Fic: Falling Is Like This - Chapter 5 of 5

[wowbright]

Chapter title: Friday, and the World Is Clear
Characters: Kurt/Blaine pre-dating, Rachel
Rating: PG-13 (entire story)
Spoilers: 2.14 (Blame It On the Alcohol).
Warnings: language
Word count: About 18,000 overall, 1,772 this part
Summary: The fact the he enjoyed kissing Rachel at the party is confusing for Blaine. But what's more confusing is Kurt.
Chapter Summary: Blaine makes a discovery: lips that taste like Cherry chapstick are not all they're cracked up to be. Kurt's glad of that.
Author’s Note: Thank you, verdandil, for your beta-ing and pretty-sobbing.
 
Omigawd, guyz, I can't believe it's over. This chapter is short, and now I want to add like 3,000 words to drag it out, but I won't, because that's not what the story wants. Mean, mean story. Thanks for all of your love and I promise, I will just keep playing with these boys until they make me stop. Which is not gonna happen anytime soon. They told me.

Oh, yeah. The complete author's notes, which include song links and lots of meta, are here.
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Chapter 5: Friday, And the World Is Clear
 
 
Kurt Hummel has a bad feeling about Rachel's plan. The one that Kurt kind of consented to on Wednesday night. As if Blaine was a pawn in their game.
 
So, there's the guilt about that.
 
And there's also the fact that Blaine reaffirmed last night that he's gay. Of course, Kurt's not sure that's true – and he's also not sure it's any of his business to have an opinion on whether it's true.
 
Well, putting both those things aside, Kurt's worried that this plan could very well end up in public humiliation. Not for Kurt, but still. Kurt knows all about public humiliation, and even Rachel – even after being such a crappy friend – doesn't deserve that fate.
 
Because if Blaine's now saying that he's gay, Kurt can only assume that sparks did not fly for him on his date with Rachel.
 
But there she is, warming Blaine's seat at the Lima Bean, rubbing gloss on her lips in preparation for the big smack down. So to speak.
 
So Kurt tells her. "I've got a bad feeling about this Rachel. I mean, I don't mean to be a scold, but I don't want you to get hurt either. There's no victory in this for me either way." And it's true. Just because Blaine won't choose Rachel, it doesn’t mean he'll ever choose Kurt.
 
Rachel just rolls her eyes and says, "Who cares about you, buddy?" and Kurt changes his mind. Rachel deserves public humiliation, at least today. She keeps chattering on with something equally offensive, but Kurt no longer cares, because the doors have just swung open and it's Blaine.
 
Blaine.
 
Blaine walking into the Lima Bean.
 
And Kurt knows he just saw Blaine at rehearsal, but – Well, that was performance Blaine. And this is Blaine. His friend Blaine. Kurt is overwhelmed by how beautiful he is, and he remembers the sound of Blaine's voice last night, how tenuous it sounded and how full of what sounded like intimate affection – which Kurt is sure he was imagining, but still – it made Kurt feel whole and home.
 
Blaine looks slightly lost as he glances around the Lima Bean for Kurt. A little vulnerable. There's something about that look that always makes Kurt want to rescue Blaine, sweep him into his arms and take him somewhere safe, pour comfort and desire onto his lips until Blaine feels invincible.
 
If Kurt were as brave as he wants to make Blaine, he would go up to Blaine right now, whisper Here I am and kiss him.
 
But Rachel beats Kurt to the punch. She's already bolted from the table and there she is, grabbing Blaine's shoulders and pulling him down to her face and snogging him and –
 
Blaine doesn't pull away as fast as Kurt would like. His eyes are closed and – oh. Maybe last night's proclamation of gayness was a little too early, the easy intimacy too misleading. And the thoughts are just swarming in Kurt's head. Because bisexuality is fine theoretically. It's fine in reality. As long as Blaine never chooses anyone but Kurt.
 
And then the kiss is broken, and Blaine is staring at Rachel, a little stunned, and Kurt thinks, Oh, there goes my heart.
 
Kurt hears it then. "Yep, I'm gay. One-hundred percent gay." And again, in Blaine's trademark eager, polite, flattering tone: "Thank you so much for clearing that up for me, Rachel."
 
Kurt sees Blaine smile shyly at him over Rachel's head and he thinks, Oh, there goes my heart.
 
But it means something completely different – and good – now.
 
------------------
 
Blaine should not feel so exhilarated. He's just walking into the Lima Bean, which means he hasn't had his coffee yet, which means he should be dragging.
 
But he's thinking about sitting across from Kurt Hummel. And even though the awfulness of the past week should maybe make him nervous about that, he can only seem to remember the wonderful parts: Waking up in Kurt's room, surrounded by the smell of his sheets and the comfort of knowing that Kurt was nearby. Kurt's laughter unraveling the tension in Blaine's chest into pure, languorous warmth. Kurt, staying his friend through everything.
 
