Yes, I realize the title's cheesy. I had nothing, folks.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Kurt mumbled, navigating around clusters of people with children and pets as he made his way through Central Park. A typically easy task, yes, but not for someone currently confined to a wheelchair, which Kurt unfortunately was.
"Why did you think this would be a good idea, Hummel?" he asked himself as he finally got to the paved-over pavilion he'd been rolling toward for a solid twenty minutes. "You didn't think to bring your painkillers, it took you twice as long to just get out of your apartment building, much less make it here, and for what? To sit and watch people give you pitying looks while they- ack!"
Kurt's epic soliloquy of discontent was cut off by a giant golden retriever bounding up to him, placing its front paws in his lap, and starting to lick his face merrily, heedless of his flails and weak shoves.
"Cap! Down, boy!" a voice yelled. A pair of tan hands that must have belonged to the owner of the voice came into Kurt's sightline as they pulled on Cap's collar and yanked him down, revealing-
-omigod.
A man who looked like he'd stepped out of a 1950s soda shop now held Cap's leash and was forcing him to sit. Once the dog was behaving, he turned and looked at Kurt, who was suddenly grateful for the stability of his chair after meeting the man's bright hazel eyes.
"I'm so sorry about my dog," the man said, holding his free hand out for Kurt to shake. "He's usually much better behaved, I don't know what got into him today."
"It's no problem," Kurt said, inwardly cursing how high his voice came out. He shook the man's hand quickly, feeling a little tingle zip up his spine as they made contact. "My natural charm is too much for anyone to resist, I know."
"I won't argue that," the man said, smiling flirtatiously at Kurt. "My name's Blaine, by the way."
"Kurt."
"Is there any way I can make up for my dog, Kurt?" Blaine asked, giving Kurt far too many inappropriate thoughts. "I know you said it was alright, but I still feel like I should buy you a coffee or something after Cap managed to get to second base with you."
"I'll have you know I'm not usually that kind of guy," Kurt teased. "But I suppose I could do worse than going out for a coffee with a handsome man and his equally cute dog."
"There's a cafe down by the other entrance of the park that makes great iced mochas," Blaine said. "Does that sound good to you?"
"My arms might fall off before we get there, but I'd love to go with you," Kurt said, smiling up at Blaine. "I have a weakness for mochas."
"Oh, but do you need to go somewhere closer? I don't want to cause you any-"
"Blaine. It's fine, I promise. I won't need to do arm day at the gym for months because of this chair," Kurt said. He reached out for Blaine's free hand again to give it a comforting squeeze, a move he wouldn't usually try. Somehow he could tell that Blaine would appreciate it, though.
"If you say so," Blaine said with a smile.
The little group started to make their way across the park, stopping as needed for Kurt to shake out his arms or Cap to inspect any interesting foliage he saw. The boys fell into easy small talk as they went along, their natural rhythms and senses of humor aligning almost perfectly.
Once they'd ordered their drinks and a bowl of water for Cap, they wandered over to a shaded outdoor table, where Blaine dragged one of the wrought-iron chairs out of the way before Kurt could even ask for the favor.
"So, I have a question that's kind of about you, and I'm sure you're dying to ask the obvious one about me," Kurt began. He took a sip of his truly delicious drink before continuing, "So should I go first, or would you rather?"
"What would you like to ask me?" Blaine said, tone airy and open.
"Is 'Cap' short for something, or do you just really love hats?"
Blaine blushed and laughed a little before answering, "Um, Cap's full name is actually Steve Rogers, but since yelling 'Steve' in a crowded park is a recipe for confusion, I started calling him Cap after a while."
"That's adorable," Kurt said, letting out a laugh of his own. "And fitting, since I'm sure Cap here wasn't quite so large when you first got him."
"He was definitely the runtiest dog at the shelter," Blaine agreed. "Flash forward seven months, and I'm pretty sure I could ride him in an emergency."
"Maybe I should switch modes of transportation," Kurt said. He laughed again, but Blaine got a serious look on his face.
