Chapter 1

Kurt desperately needed a job. At this point, anything but stripping and selling drugs would do. The NYU sophomore had been in New York City for over a year now, and hed been coasting without a part-time job. His dad would send money when he was able to, and on top of that Kurt had a bit saved up from all the summers hed slaved at the Lima Bean back in Ohio. But now things were changing. He was barely hanging on by a thread, and earning some money of his own would be necessary.

Unfortunately, his father made a little too much money for him to be eligible for financial aid, but not enough to actually be able to cover his tuition, rooming, and cost of textbooks—not to mention having to pay to feed himself. New York—as beautiful as it was, and as at-home as it felt—was expensive as shit. The scholarship that Kurt had received didnt help as much as hed hoped.

Last month, there was a job fair that Kurts friend Sebastian dragged him to. Friends were hard to come by for Kurt, and needing the money, he decided to attend as well. As great a guy that Sebastian was, attending a job fair with him probably wasnt the best idea Kurt had ever had. They were complete opposites; while Kurt was the nerdy, dweeby kid who barely spoke above a whisper and tended to keep his head sheltered between the pages of a book, Sebastian was the type to dominate a room. He had personality and could get along with just about anybody. No one walked all over Sebastian. Kurt left the fair feeling extremely small that day. Though he gave out his resume to tons of places, he knew that none of them would call. They wouldnt even remember who he was. Sebastian on the other hand did amazing. He spent his evenings and the weekends working at a recording company.

That was just the way things went in Kurt Hummels life.

There were very few places hiring. All of the jobs Kurt thought hed be successful at were taken. Barnes & Nobles wasnt hiring. Starbucks wasnt hiring. His stint as a customer service worker in Macys didnt last long. It had only been a week before asshole customers were demeaning him, saying horrible things without even thinking twice. His supervisor wasnt helpful at all. He only got 15 hours a week. It wasnt worth the stress.

It was actually when Kurt had gone to a small Indie bookstore tucked somewhere in Midtown Manhattan that the teenager received some helpful advice. Though the manager of the family owned business wasnt in the position to hire anyone right now, she handed Kurt a small card and smiled sweetly as she spoke.

"This is the agency that I used when I was looking for a nanny. They are looking for babysitters as well. I dont know if youve ever worked with children, but I think youd enjoy it Kurt."

Kurt was unsure. Hed babysat before but it was for an hour or two at a time, giving his neighbors back in Lima a chance to go out for date night. The experience wasnt the best because little George was an asshole, but he had to admit that it paid.

"Its one of the most sought out agencies in the city," she continued. "And even if this isnt what you want to do, at least give it a shot until something else opens up, you know?"

Kurt looked at the Absolute Best Care business card. It couldnt hurt to try. "Thank you," he said with a smile, nodding to the woman. Juggling his textbooks and the card shed given him, Kurt slowly turned to exit the store. He decided that if the Science Museum he applied for didnt get back to him, then hed give the agency a try.

…

The Science Museum did get back to him, but only to say that they wanted to thank him for applying but another candidate was chosen. Kurt didnt know what he expected. He sucked at interviews. He was much too shy, much too book nerdy and not quite the outgoing personality many companies looked for.

The Absolute Best Care Agency seemed to like him, though. The woman who interviewed him was named Ms. Copper, and she admired how intelligent Kurt was. It went without saying that he had a good head on his shoulders. They discussed babysitting "etiquette" and what parents were looking for, and before Kurt knew what was going on, he was in orientation with a bunch of women ages 25-55. It wasnt exactly what he thought would become of NYC Kurt Hummel, but money was money.

A few days later, Ms. Copper called to let him know that hed been placed. A family in uptown Manhattan needed a babysitter from Monday – Friday, and it was perfect because it wouldnt interfere with Kurts NYU classes. He told her that he was interested. Like the manager of the bookstore said, you gotta start somewhere. This little gig couldnt hurt too badly, could it?

