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hamilton-one-shots · 6 years

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Hamilton High School AU 38

When they got in, he gave Alexander the map. "I'll let you choose."

Alexander nodded and carefully scanned the map, wondering where to go. Maybe it was best to just wander and look at all the enclosures- Wait. There was a list of events on the side. There was a baby animal feeding not too far. Perfect! He took John's hand and led him there. When they got there, he got two bags of food and went in with him, letting him see the cute, small animals roaming around.

John smiled widely and gladly took his bag. He knelt down, careful to pull the skirt out from under his knees, and poured some food into his hands, holding it out towards the baby animals.

Most of the animals came to him and ate from his hands, making him smile brightly. It was mainly smaller animals, capybaras, pangolins, and anteaters.

John was in his element, surrounded by small animals. Alexander gave him the remainder of his food so he could get the attention of even more animals, though he hardly needed any help in that area. Even as he ran out of food, they came up to him and nuzzled his hand.

It took almost all of John's willpower to eventually get up and walk away. But he couldn't spend all day petting the animals, unfortunately, and he'd already spent a whole hour there. He got up and went to Alexander, who pulled him into a kiss as soon as he got close enough. It caught him by surprise, but he wasn't complaining. He smiled against his lips and pulled away after a few seconds.

"You pick next, Jackie."

John smiled at the nickname and took the map from him, though he didn't look at it. He already knew where he wanted to go and was surprised that Alexander didn't see it. He opened the door to the indoor exhibit and pulled Alexander inside.

"John, where are you taking.." He trailed off as he saw where they were. It was like a jungle inside with trees everywhere and all around them were birds of all sorts of color and species, a huge mixture of flocks.

"What do you think?"

"This is.." He turned around and practically threw himself into John's arms, hugging him tightly and kissing him messily, whining as he did. He felt ridiculous for getting so emotional, but that was just what birds meant to him. If there were any animal to represent his feelings, it would definitely be birds. The experience brought him overwhelming happiness.

John smiled and hugged and kissed back. "This is why I wanted to come in the first place. I knew you'd like this."

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you," he repeated over and over, finally calming back down. John truly was a romantic. Now, he needed to get that art program in the school, he had to do something for him. After another minute, he was finally able to let John go and only because he spotted a macaw perched nearby, eyeing the pair curiously.

He slowly approached it and waved slowly, trying his best not to scare it. "H-Hello..."

"Heeerrroooo" the bird squawked in response before spreading its wings and flapping away. Clearly, the birds were used to human interaction. Still, Alexander couldn't help but turn to John and make an awful joke.

"I have a way with birds."

John just laughed and walked with him deeper into the enclosure, finding a curly haired young girl speaking in the center of the building, a bird perched on he gloved arm. It seemed like she was just starting when they got there. John smiled and wrapped his arms around Alexander, wrapping his arms around him from behind.

Alexander leaned into John as he listened to the girl speak.

"I'm Theodosia and this here is Peep. She is a spotted parakeet, one of the friendliest species of birds. She knows all kinds of phrases like-"

"Excuse me, but would you two cut that out!" a mother shouted out over at John and Alexander.

"... Stop what?" Alexander asked.

"You know what. There are children here!"

It took another second, but Alexander understood what she meant and held John's arms tighter when he did. "We're not doing anything.."

"Nobody wants your kind here, especially not his," she spat, pointing at John.

Alexander glared at her. "So, what your saying is we shouldn't do this?" He turned around and pulled John into a kiss, feeling him relax under his touch.

John was more distressed by the negative attention, far too accustomed to it, and associating it with negative consequences, but Alexander made him feel a lot better about it.

Alexander only pulled away when security pulled the lady away and out of the enclosure, smiling at John. "Don't listen to her.. We're okay."

John nodded and smiled softly.

The rest of the crowd dispersed, leaving just the two of them and Theodosia.

John walked up to her with Alexander and smiled. "Hey.. Sorry about making you lose your crowd.. You really seem to enjoy what you do. Would you mind telling us a bit more about Peep?"

"You don't need to apologize. And I can do you one better." She smiled at Alexander. "Want to hold her?"

"Wait, really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, of course. Hold out your arm. Her claws aren't sharp."

Alexander listened and Peep was quick to flutter over. "... Oh my god.." he whispered.

Theodosia giggled and turned to John. "You're John Laurens, right? The artist?"

"Yeah, he's amazing," Alexander responded for him.

"You're so talented! I'm so jealous of what you can do. I draw Peep sometimes, but it isn't nearly as good."

John smiled. "Thank you. I'm sure your art is great. Um... Does everyone know I do those paintings?.." After all, it was kind of illegal.

"Oh, no, my boyfriend's in your year. Mark Prevost?"

"Oh, right. Captain of the soccer team."

"That's him.." she responded a bit dryly, nothing like the energy she used when describing Peep.

John nodded and softly pet Peep, feeling her soft feathers under his fingers.

She nestled her side against John's fingers. "Pretty! Pretty!" she sang, her voice more lyrical than the macaw.

Theodosia smiled. "Peep, can you say John?"

"Pretty! Pretty bird!"

"Same thing," Alexander said as he winked at John, making him roll his eyes playfully.

"Pretty! Pretty John!" She hopped up and flew towards Theodosia's arm... then turned around and landed on John's head. "Pretty! Pretty!"

John yelped a bit in surprise and blushed in embarrassment. "As great as I think she is, can you get her out of my hair? Literally?"

Theodosia nodded and reached up, trying to get Peep out of John's hair. Though, instead of just hopping in her hand, she fluttered over into Theodosia's hair and landed there.

Alexander smiled. "I can't blame her. I'd want to nuzzle up in your hair, too," he told John as he pulled out his phone. "Hey, mind if I take a picture of Peep?"

"Not at all." She smiled.

He snapped the picture and sent it to Aaron subtly with a quick text. [luk up theodoshia in furst yr. marc prevost's gf. shes arty]

[Will do. Give me a minute.]

"You know, if you guys already haven't, you guys should head over to the aquarium. There's all sorts of fish and sharks and turtles."

Alexander smiled widely. "Thank you." He grabbed John's hand and pulled him there, immediately walking to the turtle tank with him.

John smiled and stood right at the glass, watching the turtles swim by. "Aren't they amazing?.." he asked quietly.

Alexander nodded. The turtles were large and majestic as they swam, but they weren't his focus. His focus was the boy watching them. To Alexander, he was the true artwork. The freckles that decorated his skin, the way the dress hugged his curves, the happiness written all over his face, he would give anything to keep him that way. To say Alexander was smitten was a gross understatement.

John stayed against the glass until he had the image etched into his memory, then pulled away and looked at Alexander. "This is amazing.." He held his hand out. "Are you ready to go? I'm starting to get kind of hungry."

Alexander nodded with a smile and took his hand, walking out with him and opening the car door for him when they got there. He got in the other side and smiled as John drove off.

Normally, Jay was the man to go to for looking someone up, but after the events of the day, Aaron messaged Thomas instead. [I need you to get Mark Prevost's girlfriend's number for our society. Her name is Theodosia. Spelling might be off. I heard about her from Alexander. Thank you.]

[On it xx] [ooh, shes a cutie! I'll see what I can do 😉 xx] Typical Jefferson. Malicious intent or not, he was a flirt. [Mark's being a dick. I can't get Theo's number out of him. I'm guessing my rep is still wrecked right now? xx] [Here's Mark's number tho - xxx xxx xxx - xx]

Aaron sighed. "What did he do now?.." [Thank you. I'll try talking to him myself.] He typed in Mark's number and started texting him. [Mark Prevost? This is Aaron Burr. I asked Thomas Jefferson to get your girlfriend, Theodosia's, number from you, but he said you were unwilling to give it up. I understand and I was hoping that you would give her number straight to me instead.] [Alexander Hamilton and I are trying to start a society run by the younger students in order to try to get an art program in our school and Hamilton told me about how Theodosia enjoyed to draw. I am hoping that she would be interested in joining.]

Mark's response came after a few minutes. [wat? no. fuck off.] [theos MY gal. hit on someone single, ass.]

Aaron raised his eyebrows in surprise at the text. [You seem to have misunderstood my text. All I want is to work with Theodosia and other students to get an art program formed in the school. Nothing more.]

[read my last texts again, dumbass]

Aaron tutted. This wasn't going to end well... Maybe this wasn't worth-

[Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Hello! Sorry if this is the wrong person...! There's lots of Aarons and Burrs on facebook...] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Ok um- so, Mark text me a strange message about you?] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: He's awful for starting arguments... I'm sorry </3 But you seem to know me, yes? (^̮^)]

Aaron smiled as Theodosia messaged him on Facebook. She was the polar opposite of Mark, far more pleasant and her texts were littered with sweet emoticons. [Aaron: No, this is the right person.] [Aaron: Thank you for taking the time to contact me.] [Aaron: My peer, Alexander Hamilton, and I are trying to start a society dedicated to getting an art program in the school. He has brought you to my attention because he says you are an artist. We would greatly appreciate it if you could help us.]

[Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Wait, really??] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: OH MY GOSH!] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Woaaah! 💗 Yes! I want to help! That's the best!] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: I'll ask some of the girls from my year to help ｡◕‿◕｡] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: This is really exciting! Ahaaa~!] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: When can we meet up? (˚▽˚)] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Thank you, sir! 💗]

[Aaron: No need to call me sir. Just Aaron is alright.] [Aaron: And, if you are available, I've seen you around at lunch. You, Alexander Hamilton, and me] [Aaron: If not, I'm available to speak most days after school besides Wednesday and I can ask Alexander when he's available.] [Aaron: And, by the way, he's the one who you should be thanking. This was his idea, meant to be a surprise for his boyfriend, John Laurens.]

[Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Awe! Cute! ❤️] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Dw! My lips are sealed from John! I just met those two today, actually ^_^ They're a cute pair!] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Monday lunch it is! I'll even mark it up in my diary 📒] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Just gotta get the all clear from Mark then we're set to go! 💕]

All clear from Mark? That was a bit odd.

[Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: Mark doesn't like the idea very much...] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: We could meet up in the library? Same time, just... Then i can claim to be studying instead of hanging out (^^)] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: That sounds bad. Just trust me on this, Kay? 🙃]

[Aaron: That sounds like a plan. The library allows people to eat their lunch in there, after all.] [Aaron: And I trust you. I just hope that Mark doesn't try anything too harmful. He seemed very upset just at me trying to get you into the club.]

[Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: He won't 💕 he'll be with first year tryouts anyway ⚽] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: I'm excited for this! 🖌️ It seems like a really nice cause! 💕] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: oops! I gotta go! Break's over! 😦 But I'm looking forward to meeting you!] [Theoʕ•ᴥ•ʔ: In the meantime, take a peep at Peep! 🐦] She attached a picture of the parakeet to the message then hit send.

Aaron smiled at the attachment. Theodosia seemed like a cheerful, sweet girl. Meeting her would be a pleasure. [Aaron: She's adorable. She looks like she's fun to work with.] [Aaron: I'll let you get back to it, then. I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow during lunch, as well.] [Aaron: Tell Peep I said hello.]

