The King, Queen and Royal Court
Summary: Blaine's parents, boyfriend and friends do their best to make sure he's unable to enjoy his cherished alone time. Annabelle is thrown by meetings with both Wes Montgomery and Isabelle Wright. Isabelle realizes Kurt could be a huge liability while Kurt realizes the million reasons it will be difficult to find out what the hell Sebastian "Meerkat" Smythe is up to this time.
Notes:
King and Queen are Blaine's parents. The Royal Court consists of everyone else…Seblaine's friends, other family and co-workers/teacher/management team.
It just occurred to me I have characters named Annabelle and Isabelle. It was not done on purpose.
For storyline purposes I moved the Broadway debut of Hamilton from 2015 to 2014. Also, I'm pretty sure I played a loose with the Bram vs Brittana timeline but it's not so bad my Author's OCD is forcing me to go back and watch Seasons 4 & 5A to verify.
I do not write in "text speak". It is full dialogue, with a few emojis thrown in.
Thursdays are Blaine's favorite day of the week and not just because he's now free of classes thanks to June. Blaine Time revolved around what he both needed and wanted to do. It was exactly the mid-week break his OCD needed.
The only must do he scheduled every Thursday was go to the local gym and at least punch the heavy bag. Once he went so far as to try a sparring class. He loved it, and surprised himself with how well he did, but it wasn't worth enduring the NYADA rumor/gossip mill when he went to classes the next day with a black eye.
Seriously, who the hell would believe Kurt could land a punch on him…not that he would try, of course.
Besides the gym, he either worked on his Showcase or wrote (at least tried to) lyrics for his Song Writing Workshop. The Blaine Time twist was, weather permitting, he did so while sitting under a tree in one of NYC's beautiful parks. It was an homage to Dalton when he would do his homework, weather permitting, sitting under his favorite Buckeye tree. It was one of the few memories of his time there he hadn't locked away, too painful to remember.
Probably because it didn't involve Sebastian.
It took a while for his friends and family to get used to Blaine Time. However, after his best friend in the whole world came up with the In cases of alien invasion or someone's in the ER/dead call Sam compromise, everyone seemed to get onboard. Well, not Tina who he had to threaten to block on her third week in a row of "forgetting".
The biggest surprise was Kurt thought (or so he said) Blaine Time was a good idea. He even changed his schedule at Vogue to stay late on Thursdays. When finished, he and Rachel would do something together, calling it Diva Time (no, he did not just roll his eyes).
Tonight, was an exception. Kurt was working later than usual on some super-important, super-secret photoshoot he wouldn't stop talking about. Not the shoot itself, just the super-important, super-secret part. Does constantly reminding your friends you had to sign an NDA violate the NDA?
It wasn't as if he didn't make exceptions for Blaine Time as well. This morning was an excellent example, or was it a cautionary tale?
June ignoring set parameters and the catastrophic failure of her directions almost broke him, but Blaine decided to forgive her this one time. The wrong number he was given brought the anonymous Sir Knight into his life at the moment he needed him most. It was sad it could only be for a short while.
Was it strange to miss someone you never actually met?
Anyway, for all the reasons he'd mentioned, a call in the middle of the day from his mother was both surprising and alarming. "Mom?"
"I'm here too, Son. We're on speaker."
His MOTHER and FATHER? What did Cooper do now?
"Sweetie, we know this is your Blaine Time, but we wanted to make sure we're on the same page about the brownstone. The realtors would prefer to our decision by end of business today."
His mom sounded apologetic but...HUH? "End of business today? Mercedes doesn't leave on her mini-tour for another month."
"You haven't talked to Sam?"
"No Mom, it's Blaine Time. But since the two of you apparently already talked to him and he didn't text me, he and I obviously need to have a discussion on when to activate the SamClause. So, please just tell me what's going on."
"The record company called at 8AM informing us the tour changed. Mercedes left this morning and will now be gone a year instead of 3 months."
Shit! She and Sam were supposed to have a big romantic dinner date tonight. Sam had been planning it for a couple of weeks. "How could she not give us any notice to the change?"
"Blainey, it was all very last minute according to her label. What we hadn't told you was when we did the original sublet agreement for you and Sam to stay there while she's on tour, the relator handling everything told us the label had chosen to continue leasing and pulled an offer to buy the brownstone. Today, when she called to extend the sublet to 12 months, your father and I asked if the option to buy was still available. With you now working with June Dolloway and Cooper believing what you said about Broadway not being dead ever since the three of us visited and we all saw Hamilton..."
No, no, no! "Please, please tell me Cooper isn't moving to NYC and living with me and Sam if you buy the brownstone."
"Not at the moment." The way his father phrased his response, Blaine knew there was more. "Unless (told you), you and/or Sam don't live up to the previous conditions we set."
