Title: Listen Closer
Author: Claddagh Ring

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

AN: I just really want Rachel and Blaine to be together.

OBLIGATORY SMUT WARNING

"You are the sweetest boy I've ever known," Rachel gushed as she slid into the booth next to Finn under the neon glow of the temporary "Sugar Shack" sign. Despite their squabble earlier that evening, her dads' support for their engagement and the festivities Sugar had put together had left her feeling giddy. Everything seemed to be falling into place – a rarity in her life, if she were honest – and she was determined to enjoy it. "You were wonderful with my dads this evening."

"I still think they're kind of scary when they sing, but when they talk they're really funny," Finn admitted, slinging his arm around her shoulder as she laughed into his chest.

"Regardless, I'm really happy that our families can get along," Rachel giggled before she pulled back suddenly with a gasp of surprise. "I completely forgot to thank you for the singing valentine! While I would have preferred a selection from one of the Broadway classics are there are several stunning love songs to choose from, 'Stereo Hearts' is a guilty pleasure of mine."

"What singing valentine?" Finn asked, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion.

"The one from the God Squad," Rachel explained, her smile fading slightly as Finn shook his head. "Sam, Mercedes, Quinn and that new guy Joseph delivered it to me in the courtyard and they said it was from you."

"I didn't ask them to do that," Finn insisted, his hand falling from her shoulders to the table in front of them as he angled his body to face hers.

"You mean to say then that you didn't send me a singing valentine?" Rachel repeated, leaning away from Finn as he yet again shook his head back and forth.

"I don't know who did," Finn grumbled, crossing his arms in front of him,"but I didn't do it."

The frivolity seeped out of Rachel and she and Finn sat side by side, not really acknowledging each other any more. Eventually Puck and Sam came by and pulled him on stage to perform some cheesy boy band song requested by Sugar who, as the host, insisted they perform if they wanted to stay. She tried to pay attention to her boyfriend belt out Backstreet Boys in an attempt to fall back into her good mood, but she couldn't focus on the music.

The fact that Finn hadn't requested her serenade – or the fact the one thing she thought she'd recieved hadn't actually come from him – didn't bother her so much as the fact that she didn't know who had. Mercedes had specifically said it was from "Finn Hudson", and Rachel had been elated. It had been the perfect gift, everything she ever wanted: spontaneous, sweet, memorable, a big public spectacle in which she could be the center of attention.

There was no reason she could think of for Finn to deny having sent it, or any reason she could come up with for why her friends would do it for her without anyone's say so. They were all convinced it had been Finn too; even Quinn had mentioned that it surprised her that he'd asked them to do it. But if Finn hadn't asked them, then how did they know to do it?

There was only one place she could really get an unbiased answer; one person who might know but had no personal involvement or attachment in to her life. "Joseph, right? Hi, I'm Rachel Berry," she said, offering her hand in a friendly gesture to the dreadlocked boy sitting with his guitar in the corner.

He hurried swallowed the drink he had poised near his mouth and shook her hand before saying, "Joe's fine and yeah, I remember. Stereo Hearts."

"Yes, exactly right," Rachel beamed. "Actually, I need to know why you decided to sing to me."

"Your boyfriend paid us ten bucks," he said with a curious, baffled smile. "Did we not tell you that?"

"Of course you did," Rachel laughed, feigning innocence. "I just mean how did he ask you? Was it in person or did you help him choose the song – which was performed quite admirably I might add. If you could just tell me the little details like that, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Sam just said he found a note in his locker with a bunch of ones taped to it," Joe said with a shrug. "He seemed to think that was really funny actually, but all the directions were in there and it was our first request, so we went ahead and did it."

She thanked him and wandered around, unsure of what her next move would be. She knew she should just let it go, apologize to Finn, and forget about the mysterious circumstances surrounding her valentine, but it wasn't in her nature to leave things unfinished. What she needed was a cohort, she decided and began searching for Kurt. She found him weaving his way through the crowd towards the restroom and she tried to intersect him, but he disappeared before she could get near him.

"You owe me a dance," said a cheerful voice from behind her as a hand grasped her waist and spun her around until she was face to face with Blaine. He tipped his fedora down and bowed slightly as she giggled, a grin stretching across her face.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked as he spun her again, her skirt twirling around her legs. Her hands settled on his hips, his own around her waist and she snuggled into his chest as Tina's sweet voice drifted through the restaurant. The atmosphere calmed as everyone coupled off and Rachel could feel her own serene center coming back to her as she rested in Blaine's arms.

"I'm perfect," he grinned and she had to admit, he did look – in his words of course – perfect. "It's Valentine's Day after all."

