The twinkling of the lights
As Santa carols fill the household
Old Saint Nick has taken flight
With a heart on board so please be careful

Kurt pulled out his small camera, pretending to take pictures of the architecture and décor for a few minutes. When no one seemed to be paying him any mind, he turned around and looked for his real targets.

They were straight ahead: Mr. Paul Richardson from Tot's Toys and Ms. Alexa Vaisman from Toys 4 All. Kurt smirked as he saw they were still plainly flirting with one another in the middle of the huge toy conference. Anyone could've seen them – anyone who was looking, that is. If a covert relationship was what they were going for, they were failing miserably. Kurt almost felt bad that he'd have to be the one to expose them. Almost.

He held his camera out in front of him, centering the happy couple on his display screen. Zooming in on the two, he began taking a few pictures. The first one caught Alexa placing her hand on Paul's chest as if saying "Oh my, aren't you so funny?" when in reality she probably just really wanted to touch his chest. The second was even better; Mr. Richardson's hand placed exceedingly low on Ms. Vaisman's lower back, so low that he could've been touching her rear nether region. The angle of the photo totally captured the scandal with ease.

The third photo made it even more obvious. It showed the pair standing and arm's length apart, holding hands. There was a figure between them though that impaired the effect Kurt was going for. He frowned down at his display screen at the figure, zooming in on it. He had to laugh to himself when he realized it was none other than Jeff with his adorable curly hair and generally serious expression.

Even in candid, he was beautiful.

Kurt walked straight up to him.

"Fancy meeting you here," Kurt said brightly from behind BLaine. "I had no idea you'd be here."

Blaine smiled. "We said we'd meet here. At this exact spot at this exact time."

Kurt feigned shock. "Really? I don't recall. It's a total coincidence that we've met here. Let's just call it serendipity."

"Is that the writer in you getting carried away?" Blaine asked.

"You know what, Jeff? It is," Kurt nodded. "Because it's almost been suppressed to death, no pun intended."

Blaine laughed. "Right, because you write obituaries."

"Yeah, that's right." Kurt did a double take. "Wait...I never told you that I write obituaries. Did you look me up?" He patted Blaine's shoulder. "I'm flattered, Jeff. Honestly I am."

Blaine nodded, quick to agree. "Of course. Yeah, I looked you up. Couldn't resist."

"I don't think anyone's ever looked me up," Kurt mused. "This is a huge moment in my career." He pantomimed someone winning an Oscar.

"So, if you're on obituaries, why are you here at the toy conference? I have it on good authority that no one here's dead," the other man joked.

"So do I," Kurt replied smoothly. "Just call it a bit of a promotion. This is my one chance to prove to my boss that I can write something important. I mean, not to say that obituaries aren't important. Trust me, I've gotten more than a few calls from displeased families saying I didn't honor their loved one with a long enough article. But length isn't important, if you see my point."

Blaine choked on the water he'd been sipping. "Right, right. It's all about if the article's well-written," he covered up. "Not well-endowed."

Kurt threw back his head and laughed. "You're terrible."

"You started it," Blaine retorted.

"So shall we proceed to the main room?" Kurt asked, looping his arm through Blaine's.

"Honestly, I don't think we have a choice."

"Yeah, but it's nice to pretend we do, isn't it?"

Blaine chuckled. "Yeah, it is nice."

"Hummel," Mr. Graham called.

Kurt scrambled out of his office, then doubled back to get his notebook full of notes for his article. He jogged down the hallway into Mr. Graham's office and took a seat immediately without needing to be asked.

"How goes the article, Hummel?" his boss asked, not looking up from his paperwork.

Kurt rifled through his notes. "Oh it's great. I meant to tell you that I'm taking a bit of a different angle on it."

"Oh?" Mr. Graham asked, looking up and over his glasses towards Kurt. "And what angle might that be? I expect holiday fluff galore in this article, son."

Kurt opened and shut his mouth wordlessly. "And there will be plenty of that to go around. But I thought I should just let you know that I've got a huge scoop and I'm the only one out of all the papers who has insider information."

Mr. Graham nodded slowly. "I'm impressed, Hummel. If you can deliver on that article like you say…It'd be huge for the paper."

"I know," Kurt replied eagerly. "But I'm up for the job, sir. I will have it to you no later than Thursday night, I promise."

"Any hints as to what this lead might be?"

Kurt thought it over for a moment. "You won't be disappointed – that's all I'll say."

"You'd better get back to it then," Mr. Graham said, gesturing to the door.

"I should," Kurt said, standing up and heading back out the door. "You can count on me, sir."

