A/N: Wow, sorry it took so long! But this chapter is long for me, more than 12 pages in word.
Also- wow. Rumours. Was totally not expecting to like that episode, due to the lack of Blaine... but wow, I sure did. I loved Brittany (oh dear god, Lord Tubbington...) and Brittana and Puck calling Klaine boyfriends (finally!), and the subtle Klaine in that episode, and the Finchel... YES. Just YES.
Did anyone else notice Kurt still has the "courage" collage in his locker?
I didn't. What are you talking about.
PROM PROMO I'M SO GODDAMN EXCITED.
Just so you know. I already have a lot of the Prom chapter written and all of it outlined- I wanted to get it down before canon fucked with my head, as it is often doing with this story (I almost said something about Blaine's dad in this chapter, until I realized my Blaine's dad is different from canon Blaine's dad).
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. *lesigh
So Finn and Rachel were together again. They were back to sitting next to each other during Glee rehearsal and singing sappy duets and chasing each other around the piano. Rachel was back to wearing her 'Finn' necklace and Kurt was once again expected to become accustomed to walking in on the sight of Finn and Rachel making out on the living room couch all the time.
It was Finn and Rachel, so Kurt couldn't exactly expect it to last. Finn would do something stupid or Rachel would do something diva-like and they would break up again- and get together again. But for now, it was smooth sailing, and Kurt liked it better that way. They were happy, so he was happy.
"What's on your mind?" Blaine murmured, kissing down his neck. Kurt arched a little, squirming happily under his boyfriend's attentions.
"Finn and Rachel," Kurt murmured, letting his boyfriend steal his lips for a moment in a brief but intense kiss.
Blaine chuckled a little, nosing along Kurt's jaw. "I must be doing something wrong if all you can think about is your stepbrother and his girlfriend."
"You are doing absolutely nothing wrong," Kurt breathed, flinging his arms around Blaine's neck and pulling him in closer, using his legs to flip the both of them over on his bed. Blaine made a little squeaky noise as Kurt leaned in again, brushing their noses together.
Kurt had that smile on his face, that coy, sly smile that oozed confidence and self-assurance, that smile that never failed to twist Blaine's stomach into knots because holy hell this gorgeous boy was his and that was something he'd probably never be able to get over.
And then he stopped thinking because Kurt's lips were soft and hot against his, and his tongue was slipping into Blaine's mouth again, and his legs slid from straddling Blaine's hips to just pressing down on top of Blaine. And now they were chest to chest and so close that not even something really small like an ant or a single playing card could fit between them, and Kurt was doing something absolutely sinful with his mouth and one of his hands was sliding up the back of Blaine's shirt and Blaine fully approved of this new development.
That was, at least, until Kurt slid a knee down and up between Blaine's thighs and as nice as it felt, it set warning bells off in Blaine's head. He pulled away from Kurt's mouth, turning his head to the side to catch his breath, sliding his hands to Kurt's hips to push him away. "Kurt, wait."
Almost immediately, Kurt tried to roll away, his face blushing a dark red, his shoulders curling in on themselves.
"No, stop, wait, stay here. I'm not rejecting you. We need to talk about this," Blaine said, keeping his hands firmly on Kurt's hips to assure Kurt that hedid want this, because his boyfriend was getting that unsure, self-conscious look on his face that he sometimes got when he modeled new clothing for Blaine.
"Kissing is so much easier," Kurt grumbled, running his fingers up Blaine's thigh. Blaine's breath caught, heat blossoming in his cheeks and somewhere else, too.
"Yes, it is," Blaine agreed, grabbing hold of and stilling Kurt's wandering fingers. "Except that we do need to talk about this."
"What is there to talk about?" Kurt sighed.
"A lot," Blaine said, firmly. "We need to talk about what we're ready for and what we're not ready for. We need to discuss boundaries."
"I don't have any boundaries," Kurt sulked.
Blaine raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Really."
Kurt nodded petulantly.
"So you'd be willing, right now, to have complete intercourse?"
Kurt turned bright pink and his eyes flitted away from Blaine's. "No," he whispered, and his hands shook a little in Blaine's.
"Hey," Blaine whispered, slipping his arms around Kurt's back, pulling him more tightly against his chest, resting his cheek against Kurt's hair. "Look. I'm new to this, just like you are. I was afraid to make a move on you beyond kissing and you were bold enough to take the next step. But we need to talk about how far we're willing to go with each other at the moment, no matter how embarrassing this talk may be."
"Okay," Kurt said, quietly. "That makes sense."
Blaine rubbed a hand up and down Kurt's arm, letting the other boy gather himself a little before they carried on.
Kurt took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "What you asked me before- if I was ready to-" his voice broke off.
