#fixture

[heavensdoorways]

Evelyn Ackerman, Door pulls,

ERA Industries, USA, c. 1960,

Brass, glass micromosaic inlay,

2 l × 1 dia in (5 × 3 cm)

[blondebrainpowered]

Described as an early nightlight, this cabaret sign in the form of a bat is from late-18th- or early-19th-century France. The fixture has a two-foot wingspan and is composed of wrought and rolled iron, rivets, and glass.

[alekijohu]

Smoke detector

Beep

[klaineadvent]

art by @justasmallbloginabigklainefandom

[forabeatofadrum]

Ever After (5/21)

Notes: In this chapter, you notice that The Cooper Chronicles are a book series from the 90s, because there will be some ableist language and what not. Similar things will pop up throughout the fic, since, ya know, things didn't age well from The Cooper Chronicles. Good ole B.D. Dalton has declined to comment for now.

AO3 | S&C

–

FIXTURE

Blaine’s life continues. His days are filled with practising alchemy in order to turn it into his Passion, prince duties, reading and meeting up with his friends. He knows that Kurt is still at the infirmary. The staff update him and his parents on Kurt’s condition, since the queen requested that. Blaine almost wants to tell the staff to stop.

But he is curious. He cannot deny that. Blaine tries to ignore Kurt, but he’s a fixture in his life now. Blaine keeps thinking about what Kurt said, especially when David sends him a bird with the first chapter of a possible book about Cooper’s life.

It’s terribly written, but that’s not the point.

Kurt’s healthy and all right, thanks to Blaine, but he’s still in the infirmary for his confusion. No one knows where he came from, so they also cannot help him get home. Kurt keeps mentioning names like New York, America, Earth, but Blaine’s consulted the huge digital atlas in the castle’s library and there are no kingdoms or empires or whatever nations that bear those names.

When Cooper and his posse visit home, he’s also told about Kurt.

“I can see if I can help him,” Cooper tells his parents.

“Please do. He seems to long for home, but we do not know how to help him,” the queen says.

So Cooper and his wife Arasha go to the infirmary, but he comes back later, looking defeated.

“Mother, I know it might sound rude, put to put it plainly, I think we have a lunatic in the infirmary,” he says.

“Oh my,” the queen gasps, “Poor man. I wonder what happened to him!”

“Did you use your magic?” the king asks.

Cooper nods.

“Of course I did, father.”

The king looks deep into thought.

“I was trying to find a position for him in the castle, so that he could at least leave the infirmary and start a life in Daltonia while we find a way home for him, but this changes things.”

“Can he live on his own?” the queen wonders.

“Mother, are you suggesting that we confine him?” Blaine asks. The thought makes him uneasy. Sure, Kurt’s words make no sense, and it greatly upset Blaine, but he doesn’t know if he agrees with Cooper’s assessment.

“Maybe. If it’s for the best.”

“The best for who?” Blaine asks.

Cooper sighs.

“Blaine, I have met many people who couldn’t be saved. I wish it weren’t this way, but some people cannot be left unsupervised.”

“And you think Kurt is one of those people?”

“He’s talking as if he’s from another world!” Cooper says back.

Another world? That does sound insane to Blaine’s ears. Even with Cooper’s All Power, which is the most powerful magic in the world, there’s never been a reason to believe there’s another world. This is the world. That’s it.

But Kurt mentioned places that don’t seem to exist. Did he make them up? Or does he believe them to be real?

Even so, confining him seems wrong. He just wants to go home, wherever that is.

“Father, mother, you cannot…”

Blaine’s father holds up his hand.

“We will not make any rash decisions. We cannot call anyone a lunatic and confine him without a proper assessment. That wouldn’t be fair. But we must at least consider it.”

Okay, so Blaine has time.

Time to warn Kurt.

--

“Blaine, what a surprise,” Kurt says, “It’s been a week since you ran out.”

“Oh. Uh. Hi,” Blaine says awkwardly, “Sorry. I’ve been busy.”

“Gosh, I wish that were me. I am bored out of my mind,” Kurt laments, “Nurse Marcus gave me one of those nifty digital books, so I have been reading. It’s nifty that good ole B.D. Dalton already came up with ebooks, in the nineties! But man, I just want to leave. But people seem to think I am mentally unwell or something.”

Blaine cannot argue with that. Cooper said it himself.

Speaking of…

“My brother visited you,” Blaine says.

Kurt laughs.

“Yup. That’s Cooper of Daltonia. He sold it. It almost makes me believe this is real, especially when he used that magic.”

“You still believe this to be a dream.”

Kurt sighs.

