Episode 11, Chapter 1:
Hey, Upper East Siders, it's Christmas in New York, and along with the season comes the William McKinley School's Bazaar where the only things bizarre are the donated items for sale.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to get you for Christmas!" Blaine laughed with Kurt in hand as they walked through the aisles of a bazaar that contained among its many for-sale treasured items, a collection of Kurt's great grandmother's hats. Kurt was dressed in his cream-white Zara Aran Sweater with Buttons and red plaid Anthropologie trousers. [Extraordinary Merry Christmas] Blaine wore a Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Fit Alternating Stripe Sport Shirt, red plaid tie, and a navy-blue Thom Browne Donegal cardigan with white lines on the arm and red accents on the collar. [Extraordinary Merry Christmas] Kurt laughed along with Blaine, finding a giant bolo tie and putting it up to his neck.
"Not this!" he smiled widely.
"No really, what do you want? What do you need? This is the problem. What do you buy the boy who already has everything?"
"You're saying you can't get me the jewelry I want from the Elizabeth Taylor collection at Christie's?" he teased him.
"Wait a second! Not even you can afford that," he laughed wholeheartedly. He paused as he thought, and the tension was apparent in his eyes, "Can you?" he asked. Kurt ignored that question with a subtle eye-flutter, which could have meant anything. He sighed.
"If my mom rented out our vacation home in the Hamptons and decided to learn how to cook rather than order in for a year, then I could maybe pick up a bracelet, or two," Kurt said matter-of-factly and added a flirty wink for good measure.
"You are too cool—how could I top that?" Blaine said exasperated. Seeing the struggle that he was going through, Kurt spun the boy until they were chest-to-chest and nearly eye-to-eye.
"I'm sure you'll come up with something sweet and romantic, which is all I ever want from you by the way. You mean more than any gift I can get on Christmas," he said rubbing the shorter boys' arms. Blaine's eyes had welled up in tears. To break up the soft moment, Kurt continued, "Meanwhile I'll be sure to knock your socks off."
"I'm sure you will," he smiled widely the dorky way Kurt loved the most.
After shopping and coming up empty, the next stop was the coffee shop Blaine loved so much. Tina was still working there after three months hating the job, but now she bossed other people around. She'd been promoted from waitress to assistant manager—so clearly, they were desperate for workers.
Tina ran away from her post by the cash register to chat with Blaine and Kurt who she became closer friends with in the weeks after the mess of a holiday they spent together. She had important news to share with Blaine, which explained the giant smile on her face.
"I'm the best friend ever because I just made one of your dreams come true!"
"Tina, what did you—?" he was cut off when Tina pushed her gift in his face. It didn't look like much. Inside the blue box was a plush doll with a mask over its eyes, a cape draped over its shoulder and a blue and purple suit.
"Is this who I think this is?" Blaine couldn't hold back his glee.
"Your alter ego and superhero self, the one and only Nightbird!" she said with all the pomp and ceremony. Blaine jumped from his seat to embrace her. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Kurt smiled though he didn't understand why. When the two friends finished their joyous spectacle, Blaine collapsed on the chair. The smile, still on his face, wouldn't go away.
"I can't believe this. How did you even do this?"
"I met a girl who knew a knitter who knew a pro-knitter who made dolls, and I gave her the sketch that you made years ago. I did some edits because you're a terrible drawer but that is just because you can't be perfect at everything," she buttered him up. "Happy early Christmas Blainey!" Blaine scoffed, but he loved it. Kurt was beginning to feel annoyed.
"This is absolutely the best gift I have ever gotten! It's so us!" he smiled, and she hugged him around the shoulders.
"Who's Nightbird?" Kurt finally said when they were catching their breaths. Tina and Blaine looked at each other, and then he spoke.
"When we were younger, like 6 or 7, I wanted to be a superhero, like most boys, and I started playing superhero with other boys, and Tina was feeling a little left out. So, one day she came to school as her superhero alternate ego and she played with me and the other boys, and it just escalated from there. We came up with really cool superheroes names. She was Asian Persuasion, and I was Nightbird. We drew them out and everything…How do you still have that sketch?"
"It was in a box of all my little kid things that my aunt and uncle kept for my parents. I have all our friendship bracelets and there has got to be like a hundred!" she squealed.
"We should totally check that out together. We can make a whole day of it. Gosh, so much history!" Blaine smiled, and Kurt's composure cracked. He had no history with Blaine and that meant bad things for his Christmas gift. He could never top Tina's Christmas gift for Blaine with all the money in the world.