Blaine waited a moment, then spoke when it seemed like Kurt wasn't going to. "Yes?"
"I want to get there eventually. With you."
And it was amazing, the effect that that sentence has on Blaine's body, because now he knew that Kurt wanted him. In that way. His skin suddenly felt too small for his body. He swallowed hard, meeting Kurt's eyes. "I want that, too," he said.
Kurt let out a long breath- had he been afraid of Blaine rejecting him?- and smiled like he couldn't help himself. "Good. Not now, though," he clarified quickly.
"No," Blaine hastily agreed. "It's definitely too soon, I'm not ready for that."
"So what are you ready for, then?" Kurt asked, shuffling back a little so he leaned against the pillows, legs draped across Blaine's lap, Blaine's arms wrapped loosely around Kurt's waist.
"None of that," Blaine said, squeezing Kurt's side. "I asked you."
"Just..." Kurt closed his eyes, taking in another deep breath. "Just, maybe... touching?" he blushed even more darkly, looking unbelievably sweet and bashful. "I mean, just... over the clothes, I mean, and then maybe later... under?"
Blaine's cheeks positively burned. He'd been totally unprepared for the onslaught of mental imaged Kurt's words would bring him. Kurt's hands everywhere on him- touching, kissing, caressing- his hands everywhere on Kurt, Kurt whispering his name like a benediction, Kurt coming apart in his arms...
"Yes," Blaine said, the instant change in atmosphere obvious as he leaned over to crush his lips to Kurt's, threading his fingers through Kurt's hair, holding him tightly against his body with his other arm, pressed low across Kurt's back.
Kurt gasped into his mouth, then melted into the kiss, kissing back just as fiercely, opening his mouth to let Blaine's tongue slip in, sinking back into the pillows even more to allow Blaine to settle on top of him, shifting between Kurt's legs without ever breaking the contact between their mouths.
"Enthusiastic, are we?" Kurt murmured against his lips, but he sounded a little too breathless for the tone to be teasing.
Blaine rested his forehead against Kurt's collarbone, still breathing heavily. "I'm sorry, just- hearing you say- just, god, yes, Kurt."
"You want that, too?" Kurt asked, as if it wasn't obvious. "Really?"
"You doubt that?" Blaine asked in surprise.
Kurt just shrugged, but Blaine could see him folding in on himself in the way he always did when he felt insecure about himself.
"Kurt, I love you," said Blaine. "I know to you that means everything we've been doing- holding hands and kissing and talking and just being together and enjoying our time together. And I love that, Kurt, don't get me wrong. But I also want you. I-" he broke off, examining Kurt's face, gathering courage in his boyfriend's open expression. "I want to do everything with you, Kurt. I want you so badly it's all I can think about sometimes."
Kurt actually seemed shocked about this.
"You still doubt me," Blaine observed. "Why is it so hard for you to believe? Don't you want me?"
"Of course," Kurt said immediately. "But you're- you. And you've only ever seen my clothes."
Of course. Kurt felt comfortable with style, he owned it, actually. He knew exactly how to be sexy when he was wearing clothes that made him feel sexy. He could work sexy if he wasn't concentrating on it. But when he was...
"Are you saying you're uncomfortable with your body?" Blaine asked. The idea seemed unfathomable to him. The little he'd seen of Kurt's body and the lot he'd felt of it over his clothes- well, Kurt really had nothing to worry about.
"Is that so hard to believe?" Kurt said, a little snappishly.
"Yes," Blaine said, "when it's someone as gorgeous as you are."
Kurt tilted his head to gaze at Blaine, a blush rising on his cheekbones. "You're not scared at all, then?"
"Of course I am," Blaine said firmly, reaching to tug Kurt against him once again. "But I'm hoping, I suppose, that you'll love me enough to overlook any shortcomings I might possess."
"I see no shortcomings," Kurt breathed out, before leaning in to kiss Blaine again. This kiss quickly became open-mouthed and eager, and Blaine was sure Kurt's hand was inching downwards, and this was definitely leading to some very good places...
The front door slammed underneath their feet and both of them literally jumped apart guiltily, straightening and smoothing their clothes. By the time Burt reached the top of the stairs, the door was open and both boys were intent upon their homework, Kurt lying sprawled out on the bed, Blaine sitting curled up in Kurt's cushy red butterfly chair. Blaine flipped his physics textbook the correct way at the last moment. Burt didn't appear to notice.
Burt had never been a man of many words. "You staying for dinner?" he asked, nodding his head at Blaine.
Blaine shook his head. "Unfortunately, I should get back home. Layne and Toby and the baby are coming over for dinner tonight and I told Jane I'd help her with her physics homework before they arrived. Thank you for the offer, though." He began stacking his textbooks.
