Usually he didnt find museums all that enjoyable, much preferring to spend hours upon hours pouring over books and watching documentaries, all while in the safety and familiarity of his own home. But Tina had insisted, and that meant Blaine really didnt have a choice.

He agreed, most reluctantly, to meet with her that Saturday at that same place in the city where they always met whenever they were going out somewhere together. Blaine stared at the ground while he waited, kicking the rocks at his feet as he walked back and forth in front of the water fountain. Why couldnt she come at the time they agreed for once? Then he heard footsteps. Speak of the devil.

"Hey, Blainey Days," Tina greeted him cheerfully. "Have you been waiting long?"

Blaine shook his head, shrugging slightly. "No, not really," he replied.

Tina beamed at him and took his hand. "Lets go then!"

Blaines lips curved into a soft smile as his friend almost dragged him along towards the subway.

It was Rachels own fault that he never shut up about history anymore; she was the one whod gotten him the job, or at least pushed him into getting a job in the first place.

Initially it had bored him, learning about the history of their planet and the creatures that inhibited it. Kurt never cared for evolution, ancient civilizations, discoveries of countries or organisms or anything they learned in school, really. He usually tuned out in those classes, immersing himself in the choreography for Regionals or figuring out exactly how many more Journey songs would they have to sing for Mr Schue to become bored of hearing them? Now it was different. Now, Kurt would spend hours upon hours with his nose in books, his eyes glued to the TV screen while Rachel babbled away in his ear about how much she couldnt stand the documentaries he was watching and when could they have another musical marathon? Now, Kurt loved going to work, whether he got to see school childrens faces light up when he told them about a particularly interesting animal, or recognising familiar faces that often came along on his tours and would sometimes be able to mouth along with what he was telling the rest of the group about the evolution of the blue whale and how they communicate to each other.

Now, history fascinated him.

Saturdays were usually busy, the busiest day of the week, and this Saturday was not unlike the rest. Kurts shift began at 1:00pm, so he had time to swing by a cafe to pick up some lunch for himself. Upon arriving at the museum, he slipped into the bathroom to change into his uniform before making his way to the front of the building where his tour group would be waiting for him.

Kurts eyes scanned his group for today, smiling at Mrs Malhotra and giving a slight wave at the pair of schoolgirls that always seemed to be in his Saturday afternoon tours; this earned him two blushing teenagers giggling to themselves. Kurt chuckled internally, shaking his head slightly.

And that was when he saw him.

He wasnt staring, exactly. More like, subtly admiring from afar. Okay he was staring, but he couldnt look away – not he didnt want to, but that Blaine found it impossible to drag his gaze away from the mans strong jawline, his gorgeous chestnut brown hair that seemed to completely defy gravity, coiffed up in a way that made his face look more angular, more strikingly beautiful, and fuckif Blaine wasnt immediately attached to this man and already imagining those eyes, blue and grey and green all at once, staring up at him through long lashes with his lips stretched tight around Blaines hard co—

"Youre staring, Blaine," he heard Tinas voice say, but he wasnt really listening because then he was looking at him, right at him, into his eyes.

Blaines heart jumped into his throat and his lungs had apparently forgotten how to function properly, because he couldnt seem to breathe either. The man was saying something - announcing maybe? - and then everyone around him was moving, pushing Blaine along as they walked and oh god, the man looked over his shoulder at Blaine.

And suddenly Blaine had a strong desire to learn.

Him.

All thoughts of the lovely Indian woman and the giggling teenagers flew from Kurts mind when his eyes, such lucky, fortunate eyes, landed on him.

Dark slicked back hair was parted on the right (how did he even remember such an obscure detail?) and plastered to his head. Bow ties had never done anything for Kurt, but just the image of that stunning man in that deep blue bow tie he was wearing and absolutely nothing else... His eyes, honey and golden and caramel and just so, so beautiful, raking up and down Kurts body and his plump, pink lips slightly ajar as their eyes locked and god the spark that had been sent down Kurts spine made him shiver again just thinking about it.

Hed never seen someone so beautiful in his whole life.

For the first time in seven months of working at the museum, Kurt got his facts and dates mixed up.

