Kurt Hummel opened his eyes to the white ceiling of his Dalton dorm room, perfectly happy for the first time in years. He could even ignore the way a slightly-congested Chris was snoring, because everything else in his life was as close to perfect as he could imagine. He had been at Dalton Academy for roughly six months and for the first time since he walked into the school, it felt like everything was in harmony. Valentine's Day was supposed to be the most romantic time of the year, but more accurately spring had brought love to Dalton Academy, and the school seemed overrun by couples. For the first time in his life, that didn't make him even the slightest bit bitter, because he was one of them. For a long time he had been daydreaming about being with Blaine, but the tenor made him happier than he could have ever imagined.
He'd finally had to push Blaine out the door in the early evening, sending his boyfriend to dinner so that he could get some work done. Kurt had figured out how to manage Dalton academics, but spring break was coming up (another bright point in his unusually sunny morning) and he had four papers and a project due tomorrow. Which was fine, really, because Dalton's picturesque underground library had ensured he was well ahead on all of his work before Regionals had taken over his life.
The first signs of life from Chris that morning were after Kurt had gotten out of the shower, and his roommate seemed grumpy and ill, which added extra bitterness to his first words to the countertenor. "Good morning, Mr. Sunshine. Someone's in a good mood."
"Aren't I supposed to be the sarcastic one in this room?" Kurt replied as he sat down at his desk, gathering his notes for the presentation he had first period. He couldn't exactly dress to the nines at Dalton, but his uniform was freshly-pressed and he was ready.
"Clearly, you and Blaine have already reached the point in your relationship where you're becoming one person, and his exhausting cheeriness has rubbed off on you." Chris disappeared into the bathroom Kurt had just vacated before he could formulate a response.
Blaine wasn't the only reason for Kurt's good mood. The enthusiasm of the New Direction was certainly affecting him, even from afar. He probably should have been sad or bitter about losing Regionals, and he had been, briefly, but the award had gone to the show choir who deserved it more and would get the most out of the experience. It didn't hurt that said choir consisted of his best friends and his support system through some of the worst moments in his life.
None of the Warblers were too disappointed about their loss, so he didn't feel bad being happy for the New Directions. As much as Kurt loved his friends among his new show choir, it was clear they were missing the focus and dedication of the New Directions, and their chemistry on stage still needed work. The Warblers were a great choir, but the New Directions were better, and they had proven that.
Shouting to Chris that he was going to be late to class if he didn't hurry up, Kurt swept out of his dorm room and down to breakfast, ready to take on the day. In his old life, if he'd ever been on any kind of upswing, there was a jock waiting around the corner to knock him down a peg. The only person waiting for him when he turned the corner at Dalton was Blaine, who held the door to the Commons open for him with a smile. Kurt ignored the little bit of clapping and handful of wolf whistles that occurred when he and Blaine walked into the cafeteria together, Blaine taking his hand. Dalton, as a whole, had been excited to learn that they were finally a couple, and some people hadn't yet gotten over the shock of the serenade yesterday.
"Good morning," Blaine said, smiling at him. "Ready for first period?"
"If there's anything McKinley comes close to Dalton in, it's English," Kurt assured him, more confidence in his voice than he was actually feeling. "And you know how much I love public speaking."
Blaine laughed, squeezing his hand before releasing it to overfill a plate with pancakes. "You'll be fine. You aren't exactly acting as MC for the Warblers; this is a class presentation. I assure you there are about two students in the class who will be fully listening, and neither of them will be judging you." Something that had certainly been true at McKinley, and seemed to be accurate for every high school, no matter the academic level.
They made their way over to the relatively empty Warblers table. Kurt was surprised, considering he hadn't bothered to get up early, and it was around the most common time to eat breakfast. Blaine didn't seem bothered, pulling out chairs for himself and Kurt with a grin, so the countertenor didn't question it. Until, for the first time in his admittedly brief experience at Dalton, he noticed Warblers sitting at other tables. It threw him for a second, and Blaine followed his gaze. "Yes, it's starting," the tenor said vaguely as he sat down. Kurt just raised an eyebrow, prompting him to explain. "I mentioned this yesterday, surely. The Warblers are a great choir and good friends, but show choir isn't the center of most of their lives. After competition season, these tables are populated by only the most devoted of Warblers and the others go back to their usual lives and extracurricular activities related to their future career paths."
"Culture shock, as usual," Kurt said with a wry smile. No matter how long he attended the school, he had a feeling Dalton would never cease to surprise him.
"Charlie says it best. Most students attend Dalton to attend an Ivy League college, or MIT or Stanford, and show choir is just a fun hobby that looks good on college applications. You and I are really the only two who consider singing a viable career option." Blaine clearly noticed the worry on his face and smiled a little before adding, "Don't worry. We'll still see them all in rehearsal, and most of the older Warblers will still be around. The freshmen and sophomores pretty much disappear off the face of the planet."
"But really, isn't the planet better for their absence?" Jeff asked as he sat down, surprisingly Nick-free. "Unfortunately, my better half is stuck rehearsing his presentation with his worthless group who started the project this weekend while we were competing." Kurt winced, considering his group had started two weeks ago and still run into problems during their run-through yesterday. "And how is my second favorite couple doing today?"
"Delightful, providing your favorite couple is yourself and Nick and not Wevid," Blaine replied on their behalf, making Jeff grin.
"Are you ready for tonight? I'm fairly certain Wevid spent half of last night in bed together and the other half decorating the living room and destroying the kitchen. Neither of those two should be trusted with appliances."
Kurt simply raised an eyebrow and waited.
"We're having a party," Jeff went on to explain. "Officially, the money Dalton gives us after we lose a competition is for consoling anyone who's that devoted, cough, cough, Wes, but we throw parties instead. We didn't have one after Sectionals because, oddly enough, we don't get any money from the school if we win. Seems kind of backwards, now that I think about it."