Theodosia followed up on that quickly. She sent him a quick video. "Okay, Peep. Aaron says hello!"

"Hello! Hello! Peep!"

She giggled and ended the video.

Aaron smiled, feeling his heart swell, and messaged Alexander. [Theodosia is on board for our plan. She'll talk to us Monday sat lunch assuming that Mark allows her to.] Wait.. Heart swell? This wasn't going to end well for him.

[ok gr8!] [is mark liek... her bodygard or sumthin?]

[I don't know. Isn't that just how some boyfriends are?] Not that Aaron would know.

Alexander didn't respond to the message, his attention on John as they walked into the pizza place and were seated. He was sure John would live on pizza if he had the choice. He found himself looking at the calorie counts of the food rather than the actual food itself, but tried his best to push away that habit, distracting himself with John. "I'm having fun today."

"I'm glad to hear that." He smiled and kissed his cheek, then glanced at his closed menu. "Can you try to eat something, please?.."

Alexander sighed and nodded. "I just.. What if I get fat?.." He seemed to think it was genuinely plausible that it would happen anytime soon.

John frowned a bit. It was ridiculous, though not in a laughable sense. "Baby.. Is that what this is about?.." He cupped his cheek gently. "You have a lot of people who love you too much to ever let you get to an unhealthy weight. But the problem right now is that you're underweight.."

Alexander sighed and leaned into his touch. He appreciated the support, but the problem was going to be getting it to sink in.. "I read somewhere that when you don't eat for a long time, you gain weight really easily because your body doesn't trust you to keep eating.."

John sighed. "I'm not going to make you eat a lot. I just want you to try, okay?.."

Alexander nodded hesitantly.

"You know.. I used to have trouble eating, too.. After my mom.. When we first moved here, I couldn't get myself to eat enough.. Laf noticed that I got really weak really fast and helped me get better.. It was how we first became friends.." He smiled a bit.

"Laf has a talent for making things better.." He smiled a bit and kissed John's hand, feeling better.

John let his hand fall and kissed his cheek, then smiled as the waiter came and took their order. He ordered some pepperoni pizza and a soda for the both of them.

When it got there, Alexander gulped and picked up his slice, taking a small bite. "... Lee said that I'd balloon up if I ate too much..."

John frowned. From what he knew, Lee was only in Alexander's life for a short period, but he seemed to have left a deep mark. "Well, Lee is an idiot and you shouldn't take some advice from idiots."

"Okay.." He took another small bite. ".. Me and Aaron are working on a project for the freshman... A student dance fundraiser... That's why I keep talking to him... We're going to ask Theodosia to help us..."

John smiled. "That sounds like fun. Maybe I can help with decorations or something."

"Oh.. Er..." This was awkward. "We were hoping to keep it to just underclassmen... Since it affects them more.." John wanted to be an art teacher. This could be great for him in the future.

"Okay.." John nodded, though a bit disappointed. He couldn't complain about Alexander doing his own thing. "Maybe Madison has some new work for me." [Hey, Madison. Do you have any projects or galleries to let me know about? Just thought I'd ask.] "And I do have some commission pieces I can work on."

Just his name gave Alexander chills. But he swallowed his jealousy just as John had and ate. He even managed to eat a slice and a half all on his own.

John smiled when he saw. "Wow, you're doing great! I'm proud of you." He kissed his cheek.

Alexander smiled at the praise and turned, kissing John softly. "Thanks.."

He returned the kiss with a smile. "No problem. Why don't we go watch a movie at my apartment?"

"That sounds nice.."

John called the waiter over for the check and paid for it, ignoring Alexander's protests, then got up to leave with him. As they walked out, their waiter came up to John and tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir, you forgot something."

He turned around. "What?"

"My number." He winked and handed John a piece of paper.

Alexander glared and opened his mouth to snap, but was stopped as he felt John pulling him towards the exit. Wasn't he going to say anything?..

John balled up the paper and threw it in the trash as they walked.

Alexander glanced behind them and felt himself let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding as he saw the waiter's rejected expression. He was being stupid... John wouldn't do anything to hurt him.

#hamilton #hamilton fanfic #alexander hamilton #john laurens #theodosia alston #aaron burr #thomas jefferson #lams #38 #chapter 38

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ranwing · 7 years

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Kadam Fic: Dramatic Theory (2/2)

Title: Dramatic Theory Series: A New Direction (was Season Four Remix) Pairing(s), Characters(s): Kadam, Kurt Hummel, Adam Crawford, Burt Hummel, Carole Hudson-Hummel, Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Noah Puckerman, Tina Cohen-Chang, Artie Abrams, Original Characters Rating: PG13 Genre(s): canon divergence. Parts: 2 /2

On AO3

Summary: As Kurt prepares to make his professional debut at the Garrison Shakespeare Festival, he finds that he has a lot more to learn than simple stagecraft.

Adam couldn’t help from gasping when he felt Kurt’s teeth grazing the pulse point at his throat, not quite hard enough to bruise because his considerate lover would not mar his skin with hickeys to cover up, but just enough to burn tantalizingly. He was nearly overcome with sensation, his broad hands squeezing Kurt’s ass so firmly that a determined law enforcement official could probably lift fingerprints. He bore down onto Kurt, pressing against his young lover as their morning erections ground together and they came to a more than satisfying mutual climax.

Kurt sighed happily, enjoying the feel of Adam’s weight pressing him down into their bed with a muscular thigh pressed between his own. “I’m getting spoiled,” he proclaimed. “Getting you all to myself like this.”

Adam grinned, keeping his strong arms wrapped about the younger man, enjoying the closeness. “I think we’ve found our opening night tradition. A few good orgasms for good luck.”

“I hope that you’re not planning to save them for special occasions like this,” Kurt said archly. “I’m not moving in with you if you’re planning on saving the good sex for special occasions.”

The Englishman laughed brightly, rubbing his jaw alongside Kurt’s as if scenting him like a cat. “Not at all,” he insisted. “Any excuse works in my book. I find myself hard pressed to keep my hands to myself most of the time.”

Kurt snuggled against him, wanting to enjoy the quiet before the insanity of their day was to begin. They’d had a chance to sleep in a bit since they didn’t need to be at the theater until later in the afternoon. Their final run through had gone well and had plans to meet a few others in the cast for lunch before heading to the theater. Having a chance to rest before tonight’s performance and having a little bit of time to themselves was very much appreciated.

Kurt was admittedly a bit nervous now that rehearsals were finally finished with, but he’d had a chance to show that he could handle the task at hand. He’d worked hard and showed his capabilities at every turn. Now he just had to keep out of his own way because he knew that he would do this.

“I can’t wait until tonight,” he admitted. He turned his head enough that he could look up at Adam.

Adam chuckled, his cheeks flushing a bit at Kurt’s praise. “You’d think that after all the times I’ve done this that I wouldn’t be nervous,” he admitted. “I always get a few jitters before opening night.”

“You’re going to be so amazing,” Kurt insisted. He knew full well that for all Adam’s experience, taking on a leading role was still an enormous responsibility and Adam was as anxious about their first proper performance as Kurt was. The older man had put in a tremendous amount of work to make the brash Benedict as interesting as Kurt was trying to make Don John.

“It’s going to be a wonderful show, Adam agreed. He released Kurt and gave a long stretch, groaning a bit at the pull of slightly sore muscles. “Hmm… what time are we supposed to meet everyone?”

“Ben said that they’d be heading over to the diner at around one, so we’ve got plenty of time to shower,” Kurt surmised.

“That’s if the hot water holds up,” Adam mused, making a small face. Both of them had found the water pressure at the motel less than adequate during their stay.

Kurt made a slight grumble, but forced himself to climb from the bed. If he didn’t get moving, he’d be tempted to lie there all day. “Mind if I go first? I’ll be quick,” he promised.

The older man waved away his concerns. “Take your time,” he urged, not inclined to start moving just yet. “The tepid water isn’t going anywhere.”

Kurt smiled and leaned down to kiss his boyfriend deeply before padding into the adjoining bathroom. Adam sighed happily and nestled down in their bed, slipping into a light doze while Kurt washed away the evidence of their morning activities from his body. He brushed his teeth and shaved carefully, making sure to avoid any nicks or scrapes that might be irritated by the heavy stage makeup.

After finishing his morning toilette, Kurt felt prepared to face the challenges of the day. He stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped about his waist and found Adam still curled in the bedding and showing no evidence that he planned to move anytime soon. The idea of shrugging off the towel and rejoining him was tempting, but they had friends to meet.

“Adam, come on,” he urged, sitting down next to his lazy lump of a boyfriend. “There’s a pot of coffee downstairs with your name on it.”

“Don’t wanna,” Adam whined plaintively. He opened one eye and turned it to Kurt playfully. “You could always lose the towel and join me.” He reached out an arm to try to grab at Kurt.

“Oh no… we’re not doing that,” Kurt proclaimed, swatting away Adam’s hand and giving him a firm nudge. “I’m starving and I am not going to pass out from hunger on the stage tonight.”

The older man couldn’t help from smiling, his eyes twinkling with mischief at Kurt’s reprimand. His young lover had been decidedly composed these past weeks, showing himself to be a true professional. If he wanted to exert what little control he really had over the hours leading up to his debut, it would be childish of Adam to keep teasing him.

“You’re right, love. I’ll go shower so we can get moving,” he acquiesced.

Kurt watched in amusement as his boyfriend climbed from the bed with an overly dramatic groan and gave a stretch that put his long, naked body on display. “Hurry up,” he ordered, fighting back a giggle at the sight of Adam’s pale ass giving an impertinent wiggle before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

They arrived at the diner just as the rest of the group was being seated. Ben was sitting next to Sarah, the lovely young actress playing Beatrice in the show. Alongside them sat Craig, Tracy and David. Kurt was pleased that they had invited Dominic along. The older actor was playing Leonato in the show and Kurt had grown quite fond of the man. Even though he was more than twice the age of most in the cast, he’d been acting since he was a teenager and had a lot of great stories to tell. There was a lot to learn from him and Kurt was intent on picking up as many tips as he could manage.

They managed to squeeze in a few extra chairs around a single table, making things a bit crowded but they had gotten quite close over the past season so no one was complaining about the tight quarters. They enjoyed their chance for a long, leisurely lunch, fueling up for what was promising to be a long and challenging day.

As he ate his lunch, Kurt felt strangely gratified at being included in such a talented group. He loved his friends in New Directions, and knew that they respected his talent. It just… it wasn’t like this. Kurt knew full well that with Rachel, she had no trouble accepting his talent except when he proved better at something than her. And despite how close he was with his high school friends, most in the group never got past seeing him as the “gay kid”.

But with his cast mates, they saw him as a talented actor first and their friendships stemmed from that point of respect. It didn’t mean that he didn’t love all his old friends, but he could see the difference. It was easy to let himself slip into the easy camaraderie that came out of weeks of hard work and practically living in one another’s back pockets.

