AN: this is part of a personal challenge/project filling all the prompts of past Kadam weeks, and posting one every day from March 28 to May 8th, 7 prompts per year 5 previous rounds (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 last two managed by vcg73) the first week of May 2-8 will present to you the offering for the Kadam Week 2021 you can search for more on tumblr
This is the offering to Kadam Week 2016 prompt 7: Shakespeare
When Adam entered their home after a good day of rehearsal he walked in what had all the sign of being a really ugly battle of wills.
Kurt was listening to something with his headphones on, curled on the piano's bench as he growled at the music sheet sitting on the piano.
On the piece of paper Adam could see scribbled in angry strokes, what looked like a half aborted composition assignment.
Books and notes surrounded the piano's bench in a semi circle. The combination of headphone and giving the shoulders to the door explained why Adam had not received any welcome home greeting by his partner.
Adam put down his backpack and slipped off his shoes. He then padded slowly
toward what was more a war scene where his boyfriend was still fighting.
Not wanting to cause a sudden reaction he walked in Kurt's line of sight, remembering epic moment of fright they had given each other in the beginning.
When they didn't know all small triggers, like Adam's need to hear something before a touch arrived, or Kurt's need to see something coming, possibly in the literal sense of the words.
As Adam expected as soon as Kurt saw him the headset was discarded and he flung himself into Adam's arms.
Adam murmured a soft "Hellu love" getting a little worried when all he got back was a painfully soft whimper and Kurt holding onto him tightly, hiding his face on Adam's neck after a small welcome back home kiss.
It wasn't the first time something like this happened, and despite not liking seeing Kurt this way, Adam couldn't help but feel grateful that Kurt felt safe enough with him and in their home to let Adam's see this happening, and that it was not the first time so at least Adam knew how to handle the situation.
That episode had been rather painful for the both of them. Those were never fun rides, but the first time Adam had no clue what was going on, nor how to help. It never stopped hurting seeing Kurt so stressed about something that he'd go non verbal.
Especially since Adam now knew there was nothing he could do except be there. He could just held Kurt and wait it out.
They discovered today that cuddling, not trying to explain right away what was the problem helped Kurt calming enough to tell on his own faster Placing a loving kiss on top of Kurt's head Adam started rubbing really slow circles on Kurt's back, slow enough that they were more like sensual caresses despite their completely platonic nature.
His fingers lingering on the nape of Kurt's neck for a gentle massage
The soft sigh and Kurt starting to relax indicated that the worst of it was passing
The small kisses against Adam's skin were also a good sign
Adam tightened his embrace for a moment and then gently directed the both of them on their couch making sure to avoid stepping on the material on the floor.
Despite the apparent disarray he learnt early on that Kurt swung between neat freak levels of organisation and the wildest organised chaos he had ever seen, and with other six siblings, three older and three younger, Adam had the chance to see quite the array and level of chaos, mess and chaotic order to perfect and ocd level of neatness...
Once they were both comfortably settle down on the couch Kurt curled closer to him humming softly
Taking a moment to decide which was the best way to go Adam simply started to share his day, he noticed early on that the more normalcy Kurt could have the easier he returned.
"Today had been a great day at the theatre, almost no cue missing, the sets are looking great and we are getting so close to have the set complete, almost no one had needed the script, and the costumers have all the measures taken, so that part too is coming along just fine, it's looking less and less desperate as the days go, which is great"
Kurt smiled and said with a faint voice "I'm glad to hear that, you were quite stressed earlier in the week"
Adam hummed softly not willing to disrupt Kurt's flow, choosing instead of humming encouragingly , an hint of question in it, barely there, just an opening if Kurt felt like taking it , faint enough that it could be ignored if the time was not right yet.
Kurt sighed and continued "This assignment is driving me crazy and not in a good way, I don't know what I was thinking, please please please next time I dare uttering anything about composition and arrangement assignments being a boring drag please remind me of Shakespeare... I'm past beyond tears by now..."
