EDIT: There's been a minor rewrite at the end as someone pointed out a few mistakes I'd made. Check it out! Thanks to sendmeallyourangels again for the French help :)
Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed this story. When I first wrote the one shot, I just wanted to get the idea out so it would stop pestering me. I figured I might get a couple of reviews. But the response I got... I was inspired to write more, and I've had so many ideas I can't write them out fast enough. I have to write these at one in the morning due to the insane amounts of homework I have, but I can't stop writing them! And the response you guys have given, it's amazing. I never expected it at all. And some of the reviews are truly inspiring in their own right, and have boosted my own confidence and self-esteem in the process. I have you guys to thank - YOU ARE ALL AMAZING AND AWESOME AND ALL THAT!
So... with that over... enioy the chapter?
Gravity And Golden Fireflies
Sectionals is here, and its chaos and confusion for both New Directions and the Warblers. There's a few problems along the way but it's nothing they can't handle, especially when the 'B' word is thrown out there. Featuring some bitchy Rachel, all-knowing, sneaky Jeff, clueless Finn, sweet and fluffy Klaine, pretty lights and a few teenage dreams...
Sectionals.
Finally, the day was here. Mercedes couldn't believe that she was going to be singing at Sectionals. For the first time in her life, she'd be singing in front of an audience that wasn't a glee club or her high school. This was for real, and she wasn't giving it up for the world – no matter how much Quinn and Rachel complained and argued with her and Mr Schue about the choices. Rachel was still annoyed at having lost her solo and took every chance to reiterate how big a mistake she thought this was. It was starting to get on everyone's nerves.
Mercedes waited as everyone else got on the bus that was taking them to Sectionals. Kurt was waiting with her, the rest of the kids already on board. They were just waiting on Sam and Quinn, though who knew where the pair was? Their relationship had been under a lot of stress due to the duet and Sam had told Mercedes during one of their rehearsals that he was tired of Quinn's theatrics and bitchiness – it was becoming old.
Finally someone turned up. Quinn stormed towards the bus, anger flashing in her eyes. She glared at Mercedes before jumping up onto the bus. A second later Sam appeared, sighing and looking on edge.
"Are you alright?" Mercedes asked as he approached.
"Not really," Sam sighed "Quinn and I just broke up."
"You're kidding!" That was unexpected. Despite their issues, no one had thought it would get so bad as for the pair to quit on each other. But apparently it was at that stage.
"Yeah. She keeps on at me about this stupid duet, and I guess I snapped."
Sam gave Mercedes a small smile and left her to get on the bus. With everyone now accounted for, Mercedes and Kurt followed and within minutes they were off to Sectionals.
This was it.
"Come on Blaine, we're going to be late. We can't be late for Sectionals," David yelled as Blaine ran to catch up with the others. The rest of the Warblers were already on board the bus and waiting for him.
"I'm coming!"
Blaine jumped up into the bus just as the doors swung closed, courtesy of a rather upset-looking Wes. Blaine rolled his eyes at his friend, shaking his head.
"Honestly Blaine, what's going on lately? You haven't really been... 'with it'," Wes asked as they sat down and the driver started up the bus.
Blaine sighed. He hadn't told his friends too much about Kurt and New Directions. He knew they'd want to know what he knew about the glee club, and he wasn't prepared to share that with them. They didn't need to know he was close friends with their competition for Sectionals. For New York. They all knew about Kurt – Blaine hadn't been able to keep his mouth shut when he'd returned to Dalton after the incident at Breadstix. They'd been getting suspicious anyway, considering he kept asking Wes or David to cover for him when he faked sick and went down to McKinley. But they didn't know just how Blaine felt about the autistic boy – or how Kurt felt about him. He wasn't quite ready to share that with them just yet, especially when he wasn't too sure about it himself. He loved Kurt – that was for sure – but Kurt was autistic. It wasn't something he could forget, and that made a relationship difficult.
"It's nothing. Just the pressure."
And that was enough for his friends. Blaine let himself smile as Wes and David stated chatting and he thought about seeing Kurt again. He hadn't seen him since the Breadstix incident and he was desperate to see how he was doing. Plus, for some strange reason he couldn't quite comprehend, he'd never heard Kurt sing. For the first time, he'd hear Kurt sing.