The interview was for Monday morning. Kurt fixed his glasses as he rushed down Fifth Avenue. The sun was hiding behind clouds as rain threatened to fall on the windy, April day. After checking his leather band watch, Kurt realized he had two minutes to be at the Anderson residence for his interview, and as he stood on the corner of 100th Street and 5th Avenue waiting for the traffic light to change in his favor, the teenager acknowledged that he already failed at the punctual part of the interview.

This was just his luck.

By the time he reached 102nd street, rain started to pour. Kurt hadnt bought a new umbrella after the last one he owned was destroyed by the wind and abandoned on Broadway, so needless to say he did get a little soaked. As he entered the building, he got an odd, distasteful look from the doorman.

"Can I help you?" he asked. The doorman was a big, burly man who seemed to not want to be there.

Kurt groaned at how wet he was, lowering his jacket from over his hair where hed been using it as a shield from the rain. He was late. It probably made no sense to go to the familys condo now. Kurt surveyed the lobby of the building. They were loaded. They wouldnt have the patience for someone who didnt show up on time for a job interview.

"Can I help you?" he repeated. This time, there was a hint of annoyance in the older mans voice. Kurt gave a small smile before replying.

"Im sorry. Im here to see Sarah Anderson. I have an interview."

The doorman watched him for a moment before picking up the telephone on his desk. He had a hushed conversation before hanging up and gesturing to the elevator. "The floor is 15. Itll be the only condominium on that floor."

Kurt nodded to him and walked over to the elevators. He did so slowly to observe the leather couches and marble floor of the lobby in the luxury building. Everything told him to leave—he didnt belong here. He just couldnt see a rich and more than likely snobby family hiring the likes of him.

…

"Shes late. Im calling the agency."

Blaine hardly had a chance to enter the room before his wife had begun. He rarely got a good morning from her nowadays. "Anything couldve happened, Sarah. Give her a chance to get here."

"Daddy!" a head full of dark curls bounced as Blaines daughter hopped up over the couch. Blaine smiled, allowing the little girl to jump into his arms.

"Well if this nanny doesnt know any better than to leave a little early in case something was to happen, then she clearly lacks common sense. I dont know if shed be the right choice to care for our daughter, Blaine, or to even be trusted in our home."

Blaine didnt know if he should answer his wife or let her continue to talk over him. It wasnt like she was going to let him win anyway, even if she was wrong and lacking a bit of compassion at the moment. A couple minutes late wasnt the end of the world.

The phone rang and Sarah stalked over to answer it. As she held the receiver to her ear, she played at the expensive pearls around her neck. "Yes, we are expecting someone. Send them right up. Thank you, Pernell."

Madison played at her fathers tie as per usual. The six year-old was without a doubt daddys girl, and the way he rocked her in his arms and blew raspberries into her cheeks was a testament to that. After hearing her laughter, Blaine pulled back to look into the beautiful blue eyes.

"Are you ready to meet your new nanny?"

Madison shrugged at that, and her father could understand. The last one the agency sent was about 50 and not much fun.

Sarah hung up the phone and looked at her husband. "Arent you going to be late for work?"

"Ill be fine," Blaine responded. He let Madison down and sat her on the sofa, and she picked up the book shed been reading. "If its fine with you, Id like to hang around to see the person the agency sent. Theyll be spending a lot of time here with Maddie, after all."

The doorbell rang and Sarah took a deep breath, fixing her Armani blouse. Blaine looked away from the woman as she pulled back her long blonde hair, shaking his head and going to answer the door. He was about to say hello and introduce himself when the person standing there wasnt the person he expected to be there at all. "Um… can I help you?"

…

Kurt stepped off the elevator once it reached the 15th floor. He didnt have any money to tip the attendant who pressed the button for him, so he shyly smiled and walked off without a word. Pushing his wide rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose, he looked around the beautiful halls and approached the front door of the Anderson residence, tapping the doorbell twice.

It was quiet inside, and he waited patiently for the door to be answered. The top of his Henley shirt was damp and the bottoms of his pants were as well, and he didnt know if he wanted to enter their condo with his wet shoes. This was shaping out to be a trying day. He shouldve stayed in his dorm room and faked the flu.