The conditions. He should have known. "So, Sam can't get a dog and Kurt can't move in. If either of those happen…"
"You get a new roommate."
Well played parental units. Well played.
"You both said this was a great place when you visited, so if you think buying is the best option, I'd have to agree."
"Good, because we already put in a bid, and it was accepted."
Blaine couldn't tell if his father was happier buying the property or the fact he and Kurt wouldn't be living together. The man stepped-up last year when he was depressed and was upset (to put it mildly) when he and Kurt got back together. It took a few sessions of family therapy to accept those feelings had nothing to do with his being gay. His dad (technically, parents and brother) believed Kurt didn't deserve him especially after he swore to all of them he wouldn't ignore Blaine when he left for NYC.
"Wow, that was fast. Is there anything Sam or I have to do?"
His mother took over the conversation and Blaine gave up all hopes of the call ending any time soon.
She told him she would be there Sunday. She'd agreed to oversee the packing and removal of Mercedes' (and the record company's) belongings on Monday. It also allowed her the time to get his and Sam's opinions on any new home décor so she could have everything delivered and set-up by the time she left on Friday.
Since there was a high probability they wouldn't have furnishings or essentials for a couple of days, she'd be staying at the Plaza but was certain the boys could make due on their own.
Great, his life was about to go into total upheaval for at least a week when his Showcase was in 3 weeks and the Met Gala was the following Monday. He didn't have time for this and if Sam got the off-Broadway role he was doing a shitty job hiding he was auditioning for, he'd be unable to pick up the slack.
He'd heard Santana was back in town. Maybe he could pay her to help his mom instead of trying to find a new modeling job right away? Before he could think of a way to convince June to pay Santana, the 4PM alarm on his phone (usually a reminder to take a break) went off, meaning he and his parents had been talking for over an hour. There was no way he was going to be able to scrounge out any Blaine Time that day. Guess the universe was back to hating him again.
"Did you get all that, Blainey?"
Yay! She was finally done talking! "I did and if I missed something I'll call back. Not to be rude but I should probably tell Sam everything and see how he's doing since his girlfriend is going to be gone a year."
"She had the decency to break up with him and not, what do they call it, oh…and not ghost him while he tries to make their long-distance relationship work."
"Real subtle, Dad" Shit! Did he say that out loud?
"I wasn't trying to be. Go check on Sam. I'm sure the three of us will be talking quite a bit the next few days. Your only class tomorrow is your Song Writing Workshop, correct?"
"Yes, but I have an hour-long meeting with the professor to discuss my progress. That was what I was working on when you called…since it's Thursday."
His parents didn't acknowledge his Thursday comment but did say their goodbyes quickly so he couldcheck on Sam and get back to work. Like that was going to happen. Hopefully, he already had enough done to make his professor (Katie, don't call me Professor Thomas) happy.
She was very specific with what she expected from his current assignment.
He put away his lyric notebooks and got ready to leave. While he had state-of-the-art song writing programs and equipment for his computer, he still preferred to write lyrics by hand. However, Katie was the only person with whom he shared his unfinished works. No one else could ever know who or what influenced his words, especially the love songs.
According to Sam's established habits, if he was upset…he hit the gym. Considering his best friend had had his heartbroken several hours earlier (way to bury the lead Mom and Dad) Blaine was concerned about what level of exhaustion he would find Sam in. One day at McKinley, shortly after Finn's death, he found his friend on the floor of the boys locker room, unable to stand because his legs locked-up with cramps from doing squats. Coach Beiste helped get him into a steam shower but it was several hours before Sam could stand without assistance.
Something like that he could deal with.
Nothing in the 2 years of being half of Blam had prepared him for what he found in their living room. "Sammy? Whatcha doing?" Blaine gently asked as if he was addressing a small child.
The only response he received was a glare as Sam shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. Full fat ice cream, not that chalky crap he usually eats.
Oh, this was not going to end well.
"I talked to my parents and they told me about Mercedes. Why didn't you call me? I don't care if it's Blaine Time. You and your wellbeing are way more important than any alien invasion."
Sam grumbled but the distraction allowed Blaine to snatch both the ice cream and spoon. "Hey! That's mine!"
"No, it was mine. You said both Ben and Jerry were enemies to abs everywhere should be boycotted." Blaine ate the last little bit and placed both items on the coffee table…without anything underneath them. His OCD was tingling but it was also a middle finger to Mercedes, so pettiness won out. "Want to talk about it?"
"What did your parents tell you?"
"That things changed, I don't know why, so Mercedes left today and will be on tour for a year. Dad did praise her for having the decency to end things and not ignore you when she got busy. Stop laughing!"
