Archive of Our Own

Kurt Hummel had it all. Life, friends, money, and the ability to party and drive up and down Rodeo Drive in the back of a limo anytime he wanted. At sixteen, he was living life the way he thought he deserved to live life. And unfortunately, his rebellious antics took a toll on his relationship with his father Burt.

Burt Hummel had not worked hard in his life for the wealth and comfort he and his son enjoyed, so Kurt could go partying and flying off the handle. It didn’t help the day that he’d found the half empty vodka bottle underneath Kurt’s bed.

He’d tried to put his foot down and be firm with him. And for a while, it looked like Kurt was trying to change. But all that flew out the window when he learned that his father had proposed to his long time girlfriend Carole Hudson. Kurt was not about to share his lavish lifestyle with the woman’s clueless overgrown giant of a son. Most particularly when he learned that despite the large house, for the time being, his soon-to-be stepbrother would be sharing his room, at least until they redecorated the room that was to be his.

This was the last straw for Kurt and he woke up one bright and sunny morning, staring out his window at their infinity pool and the vast ocean beyond with an idea.

Carole’s things were arriving at the house that day. Burt was off at the office, and Finn was who knows where, not at the house yet, thank the good Lord.

So, Kurt sent a group text to all his friends that he was throwing a party at his house. And soon, it was teeming with teenagers, getting drunk, making out, wandering around the pool in various stages of undress. Kurt himself was looking fabulous in his designer leather jacket, sinfully tight dark wash skinny jeans, and a white button down shirt. His hair, currently colored pink, was swept off his head in a perfect coif.

“That bitch isn’t going to know what hit her!” Kurt cried to his friends, taking a swig from a bottle of vodka. There were rowdy cheers all around as he led them through the house to where the moving van was parked in the expansive driveway. “Grab her clothes!”

“You are so bad Kurt,” his best friend, Rachel Berry giggled as she and others started to carelessly grab the neatly packed piles of clothing.

“You haven’t seen anything yet, Rach,” Kurt replied, throwing a grin at the boy on his other side. Roddy was sort of his main squeeze right then. Though he was bi, rather than gay, Kurt was quite taken with him. As wild and as wealthy as he was though, he knew he could have just about any guy he wanted. But Roddy was a catch and he had no intentions on giving the time of day to the other guys throwing themselves at his feet.

Kurt led his friends back through the house out to the pool, waving around Carole’s clothes like they were useless cleaning rags.

“Take this you good for nothing bitch!” he yelled and he tossed the handfuls of clothes over the edge of the cliff into the water.

“Kurt, you’re nuts!” Rachel cried out laughing.

“Oh you wanna see nuts?” Kurt questioned. He took off his jacket and grabbed more of Carole’s clothes before taking a few steps back, running and leaping off the cliff into the ocean, to shocked gasps and whoops from his friends.

“Kurt Elizabeth Hummel!” came a sudden shout and the teenagers all froze. Burt Hummel was marching across the pool area, his face full of rage. He had a phone in one hand and was clearly not pleased. “Get up here, right now!” Kurt couldn’t help laughing to himself as he swam back to shore and made his way back up the descending staircase. Burt looked around at the other teenagers. “I want everyone out of here, NOW!” he shouted. They didn’t need telling twice, quickly dropping whatever clothes they were still holding and hurrying to leave the Hummel residence.

“Is there a problem daddy?” Kurt asked innocently, wringing out his shirt.

Burt turned his angry eyes on his son. “That’s it. That’s the final straw Kurt. You’re going to boarding school.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Oh come on father, not that old threat again,” he said. Burt had been telling Kurt for ages that if he didn’t get his act together, he was going to ship him off to boarding school in England.

“It’s not a threat, Kurt,” Burt responded. “I mean it this time!” Kurt’s only response was to roll his eyes and flip a pair of sunglasses on his face.

“Are we done here?” he asked, looking bored. Kurt was used to the threat of boarding school being an empty one, and he didn’t expect this time to be any different.

Burt shook his head at his son. “I mean it this time Kurt. I have given you too many chances to pull your act together. What the hell even happened to you? Where did I go wrong?”

“Whatever,” Kurt muttered. Without another word he disappeared into the house.

Apparently, this time, the threat hadn’t been empty. Burt had gone through with making the arrangements to send Kurt off Dalton Academy, a prestigious all boys boarding school in the British countryside. It had been around for a few hundred years from what Kurt had heard.

“He’s not really sending you to that place, is he?” Rachel whined, from her spot on Kurt’s bed a few days later, where she was playing with a feather boa. Kurt was sitting at his desk, his laptop open to the school website. He wrinkled his nose.

“He’s actually made the arrangements this time,” Kurt muttered. “I can’t believe he went through with it. I mean, look at this place! It’s so...so…”

“Poshly stuck up?” Rachel suggested.

“Yeah,” Kurt admitted. “And I’m not looking forward to leaving Roddy behind,” he added.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll take good care of him for you.” Kurt gave her a look, one that said he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know what taking good care of him meant for Rachel, though he shrugged it off because he was pretty sure that she was interested in his soon-to-be stepbrother, something he couldn’t understand.

“Ugh,” he muttered a few moments later. “It rains at least two hundred days of the year in England!’

Rachel picked up a pair of his shoes and frowned. “Some of this stuff definitely does not do rain.”

Kurt snorted. “Well, guess I taught you something about fashion.” She glared at him.

“Hey! I know fashion!” she cried, stamping her foot and crossing her arms.

“Uh-huh,” Kurt responded. “You have about as much fashion sense as a toddler or a grandma.” His eyes were back on the website for Dalton Academy. “Doesn’t matter anyway. This place means I’m stuck with uniforms.” He wrinkled his nose.

“I think you’ve got bigger problems,” Rachel replied, joining him at his computer. He gave her a funny look and she pointed to something in the school information. Kurt read what she was looking at.

“Oh fat chance!” he said, crossing his arms. “Let’s just see them make me!”

Kurt was about to learn though, that no special privileges were afforded to any students, except for perhaps the Head Boy.

…

He stared out the window of a car as it drove up the country road in England a few days later. Clouds were rolling overhead, which after what he’d read about the rain, didn’t surprise him. All he knew was that it better not damage his Alexander McQueen or Marc Jacobs collection.

“Kurt, I’m telling you, this school is going to be very good for you,” Burt Hummel said from his seat next to him in the car. Kurt rolled his eyes. “You know your mother went to a British boarding school.”

Again, Kurt rolled his eyes. “I know that dad. But that doesn’t mean it will do any good for me. You’ll see.”

Burt sighed. He knew that Kurt felt that he might have forgotten about his mom. That he was moving on with some other woman and really, Kurt didn’t want any new woman in his family. What he really wanted was his mom back.

The car pulled up to a stop in front of Dalton Academy and Kurt slid his sunglasses onto his face as a woman approached the car.

“Mr. Hummel,” the woman said, greeting Burt as he got out of the car. “I’m Pam Anderson, the Headmistress here at Dalton Academy.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Burt responded, shaking the woman’s hand. “Must be a challenge, heading a school full of boys.”

She laughed. “I assure you Mr. Hummel, we produce some of the finest young men in all of England. My own son attends this school. And I promise you, there is no child who is too much of a challenge for me. Rest assured, by the end of the semester, your son will be a very different boy.”

Burt sighed. “I certainly hope so.” She offered him a reassuring smile before moving to tap on the window of the car.

Kurt rolled down the window and looked up at her through his sunglasses with a bored expression. He’d pulled a beanie over his head.

“Hello there Kurt, I’m Headmistress Pam Anderson.”

“Look I…” She cut him off politely.

“Rule number one, I don’t do negotiations. Welcome to Dalton Academy Mr. Hummel.”

Kurt frowned, stepping out of the car, though he really just wanted to beg his father to let him go back to LA with him.

“Okay kid, I’ll call you when I get back to LA tomorrow morning,” Burt said, putting a hand on Kurt’s shoulder.

“I hope your flight is delayed. Or that your bags end up in Kazakhstan,” Kurt retorted. Burt just chuckled and patted his shoulder again.

“I’ll be back to pick you up at the end of the semester.”

Just as his dad was getting back into the car and the headmistress had moved off to greet other students, a tall lanky boy with green eyes, and flanked by two other boys, approached Kurt.

“Well,” the boy said cooly and Kurt could already hear the slime coming off him. “I’m Sebastian Smythe, Head Boy.” He held out his hand and when Kurt didn’t respond, he grabbed his hand forcefully. “You shake the Head Boy’s hand, as a sign of respect.”

Kurt yanked his hand out of the other boy’s and glared him down. “Well, when the Head Boy has earned my respect, then I’ll shake his hand.”

“I’m sorry?” Sebastian bit out, tone sounding appalled.

“Apology accepted,” Kurt said nonchalantly. Sebastian snapped his fingers and turned to walk away with his nose stuck in the air, effectively hitting Kurt in the face with two pheasants he’d been carrying.

“Don’t mind him. He’s a real weasel, that one,” said a new voice. Kurt turned to find a brunette boy standing there offering him a smile, but the pale boy didn’t smile back. “I’m Nick, I’ll be your big brother here at Dalton,” the boy said.

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “You and I could hardly pass for relatives,” he quipped.

“It means I’ll be your guide, you know, like a friend?”

“Okay, I have standards about what I consider a friend, and you, do not fit the bill.”

“I see,” Nick replied. “Well then, welcome to Dalton Academy, Kurt.” He moved to join a group of three other boys. “We got a real diva here boys,” Kurt overheard him say.

Kurt shut his eyes and let out a sigh. He wondered how quickly he would be able to get himself out of this place. Dalton Academy was not his kind of school, especially now that he was around a lot of pigheaded, stuck up idiots. How long did they have the sticks up their asses?

With another sigh, he hoisted his messenger bag higher on his shoulder and made his way into the school.

…

Kurt didn’t like the idea of staying in a dorm. He knew it was not going to be decorated well at all, and he didn’t do plain Jane kind of stuff. He was even more put off when he opened the door to the room he had been assigned only to find four boys already inside with their stuff all over the room.

“Excuse me,” he said, tone all sharp and not polite in the least. They all looked at him. “I’ve been assigned this room.” He was appalled when none of them made to leave. “You all need to get out,” he went on and to his great irritation, they all laughed at him.

One of the boys who was folding some clothes pointed to an empty bed at the back wall. “It’s bed number five or the hallway,” he said.

“Jeffy, get your dirty socks off the bed,” Kurt heard Nick’s voice call out as he crossed the room to the empty bed. The blonde boy in the room made his way over to the same bed, nose in the air, and picked up a pile of clothes sitting on the end of it.

