Last Ten
Songs Sung in the Car Together
(prompted by SergeantGullible12)
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by padfoot
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I Want To Hold Your Hand – The Beatles
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They were driving back Kurt's place after Glee practice when Blaine broke the sleepy silence in the car, turning to Kurt and saying, "I didn't know people sang to their families in Glee club. We all dedicate songs to each other often enough but, I don't know, singing to family... is that normal?"
Mercedes had finished off their rehearsal with a ballad for her father, who was going in for surgery on the weekend.
"I mean, it was a beautiful song and a really nice gesture but- I just didn't know people did that. I don't think I'd feel very comfortable singing about my family in there. It was bad enough when Cooper came over, and it's not like anything I sang then was in front of everyone."
Kurt shrugged, "It happens sometimes," he answered. "I sang to my Dad when he was in hospital the year before last."
"Really?" Blaine looked surprised. "You never told me that. What did you sing?"
"I Want To Hold Your Hand."
"That would've been amazing."
Kurt rolled his eyes.
"It wasn't horrible," he admitted.
"Could you sing it now?"
"Here? For you?"
When Kurt looked over to see if Blaine was serious, he was met with his boyfriend's wide, amber eyes, staring back expectantly.
"I won't be very good," he hedged.
Laughing Blaine said, "Now you're just trying to be modest. Come on, please?"
"Yeah, I'll tell you something
I think you'll understand.
When I say that something
I want to hold your hand..."
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Breaking Free - High School Musical Cast
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The sun shone brightly above them, looking down from a clear, blue sky. It was the first day of what was going to be a perfect summer. A summer where they'd decided no one would talk about NYADA or New York or Rachel. The last summer where they could really, truly just be them – high school sweethearts, completely and utterly in love.
Kurt and Blaine were spread out on the bonnet of Blaine's car, leaning back against the windscreen. Between them were a picnic basket and two bottles of water, and before them nothing but an empty park, the grass shining emerald green beneath the almost too-bright sun. And they were blissfully, perfectly, wonderfully alone.
"I'd ask how you found this place, but then maybe you'd tell me it isn't real and the fantasy would die," Kurt murmured, looking down at Blaine's head, resting on his shoulder.
"I'd tell you how I found this place," Blaine countered, "But then I'd have to kill you. And that would an awful waste."
Kurt laughed softly, tipping his head sideways to settle it on top of Blaine's. The crunchy feel of hair-gel under his cheek made Kurt scrunch up his nose, but he stayed there all the same, absently lifting a hand to play with the soft, gel-free strands at the back of Blaine's neck.
Inside the car, the song changed on Blaine's iPod, and Kurt stifled a giggle as he recognised the opening notes.
"You have this on your iPod?" he asked, tone sceptical.
On his shoulder, he could feel Blaine smile, "Of course I do."
"But you're not going to sing along to it, are you?"
Blaine's smiled widened.
"Don't be silly, Kurt. Of course I'm not going sing it. It's a duet."
"Blaine, I'm not going to sing a song from-"
"We're soaring, flying
There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach."
Blaine had barely moved while he sang, wasn't even bothering to try and persuade Kurt to join in too. He knew that Kurt would sing it anyway. It would be irritating, how well Blaine knew him, if it weren't so adorable.
"If we're trying,
So we're breaking free."
Blaine snuggled close into Kurt's shoulder.
"I love you, you know."
Kurt rolled his eyes, "You better."
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I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
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It wasn't supposed to turn into a tradition. But, somehow, these Saturday morning drives out to the park to watch rich people wearing too much lycra and dancing about to '80s music turned into a regular thing. In all honesty, Kurt couldn't be happier with that fact.
He and Blaine were camped out in Blaine's car, steaming coffees in their hands and windows open to the let the warm morning breeze drift inside. They watched the group of jazzercisers, sweating and panting as they moved awkwardly to the music, which was just loud enough for Kurt and Blaine to critique it from their vantage point.
For Kurt, most of these mornings were good ones. But, occasionally, one would come along and it would be so much better than good. One like today.
"Come on, folks! Give it your everything for the last chorus!"
"Oh, I wanna dance with somebody
I wanna feel the heat with somebody
Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody
With somebody who loves me."
Blaine was all but thrashing around in his seat, eyes closed, shoulders rolling, upper body moving in time with the beat. His arms were tucked in at the elbows so that he wouldn't knock Kurt out with their windmilling, but other than that small concession there was no hamper on the vigour of his dancing.
Beside him, Kurt was practically hysterical, doubled over with laughter as his boyfriend belted out the last few lines of the song. Blaine's voice held the last note for a few seconds longer than the voice on the song, and Kurt shrieked and grabbed Blaine's shoulder to pull them both down and out of sight when the eyes of a few of the jazzercisers turned their way.
"You are crazy," Kurt choked out, his head pressed against the glove compartment as he tried to stay hidden.
