A/N: Yay for fluffy one shots! My last Klaine fic was so well received I just had to write another one. I appreciate everyone's support so much; I feel very welcomed into the Glee fandom and that really gives me confidence to get more of this stuff out! Thank you all so much.
This idea came from someone on DeviantArt who wanted to know what Disney song we all wanted Kurt and Blaine to sing. I said I'd sell my soul to hear Kurt sing "So This Is Love" from Cinderella. Boom! Inspiration.
Please review! While I love seeing favorite alerts, reviews are probably the best inspirational tool I have to work with. Enjoy!
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"And one, and two, and three, and four…"
Oh, this is just silly, Kurt thought to himself as he danced his way across the McKinley High auditorium stage.
He'd been up here many times before and loved every minute of it. It wasn't often he found himself crying when he was simply doing what he loved. Maybe he was just letting out his emotions from the difficult afternoon he'd had, or perhaps he was simply getting frustrated with himself as he tried to dance to silence. Both elements seemed to be working against him. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't even bring himself to think of a song to hum to himself or imagine in his head.
He simply moved his feet in lockstep to the sound of his own breathing. No passion, no emotion, and no clue how to channel either.
Visiting McKinley had seemed like such a good idea on the surface. He hadn't seen his friends in so long. He missed them dearly, even Rachel, and he wanted to say hello to some of his favorite former teachers. Though he rushed from Westerville to Lima as fast as his dingy little car would take him, he found, to his disappointment, that glee club had already let out by the time he'd arrived.
His only regret was not remembering that football practice followed immediately after.
He couldn't help but continue to remind himself of how stupid he'd been, forgetting to look out for Karofsky and his lackeys. He was the very reason Kurt left the school; the very reason he was visiting the New Directions instead of practicing with them. And still, he simply waltzed into McKinley as though nothing were wrong, forgetting that he couldn't step foot inside the school until that black SUV was driven completely out of his sight.
The beating hadn't lasted too long. Still, Kurt shivered as he remembered Karofsky assuring him he wouldn't make good on his promise to kill him this time. He struggled a bit at first, but finally decided to 'play dead' as it were, as Karofsky's friends continued to wail on him. When they finally stopped, laughing as they exited the abandoned classroom they'd dragged him into, Kurt remained on the floor, staring at the ceiling, catching his breath, refusing to move an inch until he could no longer hear any voices. Apparently he'd made a good choice; he heard footsteps behind him. He wasn't alone just yet. He panicked when he saw Karofsky's face come into view. Maybe he was going to make good on his promise, beat him until he was dead, or at least wished for it.
Kurt shut his eyes tightly as Karofsky came closer.
The pummeling, he could handle. He was used to it, it happened often, and he knew how to shake it off. The rough kiss on his cheek, less so. Kurt's face became hot, and definitely not in the good way, like when he heard Blaine sing. More like a searing fire that made him feel the desperate urge to cry. And then, within seconds and without a word, Karofsky was gone.
Kurt spent the better part of half an hour in the restroom, scrubbing his cheek furiously with a wet paper towel, begging out loud, and in slight hysterics, for Karofsky's touch to leave his skin.
How he ended up in the auditorium, he wasn't sure. When he attended McKinley, it had been his safe haven. He came here to think, and more often than not, sing his feelings out.
He had no song in his heart this time, though. Not even an appropriately depressing one.
All he had was the silence.
His mind was drawing a complete blank. It frustrated him more than the afternoon's events. He was hurting, bottling up emotion, and he had no way to let it out. Something was missing.
It had been this way ever since he'd transferred to Dalton and his ideas were immediately shut down at the first Warblers meeting. Passion simply didn't come as naturally to Kurt since that moment.
He finally allowed tears to fall down his face as he stumbled over his own feet, trying desperately to rekindle his talent somehow. He finally stooped moving and let out a loud groan of frustration, reaching up and grabbing at his hair.
He gasped loudly when gentle hands gripped his wrists, slowly lowering them back down at his sides.
