Of course, just like how it is considered bad taste to outdo a bride at her wedding, it is even worse to outshine a diva on her opening night.

But Rachel would forgive him.
After all, fashion was his thing; she had known that since before they had even officially met. She expected nothing less than the best from him tonight, no matter what she was wearing. And Kurt had picked out her dress anyway. She would be flawless.

After nearly two hours of deliberating and trying on every suitable option, Kurt decided on military green skinny jeans which he may have to be cut out of at the end of the night, a form fitting coal black vest, and a classic white button-up. Kurt even dug up his gold star pin on his lapel as an homage to Rachel herself. At the last second, he grabbed a black bowtie with subtle gold embellishments to finish the outfit off.

Kurt took a good long look in the mirror before deciding he looked presentable. Okay, screw presentable, he looked hot. His hair had cooperated perfectly and his clothes were hugging him in all the right places.

He glanced at the clock. Perfect. If he left now, most of the crowd would already be there when he arrived, but he would still have enough time to where he wouldn't be late. Kurt grabbed his key, wallet, phone, and favorite Gucci satchel before heading out the door.

The subway was right on time and Kurt got to the theatre exactly when he had hoped. He tried to ignore the slight throbbing in his chest or the way he couldn't catch his breath. This was New York. He would have to get used to walking. It would get easier the more he did it.

As soon as he was positive he wouldn't wheeze as soon as he opened his mouth, Kurt walked up to the box office manager. "One for Kurt Hummel?"

She smiled as she grabbed the ticket from the envelope. "You're Rachel Berry's friend."

"Yes, I am."

"She's wonderful."

Kurt smiled graciously. It was one thing for him to say how talented his best friend was, it was quite another to hear it from a stranger. "I know."

Kurt strode into the theatre and paused as the usher scanned his ticket. When he walked into the theatre, he couldn't help but stand and gape for a moment. He had been in this theatre once when he first moved to New York. He had forgotten just how vast this theatre was. He had to take a few deep breaths to not start crying in the middle of the theatre.

The usher led him to his seat, and Kurt was pleased to find that his was fifth row center. It was one of his favorite spots to be in a theatre. It was close, but not too close to where he would be looking up the actors' noses. He turned his cell phone off before opening his Playbill and flipping straight to Rachel's bio. He smiled at her impressive list of credentials. What he hadn't been expecting, however, was the last sentences. "I'd like to thank my dads and Kurt for being the most wonderful men in my life. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

If Kurt brushed away a tear, well, no one noticed anyway.

The lights went down in the theatre, and the energy was palpable. Kurt prayed to a God he didn't believe in that this went well. As wonderful as he knew Rachel to be, previews were notorious for being messy.

The orchestra started, and Kurt felt his muscles relax.
This was going to be great.

...

By intermission, Rachel had already had two standing ovations.

Kurt couldn't have been prouder.

He made his way to the lobby to get some M&Ms or something, realizing that he had forgotten to eat dinner. It didn't matter that much, he would be going out to eat with the cast after the show anyway.

After he bought his M&Ms (which better have been made by God himself, for $3.50), Kurt turned around and smacked into a short Asian man.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"Oh, hey, it's okay!"

They each took a step back and gave a good-natured laugh.

Kurt gave his head a small shake. "I'm sorry. I'm not normally this clumsy.

The small man laughed. "It's okay, no harm done."

"Hey Wes, did you remember to grab my—"

Kurt's head whipped up as soon as he heard a very familiar voice. "Blaine?"

The curly headed man's eyes snapped up immediately. "Kurt!" His face broke out into possibly the biggest grin Kurt had ever seen. "What are you doing here?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow and tried not to laugh. "...seriously?"

Blaine laughed, a real, genuine laugh, and Kurt hadn't realized how much he missed that sound. "Yeah, okay, dumb question." Kurt subconsciously took a moment to appraise Blaine's outfit. Was that...? No. It couldn't be. That would actually be too perfect.

Blaine was wearing a bowtie.

