Chapter Five

At first there wasnt much of chance to discover how their new relationship status would affect their working ethic, at least for the first few days. There was a short wait before the pair was called to their new place of work, as they waited to hear the results of their first shoot. They ended up seeing their handiwork with their own eyes when they found themselves with Holly, Carl and Mike Chang in an intimate conference meeting.The various photos from the shoot were spread across the table in the conference room, as five pairs of eyes studied the fruits of their labour intently.

Kurt felt a wash of pride at the sights before him. He wasnt being vain but, in his eyes, he and Blaine looked very much like a happy wedded couple celebrating their big day. He refrained from asking if they had done a good job, not wanting to seem like he was fishing for compliments, but there was little need for concern.

Holly, even in her illustrious job, had never been one to conform to business etiquette, keeping her easy going and somewhat surprising mannerisms in the work place. Even she knew her limits and so had never gotten in trouble, at least not seriously. “What we have here gentlemen, if its not obvious already... is a work of art. Just as I knew, your first shoot is pretty sweet,” Holly began. She reached out to take hold of one photo in particular, the shot of Kurt and Blaine close together holding the bouquet. “Well, this gem is the the one that shines the brightest. Ive already chosen this shot as the one well use for the first ad, which has already begun production and is being sent off into the world as we speak!” she finished.

Kurt was quite surprised by that. He kept telling himself things in the media moved quickly but still it was making him feel dizzy at times. He supposed you had to act fast in the modeling and ad industry, especially when the target audience wasnt so set in stone. They werent trying to get people to buy a product either.

Meanwhile Blaine was a little relieved to hear the news, since he had been wondering whether hed have any say in the results. Blaine was happy to be a poster boy, as Holly playfully put it. He was having enough of a time just trying to prepare himself for the possibility of getting the brunt of the response to the ads, since it was his face which everyone would see.

Never being one to need encouragement, Holly went for another set of photos. “So were all here to address these ... little unexpected treasures, where Kurt and Blaine got the cute idea to toss the bouquet around to each other. Good call to snap some shots while they did, Mike.”

“Hey, Im just trying to do my job here and see a photo opportunity when they happen,” Mike said in reply.

“Im sure glad you did because after Carl and I got to talking we saw what a big opportunity this is. It got my wheels a turning in my brain... because this image totally holds the message we want. How a couple who just had their wedding commitment ceremony would want to catch a bouquet... so they could be the next ones to get legally married, because they cant yet,” Holly explained.

“Weve been throwing around the idea of making a commercial for the campaign, as you both know and seeing how you both have theatre and acting backgrounds, we dont have any need to look elsewhere for casting, which is a nice break. It means well be able to do a commercial and where it wont mess the work schedule up,”Carl added.

“But it will mean double the work load in the near future, up to it?” Holly asked.

Blaine and Kurt proved how much their minds thought alike by nodding at the same time. “Of course we are!” Kurt chimed and Blaine didnt mind being spoken for.

“Im totally for this. I mean... theres never been an actual commercial to promote marriage equality rights, at least not one Ive seen, so its about time one should air. Even if I know the not everyone will like it,” Blaine said.

“Thats putting it lightly. We might have a fight on our hands. The commercial could even get pulled,” Holly exclaimed.

“Weve been trying to get on air with the hard topics for a while and not all stations will be on board. Well put the commercial on the net as well, but I know a few stations will give us a chance. So you better give it your best,” Carl added.

“That goes without saying,” Blaine assured.

“I can see it now: well start with a typical post wedding scene... at a wedding reception. Then well pan off to two attractive and well- dressed men. Where one, who Im thinking will be Blaine at this point but that could change, will go over to his partner and say something like, You ready for this? and Kurt will follow to say, No, but when has that ever stopped us? But instead of having their own wedding, theyll hold hands. Showing off their matching wedding rings on their ring fingers and look determined. Theyll rush up to the group of girls waiting for the bouquet toss... and at the end we see some genius message,” Holly described.

“Which we havent come up with yet,” Carl added.

