So sorry, guys! My power's been out for an extended period of time twice this week and the Internet was out for even longer because I guess the power outage affected the connection somewhere down the line. So, I've been all out of whack. But things are back to normal now, so on we go!
Sadly, the "Diva" performance is a fantasy! Actually, I think the students' conversation while Ms. Pillsbury talks (you can hear her talking in the background the whole time) is all a fantasy, too, but I like it so I'm pretending it's real. ;) Also, I don't even know about Tina in this episode. You're way, way out of line, girl. Get a grip.
(I do not own Glee or any of the characters, dialogue, or songs from the show. It's all just for fun!)
KURT
On Monday morning, as Kurt stood at the back of the room in his free sing class watching Rachel take up the entire hour for herself instead of sharing the spotlight, he realized that he had to do something.
Rachel was getting unbearable.
Her behavior had been growing progressively more unpleasant every day since her win at the Winter Showcase. Suddenly, she was one of the most popular girls at NYADA, and she loved it. She basked in the other students' compliments and had started completely ignoring Kurt at school in favor of a new group of friends who followed her around with stars in their eyes. At home in the apartment, she had started acting like she lived there by herself. She wouldn't clean the bathroom and she felt entitled to make as much noise as she wanted at any hour of the day. She never did the grocery shopping unless she needed something specific for herself. And, most annoying of all, she was acting as if Kurt existed solely to do things for her. The night before, her phone had rung as she and Kurt were sitting on the couch and, when Kurt had asked her if she was going to answer the call, she had held up a pre-written note card telling him that she was saving her voice and asking him to take a message.
Kurt had just rolled his eyes and let the call go to her voicemail.
Rachel's behavior was starting to weigh on Kurt. He was constantly annoyed at school if Rachel was anywhere in the vicinity and he was starting to dread coming home to the apartment. It didn't feel like their apartment anymore; Kurt felt like he was living at Rachel and Brody's place, and it was very uncomfortable.
Kurt had always secretly worried that this would happen. That Rachel would start to find success and let it go to her head until she was impossible to tolerate. But, now that it had happened, he was quickly realizing that he couldn't take much more of her attitude. He was going to have to do something to rein in Rachel's ego or risk the end of their friendship.
"And I tried to talk to Brody about it," he explained to Adam that afternoon as Adam walked Kurt to the train station after Adam's Apples rehearsal, "but he's basically the whole problem! He just tells me that Rachel is 'finding herself' and that I'm being unreasonable!"
"Maybe she is struggling to find herself, and that's the problem," Adam agreed. "But it's not an excuse to act the way she's acting. Have you talked to her about it?"
"No," Kurt confessed. "We barely talk at all lately, even at home. And, on the rare occasion when she's herself and things feel comfortable, I don't want to start an argument."
Adam nodded. "Maybe an opportunity will present itself soon and you can tell her how you feel."
"Yeah," Kurt said, unsure. He couldn't see them having a calm, mature heart-to-heart about the situation. With him and Rachel, things were always so dramatic.
They walked the final block to the station in comfortable silence, and Kurt realized that all he had done all afternoon was whine about Rachel.
"I'm sorry," he said as they stopped outside the station. "I'm not much fun to be around today."
"I have to disagree," Adam smiled. "I always find myself having fun when you're around."
Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately as a warm fondness settled into his stomach. He reached out and grabbed Adam's hand as he moved to stand in front of him.
"Bye," Adam grinned.
The kindness in Adam's eyes emboldened Kurt, and he stepped forward and initiated their first kiss.
"Mmm," Adam hummed his approval, and Kurt felt the corners of Adam's mouth turning up into a smile as their chests bumped together and Kurt held the kiss longer than he planned.
Kurt was proud of himself when he stepped away from the kiss and didn't immediately dissolve into delighted laughter. He felt energized as he squeezed Adam's hand and released it.
"See you tomorrow," he smiled.
He thought about the kiss the entire train ride back to Bushwick.
His only real experience with kissing was with Blaine. He had kissed Brittany a few times when he had pretended that she was his girlfriend, and Karofsky had forced a kiss on him in the locker room at McKinley, but those kisses didn't count and they had both been before he was with Blaine. After kissing no one but Blaine for so long, Kurt had been worried that it would feel weird to kiss someone else. But it didn't; it felt right, like a mature adult first kiss. His first kiss with Adam wasn't the same kind of first kiss he had experienced with Blaine. Instead of a heart pounding, tender, emotional kiss, it had been sweet and simple and comfortable, but it felt appropriate to their relationship. Kurt wasn't the shy, inexperienced boy at Dalton anymore.
Adam would never know that Kurt, he realized as he contemplated their relationship. Just like Blaine had never known Kurt when he was in the closet. Kurt felt strange as he realized that Adam saw him as a competent, experienced adult.
Rachel and Brody were out late, as usual, so Kurt enjoyed the evening by himself and, when he fell into bed a few hours early just because he could, he couldn't stop thinking about kissing Adam.
BLAINE
On Monday, Ms. Pillsbury was standing with Finn at the front of the room when glee rehearsal began. Once all the students were in their seats, ready to start the week's lesson, she walked to the white board and wrote "diva" in huge letters.
"Diva," Ms. Pillsbury announced as she turned around to face the group.
Tina applauded and Marley squeaked with excitement. Blaine was immediately interested.
"So," Finn explained, "now that we're back in the game, we've gotta come strong. Diva week is all about finding your inner powerhouse. Ms. Pillsbury?"
"That's right," Ms. Pillsbury elaborated. "The online urban dictionary defines a diva as: 'a fierce, often temperamental singer who comes correct. She is not a trick-ass hoe and she does not sweat the haters'."
"Great, so I guess the guys are screwed this week," Jake said skeptically.
"Um, guys can be divas," Blaine corrected him, leaning forward from his seat in the back row to make sure everyone heard him.
"That's right," Ms. Pillsbury agreed. "We all have inner divas. I, myself, have been considered quite a diva at many a local restaurant because I know what I want and I will send a dish back."
Ms. Pillsbury launched into a story about a particularly complicated meal at the Cheesecake Factory, but the students turned to each other to discuss the week's lesson.
"You all might as well quit while you're ahead," Unique said to the other girls of New Directions, "because there are only two ways to spell Unique. And one of them is D.I.V.A. Diva!"
Blaine glanced at Sam as Unique continued her challenge and saw that Sam had his fingers stuck in his ears.
"I have more diva in my little finger than you have in your whole angry inch, Wade/Unique," Tina retorted.
"Tina, you've kind of been talking some ridiculous trash for months, unchallenged," Marley disapproved. "And that stops now."
"Use that finger, use that snap!" Ms. Pillsbury exclaimed as part of her story, and Blaine wasn't sure if she even realized that none of the students were listening.
