Happy Wednesday and welcome everyone to a brand new story!
It feels like it's been forever since I finished posting Sleepless in Brooklyn, my last story. Sometimes life likes to get in the way of fanfiction. But, fortunately, fanfiction always finds the way back to me.
With my last story I tried my hand at writing a movie AU. In this case, I decided to try writing a book AU. This fic is based on Jayne Ann Krentz's Wildest Hearts, the first romance novel I ever read, back when I was… eleven? Twelve? I was a precocious child. I probably shouldn't have been reading this kind of book, but it's the first book I ever bought with my own money, helping my dad out at his shop on the weekends. My version is pretty loyal to it, but it has some obvious changes. We're talking about a novel written/published in the late 80s/early 90s, so there was some serious sexism and toxic masculinity. And, of course, it was a straight love story. So the first step was to make it as gay as possible.
I'm quite happy with the result, and I can't wait to see what you all think about it.
Title comes from No Doubt's song, which I thought fit this story very nicely.
My beta for this story, as usual, is the always amazing Christine, who works with me with such patience and dedication, and helps me see the mistakes I should have seen myself after making them a million times. She's a saint. All my love to her.
The cover was made by Sofi, who encouraged me all throughout this story. Thank you so much for this beautiful art.
Without further ado, let's begin.
The first time Blaine saw Kurt Hummel was at his older brother's engagement party.
It was a very lovely night, still warm for the end of September, and both drinks and food were flowing freely in the cozy yet expensive restaurant Cooper and Joanna had chosen for the occasion, the one where they'd had their first date a few years ago, where Cooper had stopped, just outside the doors after dinner, and kissed her as pedestrians swerved around them, as the Manhattan traffic played for them like a symphony. He hadn't been able to wait until they were at her doorstep, Cooper had told Blaine the next day. He just knew he had to kiss her right then and there, afraid there wouldn't be another chance, afraid the magic would be spoiled.
There was music playing and a space had been cleared amongst the tables to allow for some dancing. For a few minutes, Blaine stood with his champagne glass and watched as couples danced, a little smile on his face, maybe a wisp of wistfulness behind his hazel eyes. But there would be time for that, he told himself as he turned to find his brother.
For a while, Blaine was distracted, chatting amicably with friends and colleagues, making sure everyone was having a nice time. It felt like it was his duty as best man to make sure this night went wonderfully for both Cooper and Joanna.
And then he was there.
It was hard not to notice his arrival, because the crowd suddenly grew very, very quiet. It was eerie. Blaine had been talking to his future sister-in-law, and hesitated, unsure. He spun around to see what the problem was and saw a man walking in.
He was tall and lean, but even from a distance Blaine could tell that under that designer suit he was wearing, he was deceptively strong. His chestnut hair was swept off his face, not a single strand out of place, and his eyes seemed to morph from blue to grey, an icy quality to them that seemed enough to make people part as he walked. He was so handsome it was impossible not to stare, but the set of his shoulders, the tension in his jaw, the way he moved told Blaine there was something about this man that was unlike anyone he had ever met before – he seemed powerful, and in complete control of the room within a second or two.
Cooper had warned Blaine and Joanna, when they were working on the invitations for the engagement party, that it was more than likely that Hummel wouldn't make an appearance. He was rarely out in public, let alone social affairs, and when he did choose to attend one, it was in much higher circles than the ones the Anderson brothers moved in.
Cooper had met him five years before then. Hummel had hired Cooper, who had always been sort of a tech genius, to set up and strengthen the security systems in his extensive business empire. When Cooper had left the company he had been working at a few years later, wanting to start his own firm, Hummel had invested heavily to help him get started, becoming his biggest financial backer. They had done business together a few more times since then but, as Cooper had said to his brother and future bride, it didn't matter how much time he spent with Kurt Hummel, he didn't become less of a mystery.
Despite Cooper's warning, here he was. Blaine saw his brother from across the room, the obvious surprise and pleasure at seeing him arrive. He immediately made his way to him, his arms open in welcome, a bright grin on his face. Hummel hadn't smiled, only recognized Cooper's joy with a brief nod. There was something about him, some sort of dark fierceness that made it hard to look away.
