The Starring Role

Chapter 5

"Alright, then bring the entire thing to stage left right here," pointed Blaine on the blueprint of the set, "and secure it to the ground. I don't want anything on that fixture to move at all. I really donotneed an accident today on top of everything else going on. If anything falls, I'm finding one of you, got it?"

The set crew nodded with wide eyes and stiff figures, clearly intimidated by Blaine's firm instructions. He turned around to walked over to the costume designers who were working in the room full of sewing machines and fabric thrown in all different directions.

"Hey, Patty, can I see what you have so far?"

Patty, a short, pudgy woman with short blonde curls, looked up to him and smiled enthusiastically as she ran into the closet where they kept the costumes and rolled out a rack full of clothes. She was such an adorable woman and Blaine wanted to carry her around as a pocket person.

"Mr. Anderson, I think that these costumes will be great for Carrie, but I'm having trouble deciding which gown to use on her for the night scene."

She reached for two dresses. One was ruby red, strapless, full-length with a slit that came up about mid-thigh. The other was a black one, with one strap that had a black flower on it, full-length and quite sparkly.

"Patty, call me Blaine, we've been through this before," he said with a wink. "I really like them both, but I think that the red one will contrast better with Carrie's skin complexion as well as the night backdrop. A black dress would make it blend in a little."

Patty nodded and grinned again, thanking Blaine and wheeling the cart away.

This is how Blaine's day had gone so far, jumping from crew to crew again. Today was a lot more hectic but so much was getting accomplished which was exactly what Blaine wanted to happen. It also served as a distraction from Kurt slipping in his mind every other second, and although Blaine was truly falling head over heels for him, he was relieved he had something to actually focus on besides him. That didn't last very long when he got a very intriguing text message.

"Blaine!" called Wes, running over to him. "Did you talk to the set crew about-"

"Done."

"Good, now we have to go over the schedule for production. I don't want to waste a single second of time with this one, and I need to make sure we have a sufficient number of cameras on every set. I need you to be jumping from stage to stage to make sure the scenes are up to your standards and vision. I know it's gonna be hard for you, but I'll be able to help in any way-"

"Wes, Wes, bro, stop! Trust me on this, I've got everything under control! Look," he reached into his bag and pulled out a manila folder and handed it over to him. "Here is the tentative schedule so far for production, and as far as I can tell, I'll be around for most of the major plot developments. I'll have just enough time to jump around and make sure things are running smoothlyifyou are right along with me helping with the actors. I've created it so we'd both have enough time to spare to get from place to place, but I can't do this job without you."

Wes smiled and took the folder opening it up and flipping through the pile of pages.

"Genius. Pure genius, Blaine. I'd be nothing without you," he said as he high-fived Blaine and set off in another direction. "You're the best!" he yelled without turning around and holding the folder up in the air in triumph. Blaine smiled as he trotted off with a spring in his step.

His phone began vibrating in his pocket and he pulled it out to look at the number. Kurt's name flashed across the screen and Blaine smiled as he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Well, hello there, Mr. Producer."

Blaine chuckled and ducked into a small closet that housed the cleaning supplies, out of ear shot from anyone that might be passing by.

"How's your day going?"

The smile on Kurt's face was evident in his voice when he replied.

"Going just great, actually. I'm getting tons of work done today."

"Me too. I just wish I could see you soon," said Blaine, pouting.

There was a pause, and Kurt finally spoke. "I was thinking, you know how you got me dinner last night?"

"Yes," said Blaine, confused as to why it mattered.

"Well, I kind of had an idea this morning. Meet me outside my theatre at 12. That's your lunch time, right?"

"Yeah, I can do that. What are we doing?" asked Blaine curiously.

"All in good time, Sir Blaine. See you soon," and Kurt hung up. Whatever Kurt was up to, Blaine was sure he'd enjoy it no matter what. He'd finally get to see him today. Blaine didn't want to go a daywithoutseeing him this week. Inevitably, though, Blaine knew what was going to happen, so he had to relish the precious moments that he could before they'd have to go their separate ways.

