Day 14 – Love on Top by Beyoncé
A/N: Last day. Here we go, kids. This one's for roxymusicandlayers, who eerily predicted the story in advance.
Being a barista gave Kurt a very specific kind of education, and it wasn't just in how to make the perfect cappuccino. His job also made for great people-watching.
He'd learned to identify different types of customers during his time behind the counter. There were the students trying to push through a paper or project, pounding shots of espresso and always with ear buds in place to block out all ambient noise. There were the startup small business owners, holding investment meetings over chai tea because their only office space was an Ikea desk in their studio apartment. There were Tuesday morning mom groups and old friend reunions, not to mention the early morning business regulars and coffee run interns.
Then there was him. Every Saturday morning for two months, there he'd been. His name was Blaine – one perk to being a barista was the instant acquisition of the first name of cute guys – and he was perfect. Well, Kurt supposed he wasn't actually perfect. After all, if he were perfect, he wouldn't be there every Saturday morning with his boyfriend, would he?
Kurt tried not to moon over Blaine too much. There was no point expending his emotional energy on someone unavailable. It was a difficult task, though. How could he not be charmed by his impeccable manners, his bold-colored but timeless clothes, often finished off with a bow tie, not to mention his stunning hazel eyes and classically-styled hair?
Yeah, Kurt had it bad.
This particular Saturday morning started off like all of the others. Kurt was busy and hadn't realized it was time for Blaine and what's-his-name (he knew his name from his orders, but refused to use it in his head) would arrive. Today, however, the door swung open and Blaine entered alone.
He looked tired. Or was he sad, perhaps? He was dressed more casually than usual, his normal fitted cardigan and polo shirt replaced by a t-shirt and hoodie atop jeans and sneakers.
"Good morning, welcome to City Bean. My name is Kurt. Can I take your order?" Kurt greeted him with the company standard line.
Blaine gave him a wan smile. "Hi. I'll have, um, a medium drip, I guess and…no, that's it," he replied, meeting Kurt's eye only briefly before dropping his gaze to the counter and sighing.
That was odd. Yes, the drink order was the same, but Blaine always got the pastry of the day to go with it.
"Can I get you anything else, perhaps?" Kurt prompted. He knew it was silly to be this invested in a total stranger, but he'd seen Blaine enough to realize something was very wrong. He wondered if it had anything to do with his lack of a coffee companion today.
Blaine shook his head "no," without looking up.
Kurt pursed his lips and rang up the order. Blaine paid, and Kurt asked his next standard question: "The name for your order?"
At that, Blaine lifted his head. "Nobody," he answered blankly.
"I'm sorry?" Kurt asked.
"The name on the cup. Just put "Nobody," Blaine repeated. Kurt saw that his eyes were becoming glassy and his voice cracked on the last word. It broke his heart, and he guessed he wasn't the only one whose heart was broken right now. He made a snap decision.
"We're piloting a new program today for table service. If you have a seat, I'll bring your order to you," he explained, lying through his teeth. Blaine frowned in confusion, but shrugged and wandered over to a table in the corner, sitting down and staring at his hands in his lap.
"Jules?" Kurt called to his fellow barista. "I'm going to make this one and then take my lunch break, okay?" Jules nodded and switched places with him.
Quickly preparing the simple medium drip, he slipped out from behind the counter and walked it over to Blaine's table, clearing his throat discretely after a few seconds when Blaine didn't appear to notice his arrival.
"Oh, thanks," he muttered, giving another small grin that was nowhere near as bright as what Kurt was used to seeing. Kurt lingered and hesitated, realizing he hadn't thought through what to do once he got to this point. "Am I, um, supposed to tip you or something?" Blaine inquired.
"What? No! No, no. I'm sorry, I…" Here goes nothing. "May I sit for a moment?"
Blaine blinked in surprise, but gestured with his hand for Kurt to have a seat. Kurt took a seat across from him, sitting nervously on the edge of the chair. Blaine was looking at him expectantly.
"I know this is probably really strange and weird and probably borderline creepy, but I don't mean to be. It's only that you came in here today and you don't seem like yourself – not that I really know you, I mean, I've only seen you what, four or five times? But being here, watching people, you get to know them in a certain way, and from what I've seen of you, it seems like something's wrong or you're upset or sad or something, and I thought maybe you needed help or a friend or someone to talk to and I wanted to help if I could but you probably think I'm crazy so…"
"My boyfriend dumped me yesterday," Blaine blurted out, interrupting Kurt's ramblings.
