Full prompt: K and B are strangers and one day they keep stumbling upon each other during their journey: lending an umbrella, keeping the elevator door open for the other, both in line for coffee at the same cafè, etc. It might seem like one is suspiciously following the other, but actually they have the same destination, an audition, only one of them is the casting director and the other is the person auditioning :):)

The words just slipped out as Kurt glanced up at the sky, feeling a raindrop pelt him square in the eye.

"Oh, fuck."

"Not expecting the storm?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Kurt turned his focus back to the street to see a cute, kind-looking man in a green cardigan and fitted slacks smiling at him sympathetically.

"No, and I don't even have an umbrella back in my apartment," Kurt said, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. "It's been on my list of things to purchase, but somehow, something else always takes precedence."

"I know how that goes," the man said, large hazel eyes sparkling with understanding. "Here."

He stuck out his unopened umbrella, offering it to Kurt, who stepped back.

"What? No, I couldn't-"

"I don't mind, really," the man said, stubbornly pressing the umbrella into Kurt's defensively raised hands. "I can handle a little rain, and you look like you're dressed nicely for a reason. If I'm meant to get it back, I will."

He hurried off before Kurt could protest again, leaving him with no choice but to use his unexpected gains. The sunny yellow fabric made him feel like dancing with every step.

Kurt smiled as he waited for his coffee to come up, loving the scent of freshly ground beans that permeated the air. He idly gazed over at the other customers waiting to order, always up for some people-watching, and noticed a distinctive flash of green.

Thankfully, his order was called seconds later, allowing him to approach Cute and Thoughtful without forgoing the whole reason he was at that coffee shop - his beloved nonfat mocha.

"I guess it was meant to be," he said once he was within earshot of the other man. "Would you like this back?"

"It's still raining," Cute and Thoughtful said, looking pleasantly surprised. "Don't you need it?"

"I'm about to get on the subway, and neither of my stops are all that far from the stations. My outfit will make it - your hairdo might not," Kurt replied, nodding at the man's gelled-down black hair that was starting to frizz around the edges. "You saved me from looking like a total disaster. We'll just both have to be a little sloppier than we'd like."

"I'm sure no one could ever think of you as sloppy," CaT said, taking his umbrella back. Their hands brushed as they made the exchange, sending tingles up Kurt's arm.

"You're not exactly the poster child for being disheveled either," Kurt said, blushing slightly.

They stared at each other for a moment, the atmosphere between them taking on a heavier charge, until the barista's pointed throat clearings finally reminded them that they had other things to do.

Kurt ended up beating his train to the station, a move ensuring he was one of the first people in the car once it pulled in. A massive crowd followed him, all a jumble of strange faces and outfits.

Well, all but one.

"Hello again," Cute and Thoughtful said, gripping the support pole near Kurt's seat and smiling. "I guess I didn't need to worry about your outfit after all."

"And I suppose your hair would have survived the thirty second walk down the stairs," Kurt said, returning the smile. "But I'm still happy I managed to find you again."

There was a pause as Kurt realized how badly CaT could take that sentence.

"I mean, so I could return your umbrella! Not that I would have regretted seeing you-"

"No, I get it," CaT said. Somehow, Kurt believed he actually did understand. "I appreciate your determination. But I still don't regret lending it to you in the first place."

They shared another quiet moment, this one more comfortable than the former. Kurt was lost in CaT's eyes, feeling peculiarly at ease around this man who was technically a stranger.

"If we get off at the same stop, would you like to share the umbrella until one of us gets to our destination?" CaT asked softly. "It might be nice to travel with you on purpose for once."

"I think that would be wonderful," Kurt said, just as soft. "I'd like to get to know the man behind the umbrella."

At that, the train slowed and announced the stop, prompting a large portion of the train to head out. CaT quickly began to follow the bunch, quirking a brow at Kurt in a silent question, but Kurt lost him in the shuffle before he could nod back that yes, this was his stop too. It was all he could do to make it out the doors on time.

A curious sense of loss fell upon Kurt when he hit the platform and realized that Cute and Thoughtful - and God, could he remember to get a real name for this guy sometime soon? - was already gone, probably having assumed that Kurt's stop hadn't come after all.

"That's enough, Hummel," Kurt muttered to himself, beginning his ascent back to the sidewalk. "Your audition's almost here, and you need to focus. You'll probably just see this guy on the way home, if your earlier interactions are anything to go by."

He spent the walk to the agency building where his audition was being held doing meditative breathing, but even the power of yoga couldn't soothe his dissatisfaction.

"Wait! Please hold that!" Kurt called, seeing the elevator doors start to whir closed a few feet in front of him. He began to sprint, knowing that the old mechanisms that operated that beast wouldn't bring it back in time if he missed this trip, and he had no idea where the stairs in this building were, so that wasn't a feasible option.

A green cardigan-clad arm intercepted the doors, forcing them to open just in time for Kurt to slip into the otherwise deserted elevator.

"Okay, this is getting freaky," Kurt said, laughing a bit.

"Is this some kind of elaborate reality show stunt?" Cute and Thoughtful asked, laughing along. "Are we about to be Punk'd?"

"I'm going to say no, but only because it's no longer 2005," Kurt said. "Unless they just haven't made the announcement about the reboot."

"I think I'd rather shave my own head before watching a Punk'd reboot," CaT said, shuddering.

"A man after my own heart," Kurt said, letting out one last chuckle. "Oh, uh, I realize it's probably a bit late for this, but...what's your name?"

"Blaine. Blaine Anderson."

Kurt hoped his jaw didn't drop as wide as he thought it had.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asked, forehead scrunching in concern.

"As in casting director Blaine Anderson?" Kurt asked. "Part of the greatest stage writing duo since Kander and Ebb?"

"Yes? I mean, yes I'm that Blaine, but I don't know if I'd say Elliott and I are that good," Blaine said, still looking confused.

"I'm Kurt Hummel, your eleven o'clock audition," Kurt said, feeling like his brain had disconnected from his body. "Nice to meet you."

It was Blaine's turn to look stunned then, though some kind of innate politeness made him stick out a hand and offer it to Kurt for a shake.

"Damn," he said quietly, flushing when Kurt's raised eyebrows let him know Kurt had heard that remark. "No, it's not that, it's - I was going to ask you to dinner if we'd managed to meet up again, but I don't want it to be some kind of casting couch deal."

"Nor do I," Kurt said, understanding. "If you cast me, I want it to be based on my skill, not any sort of relationship history we may or may not have."

"We'll make it work," Blaine said as the doors dinged open. "Come on, I can show you the shortcut to our office."

He kept his grip on Kurt's hand and started steering them down a well-lit hallway. The continued contact made Kurt's heart beat somewhat erratically in his chest, and he couldn't help but think that whether or not he got the part, something good would have to come of this meeting.

(He was right, as it turned out. He knew he hadn't gotten the part when he left - but he had gotten Blaine's phone number.

Blaine would tell him years later that that was the moment Kurt had also gotten his heart.)