Kurt turned his head just in time to see Nick locking snacks away in a nightstand. “You hide your snacks?”

“Well, we can’t let the dorm head see them, now can we?” Jeff replied. “Which reminds me, you have not lived until you’ve tried a wagon wheel.” He was holding a round something peeking out of a package in his hand.

“What’s a wagon wheel?” Kurt asked, not caring entirely.

Jeff crossed the room again and held the treat out to the other boy. “It’s only the most delicious sweet ever invented,” he said.

Kurt took the wagon wheel from him and wrinkled his nose at it. “Ew, this is like all sugar and carbs,” he said.

“Really?” Jeff answered sarcastically. “I hadn’t realized.” He snatched the wagon wheel back from him and made his way across the room again.

“Anyway,” Nick stated, raising his voice so they would all look at him. “Guys, this is Kurt. He’s from America. Kurt, allow me to introduce you to Trent, Beatz, and Jeffy.” He pointed to each boy in question as he introduced them.

“Jeffy?” Kurt repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Trent giggled. “It’s Nick’s nickname for him. The rest of us just call him Jeff.” Nick glared at the cherubic boy and playfully smacked his arm. “Anyway, you better take that beanie off before the dorm head sees it.”

Kurt looked up from where he was digging for his phone in his messenger bag and snorted. “It’s cold here. I can wear a beanie if I want to.” He raised his phone, pacing the room, clicking his teeth when he found no reception. “Ugh, this place is so old, I can’t get any bars!”

“We only have two hot spots in the school,” Nick said. “Neither of which is in the dorms. Besides, we’re only allowed to use mobiles on weekends.”

“How am I supposed to make calls? My family, my friends, my therapist?” The other boys just laughed. Kurt’s eyes fell on Trent’s cell phone. “You wouldn’t get any service off of that thing anyway. That ancient thing isn’t going to work.”

“You don’t seem to be getting any service out of that fancy iPhone of yours either,” Jeff replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You should unpack,” Nick said, trying to diffuse the tension. “Where’s your trunk?”

“It hasn’t been delivered yet,” Kurt snipped.

…

As it turned out, his trunk had been sitting outside in the rain and when someone finally brought it up to him, the boys all discovered that everything inside was drenched. Kurt let out a whimper as he pulled out a couple of clearly damaged shoes and designer clothes dripping with water. He tried to ring them up.

Just then, the door opened and a man dressed in a dull looking all black outfit entered the room with a box in his hands. “Phones, boys!” he said in a heavily Scottish accent, what appeared to be a permanent scowl on his face.

“Oh good, the help is here!” Kurt called. He moved over with his wet clothes. “These are dry clean only.”

“I am not the help!” The other boys were slipping their phones into the box he was carrying. He made his way over towards Kurt’s bed and snatched the phone off it without his permission.

“Excuse you! You can’t do that!” Kurt cried, reaching for the phone only to be given a stern look.

“No phones! Take that thing off your head!”

Kurt crossed his arms and stared the man down. “Listen here you fuggly little harlot! You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot wear! Or to touch my stuff without permission!”

The man stood up straighter, glaring down at Kurt and then at the rest of the boys. “Two Saturdays detention, for all of you!” The rest of the boys groaned and Kurt stepped forward.

“I’ll take care of this.” He pulled out a bill and snapped it in the man’s face. “Here’s a Ben Franklin. Why don’t you go out and by yourself...anything.” He finished the statement with a sickeningly sweet smile.

“Three Saturdays detention, all of you!” the man shouted before turning and marching out of the room.

“Thanks a lot,” Beatz muttered as the boys dispersed to continue unpacking.

Nick sighed heavily and looked at Kurt. “Just, put your uniform on. And take that beanie off your head.”

…

“You are never going to get away with that uniform, or that beanie on your head,” Nick stated some time later as they were heading with the rest of the boys down to the dining hall for dinner. Kurt had made some modifications to the uniform, making sure every part was perfectly tailored to his figure, instead of flat lines and bulky shoulders. The Dalton uniform was not his idea of fashion.

“Why do boarding schools care so much about fitting in?” the pale boy muttered. “Seriously, you’re all going to graduate as monotones.” To his surprise, Nick laughed.

But before Nick could reply, both boys were shoved to the side.

“Make way for the hierarchy,” Sebastian sneered.

“Watch it!” Kurt spat.

Sebastian and his two cronies turned and glared at him. “Let’s get one thing straight,” the meerkat boy bit out, staring Kurt down. “Here, you have to respect the hierarchy, which goes prefects, populars, jocks, nerds, band geeks, vermin, and Americans. Know your place, twink.”

“I’d rather be a twink than a horse faced weasel!” Kurt retorted. Sebastian’s nostrils flared, and he once again turned on his heel.

“Wow,” was all Nick could say. Kurt shrugged it off as though it were nothing. Nick wasn’t about to tell him that Sebastian would find some way to get him back.

Nick led Kurt into the dining hall, to a table with the other three boys in the dorm and despite everyone around remaining standing at their seats, Kurt went to sit down anyway. Like he cared about their weird customs.

“Stand up,” Nick said. But Kurt ignored his words and plopped into the seat. “Stand up,” Nick repeated. He and Jeff grabbed Kurt by the arms and pulled him back up out of the chair. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“What gives?”

“No one sits until the prefects and Headmistress have entered,” Jeff commented. Kurt rolled his eyes again. This damn school was just getting weirder by the minute. But then there were murmurs throughout the hall and Kurt craned his head to try and see what was going on.

Coming up the walkway from the entrance, was a boy with thick triangular eyebrows, olive skin, and hair gelled down to his head in a fashion that made him look like he stepped out of a 1950s classic Hollywood romance film. He had an easy smile on his face and his hands were in the pockets of his Dalton issued uniform pants. Kurt had to admit, this boy made the hideous uniform look good.

Jeff let out a sigh. “Ah look, there he is, my Blainey,” he said dreamily. Nick reached around Kurt and smacked Jeff in the back of the head. “Ow!” the blonde boy cried, rubbing his head.

“As if Sebastian will let you anywhere near him,” Nick said. As though he were being summoned, Kurt noticed the meerkat sloping into the hall, a smirk on his horse face. And he didn’t miss the leering look the boy shot the boy with the gelled hair, who offered Sebastian a polite smile as he joined him at the table with the Headmistress and other prefects.

“Who is he?” Kurt asked, wondering why gelhead seemed to captivate the entire school.

“That’s Blaine Anderson,” Trent told him. “He’s the Headmistress’ son.”

“And a total dreamboat,” Jeff sighed. Nick smacked him in the back of the head again. “Ow!”

“We can sit down now,” Beatz said and the entire hall sat as one. Plates of food were starting to be served and Kurt looked down at his in disgust for a moment.

“I can’t eat this,” he said, pushing the plate away.

“Not your standard lobster or creole steak?” Jeff bit out. Kurt glared at him.

“I’m a vegetarian,” he said. That wasn’t entirely true, but Kurt was very meticulous about what he could eat and making sure he always ate healthy. And though he would never admit it out loud, part of that was due to the fact his dad had suffered a heart attack and he was watching what they both ate even more now to make sure Burt stayed healthy. Despite all the trouble he gave his father, the man was still the most important person in the world to him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the entire hall started praying. Great, he thought to himself. I’m stuck with a room full of spaghetti monster worshippers. Out loud, he mockingly muttered some nonsensical chant words and everyone in the hall stopped and looked at him. He didn’t miss the curious look Blaine was giving him from the head table, before Sebastian forced the gelheaded boy’s attention back to him, rubbing a hand up and down his arm. Kurt shrank a bit in his seat, tearing his eyes away, but not before noting the discomfort on Blaine’s face. He had a feeling the boy was not as into Sebastian’s flirtations as Sebastian might think he was.

…

Kurt had his headphones in later that evening, busy working his creams and moisturizers into his skin, turned away from the other boys.

Jeff spoke quietly from where Nick was attempting to shape eyebrows. “He acts like he’s some sort of privileged prince or something,” he said, staring at Kurt from across the room.

Nick shrugged. “He comes from Hollywood. I’m sure they’re all stuck up there or something.”

“So all Americans have sticks up their asses?” Trent asked. Beatz looked up from a magazine he was looking through and all four boys turned to face Kurt who still seemed to be oblivious to their conversation as he continued his moisturizing routine.

Nick shook his head. “No, maybe just Californians,” he commented.

“And New Yorkers,” Jeff threw in helpfully. Or at least he thought so.

“Is he really going to wear the beanie to bed?” Beatz suddenly asked.

That was when Kurt pulled the headphones out of his ears and turned to glare at the boys. “Can I help you?” They all stared at him in shock for a moment, wondering how in the world he’d heard them.

But their deer in headlights expressions quickly dispersed when Jeff screeched. “Oh my God! Nicky what did you do?!” He was staring into a hand mirror picking at his eyebrows which now looked more like thick caterpillars.

“Hey, you look like Blaine now Jeffy!” Trent giggled. Jeff glared at him.

“Blaine’s eyebrows are attractive! This is a monstrosity!” he yelled. Nick looked sheepish.

“I told you I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he said with a shrug. Jeff turned his glare on him instead, crossing his arms over his chest.

“And you let me let you do it anyway?!” He threw up his hands in aggravation and buried himself in his bed, groaning.

....

“Lights out!” the haughty man said sometime later, flipping out the light in the boys’ dorm room. As the other boys burrowed down into their beds for sleep, Kurt opened up his laptop.

“What are you doing?” Jeff asked as the bright light from the screen filled the room.

Kurt let out a frustrated noise. “No wi-fi signal, I should have known,” he said angrily, slamming the laptop shut.

“Internet is only allowed in the computer lab,” Nick told him. Kurt let out another frustrated noise and got up from the bed, headed for the door.

“Hey!” Jeff called out. “We’re not supposed to be out of bed after lights out!”

“Oh look!” Kurt said sarcastically, flipping the lightswitch back on. “They’re not out.” He rolled his eyes and peeked his head out the door before creeping out into the hall and making his way to the computer lab.

…

Dear Rachel,

You won’t believe the idiots I have to live with here! I’m stuck sharing a room with four, count them, FOUR other boys. Not to mention, there’s no cell service and we aren’t allowed to even use our cell phones at any time!

Kurt paused in his email to Rachel when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a shadow pass by the closed door of the computer lab. Curiosity got the better of him and he closed out of the program, logging off and slipping out of the room.

