Kurt sighed and looked glumly around the Lima bean from his place perched on the counter. Beside him, his friend Lauren lazily wiped at the coffee maker with an old rag. The shop was completely empty, coffee obviously wasn't the energy fix it used to be to the people of Lima and the smell of stale over roasted coffee beans burned Kurt's nostrils. He winkled his nose in disgust.
"I've got to get out of here, Lauren.." he muttered, aware of their manager, Sue, in the back room.
"Oh yeah? And how exactly do you plan on doing that, doll face? High-kick your way out of town?" Lauren snorted and patted his head. With an annoyed expression, Kurt fixed his now messy hair.
"No. I'm going to go to New York.. get found, discovered.. actually be a performer like I'd planned.."
"Okay, it's not that I don't fully support you, because if I didn't you'd be more annoying to be around, it's just that as a fellow employee I know better than anyone that you have no money what so ever!" Kurt chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. He could say he'd been struggling lately but with his dad owning his own garage and Carole also being in full-time employment, he'd never really had to fend for himself. In all honesty, the Lima Bean was to keep the boredom at bay. Which it never did. But Kurt liked to pretend he gained something from wasting his Saturdays here.
"Sue still hasn't paid me from last month, maybe if I-"
"Porcelain! Godzilla! I need you both back here now!" Their manager called from the back room. Lauren rolled her eyes, muttering things a little too graphic for Kurt's ears as they shuffled their way into the tiny office occupied by Sue. Red and white adored the walls along with old 'Cheer' magazine covers sporting a young Sue and a few later editions showing people Kurt personally worked with from his time on the Cheerios. His own face grinned back at him from a picture taken at the 2010 Nationals. He smirked.
"What' up?" Lauren barked. Kurt said nothing. Sue leant back in her chair, eyeing them both over her glasses. Her previous experience as a teacher meant she had the guilt-trip look down pat.
"I hear that Porcelain is planning on leaving Lima, Ohio.. maybe even the United States of America-"
"I-uh, never said that"
"-and that you, Lady Muck, are planning on helping him."
"What? Lady, were you listening to our conver-"
"Regardless of whatever whining you were about to attack my precious ears with, I'm giving you this and last month's pay right now." She slapped two a5 brown envelopes down onto the desk. Kurt and Lauren both stared warily at the offending objects, as if waiting for them to explode.
"It's now or never. Take advantage of my weird, generous pregnancy hormones or leave and clean the toilets, God knows they reek of teen excrement and shame." Confused but shamelessly giddy, Kurt lunged forward and collected his money, muttering several thank-yous as he left the room, Lauren on his heels.
"Did.. that really.. just happen?" He whispered dreamily, pulling the crumpled but real notes from his envelope. Lauren was doing the same, muttering to herself about someone named 'Puckerman'.
"Oh yeah. I'm taking my man out on a date. He doesn't know he's my man yet but after tonight, he'll be begging to be.." Kurt tried not to choke on air, he really did, but Lauren's confidence and all 'round attitude just got him.
"Watch it, Porcelain, I can suggest better things for you to choke on if you'd like.."
"Shut-up Lauren." The baristas shared a laugh, their excitement filling the previously empty spaces of the Lima Bean.
BtU
Blaine cradled his chin on his hand, watching as the dancers on stage gyrated and thrust this way and that. From across the currently empty room, one particular dancer caught his eye and winked. Blaine tried not to blanch too much when Rachel's thrusts soon became aimed in his direction. Luckily, Emma saved him.
"Hey Blaine!" The red-head grinned. Blaine sighed in relief, welcoming the distraction and turning away from the bar he'd been leaning on.
"Hey, Emma.."
"Oh, what's wrong? Anything I can do to turn that frown upside down?"
"Uh.. no, not really. I'll get back to you though.." Blaine murmured. He moved over to one of the five fridges behind the bar, counting stock he'd already counted. Emma gave a sympathetic hum before turning on a well polished heel and heading for the office. Blaine sighed. Between himself and anyone Blaine talked to recently, a giant invisible wall was between himself and them. It was a shame, considering that everyone in the club was family to one another. Well, almost. He shuddered at the thought of the eyes Rachel had been giving him lately. She must've been the only one that didn't care that Blaine had a fiancé.
There was this constant dark cloud over Blaine lately and an unsaid name on everyone's lips. The name that caused people's eyes to take on an apologetic quality when they spoke to him, something Blaine was annoyingly used to by now. He looked up as the music stopped abruptly, the girls darting off stage as the club's day lights dimmed to almost darkness. Blaine glanced at the clock and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the tight black vest underneath. Turning to one of the mirrors that lined the back of the bar, he quickly applied black eyeliner to his lower lids, flashing himself a smile when he was done. Show time.
BtU
Kurt walked blindly into the throng of people surrounding him. At first he'd been rather irked at the fact he had to pay twenty dollars just to be let into the club ('Glee' club, the sign had stated. Kurt had wondered what kind of a club garnered that kind of a name and decided to take a look), but the music, the lights, the dancing, the atmosphere made the loss of that twenty worthwhile. He leaned against the bar, standing slightly on his tip toes to get a better view of the number taking place on the stage right now. A petite brunette was strutting about the stage, lip syncing to a Barbra hit. Kurt huffed a laugh. He could easily match her performance, pre-recorded vocals not required.
"What's it take to get from here.. to up there on that stage?" Kurt asked the air. Instead of silence, he was granted with a soft reply.
"You'll need to talk to Mr Shuester"
Kurt grinned, turning. He gave the bartender a once over before meeting his eyes. The hazel orbs seemed to be brighter despite the club's dim lights thanks to the liner applied beneath them.
"And I'll find him.."
"Through that door. Use my name," the bartender handed Kurt a small card.
