10:14 AM
hey there, Mr. Blaine Anderson. I hope you're feeling okay.
Blaine blinked a few times, staring groggily at the text that just came through. He typed out a quick reply.
10:15 AM
yeah I'm good.
10:15 AM
that's good. you had maybe one drink too many last night, and I was concerned.
10:17 AM
I'm fine.
10:18 AM
you are certainly a man of many words.
10:18 AM
?
10:19 AM
I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone if you want me to.
10:19 AM
no you don't have to
10:20 AM
well, thank you for coming to my show again. maybe I'll see you again there soon...?
10:25 AM
maybe
Kurt never texted back, and Blaine knew he had screwed everything up already.
Blaine groaned as he pulled himself up into a sitting position in his bed. He felt like he'd been hit by a truck, and his whole body was achy, his tongue, heavy and like sandpaper in his mouth. He held his head in his hands before allowing them to fall to slap against his bare thighs.
Water. He needed water.
Luckily, he'd always kept a bottle of it on his nightstand, and Blaine leaned over with another lengthy groan, his fingers stretching out until he successfully grasped the bottle filled with the antidote that would make him feel less like a dried up slug on the pavement.
Once he managed to pull himself out of bed and started his routine, Blaine began to feel a little less crispy creepy crawly and a little more human. But he knew he'd be anything but productive today, so, mug of coffee in hand, Blaine settled down onto the couch and switched on the television.
He watched the moving images on the screen with unfocused eyes, his mind elsewhere. Halfway through his coffee, which was a bit too bitter for his liking, it dawned on him.
Blaine was alone. He was so pitifully alone. And who could he really blame but himself?
Later on in the day, when he was feeling particularly emboldened, Blaine texted Kurt again, feeling bad about how he had left him hanging earlier.
4:46 PM
hey
4:47 PM
hey...I thought I scared you off already...
4:47 PM
no. I'm sorry. I was just busy.
4:48 PM
oh.
4:48 PM
yeah
4:51 PM
are you busy tonight? me and a few friends are going out to celebrate my birthday and you're more than welcome to join us...that is, if you want
4:52 PM
that sounds nice
4:52 PM
can I bring a friend?
4:53 PM
sure :)
Kurt sent Blaine the details of place and time, and Blaine sat there for a moment before he deleted the entire string of texts and set his phone aside. There was no way he was going out somewhere with Kurt, group of friends or not. Jeff had warned him not to go back to the club, knowing exactly what he was getting himself into, but Blaine was stubborn. And he was also apparently a complete coward.
-s-
When Blaine didn't show up at the restaurant, he knew he wasn't going to be let off so easily. But Kurt didn't text him that night, and he didn't text him the next day either. Blaine figured that perhaps he had gotten the message, but he didn't mean to hurt Kurt's feelings.
It wasn't until Blaine didn't show up at the club the following weekend that Kurt finally texted him.
11:23 PM
I know I'm probably coming off as desperate, but I really was hoping to see you
11:24 PM
I'm sorry. I was busy.
11:25 PM
I pulled out all the stops and flirted pretty hardcore with you, can't you just humor me?
11:25 PM
I didn't mean to stand you up, I was just...
Blaine stopped typing because he wasn't sure exactly what he "just" was. He didn't have any real excuse, at least, not one good enough to let someone down like he had, someone he was really beginning to like.
...I was scared.
11:27 PM
scared? I promise I'm not a serial killer and I don't bite.
11:27 PM
no, Kurt. it's not that.
11:27 PM
ok.
11:30 PM
nvm. what time do you get done tonight?
11:31 PM
in about an hour.
11:31 PM
k
-s-
Blaine was leaning up against the hard stone wall of the building when Kurt stepped out onto the sidewalk, devoid of any traces of his female persona. It was like he was a magician, had lifted a sheet and undergone a complete transformation from a gorgeous queen to a handsome yet still beautiful man. Blaine swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he watched how the moonlight shone off Kurt's milky skin and how his blue eyes caught and held the lamplight from those that lined the darkened street.
He finally gathered himself and found his voice again. "Kurt."
Kurt turned, a grin almost immediately stretching across his face when he spotted Blaine in semi-shadow. "Well, hello there, Mister Anderson. You look dapper tonight, and it's nice to see you not drinking in a dark corner - you haven't been drinking, have you?" Kurt said, leaning in a bit, almost as if he was about to sniff at the air by Blaine.
"No, no," Blaine said, shaking his head. "I just -"
"You 'just' a lot, don't you, Blaine." Kurt's smile fell a bit, and the twinkle in his eyes faded as he stepped to the side and away from the door. "Listen, Blaine. If you're not interested, it's okay to tell me. I know I can be a lot to handle and hard to explain to friends and the parentals. But I'd rather you just be honest with me so we can end this before anyone gets hurt."
