Memories flooded Kurt’s vision as he raced down the few steps, his knees giving out on the last one. Had the brunette not had a death grip on the railings he would have ended up landing flat on his face. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have thought that he would be able to handle actually going into that apartment? That apartment smelled of sandalwood and cinnamon; that same combination of scents bringing back memories of feather light touches and possessive kisses. He would be damned if he admitted out loud that he should have listened to the damn Meerkat. Kurt took in a ragged breath as he blearily made his way towards the car; it’s a good thing the car was bright red and he could find it without having crisp vision.
With the slight shake of his head he leaned his hips carefully against the cherry red paint job. He knew he had given Sebastian shit about it, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care about the hell he’d catch from the other man. The brunette wrapped his arms tightly around his waist when he realized that his finger nails had been digging into the scarred skin beneath his cuff. He was leaning there, his frame trembling slightly when he heard the door open again; baby blue eyes cast quickly to the ground by his feet. The last thing he needed was for the Meerkat – Sebastian – to see his eyes puffy and red from the struggle to keep the tears at bay.
“Listen, Kurt-” The brunette started slightly when the other man bumped him softly. Wow, something must be serious if he is using his actual name. The last time he had called him that had been in high school. “What happened to no leaning on the car?” Of course Smythe would comment about leaning against the car. After all, Kurt had been on his case about it not more than an hour ago. The edges of the man’s mouth tugged up ever so slightly at the banter.
The whisper of a smile whipped away as he felt the other man’s hands come down on his shoulders; blue eyes widening slightly as they locked with the complex green ones of the other man. Kurt wasn’t exactly used to being touched, at least not by anyone other than Rachel. And even then he barely let Rachel touch him often. He wiggled his shoulders slightly, unsure about the pressure and heat emanating from the man in front of him. It was bad enough that Rachel was on his case about being nothing but “skin and bones”, he didn’t want another person jumping on that bandwagon.
“You know, if you need to talk or even cry like a little girl- I can take it. Just- just don’t make it a habit, okay? I am just gay enough to pass for a metro, I don’t need your unique type of gay spilling onto me with the waterworks.”
Blue eyes rolled up into the back of his head as Kurt managed to extract himself from the Meerkat’s touch. “I’ll be fine, I’m always fine. What is it with everyone thinking I need to talk?” He growled slightly as he locked his eyes back with the green ones before him. He took a deep breath before he stalked around the car and managed to climb into the passenger’s seat with the door shut before the blond beast in the back could dart out.
Kurt’s plan was to just watch out the window until they got where they were going, jumping in the shower and then going to sleep. The flight had been long and annoying and, despite what he said about being fine to the Meerkat, he felt numb. The same numbness that was his constant companion over the last several years; he felt cold and shaky while his chest constricted in upon his heart. Yea, he was just fine.
A single tear managed to roll down his cheek before he felt the thick wet warmth of a dog’s tongue chasing after it. He squeezed his eyes shut tight as the beast laved attention to his cheek. Resigning to the dog’s attention, and hoping to get out of it with minimal damage to his skin, Kurt raised a pale hand and scratched the beast behind the ear; wiping away the spit with a napkin he managed to pull out of the glove box. He caught Sebastian’s cautiously raised eyebrow as the other man slid into the driver’s seat.
“At least someone isn’t afraid to taste the rainbow” he muttered under his breath as he turned his attention back out the window, his hand still scratching at the beast’s ears.
“You need a place to stay, right?”
Angry blue eyes dropped from the window to his lap as Kurt bit down on his lower lip anxiously. This was ridiculous. The damn man had two things to do, that was it. Arrange for his flight and his hotel room. It’s not like it was rocket science. But not, he was too busy trying to get laid and schmoozing over potential clients. Kurt should have known he wouldn’t do what he was supposed to, Brayden never did; such was the very reason for their…..whatever they had going never becoming more serious. The man was a bigger flake then Rachel had the potential to be.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Listen, you can stay at my place.”
He felt his cheeks heat up as he shook his head back and forth, his mouth trying to work out the words of his protest. No, he’d….he didn’t know what he would do. He was across the damn country, in a town where he didn’t know anyone else outside of the damn Meerkat and …and him. He shook his head more vehemently.
“Don’t worry I won’t rape you in your sleep or anything. You’re not that lucky, Lady Face. I’ve just got to stop and get Bradshaw, then we can head there. Okay with you?”