As he followed Cooper, who no doubt had just told him he wanted to introduce his fiancé to him, people once again parted to make way for him. Blaine was at once impressed and slightly struck by this – the way he moved, so in control, so determined, like he knew what he wanted and nothing would stop him from reaching it, made Blaine think of a leopard gliding through a flock of sheep.
"Hummel, I want you to meet my family," Cooper said, grin still intact, when he reached them. "This is Joanna, my fiancé."
"Nice to meet you," Joanna said, but there was hesitation in her voice as she looked at Kurt Hummel, her brown eyes filled with uncertainty. She shook his hand so briefly they barely even touched.
"And this," Cooper said and reached to squeeze Blaine's shoulder, "is my little brother, Blaine."
When Hummel's eyes turned to him, Blaine felt torn between wanting to run and hide from that deep, steady gaze, and a much louder, larger part of him that wanted to get closer to Kurt Hummel, regardless of the risks.
A shiver went down his spine as they shook hands and Hummel's fingers settled, very briefly, on the pulse point at his wrist.
He didn't stay long. He stood in a corner by himself, sipping champagne absentmindedly, for less than half an hour. Except for the brief minutes he spent talking to Cooper, he held himself apart from the crowd, and no one dared approach him, as if there was a magic invisible border between him and the rest of the party.
Blaine had been intensely aware of the way Hummel's cold eyes followed him as he danced with some of Cooper's college friends. He could feel it, like a tickle on the back of his neck, but Hummel never stepped away from his little corner to ask him to dance.
He didn't dance with anyone else, either.
He left as quietly as it was possible for a man that couldn't help but pull everyone's focus, only Cooper trailing behind to see him out. Blaine couldn't deny the peculiar disappointment that went through him at seeing him leave. Discretely, he made his way to one of the windows and took a look outside. There was a slick black limousine parked at the curb and Kurt Hummel stood right beside it, chatting quietly with Cooper. His brother was gesticulating wildly, explaining something in that very Cooper way of his. It was such a stark contrast, seeing them side by side – while Cooper was light and breezy, always smiling, always laughing, always trying to make whoever was with him have a great time, Hummel was dark and heavy like a rain cloud, his lips set in a straight line, his posture one that showed he was always alert, that he didn't let himself relax, not here, not now, maybe not ever.
Just as he was about to get into the limousine, once Cooper had patted his back in a friendly farewell, he turned and stared right at the window where Blaine was standing, looking at him, like he had known all along that Blaine had been there. His only acknowledgement was a small, court inclination of his head, before he got into the car and disappeared.
Blaine stood at the window for another minute, feeling, strangely, like he needed to catch his breath.
"He's a really interesting, but kind of dangerous man," Cooper told Blaine later, as they stood together watching Joanna dance with one of their friends. "It's like you can never know what he's thinking. I don't think he trusts anyone, either. When I worked for him, he insisted on having files on all key employees and anyone he ever did business with."
Blaine frowned. "Files?"
"Yeah, you know, sort of like security dossiers," Cooper shrugged, like he thought it was a silly notion. "He used to say that having personal inside information on people was the only thing he could rely on."
"He looks like a man who cares about that sort of thing," Blaine commented thoughtfully. "Being one step ahead of everyone at all times. He probably needs to be in control constantly."
"He has his reasons, I guess," Cooper said. "He's always been a bit of a lone wolf, not much of a team player."
Blaine sipped some champagne. This was going to be his last glass. His head was buzzing, although he wasn't sure whether he could blame the alcohol tonight. "Why did you let him invest in your company if you don't trust him?"
Cooper looked at him with an arched eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Who said I didn't trust him? I just said he's dangerous."
"That's not the same?" Blaine was confused.
"There's a big difference, little brother," Cooper replied with a quick chuckle.
Blaine let his eyes wander towards the people dancing once again, but found he was still thinking about Kurt Hummel. "What else do you know about him?" He asked his brother.
"Not much. We worked together quite closely, but he's not very communicative, not about personal stuff, at least. I just know he's sort of a legend," Cooper explained distractedly. He was watching Joanna with a soft smile on his lips.
But Blaine wanted to know more. "Why?"
