OoO

For the most part, Blaine managed to subside the doubt in his mind in the course of the next few days. The last thing he needed right now was for them to be back in those dark times, when Kurt and he were constantly fighting, when, sometimes, they couldn't even look at each other properly without some kind of restrain or pain. If he got over his feelings for the safety of their friendship back then, he could do it again now. He wasn't about to risk everything because of what was sure just a silly misunderstanding, even though the whole scene brought back so many hidden longing.

A week after the incident, the pace of their friendship returned to normal as they were approaching the audition date and Blaine was in severe need of his best friend's support.

The singer was beginning to get cold feet and feel a little more insecure every day. Tony was a huge role, one of the greatest on Broadway and, even though he had played him in high school, he couldn't help but think, in the back of his mind, there were surely lots of other people far better cut out for the role.

One particular night I even called Kurt telling him he wasn't going.

- That's nonsense, you know that, don't you?

- No, it's the best thing to do, it will save me the embarrassment of having the great Broadway producers telling me I'm no good and I won't be taking their time with my insufficient talent. I'm... I'm perfectly fine working with the Street Lights. Really I am, I don't even mind playing the ghost of a transsexual from the 30's anymore, it's so much fun! Yay! There, it's settled, I'm not going!

- Could you shut up for a minute? Jesus, are you sure you and Rach aren't related? You even ramble and babble in the same pitch. Now, let's take a moment to actually think, shall we?

Blaine nodded, even though Kurt couldn't see his face. He was seating in the cold tiled floor of his bathroom, with his back against the door, being a perfect image of a menopausal woman having a break down.

- Remember when you auditioned for WSS when we were in high school?

- Yeah... I sang Something's Coming.

- That's right. And do you remember in what the circumstances you did it?

- What do you mean?

- You were auditioning for Bernardo, for Christ's sake. But you did it so well, they begged you to play the lead. That's pretty incredible. Do you know why I didn't get angry for not getting the main role?

- Why?

- Because I watched your performance and it was so mesmerizing that, in that moment, I knew no one could play Tony better than you. It's the role you were born to play.

- You were watching?

- Of course, you were my boyfriend and my direct opponent simultaneously, I had to. – He smiled to himself - It was pitch perfect, the voice, the emotions, the choreography. Just imagine how much better you can do it now, after NYADA! And even if you don't get the star role I'm certain you will get casted in some other role anyway. Come on! Haven't you looked in the mirror lately? You smell vintage, the length of your pants alone is something out of a 60's commercial.

Blaine laughed on the other line.

- I guess you're right.

- You know I am. Now, can I go to sleep or do you need me to go over there and smack you in the face?

- Nop! There's absolutely no need for that. Go to sleep, I'm sorry for waking you up.

- It's ok, the dream I was having wasn't really that good anyway. Now, try and get some sleep too, ok? See you tomorrow after work for our movie night.

Kurt was almost hanging up, when he heard Blaine saying:

- Kurt?

- Yeah?

- Thank you.

- You're welcome. Just don't forget to mention me in your acceptance speech at the Tony's.

A little after twelve, when Blaine was about to leave the house to go to rehearsal the next morning, he found a familiar looking card in his house entrance. Kurt must have dropped it there before going to work in the early morning. When he picked the piece of paper up, he noticed it wasn't so much of a card, as it was some kind of brochure. No, more like a playbill. And a very familiar playbill for that matter.

It was a copy of his high school production of West Side Story's playbill. His name was big and highlighted right beside the "story".

In the back, Kurt had written:

" Isn't it nice to see your name in here? Just imagine when it's in one of the Times Square billboards. Just put yourself in your seventeen year old shoes and sing like your auditioning for Bernardo again. ;) LV".

And that was exactly what he intended to do. That night they ended up forgetting about the movie to work on Blaine's audition song instead.

He had his mind set on playing it safe and singing a traditional Tony song, like Maria or Something's Coming, while Kurt kept telling him to innovate, to do something out of the ordinary, something daring that could show off his musician side more.

