Chapter 20: Keep Holding On
The Mysterious K
Once upon a time, there was a 14 year old boy by the name of Blaine Anderson. A horrific event brought Blaine to the hospital to heal. But as his body repaired itself, his heart and his soul were still shattered. A heartbreaking moment brought a different little boy, who was 7 years old, to that same hospital. But despite the tragic events surrounding him, he still had hope and believed in happy endings. That boy gave Blaine a reason to continue fighting for what he knew to be right, the courage he needed to be himself. That boy was the Mysterious K.
We've all read the books. We've all heard the stories of soulmates meeting without knowing. Nothing I've encountered in my entire life can even begin to compare to the love story between Blaine and K. I had the pleasure of meeting K and talking with him the night of The Warblers' final show, and I can honestly say that no one has taken my breath away quite like this young man. His strength and enthusiasm was intoxicating, and their love story is truly one for the ages.
Stayed tuned fans, for I have an exclusive that will break your heart, meld it back together, and give you reason to hope that your own soulmate is out there waiting for you.
Perez Hill
Sebastian pulled up into the driveway of the director's house, his heart racing. The last of the main cast arrived in London the day before and the director called them all for a table reading. He was fairly certain that the author of the books would be here as well and there was no denying the fact that he was scared. Terrified even. He knew most of his lines already. He was on his third read of the first book, and he dissected Ryan as best he could. But that didn't stop his nerves. Sebastian was the newbie of the cast. The other actors were movie veterans that had already worked together on various projects so the way he saw it, he was the outsider. It didn't matter than he nailed his audition. If he didn't blend well with his cast mates, things could go wrong very quickly.
He turned off his rental car and rested his head back, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew he could do this. He just needed to stop thinking so much and not go in there as if he owned the place. Humility is key, he thought. Don't be a douchebag and you'll be fine. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. He had a missed call from Blaine and a voicemail. He thought about not listening to it yet, but something nagged at the back of his mind. Maybe hearing a friendly voice will calm my nerves. With a sigh, he called his voicemail.
"Seb, hey," Blaine's voice was hushed, his tone reluctant. Sebastian shifted in his seat. "I know you're busy but um, I really need to talk to you. It's nothing bad, not exactly. It's just," Blaine paused and Sebastian waited, anxious. "Hunter spoke to Kurt," Blaine rushed out and Sebastian sat straighter. "They met during Regionals and he said some things that hinted at him knowing that Kurt's my soulmate and Kurt overheard some things about him that weren't exactly good from a couple of Warblers and now Kurt's asking me all kinds of questions that I can't really answer without telling him everything and I don't want to say something that will upset you," Blaine took a deep breath and continued.
"I'm sorry for rambling. I just, I don't know what I'm supposed to do here, Seb. I hate keeping things from Kurt and my history with Hunter is something I feel he should know sooner rather than later, but I can't tell him any of it without telling him your history and I can't do that. I won't do that. I told him that it wasn't my story to tell, I didn't even mention your name, and he dropped it for now. But he's going to ask again. And we're headed out to Ohio for a week and there's a good chance that we'll see Hunter while we're there. I'm sorry for leaving all this on your voicemail but I don't know if Hunter's going to say anything to him about what happened between us three and I feel like I should at least warn Kurt that Hunter may not receive me well," there was another pause, a longer one, and for a moment Sebastian thought that Blaine had ended the call. But then Blaine spoke again, only this time, his tone was gentle and caring. "I really miss talking to you, Seb. I know you're busy, and I know you're probably avoiding me but...you're my best friend. I miss you. Give me a call soon, ok? Or text me. Just let me know that you're alive. Don't shut me out, please. I love you, man. Bye."
Sebastian sat motionless for a moment, Blaine's words repeating in his mind over and over again. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. Was he supposed to be angry that Hunter spoke to Kurt? Was he supposed to be upset with Blaine for bringing Hunter up when he knew Sebastian hated it? Should he worry about how Hunter would treat Blaine in front of Kurt or of what he will say? Should he worry about how Hunter's feeling? He's certain that Hunter is hurting right now, but should he think on it? Could he truly ignore it? Sebastian shook his head and took a quick breath before calling his soulmate. He needed to hear his voice, if only for a moment.
"Hello?" Hunter answered, his voice tentative.
"Hey," Sebastian replied much softer than he intended. "Are you ok?"
Hunter was quiet for moment. "I'm ok."
Sebastian nodded to himself. "Ok," he said a bit awkwardly. "I just wanted to check in on you."
"I'm ok," Hunter repeated and Sebastian could hear the smile in his voice. It made him smile a little too. "How's London?"
"It's alright," Sebastian shrugged. "I haven't really done anything but sit in my hotel room and read my script."
"Sounds fun," Hunter said with a bit of sarcasm and Sebastian snorted.
"Oh yes. Loads of fun," Sebastian said with a lightness that he barely recognized. A sudden pang of pain shot through his heart that made him grit his teeth. "I have to go. But I'll call you."
