CHAPTER 4

Kurt kept shaking his hands and never stopped jumping around, pre-show jitters just always gets the best of him. He knew that some important people from the industry are present and at the audience that moment, looking for fresh new faces maybe and he just can't help but get nervous. He jutted his head out of the curtains and looked at the packed theatre which was probably not a really good idea when he's so nervous. He scanned the front seats to find a familiar man with loose curls and there he was, talking animatedly with the woman beside him having no idea that Kurt was staring at him.

Maybe he felt Kurt's eyes on him because for a moment, Blaine stopped talking and stared up ahead, looking for something until he caught Kurt's eyes on the side of the stage. Kurt saw him mumble something and gave him two thumbs up. Kurt smiled at that until he was pulled inside by none other than Rachel Berry.

"What are you doing there? You know seeing the audience has never been good to ease your pre-show jitters." Rachel pointedly told him. Kurt knew she was right but seeing Blaine right there made most of his nervousness go away.

Kurt took a deep breath, fixing his clothes. "This is it Rachel, our future depends on this performance." Kurt said, his voice as terrified as he felt. Rachel held his hands in hers.

"We can do this, we're going to pass this." Rachel assured him. "And I think they'd take notice of you no matter what because you helped with the wardrobe department. I mean, look around you," Rachel said and Kurt did as he was told. Hundreds of dresses, coats and other costumes with his ideas embedded on them kept walking past him. "Everyone looks wonderful thanks to you." She said.

Kurt enveloped Rachel into a warm hug, "And you're going to do great as well Ms. Berry. Let's kill this thing." He grinned.

Their director gathered them around in a show circle, having a pep talk and telling them to just enjoy and let the music flow within them. Everyone hugged everybody and the only thing you can hear backstage is the constant 'break-a-leg's or the vocal warm-ups. Kurt shook his body, ready to go out there and show them what he's made of.

The lights finally dimmed and it was announced that the show was starting in a few minutes. Everyone went to their respective places and donned their show faces and Kurt did the same, wanting to impress whoever was watching their musical. And at last the show started.

It was all a blur of faces, lines, song lyrics and claps for Kurt but he did manage to get through it without any problems. There were a few minor slips but no one from the audience seemed to have recognized it. The musical went great and by the end of it, everyone backstage was smiling from ear to ear with tears forming in their eyes for a job well done.

As the curtains open one final time, Kurt's eyes could only focus on a beaming Blaine who was clapping so loudly that Kurt could swear he was going to have red stings on his hands later. They took their bow and waved at the crowd, silently thanking them for watching and enjoying their show. It was the most rewarding feeling, seeing people give you a standing ovation for all your hard work.

Backstage, Rachel threw her arms around Kurt as the crowd dispersed all around them. Hugs, kisses and tears filled the area as everyone welcomed their friends and family, handing them flowers and their congratulations. Rachel pulled back from her hug and grasped Kurt's face in her hands, kissing him on both cheeks.

"We did it! We actually did it!" Rachel screamed over the loud noise and squealed her heart out, finally letting go as the adrenalin took over her whole being. Kurt just grinned, still dumbfounded at the overwhelming sensation and let Rachel leave to accept flowers from Brody.

Though their parents were not around for the show, he still felt like he made them proud. Kurt finally snapped out of his stupor when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Congratulations, Mr. Soon-To-Be Broadway Superstar."

Kurt whirled around and a shit-eating grin graced his already beautiful features as he saw Blaine standing in front of him with a bunch of flowers in his arms, holding it out for Kurt. "Blaine." Kurt said and one could practically hear the 'awww' in his voice, matched with the tenderness of his gaze.

"These are to celebrate you. You were amazing out there, the crowd loved you." Blaine complimented him, finally giving him the flowers and moving in reluctantly to hug Kurt. The performer smiled as he leaned in to grant Blaine his hug.

