This episode was fun to write... after all of the emotional turmoil of the previous episode, it's time for some sweet, happy Klaine! Yay!
(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)
BLAINE
Ever since Kurt and Blaine had worked their way through their first major fight, Blaine felt like a completely new person.
It was as if a huge weight had lifted off of his shoulders. They hadn't talked much yet about how the next year would play out, but they had made it clear to each other that they wanted to remain a couple. That they loved each other. It had freed up a huge portion of Blaine's mind that had previously been consumed with uncertainty, and suddenly everything seemed better.
He was even enjoying helping Kurt prepare for his NYADA audition.
"Okay!" Kurt said excitedly as he, Blaine, and Tina, finished lighting a bunch of candles on the stage of the auditorium for a dress rehearsal of Music Of The Night. "Let's go, let's go!"
Blaine looked around.
"Are we sure this isn't going to set off the fire alarm?" he wondered.
"They're just little flames," Kurt dismissed the idea. "It's fine."
Blaine and Tina exchanged a skeptical glance, but they didn't argue. Blaine hopped off the stage to take a seat in the audience, and Tina moved to her starting position on the stage.
It was the first time they had ever put the whole thing together. The props, the music, the costumes.
Blaine thought it was beautiful.
"Help me make the music of the night..."
"Fantastic!" Blaine applauded as the song ended. "I loved it."
Kurt pulled off the Phantom mask.
"I don't know," he said skeptically. "My entire future is riding on this audition. It has to be perfect."
Blaine shrugged. What was there to improve?
"What if I sequined my cape?" Kurt wondered. "Or if I sang it in German? Or if I did it in the nude?"
"What?" Blaine asked.
"I'm serious!" Kurt replied. "I've always been ahead of the curve, and my audition needs to show that. I mean, right now it's too safe. It's too predictable. It's too boring. I'm bored!"
"I think you're over-thinking it," Blaine admitted.
"Excuse me?" Tina interrupted, "My foot fell asleep. I can't feel it at all. Can I walk it off?"
"Yeah, sure, sure," Kurt said dismissively. "Just don't go too far. And thanks!" he added as Tina walked out of the auditorium.
Blaine waved at her as she left, then turned his attention back to Kurt.
"Alright," Kurt said thoughtfully, "I'm starting from scratch."
Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but he thought better of it and closed it again to let Kurt finish.
"I need something fresh," Kurt mused, pacing around the stage. "I need something edgy. Something completely unpredictable."
He stopped walking. "Or maybe I just need more candles," he wondered.
"Oh, god no. No more candles," Blaine mumbled. He was relieved when Kurt didn't hear him.
"It's not the candles," Kurt whined. He started walking around the stage again, this time blowing out all the little flames.
Blaine hopped onto the stage to help him. "Well, if something about Music of the Night isn't inspiring you," he said, "what does?"
"That's it!" Kurt gasped, whirling around and almost knocking one of the candelabras over in the process. "Inspiration."
"What?" Blaine asked, feeling like a broken record.
Kurt rushed over and bounced on the balls of his feet in front of Blaine. "The song needs to be inspired by me," he said enthusiastically. "It needs to say something. About me."
Blaine nodded, enjoying the sudden glimmer of excitement in Kurt's eyes.
"Oh my god," Kurt said seriously, reaching out to grab Blaine's shoulders. "I know the perfect song."
Blaine shimmied impatiently in Kurt's grasp.
"Not The Boy Next Door," Kurt breathed.
Blaine barely had time to hum his agreement before Kurt released his arms and yanked him forward by his shirt into an energized kiss.
"I adore you," Kurt declared as he pulled away.
"Thanks," Blaine grinned.
Blaine felt like he could almost see Kurt's brain working as fast as it could to create the perfect mental image.
"I can get some of the girls to sing background," Kurt rambled as he released Blaine and turned to continue pacing around the room. "And I'll need a piano..."
Tina wandered back into the room, and Kurt waved at her.
"That's all for today, thanks!" he said pleasantly.
"We set all of this up for that one run-through?" Tina asked.
Kurt ignored her in favor of pulling out his phone to type a list of ideas for his new song choice, so Blaine strolled over to where Tina was standing.
"He's... adjusting his vision," Blaine explained.
They both watched Kurt mumbling to himself as he typed furiously on his phone until Tina turned her attention back to Blaine.
