"Why am I here?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a small, disbelieving smile. "I'm here to win of course. Everyone is, even if they tell you otherwise."

&&&&&

"Um, I guess I'm here to gain experience, and improve my skills, and uh... I want to learn more about myself and my goals. I want to figure out if this really is the thing for me, you know?"

&&&&&

"My style is elegance with an edge. It's always fresh, it's always new, it's always fabulous."

&&&&&

"I'm not sure I have a defined style but I would definitely say I like to work with wearable stuff. I mean, avant-garde, it's really cool and takes a lot of talent, but I want people to actually be able to wear my clothes."

&&&&&

Barking out a dry laugh he said, "When I win it will be a dream come true. But no, I'm of course incredibly honored to be here. Fashion has been a part of my life for so long and this is just the boost I need right now."

&&&&&

"I can't say I grew up watching the show and applying a million times until I was finally accepted, but I'm definitely psyched to be here, and so gratefully stunned I was given this opportunity."

&&&&&

"Well it's been a pleasure, Kurt," said the middle aged woman as she shut off the camera.

"Likewise," Kurt responded with a sweet smile and a cock of his head as his hand drifted up pat down his collar. The interview went flawlessly except for the brief falter when he was questioned on whether he had a boyfriend waiting back home for him (Marcus hadn't been anything too special but finding him with his lips attached to Brittney of all people well... it certainly wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone within earshot) so he was in a pleasant enough mood and decided to stick around for a few extra minutes and schmooze the camera crew. This was a TV show after all, and though Kurt had no doubt he would win, extra face time would give him even more exposure.

Finally he said his goodbyes and walked down the long hallway he had come and towards a giant glass elevator. Kurt had known Atlas New York, the apartment complex all the contestants were staying in, would be luxurious, especially in comparison to his own shoe box sized place, but it still managed to take his breath away.

Kurt stepped into the apartment and called out a "hello" but no one responded. He must be the first one there. It wasn't surprising really, he only lived about ten minutes away. In fact, his apartment was actually closer to Parsons, they place they'd be filming, than this place was. He moved there about a year ago when he finally got tired of Rachel's revolving door of boys. First Finn, then Brody, then Finn again, then a couple random guys, then back to Brody; it was exhausting! Plus as a student at Parson's the commute was virtually nonexistent.

There had of course been boys over the years in his life, the most serious being Tyler who Kurt dated for a little over a year, and who he had (maybe) loved, but that was almost two years ago now. Between going to school, which he only graduated from a few months ago, and interning at Vogue, he had barely had any time to himself.

But soon all this double booking would be over. After this month he would return to Vogue (Isabelle had assured him his spot was being held) and, if everything went according to plan, he would finally be promoted to a real employee. Kurt was warned his pay wouldn't really increase all that much but he couldn't care less about that; as cheesy as it was, doing what he loved was payment enough. Besides, once he was crowned winner of Project Runway, they'd be begging him to stay, and offering anything and everything they could to ensure he did.

&&&&&

"That's it, we're done! You are free to go Blaine."

"Thanks so much!" Blaine said enthusiastically, reaching out to shake the plump woman's hand. He hopped off the stool and wiped his somewhat sweaty palms on the back of his pants. Craning his neck, he saw a couple other people around the room also talking to interviewers with cameras. They must be his competition.

The whole situation was absolutely surreal and Blaine still wondered if maybe it was a dream. Ages ago, when he was filling out the application, he never dreamed of getting in. With no proper schooling, and being as young as he was, it seemed a mistake. He understood they always want a variety of people, but he already feels vastly under qualified just from some of the questions he was asked.

After getting directions from one the crew members, he wandered off looking for the lobby. As he went he felt his shoulders drop and his smile dim; his altered stage presence was something that had stuck with him even after he stopped performing.

Blaine was an English major at NYU, or rather, he had been one. He graduated just two weeks ago so now he was just one of the many unemployed kids fresh out of college with a semi-useless degree. Okay, that might have been a bit dramatic, but he was feeling pretty lost right now.

His dad had shot down his dreams of pursuing music from the get go and Blaine can't say he was surprised or even that disappointed. He loved performing but he didn't have the passion to take it all the way. Design had also briefly been discussed- or, discussed probably wasn't the right word...

