Chapter 6

Blaine drives past Shades every night for a week, trying to catch a glimpse of Kurt, or perhaps trying to get up the courage to go back into the club. He hasn't decided yet which intention is less terrifying.

A couple weeks after his birthday, Blaine is sitting in his car on a Wednesday night in the Shades parking lot, debating with himself on whether he should go in, when someone taps on his window. He looks up to see Vince leaning on the car door.

Blaine's not sure if he wants to laugh or die of embarrassment. He rolls the window down.

"Hey, it's the birthday boy. Blaine, right?"

Blaine nods.

"You coming in?" Vince asks.

"Well, I uh…it's just…" Blaine trails off.

Thankfully Vince is more than perceptive. "He's not working tonight," he offers. "Friday. He's doing the 10:30 show on Friday."

"Who?" Blaine asks, his voice hitting an unnaturally high pitch. He clears his throat and manages his normal octave the second time. "I'm sorry…Who?" he says.

Vince simply raises an eyebrow and gives Blaine an "I wasn't born yesterday" look.

"Dalton doesn't take many weekday shifts," Vince says. "Weekends are the best time to see him dance."

"Oh, uh thanks," Blaine says, still flustered.

"Don't mention it," Vince says. "I'll be seeing you, Blaine."

Vince walks away grinning. Blaine doesn't see it, but he's still grinning when he texts Kurt two minutes later.

Vince
Guess who has an admirer?

Kurt
I hate riddles.

Vince
You're no fun. Your private was here…looking for you.

Kurt
Blaine?

Vince
Blaine…On a first name basis, are we?

Kurt
In case you hadn't noticed, he's kind of chronically polite. He also shook my hand.

Kurt
What did he say?

Vince
Not much but I think he might make an appearance on Friday. ; )

Kurt
Oh.

By Friday afternoon, Blaine's nerves are shot. He still hasn't decided if he wants to go to Shades, and Warbler practice ran late the night before. He suspects that the council enjoys watching them suffer. So he's tired and behind on his homework and not sure he can go through with it.

Despite every alarm bell going off in his brain, Blaine somehow ends up in the Shades parking lot at 10:15 still debating with himself. At 10:27, he says "fuck it," and heads for the entrance. Vince is working the door.

"Hey there, Blaine," he says.

"Um, hi."

"He should be on just before 11," Vince says, smirking at Blaine and not even bothering to check his ID this time. He just stamps his hand and waves him through.

Blaine stands just inside the door trying to calm his nerves when he sees an empty table near the stage, but off to one side in a slightly darker corner. It's a perfect spot to see the performance but not really be seen. He makes a beeline for the table and flops down in a chair, taking out his phone to text Cooper.

Blaine
I don't know what I'm doing.

Cooper
Well, that's nothing new. What prompted this newfound self-awareness?

Blaine
I'm at Shades.

Cooper
Really?

Blaine
Yes really. Why would I make that up?

Cooper
You've got it bad.

Blaine
Shut up.

Cooper
Hey, you texted me remember?

Cooper
Want some company?

Blaine
I'll be fine. I just needed to distract myself for a bit. He should be on soon.

Cooper
Good luck.

Blaine
I'm rolling my eyes at you.

Cooper
: P

Blaine
And I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Blaine takes a deep breath and leans back in his chair, trying to disappear into the darkness as much as possible.

Kurt's nerves have been on edge ever since he got Vince's text Wednesday night. After convincing himself Blaine wasn't going to show, he spent the better part of two days trying to decide which number to do on Friday night. Blaine probably won't even show up, Kurt tells himself, but in the event that he does, he will be ready.

During French class on Thursday, Kurt has a light bulb moment and decides to skip his 5th period class to work on some choreography. Thankfully the scaffolding he used for his West Side Story audition is still in the auditorium.

Kurt is just finishing his second run-through when he hears an unmistakable "ahem" coming from the wings.

"Hi Rachel," Kurt says without looking up.

"What are you working on?" she asks.

Always to the point, that one.

"Something for Friday night," Kurt says, hoping she'll leave it at that.

Rachel gives him a knowing smile. "Blaine?"

How does she do that?

"No," Kurt says a little too quickly. "I just wanted to do something new. Lay off, Rachel." He turns away from her and walks toward the piano to grab his music.