"Well, let me know if you need me tomorrow or anything," she said.
"I will," Blaine nodded. "Thanks, Tina."
He hugged her, and she pulled off her wig as she disappeared off the stage.
"So," Blaine said, wrapping his arms around Kurt from behind, "what do you say we put all of this away and..."
"Do you think I even need props at all?" Kurt asked. "I mean, I can see it both ways. On one hand, the audition is about me, not about a big scene. But, on the other hand, it can add something to –"
He stopped suddenly and twisted around a little in Blaine's arms so he could look at him.
"I'm sorry, I'm obsessing. What were you saying?"
Blaine kissed his cheek. "Never mind," he said.
"So..." Kurt said teasingly, "... props or no?"
BLAINE
The next day in history class, Blaine was diligently reading an assigned chapter of their textbook when Rachel reached over from the seat beside him and grabbed his notebook. Before he could protest, she had flipped to a blank page and scribbled down a short sentence. Blaine snatched the notebook back from her and glanced down at her question.
Are you coming to the audition tomorrow after school?
Without moving his head, Blaine rolled his eyes up to give her what he hoped was an "is that a serious question?" glare.
She shrugged happily and gave him a thumbs-up, and Blaine couldn't hold back a smile. He hadn't spoken to Rachel much about her audition – he heard most of the details secondhand from Kurt – but he was excited to watch her perform.
He grabbed his pen.
Are you still planning on doing Don't Rain On My Parade? Kurt's thinking about changing his song. He's not sure if Music Of The Night is fresh enough.
Rachel's brow furrowed unhappily as she read his note. She responded: He's just panicking.
Blaine shook his head.
I don't think so. I can see what he means... Not The Boy Next Door would make a statement for sure! But his Music of the Night is fabulous, too.
Rachel gasped out loud as she read the message, and their teacher turned her attention on the two of them.
"Yes, Ms. Berry?"
"Uh, um," Rachel stammered, "I just– I dropped–" She bent down and pretended to pick up her pencil from the floor and wiggled it in the air in satisfaction.
The teacher sighed and dropped her eyes back to what she was reading.
NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR? Rachel scrawled across the page and shoved the notebook at Blaine. Blaine nodded, and Rachel grabbed the notebook back before Blaine could write anything. He can't! He needs to know this number so well that he could do it in his sleep. You simply cannot learn a routine of high enough quality in one day!
Blaine rolled his eyes at her and didn't even bother to pull the notebook closer to him in favor of leaning over and reaching out to write: Kurt can.
Oh my god, you are NOT encouraging this! He could stand there on the stage silently and you'd think it was perfect. He CANNOT sing that song. Music of the Night is the perfect, classic audition!
Blaine circled "He could stand there on the stage silently and you'd think it was perfect" and drew a bunch of tiny hearts around it. Then he wrote: It's up to Kurt, really. He's going to kill it either way.
Rachel threw her arms in the air and almost actually threw her pencil across the room in the process. You're just better at hiding your anxiety than I am. I know you're nervous for him.
Of course I'm nervous for him, Blaine responded. But I have more faith in him than you do.
Rachel glared at him for a second. I'm going to talk to him.
I am neither wishing you luck nor giving you my blessing.
Blaine started to hand the notebook to Rachel Rachel, but pulled it back at the last second and wrote: P.S. Can't wait to finally get to hear you sing Don't Rain On My Parade tomorrow. My first time!
Rachel rolled her eyes as she read his first sentence, but her face softened as she read his additional note. She turned to look at Blaine and he clutched his heart dramatically.
The bell rang shortly after that, and Rachel handed Blaine's notebook back to him before rushing out the door.
KURT
Kurt was switching some of his books at his locker between classes when Rachel suddenly appeared beside him.
"Um, this is insanity," Rachel accused.
"Wait, why are you talking to me?" Kurt asked. "I thought you were resting your voice for your audition."
"No, I vowed not to speak with you unless William and Kate got pregnant, Liza passed, or in less one of us was in grave danger," Rachel clarified.
"Tell me Liza's okay," Kurt demanded. He hadn't been on his phone for more than an hour... what had he missed?
"She's fine," Rachel reassured him. "But you're not, okay? I just talked to Blaine, and he told me about Not The Boy Next Door. You cannot sing that for your NYADA audition."
Kurt sighed.
"I need to be excited about this," he explained, "and this is the first time I've been inspired in this whole process!"
