Some Enchanted Evening, Part 2
Title: Some Enchanted Evening
Artist: lesorientales
Author: holdmetootight
Rating: PG
Word Count: 6,424
Warnings (if any): N/A
Fic Summary: AU. Costume designer Kurt has heard a lot about Blaine Anderson from his best friend Rachel. He finally gets to meet him when they all work together on a production of South Pacific. At first Blaine seems to be every bit as perfect Rachel as Rachel had described him, but when a meddling Sebastian gives Kurt the wrong impression, Blaine must figure out how to make Kurt his. Loosely follows the lyrics of Some Enchanted Evening from the musical South Pacific.
Link to Art: Art!
Who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons,
Wise men never try
“I just don’t understand why he would ask me out if he had a boyfriend,” Kurt muses to Rachel a few nights later over their dinner of eggplant parmesan.
“Oh, Kurt, I don’t know. If I knew how boys operated, I wouldn’t be single right now, now would I?”
“It’s just…you always talked about him being such a gentleman and so charming and vibrant…and that’s the impression I got of him too, before Sebastian showed up.”
“I have to admit, I was very much surprised by your description of him. But maybe he just isn’t all that he seems.”
“I don’t know, maybe it was all in my head. Maybe I mistook a friendly gesture for something more than it was. Wouldn’t be the first time,” he says, self-deprecatingly.
“Kurt…” Rachel trails off, twirling a string of mozzarella goat cheese on her fork. "You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” she says finally. And then, because she is his best friend, Rachel changes the subject to something she knows Kurt would much rather talk about. “So, how is my costume coming?”
He laughs. “Trust you to bring the conversation back to yourself. But thanks, I needed that.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” she says with a grin.
“Well, your costume is coming along fabulously, of course. It’s almost all pieced together. You’ll probably be able to try it on by next week.”
“Yay! I can’t wait! You always make me feel so beautiful in my costumes. Even that ridiculous one I had to wear for Spanish Rose.
Kurt bursts out laughing at the memory of Rachel prancing around in his carefully constructed monstrosity of a flamenco dress, complete with polka dots and frilly train.
“Hey, I gave them what they asked for!” And so begins the trip down memory lane to revisit all of Rachel’s past costumes and Kurt’s past creations. Crisis averted, for now.
***
“Whoa, what happened in here?” Wes asks as he surveys Blaine’s bedroom from the door.
“I don’t know what to wear!”
“Obviously. Where are you going?”
“To my fitting, Wes!” is Blaine’s indignant reply.
“Blaine, that’s two days from now. And I don’t think your room can take two more days of this clothing tornado. Besides, you look fine in what you’re wearing now.”
“I’m wearing sweatpants!”
“Okay,” says Wes as he tugs a pair of jeans from Blaine’s grasp. “Wear these jeans with…this shirt.” He hands Blaine a teal plaid shirt that is just wrinkled enough to look causal without looking too messy.
A look of comprehension comes over Blaine’s face. “You’re a genius!”
“Finally, you realize what I’ve been saying for years.”
“Shut up, Wes.”
Blaine turns to hang up his newly picked outfit on a hanger as Wes continues wading his way into the room. He plops down on Blaine’s bed after tossing aside some boxers that he sincerely hopes are clean.
“Please don’t tell me you actually spent time debating which underwear you’re going to wear to your fitting.”
“You never know,” Blaine says defensively. “I have to change into the costume and that involves being in only my boxers, even for a short amount of time.”
“And what did you decide on?”
“Blue boxer-briefs, because they’ll show - ”
“Stop! My ears can’t handle that kind of knowledge!”
“You asked!”
“I am regretting that decision now!” Wes says, flinging a balled up pair of socks at Blaine. He catches him square in the chest, prompting Blaine to retaliate with a wadded up t-shirt. And thus begins the all out clothing war. Wes doesn’t mind; he’s just happy to get Blaine’s mind off of Kurt, even if it means getting suffocated by wool sweaters.