He wanted to ask, 'what about you?'but thought better of it. "Thank you, I'm—we'reso glad you came." Kurt said, catching his choice of words in time. Right, Blaine was here for both him and Rachel.Don't be selfish, Kurt.He pulled back, wiping few happy tears away from his eyes. "We'll celebrate tonight, I promise." Kurt told him with a smile.

Both of them looked towards Rachel who was happily conversing with some of her senior friends and they could hear them talking about invading Callbacks and celebrating their hard-earned victory there. Kurt looked back at Blaine, a silent question over the both of them.

"I'd love to go." Blaine said before Kurt could ask. They were like that when it comes to simple things. They could easily read each other which was amazing and at the same time, dangerous. Kurt felt like if he let his guard down, Blaine would see just how much his existence in the real world affects Kurt.

"Great, let me just pack things up. I'm sure everyone is heading over there anyway." Kurt grinned at him. "Don't go wandering around." He warned him.

Blaine saluted. "Yes sir!"

"Shot! Shot! Shot!"

Kurt stared at the shot glass warily, he had forgotten how many shots he already drank but it seems like he was not getting away from it soon, not unless he was saved from this table of maniac drinkers. He wasn't that much of a drinker, heck, he wasn't even that much of a party-goer. He loves books more than booze.

He tore his gaze away from the glass and over at Rachel who was already speaking with slurred words but Brody was there to catch her every time she seems to topple on people. When was the last time they became this drunk anyway? Was it in high school? That one time when he even puked on the shoes of the school's guidance counsellor? That was it, he remembered that. Oh dear, he doesn't want to puke on anyone's shoes in this room or else he'll probably get murdered in an instant.

"Come on Kurt! Drink it up!" One of them said but he really didn't want to, now that he thought about it. He'll have one hell of a headache the next day, he was sure of it. He can already feel a headache coming and it's not a very nice feeling. He had to get away from this table quick.

However, he needed to drink up if he doesn't want to spoil the fun that they were having but just as he was about to pick the glass up, a pair of strong hands stopped him from doing so. Kurt looked up to see Blaine smiling down at him, looking positively sober and Kurt wished nothing else than to be in his shoes at that moment. He was feeling a little bit (actually a lot) drunk already.

"I'm sorry to ruin your fun, ladies and gents, but I need to borrow Mr. Hummel for a bit." Kurt heard Blaine say to the people who were egging him on to drink the damn thing. The group whined and the teasing got directed to Blaine.

"If he's not going to drink then you drink it for him, Blaine!" One of them suggested.

They already know Blaine because Kurt would constantly bring him to NYADA once in a while and to Callbacks for him to get to know other people. Kurt would avoid getting him into situations where people asked what school he goes to as much as he can (which happens a lot) or they make up lies that he was a friend of Kurt's friend who goes to university in another country and was just visiting for the time being. It helps that Blaine looks a bit Eurasian.

"Alright, I'll help him drink it." Blaine agreed before taking the glass and downing it in a blink of an eye. Kurt gazed at him gratefully as he got dragged away from the table and to a more quiet and secluded side of the music bar.

Kurt slumped down on one of the stools and ordered a glass of water just to drown the taste of the alcohol away. He held his head, trying to get his bearings back. "Thanks for that, I don't know how much I can—" Kurt gestured with his hands after that, losing his words.

Blaine chuckled, rubbing gentle circles on Kurt's back to soothe him. "I see you're not much of a drinker." He observed and Kurt puffed his cheeks out at him for that. For a moment there, Blaine found him too adorable for his own good.

"You just caught me in my worst moment. I've been tired forweeksand drinking heavily whilst tired is unadvisable, you should know that." Kurt practically scolded him.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. Let's get you home, Brody told me he'll take care of Rachel." Blaine informed him and Kurt nodded, leaning towards Blaine for support. It seems like he can't stand on his own at the moment. Kurt knew he was drunk, he couldfeelthat he was drunk and thankfully, he hasn't done anything to embarrass himself in front of Blaine.