His heart was hammering in his chest. Of all the places he possibly could go, all the places in the entire United States, Blaine’s apartment was the very last place he wanted to go. The brunette felt like his chest was caving in and he couldn’t breathe.
“No.” he managed to get out, the sound tight and weak.
He caught the flash of green eyes that told him simply that he wasn’t really asking him. Kurt turned his full gaze back out the window, pulling his legs up tighter against his chest. This day was just getting better by the damn second. He took several breaths in the hopes that it would help calm his racing pulse, the last thing he needed was a heart attack to cause him to drop dead here in this seat; Rachel would find a way to bring him back and kill him.
When they pulled to a stop outside of a building complex, his heart nearly stopped in his chest.
::No. No, he isn’t here. There is no reason for this. Get out of the car, and show everyone that you are just as ‘fine’ as you always tell them:: He thought furiously to himself before he opened the door and followed Sebastian up the stairs and into the apartment.
His brain seemed to stop functioning the second he stepped through the door, his brain and his respiratory system that is. He vaguely registered that there was a rather friendly and hyper animal running around, but his body seemed to be running on autopilot. His legs taking him from room to room, his eyes absorbing every detail that just screamed of the curly haired man; the well managed color contrasts, the framed posters on the walls, everything. His feet took him briefly to an empty room, his mind registering it for later, before they took him to what had to be the man’s office.
Kurt blinked dead blue eyes as he looked around the room, pulling his conscious deep in on itself and bringing back up his carefully constructed walls. The sheets of music littering one wall, the keyboard along another, and numerous guitars standing along the third all were absorbed. His eyes froze on one guitar in particular.
Kurt sat watching Blaine open the large gift he had set down in front of him. Blaine had told him not to get him anything for his birthday this year, funds had been a bit on the tight side, but Kurt had picked up a few extra hours each week at the coffee shop specifically for the money to get him this gift. He had seen Blaine eyeing it in the store months earlier, though he tried his best to hide his longing glances, and had decided then to get it for him. Golden eyes simply light up as he pulled out the fender acoustic guitar, the sunburst design matching the tones in the boy’s eyes. The shining white inscribed “B” glimmering on the head of the guitar between the nobs.
“Kurt! You shouldn’t have! But I love it! Thank-you!”
He found himself wrapped in Blaine’s arms, a smile forming on his lips. “You’re welcome. Happy Birthday, Blaine. I love you.”
“I love you too, Kurt”
The brunette’s chest heaved rapidly as his body pulled shallow breaths, staring at the very same guitar. It felt like his ribs and sternum were crushing down on themselves, the world spinning. His jaw clenched as his eyes turned cold and hard. His hands itched and trembled as he wrung them in front of him. Rigidly he turned on his heel, causing the world to spin again, and quickly made his way back out to where Sebastian was with the dog.
“I’ll b-be outside” he managed to murmur as he walked out the door, closing it softly behind him, and went back out to wait by the car for the other man and the dog.
With his satisfied smirk still placed upon his face, Kurt relaxed a bit more into the leather seat; his knees resting up on the dash board, his legs swinging slightly from the knees. His gaze out the window as he watched the scenery glide by them, holding a breath for a moment before letting it out and finally letting some of the tension that had built up on the flight go. He had been worried about seeing the Meerkat again, wasn’t sure what would happen but it seemed that they had fallen into the comfortable back and forth. That was something he could handle.
“You know, Princess-” A slight yelp left the brunette as he found his leg smacked from its resting position. He turned his usual bitch glare towards the emerald eyed man and was about to bitch him out, ignoring the pleasant heat rolling through his leg from the slight sting of the smack, before the other man continued. “The tighter they are, the harder they are to get off. And the only people with their legs up on my dash are usually naked and moaning. So far, I’ve got part of that down already.”
Stammering shocked noises fell from Kurt’s mouth as his jaw slacked and his cheeks blazed with heat. That arrogant, cocky, egotistical asshole. He huffed at the laughter bubbling from the man beside him, fidgeting with the cuffs around his wrists. Finally he straightened up in the leather, no way was he going to let the damn meerkat get away with getting the last remark. Kurt growled as the man’s phone went off as he opened his mouth again. It seemed the world was against him saying anything. Blue eyes trailed over the Meerkat’s hips as he shifted, causing the denim to smooth over his thighs as he nodded towards the pocket holding the ringing device.
