AN: So after "Original Song" I had to write something. I love the Blaine/Kurt relationship, and even though I don't write romance all that often, I got the idea and it would not go away. So I gave in to the temptation that is Kurt CoBlaine. Hopefully the characters are in character, as I haven't written for Glee before either. Anyway, I have another short drabble planned after this one, so we'll see how it goes. =) Missing scenes set during "Original Song", thus it contains spoilers for the episode. This is not beta edited, so all mistakes are my own.
Chapter One - Nitty Gritty
Blaine Anderson was falling quite hard, quite fast. It made him almost giddy, which didn't happen a lot. He was cool, calm, and collected. Definitely not one to jump up on the couch at Warbler's practice and announce his love for Kurt Hummel. No, not at all (although he had entertained the fantasy for a while).
Instead, he settled for quietly sitting next to his new boyfriend? Yes, boyfriend. Instead, Blaine had settled for quietly sitting next to his boyfriend and holding hands, and occasionally sharing a quick grin. He was trying to pay attention to whatever the hell Wes was talking about (something about accidentally setting the auditorium on fire with candles) but Kurt began to rub small circles on the top of his hand, and he was squirming in the seat. He was currently losing the battle of dividing his attention, and if the smirk on Kurt's face was any indication, he both knew, and was enjoying, the fact that it was driving Blaine crazy.
"You know," he murmured, tilting his head towards Kurt, but keeping his eyes on the Council and a tight smile on his face, "if you continue to do this, I may end up having to kiss you again and I'm not entirely sure I want them as an audience."
Kurt's soft laugh drew Blaine eyes, and when he saw the rueful grin, his own smile softened.
"Sorry," Kurt said mildly apologetic, his fingers stilling. Instead, he gripped Blaine's hand tighter. "It's just nice."
"What is?" he asked quietly, and watched as Kurt looked down at their intertwined hands. He could have sworn the teen's expression held something close to gleeful disbelief.
"This. Us. Everything."
Blaine chuckled, ignoring the glare from Thad, and said, "I've never heard you so…inarticulate."
"Well, if you haven't noticed yet, you kind of do that to me," Kurt admitted softly, casting him a fleeting look that caused Blaine's heart to flutter in his chest. It was beyond adorable, and as he stared into the bright green/blue eyes of his boyfriend, he had the urge to just lean a little closer…
"-Blaine. Warbler Blaine!" The voice was annoying, but it broke him out of his daze.
"What?" he snapped, shooting Wes, Thad, and David an unpleasant glare that promised pain. He was pleased when their eyes widened at his vicious tone, and could have sworn that out of the corner of his eye he caught Kurt raising a hand to his mouth to stop from giggling at their reaction.
"Have, ah, have you and Kurt been practicing that bridge?" Wes asked, glancing at Kurt, then back to Blaine.
The image of discarded blazers and hastily removed ties, hot lips and wandering hands, that crossed his mind told him that they had in fact not practiced the bridge. At all. Unless, by bridge, Wes meant bridging the gap between Kurt's mouth and his. He doubted that though, so he just nodded coolly and lied.
"We have."
"Right," Wes said, drawing the word out. Blaine frowned at his friend's tone, but let it go. "Well, we'll start with choreography tomorrow then, and work on polishing that bridge. Meeting adjourned. Blaine, can you stay behind for a moment?"
There was much grumbling from the other Warblers as they moved to gather their sheet music, and various other school things, but Blaine remained seated with Kurt. Together they watched students slowly filter out of the room, chattering and laughing, until it was just Wes and the two of them.
"Kurt, do you mind-"
"Whatever you need to say to me Wesley, can be said in front of Kurt," Blaine said evenly, and he already had a feeling about what the conversation was going to address. He watched as his friend cleared his throat uncomfortably, and shifted from foot to foot while fiddling with his gavel (which had mysteriously appeared in his hand). It was mildly amusing to see the normally unflappable Wesley Parker actually nervous.
"You know I need to ask," the teen said, sounding miserable. Blaine inclined his head slightly, and gestured him to go on. "Will you two be okay with 'Candles'?"
"What do you mean-" Kurt started, looking confused. Blaine cut him off by squeezing his hand in quick warning.
"We'll be fine," he said, determinedly. "You should know better than to doubt me. Or Kurt."
"I know, but it's just, everyone has seen the looks you've given each other lately. Oh, no! Not in a bad way!" Wes hastened to add when he saw the blooming panicked expression on Kurt's face. "It's just, we're not sure how the judges would handle it. You guys are quite….intense."
"Intense," Kurt said, apparently not impressed with Wes's word choice. Blaine let go of his hand and put it on his shoulder, trying to stop the incoming storm he could see brewing beneath the surface.
"While I'm ecstatic that you two finally wised up," Wes started, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement before turning down again, "I don't want to regret giving you two the duet. Bedrooms are for making out in, not stages."
