Chapter Text
“Boys, dinner’s ready!” Carole Hudson-Hummel called upstairs. Friday nights were the one night a week where it was mandatory for the entire family to eat dinner together. It began as a way for Burt Hummel to bond with his son, Kurt, so they wouldn’t drift apart after the death of Kurt’s mother, almost 10 years ago. They continued the tradition when Burt married Carole, last year, to help integrate her and her son, Finn, into the family.
As the three guys took their seats around the table Carole asked them all about how their days were. Burt replied with a story about some crazy customer he had at the garage that morning, while Kurt and Finn just answered that their day was ‘fine’.
“Well, I had a bit of an interesting day today,” Carole started, gaining everyone’s attention. “During my lunch break, I called the radio station to request that song you boys were singing around the house yesterday, since it was stuck in my head all morning, and I couldn’t get the station’s online request form to load on my phone. As it turns out, I called in the middle of a contest giveaway. I ended up being the winning caller,” she gloated.
There was a chorus of praise and congratulations from everyone. “So, what did you win? Are we, like, rich now? ‘Cause that would be so cool!” Finn asked.
Carole just chuckled at her son’s enthusiasm. “No, sorry, honey, it wasn’t a cash prize. I actually won 2 VIP tickets and backstage meet & greet passes to a concert in Columbus.”
“Oh, cool. Are you going to go? Or try to sell the tickets?” Kurt asked, curiously.
“Actually, I had the station put your names,” she indicated Kurt and Finn, “on the tickets because I was thinking maybe you and Finn would want to go?” she suggested. Carole continued explaining before either of them could answer, “It’s just…this particular concert seems more your style than mine. It’s that new pop artist, Blaine Anderson. Apparently, he’s originally from this area of Ohio, and I’ve heard he’s supposed to be really good too. The concert is tomorrow night in Columbus, and it’s already sold out. And I was thinking we could get you boys a hotel room near the venue, so you don’t have to make such a long drive back home so late at night,” she offered to the two seventeen-year-olds. Burt agreed with the idea of a hotel, stating he didn’t want them getting into an accident due to over-tired driving.
Finn looked confused for a second before responding, “Blaine Anderson? Isn’t he that singer that Tina is obsessed with?” he asked Kurt.
Kurt laughed as he nodded his head. “Yes. Ever since her and Mike broke up when Mike turned 18 last month and got his Soulmate Mark, Blaine has been pretty much all Tina talks about. She even has a shrine dedicated to him in her locker. I think she’s convinced herself that when she gets her own Mark – next year – that his name will be on her wrist,” he answered, rolling his eyes. He then paused and directed his attention back to Carole. “I only really know that one super popular song that’s on the radio, ‘Inside Out’, mostly because Tina won’t stop singing it; but I have to admit, Blaine is pretty cute, and he has a decent voice. I don’t think it would be much of a hardship watching him put on a show for an hour or so. So yeah, why not? Going to see him in concert sounds like it could be fun. What about you, Finn; you in?”
Finn nodded, “Yeah, sounds cool, especially if we’re gonna get a hotel room,” he agreed. The family continued discussing details and arranging plans for the next day as they finished their dinner.
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Kurt awoke early Saturday morning to prepare for the day. It was a two-hour drive to Columbus, so he and Finn planned on leaving around noon to give them plenty of time to get checked into their hotel before they needed to pick up their tickets from the will-call booth at 3 pm. The meet & greet was supposed to take place at 4 pm, and the concert would begin at 7 pm.
Kurt made a quick breakfast for himself before jumping in his car to do some shopping. First, he needed to buy a new outfit to wear to the concert tonight. He was meeting a celebrity; he couldn’t wear something everyone had seen him in before. Once he got the perfect outfit, he stopped by the music store. He decided he should really know more than just one song by the guy if he was going to listen to him sing for two hours straight. Also, if he was meeting Blaine, he needed something for him to sign, so he bought a copy of Blaine’s CD. He figured that he and Finn could listen to it in the car on the way there. His next stop was the grocery store. Kurt knew they were on a tight schedule for the day and wouldn’t have much time to stop and eat. So he bought a bunch of snack foods, bread, sandwich meats, instant cup of soup, drinks, and a bag of ice to pack in a cooler to bring with them. On his way back home he stopped at the gas station to fill the tank of his car.
Once Kurt got home, he quickly made some sandwiches and packed up the cooler. Then he rushed upstairs to pack an overnight bag. Before heading back downstairs he knocked on Finn’s door to make sure he was ready to go. Kurt let Finn know that they were leaving in about 15 minutes and that he’d made them some lunch to eat before they left. When they were done eating, the boys loaded up Kurt’s Navigator with their overnight bags and the cooler of snacks, then began their drive to Columbus.
