Kurt let himself sleep in on a Saturday. It was the least he could do for himself, he reasoned, what with working double shifts in the week and trying to sort through the mounting pile of responsibility in his free time. Aimee had learned to entertain herself. She was more than capable, having sussed out the DVD player months ago. She knew as long as she kept the volume on the TV down, she could watch anything she wanted. Kurt, of course, made sure that only her extensive collection of Disney, Dora the Explorer and My Friends Tigger and Pooh DVDs were within reach. In this way, Kurt could wake up on a Saturday mid-morning feeling slightly less murderous.

As was usual for a Saturday, Kurt woke up at ten, showered and dressed, then went downstairs to make breakfast for the two of them while being serenaded by the dulcet tones of Timon and Pumba. He told himself he would read a few more chapters of the book he was aiming to have read by the end of the month, but he soon forgot that idea in favour of sitting watching the pancakes cook in a semi-asleep state.

His phone rang pulling him out of his thoughts and making him jump out of his chair. Trying his best to quickly compose himself, he pressed the answer button on his phone.

"Hello, Kurt Hummel speaking," he said, his voice croaky from not being used all morning.

"Hi," said a voice on the other end "I read in the paper about a position managing a tyre shop, is there any way I could make an appointment to discuss the details with you?"

"Certainly," Kurt replied. "I'm not sure what my schedule is like for the next few weeks, but if you're available, I could meet you later today?"

"Sounds perfect," said the person on the other end of the phone. "Shall we say The Lima Bean at two?"

"That would work for me," said Kurt, hardly containing thrill of finally ridding himself of this burden. "Just bring along your r�sum�." He was about to say goodbye when he realised that he still hadn't got the person's name.

"Oh, I'm sorry, how incredibly rude of me," he said, the laughter evident in his voice. "It's Sebastian. Sebastian Smythe."

-------

"But Kurt, you promised I could watch Dora all day today," said Aimee tearfully as he announced it was time to get dressed and get ready to go out.

"Aims, you can still watch Dora," said Kurt feeling frustration like he had never known. Aimee was very good at remembering promises and Kurt was normally pretty good at keeping them. But this had to be done today and she was just going to have to deal with it.

"I WON'T BE ABLE TO IF WE'RE GOING OUT! IT'S SO UNFAIR! YOU PROMISED!"

Kurt waited for her little burst of anger to dissipate before continuing.

"Are you finished?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't say anything – just glared at him as if he was everything that was wrong in the universe. Kurt fought hard not to laugh. She was adorable when she was in her moods, but at the same time, Kurt wouldn't take any crap from her.

"Like I was trying to say before I was rudely interrupted – you're going to hang out with Uncle Puck for the day," he continued, "and you know that he'll let you watch Dora. So what are the tears for?"

"Uncle Puck? Really?" said Aimee, her face brightening.

"Well, I'm not lying, because that would be wrong," said Kurt with a small smile. "But I think you do owe someone an apology now." Aimee tackle-hugged him round the middle.

"Sorry for being such a meanie, Kurt," she said softly. Kurt lowered himself to her eye-level and smiled.

"You're awesome, Aimee," he said, with a smile as he gave her a tight hug. "I know it's tough for you. It's tough for me as well. We're going to make it, though. Because we're tough, aren't we?"

Aimee made her "lion-face" – something she had invented as a way to scare off the monsters in her closet – and Kurt chuckled softly.

"Let's switch off Dora and get ready then," he said, ruffling her hair.

Once Aimee had calmed down it only took her about twenty minutes to be completely ready, packed and in the car. It was only another five minutes until they were outside Puck's apartment.

"Well, if it isn't the prettiest girl in all of Ohio!" said Puck as Aimee bounded through the front door and ran straight into him. "How are you, Princess?"

"I'm fine thanks and you, Uncle Puck?" said Aimee with a shy smile.

"I'm great," he said with a grin. "A whole lot better now that I know we're going to hang out!" He span her around a few times, Aimee giggling on the top of her lungs. "Also, don't tell Kurt I told you this," he said in a mock whisper, pretending to cast a nervous glance at her brother, "but if you go into the kitchen now, I think there might be cookies and milk waiting for you." Aimee didn't waste a minute in rushing off to see if Puck was telling the truth.

"So, she has a Dora the Explorer DVD in her backpack. If it gets too much for you, suggest colouring. Those are the two loves of her life at the moment," said Kurt, with a small smile.

"It's chilled, man," said Puck, clapping Kurt on the back, "I've looked after her before. She's awesome. We're gonna have a blast."

"Thanks for doing this, Puck," Kurt said, smiling sincerely. "I know it was short notice, but... thanks."

"Not a problem, dude," Puck replied. "Like I said, anytime you need a break, just let me know. I can't imagine how crazy things must be for you at the moment."

