As he slowly shuffled towards his dorm room, Kurt absently turned the page of the book he was reading. He didn’t usually walk and read at the same time but he had a French test next week and he wanted to make sure his notes were perfect. He muttered under his breath the different sentences he had written out for himself to memorise – part of the test was an oral presentation and he wanted his French to be flawless.

He rested his hand on the door knob to his dorm and finished his last sentence before unlocking it and pushing it open.

“Oh, Nicky,” Jeff’s distinct voice groaned. “There. Right there. Oh, god, that feels so good.”

“Here?” Nick asked.

“Yes! Oh, god, don’t stop, Nicky, don’t stop.”

You’ve got to be kidding me, Kurt thought, freezing where he was in the small walkway between the door and the rest of the room.

He knew that Nick and Jeff were sexually active but they knew he had to study and therefore would be in the room most of the night. Normally Jeff let Kurt know in advance if he and Nick wanted to be alone.

He sighed and bit his lip. Surely they would have heard him close the door but he couldn’t risk it. Kurt stayed where he was, torn. His book was just there on the edge of his desk. He could grab it and make a run for it before either of them realised but he didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that he was standing there… listening.

Kurt was frozen. He had no idea what to do. He couldn’t keep listening to his two best friends having sex but he also couldn’t turn around and head back out of the dorm – they would definitely hear him if he did.

He was saved the trouble of deciding what to do when the floorboards underneath his feet squeaked.

“Who’s there?” Jeff called out.

“It’s just me,” Kurt replied sheepishly.

“You can come in,” Jeff said.

Kurt swallowed thickly and covered his eyes with his hand and he stepped into the room properly. “I just need my book; I’ll be out of your hair in just a sec…”

“Kurt,” Nick started. “Why are you covering your eyes?”

“I… uh…”

“He thinks we’re having sex,” Jeff replied, amusement clear in his tone. “We’re not, Kurt.”

Kurt tentatively looked over and saw that Nick was straddling Jeff, who was lying on his stomach on the bed. His shirt was off and his pants were still on, as were Nick’s and Nick was giving Jeff a massage.

“You okay?” Nick asked.

Kurt shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said immediately, face flushed. “I just…I just heard Jeff moaning as I walked in.”

“Jeff pulled a muscle in fencing today,” Nick explained. “I was just loosening it for him. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t break the rules.”

“Good,” Kurt said and he set his French books down on his desk. “Though I love you both, I don’t need to see that… Again.”

Jeff laughed and sat up properly, stretching his arms above his head. “That feels a lot better. Thanks, Nicky.”

“Any time,” Nick replied with a smile.

Jeff grinned and leant over, kissing him soundly on the lips. Kurt smiled at the pair and turned back to his notes.

“I’m gonna have a shower,” Jeff said after a few minutes.

“Okay,” Kurt said with a nod. “Nick, you can help me study for our French test.”

Jeff made a face at them and left the room, shutting the bathroom door behind him rather loudly. Kurt rolled his eyes good naturedly and moved to his bed.

“Come help me,” Kurt said, patting the space next to him.

Nick sat down next to him and picked up Kurt’s book. “You know all of this though,” he said. “You’re the best in the class, why are you stressing so much?”

“Because I need to get a perfect score,” Kurt replied. “If I don’t, it will drag my average down.”

Nick shook his head. “Alright, alright, let’s start here.”

They slipped into French for the entirety of their conversation, testing each other on different phrases and words that were likely to come up in the test. Kurt said how nervous he was about the oral presentation and Nick assured him he would be fine.

They were still talking in French when Jeff exited the bathroom, towel slung low around his waist.

“That’s no fair,” Jeff said. “You know I can’t speak French.”

“You would if you took the class,” Kurt replied with a smile. “I don’t know why you chose Latin.”

“Because it will help when I’m a spy,” Jeff deadpanned.

Kurt grinned. “You’re a dork,” he said affectionately and he looked away as Jeff got dressed.

“You say that now, Kurt Hummel, but one day, I am going to be the best spy ever,” Jeff said as he slipped his shirt over his head.

Nick cleared his throat pointedly.

“When Nick and I are the best spies ever,” Jeff amended.

“You’re both dorks,” Kurt returned, not looking up from his notes. “Ugh, this is going to be the death of me.”

“Stop stressing so much,” Jeff said. “We all know that you speak French fluently, Kurt. You’re going to ace the test. You’ll be fine.”

Kurt gave Jeff a smile. “Thanks. I’m still nervous though.”

“If it helps, I’ll let you borrow my boyfriend for the evening so you two can speak French together?”

