Title: Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?

Author: WishesintheNightSky

Unbeta-ed.

Summary: Kurt knew his love for Finn Hudson would never be requited, but as he stared into Jesse St. James' eyes for the very first time, it suddenly didn't feel all too painful anymore. St. Hummel. AU from Hell-O and on.

Rating: T, for now, just to be safe. Rating may go up.

Warnings: A bit of OOCness, homophobia, slash, foul language, etc...I'll let you know if anything significant needs to be warned about every chapter.

A/N: I kinda got the idea for this after watching Hell-O for the first time since the episode had been aired, and realizing again that Jonathon Groff was gay in real life. So it kinda got me thinking. What if Jesse St. James was Kurt's love interest, instead of Rachel's? I honestly wish it had happened. Klaine probably still would've happened, but ya know, Kurt needs someone who'll chase after him for once, or someone who'll do the chasing with him. So yeah, that's what inspired the idea for this. It won't be exactly canon-compliant, as in, I'm not just gonna use the same lines as they did in the show (I will be using most of the same songs, however. Maybe the occasional line here and there when it's appropriate), but the general idea will still be the same.

P.S. Sorry if the characters are really out of character. I've never written actual Kurt POV, and I have never written Jesse St. James in anything besides his few lines in the first chapter of my Facebook story.

blah blah blah indicates Kurt's thoughts.

"blah blah blah" indicates Jesse singing.

"blah blah blah" indicates Kurt singing.

"blah blah blah" indicates Kurt and Jesse singing together.

Part I:

Pale, nimble fingers flew across the black and white keys, delicately pressing them down in a gentle manner, but with the confidence of someone who'd been playing the piano for many years. A tuneful melody, strangely a mix of classical music and of a light, upbeat tune that, oddly enough, contrasted enough with the former to balance the two out perfectly, creating relaxed, peaceful music that soothed one's soul.

Suddenly though, the notes turned despondent; melancholy. The fingers grew forceful, slamming down on the keys with passion. Teardrops fell onto the whites of the grand instrument, barely splashing the black, and faint sniffles came from the owner of the fingers that were still moving swiftly along the rows of black sharps and flats, and white notes with an driven ambition.

The fingers slowed, finishing off the piece with a back-to-back series of chords that finally faded away, echoing in the confines of the music library. There was a scattering of applause, and Kurt Elizabeth (well, Elijah, but he was working on legally changing it to Elizabeth in memory of his late mother) Hummel looked up in faint surprise. He hadn't noticed the small crowd that had gathered around him when he'd been, admittedly, putting on a spectacle, having been too lost in his own thoughts to even register the footsteps all stopping near him. He quickly wiped away the tear streaks on his cheeks, rubbing at his glasz eyes.

He flushed at the attention (he already got enough unwanted notice at McKinley from the Neanderthals, why bother trying to make himself become even more of a spectacle, when chances were that it would only end in vain?), before gingerly lifting up the instrumental book he had opened up and turned to a spontaneous number before his fingers had started to move almost instinctively, standing up and walking over to the shelves, placing it back into the empty space he remembered pulling it out from earlier. Right in between The Hits of Lionel Richie, and The Wonders of Stevie Wonder. Kurt rolled his eyes at the title of the latter.

Sighing as it flopped face down into the shelf, he massaged his temples tiredly, mind buzzing. He hadn't even glanced at the sheet music when he'd been playing, too caught up in his musings of the ever oblivious Finn Hudson.

Kurt knew that Finn would never return his romantic feelings, what with the obvious truth of the jock being straight as an arrow. But the tall boy hadn't done a single thing to dissuade Kurt's more than unsubtle affections, even going as far as to basically encourage it, what with his constant need to talk to Kurt for advice and simple conversation.