Blaine frowned. No, it was much, much more than 15,000 years ago that Homo sapiens were evolving, even he knew that. Ah. Blaine couldnt hide his smile as the man corrected himself.

"Between the time of the first hominids and the period when our species, Homo sapiens - um - they evolved in Africa more than 15,000 years ago, our planet – no, wait, uh – over 150,000 years ago, right... our planet was home to a wide range of early humans." The man, his tour guide, stumbled through his speech and Blaine found that absolutely adorable.

He watched him closely, letting his eyes and mind wander. The man was wearing tight, black jeans, too tight, impossibly tight, with a white button-down shirt printed with an ANHM logo on the right pocket that clung to his body like wet clothes usually did. It showed off his broad shoulders and toned arms, leaving little to Blaines creative imagination.

"...Scientists rely on a wealth of evidence, including fossils, artefacts and DNA analysis. The web of clues is difficult to unravel, and experts often disagree about which species lived when and where. But it is clear that the human family has a rich evolutionary history – a past that has shaped who we are today. Now, if you will follow me, please..."

Oh yes, Blaine thought, Ill follow you anywhere.

What the hell was wrong with him? Hed forgotten a zero on his number, an entire one hundred thousand! That never happened. Groaning internally as he walked his group along the wide path of the museum into the first room, Kurt silently begged for time to go quicker so he could get away from the beautiful man and into the privacy of his own bedroom – hoping to god that Rachel would be out – to take care of his half-hard cock that insisted on growing harder with each time he looked at that man only to see him watching him with a sort of longing in his eyes that Kurt knew hed never, ever forget.

He stumbled his way through the first few rooms they walked through, talking nonstop about the evolution of the human species and what tools they used in ancient times and god, couldnt his shift just be over with already?

By the time he reached the halfway mark and checked his phone for the time, it was just past 2:00pm. Kurt stood against the wall of the large room with sea creatures hanging from the ceiling while he gave his group a few minutes to walk around exploring.

The beautiful man was with a pretty Asian girl, and Kurt wondered for a moment whether she was his girlfriend; he then reminded himself that the man was checking him out not an hour ago, and all doubt left his mind, only to be replaced by a longing desire to go and talk to him, get to know him, ask about his bow tie and learn all about him and even his friend. Kurt watched him pointing up at the blue whale, a smile gracing his stunning features as he chatted on about, from what Kurt could hear from his position and distance from the man, the whales digestive system.

And from what Kurt could hear – and he quietly nodded to himself, impressed – the man was completely right.

Blue whales were one of Blaines favourite animals.

"Its because theyre so big and mighty and youre jealous of them and their size isnt it?" Tina teased when he mentioned it.

"Oh screw you," he mumbled, rolling his eyes and turning away from her, only for him to be facing their tour guide.

Blaines breath caught in his throat and the guide smiled.

It wasnt a wide grin, something that looked forced or faked, it was hardly a smile at all, and if Blaine wasnt staring – which he totally wasnt – he probably wouldnt have noticed it at all. It was one of those soft, delicate, genuine curves of the lips, a smile without teeth, yet one that made the persons eyes crinkle slightly. It was beautiful.

Blaine hadnt even realised he was walking until he was standing in front of the man, whose eyebrows were raised and eyes wide, expecting.

"Im Blaine," he blurted out, thrusting his hand forward and almost punching the man in the process.

But he just smiled, a wider, toothier smile, and Blaines heart thumped loudly in his chest as their hands touched, sending sparks through his entire body.

"Kurt."

He was shocked, a little, but more than shocked, he was glad, so glad.

Had their situations been reversed, Kurt would have just stared, continued to ogle at the other man before possibly, possibly talking to him right before he left the museum. It would have been awkward, rushed and Kurt would have been gross and sweaty.

He didnt want to admit that they need not switch positions and he would have acted the same regardless.

His hand was soft, yet he had a firm grip and shit, his palms – Blaines palms – were sweaty. Whoa, Hummel. Dont get ahead of yourself. Its a reasonably warm day.

"So, what brings you here?" Kurt asked, immediately cursing himself for the stupidity of the question; obviously hes here to look at the models, to learn about history.