"No, it's too controversial, okay?" Rachel pushed back. "You can't wear Peter Allen's gold lamé pants!"
She glanced around, realizing that she was speaking too loudly.
"It was too controversial in 1962," Kurt argued. "Look, the play, and that song, won Hugh Jackman a Tony."
"I know," Rachel said.
"And NYADA is a Broadway school," Kurt added.
"Yes, but you haven't rehearsed it enough, okay?" Rachel said passionately. "I'm not singing Don't Rain On My Parade because it's my go-to song and because it's impossible for me not to cry when I sing it, but because I have been belting out that song since I was two years old, alright? This is the biggest moment of our lives here. We cannot be taking risks."
"Isn't that the exact moment to take a risk?" Kurt suggested.
"Kurt, can I be honest with you?" Rachel said, stepping closer to him. "I think this is self-sabotage, alright? You're scared you're not gonna get in, so you're using something to blame just in case this all doesn't work out."
Kurt shook his head as he closed his locker. Sure, he was scared that he wasn't going to get in. But he knew that, if he sang his best, he was talented enough to have a shot at attending the prestigious school.
Or was he?
"Do you really think I'm doing that?" he asked, second-guessing himself.
"Yeah," Rachel affirmed. "I think you think you're not good enough. But you are good enough, okay? You don't have to go and do some big, flamboyant number, alright? Music Of The Night is your Don't Rain On My Parade."
"I'm torn," Kurt admitted. "I have been practicing Phantom for the last three months."
"Yes!" Rachel agreed. "And I believe in you. I believe in that song so much... that I will be your Christine."
"You will?" Kurt gasped.
He had asked Rachel to play Christine during his audition when he had decided on the song, but she had turned him down because she didn't want any extra distractions.
"I will," Rachel confirmed.
The mental image of singing on the stage with Rachel by his side was exciting. She shared his passion. She was his best friend. Together they were unstoppable.
"Okay, let's do it!" he decided. "Music Of The Night it is!"
"Good!" Rachel said excitedly. "Alright, good!"
"Tina won't mind being re-cast," Kurt decided.
"No, she won't," Rachel agreed. "So..."
"Oh, that's great!" Kurt said, happy to have made a final decision. "Okay!"
"NYADA's not gonna know what hit 'em, trust me," Rachel said.
"Okay," Kurt agreed.
"Let's rehearse in the auditorium at lunch," Rachel suggested as the warning bell rang.
"Great!" Kurt agreed.
Rachel turned and rushed away, and Kurt hurried to his next class.
He was doing Music Of The Night. With Rachel. It would be perfect. It was the safe choice. His desire to stir things up was just a side effect of his anxiety. This was the right decision.
KURT
That afternoon, Kurt and Blaine were cuddling on Kurt's bed watching a movie, but Kurt could hardly concentrate. All he could think about was the audition the following afternoon.
"I'm doing Music of the Night," Kurt said quickly, unable to hold it in any longer.
"Okay," Blaine said.
"Okay?" Kurt repeated. "God, what does that mean?"
"Woah, woah," Blaine lifted his head up to look at Kurt. "It doesn't mean anything. 'Okay, I hear you'."
Kurt groaned in frustration. "I know. I'm just so conflicted! "
Blaine snuggled back down into Kurt's shoulder. "Well, pros and cons of Music of the Night?"
Kurt had thought about it enough to rattle off a quick list. "Pros: It's classic. I've rehearsed it to the point that I could probably do the whole thing blindfolded and it wouldn't even be a fire hazard. I can sing it. It will showcase my ability to take on a leading role in a major musical production."
"Cons?" Blaine asked.
"I'm so bored," Kurt stressed. "How am I supposed to give a compelling performance when I'm so uninterested in what I'm singing?"
Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and interlaced their fingers, and Kurt sighed dramatically.
"And Not The Boy Next Door?" Blaine encouraged.
"Pros: It's practically written about me in the future. I would rock those gold pants. It just feels right. Cons: Sure, I've sung it in the shower plenty of times, but I haven't rehearsed it at all as a real performance! It's an unnecessary risk."
"I don't think you could go wrong with either one," Blaine said.
"That's not helping!" Kurt wailed. He squashed the voice in the back of his mind that was whispering that he really just wanted Blaine to give him permission to do Not The Boy Next Door.