"Kurt," Blaine said again, but he was still at a loss for words. "Will you walk with me?"
"I'd love to. So..." Kurt began as they walked a few paces, falling into step with each other, "I didn't expect you to show up. What's going on, Blaine? You said you were scared? I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but what exactly is it that you are scared of?"
"I think I was intimidated by you," Blaine said, which wasn't a complete lie. "I wasn't ready to see you outside of the club."
"I guess I understand," Kurt said. "I didn't mean to push you like that."
"You didn't. To be honest, Kurt, I haven't been out on a date in a long time, and I don't think I was ready."
"A date?" Kurt grinned slyly. "You think I was asking you on a date, Blaine?"
"You - you weren't? Oh, god, I'm such an -"
"Relax, I was just kidding," Kurt said. "I really like you, Blaine. I mean it. I'm really into you, as silly as that may seem, and, yes, I was asking you out, but I was trying to make it less weird - or scary - by inviting you out with a group of friends."
"Oh."
"Can I try again? I'll be clearer with my intentions this time. Will you go out on a date with me, Blaine Anderson?" Kurt said. "And please say yes, because you might break my heart if you say no after all of this coming to see me and waiting outside for me like a gentleman."
"I - I really like you too, Kurt, but I don't know..."
"You're killing me, Blaine. You come to the club, you charm the pants off me, you tell me you're gay, and you flirt back despite my flamboyant alter ego and...please just say yes."
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Really," Blaine said. "But -"
"So many buts and not the kind I like. Joke! Sorry...but what is still holding you back? Are there conditions to this date?" Kurt asked.
"Can I pick where we go?" Blaine asked.
"Sure. Whatever you want," Kurt said.
"Can I have some time to think about it - about where I want to go and when?"
"Of course," Kurt answered. "Just don't keep me waiting too long because I don't think I can wait much longer to see you again."
"Where did you learn to be such a smooth talker?" Blaine asked. "You always know exactly what to say, and it seems so sincere."
"It is sincere. I didn't used to be like this. In fact, I had to hide a lot of what I was thinking and feeling growing up. But New York was like stepping into new skin, becoming a swan from an ugly duckling, and look how that turned out." He laughed. "Now I'm not afraid to be exactly who I am, to do what I feel, and to tell people that I find them interesting, breathtakingly handsome, and want them to be a part of my life."
Blaine was grateful for the darkness because he could feel himself flushing red. "I wish I knew your secret. I don't know how to let go or to just say or do what I'm feeling."
"Give it a try," Kurt said. "Ask me anything."
"Uh, alright," Blaine said. "How did you get into the whole drag thing?"
Kurt chuckled. "Hm, do you want the long story or the short?"
"Tell me everything," Blaine said.
"If you insist. When I was three years old, I would watch my mother do her makeup and get ready to go to work or out with friends. My father came home one day to me parading around the house in my mother's heels and one of her blouses. Apparently, I asked for a pair of my own," Kurt said.
"Did he get mad at you?" Blaine asked.
"No, not at all. In fact, he claims that that's when he knew I was gay. I came out to him when I was sixteen, but he'd known almost my entire life. Ever since, he's been supportive and loved me in spite of it all."
"So you really became a drag queen because you used to play dress up when you were a child?"
"Not really. That all happened a little later on in life, and I don't think they're connected at all. In high school, I really broke out of my shell when it came to my love of performance. While a conservative public high school in a small-minded town wasn't conducive to fully being myself, I was lucky enough to be part of a show choir that mostly allowed me to express myself in ways I wouldn't otherwise have been able to. But when I came to New York, something shifted. No more did I get tormented for wearing a shirt made and marketed to women, knee-high boots, skirts...whatever I wanted to wear, I could, and I - It was liberating, and this drag thing, it's not just for show, it's a part of me."
"But your parents have always been okay with it? With you being gay and doing what you do?"
"My dad has - my mother died when I was eight," Kurt said.
"I'm sorry," Blaine said.
"That's life though, isn't it? Everyone's always apologizing to me, but death is a part of life, and I came to terms with it years ago. I'm okay," Kurt said, smiling again at Blaine to convince him.
"I'm glad you had a supportive family." He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping, and then he fell silent.
"Is something wrong, Blaine?" Kurt asked, stopping suddenly. He grabbed his arm and spun him around to face him. "If you're tired and you want to go home, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings."
"Okay, I'll be honest. I am a little tired, but it was really great to see you again and to talk to you," Blaine said. "I think I should go home now though."
"Alright. But don't forget to get back to me about that date. I talked a lot about myself tonight, and next time we meet, I want to hear more about you," Kurt said. "Can you promise me you'll do me that honor?"
"I promise," Blaine said, and he immediately wished he had eaten his words.
