This was written for the Klaine AU Friday over on Tumblr. This may or may not develop into a series, since I feel like I could keep going with this.
If there was one thing Kurt loved more than anything about living in Paris, it was his job, which was as a baker's assistant at a bakery/pastry shop not too far from his apartment. The quaint, tucked away shop was simply called "Pain et pâtisseries", or "Bread and Pastries" as Kurt often explained to the tourists that constantly flocked through their doors. The locals, however, referred to it as the boulangerie dent sucrée - sweet tooth bakery - because of the delicious macarons Kurt had a knack for baking. They'd come from all over the city to buy the French delicacies that the American-born man baked to absolute perfection. If the more than decent pay hadn't made Kurt's job worth all the work, then the gratitude and kind words he received from their customers did. He couldn't imagine living any other way; the bakery had become his life.
Then he met Blaine.
His first encounter with Blaine was on a calm Wednesday morning at the shop, when they weren't completely swamped with customers. Kurt was diligently working the front counter while his boss, Francis, was bargaining for produce in the back with their local provider. After helping a nice elderly woman, who bought some of his freshly made macarons, he had looked up from the register to see an unfamiliar man walk through the door. He had an accordion, of all things, strung over his shoulder and a few bills clenched tightly in his fist. His hair was an unruly bed of curls that appeared to be breaking free from the gel that had attempted to tame them, and his skin was tan unlike that of any native French men Kurt had come across. After glancing at his clothes, which were simple and obviously thrown on last-minute, Kurt quickly assessed that this man was as American as he was, probably even more so. It became definite when he saw the man scan the glass cases filled with breads and pastries, looking completely lost as he read the description tags that were written in French.
"Can I help you?" Kurt asked politely, peering over the counter at the helpless man.
The man looked over at him with a relieved smile and replied, "Yes, please. I'm completely lost."
"Well," Kurt said as he slipped from behind the counter, "what are you looking for exactly?"
"Something cheap and delicious that can substitute as my breakfast," the man explained and extended his hand for Kurt to shake, eyeing his name tag. "Thanks, um...Kurt, is it?"
"Yep," Kurt agreed with a faint laugh and shook his hand. "The trusty baker's assistant here to help with all your bakery needs."
"Great," the man smiled at him eagerly. "My name's Blaine, by the way."
"Do you always introduce yourself to strangers?" Kurt asked humorously as he scanned the shelves and cases for possible options. "Also, were you interested in a type of bread or pastry?"
"Pastry," Blaine replied quickly. He was fidgeting behind Kurt awkwardly and taking in the sights and smells of the shop, looking on in amazement at the perfectly baked bread and delicately intricate pastries that littered the bakery. "I'm a, um, very friendly person and since I'm pretty new to Paris, I try making friends wherever I go. You never know when you'll need one."
"I've never known an American to be so friendly," Kurt muttered, briskly approaching the display cases where the freshly baked pastries were placed. "Any type of pastry you have in mind?"
"How'd you know I was American?" Blaine questioned, grinning in amusement.
"I'm American too, therefore I know one when I see one," Kurt explained and gestured to the pastries. "Now, what pastry were you interested in?"
"I heard the macarons here are well worth the price. Do you have any of those?" Blaine suggested. Before he could blink, Kurt was happily placing macaron after macaron in a small paper bag. After the seventh one, he looked down at the few euros bills in his hand nervously. "Um, how much will this be?"
"On the house," Kurt replied simply before extending the bag to Blaine.
"I don't know," Blaine mumbled in disbelief as he nervously looked at the bag. "A-Are you sure? I don't want to get you in trouble-"
"I'm the one that bakes them and brings customers like you in," Kurt reassured, smiling at Blaine. "Consider it a friend helping a friend, okay?"
Blaine hesitated for a moment before gently taking the bag from Kurt, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me."
"I was a fresh face too, once." Kurt teasingly chided. "I know how hard it is when you first start out in the city, and that every penny - or euro, really - counts. Free breakfast goes a long way."
"Thank you, again." Blaine sighed in relief as he began walking toward the door, but his eyes were still stuck on Kurt. "Are you - are you here often?"
"I work here every day," Kurt replied as he returned to the register. "Maybe stop in again for more macarons if you've ever got the time?"
"Yeah," Blaine said softly, "I definitely will."
