Slow Fade

Chapter 9

This was not happening. Blaine was seriously about to have a panic attack. He knew that the first time he showed up to a celebrity event it would be crazy, but this was utter insanity. It made him almost miss the days when he was taking his USMLE, the series of tests that finally made him a doctor of medicine after almost a decade of study. Still he had to push down his fear and anxiety because Kurt was counting on him to keep his cool.

Kurt was sitting beside him in the limo that was taking them to the fashion show. Blaine had been surprised to discover that preparations for the event began several hours previously. When he arrived at Kurt's home at noon the actor was talking on the phone, while being fitted for a suit that fit him extremely well. Blaine was quickly ushered into a room by Kurt's team, and they made him try on a number of suits before a hairdresser attacked his curly locks and managed to flatten then without using a great deal of gel. Soon enough though he was dressed in a suit that looked more expensive than Blaine's entire wardrobe and surprisingly enough he looked like he would fit in with the Hollywood crowd.

"You look great," Kurt complimented, walking into the room.

"So do you," Blaine replied honestly. Kurt looked every bit like the famous celebrity he was. The suit, which was one of Kurt's own designs, was black with a white button down and had a skinny black tie with it. His hair was styled expertly and Blaine struggled to keep from turning into a crazed fanboy.

"Thank you," Kurt replied, with a smile. "We need to head out now, since the traffic will be bad."

That had been an hour ago and now that they were finally approaching the venue, it was insane. People lined the sidewalks and Blaine was sincerely happy for the tinted windows that protested his eyes from the endless camera flashes. Though they couldn't be seen yet, the crowd knew that celebrities were inside and they weren't taking any chances. At long last they pulled up to the red carpet and Henry put the car into a park.

"Nervous?" Kurt asked, looking at Blaine curiously.

"Is it that obvious?" Blaine asked in horror.

"No, of course not," Kurt said reassuringly. "I'm just very observant."

"I'm still adjusting," Blaine admitted. "The only times I've faced crowds like this recently were at medical conferences."

"Relax," Kurt said. "Just smile and wave and let me do the talking unless they ask you something directly."

"Ok," Blaine said. "I can do that."

"If I can handle being poked with the biggest needle on the planet, then you can certainly face a few reporters," Kurt pointed out.

"You're right," Blaine replied. "Let's go."

Kurt laughed and moved to get out of the car when Henry opened the door. It was as if some had cranked up the stereo all of the sudden it was so loud outside. When the paparazzi saw Kurt they went wild since he was the man of the hour of course. Kurt smiled and waved at the crowd before turning to offer Blaine his hand.

Blaine took Kurt's hand, marveling at how soft it was and pulled himself out of the car.

The media went absolutely nuts when they realized that Kurt Hummel's date was the same doctor they'd been trying to get an interview with since that scandalous tabloid photo. Needless to say, within a few minutes they all had their next front page story.

"Kurt Hummel, what is your relationship with Blaine Anderson?"

"Kurt, where did you and Blaine meet?"

"Mr. Hummel can you talk to us about the photo?"

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand and the actor led him towards a waiting reporter.

"I'm Kathy Marshall with E!Online, would you mind answering a few questions?" asked a young blonde reporter who was wearing a very ill fitting evening gown.

"Of course," Kurt replied flashing her a smile.

"First of all I want to congratulate you for your continued success as an actor, singer and now as an up and coming fashion designer. How do you balance everything?"

"I really enjoy my work and it is nice to have a break from acting or singing to design my own clothes. For me it is a great outlet and quite frankly it helps me stay sane."

"Can you give us any hints about your new fashion line?" she asked.

"I've had a passion for fashion since I was a child and the inspiration for this new line is the clothes I wore and designed when I was in high school, but more contemporary and modern," he said.

"I'm sure we are all in for a treat then," the reporter replied, and then her eyes flashed to Blaine for the first time.

Here it comes, Blaine thought.

"And may I ask who your handsome friend is?" the woman asked sweetly.

Blaine glanced at Kurt who didn't bat an eye before answering. "This is my boyfriend Blaine Anderson."

The woman's eyes flashed in surprise and excitement. "From what I understand, you are a doctor Blaine?"

"That's right," Blaine nodded.

"It seems unlikely that you would have an opportunity to meet," Kathy commented.

That's a nice way of saying you're not famous, and you don't belong here, Blaine thought.

"Blaine and I first met in Ohio where we are both from. We happened to realize that we are both working in L.A. and the rest is history," Kurt explained smoothly telling the lie they'd planned together.

"Well we wish you both the best," Kathy said. "Good luck tonight!"

Kurt and Blaine walked on down the red carpet and when they were out of the earshot of any reporters, Kurt turned and smiled at him. "You're a natural at this."

"Well I had a good teacher," Blaine said with a smile.

Kurt looked at him gratefully and the reporters couldn't be ignored any longer. They gave a few more interviews that went just like the first and then they went inside. They walked inside and found their seats right in the front row next to the runway.

"I need to get backstage to make sure everything looks alright and that I don't have to do any last minutes alterations. I will be back before the show starts," Kurt said.

Blaine nodded, "See you in a bit."

Kurt left and Blaine watched as the seats slowly filled up. It was amazing to see so many celebrities in person in one place. There were a number of high profile actors, television personalities, and high ranking people from the fashion world. It seemed that Kurt's fashion was a big draw from the famous clientele. Some people glanced at Blaine and then started whispering to their friends, but most of the celebrities completely ignored him. Members of the media were in attendance, but none of them bothered Blaine.

At long last the music dimmed and soft music started to play over the loudspeakers, lights lit up the runway and Kurt walk out across the stage. The audience cheered and the music stopped, and once the applause died down Kurt started to speak.

"Fashion, is something that has always been near and dear to my heart. It evolves in a way that allows for freedom of expression to be expressed in new ways all the time. These designs are very important to me and I feel they are some of my best work. Please enjoy the show."

Kurt walked down the stairs next to the runway and sat down next to Blaine. His warm hand slid into his and Blaine squeezed it gently. Their eyes locked and for a moment Blaine felt like he was drowning in Kurt's blue eyes. He was about to say something encouraging, but was distracted when the music cranked up and the first model began to strut across the runway.

Blaine was not a fashionista and generally preferred science over art, but he had to admit that Kurt's work was breathtaking. He read enough Vogue magazines to know of the latest trends even if he didn't strictly adhere to them the way that Kurt obviously did. The truth of the matter was that many of Kurt's clothes looked like they would be amazing on celebrities or average people who wanted to look fabulous. There was a great contrast of styles and designs that made his clothes look very unique and unlike anything else on the market.

He never had any interest in watching a fashion show in the past, but Blaine was starting to seriously reconsider for the future. He was thoroughly enjoying himself so much that he was taken by surprise when the show finally ended. He snuck a glance at Kurt and found that the actor was watching him curiously.

"How was it?" Kurt asked.

"Fantastic," Blaine replied. "You really have a gift."

Kurt smiled widely and it made Blaine feel warm all over.

"Thank you," Kurt said. "I'm glad you liked it."

"No Kurt, I didn't like it," Blaine replied. "I loved it."

They looked at each other again for a long moment, but then the chaos started again.

"Mr. Hummel!"

"Time for round two," Kurt said, and this time Blaine wasn't nervous in the least. How could he be with Kurt at his side.