Five minutes later he was zoned in to writing the first draft of his article. He was backspacing, tapping the keys furiously, and probably creating tons of typos on the way, but he was on a roll so he didn't bother to stop. What were first drafts for if a person couldn't make a few mistakes anyways? He was on fire, nearly three pages in when the phone on his desk rang.

Sighing, he pushed away from his keyboard and picked it up, nestling the receiver between his shoulder and his ear so he could continue typing.

"Kurt Hummel here at the New York Post, how can I help you?"

"Kurt?" came Jeff's voice through the receiever.

"Jeff?" he asked back. "How did you get this number? This is my office number."

"I thought we'd already established that I looked you up," came the teasing reply.

Kurt shook his head. "That's right, we did. Forgive my momentary lapse of memory. What can I do for you?" he asked in his most business-like tone.

Jeff chuckled on the other end of the call. "I just had a quick question for you."

"Shoot."

"What do you know about Christmas trees?"

Kurt smirked to himself. "Almost everything. Why? What do you know the major affairs between two executives of two rival toy companies?" he shot back. "Because I have the feeling the answer is the same as the one I'm going to give you."

"You're right, we did have a deal," Jeff agreed. "Can I count that as your first question then?"

Kurt snorted ungracefully. "No, I'm saving all of my questions for later, thank you very much."

"Not a problem," Jeff replied. "So will you come with me to pick out a tree?"

"That's your date?" Kurt asked, eyebrows raised in interest. "How'd you know I'm a complete sucker for anything Christmas related?"

"Lucky guess," Jeff told him. "So is that a yes?"

"It's a 'definitely'," Kurt said.

"On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree,"

Blaine sang as he danced around the hotel room. He had three different ties hanging from his neck and his shirt was unbuttoned. He was trying to decide what would make him look best on his and Kurt's first official date (well as official as it could get with Kurt still thinking he was Jeff), but he couldn't stand still – he was just so excited.

He grabbed a hairbrush and pointed at his own reflection as he sang the next verse.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

Jeff walked into the hotel room and ran next to Blaine, not missing a beat. He supplied the rest of the line for him: "Five golden rings!"

They exchanged glances before finishing the song in two-part harmony.

Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

They ended with a flourish, holding the notes out for longer than necessary.

Jeff high fived him when they were done. "Oh man, I haven't sung like that since my Warblers days," Jeff said. "That was so much fun."

"Tell me about it," Blaine replied. "Gosh, today is just a beautiful day, isn't it, Jeff? It's so wonderful and Christmassy."

"Christmassy?"

"Yeah, like it's full of possibilities, you know what I mean?"

Jeff looked sidelong at Blaine. "…No."

"Forget it," Blaine said, finally deciding which tie to pair with his shirt.

"Hold on a second," Jeff said. "Why are you so…chipper?"

"I'm not," Blaine lied – badly. "It was just a good day at the conference, I guess. You know: toys, manufacturers, businessmen. It's enough to make a man giddy."

"You are the weirdest person I know," Jeff told him. "Where are you off to for the evening?"

"Oh...a business dinner," Blaine announced after some quick thinking. "Listen, I have to run. You have fun with, Kurt, okay? Be good to him and just keep doing what you're doing. You're on a roll."

"Thanks?" Jeff said, a perplexed frown on his face. "I'll see you later then."

"Don't wait up for me," Blaine called as he headed out the door, one arm in his jacket and one out.

"I didn't plan on it," Jeff retorted. But he was alone in the hotel room once more.

"This is the best tree lot in all of New York," Kurt proclaimed. "How did you know about it?"

"Oh, this friend of mine. He's really into Christmas and he told me I absolutely had to come check out this tree lot if I ever was in New York," Blaine fibbed slightly. "So here I am and I thought I'd take you with me."

"Well, I'm honored," Kurt replied happily. "There is nothing more important than picking out your Christmas tree and you, my friend, have come to the right person." He took hold of Blaine's hand. "I just so happen to be somewhat of an expert. And I can find you the perfect tree. Of course, I should be looking for myself because I haven't had a chance to pick one out…"

"You remind of him, you know," Blaine said with a grin. "My friend, I mean. He's the best person I know."

"Does that make me the second best person you know?" Kurt preened. "Wow, way to roll out the compliments on the first date."

"Oh, so it is a date?" Blaine teased.

Kurt shrugged. "I said it was a date, didn't I?"

"I was under the impression it was more of a deal."

"Pick your fights, Jeff," Kurt retorted.

That one reminder was enough to wipe the smile off Blaine's face faster than he would've believed possible. They fell into a sudden, awkward silence.

