Chase the Stars (To Lose Our Shadows) (2/2)
Part One
Kurt's apartment building was only a ten minute walk from the coffee shop and had a very modern and streamlined look. "Nice place," he commented to Kurt who was extracting his keys from his messenger bag.
"Well, I only own the one apartment," Kurt teased, opening the door for Blaine.
"Ha. Ha. I would have never known."
They walked up a single flight of stairs before Kurt opened an apartment door. Blaine toed off his shoes on the welcome mat as Kurt instructed him to make himself at home. “I’ll be right back. I just want to change before dinner.”
Kurt disappeared into one of the rooms and Blaine took the time to explore the apartment a little bit. He stepped into the living room, running a hand over the soft fabric of the couch. He drifted over to the wall and looked at the pictures lining the wall. There were eight frames lining the wall, each with two pictures. The first showed what was obviously a young Kurt, dressed in a tunic and a hat. Underneath was a picture of many people together and underneath were the words Peter Pan 2008. The next frames were similar, with a picture of Kurt costumed on top and a cast photo underneath. He recognized the seventh frame as the cast from Jackson, Kurt standing with his arms spread right in the middle of the cast photo, looking proud and happy.
“It was my dad’s idea,” Kurt said from behind him. Blaine turned to see Kurt walking out of his bedroom, adjusting the white t-shirt on his chest. “The frames. He started making them when I was in high school, and I continued it when I got here.”
Kurt walked up beside him, gazing fondly at the first frame. “Peter Pan, freshman year. My first production ever.”
“This is great,” Blaine enthused, running a finger beside the last frame. “What did your mom think of all this? She must be so proud of you.” When Kurt didn’t answer, Blaine looked over at him. Kurt’s face was tight around the lips, shoulders rigid under his shirt. “Kurt?”
“My mom died when I was eight years old. She never... She never saw any of this.”
Blaine turned to Kurt, grabbing his hand in both of his. “Kurt, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean...”
“I know,” Kurt replied, looking over at him and squeezing his hand. “It’s okay. So anyway, dinner. I was thinking spaghetti.”
Blaine blinked before falling back into the conversation, jolted from the sudden topic change. “Yeah, sounds good. Can I help?”
"That depends," Kurt said, already walking to the kitchen.
"On what?"
Kurt looked at him, winking over his shoulder. "If you can stir sauce or not."
Making dinner was a fun affair, as Blaine chased Kurt around his small kitchen with a spoonful of sauce and Kurt held up a frying pan as a shield. After ten minutes and one stained tee shirt, the two of them calmed down to plate the noodles and open a bottle of wine.
“So,” Blaine said as he twirled spaghetti onto his fork, “what can I expect on Saturday?”
“Well, a lot of the cast is already off-book, depending on when they started, so you and Chandler do have a lot of catching up to do. But we haven’t blocked anything so you don’t have to learn very much yet. Saturday will be the welcome meeting and we’ll fit you to the harness, and all will be well. Don’t worry about anything. Everyone is very nice over there, you’ll fit right in.”
“Harness?” Kurt was smiling, obviously anticipating Blaine’s question.
“Well, Peter has to fly, doesn’t he? It’s really fun, trust me.”
As Kurt produced a cheesecake and two forks, he asked, “Want to eat this on the couch?”
Blaine shrugged and got up to follow him across the hall to the living room. “Is it a habit of yours to eat dessert on the couch?”
Kurt grinned, reaching out to slap Blaine’s shoulder lightly. “It’s comfort food, why shouldn’t I be comfortable while eating it?”
“I guess that’s true. So tell me about Hook.”
“What do you mean?”
Blaine set his fork down on the plate. “I can’t even imagine writing an entire musical by myself. How did you even come up with the idea?”
“Well,” Kurt said, slowly pulling the spoon from his mouth. Blaine tried to subtly clear the sudden tightness in his throat. “I guess, Peter Pan isn’t really new to me,” Kurt nodded towards the frames on the wall. “It was my first production and even though I only played Lost Boy #8, I found a love for performing. Even so, it wasn’t the greatest experience otherwise. High school wasn’t the best time for me. In the play, everybody hated Captain Hook but they didn’t know anything about him. How did he come to Neverland? Who was he before he was Hook? It frustrated me to no end. Of course I was projecting. Not to cast myself as the villain in my life story, but I could relate a bit to Hook. I was despised for no reason since middle school until I got here. Even though New York is so much better than Ohio, I still carry those experiences with me. And thus, Hook was born.”