Burt nodded, disappearing again.
"I take it Jane is home now?" Kurt asked, sitting up on his bed and curling his legs underneath him.
"She got back from the hospital yesterday," Blaine confirmed, sliding his calculator closed and tossing it into his bookbag.
"You didn't tell me that," Kurt said, failing in his attempt at nonchalance.
"Didn't get a chance to. Your tongue was in my mouth," Blaine said.
"Oh." a blush rose high on Kurt's cheekbones. "That's not my fault. You were distracting me."
Blaine's forehead wrinkled. "Oh? How's that?"
"Your lips looked delicious and I wanted to see if they tasted as good as they looked," Kurt said innocently, as if what he was saying wasn't conjuring up some interesting mental pictures in both of their minds.
Blaine couldn't count the number of times he'd gotten distracted by Kurt's lips when Kurt was talking- distracted by the way they pulled when he smiled, by the way he'd bite his lip not when he was nervous or sad, but when he was angry...
Kurt was smirking, and he knew he'd been caught in his brief zone-out. He slipped the strap of his bag over his shoulder, grinning at Kurt. "I'll see you later, okay? I'll send you a text after dinner's over."
Kurt pouted a little, but accepted Blaine's quick goodbye kiss.
"Not going to walk me to the door?" Blaine asked, turning to look over his shoulder as he reached Kurt's door. Kurt was draped across the bed again, loose-limbed and lazy.
"Nope," he said, but his eyes weren't on Blaine's face.
Blaine felt his face heat up a little. "Are you looking at my ass?"
Kurt smiled in a way that was reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat. "Caught me."
He didn't seem to be all that contrite.
xxxx
Jane was already sprawled across his floor, doing homework, when he got home. She looked up as Blaine entered and threw his shoulderbag onto the beanbag in the corner.
"How was Kurt's?" she asked, scribbling something out.
He was glad she'd looked back down, because he could actually feel the ridiculously goofy smile spread across his face. "Fantastic."
Jane slammed her physics book shut. "Done."
He blinked. "I thought you said you needed help with your physics?"
She shrugged a little. "I guess I didn't."
He tried not to get annoyed with her, he really did. But he'd left Kurt's house early just so he could help Jane with her homework, because she said she needed help. And now she didn't?
"Jane, I left my boyfriend's house early just to help you with it," he said evenly.
"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt one of your many cuddle sessions," Jane snapped, turning away. "I'm sure he'll forgive you for it."
Two months ago that might've felt like a slap. Two weeks ago, he might've snapped right back at her.
But after their talk in the hallway, something had changed. And he knew that something was wrong. Jane had never been someone to simply state what was troubling her- she relied on her sharp tongue as a fall back.
"What's up?" Blaine asked, sitting on his bed. He carefully avoiding the phrase what's wrong, because God knew she'd heard that particular question too many times in her life.
There was another thing about Jane- when her fall back failed, she didn't really beat around the bush. "One of your friends stopped by when you were with Kurt."
Blaine wrinkled his forehead. "Wes? David?"
She shook her head. "A girl. She said her name was Quinn?"
He tried not to show his surprise, but it was difficult. "She lives close to an hour away. I wonder why she was here? Did she say?"
Jane fumbled a little with the edge of her shirt. "We talked a little."
Somehow, suddenly, Blaine's protective instinct kicked in. "Did she say something to you?"
Something was clearly bothering Jane. She wasn't meeting his eyes, she was running her fingers through her tangled curls, she was chewing her lip anxiously, nearly breaking through the skin. She shook her head quickly.
"No. She, uh. She wanted to ask you to Prom."
To say that Blaine was surprised would have been an understatement. He was actually gobsmacked. He hadn't even thought about Prom. To be honest, he'd forgotten McKinley even had one for Juniors- Dalton's was only for seniors.
"Okay," he said finally, aiming for nonchalance but ending up sounding somewhat bitchy. Maybe he was spending too much time around Kurt.
"Well, you're not going to go with her, are you?" Jane demanded, her voice shrill.
Blaine blinked, not understanding. "I- I might..."
"But you're dating Kurt," Jane snapped, as if Blaine didn't already know that.
"I don't know his plans for Prom, though," Blaine said, trying for a calming tone of voice. "He might want to go with Mercedes."
"But Kurt's your boyfriend," Jane insisted, her scleras darkening to a more cerulean hue.
"That doesn't mean-"
"Yes, it does, okay," Jane hissed. "You wouldn't expect Finn to go with anyone but Rachel. You wouldn't expect Lauren to go with anyone but Puck. Or Tina with anyone but Mike."
He took a small moment to appreciate Jane's amazing memory.
