Been&Done: Up and coming: Catch singer/songwriter Blaine Anderson at one of his shows this month! Check out the schedule here! We'll be there; will you?
It turned out that Kurt actually couldn't make it to any of Blaine's shows. When Blaine sent him the schedule, he was very disappointed to find out that his schedule was busier than usual over the next few weeks and he wouldn't be able to see Blaine play. He did, however, send him sweet, encouraging messages every night before Blaine had a show. He even tweeted at Blaine once or twice before a show, which caused Blaine's twitter to blow up with replies. Honestly, Kurt's reassurance really did help Blaine a lot. He wasn't nervous about actually playing, not really, but Mark and Maya had suggested he hang around after each show for a little bit and talk to a few people if they approached him, rather than bolting out of there as soon as he was done. He'd been a little weary of the idea, seeing as he'd never really been good at meeting people, but he agreed, in the end. Hey, if it would help him in the long run, may as well get the practice now, right?
I fell in love next to you
Burning fires in this room
It just fits
Light and smooth
Like my feet in my shoes
Little one, lie with me
Sew your heart to my sleeve
We'll stay quiet
Underneath shooting stars
If it helps you sleep
And hold me tight
Don't let me breathe
Feeling like
You won't believe
There's a firefly
Loose tonight
Better catch it
Before it burns this place down
And I lie
If I don't feel so right
But the world looks better
Through your eyes
About a week into his new schedule, Blaine was pretty used to the routine. Not that it was monotonous in any way, but he had the structure down. He found that with a little bit of a push, he wasn't doing too badly with the meeting people part of it. In all honesty, he actually enjoyed talking to people and answering questions about his music. Most of the conversation was light and easy, so it really wasn't too hard.
It's only been
One night of love
And maybe
That's not enough
Hold me tight
Don't let me breathe
Feeling like
You won't believe
There's a firefly loose tonight
Better catch it
Before it burns this place down
And I lie
If I don't feel so right
But the world looks better
Through your eyes
The part that did get difficult was when people asked him about Kurt. He was never exactly secretive about the fact that they were dating—neither of them ever had been; that was kind of the point—but he wasn't really sure what he should say to answer everyone's (meaning mainly teenagers') questions. Most of the time he tried to keep his responses relatively neutral.
Usually, following a show he'd pack everything up and go hang out by the front of the stage and talk to people. Some would take pictures or ask him to sign something, and a few of those extra bold people would ask him about Kurt. Sometimes they'd be subtle about it, just asking how he's doing, other times they'd be very blunt and ask him more in depth questions about their relationship; how they met, how long they've been dating, etcetera. A few people asked if Kurt was ever coming to one of his shows, but he simply answered that Kurt was really busy and wasn't able to make it.
Blaine had recently gotten a kick out of checking the internet after his shows. After Kayleigh taught him all of the tricks to navigating Been&Done, he'd type his name in the search bar every now and then to see what people were saying. He'd grown accustomed to all the inappropriate comments and chose to ignore them, looking instead for any praise or criticism. Most of the hate comments on the videos that bashed his style or his talent usually ended with something like 'he doesn't deserve someone like Kurt' or 'he's just using Kurt to get famous,' so Blaine usually just brushed them off, recognizing the fact that they written out of jealousy. Though they may be true, it's not like he didn't care for Kurt. They were closer than Blaine had been with anyone in a while.
Blaine clicked through a few links to videos from his recent shows one evening and found a blog with a few pictures taken of him and a group of girls, all probably around seventeen or eighteen. Several other pictures were posted along with them, including one of him when he was unmistakably trying to hide his blush. The comments on the post were sweet to read, though.
We met Blaine Anderson yesterday at his show! He was one of the nicest and most humble people I ever met!
He was so shy, especially when we asked him about Kurt ;)
GAHHHH look at him he's so cute!
Is he blushing? That is PRECIOUS
ASKJHF;ALKGJAJHGL;KHDF I CAN'T just stop
WHY DON'T I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA *ugly sobbing*
Blaine laughed at some of the comments and was scrolling through even more when his phone rang. He smiled as Kurt's name lit up the screen and answered.