Kurt struggled weakly, not in any mood to put up another fight.
"Please," he whispered, now full on crying, "I've had enough torture today. Just leave me alone."
A hand moved from his wrist to his shoulder. "It's me, Kurt."
A weight lifted immediately off of Kurt's heart. He whirled around without thought, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck and burying his face into his shoulder. Despite the initial shock, Blaine calmly patted Kurt's back. Finally realizing what an awkward position he'd put the two of them in, Kurt quickly let go and cleared his throat.
"What are you doing here?"
Blaine shrugged. "I was getting worried. I figured you'd be back at the dorms hours ago."
Kurt chose, for the time being, to not question why Blaine would know if he was in or out at all.
"Jesus, Kurt," Blaine finally exclaimed, carefully placing two fingers under Kurt's chin. "What did they do to you?"
Kurt touched his cheek. He'd been too focused on scrubbing to notice if he'd obtained any bruises.
"I got beat up by Karofsky and his friends," he stated matter-of-factly with a shrug. Blaine made a face.
"And so… You came here to dance?"
"Yea, I guess," Kurt rubbed his arm nervously. "If you can call this dancing."
A slight pause followed.
"That's not all," Blaine said. "What else happened to you?"
Blaine bit his lip, not wanting to say anything, before he remembered that Blaine was the only one that knew Karofsky had kissed him to begin with.
Kurt lowered his head a bit.
"He kissed me again," he mumbled. "On the cheek at least, but still…"
Blaine grimaced. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't sure how to respond to that.
"Well… Look, you should get some ice or something for those bruises. Come on, let's get back to Dalton." Blaine reached out for Kurt, but pulled back when Kurt threw his hands up, almost as though in the middle of a robbery.
"No!" he exclaimed. "N-No, not yet. I need to get this out first. I need to get a song out, I need to let this emotion out," he finished with another angry groan and kicked at the air.
Silence hung in the air for a moment, save from Kurt's frantic pacing back and forth. Blaine remained still, hands behind his back as he watched the smaller boy move around in a tizzy.
Blaine finally came up behind him, first wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist to stop him, and then turning him around to face him.
"Relax," he instructed quietly, positioning one of Kurt's hands on his waist and holding the other. "You're trying too hard. Music has to come naturally."
Kurt's face remained expressionless, if not a bit unhappy, as Blaine slowly began to waltz the two of them across the auditorium floor.
Kurt wished he'd been in a better mood. He daydreamed about this moment often (though they were usually accompanied by a wedding atmosphere,) and should be feeling absolutely over the moon. Instead, he stopped Blaine, dropping his hands at his side.
"You don't have to do that," Kurt, stubborn as ever, muttered. "I faced countless challenges alone when I went to this school. I can dance on my own too."
Blaine's face seemed hurt for a moment, but he quickly regained composure. He reached forward, touching Kurt's cheek, before moving him back into position again. Kurt was too stunned to protest. Blaine's fingers on his cheek, however fleeting the moment was, were almost enough to completely wipe out the lingering feeling of Karofsky's lips.
"Kurt," Blaine spoke calmly, "Some things can't be faced alone. That's just life."
Kurt swallowed, his mouth felt dry. "Like what?"
Blaine continued guiding Kurt across the stage. "Take dancing for example," he said. Kurt gasped quietly when Blaine spun him around and dipped him, staring into his eyes. Though Kurt desperately wanted to remain upset, he couldn't help a small giggle escaping his throat. "Moves like this would be awfully hard with just one, don't you think?"
Kurt's smile lingered for a moment, but he quickly replaced it with a frown again.
"The moves aren't important," Kurt muttered. "I can't find the music or the words. Until I do, it's just movement for the sake of movement… It doesn't mean anything."
Blaine wrinkled his nose a bit in thought before pulling Kurt back up to his feet. He turned him around so that Kurt's back was to him. He carefully took his hands and started humming.
It was a tune, Kurt was ashamed to admit, he recognized right away.
