Author's Note: These are all short stories about Klaine based on songs by Jay Brannan. There's a real mixture from complete AUs to drabbles that fit alongside canon. Please, please don't skip over the song lyrics, they're part of the stories and I've never copied out more than a couple of lines at a time.
Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: Song lyrics (in quotation marks and italics) are all by Jay Brannan; characters all belong to Fox.

Can't Have It All

"Applying moisturiser in the microwave mirror
For the tenth time, he should've called me an hour ago
Would he be here with flowers if I lived in Arizona?"

Blaine was late for their Skype date. Again.
When Kurt's computer finally bleeped to let him know Blaine was online, he accepted the call to see a flustered Blaine tugging off his bowtie and babbling an apology:
"I am so, so sorry! Sam and I were working on our campaign for student president and it turns out he needs far more work than I thought to turn him into an acceptable VP candidate-"
"It's fine, Blaine," 'Seeing' his boyfriend there, Kurt felt a rush of affection and let slide the fact that he'd spent the last hour pacing round his room, bemoaning ever moving to the big city.

"They say there's no love left in the big cities, it's kinda true"

It wasn't the same. They both let the task of keeping in contact, properly in contact, slip. Not intentionally. They were trying to find something to occupy themselves, to take away the gaping holes in their chests.
It's ironic, really, Blaine thinks. It's another evening, after another Skype date. Kurt had chattered on about his work colleagues without really acknowledging that it was the love of his life he was talking to beyond the usual 'I miss you' and 'I love you', delivered (Blaine thought) slightly robotically, reluctantly. So Blaine cries, and tries to write everything down so maybe next time he can tell Kurt how he feels and they can fix everything.
Unsuccessfully. He's always had such a way with words but now, when it's so important, they fail him.

"Fuck this, this can't be my life,
Tears flowing in full force tonight
Why can't I sit down and write,
Bring this question to light?"

Put too much pressure on something and it breaks. Make something into a choice and at some point you have to choose.

"Do you want a lover, or do you want a life?"

Sometimes bones heal stronger; scarred skin is tougher. People learn from their mistakes.

"Do we hold the future, or does it come in peace?
And if it's in my hands, are you sure it should be in brittle hands like these?"

Different mistakes, for sure. But they both know, they both understand, what's at stake this time around. They both know that it has to be worked at.

"Life, love, and the pursuit of all the things they promised me
Can I have all of the above? Are the best things in life truly free?"

Half-Boyfriend

If you ask Kurt and Blaine what they are to each other you'll get the instant reply of "He's my best friend". Kurt will add "he's far too cocky" and Blaine will describe him as a "loudmouth bitch" in return.
If you ask the same question to their friends at NYU they'll tell you that the boys are rarely seen apart, that they fight and flirt relentlessly but will do absolutely anything for the other. From covering with lecturers to helping each other pick up (or get rid of) guys.
If you ask their exes (and Blaine's current boyfriend) they'll tell you that the pair cannot possibly just be friends. No way.
They're right. Kurt's had a crush on Blaine since they met in high school. He's tried to suppress it - why would Blaine ever be interested in him?

"I hope it isn't showing"

Blaine's crush started when Kurt got his first boyfriend senior year. Both boys fall harder every day they spend together.

"But I think I love you"

They're kind of stuck like that. Neither realises that they share the same feelings - they've been friends so long, wouldn't they have noticed? So they both date. Kurt can't hold a guy past a month and Blaine has an on-off relationship with Josh, a Chemistry major. And it hurts, to see each other with those guys. It's a stab in Blaine's chest every time he realises that Kurt's newest date is tall, and fair-haired, and the complete opposite of Blaine.

"I could give a million reasons
Why we should not be friends"

It's not an entirely healthy friendship, they're both aware of this. But they persist.
Until one particular evening. Josh had broken up with Blaine the previous weekend and so Blaine had spent the week moping. As per usual. So now Kurt's trying to get his friend to come out with their group of friends and enjoy himself. And he snaps.