"Is it rude of me to ask about-" Blaine cut himself off, gesturing to Kurt's chair silently instead. "I don't need to know to keep talking with you, but you mentioned it earlier, and I-"
"I don't mind, Blaine. Honestly, I kind of prefer it when people ask instead of just staring at me like some kind of sideshow attraction," Kurt said, laying his hand in Blaine's on the tabletop. "Oh God, where to start…."
"I find starting at the beginning to be pretty helpful," Blaine teased.
Kurt scowled and stuck out his tongue, taking his hand out of Blaine's but leaving it on the table. "How very enlightening. Okay, so about three months ago, I was taking my dance final - I go to NYADA, a drama school - and I had to do a partnering routine with another guy. Since I was the thinner one, we decided he'd lift me for our ending pose, a shoulder sit. When we're in the room, though, he suddenly has some kind of arm spasm or something and drops me from almost his full height. I landed on my spine, slipped a disc, and had to be rushed into surgery that afternoon to repair it."
Blaine had a look of mixed horror and sympathy on his face when Kurt finally looked into his eyes instead of at the trees behind him. "Oh my God, that's awful," he breathed. "Are you gonna be stuck in that chair forever?"
"No, thankfully," Kurt said. "I should be out of it by no later than next month, and then I start PT to make sure everything's in working order. By the time classes start in September, I should be pretty much back to normal."
"That's so good to hear," Blaine said, reaching out and squeezing Kurt's hand. "I'd have to reconsider my own musical theatre major if you'd said otherwise."
"Oh my God, you're a theatre student too? Where do you go?" Kurt asked excitedly.
"I'm going to start at NYU in the fall," Blaine said, smiling gently. "That's kind of why I have Cap, actually - my mom didn't want me all alone in the city."
"I feel that. If I hadn't moved in with my best friend from high school, my dad probably would have made me bring a shotgun," Kurt said. A twinge of pain hit him just then, making him wince and press his lips together.
"You okay?" Blaine asked, concerned.
"Yeah, it's just - my painkiller's wearing off," Kurt said, forcing the words out. "I'm healing well, but I get really stiff from sitting sometimes, so I have a slightly heavier dose of medication just in case. I took some a few hours ago, but it must have been longer than I thought."
"Do you need help getting home? I can call a cab or something," Blaine said, pulling out his phone.
"I can probably make it on my own. It's a pain in the ass rolling through these sidewalks, but I've been managing for weeks now."
"Can I at least walk you partway? I'll even push, if you want. You can rest your arms for a while," Blaine said, looking so gorgeous in his earnestness that Kurt couldn't say no (not that he particularly wanted to anyways).
"Well, I suppose I can't turn down a beautiful boy offering to shuttle me around," Kurt said, shooting Blaine a flirty smile. "I'll start rolling myself, though, and if my arms get tired, I'll take Cap from you. Hell, he could probably drag me home himself."
"Sounds perfect," Blaine said, and the boys began the long trek back to Kurt's apartment.
True to his word, Blaine took over for Kurt when they were about halfway there, noticing the tremors in Kurt's overworked arms. Once they were in the vestibule of Kurt's building, they stopped and faced each other.
"I can't thank you enough," Kurt said, staring up at Blaine. "I probably would have had to pull off to the side for a while and rest if you hadn't been here, and God knows that people probably would have thought I was out begging for change or something."
"It was my pleasure," Blaine said, smiling warmly. "Really."
"Would you - uh. Like to exchange numbers?" Kurt asked, feeling himself blush scarlet. "I had fun with you and Cap today, and I might need more transportation assistance in the future, you know."
"Push a boy home one time and suddenly you're his personal chauffeur," Blaine teased. "But yes, I'd love to get your number. Maybe we could go out without my dog harassing you first?"
"I'd love that."
True to his word, Blaine called Kurt and arranged for a date that weekend, which led to another date a few days later, and a kiss at the end of that date, much to Kurt's delight. The angle wasn't even too terrible, as Blaine just leaned over from his place on Kurt's couch so they were at the same height.
If Kurt was being honest, though, he loved the kisses they shared when he was finally able to stand up and bend Blaine over backwards much more.