A/N: Yea...this is my version of the Somewhere Only We Know serenade. Bits of angst...bits of fluff. Obviously the song to listen to while reading this song is Somewhere Only We Know by Darren Criss. Which is just amazing! I sorta envy Kurt...having someone that hot, and that talented serenading me at school... Anyways...Read and Review...
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. If you don't recognize it...I still may not own it.
It had been a hard couple of weeks for Blaine and Kurt. Well that would be a lie. They started out great. Two weeks ago (okay it was two weeks and 2 days ago, but really who's counting?) the two kissed for the first time. It was an awesome experience full of excitement and fireworks in the eyes of both boys. However soon things began to take a nasty turn.
They lost at Regionals.
Santana was getting harassed for coming out.
Kurt had decided to return to McKinley to help her out with not being the only out person there.
Neither of the two boys were very happy about the distance between them. It was partially because now that Kurt had discovered the joys of kissing Blaine, he did not like that he couldn't do it whenever he wanted to. Blaine disliked the distance because it made him nervous. Karofsky was still there at McKinley. He could hurt Kurt at any moment and Blaine wasn't going to be there to stop him. Blaine wouldn't be there to protect him.
Not that Kurt needed Blaine's protection. No Kurt was well equipped to deal with Karofsky himself. However it didn't mean that Blaine wanted Kurt to have to protect himself. They hadn't spoken…well really spoken in a few days. Random text-messages to each other throughout the day and brief 5 minute Skype video chats at night didn't allow then to really talk about their problems.
Blaine was determined to get the most out of their weekend. He managed to do half his homework during lunch and he stayed at Dalton's library to rush through the rest of his homework as quickly as he could so he could be ready to leave for his and Kurt's first official date by 6:30. He was picking Kurt up at 7 and wanted to make sure that he got there early, because he didn't want to keep Kurt waiting…especially not with the conversation he knew they were going to be having tonight.
By 6:25 he was ready to leave and he texted Kurt that he would be by to pick him up in 20 minutes. Blaine was nervous. There were butterflies swarming in his stomach that just wouldn't stop. The two of them would have gone out last weekend but Kurt hadn't told his dad about them yet and neither of the two were quite ready to tell him yet.
Even tonight's date was under the guise of one of the old standbys of going to the movies with a friend. Because Neither of their parents knew about their son's relationship status chance yet. Kurt hadn't wanted to tell his father yet because Blaine had let slip that he was the one who told Burt to have the sex talk with Kurt (something Kurt was none too happy about until he came to his senses and realized Blaine just didn't want him to get in trouble later on in life) and neither of them knew how well Burt would react to this revelation so soon after that debacle.
Blaine hadn't told his parents because neither of them were all too…happy about his being gay. Sure they weren't outspoken homophobes. They wouldn't go around telling him that he was going to go to hell, or that he disappointed them. But he knew that he did. They always dreamed of having a son who would become a lawyer, marry a nice society debutante have 2.5 children and carry on the Anderson name with dignity. They had no idea that when they had all that planned for him at the ripe old age of 5, that he was going to be gay and in love with a boy. Especially a boy outside their social circle. However Blaine wasn't going to bend to their wishes simply because they wanted something different for him.
So here he was, pulling up to the Hudmel household and parked his black Nexus against the curb. He sat there for a minute to compose himself before getting out and walking up to the front steps to ring the doorbell. About a minute later Burt answered the door and let Blaine into the house. "Blaine." he nodded his head and Blaine smiled.
"Mr. Hummel, nice to see you again."
"Dad!" Kurt yelled from upstairs. "Is that Blaine? Send him up!" Blaine looked to Burt as if asking for his permission. Burt looked him up and down and sighed. It was apparently against his better judgment.
"Go on up, he'll probably be a while, last I saw he was still figuring out which Steve McQueen shirt to wear…"
Blaine snorted. "It's Alexander."
"What?" Burt questioned him.