“Little help, lady face? Unless you want me to wreck.”
Kurt raised an eyebrow skeptically before he reached out hesitantly and slid his hand into the tight pocket; clear blue eyes flicking from the pocket to the Meerkat’s features as his hand tensed, the man’s wiggling causing the pale hand to press into the Smythe’s thigh, heat jumping from the his thigh up Kurt’s arm; another smirk tugging at his lips as he saw what he thought was the slightest bit of color move over Smythe’s cheeks. Well, at least he could make him squirm too.
Finally his fingers wrapped around the phone, tugging the device out from its denim confines. His finger swept deftly across the screen without looking and held the phone up to Smythe’s ear. Turning his head slightly he hummed along with the inane song on the radio in an attempt to give the emerald eyed man what little privacy he could in the car’s cabin.
After the man said his goodbyes Kurt hit the end button and slowly slid the phone back into his pocket; letting his fingers linger briefly over the soft material of the inside of the Meerkat’s pocket. With a soft chuckle to himself he leaned back into his seat and slid off his shades.
“Hey Hummel, no free gropes. I save that for later. I do have some class, you know.” Kurt just shook his head slightly, ignoring the man’s comment. “Hope you don’t mind, but we’re stopping to get Shaw. I’m taking him to my place tonight.” His head whipped back around to look the other man dead on, panic flashing across his features. “Don’t worry, he’s not here. You won’t have to see him.”
Kurt’s shoulders seemed to deflate as he fell back into the leather seat, seeming to pull his shields up around himself. After a few moments he straightened up, his gaze back out the window as his fingers traced idle patterns over the thigh of his jeans. He wasn’t even sure what he would say to the curly haired man if he had run into him. Hold on, he’s not here? Where is he? He turned to ask Sebastian and just as his mouth opened his own phone went off.
::Dammit, I seriously cannot get a word in here:: he thought as he groaned. Looking down at the screen he rolled his eyes and groaned once more before swiping his finger across the screen and pulling the phone up to his ear.
“This had better be important, Bray” he grumbled as he pulled one knee up to his chest, wrapping an arm around it as if it could keep out anything else. His eyes glanced over, catching the Smythe’s curious look. ‘Boss’ Kurt mouthed as he listened to Bray on the other end.
“So, judging by your hello, I’m gonna say you haven’t had enough coffee to put you in a pleasant mood?” Bray’s voice was overly chipper, the usual voice he used when he was trying to butter people up.
“2 cups in the last 24 hours, not nearly enough. So you might as well just tell me whatever it is you’re trying to tell me before I snap at you” he muttered into the phone.
He could hear the nervous chuckle leak through the phone. Bray knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t pleasant before 4 cups of coffee when it came to problems from work.
“Alright, fine. But you’re going to be pissed.” Kurt took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly before opening them. “The longer you drag this out, Bray, the angrier I’m going to be.” He growled.
“Fine. There was a problem with your hotel room.”
“And what would that problem be?” his head hung slightly as he asked, his other fingers rubbing against his forehead before pushing through his hair and tugging lightly at the hairs at the base of his neck. Not even here twenty minutes and already he was ready to pull his own hair out.
“Well, I might have forgotten to book the room earlier, and thanks to Pride this weekend, nothing is available at the moment. They aren’t sure when their next –“
If at all possible, Kurt’s face paled further as his voice dropped to a low, angry growl. “You have got to be shitting me, Brayden. This isn’t fucking funny” What the fuck did he expect Kurt to do? Sleep on a bench? Under a fucking bridge? His fingers tugged a bit harder at the hair on the base of his neck. Brayden was silent on the line.
“What the fuck did you plan on me doing? Sleeping on a fucking bench?”
“Kurt, I-“
“No, Brayden. I’ll figure something out. Just, no.” Kurt said before he hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. He fixed his eyes back out the window, ignoring the man’s glances beside him. He was pretty sure that Smythe had never heard him swear and he was trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do. He was wringing his wrist hard as he pulled himself back together.
“What’s wrong, Princess?”
Kurt shook his head ever so slightly. “You wouldn’t fucking believe me if I told you.” He sighed.
Kurt managed to roll his eyes the second he saw that meerkat smirk. Nothing good ever came when that smirk was firmly in place on that man’s face. True to form, a meager few seconds later Smythe opened his mouth and Kurt couldn’t stop that flush that raged across his cheeks.
