#baker!kurt

Kurt has found peace, though; until Mr. Right enters his life, he can have fun, and appreciate the small pleasures.

Like the young man looking at the cakes in his window right this instant.

Kurt prides himself in not having a type, per say, but this guy, Mr. “Oh These Cakes Look Delicious”?

He hits all of the right buttons in Kurt’s book.

Especially the wide, bright eyes that widen even more at the sight of his latest creation (the caramel is porn in and of itself, Kurt is fairly sure they will be all gone before lunchtime).

Oh shit, he’s coming in.

Kurt rushes to focus on wiping the counter, fiddling with the plate of sample velvet cake he has near the till to offer for all visitors.

“Welcome to Duet, how can I help you today?”

A small smile, barely there but still making the bright eyes twinkle just enough to make Kurt want to focus on them for a little while.

“Hi,” Mr. Far Too Cute To Be Left Alone says. “I have an appointment? With Kurt Hummel?”

Well, fuck me.

If the man has an appointment, it means that he is here to order a cake.

If he’s here to order a cake, it means that he’s a groom-to-be or a father.

Either way, completely and utterly out of his reach.

Damn.

“That would be me,” Kurt replies, stomping on whatever he thought when he watched the man through his window because those thoughts, as innocent as they may have been, are completely inappropriate when it comes to a customer.

The man immediately holds his hand over the counter. “Blaine Anderson.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Blaine,” Kurt replies as he shakes his hand, racking his brain for the details of his day meeting. “The Anderson-Garcia wedding?”

Of course he’s gay, but already taken.

Fuck. Me.

“The very one.”

“Well, congratulations,” Kurt says with a smile that may not reach his eyes, but he tries to make it as heartfelt as he can.

“Thank you,” Blaine replies with a small smile, “I guess.”

I guess? Wow okay, temper your enthusiasm.

Stop it Kurt, Kurt berates himself, not everybody has to launch into a musical number when considering their romantic future.

Not everybody can be a silly romantic like him, after all.

“Let’s get to it, then,” Kurt says instead, gesturing towards the tasting room and letting Mercedes take over the counter. “Do you have ideas for the cake?”

A sparkle makes an appearance in Blaine’s eyes at that, and his smile widens.

There is that enthusiasm.

“Since I’m the one in charge,” Blaine says as he follows Kurt, “I do have a couple of ideas to discuss with you.”

“Such as?”

“How do you feel about a donut cake?”

Oh boy.

At least this is going to be … interesting.

---

The more time Blaine spends with Kurt, the happier he is that he is such a good brother.

After all, if he had not accepted to help Cooper and his fiancé to pick their wedding cake, if he had decided that it was their wedding so they could take care of it, he would have spent the rest of his life without knowing Kurt.

The baker is fastly becoming Blaine’s best friend, and not a day is spent without at least an exchange of texts between them.

At first, Blaine used the excuse of the Cake, but those days are over.

When they both find the time, Blaine meets Kurt for coffee at the Bean and they talk.

About growing up and finding themselves in the Midwest.

About always wanting to be good enough.

About finding their footing in New york, and making a path for themselves in competitive fields.

About finding Love.

Speaking of which, Blaine is starting to see a pattern emerging in their discussions.

Whenever the subject of love and relationship and dating tips comes up, Kurt seems … uncomfortable.

And since the last thing Blaine wants is for his friend to be uncomfortable, he drops it.

Just because he drops it doesn’t mean that he stops wondering about it, though.

Is it because Kurt is a self-confessed old-fashioned romantic at heart?

Is it because Kurt works in such a romance-infused part of life?

The fact remains that Kurt seems to be … disturbed at the prospect of discussing his love life with Blaine.

A small, annoying part of Blaine’s brain--one that sounds suspiciously like Cooper--tells him that maybe, just maybe, Blaine himself is the reason why Kurt is so uncomfortable.

As in, maybe the baker has a crush on him.

Which is preposterous, really, because Kurt doesn’t seem like the kind of man who wouldn’t go after something or someone who he would be interested in.

No, Kurt Hummel definitely gives the vibe of a man who would let nothing standing between him and the man he would fall in love with.