This was it.
"Hey guys," Blaine grinned as walked over to the New Directions. He'd managed to slip away from the Warblers for a moment to see his friends. And Kurt. They greeted him warmly, apart from Rachel who continued to glare at him like he was pure evil, and Quinn was off somewhere 'crying her eyes out', according to Santana.
"The Hipsters are up first," Tina said, checking the program for the fifth time in the last five minutes "Then you, then us. Oh, I'm so nervous. We're competing against our friend."
Blaine rolled his eyes as he put his arm around Kurt – it felt so easy just to do that. Finn gave him a strange look, but he ignored it. This was Sectionals, and nothing was going to distract him.
"Tell me about it," he said "I have to compete against all of you! Still, good luck."
And then they were being called in to watch the first performance. Blaine said one last good bye before dashing back to the Warblers so they could go and sit down. He got an odd look from Jeff as he reappeared, but thought nothing of it until they were settled down and halfway through watching the Hipsters' performance.
"Where were you?" Jeff asked from beside him. Blaine shot him a look.
"Nowhere. Why?"
"Liar. I saw you, with the New Directions."
Blaine turned on his friend, glaring, "It's none of your business."
The blonde held up his hands and backed off, mumbling under his breath about being defensive and that being a bad sign. Blaine ignored him, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. They'd figure it out eventually, he told himself. It wasn't like he could hide this from them forever. He was just worried about how they would react to his friendship with the 'enemy', as Wes called them.
All too soon, the Warblers were called to perform and Blaine was standing nervously off stage, waiting to go on. He thought about Kurt sitting out there in the audience. Neither had heard each other sing – it was a first for both of them. He smiled, before walking out onto the stage and assembling with the rest of the Warblers.
"Ready?" Wes asked.
"Would it matter if we weren't?" Jeff piped up, earning himself a poke from Nick beside him.
"Let's do this."
Hey-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh
Tonight
Hey-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh, hey-eh-eh-eh-eh
Your lipstick stains
On the front lobe of my left side brains
I knew I wouldn't forget you
And so I went and let you
Blow my mind
As he sang, Blaine looked out into the audience for the one person he was singing for. He caught sight of some of the New Directions kids, and followed the line until he saw Kurt. The boy was grinning and watching him intently, mouthing the words as Blaine sang them.
Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one track mind like me
You gave my life direction
A game show love connection, we can't deny
I'm so obsessed
My heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna
And I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind
For the first time in a long time, he was happy about Sectionals. He was happy about singing. This time, it wasn't for some trophy, some other contest. This was about him. This was about Kurt.
As the song ended and the Warblers behind him stopped their background beat, the audience exploded into applause. But Blaine was only looking for one person, and he could see him clapping with an excited grin on his face, so contagious it made Blaine smile in return. But quickly he remembered they still had another song to do. And sure enough, the background tones started up from the Warblers, and Blaine launched into the song with a smirk.
You think I'm pretty
Without any makeup on
You think I'm funny
When I tell the punch line wrong
I know you get me
So I let my walls come down, down
Before you met me
I was alright but things
Were kinda heavy
You brought me to life
Now every February
You'll be my Valentine, Valentine
The crowd clapped in time to the beat, enjoying every second of it. New Directions was on their feet, cheering him and the Warblers on. Blaine sang his heart out, moving around the stage and keeping his eyes on one person in the audience.
You make me feel
Like I'm livin' a
Teenage dream
The way you turn me on
I can't sleep
Let's run away and
Don't ever look back,
Don't ever look back
My heart stops
When you look at me
Just one touch
Now baby I believe
This is real
So take a chance and
Don't ever look back,
Don't ever look back
He was having fun, the Warblers were enjoying themselves, they were on their way to earning themselves a place at Regionals, and Kurt was smiling at him. Was there anything better than this?
I'mma get your heart racing
In my skin tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
Let you put your hands on me
In my skin tight jeans
Be your teenage dream tonight
As he ended the song, Blaine had never felt happier or more excited.
"I just think..."
"We know what you think, Rachel," Santana shot back before Rachel could finish, giving her a glare along with her remark. Rachel glared back angrily.