"Do you actually trust anything Wes or David prepared?" Kurt asked, remembering stories from months ago that still haunted him.
"David is actually a decent cook," Blaine said, surprising him. "His mother, along with having about seven advanced degrees, went to a fancy culinary school in Europe at some point during her wacky adventures." Kurt clearly didn't know enough about his friends' parents. "She taught David almost everything she knows, and the rest she'll teach him when he comes home for money instead of food." Jeff laughed. "Her words, not mine."
"I forget sometimes how much Wevid's parents amuse me."
"That is not the moment to use their couple name. Makes them sound like siblings." Blaine made a face, but Jeff shrugged, unrepentant. "Anyway, David and I will be doing all of the cooking while Wes is trying to brainstorm ways to keep the Warblers motivated until the end of the year."
"I thought they already did the cooking for the party," Kurt commented as he cleaned his plate of bacon (he was allowed to indulge every once in awhile, right? And Dalton's bacon had a sufficiently low amount of grease).
"I meant for spring break. Usually they spend it at one of their houses, but following the… let's call it the 'friendship disruption,' shall we? Anyway, when Wes and David finally admitted to their parents that they were fighting, both families planned condoling spring break trips to separate islands. Now that Wevid is fine and wants to spend their last spring break together, their parents are going without them, partially due to revenge."
"You're staying here for spring break?" As much as he loved Wes and David and felt bad that their first separation since birth was looming ahead of them, he was more concerned about his boyfriend.
Blaine shrugged. "No use going home. No siblings are likely to make an appearance and spending time alone with my parents can be… tense." His boyfriend still sounded cheery, but Kurt placed a comforting hand over his on the table. "So, yeah, Dalton for spring break. It's only a couple of days anyway, and the fact that it's open definitely reinforces the Hogwarts vibe." Kurt resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at his nerd boyfriend.
"I'll be here and Nick won't be. We can torture Wevid together." Blaine separated their hands in favor of high-fiving Jeff.
"You could always come home with me," Kurt suggested.
"Aw, Kurt, sweetie, do you mean it?" Jeff joked, fluttering his eyelashes in Kurt's direction.
Used to that behavior, Kurt simply ignored him. "You came home for Christmas break, and my family loves having you. Be aware you'll be right in the middle of the Finn-Quinn-Rachel drama, though it can be entertaining."
"Can't those three just ménage à trois and get over it?" Jeff asked.
"You've clearly never spoken to Rachel," was Kurt's only response.
Blaine shifted a little. "That's sweet, Kurt, but I think your parents might see that a little bit differently now that we're a couple, and after… everything." At least he was trying to be tactful, though Jeff was now doing his best to subtly slide out of the conversation.
"We have a guest room," Kurt pointed out. "I don't even have my basement anymore, and as long as you're not sleeping with me, I doubt Dad would care." Jeff raised both his eyebrows and heat bloomed on Kurt's face as he realized what he'd said. "Sleeping in my bed with me, I mean, obviously, not…"
"You're only making it worse," Jeff added, grinning.
Blaine was nodding slowly, apparently nonplussed by Kurt's faux pas. "If your dad is okay with it…" Suddenly he seemed to remember how sweet Kurt was trying to be and a smile brightened up his face. "I would love to rejoin the Hudson-Hummel household for our long weekend posing as a spring break. You're the best."
The tenor leaned forward quickly and caught his lips, a sweet, short kiss that threw Kurt for a loop. Blaine had always been affectionate, and, of course, very tactile, perhaps he should have expected that would extend into a romantic relationship. And Kurt knew Dalton wasn't McKinley—the only reaction was a raised eyebrow from Jeff. Still, he couldn't help the way his face colored further, still pink from his poor phrasing, and he stuttered as he waved away his boyfriend's praise.
"I-I will call my dad," Kurt cleared his throat, "and confirm that he doesn't care, but I'm sure you're always welcome."
"You want your new boyfriend to stay at our house for spring break?" Burt sounded about as skeptical as his son had expected him to be, despite what he had told his boyfriend.
"Not in my room," Kurt assured his father, as if that had ever been an option.
"And you two have been dating for how long, exactly?"
Kurt suppressed a sigh. "Dad, it's Blaine. It's not like he's a stranger; he lived with us over Christmas break."
"Before he was your boyfriend. Or so you claimed."
"Dad," Kurt whined, fully aware that he sounded like a child, and he heard his dad sigh.
"Kurt, you're more grown up than most, more than you should be, and Blaine is a good kid, if a little… bold," Kurt grimaced, surely thinking of the same incident as his father and possibly mimicking his expression, "this is just unknown territory." Kurt heard the unspoken ending. "And you know I would never let Rachel live here for break."
"Because Rachel is annoying," Kurt pointed out, fairly certain he heard a stifled chuckle. "And she lives in Lima, within ten minutes of our house. Also, importantly, she's not Finn's girlfriend." There was no answer. "Dad, all of the New Directions practically live at our house, and I know why Blaine is different, I do," Kurt managed to get the words out in a rush before he was interrupted, and then took a deep breath and played what he hoped would be his trump card, "but Blaine and I live together all the time. Us sleeping in separate rooms at home is no different than us having separate rooms at Dalton. Chris and Finn are quickly converging on the same person." His dad actually laughed at that.
"I'm not saying he can't stay here for spring break, my eavesdropping wife has pointed out that he's always welcome," Kurt silently thanked anything above for Carole, "it's just a little strange. The idea of you having a boyfriend. And I'm happy for you, kid, I am, you deserve to have someone in your life, this just wasn't something I was expecting to have to deal with so soon. I've never really had to make rules for you before; you've always been such a good kid."
Kurt swallowed past a little lump in his throat. "I know, Dad. And it's weird for me too. But a good weird." The best weird.
