Author's Note: This is a oneshot for my 500th reviewer, wolfie204. I hope you enjoy it!
Update 22 October 2015: I continued this story for the Kurt Hummel Big Bang, and today is posting day. I'm so thrilled, and I hope you will like reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think!
Heaps of praise and a big thank you to the best beta in the world, VoyageAsia/HKVoyage/VoyageHK, who kindly agreed to help me out with this story and with her advice and story ideas and guidance took this story to the next level. Thank you SO so much!
There is lovely art for this story, courtesy of pointless-lullabies. Please check it out on Tumblr (I'm lilyvandersteen there, too).
STOP FLIRTING!
Chapter 1: An Eventful FlightKurt took a book out of his backpack, stuffed his carry-on luggage into the overhead compartment and installed himself in his plane seat with a happy sigh. Finally!
He was tired after burning the midnight oil for his exams and eager to get home and relax and recharge his batteries. However, he'd had to practice some patience, since his flight had been delayed for four hours. His back hurt from having sat on one of those hard plastic chairs in the waiting area, so now he luxuriated in the feel of the soft plane seat.
Ah, this is SO much better! Now, where was I?
Kurt opened the book on his lap, flipped to the page he'd gotten to previously, and as soon as he started reading, he was lost to the world as he immersed himself in the fantasy world the author had created.
All of a sudden, he was brought back to reality quite harshly by a slap in the face. As he hadn't been expecting anything of the kind, the slap made his head turn to the right and slam into something hard.
He winced at the pain in his left cheek and his right temple.
What's this all about? A homophobe who feels threatened by my gay face?
Kurt looked up, expecting a burly Karofsky-like Neanderthal, but saw an Asian girl barely out of her teens, with long black hair and beautiful brown eyes. She might have been pretty if she hadn't been looking at Kurt as though he were something nasty stuck on the sole of her shoe.
Kurt gaped at her like a fish out of water. He didn't know her from Eve and he'd just been sitting here reading, what on earth had she slapped him for?
"How DARE you?" the girl raged.
That wasn't very enlightening, since he'd already guessed she was angry. So he didn't say anything and just continued to stare at her dumbly, hoping she'd either elaborate or go away and leave him alone.
"Blaine has a girlfriend!" the girl continued, sounding outraged.
Okay, wait, what? Who is this Blaine? And what does that have to do with anything?
The girl was clearly waiting for a response, glaring at him, her arms crossed.
"That's … lovely," Kurt said lamely, because really, what was he supposed to say? He had no idea who she was talking about and what she was accusing him of.
The girl cocked her head to the side, marginally softening her stance. "You didn't know?"
Kurt shook his head mutely.
Really, as if a four-hour delay wasn't enough, I get stuck on a flight with a psycho who assaults me and spews nonsense at me. Why me?
"Well, now you know," she stated decisively. "So stop flirting with Blaine!"
Huh? Flirting? Me? I was reading?
Kurt's resentment at being slapped and then yelled at suddenly boiled over and he shouted: "I was READING!"
"Don't feed me lies!" hissed the girl. "You were giggling practically the whole time, so clearly you weren't focusing so much on that book of yours."
"Yes, I was!" Kurt spat back indignantly. "It happens to be a funny book, all right?"
"Yeah, right!" the girl fumed. "Blaine has been looking at you pretty much constantly, so this innocent act of yours won't cut it!"
"Oh, for the love of Gaga, will you LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kurt exploded. "I'm just sitting here reading. I haven't spoken to anyone, I haven't looked at anyone and I have NOT been flirting. I have no idea who this Blaine even is!"
The girl rolled her eyes and opened her mouth for a scathing retort, but she was forestalled by a warm voice next to Kurt's stating "That would be me." It sounded amused.
Kurt turned his head and his eyes widened.
Wow, I'm really out of it when I'm reading. How did I not notice him sitting down next to me?
Kurt remembered standing up to let someone through at some point, but he hadn't looked at that person, and wow, had THAT been a mistake.
The man sitting next to him was drop-dead gorgeous. Black curls, green and gold eyes framed with thick long lashes and a strong jawline dotted with just a hint of stubble.
"Blaine Anderson," the man introduced himself, holding his hand out for Kurt to shake. "Pleased to meet you."
Kurt blushed to the roots of his hair, internally cursing at himself for it, and shook the proffered hand briefly. "Likewise. Kurt Hummel."
"You REALLY didn't know him?" inquired the girl.
