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wowbright · 13 days ago

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Set of Feathers, Chapter 24: First Snow

Figureskating!Blaine/designer!Kurt Olympics AU for december klaine fanworks challenge. It now has a title! Also on AO3 (with chapter notes).

~~~

The next few days were a dizzying mosaic of sex and sightseeing and more sex and sport spectating and even more sex, sprinkled with meandering conversations and skating practice and last-minute sewing and indulging the culinary senses with the likes of khachapuri, adjika, pkhali, and shashlik. Kurt discovered that borscht was not disgusting like he'd always imagined, but addictively delicious. Blaine’s new favorite soup discovery was chakapuli, which flooded his tongue with the sweet-sour-savory taste of cherry plums and tarragon.

These days were perfect—or mostly so.

Kurt had a few less-than-ideal moments away from Blaine. The first came when Sebastian’s phone rang and Kurt noticed the name Adam on the screen before Sebastian answered and walked out of earshot.

Kurt shrugged it off. Adam was a common name, popular in three religions and numerous countries, spelled the same in French and English and probably a dozen other languages. There was no reason to believe Sebastian was talking to Kurt’s ex.

Besides, whoever Sebastian was screwing was staying a few flights up at their hotel. Sebastian had mentioned that much. And Kurt hadn't seen Adam once in the building.

This luck came to an end one evening when Kurt went down to the lobby to ask the concierge a question and saw Adam in a hipster plaid shirt and beanie with a few other people—presumably colleagues—lugging camera equipment out through the front door.

Kurt hopped back into the elevator before he could be spotted, reassuring himself with the possibility that only Adam's colleagues were staying in the hotel, and not Adam himself.

Then there was the time Kurt turned a corner in the hallway of the skating rink and saw Adam and Sebastian standing awfully close as they chatted.

But Adam was a TV guy, and it was part of Sebastian’s job to speak to TV guys. And considering this with Sebastian, he no doubt stepped into their personal space and got a bit flirty if he thought that would get him on their good side.

Yes, it must be all business.

Adam haunted Kurt again at women’s curling. Kurt had gone alone while Blaine was busy with interviews and was quickly caught up in the slow build of tension as each team swept the stone down the ice. It wasn’t until Great Britain’s seventh throw that he finally noticed Adam on the sidelines in a press box, his familiar mop of dirty-blond hair sticking out from under a knit BBC winter cap, chatting animatedly into a microphone with a sporty-looking older woman in a BBC jacket who Kurt hoped, for the sake of BBC viewers, knew more about curling than Adam, who had never spoken a word about it the entire time Kurt knew him.

Kurt felt suddenly, profoundly sad.

He didn't know why. He wasn't hung up on Adam. And it was Adam who had wished never to see Kurt again, not the other way around.

But maybe that was exactly the reason it hurt.

~~~

Blaine had moments of anxiety, too. The messages from Cooper kept coming, and Blaine kept not reading them.

Plus, there was the whole matter of whether and when to say I love you to Kurt.

Blaine wished he’d just blurted it out the first time it had come to his mind, because now that he’d stopped himself from doing it once, he kept on stopping himself. The afterglow of victory wasn't the right time because it might sound like something he said only because of his winner’s high. During sex wasn't the right time, because Blaine couldn't trust himself not to spin out into self-doubt if Kurt didn't immediately respond in kind, and after sex wasn't the right time, because he was just as emotional after sex as he was during it. Out in public wasn't the right time, because they couldn’t kiss. And on and on.

The longer Blaine put it off, the closer it got to the men's singles competition, bringing Blaine back to the same situation he’d been in before, afraid the fallout of any declaration might throw him off his game.

Finally, Blaine was starting to be troubled by the fact he never saw Sebastian in the suite. It was wonderful to have so much privacy, but Blaine worried he might have unintentionally crowded Sebastian out.

“Does Sebastian feel like we evicted him? He's never here.”

“I don't think so,” Kurt said, looking up from his sewing. “He still comes in a couple times a day to grab things, and he's always weirdly cheerful. He's just busy having tons of sex with his European.”