"Well, there's no need to get so hostile, Kurt," she says, sounding a little hurt.

"Sorry. I'm just kind of nervous. Vince said he might be there and I…" Kurt trails off.

"Wanted to be perfect?" Rachel offers.

"Yeah."

"You'll be great," Rachel says.

"Yeah, well…doesn't hurt to be prepared," Kurt says with a forced smile. "He probably won't even show."

"You could just ask him for his number," Rachel says quietly.

Kurt turns to her, eyes wide. "Why would I do that?"

"Now hear me out, Kurt. I know you think it's a bad idea, but what if it's not? What if he's really great and you really hit it off. You said yourself that you liked talking to him."

"No I didn't," Kurt says defensively.

"I used my superior powers of romantic deduction, honed from many a night watching romantic comedies and old Hollywood musicals on late night TV. My dads say I have a natural flair for plot and pacing … in addition to my spectacular vocal range, of course."

"Of course," Kurt says, trying not to laugh.

"So…what song are you going to do?" Rachel asks, positively giddy with excitement.

Kurt, grateful for the change in subject, decides to tell Rachel the two songs he's narrowed it down to.

"Well, Kurt, I'm going to need to see both performances if I'm going to make an informed decision," Rachel says.

Kurt obliges, running through both songs in succession.

"Definitely the second one," Rachel says when the music ends. "It's perfect."

Blaine only has to wait through a couple of other dancers before he hears the announcer say, "Give it up for the fabulous 'Dalton'!" However, the performances dragged on because one of them was a shockingly clichéd rendition of "Pour Some Sugar On Me." Blaine doesn't think he'll ever be able to listen to that song again without seeing that hideous lime-green thong and bright orange fake-tanned skin. It's hard to take an exotic dancer seriously when he's the color of an Oompa Loompa and gyrating to Def Leppard. The other dancer was less obnoxious. He's still not Blaine's type, but at least his music selection is better.

When the next song starts, Blaine sits up in his chair. Something tells him this is not going to be another Oompa Loompa. After the first few driving beats, Blaine recognizes it as "Fever" by Adam Lambert and he just knows it's Kurt.

He leans forward in his chair and rests his head on his hand. If he had a mirror and could see how utterly lovestruck he looks, it might occur to him to be embarrassed. Instead he's watching Kurt's every movement from his table, which, despite being partially secluded, is practically touching the stage.

The song itself is much more sexual than the David Bowie number. Where Kurt's dance to "Modern Love" was slow and sensual, "Fever" is aggressive and upbeat; it's pure sex. And this time, Kurt is looking right at Blaine.

There he goes, my baby walks so slow.
Sexual tic tac toe.
Yeah, I know we both know it isn't time, no
but could you be m-mine?

Blaine can't seem to catch his breath as he watches Kurt roll his hips suggestively and make his way across the stage to where Blaine is seated. He turns around so his back is to the audience, grabbing a tall metal pole near the edge of the stage. He falls easily into a backbend, extending his long, graceful neck and bending his knees. When his head is almost reaching the floor, he arches his back and comes all the way back up and turns around to face Blaine.

We'll never get too far
Just you, me and the bar
Silly menage a trois, sometimes
Would you be m-mine?

He drops to his hands and knees and crawls his way over to Blaine, curling an index finger in his direction. Blaine inches his way closer to the stage until he can almost feel Kurt's breath on his face.

Oh baby, light's on
But you're mom's not home
I'm sick of laying down alone, hey
With this fever, fever, yeah

Blaine feels Kurt's eyes boring into him, but he can't look away. The performance is loaded with raw sexual energy. And without breaking from his routine, Kurt leans in close to Blaine's ear.

"I'll be done in about an hour. Don't leave," he says barely moving his lips. He mouths the next few lyrics to Blaine.

My one and own
I wanna get you alone
Give you fever, fever, yeah

It prevents Blaine from offering any kind of reply, but he couldn't speak if he wanted to. It feels like all the air in the room has gone out and his lungs are aching for a breath.

Kurt finishes out the song, flirting with every guy in the front row and gathering up tips left and right. Blaine watches in awe as Kurt seduces every single man and woman in the place and leaves them begging for more.

