Title: You Know Your Place In The Sky
Author:
skintightsocksRating: PG-13
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine (background Rachel/Finn)
Word Count: 3,100+
Summary: "Where is all this coming from? Of course you're going to be a star, Rachel, we all are. We're one of a kind, there's no one else out there like-- Kurt?" Blaine breaks off, staring in horror as Kurt's face crumples and he starts to cry too.
Spoilers: Takes place during episode 3x01.
Warnings: none
Author Notes: Yay, first post-ep makeout fic of the season! \o/ Title is from the song "Stars" from Les Miserables. Much thanks to
preromantics for the quick beta and encouragement. ♥ Since we've gotten several messages and comments about it, we're going to try out using
this tumblr for fic updates, so that people without LJs can know when we've posted new fic. Feel free to follow it - we won't be posting any entire fics directly to tumblr, but we'll be linking to new fics as they're posted and posting small snippets of stuff from time to time.
Finn opens the door, staring at Blaine for a second before holding the door open for him to come inside. "They're upstairs."
"They?" Blaine asks, confused. He was supposed to come over after Kurt and Rachel's meet and greet so that Kurt could go over his schedule and fill him in on what his teachers would be like.
"Yeah," Finn says. "They won't talk about it, but Rachel keeps texting me to bring them ice cream and stuff."
Blaine had spent enough time with both of them that summer to know what that meant. "Maybe I should bring an offering," Blaine says, wandering into the kitchen and looking around helplessly.
"Kurt keeps his weirdo pita chip things behind the pancake mix," Burt calls from the living room. "But proceed with caution. Those two egg each other on like you wouldn't believe and they already banished Finn."
"They said I didn't understand the gravity of the situation, but I thought they were going to a singing meeting, not some kind of science thing," Finn says, wrinkling his nose.
"Let me see if I can talk to them," Blaine says gently, patting Finn's arm. He can hear The Music Man halfway up the stairs, and he pauses outside of Kurt's door, smiling at the sight of Rachel curled against Kurt's chest in one of Finn's shirts. It's practically a nightgown on her, and the contrast between Rachel's giant shirt and the black v-neck Kurt is wearing is laughable. It's too small, stretched tight over his chest and riding up a little above the waistband of his pajama pants, and it takes Blaine a second to realize that it's his, that Kurt and Rachel are curled up together and moping in their boyfriends' t-shirts. It's kind of adorable - and okay, if he's being honest, more than a little hot - to see Kurt in his clothes, but now he's dying to know what happened, so he knocks on the door frame and holds up the bag of pita chips when their eyes flick over to him.
"Hi," Kurt says, his voice small. "You brought me snacks."
"I did," Blaine says, walking over to the bed and handing the bag to Rachel, who's reaching out with grabby hands. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that the NYADA mixer didn't go so great?"
"It was horrible," Kurt says, his voice thick and upset, his hand coming up to tug at Blaine's wrist. Blaine kicks off his shoes, crawling onto the bed and settling down between them as Rachel scoots over to make room for him, grabbing the remote to pause the movie.
"Wanna talk about it?" Blaine asks, holding his arm out so Kurt can cuddle in against his side. He wishes he could do more to comfort Kurt. He's already getting that prickly, protective feeling he gets sometimes, whenever anything is upsetting Kurt, but he doubts suggesting that he goes and beats up everyone from the mixer would help. Kurt would probably just laugh at him.
"No," Kurt sniffs, fisting his hand in Blaine's polo and clinging.
"Well I do," Rachel says, crunching angrily on a pita chip. "We are never going to get out of this town. I've been living a lie all this time and no one bothered to tell me and I don't know how to be anything but a star, Blaine. What am I supposed to do now? Just become some doctor or lawyer or something?"
"Rachel, don't you dare say such horrible things," Kurt says fiercely, sitting up and reaching over Blaine to grab her hand. "We promised we weren't going to give up."
"What happened?" Blaine asks, reaching behind Kurt to hand Rachel a tissue as she starts to cry. "Where is all this coming from? Of course you're going to be a star, Rachel, we all are. We're one of a kind, there's no one else out there like-- Kurt?" Blaine breaks off, staring in horror as Kurt's face crumples and he starts to cry too. "Kurt, baby, come on, don't cry," he says, reaching for another tissue and then pulling Kurt closer. Rachel goes with him, still holding Kurt's hand over Blaine's stomach, and Blaine ends up with one of them on each side of his chest, crying into his shirt.