Blaine's sister came home from school with a great idea of a song the two of them should sing together in the Christmas concert. If she wanted to bring in a true duet partner, she had to bring in her brother.
Santana had gotten all the attention in chorus for singing 'Santa Baby.' Rachel couldn't believe the praise she got for it. What was that song even about? Having sex with Santa?! How could her school support that? Rachel technically didn't 'do' Christmas because she was half-Jewish and very proud of it. Neither her nor her brother were religious though so she couldn't explain why Santana's performance annoyed her so much.
Blaine was excited about Christmas this year because Kurt was excited. Rachel never let anything bother her too long before finding a solution, and since she couldn't beat them, she could join them.
"This song would be brilliant for us. Can't you see it?'
"I can, but why do you want me to sing this with you in the first place?"
"You mean besides you being my brother and my favorite singer?" Blaine didn't buy it. "Alright fine, I know a lot of people will show up to our performance because you're dating Kurt."
"You're impossible," Blaine laughed to himself, tipping his head back to drink a water bottle. She'd caught him at the front door straight from the gym.
"So, you'll do it?" While Blaine thought up a snarky response, Rachel jumped at the pause. She kissed his cheek and flew off the counter stool. "I'll drop off the sheet music!"
Quinn hadn't really noticed—or she had, but she didn't want to think too much on it—Puck disappeared after the debutantes' ball. Not even Gossip Girl spilled any details. Quinn didn't know this because she had been impulsively checking her phone in between classes—or when she was on any long lines—oh no, absolutely not. She wasn't concerned about him at all.
Puck could definitely take care of himself. She was just so thankful that Sam had become a fixture in her life again. She would never tell Puck he was right, but honestly, she missed his crass brutish presence. He always managed to excite her, and she couldn't understand why he dropped off the grid before winter break even started.
Quinn believed it might have something to do with either: the club, his dad, or the ball. Because she hadn't gone to the club since the night Puck and her slept together, she didn't even know if it was still open. Shockingly it was so that wasn't the problem. His dad was still in town so he couldn't have been called off anywhere. That left the night of the cotillion...
Sam never told her that while he had gotten a couple bruises, he might have been worse off if Puck hadn't had his back. He assumed Puck disappeared because he was being a badass running from responsibility.
Quinn couldn't understand why Puck would pick that night to leave. She hadn't paid enough attention to him, and now she regretted it. It was getting close to Christmas, and he was nowhere to be found.
Kurt came to Quinn for advice on what he should get Blaine, but she was clearly too busy to give him any viable options. She mumbled something about leather before continuing to scroll through her phone. He gave up after he heard that. Blaine would never wear leather anything unless he was purposely trying to look like Freddie Mercury, one of his favorite artists. This was something Kurt was proud he knew about his boyfriend, but that wouldn't help him pick a gift any faster.
Quinn decided to begin her own search for Puck. He managed to stay off grid the whole time he was gone. Quinn had to believe he was purposely avoiding her. He was trying to scare or get a rise out of her. She'd have to ask Sam what he knew yet somehow avoid getting asked any questions about why she cared.
"Sam, what are you doing for Christmas?" she asked when he came over after school.
"I'll just be with my mom. She talked about visiting the prison, but I couldn't imagine spending the day there."
"We could do what we did a few years ago at the homeless shelter."
"You want to volunteer? Yeah, Quinn that sounds great! Wait, what about your mom?"
"She's going to mope the whole day. Russell's spending it with his new wife just like Thanksgiving and most likely New Year's Eve."
"We both have reason to avoid our parents…"
"We all do. I mean, Puck vanished so I guess he won't be back for the holidays," she cleverly brought up without making him suspicious.
"He called me the other day. He's in the Keys. I tried to get him to come back, but he wouldn't, and I gave up trying to explain why he does the things he does."
"The Florida Keys, really?" Quinn pouted. She loved the Keys. Puck knew that. She had to be right; he left just to mess with her.
Rachel wanted to rehearse their number, but Blaine got it the first time they went over it. He escaped to his mother's side as she read a magazine with a bottle of wine on the living room couch. The day felt like the old days, and it was hard to even imagine the time when Shelby wasn't in their life. Reality slapped them in the face when Burt came home from work with the mail from the downstairs mailbox in his hands. One piece of mail he held like it was toxin that could poison him. Actually, it had the potential of poisoning their entire family.