When they arrived at the theater, Kurt couldn’t resist from pausing outside, looking up at the marque and letting a small smile to touch his features. It was still a thrill to consider that this was his show. He felt his heart start to swell a bit with the realization that his big moment was only hours away.

“Hey, they’ve got the poster up,” Sarah exclaimed, motioning everyone over. They crowded around her to get a look and even though they’d all seen the mock ups, seeing the official poster at the box office for the first time was always thrilling.

At the center of the image were Adam and Sarah, posed as if caught in the midst of an argument. Next to them stood Tracy and David, holding one another and looking blissfully in love. On the other side of the bickering pair was Ben, looking every inch a prince and Kurt, his back turned to the others, but glancing sullenly over his shoulder at the rest of the group.

Kurt felt a lump beginning to form in his throat, the realization of what was happening hitting him particularly hard. He felt rather than saw Adam coming up behind him, a warm reassuring presence that gave him the grounding that he very much needed, otherwise he might fly apart from nerves. The older man placed his arms about Kurt and pulled him close, resting his chin on Kurt’s shoulder.

“How does it feel, love?” he asked softly.

Kurt turned his head to give Adam a loving smile. “It feels perfect.”

“Hey guys, we’d better get moving,” Patrick urged, checking his watch. “Mr. Tillman should be starting in a few minutes.”

Kurt nodded and tore himself away from the poster, shifting his attention to the business at hand. They trooped down into the theater where the rest of the cast had gathered in the orchestra section, alongside the stage, lighting and costuming crews. The curtain was raised, revealing the dressed stage where the set for Act One was already in being put in place. Kurt couldn’t help from making some mental notes about how things would look from the audience and was pleased that his entrance would be suitably dramatic. He took his seat and let Adam hold his hand while they waited for Mr. Tillman to begin.

The meeting was fairly straightforward, with Mr. Tillman issuing a few reminders and instructions to the cast and crew. He tried to keep the mood light in order to avoid making everyone overly anxious by throwing too many critiques at them, but made a few points about some things he noted in their dress rehearsals that he wanted them to keep in mind.

“Yesterday’s final dress was pretty much everything I wanted to see from you all,” he finally complimented. “If you manage to do exactly what you did yesterday tonight, I’ll have absolutely nothing to complain about. Keep in mind that we’ve got a large cast and watch your timing so that everyone can be on their parks.

“So everyone go get ready and I’ll speak with you again before curtain.”

Kurt smiled happily, feeling surprisingly at ease given that the biggest performance of his life was just hours away. Having Adam and his friends at his side alleviated the worst of his nervousness and he knew that he would be able to focus on giving the best performance he could. He’d worked hard these past weeks and knew that nothing was being demanded of him that wasn’t well within his ability to accomplish. Performing in Macbeth gave him a taste of what being in this production would mean. Now he would really get to show what he had in him.

Knowing that his friends and family would be there to cheer him on… that was just the icing on his cake.

“Well, we’d better start dressing,” Adam pronounced, giving Kurt’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll see you in a little bit. Go make yourself pretty for everyone.”

It was hard not to drag the Englishman back for a sound kiss, but Kurt knew that it would not be appropriate. It wasn’t as if everyone didn’t already know that he and Adam were a couple. Everyone knew who was involved with who in the cast, but it was unprofessional to have public displays in their workplace. Kurt had worked too hard to damage his professional reputation right at the start of his career.

Finding his dressing table in the large communal dressing room in the backstage area, he at first wondered if someone had accidently taken his spot. But the black uniform hanging on the rack behind his chair and the pictures of his loved ones taped to the mirror confirmed that he hadn’t been mistaken.

What had confused him was finding his table absolutely overflowing with flowers.

“What the…?” he murmured as he stepped up to his table, looking in befuddlement at what appeared to be a florist shop’s worth of blooms decorating his area. Several arrangements filled his table while a large vase of flowers was place beside his chair because there was no place to put them. From the chatter around him, it was clear that he wasn’t the only one being sent opening night gifts, but he probably had the largest display.

He checked the card on the first arrangement, a lovely selection of summer blooms and felt his eyes begin to water as he read the note.

Kurt, we couldn’t be prouder of you. This is your special moment in time. Don’t forget to enjoy it. Dad and Carole. OXOXOX

He bit his lip, trying to fight back tears as he checked the second arrangement, a large wicker basket filled with brightly colored carnations, mums and asters. His hand was nearly shaking when he found the card.

Today is the day you’ve been waiting for and we are so happy for you. Break a leg! R, S, F, P, T, A.

Kurt couldn’t hold back the short bark of laughter, amused at how his friends had managed to make sure that everyone got included on the card and that Rachel had even managed to squeeze in a gold star for him, a bright spot of glitter sticking up out of the flowers. Next to the flowers, he found flowers and a box of chocolates from Mercedes, Sam and Brittany. They apologized for not being able to be there but wished him luck for his big debut. Smiling, Kurt taped the card to his mirror alongside a photo of his friends, touched that they had made such an effort.

He popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth and mused about who would have sent the last arrangement. Honestly, he wasn’t sure who would be interested enough to send their regards. And so lavishly, he thought, judging by the elegant arrangement of lilies and roses. Finding the card amid the beautiful blooms, he nearly dropped it in surprise.

Sorry that we can’t be there for your big debut, but we’ll be there in spirit. We know that you’ll be amazing. Peter, Ellie and Melissa.

He stood there dumbly amid the riot of flowers, feeling a bit dumbfounded and trying to make sense of his universe when Gen came into the room, her arms laden with costumes that she was distributing.

“Wow, someone’s really popular,” she noted with amusement, having grown close enough that she could get away with teasing him. “Did someone mug a florist?”

Kurt nodded, placing the card from the Crawfords down on his table. “It’s a little overwhelming,” he admitted, smiling ruefully. He picked up the box of candy and held it out. “Want some? You must be running yourself ragged right now.”

“Can you feed me?” Gen asked, her dark eyes glinting with amusement. “My hands are kind of full.”

Kurt couldn’t help from grinning, selecting an appetizing truffle and popping it into her mouth. She chewed, making appreciate sounds. “Thanks,” she said appreciatively. “That hit the spot.”

“Well, feel free to help yourself,” he offered. “You and the rest of the crew work just as hard and don’t get the recognition you deserve.”

“That is so sweet of you… but don’t worry. We get our own rewards,” she assured him. “In the meantime, you’d better start getting ready. You don’t want to be late tonight.”

Gen trotted off to make sure that the costumes got to where they needed to be, leaving Kurt to stare at his table and try to figure out away to get his area into order. Where was he going to put all of them? How was he supposed to get ready with all this stuff?

Taking a cue from the other players who were rearranging their tables in order to deal with their own congratulatory gifts, the arrangements from his friends ended up temporarily on the floor next to the Crawford flowers. That would give him sufficient room to set out his makeup kit and hair products and let him keep the flowers from his parents close enough to enjoy was he was getting ready.

As he was setting out his makeup, he spotted another offering of flowers that had been hidden by the bigger displays. It was nothing but a paper coffee cup filled halfway with water, a few daisies that appeared to have been plucked from the beds outside the theater stuck in. There was no note, but Kurt knew of only one person who would want to give him flowers and wouldn’t have the opportunity to send something more formal.

Reaching out, his finger gently traced one of the soft petals, an amused smile on his face. Picking up the cup, he moved the bedraggled little collection of daisies to a spot where he could see them and he wouldn’t accidently knock them over while getting ready. He then pulled a clip out of his makeup kit to get his hair out of the way so he could focus on getting his face painted properly.

Once he touched his skin with the first streak of foundation, his mind shifted towards the task of becoming Don John.

* * *

The train ride to Garrison was a joyous one for the group as the celebration of their friend’s big night began early. Rachel had returned from her dance class with just enough time to shower and dress before they had to leave for Grand Central in order to catch the train. Santana had packed some snacks and drinks for the ride and they probably made a lot more noise on the train that was respectable, but they had a perfectly good reason so no one felt too guilty.

“Wow, what a crowd,” Artie noted in amusement as they tried to make their way to the theater. Finn was leading, clearly the path so that Puck could maneuver him through the throng of theater goers. “This is insane.”

“Adam was telling me that this is one of the biggest events around here,” Finn explained as he nimbly dodged a slow walking pair of elders heading for the box office. “It’s a really popular production.”

“Oh my God! Look at this!” Rachel exclaimed, pointing at the poster by the theater box office. “Look at Kurt!”

Finn hurried over to her and peered over her shoulder. “Wow… he looks great.”

“Let me see… Finn, move your butt,” Artie demanded, letting Puck push his chair forward. The younger man looked a bit in awe at seeing his old friend featured so prominently.

“He really did it,” Tina marveled, a soft smile on her face. “Our Kurt is a star.”

Puck nodded enthusiastically, not even attempting to hide how proud he was of his boy. “I knew that he would be. Even back in school, I knew that he had the spunk to really make it. He always stood up to everyone who ever pushed him around.”

“Hey kids.”

The group turned to see Burt and Carole walking towards them, Burt offering his wife his arm as they navigated through the large crowd. Finn moved forward to hug his mother, nearly lifting her off her feet.

“How was the ride up?” she asked, reaching up to smooth her son’s unruly hair.

“Pretty good. We started the celebration a little bit early,” he admitted. “It’s a good thing that the train wasn’t too crowded, or they might have thrown us off.”

Burt looked at the group fondly. Despite the differences and disputes that had popped up over the years between them, these kids had become Kurt’s second family in their own way. The fact that all of them were making such an effort to support their friend and celebrate his accomplishment gratified him to no end.

“I think that we’re going to be doing a lot of celebrating tonight,” he mused aloud. He paused to look at the theater poster, his expression softening at seeing his son featured there. His wife stepped over to look for herself, smiling widely at the image of Kurt in character.

“Well, look at that,” she said brightly. “We knew this was coming, but to see him like that… wow.”

Burt couldn’t find the words immediately, feeling his eyes water a little bit. This was what he’d always wanted for Kurt and to see him starting to achieve his dreams made his heart swell in all the right ways. He felt Carole’s hand in his, offering her love and support and if there was any blemish on that moment, it would be that Kurt’s mother hadn’t lived to see her son fulfilling his dreams. But he knew that she would be there in her own way, enjoying her son’s accomplishment.

He wiped at his eyes and turned to face the knowing smiles of Kurt’s friends, seeing that he wasn’t fooling anyone with his gruff façade. To salvage his dignity, since no adult appreciated being seen vulnerable by a bunch of smart ass kids, he checked his watch.

“Looks like they should be opening the doors any minute now,” he advised, hoping to shift their attention. “You all have your tickets?”

At their happy affirmations, he allowed himself to relax and let Carole lead him into the theater.

* * *

Rachel cast an admiring look about the theater as the usher checked her ticket and pointed her towards the front of the orchestra section to find her seat. Kurt had told her about the thrill he’d gotten when he saw the theater set up for their first live performances and she could very well understand that excitement. The theater might not have had the grandeur of some of the finer Broadway stages, but it had its own rough hewn charms.