Blaine’s hand found Kurt’s on the couch. “That’s amazing Kurt. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
His time with Kurt passed much too quickly for Blaine, who was practically skipping as he stopped into Rachel’s room before heading to his dorm. “Honey, I’m home!” he called out.
Rachel dropped her book on her bed, scrambling back to make room for him. “How was it?”
“Oh Rachel.” Blaine flopped back onto the bed. “Rachel, he’s amazing. I just want to know him, and make him laugh, and hold his hand.” He sighed and rolled over, almost crashing into Rachel’s grinning face.
“So when are you going to ask him out?” Rachel asked, putting her chin on her fists.
“I don’t know if I will, Rach.”
“What!” She smacked him on the arm. “What are you talking about? Of course you should!”
Blaine captured her wrist before she could attack him again. “Let’s just see what happens on Saturday, okay?”
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and showed it to Rachel, thrusting it in her face. “It’s from Kurt!”
“What’s it say?”
Also, photoshoot on Sunday. Be ready.
He looked at Rachel, frowning. “Photoshoot?”
**
Spending time with Kurt was wonderful, Blaine realized halfway through his first rehearsal, but Kurt was stunning in his element.
When Blaine and Chandler walked into the theatre, he immediately zeroed in on Kurt, who was standing on the edge of the stage, arms spread as he argued with someone else on the ground.
"Wonder what's going on," Chandler murmured to Blaine.
As Blaine nodded in response, Kurt looked up and spotted them, a grin overtaking his face. He waved at them and Blaine raised a hand back, seeing Chandler's arm practically windmilling out of the corner of his eye.
Kurt gestured them to come closer. “This is Artie Abrams,” he said, gesturing to a young man in a wheelchair. “He’s the director.”
Artie nodded to him, “Wassup?”
Blaine put his hand out to for Artie to shake, and received a fist bump in return. “Blaine Anderson. This is Chandler Kiehl. Thank you for the opportunity.”
“Nah man, it’s no problem. Kurt can’t stop talking about you, Blaine.” The director seemingly ducked automatically to dodge Kurt’s swat.
Chandler leaned forward, beanie bouncing lightly on his head. “Me too?”
Artie smiled awkwardly as Kurt slowly turned red. “Not as much. Sorry man.”
The four of them stood silently for a moment before Kurt grabbed Blaine by the hand and pulled him towards center stage. “Come on, I’ll show you the harness.”
And that’s where Blaine saw the beauty that was Kurt Hummel.
The harness that Kurt was attached to was really only two wires and a belt. The amazing thing was that it was all controlled by a computer just like light and sound cues. Blaine watched as Kurt pulled on the ropes and then did a test plié. He nodded to the technician in front of the controls and Blaine took a step back.
And then Kurt was flying.
He floated up into the air, arms stretched in an arabesque, one long leg lifted behind him. The length of his neck was impossible from Blaine’s view on the ground. Then Kurt grinned down at Blaine and threw his weight back and Blaine’s heart flipped along with the man in the air.
Kurt was lowered down slowly and then detached himself from the harness. “Want to give it a try?”
“Absolutely.”
They switched places and Kurt stepped close to him to lock the belt around his waist. “Breathe in,” Kurt said softly. Blaine did, and Kurt tightened the belt, fingertips skimming his hip bones. Kurt came around behind him and attached the wires. “Plié.”
Blaine bent his knees, lowering himself and allowing Kurt to raise both his arms parallel to the floor.
“Ready?” Kurt asked, coming beside him and taking his hand.
Blaine breathed in and out again before looking straight at Kurt. “Ready.”
“Don’t worry,” Kurt said, squeezing his hand. “I’m right here.” Kurt nodded to the technician and all of a sudden Blaine was pulled from the ground, suspended in mid air.