After a moment, a man dressed in what was without doubt a designer suit opened the door. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s when Kurt got a good look at him. But when Kurt got a good look at him, he damn near fainted.

He was handsome beyond words.

The man with the curly hair stared at him dubiously at first. Dark curls covered his head but were styled neatly into place with a bit of gel. His shirt fit him perfectly; just enough to make out the lines of his pectoral muscles beneath the soft green fabric, and Kurt really liked his black skinny tie. Before he could examine the man any further, he spoke.

"Um… can I help you?"

Kurt stood there with his lips parted. Answer him, idiot!

A blonde woman with blue eyes and a beautiful floral dress stepped up behind him. She was a bit shorter but her presence definitely dominated the room. "Can we help you?" she repeated.

"Uh, I…" Kurt shook his head to gather his thoughts. "I-Im sorry. My name is Kurt. Kurt Hummel," he rushed out. "Im with Absolute Best Care and I was sent here for an interview with the Andersons?"

The man looked him up and down and then a smile crossed his face. That was the last thing Kurt expected to happen. The woman however only rolled her eyes.

"They sent a boy? How old are you? 15? I thought the agency was more reliable than that—"

Kurt watched as the man he assumed was her husband shushed her. "Please come in… it was Kurt, right?"

Kurt nodded, otherwise silent. "I um, its raining out there."

The man with the dark curly hair smiled at him, and Kurt felt weak. Staying at the dorm wouldve been a great decision. "I can see that. You can leave your shoes here if youd like," the man told him, gesturing to the mat inside. "Ill take your jacket for you."

So Kurt did as he was told. He handed his jacket over to the man in the suit and smiled at the little girl he saw curiously watching him from the living room.

This place was enormous.

The living room itself was like four of the dorm rooms at NYU. The kitchen was massive, and covered in marble and stainless steel and sheer beauty. Kurt couldnt imagine the rest of the place.

"My name is Sarah Anderson and this is my husband, Blaine," the woman told him. Gorgeous wasnt good enough a word to describe her. Kurt forced a smile as he offered his hand. Hed need to take a class on how to be sociable because hed never quite mastered that. Kurt didnt master a lot of things. After the intimidating Sarah shook his hand, doing what Kurt was sure was covering up her disdain, Kurt turned to Blaine and shook hands with him. He blushed at how Blaine looked at him and then faced the woman again.

"They didnt tell me they were sending a boy. Ive never heard of a boy live-in nanny and I dont know how good an idea that is."

Kurt had his hands at his side as an eyebrow went up over the teens glasses. "L-Live-in nanny? The agency said you needed a babysitter."

Sarah laughed. "A babysitter? Im an editor of a fashion magazine, married to the partner in a law firm. We have a six year old. A babysitter wont cut it. Cant they get anything right?"

Kurt didnt know what to say to that. He closed his mouth though and nervously played at his suspenders. Live-in nanny? No way. Not with this lady.

"How about we take a seat?" the husband asked. He smiled at Kurt, placing a hand on the small of his back and urging him towards the living room. "Ill get you some coffee so you can warm up. Darling." He turned to his wife and gave her this smile that covered an expression Kurt couldnt quite decipher. "Would you like anything?"

Sarah shook her head no as she glared back at him. "Im fine, honey. I just dont know if Keith would be the best choice for what we need and Id hate to waste his time like the Absolute Best Care Agency has wasted mine."

Kurt took a deep breath. "I-If youre uninterested I can tell my boss and she can get someone better suited—"

"Please have a seat, Kurt. Sarah," Blaine said. "We cant have Kurt travel all the way here in the rain and then write him off before he gets a chance."

Kurt looked between the both of them before staring down at his feet.

"Get out of those shoes and Ill get you some coffee," Blaine told him. The man walked off; his expensive Salvatore Ferragamos sounding against the gorgeous parquet floors as he went.

Sarah smiled at Kurt, though it was incredibly forced. The blue eyed teen bent down and untied his laces before pulling off the shoes. He cupped the bottom of his brown corduroys and stood up, forcing a smile back.

