CHAPTER 1 RISKY BUSINESS

Uhhhhh! He really needed to stop this. A 14-year-old stalker just wasn’t cool….well, almost 15, but still. But, that guy was so cute…and he wore his gay loud and proud! Not that Kurt had actually told him that he was gay or anything else for that matter. He’d overheard the black-haired girl call him Kurt as Blaine had made it a point to stand behind him almost every day at the Lima Bean. His attempts at trying to be inconspicuous weren’t that hard if he managed to arrive during their morning or afternoon rush…sometimes employing the unwitting help of a fellow Warbler. They’d stand behind Kurt chatting, while Blaine kept one ear on whatever words might fall from those sexy lips. And by now he even knew Kurt’s coffee order! But when he got his steaming coffee, he’d turn and walk right by Blaine in search of the table or booth where his friends were sitting. In the three months or so since he’d first laid eyes on Kurt he must have walked by him a hundred times, not once looking his way.

Hmmmm….where had Mr. Gorgeous come from? One day as Kurt turned around scanning the Lima Bean looking for his friends, he just seemed to be there, patiently waiting in line with other customers behind him, or hanging with a group of Dalton students. He was far too hot for Kurt to have missed him…ever! A transplant maybe? Poor kid. No sane person wanted to actually live in Lima, Ohio, but the city was a hub of employment for the tri-state area of Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky. The multibed hospitals alone provided enough jobs to draw thousands of hopefuls to the city every day. The city was like a revolving door, people and families coming and going on a regular basis.

Kurt’s gaydar had been emitting its probing rays ever since that day not long after the new school year had started. He’d been sitting in the midst of a loud group of Dalton guys. His ready smile was what caught his eye initially. And then he realized he couldn’t look away. Trying to appear inconspicuous, he glanced at their table and pretended to be annoyed by their noisy conversation. And he glimpsed a head full of thick black curls. Usually he could spot a gay in seconds, having been out since he was 13, his sensitivity was fine-tuned. Of course, the kids who wanted to put no effort into knowing a person, throwing labels around like the football at McKinley’s games every Friday night, said all Dalton boys were gay, which was just plain lazy and ignorant. If that were true, Kurt wouldn’t have encountered the nightmare of problems that being openly gay rained down upon his head. Gay would be at least closer to the norm if a whole school of guys were gay! Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

He was definitely hot…and heading for hotter if that was possible! Kurt could tell he wasn’t 16 yet. But how could he find out if he was gay? Finn maybe? He knew almost everybody in Lima. He had no problem making friends, even when they weren’t real friends….just kids who wanted to hang out with the star quarterback. After a bumpy start last year when their parents had married, Finn had become Kurt’s champion. Much as he hated to depend on anybody, he didn’t turn down the role Finn had taken on as his protector.

He snuck a quick look over at the table full of Daltonites hoping no one would catch his furtive glances, when Rachel leaned over, startling him when she whispered, “Okay, which one is he?” “Geez, Rachel!” But there was no point in pretending. After all, she was his best friend; true, their friendship was a mystery to everyone, but she knew him better than almost anyone. Glancing around the table hoping no one else was listening, he whispered back, “Curly black hair, hazel eyes, I think? the one laughing….isn’t he gorgeous?” Since they all wore the navy blue Dalton Academy blazers, it took her a minute. No one would find it the least bit suspicious for her to be examining the tableful of guys. She was just another McKinley girl checking to see if the grass was greener at Dalton. “Yes, I do believe gorgeous fits…but is he….ya know…is he gay?” “I don’t know,” Kurt said with frustration, “what do you think, Rach?” “If he is, he’s doing a fine job of hiding it….but I think he’s looking this way,” she turned around in a hurry. Kurt sighed, “Yeah, probably at you…”

Finally! Football practice was done for another day and Finn was starving! As he was slapping his multilayered sandwich together, Kurt sat at the kitchen table, textbooks scattered everywhere, seemingly absorbed in algebra. Finn pulled the chair away from the table and took a seat across from him. He wasted no time, attacking the huge sandwich, having to use both hands to hold it together. Most people thought Kurt and Finn’s relationship was as confusing as his friendship with Rachel, and it was, but they’d sort of become friends out of necessity. They were stepbrothers now.

