Chapter 16: Question
Kurt's eyelashes fluttered as he blinked awake. He was warm and cozy under his blankets and feeling well rested from sleeping in. Saturday mornings are the best. He reveled in the ability to lay in bed, unhurried by obligation.
Last night…Blaine kissed me last night! Kurt lurched into a sitting position as he remembered. The corners of his mouth were pulling apart as if attached to puppet strings, spreading wider and wider into what he could only imagine was truly the most absurd grin. He was glad no one was around to see it.
He couldn't remember ever feeling like this. He knew the longing and heartache of reaching out time and time again only to find emptiness. But last night…last night someone had finally reached back. Blaine's warm hand had reached out to him from the darkness and Kurt's entire world had shifted on its axis.
He flopped back onto his pillow, replaying the whole night in his mind. He shut his eyes tightly, wanting to savor this feeling. Blaine kissed me!
It really had been perfect. Dinner had been fun, if a little awkward after Santana's teasing. Kurt had started to wonder what was going on when Blaine wanted to go for a walk, but he had spent so long reading into Blaine's actions and having nothing come of it that he had been too cautious to get his hopes up.
But then…when Blaine had reached out for his hand under the stars, that was the moment that Kurt knew that something had inexorably changed between them.
And then that kiss! The kiss had been so much better than Kurt had ever imagined.
Kurt had tried kissing Brittany, which just felt weird, and then there had been the repugnant kiss forced upon him by Karofsky, which had been repulsive. He could see now that Blaine was right…none of those had counted as a proper first kiss. Now that he knew what kissing Blaine felt like, it almost seemed insulting to use the same word to describe those other experiences.
Blaine had promised him that one day he would have the first kiss that he had always dreamed of. Kurt had dared to hope, of course, that it would be Blaine giving him that magical first kiss but he hadn't really believed it would happen. He was very happy to be wrong because he couldn't imagine a more perfect first kiss. Kissing under the stars truly was a magical time for a first kiss; although, Kurt suspected that Blaine could have kissed him under a highway overpass and it still would have been magical because it was Blaine. Either way, he had more than kept his promise.
Wait…he didn't kiss me just to keep true to his promise, right? No…that's…that's preposterous. Right?
Even as he dismissed it the thought, the tiny sliver of doubt crept in and took root.
No, Blaine wouldn't kiss me unless it meant something…right? At the time, under the spell of darkness, it had all felt so special and meaningful. In the bright light of day, Kurt started to wonder if he had made it all up in his head. What if a kiss really is just a kiss?
Kurt felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. If he doesn't like me it is going to be ten times worse than before… The unrestrained joy he had been feelings moments earlier was poisoned now by insecurities and an ominous sense of dread that everything was about to fall apart. Kurt rolled over to grab his phone from the night stand and dialed Rachel. He needed someone to give him an objective view of the situation. Mercedes would just tell him what he wanted to hear but Rachel would be brutally honest if it came to that.
"Good morning, Kurt!" She sounded impressively bright and upbeat, considering that Kurt hadn't even gotten out of bed yet.
"I need your help!"
"What happened?" she asked with alarm.
"Blaine kissed me last night!"
"Oh my gosh, that's amazing, Kurt! How did it happen? Does this mean you're dating? Is he your boy—"
Kurt interrupted her, disrupting the runaway train of Rachel's over-enthusiastic interrogation. He couldn't deal with Girl Talk Rachel right now. He needed he to listen and then he needed her to be No Bullshit Rachel who was calculating and perceptive.
"—Rachel! I'm kind of freaking out right now."
"Oh, Kurt, why? Was it bad?" As if.
"No! It was…perfect, of course! I just—I don't know what it meant! I mean…what if it didn't mean anything to him? I thought if he kissed me then I would know how he feels about me but…Rachel, he didn't really say anything. How did everything get so complicated?"
"Aww, honey," Rachel said sympathetically.
"Why are boys so confusing?" he moaned.
