A/N: I cannot express how sorry I am at the wait. I'm awful. I'm also a perfectionist so I blame that part of myself. I can only hope that you guys don't hate me and that you haven't lost interest in this story because I still have a lot to tell. Also, Happy New Year! I guess this is kind of a new year present-ish? Whatever, enjoy :D
Kurt keeps his heart thoroughly encased inside his chest, safe and untouched by this stunning, amazing man in front of him. With every grin and laugh and touch directed towards him, Kurt feels the stuttering beats and the strong pulsations that make his insides quiver with excitement, but he doesn't allow his heart any attention. He can't.
Chins tucked into the necks of their coats and shoulders brushing close together, they brave the harsh winter winds and blistery chill that nips at their extremities for a short few blocks.
They round the wrought iron fence in front and take the short stairs two at a time. Blaine opens the door for Kurt with a shy smile. He returns it with a blush underlying his already wind-burned cheeks.
Kurt barely has a moment to look around the place when a voice calls over from the bar, "Blaine!" A man a little taller than Blaine rounds the bar with a wide smile and a hint of concern in his voice. "I wasn't sure when I'd hear from you again." His bald head shines dimly in the low lighting and his jawline is hidden in a thick layer of brown scruff.
Blaine's eyebrows fall. "I'm sorry, Joe. I really am. That won't happen again."
Joe nods once but doesn't look convinced. At that point, he turns to Kurt with a growing smile. "And who's this?"
"Joe, this is Kurt," Blaine says. "We, uh,… well I… um…"
"We… ran into each other on the subway last night!" Kurt saves him in a rush and internally gives himself a high-five as he shakes Joe's hand. Blaine smiles at him gratefully. Joe eyes them suspiciously; nothing seems to get past him.
"O…kay," he says slowly. "It's nice to meet you, Kurt. I'm sure I'll figure out what's going on here eventually, but I'd bet that Emilia would like to see her brother before I interrogate him." Joe turns and disappears through a door behind the bar. When he's gone, Blaine swears underneath his breath.
"I'm guessing Joe doesn't know about any of the creeping-through-strangers-windows-and-stealing-things business?"
Blaine laughs dryly, "No. And it's going to stay that way. He's given up enough for us as it is."
Kurt studies the pained look on Blaine's face. He wishes he could smooth the wrinkles in his forehead and lines next to his mouth. The crinkles next to his eyes could stay though; he loves the way they deepen when he laughs. Kurt wants to take away his troubles and see Blaine smile and laugh more; he wants to see the tension leave his posture and the weight lift from his shoulders.
Suddenly, it's as if a switch is flipped and Blaine's whole expression changes.
"B!" A bright voice squeals as a small pink figure rushes towards Blaine from behind the bar. Blaine's whole face opens up with a beaming smile as he catches the curly-haired girl under her arms and lifts her easily into his embrace, her legs wrap deftly around his torso.
"Em," Kurt hears Blaine breathe into her hair, eyes shut tight, one hand cradling her head the other wrapped firmly around her body, gripping her closely as if she were the only thing in the world.
Kurt's chest is too tight as if his heart grew too large to be contained between his ribs. He feels like his face is breaking in half with how wide he's smiling.
Blaine pulls away from Emilia, but she keeps her hands locked around his neck so he can't go far. "Em, there's someone special I want you to meet." Blaine shuffles over to Kurt and angles Emilia towards him. "This is Kurt. He's a friend of mine."
A shiver runs up Kurt's spine at the word special. He tries to give Emilia a slightly toned-down grin and says, "Hi, Emilia! I'm Kurt." One of her hands plays with a curl at the base of Blaine's neck, but her bright blue eyes are trained on Kurt alone.
"Hi, Kurt!" Her grin grows and Kurt can see that she's missing a few teeth. "I like your scarf, can I touch it? It looks really soft. And it's blue! That's my second favorite color after pink. Pink is the best." Blaine chuckles and sets her on the ground.
"Of course," Kurt says and kneels in front of her. "Pink looks great on you." He untwines the scarf from around his neck and wraps it around hers. He gasps noisily and both Blaine and Emilia look at him, alarmed. "Blue looks even better on you!" He tucks the long ends of the scarf into her jacket and she squirms in delight. Kurt glances up at Blaine and finds a sweet smile on his lips.
"Uncle Joey, Uncle Joey!" Emilia calls racing over to the bar where Joe had apparently been watching the whole exchange judging by the significant glance he gave the two of them. He bends down and engages Emilia in an expressive conversation before Kurt turns to Blaine.
"She's absolutely adorable, Blaine," he gushes, not being able to contain his adoration any longer. This little girl had captured his heart before he knew it was missing.