"Hey, you." Blaine answered
"Hi! How are your shows going?" He asked the same question almost everyday, but it was nice to know Blaine had a lot of support.
"Really well," He responded with a smile even though Kurt couldn't see it. "I'm playing pretty much like I always do, I guess, but I'm getting better at, well, talking to people. Maya said I should try to hang out after the shows and let people ask questions and try to let them get to know me a little bit so… that's what I've been doing." Blaine ended awkwardly.
"How's that working out?"
"Good, I guess. I've been talking to a lot of people; most of them are teenagers, but what can you do?" Kurt chuckled at that and Blaine knew that if anyone understood, it was Kurt. "It hasn't been too bad because mostly they just compliment me or want a picture and sometimes they'll ask about my music, so mostly everything I have to talk about is easy. Although apparently every time they ask about you I can't stop blushing…" Blaine laughed, still reading the comments on the pictures.
"Oh, really?" Kurt asked in a teasing tone.
"Yeah… Kayleigh thought it'd be a wonderful idea to teach me to navigate her favorite gossip site, which led me to some girl's blog with a bunch of pictures from last night." He explained.
"Oh, no." Kurt stated in mock horror. "You're on the blogs! That's a dangerous place!"
"So I've heard. I'm only looking at this one post of pictures though. And the comments… I'm kind of getting a kick out of them right now." Blaine laughed.
"Oh god, what do they say?" Kurt's curiosity seemed to have gotten the best of him.
"According to one comment, I'm just plain adorable when I blush."
"Well, I can't argue with that." Kurt countered.
"Most of the people commenting apparently can't decide whether they find me more hot or cute. I'm not even going to try to indulge you with the colorful comments on those." Blaine read through a few before he finally gave up and went back to the main website. "Kayleigh was right; some people can be a little extreme."
"Welcome to my world," Kurt laughed. "So you've been getting good at talking to your crazy fangirls?"
"I guess so. They're not bad though; a lot of them were really sweet." Blaine shrugged, leaning back against the couch cushions to relax.
"Well that's good, you can ease your way into it. You just wait until you meet some really crazy people. That's when the fun begins." Kurt joked.
"Well, that's the goal, isn't it? Then I'll take the next level of your 'How to be Famous' class and you can teach me how to fight them off." They were both quiet for a moment, but it wasn't the least bit uncomfortable, much like everything else about their relationship.
"Hey, did Kayleigh ever hear anything back from Cannon? I know she had her interview a while ago, but you guys never told me anything." Kurt asked, not just out of politeness but out of pure interest. It was nice to know that even though Kayleigh had a strong personality, she and Kurt got along very well. Though, Blaine supposed Kurt was used to strong personalities from Rachel.
"They haven't called her back yet, but according to Kayleigh her interview went really well. She said the woman that interviewed her was really impressed with the pictures she took of you and me. Apparently she was surprised that she was able to get you to be in her shoot." Blaine told him. Kayleigh had relayed all of this information to him directly following her interview, telling him all about how she had to explain that they were friends and she had originally asked Blaine to model and Kurt stepped in to help out. Her words all came out in a rush and were filled with squeals of excitement.
"Well, it's really the least I can do. Did she show you the pictures she chose?"
"Yeah, You'll have to see them, they're really good. I sometimes forget how amazing she is at it. She chose mostly individuals of me and some of you, because she didn't want to make it look like she was trying to use that to get in. She told me she only used the best of yours, even though you, and I quote, 'made it look so much more natural when taking pictures.' "
"Well, I've been doing this for a while, you only just got roped in by your friend." Kurt reasoned and Blaine hummed in response. "Did she use any of the ones of us together?"
"Yeah, she used a few of those. They were actually my favorites," Blaine confessed. "I mean, you look great in all of them, but I feel like I don't look as awkward. She used that candid one she took as well, the one she said she wouldn't. Apparently it was too good not to be seen."
"Well, as long as I look good." Kurt mused. "I'm glad everything went well. I really hope she gets it."
