Such a Perfect Grace, a glee fanfic

Such a Perfect Grace

[or, a life - or two - told in itty-bitty fragments]

suddenly the world seems like such a perfect place

suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace

suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste

it all revolves around you

ewan mcgregor + nicole kidman; come what may

Their relationship started simply, really. There's a porcelain-skinned Ohio teenager head-over-heels for the overly-gelled haired singer who might as well be the poster boys for gays all over America. "Courage," he says, and Kurt Hummel takes it to heart. After all, Blaine Anderson might not be talking directly to him, but who's to say that Kurt shouldn't follow it anyway? After all, Blaine has always been there for him, even if he never meant to. And he's kind of always been what Kurt wanted to be - he escaped small-town Ohio, made it big and earned respect for his talent and his personality, despite his sexuality. That's what Kurt wants. Even if Blaine doesn't know it - even if he never will - it doesn't change the fact that he saved Kurt. They're never going to meet. It's not realistic.

And Kurt doesn't believe in destiny.

(Blaine, however, does.)

Of all the places for the two to meet, no, it's not on Hollywood Boulevard while Kurt visits or Blaine's there shooting for a movie (even though Kurt hopes, hopes, hopes) or in the midst of New York City when Kurt's there for Nationals, and then school and school (even though Kurt hopes, hopes, hopes).

No, actually, they meet on an airplane. It's nothing special, just some American Airlines plane in business class. Kurt is flying home for Christmas - Rachel staying a couple extra days for some production she's in now; he finds it a little bit hard to keep up with all of them these days - and part of him hopes that no one will occupy the seat next to him. More space for him, as far as he's concerned. If someone does take the seat, well, he hopes it's not some hulking Neanderthal like Karofsky or anything. He slides his bag carefully under the seat in front of him and crosses his legs, beginning to flip through the newest edition of Vogue.

That's when he comes and sits down. Kurt doesn't really look up, but he does shift his coat so that it's not slightly onto the other seat and instead places it on his other side, wedged between him and the side of the plane. In the other man's - he knows it's a man from what he sees out of the corner of his eye - struggle to sit he accidentally hits Kurt in the head with his backpack that is apparently his personal bag, and apologizes profusely.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry," he says. "I am so, so sorry, I did not mean to hit you. If you want to get a seat change or you want me to then I totally understand and I really won't blame you at all, but-"

"It's fine," Kurt cuts him off, waving a hand dismissively before actually looking up to see who was the one who sat down, and almost instantly he can feel his face heat, because his teenage idol was sitting next to him, still apologizing like he had been the one to kill his mother or something. "I - it's fine," he repeats. "You - you're Blaine Anderson," he stammers, mentally slapping himself for sounding like a fifteen-year-old fangirl.

He grins, running a hand through his hair. "I - yeah, that's me," he says, flashing him a grin. "And, uh, since you know my name already, may I ask what yours is?"

He regains composure fairly quickly. "Kurt Hummel," he says, face still flushed. "Just some random fashion student returning home for the holidays."

Blaine gives him a small smile. "Why, Kurt Hummel, you say that all like there's something wrong with it. Besides, I don't know about you, but there's nowhere I'd rather be for Christmas than home."

It's about twenty more minutes until they talk to each other again. It's Kurt who initiates it this time, and it's not that he has caused Blaine any sort of physical pain. He almost doesn't. He exhales deeply, closing the book that he's rereading for like the millionth time. "Can I, um, tell you something?" he asks, slightly unsure.

"Of course. Why ever not?" is Blaine's response, and, Kurt thinks, with the countless interviews with this man he's watched and read, how could he have expected any other answer, really?

"I - I just wanted to say, thank you. I promised myself if I ever met you, I'd tell you thank you because, well, you're my favorite singer and actor and it's not just because of your talent, but - I - when it really came down to it, I couldn't take that kind of title away from the one who saved my life." He blurts it all out at once, not really knowing what exactly what he's saying, and he takes a look at the look on Blaine's face, and slumps slightly in his seat. "I'm sorry."

"No, I - don't be sorry," he says quickly. "I - just, nobody's ever told me that before. I, just, wow. That really, really means a lot to me, Kurt. Thank you." He really is touched by this. "Uh..." He almost doesn't ask. "Can I ask how exactly I saved your life?"

