Title: Prophylaxis

Author: AoiTsukikage

Rating: R

Characters/Pairing: Finn/Kurt mostly, others mentioned

Chapter: 1/1

Word Count: Just over 7500

Spoilers: Better say everything, just to be sure :)

Notes: Future!fic, so inevitably AU, but I tried to stick to what we know of canon for the most part.

Summary: Sequel to 'Endgame' and 'J'adoube'; Finn's totally not afraid to show everybody that he's serious about Kurt. He just wishes they'd believe him.

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own these characters, no matter how sad that makes me. I do, however, promise to return them when I'm done with them. :)

Prophylaxis

"Pass me that flashlight, would you?"

"Is that the blue one?"

"Teal, but yes."

"Hey, what's going on?" Finn pushes his way into the garage, hearing voices, and he's a little stunned to find Kurt halfway under some old pick-up truck with Brittany looking on and passing him tools as he asks for them. "Kurt?"

"Afternoon, Finn Hudson. Finally deciding to greet the day, are we?" comes Kurt's voice, and he crawls out a couple of seconds later, standing and wiping his hands on a towel.

Finn's pretty sure he should be saying something regarding Brittany, but right now all he can focus on is the fact that Kurt's wearing a pair of Burt's coveralls and his hair's all messed up and there's a smudge of grease on his cheek that Finn wants to wipe away really badly and…

"Finn? You're staring at me," Kurt informs him. "Is there a reason for it?"

"You've…you've, ah…" Finn swallows. "You've got grease on your face."

"Oh. Well, there'll be more where that came from, I'm sure," he shrugs and kneels down again as Finn remembers what he was supposed to say.

"Hey, you'll let Brittany help and not me?"

"I let Brittany hand me stuff," Kurt replies.

"I'm awesome like that. Deal with it," Brittany tells him with a nod.

"Finn, you're making me nervous with your hovering. I'll be done this by lunchtime, so why don't you come back then?" Kurt's voice comes from under the truck again and Finn really can't see how he can do anything else.

"Um, sure," Finn turns to leave but Brittany's voice stops him.

"Hey, don't you have something to tell me?"

"What?" Finn's not quite sure what she's talking about, because it's Brittany, but…

"Kurt told me you had something to tell me. A surprise. I like surprises," she tells him with a shrug as Kurt pops back out again.

"Oh. Uh, well…you can't tell Santana, okay?"

"Okay," Brittany agrees all-too-eagerly and Finn has a feeling that this time it isn't staying a secret for long.

"Okay. Well, Kurt and I are dating," Finn says, looking right at Brittany, and she does this little jump and claps her hands.

"I knew it. You two are, like, destined for each other or something. And you're totally hot together," she adds (as if that's the most important thing) before going back to help Kurt.

"When's Blaine getting in?" Kurt asks, and Finn shrugs.

"Um…soon, I think. I'll give him a call and see."

"Direct him over here when he gets here, okay? Unless the two of you are bonding over football predictions," Kurt adds with a smirk, and Finn really wants to run over and kiss him but he doesn't quite feel comfortable doing that in front of anybody yet (even if it is just Brittany).

"Yeah, I'll do that. See you later?"

"I'll be here," Kurt's inspecting the truck again so Finn figures that's his cue to leave, and just as he walks out the door Brittany calls out, "And you're totally lucky, Finn. Kurt's such a good kisser."

Finn isn't going to think about that right now, but he definitely knows that she's right about that.

000

"So, they're testing you. You have to expect that," is what Blaine tells him when he confronts the man during his visit.

"Yeah, but it isn't like I'd ever hurt him, dude!"

"That's the problem, Finn," Blaine sighs, seating himself on the bench beside the tall boy and taking a sip of his coffee. "You have hurt him. It may have been a long time ago, but people like Kurt don't just forget that easily. I'm sure he's forgiven you for it, but he hasn't forgotten," Blaine says quietly, and Finn feels a flash of guilt that he hasn't paid attention to for several years. Yeah, he was kinda angry that his mom was moving so fast, but he had no excuse saying what he did and he still counts himself lucky that Burt ever let him set foot in that house again. "And before you protest, it's true that Kurt was probably pushing you more than he should have been, but…"

"We were sixteen," Finn sighs. "He was lovestruck and I was still…afraid of what he was, I guess. I mean, usually when a girl paid attention to me I loved it, but the same attention coming from a guy just freaked me out…"

"Which is why Quinn and Mercedes are reluctant to believe that you're willing to pursue this. You've always been close to Kurt, but it's never crossed that line, and now that it is…" he shrugs helplessly and continues to sip away at his coffee. "And you've never shown any interest in men and suddenly you're dating him. I'd be a little suspicious, too, if I hadn't been talking to you over the past year."

"So, you believe me?"

