His Perfect Partner (6/?)
Title: His Perfect Partner (6/?)
Rating: R
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, with appearances by Burt/Carole, Tina/Mike, Mercedes/Sam, Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Finn
Spoilers: None, but assume that anything through 3.14 is fair game for inspiration.
Word Count: 2288
Summary: After five disappointing seasons on the show, professional dancer Kurt Hummel finally has his chance at ballroom glory. With actress and fan favorite Kim Schrodinger as his partner, Kurt vows to channel all his focus into winning that mirrorball trophy - distractions, including men, be damned. Enter Blaine Anderson, a gorgeous, confusing pop star who may turn out to be the biggest distraction of them all.
In This Chapter: It's the day before the premiere. Kurt and Finn have some brotherly bonding time, and Blaine has a rough day until Kurt and coffee come to the rescue.
Author's Note: This is a Dancing with the Stars/Glee crossover AU, in which Kurt grew up dancing and became a professional on the show in his mid-twenties, and Blaine is a pop star with a very private private life. Other familiar Glee faces, some actual DWTS pros, and a couple of OCs appear to round out the cast of characters. I'll be posting twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. I have a master glee post here, or follow my bff's tumblr for updates and some fun multi-media extras that will go along with most chapters. Thanks to
samzgurl,
wintercreek, and
gypsyangel25 for the beta as well as for general cheer-leading and fun times.
By Sunday when everyone made it to set for blocking, they were all showing signs of wear. Kurt was glad he’d had the foresight to take Friday off. Several of the couples who had worked straight through the week had reached meltdown stage, and it wasn’t pretty. Sugar and Derek were yelling at each other in the hallway, and Puck was stomping around the balcony while Lacey rolled her eyes and waited at the bottom of the stairs. Even Blaine and Bitsy were subdued, slumped in chairs in the front row and talking quietly.
They’d run the pro dance early and were now working their way steadily through each of the couples. Kim and Kurt were slated seventh, which meant they wouldn’t rehearse until after lunch, but Kurt liked to get an advance look at all the dances when he could. Both Santana and Quinn had looked great, taking to the foxtrot like they were born to dance. Kurt had a feeling that while Quinn might struggle when she switched to Latin, Santana was going to be a force to be reckoned with regardless of dance style.
The guys were mostly hopeless, though based on what Lacey had been saying, Puck would be good once he got over his temper tantrum. They were going eighth, and Kurt was planning to stay to watch. Actually, he admitted to himself, he’d be staying to watch the whole thing, because Blaine and Bitsy were up last, and he was dying to see how their rehearsal went.
Lauren and Mike finished what Kurt could only term an interesting foxtrot, and Artie, the stage manager, called out that it was time for lunch break. Cast, crew, and band alike hurried out of the room or fell into chairs, exhausted. Kurt heard a yell from the orchestra pit and winced. Sure enough, within a few seconds a giant was racing toward him, grabbing him around the middle and throwing him over his shoulder. Kurt wheezed out a laugh and looked up to see Blaine frowning at him from across the room.
“Finn Hudson! You put me down this instant. Behemoth.” Kurt swung wildly once more before Finn obeyed and he found his feet again.
“Sorry, dude. Just excited about lunch. I haven’t eaten for hours,” Finn said, grinning down at him.
“Poor thing. I’m sure you’re about to waste away if we don’t feed you an entire dead animal in the next ten minutes,” Kurt said. Finn nodded, his eyes wide. “Oh, fine. Let’s go. But you’re buying. My wallet still hasn’t recovered from the last dinner I paid for.”
Kurt grabbed Finn by the elbow and guided him across the floor so he didn’t trip on any of the camera wires. The camera crew already had it in for him, and Kurt tried to help him as best he could. Kurt smiled as they walked by Blaine and Bitsy, listening with partial attention as Finn went on about the new lunch place he was sure Kurt would love. Blaine smiled back, but it was a far cry from his usual exuberant grin. Kurt figured he was just tired.
