Title: Unwritten
Category: Glee
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Genre: Romance & Hurt/Comfort
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any characters or references made to characters. The song used is Human by Darren Criss and does not belong to me either.
A/N: OH MY GOSH! You guys! 22 reviews for the last chapter! You completely blew my mind! Thank you sooo much! (That is more than triple the most amount of reviews I ever got for a chapter :D) I'm sorry this took so long to write, a combination of writer's block and being crazy busy. I hope you guys like this chapter :) Enjoy!
Falling... something Kurt had gotten so accustomed to in high school; it was something he expected he would do at least three times a day back then. He hadn't felt this sensation of watching the ground come racing up to meet him for 7 whole years and the experience of falling again just brought back all of the high school memories. In that moment, Kurt felt like he would never be able to get into that studio and do an interview in front of the entire country because he was suddenly back in high school where no one cared about him, and the ones who noticed him only used him as a punching bag or target for their slushies.
This time though, unlike in high school, a pair of strong arms grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and pulled him back up before he even hit the ground. As Kurt braced himself to get punched or shoved again, like what used to happen in the olden days, he felt himself getting pulled towards the side of the building and out of reach of the crazy crowd. Not only was this mystery man pulling Kurt to safety, but with that he was pulling Kurt out of reliving his past, and allowing him to realize that there were people in the world who would actually go out of their way to help another.
As the two moved to the side of the building, Kurt tried to get a look at his mysterious saviour. He couldn't tell what the man looked like though because he was wearing a hat and sunglasses. This caused Kurt to momentarily internally panic, wondering if this man was going to kidnap him or something.
I told you this was a bad idea, Kurt thought as the man stopped pulling him and turned around to face him. "Th-thank you," Kurt said out loud, trying to hide his nervousness.
A bright smile lit up the other man's face as he replied, "Oh, it was no problem." The man reached up and pulled off his sunglasses and hat, and Kurt had to admit that the man was HOT. He had dark curly hair that was quite unruly and springing around on his head, and the warmest hazel eyes Kurt had ever seen.
It seemed to Kurt that the man was expecting him to recognize him or something, but Kurt had no idea who this person was. "I'm Blaine Anderson, by the way," the man said after a couple of seconds.
Wait, thought Kurt, where do I know that name from? Kurt decided to try and figure it out later, and instead smiled warmly at the kind man. "Nice to meet you," Kurt replied sticking out his hand to shake. "I'm Kurt Hummel."
As soon as Kurt said his name, Blaine dropped his hand and gaped open-mouthed at him. Right, Kurt thought, I guess any person here would be waiting for me to arrive. The man continued to stare at Kurt, and Kurt started to panic, not used to someone recognizing him from his name. It seemed so surreal to him that this man would know who he was, and appeared to be a pretty big fan of his books if the look on his face said anything.
After a couple minutes, Kurt started to fidget uncomfortably. Blaine was yet to move and Kurt was starting to have a mini freak-out in his mind. "Are... umm, are you ok?" he asked to get the man's attention when Kurt couldn't stand it anymore.
The man seemed to snap back into reality and quickly averted his eyes, blushing. Kurt was shocked, he had never caused another man to blush before, and surprisingly, he liked it. Especially someone like Blaine, it made Kurt realize what he had been missing in the last 7 years of his life while he was away from people.
"Umm, well, I really should get into the studio before I'm late," Kurt said when Blaine made no indication that he was going to talk to him.
At this Blaine's brain was finally back in the present and he smiled at Kurt. "I should be getting in there too," Blaine replied. At Kurt's confused look he continued, "I'm the musical guest this morning."
Suddenly recognition dawned on Kurt. "I KNEW I'd heard your name somewhere!" Kurt exclaimed. "Your singing is amazing, by the way. I heard your songs on the radio last week, and your lyrics are just incredible. It is SO great to meet you!"
Kurt saw Blaine blush again at his praise and this caused the smile on Kurt's face to grow. Kurt didn't know where all his reservations about the interview had gone; he realized that he immediately felt that he could trust Blaine.
"C'mon," Blaine said, grabbing Kurt's hand for the second time that day. "I know a shortcut to get inside without having to go through the crowd."