"Uh, listen," Blaine reiterated to the group, "guys can be divas!"
"You guys, I'm gonna win diva week," Brittany explained. "And do you know how I know that? It's because Lord Tubbington said so in a dream I had this weekend."
Blaine shook his head in confusion and the group turned its attention back to Ms. Pillsbury just in time to hear the very end of her story.
"And that is how I made the manager cry at the Cheesecake Factory," she announced. "By being a diva."
The students applauded briefly.
"I'm not sure that counts as diva behavior," Kitty rolled her eyes.
"Anyway!" Finn said, ignoring her. "The assignment this week is a competition. We want to see your best diva performances. Use costumes. Use props. Show us that diva attitude! Yeah!"
Blaine didn't even need to see the other guys' faces to know that most of them weren't planning to take part in the competition.
"Come on..." he encouraged them, "guys can be divas, too."
"Not this guy," Jake said critically.
"Maybe it's like... a gay guy thing?" Ryder wondered.
Blaine rolled his eyes and realized that he wasn't going to be able to convince them until he had the opportunity to show them with a performance.
KURT
The next morning, Kurt was awakened by the sound of Rachel doing vocal warm-ups in the kitchen. He tried to ignore her, reaching over to turn on his white noise machine, but she was too loud. And piercing. And annoying. So, he climbed out of bed, got dressed, and wandered out of his room.
"Oh hey, you're awake!" Rachel noticed him immediately.
"An hour before my alarm clock," Kurt mumbled as he walked past her into the kitchen. He noticed that Brody wasn't in the apartment. Had he stayed out all night, again, or had he left early for NYADA?
"Oh, when you're in there, can you make me a little tea, please?" Rachel asked absentmindedly as she gathered things into her bag. "With some honey and lemon. You know, it's really good for my throat."
Something in Kurt's mind snapped as he internalized the request, and he slammed the kettle down on the burner and turned to face Rachel across the room.
"Sure," he said sarcastically, throwing one of his arms out toward the door, "I'll just run down to the store and get you some!"
"I'll take that as a 'no'," Rachel snapped back, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "An incredibly rude 'no' that deserves an explanation."
She marched over to where Kurt was standing in the kitchen, and Kurt could feel the tension that had been building up between them since the Winter Showcase reaching its boiling point.
"Okay, Rachel," Kurt said, ready for an argument, "truth time. You have been a nightmare ever since the Winter Showcase."
"I knew it!" Rachel said immediately. "It was only a matter of time before you became jealous of all of my success."
She grabbed the kettle off the stove and walked over to the sink to fill it with water. "And just when we were getting inseparable!" she added.
"We became close because you became tolerable!" Kurt corrected her, exceedingly annoyed. "But now you've got that weird naked boyfriend and that weird legion of sycophants. Now you are like– you're like an annoying, self-righteous Lima Rachel on steroids!"
"You know what?" Rachel retorted as she set the kettle back on the stove and turned her attention to Kurt. "Let me give you a little bit of truth, Kurt, okay? The only reason why Carmen Tibideaux even let you sing at the Winter Showcase was because she knew that you and I were friends."
"You might have won the showcase," Kurt allowed, ignoring her analysis of why he had been allowed to sing, "but my performance was the one that everyone was talking about. Because I blew you away!"
Rachel glared at him as she put a tea bag in her cup, and Kurt realized how he could challenge her superior attitude.
"And I could do it again," he informed her. "Midnight Madness. You and me, head-to-head."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, babe," Rachel said smugly.
"Oh, why not?" Kurt egged her on.
"Because I already beat you once," Rachel said condescendingly, stepping closer to him. "Diva-off, sophomore year. Remember?"
Kurt had never told Rachel that he lost that competition on purpose. He had always supposed that he would tell her years in the future, over a few drinks, and that they would laugh about it. But now, it was ammunition in the war he was waging against Rachel's ego.
"Only because I threw it," he explained, leaning over to get closer to her. "That high F in Defying Gravity? I can hit that baby in my sleep. I tanked the note on purpose."
"Okay, why would you do that?" Rachel scoffed.
"Because I didn't want to win," Kurt told her, realizing how crazy it sounded now. "I wanted to save my dad the embarrassment of having his son sing a song written for a woman."
Rachel stared at him, incredulous.
"I don't believe you," she lied. "Take that back."
"Can't," Kurt shrugged, feeling victorious. "It's truth time."
"That was my first big win!" Rachel cried, suddenly more distressed than angry. "That was the foundation that I built all of my confidence on for the past two years!"
"Aw, consider it cracked," Kurt told her. "Get ready for diva-off, part two. And, this time, I'm not throwing anything."
He could tell by the look on her face that he had rattled her.
"Enjoy your tea," he couldn't stop himself from adding as he walked past her to get ready to leave for class.
Neither one of them spoke another word as Kurt gathered his things. He glanced at Rachel as he slid the apartment door open, but she was holding her tea in one hand and typing furiously on her phone with the other, so he slipped out the door and closed it behind him.
"I don't know what possessed me to challenge her to Midnight Madness!" he admitted to Adam when they met an hour later on campus. "I'm out of my mind!"
"Give yourself some credit," Adam reassured him. "Rachel's a great singer, but so are you! And you've got the added benefit of rehearsing twice a week with the best show choir in the world," he winked.
"True," Kurt teased. "Have you ever done Midnight Madness?"
"No," Adam explained, "but I've been once before. A friend of mine was challenged last year."
"Did they win?" Kurt asked.
"Sadly, no," Adam replied. "But that doesn't mean anything!" he smiled as Kurt scowled at the news.
"I know," Kurt whined. He reached out and grabbed Adam's hand as they walked, his stomach fluttering happily as Adam interlaced their fingers. "I'm just imagining the nightmare that my life will become if Rachel beats me."
BLAINE
As Blaine opened his eyes that morning, he groaned unhappily.
He felt terrible.
After he took an extremely hot shower, got dressed, and ate breakfast, he felt a little better, but he was still congested and starting to develop a cough when he arrived at school. He wandered to his locker, unhappy with his body for choosing this week to get sick. How was he supposed to act like a diva when he was sniffling and coughing all the time?
"Here," Tina's voice broke him out of his pity-party as she suddenly appeared beside him at his locker. "I put together a little cold-buster kit for you." She held out a small plastic container.
"Cool," Blaine thanked her, confused. "How did you know?"
"Your nose was red yesterday," Tina explained.
Blaine turned to look at himself in the small mirror he had attached to the back of his locker. He couldn't tell if his nose looked red or not.
"Start off with cough drops," Tina instructed, "then two packs of vitamin C, a cup of my homemade Chinese chicken soup, and finish with my secret weapon: nighttime cold medicine."
