A/N I'm sorry updates have been kind of slow lately. Been juggling a few different stories. Check out some of them in my bio if you haven't already, especially my Halloween story, Midnight!
This is part two of this three part story.
I got some good news this week, I'm up for a promotion at work!
Reviews always welcome!
…
We're Perfect Together
Not long after they got to the park, firefighters made it to the area to check for gas leaks, and they were given the all clear. Kurt and his friends remained at the park, helping out at the first aide station as more people from along the Wharf made their way down, or passing out bottled water that several of the local shops had donated.
The electricity was still out, so many of the restaurants in the area had large quantities of food that needed to be used up before it spoiled. There had been several food trucks and portable industrial size grills in the area, all fueled by propane, so the restaurateurs all brought out the meat and other items and cooked them, offering free food to everyone.
There were still aftershocks occurring, though they had greatly decreased in intensity over the last few hours. Through out the entire time, Blaine had remained by his side, even when Nick and his coworkers went to check their shop, and Jeff had gone with the the other man.
"I think Jeff likes your friend, Nick." Kurt said, smiling as he watched the two men walk away. "Is he dating anyone?"
Blaine shrugged. "He's been seeing a guy, but they aren't exclusive. Nick says he's not ready for a real relationship right now. He has nine months left till graduation, and he's been focusing on his studies."
"So, should I warn Jeff not to get his hopes up?"
Blaine grinned mischievously. "No, I think Jeff could be the perfect distraction for him. Personally, I don't know why Nick is still going out with Jack. The guy is so not his type. He's a banker, always wearing stuffy suits, has no sense of humor, and frankly doesn't appreciate Nick enough."
The two talked as they helped out where ever they could. Blaine talked about his parents kicking him out when they found out he was gay. He talked about his older brother, Cooper, who was a struggling actor in LA, who still supported him no matter what. He talked about Nick's family, and Nick's crazy mom who kept trying to set the two of them up.
Kurt told him about his dad and his stepmom. He talked about his stepbrother, Finn, who was killed by a drunk driver. He talked about his best friends, Rachel, who was starring in the revival of Funny Girl, and Mercedes, who was just about to go on her first tour to promote her debut album.
Nick and Jeff returned, wheeling huge vats of ice cream, and they helped serve it up for everyone in the crowd. As the sun began to set, the Monkeys that had been temporarily stranded on Alcatraz finally made it back to shore, and joined them. Kurt had called their director, Steve, earlier and let him know where they all were, and informed him of Sebastian's injury. Steve told him that most of the cast was in the city, all having decided to take advantage of the down day. The only one not in the area was Luisa, their Madame Morrible. They were trying to make their way to where Kurt and the others were, so they could take the ferry back across to Oakland, as the bridges were closed indefinitely.
Sebastian hadn't been the only injury among the cast. Lori, their Galinda, had a mild concussion and a sprained wrist. She would be out for at least three shows. Unfortunately, Cynthia, her understudy, had to be hospitalized, and probably would be out for the rest of the tour. Lissa, their Elphaba, would step in as Galinda until Lori recovered, and Katie would step in for Lissa. A few of the assemble had minor cuts, bruises, and scrapes, but would be able to go on. Of course, Kurt would be promoted to Fiyero for the foreseeable future, and Jeff would take over as Boq. Kyle would be promoted from Monkey number four to Chistery.
"That is assuming we can all make it back across the bay before curtain call," Lissa joked.
Blaine smiled at her. "I hope you guys can go on, I think these people are going to need a morale boost."
He gestured to the crowd. Kurt and the others glanced around, seeing all the traumatized faces, the scared kids crying in their parent's arms. Kurt suddenly had an idea. "Maybe we could give them a morale boost right now."
He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and called Steve back, telling him his idea and asking his advice. Steve said he'd have to call their producer, Rich, and get permission. He called back fifteen minutes later and gave Kurt the green light.
Half an hour later, illuminated by powerful battery powered flood lights as the last rays of the sun disappeared in the west, Blaine and several other street musicians began to play a familiar overture on their improvised instruments. They hadn't informed anyone in the crowd about what was about to happen, so when the music began, people were surprised, and gathered around.
One by one, the cast members slipped out of the crowd, and began to sing.
Good news! She's dead!
The Witch of the West is dead!
The wickedest witch there ever was
The enemy of all of us here in Oz
Is Dead!
Good news!
Good news!
From somewhere in the crowd, one of the actors called out, "Look! It's Glinda!"
Lissa spoke loudly from the other side of the gathering crowd. "Fellow Ozians!"
Let us be glad
Let us be grateful
Let us rejoicify that goodness could subdue
The wicked workings of you-know-who
Isn't it nice to know
That good will conquer evil?
The truth we all believe'll by and by
Outlive a lie
For you and -
Another voice rose out of the growing crowd.
