Stop Loss: Chapter 23, Part 1
Can't...get out...of bed...good thing writing can be a sitting down activity.
Chapter 23/More than 30. Whoops.
This chapter has A Lot of Things in it. Fortunately, not as many as it could have had-I was having some structural problems making the first few sections of the chapter less boring, and solicited some opinions on Tumblr. Thank you so much to everyone who weighed in on how much to include; your comments definitely helped, and I ended up combining what would have been two chapters into one from Blaine's point of view, rather than one from each.
I own so little, I really do.
When the long-anticipated Evaluations schedule was finally posted in the music wing and on the auditorium door on Monday morning, Blaine was initially surprised to see that he and Kurt had been assigned time slots on different days, with Blaine performing on Thursday during his lunch period and Kurt scheduled for the following day. Kurt, however, spotted what he hadn't, pointing out that Giselle's time slot was right after Blaine's, and that Sasha was singing immediately before he himself was.
"This is good," Kurt insisted, nervously smoothing the vest he'd worn that day. "If we're too worried about our own performances, we won't sing as well for each other. It's better to have a day in between, the way we do."
Blaine didn't really need the reassurance-both Kurt and Giselle had pushed him into practicing far more often than he would have done on his own, and the song he and Kurt had chosen was actually pretty easy-but he let Kurt do it anyway. It was obvious that Kurt was beginning to freak out a little bit, and if trying to soothe Blaine's imaginary fears meant that he heard some of those calming messages himself…
Kurt wasn't the only one who was starting to get nervous about Evaluations, which were only a few days away. The seniors in Vocal Adrenaline were less concerned, since they really weren't affected by the results the way the younger students were, but even they were a little more subdued-and a little more sleep deprived-than they had been the week before.
Even Jesse St. James was taking things seriously, skipping a few of his classes at McKinley on Wednesday to give his performance early. Kurt missed Chemistry in order to sing background vocals for him ("He chose It Takes Two from Hairspray," Kurt had told him, a few weeks back. "It's such a disgustingly perfect choice for him that I can't believe he didn't think of it sooner."), and ended up missing gym class as well so that Shelby could listen to his audition pieces for his Academy tryout, now only a week and a half away. When Kurt practically melted into his arms afterward, looking thoroughly rattled, Blaine was afraid that one or the other had gone terribly wrong, but Kurt assured him that "No, no, it's okay; everything's fine."
He did mention, though, that Shelby now knew that Blaine knew about Rachel. "I told her that you wouldn't tell anyone, though," he promised Blaine, squeezing his shoulders and looking at him with an uncharacteristic seriousness. "And she said that she knew you were trustworthy."
He swallowed. "She also mentioned that there are a lot of talented people graduating this year, and that she hopes some of the underclassmen can show her what they're made of this week," he added, his demeanor suddenly making so much more sense to Blaine. Outwardly, he smiled, because he knew Kurt was expecting him to read between the lines as well as he had done: don't tell, perform well, advance up the ranks next year. Still, taking in Kurt's clammy hands and even-paler-than-usual complexion, he couldn't help but wish that Shelby hadn't increased the already nearly insurmountable pressure on his boyfriend-they had already reached the point that, had Kurt not been too nervous to eat at mealtimes with any sort of predictability, Blaine would have seriously considered smashing up some of his anxiety meds and doctoring his food, just to give him some relief.
Giselle had approached Blaine early the next morning to ask if they could switch time slots during 5th period, and Blaine had agreed easily, with the simple caveat that she be the one to ask Shelby for permission to trade. Shelby had given her approval, and so it was Giselle's song that Blaine prepared to sing first on Thursday, with Kurt watching from the wings. He was curious to see what Kurt would think about the piece, since he hadn't even heard Blaine sing his part of it yet.
"It's Giselle's Evaluation, so it's Giselle's job to shape your vocals the way she wants them," Kurt had insisted, when Blaine offered to perform for him. "I don't want to mess up any work you've done with her."
