Summary: Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson, Rachel Berry, Nick Duvall, Jeff Sterling, and Elliott Gilbert make up Pamela Lansbury, a rock/pop band that hit it big after their first single was featured on popular tv-show Sing. A little over two years later the band is still dealing with the pressures of fame, their differing dreams, their fans, "shippers", and finding love.
Author's note: It's been a busy few weeks with finals and all of that looming over my head but aside from polishing up my creative writing portfolio I'm basically done. So, I've had some time to actually write and come in here to post this chapter.
I feel a little weird about what happens in this chapter just because I didn't plan for it to go this way and yet it did and it's just an interesting development if we could call it that. Hope you like it.
Chapter Twenty One
The recording studio had felt intimidating the first time Kurt stepped foot inside it, but walking into it to record Pamela Lansbury's third album had Kurt walking in with confidence. He was holding Blaine's hand as they walked in, their fingers intertwined, after Blaine had taken it the moment they were away from prying eyes. Outside they had met a few of their fans but they hadn't had the time to stop for more than a few quick waves, and Kurt knew some would hang around until it was time for them to go for the possibility that they might stop to talk to them or sign whatever they had handy.
"Ah, there you lot are," Paul said and Kurt was surprised to see him sitting next to Wes.
"Just a few things to discuss before everything gets going," Wes said with a smile, "nothing to worry about."
Whitney fetched coffee with the receptionist at the studio while they sat down and by the time they had everything ready for them their meeting had begun.
"We're very happy," Paul said, "with how everything is coming along. The tour so far has been a success and with more dates being finalized now we're sure the rest will be just as successful. How this next album does will be reflected in how the world tour goes. I wanted to mostly just congratulate the five of you. Despite everything that's happened to the band so far things are going well. We've gone over the notes Santana sent us and we agree with the choices for songs. So, I guess, I'll let you get started."
Paul got up and after shaking each of their hands, Wes walked him out and returned a few minutes later.
"He really just wanted to see you, I think," he said, "but anyway, Matthew is waiting for you."
Matthew was the music producer they had been paired up with by the label during their last album and Kurt was glad they'd gotten him again. He was an easy going guy whose opinion Kurt highly valued. While it was Blaine that usually got a lot more involved with the technical aspect of things, Kurt could appreciate that Matthew just seemed to know what kind of encouragement or instruction they might need to bring out their best vocals.
"Ah, it's good to see you all," Matthew said once they entered the studio proper, "and I won't say that it doesn't please me that Rachel is not a part of the band anymore."
If there was one thing that had irritated their producer, it was Rachel. Rachel just hated being told what to do and how to sing. She had never appreciated how hard Matthew worked to make their album sound its best.
"It's good to see you too," Elliott said and he quickly hugged Matthew which made him hug each of them in turn.
"So, what are your thoughts, then?" Blaine asked.
"I've heard the demos," he said, "and I've been watching a few of the videos from your tour. You guys are pretty solid when it comes to writing your own music which is great so there isn't quite a lot of work when it comes to that. I felt that we could start with Something. It looks like it'll be the first single. Everyone already loves it."
"Yes," Wes said, "that's what we were thinking too. Alright, boys, I'll be off. I'll see you all later."
He didn't wait for any goodbye's before he was gone.
There was a lot of waiting and a lot of watching and listening involved in recording. Most of their songs they recorded each vocal separately, but after trying to do that for the better part of an hour, Matthew had him and Blaine do it together.
"We want it to sound as organic and raw as possible," he said, "we're making this as simple as possible. This song is Kurt and Blaine and we want it to sound like every performance on stage."
They stepped into the recording space, headphones on and the mics in front of them until Matthew signaled that he was ready and then they began to sing to the sound of Elliott's guitar in their ears which had been recorded earlier.
It was easy to get lost to the song and the combination of his voice and Blaine's and Kurt felt like he was back to that moment when Blaine had let him read the whole song for the first time. By the time they'd finished Matthew was clapping.
"Yes," he said, "that's it. That was perfect. We may do it again just in case but for now I'll move on to Nick and Jeff on the chorus just to add some depth."
