"Extra, extra," Jacob Ben Israel was yelling around the hallway as Finn and Puck approached him, Puck cracking his knuckles. Finn knew his best friend had some anger issues, but at least he was taking them out on a creep who was ruining his brother's life rather than... his brother. "Poll: who do you think Blaine Anderson dated?"

"I think you have a date with my fist," Puck said behind him, using the corniest line of all time, but it worked in cowing Ben Israel. He stopped yelling, at least.

"Puckerman, I think your attitude towards me is entirely unnecessary," Ben Israel said with a sniff. "This is none of your concern... unless you happen to know who the loser is?" Ben Israel asked with a twinkle in his eyes. Puck shoved him against a locker.

"Listen, and listen well," Puck practically growled. "You'll let go of this story and stay the hell away from Blaine Anderson, or I'll shave your stupid fro off and toss you in the dumpster every day for the rest of high school. Get it?"

"Who is it that you're trying to protect, Puckerman?" Ben Israel asked again, his investigative tendencies overriding his fear of Puck.

"Blaine. He's my boy now, get it?" Puck asked.

"Could it possibly be you?" Ben Israel asked, clearly having lost all sense of self-preservation. "Could you be the one who dated Blaine Anderson? You're not even on the poll. Are you a closet-case, Puckerman?"

"The only person who's in the closet here is you." Ben Israel opened his mouth to object. "Or at least, you might end up there. For hours."

"Stay away from Blaine," Finn added, feeling kind of useless. "You're messing with people's lives."
"Maybe it's you," Ben Israel changed his mind, turning to face Finn despite the fact that Puck had him pinned to the locker. "We've all had our suspicions, but what about Rachel?" He sounded grossly excited about the prospect of Finn being gay. Probably because he wanted into Rachel's pants so badly.

"I'm not gay!" Finn proclaimed.

"Bro, even to me, that sounded like denial," Puck said with a snort. "Just shut up. You're too nice to threaten to punch someone's face in."

"Or maybe... it's Kurt," Ben Israel mused. "He would be the obvious choice, and it makes sense that you two Neanderthals would be trying to protect him."

"Listen, JBI, I've been to Juvie, and I know some bad things about some bad people," Puck said, pressing his forearm against Ben Israel's windpipe and shutting him up. "Unless you want to meet every one of those bad people in very bad circumstances, I would suggest you forget about this conversation and leave this be... or else," Puck practically whispered, releasing Ben Israel, who began gasping for breath.

"Got it. Right. This conversation didn't happen, and there's no scandal going on involving Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel. Crystal clear." Puck let Ben Israel go, and he scurried away like the creepy rat he was.

"Do you think he'll tell?" Finn asked, because yeah, they had kind of made it obvious who it was.

"I think he just peed his pants, number one," Puck said with a little bit of a smirk. "And I don't think he really wants to deal with the consequences of that, do you?"

"I wouldn't. Do you really know people from Juvie?" Finn asked as they walked away. He had gotten the impression that Puck didn't exactly make friends there.

"Please, Finny, it's all about the words," Puck said with a roll of his eyes.

Rachel gave her passionate performance during Glee that day. She sang an excellent cover of Shakira's Hey You, sounding much better than the original (Shakira had always sounded a little hoarse to Kurt), but Mr. Schuester didn't look very impressed, because she was the only person who didn't bother to change any of the lyrics to Spanish. All the boys performed Bambeleo, which Sam suddenly interrupted with Enrique Iglesias' Hero. Sam had taught Kurt the choreography in about ten minutes before Glee, saying the guys had practiced it last night.

Artie performed at the end of practice to spite Tina, singing Enrique Iglesias' Finally Found You with some rapping help from Puck. Mr. Martinez congratulated them all on their performances, and then the New Directions were dismissed. "Hey, dude, wait up," Finn said as Kurt went to leave, and Puck and Finn were both approaching him.