“Minor details... right now all that comes to mind is something like, Sometimes you cant leave everything to fate but that sounds sort of cheesy,” Holly finished.

“Sounds good to me,” Kurt confirmed, making sure to not say ‘us' this time.

“Good to know, then well start off with that project but for now... theres the next one to go over,” Holly started.

When the meeting was over, Blaine and Kurt knew what their workload for the next few weeks would be like and it could only be described as hectic. They went their separate ways for wardrobe and make- up checks for the next set of shoots, ending up separated for most of the day. They had talked about the likelihood of that happening and it had been a good call. Head shots came next and by the end of the work day both young men were seeing dots from all of the camera flashes they had been subjected to. Twelve gruelling hours later it was finally quitting time, at least for Blaine. Kurt had finished an hour earlier. To Blaines delight he discovered Kurt waiting for him at his car, looking quite irresistible as he leaned on the hood of Blaines car.

“And here he is, my hard working boyfriend,” Kurt announced.

“Kurt... I told you that you didnt have to wait for me. In fact, I recall insisting that you go home and rest,” Blaine pointed out as he made his way over to Kurt and his car.

“And I recall telling you that I could make my mind up on my own. What I wanted to do was wait for you... so I rested here,” Kurt replied cutely.

“What did I do to deserve you, I wonder?” Blaine gushed.

Kurt laughed, wrapping his arms around Blaine and clasping his hands behind his neck, bringing their mouths together to kiss. Blaine responded by holding onto Kurts waist and pulling him close, kissing Kurt over and over until the outside world was forgotten. For a second anyway before they came back to earth and realized making out in their workplaces parking lot probably was a bad idea. The couple behaved themselves from then on and during their drive to Blaines apartment, where Kurt would be spending the night.

“Will I encounter your brother perhaps?” Kurt asked as they walked hand-in-hand to Blaines apartment door.

“Its very likely. He has a knack for being around when he shouldnt,” Blaine answered.

“Do you not want him to meet me?”

“Well I was hoping wed have sex the second we got through the front door. If Coopers there... then I know what wont happen.”

“Darn, there go my hopes of a threesome,” Kurt joked.

“Kurt, hes my brother!” Blaine said, aghast but he wasnt actually offended.

“Clearly you havent read much smut on the internet,” Kurt teased.

“Id much rather live it with you... youre quite the read,” Blaine growled.

“Id save the saucy talk until the coast is clear,” Kurt warned, but he did little to practice what he preached by kissing Blaine on the lips in the hallway.

Barely managing to open the door of the apartment, Blaine and Kurt slipped inside to see no signs of his brother. With further investigation he was nowhere to be found, and unless he had a really good hiding spot, and wasnt home. Blaine hardly found that discovery a letdown and he focused on a whole different type of getting down. While the young couple might have been on board for a full night of sex, having worked for long hours meant their stamina wasnt with them. All they could muster was three attempts at getting it up and off, two of which were successful before they ended up crashing for the night. ____________________________________________________________________________

“Waking up to you is so awesome,” Kurt cooed the next sleepy morning.

“'Specially when were naked,” Blaine added in agreement.

Wanting to make up for any failure to rise the night prior, the two started what they hoped would be some lazy morning sex. Destiny, it seemed, had other ideas. Blaine had just been treated to Kurts skilled mouth on his cock when he heard a familiar voice boom through the halls.

“Blainey! Your beloved brother has returned!”

“Oh fuck no! Not now!” Blaine cried. He was so close to coming.

Kurt figured if he could get his boyfriend off despite Coopers arrival hed be calmer for what would happen next. Knowing there was little time to do that he upped the game and resorted to deep-throating and Blaine couldnt take the change up.

“Shit Kurt, Im coming!” Blaine grunted.

“Blaine? I know youre here... and you know better than to ignore me,” Cooper warned, his voice was louder now, indicating he was just outside of Blaines door.

“Not now!” Blaine shouted.

“Whats gotten into you?” Cooper laughed.

Kurt, who had finished cleaning Blaines come from his face, began to snicker at the irony of the comment. “Well not me... no thanks to him,” Kurt whispered.