“Um, hi. Don’t I get a say in any of this?” Nick asked.

“No,” both Kurt and Jeff said in unison before bursting out laughing.

Nick soon joined in and Kurt held his stomach from laughing so hard. He closed his book over and stood.

“I need coffee,” he said. “I’m going to do a Starbucks run, do you two want anything?”

“Latte, please,” Nick replied.

“A bagel,” Jeff added. “And a hazelnut latte. Please.”

Kurt smiled and waved both boys off when they tried to give him money. “I’ll be back soon and then you can help me study some more.”

Kurt left the room, locking the door behind himself and he headed for the car park, desperately needing a coffee fix.

Kurt passed his French test with flying colours and he headed home that weekend feeling a lot less stressed. He felt like he hadn’t been home in weeks as each time he had, he’d been swamped with school work, despite his schedule to keep on top of things.

“Pass me the wrench, will you, son?” Burt asked.

“Sure,” Kurt said, picking up the tool to give to his dad.

“How’s school going?” Burt asked as he loosened the bolts on one of the tires.

“It’s good,” Kurt replied. “I aced my French test the other day and I’m top of the class in English, well, apart from Nick and Jeff, that is.”

Kurt continued to fill his dad in as he changed the tires on the car and Burt filled him in on the things that had been going on at the shop. They had been having a steady month, which was good and Finn had been helping out wherever he could too. Kurt smiled at the mention of his step-brother. He had hardly seen him so far that weekend. Granted, it was still early in the morning and Finn didn’t like to wake before noon on a weekend.

Kurt figured he and Finn could do something that afternoon together and maybe he would invite Mercedes over as well. He missed her. He missed all of his friends that he had at McKinley High before transferring and while he tried to keep in touch with them all, sometimes it wasn’t probable to do so.

“Do you mind if I cook tonight?” Kurt asked as he slipped underneath the car he and his dad were working on. “I haven’t cooked in ages.”

“Sure, kid,” Burt replied with an amused tone. “Just make sure you cook extra – Finn’s having another growth spurt.”

“Again?” Kurt half-exclaimed, concentrating on the task at hand. “I’ll go to the store later and pick up some things. Can I invite Mercedes over too?”

“Sure,” Burt replied. “How does it look under there?”

Kurt wheeled back out and sat up. “I’ve seen worse,” he replied with a slight smile.

“Alright, get back under there then and work some of that Hummel magic,” Burt said and Kurt slid back under the vehicle with ease.

He had missed this. Missed working with his dad, missed the ease that came with dealing with cars. It was somewhat soothing for Kurt. He had learnt a lot about cars when he was little. It was sort of a trade-off for the tea parties he made his dad have with him after his mom had died. It had helped though and it had scored Kurt his Navigator for his sweet sixteenth.

When he was younger, he had a fondness for math and a severe dislike for some of the kids in his class, so he spent his spare time keeping the books in order for his dad and checking the inventory every now and then. When he was ten, his dad had suggested that they work together in the shop. Kurt had been hesitant at first but when Burt had produced a pair of coveralls with his name embroidered on it, Kurt couldn’t say no. His dad had gone to the effort of trying to get their relationship to work and Kurt knew an olive branch when he saw one.

He started to drive when he was eleven and by age twelve, Kurt knew more about cars than most of the guys that worked with his dad. It had come in handy whenever there was someone off sick or if Kurt just wanted to get away from it all. He knew, from an early age, that he didn’t have much in common with his dad but this was something that they could do together and Kurt cherished that.

He knew he was different and he knew that his dad knew it too. Though they never spoke of it, it was there, just hanging over their heads. If they kept busy, neither of them brought it up and they lived in a rose-coloured bubble.

As Kurt got older, it got harder to hide, harder not to talk about. He had an annual subscription to Vogue and he would spend more of his free time looking at fashion rather than spending time with his dad.

He still worked in the shop, though, every weekend, without fail, they just had less and less to talk about as Kurt got older. He wished it had been different but they bonded over cars, and at that age, Kurt took whatever he could.

After he had come out, his relationship had changed with his dad. He felt he could be more open and even though they had been all each other had for more than nine years, it felt good for Kurt to finally be able to be himself around his dad.

There had been moments where Kurt thought that his dad hated him for his sexuality but when he had stood up for him, when he had been the over-protective father that he was against the bullies at Kurt’s school and had stood up to Finn despite putting his own happiness on the line, Kurt knew that they would be okay.

He missed his dad so much during the school week though. It was for the best, of course. Dalton was safe. After the death threats he had received and the constant bullying, Dalton was the only safe place for Kurt to be.