"What, gentlemen?" Kurt wanted to talk to Blaine before the Cheerio left, if Blaine would let him anyway.

"We just wanted you to know, princess," Kurt ignored Puck's nickname for him, "that you and your boy don't have to worry about Ben Israel anymore." Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Do I want to know exactly how you achieved that?" Puck grinned, and Kurt took that as a 'no.' "All right. Well, thank you, I suppose. Now, if you'll excuse me." Kurt walked away, ignoring the fist bump Puck had been holding up.

A yell of, "No need to be a bitch, princess!" followed him out of the room, following by the distinctive and common sound of Finn hitting Puck.

"Blaine," he called out the Cheerio's name as he approached his ex-boyfriend's locker, and Blaine waited for him to approach, sending away his posse with a flick of his hand. Kurt ignored the glares the girls gave him as they walked away. "Hi," he said, suddenly completely uncertain of how to start this conversation.

"Hello," Blaine said smoothly, and despite his attempts to shut Kurt out, the countertenor could see the hurt in his eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked.

Blaine snorted. "I'm sorry? I broke up with you, not the other way around. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Kurt ignored the hostility in Blaine's tone, knowing what it really was.

"I'm not the one who reduced three people to tears. I seem to be the sane one." Blaine rolled his eyes at Kurt's comment, shutting his locker.

"They deserved it, all of them," Blaine said, dismissive.

"Exactly what did they do to you, Blaine? You didn't even know the names of the first two, and the third one you only bothered to register in your brain because of the story I told you." Kurt could see the muscles in Blaine's neck work as he swallowed.

"What do you want, Kurt? Why are you here?" Blaine asked finally, his voice cracking a bit at the beginning. "Just because I told them it was me, doesn't mean... it didn't mean anything, all right." Blaine didn't sound very convincing.

"I wanted to talk to you," Kurt said gently. "I know we're not getting back together, okay? That doesn't mean this has to be awkward." Blaine barked out an unexpected laugh.

"Kurt, we aren't friends," Blaine said shortly. "We were never friends, and we'll probably never be friends. We have nothing in common, besides a fairly brief romantic stint."

"You call three months a 'fairly brief stint?'" Kurt asked, more hurt than he was willing to admit by Blaine's apathy towards him.

"Kurt, what did you want to tell me? Just come right out and say it, I have places to be and reporters to terrify." Blaine placed his hands on his hips and stared Kurt down.

"I..." How could Kurt tell this Blaine what he had wanted to say? This Blaine wasn't his sweet ex-boyfriend, this was the Blaine that traumatized McKinley students and had made his family hate him. "Why did you spy on Glee a few days ago? When I was singing my solo?" he asked, wanting to put Blaine in the vulnerable position, and Blaine just sighed.

"You were right. I would enjoy being in the Glee club more than I enjoy being in the Cheerios. It's not feasible, but a man can dream, can't he?" Blaine asked, but it was weak, and Kurt could tell that he didn't mean it.

"What did you think of my performance?" Kurt asked, taking a step towards Blaine. He noticed Blaine gulp.

"It was very moving," Blaine replied, not stepping away from Kurt's advance. "You have a phenomenal voice, even in the mezzo-soprano range."

"That's not quite what I meant, Blaine," Kurt said, taking another step forward. There were mere inches between them now.

"I... Don't," Blaine said, and Kurt wasn't sure what he meant. "Just don't do this to me, Kurt, okay?" he practically whispered, his eyes locked on Kurt's mouth.

"I'm not doing anything."

"You know we can't be together," Blaine said, his eyes flickering around to take in the uninterested faces of the students surrounding them. "Not the way you want us to be. Not openly."

"I love you." Blaine gaped at him, and Kurt could see him trying to process.

"Kurt, I can't."

"You don't have to say it back," the countertenor added. "I just thought you should know."

"I'm sorry, I just can't," Blaine said in reply, stepping away from Kurt. It didn't even hurt that Blaine hadn't said the sentiment in return, Kurt mused as Blaine walked away. Kurt knew, somehow, that he felt the same way, even if he couldn't say it.

