Dalton Academy was closed, abandoned, and empty.
Silence.
No shuffling from class to class. No more crisp and dapper uniforms. No birds chirping from underneath their clad covers. No more beat boxing. No more throwing of papers or climbing on furniture. (which the janitors were thrilled about both of those). No meetings about who gets what solo. No more cheery young lads swaying and humming to a sick tune, preparing for a competition. Nothing.
Silence.
Dalton had closed down after a huge raise in tuition. Slowly but surely, more and more boys left Dalton to other private schools. Some even transferred to that one public school in Lima; McKinely High. The Warblers were doing worse and worse in their competitions and soon they sang their final note. For good.
"Sweetie, please, just put the blindfold on. You're going to love this, trust me." Kurt Hummel told his fidgeting boyfriend as he tried to tie the blindfold around his lover.
"But it's so fun to tease you…ok, ok, whatever you say. Happy anniversary baby." Blaine Anderson replied as he leaned in to kiss Kurt gently on the lips before his eyes were covered in a blindfold.
Kurt could not wait for this. He was almost shaking as he tied a knot around Blaine's head. He and Blaine were celebrating their 10-year anniversary today and he had a few surprises up his sleeve for Blaine. He was digging through old stuff about a week ago and found an outfit that immediately took him back to his extremely good and bad high school years. 'Today was the day,' Kurt thought, 'I think we're going back.'
Kurt grabbed his backpack and led Blaine out to his car. "Blaine, just a warning, we've got a bit of a drive ahead of us and I have no idea how this little outing will go, so bear with me."
"That's kind of a daily thing in the life of Kurt Hummel's boyfriend."
"Oh shush, you." Still as playful as my first day with you, Kurt thought as they pulled out of Kurt's driveway and headed out for their adventure.
On the drive there, Kurt played some music that would surely set the tone for this day. First came Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, then Pink's Raise Your Glass, and then The Beatles' Blackbird, with some Gaga and some songs from that Harry Potter parody musical that Blaine was oh-so fond of in between each to not make it too obvious what Kurt was trying to say with his music choices today.
Kurt kept thinking 'has he figured it out? Am I too blunt with all of this? Does he still have no idea at all? What am I doing dragging him here after all these years? Will we even be able to walk in there? Is it still standing? What if it's completely back to normal and we walk in on everything back in session?' Kurt just turned up the oh-so-subtle music and took Blaine's wonderfully familiar hand as they kept onward with their journey.
"Are we there yet?" Blaine childishly asked.
"Actually, yeah. Are you peaking?" Kurt exclaimed as he turned off the car and checked Blaine's blindfold.
"No, no, just psychic."
"OH! OK! But don't you dare peak, Blaine Warbler."
"Didn't we establish a long long time ago that Warbler is not my name…?
"Smart ass." Kurt said as he closed the gap between them and pulled Blaine into a sweet kiss that never did seem to get old considering they've been together for ten years now.
After who knows how long, the kiss ended and as they pulled apart, Kurt realized Blaine still couldn't see. "We should probably get to that thing so you can see…"
"Yeah...that would be, uh, nice." Blaine replied as Kurt helped him out of the car. Kurt had a backpack with a few memories in them. He swiftly pulled out a jacket and put it on before proceeding to what used to seem like just memories and then threw the remainder of his stuff back into the car.
"So, Blainey," Blaine just seemed to blush and giggle like a five year old girl every single dang time his Kurt called him that and he could never ever get over it. "We're here, I don't now what'll happen, so let's just be open and I'll try to hold back as many tears as possible."
"Oh no, are we at your mother's grave site? …oh Kurt." Blaine tried grabbing Kurt's hand or arm or something but he still couldn't see so Kurt just stepped closer to him.
"No, her birthday isn't for a few more months, we're somewhere you know all too well." And with that, Kurt untied the blindfold ever so slightly to reveal where they were:
Dalton Academy.
Blaine's 'blindfold' was actually, his old Dalton tie. Kurt soon tied it around Blaine's neck and Blaine just stood there, shocked.
"Kurt…now I get it. I'm so, and just…oh my goodness, Kurt!" Blaine practically tackled Kurt into one of the most loving and passionate hugs imaginable, kissing every inch of skin of Kurt's neck and face. He never would have expected this, ever.
And then Blaine realized the jacket that Kurt was wearing. "And the jacket...oh my, I can't even, oh my gosh!"
"Welcome home my Warbler." Kurt managed to say back through shared hugs and tears.
They got into the building through an open window they had found after wandering around the lonely building and began wandering through the dusty, lonely hallways hand in hand, just like the old days.
They waltzed (literally, they were waltzing) from room to room as Blaine hummed tons of old songs that they used to sing throughout these walls (and atop furniture.).
And then they stopped. This Cinderella moment where she and her prince, dancing at the royal ball, totally captivated in each other through and through had abruptly came to a halt, but for a good reason.
They had literally bumped into something…something that had meant a lot to them…something that was extremely important in their relationship.
The staircase.
It all came back to them in a fuzzy, almost dream-like state.
Kurt was spying on Dalton just to see what it was like to go to a non-bully school. He was so lost and had been so cruelly picked on by…Karofsky. He needed to get away from it all and stumbled upon this little school…and Blaine freaking Anderson. He was so nervous and lost in the crowds of young men all wearing the same clothes, it was just a big fat fuzzy blur…
"Oh, um, excuse me, hi. Can I ask you a question?" Kurt blurted out, almost regretting it as he said it.