"Ohio, huh? I'm from the same place.. small world, I guess. Well, thanks.." Kurt checked the card, "Blaine." The other man tipped his black fedora, grinning at Kurt from beneath it.
"The pleasure's all mine, Ohio."
Kurt started to weave his way through people to reach the door Blaine had pointed out. As he reached it, he cast a glance back to the bar. Blaine was goofing about with some olives, drawing a laugh from the patrons closest to him. He looked up and caught Kurt's eye, beaming at him before turning away to serve a drink. Kurt turned back to the door, taking a deep breath before pushing it open. Faced with a spiral staircase, he began to climb them slowly, already shaking slightly with nerves.
"Can you believe Berry? I can hear her singing and if I can hear her then so can the people on the front row. We will lose each and every fucking one!"
"Calm it, Santana.."
"Seriously, Shue always says-"
"They don't come to hear you sing. That's right. But, if Rachel finds it easier to get into character when she's singing then-"
"Oh what ever, Bambi. I'm on." Kurt jumped as, as his foot hit the top step, a curvy Latina strode past, in the process of pulling off one corset whilst she wrestled another off of a hanger.
"Hey there, pretty boy! What brings you up here, huh, sugar?" Kurt's head snapped towards a coloured girl sat at a nearby vanity. Her curves were partially hidden by a bodice of satin and lace, dark pink overlapped with black. Black heels were at her feet and she was removing a feather head dress the same colour as her corset. Shaking her wavy black hair now it was free of the feathers, she grinned at Kurt through the reflection in the vanity's mirror.
"You here from the bank, sweetie?"
"Uh, no.. I just came to see-"
"Will!"
"Yes, Emma?"
"I need to talk to you about Quinn's costume for Tough Love, the hat got damaged last performance when a patron decided to-"
"Uh, hey." A man with gelled, curly brown hair and a doe eyed red head slowly turned from their conversation in front of him to actually acknowledge Kurt. He still stood on the stairs, nervously wringing his hands around the strap of his messenger bag.
"Hello..? Can I help you with something, I-"
"I want to be on that stage."
"Oh God."
"No, no! Hear me out! I can sing, like, actually sing! I can dance too, I've had lessons since I was young, I know that I need to learn the routines but I am a fast learner and I will try so hard-!"
"What's your name?" the man asked. He had kind eyes but Kurt's stomach dropped at the pity he already saw there.
"K-Kurt Hummel."
"Well Kurt, I'm sorry to say there aren't any places at the moment but if you speak to Emma, she'll tell you when our next auditions are.."
"No, I really need this job now, I'm staying in a hotel and I need to get an apartment and-"
"There is no space. I'm sorry." Will turned away after offering Kurt an apologetic smile.
"Leave your number with Blaine at the bar and I'll get in touch, sweetie" Emma patted his shoulder before shuffling off after Will, showing him a hat and rambling quickly about fabric replacements.
A hand suddenly fell on his shoulder. On instinct, he jumped but the comforting smell of women's perfume instead of the lingering stench of 'locker room' had him relaxed enough to turn and see the girl from earlier. Instead of a pink and black corset, she wore a floor length red gown and from here, Kurt could see the obvious tear-off point. He smirked slightly.
"Hey Boo, I'm sorry about that.. I'm Mercedes."
"Oh, I'll manage I guess. Kurt."
"Well it's nice to meet you Kurt, now if you don't mind, I have to go and wow those guys out there.." With a wink, Mercedes disappeared into the noise and chaos that was 'backstage'. Kurt watched after her in awe.
"Hey, dude, you can't be up here right now.." a voice said from somewhere over to the side. Not wanting to meet the owner of said voice, Kurt turned on his heel and headed back down the stairs. Slipping out of the door at the bottom, he dejectedly looked over to the stage as the lights went up, showing Mercedes and Santana. He wanted to watch, he really did but right now, he'd rather drink away his sorrows.
"So how'd it go?" Right now, Kurt cursed Blaine and his optimism. He'd only known the guy for a total of five minutes but had already compared him to a puppy numerous times inside his head.
"I'll take a Whiskey."
"That well, huh?" Blaine's smile was a sorry one. Kurt merely raised an eyebrow before allowing his head to fall forwards onto the bar with a 'thud'.
"Quite the contrary, actually" he mumbled into the wood, "it went so well I think I'll be able to afford to stay in the hotel I'm at for at least a year.." Kurt finally looked up to see Blaine with his hands raised in defence.
"Whoa! Just a barman!" Kurt sighed. The other man slid a small glass across to him, amber liquid pooling at the bottom, before moving on to another customer, casting Kurt a glance over his shoulder as he went.
The lights in the club and on the stage suddenly got brighter. The band got louder. Confetti fell from the ceiling. Kurt pulled a sparkly heart from his hair and grinned, joining the dancers on stage.
"Diamonds!" He twirled, skin tight jeans low on his hips, black vest dotted with patches of lace, "Diamonds! Are a girls best.. friend!" Head thrown back, arms outstretched, Kurt's chest rose and fell heavily as he gasped for breath.
"Uh, Ohio?" Kurt was rudely awoken from his daydream by Blaine prising the now empty glass from his hands.
"Oh, uh, sorry.." Kurt shook himself slightly and gazed about the club. He suddenly smiled, back straightening. Blaine huffed a laugh.
"You okay there-"
"How about you give me a job?" Kurt rested his chin on one of his hands.
"W-what?" Blaine laughed. Kurt scowled. Blaine laughed harder, almost doubling over. Kurt huffed.
"Well I'm a damn sight better than boobs-for-brains over there!" Blaine stopped laughing and bit his lip. Kurt leant forwards slightly, surprised that this annoying cretin was actually listening.
"..okay."
"O-okay?" Kurt gawped. Blaine smiled.
"Okay."