"Aw, thank you!" Blaine took the clear plastic container from Tina and studied its contents. "I really appreciate this. It's gonna have me feeling better in no time! Except for maybe the nighttime cold medicine."
"Why?" Tina asked. "It's amazing."
"It just makes me really sleepy and woozy," Blaine told her. "Which is something I can't afford to be right now. Not with diva week in full swing."
He closed his locker and walked with Tina down the hallway.
"I want to be able to prove that men can be divas, too," Blaine explained. "Which is why I'm going to give them a full dose of some Freddie Mercury. Just to show how the boys can really bring some diva attitude."
"Mr. Anderson, you find new ways to inspire me every day," Tina approved.
"Aw, thanks Tina," Blaine said.
They had to go their separate ways to class, and Blaine spent the rest of the day sucking on the cough drops from Tina's cold-buster kit to keep his throat from getting scratchy before his performance for the glee club that afternoon.
At lunch, he and Tina dug around in the costume closet until they managed to put together a costume for Blaine's performance. In the short span of time between his last class and the start of glee rehearsal, Blaine changed into the outfit: a tight pair of black pants, a white tank top, a black faux leather jacket that was studded along the edges and in the shape of a star on the back, and a black military-style hat. He studied himself in the full-length mirror in the locker room and decided that it was the closest he was going to get to looking like Freddie Mercury on such short notice.
He laughed at his reflection as he wondered what Kurt would say about the outfit. He took a photo of himself in the mirror and sent it to Kurt.
Freddie Mercury for diva week! he explained.
Kurt's response came as Blaine was walking down the hallway toward the choir room.
That hat is ridiculous, but I like the rest.
Blaine smiled and paused to lean against the row of lockers to type a response. I'm glad you approve, he wrote with a winking emoticon. I want to show the boys that guys can have diva attitude, and I know they love Queen!
Go get 'em! Kurt responded almost immediately.
What's going on with you this week? Blaine replied.
He shoved his phone into his bag and rushed to the choir room. He would look at Kurt's response after he finished the song.
Blaine was the last student to arrive, and everyone stared at him as he walked into the room.
"Damn," Unique approved of his outfit. Blaine winked at her before tossing his bag on the ground near the chair he planned to sit in after his performance. He turned to look at Finn and Ms. Pillsbury.
"Go ahead," Finn grinned.
Blaine walked to the piano and began the song without any introduction.
"Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time. I feel alive. And the world's turning inside out, yeah. I'm floating around in ecstasy so don't stop me now."
As the song picked up in tempo, Blaine kicked over the piano bench and lost himself in the performance. He could tell that the other students were really into it, and he had a blast singing and dancing around the choir room. When the song ended, the group applauded wildly and Blaine walked to the center of the room and bowed.
"Guys can be divas," he reminded the group.
He saw Jake roll his eyes and wiggle his head in agreement and knew that he had gotten the point across. Satisfied, he walked to his seat among his classmates and sat down as the group applauded again.
"That was fantastic, Blaine!" Ms. Pillsbury approved as she and Finn moved to the front of the room. "A true diva performance!"
Finn and Ms. Pillsbury decided that, with the remaining time, they should rehearse one of the group numbers they were considering for Regionals. As the group warmed up, Blaine pulled out his phone to text Kurt.
Speaking of diva week, Kurt had responded while Blaine had been singing, Rachel is being the ultimate diva in the worst possible way lately. So, in an attempt to reign in her ego, I challenged her to Midnight Madness. It's the day after tomorrow.
KURT
Kurt was wandering toward the train station near NYADA to head back to Bushwick after his final class of the day when Blaine texted him back.
What's Midnight Madness? Blaine asked.
Oh! Sorry, Kurt replied. It's like a musical fight club that happens twice a year at NYADA. A diva-off, basically.
Well, the only reason Rachel won your diva-off a few years ago is because you threw the competition, right? Blaine remembered.
Kurt laughed. Oh my god, I told her about that this morning! he explained. She's not happy.
Oh no, Blaine replied with a scared emoticon.
Aren't you in glee rehearsal right now? Kurt remembered suddenly.
Still warming up, Blaine explained. But yeah, I should probably go.
Good luck at Midnight Madness! Blaine added a few seconds later. Text me after?
Definitely, Kurt agreed. Have a great afternoon!
You too, Blaine replied. Love you.
Kurt sent him back a heart symbol and was preparing to shove his phone into his pocket when it vibrated again.
This time it was a call from Adam.
"Hello?" Kurt answered.
"Why hello, kind sir," Adam said, exaggerating his accent. "I'm calling to inquire about your plans for dinner tonight."
"Well," Kurt teased, "now that you mention it... I was thinking I might go out with this guy I'm kinda into."
"Okay, then," Adam said happily, "if you must."
Kurt laughed. "Where are you?" he asked.
They met at a restaurant near NYADA fifteen minutes later and spent a few hours chatting and eating and flirting until Kurt had to leave or risk missing the final train of the night.
This time, Adam initiated their goodbye kiss, and Kurt spent another train ride home thinking about kissing Adam. He liked this stage of their relationship. When kissing was allowed but there was no pressure for anything more. When there was no long-term commitment and it was just about enjoying each other. It was comfortable and pleasant and casual.
But it was also complicated because, although he fell asleep that evening thinking about kissing Adam, he spent the night dreaming about kissing Blaine.
KURT
The next day, Kurt's morning was uneventful. He had an exam in his first class and spent his entire second class trying not to trip over his feet as he danced, so the time passed quickly and soon he was strolling down the hallway on his way to meet Adam for lunch. As he wandered around the corner toward where he was supposed to meet Adam, he heard a guy he recognized as one of Rachel's new followers talking about him. He paused at the end of the hall and watched the small group – including Brody and Rachel – as the boy talked.
"Everyone knows the reason Hummel got in is because he's Carmen's pet turtle face. And signing up for Adam's Apples? He might as well wear a sign around his neck that says 'I'm pathetic, please club me to death'."
"Kurt earned his place here at NYADA same as you two," Rachel defended him.
"Excuse me?" the male voice disagreed. Kurt decided to step in before things got out of hand.
"It's okay, Rachel," he said, making his presence known. "I've dealt with a lot worse than bitchy gossip."
He turned his attention to the two guys who were smirking at him.
"However I got here," he said to them, "the point is, I'm here. And me, my outfits, and my turtle face aren't going anywhere."
"We'll see about that at Midnight Madness," one of the boys said before they both walked away.
Kurt glanced at Rachel, and he could tell that she was as nervous as he felt.
If he lost Midnight Madness, the bitchy gossip was never going to end. He was going to be "that boy who challenged Rachel Berry and lost" to his classmates for the rest of his time at NYADA.