"Is something wrong? Was it something I said?" Kurt asked, squeezing Blaine's hand.

"No, I'm fine," Blaine recovered. "I was just looking at this tree here. Wondering if it was worthy enough for me to buy."

Kurt sniggered. "Jeff, that tree is like four feet tall. It's not worth enough for me to put in my bathroom."

"You'd do that?" Blaine asked.

"I might have a small artificial tree for every room in my apartment – including my bathroom. Maybe."

"Wow," Blaine acted surprised at this not-so-new information. "I'm impressed. You take obsession to a whole new level."

"I prefer the term 'festive freak', personally."

"I've always wanted a small tree for my bedroom. Then I could fall asleep looking at the lights," Blaine humored him. "I guess that's the five year old in me talking." He laughed to himself. "When I was a kid, I would wake up in the middle of the night – okay, it was really around ten at night, but I had an early bedtime so it felt like the middle of the night – and I'd sit at the top of the stairs just to look at the Christmas tree."

"Cute," Kurt commented.

"My dad was always onto me though," Blaine recalled. "He could time it like clockwork. I'd be sitting there for no longer than ten minutes – and if you'd asked me, I could've sworn up and down that I'd barely made any noise getting up – and sure enough, every night he would come out of the living room and yell at me to go to bed."

"Smart man. Dads always know."

"It was always worth it: getting yelled at," Blaine clarified. "Every night, every year of my childhood, the very day that tree went up in the formal living room."

"You'd be there," Kurt guessed.

"Yeah."

"Is Christmas a big thing back home for your family?" the reporter asked.

Blaine shrugged. "It used to be. Back when my mom was alive. She always wanted to make it magical for my sister and I. She'd decorate the whole house with tinsel and lights. We'd be baking from November to December nonstop. She hand crafted our stocking holders and she sewed all our stockings. She even customized them with monograms on the corners," he remembered.

"So what happened after she passed?"

"My dad was depressed. I think he blamed himself for her death. But it was unpreventable. Not even he, with all his money and power, could save her. He became bitter after that. He wouldn't even acknowledge Christmas. It was like the calendar went straight from Thanksgiving to New Year's for him. So I took it upon myself to do the Christmas thing. Then when I moved out, I'd be the one hosting Christmas. I didn't want it to lose its magic for my little sister, so I did it up for her."

Kurt shook his head. "It's so weird. I feel like I've heard this story before. But I can't have…"

"Weird," Blaine agreed.

"I swear, you remind me so much of Blaine."

Blaine stiffened at the use of his name. It felt so surreal to hear it tumble from Kurt's lips actually in relation to himself. A smile crept across his face.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Blaine said. "So what do you think of this one?" he gestured to an 8-foot tall tree in front of them.

"I think it's…Blaine…"

"What?"

"No, over there!" Kurt squeaked. "Blaine's over there! Oh my god, he's coming into the lot. Quick, hide!" he ordered.

"Wait, whe - "

Blaine found himself being pulled into a row of close-knit trees. The pines tickled his nose and he resisted the sudden urge to sneeze. He was a little preoccupied with the fact that Kurt had his arms around him and his lips were about two inches away from his own. Blaine blinked at Kurt, feeling disoriented.

"This is a little cozy for the first date, wouldn't you say?" was his lame attempt at humor.

Kurt shushed him immediately. "Is he nearby? Did he see me?"

"Kurt, he doesn't even know who you are."

That received him a swift slap in the face.

"Sorry," Kurt whispered. "That's a sore spot."

Blaine rubbed his jaw. "I'm going to have a sore spot. Geez, that hurt."

"Hey, you two!" a sharp voice came from the aisle they'd previously occupied. "This tree lot isn't for canoodling, you know. You're bending the branches of that perfectly good Douglas Fir. Either buy it or get out."

"We're going to buy it," Blaine called back. "Could you just give us a moment; I swear we're not – what was that word you used? - Canoodling?"

"Nuh uh," Kurt protested. "No way. I'm not going out there while Blaine's still in the tree lot."

"I'll go check if the coast is clear then," Blaine offered. "Just stay here, okay? Oh, and be sure to go find the mean tree lady because apparently we're buying this tree."

Blaine stepped out of the tree branches and looked around for Jeff. He was near the edge of the lot studying a small off-kilter tree. Blaine hurried over to him, looking back over his shoulder to make sure Kurt wasn't watching him.

"Jeff," he hissed, grabbing his friend by the arm and attempting to pull him out of sight. "What are you doing here?"

