This got way longer than I expected, much to my delight.
Okay, first period calc, second period physics - ugh, gross - third period WHOA.
Blaine stopped dead after rounding the corner to his locker, lifting his head from his schedule to see Kurt Hummel at the other end of the hall, looking even more stunning than usual in his close-fitting Cheerio uniform. Even his face seemed more angular - and were those highlights in his hair? Jesus.
"How is this even possible?" he said under his breath, not wanting anyone else to hear him. "God, I thought he'd peaked last year, but I was wrong. How am I always wrong? It's been almost five years!"
He regained his composure after a moment and went over to his locker, easily getting it open and starting to organize his books inside.
"You see your eye candy yet?" Sam asked, appearing out of nowhere and almost making Blaine smack his head on his locker door.
"Way to scare the daylights out of me, Sam," Blaine said, retrieving his first couple books and slamming his locker shut. He turned to lean back against it. "And yes, though you know I hate it when you call him that."
"What else am I supposed to call him, bro? All you ever do is talk about how attractive and kind Kurt Hummel is," Sam said. "I'd refer to him as your boy toy if you ever got off your ass and made a move."
"Another reason why I'm never going to make a move at him, thanks," Blaine said, rolling his eyes. "Eye candy is bad enough. If you called him my boy toy, I'd probably have to get a restraining order."
"Fine, fine, I wouldn't do that," Sam said, holding his hands up in surrender. "But I still don't get why you won't even try asking him out! I've totally seen him staring at you during pep rallies before, man."
"I still think you were concussed that time," Blaine said, starting to walk to class. "And I just - I can't do it, okay? He probably doesn't even know I'm alive, much less have any kind of interest in me."
"I know what I saw, dude," Sam said, hustling to catch up. "I'm telling you, he definitely tries to get your attention whenever he's performing."
"We'll have to agree to disagree," Blaine said, stopping outside his classroom. "Thanks for the ego boost, though."
"I'll make you see it my way," Sam said, shaking his head. "All I ask is that you guys name your first kid after me. Sam's such a good gender neutral name!"
Blaine stared at Sam for a minute, unsure of how to respond, before clapping him on the shoulder and heading into class. He slipped into a seat on the far left side of the room, stuck in first row thanks to his last name, and started arranging his supplies on his desk in case they actually got around to learning something that day. Just as he was getting his last pencil in place, Kurt walked in, making Blaine fumble and knock it off the side of his desk.
"Here, I got it," Kurt said, scanning the seating chart quickly before hurrying over to help Blaine out. "I had to come over here anyways."
"Thanks," Blaine choked out, tongue-tied at his crush being so close. God, how is he even better looking when we're just inches apart? Even his freckles are adorable.
"Any time," Kurt said softly before taking a few steps down the row and sliding into a seat just off to Blaine's right. He had to pull his legs over the side of the desk to do so, but somehow he pulled it off without looking too gawky.
Blaine sat in silence until the bell rang, trying not to think about the last time Kurt had assisted him and failing miserably.
This is a little less dramatic, Anderson, get a grip. Grabbing your pencil off the ground isn't quite the same as shouting down three bullies who were trying to throw you in a dumpster in middle school. Hell, he probably doesn't even remember doing that, he told himself, biting down on his lip. Fortunately for his peace of mind, Mrs. Allen walked in just then, brandishing syllabi.
"Morning, everyone. Let's get to it," she said, handing Blaine a stack of papers and telling him to pass them back. As he twisted around, he thought he noticed Kurt rapidly shift his glance to his desk, as if-
-he had been staring at me. No. That can't be it.
Blaine couldn't help but notice a slight blush pop up on Kurt's cheeks as he turned back to the front, leaving him with the niggling suspicion that maybe Sam was on to something.
"Told you he stares at you!" Sam said jubilantly at lunch that day. "Now are you gonna make a move?"
"No!" Blaine said, glancing around the lunchroom to make sure no one was staring at them. "I could barely tell him thanks for picking up my pencil today, how am I supposed to string enough words together to ask him out? Besides, he's still Kurt Hummel, star of the Cheerios, and I'm me."
"Yes, you're you!" Sam said. "Blaine Anderson, on track to be valedictorian and president of like six clubs. Don't sell yourself short, bro, you've got a lot going for you."
"Oh yeah, I'll wow him with my study skills," Blaine said sarcastically. "That'll win him over."
"You know what you need? A wingman," Sam said, eyes lighting up. "I can totally help you out! I could borrow my aunt's dog and stick him in that big tree out by the parking lot, you know the one? And then you could climb up and rescue him and dazzle Kurt with your bravery and kindness to animals."
Blaine opened his mouth to speak, closed it, scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion, and then opened it again. "That's, uh, that's definitely an idea. Wouldn't we potentially get arrested for animal cruelty, though?"
"Oh, right, that would suck," Sam said, looking dejected momentarily before brightening again. "I'll think of something though!"
Before Blaine could tell him he really, really didn't have to do that, the bell rang, and they had to go their separate ways.
"Don't worry, bro, we'll land your man!" Sam yelled as they split off, making Blaine wince and hope Sam would forget all about his plans before long.
