A/N: Greetings and welcome to my little series of unconnected stories!
This one takes place right after Parvarotti dies, and was how I thought Kurt's transfer back to McKinley should have been handled. There were some moments left out of that episode that made the transfer seem a little...I don't know, disconnected? Unrealistic?
Also! You should read Ninja Giraffe's drabbles. She is the Fluffmaster, and I pale in comparison. .net/s/6734888/1/Sai_and_Sunglasses
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, or Nickelback..No matter how much I want to buy Darren Criss :D
Pavarotti's death hit Kurt pretty hard. Blaine had tried to make him feel better over the past few days, singing through the hallways, entwining his hand in Kurt's, but Kurt was having some kind of mental block. He couldn't focus on the boy he loved right now. Thoughts of Blaine brought about thoughts of Dalton and, at the moment, it felt like Dalton was choking Kurt.
The school was amazing. Kurt knew that. He'd even equated it to Hogwarts after Blaine had forced him to reread the Harry Potter series. But something about the place made it seem flat and grey to Kurt right now. He couldn't help but think of himself as Pavarotti.
The poor canary had died in a cage, never free, and right now, Kurt was feeling pretty caged, himself. The black uniform with the red 'D' emblazoned on the jacket pocket was very dapper, especially on Blaine, but students were barely able to accessorize. Kurt had been asked to take his scarf off by countless teachers. A scarf! Even in the school that Harry Potter attended allowed neckwear.
But scarfs weren't the biggest of Kurt's worries, far from it. He was finally beginning to fit in with the Warblers, had even gotten a duet with Blaine for a competition, but 'fitting in' wasn't what Kurt wanted. His sense of individuality hadn't been conquered yet by Dalton, and it was itching to break free of the black-and-red uniforms.
Kurt stood underneath the tree on Dalton's grounds, where he and Blaine had buried his canary. It was a weekend, so he was out of uniform, one of the few times when he could be himself.
The breeze stirred the tree's leaves slightly, a pleasant rustling sound. A white blur caught Kurt's attention and he turned in time to see a rabbit streak into the trees, trailed by another, reddish blur. A fox.
Maybe Kurt was feeling symbolic today, but he felt as though the white rabbit was him, chased only because he stood out from all of the other brown rabbits. Then that would make Karofsky the fox. "No, that wouldn't work," Kurt said, almost managing a laugh. "That Neanderthal is way too heavy-handed to be as subtle and cunning as a fox...but the metaphor still kind of makes sense."
"Talking to ourselves, are we? That's never a good sign," a familiar voice said from behind him.
Kurt turned to see his boyfriend standing near him, still in uniform. He managed a short laugh. "Hey, I'm not the one that doesn't own any other clothes except that dapper little outfit you've got on, there."
"Me? Dapper? Ha, I think you've got the wrong guy!"
Kurt rolled his eyes. Just then, something landed on his perfectly-styled hair. He jumped about a foot in the air, frantically clawing at the top of his head.
"Kurt! Stop!" Blaine managed to say between bouts of laughter. "It's just a leaf!"
The younger boy froze, and the culprit, a particularly dull brown leaf, fluttered to the ground. Kurt's chest heaved up and down in a heavy sigh. "You're kidding me. For that, I'm going go have to re-do my hair."
Blaine put an arm around Kurt, still chuckling. "I'm sure the leaf's not too happy, either."
Kurt grumbled something under his breath and attempted to discreetly extricate himself from his boyfriend's arm, which had been draped around Kurt's shoulders.
Of course, Kurt rarely succeeded in subtlety, so Blaine noticed. Hurt, he took a step back. "What's been up with you lately?"
"Pavarotti," Kurt answered vaguely.
"Are you still upset about him? We can give you one of his siblings, if you're really feeling guilty." Blaine immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing, because his boyfriend's expression darkened.
"I'm not feeling guilty, Blaine."
"Then what is it? Kurt, I just want to help you."
Kurt looked down, and Blaine thought he was going to avoid him again, but when Kurt took a deep breath, Blaine felt himself holding his breath in anticipation. This was what he'd been hoping for. "I feel like I'm caged," Kurt began cryptically. "Back at McKinley, I was able to dress as I wanted, and though I know that sounds selfish, this will probably sound even more so. I'm starting to feel unhappy here. Robotic."
