FIC: Different for Girls 7 of 7 (Kat/Elliott)
Author: Clio
Title: Different for Girls Chapter 7 of 7: Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?
Pairing: American Idol: Katharine McPhee/Elliott Yamin
Summary: Kat's recent heartbreak has left her a changed woman-and now her old friend Elliott is seeing her in a different light.
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Chapter Length: 1500 words
Disclaimer: People sort of own themselves, don't they? Which means this is a work of fiction.
Notes: Thank you, thank you, thank you lillijulianne. While this story is a sequel of sorts to her sequence of stories about Blake, Chris and Kat, there's probably enough information here to read this on its own. All you need know is that Kat had been engaged to another man at the time she was fooling around with Blake and Chris.
1: But Not For Me | 2: I've Got a Crush on You | 3: Nice Work If You Can Get It | 4: You've Got What Gets Me | 5: They Can't Take That Away From Me | 6: How Long Has This Been Going On?
Chapter Seven: Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?
Elliott could see Kat and Chris standing off stage right, and the camera in front of them. They'd gone up for Record of the Year before the break-Kat, and Chris who had a producing credit on the song, and her producer Tom-and were waiting for Song of the Year, and the two of them were visibly vibrating.
As was the man next to him. Elliott and Blake had moved to sit together at the aisle, leaving the inner seats to the seat fillers. They were holding their breath, and then Elliott felt Blake hold his hand, too, and they turned and smiled at each other with the hoping. And then the name was called, by Springsteen of all people, and they jumped up and shouted and hugged each other, and threw hands up to Chris and Kat on stage again, crying, the four of them.
Blake and Elliott beat a quick path for backstage after that-album of the year was going to the new Zeppelin, everyone knew that, so there was nothing to stay for really-and some PA was leading them through a maze of green rooms to one where Chris and Kat would be able to find them after they'd gone through the press room.
"Amazing," Blake said, opening a bottle of seltzer.
"Yeah," Elliott said.
"I mean, it's just, I'm so fucking happy for him. It's nice just being the husband, you know?"
Elliott nodded. He and Blake weren't really close, aside from their odd foursome. He was better friends with Chris-they were from the same place and had similar approaches to music and to the industry-but the things he had in common with Blake, like his stubborn streak, usually pushed them apart. But when Blake stopped and just let it show to other people how much he flat-out loved Chris-in those moments, Elliott felt they were more alike than different, really.
"Speaking of which," Blake said, "you gonna make an honest woman out of our Kat?"
"She ask you to ask?" Elliott asked.
"What makes you say that?"
"Oh, it just sounds awfully conventional coming from you. You're more of a feelings guy."
Blake shrugged. "That's me. But she's the marrying type."
"Soon," Elliott said. "Really soon."
"Seriously?" Blake asked, his eyes widening.
"Yeah. Wow, I actually-I haven't said that to anyone else yet. But after this mini-tour I've got coming up in March, I'm going to talk to her father."
"Dude!" Blake said, clapping him on the arm. "That's going to make her so happy. I'm a big fan of Kat being happy."
"I know."
"And you make her some seriously fucking happy."
"I hope so. I'm glad it shows."
"Trust me, it does," Blake said, and they clinked Perrier bottles.
And then Chris and Kat burst into the room, and it was all shouting, and the rest was pretty much a blur. But when Elliott thought back to that night, or saw pictures from it, what he remembered was Kat's shriek, and Chris's shout, and then also, Blake holding his hand tight.
The baby was adorable, round-faced and bright-eyed and long-limbed, would probably be taller than one if not both of his fathers, too little to be out of new-baby blue eyes and soft brown head-fuzz. "He mostly likes blowing spit bubbles and holding fingers," Chris said, "and eating. I thought Blake ate a lot, but he isn't still growing." Chris was grinning like his cheeks should ache from it, and his eyes were bright like Elliott had never seen them, but also rimmed red.
"But not sleeping, I take it," Elliott said, letting the baby grab onto his pinkie.
Chris shrugged. "I'll sleep when he leaves for college," he said, and shuffled the baby in his arms. "Here, you want to take him?"
Elliott looked up. He'd never been at a party where there was a baby that didn't end up in Chris's arms by the end of the day, but Elliott tended to skirt around them himself. They were so small, and he was, well, kinda clumsy. But Chris smiled, so what the hell, he was going to have one sooner or later anyway. Might as well start now. "Sure," he said, setting his bottle down on the nearby table. Chris nudged up Elliott's arm, to keep the baby's head up, and there Elliott was, standing in a living room, holding a baby.