"Blaine, are you ready?" Giselle asked, eyes sparkling as she stood in front of her microphone, forgoing the stools that had been provided for them.
Blaine returned her smile, nodding. "Whenever you are," he assured her, stepping into his own spot. Giselle winked at him, then breathed deeply.
"You are pretty down to your bones…"
Like Kurt's choice in the fall, the song Giselle had chosen was upbeat, only the lyrics betraying that the song might actually be about something darker and more sinister. And Giselle, though primarily a dancer, had known exactly what she was doing when she selected it-the song suited her vocal tones perfectly.
Blaine's part was quieter, but fairly intricate, and he paid even more attention to his cues than usual, determined to do everything as well as he could for Giselle. It was only when she had a few solo lines, right at the bridge, that he had the chance to glance over at Kurt.
Kurt was watching Giselle sing ("I do adore, the way you are, do you adore me?") with a reserved expression, his tight mouth and guarded eyes not giving away much of what he felt. Blaine had had a lot of experience reading Kurt's moods over the past several months, however, and it seemed to him that even if he didn't like Giselle and wasn't necessarily pleased that she was doing so well, he did grudgingly admire the final product.
Ripping his eyes away from Kurt, Blaine jumped back into the song just in time, singing his harmonies as well as he ever had in practice until the very end.
He only half-listened as Shelby gave her comments, instead turning back to watch Kurt in the wings as he took a long drink of water and straightened his outfit, preparing to join him onstage. He glanced over at Blaine and Giselle and, noticing that Blaine was looking at him, gave him a slow, sweet smile.
Blaine smiled back.
"All right," he heard Shelby say authoritatively. "Blaine, you're up."
Giselle thanked him nicely for his help and kissed him on the cheek, smiling and waggling her fingers at Kurt before flouncing down the stairs and up the aisle. Kurt scowled at her, but managed to wipe it off of his face before stepping out of the wings and claiming her old microphone, trailing his fingers soothingly across Blaine's back as he crossed behind him.
Shelby looked up from her paperwork. "So, Blaine. I've heard you sing quite a lot since Sectionals," she commented. "I hope you're not going to get nervous on me now just because it's your first Evaluation."
Blaine smiled brightly. "I think I'll be all right," he said honestly, tilting his head a little. "I've been working really hard, and my partner's been very patient and helpful."
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kurt blushing. "Good kid," Shelby noted, marking something down on the clipboard in front of her. "Okay then, whenever you're ready."
Blaine looked at Kurt, who nodded at him. Like Giselle before him, he gripped the microphone, taking a deep breath.
When Kurt was helping him narrow down potential song choices, he'd had very definite opinions on the type of song he should choose. "Shelby already knows that you can do softer, ballad-like numbers, and Bohemian Rhapsody has really showcased both your range and your theatrical abilities," he'd explained. "You need to show her that you can handle the standard show choir classic-something pop-y, something fun. And, dare I say it, something just a little bit sexy."
He had actually bounced up and down, clapping, when Blaine had found his song.
"Sunshine came out today, and it's shining all over the world," he sang, the slightest bit of growl in his voice, "Shining all over the world." It was clearly not what Shelby had been expecting from him, and she sat up with interest, watching him. Blaine smiled at her, tapping his foot to the rhythm in his head.
"And it sure feels fine," Kurt joined in, picking up the high, delicate notes above Blaine's melody, "when the sunshine shines, it warms your skin, and your soul within…"
As Blaine got more and more into the song, he couldn't help moving a little in place-nothing drastic, since choreography was forbidden during Evaluations, but enough to release the extra energy that always seemed to build up inside him whenever he sang. He smiled over at Kurt, flirtatiously batting his eyelashes at him. Kurt rolled his eyes, but smiled back, loosening up and dancing in place a little as well.
When they finally reached the end of the song, Blaine sang his part of the harmony ("And the birds sing…") with a little flourish, and grinned at Kurt again before politely turning to Shelby, waiting for her to pass judgment.
