A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or Disney or anything else you might recognize here, but use them here with love.
[Cue the Glee voiceover guy] Kurt overhead Sebastian talking to Blaine, and heard enough to know that they had some history. But Blaine's reaction to Sebastian's serenade later on was clear. Let's see … coffee, cheesecake, singing together … what are we missing here … How about we get right back to the story! So, that's what you missed!
Kurt started to forget about the unwelcome intruder when Blaine placed his hands on his, and smiled at him.
"I'm sorry, what was that you said?" Kurt spluttered, panicking a bit, hoping that Blaine wouldn't think he was uninterested in whatever he'd said.
"That's okay." Blaine's smile didn't waver, and he gave a little squeeze to Kurt's hands. "I was just wondering if you wanted to try the special. I've had it – I've kind of had everything here, I think – anyway, it's pretty good." Seeing the lost look on Kurt's face he added, "the eggplant parm, I mean."
Kurt straightened up, regaining his composure. "That sounds lovely. I mean, our local restaurant had that too, and it was usually awful, but I'd love to try one that you recommend."
"No pressure," Blaine winked. "But I think you'll like it." He edged forward in his chair and looked at Kurt, his expression suddenly more serious. "Um, I know I didn't make this clear before, but, um … Kurt" his voice became a little higher pitched, "could this please be my treat?" He cleared his throat, batted his eyes closed for a moment, and lifting his head again, he went on in a low, soft tone, "so that it would be, well, a date?"
Blaine smiled and relaxed as he watched Kurt's expression of clear delight, his eyes widening at first with what looked like disbelief, and then switched to a steady gaze that matched his own, and Kurt squeezed his hands back. "I would like that. Very much."
Blaine restrained himself from getting up and shouting yes for everyone to hear, though his face gave it all away. "Great!" He grinned as he collected a menu from the side of the table. "There may have to be serenading," he admitted. Then, thinking back to the mortification Sebastian's performance had just caused him, his brows came together in a frown.
"Hey," Kurt said, drawing his attention back. "I was sort of hoping for that." And he smiled the elfin smile that Blaine couldn't resist.
"Your wish is my command," Blaine playfully bowed his head, then looked up at him through his lashes, which he batted in a performance worthy of Rachel Berry herself.
"Are you always this goofy?" Kurt giggled, swatting him on his bicep.
"Only when I'm trying to impress a really special guy," Blaine shot back in a sultry tone. "Is it working?"
"Too soon to tell," Kurt said, airily. "So, what are you ordering?"
"Oh, I think I'll go with the eggplant parm too. Do you want to split an order of meatballs to go with it?"
"That sounds fabulous. Living with a vegan – well, a vegan who cheats a little, more like an ovo lacto vegetarian who thinks she's a vegan – I don't eat those too often." Blaine watched as Kurt's face clouded over. "That, and my dad shouldn't really eat them, so we don't eat like that at home much either." Kurt caught himself, and almost imperceptibly shook his head. "Sorry. Rambling. But yes, that sounds really good."
Blaine nodded, and reached back to hold Kurt's hands again. "You haven't told me much about him, but from what you've said, he sounds like a special guy."
"He really is. I'm lucky," Kurt agreed.
"You fellas about ready to order?"
Blaine smiled up at their waitress. He hadn't noticed her arrival at their table. "I think so. Two of the eggplant parm special, an order of meatballs, iced tea. Um, Kurt, what did you want to drink?"
"Oh. Iced tea sounds good to me too."
"All righty. That'll be up pretty soon. What kind of salad dressing would you like?" she asked.
"Italian," they answered in union, then burst out laughing.
"Any appetizers tonight?" She was still right there, a bemused smile on her face as she looked down at Blaine. She was sure she'd never seen him this happy.
Kurt answered her. "I'm good. We're planning on dessert later."
"Oh. Right," she smiled, throwing a knowing glance at Blaine. "Okay. I'll be back in a minute with your iced teas."
Kurt narrowed his eyes at Blaine. "What was that about? Should I be worried?"
Blaine chuckled. "No. Not at all. You'll thank me later, I promise."
"Hmm! Color me intrigued. You're awfully confident over there all of a sudden."
"Some things in life are very reliable." Blaine's eyes darted to the stage for a moment. "Like Jeanine over there, who will be channeling Celine Dion in a minute."
Kurt smirked, following his line of sight as the girl prepared to sing. "Should I be worried?" he repeated.
"Jeanine? She's all right. But not as good as you, I bet," Blaine flirted.
"Is that a challenge?" Kurt answered, dropping his voice to a low, husky sound. He smiled widely as he watched Blaine's gobsmacked reaction, filing away in his mind for later how responsive he really was to certain sounds.
"Um, well, sure, yes, definitely!" Blaine blurted out. "You can't just tease me like that."