The baby looked over at Chris, who smiled at him, and then up at Elliott. He kicked his feet, then reached out with one hand, a little blindly, and grabbed for Elliott's beard, and all Elliott could think was, what tiny, tiny fingernails. Elliott looked up and saw Chris watching Blake, across the way, talking to Kat.
"Oh, yeah," Elliott said. "We got engaged a week ago."
Chris looked back, sharply. "'Oh yeah'? You say 'oh yeah' for like, 'oh yeah, we got new towels' or 'oh yeah, I got a gig in Pasadena.' You don't say 'oh, by the way, almost forgot, gonna get married.' You say, 'Hell yeah, gonna get married. Geez, Elliott."
"You're a girl, Chris."
"More man than you'll ever … never mind, I actually can't say that. Katharine is more woman than me."
"Yeah, about that. I know."
"What? Know about what?"
Elliott shrugged, best as he could with a baby in his hands, and said, "I know that you know very well how much woman Katharine is."
"Oh." Chris rubbed the back of his neck. "So this is awkward."
"Why?"
"Well, I mean, how much did she tell you?"
"Enough," Elliott said, and made a face at the baby.
"And you're all right with that?"
"I'm not sure why I should care. We all have exes, and histories."
"How long have you known?" Chris asked, looking over at Kat and Blake, who were embracing, Blake bouncing a little.
"A year," Elliott said.
"A year?"
"Yeah." The baby by now had grown weary of the new beard and was staring up at his father, or at least, in that general direction.
"Well, I don't know what to say."
"How about congratulations?"
"Of course. Yeah, man, congrats," Chris said, patting Elliott on the back.
Blake and Kat approached and Blake said, "This is fantastic, man, Kat just told me. I mean, really, this is excellent!"
"Thanks!" Elliott said. "It is. She is, she really is excellent."
"Yeah," Blake said, looking at Kat. "She is."
"And so is this baby," Elliott said. "Squirmy."
"Can I hold him?" Kat asked.
Blake took the baby from Elliott, but Chris said, "Show me the ring first."
"You're a girl, Rich," Blake said.
"Good job, Yamin," Chris said, admiring the ring.
"Thanks, but Kat picked it out. I didn't ask her with it. She's very particular."
"Why isn't anyone admiring his watch?" Kat asked.
"You got a watch?" Blake asked.
Elliott nodded, pushing up his sleeve. "Tradition. Nice, isn't it?"
"Good job, McPhee," Chris said.
"Oh, Elliott picked it out," she said, taking the baby from Blake. "He's very-"
"-particular, yeah, we get it," Blake said.
"He's also excellent," Kat added. "And so are you, little man!" she said, cooing at the baby.
"Are you going to show them?" Elliott asked.
"Oh! Right!" Kat turned, seeing the bathroom door not far from them. She walked toward it and the door opened, Seacrest walking out.
"Kat!" he said. "I hear congratulations are in order."
"You bet. Here, have a baby," she said, and handed the little bundle to him before walking into the bathroom.
"Um," he said, shifting awkwardly, watching Elliott and Blake follow her. Chris stopped to move Ryan's arms so he could carry the baby better, then went into the bathroom too, shutting the door behind him.
Inside, Kat leaned back against the sink and pulled her skirt up, showing her upper thigh.
"You changed it," Blake said, reaching out to touch her tattoo before he thought better of it and pulled his hand back.
"So the cake, that's you two, and the candle, that's Elliott. But the whole thing together, that's me, like, birthday?" She bit her lip. "What do you think?"
Chris grinned. "I think it's excellent."
"What do you think, Elliott?" Blake asked.
"I think it's her body, is what I think," he replied. "But I like it."
"Blake?" Kat asked.
Blake did reach out then, pressing down on the tattoo with two fingers, then letting go. "I love it."
"Hey!" Gina's voice came through the door, and then a thump of a knock. "You'd better not be doing drugs in there!" Pause. "Or each other!"
Laughing, they opened the door, Blake walking out first. "Gina-beena, please." He took the baby back from her, unsurprised that Seacrest had ditched the kid so quickly. "We're all old married people now."
"Or soon will be," Elliott added.
"We wouldn't do anything like that," Chris said.
"Well," Gina said, and her shoulders relaxed. "That's all right then."