“Why couldnt you have come back in like an hour? I hate you,” Blaine fumed.

“Only an hour? Really? Thats almost disappointing,” Kurt remarked.

Cooper went silent for a moment. He had heard Kurts voice and that caught him off guard for a second. But true to his joyous and exuberant nature Cooper took the news that his brother was not alone in his bedroom rather well, probably too well. “Oh my god Blaine, you little... youve got someone in there!”

“Nothing gets past you! Now can you go away?” Blaine barked.

“Like youd have sex while Im in the apartment,” Cooper taunted.

“Should we try anyway?” Kurt asked.

“No need, there go my hopes of getting another boner... sorry babe,” Blaine apologized.

“Dont be. Well have plenty of time to have our fill of one another,” Kurt assured.

“I hope you're right. Um, it might be awkward but feel up to meeting my brother now? He wont leave us alone until I introduce you two,” Blaine said.

“Sure, and hey, this time neither of us will be naked. Just let me freshen up a bit before we meet,” Kurt muttered as he got up off his knees and dashed off to Blaines bathroom.

Blaine was left in an awkward situation, naked with only a door between him and his brother. “You still there Coop?” Blaine called out, knowing he most likely was.

“Yup, not going anywhere,” Cooper chimed. _____________________________________________________________________________

Once everyone in both Blaine and Kurt's lives had met each other their day-to-day lives fell into place rather well, despite their busy schedules. Luckily much of their work was a joint operation where they worked alongside one another. Still it took a lot of effort to make the relationship work and to be able to enjoy the rewards of their attempts. Tonight's current celebration was courtesy of Blaine and Kurts first ad poster being sent out into the world. A larger party would follow in a few days when the full campaign was launched in magazines, on billboards, buses and the internet.

Decked out in full designer couture splendour, Kurt placed his new iPad (a piece of swag from work) onto the table in front of Blaine. Tapping his finger across the screen until the exact page fell upon their ad, Kurt snuggled up close to Blaine and they both gazed down upon it. It was indeed a gem. Even to the very people who knew it was true, the looks of love on their faces in the photo looked very believable.

“Wow... would it sound too conceited to say we look awesome?” Blaine muttered in awe.

“No, not when its the truth,” Kurt flirted.

“I can see why the agency has been on edge the last few days. When the ad broke, controversy soon followed. Now that our opponents have caught wind of the commercial were about to shoot in two days... no wonder theyre scared. I mean considering the add just came out, their reaction seems fishy. I wonder if anyone on the inside blabbed.” Blaine muttered, if that last part were true it wasnt their job to worry over.

“Weve got them nice and cornered. Wait until we show them what we really got,” Kurt said with determination.

“You two are unbelievable at times! No wonder people think youre the real deal,” Mercedes commented.

Kurt and Blaine turned at the exact same time, totally in sync, to look at Mercedes who, along with Puck and Anthony, were sitting around dinner table at The Counter, a favorite restaurant of theirs. Blaine had instantly fit in with the group and got along with everyone, even Puck, which came as no surprise to Kurt. They were having a little celebration, one that sadly Cooper couldnt make but theyd didnt let that bring the celebration down. Not that they were going crazy, they werent in a club or anything. Still the air around the five youths was quite festive, despite only two of them having any real reason to party.

“We are real. Were just not as far along as the guys were playing in the photo,” Kurt scoffed.

“The medias sure taking this ad campaign and running with it. I saw an article when I was online today,” Anthony explained.

“Really? Ive been too afraid to look, since a lot if its bound to be bad...” Blaine replied with a fake shudder. “I mean I read enough to get the controversy, but not much beyond that,” he added.

“I know that was to be expected, but you'd think reaction to a simple poster wouldnt be so... whats the word Im searching for...” Kurt mumbled.

“Diabolical?” Blaine offered playfully.

Giving him an eye roll in response, Kurt patted Blaines hand with an affectionate look. “You tried,” he teased. “But its sort of getting crazy now... I mean this ads only been out for what... four days and already its risking becoming controversial,” he muttered.

