Halfway to Nowhere (2/?), Kurt/Blaine, PG

Title: Halfway to Nowhere
Author: sailorraspberry
Chapter Rating: PG
Overall Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Word Count: ~2,100 / ~4,100
Summary: It's not the ideal vacation, but Kurt's willing to accept the excuse to escape the pressing hold of Lima. It's a simple family getaway to the new lake house, except it's everything but.
Chapters: | 1 | 2 |
Spoilers: None
Warnings: AU. Blaine is approximately two years older than Kurt. Eventual drugs, alcohol, and sex.
Author Notes: I'm really, really sorry for the delay. I suck at life, apparently. But I've been writing bits and pieces over the last two and a half weeks, and finally was able to pump out the rest of the chapter. Enjoy!

Kurt had taken to the entire aspect of nature a lot more quickly than he had originally intended.

The deck, particularly, drew him in. The wood was smooth under bare feet and was angled right at the rising sun on the far side of the lake, brilliantly red and orange and pink as it broke through the horizon.

Kurt drew his legs up underneath him, tucked away in the corner of the deck on a plastic lawn chair. He cradled his mug of coffee carefully, just soaking up the scent and letting it slowly coax him from the last remnants of sleep. It was nice, being able to settle back and just look out, without having to worry about the time or the place or his schedule. Something he never felt he had the luxury to do.

Kurt felt a smile twist up as he brought the mug to his mouth, because serenity was foreign to him, an out of touch concept since the last year had been so hectic- campaigns for Congress and interviews for college and the looming presence of future.

He looked out to the lake again, eyebrows quirking, and he felt a little bubble of excitement press up into his throat.

-

He knocked before he could convince himself to turn back, locking his hands behind his back and rocking up onto the balls of his feet. There was some scuffling, a dog’s nails slipping around on wood floors, then the door was pulled open and Blaine was there, staring at Kurt through the outer screen door as Lexie pressed her nose between his legs.

His hand didn’t move from the doorknob, just sat there gently as his mouth quirked up into a pleased grin.

Kurt smiled back, brought his hands around to settle on his hips. “Is it too late to take you up on your offer?”

Blaine hesitated, eyes dropping a little to look over Kurt, tracing the lines of bones and muscles, and Kurt’s heart fluttered under his gaze.

Then, quickly, “Let me get my shoes,” and Kurt felt his shoulders slump in relief.

-

An hour later, Blaine had shared with Kurt as many secrets as his memory could conjure. Little things about what time of day the water was at its warmest, where the deer slept and when the owls came out at night. Which trees were best for climbing and what angle to take when swinging from the rope and out into the water.

Kurt had listened emphatically, because Blaine liked to talk with his hands, beautiful and elegant and captivating. And as the sun rose higher, so did the rationality of life, and soon Kurt was laughing at nothing as Blaine led him out onto the dock.

“What?” Blaine asked, a smile curving and eyes squinting to speculate. “What’s so funny?”

Kurt shrugged, trying his hardest to bite back the laughter as he plopped down onto the edge of the dock, peeling off shoes and socks. “It’s nothing.”

Blaine came into his peripheral, thigh touching thigh as he sat down beside him, and Kurt’s laughter ebbed away into a small smile. “I didn’t think it would be this...magical.” Kurt reached for the water with his toes. “I almost didn’t even come. Because I’ve never been a fan of nature. You know, with fragile skin and all. And I would have missed all of this.”

Blaine shifted beside him, leaning back on his palms. Kurt could feel his eyes on his back, examining, considering, but Kurt just swung his legs and let him look. Across the lake, a family of ducks swam along languidly, and one looked their way, tilting its tiny head.

“Have you ever wondered,” Blaine said, almost a whisper, and Kurt’s ears perked a bit to make sure that he had even spoken at all, “how much you’re actually missing. How much you haven’t done.”

Kurt’s legs stilled.

He felt Blaine move beside him, sitting back up.

