Two Steps Beyond
Part 45
The next morning when Trent walked into the kitchen he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing Blaine and Sebastian standing there rather dressed up. "Morning Trent." Blaine said. "We didn't wake you, did we?"
"No. Not to be out of line, but you guys look really good. And not that you don't usually look good, but today you look even nicer than usual."
"Thank you." Sebastian replied. "If you're interested coffee is ready and there are some bagels in the bag on the counter."
"Are you guys leaving already?"
"We are, can't keep Tasha waiting."
"Oh and if you guys want, it's cool for everyone to meet up here even though we won't be here."
"Got it, I will pass that information along to the others. Good luck!"
Since it was July, they decided to take a cab to the office instead of the subway. On the drive over Sebastian glanced over at Blaine. "Trent was right, we do look good, even better than usual and that's hard to do."
"I think so too. And knowing Trent he's going to tell the guys all about the preppy ensembles we're wearing."
"I don't doubt that a bit. Now, did Tasha mention anything to you about what she wants last night?"
"Not a thing. The only thing she said to me last night was basic conversation and she complimented our performances."
"Same here. Is Cooper going to be here?"
"Nope, he's got to do a few interviews today."
"How are you feeling about that whole thing?" Sebastian asked while giving Blaine's hand a squeeze.
"I'm good for now."
"Okay, but if anything changes let me know." Blaine nodded and smiled at Sebastian.
When they finally arrived at the building they stopped once they were in the lobby. "What are you two doing here?" Hunter asked.
"I was just going to ask you the same thing." Sebastian said before they started walking towards the bank of elevators.
"Cass told me Tasha wanted to see me this morning and told me to make sure I dressed nice. Why are you two here?"
"Tasha texted us yesterday while we were at the game and said she needed to see us this morning as well." Blaine said.
"Guess we'll find out what this is all about sooner rather than later." Sebastian said before they all got on the elevator. Just after they all got off the elevator, Blaine grabbed ahold of Sebastian's hand. "What is it B?"
"I don't think we should all go in together, it's going to throw him for a loop."
"Screw him." Hunter replied. "Blaine, you need to stop taking his feelings into account. From everything you and Seb have told me you two tried to be friendly to him but he blew it. He took a simple gesture and blew it out of proportion and didn't respect boundaries. He's lucky Seb didn't answer that anonymous call because lord only knows what he would've said at that time of the morning." Blaine just looked up at Sebastian who was looking at Hunter before turning his attention there as well.
"You're right. After everything he's done, I shouldn't feel obligated to give him that consideration. And if he freaks out he has to deal with the consequences." Hunter just smiled at Blaine before glancing at Sebastian who gave him an approving nod. When they finally walked into the office they were surprised to see Kurt wasn't at his desk like usual.
"Blaine." The three of them turned around upon hearing Blaine's name and Blaine had to take a double-take.
"Mr. Hummel."
"You can still call me Burt, Blaine. Sebastian."
"Mr. Hummel."
"And you are?"
"This is our friend Hunter Clarington." Blaine told him.
"It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you as well sir."
"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked.
"I came to surprise Kurt, but he's obviously not here right now. You look good, happy."
"Thank you, I am. How are you?"
"Things are going well. Wish the same could be said for…" Mr. Hummel's words were cut off as Kurt came walking into the office mid-conversation with another assistant. They were so engrossed in their conversation they walked right passed the four of them. "Kurt." Slowly Kurt turned and saw his Dad standing there, while at the same time he noticed that he wasn't alone.
"Dad, what are you doing here?"
"Like I just told Blaine and his friends, I came to surprise you." He replied after giving Kurt a hug. "How are you?"
"I'm kind of busy. Could you hold on one second?"
'Sure." After Mr. Hummel answered, Kurt finished his conversation with the other assistant, before turning his attention to Blaine, Sebastian, and Hunter.
"And what are you three doing here?"
"Check Tasha's schedule, she's expecting us, all three of us." Sebastian replied, his tone a bit condescending towards him. Mr. Hummel could feel the tension in the room. After Kurt check Tasha's schedule he looked back over at them.