It was much larger than she had expected when she saw it for the first time, with hundreds of seats and tonight it looked like a sold out show. Amber lights cast a cheery glow on the house, highlighting the almost rustic setting with a warm radiance. The stage was concealed behind a heavy burgundy curtain edged with gold.

An usher lead her and Finn to their seats and she was pleased that Kurt had managed to arrange the best seats in the house for his supporters. They were in the front of the orchestra section, with Artie on the aisle in a space for handicapped attendees. Tina made sure to sit next to him, the pair of them chattering excitedly in hushed tones as they perused the Playbill. Finn was talking to his parents and Santana was snarking with Puck, leaving her to her thoughts for the moment.

She loved to see live performances, and always felt a sense of anticipation as she waited for the show to begin. Once the curtain rose, she could find herself immersed in sights and sounds that never could be experienced watching a film or on television. It was an intimate connection between actors and audience that she always relished. The fact that someone that she loved would be standing on that stage just made the anticipation even more intense.

She looked down at the program in her hands and opened it to the cast listing. It was so thrilling to see her friend listed with the featured cast, and the bio for him might have been brief, but it clearly expressed all of his aspirations and dreams. She couldn’t help from smiling, her finger tracing the outline of Kurt’s face and feeling so happy for him.

There was a time when she admittedly would have been very put out over the idea of the group gathering for the first debut for one in their group and it not being for her. She had been so confident that she would have been the first to be gracing a professional stage. No, arrogant, she mentally corrected. The idea that anyone other than her would have been the first to find their way professionally had been too absurd to consider.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t respected Kurt’s talent. From their very first meeting, she had always seen him as the closest thing to an equal that she had. Even though their rivalry had softened and their friendship grew, there was still the small element of competiveness that she felt and couldn’t totally extinguish.

To see him racing ahead of her despite starting from behind had taken her by surprise, and in a way hurt. He was excelling at NYADA in a way that she wasn’t, mostly due to her own stubbornness. She had been so sure that Funny Girl would have set things back to their normal place, with her as the undisputed star regardless of what those around her managed to accomplish.

The past year had been an awakening for her in a lot of ways. Rude and hurtful maybe, but one that she recognized was badly needed. She had been arrogant and selfish and maybe Funny Girl was the universe’s way to trying to teach her the lesson that she had refused to acknowledge. Kurt would scoff at such musings, having no patience for concepts like fate and destiny. He would just council sagely that she had overreached but with her determination, he had no doubt that she would accomplish her goals.

So in the deepest, darkest part of her heart, she could admit to being jealous that Kurt would be standing on that stage and not her. She was human after all. But she would never, not even for a single instant, let Kurt think that she wasn’t supporting him one hundred percent. He deserved to have her be as supportive of him as he had always been for her.

Finn seemed to sense that she was thinking a little too much and glanced over, concern etched onto his handsome face. “You okay?” he asked a little warily, not totally sure about what her reaction might be.

She reassured him with a bright smile was completely devoid of artifice and actually felt as sincere as it looked. “Just thinking about how far we’ve all come. I like think that we’re going to be doing this a lot in the future.”

And she was sure about that. Not just for Kurt and herself, but Artie and Tina and Santana… even for Finn and Puck. She wanted them to be the kind of close knit group that she saw the Apples could be. Kurt had been right about needing friends to help celebrate the accomplishments of one another and to help through the harder times, and she was ashamed that it had taken her so long re realize that.

He smiled and took her hand, as if sensing that she needed a bit of reassurance. He and Kurt were the ones that understood her best, and forgave her failings. She knew that he was telling her that everything would be okay. And it would be. She was sure of that.

The theater lights dimmed and brightened briefly and a chine rang out, advising the audience to take their seats. As the audience began to settle, Rachel began to feel the quiver of excitement that the play was just moments away from beginning. When the house lights began to dim, she was all but shivering in her seat.

“This is it,” she whispered excitedly, clutching Finn’s hand.

The curtain rose to the strains of lively music, the stage decorated to resemble a courtyard in a lavish estate. Several women dressed in Regency era dresses were hanging up garlands of flowers and ivy, chattering excitedly as they prepared for the arrival of their guests. A broad chested older man playing Leonato was attempting to direct things, but the women were too busy laughing and weren’t paying his instructions very much mind. His bearded face was bright with good spirits as one of the young women came up to his side and placed a circle of flowers awkwardly on his head.

It was easy to pick out the main players. The actress playing Beatrice was tall and elegent, with a cool and intelligent bearing while Hero was petite with bright auburn hair and a winsome smile. They hovered about Leonato, the younger girl obviously thrilled at the impending arrival of the men returning from war, while Beatrice retained her air of cultivated nonchalance.

The back doors of the theater opened, and Rachel turned in her seat, surprised to see the men marching down the aisle of the theater in a full military procession with drums and banners proceeding them. In the lead was an aristocratic-looking man with blond hair, followed by Adam and several others. They were all dressed in red jackets ornately decorated with gold braiding and white riding breaches. With their tall black boots and swords on their hips, they looked like the returning victors they were supposed to be. Trailing just behind them was Kurt, dressed all in black and silver and looking as sharp as the blade he carried at his side. Whereas the other men were laughing and teasing one another, Kurt appeared aloof and somewhat detached from their antics. They were followed by a number of other men portraying soldiers; mostly dressed in red and white but there were a small number of men dressed in Don John’s somber colors and carrying his flag.

When the men arrived on the stage, they were greeted warmly with Don Pedro being paid proper respect for his triumph in battle. Benedick and Claudio were welcomed warmly and embraced as if family, while Kurt as Don John hovered in the background, nearly forgotten by the goings on around him.

It was amusing to see the bickering between Benedick and Beatrice, both performers giving their words just enough sharpness to wound but not draw too much blood. The audience was laughing at all the right places and Rachel found herself chuckling, thinking that Santana would make a wonderful Beatrice if she ever decided to pursue an acting career. She had the same sharp wit and willingness to battle over the smallest matter, though Santana had a lot more venom at her disposal.

As for Adam, he played Benedick with a lot of charm, but Rachel felt a bit put off by the tone of his jabs at Beatrice. They felt just a little too cutting and mean-spirited to be seen a flirtatious for her taste. Knowing how talented Adam was, she knew that this had to be a deliberate acting choice on his part and she wondered at how it was going to work as the story played out. For now, she was firmly on Team Beatrice.

Leonato finally made his greetings to the Prince’s bastard-born brother, almost as an afterthought, but Rachel could see that the warmth he showed Don Pedro and the others was absent. The open welcome that he had shown the other men was replaced by cool reserve.

“Let me bid you welcome, my lord: being reconciled to the prince your brother, I owe you all duty,” he greeted, but while his tone was polite, it was clear that he held back and did not offer his hand in welcome as he had with Don Pedro and Benedick.

Rachel watched Kurt intently, seeing how he kept Don John’s expression shuttered. It was something Rachel was familiar in seeing on her friend when he was masking wounded feelings to avoid being hurt further. And she very well recognized the cool reserve in his voice that she’s heard so often from Kurt as he let Don Jon be socially polite, but showing no more warmth than he was being shown.

“I thank you,” Don John responded with proper courtesy, refusing to let the older man’s lack of regard make him look badly in comparison. It was obvious that Leonato was hosting him only out of a sense of obligation. “I am not of many words, but I thank you.”

The coolness in Kurt’s voice reminded her a bit too much of how he spoke when they first met in New Directions, when she was steamrolling over everyone around her and Kurt had adopted a brittle, icy tone that always frustrated her; the one that always implied that he was better than those around him and there was nothing they could do to hurt him. It had taken her a long time to learn that he would hide his injured feelings with the impression that he just didn’t care one way or another. She wasn’t surprised that he was using his own experiences to lend authenticity to Don John’s sense of grievance.

As the scene played out, it was obvious that Don John was barely a consideration to anyone around him. Even his own brother, who focused his attention on Benedick and Claudio and the entertainment that was Benedick’s rivalry with Beatrice. Rather than trying to draw his estranged brother into the close knit group, Don John was left in the company of what few loyal men he had from his own military unit.

But Rachel could see the way Don John was carefully watching everyone around him, looking for weaknesses that could be exploited. In every scene, no matter what was happening in the main action, Don John hovered in the background, taking it all in to use when it would serve his advantage.

As the main group exited the stage for dinner, Don John was left behind, all but completely unnoticed in his absence. One of his comrades approached, trying to console him.

“What the good year, my lord?” Conrade asked sympathetically. “Why are you thus out of measure sad?”

Don John didn’t answer immediately, pursing his lower lip as he considered the cause of his discontent. “There is no measure in the occasion that breeds, therefore the sadness is without limit.”

His comrade placed a consoling had on Don John’s shoulder. “You should hear reason,” he urged, but Don John shook his head vehemently.

“And I have heard it,” he snapped. “What blessing brings it?”

Don John rose to his feet and marched across the stage, finally able to give into his anger now that Don Pedro was not around to see his true feelings. His man hurried to his side, grasping his arm and trying to get him to see reason.

“If not a present remedy, at least a patient sufferance,” Conrade urged, hoping to keep his lord from letting his temper cost him his opportunities for advancement in his brother’s company.

Don John turned to face him, the anger and hurt at how he was treated clearly evident on his face. “ I wonder that thou, being as thou sayest thou art, born under Saturn, goest about to apply a moral medicine to a mortifying mischief,” he demanded. “I cannot hide what I am: I must be sad when I have cause and smile at no man's jests, eat when I have stomach and wait for no man's leisure, sleep when I am drowsy and tend on no man's business, laugh when I am merry and claw no man in his humour.”

Rachel was glad that she had studied this play in school because the subtext of what was happening on stage was fascinating. She could understand Don John’s cause for ire. He was treated badly for no other reason than the accident of his birth, treated with suspicion and distain. There was nothing he could ever do to erase that stain, so he was instead giving in and becoming what everyone seemed to believe that he was.

Conrade was attempting to make him see reason, but Don John stilled, turning a fierce look to his fellow as his decision was made.

“I had rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his grace,” he explained, recognizing that his efforts to gain his brother’s favor was futile. “And it better fits my blood to be disdained of all than to fashion a carriage to rob love from any. In this, though I cannot be said to be a flattering honest man, it must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain. I am trusted with a muzzle and enfranchised with a clog; therefore I have decreed not to sing in my cage.

“If I had my mouth, I would bite,” Don John snapped, his teeth snapping to show that his threat was not an idle one. “If I had my liberty, I would do my liking. In the meantime… let me be that I am and seek not to alter me.”

Rachel did not miss the way Don John’s man looked at his lord sadly and she could not help from feeling sorry for the character. He had completely given up on hoping for anything better and accepted that he would never been seen in a favorable light so he might as well be the villain that everyone assumed that he must be. She could only imagine the hurt he must have felt at seeing Benedick and Claudio treated with the regard by Don Pedro that Don John craved. How different things would have been if his brother had only reached out to him.

