“Attention passengers: American Airlines flight 4808 from Columbus to New York has been delayed. Please stand by for more information, and we apologize for the inconvenience.” 

Kurt listened to the announcement in dismay. He had to be back at work the next morning for an early breakfast meeting with Isabelle, so he hoped the issue would be resolved quickly and he could still get a good night’s sleep once he was back home. 

Ten years ago, he never would have thought that his life would go the way it had gone, but he would not change anything if he could. Fashion gave him the creative outlet he needed so badly without the constant rejection based on gender normative factors that were out of his control. He still sang for fun, but in almost all ways, he had everything he could ever have hoped for. All ways but one, that is. 

More and more lately, he had been feeling the absence of a significant other in his life. For what good is a successful career at Vogue if he did not have anyone to come home to? How great is his apartment in The Village if he did not have someone else’s socks mixing with his own? 

After spending one too many Friday nights drinking cocktails with his friends and complaining about the lack of eligible men, he had taken their advice and signed up for a few dating apps, Tinder included. 

It had taken him a while to get the hang of the app, and whatever expectations he had of it at first were soon disappointed with the sheer number of people out there who were only looking to hook up and not to actually find love. Still, he kept at it, hoping to find that elusive man who not only fit his type, but also wanted the same things out of life, and in the meantime he occasionally amused himself by browsing the offerings and separating the wheat from the chaff. 

The airline app stated that the plane had been delayed on its flight into Columbus and it would be at least three hours before they could take off. Resigned, Kurt bought some drinks and snacks from a conveniently located cart before making his way to the designated business class waiting lounge, hoping it would not have filled up just yet. 

Luckily, there were still a few empty seats near a group of businessmen and, despite some of them wearing some truly unfortunate cuts of suits, they were still a better option than the seats near the family with the misbehaving child by the window. 

Kurt made his way over and, after checking the seat was indeed available, stowed his carry-on under his chair and sat down. He tried doing some work at first, but after catching up on all his emails, there really wasn’t anything else he could do without his laptop, which had run out of battery earlier in the day. 

He tried to do some sketching, but the darkness outside and the harsh lines of concrete and steel filled with people in dark suits and coats did not fill him with any inspiration for his upcoming spring line which was meant to be filled with life. Sighing, he tucked his sketch pad back into his bag and apologized to his neighbor when he bumped into them as he did so. 

Kurt figured that, with productivity well and truly out the window, he might as well mess around on his phone for a bit. While he was not looking to find anyone to date back in Ohio, not after successfully making his escape and only returning for family engagements, he was a little curious to see what kind of gay men were locally available.

He turned his location settings back on and opened Tinder, increasing the search range. 

The first few options were stereotypical campy gay men whom he immediately swiped left on. There was only room for so much flamboyancy in his romantic life, and he already filled that quota himself, thank you very much. The next few profiles were men who all reminded him of his high school bullies in various ways, and he had never swiped left so fast in his life before. 

Discouraged, he was about to close the app and play a game instead, when the notification played that someone had swiped right on him. Kurt was not expecting much of it, but he was curious enough to click on the profile and take in the man in question. 

The picture was a generic photo of a handsome man smiling in the middle of a crowd. His dark hair was mostly hidden under a baseball cap, but his hazel eyes looked kind and his smile was infectious. Willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, Kurt moved down to his bio and there he found the turn off. 

Interests: Music, sports (football, basketball, baseball), comic books, superheroes, fashion, theater. 

Ugh. No thank you. No interest in either music, fashion, or theater could tempt him to endure any more jocks, nerds, and dudebros, even if he was one of the most gorgeous men Kurt had ever seen. He had had plenty of that in high school, thanks to his brother and his friends. With a decisive motion, he swiped left and closed down the app, determined to think no more of it. 

“Ouch. So that’s a hard no to that one then?”

Kurt startled and dropped his phone when the man next to him spoke up. Before it could fall on the concrete floor and possibly shatter the glass screen, his neighbor caught the phone and gave it back to him. 

Kurt looked up at his phone’s savior and took him in. A generic but well-tailored suit stretched across his compact but well-shaped frame, dark hair that was plastered to his head with way too much gel, twinkling eyes, and a kind smile. 

Oh. Oh, shit. It’s him.  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. My name is Blaine.” 

