AN: Different school start at different times. Some even have their years starting in very different months. The schools are all totally made up (including NYADA, lol) (and some of the things that happen in here are only what I hope happens during these events/holidays). I did say these can be read separately depending on your OTP but they kind of tie in together a tiny bit with a thread if you look carefully. Also, I'd wanted to do an Adam gets the guy story because he's always the too nice place holder or a nice guy who always leaves in the end but the reason is totally understandable. I'm not going to count this one as that one story where he finally gets the guy. This doesn't count because... well... you'll see. (But it's not not that too).
AN2: I originally wrote a thesis argument about how the New York part was actually a very beautifully written pro-Blaine/Klaine piece. A wise-reader would be able to look beyond the criticism of things Blaine did in cannon and see the very adult things shared there (and a fix it to cannon's sad, glossed over ending) and would be able to see that Klaine's just a part of the reason for it's existence and is not actually about them but the life that Kurt would have had if he'd chosen New York compared to the following options. Although if you didn't like that fix-it fic of the lackluster paper-covering ending to Glee in terms of those two, then yeah, please don't continue reading because you definitely won't like how I characterize Blaine going forward.
I really like what I wrote. If anyone wants to see the original argument, just PM me but I won't force it down anyone's throat. I wanted to stir a debate and a debate is what I've gotten, so I'm happy. You're free to take what you want out of the updates. :)
AN3: Also, I don't have a beta, and I'm usually too excited to post chapters when I finish them so there are often mistakes with spelling, especially because my version of the document sometimes stops catching spelling mistakes and I have to close and reopen to find them.
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Part 3
London
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"I don't know..." Kurt looked again at the school in London's packet. The glossy pages weren't lying, the school had looked exactly like this. It as a gorgeous castle surrounded by other buildings of interesting architecture and each building kind of reflected the education you could receive inside their walls, or lack of them. They were offering a bit of a more of a broad education, which wasn't as much of a European system of education as normal, taking a page out of the American college system to a tiny degree. It was still a majority of career related classes but with the ability to explore other options and interests too at the same time.
The students had been energetic and enthusiastic and so much. Kurt was quick but he felt like he couldn't keep up with them. It was a little daunting. It was like Dalton on steroids. They were so smart and witty and had all known what they were going to do for years. His peers, the incoming freshmen hadn't been quite as bad but he was so lost while they all spoke. There were a few other Americans there looking at the school and weighing their options, a few others from around the world, including Canada, New Zealand and Australia. There had been a very attractive boy from South Africa who's accent just captured him. He'd always thought he'd been a sucker for a good English accent but this boy's accent... was the most delicious thing he'd ever heard.
Thankfully, he was completely straight and cool with Kurt, taking the obvious slack-jawed looks with grace and ease and a bit of flattery.
"They paid for your flight there and back, just so you could check them out." Blaine pointed out as he, Rachel and Mercedes laid on Kurt's floor with him, going through the pros and cons for all of the options. Blaine had surprisingly been pro-London while Rachel was firmly in NYADA's camp and Mercedes kept picking up and leafing through the Paris information.
"They didn't just send me home after the weekend or the tours..." Kurt thought with agreement, they even encouraged him to take a side trip over to France and look at the school while he was in Europe on their dime. It just made them look even better, so why not? "I just don't get what they see in me to offer me such a scholarship." Especially, since he hadn't applied or even looked at the school.
"I may have sent them a video of you singing in an outfit you designed and made yourself." Blaine looked a little bashful. "I've always liked London and I want to one day play adult Harry Potter in the Cursed Child."
"So to see yourself over there, you're sending Kurt there ahead of time?" Mercedes pointed out.
Blaine shrugged. "I thought he'd like it there too." He didn't see just how manipulative that was though.
"I'm going to be so much further away." Kurt tried to keep the peace and pushed Rachel's hand away when she kept trying to slide NYADA's info toward him and on top of the others. She was not being subtle at all about it.
"You start later, you have everything but extracurricular activities covered, including flights there and back three times a year. If you want to come home any other random time I think you'll have the money for it, especially if you work extra hard before you go." Blaine played with Kurt's ear. "Besides, I'll come out and visit sometimes. It'll be fine."