"Of course. Love you, kid. See you soon." There was a pause before his dad added, "Say hi to Blaine for me."
"I will. Love you too, dad."
"Party, party, party! Party, party, party! Party, party, party!" was about all anyone had heard from Charlie all day, and he was still going as he walked into the dorm after classes. Blaine was flitting about the kitchen, charged with locating all the ingredients for some buffalo-chicken-cheese concoction Wes was planning to make for the party. "Hello, dear," Charlie greeted him, sliding into a seat at the island. "Heard you and Kurt are moving in together for spring break."
"Really, you're going to poke fun at us for moving in together?" Blaine asked, still searching the refrigerator and thinking to himself that it was quite likely someone had stashed body parts in there, based on the smell. "Possibly."
"Papa Bear Burt not a fan of the idea?" Charlie asked, ignoring most of what his friend had said with practiced ease. "I think at this point he should just be grateful you didn't molest his son over Christmas."
"I don't molest Kurt now," Blaine pointed out, prepared for that to be ignored. "But would you blame Kurt's father if he didn't like me? Considering?"
A noncommittal grunt was all the response he got from Charlie, and when he glanced over, the crazy boy was on his phone. He supposed that was the best case scenario; Charlie could be brutally honest and he already knew the answer to his question. "Is Lucas coming to the party tonight?" If there was anything that could distract Charlie from Blaine and Kurt's relationship, it was his own.
"No, actually, Lucas is in San Francisco, he flew out yesterday." McKinley had more vacation than Dalton, not surprising when one compared the quality of their respective educations, and the New Directions had gotten the whole week after Regionals off.
"Why is your boyfriend in San Francisco when he could be here, torturing your neighbors with you?" Blaine hadn't seen much of the blond boy at Regionals, but considering he wasn't Lucas' favorite person and vice versa, that wasn't a bad thing. He had been surprised not to see him for the last two days, but he hadn't had the time to poke at a potentially sensitive subject.
He wondered briefly if Lucas knew he and Kurt were dating.
Kurt had probably told him.
"Actually, he's off finding new neighbors for us to torture together. He's looking for apartments in the Bay Area for us for this summer and next year." Charlie sounded considerably calmer about the subject than he had a couple of days ago. "I wanted to go with him, but I guess I trust his judgment. I fly out tomorrow morning, and he won't sign any lease without my approval."
"I can't believe you actually let your boyfriend make decisions," Nick commented as he entered the kitchen, going straight for the cheese puffs. "If I let my boyfriend make decisions, he would have burned down Dalton by now."
"May say something about your choice of companion," Blaine teased.
"Not all of us can fall in love with sarcastic porcelain angels, Blaine." Nick rolled his eyes, blurring the end of his sentence by shoving a handful of cheese puffs in his mouth.
"I'm just missing the porcelain," Charlie pointed out, getting showered with cheese puffs for his comment.
"You both suck," Nick pouted and they immediately snickered. "Oh, grow up," Nick said immediately, doing nothing to deter either of them. "You shouldn't laugh," Nick tried a different tactic, pointing to Blaine, "you don't get to do any sucking for quite a while."
Blaine shrugged. "It's Kurt; he's worth the wait."
Nick made an 'aww' sound that he seemed extremely begrudging about, but Charlie said "Sap."
"Hypocrite."
"Speak of the devil," Nick announced Kurt's return from classes as the countertenor breezed into the room, pulling off a Dalton uniform like no one else could.
"Hey," Blaine said with a smile, love-struck idiot that he was. Judging by the enthusiastic greeting and similarly dopey smile he got from his boyfriend, Kurt was in the same place.
"You were talking about me?" he asked, but Blaine heard no wariness in his voice.
"We were just discussing how your tendency to not burn down buildings makes you the ideal boyfriend," Nick said with a shrug.
Kurt met eyes with the raven-haired boy for a few moments, opened and closed his mouth, and turned back to Blaine. "I talked to my dad; you're welcome at our house for spring break."
"Can't imagine he was too happy about the request," Blaine said, trying to sound dry but aware that his anxiety showed. Despite Kurt's insistences that Mr. Hummel liked him and approved of his relationship with his only child, he was well aware of how his previous actions must have come across to the concerned parent. He couldn't imagine someone who cared so much about Kurt approving of him, especially after the extremely-poorly-timed sex talk incident.
"He took it pretty well," Kurt said with a smile, no doubt trying to reassure him. "He says hi. What are you up to before the party?"
"I have to finish collecting ingredients for Wevid and possibly attempt to make Charlie stop demanding updates from Lucas on the apartment hunt and actually trust him," Blaine's less-than-subtle hint went completely ignored, "and I should probably pack and pretend to do some homework to avoid being involved in the party concocting."
"Most people call it party planning…" Kurt said, and there was the wariness that had been missing before.
"You've never been to a Warbler party." Blaine grinned, exaggerating only a little to scare his boyfriend.
The speakers that lined the Stevenson Hall living room were impressive and expensive; Kurt knew this, many pranksters had used them to make the Warblers suffer in the past. The countertenor had no idea why they had speakers (he had never seen them used for an official purpose), but they were the kind most DJs would kill for, and even from his third-floor dorm he could feel the bass as soon as the music was started below him.
Since no one had actually given him a time that the party started, Kurt figured that was as good a signal as any that he should get dressed and join the celebration. Normally after coming home from classes he would spend the rest of the day in uniform (he had resisted at first, but staying in uniform until lights out cut down significantly on the amount of laundry he was doing), but Jeff had told him that everyone dressed up (or rather, dressed down) for the party.
By the time he walked downstairs, the party was in full swing. The entire kitchen counter, island, and table were lined with food, varying from the remainder of Nick's cheese puffs to the complex dip Blaine had been working so hard on earlier. Some of the freshmen were stacking plates high with food, including Clayton, who waved a little at him.
