Kurt was glad Blaine was busy helping his mom on Saturday so he didn't have to come up with an excuse why he was busy, himself, during the day. He knew he needed to tell Blaine, but he really wanted to do it in person. It hadn't seemed right on the subway ride home following their date. Instead Kurt let himself get lost in Blaine and pushed this secret to the back of his mind. It was all that he could think about on Saturday, though. It came as a relief then when Mr. Michaels had told them he was only going to be working with the adults and Sarah on Sunday. That meant Kurt had two free days from rehearsal, and he hoped he could spend at least one of those with Blaine. He knew he needed to tell him before Monday though because by then the press release will have gone out, the last thing Kurt needed was to have Blaine read his name on one of his blogs first.
As soon as Kurt got the news, he began texting Blaine. Mrs. Bryant reprimanded him for texting while walking though, and he had to wait until he was back at his apartment to see if Blaine had even responded. He hadn't. Kurt being who he was, began to panic after an hour with no response from Blaine. The longer it took, the more worried he became. It wasn't until much later that he finally heard from Blaine.
Sorry it took so long, my mom and I were delivering cakes all day. I'm free tomorrow. We could picnic in Central Park. I'll bring lunch if you bring dessert. My mom's rule is no baking on Sundays ;) I could meet you at your place around 10.
Kurt quickly responded, and they chatted for a few minutes before Blaine told him he was exhausted, so Kurt let him go. In minutes, Kurt was in the kitchen raiding the pantry trying to find the ingredients for a cheesecake. Mrs. Bryant came in to investigate the noise and shook her head at him before joining in to help. Together they made a decadent-looking dark chocolate cheesecake. Mrs. Bryant even ran to the store to pick up fresh raspberries for a compote to go with it. Kurt had never had as much fun with her before. He wished he would have asked her if she liked baking months ago.
When dessert was finished, Kurt began picking out an outfit for the next day before heading to bed.
Kurt was more nervous as he readied himself the next day than he had been for their first date. He wasn't sure just how to bring it up. He tried to push it out of his mind, but it was constantly eating at him from the back of his brain. By the time Blaine picked him up, he was ready to just blurt it, but seeing him formed a knot in his throat, and the words stuck there. They walked together, Blaine telling Kurt about the lavish weddings and parties he had helped his mom deliver cakes to the day before.
"It sounds wonderful," Kurt told him as they walked into the park. "You must be proud of her."
Blaine ducked his head, "I am. I mean when my dad left, she didn't know what she was going to do. She had stayed home ever since my older brother was born, and all of a sudden she was going to have to fend for herself. I mean he pays child support and alimony, but it was going to be a big change for her. Moving here wasn't easy, but we are making it work. I go to a magnet school, so that helps, saves her what she used to pay for private."
"What school do you go to?" Kurt asked as they looked for a nice private spot for their picnic.
"Lower East Side Manhattan School for the Arts. I was lucky to get in as a freshman, I almost missed the application deadline."
Kurt's mind drifted, of course Blaine would go to a school for the arts. Would he understand or resent Kurt, the small town Ohio boy who knew nothing about this world?
"Hey, I saw something interesting this morning. One of my blogs said there was a leak about the new Winter Garden show. They heard it is going to be Peter Pan. They should start previews soon. They are usually cheaper. You want to go?'
"I can't," Kurt breathed before he knew the words were out of his mouth.
"I haven't even said when it is. Do you- Is it that you don't want to go with me?" Blaine looked hurt, and held the blanket he had been about to lay on the ground to his chest. "You have been awfully quiet. But you asked me out. If you don't want to be here, you can just tell me."
"No, it's not that," Kurt rushed to say.
"It's just- you said you liked me- and now I can't get more than a few words out of you- and you won't even look at me. I just get the feeling maybe this isn't what you want." Blaine wouldn't look at him.
"Blaine, I want to be here; I want to be here with you. And I would like nothing better than to go to the Winter Garden with you. But I can't-"
"Why not?" Blaine interrupted.
"Because I'm Peter," Kurt whispered.
They stood staring at each other for a moment before Blaine asked, "What?"
Kurt wasn't sure if he hadn't heard, or maybe he just didn't understand.
"I'm Peter," Kurt said a little louder, glad there was no one else near enough to hear them.
Blaine looked at him a moment before laughing, and it wasn't a pleasant sound.