"There's a bit of a time difference." Kurt warned. "And with all these classes they're offering, I might be really busy. They also require an internship each semester."
"It's going to be ok." Blaine insisted. "I'll understand."
He might have said he would, but in the end his emotions got the better of him and he didn't. He really, really didn't. He hated how much Kurt worked before going, but attempted to appear supportive, especially after his dad had his second heart attack and Kurt's time was called upon even more. "It's less than a year, and then I'll be there too. New York can wait, get a good solid foundation in acting in one of the premiere locations that churn out amazing actors and come back eventually to Broadway or stay in London."
Kurt had never planned on it, but he was going to London for school. Blaine was right, they were young and New York would always be there. It might take longer to get there, but this was an opportunity that he'd never get a second time. He had to capitalize on it now.
His dad's health recovered and then he was practically shoving Kurt onto the plane himself. He got to London two weeks prior to the term starting and had to figure out how to settle in to his new life, a life he had never planned.
Perhaps that had worked in his favor. He had always been a fan of England and London but hadn't imagined what life would be like for him there. He had fewer expectations and fantasies to contend with and fewer to break apart when it wasn't like he thought.
Life was life in London, perhaps a bit fast-forward to what it would have been like even in New York. The second he arrived in London, he was of age and he was invited to bars by his classmates within minutes of meeting them. He found that there was a lot of studying and life happening at the bars. The secrets to the world were discovered over a pint.
They waxed poetry, wrote it down and repeated it for a bigger crowd if it worked with their friends. They sang and cheered for their teams while at the pubs and then just sang for the hell of it. They would embarrass each other and have each other's backs and Kurt had been involved in a couple of brawls. Some just because and only a few just because of the field they were pursing. Debates were rife for the picking and ripe for getting deep and detailed and philosophical.
It was fun, being involved so much like this. He'd never had this in the past, not at Dalton and not at McKinley. Here, these really were his friends and peers and they made each other stronger. He'd been a bit weary at first, having known the Brit's reputation toward outsiders, but that appeared to only be true if a British person went away and brought back an American to his friends. Or at least as far as dramas wanted the Americans to believe.
They were all quite lovely, and shot right to the heart of the matter with varying levels of sugar-coating but they always called a spade a spade even if it was dressed up first, they wouldn't shy away from their opinions. It took Kurt a little while to get there himself but he also was able to speak that way while in England with his chums and turn back to who he was when talking with his friends and family across the pond. His roommate often laughed at him when he did so.
He did have a lot more time for Blaine and had gone home for a few of Blaine's achievements in September and October and answered his calls when they were during the hours Kurt was awake. Blaine was still getting a bit testy as it wasn't all the times he called and quite often Kurt was laughing at something that had been said and it was clear in his voice when he answered. Blaine didn't like that Kurt was having so much fun in England without him.
He'd wanted Kurt to like London enough to stay put until Blaine could join him but he hadn't expected Kurt to flourish so well on his own. He didn't get to ride in as savior and connector of Kurt to the masses and only through him could he have friends.
Blaine was due for a reciprocal trip to London. He was going to come for Bonfire Night. So far they'd been able to see each other in person one long weekend a month. It just so happened that Kurt's classes lined up perfectly to have every Monday off this semester. Since it was now November, they'd be able to see each other twice this month and then for a longer time period in December and early January. Kurt wanted to go home this year, check on his dad again but even as he planned a trip home, he was feeling the FOMO of what his friends were planning here.
Blaine ended up on Kurt's doorstep two days early. "I booked an earlier flight, I missed you and couldn't wait until the weekend to see you." Blaine announced and Kurt let him in reluctantly. He had a few tests this week and hadn't been planning on entertaining before the weekend. "You go out nearly every night." Blaine pointed out with a frown when Kurt said he had to stay in and study that Thursday night. Kurt had been coming back from the bar on Wednesday when he saw Blaine sitting outside his dorm hall.
