Well hey there, it's currently 6am and I'm not entirely sure what this is - I just wanted to write something short, sweet, a little bit angsty and to do with coffee, and this turned up.

Incase anyone gets confused, it goes "Never Been Kissed", "Furt/Special Education", "Silly Love Songs", "Blame It On The Alcohol", "Original Songs" and "New York". Also, there's swearing in this... and overuse of the term 'Liquid Courage'. Yep. Enjoy!

i.

There's something about coffee, he muses lightly, that makes you want to talk - it makes you want to somewhat relax as the caffeinated drink flows through your bloodstream and slowly prickles at your skin, nipping and buzzing and humming lightly under the surface and generally making you feel... more alive. It can metaphorically sew people together, as well as tear them apart at the seams; it can ruin lives whilst creating new ones; it can create friendships and relationships... it can even destroy them in turn. Things can be created and formed over a table, a few chairs and mugs of the stuff steaming in their hands - something so small can create something exponentially bigger than itself.

For crushed beans doused in hot water and sometimes concocted into various mixtures with other edible substances, Blaine thinks it has the capability of bringing together, and simultaneously sabotaging, the world around us.

(Although, he's been told on multiple occasions that he over thinks things far too much, but what's the harm in that?)

So it's as he's taking a seat across from the mysterious countertenor, slowly sliding over a cup containing the life altering liquid, that he begins hoping that only good things can come from this stranger's somewhat endearing encounter with the lead soloist. They talk about school, neanderthals, running away from your fears instead of fighting back (courage seems to appear in their conversation a few times, too) and when they decide to break apart for the day they both manage to swap numbers and set more 'coffee dates' for the future. Blaine watches the other teen drive away, a smile on his lips and the taste of coffee remnant on the tip of his tongue, and all he can think is how good coffee has been to him all these years.

(Although, he'll never mention aloud how coffee was his form of Liquid Courage during those years he spent at his old school. That would seem rather stupid, and it would completely shatter the illusion him being the model child in his family... right?)

(Right.)

ii.

It's with a look at the watch on his wrist and sigh of realisation that Blaine takes a seat at their usual table, heat radiating from his delectable cinnamon-induced drink in a way that allows warmth to seep into his chilled hands and begin its encounter with the frigid November cold that's taken refuge inside of him. He takes this time to look at his surroundings - a coffee shop halfway between Lima and Westerville, filled with various patrons and the cosy interior clashing with the comfortable furniture in a way that makes his (very late) friend scowl in an extremely adorable manner - and he can't help but grin at the college student tapping away at his laptop and breaking away every once in a while to take a long drag of his now ice-cold beverage, or the old couple lightly canoodling in one of the booths with their hands clasped around their respective drinks and laughing at what their other half says. Coffee, he thinks with a smile that slightly accentuates his dimples and makes the skin around his eyes crinkle lightly, can also be the reason you yourself are staying together - whether it's college work trying to break you down until you become an inconsolable mess or helping you to rekindle an old flame with that one person you truly love. It's cute, how it keeps the world revolving... how it can make even the smallest of gestures seem important.

His thoughts get interrupted by the sight of perfectly coiffed hair and rosy cheeks approaching their table at a fast pace, and he smiles as the other teen sits across from him and apologises for being late. There's a shake of a head in response, and they both fall into one of their normal conversations, laughter bubbling up and falling unsteadily out of wide grins and hazel eyes trained on glasz throughout every topic change, occasionally catching the way his pale pink tongue darting out every now and then to get any coffee remnant on those rosy red lips before he speaks.

Blaine asks Kurt what's on his mind after the topic of sectionals makes him slightly wince, and it's after gulping down the remainder of his lukewarm beverage he finally tells the Warbler.

"I've officially left McKinley."

Lips being gnawed on by a pair of pearly white teeth.

"And I'm moving to Dalton."