"Oh," Hunter spoke quietly. "Yeah, ok."
Sebastian could hear the slight quiver in his voice and it made the pain in his heart worsen a bit. "Bye, Hunter," he said and hung up. He held the phone tightly, willing the sudden ache to go away. A few tears streamed down his cheeks as the pain slowly subsided. With a shaky breath, Sebastian wiped the tears away and got out of the car.
In Ohio, Hunter quietly sobbed into Sebastian's sweater.
Just as Sebastian reached the director's door, he remembered Blaine's message. He sent him a quick text then knocked. He held his script and the copy of his book in his hands, took a deep breath, and pushed all thoughts of Hunter and Blaine away. He needed to focus on his role right now. He wasn't supposed to be thinking about Hunter anyway. He was supposed to be focusing on himself.
The door opened up and an older woman stood there with a smile. "Hello," she greeted. "Are you Sebastian?"
Sebastian smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Great. Come on in." She ushered him in and led him to the conference room. "Coffee or tea?"
"Tea, please," Sebastian said politely. She nodded at him and left him at the double door, then walked to the kitchen. Sebastian gulped and took a quick breath before knocking. He heard a man yell out to come in so he opened the door and smiled a little.
"Mr. Smythe," the director, Isabel, greeted. "Please, come in." Sebastian took a seat in the empty chair and smiled at his cast mates. "Now that everyone's here, let's get started. My name is Isabel, I will be the director for this series. This is Mark, he's the writer of the books and he will be writing the rest of the screenplays." Mark greeted the cast with a nod. "Mark and I are really glad to have you all here. We want you to know that we were very thorough in our search for the perfect actors for these movies and we're confident in the work all of you can do. Am I correct in assuming you're all staying in hotels right now?" the cast members all nodded. "Well pack your things because you won't be there by the end of the week. We want you to really dive into these roles and we feel the only way to do that is by living on set. We've got trailers for each of you, and several for other crew members. As your contracts stated, we will be filming these movies back to back. For the next several years you will eat, breathe, and sleep The Age of Misrule. We hope you're ready because we are in for a very long and probably very stressful ride."
Sebastian let the words sink in. He knew what he was getting into when he accepted the role. The movies were being funded by the author and an independent film company, and his agent had warned him that this would take up all of his time for at least six years. At the time, Sebastian was thrilled at the prospect of it. But now he couldn't help but worry about what would happen between him and Hunter during those six years. He knew he would wait forever for his love. He just hoped that Hunter would wait for him too.
"I am never taking a regular airplane again," Kurt said to Vanessa as they got off the private jet.
Vanessa smiled and nodded. "It is pretty cool," she signed. "Has Blaine told you about the beach house in Hawaii?"
Kurt stopped and turned to her. "There's a beach house in Hawaii?" he asked with a grin.
Vanessa nodded again and Kurt squealed. "The guys all share it and it's very private. It's gorgeous."
"I am never going to get used to this," Kurt told her with a laugh.
Blaine glanced at Wes with a raised brow. "Why do I get the feeling like these two are going to give us trouble?" he said with his face turned away so Vanessa couldn't read his lips.
Wes snorted. "You mean more trouble than Katherine and her? Just imagine when it's all three of them. Summer vacation is going to be interesting this year."
"Yeah, especially with Elena running around," Blaine laughed. "Or rather, crawling around."
Jeff came up behind them and pouted. "I miss David."
"Katherine can't travel," Wes reminded him for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Jeff crossed his arms and huffed. "I know, but I still miss him."
"We could've stayed in LA," Nick sang with a smirk.
"And miss your mama's cooking?" Jeff asked dramatically. "No way!"
Vanessa and Kurt walked over to them with mischievous smiles. "We all ready to go?" Kurt asked.
Wes narrowed his eyes on them. "What are two up to?" he asked with suspicious. "I know that look, babe."
Vanessa gasped, placing her hand over heart. "But I'm the sweet one. How could you ever think that I was up to something?"
Wes gave her a disbelieving look though a smirk played at his lips. "Uh, huh. Sure. You've been spending too much time with Kat."
Vanessa simply grinned. "Not possible."
"We're ready, gentlemen," the driver for one of the cars told them.
Wes, Vanessa, Jeff, and Nick headed toward the black tinted SUV that would take them to Westerville while Kurt and Blaine walked to the town car that would take them to Lima. "We'll see you Thursday, Blaine," Wes said to him. "And we'll see you on Friday, Kurt."
"See ya," Kurt said with a wave and got in the car. Blaine got in after him and shut the door. "You ready to be stuck inside the house for the next two weeks?"
Blaine smiled lovingly. "As long as I'm stuck with you then I'll be just fine," he said. As far as Kurt knew, they would be in Lima until after Christmas and then spend New Year's Eve in LA with the guys. He hoped he could keep up the ruse until it was time.
"Always the romantic," Kurt teased lightly with a light blush on his cheeks. "I better call Dad and let him know we're headed home."