"God, everything I said to you in Times Square, all my dreams of the stage. I must have sounded so stupid to you."
"No!" Kurt said, grabbing Blaine's hand. "That was still me, I'm still the same lost Midwestern kid who couldn't even find Times Square. Please just let me explain."
"But you lied to me Kurt, you pretended like this was all new to you." Kurt hated the hurt in his eyes.
"It is all new to me. Please just let me explain. If you still want to go after, that's fine, I'll let you. But let me explain first."
Blaine sighed, and Kurt was sure he was going to walk away, instead he flung out the blanket and sat down. "Okay, explain," he said after Kurt just stared at him.
Kurt sat and looked at his hand, he couldn't bear to see the hurt in Blaine's eyes anymore.
"I was planning on telling you today, that's why I have been a little weird. I was trying to work up the courage. I didn't know how to just say it."
"Kurt," it sounded like a warning.
"Most of what I told you before is true. I just left out some details. I moved here in November because of work, but not for my dad, for me. Six days a week I go to rehearsals in the morning, and we have a tutor work with us in the afternoon. Those are my classes. I don't go to school. I'm an actor. From the moment I came here, I have been shunted from place to place in the back of the car. I'm never alone, I never get to enjoy the city. And then Wednesday night, my personal assistant, she's like my nanny, or should I say my bodyguard," Kurt explained bitterly, "got sick, and I snuck out of the apartment. That's when I met you."
"Why didn't you just tell me?" Blaine asked.
Kurt sighed and looked up at Blaine, his hurt was still there, but he also looked like he was really listening to what Kurt said. "A lot of reasons. At first it was just because I didn't know if I could trust you. The producers and director wanted to keep the project very hush hush. If anything got out, and they traced it back to me, I'd be fired. Did you know that most Broadway contracts have a social media clause in them now? If you post information before it has been released, you will be replaced. I couldn't risk you saying anything. I'd be back in Ohio before the end of the day.
Blaine shook his head, "I didn't know that."
"But there was more," Kurt told him, looking at him again. "I really started to like you, and I wanted to see if you liked me for me. If you could like the inexperienced Ohio Kurt, then I guess I could believe it if you liked Broadway Kurt or even Broadway flop Kurt. I've never dated, and if I had told you before, I would have always thought that maybe that was the only reason you liked me."
"But I told you I liked you, you couldn't have told me then?" Blaine asked, his eyes clear now, just wanting to understand.
Kurt shrugged, "I was afraid of ruining a perfect night."
Blaine laughed, disbelief clear in it. "How does this even happen? How do you get cast in a Broadway show and never see New York?"
"Ridiculous, I know," Kurt said, shaking his head. "Mr. Michaels, the director, he saw me on TV in a cheerleading competition. He came to my school and wanted me to audition."
"Because you were a cheerleader?" Blaine asked.
Kurt covered his face in embarrassment. "In the competition I sang a 14 ½ minute Celine Dion medley in French. He thought I could handle a role written for a woman while still being, you know, a guy."
Blaine smiled, a first since the conversation had begun, "I may have to find this video."
"I was amazing," Kurt teased before becoming serious again. "I had to come to New York four times to audition for different producers, the casting director, and the choreographer. Mr. Michaels, he fought for me. No one else saw whatever he saw in me, and in the end they took a chance on me because of him."
"You didn't go exploring then?" Blaine asked.
"We would come for a day or two at a time, but my dad couldn't leave his shop for more than that. There just wasn't time." Kurt laughed a little bitterly, "I told you he was extremely overprotective. I had some trouble back in Ohio, and he was afraid something like that would happen here. When I was officially cast, he insisted on the car and personal assistant."
Blaine looked sadly at him. "I just wish you would have told me."
"I know, and I was going to today. There will be an official press release tomorrow, and everything is going to snowball from there. I needed to tell you today. I didn't want you finding out that way. I just didn't know how to say, 'Oh, by the way, I'm in a Broadway show that goes 'into previews in two weeks, want to come?'"
"That could have worked," Blaine laughed.
"Are you still mad at me?" Kurt asked, feeling small.
Blaine shook his head, "I was never mad, just hurt and confused."
"You don't hate me?" Kurt asked tentatively.
"Kurt, I really like you, that was why I was hurt when I thought you were lying to me. I had more fun with you Friday night than I have had in a long long time."
Kurt smiled genuinely at him, feeling his heart swell.
