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Working in a coffee shop wasn’t the greatest job Kurt has ever had. But, it paid the bills enough that Santana didn’t have to work full time anymore at Spotlight. Which was good, considering her trying to find work performing, but Kurt didn’t care for the fancy drinks, personally. He took his coffee mostly black, with a few sugars, as it was meant to be consumed. He had to exercise extreme self restraint to not roll his eyes at every customer who came in and ordered what basically amounted to coffee flavored milk.
On the bright side, he wasn’t alone at the job. His best friend, Adam shared most of his shifts— in fact, Adam was the one who got him the gig in the first place. Kurt was struggling, to say the least, and Adam was a godsend. Getting him a job and becoming a close friend for Kurt’s, in a time of need.
He sighed as he poured foamed milk into a latte, swirling it with practiced precision. If there was one thing Kurt liked about this job, it was the artistic license he was allowed when it came to latte art. Sometimes he made rainbows, stars, suns… you name it. Once he’d even made a pumpkin with a curly vine on Rachel’s pumpkin spice latte. (And she still didn’t tip him. Talk about rude.)
It was a Wednesday afternoon, which meant the usual crowd of tired college kids and perky yoga moms was about to show up, as they did literally every weekday afternoon. Kurt tried to not be bitter when he saw them. He’d have liked to have the normal college life. Not scrounging for tips to pay tuition and ending up studying when the rest of New York is asleep. But the life means money, and money was not something Kurt Hummel, in all his twenty-one years on earth, had an abundance of. So he settles for a job with shitty tips and the knowledge that he is gonna make millions of what is now still just a sketch, and he let that be enough.
He capped the latte and called out the name written hurriedly on the side. “Maggie? Small nonfat mocha latte for MAggie?” A short, tired-looking girl with long strawberry-blond and a shy smile came to the counter.
“That would be me!” She looks at his nametag. “Thanks, Kurt .”
Kurt pointedly ignores the flirty emphasis on his name, but returns her smile easily. “My pleasure, miss.” To her credit, she only looks slightly put out for a second, taking her latte, and returns to her laptop. She was a student, judging from the books, notes, pens, and highlighters that surrounded her. He hoped whatever she was working on goes better than her unrequited attraction.
That’s when he walked in. He was tall and lanky, with sea green eyes, and dark hair that seemed to be softer than silk, if the way it practically defied gravity was any indication. He, yet another student, carried a black, real leather, messenger bag over one shoulder, and held a cell phone to his ear. Kurt couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face at the sight of him.
His name was Sebastian, and he has been coming in for weeks. The first time, Kurt had been so incredibly flustered. He had completely messed up his order, giving the man a vanilla latte, instead of the caramel frappuccino the tall man actually ordered. Luckily for Kurt, Sebastian had taken it good naturedly, and drank the vanilla latte without making a fuss. Bethany, the customer after, was not as understanding when Kurt, still jittery, accidentally used skim, instead of whole milk, in her (ridiculously complicated) order.
Apparently he’d liked it—or Kurt’s little latte art stars were good enough that Sebastian wanted to see what else he could do—because he’d come back, repeatedly, and asked for a vanilla latte every single time.
Adam teased Kurt relentlessly every time Sebastian came in because although Kurt Hummel was a lot of things, subtle wasn’t one of them. He nearly tripped over himself to hand Sebastain his drinks, and was consistently sneaking glances at the other boy, who would sometimes sit and write for hours .
That was another interesting thing. Sebastian was a writer. He had told Kurt that he wanted to be a novelist, but it was basically a right of passage in the Smythe household to attend law school, so they’d reached a compromise. Sebastian would go to law school, but he can study creative writing in his undergrad years. Law school was a lot of work, but Sebastain had an amazing resilience, and Kurt was pretty sure that he would make an amazing lawyer, given their verbal sparring. But only if he didn’t become a world famous writer, first.
So, Kurt was smitten, and there Sebastian was, walking in, collected and perfect, as usual.
“Well, hurry your ass up and get down here,” Sebastain laughs into his phone, before hanging up and heading towards the counter.
“What can I get ya, mate?” Adam asks with a smile.
“The usual,” Sebastion glances over at Kurt, who can feel the blood rush to his cheeks. “A vanilla latte. Oh! And a grande chocolate mocha, with a double shot of espresso,” he adds hurriedly.
Adam raised an eyebrow, “Two drinks? Someone must be thirsty.”
Sebastian rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “I’m meeting someone, actually, and promised to order for them.”
Kurt’s heart sinks to his stomach and hardens into a solid rock of disappointment. Meeting someone? I wonder if it’s a date. Of course it’s a date. Look at that man, how could he be single? I’m so stupid for even thinking otherwise.
“That’ll be $9.50, please.”
Sebastain hands over his card, plus more than a few bucks for the tip jar. Sebastian always tipped well, but it always seems like it was nothing for him to do so. He once told Kurt, I have it, so why not?
Sebastian lingers at the counter while Kurt fixes his drinks. “How have you been, Kurt?”