Blaine nodded and pulled out his cellphone to turn back on. He listened to Kurt talk with his father and it reminded him that he needed to tell Burt of the change of plans. He internally cringed. Sure he and Burt got along well. But he was essentially telling him that he planned on having intercourse with his son. That was going to be awkward no matter how he approached it. He felt his phone vibrate in his hands and he looked down at it to see that Sebastian had text him.
From Sebastian Smythe:
Don't be such a drama queen B. I'm alive. You can tell Kurt whatever you need to. Miss you too.
Blaine smiled softly to himself. He was glad Sebastian at least text him, but that didn't stop him from worrying about his best friend.
From Blaine Anderson:
I'm still not sure what I'm going to tell him but thanks for the approval I guess. Call me soon, ok? I really want to talk to you. Don't shut me out. I hope you're doing alright. Love you bro.
Blaine pocketed his phone with a sigh. He didn't expect Sebastian to text him back.
"Dad?" Kurt called out as he and Blaine walked into the house. Blaine inhaled deeply and smiled. He loved the warm feeling he received from the Hudmel home.
"In here," Burt replied.
Blaine and Kurt walked to the living room with their luggage. Kurt raised a brow when he saw his dad, Carole, and Finn standing there waiting for them, Finn wearing the hugest grin. "What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.
"Boys, leave your luggage right where it is and follow us," Carole said before turning around and heading upstairs, Finn following her closely.
"Dad," Kurt said slowly. "What is going on?"
Burt smirked. "Leave your luggage right where it is, and follow us," he said and walked up the stairs.
Blaine glanced at Kurt curiously. "I guess we should leave our things here."
"And follow them," Kurt said with confusion. What was his family up to?
They walked upstairs and down the hall towards Kurt's room. The attic stairs were down and he scowled. "Blaine is not sleeping in the attic, Dad," he yelled out.
"As if I could make him. You'd probably sneak up here after I fell asleep anyway," Burt yelled back. "Get your butts up here already."
Blaine looked at Kurt and he shrugged. Kurt walked up the stairs with Blaine close behind and his jaw dropped when he saw what his family had done to the attic. The piles of boxes and old furniture were gone and the room had been transformed into a personal music studio. Blaine took the final steps upstairs and a smile crept up his face.
"You are part of this family now, Blaine," Burt said with a smile. "We wanted to do something special for you and since you're kinda stuck in the house, we figured this could help you from being bored out of your mind. Especially when Kurt goes back to school. Consider this your Christmas present from us. When inspiration strikes or you just need some time to yourself, you can come here."
Tears pooled in Blaine's eyes. He grew up hiding his love of music from his parents and here was Kurt's family building him a studio. He couldn't believe it. "It's wonderful," he said softly, his fingers trailing the soundboard. He turned to them with a watery smile. "Thank you."
"How did you get this all done?" Kurt asked in awe. "I was only gone for a few days."
"We stored the equipment at the shop and the day you left we cleaned the attic out," Carole told them.
"And by we, she means me, Puck, Sam, and Mike," Finn said with a crooked grin. "Artie helped too, with hooking up the soundboard and all that. Getting him up and down the stairs was kinda hard though. But funny," he nodded.
"This is really amazing," Blaine said quietly. There was a vulnerability in his eyes that reminded Burt of the boy he saw playing in the park. "Thank you guys so much. I love it."
Carole walked over and hugged him. She pulled back and smiled. "Are you boys hungry?"
"I am," Finn answered instead.
Kurt rolled his eyes. "You're always hungry, Finn."
"How about I make us some lunch," Carole said with a pat on Blaine's shoulder.
"That sounds great. Thank you, Carole," Blaine smiled.
"I'll help," Kurt offered, kissing Blaine's cheek before walking down stairs after Carole.
"What are you making?" Finn asked and followed them, leaving Burt and Blaine alone.
Burt approached him with a concerned smile. "You ok, son?"
"Yeah," Blaine quickly answered. "I'm just in shock. This was really kind of you guys."
"All I want in life is to make my kids happy and that includes you too," Burt said and once again, he saw a flash of vulnerability in his eyes. "I've been meaning to ask, will you be seeing your parents while you're here? We'll be happy to have them for Christmas dinner. Or we could go to them if it suits them better."
Blaine's smile faltered. "Um, no. I won't be seeing them. My dad always takes my mom to some island for Christmas. Even when we were little we spent Christmas on the beach or in a hotel room."
Burt nodded thoughtfully. "Well the invite is open for whenever."
"I'll pass it along to my mom," Blaine said softly. He glanced at the stairs then turned back to Burt. "While I have you up here and away from Kurt," he said with a hushed tone and Burt couldn't help but chuckle. "I wanted to let you know that we won't be here for the whole two weeks."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I'm surprising him with a trip to the Rocky Mountains. We leave the day after Christmas," Blaine told him.
Burt was quiet for a moment. "I'm assuming that you're taking him to a private cabin?"
"Yes, sir," Blaine nodded. "We'll be there for two weeks."
"And you think you're ready?" Burt questioned. "That he's ready?"