What he's not thinking about is Rachel Berry. He hasn't thought much about her at all since watching her drive off on Wednesday.
 
But then she's there, in the Lima Bean, in front of him, looking up at him expectantly, and he thinks, Wow, I'm a cad. I haven't even called her to thank her for the movie. And so he starts, "Hey Rachel, what's going on?" and he's about to continue, You know, I had a really nice time on Wednesday, but then she's up in his face and on his lips and –
 
She's totally the wrong height and the wrong smell and the wrong taste, but if he closes his eyes he can almost forget and if he tries to remember the smell of Kurt's skin on Saturday night, he can almost –
 
Blaine pulls away. "Huh." That's Rachel in front of him.
 
And Blaine Anderson is totally gay.
 
"Yep. I'm gay. One-hundred percent gay," Blaine says, and he kind of feels like skipping around the Lima Bean and bursting into song. But that might be rubbing it in, and Blaine remembers his manners. "Thank you so much for clearing that up for me, Rachel."
 
Rachel is just staring at him a little slack-jawed, and he doesn't know her well enough to figure out what that look means, but he doesn’t really care. Which maybe makes him even more of a cad, but he'll worry about that later. Because, over her head, he sees Kurt now at their usual table and he gets that little happy feeling he always gets when he first sees Kurt and then – Oh, fuck. He saw that.
 
Blaine needs a minute.
 
He excuses himself to the restroom and – really, did he just ask her to save his place in line? Super cad. He'll have to apologize for that when he gets back.
 
He bends over the sink and splashes his lips because they're a little sticky and taste like cherry Chapstick, and that is so not his flavor. He likes honey and mint and cinnamon and coffee. Maybe this makes him mega cad, washing the taste of a girl off his mouth. But he didn't exactly ask her to kiss him. And he doesn't want her lingering on his lips when he goes back out to talk to Kurt. So he rubs his mouth with a dollop of soap and rinses about 20 times.
 
Good. The flavor's gone. He tastes like soap now, but that's a little more tolerable.
 
When Blaine steps out of the bathroom, Kurt is leaning against the wall, coffee in hand.
 
"Medium-drip, Mr. Anderson," he says, arching his eyebrows in that way that Blaine would call seriously seductive if he didn't try to avoid thinking about it that way. Kurt nods his head toward the table where he'd been sitting earlier. "Come on, I saved a seat for you."
 
"Thanks, Kurt," says Blaine, taking the coffee from Kurt's hand, letting himself brush Kurt's fingers as he does so. Blaine doesn't always feel at home in his real home, but something about that touch feels the way that home should be.
 
"Where's Rachel?" Blaine says as they walk toward the table, and he congratulates himself for asking about her, because maybe that makes him a little less of a cad. "Is she okay?"
 
Kurt laughs as he settles into his chair. "Oh, she's more than okay. You should have seen how thrilled she was to be rejected by a gay man."
 
"Thrilled?"
 
"Like she had just won a Tony."
 
"Huh."
 
"She ran off to go write a song about it. Because being dumped by a guy who turns out to be gay is" – Kurt lets go of his coffee to make air quotes with both hands – "'songwriting gold.'"
 
"It's not like we were dating," Blaine says. "We went on one date. And it was kind of crummy. I mean, she was nice, but it was crummy."
 
Kurt takes a sip of his coffee and lifts his eyebrows again and Blaine wishes he wouldn't do that because it really makes it hard to think. "So, how are you?"
 
Blaine squints at his coffee cup so he can gather his thoughts. Oh, there they are. Thoughts. Good. "I'm okay. I'm fine. A little creeped out. Didn't exactly expect to be accosted in the Lima Bean. But what goes around comes around, I guess." He looks back up and sees the quizzical expression on Kurt's face. "I accosted Jeremiah in the Gap," Blaine says, and thinks, I accosted you everywhere I could. "So I guess getting accosted in the Lima Bean is my comeuppance."
 
Kurt smirks and rolls his eyes, but his face quickly stills. His eyes are on Blaine's, just watching, and Blaine feels – whole. Blaine's not sure what that feeling means. But he likes it.
 
"Can I ask you something?" Kurt says. "It's really none of my business. You don't have to answer. I'm just wondering."
 
Blaine swallows. "Ask anything."
 
"Are you sure about the 100 percent gay thing? Because – it's none of my business, really, but – you kind of seemed to linger."
 
"It is your business," Blaine says, and as soon as he says it he wonders if that's too what? forward? because Blaine isn’t even sure what he wants from Kurt or why he wants, and maybe Kurt isn't completely uninterested, because Kurt's face lights up and his eyebrows do that thing again and – hell, Blaine will be as kind-of-forward as he can if it makes Kurt look like that. "Remember what you told me about Brittany?"
 
