A/N: I was waiting for this to get betaed, but it’s taking a while, so I’ll post it anyway and replace it later with the betaed version. I hope you guys don’t mind. I am both expecting and dreading the regionals episode, but I’ll figure something out. You guys are free to suggest things too! Just drop me a word here or in Tumblr. I’ll be starting the university year again in a few days, so it’s going to take longer to post anything. At least I’ll have something to do while we wait for season 3! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of this Silly Love Songs take. There’s something in there for every bird shipper!
Ruffled Feathers
Complexly Simple Kiddo
“I never said it was Kurt!” Domingo claims from his perch on the lamp, and I glare at him as much as I can from my cage.
“But you brought up this whole Valentine’s day thing! I’m still blaming you!”
“I warned you! I told you Blaine was stupid! But you didn’t want to hear it. How is it my fault now?”
“I don’t know, I’m still trying to figure it out,” I confess. I still want to blame this on him, but I know it was actually me who jumped to conclusions. There’s no way I’m going to admit that, though. “Whatever. Now we have to figure out a way to change this”
“Change…what?” Domingo asks, slowly. I think he sounds scared.
“Blaine, of course! We can’t have him sing to another guy! He’s supposed to sing at Kurt!”
“Oh, dear…” Domingo says, and I frown deeper at him. I can feel his patronizing tone coming back. He glides clumsily down his perch to the desk where my cage is, and hops closer. “You can’t really change that, Pav,” he says, and I hate his tone. I hate it when he treats me like a small pigeon. I’m not, I’m a fully adult and proud, if slightly ignorant, Yellow Warbler!
“What do you mean I can’t?” I ask, trying to sound haughty and not confused as I really am.
“Well, love is not something you can… manipulate, you know? If Blaine loves someone else, you can’t really change it”
“But he has to love Kurt! It’s how it’s supposed to work! It’s only logical!”
“Love isn’t logical, Pav.”
“Then love sucks,” I complain, not liking this whole thing one bit. What’s the point in this whole love affair if it doesn’t go like you want it to go? Humans are so exhausting and complicated! “I’m telling you, I’m through worrying about them humans. It’s completely absurd, they act irrationally, and it tires me.”
“You won’t. You worry about Kurt too much,” Domingo says smugly, and I hate to admit that he’s right “Besides, you do irrational things too!”
“I resent that!”
“Just the other day we were standing in a door handle, planning to turn it by the insignificant combined weight of you and I,” he says in a monotone chirping, and adds “that’s irrational”
“It was completely strategic. You just don’t get it”
Kurt gets out of the bathroom and he has a small bag in his hands, and he starts going around the room putting clothes and objects inside a bigger bag and, hold on a minute.
“Kurt?” I ask, tentatively, but I get ignored. Domingo stares, confused.
“What is he doing?”
“He’s… packing?” I answer, not sure. But he is, he must be, because there’s definitely a bag of clothes and stuff in his hands and… Is he leaving us?
“Hey, Kurt, we’re going to figure… Kurt?” Blaine asks from the door, and stops his ramble when he sees the same thing we see.
“I am going to KILL you, Blaine Anderson!!!” I chirp madly at him. If I wasn’t inside the cage, I would be flying at him and pecking angrily at his fingers! Domingo flies back to the lamp, and I don’t know if it’s for my rage or Blaine’s presence.
Probably both.
“Kurt is leaving and it’s all your fault!” I accuse. I can’t believe Kurt is going to leave us! I never thought this love thing was so important! I’m confused!
“Oh, hey, Blaine, what do you need?” he says, trying to sound nonchalant, but I can hear the strain in his voice to sound normal.
“What are you doing?” asks Blaine in his usual perfect mix of worry and confusion.
“I forgot Rachel invited me for a sleepover this weekend,” Kurt says, and I relax a little bit. It’s just for a few days, he’s not leaving us, right?
“But we’re rehearsing the number this weekend…” Blaine asks, still confused and I think he’s slightly hurt. Well, good! He hurt Kurt, being stupid and all!
“Yeah, just e-mail me the arrangement. I’m sure I can figure it out on my own, my parts are not that hard. And you can explain to me any choreography once we’re there. I’m used to winging it, you know, New Directions and all the spontaneity,” he says, offering an awkward chuckle.