"One moment, I'll let Ms. Saunders know you're here. I'll be right back Dad." Kurt then knocked on Tasha's office door before entering.
"Is the tension always like this around you guys?"
"It only got bad again after he thought it would be a good idea to call Blaine at two in the morning." Sebastian replied.
"He did what?"
"It's obvious Kurt hasn't told you everything Burt, but I don't think it's my place or Bas's to tell you anything else that happened."
"You're right, it's not." Mr. Hummel had just replied when Kurt came walking out with Tasha behind him.
"Boys! I'm so happy to see you all here and wide awake after last night. Why don't you all head into my office and make yourselves comfortable. I'll be there in a sec."
"It was nice seeing you Burt."
"It was nice seeing you as well Blaine. Guys."
"Once the three of them were in the office Tasha turned to Kurt. "Are you going to make the introductions or do I need to do this myself?"
"I'm sorry Ms. Saunders; this is my Dad, Burt Hummel."
"It's a pleasure to meet you sir."
"It's nice to finally meet you as well. Kurt's told me lots of things about you. He's learning a lot from you."
"That's good to know. He picks things up rather quickly and he's a rather hard worker, you should be proud. Now, I don't mean to be abrupt, but I need to go. Don't want to keep the boys waiting consider I'm the one that asked them here this morning. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hummel. And Kurt, feel free to forward the calls onto voicemail for a bit so you may talk with your Dad for a bit." Surprised by what Tasha said, Kurt thanked her before she headed into her office and closed the door behind her.
"She seems nice." Mr. Hummel said while Kurt walked them towards the couch in the outer office.
"She is, though it's still early so the chances of someone upsetting her are still high. And once that happens she's a slightly different person."
"She doesn't take it out on you does she?"
"No, I just happen to be around when she rants into open space."
"Okay. Now..."
"Dad, please don't talk about Blaine. I can tell by the look on your face that's what you want to know about."
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to. Things between you two aren't quite how you explained. You told me the two of you were cordial with each other."
"That was being cordial."
"No, that was all of you trying not to make a scene."
"Why do you want to do this now? Can't we do this tonight?"
"Fine, we won't talk about this now but we will discuss this later. Do you mind if I go back to your place while you work?"
"Not at all. Since Ms. Saunders knows you're here I'm sure I won't be too late." Kurt than handed his Dad his keys. "It's great seeing you!" He said while giving him a hug.
"It's great seeing you too, I've missed you."
While Kurt was talking with his Dad in the outer office, Tasha talked with the boys. "Now, I understand why Blaine and Seb are here, but why do you want to see me?"
"That's because I've got an offer for you."
"And that would be."
"Join these two for the next editorial."
"You're kidding, right Tasha?"
"I never kid about business. I'm serious Hunter. I think you'd be a great addition."
"I'm flattered, but I've never done something like this before."
"Neither had we." Sebastian chimed in. "I'll admit, the first time is a bit nerve-racking, but once you get the hang of it, it's rather fun. Plus, you ended up getting some great additions to your wardrobe."
"Bas is right Hunter, it's actually fun. And since these are editorials, Tasha is in control so they're usually a lot of fun. At least the two we've done have been so far."
"Can I have time to think about it?" After Hunter spoke, Blaine and Sebastian both started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
"We said the same thing to her the first time around."
"How long did it take you to make a decision?"
"Judging from the look in your eyes, the same as it took you." Sebastian told him. "You want to do it, but you don't want to seem too eager. But then you realize, wow, I'm going to make a heck of a lot of money for basically looking good and getting my picture taken."
"Alright, one question."
"Anything." Tasha replied.
"You realize I'm doing crew this year, right?"
"Yes, I know. Cassie told me. And we'll work around whatever the three of you have going on. And so you know, the shoot wouldn't be until October because I'd like for you all to get settled with school."
"Alright, works for me then. I'll do it."
"Perfect."
"Tasha, why isn't Cooper doing it with us?" Blaine asked. "No offense Hunter."
