um...yeah. about this little baby, which was supposed to be about 500 words and turned into more than double that. sorry, but it just had a mind of it's own, and since this is one of my favourite pairings in this little group of 12, i hope you can look past the length and enjoy it anyway? this one has the most plot of them all, i'd say... and yes, *drumroll*... it is kurt x rachel. the pairing was requested by Juliet Hummel-Anderson, and although i wasn't originally planning on writing it, i couldn't resist - it's my favourite crack!pairing. also, please don't leave flames about how kurt is gay - trust me, i know that and generally prefer him that way, but give me poetic licence for the sake of the story, okay? anyway, i will now shut up, and let you read in peace. :)

spoilers: 2.06 (Never Been Kissed) for the existence of blaine, otherwise, it's actually all AU and spoiler-free!

disclaimer: i don't own glee. never have, never will. i'm just playing in ryan murphy's sandbox.

[now]

the things life likes to throw at us

{they are so, so different}

some good

some bad

.:some are the most unexpected:.

but manage to be the b e s t at the same time

-rachelberry-

she is one of the last kind

(it's funny, because five years ago)

you would never have imagined yourself

^in this situation^

/beautifulgirl in a whitedress/

[walking towards you down the aisle]

:but now you are here:

you wouldn't want to be anywhere else

.o0o.

[before]

you never used to be able to s t a n d her

{her abrasive personality}

-and her ridiculous sense of fashion-

*but recently*

.:you've formed this odd friendship:.

you t o l e r a t e each other

because (as she so wisely said, once) you're

m o r e alike

than you'd care to admit.

/ever since you were small/

+you've both wanted the same things+

{new york, bright lights, f a m e}

(sights set high)

-and you both have this-

burning, fiery love of p e r f o r m i n g

^so maybe, because of all t h a t^

when you look at each other

with shining eyes

{as you toss your graduation hats}

.:you feel this c o n n e c t i o n:.

(knowledge that you're both going to)

-get o u t of here, b e something-

/so you give in and smile at her/

:she beams back at you:

(and you b l a m e the surge of happiness afterwards)

^on the way blaine's hands curl in your hair as he kisses you^

.o0o.

[during]

after h i g h school

-despite being in the same city-

you lose contact

.:immerse yourself in work:.

(and, of course, that was what led to – well,)

'Kurt, this is it, you know. I'm walking out this door and I'm not coming back.'

'I always thought we were the ones who were going to work after school.'

god, that hurt.

{watching him leave everything you had}

.:and knowing it was your fault:.

-so, of course-

you lose contact with pretty much everyone

immerse yourself over your head in work

(until it's too much)

.o0o.

[still during]

what he said about not coming back

(that definitely wasn't a lie)

because you see him

.:in this l i t t l e coffee shop:.

{you used to come here together}

/he ignores you, doesn't even glance back/

-but you're frozen, staring after him-

|you don't even n o t i c e her|

until she walks right up to you

*bright smile, glittering eyes*

'Kurt Hummel!'

and shakes up everything you knew

because christ, has she changed.

^she's cut her hair differently^

-just the right amount of make-up-

&& what looks like a c h a n e l dress &&

now you realise you've been staring

so you force your mouth open

'Rachel?'

buy her a coffee (no, no, it's on me), sit down

and catch up on five years' worth of memories

.o0o.

[still during]

{they become regular, these coffee dates}

/and you don't let yourself remember/

(that this is how things started with him)

/no, you don't let yourself remember/

-you just let yourself dissolve-

^into her big chocolate eyes^

(but quietly remind yourself)

.:you're gay, and you definitely, definitely aren't falling in love with:.

-rachelberry-

however wonderful she is, though,

(even she can't stop you from your addictive tendencies)

{and by now, you're certain that you're addicted to work}

/so when you faint during rehearsal/

-because you haven't been e a t i n g since you got this new role-

she is the o n e who picks you up

.:listens to you cry about losing the part, and:.

'Kurt, I think I should move in, so I can help to make sure you're taking care of yourself.'

(you tell yourself not to look too eager)

'Well... alright, then. And Rachel? ...Thank you.'

thank you for helping me.

thank you for saving me.

.o0o.

[still during]

'Kurt, would it be ok if Mercedes came to visit?'

you remember a time when 'cedes was your best friend.

you haven't seen her since he left you

/then you look at her/

*glittering eyes, but she's wringing her hands*

.:like you could actually say no to her:.

'Sure, Rach.'

when mercedes arrives, it's funny, but it's almost as though

no time has passed

because she acts exactly the same as she did six years ago

(later, you realise it was probably rach who told her to be like that)

{and you find that you're not very surprised}

.:it's wednesday morning:.

and mercedes is watching with a smile on her face

-as you and rach argue-

(why can't you go get the milk? i'm tired!)

^and once she's left to get milk (you always were good at persuasion)^

'cedes looks at you

&&says&&

'So, when are you actually gonna get your shit together and ask her out?'

you choke on your herbal tea.

.o0o.

[still during (it's a long story)]

-after 'cedes leaves-

you've got one of your best friends back

and perhaps that gave you courage

/because you go to rach's next show/

.:with a plan in your head:.

(she gives her a l l, as usual, and she's stunning)

so you run backstage

{refuse to go back now}

(when she pulls you in for a hug, instead of bringing your head down to the side)

-you go straight in and-

kiss the girl

{and it's amazing, wonderful, perfect, and}

so much better than you could ever have wished for

.:there are fireworks:.

-and she tastes like sunshine and strawberries and rachel-

and the most important thing is that she's kissing you back.

.o0o.

[after (finally)]

(of course, there are bumps.)

{her over-powering personality, still intact after all these years}

.:your sexuality, because honestly, it's all a big mess right now:.

/and following that, the press, because you are the most famous gay actor right now/

(yes, there are bumps.)

-but it wouldn't be a real relationship without them, would it?-

you like to think it shows how far you've come

that he comes to your wedding

(holding sam's hand)

&&gives you a smile&&

that you can return without it feeling forced

*you tear your face away from him*

.:and look instead at the:.

/beautifulgirl in a whitedress/

[gliding towards you down the aisle]

{it's taken a long, weird, screwed-up story}

-to get to this fairytale ending-

: but now you are here:

you wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

so... about the angsty klaine break-up... don't kill me! trust me, it hurt so much to write it, but i had to! also, at least i made blaine happy (i hope you all caught the hint of blam at the end there!). so, if you loved it, hated it... please review and tell me your thoughts! :)