“I don’t think it’s sex.”

Kurt looked absolutely scandalized. “Of course they're having sex! This is Sebastian we're talking about. Besides, he told me. He said he finally understood why people slept over at each other's places when they had sex, because that meant you could have sex again in the middle of the night and more sex in the morning.”

Blaine’s face heated up. He and Kurt had been doing a lot of that, and it was as wonderful as it sounded, and now that Kurt mentioned it, he’d like to do it again. “I didn't mean they're not having sex. I meant, if he's spending all his free time with this guy, I don't think it's just for sex. When I met him—”

“You met Sebastian’s mystery man?”

“Yeah. That morning after you got in. He was in the cafe downstairs having breakfast with Sebastian. His name is—”

“I don't need to know his name. If Sebastian wants me to know it, he'll tell me.”

Blaine thought that was strange. But Blaine loved Kurt because he wasn’t like everyone else, and besides, it made a certain amount of sense. “Fair enough. It's just that, Sebastian seemed so … smitten. Like a kid having his first crush. He was hanging on every word.”

“And what about the other guy? How does he feel about Sebastian?”

“I didn't ask him. But let's put it this way. It took me a few minutes to catch on to the fact that they were eye-fucking each other, but once I did, I also noticed that they never stopped. No, eye-fucking’s not the right word. It was more like eye-making-love.”

Kurt burst out laughing. He was so cute when he laughed. Blaine wanted to make him laugh all the time. “And how do you tell the difference?”

Blaine thought about it. “There was a little bit of bashfulness to it, which means there’s feelings involved, not just sex. Also, the conversation. They were fascinated by each other.”

“Interesting.”

“Still, it feels weird. Sebastian’s always told me you should never sleep with the same person two nights in a row. And now he’s gaga over this guy. What if he gets hurt?”

“He might,” Kurt said. “But at least Sebastian’s European isn’t the type to intentionally break hearts.”

“How would you know? You don't even know his name.”