"No!" Sam gasped as he tried to catch his breath.
"It's not that funny."
"Coming from Charles Anderson? Are you kidding me? Your dad has ZERO sense of humor, B. That zinger was amazing." When Blaine didn't respond, Sam caught his breath for good and put his arm around his best friend. "I know you two had your problems in the past, but he is trying."
"Except when it comes to Kurt."
"Do you really blame him?"
"Can we not do this now? I'm supposed to be comforting you."
"You either distract me and we talk about this, or I go in the bedroom and do a 1000 sit-ups. Your choice."
Blaine was saved from responding to Sam's blackmail when his phone vibrated. "It's probably Mom's written directions to the list we're to accomplish before she gets here Sunday."
"Mrs. A is coming here? This Sunday? As in 3 days from now? Why?"
"Hold on…oh, it's not Mom."
UNKNOWN: Cronuts are a blight on humanity and besmirch the reputation and shear perfection that are croissants
UNKNOWN: *photo* cronut box with only crumbs remaining at the bottom
UNKNOWN: I hate you
UNKNOWN: If I cannot fit into my trousers at my horrid work event this evening, I will inform Annabelle it is your fault! You might consider exiting the city for the weekend.
"Earth to Blaine! What, or who, has you smiling that that?"
Blaine held up his finger (no, not middle) as a signal for Sam to wait.
TO UNKNOWN: #1, I TOLD YOU CRONUTS ARE AMAZING
TO UNKNOWN: #2, You don't hate me or you wouldn't have texted me after I told you I'd delete your number to maintain your privacy…which I did. You're coming up as UNKNOWN in my texts.
UNKNOWN: What if I do not wish for you to delete my number? I believe I can trust you since you already stated you would respect my privacy.
TO SIR KNIGHT: You are Sir Knight again
SIR KNIGHT:
TO SIR KNIGHT: BUT I am in the middle of a crisis that requires my full attention. Can we talk later tonight, but not too late? Tomorrow I have a 9AM workshop then a marathon meeting with my advisor. Did I mention I'm in school? COLLEGE! COLLEGE! Remember, last time I said I'm almost 20?
SIR KNIGHT: Yes Charming, you did mention your age. BTW, my birthday was last month and I am now 20.
TO SIR NIGHT:
Sam watched the silent conversation with great interest. Not only had Blaine forgotten he was there, but he also hadn't seen him smile like that in a long time. Not since before they turned the Warblers in for steroids.
SIR KNIGHT: I will text you after I arrive home from my horrid work event and promise you will enjoy as much beauty sleep as you require, which should not be much considering you are Prince Charming. And Stephan said you were every bit the Disney Prince. Are you blushing by chance?
Like a neon sign…or a school boy.
Stop it!
TO SIR KNIGHT: Don't call your event horrid. You might have fun if you go in with a positive attitude. And please let me know when you get home but can we talk, not text? While this has been a welcome breath of fresh air to my afternoon, my boyfriend has issues with my texting other guys. It's a long story.
"Fuck!"
"Blaine, what's wrong?"
"Boyfriend, I typed boyfriend."
"Are you texting a guy? Isn't texting cheat…"
"Not now, Sam!"
SIR KNIGHT: Charming? Are you still with me?
SIR KNIGHT: If you are concerned with the revelation you have a boyfriend, I swear it does not bother me. Does it bother you?
That sounded oddly familiar, comforting and terrifying all at the same time.
TO SIR KNIGHT: It doesn't bother you I have a boyfriend?
SIR KNIGHT: If you were attempting to determine whether or not I am a homophobe, I am not. It would be a peculiar type of self-loathing if I were considering I am also gay. However, it does bother me you are uncomfortable texting a perfect (in more ways than one) stranger due to insecurities your horrid boyfriend might have.
TO SIR KNIGHT: He's not…like I said, long story. And maybe I just prefer to talk. I like your accent almost as much as you enjoy using the word horrid.
SIR KNIGHT: Joey did mention you find it sexy.
Fuck!
TO SIR KNIGHT: Got to go. Text me after you finish your exciting, wonderful, amazing work event and we'll go from there.
Blaine closed the thread and tossed his phone to a nearby chair. Less temptation to continue.
"Ahem" Blaine turned back to Sam who believed he'd finally figured out why the last 10 minutes were so familiar. "You're texting Sebastian again? Are you out of your fucking mind?"
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm not texting Sebastian. I don't even know Sir Knight's real name and have no clue where Ba…Sebastian is. It's not like any of the Warblers would tell me."
All Sam heard was "Sir Knight?" He sat transfixed, as he first listened to the details of Blaine's phone call with his parents followed by the story of Blaine's morning. While what was going on with the brownstone was important, the tale of Sir Knight was far more interesting.