"I really didn't," confirmed Kurt.
"So you WEREN'T flirting?" the girl pressed on.
"No, I wasn't," snapped Kurt. "So you can stop stalking your idol and quit bugging me."
The girl bristled. "I'm not a stalker!"
"You could have fooled me," Kurt murmured, and next to him, he heard a quiet chuckle.
"My name is Tina Cohen-Chang, and I'm Blaine's biggest fan," the girl announced proudly. "I run a website dedicated to him, and I've been to all his concerts."
"Okay …" Kurt mumbled. "Can I go back to my book now, please?"
Tina nodded reluctantly and returned to her seat. It was clear to Kurt that she had been ready to talk about her dedication to her celebrity crush for hours on end, but Kurt was tired and disgruntled and not in the mood to humor her.
This will make an amusing story to tell my dad when I get home, but right now I just want her to leave me alone so I can enjoy my book in peace and quiet.
He sighed deeply and reached for his book, which had fallen on the ground. Another hand proved faster, though, and dropped the book into his lap while a melodious voice caressed his ear: "There you go."
Kurt repressed a shiver, and his quiet "Thank you" came out rather shaky.
"You're welcome," replied Blaine. "Sorry about all that, by the way. My fans can be rather …"
"Intense?" Kurt supplied.
"Intense, yes, to say the least," Blaine stated.
"Paranoid?" Kurt continued boldly.
Blaine chuckled softly. "Sometimes, yes."
"Observant, too," Kurt mused.
"Mm-hm …"
"Why were you looking at me?" Kurt blurted out, and then wanted to kick himself for letting that slip out.
Blaine fidgeted in his seat. "You seemed to enjoy that book rather a lot. I wanted to ask you what it is about, only you were so absorbed in it that you didn't hear a word I said."
"Oh …"
"Yes."
"Sorry," whispered Kurt sheepishly. "I didn't mean to be rude. I just tune out everyone and everything when I'm reading. I assure you it wasn't a personal slight."
"I know," Blaine grinned. "Don't worry about it. Only, before you dive in again, please tell me about this book you're reading. I'm curious."
I can do that …
"Well, it's called "Feeling Sorry for Celia", it's written by Jaclyn Moriarty, and it's brilliant. It's about a girl called Elizabeth Clarry, whose parents are divorced. She lives with her mom, but she hardly ever sees her, because her mom works late and has all sorts of hobbies. So they communicate by post-its and e-mails and such. She doesn't see her father often, and his behavior is weird, because he has a big secret and doesn't want it to come out. And she has a crazy best friend who runs away to join a circus, and then she has to go rescue her friend. Oh, and through a school project, she makes friends with a girl from another school and gains a secret admirer in the process. It doesn't sound like much when I tell it like that, but it's an amazing story. Hilarious. The ideal read when you're having a bad day for some reason, and need cheering up. It's guaranteed to brighten your mood. The sequel is great, too."
"Sounds good," Blaine smiled.
"You can read it if you want," Kurt offered. "I brought more books."
"Really?"
"Yes, I don't mind, I've read it many times before," Kurt stated, and held out the book for Blaine to take.
"Thank you."
Kurt unfastened his seat belt, stood up and rummaged in his backpack in the overhead compartment to dig up another paperback for himself. He sat down, buckled himself in again and buried his nose in the book he'd chosen, but for some reason he couldn't really concentrate. He heard Blaine chuckle and felt him vibrate with suppressed laughter.
Kurt chanced a glance at him, and then wished he hadn't. Blaine was even more devastatingly handsome when he was laughing. His eyes sparkled and crinkled with mirth, and his smile took Kurt's breath away.
He looked away, and saw Tina watching them and glowering at him. He gave her one of his patent bitch glares and focused on his book again.
The next thing he knew, everyone was hastily getting up and taking their luggage out of the overhead containers.
Oh good, we've arrived. I hope Dad got my text message about the four-hour delay in time and hasn't been waiting at the airport for long.
Kurt stowed his book into his backpack, slung it over his shoulder and left the plane.
It wasn't until he was sitting in his dad's car and telling him about the crazy fan that he remembered about the book he'd lent to Blaine.
Oh … Ah well, I can always buy myself a new copy. It was getting rather tattered anyway.
A few miles away, Blaine Anderson was staring at the flyleaf of the book in question. "If found, please return to Kurt Hummel, 415 Whitman Avenue, Lima, Ohio 45802."