When Kurt leaves the stage, Blaine makes a mad dash for the parking lot. All he can think of is feeling the cool night air on his face and catching his breath.

He makes it to his car before his legs turn to jelly, and he leans back onto the driver's side door. His head is swimming and he's drawing ragged breaths like he's just run a race. Blaine bends forward, resting his hands on his knees, feeling for a moment like he might throw up.

He also feels like he's flying and suddenly the biggest grin reaches across his face. Kurt asked him to wait for him. Blaine lets out a broken laugh and stands up straight. He rubs the back of his neck, trying to relieve the tension in it. He looks at his phone and figures he's still got 45 minutes of waiting to do. So he gets in the car, plugs his iPod in, and turns the radio up loud. He starts singing along to "Teenage Dream," grinning like a madman the entire time.

Kurt leaves the stage and rushes to the dressing room, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Performing always gives him an adrenalin rush, but seeing Blaine in the front row practically set him on fire.

Mike's in the dressing room changing for his second number when Kurt enters.

"Saw your Hobbit in the audience tonight," Mike says.

"What makes you think he was here to see me?"

"Oh come on. He was texting during the show, Kurt. Plus he practically ignored me during 'Pour Some Sugar On Me.' No one ignores that one."

"They do if you look like an Oompa Loompa," Kurt scoffs. "I told you that lime-green doesn't go with your … " He looks Mike up and down dramatically before finishing his sentence with a sideways glance, "… skin tone."

Kurt doesn't mean to be so nasty to Mike, but his teeth are on edge, and he's nervous about seeing Blaine alone again, without his stage persona to fall back on.

"You know what, Hummel? Fuck you! You're just pissed because you know I'm right."

Mike storms out of the dressing room, leaving Kurt to his racing thoughts.

Kurt knows Mike's right. But there's no way he's admitting it.

He didn't really think it through asking Blaine to wait around, but he's got to talk to him and he couldn't think of another way to ensure that Blaine would be around after he finished his second performance. He knows he's headed into dangerous territory, but he can't stop himself from being excited about talking to Blaine again.

Kurt busies himself with preparations for his second dance of the evening and tries to shove any lingering thoughts about Blaine out of his mind until his shift is over.

When he returns to the stage just before midnight, the butterflies in his stomach remind him of the first time he sang at a show choir competition and he laughs to himself a little while he waits for the music to start.

Kurt is riding on pure adrenalin by the time his feet hit the stage, and the butterflies are gone. He moves across the stage effortlessly, relying on his natural rhythm and theatricality to get him through.

It doesn't escape Kurt's attention, however, that Blaine isn't in the club. His heart sinks a little, but he manages to get through the entire number without any visible glitches. Still, he's feeling a bit of a let down as he retreats to the dressing room and gets ready to go home.

Blaine looks up when he notices several people exiting the club. None of them is Kurt. He leans his head back on the seat and closes his eyes, hoping to keep himself from thinking too much about why Kurt wanted him to stay.

He checks the time. 12:03 a.m. He looks back toward the door of the club. He changes the song on his iPod and sings along for a few bars before he checks his phone again. He repeats this cycle for the next 12 minutes.

Kurt gets changed in record time and makes a beeline for the parking lot. He drops his scarf in the hallway and reaches to grab it. When he stands up, he nearly collides head first with Vince.

"Easy there, twinkle toes," Vince says, catching Kurt by the elbow. "There a fire or something?"

"Just really looking forward to getting home," Kurt says, a strained smile on his face. "I'm exhausted."

"Oh, silly me. I thought it might have something to do with the young man rocking out to Pink in the parking lot."

Kurt's jaw drops. Blaine waited.

"He's still here?" Kurt asks quietly, looking around him to make sure no one hears.

"Yep. Has been since your first dance. Want me to get rid of him?"

"Uh…no," Kurt says, smiling and trying to look nonchalant. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Vince lets go of Kurt and tries to meet his eyes. Kurt is pretending to rummage through his bag.

"Well, if you're sure," Vince says skeptically.

"Absolutely!" Kurt smiles and turns on his heel, headed for the door. "Have a good night, Vince."

"See ya," Vince replies, shaking his head.