Spanish week wrapped up with a very dramatic confrontation between Santana and Mr. Schue and Mr. Martinez, which ended, somehow, a few days later, with Mr. Martinez becoming their new Spanish teacher and Mr. Schuester switching to the history department. At least in that subject, he knew what he was saying, and he couldn't misguide his students when the answers were facts.

Mr. Schuester, finally free of Mr. Martinez, named 'World's Greatest Love Songs' as the next Glee assignment as Valentine's Day approached. It was the most disgusting and annoying display of love Kurt had ever seen, and he was already tired of it, and it had barely started. For exactly three weeks Kurt had to deal with the nightmare, and it was a mess, every year. It was interesting. No matter how many times Mr. Schuester called these assignment 'weeks' they never actually ended up ending in seven days. Sometimes a good thing, but very often not so much.

In the space of the twenty-one days between Mr. Schuester assigning love songs and the actual celebration of Valentine's Day, which was to happen at BreadstiX, courtesy of Mr. Motta and available only to non-singles, there was absolute madness. Burt, Carole, and Leroy and Hiram Berry concocted a plan to con Rachel and Finn out of getting married (a good choice on their part) which would go down on Valentine's Day in the form of some huge family gathering which Kurt had opted out of. Mercedes, Sam, Quinn, and a new face at McKinley, Joe Hart, began sending Valentine's Day serenades, one of which Kurt had only a mild hope of receiving (Blaine didn't seem ready to change his mind at all). Artie and Rory had some epic war over wooing Sugar, which Rory won on account of the brutal news that he couldn't extend his student visa. Mike and Tina were ridiculously cute, Finn sent Rachel a serenade, and Santana made a big stink about sending one to Brittany, despite the more religious roots of the serenaders. Something also happened between Mercedes and Sam which involved the song I Will Always Love You, something Mercedes refused to disclose, even to him and Rachel. To cap off the shit storm that was those three weeks in late January and early February, Whitney Houston died, three days before Valentine's Day. Kurt thought that the world couldn't possibly get any worse.

And then Valentine's Day came. Sugar invited everyone to the Sugar Shack (she even gave him an invite out of sympathy, he assumed), and Rachel and Finn declined due to their plans with Burt, Carole, and the Berrys. No one expected the announcement at the end of the day that all students who valued their lives would report to the pep rally that the Cheerios were holding last period. Kurt's heart clenched. The last thing he needed on Valentine's Day was to see his ex-boyfriend singing his heart out. Blaine was radiant whenever he performed, and it just made Kurt miss him all the more.

So when Blaine came out on stage, Kurt was... surprised, to say the least. He was lugging an acoustic guitar, he had no back-up, and he was wearing street clothes, but not just any street clothes. He was wearing tight-fitting jeans, a t-shirt, and a toque covering curly hair. He looked just like he had that Sunday in the park. Kurt bit his lip. What was going on?

"Hello, devoted citizens," Blaine said, a little bit sarcastically. "Today, I, with the help of the Cheerios, am supposed to be performing a mash-up of A Thousand Years by Christina Perri and It Will Rain by Bruno Mars, in honor of Valentine's Day. We stole the idea of a mash-up from the New Directions, which I am not supposed to admit, but it's true. Anyone with ears knows it's true." That got a few chuckles, but most people looked shocked and confused. Blaine had only said two sarcastic things in four sentences. That was unheard of by anyone but Kurt. "Today is a day that celebrates illegal marriages in the ancient Roman Empire, and is commonly thought of as a day to celebrate love. Oddly enough, the first application is the more appropriate one in my case. I've fallen in love with someone whom our small world dictates I shouldn't, and I don't even care. So, I want to dedicate this song to my... ex-boyfriend, I suppose, but hopefully not for long, Kurt Hummel."