Kurt didn't say anything, but stared ahead of him and nodded with an unreadable expression. Puck suddenly looked at his watch and then at Kurt.

"Well, you said you have a meeting or something like that to go to, so go," said Puck, grinning. "You don't wanna be late. And don't you dare stress about Aims. We're gonna be fine."

"Point taken," said Kurt, chuckling softly. "See you later. And thanks again."

"You're welcome," Puck replied. "Have fun. Don't do anyone I wouldn't do."

Kurt couldn't help but laugh.

-------

Blaine had been having his average Saturday. He got up early out of habit and watched some of the Saturday morning cartoons, forced himself to have breakfast (even if it was just a couple of slices of toast), got dressed into his comfy home clothes and planned lessons and crafts for the week.

Except that this wasn't his average Saturday because for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about Kurt Hummel.

Okay, he knew why. Kurt Hummel was more or less the most perfect person he had ever met. He wasn't the first guy that he had ever felt this way about, but it was definitely the hardest and most sudden crush he had ever developed in his life.

There had been previous relationships and nearly all of them had ended in disaster. It wasn't that he was actively out to destroy them; it was just that he seemed to have some kind of disease when it came to holding on to a guy - relationship cooties or something.

Oh God, did you really just use the term "relationship cooties"? You need some grown-up friends. And fast.

There was no point in trying to concentrate anymore. His mind was too full of thoughts of Kurt to do anything productive. Instead, he toyed with the idea of going to grab a coffee. God knows it had been too long since he had last been to the Lima Bean. For someone who had regular status it was just plain sad.

He was brought abruptly out of his thoughts by the sudden sound of his Skype call tone. Surprised, as he wasn't that used to being called on a Saturday afternoon, he checked who it was and his face broke into a grin.

"Sebastian!" Blaine said as he answered the call. He was immediately rewarded with a giant grin.

"Hey Blaine," replied Sebastian. He looked like he was in the middle of somewhere busy, like a restaurant. There were people chatting all around him. "How have you been?"

"I've been great," said Blaine, unable to stop smiling. This was the first school friend he had spoken to in ages and the grown-up interaction was like a breath of fresh air. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since graduation. Last I heard you were out East trying to make a name for yourself in Hollywood or something."

"I was actually in New York helping my father run his company," said Sebastian with a small laugh, "but I'll take whatever makes me sound more appealing to you."

Blaine wasn't sure what to say to that, so he settled for laughing.

"Anyway," said Sebastian with a grin, "I'm at the Lima Bean and I was wondering if you were interested in joining me for a coffee? You know, to catch up and all that?"

"I'd love to," said Blaine. "I was actually just thinking about heading to the Bean before you called."

"Well then," said Sebastian with a smirk. "It must be fate."

Blaine laughed nervously. The way he had said that seemed a little intense. But it could also just have been Blaine's overworked mind playing tricks on him.

"I'll be there in about twenty minutes," he said.

"Can't wait," Sebastian replied with the same twisted smile, before signing out. Blaine shuddered slightly before shaking his head and slamming his laptop shut.

Almost exactly twenty minutes later, Blaine found himself clutching a medium-drip, striding over to his old classmate having changed into clothes that were safer for the public eye and having spent a little more time than usual on fixing his mess of curls. He didn't have feelings for him or anything, but Blaine couldn't deny that Sebastian Smythe was one good looking person. And maybe Blaine was a little shallow in that way, but he wanted to look just as good - if not better.

"Well aren't you just exactly as compact as I remember you?" said Sebastian, closing his laptop to greet Blaine.

"Uh, thanks?" said Blaine, not sure how to take Sebastian's comment. He brushed it off as he sat down opposite Sebastian and took a sip of his coffee. He could do this. He could survive coffee with an old classmate.

"So, Blaine Anderson, what have you been doing with yourself all these years?" asked Sebastian with a grin. Blaine shivered. They never felt good and he was counting the number of times they happened in connection with Sebastian.

"Well, I'm actually a kindergarten teacher. Have been for a few years now," said Blaine, his voice faltering slightly. He wasn't ashamed of his job – he loved his job – but the look Sebastian was giving him made it seem... quaint.

"No shit!" said Sebastian with a chuckle. "I thought you were joking, but you really are a kindergarten teacher?"

"That's what I just said," said Blaine, raising an eyebrow, the back of his neck heating and prickling like it did when something was annoying him. Sebastian was rubbing him up the wrong way and he didn't like it.

"Well, I'm happy for you man," Sebastian replied, the smirk not quite leaving his face. It irritated Blaine, but he let it slide. Sebastian had always been somewhat of a wildcard. You never quite knew where you stood with him. He seemed harmless enough, but he had a way of getting under your skin so that you were always just that tiny bit uncomfortable and Blaine was starting to remember all the small details of their interactions he had forgotten over the years.