Some enchanted evening
When you find your true love,
When you feel her call you
Across a crowded room,
Then fly to her side,
And make her your own
Or all through your life you
May dream all alone
Blaine walks into Coffee Corner the next night with only one thing in mind - he needs caffeine and he needs it now. Rehearsal had been hellish; no matter how hard he had tried to focus, he just wasn’t on the ball today. He knows that it’s partially because he’s still nervous about talking to Kurt during his costume fitting tomorrow and partially because Sebastian kept making eyes at him from his seat in the audience. Wes was right, sooner or later Blaine was going to have to get Sebastian off his back for good; he just had no idea about how to do it. Sure, Wes’s offer of ‘accidently’ tripping the other man sounded good, but Blaine knew he had to face this problem head on. It was just a matter of actually working up the nerve to confront him. Just do it already, says the little voice inside his head that sounds remarkably like his roommate.
“Easier said than done,” Blaine mutters under his breath as he takes his spot in line. It’s late, much later than he usually gets out of rehearsal, but opening night is only two weeks away and the cast is being worked to the bone. He just wants to get his drink and get out. That is, until he hears the telltale tinkle of the door opening and sees Kurt and Rachel enter the coffee shop from the corner of his eye.
He’s already significantly further up in line than they are, so offering to have them wait with him is impossible, unless he wants to get jumped by the scary-looking guy with skull tattoos two spots behind him. And Kurt would probably decline the offer anyway, if he even acknowledged Blaine at all. Maybe Kurt or Rachel will notice him instead. He is, after all, in front of them. Would they recognize the back of his head? What does his hair look like from behind? Is it even recognizable? And, good grief, Blaine thinks, does he even look presentable? After all he’s just finished singing and dancing on stage for five straight hours and he probably smells and there’s no way he wants Kurt to see him like this, and Kurt probably won’t even say anything to him anyway because of the whole Sebastian thing and -
“Sir? Sir! Can I take your order?”
“What?” Blaine asks dazedly. “Oh. Yeah, um, I’ll have…uh…medium drip. Please.”
The barista gives him a funny look, like he might be a deranged lunatic or something equally as scary as Skull Tattoo Man, so Blaine makes sure to put all of his change in the tip jar. He steps aside to wait for his drink and now he’s standing a bit closer to Kurt and Rachel, though by the sounds of their conversation they haven’t actually noticed him yet. Blaine isn’t sure whether to feel relieved or embarrassed, but neither option seems appropriate when he hears what Kurt says next.
“…dreading seeing Blaine tomorrow…”
“…sure he’ll act professionally, Kurt…”
“If he weren’t so cute…”
Cute! Kurt thinks he’s cute! That’s a good sign, right? If Kurt had been completely turned off by Sebastian’s unwarranted display, he would never admit that. Would he? No, Blaine decides, he wouldn’t.
“Medium drip?”
“Mine,” Blaine says, reaching for the cup. “Thank you.”
When he turns around, Kurt is staring at him, mouth agape, looking slightly horrified and clearly thinking that Blaine’s overheard him and Rachel. Which, of course, he has, but that’s okay because clearly Kurt thinks Blaine is attractive which means that Blaine should totally say hello right now instead of staring back at Kurt.
“Hi, Ku - ”
“Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in,” purrs a voice behind Blaine. Blaine cringes and closes his eyes, hoping that when he opens them again he’ll be at home in bed and not in a crowded coffee shop with Rachel and Kurt and Sebastian all looking at him. Unfortunately when Blaine opens his eyes, only part of that wish comes true. He is still in a crowded coffee shop and Sebastian is still there, currently wrapping an arm around Blaine’s shoulders. But Kurt and Rachel are already halfway to the door, Kurt dragging Rachel by her forearm as she complains about missing out on her soy latte. Kurt sends his bitchiest glare in Blaine’s general direction before exiting the coffee shop and less than a millisecond later, Blaine is turning on Sebastian.
“Get off of me!”
Sebastian holds his hands out in front of him as he swiftly backs away from Blaine.
“Whoa, Blaine, what’s your problem?”
“You! You are my problem, Sebastian!” Blaine has clearly reached his breaking point. His only regret at this point is that Wes isn’t here to witness his shining moment.
“Blainey,” Sebastian says in a nervous laugh. “We’re in public.”
“Good!” Blaine says. “I want everyone to know what a horrible creep you are! Stop hanging all over me, stop ruining my chances with other guys, and stop calling me Blainey!”
