Chapter Text
"I cannot believe Miss Pillsbury actually implied that the only school that could meet your needs was NYADA," Blaine ranted and Kurt couldn't really blame him for his outrage. Blaine had been pacing the length of his bedroom while Kurt had told him about his meeting with McKinley's only guidance counselor. Kurt meanwhile was lying on his side, arm propping up his head, on Blaine's bed and watching his boyfriend.
"I know," Kurt sighed. "And the sad part is that Rachel totally bought into it. You know how she gets... she's totally convinced that it has to be NYADA or nothing if she wants to succeed. At least I'd had a couple meetings with Mr. Clinton at Dalton last year and know better. What about Pace? Or NYU? Or even Juilliard? Hell, U Michigan has great theater and music departments. There are definitely other options."
Blaine nodded his agreement before looking thoughtfully at Kurt. He sat beside his boyfriend and ran his fingers through Kurt's hair. The only reason he could get away with such an act was because the two of them had no plans to go back out in public that evening. Blaine's parents were once again on a business trip and Burt had agreed to let Kurt spend the weekend if they both promised that there would be no alcohol and no parties. Neither father nor son had discussed sleeping arrangements, each figuring that Burt was better off not knowing anything for sure, even if he suspected that the two boys would share a bed. Even if they hadn't gone all the way, they certainly were more sexually active than Burt wanted to know about.
"Have you given any more thought to what Mr. Jackson mentioned last year?"
Kurt flopped onto his back and looked up at Blaine. "I have, but I just… I've had absolutely no classical training. I've not even taken any voice classes. How in the world could I be ready for anything like Julliard in time? I have less than four months before auditions, and less than two before their application is due. I'm sure I could get through on acting, but music…"
"You have a natural gift, Kurt," Blaine said. "And you are so talented. Do you realize just how rare a true countertenor is? One who sings in a modal voice rather than falsetto?"
"I do know," Kurt said quietly. "I've done the research. I mean, after we figured out that my voice really wasn't going to change. I looked into it."
"Is it because you don't like opera or classical music?" Blaine asked.
Kurt actually laughed at that and sat up to look at Blaine in the eye. "No. You remember how much I loved the operas we saw at Opera Columbus last year and over the summer. I loved the sheer drama and spectacle of the art form almost as much as I love Broadway musicals. HMS Pinafore was just brilliant. So was Aida. And I love the fact that my voice would be considered an asset rather than a detriment in that world. But I'm just not sure that I can cram a lifetime of training into a few months."
"Will you be mad at me if I tell you that I sort of set up a meeting with a voice coach?" Blaine asked sheepishly. "I mean, you won't know if it's possible if you don't at least talk to someone who would know."
Kurt opened and then closed his mouth again before sitting up and saying, "I should be, but I'm not. You're right. It can't hurt to at least talk about it with a professional. When is this meeting? And who are we meeting?"
"Tomorrow," Blaine said. "Susan Grant was a rather well known performer in her time, but now she works with the performers at Opera Columbus and she teaches a handful of private students. She's friends with Wes' mom and agreed to talk with us. She hasn't agreed to take you on as a student but if you impress her, I bet she will."
Kurt wanted to be upset, but a part of him recognized that Blaine was trying to help. "You mean she's going to want to hear me sing tomorrow? I have nothing prepared, Blaine!"
"You can do 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina,'" Blaine said in a placating rush. "And 'Defying Gravity.' Those would show your range and you're amazing at both of those songs."
Kurt huffed and flopped back onto the bed. "Fine but be prepared to run through both songs until your fingers bleed tonight. I refuse to make an ass of myself."
Blaine grinned. "Dinner first and then we can go to the music room and I will play piano for you as long as you want."
Kurt just smiled and pulled Blaine closer for a kiss.
BKBKBKBKBK
Kurt hid his nervousness rather well as they pulled up in front of a small Tudor style house in Troy the next morning. Kurt had been too nervous to eat breakfast, but that was okay. They could eat after the meeting was over. But in the meantime, Kurt felt like he was preparing for an audition and not just for advice over tea, like Blaine tried to convince him.
"You must be Blaine and Kurt?" Susan was rather pretty despite being in her sixties. She was much smaller than Kurt had expected, his mind having conjured images of robust women belting out German operas, even though he had seen several opera divas in Columbus who certainly didn't fit that mold.
