All You Need Is Love, a glee fanfic

AN: So this is my first attempt at writing a Klaine drabble fic and I'm nervous about posting it, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone, so yeah, it would mean a huge amount to me if people reviewed, so I know whether it's any good or not!

Inspired by recent season 5 song spoilers and this scene from Love Actually, especially the last part, although the lyrics have been cut up and changed a bit.

Just a bit of explanation first so people don't get confused - before the Dalton spoilers came out I had this planned and the beginning written, it's focused on All You Need Is Love but since the spoilers, it seems like it's not going to fit with canon, I've tweaked it a bit since but I've grown attached to it and don't really want to change it. So yes I know this isn't exactly fitting with more recent spoilers, but hopefully it's not wildly off the mark in terms of outcome.

Warnings: References to season 5 spoilers, teeth-rotting levels of fluff.

Right, yes, story

To say that Kurt was bored would be an understatement.

He was pottering around his empty family home, trying to find a way to banish the restless feeling he had been experiencing ever since he woke up this morning. He was still in Lima, having stayed to watch the Glee Club perform at Regionals and was due to fly back out to New York the next day. Kurt supposed this was where the restless feeling came from. By now he had adjusted to his hectic new life in the big, bustling city, and in comparison his small-town family home, with Finn at college and his Dad and Carole at work, was deafening and disconcerting in its silence.

Or, Kurt pondered, maybe it was the thinking and reflecting he was doing in the rare quiet atmosphere (now that his attempts at watching television, cooking and reading had all grown boring) that was bothering him the most. His reflecting had forced him to admit that despite feeling settled in New York, the trip home had made him realize that there were aspects of being in Ohio that he missed. Not that he missed the ignorant Neanderthals and fools who couldn't tell the difference between charity collections of clothes and designer labels of course. But he did miss dinners with his family, competing with the Glee Club and all the other shenanigans that inevitably accompanied his crazy friends. And then there was Blaine of course…

Blaine, whose text message has just lit up Kurt's phone, the contents of which brings a frown of confusion to Kurt's face.

[To Kurt] Are you free today?

[To Blaine] When?

[To Kurt] Now

[To Blaine] Yes, I'm free, and bored. But aren't you supposed to be in school?

[To Kurt] I am, I'm texting under the desk in English. That doesn't stop you having some fun though does it?

[To Blaine] Huh? So what am I supposed to be doing?

[To Kurt] Go outside and look at your front door?

Kurt is even more confused at this point.

[To Blaine] Why?

[To Kurt] Just trust me :) xxx

Kurt pauses for a moment, wondering whether he should be analysing Blaine's last text as much as he is. It's not unusual to send your ex-boyfriend three kisses on a text right? But it only adds fuel to his earlier silence-induced contemplation of whether much of his agitation comes from the prospect of returning to New York with their relationship so…uncertain. There was a moment, before Regionals, when he could have sworn Blaine was going to ask him…something, on a date maybe? He's not sure if he should have felt as disappointed as he did when Blaine change his mind at the last second and asked him to stay for the competition instead. Blaine might have thought that Kurt wouldn't notice, but he knows Blaine better than probably anyone. It only added to his mounting feelings of tension and confusion.

Nevertheless, his reply to Blaine's baffling text is simple and genuine:

[To Blaine] I do

[To Blaine] But if there is some crazy axe murderer waiting outside to murder me, it's on your conscience!

[To Kurt] Why would there be an axe murderer?

[To Blaine] I don't know. You're acting suspiciously! I'll go and look if it makes you happy though.

{To Kurt] Yay! I've got to turn my phone off, we're being given a test. I hope you enjoy your surprise (please go with it!), maybe I'll see you later ;) xxx

Deciding he has nothing to lose, and certainly nothing more interesting to do, Kurt does as Blaine told him, walking to the front door and opening it. There, hanging taped to the front door is a simple white envelope with Kurt's name scrawled in Blaine's looped handwriting. He quickly tears the envelope down and rips it open, not really knowing what he expects to find. Inside is a single sheet of paper, with more words in Blaine's writing.