"Yes."
 
Blaine inhales sharply and makes himself look into Kurt's eyes. "It's amazing how nice it can be to kiss a girl when you're thinking of someone else." He doesn't have the courage to say any more.
 
Kurt is thoughtful, a half-smile on his lips. That face, which normally doesn't hide anything from Blaine, is so enigmatic right now.
 
Kurt starts to hum, and then he's singing softly, "I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry Chapstick."
 
Blaine laughs. "No. I really didn't like the cherry Chapstick."
 
Kurt answers with his own laugh and then they are both singing Katy Perry – Kurt quietly and Blaine crooning – their eyes fixed on each other. The rest of the café disappears. The world is just Kurt and music and giddiness, and Blaine wonders if he will ever find the right song to sing to a boy who makes his heart dance.
 
 
 
------------end--------------
 
  Falling is Like This Author's Notes & Meta
 
  --------------------------
 
 

Comments

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

This fic I needed so much. BIOTA needed more backstory. I'm glad you filled it in. *goes off to read meta*

Loved it!

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[selenityshiroi.livejournal.com]

I almost didn't read this fic, because I've seen a lot of fic about BIOTA and none of them have QUITE sat right with me.

But I am so glad that I took the chance. Because this fic? Is absolutely everything I always wanted in a BIOTA fic and never before got!

I read your notes/meta, too, and I admire your attention to detail! I think the care you put into this fic and the focus you had on making things sit right (both in the universe and with the characters) is what has really settled this into my mind as missing scene headcanon.

Also, I very much look forward to your take on Sexy, if and when you get round to it!

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Headcanon! Headcanon! I've invaded someone's headcanon! This is awesome!

If I didn't have a cat sitting on me, I would dance.

I'm a little overwhelmed that it's everything you ever wanted in a BIOTA fic, but yay!

Sexy will happen, or my beta will stop pretty-sobbing at my Klaine and instead start to ugly-sob, and I can't have that. :)

[backinblack.livejournal.com]

I LOVE THIS FIC but I wanted to say:

So Kurt tells her. "I've got a bad feeling about this Rachel. I mean, I don't mean to be a scold, but I don't want you to get hurt either.

I should get out the subtitles and check but pretty sure he says "I don't want to be/get schooled"

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I played it like 20 times and I read several different (unofficial) screenplays, which had several variations. So I just chose what I liked best :) It would be interesting to know the official subtitles say.

I don't think I've ever heard the verb "school" used in the passive voice before. (I've always heard it in the active, as in "I'm gonna school him" or "She schooled me on that.") I think that's part of why I opted for scold. But "schooled" makes sense.

Really, RIB should just send me copies of their screenplays. It would make my life much easier.

Also, I'm glad you like this fic enough to use all caps!!!!!!!!! :)

[whiterose0328.livejournal.com]

So finally an ed to what has now become one of my favourite stories in this fandom.

I loved it, you truly captured these boys and gave us an insight on them and how their love came about (well how it is coming about). I can't wait to see what you do with Sexy because I already know it'll be just if not better than this.

Congratulations on finishing this.



Now, I'm gonna go read the meta.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

OMG. It's a favorite! And OMG, moving GIF!

(But I've just learned I should never try to lipread gifs, because it totally looks to me like Blaine is shouting "Jack-off!")

Thank you for your trust in my take on Sexy. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Thanks for taking this journey with me! It's been fun and encouraging to read your notes along the way.

LJ is such a butt today, omg.

[lovely-spark.livejournal.com]

It's crazy how much I loved this story. I really owe you reviews for it, but I think part of me was just waiting for the end.

Blaine and Kurt's relationship was so perfectly portrayed, relatable, and I feel that this is the perfect episode fill/bridge. There wasn't anything that didn't feel unncessary or irrelevant, both boys were written as who they were at the time the episode aired, and they were both portrayed sympathetically without you villainizing or apologizing for one over the other.

This is the BIOTA fic I needed. I didn't hate the episode. Not at all, which is a widely unpopular opinion, but I feel like this is also some of the closure I needed.

This was wonderful from start to finish. I even liked how you portrayed Rachel, who has never really been forgiven by a lot of people since this episode. I kind of feel that she got thrown a grenade in it, cause really- she's just a teenage girl. One who can be obnoxious and self serving, but one who's never been able to make a romantic relationship work. Ambition just comes easier to her.

Okay. Seriously, I loved this. I'll probably revisit it again from time to time. <3


Congratulations on getting it all up. Can't wait to read the meta!

Re: LJ is such a butt today, omg.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And I'm so glad you didn't give up on commenting despite LJ being such a butt!

(I would have had this story up three hours earlier if LJ hadn't been such a butt.)

