I was out with Alex rumchocolatesouffle today and got inspired by a puppy onesie. Never thought I'd type that sentence, tbh.
"I'm going to kill you."
"Aw, c'mon, bro, it's not like it's not true!" Sam said, exasperated. "And you know Benji looks super handsome in it."
Blaine snuggled his golden retriever puppy closer to his chest. "Benji always looks handsome, Sam. That doesn't mean I need to walk him while he's wearing a 'Daddy's Single!' onesie!"
Benji yapped and wriggled at that. When Blaine set him loose, he ran over to Sam and barked cheerfully before running in circles around his feet.
"See? Benji agrees with me, don't you, buddy?" Sam said, picking up Blaine's traitorous little dog.
"I should've named him Benedict Arnold, apparently," Blaine said, glaring at Benji.
"Why would you name him after the guy who plays Sherlock?" Sam asked. "He looks more like Watson to me."
"That's not what I – okay, let's just go for that walk now," Blaine said, redirecting himself mid-sentence when he realized he really didn't feel like getting into that conversation with Sam right then. "If I'm lucky, there'll be a movie shooting nearby or something and no one will notice Benji's new clothes."
"We still on for dinner tomorrow night, bro?" Sam said as they collected their stuff and headed out.
"Of course. Trying that new pizza place on 56th?"
"Yeah, I'll order, you pick it up on your way over. 'Cedes is going to be out, so we can play Super Mario World while we eat," Sam informed him cheerfully. "See ya!"
Blaine waved after his best human friend and turned the other way, off to the nearby park in his Bushwick neighborhood. Benji trotted along happily ahead of him, pulling at the leash whenever he saw an interesting squirrel or rock or scrap of dropped food. That wasn't unusual for him, so Blaine had gotten pretty good at reeling the puppy back over to him whenever he tried to run too far-
-until a bigger dog barked and snapped at Benji as they walked by, terrifying Blaine's young little boy and making him pull harder at the leash than ever before. Blaine had relaxed his hold a little, distracted by the food cart selling delicious-smelling churros across the street, so Benji managed to break free and bolt away, losing himself in the crowd in no time flat.
"Oh no," Blaine said, instantly panicking. "Benji! Where are you, boy? Benji!"
Blaine wandered the park frantically, checking all of Benji's favorite places. He wasn't at the duck pond chasing the nestlings, or near the almond vendor begging for scraps. He also wasn't under any of the bushes, splashing in the biggest fountain, or trampled under the hooves of the carriage horses, thankfully.
Blaine was just about to call Sam and initiate a search party when he saw an incredibly good-looking man bearing down on him with an armful of-
"Benji!" Blaine said, hoping he didn't sound as high-pitched as he thought.
"I was just about to call the number on his tag when I saw you looking worried over here," the man said, and ohmyGodhisvoice.
"Uh- yeah, that's, um, that's my dog," Blaine said, flustered. "I'm Blaine, and he's Benji."
The stranger held out Benji and Blaine took him gratefully, snuggling the dog under his chin. "I'm Kurt. So you're single, huh?"
"How did you – oh my God, the onesie," Blaine said, flushing crimson. "I swear, I didn't buy that myself, my friend Sam did. He thought it might help my game, and yes, those are his exact words."
"He sounds like he means well," Kurt said, smiling in amusement. "And my best friend Rachel would probably do the same if I had a dog. She's been on a quest to get me a boyfriend ever since we moved to the city."
"Oh, where are you from?" Blaine asked, ever polite.
"Ohio. Lima, to be specific," Kurt said, making Blaine's jaw thud open.
"I'm from Westerville!" Blaine said. "We're practically neighbors, wow."
"Oh my God, that's too weird," Kurt said, looking equally stunned. "Next you'll say you were in show choir in high school or that we go to the same college or something."
"Uh, actually? I was in high school show choir," Blaine said, averting his eyes slightly. "And I'm a rising freshman at NYADA, what about you?"
"You are kidding me," Kurt said, glancing around the park furtively. "Am I being punked right now?"
"What – why - ?"
"I'm a rising freshman at NYADA, too!" Kurt explained.
"Holy sh- crap," Blaine said, remembering in the nick of time that cursing around people you've just met is a little rude, regardless of how familiar you feel around them. "I was the soloist for the Dalton Academy Warblers."
"I was in the New Directions, from McKinley," Kurt said, which rang a bell in Blaine's head.
"Oh my God, I think we were supposed to compete sophomore year! But then the show choir board rearranged the districts, so we ended up competing against a couple prep schools from Michigan."
"Oh, is that what happened?" Kurt asked. "Our director didn't actually tell us why things changed, just to keep writing our songs for the competition."
"Wait, writing them? Like two weeks before the competition?" Blaine asked, intrigued.
"It's a long story. Do you have time to hear it over a coffee, maybe?" Kurt said, giving Blaine a look that he could only describe as flirtatious.
Blaine swallowed hard – Kurt's eyes were magical. "Y- yeah, I can do that. There's a good cafe down the block that allows dogs, is that-"
"Perfect," Kurt finished. "We need to treat the little guy who helped us meet, don't we?" He reached out to scratch under Benji's chin, making the dog whuffle happily.
"I couldn't agree more," Blaine said, putting Benji down so he could offer an arm to Kurt.
(Burn that onesie. You don't need it anymore, was the first thing Kurt sent Blaine once they exchanged numbers. Blaine had to bury his head in his pillows to contain his moment of glee.)