Author Notes: Chapter 2 is here, yay… Since I'm on Spring Break I've resolved myself to writing a chapter a day for my fics. And since my other fic is weak at best and I have no talent for writing non-weird stories, CHEER will get the brunt of this obsession. I can tell you're all so torn up about it… haha. I'm loving the feedback from the first chapter, keep those reviews coming guys!
GLEE!
"Why does planning cyber-terrorism have to be so complicated…" Kurt scrolled idly through different files on his computer. The GLEE team had spent the better part of the week preparing for the raid on CHEER's mainframe. Mostly it seemed to be a way to kill time until XTRAS got back in contact with them.
"We can't just rush in, we need to carefully plan out when will be the easiest time to start hacking." Rachael sighed; she had set up a station in the main area to better aid the planning. It was odd to see her out of her office on the upper level; it was like watching a cat surf. You don't see it very often and when you do it's just weird.
Blaine simply enjoyed how flustered Kurt and Tina got with Rachael breathing down their necks. They were used to the nice buffer zone of three flights of stairs and a solid wall between them. You can't mute a real person like you can a speaker, believe him, they tried.
"It's one thing to want to get it right; it's another to agonize over every little detail." Kurt twirled a pencil in midair. "You know what stress does to the skin…Rachael if I get a zit I will bury you, you know that right." the abrupt seriousness of Kurt's voice almost caused Blaine drop his tray, almost. Blaine was a professional after all, calming the angry stinging wasps the agents turned into with his sweat nectar was just part of the job.
"I think everyone needs a nice calming cup of tea." He handed out smaller porcelain cups to the three and pours a healthy amount of tea in each. He knew coffee mugs worked just as well, but for some reason porcelain reminded him of Kurt and how could that be a bad thing?
"So sick of tea…" Tina moaned as she took a sip, "I swear if my mother-in-law, may she live a long as happy life, keeps visiting I'm going to start vomiting tea." Blaine didn't let it bother him; he knew his tea was good. Tina was just stressed.
"I'm sick of you complaining about Mike's mom…" Rachael threw a tired look at her, her hair was messy and it looked like she could use a nap. "We have more important things to do than sit and whine!"
"Coming from Rachael… that is quite the statement." Kurt eyes quickly darted to the side to avoid the next Rachael death beam. He simply, and smugly, sipped his tea. His nod of approval to Blaine made the curly haired man grin.
"I'm tired of that disrespect! I am team leader! I demand that..." Rachael's voice was getting more self-righteous, a sure sign she was ready to snap. The other members however seemed perfectly aware of this but shoes to bait the bear anyway.
"Co-team leader… Finn is team leader." Tina cocked her head to the side and smiled sweetly, if a bit condescending.
"We are of equal status!" She stomped, knocking her tea over in her growing anger. Blaine was just glad the cup was alright; still he felt it best to remove it from her desk while she was still focused on the others.
"Ugh…no more yelling." Kurt's fingers were rubbing his temples, his tea cup floating in front of him, allowing him to sip at his leisure.
"I agree, perhaps we should all take a break?" Blaine threw in, smiling, trying his hardest to diffuse the situation before it went Chernobyl.
"OH! Blaine agrees with Kurt…how shocking and original. Listen to me you vaguely Eurasian hobbit, I don't need you to tell me how to run my team!" Rachael's sharpness caused his face to faulted, where had that come from? "I am trying to prevent CHEER from ruining everything we try to keep in check. I'm sorry if I'm not perfect at this but you guys could at least try to pretend you respect my authority." Blaine caught a flash of pink in Rachael's eyes, from the looks of the others, they did too. There was a sudden overwhelming pressure in his head, different from what he had felt with Kurt. It was brief, barely there at all but Rachael also sensed she was getting a bit worked up and clamped a hand over her mouth.
No one said anything, Tina was looking down at the ground, Kurt was just watching her, like he was trying to sense something inside her. Blaine watched Kurt, holding his tray against his chest, looking for a sign that everything was alright.
When he finally looked away Rachael turned on her heel and ran down an adjacent hallway. No one chased after her.
GLEE!
"Yes dear I know… yes..yes… YES! I know your mother is coming over. I know." Tina was on the phone with her husband again. This had been happening much for frequently than usual. Apparently Ms. Chang was visiting with more frequency than Tina or her husband's patience could handle. It had meant a lot of Tina leaving the base early to get ready for her arrival. It had also meant that sooner or later a very loud, very Asian fight was going to erupt from the phone.
Blaine didn't understand what they were yelling about, but he did get the jist of it by watching Kurt. He was often washed over by the rampant uninhibited emotions Tina would give off during the fights. There was also the curious amount of static discharge and fussiness the equipment in the base gave off when Tina really cut loose. The only thing that seemed unaffected by the fight would be his beloved friend the coffee machine. It had been a rocky road at first but now he was proud to call it his faith companion on his adventure of trying to navigate the treacherous world of GLEE.