"None taken, I'm curious as well."
"That's because his schedule for the next few months is pretty busy. He's actually pretty bummed about it. He had a lot of fun with you two the last time. That reminds me, those pictures are actually in the next issue. So your copies will be arriving next week prior to its release. And back to Cooper, we're actually hoping that he'll still be able to join you, but if not I already have a replacement."
"So there is going to be more than the three of us? Blaine asked.
"Yes. And after what happened on our last shoot I'm covering my bases better. That whole incident still pisses me off."
So after going over quite a few details with them and getting some information from Hunter the guys headed on their way. They were just about to start talking once they exited the office when Kurt spoke up.
"What did you say to my Dad?"
"Besides have a civil conversation, nothing." Blaine told him.
"You're a liar."
"No, Blaine's not lying, he didn't say anything. I did." Sebastian told him. "He asked what caused all the tension and I told him it stemmed from you calling Blaine at two in the morning."
"What else?"
"Seb didn't say anything else." Hunter chimed in. "And Blaine told him if he wanted to know what was really going on he needed to talk to you."
"This doesn't concern you." Kurt snapped at Hunter.
"Whoa, I didn't do anything." Hunter said before taking a step closer to Kurt. "I'm just telling you what happened since I was there and you obviously won't believe a thing Seb says and it's questionable if you'll believe Blaine."
"You're their friend, you'll cover for them."
"Yes, I'm their friend, but I have nothing to gain or lose from telling you what happened. I'm sure your Dad, who seems like a nice man, will support what I told you. Now, if you have nothing else constructive to say, we'll be leaving." There was something about the tone in which Hunter was speaking to Kurt that Blaine and Sebastian just looked at each other. Kurt just looked at Hunter dumbstruck, to which Hunter looked at Blaine and Sebastian before the three of them headed on their way. They were down the hall and waiting for the elevator before anyone spoke.
"That was brilliant." Sebastian said with a smile. "I can't remember the last time someone rendered him speechless." He then leaned down and gave Blaine a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you. I just couldn't stand there and listen to him attack either of you when you did nothing wrong. It was pretty obvious to me he wasn't going to believe anything you two said."
"You're right, he wasn't." Blaine said as they got onto the elevator. "And I think hearing it so bluntly from you and not Bas or I surprised him. It's about time he got a harsh dose of reality from someone not involved in this. He thinks everyone is against him."
"Well, if I was acting that way I'd be paranoid as well."
"And B, it's pretty clear his Dad has no clue how crazy things got."
"I noticed that too and it's going to crush Burt when he finds out the truth. I was given the impression that Kurt told him we got along."
"Well, it's not because the two of you didn't try." Hunter said once they were in the lobby. "Now how about we go and meet up with everyone else."
"That's an excellent idea." Sebastian replied while getting his phone out to find out where everyone was. "Are you guys' game for lunch?"
"Why?" Blaine asked.
"They're all hungry and want to go to the Boathouse in Central Park for lunch."
"Is it that late already?"
"It's almost eleven, so figure by the time we get there and seated it'll probably be after twelve. Though, if you guys want to do that I need to tell them to call ahead since that place is pretty crazy during the summer."
"We spent that long with Tasha?" Hunter asked.
"We did."
"Sounds good to me then." Blaine replied. "I'm actually hungry."
When they arrived at the Boathouse everyone was outside waiting for them. "Don't the three of you look nice?" Hailey said to them once they walked up to the group.
"Thank you." Blaine replied. "Is everyone here?"
"Yes." Trent replied. "How'd your meeting go?"
"Very well, actually." Sebastian replied, but before he could say anything else Rachel made her way through the group.
"How much time do we have?" She asked in general.
"They said it would be about twenty minutes till we can be seated." Thad replied.
"Thanks." Rachel then walked up to Blaine and Sebastian and took each of them by the hand. "We need to talk." After the three of them walked away, all eyes went to Brody.
"Don't ask me, I was teaching classes all morning. Right Britt?"