But that probably jinxed it because the next few minutes as they left the music bar, he started talking with no filter at all.

He leaned his head on Blaine's as the man was an inch shorter than him and smiled, his pupil dilated as they walked on the streets of New York and towards the subway. "You're a knight in shining armor, really."

Blaine smiled at the compliment, carefully guiding Kurt so that he can balance his weight in his arms. "Yeah? Not a lot of people tell me that." He needed Kurt to stay awake if they want to be home fast. Blaine didn't want to drag him down the street looking like he drugged the guy.

"Well, not a lot of people are as smart as I am." Kurt smugly replied, making his point. "I mean, I've read the things that you did forthat guy—"

Blaine's lips thinned at the mention ofthat guywhich in Kurt's vocabulary was Stefan Morrell. He still didn't like hearing Kurt talk bad about Stefan; he just couldn't understand why Kurt hated him so much. Before Kurt could continue slurring hateful accusations towards Stefan, Blaine was already stopping his train of thought.

"Well, I'm not some kind of a romance machine. I've ran out of ideas to be honest." Blaine admitted shyly. They finally made it to the subway and Blaine helped Kurt get on the train and sit properly as they waited for their stop. There's more dragging when they reach their stop, that's for sure.

Kurt hummed quietly and there were a few moments of quiet before Blaine saw him smiling to himself. "I have ideas, I have tonnes. For starters, that feat you did there at the theatre with the flowers. That can melt anyone's heart." Kurt said, clearly out of it.

Blaine looked down at him curiously. It seems like drunken Kurt would help him think of ideas for future "Stefan wooing" as the guy had clearly forgotten that this was all for Blaine to woo Stefan. "Really? Even yours?" Blaine teased, keeping the conversation alive.

Kurt huffed, "Are you kidding? My heart's still a puddle of mess right now. You do those sweet stuff and you can have anyone you want, I'm sure of it." Kurt told him honestly. Blaine smiled, if only Kurt could hear himself right now, he'd probably be embarrassed to death.

Blaine was about to tell him to go to sleep and that he'll wake him up when they reach Bushwick but Kurt continued to slur. "I have a list! You need that list! That list is amazing." Kurt smiled like a child as he informed Blaine of his most well-guarded secret that Blaine had no idea about.

"A list?" Blaine inquired, wanting to know more about the said list.

"Yeah. A romance checklist that I made my—myself." Kurt was starting to have hiccups and all Blaine could do was rub his back. "I'll lend it to you, it's all sweet and romantic." Kurt said with an exaggerated sigh. "I'm sure that if—if you do those, I will—I will..."

"You'll what?" Blaine egged him on, unsure where this was going but his curiosity got the better of him. "You'll what?" He repeated.

Too late, Kurt was already lightly snoring and the sentence got cut off. Blaine was sure that he'll forget it once he wakes up. Once they reached their stop, Blaine tried to nudge Kurt awake but his efforts were futile and if he didn't heave the man out of the train, they'll miss their stop. Thankful that he has the strength to carry Kurt's weight, they trudged out of the train and towards Kurt's apartment.

It was definitely a long walk and a long climb up the stairs to the apartment. "You're a really heavy sleeper when you're drunk, aren't you?" Blaine chuckled quietly, trying his best not to stumble on the steps. Kurt let out a satisfied hum and Blaine found it endearing.

Finally, they made it to the apartment and inside Kurt's bedroom. Blaine flopped Kurt down on the bed as gently as he could, "Slowly, ompfh!" but with Kurt being taller and a bit heavier than him, he got dragged down with him.

Blaine could practically hear Kurt already drifting off into a deep sleep, trapping him between the bed and his arms. If he didn't manage to get out of Kurt's grasp, the other man would freak out when he sees them tangled together in the morning.

"Come on, Kurt. Let go." Blaine told no one but himself, trying to get away. It's as if all his strength got drained out of him when he walked upstairs that he couldn't even lift Kurt's arm. It didn't help that he was tired as hell too. "Come on, Kurt." Blaine could hear himself say until he couldn't anymore.