I kind of wish I could have done more with Rachel, but for this story, I really needed to stick with just K's and B's POVs and the parts of their interactions with her that were relevant to their own development. But I'm glad she didn't come off as villainy - she just does what she does - and since Kurt is (usually) okay with that and (usually) realizes it's not personal, then I can be that way, too!

It provided me some of the closure I needed, too. Yay! Two birds with one stone! (Wait, is there a non-violent way to say that?)

And thanks for the lovely GIFs!

[teamklaine.livejournal.com]

Omg. *ugly sobbing*
Thank you for this <3

No, no. It's PRETTY sobbing!

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

I have unilaterally declared that all sobbing in relation to Kurt/Blaine's friendship, affection and eventually LOVE is beautiful, and must therefore not be tainted with the adjective "ugly."

I am so glad this story made you pretty-sob, my dear! And thank you for going along for the ride!

[verdandil.livejournal.com]

"It's amazing how nice it can be to kiss a girl when you're thinking of someone else." He doesn't have the courage to say any more.

Blaine wonders if he will ever find the right song to sing to a boy who makes his heart dance.

This fic will sit in my heart as the one that helped me completely reconcile with BIOTA - I was alright with it before, but there were still remains of a vague uneasiness floating around. Thank you for writing this and for sharing it.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

*tries to dance with cat on lap*

Yay! Now that you and BIOTA have reconciled, you two can have Klisses and Klainebows in, oh, about three weeks from now - just like our boys.

[chinablues.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry to be commenting on this so late, but want to let you know that this is my new truth. Thanks for cleaning up and enhancing BIOTA, it needed this exactly.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

No need to apologize! Love means never having to say you're sorry. Wait, quoting Love Story here is so inappropriate. No regrets, just love! I am just thrilled to pieces that I am not the only one who needed this. ♥

[likeasouffle.livejournal.com]

Awww! :D :D

Because bisexuality is fine theoretically. It's fine in reality. As long as Blaine never chooses anyone but Kurt.

Kurt starts to hum, and then he's singing softly, "I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry Chapstick."
Blaine laughs. "No. I really didn't like the cherry Chapstick."

LOL!

Haha this whole thing was awesome. I loved Blaine being worried about being a cad (and then super cad, and then mega cad) because he forgot to call her back. Blaine is just so adorable. I want one.

Excellent work! :D

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

He's all yours. Kurt and I have agreed to share! ♥

[joyasaurus-rex.livejournal.com]

SO! i love reading backstories to BiotA because i really hate that the episode a) the lacks any real resolution with the Klaine argument is so jarring in juxtaposition to how they are in "Sexy" and b) fails to address that fucking "bisexual" line. i'm so sick of RIB+'s throwaway lines that never get addressed but are Really Fucking Problematic but ugh ANYWAY.

what i really like most about this take is that Blaine totally is aware of his attraction to Kurt while simultaneously still Not Getting It when it comes to why Kurt would be pissed off at him over how he acted with Rachel. i just find it really difficult to swallow that Blaine was completely unaware of his attraction towards Kurt up until watching him sing "Blackbird." like, i've always viewed "Blackbird" as the moment that tipped the scales for Blaine, you know? like, before then, he likes Kurt, yeah, sure, but not enough because he didn't trust that his feelings ran deeply enough that it would be worth the risk. i mean, i like all interpretations of everything because all interpretations are worthy of consideration, but i feel like your interpretation falls closer to my own than some others. (in that, by BiotA, Blaine is fully aware that he's attracted/interested in Kurt, but it's still not enough.)

i also read your meta and oh my God, we share like minds. I COMPLETELY APPRECIATE YOUR DESIRE TO THOROUGHLY RESEARCH TO THE POINT OF HAVING EVERY DETAIL DOWN. BLESS YOU. i know EXACTLY how that feels-- like, there's something i'm working on, and there's a bar that they go to and i need to order a certain drink that the character will have, and i'll have a notebook so i know exactly how it tastes, how it feels, and so i can take notes on the ambience. like. no, i get it. omg i just want to high five you so i'm going to do it from my little place in the internet and yes. yes. YES.

ANYWAY, i'm intrigued by your take on Blaine's thinkspace. i'm definitely with you with Kurt-- the boy overthinks himself into anything-- and you pose a very convincing argument on Blainers. it would really click with why Blaine has no idea of Kurt's feelings towards him until he's, well, told. it also reflects Blaine's more extroverted nature-- like, Kurt and Blaine are both performers, but Blaine seems more thrilled by the social nature of it, while Kurt performs to be heard, as a means of emotional catharsis. i understand this is a very simplistic trait, but i definitely am more like Kurt (i got my degree in navel gazing, a.k.a. psychology) so i never really understood how Blaine couldn't really stumble upon the depth of his feelings on his own, but really, he couldn't have stumbled on it on his own.

so i like it! i'm not sure if it's fully bought since i really like the thinky thinky Blaine fics and i want to see what they do with Blaine on-screen to come to a full conclusion, but i really like it. (i'm just one of those who needs All The Evidence before they decide on anything because, yes.)

anyway, i just love all these thinky thoughts! i loved this! the pacing, the subtle humor, everything! brava! :D!