His eyes fell on the back of a familiar blonde head as he crept down the hall behind the shadow. He quickly hid from sight when the other boy turned around, as though sensing he was being followed. But he turned back around after a moment and kept going.

Kurt noticed that Jeff was examining his eyebrows in the back of something as he walked. Though from his distance, he couldn’t tell what it was. And he felt like Jeff was being awfully hypocritical by sneaking out of bed himself after telling Kurt they weren’t allowed out after lights out. But he was curious what was important enough that the other boy would dare to break the rules.

He continued following closely behind Jeff and furrowed his brow when the boy slipped into the kitchen. Kurt poked his head into the doorway and stayed put as Jeff opened the freezer. He could now tell that the blonde boy held a spoon in his hand.

Jeff walked into the freezer and took a container down off one of the shelves. He pulled the top off and stuck the spoon into it, taking a bite of whatever was inside.

“Ewww,” Kurt whispered to himself.

Just as he was making his way back to the door some moments later, an alarm went off and Kurt turned a different direction, determined not to get caught by the damn haughty dorm head.

He raced down a corridor as boys started filtering out of their rooms. Looking over his shoulder, he slipped out a window and onto the roof. He glanced down over the side to see the boys being escorted out the front door. The alarm was still blaring. He didn’t have the slightest clue what was going on.

Turning around, he looked for another means of escape and found a metal wall ladder going further up.

“Ew,” he muttered as he reached out to take a hold of the rung with a delicate touch. Without any other option though, the pale boy started to climb. He climbed and he climbed and he climbed until he found himself climbing right into someone’s bathroom window.

“Who’s there?” came a voice. Kurt’s head popped up sharply and he stared with wide eyes. Someone was in the bath, the shower curtain drawn around them.

“Um, Hummel, Kurt Hummel,” Kurt replied.

“Well, Hummel, Kurt Hummel,” the voice said. “Are you not aware of where to go during a fire drill?”

Kurt felt his cheeks go warm. A fire drill. Why hadn’t he thought of that. “Sorry, I’m kind of new here,” he said.

There was a light chuckle. “I can tell,” the voice responded, though he sounded far from accusatory in the least. Kurt blinked. He was trying to keep his composure because he’d never heard such a sexy voice in his life.

“Can you perhaps tell me how to get out of here?” he asked, finding that talking to whomever this was, didn’t feel like he needed to be his rash and bitchy self, and even stranger than that, finding he didn’t particularly care.

The voice behind the curtain chuckled again. “Of course. It’s to the left and down the stairs. Oh, and try not to get caught.”

“Noted,” Kurt responded. “Thank you,” he managed, rushing out of the bathroom, thankful the other couldn’t see the blush that was still coloring his cheeks. Well, if that wasn’t embarrassing enough.

…

If there was one thing more that Kurt didn’t understand, it was gym class. He stood on the side of the field watching the boys get all dirty in the grass while practicing lacrosse. His eyes glared at Sebastian, who seemed to think he was some kind of team God, rather than just the captain or something.

Kurt wrinkled his nose in disgust as the boys squelched through the mud, splashing him with it. “Ew,” he muttered for what felt like the hundredth time since he’d been at the school, as mud flew high enough to hit his cheek. He pulled out hand sanitizer and rubbed it all over his hands and on his cheeks.

The coach of the lacrosse team was slightly distracted by the French teacher who was out for a jog on the grounds, something that kind of made Kurt wrinkle his nose again. The French teacher was nowhere near attractive and he had no idea what the coach could possibly see in her. But the coach wasn’t really attractive either.

Just then, his attention was pulled when Sebastian deliberately stomped in the mud right in front of him.

“You got a problem, horse face?!” Kurt shouted at the Head Boy.

Sebastian sneered. “Yeah, you! Get off my field!”

Kurt crossed his arms. “I could play circles around you in this sport!” he shouted, probably not the smartest move because Kurt had never really been that into sports. But hey, he surprised the hell out of the football team by being a damn good kicker, why not give lacrosse a try.

The meerkat boy snorted. “I would just love to see you try, princess!” he shouted.

Kurt snatched up a glamorous looking lacrosse racket, still in it’s plastic that he’d had sitting on the bench and glared Sebastian down. “You’re on weasel!” he shouted. He pulled the beanie down on his head further and made his way to center field as the other boys moved off to watch the showdown.

Both boys stood on opposite sides of center field. Sebastian scuffed his feet in the mud, like a horse getting ready to run, which Kurt found quite becoming of the horse faced boy. He pulled off the plastic on his own racket and glared at Sebastian, so hard that the other boy flinched, but it was so scarce only Kurt had noticed it.

The coach blew his whistle and the two boys rushed at the ball in the center. However, instead of going for the ball, they ended up clashing into each other and were beating down the other in the mud.

Neither of them noticed the car pulling up the road, until it had come to a stop and the driver called out. “Shouldn’t you be in bathing suits for that?”

Sebastian and Kurt both froze and looked up to see Blaine smiling at them in good humor from behind the wheel.

“Blaine!” Sebastian called out, quickly attempting to pull himself back together so he didn’t look like such a wreck to the boy.

“Hello, Hummel, Kurt Hummel,” Blaine said to Kurt with a grin.

“Um, hi,” Kurt responded. “Hey!”

With another grin, Blaine just drove off. Kurt watched him go, missing the if looks could kill glare Sebastian was sending his way.

…

Sebastian slammed his hands on his desk in his private single he got as a perk for being Head Boy. “How?! How did he know his name?!” he shouted.

The two boys behind him glanced at each other. Sebastian did his best to hide the worried expression that had crossed his face. He whirled around to face his two friends.

“Blaine is supposed to be interested in me! Not some twink from America!”

Again, his two friends exchanged glances. “He was only looking at him so he wouldn’t be caught looking at you,” one of them said. “You know fraternizing is frowned upon.”

“And forbidden if it’s with one of the girls from Crawford,” his other friend said.

Sebastian took several deep breaths. “Yes, that must be it,” he said. “He can’t be seen fraternizing with me. That would be a scandal! Thank you boys. I feel better now.”

…

Moments later, Kurt found himself barging into the Headmistress’ office. “I did not start that! It was not my fault!” He was interrupted before he could continue his rant.

“Please leave my office, Mr. Hummel,” Headmistress Anderson said, not looking up from her desk.

Kurt scoffed. “But you asked to see me!” he retorted.

She looked up. “Yes, and in this school, we knock first.”

The pale boy rolled his eyes and turned around, walking back out of the room and knocking on the door.

“Who is it?” the Headmistress called out. Kurt rolled his eyes again as he entered the room for the second time.

“I did not start that! It was not my fault! Sebastian must have some sort of evil vendetta against me or something!” he bit out, slumping into a chair in front of the desk.

“Let me ask you something, Kurt,” Headmistress Anderson said, looking at him kindly. He thought she had amazing strength to not punish her students in harsh tones and keep calm and level headed, though he’d never admit that out loud. “What do you want to get out of this school?” she asked.

“To get out of this school,” Kurt snorted.

She merely smiled at him. “Well, if you’re looking to become some famous public figure as a result of attending here, I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. Our greatest claim to fame was a doctor to the royal family. But what we do produce here, are well rounded, goodhearted boys, who go on to be respectable members of society. And I think you have the same qualities in you,” she said.

Kurt just stared at her for a long moment, not sure how to respond to that. Why did she have so much faith in him when he didn’t think he could ever be the boy they expected him to be?

She turned around and looked at the shelves full of books behind her desk. “What do you like to read Kurt?”

He shrugged. “Vogue, Teen People, Us Weekly,” he commented.

“Might I suggest you try a book?” she asked, pulling one from her shelves.

“I prefer films,” he responded.

She smiled at him. “You might want to give this one a try,” she said, handing him the book.

“My uncle’s making the film version,” he said, reading the title.

“Well, I think you might really enjoy Alice in Wonderland . I somehow think that you might have similar feelings to her,” she told him, still smiling at him.

Kurt held up the book and raised an eyebrow. “This is my punishment?” he asked. “This school is so weird.”

…

“It needs to be more red!” Sebastian spat to the young boy who was currently attempting to dye a piece of clothing for the Head Boy. “Put some elbow grease into it!” The eleven year old first year boys were so weak. He had half a mind to stop employing them as his hired help.

Sighing, Sebastian made his way toward the window, peering out at the grounds beyond, a dreamy expression on his face.

“Charles heard Blaine say he thought I looked exactly like Grant Gustin,” he said, not tearing his eyes from the window as the boy continued to work with the garment. “The costume for the party must be perfect.”

“You mean the dance?” the boy ventured. Sebastian snarled at him and was about to move away from the window when he spotted a figure on the bench just below and a large smirk crossed his face. That poor poor boy. Well, he supposed it would be his own fault for choosing to skip out on lessons.

“Change of plans!” he said to the boy. “That’s enough!” He moved quickly over to the bucket and pulled the garment out, wringing it and setting it aside. “Now dump the water!” The boy frowned and picked the bucket up, moving to go dump it out properly. “No, out the window!” Sebastian pointed out the open window.

“The window?” the boy asked.

“Did I stutter?” Sebastian responded.

The young boy wasn’t entirely sure what the purpose was in dumping the dirty dye water out the open window, but he knew better than to disobey the Head Boy. He made his way over with the bucket as carefully as he could and tipped it over the sill, watching its contents splash down. He noticed the boy sitting below, but it was too late.

Kurt let out a shudder as he was suddenly drenched in cold dirty water and glared up at the windows above him. The eleven year old boy stood at one window, a hand over his mouth in shock. Not to his surprise, Sebastian poked his head out of another window.

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “It’s so hard to find good help these days.” Kurt stood, dripping wet and glaring at the boy. “Do you have a pass for skipping lessons?”

“Yeah,” Kurt responded. “It’s right here!” And he flipped the Head Boy the bird. Sebastian glared at him and slammed the window shut.

…

Kurt was still fuming as he entered the dorm to find Nick was in the room. Nick gave him a concerned look. “You should put on a jumper,” he said. “You’ll freeze out there.”

“I don’t think I have one,” Kurt admitted. “I didn’t think I would be here this long.” Nick just shook his head and tossed him an extra one from his own dresser. “Thanks,” the pale boy said, genuinely thankful. He pulled the jumper over his wet uniform and stared at the floor. Until he noticed that Nick had picked up something from the dresser.

“Here,” Nick said, holding it out to Kurt.

The drenched boy looked up in surprise. “But, the dorm head took all your phones!” Nick laughed.

