Sarah = zombie. So zombie that this entire thing was in bold the first time I uploaded. Sigh.

Klaineforthewin: Mistletoe

This particular party is a concept I've always wanted to explore, because I've heard of people who do it.

TGTDOSBDK.

Mistletoe

Kurt had always been wary of the idea of a house party. Mostly because his only experience had been Rachel's absolute train wreck of a party, and the stories he had heard about other parties were equally as worrying. Add to that his sole experience with alcohol still fresh in his mind, and Kurt really wasn't too thrilled about the idea when Jeff had suggested that the Warblers come to his place for a party in the first week of summer.

Blaine had been the one to invite him. Of course Jeff had said he was allowed to come, being a former Warbler and all, but that alone probably wouldn't have convinced Kurt. But to have Blaine ask him as his date (no matter how platonic) almost sealed the deal.

It was only when Kurt called Jeff to find out the details that he was completely sold.

"It's a midsummer Christmas," Jeff explained. "My family has a tradition where we do Christmas twice a year and for the summer one, we throw a huge party. They'll be home, so it's not going to get crazy or anything."

It didn't take any more than that. Kurt had always loved Christmas and the chance to celebrate it twice sounded great to him. "Do we do presents?"

"Not for everyone, no. Nick and I will for each other, and tradition dictates that anybody who brings along a significant other does the same. So, you can either not bring anything... or suck it up and finally tell Blaine how you -"

"Goodbye Jeff," Kurt interjected hastily. "I'll see you next week."

He hung up quickly, rolling his eyes at how easily the other boy could get to him. Just because Jeff had gotten together with Nick pretty much the second he came out of the closet didn't mean it was quite as easy for everybody else. Yes, Kurt was out and proud of it, but that didn't make it any easier to 'suck it up' as Jeff had said and tell Blaine that he was kind of in love with him.

Not for the first time, Kurt regretted telling the blonde Warbler about his crush. What had made him do it, Kurt had no idea, but somehow Kurt had found himself wandering into Jeff's dorm room, collapsing on the bed and announcing, "So, I'm madly in love with Blaine." The ensuing conversation, while awkward, had given Kurt someone to talk to when Blaine was being especially flirty or a little too oblivious - so, basically every day. But on the flipside, it now had Kurt staring at his phone wondering what to do. Sure, Blaine wouldn't know if Kurt didn't get him a gift, but Jeff would. Here was a way for Kurt to admit his feelings with a backup plan in case of rejection - Kurt could say it was some kind of appreciation present for how much Blaine had helped him. Cheesy, but it would spare Kurt some fairly unnecessary pain if worst came to worst.

With that sorted, Kurt was immediately hit with the next dilemma and the one that should have been the most important; what on earth was he going to buy Blaine?

This called for intervention.

"Tina," Kurt barked into his phone. "I need a present that says 'I'm crazy about you but I'm only going to show it if you feel the same...'"

Kurt walked up the front path, nervously clutching his messenger bag to his side. Blaine was supposed to have picked him up, but his car had broken down meaning he had to catch a lift with David while Kurt drove himself. Blaine had been on his Bluetooth for the first half of the trip, giving him directions and sounding endlessly apologetic no matter how many times Kurt told him it was fine. At least I have a way of escaping if things get too awkward, he thought to himself privately.

And now that he was here, Kurt's nerves grew tenfold. What if I make a total fool of myself, what if he doesn't even want me here -

"Kurt!"

Kurt jumped as the door flew open - apparently he had knocked without realizing. A beaming Jeff tugged him through the doorway, looking him over. "Looking good, as always!"

"Same to you." Kurt pulled the boy into an one armed hug. "Am I last?"

Jeff shook his head as they separated. "Thad and Ethan are still on their way, they had to pick up girlfriends. And Nick ducked out to get some more supplies for me." Jeff glanced around before loading his voice and leaning in closer. "Did you buy him a present?"

"I - I did." Kurt clutched his bag tighter, thinking of how long it had taken on eBay to find the gift. "But I don't want to give it to him if he doesn't feel the same."

Jeff simply rolled his eyes, then glanced over Kurt's shoulder. "Oh, Nick's back. Go in, go say hi to everyone again. We've missed having you around."

With that, Jeff gave him a gentle push in the direction of the noise. Kurt followed it down a long hallway - he had forgotten that most of the Warblers came from money, Jeff's house was gorgeous - where he came across a large room filled with a pool table, video game machines, mini fridges, lots of food... and a lot more people. Every Warbler except the two running late were in attendance, as well as their significant others and what looked like half of Dalton. Jeff hadn't been kidding when he mentioned a huge party.

Kurt hovered in the doorway awkwardly until he was rescued. "Kurt!" David yelled, making his way across the room with Wes and their girlfriends in tow. "So good to see you again!"

