Fic - Every Word Chapter 10 of 12; Glee; Kurt/Blaine
Chapter 10
Wes capitulates. The opening is set for Friday. The end of the week approaches more quickly than Blaine expected. He sits in on the technical rehearsal; he watches the cue to cue; he listens to the whole show as it's sung and played over and over again from the beginning. He’s thrilled and anxious.
Both dress rehearsals are a series of calamities but Blaine elects to see that as a positive sign. At least everyone looks great. Kurt, predictably, looks amazing.
Opening night is at the New Conservatory Theatre. Blaine is giddy with it. He’s dressed to meet the critics and guests in the reception hall before the show. Walking across the stage, his hand creeps toward his bow tie. He wouldn’t be himself without an impeccably tied bow tie.
He slips through the wings. Backstage everything is humming with the pulse of opening night, opening night.
Amongst it all Kurt is sitting on a riser, watching the world go on around him. He’s dressed for the opening scene. His feet are bare. In his costume of a slim white t-shirt and loose pants he looks as young and beautiful as the David he will start the night playing. Kurt catches sight of Blaine and looks him up and down. Blaine moves into Kurt's space. Kurt stands and reaches out to adjust Blaine’s bow tie.
“Just right,” he pronounces seriously. "The whole thing." Blaine smiles, oddly relieved.
“Everyone’s ready to go,” says Blaine.
“No last minute disasters?”
Blaine ensures he is touching wood before saying, with some emphasis, “Kurt. No.”
Kurt has the grace to blush. “Sorry, I’m distracted,” he says.
Some of the cast push by, half costumed. Kurt pulls Blaine to sit down beside him.
“I have a gift for you,” he says and takes Blaine’s hand to press something into it.
It’s a lapel pin, old fashioned, with a beautifully moulded red flower.
“Flowers are traditional,” says Kurt. He shrugs, a little reticent. “I couldn’t make a big fuss of you and not the rest of the cast. So I settled on this.”
“Kurt. It’s perfect,” says Blaine. “Pin it on for me?”
“You don’t have to-“
“Kurt.”
Kurt touches Blaine's lapel with careful hands. His long fingers adjust the pin minutely until he’s satisfied. He smiles. Blaine’s palms are sweaty against his pants. The cast and crew are a whirlwind around them and Kurt’s clear eyes are on him.
Somehow this feels like every moment Blaine ever dreamed up all at once.
“These last couple of weeks,” Kurt says softly, “Have been a bit of a revelation - watching you bring this show together.”
“I’m really proud of everyone,” says Blaine tentatively.
“I know you are. And the cast is incredible. But what I mean is - Blaine.” Kurt looks pained, tooth extraction levels of pain. Blaine tries to interrupt but Kurt waves a hand to stop him. He takes a breath. “We're surrounded by all these incredibly talented people. But the truth is, for me, there has never been anyone else in a room when you’re there.”
Blaine is aware he is staring, unblinking.
“I wanted you to know,” says Kurt.
“Okay,” Blaine breathes.
“Okay?” Kurt’s eyes are warm and amused.
“That’s not what I was expecting you to say.”
“What were you expecting?”
“Break a leg?”
Kurt laughs. “That too. Come on. We have a show to put on. Let’s kill this thing,” he says. He leans to kiss Blaine on the cheek, chaste and full of promise. “I’ll see you out there.”
**
The show closes to a standing ovation. It’s an opening night audience, all invited, so the ovation is expected, really. Still, Blaine knows the difference between real and fake and this audience surged to its feet to applaud this cast, his show.
There’s not much in the world that feels like this. Blaine bows with the soldiers, and they all move to one side.
Vanessa and Amaryllis and the older guys, Jesse and Samuel and Saul, come out to cheers.
Then Elisha and Kurt step onto the stage and the sound is like thunder. Blaine watches Kurt in profile. As always when people applaud him, Kurt looks astonished. Blaine's smile widens.
The cast parts and turns to Blaine, some waving him forward. Kurt holds out a hand, his sweet face flushed and glowing. Blaine steps forward to stand with Kurt and Elisha. It's a dream.
**
Kurt changes into his three-piece suit with a speed rarely before associated with Kurt Hummel and getting dressed. He takes the time to stop in front of a mirror though. The suit is Nicole Farhi in a textured gray, detailed and perfectly fitted. He has paired it with a red and navy plaid shirt and he loves the contrast.