Finn kept up a steady stream of chatter all the way to the restaurant, filling Kurt in on what he’d been up to for the last few weeks while Kurt had been rehearsing like mad. Once the season started, they’d see each other a lot more since Finn was the drummer for the show’s band, but during preseason they rarely crossed paths unless they planned it. Kurt got Finn’s side of the ongoing saga of his pseudo-relationship with Rachel, which he’d already processed to death with Rachel on Friday. It sounded like they were finally getting it together for real, but Kurt wasn’t about to place any bets on how long that would last. He loved them both, but they were idiots when it came to one another.
“So,” Finn said, mouth full. Kurt suppressed a shudder. “I talked to Mom and Dad last night. They get in later tonight. Rachel and I are going to have brunch with them before we have to get to the studio, and then they want to have family dinner after the show.”
“I’ll have to see what Kim wants to do. Knowing her, she’ll probably want to have joint family dinner.”
“Mom will love that. Remember how she watched that show every Monday night, and we weren’t allowed to talk?”
“That’s only because you hadn’t yet learned how to use your inside voice,” Kurt said. “I got talking privileges by the second season.”
“Yeah, whatever. It wasn’t that interesting anyway.” Finn took another gargantuan bite of his sandwich, and Kurt had to look away.
“I’ll talk to Kim this afternoon and let you know before rehearsal ends. You can fill in the ‘rents.”
“Sure,” Finn said, finishing off his lunch with more speed than was strictly necessary.
They headed back to set, Kurt already running the dance in his head. He had a few notes he wanted to give Kim before they started. As they walked back into the ballroom, Finn put a hand on his arm.
“Hey,” Finn said. “You’re good, right?”
“You mean with the show, or in general, or?”
“In general. I just…you push yourself really hard, and I wanted to make sure you were doing ok,” Finn said, and Kurt softened.
“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for checking,” Kurt said. Finn held his arms out, and Kurt stepped into his embrace, letting Finn hug him tight.
They parted ways after that, Finn with a smile and Kurt with a renewed spring in his step. He’d been right to make time for his brother. His family made getting to do what he loved so much more real, more special. He hurried off to find Kim, excited to get their dance down so they could perform it perfectly for their families the next night.
***
Blocking went well for Kim and Kurt, and they were able to sit back and watch as Puck and Lacey took the floor. Their cha cha looked like it would be quirky and fun, but in a different way than Kim and Kurt’s was. Both couples would be distinctive enough that they’d get attention, but not so strange that they’d get called out by the judges too badly. At least that was the theory Kurt was operating under.
During the next number, Kurt talked quietly to Kim, offering suggestions and reminding her about parts of the choreography that might still give her trouble. They’d get together for a brief rehearsal in the morning before dress, but he didn’t want to overdo it. He wanted her calm and happy so that she could give a great performance. They could worry more about technique in later weeks.
Blaine and Bitsy were up next, and both Kim and Kurt grew quiet so they could watch. Blaine seemed to have his steps down well enough, but the flirty and fun attitude he needed for the cha cha just wasn’t there.
“Is it just me, or does Blaine seem sort of off?” Kim whispered.
“It’s not just you,” Kurt replied, frowning. “He doesn’t look like he’s having any fun out there.”
“You should talk to him after - give him some pointers.” Kim waggled her eyebrows at him.
“You’re ridiculous, but you’re not wrong.” Kurt sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Kurt watched closely through the rest of their rehearsal, trying to figure out what was going on. Bitsy looked flummoxed, which made Kurt think that Blaine’s behavior was unusual. Maybe he was just having an off day, and tomorrow would be fine. Still, Kurt felt like he should at least make the effort.
Once rehearsal ended, Kurt walked Kim to her car to give Blaine a few minutes to get back to his trailer. She gave him a kiss and told him good luck with an evil gleam in her eye, which he ignored. Then he made his way over to Blaine’s trailer and knocked tentatively.
“It’s open,” came a rather glum voice.
“Hey.” Kurt stuck his head around the door and found Blaine sitting on his couch, head propped on one hand. “Do you mind a little company?”
“Uh, sure,” Blaine scrambled up, tossing things off the couch so Kurt could sit down. Kurt stepped over what looked like a small music store’s worth of guitars and tucked himself into the other end of the couch.
“Not to be presumptuous or anything, but that seemed a little rough?”
“You think?” Blaine scoffed, running one hand through his hair and mussing his curls.
“Wait, was that sarcasm I heard?” Kurt smiled. “I wasn’t sure you had it in you.”
