blue that exactly matched his girls' eyes, and it was only on special occasions that they were allowed to wear it. Rachel had obviously broken out her own stash for the occasion, whatever it was, and Kurt left a mental note for himself to thank her for it.
"They're fabulous, baby. I see she also did something new with your hair," he said, taking in the crimped style.
"Do you like it?"
"Of course, baby. You look beautiful."
She grinned up at him and then her blue-eyed gaze drifted past him and a sligth frown creased her brow. "Daddy, who's that man?"
He stilled before hefting her up higher on his hip as he stood and turned back to face the boy he had momentarily forgotten.
"Sorry, Blaine, I didn't mean to be rude. Baby, this is Daddy's friend, Blaine. Blaine, this is my daughter, Sunny."
He saw him mouth the word 'daughter' as Sunny began cheerily, "Hello, Blaine. I'm three. How old are you?"
He laughed and smiled in return, but there was a dullness in his eyes that hadn't been there before, and Kurt cursed himself internally as he realized how Sunny's presence had cemented his sexuality in Blaine's mind. It was unavoidable, of course, and Kurt would never even dream to deny her existence, but it certainly made things difficult in this type of situation. A small voice told him that Blaine's reaction was proof that he liked him, and it thrilled him to think so, but what did that matter if he wouldn't act on it?
"Hi, Sunny. I'm twenty, but I'll be twenty-one in a few weeks."
Kurt raised a brow in surprise. He hadn't realized the man was younger than him; love of all things Disney aside, there was a sense of maturity and wisdom about him that he simply assumed he was older, or at the very least the same age.
"Are you having a birthday party? You should let my mommy help you decorate. She's good at that."
Kurt winced and shook his head. "Baby, I don't think Blaine would want glitter all over his room."
"But it's so pretty, Daddy!"
"I know, baby, but--"
"Kurt?"
He turned as Rachel entered the room, and his eyes widened at the sight. Clearly Sunny had not been the only one to receive a makeover. Gone were her standard pleated skirt and blouse, and were replaced with hot pink yoga pants that were a hair too tight and a white cropped top slanted across her shoulders, beneath which a turquoise and black sports bra was visible. Her hair was pulled into a kinky, messy updo and her eyes were painted dramatically, and Kurt interrupted her "I thought I heard you out here" with "What in god's name are you wearing, Rachel? And why?"
"Brittany and I are going to a belly-dancing class."
"And, what, you're trying to seduce the instructor?"
She glared at him a moment before sighing.
"It's the makeup, isn't it? It's too sexy, I told Brittany I was fine without it, but she insisted I needed a change, not that dragging me to this class isn't change enough, and I told her--"
"Whoa, there, Rach," Kurt cut her off, putting Sunny down to pull the suspiciously bright-eyed diva into his arms. "Calm down. You look great. I was just surprised, is all. You haven't looked this hot since I made you up as Sandy from Grease."
She gave a watery laugh and hugged him tighter a moment before asking, "Who's your friend, Kurt?"
He winced and stepped back to gaze sheepishly at Blaine.
"I'm really not trying to be rude to you, Blaine, I swear. It's just--"
"Should I take a raincheck? It's obviously a little crazy here."
"NO!" Kurt shouted immediately and then winced. "Sorry. No, I want you to stay. Please."
The boy nodded slowly and Kurt sighed in relief. If things could just calm down for a moment, he could fix all these misconceptions his words and actions had given rise to. He reached back for Rachel's hand and began introductions.
"Rachel, this is Blaine Anderson. He's a Disney and Broadway addict." Blaine laughed as he held out his hand and Kurt continued. "Blaine, this is my best friend and future Broadway star, Rachel--"
"Oh my god. You're Rachel Berry."
Kurt paused and looked over to see Blaine gaping at Rachel as if she were a movie star or something.
Predictably, Rachel preened and said, "I see my name has made it west of the Mississippi, even. See, Kurt? I have fans everywhere."
Kurt rolled his eyes when Blaine chuckled.
"Um, well, I don't know how many others 'west of the Mississippi,' as you say, know you. But I heard you sing at the national show choir championship in Chicago my junior year, and I saw you in West Side Story before that."
"You're kidding," she said, beaming. "But whatever were you doing in Lima, Ohio?"
"I'm from Westerville, actually. I went to Dalton Academy, and--"
"Oh my god, you're the Warbler Prince!"
"Excuse me?" Blaine turned his gaze to Kurt's, clearly wondering about Rachel's level of sanity, but Kurt was blushing, and could only shake his head.
"Rachel, stop. There's no way that Blaine is--"
"But yes," Rachel cut him off, and started walking around Blaine, perusing his person as if comparing to something only she could see. "His hair might not be slicked back, but I'm almost positive it's him. The skin tone is a bit off, but that's probably just the stage lighting."
"Or the fact that it's November and it's cold outside and nobody's skin tone looks normal with all that inside time."
"Or it's November," she conceeded, and then went on, "The way he wears his jacket is that same too."
"The way he--good grief, Rachel, you can't seriously--"
"Come on, Kurt, just picture him in a uniform!"
Though he tried to push the thought away, he found himself picturing it quite clearly, the way the collar would lie against Blaine's throat, and how the cuff-links would match and--
"Oh my god, it is you."
"Um, Kurt? Fill me in? I'm so lost."
Instead of answering him, Kurt smiled down at Sunny and asked, "Are you hungry, baby? How about I make us some supper?"
Rachel laughed, the look on her face full of mischief at the obvious subject change.
"Well," she began, taking Blaine's arm and leading him over to the sofa, "It all started when the boys in our glee club sent a young, sweet boy to spy on our competition for sectionals."
