Watc 14
A/N- I think this is kinda a little bit of what you were all waiting for?!
Kurt spends the next few weeks throwing himself in to an extensive search for auditions to attend in and around New York. He's successful in his hunt for the most part and attends a handful of auditions set in a colourful variety of places.
He's decided, after many painful hours of careful deliberation, to not return to college. He'd thought about all of those kids that go off on a gap-year travelling and partying. This is his gap year. If he doesn't succeed, he can always go back to college, gain a masters degree then go back to the streets and start again.
Either way he's not giving up. He has too much time and opportunity on his side to even consider that as an option.
It's not too long before he's offered a role in a one-off production playing villager number 3, followed by a dancer in a voluntary performance in Times Square, a chorus member in another unsteady production and then a tiny cameo for an advertisement about New York's gay clubbing scene.
None of it is very desirable, well paid, glamorous or long lasting to say the least, but at least its actual work in the area he wants to be in. It's a start. Producers and directors, no matter how well known they are, are beginning to recognise his face and his name is travelling steadily down the grapevine after each job he takes.
It's not ideal, but he's young and he has his whole life ahead of him; he can't do much more than what he's currently doing so he settles for being happy and proud of what he's achieved so far.
That is unless he caves and allows Blaine to build an easy, crack-free pathway straight to the top for him.
But he won't- he can't. He's come too far to give in and seek out the cheat codes now. His pride wont let him.
Kurt also decides that it's both wise and beneficial for him to keep working at Vogue with Isabelle. He can't rely on the roles he's currently being offered to bring in a big pay check just yet, so he takes a part-time contract working Monday to Thursday mornings, giving him his afternoons and weekends free for auditions.
He's happy that he still has a great working relationship and a pretty solid friendship with Isabelle. She's like an older sister or an adopted mama to him; which is why it's becoming even more difficult with every passing second to not mention his and Blaine's whatever they are to her. After all she is pretty much the cause of it.
He'll tell her. He will. But not yet. He needs everything to be cemented just right; concrete with no room for cracks before he starts opening up about the superstar who has wedged his way into Kurt's life—and his heart.
An ad for a new roommate had been posted the day after Tai told Kurt he was moving out. He's still waiting for at least one reply.
Tai packed up and left about a week ago— but not without paying what he owed for their current 6 months lease on the apartment.
On their last night together, Tai asked if Blaine wanted to come over to join them for takeout and a beer. Sadly, Blaine had prior engagements as a star guest on a late night chat show, but in his absence had booked and pre-paid Kurt and Tai a table at an exclusive, hot new restaurant down town; following reservations in a VIP booth in the adjoining bar, with an open tab all night.
Kurt had spent the night tipsy and happy, still a little sad for the loss of his roommate, but managed to distract himself from the sadness by drunk-texting Blaine his joy and thanks for what he did for his friend.
Kurt then spent the next morning regretting it with an accompanied headache. Blaine won't let him forget about it, obviously.
Tai's departure had been strangely hard for Kurt. Kurt had always thought of Tai as just Tai, his roommate. He doesn't know exactly when they transitioned into friends and then close allies, but he's pretty sure it's around the time when Blaine came on the scene. Tai's faith and reassurance and complete loyalty in Kurt, his career and dare he say love-life has been refreshing, overwhelming and insightful. Kurt knows that Tai will take his secrets to the grave with him.
They've made a pact to skype every week and Tai has even made Blaine promise to contact him if Kurt ever needs anything. Kurt's pretty sure that a 'don't hurt my little brother' type of talk went down between the two of them at some point but he doesn't dare ask about it.
After facing the facts that he's just not going to find somebody who wants to share his tiny apartment with him (apart from Blaine), Kurt gives his landlord his one months notice and begins looking for somewhere smaller and cheaper to live.
"I just can't believe you" Blaine mumbles, folded into one corner of the couch, watching sulkily as Kurt circles available apartments in the local newspaper with a red sharpie.
It's a late, rainy morning and neither of them have anything to be doing other than being in each other's company, as usual.
Kurt smirks and kicks Blaine playfully from his own corner of the couch. In his child-like tantrum, Blaine had wriggled away from Kurt and untangled their legs to go and sit by himself with his arms crossed and knees bent up to his chest.
Kurt had found it all very amusing but was also shocked to feel how much he missed Blaine—who was just inches away from him. Their lingering touches, crossed legs and skin on skin had become almost like second-nature to Kurt now.
"I have a huge place with so many bedrooms and here you are looking for somewhere else. I wouldn't even charge you rent." Blaine exclaims, his voice going high and squeaky, hands and arms flailing in the air.
Kurt rolls his eyes, "that's the problem. I'm not a playmate. I told you that I sincerely appreciate the offer but I cannot live with you, especially not for free."
A moment of silence follows and Kurt already knows what's coming. "You could…pay me back in other ways?" Blaine replies slowly and softly. Kurt doesn't have to look at Blaine to know that there's a playful grin and a teasing glint in his eyes. Kurt rolls up the paper in his hands, swats Blaine with it a couple of times then goes back to house hunting with Blaine peering over his shoulder the entire time.
Conversations of the same variety continue for the next couple weeks until Kurt finally, somehow finds the perfect place to live in the shape of a one bed-roomed studio apartment, ready to move in to immediately—and at a steal of a price.