…

Blaine peeked into the living room as he poured a cup of coffee for their guest. He listened to the conversation between his wife and Kurt, which seemed to be a bit one-sided. Most conversations that involved Sarah tended to be one-sided.

It was a bit of a shock that their agency sent a male to be their potential nanny but if they sent him, they mustve thought he was right for the job. Blaine watched as the young man nodded at whatever his wife was saying, and watched as his daughter looked at Kurt curiously. He smiled, grabbing a few sugars and the cream and heading into the living room.

"Thats why I explained to the agency that we were looking for someone who could work Monday through Fridays and live in our home. The weekends would be theirs. Blaine and I do have some late days at work, and even bring work to home. We need someone to get Madison ready for school and take her to her dance lessons and help with homework, light housekeeping when the maid isnt in. Things like that."

Blaine nodded to Kurt when he said thank you and accepted the coffee. He then picked up his daughter and sat on the sofa beside Sarah.

"Where do you go to school, Kurt?"

"I go to NYU," he said, playing at his glasses. He seemed nervous and like he wanted to be anywhere but here. "My major is journalism and Im usually in class between 9:30 and 2 from Monday to Thursday."

Blaine nodded and looked down at his daughter who pulled at his tie. "Have you ever babysat before?"

Sarah looked at Kurt, curious as to his experience. He shook his head a little, fingering the rim of the cup.

"Ive only done so around the neighborhood when I was in high school but the responsibilities you all need," Kurt said and then trailed off. "Your daughter is beautiful and I can tell shes a priority of yours. I dont want you to have to settle for someone like me."

Sarah watched her daughter blush at the beautiful part. "Someone like you? Meaning?"

Kurt swallowed hard and sighed. "Im 19 years old. The only full-time job Ive ever had was at a coffee shop in Ohio. I dont have any siblings so the whole being responsible for someones daughter throughout the whole week is definitely a foreign concept to me." He fiddled with the cup. "Im not saying that I couldnt do it if you wanted me to. Id do an amazing job. But Im only looking for something because I need a job. You both are probably looking for someone who has been in the field forever and is passionate about it."

Sarah turned to her husband. Blaine lifted his eyebrows and smiled a little. He liked the kid, and he knew Madison did too.

"This is probably the most Ive spoken since Thursday," Kurt said with a blush, looking down at his hands.

Blaine smiled at him. Kurt seemed like the bookish type, but there was nothing wrong with that. Bookish was a good type to be around his daughter. "Youre from Ohio? Im from Westerville."

That got the timid teenager to smile a little. "Lima. A couple hours away."

"Ah." Blaine nodded. He then looked at his wife. "I know he isnt exactly what we expected…"

"He isnt," Sarah said quickly. "No offense, Kurt. But I have a six year old daughter. I dont think I could trust a boy around her."

Kurt nodded his agreement. "I completely understand that."

"I trust him," Madison said. Blaine looked down at her and Kurt smiled a little. "And I like your suspenders."

"I like your shoes. I used to have shoes that lit up, too."

Madison smiled at him as she moved into her fathers side.

Sarah resumed. "Someone your age… I dont want to seem like Im being discriminatory but I can just imagine a teenage boy bringing girls back to my home and I cant have that. Not around Maddie."

Blaine watched Kurt swallow the coffee and shake his head, looking around condo for the umpteenth time. "I suppose thats true too. If I were in your position I would make the same assumption. But, Im not interested in girls at all, Mrs. Anderson. If I were, I doubt a guy like me could get a girlfriend."

"So youre gay?" she asked.

"Darling," Blaine said.

"I am," Kurt told them. "Even if I wasnt, I wouldnt disrespect your home by bringing other people here while I was taking care of Madison. I know Im young, but Im not irresponsible."

Sarah stared at him. "So you have no interest in live-in?"

Kurt almost dropped the cup and silently cursed himself. He couldnt even hold a cup correctly. "If—Are you really interested in me working for you?"

