July 27, 2013, 8:55 a.m.
It's a Rich Man's World: Chapter 10
T - Words: 2,746 - Last Updated: Jul 27, 2013 Story: Complete - Chapters: 13/13 - Created: Mar 08, 2013 - Updated: Jul 27, 2013 88 0 0 0 0
The next morning Kurt and Blaine sat, still half asleep, with coffee cups in hand, on opposite ends of the couch, their legs tangled between them beneath a blanket. It was a lazy morning. Kurt didn't have to be at work until noon and the only thing that had pulled the boys from the bed was the siren call of the coffee machine that had been set to turn itself on. The television remained dark, the radio silent, and the sound of the city outside the window was the perfect soundtrack for them to just be. Together.
That was what Kurt was trying to do. Be. But while the room around him and Blaine was quiet, the thoughts inside his head were not. He'd done his best to push Jeff's comments the night before about Blaine and money out of his mind as he and Blaine walked back to his apartment, as they kissed slowly before falling into bed. By the time Blaine's fingers skimmed along the skin against his hip, everything but Blaine had disappeared completely from Kurt's thoughts. But now with the new morning and the promise he'd made to himself to discuss his concerns with Blaine still fresh in his mind, Kurt couldn't help but start to gather the courage to talk about them with his boyfriend.
Kurt was well aware that it had taken him much longer than it should have to want to broach the subject of money with Blaine. But that morning when Blaine rolled over in bed and nuzzled his face into the back of Kurt's neck, whispering declarations that, at one point in time, Kurt thought he'd never hear from Blaine, something clicked inside Kurt's head. Or maybe it was his heart. Or both. Kurt had been so afraid to bring up his concerns to Blaine before because he'd been too afraid that Blaine would turn and run at the first sign of conflict. Kurt had been afraid that Blaine wouldn't want to handle the hard part of being in a relationship when he'd spent so long not wanting a relationship at all.
But things were different now. They were in love. Kurt loved Blaine and Blaine loved Kurt and they both knew it and felt it so confidently. And now Kurt was certain—at least he thought he was—that it was going to take a lot more than Kurt's concerned words to destroy what they'd created. And maybe they would still fight about it—they'd have to fight about something eventually—but if they loved each other the way Kurt knew that they did, they would make it through.
But the day wasn't today and the time was certainly not now. Now was too perfect and Santana would be home soon and he had to go to work and it just wasn't the right time. Yes, he was continuing to procrastinate but he wanted, selfishly, this Saturday to be perfect. So instead he broke their calm silence with another idea that had been floating around his head for the last couple of weeks.
"So," Kurt said startling Blaine from where he'd been lost in his own thoughts. Kurt wondered if he was thinking about his dad, "Pitch CCPP to me."
"What," Blaine asked and Kurt wondered if he'd even heard him at all.
"Let's say I was coming to you for some investment tips. I know relatively nothing about what you actually do, but pretend I'm interested in asking you for help. Your top priority is CCPP so it'll be something you'd definitely suggest, right? So pitch it to me like I was a potential client."
Blaine eyed Kurt suspiciously but Kurt just gestured for him to answer.
"Uh, okay," Blaine said pushing himself so that he was sitting up straight. No one would take investment advice from someone slouching on a couch, "CCPP is on the verge of becoming the most successful companies to go public in the last five years. If you invest with them now this time next year you'll be able to sell for more than triple what you buy them at. At this moment, there is no smarter or better investment to make."
Kurt smiled, "Then I'd like to become one of your clients and invest in CCPP."
Blaine's eyes widened, "Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously," Kurt said poking his toe into Blaine's ankle beneath the blanket, "I've been able to save a little money lately. And if the potential is as great as you say it is, it definitely wouldn't hurt to make an investment. And if I happen to be dating my financial planner, then he can make sure I'm being smart about my money."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"It's not like the restaurant as a 401K option and I should probably try to get some money saved so that I don't have to retire on the day of my funeral," Kurt told Blaine, "And if I can't trust you with my money who else can? And I trust you."
Blaine leaned forward and put his coffee cup down on the table then reached over to grab the cup from Kurt who let it be taken wordlessly and smiled when the cup was replaced a moment later with Blaine's warm hand, "You're amazing, do you know that?"
"Other have told me that from time to time," Kurt said smirking.