As Kurt had predicted, Shelby was smiling. "Very impressive first showing, Blaine. Excellent song choice."
Blaine's grin grew wider. "Thank you," he replied, trying to keep his tone professional and calm. "I had help."
Shelby nodded at that. "Still, it showcased you and your talents in a new light, excellent. I'd control that ending a little more, but other than that, I have no complaints. Job very well done."
It was as profuse as he had ever heard her, and Blaine thanked her again. She smiled gracefully at him before turning to Kurt. "You're performing tomorrow afternoon, correct?" she wanted to know.
Kurt nodded. "Correct," he confirmed, "7th period."
Shelby made another note on her clipboard. "I look forward to it," she told him. "You've seen how high the bar is set this semester, but I'm expecting good things from you. Don't let me down."
Blaine waited until they were out of the auditorium to latch onto Kurt's shoulders. "You were right about everything," he praised, pressing his mouth to the side of Kurt's face-the halls were empty and he was excited, so he could be as expressive as he felt like. "Every single good thing she said was something that you wanted me to do," he continued. "After you retire from your dazzling performance career, you should totally take her job."
Kurt hugged him back, but his body felt tense under Blaine's grip. "You were wonderful; that's why she said all of those things," he countered. "And we can start planning my future career if I live through tomorrow, I promise."
Despite Kurt's reservations, his Evaluation went brilliantly. Like the time before, his nervousness was completely gone-or at least invisible-as soon as he stepped into the auditorium, and Blaine watched him proudly from backstage as his incredible, unique voice blended seamlessly with Sasha's. When it was Kurt's turn to perform and Blaine joined him onstage, he was careful to follow all of Kurt's previous suggestions and corrections, and was rewarded with a dazzling smile after their last, lingering harmony.
Shelby's critique was positive, and Blaine thoroughly enjoyed Kurt's elated mood over the weekend (it was entirely possible that Kurt gave the best head in the history of the gay universe, and Blaine had finally worked up the nerve on Saturday to try to return the favor) before Monday rolled around, and the intense pressure on Kurt to succeed at everything was renewed.
Regionals were less than two weeks away, and rehearsals were lasting longer and longer, with multiple fully-costumed run-throughs of their program every afternoon. Jesse was slowly being integrated back into his solo numbers whenever he didn't have McKinley rehearsals to attend, and his partial return was having an uplifting effect on the rest of the team-everywhere he looked, people were smirking and smiling and whispering and stealing the occasional glance at Jesse. More than once, Blaine overheard one of their teammates pressing Jesse for explicit, unusually detailed information about the New Directions' auditorium and choir room, information that Jesse smoothly provided. Blaine, not seeing the value in such pointless specifics, tended to avoid the hushed, heated conversations that seemed to reoccur during every three-minute break, concentrating instead on cajoling Kurt to drink more water or liquid protein whenever he could.
Kurt, whether because of stress or exhaustion, was not coping with the increased rehearsal hours as well as he had in the fall. He was, of course, as incredible as ever during rehearsals themselves, but was struggling to keep up with everything else-his own practices for his upcoming audition, homework, studying, and staying awake and alert during classes and meals. After sheepishly admitting to Blaine that his dad had banned him from the shop until after his audition, upon finding him sleeping face down in a half-folded pile of laundry, Blaine instituted a similar ban on schoolwork, completing all of Kurt's assignments himself (except for math).
"We're studying nearly all of the same material," he insisted, when Kurt tried to protest. "Besides, you're not going to retain any of this if you're too tired to read and write, and your singing is going to suffer if you don't get enough food and sleep. It's just until Sunday; you can be as sickeningly perfect as you want later, when you're not putting so much pressure on yourself over this audition."
As much as Kurt hated giving up control like that, Blaine knew that Kurt being his best self that weekend was the ultimate trump card, and he agreed to Blaine's suggestion with minimal grumbling.