"That's the one million dollar question, Kurt. So, wait, he really didn't say anything at all?"
"No! I mean he said he liked kissing me, but nothing about…you know, feelings or dating. If he just shows up to school on Monday and acts like nothing happened I'm going to just go find a quiet corner somewhere to curl up and die."
"Don't be such a drama queen, Kurt. Let's be logical about this…tell me all about what led up to this kiss. Maybe I can help you decode the mysterious boy signals."
There's the No Bullshit Rachel I need!
So Kurt described what he remembered from the date—if it could even be called a date—including the way that Blaine had reached for his hand, and any other little action he could think of that might prove or disprove that Blaine had real feelings for him. Then, Kurt was interrupted by the buzzing vibration of his phone against his cheek.
"Hold on Rachel."
He pulled the phone back from his face to see a text alert. Blaine!
Blaine: Good morning, Sunshine :)
Kurt read it aloud to Rachel. "Oh my god, I mean that sounds flirty right? Does that sound like a text from someone who thinks you're definitely dating now? Or more like someone you just casually locked lips with?"
"I think it sounds very promising, Kurt. I bet he likes you. The two of you have been such close friends—to make a big change to your relationship now, I mean it has to mean something. I don't think he would do something like that just casually with you."
Those are good points, but…
"Yes, but…he was friends with Nick for ages and then they just made-out for fun or as friends or whatever." Kurt's mind was racing, generating counter-arguments to everything Rachel said to reassure him.
"True, but you saw how they were at Halloween. Didn't Blaine call him an asshole afterward? Trust me, there was nothing romantic about that kiss."
"Good point. He definitely was acting more…emotional with me." Kurt finally felt himself starting to relax. The text was a good sign, he just needed to get a conversation going. "Oh no, Rachel what should I text back?"
Kurt heard a noise in the background from Rachel's side of the call. "Shoot, sorry Kurt! Dad is calling me down for Saturday morning Sinatra and French toast; it's kind of sacred in our house."
Kurt let out a moan of jealousy.
"It's moments like these that I wish I lived there because that sounds amazing. Fine, go! Abandon me in my time of need to indulge in syrupy delight."
"Sorry! Bye!" Then she hung up.
Kurt stared at his phone. Never before had he been this flummoxed by a single text message. When he finally managed to compose a response, it was less because he felt remotely confident in it and more because he couldn't handle staring at the blank screen anymore. When in doubt, turn to music.
Kurt: Good day, Sunshine :)
Hopefully Blaine would catch the reference rather than thinking Kurt was being pedantic about time of day.
Blaine: I feel good, in a special way ;)
Well that has to be flirting, right? Plus, isn't the next line in that song, "I'm in love and it's a sunny day"? Or is he just playing along by quoting song lyrics.
Kurt: We took a walk, the stars were shining down.
He had to change the lyrics a little bit to fit what they had actually done. He wondered how long he could get by on song lyrics before he had to say something real.
Blaine: I had the best time with you last night.
Kurt felt his heart pounding. So far, so good. Blaine definitely wasn't pretending that nothing had happened. And he had finally stopped talking in song lyrics. Fate favors the bold.
Kurt: We should do it again sometime.
Blaine: My thoughts exactly :)
Blaine: Would you like to see Rent at The Repertory Theatre? There are still tickets available for the 4pm show tomorrow. It's supposed to be really good.
Oh my god, oh my god, this is it, he is asking me out on a date! It is a date, right?
Kurt: That sounds perfect.
Blaine: I'll pick you up at 3:30 :)
Kurt: I don't know, I'm heavier than I look ;)
Blaine: I'm stronger than I look.
Kurt snickered. He had always loved the sarcastic joking dynamic in their friendship. It felt comforting to be in this familiar space after feeling so insecure and worried.
Kurt: My eyes are literally rolling across the room right now.
Blaine: That's really going to mess with my date plans but I'm sure I can adjust. Maybe I can find us a concert or something less visual.
