His Perfect Partner (26/?)
Title: His Perfect Partner (26/?)
Rating: NC-17 overall (R this chapter)
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, with appearances by Burt/Carole, Tina/Mike, Mercedes/Sam, Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Finn
Spoilers: None, but assume that anything through Season Three is fair game for inspiration.
Word Count: 2183
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: Kurt and Blaine continue to process their feelings while preparation for quarterfinals week begins.
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 (though this week, I'm just posting on Thursday). 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 many chapters. Thanks to
samzgurl,
wintercreek, and
gypsyangel25 for the beta as well as for general cheer-leading and fun times.
Kurt went through the motions for that evening’s show, including a rehashing of their We Found Love performance, with a mechanical professionalism that only a few people could see through. Kim and Mercedes both cooed over him when they saw him, but quickly grew quiet when they realized he wasn’t quite ready to talk. Lacey made an extra effort to get him to smile with her goofy antics, and Mike stopped by and squeezed his hand, even though he was on his way to being eliminated with Lauren.
Oddly, it was Santana who snapped him out of his funk, when she sat down next to him at the club they’d chosen for a cast party that night. He’d been alternating between staring morosely into his glass of water and watching Blaine, who was tucked in next to Bitsy while she tried to make him laugh. Blaine was doing that thing where he smiled over the top of his real emotions, and it made Kurt’s heart ache to see.
“This is the lamest pity party I’ve ever seen, Hummel. You don’t even have a proper drink,” Santana said, setting a tumbler of bourbon in front of him. “Drink up, and then tell Auntie Tana all your gay little troubles.”
“There was this article online,” Kurt began, letting the whole story spill out in between sips of his drink. Santana, to her credit, listened quietly, only moving to catch a waitress’s attention so she could refill Kurt’s bourbon.
“Ok, two’s enough,” she announced when Kurt frowned into his empty glass. “We want you loose but not sloppy. I’m sure Polly Pocket over there will appreciate my restraint.”
“He probably won’t come over tonight,” Kurt said, not even bothering to comment on her nickname for Blaine. “He needs his space.”
“Fuck that noise. He’s been staring at you when you’re not looking for the last hour. You say the word, and he’ll follow you home like the faithful little French poodle he is. I mean, have you seen that hair? Insane.” Santana swung the glossy sheet of her hair over her shoulder in counterpoint.
“You’re kind of offensive,” Kurt pointed out, leaning into the table and resting his cheek on his hand.
“You don’t get points for stating the obvious, sweet cheeks,” Santana said, reaching over to pat his head. “But you do get points for sticking to your guns on the whole coming out thing. You shouldn’t have to hide your epic gay love story, but it’s good not to force it.”
“So I’m not being selfish?” Kurt asked.
“Oh, you are. But sometimes being a little selfish is the right thing to do. You have to stand up for yourself. It helps other people learn how to do it too. Like your boy, for example. Adorable and talented, sure, but a little bit like a jellyfish - no backbone. That’s where you come in. You’re tough, like me. A worthy adversary.” Santana grinned at him, and it felt better than a dozen sympathetic hugs.
“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment,” he said.
“Smart, too,” Santana said, laughing. “You’re gonna be fine. Just don’t forget that he’s not as good at this stuff as you. From what I hear, his life hasn’t exactly been a picnic, and adding a whole new level of exposure to the shitty things people say and do isn’t going to be easy.”
“How’d you get so wise, Santana?” Kurt shifted so he was facing her fully.
“Good friends, good parents, and some really crap experiences,” she said.
“I think I know how that goes,” Kurt agreed.
They shared a companionable silence for a while, until Brit showed up to steal Santana away. Kurt watched them sway together on the dance floor until he felt the banquette dip beside him.
“Hi,” Blaine said, when Kurt looked over at him. He looked endearingly earnest. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Kurt said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.
“Come with me?”
“Where?” Kurt asked, but he got up to follow Blaine. They walked down a back hallway, finally turning into a little room that looked like an office of some sort.
“I know the guy who owns this place,” Blaine said in response to the question Kurt hadn’t asked.
“Of course you do,” Kurt said, smiling at him. Blaine stepped closer, reaching up to frame Kurt’s face with his hands.
“I missed you,” Blaine repeated, his voice low and needy. “I know you were right there, but it wasn’t the same.”
“I know, baby. It’s ok,” Kurt said, tilting his head down to rest his forehead against Blaine’s.
Blaine leaned up to seal their mouths together, deepening the kiss immediately. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and pulled him close, open to everything that Blaine needed to give him. Eventually, Blaine pulled back a little, turning his face into Kurt’s neck while he caught his breath.
