The Bean was Kurt’s regular coffee haunt, en route from his apartment to the college campus (ok it was a slight detour, but it was worth it) and a vibrant atmosphere to boot, he felt it really encompassed New York.

So as unsurprising as it was for Kurt to be in the little East Village shop, he was surprised to see Blaine again, just two days after their initial ‘collision’.

“Don’t worry, I won’t walk into you this time” Blaine grinned as he spotted Kurt sitting at the same table as before. He looked noticeably different from the first time Kurt saw him. Gone was the old Dalton Hoodie and in its place was a much smarter ensemble. It would look dorky on most young men, but Kurt decided it was quite becoming on Blaine.

“Good because this is a full cup of coffee and if I lost it, you’d have to suffer the wrath that is me caffeine deprived” Kurt replied, his voice thick with snark, a tendency that sometimes deterred people from him – but Blaine didn’t seem to notice.

“Phew” Blaine chuckled, dramatically wiping his brow “but seeing as it’s full and your wrath is at bay, do you mind if i join you again?” he gestured to the seat opposite Kurt “Or do you have another class to run off to?”

“No feel free, I’m sorry about the other day by the way, that doesn’t happen very often and it threw me a little” Kurt said with a shake of his head. “Plus that particular tutor is a bit of a dragon lady.”

“Surely she’d be no match for the fearsome Kurt, fully caffeinated and armed with killer designer boots!” Blaine replied, complete with animated arm gestures. “I’ll go grab a drink, be right back.”

Kurt stared after him as he left the table, slightly bewildered. He couldn’t decide whether Blaine was just confident or crazy. Or both. Either way there was something about him that was compelling to Kurt.

Blaine returned moments later with his coffee and a cinnamon shaker.

“So I gather you study in the area” Blaine offered, prepping his drink and licking the stirrer.

“Yeah I’m at Parsons-” Kurt begun.

“Didn’t continue the singing then?” Blaine cut in.

“What?”

“Well you said you were in the McKinley Glee club, what were you guys called again? The Free Willys or something like that”

“The New Directions” Kurt laughed.

“Ahh, yeah I knew it was something mildly inappropriate, my fellow Warblers and I had a few laughs over that one”.

“Yeah, it wasn’t one of Mr Shue’s finest decisions”.

They laughed.

“But in answer to your question, no.” Kurt continued “I left my musical career back in Lima”.

“Any particular reason?”

“Well it wasn’t for lack of trying here in New York. I auditioned for NYADA, but apparently it just wasn’t to be. But I had to get out of Lima, so Parson’s was plan B. Fashion’s always been my thing so-“

“Ahhh” Blaine mused “So that explains the boots”

“What?”

“Well you just obviously have taste, but even for New York you seem quite forward thinking. Especially for an Ohio native” Blaine stopped then, staring at Kurt, obviously worried he may have overstepped the mark, after all he’d only just met the guy really.

Kurt pretended to not have noticed. “I’ve actually been dressing like this for years. Not all my decisions have been, lets say, conventional”

Blaine raised his – freakishly triangular, Kurt noticed – eyebrows, prompting Kurt to continue.

“I wore a kilt to prom”

Blaine almost spit out his coffee. “Really? That was....brave” He nodded obviously trying to picture the outfit.

“It was my homage to the, at the time, recently passed Mr McQueen” Kurt, now looking very serious, added “The outfit was flawless. Perfectly put together. Lima just wasn’t ready for my fashion savvy creations”.

Blaine just nodded again. Kurt thought he may have freaked him with the kilt anecdote. It wouldn’t have been the first time. As he tried to think of how to diffuse the awkward, Blaine piped up:

“I hope it wasn’t windy”

Kurt slightly puzzled at first, quickly caught up with Blaine’s thinking and burst out laughing as a grin stretched across Blaine’s face, his eyes crinkling.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist” Blaine took another sip of his drink, watching Kurt compose himself.

 “So was New York your only option then. Was it only NYADA or Parsons?”

“Basically, New York has always been the place y’know? Initially for the obvious draw of Broadway, but even when that was out of the question, after coming here for the National Show Choir Competition a few years back, I knew this was the place for me. It just felt right” Kurt smiled, glancing out the window at the busy streets.

“Nationals! Wow!” The little furry triangles crept up his head again. “We never got past Regionals, always beaten by either you guys or that group from Carmel High”

“Really? I’m surprised. From what i remember you guys were pretty unique and so in sync!” Kurt could remember the perfect routines and clicking; so much clicking.

“We were well practiced that’s for sure. But private school a cappella only gets you so far.” Blaine smiled before adding “We weren’t the Whiffenpoofs!”

They laughed as Blaine glanced down at his watch.

“Speaking of a cappella, I have a vocal class in half an hour, so i’d better get going”

He grabbed a napkin and pulled a purple fine-liner from his coat pocket, then started scribbling something. Turning the now defaced napkin and pushing it towards Kurt, he said: “We should do this again, maybe when neither of us have classes to get to” He grinned again, collecting his stuff together. “It was nice chatting to you, Kurt. Good Luck with the dragon lady.” And with that he was gone, exiting the shop and heading down the street.

Kurt glanced down at the napkin to see Blaine had scrawled his number on it, complete with smiley face. Kurt had to hand it to the guy, he sure was confident.