Blaine’s eyes swept across the bar and towards the door. He sighed.

Rachel reached over the table and patted his hand sympathetically. It was already 7:45pm. 45 minutes after Kurt said he was going to get here.

Stupid, pig-headed Dylan, its Friday night for gods’ sake! Keeping Kurt late on a Friday, hmph, Blaine grumbled to himself.

Mel returned to the table with a large book in one hand and tequila in the other.

“Song selection time! You aren’t getting out of this Blainey!” she giggled, thrusting the book and winking at him.

Rachel brightened immediately and started scribbling down songs she simply had to sing, insisting on doing at least three duets with Mel, Blaine and Kurt when he arrived.

If he arrived, Blaine thought, grumpily. It’s not that he was mad at Kurt, but furious at his boss who kept him at work so long.

Mel and Rachel ran to the DJ with a pile of song requests in their hands and Blaine was subjected to a stern look from his two best friends – pick a song or face the consequences.

Reluctantly, Blaine started flipping through the song book, skimming over some of the titles, trying to find one to his liking.

“Mmm, I think I know a song for you.” A low mumble came from behind Blaine, sending shivers down his spine. He turned his head to meet the gaze of his boyfriend, looking thoroughly apologetic.

“I’m so sorry! Dylan gave me some last minute filing to do,” Kurt rolled his eyes and sat down on the chair saved for him.

“Its fine, you’re here now.” Blaine flashed a grin and leaned over to kiss Kurt, “Now, what song were you going to say?”

“Teenage Dream of course,” Kurt touched Blaine’s shoulder fondly, “it’s the only Katy Perry song I can stand.”

Blaine rolled his eyes, but grinned, writing the song choice on a piece of paper.

Mel and Rachel returned to the table and greeted Kurt.

“Kurty, I want a song with you tonight!” Mel pouted, mirroring an expression that Blaine used often.

Kurt chuckled and nodded his agreement, accepting a drink. The man on the stage declared karaoke open, and the club cheered.

“First up,” he continued, “we have Rachel and… Kurt, singing ‘Defying Gravity’!”

Kurt’s mouth dropped open and Rachel shrugged sheepishly.

“I was hoping you’d be here in time for that.”

Kurt attempted to scowl, but was finding it difficult to hide his pleasure. He grabbed Rachel’s hand and they bounded towards the stage. Mel frowned, wondering how Kurt would handle singing such a high notes.

She voiced this thought to Blaine, who simply stroked her hand. Oh, how much she had to learn.

And when Mel’s mouth comically dropped open as Kurt and Rachel both hit the high F, Blaine wished he’d have recorded it.

An hour later and the club consisted of only Kurt, Mel, Rachel, Blaine and around three other people.

It seems some customers had grown tired of the four hogging the karaoke and had left. Not that this was a bad thing – on the contrary, it means they can sing as much as they’d like.

Many musical numbers later, Kurt and Rachel were almost bouncing in their seats having found something they had performed in their high school glee club among the available songs. They immediately wrote down the titles.

However, one person had yet to sing. Blaine.

He’d been getting increasingly nervous for his slip of paper with ‘teenage dream’ written on it to get picked, not wanting to disappoint.

The DJ, looking tired of the same people turning up at his booth, announced, “Blaine, singing teenage dream by Katy Perry.”

With Mel and Rachel’s encouraging cheers and Kurt’s affectionate hand squeeze, Blaine made his way to the stage. He tried to not the think of the fact this was the first time Kurt would hear him sing properly.

Snap out of it Blaine, you’re a performer.

“Have you got a guitar here?” he asked, hopeful. Playing with his guitar was more comfortable for Blaine.

The DJ nodded, looking slightly confused, but gestured to a beautiful black acoustic guitar.

Blaine nodded his thanks, picked up the instrument, and sat on the stool.

He started to pluck at the strings, closing his eyes and letting the music wash over him as he so rarely let himself do.

Work as a musician was mostly playing the same songs, over and over. It was hard to put emotion into some of the things he was forced into performing.

“You think I’m pretty, without any make-up on,” Blaine sang, at a slower pace than the original song, “You think I’m funny, when I tell the punch line wrong,”

Kurt gasped, surprised and entranced at how Blaine simply sat rocking to the music, eyes shut and seemingly lost in the words.

“I know you get me,” and he sang the words, “So I let my walls come down.” Blaine’s eyes snapped open and stared straight into Kurts.

“Before I met you, I was alright, but things were kind of heavy, you brought me to life, now every February, you’ll be my valentine,” Blaine smiled shyly, “valentine.”

Kurt sat straighter in his seat, drinking in Blaine’s every move, not willing to break the eye contact.

Mel and Rachel looked at the two boys fondly, lost in their own world.

A fast movement caught Rachel’s eye and she turned her head, opening for her eyes to widen and her mouth to drop open.

“What’s wrong?” Mel asked, frowning slightly.

Rachel simply shook her head, not able to reply, too busy asking herself, why? Why here? Why now?

Because, in the doorway, stood Oscar.