“I bought Blaine’s CD this morning, so we could familiarize ourselves with his music before the show tonight. Do you want to listen to it now?” Kurt asked his brother once they were settled in the car.
“Oh, cool. Yeah, man, sounds good. I looked up some of his stuff on YouTube last night. The dude’s pretty good. He did this sick cover of ‘Push’ by Matchbox20, it was seriously awesome,” Finn replied.
They had listened to the CD twice through before synching Finn’s phone to the stereo, so Kurt could hear some of the live covers Blaine performed that were posted on YouTube, until they finally reached their hotel in Columbus.
---
After checking into their hotel, Kurt showered and changed into his new outfit. He and Finn quickly finished getting ready, grabbed some snacks, and walked across the street to the concert venue.
Kurt and Finn had picked up their tickets at the will-call booth just after 3 pm. The attendant working the booth instructed the boys to walk around the building to the side entrance and wait there for a staff member. She also told them to make sure to have their VIP lanyards on, and that the barcode be accessible in order to gain admittance. There was already a small group of girls waiting by the door when they arrived.
The two boys made small talk with the girls and the security guard while they waited. After a little while Finn realized that he and Kurt were the only guys there, other than the security guard. There were 10 girls waiting with them. It was about 45 minutes later that a tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the side door and addressed the group standing there. “Good afternoon, ladies. Oh! And gentlemen,” he added quickly, when he noticed Finn and Kurt standing amongst the group. “My name is Warren. I’m Mr. Anderson’s manager. Please have your passes ready to be scanned, then we will head down to the conference room where the meet & greet will take place. There are no cameras allowed inside the conference room; this includes camera phones. I will have a box for you to place them in before you enter, and you can collect them on your way out. You will be seated at the tables spread throughout the room in groups of 2; each individual group will get 15 minutes to talk with Mr. Anderson one-on-one. If you wish to have him sign anything, please ask him to do so during your allotted time. We ask that you remain seated at your own table until Mr. Anderson has had a chance to speak to everyone present. When that is done, our tour photographer, Hilda, will ask you for your email address and then take a group photo for you. After that, you will be escorted into the main theater to wait for the show to begin. Your photo will be emailed to you within the week. Are there any questions before we head inside?”
A short, blonde girl asked if they could purchase items from the merchandise booth after the meet & greet, or if they had to wait until the concert started. She was told the booth was still being set up but should be ready 30 minutes before doors open, and they could purchase items at that time. There were no other questions, so Warren had the security guard verify and scan everyone’s passes, then led them to a small conference room backstage.
There were six standing tables in the room, each table had 3 tall bar stools placed around it. A few minutes after everyone was seated, Blaine arrived waving ‘hello’ to everyone while scanning the room. He did a double-take, smiling brightly when his eyes passed over Kurt and Finn’s table. He then walked over to the first table of girls to begin the meet & greet. The room was small enough that every table was able to hear the conversations Blaine was having with each group. He made his rounds to all the groups, starting by introducing himself and asking the names of the people seated at the table. Then he asked if they brought anything for him to sign. From there the conversations varied, but most were along the lines of ‘I’m such a huge fan!’, ‘[insert song title here] is my favorite song!’, ‘What was your inspiration for [insert song title here]?’. The entire time he was in the room, Blaine’s eyes kept drifting over to the table where Kurt and Finn were sitting, lingering on Kurt, taking in his appearance. He made sure to visit their table last.
“Finally, some guys!” Blaine said, as he approached them. “You know, I’ve been on this tour for a little over a month and you are literally the first guys I’ve had at one of these backstage things. I was beginning to think my male fans were all in my imagination,” he joked, taking his seat at the table.
Finn exchanged a sheepish grin with Kurt. “Uh, well, we only started listening to your music yesterday. So, I don’t know if you can really call us fans or not,” Finn told him. “But we’ve liked all the songs we’ve heard so far!” he added, hastily.
Blaine gave them both a curious smile. “So what brings you here if you’ve only just started listening? The show’s been sold out for weeks.”
Kurt answered him this time. “His mother, who is also my step-mother, accidentally won tickets yesterday, and she offered them to us. We thought a free concert sounded like fun, so we accepted. Though technically, I did know one of your songs prior to yesterday thanks to my friend Tina, just so you know,” he stated.
Blaine started laughing at his explanation. “Okay, I have to ask: how does one ‘accidentally’ win concert tickets?” he asked, playfully, arching his eyebrow.