"And I will probably still do so but not for as long and later." Kurt shrugged. "It just depends on how much studying I get done. They're great at helping with it but it's also a distraction." Besides, Blaine wouldn't be in on the jokes and so they would have to change tactics to include him. It wouldn't be as good for any of them. Kurt didn't really want to interrupt their sessions either, they'd all planned for extras on the weekend, had their mindset on that. Blaine being there too many nights too early would throw them off too and could be detrimental to their tests. "I don't know... maybe I really should just stay in." Kurt smiled and tried to turn Blaine's head to what they could be doing instead with those hours but Blaine was strangely uninterested. He seemed to put extra space between them when Kurt tried to get closer.
Otherwise he acted like he always did, but something was wrong, off, with his boyfriend. Blaine decided he was going to go out to a bar while Kurt studied. Kurt sighed and let Blaine kiss his cheek on his way out. Kurt stayed staring at his books for about 20 minutes before packing them up and heading out to join his friends. They really made studying so much easier and better and he always did better on tests after a night with them, as crazy as it sounded, he was just able to remember it better in context.
They acted out the scene that they were going to be tested on and got cheers from the nearby tables and shush sounds from others but all were used to it. Then they discussed the passage in intimate detail for hours, each sharing their thoughts on it.
Kurt returned home to find a passed out and snoring Blaine. His roommate lifted a brow as it was the second night in a row that his sleep was interrupted. Kurt sent him an apology look and promise to make it up to him. His roommate gave a small chuckle and then went to bed, not truly angry with Kurt.
Bonfire Night and they were all out together. Blaine had swanned off up ahead of them chatting with some guy after basically flirting with a group of girls and then laughingly telling them that he was there with Kurt. They'd been surprised and glanced at Kurt and then looked back at Blaine, their opinion being reset and then they shrugged, understanding and seeing it then.
They'd been going around with their mugs and a cooler wheeled behind a few of them for about an hour now. The cooler switched off between attendees so all were equals. Kurt had taken Blaine's turn for him when he seemed oblivious and too far ahead to call out on it. His friends had wanted to but Kurt just shook his head. "Let him have his fun, he's on vacation."
"It's all of our holiday." His roommate muttered.
"He's such a ponce." One of his best friends grumbled and Kurt glanced at him in surprise. It was the South African that he'd been so enamored by during the tour. They'd both decided on attending but not everyone in their group had, only a handful of others. More attended though than they'd met that day, having only been a single tour group of hopefuls. "There's something not right with him."
"He's not what we expected when you talked about having a boyfriend." One of his girl friends commented.
"He's not good enough for you." Another of the girls said with tears in her eyes. She was a wee bit drunk and she could normally handle her liquor so well. It just proved that the Bonfire Night was working. They would go to different bonfires and the hosts would fill up their mugs in exchange for some sausage that would get roasted and then shared with everyone in attendance. Then the group would move on to the next Bonfire while the hosts repeated for the next group.
The end of the night was going to be met with fireworks and then tomorrow would continue on as normal. They still had a long time to go. They'd marked it out so they could hit as many bonfires as possible and then have only a short walk back after the last one. It would all depend on how fast they drank and their sausage cooked of course, which would depend on the fire at each bonfire too.
"I don't know what your problem is with him." Kurt frowned. "He's always been a good boyfriend." Well, for the most part. There were a few instances that were less than stellar. Though something was off. Blaine was putting as much distance between them as he could tonight and during the day he was practically clinging to Kurt's arm.
"I don't like him." Kurt's best friend commented darkly. "Something's not right."
"Ok." Kurt squeezed his forearm in acceptance and understanding, not holding it against him. His roommate slipped his hand into Kurt's and held it while Kurt's other hand was still wheeling the cooler behind him. As he wheeled, his own mug was in the cooler while the rest carried their own or was in their own coolers. Kurt glanced at his roommate who smiled reassuringly, sure whatever it was would come to light. He swung their arms as they walked, it was totally normal to see them do just this with this group. His roommate was also, woefully, straight, but wonderfully was a fantastic friend.