Still, Blaine couldn't help but feel relieved when Sunday finally rolled around-whatever happened at that audition, he was that much closer to getting his normal, sane boyfriend back.
He had offered to drive up to Columbus with Kurt for moral support when he found out that Mr. Hummel wasn't going-he'd tried to take the day off, but Kurt had insisted that he stay in Lima, pointing out how understaffed the shop was already without him and Cassius, whose fourth granddaughter had been born earlier in the week-but Kurt turned him down as well. "If I drive by myself, I can concentrate on the road," he explained. "If I'm in the passenger seat or have someone there distracting me, all I'll be able to do is think about where I'm going, and I'll end up puking on my shoes. Trust me, it's better this way."
Privately Blaine was less concerned about Kurt puking and more concerned about him crashing the Navigator in a fit of panic, but wisely decided not to mention it.
Kurt had promised to call once he left the college where the auditions were being held, and while Blaine wasn't expecting him to be done until at least 3:00 (his time slot was at 2:30), he kept his phone on vibrate and in his pocket the entire day, just in case Kurt called early, needing reassurance or a pep talk. When 3:00, and then 3:30 came and went without a call from Kurt, however, Blaine started getting nervous. What if Kurt had finally cracked under the pressure, blown the audition, and was too upset to call? Or had gotten lost and his phone had died, and he was stuck all alone in the middle of nowhere? Or what if Blaine's worry was a premonition, and Kurt had actually crashed the car on the way there?
Blaine was pacing around the kitchen, clutching his phone tightly and debating whether or not to call Mr. Hummel-he couldn't call Kurt; what if he was auditioning right then and had forgotten to turn off his cell phone, and the noise distracted him and he messed up and the judges didn't let him into the Academy and it was all Blaine's fault and-
The phone buzzed in Blaine's hand. He answered immediately. "Kurt?"
"Blaine!" Kurt's voice was loud and slightly muffled, and Blaine guessed that Kurt had him on speakerphone. "I'm so sorry I'm late; the schedule was all thrown off because one of the girls who was supposed to audition yesterday broke her ankle in the waiting room, and they gave her a new slot this morning, and it turned into a delay for the entire roster, and-"
"Wait," Blaine interrupted, "she broke her ankle yesterday, and she still came in this morning to do her audition?"
"Yes?" Kurt answered back, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I told you, these people are really intense. Anyway, my audition went really well! Blaine, I was fabulous-there's a McDonald's on campus, and I'm driving and drinking one of those seasonal green milkshakes and I don't even care, that's how fabulous I was."
"Wow," Blaine praised, honestly impressed; he'd never seen Kurt eat anything resembling fast food in…pretty much ever. "Kurt, that's amazing. I'm so proud of you."
Kurt sighed happily. "And Blaine, Sarita Jackson was there. And the girl who was planted in the waiting room-and really, who did she think she was kidding, she was at least twenty-five-said that Sarita only comes to auditions if she's specifically there to see someone, and I know that there's a good chance that it could be someone else, but Shelby said…"
Blaine sat down at the kitchen table, playing with the powdered sugar in the half-empty box of doughnuts leftover from breakfast and listening to Kurt chatter, with little interruption, for nearly an hour. He honestly didn't know who or what Kurt was talking about half of the time, and he couldn't really say much in response to Kurt's thorough analysis of his own performances, since he hadn't actually been there, but he knew how exciting it was for Kurt, and that he might as well let him talk himself out.
"Thank you for being such a good listener," Kurt added suddenly, shyly, as if he had overheard Blaine's thoughts. "I know I'm talking too much, but it's nice to have somebody to talk to who actually cares about what I'm saying. Dad tries, but he really doesn't get it, Jesse would have found a way to make the conversation about him within five minutes, and nobody else would have put up with my rambling for this long. I really appreciate you being on the phone with me."
"Of course, anytime," Blaine promised, feeling vaguely guilty over his boredom. "I'm just glad that it's over, and now you don't have to worry about it anymore."