“I don’t want you to think I’m not proud to be with you,” Blaine said lowly, pressing a light kiss to the shell of Kurt’s ear. “I am. So proud. You’ve changed everything, made it so much better.”
“I know. You too. That’s why I push even when I don’t mean to, but we’ll get there…I know we will,” Kurt babbled, wanting to fix everything. He hated feeling distant.
“Hey, slow down.” Blaine looked up at Kurt. “You said we could talk all this to death later, right? But now, I’d really just like to kiss you again and then go home with you. I want to go to sleep with your arms around me.”
“Ok,” Kurt said faintly. He could feel himself relaxing, melting into the promise Blaine’s words held. “I’d like that too.”
“Good,” Blaine beamed at him, his exuberant self resurfacing. “Now c’mere. Kisses first.”
It wasn’t the best kiss, because they were both smiling too much, but it felt wonderful all the same.
***
By the time Kim met him in the rehearsal studio Wednesday morning, Kurt was in a much better mood. He and Blaine were doing pretty well, all things considered, and he couldn’t wait to dive into that week’s dances with Kim. They had foxtrot, a dance style Kim would pick up easily, and then they’d get to tackle argentine tango, which Kurt had wanted to teach Kim since he’d first realized her potential.
He started their day with basics for both dances, switching it up to keep either of them from losing focus. By midday, he’d managed to walk them through the structure for each dance, and he was about to launch into lifts for the tango when Kim declared it was time for lunch. Before Kurt had a chance to object, Kim had hauled him to her trailer, where Cedes was waiting with soup, salad, and an expectant expression.
“You totally set me up,” Kurt said, sitting down on the floor at Cedes’ feet.
“It was necessary duplicity,” Kim said, handing Kurt his lunch. Cedes reached forward to fuss at his hair affectionately.
“We knew you needed to talk, even if you weren’t ready to admit it. So here we are,” Cedes said.
“And before you ask, you’re friends with us because no guys you know would have a clue how to talk this through with you,” Kim added.
“Fine.” Kurt sighed and speared a piece of lettuce with his fork. “I guess I do need to talk. Cedes, I assume you filled Kim in?”
“With what I know about the article, yeah. But what happened?” Cedes asked.
“Blaine laughed it off, actually. Which somehow blew up into this argument about being out and passing and which of us has had a harder time being gay. And then I told him to just come out already, followed with a request that he wait until the end of the season so it didn’t mess things up.” Said out loud like that, it really did sound insane. Both women were staring at him, looking vaguely incredulous, so he continued. “It wasn’t my finest moment, believe me. I know I say things I don’t really mean when I get upset-”
“You think?” Cedes asked, and Kim snorted.
“But it’s just…being out - being me - has really sucked sometimes, you know? I didn’t react well to the idea that being in the closet is harder than being out and harassed. I know it’s been hard for him and that he hates it, but in the moment, I wasn’t very sympathetic.”
“Now you’re being hard on yourself, K. I can tell.” Cedes patted at his hair again, and he slid down so he could rest his head against her knee.
“A little, maybe. But I was also really hard on Blaine. We’re over it, sort of, but I have to talk to him again, more reasonably this time.”
“You’ll have to explain where you’re coming from, I think. There’s some history there, right?” Kim asked.
“More like an idiot of an ex-boyfriend and a lifetime of ignorant people,” Cedes muttered. Kurt reached over to give her ankle a squeeze. He really appreciated that she was always in his corner.
“The last guy I was with kept promising that he was going to come out, but never did. The last straw was when I invited him to an event last season and he accused me of trying to undermine his career by forcing him out of the closet. Needless to say, I sent him on his way pretty quickly after that,” Kurt said.
“I cheered,” Cedes added matter-of-factly.
“We weren’t together for that long - six months or so - but if it had gone on much longer, I’m pretty sure Cedes would have lodged a formal complaint,” Kurt quipped, rolling his eyes. Cedes had been supportive of him through the whole relationship, but he’d also known that she didn’t think his ex had ever been good enough for him.
“That’s my girl,” Kim said. “But yeah, I can see how that would make you a little sensitive about the topic. How much of this does Blaine know?”
“Only the vague outlines. It’s not really a good date topic,” Kurt said, smiling wryly.
“So, some more details and the willingness not to assume that Blaine’s going to be just like that guy, and you should be in much better shape,” Kim said.
“Probably so,” Kurt agreed. “I know he’s so much better than that. I do. I just get freaked out sometimes. I mean, I’m a ballroom dancer with exquisite taste in fashion and a higher-than-average voice from the Midwest. You can imagine how easy that wasn’t when I was a freshman in high school.”