"Clearly he didn't forget," Blaine mumbled the next day, huffing a deep sigh. At that moment, he was locked in an unused janitor's closet after Sam had accosted him with a "Hey, I need you to come with me, wingman emergency!" on the way to lunch. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" he yelled, banging on the door.
The door rattling open from the other side startled him enough to move back, revealing a concerned-looking Kurt. Blaine blinked at the sudden brightness, feeling his eyes water.
"Blaine? Are you hurt? Are you being harassed again?" he asked rapidly, moving into the room. "Sam told me you were locked in here."
Just then, Sam ran by and slammed the door shut behind them, plunging the room back into semi-darkness - there was one flickering halogen bulb above them, providing barely enough light to see by.
"What the-"
"Damn it, Sam," Blaine interrupted, leaning back against the wall to his left. "I was hoping he would get distracted by something else before pulling one of these ridiculous schemes."
"Wait, Sam locked you in here? But he's your best friend, why would he do that?" Kurt said, looking adorably confused.
"He's trying to be my wingman," Blaine said simply, used to telling the truth. He clapped a hand over his mouth and blushed when he realized the implications of that comment. "I swear I didn't ask him to do this!"
Kurt laughed and sat down on Blaine's right. "It's alright, Blaine, I believe you. I can't say I'm not flattered at how far he's going for this, though."
"I can't say I'm not flattered at how often you come to my rescue," Blaine said, brain bypassing his filter as he plopped down next to Kurt. "Running to my aid today, getting my pencil for me yesterday…."
"Yelling at those bullies five years ago?" Kurt said quietly. The shy look on his face made Blaine's heart clench.
"You remember that?" Blaine said, just as soft. "God, I was petrified, but you just ran in and scared them away."
"I think I lost control of my body for a moment. I probably would've yelled at them for bullying just about anyone, but I had the most massive crush on you back then, so seeing you get cornered was my breaking point."
Blaine gaped.
"God, I remember hoping that you would ask me out after that," Kurt continued, gazing off into the middle distance. "Bullies I could handle, but cute boys evaded me. Still kind of do."
"I wanted to," Blaine confessed. "You had just saved me from those jerks, but I was so afraid that you wouldn't want to - or worse, that you'd give me a pity date - that I couldn't do it. I thought maybe once we got to high school, but then you hit that growth spurt and joined the Cheerios and changed your hairstyle, my God, Kurt. You got so far out of my league with every passing year that I couldn't even dare to hope."
"Out of your league? Blaine, have you seen yourself? I don't know what kind of workout regimen you've been on, but it's working, especially when you wear one of those button-downs that looks like it's about three sizes too small," Kurt said, startled. "It's going to be a miracle if I pass calc this year - I'm probably just going to stare at your arms the whole class."
Blaine made a series of noises that sounded something like hummana hummana wha? "So you really have been looking at me? Sam said - but I thought -"
"I just figured you thought no one here was worth your time, since we all know you're going Ivy," Kurt said, voice going soft and uncertain.
"Kurt, I've had a crush on you since middle school," Blaine said, shocked. He scooted in a little closer, placing his hand on Kurt's where it rested palm-down on the ground. "I figured you'd forgotten all about that day by now, but I assure you, I never have. I thought you'd think I was pathetic if I even tried to approach you for a spare piece of paper."
"I would never, Blaine. Hell, I'd give you an entire notebook if it meant you'd smile at me."
"So if I asked you out to dinner?"
"I'd ask what time," Kurt said, a hopeful smile appearing on his lips.
"Eight o'clock? This Friday?" Blaine asked, grinning back.
"Sounds like a date," Kurt said. He flipped his hand under Blaine's and squeezed.
The sudden pressure made Blaine look down at their linked hands, then up at Kurt's face - or more specifically, his mouth. Kurt seemed to be staring right back, from what little Blaine had seen of his eyes.
Blaine felt himself lean in. He couldn't tell if it was of his own volition or in response to Kurt's movement, but that detail felt irrelevant when Kurt's lips were on his own after five long years of mutual desire.
"Wow," he said when they pulled back.
"You can say that again," Kurt said, looking a little dazed. "I can't believe you made me wait five years for that, Blaine."
"You could have been less subtle!" Blaine said defensively.
"I was shaking my ass and giving you bedroom eyes while singing sexually suggestive songs!" Kurt said. "What else was I supposed to do, hire a skywriter?"
"It wouldn't have hurt," Blaine said, laughing at the thought.
"God, no wonder Sam took it upon himself to be your wingman," Kurt said, shaking his head. "It could have taken five more years just for you to work up the courage to say hello to me without his assistance."
"Locking us in a closet is assistance?"
"It worked, didn't it?"
"Yes, but now he's going to expect us to name our first kid after him. He explicitly told me so," Blaine said, making Kurt laugh.
"We'll put it on the list," he said, leaning in for another quick smooch that left Blaine's heart racing. "For now, I think I'd like to make up for lost time."
"Gladly."
(Blaine couldn't even be ashamed at the state Sam found them in at the end of the day. He could, however, be ashamed of the whoop of joy Sam let out at finding them in that state. At least until Kurt kissed his cheek sweetly and walked him to his car.)