“Have you?”

Kurt inhaled shakily, because this was different, weird. He turned his head to meet Blaine’s searching eyes, shaking his head.

Blaine hummed softly, leaning in a little, and when Blaine caught and held his gaze, Kurt’s pulse skittered.

Blaine’s eyes jumped down to his mouth. Kurt sucked in a breath, held it.

“Well,” Blaine hooked his foot around the back of Kurt’s ankle, and the contact sent a jolt of excitement through the core of his bones. “I can show you.”

“You don’t even know who I am.” Kurt replied carefully. “Where I’ve been. What I’ve gone through.”

Blaine tilted his head and the first touch of lips, right along the bulb of his jaw, made Kurt jump. “You show me, then.” Warm, soft breath against his neck, his chin, over his mouth as Blaine looked right into his eyes. “Teach me.”

“Kurt!”

They both jumped, knocking heads with a crack, and Blaine hissed, hands flying to cover his forehead. “Oh my god, crap,” Kurt jerked away, grabbing Blaine’s face, holding onto him fast even as he tried to pull away. “Sorry, I’m so sorry. Crap.” He pulled at Blaine’s hands, but Blaine batted him away.

“Stop, I’m fine.” Blaine smiled, lowered his hands as Kurt started fussing again.

“You should go,” Kurt said softly, running his thumb over the bump rising on Blaine’s forehead. “Ice it. It’ll probably bruise.”

“And yet you remain unscathed,” Blaine said with a wink as he took Kurt’s hand and removed it from his face. “I’ll see you later.”

Panic pressed into his throat as Blaine started to stand. “Yeah?”

He looked down at him and, after a long, stretching pause, reached out a hand to Kurt. “Absolutely.”

Kurt’s hand slotted easily into Blaine’s.

And what Blaine said next sent a shiver down Kurt’s spine.

“Maybe I’ll show you a few things.”

-

Burt was leaning against the railing of the deck, both palms pressed flat against the top, watching as Kurt hurried through the yard and up the stairs. “Where’d you run off to?”

Kurt came to stand beside him, and Burt could feel the thrumming excitement rolling off him in waves.

“Exploring,” was his breathless reply.

“You hungry?”

Kurt blinked, bringing a hand over his stomach. He had forgotten that he hadn’t eaten.

Burt nudged him with his shoulder. “Carole’s got bacon and eggs on the stove as we speak. Better hustle in before Finn devours it all.”

Kurt nodded, giving his dad a quick one-armed hug. “Thanks, Dad.”

He gave Kurt a look. “For what?”

Kurt just shrugged and moved toward the house. “For everything. For bringing me here.”

Burt regarded him with narrowed eyes. “No problem, kiddo.”

Carole greeted Kurt with a blinding smile as she shoveled a pile of eggs onto a plate with a spatula. “You’re already getting some sun, Kurt. It looks good on you.”

“If you’re talking about my freckles, then thank you, Carole.” He accepted the plate as she handed it off to him. “Do we have orange juice?”

“Fridge.”

Kurt deposited his plate onto the counter where Finn sat perched on a stool- “Don’t touch it, Finn, I’m watching you.”- and pulled open the refrigerator. “Any plans for today?”

Finn sat hunched over his plate, moving his eggs around with his fork. “I have to clean out the shed by the lake.”

“Fun,” Kurt said as he sat down with his glass of orange juice. “Need any help?”

“Really?”

Kurt snorted. “No.”

“Wow, you’re a jerk,” Finn muttered around his last forkful of eggs, reaching over the counter to drop his plate into the sink. “I hope you stub your toe on a boulder.”

Kurt laughed, swiveling around to watch Finn trump over to the door. “So,” Kurt said to Carole as soon as Finn was gone, “do you need me to run into town to pick anything up?”

She looked up at him carefully as he started in on his breakfast. With a curiously raised eyebrow, she bent down to reach under the sink, but then he heard her mutter, “Dish soap.”