He could hear Kurt smiling over the phone. "Just in time, too," he responded dryly. "Only six more days until Regionals."
Chapter 23/More than 30. Whoops.
This chapter has A Lot of Things in it. Fortunately, not as many as it could have had-I was having some structural problems making the first few sections of the chapter less boring, and solicited some opinions on Tumblr. Thank you so much to everyone who weighed in on how much to include; your comments definitely helped, and I ended up combining what would have been two chapters into one from Blaine's point of view, rather than one from each.
I own so little, I really do.
When the long-anticipated Evaluations schedule was finally posted in the music wing and on the auditorium door on Monday morning, Blaine was initially surprised to see that he and Kurt had been assigned time slots on different days, with Blaine performing on Thursday during his lunch period and Kurt scheduled for the following day. Kurt, however, spotted what he hadn't, pointing out that Giselle's time slot was right after Blaine's, and that Sasha was singing immediately before he himself was.
"This is good," Kurt insisted, nervously smoothing the vest he'd worn that day. "If we're too worried about our own performances, we won't sing as well for each other. It's better to have a day in between, the way we do."
Blaine didn't really need the reassurance-both Kurt and Giselle had pushed him into practicing far more often than he would have done on his own, and the song he and Kurt had chosen was actually pretty easy-but he let Kurt do it anyway. It was obvious that Kurt was beginning to freak out a little bit, and if trying to soothe Blaine's imaginary fears meant that he heard some of those calming messages himself…
Kurt wasn't the only one who was starting to get nervous about Evaluations, which were only a few days away. The seniors in Vocal Adrenaline were less concerned, since they really weren't affected by the results the way the younger students were, but even they were a little more subdued-and a little more sleep deprived-than they had been the week before.
Even Jesse St. James was taking things seriously, skipping a few of his classes at McKinley on Wednesday to give his performance early. Kurt missed Chemistry in order to sing background vocals for him ("He chose It Takes Two from Hairspray," Kurt had told him, a few weeks back. "It's such a disgustingly perfect choice for him that I can't believe he didn't think of it sooner."), and ended up missing gym class as well so that Shelby could listen to his audition pieces for his Academy tryout, now only a week and a half away. When Kurt practically melted into his arms afterward, looking thoroughly rattled, Blaine was afraid that one or the other had gone terribly wrong, but Kurt assured him that "No, no, it's okay; everything's fine."
He did mention, though, that Shelby now knew that Blaine knew about Rachel. "I told her that you wouldn't tell anyone, though," he promised Blaine, squeezing his shoulders and looking at him with an uncharacteristic seriousness. "And she said that she knew you were trustworthy."
He swallowed. "She also mentioned that there are a lot of talented people graduating this year, and that she hopes some of the underclassmen can show her what they're made of this week," he added, his demeanor suddenly making so much more sense to Blaine. Outwardly, he smiled, because he knew Kurt was expecting him to read between the lines as well as he had done: don't tell, perform well, advance up the ranks next year. Still, taking in Kurt's clammy hands and even-paler-than-usual complexion, he couldn't help but wish that Shelby hadn't increased the already nearly insurmountable pressure on his boyfriend-they had already reached the point that, had Kurt not been too nervous to eat at mealtimes with any sort of predictability, Blaine would have seriously considered smashing up some of his anxiety meds and doctoring his food, just to give him some relief.
Giselle had approached Blaine early the next morning to ask if they could switch time slots during 5th period, and Blaine had agreed easily, with the simple caveat that she be the one to ask Shelby for permission to trade. Shelby had given her approval, and so it was Giselle's song that Blaine prepared to sing first on Thursday, with Kurt watching from the wings. He was curious to see what Kurt would think about the piece, since he hadn't even heard Blaine sing his part of it yet.
"It's Giselle's Evaluation, so it's Giselle's job to shape your vocals the way she wants them," Kurt had insisted, when Blaine offered to perform for him. "I don't want to mess up any work you've done with her."