Blaine was still stuck on the gay part. He looked Kurt over once more before he heard the tail end of what his wife was saying.

"…the agency. Youre majoring in journalism. I work in the journalism field. I can get you at the very least a desk job at a magazine company if you work for us the next two weeks. You dont have to live-in, but Blaine and I do need help getting Maddie to school and back home and getting homework done too. Youll be free to go as soon as one of us gets in from work."

Kurt looked like he was thinking about it, and he seemed to be very unsure.

"Two weeks is the max. Maybe this shamble of an agency can find us someone to live-in before then."

Kurt looked at Blaine and the man smiled at him, though Blaine wasnt sure if his wife was serious. Maybe Kurt being gay made everything alright. She was extremely stereotypical about gay people. She thought they made fabulous friends and they were great at decorating. There was definitely a reason she was suddenly interested in hiring him now.

"I… I guess I can help out. I really do need this."

"Excellent," Sarah clapped her hands together and then looked at Madison. "You can start today. Our driver will drop you off at NYU after you get Maddie to school. Ive also prepared this packet for you with her schedule, allergies, hobbies, bed time information, everything. You also have contact information for me and for Blaine."

As the woman went on and on, Kurt nodded, taking it all in. He looked through the book and then back at Sarah, and then eventually to Madison as he smiled and shook her hand. Blaine watched the three of them before acknowledging that he needed to get to work. He stood and kissed his daughter goodbye, followed by his wife, and then shook Kurts hand.

"It was lovely meeting you. Thanks for helping us out with this, Kurt. Ill be home at 5 today." He handed him a copy of the keys and a couple hundred bucks. "Call if you need anything."

Kurts eyes went wide and he nodded. "I will. I can give you both my cell number now."

Blaine nodded, pulling out his phone. The group exchanged numbers.

"Now," Sarah said, smiling at how Madison took Kurts hand. "Were going to do a quick tour of the place. Well start with Maddies room."

Blaine smiled at them all before leaving. He nodded to Kurt as the teenager locked the door behind him and then went on his way. It shocked him that his wife seemed ok with such a young kid taking on the responsibilities of a nanny. The last one had they had was substantially older than both him and his wife, and she spent more time with Madison than they had. It was unfortunate. Blaine swore hed change that.

…

Kurt had one hell of a morning. For one thing, he spent an hour with Sarah Anderson. They talked about virtually everything under the sun. Kurt was nervous, but he believed he could do the job. She even showed him his bedroom if he were to decide to move in and take the job permanently. Kurt didnt know about that.

But then he got to hang out with Madison as the Andersons driver took them to her school. Madison was brilliant. She was only six but he swore that she was smarter than him. After making him promise to read her five stories when she got home from school and watch Nickelodeon shows, the girl joined her class in line at school. Kurt smiled and instructed the driver on where he was going, thanking the elderly man when he let him out at the NYU campus half an hour later.

…

"So do you like it?"

"Its too early to tell," Kurt whispered to Sebastian as they sat in class. "The family seems nice… well I thought the mom hated me but I dont know. She seems ok."

Sebastian scribbled in his notebook. "Well those condos on Fifth Ave are worth millions so Im guessing theyre fucking loaded. You better hold on to this gig. And if they want you to move in, Im sure living in a Fifth Avenue condominium is better than living in an NYU dorm room with Jesse."

"Jesse is a great roommate. He can be a little loud, but hes cool. I like him."

Sebastian nodded. "Uh huh. Thats the problem. You like watching him bang other guys when he thinks youre asleep."

Kurt checked his phone and read the text that caused it to vibrate.

From Mr. Anderson:

Hey, Kurt. Howd everything go this morning? Did you find your way ok?

"Whos that?"

"Mr. Anderson," Kurt told him. He typed out a response. "I shouldve asked the driver to pick me up after classes today but I didnt want to push my luck."

Sebastian scoffed. "Youre a dumb ass."

Kurt cleaned his glasses, shrugging. "This is five hundred bucks a week. I dont want to screw it up."