Another of Don John’s men arrived to tell his lord of the planned marriage between Claudio and Hero and a malevolent smile touched his features. It was a little frightening to see Kurt’s features twist with such maliciousness, to see him so willing to hurt out of pure spite.

“Come, come, let us thither,” Don John urged, drawing his loyal men around him.”This may prove food to my displeasure. That young start-up hath all the glory of my overthrow: if I can cross him any way, I bless myself every way. You are both sure, and will assist me?”

His most loyal man nodded, stepping back to salute him. “To the death, my lord,” Conrade promised.

That show of loyalty seemed to gratify Don John, and his harsh expression eased just a bit with the knowledge that he was not facing this fight alone. “Let us to the great supper,” he urged, drawing his men around him. “Their cheer is the greater that I am subdued. Would the cook were of my mind! Shall we go prove what's to be done?”

The black clad soldiers fell into line behind their chosen lord, following him off stage and Rachel took the opportunity to glance at those seated around her. They all were utterly enthralled by what they were watching on the stage and she was delighted to see Kurt doing so well. Burt especially looked fixated on the action occurring on the stage, taking in every instant that his son appeared.

When the curtain finally came down for the intermission at the end of Act Two, Rachel leaned back in her seat with a breathless sigh. “Wow...” she murmured, feeling a little at awe over what she was watching on the stage.

“This is pretty amazing,” Finn praised. “But it’s not like they explained the play at school.”

Tina nodded enthusiastically rising from her seat to stretch. “I like how they’re switching things up. I always thought that Benedick is kind of a jerk in the play, so I’m kind of glad that the director let that come out more clearly.”

“And Kurt…” Finn shook his head in wonderment. “I know that he’s supposed to be playing the bad guy, but I’m kind of rooting for him here.”

“It looks like the director definitely was playing up all the shades of grey,” Santana noted. “I like seeing Kurt all villainous and badass.”

“And Adam’s doing great too,” Puck insisted. “He’s such a nice guy and his character is a total douche. I actually want to punch him.”

“Well, I’m loving Beatrice,” Santana proclaimed. “She’s totally hot and seriously out of Benedick’s league.”

Finn turned to his parents, seeing the pride on their faced. “How do you like it, Burt?” he asked.

The older man didn’t answer immediately, his eyes still fixed on the stage. “It’s… it’s really something,” he finally said simply. His mouth tightened in the same way that his son’s did when deep in thought. “He’s doing good.”

Carole just smiled and leaned in close to her husband, a calm, supportive presence.

“Well, if we want to use the bathroom before the next act, we’d better get moving,” Tina reminded. “The line is probably going to take forever.”

Puck nodded, looking to his friend in the wheelchair. “You need to go? I can take you,” he offered.

Artie smiled and shook his head. “Nah.. I’m good.”

“Well, let’s get going ladies,” Rachel urged.

Burt watched as the young women headed towards the restrooms, chattering happily about the show and how wonderfully they thought Kurt was doing. He wasn’t a theater person so the kids talking about the nuances and style of acting just went over his head. He just knew that he was enjoying the show and that his son was amazing.

Seeing him having the chance to do what he loved was all that mattered to Burt in the end.

* * *

“Come one people!” the stage manager ordered. “Curtain goes up in three! Everyone on your marks!”

Kurt hurriedly took a drink from his water bottle and stashed it where he’d be able to find it later. Quickly checking to make sure that his hair and costume was in order, he took his place on stage alongside the actors playing his compatriots. The next acts would be busy ones and he needed to be on his toes.

This was the fun part of the show, where he’d get to start playing all sides and turn the good characters against one another before Don John got his comeuppance

Adam was hurrying to his mark, but couldn’t resist pausing to give his boyfriend a quick thumbs up of support. Kurt smiled back at him to let him know that he saw the gesture, but then turned his focus inward to get back into character, his face settling into Don John’s cool sneer. Adam let his features take on Benedick’s arrogant smirk as he prepared to continue his battle with the formidable Beatrice again.

When the curtain rose again, Kurt was ready to continue Don John’s war against all that his brother held dear.

* * *

If someone asked Rachel what moments stood out for her the most from this production, they would all center on her friend. Not that the rest of the cast wasn’t amazing. She loved the actress playing Beatrice, who managed to balance her character’s strength and vulnerability. Adam was remarkable, letting Benedick be as arrogant as his character should be, but still show the confusion of a man falling in love so unexpectedly.

But it was Kurt who was stealing the show in her eyes. Despite the havoc that his character was wreaking, she still sympathized with Don John. She could understand and appreciate how his anger at being treated badly for nothing more than the circumstances of his birth almost justified his behavior.

Now that Claudio had won Hero’s hand, Don John continued his campaign of chaos by attempting to seed doubts into Claudio’s mind about Hero’s fidelity. Don Pedro and Claudio were so focused on setting up Benedick and Beatrice that they didn’t see what Don John was engineering right beneath their noses. He was so cunning in how he was playing them that Rachel could only look on in reluctant admiration.

“My lord and brother,” Don John greeted almost cheerfully as he approached the two men. “God save you!”

The prince nodded at his bastard-born sibling. “God den, brother.”

If Don John was bothered by the lack of familial warmth in the greeting, he made no sign of his displeasure. “If your leisure is service, I would speak with you,” he requested politely.

“In private?”

Don John glanced at Claudio. “If it please you. Yet Count Claudio may hear, for what I would speak of concerns him.”

That seemed to spark the men’s interest “What’s the matter?” Don Pedro requested.

Don John turned his attention to Claudio, the expression on his face one of concern. “Means your lordship to be married tomorrow?”

“You know he does,” the Prince stated almost impatiently.

“I know not that, when he knows what I know,” Don John insinuated.

Claudio had not been paying very much attention to the prince’s brother, but his implication that there may be something that would prevent his wedding

Don John looked to him, the expression of sympathy on his face a bit too overt to be entirely genuine. “You may think I love you not,” he admitted. “Let that appear hereafter, and aim better at me by that I now will manifest. For my brother, I thin he holds you well, and in dearness of his heart, help to effect your ensuring marriage.”

He sighed, looking regretful that the news he was about to deliver would be so painful. “Surely suit ill spent, and labour ill bestowed.”

That finally got Don Pedro’s attention. “Why, what’s the matter?”

If Don John was bothered that his brother only showed interest in what affected one of his chosen favorites, he made no sign. He kept his attention to Claudio, confiding the terrible news that he hoped would break the other man’s heart.

“I came hither to tell you; and, circumstances shortened, for she has been too long a talking of,” he said with feigned regret. “The lady is disloyal.”

“Who, Hero?” Claudio demanded in shock.

Don Pedro shook his head in denial of his brother’s words. “ Even she; Leonato's Hero, your Hero, every man's Hero.”

Claudio seemed stunned by Don John’s insistence. “Disloyal?” he demanded, desperate to have his fears assuaged, but Don John shattered that hope.

“The word is too good to paint out her wickedness;” he stated, his gaze sympathetic towards the heartbroken man before him. “I could say she is worse. Think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to it.

“Wonder not till further warrant, but go with me tonight,” Don John adised. “You shall see her chamber-window entered, even the night before her wedding-day. If you love her then, toorrow wed her; but it would better fit your honour to change your mind.

Rachel was stunned at the way Kurt displayed Don John’s deviousness. How easily he was able to twist those around him and manipulated them into believing what he wanted them to. Kurt was able to make Don John look compliant and inoffensive, pretending that he was only acting in Claudio’s best interests while at the time he got everyone to run about in circles to his whim. It was almost chilling in the way Kurt made Don John look so very pleased as he ruthlessly ripped apart the lives of everyone around him.

Despite his love for his betrothed, Claudio had believed all of Don John’s lives and confronted poor, innocent Hero about her supposed infidelities. Before all his comrades and her family, he renounced her publically and it was a heartbreaking spectacle. The girl cried piteously that they were wrong and that she was faithful and caste but to no avail. Her betrothed dragged her out and ridiculed her, mocking her tears. Even her loving father had no mercy, casting her aside for the shame that she had caused their family and wishing her dead. She wept and begged for her loved ones to believe her, but only Beatrice came to her aid.

All the while, Don John hovered in the background, watching what he’d caused with a look of quiet satisfaction. He had no particular dislike for Hero to cause her such suffering; she was merely the collateral damage in her war against Don Pedro and those the prince favored.

The end of the play followed the script in that all couples were reconciled. Don John’s deceit was discovered and Claudio expressed his deep regret that he had so shamed his beloved. Hero’s honor was restored, but it was clear that the director wanted to place Claudio and all the men very pointedly in the wrong. When the bride’s veil was lifted and Hero was revealed to be alive and well, Claudio’s pronouncements of love after his treatment of her was met with stares of hurt and condemnation. She stared at him dubiously and while she might love him and feel obligated to wed, the trust between them had been broken.

Benedick too had been humbled and won Beatrice only because of his willingness to defend Hero. He won only because he changed and opened himself to love. Rachel had a feeling that Beatrice would be the one wearing the pants in their household in the future.

There was a commotion after Hero’s wedding when Don John was dragged out in chains to face his brother’s justice. The bastard prince had been stripped of his military jacket, his wrists bound in manacles that clanged as he was brought before his brother to be punished for his crimes.

There was no dialogue between the two men. Don Pedro looked confused and betrayed that his brother would act against him in such a manner, that he would go so far to cause harm to those that the prince cared about. He seemed totally at a loss at why Don John would act in such a way.

Rachel focused on Kurt’s expression and the emotion he was giving Don John. There was defiance in his eyes, and a total lack of regret for the hurt that he had caused. But there was also vulnerability and hurt that his brother had been blind as to Don John’s need for his brother’s regard.

In the end, it was Benedick, who had learned his lessons as Beatrice’s hand who broke the tension between them. “Think not on him till tomorrow,” he advised gently, giving his prince a touch of support. He looked to Don John and sighed in regret for what he had inadvertently helped to cause. “I’ll devise thee brave punishments for him.”

Benedict nodded for the guards to take Don John away, saving Don Pedro from having to deal with his brother for the moment and turned to the background players. “Strike up, pipers!” he ordered, to salvage the mood and allow the play to end on a more cheery note.

But it was clear to Rachel that the cheer of what should be seen as a happy ending was not without nuance. Don Pedro celebrated the marriage of Claudio, but it was clear that he was deep in thought about his brother. Claudio and Hero kissed, but it would be a long time before trust between them was restored and even then, Rachel doubted that Hero would ever completely forget at how quickly the man she loved rejected her for so little cause. And Benedick and Beatrice would continue to struggle how to navigate their relationship without diminishing one another. Rachel very much appreciated the less that perfectly romantic conclusion since she firmly believed that Shakespeare himself didn’t believe in perfectly happy endings.

When the curtain finally came down to conclude the show, Rachel found herself rising to her feet, cheering loudly. The entire audience was standing, applauding what had been a truly excellent production and when the curtain rose for the cast to take their bows, the cheers grew even louder.