"I've shown up for you
In ways that boy never would, but
I know you'll go back to him"

Blaine never seems to appreciate Kurt being there for him every single time Josh chucks him. Every. Time. He'll drop everything for this boy who has never noticed him properly.

"Hope you don't go backwards
'Cuz I'm going on ahead and
One day you'll wish that you had
Stuck with me instead"

Yes, Kurt's a drama queen. He storms out, hoping he can actually move on this time.
Blaine's left there, stunned. All this time, he's been trying not to get too attached, thinking Kurt would never want him back. He saw how many guys Kurt dated, how he could break up with them and barely shed a tear and he'd never wanted to just be one of his conquests.

"Mine was the heart I never thought you would break"

But it seems Kurt can break his heart without even knowing.
So he follows. He knows exactly where Kurt goes when he's upset.

"As I wander through Union Square
I remember when you followed me there"

He's sitting on a bench, watching the people going by, liking the anonymity, that no one know who he is or why he's there. Then he sees Blaine, who sits down next to him, takes his hand, and then pointedly looks away. Kurt's lips twitch at the other boy's exaggerated movements.
"Stalker."
"You like it."
"Always."

"Being your half-boyfriend was only half bad"

At First Sight

Why did he ever think dating a fan was a good idea? Blaine's first album had done well and he'd been touring, singing to small, sold out, venues. Sebastian had been flattering and attractive and things had started off well. Then things had changed.

"I know you hate me, I'm a perceptive guy"

Sebastian acted the devoted boyfriend at parties and events but in private he constantly picked at Blaine. Then Blaine walked in on him shagging another guy so they were done.

"You like the guy on your iPod, not the guy in your bed"

No more fans, then.
He was meant to be working on songs for his second album but he found himself uninspired. Most of his previous songs had been light, romantic, hopeful tunes but Blaine wasn't in the mood. He had managed to write a song about the break-up but his record company weren't happy he included an explicit sex reference...
So he took a couple of months off playing gigs at small bars and coffee shops, looking for inspiration.
Like that guy at the bar who caught his eye and smiled shyly. Blaine smiled back before remembering that most of the crowd were there to hear him sing in a bit.
"You should talk to him," that was his best friend, Wes.
"No more fans, remember?"
"That wasn't a 'my idol just noticed me' smile. Go on, take a chance," Wes practically pushed him towards the other guy.
"Uh, hi. What brings you here?" he cringed internally.
"Oh, my friends are fans of the singer, they insisted on this being our night out."
"Ah, do you not like him?"
"He's okay, I guess," he shrugged, "You know what it's like when your friends are big fans of someone - you don't really get a chance to judge for yourself... And you're probably a fan yourself and now I've kind of insulted him you're going to quickly walk away!" Blaine laughed at that.
"Nah, I think he comes over as a bit of a jerk, really," Wes came over then.
"B, it's time."
"Excuse me, uh...?"
"Kurt."
"Kurt. I'll see you in a bit?" He nodded in reply. As Blaine walked to the small stage, he saw a short girl head up to Kurt and berate him.
"Just because you don't want to be here, doesn't mean you can take ages with the drinks!"
Blaine kept his eyes on Kurt as he picked up his guitar and introduced himself.
"Hi, I'm Blaine Anderson," the guy looked confused briefly but then smirked and rose an eyebrow - Bit of a jerk? Really? - "This is a new song I've been working on for a while but I've just now figured out how to end it..."

"Never believed in love at first sight, but now I think I might"

Housewife

None of them really understand. We're supposed to be this tight-knit band of misfits but none of them know what it's like to really, properly, be bullied for something that you cannot, will not (and should not have to) change.
Kurt tightened his grip on the steering wheel, gritting his teeth in anger. The bullying had stepped up this year, Karofsky really seemed to have it in for him. And no one noticed. His 'friends' had dismissed him today, shooting him down without a care.
Maybe they don't care.
They did though, Kurt thought. It was just that they cared about themselves and their own drama more, whoever they were dating that week. That's the thing that bothered him most - that they all flitted in and out of short-lived relationships, cheating and lying and backstabbing, most of them. Whilst he was alone. More than alone, he was lonely.
He wanted that world.
The thrill of falling in love.