"Blaine!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Shut up," Blaine whispered urgently, putting a hand over Jeff's mouth.

"What are you doing here?" came the muffled question. Blaine released his friend.

"I'm here…looking for a tree, obviously."

"But we're staying in a hotel. You can't put a tree in a hotel."

"It's a long story," Blaine answered him. "What are you doing here is the real question. Aren't you going to be late to picking Kurt up?" He looked over his shoulder to make sure the real Kurt hadn't spotted him yet.

"Yeah, but there was this little shop next door," Jeff jerked his thumb behind him and held up a small shopping bag. "I remembered that you said Kurt was super into Christmas so I got him a little gift to show him that I – I mean you – remembered."

"That's great. That's fantastic. Now please leave," Blaine said.

Jeff gave him a puzzled look. "Are you mad at me, Blaine?" he asked, looking wounded. "Is it this whole Kurt thing? Look, I don't want a dude to come inbetween our friendship. Come here," Jeff said, holding his arms wide open.

"A hug?" Blaine asked. "Right here, right now? I can't do this right now."

"There's no allotted time for friendship," Jeff insisted, putting his arms around Blaine. "Just let it happen, buddy." He squeezed Blaine tightly.

"Look if people see us, they'll think…"

"Let them think, my brother," Jeff replied. "I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you," he droned on. "And throughout this whole thing I've barely considered your feelings, but no more. I'm so, so sorry that I got mixed up in this whole situation, but I swear I'll come clean to Kurt…Probably tomorrow night because he asked me to come over to his apartment for dinner...But the how's and where's aren't important."

"Jeff, let go of me," Blaine ordered stiffly.

"I know I don't say it a lot..." Jeff continued as he held Blaine at arm's length.

Blaine shook his head. "Don't say it. Please don't say it."

" – but I love you, man. I really do. I should say it more often. But just remember, I love you."

"I love you, too," Blaine said, devoid of emotion. "Will you leave now?"

Jeff held up his hands. "I'm leaving, I'm leaving," he said. "Just remember that."

"I doubt I'll forget it any time soon," Blaine said. "Have fun on your date."

Jeff waved at him one last time before exiting the lot.

Blaine watched him go. He was so distracted by his annoyance that he barely noticed the light coughing behind him. It wasn't until Kurt cleared his throat a little louder that he spun around.

"Kurt," Blaine said, eyes wide. "Well, the coast is clear."

"What was that about?" Kurt asked skeptically.

"What was what about?" Blaine replied, playing dumb.

Kurt glared at him. "You know what. You were talking to Blaine. What were you saying?"

"I didn't say anything!" Blaine lied. "It was just so strange. He came up to me out of no where and started hugging me. Talking about…good will towards man and happy holidays and all this stuff…"

"What did he say exactly?" Kurt demanded.

"He just came up to me and said straight out, 'God bless us, every one,'" Blaine fibbed. "Weird, right? He's weird."

"That's kind of...sweet, I guess," Kurt relented. "Did he say anything about me?"

"No, not a word," Blaine replied, acting bewildered. "Why? Should he have said something about you?"

"No, no," Kurt hurried to say. "That's okay. Wait, that leads me to my first question…"

"Ask away," Blaine answered, glad to have a change of subject. "That was part of the deal."

"First question: You work for Toys 4 All, right? Because you can't work for Tot's Toys because you didn't even recognize Blaine and he didn't recognize you…"

Blaine nodded. "You got me. I work for Toys 4 All. Alexa Vaisman – she's my boss. You guessed it."

"Great," Kurt said, giving Blaine a satisfied smile. "Now what do you say we tie that tree on top of your car and get out of here?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"I listen to Christmas music pretty much all year round," Kurt confessed after finishing singing along to a popular tune on the radio. "You can catch me caroling in April."

"There's just something about Christmas music," Blaine agreed.

Kurt fell silent again, staring out of his window with a serious expression.

"Hey, are you okay?" Blaine asked, patting Kurt's knee. "You've been a little quiet – caroling aside – since the whole…" He struggled not to say Jeff's name, "The whole Blaine thing."

"Question number two," Kurt said, completely ignoring the question, "Do you think Paul and Alexa exchange ideas or do you think they just wait to reveal what they feel because they know some things are better left to the imagination?"

"...I'm lost," Blaine admitted. "Are we talking about the article?"

Kurt nodded. "Of course we are. What else would we be talking about?"

Blaine cleared his throat awkwardly and focused back on the road in front of him. "Then, to answer your question, I guess I'd have to say that I think they're as honest with one another as two people can be about their relationship. And, personally, I don't think they'd ever trade their love for a business profit."