He had to win.
"Well, uh..." Rachel waved her hand vaguely down the hallway, "we've gotta, you know..."
She and Brody walked away down the hall, and Kurt tried to push his nerves away as he hurried down the hallway to find Adam.
BLAINE
That afternoon, Blaine was particularly excited for glee rehearsal. After most of the students had gone home the day before, he had stayed behind to have a meeting with Finn and Ms. Pillsbury about how they could really get the students excited about diva week. And they had agreed that another performance like Blaine's, but from a girl, might be the final push everyone needed to really embrace their inner divas.
So, they had decided to call Santana back to Ohio from Louisville. And, to Blaine's surprise, she had accepted immediately and without question. She had even seemed eager to come back to McKinley. Blaine wondered if she was lonely in Kentucky.
"They say that true divas aren't really mortal," Finn said to start the day's lesson. "They're more like the Loch Ness monster or Sméagol."
"Divas walk and they talk and they breathe brilliance," Ms. Pillsbury picked up the conversation. "So, here to demonstrate that illusive brilliance is a very special guest diva!"
"Raven Symone," Brittany guessed.
"All the way from Louisville," Finn announced, "give it up for Miss Santana Lopez!"
Santana and four other University of Louisville cheerleaders walked into the room as the music began, and they danced and sang their way through Nutbush City Limits. Blaine danced and clapped along from his seat, and he joined the group in a round of applause when the performance ended.
"Santana!" Brittany approved, standing up from her seat beside Blaine. "That was simply the best moment in show business history. But how come you didn't tell me you were coming to town?"
"You know, I think that the better question is: why didn't you tell me that you were dating Sam?" Santana asked. "I had just left a comment on my favorite Rizzoli and Isles lesbian subtext blog when I heard the news."
Brittany sat back down.
"Oh, and before I forget," Santana added, "allow me to introduce my backup. And my girlfriend. Elaine. And by girlfriend, I mean out and proud, lipstick-loving, After Ellen-reading girlfriend."
One of the other cheerleaders stepped up to Santana and pecked a kiss on her lips, and Blaine joined the group in another round of applause for the girls' performance.
Blaine glanced at Sam, who was sitting in the row behind him, to find that he looked suspicious.
"You okay?" Blaine asked as most of the group got up to talk to Santana and Sam stayed in his seat.
"She's here to check up on Brittany," Sam said unhappily. "And me."
Blaine stood up and walked over to sit down in the chair beside Sam. "Maybe she just..."
"Dude," Sam said, "this isn't you and Kurt."
"What?" Blaine shook his head. "That's not– I'm not saying–"
"Santana and Brittany broke up because they grew apart," Sam explained sharply. "Because they didn't belong together."
"Right," Blaine said softly, understanding the unspoken contrast between the girls' breakup and his sudden, unwanted breakup with Kurt.
"Sorry," Sam apologized. "I'm just saying... I know you miss Kurt, but not everyone who breaks up is meant to get back together. Sometimes you find someone better."
Blaine nodded as they watched Santana hop into Artie's lap and kiss his cheek to say hello. He didn't like to think about the possibility that he and Kurt would never get a second chance. They were soul mates, weren't they? What was he going to do if Kurt decided that Adam was the one he wanted to spend his life with?
BLAINE
The next morning, Blaine woke up feeling so horrible that he briefly considered rolling over and going back to sleep instead of getting up and going to school. He snoozed his alarm and planned to make the final decision when it went off again...
He woke up before Kurt did, so he nuzzled his face into the back of Kurt's neck and absorbed his warmth and the sound of his steady breathing for a few minutes until Kurt's alarm went off.
"Morning," Blaine kissed the back of Kurt's neck before releasing him so he could reach his phone and turn off the alarm.
"I'm already ready for bed tonight," Kurt whined, but when he rolled away from the alarm onto his back and looked at Blaine, he was smiling. Blaine scooted closer and snuggled up to Kurt's side.
"We could just skip class and work today and go into Manhattan tonight for Midnight Madness," he suggested.
"Don't tempt me," Kurt laughed, turning his head toward Blaine for a kiss before throwing the blankets off of both of them and climbing off the bed.
Blaine shivered and jumped out of bed and they got dressed in comfortable silence before wandering out of their room. Rachel and Brody were already gone, so Blaine flipped on the small radio they kept in the living room as he passed.
"How're you feeling about tonight?" Blaine asked as he walked into the bathroom to gel his hair.
"Okay," Kurt said from the kitchen as he searched for a pan to make them eggs for breakfast. "I guess I'm a little nervous, but Rachel has the most to lose."
"True," Blaine agreed as he twisted his head around so he could see his hair as he combed the gel in.
They were both silent for a few minutes, listening to the music on the radio as Blaine finished fixing his hair and Kurt worked on breakfast. By the time Blaine emerged from the bathroom, the apartment smelled amazing.
"Mmm," Blaine approved.
"Here," Kurt motioned to the eggs in the pan, "finish this while I get ready?"
"Sure," Blaine agreed, taking the turner from Kurt.
Kurt paused and studied Blaine's face instead of walking to the bathroom, and Blaine raised his eyebrows.
"What?" he asked.
The sound of Blaine's phone alarm ringing startled him awake, and he rubbed his eyes unhappily as he realized that it had been a dream. He wasn't going to wake up with Kurt and kiss him good morning and encourage him through his day.
Blaine reached for his phone and turned the alarm off before sending Kurt a text message.
Good luck at Midnight Madness tonight!
Kurt didn't respond until Blaine was driving to Lima, so he had to wait until he parked his car at school to look at his phone.
Thanks! Kurt had responded. I'm feeling good about it at the moment, but I'm sure the nerves will kick in when the time comes!
You're going to blow them away, Kurt! Blaine replied.
Kurt sent back a smiley face, and Blaine knew the short conversation was over. He stuffed the phone into his pocket and wandered into the school. He felt irritated and sick and lonely, and he wished that he had decided to stay in bed.
He stopped at his locker and couldn't find the enthusiasm to smile at Tina as he saw her walking down the hallway toward him.
"Hey, Bling Bling, feeling better?" she asked as she walked up to him.
"Hey, Tina," he said. "No, I'm not. It's worse. My whole head feels like it's a shrink-wrapped fist of ham."
"Here, I got you this," Tina said, holding out a small jar. "It's vapor rub. My nana swears by it."
Somehow, the small gesture felt huge in Blaine's feverish mind. At least Tina cared about him.
"Aw, thanks lady," Blaine whined happily. "You're so sweet."
Tina rolled her eyes and leaned back against the row of lockers.
"What?" Blaine asked. "What'd I say?"