"Yeah. It really is," Kat said, and smiled.
Title: Different for Girls Chapter 7 of 7: Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?
Pairing: American Idol: Katharine McPhee/Elliott Yamin
Summary: Kat's recent heartbreak has left her a changed woman-and now her old friend Elliott is seeing her in a different light.
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Chapter Length: 1500 words
Disclaimer: People sort of own themselves, don't they? Which means this is a work of fiction.
Notes: Thank you, thank you, thank you lillijulianne. While this story is a sequel of sorts to her sequence of stories about Blake, Chris and Kat, there's probably enough information here to read this on its own. All you need know is that Kat had been engaged to another man at the time she was fooling around with Blake and Chris.
1: But Not For Me | 2: I've Got a Crush on You | 3: Nice Work If You Can Get It | 4: You've Got What Gets Me | 5: They Can't Take That Away From Me | 6: How Long Has This Been Going On?
Chapter Seven: Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?
Elliott could see Kat and Chris standing off stage right, and the camera in front of them. They'd gone up for Record of the Year before the break-Kat, and Chris who had a producing credit on the song, and her producer Tom-and were waiting for Song of the Year, and the two of them were visibly vibrating.
As was the man next to him. Elliott and Blake had moved to sit together at the aisle, leaving the inner seats to the seat fillers. They were holding their breath, and then Elliott felt Blake hold his hand, too, and they turned and smiled at each other with the hoping. And then the name was called, by Springsteen of all people, and they jumped up and shouted and hugged each other, and threw hands up to Chris and Kat on stage again, crying, the four of them.
Blake and Elliott beat a quick path for backstage after that-album of the year was going to the new Zeppelin, everyone knew that, so there was nothing to stay for really-and some PA was leading them through a maze of green rooms to one where Chris and Kat would be able to find them after they'd gone through the press room.
"Amazing," Blake said, opening a bottle of seltzer.
"Yeah," Elliott said.
"I mean, it's just, I'm so fucking happy for him. It's nice just being the husband, you know?"
Elliott nodded. He and Blake weren't really close, aside from their odd foursome. He was better friends with Chris-they were from the same place and had similar approaches to music and to the industry-but the things he had in common with Blake, like his stubborn streak, usually pushed them apart. But when Blake stopped and just let it show to other people how much he flat-out loved Chris-in those moments, Elliott felt they were more alike than different, really.
"Speaking of which," Blake said, "you gonna make an honest woman out of our Kat?"
"She ask you to ask?" Elliott asked.
"What makes you say that?"
"Oh, it just sounds awfully conventional coming from you. You're more of a feelings guy."
Blake shrugged. "That's me. But she's the marrying type."
"Soon," Elliott said. "Really soon."
"Seriously?" Blake asked, his eyes widening.
"Yeah. Wow, I actually-I haven't said that to anyone else yet. But after this mini-tour I've got coming up in March, I'm going to talk to her father."
"Dude!" Blake said, clapping him on the arm. "That's going to make her so happy. I'm a big fan of Kat being happy."
"I know."
"And you make her some seriously fucking happy."
"I hope so. I'm glad it shows."
"Trust me, it does," Blake said, and they clinked Perrier bottles.
And then Chris and Kat burst into the room, and it was all shouting, and the rest was pretty much a blur. But when Elliott thought back to that night, or saw pictures from it, what he remembered was Kat's shriek, and Chris's shout, and then also, Blake holding his hand tight.
The baby was adorable, round-faced and bright-eyed and long-limbed, would probably be taller than one if not both of his fathers, too little to be out of new-baby blue eyes and soft brown head-fuzz. "He mostly likes blowing spit bubbles and holding fingers," Chris said, "and eating. I thought Blake ate a lot, but he isn't still growing." Chris was grinning like his cheeks should ache from it, and his eyes were bright like Elliott had never seen them, but also rimmed red.
"But not sleeping, I take it," Elliott said, letting the baby grab onto his pinkie.
Chris shrugged. "I'll sleep when he leaves for college," he said, and shuffled the baby in his arms. "Here, you want to take him?"
Elliott looked up. He'd never been at a party where there was a baby that didn't end up in Chris's arms by the end of the day, but Elliott tended to skirt around them himself. They were so small, and he was, well, kinda clumsy. But Chris smiled, so what the hell, he was going to have one sooner or later anyway. Might as well start now. "Sure," he said, setting his bottle down on the nearby table. Chris nudged up Elliott's arm, to keep the baby's head up, and there Elliott was, standing in a living room, holding a baby.
