Summary: The Julliard Concert is finally here. Despite being swept up in drama most of the week, Blaine has a couple of surprises planned.
Notes: This is a Season 4/5 "fix-it" meaning it takes place between September 2012 and June 2013 (although the final chapter will take place in September 2013). I usually don't like to fudge real-life facts and dates to fit the story but in this chapter that goes out the window.
Leslie Odom, Jr is not a Julliard graduate (Carnegie Mellon University). There's a mention to his next project (Hamilton) which for story purposes goes to Broadway after Dear Evan Hanson, which of course is backwards.
I also use another actor (who is a Julliard graduate) but move up the release date of a blockbuster movie he was in.
Since the title of the chapter is Julliard it technically fulfills the Seblaine Week 2020 Day 1 prompt of College AU
CallBacks
Brody sat at the bar, waiting for the stream of the Julliard concert on the big screen CallBacks had set up. Blaine's YouTube Channel (it really did need a name) was currently rerunning an earlier episode of Fondue for Two with Brittany interviewing Travis and Beatrice. It was an interesting compromise to announce the Dirty Dozen scholarship winner with the original airing simultaneously on NYADA's website.
Beatrice joined Travis because…well, she could speak "Brittany" and he couldn't. Also, her being the only other finalist to survive the gauntlet (Sam didn't count) made sense.
He told Sugar, Cam and even Blaine he wouldn't attend on the off-off-off chance his parents chose to watch. They all said they understood but knew there was more behind his decision.
Adam appeared in front of him and set down a bottle of tequila with two shot glasses. In dealing with the Kurt fall-out the two of them had settled into a quasi-truce although they had never technically never been quote/unquote enemies. "Shouldn't you be working? This place is packed."
"I run performances and this crowd is here for one reason. Despite CallBacks being a NYADA pub, tonight's focus is Julliard. Also, Kit is covering for me just in case." Adam poured them each a shot and then toasted to "One hell of a week".
Brody nodded and downed his drink just in time for the concert to start. He knew the first song would be Who Knew, the song Blaine wrote for Tommy. What he didn't expect was to hear Leslie Odom Jr singing it. It wasn't what he had prepared himself for. Thank god for Tequila.
Watching Brody, Adam felt a deep sense of sadness radiating from the guy who was inexplicably becoming a friend. He spotted a table opening and quickly had Kit go grab it for them but not before handing her another bottle of tequila.
This was definitely going to be a two bottle evening.
Thank god for Tequila.
Watching Brody, Adam felt a deep sense of sadness from the guy who was inexplicably becoming a friend. However, he had already come to understand if he wanted that to continue, there were some questions to which he might never receive answers.
Julliard
Blaine looked at himself in the mirror and tried not to fix his hair one last time. With as bad as the humidity had been during the entire week, he was pretty happy with his curls. They gave off the less formal vibe which was the theme of the first half of the concert. The second half would be what Sam dubbed "The tuxedo portion of the evening".
Noticing his fingers were yet again touching his hair, he sighed in frustration "Damn it, Anderson. Leave the fucking curls alone!" He turned away from the mirror and when he did, he found himself staring at the jacket he had worn during his introduction. It was nice, almost the same blue as his Dalton blazer, but not what he originally planned to wear.
Tuesday, during part of his Teen Vogue shoot Santana had jokingly titled Accessory Boyfriend as an homage to his McKinley days, he had fallen in love with a mustard colored jacket and cardigan vest assemble. Problem was, when Sebastian saw the preliminary shots, he hated the outfit. And it wasn't that he hated it, it was that he had an almost visceral reaction (like the one after they confronted Kurt…hmmm).
It wasn't like he would ever let his boyfriend have a say in what he wore (ok…again), it had all just been too much.
Even he had to admit he looked like McKinley Blaine.
Santana was mortified, promising those particular shots wouldn't make the spread. Suddenly that didn't feel like enough. Blaine grabbed his phone and sent a message to Bibbi's work email, marking it urgent. Yes, she would be here tonight but it wasn't the time or place.
He shook his head and tried to get back into the moment. Smoothing his hands over his Ramones T-shirt made him smile. It was cheesy but for the first performance they wanted to be rock stars so he had asked Bibbi for vintage T-shirts with famous NYC bands represented.