Blaine's relationship dramas were so over-the-top, they always made him feel better about his own. Yes, it hurt when Mercedes left but least she dumped him to his face and not in a text like Brittany.
When Blaine finished, Sam slapped his arm. "Ouch! What the hell did you do that for?"
"Because I want smack you upside your head, but won't. Dude, that Sir Knight guy is 100% Sebastian Smythe."
"That's impossible. Sir Knight is British with a sexy British accent."
"Accent or impression?" Sam asked in his best Sean Connery voice.
"Sean Connery is Scottish."
"Not the point. I'm saying he could be faking the accent. This guy is your age, gay, spent most of his life in Paris, asked you about blushing and literally said when you told him you have a boyfriend IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME IF IT DOESN'T BOTHER YOU."
"He did not literally say that."
"The dude managed to find a way to insult Kurt and compliment himself in the same sentence!"
A thousand thoughts went racing through Blaine's head. Could Sam be right? The coincidences were uncanny. But if he was Sebastian, wouldn't he recognize himself as the friend he missed in the cronut note? Also, his phone number hadn't changed. Wouldn't Sebastian, or at least his phone, recognize it?
Unless he deleted it, which was entirely possible. The last time he saw the Warbler Captain, the boy vowed to Forget Blaine Anderson ever existed.
No! He wasn't going there. He couldn't go there. No one wants to remember the biggest mistake they ever made. One so big it could never be undone.
"Blaine?"
"Sammy, Sir Knight can't be Bas. The odds are too astronomical that a wrong number June accidently gave me was the new private number…"
"Do you realize you just said Bas and not Sebastian?"
BANG…BANG…BANG
Not wanting to (over)analyze what Sam pointed out, Blaine immediately ran toward the from door before Sam could even get off the couch. "I'm coming! Stop trying to pound the fucking door…Kurt? What the hell are you doing here?"
Without explanation, Kurt pushed past him, followed by Rachel. Santana looked amused but didn't barge in like the others. "Good luck, Blainers. Something has Lady Hummel's panties in a twist."
"Let me guess. He drug Rachel along for backup but you're here for the show."
"Where does Mercedes keep the popcorn?"
Blaine shut the door and they walked in together. "Popcorn is in the cabinet next to the microwave, but Mercedes doesn't keep anything here, or at least won't after Monday."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Her tour details changed and she left this morning for a year. Movers are coming to get her stuff Monday."
"What?!" the 2012 McKinley graduates yelled in unison.
"That's impossible" Kurt said as he pulled out his phone. "She would have told me if she…"
His boyfriend's reaction told Blaine everything he needed to know. "Glad to see I'm not the only one you send direct to voicemail." He walked to the coffee table and picked up the empty ice cream carton and spoon to take to the kitchen. "Come on Santana. Let's get you your popcorn. I'd offer dinner but there's nothing pulled. Sam was supposed to be on a date with Mercedes and I always get takeout for Blaine Time. Hold on, it is, or more like should be Blaine Time. Kurt? Shouldn't you be at Vogue at the big photoshoot."
"Yes! Yes, I should be and you know damn well why I'm not!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Whatever it is can wait" Santana grabbed Blaine's arm and began pulling him toward the kitchen. "No one say a damn thing until we come back!"
"You would think the last thing Santana would want is popcorn after spending the last 2 weeks in Iowa…in a cornfield." Sam laughed at his joke but he was obliviously the only one who heard it.
It was funny!
"I can't believe Mercedes didn't tell us" Rachel whined as Kurt began texting their friend, apologizing for missing her calls. "Sam? What did she tell you?"
"Oh, you're acknowledging my presence after barging into my home? How kind of you. Not that it's any of your business, Mercedes told me long distance relationships never work, and as much as she loves me, she was ending our relationship before we began to hate each other."
It wasn't exactly what she said but Sam couldn't help himself. Kurt had become irrational ever since June chose Blaine as her protégée. And it really did bother him they had stormed in the way they did.
Kurt rolled his eyes as he finished his text to Mercedes. "Well, don't think the two of you are moving back into the loft when you get kicked out of here."
Sam knew he should wait for Blaine, he really did, but after everything he'd been through the past 10 hours, there was no way he was putting up with Kurt's BS. "Why would we get kicked out when Blaine's parents bought the place?"
"Blaine!"
As chaos erupted, Sam pulled one of his(quote/unquote) guests off to the side. "I need your help."
She was about to make a snarky comment but something told Santana this wasn't the time. "What's going on, Trouty?"
"Remember last year when you found out Blaine had a crush on me and I said he only thought he did?"
