Summary: Kurt meets and loses a boy at a masquerade, but he's determined to find him again. AU
Notes: And here it is! Like I said in the summary, you don't have to have read The Masquerade Ball to understand or enjoy this one – it just won't make as much sense/have the same impact because I skim over the events of the ball itself, so I really recommend you do. (In fact, you should all go reread TMB just to make sure all the events are fresh in your mind. ;) )
Link to TMB if you decide to re/read: www(.)fanfiction(.)net/s/8055169/1/
When Kurt first sees Blaine, his cynical side squashes his hopelessly-hopeful-romantic side and insists that the Phantom-esque mask is just a coincidence because there is no way that a) there is another gay male teen in this place, and b) there is no way he's lucky enough to meet another gay male teen with that build, those eyes, and those lips. (His worldly side adds that even if the mask is based on the Phantom's, that doesn't equate to 'gay'.)
Then Blaine speaks to him, and his voice rises and he blushes. Kurt figures if that isn't a sign of attraction, he doesn't know what it. (His hopelessly-hopeful-romantic side almost faints at how excited and disbelieving he is that someone finds him attractive. His cynical side tries to bring up that Blaine has only just realised Kurt's gay and is homophobic but the experienced-gay-teen side reminds him that homophobes are generally quite vocal in their prejudice.)
They flirt – oh, they definitely flirt. Kurt can't think of a time when he was more excited than when he realised that not only is he actually flirting with a boy (he had, after all, flirted with Finn, but every cell in his body recoils when he thinks about that) but the boy was flirting back. His advances are both reciprocated and appreciated, and he feels dizzy with how heady a feeling that is. He feels dizzy again when they watch the sunset – when he thinks about the moment later, he can't pinpoint when the ambiance changed from flirty to loaded, and all he can remember is wanting so desperately to move those few inches and kiss this wonderful, dorky, attentive, charming boy who is gay until he can't breathe.
He's strangely relieved yet slightly disappointed when Blaine breaks the moment, but as they walk back through the flower gardens they personify flowers, discussing things like which species are the best dancers and which are the toughest. For a moment, he contemplates telling Blaine that actually, daisies are tougher than roses and roses are better lovers, but that reminds him that Blaine already knows about his crush on Finn and that's surely some kind of power imbalance. It's the most embarrassing conversation he's had in his life (the first is the sex talk with his dad) but Kurt can honestly say he has never laughed as hard.
That's probably why he tells Blaine about the bullying. He's not in such a bad place as he was last year, when everything was at its worst and he was being targeted by the now-graduated-thank-god jocks for being gay and being passed over for solos and just generally ignored by everyone who wasn't his dad, so he manages to stop before he says anything about the slushies. But somehow, he doesn't ruin anything, and he miraculously doesn't ruin anything half an hour later with his request to dance inside with everyone else.
What happens is probably the best minute and ten seconds in Kurt Hummel's life. It's himself and Blaine and violin and piano and slow dancing and the intoxicating scent of Blaine and cologne. It's the warmth of their chests and arms and hands and backs touching. It's the iridescent hazel and brown of Blaine's eyes surrounded by thick eyelashes. It's the tilt of his head and the wet heat of his breath caressing his lips as they move in to finally kiss—
That's when the moment is ripped away. Kurt stumbles when Blaine is pulled away and he's frozen with surprise. Then Finn's by his side and asking if he's okay, which brings him back to reality. He doesn't register the whispers and the looks (he's been ignoring them for eighteen years; he has much more important things to think about now) as he quickly looks around and sees a man tugging Blaine through the doors which lead to the entrance hall. He pushes his way through everyone (pretentious assholes), hears Blaine's voice – "What's wrong with you? Let me say goodbye to Kurt!" – and a door being closed.
When he reaches the main doors and yanks one open, all that's left of Blaine is a pair of headlights disappearing through the trees.
"Kurt, is everything okay?"
Kurt looks at his dad, startled, and realises there are tears in his eyes. He blinks quickly to force them back and then lets his anger take over, spinning on his heel and stalking over to the man at the desk.
"What's the name of the family who just left?" he demands.
"I'm sorry, sir, I'm not allowed to share that information."
"Bullshit!"
"Kurt!" Burt exclaims. Kurt breathes heavily, glaring at the man who doesn't even have the decency to look ashamed. "C'mon, bud, tell me what's wrong."
"I need to find Blaine."
"That boy from earlier?"
Kurt nods and begins pacing the hallway. He's dimly aware of his growing audience (Finn and Carole have joined Burt and the desk man) as he rants, "He's gay, Dad! He's gay and I like him and he likes me, and we couldn't say goodbye and I don't even know his last name or where he goes to school. How am I supposed to find him, Dad?" he finishes weakly, turning to look imploringly at his father.
Burt sighs and rubs his forehead, and then turns to the man behind the desk. "You really can't say anything?"
"My apologies, sir, but I'm not allowed to share that information."
He doesn't look sorry at all. Kurt is sorely tempted to vault over that blasted desk and throttle the homophobic bastard. Burt turns and looks at Kurt apologetically, shrugs, and Kurt feels all the energy drain out of him. He just wants to sleep.
"Fine," he says.
Two minutes later, the valet has brought around their car. Finn rants about how much of an ass Blaine's dad is and how unfair it is that Kurt was so close to having a boyfriend until Carole sees Kurt's face and shushes him. After that, the drive is sombre and silent.
As they enter Lima, Finn says quietly, "Couldn't we, like, track him down or something?"