The rest of the day went in the same way until they had one full song recorded and another at the starting point. When they were getting ready to leave, Matthew was collecting all the notes he'd made over the day for everything else they were recording like how Elliott felt they could put some trumpets in the chorus of one of the songs he'd written or how Blaine wanted to change a few of the lyrics in one of the songs he'd written ages before.
"This was tiring and fun," Nick said as they walked out.
"Yup," Elliott said, "but I wouldn't rather be anywhere else."
Puck met them at the doors.
"Lots of fans out there," he said, "but the car is out there and waiting. Did you want to stop and talk to the fans?"
"We can," Kurt said, "they've been out there long enough."
It was easily one of the best parts about being famous: the whole being able to make someone's day just by stopping to say hello. Kurt loved when he got a chance to give something back for the fans for everything they'd done for them.
He walked with Blaine towards one side of the barricaded fans, listening to the shouts for all of their names.
"Oh my god," one of them, a young girl said, "hi! Hi, it's so good to see you! Oh my, can I get a picture?"
Kurt laughed. "Hi," he said, "of course you can."
He took selfies and signed posters and cd cases and all kinds of things that were thrust towards him all the while he tried to keep a flow of conversation with anyone that tried to catch his attention.
He ignored questions like: "are you and Blaine together?" or "is Blaine really your boyfriend?"
"Hi," a teenage boy said, looking nervous, "I just, I wanted to say thank you. You're very inspiring, you know, and knowing about what you went through and just seeing how absolutely strong you are has been such a help. I just – I don't think I could have gotten through a lot of things without knowing there were people like you out there. Thank you so much."
By the time he was done, he was teary eyed and Kurt was touched.
"Oh," he said, "I, um, these are the types of things that make being so open about things so important. Just know that it's not just me who's helped. You are strong and amazing and that has nothing to do with me, alright?"
"Can I have a hug?"
"Of course," Kurt said and he leaned over the barricade to hug him.
"Ready?" Jeff asked.
Nick glanced over from where he'd been trying to sort out his hair. "Is my hair alright?"
"It's fine," Jeff said, "you don't have much to worry about when it comes to that. Now come on, I have a car waiting for us. I told Elliott we were going out but not where. He offered to come along but I told him he wouldn't want to."
Nick took a deep breath and nodded. When they'd discussed it a few days earlier, Nick hadn't considered that Jeff would take it to heart and actually feel a need to make true to his promise and find them a decent, relatively private gay club.
"Thanks," Nick said, "and I still stand that you didn't have to do this. We don't have to go."
"We do," Jeff said, "this is for you, and I think it will help. If it doesn't, then it's just one night of going out and getting some sort of experience. Now come on."
The drive took time, because going anywhere in L.A. took some time, but it gave Nick the time to psych himself up to it. He did need to do this to really know for himself just who he was.
The driver dropped them off at a discrete entrance in the back and they were let inside without trouble. It was like any club, dark with music playing louder than it really needed to. The one thing that was a little different was the prevalence of same sex couples and how often a stereotype was displayed in the way that certain people were dressed or acting.
"How did you find out about this place anyway?" Nick asked in a whisper to Jeff.
"Sebastian," Jeff said, "I was looking it up online and he caught me and offered a suggestion. I did research it a bit before telling you so it is actually an alright place."
"Of course Sebastian would know," Nick said, "I'm glad he decided to take Wes up on the time off. We're all happier without him."
Jeff took him towards the bar which was crowded with bodies, but he pressed in until they were right at the front.
"Just a beer for me," Nick told Jeff, shouting to be heard.
Jeff nodded to let him know he'd heard and Nick watched him as he ordered from one of the bartenders. Their beers came quick and they got out of the throng of people.
"Alright, then," Jeff said into his ear, "see anything you like."
"Jeff!"
"It's why we're here," Jeff said.
Nick took a swig of his beer. He was going to need the liquid courage. It didn't take him long to finish it, not that one beer had that much of an effect on him.