The pounding music was coming from the living room, so Kurt followed his ears and found the source of the sound, the drinks, and a mob of Warblers squished in the middle of the room dancing. Warbler dance rehearsal had been an embarrassment for all, but apparently without the pressure of prescribed moves and Wes' judgmental stare, there were some decent dancers.
Hot hands slid around his waist and Kurt jumped about a foot before realizing it was just Blaine behind him. His boyfriend chuckled at his reaction, hugging him from behind. "Hello there."
"Hi," Kurt said with a little laugh, relaxing. He had no idea how the tenor had snuck up behind him, but he didn't particularly care.
"You look beautiful," Blaine muttered, pressing a kiss to his cheek, and thankfully it was too dark in the room for anyone to see him blush, but he was sure his boyfriend could feel the heat radiating from his face.
"Get a room," David said, and Kurt could barely make out the figures of him and Wes approaching them. Since it was past nine it was already dark outside, but whoever had organized the living room had still blacked out the windows so no moonlight was visible, and strobe lights had been stolen from the Warblers' considerable performance closet and set up around the room. The party was dark and warm and loud, but Kurt kind of appreciated the ambiance.
"We have one," Blaine said with a laugh, not letting go of him.
"Not for spring break," David shot back. Normally, he was sure Wes would have been participating in ribbing them, but the brief glances he'd gotten at the Head Warbler's face just showed him smiling softly, like he was happy for them. "I can't believe you're abandoning us to be with your boyfriend."
"Review that sentence, then believe it," Blaine replied, giving Kurt a squeeze. David scoffed and rolled his eyes, but didn't seem to have a comeback.
"We just came over here to, well, mock you, of course," Wes said, even though he'd been doing no such thing, "but also warn you not to drink the punch. I don't know where he's gotten to, but Charlie was hovering over it earlier, and given that he was also the supplier of all the other alcohol…"
The fact that Wes not only knew about the inevitable underage drinking but was allowing it was surprising, but Kurt was distracted from that thought by the feeling of Blaine laughing against his back. "The moment you made punch, you knew it was unsafe," the tenor said logically. "Do you want anything to drink? Even punch?"
"Just water, thank you," he answered, and the rush of comparatively cold air against his back as Blaine left him was a little disappointing. Before Dalton, before Blaine, he had never been one for physical affection, but the feeling of Blaine holding him had been surprisingly comforting, warm… safe.
A slap on the ass very quickly distracted him from his romantic thoughts, and he was unsurprised when Charlie spun into his field of view. "Hey there, hot stuff." Kurt stifled a laugh at the way the crazy boy's words were a funhouse mirror of Blaine's. "And here I was, thinking no one at this party could one-up Blaine." Charlie grabbed his shoulder and spun him in the direction of his boyfriend.
Since Blaine had come up behind him, Kurt hadn't gotten the chance to actually see his boyfriend yet that night, and he had clearly been missing out. He knew Blaine never had many non-uniform clothes on hand, and he was just dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a red t-shirt that was tight around his upper arms, his hair lightly gelled, but Charlie was right; he looked good.
"Try to stop ogling him," Charlie said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Not that I blame you."
Even though he was certainly allowed to ogle (not that he had been) and the crazy boy was the entire reason he had looked over at his boyfriend in the first place, he was glad Charlie had stopped him from staring before Blaine turned around, a chilled water in one hand and a beer in the other. "Good sir," he said with a dorky grin as he handed Kurt his water.
Charlie swallowed hard and muttered something under his breath that the countertenor didn't quite catch but made Blaine roll his eyes and give his best friend a smack upside the head with his free hand. Ignoring the exchange, Kurt asked, "Beer, really?"
Blaine paused with the drink at his lips. "I mean, if you don't want…"
Kurt shrugged. "There are no girls here," he teased his boyfriend, though the memory of the last time Blaine had drunk around him was still vivid and a little painful.
"And you're certainly the only person here I want to kiss." Blaine leaned in to punctuate that statement, but Charlie quickly got a hand over the tenor's mouth and shoved him away.
"Have a little bit of self-control, Anderson," he teased, getting skeptical looks from both Kurt and Blaine. "Do as I say, not as I do."
Blaine visibly perked up as the song picked up and grabbed Kurt's hand. "Wanna dance?"
Normally his answer to that would probably be no, but he couldn't possibly look bad compared to some of what he had been witnessing in the background. He let Blaine drag him to the dance floor, his boyfriend grinning excitedly.
Kurt generally considered himself very diverse in his music tastes, and the music at the party wasn't exactly quiet or easy to ignore. He had been listening the whole time they were talking, and he hadn't recognized a single song, but clearly Blaine knew this one.
This is it now
Everybody get down
This is all I can take
This is how a heart breaks
You take a hit now you feel it break down
Make you stay wide awake
This is how a heart breaks
The music was surprisingly upbeat compared to the lyrics, perfect dancing music, and Blaine pulled Kurt all the way to the middle before grabbing him and twirling him, making him laugh. Dancing with the Warblers was a little like fighting against a crowd, he was being pushed this way and that and occasionally smacked by random, uncontrolled limbs, but he didn't mind at all. Blaine was mouthing the words and bouncing around, not a fantastic dancer but having no sense of decorum surrounded by his very best friends.
They danced for about five songs before Kurt was sweaty and needed water. Blaine was putting his endless energy to good use and currently trying to get a very stubborn Thad to actually dance rather than just doing the normal teenage cop-out (jumping up and down in place to the rhythm).
Wes was lounging by where Kurt and Blaine had left their drinks and he smiled as Kurt came over. "Sadly, we both have ridiculous boyfriends with endless energy," the Head Warbler answered a question he hadn't even asked, nodding towards where David was dragging freshmen from their huddle in the corner of the room onto the dance floor.