Kurt’s expression turned enigmatic. “You're right, I don't. I just have a sense.”

~~~

Blaine made himself finally look at his messages from Cooper the day his brother was scheduled to arrive in Sochi. He was in Kurt’s room, and Kurt was in the bathroom singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to himself as he finished up his hair, and Blaine was happy. That was the best time to confront your fears, right? When you felt happy? Besides, Blaine knew he couldn't ignore Cooper once he landed. He would have to talk to him, at least professionally.

Blaine searched his text message archive and pulled up the first text he’d ignored. I don’t understand what you're so upset about. I'm trying to give you an opportunity to say what’s on your mind. And I thought you'd be more comfortable with me than with somebody else.

“What happened?” Kurt was standing in the door of the bedroom. “You’re scowling.”

Blaine's first instinct was to say It’s nothing. It was always hard talking about family stuff. People would misinterpret what he said and take things to one extreme or another. Some would be dismissive, telling him they didn't see what the problem was when his parents had given him every material thing he'd ever wanted and had never beat him or called him despicable names for being gay. But most would be too enthusiastic in supporting him, turning into armchair psychologists who diagnosed his family members as irredeemable pathological narcissists and telling Blaine he should cut ties with all of them forever—and that was even worse. It wasn't accurate (he’d gone through the criteria of narcissistic personality disorder with his therapist, and they didn’t fit), and even if it had been, it wouldn't be an excuse to talk about them like they were monsters. They were complicated, like everyone was complicated. They had flaws, but they had goodness, too. That's why he loved them.

But hiding this from Kurt wasn’t helping, either.

“I— it's about my brother,” Blaine said. “I feel like he's being a little dickish, but also I haven't talked to anybody about it because I don't want them telling me he's dickish, because he's not. I mean, not fundamentally. I mean— I’m not making sense.”

Kurt sat down on the loveseat next to Blaine. “You're making perfect sense. I'm allowed to say shit about my dad or my stepbrother or my drunkard aunt, but if anybody else does, they’re toast. It’s basic etiquette. You don't diss on another person's family members unless they explicitly give you the okay, and even then you’re playing with fire.”

Blaine turned and looked at Kurt’s face. His expression was somehow simultaneously sardonic and warm. That was what made Kurt’s form of humor special, Blaine suddenly realized. The words could be so acerbic, but they weren’t born of cynicism. They were born out of an expectation that the world ought to be, and could be, better.

“So, I told you the reason I almost missed that team meeting in Colorado Springs was because I was stressed out from all the media interviews,” Blaine said. “But that wasn't completely true. I was stressed out from one interview—the one with my brother. We don't have the most … equal relationship? It's really hard for him to see me as an adult and someone who can make my own decisions. And I told you he's been pushing me to talk publicly about Russia outlawing ‘gay propaganda’ because … I don't know. I think it's his weird way of trying to show me that he supports me. And maybe he thinks I'll feel better if I make a big statement. And I'm sure it would boost his ego to get a scoop that none of the other media have managed to get.” Blaine sighed.

“Yeah. I remember him and Sebastian arguing over whether he could ask you about that,” Kurt said. And that was all he said. He didn't say Well of course you should say something and he didn't say Your brother is a pushy bastard and he didn’t jump in with advice.

It was such a relief.

“The first time Cooper requested an interview about it was in December. And then he more or less let up until his job had him focusing on the Olympics full time. But now he's like a dog with a bone. He's been texting me every day about it, when I’ve told him I'm not going to say anything. And it's not because I don't want to. It's because I understand a lot better than my brother how Russian society and politics work, and I know that an American figure skater making a big ruckus about it isn't going to make a damn bit of difference.” Blaine lowered his voice. These days, the tendrils of Russia’s surveillance agencies reached deeper into the internet than into hotel rooms, but it never hurt to be cautious. “And let’s say I was doing something to make a material difference. I wouldn’t endanger it by talking about it with my blabbermouth of a brother. Besides, being gay and being here and performing well in a sport that the Russians have dominated forever, without hiding who I am, makes a pretty huge statement already.”

“Have you told him any of that?” Kurt said. It wasn't a suggestion, like questions sometimes are.

“No. But I did tell him to stop asking me, a few days ago. Every message he sent to me since then, I've just archived. But I can't ignore him forever. So I decided to look just now because I was in a good mood and I don't need to compete for a few days so I'm relatively low stress, and I figured I could handle whatever he wrote. But apparently I can't. Even though technically he didn't ask me again. So I should be grateful for the progress and yet … I'm not.” Blaine passed his phone to Kurt.

Kurt scrolled through the text exchange. “Which is the message that set you off?”

Blaine shook his head. “‘I don't understand what you're so upset about.’”

“Yep. That would set me off too. Did you read his newer messages?”

“No. I saw red and stopped.” Blaine took a deep breath. He’d started this. He was going to have to see it through. “Would you mind scrolling down and telling me if the messages get worse or better?”

Kurt was silent for a moment. Blaine resisted the urge to read over his shoulder. “I think … it’s better?” Kurt handed the phone back to Blaine.

But it doesn't matter if I understand why you don't want to make a public statement. You have a good shoulder on your heads, so you must have a good reason. I'll stop asking. And I'm sorry I was stressing you out.

New topic: The Lego Movie is hilarious. Also oddly touching? Okay, fine, I cried a little. You should totally see it when you get back.

Also, what should I try first when I get there? Pelmeni or piroshki?

Blaine laughed with relief. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep from crying. “I'm so embarrassed. You must think I'm the biggest drama queen.”

Kurt's hand on Blaine’s back was steadying. “No, I don’t. That’s Sebastian. And I would have been upset too, in your shoes. It's good that your brother apologized, but it doesn't instantly erase what you've been going through.”

“I don’t know. It's not right to take it out on him when he said sorry.”

“You weren't taking it out on him. You were feeling your feelings. Those are two different things. Being here at the Olympics competing against the best skaters in the world is stressful enough, without having the fate of Russia put on your shoulders. You don't have to hold it against him if you don't want to, but it's okay to be angry when something hurts.”

Love washed over Blaine. He was so grateful for Kurt, who somehow knew him better after a few weeks than Blaine’s brother did after 30 years.

I love you, Kurt, Blaine wanted to say, but he didn't. He leaned his head on Kurt’s shoulder and whispered, “Thank you for understanding me.”

