Just Around The Corner

3

School, as it turned out, was just around the corner. Of course it was. Kurt got the feeling that if he were to walk from one end of Pleasantville to the next, it wouldn't take more than ten minutes.They got inside the school and Blaine turned to Rachel, dreamy smile well in place. "I guess I'll see you in second period, Mary Sue."
Rachel blinked. "Second period?"
"Well, shucks," Blaine said. "I can't very well go to home ec with you. Besides, I have gym class with Bud."
Shucks? Kurt mouthed incredulously.
"Right." Rachel nodded, again looking lost and confused. Kurt couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her - it had been a while since he'd last watched Pleasantville but at least he knew how things worked around here. Rachel didn't even know where the home ec classroom was.
But right at that moment, three squealing girls came running up to Rachel. They stilled when they spotted the boys, and one of them bit her lower lip coyly when she met eyes with Kurt.
"Gym class," Kurt blurted. "We should go."
Blaine gave him a concerned look but bid the girls goodbye and followed him in the direction of the gym. Behind him, Kurt could hear the girls starting to interrogate Rachel. He couldn't feel too guilty, he decided. At least she had company.
---
The locker room was nothing like the ones at McKinley. For one, it was impeccably clean and smelled of soap instead of sweaty jock-straps. And then there were the other boys - they happily greeted Kurt when they saw him and seemed to have no qualms about changing clothes in front of him.
But then, no one here knew he was gay. They probably didn't even know homosexuality existed.
All the same, Kurt kept his head ducked while he changed. He wouldn't be able to keep up the facade any longer anyway. As soon as he got out on the field and everyone saw what a lousy athlete he was, the game would be up.
"Are you all right, Bud?"
"I'm fine," Kurt said to his shoelaces, not daring to look up into Blaine's concerned eyes. That concern wasn't even for him, it was for Bud.
"That's good." Blaine sounded so earnest it hurt. Like he didn't know what he would do if something happened to his best friend.
His best friend Bud. Not Kurt.
The other boys began to trickle out. Kurt risked a glance up, just in time to get an eye-full of Blaine's retreating backside. And those shorts did not leave much to the imagination.
Kurt cursed under his breath and walked out a bit stiffly, hoping that no one would notice. As soon as he was out on the court, The Coach threw him a basketball which he caught with surprising grace.
Right. Time to face the music.
He turned to the nearest hoop and threw, not really aiming. The ball went smoothly through and bounced back right into Kurt's arms.
What.
He tried again, with one arm. Same results. Closed eyes. Same result.
"I think we're just about ready for the big game," Blaine said happily, dribbling his ball as he approached Kurt. "What do you think?"
Kurt dribbled his own ball, then threw it carelessly in the direction of the open exit. It bounced much too high, hit the wall above the doors and went flying through the hoop in front of Kurt, then returned to him again like a loyal dog.
"I think this is getting ridiculous," he muttered.
"Huh?" Blaine looked confused for a couple of moments but shrugged it off. "Uh, anyway, I wanted to talk to you, Bud. About Mary Sue."
Kurt wanted to roll his eyes but plastered on a fake smile. "Yes?"
"Well, what if I was to go up to her... that is, if I wanted to, say, ask her-"
"You want to ask Rachel out on a date?" Kurt interrupted before he stop himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ask Mary Sue out, I mean."
"Oh." Blaine smiled. "Yes."
Kurt crossed his arms. Neither he nor Rachel had managed to blow their covers so far (and really, judging by his previous display with the basketball it kind of seemed impossible) so why not follow the program for now?
Even if it did break his heart a little bit to send another boy he liked (however fictional that boy might be) into the arms of Rachel Berry.
"I think she would like that," he replied honestly.
In return, he got another dazzling smile.
---
The bell rang and the boys all headed back to the locker room. It took a few moments for Kurt to figure that something was off.
None of them were showering.