"Mine is at least bothering people who aren't terrified of him," Kurt said with a laugh, leaning beside Wes and taking a swing of his water. "And he can almost dance."
Wes chuckled. "You only think that because you like him." The Head Warbler picked carefully at the label on his bottle of soda. "He really likes you, you know. He always has."
Kurt glanced at the Warbler beside him. "Yeah, I know."
"Blaine's an idiot, you know that," Wes was very carefully not looking at him, staring out at the dance floor as if he wasn't really seeing it, "and when he falls for someone, he falls with his whole heart. And sometimes he can manage to look past things that he maybe shouldn't." Each word was said with a calm deliberateness, as if he'd given careful thought to each one, but the label of his Pepsi was suffering. "One of the reasons Blaine is so upbeat is that he sees the very best in people. All people, even the ones who don't necessarily deserve it. This has caused him a lot of hurt in his life, maybe even more than he's aware of. And when you combine that, the eternal optimism, with how completely he devotes himself, especially when it comes to the people he loves, you could end up hurting him. A lot." That use of the word 'you,' the very last one, was said in a different tone. It was personal, directed right at Kurt, even though Wes was pretending it wasn't.
"Then whoever loves Blaine," Kurt said the words carefully, aware that Wes would take them in the spirit he intended and appreciating that the Head Warbler was trying to warn him to be very careful with Blaine's heart, "will have to be very, very mindful of those facts and make sure not to take advantage of how forgiving he is, even accidentally."
Wes was saved from having to respond by Blaine bouncing up to them, and Kurt had been so focused on his conversation with Wes that he hadn't even heard the Lady Gaga that started playing. "You can't tell me you don't want to dance to this song," Blaine said with a grin, holding out his hand, and with one last glance back at Wes, Kurt went with him.
What's going on on the floor?
I love this record, baby, but I can't see straight anymore
Keep it cool, what's the name of this club?
I can't remember but it's all right, a-all right
Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo
Just dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo
Just dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-dance
Dance, dance, just, j-j-j-just dance
David and his freshmen had joined the dance floor, as had Charlie, who was clearly a couple of drinks in and just a little bit handsier than normal. Kurt jumped about a foot when the crazy boy's chin hooked over his shoulder, but all Charlie said was, "Having fun?"
He spun around to answer, "Very much so," and then he was dancing with Charlie. Blaine, unperturbed, had started dancing with David, and Kurt could tell that they were doing their best to be terrible dancers, embarrassing everyone around them and having a great time. At some point during the song, Charlie snuck away and Kurt was left dancing with Thad, who had clearly been persuaded by Blaine to loosen up.
The song had barely ended when it was cut off suddenly, and Kurt could see the horror on Wes' face (the Head Warbler had just joined them a few seconds ago and David was already happily clinging to him and chatting away) that his sound system had been hijacked. Everyone else seemed unbothered and the culprit became very clear when the song started.
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies (All the single ladies)
All the single ladies
Now put your hands up!
There was suddenly a large circle around him and the grin that had been on Blaine's face all night had taken on a touch of evil, and maybe Charlie wasn't the only culprit.
Still, he had a willing audience and doing the dance was so automatic he had started even before the chant of "Kurt! Kurt! Kurt" began. He was well aware that the video of the McKinley High football team doing this dance in full pads was on YouTube, and the Warblers had clearly found it and made the connection, most likely with the help of Charlie and possibly Blaine.
Since the Warblers weren't exactly shy people, he wasn't even alone. It was clear no one else knew the dance, but Dalton students were fast learners and David had been the first person to join him, followed by Jeff and Nick, then Thad, and even some of the underclassmen.
'Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it
Don't be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it
Wuh oh oh
Kurt did the whole dance, to cheers and applause and pats on the back from his back-up dancers, and then graciously excused himself from the dance floor, sweated out and in need of water. Blaine followed him, grinning, and Charlie set the music back to Wes' playlist to prevent the Head Warbler from chasing after him.
"You've been warned, Blaine!" someone called out behind them.
"The Warblers found the video on YouTube right after Regionals," Blaine explained with a sheepish smile, although Kurt was far from mad. "Apparently, Kendrick was chatting with one of the football guys and that story came up. They couldn't help themselves."
"You say that as if you had nothing to do with it." Sheepish was starting to turn into guilty, so Kurt turned and smiled at his boyfriend, trying to reassure him. "I'm not mad; that was fun."
Blaine laughed. "You're definitely the best dancer in the room."
"Also the sweatiest; you could have warned me."
"What would have been the fun in that?" Charlie asked, startling both of them by suddenly appearing at Blaine's elbow. "That was totally hot."
Kurt flushed bright red immediately, cursing his pale skin, and Blaine elbowed his friend. "Leave him alone, Charlie."
"Oh, please, you can't tell me you didn't think that was hot. I think you drooled a little bit." Charlie reached over towards Blaine's mouth, but the tenor slapped his hand away.
"I did not," Blaine said pointedly, but he was getting a little pink too. "Would you go terrorize other people now? Your favorite freshman is here, and you really only have so many chances left to make his life a living hell." Charlie pouted, but ran off as requested. "Sorry," Blaine said quietly, the first time he had apologized for Charlie since he'd introduced his friend to Kurt.
Kurt smiled a little, shaking his head. "It's Charlie; I'm used to it."
Blaine's answering smile lit up the room. "I know there's a slow song coming up if you'd like to chug some more water and then go dance."
"Never chug water, it's bad for your throat," Kurt said automatically, having heard it so many times from Rachel. He paused a second before asking, "Didn't your ex-girlfriend teach you that?"
Thankfully, Blaine didn't seem to mind being teased about that. "Haha, very funny." His boyfriend looked over at him from where he was supervising Charlie. "Dance with me," he said, surprisingly serious, his eyes a burning amber and deep enough to get lost in.