- You need to understand that there will be thousands of people thinking exactly like you. They will show up and belt out Tonight or One Hand One Heart in a classic Broadway grand finale style. It's predictable. Didn't you say they're doing a modern and fresh approach? Then maybe that's what they are looking for in their casting, a modern a fresh approach.

- I guess you're right... but it's scary to dare to take a classic and give it your own spin.

- You can always do the song wearing painted-on golden pants, I hear it does wonders in auditions.

They both laugh at the memory of Kurt bringing the house down (and when I say house, I'm referring to Rachel, Blaine and Carmen) with his Not The Boy Next Door performance.

- I'm afraid even I can't accomplish that level ofepicness.

- That is true. Only a selected and gifted few are able to pull off golden pants so swiftly.

They smiled and sipped their cups of tea, while rummaging through the sheets of music that covered Blaine's office.

Outside, the chaos of New York provided the perfect soundtrack and view to the intense and professional research work they were doing.

It was serious and productive, really it was. Except the (many) times Blaine threw pens at Kurt or when Kurt tried to break Blaine's gel helmet free with a fork. And of course there was also that time Blaine tried to paint a mustache on Kurt's face to match the one he had gotten himself, and that other one time when Kurt insisted on teaching Blaine how to properly do a shimmy shake dance (It's all about the coordination between shoulders and hips), and when Blaine insisted on keep doing impromptu songs about them.

- Kurt please, take your hands off your ears, this one is really good, I swear! I might just add it to me nightly repertoire – he closes his eyes for dramatic effect and begins singing obnoxiously loud along some incoherent accords in one of his guitars –Kurtsie you're the best, you're witty and full of sass, but in all reality, people only like you because of your ass.

- If you ever sing publicly about my ass I will personally hide all your gel bottles and burn down your bow-ties.

- You wouldn't! – Blaine looked seriously affronted and scared.

So, obviously, they didn't find or pick the song or anything really that night.

OoO

It was almost a week after, when Kurt got a call from Blaine with apparent good news:

- I finished the song.

- 'Morning to you too.

- Sorry, I'm still giddy from the 8 gallons** of coffee and RedBull I drank. Good morning! Did you sleep well? I hope you did. – He was half yelling.

- Wow, calm down! Have you been up all night?

- Yeah, I really wanted to finish the arrangement for the song so I just kept drinking whatever caffeine I had in the apartment. Nick had these amazing coffee caramels, you have to try them.

- That's great honey, but please go to sleep, you sound like a maniac who's about to commit a crime.

- What? No! I would never... That's illegal... I... No.... Yeah, maybe sleep isn't that bad.

- Good boy!

- Will you come to my place later? Nick is going out so we'll have the house for ourselves. I would really love to show the song in advance.

- Yeah, sure.

- I'm going to bed now. Just let yourself in with your key after work, ok? I'll probably be in the shower... or still sleeping.

- Okay. I see you la-

But the line was dead already.

OoO

That early evening, Kurt arrived at Blaine's and found the place death quiet. Well, almost... he could clearly hear some piano notes comings from his best friend's office, so he strolled down the corridor to find Blaine in the room, seating on the piano bench with his head down and pressed against it, playing an apparently random melody. If his position and semblance weren't odd enough, the room itself looked pretty wicked too: lights dimmed out, various candles lit and spread all over the place, curtains pushed back so you could have a perfect and beautiful view of the city and he could swear he smelled the faint scent of cinnamon incense.

Kurt was suddenly plagued with the feeling of maybe being interrupting something important, something intimate and private. He felt the immense need to leave, to respect the almost sacred atmosphere Blaine had created, certainly with the purpose of inspiriting his creativity.

He was already backing away from the office when he heard Blaine call out for him.

- Oh you're there, great! I was waiting for you...

- Really?

Blaine frowned upon the surprising tone of his friend.

- Well obviously, I asked you to come.