"I should have guessed you'd choose The Ramones" Beat laughed as he came in from changing.
"And you with Run/DMC" Blaine shot back. "Are you sure no one suspects?"
"Nope, after my award winning performance last night, the guys think I'm pissed but know I would never not be here. I told Mike, Wes and Seb my mother showed up with you-know-who so my being back here makes sense even though I'm supposedly not talking to you." Agreeing not to use his name would have been ridiculous if Blaine wasn't so superstitious when it came to performing. "I told them it's up to them on how they explain my absence...without you-know-who of course. How did the guy who was supposed to sing with you take it?"
"Considering he's currently fanboying in the room where they have you-know-who hidden, he's good. I still don't get why he would want to do this."
"Mom told you. He...wants...to...record...your...song" Beat reminded him as he used his hands to make the mind blown gesture for emphasis.
Mind blown was right but it was put on hold when Leslie came to say goodbye.
The decision to have someone else sing Who Knew had been the right one. After spending the week with Brody, and so many lines being crossed between who Tommy was and who Brody is, Blaine didn't know if he could have done it. Leslie's version was a fitting way to truly say goodbye to Tommy which was all he ever wanted.
As he left, Leslie invited Blaine to stop by the next day at a rehearsal for the new Broadway show he was part of (Guess that answered questions about Smash Season 3). "Are you going to go?" Beat asked but considering Blaine was practically bouncing with excitement, he had his answer.
"Let me see, the guy who wrote In the Heights wrote a fucking musical about my favorite closeted...unproven...(air quotes) founding father. Hell yeah, I'm going to watch the rehearsal."
Beat busted out laughing "Remember the week near the end of Freshman year when you almost gave Mr. Kirkland a nervous breakdown? You hadn't said ten words to anyone except me or Wes since you transferred in, I said said not sang, and then we study Alexander Hamilton and you won't shut up!"
Blaine would never forget. That as the first time he felt like Blaine Warbler. And, he might have been the instigator but it didn't take long for the rest of the guys to join in. The racist deserved it, and if he chose to leave Dalton, that was his decision. "Hey, Hamilton was from the Caribbean, that's all I was saying."
"You really do get all that financial stuff, don't you? It's not just you trying to bond with your CFO father."
"If I wasn't doing all this" Blaine waved his arms at the racks of clothing and instruments in the room "I'd definitely be studying finance in the fall. I am pretty good at it. I mean, I was able to buy my own building. Just wish those math skills transferred to Calculus." He looked up at the monitor and figured they'd be going on in 20 minutes. "We better go find Sam. I don't want him running into the surprise performer Mr. Barnes got at the last moment."
"We are in so much trouble."
"Yeah, we all thought Kurt lost it when he found out who Bibbi was. Sam finding out…"
"Sam finding out what?" Sam asked as he and Santana joined them, forgetting to shut the door.
"Blondie?" Blaine asked, pointing at Sam's T-shirt, and avoiding the question.
"What? I'm a kick-ass blond. Now, I repeat Sam finding out what?"
Blaine and Beat sighed, knowing they were busted. "Mr. Barnes was able to contact another alumnus to make a surprise appearance…" Blaine said with an open ending, allowing Beat to take over.
"My dad is his agent and when Blaine and I went to my great…"
"Sammy!"
Hearing his name called out by Oscar Issac stunned Sam until he remembered he wasn't the only Sam in the room. The Star Wars actor came in and gave Beat a kiss on both cheeks and then put his hand on Blaine's shoulder, obviously having met him before.
Santana pulled Sam to the farthest corner of the room. "How did you never say anything about Blainers knowing him? Isn't Star Wars like a total Blam thing?"
"Because I didn't know. I'm actually more surprised you know anything about Star Wars with the way you give me and Blaine shit about being nerds."
"You are nerds but…" Santana leaned in closer "Poe Dameron is my exception."
"I thought the Seblaine/Brittana foursome was your exception."
"No, Brittansebla is one of Berry's Trainwreck Parties, NYC edition, from happening. That fine piece of ass is my I don't give a fuck that I don't do penis anymore and Britt says go for it, exception."