Kurt smiled gratefully at Blaine and allowed himself to be pulled around the side of the building where a door marked "Employees Only DO NOT ENTER" was located. Blaine knocked three times, causing Kurt to feel as if he was in a spy movie with secret passwords and entrances.
When the door opened, Kurt saw a muscular, tanned man with a Mohawk standing there. "Hey Puck," Blaine said. "The crowd is crazy out front so we were hoping to come in here."
"We?" Puck questioned. "Who is this? You know we don't bring random people back here, Blaine."
Blaine laughed. "Don't worry Puck. This – " Blaine gestured to Kurt, " – is Kurt Hummel."
Realization flickered across Puck's face, and his eye widened. "Oh, wow! Nice to meet you Mr. Hummel. I'm Noah Puckerman, but everyone just calls me Puck."
Kurt smiled at the seemingly friendly man in front of him. "It's very nice to meet you, Puck."
"C'mon in guys," Puck said, moving over so the two men could get through and then closing the door tightly behind them.
As soon as they were inside, Kurt and Blaine were pulled to hair, then makeup, and then the studio. Kurt was feeling quite overwhelmed by the whole experience, not used to people fussing over him, or actually being able to trust people with his hair. The whole time, though, Blaine was by his side, talking to him and trying to help him feel more comfortable.
"So, I just want you to know that I absolutely LOVE your books! I started reading them when you published the first one, and your writing is genius," Blaine told Kurt while the hair stylists were working with his untameable curls.
Kurt blushed. "Wow! Thanks, the only people who've ever said that to me in person were my dad and my stepmom so it's great to hear someone say that. You guys, my fans, are really my inspiration."
"Well, now that you're going to be in the spotlight, expect a lot more people saying stuff like that to you, But also realize that some people might criticize you. Don't worry about it if that happens; it comes with being famous. Trust me."
Oddly, Kurt found himself completely trusting Blaine, despite only knowing him for less than an hour. Kurt found it weird because he had stopped trusting people years ago after everything he had went through and suffered from his so-called friends. There was just something about Blaine that Kurt immediately knew was genuine and kind, and that he would never do anything like what Kurt had lived through.
"I do," Kurt mumbled, looking at the carpet. Doing so, he missed the blindingly bright smile that lit up Blaine's face, but he knew that the other man was happy.
In order to avoid any awkwardness, Blaine immediately switched topics. "So, have you ever been to LA, Kurt?" Blaine asked, realizing he didn't even know where Kurt was from.
"No, actually, it's always been a dream of mine but I never got around to actually making that dream come true." Kurt didn't tell Blaine just how many of his dreams he hadn't been courageous enough to make come true, but he knew Blaine understood.
"My dream was always to go to New York and try and become famous there, but it didn't work out. I was really down, had no work and was pretty much living pay cheque to pay cheque, so my friend invited me to come here to LA and helped me out until I got back on my feet," Blaine told Kurt.
Kurt smiled at Blaine, happy that the man felt that he could trust him with this information. Kurt figured that he probably could have found that out if he had bothered looking Blaine up when he had first heard his songs on the radio, but in a way he was glad he hadn't because he would have ended up stuttering and blushing as soon as he had met Blaine.
"So Kurt," Blaine continued, swiftly changing topics again as the two walked towards the studio where The Chang-Chang Show was filmed. "What got you to start writing?"
Kurt paused and looked hard at Blaine. He was trying to decide just how much information he could trust this man with. Kurt had learned from experience that even the MOST trustworthy seeming people could turn around and stab you in the back if you weren't careful. Kurt decided that despite feeling that Blaine would definitely not do that to him, he didn't want to burden him with his past problems. "Bullying," was all Kurt said in answer to Blaine's query.
Blaine looked slightly confused but the look disappeared just as quickly as it came and was replaced by a look of understanding. Kurt couldn't comprehend why he suddenly felt so calm, but he had been so used to the looks of pity or worry on people's faces that the appearance of someone evidently knowing what he had gone through really warmed Kurt's heart. Without even thinking, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed his fingers, sending a silent thank you to the other man for listening to him.
"Mr. Hummel!" a slightly flustered lady with a clipboard called as she ran up to the two men. "It's so great to meet you! I'm Emma Pillsbury, the assistant director for the show. I just want to quickly show you when and where you will be sitting for the taping this morning and what you need to do, ok?"