“Yeah, well, when things suck royally, even I can’t keep up a happy façade.”
“Hey, no. That didn’t suck at all. It just seemed like you weren’t quite there. I’m sure you’ll be focused and awesome tomorrow.”
“I hope so. The guys from my band will be there. I’d hate to fall on my face in front of them. They’ll never let me live it down,” Blaine said with a glimmer of a smile.
“Oh, I know what you mean. Finn still hasn’t let me forget about the time I tripped on my way down the stairs at the start of the show and almost face planted into the lady who plays the chimes,” Kurt said.
“Finn?” Blaine asked, shifting in his seat.
“My idiot brother, the guy who plays the drums and likes to throw me around like I’m one of his footballs?” Kurt could have sworn he’d mentioned Finn to Blaine.
“Oh,” Blaine said, and his smile finally reached his eyes. “That guy. He doesn’t look like he has much room to talk when it comes to falling down.”
“Yeah, he’s not the most graceful of men. Being a giant certainly doesn’t help.” Kurt smiled, glad that Blaine seemed to be cheering up. “At home, Carole - that’s his mom - made it a rule that he wasn’t allowed to walk while carrying anything breakable. That meant I ended up doing most of the dishes, but it was a small price to pay for unbroken china.”
“I bet,” Blaine said, laughing now. “Hey, do you want to get out of here? I think if I stay and stress about the show, I’ll just freak myself out and be worse tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Kurt said. “Coffee?”
“Sounds great!” Blaine grinned at Kurt, and Kurt was forcibly reminded just how good-looking he was. He got up and hurried in front of Blaine so Blaine wouldn’t see his blush.
They met at the L.A. Bean twenty minutes later, Blaine wearing a baseball cap in an attempt to go incognito. Kurt caught a couple of people looking as they stood in line to place their order, but no one came up and bothered them. Blaine paid, claiming that it was his right since Kurt was there cheering him up, and they found a table for two by the back window.
“So what was your first performance on the show like? I figure if you’re going to get to see mine, you should at least tell me about yours. Please include all the embarrassing details.” Blaine folded his hands in front of him, obviously ready for a story.
“You’re ridiculous,” Kurt said. “But fine, I’ll tell you. It was…not pretty, to say the least.”
“Oh?”
“Imagine trying to dance sexily with your grandma, who is wearing sequins and fringe, but not nearly enough of either to cover all the necessary parts.”
“Oh, god,” Blaine said, making a face.
“Yes, exactly like that. I’ve never been so grateful to be voted off in my life. We made it all the way to the third week, and that was quite enough.”
“I bet it was!”
“So really, you’re going to be a huge improvement over that. I mean, first of all, you’re not a grandma,” Kurt said.
“True.”
“And I suspect you have insisted on covering yourself with neither sequins nor fringe.”
“I was thinking feathers, actually. Orange ones,” Blaine said, and they grinned at one another.
“That sounds lovely. Maybe I should let you start designing the costumes for me and Kim.”
“How do you feel about feathers with fringe? Perhaps in a nice chartreuse?”
“Blaine Anderson!” Kurt gasped. “I think I’ve finally got you figured out. You lure people in with your nice guy act, and then scar them for life with horrible fashion.”
“You’ve uncovered my secret,” Blaine said sheepishly. “I’m here to steal the costume guy’s job and bring down the show using only poor taste.”
“Well, poor taste hasn’t managed to kill the show yet, so I think you’re out of luck. You’re just going to have to dance and see where it gets you.”
“I suppose I can live with that,” Blaine said. He smiled at Kurt and took a sip of his coffee. Kurt tried desperately not to blush. Again.
They spent over an hour at the coffee shop, talking and laughing. Kurt fell deeper and deeper under Blaine’s spell, but he still couldn’t tell if Blaine were interested or just overly friendly. It was making Kurt crazy.
They finally called it a night when Kurt’s phone rang for the fifth time. It was probably Finn wondering what the plan for the next night was. Kurt had forgotten to tell him at the end of rehearsal. Blaine walked Kurt out to his car and gave him a hug, thanking him again for talking him down. He stood and waved as Kurt pulled away, but Kurt was already focused on dialing his phone.
“Cedes? Oh thank god,” he said when she picked up. “I think I need an intervention.”