Kurt,

I know you're heading back to New York tomorrow but before you leave I wanted to give you a surprise, so I can tell you…well a lot of things, but as you know I'm not always the best with words so I've set up a little treasure hunt or sorts, that I hope will say everything I've been struggling to say.

I know that you're still finding it hard to trust me completely, I understand and I don't blame you, but I hope you'll trust me enough to go along with my crazy plan.

But because I'm annoying I'm not going to tell you where you have to go, you'll have to work it out from the musical clues I leave (the first one is on the back) I think you'll manage it, but you may have to cast your mind down memory-lane a bit!

Yours Always

B x

Kurt doesn't hesitate to flip the paper over and read the three lines of lyrics on the back.

We were both young when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts:
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air.

Somewhere in his head he knows he should be questioning this, questioning Blaine's intentions and what this secretive surprise might mean for them. The rational part of his brain definitely thinks he shouldn't be dashing back inside for a pair of shoes and a set of car keys without a second thought. But it's not his brain that is in charge right now, he thinks the thudding heart in his chest might be the one pushing him to the car. Only once he's buckled in with the engine running and the letter on the passenger seat does he calm down enough to question whether this is a good idea. But deep down he knows that his decision has already been made, as the same emotions he always felt when Blaine pulled one of his over-the-top romantic surprises reared their head. And maybe, he thinks, that if he goes along with this, if he lets Blaine communicate whatever it is he's trying to tell him, perhaps he can make some sense of the confusing tension that seem to be plaguing him so much lately.

So he drives, and it's not until he's been travelling for nearly ten minutes that he realizes he's travelling in the right direction without realizing it, he just knew instinctively where he had to go, where Blaine wants him to go, without even thinking about it. He just knows.

The memories come flooding back as soon as he walks up to the big entrance gates at Dalton. Memories of a time in his life that was both so fleeting and yet so influential, memories of shy smiles, blushing cheeks, tentative linked hands and soft, gentle kisses.

He heads straight for where he knows Blaine is sending him, because the words "we were both young when I first saw you" can only be referring to one place, the main staircase. It's as grand and magnificent as Kurt remembers, the spring sunlight streaming down through the high glass ceiling, but this time the stairs are empty, the students all in their classes.

Taped to the railing running down the staircase is another envelope, matching the first. Kurt doesn't reach for it immediately this time, instead he takes his time to look around, to remember.

"Hi, can I ask you a question, I'm new here"

"My name's Blaine"

"Kurt"

He remembers Blaine's bright, kind eyes. He remembers the way his heart skipped a beat when Blaine reached for his hand. He remembers the deep feeling that somehow, someway, everything in his world had just been…changed. Although of course it wasn't until later that Kurt realized just how dramatically and irrevocably his life had altered for the better. His hand shakes as he reaches for the next envelope and tears it open. This one contains no explanation; just what he assumes is the next clue. He reads it with a nostalgic smile.

I finally found you
My missing puzzle piece
I'm complete

Kurt sets off for the Senior Commons, through the halls he had always admired for their class and grandeur. He takes Blaine's so-called "short-cut" to the room he remembers so well, feeling a pang in his heart at the lack of the warm, comforting hand that had led him the first time he ever walked these halls.

As he approaches the open doors however, he hears the sound of music floating along the corridor. Not just any music though, the sort that conjures up images of perfectly coiffed boys, navy blazers and perfect synchronicity. The acapella voices echoing down the hallway, Kurt soon realizes, are singing a single word repeated over and over.

Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.

He stands in the doorway, facing the room that hasn't changed one bit since he was here the last time, and he's struck by a dizzying sense of déjà vu at the sight he is confronted with. A group of familiar, perfectly assembled boys in identical uniforms, singing in harmony. For a brief moment he thinks he's accidently interrupted a private rehearsal, but then Trent quickly steps forward from the center of the group, smiling in a friendly way and beckoning him forward, as he begins to sing solo, the rest of the Warblers continuing to chant in the background, all focused on Kurt with tentative smiles on their faces.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It's easy.

Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

"Thank you" he tells them after they finish.

