Kurt dropped his bag and ran onto the stage.
The teachers no longer tried to keep him in class since his sophomore year when they realized that even though he wasn’t actually inside the classroom half the time, he still managed to get the highest grade in the whole class, which would be saying much more if his school wasn’t full of idiots.
Kurt left pretty much every class every day (except for those when he had tests) to work on the stage, but other days he just went onto the stage and pretended that instead of the McKinley aud, he was standing on a huge Broadway stage that was surrounded by a throng of his admirers.
Schuester didn’t care what Kurt did, he had actually given him his own set of keys to the auditorium and all of its adjacent rooms and cabinets so that he wouldn’t keep interrupting his Spanish classes just to get the keys from him.
Kurt twirled around on the stage, threw his head back, and laughed. Laughed with his whole soul. Laughed like he only could right here. Onstage. Home.
He whipped himself to face forward and smiled.
“It doesn’t matter if you love him, or capital H-I-M”
Kurt had been pushing and shoving Schuester to let Glee do the song, but until they did, who said he couldn’t put on his own little performance?
“He-la he-la mamela” A chant echoed across the auditorium
Kurt was fazed for a second but continued.
“Just raise your paws up” He smirked as he slowly lifted his hands over his head.
“In every creature”
Kurt actually paused this time, then he decided to just sing louder than whomever was interrupting him.
“Cus you were born this way baby”
“He-la he-la mamela”
“My mama told me when I was young, we’re all born superstars”
“In every star
He-la he-la mamela”
“She rolled my hair put my lipstick on”
“In your reflection”
Kurt stood for a second, shocked. He knew this song- he had heard it somewhere before- but where?
“There’s nothing wrong with loving who you are” he sang tentatively.
“He-la he-la mamela” the response came.
“She said, ‘cus he made you perfect babe”
“They live in you”
The last note was being held by a low voice, echoing across the auditorium as Kurt stood stock still, the song that had been interrupting him in no way matching the boy that had just walked in from behind the curtains.
“So hold your head up girl and you’ll go far “
He continued, unsure of what would happen now that the other singer had revealed himself.
“Listen to me when I say”
“Oh-oh-io”
Blaine smiled like a little kid who had just been told that he could play with his toys a little longer.
“I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cus God makes no mistakes”
Kurt knew he shouldn’t continue this, shouldn’t lead him on, but something about the way their voices sounded together kept him going.
“Ingonyama neng’wen-a-ma-ba-la
Ingonyama neng’wen-a-ma-ba-la”
Blaine sang at the same time as Kurt for those two lines, providing a harmony in the background instead of an echo like before. He started to walk towards Kurt, who matched each of his steps and kept them at the same distance.
“I’m on the right track baby
I was born this way”
“Oh-oh-io”
“Oh there ain’t no other way,
Baby I was born this way”
“With the fear of a child”
“I’m on the right track baby
I was born to be brave”
“And the spirit of life”
Kurt stumbled down a step.
“Don’t be a drag just be a queen”
“They live in you
Don’t be a drag just be a queen”
Kurt almost fell down the remaining 2 steps before he realized what he was supposed to do.
“They live in me
Don’t be a drag just be a queen” He sang up to Blaine
“They’re watching over
Don’t be”
Blaine sang as he started down the steps.
“Don’t be”
Kurt stepped off the last stair and started up the aisle
“Everything we see”
Blaine stopped at the bottom stair and belted out the last note.
“A different lover is not a sin
Believe in capital H-I-M”
Kurt kept going up the aisle
“Hear these words and have faith”
Blaine started following him up
“I love my life
I love this record and”
“ Mi amore vole fe ya”“There ain’t no mountain too great”
Their voices weaved different words to the same beat. Kurt had no idea how Blaine managed to mix the two songs so well without any prior preparation but he just went along with it.
“Don’t be a drag just be a queen
Whether you’re broke or evergreen”
“With the fear of a child”
“You’re black, white, beige, chola descent
You’re Lebanese, you’re orient”
“Or the spirit of life”
Kurt reached the end of the aisle and was pushed up against the railing as Blaine got precariously close. When they were less than a foot away, Kurt twisted around and started running towards the other aisle.
“Whether life’s disabilities
Left you outcast bullied or teased”
“They’re watching over”
Blaine ran after him.
“Rejoice and live your life today
‘Cus baby you were born this way”
“Everything we see”
Kurt reached the steps to the stage and raced up them, Blaine followed not long after, taking the steps two by two.
“No matter gay straight or bi
Lesbian, transgender life”
“In your reflection”
They circled each other onstage as they sang.
Sang to the world.
Sang to no one.
Sang to everyone.
Sang to each other.
“I’m on the right track baby
I was born to be brave”
“They live in you”
Kurt didn’t notice, but the space between them kept getting smaller with every second that passed.
“Born this way”
“Oh-oh-io”
They were both singing their hearts out by now, their voices echoing across the auditorium, mingling with each other, weaving in and out and all around, creating an intricate dance that the most agile of people could never even dream of imitating.
“Born this way”
“Oh-oh-io”
They were toe to toe, Blaine’s voice overlapping Kurt’s and not overpowering nor hiding under it, but matching it, making it better, betting itself.
“Born this”
“Oh-oh-I”
They sang the last chant together before Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist and shoved them together, lowering his head to Kurt’s neck and nibbling at the soft skin.
Kurt threw his head back, at any other moment he would be pushing Blaine away, but right here, right now, all he could think was-
“Oh”