A/N Surprise! Posting a day early since I won't be home on Saturday! The Final three chapters will be posted on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday!
Reviews always welcome!
...
Chapter Twenty Four
The next few shows went well, although Kurt opted to sit out Thursday night, claiming to still be exhausted. He was back for Friday night's shows, and the audience loved every minute of them. Same with Saturday night's shows. It was breakdown night in LA, and Sam had worked out a way to make the move much more streamlined, allowing Kurt and the rest of the cast an extra hour of sleep before having to get on the bus Sunday morning for the trip to San Francisco.
When they arrived at the hotel Sunday afternoon, they were greeted by several fans, who were waiting patiently outside the doors. Normally the cast and crew just waved to fans as they entered the hotel, but today Kurt and the others decided to actually stop and sign autographs and take a few selfies.
Blaine, Kurt, Raja and Elliott met with their Twitter fan, BlaineKurtElliott, who introduced herself as Lauren Zizes. They posed with her for a couple of pictures, and she gave Kurt a birthday present, a wrestler's championship belt.
They performed the Levitating Butterfly illusion again, with a small modification to the end, where Blaine remained human instead of transforming into a Butterfly with Quinn.
Monday morning, both Kurt and Blaine had errands to run. Blaine and Quinn had waited until after Kurt, Elliott and Raja had left for the animal sanctuary to meet Ginger and her cub to head out on their secret mission.
Quinn settled her sunglasses over her eyes as they stepped outside. "So, where are we headed, oh magic one?" she teased.
"My mom told me about this jeweler down by the wharf who makes amazing, unique pieces, and can customize anything in just a few hours."
"Does she know what you're planning?"
Blaine smiled. "Yes. She and Dad are planning to be there. I've invited Burt and Carole, too, but didn't tell them what was going to happen beyond the fact that we were going to reveal our relationship."
"Well, if anyone can pull it off, it's you. Kurt didn't know anything about the birthday surprise and Elliott said he's really hard to keep surprises from."
The magician laughed. "The trick is to let him in on just enough information to know something is coming, but not enough to ruin the surprise. Kurt knows we're going to announce our relationship, he just doesn't know the rest of it."
"So, you've decided on when you are going to do this?"
Blaine nodded and led her into the shop. "We're still working on the how, but it's going to be Saturday night during the family performance."
Quinn looked thoughtful for a moment. "Are you going to use magic to do it? You know your extra special part?" She winked at him.
Blaine laughed. "Our whole relationship is magic," he said. "I just want to make it special for Kurt."
"Blaine, you could be huddling under a shack in the pouring down rain, looking like two drenched rats and it would still be special for him, because it was coming from you," Quinn replied.
He smiled nervously. "Thanks." They approached the counter where an older Asian man sat, working on a brooch.
"Hello, what can I help you with today?"
"Hi," Blaine said. "My mom told me about your shop. I'm looking to get a customized engagement ring for my boyfriend."
The man smiled at him. "Do you have any thoughts on what you are looking for?"
Blaine pulled out a photograph he'd printed from a website. "I want one like this, except I want a black band instead of silver and a different shade of blue stone," he said, sliding the photograph over to the man.
He studied it for a moment. "You're in luck, I happen to have a black band very similar to this already made. As for the gemstone, I think I have something you might like. Wait just a moment, please." He disappeared into the back of the shop, and after a few minutes, returned with a small tray. "These are blue opals, but very special ones. These come from a meteorite. See how the meteorite gives them a new dimension, how they capture the light?"
"Oh wow," Blaine said. "These are stunning. What do you think, Quinn?"
"Exquisite. They match Kurt's eyes almost perfectly! And you can use them in your wedding bands, too. That would look magical!"
"Slow down," Blaine chuckled. "He's gotta say yes, first."
She laughed. "Do you have any doubts he'll say yes?"
"Well no, but I'm trying to be realistic," he said, turning back to the man. "Do you have a website or a number I can call to order later if I need to? I'm not from the city and we won't be here long."
The man smiled again and handed him a card. "So, any particular cut on the opal, or do you want to go with the heart shape in the picture?"
Blaine pocketed the card. "I'd like a dome shape please. Hearts are wonderful, but I don't want it to look too much like the ring in the picture," he laughed.
