Title: A GAP in My Sanity

Rating: PG-13 (swearing and threatened violence)

Weekends were the worst for Kurt. It never failed that Saturday would bring crowds to the mall, which in turn meant crowds at his store, which was a silly thought really because the GAP he worked at was as much his store as Lima was his town. Sure, he worked there. He practically lived there with the hours he'd been working. But, the store was not his. He was just a sales associate, and he didn't even wear their ridiculous clothes.

The GAP was a stepping stone, and nothing more. He would form no sort of real attachment to the place. He would not walk around with arrogance at just how nice his section of the store looked and how well he kept everything in order. No, and he most certainly wouldn't have an aneurysm over that ridiculous, irritating, adorable boy with the million different bow ties who came in so damn often and unfolded his crisply presented sweaters! That would just be crazy of him. Kurt was not crazy.

Not crazy but he was definitely twitching as he watched the gel-helmet having boy pick up a grey sweater, hold it up, then try to fold it but do so wrong of course and move on to unfold the next sweater and look it over in the same way. There was no damn different besides the color. Honestly, there was no reason for the boy to unfold every single color just to go back to the original grey he'd picked up and actually wander away with that one.

And if there was no reason for him to look at each individual color, there was definitely no reason for him to return twenty minutes later and do so again, right after Kurt had straightened the display to perfection.

I swear to all that is holy, if you do not make a damned decision and get out of my store I will end you, Bow Tie, Kurt thought as he chewed his bottom lip to stop himself from attacking the customer. It wouldn't be good to lose his job and get charged with assault. It also would be much worse to get charged with murder when he ripped this guy's head from his body. Thus, Kurt forced himself to the wall where he put some hanging shirts in size order, then started straightening a display of jeans.

The guy actually knocked over a whole pile of the sweaters- this time the red option. He blushed and tried to nonchalantly put them back, but Kurt was already moving toward him with a glare on his face. Blue eyes rolled back in his head as he fought for some semblance of self-control. Bow Tie had been in the store every damned Saturday of the summer so far. Every time he managed to unfold every shirt Kurt had just folded, and at least half the times he knocked something over or did something else ridiculously clumsy.

Kurt couldn't deny that the guy was cute, but really? He was ridiculous. Who could even put up with that anyway? Kurt sure couldn't. That was clear from the way he hissed in air through his teeth as he looked down on the boy.

"Okay, Bow Tie," he muttered, at the end of his rope and so far out of patience that he would have sworn he never had any to begin with. "You unfold another cardigan and I swear I will end you. Do you know how much work goes into making these displays perfect? You keep destroying it. All of it. Every. Damn. Saturday. So please, please, I am begging you, Bow Tie, just stop.”

The boy looked at Kurt, then blinked a few times, then opened his mouth. “It's Blaine. Not Bow Tie. Blaine. That's my name.” And Kurt stared at him.

What in the hell was going on? This was insane. This was Kurt's life. He just threatened a customer, something the guy could have reported to Kurt's manager and probably got him fired, and instead the guy was introducing himself? Of course he was. Because this was Kurt's life and it was crazy.

"Sorry about your, uh, display? I just… well, what I mean is…" Kurt's brow twitched as the boy, Blaine, tried and failed to form a complete sentence. “Well, you see, I've been coming here every weekend because, well, I, uh…” Now Kurt was tapping his foot impatiently. Any day now. He had to get to straightening that whole pile of red sweaters. “Would you want to get a coffee with me after your shift ends?”

The guy looked up at Kurt with the biggest, wettest puppy-dog eyes and he barely resisted the urge to roll his own. The guy wasn't kidding. He'd been practically stalking Kurt at work! The brunette should have been revolted by this, or at least heavily concerned about the shorter boy's mental stability, but instead he was just flattered.

Kurt popped a hip and crossed his arms over his chest, giving the boy a head-to-toe once over. “Alright, Bow Tie Blaine,” he said with a smirk, “I get off at two. I'll meet you at the Lima Bean. My coffee order is a medium non-fat mocha, and if you know what's good for you you'll already have it ready at a table when I get there, got it?”

At that, he shot the boy a wink and grabbed the ruined stack of sweaters to fold on his table. “And the name is Kurt, just so you're aware. Don't be late, Bow Tie.”