Reminder that I'm always taking prompts!
Tuesday afternoons were the best part of the week, in Kurt's opinion. The library wasn't overcrowded with weekend returns like it was on Mondays, but it was still lively enough that he had plenty of work to do over the course of his six-hour shift. Tuesday afternoons were also when his favorite patron made his weekly visit, giving Kurt plenty of opportunities to swoon over the other man's 1950s aesthetic and cute little reading-induced forehead furrow.
"Good afternoon, Kurt," Blaine said, walking in promptly at 4:30. He shot a sunny smile at Kurt, who felt his heart skip a beat even though Blaine smiled at him every week.
"Hey, Blaine," Kurt said, hoping the return smile he gave Blaine didn't look as besotted as he felt. "You enjoy your books?"
"Of course," Blaine said, adjusting his glasses minutely. "Although I cried like a baby at the end of Mockingjay."
"Didn't everyone?" Kurt teased. "I think I had to repress that book to keep it from haunting my dreams."
"I think I'm gonna need to look for some happier choices this week," Blaine said, stepping forward to hand his returns to Kurt. Their hands brushed in the exchange, causing tingles to shoot up Kurt's arm. "Any suggestions?"
"Uh," Kurt said, suddenly forgetting titles of books or if he even knew how to read. Blaine's eyes were just so big and friendly and right there, staring at him earnestly.
"I'm sorry, I know I sprung a tough question on you," Blaine said contritely. "How about I go look around and if you think of anything, you come tell me?"
"Yes. Yes, good, I can do that," Kurt rambled. He reached up to grab his own glasses and give them a polish, needing to do something with his hands.
"Fantastic. I'll be over in the YA fiction if you need me," Blaine said, like Kurt didn't know where he spent all his time in the library.
Okay, that sounded creepy when Kurt put it that way.
Kurt puttered around behind the desk for a while, organizing card applications and checking in returns. After a few minutes of thinking, a book recommendation finally came to him, and he hustled over to Blaine's spot in the stacks.
"I thought of a book!" Kurt said, stretching up to grab it off the top shelf. "You ever read Fangirl?"
"No, but it sounds promising," Blaine said. "I'm sure I can relate."
"I definitely sympathized," Kurt said, handing the book to Blaine. "And it's much lighter than Mockingjay. It's still moving and thoughtful, but there are far fewer deaths."
"Not that that's a high bar," Blaine quipped, causing Kurt to let out an undignified snort of laughter. "Thanks, Kurt. I think I'll start it now and see if it's something I want."
"Any time," Kurt said, wandering back over to the check-out desk. Thankfully, no one was waiting on him - he loved talking to Blaine, but he also loved having a spotless record at work. He busied himself by doodling on a sheet of scrap paper, sketching little hearts and bow ties mindlessly before flushing and hurrying to throw it away before Blaine could come up to check out and notice his shame.
"Alright, I'm hooked," Blaine said as he approached the desk a few minutes later. "Great recommendation, Kurt."
Kurt felt his cheeks pink slightly. "I hope the rest of it lives up to your expectations. I'd hate for you to come back next week disappointed."
"I'm sure that would never happen," Blaine said, soft and serious. "And I'll take these, too." He hefted a stack of books onto the counter, his library card on top.
"Oh hey, you need a card renewal," Kurt said after scanning Blaine's card. "Here, take this and fill it out real quick. I'll hold your books up here until you're done." He handed Blaine a form and a pen and gestured to the nearby table where people usually filled out their renewals.
Blaine shot him another heart-stopping smile and headed off to the table. Kurt checked out a couple of other patrons as Blaine worked, shooting Blaine smiles or miming signs of horror and frustration after a notoriously difficult regular came by. Finally, Blaine came back up to the desk, form in hand.
"I think I got everything," he said, giving Kurt the paper.
"I'll put it in now so you can get your books, just a sec," Kurt said, pulling up the right screen on his computer and starting to input Blaine's info. He skimmed the name section just to double-check the spelling, choking a little when he noticed an unexpected addition.
"You okay?" Blaine asked, looking concerned.
"Um, Blaine? You might want to double-check what you put for your last name," Kurt said, sliding back the form.
"Blaine Anderson-Humm - oh no," Blaine said, dropping his head and flushing a deep scarlet along his cheeks and the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Kurt, I was daydreaming about maybe finally asking you out as I was writing and I guess my hand acted without consulting my brain first. I swear I wasn't trying to be creepy!"
"You want to ask me out?" Kurt squeaked, feeling stunned. His crushes never liked him back.
"I understand if you don't want to, we've never talked outside of here and maybe you don't want to mix your professional and pers-"
"I want to, Blaine," Kurt said. His cheeks flushed at his boldness, but he didn't want Blaine to rescind the offer before he even had a chance to respond.
"You do?" Blaine said, eyes widening.
"I mean, only if you want to, of course. If you were just saying that to be ni-"
"I want to!" Blaine interrupted Kurt's rambling. "I really want to. I've wanted to for months now."
"You and me both," Kurt said softly.
"So...would you like to get a coffee some time?" Blaine asked, eyes flashing hopefully at Kurt.
"I get off at six. I mean, my shift ends at six!" Kurt said, flustered after realizing the connotation of his original statement.
"There's that coffee shop just down the block from here," Blaine said, smiling jovially but otherwise not acknowledging Kurt's verbal slip-up, much to his relief. "I could come back and walk down there with you then?"
"It's a date," Kurt said happily. He felt a smile spread across his face almost of its own volition, and he couldn't help but bounce on his feet a couple times.
"It's a date," Blaine repeated, beaming so wide it scrunched up his face in the most adorable manner Kurt had ever seen.
The cuteness was only heightened when Blaine accidentally crashed into the window next to the sliding glass doors on his way out, too focused on smiling at Kurt to pay attention to where he was going.