Blaine chuckled softly, head tilting down to the floor as he rocked back on his feet. Jesus Christ, hes gorgeous. "My friend decided to drag me along on one of her mad educational trips," he explained, pointing to the girl Kurt saw him with earlier.

"Oh, thats cool. You enjoying the tour?" Kurt held his breath, not too sure why this mans opinion meant so much to him, but not questioning it either.

"Yeah, surprisingly," Blaine replied, nodding. "I usually prefer to read about this stuff, but I couldnt really turn down a friend, you know?"

Kurt nodded. Rachel often dragged him around the city to see sights and eat at places and buy coffee here and weve got to see this there and he never really cared, to be honest; after so many years of living there, hed seen quite enough of everything.

And hearing that Blaine enjoyed reading about history, like Kurt himself did, made him happier than it should have. "Well then, we have something in common - I love reading, too," he told him with a smile that Blaine quickly returned; a smile that made his heart beat so hard it was surely going to beat right out of his chest.

"You like reading?" Blaine was saying.

"Oh yeah, I love it. All through school books fascinated me, novels more than non-fiction – I loved being transported into the writers world, it helped me escape from—"

What was he saying? He shouldnt be telling Blaine this, theyd only just met, and he probably wouldnt care anyway. Kurt shook his head. "Anyway, after I started working here and I had to learn all this new information, Id spend extra time reading up on it, and now I do it for leisure."

Blaine was staring. Not watching, looking at him, listening while he talked – staring. But it wasnt so much that as what he was staring at – his eyes were transfixed on Kurts lips, and not in the way people usually look at lips when someone else talks. Kurts throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he opened his mouth to say something else, but then Blaines eyes locked with his and he was talking.

"Teach me something?"

Hed said it so quietly Kurt barely heard him. Blaine cleared his throat, obviously taking the lack of change in Kurts facial expression as a sign that he didnt hear him.

"Can you teach me about it?" he said, louder and more confident, then clarified, "The things you liked learning about?"

Kurts head nodded of its own accord, and then Blaine was standing right next to him (only then did Kurt realise how much shorter Blaine was than him – he was adorable, and wanted more than anything just to lean over and press a kiss to the top of his head) with his back pressed against the wall, and was looking at Kurt expectantly.

"Oh, right, um..." He looked around, trying to gather his thoughts quickly before Blaine took back his request because Kurt was being awkward. His eyes then landed on the blue whale. "Whales are mammals," he began, "and have many of the features and systems of mammal anatomy. For example, whales breathe with lungs, and females nurse their young on milk. But whales differ significantly from almost all other mammals – a result of their move from land to sea millions of years ago." The hours spent memorizing the information so that he could rattle it off in his sleep was finally worth it. This, he could do.

Blaine watched him, eyes almost glazed over with apparent fascination, though whether that was about the blue whales or the man telling him about them, Kurt couldnt tell.

Kurts voice was beautiful, entrancing even. He could listen to Kurt talk for hours upon end and wouldnt get tired of hearing him. Something was telling Blaine that Kurt would have an amazing singing voice, and he totally wasnt thinking of other things Kurt could do with his voice, imaging how he would sound, moaning wantonly on his back with Blaines head between his legs… Totally not imagining that.

Blaine hadnt noticed the small gathering around the pair of them until Kurt stopped talking. He also hadnt realised his eyes had fluttered shut, so lost in Kurts voice he didnt even need a visual to accompany it.

Then Kurt was saying things about moving on and then they were walking. Blaine felt a small, delicate hand on his elbow.

"Blaine? What was all that about?" Tina asked.

Blaine huffed out a short laugh, a smile creeping up on his lips until it took over half his face. "Nothing," he said simply. "Just eager to learn."

Kurt had been more than disappointed when the tour ended, assuming Blaine to leave with Tina, he heard him say, and a "goodbye, thank you for the tour" just like everyone else. He expected maybe a handshake, or a clap on the back if he was lucky, as hed talked to Blaine personally and, as far as Kurt was concerned, Blaine seemed interested in what Kurt had told him.

But Kurt couldnt see Blaine anywhere.

"Thank you again, Kurtie dear," he vaguely heard Mrs Malhotra say, clasping his hand between both of hers.

"Yeah, of course," he replied distractedly.