"His name is Alexander McQueen, but thanks. I'll see you when we leave." Blaine quickly made his way to the stairs and walked up them and entered Kurt's bedroom. Kurt was standing there shirtless staring at 3 different shirts, and from what Blaine could tell, they all indeed were Alexander McQueen's. "Looking good." Blaine told him smirking terribly as Kurt whipped around. Blaine was pleased to see that the slight blush he's seen on his boyfriend's face travels all the way down his torso.
"Well don't I always look good?" Kurt remarked, trying to keep some semblance of his dignity.
"Well of course." Blaine said as he walked over and chose one of the shirts for Kurt to put on. "This one, definitely this one." Kurt nodded and quickly put it on. "Now that you're dressed, think I could get away with a kiss?" he whispered in Kurt's ear. Kurt shuddered.
"Hmm…well my dad could come in at any time." Kurt groaned out as Blaine pulled Kurt to him, flush against his own body.
"Makes it all the more fun." He whispered against his boyfriend's mouth before moving in and connecting the two sets of lips in a way that hadn't before been experienced by either of the two. The first kiss between them was slow and steady. Their second kiss was passionate and a little messy. Their third, fourth, fifth and Blaine eventually lost count, were mostly chaste, trying to sneak them in between classes or Warbler rehearsals when Kurt was preparing to leave Dalton. But this was different. This was a kiss denied for five days. Five days apart, five days where their hearts grew fonder for the other. Kurt loved these moments, even though he hasn't had too many of them. When he could just stay in Blaine's arms and not have to worry about the world outside.
But the need for oxygen trumped their need to stay connected to one another. "That was nice." Kurt whispered as he broke apart from his boyfriend to grab a scar, because no Kurt Hummel ensemble was complete without one.
"Indeed it was." Blaine said as he walked up behind his boyfriend and pulled him tight against his body, wrapping his arms around his waist. He began to kiss (sucking was the more exact term) the exposed portion of the back of Kurt's neck and knew he was doing something right as Kurt moaned and leaned back into Blaine's hard firm (if short) body.
"Blaine…" Kurt breathlessly whimpered. "Stop…we need to go. Not here. Dad…could walk in…" Sighing Blaine removed his arms from around his boyfriend, but not before pressing one last kiss to the nape of Kurt's neck. Kurt quickly put the scarf he had chosen around his neck. Blaine made sure to fix it over the small red mark that had started to form where Blaine had previously been paying much attention to with his lips.
"Let's go." Blaine gestured. As Kurt turned off the lights and they made their way downstairs they saw Burt sitting in the living room watching the Buckeyes game. When Blaine saw what game was playing he quickly took a glance at the scoreboard and groaned when he saw his beloved team was down 30 points. "Ugh, the Buckeyes are dying tonight."
Burt turned to look at Blaine, obviously unaware that Blaine was a huge Ohio State fan. "You watch football?" Blaine nodded.
"Oh absolutely. My father actually does PR for the team, so I've been to quite a few of their games. I haven't been able to watch as many games as I used to for various reasons but when I get the time, I love watching them play." Kurt just stared at Blaine and rolled his eyes.
"God, could you be less gay?" Kurt chortled and grabbed Blaine by the sleeve of his coat and dragged him away from the living room couch and the big screen TV with the giant men tackling each other to the ground on it. "Bye Dad, I'll be back later."
"See ya kid." Burt told him. "Be back by midnight." It was a little redundant, since his curfew on the weekends was midnight anyway, but he thought he should reiterate it anyway.
"Bye Mr. Hummel." Blaine said as he closed the door behind him. Burt smiled. He may not have been too appreciative of a 16 year old boy telling him how to parent his son, but he really did have his heart in the right place, and the fact that this kid liked football, and could possibly score him some front row tickets to the Buckeyes' games? That certainly pushed him up a few points in Burt's book.
When they got to Breadstix, they sat down at a table and ordered their food while talking about light topics: Vogue, Lady Gaga, the fact that Burt thought the shirt Kurt was wearing was a Steve McQueen which made Kurt simultaneously groan and laugh. However after they both got their drinks, Blaine chose to dive right into what he had been planning on from the beginning.
"So what's it like being back at McKinley?" Kurt was a little shocked that he asked about it, because Blaine hadn't been too fond of him returning to the school that had driven him away but Kurt chose to answer him all the same.