"Hey I could give you a New York first- I can get you in to see a preview of our preview if you want."
"I think I want to see it with an audience," Blaine said before taking Kurt's hand, "but I can think of some other New York firsts we could share. You already gave me my first New York date, maybe you could be my first New York boyfriend as long as you promise to be honest from now on."
Kurt was stunned for a moment and just looked from their hands to Blaine and back again a few times before he could finally form words. He smiled, flirting at Blaine, "I can think of a lot of New York firsts I might want to share with you." His face grew solemn for a moment, "But, yes, I promise, no more lies."
They enjoyed their picnic, Kurt finally talking openingly about everything. It felt freeing not holding back on this huge part of his life. Blaine told him the blogger had overheard someone in the box office at the Winter Garden talking about the next show. Kurt was just glad that the leak could be in no way associated with him. When the food was gone, they lazed around on the blanket, watching the clouds and talking before Blaine apologized that he had to be home in time for supper, apparently Sunday dinners were as big in the Anderson household as Friday night dinners were to the Hummels.
When he entered the apartment, Mrs. Bryant looked up from her book. "You know I am going to meet this young man soon, right?" she said with a smile on her face.
Kurt rolled his eyes playfully at her, "I'm sure you will eventually."
Eventually came the next day. Kurt was bouncing on his heels in front of the Lower East Side Manhattan School for the Arts, Mrs. Bryant by his side. He was so excited he didn't even mind her chaperoning him on his little adventure. Mr. Michaels had called him earlier and told him. He had been avoiding all media especially after Blaine had texted him that morning only saying, Nice article. He had been too nervous to look. He didn't want to know what the Broadway fanatics had to say about a complete nobody starring in Peter Pan. After the call from James, though, he knew there was no one else he wanted to share this with, and a simple text just would not do. He knew that Blaine was due to get out of school any minute, the timing of Blaine's previous texts combined with a quick google search let Kurt know all he needed to. He stilled when a flood of plaid skirts and blue pants came streaming out of the building. He craned his neck trying to find Blaine amongst the other students. By some miracle he spotted him, walking with a group of boys, some of whom he recognized from the cafe. He made a beeline for them, not taking his eyes off Blaine so he wouldn't lose him.
He could feel his heartbeat picking up as he neared. When he was just a few feet away he called, "Blaine!" En masse the group turned towards him, Blaine with a smile. Some of the group looked curious, a few others looked almost in awe. Kurt tried to ignore the audience as he reached Blaine.
"What are you doing here, Kurt?" Blaine asked his smile still firmly in place, easing Kurt's nerves.
Kurt wanted to reach out and take Blaine's hand but he was still mindful of the crowd around them. "I was wondering if you were free, there is something I want to show you."
"We were just going to go get some coffee," Blaine said looking over to his friends, "but I am sure they wouldn't mind if my boyfriend wanted to steal me away."
Kurt could feel his cheeks heating up. Before he could speak one of the other boys spoke, "I don't know about that Blaine, especially since you haven't even had the decency to introduce us to said boyfriend."
Kurt looked at the boy, his eyebrows were raised, and he looked stern, but before Kurt could worry too much, he winked at Kurt and smiled.
"Sorry Wes, you're right." He moved to stand next to Kurt and took his hand, "Everyone, this is Kurt."
He then began rattling off names of all those assembled. Kurt couldn't have remembered them if he tried. The only one he knew for sure was Wes.
Wes held his hand out, and Kurt was glad he didn't have to release Blaine's to shake it. "We are all planning on getting tickets to a preview for your show. Congratulations on that, by the way."
"Thank you," Kurt breathed. "It's all still sinking in."
"I'll see you guys later," Blaine said pointedly, and the group waved and began to walk off, only a few catcalling and teasing as they left. "Sorry about them. What do you want to show me?"
"Just follow me," Kurt said with an impish grin so reminiscent of the character he was soon to bring to life on stage. In actuality, as they had planned, Kurt followed Mrs. Bryant as she led the way; Kurt was thankful, however, that Blaine pretended not to notice. As they walked Kurt asked Blaine about his day.
"It was just school," Blaine rolled his eyes playfully. "Although I did read this fascinating article about this mysterious unknown who is opening Peter Pan soon at The Winter Garden. My friends did not believe that it was my boyfriend until they compared the picture we took yesterday with the one in the article."