"Yes, despite everything," Blaine tells him, looking him in the eyes, and yeah, by this time Finn can definitely see what Kurt sees in him. Blaine's just got so much life and energy that you want to be pulled into his world (and now that Finn's kinda admitting these things to himself, Blaine's cute. Like, really cute). "I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt him, at least."

"That's what I've been telling them, dude, but they…" Finn stops as his phone beeps at him, and he flips it open and groans.

"What?" Blaine asks, trying to peer over his shoulder.

"Just…I told our friend Brittany this morning and I knew she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret, and…" Finn sighs, figures there's no point in hiding it, and passes the phone to Blaine (what he reads goes something like this: Hudson – if you hurt him, I will castrate you. Santana 3. And yes, only Santana would end a death threat with a heart).

"Wow. I'm…sure she's not serious…"

"You don't know her. She is," Finn takes the phone back and Blaine shakes his head with a laugh.

"I still doubt it, but who am I to say? Most of you guys I really only know by name or what you or Kurt have told me," Blaine mentions, leaning back against the bench. "What time did Kurt say he'd be done?"

"Ah…around now, I think. Wanna check? And then we can go for lunch or something," Finn suggests, standing up as Blaine finishes off his coffee and also gets to his feet.

"Fine by me. I could use something to eat," Blaine throws his empty cup into a nearby garbage can and follows Finn out of the park.

000

"Kurt? Dude? Blaine and I wanna know if you wanna come with us for lunch!" Finn bounds down the stairs into their bedroom (Blaine has been cornered by Burt upstairs, and Finn knows he's too nice to brush off the older man so they'll probably be talking for a bit). "Kurt?" Finn calls again, realizing that the shower's running before he tries the bathroom door, not really thinking about what he's doing and that he should probably knock or something first. But Kurt being all rumpled and grease-smudged has kinda been on his mind all morning, so nobody can really blame him for…

"Knock! Knocking is good!" is what Kurt greets him with (and Finn really didn't know his voice could go that high, but he has to stop himself from laughing). Luckily for both of them, the shower's only running because Kurt's washing soap or gel or something out of the tub, and while he's not dressed, at least he's got a towel around his waist so it's not completely awkward.

And Finn's totally fine with naked dudes; you can't be on sports teams and not be, after all, but he's never seen Kurt naked (they've always kind of made a point to avoid each other after Finn had freaked out on him that time), and he's…well, obviously, he's skinny and pale and doesn't have boobs or anything, but…

"You're staring," Kurt informs him, seemingly more composed, and he smiles at Finn (and Finn thinks he looks like a kid again, with his hair wet and his bangs hanging in front of his eyes). "And is there a reason you barged in here like some sort of animal?"

"Um…Blaine's here. We're gonna go out for lunch, so we wanted to know if you wanted to come," Finn eventually says, although he's still openly staring at Kurt and he's not sure how he got the words out at all.

"And…still staring," Kurt towels his hair before balling up the towel and throwing it at Finn, who catches it on instinct. "Really, if you're that speechless about seeing me half-naked, we're never actually going to get anywhere when you see everything."

And oh, God, now he's imagining Kurt naked, and it should really still be weird but it's kinda turning him on and…

"You're thinking too hard," Kurt looks really, really amused, and Finn's a little embarrassed about the whole thing now. It's totally not a big deal, Kurt's right. "And lunch sounds great; give me a few minutes and I'll be right up. Breadstix, I take it?"

"Where else, dude?" Finn really wants to touch him, but would that be weird? They're dating, right? And people who are dating touch each other, but…

He tells the voice in his head to shut up and reaches to pat Kurt's shoulder, meaning to pull his hand away really fast, but for some reason he doesn't because Kurt's skin is warm and soft and just slightly tacky from being a little wet, and the next thing he knows he's pulling Kurt toward him and they're kissing.

It's not like that totally filthy kiss Kurt gave him the last time, though; it's slow and sensual and Kurt's hand is running through his hair, their bodies pressed together as the smaller boy takes control of the kiss and tilts Finn's head a little, and Finn wonders again where Kurt learned to kiss like that because he's pretty sure it isn't something that comes naturally.

And he really needs to pull back, but his body is totally not listening and his hands have somehow moved from Kurt's shoulders to his back and all he can feel is warm skin and Kurt and this should not be turning him on as much as it is!

Okay. He just needs to pull away. He just needs to…and then Kurt makes this little throaty whining noise and, nope, so not pulling away and…

"Hey, are you two ready to…wow. Okay."

"Blaine," Kurt pulls away with a gasp, the look in his eyes telling Finn he really hadn't meant for it to go that far, and Blaine gives them a sheepish wave. "Hey, Kurt. It's great to see you, but I wish the situation had been a bit less awkward."

"Yeah," Kurt clears his throat. "Anyway, Finn, go upstairs and I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

"Uh…" Finn's pretty sure his brain is broken, so he's glad when Blaine takes his arm and leads him upstairs, because he knows he wouldn't have been able to get there himself.