"I don't want to be sweet," Tina explained. "I want to be the girl that kicks down the door and makes demands and gets what she wants! But, let's be honest, no one things 'diva' and pictures me."
"What're you talking about?" Blaine disagreed. "There are tons of badass Asian divas. Look at Lucy Liu. Bai Ling. B.D. Wong."
Tina looked unconvinced.
"Okay," Blaine decided as he closed his locker, "you are coming to my house after school today and we're going to find you the right song. We're gonna bring out your inner diva if it kills me."
"Aw, Blainey Days," Tina smiled.
Blaine offered her his arm, and they walked down the hallway together until they had to separate to go to their first classes. Knowing that Tina was coming over after school gave Blaine something to look forward to as he sniffled and coughed his way through the school day. Glee rehearsal was miserable – Unique performed a diva number and then New Directions rehearsed a potential Regionals song – because he couldn't sing properly when he was so congested and fighting a cough. He was relieved when it was finally over and he and Tina wandered into the parking lot together.
"Just follow me," he told Tina, motioning to his car. "Here, I'll text you my address, too, just in case..."
By the time they arrived at Blaine's house, Blaine felt so terrible that he didn't even argue when Tina offered him some of the nighttime cold medicine.
"Your house is beautiful," Tina complimented as they climbed the stairs to Blaine's room.
"Thank you," Blaine replied.
As they walked into his bedroom, Blaine realized he didn't have anything for them to eat or drink.
"Do you want a drink?" he asked. "A snack?"
"A drink would be great," she agreed. "Whatever you have is fine. Thanks!"
Blaine rushed downstairs and, out of habit from many afternoons spent hanging out in his bedroom with Kurt, grabbed a small tray out of one of the kitchen cabinets before realizing that he didn't need a tray for one soda. He decided to use it, anyway, because it was already out and it meant he wouldn't have to touch Tina's drink much, and he grabbed a can of soda and filled a glass with ice before making his way back up the stairs to his bedroom.
Tina was looking at the photos of Kurt on Blaine's nightstand when he walked through the door.
"Have you ever been with a girl?" Tina asked, turning to look at him.
"No," Blaine replied. "Perfect gold star gay. Except for that one time when I kissed Rachel Berry."
"That doesn't count," Tina smiled.
"Well, it's not that I don't like girls," Blaine clarified as he set the tray on the bench at the end of his bed and sat down beside it. "I love them. They're very kind and sensitive and their bodies are beautiful."
"Thank you," Tina interjected. "You know, on behalf of girls everywhere."
"But loving one that way," Blaine continued, "it's not who I am."
"We're young," Tina said. "We still have time to find ourselves."
"Exactly!" Blaine approved. "Which is why, Miss Tina Cohen-Chang, you are about to find your inner diva!"
He climbed onto the bed. "I took the liberty of making a playlist of some of the classic diva songs for you to go through," he explained, motioning at his laptop on the bed by where Tina was sitting, "but you should open the laptop. I don't want to give you my germs."
Tina opened the laptop and studied the list.
"Wow, I can't believe you went old school diva," she realized. "Cher, Aretha, Madonna. Do you really think I can pull this off? I don't even know what I would wear."
"Are you kidding me?" Blaine encouraged her. "You would kill it! I was thinking that we could use one of those dresses from Sectionals..."
He cut himself off with a long yawn. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "that cold medicine is really very strong."
"Why don't you lie down?" Tina suggested.
"Okay," Blaine agreed. He was so tired. "That's a good idea."
He crawled to the head of the bed and fell onto a pillow. It felt so good. He had missed his bed all day.
"You know, I've been reading a lot about divas," Tina said as Blaine relaxed and tried not to fall asleep.
"Mmmhmm?" he urged her to continue.
"And the biggest thing is that they're brutally honest," Tina explained. "And, if I'm going to be a diva, then I have to be honest, too."
"Totally," Blaine agreed as he lost his battle with the drowsiness of the cold medicine and drifted off to sleep.
KURT
That evening, just before midnight, Kurt, Rachel, and a small group of students snuck into NYADA for Midnight Madness.
"Guys," Brody instructed as they entered the music room where the competition would take place, "gather some chairs up. Make a semicircle, let's go! We have five minutes!"
Everything was ready before Kurt could fully comprehend what was going on, and he let Adam lead him to an open space near the front of the room to sit on the floor with everyone else.
"Welcome to Midnight Madness," Brody addressed the group. "We all know the rules: one song at a time, two singers per song. If you go flat, you lose."
Kurt was nervous.
"Now, the playing space has been split into two; one side per competitor," Brody continued, motioning at a line on the ground at his feet. "After the song, I will give you the signal, and you stand with whoever you think won."
Kurt glanced at Adam, and the other boy smiled encouragingly.
"Majority rules," Brody reminded them. "The group's decision is final. No appeal, no mercy. And only silent applause. This is not a performance. This is a blood sport."
Kurt wasn't sure that this had been a good idea. Standing in the apartment with Rachel, irritated and full of adrenaline, Kurt had known that he could beat her in a diva-off. But now, sitting in a room full of other NYADA students, he felt doubt. Maybe he could win. But what if he didn't?
"First up," Brody announced, "Rachel Berry versus Kurt Hummel."
Adam rubbed Kurt's back briefly as he stood up and walked to the center of the room to stand with Rachel. They locked eyes for a moment, and both smiled tightly as they waited for Brody to draw their song out of a jar full of little scraps of paper.
"The song you will be competing with," Brody informed them as he unfolded the slip of paper in his hands, "is Bring Him Home from Les Mis. You guys know it?"
Rachel hummed her confirmation and Kurt nodded. He was intensely relieved at the song choice. He knew it well.
"Per Midnight Madness protocol," Brody added, "since Kurt challenged Rachel, he will be going first."
Kurt and Rachel stared at each other briefly before Kurt turned to walk to the front of the room.
Kurt sang the song, and then Rachel sang it, and as Rachel sang out the final note and the group silently applauded, Kurt knew there wasn't a clear winner. He had nailed the song, but so had Rachel.
Brody motioned for Kurt to stand up, and Kurt and Brody joined Rachel in the center of the room.
"That was good," Kurt acknowledged, glancing at Rachel.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Okay," Brody said to the group, "make your choice."
The crowd stood up, and Kurt felt a swoop of satisfaction as the two boys who had been making fun of him in the hallway earlier in the week walked to his side of the room. When everyone was finished choosing their winner, Brody counted the bodies on each side of the room and then turned his attention back to Kurt and Rachel.
"Alright," he said. "And the winner, by the closest margin in Midnight Madness history... is Mr. Kurt Hummel."