“Um, are you going to be able to make it for Sunday? Cause I was really hoping you would be there,” Kurt stares at him with an expression that is unreadable, but Blaine explains further “I- I don’t want to get too nervous. And you’re good at keeping your cool, you know?”
It takes Kurt a few seconds to answer him, and I think a lot of different answers crossed his mind before actually saying.
“I’m sure I’ll manage. I’ll let you know if anything goes wrong. Here,” he says, tossing him the keys to the room “Take care of our feathery voices while I’m out.”
Blaine stares at him speechless while Kurt practically bolts out of the room, and he stands there, for a few seconds, confusion written all over his face.
“Is he… mad, or something?” he asks to no one in particular.
“Boy,” I chirp “you have no idea”
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“What are you doing, Pav?” Domingo asks for the second time in the last ten minutes, and I ignore him just like I’ve been doing for the last twenty hours or so. He sighs resignedly, and I ignore that as well. I’m trying to pry open the trap door, since Kurt left me inside the cage when he left, and Blaine won’t let me out.
“Come on, you can’t ignore me forever”
“Watch me,” I spat, and then I curse mentally because, damn, I talked to him.
“See? Was that so hard? What are you doing?” Domingo asks, and I hate his happy tone.
“I’m baking muffins, what does it look like I’m doing?” I say, and damn, chirping that made me lose my grip on the trap door. I don’t remember opening this being so hard!
“Shit, Pav, why are you so fucking mad at me?”
“Will you PLEASE not use such language?” I cringe “and I’m mad at you because Kurt is gone and it’s all you and Blaine’s fault!”
“How is it my fault again? Blaine’s the one being idiotic, not me”
“Well, you should have warned me! I was perfectly ignorant about this whole Valentine’s business until you decided to meddle and now everything sucks and I had no idea it could turn out like this and I just miss Kurt, ok? Fine, you made me say it, I miss Kurt and I’m stuck here in this cage and why the hell are you still on the lamp!?”
“Are you done?” he asks, amused, and I refrain from cursing him aloud.
“Not quite”
“Look, Pav, Kurt is going to be back, he’s not gone forever. Let me help you with that trap door, ok? Do you promise not to peck at my wings angrily if I come down?”
“No,” I say, still angry, but he comes down anyway, landing on the desk in a very awkward way. “You’re supposed to help, not kill yourself trying to fly”
“Be nice, ok? I’m trying,” he complains, and fine, I try to be nicer. Mostly because I know it’s really not his fault everything sucks, but I just feel so angry. He tries to push the trap door up but he’s worse than me. I let him try anyway, because I’m tired and I need to rant.
“It’s just… This whole love affair sucks. I was lead to believe it was something awesome and now I find out it’s not like that and it just sucks.”
“It’s not always bad, Pav. Love can be awesome too. Take Kurt for example”
“Are you serious? The boy who fled from here because he’s in love with Blaine and Blaine is not? You need a better example of love being awesome”
“No, I mean…” he starts, and the trap door falls again, failing to stay open. He stares at me, trying to explain “Like your love for Kurt, and how Kurt loves you. You think he’s cool and you really care about him, right? That’s awesome”
“I think you’re cool and I care for you and that’s definitely not awesome.” I complain, because the fact that Domingo is cool makes me unable to stay mad at him and act rationally. “Wait, does that mean I love you too? I’m confused”
Domingo lets the trap door fall again, and seriously, I could be doing a better job of this.
“Oh, for glitter’s sake, stop helping,” I say, getting back to work on the trap door. He’s silent for a while, and I don’t pay attention because I’m busy trying to push the door. In fact, I forgot what we were talking about.
“Am… No… well, yeah, I guess? I don’t… Yeah, kinda like that, I suppose, there are different kinds of…Shit.”
I finally push the door all the way up, only paying half attention to Domingo’s ramblings, and chirp in success when I manage to get out.
“Sorry, what were you talking about?” I ask, because, seriously, opening that door was not that hard the last time.
“Nothing,” Domingo says, too quickly, and I stare at him, which in turn seems to make things worse because he turns around and crashes against the book that was on the desk. I try not to laugh. Too hard.
