Sorry for the late upload, I was just, y'know, buying my brand new white iPhone 4.

=D

This thing is beautiful. I'm off to download apps and stuff and enjoy the perks of being an iPhone owner for the night :)

From -IrethR- Kurt gets a book on flower-readings and picks apart the meaning of every flower he sees. Blaine finds out, and plays into that.

I adored this prompt but it took me forever to get written… probably because I had elaborate plans and it ended up running fairly long…

Flowers

Kurt coughed as he lifted another box, sending a dust cloud flying. "We've been in this house for two months, Finn. Why didn't you unpack this stuff already?"

Finn sighed from where he was digging through a pile of old books. "Because unpacking is boring and I have everything I need in my room?"

"So why are we bothering to go through this stuff? Can't we just toss it?" Kurt ripped the tape off the box and opened it to reveal... surprise surprise, more books.

"Mom won't let me. She said there might be some of her stuff in here, or something I need to keep. Right now I'm just finding old textbooks... you?"

Kurt sifted through the box, nodding. "Same here... oh, what's this?" He lifted out a hardback book that looked like it had seen better days. There were pictures of various flowers on it but the title had almost worn past recognition. "Biology?"

"No... I don't recognize that." Finn crossed the attic, kneeling next to him to examine it. "Oh, right. Quinn bought that for me when we first started dating. I think she wanted me to be romantic and buy her flowers with meanings, but I couldn't get my head around it and I didn't really see the point. I still don't, why would you buy something for someone that's just going to die anyway?"

Kurt shook his head, wondering how his step-brother managed to have two girls fighting over him. "It's romance, Finn," he said as he flipped through the pages. "Do you want to keep it? I'll take it if you don't."

"It's yours." Finn stood, brushing the dust off his jeans. "Let's just say we went through the rest of it and throw it out."

"And that's my cue to leave." Ignoring Finn's whinging about 'only doing the easy job', Kurt headed back down the stairs and through to his room. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he opened the book and began to flip through again, stopping to read various pages that rang a bell.

What Kurt had chosen not to tell Finn was that his mom had been a florist and, as such, flowers had played a big part in his childhood. He knew the meaning of a handful of them, but never had the knowledge that his mother had. Whenever his dad would buy her flowers, she would pick apart the meaning (which he would make sure to get right for her) every time before taking care of them to make sure they lasted as long as they could. And when they were close to dying, she would press them.

Reaching under his bed, Kurt felt around until his fingers hit the edge of the small wooden box. Pulling it out, he opened it up to reveal the three fragile, perfectly pressed forget-me-not's, framed under the glass inside. He stared at them for a moment, letting the memories wash over him before grabbing the book again and flipping to the relevant page to read the story with a smile.

According to legend, a young man and his sweetheart were walking beside the Danube when they came across some blue flowers that grew on an islet in the stream. The man leapt into the river to pluck them for her, regardless of the current and the protest of the girl. He crossed safely, plucked the flowers and was almost at the bank again when he was wrung by a cruel cramp, and could not hold his way against the whirl and surge of the rapid. He looked into the white face of his beloved and flung the bouquet at her feet with his last strength, cried "Forget me not!" and disappeared. She never forgot him and wore the flowers in her hair until her own death.

And even though the story was traditionally a love story, Kurt couldn't help but remember his mother every time he saw the flowers. With a smile on his face, Kurt slipped the box and the book into his bag and started pulling his things together, preparing to head back to Dalton. It was time to pick up where his mom had left off.

"Kurt… what are you doing?"

Kurt raised a hand absently as he approached the cherry blossom tree. He knew the three boys were looking at him strangely as he dug his book out, flipping through until he found the entry. "Just a second," he murmured, plucking one of the flowers.

The flower symbolism associated with the cherry blossom is education. In China, the cherry blossom is also a symbol of feminine beauty. It also represents the feminine principle and love. In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize the transience of life because of their short blooming times.