The ensemble came out first, and Rachel for the first time really began to appreciate how important they were to the production. They had done an excellent job and she wanted to make sure that she gave them the respect that they were due. The minor players then stepped forward to take their bows to rousing applause. But this wasn’t what Rachel was waiting for.

* * *

Kurt watched as Craig took his bows with the rest of the ensemble, trying to contain his growing excitement over his curtain call. He was happy for his friend who seemed to have found being in the ensemble as fulfilling and educational as he had. The other young man was smiling broadly, looking exhausted but happy in his uniform as he drank in the audience’s regard.

The minor players then took the stage, the actor’s who’d portrayed Dogberry, Conrade, Margaret, Ursula… all accepted the ovation from the crowd and bowed deeply.

Tracy and David went next, and the applause for them was especially enthusiastic. Kurt grinned happily as he watched his friends receive the ovations that they so clearly deserved. Tracy was absolutely beaming, her smile wide and brilliant as she curtsied and grasped David’s hand in hers. David looked quite pleased and gave his partner a quick hug, much to the delight of the audience who cheered them on. Many in the theater were on their feet, giving them well deserved standing ovations.

Ben came up to him and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. “You ready?” he asked, looking tired but very pleased.

Kurt nodded, feeling a swell of pride building in his chest.

When it was their turn, for only the second time in his performing career Kurt found himself receiving applause specifically for himself and his own performance. Through the lights he could see many people rising to their feet, seeming to have responded to his attempts to make Don John sympathetic and it seemed that he was getting as much applause as David had.

From the row where his family and friends were seated, he could hear them cheering and calling out his name. He couldn’t help from laughing and giving them a quick wave to let them know that he’d heard them.

Ben bowed, accepting his accolades but stepped back, holding out his arms to present his younger costar to the audience and leaving Kurt to soak up the cheers on his own. He was stunned to hear the cheers and applause grow even louder, and he felt his cheeks start to heat as he bowed again, placing his hand over his heart to show his thanks to the audience for their regard.

Kurt felt his eyes tearing a bit when he stepped back alongside Ben and Tracy to let their leads take the stage. When Adam and Sarah stepped out, the entire cast added their applause and cheers to the audience to celebrate the amazing work their peers had done.

Once the leads had taken their bows, the cast offered their own ovation for their director who’d lead them these past weeks. He stepped out onto the stage and accepted their regard with a tired but satisfied smile, pleased that the production had gone so well.

The cast bowed again to the audience as a group before the curtain came down, closing out their first performance. The actors began to laugh and chatter happily as they tiredly celebrated their accomplishment. Kurt as he and Tracy hugged and congratulated one another, chattering excitedly while David and Ben were giving one another sound pats on the back. Kurt found Adam and let his boyfriend pull him into a hug, the pair of them holding one another and silently offering support and congratulations for a job well done.

Mr. Tillman hurried over to the group and whistled loudly to get their attention. “I won’t keep you long, but excellent job everyone! You were all marvelous! Now go clean up and get some rest. I’ll see you all tomorrow afternoon.”

The cast cheered again, then began to disperse in order to clean up for the evening. There were going to be a number of celebrations that night with friends and family.

At his dressing table, Kurt looked in the mirror and wasn’t surprised to see that he looked as tired as he felt. Now that the energy of his performance had begun to dissipate, he was feeling totally drained. His hair was a bit of a mess and his makeup was marred by streaks of perspiration running through it. He could feel his shirt clinging uncomfortably to his sticky body and all he wanted at the moment was a shower and to fall right into bed.

But it would be a little while before he could do that. He had people waiting for him that were looking forward to celebrating his performance. He would have to make due with whatever cleaning he could manage with what supplies he brought and have to wait until he got back to the motel to shower.

Around him was a flurry of activity as the costume and prop teams went about collecting items that might need cleaning or repairs before the next performance and to get the stage weapons stored away. Kurt relinquished his sword and quickly undressed so that his shirt could be washed and the rest of his garments inspected and spot cleaned as needed. He felt sorry for the backstage team, whose work was nowhere near over for the night.

After taking off his costume, Kurt threw on his robe and began the process of cleaning his skin. It took multiple makeup wipes to get the stage cosmetics off his skin to the point where he no longer felt greasy. He then pulled a washcloth he’d borrowed from the motel and hurried to the bathroom where he was able to wash down his body enough to get the layer of sweat off and let him feel refreshed enough to make it through the rest of the evening.

After a bit of deodorant and some clean clothes and he was as ready as he ever was going o be for the stage door. This time there would be no hovering in the background and he would have to be prepared to handle it. He thought that he was ready, having watched Adam and the others the past few weeks but he wondered how it was really going to feel to have that attention focused on him.

Adam met him by the stage door, offering a smile to his lover. “Here you are,” he greeted, offering Kurt a tired but loving smile.

Kurt wanted to crawl into his embrace and never leave, but their night wasn’t over yet. “Hey,” he answered, trying to force some spark into his voice. “You were fantastic.”

“You too,” Adam insisted. He cocked his head towards the exit. “Ready to meet your public?”

Kurt inhaled, steadying his nerves. How ridiculous was it that he felt more nervous about this than he did about being on stage? It wasn’t like they were going to boo him the instant he showed his face.

Adam sensed his unease and offered his hand. “I’ll be right there with you,” he promised.

Kurt knew that he was being silly and smiled back at his boyfriend.

“Let’s do this.”

After dreaming about his first time on a stage, the stage door experience had loomed large in Kurt’s fantasies about his future. He’d always imaged being able to handle the fans with confident aplomb, accepting their regards and praise with grace but knowing that it was well deserved. The reality, of course, turned out to be a little bit different.

When they stepped out the door, Kurt was momentarily taken aback by the roar of cheers greeting them. Adam grinned and all but shoved Kurt before him, letting him take the lead and get the full impact of the crowd who began to call out his name and wave their Playbills in his direction.

His brain felt like it was wrapped in a layer of fog as he moved along the line of fans and well-wishers who were addressing him by name and complimenting his performance. Several young women where all but squealing at the sight of him, like he was Brad Pitt or something. One older woman grasped his hand and expressed effusively that she’d seen this particular show done several times before and his was her favorite portrayal of Don John. She couldn’t believe that this was his first serious role. It was all he could do to express his thanks and sign her program before the next fan sought his attention.

He’d never had any experience like this before. He’s performed as part of team many times before, but he’d never had people cheering for him, as an individual. Here were people who wanted his autograph or a picture with him because they had enjoyed his work, not just to be polite because he was standing there. It was heady and thrilling and scary and Kurt wanted to both drink it all in and run and hide until he got his mental feet under him again.

When he arrived to where his friends and family were standing, it was a lot easier. His father looked intensely proud, his eyes glimmering suspiciously as he pulled Kurt into his arms and told him that he did good. Carole was beaming happily and Finn was giving him a smile of quiet pride.

Rachel grasped his arm, pulling him into a hug. “You did it,” she praised happily, the slight quiver in her voice betraying the tears that she was fighting to hold back. “Oh my God… You were amazing.”

“Thanks,” he answered breathlessly. He nearly yelped with Puck pulled him into a hug, nearly dragging him off his feet.

“I can’t wait until everyone in Lima who ever gave you shit hears about this!” he crowed. “You really showed them.”

Kurt wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was going to get a lot of pleasure in proving to all those who had abused and belittled him that he was moving on and finding success. The kid who was humiliated and thrown in the dumpster like he was garbage was going to enjoy having his success rubbed in their faces. He knew that his father had taught him to be the bigger man, but damn it… he wasn’t that noble.

His father placed his hand on Kurt’s shoulder, a comforting and grounding gesture. “Well, if you and Adam are just about done with your fans, we thought we’d grab something to eat,” he proposed. “I’m sure that the two of you are probably starving by now.”

At the prospect of food caused Kurt’s stomach to grumble almost comically loud, causing him to blush a bit in embarrassment. The energy he’d gotten from the light dinner he’d eaten before the show was long gone and his body was telling him quite assertively that he needed to refuel a bit.

Adam was finishing with his autographs, thanking a family that had been lavishly praising his performance. Kurt tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, cocking his head towards their friends and Adam nodded. Kurt hurried back to his group to let them know that Adam would be there shortly.

Once Adam was finished with the fans, he stepped up to Kurt and placed a casual arm about his boyfriend’s shoulder. “So how’d you like it?” he asked jovially.

Kurt pursed his mouth as he considered his experience and nodded. “I think I liked how that felt,” he acknowledged. “I’m still getting used to strangers liking what I do.”

“You’d better plan on get used to it,” Adam warned. “This is going to be a regular feature in your life going forward.”

“I think I’ll be able to manage.”

“Well, if you two are ready, let’s go get some food into you,” Burt chuckled. “You’re going to need your energy for tomorrow.”

“Of course,” Kurt chuckled, his eyes shining. “We only have to do this another eighteen times.”

* * *

The rest of the season progressed in a highly satisfactory manner. Kurt’s confidence in his abilities as a performer grew with each time he took the stage and he continued to evolve as a actor. It still felt like a novelty to have people applauding him and to have actual fans that knew his name and planned to follow him.

Kelly and her aunt had attended the show on the fifth night and the young girl had waited by the stage door for him, her eyes gazing at him wondrously as she boldly pressed her program into his hands to sign.

“How did you like it?” he asked, giving her a warm smile.

She blushed at being remembered and directly addressed and said shyly, “It was amazing. I loved it.”

“Well, thank you again for coming,” he said, writing another quick note for her in the program. “You helped make my first season here really special.”

“Will you be here next summer?” she asked hopefully.

Kurt felt a warm tingle inside, realizing that he had become for this young girl what his idols had been for him growing up. “I definitely plan to,” he promised.

On the night of their last performance of the season, he felt tears in his eyes because he was going to miss being on that stage and working with this group of actors and crew. Packing away Don John’s uniform for the final time, he handed the garment bag off to Gen to take away with more than a trace of regret. After weeks of hard work and performances, it was going to be hard to just slip back into his normal life.

He couldn’t resist lingering at the stage door, taking his time with the fans that waited to greet the cast. He gave everyone who waited to see him his thanks, appreciating their regard. He posed for pictures with girls who thought he was cute, with old ladies who came every season and spoke with several young people who hoped for their own careers on the stage. He’s never finished anything that left him so satisfied both professionally and emotionally.

There was a wrap party for the cast and crew, to celebrate the close of a successful season. They shared lots of wine and good food as the cast and crew reminisced about all the hard work and the good times they’d shared. Kurt loaded up his phone with the contact information of those that he’d gotten particularly close too so that they could stay in contact in the coming months.

The next morning found him back at the theater, more than a little hung over and functioning only due to the high test coffee from the local coffee shop, packing up his belongings to take home. He placed his makeup carefully in his kit, making a mental note of anything that needed to be replaced or replenished. The photos that had decorated his mirror were neatly stored in a folder, along with the gold star that Rachel had sent him. The flowers had long since wilted, but he’d pressed one from each arrangement between the pages of his volume of Shakespeare plays to save as mementos.