"But it's okay for you and Kurt to go with other people?" Her little hands were balled into fists by her sides.
"Jane, this school isn't exactly accepting of us," Blaine said soothingly. "And if we can make ourselves less of a target by going with girls-"
"Bullshit," Jane spat, vehemently. "You and Kurt have kissed in the middle of the hallway. Quinn told me."
"Why do you care so much?" Blaine asked. Jane was going from asking Kurt if they'd tone down their coupley attitude around her to pushing him to ask Kurt to Prom. To him, it didn't seem like that big of a deal. If he and Kurt wanted to go together, then fine. They would. If Kurt wanted to go with Mercedes instead, Blaine wouldn't fight him about it.
"Because I'm never going to have this, Blaine!" Jane yelled. "I'm never going to have Junior Prom and I'm never going to have friends like yours and who knows, maybe I'll never have someone like Kurt either!"
Blaine stared at her wordlessly for a moment.
"Excuse me," Jane said stiffly, gathering up her books and papers quickly, and exiting the room, leaving behind a sort of chill in the air.
Blaine fell back on his bed.
He definitely hadn't seen that one coming.
He hadn't actually thought about how Jane might feel about being homeschooled in high school, about not really having that social interaction. About how alone she must have felt, particularly when Blaine started attending Dalton and didn't live at home any longer.
And she was right, which was something he never thought would happen (at least when speaking in regards to his love life). He should be asking Kurt to Prom.
Except now the pressure was actually on, and he had no idea what to do.
xxxxx
It was actually impressive, how easily Kurt could distract him without even doing anything. They were sitting in Glee practice, Blaine's legs draped over Kurt's lap. Mr. Schue was saying something, but Blaine was more focused on the way Kurt's hands were running up and down his calves.
In his defense, though, he wasn't the only boy paying little to no attention. Puck was doodling a picture of a puppy in the corner of his notebook. Sam was watching an episode of Star Trek on his phone. Finn appeared to be sleeping with his eyes open- he gave a little jerk as Mr. Schue clapped his hands loudly.
"-which is why this week's assignment is hope. Optimism. Encouragement. Find a number that embodies all of those themes, and perform it in front of the group."
"Quinn," Blaine called, as the rest of the group began to slowly make their way out of the doors. Kurt shot him a quizzical look, then moved forward to catch up with Santana and Mercedes.
Quinn turned, a smile already lit on her lips. "I take it Jane told you about my visit?"
"She did," Blaine said, "and, Quinn-"
"Forget it." Quinn's smile was understanding. "I wanted to win Prom Queen. That wasn't going to happen anyway, not if I wasn't with Finn or Sam. And I messed up both of them too much to hope for that, so I was hoping you might replace them. I don't know what I was thinking, really. You go with Kurt."
"You're not going to get any votes anyway if you go with the token gay kid." Blaine attempted a smile.
"Really," Quinn said firmly, smoothing her hair with one hand. "Go with Kurt."
He grinned at her, hoisting his bad higher on his shoulder. "So what song are you thinking of for this week's assignment?"
Quinn shrugged. "I'm not sure I feel exactly optimistic right now."
"Why not?" Blaine asked. "Quinn, you've finally fixed things the best way you can. You've patched it up with Rachel and Finn and Sam. You deserve to maybe have a little optimism and hope in your life."
"I just don't, okay?" Quinn pressed her lips together tightly in an almost-smile- but no, it was too sarcastic to be a smile.
"Well, that's why this week's lesson should be perfect for you," Blaine said, opening his locker and smiling slightly at the decor, as he always did.
He'd seen Kurt's locker a billion times before- the ugly school photo of himself he'd given Kurt so long ago, the "courage" collage that never failed to make him smile goofily. He'd been jealous of it, but he'd never been artsy like Kurt, and was therefore unable to make his own. Thus, his asking Kurt to make him a collage too was completely justified.
Blaine's said "I'll Cover You" in giant, magazine-cut letters, and the picture above was taken at Regionals. He and Kurt were dancing with their arms around each other, Blaine grinning widely while Kurt sang to him (Mercedes had managed to snap it on her cell phone during their number). Kurt had blushed when he'd first heard Blaine's request for what he'd wanted his locker collage to be. Then he'd blushed even harder a few days later, when he presented the finished, slightly-more-elaborate-than-his-own collage to Blaine and Blaine's response was to push him against his locker and kiss him breathless.
"You and Kurt are the only ones who I think could actually make it," Quinn said softly. "How's that for optimism? How am I supposed to sing a song about that?"
"I don't think there are many songs written about being happen for your two male friends who happen to be dating each other," Blaine agreed, shutting his locker. "But I think the point of the song assignment is about hope. Maybe not optimism, exactly, but the possibility of a bright future. Remembering the dark times and places, and realizing that things will get better."