Kurt had to bite his lip to keep from grinning like an idiot, and Blaine mistook the silence for awkwardness. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Kurt, this is Wes. Wes, this is Kurt." The two men shook hands and Kurt saw a glint of something he couldn't quite place in Wes' eyes.

"It's very nice to meet you, Kurt. I've heard a lot about you." He grinned and raised his eyebrows at Blaine, who gave him a warning look.

Kurt realized something. "Oh, I'm—I'm sorry, are you two... On a date?"

Wes and Blaine both started laughing, and Kurt tried not to dwell on the relief he felt. "No, no, I'm straight," Wes assured him.

"Wes and I are friends from high school," Blaine explained. "We were in the same acapella group." His cheeks flushed the tiniest bit.

Kurt felt his eyes widen as his face broke into a smile. "You sing?"

Wes scoffed so dramatically Kurt was worried he said something wrong. "Does he sing? Blaine was out leading guy! He had nearly all the solos from his sophomore year on. He's Warbler legend."

Blaine looked at the ground and rubbed at his neck, looking more bashful than Kurt had ever seen him. "It wasn't that big of a thing..."

"Wasn't that big of a thing?" Wes asked, dumbfounded. "Not even true. You said it yourself. The Warblers were like rockstars."

Blaine was blushing full-out now and Kurt couldn't help but giggle. "Warblers? Why does that sound so familiar?"

"I don't know," Blaine shrugged. "We were the acapella group at Dalton Academy in Ohio, nothing major."

Kurt barely even registered Wes muttering 'Nothing major my ass.' "Wait, you lived in Ohio?"

Blaine cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why?"

The corner of Kurt's mouth twitched. "I'm from Lima."

Before the two men could let this really sink in, the lights in the lobby were flashing, signaling them back to their seats.

"We'll talk about this after the show," Blaine promised.

Kurt nodded in agreement before they split ways to find their respective seats. When he was alone, Kurt shook his head and gave a small chuckle. Of all the people he could have run into...

Not that he minded much.

...

After the show, Kurt had tears streaming down his face. He didn't even try to stop them. Rachel caught his eye during her bow and blew him a kiss, and then they were both crying.

God, she was incredible.

Kurt looked back on when they first met. He couldn't stand her back then. She was such an obnoxious girl with annoying amounts of talents. She turned that all into something positive and look where she was now. If there was anyone who deserved to live their dreams on a Broadway stage, Kurt swore it had to be Miss Rachel Berry.

He took out his handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes after the cast had left the stage. He did not want to walk around looking like a blubbering mess.

Kurt remembered he would be seeing Blaine in just a couple minutes. He may or may not have willed his red eyes away more insistently.

He reached the back of the auditorium, however, and saw both Blaine and Wes standing along the back wall with puffy eyes. Well, as long as Kurt wasn't the only one.

"That was..." Wes trailed off, unable to find the words to describe it.

"She's getting an Oscar," Blaine swore. "If she's not, we're going all Les Mis and starting a revolution, okay? Just... Wow."

Kurt simply nodded. After a moment, he came to his senses. "Well what are we all waiting around here for? Let's go back and tell her." He started off towards the exit until he noticed he wasn't being followed. Kurt turned around and gave Wes and Blaine questioning looks.

"You mean... Backstage?" Blaine asked.

"Well, yeah." Kurt smirked. "I am best friends with the star, you know. That was bound to have at least a few perks."

Wes and Blaine just looked at each other dumbfounded. They had never been backstage of a Broadway show before. They got their VIP stickers from the box office so nobody would question them and went out to find the stagedoor. There was already a crowd waiting for autographs. Kurt gave the smallest hint of a smirk as they passed them all and reached the door. He turned around to see Blaine looking absolutely bewildered, like a child on Christmas. He opened the door and let the two men in before trailing behind.

Wes and Blaine tried to take in as much as they could. It didn't seem as grand as one would expect, but it was still perfect. Kurt recognized almost everyone they passed. Between parties and going out for drinks with Rachel and the cast, he had met almost everyone at least once and did his best to congratulate everyone.