"Look, Rachel," Finn tried to calm her down, but it was to no avail.
"No! This is Sectionals, which will lead us to Regionals and then New York. I'm not going to have my chance at New York ruined!"
Mercedes had had enough. Not only was she insulting her, Sam and Kurt, but she was insulting Mr Schue and the entire glee club. They were just minutes away from performing at Sectionals, and still she insisted she have the solo, if not the duet with Finn. She was crazy.
"Listen to me," Mercedes stood up, fixing her gaze on the smaller girl "Sam and I got the duet, so you can give up on that. Mr Schue gave it to us and you can't even respect his decision! He knows what he's doing!"
"He's more interested in making sure everyone feels happy than winning Sectionals and getting to New York!" Rachel yelled, finally letting go. Everyone stared at her.
"You're not getting the solo, Rachel, and that's that," Artie said reasonably "It's too late now."
Rachel turned on him, unaware Kurt was standing behind her and listening to every word, "I can sing that song better than him, and Mr Schue knows that! He only gave it to Kurt because he felt sorry for him! Honestly, the song is meant for a girl. Don't you think he'll get bullied more if he sings a girl's song? I can go out there now and sing it, I know it off by heart. Kurt shouldn't have gotten that solo!"
The stunned silence that followed was only broken by the sound of a choking sob and the slamming of a door. Too late, the glee club realised Kurt was gone. Rachel stared, open mouthed at what she'd just said.
"I... I didn't mean that..."
"Like hell you didn't!" Santana shouted, having to be held back by Puck as she tried to advance on the shorter singer.
"How could you say that, Rachel?" Finn sounded shocked and hurt "We all voted for him. And you know how much this means to him."
Rachel looked lost and confused herself, mumbling apologies as Sam tried to get Mercedes to calm down before she took Rachel's head off.
"You need to apologise to Kurt, not us," Mike said.
"Where is he?" Everyone looked around, then remembered he'd run.
"Crap," Puck growled "We just lost our soloist. I hope you're happy Rachel, because if we can't find him before we go out on stage in five minutes, we don't go on at all. Without him, we don't have twelve and we don't exactly have a back up this time."
That was the moment Mr Schue decided to walk into the room. Surveying the situation – Puck was still holding Santana back and Sam stood in front of Mercedes as she glared at Rachel like she wanted to tear her to pieces – he ran a hand through his hair.
"What is going on?"
"BLAINE!"
The singer jumped as his name was yelled, and he looked around for the source. Down the hall, Jeff and Nick were facing a third boy nervously – one in tears, and one he recognised instantly.
"Kurt!"
He raced down the hall and reached the three in seconds. Kurt threw himself at Blaine and hugged him, surprising Blaine. It was the first time Kurt had initiated a hug, or contact of any kind. As Kurt sobbed into his shoulder, Blaine glanced at his fellow Warblers.
"He was just saying your name," Nick said, as if that was enough explanation, and walked off with Jeff, glancing back at the pair a few times before they disappeared from view.
"Kurt, what's wrong? What happened?" Blaine asked, peeling Kurt off him and looking him in the eyes. Kurt sniffed, hiccupping a little as he tried to breathe and speak and cry all at the same time.
"Ra-Rach... said... couldn't sing... shouldn't... have the song..."
As Blaine pieced together what Kurt was trying to say, the boy leaned into him again and continued to cry. Finally, the Dalton boy understood and his blood began to boil at the thought.
"Kurt, did Rachel tell you that you shouldn't have gotten the solo?"
Kurt nodded into Blaine's shoulder, breathing a little easier now that he had his friend to calm him down from his hysterical state. Blaine hugged him back, wondering if there was anywhere he could dispose of a body around the place. Perhaps under the stage... Rachel would love that.
"Kurt, it's okay. Your friends all voted for you to get the solo. They all believe in you, right? Rachel's just jealous. She's jealous because she knows you're just as good as her. And maybe she's scared that you're better."
Kurt looked up at him, admiration in his pale blue eyes, "Really?"
"I think so. Look, you need to get on stage soon. I'll take you back to your friends, okay? And then you're going to go out on that stage and sing. Right?"
Kurt nodded, the tear tracks still evident on his face but now he was smiling. He took Blaine's hand as they walked towards where New Directions would be waiting.