"I think I'm still in that dark place," Quinn said quietly, forcing a smile.
Blaine nodded, biting his lip lightly. "Change of subject?" he suggested, holding out his arm, elbow bent.
She took it. "Please," she said, her voice cracking a little.
"How should I ask Kurt?" he asked.
"Are you sure he isn't planning to ask you?" Quinn steered them around a corner.
Blaine thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think so. He'd want me to ask him."
"Why's that, do you think?" Quinn's grip tightened on his arm and didn't relax until they'd passed Karofsky and Azimio (the former glaring at Blaine in a way that made him feel physically ill).
He couldn't exactly put his finger on the way he knew, without a doubt, that Kurt would want him to ask. It just seemed so... Kurt. He couldn't imagine it being the other way around. He shrugged in response to Quinn's question. "I just... know."
He hesitated a little before his next question. "Will... will you be going alone, then?"
She smiled a little ruefully. "I guess so. Offers aren't exactly flying in left and right, if you hadn't noticed."
Blaine hummed in a sort of neutral way.
Quinn sounded a little frustrated when she spoke again. "I don't get it. I mean, I'm pretty, and I'm smart, and I'm popular. Why don't I have a date to Prom?"
"You ice people out, Quinn," Blaine said gently. "You walk around school like you own the place. You walk around like Kurt does. And it's great, and fear-inspiring, and all. But. Do you think, if I had gone to McKinley from the start, that I would ever have gotten up the courage to speak to Kurt? He would've intimidated me into looking at my shoes as we passed. He owns the hallways when we walk together and I feel lucky to just be walking beside him. But I, unlike everyone else, know it's mostly a facade. Because he let me in. You need to let people in, Quinn."
Quinn wrinkled her brow. "Kurt told me you ruled Dalton. You used to get all the solos, you practically had everyone wrapped around your pinky finger."
Blaine laughed. "That's Dalton, Quinn. Dalton is full of polite, rather pompous, geeky boys who enjoy rallying around a ringleader. And they really don't care if someone's gay." He pushed open the door to the school. "At McKinley, it's a different story. I never would have had to the courage to walk like Kurt does, like he owns the place. He would have intimidated the hell out of me."
"You walk down the hallway holding hands with him," Quinn pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "That's pretty brave."
"It's because I'm with Kurt," Blaine said. "Kurt makes me brave." He patted her hand, and strode over to where Kurt was standing in wait beside his car.
"Are you going to come over now?" Kurt asked with a coy sort of smile, his eyelashes fluttering against his cheekbones. Blaine's mind immediately flashed to Kurt's wide, inviting bed, the numerous pillows and the soft, masculine smell of the blankets- he wrenched his mind away.
"I can't," he said ruefully, and his stomach twisted at the way Kurt's face fell. "I have a lot of homework," he explained. "I mean, it's McKinley, so that's confusing to say the least, but I need to get it done."
After a moment, Kurt nodded. "That makes sense." He leaned over to give Blaine another quick kiss, letting his lips linger a moment. "Call me tonight?" he breathed.
That simple request really shouldn't have done the things it did to Blaine.
xxxxx
"What're you doing for your assignment?" Finn asked, poking his head around Kurt's doorframe.
Kurt started violently, upsetting his mug of coffee onto a stack of sheet music.
Finn at least had the decency to look slightly guilty. "Sorry, bro."
Kurt sighed, standing up to grab a towel. "It's fine. Come in."
Finn edged into the room a little hesitantly, then sat down on Kurt's bed. "So?"
"I'm looking for one." Kurt sighed, mopping up the spilled coffee. "How strange is it that I've never been happier and more optimistic than I am now, but I still can't think of a single song to do for Glee?"
Finn's forehead creased and his lips parted slightly- a sure sign he was thinking hard about something.
"Why don't you do a Beatles song?" he suggested, finally. "Didn't the Beatles do something about... sunshine?"
Which is how Kurt ended up standing in front of the piano in the choir room the next day, singing another Beatles song- only this time, rather than having burning eyes and a lump in his throat, he had a grin that felt like it was taking up his whole face.
Here comes the sun... doo doo doo doo...
Here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right...
Little darling... it's been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darling... it feels like years since it's been here
He sang to Mercedes, who was grinning and nodding along to the soft piano and guitar accompaniment.
But here comes the sun... doo doo doo doo...
here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right...
Little darling... the smiles returning to the faces...
little darling... it seems like years since it's been here...
Here comes the sun...
Here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right...