Kurt put his reading glasses beside him on the table and said, “Hey, Finn! Um….could you help me out with something?” Between bites, Finn laughed and scoffed, “If it’s about algebra, you’re definitely asking the wrong person, K,” and he took another bite giving Kurt the chance to explain. “No, not homework…it’s about a guy from Dalton…I think he’s new cuz I haven’t seen him before this semester.” “Mmmmmm….what’s he look like?” Kurt attempted to describe Mr. Gorgeous to someone who could care less about a guy’s looks. “Sounds like one of the new Warblers…..Bane? Dane? Blaine? I don’t know for sure, but something like that, I think.” Kurt pretended to return to his homework, looking down at his textbook, “So…..do you happen to know if he’s gay? And please don’t say aren’t all Dalton guys gay!” “Heck, I don’t know K! Aren’t you better at figuring that out than me? Of course they aren’t all gay; that’s so lame and stupid. I’ll ask around though, see what I can find out.” It helped that both he and Finn were in Glee Club. It would be natural for Finn to ask about a new Warbler, Dalton’s equivalent of a glee club.

After giving a few days’ thought to Kurt’s request, Finn realized the smartest way to go about it was to kill two birds with one stone. It wasn’t that he was insensitive. God no! After having Kurt’s back for a while, if anything, he was more sensitive. Sure, it had taken some time to get used to having Kurt as a brother, especially when Kurt had had an obvious crush on him just last year, but his decision to join Glee Club had changed him. He may be McKinley’s star quarterback, which didn’t say that much considering their losing streak was probably the longest in Ohio high school history, but after he’d joined Glee Club? The crap he’d had to put up with just defending himself? Suddenly, Kurt had become one of the bravest people he knew! So he’d gladly help him out if he could. It must be damn lonely being the only openly gay kid at school.

He’d texted Bryan, one of his Warbler friends, and asked him if he’d meet him at Breadsticks Thursday night. It was a school night, but they were always packed on the weekend. After providing Bryan with a brief explanation, and taking some ribbing about playing matchmaker, he’d agreed to bring the new kid with him. Bryan wasn’t gay, but if anyone knew anything about the Warblers, it was him. When he’d asked him flat out if….what was his name? Bryan laughed, “It’s Blaine. He moved here from Appleton, WI. His dad is some big deal at the hospital.” “Okay, do you know if he’s gay?” “Depends on who you ask! Sebastian has been trying to get his attention since the first day of practice! ‘ Course, you know Sebastian, the arrogant…..well, I doubt he’d be so persistent if he didn’t think the guy was worth his time. But, Blaine has never come right out and said either. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, but he’s new…and you don’t exactly have tons of opportunities to meet girls at Dalton.” “I’m just trying to help out Kurt, ya know?….but I can picture these two circling each other for months. Kurt waiting until he was sure Blaine was gay and Blaine, if he’s gay, too shy to say anything to anyone outside of Dalton about it. So, I thought maybe if you brought him along Thursday night they could at least meet each other. That way, I’ve done my brotherly duty and they’ll have to take it from there. Not that I’d wish being gay in a place like Lima on anyone, but if he is it might make Kurt’s life more bearable and maybe even Blaine’s. He’d have someone he could relate to other than Sebastian!” Bryan laughed again, “Yeah, thinking Sebastian was your only option? No thanks!”

All Finn had told Kurt was that they were meeting some people at Breadsticks. This was nothing out of the ordinary, even on a school night. Like every other clique at McKinley, the Glee Club members got together all the time at Breadsticks, so when Finn said “some people”….well, who else would they be meeting? It wasn’t like the other members had tons of friends outside of the club and Finn wouldn’t be inviting him to a get together with some of his jock friends – the horror!