Kurt gasped in shock. "He what?"
"Don't make me say it again," Blaine groaned.
"I'm sorry, no, of course, I'm sorry," Kurt rushed, reaching a hand out and tentatively resting it on top of Blaine's. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Blaine scoffed as if that were the dumbest question in the world. He withdrew his hand, fiddling with the lid on his coffee while Kurt waited patiently. "He's heading to law school in California. That wasn't a surprise. I knew he'd applied at a number of schools on both sides of the country, but he finally made his choice. What I hadn't counted on was him telling me that it was time for us to break up – not because of the move," Blaine paused, sniffling quietly and trying to maintain his composure.
"He's got big plans, he said. His father is some high-powered attorney and has been grooming him for politics for years now. He said…he said…"
"Blaine," Kurt consoled, offering a handkerchief.
Blaine thanked him, but waved him off. Clearing his throat, he went on, "He said that it was time he found someone he could seriously consider having as a partner. He needed someone with the right status and position in life, and that although we'd had some fun, when it all came down to it, I was…nobody. Hence," he held up his cup and turned it to read the word he'd told Kurt to write.
His eyes softened and he smiled, less sadly this time, when he saw what was actually written there – his own name, followed by a sketch of a smiling stick figure sporting a bow tie. "Kurt," he murmured, obviously touched.
Kurt was certain his heart did a little somersault at hearing Blaine say his name for the first time. "You are not now, nor have you ever been, a nobody, Blaine. That guy is a fool, but if that's the way he feels, I'm glad he broke up with you."
"Gee, thanks," Blaine deadpanned.
"I'm serious," Kurt protested. "If all he wants is some status symbol on his arm, you're much better off. He'll never be happy, and his partner won't be, either. If you ask me, the only way a relationship works is if you have love as your top priority. Any other way, and you're doomed to fail."
They sat quietly for a moment. Kurt hoped he hadn't overstepped, but he couldn't help himself. He'd always had strong feelings about love.
"Well, then," Blaine began, breaking the silence, "I guess I should be happy?"
Kurt smiled and shook his head. "You don't have to be happy just yet. For now, it's going to suck. That's okay. But know that it's for the best, and that with him out of your life, now you have the room for someone better – someone who will love you and cherish you, who will put you first. It'll be worth it."
It was Blaine who reached across the table this time, taking Kurt's hand in his own. "Thank you," he said simply.
"Now, how about a pastry to go with that coffee, Blaine?" Kurt offered. "We've got a special today. Ever had a cronut?"
Blaine laughed, the sound like music to Kurt's ears.
"Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes." Kurt reluctantly removed his hand from Blaine's and rose from the table. "Right back," he reminded him, rushing back behind the counter again. He had a plan.
Several minutes later, he returned carrying a small plate with a decadent cronut on it. The plate was perched atop a large coffee mug.
"Your order, sir, on the house," he declared, setting the cup and plate down with a flourish.
"Thank you, but I didn't order another drink." Blaine gave him a bewildered smile.
"It's my specialty." Kurt nodded toward the cup. "Have a look."
Blaine removed the plate from the top of the cup, revealing a latte decorated with an intricately-drawn heart design. He stared at the pattern, overcome with emotion at Kurt's kindness. Kurt leaned down, placing a gentle hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Always remember, put the love on top."
Two years later, when Blaine proposed to Kurt, it was no surprise that he'd chosen an engagement ring with two small hearts engraved in the center – a symbol of their eternal promise to keep the love on top.
A/N: That's year six of the Valentine's challenge in the books for me. Thank you so much to everyone who has read along for the past two weeks. (If you've left a comment that I haven't responded to, please be patient. I'm behind in my replies, but I will answer every single one.) My thanks to the lovely, dedicated folks at the Klaine CrissColfer Library for organizing the challenge once again this year. Also, a special shout-out to Catcat85, who somehow became my marathon running partner in this endeavor. We did it!
It's been a rough 12 months for us all, regardless of who you are or where you live. Like many of you, I've read a lot of fanfiction to give myself a break from the seemingly endless stress of the world. I'm thrilled and humbled to be able to contribute to the wealth of stories about our dear Kurt and Blaine.
Like Kurt, I've rambled on long enough, so I shall close by wishing you all well. Be kind to yourselves and to one another.
