A/N: I'm finally back in the writing game! Just a quick one-shot idea I had in my head, it's angsty and romantic-y and funny and everything you could want in a one-shot ((with a happy ending)). Enjoy!
Kurt looks over his dad's shoulder, eyes flickering across the hall and admiring the dancing couples, all dressed to the nines for the occasion. Finn has pulled Santana into some sort of sloppy waltz- Kurt can read her lips from where he's standing, and he feels bad for Finn's innocent ears; Puck and Tina are- quite gracefully- dancing around the room, Tina's curled hair whipping through the air. Finally, his eyes land on Mike and Blaine, sighing as he watches them dance, both looking phenomenal in their pristinely-cut suits and with their slicked back hair. They appear to be having a great time, Mike even dipping Blaine at one point, causing both of them to laugh hysterically. It's very awkward, even with Mike's impeccable dancing skills, Kurt can tell, but he can also tell that they're having the time of their lives. Next to them is the newly married Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury, whom Kurt assumes is now going to be referred to as Mrs. Schue, which sounds foreign, even in his mind. His eyes flick back to Blaine and Mike, who are doing some variation of the chicken dance, and he sighs again.
"What's wrong, bud?" Burt's concerned voice breaks him from his reverie, and he blinks and brings his attention back to him, where the two of them are dancing to the tunes of the new Glee clubbers' young voices.
"Nothing, I'm just tired." It's a complete lie, and they both know it. Truth is, that while he and Blaine have been talking again, and rebuilding their friendship, Kurt doesn't know where he stands-and where he wants to stand- with Blaine, but either way, he knows that feeling jealous that Blaine is dancing with someone who isn't him is completely the wrong thing to feel. They had spoken earlier on, even sat next to one another at the ceremony, and yet Kurt knows that asking Blaine to dance would be inappropriate on so many levels, given their current situation.
It doesn't stop him from wanting it, though.
"Kurt." Burt puts his hands on Kurt's shoulders, pushing him back and forcing him to look at him. His eyes flicker over to where Mike and Blaine are dancing, and Burt catches the movement, looking over his shoulder just in time to see both Mike and Blaine glance back at them. Mike's face seems impassive, but a million emotions flicker across Blaine's as he catches Kurt's eye. Kurt looks away quickly, embarrassed at being caught.
"What am I supposed to do, dad?" he asks, looking at Burt as though he holds all the answers. Burt sighs, scratching his head, knowing exactly what Kurt is talking about.
"Kurt, you know that's not up to me. This is about how you feel, and what you feel ready to do about those feelings." Burt quirks a signature Hummel eyebrow at him, waiting for a response.
"Dad, you know I love him, he knows I still love him, but what good does that do for any of us?" Kurt looks down at his shoes, only looking up again when he feels Burt's finger on his chin.
"Kurt, I know you, and I know that you can be stubborn as hell, but when you want something, you'll do what needs to be done to get it. We're Hummels, remember? We don't give up." The corner of Burt's mouth quirks up at the look on Kurt's face.
"What does that even mean?" Kurt asks. Burt looks over his own shoulder again to find Blaine looking back at the two of them, nodding slightly at whatever Mike is saying but clearly not paying attention again.
"That's up for you to decide, kiddo. I'm getting too old for this kinda thing, I'm gonna go get a drink." Burt pats Kurt's shoulder and moves away, walking towards the bar.
"Non-alcoholic, right, dad?" Kurt shouts at his dad's retreating back.
"Whatever you say, Kurt," Burt replies, his hand waving Kurt off. Kurt smiles slightly before looking back over to Blaine, who is dancing with Sam now, but his eyes seem to have never left Kurt. Kurt looks away, jealousy boiling up in him again and he decides that he needs some air. He moves quickly toward the doors of the banquet hall, pushing them open and sighing in relief as the fresh, February air hits his face. He stands in the middle of the path outside the building, groaning when he feels the first drops of rain patter against his head.
"Great, just what I need," he groans, lifting his hands to cover his head before sighing in resignation, not yet ready to go inside and if he is being honest with himself, it feels sort of nice. The rain falls steadily until it's downright pouring, but he doesn't really care. He knows he'll have a cold after this, but he's home for the week, and Carole makes good chicken soup. He turns his face up to the sky, hoping that maybe the answer lies somewhere that he can't reach. The rain is seeping through his clothes, and he wishes he would've thought to grab his coat. Suddenly, he gets the feeling he's being watched, and turns around to find Blaine standing outside the door, holding a jacket in his arms and looking sheepish.
"What are you doing out here, it's freezing, and it's pouring," Blaine says, holding out his own jacket for Kurt to put on. He steps out towards Kurt hesitantly, watching Kurt and waiting for him to respond. Instead of reaching for it, however, Kurt just stares at it, memories of the past 2 and a half years flooding him all at once, all boiling down to a single rainy night in Manhattan.
"You cheated on me." he says, not even sure if Blaine could hear him over the sound of the rain pattering on the ground. He doesn't even know what makes him say it. It just feels like a weight is lifted off his chest when he finally says it, acknowledges the reality of the situation. It's not a question, just a statement, but he can feel the atmosphere shift immediately, and looks up to see Blaine's eyes wide, his face looking tormented.
"I know," is all he has to say in response.
"You cheated on me, and you say that you're sorry. That you regret it."
Blaine's eyes look watery, but Kurt can't tell if it's from the rain or emotion. "I know, I am sorry, I am so, so sorry, Kurt, you have to belie-"
Kurt cuts Blaine off with a swift smack, the sound of the palm of his hand connecting with Blaine's cheek so, so satisfying, the sound amplified by the slickness of Blaine's cheek and Kurt's palm. The force of it slaps Blaine's head sideways, and Blaine slowly turns his head back to look at Kurt, his cheek slowly reddening. He seems shocked, but not angry, and he remains in place, just watching Kurt. Kurt's hand is still in the air, his palm starting to sting, but he makes no move to drop his hand back down. His chest is heaving, and Blaine still stands there, almost looking like he's expecting Kurt to slap him again.