"You boys going for lunch, then?" Burt asks as they come up the stairs, and Finn's glad that Blaine answers for him because he still doesn't think he can form actual words.

"That's the plan, Mr. Hummel," Blaine nods.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me 'Burt?' You know my kid well enough by now that you're hardly a stranger anymore," Burt says this in his normal gruff way, but Finn's been around long enough to know that this means he clearly approves of Blaine.

"Sorry. I sometimes forget I'm not in high school anymore," Blaine admits with a rueful grin, and Finn's feeling in-control enough at this point that he doesn't think he's going to embarrass himself if he opens his mouth.

"So, where's Kurt?"

"Getting dressed."

"Ah, so you boys'll be here for another hour or so," Burt nods sharply. "Well, make yourself comfortable, Blaine. I'll pop out to the shop and make sure everything's going okay. See you later."

"Bye," Finn waves as Burt leaves the house, and Blaine lets out a short laugh before sitting on the couch and crossing his legs.

"Erm…sorry about…downstairs," Finn says lamely, scratching the back of his neck and shifting from foot-to-foot.

"Don't worry about it," Blaine assures him. "I mean, I didn't expect the two of you to go at it like that, but I can't say I'm surprised based on what you've been telling me."

"So," Finn heaves a sigh and wonders if he's wise in asking the next question, but he figures it's better to know. "Um, did you…teach him that?"

"Maybe," Blaine gives Finn an enigmatic smile (he's learned from Kurt that that means 'mysterious.' At least, he thinks so), tapping his chin, and Finn's pretty sure that means 'yes,' because as far as he knows outside of Blaine Kurt's only had one other relationship and that one didn't end well.

"Alright, boys, let's go," Kurt sweeps into the living room in what must be record time, but by the faint flush on his cheeks Finn can tell he's still a little embarrassed about the whole incident.

"Guess this is a better time to say hello," Blaine stands up and holds his arms open, and Kurt sighs and happily goes to hug him, the two holding each other a little longer than Finn would have liked, but he knows enough of their history that he's still fine with them being close. "You look great. Being in love looks good on you."

"I've always been in love, it's just being returned for the first time," Kurt corrects, laughing, and he reaches to take Finn's hand and drag him out of the house. "And I've been working all morning, so I'm starving. Let's go get some lunch."

000

"Hudson!"

"Oh, crap," Finn groans, looking as Santana, dark eyes flashing, stalks up to their table, Brittany following vacantly behind.

"Santana!" Kurt rushes to hug her, and she gives him a smile and hugs him back. "What brings you here? Oh…Brittany told you, right?"

"Brit! I told you not to tell her!" Finn protests, balking when Santana turns to him again.

"But I tell her everything," Brittany tilts her head to the side, looking confused, and Finn groans (he should have known better anyway).

"Anyway, Frankenteen, my threat stands," Santana warns. "Hey, Blaine."

"Santana," Blaine nods. "Brittany."

"I totally forgot how cute you are!" Brittany exclaims, sliding in beside him and immediately starting to talk about…Finn's not even sure, but Blaine's gamely playing along so Finn figures they're okay. It's not that Blaine's never met the other members of Glee, but it's mostly been basic introductions at competitions, so Finn doesn't think he's hung out with anybody aside from him, Kurt and Mercedes.

"Anyway, eyes on me," Santana snaps her fingers in front of his face, her arm slung around Kurt.

"I won't hurt him, Santana. I promise," Finn swallows, because out of everybody, Santana totally scares him the most.

"You better not. I will follow through on my threat," she repeats, and Kurt looks sideways at her.

"What exactly did you threaten him with?"

"Castration," she replies, bobbing her head from side-to-side, and Kurt laughs (Finn thinks he should be offended by that, but it's rare enough to see Kurt laugh that he's willing to let it slide). "And trust me, Kurt, because I know you guys haven't done it yet; it would be a shame if I did, because he's hung."

"Santana!" Finn groans, wishing that the floor would open up right about now.

"It's a compliment!" she tells him with a sigh. "Anyway, Mike's back from that dance thing tomorrow, and I heard from Puckerman that the dwarf is coming back today, so…"

"News to me…"

"Yeah, well, newsflash; she's not your girlfriend anymore," Santana tells him shortly. "What I'm trying to say is, Glee barbecue tomorrow at my place. Cool?"

"Yeah. Sounds awesome," Finn nods. "That way I can tell everybody at once about me 'n Kurt."

"Great. Come around six or so. And you're welcome too, Blaine; any friend of Kurt's is fine by us," Santana hugs Kurt closer and Brittany enthusiastically nods.

"And you're cute," the blonde repeats, getting up to link her arm with Santana's.

"Well, see you kids," Santana waves as Brittany pulls her out of the restaurant.

"Okay, so you weren't lying about her," Blaine looks a little taken aback before shrugging and picking up a breadstick. "So, is everybody in your old club this crazy? Should I be worried?"