"And what about you?" asked Blaine, embarrassed that his tone was a little harsher than he meant it to be. He made sure it was level with his next words. "You said you were off helping your dad run his company. What brings you back to Ohio of all places?"

"Business ventures," said Sebastian simply. "I think I've found the perfect one. It won't even take that much effort to get it off the ground."

"Sounds great," said Blaine with a genuine smile, "I'm glad for you."

Blaine knew that there were many areas where he was lacking, but he was proud to say that being happy for others wasn't one of them.

Thankfully conversation steered away from the two of them and onto what the other Warblers were now doing. Sebastian seemed to still be in touch with most of them and happily shared details about what they were doing and who they were with. All the while Blaine couldn't shake the feeling that he would love to be anywhere but there at that precise moment. He couldn't decipher the looks Sebastian was giving him and it freaked him out. He found himself trying to think up excuses to leave, even though he had planned to spend the afternoon at the coffee shop finishing the book he was reading.

He was on-edge and it was only when Sebastian announced that he had to leave that Blaine realised how on-edge he actually was.

"This was fun," said Sebastian, with an unreadable smirk. "We should do this again. And soon. I'll call you." And before Blaine could even reply, Sebastian was out the door and climbing into his car.

Trying to shake off the creepiness of their meeting, Blaine stood up to get himself another coffee. As he slid off the stool he heard the sound of a set of keys hitting the floor. He bent down to pick them up, figuring he should probably hand them in, in case someone was looking for them. He smirked amusedly at the key-ring of Princess Beatrice's Royal Wedding hat. Whoever owned the keys had a wacky sense of humour. Or they actually liked the hat. Either way, it was funny.

He was about to continue the journey to the barista counter when someone collided into him, knocking the set of keys to the ground.

"Oh god, sorry," said the person as Blaine bent down to pick them up. Blaine stood up suddenly recognizing the voice. 'I didn't mean to I was just –"

"Kurt Hummel," said Blaine with a grin.

Kurt gaped at him for a few moments, like a deer caught in headlights. Blaine's stomach clenched. He didn't know what to do now. It seemed really unprofessional to greet a student's guardian like that.

"Mr Anderson," Kurt eventually replied with a smile. The sudden flush in his cheeks didn't go unnoticed by Blaine, who chose to not say anything about it, but stored the image for future reference.

"What brings you to the Bean?" he asked, unable to contain the grin. This was easily best co-incidence he had ever encountered.

"Well, I was here earlier, but I think I left my..." his eyes travelled to Blaine's hand which was clutched around the set of keys, and he gestured to them. "Those. I left those."

"Oh," said Blaine as he handed them over, wanting to sing at how perfect this whole encounter was. "I was just about to go hand them in at the counter. You just saved me a trip. Nice key-chain by the way." To his delight, Kurt actually laughed.

"My best friend, Rachel, gave it to me when we moved into our first New York apartment," he said. "She knows how much I love anything remotely Royal and well... it's just hilarious."

"Definitely," Blaine replied with a grin. He felt a sudden rush of boldness and praying to whichever higher power would listen that he didn't screw it up, he asked, "I was just about to grab another coffee. Care to join me?"

Kurt hesitated and for a moment Blaine panicked. Of course he would screw it up. The way he asked was stupid and sudden and he had probably freaked the guy out of his mind. But it ended as soon as Kurt smiled softly.

"I'd love to," he said. "Let me just call Aimee's babysitter to make sure he's okay with it."

A few minutes and a phone call later, Blaine was sitting opposite Kurt at a table near the window of the coffee shop. He couldn't believe how much of a contrast it was to when he was speaking to Sebastian. Instead of feeling tense and annoyed, he found himself relaxed and smiling.

"So," said Kurt as he took a sip of his coffee (a non-fat mocha, Blaine made a point of remembering), "you want to help me pay for Aimee's therapy, but I literally know nothing about you - apart from the fact that you're her teacher and that you do most of your clothes shopping online."

Blaine looked at him in amazement. How on Earth could he have known that?

"Recognizing fashion - one of my many talents," he said, raising an eyebrow at Blaine's confusion. "So what is there to know about Blaine Anderson?"

"Well, I've been in Ohio for a while. I went to Dalton Academy, I don't know if you've ever heard of it?"

"I have," said Kurt, grinning, "I sang against The Warblers in a few show choir competitions. I remember them being amazing. "

"Really now?" said Blaine, his smile widening. "Were you in Vocal Adrenaline, Aural Intensity or the New Directions?"

"The New Directions," said Kurt. "Wait so does that mean that you were...?"

"I was one of the Warblers, yeah," said Blaine.

"That must be where I know you from!" said Kurt, his eyes widening. "Weren't you their lead or something?"

"Kinda," said Blaine, shrugging modestly.

"That's amazing!" said Kurt. "And you didn't pursue a career in performing? I remember you being really good."

