Last Ten
Dates
(prompted by darrenchris6)
...
by padfoot
"Kurt. I wasn't expecting you to be online."
Kurt's smiled faltered a bit, and he asked, "I'm sorry, is this a bad time?"
"No!" Blaine hastily replied, pushing aside his Calculus book. "It's a great time, we haven't talked in ages. How are you? How's New York? Is the job still fabulous as always?"
Grinning, Kurt's eyes were affectionate as he listened to Blaine's myriad questions, but once they were over he simply shook his head and said, "Urgh, no, enough about me. All I ever talk about is New York these days. I just called because I want to hang out with you."
Blaine nodded eagerly, "Yeah, sure. Hanging out would be great too. Only, um... how do we do that, exactly? On Skype?"
"Uh... we could watch TV? Tonight's 'Treme' night, right? So maybe you could put that on and we could criticise it together. Or just watch it together. Like old times."
"Only, without the making out," Blaine added.
Kurt pouted, "But that was my favourite part!"
"Mine too. I'll go make the popcorn."
They reconvened a few minutes later, Blaine armed with a bowl or popcorn and Kurt with a packet of it that he'd dug of the cupboard. It was Rachel's crappy, healthy, organic stuff, he'd said with a sour expression, but it would have to do. Blaine took another minute to change into his pyjamas (and if he lingered in front of the camera in a slightly-less-than-fully-clothed stage then that wasn't really anyone's business but his and Kurt's), and soon enough they were both set up in front of Blaine's TV. Kurt's face was set as he watched the opening sequence, and when, two minutes in, he and Blaine were in a deep discussion about the importance of incorporating zydeco music into popular culture, it kind of sort of felt like normal. Like a real date.
Except with no making out.
...
"It's 'Treme' time!"
Blaine looked at his clock – was it that late already? He glanced at the growing pile of homework on his desk, then back at his boyfriend's excited smile.
"Great," he said. "I'll go get the popcorn."
...
"Oh, God, Blaine – I'm so sorry. Have you been waiting up for long?"
Blaine sighed into the receiver, ignoring the pitch black sky outside his window and the glowing numbers on his clock.
"No, it's fine. I was awake anyway."
"Don't lie to me," Kurt said, "I know I'm keeping you up late. You shouldn't wait for me to get home. It's just that things are crazy at work right now. Isabelle thinks that there might be a market for a second music video ad, and she's saying that with this one they might give me a budget and everything. Isn't that great?"
"It sounds fantastic, Kurt," Blaine yawned, settling back against his pillow.
"That's what I thought! And, naturally Rachel wants to play another starring role in it, which Isabelle might actually just go for if I introduce them properly. And that would be amazing, wouldn't it? If, as well as forwarding my career, I could do something for Rachel as well. I mean, New York is fabulous and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it's tough to make it here, I can see that already. But with an opportunity like this, it'd be plain ridiculous to give it up..."
"Mmmhmm."
"Blaine?"
"Mmm, Kurt."
"Honey, are you asleep?"
"Nuhh."
Kurt smiled at Blaine's incomprehensible response.
"Blaine, I feel like I'm keeping you up."
"R'not. I want to- ...you talk- uhm..."
"Okay, I'll keep talking then. Have I told you about this boy, Brody, that Rachel's been spending time with?"
Blaine shook his head, smiling as Kurt dove into another story. He snuggled deeper into his sheets, letting the sound of his boyfriend's voice lull him to sleep.
...
"I'm sorry, I know it's late and you're probably just in the bathroom or something and were waiting up for me to call. But it's fine, really, because I can't actually talk. So I'm kind of just calling to say that I can't call. But we can reschedule our next phone-date, right? How about tomorrow night or- no, wait, the next day, maybe? And you would've been calling me then anyway, so what if I just call you instead and it'll be fine. I love you!"
...
"I can't talk for long, sorry."
Blaine smiled as Kurt's face appeared on the computer screen. His hair was done up perfectly and a smart, white shirt was visible at his collar. The sight of one of his own bowties encircling his boyfriend's neck made Blaine smile even wider.