"Hmmm…"
"Hmmm? Hmmm what, Evans?"
"Maybe Poe Dameron is my exception too."
Santana tried to keep her jaw from dropping as Sam left her to join the others. He was probably talking shit, but she didn't care. In front of her was a sexy, confident young MAN not the sweet boy she had manipulated into being her beard. She couldn't help but feel proud.
Nichole was right when she said she, Brittany, Quinn and Mercedes were all fucking idiots for how they treated Sam. To be fair, at least she had the whole prefers vagina over penis thing and it was Brittany's vagina she preferred. They had had high hopes for Sam and Nari Montgomery after their constant PDA fest at the Sugar Shack 2.0 but distance wound up being an issue. Thankfully, they found out sooner than later since Nari had just announced her plans to attend MIT in the fall.
However, the afore mentioned Nichole Duval was perfect for him. She was smart, gorgeous and pretty much creamed her panties any time she was in 20 feet of old Trouty Mouth. That couple needed to happen once Sam was in NYC, before any of the insipid models (or photographers) she had worked with could get their claws in him.
Sounded like a job for the Unholy Trinity and their Guardian Angel Effie
Oscar didn't stay but a couple of minutes and Santana left soon after, with a special errand from Blaine. From the monitor, the guys could see it was time for them to head to the stage…
And for the first time all week, Blaine's nerves took over.
"What was I thinking?" he groaned, reaching for his hair but able to stop himself in time.
"What?" Beat asked. "Is this about Let's Hurt Tonight? I thought the whole joke about it being about your kinky sex life with Seb had been dealt with."
Sam began to laugh. "No, it's probably about his last minute decision to use Mirrors."
"Why? It's a sweet love song he wrote Seb for Christmas."
"It's also their safe word."
The bright red on Blaine's cheeks told Beat everything he needed to know. "Oh god, I didn't need to know that!"
"Hey, I know it, which means as Blaine's Co-Sam BFF you get to know it too."
Both Sams laughed until Blaine just rolled his eyes and signaled they should go. When they reached the wings, Blaine checked in with the Julliard students making up his band. He then got his electric guitar and made sure the tuning was set. When he was satisfied, he focused on the stage where The Past, Harriet Potter, and several 1st year students were performing songs from American Idiot.
Harriet was in the original Broadway production.
Sam could tell immediately Blaine's nerves were beginning to come back. "Maybe you should stop thinking about your boyfriend and concentrate on the fact you are debuting your music after a performance of songs from one of the greatest albums of the 21st century."
Blaine couldn't believe Sam would say that…until he did. Telling Beat about Mirrors and bringing up Green Day were Sam's way of telling him to get over himself. Too bad it wasn't working. His parents, Sugar and Uncle Robert, Cooper and Holly, Sam's family, Sebastian, his family, the Warblers, their families, several New Direction members, Bibbi, Andy, Carmen Tibideaux and so many other people were there to hear him. What if they didn't like his music?
Plus, the guy who was supposed to be The Present was counting on the money they were raising. Plus, plus, this was going out on livestream so like all the teams the Warblers were competing against at Nationals…
Yeah, he was doing it again.
Applause brought him out of thoughts. As Harriet and the 1st years took their bows and exited, Blaine, Sam and the band took the stage and set up while Julliard's Director, Mr. Barnes, introduced them.
"Our next performer is the unique talent we chose as this year's Future, Blaine Anderson. Blaine is currently a Senior at Dalton Academy in Westerville, Ohio where he is co-captain of his acapella glee club, the Warblers. He plays several instruments including guitar, piano and violin, all of which he will be playing at some point this evening. On a personal note, I'd like to give Blaine my personal thanks. When I told him how Thomas Nye had been in an accident and asked if he could perhaps perform a couple of extra songs, he agreed without question."
Blaine and Sam held back snickers, remembering Blaine's melt-down when Mr. Barnes left them to discuss the request.
"So, instead of the standard three pieces we request, Blaine provided six, all original."
While the rest of the audience applauded, Santana completed her special errand and handed Sebastian a note from Blaine.