Kurt nods before letting out a shaky laugh. "Well, at first, I'm pretty sure I hated you. I hadn't ever actually seen you in anything or heard any of your music, and it was before you kind of came out to the world. I guess it was just kind of annoying how every girl at my school seemed to be talking about you. And then the bullying was getting worse, because I was gay, and I was in the school's glee club, and really, I was just a loser. And then you came out to the world and, well, I thought, maybe this guy isn't so bad. I still refused to listen to any of your music, though, mostly because it never came up. I did know that your album was called 'Courage,' though, mostly because my friend Rachel would not shut up about it. I think your coming out actually made her love you more, you know. She has two gay dads, and I think she was under the impression that one day you'd meet and replace me as her 'gay best friend'. But so... the bullying got worse, and one day I kind of snapped, and I told myself that at least the poster boy for teenage gays would back me up, and I confronted him. He... kissed me. I tried to kill myself after that. Well, I was going to. I was actually trying to write a note to my dad when I got this text from Rachel, and it was telling me to look at some song of yours, 'It's Over Now,' and so I figured, well, I might as well do one last thing for her before I died, and so I listened to it, and - well - I connected with it. It made me feel like maybe I wasn't the only one left, like I wasn't alone, and it - it stopped me that night. I never did finish writing that note because I never needed to after that. I ended up telling my dad, actually, after hearing 'Courage,' about the bullying and he actually - he and my stepmom, they gave up the money for their honeymoon to send me to this all-boys school with a no-bullying policy, and - and well - that's it," he said, wiping away the tears that had started to form.

"God, I'm sorry," Blaine said, his voice quiet. "I'm really, really sorry. But I'm glad that you didn't kill yourself. Really, really glad. Suicide isn't the answer. It never is."

Kurt had slept for the rest of the airplane ride. When he'd fallen asleep, the last thing he'd seen was Blaine, reading glasses perched on his nose as he read a rather worn copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

They had shared a quick "goodbye," but Blaine was rushed off as soon as they got off of the plane to get to some interview on time. Kurt felt a twinge of regret, but it was okay. That was how the universe worked. Blaine was a Famous Person, and Kurt was a Normal Person. There was such a small chance of a friendship coming out of a Famous Person and a Normal Person that it wasn't even a big deal. Besides, what were the chances they would meet again?

It isn't until he's at his dad and Carole's house and unpacking his things that he finds the little scrap of paper tucked in his carry-on bag, with only the word "Courage" scrawled on it along with a slightly messy signature and a smiley face.

He smiles a little smile to himself.

One month passed, then two, then three, and before Kurt knew it, another year had gone by. Rachel, not currently occupied at the moment, had wanted to get "out there" again, and before he knew it, he was helping her fill out a form for an online dating service. It was only a week and a half before she got a message from one Wesley Montgomery, saying that he was interested in going out, but not before exchanging at least a few emails. Rachel agreed - it didn't seem like an unsafe thing to do, and with the help of Kurt, they got to know each other a bit more over email to see if a date was even a good idea, and they found out that no, he wasn't homophobic, in fact, he too was best friends with a gay person who he also lived with (however, he assured Rachel, he was straight as they come), and that he was in law school, he liked Broadway and music in general, really, and he had been to the very school that Kurt had transferred to, except he graduated the year before Kurt's transfer.

Reading the most recent email from Wes - as he liked to be called - Rachel and Kurt looked at each other. Yes, they decided, a date would be a very good idea indeed.

They decided that Kurt would go, too, just to watch and make sure that nothing happened that would make Rachel uncomfortable. Yes, Wes seemed like a nice guy from the emails, but you could never know how sincere someone was being through the internet. He could be a total freak for all they knew, but they really hoped he wouldn't be.

That is how Kurt finds himself sitting at a little table in a nearby coffee shop, where Rachel has already met up with Wes and they seem to be rather happy, chatting away animatedly at a table far enough that he wouldn't be overbearing but close enough that Kurt could see what was happening between them. So far, so good, he decides, and goes back to flipping through Vogue while drinking his mocha, glancing over occasionally, just in case.