“No, he took our decoy phones. They don’t even work. We hide our real ones.” Kurt would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed. Nick was still holding the phone out to him. “Here, call your family, call your therapist. Knock yourself out.”

“Why would you help me?” Kurt asked. “You think I’m an asshole.”

Nick laughed again. “No, I think you act like an asshole. There’s a difference. I think you have the potential to be a really good person Kurt. But I’m guessing you’re feeling pretty homesick right now.” Kurt nodded his head.

“I’m so far from everything I’m familiar with. It’s just hard.”

“I get it. My family lives on the other side of the country from here. Not as far as yours, but still.” It was then that he noticed a framed photo on Kurt’s bedside table. “Is that your mum?” Kurt nodded. “She’s beautiful. Is she going to come for a visit soon?”

Kurt was quiet for a moment. “She died when I was eight. I’ve been kind of lost without her ever since,” he said quietly.

Nick frowned. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Kurt. I can imagine how hard that must have been for you.” The pale boy nodded.

“I think it’s why I had such a problem with my dad dating again. I felt like he was trying to replace my mom. And the fact that Carole has a son, almost felt like he was trying to replace me too. Especially since Finn is pretty much the straight son I’m sure he’s always wanted.”

Nick frowned again. “You really just want to get out of this school, don’t you?” When Kurt nodded, Nick gave him a small smile. “Then you’ll need to get yourself expelled,” he said.

“Expelled?” Kurt asked. “How do I do that?”

“I’m not going to lie to you, it’s not easy. You’ll have to break so many rules, enough to send you before the Honor Court, something that very rarely ever happens. It’s run by the Headmistress and the Head Boy.”

“Breaking rules?” Kurt questioned. “Piece of cake.”

Nick grinned at him, coaxing him to take the phone. “Make your calls.”

Kurt took the phone from him. “Thank you.” He got up to get a little bit of privacy.

“By the way, the best reception is on top of that wardrobe by the window,” Nick told him. Kurt offered him a rare smile and moved over to film a video to send to Rachel.

…

Rachel, back in LA, was lying on a bed with Roddy, both of whom were raising their eyebrows at the video from Kurt.

“What on earth is he wearing?” Rachel spat, wrinkling her nose. “It’s hideous! And he looks like a drowned rat!”

“I thought Kurt cared too much about his hair to wear a beanie,” Roddy commented. Rachel snorted in laughter.

“He probably thinks the pink hair will give those British prep boys a heart attack or something, which makes me wonder why the hell he cares.”

“And please, take care of Roddy for me ,” Kurt’s voice came from the video on the phone screen.

Roddy grinned and looked at Rachel. “Oh you sure are,” he said. Rachel grinned back and the two of them fell back on the bed, carelessly dropping the phone on the floor. So much for best friends and boyfriends.

…

Later that night, Kurt sat tucked in his bed, Alice in Wonderland open in his hands. He was using a lighter, marked with I <3 LA to see the words in the book as it was long past lights out. And for once, he found himself actually engrossed in the story.

His head shot up though, when he thought he heard a noise and he looked around, but didn’t see anything. Shrugging it off, he turned back to his book, only to be startled by the sudden glare of a flashlight. Nick, Jeff, Trent, and Beatz were all gathered around him, Jeff holding the flashlight in his hands.

“Don’t do that!” Kurt said, a hand going to his heart as he attempted to slow his breathing. “You scared me!” The other four boys just laughed. “What do you guys want?” he asked, shutting his lighter and looking from one to the other.

“We’ve been discussing,” Nick said.

“Discussing what?” Kurt asked, feeling slightly apprehensive now. Even after Nick’s kindness earlier that day, he still wasn’t quite sure what to make of these boys.

The four of them glanced at each other. “You want to get out of here right?” Nick continued. Kurt nodded. “Well, then it’s settled we’re going to help you, Trent, what’s the plan?”

Trent grinned in the light of the flashlight. “Operation expulsion is a go,” he said. “We’re going to start pulling fast ones. Start small and work our way up, minor pranks if you will.”

Kurt frowned. “How are minor pranks going to get me landed with Honor Court?” he asked.

“Well, they might not do so individually,” Trent said. “But collectively it could be a big deal. Besides, you can’t just jump right into the deep end.”

“Why not?” Kurt asked. “I jumped into the ocean.”

“You must be joking!” Jeff cried.

“Nope,” Kurt responded, popping the ‘p’.

“In that beanie?!” Jeff asked, slightly stunned. Before Kurt could reply, he added another question. “Why are you always wearing it anyway?”

Kurt was quiet for a moment. “Well, I suppose if we’re going to be breaking rules, I might as well start with this.” He pulled the beanie off his head and the other four boys gasped upon the sight of his pink hair.

“Your hair!” Trent cried.

“It’s pink!” Beatz added. “The school doesn’t allow unusual hair colors!”

“Nah, really?” Kurt responded sarcastically, reaching up with both hands to try and fix his hair. “Ugh, the only problem with wearing that thing is what it does to my hair! Now I need to do damage control.”

The boys laughed.

…

Kurt elected not to walk around without the beanie on after all. He thought maybe he could use it as the icing on the cake. But the first thing the boys did was paper the back wall of a telephone box with several copies of the same ad.

An ad that led to Sebastian getting a phone call at the school. Some elderly man was on the line asking for details on what he was wearing and if he had been naughty and Sebastian snarled that he most certainly hadn’t been naughty - because he was very good at hiding his shenanigans from the school staff - and that made the man hang up.

That’s what you get when horny old guys see advertisements to call Sebastian, the naughty school boy for a good time.

The next thing they attempted, was Kurt and Trent snuck into the pool and filled it with gallons of red water and when the boys came out for swimming class sometime later, albeit, freezing in the chilly weather as they stood outside waiting for the coach to open the door, it was to find a red watered pool with volleys floating around everywhere.

The third prank was a direct stab at the teaching staff. Kurt slipped a CD with French practice dialogue into the French teacher’s player, which played through the headphones of all the students in the French class. The dialogue was about the French teacher and the coach’s secret rendezvous and how they were hot for each other.

Horrified, the French teacher pulled the disk out of the player and stared at it. Scrawled across the top, were the words, Property of Kurt Hummel .

“Kurt...Hummel…” she got out in a dangerous voice. She was shaking so hard that the bridge of her glasses snapped as she glared at him. He merely grinned and waved back at her.

None of it was working, apparently. As the French teacher and coach were breaking down in the Headmistress’ office, Sebastian was storming around his room in a fury, holding a riding crop over his shoulders.

“That boy has more lives than a damn cat!” he spat to his two friends. “Headmistress Anderson hasn’t even mentioned Honor Court!”

At the same time, outside, Kurt and Nick were pushing a cassette tape into the player of the dorm head’s car and fixing it so that it would get stuck and the man wouldn’t be able to get it out.

“Hurry up!” Nick said, glancing over his shoulder. “Someone’s coming!”

“Got it!” Kurt responded and both boys jumped out of the car, but ended up having to roll under the car as another car pulled up the path. Someone stepped out of the car and the boys couldn’t stop the giggles. A face bent down at the sound of the noise, a face that belonged to one Blaine Anderson. Before he could say anything, the dorm head came out of the building and Nick and Kurt held a finger to their lips.

“Mr. Anderson,” the dorm head said when he spotted Blaine, somewhat flirtatiously. “I see you’ve returned.”

“Of course. It’s still my school too,” Blaine replied, laughing lightly.

The dorm head tugged a bit at his collar. “You look charming today,” he said. Blaine laughed again. “l guess I’ll see you later. Unfortunately, I have some things to attend to.” He turned away to head back inside.

It was at that moment that Kurt sneezed. The dorm head whipped his head around and Blaine feigned sneezing to cover for the boys under the car.

“Sorry, allergies,” he said. When the dorm head turned to go back into the school again, Nick let out a fart sound and he turned back around once more, looking scandalized. “Better out than in, I always say,” Blaine said with a smile.

The man looked at him for several moments before finally turning back around and going back into the school.

Blaine bent down to look at the two boys again and grinned at them. “I don’t know what you’re up to Kurt Hummel, but you are very bold,” he said. “I think the coast is clear now.”

Kurt and Nick rolled out from under the car and slapped high fives, brushing down their uniforms. Blaine just shook his head at them.

…

Sebastian wasn’t the only one who was none too happy about Kurt not facing any punishment. The five boys were all in the baths trying to figure out exactly what their next step would be because their plan wasn’t really working so far. Nick, Jeff, Kurt, and Beatz were all sitting in the baths with hats or showercaps on their heads. Trent was seated on the floor between them wearing his pajamas.

“Ugh, what are we going to do now?” Kurt asked, head against the wall. He glanced from side to side at the other boys.

“We might have to go with Plan B,” Nick commented from Kurt’s right. “I did warn you that this wouldn’t be easy.”

“I think the Headmistress likes you too much Kurt,” Jeff said from his spot on the other end. He blew some of the bubbles in the bath and giggled.

Kurt shook his head. “What is Plan B?” he asked.

“Trent?” Nick prompted.

The cherubic boy put down the comb he was holding. “You’re going to have to do the biggest forbidden thing you can do,” he said.

Kurt looked between all of them. “What’s that?” he asked.

“You have to snog Blainey,” Jeff replied.

“Ew, that sounds disgusting!” Kurt said. “What does that even mean?”

Jeff giggled again. “It’s a British term for making out,” he said. “It will be great! Sebastian will be so pissed.” he giggled once more.

Kurt shook his head. “I don’t get it, why would making out with someone be such a big deal?”

“Snogging is considered poor etiquette for fine young British gentlemen and ladies,” Nick responded, rolling his eyes.

Jeff snorted. “Yeah, we’re hardly fine young gentlemen. Well, I mean, the ‘fine’ part might be right.”

“You’re lucky you’re on the opposite end Jeffrey Sterling,” Nick barked at the other boy. But apparently, Jeff wasn’t so lucky, because Beatz smacked him in the back of the head. The other boys all laughed as Jeff cried out in pain.

“Anyway,” Trent went on. “You’ve got to do something to get Blaine’s attention, maybe the costume dance mixer we’re having with Crawford Country day.”

Kurt looked thoughtful for a moment. “Get Blaine’s attention huh?” he asked. “That might not be too difficult,” he added with a grin. After all, he did kind of already have it.

“Then operation snog Blaine, is a go,” Trent said, glancing from one side to the other. “Step one, get Blaine’s attention at the dance. Shopping trip anyone?”

“I want something elegant, that also says, come and get me boys!” Jeff declared. The five of them all burst into laughter and Nick, Kurt, Jeff, and Beatz all ducked under their bath water at the same time.