Hell, Finn had even said it sounded cool when Kurt had told him he had wanted to sing "I Honestly Love You" as a ballad to the quarterback. And if that hadn't made Kurt's feelings very clear, he had not one clue as to what would. And so, as a result, the tiny little part of Kurt's brain that was too naive for its own good, kept up with his blatant flirting and mooning over, not willing to give up entirely until he was told to.

Despite that glimpse of his naivety, Kurt still knew deep down that Finn could never feel even the slightest bit of non-platonic love, or even like for him.

Finn Hudson wasn't gay.

Nor was he bi-sexual (which was something Kurt held a belief was really only just gay people who wanted to hold hands with the opposite sex in their school hallways, and feel normal). Which meant that Kurt had a small dilemma on his hands. After all, he had a bit of an excess of penis, and an extremely noticeable lack of a vagina in his nether regions.

Okay, so perhaps it wasn't really a small dilemma. A large one. A gigantic one, even.

But it wasn't as though it was his own fault that he ever fell head over heels for Finn. After all, the boy was the only one who ever stood up for him in front of a bully (not counting the girls who had come to his rescue in the past, to his displeasure), and he didn't mind getting close to Kurt. He didn't find their typical proximity an invasion of personal space, or an attempt to convert him into a gay, like the other boys with peas for brains had and still did.

Could anyone really blame him for developing some (okay, maybe a lot) feelings for the freakishly tall teen?

...

No, he didn't think so.

And it wasn't as though Kurt was delusional.

He knew all to well that Finn would never choose him over the likes of Quinn Fabray, or, as much he dreaded to think it, Rachel Berry.

The porcelain-skinned teen grimaced visibly at the thought of her name, which had been, irritatingly enough, stamped with a gold star right next to it, a habit he'd gotten to imagining when it came to her, all because of the midget's obsession with them.

Rachel had been right, no matter how much he loathed to know it all too well. Even if Rachel was near the bottom of Finn's choices for a girlfriend (which, now, he supposed she was at the top of, considering their closeness ever since the New Directions won Sectionals), or second, or tenth, or whatever other number, she'd always be ahead of him. Simply because she was a girl.

Kurt flinched, jumping back as a voice spoke against his ear, sounding amused.

"That was quite a show you put on just now."

Glasz eyes met a deep ocean blue, that sparkled with a glint of mischief, and Kurt suddenly felt as though he could drown in those eyes. Gaze trailing upward, he caught sight of light brown curls that had been tamed neatly, and Kurt just wanted to run his hands through them to see if they were as deliciously smooth as they definitely looked. He stared at the boy, which was, to put it tamely, gorgeous, though he seemed older than Kurt was (then again, that wasn't such a particularly difficult thing to accomplish).

The boy's lips -which were pouty, and perfect, and unf...- moved, and Kurt suddenly realized that he was talking, and his ears suddenly snapped into attention, catching the last few words of the ocean-eyed male.

"-you look a little spaced out...anyways, where are my manners? My name is Jesse St. James," the gorgeous boy introduced himself, extending a hand with a devilish smirk flitting across his mouth.

Kurt inwardly shivered at the silky tone, which oozed with sexual appeal, and, no, Kurt. Bad thoughts. You're in love with Finn, the guy who stood up for you, the guy who'll actually get close to you without a problem, he mentally scolded himself.

But this guy seems to have no qualms about touching you...the other part of him that was oh, so enamored with the looks of this boy, and-wait. Jesse St. James?

Kurt's jaw dropped for a moment, before he regained his composure, and huffed indignantly. He was the competition! From Vocal Adrenaline! The lead, for goodness' sake. But not wanting to seem like a petulant child, Kurt outstretched his own hand.

"Kurt," he said coldly, eyeing the other male with a frosty glare. "Kurt Hummel."

If the rival show choir member was affected by his rudeness, he sure as hell didn't show it, which was giving Kurt a bubbling feeling of annoyance.

The curly-haired boy sent a dazzling smile-no, Kurt! He's the competition. His smile is not dazzling. It can't be.- toward him, seeming to come even closer than he already was.

