Three years earlier, when the six of them had started meeting up on Friday mornings for coffee and chats, they'd never imagined that it would grow beyond that. They had been content as just the six of them, enjoying the fact that, in some way, they'd all been connected to one another since childhood and were all connected now, by living in Chicago and enjoying life with their partners.

The whole thing had been Blaine's idea. It was Kurt, though, who had found the coffee house that would rent them, like clockwork, the party room every Friday morning so they could just be themselves without the world's prying eyes and judging looks. It was Kurt who had started decorating the place, giving them themes each Friday to look forward to. It was Kurt who had decided they needed a name and—after listening to Rain on Me by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande way too many times on repeat—had come up with a name for their little group: GRANDE. Or… Gays, Romantics, and Nerds Discussing Everything. He'd regretted it a few days later, and the rest of them wouldn't let him live it down.

It was a joke that Finn and Puck made. All. The. Time. They ribbed him whenever they could, coming up with words that the letters could mean, most of them vulgar. Jeff and Nick were nicer, never bringing it up yet always laughing along with their friends' antics. Kurt didn't really mind, though. He knew they all loved him, no matter what. Besides all that, his husband was his constant supporter, and he'd admitted one night during a good snuggle in bed that he kinda loved the name. "It represents everything that we are together as a group," Blaine'd said softly.

So, it stood to reason that it was Kurt who was the driving force behind the six of them making a poster—Okay. Okay. Kurt made the poster—and advertising for new couples to join them. "We need new friends," Kurt had said one day during another comfortable lull in the conversation. "It's not that we're bored of each other or aren't good enough company; it's just that we've known one another forever. There's nothing new for us to talk about unless something big happens. I just think it would do us all some good to get to know a few new couples to hang out with on Friday mornings. It can still be the six of us the rest of the time. I just feel like it would be good to branch out every once in a while."

Everyone else had mumbled in agreement, and so, their poster had been born.

That first week after the poster was hung around town, Kurt and Blaine arrived early at the coffee shop to set up. Kurt's hands shook as he set the table with napkins and little treats he'd made, and he fiddled with the candles and decor that ran down the center of the table every few seconds. He'd gone simple, celebrating the last few weeks of summer by using sunflowers as his theme.

Eventually, Blaine came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, capturing Kurt's arms in his grasp and holding them against his body. "What's the matter?" he asked softly. "You seem awfully nervous."

"I am," Kurt whispered as he stared at the table in front of him. "I'm kinda the unspoken leader of this little group—with you, of course—and this just has to be perfect. I want anyone who comes to feel welcome and like we're not just some fuddy duddy group of gays who sit around and talk about the latest Vogue fashion. I mean, we do that, too, but that's not all we do. We're sophisticated and fun and pretty witty, I think. I just want them to like us."

"And you think they'll be able to tell if they like us by our table decor?"

"Yes! No… I don't know! I just want it to be perfect, Blaine."

"It's going to be," Blaine replied, turning his husband in his arms. "The right couple will come, and we'll get to know them. They'll fit in perfectly, and we'll all be good friends."

"Yeah. You're probably right." Kurt sighed, giving his husband a small smile.

"Of course, I'm right!"

There was a pause before Kurt asked, "Do you think I need to put out more candles?"

"Oh, god. No. No more candles," Blaine answered. "There won't be room for our coffee if you put anything else on this table."

Kurt chuckled at that, leaning down to kiss his husband. "You know me so well, don't you?"

"I do try."

By nine, Finn, Puck, Nick, and Jeff were all there. The barista had brought them their usual coffee orders, and they were just settling in to chatting, finding out what had happened in their lives since they'd seen each other the Friday before.

"I wonder if anyone else will come," Jeff mused.

"Yeah. Could be cool to meet some other people," Nick added.

The rest of them just nodded and murmured their agreement, and Kurt felt his heart speed up, a flash of anxiety shooting through him.

Blaine, ever in tune with his husband, reached over and squeezed his knee a few times before offering his hand to hold, which Kurt took and held tightly to.

