Day 2: Beer/Cookies
A/N: The Advent drabble prompt was Beer and the Potluck Big Bang trope was for a meet-cute involving cookies. How do I get myself into these situations? I don't drink beer, but the idea of beer and cookies seems gross. Kurt apparently thinks so, too.
Kurt shuffles his bag of takeout from one hand to the other, trying not to dislodge his messenger bag from his shoulder while digging his keys out of his coat pocket. Completely distracted, it's no wonder he doesn't see the man walking ahead of him in the hallway until he's bumped into him.
With a stumble and a less-than-gracious (but successful) save of his dinner, he manages to blurt out hurriedly, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see…"
Words die in his throat when he finally makes eye contact with the victim of his clumsiness. Of course. Of course, it's the cute guy who moved into the apartment next door two weeks ago – the one Kurt has been longing to meet but far too terrified to actually approach.
Of course, it's him.
"No worries," Cute Neighbor responds. He smiles, but seems a bit downhearted. Kurt's not proud of the fact that he knows enough about the facial expressions of the neighbor he's never met to know that he isn't his usual cheerful self.
Suddenly, Cute Neighbor is crouching down. Oh, dear lord. In the course of the collision, he'd knocked a grocery bag right out of his hands!
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry! Let me get that," Kurt exclaims, setting his takeout bag down and hurrying to help. It turns out that it doesn't take too long, as there are only two items in the bag: a six-pack of beer and a box of generic Christmas cookies. He can't help but smirk. "Looks like you're having quite the soirée," he comments.
They both stand, respective bags in hand. Kurt shifts his takeout once more and extends his right hand, "I'm Kurt, from 5D," he says, nodding his head towards his door nearby.
Cute guy returns the gesture, taking Kurt's hand gently but firmly. "Blaine, from 5E," he answers. "And no, no party. Just dinner," he adds. His tone is flippant, but his face tells another story.
Kurt's mouth drops open. "What? No. Absolutely not, Blaine from 5E. You cannot have beer and cheap cookies for dinner. That's just sad."
Blaine shrugs and stares down at his shoes. "Well," he mutters, "when your boyfriend dumps you two weeks before Christmas, sad dinner is kind of a ritual, right?"
Kurt mentally slaps himself. Damn, his sharp tongue. He ignores he little part of himself that jumps for joy knowing Blaine is single – and gay. That's a thought for another day. Right now, he's got a sad, cute neighbor to fix.
"Sometimes," he replies, "but usually it's ice cream and junk food. However, you are in luck, as I know a different ritual that's much more appealing than beer and cookies."
Blaine's head snaps up, his eyes wide. Kurt replays his last sentence in his head and realizes how it may have sounded like a proposition.
"No! No no no. Not that. I mean dinner. Dinner with a new friend!" he clarifies, holding up his bag of food and praying that he's not blushing as hard as he thinks he is. "I have enough Chinese takeout in here for an army. You can come in, we'll eat, and you can tell me all about evil what's-his-name," Kurt offers, taking Blaine by the arm. He raises his eyebrows in a silent question, and cheers internally when Blaine smiles and nods.
Over dinner, Blaine confesses that he and evil what's-his-name had only been going out for a few weeks, and that he didn't really think there was much of a future for them anyway. "I wasn't all that invested, I hate to say, but at least I was going to wait until after New Year's to break it off!" he complains. "I mean, who breaks up with someone two weeks before Christmas?" Kurt wholeheartedly agrees, raising his glass in toast to Blaine's (he'd talked Blaine out of the beer and into a nice bottle of wine Kurt had received as a gift, instead).
Over more wine and cheap Christmas cookies, they talk about their respective jobs, families, friends, and their mutual love for musicals.
Two nights later, over hot chocolate and Kurt's homemade Christmas cookies ("You are never to eat those awful generic things again, Blaine!"), they talk about hopes and dreams and Blaine's love of bowties and Kurt's obsession with Lady Gaga.
Three weeks later, at the stroke of midnight, they share their first kiss to ring in the new year.
Two years later, at their wedding reception, they toast their happiness with champagne and cake – and if later, in the honeymoon suite, they have a private toast with beer and Christmas cookies, well…that's nobody's business but their own.