Kurt Hummel did not like his job. It was boring and required none of the skills or talents that he possessed. And he wasn't too fond of his co-workers, most of whom were rude and stuck-up. So when it came to being in an elevator with one of them, it wasn't something Kurt looked forward to.
As the metal doors shut with a clang, Kurt looked at his co-worker from the corner of his eyes. He had never really spoken to Blaine, as they both worked in different departments. But that didn't change the fact that Kurt was desperate to get home. He sighed and checked his watch. It would take twenty minutes on the Sub to get home. And as if things couldn't get worse, the lights flickered and the elevator rattled. And then the lights went out and they stopped altogether.
Before either man could move, the emergency lights flickered on. Blaine looked at Kurt suspiciously before both of them rushed forward to bang on the doors. Kurt pressed the emergency call button repeatedly but nothing happened.
"God, no!" Kurt muttered under his breath. Blaine was trying to pry open the doors angrily, before finally giving up. He looked at Kurt briefly and span around, moving to lean against the back wall. He pulled out his phone, the light from which illuminated his face. Blaine pocketed the object and ran a hand through his hair. He groaned and slid down the wall, putting his head in his hands. Kurt watched him curiously.
"Blaine?" Kurt asked, but his voice sounded strange. He cleared his throat and bent down to look at Blaine, placing his satchel on the floor. Blaine was shaking slightly, as if he was scared, and his breathing had become subdued.
"Blaine?" Kurt asked again. He started to worry when he didn't get a reply and looked around, as if the answer of what to do was floating in the air. And then it hit him; Blaine was having a panic attack. Kurt racked his brain for something to help him but nothing came to mind and he began to panic himself.
"Blaine, can you count to ten with me?" This was the only thing Kurt knew would help, if only a little bit, and he prayed that it would work.
Blaine nodded slightly but his breathing was still slightly choked.
"Repeat after me, 1..." Blaine repeated the number with difficulty. "2...3...4...5..."
When they made it to ten, Blaine wasn't shaking quite as much but he still found it hard to focus on what was happening.
Kurt's voice was, whilst not familiar, very comforting. He whispered things like "You can get through this," and "What you're feeling is scary, but it's not dangerous."
Five minutes later, Blaine's panic attack ended and he felt cold and exhausted. He looked up at Kurt through his eyelashes and apologized.
"You don't need to apologize, Blaine," Kurt said. His expression was sympathetic and Blaine relaxed.
"Thank you," Blaine said quietly, looking down at his interlocked hands. Kurt moved to the other side of the elevator and leant against the metallic wall.
"Are you okay? Is there any thing I can do?" Kurt asked. Blaine shook his head, still not looking up. He could feel the warmth coming back to his body and relaxed against the wall.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kurt asked, breaking the silence. Blaine was tempted to shake his head but something inside of him told him that whatever he said to Kurt, he wouldn't be judged.
"In high school, these guys would always lock me in small places. Whether it be a shed or a janitor's closet, I'd be trapped in there for hours. They only did it because they knew I was claustrophobic. Ever since then..." His voice trailed off, small and feeble. He immediately felt like a fool for telling his past to a stranger and wished he could take it back.
"I used to be thrown in dumpsters."
"Sorry?" Blaine asked. Kurt's voice had grown so quite he wasn't sure that what he heard had been correct.
"These jocks from my school would through me in dumpsters everyday. And they'd throw slushies at me and the other kids in Glee club."
"You were in a Glee club?" Blaine asked curiously. Kurt nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Yeah, the New Directions."
"No way! I was in the Dalton Academy Warblers! We used to compete each other," Blaine said. The effect of his panic attack had worn off and was replaced with a small amount of excitement.
"What are the chances?" Kurt perked up, smiling at Blaine.
"So when did you go to Dalton? Is that where you were bullied?" Kurt asked. He had considered transferring to said school when he was going through his own high school problems but had decided against it due to money problems.
"No, absolutely not. I moved there when I turned seventeen. The bullying was what triggered my transfer to Dalton." Kurt nodded sympathetically. He watched Blaine and realised how good looking he actually was. His large hazel eyes watched him curiously.
After two minutes of quiet, Blaine spoke up. "What sort of stuff do you like?"
Kurt smiled at his lame attempt to start a conversation but joined in. "Singing, obviously. I'm into fashion, dancing, and I love Broadway. I'm really into musicals."
"Ah, me too. It's kind of a guilty pleasure of mine," Blaine smiled. It seemed he and Kurt had a lot more in common than would be expected.
"My best friend is staring in a Broadway show right now," Kurt bragged.
"That's so cool, what're they called? I might know them," Blaine asked, intrigued.
"Rachel Berry."
"You're best friend is Rachel Berry?!" Blaine spluttered, his eyes widening in amazement.
"Yeah. She can be a bit of a handful at times but usually she's great," Kurt smiled wistfully. Just as Blaine went to speak, the metal doors opened slowly, giving Kurt and Blaine enough time to jump up. Blaine felt slightly dizzy but steadied himself. He shook his head to clear it and when he looked up, the lift doors had fully opened. Kurt stepped out first, Blaine following after. Both were thankful that they could leave, but also upset that they couldn't spend time getting to know each other better.
"Oh my god, are you guys okay?" Catherine, one of their work colleagues asked. They hadn't been trapped in there long, just under twenty minutes.
"Fine," They both answered in unison. Catherine looked at them both suspiciously.
"Okay then. Well, I'll see you both later." She turned and walked down the long corridor, her heals clacking along the floor. Kurt watched her go, admiring her outfit.
"Um, do you want to get coffee some time?" Blaine asked awkwardly. He looked at Kurt quickly before averting his eyes. Kurt smiled fondly at the shorter man and didn't need to think about his answer.
"Sure. When are you thinking?" Blaine looked up at Kurt, his eyes shining and he smiled in relief. He had thought Kurt would've politely declined but he preferred this answer.
"There's a coffee shop around the corner if you're free?"
Kurt smiled. All of a sudden, his job seemed a lot better.