“She called the radio station to request a song, not realizing they were in the middle of a giveaway; she ended up being the lucky caller,” Kurt replied.
“Ah! That makes sense,” Blaine said, nodding to show he understood. “Oh! I totally forgot introductions! I’m so sorry. As you are, hopefully, aware by now, I’m Blaine Anderson,” he said, pointing to himself with both hands. He then stuck out his cuffed right hand toward Finn and asked, “And you are?”
Finn reached to shake his hand, “Finn Hudson, and this is my brother…” he let go and pointed at Kurt. Blaine moved to shake Kurt’s hand. “Kurt Hummel. Pleasure to meet you,” Kurt said, with a bit of a smirk.
Blaine’s grip on Kurt’s hand tightened slightly and his eyes widened in shock. He swore that he could feel his Mark burning the skin underneath his cuff. “K-Kurt H-Hummel?” he stuttered, feeling slightly dizzy. His pulse quickened, and his heart started pounding loudly in his chest as he waited for a response.
Kurt stared confusedly at Blaine for a moment. “Yes?” he answered, timidly. “Is that a problem?”
Blaine glanced down at Kurt’s wrist and deflated a bit when he noticed that Kurt wasn’t wearing a cuff and saw no signs of a Mark. Maybe he imagined that burning sensation? That’s when he noticed he was still tightly holding onto Kurt’s hand, and regrettably let go. Blaine started rubbing his temples, then shook his head minutely to clear away the confusion brought upon by his minor dizzy spell. “No! Sorry. No, no problem. I, uh, I just wasn’t sure I heard you right is all since your brother said his last name was ‘Hudson’. Sorry about that,” he laughed, nervously. “Anyway, so, uh, tell me a little about yourselves,” he added, quickly, trying to change the subject. He hoped that by asking Kurt about himself, he could gain some useful information and take the focus off of his strange actions.
Since Kurt was still trying to figure out Blaine’s odd behavior, Finn answered, “Well, we’re from Lima. We’re both 17 and we’re both seniors at McKinley this year. Um, I’m the Captain and quarterback of the football team, Kurt is Co-Captain of the Cheerios – the cheerleading squad – and we’re both in the glee club.”
“I was in my high school glee club too!” Blaine told them, excitedly, jumping back into the conversation, glad to have something he could use to start a discussion, filing away the other information for later. “I loved singing and performing with my fellow Warblers.”
That drew Kurt’s attention. “Warblers? As in Dalton Academy Warblers?” he asked.
Blaine smiled cheerfully and nodded, “Yup! You’ve heard of them?” He knew that Dalton had never competed against McKinley while he was a Warbler, nor had they ever made it to Nationals, which meant there was very little discussion about them on the show choir blogs, so he was curious how Kurt had recognized the name; especially if he wasn’t a hardcore fan of his.
Both Finn and Kurt were nodding. “We are actually competing against them at Sectionals next month,” Kurt answered.
“And we’re gonna kick some Warbler butt too; ‘cause we’ve already promised Kurt the First-Place trophy for his birthday,” Finn added, with a smug smile.
Blaine looked over at Kurt. “Birthday?” he asked, inquisitively.
“I turn 18 the day before the competition,” Kurt clarified.
Blaine grinned brightly. “Well, happy early birthday!” he said, enthusiastically, patting Kurt on his shoulder. “I can’t say that I hope you win, considering that you’ll be competing against my best friend, who is still in the Warblers; but I will wish you luck. The Warblers are very good, so you guys are going to need all the luck you can get,” he teased, chuckling.
Finn scrunched up his face in confusion. “Your best friend is still in high school? Aren’t you, like, in your twenties?” he questioned.
“No,” Blaine replied, shaking his head. “I’m not sure where you heard that. I actually just graduated high school earlier this year. I’ve only been 18 for a few months.”
“Huh. Wait. So you made your album while you were still in high school? How did that happen? Did you have to do that, like, homeschool stuff?” Finn asked.
“No. No homeschooling. Um, let’s see if I can properly, yet quickly, explain this,” he started. “Okay, well, Dalton does this huge end-of-the-year talent show every year. And last May, which was during my Junior year, I entered and performed one of my original songs. There was a music producer-slash-talent scout there, watching the show. I think he came because he was dating the aunt of one of the Seniors, or something like that. Anyway, after the show, he gave me his card and said he was interested in signing me. That weekend, I went to New York with my parents and performed about 4 or 5 songs I had written for a bunch of executives at the label. A few weeks later, the contract was finalized and signed. My parents had insisted that I finish high school at Dalton though. So we worked out an arrangement with the label. I spent the entire summer before Senior year in New York, writing songs and making demos. After that I came back to Ohio for school but continued to spend every weekend and school break in New York, recording and finishing the album. The first single was released in May, then the album was released in June, less than a week before my graduation,” Blaine explained. He then laughed as he added, “My graduation party got turned into an informal album release party, complete with lots of autograph signings.”