Kurt showed up on time just as he told Blaine, and he greeted him with a peck on the lips. Luckily no one was around to see them.

"Hey hottie," teased Blaine, grinning at him.

"Don't try anything, Anderson. It's gonna take a lot more than that to get in my pants."

They laughed as they linked hands and Kurt led them down the road.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" asked Blaine, looking around the tall buildings that he never got tired of.

"Nope, I told you it's a surprise. It's not a huge one, but I figured that you could use a break from today."

Blaine's face broke out into a grin as he squeezed Blaine's hand tighter. "Just being with you makes the day better." Kurt blushed at the comment and nudged him with his shoulder as a thank you.

They rounded the corner and stood in front of the Starbucks. Kurt stopped and looked up, then turned over to Blaine.

"You're taking me on a coffee date?" asked Blaine. He nodded and opened the door for him, bowing slightly and gesturing for Blaine to enter first. Equally as goofy, Blaine curtsied and entered the store, the smell of coffee hitting his nose and he inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar scent.

"I just love coffee so much," said Blaine, Kurt trailing behind him and walking up to the counter. "I really am a whole different person without it. Kinda like Hyde or something."

Kurt laughed. "I hope not to meet this side of you. I'd be very scared to meet him."

They walked up to the counter and ordered their drinks, Kurt placing his hand on Blaine's when he reached for his wallet.

"You got dinner for me last night, at least let me get you a coffee." He huffed in annoyance, but ended up letting Kurt take the bill. Bastard. Incredibly adorable bastard.

The barista made their drinks and they sat down in a corner of the store, holding their cups in their hands to warm them up on another cold and rainy day. Kurt sighed, taking his first sip and obviously enjoying the feeling of the hot coffee running down his throat.

"Thank you for the coffee," said Blaine, leaning in and giving Kurt a sly grin. They looked at each other for a little, enjoying their spontaneous mini date.

"Welcome. Honestly it was just an excuse to leave the theatre...and to see you," he said with embarrassment as he looked down and sipped his drink.

"And I'm glad you did," Blaine said reassuringly, taking hold of Kurt's hand. Butterflies flew in Blaine's stomach at the touch and he couldn't help but shuffle his feet a little. He was so giddy with excitement that he couldn't hold in. They talked a little bit about their day, Blaine ranting about his busy day and Kurt complaining about the light crew being late on their plots and one of them giving him attitude.

"He told me that I wasn't giving him enough time to do all of his work, and I ripped him a new asshole. How did I not give him enough time when they knew what the scenes were supposed to fucking look like 3 months in advance? Who the hell does he think he is, that no good, low-life, ass munching son of a bitch."

Blaine laughed out loud, throwing his head back and receiving a couple of strange looks from the people around them. Kurt furrowed his brow.

"It's not funny! He was being ridiculous and I'd fire him if I had the power!"

Blaine shook his head and reached for his coffee.

"I just enjoy your bitching etiquette. It's quite amusing, if I do say so myself." Kurt glared at him with squinted eyes, turning his head slightly. "...plus you look hot when you're mad."

At that, Kurt's lips slowly curled upwards and his cheeks slowly turned a hint of red.

"Um...thanks," said Kurt shyly. Suddenly Blaine felt a little awkward for saying that. Why did he have to say things without thinking about them first?

"You're still not getting in my pants tonight. I've got a late night and a really early morning tomorrow," smirked Kurt with a devilish grin.

Blaine huffed and let out a sigh. "Why do you think I'm always wanting to get in your pants?" he asked with a smile. "Can't I just compliment my...boyfriend about how great he looks?" Blaine hesitated. He wasn't sure how Kurt would react, but theydidjust establish their relationship last night. Saying 'boyfriend' was a strange sensation, but he couldn't help the fluttering in his stomach. It feltgoodto say it, and claiming Kurt as his was just another reason for him to feel excited.