Smiling, Kurt tucked the stem into his buttonhole and turned back. Nick and David still looked confused but Blaine was looking at him thoughtfully, glancing down at the book in his hands. "Any chance I could see that?" he asked. Kurt shrugged and handed it over.

"Can I ask?" David finally said.

Kurt just smirked. "Life is short," he said simply before turning to continue walking, waiting for the others to catch up.

"Uh-oh, Wes is in trouble!"

Kurt glanced up from his lunch to see Wes talking on his phone, looking apologetic. "What'd he do?"

"Probably forgot something to do with his girlfriend," David said around a mouthful of food. "I wouldn't have a clue."

Blaine sighed from Kurt's right. "Wes forgot their one year anniversary," he said to winces from the other boys. "So I kind of don't blame Jessica for being a bit upset right now. I would be too."

Wes finally joined them, pocketing his phone. "What the hell am I supposed to do now? She's considering breaking up with me or 'trading me in for something better' in her words. I'm no good at this romance thing, what do you do to fix things with girls?" He glanced around the table at the other boys who had girlfriends - of course they were all shrugging and looking confused.

Kurt finally took pity on him. "Buy her tulips. Red and cream ones. Get them delivered and make sure the company puts the meaning in the card and keep your own message simple - 'I'm sorry, I love you, I'll try to be a better boyfriend from now on'," Kurt waved a hand. "You get the gist." Wes was still staring at him like he had been talking French - and that was something Kurt needed to keep an eye on as he did accidentally lapse into the language on occasion - so Kurt sighed and pulled out his iPhone. "Here," he said, typing tulip meaning into Google and finding the appropriate website before handing the phone to Blaine. "Read that out."

"Tulips are symbolic of fame and perfect love. The symbolic meanings also change with the color of the tulips. Red tulips mean "believe me," and are a declaration of true love… Cream colored tulips mean "I will love you forever." Blaine handed the phone back, smiling appreciatively. "I think that'll get the message across, don't you, Wes?"

Wes was staring at him, his jaw open. "You… honestly, you don't even like girls."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "What on earth gave that one away, Wes?" he said sarcastically. "But I'm often told that I'd be the equivalent of a girl in any relationship I get into and, while I hate stereotypes, this is an exception. I like flowers and I'd love to receive something like that. So just do it."

If Kurt had glanced to his side at that moment, he would have seen Blaine looking at him thoughtfully before glancing down at the book peeking out of his bag.

Kurt had many gifts, some that he bragged about and others that he kept quiet. One of those gifts was the ability to tell if someone had been in his room while he was away, even if nothing had been moved. But Kurt knew he didn't need to engage the gift this time as he was currently staring at the single gardenia lying on his pillow, a small note underneath it.

Before he could bring himself to approach the flower, Kurt dug out his book and quickly looked up the entry.

The flower symbolism associated with the gardenia is you're lovely, secret love, purity and refinement. Gardenia plants are prized for the strong sweet scent of their flowers, which can be very large in some species.

Secret love? Frowning, Kurt walked over to the flower and picked it up, sniffing it lightly. "Definitely fresh," he murmured before drawing his attention to the note.

Dear Kurt,

I have seen how much you love flowers and your delight in picking the meaning out of them. I wish to give you a message through these flowers, a message I am too afraid to tell you face-to-face. If I've gotten the right flower, you already pretty much know what the meaning is, but there is more I want to elaborate.

Enjoy the flower. It is almost as beautiful as you.

An admirer.

"Wow," Kurt breathed, twirling the flower between his fingers absently. Of course he had seen other people get flowers before and the occasional secret admirer, but he had never dreamed it would happen to him, and especially not in high school in Lima. But here it was - someone who clearly admired him and had noticed him well enough to see that he loved flowers. And by the tone of the message, there were more to come.

Can't wait, Kurt thought to himself as he filled a glass with water, sitting the flower in it next to his bed. This is going to be interesting.