His friend hummed acknowledgment.

To Mr. Anderson:

Everything went great. Thank you.

From Mr. Anderson:

Ill bring home dinner so you dont have to worry about cooking tonight. What would you like?

Kurt smiled at the message. Madisons dad seemed really cool.

To Mr. Anderson:

Whatever Madison likes to have is fine with me. :)

From Mr. Anderson:

So you want a happy meal? Whatever floats your boat. :P

Sebastian tried to sneak a peek at the phone when Kurt started to smile. "Are you banging the dad, Kurt? Its been one day. I respect you, bro."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Im not dignifying that with a response."

To Mr. Anderson:

On second thought, Ill take a salad. From Chipotle if it isnt too inconvenient.

From Mr. Anderson:

Thats more like it.

"Youre totally banging him."

Kurt gathered his things as the class ended. He didnt know what to with Sebastian sometimes.

...

When Blaine arrived home that evening, he struggled through the door with dinner and his brief case. He hated to work from home because Sarah often made that difficult, as did Madison with her constant desire to play. Blaine really couldnt say no to his little girl. But it seemed that tonight, saying no wouldnt even be necessary.

Kurt was at the dining room table, laptop open and textbooks surrounding him. He fixed his glasses on his face and laughed at Madison; the curly haired girl singing along passionately to the Sponge Bob Square Pants theme song. Blaine smiled, closing the door behind him.

Kurt looked over to him and rushed to help out. Blaine nodded, allowing the kid to take the bags of food. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Kurt said, carrying everything to the table. He smiled when Maddie realized her dad was home and ran to attack, getting kissed dozens of times by the man.

"Hows daddys Princess doing?"

"Great! Kurt helped me with my homework and we read a bunch of stories. I helped him with his essay too."

Blaine smiled at her. "Did you, now?"

Kurt turned around after clearing his things from the table. "My professor would love her. She should apply for a TA position."

Blaine laughed, running his hands through the little girls long hair. "Go get washed up for dinner."

"Ok!"

She ran off, and Kurt was about to go to follow her when Blaine called out to him. Kurt stopped and about-faced, watching as the man pulled off his coat. Mr. Anderson was way too handsome. Even taking off his coat was sexy. "Yes sir?"

"No sir," Blaine told him with a smile. "Im Blaine. Ok?"

Kurt nodded, ducking his head a bit. "Blaine. Got it."

Blaine looked at him for a while, only looking away when the teen cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you considered the whole live-in thing. I know you werent looking to be a nanny but Id be willing to work with you, and I know Sarah will as well. You have a good head on your shoulder and I can tell my little girl is already getting attached. I dont think Maddie has ever warmed up to someone so quickly."

Kurt looked up at him and then smiled, glancing away. "I wasnt planning on it to be honest, but I dont know. You and your wife are really helpful and Madison is incredible. I think Id be kind of stupid to reject a position as sweet as this."

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, you would."

Kurt laughed and Blaine saw him blush, smiling at the look of it. He raised an eyebrow when Kurt took his coat and gestured to the hook, going to hang it up for him.

"Thank you."

Kurt nodded. "No problem."

"So." Blaine folded his arms over his chest as he heard his daughter singing aloud. "You dont have a boyfriend?"

Kurt was taken aback by the question, but only shook his head no as he nervously fidgeted at his glasses. "I dont. Im not exactly looking right now."

"Oh," Blaine said. He then smiled. "You can go wash your hands too. Ill get the food ready."

Kurt smiled too, but walked off without looking at his bosss face. He headed back to the bathroom and smiled at Madison as she came prancing out, sticking their tongues out at each other. Blaine smiled at them as he undid his tie.

After eating dinner, Kurt cleaned up a bit and went into the living room with his new friend so that they could watch TV together. Blaine focused on the case he was working on. He had to be in court early the next morning, so getting this done early would be great. Yet he couldnt stop watching Kurt; the teen smiling as Maddie ran her mouth, the both of them discussing their favorite shows. Blaine smiled and went back to his work. The agency made a pretty good choice.