"Design! You can't be serious Blaine, that's not a real career!" Blaine had been about to retort that the man's own wife was a seamstress, and a great one at that, when his dad continued, "At least not for a man."

So that had been the end of that and Blaine was left to choose something else. His dad had never been a warm man, especially after Blaine came out, but he didn't often comment on it, so when he did Blaine knew it was serious.

The only other thing Blaine could think to study at the time ("because you can't just go into college without a plan Blaine!") was English. His father was wary at first but soon a plan hatched that was "perfect": law school. Blaine could get his bachelor's in English and then move onto law school and become a lawyer.

This was pretty much the opposite of what Blaine wanted but he reasoned he had four years to figure out how to tell his dad that so he put it out of his head.

But suddenly it was the day of his graduation and he hadn't gotten in or even applied to NYU Law and instead was going on some reality TV design show and he had no idea how to tell his dad. So, in classic Blaine fashion, he just let it all spew out in one long, stuttering sentence.

Blaine's mom had known, had even helped him with his application for the show, but she wasn't helping him now. Furious was an understatement when describing Joe Anderson's response and Blaine hadn't talked to him since.

Shaking his head, Blaine willed away the memories and focused in on the present. For the next month (or however long he stayed) Blaine got to do one of the things he truly loved, and he wasn't going to waste that time by focusing on what would come after.

&&&&&

Kurt's roommate was an older, bottle blond guy (although he denied it) and in Kurt's opinion he couldn't go soon enough. It wasn't just that he was unused to sharing a room, it was that Gary would not shut up. They left the other two men they were sharing a space with, Stephan and Davis, half an hour ago and Gary hadn't stopped yapping since they entered the room, even when Kurt had walked into their shared bathroom.

"... so because of that our trip in Paris was shorter than expected but-"

"Hey Gary, I'm going to bed now." And before he could respond Kurt plugged in his ear buds and got into bed. He wasn't the least bit tired, but he needed time to mentally prepare for tomorrow, and he couldn't think with all that noise.

There hadn't been any introduction type thing tonight so Kurt wasn't going to meet everyone else until the next morning. Davis seemed to be very mellow and Kurt liked that; it meant he wasn't a fighter. To be able to handle the stress of a competition like this you needed passion and dedication. Stephan unfortunately had both those things and although Kurt knew this wasn't a place to make friends, he couldn't deny his attractiveness. A long, lean body, short blond hair, bright grey eyes; it was a winning combination. Kurt didn't even mind the multiple piercing that littered his face.

As Kurt thought more about it, he decided he might come in handy as a stress reliever. But that's as far as it would go, this wasn't the time to be shopping for boyfriends. And besides, he was far too cocky for Kurt's taste.

The night dragged on and as Kurt expected he couldn't sleep even after all his usual meditation fixes. He must have managed it at some point though because suddenly he was jolted awake in the still dark morning by the shrill sound of the provided alarm clock.

&&&&&

The four of them, Blaine, Alexander, Austin, and Harry Pyper III (Blaine had to choke back laughter upon hearing that name and his insistence it not be shortened), were sitting around and drinking the complementary wine when the subject of schooling came up.

Alexander hadn't studied design in college either which made Blaine feel a little better, although he was about thirty years older. Austin and Harry were closer to his age and the former had a degree from FIT while the latter had one from the London College of Fashion. With this knowledge Blaine was sufficiently knocked back down to feeling inadequate again.

"What about you Blaine, where'd you go to school?" Austin asked him after he didn't volunteer anything.

"NYU," he answered and, after seeing their blank looks he added, "I majored in English."

"Wait, have you ever even taken any classes before?" Harry's tone was positively gleeful and Blaine knew he was already being written off.

"Not technically, but my mom seamstress, and she made a lot of her own stuff, so I learned everything I know from her."

Blaine's mom, Holly, never attempted selling any of her creations, but Blaine's sure she could if she wanted. The gowns she made were gorgeous but the only person who ever wore them was herself. With all the company parties her husband attended, there always seemed to be some excuse for her to be working on something new. Holly was also known in the neighborhood for her skills and often had people stopping by with ripped or torn items. Watching and working with her, that's where Blaine learned it all.

So yes, he didn't have a degree, and he hadn't taken any formal classes, but experience was something he had plenty of. Experience and four years of limited time to express all his ideas; he was ready for this.