Which means that said man is decidedly not Blaine.

Which is totally fine by Blaine, honestly.

Sure, he can see what a fine specimen of a man Kurt is: tall, strong but not overwhelmingly so, eyes clear as the ocean and cheekbones that could cut diamonds.

Or something.

And it’s not just the physical aspects of it: without crushing on him, Blaine knows that Kurt’s values, his beliefs, are what he’s drawn to, what make them such good friends. Kurt’s passion, his sense of humor, his brain, his compassion too …

Without wanting to date him, Blaine is all too aware of what a catch Kurt Hummel is--frankly, the fact that he’s still single is the source of Blaine’s continued bafflement.

Then again, maybe Kurt is just not looking for a special someone in his life, which is completely okay in Blaine’s book.

Selfishly enough, as long as Kurt is single, Blaine feels that his dreams and fantasies about the baker are not stepping over the boundaries between them. They are friends, best friends even, both attractive, both single--there is nothing against a little attraction between friends, right?

(He is aware of how Harry and Sally’s platonic attraction ended, thank you very much)

That being said, Blaine’s acceptance of Kurt’s reluctance doesn’t make a lonely Valentine’s Day any easier.

Blaine sighs as yet another red and pink display passes him by--if things were different, if he had found Mr. Right (if Kurt was Mr. Right), Blaine would have planned something special for tonight.

Dinner, maybe a coffee under the stars while Blaine would hum his date’s favorite tune …

Instead, he has nothing to look forward to but one of his superhero movies (because he deserves it) and a meal, and a whole lot of sulking.

… Except that he could add a cake to this program and make it slightly better.

After all, Kurt himself said so: the only (real) cure to loneliness is cake, and Blaine does feel awfully lonely.

Blaine crosses the street immediately, heading towards the Bakery, a smile already tugging at his lips.

Maybe this Valentine’s Day won’t be so bad after all.

---

Kurt is doing his best to keep himself from rolling his eyes at the decorations invading his bakery.

Pink, he can deal with.

Hearts, his eyes are starting to twitch.

But all the cupids and paper flowers?

He’s getting a migraine, just trying not to let his own resentment at the stupid holiday show to his many happy-go-lucky customers.

Call him bitter--which is a damn joke, given his profession--but yes, Kurt wishes he didn’t have to go through the whole Valentine’s, look how happy and in love we are, Day.

He’s going to make himself a chocolate and coffee devil cake to spend the evening with.

In the meantime, he will keep on baking and selling the piñata cakes with the pink buttercream and the messages to all the loving couples in the city.

“Good afternoon, Kurt!”

Of fucking course.

“Good afternoon, Blaine,” Kurt replies tiredly, still managing to put a smile on his face.

No matter what, Blaine always affects him in the most positive way.

“How has your day been, good sir?” Blaine asks, bending low to look at the cases--as he often does, with a sparkle in his eyes that always leads to a purchase or two.

“Busy,” Kurt says, slowly following Blaine’s journey through the mostly empty cases. “A holiday crafted to sell sweets and flowers is always good for business.”

Blaine straightens up and looks at him with his head cocked to the side. “I didn’t peg you for a cynic, Mr. Hummel,” he slowly says, poking one of the roses making the massive display on top of the counter.

“Aren’t you?”

Blaine pauses, trailing his fingers on the side of the petals. “Call me a hopeless romantic,” he finally replies, “but I think there is something great about a day that allows people to say “I love you” to the person they care about.”

Kurt is going to eat his apron out of sheer frustration.

Of course, the one man who shares his romantic mindset is already taken when they meet.

Of. Fucking. Course.

“I suppose,” he finally relents, trying to set all of his bitterness aside. “Speaking of which,” he continues, focusing on being professional against all odds, “the cake for the wedding is going along swimmingly--good call on the fondant in lieu of the buttercream, it helps moving things a lot faster.”

Blaine beams at him. “I only followed your wise, wise advice.”

Kurt preens at the compliment--so sue him, a cute guy is praising him, he’s allowed to bask in it while he can. “Why, thank you.”