“Blaine -” But Blaine isn’t finished yet.
“When will you get it through your thick skull that I am never going to date you!”
Sebastian looks shell-shocked and Blaine is trying to regain his composure when he realizes that yes, they are in fact still in public and that he may have just caused enough of a scene to be kicked out of his favorite café. There is a moment of unbearable silence and then the small shop echoes with the sound of applause.
Blaine blinks a few times and looks around in surprise.
“You tell him!” the barista says, fist bumping the air. “Creep has been coming in here for months hitting on all of us. Dude can’t take a hint.”
“I…Blaine…I…” Sebastian splutters.
“Save it,” Blaine says. “I don’t want to hear it.” And then he heads for the exit.
“Blaine!” Sebastian reaches out to grab his hand, but Skull Tattoo Man steps in front of him.
“I believe the nice gentleman wants you to leave him alone.”
Sebastian takes a step back. “Y-yes, sir.”
“His drink’s on me,” Blaine says, slapping some bills down on the counter and nodding towards Skull Tattoo Man. “Have a nice night, everyone.”
***
The full weight of just happened doesn’t hit Blaine until he gets back to his apartment and Wes asks him how his night was. He’s not sure where to start, so the first thing out of his mouth is, inexplicably, “What does my hair look like from behind?”
“What?” Wes asks, bemused.
“Never mind. Wes, you’re going to be so proud of me.”
“Unless you finally grew a pair and stood up to Sebastian, I doubt that.”
Blaine looks at him expectantly, a huge grin on his face.
“You didn’t!”
“I did.”
“Blaine, that’s amazing! What happened?”
And so Blaine relays the whole story of his evening. Of course, Kurt still won’t talk to him and Rachel probably thinks he’s a creep, but hey, he faced down Sebastian today. And tomorrow - well, tomorrow he’s going to land the man of his dreams.
Once you have found her,
Never let her go.
Once you have found her,
Never let her go!
“We’re not calling it the “Don’t Take No for an Answer” plan, Wes. That sounds like I’m going to molest him. Or kidnap him.”
“How about “Project Snag the Seamstress”?”
“I believe they’re called seamsters if they’re male,” Blaine says pointedly.
“Potato, potato, Blaine.”
“I’m going now.”
“Wait!” Wes says. “Tell me the plan one more time!”
Blaine sighs, but decides to appease Wes’s request. “Start from scratch. Hello, my name is Blaine Anderson and I am not dating, nor have I ever dated, Sebastian Smythe. Would you like to go out for coffee with me this evening?”
“You forgot about the part where you call Sebastian a sleazy slimeball.”
“I’m trying to be polite, Wes.”
“I still think it was a good addition.”
“Goodbye, Wes.”
***
Unbeknownst to Blaine, Kurt also has a plan.
“Tell me again,” Rachel demands.
“I’m going to keep it completely professional,” Kurt deadpans. “And I will not be taken in by his charm or good looks.”
“Excellent!” Rachel exclaims. “Meanwhile, he will be completely wowed by your fantastic outfit,” she continues, gesturing to Kurt’s white and blue striped shirt and goldenrod pants, complete with blue suspenders. “Have I told you your ass looks fantastic in those jeans?”
“Hmm, no I don’t believe so,” Kurt says as he thoughtfully strokes his chin.
“Blaine Anderson won’t know what hit him.”
***
Blaine’s been standing outside of Kurt’s backstage door for a good five minutes trying to psyche himself up enough to knock, when Kurt finally puts him out of his misery.
“I can see the shadow of your feet under the door, you know. So you might as well just come in.”
Blaine opens the door sheepishly and walks into the room.
“Hi, Kurt. I - ”
“Here’s your costume,” Kurt interrupts. He thrusts a garment bag into Blaine’s hands and pushes him towards the privacy panel.
“I just wanted to tell you - ”
“Don’t,” Kurt says shortly. “I don’t want to hear it. Just go try your costume on.” He turns to fiddle with a blue notebook on his desk, flipping through the pages, waiting for Blaine to go change.