Kurt: Don't you dare! I was promised Rent!
Blaine: See you tomorrow.
Now that Kurt had solid plans to see Blaine the next day—plans that Blaine had referred to as a "date" no less—he was able to quiet the doubts that had been rattling around in his head like a runaway pinball. They were quickly replaced by the hungry rumblings from his stomach. Breakfast time!
Kurt pulled on a sweater over his pajamas before heading downstairs.
His dad was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a mug of coffee and reading the newspaper.
"Good morning, Kurt."
"Morning, Dad."
"Got any plans this weekend?" his dad asked without bothering to look up from the paper. He asked Kurt the same question every Saturday morning.
Kurt steeled himself to give an answer that his dad had definitely never heard before. I hope he is ready for this.
"Yeah, actually, I have a, um, a date tomorrow." Just saying the word 'date' had him grinning like a fool.
His dad spat out his coffee in surprise. "You have a date?! With who?"
"With Blaine!" Kurt answered, beaming.
"Wow, that's—that's great, kiddo. So I take it you, uh, like Blaine as more than a friend?" His dad looked up at him with an amused expression on his face.
Am I seriously talking about boys with my dad right now? If I could have told fourteen-year-old Kurt that one day I would be talking about boys with Dad I never would have believed myself. We really have come a long way.
"Yeah, Dad, I like him. I really really like him."
"Good, then. And…it is a—I mean, it is a date date right? Not just a friend date?"
"Yeah, at least…well, I'm pretty sure it's a date date. I want it to be. He called it a date and he's picking me up. And, well…"
"Are you blushing, Kurt?" He should not be enjoying this quite so much.
"No!" Denial was his defensive reflex. He sighed. "Yes…I…we hung out last night and it…it might have been a date? I'm not really sure."
His dad laughed and nodded. "I've been there, kiddo. So first date, huh? You really are growing up, Kurt."
He reached out to ruffle Kurt's hair, the way he did when Kurt was little.
"Dad!" he protested, ducking to evade the calloused hands groping towards his hair.
"Yup, definitely growing up!" He sounded inordinately pleased with himself. He leaned back in his chair and gave Kurt a long look. Do I have something on my face? "It's…it's really nice to see you this happy, Kurt. All that awful bullying you went through at school, well, I feel like the universe owes you a good turn. Blaine seems like a sweet kid. Just…you tell me if he is anything less than a gentleman, okay, Kurt? Just because he's the first boy who's asked you out doesn't mean you should settle for anything less than the best."
"Sure, Dad. Thank you."
It had already been an emotional morning for Kurt and now hearing his father being so supportive, well, Kurt couldn't be blamed if he had to wipe away a tear from the corner of his eye. Kurt pulled his dad into a hug, breathing in the familiar musky smell from his dad's soft, worn flannel shirt. I love you.
—
Kurt spent most of Sunday morning curating an outfit for his date with Blaine. On some rational level, he knew that Blaine's interest in him was unlikely to hinge on apparel, but he couldn't stop himself from wanting it to be perfect anyways. Besides, he had never really had someone to dress up for so he was going to take advantage of it for as long as he could.
Kurt ran several outfits by Mercedes over a video call, before he finally settled on something he liked. Mercedes reassured him that if he wore a plain black top under his blazer, he could totally dress up those black and white pinstripe jeans he hadn't found the right occasion to wear yet.
"For the last time, you would tell me if I looked like Beetlejuice, right? I really don't want to give off that 'I'm going to marry your underage daughter vibe.' That's not a good look on anyone."
"Yes! You look amazing, now get off the phone so you're ready when your man arrives."
Kurt had barely put the finishing touches on his hair when he heard someone knocking on the door downstairs. He's early!
Kurt ran down the stairs but his dad had beaten him to answering the door. He ended up stuck behind his dad where he could hear them talking but he couldn't actually see Blaine from behind his dad, who was taller.