Kurt accepted hugs from the two boys and nodded politely to the girlfriends - Jessica attempted to smile while Melanie simply looked bored. "It's great to see you both too."

"So, tell us about McKinley?"

Kurt passed a few minutes talking with two thirds of the council before a couple of other Warblers showed up to hug Kurt and catch up. In his excitement at seeing his friends again, Kurt had almost forgotten about Blaine. Almost.

When Jeff and Nick joined them, Kurt waited for the perfect moment before pulling Jeff aside slightly. "I, uh, haven't seen Blaine yet."

Jeff smirked. "Been waiting for you to ask. He's putting me to shame currently."

Kurt's brow furrowed in confusion and Jeff laughed. "Come with me," he said, taking Kurt's hands and laughing again as Nick pouted. "Back in a minute, babe, promise."

Jeff led Kurt back down the hallway, opening a door on the right and immediately groaning. "Seriously, Blaine, do you have to be so freaking dapper and charming all the time? You're making me look bad!"

"I can't help it if I want to help!" Blaine called over his shoulder as he poured various bottles of drinks into a large punch bowl. "Besides, you know I'm just waiting for Kurt to arrive."

Smirking at Kurt - who was beginning to wonder whether it was a permanent fixture - Jeff cleared his throat loudly. Blaine turned and almost dropped the bottle he was holding. "Kurt! When - when did you get here?"

Is he blushing? "About fifteen minutes ago. Your friends accosted me." Kurt stepped into the room, surveying the benches covered with food in various stages of preparation. "Can I help with anything?"

"Can you cook?"

Kurt turned to see a platinum blonde woman step into the room. The resemblance was striking, and Kurt immediately knew where Jeff got his looks from. "Oh, Mom, this is Kurt. And yes, he can."

The woman's face brightened instantly. "Brilliant! Blaine's a dear, but I can't trust him with a whisk, electric mixer, stove top or oven, just to name a few."

"That sounds oddly specific..." Kurt wondered out loud, glancing over curiously when Jeff snorted.

Blaine groaned, dumping the last bottle into the punch bowl. "You're giving me a bad reputation here, Mrs. Sterling. Those were all accidents!"

"Blaine, you know to call me Marissa, and I'd rather avoid any other - ah, accidents." Marissa turned her attention back to Kurt. "So, honey, tell me what you're good at cooking."

Kurt glanced across the bench top. Pretty simple... basic party food. "I can do all of this stuff."

Marissa's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "You are an angel. Can I leave this with you for ten minutes? I've got about thirty other things to do before my party guests show up and my husband is, as usual, completely preoccupied with business."

The woman shook her head, but Kurt could see the affection in her eyes when she spoke of her husband. "That's fine," Kurt said, walking over to the bench and rolling up his sleeves. "I'll see how much I can get done for you."

"Jeff, this one can come over more often." Marissa placed a kiss to the top of her son's head before practically dancing out of the room.

"Great, now there's two guys she'd rather have as a son than me," Jeff grumbled good-naturedly before crossing the room to peer at Kurt's bench. Kurt had already begun expertly chopping fruit and preparing different platters at a speed he knew was impressive. "How do you do that? I'd have lost most of my fingers by now?"

It was finally Kurt's turn to smirk. "Practice," he quipped lightly. "And your boyfriend's waiting for you, you know? As well as all of your party guests."

Jeff nodded, pushing away from the bench. "Coming, Blaine?"

"I - I might stay here. Keep Kurt company, you know."

Kurt fought with his blush, bending his head further over his work. He's just being a friend, he's doing what friends do...

"If you touch anything, Mom will kill you. So just watch." Jeff winked at Kurt one more time before leaving the room, the boy shaking his head as he continued to work.

For a little while they worked in silence, Blaine mixing up the final bowl of punch. Finally, Kurt could hear the sounds of Blaine throwing empty bottles out across the room before footsteps came up behind him. "That's amazing," Blaine murmured, appearing next to Kurt and glancing at the mostly finished food dishes. "We're definitely polar opposites when it comes to cooking."

Kurt hummed in agreement. "Most people are," he said, grabbing a couple of trays and heading over to the oven. "Can I trust you to open this for me?"

Blaine stuck his tongue out but opened the oven door, stepping back as Kurt slid the trays in and set the timer. "I'll probably have to come back and check -"

"No need, honey." Marissa re-entered the kitchen. "Thank you so much for all your help, but you need to go and enjoy your party too, alright?" She ruffled Blaine's hair, a gesture that seemed so familiar to both of them, and it was only then that Kurt realized that Blaine wasn't wearing his usual helmet of gel. "Can you take these out for me, Kurt? Not you, Blaine," she added as Blaine reached for the tray she was holding. "I don't trust you."

Blaine pouted, but agreed with the statement nonetheless. Kurt took the tray handed to him and the two left the kitchen, heading back down to the bag hit lightly against his leg as they walked, and Kurt was reminded of the present it contained. He was still undecided about whether to give it to Blaine or not, but he figured as the party wore on, he would make a decision.