“You mean since this time, yesterday?” Kurt quipps, not looking up.
“Funny.” Sebastian glances away briefly, and shoves his hands in his jean pockets. “Whatever. Yes. Since yesterday.”
“I’ve been good. It’s the two hour premiere of Married at First Sight: Gay Edition , tonight. Santana and I love that shit.” Kurt looked up just in time to see Sebastian smile, eyes shining.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Because gay edition anything is awesome, and everyone loves drama.”
Sebastian pulls his hands from his pockets and raises them in defeat. “Fair.”
Kurt finishes the drinks and slides them across the counter. Sebastian grabs them, their hands brushing briefly. Kurt tries to ignore the way his heart skips a beat then starts again double time.
Sebastian immediately opens his latte and grins. Kurt had drawn him a rose this time, taking care of the delicate petals of foam, and sprinkling it with a little cinnamon for good measure. “I think this is your best work yet, Kurt.”
Kurt wills down a blush and scoffs, hopefully nonchalantly. “You should see my actual designs sketches, if you think that is good.”
“I’d like to,” Sebastian says quietly, not a hint of a joke in his tone.
“Oh…” Kurt coughs awkwardly, praying his face doesn't look as hot as it feels. “I mean, Yeah. Yeah, okay. Sometime.”
“I should…find a table.” Sebastian forces out a chuckle, grabbing his drinks and walking away. Kurt visibly deflates.
“Real smooth, Kurt,” Adam laughs from behind Kurt. “Real smooth.”
Kurt ignores him in favor of uselessly wiping down the counter, pretending not to watch Sebastian from across the shop.
A few minutes later, a tall young woman with curly, dark brown hair and matching eyes came in. She had sharp features, and carried herself is a manner that screamed power. She was a girl who meant business—she reminded Kurt a little of Mercedes, in that way. She scanned the coffee shop, her previously indifferent face softening into a smile when she caught sight of Sebastian.
“Bas?” she calls, effectively breaking the man’s concentration on the staring contest between him and his coffee. Kurt’s heart sinks even further. Bas? She must be his girlfriend.
Sebastian looked up from his laptop and grins. “Cassie!” He calls her over to his table, holding up the drink he ordered for her. He stood up and greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and pulled out her chair like a true gentleman. Yep, definitely his girlfriend.
They talked animatedly for over an hour. Kurt tried, he really did, his best not to stare or eavesdrop, trying to focus on filling orders, but it was hard. He kept messing up, which was out of character for him and not even entirely his fault. Every now and then Sebastian’s laugh would rise above the cacophony of the coffee shop, and Kurt’s heart would sink further into the floor. He knew he really had no right to be jealous, or heartbroken, or whatever it was. It’s not like he was dating Sebastian, or they were even really friends, but, goddammit, Sebastian was cute , and Kurt was only human after all.
“Try to look a little more sad, pining, and pathetic,” Adam said sarcastically, about 30 minutes in. “You’re not quite selling it.”
“Shut it, Englishman.”
“You don’t even know if she’s his girlfriend!” Adam says exasperatedly.
Kurt snorted, not even caring how indelicate it sounded. “They’re awfully touchy if they’re not together.” The girl, Cassie , had her hand on Sebastian’s arm, and Sebastian didn’t seem bothered by it one bit. Especially when he smiled at her fondly, placing his hand atop hers.
“I’m just saying,” Adam shrugged, “You never know.”
Kurt was pretty sure he did know.
--
The next day Kurt called in sick. He didn’t want to see Sebastian again. Ever. Which was probably stupid and definetly overdramatic and he couldn’t believe he was letting himself lose a whole day’s pay over a boy, but damn it all, because he was a cute boy, and Kurt was a ex-show choir preformer, he was allowed to be stupid and overdramatic.
“I’m getting blotchy with the pathetic vibes you're projecting, Kurt,” Santana claimed without heat, falling onto the couch beside him. “I’m sure there are plenty of cute guys that walk into that shop, daily.”
He’d honestly thought he’d had a chance with Sebastian. He’d thought that their small talk meant something. The fact that Sebastian told him about law school and wanting to be a writer, told him about working his ass off to pay for school had to mean something. He thought because Sebastian complimented his latte art and asked about his real art, that maybe there was something more than in his head. But instead of saying all that, he settles for a simple “I’m so stupid.”
As usual, he was wrong.
--
Kurt switched shifts with Darren the next day, to avoid seeing Sebastian again. He hated working nights, but it was better than having to see Sebastian’s stupid, perfect face again.
The night shift was boring. No one came into a coffee shop after 8 PM, except the occasional really super fucked college student. There was no Adam to keep him occupied with perfecting his English accent. It was so quiet that Kurt could run the register and make the coffee. It was dull, to say the least.
The first night, he tried to work on some of his sketches, but it was just so boring with no one around that he couldn’t conjure up the slightest of inspiration.
The second night, he played games on his phone until it got to 1%.
