Chapter Two

Not As Big As The Beatles

Kurt clicked on the button as if his life depended on it. As soon as he did, he was given the generated seating in the front row, right in the center. He'd be barely two feet away from Blaine.

He filled out the necessary requirements at lightning speed and clicked CONFIRM. When he did, medium-sized pixels that were probably meant to be confetti showered over the following page.

On the following page, it stated:

Congratulations!

Kurt Hummel, you are the first ticket holder at the Ohio concert date for Sebastian Smythe's Ensnared on June 15th! As a means of congratulating you, you will receive a VIP pass for a meet and greet with Sebastian Smythe!

Your VIP pass will come to you by mail approximately two weeks before your concert date. The pass is non-transferrable, in your name only, and cannot be redeemed for monetary value.

Kurt stared at the screen. From the blank lines in the statement, it was obviously a barely edited, automatically filled-in template. But how had he been first?

He clicked CONFIRM again and his tickets were officially confirmed. So was his VIP pass, Kurt duly noted, at the bottom of the printable receipt.

After he'd closed the tab, he noticed that many girls on his Facebook were posting devastated statuses. Apparently the concert was more popular than many thought. Since Ohio was Sebastian's birthplace and his home up until he left for L.A. two years ago, he had friends and family buying up the tickets too.

But Kurt didn't care about Sebastian. He barely cared that nobody that he knew was also a VIP pass carrier.

He was going to see Blaine Anderson in concert.

That was all that mattered now.

Sebastian Smythe eyed his adversary from where he stood. Blaine Anderson was rehearsing for his opening act by standing rigidly on center stage. Sebastian wanted to roundhouse kick him for looking as stiff as a board.

He didn't want Blaine on his tour. Hell, Sebastian didn't want to be on this tour. But since Blaine also hailed from Ohio, the agency decided that it would be best if they toured together. Maybe they'd even become friends. Or, at least, look like they're friends. That would bring a lot of media attention.

"Do you like girls or not, Sebastian?" his manager, Pierce, had asked him the night before. "If not, then we can hook you up with that Anderson guy. That would get the paparazzi going for at least a few weeks. The publicity you'd get would be astounding."

Since Sebastian refused to disclose his sexuality for the media attention, he'd been shunned by Pierce. Now he watched from backstage as Blaine sang "Tumult" and "One Rose" to a nonexistent crowd. From far away, it looked like he was nervous. He wrung his hands, as anxious as the boy standing center stage.

Blaine adjusted his bow tie and hit the final note in "One Rose". He'd written the song for a boy he knew in Ohio, one that he had gone to a school dance with. They weren't in love, but he used the experience to write a love song anyways. He hoped that one day he could sing it to somebody who really mattered to him. But for now, he'd have to sing it to rows of empty seats.

He could sense Sebastian watching him. He didn't even need to turn around to know that his eyes would be trained on Blaine's back, judging him from the way he stood to the way he held the microphone.

If only Cooper were here, Blaine thought longingly. His triumphant and egotistical older brother knew his way around and how to deal with anything. He was notorious for not taking "no" for an answer.

But alas, Cooper was still doing some acting stints, whereas Blaine had left those in the dust in favor of his singing career. Cooper was somewhere between Canada and Washington for his arc on Fringe by now. He could always call him, but there would really be nothing to report, so what was the point of wasting his brother's time?

Blaine took a deep breath as the familiar intro to "Teenage Dream" played. He would be singing three original songs and two covers during this tour, but he had planned for more in case anyone had the audacity to demand for an encore. If only Blaine's agency had let him go on his own tour, instead of simply opening for Sebastian...

Not that anybody was actually going to the shows specifically for him. Blaine had been in Hollywood's spotlight for all of six minutes before Sebastian hip-checked him into the shadows.

I should have stayed in movies, Blaine thought bitterly. Then I wouldn't have to be on this stupid tour.

Blaine shook the thoughts out of his head and began to sing.

"I can't believe you, of all people, get to go to the special meet and greet." Mercedes was blatantly envious of her friend.

Kurt shrugged, indifferent. "I'm not actually going, 'Cedes. It's just Sebastian Smythe."

Mercedes - and a few girls who happened to overhear this conversation - gaped at him. "Just Sebastian Smythe?" She grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a shake. "Who are you?"

