I think I should start every chapter off with a hug for all of you. Okay? Okay.
Alright, everyone... Blaine's not in this episode at all. So, in order to bring some Klaine to this episode, I decided to write Kurt telling Blaine about what happens!
Someone asked if maybe we could explore the reason why Blaine didn't attend Burt & Carole's wedding. In my opinion, Blaine didn't attend the wedding because he'd only known Kurt for about a month at this point (if we assume that Glee is generally connected to real time – for example, Quinn's pregnancy lasted about nine months in real time, and they do holiday episodes around actual holidays, etc). Kurt is really into Blaine, and their friendship is going really well at this point, but I just don't see Kurt – as much as he might want to – inviting a boy who he has known for a month and is not yet his boyfriend to his father's wedding. Especially because Kurt already knows everyone who is attending, so it's not like he needs a plus one to have someone to chat with. Does that make sense?
Another thing I want to mention before you read this episode/chapter... I know there's debate about whether or not Dalton is a boarding school. They basically contradict themselves on the show all the time. So, for the purposes of this story, I'm making it a boarding school. Or at least a school that has dorms for students who don't live in Westerville. Why? The major reason is because, in the Christmas episode, just after Kurt and Blaine sing Baby It's Cold Outside (it's already nighttime at that point), Mr. Schu comes to see Kurt at Dalton. Why would he drive all the way to Westerville (which, according to Google Maps, is almost a two-hour drive each way) if Kurt was going to be home in Lima later that evening? So, agree or disagree, in this story, Kurt boards at Dalton. And, so it's not incorrect later when Kurt talks about living with Finn, let's say that Kurt goes back to Burt & Carole's house in Lima on weekends.
I think that's all (yeah, I know. I'll try not to carry on so much in the future). Here we go...
(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)
BLAINE
Blaine opened the door to his room, one hand still holding a towel to his wet hair, to the sound of his phone ringing. He slammed the door and almost tripped over his desk chair as he grabbed the phone and answered in a rush of air. "Hello?"
"Oh my gosh," Kurt's excited voice sang into his ear without a greeting, "you are never going to guess what happened today!" Kurt's voice was high and loud, and Blaine couldn't stop himself from grinning into the phone.
"You got a solo for Sectionals?" Blaine guessed.
"No, better!" Kurt cried, "Or, no. Not better. I mean, better but in a different way. Or, just different!" Blaine imagined Kurt's demeanor as he stumbled over his words. Whatever this was, Kurt sounded more excited than Blaine had ever heard him.
"Tell me already!" Blaine laughed, putting the phone on speaker so that he could find a shirt.
"My dad and Carole are getting married!" Kurt exclaimed, and Blaine was sure that he was bouncing up and down.
"Aww, Kurt, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Blaine ran a hand through his damp hair. Hearing this kind of happiness from Kurt made him feel warm inside, like everything would be okay.
"And they're even letting me plan the whole wedding," Kurt sighed dreamily.
Blaine smiled and sat down at his desk. "I'm happy for you, Kurt. This is great news!"
"Thanks," Kurt's voice was suddenly a little shy. Blaine heard something that sounded like papers shuffling around in the background.
"You already have a bunch of it planned, don't you?" Blaine laughed.
"I may have some ideas," Kurt said coyly.
"Colors?" Blaine inquired.
"Russet and cognac." Kurt said immediately. Blaine shook his head in amusement. "That sounds beautiful," he said sincerely.
He heard Kurt sigh happily. "Thanks for letting me call and squeal down the phone at you about it," he said.
"I want to hear every detail," Blaine said encouragingly. "Call you tomorrow?"
"Yes sir!" Kurt said brightly. "Goodnight, Blaine."
"Congratulations, Kurt," Blaine said quietly, "I'll talk to you soon."
KURT
"Hey," Kurt answered his phone, hoping that his voice wasn't shaking as much as his hands.
"Hey yourself," Blaine answered, "I got your voicemail – you okay?"
Kurt let out a long breath. "I told."
"You told?" Blaine's voice rose in approval. "Who? What happened?"
"I didn't tell what he did. Just that he threatened to kill me," Kurt clarified. "Karofsky interrupted one of our dance lessons for the wedding and Finn pushed the issue in front of my dad. I couldn't lie."
"I'm proud of you, Kurt," Blaine encouraged. "What happened after that?"
Kurt's whole body shook as he contemplated what had happened next. "He's expelled," he said, feeling like he could float away into the clouds. "He's expelled immediately."
There was a sound that Kurt thought might be Blaine dropping his bag, and when Blaine spoke again his voice was weak with relief. "Oh, Kurt, I'm so glad."
"Me too," Kurt admitted unnecessarily.
"How did it feel?" Blaine asked. "When you told."
"It was tense for a minute immediately after I told them," Kurt answered, "but now... I've never felt so relieved in my entire life."
"Things are going to be so much better," Kurt could hear the joy in Blaine's voice. "Kurt, things are going to be so much better now. You're safe again."
"I hope so," Kurt said wistfully.
"You've handled this so well, Kurt," Blaine said, and his voice sounded strange. "You should really be proud of yourself."
Kurt's heart clenched. He wished that he could see Blaine's face. He looked across his room at the note on his corkboard with Blaine's name and number on it and remembered how he had felt that day. "I never would have been able to handle it without you," he whispered.
"Yes, you would have," Blaine countered immediately.
"Maybe," Kurt allowed. He knew that Blaine was right; he would have been able to handle Karofsky somehow if he had never gone to visit Dalton. But now, since he had found the boy on the other end of the phone, the thought of not having Blaine in his life made Kurt's heart ache.