Kurt put down his water, feeling better, and took Blaine's hand, the two arriving on the dance floor just as the music slowed down. The melody playing from the speakers was familiar, but the voice was a pleasant surprise.
Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Blaine pulled him close, tucking his head under Kurt's chin and letting him take the lead. Kurt wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and just letting them sway gently, the rest of the couples on the dance floor melting away. "Who sings this?" Kurt asked. His boyfriend was clearly familiar with the arrangement, humming along in perfect time.
"Hayley Reinhart," Blaine answered in the same hushed tones, like the moment would break if they were too loud. Blaine turned his head a little, pressing a kiss to the front of Kurt's shirt, and then started singing along.
Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
Oh, for I can't help falling in love with you
The way Blaine had been holding him before had been comforting, but having his boyfriend in his arms, feeling the rise and fall of Blaine's breathing and the gentle vibrations from his chest as he sang along, low and soft and just for him… Kurt shivered a little, pulling Blaine closer, as close as he could manage without crushing him.
The fast start to the next song felt like a splash of cold water; their little moment shattered as the rest of the world returned and they were against trapped amidst uncoordinated dancers. Blaine stepped away, unwrapping his arms from around Kurt, but kept his hands on the countertenor's hips, the touch light but his hands radiating heat, and although the seriousness had left his boyfriend's eyes and expression, the air still felt a little heavier.
Hey, I heard you were a wild one, ooh
If I took you home, it'd be a home run
Show me how you do
I want to shut down the club, with you-ou
Hey, I heard you like the wild ones (wild ones, wild ones), ooh
Mercedes loved people watching, more accurately called people judging, and Kurt had more than happily partook on many occasions, enjoying his girl's sassy comments about McKinley students and Lima losers. School dances were not something the school losers attended often, but the Glee club had decided to go to one last year. Mercedes' favorite group of people to make fun of at dances, Kurt had quickly discovered, were the couples who were trying to dance appropriately while always staying in contact. At the time, Kurt had agreed, they looked silly, but now he could understand why they did it; the desire to stay close, to have all of your attention on the person you're with and all of their attention on you. Somehow, he had become one of those people.
The beat was pounding in the background and Blaine was closer and closer until he was suddenly right there, and they were kissing. Blaine's mouth was hot and insistent and he used his hold on Kurt's hips to pull him close, keeping him right there and kissing him like he needed him, like Kurt was water and he'd been in the desert for months.
Kurt could still easily count on his fingers the number of times he had kissed Blaine, so no one could blame him for getting lost, for winding his fingers in his boyfriend's hair and kissing back with equal fervor, forgetting their surroundings. However, the dance floor rather rudely asserted itself as an elbow caught Kurt square in the back, a quickly muttered apology floating by from the owner of that elbow. It broke the spell and Kurt was pulling away, wiping his hands on his pants absentmindedly and staring at Blaine in shock. He had mussed his boyfriend's hair, the tenor's amber eyes had darkened, and Blaine's lips were red and glossy and kiss-swollen and…
"You can't do that," he said before his mind had really left the topic of Blaine's lips and how wrecked the tenor looked overall.
Blaine was flushed, his eyes slightly unfocused, but he didn't look embarrassed in the least. "Why not?"
Kurt looked around, noticing that they were being observed (well, leered at would be a better description in the case of David, Jeff, and Charlie), and grabbed Blaine's hand, dragging his boyfriend off the dance floor as his head slowly cleared and embarrassment flooded his mind and onto his face. He pulled Blaine all the way out of the living room, through the mostly-vacant kitchen (which had been thoroughly stripped of food by hungry high school students), and into the unoccupied pantry.
He turned to face his boyfriend, biting his lips and trying to marshal his thoughts into some kind of logical order. Blaine just raised an eyebrow, waiting, although it looked a little like he would really like to pick up where they had left off on the dance floor now that they were alone. "You… you can't just grab me and kiss me in public," he blurted out finally, because it had been silent for too long. "You did it this morning in the cafeteria, too, and you just… you just can't," he finished lamely.
Blaine's eyebrow lowered to its normal position, his expression softening. "Kurt, this isn't McKinley. Nobody cares. Hell, we've all been mentally scarred by Wes and David."
"This isn't about homophobia… I mean, it is, it would be, if this weren't Dalton, if this wasn't just a party with all of our friends of questionable sexualities," Blaine snorted, "but it isn't. This is about common decency." Kurt tried to sound firm, even though he could feel that his face was still hot and he was sure he looked as disheveled as Blaine.
Blaine smiled, but said, "I'm sorry." Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Okay, not exactly sorry, but I get why it makes you uncomfortable, I do. You're a very private person, even with your friends. So, no PDA, understood." Blaine threw him a mock salute.
"I mean… I know all the Warblers are our friends and they truly don't care… and I do like the way you…" Kurt trailed off and groaned, putting his head in his hands. His thoughts didn't even make sense to him, how was he supposed to share them with Blaine?
He felt Blaine's hand, gentle and understanding, rubbing his arm, trying to soothe him. "You must have a fantastic metabolism," he muttered into his hands, not sure if he wanted to be understood, but he heard his boyfriend chuckle. The thought had popped into his head because Blaine's hands were always so hot on his skin.
"You've seen me eat," he said, and Kurt couldn't hear a hint of frustration in Blaine's voice at how irrational his boyfriend was being. "Kurt," he said, still gentle but tugging the countertenor's hands away from his face, prompting Kurt to look at him. "Look, I'm very tactile by nature, and I have no problem showing affection in public, but I'm okay with not being that couple. Most people tend to hate that couple anyway." Kurt smiled, glad Blaine was making jokes. "I just want to know where your line is, and only because I don't want to cross it."
"I… I don't know where my line is," he admitted, because the kiss in the cafeteria has startled him but he liked holding hands and he wouldn't mind the cafeteria kind of kiss in front of the Warblers and he had liked the way Blaine was holding him earlier but the kiss they'd just had... "Just never do that again."
