fic: underneath and unexplored.
22. Blaine.
Blaine is pretty confident that if he looked into a mirror right now, there would be little cartoon birds and hearts whizzing around his head.
This night could not have gone better, already. (Well, it would've been better if he and Kurt had never split up, and they'd arrived together and spent the evening wrapped up in each others' arms, dancing and kissing and whispering sweet nothings, but considering the circumstances, things are pretty spectacular.) Kurt is here and he's wearing the flower Blaine picked out for him -- it matches mine!! -- and he liked the song and he wants to be together. Blaine hadn't even gotten a chance to give Kurt the speech he's been rehearsing for days. He's still going to make it, though. In just a minute, he's going to pull Kurt out into the hallway where it's quiet -- ooh, or maybe we can walk down to by the cafeteria, where we first met, that would be romantic. Yeah, that's what we'll do. He's going to hold Kurt's hand, and look into his eyes (his beautiful eyes!), and Blaine is going to tell Kurt how much he's missed him, and how much Kurt moves him, and he's going to tell him how he talked to his parents again, and warned them that he's going to come out. He'll tell Kurt that he's not sure if he's ready to wear a "Likes Boys" shirt just yet, or to make out by their lockers in between classes, but if Kurt will be his boyfriend again, Blaine will tell anyone who asks that yes, I'm dating Kurt Hummel.
Blaine will probably cry a little. Maybe Kurt will, too. Happy tears, Blaine hopes. And Kurt will say yes, I'll be your boyfriend again and Blaine will say thank you and Kurt will saydon't thank me, just kiss me and Blaine will; Blaine will kiss Kurt for the first time in thirty-eight days. Afterwards, they'll go somewhere, probably Breadstix -- Rachel had told Blaine earlier in the week that she had a back-up plan for getting home if he and Kurt worked things out -- and sit together in the same side of a booth. Blaine will buy them both huge slices of cheesecake and he'll let Kurt steal all the strawberries from his piece, and they'll laugh, and if anyone asks if they're on a date they'll both say yes.
It's going to be perfect.
--------
On stage, Figgins is announcing that some guy named Karofsky has been voted King. Blaine doesn't know the name, but when he sees him, his eyes narrow.
"Didn't that guy shove you the other day?"
"You saw that?"
"Yeah. You had that blue shirt on with the buttons all down the back, with the high collar? You looked so good...anyway, I saw him slam you into the lockers. I wanted to say something to you, but you took off, and I didn't know if I should follow you or if I'd just upset you more," Blaine whispers, inching closer to Kurt so that their shoulders touch.
"He's a cretin," Kurt mutters. "So naturally our classmates have chosen him as their king. They deserve him."
"Damn, I missed you," Blaine says, chuckling a little and bumping Kurt with his shoulder. "Can we get out of here? I really wanted to talk to you alone."
"I'd like that," Kurt says softly. "Just -- hold on a second, I want to see who wins for queen. I have twenty dollars riding on Quinn. And do not tell Rachel that."
"You're gambling now?" Blaine asks, confused.
"I made a bet with Puckerman. He honestly thinks Lauren Zizes is going to take it."
"Okay," Blaine says. "I'll cross my fingers that it's Quinn." He holds up his crossed fingers, and Kurt smiles.
"I missed you, too," he says.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Your 2011 Junior Prom Queen is," Figgins pauses, and pulls the card out of the envelope.
"Kurt Hummel."
Blaine must have heard wrong. His brain is so wrapped up in KurtKurtKurt that he's hallucinating. He believes it for a split-second, until he feels Kurt stiffen next to him. He turns his head sharply to look at Kurt, whose face has gone pale. The gym is silent. Oh my god.
"We can leave, right now," Blaine whispers, grabbing at Kurt's arm. He can feel Kurt shaking, and Blaine wants to cry or throw up or punch something. Maybe all three.
"No," Kurt says, and he pulls himself up straighter. "I'm going up there."
Someone laughs as Kurt takes the stage, but he ignores it, and lets Principal Figgins settle the crown on his head. He turns to face the rest of the students and leans into the mic.
"Eat your heart out, Kate Middleton," Kurt says. Blaine can see his lip quiver, but his head is high. There's some startled laughter, and then scattered applause. Blaine joins in, clapping furiously, and Kurt gives a tiny bow.
Holy hell, I am so in love with him.
Figgins announces that the king and queen will have their first dance, and the band kicks into "Dancing Queen." Kurt and Karofsky step awkwardly off the stage, and Karofsky laughs and keeps walking. "No thanks," he hollers as he joins his friends in the back of the gym. Kurt turns back toward the stage, looking for guidance, and Figgins gives him a shrug.
There are moments, Blaine thinks, that can define a person. What kind of man are you? He's seventeen, hardly a man at all. But he knows the kind of man he wants to be. He has plans. He's always had plans. He had a plan for tonight. This wasn't it, but there's only one outcome here that he's willing to accept anymore.
So he steels himself, straightens his tie, and walks up behind Kurt.
"Excuse me," he says. Excuse me, I said to the boy in the Fantastic Jacket, and the boy spun around.
Kurt turns slowly, and Blaine holds out a hand, proud that it's not shaking.
"May I have this dance?" He can hear several people gasp, and someone -- probably Rachel -- shrieks. Kurt's eyes widen and dart around the crowd, anxiously gauging the reaction, but Blaine keeps his gaze steady on Kurt. Right now, there's only one response he cares about.
"Yes. Yes you may," Kurt says, and lets Blaine pull him in to dance. His hand is freezing, and Blaine grips his fingers tightly.
I feel like I'm under a spotlight, Blaine thinks, and then realizes they are, in fact, under a spotlight. Kurt is tense in his arms, and Blaine pulls him a little closer, tries to feed him some comfort through the press of his palm on Kurt's back, the clasp of Kurt's hand in his own. Oh my god, what is this night, what happened to our perfect night?
"Are you okay?" Blaine whispers.
"I can't believe this," Kurt says, his voice tight. "And I can't believe you. I think I'm in shock."
Rachel, bless her, comes spinning onto the dance floor then, tugging Sam along with her. Brittany follows, as do Mike and Tina, Finn and Quinn, Puck and Lauren, and the rest of the glee club, forming a circle around Kurt and Blaine. Protecting us, Blaine realizes, and he swallows hard.
"It's okay," he tells Kurt. "It's going to be okay."
"I know," Kurt says, and his body relaxes, just a little. Blaine's counting that as a victory.
"I -- my god, I can't believe we're dancing at prom. I can't believe you did that." Kurt takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly. "God, Blaine, I could kiss you."
Fuck it, Blaine thinks.
"You should."
"What?"
"Kiss me. If you want to."
"Here?" Kurt asks, breathless. "Half the school is staring at us. We don't have to...you've done more than enough, Blaine. Please don't feel like you have to prove anything to me."
"I don't," Blaine says, and he smiles at Kurt, a little helpless. "But I mean, here we are. If you're going to get wet, you might as well go swimming."
"Oh god, are you talking about that day in the pool?" Kurt asks, flushing.
"No," Blaine whispers, leaning in. "I'm talking about us."
So in the middle of the gym, surrounded by their friends, Blaine kisses Kurt lightly on the lips, and somehow this night is still just a little bit perfect.
next