And the other teen can't help but smile in response at the confession, and all he wants to do is reach across the table and pull the newest addition to Dalton Academy into a warm embrace, but he manages to stop himself, instead giving the other teen his congratulations and offering to buy him another coffee.

(The realisation that their 'coffee dates' will become a regular thing was a pleasant surprise, but if you witnessed Blaine doing a strange celebratory jig-type movement as Kurt's navigator left the car park, then he'll have you know that it must have been someone else.)

iii.

There's something about coffee with Jeremiah, he ponders while waiting in line with Kurt a week before Valentine's Day, that makes everything seem so much brighter.

Well, that's what he thought, anyway.

It wasn't like they had been acquaintances before their 'coffee dates' - incidentally, they had been introduced over Christmas break when Blaine was looking for a gift for his mother when the Junior Manager of the local GAP helped him find exactly what he was looking for, and then while paying for the item offered to buy him coffee.

At first they started off slightly awkward, stumbling over words and repeating various questions, but when they managed to find a stable ground amongst the entertainment genre Blaine's pretty convinced that they've hit it off - he's laughing at all those stupid jokes he makes (like Kurt), he's enthusiastic when it comes to the same TV shows (like Kurt) and he's also pretty easy on the eyes (and hey, what do you know? Exactly like Kurt -)

(...He wasn't supposed to think like that, because he's not Kurt - Kurt's not afraid to tell him to shut the hell up, or to stop him from scarfing down his biscotti like there's no tomorrow because he looks like an absolute slob, instead of giving him strange looks - and dammit, now he can't stop comparing the two of them.)

Unbeknownst to the lead soloist, everything went downhill during their second coffee date when the older male decided to start asking 'personal' questions:

"So, what age are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Oh, well that's... you look a lot older than your actual age..."

"Yeah, I - I get that a lot."

Blaine probably should have gotten the hint when the Junior Manager didn't ask him out for coffee a third time.

A Warbler's GAP Attack and a quick confession from the countertenor later, Blaine finds himself confessing his own mistakes (because he doesn't know what he's doing, and he doesn't want to screw things up - he does like Kurt more than a mentor should, and not even his go-to beverage could help him out of that situation. It's better to be safe than sorry, he thinks) and then they're sitting down at their usual table, talking about all the normal things, when Kurt decides to hit the target he's been purposely missing with a goddamn bullseye.

"So, why exactly did you go for him then?"

Blaine purses his lips, bringing up a hand to pour more of his Liquid Courage into his mouth before continuing.

"I guess... he was nice, and he looked alright. He laughed at my jokes, and he knew exactly what to say." The lead soloist shrugs his shoulders, looking down at the table. "I might have been more in love with the idea of someone finding me attractive and interesting than Jeremiah himself." The pause after his confession is short, and he's just about to get up and get more coffee (Read: escape) when he feels a hand gentle cover his own He looks up at a smiling Kurt and he can't help but grin in return.

"Well, the next time you find a guy like that, make sure you come to me so he gets the Best Friend Seal of Approval." He removes his hand, leaning back in his seat and picking up his own Mocha and sending a wink to the other teen. "I'll pick you someone who can get you fifty-percent off somewhere a lot more sophisticated than a store that specialises in baby clothes and unflattering menswear."

And that's where they stop talking about Jeremiah and continue talking about school and Pavarotti. It's also where Blaine realises that even though 'coffee dates' with his ex-crush were brighter, 'coffee dates' with Kurt are a lot more dazzling - he's learnt more than he thought was possible in the past five minutes than he did with those two 'dates' with the ex-Junior Manager, and he's realised that the predicament he managed to get out of has ended up bringing the duo closer together. Coffee, he knows now, is mostly there to help you out - it's there to help you relax after a long day of misguided judgement with a friendly face by its side. Fifty-percent off at GAP couldn't sway his decision now, he thinks.

(Fifty-percent off 'Hummel's Tires and Lube', however, begins to sound a lot more appealing when they part for the day... but there's no way anyone's going to find that out.)

iv.