There was no one new at 9:05, 9:10, or 9:15. At 9:20, though, the barista pushed open the door. Everyone assumed that she was bringing them fresh coffee. However, it only took a few moments to realize that she was talking to someone else.

"...told me they were inviting some new friends. This is where they always meet. They're such sweet guys. I think you'll like them."

Instead of the barista walking in, two guys appeared: one taller with red hair and the other shorter with dark hair. They looked around with wide eyes, not coming in any further or saying anything to the rest of them sitting in the room. Instead, they turned toward each other and began whispering, just not quietly enough.

"What the fuck is this?" the shorter one asked. "I thought you said these guys weren't going to be the kind of gay that are all, 'Meh!' and 'Bleh!'"

"I've never been here before, Mick!" the taller one hissed. "How was I supposed to know?"

"You coulda fuckin' let us hang out with those other guys that I found. Our backup plan. But no. No. Someone had to go and throw our fucking backup plan off a bridge!"

"It was on fire!" the taller one said, raising his voice so that everyone in the room could definitely hear him. "The Bamboo Lotus was literally. On. Fire."

"Yeah. Okay. Well, that probably wasn't the best place to find friends anyway," the shorter one agreed. "What do we do now?"

The taller one shrugged. "I dunno. Smile? Talk to them?"

"Jesus! I gotta smile at them now? This is what I get for agreeing with you that we need some fucking gay friends, isn't it?"

"Damn straight," the taller one agreed, turning back toward the group and plastering on his best smile. "Hi, guys," he said, grabbing his partner by the arm and dragging him toward the table. "I'm Ian. This is my husband, Mickey."

The shorter one, Mickey, raised his hand in greeting and gave them a quick fake smile.

"Hey," Puck said, grinning widely. "Grab a seat. Glad to meet ya."

Finn nodded. "I'm Finn. This is my husband, Noah. He prefers Puck, though."

"We're Nick and Jeff," Nick volunteered, gesturing between himself and his husband. "And down there, that's Blaine and Kurt. Kurt's the one that kinda set up this whole meeting-new-couples thing."

Kurt waved at them. "I'm Kurt. This is my husband, Blaine."

Ian gave them all an awkward smile as they spoke. Mickey looked like he wore a grimace the whole time, as if they were all really weird and he couldn't figure them out. It took all Kurt had to hold back a giggle at his expression. This was clearly not the type of group they had expected to find. And, he had to admit, they were not the kind of couple anyone had expected to join them. They wore sweats and had tattoos. Not that there was anything wrong with that. It honestly made them more intriguing because they weren't like everyone else they always found themselves surrounded by.

"Why don't you tell us about yourselves?" Kurt suggested. "Where are you two from? What do you do? How did you meet?"

"We're from the South Side, born and raised," Ian answered.

"We're in security," Mickey said, jumping in. "Moving money and shit. What did you call it? 'Armed Transport Service'?" He looked at Ian for confirmation, his husband nodding.

"Security, huh?" Puck asked, raising an eyebrow. "You guys carry guns?"

"Uh, yeah." Mickey flashed him a confused face.

"You ever shoot anybody?"

Mickey opened his mouth to answer him, but Ian cut him off. "Our job's not really that exciting," he said, shooting his husband a meaningful look. "And we've known each other since we were kids. Our story is kinda long and, well, complicated."

"Psh. More like fucking insane."

"Well, we have the next two and a half hours," Blaine offered, "if you wanna talk about it."

"Not really," Mickey said, leaning forward and grabbing one of the cupcakes with a little sunflower on it that Kurt had baked. "These things to eat?"

"Yep," Kurt answered. "I made them fresh last night." He could see the tattoo across Mickey's hands more clearly now, but he couldn't quite read what it said.

"Sweet!" Mickey peeled back the paper just a little way, shoving a huge bite into his mouth. When he pulled back, there was a huge frosting ring around his lips.