Kurt worried, though. He worried about his dad, his step mother and his step brother. He worried that they would get used to him not being there and they would become an estranged family like he saw with so many other families. Kurt didn’t want that. He loved his family, however odd it seemed to some people, more than anything else.

So, whenever he was home, he made the most of the time he had by spending it with his family.

“Alright, I think it’s done,” Kurt said as he wheeled back out from under the car again, wiping his hands on his coveralls.

“Let’s see then,” Burt replied, starting the car. It started the first go and purred like a kitten. “That’s my boy.”

Kurt smiled and put the cap back on the oil tin to save from any accidents. “What’s next on the list?” he asked, looking at his dad expectantly.

He spent the next two hours with his dad working on cars before Burt ushered him out so he could go pick up some groceries for their dinner that night. Kurt wandered down the fresh vegetable aisle and picked out the items he needed. Kurt knew better than to go too fancy for dinner, especially with Finn’s appetite but it didn’t stop Kurt from experimenting with different things. As long as it wasn’t tofu, Finn would eat almost anything that Kurt cooked.

Kurt hummed to himself as he put different things into the basket he was carrying. Once he was done, he paid for his items and headed to the butcher’s department of the grocery store to get some fresh meat. Kurt soon made his way home and phoned Mercedes as soon as he got in.

“What’s cooking, good looking?” Carole said as she entered the kitchen.

Kurt smiled at his step mother. “Chicken with ratatouille for dinner,” he started. “And for dessert I’m making aniseed and chocolate parfait.”

“Sounds delicious,” Carole replied. “Would you like a hand?”

Kurt started to shake his head but then he nodded. “Sure,” he replied. “I’m just doing all the preparation now. Mercedes will be here soon so she’ll probably help. It has to cook for about four and a half hours.”

“Well, the more hands, the quicker it will get done,” Carole replied with a smile.

Kurt smiled back and slipped his apron on, watching as Carole did the same. They washed their hands and started to start preparing dinner.

Mercedes arrived just as Kurt had put their meal in the oven to cook and he enveloped her in a massive hug.

“Oh, boo, I’ve missed you,” Mercedes said.

Kurt grinned at the nickname. “I’ve missed you too,” he said. “We have lots of catching up to do.”

“You know it,” Mercedes replied.

“Have you had lunch yet?” Kurt asked. “I can make something if you’re hungry?”

“Ohh, can I have one of your famous grilled cheese sandwiches?” Mercedes asked.

Kurt crinkled his nose slightly in distaste. “You’ve been talking to Finn about those, haven’t you? I swear I made him about three last night despite the fact we had a big family dinner. It was the first thing he asked for when I walked in the door.”

Mercedes laughed. “They’re delicious, you know it.”

Once Mercedes had her grilled cheese sandwich and Kurt had a sandwich for himself, they headed up to Kurt’s room so he could catch up on all of the latest McKinley High gossip.

Mercedes was half way through telling Kurt about the Quinn and Sam fiasco when Finn woke up and stumbled into Kurt’s room, yawning.

“Is that a grilled cheese sandwich?” he asked.

“Yours is in the fridge,” Kurt replied automatically.

Finn grinned widely. “You’re the best brother ever,” he said and he left.

Kurt smiled fondly and turned his attention back to Mercedes as he finished off his own sandwich.

“So, how are you? How’s Dalton treating you?” Mercedes asked.

“It’s good,” Kurt said, wiping his hands on a napkin. “Classes are harder; Nick and Jeff are still the most sickly sweet couple I’ve ever seen and they’re still the smartest. I aced my French test that I had a couple of days ago and I have a crush on my English teacher.”

Mercedes paused and looked at him. “Say that again?”

Kurt flushed. “He’s so dreamy, ’Cedes,” he said, moving to rest back against his pillows. “He’s everything a teacher should be and more.”

Kurt started gushing about his and Mr Anderson’s conversations but he carefully left out the part where they had met in the bookstore a few weeks before and had coffee afterwards.

“He listens to me,” Kurt said. “We talked for three hours, three hours about The Great Gatsby and the homoerotic subtext. He has to be gay.”

Mercedes chuckled. “Do you have it bad or what.”

“No… I… Well, maybe a little,” Kurt replied, flushing. “He’s the perfect teacher though. He stays behind for hours after school has finished to help students who are struggling. He actually listens to what we have to say and takes our thoughts and perspectives on board rather than brushing them off like half of the other teachers do and he wears these gorgeous black framed glasses that just make him so dreamy.”