The section of the song was enough to convince Kurt that this was not something he had stumbled into by accident, especially when the Warblers all gave small smiles before they leave the room, not speaking, Trent giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. A romantic serenade and a small table in the middle of the room with another envelope accompanied by two roses, one red and the other yellow, all of these gestures have Blaine's fingerprints all over them.

The sight makes tears well in his eyes, the fact that he has someone in his life who is willing to go to all these lengths, making him feel like the most precious and important guy in the world has him swiping at the moisture threatening to fall down his cheeks. It's all just so…Blaine.

Once Kurt has composed himself again, he returns his attention to the envelope and reads once again.

No one understands me quite like you do

Through all of the shadowy corners of me

I never knew just what it was about this old coffee shop
I love so much

Kurt's senses are immediately assaulted by the strong, comforting scent of coffee as he enters the Lima Bean. The coffee shop is surprisingly busy, all of the tables full except for one. Their table.

Katie, one of the girl's working at the counter who Kurt recognizes from his short time working alongside her, smiles and winks at him as he crosses to the empty, two-person table. There is, once again, one red and one yellow flower on the table, this time poking out of one of the Lima Bean's trademark cups, his name scrawled along the side. The next envelope is propped up against the cup, but as he reaches for it and begins to slip it open, Kurt hears the distinct shuffling of numerous feet and the squeaking of chair legs. He turns instinctively to see a significant number of the coffee shop patrons arranging themselves into some kind of formation facing him, all teenagers and all wearing a matching uniform that he mentally slaps himself for not noticing earlier. Especially because he has seen those red and grey uniforms before, they belong to the students of Haverbrook School for the Deaf.

With their usual proud smiles, they began to sing and sign at the same time.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

The rest of the patrons of the Lima Bean burst into surprised and appreciative applause as the choir take a bow, and Kurt responds with the silent sign he remembers was their equivalent of clapping. As they leave he returns to the next clue, wondering how Blaine managed to recruit the Haverbrook kids when he wasn't even at McKinley when they sang "Imagine" together.

The next clue is, once again, a set of lyrics he has no difficulty identifying.

Make of our lives, one life.
Day after day, one life.
Now it begins, now we start;
One hand, one heart.

McKinley's auditorium is silent when Kurt first enters, the lights dim and his footsteps echoing loudly in the cavernous space. He is in no rush, walking slowly to the stage, revelling in the memories: the countless glee club performances, his Dad's "Single Ladies" dance and of course West Side Story, the memory that had brought him here today.

Kurt remembers opening night of the fall musical as though it were yesterday, watching Blaine afterwards trying to perfect the already perfect, his words…

"Give me your hand; hold it to your heart"

"Just like the song"

"Like the song"

That night would be one that stayed with Kurt forever, even during the darkest days of heart-break; he had never been able to regret sharing so much with the boy he loved. Because it was Blaine, it had always been Blaine, and secretly he was able to admit tentatively to himself that it would only ever be Blaine.

Kurt is once again alerted to the sound of people behind where he sits on the edge of the stage, next to a white envelope. A group of immaculately dressed teenagers take centre stage, and even though he is getting used to the whole surprise serenade thing, it is still a shock to see Jesse St. James and what could only be the entirety of Vocal Adrenaline arranging themselves on the stage as Kurt plants himself in a seat along the front row to watch. He wonders, certainly not for the first time and probably not the last, how Blaine is able to convince people to do what he wants; he is willing to bet most of his wardrobe that it was due, at least in part, to his expressive puppy dog eyes, the ones Kurt himself had never been able to say no to. Like both of the previous choirs, Vocal Adrenaline's section of the performance is very typical of their usual style: up-beat and choreographed to perfection.

Nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

Vocal Adrenaline finish with a flourish of back-flips and confetti canons that has Kurt laughing at the insanity his life has become. He thanks the choir as they leave silently, before turning to the envelope, still marvelling at how much effort Blaine must have put in to get this all arranged for him. Kurt has to resist the urge to pinch himself for what feels like the hundredth time today. He thinks back to the first time he stepped onto this stage to audition for Glee Club, a lost and bullied kid with no self-confidence. He wonders what that Kurt would say if he could go back in time and tell him that one day in the not-so distant future he would be returning to this same high school from New York where he has a place at a prestigious theatre school, an internship at an internationally-renowned fashion house and an apartment he shares with two girls that he once swore he despised. Not to mention that he was being repeatedly serenaded by what felt like half of Ohio, thanks to a gorgeous guy with a heart the size of New York itself. A guy who loves him and - well if he can't admit it silently to himself now, then when could he? A guy he loves equally in return. The Kurt who once belted out Mr Cellophane on this stage would have had him committed to a psychiatric institution for even suggesting that this would be how his life would turn out.

He doesn't even try to swipe away the tears as they fall this time; dripping onto the paper he is unfurling in his lap. The clue making him smile through the tears, because it is almost as though Blaine's writing is speaking both to him and his younger self.

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel
Like you're nothing, you are perfect to me

Unlike the auditorium, the Choir Room is busy and buzzing with noise and activity as Kurt approaches. He checks his watch and is surprised to see how late it is, most of the students have already left, but he knows there is an after-school glee practice on today as Blaine had told him last night when they were talking on the phone. Kurt sees Sam poke his head out of the choir room door, his eyes scanning both ways down the corridor. When his eyes lock on Kurt, he doesn't say anything, just ducks back into the room, where Kurt can hear the hissing of numerous voices.

"Shhh"

"He's now coming"

"Quick! Is everyone ready?"

Kurt chuckles quietly to himself because they're about as subtle as the pair of bright yellow boots he owns. As he stands in the doorway his eyes flicker to each member of the glee club, a little surprised when he sees that Blaine is not among them. They all call out "Surprise!" and Tina and Unique usher him over to the piano where a bunch of more red and yellow flowers sit, an envelope next to them. Another one? he wonders, and as if Blaine had known what he would think, he had scrawled more words under Kurt's name.

"It's the last one - I promise!"

He turns to the glee club before he opens it, with a curious glance.

"You guys aren't going to sing to me as well?"

"Why would we?" Kitty bites back, but for the first time since Kurt has known her, there's no cold harshness in her eyes, just a mischievous glint that tells Kurt that these guys definitely know more than they're letting on.

"And I don't suppose any of you are allowed to tell me what all this is about, are you?" Kurt addresses the room at large.

"We wouldn't dare!" Artie shakes his head seriously, but he's smiling brightly like everyone else.

The last clue is the shortest and simple to understand when he studies it.

It's time to begin, isn't it?

The glee club insist on accompanying him this time as he follows Blaine's clue, but they remain tight lipped and refuse to answer any of his questions as they make their way out to the courtyard. Sam makes him stand in the middle of the steps before they assemble at the bottom. Kurt expects them to start singing, but they stay surprisingly quiet for a minute or two, almost like they are waiting for a cue of some sort.

Then everything seems to happen at once in a whirl of noise and activity. Music starts up again, loud and close. They begin with the New Directions chanting, just like the Warblers started with.

Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.

Then, as they keep singing, the brass band starts up. For one mad moment Kurt thinks they've materialised out of nowhere. But then his brain catches up and he realises that actually he had walked straight past them on the steps, not noticing them because they were in normal clothes rather than their performance costumes and had hidden their instruments, behind their backs, in big picnic baskets, under blankets, then they had pulled them out when he had his back turned.

That's when he hears it. The sound he's been subconsciously searching for all day, which is perhaps how he makes it out over the booming sound of the band. The sound is closer than he expects, right behind him in a way that makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A voice. But not just any voice, one seared into his mind and heart, one he couldn't ever forget.

Love is all you need

Love is all you need.

Blaine has a soft, loving smile on his face, one that Kurt knows is probably mirrored on his own, Blaine's bright hazel eyes are shining golden in the sunlight and he's… oh god he's wearing the same red pants, black shirt and striped bowtie he wore on his first day at McKinley after he transferred from Dalton. When he stood singing in this same courtyard, in his goofy yellow sunglasses and showing the same happy, yet oddly vulnerable, smile that he is wearing now.