"You look great," he said, "Busy night?"
"About to have a busy night," Kurt clarified, his eyes unfocussed as he looked at something on the other side of his computer screen. "Rachel's insisting we go out to Callbacks with Brody. She wants to do a duet. Or fifty."
"Well, who can blame her, with a singing partner like you."
"Oh, no – she doesn't want to sing with me." Kurt seemed to be on autopilot as he responded to Blaine, still clearly doing something else as he continued on, "She wants to sing with Brody. And I would too, if I didn't have already have a wonderful and far more attractive male duet partner."
He grinned momentarily, eyes glancing to what Blaine assumed was his side of screen for a brief moment.
"I feel like I'm keeping you..." Blaine hinted, hoping that Kurt would look his way again and maybe they could talk properly for a second.
"Oh, don't worry. You're not really. Rachel's still fussing with her hair. And I'm just trying to book these tickets online... so I can talk to you at the same time, it's really no problem."
Blaine wondered if he wanted to remind Kurt that this was supposed to be primarily date time, not booking-something-online-and-also-taking-to-Blaine time.
"What are the tickets for?" he asked instead, biting his tongue as he watched his boyfriend continue to ignore him. He wondered if Kurt would even notice if Blaine had another person in his room, or was naked, or standing on his head. Or all three.
"Um..." Kurt was clearly concentrating hard, moving the mouse with his hand out of sight. "This fashion show thing. It's sort of big deal, but Isabelle said if I booked in as- hang on..." he was silent, tongue between his teeth as he concentrated hard on whatever he was reading.
Blaine sat awkwardly at his own computer, moving his hand to fiddle with a pen on his desk.
"Look, Blaine," Kurt was speaking again, and Blaine glanced back up, thankful to see that finally his boyfriend's full attention actually seemed to be on him. "This is more complicated than I thought it'd be. Can I Skype you back in a few minutes? I just have to call Isabelle."
Blaine nodded, "Yeah, that's fine. I have some, um, homework to finish off anyway."
"Thanks," Kurt smiled, "love you!"
Smiling stiffly in response, Blaine stayed silent, watching as Kurt ended the call.
Blaine leant back in his chair, glancing at his clock. It was 10:30 now – he'd give Kurt half an hour to call back, and then go to bed.
Two hours later, Kurt still hadn't called, and it was with a sinking feeling in his stomach that Blaine signed out of Skype and Facebook, lifting his computer down onto the floor beside his bed. He tried to remember what it was like when Kurt used to fall asleep with him here. But, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't picture it at all.
...
"Hey! You've reached Kurt Hummel. I can't answer my phone right now for some reason, but if you leave a message I might call back. You never know. Thanks!"
"Um, hi, Kurt. It's Blaine. We were supposed to Skype tonight but, uh, I guess you're busy. No problem. I'm just- well, I'm probably going to bed now. School tomorrow and stuff. So, we'll talk later. Bye."
"Hey! You've reached Kurt Hummel. I can't answer my phone right now for some reason, but if you leave a message I might call back. You never know. Thanks!"
"I just left a message. This isn't an extra one. It's just that I realised that I forgot to say I love you. And I do. So, yeah. I love you. We'll talk soon."
...
"I'm so sorry I'm late."
It had become something of a greeting of Kurt's, those five words. And Blaine wouldn't mind – really, he wouldn't – if only they weren't said quite so often.
"Don't worry," he started to say, "It's fi-"
But it wasn't fine.
Kurt wasn't there for him these days, and not just at stupid, silly times when Blaine just wanted to call and say hello, but at important times too. Kurt was missing pre-ordained, organised times: Skype dates that they'd set aside, the 10 minutes every other night that they'd promised to leave just for each other. It wasn't so much to ask, was it? It wasn't unfair for Blaine to be annoyed, just a little, that Kurt couldn't even spare those measly little minutes of his day, right?
"It's not fine, actually," Blaine said, trying to keep his voice even, trying not to sound angry.
Because he wasn't angry, not really. He was just lonely – acutely so – and for some reason he'd come to expect that Kurt would be able to heal that loneliness, even from far away. Somehow, he'd been sure that Kurt would always be able to make him feel better.