The third night was a Friday, and he actually got enough customers to keep from dying of boredom, so that was nice, all things considered.
--
Sebastian Smythe was confused. It was a blustery Tuesday afternoon, and he walked into his favorite coffee shop, ready to see the cutest barista in the world (bar none), but Kurt wasn’t there. Instead, there was a short guy with wild curls, who wasn’t unattractive, but wasn’t nearly as gorgeous as Kurt. He didn’t have Kurt’s bright, Glasz eyes, his chestnut hair that swept up perfectly, or the small smile that completely disarmed Sebastian’s defenses.
And his latte art was subpar.
“Is Kurt sick?” he asked Adam, the cashier who seemed close to Kurt.
“He switched his shifts actually,” Adam didn’t make eye contact. Sebastian got the distinct feeling that he’d done something wrong. What did I do? He ordered his usual latte and frowned when he didn’t see Kurt’s art in the foam.
--
He didn’t see Kurt for the next three days, and on the third day he remembered that he didn’t even like lattes that much. Or at all, if he was being honest. He only ordered them to see Kurt’s art, which was kind of pathetic, but Kurt was handsome and funny and Sebastian couldn’t help himself. He hated that he missed Kurt. He shouldn’t feel this put out over a barista that he wasn’t really friends with.
But Sebastian didn’t find himself connecting to people very often. He was snarky and sometimes came off cold, even though he usually didn’t mean to, and people often found that off putting. There was something different about Kurt, though, something that made him feel brighter and lighter than he ever thought possible. Kurt seemed to see right through to the heart of who Sebastian was, and Sebastian wasn’t about to give that up without a fight.
He let it go 84 hours before he couldn’t do it anymore. He figured Kurt probably switched his shift to the night shift—because Kurt did not seem like a morning person—so instead of coming in during the late afternoon like he usually did, he waited until well after dark to come in.
--
Kurt was sketching over the counter. He was focused, his face tight with concentration. He didn’t even notice that Sebastian was there until he cleared his throat. Kurt looked up with wide eyes, a fake apology freezing on the tip of his tongue when he looked into the very eyes he was avoiding.
“Oh,” he whispers, letting his eyes fall back down to his sketchbook. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” Sebastian forces a smile. “So this is where you’ve been hiding yourself?”
Kurt nods. “You could say that.”
Sebastian’s smile faltered. Kurt was never this quiet. What happened? “So, why’d you switch shifts?” He was trying to keep his tone casual, but he knows he didn’t succeed.
Kurt just shrugged in response. “No reason in particular. Just felt like a change of scenery.” It was almost believable. But, not quite.
“Right…” Sebastian didn’t really know what to say. In retrospect, he hadn’t thought this through at all. Sebastian was just some random customer with a crush on a barista. And made it a point to visit him even after he switched shifts. Which now that he was there, seemed like it might constitute as stalking.
Kurt bit his lip nervously before speaking again. “Why did you come here?”
“Coffee isn’t as good if you don’t make it,” Sebastian said simply.
“Right,” Kurt rolls his eyes, showing how much he believed that .
“Okay,” Sebastian gathers all his courage, “maybe I’m totally wrong here, but I thought that we were…you know,” Sebastian fumbled for words, as Kurt’s eye’s snapped up and looked into his. “Clicking, I guess? And now, I don’t know. It seems like I did something wrong?”
Kurt’s eyes widen. “You’re not? You didn’t- But you- I… what?” Kurt finished, elegantly if anyone asks.
“Wow, Kurt Hummel at a loss for words?” Sebastian grinned.
“Shut up. Just gimme a second.”
Sebastian did as he was told, and waited for Kurt to speak again.
“I just…” Kurt huffed. “I like you, okay? And when you showed up with your girlfriend, I-”
“My what?” Sebastian chokes on his own spit.
“Your…Your girlfriend? Cassie?” Kurt cocks his head to the side in confusion.
Sebastian couldn’t help it, he honestly couldn't, and burst out laughing. “No, no,” he managed between wheezing laughs. “There has been some miscommunication.”
“You know, laughing isn’t exactly the reaction I was looking for when I told you that I like you,” Kurt grimaced.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Sebastian finally caught his breath, “It’s just. Cassie… well she isn’t my girl. Cassie is my sister.”
Kurt’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he blushed a violent scarlet. “Oh! Oh my God . Your sister? She’s your sister?"
“That’s what I said.” He’s cute when he’s embarrassed , Sebastian thought absently.
“So, you don’t have a girlfriend?"
Sebastian shook his head, “I’m painfully single. And so gay, since that wasn’t clear.”
Kurt let a small, hopeful smile pull at his lips. “So, do you, uh…That is…”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, feeling the weight of the past few days float away. “I’m standing in a coffee shop at nearly ten pm because of you. Yes, I like you, you complete idiot.”
Kurt’s small smile gave way to a wide grin that made Sebastian’s heart flutter and his face flush. “So,” Kurt continued, leaning across the counter to completely invade Sebastian’s personal space, “Can I kiss you now?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
And they did.