“You don’t have to tell us that, sweetie,” Kim said. “Tell Blaine.”
“I will.” Kurt smiled over at her.
“And if he wants the unvarnished truth about your idiot ex, he can always ask me,” Cedes said.
“No need to scare him, Cedes. I’d like it if he stuck around!” Kurt said.
“Oh, me too. He’s good for you. You can keep him,” she replied.
“I’m glad you approve,” Kurt said.
“We do,” Kim said. “He adores you, which is as it should be, and it’s pretty easy to tell that he makes you happy. Particularly now that you’ve learned to make time for the sexytimes…”
“Kim!” Kurt tried to sound shocked, but he was laughing.
“Hey, you have to listen to me. I’m your partner, and also a married lady of experience. You should appreciate my wisdom,” Kim said.
“So long as it doesn’t come with too many explicit stories,” Kurt replied.
“Wuss.”
“Oversharer.”
“Now, now, you two, behave,” Cedes said, holding up her hands. “Don’t you have some dances to learn or something?”
“Rehearsal - the one place I can actually boss Kim around,” Kurt said, sticking his tongue out at her. She returned the favor, and then let him give her a hand up once he was back on his feet.
“You love that I’m bossy,” Kim said, kissing his cheek with a loud smack.
“Sure I do.” Kurt winked at her and then turned to say goodbye to Cedes, who was watching the two of them with a wide grin.
“Have fun this afternoon, kids,” Cedes said, hugging them both in turn.
“Don’t we always?” Kim asked, and then skipped out the door and down the steps, Kurt on her heels.
As they walked back toward the rehearsal studio, Kurt pulled out his phone and sent Blaine a text.
“Dinner tonight? At my place?”
“Of course! I’ll bring the wine. Can we have those fancy burgers you were talking about? (I’m batting my eyelashes at you.)”
“You’re absurdly adorable. I suppose I’ll give in just this once.”
“You can’t resist the eyelashes!”
“I can’t resist you.”
“ :) (That’s totally mutual, by the way.)”
“What are you grinning at?” Kim asked when she looked back to see Kurt several paces back.
“Nothing much,” Kurt said, still smiling. Just his boyfriend. His adorable, heart-meltingly sweet and ridiculous boyfriend. Who he would be talking to - calmly and kindly, like the adults they were - later that night.
Rating: NC-17 overall (R this chapter)
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, with appearances by Burt/Carole, Tina/Mike, Mercedes/Sam, Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Finn
Spoilers: None, but assume that anything through Season Three is fair game for inspiration.
Word Count: 2183
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: Kurt and Blaine continue to process their feelings while preparation for quarterfinals week begins.
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 (though this week, I'm just posting on Thursday). 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 many chapters. Thanks to
samzgurl,
wintercreek, and
gypsyangel25 for the beta as well as for general cheer-leading and fun times.
Kurt went through the motions for that evening’s show, including a rehashing of their We Found Love performance, with a mechanical professionalism that only a few people could see through. Kim and Mercedes both cooed over him when they saw him, but quickly grew quiet when they realized he wasn’t quite ready to talk. Lacey made an extra effort to get him to smile with her goofy antics, and Mike stopped by and squeezed his hand, even though he was on his way to being eliminated with Lauren.
Oddly, it was Santana who snapped him out of his funk, when she sat down next to him at the club they’d chosen for a cast party that night. He’d been alternating between staring morosely into his glass of water and watching Blaine, who was tucked in next to Bitsy while she tried to make him laugh. Blaine was doing that thing where he smiled over the top of his real emotions, and it made Kurt’s heart ache to see.
“This is the lamest pity party I’ve ever seen, Hummel. You don’t even have a proper drink,” Santana said, setting a tumbler of bourbon in front of him. “Drink up, and then tell Auntie Tana all your gay little troubles.”
“There was this article online,” Kurt began, letting the whole story spill out in between sips of his drink. Santana, to her credit, listened quietly, only moving to catch a waitress’s attention so she could refill Kurt’s bourbon.
“Ok, two’s enough,” she announced when Kurt frowned into his empty glass. “We want you loose but not sloppy. I’m sure Polly Pocket over there will appreciate my restraint.”
“He probably won’t come over tonight,” Kurt said, not even bothering to comment on her nickname for Blaine. “He needs his space.”
“Fuck that noise. He’s been staring at you when you’re not looking for the last hour. You say the word, and he’ll follow you home like the faithful little French poodle he is. I mean, have you seen that hair? Insane.” Santana swung the glossy sheet of her hair over her shoulder in counterpoint.