"Yeah, you thought he had fallen hard for someone who wasn't Lady Hummel and it scared him. He was transferring those feelings on to you because you were someone safe, which was pretty damn insightful. I talked, in hypotheticals, to a Psych major on the cheer…" and suddenly it all became clear "Holy Shit! The other guy was Slushie Warbler!"
Sam signaled for her to keep her voice down. Fortunately, her outburst was drowned out by Kurt and Rachel excited talk about real closets and more than one bathroom.
Boy were they in for some major disappointment.
"I'm like at 98% sure." It was closer to 100% but Blaine's astronomical odds argument also made sense. "Not only because, well, we all saw the chemistry between them from the beginning but, when this all started, whenever Blaine mentioned Sebastian he called him Bas."
Now he had her attention. "How is this the first I'm hearing of Bas?"
"Um, because we had a fallout over YOU being pissed I was dating your EX. Sound familiar?"
Santana would never admit she was embarrassed by her behavior when she found out Sam and Brittany were together, but she was. She should have just let the relationship implode naturally because there was no way in hell it was going to last. Guess she owed Sam one…another thing she would never admit. "Then what happened because obviously the Seblaine union never happened. If it did, all this fucking yelling wouldn't be giving me a headache."
"Not long after he and I turned in the Warblers for steroids, something happened. Something big, but I have no idea what."
"So, how do you know that's when whatever happened happened?"
"For a like a week after the Warblers were disqualified and we were declared Sectional winners…"
"By the way, how did that happen? You guys were eliminated when you all left the stage when Marley fainted."
"I think Mr. Schue used his connections with the Show Choir people or they gave it to us because the only other team at our Sectionals sucked ass and we were defending champs. No one knows for sure."
"And Schuester's not about to admit to tampering."
They were momentarily distracted when the pitch of Kurt's voice hit DEFCON 10meaning their absence continuing to fly under the radar was in danger. "Back to the timing…long story short, B's depression comes back times 10 then one day poof he's better and has inexplicably decided to up his game to get Kurt back. At one point he even talked about asking Kurt to marry him."
"That would have been epically stupid. But what does any of it have to do with the 98% sure return of Bas?"
"I'll have to give you the details later, but Blaine was texting…."
"Texting? Isn't texting cheating in the Klaineverse?"
"That's why I need your help. Number one, while I'm awesome at devising a superhero mission, this requires Doctor Doom level genius to find out what the hell happened after the steroid reveal. Number two, after I brought up Sebastian earlier, Blaine's going to be guarded with me but he'll never suspect you. And number three, there's no time to waste and I, I…"
"Spit it out, Trouty."
"I have a final audition tomorrow for the lead in a new off-Broadway show."
"Holy Shit! Does anyone else know?"
"No"
"Why haven't you said anything before now?"
"You were in Iowa when June chose Blaine over Kurt."
"Oh, yeah. I heard that meltdown was Top 5 Drama Queen level."
"Now imagine how, not only Kurt but Rachel, will handle ME being the first one of our group to get a leading role in a musical, even if it's off-Broadway? Plus, I don't know how Blaine will react."
"Why?"
Sam shook his head but his face lit up with a playful, yet slightly evil, grin. "The show is Magic Mike the Musical and I'd be Mike."
"OMG!" Santana hissed, trying desperately not to lose it. "Blainers haaaaates that movie."
"Would you like a movie where your boyfriend practically shoots cum every time your brother is on screen doing his stripper routine?" Sam looked over at the others to gauge how much time they had left. Rachel was on her phone but was Kurt mid-rant complete with pacing and flailing arms while Blaine sat on the couch, (much too) calmly eating his popcorn. "Looks like we're done for now."
"Good idea. We should probably rescue Blaine before Kurt convinces him they could make living together work here and your ass is back at the loft."
"Trust me. That won't happen."
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, Annabelle was late for Sebastian's photoshoot at Vogue. Her meeting with Wes Montgomery ran longer than anticipated. While she wasn't happy about it, the information she gained was well worth the whatever crap Sebastian threw at her for being late…something she always said was inexcusable.
"Hello" Annabelle was brought out of her thoughts by a beautiful, petite woman in $1500 Louboutin heels. "I'm Isabelle Wright. You must be Annabelle?"
"I am" she answered while accepting Isabelle's extended hand. "My apologies for being late. Hopefully Sebastian has behaved himself."
"He's been nothing but professional and has charmed every member of the staff, including myself. Miss Wintour even made an appearance and used the word enchanting to describe their interaction."
While impressing the Editor-in-chief of Vogue was an accomplishment, Annabelle barely heard anything after Isabelle said charmed. It was not her favorite word after Wes gave her the backstory of Sebastian and Blaine Charming Anderson. "His charisma is one of the major reasons the studio is so enamored with him. They've been trying to cast this role for years but never found the right actor. That's why they're so hell-bent on a grand reveal."