Kurt looked a little bewildered at the young woman. Blaine chuckled beside him and squeezed his hand. "Welcome to showbiz Kurt. It's all kinds of crazy."
Kurt tried to smile at him, but it came out more like a grimace because the nerves were back full force. A constant train of thoughts of, I can't do this, what have I gotten myself into and run away were circling through Kurt's mind. Breathe, Kurt, he thought to himself, it won't do anyone any good if you have a panic attack now.
Blaine noticed Kurt beginning to panic and quickly turned him so he was facing Blaine and gripped his shoulders to support him. "Everything is going to be ok," he said.
Kurt immediately felt himself relax, he had no idea what it was about Blaine Anderson that comforted him, but he decided whatever it was worked for him. Kurt smiled a thank you to Blaine before following Ms. Pillsbury towards the stage.
Blaine stood watching Kurt for a few minutes before he felt a hand clap his shoulder. He turned around to see Puck standing behind him. "He seems nice, REALLY shy, but nice."
Blaine smiled at Puck, glad that he wasn't the only one who thought Kurt was pretty awesome. "That's what I was thinking. I wonder why he's so shy; I mean he could just be quiet in general but it seems like there's something there. In the hour that I was talking to him, he seemed to open up and then crawl back in like he was afraid I would hurt him or something," Blaine mused, forgetting that Puck was standing next to him.
Puck just clapped Blaine on the shoulder and left him to sort through his thoughts. Blaine was very grateful for this and decided to mull it all over later. He headed to the other side of the studio stage to talk to the assembled band. He handed them his sheet music, knowing that it wasn't too difficult and the band would have no trouble playing it.
Looking back across the stage, Blaine saw Kurt wringing his hands and tapping his foot as he sat on one of the leather couches listening to Ms. Pillsbury's instructions.
"Now, remember Kurt this is a basically live show so anything you say will be caught on camera and relayed to the audience. We do film a couple minutes ahead of air time so that we can bleep out any inappropriate words, phrases or rumours. Ok?"
Kurt nodded, feeling his heartbeat quicken as the time for his interview crept closer and closer. Kurt had been trying to listen to all of Ms. Pillsbury's instructions, but his brain was scattering in so many different directions that it took great effort to even remember to breathe. Kurt figured that he got the gist; don't look directly at the camera, smile and answer the questions.
About ten minutes before the actual interview was to take place, the two hosts, Tina Cohen-Chang and her husband Mike Chang came onto the set and took their places on the other leather couch beside the one Kurt had been sitting on. Kurt shook their hands and said hello to them before hurrying off stage to wait for them to introduce him to the audience.
Kurt reached into his pocket and took out his cell phone to turn it off before the show and saw that he had a text from his dad. "Good luck, kiddo. I am so proud of you." Kurt smiled and took a deep breath, reminding himself that he COULD do this.
Soon, the lights dimmed until only the stage with the couches was brightly lit. Kurt looked at the couple already sitting on the couch and tried to calm his racing heart.
"Good morning, America!" Mike exclaimed when the green light turned on to indicate that they were filming. "We have a great show planned for you guys today."
From there Tina continued, "In our studio today, we have the world-famous, and mysterious Kurt Hummel for his first ever interview."
"We also have musical guest, Blaine Anderson here to play one of his new songs," Mike added.
"First, though, let's go to weather with Santana Lopez."
Kurt let himself breathe as the Latina weathergirl started talking about how a warm front was coming and to expect sun for the next 10 days. In Kurt's opinion, the weather forecast went by way too fast, and soon it was about to be his turn to go on.
"And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for!" Tina cried happily.
"Drum roll please, Jeff," Mike called to the drummer.
"Joining us today is the young man who has all three of his books on the New York Times best sellers list. As well, he has done it all without ever marketing his books through the media. In fact, today is the first time that the world will get to meet the amazing man that is Kurt Hummel!"
"So without further ado, we would like to extend our warmest welcome to Mr. Kurt Hummel."
Upon hearing this, Kurt knew that that was his cue. He forced his nerves down and plastered a smile on his face before walking confidently across the stage to shake hands with Tina and Mike. Then they gestured that he could sit down on the couch.
"It is great to finally see the author behind all of those amazing books, Mr. Hummel," Tina gushed.