Blaine shrugged. "I wanted to for a while, but I volunteered at a children's hospital on weekends and I realized that nothing made me happier than when I was hanging out with those kids. I didn't want to go into medicine, so I decided to study to be a kindergarten teacher teacher and, well, here I am."

Kurt smiled and took another sip of his coffee.

"What about you?" asked Blaine. "You said that you were living in New York. That has to be pretty exciting. Not many people from Lima do make it out of Lima."

Kurt looked at his coffee cup for a few moments before replying.

"It was my dream, New York," he said, tracing the lid of the cup as he spoke. "I've wanted to be there for as long as I can remember. The fact that both Rachel and I got into NYADA was a miracle. I was so ready for the rest of my life. I was even going to start auditioning for parts on Broadway. You know, before..."

He looked up at Blaine and he could see that Kurt's eyes were filling with tears which he blinked back valiantly.

"Anyway, I have Aimee now," said Kurt smiling sadly. "She's my new reality. Maybe I do end up back on track with my own dreams, but for now I have to be strong - a dad - for her."

Blaine smiled back gently. He couldn't even imagine the hurt and brokenness that Kurt was going through. He wished that he could take it away. No one should have their dreams taken from them - even if there was no other choice.

"Anyway, I'm probably really bumming you out right now," said Kurt, his eyes widening and cheeks flushing furiously red at his choice of words. Blaine wanted to pretend not to have noticed, but choking on a mouthful of coffee was somewhat of a giveaway. They stared at each other in horror for a moment before they both collapsed into fits of laughter that lasted a good few minutes.

"Oh god," said Kurt, as the laughter subsided into giggles. "That was the most embarrassing thing I've ever said."

"It wasn't too bad. I'm pretty sure me choking on coffee made it worse than it was," said Blaine, unable to wipe the stupid grin from his face.

Kurt drained the last of his coffee and glanced at his watch.

"It's getting pretty late and I should probably pick up Aimee," Kurt said with an apologetic look. "I think I have to go. It's been great though. Thank you."

Blaine couldn't help but feel a lump of disappointment settle at the pit of his stomach.

"You're welcome," he said, standing up to say goodbye. Blaine was pleasantly surprised when Kurt hugged him tightly.

"I'll see you around," he said with a grin as he made his way towards the exit.

"Definitely," Blaine replied, smiling as Kurt turned back to look at him one more time before he opened the door. Then,he glanced at the table next to him and spotted the royal-hat key chain. He picked them up and rushed to where Kurt was already outside. "Kurt! Your keys!"

"Shit!" he said with a sheepish grin, taking them from him. "Thanks, Blaine."

And with that he turned, climbed into his car and drove out of the parking lot with a smile on his face, leaving Blaine to marvel at what had just happened.

"You're welcome," Blaine whispered under his breath, hardly daring to believe his luck.

-------

"It was totally a date!" said Puck when Kurt walked into his living room a few minutes later. "You were totally just on a date."

"It was not a date," said Kurt, feeling the betraying flush in his cheeks. He wasn't lying – it was just an awkward question.

"Whatever, man," said Puck, clapping him on the shoulder. "You can try to spin your bullshit story about how it was just an extension of your business meeting, but I know for a fact that the only thing that was extending was your –"

"KURT!" came a shrill and excited voice from out of nowhere and Kurt was tackled around the middle by a pair of tiny arms.

"Aims!" replied Kurt with a chuckle. "How was your day with Uncle Puck? Did he behave himself?"

"Of course!" said Aimee with a smile. "We watched Dora and coloured and he taught me how to play guitar!"

"Did he now?" said Kurt with an amused smile. "Well I think you should say a big 'thank you' for all the fun you've had then, don't you think?"

"Thanks so much, Uncle Puck!" said Aimee, giving him a huge hug as she did.

"Anytime, Princess," he said, ruffling her hair so that she giggled. He turned back to Kurt with an earnest expression. "Seriously though, was it anyone special? I'd be happy for you, man."

"It was just Aimee's teacher," said Kurt rolling his eyes. "And it was honestly nothing."

"The look on your face says different, but I'm not going to argue," said Puck with an evil grin. "I'm just going to sit back and see how things unfold."

"You sure you aren't gay?" said Kurt, raising an eyebrow amusedly. "You seem to take great delight in the inner-workings of my love life."

Puck just laughed.

"Bye, Aimee," he said. "Bye, Kurt."

"Bye Uncle Puck!" said Aimee, grinning adorably.

"Bye, Puck," said Kurt, leading her out of the apartment.

He would never admit it to Puck for fear of the knowing grins he would get in return, but as Kurt buckled Aimee in and as he sat down behind the wheel, Kurt could definitely entertain the idea of a date with Blaine Anderson.

Even as he thought it, the charming smile and dazzling eyes filled his mind.

Definitely.