'Blaine, remind me why we're back at Dalton again.'
'Just, you know, reliving some memories. Come on it'll be fun. I promise.' Blaine smiles at his boyfriend before unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. His hand hovers over his pocket, dipping in quickly to give the little blue box a squeeze before he's pulling it out and moving to slip it into Kurt's.
They walk in amiable silence, their hands swinging lightly between them. It's a warm summer's day and both of them are back from New York to visit their families for a couple of weeks. The sun is warm on their skin and a breeze blows lightly through the air. Blaine has been planning this for months, he knows, almost without a doubt, that Kurt will say yes, but his stomach is still crawling with nerves. He needs this to be perfect, it's what Kurt deserves. Kurt: his silly, romantic boyfriend who spent so many nights imagining proposals from pretty boys when he was younger, he told Blaine this, giggling and drunk, one night when they were still in high school. It had been at one of Puck's disastrous parties, and from that moment on Blaine had promised himself that his proposal would be special, it would be perfect.
'You know that we don't even know anyone here anymore right? All of our friends graduated.' Kurt's laughing at him, smiling and leading them both towards the main entrance. It had been easier than he'd expected to get Kurt here, he'd dropped it into conversation on the plane ride over, but he hadn't expected Kurt to say yes so quickly. He doesn't know what he would have done if Kurt refused, it has to be here, the place where they first met. Blaine will accept nothing less.
'I know, I just thought we could have a look around, see if our pictures are still hanging in the Warblers' trophy cabinet.'
'Will they even let us in?'
'I don't know, you didn't have any trouble when you snuck in, all those years ago.' Kurt laughs, clear and melodic, throwing his head back and smiling. Blaine doesn't think he will ever get tired of hearing Kurt laugh, of the way he's so uninhibited and free, if only for a few seconds, of the way his face seems to shine with the joy of whatever it is he's laughing at and the way he sounds, beautiful and happy and just so Kurt.
Together they step inside the main office. Everything looks exactly the way Blaine remembers it, just like the first time he stepped inside this building and felt as if no one could ever touch him again. Dalton was his security blanket, his home, his safe haven, and coming back here just feels right. He still remembers the day he met Kurt like it was yesterday, that voice that stopped him on the staircase, and has never ceased to take his breath away since. He remembers the sad little smile on Kurt's face, the way he thought Kurt was the most beautiful person he'd ever met. He still does.
Blaine takes a deep breath, he can do this, he can most definitely do this. It's still terrifying, no matter how many pep talks he gives himself in his head or how many times he repeats the word courage to himself, he's still more scared than he can ever remember being. He's about to propose to the love of his life, and although rationally he knows Kurt loves him, knows that they both want this, he's still so afraid that he won't live up to Kurt's expectations or that he'll screw this up somehow.
'Are you okay, you seem kind of nervous?' Kurt looks up at him, brow furrowed, but he gives Blaine's hand a tight squeeze, promising to be there for him even if he doesn't know what's wrong.
'Yeah- yeah. I'm good, just thinking about you.'
'Oh?'
'I just really love you.'
'Well I just really love you too.'
They smile at each other and continue on their way. Blaine takes one deep breath before they reach the staircase, the staircase, and then he begins to descend. Kurt is in front of him, just as he planned and their hands are unclasped. Everything seems to move slower, he has more time to look around, to imagine what Kurt must have been seeing and feeling as he descended these steps almost four years ago now. His eyes lock onto the back of Kurt's head, the perfect coif of his hair leading down to the little tufts at the back of his neck that Blaine loves to play with before they go to sleep. His eyes rake over the slope of Kurt's shoulders, the slightly defined muscles of his arms and then the wonderful view of his back, dipping down to the curve of his ass, and then followed by those beautiful legs of his, lean and long and hugged perfectly by the jeans he's wearing. Blaine takes another deep breath, pats the box comfortingly in his pocket, and steels himself, ready to make sure that this is the view he is going to see for the rest of his life, that this is the body he will be walking behind for all eternity. He smiles as Kurt almost reaches the bottom of the stairs, and then speaks clearly and confidently, and just a little bit flirty.
'Excuse me, um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here.' Kurt turns, eyes widening in realisation before a smile breaks across his face. His blue eyes sparkle, and he grins, almost unable to help himself. He reaches his hand up to take Blaine's, and then tugs him down the last couple of steps.
'Come on, I know a shortcut.' And then he's off, laughing and pulling Blaine behind him in action that feels far too familiar. Blaine frowns. They aren't supposed to be moving, they're supposed to be at the bottom of the staircase, he's supposed to be on one knee, Kurt's supposed to be saying yes.
