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He really hadn’t imagined getting a boyfriend like this, but hey, when life gives you the chance to reenact a scene from every coming-of-age teen romance, you take it, right? That’s how Kurt Hummel tried to reason with himself, anyway. It happened a few weeks ago.
He’d been leaving the auditorium after Glee Club during school, but he’d realized that he’d left his water bottle backstage. With a sigh, he hurried back to retrieve it from the left wing.
It was then that he heard something that stopped him in his tracks.
“Where’s my phone? I lost my keys, too.” Someone was singing in the stairwell. “Oh wait, I can’t drive ‘cause I’m too young to take life by the wheel. To take life by the wheel….”
Who was that? He had the voice of an angel, and Kurt definitely wasn’t exaggerating when he said that. He needed to find him. He was singing high for a male, but not as high as Kurt’s own countertenor. It was breathier, more masculine, and it was so soothing to listen to.
“I wanna win homecoming king, shedded pounds and wasted tears.”
It was clear that the vocals were coming from the stairs. They had a staircase in the back of the auditorium that led to a back hall of the school, and the acoustics in it were amazing. Some of the Glee Club members would sing in it on their way back from rehearsals and brag about how good they sounded. Mostly Rachel.
“I know I’m not that good-looking, but it’s only freshman year.”
Kurt was about to push open the door and demand that this guy audition for the New Directions, but as soon as he had his hands on the door, the school bell was ringing, and the singing stopped. A small “Shit!” echoed through the staircase. Kurt heard footsteps scrambling, and by the time he was able to react and open the door, the singing prodigy was gone.
He kicked himself for his slow reactions. If he’d been just a little bit faster, he could have caught him. But he let it go for now.
The next time he heard the boy, it was only a few days later. He was singing the same song, it sounded like. This time, he wasn’t hesitating.
“...but it’s only freshman year.”
Kurt braced his hands on the door, and pushed. The guitar stopped. So did his heart.
He was sure that they were staring at each other for a good five minutes. He was handsome. He had short black hair that was gelled down, the beginnings of stubble around his sturdy jawline. His eyes were a gorgeous hazel. Somehow, he had the perfect blend of a boyish cuteness and a manly beauty, and it made Kurt feel like he was going to explode.
“Um. H-Hi, uh, hi.” Great, he was already fucking it up. Good going, Kurt, just look like an idiot in front of the guy you’re trying to talk to. “I heard you playing.”
The boy moved then, shifted a little bit in his seat on the stairs. “Oh. Uh.” He looked like he had no idea what to say. Kurt found that adorable. “I can go somewhere else, if I’m not allowed to play here,” he offered.
“No, no, I-I didn’t come here to tell you to stop.” Kurt fiddled with his fingers. Was he really going to say this? “I uh, I thought you sounded good. I mean, really good. Like the best I’ve ever heard.”
“...Oh.” Now he looked even more clueless. Kurt almost chuckled at the way his eyes widened and he sat back a little further. “Um, thank you.”
“I think you should audition for Glee Club,” he blurted, just to get it out there. “We need more male leads.”
The boy gave a breathy laugh then, and Kurt blushed just at the sound. God, did he even know how cute he was? “I’d like to, but I don’t know about the performing thing. Why do you think I practice in the back of the school?”
Oh. Duh. Kurt nodded, feeling a bit dumb. “Right. Well, um. Do you think I could watch you play sometime?” Was that weird? That was probably weird. Oh, well. It was out in the open now.
“Uh, yeah, sure. I, um, I’m not used to performing in front of people, though.”
“That’s okay. I’ve already heard you, and I…” he blushed a little and cleared his throat. “I mean, like I said, it was amazing .”
And then the bell rang. The boy glanced at the top of the staircase, then back to Kurt. “Meet after school?” he offered. Kurt had to smile.
“Yeah, for sure.”
It wasn’t until he was leaving that Kurt realized he didn’t get his name.
…
The end of school didn’t come soon enough. Kurt struggled through the rest of his day, his mind racing. He was more excited than he’d been for anything in his life. Yeah, okay, he was exaggerating, but did it really matter? The point was, he was restless, which was why it was such a relief when he could finally make his way to the back of the auditorium after his science class.
The boy was already waiting for him, guitar in hand, smiling adorably at him. Kurt felt like he was melting. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
They were silent for a moment. And then: “Do you play any instruments?”
The boy was sitting down, so Kurt followed and sat a couple steps down. “Piano. I’m working on it, but I’m not perfect.”
“Piano’s impressive. Guitar is pretty easy though.” He slipped the strap off of his shoulders. “How about I teach you some chords?”
Now, Kurt had never considered himself an expert, but that sounded like flirting to him. Or well, the implications sounded like flirting. Pressed close together, the boy’s fingers gently guiding his own. A shiver ran down his spine. “Yeah, okay.”
Before he knew it, he had taken the boy’s place on the steps and he was sitting behind him. He handed him the guitar, showed him the proper way to hold it. Kurt didn’t know why he was surprised at how heavy it was.
“My name is Blaine, by the way.”
Blaine. It put a smile on his face. “I’m Kurt.”
“Cute.”
… A cute boy had just called him cute. He was definitely flirting. Right? Kurt had no idea how to tell if someone was gay or not. He was the only gay person he knew. Regardless, he was blushing and rendered speechless, so great going again, he just lost all his game by getting flustered. He didn’t even respond. “So how do I start?”
“We’ll start with C major. Common misconception: don’t put your finger on the fret. Put it between.” And then his hand was gently lifting Kurt’s finger to the right position, and he was redder than a tomato. He’d never had a boy so comfortable touching him so intimately before. Most guys were so fragile in their masculinity that they’d throw a fit if he accidentally brushed against them. But Blaine had one hand on his shoulder, the other one helping him find the right place for the chord, and his chest was flush against Kurt’s back. “Is that okay?”