He looks down at the case of Valentine’s cake and plucks one to wrap. “Here,” he says, pushing it on the counter towards Blaine, “on the house.”

Blaine looks down at the cake, at the message, and he smiles crookedly at Kurt.

It should not make his heart beat so fast, so quickly.

“I bet you give them to all the boys who come in,” Blaine says, and … is he--is he flirting?

Nah, Kurt reasons himself sternly, Blaine is engaged, he wouldn’t do something like that.

Or maybe he would, a little voice that sounds suspiciously like Mercedes whispers in his ear. Maybe he got engaged because he simply wanted to be loved, but you are making him question it.

Maybe Blaine feels something for him too.

“N-no, no,” Kurt replies--maybe one beat too late for it to be completely smooth and like their usual banter--, “just to the ones who wear cute bowties.”

“Ah, so only to the hipsters,” Blaine jokes, carefully wrapping his hands around the cake like it’s something delicate and precious.

It’s just a cake, but it warms Kurt’s heart to see it in the hands of someone who can appreciate it.

“What are the plans for the evening?” he asks, because he clearly doesn’t have any sense of self-preservation when it comes to Blaine.

Blaine shrugs. “Dinner and movie,” he replies before looking down at the cake. “And this little cutie to brighten everything,” he adds.

And now Kurt can picture it.

Oh so perfectly.

Can picture how the evening would go, were he the one Blaine is going home to.

Dinner and movie, sure, filled with teasing touches and playful kisses, and feeding bits of the cake to each other before tasting it on each other’s lips …

Blaine probably laughs while he kisses his fiancé when he’s being particularly adorable.

Kurt waves at him as Blaine walks away, and he quickly lets himself slide down to the floor, grabbing a cupcake on his way.

Drowning his sorrow in a whole lot of white chocolate seems like the best option.

---

That was an opening, wasn’t it?

So, if Kurt didn’t take the offering Blaine presented, that can only mean that he was right.

Taking a bite of the adorable cake, Blaine sighs and leans against the door of his apartment.

Back to the original plan: dinner and a movie--but he has cake, and that totally counts.

---

It took a lot of time, and sweat, and yes, tears, but Kurt is done.

The Cake is ready, and he can turn the page on his huge crush on Blaine Anderson, soon-to-be Anderson-Garcia--or maybe just Garcia, what does Kurt know, right.

Nah, Blaine is old-fashioned enough that he’ll want to hyphenate their names, and Kurt hates that he knows that.

And that he has spent more than one drunken night pondering the merits of Hummel-Anderson versus Anderson-Hummel versus Anderson-Garcia.

It’s too hard on his little gay heart, and today, he’s going to deliver the cake, watch Blaine say his vows, get slightly drunk at the bar and then move on with his life, trying to find himself a man like Blaine.

The venue is beautiful, but Kurt is not surprised; after all, Blaine mentioned at some point that he couldn’t wait for Spring to finally be able to enter the cloisters to take pictures and arrange everything.

“May I help you?”

Kurt was so enthralled by the location that he didn’t see the very handsome man approaching him.

Well, he’s not going to forget about Blaine any time soon, but that level of handsome could make him feel better tonight.

That being said, there is something … familiar about that crooked smile.

“I’m here for the Anderson-Garcia wedding,” he says, straightening up and shifting the cake in his arms. “Wedding cake.”

“Ah!” The man exclaims, a wide smile stretching his lips.

Oh boy.

“Blaine did good, I see,” the man adds and Kurt smiles on behalf of Blaine. “Exactly what I wanted,” he adds, pointing at the cake.

Oh shit.

“Congratulations are in order then,” he simply says, looking at the man and picturing him next to Blaine.

Boy oh boy, what a beautiful couple they’ll make.

“The reception will be in the courtyard,” Blaine’s fiancé continues. “I can take you there if you want.”

“Sure, gladly,” Kurt replies. “How is Blaine?”

The man chuckles. “Running everywhere like a damn white rabbit to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

Kurt can totally see that, and he grins at the picture.

Before he can comment, the man looks ahead and his smile widens. “Gabriel! Honey, look, the cake is here, exactly what we wished for!”

Kurt freezes in his steps.

Gabriel?