…

Kurt was in the computer lab, typing out another message to Rachel, when Jeff threw open the door that Saturday.

“Come on Kurt! We’re gonna miss the bus!” he said.

“Coming!” Kurt said, jumping out of his chair and grabbing his messenger bag. He was wearing some of his most form fitting skinny jeans that sat low on his hips, and a button down shirt and vest, custom tailored to his torso.

“Don’t forget to log out!” Jeff reminded him. Kurt turned swiftly back to the computer and logged out before following the other boy out the door.

Downstairs, the boys were signing out to take a trip into town. However, Kurt was stopped by the Headmistress before he could sign out.

“My word, Kurt,” Headmistress Anderson said. “I dare say those pants aren’t the most appropriate for a respectable Dalton boy to be wearing.”

To Kurt’s horror, it was Sebastian who thought he was offering a solution. “I have something that’s low hanging he can wear Headmistress,” he said in a sickenly sweet tone. “I’m sure it’s just your size and it’s really quite perfect for you, Kurt.” From his bag, the Head boy produced the most hideous sweater Kurt had ever seen.

It was long, mustard yellow, and imprinted with a picture of a yorkie on the front. Some sort of tacky tribute or something. Not to mention, it was kind of baggy. But he didn’t really have a choice. The Headmistress wasn’t going to let him leave the school otherwise,

“Ugh, this looks like something Rachel would wear,” Kurt muttered to himself, sounding defeated as he followed his dorm mates out of the school and down to the road to catch the bus. And then he nearly missed it because he was busy digging around in his messenger bag when it arrived and everyone was boarding. Nick, and the others started shouting at him just as the bus pulled away from the stop and Kurt’s eyes went wide as he started trying to run along the wet road to catch it.

Luckily, he managed to pull himself aboard the end with the help of Nick and Jeff. The five boys all burst into laughter.

They had been traveling down the road a bit towards town, when they could hear rock music blaring from behind. All the boys on the bus glanced out the window to see the dorm head following in his car. He was furiously trying to fight with the tape deck to get the lodged tape out, flushing at the sound of the vulgar music coming out of his speakers. The boys on the bus were all in laughter at the scene. Kurt and Nick slapped another high five.

,,,

The first thing that happened when the boys stepped off the bus once they reached town was they were met with a little barking dog who ran up to them, pulling his owner by the leash. Kurt held his hands up and stepped back as the other four cooed over the little dog and petted it.

“So, where are we going first?” Kurt asked.

Nick grinned. “To our absolute favorite shop!” he said, and gestured to a shop behind him that said something about cancer research.

“Um, I’m not the researching type,” Kurt said, frowning, and raising an eyebrow.

The brunette boy rolled his eyes. “We don’t do the research. Scientists do. This is a charity shop. All the proceeds go to the research centers.”

“Oh,” Kurt frowned. “Why don’t we just hit up Oxford Street?” he asked.

“You must be terrible at geography too,” Nick said. “Oxford Street is in London.” Kurt sighed and followed the boys into the shop. He was not impressed.

Nick pulled a crazy patterned shirt off a rack. “What do you think of this one Kurt?” he asked. “I’m sure you could totally rock it some way or another.”

“That looks like something out of a tacky seventies rom-com,” Kurt said, wrinkling his nose. “But, I do have a knack for working with anything. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s shop!”

The boys spent a time full of laughter, trying on different pieces while Kurt paired other pieces with them to make alterations that completely worked in his opinion. He wasn’t a fashionista for no reason after all.

They were still laughing as they stood around looking classically vintage fancy. Kurt held out his phone with a big smile on his face. “Malibu moment! Remember what I taught you guys!”

“Who are we?!” they all said together as Kurt took a selfie of the five of them.

After confirming their purchases, the boys all headed out of the shop and down the road to a hair salon, where Jeff led the way inside.

“Great Scott!” called a hairdresser who was sitting underneath one of the hairdryers. He was staring at Jeff’s eyebrows in fright. “Did you let a caterpillar fall asleep above your eyes?!”

Jeff grumbled. “Very funny! I came here for help. Can you fix it?” he asked.

The hairdresser snapped his fingers. “Terri, tend to the brows!” he shouted. Kurt took a seat in one of the salon chairs and the hairdresser came behind him as he pulled off the beanie.

“Okay, maybe a little trim, strip the pink and add in some blonder highlights,” the pale boy said.

“Ah, but there are so many things we can do with this hair. “How about the punk rock spike look!” Kurt shook his head, looking slightly unnerved. “No? The mushroom cut will look good on you.” Kurt shook his head again. “Well then, perhaps something a little more natural.”

Kurt paused. “Natural? Hm, okay. Let’s go natural,” he said, giving his head a nod.

The hairdresser grinned and swung into action, putting the smock around him so that he protected his clothes. “I see you are a fan of the yorkie as well,” he said as he started to mix some colors and pull out his scissors and other tools. Kurt gave him a sheepish grin, because he wasn’t really a fan of the yorkie at all. The stupid jumper.

Jeff’s brows were done by the time the hairdresser finished with Kurt and pulled the smock away to reveal his hair now a nice natural chestnut and styled high off his head in a perfect coif. Kurt was stunned, as were the other boys.

“You look so English,” Nick commented as they gathered around him, looking into the mirror together.

“I look like my mom,” Kurt said softly. “But more importantly, I look like me again.” He looked down at the beanie he was still holding in his hand and in one swift movement, tossed it into the nearby trash can.

The five boys made their way out of the salon. “Time for the juice!” Jeff cried.

“And how do you propose we get it?” Trent asked.

Jeff shrugged. “I’ve got a plan. Nicky!” Nick rolled his eyes and followed the blonde boy into the shop with the wine and champagne and beer on sale. “How is work?”

“Oh you know,” Nick responded, “Busy as usual. And Marta’s got the kids this weekend.”

“Ginny wants me to take Bryan to soccer practice on Saturday, but Peter needs that report on his desk by tomorrow,” Jeff replied. Both boys were attempting to sound much older and were slowly walking around the shop.

“What’s it on?” Nick asked.

Jeff hesitated. “Business,” he said. Nick threw him a funny look, catching the uncertain expression on the blonde’s face. They were both lucky the shopkeeper didn’t seem to be looking at them at that moment.

Nick grabbed a bottle of something and the two of them headed to the checkout. “Hi, we’d like this please,” he said, handing the bottle over. And that was when Jeff broke his resolve, as he spotted a box of creme eggs on the counter.

“Oh!” he said. “And two creme eggs, please!”

It resulted in them leaving the shop with just the creme eggs.

“Damnit Jeff! He believed us until then!” Nick cried.

“You only got two?” Trent asked.

Just then, Kurt came out of the shop behind them, the others not having noticed he was gone. “Everything okay?” he asked brightly. They all nodded. “Okay, let’s go get ready for our big entrance boys.

…

The night of the dance, the party was already in full swing, everyone in wacky costumes. The lacrosse coach was working the DJ table, dressed like James Bond and the French teacher sauntered over to offer him a drink, dressed as Sporty Spice.

“Shaken or stirred?” she asked him with a grin.

“Oh my dear, shaken of course!” She grinned wider and handed him the drink.

Just then, the doors opened and two boys dressed in spandex rushed over to the turntables, where the coach looked over at them. “Sebastian is coming,” one of them said, as though he were indicating that the Head Boy deserved a regal entrance.

But of course, the coach nodded and switched on a track. The double doors opened and Sebastian zipped in, dressed as the iconic Flash, the red and yellow suit fitting to his form perfectly and of course, he expected all eyes to be on him. Though there was really only one person’s attention he wanted.

He zipped forward through the crowd, which parted for him as though he were parting the Red Sea and he came up behind Blaine, tapping him on the shoulder. Blaine turned around, a polite smile on his face.

“Well, hello Iris,” Sebastian smirked. Blaine just chuckled. “You may only call me, Barry, or the Flash.” Sebastian winked. “I’m a flash in the bed sheets.” Blaine chuckled again. Sebastian leaned forward. “Blaine, it’s me,” he said as if it was some great secret.

“So it is Sebastian,” Blaine replied, grinning. Though he would never be one to tell the boy outright, he wasn’t exactly interested in him the way Sebastian was interested in Blaine. But of course, Blaine was much too polite to let anyone down, even easy.

Their flirtation - or at least in Sebastian’s mind it was - was interrupted by a sudden commotion. All the dancers turned to see five, very strikingly dressed boys walk down the stairs to enter the room.

Kurt stood in the middle. His long legs were accentuated by white jeans so tight they looked painted on. He also wore a deep red button down shirt with three quarter length sleeves and a form fitting white vest over it. White Doc Martens were on his feet and his newly chestnut hair was swept up off his head in a soft wavy coif.

Sebastian’s mouth dropped open at the sight of the boys. “Excuse you, this is a costume party!” he shouted.

“Really?” Kurt replied, as he approached the two of them, grinning at Blaine. “Could have fooled me, but now I see it. You make an excellent Shrek. How are you Blaine?”

“I’m fine Kurt Hummel. I must say, you look absolutely amazing. I love the hair.”

Kurt grinned even more at him. “Why thank you!” Just then the song changed. “Oh I love this song!” He grabbed Blaine by the arm. “Come on, let’s dance!” Sebastian stood there fuming as he watched Kurt drag his man off to the center of the dance floor, where all eyes were still on them.

“That pasty-faced ghost boy is going to wish he’d never been born when I’m done with him,” Sebastian muttered. He turned on his heel and made his way over to the DJ booth while the coach was out dancing with the French teacher. Thinking that he was going to put a wrench in Kurt’s plans, he switched the slow dance song to some fast hip-hop, get down type of music.

To his even greater frustration, Kurt took it in stride. He stared directly back at Sebastian with a grin on his face, and swung his head into the beat before he started twerking and kind of freak dancing a little bit to the song as everyone formed a circle around him and cheered him on. Sebastian snarled, turning away from the DJ booth.

Kurt danced back over to his friends, still grinning, when he tripped off the step and fell onto the floor.

“Kurt!” Jeff cried, rushing over. The pale boy just lay there on the floor, laughing as others gathered round.

“Here, let me help you,” Blaine said.

“You’re awesome!” Kurt replied.

“He’s obviously drunk!” Sebastian commented loudly. “He should be taken straight to bed!”

“Blaine can take me,” Kurt laughed.

“Take him out for some air,” the French teacher said. Blaine helped Kurt up, nodding to the teacher and the two of them made their way out into the corridor, moving to sit on a double sided two seater.