"Seven years ago, his then fiancé ran away with all of the Hummel family's savings," Cooper said, lowering his voice. The fact that he wasn't trying to attract attention to himself said a lot about what he thought of Kurt Hummel – Cooper never missed an opportunity to be the center of attention. "He got them to invest on some sort of business he was coming up with, an opportunity of a lifetime, he told them. Kurt was blindly trusting of him, I heard, convinced he could do nothing wrong. His father, Burt Hummel, owned a tire shop back in Ohio, he lost both that and the house because of it, and he ended up in the hospital with a heart attack from the stress of having lost absolutely everything he had."
"Oh no," Blaine muttered sadly. "Did he…?"
"He passed away," Cooper said with a sigh. "I think that's what truly broke Kurt. His father was the most important person to him. He felt responsible for what happened. And his step-mother and step-brother were destitute after that, they had nowhere to live, nothing to rely on. So Kurt brought them to New York to live with him." He ran a hand through his perfect dark hair, blue eyes still fixed on his fiancé across the room. "No one really knows how the hell he did it, but Kurt managed to pay off every debt his family was left with within two years, and he built a fortune that his father had never even had in the first place. They had been a very humble family until then, middle class at most. Now they're probably one of the richest families in New York."
"Wow," Blaine murmured. "Poor Kurt. He must have been so devastated after what happened…"
Cooper glanced at his brother, slight alarm in his eyes. "Blaine…"
"It must have been so humiliating," Blaine shook his head, not paying much attention to his brother. "His own fiancé betrayed him, and he lost everything, including his dad. Now I see why he's so closed off. He must be hurting so badly…"
"Don't you even think about it," Cooper said abruptly. "Blaine, I mean it."
Blaine turned his big, golden eyes to him, looking very innocent. "What are you talking about, Coop?"
"I know you very well, Squirt," Cooper said firmly, and Blaine didn't even have time to protest about that awful nickname. "I know you like to rescue all these wounded guys like they're stray puppies, but this is no stray puppy. Hummel doesn't need rescuing."
Blaine rolled his eyes. "Everyone needs to be rescued every now and then, Coop."
"Not Hummel," Cooper reassured him seriously. "This man can take care of himself, Blaine. He really can. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about."
Joanna, her blonde hair flowing around her as she danced, so happy she looked like she was glowing, beckoned Cooper to the dance floor with a grin, so Cooper patted his brother's back and gave him his glass of champagne to hold as he headed towards his fiancé.
Blaine watched them as they danced, unable to hide the joy he felt when he saw them together, and stopped thinking of Kurt Hummel.
It was likely they wouldn't meet ever again.
It was only two weeks later when Blaine heard from Kurt Hummel once again, but he didn't care anymore. He didn't care how much of a mystery he was, he didn't care how handsome and striking he had been that night. There were more important things occupying Blaine's thoughts.
Blaine had always thought bad news arrived in the middle of the night. It had been the case with the car accident that ended their parents' life, after all. But this time the call happened while Blaine was at work, rearranging the display at his art boutique, the one he had inherited from his mother, the one he had loved ever since he was a kid. It was his assistant, Tina, who got to the phone first, while Blaine tried to find the perfect spot for the cloissoné elephant no one seemed to want and yet Blaine was weirdly fond of.
"Blaine," Tina said from the counter, her face so serious that it made Blaine pause. "It's for you."
Blaine had to ask the person on the other end to repeat himself several times as he tried to truly comprehend what was going on. There was simply no way that his brother had disappeared.
Cooper had been on his way to London for a business meeting. He had taken a private plane, like he did every time he travelled lately, one of the few luxuries he allowed himself ever since growing a bit of a fortune with his company.
"I hate flying," Cooper always said. "If I have to do it, at least I'm going to do it in style."
The plane had fallen into the Atlantic Ocean and there were no signs of his brother. There was already a rescue mission underway. And no, the person said on the phone, there was nothing Blaine could do to help.
Blaine had closed the boutique and sent Tina home. His plans were to go find Joanna and break the news to her as gently as possible, before they both could figure out what to do. Because, despite what the man on the phone had said, there had to be something. Cooper was his brother – he was probably waiting for Blaine to rescue him. After all, didn't Cooper always joke about Blaine's need to save everybody?