“Klutz,” I say, knowingly, but it’s sort of cute how he’s all flustered. No idea why, though. Domingo’s just weird like that.
“A-anyway, why do you need to get out?” he asks, and I stop to think.
“Actually, I have no idea. I just wanted out I guess. I need to plot how to fix Blaine and Kurt”
Before Domingo can tell me again how it’s not something I can fix - that’s bull, I can fix anything if I set my mind to it- the door of the room opens, and Blaine gets inside. I am disappointed that it’s not Kurt, but I don’t really have time to be sad because…
“Is that fruit? As in, fresh fruit?” I ask, and sure enough, Blaine is holding a slice of apple in his hands and he’s putting it between the bars of my cage and I can swear I could kiss him if I weren’t mad at him still.
“Pav, how do you manage to get out of the cage? You really are smart” he says, trying to smile, but I know he’s not that happy, because the smile doesn’t shine quite as brightly as usual.
“Do you miss Kurt too? You should have sung to him, you know? Then he wouldn’t be mad and you wouldn’t be sad and there would be love and everything would work. Seriously, you humans suck at figuring things out,” I complain to him, but the fruit is right there so I get distracted soon enough, pecking at it. Oh god, it’s so tasty.
“Still mad at me?” asks Blaine, and I turn my head just slightly, still eating, to see who he’s talking to. He’s staring at the lamp. Oh, right. Domingo.
“I feel like I did something wrong and everyone’s mad at me. Even birds. God, I’m insane,” he laughs, and I resist the urge to smack him. He is insane alright, but not for the reasons he think he is.
The door opens again, and this time I forget about the fruit because…
“Kurt!” I chirp, trying not to fly to him, because I would probably fall. But I want to!
“Kurt, hey,” says Blaine, and he sounds timid, which is funny because Blaine is anything but. I guess he’s trying to asses Kurt’s mood, which is always difficult, so I’ll give him credit for trying “I was just feeding Pav, and Domingo too I guess, but he refuses to… come…down,” he trails off, not getting any reaction from Kurt, who is still offering his poker face. “So, umm, how did the sleepover go?”
“It was fun,” Kurt says finally, moving inside to drop his bag on the bed and check on me “Apple, huh. I had no idea birds ate that” he says and, god, Kurt. A little research doesn’t hurt anyone. Seeds are ok but, sometimes, you have to switch it up a little.
“So, are you… coming to the flash mob today?”
“What happened to ‘gap attack’?” asks Kurt, finally breaking into a smile. It’s tiny, and barely there, but it makes Blaine relax incredibly.
“Wes said it didn’t sound professional or something like that”
“Because flash mob does,” Kurt mocks, rolling his eyes, and Blaine’s smile gets shinier.
“I don’t get it. They are obviously dependent on each other!” I complain, watching them interact “how is that not love?”
“I never said it wasn’t, you know?” Domingo answers, and it startles me because I mostly asked that aloud to myself, I forgot Domingo was watching too.
“What do you mean?” I ask, paying no attention to the boys leaving. They’re going to sing to that boy and Kurt is being supportive. I just love that kid.
“Well, I know Blaine is going to sing to someone else,” Domingo starts, flying down to the desk now that Blaine and Kurt are gone “but I don’t know how well that’s going to end. I have to be honest, I heard Blaine talk more about Kurt than this boy. I think he loves Kurt, but he doesn’t really know to what extent. Maybe he’s waiting. Even without knowing he’s waiting”
I try. I really try to understand it, but I just don’t get it. If they’re both in love, then why do they need to wait? I voice my concerns and Domingo stares at me, more serious than I ever saw him be, and says, like he’s dealing with someone particularly dense.
“Maybe Blaine,” he says, putting special emphasis on his name, which I seriously don’t get why “doesn’t know he’s in love, or at least, how much he loves Kurt,” again with emphasis on the name, and why is Domingo talking weird?
Hmm, so it could be Blaine is clueless. It sounds really stupid to me, but hell, humans are weird. I turn my head to say that to Domingo, and I forget what I was about to say.
“Why… are you staring at me like that?” I ask, because Domingo is practically glaring at me. Did I do something wrong?
He just sighs, and flies back to the lamp.