"Classes are easier, I don't need to pay much attention in Calculus or Physics right now because my classes are like..2 months behind Dalton's and I've already learned all this stuff. Even some of the less…annoying classmates have asked me to tutor them because I happen to know what the teacher is actually talking about. Being back with New Directions is amazing. Everyone has welcomed me back with Open Arms…quite literally as they sang 'Open Arms' ten minutes into the first glee club rehearsal. I think Finn told them I was coming back, even after I told him I wanted it to be a surprise."
"That's great Kurt! But what about those who…aren't so nice to you?" Blaine slowly tossed the words out there, as if they were a bomb waiting to explode.
"You mean Karofsky and the other jocks?" Blaine nodded his head. "They haven't had the chance to really do anything yet this week. When Sue found out I was returning to McKinley, she took over the football practice one day for Coach Beiste and had all the guys not in Glee running wind sprints for three hours. Warning them that if they harmed me, they'd have to deal with more of that type of practice." Blaine scoffed at the cheer leading coach's insane antics but at the same time impressed that she chose to stick up for Kurt as much as she did.
"Seriously? That's…impressive."
"Oh very. However I'm not sure how long it'll last. Sue Sylvester's ability to care for another person other than herself or her older sister hasn't extended longer than a few weeks at most….which makes me think this isn't going to be a permanent solution, but it's a start. If it gives me a few weeks of peace to get back into the swing of things before I get slammed into lockers again…I'll take it. There's only two more months of school for this year…I can deal." Kurt took a sip of his Dt. Coke and looked at Blaine. "Enough about me…what are the Warblers up to? Aside from you, I haven't spoken to any of them all week. Been too caught up with Glee lately."
"Oh we haven't been up to much actually. Planning on reusing a few numbers when we go to perform at the Westerville Senior Community in two weeks."
"Reusing numbers? Seriously? Since when do we-" Kurt caught himself and quickly corrected himself. "do the Warblers reuse numbers?"
"Always actually. Every year we reuse numbers for the nursing home shows that we've either performed or prepared for a competition. "
"I hadn't realized that."
They sat in silence for a couple minutes before Blaine realized that his prior plan of jumping right into things...didn't quite work out as he planned..since he didn't do it the way he should have. He figured changing tactics might help. "Kurt," he said his boyfriend's name with such anguish in it, that Kurt was shocked at the emotion radiating off of his boyfriend.
"Blaine, what's the matter?"
"Are you happy with the way things have gone this past week?" Kurt was a little confused, not quite understanding what Blaine was getting at, but decided a noncommittal answer might be best in this situation.
"It was okay, it wasn't the best week in the world, but I wouldn't say it was the worst either. What's going on Blaine?" Blaine gulped, knowing that this was it.
"Kurt, have you noticed that this is the first time we've spoken for more than 5 minutes all week? Or how every time we have spoken, it's been when we've both been exhausted from the day behind us?"
"Well yea but...it was my first week back Blaine. Of course there was going to be a small adjustment..." Kurt spoke, his tone indeterminable as of this moment.
"I know that Kurt, but I'm afraid it's going to stay like this...even after the adjustment period. I don't want to only talk to my boyfriend on the weekends."
"Is that your subtle way of saying you want to break up? Because if it is, I have to say it's the worst one I've ever heard..." Blaine's face went from pained to frightened in literally two seconds flat.
"What? Kurt no!" Blaine shook his head, trying to figure out where this all went wrong. "I did not mean that at all!"
"Then what do you mean Blaine? As far as I can see, you're upset that I left Dalton, and mad that I spent my first week back in New Directions...with New Directions."
"I mean, that I hate how whenever I tried calling you this week, you ignored me. I hate that the only communication we had throughout the day were random texts!"
"I did not ignore you Blaine!" Kurt denied the allegation that he would ignore his boyfriend of only two weeks whenever he would call.