Blaine smiled at Kurt, knowing his moment was just a few minutes away.
They found the room – the argument from inside was able to be heard from down the hall. Blaine pushed open the door to all hell breaking loose.
"What do you mean you lost him!" an older man, Blaine assumed was their director, was trying not to yell. Rachel was almost cowering under the anger of the entire glee club. Puck was keeping a good grip on Santana, who was yelling something in Spanish at the brunette. Mercedes was yelling at her about 'how dare she say something like that in front of Kurt' and 'as bad as the bullies back at school'. Finn wasn't defending Rachel, but standing off to the side and looking at her in hopelessness.
"Um, hi?"
The room fell silent as Blaine spoke quietly. Even Santana cut down on her tirade to stare at Blaine and Kurt.
"KURT!" Mercedes yelled and rushed towards him, seeing he'd been crying. She glared at Rachel again, pointedly.
"I'm sorry Kurt, I didn't mean what I said," the girl said quietly.
Kurt just nodded, smiling at her slightly. It was enough to defuse the entire situation. Mercedes rushed Kurt into the adjacent bathroom to make sure he was stage-worthy, Santana following to check on her boy. Blaine shot Rachel a glance. He could tell she was genuinely sorry, but he was stunned that even she would say something like that.
"Try to make sure you don't lose your soloist again," he said to her, before ducking out of the room.
He barely got a few feet down the hall before someone called his name. He turned to see the director giving him a slight smile.
"Thanks for that."
"No problem. But like I said, you really should look after him better. He's special."
He had no idea why he was saying this to a stranger, but he got the vibe that this was someone he could trust, at least about Kurt. The man smiled.
"I know. You're from the Warblers, right?"
"Yeah. Blaine."
"Mr. Schuester, New Directions director. Good luck to you."
"And you."
As Blaine settled into his seat, he couldn't wait to hear Kurt sing. It was something he'd been waiting for ever since he'd heard Kurt could sing. He knew he was a countertenor, but hearing Kurt sing...
"Hey, was that the Kurt you keep telling us about in the hall?" Nick asked from where he was sitting in the row behind Blaine.
"Yeah. He was just upset."
"You like him."
"Shut up, they're starting."
And indeed they were.
"And now, from William McKinley High in Lima, Ohio, please welcome New Directions!"
Blaine saw Kurt on the stage, alone. He looked so small and vulnerable as he stood there in front of the microphone without his friends behind him.
And then the music started, and he opened his mouth.
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game
Too late for second guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
Blaine sucked in a breath, astounded at the voice that came out of that small boy on the stage. Defying Gravity? If he could hit all the right notes, there was no way New Directions wouldn't win Sectionals. He could tell this was the sentiment of most of the Warblers – at least, the ones who knew the song. Beside him, Wes poked his side.
"We are so screwed."
I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But 'til I try I'll never know
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I'd lost
But if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost
At this point, the New Directions members started to file in and stand at the back, facing away from the crowd. But everyone, including Blaine, was transfixed with Kurt belting out the lyrics at the front of the stage.
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you won't bring me down
Bring me down!
As Kurt trailed off on the final note, he and Blaine locked eyes. He saw the smile pass over the boy's face and grinned in return. He'd hit every right note, perfectly. It was the most perfect rendition of Defying Gravity he'd ever heard. Kurt's voice was, for want of a more descriptive word, amazing. He'd never heard anything like it. And the song was a beautiful choice. He wondered if that was how Kurt really thought – 'some things I cannot change, but 'til I try I'll never know' instantly sprang to mind.
He barely had time to think before Kurt had moved to stand with the rest of New Directions who had since turned to face the audience. New music started up and Blaine knew this was Mercedes and Sam's duet. When he recognised the song, he smiled. An odd choice, but he knew the pair would sing it amazingly.
Sam walked out from the rest of the group slowly, looking up at the roof before beginning his lines.
You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep
As he sang, he raised his hands to the roof as he closed his eyes. The whole place darkened a little more and small bud lights in the roof glowed. Blaine had to stifle a laugh. They'd certainly gone all out.
"They're kidding," Jeff said in wonder as he looked up.