"Two bodies pressed together
Two boys are falling hard"

Someone who loved him and was his everything.

"Crazy about each other"

Someone who understood him.

"We both have fucked up pasts"

Someone who would make him properly smile again; someone he could be completely himself around.

"But when we are together
We have a fucking blast"

More than just the casual high school romance, though, Kurt wanted something serious. He could already see himself doing the domestic parts of a relationship.

"Don't mind doing his laundry
What are boyfriends for"

And the commitment.

"I wanna wear his ring"

Yeah... He knew all that was a way in the future but, hey, a boy can dream, right?

"Can't wait 'til he's in my life
'Cos we haven't met
We haven't met yet"

One day...
He pulled into a parking space and got out his car, brushing down his jacket and looking up at the imposing building.
Dalton Academy Warblers. Let see what you're like, then...

Home

Two weeks after Kurt's Dad dies, he leaves.

"Fatal habits, broken dreams,
Waking up isn't all it seems"

There are social workers trying to settle custody and his friends half-avoiding him and he cannot stand it any longer. He throws his stuff in his car and drives west, all the way to LA. He sells his car, rents a motel room and dyes a blue streak into his hair. He does not want to be recognised and sent back to Ohio. He spends a week going around all the tourist spots; he can almost forget that he's not just on holiday. He thinks about ways to get by over here, make money and maybe, just maybe, make his mark.

"We were free but misguided
And we had no place to call home"

He meets Blaine when he sneaks into a club. The trick is to look confident - with the walls he's built up against bullying and small-mindedness, projecting an aura of aloofness and superiority is easy. He sits at the bar, surveying the crowd and enjoying his slight tipsiness, when the boy catches his eye on the dancefloor. He's evidently styled himself to look old enough to be there legally but Kurt can tell he'd still a teenager. Something in his blush and shy smile when he catches Kurt staring at him. He drains his glass and goes to join him. They dance, getting gradually closer until the shorter boy leans up and captures the other's lips. It's sloppy, and persistent and not at all what Kurt imagined for his first kiss but it feels right. Without thinking too much, Kurt gestures towards the door. He'll freak out later about what he's decided to do, if he freaks out at all. Right here and now, going back to his motel with this guy seems a good idea, another way to forget.

"We were young and excited
We were lost and alone"

They stumble onto the street, arms around each other's waists. Kurt steers them in the right direction for the motel, but as soon as they're out of people's way, the dark-haired boy pulls him towards the wall, kissing him hard. He breaks away, giggling slightly.
"You're really beautiful, you know?"
"I, I'm Kurt."
"Blaine. Can I come back to yours?"

"Late nights in Hollywood banging guitars and boys"

They stayed up until dawn. Dozing and making out and getting off. And chatting. Abstractly. Kurt knew nothing concrete about Blaine beyond his name and yet he knew what the boy wanted in the far future, where he wanted to visit one day and what he thought about colours and music and being alive.
He was still there when Kurt woke up in the midday sun, blinking and smiling fondly at the boy curled up next to him. Blaine stirred too, yawning and stretching contentedly before swearing suddenly and leaping up, pulling his clothes together. Even though Kurt knew this was just a one-night stand, his heart plummeted. Blaine caught the expression on his face and hurriedly apologised.
"Sorry, not you. It's my brother. I kind of, uh, snuck out without him knowing last night and he'll be worried..." the boy came closer, kissing Kurt tenderly, "I really enjoyed last night."
"Me too," Kurt wondered if he should say more, like 'I hope this meant as much to you as it did to me' or 'can I see you again', but he didn't.

