Authors Note: This is an AU that presumes homosexual tolerance in a time when it was historically unacceptable as per original GK prompt.

Say it Out Loud

Chapter 1

'I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille.' Kurt purred, raising his knuckles to his brow and casting his face into one of abject sorrow, pressing himself backwards into the silk cushions.

'Er, Abrams,' the director cleared his throat. 'It's Abrams. We discussed this yesterday? And the day before that. You made me wear this name tag and-'

'Yes, yes, okay.' Kurt sighed as the moment was lost. Glaring to his side, he saw Dave cover his face with a gloved hand, while his body shook silently with laughter. 'I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Adams.' He arranged his limbs once more into that of a tragic hero, widened his eyes into beloved large and watery pools that his public yearned to leap into, pursed his lips into a pucker that Clara Bow would happily rip off his face and throw into the Pacific. He became Kurt Hummel. America's number one box office star. Well, after Valentino. But he was working on it.

Reclining against the couch, he shook and gasped as Dave Karofsky entered the room, his sword lifted high and a smirk plastered on his face. 'Aha,' he said, raising a finger to his eyebrow and smoothing along it. 'I have found you at last, Count! And now I shall have you! You and your fortune!'

'Never! The Masked Rider shall come! He shall save me from your horrific clasp of evil.'

Kurt started as Dave grabbed him up by his arm and drew him to his meaty chest, shaking him roughly as Kurt battered against him and struggled to escape.

And struggled.

And struggled.

Kurt peeked one eye open and peered at the door behind Dave. With a quick glance upwards he caught Dave's expression of confusion.

Oh, for Goodness' sake.

'Never!' he repeated. Louder. 'The Masked Rider shall come! He shall save me from your horrific clasp of evil.'

The door remain closed.

'Oh, no-' Dave cried. 'Is that the door I hear?'

Nothing.

'Cut!' Kurt cried, pushing Dave away and heading for the door.

'I'm supposed to say that!' protested Artie, wheeling towards them. 'Cut!'

Kurt ignored him, swinging open the door, one hand upon his hip. 'Are you deaf? You missed your cue. Ag-oh!' Kurt broke off as he saw his leading man on the other side. In a very comprising position with one very flexible chorus girl.

'That's it,' whispered Kurt softly, rubbing at his temples with his finger-tips. 'I want this oaf off the lot. I want him fired.'

'Fire him? But he was hired by Mayer himself,' Abrams hissed, turning his head away as the entangled couple quickly tried to dress themselves.

'How wonderful for him. And he can have the pleasure of firing him himself, too.' Kurt held up a finger. 'And if Mr. Mayer has any issues with that, you may want to remind him of my last movie's box office returns and that my contract is reaching its end. Perhaps I'll return that call to Griffith, after all?'

He looked them all over slowly. Abrams looked nervous and worried. Dave looked concerned. And his leading man, Puckerman or whatever his name was, looked a mixture of agitated and satisfied. Suddenly, Kurt felt more lonely than he had in weeks.

'I'll be in my dressing room,' he announced, raising his nose in the air and leaving them all behind.

Reverently, Kurt's fingers drifted over the bumps and indents of Blaine's last letter to him. It had been an age since Kurt had seen him, and the loss never diminished in its freshness. He glanced up at his mirror, ignoring his reflection and smiling at the photographs that lined its edge. Blaine smiled back, his arms spread wide as he twisted himself into another complex move and Sebastian, his partner, reached out in preparation for when he fell back to Earth. God, Kurt missed him. There had been a time when he had thought that they would never be apart but life had other plans and had laid down different paths for them both. For Blaine, it had been the pull of vaudeville with his blow-hard of a friend Sebastian. For Kurt, it was the bright lights of Hollywoodland. They had foolishly thought that their love would be enough for them both to have their dreams.

They had both been very young, naive. They had both been very wrong.

A soft knocking at his door shook Kurt out of his memories, and he pushed the letter out of sight before calling out a quiet invitation to enter.

'Hello,' said Dave, closing the door behind him. 'You okay?'

Kurt fussed with his hairline and ignored the question. 'Has that idiot been fired, yet?'

'Yes, well, from this picture at least. He was still pulling up his trousers as he left the lot. According to Evans, he managed to pick up two more broads as he went out the gate.'

Kurt tutted. 'No accounting for taste. I honestly didn't think they could find anyone worse than that Hudson boy.'

'He wasn't that bad!'

'He tried to dip me and managed to give me concussion!' Kurt pointed at his crown. 'Here, feel my head! There's still a bump.'

Dave cleared his throat and reached his fingers out tentatively to touch, but Kurt slapped at his hand. 'And what about that Rory person? I couldn't understand a word he said!'

'But it's a silent-'

'And don't even get me started on that Mike Chang. You call that dancing?'

'Actually, I thought he was pretty good.'

'Who is supposed to be the star here? They don't come in their droves to watch some newcomer dance around me. They come for me.' Kurt blanched at his own tone. 'I'm sorry, Dave. I'm being a brat. I'm just- not sleeping I guess.' His fingers edged towards Blaine's letter, his mind wandering to his words, the ones that said he was coming to Los Angeles and wanted to see him.

