Odds And Ends

Disclaimer: Nope, still nothing.

A/N: Well, it's still snowing heavily so my ideas kinda remain wintery-centered…This went its own way, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Why Finn Needed A Pot

Kurt dumped his messenger bag in the hall with a martyred sigh and proceeded to unwrap himself from all the layers of his winter outfit. He was cold and hungry, and he had had a long day at school. He wanted nothing more than to forget derivatives, integrals and infinite series and just dive into a hot bubble bath and listen to Chicago.

The sound resembling a stampede coming from the den shook him from his daydreaming and he glanced up just to see Finn loping up the stairs.

"Hey. Is it still snowing outside?"

"Gee, Finn, I don't know," Kurt snapped. "If only we had windows that showed outside so that you could see yourself."

"Gee, Kurt, thanks for nothing," Finn frowned at him. "The bitchy factor's high so I guess the math test went well."

Kurt sighed and plopped himself on the couch in the dining room. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "I guess I am a bit touchy."

"You think?" Finn scoffed but came closer and patted him on the shoulder. He knew that with Kurt, the snapping wasn't personal. Well, most of the time. "Seriously, was it this bad?"

"On a scale from 1 to 10? It sucked."

"You're the smartest guy I know. I'm sure you did good."

Kurt looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok, it was bad," Finn conceded. "But hey, it could always be worse."

"Yeah, I could have gangrene on my face."

"Kurt, school isn't everything."

"Thank you for the invaluable yet completely unhelpful words of wisdom," Kurt snapped. "You tell yourself that when you're an assistant at the supermarket."

"Whatever, dude, but I don't have problems with calculus."

"That's because you don't take it."

"Exactly. I have no idea why you do." Finn shrugged.

"Because our parents should have at least one smart son," Kurt mumbled, feeling drowsiness getting the better of him. He was beginning to feel the effects of his calculus-filled night.

Finn looked at him reproachfully. "If you're the smart one what does it make me?"

"The charming one?" Kurt mumbled, covering himself with the afghan on the couch.

"I guess I can live with that." Finn grinned and looked down on his brother curled in a fetal position.

"You tired, dude?"

"No, I'm lying here because I'm admiring the views."

"Want some cocoa?"

"No, I want to sleep."

"Fine."

Kurt had barely gotten a wink of sleep when a terrible clanging noise coming from the kitchen shook him awake. He looked at the clock on the mantelpiece. It was too early for their parents to be home so that left only one person. Kurt grunted and hoisted himself to a sitting position vowing he would finally have to make their parents install a child lock on the kitchen door. And throw in some barbed wire, just in case.

Then Finn emerged from the kitchen wearing his jacket, a scarf and a cap. Kurt rubbed his eyes.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Finn said happily.

"I'm not sure I am," Kurt replied warily, blinking. "Why are you wearing outdoor clothes? And what was that noise?"

"I'm looking for a pot. Do you know where we keep them?"

"I do. And there's a reason you don't," Kurt said pointedly. "What do you need a pot for?"

Finn rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to cook, ok? I just need it."

"Why?"

"I'm making a snowman."

"A snowman?"

"Yeah, you know. You roll balls of snow and then you…"

"I know what a snowman is, Finn," Kurt snapped. "But why? Are you ten?"

"It's Hudson family tradition," Finn said unfazed by Kurt's skeptical expression. "Wanna do it with me?"

"No."

"Sheesh, are you always this cranky when you wake up?"

"No. Only when I'm really tired and sleep-deprived and some dimwit wakes me up trying to drag me into the friggin' cold to make a snow statue."

"Snowman, Kurt. Don't be such a buzzkill! It will be fun!"

Kurt stared at him.

"Remember fun? You know, that thing when you smile?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. Then he looked out the window. The afternoon sun was coming out from behind the clouds and he had to admit it looked really pretty outside. In a cold, I'm-totally-not-going-out way.

"I haven't made a snowman since I was seven."

"Because...it messes up your hair?"

"No. It was a thing I always did with my mum when the first snow came," Kurt added in a subdued tone not looking at Finn. "When she wasn't there, I didn't feel like doing it anymore."

"I'm sorry, man." Finn perched on the couch next to Kurt. "I didn't know."

"It's fine, Finn," Kurt said shakily managing a smile at his stepbrother.

"If it makes you feel bad, I won't do it."

"No, you go and have your childish fun. I'll make us some cocoa."

Finn grinned and jumped up from the couch. Kurt moved to the kitchen and watched through the window as his brother worked on his creation with an eagerness he rarely saw. He thought he himself must have looked the same when he had been playing like this with his mom. He shook his head seeing Finn hoist a huge snow ball he'd just finished rolling. If only Finn could channel a bit of this energy for his homework, Kurt thought wryly. Still, that goofy grin he was wearing was contagious and Kurt found himself grinning at his reflection in the window.

Outside, Finn had already hoisted the uppermost ball of snow that was the head and went on to the buttons and the face. He was just binding a scarf around the snowman's throat when a pair of garishly mittened hands moved next to him and placed a huge red pot on the snowman's head.

Finn grinned at Kurt and Kurt found himself grinning back. They both moved back and admired the snow figure in silence for a while.

"That is certainly the ugliest snowman I've ever seen," Kurt said critically, crossing his hands over his chest. Then he looked up at Finn, a smile playing on his lips. "I love it."

"You see, I told you it's fun!" Finn said proudly. "And it's not really about the snowman anyways, you know," he added and rubbed Kurt's hair over his beanie.

Strangely, Kurt didn't mind.

"I know," he said, and stood closer to Finn so that they're arms were touching. They stood in companionable silence for a while when Kurt's gaze focused on the item around the snowman's throat and the smile on his face waned.

"Finn?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Is that my Armani scarf?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, you will soon!" Kurt growled with murder in his eyes, gathering a handful of snow into his hand.

Finn grinned.

So, I hope you liked this – do let me know! Reviews are love!

Have a great day today and yay for a new eppy!