Kurt let out a laugh of delight and disbelief as the group silently applauded him, and he could see on Rachel's face that his victory was having the desired effect. She looked more like herself than she had in weeks as she stared at him and straightened up with a sharp nod.
"Congratulations," she said formally.
"Thank you," Kurt smiled warmly.
Adam tugged on Kurt's sleeve, and Kurt stepped back to sit down beside Adam again. There were still four more pairs to compete. Kurt was itching to text Blaine about his victory, but he waited until he, Rachel, and Brody were in a taxi back to Bushwick – not speaking, which Kurt thought might be a trend for the next few days – to turn on his phone.
I WON! he texted Blaine.
BLAINE
When Blaine's his alarm went off the next morning, he was incredibly disoriented. He blinked his eyes open, confused, and struggled to find his buzzing phone and wake up his brain at the same time. Once he finally managed to turn off his alarm, he sat up and looked around the room.
He was still in his clothes from the day before, but he noticed that Tina had taken off his shoes before she left and had draped a light blanket over him. His shirt was unbuttoned all the way down his chest, which he had no memory of doing, but he noticed the little container of vapor rub on his nightstand and realized that he must've been half asleep when he put it on.
He climbed out of bed, and was halfway down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower when he realized that he felt better.
He felt amazing.
The realization considerably brightened his morning, and Blaine didn't even look at his phone or his computer until he was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast.
There were multiple text messages from Kurt from the night before and, with a rush of guilt, Blaine remembered Midnight Madness.
I WON! the first text said.
Kurt had texted him again fifteen minutes later. I bet you're asleep. Tina mentioned something on Facebook about you being sick, and if you took any cold medicine (which I hope you did!), you're probably passed out in bed by now. That's okay! I'm just going to write a paragraph for you to read when you wake up.
Kurt told him all about what had happened. The song choice. The anxiety he felt watching Rachel sing. The triumph he felt when he had won. That the two boys who had been giving him a hard time had ended up voting for him over Rachel.
But it was the closest margin in Midnight Madness history, Kurt clarified at the end of his little paragraph, so I guess I can't feel too smug!
He added a winking face.
Another fifteen minutes had passed before Kurt sent one final message.
I'm home and definitely ready for some sleep! I hope you feel better soon! P.S. I just beat Rachel at Midnight Madness!
Blaine smiled and typed a response.
You're right; Tina convinced me to take some cold medicine and that's basically the last thing I remember! I feel fabulous this morning, thankfully, but I'm really sorry I missed your texts last night! Congratulations!
Kurt didn't immediately text him back, and Blaine hoped he was still sleeping after his long night. He got dressed and drove to school, and everything looked bright and cheerful because he felt so good. He ran into Artie near the door to the choir room, and they chatted for a minute about New Directions. Then, Blaine told him about Kurt winning the diva-off against Rachel, which made Artie laugh, and they were talking about how great it felt to feel well again after being sick when Blaine glanced up and saw Tina walking toward them.
"Tay Tay!" Blaine exclaimed, happy to see her. "I was just telling Artie how awesome I thought –"
"Could you excuse us, please, Artie?" Tina said sharply as she stopped in front of Blaine.
"But, uh... oh," Artie agreed. He quickly rolled away.
"Is everything okay?" Blaine asked. "Oh! That chicken soup you made me; it was magic! I feel great today!"
"You want to know why?" Tina said. "Because of me. Because I took care of you."
That reminded Blaine of the vapor rub in his pocket. He pulled it out and showed it to Tina.
"Oh! And I guess I used most of this," he confessed. "I don't know how that happened, but it's all gone. Sorry!"
Tina glared at him and Blaine suddenly realized that she was unhappy with him.
"Wait, are you mad?" he asked incredulously.
"Look, I give you all of my heart," Tina whined. "Gladly! And I love hanging out with you, Blaine, and I love–"
Tina paused, and Blaine had no idea where this was going.
"It's sad because you don't see that it's me that gives you that support," Tina concluded.
"Why are you acting so pissed off?" Blaine asked, not sure why she was upset with him for accepting her kindness.
"Because I get it now," Tina snapped. "A diva doesn't settle for less than what she wants and she won't apologize for wanting it. And I can't get that here, so, next time, don't come crawling back to me! I'm all out of soup!"
She spun around and walked away, and Blaine still didn't understand. Was she mad because he hadn't acted grateful enough for the cold-buster kit?
"That seems a little crazy," Blaine called after her.
"No," she countered, turning around briefly, "that seems a little Tina Cohen-Chang. Respect."
She turned and stormed away, and Blaine shrugged and went to his first class. Maybe she was just having a bad morning.
Kurt texted him back during his first class, and Blaine hid his phone under his desk so they could chat while Blaine's English teacher droned on about the book they were reading.
I'm glad you're feeling better! And thanks! Predictably, Rachel's not talking to me this morning, Kurt said. And, now that the excitement of last night has worn off, I'm feeling a little bit bad about it.
No, don't! Blaine replied. You said it was the closest margin ever, right? It's not like you crushed her. She can't be angry at you for winning.
Oh, yes she can, Kurt replied.
Blaine smiled, remembering Rachel's ability to hold a grudge. Don't let her get you down! he encouraged. You won Midnight Madness! That's a big deal!
Yeah, Kurt agreed.
The topic shifted to other things. Kurt told Blaine about almost getting run over by a bicycle in Central Park earlier in the week. Blaine told Kurt about Santana being in town for the week and the weird tension between Santana and Sam. By the time the bell rang and Blaine ended the conversation, he realized that they had spent half an hour just chatting back and forth. It felt good, like a reassurance that Kurt was still in his life.
Class change, he said to Kurt. Gym's next, so I've got to leave my phone in my locker.
No problem! Kurt responded. I'm supposed to be memorizing lines for one of my classes, anyway. It's been fun chatting, though! We should do this more often.
We'll never learn anything! Blaine responded, and Kurt's answering smiley face filled Blaine's whole body with warmth.
I love you, he said.
Kurt responded with his usual heart symbol. Have fun in gym! he added.
Have fun memorizing lines! Blaine replied. Talk to you soon!
The rest of the day flew by. Tina sang Hung Up in the courtyard during lunch, and Blaine had an inkling that maybe she wasn't quite over her crush on him. But the performance was perfect for diva week, so he tried not to think about it. It was a harmless crush, so he would just wait until she realized that he was never going to reciprocate her feelings.
KURT
By that afternoon, Kurt was really starting to feel guilty about challenging Rachel to Midnight Madness.
"I've been singing the Les Mis score since I was in second grade," Kurt explained to Adam as they walked together between Kurt's final two classes of the day. "Literally, the entire score. I mean, it was just dumb luck that that was the song that got chosen."
"I know you feel conflicted about winning," Adam understood, "but you won because you're an incredible singer!"