"Oh? I tried calling you every morning before school, but you never picked up. I tried calling every day after school...the one time I did get to hear your voice, it was in the background while Mercedes answered telling me you were in the middle of a rehearsal and couldn't talk. Hell I tried calling during lunch a few times, but even then, when I know you used to talk to me on the phone before you even transferred to Dalton, now...nothing. I hated this week Kurt. I feel like you're shutting me out Kurt, and I have to say, if this is how you treat your boyfriends, I'd rather we go back to being just friends. At least then you talked to me on a daily basis without being forced to." Blaine finished his diatribe and knew he had probably said the wrong thing when the indeterminable tone from Kurt earlier had started radiating off of him like a slow angry fuse. Red started to tinge his face, but not the cute blush from before, but a bright beet red, that made him look like he had stayed out in the sun too long.
"How dare you." Kurt ground out of his throat, like it was painful to say. "How dare you accuse me of shutting you out? You're the one who went all quite and sullen over me leaving Dalton. You're the one who anguished over me cleaning out my locker, and leaving Dalton for the last time. You barely said three words to me that entire afternoon. After I did leave Dalton, all you did was go home and sulk. I know, Wes texted me about it later that day. You're the one who was shutting me out Blaine."
"I'm sorry if I didn't want my boyfriend to go back to the school where his life was in danger."
"Oh and another thing," Kurt continued, as if he hadn't heard Blaine's interruption. "Every time you called me, I was in the middle of something. I was either driving to school, in the middle of classes, glee rehearsal, tutoring someone, or doing my own homework. You know I don't talk on the phone and drive. You know I don't answer my phone in the middle of class, and you know that my phone is on silent during glee rehearsals, much like it was always on silent during Warbler rehearsals. I wasn't about to answer your calls when I was tutoring someone in the middle of the fucking library Blaine." Kurt took a minute to catch his breath still glaring at his boyfriend...? "You were the one who initially shut me out. I didn't think you wanted to hear about New Directions or what happened back at McKinley, because you seemed so off about it when I first told you I was returning!"
"I was scared Kurt!"
"Like I wasn't? I was scared out of my fucking mind Blaine! But I wasn't about to let that control me. You taught me that, remember? Courage? Standing up to your bullies? Any of that ring bells in that overly gelled head of yours?" Kurt nearly shouted. By this point in their argument, all the patrons of Breadstix were sneaking glances over at the couple, and slowly leaning towards them to hear their conversation better. A bunch of nosy busybodies really, but it's all part of the restaurant etiquette. If you have a fight with your significant other in the middle of a restaurant, be prepared for every person in the restaurant to listen in and take sides.
"Look what happened the last time you tried standing up to your bullies. It forced you to transfer to another school so you wouldn't be killed." Blaine said at a normal volume, but a few of the people around them heard it, and gasped. It was then that the couple became acutely aware of how many people were paying attention to their conversation. Kurt looked around shellshocked, while Blaine stared at them before growling out to everyone who had been covertly spying on them "Do you mind?" He quickly got up and pulled Kurt up as well and dragged him along into the men's bathroom in the back of the restaurant.
"Blaine what are you..."
"We're going to finish this away from prying ears and eyes." Blaine shut the door after Kurt was fully inside and Blaine leaned up against the door to prevent anyone else from coming in, since it wasn't a lockable door. "Kurt, I didn't come here to fight with you tonight. I did however come here with the intention of finding out if my boyfriend and I were actually going to make it more than 3 weeks. God Kurt, you have no idea what this week was like." Blaine revealed with a hint of despair.
"Oh poor Blaine, locked up at Dalton where nothing ever goes wrong. What a nightmare!" Kurt bitterly replied.
"Oh get over yourself Kurt. I've been worried like sick over you all week. Worried that you were going to get harassed, slushied, beat up or worse. Do you know what could have happened if Sue Sylvester didn't wind sprint the hell out of the football team? If she didn't put the fear of God into them? They could have decided to actually go through with that death threat. Do you realize that you could have been put into the hospital if they wanted to hurt you? That you could have been left for dead in the middle of a hallway? Left unconscious where no one would have been able to find you?"
"But none of that happened Blaine!" Kurt tried to make his boyfriend see reason, because clearly the fact that Kurt was standing there talking to him perfectly dressed, hair coiffed and looking fabulous (if not for the burst of red on his face from the angry confrontation they were currently having).