As he watched them leave, Sebastian turned to his two minions. “That boy is obviously up to something. Follow them! Report back to me!” The other two boys nodded and made to follow Kurt and Blaine.

“You are really something, aren’t you Kurt Hummel?” Blaine asked. Kurt just laughed at him and shook his head. “You know how to bring the house down.”

‘Well, I can’t help but pull focus, sorry.” Without another word, he leaned in to kiss Blaine and the other boy stopped him with a laugh. “Playing hard to get are you?” Kurt giggled. He surged forward once more, but again Blaine stopped him. “Okay, you flirt with me, you smile, you laugh, but you won’t actually kiss me. Either you’re just a really nice guy or...are you straight?” Blaine laughed at his words.

“Just English,” he replied, winking at Kurt. the pale boy fought the blush that threatened to bloom on his cheeks. The plan had been to get Blaine’s attention, but...what if he really did kind of want to keep it? It wasn’t like he had Roddy here with him.

“So you’re a gentleman then?” he said softly.

Blaine sighed. “Yes, something some people don’t know anything about. I don’t want to be used.”

Kurt smiled at him. “Well then, just don’t break my heart,” he said. Blaine grinned back and the two of them both leant in this time.

“Blaine Anderson!” said a voice, causing both boys to jump apart before they could even touch lips. They both turned to see Sebastian’s two friends. “Fraternizing is forbidden!”

“Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee,” Blaine muttered so only Kurt could hear him.

“Kurt Hummel get back inside!” the same boy said. Kurt threw Blaine an apologetic look and stood up, heading back into the dance. The two boys glanced at each other. “We can’t tell Sebastian, he’ll skin us alive.”

“But he said to report back,” the other boy said. “He’ll kill us for not saying anything either.”

“I think telling him is worse,” the first boy replied.

“Then we don’t tell him.” They shook on it and turned to go back into the dance.

“Nice work, Nick,” Kurt said as he approached his group of friends just to see Nick finishing a makeout session with some girl. The brunette shrugged.

“I think I just remembered why I don’t like girls,” he muttered, turning back to Kurt. “Well, how did it go?”

Before Kurt could answer, Jeff came hurrying over and plopped himself into Nick’s lap. “What a night! Eight boys and girls have actually come up and talked to me.” Kurt laughed at him, but he didn’t miss the look Nick was throwing at Jeff. something told the pale boy that there might be something between the two of them.

“Well, to answer your question, Nick,” Kurt said, shaking his head. “It didn’t. Sebastian’s little minions caught us. And I guess it all depends on whether they decide to tell Sebastian.”

Nick glanced in the meerkat boy’s direction. “Doesn’t look like it,” he said, noting the two boys were obviously telling Sebastian something, but seeing as he didn’t appear angry, they must not have told him what they’d seen in the hallway.

Kurt sighed. “Is it ironic that my ticket out of here might just be the reason I want to stay? Well, one of the reasons?” he asked.

…

Indulging in alcohol before the dance probably hadn’t been the smartest idea as the boys found themselves nursing hangover symptoms the next day in preparation for their lacrosse match. Kurt, Nick, and Jeff sat on the bench in the locker room, as a very disapproving looking Headmistress Anderson approached them.

“I hope you learned your lesson last night boys,” she said, not quite sharply, but firmly nonetheless. “That is not how Dalton Academy boys act.”

“We’re sorry Headmistress,” Nick replied, looking slightly sheepish.

She shook her head. “You should be. Especially after that display of Jeffrey lying in his own vomit,” she said, giving the three of them a very stern look.

It was Jeff’s turn to look sheepish. “Um, that was Nick’s vomit, Headmistress Anderson. I was just lying in it.” The look that she gave him was one he wasn’t sure how to read, or even if he wanted to read and he hunched over closing in on himself for just a moment.

“As for you, Kurt,” the Headmistress went on, turning to face the pale boy. “I don’t know whether to be happy you’ve finally made some friends here at Dalton Academy, or appalled you’ve led them astray.” She sighed heavily. “You’re dismissed.” They started filing out, but she stopped Kurt by the arm. “Except you, Kurt. I’d like an extra word.”

Kurt looked up at her, his expression completely defeated, as if he was berating himself for messing up, for perhaps the first time in his life.

“I promised your father I would help you,” Headmistress Anderson said, not unkindly. Her eyes had softened a bit. “I know you don’t believe that you can turn around and be a model for this school, but I have the highest hopes for you. I believe in you, and I know your father does too. And neither of us plans on giving up on you. I think you need to stop being scared of the person you can be, okay?” Kurt just stared up at her, not having a reply to that. “Off you go,” she said and he turned to leave the locker room.

“What did she want?” Nick asked when Kurt made his way outside.

“Nothing,” he responded. Nick and Jeff exchanged glances and the three of them headed out to the lacrosse field.

…

The game was dwindling down to the last few minutes and Kurt was sitting on the bench. Dalton was behind. If they lost this match, they would be out of the running, which wouldn’t be unusual given that the Dalton lacrosse team hadn’t done very well in a number of decades.

With about seven minutes left, Jeff came jogging over. “Coach,” he mumbled. “I don’t feel so well.” He was clutching his stomach.

“Do you think you can hang in the last few minutes of the game?” Kurt asked, looking worried, but before he could even finish the question, Jeff vomited on the ground and took off his jersey to wipe his mouth, before holding it out to Kurt, the pale looking slightly disgusted.

“Please, just go in for me?” Jeff asked. Kurt hesitated, just as Sebastian came over.

“That’s okay, coach,” the meerkat faced boy said. “We’ll just play one man down.”

Kurt glared at the boy. “You know what?” he said, snatching the jersey from Jeff’s hands. “Count me in!” Sebastian didn’t look pleased as Kurt grabbed his glamorous racket and headed out onto the field. Jeff vomited again as he took the other boy’s seat on the bench.

Kurt led the boys to a victory with just a few minutes left. Sebastian didn’t know whether to be angry or happy that for the first time in a long time, they’d won.

Headmistress Anderson was grinning at the assembly later that was held to honor the lacrosse team. “For the first time since 1976,” she said, “Our lacrosse team has made it to the second round of the division conference finals.” There was applause throughout the hall. “Let’s keep it up and maybe we can see a championship this year. For extra practices, please see Sebastian…” Sebastian smirked at his name, but the Headmistress suddenly cut it off and apologized. “Oh no, I’m sorry. Please see Kurt Hummel,” she said with a proud grin. Sebastian fixed a glare on the boy, who waggled his fingers at him.

Kurt was not taking any chances with the lacrosse team. He worked them to the bone, resulting in continuous victories and their progression to the final championship round.

…

“Kurt!” Jeff greeted enthusiastically as he entered the computer lab one day some time later. Kurt grinned over his shoulder at the boy. “Come on! Blaine’s waiting for you downstairs!” He raised his eyebrows at him suggestively and Kurt rolled his eyes. In his eagerness to go meet Blaine, he’d forgotten to log out of the computer, leaving his email open. And neither boy noticed the figure taking a seat at the computer after they were both gone.

Kurt found Blaine leaning against his car on the road outside the building and he felt his heart stop. Blaine stood with his hands in the pockets of some dark wash jeans, cuffs rolled up, exposing his sockless ankles. He was wearing a red polo and a black bow tie, with loafers on his feet. and to Kurt’s great surprise, the boy had let up on the hair gel, putting in just enough to tame the curls, but not so much that they weren’t definitively there.

“Wow…” Kurt muttered, unable to tear his eyes from the boy. Blaine looked at him, smiling from ear to ear when he saw him. Kurt was wearing black skinny jeans, a white button down, and a gray form fitting vest. Around his neck was a prestigious black Alexander McQueen scarf.

“Hey you,” Blaine said, smiling even wider still.

“Hey,” Kurt replied, unable to hide his blush. Fuck, what the hell had he ever seen in Roddy? He pushed that thought away. “You look amazing!”

Blaine chuckled. “So do you,” he replied. He tossed his key into the air. “Ready to go?” he asked.

“Oh, well, I thought we could maybe take a walk around the grounds,” Kurt said, hesitantly. It was part of the plan to try and get caught.

But it turned out Blaine was the perfect gentleman as well. “And risk getting caught? No, I can’t do that to you, Kurt,” he said with a slight smile and opened the door to the car. “I thought we could go into town, have a little time to ourselves.”

By now, Kurt had stopped thinking of seeing Blaine as a way to get out of the school so much as really really, starting to like him. And if he wanted to take him on a proper date, well, who was he to complain? At least it put him before Sebastian.

“You know how to drive right?” Blaine teased.

“Do I know how to drive?” Kurt rolled his eyes. “Move over Anderson!” he said, slipping into the driver’s seat of the car and he wasn’t sure if he would ever get used to it being on the right side, rather than the left.

It turned out, Kurt didn’t exactly know how to drive the kind of car that Blaine had and the curly haired boy spent the whole way, teasing him, and laughing, and trying to correct his hands on the gears and everything. Kurt flushed.

Parking a bit outside of town, Blaine bravely took Kurt’s hand as they entered and kind of playfully skipped down the street. Kurt let go of Blaine’s hand only to slide onto the end of a bench that was on an incline. Blaine grinned at him and slid onto the other end, sliding down next to him. Kurt flushed again.

The two of them had fun just hanging around the town with Blaine showing Kurt a few things here and there until they stopped at a place to get some food.

“Chips on bread,” Blaine said as Kurt watched him layer French fries onto slices of bread and make them into a sandwich. “It’s the best thing you’ll ever have, trust me!” Kurt wasn’t quite sure, but he picked it up and took a bite anyway.

“It looks totally disgusting,” he said after he swallowed. “But I actually really like it.” He smiled at Blaine and blushed as the other boy reached out a thumb and gently used it to wipe a bit of butter from Kurt’s lip.

“It’s all about the finer things in life,” the curly haired boy said softly.

“This has been,” Kurt started, but he was interrupted when Blaine suddenly leaned in and kissed him. Kurt felt his heart stutter in his chest for a moment. “The best day I’ve ever had,” he finished.

“Something about you Kurt Hummel,” Blaine whispered. “I can’t get enough of you.”

Kurt could only smile and leaned in for more kisses, wrapping his arms around Blaine’s neck. Yeah, this was not something he wanted to let go of, ever.

…

Kurt was practically glowing when he returned to the dorm room later that day. However, the smile was short lived as he noticed his four friends sitting on two of the beds together, all looking somewhat distraught.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, approaching them.

Nick pulled a piece of paper out and unfolded it, beginning to read.