At this Adam blinked and bit his tongue knowing it wasn't quite the time to say what was on his mind, he choose instead to humm questioning
Apparently though his timing had been delayed enough that Kurt knew perfectly well there was going to be more on the subject once the time was right, at least if Adam read correctly the levelled look thrown his way, lucky for him it wasn't yet a glare...
"I heard that, and I'm telling you Herr Krumpten joining forces with Ms Hellard deciding to challenge us, and having to working on arranging an adaption of one of the bard's works into a completely different song... The less known and used work the better
Given the level of articulation and volume of Kurt's voice Adam knew it was finally a good time to ask questions "And knowing how you're aiming to graduate with honours you must have chosen something rather difficult... What was your pick?"
Kurt pouted and grumbled faintly "There's nothing wrong in wanting to get out of as much of the tuition fee as possible, and I went with the Merchant of Venice, there're so few reinterpretation in theatre it seemed like a good idea when I picked it"
Adam nodded seriously as he said "Indeed that'd be quite a feat, so what adapted work you took as your base?"
Kurt sighed once more before hiding his face on Adam's chest "Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music... And of course since we had to move outside our comfort zone and make our arrangement into something 'new and unexpected' I'm starting to regret my choice but too damn proud to compromise and change it just because it's difficult, It's just right now I feel like I've landed myself into quicksands and I need to figure out how not to get sucked into it"
Adam hummed thinking about it and then asked "What is the thing that is giving you the most trouble?"
They had both agreed during Adam's master that brainstorming was a good useful tool, and that their different approach methods were an asset to use, and not cheating, because none of their classes required for them to work alone, the fact that the rest of the student body except the Apples seemed to see the benefits of cooperation over constant competition, it was inconsequential...
Kurt sat and started playing with Adam's finger, their legs entwined, as he seriously considered the question, analysing the problem with a little of distance.
"I think it's the lyrics, I cannot find the right rhythm, I know I have a an idea in mind, which is the almost diametrical opposite of an orchestral arrangement... But the lyrics I am getting stuck..."
Adam started to draw shapes on Kurt's exposed skin and asked interested "Vaughan Williams actually stayed close to the original wording of the play... Do you have restrictions on how you need to adapt the adaption?"
Kurt stilled for a moment looking decidedly intrigued "No limits whatsoever, we have been given carte blanche, which basically gives us no idea on what they are expecting to see..."
Adam grinned and quipped sassily "They want to see all your talent..."
At which of course Kurt snorted with a smile on his face, "let's hear it, you have an idea and I'm intrigued to hear it, you tease"
Adam laughed "I could be called a tease only if I didn't plan to get through with it"
Kurt send him a look so Adam continued "How about pulling a stint like Lin Miranda did with Hamilton, no one would ever expect rap from you, even less rearranging what is basically an opera oriented composition as starting point..."
Kurt's eyes shone with enthusiasm, all the stress and gloom Adam had walked in finally disappeared, and everything felt lighter, especially when Kurt latched himself on him kissing him passionately before jumping excited up from the cough "You're a genius, I didn't even think about it, gosh now that you pointed out it was such a simple and brilliant solution, even in high school my glee club director actually got totally blown away and he still couldn't believe that I could rap and on a lower register at that... this is going to be so great, and being a rap adaption the whole point wouldn't be keeping the original words like it was done, but keeping the message like it was done in West Side Story as adaption of Romeo and Juliet... "
Adam chuckled as he observed Kurt basically rambling his thoughts out loud picking a notepad from the floor, collecting once again the pencil from the music sheet and starting jetting down notes quickly getting fully immersed into his creative process.
Seeing how he had lost his boyfriend to the assignment Adam raised from the couch as well thinking about what to prepare for dinner.
He needed it to be something that either it took long enough to be prepared or that it would keep until Kurt finished, or it was time for Adam to pull out the we need to take care of each other card and pull Kurt out of his assignment.
Adam couldn't stop thinking that he could get very used ending his days this way.
It was something he could see himself doing for the rest of his life…
But that was a thought for another time, right at present he had some food to prepare.