"How?" Kurt asks. His forehead is resting against the window and he watches as his breath condenses then fades on the glass.
"Well, you guys were talking all night, right? Didn't he say anything you could use?"
Kurt thinks for a moment before shaking his head. "We never actually personalised anything," he says dejectedly. "It was always 'my school' or 'my friends'."
"Oh."
When they get home, Kurt only stays awake long enough to put on his pyjamas.
By the time glee club comes around on Tuesday, everyone in the New Directions has heard about the ball. After everyone expressing their outrage at how unfair the whole thing is (there's that word again), a fierce debate springs up about whether Kurt is Cinderella or Prince Charming. He scoffs at that, and then tells them all to either come up with something useful or shut up.
"Tell us everything he said," Rachel demands, spinning around in her chair.
"We talked for almost four hours," Kurt hedges. Puck makes a lewd comment but by now Kurt is an expert at blocking them out.
"What did he say about his school?"
"He's the lead soloist for his school's glee club." Kurt's spent the last two days going over every detail of their conversation, trying to remember some private detail.
"He's in glee club? Why didn't you say that before? I follow all the show choir message boards and there are several people I can talk to. Tell me everything you know and I'll get back to you by the end of the week."
Three and a half weeks later, Kurt steps into the choir room and Rachel pounces on him, speaking so high and fast that it's all Kurt can do not to tear the tacky bobbles off her sweater and stuff them in her mouth.
"Rachel, I have absolutely no idea what you're saying."
She takes three deep breaths and then announces to the room, "I found Blaine."
There's a pause, and then the room erupts. Kurt can't make out what anyone's saying, they're all talking to loudly. It takes Mr Schue shouting for everyone to calm down, and then he asks who Blaine is, and while Rachel quickly fills him in all Kurt wants is for her to just tell him where he is.
"Anyway, I got in contact with this guy called Nick and he's apparently in the Dalton Academy Warblers – the same a capella show choir as Blaine. They've gone up against and lost to Vocal Adrenaline for the past three years at Sectionals which is why we've never seen them before."
Kurt's head spins with the knowledge that he knows where Blaine is. He can get in his car and drive and Blaine will be there.
"Thanks," he says distantly, and the one word is so not enough but it's pretty much all he can manage as he makes his way over to his chair. He hardly notices Mercedes trying to get his attention or Mr Schue beginning the lesson, too caught up in images of Blaine.
If, for once, the universe works in his favour (and his cynical side makes a reappearance to tell him the odds are infinitesimal, and his awkward-teenager side speaks up to ramble his insecurities about how Blaine might decide he doesn't like Kurt at all or he won't find Kurt attractive or Kurt won't find Blaine attractive (which is a lie and, honestly, Kurt doesn't care anyway) or Blaine will be creeped out that Kurt has essentially tracked him down or meeting again will just be awkward) before the day is through he'll have a date.
It's that thought that snaps Kurt out of his daze. He quickly gets his phone out of his vest pocket so he can look up directions to Dalton Academy (and it's about one and a half hours away and he really hopes the Warblers have practice for several hours after school because otherwise there's no way he'll find Blaine tonight).
He's out the door the second the bell rings and in his car before the halls have barely filled.
As his GPS works out the quickest route to Dalton, he drives to the Lima Bean for a coffee fix. The device beeps as he pulls into the parking lot and he glances at it to see how long it will take (an hour and forty minutes, if he's lucky enough to avoid the traffic), and then heads inside. He sends a message to his dad while he waits in the queue (Rachel found out Blaine's school is in Westerville – I'll be late home) and then while waiting for his coffee starts typing a message to the rest of the New Directions telling them under no circumstances are they to leave Lima's boundaries or he won't talk to them until Nationals when he hears a familiar voice saying, "I'll have a medium drip, thanks."
His head snaps up, and he gasps, and then he's looking into Blaine's eyes. They go wide in surprise and Kurt thinks that he has to be hallucinating because there's no way Blaine is here in Lima in the Lima Bean less than three metres away.
"H-hi," Blaine says almost breathlessly. Kurt blinks and then can't stop the smile from spreading across his face.
"Hi," he replies, and laughs and says, "Oh my god, hi."
Then he's enveloped in Blaine's arms, strong and warm and really there; and Blaine's breath is puffing against his neck; and his own arms wrap around Blaine's waist and back; and Kurt closes his eyes and it's almost as if they're back at the ball and Kurt's getting his turn to lead.
"What are you doing here?" Blaine asks.
"I live here. I was just coming to look for you. Rachel managed to track down your glee club. That's... that's okay, right?" He bites his lip as Blaine pulls away. They look at each other (Kurt can't believe how handsome Blaine is) and Blaine is grinning.
"That's more than okay, Kurt." He reaches up to press a light kiss to Kurt's lips and continues in a murmur, "I've been looking for you forever."
End notes: I seem to be in a bit of a funk when it comes to character dialogue but I'll chalk that up to not having watched Glee for the enjoyment of the whole episode for a while, so I apologise for anything that isn't in character. BUT. I hope you enjoyed it. I wasn't sure when to end this so, you know, when Blaine gave me that line (which I didn't realise was going to happen until it did, oh my god, Blaine honey you just make everything I write better I love you) I just stopped and stared at my screen, and then I laughed and went to tell my sister what a sap I am (she agrees that I am a big sap). I could probably write a better ending but this one is cute and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside and appeases my inner (and outer) hardcore Klainer so. Short and sweet.
Thank you so much reading! You're all absolutely fantastic and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it.