The next time Kurt saw Blaine, it was weeks later on a breezy Paris night. Kurt was making his way home after a long day at the bakery, a box of macarons in his arms for an after-dinner snack, when he was distracted by a harmonious melody that appeared to be coming from a coffee shop just down the street. As he continued walking down the cobblestone path, he saw a man leaning against the corner of the coffee shop, playing a romantic tune on his accordion. His beret was lying on the ground face-up, a clear sign that tips were very much appreciated. Once he got close enough to the coffee shop to make out who the accordion player was, he was shocked.
"Blaine?" Kurt gasped, stopping in front of him as Blaine continued to play the accordion. "Is that you?"
Blaine looked up at Kurt and as soon as he recognized him, smiled brightly. "Oh, hey there - Kurt, right? What a pleasant surprise."
"Yeah, a real surprise." Kurt muttered as he continued staring at Blaine in confusion. "Are you always out here playing your, um, accordion?"
"I just started a week or so ago to get some spare cash," Blaine explained, still playing his accordion with surprising grace and ease. "Speaking of which, tips are greatly appreciated."
"I've only got some macarons on me," Kurt sighed and opened the box in his arms, which contained a variety of macarons. "I can give you a few if you like?"
Blaine's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of macarons. "You mean the ones you've baked in your shop?" Kurt nodded his head, causing Blaine to nod excitedly in return. "They're amazing! I'll definitely take some. I've kind of got a sweet tooth for them now."
After that, it became a regular routine for the two. Kurt would pass by Blaine on his way home, start up a little chat, and offer Blaine a few macarons as compensation before continuing on his way. When they did talk, they got to learn more about each other. Kurt eventually learned that Blaine was a student from New York who was studying abroad for the summer in order to escape the cold, backstabbing set-up of music school he'd grown accustomed to. Since his instructors demanded he take up an instrument while overseas, he figured choosing the accordion would be a pleasant way to say "fuck you" before his departure, thus the reason why he played it on the streets to earn money.
"I always wanted to go to a performing arts school," Kurt said one day while they nibbled on macarons together, "but I never really got the chance to. I was given the opportunity to come live out here in Paris, so I took that road instead, which is why I'm working full-time at the bakery."
"You should come back to the states and give it a go," Blaine suggested. "What were you thinking of majoring in at a performing arts school?"
"I can sing and dance," Kurt said with a shrug before looking down at his wristwatch. "Damn, I need to go home and feed my cat. Finish this chat tomorrow night?"
"Sounds like a plan," Blaine agreed with a dazzling grin that nearly made Kurt stay with him for the remainder of the night. Kurt enjoyed Blaine's company immensely and would probably spend the entire night with him if he could. He had to go, though, so after exchanging heartfelt goodbyes and the promise of meeting up the following night, he was on his way.
The next night, however, was met with pouring rain and booming thunder. Assuming Blaine was probably tucked away in his own home, Kurt was rushing home with the aid of his tiny umbrella and the awnings of shops and restaurants he passed on his way, only to approach the all too familiar coffee shop and see a form hunched underneath an awning and playing soft, romantic music over the sound of the rain.
"Blaine!" Kurt called out as he took shelter beside the musician. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I promised to meet you here so we could finish our conversation," Blaine managed to choke out over the chattering of his teeth. "Looks like you made it."
It took all of Kurt's strength and willpower not to smack Blaine right then and there. Instead, he hustled Blaine into the coffee shop, plopped him down at an empty table with his box of macarons, and proceeded to order both of them a nice, steaming cup of coffee. Once he returned with their drinks, he sat across from Blaine with a sign.
"You're the only man I know who would actually wait out in the rain for me," Kurt scoffed, but found himself blushing at the thought that Blaine would actually do that for him. "I'd be flattered if it wasn't for the fact that that is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen."
"We had a promise," Blaine shrugged as he grabbed a macaron from the box, munching on it and thoughtfully looking at Kurt. "You didn't expect me to be there waiting for you?"
"Not in this weather," Kurt replied and took a sip of his coffee. "I mean, I was pleasantly surprised to see you, but I didn't want you waiting out there for me in the freezing rain, for crying out loud."
"Well no use in fussing over it now," Blaine chuckled as he reached across the table to rest his hand on top of Kurt's. "So, how about we break out the macarons and finish that conversation?"
Kurt frowned in annoyance at Blaine, but boldly intertwined their hands and said, "Fine, but if you expect me to keep this up, you better stop waiting out in the rain and just give me a damn call. I'll even give you my number if you want."
"Deal," Blaine laughed, squeezing Kurt's hand tenderly.