"Right." After Brittany confirmed that Brody was teaching all morning, all eyes went to Hunter.
"What happened?" Dave asked.
"What makes you think I know something?"
"You were with them this morning, right?"
"I was. We all met with Tasha this morning."
"Enough said." Nick replied. "Hummel strikes again." He said while wrapping his arms around Santana.
Once they were seated on a bench beneath some trees, Rachel looked at them both. "Are you both alright?"
"Yes, why?" Blaine asked.
"Burt came to the loft while I was packing. Safe to say he was pretty surprised to see boxes everywhere. Once I told him what was going on he just sighed and sat down."
"I'm sure this isn't the trip into the city he envisioned." Blaine said. "The poor man is getting blindsided by things."
"So I heard. He told me he saw you two and Hunter at Kurt's work."
"He was there when we arrived." Sebastian told her. "He seemed just as surprised to see us as Blaine was to see him."
"You should know that even though he wishes you and Kurt were still together, he could see just how happy you are with Seb."
"Did Kurt tell him Bas and I were together?"
"Blaine, you guys were holding hands."
"Guess I didn't even realize it."
"That's because we do it a lot B. It's not something we go out of our way to do, it just happens."
"Did you realize we were?"
"No. It's like Hunter said, his Dad seems like a nice man and as much as I love pissing Kurt off I wouldn't purposely do something disrespectful to someone I don't know."
"How did he take the news of you moving out?"
"He was surprised. He's happy for Brody and I, which I'm sure was hard for him to say. And he was surprised Kurt didn't tell him I was moving out. But he said there seems to be a lot that Kurt isn't telling him nowadays."
"We got that as well." Blaine told her. "It seems he told Burt that we get along."
"And I'm sure he saw firsthand how you three get along."
"He did." Sebastian replied. "He asked if it was always that tense."
"What did you tell him?"
"Bas told him that it only got bad again after he made that early morning call."
"Anything else?"
"No. I told him it wasn't our place to tell him what was going on. And personally, I doubt Kurt's going to tell him the truth. If anything, Bas and I are going to be painted as the bad guys."
"None of you are angels in this, but honestly, Kurt acted the worst. You two really tried your best to just move forward. He was the one who couldn't."
"Do you mind me asking, how are things between him and Chandler?" Sebastian asked. But before Rachel could answer, Beat came walking up to them telling them that they were now being seated.
"We can finish our talk later." Rachel replied before they all got up and headed into the restaurant. Once they were all seated the conversation turned to their plans for the rest of the day. Blaine, Sebastian, and Hunter were surprised to hear that while they were meeting with Tasha, everyone had decided that they were going to a Broadway show that evening and had already gotten tickets. And now that their evening was taken care of it was just a matter of deciding what to do for the rest of the day.
After the girls noticed all the row boats out on the lake, it was decided that after lunch they'd all head out to the lake. "Blaine."
"Yes Nick."
"Don't stand up this time. You guys look too nice to fall into the lake."
"Smartass."
"He's got a point, B."
"Cute Bas."
"What are we missing?" Beat asked.
"While they were on vacation Blaine almost tipped them when they were out on a rowboat." Nick replied.
"It wasn't my fault, that crazy lady rammed into us."
"And just where was this?" Trent asked.
"In Barcelona." Sebastian replied.
"What brought this little incident up?" Logan asked.
"A picture on the website." Hunter said. "I was thinking about where it was taken and these two were basically giggling over it. That's how the story came out."
"You've made it to Barcelona?" Logan asked.
"Actually, he made it to Venice on the first try." Jeff replied to which the rest of the guys were shocked. "But fear not and much to Rachel's relief, he didn't make it to the end on the first try."
"So he's made it to the end?" Jacob asked.
"The next day." Hunter replied almost smugly.
"How many people have made it to the end?" Trent asked.
"Four. Thad was the first, then Lexi, Hunter, and Wes. And now they're all working on level two."
"Level two?"
"Yes. Since Blaine and Seb gave us all the pictures they took we added a few levels. Each level is harder than the previous."