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Haha! I'm not sure I've fully bought my Blaine headcanon, so we're on the same page there. And maybe it's true for this situation, but not another. I have to develop more complex meta for Blaine than for Kurt, because I'm pretty sure Kurt and I think exactly the same way. (I always thought this, and then nielrian put him down as the same Meyers-Briggs type that I am, so I'm married to the idea now unless something shocking happens in the series.) Blaine's personality is very different from mine, so I need to figure out exactly what it is, or enough if it to work for the story; I can't just channel him like I do Kurt.

The one thing Blaine and I do have in common here is the hesitancy to fall in love with someone you already really care about. I was very much like that in high school. I was extremely aware of the possibility of screwing things up.

And I love the thinky!Blaine fics. Have you read mary_flanner's Scholars and Gentleman universe? Thinky, thinky Blaine. He makes me cry in the best possible way.

Research: I have this Blaine-and-his-dad story I sooooo badly want to write, but it involves a sport (not polo) I know nothing about, and the sport is crucial to the plot. So I have to decide whether to read a lot about it or sign up for lessons, and this sport terrifies me! (Which isn't a big clue to the sport; a lot of sports terrify me.) And in any case, it means when is the story ever going to be done?

And I have nothing to add to your paragraphs one & two, because they are my thoughts exactly :)

[fictocriticism.livejournal.com]

Loved this! Such a good way of understanding the sometimes ridiculous of canon. Thanks for writing it, and for helping me find a way out of the mess that was sometimes Blaine's characterisation in season 2.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I kind of like it when they make messes; it keeps me busy :)

[oncetwiceforevr.livejournal.com]

this was wonderful, truly. i wish i was more coherently awake right now to write a better comment, but i just wanted to write to tell you, at least, that it was wonderful :)

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! I am so glad that you stayed awake the extra but to send me a note. It means a lot :)

[gleekto.livejournal.com]

This story was just perfect. I loved it. First of all, before I forget, that line in part 2 when Kurt is thinking that he doesn't want to be too obvious in giving Rachel the 'I'm way hotter than you' message, but just the subtle 'I'm way hotter than you' message, when he's choosing what he's wearing - that's not how you wrote it but anyways, I adored that line. So Kurt. So clever.

You have really captured the build up and their chemistry so perfectly in this story (and one of things I love about the klaine we're getting in season 3, is all the little bits that show how really they are such good friends - talk every night on the phone, sing to each other in the car, the support in IKAG - anyways, I really feel like these boys are best friends). I love amazing head canon - this is seriously amazing.

So on that note, I don't know if you're thinking about it - but would you consider doing a Sexy/Original Song continuation of this story...I'm sure you've filled in the gaps perfectly. And what a trainwreck Blaine was in Sexy - saying all the wrong things when he felt SO much (I love how Darren said in an interview after OS that Blaine finally did what he's wanted to do for a long time - Darren is one of us). Anyways, would love to read your take on those eps.

You are wonderful.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I am working on the Sexy/Original Song continuation, because I have all this headcanon about it, which is pretty much this exactly: what a trainwreck Blaine was in Sexy - saying all the wrong things when he felt SO much. I'm also working on, like, three other stories, so we'll see when it rises to the top :)

Yes, they are best, best friends, and when I go back and watch Season 2 episodes, I sometimes wonder how we all figured that out, because they had relatively so little screen-time together. And it's all in the way they talk, and the body language, and yes, sometimes the stupid, stupid things they say because you save the stupidest stuff for the people you trust the most.

Do you know where I can find that Darren Criss interview? I usually avoid meta from any of the show participants (is that weird?), but I would like to see it in this case.

And finally - Kurt is hot, and I love it when he knows it.

Thank you for reading and commenting and also for writing your own stuff. You make my world happier! ♥

[mulder1921.livejournal.com]

Why oh why couldn't this have been what happened on our televisions instead of the disaster we were given? Loved having both Kurt and Blaine's POV in this story. My only problem is I kept wanting you to to AU and get them together sooner than original song. But, other than that, I really like what you wrote here.

Fluffy AU ending for mulder1921

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wanted to keep going AU too, trust me. : )

So many places it could have happened, but I'll just make one up for Chapter 5 since I can scroll up and look at it here if I need to:

Chapter 5:
Kurt starts to hum, and then he's singing softly, "I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry Chapstick."

Blaine laughs. "No. I really didn't like the cherry Chapstick."