“Oh my God!” he gasped, clutching tighter to Kurt’s hand.
“Blaine, relax.” He took another deep breath and nodded to Kurt. “We’re going to try and move a bit, okay?"
Blaine looked at Kurt who was gazing back at him, a soft smile on his face. “Okay.”
“To the right!” Kurt called to the technician. Blaine floated towards the right and Kurt walked underneath him. “How does it feel?”
Blaine took a moment to gather his thoughts, the weightlessness of his body, the swirl of air around him. “Amazing. I’m flying!”
Kurt laughed. “Do you want to try a flip?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m right here. Just try it.”
Blaine remembered Kurt’s back flip, closed his eyes, steeled his nerve and nodded. Kurt let go of his hand which instantly felt cool without Kurt’s warmth. Kurt nodded encouragingly, and Blaine leaned back, further and further until suddenly he was right side up again.
The harness started to lower as Kurt clapped enthusiastically. “Wonderful Blaine! That was great!”
“Thank you!” Blaine replied as Kurt detached the wires. Blaine reached his arms towards Kurt who immediately stepped into his arms, giving him a short but tight squeeze. “Thanks for your help.”
“Anytime."
“Hey Kurt!” Both of them turned to where Artie was sitting with Chandler. “Tink’s got to go too."
“Of course,” Kurt said graciously, deftly unhooking the belt from Blaine’s waist.
Blaine was talking to some other crew members when Chandler stormed up to him, arms crossed. He let out a disgruntled sigh.
“Something wrong Chandler?” Blaine asked.
“I just asked Kurt Hummel out.”
Blaine’s eyes were wide as he stared at his blond classmate. “You did what?”
“You heard me,” Chandler huffed.
“What’d he say?”
“He said no!”
Blaine reached out a hand and lightly patted Chandler on the shoulder. “I’m sorry. Did he... say why, perhaps?”
Chandler angrily adjusted his beanie. “He said he was interested in someone else, can you believe it?”
Blaine tried not to let his smile show, but failed when he looked up and caught Kurt staring at him. “No, Chandler, I really can’t.”
**
When Blaine got back to his dorm that evening, he first called Rachel to update her on his rehearsal. She was in the middle of telling Blaine about an audition she had signed up for when his phone buzzed against his ear with a text from Kurt.
Do you want to go to the photo shoot together? I'll pick you up.
Blaine made his goodbyes to Rachel before texting Kurt back that yes, he'd love to go together and he made sure to send Kurt his address.
The next morning, Kurt arrived at his doorstep bright and early, but Blaine had been ready for an hour already and had just been puttering around passing time. Kurt smiled brightly at him before glancing down at his collar. “May I?” he asked, reaching his hands out.
“Sure?”
Kurt’s fingers smoothed across the bow-tie that Blaine had tied there earlier, tugging it straight. Blaine inhaled Kurt’s cologne and felt heat creeping up his neck, thankfully covered by his polo. “There we go,” Kurt nodded, stepping back.
“Thank you.” Blaine turned to lock his door and then gestured to Kurt to walk ahead of him. As they made their way towards the subway, Blaine asked, “So what’s this photo shoot for?”
“These photos will go on the playbill, the poster, in the program, and other promotional photos. Usually it takes a few hours, but Artie and I know the photographer really well and he’s easy to work with. It’ll be fun!”
Blaine smiled at Kurt, nodding, “I’m excited.”
The two had to separate as they entered the subway, swiping their MetroCards. Blaine followed Kurt on to the train and they found seats immediately in the almost-empty car. They sat in silence. Kurt fiddled with the broach he was wearing. He glanced at Blaine and then moved to thread his fingers together before releasing them repeatedly. Blaine placed his hand on Kurt’s to still them. “Kurt, are you alright?”
Kurt’s head jerked up but his eyes didn’t meet Blaine’s. “There’s something I should tell you.” Blaine nodded for him to continue, stomach twisting into a tiny knot, worried that perhaps they’ve decided not to cast him after all. “After you left yesterday, Artie and I were discussing concepts for today. I want you to know, I argued strongly against this but as the director, he does have greater authority than me as the writer in this aspect. He’s adamant and believe me, I did bring up your possible responses and of course the likelihood of your character even --”
Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hand to interrupt him. “Kurt, what is it?”