Getting comfortable in the booth, Kurt requested his usual Diet Coke and Finn asked for a regular Coke and a couple orders of breadsticks with cheese, of course. The soft drinks in front of them, Kurt was just going to take a sip of his Diet Coke when Bryan….and Mr. Gorgeous walked over to their table – Oh my God!!!! Double horror! Before Blaine could take a seat, Bryan slid into the booth next to Finn, forcing Blaine to take the empty place beside Kurt. “Kurt, you know Bryan…and this is his friend….” “Oh, sorry,” Bryan said, “Blaine Anderson. He just moved here. Um, this is Finn Hudson and his brother, Kurt Hummel.”

With stealth, Kurt re-examined his clothing ensemble. He’d purposefully dressed for a night out with his Glee Club friends. He never simply threw on whatever was handy, never. He didn’t just dress to his liking; his creativity with what hung in his closet was a statement, something like, “Lima! You are so yesterday’s news.” If he’d known about this….meeting, instead of earth tones with the appropriate accents, he would have chosen something a little bolder to accent his eyes and his dark ginger hair.

Kurt turned those laser beam eyes on Finn trying not to be obvious about the fact that he was staring daggers at him. Finn ignored the stabs and started a casual conversation with Blaine. The usual stuff, how did he like Dalton and the Warblers, what was his voice range, what kind of music did he like, was he prepared for sectionals.

His mouth felt like he’d just eaten a bowl of sand, but finally Kurt found his tongue after feeling like he might swallow it several times, “So, um…Blaine….were you in Glee Club back in Appleton?” Blaine barely glanced up; he’d seen those fascinating eyes, the color constantly shifting, when Kurt targeted his brother. He was afraid if he actually engaged them himself, he’d never be able to look away. Giving Kurt a shy smile he said, “I was in choir there. They didn’t have a glee club. I’ve never gone to a school where choirs or glee clubs competed in anything.” “How many schools have you gone to?” Kurt asked, a bit surprised by the answer. “Four. My dad’s job has required some moving around, but I’m hoping we can stay here long enough for me to graduate.” Kurt stifled a laugh. He couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to stay in Lima if they didn’t have to. But then…Kurt wouldn’t have wanted to move around like that either, changing schools all the time. At least Lima was a known commodity. For the most part he knew the Neanderthals to avoid, when to stand his ground and when to ignore the stares, the whispers, the ignorance that plagued McKinley High. He knew the icy shock of the flavor of the week slushies was inevitable, but at least he shared that indignity with everyone in Glee Club.

“So, sectionals will be your first competition ever?” “Yeah, and I’m kinda nervous about it….I’ve never sung duets, much less solos..or danced…and the guys have been great, helping me out! They really have.” “Wow! Yeah, dancing was new for me, too…well, for all of us, right Finn?” Finn had started a conversation with Bryan…accidentally on purpose…so he hadn’t been listening to Blaine and Kurt’s first attempt at small talk. “Huh? What?” “Glee Club, the dancing, hard for all of us?” Finn laughed, “Oh my god, yes! I’ve got to be the worst dancer there, but hey, we can only go up from here, right?” Kurt nodded, “True!”

Bryan’s mind reached for the barely hidden idea and scanned the table. What could it hurt? The worst that could happen was nothing. He was definitely not an expert matchmaker, but…. “Well, maybe we could get together and practice. I know it’s a little…unorthodox….for competing club members to get together to practice…but it’s not like we have to rehearse our sectional routines or talk about our setlists, right? And since I’ve been at this a while maybe I can give you newbies some pointers, huh?” Before Blaine and Kurt could say anything, Finn caught the ball and ran with it. He said, “That’s a great idea! I can use all the help I can get. What do you two think?” Kurt shifted his gaze to Finn, pursing his lips slightly as if to say, “Well, what are we supposed to say? No?” Conveniently, Finn was still ignoring Kurt’s eyes and he finally said, “Sure, sounds like an idea alright.” And Bryan glanced over at Blaine, “So, you in, Anderson?” Blaine nodded, glancing sideways at Kurt, “Yeah, of course, why not?”