"But it could have Kurt! I kept calling you every day trying to find out if something happened, if I should be worrying or not. How could you possibly think that I didn't want you returning to McKinley for any other reason?"
"What do you want from me Blaine?" Kurt whispered. "Do you want me to apologize for not calling you back? We both know it's not going to make up for last week. Do you want me to promise you that I'll call you every day during lunch to reassure you that I haven't been harassed yet that day? We both know that won't stop your worrying. We both know that nothing, short of returning to Dalton, which we both know is not going to happen, is the only thing that's going to stop you from worrying." Kurt told him, completely stumped about what to do. "I don't want to break up with you Blaine. I certainly don't want you to break up with me. So please tell me, what do you want me to do?"
"I wish I could tell you what to do Kurt. I wish I could tell you that there's something to do that would fix what happened last week, and what will probably happen in the future. But I can't think of anything." Blaine had a few tears well up in his eyes.
"I can't return to Dalton Blaine, even if I wanted to. I can't drop Glee at McKinley this close to Nationals just so you and I can spend time after school together. I would love it if I could, but...you know how much Glee means to me. You have to know, that I want to be with you. There's only a couple months of school left. Then we'll be together all summer...If we can get through the next two months, we'll be even stronger come summer." However much time they spent together during the summer, they both knew that Blaine was going into this Senior year next year, and that he would not have as much time as Kurt would during the fall to spend time as a couple. They left this fact hanging in the air, because neither of them wanted to admit it out loud. It was going to be hard, continuing a relationship next year. Especially with how crazy Dalton's AP program was, and Blaine would be taking 5 AP courses next year.
"Kurt...will we still have something to make strong by summer?" the tears that had welled up earlier, were now free falling down Blaine's face. "I know they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but...even with that there is a tipping point. I don't know if I can go another two months with weeks like this past one..." Kurt moved so he was standing right in front of Blaine and pulled him into a tight hug that Blaine reciprocated.
"We can do it. I know we can do it..." He whispered in his boyfriend's ear as tears began to stream down both of their cheeks.
That's where their argument ended. By unspoken agreement, they didn't speak about what happened that past week for the rest of their date, deciding to keep everything light and fluffy, with talk of Wes and David's antics now that the competition season was over, and how Finn's eating habits were something Kurt never paid that much attention do while he was at Dalton, but now that he's around him more, he's becoming more grossed out at. By the end of the night, Kurt and Blaine had just been sitting in the front seat of Blaine's car outside of the Hudmel house (okay a few houses down so Burt couldn't look out the window and see what was happening in the car) just holding each other, not saying a word. Granted there was a bit of making out since they had a week to catch up on, but for the most part they were just taking comfort that for now, they were okay with where their relationship was, even though they hadn't truly figured anything out. They both knew what the other was thinking, and even if there was no consensus on what to do, it was the first step.
It was Wednesday now. Kurt was sitting at lunch with Mercedes and Rachel out in the middle of the courtyard and had tried calling Blaine three different times, but to no avail, the other boy hadn't picked up. "Okay what gives? He complained about me not picking up during Lunch when he would call, and now when I call, he doesn't pick up? What the hell?" Kurt complains to no one in particular, but Mercedes and Rachel feel that he is talking to them.
"Maybe he's busy and has his phone on silent?" Mercedes suggested, stealthy looking around to see if anyone was coming. "You should know better than anyone else here that the Dalton curriculum is intense and he might just be catching up on some work." Rachel nodded in agreement. Suddenly she gasped out as if she saw something out of the corner of her eyes and then started coughing, as if trying to cover it up.
"What's up with you Rachel? You're acting weirder than usual..."
"Oh it's nothing Kurt..." And that's when he heard the familiar do-whopping of a certain glee club with a canary for a mascot. He whipped his head around trying to find the source of the sound, and there it was. Blaine and the rest of the Warblers were standing at the top of the steps, slowly branching out as they walked down. Kurt was at the bottom of the steps at the complete opposite side of the courtyard. Mercedes and Rachel giggled as Blaine began to sing.