"That was about the worst of it," Kurt admits with a sigh. "And some of us are relatively normal, all things considered."

"Kurt, don't take this the wrong way, but I can see why you belonged here," Blaine reaches to take Kurt's hand and Finn eyes them suspiciously before deciding to let it be. "I ran away from my past because I thought that blending in was the best way to live. Dalton gave me that; not only was it only a school for boys, but wearing a uniform meant that everybody was always on the same foot. You're so unique that instead of giving you that safety, it only made you feel even more uncomfortable, and it was easy to see that you never quite felt like you belonged."

"I can't argue with that," Kurt smiles at him. "And, quite frankly, I'm just glad I got to at least utilize my collection of brooches and bags while I was there, because otherwise I probably would have gone crazy. And, no offense to your or the other boys, but I'm not sure they would have been able to handle me otherwise," he smirks and looks at Finn, who sighs.

"Yeah, dude, I think the skirts might not have gone over so hot, even at Dalton," Finn thinks back to one day in particular, the day that Kurt had ended up yelling at Mr. Schue, and at the time Finn wasn't sure if it was how vocal Kurt was being that scared him or whether it was the skirt.

"And, of course, that had to be the day I was called to the principal's office. I don't think Figgins knew what to say, which is probably why I got off with a warning," he's giggling, and Finn can't remember the last time he's seen Kurt this happy for this long. "We're probably scaring you again," Kurt gives Blaine's hand a squeeze. "You don't have to come tomorrow if you don't want to."

"No, it could be fun," Blaine looks unconvinced, but Finn has a feeling he'll fit in with the rest of them better than he thinks.

000

"Here, try this," Kurt throws a shirt at him and Finn wrinkles his nose. "What's that face for?"

"It's…just…"

"Look, I know you love your polos for whatever reason, but just try? It's supposed to get cold tonight so if you wear this it will eliminate the need for a jacket that you'll most likely forget. Humour me," he finishes, and Finn sighs and slides his polo off (yes, he's wearing one. So what?) before looking at Kurt, who's rather obviously staring at him. Oh, right, he's the one who always made a big stink about changing in front of each other, but they're past that now, and for whatever reason it doesn't feel uncomfortable in the least to have Kurt watching him. He pulls a plain, snug-fitting t-shirt over his head before picking up the sweater-thing (cardigan, Kurt tells him when he asks) and putting it on, turning to the mirror when he's done.

And he'll never admit it, but it does look better than the loose stuff he usually wears. "So? Is it okay?"

"Mm, yeah," Kurt's digging through his own closet by this time. "Now put on those jeans…the ones that, for lack of a better term, make your butt look good, and we'll be set."

Finn actually kinda knows which ones Kurt means, because he really only has one pair that doesn't hang off him, and by the time Kurt comes up for air with his arms full of clothes he's got them on and zipped up. "These ones?"

"Yes. Perfect," Kurt starts laying out an outfit on the bed (Finn thinks he looks fine in what he's wearing, but of course Kurt won't feel that way). "Now, go wait upstairs. I'll be there in a minute and we can pick Blaine up before heading to Santana's."

"Where's he staying, anyway? I mean, I know he couldn't stay here because that guy that works for your dad is still in my room, but…"

"He's got some family in town…an aunt or a cousin, I think, so he's staying there," Kurt unbuttons the shirt he's wearing and slips it off as Finn comes back over.

"Can I help with anything?"

"No, you're a distraction," Kurt pushes him away with a smile. "I'll be up in a minute."

Finn sighs in resignation and heads up, finding his mom and Burt in the kitchen and talking with them until Kurt comes up the stairs, tying the scarf around his neck.

"You boys are off, then?" Burt asks, and Kurt nods. "You'll be back late?"

"Most likely, yes."

"Well, have fun. And don't drink. Kurt, don't let your brother drink," Burt stares at Finn as he says this.

"Why am I the one you're accusing?" Finn sputters, and his mother sighs.

"Honey, I'm not saying you will, but you know you have a hard time saying 'no' to Puck and I'm sure he'll bring alcohol," she pats his shoulder. "And I'm assuming Kurt dressed you, because you look great."

"Yeah," Finn admits.

"It is possible to clean him up well, although I wasn't sure at first," Kurt tells them with a long-suffering sigh.

"Hey!" Finn knows Kurt's joking, but he figures it won't hurt to sound offended anyway.

"And I promise I'll get him home safely," Kurt puts a hand over his heart and bows slightly, and they talk for a few more minutes before leaving the house.

000

"Kurt!" Rachel is on them as soon as they arrive, talking a mile a minute with Kurt, who's just as enthusiastic and Finn has absolutely no idea what they're going on about, but they sound excited. "And you're coming to see it," Rachel finishes, Kurt promising he will, before she turns to Finn. "Hey."

"Hey, Rach," Finn gives her a hug, and she lightly pats him on the back.