All too soon, their predictions came true. As the first firecrackers lit up the sky all around London, Blaine turned to Kurt with tears gushing down his face. "I was with another guy." Kurt stared at him, hardly believing his ears. Thinking that Kurt just didn't hear him over the zips and whizzes surrounding them, he spoke louder, to be heard over the sounds. "I cheated!" He shouted and Kurt was numb and drunk and stumbled away from his boyfriend and crashed into his friends who were sitting together. Blaine had requested they sit a bit apart, so they could be more intimate and alone and Kurt had reluctantly agreed, it was romantic in its way. Apparently Blaine was so overcome with the situation and the romantic intimacy that he couldn't hold it in anymore. He just had to confess.
Now Kurt was glad that Blaine had rebuffed all attempts at being physically intimate during this trip. It would have made it so much worse and it was already quite terrible. Details would have to come later, of course, but for now he needed his friends.
They laughed at him but caught him and they'd always catch him. They pulled him into their group and cuddled in close, not realizing that they were supporting him in more than they'd thought. Blaine attempted to follow but he was regaled to the outer circle and couldn't get close to Kurt. It was by all of their designs, including Kurt's. If he'd wanted to be closer to Blaine, it would have been all too easy to go to him. They didn't let Blaine in though.
Blaine would fling that at him in the future.
He'd be shut down quickly and made to apologize, even physically pushing him to do so in one case. Kurt told everyone what happened the next day over coffee, tea and biscuits. Blaine was sleeping on the floor in the dorm room, which the roommate had not missed and had pressed publicly. Kurt could have lessened it, even going so far as hiding the truth and being kinder to Blaine and saving himself the humiliation of announcing he'd been cheated on.
Except... why? They'd have pried the full truth eventually and it was best to get it over with now. They rallied around him and tossed Blaine back into the ocean. There were plenty of other fish in many different waters, Kurt was not limited.
Several of his friends back home couldn't believe he'd cut that string and tried to hand him a net and a safety line. His friends in London tossed the net overboard and took a blowtorch to the safety line, not letting him fall back in to the shark infested waters.
Rachel, surprisingly, wasn't pro-Klaine. She had her sights set on snaring Blaine to NYADA in Kurt's place. She wanted a familiar face with her in the halls and one that looked good on her arm as her 'best gay'. She already had two gay dads but that didn't give her enough cred, that wasn't her doing but rather where she'd been born. She was a bit more accepting than some others but Rachel wasn't really accepting of much that wasn't her way or fit into her world view.
She missed out on having Kurt there, she was doubling down on the confused Blaine Anderson in his time of vulnerability. Kurt stayed out of it. He heeded the advice of his smarter friends and didn't bend and reach out. They had him too busy to focus on that and they weren't constantly reminding him like Rachel would have.
Rachel was miserable in the dorm but while she would have asked to live with Kurt had he attended NYADA, she had to stick it out. She was now dating someone by the name of Brody and he also lived in the dorm, so it made things a bit better.
Kurt kept tabs on the others and they were all doing pretty well, in mostly different states, pursuing very different things. Santana was head of the cheer team at her college in New Mexico and Brittany was at MIT. Quinn was at Princeton, Finn was attending OSU and Puck was in LA along with Mercedes but they didn't cross paths much.
Now that Kurt was officially single, they attempted to set him up with whatever gay guy they had met in passing. Kurt rolled his eyes at his friends' antics but did accept the dates. A few were contenders but nobody stuck around long, he just wasn't all that interested. He just wanted to lick his wounds and move on.
He had to go home for Thanksgiving though and while his school didn't acknowledge it, since it wasn't one of their holidays, he was still given a pass for missing a majority of the week of school. They'd purposefully made certain weeks lighter in deference to the different important holidays to the students around the world but they made the time around it that much harder and harder to miss. Yet they were also flexible, if you left for one holiday but there was another you didn't celebrate, they let you shift things as needed.
One of his American friends joined him on the trek home. She lived in Indianapolis but knew that Kurt was planning on attending the play his ex was in, but to support his other friends who were also in it. She went to keep Kurt strong and sane and then hightailed it to Indianapolis for the rest of the holiday break.
He was thankful for her attendance, and he just had to get through a few days with Finn and his dad asking too many nosy questions. Rachel didn't come over, didn't even make it back to Ohio for Thanksgiving but had seen Blaine on stage the week prior, somehow, for some reason. Her dads came out to her in New York this year.