Gasps followed that statement, everyone's eyes whipping to Kurt. A few people looked away when they saw the protective glares of the New Directions, but more people were looking at Kurt, sitting in the audience, than Blaine, sitting on a stool on the stage, guitar in hand, ridiculously lavish microphone (that was obviously part of the original plan) in the stand in front of him.

Blaine began strumming gently on his guitar, his eyes searching over the audience until he found Kurt.

There's nothing I could say to you
Nothing I could ever do to make you see
What you mean to me

All the pain, the tears I cried
Still you never said goodbye
And now I know
How far you'd go

I know I let you down
But it's not like that now
This time I'll never let you go

I will be
All that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life
I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay

I thought that I had everything
I didn't know what life could bring
But now I see honestly

Kurt had tears in his eyes, and most of the attention had slowly swiveled from him to Blaine. It was the perfect song, that said everything Blaine needed to (he assumed) and fit their odd, dramatic relationship better than he could have possibly imagined

He was even more surprised when the Cheerios walked up. Each of them was wearing a casual, knee-length, sweetheart neck, strapless black dress, completely out of uniform, singing background vocals. Santana winked and Brittany waved at Kurt. Blaine had been planning this...

You're the one thing I got right
The only one I let inside
Now I can breathe
'Cause you're here with me

And since I let you down
I'll turn it all around
'Cause I will never let you go

I will be
All that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life
I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay

'Cause without you, I can't sleep
I'm not ever gonna let you leave
You're all I got
You're all I want, yeah
And without you
I don't know what I'd do
I could never live a day without you
Here with me, do you see you're all I need?

Kurt could tell by the slightly drawn out arrangement of the chords that Blaine had slowed down the song, twisting the words from pop song to sweet serenade, and that more than anything made his heart melt. Blaine had been plotting, possibly since the day Kurt had announced that he was in love with Blaine, to make Kurt swoon through the perfect song. Kurt was head-over-heels, but he knew they still needed to talk. His trepidation couldn't put a damper on his high, however, he was practically floating in his seat.

And I will be
All that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life
I will be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay

I will be
All that you want
And get myself together
'Cause you keep me from falling apart
All my life
You know I'll be with you forever
To get you through the day
And make everything okay

The last note hung in the air, Blaine having sung the last chorus completely solo, the Cheerios stepping away as he continued to sing. There was complete silence for about ten seconds, then the room burst out in applause, and the lights in the auditorium went out. Oddly enough, they didn't come back on. Coach Sylvester must have responded to Blaine's rebellion by shutting off the power (he obviously hadn't consulted her about this, which somehow made the whole thing even more romantic. He had faced down the devil to serenade Kurt, and outed them to the entire school in the process).

Kurt wasn't entirely surprised to see Blaine leaning against his locker once he had walked back from the assembly. He was giving cold stares to the people staring at him, but they didn't seem to be bothering him too much.

"Hi," Kurt said as he approached, keeping his distance for the time being.

"I love you," Blaine replied, taking one long stride to remove the distance between them and pulling Kurt close.

"I love you too," Kurt breathed, wrapping his arms around Blaine and reveling in the fact that they could do this so publicly without Blaine becoming nervous or shifty. It was wonderful.

"I know I have too much of a habit of shutting you out," Blaine continued, taking a step back so they could have a conversation without getting distracted by each other, "and I know I'm not very good at showing my emotions sometimes, I try, but..." Blaine shrugged. "You, Kurt Hummel, are the absolute best thing that's ever happened to me, and I really hope you know that." Blaine stroked his cheek gently, his hazel eyes practically smoldering as they stared into Kurt's glasz ones.

"I..." Kurt tried to form words, but just smiled and shook his head. He had known how important Blaine was to him, he just hadn't known that Blaine felt the same way. "Thank you." Blaine's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "For the assembly. For singing to me. For..." 'outing us' was going to be the rest of his sentence, but Blaine shook his head.