"Yes, you can compliment me any time you wish, and I will certainly not complain," teased Kurt, taking a sip from his cup, his lips wet and rosy. Blaine just wanted to lean over and capture them in his own. It was nice that Blaine was able to do that now.

"How about-"

Kurt's phone began ringing in his pocket, and he pulled it out with a grin.

"Sorry," he said as he looked at the screen. His face suddenly fell as he looked at the number. He quickly swiped at the screen and held it up to his ear.

"Carole?"

There was a silence as Kurt listened to who he assumed was Carole on the other end. Kurt's eyebrows stayed knitted as he listened to her.

"Okay, okay, just tell me, what's wrong?"

Kurt listened again, looking down at the table. Suddenly his eyes widened and his hand flew to his mouth.

"What?!"

Blaine set his cup down and stared intently at him, straightening in his seat at the sight of Kurt being alarmed. Something was obviously wrong.

"Oh my god - how?!"

Kurt's eyes filled with tears. Blaine wanted to reach over and hold his hand, but he knew that it probably wouldn't do any good. Blaine began getting nervous. Something bad must've happened.

Kurt looked at him and Blaine mouthed "What's wrong?" to him. He was ignored, obviously, because Kurt was looking at Blaine but his mind was elsewhere.

"Shit...okay, I'm on my way...no, Carole, Ihaveto go...I'm not sitting here all day waiting, I'm leaving now...I'll be there as soon as I can...okay, bye."

He hung up and he sighed a shaky breath.

"What's wrong?" asked Blaine, standing up when Kurt shot up quickly and grabbed his cup.

"I have to go," he said and exited the shop.

"Wait...Kurt!" he called out and chased after him. He ran out the door, looking both ways to see which way he went. He saw the tall man walking quickly, his hair bouncing and blowing in the breeze. Blaine sped his pace up and walked alongside him at a very fast pace. Kurt was looking down at his phone and was furiously typing something in his search engine.

"Hey, stop. What's up?"

Without looking up, Kurt replied, his voice cracking as he spoke, tears threatening to spill over. "My dad was in a car accident and he's in the hospital. I'm going back to see him. I need to make sure he's alright."

Blaine's eyes widened in shock.

"Whoa...really?"

Kurt nodded and wiped a tear that inched down his cheek.

"You're going back to Lima?" He nodded again.

"I almost lost him once in high school when he had a heart attack and went into a coma. I have to go see him. I have to see him with my own eyes before I believe that he's okay."

Blaine nodded, bringing his hand up to cradle Kurt's elbow.

"How are you getting there?" asked Blaine.

"Plane. I'm looking for tickets right now."

Blaine contemplated persuading him to stay there, that whoever Carole was could keep him updated, but Kurt seemed pretty adamant about it. He felt completely selfish, but he wanted to spend as much time with Kurt as possible before things stopped working in their favor.

"I'm coming with you," he said suddenly. He surprised himself, because really? Did he just tell Kurt he'd accompany with him to Lima? They'd known each other for two days and now he's hitching a flight back with him?

Kurt stopped and turned to face him with a surprised expression. After a few seconds, Blaine raised an eyebrow as if to say, "well?"

"No," he replied and kept walking.

"What...why not?" asked Blaine catching up with him.

"Because it's just inconvenient. He's my dad, not yours, and you told me yourself that these past few days have been from hell and that you were so busy that you wanted to pull your hair out."

Blaine sighed, annoyed. "I don't care, you're upset and I want to go with you. Wes will let me have a couple days off since we're ahead of schedule. I can pull some strings and get things situated and then I'll be free."

"Blaine, you really don't have to do this," he mumbled, glancing sideways at him. "There's nothing more that I would love than for you to come with me...but I just don't want you to feel obligated. I can handle this on my own."