It's recently been renovated and re-decorated, meaning that nothing needs done for Kurt to move in. It's clean and bright, with fresh hardwood floors— and it's oddly not even that small inside, quite the opposite actually. The bathroom is spacious and tiled in turquoise and the kitchen is chic with bare redbrick walls and cream granite counters; and it can fit at least three or four people in comfortably all at the same time.
It's located right in the heart of the city, easy to get to for Vogue and Kurt's current handful of jobs. There are plenty of theaters and production offices nearby which Kurt has already spied some audition listings for.
And, as if it needed a bigger bonus—it's just a few blocks over from the village—meaning just a few blocks over from Blaine. Kurt doesn't share his initial excitement about how close they will be living too each other, but if Blaine was trying to play it cool—his face is a total give away.
This gives Kurt reason to speculate.
The cost of his monthly rent for an apartment like that had been too good to be true that Kurt almost didn't apply— thinking it must have been a scam of some kind. It was Blaine who talked him into applying. It was Blaine who helped him with all the paperwork and hired a team of movers. Thinking about it, it was actually Blaine who found the place for Kurt on some private renting website.
Blaine is oddly quiet on Kurt's moving day. He's inside the apartment helping to unpack boxes after they're unloaded from the moving van—not wanting to be seen hovering around on the street outside. He seems bright and upbeat while putting away Kurt's brand new set of kitchen utensils (one of Blaine's many new home gifts), he just doesn't talk much. There's definitely something going on that Kurt can't quite put a finger on.
Later when Kurt is completely moved in and it's just the two of them left, sitting on rugs and cushions on the floor with takeout cartons and checklists of what needs to go where, Kurt questions him.
"You've been acting odd today." He says, eyeing Blaine carefully while he tops up their celebratory champagne glasses—another of Blaine's gifts.
Blaine just shrugs, not even hiding the small but obvious grin on his lips. "It's been a long week, I'm just tired… but I'm ok—I'm happy." Kurt stares at him speculatively until Blaine raises his glass and says "Happy moving day. Here's to a long, happy life in your new home."
Kurt rolls his eyes at Blaine but grins and giggles anyway. He takes a tentative sip from his glass. "Wait, you said it's been a long week. Doing what? You've been with me most of the time and you've just been sitting on your laptop engrossed in something." Kurt takes a second to mull this over. "In fact your eyes have been glued to your computer screen for the past couple weeks—" Kurt trails off when Blaine's grin turns a little sheepish, his eyes darting around the room to look anywhere but at Kurt.
"What have you been doing on your computer, Blaine?" Kurt gets out through slightly gritted teeth.
"I have a new hobby" is all Blaine replies with quietly, simple and sure. It doesn't take much for the pieces to all fall into place. Kurt sighs hard and heavy before taking a long drink from his glass.
"Property development? Real Estate?" Kurt prompts, the glass pressed to his lips while he talks. He's surprisingly calm.
After a dramatic pause Blaine lets out a monumental sigh and rolls his eyes in a way that he could only have learnt from Kurt. Kurt almost lets a giggle escape at the sight of it.
"Kurt, I couldn't just sit around and let you become homeless or worse—live in the slums." Now it's Kurt's turn to roll his eyes, much like Blaine just did moments before. "Not, when I'm perfectly capable of doing something about it. This way, you don't have to worry about paying rent every month if you can't quite make the payments—you know if there is a lack of auditions or something. This apartment is yours and nobody will take it away from you."
Kurt's face softens and something fractures in his eyes. He exhales a shaky breath and tries to look away but Blaine's eyes are just too deep and warm and inviting.
"I just want to help you, Kurt." Blaine whispers, leaning in over their stack of half empty cartons, he butt-shuffles closer so that their crossed legs are almost over lapping each other's. "Without worrying about paying rent each month you can concentrate on your career. I'm so proud of you, of how you're handling it all and taking control. Not letting anything or anyone, including me overpower you and your decisions."
Kurt swallows, and then swallows again. His throat is tight and his breaths are coming out shallow. Before he has a chance to say or do anything Blaine starts speaking again. "I'm not breaking the rules, here. You're still renting, it's yours— but just without the added worry or stress. And, you're only a few minutes away so that will make it easier for me to get to you unseen. And, you know thinking about it, my place really isn't all that bad—not with you there every now and then." He has a hand outstretched on Kurt's knee, his thumb rubbing soothing circles in to his denim jeans, moving up closer and closer to this thigh and then back down again.
His smile is so wide and bright it makes Kurt's heart ache. He's so full of promise and hope. Kurt is lost in the feeling of Blaine's touch and his eyes and his smile. He feels lost in everything, but Blaine.
Blaine lifts up his glass flute that Kurt didn't know he still had a hold of and tips it forward in a silent toast. "Here's to the next phase of your life Kurt Hummel." He whispers.
Yes, the next phase. Kurt thinks. His eyes are wide and blinking, staring at Blaine's gorgeous open face just a breath away. This is the part where you finally get to join me in this crazy life, Blaine Anderson.
Blaine's beautiful, long eyelashes flutter close and his grin grows mega-watt when Kurt closes the space between them and finally, finally kisses him. It's short and chaste but it's deep and oh-so meaningful.
When they pull apart, just slightly and open their eyes the look on Blaine's face takes Kurt's breath away.
"And here's to yours, Blaine Anderson." Kurt breathes against Blaine's lips before kissing him again, this time not so short and not so chaste but definitely just as deep and just as meaningful.
It means everything.
A/N- Thank you everybody, for hanging on in there with me for this. Your reviews and comments mean everything to me.