"Trust me, that was possibly the most selfish thing I've ever done," Blaine said, chuckling ruefully. "I need you, Kurt, more than I ever thought I would need anyone, and I couldn't handle the idea of not being with you for one more second. I only took so long because big romantic gestures require planning, and I knew that whatever my gesture was, it would have to be something that would get through to you."

"It did," Kurt said with a smile, and Blaine's smile in return was dizzyingly beautiful.

"There's more," Blaine said, and Kurt raised an eyebrow. What else could Blaine possibly have plotted? "I talked to Mr. Schuester this morning, and I am officially a member of the New Directions, as of today." Kurt couldn't even pretend he wasn't shocked.

"Blaine, are you sure? This is... social suicide, for lack of a better term, and with everything that's going on-"

"I want to be with you every second that I can," Blaine replied, cutting off Kurt's concern. "And I don't care what people think, what they do. I know I have you, and the Cheerios, and the New Directions, and the Hudson-Hummels, and... I'll be fine, Kurt. You were right." Kurt raised an eyebrow. "This isn't Beechcroft. This is a whole new world for me, and I need to embrace it."

"As long as you don't break out into Disney," Kurt said, but it was too late.

"A whole new world! A new fantastic point of view!" Blaine belted out, making Kurt laugh and everyone else in the hallway stare. "No one to tell us no, or where to go, or say we're only dreaming." The look on Blaine's face was so imploring, Kurt knew what he had to do next.

"A whole new world!" Kurt sang in reply, softer than Blaine had, but still audible, making Blaine grin and quite a few people roll their eyes. "A dazzling place I never knew! But when I'm way up here, it's crystal clear, that now I'm in a whole new world with you." Blaine was laughing, ignoring everyone who was looking at them. "There's never a normal moment with us, is there?" Kurt asked, and he couldn't have summed up the relationship better.

"There is never nothing going on. There are no ordinary moments," Blaine said with a smile, and Kurt groaned.

"Why is everyone quoting Peaceful Warrior at me lately?" Blaine's answer was a kiss, the first kiss they had shared in over a month, and Kurt melted into it, not caring about his question anymore. "Wow," he murmured when Blaine pulled away, and Blaine grinned.

"And now there's one thing left to do," Blaine said, grabbing Kurt's hand and tugging. "Hey, Israel!" Blaine yelled out, attracting the attention of the tiny, creepy reporter.

"Blaine Anderson, perfect. Now, what possessed you to go against the decision of Sue Sylvester and perform-"

"Shut up you miserable varmint," Blaine said with a roll of his eyes, and Kurt didn't object. Jacob Ben Israel was one of the few people in the school who actually deserved such rancor. "I have the perfect picture for your stupid blog." Kurt opened his mouth to ask what it was at the same time as Ben Israel pulled his camera out, and that gave Blaine the perfect opportunity to slip his tongue into Kurt's mouth as he gave him a very dirty kiss right in the middle of the hallway. Kurt tried not to moan as he wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, hearing the click of a camera and not caring. "Got it?" Blaine asked Ben Israel once they had separated with a ridiculously gross sound. Ben Israel nodded, looking confused. "Good. That's exactly what I want as the headline article tomorrow morning. Happy Valentine's Day." Blaine took Kurt's hand, and they walked out of the school together.

Blaine and Kurt had dinner, where they walked through their plan for making sure Blaine didn't freak out again and have to perform another serenade to win Kurt back. Now that Kurt was in the proper frame of mind, he was a little bit angry with the way Blaine had treated him, and Blaine spent all night lavishing him in compliments (and kisses) as apologies. Kurt couldn't stay mad.

"I have one more surprise for you," Blaine announced as they left the restaurant. It was an expensive restaurant, but Blaine had finally convinced Kurt that money didn't matter, and it was in Fort Shawnee, but Kurt knew that wasn't because Blaine was hiding them away from the world. There just weren't very many nice restaurants in Lima.

"Oh?" Kurt asked, having been surprised enough for one day.