Kurt bumped his shoulder into Blaine's.
"Seriously. Please tell me about your day. I don't want this to be all about me."
"Besides the article it was just school. I'm sure your day was way more exciting than mine," Blaine said, shaking his head, not looking at Kurt.
Kurt tugged at his hand until Blaine looked over at him once more.
"Do you want to know about my exciting day? I tried to sleep in, but I was too nervous. Then I sat around the house trying to lose myself in bad TV to ignore the world around me and not worry about all the people who would now be judging me, worried that they are going to see me for the fraud that I am. I sat in a little bubble all day until I could steal you away."
Blaine looked at him in disbelief. Kurt tried to explain, "My days… besides the circumstances that brought me here, are not as exciting as you think. Everyday except Monday, I go to the studio, we rehearse, we eat, we rehearse some more, and then I work with a tutor for school. I don't have any friends. I'm not young enough or have anything in common with the Lost Boys. The adults have families or friends and don't want to hang out with the 17-year-old new kid. The only other cast member my age is insufferable. Mrs. Bryant is the only person I spend any time with, and she is paid to do it. Now I have you, and I want to hear about your day. Sometimes I miss having a normal life, I miss just being a teenager. So, please, tell me about your day."
Blaine looked up at him through his lashes, a blush coloring his cheeks.
"In History we are studying the Revolutionary War. We have to write mock diaries from the point-of-view of our assigned historical figure. So I have been researching Lafayette. Then I had AP Calculus. Thankfully, Mr. Larken doesn't believe in homework. I get enough of that class when I am in there." Blaine laughed, and Kurt couldn't help his own smile.
Blaine continued to explain to Kurt about his day. Kurt never thought he would be excited to hear about classes, but hearing about the advanced curriculum Blaine was exposed to compounded with the arts classes, Kurt found himself a little jealous. Along with English Composition, AP Biology, and Italian III, Blaine was taking dance for non-dance majors, musical theatre, and vocal performance.
"It sounds wonderful," Kurt sighed wistfully.
Blaine laughed and looked at Kurt in amazement, "You are getting ready to open on Broadway, and you think my day sounds wonderful?"
"My school… my old school, I never felt challenged. The classes were boring and superficial, even the AP classes were a joke. No one ever took them because we knew we would never learn enough to actually pass the tests. Our electives were even worse. I was signed up to take Glee Club and Home Ec for the third year in a row. There were no other music classes besides band, and we didn't have a theatre department. Even Glee was taught by the Spanish teacher. I only had a handful of what I would call friends and only a couple I was kinda close to. I would have killed to go to a school like yours."
Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand. "One of the best things about the show is I know I don't have to go back to that. I know we will run at least until May. By then I will have finished up my junior and senior year work, and I will be 18 so I can graduate."
A smile quirked Blaine's lips, "So you won't go back to Ohio, you are in New York to stay?"
"My dad… I don't think he realizes it yet, but yea, I'm in New York to stay," Kurt said breathlessly, a feeling of pressure like an invisible band wrapped firmly around his chest, waiting for Blaine's reaction.
"Good," Blaine smiled softly before leaning his head on Kurt's shoulder. "That means I don't ever have to say goodbye to you, not really."
The band around Kurt's chest broke, and he let out a stuttering breath. "All the more reason to stay here."
The crowds around them were getting thicker, and Kurt took a moment to look around them. They were almost there. They crossed one last street before landing in the middle of Times Square.
"Here we are," Kurt said, drawing to a halt beside Mrs. Bryant. "Oh, by the way this is Mrs Bryant."
"Nice to meet you at last Blaine," Mrs. Bryant said giving Blaine an impish grin.
"You too. Um, Kurt," Blaine laughed. "We've been here before, I showed it to you that first night, remember?"
"You did, but there is something here I want to show you."
Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand trying to rein in his growing excitement. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mrs. Bryant nod her head in the direction of one of the electric billboards that had just gone black.
"Look," he pointed to the sign just as it began to light up again.
There, larger than life, Peter Pan loomed over the crowd, his feet planted firmly on the ground shoulder-width apart, his hands on his hips, bright and colorful against the white background. His chin was raised slightly with a mischievous turn on his lips. Words surrounded him. "The Winter Garden Presents Kurt Hummel as Peter Pan."