"But what about the Wizard of Oz dilemma?" Kurt asked.

"The what dilemma?"

"The Wizard of Oz," Kurt repeated. "What if they build each other up to be this great person, but then they find out in the end – after jeopardizing their businesses and putting it all on the line – that they're really nothing special? That maybe they would benefit from turning their relationship into something lucrative instead of holding out for romance?"

"I think it all goes back to the principle of it all," Blaine replied. "It goes back to 'how much do you really care about this person?' If you can answer without other factors coming into play then I'd say you had the real deal on your hands and it's definitely not worth it to give that up just for a few extra bucks."

Kurt scoffed. "I doubt two of the largest toy companies in the nation would only profit 'a few extra bucks'."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "It's an expression, Kurt."

"I know what it is," Kurt grumbled.

"And you're sure this is strictly for the article?"

"Positive."

They pulled up alongside Kurt's apartment building. "I believe this is your stop," Blaine said. "It's been a pleasure being your chauffeur tonight."

"Well it wasn't a complete waste – you got yourself a Christmas tree."

"You mean we got you a Christmas tree."

"What?" Kurt choked out. "No, no way, Jeff. I'm not going to let you give me that tree."

"It's yours," Blaine insisted. "I'm getting out of the car and taking it up to your apartment and there's nothing you can do to stop me," he said before taking the keys out of the ignition and getting out of the car.

"I won't open the door for you," Kurt threatened.

"You'll follow me," Blaine said with confidence.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Doubtful. Very doubtful."

"You'll follow me because if you don't, you won't get to ask your last question." Blaine closed the driver's side door.

Kurt scowled momentarily before climbing out of the car.

Fifteen minutes, two flights of stairs, and a trail of pines on the carpet later they were inside of Kurt's apartment setting up the tree in the living room. Of course, Kurt had his tree holder and a festive skirt to go beneath it set up already. They set it up so that the branches they had bent from hiding behind the tree were facing the corner so a person couldn't even tell if they walked into Kurt's apartment.

"There, it's all set up," Blaine said, stepping back to admire his handwork. "Ah, sorry about the pine bristles everywhere," he apologized, adding to the mess by brushing his jacket off. "I'll help you clean up if you'd like."

"No, it's okay," Kurt told him. "I needed to vacuum today anyways."

"I wish I could stay and help you decorate it," Blaine mused aloud. "I bet you have the best ornament collection around."

"Well…" Kurt trailed off with a grin.

"Oh, your third question," Blaine remembered. "What is it?"

"Third question…" Kurt thought to himself. "Got it: Would you…go Christmas shopping with me tomorrow?"

"Christmas shopping?" Blaine repeated.

"Yeah, you know. It's when people go to the mall or outlet stores to buy overpriced gifts for their friends and family to exchange around the twenty-fourth or twenty-fifth of December? It's a huge market, I'm surprised you haven't heard of it."

"Ha ha," Blaine replied sarcastically. "I know what it is, I'm just not sure why you're letting me slide with these last two questions."

Kurt shrugged. "I got everything I needed." He and Blaine exchanged small smiles. "So…Christmas shopping. Are you up for it? Maybe you could help me find gifts for my trouble friends?"

"I don't know, I'd have to think about it," Blaine teased, feigning deep thought. He tapped his fingers on his chin and tilted his head to the sign. He wrote numbers in the air as if adding an equation. "I guess I'm free," he relented. Breaking out into a grin, he said, "I'd love to."

"Okay, I can't wait," Kurt replied as he led Blaine to the door. "Thanks for tonight, Jeff," he said shyly. "I had a better time than I expected."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or a back-handed insult," Blaine replied with a laugh.

"Take it as a compliment," Kurt insisted. "So…tomorrow night then? You'll come pick me up?"

"Sounds like a date," Blaine returned.

Kurt shook his head. "We'll call it a quasi-date. With Blaine still in the picture and that whole situation unresolved…I still feel a bit weird about it."

Blaine's face fell slightly. "It's okay, I totally get it. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah," Kurt said.

They stood in the doorway awkwardly – not knowing if they should hug or shake hands or do nothing at all. Blaine settled the matter by giving Kurt a small wave before walking back down the hallway, following his trail of pines back down the stairs and all the way to his car.

It felt painfully empty without Kurt there with him.

A/N: I swear this is some of the most fun I've had writing. Next chapters coming soon!

I must remind you to read carefully and keep in mind the perspectives as this story goes on! It's complicated, but a lot of fun (:

Please review and spread me some yuletide cheer :D