“The reaction's not all bad though. I actually did a little snooping myself and yeah, a lot of the feedback isnt great. But some people love how direct and honest the ad is... in fact a number of people think you two are really engaged and waiting to get married,” Mercedes explained.

“I know. I got an interesting phone call from my dad the day it broke on the net. Serves me right for sending him the link, I guess. It sure was interesting to have to explain that while Im not planning to get hitched to Blaine, at least not yet... we are dating now,” Kurt commented.

“If we were in like a TV show or movie or something like that Id expect this a bit more. Carl wasnt kidding when he warned us how overblown things could get,” Blaine said.

“Let them talk, good or bad. This is exactly what everyone involved, including us, expected would happen. Maybe not on this scale but I refuse to shy away. We need to be aggressive,” Kurt said, his voice intense.

“How is a photo of two guys on their wedding day aggressive?” Puck remarked.

“It shouldnt be... thats the whole issue,” Kurt replied.

“I wonder whats going to happen when the commercial airs,” Mercedes commented.

“Considering how much of a fights going on to film it... yeah, things will be interesting...” Blaine began.

“... and thats putting it mildly,” Kurt finished for his boyfriend.

When the party was over Blaine and Kurt said their goodbyes, heading off to Blaines place to continue their festivities on their own and in a far more private setting. As they walked out of the restaurant, hand in hand, like they often did, a loud commotion could be heard. There was a crowd forming and, judging by the cameras in hand, it was most likely paparazzi having found someone famous. That was nothing new to most Californians and Blaine and Kurt were no different. So they ignored them and thus didnt realize who the target was. It took the four shutter bugs advancing on the couple and the many flashes afterwards for either of them to catch on.

“Uh Kurt... I think theyre taking photos of us...” Blaine whispered, trying to act natural.

“Are you serious? Wow... things must be pretty boring to snap shots of us. What should we do?” Kurt asked, looking down at their hands, still entwined.

“We act natural, because we have nothing to hide,” Blaine suggested.

Smiling warmly at Blaine, he snuggled up closer as the paparazzi began to shout at them. They ignored the calls and didnt look their way. But there was no attempt to hide their relationship, so the duo kept smiling at each other, looking every bit like the happy young couple they were. Since they werent actual stars the chase was given up when Blaine, with Kurt in the passenger seat, drove off.

“Should we let work know about this?” Kurt asked Blaine.

“Probably. Well call in the morning,” Blaine agreed.

“Youre amazing, Blaine,” Kurt cooed.

“Takes one to know one, babe,” Blaine replied with a wink.
____________________________________________________________________

The next morning there was no awkward exchange between roommates or brothers to interrupt the picturesque scene of bliss. Blaines phone rang and he had to untangle himself from Kurts naked embrace to answer it. As soon as he managed to, Blaine forced himself to wake up enough to speak but there was little need. “Yes hi! Sorry... how can I help you, Holly?” Blaine muttered.

“I wish this was a pleasure call Blaine. I take it Kurts with you? Again Im only asking since Id call him next if not,” Holly said, her voice sounded oddly serious and foreboding.

“Yes, I am...” A half-awake Kurt croaked from his spot next to Blaine.

“Theres been some pretty strong backlash overnight... about the ad. I wanted to warn you before you saw any yourselves,” Holly explained.

That woke the pair up rather quickly as they shared concerned glances. No matter how expected it might have been, the realization still stung a little. “Good thing we have thick skins... should we bother to look?” Blaine asked.

“Naw, ignore the wank. Pardon my use of unprofessional words but if the shoe fits. Honestly theyre just whining away. The commercial is still happening. Takes more than that to scare us. But I still felt the need to give you a heads-up. It seems theres a rumour that you and Kurt are pretending to be a couple... for a publicity stunt,” Holly explained.

“Why is that a bad thing exactly? How is it backlash?” Blaine questioned, not understanding the negative effect.

“Well for starters, theyre playing dirty by saying you guys would stoop so low and resort to a lie just to get attention."