Entering the party room, Kurt noticed most of the occupants gathered around the game machines with a few couples sitting around on the couches. Placing the food on the table, Kurt was about to turn around to see what was going on when Jeff called to him from outside. "Hey guys, come out here for a minute."

Shrugging at Blaine, the two stepped through the open doorway before - "STOP!"

Kurt froze, staring at Jeff who was smirking. Very slowly and deliberately, he raised his eyes above their heads. Kurt followed his line of sight, his eyes growing wide as he realized what had just happened. There, hanging in the door frame, was mistletoe. And he and Blaine were right underneath it.

Blaine swore lightly under his breath, turning to glare at Jeff. Kurt felt his heart plummet as he realized that Blaine really didn't want to kiss him and decided that he just had to get it over and done with - Jeff was definitely not going to let them get away with not kissing after all. Drawing up all of his courage, he tapped Blaine on the arm. And as Blaine turned to him, he leaned in and connected their lips.

What happened next took Kurt completely by surprise. Instead of breaking the contact, Blaine was kissing him back, properly, better than Kurt had ever dreamed he would get. And it was in that moment that Kurt realized that Blaine wanted this too, maybe just as much as Kurt did.

As soon as they broke apart, Kurt was fumbling one handed in his bag, knowing he needed to do it now. His fingers latched around the present and he pulled it out, pushing it into Blaine's hands. "Here," he murmured, watching Blaine who was still staring at him, stunned.

Blaine blinked a couple of times, then shook his head as if to return to focus. "Come with me," he murmured before raising his voice. "Jeff, you know where we'll be." Without looking to see if the boy had answered, Blaine was taking Kurt's hand and all but dragging him out of the room. Kurt followed behind, slightly bewildered as they climbed up a flight of stairs. But when Blaine led him into a bedroom, Kurt baulked.

"Blaine... what?"

"It's not how it looks, I promise. I just - I left it up here." Blaine was digging through a desk drawer, clearly looking for something. As he did, Kurt glanced around at the room and immediately figured it must be Jeff's, if the corkboard full of photos of Jeff and Nick had anything to say about it. "Okay, here it is."

Kurt turned back towards Blaine and froze. In Blaine's hands was a present. "You - you got me something?"

"I was going to try to ask you today, but ... well, that method worked, I suppose." Blaine sat on the edge of the bed, Kurt moving over to join him. "I mean, I still want to ask properly, I just - here."

Handing the present over, Blaine picked up the one Kurt had gotten him. They both stared down at the gifts in their laps for a few moments before Kurt started to laugh. "Okay, how about we just open them?"

Blaine nodded, and Kurt returned his attention to the package, flipping it over to slide a finger under the tape. It was flat and rectangular, and Kurt was starting to wonder whether Blaine had gotten him a book when saw the back of what looked like a photo frame. A photo? Of us, maybe?

Then he flipped it over and all hell broke loose.

"Shut UP!" Kurt stared, open mouthed at the framed, signed Wicked playbill in his hands. "No way, this ... this isn't... how did you GET this?"

He turned to Blaine, only to be caught off guard as Blaine's lips were crashing against his again, arms wrapping around his neck. "I think the question is, how did you get this?" he whispered the second he had pulled away. "Kurt... this is incredible!"

"I'll tell if you do," Kurt murmured teasingly.

Blaine took a deep breath, regaining enough control to wink at Kurt. "My parents went last year when they were in New York for business. They both got their copies signed and gave them to me, I figured someday I'd find someone who was an enthusiast and be able to give it to them. But now I feel awful because you must have spent so much on this -"

"Price doesn't matter," Kurt said immediately. "Not for you. And what you gave me is priceless. But if you really feel bad about it, I'll happily take a 10% cut on royalties from the song."

Blaine laughed giddily, glancing down at the voucher in his hands. "I will totally do that. I can't believe you got me an album deal..." He dropped the voucher into his lap, grabbing Kurt's hands. "Okay, I have to ask now. Kurt, be my boyfriend. Please?"

"You got me Wicked stuff. I couldn't say no." They looked at each other for a second before bursting into laughter. "But seriously," Kurt continued when they had finished, "yes. Yes, I will."

The smile that crossed Blaine's face was somehow a million times better than when he had first opened his present, and Kurt suddenly came to a very important realization. If the way Blaine was looking at him was any indication, Kurt was more important to his now-boyfriend than any recording contract in the world. And that was mind blowing, but so right.

But there was plenty of time to wonder over the intricacies of a relationship later - and Kurt would, considering it was his first one. Right now they had a party to get to.

"Hey," he murmured, nudging Blaine lightly. "I'd like to take my boyfriend to a faux-Christmas party. Would he care to go with me?"

Blaine shook his head patronizingly but his smile said it all.