"We held on to what we couldn't see"

He finds himself at the club at the same time the following week. Yes, it's enough to have this great memory; and, no, no one who has a worried brother waiting for them at home deserves Kurt and his messed-up existence. But he's selfish, and he wants more than they've had.
This time it's Blaine sitting at the bar. With another guy, older than him. Kurt tries to duck away out of sight but Blaine sees and the pair make a beeline for him. The older guy ushers them outside and to a café down the street. Turns out this is Blaine's brother, concerned when he heard about a boy Blaine's age living on his own in a motel. The only thing countering Kurt's instinct to flee is Blaine's hand in his own.
It takes weeks before Kurt trusts that Cooper isn't going to call the authorities on him and agrees to take up residence in their spare room rather than his crappy motel. Even then, it's Blaine pointing out that Cooper's a heavy sleeper and won't notice if they don't sleep in separate rooms that clinches that deal.
Eventually he hears the full story of why Blaine is living with his brother rather than his parents. About the Sadie Hawkins dance and parents that care more for their image than the happiness of their son. In return, and because he feels ready, he tells Blaine about Burt Hummel.

"I carried you, you carried me"

They heal gradually. But together, always together.

"We were free but misguided
And we'd found a place to call home"

Bowlegged and Starving

"I'm bowlegged and starving, but
Walking home happy"

God, Kurt loves this city. Stepping out of the apartment building, he pulls his coat closer against the chill night air. He takes his time walking home, admiring the bright lights and absorbing the vibrant atmosphere of the 'city that never sleeps'. He's tired from the week's work and hungry as he's saving up for new shoes but, right now, he would not change a single thing in his life.

Getting laid has that effect on him.

"He said I could spend the night
I said thanks but that's alright"

The only times Kurt stays over at Blaine's are when they go out clubbing and he gets too drunk to insist on walking home. On those infrequent nights, he's generally too drunk to fulfil the 'benefits' part of his and Blaine's arrangement.

Tonight was a fairly typical Friday evening - Kurt hadn't liked the sound of his roommates' plans and he was horny. A quick text to Blaine to confirm he was up for it and Kurt had been on his way.

"Let this mark the moment
When I felt freedom ring"

They had just been friends originally when they met at college. But Kurt never could resist flirting with someone as cute as Blaine. Before they'd started hooking up, Blaine had briefly brought up the possibility of being boyfriends, committed to one another and all that jazz. That's not what Kurt wants though. He likes being free to make his own plans and change his mind on a whim. He likes being able to take on extra projects at work without having to think about how it might affect someone else. He likes that he doesn't have to think too hard about feelings and shit.

He's young and free and this set-up suits him right now. That's what he tells himself and anyone who dares judge him.

"Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's hot,
Sometimes he loves me, sometimes he loves me not"

Blaine would prefer a boyfriend, if he's honest. A relationship with all the ups and downs that come with that label. At least, he thinks, he wouldn't constantly be second-guessing what Kurt feels about him.
There are many evenings when Blaine lies in bed as Kurt leaves and he tries to talk himself into calling off their arrangement - finding someone to be with rather than just sleep with, someone who will like him back.

But then Kurt is Kurt. There's a spark there that Blaine hasn't found with anyone he's tried dating. More than that, there are times when he looks at Kurt and gets a hint of hope that his feelings might be returned. Like just after they finish in bed, laying in each other's arms and Blaine whispers 'stay' (as he always does) and, for a brief moment, it looks like he might this time. Or the last date Blaine had been on. Kurt had walked into the café and seen the pair holding hands. They'd said hello and Kurt had glared at Blaine's date for the entire conversation. The mind-blowing (jealousy-fuelled) sex they'd had that night had more than made up for Kurt's ill manners.

There's also the stuff he shares with Blaine. He's the first to know when Kurt has had a bad day at work with him spilling out the details over takeout that he brings to Blaine's rather than eating with his roommates. He's also the only one to know the full extent of the bullying Kurt had experienced at school, what he felt when his Dad had his heart attack and again through his cancer treatment.

This particular Friday evening Blaine is sat on his bed, feeling used and hollow now that Kurt's left. He thinks about their relationship and he realises that he can't do this anymore. He thought he could; he thought he could be patient and wait for Kurt to grow up and reach the same point as Blaine. But nothing's going to change unless he initiates it. He pulls on his clothes and shoes and rushes out after Kurt. As Blaine catches up the other man turns round, confused, wondering what he could have left behind.