“That’s true, you can’t. I don’t think normal gay men get off on the sound of an engine. It’s either that, or I’ve just gotten so damn good I can make men moan now without even touching them.”
The gears were flying throughout Kurt’s mind, trying to come up with the perfect response, his cheeks hot as images flashed through his head before he could shake them out. Now was not the time for those thoughts, especially while the green eyed meerkat was in proximity. Nope, not happening. He wouldn’t hear the end of it if the damn man caught on to his thoughts.
The man was infuriating, but Kurt had to admit that the verbal sparring was something he always enjoyed. With a huff the brunette wrapped his arms around his chest, his mouth still standing slightly agape as he glared at the damn grinning green eyed man.
“Calm down, Hummel. Just know I’m tucking that bit of information away for later. You never know when it might come in handy. Now, let’s get your damn coffee.”
Gathering his wits about him, Kurt just shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the sandy haired man as he focused his attention onto the road. He grinned slightly as he turned his view back out to the road.
“What’s wrong? Mommy and Daddy’s mechanic not giving you the silver spoon treatment you’ve grown accustomed to?” A soft chuckle left the brunette as he felt green eyes flash onto him, catching a raised eyebrow out of the corner of his eye. Kurt cut him off before he could even fully take in the breath to speak with. “Its not like that isn’t public knowledge, Smythe.”
Glancing down from behind his shades, the brunette realized that his leg was bouncing ever so slightly. Almost as if it called it to the other man’s attention he caught green eyes glaring at him slightly. Kurt just growled softly, mutterings of “absolutely aweful” and “damn decaf” echoing softly around the cabin of the car.
He caught that Meerkat smirk on the man’s face a moment before his mouth opened. “Look, princess, I’ll get you some damn coffee. Just keep your panties on!”
The blue eyed man grinned, more to himself then to the man in the seat beside him. It was just way too easy, even for his caffeine denied brain; a soft chuckle emanating from him as he lowered his glassed once more; glancing just over the rim at the man beside him, an eyebrow raised.
“That would require actually having them on to begin with, and have you seen these pants?”
He watched as Smythe’s eyebrows shot up, and dare he say it the faintest of color flushed over his cheeks mere seconds before it was back to its usual, tanned perfection. A soft, albeit seemingly shocked, laugh coming from the man driving. Kurt just grinned and rubbed his thumb over the snaps of the leather cuffs again, his head shaking slightly as he grinned.
“Yeah, I realize that, smartass. Really, Hummel, isn’t the stereotype a cigarette afterwards?”
Kurt stumbled slightly at the green eyed man words, tripping over his own feet as his eyebrows raised. He glared at the man before him for a moment through his shades.
“Okay, okay! We’ll get you your coffee. However, if it’s coffee you need afterwards, with whatever it is you do with your mouth, then you’ve got to be doing something wrong then.”
The blue eyed man groaned inwardly as he just barely managed to keep his mouth from gaping open completely as he felt the flush on his face deepen against his own will. ::Nope, not nearly enough caffeine in my system for the verbal sparring match that would be appropriate here. Once I get some decent coffee, I’ll be able to give it back to him:: The brunette shook his head with a huff and followed after the taller man, his brow furrowing as a green eye winked at him.
“Let’s go, Lady Face. You’re going to do a lot of growing up on your little stay here, I can see it now.”
A growl rumbled through Kurt’s chest, accompanied by a soft dark chuckle. Grow up? If only he knew just how much “growing up” the blue eyed man had done since the last time he had seen him. He unconsciously spun the leather cuff on his right wrist, tugging at the bandages hidden beneath it. He was about to open his mouth and offer up a scathing retort when he saw the man leaning against the door of one of the more gorgeous cars Kurt had ever seen, the red paint glinting in the harsh sunlight. The brunette stopped dead and just stared for a moment, his brain whirling as the part of him that was his father’s son started drooling over the vehicle.
“You don’t lean against a car like this, really Meerkat!” he grumbled, blue eyes locked on the car. He saw Sebastian raise an eyebrow and shake his head before depositing Kurt’s bag into the back seat and climbing into the driver’s seat, the car roaring to life with the turn of the key. Kurt groaned softly as he listened to the engine purr as he opened the passenger door, muttering to himself as he listened intently to the purr.
