Rated T for offensive language, mild sex themes, scattered violence, offensive language, and drama.
I'll post author's notes at the end of every chapter.
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Courage
Will put just enough gel in his hair to make it look good without having it smell. He wore the nicest suit that didn't look extremely fancy. Tonight he was going to spend time with Emma Pillsbury, and it wasn't a professional, friendly, or casual meeting. It was going to be romantic, the first romantic evening they'd shared in two years. He got into his car and felt the butterflies in his stomach - the butterflies he'd felt during the first few years he was married to Terri. The butterflies he felt in high school Glee Club, listening to April Rhodes sing. Emma had problems, but she was worth every single one of them. Will would never let her go again.
He arrived at Breadstix and took a deep breath before getting out of his car. He checked his teeth in one of his mirrors and then started toward the restaurant. When he opened the door, he saw Emma. She looked so beautiful, sitting there with glittering silver earrings and a violet purple dress. In her hand was a rose. When she saw Will, she beamed.
"Hey," she said in her sweet little voice, and Will placed his hand on her upper back. He kissed her softly on the cheek and then took a seat.
"Hello," he said, smiling brightly. His smile made Emma blush. Every time she saw it she remembered why she fell for him when she first met him, when he was hired at McKinley High. And at that moment, both of them wondered why they'd ever let the other go. Were they crazy? He's so much to lose, Emma thought to herself, as she had thought many times.
"You look so beautiful," Will told her.
Emma handed him the rose she'd been holding. "Thank you. You look handsome."
Will sighed and stared into her big, bright eyes. "Well, here we are."
Emma nodded. "It's been forever." She exhaled as though she'd been holding her breath since the day they split, and she was finally able to let it go.
"I had so much to tell you," Will sighed. "But now that I'm here, all I can do is look at you and feel so, so lucky. I forgot everything I wanted to say."
"You have that effect on me too," Emma admitted with a shy smile.
"Good evening, strangers," Kurt Hummel said with a grin, approaching their table. He winked at Mr. Schue, who laughed. It was so funny that he would be their waiter. "As I am sure you don't know, my name is Kurt Hummel, and I will be your server this evening. Can I bring you refreshments - something to drink before you decide on your order?"
"A martini," Emma said, and Will's eyes widened. That was a strange choice for Emma.
"Wow," he said. "Um, same for me."
"Coming right up," Kurt said with a wide smile, and he glided away toward the kitchen. The countertenor was unaware that he passed a table that sat Dave Karofsky, whose face was hidden behind his menu. The athlete glowered at the pale, slender boy.
"I have something to tell you, Will." Suddenly Emma looked pained.
"What? What is it?" Will worried it was bold, but he grabbed her hand.
"You know I've taken pills and medications for my…. OCD, and for weeks it was getting so much better." Emma looked ashamed of herself. She shook her head and stared down at her lap. "But then it started to stop working, and now it's getting worse. I'm thirty-three years old, Will. I'm too old to be like this. I'm like a scared little girl -"
"No you're not," Will disagreed. "I told you last year that your obsessive compulsive disorder gets worse when you're stressed, when Carl left you. Something's tearing you a part right now. But you don't have to go through it alone. I've already told you that I'm gonna be there beside you every step of the way."
"It's like I told you, Will," Emma said, looking into his kind eyes. "I want to be the perfect woman for you. That's probably why I've been more stressed lately. I want to be perfect. You don't deserve anything less."
Will sighed. "Emma, you are the only woman I want to be with ever, ever again. You are going to beat this. We are going to beat this, together. You can count on me. This obsessive compulsive order and germophobia are going to die, and you are going to win."
Kurt returned with the drinks and removed his pen from behind his ear. "So, are we ready to order?" his breathy voice asked.
"Yes, we'd like the big order of breadsticks, and also lots of penne pasta," Will said, and Emma smiled across the table at him. Kurt wrote everything down, and nodded at them. He smiled one last time before leaving the table again. He returned in incredible timing. "Wow, this looks good," Will said, handing a breadstick to his girlfriend. He was amazed that Emma didn't even take out a box of wipes and start cleaning the food off before eating it. The two of them ate and talked about their lives, and then paid. Will left a big tip for Kurt, and left a note thanking him for being such a good student and letting him know that he was glad to see him back in school for the past few weeks.
Will held the door for Emma as they left the restaurant. The two of them kissed on the lips before going their separate ways to their cars. Emma wished that she had enough courage to ask if she could go home with him and spend the night, but she just didn't.
She did, though, have enough courage to say, "I love you, Will."
Will smiled warmly and stroked her cheek with his hand. "I love you too, Emma."