All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.

Blaine's song finishes with a flourish and Kurt can see the band out of the corner of his eye, retreating to a further distance, to give him and Blaine some space he presumes. Blaine is still smiling at him, but now that he's finished singing, he seems shakier and more vulnerable, maybe even frightened. Kurt realises sadly that it's him that is causing Blaine to look like that, or rather his reaction that Blaine is nervously anticipating. And it is that, knowing that Blaine is as unsure and scared as he is, yet so courageous and determined to make things right all the same, that allows him to let down the last of the barriers he has kept around his heart for so long now. To let himself want, need, love. He lets go of all of his doubts and throws himself into Blaine's arms, holding him as Blaine clings to him just as tightly. Kurt vaguely thinks he hears someone say "aww" behind him, but it's all background noise, ignored and irrelevant.

"Thank you" he tells Blaine, holding his gaze and hoping he can sense the sincerity in his words "for everything, today was just… I can't believe you went to all that trouble, actually I'm not even sure how you pulled off some of that".

He knows he is rambling, but he can't bring himself to feel self-conscious, not with the adorable way Blaine's cheeks flush under the praise, the way he looks down modestly, an uncontrollable smile stretching across his face.

"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you, I…if you don't mind?", Blaine says gently.

"I think after that you could ask for anything" Kurt half-jokes, trying to ease the tense lines of Blaine's shoulders.

Blaine reaches tentatively for his pocket, pulling out a small black box from his pocket and making Kurt's heart stutter in his chest. Oh god, he's not going to…is he? But instead of getting down on one knee, Blaine just steps closer and hands Kurt the box, worrying his lip between his teeth anxiously, motioning for him to open it.

Inside the box, there is no jewellery like Kurt had expected. Instead there is something infinitely more precious. It is a small, pink plastic flower, one he had seen before, one he has actually worn before.

"It's…um I don't know if you remember but this was the flower you…"

"…wore to junior prom" Kurt finishes, voice choked with emotion "The one I wore with my kilt and you had a matching one and we were wearing them when you asked me to dance".

"Yes, it is, you left it in your old room and your Dad let me get it. I guess I just… well my senior prom is coming up and…I know you're really busy…and it's ok if you don't want to because I know, I know things still aren't perfect between us and I've messed up and I don't expect you to just…forget but…" Kurt takes Blaine's hand, runs his thumb over his knuckle in an attempt to calm his increasingly panicked tone, but he doesn't try to jump in, even though he's pretty sure he knows where this is going, he has the feeling that Blaine needs to get this out. Blaine takes a deep breath, and continues more steadily, probably due to Kurt's calm response.

"I love you…and maybe it's too soon to be saying that but it's true, and I know on some level you still feel something for me too and I really think that we can work things out. I don't expect things to immediately go back to normal, but I thought that this could be the start, of something…new and better. So, if you're not too busy…will you be my date to prom?

It's only when Blaine finishes speaking that Kurt realizes there are tears falling down his cheeks, whether from the overwhelming day he's had, the pure love and honesty shining in Blaine's eyes, or the realisation that there is nothing he wants more than what Blaine had just described. He scrubs his face and takes a deep breath before responding.

"I would be honoured, but I have just one small condition"

"What's that?" Blaine questions as he beams.

"I'll go with you to prom…if you agree to go out to dinner with me tonight…on a date"

He didn't think it was possible for Blaine's smile to get any bigger, but it does, becoming slightly teasing.

"Is this one of those "but we're just friends" dates or…?"

Kurt wipes the smirk off Blaine's face the best way he knows how, by leaning in and placing a short, gentle kiss to Blaine's lips.

"No, definitely not."

They turn back to their friends who are hovering nearby, trying to pretend that they're not paying attention and failing miserably, and for the first time in a long time Kurt's heart doesn't feel weighed down with tension, sadness or anger. He keeps holding the now closed black box tightly, his other hand slipping into Blaine's warm, familiar, comforting one, and he thinks that the beautiful, courageous, romantic man at his side might just be right, because this really does feel like the start of something new and better.