"Well," Blaine lifted his head off of Kurt's shoulder to nuzzle against his ear, "maybe you should wear some gold pants underneath your Phantom costume and make an on-the-fly decision!" He giggled out a burst of air against Kurt's skin, and Kurt was suddenly incredibly distracted by Blaine's face so close to his. But, simultaneously, everything clicked into place.
"I've gotta go!" He gasped, pulling out of Blaine's grip and jumping off the couch. When he turned back to Blaine, the other boy's face was a mixture of surprise and worry.
"Was that– am I– I'm sorry, I didn't–" Blaine stammered.
"No, no, no!" Kurt clarified. "NO." He leaned over to look into Blaine's eyes. "You have no idea how much I want to..." he trailed off, still just shy enough that he didn't want to say out loud all the things he wanted to do with Blaine instead of leaving.
"I get it," Blaine said, his eyes dark with longing, "you need to go practice."
"Stop," Kurt whined.
"You're going to have to make up for this tomorrow," Blaine said with authority, and Kurt felt like an entire flock of butterflies was living in his stomach as he looked into Blaine's eyes.
"We'll see," he quipped, turning to scoop up his bag. He turned one more time as he reached his bedroom door to lock eyes with Blaine for a long moment before he forced himself to open the door and hurry out to his car.
He was reaching out to open the car door when a hand on his arm stopped him.
Blaine twisted him around and kissed him gently.
"Bye," Blaine smiled.
Kurt felt himself blushing, both from Blaine's kiss and because, in his rush to leave, he had completely forgotten than Blaine didn't live with them. Of course Blaine wasn't just going to hang out in Kurt's house all afternoon by himself.
"Sorry," he said shyly.
"Don't be sorry," Blaine smiled, clearly amused by Kurt's flustered state of mind. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Love you," Kurt reminded him.
"I love you, too, Kurt," Blaine leaned forward to kiss him one more time.
Kurt waited until Blaine's car disappeared from view before he jumped into his own car and drove to school. When he arrived in the parking lot, he pulled out his phone and called Mercedes.
He needed a few girls to help him if he was going to pull this off.
KURT
The next morning, Kurt was exhausted but incredibly excited.
He knew that Blaine had been joking about wearing both outfits and making the decision on the fly, but it made sense. Kurt knew he could trust his gut. And his gut was flip-flopping all over the place depending on his mood.
So, he had readied both outfits and had begged Mercedes, Tina, and Brittany to stay up late rehearsing Not The Boy Next Door with him. They hadn't had to stay long – they didn't have much choreography – but Kurt had stayed for an extra hour and half after they had gone home practicing his choreography and singing the song a few times to make sure he could nail it.
He was ready.
He would trust his gut at the last second and do whichever song felt right.
Blaine was waiting for him at his parking spot when he arrived at school.
"Good morning," Blaine said happily, holding out a red rose.
Kurt giggled as he took it, and then laughed harder when he saw that it was a chocolate rose.
"You're the best," he said, reaching out to hold Blaine's hand as they walked into the building.
"How're you feeling?" Blaine asked.
"Nervous," Kurt admitted as they reached his locker. "But ready."
As Kurt opened his locker, he noticed the photos and other decorations on the inside of his locker. He had changed all the images inside after he had cleared away his tribute to Whitney Houston. It was strange not seeing Blaine's Dalton photo inside his locker now, but Kurt liked the new setup too. It reminded him of all of his friends, not just Blaine.
He carefully set the chocolate rose in his locker, making sure that it would stay steady when he closed the locker door.
"I don't think I can eat anything right now," he explained. "I might throw up."
"Well, we certainly don't want that," Blaine teased.
Kurt closed his locker and turned to face Blaine.
"You're ready," Blaine reminded him.
Kurt nodded and stepped forward to pull Blaine into a hug.
"Thanks for believing in me," he said softly as he clutched the boy who had transferred here to make Kurt's senior year the best that it could be.
Having Blaine around to share this with made it feel so much more special. Both of his best friends would be there to watch him this afternoon for the most important audition of his life so far.
BLAINE
The day flew by, and suddenly Blaine found himself standing backstage with Kurt and Rachel as they both finished getting ready for their auditions.
Mr. Schu had gone to meet the NYADA scout and bring him or her to the auditorium.
"Break a leg," Blaine said as he hugged Rachel. She smiled nervously and nodded, but didn't speak.
Blaine turned to Kurt.