"Explaining the NDAs" Isabelle added "And why my Assistant was sent home."
That was surprising. "You know why we said Mr. Hummel couldn't be here?"
Isabelle motioned over to a secluded table and chairs, grabbing them each a bottle of water before getting settled. "I had this nagging feeling from the moment I heard Sebastian's name but I couldn't place it. It wasn't until my boss called to tell me Kurt had to go, even with the NDA, that I put it all together. While I wasn't around for High School Klaine…"
"Klaine?"
"Kurt and Blaine, Klaine. Did I overstep? Is Blaine…"
Why hadn't Wes mentioned Klaine? She'd have to ask him later because it couldn't have been a simple mistake. Everything he told her that afternoon was far too detailed for that to be the case. "Oh, no…you didn't overstep."
"Good. Like I said, I didn't know High School Klaine but I barely survived Kurt in NYC/Blaine at McKinley/Meerkat at Dalton Klaine. When the breakup happened, no one could convince Kurt Sebastian wasn't involved, even with Blaine's denials."
This wasn't too far off some of the information she'd received from Wes…except "Meerkat?"
"Kurt's pet name for Sebastian."
"Well, it's less offensive than what I heard Sebastian's favorite name for Mr. Hummel was."
"You mean Gayface? Don't look so surprised. Kurt is incredibly talented at his job and has proven himself invaluable on more than one occasion, which is the reason I keep bringing him back. But he can also be over dramatic at times, and it usually revolves around his boyfriend. For quite a while, that included Sebastian." Isabelle turned when she heard a commotion behind her. It was the majority of her staff (both male and female) swooning as Sebastian emerged from his trailer in next season's premiere Dior tuxedo. "Is the story true? He was only walked that Fashion Week show because another model dropped out last minute?"
"It's true. Stephan helped staff the show and immediately called Sebastian, who just happened to be in Paris visiting his Nana. He was the same size as the other model so after a little arm twisting and some minor tailoring, Sebastian walked the runway and the rest is history."
"That must have been one hell of a twist to convince someone who had never modeled before to walk a Dior runway at Paris Fashion Week."
"It was. Steph…" Annabelle stopped when she saw someone new with Sebastian. Something about him didn't sit right. "Who's that guy?"
"Jeremy. He's acting as my assistant tonight in Kurt's place. Is there something wrong?"
"He looks a little star struck. Ok, now he's flirting…badly."
"To be fair, so are all the girls on the set. Unless Sebastian has said something, no one here besides us, and I'm assuming Stephan, know he's gay. Some of the older staff might at one time been cornered into listening to Kurt bitch about the Meerkat but there's no way they'd know he and Sebastian are one in the same."
Annabelle looked around set and calmed down when she saw Isabelle was right about her female staff also falling under her client's spell. One minute later all the calm was gone as she saw Stephan hand Sebastian his phone. His expression of pure happiness but that unmistakable smile, his Blaine smile, was the one Wes warned her to be on the lookout for.
How was Sebastian so happy to be in contact with him again after he and the rest of the Warblers banished Anderson forever (Wes' words)? It made no sense, especially with all the amazing things happening for him right now.
"Isabelle, make sure everyone, and I mean everyone, understands those NDAs extend to members of your staff not here tonight, especially Hummel. I don't care he signed his own NDA. I've been told when he's upset or cornered he tends to react without thinking it through first."
"You source knows Kurt well."
Annabelle nodded agreement as she worked through her realization this entire situation was a disaster waiting to happen. She had to contact Benny ASAP because this was now miles above her pay grade. But before she excused herself from Isabelle, she felt it only right to leave her with a reminder/warning. "The franchise searched for almost 20 years for the right person to play Andrew. Sebastian wasn't even born when the character was conceived. So, if anyone here believes those NDAs won't be enforced, they are sadly mistaken. And remember, while the individual NDAs each have a $1,000,000 penalty, Vogue is liable for 50 times that if a leak is traced back to the company."
As Annabelle walked away, Isabelle took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This was spiraling out of control faster than she, or any of her superiors, could have imaged. Sebastian was to debut as the new Spokesman for Dior in the special double issue they were publishing to coincide with the Met Gala's 50's Glamour theme. Then in June for the launch of (the New and Improved) Men's Vogue, Anna secured Sebastian's first big interview to align with the announcement of his role as James Bond's unknown (hidden from the bad guys for his protection) son.
The fact they were betting on an unknown (who just so happened to be gay) actor to bring in subscribers was risky. Doing it during Pride Month was either bold, pandering or stupid. The problem was they wouldn't know public perception until after the launch.