'It's okay.' Dave shuffled his feet. 'Are you coming to watch the dailies?'

'Is there any point? The whole thing will need to be re-shot now.' Kurt frowned. Was that a wrinkle? 'It can't be that hard to find a good looking idiot to stand there while I drape over him half naked, can it?'

'Well, not when you find fault with every newcomer they send in, no. And you're just disappointed that they wouldn't give you that Gilbert,' laughed Dave.

Kurt smiled at that. 'And you're not?'

'He's, uh, not my type actually.' Dave stuttered, rubbing at the back of his neck.

'I was just joking, Dave,' answered Kurt. 'I know you and that producer are often stealing away for nightcaps. Lopez, is it?' Kurt waved a hand. 'It's okay, I won't say a word.'

'Actually, that's what I came in- I mean.' Dave gave a deep breath. 'So, the gang are going out for some drinks later and-'

'What we need,' said Kurt, tapping at his lip. 'Is someone handsome, graceful and strong. Someone the audience can connect with, you know?' He turned in his seat and looked into his image in the mirror. 'Someone who just looks right with me.' His gaze was caught by the picture taped to the frame. 'Oh.'

'Oh, what?' Dave's voice was low and raspy and when Kurt met his eyes in the mirror, there was a blush spreading across his face. He seemed to do a lot, Kurt thought absently, probably embarrassed that Kurt had made that crack. Amazing to think he was currently Hollywood's go to villain, when he spent every minute looking awkward and uncomfortable. Kurt would have to help him out of that habit. Later.

'I think,' continued Kurt, smiling at Blaine's face. 'I have found the perfect leading man.'

'Okay, now, Blaine. Walk from that door to the window. Then pick up the vase and put it on the windowsill.' Kurt smiled as Blaine glanced at him uncertainly. 'Go on,' he said encouragingly.

Blaine nodded and then wiped his hands against his pants, muttering under his breath, before rising his head he smiled brightly at the camera.

'No, no! Don't look at the camera!' Kurt cried. 'Towards the window, Blaine, watch out for the-' He bit down on his lip. 'It's okay, the vase was a prop. We can get a new one. Brittany, go find something for Blaine to pick up, will you?' He nodded as the girl hurried off. 'And then we can start again.'

'This is riveting,' sighed Sebastian, leaning back in his chair and exhaling smoke from his lips. 'Mildly more exciting than your last cinematic masterpiece.'

'Please feel free to leave at any time,' replied Kurt through gritted teeth. If he had his way than Sebastian would be tied up and on a train track on some other lot, but Blaine had insisted he only felt comfortable with this if the dolt was somewhere nearby.

'No, I'm serious.' Sebastian sat up and stared at Kurt earnestly. 'That movie of yours. The Urchin and the Pirate?'

Kurt watched his face carefully for signs of cruel jest. 'Yeah?'

'Oh, wow. I mean. I was glued to my seat!'

'Really?' Kurt smiled shyly. Perhaps he had misjudged Sebastian all these years.

'Yeah. Otherwise I would have got up and left.'

Kurt turned away and concentrated on holding his temper in check. He needed to keep on Blaine's sweet side after all. The last thing he could was choke Sebastian on a roll of film. 'Of course you didn't like it. I'm sure this is an art form that flies over your abnormally shaped head.'

'All I know is that your snow drift of a face was fifty foot high and children were screaming and crying. There was nothing I wanted to understand.' Sebastian wrinkled his nose. 'And are you allergic to clothes? Or does material crawl away from you in horror rather than touch your body.'

Blaine interrupted before Kurt could get up and head out to find an ax. 'I don't understand the point of this, Kurt,' called Blaine from the stage. 'Shouldn't I be talking? You know, acting?'

'The point of the test to see how you move on the screen, Blaine. And you're doing great!'

'Liar,' whispered Sebastian, his hot breath fanning against his cheek. 'What's this really about?'

'I don't know what you are talking about,' sniffed Kurt. 'A part came up that was perfect for Blaine and aligned with you two being in town. I'm just being a good friend and looking out for your careers. Perhaps if Blaine catches on, you two can take your act to the screen.'

'Perhaps we like our act the way it is?' Sebastian countered. 'And we don't need any lesser man's Pickford fouling it up for us.'

'How dare you?' Kurt snapped. 'Do you have any- Blaine, can you not climb on the furniture? It's quite fragile. Artie? Don't film that.'

'Do I have any idea who you are? Is that what you were going to say?' Sebastian shook his head. 'Get this, Pasty, I intensely don't care. And I would much rather that your inherent selfishness stay away from mine and Blaine's lives. It took us a long time to get to where we are today, and I won't have you mess it up because you are struck by a whim.'

'It is not a whim!' protested Kurt. 'This could open a lot of doors for you and-'

'And maybe Blaine will take your twig like torso into his arms and fall in love with you all over again? Maybe decide tinsel town is for him, after all? Great. Just great. And what about me? Where do I end up?'

Kurt shook his head. 'And I'm the selfish one?'