After hugging probably the ninth ensemble member, Blaine smiled and said, "Mr. Popular, huh?"

Kurt snorted before putting his best diva face on. "What can I say? I am a star at heart."

They came up to a door with a nameplate saying "Miss Berry" across it. Kurt smiled at the two men before knocking gently. The door was yanked almost immediately and Kurt found himself pulled into a deathgrip of a hug.

The hug lasted much longer than an average hug, and Wes and Blaine probably got uncomfortable waiting for them to break off. Oh well. Kurt and Rachel didn't say anything, they just stood there embracing. When they did finally release, both of their eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Thank you so much for coming tonight," she gushed. "It means so much that you're here."

Kurt scoffed. "Like I would miss it." He took a step back and gestured to the two men with him. "You've already met Blaine, and this is his friend... Wes?" Wes nodded happily. Rachel hugged them each in turn and thanked them endlessly for coming to the show. They were both generous with their compliments, and Kurt was proud with how genuinely gracious Rachel was being. She did not at any point come across as self-centered or rude. It was all very humble.

"So are you all coming out to Piano Bob's with us tonight?" Rachel asked enthusiastically.

Wes and Blaine exchanged unsure looks before giving Kurt a questioning look. "I'm not sure, I didn't think we were—" Wes began, before he was cut off.

"Oh, but you have to!" Rachel insisted. "It will be so much fun! The whole cast will be there. And there will be karaoke, as tacky as it is, I know. But it will be fun, you have to come!" Kurt would have been surprised if anyone could have turned her down with the look she was giving them.

Blaine seemed to hesitate a moment before looking at Kurt. "Well, I... I wouldn't want to impose..."

"You wouldn't be imposing." Kurt's voice was so soft it almost surprised him.

Blaine looked at him for a long moment before letting a smile take over his face. "We'd love to."

Rachel squealed. The next thing they knew, they were all in a group hug. After the initial shock, Kurt realized he was pressed up very closely against Blaine, and that was not awful.

They broke off and Kurt and Blaine both took a step back, blushing furiously.

"Okay, well I have to get changed and then sign some autographs, but I can probably get that done in... a half hour maybe? Depends how many people stuck around," Rachel deliberated.

"There were quite a few," Wes informed her. Rachel's smile was so sweet Kurt wanted to tackle her.

"Well then I'd hate to be rude and keep them waiting any longer than necessary." She walked over to the counter and began gathering the sexy but tasteful outfit Kurt had picked out for her. "Kurt knows where it is. If you all want to head over there now, I'll meet you in about forty five minutes. Is that okay?"

"That sounds wonderful." Blaine had on his charming school boy smile, and Kurt could tell that Rachel was swooning, even after finding out weeks ago that he was gay.

"Then I'll see you guys there." Rachel pulled them each into a tight hug before they left her dressing room.

Back in the hallway, Wes and Blaine were grinning ear to ear. "She's great!" Wes enthused. "I was worried she would be a diva or something, but she seemed so nice and down to Earth!"

Kurt chuckled. "For the most part. She has her moments, of course, but who doesn't?"

Blaine smiled. He had seen a glimpse of that side of her.

They opened the stage door and heard a few teenage girls let out some squeals before realizing that the three of them were not in the show. They stepped onto the sidewalk and began walking in the direction of the bar, Kurt taking the lead.

"You know, we probably could have just started signing autographs and no one would have known the difference," Blaine mused.

"That's probably accurate," Kurt agreed. "But what happens when they go home and Google the names?"

Blaine shook his head. "That's why you sign so illegibly they assume it must be someone famous. Besides, if they did recognize your signature, well you're kind of famous anyway, so I don't think anyone would be too upset." He dropped his gaze to the ground and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was hard to tell in the dark, but it almost looked like Blaine was blushing.

Kurt snorted. "I don't know about that."

They walked in silence for a minute before Blaine spoke up. "Hey, we have like a half hour or so to kill right?"

Kurt and Wes looked at each other, unsure of where this was going. "Yeah...?"

There was definitely a sparkle in Blaine's eyes. "C'mon, let's do something fun while we wait."