Title: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (2/?)
Chapter Summary: (second) first meetings, and coffee orders.
Wordcount: 2,599/4,551
Spoilers: Through Born This Way (for now)
Warnings: Nothing this time. Comma abuse, run-on sentences and incomplete sentences. I'm not even joking.
Notes 1: Oh my gawd you guys! This story has been up all of like, three days (no matter what the 'published' date says), & I've gotten 25 Story Alert notifications, and several Favorite Story notifs. So very, very awesome! Much, much love.
Notes 2:
Please refer to the top of Chapter One for the prompt this is based on. I plan on covering, with varying degrees of detail, the show through "Original Song" (or...possibly just through Season 2.) Some of it will follow canon, some of it, of course, won't, thanks to the Butterfly Effect. Also, just so you know...not all is as it seems.


Chapter Two

Kurt still hasn't figured out what to say to Blaine, or even how to approach him if he does see him - when, when he sees Blaine. Because he will. Because Blaine was real, is real. He wasn't a hallucination of Kurt's lonely mind.

Except Kurt's been going to the Lima Bean every day after school, and he's getting really tired of ordering coffee and sitting alone at a table for the entire afternoon. It might not be quite so bad if he had something to occupy himself with, but he's been spoiled by Dalton's much higher-standard curriculum, and even if he'd never gone to Dalton, all of the work he currently had, he'd already done! He knew everything already, which on the one hand, lent credence to his 'I'm-not-going-crazy' theory, but on the other hand - he was even more bored out of his mind than usual.

Day four was just as boring and turning out just as pointless as the last three days, but it was helping him gain some equilibrium in all this mess. He was relearning what he'd forgotten from just six months of distance. He knew soon Mr. Schue would ask them to perform duets, and he was using his free time pondering how he was going to deal with that. He could again ask Sam to do a duet with him. Maybe this time he wouldn't back out of it, since Sam had been willing to follow through with it. He really likes Sam (unfortunate hair choices aside), but he can't be sure that if they do a duet and others in the school find out about it, if Sam will be able to withstand the pressure of wanting to be cool and being so unpopular in Glee club.

"I think a couple more rehearsals and we should be ready. We were also thinking about doing a performance in a couple weeks for the student body. What do you say, Blaine, think you'll be up for it?"

Kurt freezes, hand tightening around his coffee cup as he hears the familiar voice. He glances over to see Wes and David just getting into line... and there, standing with them, is Blaine.

He looks just like Kurt remembered. Kurt feels a lump form in his throat and is appalled to realize he's about two seconds from crying, and blinks rapidly, trying to get a hold of himself. Because Blaine is here. Blaine is real, and Kurt hadn't realized until just now how close he'd come to believing he'd made it all up.

He's got to talk to him. It doesn't matter that he doesn't have a plan, some way to suavely introduce himself to Blaine. He can't stand it any more. Seeing Blaine has opened the floodgates, and suddenly he has to be near him, hear him talking, see his smile. Have him smile at him.

Gripped with sudden determination, Kurt stands up, throws away his almost-full coffee cup, and manages to slip in line behind the three Dalton boys. He keeps a respectable distance, but he's more than close enough to hear their conversation. And contrary to what they thought Before, he makes a very good spy.

"Sounds great, Wes," Blaine is saying. "I'm always up for some spontaneous performance, you know that."

Kurt can't look at him, it will drive him insane, he won't be able to help himself and he'll make an idiot out of himself. So he turns his body to the side a little, feigning looking out the large front windows of the cafe, and just... basks in the sound of Blaine's voice. The smooth, rich timbre of it.

"Who knows? Maybe someone watching will want to join the Warblers, right?"

Kurt frowns a little, remembering his own viewing of the performance he's sure they're talking about. He can't help a quick glance over at the group. Wes and David are facing pretty much forward, while Blaine is turned around to face them and, subsequently, Kurt. Blaine glances between David and Wes, and there's a moment- just a moment, where his eyes meet Kurt's.

Kurt's breath catches involuntarily. Somehow he tears his gaze away from Blaine, his face heating up, suddenly remembering (as if he hadn't already been replaying it all in his head endlessly anyway) everything they'd done together. Going out to eat, to the theater, performing at Sectionals, their duets together, both the private Baby It's Cold Outside as well as Candles at Regionals. He also remembers all of the private moments they've shared together; holding hands, kissing and cuddling... The first time Blaine had told him in exactly three words that he loved him. Singing to him when he'd transferred back to McKinley.