"Me too." Blaine agreed. "She deserves it. And the woman gave her some really positive feedback, so hopefully that means good news. I'll let you know when I—"
"BLAINE!" The front door to Blaine's apartment slamming open interrupted Blaine's sentence as Kayleigh ran in with a huge grin on her face.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear," Blaine chuckled into the phone.
"Who's that? Are you talking to Kurt?" Kayleigh asked, kneeling right up next to him.
"Yeah, we were actually just talking about your interview. Hold on," Blaine put the phone on speaker.
"Hi, Kurt!" Kayleigh exclaimed.
"Hey, Kayleigh!" Kurt said, nearly just as excitedly. "Blaine sucks at giving me all the details—"
"Hey!"
"—How did your interview go?" Kurt finished.
"Wonderful! Super wonderful! Ella, the woman who interviewed me, said she was really impressed with my style and the risk I took with the location but she loved them! And she absolutely loved the pictures of the two of you together; she thought it was so sweet! Especially that candid one, which I know I said I wouldn't use but it's absolutely perfect, I had to. Really, you guys should frame it, it's sooooo precious." Kayleigh went on about how great her interview went while Kurt appropriately commented in the right places and Blaine sat back and beamed, entirely proud of his friend. The last time he'd been this happy was in college, when Casey was still alive.
"Kayleigh, that's great!" Kurt exclaimed through the phone when she finished. "You have to let me know when you hear back from them!"
"I will, I promise! I really couldn't have done it without you guys." Kayleigh beamed at Blaine, who returned her smile.
"It was no problem, Kay, really." Blaine said as she settled down on the couch next to him. They sat back with the phone on speaker between them, comfortable in the moment, as if their lives were still so simple, before all of these opportunities had been laid out before them to chase after.
"I had a lot of fun with it, Kayleigh; if not for taking the pictures then definitely for watching you and Blaine bicker nonstop." Kurt laughed into the line. "Are you sure you guys only met in college? Because you sound like you've been friends forever."
"Nah, Kayleigh just has a nice, irritating way of getting under your skin like a parasite and refuses to stop bothering you." Blaine quipped immediately, throwing a playful glance at Kayleigh, who was just as quick.
"And Blaine's just like a puppy. He's cute at first but then after a day he starts chewing and shitting on everything and you want to kick him but you can't because of those damn eyes."
"Oh, I definitely agree with you on that." Kurt said. "I can never say no to him when he gives me that look—"
"Oh, really—"
"KAYLEIGH, DON'T YOU DARE!" Blaine shouted over her, not wanting this conversation to turn awkward quickly. He knew where she was going with that, and he'd rather deal with her innuendos on his own.
"Oh, Blaine, come on it's not like you have to lie to me—" She started, but Blaine cut her off once more.
"Just stop." He said forcefully, and then tried to pull the boyfriend card, because he knew it would work on her. "I haven't talked to Kurt in nearly a week, can we just leave this be for now?" He gave her a pleading look, the best one he could muster without it looking pathetic.
"Okay. Yeah, fine." She shrugged, but then mouthed a sincere sorry as Blaine turned back to the phone.
"So how was work today?" Blaine asked Kurt, changing the subject. Kayleigh leaned forward next to him, quietly whispering the word "drink" in a question. Blaine shook his head and mouthed a "no thank you," switching the phone off of speaker and bringing it to his ear before she got up and went to the kitchen, clearly giving Blaine a moment to talk to Kurt. Even if it wasn't really in the sentiment she thought it was, he still appreciated it.
"So exhausting. This episode we're doing is just really emotional and every time we shoot something it takes forever and it's just emotionally draining. I want to pass out right now." Kurt explained.
"Are you still there?"
"They needed to fix a few things with the set tonight so we got off early today since we can't pick back up until tomorrow. I'm on my way out now."
"Kurt, you're not…" Blaine started nervously.