"Neither do I," says Kurt. "You know what's weird? I kind of like the taste of soap."

"Really?" Blaine said, his heart beating faster.

"Yeah. That's weird, isn't it?"

"I spent my five minutes in the bathroom washing my lips off with soap."

Kurt is thoughtful, a half-smile on his lips. That face, which normally doesn't hide anything from Blaine, is so enigmatic right now.

"They still taste like soap. And a little like coffee." As soon as Blaine says it, he wonders if that's too what? forward? because Blaine isn’t even sure what he wants from Kurt or why he wants, and maybe Kurt isn't completely uninterested, because Kurt's face lights up and his eyebrows do that thing again and – hell, Blaine will be as kind-of-forward as he can if it makes Kurt look like that.

"I, um, well," Kurt says. "Yes, I suppose they would, then." Blaine has never seen Kurt blush so hard.

"But you shouldn't take my word for it."

Kurt just stares at him. Blaine thinks it's the first time he's seen Kurt speechless. His eyes are wide, every fleck of that goddamn cerulean breaking through the dank fluorescent light of the cafe like a sliver of summer sky.

It makes Blaine reckless. "Can I walk you to your car?"

"Um, sure," Kurt says.

"Now?" Blaine says.

"We're not - We're not going to study?"

"Oh, we'll study plenty," Blaine says and grabs his bag off of the back of his seat. He reaches behind Kurt to take his bag, too, pulls Kurt's chair back for him. Kurt's eyes dart to Blaine's and his pale skin flushes red again. He stands up.

"Okay," Kurt says. "Walk me to my car."

Blaine offers his elbow and Kurt takes it, but that's about the only thing that's elegant and civilized about the way they leave the cafe. Their steps are rushed and they awkwardly bump into two tables and a CD display on their way out.

When they step outside, they are greeted by a bone-chilling gust of wind that almost knocks them over.

"Damn, it's cold," mutters Kurt.

Blaine turns to him. Walking against this wind means it's going to take twice as long as it should to get to Kurt's car, and he can't wait. "Let me warm you," Blaine says.

And without thinking, without knowing how the distance closes between them, his lips are on Kurt's and they taste like coffee and cinnamon and ginger and Kurt, and through the wind he hears Kurt's breath and a whimper and then Kurt's hands are in his hair, pulling Blaine closer and how could there be closer when this is as close as they've ever been?

Kurt is tugging at his bottom lip and maybe that should remind Blaine of Rachel, but it doesn't - he doesn't think of her at all. All he can think is that this is unlike anything he's felt before, he has never felt so close to anyone before, and this is Kurt. Kurt. KURT. And this is all he wants. To love Kurt. Forever.

(And then, Kurt being the reasonable person he is, pulls away and says, "It's still really cold," and Blaine walks him to his car and they get into the backseat of the Navigator and fog-up the windows for an hour before heading to Blaine's house for an extended make-out session because - YAY! - his parents are going straight from work to an opera this evening and so they have SIX WHOLE HOURS to themselves until Kurt has to go home, lips sore, but thirst quenched.)

[anxioussquirrel.livejournal.com]

"Blaine looks slightly lost as he glances around the Lima Bean for Kurt. A little vulnerable. There's something about that look that always makes Kurt want to rescue Blaine, sweep him into his arms and take him somewhere safe, pour comfort and desire onto his lips until Blaine feels invincible."

Love love LOVE this paragraph!

And "Oh, there goes my heart". Aww. SO beautiful.

Oh, I love your explanation of Blaine's scurring off to the restroom:D Because I found it a little bit weird in the episode. I mean, I know what we were supposed to be thinking, but it just didn't work for me. But when you put it this way, it makes a lot more sense:D

And Blaine washing off the taste of cherry chapstick was all kinds of awesome:D Plus the detail of what kinds he likes - it fitted him so well in my head, the flavors you chose:)

"Oh, there they are. Thoughts. Good" :D

Aww, it's just so beautiful. And organic. And I feel so blissed right now. Which is probably a good mood for writing what I have in store for chapter 10 of Breathless ;)

Thank you for this story. It was all kinds of wonderful:)

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm so glad you liked my story.

I enjoyed writing that "invincible" paragraph, and I may have had a tiny agenda with it. I've read a lot in fandom about Blaine wanting to be rescued and pursued and yadayadayada and Kurt needs to get over his inhibitions and learn how to do that for him. But Kurt has done that for him a million times, and I think it's very natural for Kurt to do that. He may need to be a bit more obvious about it sometimes (I think Blaine would appreciate a grand romantic gesture, like a serenade in the courtyard). But there is definitely an undercurrent of protectiveness and chivalry in his whole approach toward Blaine. It's just that the protectiveness and chivalry goes both ways, and I think people see it more readily in Blaine because he's the more "traditionally masculine" of the two.

