Blaine stares at his phone, watching as the 7:59 stubbornly stands its ground. He told Kurt that he'd phone him at eight o'clock precisely, and he likes keeping his promises. But still. Who knew a minute could seem so long? When the minute finally, finally ticks over, he holds down the number two – because of course he has Kurt on speed dial – and waits for his boyfriend to pick up.
He's not normally this excited to call him. Well, of course, he is, but this time he has an actual reason. He's transferring to McKinley. McKinley! He's going to be able to see Kurt all day again, see what fabulous outfits the boy has deemed suitable for classes that day, watch as he laughs or rolls his eyes at this week's Glee problems. He can't wait, and he can't wait to tell him, make it official.
'Hi,' Kurt answers, his voice quieter than usual.
Blaine, not detecting the vocal change, greets him happily. 'Hey! How was the NYADA mixer?' He'd been picturing it all day, of course. Kurt blowing them all away with his amazing performance and being offered a scholarship there and then.
'It was… different to what I thought it'd be.' Kurt answers, his voice tinged with something Blaine can't quite decipher.
'Did you and Rachel perform your song?'
'…No, we didn't.'
'Oh. Was there not really an opportunity to sing or something?'
'Something like that, yeah.'
It's quiet for a minute, and then Blaine hears something that makes his blood freeze in his veins, the chilling creeping up and down his body. A noise so tiny that, if he hadn't been listening for it, he probably wouldn't have heard. But he did, he caught the sniffle at the end of the sentence. Heard it again a second later, still small, still trying to be discreet.
'Kurt, what aren't you telling me?' He asks gently, not wanting to press but kind of needing to know.
A longer silence, stretching out and making Blaine curse himself for the lack of subtlety he possesses.
'They were so good!' Kurt whispers finally, his poor voice cracking at the end. A bigger sniffle, and then he continues, sounding more tearful by the second. 'We g-get there and they ask us about credits a-and this girl tells us how she's been acting since she was a foetus – '
'Literally?' Blaine jokes, trying to lighten the mood a little.
'Yes!' Kurt wails, and damn, Blaine actually feels like a jerk now. 'She was on Murder, She Wrote! And you know how much I love Angela Lansbury!'
Blaine makes a noise of agreement; he's never understood that particular obsession of Kurt's, but hey, it is Kurt.
'So then they shoved us into some chairs and then basically slapped us in the face with their talent,' Kurt grumbles.
'But I'm sure there was no one like you there,' Blaine reasons sweetly.
'You're right. There was someone even gayer, and I didn't think that was possible,' comes Kurt's sarcastic retort.
'O-oh.' Blaine freezes a little. 'Was he… uhm… attractive?' He tries to keep the dread out of his voice. It's not that he thinks Kurt will get bored of him and move on to the next gay guy he sees, but Blaine is the only other gay guy Kurt knows, if you don't count Dave.
'Well,' Kurt sniffs. 'I certainlydress better. And his hat didn't do much for him.'
Blaine smiles a little, relieved. 'I miss you.' And he does; he always misses Kurt, even if they've only just said goodbye. Sometimes he misses Kurt when he's still with him, because he knows that one will have to leave soon for curfew and make the long journey home. But not anymore. Now Blaine's left Dalton and moved back home, he's only twenty minutes away from his boyfriend's house. Not that Kurt knows this. Yet.
It pains him to make the decision, but he's not going to tell him tonight. He doesn't want to make this about him, because clearly Kurt doesn't need a distraction from the disaster that was the mixer; he needs an ego boost.
'Kurt, you know you're going to be amazing when you get to NYADA, right?' Blaine states what he feels is the inevitable. 'And yes when, not if.'
'I don't have enough extra-curricular activities,' he protests sadly.
'Well then get some more! It's only the start of the year. Aren't the class president campaigns soon?'
Kurt sighs. 'Blaine, do you honestly think I could win – '
'Yes,' Blaine replies resolutely. 'Because you could actually make a difference at that school. And you'd have my vote.'
'But… you go to Dalton, so you wouldn't be able to vote.' Crap. Damn Kurt for never missing a beat.
'O-oh yeah. Well, figuratively you have my vote. Plus all of the Glee club would vote for you, and the set designers, and those guys in the band who helped out when the Warblers came to sang for you, they were cool.'
'I-I guess…' Kurt seems to be gaining back his confidence, and a rush of relief passes through Blaine; whatever he's doing is working, apparently.
'No, Kurt,' he challenges. 'You know. You know how brilliant you are, and so do I. And once you do get into NYADA, they'll forget all about the foetus-girl or the guy with the stupid hat. So we've just gotta work on your credits and the rest is history! Okay? Okay?' He presses the question when Kurt doesn't answer the first time.
'Okay!' His voice is exasperated but there's no denying the smile evident within it. The conversation lapses for a short while, then Kurt speaks again. 'How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?' He mumbles.
Blaine laughs softly. 'I know you better than you think.'
'Mmm.' His boyfriend doesn't even try to argue that point. 'I should probably go now.'
'Me too. But just remember something for me, okay?'
'What's that?'
'It doesn't take much talent to be a foetus on Murder, She Wrote. But it takes a hell of a lot to be Kurt Hummel.'
Kurt laughs, and if Blaine was there with him he'd see the way his eyes crinkle up and glisten with happiness, and right then he knows that he's done his job as Kurt's boyfriend.
So he won't tell him that he's transferring. Not tonight.
He still counts the phone call as a win.