Then he was back in London and was there to stay for quite some time. He convinced his dad to come to London this year, alone. It worked out because Carole and Finn were going to one of her relatives for the holiday. Kurt didn't know them as they weren't allowed to attend the wedding or come over to their house since the marriage and any parties they threw. Burt didn't particularly like them but he didn't share why but Kurt had a feeling he understood. Even Carole had looked less than pleased but Finn got on with his peers and so she reluctantly agreed to go there with him. Finn should really be coming to London, it was an opportunity missed, but Kurt supposed there was at least another 3 years he could come out.
Now though, Kurt was unsure of his own plans. He'd thought about going through school here and attempting to go to New York and being in the theater world there, maybe even doing a bit more education in New York to have an institute in the US behind him. Kurt was having too much fun and enjoying his time here too much to really view that as his intended path. He supposed he would have to figure that out when it got closer. With his friends here, he could see himself staying more permanently.
London didn't disappoint and went all out for the holiday season and Kurt showed his dad all the things that he'd already fallen in love with about the city and then they explored more of the city that Kurt hadn't gotten to yet. They even ventured out of the city and hit some of the other tourist locations and lesser traveled areas.
The rest of the year went quickly, Kurt had an internship in addition to school and whenever his phone lit up, one of his friends would screen his calls and cancel Blaine. If it wasn't Blaine, they'd hand over the phone with a cheeky grin, knowing that Kurt hated when they did that but was still thankful to have that choice taken out of his hands. Eventually, he didn't need them to do it, he was declining the call all on his own and eventually he put a permanent stop to it when he did answer and told Blaine off.
His second year and he was an intern for a prominent West End theatre. He was working in the lighting department, learning the ropes when one of the actors came onto the stage. The light was in the wrong spot and it wasn't Kurt's fault, it was another lighting technician who was in charge of that part of the stage. Kurt reached over and quickly fixed the issue before anyone else noticed.
Kurt very nearly missed his own marks when he watched the actor's soliloquy. He had a lot of control over that stage, his voice was magical. He commended attention and he had Kurt's fully. Someone cleared their throat near him, and he pulled himself out of it. He still had a few seconds before he had to switch his light over, but was glad for the unintentional reminder. He was understanding the distraction of the first guy a lot more now. Who wouldn't be distracted by that handsome guy on the stage? Thankfully, it was just a rehearsal.
The rest of the rehearsal went off without a flaw on their side of things. There were a few hiccups that needed to be worked out on the stage but he was proud of their lighting department for a job well done. They were all laughing and congratulating each other when there was a knock on the door.
Someone opened it and it was that actor from earlier on. He didn't have a huge role in the play and Kurt had certainly never seen him before or knew he was. He would definitely keep an eye out for him now though. With more shows under his belt, he would definitely grow in prominence on the stage and become more well known. Though Kurt had learned that actors weren't treated with quite the same amount of awe and attention here as they were in the US, even the stage actors were known in the US if big enough. Kurt supposed though all actors, or as the story went, were stage trained in England, so it didn't matter.
His smile was infectious and Kurt found himself smiling without even knowing who the smile was directed toward and his eyes tracked his movements; the guy wouldn't even be able to see Kurt clearly from this distance and angle. "I wanted to thank whoever saved my light."
"That'd be the new guy." One of the hands threw her thumb over in Kurt's direction, which startled Kurt and he turned more fully toward them.
"Uh... hi." Kurt greeted with a small stumble over his words.
"Hi." The man's voice just slid along Kurt's shoulders like a warm blanket or a reassuring arm.
"Hi." Kurt repeated dumbly and the man's smile grew wider, his eyes flicking over Kurt a bit more obviously.
"I'm Adam." He held out his hand and Kurt took it with awkward movements. The hand was even warmer than his voice, if possible and he didn't let go right away, holding onto Kurt's hand longer than necessary. "Come to dinner with me?"
"For saving your light?" Kurt questioned, knowing he was supposed to tell him his name too but his mouth and brain weren't connected.
Adam's laugh was gorgeous, but with a voice like his, it was expected. "No, just because I want to have dinner with you."