"Interesting choice," he mumbled as Blaine began to lead again.
"Shh," Blaine whispered. "Just go with it."
Kurt was vaguely aware that he was holding his breath, but the pounding in his heart was making it difficult to inhale.
"So this is what makes life divine…"
Kurt's heart skipped a beat the way it often did when Blaine sang. Though, in all honesty, he was slightly disappointed that Blaine had chosen to skip over the 'love' part.
"I'm all aglow, and now I know…"
Kurt kept his eyes open, but they were distant, focusing on nothing in particular. That familiar surge began at his toes and worked its way slowly up his body…
Inspiration.
A song was definitely starting to come to him.
"Jump in any time," Blaine whispered, so quietly his lips were practically touching Kurt's ear.
Kurt swallowed a bit, and started out timidly. "The key to all heaven is mine…"
Blaine smiled contently and pulled Kurt a bit closer.
"My heart has wings, and I can fly…"
Suddenly, the feeling came bursting back to him. He'd missed it so much; hadn't felt it since he'd been in McKinley's Glee club. So when it finally hit him again, it hit him hard, and he sang out the next part loudly and confidently in harmony with Blaine.
"I'll touch every star in the sky…"
Kurt momentarily lost his confidence when Blaine turned him back around and looked him in the eyes, but determined not to stop just yet, he quickly found his voice again.
"So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of…"
A few more hums… And suddenly Blaine stopped.
Once again, right before the 'love' part. Figures, Kurt thought to himself.
Both boys remained silent for a moment. Kurt finally turned away, unable to handle the way Blaine was looking at him.
"Blaine…" Kurt finally croaked. "Are… Are you trying to tell me something?" He wanted to smack himself the second the words came out of his mouth. That had come out all wrong. This simply wasn't Kurt's day. Tear began falling again; he knew Blaine could see his shoulders shaking.
Blaine frowned, moving forward again. "Kurt," he muttered. One syllable. It was only his name that Blaine had spoken, and yet somehow it said everything. As though Kurt wasn't already aware of the answer to his question, Blaine wrapped his arms around his waist again, pulling Kurt dangerously close, and resting his chin on his shoulder. Kurt closed his eyes and took in a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding. He froze completely when he felt Blaine's hand on his knee. He squeezed gently before softly running his hand up the front of Kurt's leg, moving torturously slowly until he reached his hips.
Yes, Blaine was definitely trying to tell him something.
Kurt finally whirled around out of Blaine's grasp. Not that he exactly wanted to. He would have been content to stay that way all day. Unfortunately, he knew that wasn't an option.
"Blaine, w-we shouldn't be doing this. Not here. Not at a time like this."
Blaine lowered his head a bit, seemingly slightly ashamed of his behavior. It reminded Kurt of a shoved puppy. It was making it that much more difficult to not run over and move Blaine's hands back into position.
"You're right," Blaine muttered. "You don't need this. Not now, not after what just happened." Kurt didn't dare make any movements. "I told you I was bad at romance," Blaine finally managed awkwardly. Kurt couldn't help it, he chuckled slightly. It was infectious, and Blaine let out a slight laugh of his own. "The good news is," Blaine continued, "You're well worth the wait."
Kurt's face became hot again, though this time it felt so much different. The stinging burn of the fire was gone, now replaced with a warm, soft glow. He knew he was blushing. He hoped Blaine didn't notice.
"Come on, let's get back to the school before curfew."
Kurt nodded and grabbed his bag, hitching it over his shoulder and following Blaine out of the auditorium.
His afternoon had been simply awful, but he couldn't deny things were looking up drastically.
Not because of the way Blaine jokingly buckled Kurt into the car like a child. Not because of the way he adjusted the air conditioning so Kurt would stay cool on the ride home. Not because he'd walked Kurt to his dorm room, and even gently tucked him in. Not even because of the soft kiss he placed on his forehead before reaching over and turning his lamp off.
But because right before he stood up to leave the room, Blaine had found the courage to finish the last few lyrics.
"So this… is… love."