'Cause they'd fill the open air
And leave tear drops everywhere
You'd think me rude but I would just stand and
Stare
As he finished his lines, Sam spun to face Mercedes who had already walked out. The diva smiled at Sam as she sang her own lines, adding a little bit of 'Mercedes spice' to the song and making it her own.
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
Sam jumped back into the song with a smile, and Blaine wondered curiously if there was anything between the pair. The way they sang it would seem there was, but as far as he knew Sam was with Quinn. And he didn't pick Sam as the type of guy to cheat, and neither was Mercedes the type of girl to take that sort of crap from anyone.
'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they tried to teach me how to dance
Sam danced around Mercedes as he sung the last line, grinning like the dork he was as he almost tripped over his own feet before continuing, New Directions echoing behind the pair.
A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
The disco ball is just hanging by a thread
(Thread, thread...)
Sam and Mercedes jumped into the chorus together, alternating between looking at each other and the audience as they sang. Blaine was damn sure there was something going on, whether they knew it or not.
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems
(When I fall asleep)
Now it was Mercedes's turn to sing alone, stepping away from Sam towards the front of the stage to sing to the crowd in front of her. They were enchanted by the odd duet, as was the Warblers. Blaine saw Nick swaying to the music, a few other boys staring as Mercedes belted out her lines in her typical diva fashion with Sam singing the echoes.
Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
Cause I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep?
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep
(Ha-ha)
To ten million fireflies
I'm weird cause I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell
(Said farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar
(Jar, jar, jar...)
As Mercedes trailed off, the lights in the roof dimmed until they had completely gone and the darkness the whole place had descended into finally lifted a little. Mercedes and Sam powered through the chorus again, and when the final lines came, Sam was at the front of the stage in front of Mercedes. He half-whispered, half-sang the last lines, holding the audience spell-bound until the final moment.
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams
There was silence after the music ended, the people struck by the magic between the two voices and the energy and humour with which they performed. But quickly that silence was shattered with rousing applause. Blaine stood up, cheering his friends on. Most of the other Warblers also stood to clap in admiration of the pair's talent. But before long, the final song was upon them. Blaine sat back down as Mercedes and Sam ducked back into place and the opening lines of the final song was shouted by the entire group.
Teenage dream in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you're young and you want some
Blaine couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between the solo and duet and now the group performance. It was so sudden that a lot of the audience looked dumbstruck as New Directions continued, the boys singing the first lines with the girls echoing a second behind them.
Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running
Rachel stepped out from the group for a moment to sing her lines. Blaine rolled his eyes. Why had she been so horrible to Kurt when she still got to sing in the performance? It wasn't as if she'd been cut out of the songs altogether.
Waking up in the midday sun
What's to live for?
You could see what I've done
Staring at emotion
In the light of day
I was running from the things that you'd say
Surprisingly to Blaine, it was Mike who sung the next lines. The group dropped to the ground, leaving the Asian standing alone as he sung the few lines alone. Knowing how awkward the teenager was about singing, Blaine was curious about his newfound confidence.
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden
The whole group then again launched into the chorus, following their previous routine of the boys starting and girls echoing as the staggered lines came back into the song. Blaine sat back and enjoyed the song, keeping his gaze on Kurt as the boy sang and danced with his friends.
Teenage dreams in a teenage circus
Running around like a clown on purpose
Who gives a damn about the family you come from?
No giving up when you're young and you want some
Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running
Running around again
(Running around again)
Running from running
Now it was Finn's turn to sing. Blaine watched as he came out of the group and powerfully delivered his lines, even managing a little of the high notes the song required.
I was a boy at an open door
Why you staring
Do you still think that you know?
Looking for treasure
In the things that you threw
Like a magpie
I live for glitter, not you
By the time the end of the song came around, the entire audience was on its feet and clapping along to the beat. The Warblers were among them, cheering and shouting to the competition on stage. Even Wes managed to cheer the group on. But the song had to come to an end. New Directions was at the front of the stage and they dropped to their knees, once again leaving Mike standing. He sung the final lines with a smile on his face, pointing out into the crowd.
We are not what you think we are
We are golden, we are golden
There was deafening applause for the group as they bowed and walked off stage. Blaine fell back into his seat, knowing Regionals was probably long gone to the Warblers by now. But, he thought, if New Directions won he wasn't sure he'd mind too much.