Packed in his makeup kit was another memento that he was going to treasure – a silver button from his costume that Gen had pressed into his hand before she took the costume away to be stored away. It would go into the box where he kept all his most treasured possessions and one day he’d get to look back on it and remember his first days as a professional actor.

Before leaving the theater, he paused by Mr. Tillman’s office. The director was busy packing up his own belongings for the season. He looked tired by was whistling happily as he boxed up his papers. Kurt knocked on the door jamb to get his attention. “Mr. Tillman, do you have a minute?” he asked politely.

The older man looked up and smiled. “Hey Kurt… heading out now?”

Kurt nodded. “Yes, I was just picking up my stuff. I was just hoping to talk to you before I left.”

“Of course,” Mr. Tillman assured him. “Anything wrong?”

“Oh no. I just… I just wanted to thank you,” Kurt said sincerely. “This summer has been one of the best experiences of my life. And I learned so much here. I wanted you to know that I really appreciate the opportunity I had here.”

The director’s eyes softened. “Kurt, it was my pleasure. You are a remarkable talent and you definitely were an asset to our company. I hope to see you next season.”

“Definitely,” Kurt proclaimed. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, good luck this year in school,” Mr. Tillman wished him. “I’m looking forward to seeing how you grow as an actor between now and then.”

He shook Kurt’s hand and now the season was officially over for the young actor. But Kurt was reluctant to leave just yet. He couldn’t resist pausing by the stage, watching the crew breaking down the sets and cleaning up when Adam found him.

“You about ready, love?” he asked. He reached out to take Kurt’s hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. “We need to get going if we’re going to catch our train.”

Kurt took a last look at the stage and turned a loving smile to his boyfriend. “Yeah… you know, I’m going to miss this,” he said softly.

He knew that this would be the normal ebb and flow of their lives in the future. Productions beginning and then ending, with lots of hard work in between. Kurt felt more confident that there would be more performances and opportunities in his future, and he was looking forward to facing it.

“And I did want to thank you,” Kurt said softly. “Having you with me through this whole thing… you really helped me through this.”

Adam’s eyes softened and he reached up to gently cup Kurt’s chin in his hand. “I loved doing this with you,” he admitted. “You being in this show made the whole experience a real pleasure for me, not just a job.”

Kurt closed his eyes, savoring the touch of the man he’d come to love. There was much in his future that might not be certain, but there were two truths that had set into his bones. The first was that he was born to be on the stage and he didn’t regret for an instant starting on this long, uncertain path.

But the second… that he wanted to walk that path, however rocky and strewn with obstacles it might be, with the man holding him in his arms. Adam was a vital part of his present and his future.

Everything else… that would all work out.

* * *

“Hey, Mr. Hummel… guess what?” Rachel proclaimed as she stormed into the loft, slamming the heavy door behind her. She tossed her dance bag onto the couch and faced him with her hands on her hips. “I passed my class!”

Kurt looked up from the boxes he was organizing and gave her a brilliant smile. “You did? Fantastic!”

“Well, I’m never going to be the greatest dancer in the universe, but at least I got passed to the intermediate class.”

“You want to take the same section as I am?” he asked. “It’ll be fun.”

She shook her head insistently. “Uh uh… not with you taking class with Ms. July again,” she insisted. “I’m not that much a glutton for punishment.”

She looked at Kurt’s processions strewn about as he was sorting them for packing. “Need some help?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“I can’t believe that we just got you back and you’re already leaving,” Rachel groused playfully as she moved to fold the clothes that Kurt had set out. Even though she was fully on board with him moving in with his boyfriend, facing the reality of his leaving was hitting her a little harder than she’d expected.

Kurt just smiled at her as he taped up one box. “Artie and Tina will be arriving next week, so I need to clear out before they get here. Otherwise this place is going to get very, very crowded.”

Moving out ended up being a much bigger job than he’d expected. Somehow he had managed to accumulate a lot of possessions in the months that he’d lived in the loft and it wound up being a sizable job to determine what he wanted to take with him, what would go into storage until he and Adam found a bigger place and what he would leave behind.

“I’m glad that I sold them my bed,” he mused. It had been the one real piece of furniture he’d purchased after coming to New York and moving it would have been an absolute nightmare. Adam had a decent queen size at his place, which was more than adequate for the two of them since they liked to snuggle.

“How are you going to get all of your stuff to Adam’s place?” Rachel asked. “You can’t get all of this on the subway.”

Kurt nodded. “We’re going to rent a Zip Car,” he explained. “I should be able to get everything over in one trip.”

He didn’t miss the downcast look in Rachel’s eyes now that Kurt was preparing to move out. Even though she had been fully on board with the idea, encouraging him to take that step in his relationship, she was feeling more than a little apprehension at her best friend moving out.

“Hey, it’s going to be fine,” he reassured her. “You’re not going to lose me.”

She sighed sadly and nodded, knowing that he was right. “I know. And it’ll be good for both of us. It’s not like I’m not going to see you every day.”

“And I’ll make sure to visit,” Kurt promised. “We can set up a night where we all get together for dinner or something. Make it a regular thing.”

Her eyes brightened a bit at the prospect. “That sounds like a great idea. All of our schedules are so crazy that we’ll never see each other otherwise.

“And I get to hang out with you at your new place,” Rachel proclaimed. “I’m sure that Adam won’t mind.”

“Of course not,” he assured her.

She looked about the loft, a bit in disarray at the moment and felt a pang at the shift that their lives were taking. “Did you ever think it would be like this?” she couldn’t help from asking.

Kurt looked up from the scarfs he was sorting and considered what she was asking. “No,” he admitted, a bittersweet smile touching his face. “A lot has changed for us. But I think it’s really for the better when you really think about it.”

She couldn’t help from agreeing with him. “It’s kind of strange… I came to New York thinking that I knew exactly how my life was going to go and absolutely nothing turned out the way I expected. And I’m more than okay with that.”

Kurt smiled and reached out to wrap his arm about her shoulders, pulling her close. The coming months would have more changes and new challenges for them to face. There would be new skills to learn and new opportunities to manage. But he no longer looked at his future with uncertainty or fear. He had his friends and his lover and his family. And in the end, that was what would carry him through.

“Hey… I have an idea,” Rachel proclaimed. “I have a shift at the piano bar tomorrow. Why don’t you join me? It’s been months since we sang together.”

Kurt’s gaze softened at the realization that Rachel was inviting him to share her spotlight with him. He marveled at how far she’d come in her own way these past weeks.

They had a few weeks until classes would begin, but for now they could take a moment to savor what they’d gained.

#kadam fic #kadam #kurt hummel #adam crawford #rachel berry #finn hudson #burt hummel #carole hudson #santana lopez #noah puckerman #tina cohen chang #artie abrams

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boy-at-a-bus-stop · 7 years

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so this is the very first chapter of this fanfiction, please keep in mind that it’s my very first fanfiction and that english isn’t my first language, so please don’t hate me ._. this is more of an introduction to the characters and the setting, so there’s not a lot happening in this chapter and it's rather short, I hope you enjoy it anyway ♥

One

It was the third day of the recording of the Bicycle Thief album which didn’t have a name yet. Or better said the third day I was there, they had started recording a few days earlier. We, well, they were making good progress, and the time in the studio was overall enjoyable. I was sitting on a couch talking to Bob as we were waiting for a friend of his who was supposed to play a guitar solo on the record. And though he was 15 minutes late already, no one was worried. Bob and I were having a good talk and Josh, the guy who played guitar and a few other things for the Bicycle Thief, was playing guitar on his own in the other room. Bob was by far no stranger to me, my Dad had been good friends with him for a long time, then they lost contact as Bob went down the road of drug addiction, but when he got better, they started talking again and my Dad introduced us. Even though I have to admit that Bob was kind of a strange fellow, I still liked him. And I still do like him, it’s just we don’t talk that often nowadays. I haven’t seen him in a few months, actually. But now let’s get back to 1999.

So Josh was playing guitar in the recording room as we talked. From the first day I met this guy on I kept thinking to myself that he really seemed like a nice guy and he was definitely talented as fuck, but he was way too shy to work in the music industry. Looking back this thought alone is proof to the fact that I didn’t really know him back then. And I definitely wasn’t an expert, i’m still not, but I think almost everyone would have thought something like this in this situation. In a way he just seemed too “arty” to really have mainstream success and not outgoing enough to grab everyone’s attention. At least at that point. I was surprised when Bob, who was and still is well known for his work with Thelonious Monster, brought him in. Or better said I was surprised that Josh had the confidence to work with Bob who was known for being eccentric, not really an easy person to work with, a crazy guy. But Bob had sobered up and maybe he had even grown up a little bit. “Josh is really talented…”, I said to Bob, trying to guide the conversation in the direction I wanted it to go and get to know more about this guy.

“Yeah, he is… And you need to know he’s not even a guitar player in the first place.” “I thought so, I saw him playing drums the other day…”, I said. “Yeah, he started playing drums when he was 9 and started playing guitar when he was about 15, learned it all by himself… But he can do it all, i’ll have him play other things, too… and I guess he’ll do some vocals… I know he doesn’t want to but his voice is really good so i’ll just force him to do them…”, Bob was obviously excited about his “new discovery” but I have to admit that he knew what he was talking about. He may have fucked up his life and his health with drugs but he was good at recognizing true musical talent. It made me smile. “How old is he now?”, I asked, interested in what Bob was telling me. “He’s 19”, Bob noted, looking at me with a small smile on his face. I couldn’t quite believe what I heard. I mean yeah, he looked really young but still, he couldn’t have taught himself to play guitar like this in four years. “He’s started playing guitar only just four years ago? Wow. Okay I guess I should correct myself and say he’s fucking genius.” My comment made Bob laugh for a bit before he said, “No, he’s just in love with music, he’s living and breathing it, he’s very creative and hardworking. But I wouldn’t call him genius, certainly not” “I’d definitely call this genius. I mean, i’m trying to learn playing guitar since almost ten years now and i’ll never be that good…”, I laughed at my own incompetence and lack of talented when it came to this kind of things “Anyway, how did you meet him?”, I asked, still curious. “Well… That’s kinda funny. He’s best friends with my ex-girlfriend’s brother. We met at a Thelonious Monster gig two years ago, then I found out he lived just down the street from my girlfriend’s house and we started jaming.”