Rating: R
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, with appearances by Burt/Carole, Tina/Mike, Mercedes/Sam, Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Finn
Spoilers: None, but assume that anything through 3.14 is fair game for inspiration.
Word Count: 2288
Summary: After five disappointing seasons on the show, professional dancer Kurt Hummel finally has his chance at ballroom glory. With actress and fan favorite Kim Schrodinger as his partner, Kurt vows to channel all his focus into winning that mirrorball trophy - distractions, including men, be damned. Enter Blaine Anderson, a gorgeous, confusing pop star who may turn out to be the biggest distraction of them all.
In This Chapter: It's the day before the premiere. Kurt and Finn have some brotherly bonding time, and Blaine has a rough day until Kurt and coffee come to the rescue.
Author's Note: This is a Dancing with the Stars/Glee crossover AU, in which Kurt grew up dancing and became a professional on the show in his mid-twenties, and Blaine is a pop star with a very private private life. Other familiar Glee faces, some actual DWTS pros, and a couple of OCs appear to round out the cast of characters. I'll be posting twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. I have a master glee post here, or follow my bff's tumblr for updates and some fun multi-media extras that will go along with most chapters. Thanks to
samzgurl,
wintercreek, and
gypsyangel25 for the beta as well as for general cheer-leading and fun times.
By Sunday when everyone made it to set for blocking, they were all showing signs of wear. Kurt was glad he’d had the foresight to take Friday off. Several of the couples who had worked straight through the week had reached meltdown stage, and it wasn’t pretty. Sugar and Derek were yelling at each other in the hallway, and Puck was stomping around the balcony while Lacey rolled her eyes and waited at the bottom of the stairs. Even Blaine and Bitsy were subdued, slumped in chairs in the front row and talking quietly.
They’d run the pro dance early and were now working their way steadily through each of the couples. Kim and Kurt were slated seventh, which meant they wouldn’t rehearse until after lunch, but Kurt liked to get an advance look at all the dances when he could. Both Santana and Quinn had looked great, taking to the foxtrot like they were born to dance. Kurt had a feeling that while Quinn might struggle when she switched to Latin, Santana was going to be a force to be reckoned with regardless of dance style.
The guys were mostly hopeless, though based on what Lacey had been saying, Puck would be good once he got over his temper tantrum. They were going eighth, and Kurt was planning to stay to watch. Actually, he admitted to himself, he’d be staying to watch the whole thing, because Blaine and Bitsy were up last, and he was dying to see how their rehearsal went.
Lauren and Mike finished what Kurt could only term an interesting foxtrot, and Artie, the stage manager, called out that it was time for lunch break. Cast, crew, and band alike hurried out of the room or fell into chairs, exhausted. Kurt heard a yell from the orchestra pit and winced. Sure enough, within a few seconds a giant was racing toward him, grabbing him around the middle and throwing him over his shoulder. Kurt wheezed out a laugh and looked up to see Blaine frowning at him from across the room.
“Finn Hudson! You put me down this instant. Behemoth.” Kurt swung wildly once more before Finn obeyed and he found his feet again.
“Sorry, dude. Just excited about lunch. I haven’t eaten for hours,” Finn said, grinning down at him.
“Poor thing. I’m sure you’re about to waste away if we don’t feed you an entire dead animal in the next ten minutes,” Kurt said. Finn nodded, his eyes wide. “Oh, fine. Let’s go. But you’re buying. My wallet still hasn’t recovered from the last dinner I paid for.”
Kurt grabbed Finn by the elbow and guided him across the floor so he didn’t trip on any of the camera wires. The camera crew already had it in for him, and Kurt tried to help him as best he could. Kurt smiled as they walked by Blaine and Bitsy, listening with partial attention as Finn went on about the new lunch place he was sure Kurt would love. Blaine smiled back, but it was a far cry from his usual exuberant grin. Kurt figured he was just tired.
Finn kept up a steady stream of chatter all the way to the restaurant, filling Kurt in on what he’d been up to for the last few weeks while Kurt had been rehearsing like mad. Once the season started, they’d see each other a lot more since Finn was the drummer for the show’s band, but during preseason they rarely crossed paths unless they planned it. Kurt got Finn’s side of the ongoing saga of his pseudo-relationship with Rachel, which he’d already processed to death with Rachel on Friday. It sounded like they were finally getting it together for real, but Kurt wasn’t about to place any bets on how long that would last. He loved them both, but they were idiots when it came to one another.
