Blaine bit his lip nervously as he examined the tray of cupcakes in front of him. He knew how lucky he had been to get this job fresh out of high school, and he wanted everything to be perfect. He glanced at the swirls of icing topping the cakes and hesitated- was it too much? Or was it not enough? Should he add sprinkles, or- or a bow? He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, unwittingly smearing flour on his cheek. He needed someone to taste one of these for him, make sure they were fit for public consumption, but he couldnt bother one of the chefs, and his boss would surely fire him if he approached his office with a cupcake in hand and asked him to try it.

He worried his bottom lip anxiously between his teeth. He knew he was a good baker, he had to be to get this job, but hed never had anyone buy his baking before- what if his mother had just been humouring him all these years? What if Gunther had only hired him because he was desperate?

He was starting to panic when he remembered the boy he had met earlier that afternoon, with the soapy hands and the blue eyes. He paused, cocking his head to the side as he considered taking one of his cakes to Kurt- sure, he was busy just like everyone else, but there was no harm in asking him to try it, right?

Before he could allow himself to let the doubts and worries seep in like they so often did, Blaine picked up a cake from his baking tray, and slipped away to the dishwasher.

"Uh, hey Kurt."

Kurt set down the bowl in his hand and turned around. He was unused to this many interruptions in one day- usually the only time he had any human contact was when one of the waiters came crashing through the doors with a tray rack full of dirty dishes in tow, and even then they didnt speak to him unless it was Santana or Rachel. And in all honesty, he preferred the silence to Santanas teasing, or Rachels complaints about just how busy the restaurant was- as if he didnt already know by the amount of dishes piling up around him.

But here was Blaine, the new baker, with stains all over his white uniform and a streak of flour on his face. He smiled politely, wondering what the boy could possibly want. He knew that sometimes the noises the dishwasher made annoyed old Ada, and figured the boy was perhaps here to complain about the volume, but he couldnt exactly do anything about it, could he? 

"Hi Blaine. Can I help you with anything?"

The boy smiled nervously as he stepped forward, raising his hand, and held a cupcake out to him. Kurt raised an eyebrow skeptically. God, how had Gunther managed to hire someone who was even more crazy than Ada?

"Yeah, actually," Blaine started, looking down at the cake and then back up at Kurt, "I was wondering if- if you could maybe...before I put these out, could you try this? Please?"

Kurts eyes widened in surprise. He studied the boy carefully, trying to determine if he was making fun of him or if he was being genuine. He didnt look like he was joking, his honey eyes were wide and earnest, and his bottom lip was turning a deep, cherry red as he worried it between his teeth. Kurt looked down at the proffered cake and reached out to take it, turning it around in his hand and examining the intricate swirls of the icing.

"Im not really supposed to eat on the job, you know," he told Blaine, glancing up from the cake, "no hand-to-mouth contact. Health and safety regulations, all that jazz."

"Im just…Im a little nervous," Blaine admitted, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown, "I dont want the first cakes I put out to be a disaster and I dont think I can judge it accurately by myself. I guess Im kind of biased."

Kurt hesitated, but Blaine looked so genuinely concerned that he couldnt say no. He smiled at the boy and peeled the casing off the cake, taking a bite of the soft sponge. Blaine was watching him nervously, eyes raking over his face, trying to determine his reaction. Kurt nodded slowly, swallowing his mouthful, and licked away the icing that had smeared on his lips.

"Blaine, that was incredible," he complimented, obviously impressed, "the only thing you need to worry about is making sure you have enough ingredients to make a few more batches, because these are going to sell in no time."

Blaines face flushed and he glanced down at his feet, raising a hand to rub at the back of his neck. He had hoped Kurt would like the cake, but he hadnt expected such high praise from the boy- he wasnt used to people other than his mom appreciating his work.

"Um- thanks, Kurt. Thank you. Well, Ive got to- um. Ive got to put the rest of these out now. You can- you can keep that one, and Ill let you get back to what you were doing before," he stuttered, pointing at the remnants of the cake in Kurts hand. He waved awkwardly and backed away towards the door, flashing Kurt a small smile. Kurt raised a hand and smiled in response, and then Blaine was gone, leaving him alone with a stack of dirty bowls and a half-eaten cupcake.