The jeweler nodded, and showed them the glossy black band, carved on each side with a dolphin leaping from the waves and circling around the pale blue opal piece he'd set there to give an idea of the finished product. "Is this what you are looking for?"
"It's beautiful," Blaine said. "Kurt's going to love it, hopefully not more than he loves me." He laughed lightly.
Meanwhile, an hour north of the Bay Area, in Vallejo, Kurt and Elliott led Raja into the animal shelter, where they were greeted by Loraine Lambert. "Elliott, it's good to see you again, sweetie! Looking as thin as ever! Don't you ever eat?"
Elliott rolled his eyes. "Hi, Aunt Loraine. And yes, I do eat. Blaine would kick my ass if I passed out from low blood sugar on stage."
The older woman tutted at him, and then turned to Kurt, smiling brightly at him. "Kurt! As handsome as always! And look at Raja! So beautiful! You've taken very good care of him!"
"Thank you, Ms. Lambert," Kurt said. "Raja is very special to me."
"Well, there's no doubt about that," she replied. "I'm so glad to see him looking so well and healthy. I know you were really scared after what happened."
Kurt could only nod, not wanting to think about it again. "How are Ginger and Tobias doing?"
"As well as they can be. They're getting stronger everyday. If things keep going the way they are, they should be fit for travel by the time you're ready to take them into your care."
"Well, let's see how Raja feels about adding more to the family."
She nodded and led them into the care clinic where the tigers were being kept. "We'll start with Tobias," she said. "If a problem occurs, it would be more likely with the cub than the female." She picked up a phone on a desk next to a glassed-in enclosure. "Dave? We're ready to meet the cub. Thank you." She hung up, and spoke to Kurt and Elliott once more. "Dave is the person who has been caring for Ginger and Tobias since they were brought in. He's a nice guy, although I understand he had something of a checkered youth."
"A checkered youth?" Kurt asked, furrowing his brows.
"Well," she said, lowering her voice. "I don't know all the details, but I gather he was expelled once from school for making a death threat against another student. They apparently reconciled their differences eventually, though, and he says they are still good acquaintances."
Kurt furrowed his brows even more. "That's really weird, because I had a bully sort of get expelled,but it was overturned by the school board for lack of evidence, for threatening to kill me."
Elliott looked at him. "You don't suppose…" he began to say, but stopped when a door in the back of the enclosure opened, and a man entered, carrying a small tiger cub. "Dave Karofsky?" Elliott said.
"Holy shit," Kurt muttered, one hand in Raja's fur as his eyes widened in surprise.
Dave glanced at him, a sheepish expression on his face. "Hi, Kurt. Long time no see."
Lorraine glanced between the two of them. "You two know each other?" she asked.
"Um, yeah," Kurt replied. "I'm the one Dave threatened in high school. But he's right, we did work things out before graduation. It's good to see you again, Dave. You work with animals now, too?"
"They've been great in helping me recover my sweet nature. A lot of people may not believe it, but my dad was right, I used to be a good kid before all that."
"I'm happy for you, Dave. And that tiny little fluff in your hands must be Tobias. Why don't you set him down and let Raja get a look at him?"
Dave gently knelt to place the cub on the floor. "He's a little timid," he said. "Still getting used to people handling him, but he's very quickly adapted to bottle feedings. Once Ginger has recovered enough, she should be able to feed him naturally again."
Kurt led Raja forward, in front of the glass. "Raja, that's Tobias. If you like him, he may come live with us. What do you say to that?"
Raja glanced up at Kurt curiously, and then looked down at the window. It seemed to take him a moment to notice the cub, who was about half the size he should have been for an almost three week old cub. Once Raja spotted the tiny being, he tilted his head to one side, and then crouched down in front of it, pawing at the window, before rolling on his back and playfully reaching for the cub, as if inviting him to play.
"Well, I think that is a good sign," Loraine said, smiling proudly. "Let's bring in Ginger, see how the adults get along."
"I'll go get her," Dave replied. As he walked into the back room of the closure, he smiled at Elliott. Kurt nudged the taller man, a knowing grin on his face.
"What?" Elliott asked, eyes still on Dave's ass as he disappeared out the door.
"You're leering," Kurt singsonged, watching Raja bat his paw at the window, still trying to get to the cub.
