It was a mixture of things that got him there. Rachel had insisted on them having dinner together, and they’d ended up at a hole-in-the-wall burger joint in her neighborhood. She had a knack for finding restaurants that had good vegan options, or maybe she’d just done a lot of research, and occasionally she came up with place that Kurt wouldn’t expect to be accommodating – like that burger joint. As much as Rachel spent their dinner recounting what had happened at the bar, and getting his opinion of whether or not she’d made too much of a spectacle to make Puck not like her, Kurt didn’t mention Blaine at all.

The thing about Rachel was that she latched onto ideas and never stopped until she had her way. That was why Kurt tried to keep her as far away from his dating life, or lack thereof, as possible. All it would take was one slip of the tongue and Rachel would be plotting double stake outs for them to find out more about Puck and Blaine, and Kurt preferred the old fashioned method of actually talking to someone to get to know them.

After dinner, he went back to his apartment and found anything he could to keep busy. His dresser drawers got reorganized, laundry sorted for the inevitable doing the next day, and he went through his schedule for the week to make sure he hadn’t double booked his time on any days. As much as he loved his internship, it ate away so much time out of each day that he was always pressed for time to accomplish anything not associated with it. That was why he planned out his lunches and dinners a week in advance, so he didn’t have to think when it came to throwing food together in the morning to take with him, or at night when he got home and wanted to crash but his stomach wouldn’t stop growling.

By the time midnight rolled around, Kurt had considered changing his outfit three times. It seemed ridiculous, which is why he hadn’t actually done it. Blaine had already seen him; it wasn’t like it wouldn’t be obvious that he’d done it intentionally because they were going to get coffee. Who changed into something nicer to go get coffee with someone in the middle of the night? No one. That’s what he kept telling himself to keep from reaching into his closet and littering possible outfits across his bed.

It was a waiting game until he left to go to the bar. Every glance at the clock told him that time was moving slower than he could have imagined and that if he left then he would just be standing on the street, or in an alley, for longer than he would ever like. That was what kept him at his apartment until he could justify leaving, knowing he would still be a little early but figuring that was better than being late. He added a jacket to his ensemble, because it the wind had picked up a little since the afternoon, and made his way there.

Two o’clock came, and Kurt shifted to stand near the back door. He’d spent his extra time waiting just down the block, checking on his phone to make sure he hadn’t imagine the hours the nearby diners were open. Nerves had kicked in as soon as he’d gotten off the subway and he realized that he was meeting a near-stranger, albeit a very attractive and seemingly nice near-stranger, in the middle of the night to go have coffee. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh at himself or not. Either way, he had pepper spray.

Blaine wasn’t the first person to come out the back door, but Santana was. Kurt lingered back out of the way, remembering Blaine’s text message and how he’d wanted to save him from her – which implied that there was a reason to need saved when it came to her. She didn’t notice him though, considering how preoccupied she was tugging Brittany out into the alley their pinkies linked together. Kurt felt like he was intruding and should leave, but if he moved they might notice so he stuck to his spot near the wall and stared down at the street.

“Don’t go,” Brittany whispered. “Please? Just stay?”

“You know I would if I could,” Santana murmured. “You know I can’t.”

“You can hide under my bed, no one would know.”

“That’s not how it works, Brit.” Santana sighed. “We’ve still got tonight.” Brittany said something too quiet for him to hear, followed by a loud sniffle. “No, just us. Come on, my bed is super comfy and calling my name.”

“How can you hear it from here?”

“I just can.” Their footsteps shuffled out of the alley and Kurt glanced up to see their backs as they made it to the sidewalk, hands linked between them by their pinkies. The door opened again and he turned to see Blaine stepping out, eyes focused down at the phone in his hand. His expression was that of concentration, but it broke into a tired grin as soon as he looked up and saw Kurt.

“Kurt! Sorry, I got held up for a few minutes,” Blaine said, wrinkling his nose as he let the door swing shut. “So, coffee?”

“It’s okay,” Kurt replied, shaking his head. “Yes, coffee. There’s a diner just a couple blocks over?”

“Sounds perfect.” Blaine nudged their shoulders together lightly before staring out of the alley, and Kurt followed along beside him. “Which way?”