"I feel like steak tonight. What do you think, baby?"
"The sweet, innocent boy went all out on his mission, even going so far as to hand-sew a replica of the distinct blue blazer with red piping that the young men of our rival glee club all wore."
"And definitely something dairy on the side," Kurt added loudly, hoping that the vegan girl would lose her focus, but she kept right on going.
"His infiltration of the fancy preparatory institution was flawless."
"Maybe some cheesecake, does that sound good, baby?"
Sunny looked half confused by his tone and half excited by the mention of what was her favorite dessert, and though Rachel flicked a glance in his direction, she felt no inclination to stop.
"What our beautiful young spy did not anticipate, however, was that his heart would be captured by--"
"RACHEL!"
She finally paused in her story and looked at him literally seething in frustration, and she opened her mouth to retort only to be stopped by Brittany's entrance.
"Kurt, why are you yelling at Rachel?"
They all turned as one to face her and Kurt gaped while Sunny said, "Wow, Mommy, you look pretty."
Kurt blinked down at her and said slowly, "I wouldn't quite say 'pretty,' baby."
He couldn't deny that Brittany was beautiful; she always was, and even a gay man could appreciate beauty. However, she had chosen an interesting way to emphasize that beauty this afternoon. Her skin quite literally sparkled, from the glitter she had smoothed all over it. The day he had walked into her room to find her mixing the silvery stuff into her body lotion had been an interesting one, to say the least. There was not an inch of skin not visible, though, in her current state of dress--or undress, to be more specific. She was wearing a pair of blue spandex shorts that would give daisy dukes a run for their money in a revealing-skin contest. Like Rachel, she too had a dual-toned sports bra on, hers in pink and a blue to match her shorts, but unlike Rachel, she had apparently decided to forgo the covering top. Her lips were painted a bright pink, and there was even more glitter on her eyes and cheeks, but despite the shades of Ke$ha, she looked classy rather than trashy. As a final touch, her hair was curled in such a way as to make her appear both sophisticated and like she had just rolled out of bed--with someone else.
If he had liked girls, Kurt was sure he would have had an instant hard-on at the sight of her. As it was, he found himself caught between horror and fascination as he took in the crazily beautiful picture she created.
"I take it back, Rachel. Brittany is seducing the belly-dancing instructor, not you."
The blonde looked confused for a moment before smiling widely and rushing up to grab Rachel's hand.
"It's time to go, Rachel. Are you excited?"
Rachel sighed but her smile was genuine as she replied, "You know, I think I actually am, Brittany."
"Yay! Let's go, then--"
"Ah, Britt," Kurt cut in. "Can you hold on a minute? I'd like you to meet someone."
"Oh?" She turned curious eyes to take in Kurt and the boy who had stood from the sofa at her entrance.
"Brittany, this is my friend Blaine. Blaine, this is Brittany, my--" He cut himself off when he realized what that he was about to call her his girlfriend, and he glanced to see the half-shuttered expression on Blaine's face. Idiot, he thought and floudered for a word that would be both accurate and inoffensive in describing their relationship when Brittany spoke.
"Hi, Blaine. I like your curls."
Blaine laughed, the surprise breaking him out of whatever he had been thinking concerning the word Kurt had left unsaid and he grinned.
"Thanks. I like yours, too."
"Is he a dolphin, too, Kurt?" she asked him and Kurt winced.
"Britt--"
"Oh, Rachel, we're running late!" she cried suddenly and started pulling Rachel toward the door before suddenly stopping and bending to gather Sunny into her arms. "I miss you already, baby mine. If Kurt tells me you were good, I'll teach you some new dance moves when I get back."
The toddler's eyes sparkled with delight and Kurt groaned.
"Britt, I think she's a little young for belly-dancing..."
Brittany only smiled up at him as she released their daughter, and with a quick "Love you both, see you later!" she and Rachel were out the door.
The silence was almost deafening after their exit, only to be broken by Sunny's question, "Daddy, can we play music for making the cheesecake?"
He was about to say he had been kidding about making it when he realized that, even as smart as she was, a three-year-old would probably not understand the threat he had been making, and he only nodded.
"Of course, baby. Why don't you go pick out one of Daddy's cds and we'll get started?"
"Okay," she smiled up at him before running off and he turned to face Blaine again.
"So. That's my family," he shrugged. "Well, as I said before, Rachel is one of my best friends, and she's just visiting, but...yeah."
He felt awkward, especially at the contemplative look Blaine was giving him, those beautiful hazel eyes seeming to pierce him all the way to his soul and he found himself dreading what he might say. And then found himself oddly surprised at the question he asked.
"What did Brittany mean?"
"Huh?"
"The dolphin comment."
Kurt gave a soft laugh and shook his head fondly. "Brittany thinks that dolphins are just gay sharks."
Blaine blinked and then grinned. "That's kind of epic. And wow, she must have great gay-dar because I am so not projecting today," he added as he gestured to his outfit, and Kurt grinned right back. Though he had pretty much known it from the beginning--awful as it may be sometimes, he knew the world wouldn't be so cruel as to make him fall for another straight guy--it sent a thrill through him to have Blaine confirm his sexuality out loud. The thrill faded, though when Blaine frowned.
"What is it?"
"She said 'too.'"
"What?"
"Brittany. She asked if I'm a dolphin, too. What did she mean by that, Kurt?"
"Oh, well." Kurt would have to thank Brittany when she got back, he thought. Maybe he would go out and buy her some soda, or a bag of those Starburst candies she loved. With her sweet, silly innocence, she had given him the perfect opportunity to say to Blaine, "I'm gay."