“Dear Rachel,

You won’t believe the idiots I have to live with here! I’ve never met a bigger bunch of losers in my life! Can you believe that I’m stuck with these weirdos? Not to mention, no one at this school has any sense of fashion whatsoever! But don’t worry, it’s all part of my plan.”

Nick stopped reading and Jeff took the paper from him. Kurt was standing there frowning. He knew he hadn’t written that. Jeff picked up where Nick left off.

“If I can convince them I’m their friend, perhaps they’d be willing to help me get out of this hell hole. Maybe it will be the most meaningful thing they’ve ever done in their stupid lives. I can’t believe I have to stoop this low.”

All four boys looked up at Kurt, who was frowning even more. “I didn’t write that,” he said. “Okay, the first line, yes, but that was weeks ago! You can’t believe I still feel like that!”

“Well it was dated today,” Nick told him, giving him a look.

“Where did you get it?” Kurt asked.

“It was taped to the door,” Jeff admitted. Nick stood up and approached him, looking very upset.

“All we wanted to do was help you fit in, be your friends,” he said. “I guess thinking you actually wanted to be ours in return was a mistake.” He slammed the paper into Kurt’s chest. “Keep to yourself from now on.”

Kurt felt his heart start beating hard in his chest and raced from the room as a thought hit him.

In his own private quarters, a luxury, due to being the Headmistress’ son, Blaine, picked up a note that had been slid under the door, and read it to himself.

You won’t believe how gullible the Headmistress’ son is! He actually thinks I like him! He is such an English dweeb, and not even that attractive either. My plan is just to use him so I can get expelled and get the hell out of this school. All I have to do is seduce him, get him to kiss me on school grounds and surely, I will be expelled. Then I can come back home and everything will be the way it’s supposed to be.

Blaine’s heart stopped as he read the note, deciding he couldn’t read any further. It was then there was a knock at the door and he opened it to find Kurt standing there looking fearful.

“I can explain!” he tried to say. Blaine just shook his head sadly and slammed the door in the other boy’s face.

…

Kurt couldn’t help the pain that thrummed through his very being that night as he laid in bed, playing with his lighter. He needed to talk to someone and he needed to do it then. He had screwed up royally, and he hadn’t even realized until after the fact, that he had never wanted to hurt any of these people after all.

And so he found himself sitting in the dark on the floor of the kitchen, oblivious to the fact that Jeff was slipping into the freezer behind him, probably unaware that Kurt was even there.

“I just really need to talk to you right now,” Kurt said into his phone, his lighter still in his hand.

“I’m sorry,” Rachel replied. “But I'm totally busy. Getting my hair done and getting ready for this major blowout.”

Kurt shut his eyes. He was so tired of Rachel putting herself first. Had he really been just like she was now? A part of him was wondering why he’d ever been friends with her to begin with.

“Rachel,” he said. “This is really serious. I kind of need my best friend right now.”

“I’m sure you have plenty of new friends to handle you since you’re there and I’m here,” she said. “Sorry you’re having a time. I’ve gotta go.” He heard a click sound, but then Rachel’s voice was back. “Sorry, babe. He wasn’t easy to get rid of.” Kurt froze. “Roddy, are you there?” Rachel asked after a moment of silence.

“No,” Kurt said flatly. “It’s still me, babe .” He hung up the phone and leaned his head back against the counter. Now he felt even worse. His supposed best friend had hooked up with his sort of boyfriend. So now he didn’t have Blaine, and he wouldn’t have Roddy either.

Kurt started playing with the lighter again, until he leaned it a little too far over and the flame caught the curtains alight.

“Shit!” he cursed under his breath, grabbing his shoe and beating the flame out. He was relieved that he managed to get it out without much trouble but jumped up and took off running, heading straight back to his room and hiding under the covers.

He’d barely been tucked into his bed when he heard a noise and jumped up, moving to look out the window. His eyes were wide as saucers as he noticed strong flames licking out the windows of the first floor.

“Shit!” he muttered again, rushing over to Nick’s bed and shaking him. “Nick, Nick! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! I thought I put it out!”

Nick crawled out of bed, wondering what on earth the American boy could be on about now and Kurt pulled him over to the window.

“Geezus, Kurt!” Nick shouted when he spotted the fire.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I swear I thought I put it out!” Kurt spluttered.

Nick shook his head. “Get people out, now!”

Kurt didn’t need telling twice. He started running down the halls and banging on doors, shouting that everyone needed to get up and get out because there was a fire.

Slowly, staff and students congregated on the lawn, the flames clearly visible, licking out the kitchen windows as fire trucks arrived on the scene. And inside the kitchen, Jeff had opened the freezer only to be confronted with the fire. He screamed and slammed himself back in the freezer, calling out for help.

The Headmistress started taking role call down on the lawn, trying to make sure they had all their students safely out of the building.

“Marcus Leederman! Sam Moore! Jeffrey Sterling!” When there was no answer, she looked up. Kurt’s eyes widened in slight horror from where he was standing at the front of the group. “Jeffrey Sterling?” Headmistress Anderson repeated. “Has anyone seen Jeff?”

It was then that Kurt had a sudden realization. “Oh no! Jeffy’s in the freezer!” he shouted. He ran off before anyone could stop him.

Kurt did his best to avoid the smoke as he ran into the burning kitchen, followed by a couple of firemen. He didn’t care about the smoke going into his lungs. He cared about getting to that freezer and making sure that Jeff was safe.

The boy in question was still yelling for help, pounding on the inside of the freezer and Kurt was relieved that he was still conscious. It might have been the fact that he was shut inside a place that was extremely cold that might have been helping him.

Everyone outside waited with bated breath until Kurt emerged with Jeff and one of the firemen. Nick almost immediately pulled the blonde boy into his arms.

Soon after that, the fire was put out.

…

In the aftermath, it was Blaine who found the lighter on the floor in the now ashen based kitchen. He held it in his hand for a moment, ignoring the firemen still sifting through the debris.

Kurt came breezing in, looking slightly distraught, still dressed in his pajamas from the night before. He couldn’t help feeling like something was off. He swore he’d put that fire out, but maybe there had been a little spark still in the fabric. He couldn’t be sure.

Someone grabbed him and pulled him into a nook against the wall. “What were you thinking?” came Blaine’s voice. Kurt gave him a confused look. Blaine held out the lighter.

“It was an accident,” Kurt replied honestly, looking at the lighter the other boy held in his hand. “I swear, I thought I had put it out. I didn’t mean to start a fire.”

Blaine just looked at him for a long moment, not really having any words to say. His expression kind of said it all though.

“I’m really sorry, Blaine,” Kurt said gently. “For everything.”

“Yeah?” Blaine questioned. “So am I.” That said, he slapped the lighter into the open palm of Kurt’s hand and walked away, leaving Kurt looking sort of dejected.

…

“Now, we know the fire was not an accident,” Headmistress Anderson said during an emergency assembly later that day. “I must impress upon you all how serious a crime like this is. So, I’m giving the person responsible until the end of the day to confess. If you come clean, no criminal charges will be pressed against you.”

Kurt sat quietly in his seat, contemplatively listening and feeling the guilt creep up his spine. He tried to catch the eye of his dorm mates but they were all ignoring him. He wondered if they would turn him in.

It was later outside, as he sat on a bench thinking about everything that had happened up until that point, that he made a decision. He pulled out a piece of paper and started a letter.

Blaine,

I know right now you feel like you can never trust me again. And I can’t think of how many words I need to say I’m sorry. I don’t know how else to fix it. But I can promise you, I did not write that email. For a while there, yeah, you were my ticket out of here. But then I got to know you. And there aren’t enough words to describe what an amazing person you are. Or how much it’s going to break my heart to leave you. But the only thing I can really do now, is keep my head up. So, I’m going to do the right thing. I hope one day you might be able to forgive me. And maybe come see me in California sometime.

Yours Always,
Kurt

Putting the short letter into an envelope, Kurt stood up and made his way to the Headmistress’ office, where he knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Headmistress Anderson called. The boy took a deep breath and entered.

As calmly as he could, he set the lighter on the desk in front of her. “It’s what I used to start it,” he said. “It was an accident. I thought I had put it out, but I guess not. I am so so sorry.”

“Oh Kurt,” Headmistress Anderson said as she picked up the lighter. “I suppose you know what this means.”

He nodded his head. “Will I be expelled?” he asked, though he was already sure he knew the answer.

“Well, the Honor Court will decide that but I think you should know, it’s really just a formality at this point.”

Kurt nodded again. “The funny thing is, I really did try to turn it around. I didn’t want to let anyone down. I hope you know how sorry I am,” he replied.

“Me too,” she said. “Me too.”

“Would you mind, giving this to Blaine for me?” he asked then, holding the letter out. After she’d  taken it, Kurt drew a deep breath and turned around, exiting the office just as Nick passed by, carrying a book in his arms. “I told her it was me,” he said, causing the boy to stop and look at him. “I’ll be going home soon so this is for you..” He held out a rolled up paper to him.

Nick ignored what Kurt was attempting to hand him. “Fantastic. I guess you finally got what you wanted,” he replied, voice clipped. “You must be overjoyed.”

“Honestly,” Kurt replied. “I couldn’t be more unhappy.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Oh Kurt, give it a rest.” He turned on his heel and walked briskly away. Kurt sighed heavily, unrolling the paper to see the picture of the five of them he’d had blown up.

He was just standing there, wallowing in his feelings, when a picture caught his eye. The first thing he noticed was that it was an old photograph of Dalton’s sister school, Crawford Country Day. and standing front and center of a group of girls holding lacrosse rackets was a very familiar face.

“Mom…” he whispered, staring at the girl. Kurt took the photograph off the wall and moved to sit in the corridor.

That was where Blaine found him, sometime later. “There you are,” he said gently. Kurt looked up as Blaine joined him and looked down at the photograph. “She looks just like you,” he added.

The pale boy ran his fingers over the picture. “She was my mom. I had no idea she went to Dalton’s sister school. I knew she’d been to boarding school in England,” he said.

“She’s beautiful, just like you.” Kurt looked up at him. Blaine was smiling at him softly. “So what happens now?”

The other boy shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I go to Honor Court, pack up my things, and go home. My father will be so disappointed.”

“Maybe you’ll get a reprieve,” Blaine suggested. “You know, for coming forward.”

Kurt shook his head. “With Sebastian presiding? Not likely,” he said. Blaine reached out and took one of Kurt’s hands in his.

“Just know that I’m here for you Kurt Hummel,” the boy responded. Kurt smiled.

“Thank you. It’s nice to know someone is.”