Ian took one look at him, rolling his eyes and handing him a napkin. "Try to be a little bit polite, Mick," he said quietly.

"What? I'm just eating a fuckin' cupcake."

Just then, the barista came in to refresh the GRANDE boys' coffee. Then she turned to Ian and Mickey. "What kind of drink can I bring for you two?"

They just looked at her, confused.

"Latte? Mocha? Cappuccino? Cider? Tea? Espresso?"

"Uhh…" Ian started, looking like a deer in headlights.

Blaine leaned over to Kurt, whispering in his ear, "Should we do something?"

"You mean besides laugh?" Kurt asked, swallowing back a chuckle. He liked these two. They totally seemed like they'd never want to fit in with them, but he liked them just the same. "I'm kidding. Laughing isn't nice. Marley," he said, getting the barista's attention, "do you think you could just bring back a carafe of black coffee, some cream, and some sugar? They can make their own drinks that way."

"Sure," she replied, looking a bit relieved.

"Thanks," Ian said once she'd left the room. "We're a little bit out of our element here."

"No problem," Kurt answered.

"So, Mickey, can you tell us about the tattoo on your hands?"

"What? This?" Mickey asked, making fists at Kurt so he could read the whole thing: Fuck U-Up. "I just thought they looked cool. Plus, if you gotta punch a guy sometime, they need to know what they're fuckin' in for."

Kurt nodded. That wasn't the explanation he'd been expecting, and he didn't quite know how to respond. Maybe they needed a more neutral topic. "So, who here has read Patti Lapone's new book?"

There was silence around the table before Nick and Jeff broke in with, "Of course, we have!"

"Oh, my god! You scared me so much there. You all scared me. I mean, everyone has read Patti's new book, right? She's a legend." From the corner of his eye, he saw Mickey lean over to Ian.

"Who the fuck is Patti Lapone?"

Ian shrugged. "I think she was on a TV show or something? Broadway? Let's just try to fit in."

Mickey scoffed. "We don't like books."

"I know. I know. Just… Try?"

Puck glanced at Finn, giving him a knowing grin. Their friends, though they loved them all, tended to prefer Broadway and movies, and these two new guys just didn't seem to care about that stuff, much like himself and Finn. He was about to say something to change the subject to a topic their new friends might find more palatable when Jeff interrupted.

"Okay. Best female pop stars! Blaine, as the Top 40 aficionado of this group, you start."

Blaine grinned. "Okay. Okay. Well, I think that you all know, for me, that Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Brittney make the top of the list. Then I don't know after that. Ariana? Jessie J? Dua Lipa? I mean, the possibilities are endless for that fourth spot. None of it matters, though, because Katy is obviously at the top of the list."

The rest of them grumbled about how he always chose Katy and started to discuss who their top choices would be. Meanwhile, Ian leaned over to Mickey. "You wanna go?"

"Why? We're not done with the cupcakes. We haven't had any coffee."

"Because they seem like those kinds of guys you said you didn't want to be friends with. And honestly, I'm kinda bored."

"They're giving us free stuff, though." Sensing a pause in the conversation, he looked up and asked, "So, you guys ever talk about, like, sex and stuff? Or just this frilly Broadway shit?"

Finn bit back a smile as Puck answered. "Sure, we do. Kurt put 'romance' on that poster of his, didn't he? Did you wanna talk about sex?"

Ian immediately said, "Mick doesn't like having his ass licked."

"Oh, my god. That's the best thing," Blaine retorted, his cheeks blushing as the words left his mouth without a second thought.

"You don't have to like having your ass licked!" Puck said. "I don't really like it either. This one, though, just goes absolutely nuts for it." He leaned over, pressing a sloppy kiss to Finn's pink cheek.

Then, the whole table erupted into chatter about both their preferences and their partner's. No one even noticed Marley sneak back in with the coffee carafe, milk, and sugar for Ian and Mickey or when she brought everyone else refills of their specialty drinks.