Honey??

What the hell?!

The man he thought to be Blaine’s fiancé reaches for a tall man that vaguely rings a bell and swipes him in for a kiss, and Kurt is more than a little confused.

(And a bit turned on because both men seem to have just stepped out of a catalogue, but that’s between him and his brain)

Back to the matter at hand. “Excuse me,” Kurt calls, putting the cake down with trembling hands, “but who … who are you?”

Not-Blaine’s-fiancé frowns before smiling at Kurt, and damn, that smile really is familiar. “We’re the grooms!”

Okay, okay--either Blaine is about to get married to both men, and that’s … alright, Kurt will admit, it’s hot, but also a bit disturbing, or …

Or Blaine is not represented by one of the two little sugary grooms Kurt designed on top of the cake.

“Anderson-Garcia?”

“Cooper Anderson.”

“Gabriel Garcia.”

“Ta-daaa!”

Kurt opens wide eyes, because now that he thinks about it, the names are more than familiar, how did he not recognize Hollywood’s new power couple is beyond him.

Blame the stress of keeping the schedule.

And the sleepless night because Kurt was moping because he thought the man of his dreams was just passing him by on his way to domestic bliss.

“So … who is Blaine?” He asks slowly, raking his fingers through his hair.

“My little brother,” Cooper replies, frowning once again at Kurt and considering him thoughtfully.

Then, he points at him as he exclaims, “You’re his Kurt!”

Gabriel definitely and not-so subtly elbows his fiancé, but Kurt can’t help the smile that takes over his face.

He’ll gladly be Blaine’s anything.

“Coop, Gabe, if you’re not standing in that desacralized chapel in five minutes, I will steal all the champagne and--,” Blaine’s voice echoes against the stone as he enters the courtyard, but he freezes when he sees the three of them standing there. “Oh, hi, Kurt,” he says, voice going soft around the edges.

Like it has done without failing every time they’ve met, and Kurt didn’t see it.

Didn’t see the way Blaine looks at him.

“Hello, Blaine.”

Cooper claps his hands and starts pointing at Kurt and Blaine in rapid succession. “So you thought he was getting married, and you thought he wasn’t interested,” he says excitedly. “Oh we have to make it a movie, but it will be your wedding movie, Gabe what do youmph?”

Gabriel covers Cooper’s mouth with his hand and drags him towards the chapel. “We’re going,” he says, his voice firm but his smile undeniable. “You’ll have plenty of time to sort this,” he adds, gesturing between Kurt and Blaine, “once the party is in full swing, don’t you agree?”

Blaine smiles, his eyes never leaving Kurt’s. “I knew you were the voice of reason in this relationship,” he tells his very soon to be brother in law as they walk away.

Kurt cannot take his eyes off Blaine either--maybe it’s the amazingly tailored suit, maybe it’s the fact that all of their interactions are now colored differently, but Blaine has never looked more beautiful than he does now.

“Kurt?”

Blaine sounds concerned, but as he gets closer, Kurt takes a step back. “You’re not getting married,” he says softly.

Blaine’s hand closes around his elbow, supporting him and warming him. “I’m not,” he replies, voice gentle as a bird’s fluttering wings. “What made you think I was?”

Kurt looks back at him with all the glare he can gather. “The wedding preparations? What was I supposed to think?”

Blaine frowns at him and lets go of his arm. “I kept on making openings,” he replies before his face softens. “Though now your rebuttals make sense, I guess.”

Kurt can feel a smile stretching his lips. “I didn’t want to be the homebreaker.”

Blaine smiles back at him. “And here I was, thinking that it was all one-sided.”

“Cocky much?”

Blaine lets out a small laugh that he smothers in his hands when some of the guests passing them by send strange looks his way. “Sorry, you’re right.”

“Nah, you are,” Kurt says, stepping closer to Blaine. “And it’s not.”

“Uh?”

“One-sided.”

Blaine’s mirth vanishes, and his eyes darken slightly. “It’s not?”

Kurt shakes his head, stepping even closer to Blaine until their fingers can brush. “Not even a little bit.”