“428 cubic inches, approximately 7 liters, Cobra Jet V8 with a four barrel carburetor. Capability for 335 bhp at 5000, no 5200 rpm. A torque of 440 at 3400.” He purred as the specs of the engine rolled through his head. The Meerkat could say what he wanted about him being effeminate, but Kurt was every bit his father’s son. And Kurt knew his way around an engine.
With a deep breath, Kurt opened his eyes and turned to see Sebastian staring at him, that same amused smirk plastered on his Meerkat face. Kurt couldn’t help the grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth as he slipped the sun glasses down the ridge of his nose to look at Sebastian over them.
“What? I was raised by a mechanic. I can’t embody the stereotype all the time.” He slid the sun glasses back up his nose and turned to look out the window. “Coffee. Please?” he added the second part softly, as his hand started fidgeting with the cuff again. Kurt really wanted another coffee, he had five hours of lack of caffeine to make up for and a dull ache building behind his eyes to prove it.
Blue eyes narrowed in Seb’s direction as he hoisted his bag onto his own shoulder, a slight eyebrow raised in amusement. Who would have thought that Smythe would try being a gentleman, especially to him.
“Who knows, it could happen. After all, Lady Face, I thought I’d never live to see the day that you actually wore men’s clothes. C’mon, let’s go. I’m starving. Can you eat?”
Kurt rolled his eyes at the man’s words, his head shaking slightly side to side. “You know, Meerkat, fashion has no gender. However, you keep up with that and I won’t give you your present.” He pointedly ignores the raised eyebrow that the green eyed man is casting his way. Out of the corner of his eye Kurt saw Sebastian look like he was going to say something before shaking his head. The brunette downed the last of his coffee before they made it to the airport doors. He pouted softly down into the cup before tossing it into the trash, his hand feeling suddenly empty without the caffeinated liquid.
“You never answered me, can you eat?”
Blue eyes rolled slightly again before he placed his sun glasses on as they walked out into the sun. He had hoped to just avoid that question, but it looked like the Meerkat was hungry enough to be annoying about it. Heaving a sigh he looked at Sebastian over the rims of his sunglasses, an eyebrow raised.
“I have a mouth don’t I?”
Instantly Kurt squeezed his eyes shut and berated himself, he knew he had just left himself wide open to the one lech that would happily take full advantage of the opportunity. He could feel the heat slowly creeping up the back of his neck as he sped his pace up just a bit, hoping to maybe, just MAYBE get away with it. He could practically hear the smirk pasted on the taller man’s face as he matched his pace.
::Way to go, Kurt. You made it a whole five minutes before you put your foot into your mouth. No, don’t let him know it was unintentional. Whatever comes out of that smirky mouth, just give it right back as good as you’ve got. It’s how you two have always communicated. Hell, just brush it off like it was nothing.::
Kurt glanced around at the bustle of people coming in and out of the airport. “I don’t care where we go, so long as I can get a decent cup of coffee”
Rachel, seriously, no more pictures. Airport Chique is not in right now.
Kurt and Rachel sat curled up on the couch in his tiny apartment, watching several of their favorite movies along with a few they hated, but loved to bitch about together. Somewhere between belting out the sounds of RENT and Oliver Kurt had noticed that his best friend kept sliding worried looking glances his way. He wasn’t sure why, but for whatever reason those glances more than anything at that time were grating on every nerve of his fiber. Love Rachel as he does, her annoying quirks and all, he just didn’t want anyone to worry or pity him. He was an adult, he could handle himself. So, as to prove a point, he ignored the glances despite wanting to snap at her.
As the end credits for Oliver rolled across the screen, the blue eyed brunette stood and stretched, a soft smile playing over his features.
“You pick out the next one, I’ll make get us some coffee.”
He could practically hear the girl roll her eyes as she stood and walked over to the shelves next to the desk, running her finger down the spine of the movie cases.
“The last thing you need is another cup of coffee, sweetie. At this rate you’ll be up all-Ooh!” she exclaimed as she passed over several titles as he made his way around the kitchen. Pulling out cups and setting about making them each a cup, coffee for him and tea for her. A splash of cream and a half teaspoon of sugar for his coffee and hot water and a chamomile tea bag for her.
He caught her glancing at him again as he walked into the room and passed her her tea. Pointedly ignoring the questions burning in her eyes, the silent pleas forming in those chocolate brown eyes, he glanced at the television as he took a swig from his coffee. He grinned when he saw that she had popped in the Wizard of Oz. He hummed happily as he curled back up on the couch.