“What was that?” He said, pressing his forearms into the counter to peer over it.

Carole was laughing at him when she stood back up. “Kurt.”

“Carole.”

“Is that neighbor boy going to escort you into town?”

Kurt’s cheeks bloomed and Carole snickered. “How did you-”

“He came over to thank us for the cupcakes after you had gone to bed. He’s very sweet.” She was grinning at him. “I need dish soap and Brillo Pads and another bag of those jumbo marshmallows.”

Kurt stared for a second, not sure if he should take her seriously. But she just nodded at him, because she understood, and he beamed at her as he pushed up and away from his chair. “Anything else?”

“Milk!” she called, but Kurt was already out the door.

-

Blaine opened the door after the third knock, looking a little confused and rubbing at his forehead. “Uhm-”

Kurt held up a hand, and Blaine snapped his jaw shut. “In the third grade, I fell off the monkey bars at recess and broke my arm. Since then, I’ve been afraid of heights.”

Blaine’s eyebrows rose a bit. “Okay?” He shifted a little on his feet, glanced over his shoulder and back into the house. “Do you want to come in?”

Kurt shook his head. “I want you to show me. Teach me.” Kurt held out a hand to him. “Show me the things I’ve never seen.”

Blaine looked at Kurt’s hand from where it hovered between them, contemplating. And then his hand was slipping into Kurt’s, callused and warm and gripping tight. “Okay,” he said. “No turning back?”

“No turning back.” Kurt tugged on Blaine’s hand until he stepped forward. “Never.”

-

The nearest town was only five miles out. It was old and worn down but overall endearing, and as Blaine parked just on the outskirts, on the cracked pavement of a gas station’s parking lot, Kurt sniffed the air. “What-” He sniffed again, closing the car door carefully after he climbed out. “What’s that smell?”

Blaine came around to stand beside him. “Smells like weed.”

“Wha- weed?”

“Weed, Kurt. We’re practically in the sticks. Of course there’s going to be drugs.”

Kurt stuck his bottom lip out, following Blaine as he moved toward the gas station’s mini-mart. It was almost a pleasant surprise, because despite Kurt’s initial predictions, the inside of the store was clean and bright and not at all horror movie-esque.

There was a woman behind the checkout counter, feet propped up and a Cosmo spread out on her lap. She was snapping her gum when her eyes flickered over to them. And with quick flash of realization across her face, she squealed and clambered overtop the counter.

Blaine caught her when she launched herself into his arms, smiling and laughing and swinging her around.

“Long time no see, babe,” she said when he put her back down, grabbing his cheeks and pulling his face up to hers for a kiss. Kurt blinked, watching the exchange. She was a little bit taller than Blaine and curvy in all the right places, daisy dukes and Converse and no bra underneath her tank top.

“Who’s your friend?” she asked, and Kurt realized with a thrum of embarrassment that he had been caught staring.

He thrust his hand out toward her. “Kurt. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Aw, heck,” she slapped his hand away, all playful smiles and shining eyes as she drew him forward for a kiss of his own. He accepted it with wide, shocked eyes, and she pulled back laughing. “Any friend of Blaine’s is a friend of mine. Reese, by the way, like the cup.”

Kurt didn’t exactly know what to say, a floundering, breathless guppy, so he looked over to Blaine for help.

Blaine caught the look, reached out to hook a finger through Kurt’s belt loop so he could tug him closer. “We’re just here to pick up a few things, then we’ll be on our way. Can’t be distracting you from the job.”

“Oh, of course, of course.” Reese looked over to Kurt with a wink. “Don’t let me hold you boys up.”

Blaine slipped a hand around Kurt’s waist, thumb brushing over the curve of his hip as he led him deeper into the store.

“Condoms are in the back!”

Kurt squawked. Blaine laughed. Reese smiled as she situated herself back behind the counter.

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