"Everything going okay with…" she jerks her head toward Kurt and Finn nods.

"Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I'm still kinda adjusting, but…we're getting there."

"I'm happy for you two. Does everybody know?"

"Um, almost everyone," Finn says. "I'm telling the rest tonight, though."

"Good. I'm proud of you," she pats his chest and dashes away, leaving Finn staring after her until Kurt wanders back over and grabs his hand.

"Well, shall we?"

"Yeah," Finn follows him to the middle of the backyard, where Puck and Sam are starting the fire, and Kurt sighs.

"It's a good thing I didn't wear anything too fancy; I'm going to stink of smoke by the time the night is done," he says with a sniff, and Finn thinks that what Kurt's wearing probably already costs more than his entire wardrobe, but even he has to admit that it's fairly conservative for Kurt. "Well, I'll go help them and make sure they don't burn anything down," he walks over to the fire and Finn sits down on a lawn chair, waiting for them to be done (because he's hungry, and hot dogs cooked outside taste way better than when they're done on one of those rotating-wheel-things).

000

Since the only people Finn had to tell were Tina, Artie, and Mike, everything went smoothly (mostly because the three of them are three of the more rational members of the Club, even though Tina's been known to go off on occasion when somebody offends her) and he has a feeling they'll all be happy for him.

And they are, so really he has nothing to worry about anymore (except Santana's threat. And Quinn and Mercedes. But he's not gonna hurt Kurt, so it shouldn't matter), and he takes advantage of that fact by pulling Kurt onto his lap when they're all sitting around the fire after supper reminiscing about high school (and telling some of the more outrageous stories to Blaine, who looks like he's not sure if he should find it all humorous or just kind of terrifying).

This, of course, soon progresses into campfire games, but when Puck suggests strip poker Finn thinks it's high time they got out of there. "Sounds like fun, guys, but I think we'd better get home."

"You're a chicken, Hudson," Puck tells him, and Finn figures that Puck's probably a little drunk already (he had, as his mom predicted, brought alcohol).

"I agree with Finn," Rachel runs her hands down her skirt and stands up. "I'm all for games, even if they are petty and childish, but once it crosses that line it's going a little too far."

"Okay, we won't play, now sit back down. It's not even midnight," Puck waves her back to her seat and she does, looking sulky, but he doesn't mention strip poker- or strip anything- again, and they go back to Truth or Dare. "Since you're all poor sports, and it's my turn anyway…Hudson, truth or dare?"

"I what?" Finn really hasn't been paying attention for the last few seconds, but he catches on quick enough. "Oh. Uh, dare, I guess."

Puck smirks at him and Finn has a really bad feeling. "Fine, then. Kiss him."

"That's all?" Kurt snorts. "I would guess you'd be a little more imaginative, Noah," Kurt leans toward him and Puck clears his throat.

"No, he has to kiss you," Puck clarifies, and Finn looks at Quinn and Mercedes, both of whom are staring directly at him (and he has a feeling one or both of them put Puck up to this. Them or Santana, anyway).

But he promised himself that he'd prove this thing with Kurt was real no matter what it took, so he puts a hand on Kurt's back and pulls him closer, looking into his eyes.

"And it has to be a good one," Puck adds.

"Hey, you can't change the dare after you gave it!" Finn protests, although he'd kinda already guessed that would be the case if Puck was giving the orders. Kurt's looking at him, his hair reflecting the firelight and his eyes bright in the darkness, and Finn figures that if he just forgets that anybody else is there they can do this without him freaking out about anything. But then, Kurt's kinda always ended up in control of their kisses in one way or another, so for him to be…

He tells himself to stop worrying and do it, so he cups his hand around Kurt's neck and pulls his head down, fitting their lips together as Kurt casually lets his arms drape around Finn's shoulders. Kurt tastes like fresh air and smoke (which is totally weird, but whatever) and some kind of chap stick that he can't identify at the moment, and Kurt shifts so he kneeling, straddling Finn's legs (and wow, this could get awkward fast) and opening his mouth.

And yeah, Finn's never led like this before, but it can't be any different than making out with a girl, right? He lets his tongue brush against Kurt's, feeling the other boy shiver in response, and from then on everything gets a little fuzzy until he has to come up for air, both of them panting, and Finn thinks they probably would have kept going if Puck hadn't reminded them they had an audience.

"Um…okay, guys, I'm cool with that," he says, his voice a little strained, and Kurt pulls away and turns around, his cheeks looking flushed in the fire's glow. "You girls convinced, yet?"

"Getting there," Quinn smiles at them as Mercedes nods, and Finn guesses he's just passed whatever test they had set for him. "Anyway, I think it is high time to call it a night."

"Yeah," Finn breaths out. "You ready to go, Kurt?"

"Fine by me," Kurt stands up and stretches, catching Sam's eye and going with him to help put out the fire, and Finn's still not sure if he can stand up, because that was, like, intense.