“You truly know the way to my heart, Miss Berry, you know that?” he joked as she dropped her tea bag into her cup and curled up with him, her head resting gently on his legs. Absentmindedly he ran a hand through her hair as she pushed the play button.
“Of course I do, coffee and Judy. Really, Kurt, you aren’t that hard to read once a person knows you.” She commented as she absently nuzzled her head back into his stomach. A painfully worried look rushing over her face as her cheek pressed into several of his ribs, not as prominent through the several layers he wore, but still enough for her to feel them. He caught her expression and sighed internally, plastering a smile on his face and looking down at her he asked her softly.
“You do realize, that we are probably going to wake everyone in this building as we sing along, don’t you?”
The girl chuckled softly as she nodded and turned her attention back to the screen before them, letting tornadoes, munchkins and yellow brick roads fill their night. The next day bringing unnecessary tears and hugs from Rachel as she watched him board the plane.
“Ladies and Gentleman, if you would please return your trays and chairs to their upright position, we will be landing in SFO – San Francisco International momentarily. Thank-you for choosing Southwest Airlines, we hope you’ve had a wonderful flight”
Kurt’s body jerked as the child behind him kicked his seat once more, having done nothing else the entire five hour flight. Clenching his jaw tightly, the brunette took several deep breaths before he rolled his shoulders. He had managed to doze for several minutes at a time throughout the flight but never enough to make up for the last several nights without sleep. He was hoping that he would be able to sleep tonight at the hotel.
The blue eyed man let out a growl as the child behind him struck his seat with enough force that it caused him to balk forward slightly. Just as he was about to turn around and give the child, and subsequently the parent with it, a piece of his mind the wheels of the plane touched down onto the runway. Kurt heaved a big sigh of relief when he unbuckled his belt, grabbed his carry on, and made his way off the plane.
His first stop in the airport, even before going to the baggage claim, was to grab a decent cup of coffee. The attendants onboard had only served decaf (Really, who drinks that shit? Kurt had mused to himself while cringing as he downed the cup) and he was in dire need of an actual caffeine fix. Thankfully there was a Starbucks right in the airport and Kurt was able to grab his usual Grande Non-Fat Mocha, he even added an extra shot of espresso for good measure, before making his way to claim his bag, purring happily into his cup.
Kurt stood, satchel across his chest, sipping his drink and occasionally rubbing his eyes. He knew by this point the circles around his eyes probably made him look something akin to a panda bear, and that the damn Meerkat was probably going to do nothing but rag on him about it, but at least he would have something to new to call him. The brunette shook his head as a wry grin formed when he remembered that he had managed to find a pair of silk moose boxers at one of the shops him and Rachel had visited on their walk. Rachel had merely raised an eyebrow at him when he purchased them, telling her that he would tell her the whole story when he got back from Frisco.
He was in the process of straightening out his blue plaid button down and black skinny jeans with matching pale blue chucks and dark blue hat to match, when his bag finally turned the corner and he pulled it off of the belt, turning just in time to come practically face to face with the very same smirking Meerkat he was just thinking about, managing to not spill any of his coffee in the process.
“You know, I didn’t know Meerkats could be so stealthy. Maybe someone should put a bell on you.” He teased with a smile.
“I thought that would never get done! Let’s remember to not put on music when we try to accomplish anything productive next time, okay?”
Kurt zipped the case shut before he flopped down onto the couch next to Rachel, nodding at her words. Laughing softly as he leaned into her, his head tilting to the side as he smiled. To be honest, it probably hadn’t been the brightest idea to productivity for him to have plugged his iPod into its dock and blast show tunes. They had made it through maybe two songs of Wicked with some level of success at packing before they burst out singing and dancing around the apartment. After that they managed to slowly pack the rest to varying show tunes, Avenue Q and Les Mis among them.
His nose wrinkled and his eyebrows shot up playfully at the rumbling that came from the girl’s stomach. Another chuckle rising from him to mix with her own giggling at the interrupting noise.
“That’s our cue to go. You did promise food, didn’t you?”
Baby blue eyes rolled as he groaned playfully, a smile tugging at his lips as she pecked him on the cheek. Taking her hand he grinned and tugged her down next to him again with a yelp; hugging her close as she laughed. He laughed with her, enjoying the feeling of happiness for the first time in awhile, before he stood himself and pulled her back up onto her feet.