He shamelessly sang the verse to Blaine, directing every 'here comes the sun' and 'little darling' at his boyfriend, playing up the theatrics and glowing at the beaming smile spread across Blaine's face.
Little darling... I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling... it seems like years since it's been clear
But here comes the sun...
Here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right...
Tin and Brittany joined him, laughing, on the last few lines, but left him to sing the final one on his own.
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo
Here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right...
He let the last note fade out, holding it until he ran out of air. For a moment, everyone was quiet, then the room burst into applause. Mr. Schue stood up from where he sat in the corner of the room to clap Kurt on the shoulder. "Well done, Kurt! I don't think any of us have ever seen you do such a... happy song. It's a great example for the type of song we're looking for with this assignment. Good job."
Kurt smiled a little smugly, and flounced proudly back to his seat, letting his arm drop around the back of Blaine's chair. Blaine cuddled up against him immediately, pressing a kiss to Kurt's neck.
"What was that for?" Kurt whispered in surprise. He and Blaine usually refrained from the kissing sort of physical affection when they were actually at Glee rehearsal.
"I really like it when you're happy," Blaine whispered back, his voice cracking a little. His eyelashes were wet when they brushed against Kurt's neck.
Quinn raised her hand. "Mr. Schuester? I have a song prepared for my assignment as well."
Blaine sat up a little straighter, untucking his head from Kurt's shoulder to get a better look at his friend. He hadn't expected her to come up with a song in such a short amount of time, particularly after the talk they'd had the previous day.
She stood up, handing her sheet music to the drummer, violinists, and guitarist, then turned to face the rest of the group.
"I know a lot of you know what's been going on with me," she began, not really looking at anyone in the group, just twisting her fingers together anxiously. "This group doesn't really have any secrets, and this is no exception." She met Blaine's eyes, and held his gaze. He figured he was probably the easiest for her to make eye contact with. "I tried to find a song that said what I wanted it to- I wanted to thank Blaine especially, just for being there. But I think this song mostly represents that even if we are still the underdogs after winning Regionals, things are going to change."
She waved a hand at the band. They took the signal and began to play as she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
And it's a sad picture, the final blow hits you
Somebody else gets what you wanted again, and
You know it's all the same, another time and place
Repeating history and you're getting sick of it
Blaine saw Rachel and Finn exchange a look of surprise and almost... sorrow. Guilt, a little.
But I believe in whatever you do,
And I'd do anything to see it through
Her eyes were soft on Blaine and Kurt, her lips curving a little in a smile as she inclined her head slightly in approval of Kurt's arm still wrapped around Blaine's shoulder. She closed her eyes as she launched into the chorus.
Because these things will change, I can see it now
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down
This revolution, the time will come for us to finally win
Her voice dropped in volume again, her eyelashes fluttering open.
So we've been outnumbered, jaded and now cornered
So hard to fight when the fight ain't fair
We're getting stronger now, found things they never found
They might be bigger, but we're faster and never scared...
Her eyes held Blaine's as she repeated the chorus a second time, a single tear trailing down her cheek.
The applause when she finished was slow, hesitant, but genuine. Several people in the room looked a little shell-shocked. Blaine felt a little shell-shocked. He'd never exactly experienced Quinn's voice like that before.
She sat down in her seat behind Blaine, and he twisted his body a little to wordlessly hold out his hand to her. After a moment's hesitation, she took it. Her hand was tiny and thin in his- for a moment, it felt like he was holding Jane's.
He twisted himself back again to lean his head against Kurt's, leaving his arm raised over his shoulder, hand still linked with Quinn's.
xxxxx
Kurt liked where he was at the moment. He liked it very, very much, actually. The warm weight of Blaine pressing him into his pillows, the hot slide of Blaine's tongue along his neck, his ear.
Yet his own mouth seemed somewhat determined to always mess it up just when things were going well, and he spoke just as Blaine's hand began to slid up his thigh.
"Why are you and Quinn so close?"
Blaine's hand stilled. Kurt wanted to smack himself. He half-expected Blaine to pull away from him to answer his question, but instead Blaine slid down until his head was pressed against Kurt's chest. Almost automatically, Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist.
"She needs a friend," Blaine said, his voice muffled a little by Kurt's shirt. "And she reminded me of you, in a way."
"Me?" Kurt asked indignantly. He wasn't exactly proud of the squeakiness of his voice.
"I said in a way." Blaine ran his hand up and down Kurt's thigh a few times. "She doesn't let people in; she's too afraid of being broken. She has a vicious ice queen glare that can cut ribbons into people, and she's pretty when she cries, but she's the most beautiful when she smiles."
"Are you complimenting her or me?" Kurt asked.
"And, like you, she saw something in me that made her feel like she could open up to me," Blaine continued, as if he hadn't heard Kurt.