However, he is looking down at the magazine when the voice interrupts his thoughts. "Hey, stranger. Fancy seeing you here."

Looking up, Kurt sees a head of curly, dark hair above a pair of eye-searing, neon pink sunnies. Honestly, Kurt would recognize Blaine Anderson of all people anywhere, but he's a bit in shock and still is when Blaine takes off his sunglasses and gives him a bright smile. "Mind if I join you?"

"I - of course," he says quickly. "I'm honestly quite surprised that you remembered me, some random person you met on an airplane. And I'm still wondering why you sat business class."

"My, Kurt Hummel," Blaine Anderson says, triangular eyebrows raised, "once again I find myself telling you that you're saying that like something's wrong with it. And why, pray tell, would I sit somewhere like first class when, if I sat in business class and saved a little money, I could meet someone like you?"

Needless to say, Kurt blushes profusely.

(Blaine doesn't mention that the real reason he flew business class is because his ticket got messed up.)

They've talked for fifteen minutes before Kurt pauses, and asks, "Hey, what brings you to this little coffee shop anyway? I mean, this isn't even the best coffee in town, and it's a bit small anyway."

"Ah," he says, "well, my friend-slash-roommate recently joined an online dating service, because apparently, 'I'm not getting any younger, Blaine!' and he has his first date with some girl here, and I wanted to be here just in case he needed me for any reason. Like, if she turned out to be horrible then I could sprint towards him yelling that I got a call and his - nonexistent, by the way - sister just had a cancer relapse but they couldn't contact him because his phone was off and he has to go right now. Because, like, she seemed nice online and all, but you can't really know for sure, you know?"

Kurt holds back from laughing. "I see you have this all planned out." He pauses. "Um, is your friend-slash-roommate, by any chance, Wesley Montgomery?"

Surprise shows on Blaine's face. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Kurt smirks. "Because my best friend-slash-roommate is Rachel Berry, and I do believe that they're on a date and we're both here for the same reason."

Blaine's jaw drops. "No. Way."

They both look over at Rachel and Wes' table, just in time to see them both pointing at them and whispering before giggling. When they see that Kurt and Blaine have seen them, they smile innocently and calmly resume their previous conversation.

"Well, then. I guess they'd figured it out already."

It's around five-thirty when Kurt looks apologetically at Blaine. "I'm sorry, Rachel and I should get going. It's Sunday, which means that it's our Sunday Musical Marathon tonight. I'm sorry. Besides, I haven't fed our cat yet today," he adds with a sheepish smile.

"Oh, of course. I totally understand." Blaine smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey, can I borrow your phone for a sec? Mine just ran out of battery. Just for a sec."

"Of course," he says, and hands Blaine the phone. A moment later, it's given back to him. "Thanks, Kurt. I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, maybe." I certainly hope so.

It's when he's adding Wes as a contact to his phone - just in case! - that he notices a new contact, a Blaine Anderson, added in. He grins, and nothing that night, not even Santine's death, can wipe it off his face. And although it seemed not possible, it only grows wider when he receives a new text message.

Goodnight - B

They meet up a few more times after that. It's very casual; after all, they're just friends. Who says two gay guys can't be friends? It's not like sex gets in the way of every friendship. They become close - closer than either of them ever thought possible, but hey, isn't that what life's all about? Who care's that their friendship is a little bit like flirting - they're both gay and single and neither takes it seriously, so why not?

On Valentine's day, they actually go out for coffee together, as friends, both without a real 'significant other' (other than Kurt having his cat, of course), and really? It's a cold February morning, and why not get coffee? And that is when Kurt confesses that he really, really hates Valentines.

(Blaine persuades him to share a cookie anyway.)

(Also, they find out that they're a bit like When Harry Met Sally..., except for that they never hated each other. And excluding the part where they get together in the end.)

(Kurt gets to be Meg Ryan.)

It's a warm August afternoon when Blaine confesses to Kurt.

"I tried out for this part," he starts, "and I got an offer for a role in this movie which could be a really, really good thing, except..."

Kurt has heard this all before.

"Except," he interrupts when Blaine trails off, "that it involves something of a sexual nature which you are not comfortable with doing yet, well, maybe ever."

"How did you know?"