But instead he locked himself in his office, like he needed to put some distance between himself and the world that had failed to keep Cooper safe. He sat at his desk and felt the anguish rising up his throat. One lonely little sob pushed through his lips before he realized he couldn't do this. He had to move. He had to do something. There was no point in crying.
Cooper was okay, he had to be, and Blaine just needed him to come home.
For the next few hours both he and Joanna existed in what felt like an alternate reality. They sat together in hers and Cooper's apartment, holding hands and staring intently at the phone, willing it to ring with good news.
But it had been Kurt Hummel who called instead.
"I heard about Cooper's accident," he said quietly. "I'm very sorry. I was wondering if there's anything I can do to help."
Blaine was already on edge, having dealt with reporters and the authorities in charge of the search and rescue operation. He didn't want to talk to anyone else, unless it was his brother himself telling him he was fine.
"We don't need anything. We're fine," he said rather sharply.
It was only after he had hung up the phone that he realized what a fool he had been. Kurt Hummel was now his brother's main creditor and with Cooper gone, he could be a threat. Maybe this was the danger Cooper had tried to warn him about when it came to this man. What if, without Cooper here to be in charge of his company, he decided to call in his loan? If he backed out, if he decided the company had no chances of staying afloat without Cooper, Anderson Unlimited had even less chances of survival than Cooper did…
Blaine could feel the panic setting in, but he couldn't quite bring himself to deal with it right then. The company was his brother's life work, his pride and joy. He had built it from the ground for his family, current and future. But Blaine felt nothing mattered until Cooper was returned to them safe and sound.
He filed away the potential threat that Kurt Hummel could become, but it wasn't until a couple of days later when he realized that he wasn't his biggest problem, in the end. The other investors and the company's suppliers were all uneasy. Blaine put the task of responding to the endless calls on Noah Puckerman's shoulders, Cooper's most trusted assistant, but it seemed like no one believed him.
And then Kurt Hummel called again.
"I think we should talk," he said, in that soft voice of his that didn't fail to send shivers throughout Blaine's body.
"About what?" Blaine demanded, determined to hold his ground.
"Anderson Unlimited's future," Hummel replied.
"The company is doing just fine, thank you. Noah Puckerman is keeping everything under control until my brother comes back," Blaine said firmly. "He'll come back any day now and things will just go back to normal."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Anderson," Hummel said, politely. "But I think you should face the fact that there's a chance that Cooper is dead…"
"He isn't," Blaine interrupted dryly. "I don't believe that. Neither does his fiancé. We will keep Anderson Unlimited safe until he returns." He had pressed the phone so hard against his ear to keep his hands from shaking, it was almost painful. "I really do appreciate your concern, Mr. Hummel, but I promise everything is under control."
There was a really long silence on the other end that didn't help make Blaine any less nervous.
"I hear some of the other investors are getting restless and pushing for a merger or a sale," Hummel said.
"That's simply not true," Blaine said, though it was. "They're just rumors. I've already talked to them and told them everything's fine," maybe if he repeated that often enough, he too would believe it.
Once again, Hummel was silent for a few seconds. "Very well. But please, feel free to call me if any of them become difficult to handle. I'm sure I could help you."
After reassuring him that it was all fine, just fine, perfectly fine one more time, Blaine hung up the phone.
Anderson Unlimited had been created as a family corporation. That was what Cooper had always told Blaine. He didn't want anyone, except family members, to hold stock, so they could always have control over the family business. At the moment, Blaine was the sole inheritor.
With every day that went by, it was harder to ignore the calls and demands from the other investors. Blaine tried to get Puckerman to handle all of them, but sometimes they would call him directly on his cell phone, sometimes at the boutique, and sometimes even at home. He knew he wouldn't be able to avoid them for long.
"You could just hurry up and come back," Blaine murmured as he sat outside on his small balcony, wishing his brother could hear his voice or, even better, that he could hear Cooper's voice. "I know you have a flair for the dramatic, but this is excessive, even for you."
The only reply came from the New York traffic several stories below.
It was an understatement to say that Blaine flinched every time the phone rang now. He always ran to answer it, no matter what he was doing. He didn't care if he needed to keep dealing with the investors, but maybe, if he was lucky, the next one would be Cooper telling him where he was and when he was coming home.