"I know," Jesse shrugged nonchalantly. "I saw you at your Sectionals. You guys are good," he complimented, which astounded Kurt to no end. "But definitely not as good as Vocal Adrenaline."

And there it was. Of course. Kurt wanted to punch the arrogant grin off of St. James' face, twitching at his over-inflated ego.

"Of course you'd think that, since you are the lead," Kurt said with a disdainful scoff. "And what were you even doing at our Sectionals, anyways? What, were you spying on us? Worried?" he taunted, raising a brow questioningly.

Jesse only smirked in reply to Kurt's recognition of him, before speaking honestly to the other part of his small rant, which only shocked Kurt to his core once more. He was starting to think Jesse enjoyed defying Kurt's expectations of him. Which was basically a soulless, robotic automaton that lived and breathed show choir, and would go to no ends to win everything.

"Of course I was. Always need to check on the competition, and see if they stand a chance against us, of course," he winked, and Kurt felt blood flow to his cheeks. No one had ever flirted with him before (well, at least, Kurt thought Jesse was flirting. But maybe he was getting ahead of himself), and having someone like Jesse St. James be the first was making him quite dizzy.

"And I see you've decided that we're not so worthy?" Kurt asked, raising a defiant gaze to Jesse's eyes, though he was fighting the blush that threatened to take over.

"Not so much," Jesse admitted airily. "Maybe if they put you on lead, though, if your singing is anywhere near as good as your piano-playing."

Kurt was speechless. Had the lead singer of Vocal Adrenaline, who had won Nationals for three consecutive years, just both flirted obviously, and praised him in a single sentence? He gulped heavily, before responding weakly.

"You've never heard me sing," he said lamely, knowing that his face was likely to be a crimson color by now, cursing his paleness. Judging by the way Jesse's smirk widened, Kurt knew that his cheeks must be significantly red at the moment.

"Well, how about you sing now? With me?" Jesse asked, taking Kurt's hand (oh fuck, was that electricity?), which felt warm all of a sudden, and leading him back to the piano, where a few people were still huddled around. They backed off as soon as they caught sight of the two, making room and creating a path toward the bench.

"W-what, right now?" Kurt stammered nervously, his palms beginning to sweat. "In front of all these people?" he questioned, glancing around as more feet stopped near them, turning into a little crowd.

Jesse set down The Hits of Lionel Richie, which Kurt hadn't even noticed him grab from the shelves, on the instrument, flipping it open to a very familiar song. Kurt's eyes widened as he recognized it, wondering why Jesse would want to sing a love song with him, especially in front of an audience.

The Vocal Adrenaline member's eyes turned to him, and Jesse smiled a little smile, that Kurt would have almost interpreted as maybe encouraging, if this hadn't been the New Directions' competition that was sitting next to him right now.

"Why not? You've already done somewhat of a performance for them, why not do it again?" Jesse asked him, playing the intro to Hello, which, oddly enough, fit the lesson Mr. Schuester had given them for this week.

"W-well, I didn't know they were there before, but now I do," Kurt confessed, fidgeting slightly. "I'm kind of nervous." He left out the part where he was more concerned with the fact that this was the enemy he was about to sing with, not wanting to seem like a person whose life revolved around Glee Club.

Jesse stared off into an empty space nostalgically, sighing. "I remember when I used to be nervous," he said, before singing in a husky voice that sent sparks down Kurt's spine.

"I've been alone with you inside my mind," Jesse sang beautifully, looking between Kurt and the sheet music. The flamboyant teen would've joined in on playing the instrument, but his fingers felt too slippery, and he felt too dazed. "And in my dreams I've kissed your lips...a thousand times," Was it only his imagination, or did Jesse's eyes flicker toward his mouth during that line?

"I sometimes see you pass outside my door...hello...is it me you're looking for?" Kurt chewed on his lower lip as Jesse silently told him to sing along, before hesitantly joining in.

