Park
Written for the 2016 Klaine Summer Challenge on Tumblr. (I'm not on Tumblr, so I post here.Lucky you!)This is for the first prompt, 'Park'.
Kurt loved New York City. It was all he ever hoped it would be. It was fast, and busy, and loud, and vibrant. The streets practically thrummed with the energy of millions of people hustling and moving wherever their individual, yet somehow intertwined and interdependent, lives took them. It was scary, and overwhelming, and absolutely wonderful.
Though he never thought he'd miss anything from Ohio other than his family and a few close friends, Kurt found himself craving one thing that couldn't be found in the proverbial concrete jungle of the city – green space. That was one precious commodity that was in short supply pretty much anywhere one looked. And while Kurt was nowhere near what you would call the "outdoorsy" type, and most of the time it didn't even cross his mind, every once in a while he would think nostalgically of the days when he could walk out his front door onto a green lawn and a wide, tree-lined street, where he could then take a leisurely stroll to a nearby park and sit in the sun or swing on the swing set like a little kid. Sure, there were strategically-placed trees here and there in Manhattan, but they were planted in spaces made in the pavement. It wasn't quite the same.
Today was one of those days when he felt the need for open skies and sunshine, not the kind that peeked out in between skyscrapers. So, he grabbed the lunch he'd packed that morning and high-tailed it out the front doors of Vogue, heading uptown the few blocks to Central Park. It was a gorgeous day outside – the heat of summer was just beginning to tease the city, but hadn't become oppressive just yet. He was glad he had opted for a short-sleeved button-down today as a light breeze whirled past him. Crossing Central Park South, he entered the park and walked along the winding pathway.
It always amazed Kurt how quickly one could leave the city behind here. Within a few minutes, the noise of the traffic was barely noticeable, and thanks to the shade of the trees, it was a bit cooler, too. It seemed that a lot of others had had the same idea of enjoying the park today. He passed joggers and tourists, dog-walkers and nannies with their charges, and more than a few folks in business attire eating their lunches and chatting away their precious hour of personal time. Kurt didn't mind the company – the park was vast enough that everyone could spread out and not be in each other's way as they often were on the sidewalks just a few blocks away.
He eventually came to a clearing and spotted a vacant bench overlooking a small open lawn. He quickly claimed the bench as his own, cheering internally at his luck in finding a seat so perfectly situated. The branches of a nearby tree reached out enough to offer filtered sunshine through its leaves – enough to allow Kurt to feel the warmth but not fear risking his fair complexion. He pulled his phone and earbuds from his pocket, clicked on his favorite music, and relaxed against the back of the bench as he ate his lunch.
He absentmindedly looked around as he ate, doing a little people-watching. A group of teenagers sat in a circle on the ground under one tree, talking a little but mostly texting (probably one another, he thought with a shake of his head). A woman pretend-chased her toddler as he laughed joyfully every time he "evaded" her capture. As Kurt watched these and other random scenes, his mind wandered, making up stories about who they were or what their lives were like outside of this moment in the park. It was a pleasant way to pass the time.
Having finished his lunch, he checked his watch and saw that he still had a few more minutes before he'd have to start walking back. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes, focusing on the warm breeze and the feel of the sun on his skin. This was the most relaxed he'd been in weeks, he thought, and just as he was about to open his eyes and rise from the bench, he thought he heard a yell nearby, but the sound was muffled by the music still playing through his earbuds. He pulled the earbuds from his ears and blinked his eyes open just in time to see an object hurtling towards his face. He unfortunately did not, however, have enough time to duck.
"Ow!" he exclaimed as the object, which he belatedly identified as a Frisbee, thunked into his nose. His hands instinctively flew to cover his nose and eyes, the latter of which began watering due to the sting of the impact. "Son of a…" he began, but was cut off by a voice right in front of him.
"Oh, my god, I am so sorry! Are you okay?" the voice asked. Kurt couldn't open his eyes, but he registered that the voice was male (and very smooth – or at least, he would have thought so if his mind wasn't occupied with the whole pain-in-nose-making-eyes-water situation).
He felt a tentative hand on his elbow and heard the man speak again. "Hey, are you hurt? Can you move your hands so I can see?"
The sting had started to subside already – he hadn't been hit that hard, just at a very odd spot. Taking a slow, deep breath through his nose, Kurt found his voice. "I think I'm okay," he started, sounding a little more shaky than he anticipated. "It just hit me right on the bridge of my nose, and, oh…" he trailed off as he slowly lowered his hands, blinking rapidly to clear out the tears from his eyes. He was surprised to find the owner of the voice crouched down in front of him, still holding his elbow with one hand and resting the other on Kurt's knee (he didn't know when that had happened). He couldn't see very clearly just yet, and began wiping at his eyes, when suddenly the hand that was on his knee moved and then a handkerchief appeared in front of him.
"Thank you," he said quietly, taking the item and using it to wipe his eyes once more. When he felt they'd stopped watering, or at least slowed down considerably, he removed the handkerchief and looked up again. He was able to see now, and he'd never been happier to do so in his life.
Crouched in front of him was a stunning man, about Kurt's age, with dark, curly hair and the most incredible golden-hazel eyes Kurt had ever seen. Those eyes were filled with concern at the moment, and were looking questioningly back at him. Kurt took a second to take in the rest of the man's appearance – he was nicely built, with strong arms and a broad chest visible underneath his striped polo shirt, which was paired with dark red skinny jeans and loafers without socks. Kurt's inner fashion critic approved.