"Yes, I do," Blaine said with confidence.
Burt nodded and patted Blaine's back. "Well then, ok. Thank you for telling me."
"Thank you for accepting me," Blaine said without thinking. "For accepting us. I know it couldn't have been easy to wrap your head around all this."
"I'm still getting used to it," Burt admitted. "But I couldn't have asked for a better soulmate for Kurt." Blaine smiled and looked down a bit bashfully. "Let's go see what they're making for lunch. Hopefully it's nothing too healthy," he joked.
"I'll be right down," Blaine told him.
Blaine waited until Burt was gone to really take in the room. The equipment couldn't have been cheap and it made him feel less guilty about the extravagant gifts he got for them. He took a picture of the room and text it to David.
To David Thompson:
Kurt's parents built me a studio for Christmas. How jealous are you? ;p
As Blaine walked down the steps, he received David's reply.
To Blaine Anderson:
Yo! That shit is sick! You betta drop some epic beats in there my friend.
Blaine laughed and text him back.
To David Thompson:
Oh, I plan to. Call Jeff when you can. He bitched about missing you the entire flight.
Blaine walked downstairs and to the kitchen when David text again.
To Blaine Anderson:
Big baby. I'll call him now.
Blaine walked into the kitchen and stopped in the entryway. Kurt was sitting on the counter with his leg tucked underneath him, holding a cup of coffee. Finn was scarfing down a sandwich. And Burt was complaining to Carole about the sandwich meat Kurt was forcing him to eat. He smiled at the image. This is what family was all about.
Kurt and Blaine spent all day Tuesday with Kurt's family. Finn even told Rachel that he couldn't hang out and that she couldn't come over because he was busy having bro time. She whined but accepted it, encouraging him to spend time with Kurt and Blaine. When Kurt told Santana that she and Quinn couldn't come over either, Santana had a fit. Kurt held the phone away from his face as she alternated between yelling at him in Spanish and English. But soon after silence filled the air and Kurt thought that Santana had hung up on him in a rage. He put the phone next to his ear and opened his mouth to say hello, but stopped when he heard her moan. He immediately hung up. He did not need to listen to whatever Quinn was doing to Santana. Although he did smile to himself. He was happy they were finally together.
They spent the day playing board games as a family. It had been Blaine's idea, telling the Hudmel's that it was something that he and Cooper had always done when their father was having his business parties, and Burt jumped at the chance. He was starting to see that many family things he did with Kurt, and later on with Carole and Finn, were things that Blaine missed out on as a child. The last time Blaine visited he told Burt how much he loved having dinner with them because there was talk and laughter. Family dinners at his house were silent affairs. Then in the attic when he told Burt how their Christmas's were always spent in hotels, it hurt his heart. He had heard tidbits from Kurt that Blaine's childhood wasn't exactly the happiest, and he wanted to make sure that he did everything he could to make Blaine feel at home. It was when they played the board games that Burt saw the kid in Blaine and it warmed his heart. So did the smile on Kurt's face whenever he so much as glanced in Blaine's direction. Burt could really get used to having Blaine around.
Later that night, after Kurt took a shower, he walked downstairs to find Finn, Blaine, and Burt watching the end of the football game. He had to stop on the staircase and watch them for a moment. It was a beautiful sight, the three of them bonding, and Kurt had no choice but to take a picture. He wanted desperately to tweet it to the fans, to tell the world how happy it made him to see his soulmate get along so well with his father and brother. But since he couldn't, not yet anyway, he simply tweeted how indescribably happy he was at that very moment. He watched Blaine as he pulled out his phone and read the tweet. Blaine looked up and met his gaze, a soft smile on his lips. He patted the spot next to him and Kurt quickly made his way over, curling his legs underneath him and cuddling into Blaine's arms. He could care less about the game, but he would watch it with them just to be a part of their bonding.
Wednesday morning after Burt and Carole left for work, Kurt asked Blaine a question that caught him completely off guard.
"You want to invite Dave over?" Blaine asked, needing the clarification. "While I'm here?" Kurt nodded, worrying his bottom lip. "I didn't know you two had gotten so close."
"We haven't, not exactly," Kurt shrugged. "I just...I don't know. I kinda feel like I owe it to him to tell him about us."
"You owe it to him how?" Blaine asked seriously with a raised brow.
"Because he told me his biggest secret," Kurt said quietly, unsure of why Blaine seemed upset. "I mean, I don't owe him anything, but I feel like it's only fair that I trust him with this when he trusted me with his soulmates' name. I don't think Dave has any real friends, Blaine. He has his football buddies sure, but they would completely alienate him if they found out he was gay. With the exception of Finn, Mike, Puck, and Sam that is, but they aren't really friends either. He spent a long time hating me because he wasn't as strong as I am and he took it out on me by being a bully. The guys have never forgiven him for that even though he doesn't harass me anymore. But I have. I'm the only person he really talks to. I just want to make sure he's ok. I want him to know that I really am his friend."