"There are so many me's," Rachel sobs. "She held that note for so long, Blaine."
"And one of the me's was named Gavroche," Kurt says thickly. "Gavroche, Blaine. If you're going to name a boy after a Les Mis character, the obvious choice is Valjean."
"Wait," Blaine says. "I'm confused. Why are there other you's?"
"Those stupid NYADA kids are like carbon copies of us," Rachel huffs. "And one of them was on par with my talent but had way more credits, which means I'm not special at all."
"We're still much more attractive than them, though," Kurt says, rubbing his nose against Blaine's shirt. His face is all red and Blaine reaches up to stroke his thumb over Kurt's cheek, brushing away streaks of tears as Kurt leans into Blaine's hand automatically.
"Well that was never a question," Blaine says brightly, latching onto it in hopes of cheering them up. "And as someone who has kissed you both, there's no way they could be better kissers than either of you."
"Stop talking," Kurt says tightly. "That is not helping."
"It's helping a little," Rachel says, cuddling closer.
"Watch it, Berry," Kurt mumbles.
Blaine rubs his hand over Kurt's back, reaching out to brush his socked toes over Kurt's ankle. "Other people, no matter how talented, don't matter, you know. They probably don't have even half the passion you have, or the charisma, or the charm."
"Oh stop, you're just saying that," Rachel says, and all three of them laugh. Blaine's glad to see Kurt smile, even briefly, and even with tears still sticking to his eyelashes. Seeing Kurt cry always makes Blaine feel so helpless.
"And hey," Blaine says once the thought occurs to him, "how many of the NYADA kids can say that they got to sing on stage at the Gershwin in New York City? I'd say that's worth more than all their credits combined."
Kurt looks up at Blaine with a teary smile and Rachel sniffles loudly and says, "Okay, I changed my mind, I wish I was both of your boyfriends." Kurt laughs, and Blaine's a little confused but he decides that right now it's probably best to just go with it, so he lets Rachel cuddle closer and tuck her face into his neck as Blaine kisses Kurt's forehead and rubs at the small of his back where his shirt is riding up.
"You should stay the night," Kurt says quietly. "Rachel's staying over so Dad can't say no."
"Does that mean I get to sleep in Finn's bed?" Blaine asks, laughing when Kurt kicks him in the shin.
"It's only fair, Kurt," Rachel says, sitting up and grinning down at them. "I mean, if I'm sleeping in your bed, it would stand to reason--"
"No," Kurt says, shooting up with a pillow in his hands and hitting Rachel on the head with it. "Don't be gross. Besides, we had a very hard day and my dad likes Blaine, there's no way he'll say no."
-
"No," Burt says, not bothering to look up from the newspaper.
"Why not?" Kurt asks, pouting a little, and Blaine has to stifle a laugh. Kurt's pulling out the big guns.
"Because I don't want to walk in on a Springer episode in the morning, that's why not," Burt says.
"Dad, it was one time and they were drunk and you are embarrassing me," Kurt hisses, and Blaine flushes when he realizes what they're talking about.
"Mr. Hummel, I promise, I had every intention of sleeping on the floor," Blaine says, trying to will his blush away. "My parents are fine with it and I still have clothes here because I never got around to bringing all the stuff that Kurt made me buy over the summer home."
"Helped you buy, honey," Kurt corrects, patting his shoulder. "Helped." Burt shoots Blaine a sympathetic look when Kurt's not looking, and Blaine shrugs.
"I promise we won't get up to anything untoward," Rachel says, stepping around them to smile brightly at Burt. "Kurt and I are just still very upset and Blaine's much better at comforting people than Finn is."
"Hey," Finn calls from the kitchen.
"Sorry, sweetie," Rachel says.
"Blaine sleeps on the floor, Rachel stays out of Finn's room, and doors stay open," Burt says, sighing. "I don't like the both of you pouting at me," he says, gesturing between Kurt and Rachel. "Just for that you're all going to help Finn with the dishes."
"But I didn't pout," Blaine says, before he can help himself.
"Yeah, don't push it," Kurt whispers, patting Blaine on the back and steering him toward the kitchen.
-
"What are you doing?" Kurt asks when Blaine starts to settle into Finn's sleeping bag beside the bed. After doing dishes, Kurt had loaned him some pajama pants and a shirt that wasn't covered in Rachel and Kurt's tears, and then they brushed their teeth side-by-side in front of Kurt's sink, grinning at each other until Rachel came in and told them to cut it out because she could hear them being cute from Kurt's room.
