FicWad

"Don’t try so hard next time."

Blaine’s words sting. I hadn’t thought it would be that bad until Nick and Jeff mentioned how many times they’d auditioned before. And here I was, thinking I’d done so well. It figures.

"I guess I’m just used to screaming just to get noticed," I sigh bitterly.

Blaine’s trying to make me feel better about it, I know he is, but he’s failing miserably. Little does he know, I’m used to this. I’ve always taken one for the team for competitions, conceding to Rachel even though I know I can out-sing her. I could have guaranteed us a win. Whatever. It’s not like winning the competition was important to me or anything. It’s not like Nationals is the only way I’d be able to visit New York before college.

I’ll get over it. Someday.

Besides, Blaine having the lead really isn’t that bad. He’s one of the most talented members of the group; of course the council is going to give him the most solos. As long as it’s not every single one, there’s no harm done.

I get up and grab my bag. “Do you want to grab some coffee? I’ll buy,” Blaine offers.

"No, that’s okay. I’ve actually been hanging around here a bit too long, anyway."

"Homework?" he asks sympathetically.

"Dinner plans," I reply. "Brendon and I were going… I thought you knew?"

Blaine stares at me blankly. “No, I didn’t.”

"Oh." Looks like it’s just going to be Brendon and me. Maybe it really is a date…? I grin to myself. It still sounds too good to be true; no one else I’ve liked has ever shown any interest. No. Brendon is different, and it’s a welcome change. "I guess I should go get ready then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Blaine."

—————

"I don’t care what the council says. They’re a bunch of idiots." Brendon takes me to Breadstix. He already had reservations, which I suppose makes it a little bit fancier. It’s really the only good dinner place in town. But he dressed up in street clothes (it’s all tight, but I must say he pulls it off phenomenally) and picked me up at my house, got adorably nervous around my dad. If it really is a date, it’s off to a good start. "You sounded really amazing. I can’t believe they didn’t give you a solo."

"Thank you," I blush. "I just did my best, but I guess it just didn’t make the cut. I’m not sure how well that song translates to a capella, anyway."

Brendon laughs. “Yeah, I guess it is kind of hard to do show tunes without instruments. The Warblers don’t seem too keen on exploring other styles.”

"I know! Is it always just pop music, or is it just me?"

"No, it’s definitely always pop music. I can’t think of a time when we ever did anything else."

"We should rebel."

"Totally. We’ll do our own arrangements."

"I’m sensing you’ve got some suggestions yourself."

He shrugs. “I mean, I would, but it’s not exactly traditional. I’m pretty sure they just barely accept my, ah, alterations to the dress code. My tastes are more like your buddy Ryan’s.”

"I’d love to sing with you sometime," I smile. "I only know a little bit of what he showed me, but you could teach me a few songs."

"I’d like that."

I end up having so much fun that I forget to ask if it was a date after all. He walks me to my doorstep and hugs me goodbye, saying he’ll see me tomorrow. I think we’re both too shy to make any first moves just yet, which is perfectly fine with me. I don’t want to scare him off or anything because I’m too forward. I don’t want to screw this up. But I do want to call Ryan and tell him all about it.

—————-

Sectionals come and go with the Warblers tied with New Directions for first place. I’m happy for them. They deserve it. And it looks like they recruited enough people to qualify to compete; they got Ryan in and, shockingly, Lauren Zizes. The thing about both of our teams moving on, though, is that I have to compete against them again. It was hard enough this time around. I can keep Warblers secrets from them, sure, but living with Finn… It makes it difficult to not look like we’re cheating. Finn is notoriously loose-lipped.

Even if he did accidentally let something slip, I probably wouldn’t tell the council. I can’t turn my back on them. Ryan looks like he’s having fun, too. His moves are about as bad as Finn’s, but that can’t be helped. I almost wish I could see what it looks like in rehearsals.

I actually miss them a lot, which leads me to sitting alone with Pavarotti, who I’m starting to grow attached to. The little guy’s been pretty quiet over the past couple days. I’m pretty sure that’s not normal.

"Hey, Kurt." I suddenly find myself flanked by Blaine and Brendon. "What’s going on?"

"I think Pavarotti’s sick," I sigh. "I don’t know much about birds, but he hasn’t been singing a lot and I just…"

"I’ll have a look," Blaine offers.

"Probably for the best, I don’t know shit about birds either," Brendon laughs. "But it’s most likely nothing to worry about." Blaine leans in closer to the cage, which worries me a little because he’s not answering.

"Yeah, he’s just molting," he eventually says. "Every so often birds shed their old feathers and grow a new coat. It takes a lot out of them, but he should be back to normal in no time."

"That’s a relief."

"Great!" Brendon exclaims. "And now that we know he’s okay, we should go. We just won Sectionals! We should be celebrating!"

Blaine laughs. “Okay, come on, you animal. You coming, Kurt?”

Pavarotti will be fine without me.