Also, Kurt is passionate and likes touching and kissing and he's not just in love with Blaine in a fairy tale way, he desires Blaine. He's not freaking asexual.

OK, wowbright, shut up about your meta.

Oh, I love your explanation of Blaine's scurring off to the restroom:D Because I found it a little bit weird in the episode. I mean, I know what we were supposed to be thinking,
What were we supposed to be thinking?

Oh, bliss-flavored Chapter 10? It's going to be a good week!

[bigeasybreezy.livejournal.com]

I pretty much just blocked out Blame It once Kurt and Blaine got together. I loved the humor of the non-Klaine parts of the episode and Kurt's characterization but hated the flippant treatment of sexuality (both gay and bisexual), the cynical pairing of Blaine and Rachel to sell a song, the pat ending, the ridiculous plot holes, etc. Honestly, I never thought I would want to revisit it--sometimes I feel like it's better just to ignore canon when it sucks that much--so I was kind of reluctant to begin this story, but it has gotten such good reviews I decided to try it, and am so glad I did. You did an admirable job of making sense of things that on the surface make no sense at all. It's clear you put a lot more thought into this than the person who wrote the original episode.

I read your Author's notes and am glad to hear you're planning to give the wowbright treatment to more of the Klaine arc. I was going to beg you to do Sexy, but now I don't have to, since you're already planning it. Sexy and Original Song really really need to be mended with the tape and glue of your words. I would love to read your take on any and all Glee episodes (the Klaine bits), but especially those two.

Thanks for being so awesome!

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad you enjoyed it and are excited about the other parts.

My big motivation in writing is to explain the world to myself, because it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. So when I discovered the Klaine fandom, I realized, "Now I can write to explain Glee to myself, because I love it but it doesn't always make sense to me," and that made me very happy. Especially because I'd been sitting around imagining to myself all the possibilities for filler scenes in season 2 that would explain Blaine's weird behavior.

So, yeah, I love doing canon filler and I'm glad that there are people like you who get something out of my ruminations!

[mander3-swish.livejournal.com]

love love love this soooooo much!
well done! bravo!

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad! It's nice to come back to my journal and find someone's journey through my story. Especially when they like it :)

[sin-fuego.livejournal.com]

I really like your OC, Justin. He's a voice of reason and I love that he's pulling for Klaine!

So they don't talk about Blaine, about how confusing this is, about how Kurt sometimes feels like his heart is the world's pincushion, and would people just please stop stabbing him there?

Poor Kurt. I really feel him in this scene with Burt.


Well, putting both those things aside, Kurt's worried that this plan could very well end up in public humiliation. Not for Kurt, but still. Kurt knows all about public humiliation, and even Rachel – even after being such a crappy friend – doesn't deserve that fate.

I never could be as forgiving as Kurt is...that's a lot of lines crossed by a supposedly good friend.

Thanks for the interesting look at BIOTA and how their friendship survived.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sticking with my story and commenting :) I've seen you around LJ and it's nice to find you here! I am a little confused by Kurt's friendship with Rachel myself, but I've chalked it up to them seeing themselves in each other.

[theromanticnerd.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this. I believe I will spend these holidays reading your stuff till my eyes bleed.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Maybe stop before they get to the bleeding point? Just a little red and bleary?

You make me swoon!

[xenachakram12.livejournal.com]

I realize now how remiss I was in not commenting after each chapter, because I cannot remember all the brilliant things about your fic that I wanted to mention.

BIOTA is one of my favorite eps, mostly because of all the fic it inspired. There were so many holes and open spaces in the plot and character arcs that it begs elaboration. While I've read several fics based on the ep, this is the only one that seems to fill in ALL the spaces. This fic will remain in my consciousness as head!canon when I think of and rewatch the episode. I'm also going to rec it as a balm to ease the sting of those who had the same problems with the ep that you and I had. Also, I loved the meta. It made me want to crush on you a little bit.

Beautifully done.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Your icon made me laugh out loud. I really need to have Kurt cursing in French more from now on.

Thanks so much for stopping by and even greater thanks for enjoying the fic, and for the rec, and for loving the meta and almost crushing out on me. This story is like my baby and it makes me all warm inside when other people love it.

[meadowlion.livejournal.com]

Your characterization is excellent, and I really appreciated the depth of your take on their thoughts through the BIotA journey. The whole story is simply brilliant. I was going to call it perfect, except perfection would actually be your writing episodic explications for the guys' entire history. . . . Any chance I could persuade you to do that? I'll bat my eyelashes or bake you cookies (sadly, my souffle would be far worse than Burt's attempt) or something!

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Aren't you the sweetest thing! I'm so glad you enjoyed the story, and that people are still reading it.