Blaine became such a large part of his life so suddenly, even though he'd been acutely aware of his absence, Kurt hadn't realized how much it really hurt that Blaine wasn't there anymore. He'd been so focused on just convincing himself that Blaine was real, that he hadn't made it all up, that now, confronted with the confirmation that yes, Blaine is real, he's right here, Kurt is free to feel the pain of the fact that He's real... and he doesn't remember me at all.

He almost leaves, then. Despair gripping his heart like a vice, he almost decides to forget all of this, unable to deal with it, to see Blaine look at him and not see the recognition in his eyes.

But if he leaves now... it will all have been for nothing. Days of agonizing over this very moment, wondering what he'll say, tormenting himself with self-doubt and sadness at losing something he technically hasn't had yet. If he leaves now, he'll be running. He'll always regret it. And Kurt Hummel doesn't run. Not anymore. He might make an idiot out of himself - but so what? It's not like Blaine's never been witness to his monumental stupidity before, even if this Blaine doesn't know him yet.

So Kurt crowds in closer to them as it's the trio's turn to order, and hurries to get his order in as quickly as he can after them. The barista raises an eyebrow at him, probably because 1) this is the fourth consecutive day he's been here, and 2) he'd just ordered a coffee 15 minutes ago, and normally he'd order one every hour or so just so they wouldn't kick him out. She looks vaguely amused though, so Kurt just flashes her as bright a smile as he can manage at the moment, and moves over to the receiving counter. He leans against it, hoping to find some kind of opening for himself.

He'd rather speak to Blaine alone, but Wes and David probably won't be going anywhere, so he'll have to work with what he can.

Fate seems to think she's been bitchy enough to him lately, though, and gives him a very large break. All four orders are served at once, and the three Dalton boys are just preoccupied enough with their conversation that Kurt seizes the opportunity before he can second-guess himself. He grabs one of the cups placed toward the front, that has the order scrawled on the side: medium drip.

He stays standing by the counter, using the pretense of taking off the lid and blowing on his coffee, while he watches the other three grab their drinks. Blaine is the last to pick his up, and he's barely turned from the counter before he slows to a stop. David and Wes get a little farther before they realize they've lost their fellow Warbler, and turn back.

Blaine, his back to Kurt, waves his friends on. "Go on guys, I'll be just a minute. I think I'm gonna order something to eat for the drive back."

Wes rolls his eyes in good humor, while David gives Blaine an amused smile. "Gotta keep your energy up from all that jumping around during rehearsal, huh? Catch you back at school, man."

Then Blaine's turning back toward the counter, and Kurt can't help but glance away, because even though he wanted this, he's scared. Because yes he knows Blaine, but what if the fact that Blaine doesn't know him means he could screw this up? He just stole the guy's coffee, and even if he can pass it off as an innocent accident, then what? They trade coffees, and Blaine leaves, and- and that's it. He's got to think of something. He's not very good at improvisation, he's always best with well laid out plans, anticipating every possibility. It doesn't help that his heart's pounding and he can't think very clearly when he sees Blaine's face.

"Hey, I think you got my coffee order by mistake."

Kurt looks at Blaine's sincere expression, eyes soft and kind with a slight friendly smile on his face, and says the first thing he can think of. "It wasn't a mistake." Of course, Blaine had to get that adorably cute confused look on his face, complete with slight head tilt, but Kurt forges on, because this might just actually work. "I took it on purpose. Because I- I didn't know how else to get your attention. And I realize, stealing your coffee probably wasn't the best way to do it either, but, well, it's done, so I'm not gonna worry about it anymore." He finally puts the mental brakes on his mouth. Blaine still looks confused, of course, but before he can say anything - like ask that the crazy boy give him his coffee so he can slowly back toward the door - Kurt continues, a plan having formulated while he spoke.

"I've seen you here before." Not technically a lie. "I thought you were cute, and I... well, I wanted to ask you out. But then you were with your friends, and I... I didn't really want to do this in front of them, because the humiliation-factor is high enough for me right now as it is." Again, his mouth has slightly run away from him, but that's okay. Blaine's got the same slightly dazed look on his face as he did when Kurt explained how he felt on Valentine's Day.

"Oh...wow." Blaine blinks a couple times, clearly trying to think of an appropriate response to all of this, and Kurt can't help but find his reaction admirable, since he'd just basically been blindsided by a stranger telling him he was cute and wanted to date him. And while Kurt doesn't consider himself all that sexy, he does know he's attractive, so that doesn't hurt. He has to bite the side of his lip to keep from talking again, because he can think of a hundred things to say. Most of them inappropriate for a first meeting - even more inappropriate, that is.