"No! No I promise I'm not talking to you while driving. I called you when I was still in my trailer. I'm on my way to my car now; don't worry." Kurt reassured him and Blaine relaxed instantly. Kurt knew how he felt about being distracted in the car. Kurt felt the same way because the same thing nearly happened to his friend in high school. Maybe Kurt didn't mean a lot to him in the same way that Casey did, but he was still an important person in his life, and Blaine couldn't stand it if something happened to Kurt because of that. Honestly, he couldn't stand it if something happened to Kurt no matter what the cause.
"Thank you." Blaine whispered.
"There's no reason to make you worry unnecessarily." Kurt replied simply, and Blaine heard a car door shut. "I was actually calling to see if you were doing anything tonight. I haven't had a night off in far too long. And I miss seeing you play. Wink wink, nudge nudge." Blaine laughed and flushed slightly. He was reluctant to admit, but he missed playing for Kurt.
"Well Kayleigh's over now, but you can come over and join us if you like? If I kick her out she might start getting ideas and spreading rumors." He rolled his eyes when Kayleigh peaked around the corner looking offended, but then she dropped the expression in favor of waggling her eyebrows at him.
"God, she's almost as bad as Santana." Kurt laughed good-naturedly.
"Santana?" Blaine questioned.
"The friend from high school that I lived with in New York for a little while. Every other sentence out of her mouth was some sort of innuendo, I swear. Her favorite things to talk about were the sex lives of all of her friends. I think she liked to live vicariously through all of us; her whole slutty image was just a front." Kurt explained fondly. "Anyway, are you sure you don't mind? I don't want to interrupt anything."
"You're not interrupting anything—"
"KURT, COME OVER! WE CAN PLOT AGAINST BLAINE'S PUPPY EYES TOGETHER!" Kayleigh shouted from the kitchen. She really was not subtle about her eavesdropping at all, even when she could only hear Blaine's half of the conversation.
"Did you catch that?" Blaine asked.
"Yeah, I caught it. I'll be over soon, okay?" Blaine could hear the faint rumble of Kurt starting the engine and the click of him buckling his seatbelt. Even if it wasn't entirely for Blaine, he still was touched by the little things Kurt did, like waiting to drive until he wouldn't be distracted.
"Perfect, see you soon."
"So, wait, what was it that you used to do?" Kurt asked, very confused as Blaine flushed bright red and Kayleigh nearly choked out her laughter.
"Nothing! I was just playing piano at parties—"
"While you were shitfaced—" Kayleigh added over Blaine.
"I was not shitfaced!" Blaine defended. Kurt could tell he was trying desperately to reel Kayleigh back in before she made a fool out of him by telling stories of the few times he'd come out of his shell in college. Apparently it was only when they were around his close friends, but when it did happen, there was no stopping him.
"He was sooooo shitfaced." Kayleigh whispered conspiratorially to Kurt, who laughed in response, raising an eyebrow at Blaine.
"I was maybe tipsy…" He threw a glare at Kayleigh and continued. "I just played piano versions of songs, that's all."
"That is not all!" Kayleigh argued.
"Yes, it—"
"Shut up, you don't tell it right." Kayleigh shoved a chip in Blaine's mouth from the bowl that was resting on the coffee table in front of them. She turned to Kurt while Blaine was forced to chew around the unwelcome food in his mouth, his glare never leaving Kayleigh.
"So, we used to actively try to get him drunk after the first time he did this, because all the cool people in the arts college were having a party one night and all of the sudden he sat down at the piano yelling 'everybody shut the hell up I have to sing this it's important!' So we were all taken aback because here was Blaine all in his shy, curly-haired cuteness, and he was yelling above all of us telling us how important it was that he sang this song RIGHT NOW." Kayleigh laughed dotingly and continued. "So he started playing this really pretty melody and we were all thinking it's from one of his classical seminars or maybe a piano sonata. And then he opened his mouth and he started singing this really artistic cover of Die Young by Ke$ha and I swear everyone in that room dropped to the floor and ran out of oxygen. It was HYSTERICAL!" Kayleigh couldn't contain her giggles any longer and Kurt burst into laughter. He could just picture Blaine, a few years younger, trying so hard to please everyone and come out of his shell.