…

“What’s going on?” Nick asked as he entered the dorm room. The other three boys were gathered on the bed, looking a bit concerned and worried.

“Trent did some research on that email from Kurt,” Jeff commented. Nick looked over at Trent, expectantly.

“From what I gather, the email was written at eleven-forty in the morning, but according to Jeff, he and Kurt left the computer lab only a few minutes after eleven.”

Jeff got up from the bed. “And look what I found in his diary,” he said, hopping over to Kurt’s bed and picking up the book. Nick gave him a disapproving look. But Jeff just smiled and read from the diary.

“ Sure, they’re silly and sometimes idiots, but I think I might actually love them. Like real friends. I don’t think I’ve ever felt friendship quite like this before. And the way they’re all so determined to help me...I feel guilty for ever thinking they weren’t worthy of my time. And the truth is, I guess I’m one of them now. And I can’t be happier for it.”

Nick looked from Jeff’s grin to the other boys. “Okay, so if Kurt didn’t actually write it, who did?”

“I looked into the records to see who else might have been in the lab at that time. And only one person came up.”

Realization dawned on all their faces and Nick couldn’t help but say, “And now he’s getting thrown out.”

…

The entire school had filed into the assembly hall, Kurt perched in a single chair in the middle of the aisle. Headmistress Anderson sat at a desk at the other end of the hall. Sebastian and his two minions were seated facing the aisle, a stern, yet smirky expression on his face.

Once the hall had quieted down, the meerkat stood up. “We are here to judge a boy who took a chance at playing with our lives,” he started.

“Sebastian,” Headmistress Anderson warned. “Might I remind you, we are judging this case on facts.

The boy cleared his throat. “He nearly burnt the school down, endangering all of our precious lives. His no good rebellious attitude and holier than thou sense of character just wanted us all to suffer.

“Sebastian!” the Headmistress yelled. “Stick to the facts! Not your personal opinion of the defendant!”

Sebastian forced down the urge to roll his eyes and turned back to Kurt. “Perhaps the defendant would like to tell us in his own words, why he tried to burn down the school,” he muttered in a falsely sweet voice.

Kurt straightened in his seat, raising his head up and looking around at the room as a whole. He noticed then, the other four boys from his dorm slipping into seats in the audience and couldn’t help but give them all smiles, which they returned.

“I didn’t mean to start the fire,” he said. “It was an accident. I was upset and I thought I had put it out.” He bit his lip, trying to force back the tears that threatened to fall. “I’m so so sorry,” he told everyone genuinely.

“Was anyone with you?” Headmistress Anderson asked. Before Kurt could answer, Jeff suddenly stood up.

“I was with him,” he said. Kurt’s eyes widened as one by one, all the boys in the hall began to stand up and repeat the sentiment.

Sebastian was furious. “Headmistress, this is absurd!” he shouted. “You can’t expel the whole school and they very well know that!”

“Sebastian,” Headmistress Anderson said. “Do I need to remind you again to remember your place in this courtroom?”

The meerkat faced boy scoffed, still standing and looked around at them all. “Oh come on! You can’t really believe he didn’t mean to do it!” he shouted. “He walked in there, lighter at the ready and…” but he was interrupted by one of his minions.

“Lighter?” the other boy asked, looking confused.

“Did I stutter?” Sebastian bit out.

“What lighter, Sebastian?” the boy asked. Kurt was looking at the Head Boy with wide eyes.

“That silly I heart LA lighter of his!” Sebastian responded.

Kurt shook his head. “Except,” he said. “How did you know about it? Blaine found the lighter before anyone else could. How could you possibly have known unless...unless you were there?”

“This is an outrage!” Sebastian cried.

“I too, would like to know how you knew about the lighter, Sebastian,” Headmistress Anderson stated.

“I knew I put it out! I did put it out! I heard footsteps after I ran out. That must have been you, wasn’t it? I think I’m innocent!” Kurt said.

Sebastian glared daggers at the boy. “I was just finishing what you started!” he shouted, before realizing what he’d said. “Oh…”

…

The crowds gathered on the lacrosse field for the finals were ready for the championship game. The boys from Dalton looked dashing in their full uniforms, and Kurt was grinning from ear to ear as he gave them all a last minute pep talk.

The match had already officially started when Burt Hummel made his way through the crowd to join the Headmistress.

“Headmistress Anderson,” he greeted the woman. She smiled at him.

“Mr. Hummel, so glad you could make it!” she said.

Burt looked around. “Where’s Kurt?” he asked.

She pointed with a wider smile on her face, out to the field. “He’s right there,” she said. Burt felt his heart stop as he spotted his son out on the field. His son, who looked so much like his mother. His son, who was playing a competitive team sport and not trying to rebel and put up a fight. His son, who he thought might just be the boy he remembered raising again.

“I don’t believe it,” he whispered.

“I told you I could help him,” she said, still smiling. “Blaine might have helped some too.”

“Blaine?” Burt questioned.

“My son,” she replied, pointing to the curly haired boy who was cheering from the sidelines. It didn’t take a rocket scientist for Burt to realize that the boy only had eyes for his son.

“I’m so not ready for this,” Burt muttered, staring between Blaine and Kurt.

She laughed. “What parent ever is, Mr. Hummel?” She was quiet for a moment. “Lizzie would have been very proud of him, I think.”

Burt sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “If Lizzie were around, I don’t think Kurt would be here right now,” he admitted.

Headmistress Anderson placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think that’s true. I just think the circumstances might have been different,” she said.

“How so?” Burt asked.

“I think Kurt would have decided to come here on his own. The way he was always so much like his mother.”

“You might be right,” Burt admitted.

Just then the whistle blew and the Dalton spectators groaned. The opposition was up, two to zero and it was time to break for the half.

“Okay,” Kurt said, gathering the team in formation and setting down a radio. “We can’t give up! Who are we?” he called. No one said anything. “Come on! Who are we?!” he tried again.

“Dalton Academy, a prestigious all boys academy for fine young men between the ages of eleven and seventeen…” Jeff’s voice trailed off as he realized that wasn’t exactly the answer he was meant to be giving.

“No,” Kurt said, shaking his head at him. “We’re winners!” He pushed the button on the radio and it turned on, the team launching into a dance routine to show their fierceness. Of course, Kurt had taught them all the choreography to Single Ladies.

The second half seemed to be the biggest turning point in the game. Dalton took control and started their way back, Kurt leading the way. Burt cheered his son from the sidelines, never feeling like he’d ever been so proud of the boy before.

The game was winding down and the score was tied, two-two.

“Jeff, you got this!” Kurt called out as the pass was sent to the blonde boy.

“Oh no, not me!” Jeff cried. He ran, trying his best to dodge opposing players, the ball held in the net of his racket. Until he tripped.

A hush fell over the crowd as Jeff landed in the grass, his racket falling forward, releasing the ball, which rolled…

...right into the goal.

The loudest cheer ever came from the crowd as the whistle blew to call the end of the match. Dalton Academy had won.

The field became a mess of bodies as the Dalton students, friends and family all celebrated the win.

“Kurt!” Burt called out and the pale boy whipped his head around.

“Dad!” he shouted, surprised to see his father making his way through the crowd to him. “Dad, what are you doing here?!” he asked.

“I am so proud of you, Kurt,” Burt replied. And Kurt couldn’t help the tears that fell from his eyes as he threw himself into his dad’s arms. “Your mother would have been so proud of you too.”

“Dad, why didn’t you tell me she went to Crawford?” Kurt asked.

Burt sighed. “I thought it would make you too sad if you knew,” he admitted. Kurt just hugged him again.

Blaine appeared behind the pale boy then. “Kurt?” he said gently. Kurt turned around, grinning from ear to ear and grabbing Blaine by the hand.

“Dad, this is Blaine,” he said. “He’s my...well, he’s my boyfriend.” He smiled and flushed. “Blaine, this is my dad.”

“Pleasure to meet you Kurt Hummel’s dad,” Blaine said, reaching out a hand to shake the man’s. Burt shook it gruffly.

“Nice to meet you too kid. Please, call me Burt,” he said. “Especially if you’re going to be spending a lot of time with my son here.”

Blaine chuckled. “Of course Burt.”

Out front of the school, while the Dalton students all celebrated, Sebastian stood beside his father’s car as the older man started loading luggage into the trunk. “Put your back into it, old man!” Sebastian spat.

“Oh Sebastian!” called a voice. The meerkat faced boy looked up at the window of his former room to see his two friends standing there. “I believe you forgot something.” The boy tossed the two pheasants Sebastian had tried to offer the Headmistress earlier that semester at him. Both boys laughed and disappeared from the window. Sebastian just groaned.

…

It was a summer like any other that year. All of Kurt’s friends from Dalton Academy could be found lounging on pool chairs in his family’s infinity pool. Shades on and Blaine lying on the side of the pool where Kurt only had to raise his head to kiss the boy.

“Now this is what I call summer,” Nick remarked. Jeff moaned in approval. Kurt just grinned.

Just then, Kurt’s phone started to go off. Blaine picked it up and frowned. “Who’s Rachel?” he asked. Kurt took the phone and declined the call before reaching up to kiss the curly haired boy.

“No one,” Kurt said nonchalantly. “Just some hag I used to be friends with.” And he kissed Blaine again. Blaine smiled into the kiss.

“You know,” the boy said, “I really really like you Kurt.” He was going for nonchalant and Kurt raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, I really really like you too, Blaine,” Kurt said.

Blaine leaned down and kissed the pale boy, who hummed in contentment. “Actually,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I love you.”

Kurt’s breath caught in his throat at the words and he stared up at Blaine in wonder for several moments. But the other boy just continued smiling down at him.

“I’m pretty sure I love you too,” Kurt replied.

“Okay you saps,” Nick said. “Time for more fun!”

At that, Kurt pulled himself out of the water and grinned at his friends. “Oh I know something that is loads of fun,” he said. “If you’re not a chicken, that is.”

“Chicken?” Jeff questioned.

Kurt grabbed Blaine’s hand in one hand and pulled Jeff by the other. Jeff grabbed a hold of Nick and Nick took Trent’s hand in his other one. And finally, Trent grabbed Beatz’ hand.

“On the count of three,” Kurt said as he led them over to the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. He noted Jeff’s eyes going wide. “One...two...three!” Kurt jumped, effectively pulling his friends with him as they all plunged into the ocean.

Jeff let out a squeal on the way down, but along with everyone else, was laughing as they all broke the surface.

“And that is how I have fun,” Kurt said, only to seal his words with another kiss for Blaine.