"Never," Kurt assured him. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Not long after that, they were enjoying their dinner specials. Kurt felt over the moon: his fears about being friend-zoned were gone now, as Blaine was clearly going out of his way to make him feel special. He also had the most adorable puppy eyes (which he used far too often to be legal). Whatever had happened between Blaine and Sebastian really seemed to be over, and he wondered how they'd ever been any kind of a couple: whereas Sebastian's approach was sexual in every way, Blaine was sweetly adorkable and romantic. He seemed to be old-fashioned, judging by his look and his impeccable manners (he treated the waitresses like royalty, and they all seemed to adore him), and his flirting was old school too. Flirting right back, with a side order of sass, was his new favorite hobby, and Blaine's reactions only made this better. And Blaine got him – finally, someone who understood his references, whose taste in movies and plays jibed with his own, whose differences of opinion were actually fun to argue through (he decided he could forgive him his Katy Perry obsession, for instance). This was already the best date he'd ever been on, and they hadn't even ordered dessert!
"So, I was right about the eggplant parm," Blaine observed, judging by the fact that it looked like neither of them would have any leftovers.
"Absolutely," Kurt agreed, stuffing the last strand of linguine in his mouth.
"We do have one mammoth meatball left. Wanna split it?"
Kurt wanted to just say no, let Blaine (who clearly loved them) just have it, but honestly, the meatballs here were phenomenal. Kurt giggled, looking at Blaine's pleading eyes.
"You gonna go all Lady and the Tramp on me?" he teased. "Though, since we do have thumbs and all, I'd be happy to split that one. I can't believe how hungry I was!"
Blaine chuckled. "Well, it was hot today at work, and I bet you didn't eat much during the day. This happens to me all the time." He deftly split it and served Kurt his half. "Just so long as you have room for dessert."
Kurt smiled back at him. He recalled that tonight's dessert special was lemon chocolate cheesecake; not a flavor he'd had before, but it sounded delicious.
A different waitress stopped by their table to pick up their empty plates a few minutes later. "Did you want to order dessert tonight?" the new girl asked them.
"Yes please," Kurt answered, bouncing in his seat slightly, unaware of the indulgent grin on Blaine's face as he watched him. "I'd like the lemon chocolate cheesecake special, with a hot nonfat mocha."
"Ooh. I'm sorry – the cheesecake special is great, and it always runs out. Maybe you'd like something else?"
Kurt's face fell. "Oh. Sure. Ah, the apple pie, à la mode."
She nodded, then looked to Blaine, not seeming to notice how disappointed the other boy looked.
"And you?"
"The same," Blaine answered, "with a medium drip coffee."
"Okay, I'll be right back," she promised them.
Blaine watched her leave, and saw with relief that their regular waitress intercepted her before she made it to the kitchen.
"I do think we have time for a brief serenade before our order arrives," Blaine announced.
Kurt brightened on hearing this. "I'm not gonna say no to that."
Blaine smiled and left to ascend the small platform of the stage. He positioned the piano so that he could see Kurt while he performed, and adjusted the mic before settling down to play. "I'd like to share an arrangement of mine tonight, and then end with a song that captures this night for me, and I hope for you too. Enjoy."
Kurt watched as he played a skillful instrumental medley of Disney love songs, starting with the theme from Snow White, then adding in Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. He played a jazzy segue, and Kurt smiled. Was this choice inspired by their dinner? Or the other way around. He already knew Blaine well enough to not put it past him. But when Blaine started to sing, his voice low and velvety, his gaze lifted from the keys, and now right on him, there was nothing cartoonish about it as he sang.
Oh, this is the night
It's a beautiful night
And they call it bella notte
The pace was slower than the animated version, full of tenderness, and most of the diners had stopped what they were doing to listen.
Look at the skies
They have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte
Blaine was aware of the room, but was also singing right at him. Kurt would have said he would not have chosen to be wooed with a Disney song, let alone one sung for amorous canines in the original, but he was totally enchanted, barely daring to breathe as he watched.
Blaine was reaching the end of the song, and paused before the last few lines.
Oh, this is the night
And the heavens are right
On this lovely bella notte.
Kurt joined the rest of the crowd in clapping as Blaine smiled and accepted the applause, before turning off the mic and making his way back to his seat.
"That was amazing," Kurt gushed. "All of it. Really perfect!"
"Thank you. I aim to please."
"Well, except for the dessert thing, which isn't your fault, I'd say you're doing a great job of that." Kurt decided to ignore the fact that their date had started with Sebastian's obnoxious intrusion. For him, it really had all started when Blaine clarified that this was indeed a date.
"You know, we're right on the edge of the Magic Kingdom here," Blaine leaned forward, telling him this as if it were a great secret. "There might be some Disney Magic we can hope for."