"Okay, yes, everyone laugh at Blaine's expense." Blaine was trying to sound annoyed but Kurt noticed the slight upturn of his lips.
"We're not laughing at you! You should play us one of your piano remixes!" Kurt said after he'd calmed down a bit. Kayleigh was still cracking up next to them; tears of laughter running steadily down her cheeks.
"No. Absolutely not." Blaine deadpanned. "The last thing I need is for you to see that. I'll never hear the end of it."
"Pretty please?" Kurt looked up at Blaine through his eyelashes, hoping his puppy look had a similar effect on Blaine as Blaine's did on him. Seeing as it had worked so well the last time he tried it, he figured it might at least have some leverage.
"Hey! No, we made a rule about that." Blaine tried to give him a stern look that wasn't working one little bit. Kayleigh watched the exchange from her seat with a look of adoration in her eyes.
"Yes, because neither of us has broken it before." Kurt rolled his eyes with a sarcastic smirk in place and stood up, tugging Blaine with him by the hand, knowing he'd already won.
"I'm only doing this if you play for me. You still have a quota building up, you know." Blaine reasoned. "I believe it's somewhere around twenty-eight to one."
"It is not that many." Kurt disagreed, pushing Blaine down onto the bench and plopping himself down next to him. Kayleigh followed them into the room and sat down on the plaid couch on the far wall that faced the piano.
"Wait, what is this quota that's building up?" Kayleigh asked. The sly smirk starting to form on her lips was ignored by both of the men sharing the piano bench.
"For some strange reason, Mr. BFA-in-Music over here," Kurt jerked a thumb over his shoulder to emphasize his point while Blaine dropped his head in defeat, a small grin spreading across his features. "Finds it necessary to watch me make a fool of myself while attempting to play piano. He keeps trying to get me to play for him, but I refuse. I don't have a fine arts degree; I barely took real lessons when I was a kid." He huffed, turning to Blaine only to find him looking back with the widest, most innocent eyes he'd ever seen.
Exasperated, Kurt turned back to Kayleigh. "He's worse than the damn Sarah McLachlan commercials."
"I've been saying that for years!" Kayleigh put her hands up in surrender. "I usually try to cover his face with my hands so I don't have to look at it. I can't guarantee that if you try that he won't lick you, though." She winked at Blaine, who had given up by this point and started to play a soft, sweet melody that Kurt could almost recognize but not quite place. He and Kayleigh stopped their teasing to listen, and it wasn't until Blaine made it a few lines in with a whispered falsetto that Kurt recognized it.
She sits alone, waiting for suggestions
He's so nervous, avoiding all her questions
His lips are dry, her heart is gently pounding
Don't you just know exactly what they're thinking?
Kurt was caught somewhere between wanting to burst out laughing at the song choice and being utterly captivated by how beautiful Blaine could make it sound. Blaine didn't look around being flirty and teasing like Kurt expected; he just focused on the music he created and the arrangement he put together to make it sound so striking until you listen to the lyrics and realize just how silly it all really is. Kurt listened for the remainder of the song and he giggled slightly throughout and when it ended, but clapped all the same.
"That was just—how did you do that?" Kurt said, amazed.
"I told you! Isn't it awesome?" Kayleigh laughed. "Although I have to say I haven't heard that one before…"
"Oh, shut up, Kay." Blaine brushed her off. He knew if they ignored her long enough she'd give it up and let it be. "All right, I played for you; now it's your turn." He demanded, turning back to Kurt.
"We'll add it to my quota." Kurt tried, whirling around to get off of the piano bench before Blaine could stop him.
"Not-uh. You're playing tonight." Blaine slung his right arm around Kurt's waist before he could get too far and Kurt flushed under the warmth and the comfort. He slid on the bench as Blaine pulled him back towards him, pressed tightly against his side. "No nursery rhymes this time. Play me a good one." His arm didn't leave from its spot, his hand gripped gently at his hip and his forearm rested against Kurt's lower back. Kurt tried not to think much of it, especially since Kayleigh was right there.