"Kurt, I just said that I want to go with you. Please?" he begged as Kurt stopped again facing him.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a sad tone.

"Absolutely. You are in no shape to be by yourself right now, and I don't want you to be alone with your own thoughts...I know how much that can kill a person."

"I just don't want you to get behind on anything because of me, and I definitely don't want your nights to suffer since they're your only free time, and-"

Blaine placed a finger to his lips, and Kurt stopped talking.

"Look, we have less than a week to still see each other when we want, and I want to go with you because I'd rather be with you the entire time than not see your for two days. Don't worry about my job, you have your own to stress about. I just want to go with you to make sure you and your dad will be alright. Okay?"

Kurt leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Blaine's lips. They pulled apart and Kurt looked at Blaine with sad, but grateful eyes.

"Let's go," said Kurt with finality.

"Alright, every thing is set." Blaine plopped down next to Kurt at their gate in the airport.

They ended up going to their hotel and packing a few things for the couple of days they'd spend in Lima and met up a half hour later. Kurt had reserved two plane tickets for the next flight out to Lima while Blaine had called Wes. He couldn't tell him that he had a family emergency because Wes knew his entire family very well...so he opted for telling him that he got violently sick after lunch and he had the next doctor's appointment the following day and he couldn't come back until he got the okay. Blaine hated lying to one of his closest friends, but there was no way to tell him about it. Not when he knew Lindsey and his parents so well.

Blaine looked over at Kurt, who was still looking extremely upset. Nothing that Blaine said could get his mind off of his dad. He obviously must be a crucial player in his life, and he was a little angry at himself for not being able to distract Kurt for at least a little bit.

"Hey, don't look so down," said Blaine, rubbing Kurt's leg affectionately. "We'll be there soon. Carole said she would keep you updated, didn't she?"

Kurt nodded, staring at his lap with tears still filled in his eyes.

"I just...what if something happens? What if something goes wrong at the hospital? What if...he goes and I'm not there." Kurt took a shaky breath in to settle himself down as a tear slid down his cheek. Blaine reached up and wiped it away with his thumb, his curled fist just under Kurt's chin. Blaine tilted his head up and placed a soft kiss on his lips, trying to convey that he was there for him.

"Thank you," said Kurt, visibly relaxing and wiping his face with the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm really glad you're coming along. I'm not sure what state of mind I'd be in if you weren't here."

Blaine smiled sadly, because it was a huge compliment. He just wish it didn't have to be because Kurt's dad was in the hospital.

"Well, listen. Nothing's going to happen to your dad. I'm here with you, and we're going to go to Lima together and see if he's alright. If we- no,whenwe find out he's alright, we'll go out for dessert as a celebration and bring some cheesecake back to the hospital."

Kurt perked up at the word "cheesecake."

"I could go for something really unhealthy," he said, swollen eyes looking into Blaine's.

"My treat," said Blaine. Kurt settled back down in his seat and laid his head on Blaine's shoulder as he slid his arm through Blaine's to grasp his hand. They sat there in a comfortable silence, watching the people rush through the airport and more people arrive at the gate. Blaine all the while rubbed soothing circles on Kurt's hand with his thumb. Blaine sighed, looking down to Kurt as he breathed in and out, his body ever so slightly rising and falling.

How did this happen? How did Blaine find Kurt in all of Chicago? The perfect man with perfect hair and perfecteverythingand Blaine managed to sweep him off his feet. Now he was traveling back to Lima with him to meet his father, who was not in the very best condition at the moment. He sat there pondering how it all came about, that chance meeting that they had turned out to be one of the best weeks in Blaine's life.

"Blaine?" asked Kurt.

"Yeah?"

"Are you staying at my old house or are you getting a hotel?"

Oh...Blaine hadn't thought of that.

"Um...well, I wasn't...I don't know."

Maybe he could go to Westerville and stay with his parents for a day or something, and if all else fails, he could go back to his own home with Lindsey...

