Kurt sighed heavily.  He really couldn’t be bothered to go out this evening, but he couldn’t come up with a valid reason to excuse himself, he only had one class tomorrow and it wasn’t until mid afternoon. Rachel had been pouting at him for about 5 minutes now and he didn’t have the heart to say no to her when she’d just been dumped.

‘I know I was only with him for a month, but it just really hurt me ok? I just want to go out, have a good time and forget about him’ she stated, looking up at Kurt with wide eyes. Kurt sighed, he felt like an ass now.

‘Okay, yeah, of course Rach, I’m sorry’ he muttered, thinking about how sucky it felt to be rejected by someone you really liked. ‘We’ll get the girls together and you won’t have to think about him all night’. Rachel smiled warmly at him and hugged him around the middle gently.

The pair had a close relationship. They’d been living together ever since they’d moved to NYC after their senior year of high school, two years ago. Rachel attended NYADA, and although Kurt had applied there too and been turned down, he’d managed to get into Parsons and was studying fashion design. After the initial disappointment of the NYADA rejection, Kurt had thrown himself into student life at Parsons and loved it there.

‘Maybe you’ll meet someone new’ Kurt said into her hair, hugging her tight.

‘Maybe you will’ she responded, pulling back to smirk at him, chuckling as he rolled his eyes. Rachel stuck her tongue out at him.

‘You’re going to have to settle down sometime, you keep having flings for the rest of your student life…’

‘Who says I can’t? It’s all the fun and satisfaction, without having to be tied down, what’s the problem?’ he laughed, winking at her. Rachel sighed and poked him in the ribs, causing him to double over, giggling.

‘Now stop with all this boring relationship talk’ he smiled, swatting her hand away, ‘let’s get ready!’

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‘FOUR APPLE MARTINIS PLEASE’ Kurt yelled into the guy behind the bar’s ear. The guy nodded and Kurt turned to grin at the 3 girls huddled behind him. Christie and Jules, Rachel’s friends from NYADA had joined them now, and together with Kurt were trying their best to cheer Rachel up. She was looking decidedly mopey, but the music was too loud to really talk. Kurt settled for leaning over to squeeze her hand. The cocktail glasses were placed on the bar in front of him and all three girls began digging in their purses before Kurt waved his hand dismissively.

‘It’s on me ladies’ he added, and handed over some bills before passing each girl a glass and holding his out to clink against the others.

‘To new beginnings!’ he shouted

‘New beginnings!’ chorused the girls, as they all took a drink. Just as Kurt had finished his sip, a guy walking towards the bar caught his eye. He caught his attention because he had the sparkliest eyes he had ever seen. Kurt internally cringed as soon as the thought crossed his mind. Sparkly eyes? Are you fucking kidding Kurt Hummel? Eyes were not the first thing he usually noticed about a guy. It was normally his arms… or his ass. But this guy’s eyes were like, glinting under the strobe lights and Kurt had to force himself to look away, trying not to think about his gorgeous curls or the slight shadow on his chin that emphasised his jaw line. He frowned. He hadn’t realised he’d noticed so much about this stranger. Pulling his thoughts back to his girls, he got to his feet.

‘Come on grumpy let’s dance’ Kurt said, pulling Rachel up with one hand and beckoning to Christie and Jules with the other.

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It was much later on in the night, when he’d had several more martinis, that he saw the man again. He’d been shimmying with the girls, hamming it up to make Rachel laugh when he’d noticed her empty glass and shouted in her ear that he’d go get her a refill. As he turned and started making his way through the dancing bodies to get to the bar, he’d noticed someone stumbling towards him, and glanced over to see if it was someone he knew from Parsons. However, he found himself in an intense staring competition with Sparkles. Why won’t he stop looking at me? Kurt wondered, although didn’t seem able to look away from this man either, he was gorgeous. He grinned, then suddenly realised how weird this was, and frowned, turning away to continue on to the bar.

‘Wait!’ the guy cried desperately, and Kurt spun round in disbelief, he didn’t know this guy did he? He was pretty sure he’d have noticed him if he went to Parsons... His face was entirely new to Kurt, yet he was still stumbling directly towards him, and Kurt was fascinated. He stopped when he was standing just too close to Kurt, and breathed in heavily, leaning forwards. Kurt started a little.

‘Um, hi?’ he muttered, shooting a confused look to the side. The guy seemed to consider him for a moment, before replying.

‘Hi’

The boy breathed out and Kurt could smell the alcohol on his breath, but underneath that something sweet and inviting. He stared into the eyes that seemed to be boring into his soul, and suddenly the guy was surging forwards and covering Kurt’s lips with his own. He gasped against the man’s lips, and all of a sudden it was as if Kurt’s brain and Kurt’s mouth were completely disconnected from each other. He didn’t know this guy even a little bit; it’s not as if he’d been dancing and flirting with him all night, which is how his encounters usually started. He was pretty sure this guy hadn’t even looked at him until about 30 seconds ago, but here he was now, eagerly moving his lips against Kurt’s, and Kurt was responding with equal enthusiasm. Because this curly haired boy’s lips were so soft and gentle, despite the strength of the kiss, that Kurt couldn’t bring himself to pull away. Couldn’t bring himself to want to pull away. So instead he wrapped his hands around his neck, tangling his fingers into thick curls and tilting the other man’s head back to deepen the kiss. A noise of surprise came from the man’s throat as Kurt dipped his tongue in, and Kurt felt a tentative tongue stroke along his own. He let out a small moan as heat pooled in his stomach at the feeling of the other man’s tongue tangling with his, before drawing back to trace along Kurt's bottom lip. God this was amazing, since when did only kissing feel this good!? Just as Kurt was responding by tugging gently on the guy’s bottom lip with his teeth, his thoughts seemed to catch up with him all at once. This is a complete stranger Kurt; you are not here for you! You’re here for Rachel. Rachel! He pulled away abruptly, eliciting a groan from the curly haired man as he chased Kurt’s lips.

‘Um, sorry’ he mumbled, trying to clear his head of this beautiful boy, ‘I... I need to go back to my friends’, and  tearing his gaze away from the wrecked looking boy in front of him, he pushed his way through the crowd and up to the bar. He found a hysterical Rachel in tears on a bar stool, surrounded by Christie and Jules cooing over her.

‘She’s had too much to drink Kurt, I think we should take her home’ Jules said into his ear. Kurt nodded, trying to bring his thoughts away from that fucking fantastic kiss and think about the friend that needed him right now.

‘Yeah, of course’ he managed to get out, and grabbed one of Rachel’s arms, Christie helping on the other side, and supporting her weight as they steered her through the bodies, to the door, and out into the cold air of the street outside.

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Meanwhile, a blissed out Blaine Anderson was slumped in a booth at the edge of the bar, his thoughts consumed with insistent lips, long fingers in his hair, and the most amazing first kiss he could have possibly imagined.