He was doing inventory at the boutique when his phone rang. It was a quiet morning, the rain keeping the customers away. Tina was in the small kitchen in the backroom, making coffee and humming a tune from a show she had seen the previous night. Blaine took his phone out of his pocket and held hope close to his chest as he accepted the incoming call.
"Hello," he said, as his eyes fell closed.
"Mr. Anderson," Kurt Hummel's voice was unmistakable on the other end. "Good morning."
Even though there was something about his voice that Blaine really, really liked, he couldn't help the disappointment he felt at hearing it now. "Mr. Hummel. Good morning. What can I do for you?"
He expected him to start pressuring him into a meeting. He expected him to want to talk about the investors. He expected him to tell him to just sell Anderson Unlimited before it lost any more money.
He should have known a man like Kurt Hummel never did exactly what you expected him to do.
"Your brother once mentioned you own a boutique. I have recently finished redecorating my apartment, and I thought maybe you might have a piece that would fit my home office," he said. "How about we meet and you see what you can do about that?"
Blaine hesitated, knowing this could be a ruse to get him to meet and then just talk about Anderson Unlimited. But Cooper had trusted Hummel, he told himself. And his gut instinct told him there was no risk in seeing what this was really about.
It turned out that Hummel really did want to finish decorating his apartment, which was huge and luxurious, right at the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan, with a view of both the city at its feet and the river. You felt at the top of the world when you were there, like nothing could really touch you.
The first couple of times they met went fine, even though Blaine had no luck with the pieces he brought to try in Hummel's white, grey and black office. The gilded carousel with the mythological animals was a particularly hard disappointment – there was something about the piece that reminded Blaine of Kurt Hummel. Maybe because, at times, he seemed just as mythological as the little figures in it.
Hummel didn't mention Cooper or Anderson Unlimited, not even once, during the first two meetings. Blaine was actually relieved about it, not only because he managed not to worry about whether his brother's life work was about to go down the drain before he had the chance to come back, but also because there was something about this apartment that felt like time and space did not exit there – like maybe, just maybe, while Blaine was sitting in this monochromatic office, drinking tea from the clearly expensive set resting on Hummel's desk, the world stopped for a little while and gave him a chance to catch his breath.
Perhaps that was all he needed, to catch his breath.
It was late on a Thursday evening and the boutique was completely empty, except for Blaine, who had stayed late to finish unpacking some new pieces that had arrived. He was supposed to be seeing Kurt Hummel again in a couple of days, and he hoped he had something in one of these boxes that would finally satisfy the odd man.
There was a quick knock on the door and Blaine turned around, surprised, not expecting anyone. He wasn't expecting to see Joanna standing right outside, waving at him, a sour expression on her face.
Blaine's heart stopped before he could even start making his way to unlock the door.
"What is it?" He asked as soon as he let her in. He had been avoiding jumping to the worst case scenario ever since he had gotten that phone call about Cooper. "What happened, Joanna?"
It looked like she had managed to keep herself together until that very moment, because as soon as Blaine had closed the door behind her, she burst into tears. Blaine helped her to a seat and kneeled in front of her, his chest already cracking, not sure if he would be able to take the pain if Cooper…
"I'm pregnant," Joanna said.
Blaine inhaled sharply. Some other time, this would have been the happiest news in the world. Now, all he could think about was that Cooper should have been the first person to hear about this.
"Everything's going to be okay," Blaine murmured quietly, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "I promise, Joanna."
"He needs to come back," she said between sobs. "He needs to be here to meet his baby."
"I know," he said, and his chest cracked a bit anyway, the pain milder but still there.
"What are we going to do, Blaine?" She asked, looking absolutely lost.
Blaine had no idea. But he knew what Cooper would want him to do.
"Don't worry," he said, and managed to smile a bit for her. "I'll take care of everything."
He just needed to figure out how.
"I don't think the elephant's going to work," Hummel said. There was something similar to regret in his soft, dark voice.
Blaine sighed as he considered the piece. The elephant was about two feet tall, and it had scarlet toenails and a purple trunk. It looked nearly ludicrous next to Hummel's Zen garden. "I had a feeling it wouldn't be the winner," he admitted distractedly. He was less interested in making a sale today, and more interested in finding a way to discuss what he had truly come to discuss with Kurt Hummel.