"That was amazing!"
"I can't believe I did that!"
"Holy... that was the most insane thing ever!"
"THAT WAS EPIC!"
The group congratulated each other back stage, jumping around and hugging each other in their delight. Mercedes gave Kurt a bone-crushing hug before remembering his contact issue and letting go. He seemed too excited to care though and was bouncing up and down himself.
"I did it!"
"You were amazing Kurt," Mercedes grinned, Finn and the others agreeing. Even Rachel managed a smile and some praise for Kurt.
"You did really good too," Kurt said to Mercedes and Sam with a smile, and the pair shared a look.
Waiting backstage for the word to come through that the decision had been made was agonising. The kids were still excited over the reaction they'd gotten from the audience and hadn't calmed down since. When Blaine and the rest of the Warblers walked backstage where New Directions was waiting, they were deafened by ecstatic cheering and whoops.
"BLAINE!" Kurt yelled and tackled him the moment he saw the curly-haired singer approach. Blaine nearly fell over with the force of Kurt barrelling into him and he laughed breathlessly as the air was knocked out of him.
"You were amazing."
Kurt looked up at him with a gaze full of wonder and amazement, "You too!"
"Train and Katy Perry?" Santana laughed as he saw the Warblers, sauntering over, hips swaying in a way that had half the guys staring at her.
"Mika?" Jeff shot back, unaffected by her 'sexy' attempts – unlike Wes, David and a number of other boys. Santana chuckled.
"Touché."
Blaine left Santana to the Warblers – she probably wouldn't cause too much damage – and walked over with Kurt to the rest of New Directions.
"You were pretty good out there," Puck said, almost admiringly. Almost.
"You were great," Blaine replied "Mercedes, Sam, that was the strangest duet I've ever heard."
The pair shrugged, Mercedes grinning, "It's hard to find something to fit our voices. We were on odd duo, so we went with an odd song."
Blaine nodded, and turned to Mike, pointedly ignoring Rachel in between. She noticed his blatant display of anger and kept quiet, knowing it would take a little time for him to come around.
"You sang!"
Mike laughed with a dismissive shrug, "Hey, if Kurt, Mercedes and Sam can get out there and sing like that, I can too. I guess they gave me the confidence to get out there."
"Excuse me?"
The new voice instantly had everyone's attention. The three groups – the Hipsters talking quietly among themselves at the back – immediately quietened and looked at the woman standing on front of them.
"The decision's been made. You're all needed on stage now."
Blaine looked over at Kurt as Santana wandered back to her friends – half a dozen boys watching her go. Finally. They would know who had won, and who had lost. To Blaine, it was pretty clear who was going on to Regionals. But it was up to the judges. He let go of Kurt's hand as he walked back to his friends, and the odd looks they were giving him. He ignored them.
This was it.
"Going on to Regionals this year is..."
The silence was painful, Blaine having to bit his lip to stop himself from screaming at the suspense. It was cliché, but it was seriously killing him. He was so caught up in forcing himself not to burst he almost missed the declaration.
"It's a tie, between New Directions and the Dalton Academy Warblers. Congratulations, you're both going to Regionals."
The two groups were silent for only a split second before they both erupted into ear-splitting cheers and shouts. Blaine laughed at the ecstatic grins on his friends' faces, only because he knew he had a matching one plastered on his own face. A tie. How many times did something like that happen? It was unbelievable.
As the two groups moved their celebration backstage, Blaine found himself running towards the friends he'd made over the last few months. And he found Kurt running towards him, just as excited as the rest of them. They met halfway, grabbing each other in a hug that had Kurt literally swept off his feet for a second. The pair laughed, happier than they'd ever been.
"I can't believe it! We're both going to Regionals!" Blaine sighed after he finally managed to stop laughing. It was surreal and he still wasn't sure it had fully sunk in. Kurt was staring at him, pale eyes wide.
"Je peux te poser une question?"
