Overlap
Title: Overlap
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1200
Spoilers: None
Summary: Marley is always watching Blaine.
Notes: From the prompt on Tumblr, Marley’s last school was in Westerville, and she’s heard stories about Blaine. Title from Ani Difranco
She watches him a lot. Eyebrows narrowed, bottom lip curled in under her teeth. And every time, he smiles politely and shrugs. She always flushes at getting caught and looks away, busying herself with her lunch or a notebook or, if they’re in Glee practice, sheet music she’s had memorized for days.
He never calls her on it, even when Tina nudges him with her shoulder and teases her about the crush Marley has on him.
“It’s adorable,” Tina gushes. “Your first real girl crush.”
“What about Rachel? She had a crush on me last year,” Blaine points out.
“Well, yes. But I was warned by your significant other to never mention that particular moment,” she picks at the corner of the picture Blaine has of Kurt and himself in his locker. “So, officially, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Rachel who?”
Marley passes them on the way to her locker, watching Blaine. Tina nudges him again and he turns around with a smile on his face.
“Hi, Marley.”
“Um,” she ducks her head, “Hi, Blaine.” She slows down as if to stop and talk, but pulls her backpack strap nervously and hurries off.
“See you in Glee!” he calls out hopefully. He turns back to Tina, wide-eyed and shakes his head.
“It’s so cute,” she coos at him, batting her eyelashes dramatically, bringing her wrist to her forehead pretending to swoon.
“Oh, whatever,” he laughs, grabbing his books and shutting his locker.
Days pass and Marley still watches, still stares, and has graduated to sometimes opening her mouth as if to say something. And every time he smiles at her and leans forward to hear, she snaps her lips together and exhales loudly through her nose.
He tries to start conversations with her, get her to open up, talk to him. She doesn’t seem to have a problem fitting into Glee Club. Unique has allied herself with her as the newbies of the group. She is frustrated on days when Jake decides to show up, especially when he brings Kitty, or another flavor of the week, along to impress her with his voice.
Blaine’s last class of the day is government and he stays after to discuss an extra credit volunteer project with his teacher. When he turns the corner to the choir hallway, nearly running because he’s late for Glee, he stops in the doorway when he hears the voices from inside.
“You should just tell him.”
“I can’t. He isn’t- he probably doesn’t want to- I can’t.”
“Girl, you should just tell him.”
“Emphasizing it doesn’t make it a better argument.”
It’s Unique and Marley. Talking about him, presumably.
They look up when Blaine enters the room and Marley squeaks, throwing her hand over her mouth. He grabs the new sheet music from the piano and smiles at them both before taking a seat next to Marley.
“I know,” he says, leaning toward her.
She looks at him, wide-eyed. “You do?”
He nods and she lets out a shaky breath.
“I was never going to tell anybody.”
“Me either.”
Blaine raises an eyebrow at Unique and shakes his head. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s not?”
“No. It’s- well, it’s flattering really,” he looks down modestly.
He looks up at the disbelieving noise Unique makes. “Flattering?”
Blaine looks at them curiously as the rest of the members file into the room. He spends the entire rehearsal wondering why he wouldn’t be flattered at someone liking him, no matter the gender.
As soon as Mr. Schue calls for the end of practice, Marley snatches her bag from under her seat and all but runs out of the room.
Blaine hikes his bag onto his shoulder and follows her. In the parking lot, she is almost at her mother’s car and he jogs to catch up with her.
“Marley. Hey!”
She turns, panic written on her face.
“I know who you are!” she blurts and slaps her hand over her mouth again.
Blaine stops. “What do you mean?”
“I’m new this year.”
Blaine shakes his head, trying to make sense of her. “I know. What do you mean, you know who I am?”
“I mean I’m new. I transferred here. We just moved to Lima,” she drops her bag and, frustrated, kicks at a stray piece of gravel on the asphalt. She looks up at him, letting out a breath. “From Westerville.”
Blaine feels his blood run cold when everything falls into place. She knows who he is. Who he was. Before Dalton and Wes and David and Kurt made him who he is today. She knows the secret that only Kurt and his family knew. All the staring, he realizes suddenly, she was trying to place him, figure out how she knew him.