Blaine gapes at him for a moment before clenching his jaw shut and retreating behind the panel. He sighs and unzips the garment bag. He’s actually quite impressed with his costume. Lt. Cable’s uniform is a dark forest green with a mahogany belt and holster. There are pins and patches on the front of the jacket that look authentic, as well as a matching hat. It definitely looks like Kurt put a lot of research into what the costume should look like, and Blaine takes a moment admire Kurt’s handiwork. Then he sets to work trying on his costume and all the while his mind is reeling.
He just needs Kurt to listen to what he has to say. He knows that Wes would tell him to just spit it out, so that’s what he winds up doing.
“Sebastian’snotmyboyfriend,” he blurts out suddenly. The sound of his voice is muffled due to the fact that he is currently pulling his shirt over his head.
“Excuse me?” Kurt’s voice asks from the other side of the privacy screen.
Blaine forces his head through the hole in his shirt before he repeats himself. “Sebastian is not my boyfriend,” he emphasizes.
Kurt’s silence only makes Blaine want to explain more.
“I’ve never been interested in him,” Blaine stresses. “He’s been coming on to me since auditions and I keep trying to get him to leave me alone but Wes - that’s my roommate - says I’m too nice. But Wes doesn’t understand Sebastian’s wily ways!”
Silence.
“I mean, how many times do I need to say ‘no’ before he gets it? But then he somehow winds up inviting himself out to coffee with me and he conveniently forgets his wallet and then thanks me for taking him out on a date, which it totally wasn’t!”
The silence continues, and at this point Blaine can’t stop himself even though he knows he’s rambling.
“And then when I met you last week I immediately knew I wanted to get to know you better because you were so cute and we were flirting and then I asked you out for coffee and then Sebastian ruined everything and now you won’t even talk to me and - and I’m…I’m going to stop talking now. I’ve missed my chance, haven’t I?” He pauses. “It’s a shame. I think we could have been something special,” he finishes resignedly.
With that, Blaine steps out from behind the privacy panel, adjusting the lapel of his jacket. “It fits,” he says quietly, eyes trained on the floor.
There is a moment of quiet, and then Kurt speaks up for the first time in minutes.
“You owe me a coffee,” he says, fiddling with the pincushion on his wrist.
It take Blaine a moment to comprehend what Kurt said, and he uses that moment to take in Kurt’s sparkling eyes and shy smile.
“Wh - what?” Blaine asks stupidly.
“You owe me a coffee,” Kurt repeats. “Two, actually. One from the date I agreed to go on and one to make up for the one I didn’t get last night.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Blaine asks, taking a step closer to Kurt.
“I am.” Kurt says. “I’m sorry, Blaine. I should’ve given you a chance to explain. I’ve just had a lot of rotten luck with dating and I thought…well, it doesn’t matter what I thought. Clearly I was wrong, and I’m sorry for that. I should’ve realized Sebastian was every bit of a creep as he appears to be.”
Blaine lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and finally allows himself to smile. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that.”
“Oh, I think I have a good idea,” Kurt says, sidling up to Blaine. He takes Blaine’s hands into his own and says, “Let’s start over.”
“I like that idea. Hi, I’m Blaine. I think you’re really cute and I would love to take you out for coffee tonight.”
“Hi, I’m Kurt. I’ve heard a lot about you from my roommate, Rachel.”
“Only good things, I hope.”
“I seem to remember her praising your kissing abilities on more than one occasion.”
“Really now?”
“Mmm hmm. And I’d kind of like to find out if she’s right.”
“Oh. Oh. Well, you know, I’d uh…I’d be perfectly okay with that.”
Kurt leans in then and places a soft kiss on Blaine’s lips. It’s short and sweet and followed by two more kisses. Blaine grins up at him before tugging gently on Kurt’s suspenders, drawing him closer and capturing his lips in a deeper kiss.
Kurt’s lips taste like strawberries and Blaine doesn’t think he’ll ever get enough of them. He rests his hands on Kurt’s hips as Kurt’s hands come up to his chest. Blaine deepens the kiss, running his tongue lightly against Kurt’s bottom lip and then nibbling just the smallest bit.
“Mmm,” Kurt moans softly. Blaine slowly pulls away.
“That was…” Blaine trails off.
“Yeah,” Kurt agrees.
“So how about that coffee?” Blaine asks, slipping his hand into Kurt’s.
“Coffee sounds wonderful.”