Trick Of The Lights

Chapter 1- Pick A Card

Nobody in Kurt's life understood his need to perfect magic tricks.

Whenever he bought a new deck of cards, or a new set of coins, people would groan and insist that he practise his illusions on somebody else. Kurt didn't take that too personally, not many people he knew liked magic or liked to had it performed on them. It was human nature to want to know how everything worked and magic was one of those things that relied on the audience not knowing how things happened. In order for a trick to be successful, they had to stay in the dark. The subsequent clamouring would occur for a long time afterwards, depending on how competent the illusionist was.

Kurt had started at the age of nine when his intense love for Harry Potter had intertwined with his realism- he knew that he was never going to be able to levitate things with a magic wand, but why not channel that love into card tricks and other little illusions that didn't really amount to much, but looked cool. Kurt had never really had a party trick, so he was happy that he had finally branched out into something that could entertain others.

It turned out that Kurt was a natural entertainer. Beyond singing, dancing and acting lay magic. Kurt's inherent charisma while performing the tricks made them that much more effective. The first "trick" he ever learned was the rubber coin. Successfully making his father believe that he could bend a coin with his bare hands at the age of nine was his proudest achievement to date. Of course, Burt found out how the trick worked only hours later, but the original effect was still present. Through his entertainment skills and his attention to detail, Kurt had managed to fool his father and that was the desired effect of the trick.

Kurt's love of magic stayed with him through his high school and even afterwards. He had even been hired a few times to do children's parties and some gigs at bars during family events. He definitely wasn't in magic for the pay check (which he had made come out of his employer's ear) but a little monetary recompense for his efforts was not the worst thing in the world. He had put down his talent on his applications for NYADA and Juilliard and both had requested to see a trick. Kurt was confident in his composure and ability to do the trick and both had been successful. It had been a hit with the interviewers and it was Kurt's belief that his skills helped him get in to NYADA. Juilliard had been unsuccessful but Kurt hadn't performed at his best, anyway.

NYADA had welcomed him with open arms and it wasn't long before he was graduating, ready to take the world of performing arts by storm with his newfound skills and abilities. If someone would have told Kurt that he wouldn't be making a career in musical theatre, he would've probably agreed with you.

And if you had told him he would be making his career in magic, he would've told you to be quiet before walking away.

Though, like most big opportunities, Kurt never saw this particular one coming.

It was a Friday night like any other Friday night in New York City at Winter. Cold, ripe with snowfall and full of hopes and possibilities.

Kurt smiled widely as Santana agreed to be the audience for his latest trick, with the added addendum that Kurt would have to give her twenty dollars if his trick failed. Kurt had agreed to those terms. "Pick a card, any card."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Could you be any more melodramatic?"

He waved her away and asked her to focus on the card that she had picked. Kurt didn't know what it was. "Okay, good," Kurt said. "Now put your card back anywhere you like," he instructed, holding all of the fifty one remaining cards out like a fan, leaving plenty of spaces for Santana's chosen card to go.

Santana carefully selected a slot and Kurt nodded, smiling. The trick didn't need a specific slot for her to choose, but he liked to give away the impression that he already knew where she would put the card. A lot of being a magic artist depending on distracting the focus from the audience so the sleight of hand or other necessities could take place.

And then Kurt went into his favourite endeavour.

"Okay, I'm going to shuffle these a few times so there's no way for me to know…actually, why don't you shuffle them?" Kurt handed Santana the deck and the Latina shuffled them thoroughly, all the while staring at Kurt rather than the deck. She hoped to catch him out one of these days and by studying him carefully, she could have pulled it off.

Santana wasn't afraid to say that magic baffled her. She knew that most people liked to pretend that they didn't care about magic tricks and that they were silly, but being around Kurt had made her understand that she wasn't a weak person for admitting that there were holes in her knowledge or understanding.

Santana handed Kurt the deck, smiling smugly. She had shuffled them so disorderedly that there no way Kurt could try and pull anything sneaky. He had no idea where any of the cards were.