Kurt's heart seemed to stop at the sight above him. It felt like a glorious dream, one he never wanted to wake up from; a handsome boy by his side, holding his hand, and his name and image appearing in lights in the middle of Times Square. His breath came in shudders as his eyes began to burn with unshed tears. He couldn't tear his eyes away, just lost in the moment and the feel of Blaine's hand squeezing his.
"Oh, my god," he heard Blaine whisper beside him. Kurt could feel his mouth hanging open. Even knowing what he was bringing them here to see didn't lesson the shock of it actually happening. He tried to blink back tears that couldn't be kept at bay.
Mrs. Bryant put a warm hand on his shoulder, her voice proud as she said, "Just look at you."
Kurt swiped at the tears on his face with one hand as he squeezed Blaine's with the other, finally able to move. A laugh came unbidden as he asked, "Is this really happening?"
He could feel Blaine bouncing on his heels beside him. "Oh my god, it really is. That's you, Kurt! You did it, you're one of those people now that people are going to look up at and want to be."
Kurt turned his eyes, landing on his boyfriend beside him. His face was so full of admiration, no negative emotion tinting it.
"Thank you for sharing this with me."
Kurt smiled at Blaine. "It's like a dream… everything about it. Times Square, me up there, and you. Mostly you."
He wanted to tell him how lonely he had been, how much he longed for someone to notice him, to be interested in him. There was so much he wanted to say about how this was all the more special with Blaine by his side, but the words wouldn't come. He was filled with entirely too many emotions; he couldn't sort them out into words. It didn't matter in the end, just seeing the unreserved joy on Blaine's face, he thought he understood.
"Pictures!" Mrs. Bryant practically cheered. "First, just Kurt and then, the two of you."
Kurt turned around and posed for Mrs. Bryant and Blaine, his gargantuan form behind him. He saw people behind them staring for a moment before they, too, began taking his picture. He hated that they were intruding on their private moment, but he also knew if the roles were reversed he wouldn't have hesitated to snap a pic of an up-and-coming Broadway star.
After a few pictures Mrs. Bryant urged, "Ok, Blaine, you get in there, too."
Without hesitation, Blaine handed Mrs. Bryant his phone, walked next to Kurt, and slid his arm around his waist. He didn't seem to mind the random tourist snapping pictures of the two of them. He just beamed as he looked between Kurt and Mrs. Bryant.
For a moment Kurt's smile faltered as he watched the crowd with cameras grow. His heartbeat picked up in an unpleasant way, but then Blaine was squeezing his side and whispering in his ear, "Ignore them, don't let them steal this moment from you."
Kurt looked over at Blaine's easy smile and couldn't help but return it. His heart squeezed in an entirely different way, but it was a pleasant, hopeful feeling. It felt like falling, like flying.
"Kurt dear, let me see your face," Mrs. Bryant called over to him. When he turned to her, his smile lit his entire face.
The pictures taken, Mrs. Bryant waved them over, and Blaine confidently took Kurt's hand as they walked toward her. The crowd around them seemed to forget their existence, and turned their attention to one of the other thousand things to see.
"Here you go dear," she said, handing Blaine his phone back. "I know you two probably want to go do something, so I will just see you at home, Kurt. Just remember, we have an early day tomorrow, and don't stay out too late. I need my beauty sleep, and your father will have my head if I go to bed before you get home."
"Thank you," Kurt said, surprising her by bringing her into a hug.
She patted his cheek and then walked away. They watched her retreating figure for a moment before Kurt turned to Blaine.
Kurt turned to Blaine, "Thank you for sharing this with me."
"It isn't over yet," Blaine winked.
Kurt could feel his heart racing, his breath was short, and all he could do for a moment was stare at Blaine's plump inviting lips. His eyes shifted back up to Blaine's. Kurt bit his lip at being caught, but then Blaine's eyes drifted back down to his lips, and Kurt knew he wasn't the only one feeling this. Kurt leaned down closing the distance and captured Blaine's lips with his. For a second their lips just pressed together, a simple kiss, but then Blaine's hand cupped the back of Kurt's neck. Kurt drew in a quick breath through his nose, and their lips began to move together. His hand found its way to Blaine's face, and he swiped his tongue lightly against Blaine's lips and then inside his mouth. They stood kissing in the middle of Times Square, oblivious to those around them. Kurt finally pulled away and rested his forehead against Blaine's.
"I officially have the best first kiss story of anyone I know."