"Wow, thanks Tina," Kurt replied. He was glad that his voice didn't crack despite the nerves that were beginning to build. "It's great to finally meet all the kind people who have inspired my writing these past few years."
"So, we know that everyone has been dying to know," Mike stated. "Why have you been hiding for so long Mr. Hummel?
"Oh, please call me Kurt," Kurt started, before staring down at his shoes and trying to determine what he should say. "And, I haven't really been hiding on purpose; I just didn't feel that I was someone that the media would care about. I figured that I was just a boy who liked to write and that was that. It wasn't really important to me to be in the spotlight."
"And what changed now, causing you to come into the spotlight?" Tina asked. This was question Kurt HAD known would be asked so he smiled at the two hosts of the show and started to feel himself relax.
"Well, first and foremost I did this for my fans. I figured I owed it to all the amazing people who have been supporting my work all these years, and that I could thank them better this way. By doing this I'll have the opportunity to meet many of my fans directly which is something that will benefit me in my writing and something I know I owe to them."
Tina smiled brightly at his answer. "That's great that you feel that way Kurt. Now we understand that you have a new book coming out too?"
Kurt knew that Tina obviously knew the answer to that question but he guessed that was just part of being interviewed. "Yes," Kurt answered, pulling a copy of his new book from his messenger bag. He handed it to Tina who showed it to Mike before turning her attention back to Kurt. He proceeded to tell them about the book and how it was a romance, much like his other three, with a different twist this time. He avoided giving away too much and could tell that Tina was dying to read it as soon as he finished talking.
"Thank you Kurt," Mike said with a smile. "When we come back, we will hear a performance from our musical guest, Blaine Anderson, and then continue talking to Kurt. Stay tuned."
When the red light flicked on indicating they were off air, Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Great job, Kurt!" Tina exclaimed from her position on the couch. "You're doing awesome. Just keep doing what you're doing."
Kurt thanked her and stood up to grab a drink of water. When he pulled his phone out of his pocket he saw a text from his father's phone, but which appeared to actually be from Carole. "WOW! Kurt you're doing so great! We are all so proud of you! Love you xoxoxoxo." Kurt felt a lot more relaxed knowing that his family was there for him and watching him.
Kurt quickly returned to the couch to watch Blaine's performance when the commercial break ended. He found himself getting excited to hear Blaine sing, having not heard a single song by the man since he had listened to him on the radio the week before. If Blaine was even half as good as Kurt had thought him on the radio, he knew he'd be blown away by the performance.
Before Blaine sang his song, Tina introduced him. "And now we have a special treat for you folks. Our musical guest for today is two-time AMA winner, with four chart-topping songs. Here to sing a song from his new album, Here I Am, please give it up for Blaine Anderson!"
Kurt felt his jaw drop at all the awards Blaine had won. He hadn't known he was that talented, and Kurt was glad that he had gotten to meet the easygoing man. He hoped that they could become friends because not only did Blaine seem like an amazing person, he would be very helpful to Kurt in dealing with all the newfound media attention he was receiving.
If Kurt didn't think he could get shocked anymore, he was proven wrong when the lights dimmed to a single spotlight which revealed Blaine sitting in the middle of the stage with his acoustic guitar on his lap. When he started singing, Kurt felt his heart swell with fuzziness at the comfortable, warm sound of Blaine's voice.
I feel like a loser
I feel like I've lost
I feel like I'm not so sure if I feel anything at all
But believe me, I'm not helpless I just
Need someone to love
So my situation's rough
But that just makes me a dumb human
Like you
Kurt didn't think that his smile could get any bigger and his heart was overflowing with pride towards the man that he had only known for about an hour.
I feel like a shortstop
Along third base
I may just help you but I still don't like your face
But believe me, I'm not hostile I just
Want to hear you laugh
When I'm sarcastic like that
But that just makes me a dumb human
Like you
Kurt loved Blaine's lyrics and as he listened he determined that he had now found his new favourite singer. He mentally tried to memorize the lyrics so that he could later buy the song on iTunes later.
Why
Courtesy of
Do I have this incredible need to stand up
And say "Please, pay attention?"