“So,” Finn said, mouth full. Kurt suppressed a shudder. “I talked to Mom and Dad last night. They get in later tonight. Rachel and I are going to have brunch with them before we have to get to the studio, and then they want to have family dinner after the show.”
“I’ll have to see what Kim wants to do. Knowing her, she’ll probably want to have joint family dinner.”
“Mom will love that. Remember how she watched that show every Monday night, and we weren’t allowed to talk?”
“That’s only because you hadn’t yet learned how to use your inside voice,” Kurt said. “I got talking privileges by the second season.”
“Yeah, whatever. It wasn’t that interesting anyway.” Finn took another gargantuan bite of his sandwich, and Kurt had to look away.
“I’ll talk to Kim this afternoon and let you know before rehearsal ends. You can fill in the ‘rents.”
“Sure,” Finn said, finishing off his lunch with more speed than was strictly necessary.
They headed back to set, Kurt already running the dance in his head. He had a few notes he wanted to give Kim before they started. As they walked back into the ballroom, Finn put a hand on his arm.
“Hey,” Finn said. “You’re good, right?”
“You mean with the show, or in general, or?”
“In general. I just…you push yourself really hard, and I wanted to make sure you were doing ok,” Finn said, and Kurt softened.
“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for checking,” Kurt said. Finn held his arms out, and Kurt stepped into his embrace, letting Finn hug him tight.
They parted ways after that, Finn with a smile and Kurt with a renewed spring in his step. He’d been right to make time for his brother. His family made getting to do what he loved so much more real, more special. He hurried off to find Kim, excited to get their dance down so they could perform it perfectly for their families the next night.
***
Blocking went well for Kim and Kurt, and they were able to sit back and watch as Puck and Lacey took the floor. Their cha cha looked like it would be quirky and fun, but in a different way than Kim and Kurt’s was. Both couples would be distinctive enough that they’d get attention, but not so strange that they’d get called out by the judges too badly. At least that was the theory Kurt was operating under.
During the next number, Kurt talked quietly to Kim, offering suggestions and reminding her about parts of the choreography that might still give her trouble. They’d get together for a brief rehearsal in the morning before dress, but he didn’t want to overdo it. He wanted her calm and happy so that she could give a great performance. They could worry more about technique in later weeks.
Blaine and Bitsy were up next, and both Kim and Kurt grew quiet so they could watch. Blaine seemed to have his steps down well enough, but the flirty and fun attitude he needed for the cha cha just wasn’t there.
“Is it just me, or does Blaine seem sort of off?” Kim whispered.
“It’s not just you,” Kurt replied, frowning. “He doesn’t look like he’s having any fun out there.”
“You should talk to him after - give him some pointers.” Kim waggled her eyebrows at him.
“You’re ridiculous, but you’re not wrong.” Kurt sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Kurt watched closely through the rest of their rehearsal, trying to figure out what was going on. Bitsy looked flummoxed, which made Kurt think that Blaine’s behavior was unusual. Maybe he was just having an off day, and tomorrow would be fine. Still, Kurt felt like he should at least make the effort.
Once rehearsal ended, Kurt walked Kim to her car to give Blaine a few minutes to get back to his trailer. She gave him a kiss and told him good luck with an evil gleam in her eye, which he ignored. Then he made his way over to Blaine’s trailer and knocked tentatively.
“It’s open,” came a rather glum voice.
“Hey.” Kurt stuck his head around the door and found Blaine sitting on his couch, head propped on one hand. “Do you mind a little company?”
“Uh, sure,” Blaine scrambled up, tossing things off the couch so Kurt could sit down. Kurt stepped over what looked like a small music store’s worth of guitars and tucked himself into the other end of the couch.
“Not to be presumptuous or anything, but that seemed a little rough?”
“You think?” Blaine scoffed, running one hand through his hair and mussing his curls.
“Wait, was that sarcasm I heard?” Kurt smiled. “I wasn’t sure you had it in you.”