Kurt waved his hand around theatrically. "Is this the card you selected?" Kurt asked, pulling the eight of diamonds out of the deck and presenting it to her.

Santana paused. She had won. "Nope! Sorry, Hummel, magic is for losers and I win!"

Kurt grunted in distress. "Fuck. I thought that one was going to work. Fine, go and get a twenty out of my wallet."

Santana swaggered over to the counter where Kurt's wallet was, across the room for the table they were sat around. Santana opened the wallet, ready to pull out her twenty when she stopped in her tracks, blood running cold.

Kurt smirked pointedly. "Is everything okay, Tana?"

She turned around, a furious look on her face. "This is my fucking card! Kurt, how the fuck did you do that?"

Kurt shrugged. "A magician never—."

"Reveals his secrets, yes I know," Santana snapped impatiently, handing him the four of hearts, her chosen card. "I'm actually speechless."

"For once in your life," Kurt quipped, earning him a slap to the arm. "What are we doing tonight? Are you working?"

She shook her head. "Dani's covering tonight. I asked for a Friday night off and they couldn't refuse me. I've worked every Friday night for the past two months, I deserve one off."

"You do. Are we going out?"

"You bet your ass we're going out! Get your coat! By the way, you're buying me a drink for your deception!"

Kurt chuckled as he went to get his coat, slipping the deck of playing cards into the front pocket.

"You're not seriously taking your cards for a night out are you?"

Kurt held his hands up. "Hey, you never know when you're going to need a deck of playing cards."

That statement could not have been more applicable to Kurt and Santana's Friday night out.

Due to Callbacks being temporarily closed for refurbishment, Kurt and Santana found themselves wandering around the streets looking for a bar to frequent until they were done. The streets of New York were usually busy, but there was a particular crowd hanging around the corner of the street.

"What's going on over there?"

Kurt shrugged. "No idea, but we're sure as hell going to find out."

They headed towards the group, who were cheering at regular intervals. The two were becoming more and more curious as they approached.

Kurt and Santana managed to push themselves through the crowd and Kurt's world stopped. His eyes widened and a huge gasp erupted from his mouth. "Santana," he hissed loudly.

"What?"

"That's…Santana, that's Jack fucking Wilder. Oh my god I'm watching Jack Wilder."

"Is he on Broadway or some shit?"

Kurt glared at her. "No. Jack Wilder is one of the most promising young magicians in the world! I'm basically in love with him, Tana. He's…amazing. His skill with cards is unparalleled! I have to meet him because when am I ever going to get the opportunity again? Oh, but what do I even say? It's like meeting the Madonna of magic. And look at him, he's beautiful. How do I even cope?"

Santana chuckled. "Kurt, calm down. Watch Harry Potter do his stuff and work out the rest later, okay?"

Kurt turned his attention back to Jack, who was smirking at the crowd.

"Okay, for my next trick, I'm going to need a volunteer."

Kurt stayed completely still.

"Raise your hand, dumbass!" Santana yelled into his ear.

Kurt stayed completely still.

Jack waved his finger around the crowd, deliberating. Until his finger landed upon…

…Kurt.

"Oh my god," Kurt whispered.

"Do you mind?" Jack asked, pretending to curtsey, offering his hand to Kurt.

Kurt tried to still his heart before he took it, the crowd applauding loudly.

"Okay," Jack readdressed the crowd, "this trick is going to be pretty awesome, so make sure you're watching everything I do very carefully."

The crowd nodded. Kurt smirked, recognising one of the tell-tale signs of distraction: making sure the audience are so focused on the trick being performed that they lose sight of everything else. Their thirst for spotting how the trick happens overtakes their other instincts and it makes it easier for the performer to pull off the trick.

"Cool, you're all paying attention! Means I'm doing a good job. Sorry, what did you say your name was?"

It took Kurt a second to realise that Jack was talking to him.

"Kurt Hummel."

"Well, Kurt Hummel, lovely name by the way, if you could pick out a card and hold it in between your left thumb and index finger, that'd be great."

Kurt did so, not recognising the trick Jack was performing. He hadn't come across it before in any of Jack's videos and postings, so he assumed the man had created it recently. Even he was intrigued as to what was going to happen at the end of the trick.