"Blaine, are you ready?" Giselle asked, eyes sparkling as she stood in front of her microphone, forgoing the stools that had been provided for them.
Blaine returned her smile, nodding. "Whenever you are," he assured her, stepping into his own spot. Giselle winked at him, then breathed deeply.
"You are pretty down to your bones…"
Like Kurt's choice in the fall, the song Giselle had chosen was upbeat, only the lyrics betraying that the song might actually be about something darker and more sinister. And Giselle, though primarily a dancer, had known exactly what she was doing when she selected it-the song suited her vocal tones perfectly.
Blaine's part was quieter, but fairly intricate, and he paid even more attention to his cues than usual, determined to do everything as well as he could for Giselle. It was only when she had a few solo lines, right at the bridge, that he had the chance to glance over at Kurt.
Kurt was watching Giselle sing ("I do adore, the way you are, do you adore me?") with a reserved expression, his tight mouth and guarded eyes not giving away much of what he felt. Blaine had had a lot of experience reading Kurt's moods over the past several months, however, and it seemed to him that even if he didn't like Giselle and wasn't necessarily pleased that she was doing so well, he did grudgingly admire the final product.
Ripping his eyes away from Kurt, Blaine jumped back into the song just in time, singing his harmonies as well as he ever had in practice until the very end.
He only half-listened as Shelby gave her comments, instead turning back to watch Kurt in the wings as he took a long drink of water and straightened his outfit, preparing to join him onstage. He glanced over at Blaine and Giselle and, noticing that Blaine was looking at him, gave him a slow, sweet smile.
Blaine smiled back.
"All right," he heard Shelby say authoritatively. "Blaine, you're up."
Giselle thanked him nicely for his help and kissed him on the cheek, smiling and waggling her fingers at Kurt before flouncing down the stairs and up the aisle. Kurt scowled at her, but managed to wipe it off of his face before stepping out of the wings and claiming her old microphone, trailing his fingers soothingly across Blaine's back as he crossed behind him.
Shelby looked up from her paperwork. "So, Blaine. I've heard you sing quite a lot since Sectionals," she commented. "I hope you're not going to get nervous on me now just because it's your first Evaluation."
Blaine smiled brightly. "I think I'll be all right," he said honestly, tilting his head a little. "I've been working really hard, and my partner's been very patient and helpful."
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kurt blushing. "Good kid," Shelby noted, marking something down on the clipboard in front of her. "Okay then, whenever you're ready."
Blaine looked at Kurt, who nodded at him. Like Giselle before him, he gripped the microphone, taking a deep breath.
When Kurt was helping him narrow down potential song choices, he'd had very definite opinions on the type of song he should choose. "Shelby already knows that you can do softer, ballad-like numbers, and Bohemian Rhapsody has really showcased both your range and your theatrical abilities," he'd explained. "You need to show her that you can handle the standard show choir classic-something pop-y, something fun. And, dare I say it, something just a little bit sexy."
He had actually bounced up and down, clapping, when Blaine had found his song.
"Sunshine came out today, and it's shining all over the world," he sang, the slightest bit of growl in his voice, "Shining all over the world." It was clearly not what Shelby had been expecting from him, and she sat up with interest, watching him. Blaine smiled at her, tapping his foot to the rhythm in his head.
"And it sure feels fine," Kurt joined in, picking up the high, delicate notes above Blaine's melody, "when the sunshine shines, it warms your skin, and your soul within…"
As Blaine got more and more into the song, he couldn't help moving a little in place-nothing drastic, since choreography was forbidden during Evaluations, but enough to release the extra energy that always seemed to build up inside him whenever he sang. He smiled over at Kurt, flirtatiously batting his eyelashes at him. Kurt rolled his eyes, but smiled back, loosening up and dancing in place a little as well.
When they finally reached the end of the song, Blaine sang his part of the harmony ("And the birds sing…") with a little flourish, and grinned at Kurt again before politely turning to Shelby, waiting for her to pass judgment.
