When Blaine and Sam had arrived in New York to attend NYADA and The Pratt Institute respectively, Kurt had been a little unsure how he'd deal with seeing them as a couple, right there in front of him. Sure, he and Blaine had settled into a good friendship and Kurt had his own new boyfriend, but he was still little thrown by the idea of Blaine and Sam.
Surprisingly, once he got used to seeing them together, they made sense.
Blaine rented an apartment not too far from Kurt and Rachel's and, even though Sam officially lived in the dorms at Pratt, it was pretty great having them both nearby most nights.
On a particularly hectic day at the offices (a model had flaked out on a photo shoot), Kurt had nearly broken down when he realized he'd left it desperately needed zip drive at home. A series of frantic texts later and Sam (the lucky SOB somehow had no Friday classes and was lounging around at Blaine's, doing Barbara only knew what while he waited for his boyfriends classes to end) had swung by the loft, retrieved the drive and was on his way.
In battered jeans and worn, white V-neck T-shirt (it was unseasonably warm for October and Kurt hated sweating through his fall fashions), Sam stuck out like a sore thumb as he found his way to Kurt's desk. A variety of panicking staff members took a moment or two to gape, either in derision at his clothing or general admiration (hobo chic or not, Sam still looked like someone had lovingly carved him out of marble).
Handing over the zip drive, Sam propped his hip up on the corner of Kurt's desk, leaning in to whisper, "Did that lady have a fake fish stuck in her hair?"
It wasn't a trend Kurt was particularly fond of, but it was very now. "Yes. Don't stare," he replied, then stuffed the drive into a USB port. "Thank you, Sam. You have no idea the sort of day that I've been…."
"Oh thank God. Where did you find him?"
Isabelle had arrived, a small army of assistants in her wake. Kurt wished he knew what she was talking about. "Who?"
"A replacement for Anton. I thought everyone local was booked."
It took a second for Kurt to realize what she meant. "Oh. No. This is my friend Sam. He was just dropping something off for me."
Sam smiled. "Hello."
"Hi. Could you lift up your shirt for me?"
There was a brief pause, but Sam complied, revealing abs that were perhaps even more incredible than they had been a few years ago. It didn't take a genius to see where this was going.
Poor Sam was clueless.
"Sam," Isabelle said with a smile. "How would you like to make some extra money today?"
That made Sam drop his shirt back into place and take a step away, eyes darting to Kurt nervously. "What do you mean?"
"Modeling, Sam," Kurt assured him. "Just standing around in nice clothes and having your picture taken."
"Oh," Sam's eyes cleared, but he still looked unsure. "I'm not really the type of guy you see in magazines. I'm just me."
"We had a model cancel on us last minute," Isabelle wheedled. "It would be a big help if you could try."
Kurt didn't know how Isabelle knew exactly what to say to ensure that Sam's chivalrous streak would kick in, but it worked. Shrugging, Sam gave a little smile and said, "I'll do my best, ma'am."
"Ma'am, oh you're just adorable," she said gently, so as not to spook him. "Paulo, Silvio, get him to make up a wardrobe. Angelina, get someone ready to do test shots and Kurt get legal to prep a new model contract."
The next hour passed the flurry of activity and Kurt found himself peering over Isabelle's shoulder as she inspected Sam's test shots. "Sam," Isabel asked, drawing him over from where he had been nibbling on a carrot with another model. "You really never modeled before?"
"No, ma'am."
"We were in glee club together," Kurt offered supportively. "He's a really good performer."
Isabelle nodded. "It shows. These are wonderful. I'm going to hire you for the full shoot today, but would you be interested in coming back? I don't know what you do, but you could definitely get good work as a model."
"I'm in art school at Pratt," Sam offered, clearly proud. "But sure, I could come back in when I don't have classes."
She nodded again and patted him on the arm. "Head back over to wardrobe now, okay."
As Sam wandered off and Isabel began issuing orders, Kurt pulled out his phone and texted Blaine.
Sam is goin model! Txt when UR out of class!
Of course, Blaine had to come see what Kurt was talking about and Kurt led him to the set just as Sam, clad in black suit pants, a white dress shirt and a black tie, swung a jacket up and over his shoulder. His hair was artfully tussled, but otherwise he looked a bit like he usually did after a glee performance, sleeves rolled up and tie yanked down, collar open.
Except they never wore Armani in glee, just off the rack monstrosities that made Kurt weep for the sensibilities of every fashion forward person alive. Sam usually made JCPenney look good.
In couture, Sam was really something to see.
"Isabelle thinks he could get steady work as a model," Kurt whispered eagerly. "She's willing to make some calls for him, agents she knows in town. He'd probably have to put off school for a while, but he'd be able to put aside a nice financial cushion."
After the troubles his family had suffered, Kurt knew Sam would probably breathed easier if he didn't constantly worry about money. He worked in the café at Pratt four evenings a week and had been looking for a weekend job as well, far too proud to accept help from Blaine.
"He really likes school," Blaine replied uncertainly, eyes tracking Sam's the wardrobe girl pulled his shirt off.
"Come see the pictures."
Kurt was fairly sure Blaine almost swallowed his tongue while they were looking through the various shots that have been taken. Some of the photos were the Sam they knew, smiling and happy, but others…if Kurt hadn't seen the proof, he never would've believed Sam could pull off sultry, practically eye-fucking the camera.
"Hey! When did you get here?"
Looking up from the computer, Kurt saw Sam standing nearby, smiling at Blaine. "Kurt called me," Blaine replied, clearing his throat when he sounded a little hoarse. "These look incredible. You look incredible."
Sam flushed, visibly pleased. "I'm done for now. Want to grab some dinner? Kurt, you want to come?"
"Oh, no," Kurt laughed. "You two enjoy."
He had the feeling Blaine would be dragging Sam home for some…exercise before dinner and he wasn't one to interrupt such a worthwhile endeavor.
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