By noon, they were all having a rousing good time. They had moved on from sex to other topics, like how Ian and Mickey had met, the sex conversation having seemingly broken the ice on the awkwardness they were all feeling. The whole group had even shared their coming out stories and some of their familial troubles surrounding their identities, a few tears trickling down faces.

"So, will you guys come back next week?" Puck asked hopefully as they were all grabbing their stuff. "I love these guys, but it's nice to have some more people in this group who don't just love Top 40 and Patti Lapone."

Ian gave Mickey a look, the two of them seeming to understand each other without words. "Sure. We'd like that," Ian replied, pulling Mickey into his side, kissing the top of his head, and giving the rest of the group a smile. "We had fun today."

"Surprisingly," Mickey added. "Didn't really expect to find cool friends in a fuckin' coffee place."

"Well, we're happy to have met you," Kurt said, giving them all a big smile. He was relieved they were willing to come back. "Can we get your phone numbers? We have a group chat set up where we discuss next week's theme and make sure everyone's going to be able to be there."

"You can have mine," Ian offered. "Mick's not that great with technology."

"I just don't understand how it works!" Mickey defended.

"No problem," Kurt answered, holding out his phone to Ian. "Just type your number in."

A few minutes later, everyone was gone except Kurt and Blaine, who needed to clean up all the table decor that Kurt had brought with him. They worked in silence for a few minutes before Kurt asked, "So, did you have fun?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't sure what to think of those guys when they came in. They're really cool, though. Different from all the other gay couples we've met before. I like it."

"Quite a bit different. They're a little rougher around the edges." He paused for a moment. "They seemed like they got along with Puck and Finn really well. I think they relate to them better than the rest of us."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Blaine told him. "We're closer with Jeff and Nick usually, even though Finn's your brother. We just share a few more common interests."

"True." There were a few more beats of silence before he asked, "So, was inviting in a new couple a good idea?"

"A great one," Blaine answered, giving his husband's hand a squeeze and flashing him a reassuring smile. "It's nice to have some new people to get to know."

"Do you think the other guys would be mad if I took down our flyers for a while? I'm not sure I want to meet any more new couples for a little while. Getting to know Ian and Mickey is going to be enough for now, I think. I mean, they had fun right? They agreed to come back, so..."

"They agreed to come back," Blaine parroted. "Now, stop worrying. Did you have fun?"

"Yeah."

"Then everything went fine."

"You're right."

They finished packing everything in silence for a little bit, and it wasn't until they were in the car, headed home, when Kurt asked, "So, what do you think next Friday's theme should be? I really want Ian and Mickey to like us. What if they hate the theme I pick? What if they—"

Just then, they pulled up to a red light, and Blaine leaned over from the driver's seat to kiss Kurt's lips thoroughly, shushing him. "Stop. Worrying. Just be yourself. Those guys were, and we still like them. We all had fun."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course, I'm right."

Kurt chuckled. "Okay. Okay. You don't have to rub it in, meanie."

"You want mean? Just wait 'til we get home. I'll show you mean." For emphasis, he leaned over, pressing his hand firmly against Kurt's crotch. "I won't stop until you're screaming my name."

Letting his head fall back against the headrest, Kurt breathed out, "Ohhhhh, my god. Please yes. Stress relief."

Blaine grinned. "Stress relief."

After a few rounds of dirty, exactly-what-they-needed sex, a nice hot shower, and a massage, Kurt was feeling better. He sat in front of the mirror, rubbing in his moisturizer. Just as he was about to ask Blaine if he had worry lines on his face, his phone dinged with a message. He was surprised to see that it was the group message, from Ian specifically.

From Ian: Mick told me to tell you all he had a great time and is looking forward to next week, as long as you make some more cupcakes, Kurt.

Blaine came up, wrapping his arms around Kurt's neck and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "See? I told you. They liked us."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. And things weren't even perfect." He smiled, tilting his head back to give Blaine a sweet kiss on the lips. "I can't wait for next week. I'm thinking about a tattoo theme…"