"Excellent, excellent. Now, I want you to show your card to the audience, but not to me. Make sure the people at the front see what your card is. It's very important that I do not know the card in question."

Kurt did as instructed, letting the front row whisper about the card to the back rows.

"Now, Kurt, I want you to drop the card on the floor and hold it under your foot. Remember, I can't see the card, so it's best if it's face down."

Kurt crouched down and placed the card face down on the wet New York street. It was almost saddening to see a playing card ruined like that.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut until Kurt gave him a quick nudge to let him know he had done as requested. "Perfect! Remember, you all watched me and you know that I don't know what the card is. Okay, I need another volunteer."

The woman in the front shot her hand up, blushing deeply when Jack called on her.

"Yes, wonderful! May I ask you to pick a U.S state at random?"

"Missouri," she replied quickly.

Jack shrugged. "Could've been better, but not bad. At least it wasn't New Jersey, am I right?"

Kurt shook his head fondly as Jack got a big laugh from the crowd. He definitely knew how to entertain well.

"Now then, ah, yes you the guy at the back? Could you reach into your back pocket for me and come and show me and everyone else what you find in there?"

The man looked startled and made his way to the front, pulling out a single playing card.

Kurt knew what happened instantly. But he wanted to wait for Jack's cue.

"What do you have in your hand there?"

The man blinked twice. "A Jack of Hearts, with the word 'Missouri' written on it."

Jack smiled. "Kurt, can you confirm that the card underneath your foot was the Jack of Hearts?"

Kurt nodded happily. "It was indeed."

Jack nodded back. "Can you show me the card that was trapped under your foot?"

Kurt lifted his foot, playing up for the audience. "It's gone! Wait, how did it get out of there?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, as though he knew Kurt was privy to the mechanics of the illusion. "That is a secret, Kurt." Jack tapped his nose, winking. "Anyway, it's been a pleasure performing for you all, you've been a great audience! Thank you and goodnight!"

Jack waved as everyone dispersed. He walked over to Kurt and the latter felt his heart racing.

"You were a great volunteer, thanks for doing that."

"Well, you did pick me," Kurt rambled awkwardly.

Jack nodded. "That I did. You knew exactly what I was doing, didn't you?"

"Not at first," Kurt admitted, "but somewhere in the middle I realised. I didn't want to ruin it for everybody else."

"So you're a card guy?"

Kurt tilted his head. "Sort of, but not nearly in the same league as you! I've been watching you since you first started. Online, I mean, this is the first time I've seen you in person. It's kind of an honour."

Jack's face lighted happily. "That means a lot, it's always nice to know that there's someone somewhere who likes what I'm doing. So, are you busy now? Oh, your friend is waiting for you."

Kurt gritted his teeth awkwardly. "Ah, we were going to head to a bar or something when we saw you. I had to see you perform so I kind of dragged her along."

"Not a magic fan I take it?"

Kurt shrugged. "She's indifferent, I guess," he replied as Santana walked over.

"Okay, I'm not going to ask how you did it, but that was one hell of a card trick, dude."

Jack bowed his head. "Well, thank you."

"Kurt, can I borrow you for a second?"

Kurt nodded. "It was really nice to meet you, Jack Wilder."

Santana shook her head. "No, Harry Potter is staying put. Don't even think about moving."

"Yes ma'am," Jack replied, rooting himself to the spot.

Santana dragged Kurt aside and sighed. "What are you doing still standing here?"

"I was just talking, Tana."

She huffed. "Kurt, he's so clearly into you that you don't even see it. Don't let him ruin this for you! You're going for a drink with him and I'm going to go and get good and drunk at a random bar and we can exchange stories tomorrow, okay?"

Kurt paused. "Are you sure? I don't want to bail on our plans."

"You're not bailing. I'm bailing. It's for your own good, Kurt, after all how often does one of your idols ask you for drinks?"

"I suppose you're right."

"You bet your ass I am. Now go over there and have the freakiest sex one could imagine, okay?"