“To the right.” They walked along, and it felt like neither of them really knew what to say. It was silent other than the sounds of the city at night until they got to the first corner, and Blaine reached over to touch his wrist to get him to stop before the crossed. Kurt wondered if that was always something he did to draw someone’s attention, but even if it wasn’t it had felt like something was fluttering in his stomach. It had been a while since that had happened.

“Thank you, by the way,” he said, looking up at him. “I know this is really inconvenient, but I did want to have coffee with you. I appreciate you being so accommodating.”

“You didn’t have to,” Kurt said softly, pursing his lips for a moment. “I know you were just joking when you said it, so—”

“No I wasn’t,” Blaine said, his brow furrowing. “Well, I was, but not… really. Joking in the sense of, I shouldn’t have said it the way I did, but it wasn’t like I hadn’t meant it.” He bit his lip. “You know what? Let’s get to the diner and get me a little more coherent and then we’ll do this.”

“Okay.” Kurt slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket as they went across the street and midway down the block to the diner he’d found. They grabbed a booth in the back and ordered coffee, and Kurt carefully folded his jacket and laid it beside him on the bench.

“Alright Kurt Hummel,” Blaine started, resting his elbow on the table and his face against his hand, looking across the table at him. “You know more about me than I do about you, so first of all that’s not fair. What do you do?”

“Well right now I’m an intern at Vogue,” Kurt replied, glancing up at their server gratefully when she brought them two mugs of coffee. “Fashion design. So I do a little bit of everything, whatever I can, and then just hope I can move up to something better soon.”

“Fashion design, wow,” Blaine said, wrapping his free hand around his mug and bringing it up to take a sip, but then broke off in a sputtering cough. “Oh that’s really hot. Should have… really should have seen that one coming.” Kurt covered his mouth with his hand, not wanting to laugh at him but finding it hard to fight off considering how tired he was. “Hush. Back to before. Fashion design.”

“Yes, it’s what I went to school for and I love it,” Kurt continued, holding his mug between both his hands. “How long have you worked at the Big Bang?”

“Oh, years,” Blaine answered, leaning back from the table. “Three years? I started when I was in college because it was a great thing to do. Gave me performance opportunities every week and kept me on my toes. Totally different skill set than what I needed for school, but it really broadened me out.”

“You went to school for…?”

“Musical theatre,” Blaine supplied, giving a shrug. “So I guess this isn’t that much of a stretch. It’s kind of acting five nights a week, and I get to do what I love, so I just kept at it once I graduated and auditions weren’t panning out. There’s other stuff on the side to keep me from going completely broke, so I can’t complain. Things could always get better, but I’m doing just fine.”

“I wanted to go into musical theatre,” Kurt said quietly, tapping his fingertips against the ceramic of his mug.

“You did? See, now you’ve got me all intrigued. You’re going to have to sing for me.”

“I absolutely am not,” Kurt admonished, but when he looked over at him he saw that Blaine was grinning playfully. “I’m not,” he said, much calmer that time. “It’s been years, and I’m fine with it.”

“Why didn’t you?” Blaine asked, adding quickly, “not that you have to answer. Feel free to tell me to mind my own business.”

“No, it’s okay, I just—kind of lost the dream. It’s good that I did, I think, because I wouldn’t have gone to Parsons if I hadn’t and I really do love design.” Really, Kurt didn’t regret what had happened. He still had visceral feelings toward NYADA, but that was why he tried to avoid thinking about it as much as possible. His life kept moving, and he’d embraced the changes with open arms. That was how he’d made it through school and straight into his internship. He counted himself fortunate.

“That’s great that you had a bigger dream to follow,” Blaine said, trying his coffee again and sighing happily after taking a long sip. “Finally, not scalding.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”

“What did you mean? Out there, I mean, when you said you’d been joking but… not.” Kurt looked over at him and bit his lip. “This isn’t—I don’t do this kind of thing, normally—”

“Ah, okay, I’m sorry,” Blaine started, taking another long drink of coffee before setting his mug down. “I did a really bad job of expressing… anything with that one. I wasn’t joking because I wanted, um, to get to know you. It sounds ridiculous, I know, because I’d barely even seen you but – do you ever have those moments where you feel like you’re just supposed to do something even if it might not make sense?” He drew in a breath and shook his head. “You intrigued me, but I said I was joking because I was at work and even if it is a bar, I really shouldn’t be saying that stuff when I’m there. And… I didn’t want to lead you on.”