Heaving a deep sigh, Kurt confessed, “Artie wants you to do the photo shoot without a shirt on.”
Blaine leaned back heavily into his seat. “I see.”
“Look, if you’re uncomfortable with it, just tell him. I’ll support you. Two against one is way better odds. I mean, for goodness sakes, your character is only sixteen and he’s been transported to this new world. Would his first instinct be to strip? I don’t think so. I tried to tell Artie but he thinks, you know, in terms of promotion and sales...”
“It’s fine, Kurt. I understand. Artie’s the director, he knows what he’s doing, right?”
“Sometimes,” Kurt muttered, rolling his eyes.
Blaine grinned, lightly poking Kurt in the side in admonishment. “Really, it’s fine. Thank you for being concerned.”
“Anytime.”
**
Kurt walked into the studio, gait much lighter than when he and Blaine had been walking to the subway. He called Blaine over to where Artie and a man, presumably the photographer, were looking at pictures on a computer. “Blaine,” Kurt said, gesturing to the man. “This is Mike Chang. He’s been with us since NYADA.”
Blaine shook Mike’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Mike said. He moved over to create space in front of the screen. “Artie and I were just going over some concept shots. Would you two like to see?”
After Artie explained his vision, which did indeed include a shirtless Blaine, both Kurt and Blaine were sent to get into costume, as well as hair and makeup. Blaine and the three ladies in his makeshift dressing room chatted easily about NYADA and their careers as he slipped on some looser jeans, and they redid his hair. They put an absurd amount of powder on his face, patting it with a giant pad. When Blaine tried to protest, they cut him off saying that the lights for the photo shoot were stage lights and no one wanted to look oily on a playbill. After that, Blaine was inclined to agree with them.
Blaine waited for Kurt to exit his dressing room so that they could go onto set together. He only had to wait ten minutes before Kurt emerged from behind the curtain in a large studded black coat with a tight red vest underneath.
“Holy shit,” Blaine said before he could help himself. Kurt looked at him, eyebrow raised. His eyes were lined with smudged eyeliner, sharpening his blue gaze that left Blaine breathless. He raised his hand, running it over the edge of jaw, where his facial hair had been darkened. “You look great, Kurt.”
Kurt stepped closer, eyes roaming over Blaine’s torso. “You’re not so bad yourself,” he murmured, grazing his fingertips down Blaine’s arm. He could feel goosebumps erupt in the wake of Kurt’s touch.
“Yo!” Artie called from the set and the two of them jumped apart. “You guys ready yet? Time is money!”
Blaine smiled at Kurt, sweeping his arm out. “After you.”
Kurt gave a little bow. “Why thank you, good sir.”
Overall, Blaine thought the photo shoot went okay. Sometimes he wasn’t sure what to do with face or how to hold his arms, but he must have been doing something right, because Artie and Mike rarely instructed him, giving him gentle corrections instead. Kurt, on the other hand, practically burned the camera with his dark gaze and quirked brows. “Comes with practice,” he assured Blaine who stared open-mouthed.
Kurt and Blaine left the studio together, commenting on the photos that Mike had shown them and complimenting each other’s Blue Steel looks. The walk to the subway seemed much faster this time around, and even the train seemed to be moving a supersonic speed. Kurt walked Blaine halfway to his dorm before stopping.
“Hey.”
Blaine raised his eyebrows. “Hello?”
Kurt used a thumb and forefinger to adjust his bangs in his coif, eyes pointed down. “Do you want to go grab a coffee? Not to talk about the production, but we can do that if you want to too. But like, just... coffee. You and me?”
Blaine grinned, coming closer to Kurt and narrowing his eyes at him. “Kurt Hummel, are you asking me out on a date?”
Kurt’s face was tight with nerves but he managed a small smile. “Yeah.”
Blaine laughed. “I’d love to Kurt.”
He held out a hand. “Ready?”
Smiling easily, Kurt pressed his hand into Blaine’s, squeezing it lightly.
