"You wanted to see me Mr. Shue?"
Will's lips twitched as he looked up from the piano he had been seated at. It was the last thing in the near barren room that indicated that for the past two or so years, this room was a place of song, dance, and laughter. He shook his head as he took in the tall, lean yet muscular teenager (because he still could not bring himself to see Kurt as a man). His voice had barely changed though, and while still fashionable, his clothing was a lot more normal than what he had worn in his sophomore year. All in all, Kurt Hummel was growing into a man that Will knew he would be proud off. It really was too bad that he could not say the same for Finn.
"Yeah, Kurt," he replied, clearing his suddenly tight throat. "I just wanted to talk to you for a minute."
"What about?" he asked, swinging his body left and right playfully as he walked towards him.
"I think you know what," he laughed.
"My singing right? Rachel said you'd get a kick out of it."
He had. The emotions his students' video message had evoked in him were overwhelming. It was living proof that he had accomplished what he had set out to do as a glee director when the group had first been formed. He had touched the lives of those under his care, and had helped them to find some definition of themselves. And then that stripped down version of his and Finn's favourite song had begun, and tears prickled at his eyes for an entirely different reason. Really, he had not expected it when Rachel had sauntered on, claiming Finn's lines. Sam had stepped up to the plate as Finn's near-replacement. There was no way he could ever match or surpass what the gentle giant that was McKinley's star quarterback and future teacher had done. Nevertheless, he had in him a quiet strength beneath all that no longer nerdy-goofiness that was an inspiration to the others. And so, after Rachel, he had expected Sam, only to receive the pleasant shock of Kurt ambling out of the wings, using his deeper range to an extent that Will had never heard before. Kurt had sounded downright masculine at that moment, and Will meant it in the most respectful way.
He had never expected to hear from Kurt a voice so deep that it could easily have matched Sam, or Puck's or even Finn's. And yet, with under a year of training at NYADA under his belt, Kurt had managed it.
He told him this, with pride sparkling in his eyes. Kurt laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck, drawing Will's attention to the ring on his finger; a next one of his students eager for marriage. Somehow though, he was certain that his and Blaine's would last whenever they decided to make that trip down the aisle.
"Yeah, well I wasn't that interested in my lower register, as you very well know," Kurt explained. "But my vocal coach sat me down one day and gave me a bit of a reality check. While my voice is wonderful, realistically speaking, I'd be pigeonholing myself if I didn't work on my lower range. And then one of the tutors suggested that I pack on a bit of muscle to give my image a bit of a boost, so I did. Trust me, it drove me crazy for a while. It was like trying to induce puberty all over again, but I stuck with it, and this is what I can do now. I'm aiming to drop my singing voice down a bit more, but that'll be a challenge."
It was wonderful to hear Kurt speak so confidently about himself, and to see the easy way he was carrying himself. Out of all his students, Kurt had caused him the most concern simply because his situation was the most dire. Yes there was the Beth issue, and Rachel and Finn's constant problems, and Artie's difficulties in a school that just was not equipped to deal with him. But Kurt's had been the most desperate. Not only had he been struggling with getting acceptance regarding his sexuality, he had faced harassment, death threats, gaining a new family, transferring and returning, nearly losing his father and a rejection from NYADA. He really had had the most difficult journey out of all of his students, which was why he had given him an extra hard hug in his last few days at McKinley.
Because through it all, Kurt had been a fighter, moving from strength to strength. He had made it to graduation, and then to New York without a fixed plan and then managed to land both an internship and a spot at NYADA the second time around. He had dealt with the death of his brother in a remarkable way, rallying his friends and family together and planning a funeral that was as deep and meaningful as his parents' wedding had been bold and joyful. Yes, he knew that the teenager standing before him with that infectious smile and baby-ish expression that still made the odd appearance here and there would be fine – was fine, and would find his way.
Yes, Rachel was the one who was on the cusp of achieving all her dreams in a ridiculously short time span, but he knew that Kurt would make it also. He was sure that in a few months, or even in a few years if it came to that, he would be booking tickets to the opening of Kurt's show, and he was very much looking forward to that day when he could see him fully blossom on stage.