Blaine was quiet as he thought it over. He wasn't too keen on the idea of trusting Dave with their secret. This was the same guy that practically tortured Kurt all through high school and just because Kurt had come to terms with it didn't mean that he was ok with the guy who bullied his love. But at the same time, he was admittedly curious about Dave. He could understand why Dave acted the way he did and the fact that he came to Kurt with his biggest secret meant that he trusted Kurt. And Blaine knew that Kurt was touched by Dave's disclosure. With a sigh, he nodded.
"Alright, yeah," Blaine told him and Kurt couldn't hide the grin that spread across his face. "If you trust him then ok. Invite him over."
"Are you absolutely sure?" Kurt asked, needing Blaine to be certain. "I'm sure," Blaine smiled softly.
"Ok great!" Kurt swung his legs over and jumped off his bed. "I'll be right back. I gotta get the number from Finn."
"Hey, Finn?" Finn turned his head towards Kurt but kept his eyes on the television. "Can I have Karofsky's number?"
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to invite him over."
Finn paused his video game and gave Kurt his full attention. "Why?" he asked with more firmness.
"Because I want to," Kurt said with a huff. "We're kinda friends now. Or haven't you noticed that he's not screwing with me anymore?"
"I mean, I have but, Blaine's here," Finn said as if to remind him.
"I know that, Finn," Kurt said in a calm voice which Finn knew meant that he was moments away from snapping. "I'm going to introduce him to Blaine and then the three of us are going to hang out. Do not ask me why. It's none of your business. Can I have his number or not?" he gritted out.
Finn eyed him warily and nodded. "Yeah, it's in my phone."
"Thank you," Kurt said with an eye roll as he grabbed Finn's phone from the bed. He typed it into his phone and tossed Finn's phone back. "And before you ask, no, you can't hang out with us. In fact, why don't you go to Rachel's? Aren't her dads out of town until tomorrow?"
"Yeah, but what if you need me or something?" Finn asked but then froze, as if to realize that Rachel's dads being gone meant they had the house to themselves. "I'll go to Rachel's," he decided, going into his menu to save his game.
"Good choice," Kurt smirked and walked out.
Kurt hopped on his bed and tucked his feet underneath him. He took a deep breath and dialed Dave's number, blowing Blaine a kiss when saw that he was watching him.
"Hello?"
"Dave?"
Dave paused. "Yeah?"
"Hey, it's Kurt," Kurt said cheerily.
"Um, hi. What do you want?" Dave asked harsher than he intended.
Kurt ignored his tone, understanding Dave's apprehension and continued. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over? Like, right now actually."
"Uh...why?"
"Because we're friends," Kurt said with a shrug. "Friends hang out, don't they?"
"Yeah, I guess," Dave said cautiously. "This isn't like some trick right?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. I just wanted to hang out," he turned to Blaine who was still watching him. "I actually wanted you to meet somebody. It's kind of a secret and I thought that maybe I could trust you with it."
Dave was quiet for a long while and Kurt waited patiently, knowing he was still there because he could hear him breathing. "Um, ok," he said hesitantly. "I mean, sure. I guess."
"Great! So I'll see you in say, fifteen, twenty minutes?" "Yeah, I'll be there soon."
"Alright. See you then," Kurt ended the call and smiled at Blaine. "He's on his way."
Blaine nodded, his lips pursed. "I was thinking that we could hang out in my studio. The living room is a bit too open to really talk and I'm not exactly comfortable with him being in our bedroom."
"It's our bedroom now?" Kurt said with a raised brow though the way Blaine said it made his heart race.
"It is as long as I'm here," Blaine said lowly, smirking at the way Kurt blushed. "I figured the studio would be the safest bet. It's spacious enough for all three of us but it still has some privacy. We could even close the door if you wanted."
"And you don't mind sharing your special place with him?" Kurt questioned.
"As opposed to what? Sharing this bedroom with him," Blaine said as he crawled over to Kurt. "This special place where you dream about me," he pushed Kurt onto his back and towered over him. "This space where I make all of your fantasies come true," he pressed himself against Kurt and rolled his hips, Kurt inhaled sharply. "Where I make you scream my name?" he whispered hotly into Kurt's ear.
Kurt whined and shook his head. "No, no. Definitely not. No."
Blaine grinned triumphantly and pulled back completely. "That's what I thought."
Kurt leaned on his elbows and scowled. "You are totally unfair." Blaine sent him a wink. "I'll make it up to you later.
Dave knocked on the door reluctantly. What the hell had he been thinking coming over here? Sure he and Kurt were getting along fine at school but this was completely different. This made them know each other on a more personal level and Dave wasn't sure how he felt about that. At the same time, he hadn't had anyone to talk to since school got out and his stupid friends were getting on his nerves. Maybe hanging out with Kurt wouldn't be too bad. Then again, Kurt said he wanted him to meet someone, his soulmate, Dave assumed, and that meant that he wouldn't really be able to talk to Kurt anyway. This was a bad idea. He should've stayed home. He thought about turning around but then Kurt opened the door and he had no choice but to go in.