“You’re kind of offensive,” Kurt pointed out, leaning into the table and resting his cheek on his hand.
“You don’t get points for stating the obvious, sweet cheeks,” Santana said, reaching over to pat his head. “But you do get points for sticking to your guns on the whole coming out thing. You shouldn’t have to hide your epic gay love story, but it’s good not to force it.”
“So I’m not being selfish?” Kurt asked.
“Oh, you are. But sometimes being a little selfish is the right thing to do. You have to stand up for yourself. It helps other people learn how to do it too. Like your boy, for example. Adorable and talented, sure, but a little bit like a jellyfish - no backbone. That’s where you come in. You’re tough, like me. A worthy adversary.” Santana grinned at him, and it felt better than a dozen sympathetic hugs.
“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment,” he said.
“Smart, too,” Santana said, laughing. “You’re gonna be fine. Just don’t forget that he’s not as good at this stuff as you. From what I hear, his life hasn’t exactly been a picnic, and adding a whole new level of exposure to the shitty things people say and do isn’t going to be easy.”
“How’d you get so wise, Santana?” Kurt shifted so he was facing her fully.
“Good friends, good parents, and some really crap experiences,” she said.
“I think I know how that goes,” Kurt agreed.
They shared a companionable silence for a while, until Brit showed up to steal Santana away. Kurt watched them sway together on the dance floor until he felt the banquette dip beside him.
“Hi,” Blaine said, when Kurt looked over at him. He looked endearingly earnest. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Kurt said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.
“Come with me?”
“Where?” Kurt asked, but he got up to follow Blaine. They walked down a back hallway, finally turning into a little room that looked like an office of some sort.
“I know the guy who owns this place,” Blaine said in response to the question Kurt hadn’t asked.
“Of course you do,” Kurt said, smiling at him. Blaine stepped closer, reaching up to frame Kurt’s face with his hands.
“I missed you,” Blaine repeated, his voice low and needy. “I know you were right there, but it wasn’t the same.”
“I know, baby. It’s ok,” Kurt said, tilting his head down to rest his forehead against Blaine’s.
Blaine leaned up to seal their mouths together, deepening the kiss immediately. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine and pulled him close, open to everything that Blaine needed to give him. Eventually, Blaine pulled back a little, turning his face into Kurt’s neck while he caught his breath.
“I don’t want you to think I’m not proud to be with you,” Blaine said lowly, pressing a light kiss to the shell of Kurt’s ear. “I am. So proud. You’ve changed everything, made it so much better.”
“I know. You too. That’s why I push even when I don’t mean to, but we’ll get there…I know we will,” Kurt babbled, wanting to fix everything. He hated feeling distant.
“Hey, slow down.” Blaine looked up at Kurt. “You said we could talk all this to death later, right? But now, I’d really just like to kiss you again and then go home with you. I want to go to sleep with your arms around me.”
“Ok,” Kurt said faintly. He could feel himself relaxing, melting into the promise Blaine’s words held. “I’d like that too.”
“Good,” Blaine beamed at him, his exuberant self resurfacing. “Now c’mere. Kisses first.”
It wasn’t the best kiss, because they were both smiling too much, but it felt wonderful all the same.
***
By the time Kim met him in the rehearsal studio Wednesday morning, Kurt was in a much better mood. He and Blaine were doing pretty well, all things considered, and he couldn’t wait to dive into that week’s dances with Kim. They had foxtrot, a dance style Kim would pick up easily, and then they’d get to tackle argentine tango, which Kurt had wanted to teach Kim since he’d first realized her potential.
He started their day with basics for both dances, switching it up to keep either of them from losing focus. By midday, he’d managed to walk them through the structure for each dance, and he was about to launch into lifts for the tango when Kim declared it was time for lunch. Before Kurt had a chance to object, Kim had hauled him to her trailer, where Cedes was waiting with soup, salad, and an expectant expression.
“You totally set me up,” Kurt said, sitting down on the floor at Cedes’ feet.
“It was necessary duplicity,” Kim said, handing Kurt his lunch. Cedes reached forward to fuss at his hair affectionately.
“We knew you needed to talk, even if you weren’t ready to admit it. So here we are,” Cedes said.
“And before you ask, you’re friends with us because no guys you know would have a clue how to talk this through with you,” Kim added.
“Fine.” Kurt sighed and speared a piece of lettuce with his fork. “I guess I do need to talk. Cedes, I assume you filled Kim in?”
“With what I know about the article, yeah. But what happened?” Cedes asked.
