Author's Notes: Oh my goodness! I am so sorry, SS. This took forever. I had to deal with one Secret Santa and then run another and then deal with Christmas and then New Years and then work for the holidays and everything else in between. I was so happy to get you and know that you adored KurtxDia as much as I do! I hope you enjoy it, my dear. ;w;
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah blah, you know the drill.
She wasn't sure when she had fallen in love with him. It had lasted for so many seasons that she lost count after the fifth one that passed. Dia couldn't deny the truth to herself any longer. Kurt's weekly visits and conversations with her made her fall head over heels for him. Of course, she could never tell him. She was absolutely terrified. What if she told him and he never wanted to see her again? Dia kept herself locked away within the villa and the grounds it stood on, so it would be easy for him to ignore her. The carpentry shop could simply send someone else to deliver the weekly firewood instead of Kurt and this was something she didn't want to risk.
Gina and Martha were quick to catch on to her feelings and had done their best to try to motivate her to tell him. Despite their encouragement, Dia couldn't tell him. She hated how cowardly she was about her own feelings. If she couldn't talk to Kurt about how she felt, how could she ever talk to her mother and father about her feelings? It was an upsetting situation.
However, the Starry Night festival was approaching fast and she wouldn't have a more perfect opportunity to spend time with him. Perhaps then she would have the courage to tell him how she felt.
... Of course, first she would need to have the courage to ask him to come.
Thursday came and she waited outside the villa for Kurt. Any moment now, he would turn the corner and walk towards the estate. When he did, her heart skipped a beat. Is was so strange to know that someone could actually make her feel this way.
"Afternoon, Dia," Kurt greeted. He was smiling. There were very few moments when she would see Kurt smiling. She loved it when he smiled at her. Even with a bundle of wood beneath his arms and covered in a sheen of sweat, he looked wonderful.
"Good afternoon, Kurt," she returned, doing her best to stay calm. Dia followed him to the shed, watching as he placed the new firewood inside it. He normally stayed for a bit of tea and refreshments afterwards, but if Dia waited until then, she feared she would lose what little courage she gathered to ask him. "Kurt... I would like to ask you a serious question..."
At this, Kurt immediately paused in is work. Whenever she had something to say, he was always alert, ready to listen to her. "Everything alright...?"
She nodded her head. Wringing her hands together, she forced her gaze to the ground. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself further. "Would you enjoy... coming over to spend the Starry Night Festival with me?"
There.
She said it. Now, all she could do was wait.
Dia watched Kurt's face carefully. At first it remained as neutral as it always been. Then slowly, he brightened up, his eyes widening slightly. It looked so delighted to have her ask him. "I'd... be glad to."
Her heart fluttered in her chest. Dia's fear evaporated and euphoria filled her. "I-I am very glad to hear you say so. Perhaps it would be best for you to come by... around six tomorrow night...?"
"Not a problem." Kurt continued to put away the rest of the lumber. Locking the shed up, he turned to face Dia, running his hand through his hair. "... Are you sure that... Dia and Martha won't mind me coming...?"
She would faint if her two caretakers weren't fond of Kurt's presence for the Starry Night Festival. How blessed was she, though, to have them encourage and support her on inviting him. "I'm sure they won't mind. They were... enthusiastic about it when I asked them for permission..."
Kurt smiled. "Then how could I say no? I should get going. The boss and the others should know about my plans. I'll be sure to come here on time."
"I look forward to it." Waving goodbye, she watched him disappear around the corner of the path. Her heart still thumped in her chest, threatening to break free from her rib cage. With the biggest smile she ever had in her life, she walked into the villa. There was so much to prepare for. She hoped that she could help Martha and Gina prepare for it.
~*~*~
"I don't know how I feel about you not spending the Starry Night Festival with the family..."
Kurt rolled his eyes at Gwen's comment. "Joe's going to Katie's to spend it with her." Joe stared dumbfounded at him. If he was going to get in trouble with Gwen, he was bringing Joe down with him.
She frowned at the two boys and crossed her arms. If Woody, her grandfather, wasn't sitting with them at the table, he was sure she would cause a fit. Others didn't get a chance to see it, but Gwen held eating with her family above all else. Well... not above her love for riding horses, that is. Regardless, it was no wonder that she was upset about their plans. "I'm guessing it's too late to stop either of you?"