"You've got this," he said with conviction.
Kurt kissed him gently on the lips. "Thanks," he smiled. "I feel good. I feel good about this."
He sounded like he was still convincing himself.
Blaine stopped to get a drink of water on his way to the audience section of the auditorium, so by the time he arrived it was time for Kurt's audition.
"Hello, I'm Kurt Hummel," Kurt introduced himself as Blaine rushed to a seat behind the NYADA scout. "And I'll be performing Music of the Night from the seminal Phantom of the Opera by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber."
Kurt hesitated briefly, and Blaine felt like he might explode. Don't panic, Blaine thought with all his might. Please, don't panic, Kurt.
"Which I bet you hear a lot of... that song," Kurt said.
"That, The Impossible Dream from La Mantre, and Being Alive from Company," Carmen Tibideaux confirmed. "Yes."
"It's a safe and standard choice," Kurt argued casually, and Blaine realized what was happening. Kurt still wasn't sure if he wanted to sing Music Of The Night.
"Which is why I've decided to change things up a bit," Kurt continued, his voice growing more confident. He pulled off the Phantom mask. "Here, in the eleventh hour, I have decided to go in a different direction."
Blaine was so nervous he could hardly sit still.
"Something that's a little more out there," Kurt explained, "but much more 'me'. Not The Boy Next Door, from the Peter Allen bio-musical The Boy From Oz."
Blaine reminded himself that Kurt was one of the most competent people he knew. Kurt wouldn't do this if he wasn't sure.
Kurt turned and rushed to the side of the stage to toss his Phantom cape and mask away.
"Ladies?" he called.
To Blaine's complete surprise, Tina, Brittany, and Mercedes emerged from the opposite side of the stage. They were all dressed up in golden dresses.
"I had my swans on standby," Kurt said nervously as the girls walked onto the stage.
Blaine twisted around briefly to look at Mr. Schu. The teacher looked as nervous as Blaine felt, and Blaine turned immediately back around to watch as the music started and Kurt began the song.
"Coming home used to feel so good. I'm a stranger now in my neighborhood. I've seen the world at a faster pace. And I'm coming now from a different place."
Blaine felt his anxiety giving way to some excitement. Kurt looked so confident. He was going to blow this song away.
"Though I may look the same way to you, underneath there is somebody new."
Kurt rushed over to the side of the stage, and suddenly he ripped off his outfit to reveal the black shirt and golden pants so often associated with this song.
Blaine's hands flew up to his face in a mixture of delight and surprise. Of course Kurt had both outfits on. Deep down inside, Kurt must have known that this was the song he was going to sing.
"I am not the boy next door. I don't belong like I did before."
As Kurt continued the song, Rachel crept down the row of seats to sit down beside Blaine. He barely looked at her. All he could do was watch Kurt.
Everything about the performance was electrifying. Kurt was full of energy and passion as he sang and danced his way around the stage.
This was Kurt.
"I am not the boy next door!"
Blaine knew that it wasn't a good idea to scream or applaud loudly – this was an audition, not a concert – so he settled for clapping lightly and flailing his arms in delight as Kurt ended the song on a soaring high note.
He had nailed it.
Blaine glanced at Carmen Tibideaux, and he felt like he might throw up. What was she going to say?
"You know, Hugh Jackman won a Tony Award for playing Peter Allen," Ms. Tibideaux said. "Hugh trained with me the summer I was in residence at the Sydney Opera House."
Blaine clutched his arms around his chest. She had to have loved it. It had been perfect.
"And I'm certain," Ms. Tibideaux continued, "that he would've been as impressed with what you did with that song as I am."
Yes.
"A bold choice, young man," the NYADA professor said. "I congratulate you for taking such a risk today."
"Thank you," Kurt gushed, fighting back tears. He turned and blew a kiss at the trio of girls who had sung backup for him before hurrying off the stage. "Thank you!"
Blaine exercised every tiny piece of self-control that he possessed as he stayed in his seat while Kurt disappeared off the stage. He didn't want to run to meet Kurt in front of the NYADA judge.
He was especially glad that he had refrained from jumping up when Ms. Tibideaux swiveled around to look at where he was sitting with Rachel.
"We'll take a short break, and then it will be your turn, Ms. Berry."
Rachel nodded rapidly, and Blaine had to reach out and clutch Rachel's hand to calm himself as Ms. Tibideaux stood and walked slowly down the row and up the stairs to the door in the back of the auditorium.