"Yeah... ok..." Kurt agreed and Adam used their connected hands to pull Kurt from the light and sound control room. He hadn't expected right then and there but as his stomach rumbled, he realized he was hungry for more than just Adam.
It was so easy and good with Adam. He'd half expected Adam to be a stereotypical actor, wanting all the attention on him, fishing for compliments or just expecting them his way all the time. Kurt loved his friends, but they were just like that. Instead, Adam was a bit more like Kurt in that regard, would take them with a pleased smile and acceptance but unlike Kurt, wanted to lather his praise onto someone else instead, in this particular case, onto Kurt. Kurt would compliment others but nothing like what others wanted or how Adam complimented him. Kurt didn't even need or want the compliments, but they were nice to hear.
The semester ended and Kurt was moved to another section of the theater for the latter half of his internship with them. His relationship with Adam continued to flourish and Adam went with Kurt out with his university friends who gave their stamp of approval and welcomed Adam in with all arms. Kurt was pleased to see it, that was the biggest hurdle and he could relax and just enjoy everything once more.
Adam was the perfect boyfriend and just an amazing person in general. Kurt didn't feel good enough to be his boyfriend in return but he tried hard. Adam's reassurances that Kurt as himself was good enough helped ease some of those worries. Adam was genuinely a good guy and as time went on, there were some arguments and disagreements and things that he did that Kurt didn't particularly like or vice versa but Adam was just too wonderful and Kurt was so in love that it didn't matter.
His Junior Year, he was off at a different theater while Adam remained with his company and his show. He had a two year contract with them before he could expand out into other shows. Kurt was several steps behind him unfortunately and once in awhile he feared that his being so much younger would be a problem. It really wasn't. They worked out the issues.
Senior year and Kurt was at yet another theater and looking forward to graduating to finally be able to go on stage without hold ups. Graduation brought his family together, the ones from Ohio and the ones from London. They'd gotten to know his dad but that had really been the only crossover. Finn finally made it across the pond and didn't care for London as much as Kurt thought he might.
His friends hadn't helped much, they were kind of jerks. They had never been that way with his dad but with Finn they were merciless in their teasing. Though they loved Mercedes and made her feel like a queen. Rachel was treated with eye rolls and a bit of disdain. She and Finn stayed far away from each other as Rachel was pregnant with Brody's second baby and married. The first time had been a total accident but Brody had stepped up, having liked Rachel a lot and being a good guy and surprises among surprises, was really good friends with Adam. Finn had told her she was crazy, she had a future that didn't include kids at this stage. She had cut Finn out of her life at that point. She'd sobbed on the phone to Kurt one night that New York wasn't what she'd planned and while Blaine was a great bestie there, nobody would take Kurt's place and he would have put her straight when she started to unravel.
Kurt didn't put up with her crap whereas Blaine was too much of a fan and peer. It was only after they were married that she found out that Brody was turning tricks to be able to pay for everything. Somehow they'd worked that out, Rachel wasn't poor by any means and her parents still continued to support her even as she was pregnant with child two and married. They'd always known that was a possibility when she said she was going to be an actor at age 5 and they prepared for it.
His London friends just didn't have the time or patience for their dramas. He was kind of glad they didn't lav all over the 'golden children' he'd grown up with. They were able to see beyond all of that and were bored with their antics.
Kurt had gotten to know their families quite well too, they'd all rotated families during different holidays if their families resided in the greater British Isles. It was nice to see some of the families from further away too, including his best friend's. They all had that same wonderful accent. Kurt was planning to go see them in South Africa for a couple of weeks over the summer.
Years passed and Kurt was on the stage acting just as he always planned. He was getting more and more famous but was nowhere near as famous as his boyfriend. He wasn't as typecast as he thought he would be, not like he would have been back in Lima. He got to play all sorts of roles but he wasn't strong enough to break out and be the lead on the stage, there just wasn't a role for him. Not here in London at least. He was unique to all circuits but because of his uniqueness they didn't know what to do with him. There was a lead role beckoning him in the US in If/Then but that would mean leaving and going back across the pond.
His most wonderful boyfriend encouraged him to try out for it and flew over with him and sat in the wings, encouraging and cheering him on during the several rounds of auditions. He lost out to a more famous actor, he couldn't fault the director for wanting to cast one of the original Rent actors who'd reprised his role in the movie.