The second delivery arrived just a week later. Kurt had almost given up on getting more flowers, especially since he was headed back to Lima for the weekend, but he still wanted to figure out who it was. He was so distracted that he completely missed the slightly-longer than usual hug that Blaine gave him as they said goodbye and spent the entire drive home trying to work out who it could be. He was still out of options - apart from that one person who he wasn't letting himself dream of it being - when he arrived home to see his father waiting out the front, arms folded.

"Dad?" Kurt pulled his bag out from the front seat and walked towards him. "What's going on?"

Burt raised an eyebrow. "You have a delivery. I put it in your room." Kurt had an inkling of what was going on but nothing prepared him for walking into his bedroom to see a large bunch of gladioli lying on his bed with a small card attached. "I presume you know what this is about?"

"Not really," Kurt said, crossing the room to pick up the card. "I'm sure I will in time though."

"Kiddo, you got a secret admirer or something?"

Burt's tone indicated skepticism but Kurt didn't take it personally - it was a surprise after all. "I do," he said, turning around with the card in hand. "And yes, I know there's potential for someone to just be messing with me but I can look after myself if they are. Plus, I get flowers out of it… and they've got all the meanings down, Dad."

Burt's face softened at that, as Kurt had predicted. "Alright. When you do find out who this boy is, I'm expecting to meet him. It… it is a boy, right?"

"I think so, it's either someone at Dalton or someone with an insider. And I'll make sure to bring him over." Burt left with one last glance at the flowers and Kurt opened the note.

Dear Kurt,

I hope you don't mind me getting these delivered to your house. Hopefully your dad doesn't get too suspicious. And while it may not mean much through a letter, I can promise this isn't some kind of joke - I really mean what I write.

You'll already have found the meaning of these, no doubt. I want you to know that from the moment I saw you, there was something about you that I knew I needed to get to know. I don't say love at first sight, not true love, but I loved what I saw and knew I wanted to get to know you properly.

I should have mentioned in the last letter - if you want this to stop, leave a message with Wes. He knows my identity and will let me know if you're at all uncomfortable by this.

I'll see you soon

An admirer.

Just as he finished reading there was a quiet knock at his door and Kurt turned to see his dad holding a vase. "Thought you'd like to make sure they don't die," he said, crossing the room to put them in it. "Any clues?"

"A few, but I can't be sure yet." Kurt folded the card and placed it in his wallet with the last one. "They did give me an out if I want them to stop though."

"Are you going to use it?"

Kurt shook his head. "I'd like to see where this is going."

Burt finished arranging the flowers and turned back to him. "Is there any chance that it's this Blaine kid?"

"I don't know and I don't want to get my hopes up." Too late, Kurt realized he had just admitted his crush to his father and was all set to take it back when he realized it hadn't phased Burt at all. Guess I was a little obvious. "Anyway, I'm sure I'll find out in due time who it is. Now, you mentioned you needed an extra pair of hands in the shop?"

Casting one last glance at the flowers, Kurt followed his father down the stairs.

"Hey, Kurt."

"Oh, hey Wes." Kurt closed his locker and balanced the stack of books in his arms neatly. "Good weekend?"

Wes nodded. "Yours?"

"Not bad. Can I help you with something?"

A flicker of - what was that? - appeared in Wes's eyes for a second. "Do you have any messages for me?"

Oh, right. Kurt smiled, shaking his head. "None at all. I presume that's a good thing?"

It was clear that Wes was attempting to hide a smile. "I'd say it's a good thing, yes. I'll be sure to pass on your lack of message."

"Can you give me any clues?" Kurt knew he was fishing for information that wasn't going to be given - Wes was loyal to a fault and wouldn't sell out any of his friends. Besides, Kurt felt like he was getting close to narrowing the mystery person down and was enjoying the challenge.

Sure enough, Wes shook his head. "Have fun," he said simply before leaving for his next class.

