Notes: Inspired by a Facebook post and written for the Klaine Advent Drabble 2018 prompts vegetarian/carol.

"Could you please stop doing that?" Kurt asks, walking faster down the bath and bedding aisle to stay a few steps ahead of his fiancé.

"Doing what?"

"Flipping that blade around!" Kurt gestures to the butterfly knife Blaine has been casually twirling. "It's making me nervous."

"You mean, as nervous as it made me when you used to flip those sai swords of yours?"

"That's different."

"How?"

"I'm a trained professional."

"I'm practicing for my audition," Blaine says, passing the knife from his left hand to his right, the outcome not quite as smooth as he had hoped. "If I get the part, I will be a trained professional. Besides, it's only a prop."

"Yeah, well, it looks real. And it's sharp!" Kurt subconsciously rubs his arm below the elbow, in a spot Blaine accidentally nailed before they left their loft. "Your leather jacket protects you from injury. The rest of us aren't that lucky."

"You could have worn a leather jacket, too."

"It didn't go with my pants. And besides, two gay men in leather jackets? That's a stereotype I don't need to perpetuate. Especially around the holidays."

"I already said I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, just put that thing away, please! I've yet to be thrown out of a Target store. I don't want to start today."

"Meh. I'll just play the Don't you know who I am? card," Blaine teases. "We'll be fine."

"I'm not sure that a commercial, two off Broadway plays, and performing as 'flying monkey number four' in A Salute to Wicked last year gives you the star power you need to play the Don't you know who I am? card."

"And that's why this is so important to me! Kurt, my audition's in three days. Three days!"

"I know! This audition has taken over our whole lives! From the new vegetarian diet your agent has you on because he thinks you need to lose ten pounds, to the martial arts instructor who's turned our living room into a dojo, Blaine …" Kurt sighs, stuck between venting and picking out new towels for their refinished bathroom "… I know this audition is important to you, but it's taking over our Christmas."

"It's not taking over our Christmas."

"Yes, it is." Kurt puts his hands on Blaine's shoulders, in real danger of taking a twirling fake blade to the flank. "I've seen you get obsessed over auditions before, but this one has taken the cake!"

"I don't see how you can possibly think that! I'm out here with you today, aren't I? I took time out of my training schedule to help you re-decorate the bathroom!"

"Yesterday, I fielded another phone call from the women's auxiliary. They say you haven't gotten back to them about visiting the children's ward this year?"

"I just … I haven't had the time to return their call," Blaine says guiltily, not wanting to admit that he'd actually put that on his low priority list this time around. Just for this one year. If he didn't do it this year, he'd do it next year. He swore to himself, even if he hadn't told anyone else. "That's all. I'll get to it."

"It's two weeks till Christmas. Singing carols with the kids? That's your favorite thing in the universe! And you're going to miss it this year!"

"I won't miss it!" Blaine says, flinching internally at what could technically be considered a lie. "I swear. I just have to master this stupid knife flipping thing, and then …"

Blaine's excuse is cut off by a shrill scream coming from the far end of their aisle. Kurt looks over to see a woman and a small boy, around five- or six-years-old, clinging to her as he peeks up at them from behind her leg.

"You see!" Kurt gives his fiancé a light slap on the shoulder. "You're scaring children with that thing!"

Blaine sheepishly folds the prop knife and slides it into his pocket as the woman kneels to speak to the boy still staring at Blaine and Kurt with wide eyes … but mostly Blaine. That becomes obvious when Kurt takes a step back and his eyes remain fixed to Blaine's face. The two men share a look, then Blaine steps forward, hands raised with empty palms exposed, risking another scream in an effort to help comfort the child.

"I'm so sorry if I scared you," he says to the boy whose eyes haven't left his face. "If it makes you feel any better, that's not a real knife."

"Um … it's not that," the woman says with a nervous laugh. She stands, and the boy reattaches himself immediately to her pant leg. "My name is Melissa. This is my son, Leo. And he thinks …" Her eyes move from Blaine to Kurt, her cheeks pinking slightly as her smile widens. "He thinks you're … Dick Grayson."

"Dick Grayson?" Blaine glances at Kurt, who looks as surprised as he does. "You mean … Nightwing Dick Grayson?"

"Yeah. I know it's stupid."

"Not entirely," Kurt says under his breath, recalling Blaine's short-lived stint performing as his alter ego 'Nightbird' for kids' birthday parties. Kurt only got to see that costume in photographs, but Blaine looked pretty hot in it.

He wonders offhandedly if Blaine brought that costume to New York with him. If he didn't, it can't be too difficult a thing to throw together …

Melissa glances down at her son. "I know you don't know us from Adam, and you're probably really busy … I mean, it's almost Christmas … but do you think that … maybe …?"

Blaine isn't exactly sure what Leo's mom is asking, but he knows how he wants this encounter with this sweet little boy to end. He gets down on one knee, looks the boy square in the eyes, and winks.

"So, you figured me out, huh, buddy?"

If Blaine didn't think Leo's eyes could go any wider, he was wrong.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Mr. Grayson," Leo says softly.

Blaine shrugs. "No harm, no foul. As long as we keeps this between you and me."

The boy nods. "Why aren't you wearing your uniform?"

"Because I have to keep a low profile during the day. I'm not like the police. I don't want the bad guys to know that I'm around."

"Wow …" Leo says, his face alight with awe. "That … that makes sense."

Kurt doesn't hear everything that Blaine says, but he doesn't have to. The look on the boy's face says it all. Eventually, Leo creeps out from behind his mother's leg to talk to Blaine, something he must not do often because Melissa puts a hand to her mouth, her eyes shimmering with tears. Blaine talks to Leo for what seems like an hour. He even teaches him a secret 'superhero hand shake' (some complicated fist bump thing Kurt has seen Blaine do with Sam a couple of times). And when they finally say goodbye, Leo gives Blaine a hug.

"Thank you, Mr. Grayson," Leo says into the shoulder of Blaine's jacket.

"No," Blaine says, squeezing Leo a little while longer, "thank you."

Leo leads his mother away, talking excitedly about everything Blaine told him: the importance of doing what's right and not just what's easy, helping out around the house without being asked, standing up for people smaller than him, and always giving one hundred percent no matter what he does. Blaine watches the boy and his mother leave, staring at the corner they round even after they're gone, lost in thought till Kurt runs a hand up his spine under his jacket.

"Hey," Kurt whispers, rubbing his back in slow circles. "What's going on in your head?"

"Nothing. I …" Blaine's hand moves to the pocket where he'd stowed his knife, but he doesn't take it out. His hand hovers there a moment, then balls into a fist and drops to his side. "I know I'm supposed to help you finish decorating the bathroom today, but I … I think there's somewhere else I need to be, if you don't mind."

Kurt smiles. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to swing by the loft, grab my guitar, and go down to the hospital." Blaine raises a brow. "You wanna go with me?"

"Absolutely," Kurt says, leaning in and giving his fiancé a kiss on the cheek. "I'm with you, Dick."