Mercedes smiled. “I wish I could see Mr Dreamboat now, too.”

Kurt grinned. “Maybe at my graduation. Unless I can get Jeff or Nick to take a sneaky photo for me so I can send it to you.”

Their conversation soon ventured back to the McKinley High glee club drama. Even though Kurt missed his friends like crazy, he didn’t miss all of the drama they had. He loved hearing about it though, as it would all, no doubt, lead to an exceptional play or story that he would one day write.

“We should go to the movies tonight,” Kurt said. “You, Finn and me. I feel like I’m neglecting him a little.”

“As long as we see something with hot guys, I don’t care what we see,” Mercedes replied.

“I’ll go ask Finn if he’s busy tonight then,” Kurt said, slipping off his bed to find his step brother.

Kurt spent the rest of his weekend with his family and Mercedes. After dinner, he, Mercedes and Finn went to see a movie and if Kurt wasn’t mistaken, he had seen Finn and Mercedes share a special look more than once. Kurt thought it couldn’t be better – his best friend and his brother being romantically involved? He would love it and it would be the best thing to come home to on a weekend.

He kept quiet about his observations though – he didn’t want to put something into their minds or comment too early on something that might not ever exist. He just wanted his two favourite people to be happy and if they found happiness in each other, well, then, he wasn’t going to stand in the way.

Kurt parked his Navigator in the Dalton parking lot mid-Sunday afternoon. He had a lovely lunch with his family before leaving about 2 pm to beat the afternoon traffic on the highway. He made it in good time and decided that while it was still sunny that he would walk down to the little coffee shop nearby. He didn’t feel like Starbucks and he didn’t feel like driving anywhere else, so he walked the short distance to the small coffee shop that was a few blocks away from the school.

Kurt stepped into the short queue and waited as a curly haired male placed his order. He looked over when he heard the voice and smiled to himself when he realised it was Mr Anderson. Kurt tried to focus his attention on something other than the lovely sound of his teacher’s voice but he was complimenting the barista and Kurt could see him smile from the slight angle he was at.

“Kurt, hi,” Mr Anderson said with a broad smile as he stepped out of the queue. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Kurt replied, at a loss for words. “Thought I would get a coffee before heading in for the afternoon.”

“Me too,” Mr Anderson replied. “Well, mine is more to keep me awake while I mark papers. How has your weekend been?”

“Relaxing,” Kurt answered. “I got all of my studying done before heading home for the weekend so I got to spend some much needed time with my family.”

“I wish I could have traded with you,” Mr Anderson started before letting Kurt place his coffee order.

Kurt paid for his coffee and stepped to the side with Mr Anderson to wait for them to be made.

“I pretty much spent the entire weekend cooped up in my apartment grading papers,” Mr Anderson continued. “I wish more of my students were like you, Kurt. Your papers are so easy to mark.”

Kurt flushed a little. “Isn’t that the challenge of being a teacher though?”

Mr Anderson let out a sigh. “It is,” he replied but he smiled. “I love it but sometimes I wish papers would grade themselves.”

Kurt chuckled and shook his head. “Maybe it will happen in the future. Who knows with technology these days.”

Their coffees were placed on the counter next to them a few moments later and Kurt picked his up and added the sweetener to it while Mr Anderson added three sugars to his own. Kurt couldn’t help but stare when Mr Anderson licked the wooden stirrer clean before tossing it into the trash. He put the lid back on and took a sip and Kurt had to force himself to look away.

“Either way,” Mr Anderson said, carrying on their conversation as they exited the coffee shop. “I do love teaching, especially when there are students like you in my class. You’re so responsive to all of the material and it constantly reminds me why I love this job so much.”

“If it helps, you’re a great teacher,” Kurt said honestly. “Even Jeff and Nick like you and they’re quite hard to impress when it comes to the faculty members at Dalton.”

“Oh?”

Kurt nodded, taking a sip of his own coffee while they walked. “They’re both sixth generation Dalton boys, I think,” he continued. “Well, that and they’re both practically geniuses.”

“They’re your best friends, right?” Mr Anderson asked.

“Yeah, ever since I started at Dalton last year,” Kurt replied. “Jeff’s my room mate and he and Nick have been together since birth.”

“Wow,” Mr Anderson said, shocked. “That’s longer than most marital relationships I’ve heard of.”

Kurt smiled. “They’re cute and they know it,” he said. “They’re good for each other though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as in love as those two are.”

“I didn’t even have time for a relationship in high school,” Mr Anderson commented. “I was too busy studying and my best friend was the same. Except, he had a girlfriend of course.”