Kurt smiled, fiddling with the gladiolus in his button hole as he walked to Chemistry. "Hey, Blaine," he said absently as he walked past the boy, missing the way Blaine stopped and turned to stare at him.

The daffodil was probably the biggest surprise of all, especially since it was delivered to Mercedes's house when Kurt was there for a sleepover with the other ND girls - somehow they had managed to convince Quinn and Rachel to coexist in the same room without killing one another. They had been midway through a gossip session when the sound of Mercedes's mother coming up the stairs had been heard, the woman appearing at the door a moment later. "Kurt, a boy just showed up and asked me to give this to you," she said, holding out a pair of daffodils and a card. "He said he didn't want to stay or leave a name."

Ignoring the surprised looks from the girls, Kurt stood and took the items. "Oh, Kurt! Is this your secret admirer?"

The rest of the girls turned to Mercedes who had spoken. "Secret admirer?" Tina asked before turning her attention to the flowers as Kurt sat back down. "Since when?"

"A few weeks now," Kurt said absently, opening the card. "Mercedes can fill you guys in."

Mercedes began to tell the story while Kurt read.

Dear Kurt,

I hope this isn't too forward of me but I know you've told the girls anyway and you'd probably like the chance to puzzle over it together, so what better than a fresh specimen?

I'm sure you know the meaning of the daffodil already - there's a few and they all apply but you know which one I'm thinking of. And I know it's a little depressing but it's how I feel right now. Maybe it's because I haven't gotten the nerve to tell you how I feel, maybe I feel that you're too amazing for me and you'd never settle for someone like me. Either way, it gets hard some times. But at least I can give you these.

Enjoy your night with the girls.

An admirer.

Kurt frowned, tucking the card away with the others, and Quinn picked up on it immediately. "Not good?"

In response, Kurt pulled the book out of his bag - he had been prepared in case the girls wanted to discuss the meanings of the other flowers - and opened it to the page on daffodils. "Not particularly," he said, turning the book around so Quinn could read it out.

"The flower symbolism associated with the daffodil is regard, unrequited love, chivalry, sunshine, respect and the sun shines when I'm with you… Oh dear, he thinks you don't love him back?"

"Well how can he?" Tina asked reasonably. "After all, he doesn't know who the guy is."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "Don't I?"

Mercedes and Rachel squealed then glanced at each other, slightly weirded out. "Okay, you have to spill!" Rachel finally said. "If you know who this boy is then we need to know!"

"I don't know if I know, but I've narrowed the suspects down. It's either someone who has an intimate knowledge of the location of both mine and Mercedes's houses… or someone who is close to someone who has that knowledge. I can only think of one person for the first, and the people for the second are all either straight or taken. So…"

Mercedes caught on first of course. "Blaine?"

"I didn't want to get my hopes up, but who else could it be?"

There was a moment of silence then general pandemonium ensued. Rachel was spouting off her usual drivel about 'dating the competition' but the other girls seemed genuinely happy for him. Kurt finally raised his hands, laughing. "Hey, we're not entirely sure, alright? For now, let's focus on something else."

Obediently the girls began to gossip again, Kurt fiddling with the daffodil. He really thinks I don't feel the same? He must be blind.

More than anything, Kurt was just ready for Blaine to reveal his identity. While the flowers were lovely, it would put the boy out of his misery and then Kurt could make it clear that yes, he did feel the same way. So hopefully he gets his act together soon.

And then the day came. After an extended Warbler rehearsal where Blaine was absent for some reason and Wes made everybody work twice as hard to fill the gap, Kurt was all set to go back to his room and collapse for the night. But when he pushed open his door, that urge was immediately removed as he saw the single red rose sitting on his pillow with a familiar looking card underneath. Kurt didn't even need to look at the book to know what this one meant. Love. Pure and simple.

With shaking hands, Kurt lifted the card and opened it, feeling his breath catch immediately. While the rest of the notes had been written in block letters, this one was written in a print so unmistakable that Kurt knew he had been right. There was no doubt about it.

