"My first day back, and my clothes have so far remained slushy-free," Kurt remarks as he and Mercedes walk down the steps for lunch. "I call that success."
Mercedes laughs. "Go sit down, white boy. I'll go buy you lunch."
Kurt pecks her on the cheek and walks over to the big steps. He waves to the members of the Glee club, who all smile at him and wave back.
"So how has your day been so far?" Rachel asks him, shooting death glares to Quinn every few seconds while Finn and Quinn hold hands and feed each other bits of their food.
"It's not bad," he remarks, leaning against the handrail. "I mean, Dalton was a lot harder in terms of class level. It's just…"
Santana pats him on the back and Brittney gives him a hug. Both girls flash him a warm smile. "Well, no matter what, we got your back" Santana assures him. "If any of those stupid jocks do anything bad to you—"
"Hey, what about us?" Puck says indignantly and gesturing to Mick, Finn, and himself.
"Okay, any of those stupid jocks besides the Glee guys," Santana relents, and Puck looks pleased with himself.
Kurt feels comfortable. He's happy to be back, although he still flinches every time he turns a corner. But his friends are here, and he's pretty sure that he can get through this with the Glee club behind his back.
It feels so good to be able to talk to them again. Dalton was great, and being with Blaine every day was amazing, but…he couldn't run away anymore, and he couldn't pretend that while Dalton was a safe school, it just wasn't the place for him.
Finn keeps checking his phone every few seconds, and when it makes a ringing noise, he flips it up and starts texting eagerly.
"Wow, it's time?" Quinn says excitedly, leaning over to look at his phone.
Finn nods. "Wait, I have to reply to him…okay it's good. We should be ready to go in five."
"What's happening?" Kurt asks, confused.
Mercedes taps his shoulder. "Hey, I got your lunch."
"Mercedes, we're at a go!" Tina says enthusiastically.
"We are?" she replies happily. Mike and Tina are already standing up.
"What's going on?" Kurt asks again, impatience in his voice.
Finn throws the rest of his lunch into the trash can. "Come on guys, let's go."
The entire Glee club follows Finn and Kurt stands there shouting, "What the hell is going on? I'm coming with you!"
Santana pushes him back into place. "Oh no, bubble butt, you're staying here."
"But what–"
"Everything will be clear in, like, two minutes," she says, checking her cell phone.
"Wait–"
"Stay here, or else you will suffer the consequences," Santana growls, and Kurt meekly goes back to lean against the handrails.
She walks off the stairs and disappears, and Kurt's standing there, feeling stupid.
After a few minutes, Kurt is wondering where everyone went off to. He's seriously contemplating following Santana, no matter how bad the consequences might be.
Suddenly, music starts to play, and a familiar voice floats over the top of the stairs and right to his ears.
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete
Blaine walks down the stairs, dressed in his Dalton uniform. He looks impossibly gorgeous, and there's the same funny little feeling in Kurt's chest that he's had ever since they meet on the stairs.
Blaine's here , at McKinley, and he's singing Kurt this song.
Kurt doesn't know whether to melt in bliss or hide Blaine from the slushy-equipped jocks.
Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
Blaine is walking down the steps, still opposite of Kurt, but he's staring at him with these eyes, the ones that say "I only want you". And the only other time he's ever made eyes like that was when they first met, and Blaine sang "Teenage Dream" to him.
I came across a fallen tree Oh simple thing where have you gone
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
He walks down the stairs and back up again, to the area where Kurt is standing. Blaine's smiling, and then New Directions appears, with a few Warblers around them. They're singing along with Blaine, harmonizing, and Mercedes and Rachel have the biggest smiles on their faces.
And if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Now Blaine is making the puppy-dog face, the one that says "Oh please love me, because I love you." Kurt's laughing a little as Blaine makes his way up the stairs and stands right in front of Kurt.
Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin
Finn has the expression that maybe a brother should have, the one that looks like "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't date but since you are anyway, I suppose this guy is okay for you". It (It's) about the closest thing to approval that Finn has ever given him and Kurt loves it. When they get home, he's baking Finn a chocolate cake with icing.
So if you have a minute why don't we go This could be the end of everything
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
So why don't we go
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
There are definitely tears in his eyes now, because the lyrics are exactly what he wants to hear from Blaine. They're a bit bittersweet, but mostly hopeful, and when Blaine sings the last note, he can't help himself. He throws his arms around Blaine in front of the entire campus to see. Blaine returns the hug, rubbing his back gently and they whisper "I love you" to each other, only for their ears to hear.
Blaine pulls back and presses a quick little kiss to Kurt's lips. "So how was that?" he says shyly.
"Is music the only way you can ever express your feelings?" Kurt asks, brushing Blaine's curls fondly.
"It's my special way for you," Blaine says, hooking his arms around Kurt's waist, "because I know how much you love it when I sing mushy love songs to you."
Kurt laughs and they both hug again, and the Warblers are whooping and New Directions is clapping. Most of the girls are making "aww" sounds while the guys just look worried, as if they now have to live up to this kind of affection.
Blaine gives him a nervous smile. "So…did you get what I was saying?"
Kurt frowns thoughtfully and shakes his head. "No, not really. I'm sorry."
Blaine sighs and takes Kurt's hand. "I know that you transferring here was…it's something that I wasn't really happy about. But…I've been thinking."
Kurt gasped and felt his forehead. "You've been thinking? Are you sure that hasn't caused any permanent brain damage?"
Scowling, Blaine took his hand off and held both of Kurt's hands tightly. "No, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean that…I know that this is hard on both of us, you transferring back. But what I'm trying to say is…no matter what, I still love you."
To his shock, Blaine is now crying, silent tears rolling down his face. Kurt wants to say something to stop the tears, but Blaine is speaking again.
"And I miss you, every single day. Without you at Dalton…it's like torture. Nothing is the same, and I realize how important you are in my life. And I miss you so much. But I can't be selfish because I know that you're happy here. And I want you to be happy, so much, because that's what boyfriends are for, right?"
Kurt sniffs, trying not to cry, and he presses a kiss to Blaine's forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too," Blaine says earnestly, and their lips meet in a gentle kiss.
Right there, silently, they promise each other happiness and no matter what happens, they'll stay together and get through it, like they always do.