Until he saw him…until he saw Blaine. And once Blaine turned around, he was even more lost again. But only with whom he was looking at and who was looking back at him. Everything just stopped. All of his troubles, pain, and sorrow had vanished as soon as he had met those deep golden hazel, crazy, beautiful, multi-colored eyes.
"My name's Blaine." And then they shook hands. The second they touched, something jolted through Kurt that he'd never felt before, something he would never forget.
"Kurt," Kurt almost blurted out again. 'God, could you at least try to act somewhat normal, idiot.' He thought as he found himself staring at the most beautiful creature in
front of him.
Then Kurt remembered touching him again, they ran down a hall and the next thing he knew he was being serenaded with Teenage Dream in front of a lot of people.
"You were not a very good spy, you know." Blaine said as they both came back to reality still holding each other tightly.
"Oh, and what was the hand holding down the hallway when I had known you for 30 seconds and counting? Kurt replied.
"Hey, I couldn't help myself. You just stood out, not due to lack of uniform, but you were and STILL are the most wondrous and beautiful thing anyone could ever lay eyes upon. Forever glowing." Kurt and Blaine were now moving up to the middle of the staircase, about where their first conversation took place, sat down and just cuddled for a while.
They reminisced about old pranks they took part of, all the solos Blaine were granted, Pavoratti, trips to hang out with the New Directions kids. They talked about how clueless Blaine was when they first met. The Gap incident, their 'non-really' dates at Breadstix, when Blaine kissed Rachel when they were drunk, and when Kurt kissed Brittany when they was sober, when Kurt was the kicker on the football team, and how Blaine tried to teach Kurt how to be sexy. They talked about their first kiss and they may have shared a couple more. They talked about how empty the Warblers were after Kurt and later Blaine have left Dalton. They talked through it all, every single possible memory they had shared at Dalton.
"You know," Kurt later said, "I really don't tell you this enough, but I love you."
"I know, I love you t-"
"Let me finish, I need to get this out, so just listen." Kurt interrupted by putting a single finger over Blaine's lips which he kissed seconds after it was placed there. "When I say 'I love you' I really hope you know I'm saying that with as much love and affection that I can possibly give you. I love you." Blaine was completely blushing like a child and looked away from Kurt but he slid a finger under Blaine's chin to he could look at him. "I'm completely in love with you, more than I even know sometimes, I can't even come close to explain all of it. I. Love. You. We've truly come a long way, babe. Even though I was brought to you by pure pain and sorrow, it was all worth it. Blaine Anderson," Kurt took both of Blaine's hands in his so he could say this with all of the passion that he could. "If I hadn't met you at this spot 10 years ago today, I can pretty much guarantee you that I wouldn't be alive. YOU brought me hope…you gave me, dare I say it, COURAGE. You saved my life and I'm forever in debt to you. There is no freaking way on this earth that I could live without you. I need you in everything. You are not only my best friend, someone I can trust faithfully, my cheerleader-Don't you dare laugh, Anderson!" Which of course Blaine just HAD to chuckle a little. Kurt was a cheerleader in high school! A freaking Cheerio! "You know what I mean. You are my everything. You are not only all of those things, but you are my soul mate, my other half, my true love, and I couldn't stand living one more second on this planet without you by my side come all highs and lows. Will you marry me?"
Releasing Blaine's hands, Kurt pulled out a little box, opened it, and revealed a ring. It was a silver band with a band of diamonds along the center all the way around the ring. The light from the sunroof caught the ring perfectly and it just pulled on Blaine's heart. He was in tears in a matter of seconds. He pulled Kurt near him into a kiss that meant nothing to him but one thing: Kurt was his forever.
When they pulled apart, he could not stop staring at Kurt, just like the first day they met. Blaine had been awestruck and stunned out of his mind for a few minutes. He didn't know what to say or do except kiss his Kurt. His Kurt.
"So is that a yes?" Kurt asked after a few more kisses.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. Yes. Yes. Yes. Nothing in the universe would make me happier, seriously. Kurt, I love you. I love you more than life itself, than myself most of the time. I want, no need, to spend the rest of my life with you. Yes, I want to marry you too." Blaine said through more light happy tears, which Kurt kissed away immediately.
Kurt picked up the red and blue box holding the ring, he had it made with Dalton colors. Inside the ring, there was something written. In small, sweet cursive writing it spelled out "Kurt". Kurt showed Blaine a ring he was already wearing, took it off and showed that inside Kurt's ring, it said "Blaine". Kurt put his ring back on and slid Blaine's onto his left ring finger.
Blaine couldn't think straight anymore. Not until that ring was on his finger. The ring itself was very cool and when it slid perfectly onto his finger, it felt nothing but completely right.
Now it was Kurt's turn to cry. They just stayed like that for a while, hugging, kissing, and lightly crying.
They eventually made their way back to the car hand in hand after visiting Pavoratti. Maybe someday they can bring their kids to Dalton, even if it's a school again or demolished into nothing, this place will always have a huge place in their hearts.
"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…" Blaine starting softly singing as they reached the car. That was almost this couple's first goodbye. It was sad then, but now if couldn't fit any better, just like the rings on their fingers and a new promise of love, forever.