Just as he said this, there was a knock at the door and it was opened. A guy with dark hair and eyes of an indefinable color somewhere between brown and green stepped in. I think this was the very first time I saw him, but i’m not sure. It probably was, though. “Hey…”, he said in a low and soft voice. “John! Come in!”, Bob said delighted. “Sorry for being late…”, the other guy scratched his neck and entered the small room, a guitar case in his hand. So this was obviously the friend we had been waiting for. “No problem, glad to see you”, Bob stood up and gave John a man hug, I got up too and waited to be introduced. “This is Allison, her father owns the studio and she wanted to help so… She’s kind of the gofer”, Bob looked at me and chuckled. In retrospect I have to say that I wasn’t really the gofer, most times I just sat in the studio and listened and watched. I smiled back at Bob and then at John, holding my hand out for him to shake. “Hey!”, i said. “Hi, I’m John…”, he said grabbing my hand and shaking it. Josh had stopped playing guitar and stood in the doorway, a curious look on his face. “You ready?”, Bob asked him. “Yeah, if John’s ready, i’m ready”, Josh said, looking at John. “Wait a second… I know I met you before but I don’t… Josh? Is that your name?”, John said unsure. Josh smiled shyly. “Yeah, Josh! We met only once, and that was two years ago, so I’m surprised you even remember my name to be honest!”, he laughed nervously. John stepped closer towards where Josh was standing and shook his hand. “Yeah… I remember you. So you’re now making an album together? I shouldn’t be surprised…” “Yeah I guess… But I’m sure Bob already told you everything… I mean you wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t”, Josh concluded. John nodded, still a small smile on his lips. “Yeah… Now, let’s get to work, huh?”

Josh and John went into the recording room and Bob and I waited for them to get ready before entering it ourselves. I can only speak for myself but I would have felt out of place if I had just stood there and watched them all the time. “What’s the rest of the song like? Bob didn’t want to show me the recordings you already did on this song, don’t ask me why” “Uhm, it goes like this…”, Josh played one verse and the chorus of the song and hummed the melody. “Okay, do you have any ideas for the solo or shall I just do whatever I want? ‘cause there’s something… an idea in my… you know, something like this…”, John said as he began to play a small guitar part. “Well, i’m no good at doing solos so i’ll just leave it up to you… but I like that!”, Josh said in a low voice, still somewhat shy. John proceeded to play and after about 15 minutes he was content with the outcome of his efforts. I had entered the room about 10 minutes ago and watched the two of them play, well, most times John played something and Josh commented on it, suggested a few things and so on, while Bob disappeared to I don’t know where. He always had this habit of just suddenly disappearing without saying a single word and then reappearing a few minutes later. He does it till this day.

Josh and John really seemed to have some kind of a connection, they didn’t talk much but they played together and it sounded perfect - at least in my ears. Or maybe i’m just thinking this now, memories change over the years and new things are added to them so we don’t actually remember things just the way they used to be. So I don’t know. But let’s ignore this for now.

By the time Bob returned they had already come up with various solos and continued jamming. “You got something?”, asked Bob as he entered the room. “Yeah, we got a few things, you know, something like this…”, John said and proceeded to play him all the things they had come up with. “Could you play the second thing again? Really liked that one…”, Bob said and leaned against a wall next to where I was standing.

After about an hour, and a small argument between John and Bob, they were finally done and decided to go on with recording the next day. Bob left immediately, stating he had an important appointment which none of us believed but we still let him leave. Neither of us seemed to be interested in fighting even more. When Bob had shut the door behind himself Josh let out a loud sigh which made John and me giggle. “Recording with Bob is always a challenge, believe me”, John said, sympathy in his voice. “Yeah, I already came to see that…”, Josh replied in a low voice. There was a certain kind of sparkle in John’s eyes and he seemed to understand. “What did he throw at you?”, he then asked.

Josh giggled, “Once, he threw an apple at me, another time he threw his cellphone at me and then wanted me to replace it when it was broken but I refused since I’m not responsible for his actions and he’s a grown man… At least when it comes to age he is. But this most certainly wasn’t the last time he threw something at me, I mean we still have a lot to record”, he explained while getting his guitar and a few other things he wanted to take with him. John nodded knowingly, “Yeah, he should probably work on that… I was supposed to play guitar for Thelonious Monster before I joined the Chilli Peppers the first time, you know. And I don’t know if he would’ve been an easier person to handle then Anthony was at that time…” I was surprised of hearing of Bob’s tantrums, he had never lost his temper like that in my presence. It shocked me quite a bit to be honest, even though, looking back on it, it shouldn’t really have shocked or surprised me.

“What time is it?”, John then asked. “Well, then I’ve got another hour to kill before rehearsal…”, he sighed after I told him the time. “Uhm, I don’t have plans, how about going for coffee?”, Josh asked looking at the floor, then up at me and John. I didn’t have plans either and hanging out with them didn’t seem like too bad of an option. Both of them seemed to be really nice people, so why not get to know them better? “Yeah, sure, why not?”, I answered. “You can put your things in my apartment, I live right next door…”, I suggested as I saw John picking up his guitar case. Josh and John both followed me outside and over to my apartment. I invited them in and after we put their things in the living room we left for the café.

“Where do you want to go?”, Josh asked the two of us as we stood on the sidewalk in front of my front door. “I don’t know, I don’t go to cafés that often”, John said. “I know a small one just a few blocks from here, they even have real porcelain cups”, I smiled to myself. “What about the porcelain cups?”, Josh asked, amusement in his voice. “It reminds me of Europe, the cups you have here are one of the few things I hate about the US”, I giggled. As we reached the café, I opened the swing door for the others and went in last. We sat down at a table in the back, Josh and I on one side of the table, John on the other side. “Where are you from, then?”, John asked as soon as we had sat down. “Well, my dad’s American but my mum’s from Vienna. I lived with her after they got divorced and my dad moved back here but when our relationship has never been the best and so my mum, dad and I decided that I should probably move and live with my dad when I was twelve or so. And so I lived here for the last few years but I still love Vienna and Europe in general and whenever I come back here from vacation in Europe I want to move back but I never do…”, I explained. I was glad that we already had a good topic to talk about. Just as I was finished a waitress came and asked for our orders. When she left John said, “Oh I can understand this… i’ve been to Europe quite a few times, you know… and I must say it’s a interesting place, so diverse and inspiring… but that was a long time ago” John looked down, suddenly he seemed to be a bit pensive. I smiled at him and then looked over at Josh who hadn’t said a word since we had entered the cafe, well with the exception of his order. “Have you ever been to Europe?”, I asked him, trying to get him involved in the conversation. He looked up from his hands but continued playing with the hem of his shirt. “Me? No, never. I neither have the money nor the time needed to go there but i’d really like to go. But well, I would… I would probably have to learn how to save up money… Or… wait, yes i’ve been to Belgium once, when I was six or something like that, just visiting some relatives… does that count?”, he then says. “I don’t think that counts…”, I said to answer his question and shook my head what caused some strands of my dark brown hair to fall into my face. I quickly tugged them behind my ear again. After the waitress came back with our orders I decided to try and keep the conversation going. “So where are you two from?”, I asked. “Well, I was born in New York City but we moved around quite a lot when I was little… first to Arizona, then to Florida and finally to Santa Monica… then to Mar Vista…”, John spoke first because Josh didn’t immediately answer my question. “But i’d still say i’m from LA, all the important things in my life happened here, you know… ” He took a sip of his coffee and raised his eyebrows at Josh. “Well, me, I was born in Santa Monica, grew up in the valley, in Northridge… then, after I dropped out of high school I just tried to find my place in this city, moved around a bit, did this and that…”, He said, his voice becoming lower and lower with almost every word. “So i’m very much a LA-native” “When did you drop out of high school?”, John asked, suddenly more interested. “At the age of 15, about four years ago… against a lot of protest of my parents…” “Wow. I mean, that’s a huge decision, no surprise your parents were against it”, I commented and took a sip of my coffee. “Yeah, I mean I can understand them and I know they only wanted to help me but… we fought a lot. It was basically war for years. It probably, or better said definitely, wasn’t the best thing for our relationship, but I think they’re okay with it now. I even broke my very first electric guitar fighting with my parents…”, Josh stated and gave us one of his shy smiles. John laughed at that last comment, “That’s a thing, the kid broke his very first guitar fighting with his parents, that’s a story to tell… You know, I dropped out of high school, too, when I was 16, but my parents were okay with it and they were very supportive of my plans of becoming a musician, or an artist in general…” “Yeah, well, I just kept doing what I thought was right and that was getting smart on my own terms. And then I moved out as soon as possible.” We all fell silent for a few minutes, each one sipping on their beverages. John was the only one who didn’t drink coffee, he had some kind of tea I don’t remember the name of but even if I remembered, I couldn’t pronounce it anyway. “Wow, in comparison to these stories my life is awfully boring…”, I ended up saying in an effort of getting the conversation going again. “I doubt that. I mean, it can’t be that boring to hang out in your dad’s recording studio, aren’t I right?”, John said. “Well, I don’t normally do that. I have to work, too”, I laughed. “But at the moment there’s the annual plant shutdown at my workplace - don’t ask me why but it’s every year in February - so I have two weeks off and my dad told me there were going to be recording sessions so I decided to give it a try. Plus my dad’s good friends with Bob so we kinda knew each other already” “So you’re not involved in your dad’s business”, Josh stated. “No, I normally work at a book shop. But i’d love to get more involved in the future. This is my first time watching the whole recording process to be honest…”, I confessed. “Oh, i’m sure you’ll get a chance to get involved again. You know, there are a lot creative people out there and therefore it’s important to keep these rather small studios alive… Bob told me this was your first time recording?”, John said, first talking to me, then to Josh. “Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah… I… I never recorded anything in a somewhat professional way, so… it’s a first time for me, too… yeah” “But you did other things before?” “Yeah, well… after I quit school I started playing in a band but… I soon got kicked out ‘cause I didn’t get along with the other guys. So i kept on playing music on my own… still do, obviously” I couldn’t believe what I heard. How could you not get along with Josh? He was such a kind and shy guy. I just couldn’t imagine getting in a fight with him. But well, I didn’t know him that good at that time. And yeah, I definitely came to see how he acts if he’s pissed a few times, but we’ll get to that soon enough. “And after that I started working at some record store and i’m still working there… since I have to pay the rent somehow… But I guess it’s my own fault, i’m not that good with money” Josh smiled shyly. “But well, you gotta have some flaws, don’t you?”, he then said, obviously joking. I giggled, then i had a look at my watch, “We should get going, showing up late at rehearsal isn’t the best thing to do, or so I heard…”

John insisted on paying and argued he was the one with the best income. Even though I doubted that, I still let him pay for me. Josh didn’t want John to pay for him, but John still paid. As a result, Josh didn’t talk to him while we walked back to my apartment to get their things. He just quietly smoked his cigarette, not saying a single word. Seemingly this was his way of expressing that he wasn’t okay with what had just happened.

We soon reached my apartment, I let them in, they got their things and soon we were all standing at the front door of my apartment to say our goodbyes. “So… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”, I asked looking at Josh. “Yeah, I guess…”, he said, looking at his shoes, then giving me a small smile. “Did Bob say if he wanted you to come play guitar again?”, I then said, looking at John. “I don’t know, i’m not sure… But I probably will, i’m not quite content with the solo, you know… So I’ll see if I have time tomorrow or sometime…”, he answered. After a few more minutes I gave both of them short hugs, then told them goodbye and finally closed the door as they walked away.

#chapter 1 #josh klinghoffer #fanfic #rhcp #josh klinghoffer fanfiction

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