The first of the final chapters; I am now updating every day until next Tuesday. Daily T&C! (ahhhhhh...)
This chapter is dedicated to IThinkILeftMyCoatOutside, as a thank you for all the times she has helped me with a fic issue or a personal one. In this chapter, too, she helped talked some bits through (and it was her who decided on the song - think Pitch Perfect). Thank you, also, for updating when I couldn't. I love you xxx
Story so far...
Mercedes and Lady Gaga are staying with Klaine and Bocelli. Blaine asked Gaga to sing for Kurt, which she does, and the five of them sit happily in the living room after.
-*T&C*-
"Okay, guys! Settle! Settle down, please!"
The boys stopped chattering and took their seats, looking to the front of the room. Next to Blaine stood Kurt, and next to Kurt stood a woman they didn't recognise.
"Firstly, before I introduce my guest, I want to say a word about Robert. He was in school earlier, didn't want to feel left out, but he went home at lunchtime because he wasn't feeling up for the whole day. I think tomorrow he's planning on coming in just for rehearsals, for you to say... So he'll be in tomorrow, we think. We hope." Blaine clapped his hands loudly, making everyone jump, but he found it necessary so he could get thoughts of Robert out of his head. "Now, you all know my Kurt. And today he has brought Mercedes Jones with him. Mercedes is-"
Jack interrupted. "Excuse me?" he asked.
He was looking directly at Mercedes, so she answered. "Yeah?"
He seemed to look almost embarrassed. "Mercedes Jones? Are you the one who released Hell To The No?"
Kurt smiled, biting the insides of his cheeks. He was still reeling from Blaine saying "my Kurt"; sure, they'd been together for years, but it still made his heart leap. And then Jack. Though he'd been at Dalton when Mercedes had written the song, he had heard a lot about it since. The song had been tweaked a lot by her new writers, but the soul of it still remained.
"I am, yeah."
Jack exhaled. "Could I be really cheeky and... Can I ask for a photo? For my sister. She is obsessed with you. She wanted to go see you on your tour, but all her dance competitions are coming up this time of year and she couldn't miss a rehearsal."
Mercedes beamed. "Son, I can give you a thousand photos." She glanced at Blaine. "But, after, heh? Let Mr Anderson do his thang."
"Actually, Cedes, I'm just Blaine in here. But," he looked about the room, "it's the end of the year and Nationals is over and I thought it'd be fun for you to have a different take on things. So, Mercedes is here today if you want to talk to her about the business. Or if not, um, could you set them a challenge, Merce?"
Mercedes turned to the group of boys, a broad smile on her face and a look of glee in her eyes. "Does everyone know Since You've Been Gone?"
She could well have told them all that they'd all get free cars when they left the room for the reaction. They went wild. Tyler high-fived Luke, almost laughing with happiness. Daniel squealed and just shrugged when Henry gave him a funny look. Paul just got lost in his own world, closing his eyes and dancing to a track in his head.
Kurt laughed, watching them all fondly. "I think you have your answer, Cedes."
Blaine watched the boys fondly, but his gaze was dragged away to gaze at Kurt. He truly was beautiful. When he laughed, he could light up even the gloomiest of rooms. Right now, he looked so carefree. So happy. He wanted to lean in and kiss him, but he knew how inappropriate that would be. He was lucky that Greg was as lenient as he was with rules regarding Kurt coming to Dalton. So instead, to distract himself, he went over to his desk to lean upon it.
He watched as Mercedes worked with the boys. Every so often, she glanced over at him, as if asking if she was doing everything correctly. He just smiled at her. She was doing great. It was like she was born to teach. Blaine was almost jealous; it had taken him ages to get in touch with the boys and to learn how to lead. And she just... did it. Like it came as second nature to her.
The thing he loved the most - no, that's a lie. Something that he loved about the situation was how she had managed to incorporate Kurt into their routine as they worked, like he was another student. And Kurt was enjoying it as much as everyone else was. As she pointed round the group, ordering them to sing and stop, he joined in powerfully whenever the finger came his way. It was a technique he wanted to steal: point and sing. He wondered if she'd picked it up at UCLA. And Kurt was really enjoying it. He was singing as he did in the shower when Blaine had to dive into the bathroom quickly to shave and he hasn't knocked first. Kurt rarely sang anymore. It made Blaine sad. But watching him now...
But that wasn't what he loved the most. What he loved the most was the fact that they were all happy. They were all smiling and laughing and having a generally great time. And what with all that was going on... It seemed unlikely. But there they were. Peter wasn't there. He'd left when Robert had. He had been stuck to his best friend's side all day, he'd heard. And left when he had. He wondered if he would still be there when he went round later. But everyone else...
"Blaine?"
Blaine jumped as a voice cut through his inner monologue. He quickly recognised it as Mercedes, looking at him expectantly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you wanna see?"
He shifted on the desk and smiled. "Go for it."
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