He was drawn from his quick appraisal when the man spoke again. "I am so, so sorry. Does it hurt much? Do I need to take you to the hospital? God, I told Sam he couldn't throw that thing to save his life. Sam…" he looked over his shoulder, quickly scanning the area as if looking for said Sam, but instantly returned his attention to Kurt and continued speaking rapidly, "Great, he hits you with that thing and takes off. I'm really sorry, can I get you some ice or do you need…"
"Oh, my gosh, stop!" Kurt finally interrupted. The man opened his mouth as if to speak again, but Kurt held up a hand and he closed his mouth again. "Just…I'm okay, really," Kurt said, lightly touching the bridge of his nose again and wincing slightly. "Here," he said, handing the handkerchief back to the man. "Thank you, um," he paused, and the man took the hint.
"Blaine," he supplied, holding out his hand.
"Kurt," the other man replied, taking Blaine's hand and shaking it firmly for a second before pulling it slightly toward him. "Please, have a seat," he said, guiding Blaine to rise from the ground and sit beside him on the bench. Blaine looked at him and smiled, and Kurt felt his heart speed up slightly. There was a moment of awkward silence before Blaine spoke up again.
"I really am sorry, Kurt," he repeated.
"It's okay, really, Blaine," Kurt answered, liking the sound of his name coming from Blaine and the sound of Blaine's name falling from his own lips. "It was an accident. You don't have to keep apologizing."
"You're very gracious," Blaine replied, blushing slightly. "Can I at least make it up to you? I'll buy you a coffee, or a gelato maybe?" he asked hopefully.
Kurt contemplated it briefly as he looked into those mesmerizing hazel eyes, but his responsible side took over. "I really can't, I'm sorry. I have to get back to work." He saw a fleeting look on Blaine's face before he slid away from Kurt on the bench a couple of inches.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry. Right. I didn't mean to…I, um."
Kurt chuckled internally. This guy really was too cute.
"Blaine," he said, taking a chance and reaching out to cover Blaine's hand which was resting on the seat of the bench. Blaine, who had looked away uncomfortably, snapped his head over to look at Kurt's hand and then up into his eyes. Kurt smiled warmly and continued, "I really do have to get back to work. Honest. It's not an excuse." Blaine smiled dazzlingly then, almost making Kurt change his mind about returning to the office.
"Maybe some time soon, then?" Blaine asked, still resting with his hand under Kurt's. "Can I call you?"
Kurt removed his hand then, not missing the momentary look of disappointment at the loss of contact. Kurt reached into his pocket and retrieved a business card. "Here," he said, rising as he handed the card to Blaine, who immediately stood with him. "I do have to run, but you can reach me here. Coffee would be great."
They stood and smiled at one another for a moment more, then broke the spell and made their awkward parting comments to one another.
"I'll call you," Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand. What surprised Kurt more than the action was the fact that he didn't seem to mind, even though he'd just met this guy five minutes ago.
Kurt laughed at the cliché. "You better," he answered saucily, earning a laugh from Blaine that made his heart flutter.
"And get some ice on that," Blaine added, releasing Kurt's hand and lightly tapping his finger on the tip of Kurt's nose, being sure to go nowhere near the injury. "It would be a sin for there to be bruise on a face like yours," he said with a glint in his eye before winking (he actually winked) and walking back across the lawn, leaving Kurt with a racing heart and his mouth hanging open as he admired the view.
He liked this one.
xoxoxo
Later that afternoon, as Kurt sat at his desk, typing and clicking with one hand while holding an ice pack to his nose with the other, he was startled by a quick rap on his door. Looking up, he saw the receptionist, who was clearly holding something behind her back and grinning knowingly.
"Delivery for you, Kurt," she said, stepping over to his desk and bringing a bouquet of flowers from behind her back with a flourish. She laid them on the desk and smiled as she walked out of the office.
Brimming with curiosity, Kurt put down the ice pack and picked up the flowers – a gorgeous bouquet of red and yellow roses. He took in the heavenly scent and then took the card to see who would possibly have sent them. The card read: Sorry for ruining your afternoon in the park, but I've never been more grateful that my friend has lousy aim.
Kurt smiled broadly at the card and actually laughed out loud a little. Just then, his phone rang. Still looking at his flowers, he distractedly reached for the receiver and answered without looking, "Kurt Hummel."
"Well hello, Kurt Hummel," a smooth and somehow familiar voice replied. "Did you like the flowers?"
"Blaine?" Kurt said after a second, looking at the phone as if expecting to see his face there.
"Hi," Blaine answered quietly, almost sounding a little shy.
"Hi," Kurt said back, feeling a bit shy himself. "Thank you for the flowers," he finally said, recovering a bit. "They're lovely, but you didn't have to do that."
"Well, I wasn't sure what the appropriate gift was for maiming a stranger with a Frisbee, and coffee didn't seem like quite enough."
Kurt laughed into the receiver, feeling a bit like a teenager again, though he'd never gotten flowers then. "They're perfect," he answered quietly.
"I'm glad you like them. So, I know usually there's the whole 'wait 24 hours to call a guy after you get his number' thing, but I figured our meeting wasn't exactly conventional, so why get all caught up in the rules now?" Kurt could hear the smile in Blaine's voice as he spoke. "That said, how about that coffee tomorrow? I could meet you at our bench in the park?"
"Our bench?" Kurt asked teasingly. "We have a bench now, do we, Blaine?"
He was surprised by the sincerity of Blaine's response. "I certainly hope so, Kurt."
Kurt's heart raced once again, beating in a way it hadn't for a long time. He sat back in his chair and thought that going to the park for lunch had been a good idea. A very, very good idea.
A/N: Hi!Hope you enjoyed this fic.I got to combine two of my favorite things here:A/U meeting stories and Central Park.I love NYC, and Central Park is just magical to me.And just to put it out there in the universe, if someone who looked like Darren Criss clocked me with a Frisbee, I wouldn't complain, either.Just saying.