'I'm back!' announced Brittany, holding up a bundle in her arms. 'And I found something for Blaine to pick up!'

Sebastian blinked. 'Is that-'

'Rin Tin Tin,' answered Kurt. 'Zanuck is going to kill me.' He looked over at Blaine who was looking positively star struck. 'Oh, well. It will have to do. From the top!'

'Genius, utter genius!' Mayer mumbled around the rim of a cigar. 'I knew you looked good in pictures, kid, but who knew you had a talent in casting!'

Kurt grinned, settling back into the chair. To think, he'd actually been nervous about coming in here and pleading Blaine's case. Of course Blaine had nailed it. He was a natural.

'I thinking that he'd be more than perfect as my lead, don't you?' Kurt said smoothly.

'You got that right, kid. You got it right.' He took the cigar out of his mouth and pointed at Kurt. 'Now, how about changing the name. Something that will light up a film poster alongside your name-'

'Below. Below my name...'

'... Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel in their newest motion picture! See them dance, see them cry! See them love!'

The words left a nestle of warmth in Kurt's stomach. 'Well, I'm glad you're coming around to the idea, but my name would actually be firs-'

'Kid's got great features, I'll give him that. Classic. And a good height. You look better with tall men.'

'Hasn't he?' Kurt smiled. 'And- wait? Tall? Blaine's not tall.'

Mayer frowned and puffed on his cigar. 'He looked pretty tall in that screen test. You put him on a box or something?' He had actually. But Blaine had managed to trip over it twice while chasing after the dog and that had put paid to that.

A feeling of unease was working its way up Kurt's spine slowly. There was something off here. Something wasn't adding up.

'What- what else did you think of the test?'

'What else? What else is there? Camera loved him. Guys and dolls go gaga for a cocky lead these days.'

'But Blaine's not...' Kurt swallowed audibly. 'How many tests did you get?'

'Two. This, uh, Blaine and that goofy pygmy that was running round with a dog breaking lot property.' Mayer paused. 'I liked the dog, can we get the dog?'

Kurt's blood turned to ice. 'Smythe?' he breathed, his nails digging into the hand rests at his side. 'Sebastian Smythe.'

Mayer made a face. 'See? It just doesn't work. This Blaine Anderson is a much better bet.'

'Blaine is the pygmy! I mean- Blaine was the test with Rin- with uh, Rover! That was the one I sent, the only one I sent!'

'Uh. You think this Blaine is attached to his name? It's a great name. Would look good in print.'

'Of course he is attached to his name! And I want him attached to this role!'

Mayer shrugged. 'With all that manic spinning and all those odd faces he pulls? Come now, Kurt. I sent that over to Warners.' He laughed low. 'They could do with a bit of comedy over there.' He patted the reel at his side. 'But this other one you sent was more you. I've arranged for the kid to come see me later today.'

'No! No no!' Kurt held up his hands. 'I want Blaine Anderson in the picture with me and that's that!'

'That's that?' Mayer watched him, his eyes beginning to well up. Oh, God, no. Kurt hated it when he pulled this trick. Kurt much preferred it when the man was screaming, throwing things and yelling. Although, he had a habit of doing all four at once to get his own way. 'That's your response to my trying to help you? You and your dwindling box office?'

'What on Earth are you talking about? I'm this studio's biggest draw.'

Tears were running free from Mayer's eyes now and he stubbed out the cigar viciously. 'I hate to tell you this, I do. But your last movie didn't touch your previous three movies in returns. The audience is bored. It wants something-' he paused as Kurt sighed and lent over and gave him a tissue, '-fresh and exciting. Like this.' He sat back and pulled open the drawer to his desk, collecting a handful of magazines and fanning them out on the surface.

Kurt glanced down at the Modern Screen, Screenland and Photoplay magazines that now littered the desk. The same earnest, pretty face stared back at him with soft brown eyes. 'Rachel Berry? Who's she?'

'Your replacement.' Mayer dabbed at his eyes. 'If you don't start bringing in the ticket stubs again.'

Kurt picked up the nearest and began to flip through it. '"Miss. Berry is MGM's latest signing and-" wait, she's signed with us?'

'Of course! What would you have me do?' Mayer shook his head and stared over at Kurt. 'She's a popular on stage and all the gossip columns are lit up on her. I have to give my public what they want.' He sighed sadly and tapped at the reel once more. 'If only you would give me what I want. Or, hmm, or maybe I could find a part for Berry on this movie of yours.' He paused for dramatic effect. 'Maybe your part?'

Kurt stared back, a rising panic cresting in his throat. In his mind, he saw Billboards with his name being taken down and the text Rachel Berry replacing it in the air. He couldn't do that. He had worked too hard to get here, he had lost too much. And besides, no doubt Sebastian would do something to get himself fired by lunch-time and Kurt would be free of him.

'Fine,' spat Kurt. 'But just one picture, okay? And I want Blaine to have a part, too.'

'Sure, sure. Whatever you want.' He grinned widely and pushed his glasses up his nose. 'Glad you could see things my way. You'll see, this is going to be good for you!'