“Blaine laughed it off, actually. Which somehow blew up into this argument about being out and passing and which of us has had a harder time being gay. And then I told him to just come out already, followed with a request that he wait until the end of the season so it didn’t mess things up.” Said out loud like that, it really did sound insane. Both women were staring at him, looking vaguely incredulous, so he continued. “It wasn’t my finest moment, believe me. I know I say things I don’t really mean when I get upset-”
“You think?” Cedes asked, and Kim snorted.
“But it’s just…being out - being me - has really sucked sometimes, you know? I didn’t react well to the idea that being in the closet is harder than being out and harassed. I know it’s been hard for him and that he hates it, but in the moment, I wasn’t very sympathetic.”
“Now you’re being hard on yourself, K. I can tell.” Cedes patted at his hair again, and he slid down so he could rest his head against her knee.
“A little, maybe. But I was also really hard on Blaine. We’re over it, sort of, but I have to talk to him again, more reasonably this time.”
“You’ll have to explain where you’re coming from, I think. There’s some history there, right?” Kim asked.
“More like an idiot of an ex-boyfriend and a lifetime of ignorant people,” Cedes muttered. Kurt reached over to give her ankle a squeeze. He really appreciated that she was always in his corner.
“The last guy I was with kept promising that he was going to come out, but never did. The last straw was when I invited him to an event last season and he accused me of trying to undermine his career by forcing him out of the closet. Needless to say, I sent him on his way pretty quickly after that,” Kurt said.
“I cheered,” Cedes added matter-of-factly.
“We weren’t together for that long - six months or so - but if it had gone on much longer, I’m pretty sure Cedes would have lodged a formal complaint,” Kurt quipped, rolling his eyes. Cedes had been supportive of him through the whole relationship, but he’d also known that she didn’t think his ex had ever been good enough for him.
“That’s my girl,” Kim said. “But yeah, I can see how that would make you a little sensitive about the topic. How much of this does Blaine know?”
“Only the vague outlines. It’s not really a good date topic,” Kurt said, smiling wryly.
“So, some more details and the willingness not to assume that Blaine’s going to be just like that guy, and you should be in much better shape,” Kim said.
“Probably so,” Kurt agreed. “I know he’s so much better than that. I do. I just get freaked out sometimes. I mean, I’m a ballroom dancer with exquisite taste in fashion and a higher-than-average voice from the Midwest. You can imagine how easy that wasn’t when I was a freshman in high school.”
“You don’t have to tell us that, sweetie,” Kim said. “Tell Blaine.”
“I will.” Kurt smiled over at her.
“And if he wants the unvarnished truth about your idiot ex, he can always ask me,” Cedes said.
“No need to scare him, Cedes. I’d like it if he stuck around!” Kurt said.
“Oh, me too. He’s good for you. You can keep him,” she replied.
“I’m glad you approve,” Kurt said.
“We do,” Kim said. “He adores you, which is as it should be, and it’s pretty easy to tell that he makes you happy. Particularly now that you’ve learned to make time for the sexytimes…”
“Kim!” Kurt tried to sound shocked, but he was laughing.
“Hey, you have to listen to me. I’m your partner, and also a married lady of experience. You should appreciate my wisdom,” Kim said.
“So long as it doesn’t come with too many explicit stories,” Kurt replied.
“Wuss.”
“Oversharer.”
“Now, now, you two, behave,” Cedes said, holding up her hands. “Don’t you have some dances to learn or something?”
“Rehearsal - the one place I can actually boss Kim around,” Kurt said, sticking his tongue out at her. She returned the favor, and then let him give her a hand up once he was back on his feet.
“You love that I’m bossy,” Kim said, kissing his cheek with a loud smack.
“Sure I do.” Kurt winked at her and then turned to say goodbye to Cedes, who was watching the two of them with a wide grin.
“Have fun this afternoon, kids,” Cedes said, hugging them both in turn.
“Don’t we always?” Kim asked, and then skipped out the door and down the steps, Kurt on her heels.
As they walked back toward the rehearsal studio, Kurt pulled out his phone and sent Blaine a text.
“Dinner tonight? At my place?”
“Of course! I’ll bring the wine. Can we have those fancy burgers you were talking about? (I’m batting my eyelashes at you.)”
“You’re absurdly adorable. I suppose I’ll give in just this once.”
“You can’t resist the eyelashes!”
“I can’t resist you.”
“ :) (That’s totally mutual, by the way.)”
“What are you grinning at?” Kim asked when she looked back to see Kurt several paces back.
“Nothing much,” Kurt said, still smiling. Just his boyfriend. His adorable, heart-meltingly sweet and ridiculous boyfriend. Who he would be talking to - calmly and kindly, like the adults they were - later that night.