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel," he retorted. "And if you want to go to the meet and greet so badly, just go in my place. It's not like I care or mind."

"But you said that the statement clarified that it was in your name only. I am no Kurt Hummel, okay? I can't pretend to be you." Mercedes looked like she would've tried to, but she knew that she would be unsuccessful.

Kurt spritzed some Tigi hairspray into his carefully styled 'do. "What am I supposed to do with this pass then? It's non-transferable."

"Use it." Mercedes smiled widely. "If I can't use it, then you use it. Even if you don't like him, his autograph sells for a lot. And it'll be an experience you'll never forget."

"I guess you're right," Kurt said, sighing in defeat. "Hey, maybe Blaine is also part of the deal at this meet and greet." Suddenly he was more excited than ever to get the pass.

"Then you can introduce yourself!" suggested Mercedes. "Who knows what'll happen from there. Maybe your daydream of dating Blaine will come true because of this."

Kurt blushed. "Shut up."

Mercedes laughed. On the inside, she wondered about the possibility of Kurt actually getting together with Blaine. Her best friend needed this, especially after what had happened with Dave Karofsky.

It was a touchy subject, but it was one that had to be explained. Dave had bullied Kurt relentlessly for being openly gay in such a homophobic community. But when Kurt finally got the courage to stand up to Dave, he'd forced himself on Kurt. He'd defiled Mercedes' best friend. He took his first real kiss away from him.

Dave was expelled by Sue Sylvester (temporary principal at the time) for threatening to kill Kurt. Kurt's relief was brief; he later returned when Principal Figgins came back.

Thankfully, the jock was now avoiding him. But it didn't mean that Kurt felt any more comfortable in the hallways. Just being in the locker room for a few seconds made him shiver.

"You'd better go," Mercedes said finally. "Who know what will happen?"

Pierce cracked his knuckles. "Do you know why I've called you both in here?"

Sebastian and Blaine, adversaries in matching T-shirts, shook their heads. After they'd gone through the sound check, one of Pierce's lackeys had all but assaulted Sebastian to get him into the cramped up closet. Blaine and Pierce were already in there, waiting impatiently for him.

"It's nothing bad," he assured them, after seeing the look of pure anguish on Blaine's face. "I just wanted to - calmly - inform you that the tour is officially sold out on all tour dates."

It took a minute for it to hit Sebastian. The impact of Pierce's news was so jarring that Sebastian steadied himself against the wall with one hand.

"What?" Blaine asked breathlessly. He hadn't expected to be performing in front of full venues. He was barely comfortable singing to the audience at Ellen. Recording for his albums were difficult processes.

"I told you that going on a joint tour would make you stacks." Pierce laughed, clapping his hands together briefly. "What did I say, man? It's the first day of ticket sales, and we're completely sold out!"

"Wow," Sebastian forced out. He felt as though a bull had charged right into his stomach. "That's...something."

"Something?" Pierce frowned. "This is incredible. Never has a concert sold out like this - ever!"

Blaine started lightly, "I'm pretty sure the Beatles or the Rolling Stones-"

"But you guys are not the Beatles," Pierce interrupted. "You guys will be bigger than the Beatles."

Sebastian snorted.

"Okay, maybe not as big as the Beatles," amended the ecstatic manager. "But you're something that the public desperately wants, so you'll give them what they want."

Blaine laughed. "I'm going to call Cooper. He's going to be so happy for me." He pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. "Coop? Hey, it's me."

As Blaine turned his back to the other two in the closet, Sebastian frantically whispered, "I don't know if I can do this, Pierce."

"You can, and you will," he assured him. "Just keep you and those vocal cords strong and healthy."

They opened up the closet door. Bags full of the VIP passes for each show were stacked in front of it. Each one needed to be labelled with the proper name before being sealed up into an envelope to be shipped off to the lucky winners.

"You can start by helping me with these things." Pierce smirked at Blaine and Sebastian's faces. "Grab the bags and follow me to the office."

Dejectedly, Blaine picked up as many bags as he could carry and followed after Pierce. Sebastian stayed behind, suddenly interested in the appearance of the passes. The designer had tried to match the color of the passes to his eyes. Seafoam green.

Sebastian promptly bent over a trash can and vomited.