Kurt looked at him with amazement, “Wow! That’s crazy. And I thought working part-time at my dad’s garage was interfering with my free time and social life. I can’t even imagine how difficult that would have been, especially with Dalton’s advanced academics. It must have been exhausting trying to pass your classes, while simultaneously trying to fulfill your work obligations, not to mention all of that traveling.”
Blaine chuckled, “Yeah, the whole thing was pretty stressful, but it was also a lot of fun. Sure there were times I just wanted to pull my hair out or give up completely; but I just had to focus on my end goal and remember why I was doing it. Plus, I still got to see all of my friends during school and at Warbler rehearsals, and even after school if I didn’t have a lot of homework. Somehow, I was able to maintain straight A’s and graduate Valedictorian, so I think it all turned out okay,” he told them.
“Okay, now you’re just bragging,” Kurt chided. “But that is really cool; especially that you were able to remain a member of the Warblers,” he conceded. “I’ve heard stories about record labels forcing people to quit extracurricular music activities after they’ve been signed, so it’s really awesome that they allowed you to continue to sing with them.”
Blaine looked down at the watch that was integrated into his cuff. “Looks like we’ve only got a few minutes left, so before I forget, did you guys want me to sign anything for you?”
“Oh, yeah, I totally forgot about that!” Kurt said. He pulled out his CD booklet – and the tour flyer that he got at the will-call booth earlier – out of his back pocket. “I actually just bought this this morning,” he motioned to his CD booklet, embarrassedly. “And I was hoping, if it’s not too much trouble, you could sign this tour flyer for my friend, Tina? That way she doesn’t kill me when she finds out I met you without her. She’s sort of…obsessed…with you.”
Blaine took both items from him, “Sure, no problem! I’d hate to be responsible for your death,” he agreed, teasingly, winking at Kurt. “Does Tina stylize the spelling of her name at all?”
“No. Standard spelling,” Kurt replied.
“Did you have anything for me to sign, Finn?” Blaine asked, briefly glancing up at him as he started to sign Kurt’s items.
“Nah, man, I’m good. I didn’t bring anything with me. But that’s really cool of you to sign that for Tina,” he said, before turning to Kurt. “She’s gonna freak when you give that to her.”
“I know. I’m just hoping it will be enough to appease her,” Kurt said, incredulously. “Maybe I should use my phone to take some video of the concert too, just in case?” he added, looking at Finn questioningly; to which Finn just shrugged.
Kurt retrieved his items from Blaine once he was done signing them. He quickly read over what Blaine had written on his CD booklet:
‘Kurt –
Thanks for coming to the show!
I hope you enjoy it & the album :)
It was awesome meeting you!
Looking forward to seeing you at another one, maybe? ;)
– Blaine Anderson’
And on Tina’s poster Blaine had written:
‘Tina –
Thanks for being a dedicated fan!
I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you today :(
Maybe next time?
P.S. Please don’t kill Kurt!
– Blaine Anderson’
Kurt gaped at the inscription on the flyer. “I can’t believe you wrote that!” he exclaimed, loudly, smacking Blaine on the arm before he could think about it. Realizing what he did, Kurt’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open in shock and horror. He was just about to start apologizing for hitting him when Blaine burst into laughter at his reaction.
“Sorry, not sorry,” Blaine replied, cheekily, smiling at Kurt brightly. “Well, guys, it was an absolute pleasure meeting you both, but sadly, our time is up. I hope you both have fun at the show tonight!” He made sure to shake both of their hands again, lingering his touch with Kurt for just a moment too long, before walking over to the area the photographer had set up for pictures.
Hilda, the tour photographer, asked the people from the first 3 tables to come over to the front of the room and fill out a release form before arranging the 6 of them around Blaine to take their photo. She took two photos just to be safe. Then she did the same thing with the last 3 tables. Just as she was dismissing them, Blaine stopped her and asked her to do individual photos of him and the two guys. “I never have guys in these groups. I think it’d just be cool to do something different for them,” he tried to justify to her. “You guys don’t mind, do you?” he asked Kurt and Finn.