"... You said it was time to go to bed," Blaine says slowly, just in case Kurt forgot in all of his emotional upheaval. "I'm going to bed."
"You're not actually sleeping on the floor," Kurt says, rolling his eyes. "Now get in the middle. If dad asks, I'll say we were watching a movie and fell asleep. It's not like we'd actually have sex with Rachel in the bed, so it's totally an easy out."
"Thanks," Rachel yawns from the far side of Kurt's bed where she's already curled up under the covers. "That means a lot."
"Rachel, would you rather we did have sex while you were in the bed?" Blaine asks, and his eyebrows furrow when Rachel doesn't answer.
"Shh, just leave it alone," Kurt whispers, giving Blaine a little push toward the bed. "It's better for my sanity that way."
"Fair point," Blaine whispers back, grinning, and Kurt turns around to slide his robe off as Blaine crawls into bed. Kurt's still wearing Blaine's shirt and Blaine takes a minute to appreciate the way it stretches across his shoulders, riding up in back so that Blaine can see a strip of pale skin above the waistband of Kurt's pants. Blaine hasn't stopped staring when Kurt turns around and quirks an eyebrow at him.
"Uhh," Blaine tries, going for a bright smile to hide his guiltiness. "Hey you."
"Hey you," Kurt echoes back with a knowing grin, sitting down at the edge of the bed next to Blaine. It's a tight fit with all three of them, which Blaine realizes as Kurt snuggles down under the covers, but if they press close enough Blaine isn't even touching Rachel, and Kurt would let Blaine know if he was in danger of falling off the bed. Probably by elbowing him or something equally painful.
"You make a good pillow," Kurt says around a yawn, cuddling in against him and resting his head on Blaine's chest.
"I try my best," Blaine says, running his fingers along the strip of skin above Kurt's pajama pants that he can't seem to keep his hands from gravitating toward. Kurt hums happily and presses closer, throwing one of his legs over Blaine's. They lie there in silence for a while, Blaine petting at Kurt's back and Rachel's cold feet eventually pressing against Blaine's calves. Blaine's just starting to drift off when Kurt shifts, scooting higher up so he can whisper into Blaine's ear.
"Do you think we'll last?" he asks. "Even if we never make it big? I know how passionate you are about the drama of performance - what if we don't work when we're just ordinary people?" Kurt's voice is small and hesitant, and it makes Blaine's chest twist up protectively.
"You, Kurt Hummel, are no ordinary person," Blaine says, kissing his forehead.
"You know what I mean," Kurt says quietly. "We had plans. What if we don't work because they don't work?"
"Kurt," Blaine says, softly and surely, "I'm in love with you, not with what you may or may not become in the future. I don't care if we grow up to be fry cooks who only sing in the shower, I'm still going to love you."
"I could never be a fry cook," Kurt says with a shudder. "Imagine what all that grease would do to my skin."
"Well it's a good thing you're gonna be a star, then, isn't it?" Blaine says, kissing him softly. He wishes he had better words to convince Kurt that he's in this for the long haul, to convince Kurt how completely in love he is. Maybe Rachel could help him think up some more grand romantic gestures. Blaine was getting pretty good at those.
"Blaine Anderson," Kurt breathes out against his lips. "If Rachel wasn't in this bed with us right now I would kiss the hell out of you."
"Rachel's asleep," Blaine says immediately, pulling Kurt closer and coaxing him into another kiss, "and I can be quiet."
"You are horrible at being quiet," Kurt says, sucking pointedly right under Blaine's jaw in a way that is entirely not fair. He manages to bite back his gasp, but just barely.
"I can be quiet if you can play fair," Blaine says desperately. He can't, not really, but now his stomach has started to twist up hotly from kissing and he's already half-hard and the last thing Blaine wants to do is stop.
Kurt rolls over until he's lying on top of Blaine, a few strands of hair falling over his eyes that Blaine automatically reaches up to brush back. Kurt just stares at him, grinning. He's so gorgeous like this, like always, that Blaine uses his other hand to slide down to Kurt's waist, fingers gripping over skin where Kurt's (Blaine's) shirt has ridden up. Kurt's eyes slide shut for a second, opening and staring down at Blaine with a darker look than before. "Is this your idea of playing fair?" Kurt says in a low voice, ducking down to kiss at the dip of Blaine's throat, right above the collar of the t-shirt he's wearing.