There was a moment of comfortable silence before Blaine spoke again.
"So, what about the wedding?" Blaine asked. "Is it all settled?"
"Yes!" Kurt felt giddy as he thought about the added bonus of the wedding. "Fortunately, everyone is really into the song for the entrance. It's going to be amazing."
"Any luck convincing Sam to cover up that black eye?"
"Sadly, no," Kurt huffed. "He thinks it makes him look manly." He rolled his eyes. "And because he got it standing up for me..." he trailed off and was silent for a moment. If he was honest with himself, it felt really nice to know that his friends in New Directions cared about him enough to stand up to Karofsky on his behalf, even if he hadn't asked them to. But he did wish that Sam would let him put a little makeup on his eye to make the injury less noticeable.
"I hope you enlisted someone to record the entrance," Blaine said.
"Oh, yes," Kurt affirmed. "I am not about to allow my work to go undocumented!" He laughed.
"The first of many weddings planned by Kurt Hummel?" Blaine teased.
Kurt's stomach clenched as the image of Blaine in a well-tailored suit sprang to his mind before he could stop it. "Yeah," he answered breathlessly, "I hope so."
"Kurt!" suddenly his father's voice carried up the stairs and through his closed door. "Can we rehearse the dance again? Don't you dare tell Carole, but I'm not feeling so confident about this whole dancing thing!"
"You have to go?" Blaine understood.
"I guess the official wedding countdown begins now!" Kurt said happily, "I'll text you, okay?"
"Have fun, Kurt, and tell your dad and Carole congratulations for me!"
"I will! Thanks, Blaine. Bye!"
TEXT MESSAGES FROM KURT TO BLAINE THROUGHOUT THE DAY OF THE WEDDING
[Photo of the empty reception area before the wedding] Is this real life?
[Photo of Kurt and Mercedes all dressed up] Here we go!
Ceremony complete! It was amazing. I cried. Don't judge me.
Just married!
[Photo of Burt & Carole] Oops, forgot to make it a photo message!
Oh my god. Finn just sang a song to me. Yes, to me. I'll explain later. It would be impossible in bursts of 160 characters.
[Photo of Finn & Kurt] Brothers from another mother!
Finn just stole my phone and sent that photo message. It's the last photo of him before he died.
That was the best day ever. I wish you were here. Thanks for letting me spam up your message inbox all day! Crashing into bed now. Goodnight!
BLAINE
"Hey Kurt!" Blaine greeted the taller young man with a bright smile, standing up from the bench outside the coffee shop. It was the week after the wedding, and Blaine was excited to hear all the details. Kurt had called him to explain Finn's song the day after the wedding, but Kurt had decided that he wanted to tell Blaine everything else in person.
As Blaine got a good look at Kurt's face, he felt his heart clench with uncertainty. Kurt's face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. He wouldn't make eye contact.
"Can we just sit out here instead of going in?" Kurt asked calmly. "I'm going to cry. I can tell."
Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him over to sit down on the bench. He fixed his eyes on Kurt's face and squeezed his hand; he didn't know what to say.
"I'm transferring to Dalton."
Blaine's mind had gone many places when he saw the anguish on Kurt's face; this was not one of them. His heart lurched with surprise and empathy as Kurt's prediction came true and he started to cry.
"They let Karofsky back in," Kurt said, his voice oddly steady despite the tears on his face, "and I am not going to spend one more minute fearing for my life at school."
"I understand," Blaine said quietly. Looking at Kurt's face, Blaine thought back to the day when he had made the decision to transfer. His heart ached for both of them.
Kurt's tears started to flow faster, and his voice hitched as he continued. "My dad and Carole are using the money that they saved for their honeymoon."
Blaine nudged Kurt's knee with his own to make Kurt look at him. As his eyes met Blaine's, Kurt started to cry hard enough that he couldn't speak. Blaine reached up with one hand to gently rub Kurt's back. "It's okay, Kurt. It's okay to cry about this."
"They were all so upset, when I told them earlier," Kurt managed to squeak out, and Blaine knew that he was talking about the members of New Directions. "And Mercedes... I'm letting them down." Kurt was getting himself together, but his voice was still hitching as he spoke and tried to breathe through his tears.
"No," Blaine said sternly, "you are not letting anyone down. Everyone wants you to be safe. More than anything."
"It was actually their idea," Kurt mumbled. "My dad and Carole. After the meeting where we learned that Karofsky was coming back to school. My dad called Dalton. He was so angry about the whole thing. And they were so nice and said they have space for me. They even waived the housing cost for the rest of this semester because of the seriousness of the situation."
It suddenly dawned on Blaine that Kurt wasn't just transferring to another school. He was transferring to Dalton.
"I can't stay for coffee like we planned. I'm so sorry," Kurt said after a moment. "I've got to pack."
Blaine nodded. "This is going to be okay, Kurt." Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand once more before releasing it. Kurt met his eyes, and Blaine smiled. "No regrets, okay?" He hoped that his eyes didn't betray the sadness that he felt.
Kurt sighed, but returned the smile. "See you tomorrow?" he asked as they stood up to return to their respective cars.
Blaine nodded, realizing that things were going to be different now. They would see each other every day. "See you tomorrow."
Thanks so much for reading! Let me just love you all.
The next episode is definitely going to be longer than this one (I know, so far they've been getting shorter since the first episode!)... Kurt's starting at Dalton and they've got Sectionals, which means much more Klaine! It'll be up tomorrow!
Don't forget to share your ideas or things you would like to see if you have any! It can be for/about any upcoming episode - I can keep track of them for later episodes. Also a reminder... I'm the same username (functionaloptimist) on Tumblr! :)