The baby looked over at Chris, who smiled at him, and then up at Elliott. He kicked his feet, then reached out with one hand, a little blindly, and grabbed for Elliott's beard, and all Elliott could think was, what tiny, tiny fingernails. Elliott looked up and saw Chris watching Blake, across the way, talking to Kat.
"Oh, yeah," Elliott said. "We got engaged a week ago."
Chris looked back, sharply. "'Oh yeah'? You say 'oh yeah' for like, 'oh yeah, we got new towels' or 'oh yeah, I got a gig in Pasadena.' You don't say 'oh, by the way, almost forgot, gonna get married.' You say, 'Hell yeah, gonna get married. Geez, Elliott."
"You're a girl, Chris."
"More man than you'll ever … never mind, I actually can't say that. Katharine is more woman than me."
"Yeah, about that. I know."
"What? Know about what?"
Elliott shrugged, best as he could with a baby in his hands, and said, "I know that you know very well how much woman Katharine is."
"Oh." Chris rubbed the back of his neck. "So this is awkward."
"Why?"
"Well, I mean, how much did she tell you?"
"Enough," Elliott said, and made a face at the baby.
"And you're all right with that?"
"I'm not sure why I should care. We all have exes, and histories."
"How long have you known?" Chris asked, looking over at Kat and Blake, who were embracing, Blake bouncing a little.
"A year," Elliott said.
"A year?"
"Yeah." The baby by now had grown weary of the new beard and was staring up at his father, or at least, in that general direction.
"Well, I don't know what to say."
"How about congratulations?"
"Of course. Yeah, man, congrats," Chris said, patting Elliott on the back.
Blake and Kat approached and Blake said, "This is fantastic, man, Kat just told me. I mean, really, this is excellent!"
"Thanks!" Elliott said. "It is. She is, she really is excellent."
"Yeah," Blake said, looking at Kat. "She is."
"And so is this baby," Elliott said. "Squirmy."
"Can I hold him?" Kat asked.
Blake took the baby from Elliott, but Chris said, "Show me the ring first."
"You're a girl, Rich," Blake said.
"Good job, Yamin," Chris said, admiring the ring.
"Thanks, but Kat picked it out. I didn't ask her with it. She's very particular."
"Why isn't anyone admiring his watch?" Kat asked.
"You got a watch?" Blake asked.
Elliott nodded, pushing up his sleeve. "Tradition. Nice, isn't it?"
"Good job, McPhee," Chris said.
"Oh, Elliott picked it out," she said, taking the baby from Blake. "He's very-"
"-particular, yeah, we get it," Blake said.
"He's also excellent," Kat added. "And so are you, little man!" she said, cooing at the baby.
"Are you going to show them?" Elliott asked.
"Oh! Right!" Kat turned, seeing the bathroom door not far from them. She walked toward it and the door opened, Seacrest walking out.
"Kat!" he said. "I hear congratulations are in order."
"You bet. Here, have a baby," she said, and handed the little bundle to him before walking into the bathroom.
"Um," he said, shifting awkwardly, watching Elliott and Blake follow her. Chris stopped to move Ryan's arms so he could carry the baby better, then went into the bathroom too, shutting the door behind him.
Inside, Kat leaned back against the sink and pulled her skirt up, showing her upper thigh.
"You changed it," Blake said, reaching out to touch her tattoo before he thought better of it and pulled his hand back.
"So the cake, that's you two, and the candle, that's Elliott. But the whole thing together, that's me, like, birthday?" She bit her lip. "What do you think?"
Chris grinned. "I think it's excellent."
"What do you think, Elliott?" Blake asked.
"I think it's her body, is what I think," he replied. "But I like it."
"Blake?" Kat asked.
Blake did reach out then, pressing down on the tattoo with two fingers, then letting go. "I love it."
"Hey!" Gina's voice came through the door, and then a thump of a knock. "You'd better not be doing drugs in there!" Pause. "Or each other!"
Laughing, they opened the door, Blake walking out first. "Gina-beena, please." He took the baby back from her, unsurprised that Seacrest had ditched the kid so quickly. "We're all old married people now."
"Or soon will be," Elliott added.
"We wouldn't do anything like that," Chris said.
"Well," Gina said, and her shoulders relaxed. "That's all right then."
"Yeah. It really is," Kat said, and smiled.