Unlocking the door to his silver Honda, Finn was grinning from ear to ear, partly because he loved to get under Kurt’s skin and partly because? Mission accomplished! Kurt on the other hand was huffing at Finn, raising that perfectly plucked eyebrow that always gave him away. “What was that????” “Little bro’, it was big bro’ helping you out!” “I asked you to find out if he was gay, not….whatever that was! And I’m not your little bro’!” Finn laughed, “Yes, you are – you’re six months younger…and so, walking up to the guy and saying something like…”You don’t know me, but my brother asked me to find out if you’re gay. So, are you? And by the way, what’s your name?” That would have been a better idea?” “Well….no….not like that…” “So, what’s the big deal? You’ve met and we’re getting together and then you two can figure out your own get togethers…or not…but if you ask me, which you didn’t, but if you did? He was sneaking looks at you all night, and he certainly wasn’t looking at me that way, K!” “What way, what…” “You know…do I have to spell it out for you? Say, like I might look at….some girl I liked if I didn’t know her but wanted to.” “Really? I mean…” “Doesn’t matter what you mean, the answer is yes, really! So you’re welcome. Now, let’s get home before we have to deal with the parents asking too many questions because it’s getting late.”

After Bryan had dropped him off, Blaine sat in the swing on the front porch for a while, looking up at the sky full of stars with its quarter moon. Look at those stars! Like Kurt’s sparkling eyes, except farther away. He hadn’t given Bryan the hard time Kurt was giving Finn. For one, they weren’t exactly close friends yet, and for another, he knew a favor when he saw one. He didn’t know how it had all come about, but it was pretty obvious that it wasn’t random. Kurt had to have started the ball rolling. Finn certainly wasn’t interested in him. He was as far from gay as anyone could get. Did Kurt know Blaine was gay? He hadn’t even considered coming out yet, so the overtures from Sebastian had been anything but welcome…and he wasn’t really attracted to him anyway. But Kurt? That was something else all together. Up close? He was almost…..pretty, beautiful…and those eyes! No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get them out of his head. They shifted colors just like in a kaleidoscope. And when he smiled? The cutest dimples.

And here he was sure that Kurt hadn’t even noticed his obsession with standing behind him in line almost every day at the Lima Bean. Or watching him from another booth or table. He’d never really been attracted to a guy other than childish crushes. And those crushes had scared him to death. He might have been a kid, but he knew he wasn’t supposed to feel like that about boys. It hadn’t been more than a few years ago that he’d finally acknowledged to himself that he was gay. Not even his parents knew; maybe, especially his parents didn’t know. Imagining that conversation with his father, a bona fide ladies’ man, was terrifying. What he was feeling now was….different.

He didn’t know what falling in love felt like. Ever since he’d noticed Kurt, he’d taken up residence in his head and never left. His first conscious thought every morning was how or when he’d see him at the Lima Bean that day. And every day he’d come home with Kurt as he’d looked that day tiptoeing or crashing through his thoughts, depending on what he’d heard, what he wore, who he was with….it never ended. He fell asleep hoping they’d have an encounter in his dreams. He wondered if Kurt had ever been in love. Finally, he got up and went inside, only getting the shortened version of 20 questions for a change. As he lay down, his mind kept playing rerun after rerun of every word, every glance, everything Kurt. He knew sleeping would be almost impossible. Before he’d met him, he’d been thinking about him, dreaming about him. Now? All he could see or hear, eyes open or closed, was Kurt Hummel.

He was right, Blaine had hazel eyes and sinfully long eyelashes. And those black curls. They’d exchanged less than 20 words between the two of them, but Blaine’s voice wouldn’t stop echoing in his mind. Even though Finn had surprised him – he hated surprises – he wasn’t exactly that upset, despite what he’d said on the way home. And now he was guaranteed to see him at least once more and this time he’d be able to plan…what he wore, what he might say. How was he ever going to sleep tonight? It was hard enough when he hadn’t met him, his dreams picking the two of them up and carrying them away to as yet uncharted waters. Good thing it was Friday tomorrow, if he was dead tired at least he’d have the weekend to catch up…if Blaine didn’t interrupt his sleep then, too. He’d never been in love. Too risky, even if he could find another gay guy in Lima willing to admit he was gay. If Blaine was gay, would he be willing to take a risk like that?