Dear Kurt,

If you hadn't already worked it out, I think you know my identity now.

This rose is for you no matter what happens tonight. But if you feel the same by any chance, or even if you think you might and want to give it a try, I'll be waiting down in the courtyard. Bring the rose if you're interested - if you feel like letting me down gently or something and I can't convince you not to then come but leave the rose behind.

I love you, Kurt.

Love Blaine.

It took reading the note three times for the words to penetrate Kurt's brain completely. Of course he had worked out that it must be Blaine already, but to have confirmation in front of him was like every one of his wildest dreams coming true. And now there was only one decision to be made, the most important decision in Kurt's mind right now.

What am I going to wear?

Kurt quickly threw together an outfit, not wanting to keep Blaine too long. Of course Wes would have let him know the minute rehearsal was out - and no wonder they had stayed behind so late! - so every second would feel like a second of rejection to the boy. Once Kurt had deemed himself presentable, he picked up the rose and inhaled, smiling softly as he left the room.

Wes was waiting halfway down the stairs, clearly not there by coincidence. When he saw Kurt walking down with the rose in hand, the grin on his face was bigger than Kurt had ever seen. "He's going to be so happy," Wes said simply, placing a hand on Kurt's shoulder. "And I can tell you will be too." And then Wes disappeared upstairs, leaving Kurt to continue down towards the courtyard. The courtyard where Blaine would be waiting for him.

Even though Kurt knew Blaine loved him - and that was something that would take a long time to get used to - he was still far too nervous as he crossed the foyer. Pausing in front of the door, he took a deep breath before gently pushing it open, his breath immediately catching in his throat at the sight in front of him.

Blaine was standing in the middle of the courtyard, dressed far better than Kurt had ever seen. The small garden lights were on and the sky was dim, leaving an eerily beautiful effect. But the best thing of all was the bouquet of red roses in Blaine's arms, perfectly matched to the one in Kurt's hand. Blaine was staring up at the sky and Kurt could see his lips moving - clearly there was a pre-prepared speech in there, something that Blaine would probably deliver flawlessly and near emotionlessly as he always did when performing, feeling like he had to get it perfect.

But Kurt didn't want perfect. He wanted Blaine.

His soft footsteps echoed around the courtyard as he made his way towards Blaine but Blaine didn't notice until he was halfway there. Glancing down, Kurt saw Blaine's eyes light up when he saw the rose in Kurt's hands and he shifted the bouquet, clearly ready to give it to Kurt. As Kurt reached him, Blaine held it out and Kurt took it, holding it gently in one hand. "Kurt," Blaine began. "I want -"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as Kurt leaned in and kissed him, the arm not holding the roses wrapping around Blaine's neck. After a second, Blaine was responding and Kurt could feel him throwing all of the unsaid words into the kiss, a million times better than if he had tried to say them himself.

But there were a few words that Kurt needed to say. "I love you too," he murmured against Blaine's lips, causing Blaine to kiss him with more urgency. But finally, regretfully, Kurt pulled away, aware of the flowers in his hand. "You went to so much trouble for me."

"You're worth it," Blaine said simply. "You have no idea how terrified I was that you wouldn't feel the same and I'd make a fool out of myself."

Kurt tutted, rolling his eyes fondly. "Blaine, you do things like this for me. How could I not love you?"

Blaine's answer was simply to kiss him again.

All of the entires from the 'book' were found online. I don't take credit for them and I would have linked every site they came from but this site hates links. If there's any issues I can gladly produce references.

MusicalEscape:

Wes chose that moment to walk in... on Blaine and Kurt making out. It creeped David out slightly that Wes only went near the piano to scrub it with enough antibacterial spray that it would put Emma Pilsbury to shame.

Blaine and Kurt took this as a cue to make out on every surface Wes used often. They also might or might not have sent him a picure of the two of them simutaneously pecking The Gavel...