Kurt hurries out to the entrance hall to find his family and Santana. The room is crowded and Kurt pauses as he enters. Someone collides with his back and he turns to see Blaine. Blaine’s elation is palpable.
"Did you see?" Blaine says. "Kurt. They loved you."
"They loved your show," says Kurt.
Blaine is almost vibrating. He beams at Kurt and it's like the sun coming out.
"Oh my god," says Kurt without meaning to. "You are simply the cutest. I will never not be in love with you."
There’s a suspended moment. Kurt's hand is on Blaine's arm. Blaine’s eyes are wide and bright and it might be true that Blaine’s never looked at anyone but Kurt that way.
Kurt says, "I was heading to see my dad.”
"My parents are here for the weekend," says Blaine. “But I want-“ His voice breaks a little.
There’s a frozen moment between them.
"I want to have time with you," says Kurt, suddenly decisive. "Not just stolen seconds between the matinee and heading back into make-up."
"Okay.” Blaine takes a breath. “So. Monday? Monday we have no show, and our families will have gone home."
"Monday," says Kurt. He can't move.
Blaine says, “Kurt. There hasn’t been a day I wasn’t in love with you.”
“I know,” says Kurt and he doesn’t even try to stop himself from smiling.
He catches sight of his family just before Santana flings herself at him.
“That show was absolutely the gayest thing I have ever seen,” she says happily into his ear. She looks at Blaine. “Hi hobbit.” She steps over for a hug. “Please tell me I’m interrupting something hot?”
She reaches into her bag and hands a little parcel to Kurt. “Rachel sent a care package. It’s got, you know, cough drops and shit. I should know, airport security scanned it enough times.”
Kurt’s dad reaches him and folds him into his arms. “So proud, Kurt. So proud,” he says. He has tears in his eyes. He lets Kurt go to shake Blaine’s hand. “Good to see you, Blaine. It’s been too long.”
Then Carole and Finn are there too and Kurt is enclosed in family and almost too many hugs. He hears Blaine say something about his parents before he’s swallowed by the crowd.
Chapter 11
Wes capitulates. The opening is set for Friday. The end of the week approaches more quickly than Blaine expected. He sits in on the technical rehearsal; he watches the cue to cue; he listens to the whole show as it's sung and played over and over again from the beginning. He’s thrilled and anxious.
Both dress rehearsals are a series of calamities but Blaine elects to see that as a positive sign. At least everyone looks great. Kurt, predictably, looks amazing.
Opening night is at the New Conservatory Theatre. Blaine is giddy with it. He’s dressed to meet the critics and guests in the reception hall before the show. Walking across the stage, his hand creeps toward his bow tie. He wouldn’t be himself without an impeccably tied bow tie.
He slips through the wings. Backstage everything is humming with the pulse of opening night, opening night.
Amongst it all Kurt is sitting on a riser, watching the world go on around him. He’s dressed for the opening scene. His feet are bare. In his costume of a slim white t-shirt and loose pants he looks as young and beautiful as the David he will start the night playing. Kurt catches sight of Blaine and looks him up and down. Blaine moves into Kurt's space. Kurt stands and reaches out to adjust Blaine’s bow tie.
“Just right,” he pronounces seriously. "The whole thing." Blaine smiles, oddly relieved.
“Everyone’s ready to go,” says Blaine.
“No last minute disasters?”
Blaine ensures he is touching wood before saying, with some emphasis, “Kurt. No.”
Kurt has the grace to blush. “Sorry, I’m distracted,” he says.
Some of the cast push by, half costumed. Kurt pulls Blaine to sit down beside him.
“I have a gift for you,” he says and takes Blaine’s hand to press something into it.
It’s a lapel pin, old fashioned, with a beautifully moulded red flower.
“Flowers are traditional,” says Kurt. He shrugs, a little reticent. “I couldn’t make a big fuss of you and not the rest of the cast. So I settled on this.”
“Kurt. It’s perfect,” says Blaine. “Pin it on for me?”
“You don’t have to-“
“Kurt.”