It wasn’t a cute, blush-filled crush; it was awkward discomfort.
And suddenly he’s back in the dark parking lot of Westerville High, curled tight in a ball, taking hit after kick after hit and struggling to stay awake. It’s hateful words and pain in his broken bones. It’s sirens and shouts and then stale air in hospital rooms filled with the steady beat of his heart rate monitor.
He looks at Marley, blinking away the sudden tears in his eyes. “You’re three years younger than me. I was a freshman when that happened.”
“Westerville’s not that big a town,” she frowns sympathetically. “I was in middle school. A lot of my classmates had older siblings. The stories got around.”
“You told Unique.”
She grimaces, “I’m sorry. She’s very persuasive.”
Blaine feels himself shaking, coming loose. He looks at Marley pleadingly, “Please don’t tell anyone else.” He needs to call Kurt, needs to hear his voice. Maybe Cooper too. “It’s not- I’ve been trying to put that behind me for- a long time.”
“I won’t,” she shakes her head vehemently. “I promise I won’t.”
His fingers wrap tight around the strap of his bag and he discreetly tries to wipe away a tear that managed to track down his cheek. “I, um… thanks.”
They stand in awkward silence for a moment before Marley speaks up again. “I’m sorry, Blaine. That that happened to you.”
He looks down at his shoes, concentrating on good thoughts, happy thoughts.
“You’re a really nice person. And I’ve heard you talking about Kurt. You guys sound really happy.”
He swallows hard and nods. “We are.” He looks back up at Marley. She is looking at him, but differently now. Not staring, not wondering, just looking. With a smile that reaches her eyes. She huffs out a laugh and rushes forward, wrapping her long arms around Blaine, pulling back before he has a chance to react with anything but shock.
“See you tomorrow?”
Blaine nods, pulling his phone from his pocket and sending a quick text to Kurt. love you <3
Kurt’s reply is almost immediately. love you more <333 see? :)
“Yeah,” he says, smiling back up to Marley. “Tomorrow.”
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1200
Spoilers: None
Summary: Marley is always watching Blaine.
Notes: From the prompt on Tumblr, Marley’s last school was in Westerville, and she’s heard stories about Blaine. Title from Ani Difranco
She watches him a lot. Eyebrows narrowed, bottom lip curled in under her teeth. And every time, he smiles politely and shrugs. She always flushes at getting caught and looks away, busying herself with her lunch or a notebook or, if they’re in Glee practice, sheet music she’s had memorized for days.
He never calls her on it, even when Tina nudges him with her shoulder and teases her about the crush Marley has on him.
“It’s adorable,” Tina gushes. “Your first real girl crush.”
“What about Rachel? She had a crush on me last year,” Blaine points out.
“Well, yes. But I was warned by your significant other to never mention that particular moment,” she picks at the corner of the picture Blaine has of Kurt and himself in his locker. “So, officially, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Rachel who?”
Marley passes them on the way to her locker, watching Blaine. Tina nudges him again and he turns around with a smile on his face.
“Hi, Marley.”
“Um,” she ducks her head, “Hi, Blaine.” She slows down as if to stop and talk, but pulls her backpack strap nervously and hurries off.
“See you in Glee!” he calls out hopefully. He turns back to Tina, wide-eyed and shakes his head.
“It’s so cute,” she coos at him, batting her eyelashes dramatically, bringing her wrist to her forehead pretending to swoon.
“Oh, whatever,” he laughs, grabbing his books and shutting his locker.
Days pass and Marley still watches, still stares, and has graduated to sometimes opening her mouth as if to say something. And every time he smiles at her and leans forward to hear, she snaps her lips together and exhales loudly through her nose.
He tries to start conversations with her, get her to open up, talk to him. She doesn’t seem to have a problem fitting into Glee Club. Unique has allied herself with her as the newbies of the group. She is frustrated on days when Jake decides to show up, especially when he brings Kitty, or another flavor of the week, along to impress her with his voice.