“Ready.”
Kurt's apartment building was only a ten minute walk from the coffee shop and had a very modern and streamlined look. "Nice place," he commented to Kurt who was extracting his keys from his messenger bag.
"Well, I only own the one apartment," Kurt teased, opening the door for Blaine.
"Ha. Ha. I would have never known."
They walked up a single flight of stairs before Kurt opened an apartment door. Blaine toed off his shoes on the welcome mat as Kurt instructed him to make himself at home. “I’ll be right back. I just want to change before dinner.”
Kurt disappeared into one of the rooms and Blaine took the time to explore the apartment a little bit. He stepped into the living room, running a hand over the soft fabric of the couch. He drifted over to the wall and looked at the pictures lining the wall. There were eight frames lining the wall, each with two pictures. The first showed what was obviously a young Kurt, dressed in a tunic and a hat. Underneath was a picture of many people together and underneath were the words Peter Pan 2008. The next frames were similar, with a picture of Kurt costumed on top and a cast photo underneath. He recognized the seventh frame as the cast from Jackson, Kurt standing with his arms spread right in the middle of the cast photo, looking proud and happy.
“It was my dad’s idea,” Kurt said from behind him. Blaine turned to see Kurt walking out of his bedroom, adjusting the white t-shirt on his chest. “The frames. He started making them when I was in high school, and I continued it when I got here.”
Kurt walked up beside him, gazing fondly at the first frame. “Peter Pan, freshman year. My first production ever.”
“This is great,” Blaine enthused, running a finger beside the last frame. “What did your mom think of all this? She must be so proud of you.” When Kurt didn’t answer, Blaine looked over at him. Kurt’s face was tight around the lips, shoulders rigid under his shirt. “Kurt?”
“My mom died when I was eight years old. She never... She never saw any of this.”
Blaine turned to Kurt, grabbing his hand in both of his. “Kurt, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean...”
“I know,” Kurt replied, looking over at him and squeezing his hand. “It’s okay. So anyway, dinner. I was thinking spaghetti.”
Blaine blinked before falling back into the conversation, jolted from the sudden topic change. “Yeah, sounds good. Can I help?”
"That depends," Kurt said, already walking to the kitchen.
"On what?"
Kurt looked at him, winking over his shoulder. "If you can stir sauce or not."
Making dinner was a fun affair, as Blaine chased Kurt around his small kitchen with a spoonful of sauce and Kurt held up a frying pan as a shield. After ten minutes and one stained tee shirt, the two of them calmed down to plate the noodles and open a bottle of wine.
“So,” Blaine said as he twirled spaghetti onto his fork, “what can I expect on Saturday?”
“Well, a lot of the cast is already off-book, depending on when they started, so you and Chandler do have a lot of catching up to do. But we haven’t blocked anything so you don’t have to learn very much yet. Saturday will be the welcome meeting and we’ll fit you to the harness, and all will be well. Don’t worry about anything. Everyone is very nice over there, you’ll fit right in.”
“Harness?” Kurt was smiling, obviously anticipating Blaine’s question.
“Well, Peter has to fly, doesn’t he? It’s really fun, trust me.”
As Kurt produced a cheesecake and two forks, he asked, “Want to eat this on the couch?”
Blaine shrugged and got up to follow him across the hall to the living room. “Is it a habit of yours to eat dessert on the couch?”
Kurt grinned, reaching out to slap Blaine’s shoulder lightly. “It’s comfort food, why shouldn’t I be comfortable while eating it?”
“I guess that’s true. So tell me about Hook.”
“What do you mean?”
Blaine set his fork down on the plate. “I can’t even imagine writing an entire musical by myself. How did you even come up with the idea?”
“Well,” Kurt said, slowly pulling the spoon from his mouth. Blaine tried to subtly clear the sudden tightness in his throat. “I guess, Peter Pan isn’t really new to me,” Kurt nodded towards the frames on the wall. “It was my first production and even though I only played Lost Boy #8, I found a love for performing. Even so, it wasn’t the greatest experience otherwise. High school wasn’t the best time for me. In the play, everybody hated Captain Hook but they didn’t know anything about him. How did he come to Neverland? Who was he before he was Hook? It frustrated me to no end. Of course I was projecting. Not to cast myself as the villain in my life story, but I could relate a bit to Hook. I was despised for no reason since middle school until I got here. Even though New York is so much better than Ohio, I still carry those experiences with me. And thus, Hook was born.”