Oh, right. Kayleigh.
That's probably why Blaine was suddenly feeling so affectionate. It wasn't a drastic change from the norm, but Kurt noticed the subtleties that came with the presence of another person.
"Are you suggesting that my nursery rhymes are anything shy of perfection, Blaine?" He glanced over at Kayleigh and mentally contemplated his piano repertoire. He may be declining slowly, but he was aware that he was losing this battle, whether he liked it or not. "Why don't you just ask Kayleigh to play if you want to watch someone so badly?"
"Because I don't want to watch Kayleigh play; she can barely remember which note is which. There's a reason she's a photographer." Blaine gently squeezed Kurt's hip in encouragement and placed his hands on the keys for him.
"You know, I'd refute that statement, but there's really no point. I'm hopeless with the piano." Kayleigh sighed. "But I'm with Blaine, Kurt. You should play something. Maybe it'll help to deflate Blaine's ego."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blaine turned his attention to her sounding slightly offended.
"You may be shy and quiet, but it's still there." Kayleigh shrugged, inspecting her nails as if sitting in the same room as the two of them together while egging on their banter wasn't a big deal. For Kayleigh, it really wasn't.
"Hey! I don't mean to—" Blaine tried to defend himself, but Kurt cut him off.
"Don't worry, Blaine. You've got nothing on half of the people I meet. And you'll have to be a little arrogant in this business anyway; it's just how it works."
"Yeah, I'll just work on that…" Blaine trailed off slowly, but then he shook himself out of it. "But back to the topic at hand," He placed his left hand over Kurt's, his right hand still wrapped tightly around him, and started pressing down on the keys rhythmically just as he had at Kurt's house a few weeks ago. He continued to play with him until Kurt began to take over and play on his own, both hands working together to plunk out a slow melody. He played for barely a minute until Blaine recognized it.
"Is that Falling Slowly?" Blaine spoke softly, as if he were afraid to interrupt.
"Sing with me?" was Kurt's only reply before starting the song from the beginning. He glossed over the keys and looked over at Blaine just before the lyrics would have flowed in, but Blaine's chin was resting on Kurt's shoulder and he watched Kurt play. He quietly sang when he was supposed to enter, the words brushing against Kurt's cheek and their voices blending well as Kurt joined him.
I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
Words fall through me
And always fool me
And I can't react
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You'll make it now
Kurt didn't notice that Kayleigh was watching them intently from the corner of the room with such a small smile on her face, but it conveyed every happy emotion she could have been feeling at that point. He also didn't notice her phone perched on the edge of the piano, the video recording since before they started. She didn't want to miss a precious moment such as this.
Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won
Kayleigh felt like she was interrupting something private. Watching the two of them, gravitating towards each other not just physically (though there was really no space between them anyway), but also in such a deep, emotional way, Kayleigh was at a loss for words. She'd never seen Blaine this open with anyone. They each seemed to have some sort of unspoken, mutual understanding of the other and what they meant to each other.
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice you have a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly sing your melody
I'll sing it loud
To be honest, Kayleigh really didn't know anything about Kurt. But she did know the look he gave Blaine when they finished singing, she could see the feeling behind the kiss they shared, completely oblivious to her presence. She knew that they loved each other, needed each other. She glanced over at the picture of Casey Blaine had framed on the shelf in the back of the room. Casey loved Blaine more than anything and always wanted what was best for him. She really thought he'd be so happy and proud of Blaine right now.
Phew! Lots of songs in this chapter!
Firefly - Ed Sheeran
Die Young - Ke$ha (Only mentioned from Blaine's college days. I imagine he could KILL this song and make it sound like a lullaby)
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? - Rod Stewart (However I do want to note that the version I imagine in this fic is the one Darren performed at the ASCAP Pop Awards in 2011, because it is the sexiest version of this song I can imagine. Type this in after the youtube URL to listen: /watch?v=KY0uE3cYriA )
Falling Slowly - Once (the musical)
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
-Rae (tumblr: raeofultraviolet)