"I opened up to you because I was hopelessly smitten with you and I was hoping to get closer to you," Kurt said, with a not-quite-condescending tone to his voice.
"It worked, didn't it?" Blaine pushed himself up a little to plant a kiss on Kurt's collarbone, letting his lips linger a little.
Kurt shivered. "Do that again," he said, his voice a little throaty.
Blaine's hand tightened on Kurt's thigh, his mouth suddenly going dry. He complied, pressing kisses along Kurt's collarbone, admiring the way Kurt arched his neck at the lightest of touches.
"Sensitive area?" Blaine asked.
"You could say that," Kurt managed.
Blaine grinned a little wickedly before closing his lips around a spot along Kurt's collarbone and sucking the skin into his mouth, closing his eyes against the taste of Kurt's skin. Kurt moaned. Actually moaned, like a sex noise, like something Blaine had only ever heard in all that late-night porn he'd watched under his blankets when he was sure his roommate was asleep.
Both of them froze, then tried to apologize at the same time.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm new to this-"
"Sorry, just wasn't expecting-"
They both stopped. Looked at each other.
Blaine's pants were uncomfortably tight. They'd been sort of uncomfortably tight since Kurt had requested in that voice that Blaine kiss his neck again, and he was really hoping Kurt couldn't feel anything (he was being pretty careful about keeping his hips away), because that would be kind of horrifically embarrassing.
Then Kurt rolled his hips up, and oh, that was Kurt's-
"Kiss me, please, Blaine," Kurt whispered, and Blaine was more than happy to oblige.
And then they were rocking together, sort of moving against each other, and that was brand-new and a bit awkward, but so so not uncomfortable, and they'd just gotten into a steady rhythm and Blaine could feel the breath being torn out of him in little gasps and the hot coil of arousal pooling low in his stomach- and then Kurt had to speak again (because really, his mouth was a fucking cockblock).
"Why haven't you asked me to Prom yet?"
The unexpectedness of the question was enough to clear most of the fog that had clouded Blaine's brain the instant Kurt had rocked his hips up against Blaine's.
"What?" he was finally able to ask.
"Prom," Kurt said, putting his hands on Blaine's waist. Blaine pushed himself up until he was straddling Kurt's hips, which okay wasn't exactly the best move in regards to the future coherency of their conversation because it put their crotches in direct contact with each other, and oh, okay, that. Apparently talking about Prom wasn't a bonerkill. Good to know.
"I was working on it," Blaine said, trying to force himself not to move, not to thrust his hips against Kurt's.
"Were you," Kurt said levelly, seemingly not affected at all by their position, apart from the flush high on his cheekbones.
"I was going to sing to you, Kurt," Blaine said a little peevishly, finally giving in to the urge to roll his hips down on Kurt's. Both of them moaned this time.
"You can still sing," Kurt gasped, before pulling Blaine down into a messy kiss.
And that was how Kurt found himself in the empty auditorium at 6:30 the next morning, sitting in the middle of the front row.
Blaine slung the strap of his guitar over his shoulder, settling himself on a stool in the center of the stage. "Your song kind of inspired me," he called with a faint smile. "Sunshine is kind of like... the ultimate symbol of optimism, isn't it?"
A small smile quirked at Kurt's lips.
Blaine brought his hand to the guitar and began to strum, keeping his eyes on Kurt's.
Well, sometimes the sun shines on other people's houses and not mine
Some days the clouds paint the sky all gray and takes away my summer time
Somehow the sun keeps shining upon you, while I struggle to get mine
If there's a light in everybody, send out your ray of sunshine...
Kurt's hands were over his mouth, but he was smiling. Just that made a sort of warmth spread out through Blaine's chest, closing up his throat for a moment.
I want to walk the same roads as everybody else, through the trees and past the gates
Getting high on heavenly breezes, making new friends along the way
I won't ask much of nobody, I'm just here to sing along
And make my mistakes look gracious, and learn some lessons from my wrongs.
The spotlight was hot on his face- he could feel a droplet of sweat trickling down the back of his neck and underneath the collar of his shirt. His cheeks were starting to redden under the heat of the spotlight and the heat of Kurt's gaze.
To Kurt, he had never looked quite so beautiful in a performance as he did now.
Well, sometimes the sun shines on other people's houses and not mine
Some days the clouds paint the sky all gray and it takes away my summer time
Somehow the sun keeps shining upon you, while I struggle to get mine
A little light never hurt nobody, send out your ray of sunshine...
Kurt stood up, walking towards the stage, his eyes still fixed on Blaine's. Blaine's gaze was soft, gentle, loving, and it made Kurt's breath catch in his throat.