"Blaine, nice to see you again. Now I understand you're taking my son out on a date tonight, to the theater and then out for dinner?"
"Yes, sir, that's correct."
Geez, Dad, way to be cool. Well, I guess that settles that question. Definitely a date.
Kurt was starting to get impatient waiting behind his dad for them to finish. He cleared his throat, hoping to get their attention.
Blaine's bright eyes appeared as he leaned to the side to find the source of the noise. He lit up when he spotted Kurt.
"Kurt! Hi!"
His dad finally stepped to the side so Kurt could see his date. Blaine was holding a small bouquet of peonies. Blaine stepped forwards to kiss him on the cheek and hand him the flowers. "These are for you, K-Kurt." What a gentleman!
"Wow, thank you! No one has ever given me flowers before. Let me just go put these in water and then we can head out."
He eyed his dad, wondering if he should be worried about leaving him alone with Blaine. So far he had seemed very supportive but that didn't mean he wasn't going to give Blaine some kind of overprotective father lecture. "Be nice," he warned.
"I'm always nice," his dad said, innocently.
Kurt almost dropped the vase he was in such a hurry to get back to Blaine and get them out of there. As he was walking back he heard the tail end of Blaine saying, "…home by 11 and no funny business. Yes, sir." He was using his ERASM voice, probably nervous about stuttering in front of Kurt's dad. It was kind of cute.
"Okay, well we're going to go now. Bye, Dad! I love you! Please don't murder my date! Bye!"
Blaine took his hand as they walked to his car. "You l-l-look amazing by the way. I love those pants." I knew I could count on you, Mercedes.
Kurt beamed and did a little curtsy. "Thank you. That's a very fetching bowtie you have on."
—
After the musical, Blaine drove them to a Thai restaurant that Kurt had never been to. It was on the other side of the interstate, on the edge of town where Blaine's family lived. Kurt enjoyed his Pad See Ew but the company was even better.
"I'm having a really nice time tonight, Blaine. Thank you for inviting me."
Blaine let out a sigh of relief, "Good! I've ne-never actually taken anyone out on a real date before. I mean, other than the one we kind of, uh, uh, uh st-stumbled into on Friday. Before that the closest I got was —going to the Sadie Hawkins dance and my mom —did most of the p-planning there. Also…that night didn't really end well."
Kurt cleared his throat awkwardly. "Neither of us has ended up in the hospital so far, so I think we managed to jump over that admittedly low standard for a date."
"There's nothing I like better than se-se-setting expecta-ta-tations low and then exceeding them," he said with a wink. He brought me flowers, took me to a musical, and bought me dinner. Was he really worried that wouldn't be good enough?
For the rest of dinner, they stuck to safe, familiar topics. It was almost like hanging out when they had been just friends, except that Kurt was smiling and blushing like a lunatic much more than normal.
For once, he wasn't the only one. Blaine kept giving him these looks that were definitely new. A few times his face got serious and he would lean forward like he was about to say something but then he would just sigh and lean back without any words coming out.
Kurt desperately wanted to know what Blaine was trying so hard to say but he knew that putting more pressure on Blaine to speak would only be counterproductive. He will tell me when he's ready.
—
As the night came to a close, Blaine seemed to get more and more fidgety. He kept fussing with the stereo in the car before finally finding an acceptable radio station. Familiar Motown music filtered out through the speakers.
Now if you feel that you can't go on
Because all of your hope is gone
And your life is filled with much confusion
Until happiness is just an illusion
And your world around is crumbling down, darlin'
(Reach out) Come on girl reach on out for me
(Reach out) Reach out for me
Hah, I'll be there with a love that will shelter you
I'll be there with a love that will see you through
When the second verse started, Kurt noticed that Blaine was singing along, quietly at first but quickly picking up volume.