This had kept her up at night ever since she took the job to run not only the Men's Wear Division but the online version of Men's Vogue. After talking to Annabelle she wasn't sure if their secrecy safeguards would be enough. It was almost 4 weeks until Sebastian's introduction as Dior's Face of the Future.
So, after additional directions to not only Jeremy but his assistants, she headed to her office to read over the timeline of events one more time. It wasn't like she could make changes unilaterally. ANNA developed the launch. ANNA was the one who pulled in favors to land Sebastian. ANNA was the one who agreed to not only the NDAs but Vogue's penalty if anyone on staff leaked information.
Which added up to one thing. Anyone involved in a leak, even by association, would suffer the enteral wrath of Anna Fucking Wintour and the end to their career in publishing, fashion or both.
As much as she liked Kurt, she was not risking everything she'd worked for on the continuing saga of what was nothing more than a high school love triangle. She couldn't fire him without cause (at least one she could admit), and despite her belief Kurt was better suited for fashion than Broadway, it was in the best interests of everyone involved if she manipulated his focused back to NYADA for the time being.
Isabelle had no idea she was already too late. However, some deity must have been looking out for her because Kurt's intentions of immediately confronting Blaine was delayed by the implosion from the news of Mercedes' departure and Blaine's parents buying the brownstone.
After another hour of Kurt, Rachel and sometimes Santana proposing multiple roommate/cohabitation scenarios, Blaine lost it.
"Shut up! If you'd stop for one minute, and let me speak without interrupting, you'd know the two rules my parents are enforcing are no roommates and no dogs."
"What if you break those rules?" Santana asked in a way Blaine realized she'd only been egging Kurt and Rachel on for her own amusement.
Bitch!
"Cooper moves in" Blaine told her while staring directly at Kurt for his reaction.
The idiot managed to keep his cool (outwardly) but Sam's reluctance to tell Blaine his secret suddenly made so much more sense. "Damn, your parents have game, Anderson. I'm impressed."
Again, Bitch! But he'd have to thank her later for preventing a diatribe on how unreasonable his parents were being. "Now that that's finally settled…Kurt, you want to explain what you're doing here in the first place? And what I supposedly know or have done to pissed you off this time?" Another unexpected knock on the front door sent Blaine even further over the edge. "Damn it, it's fucking Thursday! Thursday is my fucking Blaine Time!"
He angrily threw open the front door and was met by a frightened delivery driver with two large boxes full of delicious smelling bags of food at his feet. "Uh…delivery for Charming?"
Did he say..? "Did you say Charming?"
"Yes, but the customer set up a code to verify identity. I don't think Charming is the name on his or her driver's license."
"It's not." Blaine's whole demeaner had done a 180. His Knight in Shining Armor had saved the day yet again. Then, without a moment's hesitation… "The code word is cronuts."
The driver picked up the smaller of the boxes and handed it over. "I'll bring in the other."
The wonderful smells alerted everyone to what was happening before they saw the boxes. However, Kurt wasn't as surprised by what was being carried as much as who was carrying it. "Ray? What are you doing here?"
"Kurt, hey. I wondered why Jeremy came to the restaurant to confirm the food for tonight's photoshoot instead of you. And I'm obviously here to make a delivery."
"You work at the most exclusive, 5-star Asian Fusion restaurant in Manhattan not the corner Chinese take-out. They don't deliver."
"We delivered to Vogue this evening."
"Vogue is a long-standing customer, one block from the restaurant, with a Special Events contract, not a brownstone in a different borough." Kurt knew Sebastian had to be involved somehow but he had to be careful. The staff at the restaurant didn't sign NDAs. He was sure of this because he was the person who worked out the plan where the food would be delivered without any restaurant employee entering the building. "Sam, could you take Ray's box and then can the two of us have some privacy for a little shop talk? Please."
None of them trusted Kurt, but the smell of the food was getting to them so Blaine, Sam, Santana and Rachel headed to the kitchen without complaint. There was a note addressed to Charming in one of the boxes which Blaine stepped aside to read while the others unpacked.
"Oh my God, vegan spring rolls!" Rachel exclaimed with glee as she emptied one of the bags. "And crispy tofu stir-fry with steamed brown rice! Blaine, can I have some, please? I'm so hungry."
Blaine waved her off, focused solely on his note, but Sam grabbed one of the containers. "Keep the spring rolls. The tofu stir-fry is mine."
Rachel was more than fine with her option but Santana's Mexican-third eye could see there was more to this besides Sam's love of fried curdled soy milk. "Talk to me, Trouty."