His first reaction was gross. Then he realized that he himself hadn't broken into sweat once during class. For all he knew, people in Pleasantville just didn't sweat.
That is... unbelievably creepy.
---
"This place is so creepy."
Kurt looked down at his right arm, which Rachel now clung to.
"You're not leaving me alone here again," she hissed.
"What happened?"
"This isn't Pleasantville, this is Stepford," Rachel exclaimed. "Everyone here acts brainwashed! And I went to the girls' bathroom and there wasn't a single toilet. The stalls were all empty."
"No one here sweats," Kurt replied morosely.
Rachel's grip on his arm tightened. "We need to get out of here. I don't want to be replaced by a robot."
"We're not in Stepford, Rachel. No one's getting replaced by a robot." Kurt grimaced. "And we can't get home yet. We lost the remote, remember?"
"What are we supposed to do then?"
Kurt freed himself from Rachel's vice-like grip. "We're going to lay low. Keep playing along until we figure something out."
Rachel looked unconvinced.
"There's a date in it for you," Kurt reluctantly added. "Blaine's going to ask you out, he just told me."
"Well," Rachel said and Kurt could tell she was trying hard not to appear too excited. "I suppose laying low for a day or two won't hurt."
"That's the spirit," Kurt deadpanned
He looked down the hallway where Blaine stood, wringing his hands nervously. When he saw Kurt, he gave a happy little wave. Unfortunately, Rachel spotted him as well.
"Wish me luck," she said and skipped over to Blaine, who looked, if anything, even more nervous.
Because Kurt was a good person, he didn't say hope you fall flat on your face. But he didn't wish her luck either.
---
School ended after second period and no one seemed to find this odd in the slightest. The perks of being stuck in a television show, Kurt mused. As he walked out of the main entrance, he could see Rachel being dragged off by the three squealing girls who had ambushed her before.
"Bud, wait up!"
Blaine came running, grinning from ear to ear. "I did it, I asked her out."
"Congratulations," Kurt said with all the sincerity he could muster. Which, even in the face of Blaine's infectious exhiliration, wasn't much. "Where are you taking her?"
"Mr. Johnson's Soda Shop," Blaine replied, sounding surprised that Kurt even had to ask. His expression became unsure. "Is that not a good idea?"
"Oh, no, it's a great idea," Kurt was quick to reassure him. "If you think it's a good idea, then it is."
Somehow, this only made Blaine look even more uncertain. "Well, I suppose I do... I haven't really given it much thought. It's just the way things go, right?"
"The way things go?" Kurt repeated.
Now Blaine looked straight-up uncomfortable. "Oh, you know. You meet a pretty girl and you ask her to go with you to Mr. Johnson's Soda Shop. It's only right to go on a couple of dates before going steady." He smiled nervously. "I won't be taking her up to Lover's Lane right away or anything, you don't have to worry about that."
Kurt smiled back. "I'm not worried." At least not for Rachel. "I know you'll treat her right."
Blaine stopped walking and Kurt realized that they'd reached his house while talking.
"Gosh, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that," Blaine said, his smile growing more genuine. "Your opinion means a lot to me, Bud. You're my best friend."
Their eyes met and Kurt's breath caught in his throat.
"Yes, well," he stuttered, still not breaking eye contact. "I meant every word."
Blaine's eyes danced with mirth and Kurt suddenly wondered whether this was what the moment before a kiss - a real kiss - felt like, but then Blaine laughed and ducked his head.
"Seeya tomorrow, Bud."
Kurt opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Later, Blaine," he finally managed.
He stood by the fence for a few moments more, trying to process what had just happened.
"Bud, honey, is that you?" Betty stood in the doorway, dusting her hands delicately on her apron. "Won't you come in? Your afternoon snack is getting cold."
Kurt groaned but marched obediently to the house. After whatever afternoon snack Betty had prepared (probably another ten people feast), he was finding that remote. Neither his stomach nor his heart could take much more of this.