"In public?" Blaine teased, as if he needed the clarification.
"In public," Kurt confirmed, smiling.
"I think I can manage that," Blaine said, still smiling, "and we'll find that line. We've only been dating for… what? A week? If that? It'll be okay." Kurt smiled, glad he had an unusually understanding boyfriend. "I'm going to go ahead and assume this pantry, ignoring the fact that I can still hear the Shakira playing and imagine the terrible attempts at belly-dancing occurring, is in fact, private."
Kurt didn't get the chance to form a response before Blaine was pushing him back against the wall with a loud crinkle of chip bags, leaning up and kissing him again. Softer, this time, but still with that same need to touch him, to be close to him.
The pantry was at the very least semi-private, so the countertenor kissed back happily, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck and trying not to feel like a stereotype while he made out with a guy in a closet at a party. A giggle bubbled up before he could stop it, and Blaine paused between kisses. "We're um…" Apparently, given that Kurt now needed his mouth, Blaine had decided his neck would be a fun place to kiss instead, and yes, he was so right about that. "We're making out in a closet at a party," Kurt explained in a rush, shivering a little as Blaine's teeth lightly scraped over his pulse. "It's just a little, mm, cliché."
Blaine exhaled through his nose in a little laugh before saying, "It's a pantry," and shutting Kurt up in the best way possible.
The door swinging open broke them apart, though they didn't have very much space in which to separate, and Wes was standing there, looking very amused. "We needed more chips. Possibly ones that you two haven't crushed." Heat rose in Kurt's face, but Blaine just looked annoyed by the interruption and Wes still seemed bemused by the whole situation.
"We're a little busy here," Blaine pointed out, and Kurt would guess only the hand he had on his boyfriend's shoulder, keeping him at a distance, stopped him from returning to their original activities.
"I think you can spend a little more time partying with us before you have your private party in Blaine's room." Kurt could feel more blood rushing to his face, but Blaine just scoffed.
"Fine." He reached over Kurt and handed Wes a bag of chips. "Now, could you give us a moment?" Wes raised an eyebrow but walked back into the kitchen, closing the pantry door behind him. "Sorry about that," Blaine said immediately, and he sounded so guilty that Kurt kissed him.
"Blaine, it's fine; it's Wes. As you mentioned, he's the king of both PDA and being interrupted in private situations." Mostly because he chose public places, like the rehearsal room.
Blaine smiled. "I figured you might want a moment to make your hair a little less early American haystack," he said with a grin, smoothing it down with his fingers.
"Oh, like you have any room to talk."
Besides a wolf-whistle from Charlie and some bad jokes from David (since nothing was secret between Wevid), no one seemed to have noticed their excursion to the pantry, or if they had noticed they didn't care. Which seemed more likely, in Blaine's opinion, but it didn't matter. He really should have realized earlier that Kurt, who had never had a boyfriend before, who had only come out a year ago, who dealt with a certain diluted kind of homophobia from even his closest friends, would be uncomfortable with public affection. Despite Kurt seeming unsure, Blaine was almost certain he knew where the line was when it came to his family and the New Directions: no physical affection at all. He would be surprised if he even got the chance to touch Kurt during spring break.
The party was still in full swing, even though it was getting late, and since Wevid had dragged his boyfriend onto the dance floor a couple seconds ago, Blaine joined a buzzed Charlie over by the drinks. His first question was, "Do you have any idea where the furniture has gone?" because he had just noticed even the couches, which might have been nice for the party, had mysteriously vanished.
"No idea," Charlie admitted. "I was gone for like ten seconds. We may find out tomorrow morning that someone pulled a prank on us during the mass confusion earlier and stole all the furniture from Stevenson, and we didn't even notice."
"Speaking of tomorrow morning, don't you have to be awake in like…" Blaine checked his phone quickly, "four hours to get to the airport? And aren't you drunk?"
"Not quite drunk, but yes to the four hours thing. Tomorrow is going to be awful," Charlie admitted with a grin, taking another sip of punch as he did so, clearly not caring. "How's Kurtsie? That was quite a smooch." Charlie gave him a look.
"Yeah, I kinda…" he cleared his throat a little, embarrassed. No, he hadn't thought it was a big deal to kiss Kurt in front of the Warblers, but their moment on the dance floor had been… hot. More intense than he intended, for sure. "I got a little carried away."
"A very bad idea, considering you were on a dance floor with your skittish boyfriend of a week who has never even been touched before." Whenever Charlie brought Kurt up, even his innocence, he always managed to sound a little lecherous, but now he sounded dead serious. Maybe it was the alcohol. "I know the both of you have been in this relationship for much longer than you've actually been dating, but that means something way different to him than to you. Slow the fuck down." Charlie paused for a second, took another sip, and added, "Not that I didn't appreciate the display, of course. You two are hot."
"I can be patient, and I'm going to be patient… but it's Kurt. You hit on him more than anyone, even me, you should be able to understand why I'm having a hard time… keeping my hands to myself."
"More like your lips to yourself," Charlie muttered into his cup. "Just be careful. You love him and he loves you and you'll never forgive yourself if you fuck everything up."
Blaine had nothing to say to that; he could deny being in love with Kurt, since they'd only been dating for six days, but Charlie had also been right earlier. Both of them had been emotionally invested for a long time. And he would never forgive himself if he ruined everything with Kurt; he had come so close to doing so on so many occasions, he had to be out of second chances. Thankfully, the sudden cheering of the Warblers and a ring forming on the dance floor was enough to grab both Charlie's attention and his.