No one mourns the Wicked
More cast members shouted from within the audience before joining their cast mates in the center.
No one cries "They won't return!"
No one lays a lily on their grave
The good man scorns the Wicked!
Through their lives, our children learn
What we miss, when we misbehave
They all danced around Lissa as she sang the next part.
And Goodness knows
The Wicked's lives are lonely
Goodness knows
The Wicked die alone
It just shows when you're Wicked
You're left only
On your own
Kurt and the rest of the cast joined in and sang the next part.
Yes, Goodness knows
The Wicked's lives are lonely
Goodness knows
The Wicked cry alone
Nothing grows for the Wicked
They reap only
What they've sown
Lissa began to speak the next part. By now nearly everyone in the park had gathered around. The children migrated towards the front of the crowd, or sat on their parent's shoulders, and watched, tears drying on their faces as they were drawn into the magic and music of the story. Many people were recording it with their cell phones, smiling as tension and fear slowly ebbed away. They clapped and cheered after each scene. Lori wasn't allowed to dance because of the concussion, but stepped into the role of Madame Morrible, and was given a cheer by the crowd when they noticed that she was injured.
Without costumes, props, or sets, the cast improvised, engaging the audience in a way they never had before. As he sang and danced, Kurt kept sending flirty looks and smiles towards Blaine, and noticed Jeff doing the same with Nick. Kurt was happy for his friend. Jeff hadn't dated anyone in the six months Kurt had known him, and apparently hadn't dated much before that, either. Despite his open and friendly nature, Jeff seemed wary about dating at all. Kurt had learned from a mutual friend, Trent, that Jeff had had a traumatic experience in high school with his first boyfriend. Trent hadn't gone into detail, but had hinted of abuse and possibly something more.
As they neared the end of Dancing Through Life, another aftershock struck, a little stronger than the last few. Some members of the crowd cried out, but Kurt and the others didn't let it phase them, and simply went on with the performance, which helped keep the younger kids calm.
…
Blaine watched as Kurt and the cast delivered what had to be the most interesting performance of Wicked ever. With minimum lighting, no props, no scenery, no costumes or make-up, and improvised music, they still managed to captivate the audience. And when another strong aftershock struck and the crowd began to panic, Kurt and the others didn't even seem to notice, just kept on as if the ground wasn't shaking beneath their feet. Their calm and professionalism helped keep the crowd from becoming chaotic.
Blaine was captivated by the glasz eyed man, who kept sending him flirtatious smiles and winks even as he interacted with the crowd. When Elphaba began singing Defying Gravity, Kurt sat down among the kids, singing along, and Blaine swore he heard the auburn haired angel hit a high F. The kids seemed to love him. One girl even curled up into his lap and hugged him. He hugged her back.
It was at that moment that Blaine realized he was falling in love with the beautiful man.
As the night went on, and he watched the glasz eyed man sing As Long as You're Mine, he wanted to be the one Kurt was singing to. As if reading his mind, the auburn haired angel glanced at him, and smiled.
When the performance was over, several people thanked the cast for what they had done, and offered them money, but the cast turned it down, telling them to give it to help people who were injured or who had lost their homes to structural damage or fire. Blaine thanked the other musicians who had joined them to entertain the crowd. By the time the crowd had dispersed to go back to their homes, hotels, or shelters, it was nearing midnight. The lines for the ferries were still so long, the chances of the cast making it back to their hotel before morning were slim.
Nick invited them all to stay at his parent's house.
"I don't know," Kurt said, looking at all of them. "Will they have room for all of us?"
Blaine laughed. "Trust me, there will be plenty of room."
Nick made a call, and half an hour later a tour bus pulled up. Nick beckoned them to join him, and they all climbed on. A short while later they pulled up in front of a sprawling mansion south of San Francisco.
"Nick's family owns several restaurants and hotels not only in the Bay area, but also all through California, Nevada, and Colorado. They also own a lot of real estate." Blaine said when Kurt looked at him questioningly.
"Come on," Nick said. "Mom had the guest house opened up for us when she heard what happened. You guys can get a good night's sleep, and she'll have breakfast for you in the morning. Dad's working on getting you guys a boat to get across the bay in the morning."
Mrs. Duvall greeted them with a smile as they entered the large guest house. "Welcome! There are six bedrooms on this floor, and six more upstairs, and there are a couple of rooms in the pool house, too. I'm sorry, you'll have to double up, but there should be enough room for everyone!"
Nick introduced everyone. She blinked when she noticed how close Jeff was standing to Nick, and how Kurt and Blaine were holding hands, but she didn't miss a beat, welcoming them both, and kissing each of them on the cheek. "I wish I could have seen your performance tonight, it was all over the news! Unfortunately I was busy overseeing the emergency shelters, making sure those misplaced people had a place to sleep tonight."