“Lead me on?” Kurt repeated, his intonation going up slightly as his hands tightened around his mug. There it was, the other shoe that he’d been waiting to drop. He’d misread something, or maybe Blaine was just being polite, but something was wrong. “You have a—”

“No,” Blaine interrupted quickly. “I don’t have a boyfriend, it’s not—it’s not like that. I just don’t… live here.”
Whatever Kurt had been expecting, it hadn’t been that.

“What?”

“I live in Ohio. Columbus, Ohio. The bar, it’s a chain, and they shift performers around sometimes to keep things fresh. We do stints at different locations, usually a week at a time, and I was just here for the week,” Blaine explained, words coming out fast. “I want to work at this one, because it’s New York and there would be a ton more opportunities, but there hasn’t been an opening and so I just take it as I can but I’m not… here. I don’t live here.”

“You live in Ohio.”

“Yes.” Blaine’s eyes were wide, like he was waiting for some sort of reaction. “That’s what I meant earlier, when I said it was complicated, why we couldn’t get coffee tomorrow—well today now, I guess—because that’s when I’m flying back. To Ohio.”

“Ohio,” Kurt repeated, the cleared his throat in an attempt to break out of the habit of just repeating Blaine’s words. “I’m from Ohio. Originally, I mean.”

“You are?” Blaine asked, blinking at him. “Wow, congrats on making it out.” He paused, staring down into his coffee before looking back to Kurt. “That’s what I meant, though. It’s complicated and I don’t want to lead you on in any way, because that’s not fair.”

“Blaine, I didn’t…” Kurt trailed off, pausing to take a sip of his coffee while he gathered his thoughts. The coffee was terrible, but it was hot and something to distract. “I didn’t have any expectations. This is coffee; we’re just… having coffee. You’re, I mean, obviously you’re talented and attractive, but I didn’t think just because—something was going to happen.”

“You’re going to make me blush, you know,” Blaine said quietly, looking up at Kurt through his eyelashes and that just wasn’t fair. And that was exactly it, because Kurt had been hoping that something would happen. It had been a while since he’d felt that kind of captivation and want for someone, and that someone had been Blaine. Of course it couldn’t be a possibility.

“That moment?” Kurt asked, watching him. “Where you feel like you’re supposed to do something even though it might not make sense?” Blaine nodded as Kurt repeated his words from earlier. “I feel that too.”

“You do?” He nodded and Blaine sighed, rubbing his face. Kurt could see the wheels turning in his head, but it was well past two in the morning and that was never the right time for deep thinking. Blaine looked exhausted, despite the coffee, and Kurt felt like a bit of a jerk for keeping him out after work when he had a flight in the morning – even if Blaine had been the one to suggest it. “Well.”

“Blaine, I think we should be friends,” Kurt said suddenly. “I think you’d be a good person to have as a friend, even if you’re a few states away. You have my phone number, I have yours, it’s not like we’re at a loss for ways to keep in touch.”

“Friends?” Blaine asked, his head tilting to the side as he considered Kurt. “I’d like that.”

“Good, that’s settled then,” Kurt said with a nod. “Do you need to go? I understand if you do, it’s not like you have much time before you have to be up for your flight.”

“Oh no, I’m good.” Blaine shrugged, pursing his lips for a few seconds. “I’m just going to throw my stuff together right before we head to the airport. Unless you need to go, which is fine. I’m aware not everyone is a night owl.”

“What, you think I’m just going to leave you to while away the late night hours of your last night in New York City by yourself?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of friend would do that?”

Despite the fact that he knew his body would rebel against him for it the following day, he had to believe the way Blaine’s face lit up was enough to make it worth it.

They spent hours at the diner, eventually ordering food because the amount of coffee they’d consumed on essentially empty stomachs was definitely not healthy – and also because they were hungry. Blaine was open and talkative about his theatre experiences in college and the little he’d done in the community. There were lots of little theatre troupes in Columbus, which made for numerous opportunities for show but none that really paid much of anything. Of course Kurt heard a lot about theatre from Rachel, but it was different with Blaine. He spoke about it with more joy and less obsession than her, in a way that made Kurt wish it was still part of his world.

As much as Kurt enjoyed listening to Blaine talk about his career, Blaine seemed even more interested in hearing about Parsons and Vogue and the designs Kurt was working on. It made Kurt sad that he hadn’t brought his sketchbook, though he never would have thought about it because why would he have needed it in the middle of the night out in the city, with how often during the conversation that Blaine expressed how he wished he could see what Kurt was describing.