“Nevermind, Pav. Do you want to steal some more threads to your glittery nest?”
I ignore the tone in which he said ‘glittery nest’ in a mocking way, because, yes. I could do with some threads right now.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I’ve been dropped in the warbler room again, and I’m quite sure there’s no rehearsal today, so I’m really curious about why I’m here. Maybe it’s just Kurt taking me to a nicer room, as usual, but I have the feeling there’s something more to it. Kurt’s mood was very weird since they came back from the whole gap serenading stupidity, and I’m having trouble trying to understand it. Sometimes, it’s easier to observe Blaine to understand the whole picture. And Blaine did not look happy, so I’m guessing the serenade didn’t go as planned. Good. He was supposed to love Kurt, anyway.
This whole love thing looks like so much trouble, I can’t help but wonder.
Is it really worth it?
And it’s certainly more complex than what I first thought. Maybe there are different kinds of love. Domingo mentioned my love for Kurt, but I’m pretty sure humans don’t celebrate quite that kind of love in this valentine thing. How do you know what kind of love it is, though? Maybe that’s what Domingo was trying to say. Maybe Blaine doesn’t quite get what kind of love he has for Kurt.
The door opens, startling me just a little bit. I was half expecting someone was going to get here, since it feels like Kurt brought me here for something. I turn in my twig to see who it is, and I can’t help but smile.
“Hey, Flint!” I chirp, happy to see one of the kinder warblers.
“Hey Pav,” he answers, which is weird. Usually I get ignored. I’m even more surprised when he asks me how I’m doing, and actually expects me to chirp in answer, sitting in the couch closer to my cage.
“I’m… quite good actually. How are you?” I ask, politely. Just because he can’t understand me doesn’t mean you get to be rude, right?
“I’m good. Just wondering what this second emergency meeting is all about.”
Ok, wait. This is just weird. He can’t really… understand what I’m saying, right?
“You can… understand?” I ask, but he just smiles at me, which doesn’t really help. I hop closer to him, curious.
“You’re Kurt’s Pavarotti, right? I can see the glitter on the edge of the cage,” he says, reaching out to take the glitter off with his thumb. I am speechless. “Oh wait! I have something for you,” he says, and searches in his bag, taking out a cookie, and putting it between my bars.
“I… Why?” I ask, seriously surprised.
“You’re kind of cute,” he says, and I don’t know if he’s just saying that or he’s really replying. He sticks his finger between the bars, touching my beak and I peck at him in thanks.
I really like this kid.
Sadly, all the warblers start arriving, so I can’t really tell him that.
“What are you doing with the bird, Flint?” asks Wes in a concerned way. Why is that boy always worried about something? I can already see the gavel in his hand. Damnit.
“Just chatting,” Flint says, shrugging, and David sits down on the desk, frowning at the boy.
“With a bird?”
Flint just smiles, and many of the warblers shake their heads, either ignoring the exchange happened at all, or worrying about the boy that claims to be talking with a bird. I don’t know yet in which team I am, because I haven’t made up my mind about this guy.
Once Blaine and Kurt get inside the room, followed by Jeff, the doors close. Any minute now and I’ll be…
“This emergency meeting is called to order,” says Wes and, guess what? He hits that damn gavel of his. Flints gives me a sympathetic look and hold a damn minute. He can’t hear what I think too, right? Maybe he just has a super weird sixth animal sense?
“So what is it this time? Who are you planning on serenading now, Blaine?” says Thad, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s saying that because he’s mad, or just joking in general. Blaine gives him a patient look.
“Actually, I didn’t call this meeting. Kurt did”
“Since when junior members can call so many emergency meetings?” wonders Jeff, mostly because he’s genuinely confused about how the warblers work. Poor kid, I totally understand him.
“I was just thinking,” starts Kurt, standing up, and already with his appeal mode on “that since the last flash mob we performed went really good… performance wise, of course,” he adds, and gives Blaine a quick, sympathetic look. Blaine just smiles and shakes his head. Oh well, at least he’s not moping anymore “I though we could do something for Valentine’s Day this time, for other people.”
“Care to elaborate?” asks Wes, already frowning. That boy seriously needs to lighten up.
