I want to be a part of it

[kurtsy]

Comments

[kurtsy]

"Mr Walker?" Kurt was nervous, meeting someone whose work he had admired before. On the other hand, it was almost becoming a common occurrence by now, Isabelle really looked out for him. "My name is Kurt Hummel. Isabelle Wright sent me to pick up the sketches you talked about?"

He was trying to not seem too flustered or look around too much, but of course he was curious. It had been difficult to decide on the right outfit for the occasion and he'd ended up going with dark colours, lace-up boots, definitely in a more alternative direction. Blaine had approved of his outfit pictures in a way that had made them both horny, so Kurt took that as a good sign.

"I'm a big fan," he finally added, like an idiot.

[trickedya]

"I have a fan?" Axel asked as he finished up the sketch he was doing on his drawing tablet, said tablet awkwardly balanced on his thigh as he doodled away in a reclined position, feet up on his desk. He had snoopy socks on today - they weren't his but all of his were dirty so he stole from Cisco. His boots were scattered haphazardly on the floor near his desk but that sort of worked with the whole disordered chaotic energy of his workspace.

Axel looked up at Kurt and then it twigged in his head. Kurt. Ohh, this was Kurt. Isabelle had wanted him to talk to Kurt and kept pushing him to find the time. Well, time had been found.

"Don't call me Mr Walker, you can call me Axel. Mr is way too formal for me." He pushed his tablet onto the desk and then turned in his chair, smiling at Kurt. "The sketches are almost finished, do you want to take a seat? Everyone else is working from home so the office is mine." It was a shared space with four other desks but only Axel needed to actually be in the office right now.

[kurtsy]

"When you gave that interview a couple years ago I cut it out and framed it. It's still up on the wall in my bedroom in Ohio." Back when he had thought he'd never find anyone that could understand him, it had helped so much to realise that there were others out there that were a little bit like him.

He nodded his head and took a seat, hoping to contain his nervous energy before he made a complete fool of himself. "I'm still getting used to be somewhere I can actually meet people that are something. Doesn't really happen where I'm from."

New York City had nothing in common with Lima.

[trickedya]

"Oh God, that. The one in vogue where they showcased the sketches? I was like... 19? That was my first year of the internship." He was a certified art school drop out but his job was better and cheaper than college and his career was only growing. Few people his age could boast the level of success he had in his dream career and he owed it all collaborating with Isabella and her using her pull to get him this job. A true friend to the gays, that gal. "I was sending my sketches to Isabella since I was like 15. Every year, several ones. I must have driven her nuts."

Persistence, in his case, seriously paid off. Axel hit print on the sketches and then properly turned his chair to face Kurt.

"You should get used to it. The longer you work here, the more people you meet. And if you knew about me, you've deep into the vogue lore. So many amazing people to meet." It was a great opportunity. "It truly gets exciting when you get to actually have input."

[kurtsy]

"You were gay and out and you were only a few years older than I was. It made an impression." Kurt had been trying to scour through everything for representation back then. He supposed in a way he still was. Only these days he had more to choose from. "I've been writing about fashion since before I really understood that was actually something people do as a career. I like to style, but I'm not a designer like you."

Although he had definitely based some outfits on inspiration he had gotten from Axel. "I had an idea for vogue.com that Anna herself said was great." He'd have pinned that on his chest if he knew a good way to pull it off. "Everything here is exciting."

[trickedya]

"Not a lot of gays where you're from? Ditto. I get that. So you better be making the most of beautiful NYC and it's vibrant gay scene. Never a dull moment." Axel promised Kurt as he got up and went to grab his prints. He looked at them for a moment, frowning before he came to Kurt and set the sketches down.

"You like style, newbie, so tell me - do you like these? The sketches, I mean. I followed the specs they gave me but..." It was a dull piece and he didn't think his bosses always had the best ideas. He had doubts. Deep doubts. Cocking his head to the side, he looked at Kurt. "It's boring, isn't it? I'm bored of it and I only just did it."

[kurtsy]

"It's not very--" Kurt wasn't about to show a complete absence of tact here but Axel had already pointed it out and he also wasn't one for being a sycophant. A quality that Isabelle appeared to appreciate. "It doesn't look challenging. In any way. I've always felt that your best work looks as if it sets out to challenge. Yourself or society, norms. I suppose this feels safe."

He shrugged and looked at Axel. "You were given specs and I'm sure you fulfilled them. Not every piece can be a masterpiece, right?"

to Blaine

[kurtsy]

I JUST MET AXEL WALKER!!!