Neither boy had any objections so they each got 2 additional photos with Blaine. For Finn’s photos, they brought one of the tall bar stools over for him to sit on; with Finn sitting down, he was almost the same height as Blaine standing, and it made for a more complementary photo. During Kurt’s photos, Blaine had put his arm around Kurt’s lower back, resting his hand on Kurt’s hip, and pulled him in close. Kurt was a little startled at first, but easily relaxed into Blaine’s hold. Hilda made sure to mark down the extra photos on her forms, after double checking with the boys to make sure she had the appropriate email addresses. The entire group then collected their belongings and was escorted out into the main theater.
Kurt and Finn were excited to learn that their VIP tickets meant they were standing against the barricade in the front row. The meet & greet had lasted almost 2 hours, which meant the doors would be opening any minute and the theater would start filling up. There was still a little over an hour before the opening act was scheduled to go on; so they struck up a conversation with a few of the girls near them while they waited.
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Once everyone left the conference room, Blaine quickly copied down Kurt’s email address off of Hilda’s form, then headed to his dressing room to change and get ready for the show. As he stepped into the room, he noticed his best friend, Trent, sitting on the couch playing a game on his phone.
“Hey! You made it! I thought you said you were going to be late?” Blaine asked.
Trent put away his phone and greeted Blaine. “Yeah, my stupid car wouldn’t start this morning. My sister said she’d drop me off here when she got off work at 7:30. But lucky for me her last 2 clients cancelled on her, and she came home early. So, here I am,” he replied.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here now, because I need to talk to you,” Blaine started. “I was just reminded that Sectionals is coming up soon. I was thinking of seeing if I can squeeze it into my schedule, if I don’t have a show or anything that night. So any details you can give me would be much appreciated. Oh, and a ticket too, of course. Just in case.”
Trent looked thoughtful for a moment, “Sure, I can get you a ticket. That shouldn’t be a problem. I don’t remember the exact date off the top of my head though, but I can definitely text it to you later. I do know that it’s being held at Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow. We’re competing against the Golden Goblets again, obviously, and some other team we haven’t faced before from McKinley, The New Directions,” Trent said. “You’re really gonna try to come?”
Blaine nodded. “Yeah, I miss you guys. I honestly don’t know if I can go or not, but I’d like to. Just don’t tell any of the other guys. That way if I can’t make it, I don’t let anyone down. Plus, it would be an awesome surprise if I do show up. Not to mention, if the rest of them knew, they’d probably tell everyone that they know, resulting in a bunch of nosy reporters and unwelcome paparazzi turning up and ruining everything. You know how gossipy they are,” he admitted.
Trent chuckled, “Aw, you know they’d only tell people because they’re excited to see you,” he said. “I promise I won’t tell anyone. I’ll make sure I get all the details at Warbler practice on Monday and text you. Don’t stress if you can’t make it though. As much as we’d all love to see you, we know how busy you are. I mean, you’re on tour for, what, another 2 months? Plus all the interviews and promo stuff you’ve got going on? We can survive if our former lead singer can’t come watch us perform at our competition.”
Blaine sighed heavily, “Actually, the full tour doesn’t end ‘til May. It’s just the first leg of the tour that ends in December. The tour kicks back up again in March – although that information hasn’t been released to the public yet, so…” he mimed zipping and locking his lips shut, “But, yeah, you’re right, I do have a ton of promo stuff scheduled in-between concerts, even during my tour break I’ve got stuff scheduled,” he explained. “I just miss everyone, you know? Tonight’s my only night in town, and you’re the only one that could make it to the show; well, besides my parents that is. That’s why I at least want to try and make it to Sectionals.”
Blaine avoided telling Trent about meeting Kurt, the boy that he was about 95% sure is his soulmate; however, he was unable to stop thinking about him. He just didn’t want to jinx himself by saying something before he had any proof. He won’t know anything for sure until Kurt turns 18 and receives his Mark. That was his real reason for wanting to attend Sectionals so badly, to see Kurt again and have visual confirmation of his feeling that Kurt is the one he’s meant to be with. Sure, missing his friends was also a strong motivation for attending, but nothing was more important to him than his soulmate; and if Kurt was it, then he’d do whatever it took to get there. He had taken Kurt’s email address as a back-up plan to contact him, just in case a scheduling conflict prevented him from attending. He’d be back in Ohio for two weeks in late-December to spend Christmas and New Years with his parents. He could arrange for a meeting with Kurt then if he had to wait, but Blaine never had been a patient person.
Mr. & Mrs. Anderson joined them in Blaine’s dressing room shortly after that discussion about Sectionals. The four of them then continued talking about a variety of different topics, forgetting all sense of time. Suddenly, Blaine glanced down at his watch, “Oh, crap! I gotta get ready. Show starts in 15 minutes!” he said, rushing to go get changed.