"Good night," Emma said softly, and then her boyfriend walked away to his car. She went to hers, and drove home. As their cars departed from the parking lot, another car entered. Out came Blaine, dressed in a denim jacket and long pair of jeans that were rolled up to his ankles. He had one of Kurt's fashionable scarves around his neck, and his raven hair was neatly combed instead of gelled and curly like it usually was. In his arms he held a soft teddy bear with a heart-shaped lollipop attached to one of its paws, and there was a tiny box in one of his pockets.
He entered the restaurant with a sparkling smile on his handsome face, and approached the hostess. She noticed the gift and grinned flirtatiously. "Ooh, you here to see a lovely lady?" she asked.
"Actually, no, but I am here to see someone very special to me," Blaine replied. "Can I request a one Kurt Hummel to be my waiter?"
The woman's smile faded into a slight frown as she realized that Blaine was gay. "Yes."
She led the young man over to a booth that could fit two people. "Enjoy your evening. I'll go request Mr. Hummel." She walked away, and when Dave Karofsky heard that, he lowered his menu and narrowed his eyes at the handsome young man at the booth. He glared first at him and then at the gift. The fluffy bear sat there in his lap. Ha. Hobbit looked like a stupid little boy. Not a man. If Hummel wants a man, then he should want me, Dave thought bitterly to himself. Not some dapper midget. Okay, so Blaine wasn't a midget. But he was much shorter than Dave.
Kurt approached Blaine's table with the most beautiful smile playing upon his rose-petal lips. "Good evening, Blaine Warbler."
"Good evening, Kurt." Blaine brought the teddy bear onto the table and motioned its free paw to wave hello to his boyfriend. "I wanted to introduce you to someone. He's an awful good friend of mine, and he wanted to give you this lollipop."
"Oh, Blaine," Kurt sighed with so much love in his voice, taking the bear into his arms, giving it a tight squeeze, and kissing the top of its plush head. Then he smirked at Blaine and said, "I'm still working, Blaine. I'm on the job for another hour."
"I don't mind. I'm gonna wait for you, my little employee of every month." Blaine winked. "I want to take you back to the dorm tonight, after you get off of work. But after you take my order, I am going to have to borrow a few minutes of your time."
"What the hell?" Kurt chuckled. "I'm one of the most diligent workers here. Even if I stop to talk to you, I'll be able to get everything done." Blaine took the teddy bear from his boyfriend's arms so that he could hold onto it for him until he got off from work. "Is there anything you would like to drink, perfect stranger?"
"Your lips," Blaine joked, and Kurt laughed. Blaine shrugged. "Shirley Temple."
"Coming. Right. Up." Kurt poked his boyfriend playfully with the capped side of his pen, and then hurried off to retrieve the drinks. Blaine looked extremely anxious now. He kept loosening the scarf around his neck, and Dave watched him with utter hatred. Blaine was so fabulous he didn't even sweat when he was nervous. Not like he did, the sweaty ham-hock. Why couldn't Dave have been born looking like Blaine? Blaine-Hobbit Anderson?
A few minutes later Kurt returned to the table holding the two drinks. He handed them to Blaine and winked, getting his pen ready. "Now, what would you like to eat, fine sir?"
"You," Blaine said cheekily, and Kurt giggled bashfully. "Just the usual. Breadsticks. And spaghetti. But waiter, I request a moment of your time."
"Request granted," Kurt replied, and Blaine took a deep breath. He took Kurt's smooth hand, and got down on one knee in front of him. Kurt's blue eyes widened.
"After you asked me to prom, I decided that I wanted to be the next one who got to propose, so here I go." Blaine was breathing harshly. Kurt could tell he was terrified, terrified of what the outcome of this action could be. Dave hoped that this was just a horrible nightmare and that he would wake up from it in a minute. Blaine started again, "Kurt, I love you. So, so much. More than anyone has ever loved a person. I never had that courage that I've always told you to have, that courage that you've always had. But now I do. And as I know you know because you gave me that enthusiastic call on the phone when it happened, New York has legalized gay marriage."
Blaine took that Tiffany box out of his pocket and held it in front of Kurt, who had to bite his lip to keep from squealing. "When we graduate, I want to marry you," Blaine explained. "I don't really want to wait. I don't want to be with any other guy, ever. You are the only man I've ever loved, and I can't stand the idea of being away from you. So I'm just asking if we add to the original plan, which was moving to New York after graduating and living together. I'm asking you if we can move to New York after graduation, live together, and marry each other. Then in a few years we'll start a family, and spend the rest of our lives together."