The chills that you spill up my back
Keep me filled with satisfaction when we're done
Satisfaction of what's to come
I couldn't ask for another
No, I couldn't ask for another
The familiar song started and David, with a grin that seemed reserved exclusively for embarrassing the man he loved most, grabbed Wes' hands and started dancing him backwards, opening up the dance floor and forcing people to gather around them. Groove is in the Heart only reminded Blaine of one thing, the dance Barney and Robin did in Cleveland, and apparently David had made Wes watch How I Met Your Mother one too many times, because they seemed to know the whole dance.
I couldn't ask for another
No, I couldn't ask for another
Groove is in the heart
Groove is in the heart
Groove is in the heart
Groove is in the heart
Wes seemed a little reluctant, his boyfriend manhandling him through most of the beginning of the dance, but he was effectively trapped by the rest of the Warblers, who were clapping along, and quickly got into the spirit.
Charlie laughed, watching them. "You know, I would not have thought it would be that easy for David to pick Wes up."
Blaine rolled his eyes, unsurprised. "He's both taller and brawnier than Wes, it kind of makes sense. Plus, David has done much more shocking things in the name of a joke." Though watching him slide across the floor on his knees and landing at Wes' feet before bouncing back to his feet was both one of the more impressive and one of the more ridiculous things he'd seen the council member do.
David ended their impressive display by lowering Wes down and planting one on him in the middle of the circles, getting a combination of boos and cheers that were both in good fun. Kurt, laughing so hard the tenor could see tears forming in his eyes, made his way over to them as people started crowding the dance floor again, ignoring Wevid, who was still kissing.
"Are you sure this isn't a gay school?" Kurt asked immediately.
Blaine laughed, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's waist casually. "Like you would object if it was."
Kurt stiffened at first, still unaccustomed to the way Blaine touched him without a second thought, but the tenor felt him relax in seconds. "No, but I'm pretty sure my dad would. He wasn't keen on the idea of an all boys' school to begin with."
"Yikes," Jeff commented from where he was getting more of the spiked punch.
"That reminds me, have you talked to Papa Bear yet, Blainers?" Charlie asked with a grin. "I mean, since you started making it public that you're humping his only child?" Either Kurt didn't hear that, or he was making a valiant effort not to react. Blaine found himself having to swallow past a lump in his throat, willing to bet he was going to be having quite the conversation with Burt tomorrow, and the countertenor noticed.
"Relax, Blaine, you know my dad, and he's happy that we're together."
"Just because he's letting me stay for spring break doesn't mean he likes me," Blaine pointed out. "Maybe he'll just wait until you leave the house, then kill me, chop my body into little pieces, and hide them all over Lima like some kind of sick scavenger hunt!" Kurt giggled, ignoring that the tenor was just a little bit serious. "How can you be so sure?"
"I know that my father is happy we're together because I'm happy that we're together," Kurt answered, his voice leaving no room for argument, and Blaine leaned over and kissed him, quickly but firmly.
Thankfully, the reaction he got was a smile and Kurt resting his head against Blaine's shoulder, letting out a little hum of contentment. Charlie had slipped away after causing the tenor to panic, not actually interested in the conversation, and Jeff was making a complicated face; it suggested he was happy for them, jealous of them, and disgusted by them all at once.
"I'm getting a little tired," Kurt admitted about two songs later, the yawn he let out punctuating the statement.
Blaine smiled, kissing his hair, and then asked, "One more song?" because he recognized the gentle guitar strumming that was coming over the speakers. Kurt nodded, taking just a few steps before deciding they were close enough to the dance floor that he could just wrap his arms around Blaine and tuck his head against his chest.
My baby don't mess around
Because she loves me so
And this I know for sure
But does she really wanna
But can't stand to see me
Walk out the door?
Can't stand to fight the feeling
'Cause the thought alone is killing me right now
Thank God for mom and Dad
For sticking two together
'Cause we don't know how
"I thought only ridiculous Scrubs fans loved this song," Kurt muttered against his chest, clearly close to falling asleep right there in Blaine's arms.
"I guess not everyone associates Sam Lloyd's voice with excessive amounts of flop sweat," Blaine whispered to him, able to feel it when Kurt started laughing. "Do you think we could spend an entire day talking in Scrubs quotes and references?"
"We're only four seconds in, and I'm already regretting my decision," Kurt shot back without a pause, and Blaine smiled.
Hugging Kurt a little closer as the Worthless Peons set the mood, he whispered, "I'm so glad I found you."
He wasn't sure of the reaction he was expecting. Kurt was exactly the kind of guy who would call him out when he said things that needed to have holes drilled in them to let the sap out, but the countertenor also loved Scrubs and knew where he was coming from. He certainly didn't expect the reaction he got.
"I don't think people are meant to be by themselves. That's why if you find someone you actually care about, it's important to let go of the little things. Even if you can't let go all the way. Because nothing sucks more than being all alone; no matter how many people are around,"
Blaine pressed his nose into Kurt's hair. "I'm so glad you're here, instead of that horrible place." He couldn't imagine how alone his boyfriend must have felt at McKinley.
Kurt waited a surprisingly long time before responding, "Me too."
A/N: Hi friends! I realize it's been a very long time since I've posted anything, but I hope you haven't given up on me, because I'm still writing away. I had the brilliant idea to finish this story before I wrote anymore, but I've given up on that because it's almost 2017. At this point, I've written up to chapter 53, so I'll probably post one every two weeks or so until I've run out of story for you guys.
As for this chapter, I'm not a super huge fan of how it turned out. I had big ideas for the Warbler Party, and most of them played out, but the Klaine stuff is... I have mixed feelings on it. They were very stubborn. Let me know what you guys think!
Songs used:
'This is How a Heart Breaks' by Rob Thomas
'Just Dance' by Lady Gaga feat. Colby O'Donis
'Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)' by Beyoncé
'Can't Help Falling in Love with You' by Hayley Reinhart
'Wild Ones' by Flo Rida feat. Sia
'Groove is in the Heart' by Deee-Lite
'Hey Ya' by the Blanks
Reviews are Love.