There's something to be said about coffee - in all previous experiences, his Liquid Courage has always been there for him, like some kind of friend, helping him along the way and showing him that hey, there's always better things out there... you just need to find them.

But right now it's decided that it's had enough of playing "Let's Be Nice To Blaine" and it's gone and bit him in the ass.

Hard.

He couldn't keep his thoughts contained as he stormed out of the Lima Bean, his head all over the place and his coffee still where he placed it before the inevitable was brought up, but there was no way in hell was going to go back there and grab it. The entire situation wasn't exactly fair - he had been looking for a little support, maybe even a little 'Hey, I know you're confused as to what your sexuality is and I know you're seventy-five percent wrong, but I hope that your date goes well and that you have fun.' But instead he got his support system telling him that he was wrong in every single way, and sure, he probably shouldn't have compared his best friend to the tormentor that ran him out of his old school VIA death threats, but he was trying to make a point... not a very good one, at that, but he tried to defend himself. Blaine quickly got tired of the conflict, and did exactly what he does best - he ran.

(Because when animals are confused and terrified and have absolutely idea what to do anymore, they run away with their tails between their legs and cowering in terror at the possibility of losing one of their own.)

(He was only staying true to his natural instincts.)

He decides to return to their spot the day after his date with Rachel, and it's only then he begins to realise how much he misses this place - the comfortable atmosphere, the tantalising aroma, coffee of a high standard...

Kurt and Blaine's place to chill out.

And he walks through the door, hoping that just by being in the place he could feel even that little bit better, because coffee's always had that relaxing effect on him - but not this time. The atmosphere is charged with unwavering tension, the aroma still potent but not to the same extent, coffee bland and not as good as it used to be. But he takes it in his stride - it'll just take a little time to get used to it, that's all.

(Although, maybe if he just apologised to Kurt, everything could just fix itself. But Blaine Anderson's a stubborn, stubborn man, and it's going to take more than three days to get over it... or so he keeps telling himself.)

The day after that, he's on his way to Warbler practice, and he needs a little pick-me-up to help him survive the rest of the day, but just as he reaches the counter and is about to call out his normal order, he gets intercepted by a miniature whirlwind which goes by the name of Hurricane Rachel who promptly places her lips over his.

Oh, this really wasn't what he was expecting. Not at all. He was trying to remember about the spin-the-bottle kiss - how he felt explosions light every nerve in his body on fire, the smell of her perfume only lightly smothered by the stench of alcohol and the taste of wine coolers and other unnameable substances causing him to go insane - and with this one he realises that he doesn't feel different, the only thing he can smell being coffee and a different type of woman's cologne and tea quickly becoming the only thing he can taste...

Maybe this bisexual thing wasn't exactly his thing after all.

They break apart, Blaine deciding to use this opportunity to escape to the bathroom after deciding that he really is one-hundred percent gay (and that he won't be changing his mind anytime soon, thank you very much.) and after clearing his head he makes his way out, surprised to see a certain countertenor waiting for him with two coffees in hand. He's waiting for the classic "I told you so", but instead he's greeted with a simple "I'm sorry". He takes his first taste of his Liquid Courage for the day, the older Warbler quick to apologise himself for reacting in such a undapper manner as they walk towards their normal table, and as they fall back into their normal chairs, everything seems to be better.

He apologises to the substance with the hope that it won't screw him over again.

v.

The difference between this trip to the Lima Bean and the others, Blaine concluded, was how much (yet how little) had been altered between the duo.

They made their way in, small glances between passed between the pair and a somewhat platonic energy was thrumming delicately around them. Coffees were ordered as usual (Blaine's turn ordering, and much to his chagrin, Kurt's turn paying) and the wait following the payment was passed by their hands joining together and fingers intertwining as they listen to the whirring of the machines and the gentle hum of conversation around them. Their orders are completed, and they carry themselves over to their usual spot, only letting go of each other's hands when they settle down, and even then they can't keep their eyes off each other.