Kurt woke up feeling like he got run over by a train over and over again. His head was pounding, he couldn't lift his arms and he couldn't feel his throat. It was hot too and he felt sticky with sweat. He frowned, eyes closed as he tried to move but tensed up when he felt a presence next to him on the bed.

His eyes shot open and he would've screamed right then and there but his voice wasn't working properly, so instead, he opted to take a startled deep breath as he saw Blaine sprawled out underneath his heavy arm. Blaine was still sleeping heavily and they were still both fully clothed which made Kurt sigh in relief, knowing that maybe Blaine was the one who helped him get home.

Kurt slowly retracted his arm, careful not to wake Blaine up. He didn't know what time it was but he wouldn't want to disturb someone who's having a beauty rest just because he liked to freak out. He stood up, away from the bed and fixed Blaine's sleeping position. He felt guilty enough that he was too drunk to remember anything from last night and he had to apologize to Blaine for giving him a hard time.

The first thing he did was to take a long shower, seeing as Rachel wasn't home (probably with Brody), he had the shower all to himself until Blaine wakes up. After a lengthy shower time, he went to order lunch because it's already that late though he still made tea for his hangover.

Kurt was in the middle of drinking his tea, waiting for the food to finish arrive when Blaine emerges out of the room, looking well rested and...a little apologetic.

"Hey." Kurt's voice cracked and Blaine looked up at him, with his bed hair and wonderful hazel eyes. Kurt had to look away for fear of burning his eyes. "Have some tea. Lunch is still on the way." He said, pouring some tea for Blaine.

Blaine sat down in front of him, running his hand on his loose curls. "Thank you." He said quietly, clearing his throat. "So, uhm, last night. Sorry for—"

"Nah, don't even apologize for anything." Kurt said, he gave the tea to Blaine. "I should be thanking you instead. I imagine it wasn't easy hauling me into the apartment last night." He blushed, still cursing himself for being extraordinarily pale.

Blaine silently thanked him for the tea, taking a sip. "It was no big deal. I had to get you out of there before you get alcohol poisoning." He smiled brightly at Kurt. "I'm still sorry I fell asleep on your bed."

Kurt just dismissed his apology, not really needing it. The doorbell rang and it was Blaine who got up to get their lunch, Kurt ordered Chinese food as he really didn't want to eat something heavy for fear of throwing up.

They ate their lunch in companionable silence although Kurt noticed that Blaine was constantly looking at him with a question evident in his eyes. After a full 10 minutes of not talking, Kurt snapped. "What? Is there something you wanted to say to me?" He asked curiously.

Blaine bit his lower lip, debating whether or not to ask Kurt about what he said the previous night about a list. Now that he thought about it, he really needed that list if he wants to get his Stefan to love him. He looked back at Kurt who was still waiting for an answer.

"No, uhm. Do you remember anything from last night?" Blaine started and the look of horror on Kurt's face made him add, "You didn't do anything embarrassing, just..."

"Oh my god." Kurt voiced out. He panicked inside his mind, trying to remember what he blurted out the night before but coming up with nothing. It was all a shady memory for him, only remembering that Blaine saved him from the shot glass of doom. "Whatever it was that I said, please, forget about it." He immediately told Blaine.

Blaine shook his head and his hands frantically, trying to explain. "No. It's nothing serious. It's just...you told me about something that may help me with a problem of mine." Blaine said. Kurt tried to listen as intently as he could without freaking out. "So, I know you don't like talking about Stefan—"

Kurt huffed in reply which Blaine ignored. Of course he didn't like to talk about Stefan, he hates that guy to the core. But still, Kurt listened to Blaine.

"—but I need your help with him." Blaine finished.

"How do you expect me to help you when it comes to him? He's not even—" Kurt paused, holding his tongue and catching himself before he said the word'real'.He knew it would probably offend Blaine big time.