"I am not!" The older man exclaimed, before turning back to the window as Dave returned, leading a small female tiger on a leash. Like the cub, she was smaller than she should be for her age, although not nearly as disproportionately as Tobias.
Raja was still focused on the smaller tiger to notice the female at first, but Ginger spotted him right away, and moved to stand protectively over her cub. She wasn't aggressive, just following her maternal instinct. She nosed closer to the glass, studying Raja for any signs of danger. Raja sat up when he spotted her, again tilting his head in curiosity. After a moment, he rubbed his head against the window, as a male tiger would rub against a mate.
"Well, it seems I have two infatuated men with me today," Kurt quipped.
Dave blushed as Elliott slapped Kurt on the shoulder.
Loraine just smiled. "So, I think this introduction went well. Now, I know I said that the placement would be a temporary one, until a permanent home for them could be found, but…"
Kurt interrupted. "They can stay with us for as long as they are happy."
Loraine grinned. "I had a hunch."
Kurt stroked Raja's head. "You know I would never agree to take them only to make them go to yet another home. It seems that Raja is already attached, which is really good, especially since he doesn't normally do well with other tigers. And you should know that we'll be retiring Raja from traveling at the end of the tour. We'll still use him in our home shows, though."
Loraine nodded. "He is getting up there in years. Perhaps with a little TLC, Tobias may be able to step into Raja's place on the tour when he's older. And who knows, perhaps Raja and Ginger will have more offspring."
Kurt smiled at that, and then paused. "I meant to ask, it seems a bit strange for Tobias to be an only cub. Don't tigers usually have three to six cubs at a time?"
It was Dave who responded. "There were three other cubs. Two were stillborn, and the third, a female, only lived twenty four hours." Dave sounded angry for the poor little cubs who didn't survive. Elliott casually placed his hand on the glass, near where the other man stood on the other side, offering silent support.
"And unfortunately," Loraine added. "Oftentimes, a male unrelated tiger will kill the cubs, or they can succumb to starvation, freezing, or accidents. It's not exactly safest for cubs to be born and raised in the wild in these cases."
Kurt nodded. "I knew male tigers could be aggressive towards cubs, that was one reason I wanted to see how Raja would react to Tobias first."
Loraine smiled at him. "If you're sure this is what you want, why don't we take care of the paperwork?"
"I'm sure," Kurt said with a nod. "Let's go handle the boring stuff and leave these two to babysit," he added with a wink at Dave and Elliott.
Loraine laughed and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "My nephew is smitten."
…
KingRaja: Mrung chuff, hrung mreow! (Translation; I made two new friends today!) (Image of a young female tiger and her cub)
GlaszandPorcelain: We'd like to introduce the two newest members of our family, Ginger ( QueenieG) and Tobias ( BabyTobi). They were recently rescued from a roadside attraction near Portland, OR. Please, do NOT support any roadside attraction that exploits innocent animals!
AsianMagic: Oh my gosh! Tobi is so tiny! He's so cute, too!
RachelBerryGoldStar: Auntie Rachel can't wait to spoil them both! They look like they need a lot of love!
BlackwellsNumber1Fan: Ooh! My new grandkitties are so precious!
MjonesSings: Awe! Can't wait to meet them in person!
WeareTHENiff: Bro, that is one beautiful family!
RajasRagina: Lord Tubbington is very happy for you, Raja!
yadivagirl: Oh my gosh! So Adorable! I just want to cuddle them and protect them from anything bad in the world! Glad you have a family of your own now, Raja!
daisylovesblaine: So sweet! Poor babies need a lot of love and care. I know GlaszandPorcelain will take very good care of both of them
ItsANewDay (Formerly IShipBlina): Oh my gosh! I think I am in love!
grlnxtdr29: My heart is bursting with joy! And I agree with Kurt, if you see an animal being exploited, report them to Animal welfare, or Free Wild! That's where Kurt found Raja and these new precious babies!
IheartBlaine: Oh! Glad I checked in today from my Honeymoon to see how things are going in the rest of the world! I'm so Happy for you, Raja! Welcome to your new life, QueenieG and BabyTobi
sugarandfeyst: Adorable! And we all know they will be so well loved and taken care of! Congratulations!
RainbowsandRibbons: What a beautiful addition! We can't wait to learn more about them both!