It feels like the past few hours have been a complete dream.

Kurt looks down towards coffee quickly, a delicate blush forming over his cheeks and a smile appearing on his face as he picks up the liquid with his spare hand and pours some of it into his awaiting mouth.

"You know, when Wes tells us to practice during Warbler rehearsals, I don't think I'll be able to keep a straight face anymore."

Blaine barks out a laugh, breaking the miniscule tension that was floating around and allowing the conversation to flow freely from that point. He's smiling as Kurt tells him about the perfect place to bury Pavarotti, noticing how the countertenor looks up at Blaine with those gorgeous glasz eyes peeking out from his long eyelashes, lips either pulled into a smirk or relaxed to allow his tongue (oh, that wonderful, wonderful tongue) to pick up any drops of coffee that may have landed around his mouth. When the soloist (sorry - one half of the Warbler's newest double team) mentions that quirk the other teen becomes flustered and incredibly shy, causing Blaine to burst out into a speech of how adorable his boyfriend is.

He realises with wide eyes that he hasn't asked the other boy to be his other half yet.

He manages to fix this by downing half of his coffee and asking him with a quick "Go out with me."

The pause between the question and the answer causes Blaine to blurt out any apologies that come into his head, so he's mildly shocked when Kurt reaches over the table to place a chaste, coffee-tasting kiss and answers with a resounding yes.

(If he wasn't in public, he realises, he may have done his strange celebratory jig-style movement, but instead he settles for a dopey grin that stays on his face long after they leave the Lima Bean.)

Blaine watches as Kurt pulls away from the car park, his hand waving as a suitable farewell and the other raised to his lips because he can still taste the coffee-hued kiss he was given literally a few seconds before that, and he's found a new favourite method to taste his favourite beverage.

Coffee, in this case, helped a relationship to form, and Blaine doesn't think he can thank his own form of Liquid Courage enough.

i.

It's not as if he was expecting those words to tumble out. There they were, sitting at their usual spot and talking about Kurt's trip to New York with his dysfunctional family New Directions, and all he can think during his boyfriend's explanation as to why he's extremely pleased with the trip goes along the lines of wow, he's amazing, adorable and so incredibly happy. I would do anything to keep him thinking like this, because I'm pretty sure that he deserves every good thing he gets, because I love how he reacts and how selfless he is and how absolutely content he is despite everything that's happened to him over the past few months. I love him, so much... wait, what? Oh my God, did I really think that? Oh wow, I think -

"I love you."

Well, shit. That wasn't supposed to be said aloud. He realises soon after this confession that it's far too late to turn back, and that now it's out in the open, he doesn't even mind if Kurt doesn't love him back, because he would wait forever and a day for this kid to love him in return.

He's pretty sure that they've both stopped breathing when the other teen replies with a simple "I love you, too."

He listens to Kurt's declaration of him having a pretty good year, and he can only agree, because hey - Blaine Anderson's had a pretty spectacular year, too, and it all began on that fateful day as a terrible, endearing spy and a rushing, healing soloist crashed into each other and became late for an impromptu performance. He rests his hands around his coffee, bringing it to his lips so he can have his first sip of the day.

There's something about coffee now, he ponders, that seems to make everything better. Sure, it does have its downfalls, like causing disagreements and making two people fall out of love, but then again, it also brings two people together - he can vouch for that now - and it also just makes everything look that little bit better. And as he turns around at Kurt's exclamation of surprise, he sees the unlikely duo of Sam and Mercedes on their way to get coffee, and both Kurt and Blaine just know that there's another two people bonding over the same thing that brought the two of them closer together. He's silently hoping that it doesn't tear them apart and that it can give them the courage that it used to give him, and he gives Kurt a small look at that, the smile blooming over his face contagious as the countertenor begins to give him small boosts of confidence over his upcoming summer audition at Six Flags.

Because he now realises that coffee's no longer the only thing that gives him courage - not anymore.