"Oh my god, Kurt!" a new voice chimed in, and Kurt turned to see the two guys who had previously followed Rachel around all the time. They walked up to where Kurt and Adam were standing. "Everyone's buzzing about your triumph at Midnight Madness. 'Not since Judy played The Palace', they're saying!"
"A bunch of us are signing up for the Funny Girl open call," the other one explained, "then getting rush tickets to see Mamma Mia!. You have to come with."
Kurt looked from one of them to the other, wondering how they could possibly be serious. They had been making fun of him, both behind his back and to his face, a few days earlier.
"I don't think so," he informed them, stepping closer to the two boys. "I think you both are shallow and obnoxious. And I think the only reason why you run around kissing everyone's ass is because you know you'll never make it on your own."
Both of the other boys seemed at a loss for words, so Kurt continued.
"And another thing; if you say one more nasty thing about Adam's Apples, I will challenge you to the next Midnight Madness," he added. "And we all know how that ends."
The two students turned and walked away.
Adam laughed as Kurt turned to look at him. "It's very impressive," Adam approved.
Kurt smiled, but was distracted when he glanced over Adam's shoulder and saw Rachel looking at a bulletin board further down the hallway.
"Um, give me a second," he apologized to Adam before hurrying to where Rachel was standing.
"Hey, Rachel!" he said, making sure that his voice was friendly. "I don't know if you heard, but apparently the revival of Funny Girl is having open auditions. You want to go with me?"
"You should try out, Kurt," Rachel said dully. "You'd be an amazing Fanny Brice."
She walked away, and Kurt sighed in frustration. It was like Rachel had swung to the negative end of the self-esteem spectrum since Kurt's win at Midnight Madness. She was taking her loss as some kind of overarching metaphor about herself as a whole and was acting withdrawn as a result. This wasn't what Kurt had hoped to achieve when he planned to strike a blow to her ego.
Adam walked over to where Kurt was standing. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.
Kurt shook his head. As much as it pained him that he had caused this unhappiness for Rachel by challenging her to the competition, he knew that this was Rachel's emotional problem to sort out.
"Well, then," Adam suggested, grabbing Kurt's hand, "let's grab some hot chocolate before your final class and see if we can't cheer you up!"
BLAINE
On Friday afternoon, after Tina won the week's diva award, Blaine hurried to catch up with her after glee rehearsal.
"Uh, no diva performance is complete without flowers," Blaine informed her, holding out a chocolate rose he had bribed off of a classmate who had, inexplicably, been carrying an entire bouquet of them down the hallway as Blaine had come out of the choir room.
"Aw, how sweet," Tina smiled as she took the rose from him. "Literally."
"Well, no one deserved to win this week more than you," Blaine complimented as they started to walk down the hallway together. "I've been waiting for people to finally see the epic diva that is Miss Tina Cohen-Chang."
He paused and turned to face Tina as they stopped walking.
"I also owe you an apology," he said. "I'm sorry if I've been ungrateful this week. The truth is I wouldn't have survived it without you. That little cold-buster kit you made me? It not only annihilated my cold, but it made me realize that you are the most important person to me at this school right now. And I haven't felt this close to anyone in a long time."
He wasn't sure why he made such a grandiose statement, but the smile on her face made the stretch of the truth seem worth it.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that," Tina said.
"I have a proposition for you," Blaine explained. "Will you be my date to Mr. Schu's wedding next week?"
"Yes, of course!" Tina agreed immediately.
Blaine offered his arm, and they continued down the hallway together.
"Is Kurt coming to the wedding?" Tina asked.
Blaine drew in a deep breath. "I think so," he told her.
He hoped so. But he was too nervous to ask.
"I wonder if he'll bring that Adam guy?" Tina wondered.
"I don't want to talk about it," Blaine confessed as they reached the parking lot and had to separate to go to their respective cars. He didn't want to see Kurt sitting with someone else. Dancing with someone else. Being affectionate with someone else. It was going to be hard enough to see Kurt on Valentine's Day – the first since they had broken up – without having to spend the day watching Kurt falling in love with someone else.
KURT
By the end of the week, Kurt began to realize that losing Midnight Madness had hurt Rachel more than Kurt had imagined that it would. She wasn't talking much and, if Brody wasn't around, she spent all her time in her room with the curtain closed. Kurt couldn't decide if it annoyed him or if he felt sad for her. He knew that he had, inadvertently, hurt her feelings. That it was the argument more than the loss at Midnight Madness that was bothering her.
He also knew that she would get over it. Eventually. And, when she did, she was going to regret letting her devastation keep her from auditioning for Funny Girl. So, Kurt did his Saturday work at Vogue dot com as fast as he could before rushing to the open casting call.
The last person in the line was walking away as Kurt arrived, and the man at the sign up table was preparing to close his notebook when Kurt rushed over.
"Hello," Kurt smiled, trying to get control of his breathing after running the two blocks from his subway stop.
"Hi," the man said, letting his notebook fall open again and, Kurt thought, trying not to laugh.
"I'd like," Kurt gasped, "to sign myself and a friend up for auditions."
He thought the man was going to tell him that he couldn't reserve a spot for Rachel unless she was there – Kurt was ready to lie and say that Rachel was home in bed, desperately ill with food poisoning – but, instead, the man nodded and clicked his pen open.
"Name?" he asked.
"Kurt Hummel," Kurt told him. "And my friend is Rachel Berry."
The man asked Kurt what days and times worked best for both of them, and Kurt left with two audition dates – one for him and one for Rachel – in his phone.
Oh my god! he texted Blaine as soon as he told the taxi driver his address and settled back into his seat. I'm auditioning for Funny Girl! ON BROADWAY!
What?! Blaine replied a few minutes later.
I know! Kurt responded. I mean, I'm clearly not going to get it, but why not audition? It'll be a good experience.
You could get it! Blaine argued. You're amazing.
Thank you for stroking my ego, Kurt smiled, but I'm guessing the first ever revival of Funny Girl is going to be a fairly straightforward interpretation.
Their loss, Blaine returned with a winking face. Is Rachel auditioning?
Yes, Kurt spared Blaine the details of Rachel's pouting.
Blaine didn't text him back immediately, so Kurt stared out the window and watched New York City rushing by until his phone vibrated again.
Are you coming to Mr. Schu's wedding next week? Blaine asked.
Of course! Kurt replied.
Blaine sent him back a smiling emoticon, and Kurt realized that he was really, really looking forward to seeing Blaine.
Can't wait to see you, he confessed.
Instead of texting him back, Blaine called.
"Hi!" Kurt answered.
"Sorry, I have a question that I think will benefit from you hearing my tone of voice," Blaine explained.