~~~

The slopes were abuzz with activity: Spectators arriving and leaving, camera crews everywhere, and athletes flying through the snow at dizzying speed. Now that he was here, Kurt wasn't sure that watching the snowboarders had been the best choice of activity for the afternoon. He was constantly on edge, waiting for them to crash and break every bone in their bodies. The longer things went without that happening, the more it seemed the next person going down the slope would face disaster.

“Oof!” Blaine winced as Šárka Pančochová smacked the back of her helmet against the hard-packed snow.

“Oh my God she's dead, she's gonna die, she's sliding down that slope like a ragdoll, oh my God I just saw somebody get killed—” Pančochová’s limp body had come to a stop at the bottom of the slope. She was on her back, not moving. Kurt couldn't breathe. He was seriously going to die, just like her.

She lifted her head.

She sat up.

The crowd exploded in cheers.

“I don’t think snowboarding is for me,” Kurt said as Pančochová finished the rest of her trip down the slope unaided.

“Yeah,” Blaine said. “My fingers hurt.”

Kurt looked down to where he was gripping Blaine’s hand like a vise. He let go. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

Blaine shrugged and smiled. “It’s kind of sweet, actually.”

“That I almost broke your hand?”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “That I’m someone you feel comfortable squeezing when you’re freaking out. But maybe we should get out of here? Find something to do that won’t give you a coronary?”

“That would be lovely.”

Blaine led the way out of the crowd. It was a relief to simply follow him, tuning out the people and focusing instead on Blaine’s purposeful strides and the easy way he walked through the commotion, smiling and nodding at the people around them. The sky above was white with clouds, the air cool. Kurt felt his blood pressure returning to normal.

“Hello, Blaine. Fancy seeing you again.”

The hairs on the back of Kurt’s neck prickled.

“Oh, hey, Adam,” Blaine chirped. “Your crew must be excited about Jenny Jones. If she stays in third, she'll be the first Briton to medal on snow, won’t she?”

“Yes! A third of the country is watch— Oh. Hello, Kurt.”

Kurt turned toward the voice. He caught the tail end of a smile on his ex’s face.

Blaine didn’t seem to catch the change in Adam’s expression. “I didn’t realize you two finally met!” He smiled brightly and turned to Kurt. “When did that happen? This morning?”

Kurt found himself unable to answer. He felt Adam searching his face for a hint on how to respond, the way Adam had done so frequently in the last half of their relationship, when Kurt had hidden his feelings so well he’d become little more than a mystery for them both to solve. Just like then, Kurt had no clues to offer.

Adam didn't allow the pause to grow uncomfortably long. “We know each other from New York,” he said.

“Oh! That’s crazy! Kurt, Adam is the guy Sebastian introduced me to! What a small world!” Blaine bounced on his toes like this was the best surprise that could possibly happen in Sochi, medals included.

“It’s … unexpected.” Adam laughed. It was a forced laugh; Kurt was well acquainted with the difference between Adam being real and Adam acting. “Sorry, I can’t really chat right now. I need to get back to the booth. Later?”

“Later!” Adam disappeared.

Kurt asked the question he already, deep down, knew the answer to. “When you said Adam was the guy Sebastian introduced you to, did you mean …?”

“Yeah. That's Sebastian’s mystery man.”

“Holy fuck.” Kurt needed a chair. Why weren't there any chairs out here? Or a bench? Kurt found an empty ledge and sat on that, instead.

“What's wrong, Kurt? Is he a horrible person? He seems nice. A little boring, but that's just a matter of personal taste.”

“He’s—” Kurt paused. “He’s the ex I told you about. The one who hates me.”

#Figureskating!Blaine/designer!Kurt Olympics AU #december klaine fanworks challenge 2024 #day 19: snow #wowbright writes fic #klaine fanfiction #my klaine advent

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