Instead, something crashes over him like a tidal wave, a blast of emotion that he was unprepared for, nothing could have prepared him for this, and before he knows it he is stepping as close to Blaine as he can, one hand gripping the back of Blaine's neck and pulling him forward while the other cradles his face and he kisses him hard, kisses him with anger, with so, so much anger but with love and need and all the other emotions that had been bottled up inside him since that fateful day in November. Blaine seems shocked at first, but is quick to respond by wrapping his arms tightly around Kurt's waist, his jacket dropping onto the sodden ground, forgotten. Their lips crash together almost painfully, mouths parting against each other, the rain fall mingling with their own tastes. Both of their eyes slide shut, each of them too absorbed by the kiss. Kurt knows they're both beyond soaked, he can feel the chill deep in his bones and in Blaine's rapidly uncurling hair, but neither of them care. Strangely, in Blaine's arms, he feels warm and so, so safe. He is overwhelmed with emotion, his hands clinging to Blaine as tight as possible without hurting him, which seems strange to Kurt since he just slapped him not ten seconds ago. He pulls back when he finally feels the need to breathe overwhelming his need to be connected to Blaine, but he only moves back mere centimetres, his and Blaine's breath still mingling between them.
"I tried to hate you," Kurt says, his voice thick and making him realize that at some point, he began to cry. "I tried, so hard, to hate you, to forget you. I should hate you."
"You should," Blaine agrees, but his arms tighten around Kurt's waist, indicating that he wants just the opposite.
"But I can't. I love you too much. Fuck you, for making me love you so much that I can't hate you, even when you do something as fucking stupid as this." He doesn't really know why he's swearing, but he just does, and it feels good, like a release.
"I know, Kurt, I know, I'm so sorry, but I promise I'll do everything I can to make it up to you, everything, just-please Kurt-"
"Shutup and let me finish speaking," Kurt says, kissing Blaine hard again to make him stop babbling. It works, and Kurt continues.
"You were stupid. We both know that. But I know that I was also stupid, it's not all your fault. I should've been there for you, I should've answered your calls, I made a promise to be your rock and to make sure that you were never alone, and I broke my promise."
"Kurt, stop-"
"No, Blaine, if we're going to try this again we need to be honest with each other, no matter what. I'm at fault here, too."
Their eyes never break contact as they speak, and Blaine's widen slightly, as though he can't believe what he's hearing.
"Kurt are you- are you saying you want to try this again?" Blaine asks, the hope in his voice so genuine that Kurt can't help but smile a little and press another, soft kiss to Blaine's lips.
"I-I think so. We're not okay, and it is going to take a lot of time and patience for us to end up where we were, but we'll get there. We're going to be okay, eventually." Kurt smiles at Blaine, who seems to be glowing, his cheeks wet and eyes red, but brighter than Kurt has ever seen them.
"I promise to you, Kurt, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you if I have to, I swear I will-"
"I know," Kurt says simply. "If it happens again, though, I'm out."
"Never again, God I was so stupid, Kurt, it was the dumbest thing I've ever done, it will never happen again, I swear."
"I believe you. And... I forgive you." Kurt takes a deep breath. It's true, and it was definitely a load to get off his chest. He feels light, and free, and Blaine is crying, hugging Kurt impossibly close to him and burying his face in Kurt's shoulder. Kurt hugs him back, he has no words to say but he knows he doesn't need to, he knows Blaine understands, because he's Blaine, and no one knows Kurt better than him. Kurt grips Blaine tightly, and only pulls back when he feels Blaine wince.
"Sorry, I just- you have a good hand," Blaine says, smiling sheepishly at Kurt and gently cradling his now bright red cheek, and Kurt blushes.
"Sorry about that, I don't know what came over me," Kurt apologizes, bringing his fingers up to graze the warm skin on Blaine's face.
"Honestly, if it brought us back together, I would let you do it 100 times over," Blaine says, his smile warm as he leans into Kurt's touch. He leans in and kisses Kurt again, who responds immediately. Kurt pulls back and bites his lip, before realizing that, yes, they're still outside, and reality comes crashing down on him as he starts to shiver almost violently.
"Seriously though, we should probably go inside before we die of hypothermia, or drown. We wouldn't even get to enjoy our newly-rekindled relationship," Kurt teases, grabbing Blaine's hand- it feels as though it was sculpted just for his own- and pulling him towards the door, Blaine stooping to scoop up his ruined jacket.
"Kurt, we're drenched, there's no way we can sit in there for the next few hours, it would be torture," Blaine points out.
Kurt pulls the door open and lets Blaine step through first. "Well, my entire family will be here, so I'm sure my house would be nice and empty, and I know the perfect way to warm up..." Kurt says, winking.
Blaine's face twists up. "Kurt, I-"
"-with a lovely mug of hot chocolate, cuddled in front of the fireplace in my pjs with my new-old-boyfriend, watching cheesy reality tv and judging their style choices and shouting at them even though they can't hear us," Kurt finishes, smiling softly at Blaine.
"It sounds perfect," Blaine agrees, letting Kurt pull him into the hall, many of their friends casting them knowing glances as they walk through the hall so Kurt can grab his jacket.
No, things aren't back to how they used to be, Kurt thinks, and they're nowhere near being ready for what Blaine thought Kurt was implying. But Kurt knows that they're strong, and they will get there, soon enough. After all, he is a Hummel, and the Hummels never give up.