Oh, if this little light of mine combined with yours today,
How many watts could we luminate? How many villages could we save?
Well, my umbrella's tired of the weather wearing me down
Oh, look at me now...
Kurt ran his hand along the edge of the stage, moving for the stairs, never breaking his eye contact with Blaine.
You should look as good as your outlook, would you mind if I took some time
To soak up your light, your beautiful light, you've got a paradise inside
I get hungry for love, and thirsty for life, and much too full on the pain
When I look to the sky to help me, and sometimes it looks like rain...
By then, Kurt was on stage, standing off to the side, just at the top of the staircase. Blaine had his body turned towards Kurt, the spotlight shining on one half of his body and leaving the other half semi-shadowed.
As the sun shines on other people's houses and not mine
And the sky paints its clouds in a way that it takes away my summer time
Somehow the sun keeps shining upon you while I kindly stand by
If there's a light in everybody, send out your ray of sunshine...
His smile was hesitant, but genuine, and somehow slightly fearful in a way that Kurt couldn't really comprehend.
You're undeniably warm, you're cerulean, you're perfect in desire
Won't you hang around... so the sun, it can shine on me
And the clouds, they can roll away
And the sky can become a possibility
If there's a light in everybody, send out your ray of sunshine...
The final notes of the guitar lingered until Blaine slid it off his shoulder and carefully leaned it against the legs of the stool. He didn't move- instead, he slipped his hands into his pockets, still leaning against the stool, gazing at Kurt with serious eyes.
Kurt was the one to take the steps forward, almost running to Blaine and flinging his arms around him, nearly knocking him off the stool. Blaine's hands struggled to slip out of his pockets for a moment, then wrapped themselves around Kurt's back. "So is that a yes to Prom?" he asked Kurt's shoulder.
"You're an idiot," Kurt said, and Blaine took it as the yes that Kurt intended it to be.
xxxxx
Their group number that week was, for once, not a song Mr. Schue chose. It was one that Santana, Quinn, and Rachel (possibly the strangest trio the Glee club had yet seen) had asked Mr. Schue if they could sing, in what they felt was an accurate representation of their situation and of the assignment.
Finn started in on the drums, Puck on the guitar. Kurt and Santana stood center stage, gazing at each other with soft expressions on their faces.
For those days we felt like a mistake, those times when love's what you hate
Somehow, we keep marching on...
Santana took the first verse, the pain in her voice evident as she gazed at Brittany standing off in the wings. Kurt knew by the expression on Brittany's face that she didn't really understand. He reached out to take her hand, opening his mouth to sing the next part.
For those nights when I couldn't be there, I've made it harder to know that you know,
That somehow, we'll keep moving on...
He traded a small smile with Blaine just before the chorus kicked in and the rest of New Directions, including Puck and Finn, joined them center-stage.
There's so many wars we fought, so many things we're not
But with what we have, I promise you that
We're marching on, we're marching on, we're marching on
For all of the plans we've made, there isn't a flag I'd wave
Don't care if we bend, I'd sink us to swim
We're marching on, we're marching on, we're marching on
Blaine moved forward to take the next part, brushing a hand against Kurt's arm.
For this dance we'll move with each other, there ain't no other step than one foot,
Right in front of the other...
He reached out to pull Quinn to him in a twirl, moving her around the stage in some imitation of ballroom dancing.
There's so many wars we fought, there's so many things we're not
But with what we have, I promise you that
We're marching on, we're marching on, we're marching on
Everyone fell back as Quinn stepped into the spotlight, her voice ringing out across the empty auditorium.
We'll have the days we break, and we'll have the scars to prove it
We'll have the bonds that we save, but we'll have the heart not to lose it
Blaine took her hand on one side, Kurt on the other, squeezing tightly as they raised their heads to sing out the final verse.
There's so many wars we fought, there's so many things we're not
But with what we have, I promise you that
We're marching on, we're marching on, we're marching on
Right, right, right, right left right, right, right, right left right, right, right...
We're marching on, we're marching on,
We're marching on.
Kurt saw Quinn discreetly wipe under one of her eyes, and he turned away quickly to give her some privacy.
He caught Santana's eye. She looked so lost- she didn't even seem to notice the way Brittany was staring at her from across the stage, a rare look of clarity in her eyes.
Kurt jerked his head to Brittany, mouthing "go".
Santana went.
A/N: Yes, I had Quinn sing a Taylor Swift song. It worked with the general plotline and her personal plotline and I think her voice could do it. Don't hate on .
Also I keep cockblocking the boys. Lol.
Songs used in this particular chapter:
1. Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles
2. Change by Taylor Swift
3. Sunshine Song by Jason Mraz
4. Marchin On by OneRepublic