"Please, come in."
"Thank you, Mrs. Grant," Kurt said as they followed her into the cozy living room. The home was furnished tastefully and Kurt's eyes were automatically drawn to the full-sized grand piano that took up half of the room. "Your home is lovely."
"Thank you." She smiled as she waved for them to take a seat. After she poured tea for them and began passing them cups doctored to their preferences, she continued, "Please, call me Susan. Even after thirty years, I always look around for my mother-in-law when I hear Mrs. Grant. Now, Blaine said over the phone that you think you might be interested in pursuing a career in classical voice, but are afraid that you have left it too late to be accepted into any programs. Is that right?"
"Essentially," Kurt said as he clasped Blaine's hand. "I had always believed the Broadway was where I wanted to be, but the truth is that with my range, there just aren't very many parts available in musical theater. And then Blaine took me to see HMS Pinafore last season in Columbus and I was entranced. Since then, we've been to three other productions and I have to say, I'm not sure why I've never thought of Opera before, but it certainly fits my desire to both sing and act. Plus it has the added benefit of having actual roles for countertenors."
"This is true," Susan agreed with a nod. "Countertenors are a valuable commodity in the opera world, especially those who can reach higher ranges with a modal voice. Blaine said that you can reach a high F? Is that modal or falsetto?"
"I can reach a high E flat in modal voice," Kurt said. "At least, so far. I've been working on stretching that."
"But you can hardly hear the transition," Blaine claimed on Kurt's behalf.
Susan smiled indulgently at Blaine's defense. "I'm sure. I would need to hear you sing before I could give you any practical advice about your chances, Kurt."
"I thought you might," Kurt said. "I don't have anything classical prepared, but I do have a couple songs that can give you an idea of my range."
"That's perfectly fine," Susan said. She looked at Blaine. "Will you accompany him?"
"If you don't mind?" Blaine asked. At her nod, the two boys stood and went over to the piano. Blaine took a seat while Kurt stood and faced Susan.
For the next several minutes, Kurt allowed himself to get lost in the music. Though he was always nervous before performing, as soon as the music began, it was like he went into a different world and nothing mattered but him and the music. When he sang, he could pour out all of the emotions that he kept hidden from the world. For those brief minutes, he could drop his mask of bitchy indifference and truly connect with his feelings.
As he sang through the two songs that they had perfected the night before, Kurt forgot all about Susan or college. Only Blaine's presence beside him kept him anchored to the real world.
"Oh my," Susan said after Kurt finished, the final notes of 'Defying Gravity' still hanging in the air. "Oh my, yes."
Kurt smiled at her and Blaine came up and put his arm around Kurt's waist before leading him back to the sofa.
"So, what do you think?" Blaine prompted.
"So much raw talent," Susan said after a moment. "What I would give to go back in time a few years and train you up properly! But, as that is not an option…" She drifted off with a sad shake of her head. "Well, most students who go to college to study classical voice have more formal background in vocal training than you have. What they are lacking is presence and the confidence to emotionally connect with the music. You are the complete opposite. You lack the training but have both confidence and presence in spades. You also have raw talent and a rare voice. I cannot say for sure that you will be able to secure a position at Juilliard, but there are many other schools that I'm positive you could get into without a doubt. Carnegie Mellon, Cincinnati Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, NYU, Oberlin, Northwestern, the Curtis Institute, Peabody… all of these schools have excellent programs that I believe you could be accepted into based upon your raw talent alone, assuming your academics meet requirements."
"Academics are not a problem," Kurt assured her. "My SAT score was 2240 out of 2400 and my GPA is a 4.17. I'm ranked third in my class. And I've got glee club, a job and do some volunteer work. The rest of my application should be fine if I can just ace the auditions."
"Well then, let's discuss your preferences and money," Susan said. "Since we'll be working primarily to get you ready for auditions, you need to know which schools you want to apply to very quickly. And to know that, you need to understand the costs for each of those schools. Juilliard may be the best known, but it is probably also the most expensive and might not be the best value."
Kurt flushed. "Well, money isn't really a problem."