When you feel lost and about to give up
'Cause your best just ain't good enough
And your feel the world has grown cold
And your drifting out all on your own
And you need a hand to hold, darlin'
(Reach out) Come on girl, reach out for me
(Reach out) Reach out for me
Hah, I'll be there to love and comfort you
And I'll be there to cherish and care for you
Kurt felt a surge of warmth. Blaine's voice, as usual, was beautiful and full of emotion. Is he singing to me or just singing?
Then the car slowed to a stop and Blaine shifted into 'park' before cutting the engine. As he reached for the door handle, Kurt somehow felt Blaine's gaze on his back. He leaned back into his seat and turned to face him.
Blaine smiled sweetly at him. "Kurt, I…I…" His eyes blazed into Kurt's and Kurt felt his heartbeat speed up with anticipation. Please kiss me again.
Sure enough, Blaine leaned across the gear shift and this time Kurt met him halfway. His whole body melted at Blaine's touch and no his memory had not exaggerated how good it felt to kiss Blaine. His lips were warm and tender against Kurt's. It felt so good that Kurt was thoroughly distracted from whatever Blaine was about to say before he had kissed him. It wouldn't be until some hours later, when Kurt was trying to fall asleep, that it would pop suddenly back into his mind and plague him with curiosity.
—
Monday morning, Kurt waited for Blaine by his locker with two cardboard cups of coffee. Blaine had taken him on such a nice date that it seemed like it was his turn for some kind of gesture. Haunted by the memory of Finn, Kurt was still a little gun-shy about coming on too strong. It wasn't as if Blaine had seemed put off by anything he had done or said thus far, but still…coffee felt like a safe choice. It was something they had done as friends.
Blaine! There he was, looking handsome and grinning. He wasn't sure if he could ever get used to seeing Blaine's whole body light up like that just from seeing Kurt. It made him feel like the most important person in the world.
"Good morning! Here, I brought you coffee," Kurt said cheerily, holding out Blaine's cup. Blaine grinned and accepted it.
"Thank you! I thought…wasn't that only for l-l-last week?"
"Well, I had a nice time the other day, so…hence, coffee." Blaine snorted as he parroted back Blaine's own, awkward words from their dinner.
Kurt found himself blushing and unsure what to say next. They both just sort of stood there, exchanging giddy smiles until they were interrupted by the bell.
"Well, I have English so…I guess I'll see you in Chemistry later."
"Yeah," Blaine said intensely.
—
Chemistry was…different. Kurt was still a disaster in lab and the two of them still spent most of the class cracking jokes quietly, but…Blaine kept bumping into him.
At first, Kurt thought it was an accident when Blaine's knee had tapped against his. I thought I was supposed to be the clumsy one. But then it happened again. He could have sworn that Blaine was glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.
So Kurt played along. He pressed his knee into Blaine's for a few thrilling seconds before pulling back. He is definitely looking at me! Oh my god, am I playing footsie? Or…kneesie?
Needless to say, Kurt had no idea what the point of the lab had been or if they had done it correctly. And he couldn't have cared less.
—
Kurt almost wished he hadn't told Rachel about their kiss because she was not being subtle during lunch.
"So, anyone do anything noteworthy over the weekend?" She looked at Blaine meaningfully. Finn crinkled his eyebrows at her in confusion.
"Oh, uh, K-Kurt and I… saw Rent… yesterday."
"Ooh, how was it?" Tina asked with excitement, oblivious to the subtext. "I really want to see it! I love that show but I've only ever seen the movie."
"It was great!" Kurt answered, truthfully.
"R-Really great," Blaine added, shooting Kurt a look.
"We should go next weekend, Mike? What do you think?"
Kurt was relieved that the conversation moved on from there. As much as he wondered how Blaine would respond to more in depth questioning, he wasn't sure he was ready for this undefined thing between them to be under the microscope of the entire Glee club quite yet.
—
On Tuesday, Kurt felt like he barely got to see Blaine. Even in Glee Club, he had sat with Rachel instead of with him, which had been disappointing. Kurt was very curious to know what those two were whispering about, with their heads together, conspiring about who knows what.