Kurt tilted his head to the side. In addition to this prince in front of him? "You know, Gina told us we don't have to do 'Mouse Speak' twenty four seven," he teased him. "Though it does seem to come naturally for you."
"All it takes is faith and trust," Blaine bantered.
"Isn't that my line? Wait, you're not going to feed me pixie dust, I hope," Kurt raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Hardly!" Blaine laughed. "But here's our dessert!"
"Here you go … two lemon chocolate cheesecake slices," their original waitress presented the dishes with a huge grin.
"But … I thought ..." Kurt stammered, as Blaine leaned back and beamed.
"A perfect dessert for this lovely bella notte. Which I had arranged to be set aside for us, right after you said I could come pick you up."
Kurt couldn't help but smile at how cute Blaine looked, so satisfied that his plot had worked. "Oh my God, this looks incredible. I think you do have access to Tinkerbell's stash of pixie dust. And I'm fine with that."
Blaine almost dropped his fork, lost in watching Kurt's enjoyment of the dessert. He shook his head as his mind drifted into undapper territory and almost burned his mouth on his hot coffee.
"I don't know about you, but I'm not ready for this night to end," Blaine said, opening the passenger door for Kurt.
Kurt sighed happily. "Not at all. Do you have more magic up your sleeve?" Though he reflected that after the swoon-worthy serenade, and Blaine's successful cake plotting, he'd already had more magic than he would have asked for.
"I thought you'd never ask," Blaine purred, easing into the driver's seat. "I have just the place to go."
Kurt eyed Blaine's hands on the steering wheel, and Blaine seemed to read his mind, crossing his own to the space between them, where Kurt met his hand to hold it, giving an excited squeeze.
"Is it very far?" he asked, curious now.
"No. We're almost there." Blaine's eyes flitted to the time display on his dash, and he smiled. "With just a moment to spare."
Kurt was surprised when Blaine parked on one of the access roads staff could use.
Blaine turned to him and pointed at the sky. "Maybe we could go outside for a minute," he said, and popped the trunk. Kurt opened his own door and followed him, watching as Blaine retrieved a pair of folding chairs.
"After you," Blaine gestured at the chair closest to Kurt, then settled into his own seat. "I'd love to claim credit for this next bit of magic, but let's just say that timing is everything."
Kurt watched in wonder as the fireworks exploded over Cinderella's castle. "This … is amazing!" Kurt breathed, a huge smile lighting up his face in the glow from the fireworks.
Blaine reached over and held Kurt's hands, ignoring the pyrotechnic display tonight. Kurt's face, full of wonder and happiness, was all he wanted to see in that moment.
Too soon, the fireworks were over. They stood up, and Blaine folded his chair and reached for Kurt's, then stowed them both back in his trunk.
Still standing outside the car, Kurt moved in closer to Blaine. "Thank you. That was magical. Now, with all this magic in the air maybe I should worry about turning a prince into a frog, but ..." he shrugged and his eyes lost their teasing as he closed the last bit of distance between them.
Blaine watched, hardly believing what was happening, as his heart hammered fast in his chest, closing his eyes as he felt Kurt's breath in the second before Kurt kissed him. And what a kiss – full of sweetness, and a sense of complete rightness in the world. He reached up to cradle Kurt's face in one hand, the other reaching to his back, to hold him closer, even as he felt Kurt's answering embrace.
Too soon, they pulled apart to breathe properly, both of them blushing in the warm light cast by the faux antique streetlamps.
"Kurt," Blaine breathed, his eyes full of wonder. "Now that was magical."
"And you're still a prince," Kurt smiled back. "Though just to be sure," and they both smiled as they leaned into another kiss.
Kurt was absolutely sure Blaine was the best kisser in the universe, though a part of his mind also reflected that even if he hadn't been, he was still perfect. And feeling his body as he held him and was kissed with increasing heat, delighting in the deep rumbling moans Blaine was producing when he held him closer, he felt in that moment that he'd found him, his missing puzzle piece. And it was glorious.
"Getting a little warm out here," Blaine murmured, as they broke away for a moment, placing his hand on Kurt's chest, over his heart.
"More than a little," Kurt smiled back at him.
"I'm not ready for this night to end," he found himself saying for the second time that night. "Would you like to come hang out at my place?"
Kurt stepped in to kiss him again, noticing Blaine's noise of disappointment when he pulled back after a quick kiss. "That would be a yes."
A/N: That would be our next to last chapter! I hope you've enjoyed this gentle tale (can you guess what the next will be?).
Thank you, all of you who have reviewed, are following, or have favorited this story. Feedback especially makes my day (and oftener than you'd think, makes its way into my stories). Off to work for me in just minutes...
I'll mention here that I do have other stories, and invite you to check them out. With the conclusion of this tale, I will be returning to my long fic, When I Get You Alone, Babe! (which has had a long hiatus, sadly).