"It's not?" Blaine asked with surprise and then he blushed as well. "Sorry, I just…"
Kurt smiled at his boyfriend. "I know. My dad is a mechanic and even though he owns his own garage, it isn't exactly a high-paying corporate job. But my grandparents started a college fund for me before I was born; they and my father have been putting money away ever since. My grandfather was an investment banker before he retired and taught me a little about investing using that fund. And I've been putting at least two-thirds of everything I make into the fund since I was five. Even my lemonade stand money went into that account. And I've been working at the garage for years. Plus… well, I've rebuilt and sold a few cars over the years. I have more than $400,000 either in the bank or invested."
"Really?" Blaine said with a frown. "Why don't I know about the cars?"
Kurt rolled his eyes. "You've seen me working on that GTO. And the 69 corvette last spring. What did you think I was doing?"
Blaine shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought they were cars someone brought to the shop I guess."
"That I worked on for months?" Kurt said with a smirk. "Anyway, I buy the cars cheap and fix them up and sell them for a profit. How else do you think I can afford my fabulous wardrobe? My father's idea of a clothing allowance is pitiful."
Susan chuckled at that and the two boys blushed as they remembered that they weren't alone. "Sorry," Blaine mumbled. "You were saying?"
"I was saying that Kurt needs to decide to which schools he wants to apply," Susan said.
"I've had my heart set on New York for a long time," Kurt admitted. "But I know that it may not be the only option, or even the best option for me. But from a personal standpoint, I want the freedom that living in New York would give me."
Susan nodded. "I can understand that. However, I think that you'll find that other cities can offer some of that same freedom. So you don't apply to Oberlin, but Chicago or Boston would be good for that kind of freedom. Or even Peabody in Baltimore. Think it over and when we meet next week, bring the audition requirements for your top five picks and we'll work from there. Okay?"
"Wait, so you're going to help me then?" Kurt asked with a grin.
"I am," Susan said. "We don't have long to prepare for your auditions since most will be scheduled in November or December, so be prepared to work your cute little tail off. And I'll expect you here for three hours every Saturday and for two hours during the week. Wednesday or Thursday afternoons would be best for my schedule."
"Uh, Wednesdays," Kurt said after a brief moment. "We have show-choir on Tuesdays and Thursdays."
"Then I'll expect you here Wednesday evening with a list of colleges and their audition requirements."
BKBKBKBKBK
Kurt couldn't believe that Susan had agreed to help him out and she wasn't even willing to take payment for her help. Blaine told him over and over again that Kurt was just that talented as they spent the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday working on the list of schools, but it was really hard for him to believe. After a lifetime of being put down, ignored or passed over, even by teachers that were supposed to care, it was hard to accept that anyone found something about him extraordinary. But Kurt did what Susan asked anyway and sorted through all of the schools she had mentioned along with about twenty other schools he found online.
On Sunday afternoon, Kurt dropped onto Blaine's bed and sighed. "We haven't even talked about how any of this affects you."
"What do you mean?" Blaine asked with a frown. He moved from his seat at the desk to lie beside Kurt on the bed. He twined their fingers.
Kurt took a deep breath. "We had plans for New York. Now I'm looking at schools that are definitely not in New York. What if I end up in Boston or Pittsburgh or Baltimore?"
"Then we figure it out," Blaine said. "But I could very well find that I like a school wherever you end up. I'm not even set on what I want to study yet, let alone where. I wanted to go to New York because that's where I thought you would be."
"You should go to the school that's best for you," Kurt said earnestly.
Blaine chuckled. "I could say the same to you."
Kurt opened his mouth and then closed it again. He was silent for a full minute before speaking again. "I guess I have to concede that. Though… I don't have to like it."
"Think about it this way, there are other very good schools in all of the cities you are looking at," Blaine said. "I could very well find the perfect school in the same city. And if I go for music, I could end up in the same school."
Kurt nodded slowly. "What have you thought about studying in college?"
"Well, I like performing, but I don't think I want to be a singer," Blaine said. "I've considered going for either classical piano or composition. Or both. But I'm also interested in physics or engineering or even architecture. Like I said, I don't really know what I want to do yet. I do know that there are good schools in each city that you are considering where I could study any of those subjects."
Kurt rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around Blaine before giving him a rather seductive smile. "So what you're saying is that you'll go wherever I will go?"
"In your heart and your mind, I'll stay with you for all of time," Blaine sang softly and then captured Kurt's lips in a heated kiss.