"Please, Blaine," Kurt waves his hand dismissively. "I went through this with Rachel during her freshman year at NYADA. She got a role for some student film where she would have to do a topless scene."

"And what did she decide to do?" he asks.

"She was originally going to take it," he says, "but I called in some of our old glee club friends, Santana and Quinn, and they talked her out of it. It was a good thing in the end, Blaine. That's not the kind of thing she wanted to be known for. I don't think that's the kind of thing you want to be known for, either," he says.

He sighs. "I'll think it over, okay, Kurt?"

"That's all I ask."

He can't help the disappointment that shows when Blaine says, "I took the part." He's going to be leaving in a month to Los Angeles, he says, at least for a little while. It's not going to be a very long movie, and hopefully the shooting will be done quickly.

It's time for a Blaine-tervention, Kurt decides. So he enlists the help of Rachel and Wes, and luckily, Wes, who had gone to school with Blaine for years and lived with him, knew all of his best friends, and was able to call them up.

So when Blaine arrives at Kurt and Rachel's apartment ready for a movie night, he hadn't been expecting all of his childhood-and-beyond friends to be there for him, waiting. There was a large, glittery banner hanging, reading in large, loopy letters, "BLAINE-TERVENTION" with a large smiley face next to it, and decorated with shiny gold star stickers that he just knows must have come from Rachel.

"What - what is this?" he stammers, unsure of what to make of this.

"This, Blainey," Wes says, "Is a Blaine-tervention."

"We're here so that you don't make the wrong choice and go to Los Angeles next week," his old friend Thad supplies helpfully.

"It was all Kurt's idea," Rachel adds.

Blaine gapes at them in disbelief. "I can't believe that you all can't trust me to make my own decisions about my own life as an adult. I really, really can't believe that you all, who I consider my best friends, can't just respect my decisions." He leaves without another word, ignoring the pleas and apologies.

When he gets back to his own apartment he dissolves into sobs because he just knows he's making the wrong decision, and he knows that he has the most amazing friends in the world, and he knows that he's nowhere near good enough for any of them.

It's Tuesday morning already. Blaine has already left on his six o' clock flight to L.A., and Kurt is on their couch, crying, while Rachel rubs his back consolingly. He's heard no word from Blaine since the Blaine-tervention, and he's 99.9% sure that their friendship is officially over. Even with Wes and Rachel on their dates, Wes can't really be sure of anything. Even his and Blaine's relationship has been strained over the past week.

That's why, when he shows up at their door at nine o'clock in the morning, completely out of breath, Rachel Barbra Berry slaps Blaine Anderson.

"You - you're here," Kurt whispers, his voice hoarse and his face blotchy and red.

"Yeah," he says. "I - I couldn't do it. It wasn't right. You were right, all of you. I am so, so sorry for reacting like that and I couldn't blame you if you never ever wanted to talk to me ever again because I've been such an idiot, but-"

"Blaine," he says softly. "You could never not be my best friend."

He pauses, takes a deep breath.

"Kurt," he says. "There is a moment where you say to yourself, 'Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever.' Seeing you at the... 'Blaine-tervention' last week, that was a moment for me. About you. You move me, Kurt. Saying no to this movie - well, it's the right thing, and besides - it would just be an excuse to spend more time with you."

Nothing, nothing at all, feels as right as they do right there when their lips meet.

(Rachel snaps a quick photo on her phone to send to Wes.)

Klaine accomplished! - R xo

It was only a matter of time, my dear Rach. - W xx

Of course. Coffee? - R xo

Why, I thought you'd never ask. - W xx

(That day was the real start of everything, or so they say.)

On a summer day in the year 2018, several people get a little white envelope in their mailbox. The invitation is fairly simple, dark, navy blue - "Dalton colors, Rach!" - with tiny, miniscule gold stars forming a little heart at the top. How Wes and Rachel kept it a secret, neither Kurt or Blaine know. In fact, the only ones that knew were the Misters Berry, who Wes has asked for their daughter's hand. Instantly, Kurt squeals, and prances into Rachel's room and practically throws himself on her in a hug.

(A similar thing is happening in the Anderson-Montgomery apartment.)