"Blaine?" Kurt's tone was immediately concerned, and it broke Blaine's heart a little to know that he'd made Kurt so worried. "Is everything all right?"
"Of course everything's all right," Blaine sighed. "I'm just-"
"Yes?"
But he couldn't say it. After all the complaints, all the frustration and ache that was building up inside him, suddenly Blaine realised that, for the first time, Kurt wasn't helping. Not now. Not from so far away.
"I have to go."
"Why? Are you sure nothing's wrong?" Kurt asked.
And, really, Blaine was angry, now. Because Kurt- if Kurt had just been there – if he'd been listening instead of going on and on about his new life all the time, if he'd bothered to pay one bit of attention to Blaine over the past few weeks he'd know without even having to ask that yes, Kurt, something was very, very wrong. But Kurt had no idea. He was sitting there in New York, living his dream life and not needing Blaine in it. Not even realising how much it hurt for Blaine to hear that from him over and over again.
"Everything's fine," Blaine lied, his tone flat. "I just have to do- uh... something. Glee club stuff."
Kurt sounded dubious as he said, "Okay. Should we reschedule our phone date 'til later then? I can call you back when you're not busy any more."
"No. It's fine. You don't need to- uh, this has been a good enough date. A great date. I'm just- I have to go. Bye, Kurt."
"Bye, I lo-" the dial tone was already sounding, and Blaine had picked up his jacket and left the room before Kurt had the chance to say one last I love you.
...
"Blaine? Are you there and just not picking up? Or are you really not there at all? And if you're not there at all, where the hell are you, because I've called like fifty times in the past two hours and- look, I guess it's not my business. Unless you're mad at me or something. In which case I'm sorry, really, although I don't know exactly know what for.
"It's just that it sort of feels like maybe you weren't telling me something, before. You know, the other night? And it sort of feels like you're avoiding me. I want you to be able to tell me everything, Blaine. I've always wanted that, even when we still just friends. So please, if you are avoiding me, please stop. I've missed you for the last few nights.
"I miss you all the time.
"So, I'm sorry if I've done something wrong, and please feel free to talk to me if there's anything at all that I should know. Or just something that you want to get off your chest, or whatever.
"I love you. Bye."
...
"Hey! You've reached Kurt Hummel. I can't answer my phone right now for some reason, but if you leave a message I might call back. You never know. Thanks!"
"I love you too. So much. And I'm so sorry that I've been missing dates. But you missed this one, so maybe we're even!
"That was a joke. Sorry. It was pretty awful.
"Um, but, yeah. Nothing's wrong, so please don't worry about me. Keep having a fantastic time. I'll be there with you before you know it.
"Did I mention that I love you? Because I do, Kurt. So fucking much that it hurts."
...
The flowers were in a vase on the windowsill and Rachel, Finn, Kurt and Blaine were scattered on the couch and floor when the conversation finally died down and Blaine asked, eyes bright and curious, "So, what are we doing tonight?"
"Callbacks!" Rachel sang in response, bouncing on the cushions to emphasise her excitement. "And we should go now, really. Otherwise the waiting list for karaoke will take forever."
With that, she jumped off the couch, holding up a hand to pull Finn up too. His lack of enthusiasm was utterly lost on Rachel, who then offered her other hand to Blaine, wiggling her fingers when he paused before grabbing it and letting her haul him off the floor.
Kurt got up before Rachel had a chance to figure out how she could hold all three boys' hands, rolling his eyes at Finn when he shot him a nervous look. Sidling up beside Blaine, Kurt delicately extracted his boyfriend's hand from Rachel's, taking it in his own.
"Don't worry," Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear. "The night will fly by. Then we can have a proper date tomorrow."
"This doesn't count as a proper date?" Blaine asked, letting Kurt and himself fall behind as Rachel hurried Finn out the door and started downstairs to the street.
Kurt raised his eyebrows, "Do you want it to count?"
Blaine grinned, "I want all the dates I can get with you."
Still in need of 5 more prompts, so wrack your minds for them, please!