"She can be a bit much sometimes, but I love her. She's a bundle of energy," Blaine smiles fondly in her direction. Emilia is trying to wrap Kurt's scarf around Joe's head in a turban-like fashion.
"I don't see the family resemblance at all," Kurt says and laughs when Blaine whaps him in the arm. They share a small smile before Kurt turns and finally takes in the pub.
It's completely dead right now at mid-morning and especially with the storm, but the warm lighting and the classy furniture give it a homey feeling. Kurt traces a finger over the stitching in one of the leather booths.
"I wanted to sing here once. Back when I first moved to New York," Kurt confesses, eyes trained on the large stage. Blaine stands at his shoulder.
"Then why don't you give it try?" He says simply. Kurt's neck almost cracks from how sharply it snaps in Blaine's direction. "Joe won't mind. I do it all the time. There's no one here."
Kurt glances back at Joe and Emilia and finds them both sitting at the bar, Emilia kicking her feet happily with his scarf wrapped back around her neck snugly. He nods nervously at Blaine who gently takes his hand and leads him up to the stage.
The pub seems to slip away as Kurt bathes in the warm stage lights and feels the hum of simple stage presence move through his bones. He didn't even realize Blaine had left the stage until he comes back with a guitar slung across his back and two stools, one in each hand. Kurt smiles and accepts one, trying not to let his eyes linger too long on Blaine's now exposed forearms and how he strums the guitar expertly. He notices Blaine's hat and coat are gone too and suddenly, Kurt feels overdressed. He neatly folds his coat and hat on top of his stool and looks over at Blaine who wears an amused grin.
Kurt approaches the microphone and searches his inner repertoire for the right song. It doesn't take long. It has always been second nature for him to choose the perfect song to express his feelings. "I'm not sure if you're going to know this one," Kurt says to Blaine who is strumming lightly on the guitar perched on his knee.
"Don't worry about me. You start whenever you're ready and I'll chime in if I can," he says reassuringly. Kurt nods and closes his eyes for a moment. He sees the Blaine from last night behind his eyelids, sitting on the floor, close to tears. He glances at the Blaine beside him, smiling softly, fingers poised on the strings, waiting for him. He takes a breath and grips the mic.
When your souls weary
When you find doubt
When you can't hear me
Lay your troubles down
Blaine either knows this song or is more musically inclined than Kurt already knew because he begins strumming with his words.
In your dark moments
When your hearts weak
Bring yourself broken
You will find me
It sounds like a promise on his lips. Kurt glances over at Blaine who watches him carefully for the next verse. Their harmonies float out over the empty booths as if to cover up the emptiness Kurt has felt slowly eat away at his life.
Who wrote the rain
Who wrote the sun in
Who called your name
Where are you running
I'm gonna be there near or far
I'm gonna meet you where you are
Who wrote your name
Who wrote the sun in
And when their eyes meet again, it is as if the sun burnt a hole through Joe's roof just to shine down on the two of them. Blaine flashes him a smile that sends Kurt's heart thumping violently against his ribcage.
When you come thirsty
When the wells dry
When you souls dirty
I am by your side
When your faiths broken
When you can't see
With my arms open
You will find me
Blaine found Kurt. Kurt found Blaine. He found this wonderful, misguided person in probably one of the worst ways, but in such a short amount of time, this boy has made him forget about everything he once thought was important.
You carried all my shame
When you called my name
I am not the same
Kurt doesn't know what to do with himself anymore. Blaine has stolen and completely rewritten what he thought his day off was going to be like, pun intended.
As they finish up the song, Kurt sees all the hope and happiness he feels in Blaine's eyes, but the moment is ruined as his heart constricts. He doesn't know Blaine. He doesn't live in his world. He doesn't know what he's done, what he will probably still have to do whether Kurt stays in his life or not. Kurt wants to help him, keep him honest and true like his words, but he's only seventeen. He can barely keep his own life together.
The last chord rings out across the stage and it brings Kurt back to the present. To the boy with the honest eyes and the mop of curly brown hair and Kurt's heart beating just for him. Kurt realizes that he needs to know him. He has to take the chance; he can't let Blaine walk out of his life forever.
"Thank you." The words slip out of his mouth before he realizes he means them wholeheartedly. Blaine's eyebrows shoot up, but his smile grows.
"Don't thank me," Blaine says and then wiggles his eyebrows adding, "… yet. If I can get Joe to agree, would you like to accompany me on the stage next time I play?"
No force in the world could stop Kurt from saying yes to this boy.
A/N: Again, I am SO SORRY for the wait. I'm already working on the next chapter. My goal is to finish the next chapter as well as that damn 15th chapter of For You before I go back to school on Monday. That's reasonable, right? Ha… ha… ha… ahhhhhh