"Ok, so before we go upstairs, I want to say something and I need you to listen to me," Kurt said as they entered the living room.
"That doesn't sound good," Dave muttered as he looked around.
"He's upstairs," Kurt answered Dave's unspoken question. "The person I want you meet, my soulmate. He's upstairs. And Finn's gone. It's just us three."
"Ok," Dave said, waiting for Kurt to continue.
Kurt took a deep breath and launched into the speech he'd rehearsed. Blaine stood just around the corner of the stairs and watched everything unfold. "I told my soulmate about you, about our past, about your secret," Dave's face fell. "But you need to understand that I tell him everything. I wasn't being malicious, I was simply sharing the important parts of my life with him and you are an important part of my life. Whether it was good or bad, you've always had a big impact on me. Recently it's been good and that is why I invited you over. I know that telling me was probably one of the hardest things you've ever had to do. It took a lot of courage and trust and believe me when I tell you that I do not take that for granted. You trusted me with you biggest secret and now I want to trust you with mine." Kurt took a breath and waited for Dave to explode.
Dave didn't explode however. Instead he just stared at Kurt for a moment. "Are you done? Or are you going to go on another of your rants?"
"I'm done," Kurt said with a nod.
"Ok," Dave shrugged one shoulder. "Sure. Who's your soulmate?"
"That's it?" Kurt asked slowly. "No freak outs? No angry outbursts?"
Dave shook his head. "I'm not as angry as I used to be. Not since I've accepted who I am. Not since I started coming to you."
Kurt smiled at that. "I'm really happy to hear that," Dave returned the smile. "Are you ready to find out who my soulmate is?"
"I guess," Dave shrugged. "Why are you making this such a big deal?"
"This isn't a big deal, it's a huge deal," Kurt said seriously. "You can't tell anyone about this. I mean, people are going to find out anyway but right now, you can't say a word."
"Um, ok..."
Kurt eyed him for a moment then nodded. "Ok," he turned his head towards the stairs. "Babe," he called out. A second later Blaine came out from around the corner. Dave's jaw dropped. "Dave, meet my soulmate, Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is Dave."
Blaine took in the burly football player and smiled charmingly. "Hey, Dave. It's nice to meet you."
Dave glanced at Kurt, then up at Blaine, and again at Kurt. He took a step back. "Whoa."
Kurt laughed. "I told you it was huge."
"So do any of your friends know?" Dave asked as he and Kurt took a seat on the futon, Blaine taking a seat on the rolling chair after he shut the attic door. "I mean, Finn obviously knows and I'm guessing Santana knows, but what about the rest of the glee club?"
"They know," Kurt told him. "Except Mr. Schue but that's because I don't trust him."
"How did they react to this?" Dave wondered, his eyes briefly meeting Blaine's.
"They all reacted how I expected them to. Lots of flailing and, 'Oh my god Kurt! No way'! Except for Puckerman. He was actually kinda angry at me. He thought I made the whole thing up and super freaked out, which of course made Zizes freak out. But once he settled down, he was cool about it," Kurt said.
"You know Puck's like, a huge Blaine Anderson fan right?" Dave asked him with a smirk.
"What? No he's not."
"Uh, yeah he is," Dave assured him. "I've been listening to him sing The Warblers' songs in the locker room for years. I used to tell him to stop being so gay and he'd always get in my face about it and tell me that Anderson was the man," as soon as the words slipped out, Dave panicked. "I mean, I didn't mean that, not like that, I mean."
"Hey, it's fine," Kurt reached over and placed his hand on Dave's arm. "I knew what you meant and it's fine."
Dave shrunk into himself with embarrassment. Kurt looked at Blaine with a frown. Blaine smiled sympathetically. Five minutes with Dave and he could clearly see why Kurt wanted to help him.
"Kurt tells me you're on the football team," Blaine said politely. Dave looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah."
"What position?"
"Right guard."
"Cool," Blaine smiled. "My brother was the quarterback when he was in high school and I guess technically I would've been too if I hadn't been so focused on music."
"But if you hadn't been so focused on music then maybe you wouldn't be a huge pop star now," Dave said with a slight blush. He couldn't believe that he was actually having a conversation with Blaine Anderson.
"Maybe. I'm sure my dad would've been happier if I had but then again, that's probably why I didn't," Blaine said thoughtfully. "Who knows? I do enjoy the sport though. Much more than Kurt over here who fell asleep during last night's game," he teased.
"What?" Kurt said innocently. "You had your arm around me and I was comfortable."
Blaine rolled his eyes fondly. "So are you planning on pursuing football after high school?"
"Naw, I'm not that good," Dave said truthfully. "I'm actually thinking about pursuing journalism."
"Really?" Kurt said surprised. "I didn't know you wrote."
"No one does," Dave told him. "Except maybe my dad. That's why I asked you about those letters."
"Letters?" Blaine wondered.