“Honestly, Blaine… I start to doubt it. I don’t think dreams can be this long. But what other explanation is there? I’ve been telling myself this is a dream to keep sane, but… I don’t know how much longer…”

Kurt seems really upset by this, so Blaine needs to choose his words carefully, but how can you be careful in this weird situation?

“Maybe… this is another world?” Blaine says, thinking about what Cooper said.

“Another world?” Kurt sounds sceptical, “Sure.”

“You don’t think so?”

“It sounds straight from a-” Kurt cuts himself off.

“From a?” Blaine prompts.

“A story,” Kurt says, voice strained, “From a work of fiction. Like The Cooper Chronicles.”

“But we don’t, uh, have other worlds.”

And Daltonia isn’t fictional, but Blaine keeps that comment to himself.

“True,” Kurt frowns, “There’s never been a multiverse storyline in The Cooper Chronicles, and boy oh boy, there are a lot of extras. But if it isn’t a dream, or a prank, then… a different world sounds like the most logical thing.”

Nothing about this is logical, but Kurt knows that too.

“Then how do we get you back to your world?” Blaine asks, “Assuming this theory is true.”

“I have no clue,” Kurt sounds defeated, “I guess we just need time to figure it out.”

But time is a thing they might not have. Everyone seems to believe that something is wrong with Kurt’s mind, and Blaine cannot blame them, he did so too (and still does, since all of this sounds too weird!), but that means that even if the king and queen aren’t going to immediately confine Kurt into a place for lunatics, it will happen. Every doctor or professional will say that something is wrong with him.

Blaine tells Kurt this, and he watches how Kurt’s face morphs from confusion to shock.

“They want to lock me up?” Kurt whispers.

Basically. It’s not the word Cooper and Blaine’s parents use, but yes.

“That can’t happen,” Kurt sounds distressed, but he tries to keep his face neutral so that the nurses or doctor don’t come asking what’s wrong.

“I’m sorry,” Blaine says quietly, “The Royal family can do these things.”

Kurt stares into space for a while, and Blaine gives him time to process this. After a while, Kurt leans towards Blaine.

“You’re Royal too, right? You’re Blaine of Daltonia.”

“Yes?”

“Then get me out of here. Now.”

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

Day five: fixture

Ao3

Blaine doesn’t understand how he gets so lucky. One minute he’s debating finding Tina again, even though he’s been worried she was otherwise occupied with the guy she’s been talking to, and the next, he’s sitting on Tina’s long twin bed talking to Kurt. Yes, his name is Kurt Hummel, he recently moved to New York with his roommate Rachel, and he’s somehow more attractive up close.

They are maybe three feet apart. Each holding their drinks and a small plate of snack food between them. The conversation flows so easy, just as it had on Black Friday. Bouncing from topic to topic, no awkward pauses or stares.

He wishes he could stay in this room forever, just talking to Kurt. Or kissing Kurt.

In the middle of telling Kurt about their bodega cat, who is in desperate need of a name—

“He’s a bit of a fixture now and I’m trying to convince Rob to name him. Rob insists no name, no feeding but I've been secretly feeding him for weeks now.”

—Tina walks in.

“Blaine!” She’s clearly been drinking.

“Hi Tina, having fun?”

She pouts, “not as much fun as you are.”

Blaine chuckles and introduces Kurt.

“Tina and I met in high school. Both wanted to come to the city for school, she’s stuck with me now.”

“Traveling states together does tend to do that to friendships,” Kurt agrees.

Likely because he’s in the same boat with Rachel.

Tina thrusts her hand out for Kurt to shake. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“Can I sit too?” She asks, already climbing into her bed.

“This is your room,” Blaine reminds her, “you don’t have to ask.”

“But you’re talking, I don’t want to be a bother.”

She puts her head on Blaine’s shoulder. Tina is clearly tired but Blaine knows if he points this out she will deny it and protest her need for sleep. So, he leaves her be and continues talking to Kurt.

Within minutes, Tina’s out for the count. Blaine quietly suggests they put her to bed and lock up.

“Are you heading out then?” Kurt asks, as Blaine shuts the dorm door.

“I’m,” he looks around. The party is ongoing but Blaine is honestly kind of done. “Actually I’m hungry for some real food, there’s a decent diner around the corner if you’d like to join me.”

Kurt pauses for a moment. “Yeah I’d love to.”

The weather has dropped. It’s windy now and drizzling just a bit.

“Wish I had an umbrella,” Kurt says. “This won’t be fun to walk in later.”

“Maybe it’ll clear up?” Blaine replies.

They get seated by a window and watch as the rain turns from a drizzle to pouring almost instantly.

“Maybe not,” Blaine corrects himself.

Which earns him a hefty laugh from Kurt and he’s never been so happy to be wrong.

[retropopcult]