As Kurt had predicted, Shelby was smiling. "Very impressive first showing, Blaine. Excellent song choice."
Blaine's grin grew wider. "Thank you," he replied, trying to keep his tone professional and calm. "I had help."
Shelby nodded at that. "Still, it showcased you and your talents in a new light, excellent. I'd control that ending a little more, but other than that, I have no complaints. Job very well done."
It was as profuse as he had ever heard her, and Blaine thanked her again. She smiled gracefully at him before turning to Kurt. "You're performing tomorrow afternoon, correct?" she wanted to know.
Kurt nodded. "Correct," he confirmed, "7th period."
Shelby made another note on her clipboard. "I look forward to it," she told him. "You've seen how high the bar is set this semester, but I'm expecting good things from you. Don't let me down."
Blaine waited until they were out of the auditorium to latch onto Kurt's shoulders. "You were right about everything," he praised, pressing his mouth to the side of Kurt's face-the halls were empty and he was excited, so he could be as expressive as he felt like. "Every single good thing she said was something that you wanted me to do," he continued. "After you retire from your dazzling performance career, you should totally take her job."
Kurt hugged him back, but his body felt tense under Blaine's grip. "You were wonderful; that's why she said all of those things," he countered. "And we can start planning my future career if I live through tomorrow, I promise."
Despite Kurt's reservations, his Evaluation went brilliantly. Like the time before, his nervousness was completely gone-or at least invisible-as soon as he stepped into the auditorium, and Blaine watched him proudly from backstage as his incredible, unique voice blended seamlessly with Sasha's. When it was Kurt's turn to perform and Blaine joined him onstage, he was careful to follow all of Kurt's previous suggestions and corrections, and was rewarded with a dazzling smile after their last, lingering harmony.
Shelby's critique was positive, and Blaine thoroughly enjoyed Kurt's elated mood over the weekend (it was entirely possible that Kurt gave the best head in the history of the gay universe, and Blaine had finally worked up the nerve on Saturday to try to return the favor) before Monday rolled around, and the intense pressure on Kurt to succeed at everything was renewed.
Regionals were less than two weeks away, and rehearsals were lasting longer and longer, with multiple fully-costumed run-throughs of their program every afternoon. Jesse was slowly being integrated back into his solo numbers whenever he didn't have McKinley rehearsals to attend, and his partial return was having an uplifting effect on the rest of the team-everywhere he looked, people were smirking and smiling and whispering and stealing the occasional glance at Jesse. More than once, Blaine overheard one of their teammates pressing Jesse for explicit, unusually detailed information about the New Directions' auditorium and choir room, information that Jesse smoothly provided. Blaine, not seeing the value in such pointless specifics, tended to avoid the hushed, heated conversations that seemed to reoccur during every three-minute break, concentrating instead on cajoling Kurt to drink more water or liquid protein whenever he could.
Kurt, whether because of stress or exhaustion, was not coping with the increased rehearsal hours as well as he had in the fall. He was, of course, as incredible as ever during rehearsals themselves, but was struggling to keep up with everything else-his own practices for his upcoming audition, homework, studying, and staying awake and alert during classes and meals. After sheepishly admitting to Blaine that his dad had banned him from the shop until after his audition, upon finding him sleeping face down in a half-folded pile of laundry, Blaine instituted a similar ban on schoolwork, completing all of Kurt's assignments himself (except for math).
"We're studying nearly all of the same material," he insisted, when Kurt tried to protest. "Besides, you're not going to retain any of this if you're too tired to read and write, and your singing is going to suffer if you don't get enough food and sleep. It's just until Sunday; you can be as sickeningly perfect as you want later, when you're not putting so much pressure on yourself over this audition."
As much as Kurt hated giving up control like that, Blaine knew that Kurt being his best self that weekend was the ultimate trump card, and he agreed to Blaine's suggestion with minimal grumbling.
Still, Blaine couldn't help but feel relieved when Sunday finally rolled around-whatever happened at that audition, he was that much closer to getting his normal, sane boyfriend back.