"He's rather… interesting," Hummel said politely.
"You're probably asking yourself the same question most of my clients ask," Blaine said. "Is it art or just plain tacky?"
With a small nod, Hummel conceded: "That's a good question."
"You know, it's not only decorative," Blaine said in a last attempt to save the sale. "There's a little hidden drawer in the base. It's very useful for small objects."
As he turned away from the elephant and headed to his desk, Hummel said: "I just don't think he fits in this room."
Blaine had to admit that he was right. He was starting to wonder if any of the pieces he had at Extravaganza would actually fit here. Nothing seemed to match the room, with the exception of Kurt Hummel himself. Blaine suspected he had spent a long time making sure every rock in his Zen garden was placed exactly where it was supposed to be. He seemed the kind of man who had that kind of patience.
Blaine didn't even think it looked like a garden at all. He would have exchanged it for an actual potted plant without a second's hesitation. Better yet, he would have gotten rid of that silly garden and placed the elephant there instead.
He had always been fond of the whimsical pieces that could be found in Extravaganza. Back when he was just a child, sitting behind the counter after school while his mother talked to customers, he had felt at home amongst all those strange objects. If there was room in the world for pink and green enamel cats, then there was room in the world for a boy like him, who had started to realize he wasn't exactly like the other boys in his class.
He didn't stand out so much in this boutique. Here, he was free to be as different as he wanted to be.
Maybe that was why his mother had left the boutique to him, because she knew that, with him, it would always be in good hands. Or maybe because she knew he needed a place where he felt safe, where he felt like he belonged.
The expensive-looking tea set, all black with silver edges, was set on Hummel's desk. Blaine watched as he poured two cups – there was something very enticing about a man like him doing something as delicate as pouring tea. The way his hands moved seemed choreographed, not a single drop fell on the plate.
"I'm sure we'll have better luck with the next piece you bring," Hummel said as he handed the tea to Blaine.
Blaine tilted his head, thoughtful. "To be honest, I don't think there's anything in Extravaganza that will suit you."
"It might take some time to find the perfect piece for this room," Hummel said as he regarded the elephant again. "But I'm a patient man. I'm certain we'll find something."
Blaine sipped some tea before he said: "I doubt it. I don't think your taste can be satisfied by something found in my store. Extravaganza is all about putting a shocking element in a quiet room. If the room's too beautiful, I like adding a touch of ugliness to clash. If the room's cluttered, then something that brings a little order…"
The change in Hummel's expression was very subtle. It wasn't quite a smile, but there was some sort of brightness in his eyes that told Blaine he was a little amused by him. It came as a shock, realizing that, in just a few afternoons, Blaine had learned how to read his face, how to understand him a little better.
It wasn't that Hummel was a robot who felt nothing – he was just an expert at hiding his emotions. It was astounding, really, the amount of self-control he was capable of exerting.
"Like I said, I'm a patient man," Hummel repeated as he leaned against the desk. "We'll find something."
Blaine bought himself some time by drinking a bit more tea. He noticed his hands had started sweating in nervous anticipation. He wondered if now was the right time to bring up what he wanted to talk to Hummel about. He didn't want to leave today without discussing it. He knew he would lose the courage if he didn't do it once and for all. Like ripping off a Band-aid.
He cleared his throat. "Mr. Hummel…"
"Kurt, please," he corrected at once. "I want you to think of me as a friend of the family."
Blaine placed the cup on the plate and took a deep breath. "Kurt," he repeated. "When Cooper disappeared almost a month ago, you called and offered to help us. Joanna and me."
Kurt put his tea down on the desk carefully before looking back at Blaine with his icy grey eyes. "I assume there's still no news?"
It was hard to admit it, but Blaine shook his head. Every day, he still hoped. "The search and rescue operation was finalized only three days after he disappeared. No one was able to find the plane or him. They told us he was lost at sea, like that was enough to bring us closure…"
Kurt crossed his arms over his chest as he regarded him. "You're starting to understand that keeping Anderson Unlimited up and running is going to be difficult, aren't you?"
Blaine glanced at him with a sad smile. "It's going to be nearly impossible, isn't it?"
Kurt didn't bother sugar-coating anything. "Yes."
"And you knew this all along, didn't you?"