Blaine frowned. Though his French was steadily getting better due to his constant presence around Kurt (finally it all seemed to be sinking in!), he wasn't sure what Kurt had asked. He pulled Kurt aside to where they were hidden from the gazes of the others and Kurt, knowing, was already typing something into his iPod. He couldn't be separated from that thing, and it was handy when Blaine was stuck trying to interpret some tricky French. Kurt gave the iPod to Blaine and he read what Kurt had written into the translator.
Can I ask you something?
"Of course Kurt, you can ask me anything. What is it?"
"Sommes-nous petits-copains?"
For some reason, Blaine thought a few of those words sounded familiar. Just to check, and calm his frantic heart because he was sure he knew what Kurt had just said, he translated it.
Are we boyfriends?
He'd certainly heard him right. Blaine couldn't breathe for a moment. Of all the things Kurt could have asked... He swallowed and managed to get a response out, all the while trying not to say I wish we were, I wish we were, you have no idea how much I wish it was true.
"Why do you ask?"
"Mercedes nous a demandé, tu te souviens ? Est-ce que tu le sais maintenant?"
Kurt took the iPod off Blaine as he spoke, typing in the words himself. When he handed it back, he looked at Blaine with a hopeful gaze. Blaine stared at the translation so he wouldn't have to look into those beautiful pale eyes, watching him carefully.
Mercedes was asking, remember? Do you know now?
Blaine vaguely remembered the awkward conversation at Breadstix when Mercedes had asked if they were official. He'd answered with the standard 'I don't know'. Because really, how could he be sure? Kurt was different, and as much as Blaine didn't want to treat him as such, he still had to be careful. 'Boyfriends' was a big thing, even if it didn't seem so to Kurt. Did he even understand what that meant? He decided to ask, and Kurt gave him a curious look.
"Comme Finn et Rachel, les disputes en moins. Et avec deux garçons. Mercedes dit que c'est ok. N'est-ce pas?"
Blaine took a few moments to translate that, though he recognised a few of the French words. It was easier to translate knowing that, and soon he was chuckling as he read the English version out loud.
Like Finn and Rachel, just no fighting. And with two boys. Mercedes said that's okay. Right?
"Yeah, she's right. Do... do you want to be... boyfriends?" Blaine asked hopefully, trying to force that fluttering hope down. He couldn't afford to let himself dream and then have it torn down. He wasn't sure he'd be able to live through that.
Kurt smiled and rested his head in Blaine's shoulder as he hugged him, "Mm-hmm."
Blaine grinned. Kurt was his boyfriend. He was Kurt's boyfriend. Somehow, he knew he would never get tired of that. He peeled Kurt off of him for a moment and looked at him.
"You want to meet my friends?"
Kurt looked nervous for a moment, and Blaine knew he hated being too close to strangers, especially if they all started in on him at once. But then Kurt nodded, and Blaine smiled. He took Kurt's hand and led him back to where the Warblers were celebrating.
"Blaine!" Wes noticed his friend first. And ever the observant friend he was, he completely missed the kid standing next to him until he was a foot away and skidded to a stop before he crashed into both of them.
"Oh, hey."
"Wes, this is Kurt."
"Oh, so you're Kurt?" Wes was instantly on guard – Blaine had told them about Kurt's autism, and he didn't want to do anything to scare him. David suddenly noticed his friend's reappearance and jogged over to the three with a massive grin. The rest of the Warblers followed him like baby ducks after their mother, still celebrating their semi-win.
"Guys, shut up for half a second, will you?" Blaine called as Kurt pressed against him worriedly. Blaine rubbed a thumb across his boyfriend's hand reassuringly, something that was entirely missed by Wes but not by slightly-less clueless David.
"You're Kurt, right?" Jeff called from somewhere in the back, recognising the kid with Blaine instantly. Blaine glared at him and the blonde shut up. He took a deep breath before looking at Kurt.
This was it.
"Guys, this is Kurt. My... boyfriend."
God, there were still butterflies when he said the word. Blaine grinned like an idiot as Kurt smiled shyly and the Warblers stared in shock. Then...
"Oh my God, how could you not tell us earlier!"
"Blaine, are you serious?"
"You can't just spring that on us!"
"Finally!"
"You two are so cute!"
"What the hell!"
"When did this happen!"
Blaine laughed a little at his friends' shock.