"Okay," Kurt allowed, curious.
"Are you bringing Adam to the wedding?" Blaine asked cautiously.
Kurt laughed. "No!" he replied. "Of course not."
"Oh," Blaine breathed, and Kurt could hear the intense relief in the soft sound. "I just– I wasn't sure if, you know..."
Kurt knew what Blaine wanted to know. Was Adam Kurt's boyfriend?
"He's– we're just casually dating, for now," Kurt explained. "It's not really... exclusive."
He giggled as the words left his lips.
"Not like that, though!" he laughed. "I just mean... we go out for coffee sometimes and we see each other at school, but..." he trailed off, hoping that Blaine would understand why that didn't make them boyfriends.
"I can't wait to see you," Blaine said, and Kurt heard the smile in his voice.
"Me too," he agreed.
Silence hung between them for a moment, and Kurt tried not to think about why he wanted to see Blaine so badly. They hadn't seen each other since Christmas. It felt like an eternity had passed since then, even though it had been less than two months.
"Well, uh," Blaine said, and the smile was still in his voice, "I'll let you go. I just didn't want my tone of voice to be ambiguous."
"It's not," Kurt grinned.
"Good," Blaine teased.
"Talk to you soon," Kurt suggested.
"See you next week," Blaine reminded him before ending the call.
Kurt pulled his phone away from his ear and realized that he couldn't stop smiling. He was going to see Blaine for the first time since they had talked at Christmas and reignited their friendship. There was no pressure this time. No big talk that needed to happen. No argument to have. Just a fun evening celebrating Mr. Schu's wedding with a bunch of friends.
The mental image was still in his mind as he walked into the apartment, and he walked directly from the door to Rachel's room.
"Shiva is officially over," Kurt announced as he walked in to find Rachel staring out the window. "You have an audition for Funny Girl three weeks from today. I went down to the open call and got us the last slots."
"I'm not trying out," Rachel said miserably as she climbed onto her bed to sit against the pillows.
"Why?" Kurt challenged. "Because I won Midnight Madness? Rachel, that doesn't mean anything. It just means that we're even, okay? You won with an Elphaba song; I won with a Jean Valjean song. None of which changes the fact that Funny Girl is your favorite musical and that you were born to play Fanny Brice. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"Let's say that by some crazy, extraordinary chance, I get it," Rachel allowed. "Then what? I become even more of a diva nightmare than I already am now? I can't handle the pressures of stardom. Not without losing my best friend and making every single person hate me. So, I'm not going to try out."
Kurt wasn't sure if what he was feeling was annoyance at her self-pity or pain that she felt so unsure that she wasn't even interested in Funny Girl, but he knew he had to press the issue.
"You are a diva," he agreed as he climbed onto the bed to sit on his knees in front of her. "And you have been a nightmare. But you're not a diva because you've been a nightmare. You're a diva because you're talented and ambitious and because no one else in the world can do what you, Rachel Berry, can do."
Tears started pooling in Rachel's eyes, and Kurt knew he was getting through to her.
"That's what being a diva is all about," he continued. "Being an original. One of a kind. So, hold the nightmare, but bring the diva. You don't need any of that. Your work speaks for itself."
He smiled at her, and he saw the relief in her eyes.
"I love you," Rachel said, pushing herself forward off the bed so she could hug him. "I'm sorry. I hate fighting with you."
"Yeah, a little catfight's good for friends, you know?" Kurt teased as Rachel let go of him. "Keeps the relationship fresh."
Rachel exhaled heavily and looked around the room. "Think about where we were a year ago," she reminisced fondly. "And now...?" she shrugged, and Kurt understood. Everything had changed so fast.
"Blaine had just had his eye surgery," Kurt remembered as he thought about what had happened in the lead up to Valentine's Day the year before.
"How is Blaine?" Rachel asked, smiling fondly.
"He's good," Kurt nodded. "He's... Blaine, you know?"
Rachel hesitated briefly before asking "Do you miss him?"
Kurt could tell that it wasn't a loaded question. If he didn't want to talk about it, Rachel wouldn't push the issue.
So, he told the truth.
"Yes," he admitted.
"Me too," Rachel said, and Kurt wasn't sure that she was talking about Blaine.
KURT
The next afternoon, Brody was having a nap and Kurt and Rachel were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting about insignificant things, when someone knocked on the door. Kurt got up from his chair and walked over to see who it was.
"Santana!" Kurt said, surprised and slightly nervous to see their high school friend standing in the hallway outside their apartment without any warning. "What're you doing here?"
She walked past him into the apartment, dragging a rolling suitcase, and Kurt knew the answer before she said it.
"I'm moving in," she informed them.
Kurt and Rachel exchanged a quick glance of panic.
"Okay, no," Kurt scolded.
"Look," Santana motioned to their living room, "there's a perfectly good couch right there!"
"Yeah," Kurt acknowledged as he slid the apartment door closed, "for when you– someone comes to visit!"
"Well," Santana smiled as she looked around, "think of this as a long-term visit, then."
Kurt looked at Rachel and silently begged her to help, but, before she could offer her opinion, Brody emerged from Rachel's bedroom.
"Hey," he said as his eyes landed on Santana. "I'm Brody."
Santana didn't bother to hide the way her eyes took in every part of Brody's body as she walked over to him and extended her hand.
"Santana," she introduced herself. "I'm your new roommate."
"No!" Rachel protested, putting a hand on Brody's arm as Santana released his hand and crinkled her nose unhappily. "No, we're considering the idea of her possibly moving in."
"I'm a good roommate!" Santana rolled her eyes. "I'm clean and I keep it real. And, I mean, come on... are you really going to throw a friend out onto the street?"
Kurt groaned unhappily.
"Okay," Rachel agreed. "You can stay for..." she glanced at Kurt.
"A few weeks," Kurt decided. "At most."
"And then we will reevaluate the situation," Rachel explained.
Santana looked from Rachel to Brody to Kurt before nodding.
"Sure," she agreed. "Now, is there any food in this place? I'm starving."
I think this is the point when Kurt and Adam's relationship is the best it's ever going to be (in terms of their romantic relationship). Kurt goes to Mr. Schu's wedding in the next episode and reconnects with Blaine, and, at that point, any real chance Adam ever had with Kurt disappears. Poor guy!
And, okay, we get a clue to the timeline of this season in this episode! When Kurt talks to Rachel in her bedroom, he tells her that her Funny Girl audition is "three weeks from today". Valentine's Day is the following week/next episode, so that means Rachel's audition is the first Saturday in March. Her audition is in 4x19 ("Sweet Dreams"), which is six episodes from now, so everything that happens between now and then is supposed to fit into a three week timeline.
Up next... 4x14: "I Do"!