The return address showed it was from the man Shelby had been living with while she was gone. Blaine could read the distress on his dad's face. The apartment got very quiet before she went to make things better. They ridiculously tried to whisper the conversation and not get loud, but their kids heard it all. Their brows furrowed as they were reminded that their mother had another life without them that threatened to sweep her back to Ohio at any minute.
Rachel knew she shouldn't, but she had a sinking feeling that her mother would leave if she misbehaved. She was upset knowing that her five-year-old mentality had settled into her mind, but she was desperate for a solution. If she just acted the part of the good daughter, maybe her mother wouldn't leave them; Shelby would choose to stay, and they could be a perfect family. Blaine would have reprimanded his sister for thinking anything their mother did had to do with them, but he felt the same. Everything was going too well, and it wouldn't be long before something went wrong and shattered the happy home they had been pretending to live in.
Blaine didn't even know how they managed to fix the can of worms that spilt all over them on Thanksgiving. He could only hope that meant they would weather out all the coming storms. He locked the door of his room while he reread Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which along with the other six books were always a part of his holiday tradition. He heard someone knock at the door but didn't expect it to be for him. It was.
"Blaine! Kurt's here!" Rachel yelled to him. She had on a JCPenney American Living Double Deer Sweater, short plaid skirt with knee highs and loafers. [love me love me] He rushed to the door in a navy Brooks Brothers Shawl Collar Button-Front Cardigan, red Brooks Brothers 1818 Lion Bow Tie, Urban Outfitters CPO Paisley Chino Pant in blue, and red button down. [Homecoming ep]
"Kurt? I wasn't expecting you… what are you doing here?"
"I just came from shopping and I couldn't wait until Christmas I had to show you what I got you and I think you're going to love it!" Kurt wore a Paul Smith Black and Red Rose Scarf over a red jacket and white button-down shirt. [Homecoming ep]
"You brought me a gift? Kurt, you shouldn't have," Blaine smiled at how considerate his boyfriend was. He took the gift bag that Kurt was handing him, and walked them to his room. He left the door wide-open as was the new Shelby-approved policy.
Inside he found a set of three bowties from Saks Fifth Avenue, meaning they each must have cost over two hundred dollars. It was absolutely luxe, and while he wanted to sweep the boy off his feet and into his arms, he couldn't accept it. He knew when he was talking with Kurt that he'd get him something like this, but suddenly he realized the reality.
"They're satin…Kurt, these are the most beautiful bowties I've ever seen…"
"I knew I nailed it!" the taller boy spoke too soon. Blaine's eyes lowered as he finished.
"…but I can't accept this," Blaine said sadly. His puppy dog eyes regretfully putting them back in the bag. Kurt was baffled.
"What do you mean? You can't not like them; they're so you!"
"I love them, and it's very nice of you, but they're not me. I've never worn anything that small and that expensive. I can't start now. Even as a gift, buying me expensive stuff… this is what meant, Kurt, I can't do this for you."
"You don't need to do it for me. I want to give you nice things."
"You want to spoil me because you have money to. I don't have money like that. I couldn't do that for you even though I really want to," he said. Kurt bit his lip. He couldn't convince him to take it. He took the bag back.
"I messed that up."
"No, no," Blaine touched his arm reassuringly, "I should have been clear. Maybe we should put a price limit on a gift."
"One hundred?" Kurt asked.
"Fifty," Blaine countered and kissed him on the lips before he could reply.
Blaine invited him to get a bit grabby, but Kurt claimed he had to meet his mother. The other boy had a feeling he was lying about that, but he didn't want to get into a fight about it. Kurt was leaving upset, and he didn't want that, but before he could really convince him, his boyfriend walked away.
Blaine closed the door once he was gone. He leant his back on the door, stared off into the distance brokenly and sighed airily. Rachel hmphed from where she stood in the kitchen. Of course, she heard it all and had something to say.
"You could have kept it, you know? He loves you enough to do that. It's not like it's an inconvenience," she said.
"It's not about that. You know that. I'm sure you're planning a long list of things for Finn to get you, but that is not what you should be doing," he shot back. He wanted to keep those bowties, but he knew better. He marched into his room. "He hasn't said he loves me either!"
~A.N. It's Christmastime! There are so many amazing moments to pick from for holiday Glee moments- get ready for some of the best! What will Blaine and Kurt be getting each other for Christmas? Only time will tell...