The second the door clicked shut behind her, Blaine jumped to his feet and ran as fast as he dared – not wanting to trip and hurt himself and ruin such a perfect moment – down the stairs, bypassing the long way around by leaping up onto the stage and rushing off in the same direction Kurt had gone a few moments before.
Finn was there. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, and Blaine realized that he must have arrived too late come join them in the audience.
Kurt was chattering away to his step-brother, but as soon as he saw Blaine he stopped mid-sentence and ran to close the distance between them to throw himself into Blaine's arms.
Blaine kissed him over and over as they both laughed with relief and exhilaration.
"That was perfect, Kurt!" Blaine gushed. "Perfect. I'm so proud of you!"
"I did it," Kurt laughed, tears of relief pooling in his eyes.
"You did it," Blaine agreed. You did it, Kurt."
He pulled Kurt into a tight hug, and he could feel Kurt's hands grasping at the back of his cardigan.
When Kurt pulled away, he looked so happy that Blaine wondered if either of them would ever stop smiling again.
"I – mmmm!" Blaine smiled as Kurt kissed him. "I knew you could do it."
"Me too," Kurt breathed. "I knew I could. I knew it." His voice was giddy, and Blaine imagined that he was probably having an intense adrenaline rush after such a brilliant performance.
"Hey guys," Finn interrupted, "let's go. Rachel's up."
Kurt kissed Blaine once more before rushing over to kiss Rachel on the cheek and say something in her ear. She smiled at him, and Kurt rushed back over to Blaine and Finn so they could go sit down and watch Rachel's audition.
KURT
As they took their seats in the auditorium, Kurt felt like he could take on the entire world.
He and Rachel were getting into NYADA for sure. Everything was amazing. Life was amazing.
"Hi, I'm Rachel Berry. And I'll be singing Don't Rain On My Parade from my favorite musical, Funny Girl."
Rachel choked.
She couldn't remember the worlds.
Kurt felt as if his heart had plummeted into his stomach as Rachel turned her back to them to instruct the band to start over.
But Carmen Tibideaux didn't stop her, so Kurt clung to hope. Maybe the NYADA professor would be lenient. Rachel would definitely kill it the second time.
She didn't.
As she stuttered into silence for a second time, Kurt knew it was over.
"Oh god," Finn said.
"This isn't happening," Kurt added.
Blaine was silent as they all stared at Rachel. She looked horribly small and vulnerable all alone on the stage. Kurt's whole body ached for her.
Carmen Tibideaux didn't allow her to try again. Kurt barely heard the woman's voice as he watched Rachel falling apart on the stage. He barely even noticed as Ms. Tibideaux left the auditorium.
As soon as the professor was out of the room, Rachel fell to the ground and Finn and Blaine both jumped to their feet.
"No," Kurt caught Blaine's hand. Blaine looked down at him, confused, but Kurt shook his head.
"She wants to be alone," Kurt knew. "With Finn."
"But is she okay?" Blaine worried frantically, looking again at where Rachel was now lying on her back on the stage, sobbing uncontrollably.
"No," Kurt said softly, his own eyes filling with tears. "She's not okay."
Blaine looked conflicted, but he allowed Kurt to restrain him from rushing to the stage. They watched as Finn made it to Rachel, and he picked her up off the ground and carried her off the stage.
Blaine tugged on Kurt's hand, and Kurt stood up.
He felt like this was a strange dream. How had he just nailed an audition and Rachel had choked?
"This isn't what's supposed to happen," he whispered.
Blaine wrapped him into a hug, and Kurt didn't know how to feel. So much of the joy of his audition was gone. How could he be happy when Rachel was suffering so much?
And what if this meant that Rachel wouldn't get to go to NYADA with him? He couldn't go without her. It was their plan. Together.
"Let's go," Blaine suggested gently, pulling out of the hug and grabbing Kurt's hand again.
Kurt let him lead them out of the auditorium and then out into the parking lot before he realized that he was still wearing his audition outfit. He was too shocked at what had just happened to really care.
"Let's go back to your house," Blaine suggested as they approached Kurt's car. "But let's both drive our cars over there, because I've got to come back later to help Puck study for his history test."
"Okay," Kurt agreed, starting to feel better. Sure, Rachel had choked on her audition, but she had so many other things on her resume. Maybe there was still a chance that she would get in.