"Yes, but we have to drive there."

"As long as it's not another expensive coat... or a whole store full of them," Kurt teased, making Blaine laugh.

"You can't deny that it looks good on you." Ohio was finally warming up a little, so Kurt had the opportunity to wear his new caban jacket. It was the first time it had been out of his closet, and so it was very fitting that he got to wear it on his 'first' date with Blaine.

"It does, but no more coats!" Kurt demanded as Blaine opened the passenger side door for him.

"I promise," Blaine said, sealing the deal with a kiss. "Get in."

Kurt wasn't entirely surprised when they drove to BreadstiX. It was the place to be that night, after all. What he was surprised by was the light up signs declaring it the 'Sugar Shack' and catching the end of the God Squad serenading Brittany on Santana's behalf.

You don't know how many times I've wished that I had told you
(Cherish the thought)
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could hold you
(Cherish the thought)
You don't know how many times I've wished that I could
Mold you into someone who could
Cherish me as much as I cherish you
Cherish the thought, Oooh

They also didn't expect to be followed in shortly by Rachel and Finn, who were bright and happy. Finn gave Blaine a fist bump and then offered the same to Kurt, who insisted on a hug. Rachel hugged both of them excitedly, scaring Blaine a little.

"Jesus! Holla!" Sugar said, and who had given her the mic? Speaking of microphones, someone handed one to Blaine with a wink, for which Blaine thanked him. Rachel, Finn, and Kurt all stared at him curiously. "Okay, everyone. It's time for my extra special guest, brand new Gleek, scary Cheerio, and cute as ever! Blaine Anderson!" Everyone cheered as the spotlight turned to Blaine, who had an arm wrapped around Kurt.

"Happy Valentine's Day everybody," Blaine said with a smile. "This song is dedicated to all the lovers in the room." He gave Kurt a quick kiss as the music started, prompting more cheers. "If you see a faded sign at the side of the road that says fifteen miles to the..."

Mercedes joined in, Brittany, Rachel, and Sugar running up to join her (even the stage was set up. Blaine certainly was sneaky), Kurt taking a seat next to Santana with a smile. For all that she hated Blaine, Santana gave him a kiss on the cheek and a 'congrats'. Kurt was handed a microphone by the same mysterious person as the first chorus ended, Blaine dancing over to offer him the mic. Kurt shook his head, pulling out his own and making Blaine raise an eyebrow.

"Sign says 'stay away fools,' 'cause love rules, at the love shack," Kurt sang, joining in on the number and having fun dancing with his boyfriend. He could forget all about the stress of Regionals and his heartbreak over their break-up. He was with Blaine, and everything was all right again. He didn't even care how Blaine had managed this. By the end of his verse, there was no one sitting down, everyone dancing and laughing, enjoying their time together, and it was perfect.

Blaine was leading Puck's sorority girls in a conga line, and everyone was dancing, even the waiters, with their delicately balanced trays of Valentine-themed cupcakes. As they entered into the last portion of the song, Blaine dragged Kurt onto the stage, heart-shaped balloons falling down around them. The spotlight turned towards them just as Blaine grabbed Kurt in a kiss, the room completely dominated by love.

"I love you," Blaine whispered as they parted.

"I love you too."

A/N: Awwww! This story is DONE! Whoooo! I hope you guys all enjoyed :)

Songs used/mentioned:
'Hey You' by Shakira (mentioned)
'Bambeleo/Hero' by Gipsy Kings/Enrique Iglesias in the style of Glee (mentioned)
'Finally Found You' by Enrique Iglesias feat. Sammy Adams (mentioned)
'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston (mentioned)
'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri (mentioned)
'It Will Rain' by Bruno Mars (mentioned)
'I Will Be' by Avril Lavigne
'A Whole New World' from Disney's Aladdin
'Cherish/Cherish' by Madonna/The Association in the style of Glee
'Love Shack' by the B-52s