Notes: I would like to thank Esperanto for being my lovely beta and helping my stories reach their full potential 33

Also, I really enjoyed writing this small reaction fic. I was thinking of maybe doing a little series of missing scenes, reaction fics, and fix-it fics. Please let me know if you would like those kinds of stories! I've already got a few wips so... ;)

"Kurt!" Blaine quickened his pace to catch up to his boyfriend; he needed to discuss what had happened. But Kurt ignored him, walking fast to get away from the scene.

When Artie asked Blaine to read for Tony he was confused, shocked even. And right after, he felt overwhelmed by guilt. He knew Kurt was standing there, watching him audition. Kurt had looked so proud. Blaine loved it when Kurt was proud of him. But that expression fell when they asked him to read for Tony. And of course it did. How could it not? He should've turned it down right away. It wasn't that he didn't want the part, on the contrary, he did, but so did Kurt, possibly even more than him. And he deserved it. They had talked about this. But before Blaine could answer, Kurt had already left. From where he had stood on the stage, Blaine had been able to see tears springing to Kurt's eyes.

"Please, Kurt, wait up!" Blaine called after him.

Kurt stopped then, turning around. When Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes, they were glossy with tears. It killed him to see Kurt look so utterly defeated. He stood there in the middle of the McKinley hallway with his arms crossed protectively over his chest.

"It isn't fair," Kurt said.

Blaine sighed. No, it wasn't. None of this was fair.

"I'm happy for you Blaine, of course I am. They would be blind if they didn't see your talent. It's just always the same. I know I'm... me," he said and gestured to himself.

It broke Blaine's heart to see his usually so confident boyfriend looking so unsure about himself, talking about himself with anything less than pride.

"But I'm also an actor. I know I could do it if they gave me the chance," Kurt finished.

"I don't doubt it." Blaine tried to reassure him.

"They do," Kurt said. "Heck, they don't just doubt it, they think I'm 'too much of a lady,'" he said in a mocking voice.

Blaine furrowed his brow. "Wait, what? Who said that to you?" Surely it couldn't be their teachers talking about Kurt this way.

"Coach Beiste, Ms Pillsbury, and Artie. I overheard them while they were discussing my audition," Kurt said and huffed out a bitter laugh. "And that was before they all laughed at me during my second audition, in which I made an even bigger fool of myself."

Blaine's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe that these people, who were supposed to be their directors-their mentors!-could be that cruel to one of their students, and in Artie's case, friend.

"I'm just so sick of it, Blaine," Kurt snapped. The tears finally fell on his cheeks. "Sick of the jokes, sick of the comments, sick of everybody laughing at me all the time.

"I'm not laughing at you," Blaine said firmly. He needed Kurt to know he had his full support. He took his hand and squeezed it a little.

"I know you're not." Kurt sighed and a small smile crept to the corner of his mouth. Blaine smiled back at him.

They looked at each other for a moment before Kurt broke the silence. "You watched me rehearse; now, please be honest with me. Was that performance too.. feminine?" His voice was small again.

Blaine thought back to that rehearsal. He remembered heat rising in his cheeks while staring at Kurt's strong arms as he swung from the scaffolding in his dad's garage. But apart from Kurt singing in his higher register, he really couldn't think of any other aspect that would make him appear feminine. So Blaine shook his head and shrugged. "I didn't think so," he said truthfully.

"Right," Kurt said glumly to the floor.

"No, I'm serious," Blaine exclaimed. He was starting to get more and more furious at the people who'd made Kurt feel this way.

"They're wrong, Kurt. You would be the perfect Tony," Blaine said and took both of Kurt's hands in his own. He looked straight into Kurt's eyes as he spoke. "You are strong. You are romantic. You are handsome, brave, and kind. You are everything they should be looking for in a Tony. And I love you for all those reasons. The same reasons why Maria loved Tony."

"Blaine-" Kurt started to speak, but Blaine interrupted him.

"I turned it down."

"What?"

"I turned down the part," Blaine repeated. "You deserve it. You worked so hard for it and you need it for your NYADA application.

Kurt looked astounded, like he hadn't expected this. "Blaine… I- You shouldn't have. I love you, but that wouldn't be right. You shouldn't have to hide your light under a bushel for me."

"What if I want to?" Blaine protested.

"Don't be silly, Blaine. I know you want the part."

"Not like this. Not if it means you don't get it," Blaine said, not yet willing to let this slide. Yes, he'd love to play Tony, but if it meant that Kurt would be happy and get what he deserved, he would be totally fine with playing Bernardo or Officer Krupke. Why couldn't Kurt see that all Blaine wanted was to see him smile?

"I want you to go for it," Kurt said. "They don't want me for the part. They've made that clear. And if it's not going to be me, I'd much rather it be you than anyone else." Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand and looked into his eyes, making sure Blaine understood he wasn't gonna change his mind about this.

"You really don't mind?" Blaine asked, his brows furrowed.

Kurt shook his head. "I'd be happy for you." He gave Blaine a soft reassuring smile, but Blaine could see he was biting his lip, trying to look more sure than he was. Kurt was hurting. This wasn't right, none of it was, but Kurt had made up his mind and Blaine didn't want to push it any further, so he nodded and returned Kurt's smile.

He'd make it up to him though. The one thing Blaine had control over was the way Kurt felt when he was with him, and he'd do anything to make sure Kurt knew he was special and worth everything. This might not be his time, but his time would come. Next year, in New York. There, Kurt would finally be able to shine at his full potential. Blaine was sure theater companies would be begging for an actor as amazing as Kurt and then no one would laugh at him anymore. But right now they just needed to get through high school.