By the time Wednesday rolled around, Kurt was starting to wonder if he was supposed to make some sort of move. Blaine was definitely acting differently around him but they still hadn't really talked about what had happened. They had gone on at least one real date, maybe two if dinner at Breadstix was counted retroactively. Yet Kurt still felt confused and unsure.
On the one hand, it shouldn't be all on Blaine to initiate everything. But on the other hand, Kurt had liked Blaine for months and he felt sure that Blaine was aware of how he felt by now. He knew that Blaine cared about him deeply as a friend and he also knew that Blaine tended to be a bit of a people-pleaser.
If this was going to happen, then he needed to be sure that Blaine really liked him and wasn't just sort of going along with it because he knew it was what Kurt wanted. So, in his mind, that kind of put the ball in Blaine's court.
But confirming their standing Wednesday coffee date…Kurt decided that couldn't count as putting pressure on Blaine.
Kurt: Lima Bean 4?
Kurt started to get nervous when Blaine didn't respond at first. Is that something we only did when we were friends? Does he not want to go out again and is skipping coffee because it would be too much like a date?
He wished he knew what Blaine was thinking.
When he checked his phone in between classes, Kurt was relieved to find that Blaine had finally replied. But when he read the text, the uneasiness returned.
Blaine: Actually, can you meet me in the auditorium after school instead?
Why would he want to meet in the auditorium? Is he going to tell me it was all a big mistake and he doesn't want an audience? Is there a number he wants to rehearse?
—
As requested, Kurt made his way straight to the Auditorium after his final class of the day. It was empty, of course, except for Blaine who was sitting on the edge of the stage, legs dangling over the edge. He gave Kurt a friendly wave.
Kurt jogged over to where Blaine was sitting.
"So, what's all this about, Blaine?" Kurt asked, hoping he didn't sound as desperately curious as he felt.
Blaine held up one finger, gesturing that he needed a minute. Blaine pulled something out of his pocket. It looked like a folded up piece of notebook paper. He seemed to be reading it.
"This is all very Thelma and Louise. Is this the part where you ask me to help you dispose of a body?" Kurt joked.
"J-J-Just listen." Blaine cleared his throat and then read aloud from the piece of paper.
"Kurt,
I have been trying since Friday to find a way to tell you how I'm feeling but I keep getting stuck. Expressing myself in words, especially when it comes to high-stakes emotions, well, you know how hard that is for me. I thought if I gave myself a couple of days to calm down then I could just talk to you like a normal person but it doesn't seem to be working and you don't deserve to keep waiting. I think I've probably kept you waiting quite long enough already.
I'm sorry about that, by the way. I really am kind of clueless when it comes to this sort of thing. It feels like it took me forever to figure it out.
But I did figure it out, how I was feeling. I want you to know…no, I need you to know that when I kissed you on Friday it meant something. Actually, it meant everything to me. I hope it meant something to you too. I think it did.
I'm no good expressing myself with words, so I finally decided I would try to use music instead. This song is to tell you how I feel about you and then after I have a question I want to ask."
Blaine's hands were shaking as he folded up the wrinkled note and tucked it back into his pocket. Then he hopped up onto the stage, grabbed a microphone, and sang.
Like sweet morning dew
I took one look at you
And it was plain to see
You were my destiny
With my arms open wide
I threw away my pride
I'll sacrifice for you
Dedicate my life to you
I will go
where you lead
Always there in time of need
And when
I lose my will
You'll be there to push me up the hill
There's no, no looking back for us
We got love sure 'nough, that's enough
You're all, You're all I need to get by
Like an eagle protects his nest
for you I'll do my best
Stand by you like a tree
dare anybody to try and move me
Darling in you I found
Strength where I was torn down
Don't know, what's in store, but together we can open any door
Just to do, what's good for you, and inspire you a little higher
I know you can, make a man, out of a soul that didn't have a goal
Cause we, we got the right foundation and with love and determination
You're all, you're all I want to strive for and do a little more
You're all, all the joys under the sun wrapped up into one
You're all I need
You're all I need
You're all I need
to get by
When the song ended, Kurt found that he had to wipe warm tears from his eyes. Blaine was out of breath from singing, a little sweaty, and smiling down at Kurt. When he sang, he was all confidence. After he was done, however, Kurt could see the vulnerability that lay beneath.