"I honestly don't even remember what we were talking about," Blaine admits, but Kurt just beams at him, and Blaine slides his other hand down until he's holding Kurt's bare hips with both hands, fingers digging into soft skin. Kurt surges down and covers Blaine's mouth with his own, kissing him open-mouthed and hard and then pulling back to tuck his face into Blaine's neck and shudder when Blaine's fingers start to slide up Kurt's sides, pushing the shirt up higher.
"That tickles," Kurt breathes out against Blaine's neck, and Blaine's about to let go (because Kurt kicks when he's tickled, and that isn't sexy at all) when Kurt twists his hips down, rubbing himself against Blaine's hip, and Blaine can feel how hard Kurt is. Blaine swallows, tilting his head so Kurt can suck more easily at the side of Blaine's neck, and he hesitantly rocks his hips up under Kurt's, gripping tighter at Kurt's hips. He feels too warm, like his whole body is flushed and drawn up tight as Kurt presses back down with Blaine, teeth scraping over his neck. Blaine tries to choke back a moan at the sharp drag of Kurt's teeth and the sound comes out strangled and raw, just making Blaine flush hotter.
"Shhh," Kurt says, but he doesn't stop his hips from shifting down against Blaine, or stop his lips from dragging a wet trail up to Blaine's mouth until they're kissing again, Blaine tilting his head and sucking at Kurt's bottom lip. Kurt's hips jerk down hard and Blaine groans, trying to chase Kurt's mouth when Kurt pulls back.
"Okay, no, stop," Kurt gasps, pushing weakly at Blaine's chest. "We can't just-- dry hump with Rachel in the bed, you giant pervert."
"Rachel's asleep," Blaine whines, hands sliding up higher under Kurt's shirt, feeling the way Kurt's chest expands as he tries to catch his breath. It's so hot, Blaine doesn't care who sees, he just wants to be kissing. "She is totally, 100 percent asle--"
"Don't let me stop you," Rachel says sleepily, smacking her lips and turning over to face them. Blaine groans when Kurt sits up quickly and yanks his shirt back down, forcing Blaine to let go of his hips. "I woke up when Blaine made that weird noise a minute ago."
"I told you that you couldn't be quiet," Kurt hisses. "Okay, it's bedtime. For real this time, Blaine," Kurt says, and Blaine doesn't even bother to point out Kurt's the one who woke them up the first time.
"Fine," Blaine mumbles, mentally apologizing to his dick. "C'mere," he says, pulling Kurt back in against his chest, and Kurt goes easily, settling in against Blaine's side. He's flushed too, Blaine can see even in the dark, and he drops his hand down to the small of Kurt's back to rub slowly.
"Kurt," Rachel says after a few seconds, scooting closer to Blaine and patting at his stomach until she finds Kurt's hand. "I just want you to know that if I become a star and you don't, you will always have a job as my personal shopper."
"What about Blaine?" Kurt asks.
"Blaine can be my... pool boy," Rachel says, cuddling closer and rubbing her nose against Blaine's shirt. "You'd look cute in little gold shorts."
"Gee, thanks," Blaine says, willing Rachel not to get too much closer because he is still really hard.
"You would look cute in little shorts, though," Kurt says, nuzzling into his neck. Blaine can still feel Kurt, hard against his hip, but Kurt and Rachel seem pretty committed to group cuddle and sleep time, so Blaine tries to focus on the soft rise and fall of their breathing as they mumble sleepily about sequins and hot pants.
"I'm not wearing hot pants," Blaine says around a yawn, kissing the top of Kurt's head. "I don't care how famous you two get."
"But you're so pretty," Rachel mumbles. "Ideally suited for a life as a kept boy."
"She has a point," Kurt says sleepily, and Blaine snorts, rubbing his cheek over Kurt's hair.
"I'll be your kept boy no matter how famous you get, okay? Just no hot pants," Blaine says as Rachel starts to snore quietly, her hand half-clutching Kurt's and half-fisted into Blaine's shirt.
"It's a logical progression from your pegged jeans," Kurt whispers, tilting his head up to kiss Blaine's jaw. "But I'm sleepy, we'll talk about it in the morning." Blaine laughs softly into Kurt's hair, pulling him close and rubbing at Kurt's back until his breathing evens out.