Lindsey.Shit.He'd have to be really careful. Although Westerville was quite a bit away from Lima, Blaine felt a sudden panic settle in his chest. What if they ran into each other? What then? Everything would be ruined on both ends, and he just couldn't handle that right now, especially if he accompanied Kurt back and hadn't even told Lindsey...

Blaine looked around nervously and ran through a million possible scenarios in his head about what could happen in Lima. There was no way he could go back to the house, and if he went to his parents, then they'd ask about Lindsey. Of course, he would lie about it, but what if they brought it up to her? Then she'd become really suspicious and start calling him every other minute.

"Blaine?" Kurt chuckled. He snapped out of his trance and looked Kurt who had a worried look on his face.

"Don't freak out about it, you are more than welcome to crash at my old house. There's plenty of room."

Blaine sighed. He still wasn't in the clear but at least he had a place to stay.

"Your place would be perfect," said Blaine, plastering on his fake smile and placing his other hand on top of their linked ones.

"Good."

"Oh, I get to see your old room and hear about young Kurt and embarrassing stories about you," teased Blaine. Kurt nudged him with his shoulder and leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah, and you'll be out in the streets by dusk," said Kurt triumphantly. "You'll be on my property, Anderson."

"Actually, wouldn't it be your dad's? If that's the case then you wouldn't have the authority to kick me out to begin with, Hummel."

"Don't use my last name on me."

Blaine laughed as Kurt deflected the question.

The intercom overhead announced that their flight was beginning to board, and the two stood up, carryon's in hand and walked over to the flight attendant checking tickets.

Kurt sighed and grasped Blaine's hand, giving it an extra squeeze.

"Here we go. Sorry I couldn't find seats together, last minute traveling usually doesn't have many options."

Blaine shrugged and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's a short flight anyway. Just take a nap on the way there and rest your head. You've done enough worrying for the both of us for a while."

Kurt smiled and pressed another kiss on his lips, Blaine relishing the moment.

"What would I do without you?" asked Kurt rhetorically.

"Probably live your life in misery and loneliness, wondering if you'd every find a dark-haired, slightly tanned, gorgeous, beautiful man who could make you go crazy by only speaking to you."

"Conceited much?"

Blaine fake pouted and released Kurt's hand.

"Fine. We'll see how you like Lima by yourself."

"You paid quite a bit of money for that ticket. I doubt you'll bail," argued Kurt with a smirk.

Defeated, Blaine slumped over and muttered "okay."

Kurt laughed and took his hand again.

"C'mon, Blaine, let's get to Lima," he said, dragging him into the airplane once the flight attendant checked their tickets. They parted ways in the aisle and sat in different seats while everyone got situated. The plane was quite small because, let's be serious, who travels to Ohio?

Blaine put his bag in the compartment above his head, and sat down in his seat. Luckily no one had sat down in the seats beside him. He sighed and slid back in his seat, letting his eyes shut for a moment to relax until his phone began buzzing.

It was a text from Wes.

From:Wes 3:24

I know you lied. I could tell in your voice, but I knew something was definitely wrong.

Blaine rolled his eyes and hung his head. Shit. He was caught. He hit the reply key and pondered for a minute about what to reply. Maybe he didn't have to tell Wes the whole truth...at least not yet.

To:Wes 3:26

Okay, I will explain everything when I come back. But please, no one can know about this. No one.

From:Wes 3:30

I won't tell. But I want to know what's up when you get back.

Blaine sent an "okay" back to him and settled in his seat. Great. One lie has to cover another, and Blaine was just digging his own grave.

He looked up and saw Kurt was looking at him from across the plane. "You okay?" he mouthed. Blaine nodded and smiled while giving him a thumbs-up. He couldn't tell Wes the truth and he couldn't tell Kurt either for extremely obvious reasons. When Kurt smiled and turned around, Blaine threw his head back.

This was going to be one hell of a trip.