Blaine returns the gesture, linking two of their fingers together. “I propose we take this discussion for after the wedding,” he says, voice dropping to a murmur, “unless you’d rather have my brother crucifying me.”

“Let’s avoid that--my cake deserves to be eaten here, not in jail.”

“That it does.”

---

The whole ceremony is a blur, and Blaine is lucky that they rehearsed it enough times that he can step close to Cooper and pass the rings without thinking about it. Otherwise, he might have ruined the day for Cooper and Gabriel.

Try as he may, though, he can’t help but glance every two seconds towards the back of the room where Kurt is sitting.

What a mess.

Then again, he thinks privately, it will be a good story to tell their children and grandchildren oh my God Blaine chill you didn’t even go on a date with the guy!

But it makes sense, it’s not even a stretch of the imagination to picture them growing old together, and that’s simultaneously frightening and elating.

The romantic in Blaine wants that, wants to have the story of their meeting, wants for the whole aforementioned mess to be their “origin story”.

The pragmatic, pessimist in him? That side is scared shitless at the prospect of putting his heart on the line, of risking his friendship with Kurt, of taking everything that makes their relationship as it is now and twist it into something ugly, far beyond repair and recognition.

He wants to believe they can do this, that the two of them may be enough to get over all the uglies that come with a relationship.

Blaine really wants to.

And Kurt’s smile over the crowd might be enough to make it worthwhile.

“You may now kiss the groom.”

Blaine returns his attention to the couple in front of him, sharing a smile with Gabriel’s sister, as the two newly pronounced husbands share a big Hollywood kiss--including Gabe swooping Cooper off his feet to dip him and kiss him like they’re the two heroes of the romcom of the year.

Which they are, Blaine supposes, in Cooperland.

The guests wolf whistle and applaud and, in spite of himself, Blaine searches for Kurt over the crowd. He finds him easily, amongst the dark haired guests on Gabriel’s side, standing and applauding and beaming at him.

Yes, it may be worth it.

Cooper and Gabe rush out of the chapel, followed by their friends and parents, but Blaine takes his time--he’s allowed, he organized the whole thing after all--, strolling down the aisle until he reaches Kurt’s seat.

“You looked very dashing up there,” Kurt comments, hands folded in his lap. “Almost pulled focus.”

“No,” Blaine replies, leaning against the row of chair before Kurt’s. “That would be you.”

Kurt’s cheeks are tinted pink, but he looks very pleased with himself and with Blaine’s compliment.

Before he can reply, Blaine holds his hand to him. “May I have this dance?”

Kurt looks up at him and takes his hand. “Oh yes, yes you may.”

---

Cooper and Gabriel are slow dancing in the middle of the dancefloor, drunk out of their minds as they sway, but Kurt doesn’t bother looking at their antics.

Because Blaine is sitting in front of him, holding his hand while chasing the crumbs of what’s left of Kurt’s cake in his plate with his free hand, and it’s probably the most adorable thing Kurt has ever seen.

That, and Blaine’s hand fits in his like they were made for each other, and that’s enough to make Kurt lightheaded.

Most of the guests are gone by now, except the band, and even they seem a little bit on the wrong side of tipsy.

Kurt hasn’t drunk more than the one glass of champagne for the toast, and neither has Blaine, and yet, they are both flushed and giggly like they took a dive into a pool of wine.

“So…”

Blaine looks away from their joined hands and smiles at Kurt. “So.”

They smile at each other, and really, they’re just being stupid. “So,” Kurt repeats, his voice stronger and higher, “what do we do now?”

Blaine tilts his head to the side. “We … go on a second date?”

“Second?”

Blaine smiles crookedly and gestures at the now almost empty room. “This was our first date, wasn’t it?”

Kurt laughs, throwing his head back. “Oh no, mister,” he replies, turning their hands so his is on top. “You are not going to get your way out of one date by counting this evening, as lovely as it has been, as one.”

“No?”

“Nope. It’s not a date if I don’t stress over my outfit and about whether to kiss the guy at the end of it.”

Blaine lets go of his hand and scoots his chair closer, resting his chin in his palm once he’s close enough.

Enough that their knees brush and that Kurt can tell the different colors in his irises.