Kurt tempter began to flare at the very idea, “How dare they!”

“Hence my warning about the backlash,” Holly said.

“We had paparazzi take photos of us when we left a restaurant last night,” Kurt admitted.

“Yep those are circulating but you handled them well by ignoring them and looking adorable,” Holly assured.

“I mean we are a couple... just where we are in our relationship is no one's business,” Kurt scoffed.

“Rightly said Kurt, just keep from googling yourselves and focus on the job. The haters and politicians against marriage equality are getting antsy ... which means were making them nervous. There are two sides to the reaction to this campaign. The supporters applaud our attempts to put this issue right in peoples faces, without being violent about it. I mean marriage is supposed to be happy and romantic ... not some battlefield where warfare takes place. Then those undermining naysayers are using every evil trick in the book to try to knock us down a peg or two,” Holly continued. “Im off the clock right now so I can speak freely, off the record,” she added.

“I agree with every word you're saying Holly, and I know Kurt does as well,” Blaine commented.

“Blaine speaks the truth, bring it,” Kurt confirmed.
______________________________________________________________________________

Still, backlash of any kind, especially when the recipients were getting the brunt of the negative feedback was never easy to deal with. Blaine and Kurt did their best to carry on and ignore any sort of attention they received since the ads began to circulate and they were doing rather well. But still, sometimes learning things were unavoidable, no matter how hard you tried to look past. By the time the commercial was scheduled to film, Kurt was a little down in the dumps and Blaine wasnt far off.

The rumours floating around, that Blaine and Kurt had not only been hired for the ad, but paid to act like a couple in real life were getting on their nerves. Kurt had heard the word girly used to describe him far too many times, hating how a feminine word was being used as an insult, adding double offence, and it wasnt helping him lift his spirits. But it was being rendered to nothing but flamboyant pretty boys by some of the press that was the final nail in the coffin.

So when Kurt found himself once more dressed in a tux, this time a full white one, his nerves were for a totally different reason. Blaine found him sitting off at the side of their location, a reception hall in a fancy hotel, and he slowly approached his boyfriend. Blaine himself felt a little subdued and he didnt judge Kurt for his current mood either. The only reason either young man was allowing the melancholy state to continue into the work place was it was the perfect mood for the commercial. They were supposed to be nervous, so they could use life to promote art.

Still, Blaine wanted to give his best to brighten his boyfriend's day, if only a little. “You keeping it together?” he asked.

Glancing up at Blaine and giving him a weak smile, Kurt shrugged. “More or less... really Im being a little silly. Its just ... it feels like Im in high school all over again. Only were not in crammed hallways, were out in the big world now,” he explained.

“I know the feeling... but we made it through back then, and we will now. And this time, were not alone,” Blaine pointed out.

Kurts small smile began to build and grow and he felt so loved. But no confessions had been made; Kurt had been biding his time. The idea of falling in love at such a fast pace didnt alarm him, not when it was Blaine who he was in love with. But he wanted the timing when he admitted his feelings to Blaine to be as near perfect as possible. Now, with the whole reaction to the ads thrusting Kurt and Blaine into the limelight, so to speak, Kurt had held back slightly, another thing Kurt was being silly about. “Im so glad were doing this together Blaine. You give me so much strength,” he said softly.

“And Im glad you feel the same way I do, about a lot of things,” Blaine added.

“I guess its almost time to film.”

“Should be soon. Looks like the camera crew is almost ready. Oh, before I forget I have some awesome news. Coopers movie premiere is in a week and he managed to get us on the invite list! Will you be my plus one?” Blaine said to Kurt.

That got Kurts attention and he jumped up off his chair in delight. He had never been to a movie premiere before. “Of course I will Blaine! Im so excited! Oh just thinking of what were going to wear to it... chills, seriously!” he gushed as Kurt rushed into Blaines arms happily.