My Darling Bas,
Before we were even a couple, you told me to not stop singing songs because they were "Klaine" songs. Reclaim them by singing them in a different way, like when I sang Perfect with Santana.
There was a last minute change to my set list. Ok, technically, not last minute, but after you were such a naughty boy in front of Doc and Mercedes, any qualms I might have had are gone.
B
What? That makes no sense.
The familiar cords of Sam's opening to Let's Hurt Tonight broke through the applause and Sebastian felt himself hold his breath. Surprisingly, the song itself, which had caused him so much angst over the past weeks, wasn't the issue. He just wanted this so badly for Blaine (and thus Sam).
Yes, Blaine (and thus Sam) had received universal praise to date, but this was The Fucking Past, Present, Future Concert!
So, you hit the lights and I'll lock the doors
Let's say all of the things that we couldn't before
Won't walk away, won't roll my eyes
They say love is pain, well darling, let's hurt tonight
If this love is pain, then honey let's love tonight
The audience cheered and there seemed to be no side-eyes or chuckles about lyrics from anyone sitting around him, so Sebastian enthusiastically joined in. Then he became acutely aware of the note folded into his pocket. What did Blaine have planned…and why the hell was Beat joining Blaine and Sam on stage?
From the confused looks on their faces, it didn't look like the guys knew either.
Oh, shit! One…one of the songs Blaine wrote for him used a beatbox. And he was reclaiming that song at The Fucking Past, Present, Future Concert!? Well, one good thing about the change to Mirrors was many people, even friends, would be introduced to Blaine's talent on electric guitar.
'Cause I don't wanna lose you now
I'm lookin' right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space, but now you're home
Of course, You + Me was Sebastian's favorite. It was the song Blaine wrote and sung for him before they told each other I'm In. However, Mirrors was a close second. It was the song Blaine sang for him before they made love for the first time and the lyrics…
Show me how to fight for now
And I'll tell you baby, it was easy
Comin' back here to you once I figured it out
You were right here all along
…made him swoon like the girls from Crawford Day who wrote Seblaine fanfiction.
And he was man enough to admit it.
Washington DC
"Damn, I wish Anderson would have let us know he could play like that. We could have jammed out…" Puck stopped when Kurt rolled his eyes for what had to be the 500th time. "What?"
"I know I'm going to get the blamed like I'm getting blamed for everything else because Alpha Gay this, Alpha Gay that but you're lying. Ok, not lying but rewriting history."
Mercedes came back into the room after taking a phone call and it looked to be just in time. How did she and Puck get stuck babysitting Kurt? Oh yeah, so Finn and Rachel could have a goodbye fuck before he and Puck left for Paris in the morning.
Maybe she had been living with Santana too long. "What now?"
"Hummel's trying to call me a liar."
"No, I'm saying you're rewriting history. If you would have known Blaine played guitar like that, there's no way you would have been ok with what was it…jamming just like Finn would have shit if Blaine picked up drumsticks."
"Shut the fuck up!" Yes, Wes told him something similar once but he didn't need to hear it from Kurt.
Kurt, on the other hand, knew he struck a nerve. If he was being kept prisoner he might as well have some fun. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in defiance "Hot for Teacher."
Mercedes had no idea what they were talking about so she assumed it was from when she was with the TroubleTones. "Maybe it was a mistake trying to watch the livestream" she grumbled.
Puck moved next to her on the couch and put his arm across her shoulders. "Hey, no. You volunteering to stay so Finchel could have their night of bowchickawowwow went above and beyond."
"I don't need babysitters!" Kurt snapped.
"Yes, you do!"
Kurt huffed but didn't respond because he would much rather watch Oscar Issac sing and play guitar. He did wonder where his dad and Carole were but that question was answered by a change of camera angle on his computer screen.
"Why the hell is my dad at Blaine's concert?"
TBC
Notes:
Let's Hurt Tonight: Tedder, Ryan; Zancanella, Noel 2016
Mirrors: Timberlake, Justin; Fauntleroy, James; Godbey, Chris; Harmon, Jerome; Mosley, Garland; Mosley, Timothy 2013
Song lyrics were changed to fit the narrative
.