Kurt could only nod.
“Alright. Take it easy, just one step at a time.” Kurt glanced up at the stairs.
“Pun intended?”
Blaine laughed, and it was the best laugh Kurt had ever heard. He tried not to smile too wide at it.
Once Blaine explained a bit further, he allowed Kurt to try a few more chords. “You know Yellow Submarine?” he asked, to which Kurt nodded once again. “We’ll start with that. It’s super easy, I promise.”
And before he knew it, he was stumbling through an easy beat, smiling unsurely. “Was… was that okay?” He finally turned his head to look at Blaine. He found a softness in his gaze and a grin on his face.
“Yeah, it was good. You’re a natural.”
Kurt pursed his lips. “Thanks.” He hesitated, searching Blaine’s expression. The stairwell wasn’t the best place to test his theory, but he’d bet anything that Blaine’s eyes would shine in good lighting. He realized he was looking at them for far too long. “Shall we keep going?”
He was getting better with practice, he could tell. It wasn’t long before strumming became much easier. He struggled a bit with switching the chords quickly enough, but Blaine didn’t seem to mind. He told him it was all part of learning.
At some point, Blaine started to quietly sing the lyrics. He'd already mentioned it, but his voice was truly angelic, and it made Kurt’s heart beat faster.
“And he told us of his life, in the land of submarines,” he sang, and Kurt tore his eyes away from the guitar to look at him. His fingers faltered when he did. Blaine was so… pretty. He couldn’t explain it, but his soft smile, wide hazel eyes, pointed nose, and rosy cheeks all added up to form what he could only describe as a masterpiece. And he was looking right at him.
He didn’t realize he’d completely stopped playing until Blaine stopped singing, confusion evident in his eyes. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing at his lips. He didn’t move, however, too tense to do more but look.
So Blaine did it for him.
When their lips touched… Kurt didn't want to sound cliché, but really, what about this entire situation wasn't cliche? It was pure fireworks. Blaine was gentle, the hand on his shoulder moving up to cup his cheek. Again, he didn’t want to be cliche, but he finally understood what people meant when they talked about having butterflies in their stomach. He only wished he wasn’t still holding the guitar so he could touch him, too.
When Kurt pulled away, Blaine’s head urged forward as if he was chasing the kiss. But he stopped then and pulled back as well with a breathy laugh. Kurt bit his lip, smiling. Did Blaine even know how adorable he was? He was about to say something; not exactly that, but something with the same sentiment at least. Somehow, though, all that came out was a pathetic “Um….”
Blaine raised his eyebrows in a silent question as he took hold of the guitar strap. When Kurt didn’t reject him, he quickly pulled the strap off of him and gently rested the guitar on the ground in front of them. “Now that that’s out of the way…”
Blaine took Kurt’s hand, which was now hovering with the loss of the instrument it had been hanging onto, and gestured for him to turn around. He obeyed, still blushing furiously, now fully facing him. He didn’t need Blaine to tell him that they were moving to make it easier. It was a really awkward angle on the stairs, but he didn’t mind. Blaine pulled him back similarly to how they had been before, and this time, Kurt could place one hand on his waist. He thought Blaine would have let go of his other hand by now, but he didn’t. Kurt blushed at the thought.
As if they’d planned it, they both leaned in for a second kiss at the same time. It was just as wonderful as the first, maybe even better because this time Kurt could touch him. If he was being honest, he hadn’t imagined that he’d kiss someone so soon after meeting him, but there was something about Blaine that drew him in. It helped that he was clearly into him, too. After all, he was more or less guiding this whole interaction.
Blaine’s hand moved from his cheek back to his shoulder, then to his waist, as if he was exploring. Kurt in turn moved his hand in the exact opposite track. He couldn’t help but smile the next time they had to pull away for breath.
“I know that I know basically nothing about you,” Blaine breathed, his thumb caressing the hand he was holding, “but I’d like to.”
Kurt nodded, readjusting himself on the stairs. “Me too. Somewhere more comfortable,” he added with a bit of a frustrated huff. The step he was on was digging into his leg now.
Blaine laughed then, and Kurt’s heart soared at the sound. “Yeah. How about Lima Bean? You like coffee?”
He nodded. “As long as they have cushioned seats.” He was being serious, but another laugh followed, and then he had to smile. “Do you have a curfew?”
“Ah, my parents don’t really care.” He looked sort of like he didn’t want to elaborate on that, so Kurt deflected.
“My dad’s fine as long as I’m home by 9. And seeing as it’s only…” he glanced at the conveniently-placed clock (why was it in the stairwell anyway?) above them, “4:30, we have plenty of time.”
It seemed that Blaine suddenly became aware that they were still holding hands, because he pulled his away abruptly. “Well…” He stood up a little awkwardly (again, the damn staircase) and held his hand back out for him. “Shall we?”
Kurt was fully aware that he was redder than a ripe tomato, but he tried to ignore that fact. He took his hand and helped himself up, still not having lost his smile. He wasn’t sure where their budding relationship was going to go from here, but he knew that he would be ready for it.
He found it a bit funny that this all happened in a stairwell. It was an odd setting, but as he was climbing up with Blaine, he thought to himself that it was kind of his own little stairway to heaven. His heaven being Blaine, of course. Or maybe their relationship. He wasn't great at metaphors.
When they reached the top, Blaine gave him a charming little wink, and he felt himself falling maybe a little too hard. Blaine was going to be the death of him, he was sure. But if he was being honest, he didn’t really mind.