"Let's go dance, then," Jeff said, "come on."
Nick followed him out the dance floor, conscious of the possibility that any of the people around them could somehow figure out who they were.
They danced together but with enough space between them so that anyone that saw them wouldn't get the wrong idea. It was easy to just get lost to the music and just the relaxing way that not being recognized gave them some freedom.
Suddenly Jeff pulled him closer and they weren't dancing anymore. "That guy over then," Jeff said, "the one in the red t-shirt. He's been looking at you for a while. You should go talk to him."
Nick pushed him in the direction of the other man and Nick got a good look at him. He was alright looking with dark curls and a slim figure. Noticing that Nick was headed his way, he moved to meet him in the middle and Nick didn't know what to do or what to say or how to handle the situation.
"Is that your boyfriend?" he asked motioning towards Jeff.
"Nope," Nick said, "best friend though. Moral support and all that."
"Ah," the stranger said, "good. Dance with me? I'm Rob."
Nick gulped. "Nick, and, um, sure," he said.
It was different dancing with Rob than it had been with Jeff. Gone was the space. Instead, Rob seemed to want to press himself as close to Nick as possible. There was nothing nice about it, nothing about it that made Nick feel in any way comfortable. Nick just couldn't stop thinking.
"Are you okay?" Rob asked.
"I think so," Nick muttered, "maybe I just need another drink."
Rob nodded and then he was leading Nick away towards the bar and fetching them both beers. While he did that, Nick had the time to look for Jeff. He found him chatting with a tall, broad shouldered man and laughing. Nick couldn't help put stare and watch as Jeff listened to whatever the other man was telling him before breaking out into laughter and gesticulating with his hands when he responded.
"Here," Rob said handing Nick his beer.
"Thanks," Nick muttered.
"So what do you do, then, Nick?" Rob asked.
"I'm in a band," Nick said, wondering if he should have lied instead.
Rob nodded. "Oh, a musician then. That's cool. I have a friend that wanted to start up a band a few years ago but he couldn't get anyone interested enough. He actually just tried out for The Voice so we'll see if that takes him anywhere."
"I always liked Adam Levigne. Nice guy," Nick said.
"You say that as if you've met him," Rob said with a grin.
Nick rolled his eyes. "No, you just hear things. Everyone says he's nice."
"Right," Rob said and he set down his bottle, "come on, I like this song."
"Sure," Nick said.
It was easier with the second beer in his system and having gotten to talk to Rob for a bit. He tried not to think as much and to try and figure out if he really was even remotely attracted to Rob or if anything would have been different if a girl had been in his place.
"Love your hands," Rob muttered against his ear, his breath touching Nick's neck as he spoke, "so big. Makes me wonder what other parts of you are big."
Rob suddenly licked a stripe up Nick's neck and Nick shuddered, turning his face to give him more access. They kept dancing for a while, the songs all becoming a blur and Rob seemed to press closer and kiss him harder. Nick felt fuzzy, and a little bit lost to the music and to his buzz and just everything about being pressed up against a warm body that was moving and pressing back against him.
"Saw you walk in," Rob said, "you looked like a deer caught in headlights. Quite handsome, though, but I can just tell you don't know much – I'll show you. Show you so many things."
Nick didn't know what to say. Words had left him as Rob kissed down his jaw and pressed his groin even closer as if to prove to Nick just how absolutely serious he was.
Rob's lips were against his and Nick felt like he was being swallowed because Rob was kissing him without any ounce of question, tongue pressing against the seam of his lips and pushing in without waiting for permission. It felt harsh and not at all like something Nick wanted. He tried to push him away, but his body was languid and strange and he couldn't. He hadn't drank that much, had he?
Someone pushed Rob away and Nick stumbled back, toppling into someone that started to tell him off but stopped, looking past Nick where Jeff had punched Rob.
"You're disgusting," Jeff was saying, "doing that to anyone is horrible and if you don't leave right now I'll have them call the cops. Go on."
Rob didn't seem to try to protest too much before he was walking away and then Jeff was pulling Nick forward. He stumbled but Jeff caught him.