Blaine untangled his legs from around Kurt's and moved until he was kneeling on the couch in front of Kurt's bent legs. He rested his hands against Kurt's knees for a moment, looking down at Kurt, at the man he was so incredibly in love with, before parting them and lowering himself down on to Kurt. Using one arm to prevent him from falling on top of Kurt, he used the other to reach up and cup Kurt's cheek in his hand, thumbing over the soft skin just beneath his eye. Blaine lowered the rest of him against Kurt slowly until the only thing left for him to do was press their lips together.
Kurt relished in the weight of his boyfriend pressed against him, kissing him soft, but sure, in a manner that reflected the mood of the morning, Peace, love, and completeness washed over Kurt as he melted into Blaine's kiss, into his touch, in such a way that made everything else around him, physically, mentally, or emotionally disappear. It didn't matter that Santana could walk in any moment, it didn't matter that he had to go to work. There was nothing but Blaine.
Well, at least for a few minutes. After that the loud, angry sound of the alarm on Kurt's phone startled them both into a reality neither of them wanted to participate in and Blaine pulled his lips away from Kurt's neck and rested their foreheads together.
"Is this the part where you turn into a pumpkin?"
Kurt laughed, 'It's not quite that dramatic, but I have to get ready for work, yes."
Blaine kissed Kurt once in response, "You should quit your job. You should stay home and make out with me."
Kurt couldn't help the smile that appeared big and bright on his face, "Sorry, mister. No can do. At least not yet."
Blaine eyed Kurt curiously.
Kurt took a deep breath before continuing, "I have an audition. For some up-and-comer's off-Broadway coming-of-age tale."
"Kurt," Blaine exclaimed kissing his boyfriend in celebration, "That's amazing."
"It's nothing big, but it's for the lead."
"When did you find out?"
"Yesterday afternoon."
"Yesterday—Kurt why didn't you say something last night? We could have been celebrating."
"Last night was about meeting your friend so they would know I was real," Kurt said, "It wasn't about me. And there isn't anything to celebrate yet."
"When is the audition," Blaine asked excitedly.
"Wednesday morning."
Blaine pouted, "I'm going to be at work."
"As you should be," Kurt said reaching up and running his fingers through the curls on top of Blaine's head, "As much as I would love for you to come it's a closed audition. Plus, I'm not sure I could handle it if I knew you were watching. You or Santana. So if she calls in sick, she's lying and you should fire her.
"Are you sure? Because, if not, I'm sure it won't look suspicious if we are both sick on the same day."
"Neither of you are calling in sick," Kurt said, "You will both go to the office and I will call you when I'm done."
"Fine," Blaine said, "You're going to be amazing. You are amazing. And then you're going to become a star."
"If I get it. If. It will still be my first led role. I'll be generally unknown."
"Until you belt out the first note and everyone will see you and hear you and fall madly in love with you. Then you'll be instantly famous."
"Stop it," Kurt said swatting at Blaine's shoulder, "You're going to jinx it."
"Fine," Blaine said, "But we should still celebrate."
"We can celebrate after. Now, while I hate to make you leave, you should get off me and let me get ready for work so I have a job when I don't get this role."
Blaine reluctantly moved himself off of Kurt and the couch but the second Kurt was on his feet again he pulled him into his arms and kissed his soundly.
"You're terrible," Kurt said kissing Blaine against because despite the fact that he should be getting ready for work, this was so much better, "Come over for dinner tonight?"
"I have an early dinner meeting, or maybe it's a late lunch, with Figgins who obviously doesn't believe there are two days in the weekend."
Kurt pouted.
"But," Blaine said pulling Kurt closer, "I'll come over afterwards with cake."
Kurt smiled, "I can accept that. Now you have to go so I can go wait on the slightly wealthy."
"Fine," Blaine said kissing him one more time before moving back towards the bedroom to get the things he'd left in there.
Kurt stood alone for a moment in his living room, smiling, while he let the feeling of happiness wash over him.
"Santana! Can you come in here please," Blaine called from his desk where he had been staring at his phone for the past hour. It was Wednesday and while both Blaine and Santana both begged and pleaded, Kurt still had insisted that they go to work instead of waiting for him to finish his audition.
He heard the click of Santana's heels against the floor a moment before she appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame.
"Have you heard anything," Blaine asked trying not to sound as nervous as he was.
Santana huffed and moved inside Blaine's office to take a seat in one of the two black leather chairs that sat in front of Blaine's desk.
"We both know that you're going to hear from him first," Santana said, "I've been spending the last thirty minutes restraining myself from running in here to see if he's called you."
"I would have told you," Blaine said, "Well, that means he hasn't called either of us. Should we be worried? Maybe he hasn't auditioned yet."
"His audition was at eleven," Santana stated.
They both looked down at their phones. It was almost one.