It's the last thing that I need
To make myself seen
Well, that ain't my intention
No
I feel like an artist
Who's lost his touch
He likes himself in his art, but not his art too much
But believe me, I've got something
I just don't know how to say
That I'm just fine with the way
With the way that I'm moving
But that just makes me a dumb human
That just makes me
That makes me a human like
You
As Blaine finished up the song, Kurt had to remind himself not to clap until the commercial break. It felt like forever but finally the ride light turned on signalling a break and Kurt started clapping, along with the rest of the people in the studio. Blaine smiled humbly at their praise, and waved a bit and winked at Kurt. That one little gesture was all it took for Kurt's confidence to soar, and for him to feel like he could do this, this wasn't a mistake, and that deciding to do this book tour might just have been the best decision he had made in his 24 years.
The commercial break seemed short to Kurt that time, and soon they were back on air and ready to continue Kurt's interview. This time Mike and Tina asked him fewer questions about his personal life and more about his books and writing.
"So Kurt, your readers were quite surprised when you switched from straight characters to homosexual characters. Was there a specific reason for the change, or did you just feel like trying something new?" Tina asked thoughtfully.
Kurt pondered the question for a couple seconds, not sure what he should reveal, and then deciding that if he just told the truth he would be able to be a positive role model to teens in his situation. "Well, I DID want to try something new, and since I'm gay myself, I decided to try writing the characters in one of my stories the same way to see what kind of reaction I got. It seemed like my fans took it pretty positively so I just continued with it in my most recent book."
"That's great!" Mike declared. "Just before we finish up here we have just one more question: What advice would you give to other aspiring authors?"
"Definitely never give up. It is so important to stick with it through thick and thin. If I had listened to all the criticism I received, my first book never would have hit the shelves, so for sure my advice to be follow your dreams and don't let anyone knock you down. You will be so glad that you stuck with it when you see your first book on the shelves, all crisp and new. That is as sweet as success gets."
"Thank you for your time Kurt," Tina said at the end of the interview.
"Thank you guys for having me, it was great," Kurt replied.
"Tune in tomorrow when we talk to a 15-year old sailor who is set to sail around the world. Until next time, have a great day!" Mike finished.
When the light turned off indicating the show was over, Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. He had gotten through his first interview, it was over and he had survived. He felt quite proud of himself for actually doing a pretty good job. Before Kurt got up off the couch, both Mike and Tina congratulated him on his successful first interview.
Kurt wanted to find Blaine, but when he reached the rack where he had left his coat, Puck informed him that Blaine had had to leave for a recording session he had at one o'clock but asked him to congratulate Kurt for him. Kurt was kind of bummed because he had been hoping to talk to Blaine again, after truly enjoying himself that morning. He felt bad because he hadn't even gotten Blaine's number or any way to contact him to meet up and talk. Oh well, Kurt thought, hopefully I'll see him again somewhere.
When Kurt grabbed his coat, he slowly put it on, not looking forward to exiting the building into the waiting mob outside. He was stalling as long as he could and eventually put his hand in his pocket while he waited. Upon placing his hand in his pocket, Kurt felt a folded piece of paper in there that he knew hadn't been there before.
Kurt pulled it out, wondering what on earth it could be. Slowly Kurt opened it to see some letters and numbers written on it. The note said:
"It was really great talking to you today, Kurt. We should do it again sometime, maybe over coffee? I know a really good place. I'm sorry I couldn't stay, but please call me sometime. My number is 555-1824. I hope to hear from you, Blaine "
With that, Kurt felt a smile break across his face and he knew it would be there for a while.
A/N: Sooo, what did you think? Please review and let me know. I'm sorry if it was kind of boring, the next few chapters are going to be like this with Blaine and Kurt getting to know each other before something else can happen. Also, just so you know I don't watch morning shows so I have NO idea what they do on them. I'm sorry if it is incorrectly written but we'll just pretend that this is how this morning show works. So, who's excited for Glee on Tuesday? I can't wait for Damian McGuinty to be on :) I love that they're making him an exchange student (my exchange partner just left to go back home which is why I've been so busy in the last week) and I can't wait to see what they have him do. Well, I should go to bed... Happy Halloween to any readers who celebrate it! Please review! (I'd love to get to 60 before next chapter please) Hopefully the next chapter will be up fairly soon. Thanks for reading!