As much as he's disgruntled and all together thrown off course by this sudden turn of events, he's got to admit, half running, half jogging down this hallway with Kurt feels like the most familiar thing in the world to him. He remembers the first time: the exhilaration of holding a beautiful boy's hand and not having it ripped away from him, the high of being the lead singer of the Warblers, one of the most popular boys in school, loved and revered wherever he went. He remembers feeling Kurt's hand solid in his own and the feeling of everything clicking into place, as if he'd just found something he'd been looking for forever. And so even if he has to change his plan slightly, he'll indulge Kurt in his reminiscing because, at the end of the day, it won't matter where they are or what moment of their lives they're re-enacting. All that matters is that he's asking the love of his life to marry him and that he'll (hopefully) say yes.
They come to a stop in front of the senior common rooms, the very same place they'd been that day. Kurt drops his hand and turns to look at him. When their eyes meet, Blaine's are dark and confused. Kurt's are light, sparkling with a wild glow Blaine's only ever seen on a few occasions before. He's smiling at him, wide and beautiful, and though Blaine has no idea what's going on, or how he's going to propose now, he smiles back. Kurt darts in quickly to give him a kiss on the cheek before pulling back to look him in the eyes once more.
'Now if you'll excuse me.'
'Kurt wha-'
Blaine's eyes widen as Kurt pushes the door open fully and steps into the room. As music starts up from somewhere inside, his mind instantly recognizes the notes. Beyond the doors stands a group of Dalton boys, each one of them dressed impeccably in their tie and blazer, standing in a formation he knows all too well. Kurt shoots him a wink and falls into place at the front of the group, just as the introduction ends and he begins to sing the lyrics.
You think I'm pretty without any make up on
You think I'm funny when I tell the punchline wrong
I know you get me so I let my walls come down, down
Before you met me, I was alright
But things were kind of heavy, you brought me to life
Now every February, you'll be my Valentine, Valentine
Blaine guesses they're this year's glee club as they fall into step behind Kurt. They're singing a capella, an exact arrangement of the song that Blaine had sang to Kurt when he first stood in this room. A smile breaks onto his face, as Kurt's eyes meet his own. This should be cheesy and awkward and terrible, but somehow it's not. It's perfect.
Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I will be young forever
You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep
Let's run away and don't ever look back
Don't ever look back
The boys begin to move, with Kurt leading them into the signature two-step shuffle that the Warblers have always been so fond of. He can't believe that Kurt remembered the steps after all this time. Kurt grins, his eyes locked on Blaine's, and leads them all into the chorus.
Let's go all the way tonight
No regrets, just love
We can dance until we die
You and I will be young forever
You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep
Let's run away and don't ever look back
Don't ever look back
The dance steps are exactly the same as the original. Blaine has no idea how Kurt remembered them, although he thinks he probably called Wes or Trent, but even so this is a lot of effort for him to have gone to just to make Blaine smile. It's cute though, like reliving their old lives, watching their relationship flicker and bloom on a screen so they can see just how far they've come. It's like all the laughter and the heartache, the kisses and the tears and the nights spent wrapped around each other in the dark, all of it wrapped up in the lyrics of one song that Kurt sings so perfectly - clear and heartfelt and beautiful. It makes Blaine's heart ache.
I'm a get your heart racing in my skin tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep
Let's run away and don't ever look back
Don't ever look back
The song is almost at an end, and if Blaine had had any doubt before- not that he ever would have- it would all be gone now. Kurt is the love of his life, the man he intends to marry. Only Kurt could have pulled this off so well, only Kurt could make it seem sweet and special and endearing instead of awkward and corny and cringe-worthy. Only Kurt could still take Blaine's breath away, make tears prickle behind his eyes because of a silly pop song, and make him smile wider than he ever thought he could.
My heart stops when you look at me
Just one touch, now baby I believe
This is real, so take a chance
And don't ever look back, don't ever look back
I'm a get your heart racing in my skin tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me in my skin tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight.
The song ends, the rest of the boys moving back and filing out of the room in all directions- chattering amongst themselves- and Kurt steps forward, smiling nervously at Blaine and trying to gauge his reaction. Blaine just smiles back, blinking the tears back somewhere behind his eyes because he can't let himself cry already. He has to do it now; he can't physically wait any longer to make Kurt his, he feels it bubbling up in his chest, clawing to get out. He feels like he might implode if he doesn't do it this second, he's been waiting so long and Kurt is so perfect. He takes one last deep breath.
'Kurt you-' he stops in his tracks just before he falls down onto one knee.
Kurt is on the floor in front of him, lowered on one knee himself and smiling up at Blaine from the floor. His smile is so wide, nervous and hopeful and gorgeous all rolled into one, and Blaine's brain can't even seem to catch up, can't comprehend whatever is happening in front of him.