After months of intense planning between Rachel and Kurt - it even makes Wes', who is the king of all planners, head spin - the wedding is lovely. It's when Blaine sees Kurt's father standing off to the side with Carole that he knows it's the time to ask. It's almost as terrifying as meeting Burt Hummel for the first time, really, even though he and Kurt have been dating for three years now.

"Sir, ma'am," he starts, shifting nervously in his shoes. "I - I'd like to ask you for your blessing. I never thought it possible to love someone as much as I love Kurt, and I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with him. And I'd really, really love the opportunity to, but if you don't approve, then I could never, and-"

"Blaine," Burt interjects. "How on earth could you think we'd possibly say no?"

And with the childlike squeal that the twenty-six-year-old man lets out, he convinces Burt and Carole that really, there's no other man in existence for their little boy.

Blaine tells Wes and Rachel his plans. 'What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?' he asks innocently, and ignores the pointed glares. They go through tons of ideas of how he could propose in his head, over and over and over again, until he realizes that really, Kurt won't care at all. All that matters is that it happens. All that matters is that they love each other and sometimes the best things that come in life come as surprises.

(Like meeting a stranger in business class on an airplane.)

It'll be spontaneous, he decides, and he will know when the time is right.

He keeps the ring-box in his pocket at all times.

The right time turns out to be when they come across a piano in some random mall and Kurt asks him to play something and before he knows it, he's playing the song from the musical that played on one of those fateful days that really changed everything for them. His breath is shaky when he starts, but he sings nonetheless, and people stop to listen.

"Never knew I could feel like this, like I've never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss, every day I love you more and more. Listen to my heart, can you hear, it sings, telling me to give you everything. Seasons may change, winter to spring, but I love you until the end of time." He ends up singing Satine's part, too, because Kurt is already too misty-eyed to properly join in. The tears start somewhere along the way, and by the end, he's barely able to make out the words to the song. "Come what may, come what may, I will love you until my dying day."

He stands, still shaky, and reaches into his pocket, getting down on one knee before Kurt. He takes the ring-box out, opening it and holding it out. "Kurt, I have loved you since the day I met you on that airplane. I was an idiot and didn't realize it until your Blaine-tervention, and it took me that much to realize it. But I love you, Kurt, so much that it hurts sometimes. Every day I love you more and more. I will love you until my dying day, Kurt, and I'd like to spend my life until then with you and - just - will you marry me?"

(He says yes.)

(Kurt insists Blaine gets a matching one.)

The day they get married is a crisp day in autumn and everything is beyond perfect, really. It couldn't have gone more smoothly, despite all the stress from intense planning. Everybody who is important to them is there but most importantly they have each other, and really, that's all that honestly matters right then and there.

(And they all live happily ever after.)

(El fin.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, any of the characters, any of the songs mentioned, any of the movies/musicals mentioned, or anything, really, so yeah.

A/N: The title, and the verses at the top of the page, of course, come from the song Come What May from Moulin Rouge! and it's by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor (and it also happens to be one of my all-time favorites songs, and is rumored to be the song with which Klaine gets back together with). The musical referenced in Kurt and Rachel's Sunday Musical Marathon is also Moulin Rouge!, although I haven't actually seen it, I know what happens, thanks to my sister, who watched (and analyzed it) for her Honors Writing class.

I suppose you say this idea sort of came from the photo of the girl who ended up with a seat next to Darren Criss (on the way to the Inauguration) in that airplane, but the rest kind of came on its own. Well, I'd already had the idea of them meeting through a Weschel-online-dating scenario, anyway. The only other thing that this was based off of was, well, myself. I've struggled with (emotional, not clinical) depression. It happened after my uncle died. But what actually got me out of it was the feeling of people maybe understanding, and it all came in the form of one song - It's Over Now, from Little White Lie (which is actually the one I used for the story). I suppose, in a way, StarKid kind of saved my life. It wasn't until a marathon of a bunch of StarKid that I knew that things were actually looking up, and really? It was that one song. I had never felt like people had really understood me, and that song kind of helped me let go of all the bullying I'd had and everything that I had kept bottled up and yeah. I always tell myself that if I meet Darren one day, I'm going to tell him thank you. So yeah. StarKid (specifically Darren) turned my life around when I needed it most. And for that I am so, so grateful. :)

Sorry for that horrible A/N.

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