Kurt leaped up on stage and launched himself into Blaine's arms. Blaine held him so tightly and for the first time Kurt felt like he was allowed to stay there as long as he wanted. Part of him wanted to stay there forever. He pressed his face into Blaine's shoulder and he could feel more tears welling up.
Blaine pulled back just enough to take Kurt's face in his hands. "K-K-Kurt, are you crying?" he asked, sounding worried. Gently, he wiped some of the tears from Kurt's cheek. "I-I-I thought you…I thought you would be happy. Oh no, I'm so…"
As much as Kurt knew how much Blaine hated being interrupted, he couldn't let him finish that apology. He had it all wrong.
"Blaine, I'm crying because I've never been this happy in my entire life."
"Oh." Blaine smiled. "Then…I should p-p-probably read you that, uh, —question."
Kurt started laughing.
"First you cry then you laugh. This is n-n-not the reaction I was going for, Kurt." Blaine looked so serious but Kurt somehow couldn't control his laughter. It was like all the nerves from the last few days were finally releasing all at once.
"I forgot there was more."
Blaine took a half step back from Kurt and pulled out the rather wrinkled piece of paper. He took Kurt's hand in his and read.
"Kurt, your friendship has been so special to me but I finally realized that what I feel for you is too special to just be friendship. Will you be my boyfriend?"
Blaine looked up from the paper, a hesitant and hopeful look in his eyes.
Does he really not know the answer?
"Yes, Blaine. Of course, my answer is yes. You must know by now…that's all I've ever wanted"
"Good. Because you are all I've e-e-ever wanted."
"You know, for someone who is supposed to be bad at all of this, you certainly pulled off quite the romantic stunt."
Blaine just shrugged and beamed at him. "I m-may have had…a l-little help." So that is what he was being so secretive about yesterday with Rachel!
"May I kiss my boyfriend now?" Kurt asked with a smirk.
Blaine blushed and nodded.
—
Blaine: Good morning, Boyfriend :)
Kurt: Well, hello, Dapper Dan.
Blaine: Of course you're a fan of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? I really should stop being surprised by you having excellent taste.
Kurt: You have my permission to be surprised by it for as long as you want, if you keep being cute about it.
Blaine: Deal.
Blaine: So, who do I have to sweet talk in order to score a date with my boyfriend?
Kurt: Well, if you want to see me tomorrow, that's going to be Rachel. She already insisted that we need to have an Emergency Sleepover with Mercedes and Tina so they can interrogate me about our budding romance.
Kurt: If you can bear to wait until Saturday, after the rendition is over, then the only person you have to sweet talk is me.
Blaine: As long as Rachel promises to abide by the Geneva Convention then I suppose I can be patient.
Kurt: If I don't text you every hour, send an extraction team for me.
Blaine: Just reach out, I'll be there.
Blaine: So, Saturday, then? I'll look up movie times and run a few options by you.
Kurt: That sounds perfect. And I was dead serious about that extraction team.
Blaine: I know ;) Can't wait!
Flirting with Blaine was surprisingly effortless and much more fun now that he knew definitively and without doubt that his feelings were reciprocated. After watching the other couples in Glee club with their coy advances and their games, he was relieved that once he had worked through how to tell him, Blaine had been so forthright about his feelings. Kurt finally didn't feel like he needed to worry about scaring Blaine off.
—
When Rachel opened the door to let Kurt in, she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to her dads, who were sitting at the piano in the living room.
"Dads! Guess who has a boyfriend?"
"Hiram, I thought we raised her better than to date a homosexual male. Where did we go wrong?"