"1…The note was for Charming. Who calls Blaine Charming? Sir Knight. 2…Blaine told Sir Knight he was in the middle of a crisis and the guy sends enough food for 4 or 5 people, 1 of them requiring a vegan, not vegetarian option. 3…Other than the vegan spring rolls, most containers are labeled as spicy. Who won't eat spicy foods? Kurt. And finally, the tempura fried shrimp with Thai chili sauce and spicy noodles with chicken, broccoli, snow peas and cashews? Blaine's favorites. The crispy tofu stir-fry? My favorite. But there is only one restaurant I've ever been to that served it with brown rice. Most serve it with white, sticky rice."
"I take it the restaurant isn't a fancy Asian-Fusion place in the middle of Manhattan."
"San, look at the cartons. None of this food is Asian-Fusion. It's the menu of the Great Wall Restaurant in Lima ...cooked by a fancy Asian-Fusion place in the middle of Manhattan."
"Holy Shit! Sebastian Smythe really is Sir Knight."
Sam nodded as he watched Blaine carefully fold the note and put it in his pocket. "Hey B, who do we thank for the food?"
"Oh, June sent it as a peace offering for scheduling my fitting during Blaine Time and then sending me to the wrong place. I'm going to go tip the driver before he leaves."
"It's a good lie" Sam admitted. "She's both rich and crazy enough to do something like this."
"This will be harder than I thought" Santana told him as she picked up the carton of the spicy crab wontons. "We might have to bring in some help."
While the two of them sat down at the dining table to eat, oblivious to the fact Rachel had overheard their entire conversation, Blaine walked into the living room debating whether a $20 tip was enough.
It wound up being a moot point. "Where'd he go?"
"He left a few minutes ago but said to tell you not to worry, the customer covered the tip. I asked who it was for you but Ray said there was a note in one of the boxes."
Something didn't feel right. Kurt was far too calm. "It was June as an apology for scheduling my fitting on a Thursday."
"She calls you Charming?"
"When she knows she's screwed up. I'm going to go eat. Are you coming?
"In a minute, I want to try Mercedes one more time. Can you try to find something I might like?"
"Sure." When Blaine started to walk away, Kurt asked for another minute.
"I'm sorry…for everything. For not respecting Blaine Time, for barging in here the way I did, for not listening to you when you tried to tell me your parents' No Roommate rule, but especially for believing you had something to do with Isabelle telling me I couldn't work the photoshoot tonight after I put so much time and effort into it."
"Why would you think I had anything to do with something at Vogue?"
"Because it's been easier to blame you than admit my behavior has been unforgivable lately. Do you think we can do something this weekend, just the two of us, and talk? If I start yelling, or whining or bitching you have my permission, not that you need my permission to do anything…"
"Kurt, I'd love to something with you this weekend but my mom has already sent at least 10 emails with lists of jobs Sam and I have to finish before she gets here Sunday. I can't guarantee I'll have time. What about lunch tomorrow…my treat? I have a meeting with Katie after my workshop but I should be done by noon when your Projecting Emotions class is over."
"Sounds like a date, but I'm buying. It's part of the apology. Kind of like what June did with the delivery."
"Deal…you coming?"
"I still want to try to get ahold of Mercedes first. I won't be long."
"Promise?"
"Promise, now go before there's nothing left for us to eat."
Once he was alone, Kurt sat on the couch to process not only his conversation with Blaine but the information he'd been able to get out of Ray. He confirmed that the customer who sent Blaine's delivery was whoever was getting their picture taken. In other words, the Meerkat which meant Blaine had just lied to his face and there was nothing he could do about it.
Discussing the food delivery to Vogue with Ray reminded him he signed that ridiculous NDA. If he confronted Blaine about Smythe, said one word about the asshole, and anyone at Vogue found out…he'd owe $1,000,000. While he could convince Blaine, Rachel and Sam not to say anything, Santana would report him in a heartbeat.
Finding out what was going on between Blaine and Smythe just became a million times more difficult.
Notes:
I gave a warning of timeline changes in the opening note but didn't want to give the same note about the Blaine's crush on Sam/the Warblers on steroids ( ) storylines until now because they play a major part in this story.
I usually upset at least one reader by cutting their favorite non-Seblaine character from a canon-based AU, so I like to give explanations to my thought process. The brownstone storyline is a bit of a reach but works for upping the Klaine tension. While I freely admit I was never a fan of Samcedes, Mercedes was written out strictly for plot. I also don't plan on including Artie but assert the right to possibly change my mind.
There are some not so subtle hints that the fallout from Blaine and Sam turning in the Warblers for steroids was different than we all accepted since Sebastian and the other Warblers helped with the proposal. With there being no proposal in this AU I'm going with a storyline I thought of a while ago but never fit into anything else I wrote. It might be controversial, but as usual, I will explain my process when we get there.
Since this timeline is approximately April 2014, delivery services weren't as available as they are now. Door Dash was founded in 2013 and it took years to expand outside California.