And Kurt didn't even know if he would get in. The audition wasn't everything.
By the time they reached his house, Kurt was feeling great. Nothing was set in stone yet, so he allowed the joy of his audition to push away his worries.
It also helped that Blaine was so excited for him.
Kurt just wanted to make out all afternoon, but Blaine insisted on first taking a few photographs of him so they would always remember the perfect audition. It got a little out of hand, and half an hour later they had filled up the camera's memory card with all kinds of silly photos of the two of them, individually and together.
Blaine set the camera down on Kurt's vanity and turned back around toward Kurt, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I really like those pants," Blaine said, and Kurt raised a suggestive eyebrow.
Blaine strolled over to the bed and gently shoved Kurt over onto his back.
"I'm going to kiss you now," Blaine teased as he climbed on top of Kurt, straddling his hips. "If that's okay."
"It's okay," Kurt accepted, propping himself up on his elbows to lean up into the kiss. "I've got to make up for running out on you yesterday, remember?"
KURT
Rachel didn't come to school the day after her audition, but Kurt was relieved to see her at her locker before school on Friday.
He needed to talk to her. To see how she was feeling.
"Can I just say, for the record," Kurt said briskly as he walked up to her, "that Carmen Tibideaux is a total bitch. I mean, she should've let you start over."
"She did," Rachel said miserably.
"I mean a second time," Kurt corrected, trying desperately to think of a way to cheer his friend up. "You killed the beginning of that song. I wouldn't be surprised if you got accepted just from that."
"Kurt, I really appreciate what you're trying to do, but we both know what happened, alright?" Rachel said. "I had my chance, and I choked. I choked on a song that I've been singing my entire life. And now it's over and there's no one to blame but me."
Kurt didn't know what to say. Rachel looked absolutely devastated.
"You were amazing, though," Rachel said, turning to look at him. "You were. I mean, you went with your gut and you were better than you've ever been. You and Finn are gonna be great in New York together."
"Well you're coming too," Kurt replied. "Of course you're coming. Even if it doesn't work out with NYADA –"
"Just don't talk about this anymore, please," Rachel said rapidly, fighting back tears. "It's just... I haven't– I haven't slept in like two days and I just am really tired of talking about it, okay?"
Kurt nodded and stepped forward to hug her.
"I love you, Rachel Berry," he reminded her.
"I love you too."
KURT
On Friday evening, the Hummel-Hudson family went out to dinner to celebrate Kurt's successful NYADA audition.
"I wish I coulda been there," Burt said as Kurt gave them a play-by-play of the audition.
"It was spectacular," Blaine said enthusiastically.
Kurt smiled across the table at him. Blaine didn't always attend their Friday night dinners, but Burt had insisted that he come along on this specific Friday.
"Well," Burt said, "a toast. To Mr. Kurt Hummel, NYADA finalist. Soon we'll be here celebrating your acceptance letter, Kurt. We're all so proud of you."
They all clinked their glasses together, and Kurt blushed happily.
They ate and chatted and ordered an entire cheesecake so that they could take some home and have it again the next evening, and Kurt tried to soak it all in. Regardless of what happened with NYADA, this wasn't going to be his life for much longer. Things were going to change.
He thought about Rachel. What would happen if one of them didn't get into NYADA? Or if they both didn't?
What would New York be like without Rachel?
Or what if Rachel got in and he didn't? What would he do then?
He wasn't sure. But he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, determined to enjoy what was left of his final year of high school. They would deal with whatever NYADA decided when their letters came in the mail.
KURT HUMMEL! YOU KILL THAT AUDITION! I basically screamed/cried/flailed my house down when Not The Boy Next Door happened. I still get chills watching it. After everything that Kurt has been though, it feels SO good to watch him sing and dance his heart out like that and then get to cry some HAPPY tears for once! GO KURT! And gosh, Blaine was just way too adorable watching in the audience. I'm so glad they wrote it so that Blaine was there to see Kurt's audition!
Is this the first time Kurt has ever sung a Broadway song that's traditionally sung by a man? I think so.
(Oh, and if you're wondering why Blaine and Rachel have a class together... in my mind, Blaine takes a few classes that are normally taken by seniors because he got ahead of the public school curriculum at Dalton. They've already shown him in class with Mike and Puck more than once, so...)
Up next... 'Prom-asaurus'!