MRoseDVM: I've gone through the medical files on both Ginger and Tobias, and I am happy to report both are in relatively good health considering their malnourished condition. With the right diet and a lot of TLC, I expect both to make a full and speedy recovery!
klainedreams34: Awww, it's so nice to see Raja getting a little family and wonderful to see Kurt so happy! Those two tigers are beautiful and I know they'll be getting lots of TLC!
…
"Alright," Blaine said, after he finished another illusion. "Before we go to intermission, I have a very important piece of information. My manager and I have had to do some work to set this up, but I'm going to open the second half of the show with an illusion you won't see anywhere else so, if you would all move outside to the stands set up in the parking lot, you'll see what I mean." He winked. "See you all in thirty minutes!"
…
In the open part of the parking lot, which had been roped off specifically for this illusion, an older San Francisco Muni Streetcar, the orange and brown model, was sitting in the middle of the space, surrounded by stands for the spectators. A large curtain that spanned the length of the streetcar was folded on top and Blaine had attached several cords of rope to spots all along it, the ends of the cords resting on the ground.
Just before the second half was to start, Blaine turned to his six assistants. "Okay guys, I need you all to go into the stands and gather a bunch of volunteers to help me out," he said.
The assistants began weaving through the crowd, each one grabbing two volunteers of varying ages. They brought the twelve people forward to stand next to Blaine.
Blaine smiled at them. "Hello guys! One at a time, can you please introduce yourselves?"
The first volunteer, a middle aged man wearing a Firefighters union T-shirt, smiled nervously. "I'm Albert."
The next one was a woman in her mid twenties. "I'm Katlyn."
"Danny," said the third, a boy in his late teens.
"William," the fourth said. He was a curly haired man in his late thirties.
"Gabriella," a woman in her late forties said.
"Cab," said an elderly black man.
"Josie," was the name of the youngest volunteer at sixteen.
"Terry," was a man in his fifties.
"Cathaline," said the young woman with the librarian's glasses and hair pulled back in a bun.
"Violet," was the Trans woman in her thirties.
"Alexis," a woman with a green mohawk answered.
"Chris," was the last response from a man in his late twenties.
"Big round of applause for the volunteers, ladies and gentlemen!" Blaine said, and the rest of the audience burst into applause. "Now, you might notice that standing in the middle here is one of the older models of the well known San Francisco Muni Streetcar. Not the oldest model, as I couldn't get one of those, but the orange and brown model you still see a few of now and then."
Blaine walked along the side of the streetcar, running his hand against it, a smile on his face.
"Volunteers, you will notice that at different intervals along the streetcar, I have attached cords of rope to the curtain on top. What I would like each of you to do is surround the streetcar and pick up one of the cords of rope, but don't do anything else until I say."
They each moved around the vehicle, selecting a rope and picking it up.
"Now, people in San Francisco are always complaining about the Muni buses, am I right?"
Several members of the audience chuckled at that, nodding and clapping.
"I guess we have to face reality. No matter where you go, it seems buses are always late. Well, maybe this is the reason why." Blaine broke out into a run as music started up, and he made one lap around the streetcar. "Volunteers, go ahead and pull on your cords, make sure your segment of the curtain falls down over the streetcar completely!"
The volunteers tugged on the ropes, pulling the curtain down, completely covering the streetcar.
"Audience, you are surrounding the streetcar on all sides, but I'm going to show you why your buses are always late! Volunteers keep a hold of your ropes!" Blaine took a stance in the center of the space and raised his hands slowly, the covered vehicle began to rise off the ground, higher and higher. Blaine stopped and ran to one of the volunteers. "William, do you see anything underneath, on the ground?"
The man shook his head. "No, there's nothing there!"
"Let's keep going!" Blaine raised his hands again and the covered streetcar rose higher above their heads. "Keep holding tight to your cords. Audience, the reason why your buses are always late is," he continued and then he snapped his fingers and the curtain fell to the ground. "They disappear."
The audience gasped in shock and rose to their feet, applauding the amazing trick.
"Thank you!" Blaine shouted, grinning. "Thank you to my volunteers! Now if you'll all return to the theater, there is still the whole rest of the second half of the show to do!"
…
Blaine knocked on Kurt's dressing room door later after the show and poked his head in. The auburn haired assistant was still shirtless, but had slipped on a comfortable pair of yoga pants.