"You can't make out in a stage Wesley," Blaine said slowly, and Wes rolled his eyes, dismissing the argument. "Kurt and I have talked about this, and like I mentioned earlier, we can control ourselves."
"I know you can," Wes said. "And I trust you and Kurt. It's just-"
"Wes, we know," Blaine simply said. The Head Warbler let out a sigh of relief, running a hand through his hair. It made his gelled hair stick up oddly, and Blaine had a hard time keeping from laughing.
"Good," Wes muttered vaguely, staring at the door.
Blaine felt a momentary pang of worry for his friend. He knew starting a relationship with Kurt might interfere with their positions as Warblers, and it would put both Wes and David in a tough spot. Being friends with two, three if he counted Thad, which was only sometimes, of the Council members, there had always been some accusations of favoritism. The Warblers were, after all, about the team and not the individual.
Usually it was just minor grumbling, as they did acknowledge that Blaine certainly had one of the best voices in the group. However, now with his relationship with Kurt out in the open, they would be watched. The Council was under a lot of pressure, and with Regionals approaching some were near their breaking point. He didn't want to, or intend to, put any of his friends in such a difficult position. There was a delicate balance between boyfriend, friends, and the Warblers, as Blaine was discovering.
"It'll be fine Wes," Blaine said, letting his fingers slip through Kurt's as he stood. Moving towards Wes, he gently placed his hands on his friend's shoulders and met tired eyes. "If we don't get first, then we don't get first. We can't pander to some judges just to win. It wouldn't be right." Wes nodded slowly, and Kurt was silent from his position on the couch. "If we win, I want it to be because of all of our voices. And, if the judges can't see that, that's their problem."
"You're right," Wes whispered, glancing at Kurt over Blaine's shoulder. "It's just- stressful."
"It is." Blaine nodded sagely, and lightly jostled his friend's shoulders. "But we can push past it. Kurt and I can do this. We can all do this. New Directions won't know what hit them."
Wes's expression abruptly changed, and before Blaine knew it, he had an armful of Wesley Parker. Shocked, all he could do was hug back and hold on. His friend wasn't one to be all that physically affectionate, unless it was with his girlfriend, and it knocked him off balance.
"I'm going to miss you next year, Blaine," Wes said faintly, and Blaine couldn't keep the sad smile off his face.
"I'll miss you too Wes," Blaine said, pulling away and meeting his friend's sparkling eyes. "And your gavel."
Wes snickered, turning away and surreptitiously wiping his eyes. Blaine was pretty sure his own smile was a little watery. "Yes, well. It'll be yours next year. And Kurt's. I highly doubt that you won't be on the Warblers Council."
"You're not gone yet," Kurt spoke up. He walked up behind Blaine, and he had to resist the urge to hug the teen again. Maybe Wes did have a point.
"I'm not," Wes said, his smile turning a little melancholy as he watched Blaine grab Kurt's hand again. "Sorry about asking, but it's in my job description to keep things mellow."
Blaine and Kurt snorted at the same time, and shared a look before they spoke at the same time, "We know Wesley."
"Good, good," Wes said, giving Blaine one last pat on the shoulder, and reaching up to ruffle Kurt's hair affectionately. Kurt scowled in response, and quickly moved to fix it. "Now, I've got to go collect some money."
"You bet on us?" Blaine asked, amused.
"I think there's about three thousand bucks in for you two right now," Wes replied absently, moving towards the exit and grinning at Kurt's astonished expression.
"What-when?" Kurt sputtered.
"'Teenage Dream'," Wes threw back, straightening his uniform as he walked away. It had been a little rumpled during his impromptu hug with Blaine. "And I mean money. I swear if David decides to give me deer again, someone will pay-"
They were alone. Blaine looked at the door his friend had just exited out of with fondness, and turned to his boyfriend. Kurt's face was hilarious. It looked like a cross between horror over the fact that people had been betting on when they would get together, and mirth over Wes's actions.
"Deer?" Kurt asked faintly, meeting his eyes. He burst out into laughter, and directed them towards the couch where they sat down. Kurt allowed him to put an arm around his shoulders, and Blaine let him settle against his side.
"It's a long story," he said, placing his cheek on top of Kurt's soft hair, "but let's just say Wes developed a small aversion to venison. I'll tell you the story sometime."
"Okay," Kurt said, at a loss for words. Comfortable silence filled the small room, and they relaxed. After a moment, Kurt continued, "You've got some really good friends, you know?"
Blaine smiled, and watched as Kurt interlocked their fingers together again. It made his chest ache with an emotion that he couldn't quite pinpoint, and all he could do was shakily place a small kiss to Kurt's temple.
"We do have some pretty great friends." He took a deep breath, and when Kurt looked up at him with those eyes, he was falling again. They weren't going to get much practicing done that afternoon again. "And now we have each other too."