Kurt practically skips out to the parking lot, his hips swaying slightly. He sees Blaine sitting in his car and makes his way over to him, smiling.

Blaine looks up and sees Kurt just as he approaches the driver's side door and nearly knocks him over with how quickly he opens it.

"Oh, god…sorry, Kurt! Are you alright?"

Stunned, Kurt just nods and mumbles, "Mmmhmm," feeling ridiculous for nearly getting knocked out twice in the span of five minutes. He laughs nervously.

Blaine reaches up to run his hand through his hair, forgetting momentarily about the massive amounts of gel he put in it earlier. He settles instead for rubbing the back of his neck.

"Y-you were, uh, really great tonight. That Adam Lambert song was, um… a really good choice."

"Yeah? I wasn't sure about it. It was the first time I've done that number."

"Really? It was great. I mean you were great … fantastic. Really. It was amazing." Blaine is stumbling through his sentences, and maybe gushing a bit, but it's hard to think straight with Kurt so close and so … perfect.

"You know, I thought you had left," Kurt says looking down at his shoes.

"You asked me to stay," Blaine says with a confused look on his face.

"I know. I just wasn't sure you would."

"Oh."

The pair remain silent for a moment, letting their insecurities hang in the air. Kurt is toeing the ground nervously and shifting his weight back and forth. When Blaine finally speaks, it comes out in a rush.

"Would youwanna have coffeewithmesometime?" he blurts out.

"I'm sorry?"

"Um, I was wondering. I mean, if you're not busy sometime. We could meet for coffee …. Or something. Get to know each other?"

"Sure," Kurt says, blushing a little. "Let me give you my number."

He takes Blaine's phone and enters the numbers and then saves it. He sends himself a text from Blaine's phone and hands it back.

"Thanks," Blaine says, without looking up from his phone.

Kurt suddenly realizes he recognizes the music coming from Blaine's car. "Is that Gaga?" he asks, a grin playing across his face.

"Uh, yeah…" Blaine says nervously. "I was flipping through my music while I was waiting. I've got a bit of everything on there."

Before he finishes his sentence, Kurt dives into the driver's seat and grabs Blaine's iPod from the dash. He scrolls through a few songs and lands on "Teeth." He crawls across the center console to the passenger's side and pats the empty seat for Blaine to get in. He climbs in and shuts the door.

Blaine's heart is pounding at the awareness of being in an enclosed space with Kurt. The beat of the music is thrumming evenly in the background. Kurt starts to sing along.

Don't want no money
That shit's ugly
Just want your sex

"Sorry," Kurt interrupts himself. "I just love Lady Gaga. She's so over-the-top and this song is just so in-your-face, you know?" He turns up the radio a little louder.

Blaine licks his lips and manages to mumble his agreement. He wants to kiss Kurt so badly, and his eyes are fixed on the dancer's pink lips as he mouths some lyrics and sings others. His voice is beautiful.

And suddenly it hits Blaine like a ton of bricks. He knows where he's seen Kurt before.

"New Directions," he blurts out.

Kurt freezes. "What?" he shoots out in an angry, startled burst.

Blaine smiles and turns to Kurt, expecting to bond over their common interest. When he sees the look on Kurt's face, his heart sinks.

"Um, you go to McKinley, right? You sing for their glee club." Blaine stumbles through his words. "I-I sing for Dalton's glee club. You guys tied the Warblers at sectionals last year and then beat us at regionals?"

Blaine hates how high-pitched his voice has suddenly become. He clears his throat and waits for Kurt to speak.

"I have to go," Kurt says without looking at Blaine. He opens the car door and gets out. Blaine leans across the seat calling after him, but the door slams in his face.

He watches Kurt get into a large, black SUV and drive away. Blaine sits in stunned silence for a moment wondering what went wrong. Why wouldn't Kurt want him to mention glee club? Maybe he's embarrassed about it? Or maybe he thinks the rest of the group won't approve of him hanging out with the competition?

Well, that's silly. They already beat us.

He picks up his phone and lets his fingers hover over Kurt's name. He's debating sending Kurt an apology when his phone buzzes.

Cooper
So?

Blaine
On my way home. I'll fill you in when I get there.

Blaine throws his phone down on the passenger's seat and starts his car. He wants to talk to Cooper before he texts Kurt.