"I don't know LeRoy, I just don't know. We fed her three square meals a day, took her to ballet lessons, we watched 'The Birdcage' annually." He shook his head in disbelief.
"Dads!" she groaned, "Not me. Kurt has a boyfriend!"
Hiram and LeRoy brightened up significantly. "Oh, well that's another story entirely."
Rachel let out an exasperated sigh. "You remember Blaine?"
"Oh yes, the small one! Nervous energy, too much gel?" Hiram clarified.
"I remember him! You know how much I love a man with a lisp. Very sexy." LeRoy nodded in approval.
"Dad! He doesn't have a lisp, he has a stutter. And…gross!"
"Rahela," Hiram chided. "We do not kink shame in this house." He turned to his husband and threw up his hands in defeat. "It's like we've taught her nothing. God knows we've tried."
"Anyways." Rachel seemed desperate to get the conversation back on track. "Well…he and Kurt are together now."
"Congratulations, young man. We must have the two of you over for dinner sometime."
"Oh, yes, that's a good idea, LeRoy. We can give him them the gay sex talk their Ohio public school is too backwards to give them."
Rachel put both hands over her ears and Kurt could already feel his skin turning very red. "Walking away now!" She grabbed Kurt's hand and dragged him over to the basement entrance. "Come on, Kurt, we're down here tonight. My room is too small."
"Please tell me they were joking. I think if they try to talk to me about sex while Blaine is within a ten mile radius you are going to scrub my ashes out of the carpet because I'll spontaneously combust with embarrassment. Scratch that, make it a fifteen mile radius."
"I wish I could say that they were. My dads are very… passionate about the importance of comprehensive sexual education. When they found out that Lima Schools provide abstinence-only education they actually complained to the school board. Then, when that inevitably failed, I was subjected to a very, uh, detailed lecture at home. They had a powerpoint, Kurt! There were videos!"
"Ahh! Can we talk about literally anything else?" Kurt pleaded.
At that moment the doorbell rang. "More guests are here! Be right back."
Kurt tried desperately not to think about what kinds of videos Rachel's dads might try to show him and instead focused on unpacking his sleeping bag.
Rachel, Tina, and Mercedes came down the stairs. Mercedes gave Kurt a big hug. "Whatever you already told Rachel, you had better be ready to repeat because I am not missing one single detail. Now spill!"
"You didn't miss anything. Rachel has just been scaring me for life on an unrelated matter."
So Kurt told them the whole story from their first kiss under the stars, to their first date at the theater, to Blaine's very romantic declaration of his feelings through song.
His girls were an excellent audience, oohing and squeeing at all the right moments.
When his story was over, they swept him up into a big group hug.
It felt good to have this time with them to celebrate and feel happy. He was able to enjoy their company much more now that he wasn't bitter and jealous. He even felt a pang of regret at how upset he had gotten at Rachel the last time he was here. He should have known better than to think that Rachel didn't want him to have someone.
She was obviously so happy for him now. They all were.
Author's Notes: I hope you enjoyed Motown Week! I have a huge soft spot in my heart for Motown because it featured heavily in my childhood. Your comments are all *I* need to get by :D
Music:
Featured Songs:
Reach Out (I'll Be There) by the Four Tops
You're All I Need to Get By by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
Referenced Songs:
Good Day, Sunshine by The Beatles
Referenced Movies:
The Birdcage (1996): Robin Williams plays owner of a Miami drag club who pretends to be straight when meeting the parents of son's conservative fiance.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000): Three escaped convicts search for buried treasure in the deep south during the 1930s in a story loosely based on The Odyssey. One of the characters has an unhealthy obsession with Dapper Dan Pomade.
Glee Trivia:
Rachel's dad calls her "Rahela" at some point on the series, which is a variant of Rachel used in several languages including Romanian. My own Jewish heritage includes roots in Romania, so I imagine that being in the background of one of her dads, leading to this alternate pronunciation.