Kurt mock saluted. "If you say so, Lieutenant!"

Santana quickly kissed his cheek and left him. "You've got condoms, right?"

"Santana!" Kurt blushed. "But yes, I do. Always be prepared, right?"

She chuckled as she walked away, leaving Kurt to go back to Jack.

"Everything okay?"

"Turns out I am free for a drink or two."

Jack grinned. "Excellent! Let's go, then."

Kurt paused, a smirk overtaking his face. "There's just one thing I need first."

"And what is that?"

Kurt sighed. "My wallet back. I've seen enough of your videos to know exactly how you take them. After all, how am I supposed to buy you a drink if you have my wallet?"

Jack's eyes widened. "Uh…sorry about that. Old habits."

Kurt waved it off. "It's fine, don't worry about it. You know, if someone told me this morning that I'd be going for drinks with the Jack Wilder, I'd have had them committed."

Jack smirked. "Well, if someone had told me that I would be going for a drink with the cutest guy in New York, I wouldn't have believed them either. But I guess crazy shit happens for a reason, right?"

Kurt grinned, placing a hand over his heart. "Oh Jack, is that straight from the Bible?"

"He's got a sense of humour! This is going to be so much fun."

"Especially since you can't deflect your way into stealing my things."

Jack looked offended. "What makes you think I can't completely school you? I am the Jack Wilder after all."

"Tell you what. If you show me a trick that I can't explain afterwards, you get to take me home," Kurt winked as he walked into the bar ahead of Jack.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you think I want to take you home at the end of the night?"

Kurt scoffed. "Please, don't pretend like you're not looking at my ass right now."

Jack tore his eyes away. It was a great ass, okay? "You're not a fucking mentalist, are you?"

Kurt laughed loudly. "Please. Merritt McKinney doesn't have an ass like this."

"Very true," Jack conceded. "Okay, you're on. But what if you explain all of my tricks?"

Kurt hummed as the music swelled inside the club. "Depends how many shots of vodka you get in me."

As Kurt and Jack tossed back shots, danced and exchanged card tricks, the night pressed on and Jack was down to his final trick.

"Okay, pick a card," Jack offered the deck to Kurt, who chose one simply. He had seen through all of Jack's tricks so far and the latter had left his most extraordinary one until last. "You've already looked through them so you know that it's just an ordinary deck with no tricks or anything involved. Right?"

Kurt nodded to confirm. He selected a card from near to the left of the proffered selection and held it to his chest until Jack instructed him to look at it.

"You can look and then tell me what it is."

"Jack of Hearts."

Jack smirked. "Oh really? Looks like I'm the Jack of your heart tonight."

Kurt groaned. "If you really want to tap this, you need to stop that and carry on with the trick."

"Okay, okay, that really was bad wasn't it? Anyway, place your card face down on the table. Take this piece of scrap paper and write down the name of a random celebrity."

Kurt frowned, but did it anyway, scrawling the name Ryan Reynolds onto the paper.

"Don't show it to me, just keep the person's face in your mind. Now crumple the paper and hold it tightly in your left hand. Good." Jack closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. "Open your left hand."

Kurt did so and the paper wasn't there anymore. "What the Jesus fuck?" Kurt whispered.

"There's more," Jack reminded him, "now you should turn over the card."

Kurt did as instructed.

And there is was.

The untouched Jack of Hearts, but with Ryan Reynolds' face where the Jack should have been and an 'R' where the 'J' usually was.

Kurt gaped widely. "Okay, you got me with that one. I genuinely have no idea. I don't think I even want to know how you did that."

Jack shrugged. "It's all about the cards."

"But I don't get it, I was looking at the card the whole time and I doubt you could've had a Ryan Reynolds themed Jack of Hearts card pre made for your to switch out. That's just not possible, yet it happened. You know what that means right?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You were serious about that?"

"I needed an excuse, didn't I? I didn't want to just come out and proposition you."

"Let's go then," Jack suggested, his voice low.

Kurt got up from his seat and sighed. "Jack?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Give me back my wallet, please."

A chuckle.

"Yes, dear."