Kurt and Joe exchanged glances and that was enough of an answer for her. Gwen pushed herself away from the table and walked back to the stove, finishing the last steps to their dinner. Woody crossed his arms, his mouth set into a deep frown. "There's gonna be a storm tomorrow. We'll have to prepare for the orders for tomorrow," he announced. Seeing the boys concerned, he let out a deep chuckle. "Relax, we'll do what we can before the storm gets too strong. You both will get to your little dates before that happens."
Joe punched the air, more than happy with this news. "Great! I have the perfect gift settled for Katie. I just know she'll like it!"
Gwen snorted. "Oh, what is it? A singing fish?" She tilted her head back and laughed. Ignoring Joe's glare, she set out the full plates of food. "What are you getting for Dia? I hope it's something good."
Truthfully, Kurt hadn't even thought about what he was going to get for Dia. Even before she invited him to celebrate the festival with her, he didn't have a gift for her. With the festival tomorrow, he wasn't even sure he could get a gift for her in time. He tangled his fingers together and stared down at his food, thinking about his options. Everyone at the table knew that it was never a good sign. Kurt didn't always voice his opinions on topics, but when he did that, they just knew he was thinking hard about it.
"Try not to think too hard about it," Gwen muttered, reaching over to smack Joe's hand away from his brothers food. "I'd rather see you eat then see smoke coming out of your ears."
Kurt brought himself back to reality and started to eat. He had all night and most of tomorrow to think of one. If he was lucky, he could make something quickly before going over to the villa. Of course, if the storm was willing to let him go, that is.
Throughout the night, Kurt tossed and turned as he thought about what to give Dia as a present. He only got three hours of sleep before morning came. What a morning it was. Woody wasn't lying about a storm going through the valley. Such weather of mother nature was rare in the valley. They lived in a place where it hardly got cold or hot and snow never really accumulated to the point where no one could get where they wanted to go. This storm changed everything. The snow was up to their knees and made it difficult to get to the main house.
Through perseverance, Joe and Kurt tumbled into the shop, startling Gwen and Woody. "It's crazy out there!" Joe commented, shaking the snow off his pants and kicking off his boots. "I don't think we'll be able to get any work done today, boss."
Woody looked out the window, a deep frown on his face. He stroked his beard once before nodding his head. "You're right. It'll be murder for us to head out and try to do anything." He looked at the two boys as they say at the table. "The same goes for you two. I'm sorry, but you won't go heading off to the café or villa."
"What?!"
Kurt's heart skipped a beat, his reaction more mild than is brother's. Even if he hadn't had a gift in mind for Dia, he was still looking forward to spending the time with her.
"I'd rather you two didn't get lost and risk dying while you're walking there," Woody answered. His voice was firm, confirming that his decision was final. There would be no talking to him to convince him otherwise.
At first, Joe opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly. Gwen sat down, squeezing herself between him, and patted their shoulders. "Well, at least we can spend it together, right?"
Try as he might, Kurt couldn't find a way to answer her. He allowed Joe to laugh with Gwen and talk about what to do today. Even if he couldn't make it to the Villa, it didn't hurt to think about what to give Dia as a present. Even if it was late, it was the thought that counted, right?
~*~*~
"He's not coming..." Dia didn't want to say it out loud. She was afraid that it would jinx him possibly showing up at the front door. But it had been two hours after their agreed time and no carpenter came up the snow-covered path. She rest her chin in the palm of her hand and watched as the snow flurried and blew around.
Over on the table in the living room, their supposed dinner was getting closed. Gina and Martha tried to hide themselves from her view, but she knew that they were watching her from the doorway. Their expressions sad and pitiful. She wished they would go away and leave her alone.
She was upset that Kurt wasn't around to spend the Starry Night Festival with her, but what could she expect? The valley was expecting its first raging snowstorm in years. Did she really expect him to come trudging through the snow to see her?
... Deep down, she did expect him to do so. She thought that he was just as excited as she was to celebrate the festival together. She truthfully expected him to come through rain, sleet, snow, or shine to come and see her. To find out that it wasn't the case for today and such a special event, well, it hurt. It hurt that Kurt wouldn't be spending any time with her. It hurt that it didn't even seem like he would try.
With a deep breath, Dia stood up and walked towards the slightly ajar doors. "Martha," she called out, opening it slowly. There was Martha and Gina, nearly falling backwards as they tried to make it seem like they weren't spying on her. Dia didn't even have the energy to scold them on their antics.
"Y-yes, Miss Dia?" Martha questioned, folding her hands in front of her.
"Please get rid of the meal. I'm going off to bed," she answered. She rubbed her temple. "I feel a headache coming on..."
"Of course, Miss Dia. Right away."
"Do you... d-do you want me to help you upstairs, Miss Dia?" Gina asked as her grandmother hurried into the living area.