"Do they always do this… I mean I know she's under a lot of stress but this seems unhealthy." Blaine shook his head in worry, letting the stream of steaming hot coffee flow into Kurt's cup.
"I'd like to say no, but they have this rocky relationship. Filled with ups and down… one minute they are feeding each other disgusting dishes at some Chinese restaurant, then the next they are having it out like two drag queens fighting over the last curling iron." Kurt rolled his eyes. They could see Tina from the lower level, waving a combat knife around in the air for some reason.
It wasn't odd for Kurt to visit him up at his station when Tina and Mike had it out, but it did make Blaine feel a bit more on edge. He felt tense around the younger man, stiff, like he had to impress him or something. He didn't know why he felt he had to impress him, Kurt didn't seem to mind either way. Maybe that's why he tried so hard?
Was it too much to ask that the psychic pay him a little bit of attention, they hadn't spent any time outside the base together since that shopping trip, and even then it felt more business-like. He felt closer to Kurt than anyone else on the team but sometimes he felt like Kurt didn't even look at him. So, he just had to keep up that ridged wall or manners and smiles.
Kurt was thinking the same thing. Blaine always had this air of formality around him, even at the base. He acted more like a robot than a person sometimes. He had almost been glad when Rachael snapped at him, if only to see the priceless look on the usually dapper man's face. Sure Kurt could understand his reservations with getting too buddy buddy with the people who failed to protect his boyfriend from a rather unsavory death, but Kurt was really trying to be nice. It may not seem like it, but in his own guarded way he really was trying to help Blaine adjust. He didn't spend nights in Rachael's, or Tina's, or Quinn's or Finn's rooms, talking about whatever came to mind. Wasn't it obvious that he was trying to help him?
"Well… doesn't sound healthy." Blaine gave him his coffee, he didn't even need to be told his preference anymore.
"They do their best, all things considered I think they are doing fine… they love each other." Kurt shrugged and sipped, flashing a brief smile at Blaine.
"I suppose every relationship is different." They both nodded, letting the shouting in the background fill the air. They just stared into the others eyes for a while, neither knowing what to say.
"Do you…" Kurt spoke up suddenly, Blaine perked up a bit, "Do you want to… get out of here for a while? Even if this fight ends soon...Tina will need to calm down before we could get back to work."
"Oh…sure." Blaine smiled, the tense feeling he carried with him started to fade, even if it was just a bit. "Perhaps the best suggestion of the day."
"Of course it is, although I'd say best of the week…minimum." Kurt chuckled and…
Wait did Kurt wink? He didn't have time to process this since the man in question was already walking down the stairs towards the exit.
GLEE!
Rachael hated being here, in this room, this big white clean room. It was so cold, so emotionless, not very inspiring at all. Little test tube and advanced pieces of medical equipment lined tables, it was all very unnerving.
Then there was the resident of this sterile environment, so cool and proud, just sitting at her desk, judging. Quinn Fabray and Rachael Berry were not the best of friends, that much was clear if you ever saw them interact for more than a few minutes. Where Rachael was, in her own words, naturally talented, sweet and perky, Quinn was a hard worker, scheming, and cut throat. The only thing they shared, really shared, was their ambition.
They just stared at each one another for a long while, Quinn removed her glasses and gave a small smile, it was expectant rather than kind. Not the kind your friendly neighborhood doctor would give you. Rachael took a deep breath and half marched half briskly walked to the women's desk.
"There was an… incident… and I need more suppressants." She pursed her lips and tried not to look like she was going to cry. The building stress of work was slowly eating away at her normally professional restraint. The "friendly" jabs her underlings shot at her hurt more than usual, the sleepless nights frazzled her a bit more, Quinn's stupid condescending smile irked her beyond all belief. Although that last one was always true.
"Well, that is a problem." The blond slid out of her chair, that same smile still on her face. "Can I ask what brought it on or… is it a private matter?" Rachael felt like a mouse talking to an amorous snake. The look Quinn got in her eyes when one of them expressed concern over their…"Specialness" was nothing short of fanatical. The woman had this drive to know everything, to pick them all apart.
"Just stress, that's all. I haven't been able to concentrate lately and it's completely screwing with my control." She waved a hand nervously in the air, like she was swatting the troubles away.
"That's understandable I suppose, you have a very stressful job." Quinn was writing something on a note pad, "Taking on CHEER must be nerve wrecking… I would know." she clicked her pen and smiled a bit more genuinely, it took Rachael back a bit.
"Well yes…of course, I suppose you of all people would know the best… well you and Kurt." At the mention of the man's name Quinn froze up a bit, something unreadable flashed in her eyes but was lost when she put up her normal business façade.
"Right, so as you're doctor I have to recommend that you take these…"
She handed Rachael a small discreet bottle of pills, "Also I prescribe two chill pills because you seriously need to back off and calm down. Working yourself up into knots is not only dangerous to your health, it's dangerous for the rest of us."