Before Kurt even realised, they were standing out the front of an apartment building. He blinked and looked up, impressed at it. He realised they had stopped but Mr Anderson kept talking.

“…it’s a silly connection, really,” Mr Anderson carried on. “But it’s something I’ve held with me through childhood. Like you and your mom’s stories.”

Kurt looked back at Mr Anderson and nodded. “I have a confession,” he started. “I haven’t actually ever read Little Women.”

Mr Anderson’s eyes widened comically. “You haven’t?”

Kurt shook his head, giving Mr Anderson and apologetic look. “I haven’t.”

“That’s just… I’m sorry but we need to rectify that right away,” Mr Anderson said, aghast.

If Kurt hadn’t thought that Mr Anderson’s expression was so adorable, he would have laughed. “The opportunity never presented itself,” he admitted.

“I have a copy, you can borrow it,” Mr Anderson said, pulling out his keys. “Oh… Um, this is my apartment building.”

Kurt looked up at the building again. “I’m impressed,” he said. “It looks very… Ohio chic.”

Mr Anderson smiled softly. “If you’d like, you can come up and borrow that book?”

Kurt felt his heart thud in his chest. “O-okay,” he replied with a nod.

Mr Anderson kept talking on the elevator ride up to his floor about the book and Kurt tried his best to listen. If it were anyone else and in any other situation, warning bells would have gone off in Kurt’s head but they never did. He knew that he didn’t know Mr Anderson very well, despite their often frequent and lengthy conversations, but he trusted him and that was enough of a reason to follow him into his apartment.

“Mind the mess,” Mr Anderson said as they stepped inside. “It’s been a long weekend.”

Kurt looked around the apartment, taking everything in. There was no ‘mess’ to be found, just a stack of papers sitting haphazardly on the desk in the corner of the room, and an over flowing bookshelf next to it.

“I’ll be right back,” Mr Anderson said.

“Okay,” Kurt replied and Mr Anderson disappeared. He walked closer to the bookshelf, running his index finger along the spines of the various books lining the shelves. He stopped at a picture that sat on the shelf and he picked it up. It was clearly a younger Mr Anderson smiling brightly at him. He had his arm around a good looking boy around the same age and Kurt couldn’t help but wonder if that was Wes, Mr Anderson’s best friend.

Before he could properly finish his thought, Mr Anderson reappeared. Kurt set the frame back on the shelf and Mr Anderson smiled.

“That’s Wes and I the day after we graduated,” Mr Anderson explained, tone fond.

“You both look really happy,” Kurt replied.

Mr Anderson smiled and nodded. “Here,” he said, holding out a well-worn copy of Little Women. “I’ve just finished re-reading it. Again.”

“Was it as good as the first time?” Kurt asked.

“Better.”

Kurt gently took the book from Mr Anderson’s hand and their fingers brushed against each other’s at the movement. Kurt grasped the book firmly and stared at his teacher.

“Would you like some coffee?” Mr Anderson asked quietly.

Kurt silently held up his take away coffee that he had purchased with Mr Anderson.

“Oh, right,” Mr Anderson said. “I forgot about that.”

“It’s okay, it’s almost cold anyway,” Kurt replied.

“How about biscotti?” Mr Anderson offered.

“I… Sure,” Kurt nodded, following Mr Anderson into the small kitchen.

He took the offered biscotti and bit into it, enjoying the buttery and chocolate flavours mixing together. Kurt’s gaze went to Mr Anderson’s lips and he watched as a few stray crumbs stuck to his bottom lip.

Kurt wanted nothing more than to reach out and brush away the crumbs with his thumb, or better yet, his lips, but he knew it wasn’t going to happen.

“You… uh…”

Kurt looked up from Mr Anderson’s lips and caught his gaze. He was gesturing to a spot on Kurt’s face and Kurt hastily wiped his mouth, feeling the crumbs on his fingers.

“All gone?” he asked and Mr Anderson nodded.

Kurt wasn’t sure who initiated it but he was really didn’t care. One moment, he was staring at Mr Anderson, watching the way his tongue darted out of his mouth to lick the crumbs off his own lips and the next, they were kissing in the middle of Mr Anderson’s kitchen.

Kurt’s biscotti dropped out of his hand as he reached his hand up, curling it into the back of Mr Anderson’s hair, keeping him close. Mr Anderson’s lips moved against his own and Kurt could taste the faint hint of his coffee and the fresh taste of biscotti on his tongue as they kissed.

Even if the moment never lasted, Kurt would remember it forever. His first kiss was with his English teacher.