Blaine glances down at the coffee cup he's holding, eyebrows drawing together in serious thought, and Kurt's heart sinks. This isn't going to work. He came on too strong, and he'll never have another chance at a first impression. Why couldn't he have just waited a couple weeks and gone to spy on Dalton like he had Before? He knew how that turned out, and at least then, he'd have Blaine as his friend again.

He knew why, though. Because it would mean another four months of being hopelessly in love with Blaine, and the other boy being clueless, and innocently flirty, and Kurt wasn't sure he could stand that. It was better to take the calculated risk of failure, for the chance of being with Blaine, in whatever capacity, that much sooner.

Finally, Blaine looks back up, and his expression is one Kurt recognizes all too well; apologetic, I-wish-there-was-something-I-could-do-but, and Kurt has to bite down so hard on the corner of his mouth he's in danger of biting right through, just to keep his expression neutral. He's not sure if he wants to start sobbing, or throw up. "I'm flattered, really, but- I don't even know you," Blaine says, in that gentle tone of voice he uses when he's letting someone down easy.

Then Blaine moves, not toward Kurt, or even away, but over to the side, to the counter, and grabs a pen. He scribbles something on the cover of the cup, above the order name, then extends the cup to Kurt. On autopilot, Kurt takes the cup with a numb hand. Not really wanting to see some sort of scribbled rejection, Kurt can't help his curiosity at the odd move, and turns the cup in his hand until he can see what Blaine had written.

It's a series of numbers. Seven numbers. Three numbers, a dash, and four more numbers. Kurt's heart, which had fallen to about the proximity of his shoes, was suddenly pounding double-time against his sternum. He can't help but glance up at Blaine in shock, to find him with a half-smile tilting the corner of his mouth.

Blaine shrugs. "You're sweet. And, I gotta admit, pretty ingenuitive, stealing my coffee just to get me alone to talk. I can't say yes to that date right now," now Kurt's heart is in his throat, because is this really leading where he thinks (hopes; prays) it is? "but I wouldn't mind getting to know you better. I'm a big believer in building a relationship- and I know, you just asked for one date, but..." he shrugs, and his smile widens into a grin, and Kurt feels like the same love-sick teen he's been for months already. He wonders if this feeling is ever going to fade, and then wonders if he really wants it to. "I figure, either we find out we don't really have anything in common and save both of ourselves an embarrassing first date, or..." The smile turns into something softer, and for a moment he's looking at Kurt just like Kurt remembers. Blaine shrugs. "Or we find out we do like each other, and want more than just one date."

Kurt finds himself nodding in agreement. "That-sounds like a good plan," he finally manages to stumble out. They stand there looking at each other for a moment, until Blaine raises his eyebrows a little, seemingly waiting for something... oh! Kurt extends the hand holding Blaine's coffee so quickly he risks spilling it, but Blaine just smiles and takes it. "Thanks. So. I'm Blaine. Do I just call you Cute Guy Who Asked Me Out, or...?"

"Kurt." He's pretty sure his face has turned an unattractive shade of pink, but Kurt doesn't care. Especially not when he's rewarded with another wide smile from Blaine. "Kurt. Nice to meet you. I better be going, or Wes and David'll think I ran into a ditch or something. But, I look forward to your call. Or text, whatever. See ya."

Blaine does back away toward the door, but unlike what Kurt had been imagining earlier, it's not so he can keep an eye on the crazy person, it's so he can smile and keep an eye on the cute boy who asked him out.

Looking back over the encounter, Kurt objectively knows it probably could have gone better. But he really, really doesn't care, because he's met Blaine, Again, and this time he knows how Kurt feels from the very beginning. Kurt is confident enough in them to think that, as long as they take it slow, they can skip the whole How Harry Met Sally, friends-first thing. They'd practically been dating anyway, which partially explained Kurt's utter disappointment on Valentine's Day.

This will work. And for the first time all week, Kurt is feeling optimistic.

Coming Up Next Time: "Duets"

P.S.- If anyone has any suggestions for what they'd like to see happen in "Duets," I'm very open to suggestions. Despite the Kurt-ness of it, it really wasn't one of my favorite episodes, and a lot of things will probably need to be changed, like...Kurt's entire attitude. x_x; And while I have some specific scenes planned...this story is by no means very mapped out. I know, I suck. I've already gotten some interesting suggestions on LJ, but believe me, every suggestion helps! You never know what will spark inspiration. ;D