Kurt shrugged a bit and said: "There were bound to be problems. Cooper was the driving force of the company, and most of the investors won't trust anyone else to take his place."
"I had a meeting with them yesterday," Blaine said. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. He'd had to agree to meeting in hopes to calm everyone down, but he wasn't sure it had done much good. "They gave me an ultimatum. I have to either sell or merge the company or they're going to call in the outstanding debt."
"I'm aware of the meeting," Kurt said with a nod.
Blaine frowned. "I supposed you knew, but you weren't at the meeting."
"No, I wasn't."
"Does that mean you don't agree with them?" Blaine asked. "You don't think I should sell or merge?"
"Selling would probably be the best option," Kurt replied calmly. "It's the only way to make sure your brother's technology reaches the market and everyone involved recovers their initial investment with a considerable profit. It's your best chance."
"I can't do it," Blaine said stubbornly. "Do you know how hard he worked to get Anderson Unlimited started? How much he sacrificed? It's not just the money, it's his sweat, his ideas, his time. Everything he put into it. I need to protect it."
"You can protect it by making sure you get what it's worth," Kurt suggested with another shrug. "If you sell it to the right person, they could make sure your brother's ideas and dreams don't go to waste."
But Blaine shook his head, determined. "I won't sell Cooper's company. Not as long as Joanna and I believe he's alive."
There was a flash of something that looked a lot like sadness in Kurt's eyes. "You might need to start dealing with the possibility that he's gone one of these days. The odds are that he won't return, Blaine. I think, deep down, you know that as well as I do."
"I would know if he's dead," Blaine retorted, full of conviction.
Kurt tilted his head, considering him. "Would you?"
"Of course I would," he said fiercely. "He's the only family I've got left, the only one I've had since our parents passed away. If he was gone forever, I would know. I would know right here," he added, punching his own chest a little bit, where his heart was steady, because his brother was okay. He was okay. He just needed to find his way home.
Blaine realized his hope was clinging by a thread. It was exhausting to hold on to it for a month while also trying to keep all of Cooper's affairs in order. But he wasn't ready to be reasonable, not yet.
"It's not possible to survive in the middle of the ocean for so long," Kurt said, like it pained him to be realistic. "I think you know that."
"You forget that Cooper is brilliant. He always took precautions, because he hated flying," Blaine said, willing to be stubborn until he had no more strength left. "He always had a survival kit with him, and a raft, and all kinds of things that would help him if he needed them. He had everything he needed to stay safe until someone finds him…"
"The search and rescue mission was very thorough," Kurt assured him. "I made sure of it."
"I… really?" Blaine didn't know that and made him pause. How had he not known that?
"Of course I did. He was more than an employee I could trust when he worked for me. He was a friend," Kurt said. "I did everything I could."
Blaine couldn't hide that he was touched by that. "I appreciate that, I really do. And I'm glad that you wanted to help," he said, and then added, because it was time to take the plunge, "In fact, I'm hoping you still want to help. Because that's what I want to ask you today. I hope that, since Cooper is your friend, you will at least listen to my plan and consider it."
Kurt took a few steps away from the desk and came to sit on the armchair next to Blaine's. There was something in his expression that told Blaine he had been expecting this. "You want me to make you an offer to buy the company."
"No," Blaine said, as he leaned in to put his cup of tea on the side table. He was afraid his sweaty hands wouldn't be able to hold it much longer. "No. That's the last thing I want. I told you. I'm not going to sell."
"I could always sell the company back to your brother if he returns," Kurt suggested.
"That's generous of you, but it's not a good idea," Blaine said and he looked right into Kurt's eyes to show him he wasn't playing around. "I have it on good authority that you're a dangerous man, Kurt Hummel."
Kurt didn't seem affected by his words at all – there was no offense, no pleasure, nothing that gave away what he felt. "Who told you that?"
"Cooper."
"Well, your brother was always very intelligent," Kurt conceded.
"Exactly, he's a genius," Blaine said and realized he couldn't stay sitting a minute longer. He stood up and headed to the window. It was getting late, and the last rays of the sun were reflecting on the river. "We both know that if I sell the company to you, I would lose all control of it. You can do with it as you please and Cooper might not be able to get it back when he returns."