“Yeah, well, when things suck royally, even I can’t keep up a happy façade.”
“Hey, no. That didn’t suck at all. It just seemed like you weren’t quite there. I’m sure you’ll be focused and awesome tomorrow.”
“I hope so. The guys from my band will be there. I’d hate to fall on my face in front of them. They’ll never let me live it down,” Blaine said with a glimmer of a smile.
“Oh, I know what you mean. Finn still hasn’t let me forget about the time I tripped on my way down the stairs at the start of the show and almost face planted into the lady who plays the chimes,” Kurt said.
“Finn?” Blaine asked, shifting in his seat.
“My idiot brother, the guy who plays the drums and likes to throw me around like I’m one of his footballs?” Kurt could have sworn he’d mentioned Finn to Blaine.
“Oh,” Blaine said, and his smile finally reached his eyes. “That guy. He doesn’t look like he has much room to talk when it comes to falling down.”
“Yeah, he’s not the most graceful of men. Being a giant certainly doesn’t help.” Kurt smiled, glad that Blaine seemed to be cheering up. “At home, Carole - that’s his mom - made it a rule that he wasn’t allowed to walk while carrying anything breakable. That meant I ended up doing most of the dishes, but it was a small price to pay for unbroken china.”
“I bet,” Blaine said, laughing now. “Hey, do you want to get out of here? I think if I stay and stress about the show, I’ll just freak myself out and be worse tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Kurt said. “Coffee?”
“Sounds great!” Blaine grinned at Kurt, and Kurt was forcibly reminded just how good-looking he was. He got up and hurried in front of Blaine so Blaine wouldn’t see his blush.
They met at the L.A. Bean twenty minutes later, Blaine wearing a baseball cap in an attempt to go incognito. Kurt caught a couple of people looking as they stood in line to place their order, but no one came up and bothered them. Blaine paid, claiming that it was his right since Kurt was there cheering him up, and they found a table for two by the back window.
“So what was your first performance on the show like? I figure if you’re going to get to see mine, you should at least tell me about yours. Please include all the embarrassing details.” Blaine folded his hands in front of him, obviously ready for a story.
“You’re ridiculous,” Kurt said. “But fine, I’ll tell you. It was…not pretty, to say the least.”
“Oh?”
“Imagine trying to dance sexily with your grandma, who is wearing sequins and fringe, but not nearly enough of either to cover all the necessary parts.”
“Oh, god,” Blaine said, making a face.
“Yes, exactly like that. I’ve never been so grateful to be voted off in my life. We made it all the way to the third week, and that was quite enough.”
“I bet it was!”
“So really, you’re going to be a huge improvement over that. I mean, first of all, you’re not a grandma,” Kurt said.
“True.”
“And I suspect you have insisted on covering yourself with neither sequins nor fringe.”
“I was thinking feathers, actually. Orange ones,” Blaine said, and they grinned at one another.
“That sounds lovely. Maybe I should let you start designing the costumes for me and Kim.”
“How do you feel about feathers with fringe? Perhaps in a nice chartreuse?”
“Blaine Anderson!” Kurt gasped. “I think I’ve finally got you figured out. You lure people in with your nice guy act, and then scar them for life with horrible fashion.”
“You’ve uncovered my secret,” Blaine said sheepishly. “I’m here to steal the costume guy’s job and bring down the show using only poor taste.”
“Well, poor taste hasn’t managed to kill the show yet, so I think you’re out of luck. You’re just going to have to dance and see where it gets you.”
“I suppose I can live with that,” Blaine said. He smiled at Kurt and took a sip of his coffee. Kurt tried desperately not to blush. Again.
They spent over an hour at the coffee shop, talking and laughing. Kurt fell deeper and deeper under Blaine’s spell, but he still couldn’t tell if Blaine were interested or just overly friendly. It was making Kurt crazy.
They finally called it a night when Kurt’s phone rang for the fifth time. It was probably Finn wondering what the plan for the next night was. Kurt had forgotten to tell him at the end of rehearsal. Blaine walked Kurt out to his car and gave him a hug, thanking him again for talking him down. He stood and waved as Kurt pulled away, but Kurt was already focused on dialing his phone.
“Cedes? Oh thank god,” he said when she picked up. “I think I need an intervention.”