"Which is your favorite, if I recall correctly," she replied and he nodded ferverently, his hat slipping down his forehead.

"Absolutely," he laughed joyously. "There's nothing better than making people feel loved or being loved, even if it's just for a day and I heard from quite a few mutual friends that you receive quite the public declaration of that very thing."

Rachel felt her smile slip once again and she knew Blaine had seen it when his did the same thing. "The God Squad serenaded me in the courtyard" she explained before he prompted her, knowing that she could be open with him, "and it was lovely. I thought it was from Finn, but he didn't send it."

"I know," Blaine chuckled with a sly smile, pulling her closer as the song finished and whispered in her ear, "because I did."

Kurt appeared by his side, giving Rachel a quick hug before he pulled Blaine away into another dance. Blaine winked at her over his shoulder, leaving her absolutely flabbergasted. When she shook herself out of it, he had disappeared into the crowd and when she did manage to spot him throughout the evening, he seemed to be purposely making himself unavailable to her. As Finn had left without saying goodbye she found herself dancing with Puck, with Mike, even with Rory all while trying to catch his attention once more; there were times where she was sure she had it. He'd flash a smile in her direction, or run his fingers along the brim of his hat with a wink, little subtle movements that all said he was very aware of her presence, but unwilling to come any closer and she had had just about enough.

She cut her dance with the girls short when she spotted him, pressed against the wall, making his way towards the back of the restaurant. She didn't think much about a plan, merely glad when she made it across the room before he did, and she nearly shouted in triumph as she pulled him by the belt loops through the disabled emergency exit into the cool night air. The door slammed behind them and she wasted no time in fear that he might disappear again.

"I demand you stop avoiding me," she said, pressing one finger to his collarbone, something she knew Finn couldn't stand but never failed in keeping his attention. "Now explain."

"I wanted you to have a valentine," Blaine said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. He didn't elaborate at all and she had no idea what to say to him so she stupidly muttered a 'thank you' and stared at her shoes. The moment hung between them and while it wasn't awkward, she was surprised to feel a certain tension underlying her feelings of friendship and gratitude for him. It wasn't exactly new to her, the magnetism she felt towards him, but she'd never let it out in the open like this. And she had long since accepted that he felt it too; it could hardly be a one-sided thing, but this time something about it felt very bare.

"I'm sorry if it upset you," Blaine's voice was laced with worry. "I had taken a few pain pills and I thought it was a good idea at the time."

"You didn't upset me!" Rachel cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him tight. "You could never upset me Blaine. I'm just surprised but thank you so much. I loved it more than you could possibly know and even though Finn and I have decided to go forward with the wedding in May, I'll always remember my favorite part of this Valentine's Day because of what you did for me."

"You're getting married in May?" Blaine asked, his face a bit pale and voice strained.

"Oh don't you start too," Rachel sighed heavily, pulling away ever so slightly only to be practically crushed by Blaine as he clung to her tightly. His hands fell to the small of her back, pressing her into his stomach and he buried his head in the crook of her neck. She could feel him shaking as he pulled back, his hands immediately moving to cradle her face, sweeping her hair back as he did.

"I thought I'd have more time," he whispered, low and husky and she had no idea what he was talking about but her heart fluttered in her chest as he spoke, barely louder than a breath as if he were afraid of the things that were spilling forth from his lips. "I thought we'd go to New York and Finn would get tired of the city. Kurt and I would start to want different things. I thought I had time to wait."

"For what?" she breathed, finding her voice mirroring his own.

"For you."

She couldn't say anything; there wasn't anything to say. No matter what happened now, nothing would ever change the things he'd said. He'd left himself open and vulnerable and it was something he could never take back. She also knew it was something they would never talk about, because nothing they did now would change the futures; this was why she was able to convince herself to do exactly as he had done. She could lay it on the line, give him something to hold onto, something she could never take back either.

She'd meant for it to be brief, just a tiny brush of her lips to his, enough to let him know that she understood him, but her best instincts betrayed her and she fell into the kiss until her tongue slipped shyly between his teeth. His grip tightened on her face but he seemed to be holding back and letting her take the lead. So she pushed herself further into and he responded in earnest, nipping at her bottom lip in a way that caused her to dig her nails into his shoulders. She was rewarded with a deep groan from the back of his throat, sending shockwaves down her spine.

"You said you wanted me," Rachel said, a little tremulous, but she held herself flush against his body. "How badly do you want me?"

It was startling to see the change in his eyes as they went from puppy dog soft to hard in less than an instant and she was sure she'd never seen anything like that before, but especially not with Finn. "Don't start something you won't let me finish," he said, hands falling from her face to her hips, his gentle hands in stark contrast to the heat coursing through the rest of his body.