"We could always arrange the terms of the deal before you sign anything…"
"No," Blaine said again. He turned back to Kurt, who remained sitting and studying Blaine like he was a fascinating creature he had never seen before. "There's too much risk. That's not what I have in mind. But I do need to do something, because the investors are getting restless and after that meeting… I just know we're in real trouble."
"It was only a matter of time, Blaine," Kurt said gently. "Anderson Unlimited is a one-man company in every single way that counts, and that man has disappeared."
"All I need is a little time," Blaine said, unable to hide the desperation in his voice. "Just enough for Cooper to come back. It could be a few days, or maybe weeks."
"I would give you all the time in the world if I could, but the investors aren't going to back off so easily," Kurt pointed out.
"I know. And they know that neither Joanna nor I know anything about Cooper's technology, about his ideas, about his plans for the company. I can manage a boutique like Extravaganza, but I'm not prepared to take over a company as big and with as much potential as Anderson Unlimited," Blaine said as he began to pace around the room. "But what if an executive, a brilliant one, one with big enough a reputation in the business took over? I'm sure he would be able to calm the investors."
"So you're thinking of hiring someone to manage the company for you?" Kurt asked.
Blaine avoided looking directly at him. "Sort of," he replied vaguely.
"It could be a solution," Kurt admitted. "Have you approached anyone yet?"
Blaine nodded. "We did. I had Cooper's assistant, Noah Puckerman, approach a few people discretely, but we haven't had the results we hoped for. No one will do it unless we give them a good chunk of the company for it."
"And you won't give a single piece away," Kurt said.
"I can't," Blaine said. He was so nervous he wanted to burst right out of his skin. He looked at the Zen garden and wondered how upset Kurt would be if he kicked at the perfectly arranged sand just to blow off some steam. "Giving such a huge part of the company to someone else means Cooper would have to deal with a partner when he comes back, and partners can be huge problems. That's what he always said, at least."
"Surely you see you're running out of options here," Kurt said pensively. "Either you sell or merge, or you hire someone and risk that partner will ruin things for you or Cooper down the road."
"I need to make sure Cooper can get all the control on his company when he returns," Blaine said, pleading for him to understand.
Kurt let out a brief sigh. "I'm sure I can be of some assistance, Blaine."
Blaine felt the rush of relief flooding him. He stopped pacing right in front of Kurt. "I was really, really hoping you would say that."
Kurt frowned. "You were?"
"Of course. You have a lot at stake here, too," Blaine said. "You made a huge investment and unless the company does well, you're going to be losing a lot of money, too."
Kurt leaned back against the armchair. "That's true."
"I think I have finally found a solution that's going to be perfect for all of us," Blaine said, and he could see the slight intrigue on Kurt's face. "It's a little difficult to explain, so just hear me out, okay?"
"I'm listening," Kurt said, as he stood up to get his cup of tea.
"Keep in mind that this would be a temporary solution," Blaine added, and now he was feeling nervous all over again. "Just until Cooper comes back."
Kurt took a sip of tea and leaned against the desk again, his body strong under the expensive suit he was wearing. He didn't say anything, he simply waited.
"Like I said before, Anderson Unlimited is a family corporation. No one but family is supposed to hold stock. Cooper and I do, and so will Joanna once they get married, but not until then," Blaine explained, and will the shaking away from his voice. "Until Cooper returns, I hold all the stock."
"I know that," Kurt murmured and lifted the cup to his lips.
"But if I got married, my husband would become a member of the family and I could give him part control of the company," Blaine continued.
To his surprise, tea spilled from the cup Kurt was holding, down into the plate and even down to the dark wooden floor. Kurt looked down at the stain as if he couldn't believe his own hands had betrayed him. It took a few seconds for him to look up again, but when he did, his eyes were colder than ever and a chill went down Blaine's spine. "I didn't know you were about to get married."
And here it was. Here was the moment when Blaine had to share his crazy idea. He held his hands tightly, willing them to stop shaking. "I'm not," he admitted. He cleared his throat. This was it. There was no backing down now. "Mr. Hummel… Kurt. Have you ever… have you ever heard of a marriage of convenience?"
Please make sure to leave a comment. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!
This story will update every Wednesday :)
Thank you so much for reading!
L.-