Laughing away at Kurts adorable overzealous reaction, Blaine hugged him tight, never wanting to let go. He loved Kurt so much that there was no way he could ever measure his feelings towards the wonderful man in his arms. Throughout all his years of trying to imagine what being in love might be like, even when he had started to date and be in relationships, it wasnt anything he could have anticipated. Falling in love with Kurt this fast and hard meant he was very protective over the subject of his affection. Blaine knew there was only so much he could do to keep Kurt safe and really, he didnt need Blaine to be his hero. The first thing Blaine had noticed was how brave Kurt was, how he refused to become the victim and he showed it by holding his head up high. That fact that Kurt was a little worse for wear because of the backlash didnt make his superiority any less impressive. It only proved he was human, with real feelings, now if only the people behind the hateful rumours could come to understand this, maybe peace could be made, or at least a happy medium.

“Were ready for you two now!” an AD called out to the pair.

Blaine let go of Kurt, who gave his boyfriend an encouraging smile, taking everything he was feeling to use for the commercial. He wanted to make it great. Thinking back on what they were standing for and how badly Kurt wanted that future for everyone, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, Kurts confidence was back and at its normal level. Holding his hand out to Blaine, he gave him a witty smile. “You ready for this?” Kurt asked, mirroring Blaines lines in the ad.

Choosing not to keep to the script, since they werent on camera yet, Blaine snuck a quick kiss and took Kurts hand in his. “You bet your sweet bottom I am!” he cheered.
_____________________________________________________________________________

The commercial stars did their job and did it well. At the end of the day, everyone involved, right down to the people who carried the photo equipment, knew what they had made possible was good and were proud to be a part of the cause. So when the news that outside a group of paparazzi and newscasters were lying in wait, everyone felt very defiant. No matter how gung-ho Blaine and Kurt might have been, they werent given the chance to go out on the battlefield. Instead, they were snuck out the back door and whisked off by security without being noticed by the media there. As much as Kurt wanted to be brave, he was glad the steps to keep them safe were being so seriously enforced.

“Think anyone will dare to call us cowards for this?” Kurt asked.

“Probably, but we know better and hopefully so will others, if not now but in time,” Blaine replied.

Faced with yet another example of how Blaine had a way with words, Kurt felt his feelings building and this time he wasnt willing to hold it all in. “I love you, Blaine,” he confessed, right there in their escort car.

“Aww now youve gone and done it,” Blaine whined in response.

That was not what Kurt imagined hed hear the first time he told someone he loved them and if it had been anyone else, his reaction would have been very different. Instead of getting angry, worried or even hurt, Kurt gave his boyfriend a puzzled look that was mixed with his usual affection. “What?” he demanded.

“I had this whole romantic scenario for when Id tell you I loved you! Which youve messed up by beating me to the punch!” Blaine muttered.

“And your silly reaction has ruined your chance to make your reply equally romantic, you nut,” Kurt teased, using the word your whenever possible to empathize.

If Blaine were to give an extreme reaction to his realizing he had messed up and by so much, hed never be able to live it down. Luckily the romantic in him was happy to take over and turn the lovely moment around. Blaine gave Kurt a tender kiss to silence him and reminded him just who he was in love with, despite his slip up. “I love you so much Kurt... youre it... I told myself I wanted to settle down, that I was through with dating. I just never imagined Id fall in love in such a short amount of time,” he confessed.

“I guess thats how we operate,” Kurt replied sweetly. Personally speaking the fact wasnt a big thing to Kurt either.

“We might not be ready to walk down the aisle yet, like some people are led to believe. But Im ready for this... for us... to see how far we go. Which Id like to think... will be infinite,” Blaine admitted.

“Maybe by the time were ready for that step... meaning marriage of course, things will have changed. To make it possible to marry here and not in one of the twelve states who are on the right side of history so far,” Kurt added.

“Would be nice,” Blaine agreed.

“But both scenarios are far off into the future. For the time being... I wanna focus on where we are right now.”

“Good idea. And where well be heading soon is to a fancy movie premiere!” Blaine exclaimed.

“Where I refuse to be anything but spectacular! Starting with my wardrobe!” Kurt chimed.

“I wouldnt have it any other way,” Blaine replied.