Blaine’s hand found Kurt’s on the couch. “That’s amazing Kurt. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
His time with Kurt passed much too quickly for Blaine, who was practically skipping as he stopped into Rachel’s room before heading to his dorm. “Honey, I’m home!” he called out.
Rachel dropped her book on her bed, scrambling back to make room for him. “How was it?”
“Oh Rachel.” Blaine flopped back onto the bed. “Rachel, he’s amazing. I just want to know him, and make him laugh, and hold his hand.” He sighed and rolled over, almost crashing into Rachel’s grinning face.
“So when are you going to ask him out?” Rachel asked, putting her chin on her fists.
“I don’t know if I will, Rach.”
“What!” She smacked him on the arm. “What are you talking about? Of course you should!”
Blaine captured her wrist before she could attack him again. “Let’s just see what happens on Saturday, okay?”
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and showed it to Rachel, thrusting it in her face. “It’s from Kurt!”
“What’s it say?”
Also, photoshoot on Sunday. Be ready.
He looked at Rachel, frowning. “Photoshoot?”
**
Spending time with Kurt was wonderful, Blaine realized halfway through his first rehearsal, but Kurt was stunning in his element.
When Blaine and Chandler walked into the theatre, he immediately zeroed in on Kurt, who was standing on the edge of the stage, arms spread as he argued with someone else on the ground.
"Wonder what's going on," Chandler murmured to Blaine.
As Blaine nodded in response, Kurt looked up and spotted them, a grin overtaking his face. He waved at them and Blaine raised a hand back, seeing Chandler's arm practically windmilling out of the corner of his eye.
Kurt gestured them to come closer. “This is Artie Abrams,” he said, gesturing to a young man in a wheelchair. “He’s the director.”
Artie nodded to him, “Wassup?”
Blaine put his hand out to for Artie to shake, and received a fist bump in return. “Blaine Anderson. This is Chandler Kiehl. Thank you for the opportunity.”
“Nah man, it’s no problem. Kurt can’t stop talking about you, Blaine.” The director seemingly ducked automatically to dodge Kurt’s swat.
Chandler leaned forward, beanie bouncing lightly on his head. “Me too?”
Artie smiled awkwardly as Kurt slowly turned red. “Not as much. Sorry man.”
The four of them stood silently for a moment before Kurt grabbed Blaine by the hand and pulled him towards center stage. “Come on, I’ll show you the harness.”
And that’s where Blaine saw the beauty that was Kurt Hummel.
The harness that Kurt was attached to was really only two wires and a belt. The amazing thing was that it was all controlled by a computer just like light and sound cues. Blaine watched as Kurt pulled on the ropes and then did a test plié. He nodded to the technician in front of the controls and Blaine took a step back.
And then Kurt was flying.
He floated up into the air, arms stretched in an arabesque, one long leg lifted behind him. The length of his neck was impossible from Blaine’s view on the ground. Then Kurt grinned down at Blaine and threw his weight back and Blaine’s heart flipped along with the man in the air.
Kurt was lowered down slowly and then detached himself from the harness. “Want to give it a try?”
“Absolutely.”
They switched places and Kurt stepped close to him to lock the belt around his waist. “Breathe in,” Kurt said softly. Blaine did, and Kurt tightened the belt, fingertips skimming his hip bones. Kurt came around behind him and attached the wires. “Plié.”
Blaine bent his knees, lowering himself and allowing Kurt to raise both his arms parallel to the floor.
“Ready?” Kurt asked, coming beside him and taking his hand.
Blaine breathed in and out again before looking straight at Kurt. “Ready.”
“Don’t worry,” Kurt said, squeezing his hand. “I’m right here.” Kurt nodded to the technician and all of a sudden Blaine was pulled from the ground, suspended in mid air.