I actually have other episodes on my burners. I have notes for both Silly Love Songs, Sexy and OS, and thoughts on other episodes. I am getting toward the end of a super long AU fic I've been working on forever and hope to pick up one of these soon. (I'll warn you I also have notes for a Blaine fic that I may have to move to the front of the line depending on how things pan out after the hiatus.)

But I don't mind batted eyelashes at all. They are one of my favorite things. Oh, and my headcanon says that Burt gets A LOT better at baking souffles. By now, he's probably an expert.

[moriah17.livejournal.com]

Oh my god. I am in love with this and I'm in love with you! I read your reaction fics to 3.14 and loved them. But now I realize how strange it is that I came across those fics but not your other stuff. Do you post to the gleefic community? I usually check out Klaine stuff in addition to fics dealing with Dave. Anyway, so much randomness. I'm just glad that I've found your stories now and I'll go ahead and friend you to be sure I don\t miss anything else.

To the actual fic ... I started it thinking I'd just read a chapter for a study break. But no, I read the whole damn thing. And I'm a slow reader. My studying is really suffering for this story but it is so worth it. I love how you write the canon into your stories and give us the thoughts and the missing moments to explain how canon might have gotten from point A to point Q. Helps that a lot of the things you write was already my head!canon and what wasn't just made my head!canon more complete. I love your attention to wardrobe and how you wrote in things we've learned since BIOTA into this story (the boxing, "oh, there you are," fencing). I love that you used Misery as the song the Warblers were practicing. I love your characterizations and I just love, love, love this relationship between Kurt and Blaine. I'll be honest. I'm getting slightly bored of them in canon. But they just aren't showing the relationship that's my excuse for getting bored. Said that to say thank you for renewing my love for Klaine.

To sum it all up, everything is so great. I love it and I'm thrilled I still have other stories of yours to read ❤

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

This is so funny - my second comment on this story in a day. Did you and meadowlion conspire with each other?

I am not the most consistent poster. I don't post all the fic that goes on my journal (like, I don't usually post drabbles to the comms. When I post to comms, I usually do K/B and BeyondDapper when applicable. Sometimes I do gleefic and gleefics (why don't they merge?) I do Hudmels when it's a Hudmels story, unless I feel like I've been posting too much to the Hudmels lately. But this one, I may have just posted to kurt-blaine and beyonddapper.

And now - yay swoon! I'm so glad you enjoyed this story, and I don't even feel too guilty for sucking you in when you were supposed to read only a leetle beet. And thanks for the list of things that you love - it helps me get better at writing to know what works at what doesn't. And all those things that you love, they love you right back, just so you know.

Funny thing, I wrote the boxing comment before that became canon. I don't know where it came from, but when it became canon -- let's just say my cats showed remarkable tolerance for my screaming and flailing.

And Dave! Okay, we'll talk about that later. Feel free to PM me.

[whisperyvoices.livejournal.com]

weeeeeeeeee!! FANTASTIC! Perfect accompaniment to BIOTA! I think they should include it in the Glee DVD packs as official reading. Ohhh but I want MORE! If that makes me terribly greedy and demanding, my apologies! I don't like that it's over!

Wonderfully done! I can't stop using the exclamation mark!!

weeeeeeeeeeee!! :) :)

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

I love greedy and demanding. I am greedy and demanding myself! I have tons of Season 2 stories I have yet to write, with nothing but notes for now. Hopefully, they will see the light of day at some point. I love this time in their relationship.

I am so glad you enjoyed the story. And I love the exclamation marks! Thank you for all of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D

[heresluck]

I love fic that makes the show make sense in ways that the show itself barely even aspires to. So of course I love this story like pie. Insightful, detailed, well-characterized pie. Hee.

It's sort of fascinating to see the amount of behind-the-scenes shenanigans that you have to engineer in order to make canon make sense... but you do make it make sense, to the point that this is now my headcanon for the entire ep. I've seen a couple of stories that shed some light on the inside of Blaine's head during BIOTA, but nothing so comprehensive and detailed and thoughtful as this story, and nothing that deals with Kurt, let alone deals with him this well. I feel a little weird saying I enjoyed a story that's so much about conflict and confusion and misunderstanding -- though of course it's always easier to read those things knowing that there's a happy ending just a few eps down the road! But I was certainly compelled by it, and I did unambiguously enjoy the writing; it is always so nice to find writers who really know their way around a sentence.

[wowbright.livejournal.com]

Aw, shucks! I really enjoyed writing this piece - writing episode reactions is kind of like solving a puzzle for me. I'd love to do more for Kurt and Blaine's relationship in Season 2, especially now that I have a better handle on Blaine.

And it's okay if you enjoyed the story. ;) I, myself, thrive on conflict and confusion and misunderstanding in fiction (although I prefer them all to result in happiness). And I'm just going to ignore the last sentence because I'm blushing.

I looked at your blog. Do you write fic, too, or vid only?