Kurt's sparkling blue eyes filled with tears. Blaine opened the box, revealing a beautiful sapphire ring. "It matches your eyes," he gushed romantically. "That's why I bought this one. I want to marry you, Kurt Hummel. And it would be amazing if you would say yes, please."
Kurt bent down and kissed his boyfriend's raven hair on top of his head. He sobbed happily for a couple of minutes, and as he did so, Blaine slipped the sapphire ring onto Kurt's slender finger. Kurt cupped Blaine's chin with his other hand and said, "I would be so honored to marry you, Blaine Anderson, after the Lady Gaga concert. Yes, yes, yes! I want to marry you! So much!" He jumped up and down and clapped his hands, and then extended his arm so that he could admire the way the ring sparkled in the light. A few people nearby had overheard the proposal, and applauded the now-engaged couple.
Blaine stood up and kissed his boyfriend passionately on the lips. He was going to marry Kurt, the beautiful man that would be in his life forever and ever. Neither boy stopped to think of college at Julliard or how their families and friends would react to the news of their engagement. That didn't matter right now. All that mattered was each other. That was all there was. It was all Dave could do not to stand up right now and smash their faggy faces in.
The manager came around and gave Kurt a knowing look. Kurt squeaked worriedly and apologized quickly. "I'm so sorry -"
"Get out of here."
"I'm so sorry. Am I fired?" Kurt asked nervously.
The manager smiled and pat him on the shoulder. "No. No, you're not fired. Get out of here, the two of you. Find somewhere and celebrate. Congratulations."
Kurt and Blaine both sighed with relief. "Thank you. Thank you so much, sir," said Blaine, taking his boyfriend's hand. Kurt grabbed the teddy bear, and the two of them started toward the door. Dave glared at them as everyone else in the restaurant continued to applaud. It was all too much for him to handle, some sickly sweet happy ending where every body wins, except for him. No, it wasn't gonna play out that way….
"We're not going to tell your parents, are we?" Kurt asked Blaine during the drive to the Dalton. He sat in the passenger seat, still admiring his new engagement ring.
Blaine tensed. "Not about the marriage yet, no. Not unless we want to hear about it all night." He laughed, and Kurt nodded. He pitied his fiancé (oh my goodness, Kurt could call Blaine his fiancé now! FIANCE!). Burt didn't mind the fact that Kurt was gay, but the Andersons weren't as accepting when it came to homosexuality. They didn't kick Blaine out of the house for it, but their relationship with their son changed. Kurt didn't expect much from them as in-laws.
Blaine pulled into his driveway, got out of the car, and opened the door for his fiancé. The word thrilled him as much as it did Kurt. They were no longer just "boyfriends" or "lovers." They were "fiancés." They held hands as Blaine used his identification card to get into the building. He led him to the senior common room and then they went up to the dorm. Wes, David, Nick, and Jeff weren't there. They'd gone home to visit their families. Klaine had the dorm all to themselves.
Blaine locked the door, and turned around. Kurt grabbed his fiancé's waist and pressed him against the wall. The scrumptious pink lips attacked Blaine's strong jaw and kissed, sucked, and licked down to his neck passionately. Kurt clutched a handful of Blaine's raven hair, pulled his head back, causing him to gasp, and worked on giving his collarbone a hickey. Blaine gasped over and over and moaned Kurt's name. He dug his fingernails into the wall and scratched it, since he had nothing to grab onto. Kurt didn't loosen the grip he had on his lover's hips. One of Kurt's smooth but strong hands grabbed the buttons on Blaine's jacket and ripped the denim off his shoulders. He basked in the heat radiating off of Blaine's body through his light white t-shirt. Both of his hands traveled underneath Blaine's shirt and moved upward to his abs. He groped his chest. Blaine let Kurt take control.
"What happened to my baby penguin?" he whispered.
"He's king of the arctic," Kurt replied loudly.
"Ice Man," Blaine sighed.
"Get on the bed," Kurt groaned lasciviously in Blaine's ear, sending several shudders down his back. Blaine whimpered, feeling way too turned-on to move right now. Kurt grabbed him by the shoulders and moved him for him. He tossed him onto the bed and then followed him onto it, jumping upon it and straddling Blaine. Blaine found himself between Kurt's arms and legs, and with Kurt's breath fanning him. Just the feel of it sent heat coursing through Blaine's body down to his groin.
"What are you going to do?" Blaine asked excitedly.
"I'm going to give you some engagement loving," Kurt replied, "before I have to go home because my dad's gonna be worried about me…"
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Author's Note: Only two or so chapters left and I'm done with this fic! Wahoo! I'll have time to write more Glee stuff! I'm going to write about it on my page within the next few days.