Unfortunately Blaine and Adam got to meet for the first time. Not much came of that meeting, thankfully, Blaine had grown up and was now in a committed relationship even though he was still good friends with Rachel and hung out with her often. Kurt also spent some time with Rachel in New York and explored the grounds with Brody and Adam during the auditions but he didn't love it like he loved London. He liked the people well enough and there were a few similarities but he missed his friends. He missed the pub they now frequented that they weren't students. He missed the ease and camaraderie.
He was good in London. He knew that was now and forever home. He had no interest in moving to New York anymore. New York had its own draws still and if he ended up here for a significant time he wouldn't complain but his heart laid in London now.
He and Adam got married a year later, Kurt proposed. Adam had been trying to get them to move in together but Kurt had held out, not wanting to be a drain and the much weaker link. After the trip to New York his view of things changed. He'd be ok with the lesser roles, eventually something would come about but in the meantime he got to be on the stage and do what he loved.
Ironically, they were n Paris on their 5th Anniversary when they ran into Sebastian of all people. Kurt barely recognized him but Sebastian recognized Kurt. Kurt no matter how grown up or 'wearing boy clothes' or came into his looks/matured/changed, he was still easy to spot, especially once he started talking. He could make his voice go lower but he was more comfortable speaking in his natural voice.
Sebastian was looking good, having dropped that chip on his shoulder somewhere along the way. He was a commendable member of society now, apparently, whatever that meant. They didn't spend long talking with him, they had their own plans. Adam had suggested in Kurt's ear that it could include one of his old friends if he'd wanted it to. They often met up with strangers and joined forces especially if they were heading in a similar direction. Kurt shook his head. "That's not exactly someone I would call an old friend or want to reminisce with. I'm good." Sebastian did surprise Kurt with an apology prior to them leaving and it didn't sound artifice at all, as if he'd been holding onto it for years. Kurt had nearly forgotten about Sebastian until their random meeting again and had no reason not to accept it. It had been so many years and they'd all been teenagers.
They left Paris to go to Versailles and Sebastian was promptly forgotten.
An accident a couple of years later, and Kurt needed surgery and would probably never be able to dance on stage again. The prognosis didn't say that he'd never be able to dance again but nothing as hard core as the grueling hours that would be required.
He fell back onto his training in the background of stage work. His friends gathered around him and tried to bolster him. It was a random meeting with an attendee at one of Adam's plays that had him reflecting on what he could still do and changed his mindset once more.
He tried out for roles on film, well, he supposed, saved digitally now. He had a few background roles in movies and a side-character. He was prompted to try out for TV shows and was cast in a miniseries as a second lead and then slowly, he kept getting roles. He was in an assemble cast for a few years on TV while still working on film sets. He was never the lead but he was front and center in a lot of ways, he got episodes dedicated to him and he was the fan favorite. All of a sudden, he was the famous one. Everywhere he went, people knew his face. Once again, he was thankful of the European way of handling celebrities.
He was still dogged by paparazzi at times and his personal life wasn't so personal but fans were a lot more respectful. He only got a few people shouting at him his characters' names or barging in for signatures during dinners out or while walking down the street. In some ways it was flattering and he knew it could be a lot worse and a lot more annoying. Adam took it with a smile, not bothered at all, and actually proud of Kurt. Their work took them in different directions sometimes but they stayed strong.
Kurt never lost touch with his friends from college and remained friends with some from high school. He hadn't expected his life to take this turn but while he would have shunned it in high school, he was actually quite happy on the sets and producing quality work. It allowed him to do things he couldn't do on stage, and the stage had done a few things you wouldn't see in a movie or on TV. He was pleased to have been able to experience all those different aspects.
It was harder as an adult and being famous but he did make more friends. A lot of them other actors or directors or worked on the set. There were other opportunities to meet others who were also successful in their own rights and were a lot less likely trying to cash in on his fame.