'Blaine Devon Anderson-' Kurt begins, his voice shaky and high, tears already welling in his eyes to make them shine an even brighter blue. 'Oh God I had a speech.' He laughs softly and ducks his head in embarrassment, tears definitely present in his eyes now and a few of them sliding down his cheeks to where his smile is so wide it's lighting up his face. 'I can't- I'm not going to be able to get through this.' He laughs again, the noise ending in some kind of sob as the tears begin to fall more freely. 'I suppose you already know how much I love you, I love you more than anything else in the world, and so Blaine Anderson, will you marry me?' Kurt pulls a dark red ring box from his pocket and opens it, offering it up in front of him. He finally looks back up at Blaine, his eyes glistening as the tears still fall, but his face lit up by a grin, his whole body seems to glow with exhilaration, his eyes are crinkled and his cheeks are wet, and his smile is so wide Blaine can see the dimples nestled in his cheeks, but he honestly doesn't think Kurt's ever been so beautiful.
Blaine gapes at Kurt, his mind barely registering anything that is happening to him. All he knows is that Kurt is crying and laughing and looking at him expectantly. Crying and laughing and looking at him expectantly from down on one knee on the floor. Crying and laughing and looking at him expectantly from down on one knee on the floor with a ring in his hand. All of sudden the weight of the little blue box in Blaine's pocket feels far too heavy.
Wordlessly Blaine lowers himself to the ground until he too is bent on one knee, mirroring Kurt's position exactly. He reaches slowly into his pocket and pulls out the box, popping the lid and holding it out for Kurt to see.
'I'll take that as a yes.' Blaine breathes, the minute the words are out of his mouth it's like a gate has opened and the tears are falling free and fast down his cheeks. He half giggles, half sobs, smiling at Kurt and never looking away from his eyes.
'Wait what?' Kurt laughs, brushing at the tears still streaming down his face.
'You didn't think I actually just wanted to sightsee did you?'
'Yes! I was so worried about how to get you here and then you just brought it up casually- I thought it was a sign or something.'
'No, I was trying to propose to you, you dummy. I meant to do it on the stairs and then you ran and- I don't know I figured I'd have to change the plan slightly, I didn't think you were going to-' Blaine gestures to where Kurt is still kneeling on the floor, laughing again at the absurdness of it all.
'You were going to- and then I?' Kurt looks between the open ring boxes they are both still holding in their hands. 'Wait does this mean we're engaged?'
'Oh my God, we're engaged!' Blaine throws himself forward, tackling Kurt in a hug that sends them both reeling a little further back than they expected. He pulls back excitedly to smile at Kurt before diving in for a kiss. They're both still crying as the kiss each other, desperately and messy. They smile into the kiss, neither of them thinking they can stop as they move together for god knows how long. Their arms wrap around each other, pulling them both in closer together as they move up onto their knees on the floor.
After a while Kurt pulls away with a horrified look on his face.
'I can't believe I ruined your proposal!'
'I can't believe you remembered all the steps to Teenage Dream.'
'No but seriously I ruined your proposal.'
'No you didn't, yours was perfect and unexpected and wonderful, and it was a million times better than mine ever could have been.'
'No, because you're always so good at this stuff, you know. romantic speeches and everything. I was crying before I even started speaking.'
'Kurt, you are perfect.'
'Perfect enough to forgive me for stealing your thunder.'
'Perfect enough even for that.' Blaine smiles at his fiancé- he will never get tired of saying that- and takes his hand in his own. 'I guess we should make it official.' He says, pulling the ring out of its box, it's a plain silver band, with a single diamond set into the metal and the words perfectly imperfect engraved on the inside. He slides it easily onto Kurt's finger, still crying. Kurt does the same, the ring he'd chosen for Blaine is almost exactly the same- figures- except is has two smaller diamonds nestled next to the first and the words my missing puzzle piece engraved on the inside. It's scary how similarly they think sometimes.
'We're engaged!' Blaine manages to squeak out, rubbing hastily at his eyes and pulling Kurt in for another hug,
'We're engaged.' Kurt repeats, whispering the words into the side of Blaine's neck, and squeezing the other man tightly in his arms.
'I love you so so much.'
'I love you more than anything in the world.'
'We're engaged,' they say in unison. Another bout of tears spills from their eyes but neither of them can be bothered to care anymore. They wipe them from each other's cheeks and stand together, arms wrapped around each other's waists and smiles so wide they're actually making their cheeks hurt. But neither of them cares, they're crying and they're smiling and they're engaged. Everything is perfect. They couldn't be happier, not when they're wrapped up in each other's arms. Not when they're walking away from this room, back down the corridor where they first held hands and back up the flight of stairs where they first met. Their old selves are flickering, young and new and scared, like holograms that they pass through easily. They keep going, back to the start and then on still, up the stairs and out into the sunshine to begin the rest of their lives together.
Thank you for reading and tell me what you think! xx