Anger and sadness boiled within her. She wanted to explode and Gina was the closest one to her. It would only take the right push for her to let it all go. Gina didn't deserve that, though. Instead, she took a deep breath and shook her head. "I'll be fine, Gina. Please help Martha clean up." She trudged pass her dear friend, feeling her eyes on her as she walked up the stairs.
Martha and Gina could look right through her if they looked hard enough. Dia wanted to keep that from happening for as long as possible. They didn't need to see how distraught she was about Kurt not arriving. That was an emotion she wanted to hide behind her many walls.
~*~*~
Even in the late hours of the night the storm refused to let out. Kurt watched through the window with Woody as the storm and snow shook the trees in front of the shop. At the table, Gwen and Joe continued to play their board game, dinner already made and eaten. There wasn't much to do now but it wait out the storm. Joe and Kurt wouldn't be able to trudge their way back to their shack. The snow was too big to even try without too much effort. They would be spending the night here in the shop.
"Think it'll be easy to shovel tomorrow?" Kurt asked.
"If we're lucky," his boss answered.
Kurt grimaced. If he couldn't see Dia today, he wanted to at least try tomorrow. Even if the snow made it difficult, he was going to try. Woody patted his shoulder and walked to the others to sit with them. He rained at the window, watching the storm and hoping to see it slow down. As he watched, he worked on his present for Dia. He fell asleep before midnight, his gift finished and with a hope that things were better in the morning.
Gwen was the one to wake him in the morning. Joe was already outside, working on the snow with Woody. He dressed quickly and joined them in making a clean path for everyone throughout the valley. Throughout the time, he avoided the villa, allowing Joe and Woody to take care of it. The task was finally done and they met together in front of the café. They were sweating and incredibly hot in their winter gear, but they finished the job.
"Alright. You three are free but be careful. You never know when another snowfall will happen," Woody warned.
The three nodded. Joe immediately ran into the café, ready to make up for lost time the other day. Kurt was having his own inner turmoil. Yesterday, he was ready to make the long walk through the snow to make it to Dia's home, but now he wasn't so sure he should show up. Dia could be complicated at times. She locked her emotions away until they were ready to explode on the person who was making her do so. He had seen her scream at Gina once for spending too much time with Katie. He wouldn't want to wish her wrath on anyone.
"Hey. Kurt! Are you listening?!" He shook his head. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Gwen holding the box that had Dia's present in it. She smiled. "Come on. Don't chicken out now. I figure you would be running to her by now. Just take it and go."
Kurt frowned and looked down at the freshly made path. "Don't think I should."
He listened as Gwen took a deep breath and let it out. "Listen, if she's angry at you, you and I both know it's better for her to yell at you now before it got worse."
She had it point. If he didn't go, it would only bubble up until she burst. Then he would be in Gina's shoes. Kurt reached out, grabbing the gift and, after safely tucking it under his arm, he ran towards the square.
~*~*~
Her bed was more comfortable than usual. Even on cold days, Dia always made sure to wake up early and start on her lessons. She could easily tell Martha and Gina that it was because of the cold that she was spending an extra few minutes in bed. Really, she was simply preparing herself for the day. After yesterday's disappointment, she knew her mood would be less than pleasant and she didn't want to take it out on her caretakers. It wasn't their fault that Kurt couldn't make it so why should she yell at them?
The bed was warm and fluffy. She wouldn't mind spending all day in it. Oh, if only Martha and Gina would let her.
"Miss Dia?"
She shut her eyes tightly. Whatever Martha needed her for it wasn't important. Her door opened and someone walked up to her bed.
"Miss Dia, Kurt is outside."
Dia shot up, her hair a mess from the night before. He was here?! She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet. Grabbing the nearest outfit, she dressed herself quickly, pushing away Martha's hands when she tried to help her. After running a brush through her hair, she hurried out of her room and down the steps of the villa. Gina waited by the door and, after receiving a quizzical look from Dia, she pointed to it. Kurt was waiting outside for her. This was a first. Usually her caretakers immediately let anyone in.
Straightening herself out, she opened the doors. Kurt stood with his arms wrapped around himself, bundled up in more clothes than what anyone usually wore around the valley. She didn't mean to give him such a stern look. By now, it was practically a habit to do so. "You're late."
Kurt grimaced. A part of her felt bad for stating the obvious to him. "I know, I know. Sorry. The weather was too bad; I could hardly make it to the shop." He fidgeted then pulled out the package that was under his arm. She hadn't even realized it was there. "It's late but... I hope you'll take it."