Kurt touches Blaine's lapel with careful hands. His long fingers adjust the pin minutely until he’s satisfied. He smiles. Blaine’s palms are sweaty against his pants. The cast and crew are a whirlwind around them and Kurt’s clear eyes are on him.
Somehow this feels like every moment Blaine ever dreamed up all at once.
“These last couple of weeks,” Kurt says softly, “Have been a bit of a revelation - watching you bring this show together.”
“I’m really proud of everyone,” says Blaine tentatively.
“I know you are. And the cast is incredible. But what I mean is - Blaine.” Kurt looks pained, tooth extraction levels of pain. Blaine tries to interrupt but Kurt waves a hand to stop him. He takes a breath. “We're surrounded by all these incredibly talented people. But the truth is, for me, there has never been anyone else in a room when you’re there.”
Blaine is aware he is staring, unblinking.
“I wanted you to know,” says Kurt.
“Okay,” Blaine breathes.
“Okay?” Kurt’s eyes are warm and amused.
“That’s not what I was expecting you to say.”
“What were you expecting?”
“Break a leg?”
Kurt laughs. “That too. Come on. We have a show to put on. Let’s kill this thing,” he says. He leans to kiss Blaine on the cheek, chaste and full of promise. “I’ll see you out there.”
**
The show closes to a standing ovation. It’s an opening night audience, all invited, so the ovation is expected, really. Still, Blaine knows the difference between real and fake and this audience surged to its feet to applaud this cast, his show.
There’s not much in the world that feels like this. Blaine bows with the soldiers, and they all move to one side.
Vanessa and Amaryllis and the older guys, Jesse and Samuel and Saul, come out to cheers.
Then Elisha and Kurt step onto the stage and the sound is like thunder. Blaine watches Kurt in profile. As always when people applaud him, Kurt looks astonished. Blaine's smile widens.
The cast parts and turns to Blaine, some waving him forward. Kurt holds out a hand, his sweet face flushed and glowing. Blaine steps forward to stand with Kurt and Elisha. It's a dream.
**
Kurt changes into his three-piece suit with a speed rarely before associated with Kurt Hummel and getting dressed. He takes the time to stop in front of a mirror though. The suit is Nicole Farhi in a textured gray, detailed and perfectly fitted. He has paired it with a red and navy plaid shirt and he loves the contrast.
Kurt hurries out to the entrance hall to find his family and Santana. The room is crowded and Kurt pauses as he enters. Someone collides with his back and he turns to see Blaine. Blaine’s elation is palpable.
"Did you see?" Blaine says. "Kurt. They loved you."
"They loved your show," says Kurt.
Blaine is almost vibrating. He beams at Kurt and it's like the sun coming out.
"Oh my god," says Kurt without meaning to. "You are simply the cutest. I will never not be in love with you."
There’s a suspended moment. Kurt's hand is on Blaine's arm. Blaine’s eyes are wide and bright and it might be true that Blaine’s never looked at anyone but Kurt that way.
Kurt says, "I was heading to see my dad.”
"My parents are here for the weekend," says Blaine. “But I want-“ His voice breaks a little.
There’s a frozen moment between them.
"I want to have time with you," says Kurt, suddenly decisive. "Not just stolen seconds between the matinee and heading back into make-up."
"Okay.” Blaine takes a breath. “So. Monday? Monday we have no show, and our families will have gone home."
"Monday," says Kurt. He can't move.
Blaine says, “Kurt. There hasn’t been a day I wasn’t in love with you.”
“I know,” says Kurt and he doesn’t even try to stop himself from smiling.
He catches sight of his family just before Santana flings herself at him.
“That show was absolutely the gayest thing I have ever seen,” she says happily into his ear. She looks at Blaine. “Hi hobbit.” She steps over for a hug. “Please tell me I’m interrupting something hot?”
She reaches into her bag and hands a little parcel to Kurt. “Rachel sent a care package. It’s got, you know, cough drops and shit. I should know, airport security scanned it enough times.”
Kurt’s dad reaches him and folds him into his arms. “So proud, Kurt. So proud,” he says. He has tears in his eyes. He lets Kurt go to shake Blaine’s hand. “Good to see you, Blaine. It’s been too long.”
Then Carole and Finn are there too and Kurt is enclosed in family and almost too many hugs. He hears Blaine say something about his parents before he’s swallowed by the crowd.
Chapter 11