"Maybe they're running behind," Blaine suggested.
"Maybe we should call him."
"What if he hasn't had his audition yet? Getting anxiety ridden calls from us will not help him."
"What if he thinks we don't care because we haven't made anxiety ridden calls?"
Blaine shot Santana a look, "Really?"
"I don't know Blainers," Santana huffed, "All I know is that I'm just as nervous as he was when we left him this morning. I might barf up from all the worrying I'm doing."
"We both just need to distract ourselves and not bother him," Blaine said, "He'll call us when he can."
"Blaine, I've done everything on my to-do list for the entire week with superhuman speed and accuracy to try to keep myself occupied. I'm just going to call him and see if he answers."
"Santana Lopez, don't you dare," Blaine said leaning forward, his elbows on his desk.
"You're not my daddy, Anderson."
"Well, no, but I'm your boss and I'm telling you that if you make that phone call, you're fired," Blaine said trying to sound threatening. But he was silently willing her to go against his orders.
"Even if I actually found you intimidating, I wouldn't be rattled right now," Santana said taking a deep breath as the fight deflated from inside her, "Fine, I'll wait. But I don't like this."
"Neither do I," Blaine said leaning back in his desk chair.
Because as much as Blaine knew that Kurt would tell him and Santana when he was finished, he couldn't help but worry, as he was sure Santana was, that something had gone wrong and Kurt was avoiding them both. Blaine couldn't help but imagine Kurt crying alone in his apartment just because he wouldn't let himself or Santana call Kurt to see how things had gone when they were worrying so much. Kurt had told them that he didn't expect to get any real news today, but a number of things could have gone wrong during the audition or even before it. Blaine and Santana had left him at the apartment that morning with several hours to go before his audition. What if something had happened between then and when he was supposed to leave for his audition.
Blaine was very aware that his imagination was just running wild and none of what he was thinking was actually true. He just needed to be patient and wait for Kurt to call.
His phone lit up on his desk, buzzing quietly against the wood but pulling the anxious attention of both Blaine and Santana. But Blaine deflated when he noticed that it was Cooper's name that was displaying on the screen. His brother really had the worst timing.
"My brother," Blaine said shaking his head to let Santana know that it wasn't Kurt then rejected the call and put his phone back down on his desk.
Santana nodded, "I should probably thank you."
"For what?"
"For keeping up your end of the bargain. You know, when you were paying my bills. Before you were my boss. You've been good to Kurt. Really good. And while I wasn't so sure about you at first, you make him happy."
"I love him," Blaine said. Santana was the second person who wasn't Kurt, after Burt, who Blaine had told of his feelings towards Kurt.
"Good. Good. That's all I've ever wanted for him."
Blaine didn't get to respond because his phone was buzzing on the desk again. He rolled his eyes when he saw it was Cooper.
"Cooper—now isn't a good time."
"Blaine," Cooper said, "its dad."
Blaine's thoughts immediately searched for the last time he'd talked to his mother. He had barely spoken to his father since Cooper's wedding but when was the last time he'd spoken to his mother? It had been over the weekend after his dinner with Figgins on his way to Kurt's. When he'd spoken to his mom his dad had been doing okay. He was still fighting. They were working to make everything better. His mother had told him not to worry, that everything would be alright. But it wasn't. Before Cooper had even said the words, Blaine knew that things weren't alright. He knew that his father was gone. Cooper kept talking, explaining, like there was some kind of explanation that could be offered. But it was simple. His father had cancer; now his father was dead.
Santana watched Blaine with concerned eyes, but Blaine remained silent, focused in front of him, away from her. He finally looked in her direction when her phone buzzed in her hand. Blaine didn't react but Santana stood up and walked over to the door, standing just outside Blaine's office when she answered.
"Hey Kurt," Santana said into the phone, "I-I-can I call you ba—actually, how fast can you get to the office? I-uh-Kurt I don't know. But I think something happened with Blaine's dad."
Santana hung up with Kurt and went back into Blaine's office. He was no longer on the phone, but his face remained as void of emotion as it had before Kurt had called.
"My dad died," Blaine whispered.
Santana didn't say anything. She knew there was nothing to say. But went around the desk to stand next to Blaine, he never looked up at her. Santana leaned down and wrapped her arms around Blaine, in a small attempt to comfort him. Blaine didn't move, he didn't cry. He just sat there, breathing, in Santana's arms. He wasn't sure he could feel them, he wasn't sure he could feel anything. Santana was speaking but Blaine didn't understand any of it except for five important words.
"Kurt is on his way."