"That was hot," Brittany says, patting his leg.

"Totally," Santana agrees. "And just so you know, you're not off the hook, but I'm starting to believe you're serious about him."

"I am," Finn's voice is pitched low, but Santana nods and takes Brittany's hand, the two of them sauntering away to talk to Puck.

"I'm tellin' you, white boy, I thought y'all were gonna go at it right here," Mercedes looks ecstatic, and Finn can't blame her.

"Mercedes, I'd hope you'd know I have more self-restraint than that," Kurt says on his way by, putting his arms around the girls (because of course Mercedes and Quinn had to come over together).

"I dunno, my man, you were pretty far gone," Mercedes elbows Kurt playfully and he ducks his head.

"You should have seen them this morning," is Blaine's helpful contribution and Finn signals to him to be quiet although Blaine pretty much ignores him. "I walked in on them, sadly."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Quinn looks suspicious, and Blaine sighs.

"Okay, it isn't. But really, who knows how far they'd have gone if I'd have just peeked through the doorway?"

"Blaine!" Finn groans.

"You're too sensitive, sweetie," Kurt tells him. "And we're still on for tomorrow, right?" he asks Mercedes and Quinn, who nod.

"You coming, Blaine?"

"Why not? Let's see what fabulous fashions Lima has to offer," Blaine says as Kurt shakes his head forcefully.

"Not much. But sometimes you find something halfway decent," he admits, and the girls leave soon afterward after making plans on when to meet up. "Well, I promised your mother I'd get you home safe and sober, Mr. Hudson, so shall we?" Kurt holds out a hand and Finn takes it, letting the shorter boy help him up. Finn wraps his arm around Kurt's shoulders as they head for his car, glad when Kurt leans into him and walks as closely as possible.

000

Somehow this leads to them making out in the car outside of their house, although Finn can't really connect the events in his mind, and especially not with Kurt in his lap and kissing him like his life depends on it (and that's a cliché, probably, but Kurt is grabbing at him and doing that breathy-moaning thing into his mouth and it's hot, okay?).

"Kurt, dude, why are we in the car?" Finn asks between kisses, realizing that this is the most intense they've ever been and finding it a little odd that he's totally not freaking out.

"Because if we were in the house dad and Carole would catch us, and that wouldn't be good," Kurt replies vaguely, pulling back enough that Finn can see his hair his mussed and his hat's about to fall off and Finn wants him, wants him more than he's wanted almost anybody, and that thought does scare him a little before it's pushed out of his head by Kurt's lips on his again.

"Dude, dude we can't," Finn tries to protest, his words swallowed up in fervent kisses, and he eventually decides to go with it and see how far Kurt wants to take this. Which, apparently, is pretty far as he fumbles under the seat and Finn lets out an (admittedly unmanly) shriek as his seat drops backward, leaving him laying prone while Kurt straddles him again. And oh, God, he's hard and Kurt…Finn's known since high school that Kurt knows how to move his hips insanely well, but he's never appreciated it more than now.

And Finn's never lasted long when it comes to these things, even though he's totally chanting 'remember the mail' in his head, but even that isn't going to help this time. "Kurt…dude…I'm gonna…"

"Yeah," Kurt gasps, kissing him again before his whole body shudders and he lets out a wordless cry, eyes wide open and back arched, and yeah, that pretty much does it for Finn as he comes with a groan, throwing his head back as far as he can.

"Wow," is the first coherent thought that comes to mind, the two of them laying there gasping for breath, and Kurt kisses him again and shakily nods. "I mean…dude, that was…"

"Did I…did I go too far?" Kurt asks in a tiny voice, and Finn realizes he's scared that Finn's angry.

"What? No, that was totally awesome. Like, wicked awesome," Finn blurts out, realizing he probably isn't making much sense, but Kurt's snuggled up against him and it really doesn't matter.

"Well, now that I've effectively ruined my $300 jeans, shall we go in?"

"Good thing there aren't any lights on," Finn looks at the house. "I mean, this is kinda hard to explain."

"Mm, true," Kurt pushes himself upright and gets out of the vehicle, frowning at the stains on his pants. They're dark, so it isn't too bad, but Finn knows he'll gripe about it anyway.

He puts the seat back up and gets out himself, his legs a little shaky, before everything just hits him and he realizes that he just had sex with another guy. Well, okay, not really sex, but they both got off, right? So it kinda counts?

"Finn?" Kurt looks at him. "Are you…you're not freaking out on me, are you?"

"Uh," Finn replies, and yeah, that probably does a lot to reassure Kurt, but it's all he can say at the moment. "I just…"

"Hey, come here," Kurt motions him closer and Finn shuffles over, feeling like his feet are made of bricks or something, and lets Kurt pull him into his arms. Kurt still smells like the outdoors and wood smoke, except now it's mixed with something heady and musky and Finn decides he kind of likes it. "It's okay, right? You didn't…you wanted it?"