“Now that we’re friends,” Blaine said, “you’ll have to send me pictures and share.”

It was well past sunrise by the time they left the diner, and they both left ridiculous tips considering that they’d been there for hours. There hadn’t been any competitions for tables, but Kurt still felt bad for taking up one of them for so long, and Blaine had agreed with his sentiment. It was just that once they were out of the comfort of the diner, Kurt wasn’t sure what to do. He was tired, and Blaine had to pack before heading off to the airport, but he wasn’t sure where exactly their paths split.  

“Do you have far to go?” he asked, rubbing at his face and trying not to think about how horribly puffy his eyes had to be by that point. “To wherever you were staying?”

“Not really,” Blaine said, squinting up at the street sign. “The apartment’s not that far, and I had most of my stuff back in the suitcase before work last night anyway. I didn’t want to deal with all of it in a rush. And it’s not like it’s a long flight, thankfully.”

“It’s kind of the perfect length. Then again, I don’t know. I’ve only ever flown from Ohio to New York and back again. Not exactly the most traveled, but I plan on changing that.

“We actually get to go a lot of places if we’re able to travel. Not everyone is, but sometimes having lack of commitments is helpful. They have Big Bangs in a lot of major cities, so we get to see a lot of stuff. New York is my favorite, though.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Kurt said, gesturing around.

“I don’t know, there’s just something about it.” Blaine tapped his chin as if he was thinking, and then broke off with a chuckle that stopped as soon as he looked down at his phone. “Oh God, it’s seven-thirty. You probably had plans for this morning and I ruined them by babbling at you all night.”

“Absolutely not.” Kurt shook his head, reaching over and resting his hand on Blaine’s arm lightly. He’d done it so automatically that he hadn’t even realized he was touching him until it was already done. Blaine’s shirt was soft beneath his fingertips, and he offered him a hesitant smile to try and combat any awkwardness he’d just caused. “I couldn’t think of any better way to spend my morning.”

“Oh yeah?” Blaine asked, a wry smile turning up the corners of his mouth.

“Don’t get all cocky,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes.

“Why Kurt Hummel, I never.”

“I think you’re hitting that slap happy stage of sleep deprivation.”

“That plus the amount of coffee I’ve ingested… tons of caffeine and no sleep, I’m going to be such a treat to sit next to on the plane.”

“Thank goodness it’s a short flight.” Kurt couldn’t help but grin, and Blaine did too.

“So, we’re not very good at this goodbye thing,” Blaine pointed out.

“No, we’re not,” Kurt agreed, hugging his jacket in around him. “So let’s not say goodbye. How about, I hope you have a good flight?”

“And I hope you have a good subway ride.” Blaine seemed to hesitate, as if unsure what the next move was. They’d said goodbye, sort of, but they were still standing there. Kurt was about to mention that they were really bad at goodbyes, but Blaine’s phone went off and saved him from having to do so.

“Hello?—Stop yelling? I’m not dead or lost, I thought you’d want—right, I know when our flight is, just… I’ll be there in a few and we’ll be out the door in five.” Blaine wrinkled his nose at Kurt and rolled his eyes, pointing toward the phone. “You’d better be less angry when we get to the airport or TSA is going to find you very suspicious.” Whoever was on the other end went silent. “Right, I’ll see you soon.”

“That sounded fun.”

“Eh, she’s always extra rawr when we leave New York,” Blaine said, making claws with his hands when got to the ‘rawr’ part of the sentence. “It’ll be alright. I do have to go, so you enjoy that subway ride, Kurt.”

And you enjoy your flight,” Kurt said, trying not to register the little wink Blaine sent his way before he turned and jogged down the sidewalk away from him. Kurt felt like he barely had the energy to make it to the subway, and Blaine was jogging.

Light was streaming in through the curtains of his apartment when he got back to it, and there was no good way to block it out. He just burrowed his way under the covers and pulled them up over his head to try and make it as dark as possible. It really didn’t matter, he knew he would fall asleep either way, and it barely took him a minute to do just that. He didn’t even wake up when his phone buzzed on the pillow next to him, signaling that he had a text.

From: Blaine Anderson
Landed! Just thought I’d let you know we made it. I hope you’re asleep. Talk to you later, Kurt!