"I want more. I want a boyfriend. I know you don't and, more than anything, I want you so I've never pressed it. But if there's any chance at all that you are ready for more than just being casual, then I want to be with you," Blaine held his breath waiting for Kurt's reply. For better or worse, this would change their relationship.

"I thought you were okay with it," Kurt spoke in a small voice.

"I was, I was. But I'm not now."

"Well, then," Kurt drew himself up and held his head high, "I suppose you should go and find someone who treats you better than I have."

"But I want you, Kurt."

His look spoke volumes.

"I know what you're gonna say
No one could love me this way"

"Well, I do. Foolish or not, I love you."

"Okay."

Ever After Happily

"It's the stories they told us when we were younger
About life and love.
How our happiness lies in the hands of another
Who'd fly in on the wings of a dove"

This is how Kurt imagines falling in love. One day the guy he's crushing on from a distance will turn around in the school hallways, see him standing by his locker and realise that Kurt was the one for him all along. He'd sweep him off his feet in a grand romantic gesture. Then -
"Kurt!" his best friend's voice broke him out of his daydream, "Come on, we need to get to class."
"Got it," he pulled his books out of his locker and they headed down the hallway, past Kurt's crush and his current girlfriend.
"So my Mom said I need new jeans and trainers, are you up for a shopping trip this weekend?"
"That depends. Do you need me there to stop you buying more bowties?"
"I am perfectly capable of going shopping and not buying bowties!"
"Blaine, your Mom actually asked me to stop you buying more," Kurt smiled at their easy banter as they sat down, "You have a problem, my dear."
In the meantime, waiting's not too bad. One day he'll get everything he's dreamed about; he has the innocent hope of the shy sixteen year old that he is when it comes to love and first crushes...

"Another boy kissed me today,
I laughed in his mouth.
It's not funny that I'm not kissing you,
I'm not laughing because we fell through"

Kurt's too shocked to kiss Blaine back.
They'd been hanging out at Blaine's house, their studying temporarily abandoned in favour of dancing to cheesy music. One song had finished and Blaine had paused in his movements. Kurt continued shimmying towards him, enjoying being silly with his best friend. Then Blaine had leant in and kissed him gently to Kurt's complete and utter surprise.
He's pulled away quickly when he realised Kurt wasn't kissing back, looking wide-eyed and almost as surprised as Kurt. He also looked sort of hopeful and Kurt has never hated himself more than when he bolts out of Blaine's room without a single word.
He drives to the park nearby, sits in his car and tries to make sense of everything. Blaine knows about Kurt's crush, knows everything he thinks about love. He's listened patiently to all of Kurt's hopes and laments; has he liked Kurt all the way through that?

"You're right,
You are Prince Charming.
On to the next princess
When he's bored with the last"

Why had Blaine never pointed out how foolish Kurt had been? His crush was straight. He had had girlfriend after girlfriend and, as normal as it is to have one unattainable crush, Kurt suddenly felt guilty and embarrassed. He's been in love with an idea and gushed about it to a guy who actually likes him without having the faintest clue of how cruel he'd been.

"Well, that's the way the fairytale goes:
Boy meets girl and they wed with roses.
But that's not the way it seems to be
And I'm pissed that they lied to me"

Why must real life be so messy and awkward? What is the point of telling kids all these stories where everything fits together neatly if they have no bearing on what actually happens?
Kurt hits his forehead on the steering wheel in frustration and then he calms himself. He can fix this. It's his turn to play the part of Prince Charming.

"Starting today
We'll tell the story my way.
The king of imperfection
Takes back the prince of mistakes"

He's standing on Blaine's doorstep half an hour later with a bunch of red and yellow roses, having changed into smarter clothes. Blaine answer the door, eyes red and a confused and hangdog expression.
"I've been an idiot and I want to make it up to you," he hands Blaine the flowers, "Will you come on a date with me?"