"Yeah, I uh," Dave looked down shyly. "I asked Kurt a little while back what he thought about me writing my soulmate letters and just keeping them until I met him. Writing's kinda been my way out, ya know? Like, I feel more peaceful after doing it."
Blaine smiled at Dave, completely understanding how he felt. That's what music did for him. "If that's what writing does for you then I say go for it. Who knows? You might become wildly successful from it. But you'll never know unless you try," Dave smiled up at him. "And hey, if you ever end up doing celebrity interviews, let us know. I could hook you up with some pretty cool A-Listers."
Dave chuckled lightly. He had no intention of ever becoming that kind of journalist. He wanted to write hard hitting thought provoking stories. But the fact that Blaine offered made him feel good. "Thanks, man. I'll keep that in mind."
Blaine, Wes, Jeff and Nick walked into Dalton Thursday afternoon. Vanessa was already there, having gone earlier with Wes' mother to spend the day with her, and Kurt was at home hanging out with his girls. Nostalgia hit them the moment they stepped into the building. None of them had been back since they graduated and they couldn't help but grin as memories flooded them.
"Breath it in boys," Jeff said with a deep inhale. "Our legacy is in the air."
"David is going to be so bummed that he missed this," Blaine smiled as they walked towards the Warbler's rehearsal room. "Man, everything looks exactly the same."
"Right," Nick laughed. "I figured they'd redecorate by now."
Wes turned to them with a grin. "My mom said that the Dean doesn't want to change anything because these halls are filled with Warbler magic."
Jeff threw his head back and laughed. "Dean Winchester always was a riot."
"You didn't think that when he was giving you detention," Nick said pointedly.
"Yeah, I did," Jeff nodded. "I just never said it because I was at him for his unjust punishments."
Wes snorted. "Unjust my ass."
They turned the corner and could hear Hunter's voice. It sounded like he was scolding the Warblers and the guys couldn't help but grin with excitement. Wes had thought about telling Hunter that they were going to visit but decided against it. He couldn't wait to see his best friend's face when he saw them.
"You think that just because we're legends doesn't mean that you have to rehearse?" Hunter shouted angrily. "The reason we were legends, the reason our legacy continued, is because all we did was rehearse!"
"If he's such a legend then why is he still here?" Jake muttered.
Hunter heard him but said nothing. It wouldn't have mattered anyway. The boys refused to listen to him and he couldn't blame them. If any of his teachers had been as emotionally unstable as he felt the past month then he would've had a hard time respecting their authority.
"Well, well, well," The Warbler boys turned and gasped. "What do we have here?"
"I do believe it's called rehearsal, Wes," Blaine grinned. "You know that thing we do 24 hours a day."
"We don't...ok yeah, we do rehearse that much," Wes said with a nod. "Perfection takes hard work. Doesn't it, Hunter?"
Hunter gaped at them for a moment before laughing. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" he asked, quickly making his way to his old friends.
Wes engulfed him in a hug and laughed. "We wanted to surprise you," he pulled back a bit and took a good look at Hunter. "You look good, bro."
"Thanks," Hunter breathed out, turning to Jeff and Nick. "Where's David?" He hugged them quickly then turned to Blaine.
"Back in LA. Katherine is too close to her due date to travel," Wes told him.
Blaine smiled a bit hesitantly before Hunter threw his arms around him in a big embrace. Blaine was momentarily caught off guard, not at all expecting the warm welcome. But he put his arms around Hunter and hugged him back tightly. When they parted, Hunter's eyes glistened with tears. Hunter turned to his students who were whispering amongst themselves with a smug grin. "Gentlemen, bow down to the legacy that is The Warblers!"
A few boys actually started to bow and the men laughed. "You don't have to really bow," Nick told them.
Jeff scoffed and walked over to the councilman table. "Yeah they do," he said as he took a seat. "Bow down to my epicness boys."
Wes rolled his eyes. "Clearly Jeff is the most humble of us all."
"Pft," Jeff waved his hand dismissively. "What are we working on today?" he asked as he sat back, putting his feet up on the table.
"Jeffrey, feet down," Hunter said sternly. Jeff pouted but did as he was told. "They're working on their Nationals' songs. Or they would be if they stopped fooling around. They seem to think that they don't need to rehearse," he said with a glare at his students. The boys looked down in embarrassment for being called out in front of The Warblers.
"Man, I missed you and that councilman voice," Wes said with a fond smile.
"I didn't," Jeff muttered. "He was so mean to me."
"Because you never listened," Blaine said and Jeff stuck his tongue out at him. "Mr. Clarington is right though gentlemen. Do you honestly think that we've come this far by rehearsing our songs a few hundred times? Try a few thousand."
"That's what I tried to tell them," Hunter said with a shake of his head.
"We rehearsed so much that even now we could probably perform it with as much precision as we did when we were students here," Nick told them.
"In fact," Blaine turned to him with smile. "We should put it to the test," he turned to Hunter. "What do you say Hunter? Our Nationals' duet?"