His eyes scanned the room again, not spotting Blaine, or Tina, anywhere. Kurt heaved an audible sigh and turned to head over to the museum cafe. He needed cookies and muffins (only because they didnt have ice cream for Kurt to wallow in).

He was probably never going to see that gorgeous man again. Or at least he never expected to.

So it was a surprise to hear, "Kurt! Hey, wait up!" followed by nearing footsteps and heavy breathing behind him, next to him, in front of him, and then Blaine was standing there, slightly hunched over with his hands on his knees, holding a finger up to signalise for Kurt to give him a second to catch his breath. Had he been running?

"I just... I never... didnt get to say... thanks for the tour," Blaine heaved between breaths as he stood up again. "Sorry. Anyway, I came to say thank you and – uh – also to ask whether – um – if I could maybe, buy you lunch? Or afternoon tea, or whatever youre going in there to eat now, and also can I join you? As in – I mean – as like a da—"

Kurt pressed a finger to Blaines lips. He stepped closer, his face hovering mere centimetres from the other mans. "Id love that," he whispered, and Blaine grinned.

He wasnt sure what he had been expecting out of their date – their date – maybe an exchange of phone numbers, possibly a peck on the cheek if he was lucky, after half an hour of awkwardly chatting over coffee and cake.

He hadnt expected to end up back at Kurts apartment after three long hours spent filling each other in on their lives like they were childhood friends, talking about their friends and family, their high school life, their hopes and dreams, college, current status, favourite food – Kurt loved cheesecake, Blaine learned – past relationships, work, fashion, and other interests – turned out not only could Kurt sing and was also in his high schools Glee Club, but that he loved Broadway and Lady Gaga and Britney and so many other things Blaine wouldnt have guessed but loved to hear about all the same – with Kurt Hummel, he also learned, cooking him lasagne after finding out that it was a favourite meal for both of them.

Blaine struggled to resist the urge to walk up behind Kurt and wrap his arms around the taller mans slim waist, and ended up sitting on his hands at the table, listening to Kurt talk about a Wicked sing-off he had with his best friend, Rachel Berry. (Blaine had gaped. "Rachel Berry? Like the Rachel Berry?" That had earned him a roll of Kurts gorgeous blue eyes and a deep sigh and a playfully annoyed, "Yes, that Rachel Berry.")

How they were so comfortable around each other, Blaine hadnt a clue. Hed told Kurt things about himself even Tina and Sam didnt know, and he lived with them, for gods sake. How they had gotten onto the topic of high school bullies, Blaine couldnt remember. But he found himself talking about Sadie Hawkins and he was stuttering and his bottom lip was shaking and then his whole body was shaking and Kurts arms were around him and god, if he didnt feel so at home, so safe in Kurts strong, comforting embrace.

And then Kurts lips were on his, soft and warm and wet and moving with his and Blaine had to hold back a moan because this man kissing him was absolutely perfect and everything Blaine could ask for in a boyfriend.

His hands snaked up around Kurts neck, whose own hands rested on Blaines hips, gripping at the fabric of his shirt as he tilted his head slightly, giving a better angle to slide his tongue into Blaines mouth. Blaine couldnt stop the moan that slipped past his lips as the kiss deepened, his fingers tangling in Kurts soft hair.

It could have been minutes, hours, years for all Blaine knew, because all he knew was that this man, this beautiful, kind, generous, compassionate, hilarious, talented, understanding, perfect man, was kissing him and holding him and nothing else in the world even mattered anymore. The only thing on Blaines mind was Kurt, Kurt, Kurt.

And they were so comfortable with each other, around each other, even after knowing each other for only half a day, and that wasnt something Blaine found, it wasnt something hed ever found in another person, not even after years of knowing them. God, Blaine had fallen hard. Fallen for this amazing man with chestnut hair and an outstanding taste in fashion and eyes he could lose himself in. Thank god for the American Natural History Museum, he thought absentmindedly. Hed have to thank Tina for dragging him along some day; maybe in his wedding speech he would, thanking her for allowing him to meet his husband. And Blaine was totally not letting his mind get carried away, because with the immediate connection between he and Kurt, something like that didnt seem completely impossible.