God.

“Aren’t you?”

“Uh?”

Kurt got lost in those eyes, so sue him.

Blaine leans forwards, and that Cologne is melting Kurt’s brain quite nicely, holy shit.

“Aren’t you wondering whether we’re going to kiss or not at the end of the night?” Blaine asks softly, voice barely above a whisper in Kurt’s ear before leaning back, nose brushing Kurt’s cheek. “‘Cause I am.”

“Wondering?”

“Hm-hm.”

Kurt gulps audibly, his hand blindly searching for Blaine’s on the tabletop as he moves forward. “You shouldn’t,” he whispers as Blaine moves back and just like that, they are kissing.

Like they could have been for the past months, what a waste of time.

And what a kiss.

It’s soft yet passionate, so gentle and unfocused and perfect--Kurt never wants it to stop.

He reaches to cup Blaine’s cheek, turning his head just a little bit to the right and, oh, this is delicious, more intoxicating than all the wines served tonight.

Blaine’s tongue teases the bow of Kurt’s lips, and Kurt gasps into the kiss.

Blaine lets out a small, whining sound that is like music to Kurt’s ears, and they both pull back, out of breath.

“I guess we don’t need to stress anymore,” Blaine says, raking his fingers through his hair, a dazed look on his face.

“Maybe we should keep going,” Kurt blurts out, “just in case nerves comes up aga-hmph!”

---

Epilogue

“You’re ready, Squirt?”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“I know,” Cooper says, brushing invisible lint from Blaine’s suit and fixing the flower in his boutonnier yet again. “But if I don’t annoy you on your wedding day, when am I ever going to do so?”

“You mean, besides any other day of the year?”

They exchange a look in the mirror, and Cooper hooks his chin over Blaine’s shoulder. “You’re going to miss this once you’re lost in your perfect house with your perfect husband.”

“Cooper, we’ve been together for three years now.”

“Your point being?”

“That I didn’t abandon you because of my relationship with Kurt,” Blaine says, lightly elbowing Cooper away. “Unlike a certain someone who doesn’t know how to split his time between his husband and his brother, I have enough love to share.”

“Hey!”

“Love you Coop.”

“Aww, Squirt.”

“Never mind.”

Blaine tries to arrange the flower to his liking, but Cooper already pulls him away from the mirror. “Come on, let’s get you married to your man.”

Blaine can’t help but grin at that. “Let’s get me married to my man.”

As they walk down the stairs, Cooper starts snickering, pretty much out of nowhere.

“What is wrong with you?”

“I was just thinking,” Cooper says, one arm around Blaine’s shoulders, “once you marry Kurt, you’ll be married to …,” he pauses, leaning to whisper in Blaine’s ear, “the Muffin man.”

Blaine pauses on the stairs, laughing at his brother’s joke.

Cooper doesn’t even know how right he is--Kurt has the loveliest muffins in the whole city.

“The Muffin man?” He repeats for good measure.

“The Muffin Man.”

They are at the bottom of the stairs, and a quick look around tells them that all the guests are inside the room. Under their breath, they finish the nursery rhyme together before hugging each other.

“I hope this laughter will accompany you through your whole marriage,” Cooper says, more serious than ever.

“Thank you Coop,” Blaine replies, squeezing his brother’s shoulder. “For everything.”

Cooper smiles at him, a twinkle in his eyes. “I did play Cupid here, didn’t I.”

“Yep.”

“My proudest achievement.”

“I’ll make sure to let my niece know that.”

“Psht, Paula is not an achievement,” Cooper says, batting his hand. “She’s my pride and joy.”

Blaine straightens his jacket, facing the door. “I can’t wait for my own.”

Cooper stands next to him as the music starts. “One thing at a time, Blainey,” he says as the doors open, showing Kurt waiting for him at the altar. “You need to follow the recipe to make a great cake.”

Blaine focuses on Kurt’s smile, on how handsome he looks next to his father, on how he seems to glow in the sunlight.

On how they both work so hard for this relationship, even when tension rises, even when doubts appear.

On how much Kurt has brought into his life since they met, and on how much he wants to give Kurt back for the rest of his life.