After Finn's death in their early thirties, he lost track of a majority of their friends. He only kept in contact with Mercedes at this point. Rachel had been too jealous to call him after he won a few awards in England and even been part of some ceremonies in the US. He even won an Oscar for one of his roles as supporting actor. He would send occasional birthday cards to some of the others when he remembered and they'd send him some messages too but they didn't really keep up.
Burt and Carole retired to Florida once he finished his last term and sold his shop. He'd have never expected it but Burt took up golf. Even more surprising, Carole joined him. They'd go vacation down there with them when the weather was particularly nasty in England and brought some of his friends along with.
His life was good. He missed Finn dreadfully some days and occasionally wondered about those he hadn't managed to connect with since moving to London but his life had turned out so different than he'd dreamed when he was in school. Life had a way of twisting and turning and coming up with something new. He'd learned how to hold onto the things that really mattered and let go of those that would come in and out of his life and mattered while they were present but not dwelling on them when they were gone, except for a select few. It was just life and living a life so much broader than in a small community meant that was going to happen more often.
Still, sometimes he was amazed by the strange connections he found in his life. Like the fact that Rachel was still in his periphery of life due to Adam and Brody being such good friends. It took some time, but he realized that Rachel and Adam had both attended NYADA together for a year. Those two still talked and Kurt had dinner with him when he visited. There was no forbidding of talk of Rachel in his house, but didn't actively seek it out. Brody was Adam's friend and if someone wanted to talk about his one time best friend, that was fine. Maybe one day she'd feel up to talking to him again, he'd keep his door open.
Maybe he shouldn't have kept that policy for all of his New Direction friends though. One day he found Santana and Brittany bunking in his flat. Adam had shrugged when Kurt asked how they got in. They stayed for a month before going back home. It had been nice to see them. Then Unique reached out to him, she was touring with Mercedes and they were not a pair he expected to join forces but was glad for it. They were both amazing in all ways. Unique was on holiday in London and wondered if they could meet up. Kurt did one better and opened his home for her to stay at while there. They'd only met a few times leading up to that but he formed a new bond of friendship with Unique after that.
Kurt may wonder on occasion what other paths his life might have gone down but he knew eventually all roads led to where he was meant to be, whatever it looked like. He had made choices and those choices forged his path forward. Even if it looked like he was stuck on one path, he knew he could always throw out a wild card and jump off of it altogether and trek through unmarked territory. He just didn't want to. He was open to new possibilities and adventures but there were a few things he would not choose to give up, the rest he could pick from as he saw fit. That was the beauty of life, a strong will and a resilient nature.
Some seemingly terrible curve balls had only enriched his life, hardships would be there no matter what. Every path in life was the right one in it's own way, sometimes it turned out better than another one. Sometimes they turned out terribly without having a hand in it. Sometimes they turned out great and he was pretty content with this one.
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EAN: After writing this part, I went looking for Kudam (not Kadam – honestly, Kurt only gets like 1 letter in the names when he's the main draw, geez, I've fixed it, lol) fics. Honestly, except for like 5 authors who wrote tons of stories with the two of them (REALLY REALLY good authors), nothing has really been posted for over a year and there's not much for the picking outside of those amazing author's contributes. It just motivates me to write my own even more. I'm not going to become a Kudam author, all my Kurtbastian stans no worries! Lol. He's just been given a raw deal, especially by me. I want to try and flesh his character out a bit more. I'm less of a Kelliot (Kurliot would be more balanced, erg) fan but I do still enjoy those two together if done right. From the summaries (I haven't actually read more than a couple of one-shots with these two) though the Kudam fics focus a lot on the Blaine drama and follow canon more closely and I don't want to put as much emphasis on that.
On that note ^, I'm kind of pleased to see that Sebastian is the most common pairing with Kurt outside of Blaine. Then Puck and then Karofsky and Adam is actually higher up than Elliot or Chandler. There is only one dedicated Kurtdler ? Fic on here. Just a handful of Kurliot. You can't even choose Cody though. That's too bad. There are less pairings than I thought there would be and WTF? Pavarotti gets to have the ability to select as a character in the story? There are so many characters on the list I don't even have a vague recollection of. Kam only has 22 stories, btw, can't believe I forgot to add him. (I'm talking dedicated pairings in the filter option on the site not mentions of any of the above).