"But I thought-you're moving up in the Warblers and your grades are doing fine. How are you unhappy?"
"I miss my friends." That stung Blaine. "I miss Mr. Schue, even Rachel and the metal of my locker I was shoved into that nearly dislocated my shoulder a few times."
"You're sounding slightly petty right now," Blaine said softly.
Kurt looked up to see Blaine's sad, lost-puppy-like expression. "I never meant to hurt your feelings."
"I know...Dalton was my home when I needed it, and I thought it would be yours, too, but I guess I was wrong. I love you, Kurt, and all I want is for you to be happy. If that means you going back to McKinley, then I guess I'd be okay with that."
"Back to McKinley? I hadn't thought-Karofsky. I don't think I could go back there."
"But you aren't happy here, so where else would you go?" Blaine was confused now.
"Um..." Kurt shifted uncomfortably. "I hadn't really thought that part out. I guess I was too busy wallowing in my self-pity." He gave Blaine a nervous grin.
Blaine laughed, but grew somber soon afterward. His expression flashed between a frown, and something else Kurt couldn't identify. "If you really want to go back to McKinley...I'd go with you."
"What?" Kurt, for once in his very vocal life, was speechless.
The quickly-changing expression settled into a look of steady determination. "I ran from my problems. So did you. But if you want to go back, then I should take my own advice and have the courage to do the same."
All the flustered Kurt could think to say was, "Now Rachel's not going to be happy. She'll have even more competition for her precious solos now."
Blaine snorted and hugged Kurt. "It's good to have you back."
That night, Kurt and Blaine sat together on the piano bench of the practice room, as they had dozens of times before. Blaine had put some new music up on the stand, but Kurt was easily able to tackle the unfamiliar melody.
By the time they got to the chorus, Kurt and Blaine were pouring their hearts into the song.
"Every memory of looking out the back door
I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye"
They were saying goodbye to Dalton. Blaine and Kurt had already called their parents, and though it took a little convincing, the two boys were going to start at McKinley that Monday.
"Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye"
Blaine's fingers moved expertly over the piano keys, his emotions transferred down through his hands, and into the instrument.
"I miss that town
I miss their faces
You can't erase
You can't replace it
I miss it now
I can't believe it
So hard to stay
Too hard to leave it"
Kurt would miss Dalton, there was no doubt about it. The people there were amazing, despite the rules and regulations. Besides, Wes and David usually snuck around the rules, with impromptu Nerf gun fights and sneaking out at night to the movie theater.
"If I could I relive those days
I know the one thing that would never change
Every memory of looking out the back door
I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye"
By now, memories of the school were flashing through both their minds, Blaine's more than Kurt's, and the older boy had to fight the tears that wanted to fall.
"Every memory of walking out the front door
I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for
It's hard to say it, time to say it
Goodbye, goodbye"
Dammit, why do songs have to have deep, emotional meanings? Kurt thought, furious at the tears that wanted to escape his eyes. In an effort to distract himself, he slid his arm behind Blaine's back before they sang the last few lines.
"Look at this photograph
Every time I do it makes me laugh
Every time I do it makes me"
"Laugh," Kurt whispered, completing the sentence that Nickelback had left unfinished.
Blaine looked over to Kurt, a sad smile on his face. "Don't worry, Wes and David won't let us forget them that easily. We'll keep in touch with everyone here."
In response Kurt made a slight noise of agreement and slid closer to Blaine, wrapping both arms around him and resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder.
"It'll be all right," Blaine said, both to Kurt and to himself. "We just have to have-"
"Courage," they whispered together.
Just then, Wes and David launched one of their infamous impromptu Nerf gun attacks, sending Kurt and Blaine going for cover under the piano bench. Kurt cursed himself for not carrying a concealed Nerf weapon. One thing about McKinley was appealing to Kurt more every second: There were a lot of things they'd have to defend themselves from, but at least they were never flying foam bullets.
That was, until the rest of the Glee club discovered the appeal of Nerf products...
A/N: Aaaaand, there you go! I hope you enjoyed it, even though it was a little sad. With any luck I may write something a little...siller? in future chapters :)
Please review! I'd love to hear your opinions!