“I suppose I should feed you before your stomach revolts and eats you from the inside out. Wouldn’t want you to waste away now, would we?” he walked over to his desk and grabbed his satchel with his keys and wallet in it, his phone tucked into its usual pocket, before she could say anything.
“Come on you, let’s go feed that monster you call a stomach before it eats us.”
Lunch went as it usually did; the two got their usual seats and spent the majority of it laughing and singing occasionally, Kurt asking about wedding details, her asking about his articles. After lunch, they found themselves walking their usual trek through the city, stopping at the coffee shop on the way.
“If you drink any more coffee, you’re going to vibrate” Rachel accused with a chuckle as she held his cup just out of reach. He pouted at her, hands fisted on his hips as he blinked big blue eyes at her.
“Come on, Rach! You know you feed my coffee addiction as much as I do myself.” He pouted at her harder, making his eyes bigger and his lip jut out just that little bit extra. The girl groaned playfully.
“Oh, not the pout! No, I refuse to let it work on me!”
Lounging on the couch, Kurt glared at his suit case as he gulped down the dark liquid, hissy utterances of “Why are you still empty” and “Just pack yourself!” slipping through his lips between gulps. He swallowed down the last of the dark liquid before the announcer on the news caught his ears.
// …Gay Pride Day is celebrated all over, not just here in New York. Let’s go live to Joan in San Francisco, the ‘Gay Capital’ of the US, where their pride day parade is just about to start. Joan? //
// I’m here Brett. The crowds here are anxiously awaiting the parade in every color imaginable under the rainbow. As you can hear, the music has already started. Here comes the first float now. //
The music that floated over the announcers, the voice that Kurt would have been able to pick out even if it had been naught but a whisper, caused Kurt’s head to snap around to stare at the screen; his hand shooting out and snatching the remote from Rachel’s hands. Paying her no mind at the moment he turned the volume up as he stood to stare, slack jawed, at the screen. His hands gesturing wildly to the image of the man painted up on the float, singing.
Kurt’s heart beat wildly in his chest as he drank in the image of the tanned man; taking in every aspect of his appearance. It had been years since he had really seen the man and the brunette couldn’t help but look him over. He had finally stopped going overboard on the product it seemed, letting his curls down and free for the most part; bare chested he saw that he still had the muscles he had had when everything went down.
His fluttering heart sunk and his stomach rose to his throat as he watched the two figures darting out from the barricades to try and get Blaine off of the float. He would recognize that blond hair anywhere, cat mask or not, he knew Quinn when he saw her. That meant that, even without looking completely, the second figure simply had to be the Meercat. His baby blues were wide as he stared hard at the screen, trying to figure out exactly what he was feeling. His throat convulsed as he pried his eyes away from the television, instead casting them down onto his still partially empty suit case.
“Did-did I really just see what I thought I saw?” the girl managed to stammer out as she cast her glance between him and the television. He handed the remote back to her with the gentle shake of his head. “Of course you did. Did you forget what shenanigans happened in high school when Blaine was drunk?” his tone came out a bit more bitter than he had originally intended it to as he started pulling open the draws in the stairs to gather more clothes for the trip.
“Kurt, sweetie-“
He shook his head in the girl’s direction, effectively cutting off her words. “No, Rachel. I need to finish packing sooner rather than later if we want to go to BeniHanas at a reasonable hour.” He tossed her a slightly forced grin, hoping that it would help to distract or assuage the girls worries. “I need to spoil you good and proper before I leave you here to your own devices.”
He picked up the coffee cup, hoping to take a swig, only to realize it was gone. With a grimace he made his way back towards the coffee. After tossing the now empty container into the trash he opened the cabinet housing the coffee cups.
“Do you need refill, sweetie?” he asked over his shoulder.
“N-no” came her hesitant reply.
With a nod to himself he poured another cup and clasped it between his hands as he walked back into the other room. He caught Rachel’s worried glance a few times before he went back to his suitcase. He knew that the girl was starting to worry about his caffeine intake, but to be honest there wasn’t anything to worry about. With a huff he set the steaming cup onto the coffee table and ran a hand through his formerly coiffed hair; a wry smile gracing his lips.
“Come on, Rach, I need your help. What outfit’s do I bring? It is Pride out there for at least one day while I’m there.” he asked as he tried to divert the conversation to something lighter.