[warblainer]

Sweetie, we have different reference points.

Which one is he again? Remind me.

[kurtsy]

he's that amazing young designer

I have the interview he gave when he was 19 framed on my wall

he looked very punk in the pictures

[warblainer]

Oh that kid!

The one who did that whole gay supervillain fashion thingy.

Oh. Cool. Are you colleagues?

[kurtsy]

I picked up some sketches he's doing, Isabelle sent me.

I mean, I'm just a lowly intern.

But he did ask my opinion and then he changed the sketches because of it.

Also, I think he was flirting. Don't you worry, I told him all about my boyfriend.

[warblainer]

I'm not surprised. My handsome bae <3

Just don't let him steal you! Not that I'm not open to fly over with a dozen roses to compete for your heart but I'm crazy broke rn.

But that's so cool!!!

I'm happy for you.

[kurtsy]

are you out somewhere tonight?

can I come?

[punkpride]

I'm literally about to leave the house so yeah

Do you wanna meet up somewhere?

I'm going to a party.

[kurtsy]

yes, I want to meet up

what kind of party, what do I wear?

[punkpride]

I'm wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt but I know a friend of mine is going in a suit. So basically - come as you are, cutie.

It's just drinking, dancing, good music.

[kurtsy]

that sounds good. fun.

where can I meet you?

[punkpride]

You're also Bushwick, right?

Let's meet on the 4 line, Bushwick Avenue.

Meet me inside?

[kurtsy]

Kurt walked in behind Axel, feeling all kinds of awkward - and not just because he could see some arguing in Spanish coming from behind one of the privacy partitions. He sat down on the couch and tried to relax, finding it incredibly difficult.

Casual, not exclusive, he knew what all that meant. It was so much more difficult in practice though than it was in theory and he didn't even find it that easy in theory. "To answer your question... I don't know. I had a good time at the wedding, but no one got married because the bride ran off before the ceremony and my Glee club coach almost had to marry his nemesis, the cheerleading coach, instead. So it wasn't really a good wedding."

[punkpride]

"That sounds awesome, honestly. Weddings tend to be boring or maybe that's the bitter gay part of me." Axel sat close to Kurt and put his hand on the boy's thigh, looking at him curiously. "I'm glad you had fun. I hope there was a reception at least."

The noise from behind the partition was annoying whisper yells that weren't as quiet as his roommates thought but he tried his best to channel it out. "If they start pissing you off, tell me. I'll whack the radio on until they stop."

[kurtsy]

"It's fine. I can't really understand any of it." His Spanish wasn't the greatest and they were definitely talking about something scientific right now, not anything that he could follow. Made it a bit easier to ignore it. The hand on his thigh seemed to burn and he nodded. "There was a reception. It was kind of gay actually, honestly. I think Santana and Quinn hooked up, they used to be cheerleaders. Female cheerleaders."

Obviously. He assumed Rachel and Finn had also hooked up, but what else was new? "So. I arrived and my dad picked me up from the airport. And then Blaine was there when I got home. And then-- Then we hooked up. Like. Within a minute of walking through the door."

[punkpride]

"Woah, right away?" Axel's eyes widened and he grinned at Kurt like a dork. He liked Kurt, he did, but they were casual and they were just having fun. He wasn't really surprised, he had been expecting it but he was assuming there would be more awkwardness. Less was a bonus. "I assume by hooked up, you mean -- you know."

Ah, young love. He wished Hartley would go back to hooking up with him but since his whole love declaration, it sort of stopped. Awkward. "You fucked?"

[kurtsy]

"We--" Made love sounded like it could be made fun of and he didn't want to use the word fuck for what they had. "We slept together." That probably sounded weird again. "We had sex."

Maybe that was better. "And then just... Any free moment we had. Our friend Mercedes kept walking in on us, she was getting pissed." Couldn't really blame her although it certainly hadn't stopped her. "I think Blaine liked how in shape I've gotten."

That was his impression anyway. "And I'm sorry. It feels like I should apologise to you."

[punkpride]

"Why? We're open, you goofball. It means we can hook up. If I was that worried about you hooking up with Blaine, I would have offered to take you and cock-block you." Axel admitted with a shrug as he reached out to gently brush Kurt's hair back. "You're sweet. To worry. People never worry about me or say sorry. Damn, you're so wholesome. And I'm not mocking, I just -- it's cool."

He really liked it. That was the whole draw of Kurt. "And your arms are amazing. You've had serious gains." Kurt was getting hotter and hotter every day. "If it makes you feel better, I can go pull and even us out?"