"This is all my fault," Jeff muttered, "so stupid to leave you on your own but I was trying to see if guys would hit on me and they so did, Nick, and then someone said they saw him slip you something in your drink and I just – well, nothing happened really. I called Puck. He's coming to get us. This whole thing's been a right mess."
Nick wasn't catching everything. He was a little bit lost and dazed and everything was spinning and confusing and he let Jeff pull him closer.
"All my fault if something happened to you," Jeff muttered, "I wouldn't – after everything you've been through with Sebastian."
Nick rested his head on Jeff's shoulder, closing his eyes in the hope that it might make him feel better. He felt a hand card through his hair.
"Is he alright?" a new voice asked.
"Yes. I don't know what that asshole gave him, but he seems alright."
There were more words and Nick wanted to just sleep so he did, drifting off.
"What happened?" Kurt asked.
Nick was tucked into his bed and Puck was standing at the foot of the bed while Jeff sat on the edge right by Nick.
"We went out," Jeff said.
"Gathered that," Kurt said.
Blaine placed a hand on his arm. "Let him explain."
"We went to a gay bar," Jeff said, "I thought it might help Nick. I think someone slipped him something, tried to roofie him I guess. I don't really know what they gave him but the point is I got him away from that asshole and brought him home."
"Oh," Kurt said, not sure what he could say.
"Wow," Blaine said, "should we call a doctor?"
"He'll be fine," Elliott said, "it'll be out of his system in a few hours. But we can get him checked out in the morning."
"Are you sure?" Jeff asked, "shouldn't we report this or something?"
"I'm sure. Anything they gave him was just so he'd lose his inhibitions. It'll make him sleepy mostly. Tell Santana and Wes, I'd say, but nothing happened. What happened to the guy that did this?"
"He left," Jeff said, "I didn't want to draw attention to us in case someone figured out who we were. Wes and Santana would have our heads, imagine the headline."
Elliott nodded slowly. "Then, we keep it to ourselves," he said, "so we let him sleep it off and check on him throughout the night. He'll be fine."
Kurt was reluctant to not get Nick checked out, but then he remembered that Elliott probably was right so he kept quiet.
"Why didn't you tell us where you were going?" Blaine was asking Jeff, "anything could have happened to the two of you, clearly."
"We had it handled," Jeff said, "Nick didn't want it to be a big deal. He's trying to figure himself out and I thought it might help."
Elliott led them out of the room so as to not disturb Nick.
"You of all people don't understand, Jeff," Blaine said, "he's questioning everything he thought he knew about himself or coming to terms with who he is and you have no idea what that feels like."
Kurt knew Blaine had gone too far when he saw Jeff's face which had gone from concerned and worried to angry in a split moment.
"I think I understand my best friend," Jeff said in a low whisper, "and he seems to think I can help him just fine."
Kurt moved closer to Blaine as Jeff turned and went back into Nick's room. "You didn't mean that, Blaine," he said, "and you know Jeff gets this stuff. Nick's alright."
Blaine nodded slowly. "I just – I wish I could help."
Kurt nodded. "I know but maybe staying out of it is help enough."
"Nick has more figured out than you guys think," Elliott added, "perhaps more than Jeff realizes. He's going to be okay."
"Good," Kurt said, "that's really good."
Author's Note: So I really wanted to write Nick and Jeff sneaking out to a gay bar/club and have it be a fun night with the two of them just bonding or getting even closer but that just wasn't happening and it just kept coming out a bit stilted and awkward so I just wrote instead and wound up with Rob. Rob is actually a character that I had planned to encounter Blaine before I decided to just have Kurt and Blaine get together already...so he somehow showed up here instead and it felt fitting for him to be a creep. I think I just keep hurting Nick at every turn...but good things are coming for Niff (well, maybe)...and next chapter will be heavy with the Klaine so there's that and I already started working on the first scene and I know you guys will be happy with it
I'm on tumblr at inawickedlittletown if you'd like to follow me there. I usually post writing progress updates there.
Hope you all enjoyed this and thank you for reading.