***

Blaine had been on his way back home to New York when he laid eyes on the most beautiful man he had ever seen. He knew who he was, of course. Any self respecting fashion lover knew who Kurt Hummel was. The youngest Vogue editor in decades and one of the most promising young designers who had been making waves in the industry ever since he first appeared on the scene in his early twenties. 

Less was known about his private life, so Blaine had been very surprised to see him at an airport in Ohio of all places. 

Blaine had flown out to Columbus for a business meeting and had taken the time to visit with his mother in her new apartment while he was in town. Despite building a successful career for himself and having plenty of long lasting and meaningful friendships, his mother still kept asking him when he would be bringing a nice man home and giving her grandchildren to spoil. 

It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in that, he was. But college and then law school had taken up so much of his time and focus, never mind making a name for himself afterwards as one of the best entertainment attorneys on the East Coast, that his love life had taken a bit of a back seat. 

He used to try and find the right guy through dating apps, but after one too many first dates that ended in disappointment, he’d given up. The right man would come along when it was time, and, meanwhile, he had a career that he enjoyed and friends that he loved. 

While music was his passion and he loved performing, he figured out early on how stressful and dangerous the entertainment industry could be to those who want to make it there. Blaine’s brother, Cooper, had tried endlessly to make it in Hollywood, but never succeeded in more than a few commercials. Rejections were the norm, and seeing Cooper get screwed out of some of his rightful earnings because he didn’t understand the contract he was signing inspired Blaine to channel his passion in a different direction. 

He had formed a barbershop quartet with some old friends from high school who also lived in New York, and they occasionally performed, but besides that and keeping up with his instruments, Blaine’s passion had become fighting for the underdog.

None of this, however, magically made the man of his dreams fall into his lap, so when the Kurt Hummel sat next to him in an airport waiting lounge, Blaine knew this was an opportunity he’d never have again. 

It took him a while to find his courage, and he nearly squeaked when Kurt accidentally bumped into him, but Kurt looked to be deeply focused on his work. Not wanting to interrupt him if he was busy, Blaine waited patiently, and when he saw Kurt take out his phone and open up Tinder, Blaine knew this was it.

He hadn’t used it in a while, but Blaine knew he still had the app and an account, so he surreptitiously opened it up and swiped left until he came across Kurt’s profile and swiped right. Blaine could feel his hands starting to sweat as he waited patiently for Kurt to view his profile. 

Left swipe. Almost too quickly. 

Oh. Okay then. Shit. 

Desperate to save the situation, Blaine turned to his right and spoke up for the first time, “Ouch. So that’s a hard no to that one then?”

***

Mortified, Kurt wracked his brain for anything he could say to save face. “I… You… How?”

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot,” Blaine said, red-faced. “I just saw you and I’ve admired you for a while and I thought it was funny. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, and I sincerely apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

Kurt regarded the man in front of him and couldn’t help but be charmed by him. It was obvious he had meant no harm, and the man was cute, so maybe he’d been a bit too hasty in his judgment. His best friend could attest to the fact that his first impressions weren’t always a hundred percent accurate, to say the least. 

“It’s okay, I’m not offended,” he tried to reassure Blaine. “My name is Kurt, but I suppose you already know that.”

Blaine gave him a relieved smile and shook the hand Kurt held out. “Yeah, I’ve always been a fan of Vogue, and I’ve been following your career for a while now. I think you’re one of the best designers I’ve ever seen, and I loved that suit that you wore to the Met Gala last year.” 

“Oh, thank you. I really appreciate that,” Kurt said, trying in vain to hide his blush. Sports fan or not, here was an attractive man complimenting him. Who wouldn’t be flattered?

“I do apologize if I offended you earlier. Your profile says you’re a sports fan, and I’ve dealt with enough jocks in high school to last a lifetime. I’m sure you’re a lovely person, and I didn't mean to slight you.” 

“It’s okay, Kurt, I promise you I wasn’t offended. To be honest, I’ve had that profile for years, and I haven’t used the app in a while, so it’s not exactly representative anymore of who I am now. As I said, I’ve admired your work for a while, and I’d love the chance to get to know you a bit better. Do you think you can forget all of this happened, and maybe we can start over?” 

“I don’t know how I would ever forget this, but sure.”

Blaine’s answering smile was bright enough to light up a room, and he stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Blaine. I love your work, and I think you are very handsome. Would you like to grab a cup of coffee with me?”

“I’d love to.”