"Look, it was just now, okay?" he said, reassuring them that he had not actually been keeping this a secret, and they were in fact the first to know, so they could shut up and stop scaring the crap out of Kurt now because he was autistic and didn't like all the attention.
And attention he was getting. Jeff had come up to Kurt and was striking up a conversation with the shyer boy. A few other boys also walked up to him; Liam, Trent and Mason. Kurt was trying not to look scared but was failing miserably, and Blaine pulled him back. The Warblers understood and quietened the shouting and backed off the boy that was now Blaine's boyfriend.
Kurt was tugging on Blaine's hand and the Warbler quickly told his friends he was going. They watched him leave, Wes shaking his head.
"How could I not see this coming?"
"Same way you won't see this coming," David replied and promptly slapped the back of his friend's head.
Mercedes watched as Kurt dragged Blaine towards them, the pair extremely happy – though she thought they were a little too happy despite the situation. She nudged Santana and gestured to the boys. The girl laughed.
"I think it's on."
"What?" Mercedes asked, just as Kurt and Blaine reached them. The group was instantly fixed on them, including Finn - a fact that worried Mercedes a little. This couldn't end well, not with the absolutely terrified looks Blaine was shooting at the footballer.
"Hey hey hey hey!" Kurt shouted excitedly, jumping up and down as he gripped Blaine's hand tightly. Everyone fell silent, and suddenly Mercedes felt incredibly sorry for Blaine. Finn was going to kill him, if what Kurt was about to say was what she thought it was...
"Blaine's my boyfriend!"
Yep, she thought, Blaine was dead.
There was a mixture of reactions. The girls were all happy for Kurt, grinning and smiling and congratulating the pair. Brittany was confused, as usual, as she said rather loudly 'I thought that was ages ago?'. Even Quinn managed to be happy for the pair, though she was still shooting Sam dirty looks. Rachel simply stared in shock, unable to speak. The boys had a huge variance in reactions. Sam muttered 'finally' to himself before congratulating the pair, as did a grinning Artie. Mike slapped Blaine on the back and told him he'd better watch out for Kurt, or they'd kill him. Puck laughed himself stupid, mostly at the look on Finn's face. The step-brother was staring, dumbfounded.
"Wh...wha... when..."
"Yes, how long has this been going on?" Rachel asked.
"Um... about five minutes?" Blaine supplied nervously.
This only sent Puck into more laughter, snorting as he tried to contain himself.
"Rachel, the whole Klaine thing has been going on since they first met. I can't believe you haven't seen it," Tina chuckled.
That got the couple's attention. Blaine frowned, "Klaine?"
Mercedes explained, "Oh, when someone gets together in the group, we make a name for them. Rachel and Finn are Finchel, Quinn and Sam are...were Quam, Tina and Mike are Tike. You're Klaine. You know, 'Kurt and Blaine'."
Finn was still lost.
"I don't get it!"
"They're boyfriends, what's not to get?" Puck sniggered.
"No! I mean... I don't..."
"Why don't you just think about it for a while," Santana said dryly "I'm sure you'll get it through your thick head eventually."
At that moment, Mr Schue walked up. He saw the varying states of his glee kids, including Puck's almost hysterical laughter at Finn, and noticed the handholding between Kurt and Blaine.
"What's going on?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know.
Boyfriends.
Blaine smiled as he pulled into his driveway. Sectionals had gone better than he'd ever hoped for. He'd gotten through to Regionals. So had Kurt. He and Kurt were boyfriends. Honestly, life couldn't get any better.
But it could get worse.
Blaine sighed as he shut the ignition off and got out of his car. He was home for the weekend, and he knew he'd have to face his parents. Maybe he wouldn't tell them about Kurt just yet. They were still confused over the whole 'gay thing'. Yeah, he'd keep that little bit to himself.
But the tie with New Directions. Blaine bit his lip as he reached his front door and hesitantly knocked.
This was it.
Yes, I'm going to leave this chapter on a cliff hanger ;) I'm just horrible like that. But please, review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. And again, thanks so much to all the people who have reviewed this! By the way, the songs are from Train, Katy Perry, Wicked, Owl City and Mika respectively (or something like that - at any rate, they're not mine :P)
NEXT: Blaine's parents aren't exactly overjoyed with their son...