“Let’s be honest here. For anyone who’s not actually dating someone, Valentine sucks, right?” such honesty got him many laughs, and words of agreement, and Kurt got a little more comfortable talking “So I was thinking maybe we could arrange a song to single people. It wouldn’t have to be all of us, those who are lucky and have dates don’t have to perform. But since the rest of us is probably trying to figure out how to spend the day, why not give something to others?”
“What do you have in mind?” asks David, already smiling. I’m pretty sure he has a girlfriend, but I bet he and Wes will ignore them for the sake of the warblers. They are THAT involved.
“I was thinking something like one Mr. Paul McCartney. Silly Love Songs. Off Campus,” he adds, as an afterthought, mimicking Blaine. Everyone laughs, including Blaine. It was a pretty good impersonation. Seeing as Wes is about to protest, he hastily adds “This time the people at Breadstix will be fully informed of the plan, and it will be more like a stage mini performance, not quite a flash mob. Something more… professional”
I can already see Wes liking the idea, his eyes shined at the word ‘professional’, and I have to give credit to Kurt. He’s way too good at convincing people.
“But we don’t have the time to do the arrangement,” pointed Thad, ever the optimist. Blaine was the one to speak up this time.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry. I found a pretty good one online, we just have to adjust it to the voices we have. It will only take us an hour or so,” he says, taking the music sheets out of his bag and handing it to Wes. David read the papers over Wes shoulder and smiled.
“I don’t see why not. And even if the flash mob didn’t work so well for Blaine, it was a pretty good experience for the Warblers”
Blaine grimaced at this, and many offered kind words, such as ‘I’m sorry man’ and ‘he was probably an idiot anyway’.
“I am not sorry. I’m actually happy,” I say, trying not to sound too haughty but probably failing “Blaine is supposed to love Kurt anyway. The sooner he realizes this, the better.”
Flint suddenly laughs. And we all stare at him. Including myself.
I’m seriously starting to worry about these people.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
“Do you know that guy Flint? He’s one of the human warblers,” I ask Domingo later that day, when I’m back at Kurt’s room.
“Yes, why?” he says from his spot on the lamp. I peck at my cookie in contemplation.
“Do you know if he can understand us? I was chirping and I swear he could understand what I was saying. It looked that way, anyway”
“…I don’t think humans can, no,” he says after a long pause. I wonder why it took him so long to reply.
“But, say he does understand. Say he has like, some super six sense or something. Wouldn’t that be super cool?”
“No,” he says, and I leave my cookie to stare at him questioningly. He shakes his wings and mutters “I just don’t like him, ok?”
“I think I love him,” I say, contemplative, and the lamp rattles because Domingo almost falls off it. The klutz. “I mean, I think I do, like with Kurt, and Blaine to some extent. You can love many people, right? Like, they are different kinds of love?”
“I guess. I mean I love you and Blaine, and they are different kinds of love,” he says, which reminds me.
“If you really love Blaine, you should come down and be over your silly fight. He is not going to sing that song repeatedly anymore, and he misses you terribly. You’re hurting him,” I chide, and he sighs once again in a very exasperated way.
“Oh Pav, you are so dense,” he mutters, and I frown at him. What do I have to do in all of this, anyway?
“Just come down, get inside your cage, and make up with Blaine. You really love him, and you’re just being mean to him by ignoring him”
“Oh, because someone suddenly became a love expert,” he snorts, but does as I say anyway, getting inside his cage, if only reluctantly.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, only slightly offended. He sighs again.
“Nothing Pav. Just don’t be friends with Flint, I don’t like him,” he says, and he’s moping again. I swear I cannot keep up with Domingo’s moods.
Kurt finally arrives, and Blaine is tagging along. The chirping must have gone well because they’re laughing, but they stop when Blaine sets his eyes on Domingo’s cage.
“Oh, look who decided to be agreeable again,” chirps Kurt, amused. Blaine’s smile is threatening to split his face in two.
“Domingo! Whatever I did, I’m sorry, ok?” he says, and I can see Domingo already caving in at Blaine’s charm. Nobody can stay angry at Blaine. I know this because I’m not angry at him anymore either, and neither is Kurt. And we both have pretty good reasons to be.
I guess that’s love for you. Completely irrational, but absolutely awesome.