Blaine didn't say anything in reply, simply grinning back at Kurt from where he was tangled around the steering wheel.
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All I Want For Christmas - Michael Buble
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"I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need.
I don't care about those presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
"I just want you for my own
More than you will ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby, all I want for Christmas is you."
Blaine finished with a grin, flopping back against his seat. He could feel Kurt's amused stare on the side of his head but refused to turn and meet it.
"Blaine," Kurt said, "It's the middle of summer."
"I don't care," Blaine replied. "It's still always, always true."
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Ours - Taylor Swift
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It was dumb. Blaine knew it was dumb, knew he shouldn't have gotten so mad about it but God, he was tired of it all. He was sick of people staring at him and Kurt if they so much as bumped shoulders in public, let alone went as far as holding hands. And this was just another stupid, ignorant person who'd felt the need to shout his stupid, ignorant opinions across the noisy food hall but-
But he was tired of it. That was what it came down to.
"Blaine, don't worry about it," Kurt placated as Blaine slammed down the accelerator pedal, racing off at the traffic lights. "Don't let it get to you."
"How can it not get to me, Kurt? This has been going on for so long and I don't understand why these people still feel the need to- to treat us like that!" He glanced at Kurt, eyes blazing, and voice turning compassionate, "I want to be able to show you off to the world. I am so lucky to have you and you are so unbelievably amazing and- and I just want everyone else to know that."
Kurt's answering smile was fond and soft, and he reached out to touch Blaine's arm, resting his hand there like a steady weight, holding him together, keeping him from exploding with frustration.
"Seems like there's always someone who disapproves
They'll judge it like they know about me and you
And the verdict comes from those with nothing else to do
The jury's out
But my choice is you...
"Ignore them," Kurt said. "And I promise I'll love you enough to drown out all the stupid hate."
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I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick
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Kurt could see it coming. He always could. Blaine tended to get this look in his eyes, this feel emanating off him. Kurt could see the beat starting up in Blaine's head as he started bouncing along to it in his seat. He noticed when Blaine's hands lifted up to begin strumming at an imaginary guitar.
"Don't do it," Kurt warned.
Blaine bit his lip, eyes darting up to Kurt's face. Measuring how great the risk was.
"The words start soon," he said, gaze turning beseeching.
"Don't do it," Kurt repeated.
Blaine looked away, then back at Kurt, clearly torn.
Kurt tried to keep his expression stern. But then something wavered.
A victorious grin stretched across Blaine's lips and he wasted no time in doing a fake flourish on his imaginary guitar before starting to sing.
"I want you to want me
I need you need me
I'd love you to love me
I'm begging you to beg me..."
Kurt was scowling, lips pursed to hold in a smile as he idly said, "Well, there goes your chance of anyone loving you when we get back to your place."
Blaine was so caught up in the music that he didn't seem to hear.
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If It's Love - Train
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"You know the summer's almost over?"
Kurt shot Blaine a quizzical look over the top of the car, catching the flicker of something in his eyes before both of them ducked down to slide into their seats.
"So?" Kurt asked, tone careful.
Blaine shrugged, a little uncomfortably, eyes avoiding Kurt's as he did up his seatbelt.
"Well, this will be the second summer we've spent together."
"Yes."
"The last one we'll spend together as, y'know... high school... people."
"High school sweethearts?" Kurt supplied, his smile affectionate.
Blaine shrugged again, still looking away.
"And why is that such a big deal?" Kurt pressed, still confused at Blaine's discomfort.
"It's because- I keep realising that next summer, we'll be adults. Both of us. And this-" Blaine gestured between them, "This will be- I don't know... real."
"It isn't real now?"
Blaine laughed a bit, the sound stiff, but no less sweet. It still made Kurt's heart swoop, even after all this time.
"No, it is real. But high school relationships – they don't last, right? I mean, no one expects them to. But this – this will last. And this time next year it won't be a high school relationship anymore. It'll be- y'know, real."
Kurt smiled, reaching over to touch Blaine's cheek, to lift his face up so they're eyes could meet.
"I will love you until the day I die, Blaine Anderson. I waited for you for sixteen years, and I'll be damned if anyone ever tries to make me wait any longer. For me, I promise, this has always been real. Nothing will ever change that."
"Me too."
Both boys let out a giggle – a shocked little noise in the silence of car. Because, God, this was crazy. No one is lucky enough to fall in love in high school, to have to wait only sixteen years to find their soulmate. But they'd done it. They were the exception.
Kurt leant in and pressed a quick kiss to Blaine's lips, thrilling as he always did when he felt Blaine's body sag a bit, completely resigned and relaxing into his touch.
"I love you," Blaine said, sounding so utterly lost at the fact of it.
Smiling, Kurt shuffled in his seat, trying to get comfortable as he started the car, switching on the radio. Kurt leant over to turn down the volume before settling back and reversing out of the parking spot.