“Oh my God!” he gasped, clutching tighter to Kurt’s hand.
“Blaine, relax.” He took another deep breath and nodded to Kurt. “We’re going to try and move a bit, okay?"
Blaine looked at Kurt who was gazing back at him, a soft smile on his face. “Okay.”
“To the right!” Kurt called to the technician. Blaine floated towards the right and Kurt walked underneath him. “How does it feel?”
Blaine took a moment to gather his thoughts, the weightlessness of his body, the swirl of air around him. “Amazing. I’m flying!”
Kurt laughed. “Do you want to try a flip?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m right here. Just try it.”
Blaine remembered Kurt’s back flip, closed his eyes, steeled his nerve and nodded. Kurt let go of his hand which instantly felt cool without Kurt’s warmth. Kurt nodded encouragingly, and Blaine leaned back, further and further until suddenly he was right side up again.
The harness started to lower as Kurt clapped enthusiastically. “Wonderful Blaine! That was great!”
“Thank you!” Blaine replied as Kurt detached the wires. Blaine reached his arms towards Kurt who immediately stepped into his arms, giving him a short but tight squeeze. “Thanks for your help.”
“Anytime."
“Hey Kurt!” Both of them turned to where Artie was sitting with Chandler. “Tink’s got to go too."
“Of course,” Kurt said graciously, deftly unhooking the belt from Blaine’s waist.
Blaine was talking to some other crew members when Chandler stormed up to him, arms crossed. He let out a disgruntled sigh.
“Something wrong Chandler?” Blaine asked.
“I just asked Kurt Hummel out.”
Blaine’s eyes were wide as he stared at his blond classmate. “You did what?”
“You heard me,” Chandler huffed.
“What’d he say?”
“He said no!”
Blaine reached out a hand and lightly patted Chandler on the shoulder. “I’m sorry. Did he... say why, perhaps?”
Chandler angrily adjusted his beanie. “He said he was interested in someone else, can you believe it?”
Blaine tried not to let his smile show, but failed when he looked up and caught Kurt staring at him. “No, Chandler, I really can’t.”
**
When Blaine got back to his dorm that evening, he first called Rachel to update her on his rehearsal. She was in the middle of telling Blaine about an audition she had signed up for when his phone buzzed against his ear with a text from Kurt.
Do you want to go to the photo shoot together? I'll pick you up.
Blaine made his goodbyes to Rachel before texting Kurt back that yes, he'd love to go together and he made sure to send Kurt his address.
The next morning, Kurt arrived at his doorstep bright and early, but Blaine had been ready for an hour already and had just been puttering around passing time. Kurt smiled brightly at him before glancing down at his collar. “May I?” he asked, reaching his hands out.
“Sure?”
Kurt’s fingers smoothed across the bow-tie that Blaine had tied there earlier, tugging it straight. Blaine inhaled Kurt’s cologne and felt heat creeping up his neck, thankfully covered by his polo. “There we go,” Kurt nodded, stepping back.
“Thank you.” Blaine turned to lock his door and then gestured to Kurt to walk ahead of him. As they made their way towards the subway, Blaine asked, “So what’s this photo shoot for?”
“These photos will go on the playbill, the poster, in the program, and other promotional photos. Usually it takes a few hours, but Artie and I know the photographer really well and he’s easy to work with. It’ll be fun!”
Blaine smiled at Kurt, nodding, “I’m excited.”
The two had to separate as they entered the subway, swiping their MetroCards. Blaine followed Kurt on to the train and they found seats immediately in the almost-empty car. They sat in silence. Kurt fiddled with the broach he was wearing. He glanced at Blaine and then moved to thread his fingers together before releasing them repeatedly. Blaine placed his hand on Kurt’s to still them. “Kurt, are you alright?”
Kurt’s head jerked up but his eyes didn’t meet Blaine’s. “There’s something I should tell you.” Blaine nodded for him to continue, stomach twisting into a tiny knot, worried that perhaps they’ve decided not to cast him after all. “After you left yesterday, Artie and I were discussing concepts for today. I want you to know, I argued strongly against this but as the director, he does have greater authority than me as the writer in this aspect. He’s adamant and believe me, I did bring up your possible responses and of course the likelihood of your character even --”
Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hand to interrupt him. “Kurt, what is it?”