"Maybe?" Finn tries, but he knows that's not really the right thing to say, either. "I mean, I just…it happened so fast, and…"

"Now you're making me feel guilty, Finn Hudson," Kurt whispers into his neck, and the last thing Finn wants to do is make Kurt feel bad, so he tries to think of something better to say.

"Dude, I obviously wanted it. I mean, it was hot, okay? And I got off, like, super fast, so it was good. I'm still a little weirded out, but not in a bad way," he finally says, and Kurt snorts against his skin.

"That, sweetie, made no sense whatsoever. But we're okay?"

"Yeah, dude. We're fine," Finn assures him, and he knows that this much is true, at least.

"Good," Kurt holds him for a few more moments before pulling away. "Come on, let's get inside. I need to change."

"Oh. Yeah," Finn locks the car and follows Kurt into the house, the two of them sneaking down to the basement, and Finn's just glad they don't run into his mom and Burt on the way there.

000

Finn's not entirely sure why, a couple of days later, he's at Mr. Schuester's apartment, but the older man has always been great to talk to, and even though Finn's totally not gonna tell him what actually happened, he figures that he can at least make up a…hypocritical? Hypothetical? Some kind of situation to get his point across without saying Kurt's name.

Which is why he finds himself on Mr. Schue's couch with a cup of coffee a few minutes later, and he clears his throat, looking for the words.

"So? How are things with you and Rachel?" Mr. Schue asks (and Finn thinks that he probably could call him 'Will,' now, but that just sounds funny to him).

"Um…she's got a part in a play on Broadway…a couple'a lines, I think, so she's pretty stoked," Finn replies, kind of surprised that Rachel hasn't told him this already.

"That's great! What play is it?"

"Well, actually, I don't really know, because…we broke up. Or, she broke up with me…a few weeks ago," Finn admits, and Mr. Schue nods in understanding.

"No hard feelings?"

"Nah, we're better off as friends," Finn can admit that freely now, because he knows it's true.

"So, what's on your mind?"

And Finn's glad that Mr. Schue just instantly knows these things (it must be a teacher's instinct, or something) and that he doesn't have to figure out how to bring it up, so he jumps right in. "It's just…there's this person, and I really like them, but it feels…weird getting into a relationship because I've never had one like it before. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah," Mr. Schue nods, and Finn figures that over the years he's just learned to interpret what he's saying even if it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. "Look, Finn, I can't tell you what to do, but you've just gotta…follow your heart, as clichéd as that is. Don't think about what anybody else might think, just know that if it feels right to you, it can't be wrong."

"Okay. Cool. Thanks," Finn smiles, because Mr. Schue always knows the right thing to say.

"So, how's school?"

"Good," Finn replies, and they're just getting into the new New Directions and how the Club is doing (and what Coach Sylvester's been up to) when there's a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Mr. Schue gets up and opens the door, revealing Kurt, who's looking a little impatient. He breaks into a smile as soon as he sees their old teacher, though. "Kurt?"

"Mr. Schuester!" Kurt hugs him enthusiastically and Mr. Schue hugs back, looking surprised.

"I didn't even know you were back in town!"

"I haven't been for long," Kurt pulls back and looks at Finn. "You. Carole said to tell you that we're going to Monroe to the Outlet Mall, so if you want to come along you'd best get your butt home in the next fifteen minutes."

"How'd…you know where I was?" Finn's gaping at him, partly because Kurt's doing that forceful and abrupt thing that's kinda hot, and partly because he's wearing those pants that look painted on again. Okay, so he's got it pretty bad.

"Honestly," Kurt sighs. "You left a note on the counter saying, 'I'm at Mr. Schue's. Come get me if you need me.'"

"Oh. Yeah," Finn laughs sheepishly. "Guess I did."

"Anyway, sorry to drag him away like this, Mr. Schuester, but I promise we'll get together to catch up sometime this week to make up for it," Kurt says.

"That sounds fine, Kurt. And you know, you guys don't have to address me like I'm a teacher anymore," he tells them, and Kurt shrugs.

"I guess it's just what we're used to," he explains. "Finn, are you coming or not?"

"Are you going to make me try on things for three hours again only to tell me they're all awful?" Finn counters, because that's pretty much what shopping with Kurt has always been.

"Mm, maybe, but if we can get away from dad and Carole, we can always have some fun in the dressing rooms," Kurt smirks at him and crap, he's gotta stop doing that, because…wait.

"Dude!" Finn hisses, and Kurt pales instantly, the color draining from his face as he looks between Finn and Mr. Schue.

"You…you haven't told him."

"Not yet," Finn waves his arms like he's trying to wave the whole situation away, but Mr. Schue's looking at the two of them, and he looks far from shocked. In fact, he looks amused.

"I'd just figured you'd be over here looking for relationship advice!" Kurt's voice has gone up a couple of octaves by this point.