Blaine was glad that Kurt didn't finish his sentence, so instead, he continued. "I told you last night that I was running out of wooing ideas. The one you read where I serenaded him was my last idea to woo him." He explained.

"Where are you going with this?"

Blaine rubbed his nape shyly. "Last night, you told me you'd help me. You told me that you had...a list that will help me woo Stefan andmelt anyone's heart." He did air quotes on that last part as he said Kurt's words.

Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was probably the most embarrassing moment in the history of his life! Only Rachel knew about his romance checklist! He couldn't believe he told Blaine when he was flat out drunk.Goddamn it.

"Kurt?" Blaine called out, trying to snap Kurt out of his inner monologue. "Kurt? Are you okay?"

"No." Kurt blurted out which surprised Blaine. "No. No, no, no, no, no." He continued as he stood up and walked away from Blaine. "You can't! Forget I said anything about any list and let's just...forget this ever happened. Okay?" Kurt said.

Blaine followed him around the room, determined not to let go of this opportunity to learn. "Come on, Kurt. It's just a list. Help me out here, please." He pleaded a little.

Kurt turned to face Blaine who was inches closer to him. He took an unconscious step back. "No, Blaine. That's—that's private and it's not for public eye and it's mine and you've only been here for a month or so and we're not that close ye—"

"Is it X-Rated?" Blaine teased him, cutting him off mid-sentence. He was amused with the way Kurt looked scandalized. "It is, isn't it? That's why you can't show it to me!" He accused him.

"Excuse me?! I'm not that kind of person. Is that what you think of me?" Kurt bit back and Blaine sheepishly grinned.

"Of course not. I think very highly of you, Mr. Hummel, which is why I'm asking if you could help me out." Blaine said, still not letting go of the topic. "You can show me your list and maybe I can do a practice run of the things there. I may have to use you as my judge and mentor at the same time which means you'll be at the receiving end of all the romance." Blaine winked at him.

Kurt blushed profusely. The nerve of this person! He was actually proposing that Kurt act as his 'Stefan'. "I don't even think Stefan would like the things listed in there. We're different people with different taste in everything." Kurt argued back.

Blaine shook his head. "Not really. As my friends say, Stefan loves attention and if I give him that by using the ideas on your list, maybe he'll love me back."

The dreamy eyes that Blaine was wearing almost made Kurt vomit the dumplings he just ate. It was sick and adorable and he wished nothing more than to be the person that Blaine was thinking about at the moment.Wait, what? Get a hold of yourself, Kurt.

Blaine directed his gaze at Kurt once more, sporting his infamous (as it was stated in the book) puppy dog eyes. "Come on, Kurt. Please?" Blaine asked.

Kurt tried to look away but when he felt a tug at the hem of his sleeve, he couldn't help but look back. Blaine was still being ridiculous and he couldn't believe he was actually going to agree to this crazy, fictional character. Maybe Rachel was right, maybe he needed to go out to meet new friends and get away from books from that day forth.

When he sighed a huge sigh of defeat, a small smile crept upon Blaine's face. Kurt glared at him for that. "Don't get cocky, Blaine Anderson, or I'll kick you out of this house." Kurt threatened him.

Blaine raised his hands in surrender, grinning like a fool. "I can't wait to get this started."

Kurt held his still throbbing head as he felt his brain wanting to explode. "Yipee." He said sarcastically.

Damn it, why does he keep getting himself into these kinds of trouble when they should be trying to figure out ways on how to get Blaine back in his own world?

His thought bubble popped when he felt Blaine hug him lightly. He tensed a little, surprised. "Thanks, Kurt, for all your help." Blaine sincerely said before he let go, smiling from ear to ear before excusing himself to go and take a shower.

Once Blaine was gone, he steadied himself on the couch, holding onto whatever he can. He took a deep, shuddering breath.Shit, fictional characters are going to be the death of me.