If there was anyone more honest with Rachael than Kurt, it had to be Quinn. You can always trust the evaluation of your rivals; they are the ones that push you to succeed the most, even if they never will admit it. Quinn may be a scheming, cold bitch most of the time but she had her moments of softness. Or as close to softness as Quinn was capable of getting.
"Thank you doctor, I think I'll take your advice." She tried to add a bit of her trademark perkiness to it, and is proud to say she succeeded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some chill pills I have to take." She turned on her heel and walked out of the exam room.
Quinn sat back down at her desk, jotting some more notes down. When she was alone she smirked, ever so slightly, and looked at the door.
GLEE!
"So can I ask where we are going? Or is this a Kurt Hummel secret?" Blaine smiled, even as he was looking out the front window he could see Kurt's own coy little grin he wore when he was being mischievous. That was perhaps Blaine's favorite expression Kurt had, although he was beginning to realize that most everything Kurt did was becoming his favorite.
"Oh well I just wanted to get some lunch is all. Take-out food is killing my self-esteem and waistline, not to mention it's terrible for the skin. So I thought something fresh was necessary."
Soon they pulled up to a non-descript building in the downtown area. Tall and made out of that shiny black stone that sparkled a bit in the sun light. Kurt didn't elaborate further, he just walked inside, forcing Blaine to follow his lead. They got on an elevator and headed downstairs, to a lower level. Blaine wondered if it was some kind of secret government restaurant or something, it was not.
"A sushi restaurant? I thought we went out to avoid Asian's with knives." Kurt laughed at his joke but didn't really respond until they were seated.
"This is the best sushi place in the greater Ohio region, and I thought it would be a nice transition. First sushi to let us slowly unwind from the Asian storm, then perhaps to a cocktail lounge or something? Something fusion would be good…" Kurt eyes narrowed as he tried to decide.
Blaine just shook his head, when Kurt did something, he tried to do it right, and the oddly casual tone of the day was refreshing from the stuffy confines of the GLEE base. "Whatever you want…I'm not very good at this sort of thing…event planning." He clarified quickly, unsure why he felt it needed clarifying.
"Well that's ok, I happen to be very very good at it." The funny way Kurt took pride in things was charming, like every tiny skill he had was a personal victory against the world. Blaine wondered why such a creative and sensitive man would work for GLEE, what could he have been in a different life?
"Kurt I…." the waitress interrupted him. Losing the moment he sank back a bit defeated, he wasn't sure how that sentence was going to end anymore, maybe he should be grateful he was stopped?
Kurt ending up ordering for them, again he trusted the man's tastes. The outing was enjoyable, they chatted about more trivial things, about the drama at work, and other light things. Kurt was talking even more excitedly now that he was out of the base, the further he got form that world he more natural he seemed. Blaine was like that too, his normally guarded walls started to lower and he could laugh more freely.
He felt more normal than he had in weeks, since Jeremiah was killed. It hurt still, a lot less than he thought it would. He loved him but they never had the kinds of funny frivolous conversations he and Kurt shared. Nor did Jeremiah share Blaine's love of music, something Kurt did with gusto.
And more than anything right now Blaine wanted to hear Kurt sing. The way the man's face lit up whenever he spoke about music, singing especially, it was magical. That, Blaine finally decided, was his favorite side of Kurt. The one that could cut loose and really smile about something he loved.
"Let's go to piano bar…" Blaine said before he could think, making Kurt stop in midsentence. Too late to pretend it didn't happen, Blaine decided to have a bit of courage and sell the idea. "Somewhere classy if you want, but right now I really feel like singing."
Kurt bit his bottom lip, and suddenly Blaine wondered if he been out of line. It was confusing, why did Kurt look like he was struggling to come up with an answer, it seemed like a perfectly reasonable suggestion.
"Ok…." He nodded, "Yes that sounds like a good idea." He sounded like he was telling himself that more than he was telling Blaine. But a yes was a yes, and Blaine was too excited to Kurt sing. When he sent his sights on something Blaine Anderson was a force to be reckoned with.
"Great! Come on then." Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him out of the restaurant. It was almost cute how flustered Kurt looked, running behind him as they held hands. A little scared and a little excited, letting go of all the crazy crap life had thrown at them behind for a few brief moments.
GLEE!
Author Notes: O M G guys… last night's episode was off the hook for us KLAINE fans. If you saw it you know what I mean, if you haven't…I suggest watching it. Anyway I hope you liked this chapter, I'm trying to make this a bit lighter and more fun. I also want to really focus on the relationships between the GLEE members, because I think that's important.
Shamless plug: not sure if this is appropriate but I've been meaning to do this for a while. If you have not read 'Solar Winds' by Morkhan I suggest you do. If you love Glee and are an Avatar: the Last Airbender Fan, then I highly recommend it. Even if you don't really know what Avatar is I still say read it since it's so beautifully written. Much better than what I write haha.
Please comment and review. And read 'Solar Winds' lol. It inspires me. Thanks loves!