He had offered to drive up to Columbus with Kurt for moral support when he found out that Mr. Hummel wasn't going-he'd tried to take the day off, but Kurt had insisted that he stay in Lima, pointing out how understaffed the shop was already without him and Cassius, whose fourth granddaughter had been born earlier in the week-but Kurt turned him down as well. "If I drive by myself, I can concentrate on the road," he explained. "If I'm in the passenger seat or have someone there distracting me, all I'll be able to do is think about where I'm going, and I'll end up puking on my shoes. Trust me, it's better this way."
Privately Blaine was less concerned about Kurt puking and more concerned about him crashing the Navigator in a fit of panic, but wisely decided not to mention it.
Kurt had promised to call once he left the college where the auditions were being held, and while Blaine wasn't expecting him to be done until at least 3:00 (his time slot was at 2:30), he kept his phone on vibrate and in his pocket the entire day, just in case Kurt called early, needing reassurance or a pep talk. When 3:00, and then 3:30 came and went without a call from Kurt, however, Blaine started getting nervous. What if Kurt had finally cracked under the pressure, blown the audition, and was too upset to call? Or had gotten lost and his phone had died, and he was stuck all alone in the middle of nowhere? Or what if Blaine's worry was a premonition, and Kurt had actually crashed the car on the way there?
Blaine was pacing around the kitchen, clutching his phone tightly and debating whether or not to call Mr. Hummel-he couldn't call Kurt; what if he was auditioning right then and had forgotten to turn off his cell phone, and the noise distracted him and he messed up and the judges didn't let him into the Academy and it was all Blaine's fault and-
The phone buzzed in Blaine's hand. He answered immediately. "Kurt?"
"Blaine!" Kurt's voice was loud and slightly muffled, and Blaine guessed that Kurt had him on speakerphone. "I'm so sorry I'm late; the schedule was all thrown off because one of the girls who was supposed to audition yesterday broke her ankle in the waiting room, and they gave her a new slot this morning, and it turned into a delay for the entire roster, and-"
"Wait," Blaine interrupted, "she broke her ankle yesterday, and she still came in this morning to do her audition?"
"Yes?" Kurt answered back, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I told you, these people are really intense. Anyway, my audition went really well! Blaine, I was fabulous-there's a McDonald's on campus, and I'm driving and drinking one of those seasonal green milkshakes and I don't even care, that's how fabulous I was."
"Wow," Blaine praised, honestly impressed; he'd never seen Kurt eat anything resembling fast food in…pretty much ever. "Kurt, that's amazing. I'm so proud of you."
Kurt sighed happily. "And Blaine, Sarita Jackson was there. And the girl who was planted in the waiting room-and really, who did she think she was kidding, she was at least twenty-five-said that Sarita only comes to auditions if she's specifically there to see someone, and I know that there's a good chance that it could be someone else, but Shelby said…"
Blaine sat down at the kitchen table, playing with the powdered sugar in the half-empty box of doughnuts leftover from breakfast and listening to Kurt chatter, with little interruption, for nearly an hour. He honestly didn't know who or what Kurt was talking about half of the time, and he couldn't really say much in response to Kurt's thorough analysis of his own performances, since he hadn't actually been there, but he knew how exciting it was for Kurt, and that he might as well let him talk himself out.
"Thank you for being such a good listener," Kurt added suddenly, shyly, as if he had overheard Blaine's thoughts. "I know I'm talking too much, but it's nice to have somebody to talk to who actually cares about what I'm saying. Dad tries, but he really doesn't get it, Jesse would have found a way to make the conversation about him within five minutes, and nobody else would have put up with my rambling for this long. I really appreciate you being on the phone with me."
"Of course, anytime," Blaine promised, feeling vaguely guilty over his boredom. "I'm just glad that it's over, and now you don't have to worry about it anymore."
He could hear Kurt smiling over the phone. "Just in time, too," he responded dryly. "Only six more days until Regionals."