Dia stared at the package and then into Kurt's face. Kurt didn't always have his emotions on his sleeve with others, but now, there wasn't a shadow of a doubt that he was apologetic. She took the present and weighted it in her hands. It didn't seem too big.
"Miss Dia," a voice called from behind her. Dia jumped as Martha stood next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps Kurt would like to come in. He's probably cold."
"Oh! Y-yes. Of course..." Dia walked back into the villa, Kurt following after her. She opened the doors to the living room and, once Kurt was inside, she closed the door behind them.
"Well then, I'll heat you both something warm to eat," Martha's muffled voice said from the other side.
Kurt stood, watching Dia as she moved around the coffee table to sit on the couch. She fingered the box carefully and the look on her face was proof that she was thinking carefully. Most likely she was thinking about what was inside it. He wanted her to open it. His heart thumped around in his chest, moving to a beat unknown to him. Dia's hand graced the box once more before she opened it.
Dia inhaled sharply. She had never seen a more beautiful wooden bracelet, crafted with such details and elegance. She picked it up, her thumb gracing the delicate wood. "This... this design is from a book you borrowed from me, isn't it?"
"It is."
That was amazing. Kurt borrowed the book only a week ago and he was able to make such a craft. Surely the instructions made it easier, but to know that he could bend and turn wood into this was a spectacular thing to know. How could she not be amazed? "And you... made this for me...?" Even without hearing it or seeing Kurt nod, she knew it was for her.
Dia took a few deep breaths to calm herself. This was all too much to take in, but she knew that she couldn't just sit here with her mouth open like a fish. She had something to give to him as well. Setting the box aside, Dia rose from her seat and walked to her bookcases. She always made sure that everything was in order. Nothing was out-of-place and Gina always made sure that it stayed that way. Four very large books at the end, however, were a few inches out than the others.
She hid his present behind these books. If Gina noticed, she choose not to question it, an act that Dia appreciated of the young maid. One by one, she pulled the books out and placed them on a lower shelf. She grabbed the small box and held it close to her chest. Although she had bought this for Kurt seasons ago, she now feared that it wasn't good enough. Kurt's gift to her was special and he made it for her with his own two hands. Her gift bought with money and had no special value. Could he really like it?
Giving the box a squeeze, Dia quickly walked up to him, shoved it into his hands then hurried back to her seat.
Kurt's gaze remained on her for some time. He certainly wasn't expecting a gift in return. Wasn't it only the men who gave presents away? He shook his head. Despite being older than him, Joe had a way of filling his head with ridiculous notions. He turned the box around until he found an edge of wrapping paper. He was careful to open it, for reasons he wasn't entirely sure of. With the wrapping off, he set it on the table.
A smile graced his features when he opened the box. It was such a simple gift. The cameo colored bandanna was in different shades of green, darker than the one he wore to keep his hair up. Not to mention that it was much cleaner. He looked over at Dia. She was fidgeting in her seat, looking anywhere but at him. Clearly she worried about what he thought of it.
"Thank you. I like it a lot."
Dia looked up at him, but turned her gaze away quickly. There was a knock on the door. Shortly after, Gina and Martha walked in with trays of food, placing them on the table. Without another word, they left them alone. Kurt appreciated how quick they were, wanting to spend some time alone with Dia. He walked around the table and sat on the opposite side of the couch. Looking up, he found Dia staring at him. He smiled. For a moment, Dia was ready to look away, but she willed herself to keep her gaze, giving him a smile back.
"So, tell me, Kurt," Dia said, scooting closer to him until their legs were touching, "you looked ready to tell me something earlier. I'm wondering about what it was."
Kurt laughed nervously and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's the most... ridiculous thing. Joe told me to stand in front of the door and, before you let me in, he wanted me to say... 'it's cold outside, baby, now let me in and open your present'."
That was the most horrible line that she had ever heard. Dia couldn't help but laugh, though. She rested her head on his shoulder and tucked her legs beneath her. "I'm glad that you didn't say it. I would have slammed the doors in your face."
He chuckled, slowly wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Glad I didn't do it, then."
They felt so... comfortable next to each other. The awkward feeling they had melted away with their laughter. They felt so wonderful now, sitting side by side, the aroma of the freshly made food enticing their hunger. It was so strange to see how their lives had changed for one another. Dia was like an open book to him as he was to her. The only thing she hoped for this Starry Night Festival and for the new year was that their relationship would continue to grow.
Possibly, their relationship could grow into something more than friends. She would only have to wait and see with him.