"Mom is on the board of directors for the California Red Cross," Nick explained.
"Come on," Blaine said, noting that Kurt was fighting to stifle a yawn. "We'll show you all to your rooms."
They lead them down the hall, with Nick taking half of them upstairs. Blaine never let go of Kurt's hand as the numbers dwindled until only the two of them were left.
"And where will I be sleeping tonight?" Kurt asked.
Blaine smiled. "Do you trust me?"
Kurt returned the smile, and replied without hesitation. "Yes."
The shorter man lead him out a side door and across a small garden with night blooming jasmine, to another, smaller building. "This is the pool house. This is where Nick and I stay when we visit. My room is just down the hall."
Kurt followed him down the hallway, and into a large bedroom that was unmistakably Blaine's. It was tidy, organized, and decorated in dark blues and reds. There was a piano in one corner, and several guitars lined up on stands, as well as a mandolin. Another corner contained a set of drums. There was a violin displayed on a shelf between the two corners, along with a harmonica, and several pieces of sheet music.
"Do you play all these instruments?" Kurt asked.
"I do. I started taking violin lessons when I was five, and then started teaching myself how to play the rest. I'm learning to play the saxophone now."
"Wow, I'm impressed. You're very talented. Have you considered trying to get a recording deal?"
Blaine just shrugged and moved to the walk in closet. "I prefer performing for smaller crowds. I've been considering opening a piano bar so I have a place to perform regularly, but for now I love watching the tourists on the pier as they enjoy my music."
He handed Kurt a pair of sweatpants and a t shirt. "Here. The pants will probably be too short, but they should fit otherwise. You can take a shower if you like. The bathroom is through there, towels and washcloths are in the cupboard beside the tub. There should be a new toothbrush in the drawer to the left of the sink. Toothpaste is in the medicine cabinet."
Kurt smiled and took the offered items. "Thanks. I'll be out in a few minutes."
"Take your time. I'll use the shower down the hall. Do you want anything to eat or drink before bed?"
The pale man shook his head and slipped into the bathroom.
…
Kurt closed the bathroom door behind him, setting the borrowed clothes on the back of the toilet, before looking at his reflection. His usually perfectly coiffed hair was disheveled, leaving him looking younger. The cut on his forehead was red and irritated looking, the bandage having fallen off sometime during the performance. It was also starting to bruise. He had bruises elsewhere on his body as well, most likely from his stumble in the cookie shop. He ached in several spots from the falls and being thrown into the display case at the ice cream shop during the initial quake.
He sighed, and began to undress, then climbed into the hot shower, sighing as the heat helped alleviate some of the soreness. He lingered a little longer than he had intended, losing track of time until a soft knock on the door made him aware that he was starting to prune just a little.
"Kurt?" Blaine called out. "Everything okay in there?"
"I'm fine. I'll be out in a couple minutes." He shut off the water and wrapped himself in a towel. Finding the toothbrush where Blaine said it would be, he unwrapped it and quickly brushed his teeth, and then began to dress. The pants were a little on the short side, but he didn't mind, it was a warm night. He ran a hand through his damp hair to straighten it out some, and then exited the bathroom.
Blaine was sitting at the piano, working on what appeared to be a piece of music. He took a moment to study the darker man. The dark curls were damp, weighted down by the moisture. A couple had fallen across his forehead as he leaned forward over the piano to write down what ever he was thinking.
He was gorgeous, Kurt thought, a slight flutter in his stomach as the other man looked up at him briefly, smiling, before looking back down at his work. He glanced around the room again, eyes skating over the bed, not wanting to think about that just yet. It's not that he was a prude. While he had never had a boyfriend in high school, he had dated a couple of guys in college, but it had been over a year since he'd had a real date. Oh, he and Trent had gone out a couple times, but just because they had both been bored and didn't want to go to the movies alone. His last real boyfriend had been Adam, and they had only dated for about five months before the other man decided to move back to England. They'd remained friends, but neither of them had the time to put into a long distance relationship.
That thought made him pause. He was only here in the bay area for a week, and then they were moving on to LA. Would he see Blaine again after tonight?
"Do you want the bed?"
The question caught him off guard. He hadn't noticed Blaine move away from the piano and walk across the room. "Excuse me?"
"Do you want to sleep on the bed? I can take the couch if you want."
Oh. He'd thought...Well, he didn't know what he thought, really. "You don't have to sleep on the couch."
They stood there, just looking at each other for a moment, and suddenly Kurt couldn't resist the urge to reach out and brush those two curls off the other man's forehead, running his fingers through the damp hair as he stepped closer.
The kiss started out as just lips brushing hesitantly together, but with each passing encounter, the fire built between them. Blaine's hand cupped his cheek as the last millimeter of space between them vanished, tongues dueling as need grew.