Heaving a deep sigh, Kurt confessed, “Artie wants you to do the photo shoot without a shirt on.”
Blaine leaned back heavily into his seat. “I see.”
“Look, if you’re uncomfortable with it, just tell him. I’ll support you. Two against one is way better odds. I mean, for goodness sakes, your character is only sixteen and he’s been transported to this new world. Would his first instinct be to strip? I don’t think so. I tried to tell Artie but he thinks, you know, in terms of promotion and sales...”
“It’s fine, Kurt. I understand. Artie’s the director, he knows what he’s doing, right?”
“Sometimes,” Kurt muttered, rolling his eyes.
Blaine grinned, lightly poking Kurt in the side in admonishment. “Really, it’s fine. Thank you for being concerned.”
“Anytime.”
**
Kurt walked into the studio, gait much lighter than when he and Blaine had been walking to the subway. He called Blaine over to where Artie and a man, presumably the photographer, were looking at pictures on a computer. “Blaine,” Kurt said, gesturing to the man. “This is Mike Chang. He’s been with us since NYADA.”
Blaine shook Mike’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Mike said. He moved over to create space in front of the screen. “Artie and I were just going over some concept shots. Would you two like to see?”
After Artie explained his vision, which did indeed include a shirtless Blaine, both Kurt and Blaine were sent to get into costume, as well as hair and makeup. Blaine and the three ladies in his makeshift dressing room chatted easily about NYADA and their careers as he slipped on some looser jeans, and they redid his hair. They put an absurd amount of powder on his face, patting it with a giant pad. When Blaine tried to protest, they cut him off saying that the lights for the photo shoot were stage lights and no one wanted to look oily on a playbill. After that, Blaine was inclined to agree with them.
Blaine waited for Kurt to exit his dressing room so that they could go onto set together. He only had to wait ten minutes before Kurt emerged from behind the curtain in a large studded black coat with a tight red vest underneath.
“Holy shit,” Blaine said before he could help himself. Kurt looked at him, eyebrow raised. His eyes were lined with smudged eyeliner, sharpening his blue gaze that left Blaine breathless. He raised his hand, running it over the edge of jaw, where his facial hair had been darkened. “You look great, Kurt.”
Kurt stepped closer, eyes roaming over Blaine’s torso. “You’re not so bad yourself,” he murmured, grazing his fingertips down Blaine’s arm. He could feel goosebumps erupt in the wake of Kurt’s touch.
“Yo!” Artie called from the set and the two of them jumped apart. “You guys ready yet? Time is money!”
Blaine smiled at Kurt, sweeping his arm out. “After you.”
Kurt gave a little bow. “Why thank you, good sir.”
Overall, Blaine thought the photo shoot went okay. Sometimes he wasn’t sure what to do with face or how to hold his arms, but he must have been doing something right, because Artie and Mike rarely instructed him, giving him gentle corrections instead. Kurt, on the other hand, practically burned the camera with his dark gaze and quirked brows. “Comes with practice,” he assured Blaine who stared open-mouthed.
Kurt and Blaine left the studio together, commenting on the photos that Mike had shown them and complimenting each other’s Blue Steel looks. The walk to the subway seemed much faster this time around, and even the train seemed to be moving a supersonic speed. Kurt walked Blaine halfway to his dorm before stopping.
“Hey.”
Blaine raised his eyebrows. “Hello?”
Kurt used a thumb and forefinger to adjust his bangs in his coif, eyes pointed down. “Do you want to go grab a coffee? Not to talk about the production, but we can do that if you want to too. But like, just... coffee. You and me?”
Blaine grinned, coming closer to Kurt and narrowing his eyes at him. “Kurt Hummel, are you asking me out on a date?”
Kurt’s face was tight with nerves but he managed a small smile. “Yeah.”
Blaine laughed. “I’d love to Kurt.”
He held out a hand. “Ready?”
Smiling easily, Kurt pressed his hand into Blaine’s, squeezing it lightly.
“Ready.”