"I can see it in your eyes...I can see it in your smile, you're all I've ever wanted, and my arms are open wide..." they harmonized together perfectly, hitting the low notes easily as they gazed into each other's eyes.

"'Cause you know just what to say, and you know just what to do...and I want to tell you so much...I love you..." Their voices blended in a way that might've been hard to imagine, creating a rich tone that sounded undeniably amazing. The audience was entranced, staring at the pair in awe, but Kurt didn't take any mind to their attention, not registering anything but Jesse, as cheesy as it sounded.

"Oh yeah..." Kurt vocalized as Jesse began the next verse, stare focused on Kurt, who found himself extremely flustered at the intense gaze.

"I long to see the sunlight in your hair..." He nodded at Kurt slightly to indicate that he should take the next line, and the sophomore obliged, his voice growing steadier with every lyric that left him.

"And tell you time and time again, how much I care..." Kurt concentrated on every beat, his emotions taking over the song.

"Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow. Hello...I've just got to let you know..." They sang in sync, rising up to meet every note. Kurt felt himself smile genuinely, caught up in the exhilaration of their duet. He had never sang together with someone else before, and the rush of doing so for the first time in front of an audience gave him chills. Glee Club didn't give him nearly as much of a chance to shine.

"'Cause I wonder where you are..." Kurt stopped to take a breath, before belting out Jesse's next line in an echo. "And I wonder what (wonder what you do!) you do, are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you? Tell me how to win your heart, for I haven't got a clue...let me start by saying..." Kurt hit the high notes with ease, not bothering to hold back like he had during the Defying Gravity diva-off. He could see that Jesse was impressed, even if only a bit, especially since it was rare for a boy to reach that high without going into falsetto, like Kurt was able to.

"I love...you..." the duo finished, voices trailing off in an eery echo. The crowd surrounding the two, who had all abandoned their reading/iPods in favor of listening to Kurt and Jesse, burst into applause, snapping Kurt out of his music(definitely not Jesse St. James)-induced trance.

Clearing his throat, the glasz-eyed boy avoided the other male's eyes. He didn't move when Jesse started to speak.

"Well, I am most definitely impressed," he stated. Kurt adamantly refused to meet his gaze. "But I can honestly tell you that your singing isn't as good as your piano-playing."

Kurt's head turned at that, visibly deflating, thinking it to be an insult. But Jesse met his eyes levelly.

"It's better." Kurt felt his lips twitch up into a tiny grin at the cliche remark, but he caught himself soon enough, coughing quietly and replying in a near-whisper.

"Well...there are a lot of things that might surprise you about me," he said haughtily, pulling up his typical bitchy facade.

To Kurt's own surprise, Jesse only smiled at him, tilting his head minutely.

"Really? I'd love to know...how about you tell me all about you this Friday night?" Kurt blinked. "At the Lima Bean, maybe? You probably know it, it's a coffee shop here in Lima." If Kurt hadn't been so shell-shocked by the offer, he might've sneered at the obviousness of the statement. But he was, and so he only ended up nodding faintly.

"Great." Jesse shot him a smug grin. "Then it's a date," he stated, before getting up from the piano, and walking away with a confident stride. Their audience from earlier had mysteriously gone away already, everyone having returned to their previous activities, and Kurt sat there dumbfounded.

What have I just gotten myself into?

Well? What do you think? Don't worry, you can say it's horrible. It's my first St. Hummel fic, and my first try at both Kurt POV, and a more detailed characterization at Jesse St. James than I've written before.

Whether or not you think it's good or bad, I'd love to hear from you in a review. It's always nice to get a little criticism or comment here and there. I don't particularly care if your review is 3 words, or 3 paragraphs. It would just be appreciated if you commented at all. (: After all, something is better than nothing.

If enough people liked this, then I'll continue, but if it burned your eyes to read this installment, then I'll stop. ;) Soyea. Bai for now~~

~WitNS, aka, Cheri Mae.