"I was, but I used a…a hypothetical situation!"

"Finn, Kurt, calm down," Mr. Schue tells them, and they both quiet immediately, old instincts taking over. "Look, I can't say I'm surprised…and with the way you'd worded your problem, I'd kind of guessed that might be the case, Finn. At any rate, nobody will hear it from me," Mr. Schue promises. "And I don't know how much help I'll be in this type of situation, but you know my door's always open if you want to talk…either of you," he adds.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue. You're awesome," Finn hugs him again before leaving, and Kurt takes his hand as they walk out the door, lacing their fingers together and pulling Finn down the hall. "Hey, so, you're not mad that I came here?"

"No," Kurt assures him, punching the button on the elevator. "I know that Mr. Schuester's one of the best people to talk to, and I know that, no matter what you tell me, you're still a little…unsure as to this whole relationship. I apologize again if that night was…"

"It's cool," Finn lets his arm rest around Kurt's shoulders. "I mean, yeah, I was a little freaked out right after, but I'm fine, now."

"I'm glad," Kurt slides out from under his arm to get into the elevator and Finn follows, sighing as it starts to move toward the ground floor. "So, what did he tell you about your…hypothetical situation?"

And Finn inwardly cheers because he got the word right, but Kurt's looking at him expectantly so he answers right away. "He just said that…if it feels right, it can't be wrong. And this…what we have…it feels right, Kurt."

Kurt doesn't answer, but he reaches to take Finn's hand again, and Finn figures he's totally said something right.

000

As luck would have it, they do manage to leave Burt and his mom looking at a jewellery store and Kurt drags him into some men's clothing store ("Brooks Brothers, Finn. Honestly.") and picks out a few things before shoving him into the dressing room, and as luck would also have it, the attendant had left them alone once he'd unlocked the door, so it was all-too-easy for Kurt to sneak in.

And Finn does actually try on the clothes first (Kurt has a good eye for sizes, so they all fit, and Finn made sure he picked things from the sale rack, because even though they're at an outlet mall things here are still way pricey) and gets a couple of outfits that Kurt actually deems 'respectable for going out to dinner in' before they grab onto each other and God, it's like he's taking all of the teenage romantic clichés he's never gotten a chance to enact and doing them all with Kurt, and he doesn't care.

Kurt, during all of this, somehow manages to kick his legs up so they're wrapped around Finn's waist, but he's so light that it hardly matters, and since all it really does is give him a better angle Finn's totally not complaining.

"Can I get you any more sizes, sir?"

Finn mentally wishes that the attendant would get the hint and leave, but he knows he has to give an answer, so he breaks away from Kurt long enough to call, "No, I'm doing fine, thanks," before they're joined at the mouth again, and he honestly can't remember being this intoxicated when he was kissing Rachel or Quinn…but then again the two of them had so many rules and 'we can't do it now' and 'don't touch me there, Finn' and 'let's take a break so we can pray' that he was always worrying about something else, and it's nice to know that Kurt at least won't stop him.

They kiss for a few more moments before Kurt hops down, his lips red, and says, "I think we'd better get out of here before they get suspicious. But there's a Guess store just down the way…"

Finn pays for the clothes as fast as he can and follows Kurt down the strip, laughing as they make their way toward the next store.

He decides, right then, that shopping with Kurt can be pretty awesome after all.

000

So yeah, Finn thinks a few days later, everything's pretty much as perfect as it can get (the girls have even stopped bothering him now that he's seemingly proven to them that he's not gonna hurt Kurt).

At least, things were perfect until Kurt realizes they're low on gas and pulls into the nearest station, and it's not until he's filling the car up that he looks up at the sign and realizes where they are and thinks that maybe, from now on, he should really pay more attention to his surroundings.

Because, up until right then, he'd totally forgotten that the one person who could bring every bad memory of Kurt's rushing back works there.

And Dave Karofsky is heading right for them.

Well, crap.

He looks at Kurt, who looks back with the most terrified look Finn's ever seen in his eyes, and he whispers, "Dude, we got this. I'm here for you, okay?"

Kurt nods, looking really unconvinced, and Finn knows that they're just gonna have to face the music, as it were.

And all he can do right now is hope that everything turns out okay.

Unfortunately, at the moment, he's not very optimistic.

Notes:

1. Prophylaxis is a move in chess that basically puts your opponent in a position where any move they make would only be bad for them while only being good for you :)

2. This section was actually really easy to write, and I have no idea how many more parts to this there will be because the ideas keep coming (although I do apologize for the cliff-hanger, but it was getting long again…)

3. Special notes go out to amuly, who wanted 'sexy timez', and somerdaye, who wanted more Blaine. Hope this satisfies both of you ^_^.

4. Since I probably won't have the next part up by the weekend, Happy New Year to everybody, and feel free to leave a comment/review on the way out!