"Uh, I don't know about that," Hunter said cautiously. He still sung every once in a while but he hadn't performed in years.
"Come on, Mr. Clarington," Wes challenged good naturedly. "You talk the talk, but can you still walk the walk?"
Jeff oohed and Hunter sent him a glare, though his lips upturned. "Alright, fine. Let's show these boys how it's done."
After a flawless performance by Hunter and the guys, the Dalton boys had no choice but to rehearse with as much passion as they could muster. They wanted to show the guys that they were just as good as them. They wanted to make them proud. And after Hunter embarrassed them in front of Dalton's legends, they did everything they could to redeem themselves.
"Not bad, gentlemen," Hunter praised his students. "That was actually not awful," The boys smiled with pride. "Go rest for a little while; get some food and coffee, then meet back in an hour."
The boys groaned. "Seriously?" one asked. "Seriously," Hunter grinned.
The boys grumbled and made their way out of the rehearsal room. "I'm going to go check on Vanessa," Wes told the guys before walking out.
"Oh hey! Is Mr. Chaplin still teaching Chemistry?" Jeff asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Hunter raised a brow. "Yes, and he still has that photo of you on his wall. You're his cautionary tale every single year."
Jeff barked out a laugh. "Awesome! Let's go say hi, Nicky!"
Blaine shook his head with an amused grin as they left. Mr. Chaplin was probably going to have a heart attack when he saw them. He turned to Hunter who was watching him with curiosity. Gone was the camaraderie and an awkwardness settled between them. "Kurt told me you spoke to him," Blaine said, regretting it the second the words came out. That wasn't how he wanted to start the conversation. "I'm not upset or anything. You just kinda freaked him out."
Hunter nodded slowly, slipping his hands into his pants. "Does he know about us? Our fallout? Does he know about you and Sebastian?"
"Yes and no," Blaine said with a small shrug. "He knows about my relationship with Seb, just like you know about our relationship," he said with a pointed look. Hunter had always believed that Blaine and Sebastian had gone further than what they said. "But he doesn't know about our fallout. He doesn't know that you're Sebastian's soulmate."
"Why not?"
"It's not my story to tell," Blaine simply put. "Parts of it are, but unless you and Seb tell me that I can, I really can't tell him anything."
Hunter looked away and took a deep breath. "Might as well. He's your soulmate. He deserves to know the truth." Blaine nodded but said nothing. "Have you spoken to him?" he asked, his voice small.
"Not recently. He's been busy with his new movie," Blaine said as he walked around the couch to look out the window.
"It's his dream role," Hunter said with a bitter laugh. Hunter walked to the window and stood next to Blaine. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted to everything," he spoke somberly. "I think back on my behaviour and I'm embarrassed. I should've believed you."
Hunter was quiet for a moment and when he spoke, his voice was nothing but a whisper. "I'm trying to. I want to."
"He still loves you," Blaine said softly.
"I know," Hunter replied. "I still love him too. But I don't...I don't know if we'll..." Hunter trailed off, his voice thick with emotion.
Blaine turned to him. "Hunter, look at me." With reluctance Hunter looked at him. The moment their eyes met, Hunter broke into tears. Blaine pulled him into his arms. "It's ok, it's going to be ok."
"I miss him so much," Hunter muttered into Blaine's shoulder. "Every day the pain gets worse and worse. How did he do it? How did he handle this?"
"Not nearly as well as you I'm sure," Blaine said as he rubbed his back.
"How could I possibly be handling this any better than him?" Hunter snapped. He tried backing out of Blaine's arms but Blaine wouldn't let go.
"Trust me when I tell you that he did not handle things well," Blaine said gently. "But he dealt with it as best as he could and now you do too," Blaine pulled away and held Hunter by the shoulders. "Don't ever give up hope, Hunter. He needs you just as much as you need him. You just have to be patient. Give him time. Give yourself time. You both need to heal."
"But what if he forgets about me?" Hunter said brokenly. "What if he decides that I'm not worth the wait anymore?"
"He won't, because you are," Blaine said with a soft firmness. "You can do this, Hunter. I have faith in you guys."
Hunter took a shaky breath and nodded. "God, I'm so tired of crying," he said with a small laugh, wiping his tears away. "I haven't cried like this since my 18th birthday."
"Crying's good for the soul," Blaine said with a small smile. "Just hang in there. When he's ready he'll come back."
"You really think so?" "I know so."
Hunter nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm glad you came today. I've wanted to talk to you for a while but I figured you hated me."
"I could never hate you," Blaine said with sincerity. "You're my brother. Brothers fight all the time," Hunter offered him a smile. "Come on. Let's go make sure Jeff hasn't started another fire."
Hunter scoffed and shook his head, gathering himself before walking out. Blaine followed with a small smile. He knew that he and Hunter would end up talking today but he had been ready for a fight. The fact that Hunter broke down instead worried him immensely. While they seemed to have finally buried the hatchet, Blaine couldn't help but think about how Sebastian was doing. He needed to get Sebastian to open up to him, the sooner the better.