"I know," he answered, as if it was an afterthought.
Blaine leant back in his seat, eyes watching Kurt with unbridled adoration as he murmured along to the song playing quietly in the background.
"If it's love
We decide that it's forever
No one else could do it better.
If it's love
And we're two birds of a feather
And the rest is just whatever."
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Kiss The Girl - Disney's The Little Mermaid
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Kurt was pretty used to getting greeted strangely by now. Blaine tended to hear songs in places where no one else heard them, somehow sensing a rhythm or a beat in the chirping of cicadas or rush of traffic. And once there was that, all he really needed was a melody, some instruments to hum along to and some words to murmur as he stood by the curb, waiting for Kurt to arrive.
"Hey, you. Ready for our date?" Kurt asked, pulling up where Blaine was waiting on the pavement.
Blaine smiled and said, "First, we got to create the mooooood..."
Kurt stared, expression neutral.
"Percussion," Blaine tapped a few beats against the side of the car, then opened the door and ducked inside, "Strings."
He leant in close to Kurt, looked at him with affectionate eyes and added, "Winds." He pecked Kurt's cheek lightly, "Words."
Swaying back to sit up in his chair, Blaine closed his eyes, that same small smile still playing on his lips.
"There you see her
Sitting there across the way."
Kurt hadn't started the car, and was instead silently watching Blaine. He'd opened his eyes by now, and turned to Kurt for the next line, informing him,
"She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her."
Blaine nodded knowingly, as if these lyrics would be mean something to Kurt.
"And you don't why
But you're dying to try
You wanna,
Kiss the girl
Kurt rolled his eyes, settling back in his seat as he waited for Blaine to finish.
"Yes, you want her
Look at her you know you do
Possible she want you too
There is one way to ask her.
"It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and,"
Blaine broke off, gesturing to Kurt.
"No."
"C'mon, Kurt."
"No, I will not."
"Three little words."
"You just said it wouldn't take a word!"
Blaine grinned, charming, "I lied.
"Shalalalalala my oh my
Looks like the boy too shy
Ain't gonna,"
He gestured at Kurt again, but again he refused to sing the line.
"Shalalalalala ain't that sad
Ain't it shame, too bad
He's gonna,"
Another gesture, and this time Kurt answered, amused, "Kiss the girl?"
Blaine shook his head, "Wrong lyrics!"
Kurt nodded, "I know. I just want you to stop so we can get going. We have dinner reservations."
"Not stopping 'til you join in," Blaine sing-songed.
"Wow," Kurt sighed. "Your grasp of the English language has taken a very severe beating in the last minute and a half."
"Mean," Blaine pouted.
Kurt pouted back.
Dropping the pout when Kurt refused to change his expression, Blaine chose to ignore him instead. He schooled his face back to something more natural and, still acting as if what he said was of vital importance, sung,
"Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Boy you better do it soon
No time will be better
"She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you-"
"Kiss the girl."
Blaine stopped his swaying, his eyebrows jumping up at he stared at Kurt. He took in the almost coy expression on his boyfriend's face, the way he bit his lip and his eyes sparkled, as if with a challenge.
"Oh," Blaine said.
And then Kurt grabbed his collar and pulled Blaine in close, aligning their lips together and kissing him hard, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Maybe it sort of was.
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Superman (It's Not Easy) - Five for Fighting
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"I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see..."
Blaine's eyes were earnest and sad as he sang along to the song, gaze fixed resolutely – unseeingly – on the windscreen.
Beside him, hands resting on the wheel, Kurt wanted to cry. He wanted to grab Blaine and hold onto him forever. He wanted to insist that he wasn't leaving him – he'd never leave him. He was just- just leaving.
He had to leave. They both knew it. But that didn't make it any less sad.
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The One That Got Away - Katy Perry
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Kurt felt- empty. As if he were living someone else's life, trapped inside someone else's body. He couldn't – literally, absolutely couldn't – comprehend everything that had happened in the past day and-
Had it really only been a day?
Was it really just less than twenty-four hours ago that he'd had a boyfriend and been in love and felt like nothing could go wrong in the world?
It seemed impossible. As if that boy who'd thought those things was a stranger, so separate the Kurt who existed now. The Kurt sitting on the stuffy backseat of a cab, feeling like a stranger in his own body.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and it seemed to Kurt that someone else's hands extracted it, someone else's fingers opened the message flashing on the screen.
An audio message. From Blaine.
And yet, despite the sense of detachment, it was him who listened to the recording Blaine had sent. It was his heart that cracked a little more music started playing, cutting through the buzzing numbness of Kurt's head, the pressing silence of the cab. Blaine's broken voice, singing along to a broken song.
"In another life
I would make you stay
So I don't have to say
You were the one that got away.
"The one that got away."