- Oh sure, yeah... yeah! You just looked so concentrated, I almost thought I was interrupting a genius' work.

- Ahah nonsense! – Blaine laughed quietly –I was just... thinking about stuff. Trying to get in the frame of mind of the song I guess.

There was silence between them for a while, while Kurt got himself into the room and seated in a chair next to the large windows and by the piano.

- So let's hear that masterpiece.

Blaine slightly blushed. After all these years it was still difficult for him to hear compliments, even if they were totally and more than welcomed.

- First, a little bit of context – he began – I thought about doing the great finale couple's ballad, but giving it a different approach.

- Continue...

- Well both the staged song and the movie song are highly emotional, but I guess I'm kind of going for a different kind of emotion, one that's more secluded, more intimate, just me and the piano, you know?

- I think I know what you mean, but by all means, show me.

Blaine nodded with a great look of certainty and purpose on his face, he knew what he was doing. This was where he was certain of his capabilities, in front of a sheet music stand. He was turning back to the piano, but hesitated for a moment.

- Kurt?

- What?

- I... - he paused, looking for the right words, until he seemed to resign with the safest - I really hope you like it, that's all.

He took a deep breath while he lingered his fingers above the keys and began playing this sort of slowed down piano version of West Side Story's Somewhere.

Until this day, Kurt hadn't noticed just how dramatic and sad the instrumental of the song was... or maybe it was just the piano playing an affect on it, or it was how Blaine played it, with his eyes almost closed and a kind of sad resignation in his touch.

He began singing.

- There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.

There was a relatively long instrumental break for effect, before he continued.

- There's a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time to spare,
Time to look, time to care,
Some day!

For some reason, his way of singing it wasn't hopeful or remotely happy which only made the performance ten times more efficient and touching.

This was the moment Kurt started to wish he wasn't there.

- Somewhere.
We'll find a new way of living,

We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .

And this was the moment Kurt started to cry. That was unfair. Blaine calling him to an empty house, inside a candle lit room, to sing for him on the piano about second chances and eternity, without being aware of how overwhelming sad it all was for him.

With his back to his best friend, Blaine was blessing the fact that he wasn't able to look Kurt in the eye right now. He wasn't sure he would be able to hide the authenticity of his words in his eyes, to play the part and pretend he was singing anyone's feeling but his own, if he looked to the man that made those powerful words so relatable for him.

But not even his hidden face he was able to conceal the little quiver of his voice, when he dared to sing the last words with a slightest tone of hope.

- There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!

Blaine barely made it to the end of the song without falling apart, feeling all his emotions clogging his throat and watering his eyes and once there was nothing but silence in the room, he couldn't gather the courage to turn around. So he just stayed there, with his back to his friend, waiting for a reaction.

As for Kurt he was paralyzed in his spot by the window as well, tears straining his face, but he wasn't sobbing, not even whimpering, he just let the tears fall down his eyes, feeling more exposed and insecure than ever. One song could do that to him. One freaking song was able to take him take to that time when he wished with all his forces that it wasn't too late for them, that Blaine would still want him back. That time he understood he wouldn't.

They must have stayed there, in silence, almost with their backs to each other, a good 15 minutes until Kurt run out of the room and out of the apartment leaving a perplexed and regretful Blaine alone.

What the hell did happen?

What the hell did that mean?

His knee-jerk reaction was to go out, run after Kurt and apologize, say he had been simply caught up by the song, that he had been just a silly mistake, but for some reason he didn't do it.

For some reason he didn't feel guilty, he didn't feel like he had something to apologize for.

He couldn't keep pushing his pendent feelings for Kurt away, it was always a matter of time before they to come to the surface again and Blaine could only accept the consequences of acting out on his emotions.

He just needed to accept Kurt's rejection one more time.

Honestly, at this point it was better than keep hiding his feelings.

That's why, at the end of the next day, one that he had spent at home claiming he was getting sick, Kurt found a card on his mat that said:

"I meant it. Every word."