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete
Kurt was riveted to the spot he sat at, just staring at the man serenading him. Somewhere in the back of his head, he realized that this was a gigantic improvement from When I Get You Alone, but Kurt told that part of his head to shush as he listened to the song.
Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
Everyone in the courtyard, filled with all of the Glee club students at random intervals, a lot of jocks and cheerleaders, along with half the rest of the school were starting to stare at the A Capella group. Anyone who wasn't Kurt, but was filled in on who these guys were, would have noticed that many of the girls in the courtyard were eying up the delicious looking man-candy in front of them. The guys were wondering who the nerds in uniforms were. But all Kurt was seeing was the one man he loved. This was the first time he had ever completely let the outside world go, and focused on just what was happening to him. At any other time, being serenaded to, by another guy on McKinley's campus would result in slushie facials, shampoo rinses, and quite possibly clothing tye-dyes, however Kurt couldn't dwell on that right now. However no one knew right now, that Kurt was the one being serenaded...
I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?
Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
Blaine began walking down the stairs towards his boyfriend, with a huge smile plastered all over his face. He didn't focus on anything but Kurt. He could have focused on the hundreds of girls surrounding him, the hundreds of guys wanting anything for him to stop singing (for fear of looking bad in front of their girlfriends..) He could have played up the crowd like he was used to. But he couldn't. Not when his boyfriend was standing there looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen before.
And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
Blaine stopped halfway down the stairs and belted out the next verse as a couple girls most definitely fainted.
Oh simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
And if you have a minute, why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go? So why don't we go?
Blaine had finally made his way down the stairs and slowly began walking up towards Kurt. The Warblers had been walking over towards Kurt as well creating some sort of barrier between him and anyone who might want to destroy this perfect moment for the pair. Blaine got to Kurt and took his hands into his own and finished the rest of the song, singing directly to him. The emotion on both of their faces spoke volumes to anyone watching.
Oh, this could be the end of everything
So why don't we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
Somewhere only we know
Blaine finished singing and watched tears stream down, as a smile widened on his boyfriend's face. Blaine smiled and took Kurt's face in his hands and looked him straight in the eye. "Kurt, last week was one of the worst weeks of my life. I never want to go through anything like it again." He said, as he wiped the tears away from Kurt's face. "Remember when we first met, how I said I regretted running away from my bullies?" Kurt nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat that had been building since about halfway through the serenade. "I talked to my parents last night. They understand that I don't want to keep running. Which is why starting in the Fall...I'll be enrolling at McKinley." Kurt's eyes went wide, and so did every person in the immediate vicinity. Apparently Blaine kept that part to himself when explaining this little serenade to the Warblers. There were whispers running rapidly amongst the Warblers and New Directions but Kurt just dropped his mouth, but recovered quickly enough to close it for a brief second before opening it again to speak.
"Blaine...I...Please tell me you're kidding." Blaine's face went from euphoric to grief stricken in a split second. "Don't get me wrong Blaine, I would love for you to enroll here." Blaine's face improved slightly as Kurt continued to speak. "But...if you're transferring because of what happened last week... I don't want you to do that." Blaine smiled and quickly kissed him on the lips.
"I'm not leaving Dalton just because of last week. I'm leaving Dalton for a number of different reasons. Yes, one of them is what happened last week, another is that I want to be with you. But I wasn't lying when I said I regretted running from my bullies. I want to be here. With you. I want to be here, with you confronting anyone who gets in your way. Even if things are better right now, they won't always." Blaine said bitterly. "When that happens, I want to be right there with you. I love you Kurt, and I want nothing more, to be able to spend as much time with you as possible."
Kurt smiled at the declaration. To anyone else, saying "I love you" to your boyfriend after 3 weeks would be a little presumptuous, however they have known each other for months. They had grown to love each other as friends, and even if this type of love was a different, it wasn't as far of a jump. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss. There were catcalls from all of New Directions, the Warblers, and the less homo-phobic of Kurt's classmates. As they broke apart Kurt stared into his boyfriend's eyes and said the words, he'd never said to another person, with the same sort of emotion behind it. "I love you too."