Blaine’s last class of the day is government and he stays after to discuss an extra credit volunteer project with his teacher. When he turns the corner to the choir hallway, nearly running because he’s late for Glee, he stops in the doorway when he hears the voices from inside.
“You should just tell him.”
“I can’t. He isn’t- he probably doesn’t want to- I can’t.”
“Girl, you should just tell him.”
“Emphasizing it doesn’t make it a better argument.”
It’s Unique and Marley. Talking about him, presumably.
They look up when Blaine enters the room and Marley squeaks, throwing her hand over her mouth. He grabs the new sheet music from the piano and smiles at them both before taking a seat next to Marley.
“I know,” he says, leaning toward her.
She looks at him, wide-eyed. “You do?”
He nods and she lets out a shaky breath.
“I was never going to tell anybody.”
“Me either.”
Blaine raises an eyebrow at Unique and shakes his head. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s not?”
“No. It’s- well, it’s flattering really,” he looks down modestly.
He looks up at the disbelieving noise Unique makes. “Flattering?”
Blaine looks at them curiously as the rest of the members file into the room. He spends the entire rehearsal wondering why he wouldn’t be flattered at someone liking him, no matter the gender.
As soon as Mr. Schue calls for the end of practice, Marley snatches her bag from under her seat and all but runs out of the room.
Blaine hikes his bag onto his shoulder and follows her. In the parking lot, she is almost at her mother’s car and he jogs to catch up with her.
“Marley. Hey!”
She turns, panic written on her face.
“I know who you are!” she blurts and slaps her hand over her mouth again.
Blaine stops. “What do you mean?”
“I’m new this year.”
Blaine shakes his head, trying to make sense of her. “I know. What do you mean, you know who I am?”
“I mean I’m new. I transferred here. We just moved to Lima,” she drops her bag and, frustrated, kicks at a stray piece of gravel on the asphalt. She looks up at him, letting out a breath. “From Westerville.”
Blaine feels his blood run cold when everything falls into place. She knows who he is. Who he was. Before Dalton and Wes and David and Kurt made him who he is today. She knows the secret that only Kurt and his family knew. All the staring, he realizes suddenly, she was trying to place him, figure out how she knew him.
It wasn’t a cute, blush-filled crush; it was awkward discomfort.
And suddenly he’s back in the dark parking lot of Westerville High, curled tight in a ball, taking hit after kick after hit and struggling to stay awake. It’s hateful words and pain in his broken bones. It’s sirens and shouts and then stale air in hospital rooms filled with the steady beat of his heart rate monitor.
He looks at Marley, blinking away the sudden tears in his eyes. “You’re three years younger than me. I was a freshman when that happened.”
“Westerville’s not that big a town,” she frowns sympathetically. “I was in middle school. A lot of my classmates had older siblings. The stories got around.”
“You told Unique.”
She grimaces, “I’m sorry. She’s very persuasive.”
Blaine feels himself shaking, coming loose. He looks at Marley pleadingly, “Please don’t tell anyone else.” He needs to call Kurt, needs to hear his voice. Maybe Cooper too. “It’s not- I’ve been trying to put that behind me for- a long time.”
“I won’t,” she shakes her head vehemently. “I promise I won’t.”
His fingers wrap tight around the strap of his bag and he discreetly tries to wipe away a tear that managed to track down his cheek. “I, um… thanks.”
They stand in awkward silence for a moment before Marley speaks up again. “I’m sorry, Blaine. That that happened to you.”
He looks down at his shoes, concentrating on good thoughts, happy thoughts.
“You’re a really nice person. And I’ve heard you talking about Kurt. You guys sound really happy.”
He swallows hard and nods. “We are.” He looks back up at Marley. She is looking at him, but differently now. Not staring, not wondering, just looking. With a smile that reaches her eyes. She huffs out a laugh and rushes forward, wrapping her long arms around Blaine, pulling back before he has a chance to react with anything but shock.
“See you tomorrow?”
Blaine nods, pulling his phone from his pocket and sending a quick text to Kurt. love you <3
Kurt’s reply is almost immediately. love you more <333 see? :)
“Yeah,” he says, smiling back up to Marley. “Tomorrow.”