"Hey you," Kurt said, smiling through his vanity mirror where he was moisturizing his skin. He called it his after show skin care routine. Though he didn't do it all the time.
"Hey," Blaine replied, shutting the door behind him. "I missed you today."
Kurt smiled, wiping off his hands and standing up. He approached the shorter man and slid his arms around his neck. "I missed you too," he said, peppering soft kisses across the magician's face. "I love you."
"I love you too," Blaine said, he chased Kurt's lips until he finally caught them in a real kiss and the taller man moaned softly, pulling Blaine closer and turning them around so his own back was pressed against the dressing room door.
It was Blaine's turn to moan, one hand drifting across the bare skin of the other man's chest, his thumb brushing over one of Kurt's nipples.
"Blaine!" Kurt gasped, breaking the kiss and throwing his head back. The curly haired magician trailed his lips from Kurt's, across his cheek and down the side of his neck. He nipped and licked at the exposed pale skin, not hesitating to suck at the spot where Kurt's neck curved into his shoulder. Kurt moaned. "Baby…"
"I want you so bad right now," Blaine got out between kisses. Kurt pulled his head back up and smashed their lips together. "Would...so...take...you...over...that...vanity...right...now," Blaine continued, only managing one word at a time between kisses.
One of Kurt's hands found its way to the hem of Blaine's shirt and slipped beneath it, stroking his fingers softly across Blaine's belly. He fumbled his fingers just a little, working to one handedly undo Blaine's belt as the magician deepened the kiss.
This wouldn't be the first time they'd ever gotten each other off in the dressing room, but it was among the most eager moments they'd had.
"God Kurt!" Blaine growled. "What you do to me baby."
"I know exactly what I do to you, Blaine," Kurt got out, sounding beautifully breathless and Blaine loved that he could do that to him. "You do just as much to me. So wanna ride you right here."
Blaine groaned. "God yes!"
Just then, there was a sharp knock on the door. "Are you two joining us for dinner or not?" came Wes' voice.
"Fucking cockblock," Blaine muttered under his breath, dropping his head on Kurt's shoulder.
"We'll be right there!" Kurt called out, feeling just as irritated as Blaine.
Raja, who had been napping on his cushion in the corner, padded over to them, bumping his head on their legs, having understood the word dinner.
Kurt just laughed and stroked the tiger's head. "Okay buddy, we'll get you dinner. You go on ahead, Blaine. I'll just finish up and join you in five."
…
When Kurt joined them at the hotel restaurant a short while later, he overheard an unpleasant name. "What were you saying about Adam?" he asked as he took a seat next to Blaine.
Wes cleared his throat. "I was just telling Blaine that the DA is considering waiving the charges against Adam to expedite his extradition back to the UK. Apparently there was more to the story about why he didn't want to go back to Europe. Adam Crawford isn't his real name. He used his brother's passport and papers to get the visa. His name is actually Lewis Crawford, and he has an outstanding warrant in Yorkshire for beating up a man who refused his advances."
"What the hell?" Kurt nearly spit out his water.
"It gets worse, or funnier depending how you look at it," Wes said. "The guy he beat up turned out to be the son of the local gang leader. So there are a bunch of pissed off gang members ready to beat the crap out of him the moment he lands on Sovereign soil."
"So what, he stole his brother's information so he could get away from a gang?" Kurt said.
"Basically, yes."
"Okay, so what about the real Adam Crawford?" Blaine asked.
Kurt went paler. "Please don't tell me he got beat up in his place. The only way Lewis would have actually gotten away with using his brother's information is if they were identical twins."
"You are correct on the second part, but no, he wasn't beaten. Turns out the real Adam is a saint who builds orphanages in Africa and Asia. He's married to a saintly woman who runs a food pantry for the less fortunate, and they have six saintly children who sing for the blind and the shut ins."
"Okay, that's too extreme in the other direction," Kurt said. "Thank Gaga the real Adam isn't gay."
Blaine giggled. "I feel sorry for the real Adam having to deal with a brother like Lewis. I thought Cooper could be a pain, but Lewis takes the cake!"
"No honey," Kurt said, grinning. "Finn took the cake."
Everyone laughed at that as the man in question looked confused.