"You started it," she reminded him and he seemed to take that as permission, digging into her hips. She gasped out loud as her back hit the brick wall of the building, the hem of her dress already lifted above her waist. He surprised her by dropping immediately to his knees, kissing and licking his way down her stomach. Freeing one of his hands, he barely hesitated when he reached her underwear, slowing dragging it down her legs and forcing her to step out of it.

"I've never done this, you know," he said, sounding slightly muffled to her clouded ears because all she could think about was the weight of his palm pinning her to the wall and the way his other palm was grazing up her inner thigh at an achingly slow pace. "I've thought about it, with you," he continued, his fingers grazing against her skin and a deep sigh escaped her when he finally parted her. "You might have to help me."

She reached down and guided his hand into her, biting down on her lip hard as he pushed two fingers inside of her her, pumping slowly at first but steadily increasing his pace until she was quite literally panting, her breathe visible in the cold February air. The tips of his fingers curled inside her and she moaned loudly, almost ashamed at the lewd sound and even more mortified when she heard him chuckle. It was only then that she noticed how close his mouth was to her and she bucked her hips in a silent plea for more. She clamped her own hand over her mouth as his tongue took the place of his fingers. He dug into the flesh of her thighs and she wanted nothing more to scream as his tongue started it's work inside of her, pumping in and out, curling, licking, sucking and then suddenly, his fingers were back, working in perfect synchronization with his tongue. Her stomach clenched, and she could feel herself tighten around Blaine's fingers. She felt his mouth move up and suck hard on her clit and she knew if he kept going the way he was, she would come right in his hands.

She tugged on his hair and uttered the single hardest word of her life: "Stop."

It pleased her that he seemed to struggle with pulling away as much as she had with asking him too. He let her dress fall to it's proper length and stood up. He wasn't touching her at all and the loss of contact was almost a literal pain to her. She wasted no time in pulling him back to her, latching onto his lips with her own as her hands fumbled with his belt until it finally unlatched and she pushed her way down the front of his pants to where she knew he'd be waiting. He was firm in her grasp and his groan was loud enough to rival her own as she wrapped her fingers around him, stroking him while simultaneously flicking her thumb over his tip, her fingers quickly becoming slick to touch.

"Show me," she croaked, her throat dry. "Show me what you've thought about doing to me."

Any control she'd had up until that moment seemed to disappear completely as he pulled her hand out of his trousers and pushed them past his hips. He backed her against the wall, pinning her wrists high above her head. How he got her dress back up, she wasn't sure and she didn't care as Blaine pushed into her without any hesitation whatsoever. She moaned, louder than before, feeling her body stretch further than it ever had as it made room for him to move and when he started to pull out, her hips bucked on their own accord to keep him inside of her for just a moment longer.

He seemed to take the hint and pushed back into her, further and harder this time until they built up a quick and furious rhythm. She freed her hands and buried them in his hair, digging into his scalp and urging him on. His hands gripped her hips, angling her towards him and the further she slipped down the wall, the deeper he went, filling her until she just couldn't take it any more. She started to shudder, thighs tightening around his waist and she screamed, literally screamed his name as she came but he didn't let up, pumping into her to draw her out. He seized a few moments later, his hand leaving her waist and pressing against wall as he tried to support them both.

Her legs were literally shaking as she tried to straighten her dress, giving up as Blaine slid to the ground, sprawled out on his back with his eyes closed. She sat down next to him, hugging her knees with one hand and reaching for his with the other. He immediately laced his fingers through hers and sat up. She leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her own eyes.

"Your back is all scratched up," he said, fingertips ghosting over the tiny stinging wounds she was only now beginning to feel as she started to come down from her high.

"It's February," she said with a slight giggle, kissing his cheek as he looked at her with concern. "I'll wear a jacket. No one will think otherwise."

"I didn't plan this," he blurted out suddenly. "I never thought this would ever happen, not like this."

"I know; you thought it would happen in New York, in a few years," Rachel repeated, a teasing lilt to her voice. "I was listening."

"I know you love Finn," Blaine said seriously, "and you know I love Kurt. But you, I can't help but think about you sometimes. I see you in my future in a way I don't even see with Kurt and that scares me. I don't know what it means Rachel, but I just need you to know... just know that. Just that."

She nodded, circling her arms around his shoulders. "I do," she whispered, kissing him briefly. "I love you, you know?"

"Yeah?" he asked, a smirk playing at his lips that told her he knew it all to well.

"Of course I do," she insisted. "You're my favorite Valentine ever."

Happy Valentine's Day.