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RIP Steve Jobs. You changed the world as we know it, especially since I'm typing this on my MacBook with my iPhone 4 beside me and an iPod Touch lying on the desk. My world would be a completely different place if you hadn't dared to dream and created such an amazing brand of technology. And I know you've left a capable and competent team to carry on in your absence. Thank you.

From bookfreak1317: It's Christmas time and Blaine is staying at Dalton instead of going with his family to visit their homophobic relatives in Europe. Feeling bad for Blaien[sic], Kurt invites him to his house for Christmas. While their, Burt pulls Blaine to the side and asks him if he's dating his son. When Blaine says no, Burt asks why. Blaine starts ranting about how great Kurt is and what an awesome friend he is. And while ranting, Blaine just stops and says I'm in love with your son.

You have no idea how much emphasis was put on oblivious!Blaine for this story.


Invite

"So, Warblers, I hope you all have a great Christmas." Wes rapped his gavel lightly, smiling around the room. "We'll see you in a few weeks."

The room filled with excited chattering, everybody swapping Christmas well-wishes and a few of the boys making plans to catch up over the holiday. Kurt accepted hugs from a few of the boys before heading over to his target and sitting down without preamble. "Okay, spill. What's wrong?"

Blaine glanced up, smiling so disarmingly that Kurt wouldn't have known anything was wrong if he hadn't been subtly watching Blaine for half of the meeting already. "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong - it's Christmas after all."

"Exactly, which is why it doesn't make sense that you've been moping all meeting. Don't try to deny it," he added as Blaine opened his mouth, presumably to do exactly that. "I can tell. So, what's wrong?"

Blaine sighed. "It's nothing big, I'm used to it anyway. My family is going to Europe for Christmas and I can't go, so I'll be spending the break at Dalton."

"What?" Kurt stared at him, sure he had heard wrong. "Why on earth can't you go?" Kurt knew he had struck a nerve at that. Blaine slumped back into the couch and broke eye contact, staring across the room instead. "Hey," Kurt said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"

Blaine raised the other shoulder in a half-shrug. "My relatives don't really think a lot of me," he finally admitted. "To put it simply, they're strongly homophobic and my mom made the mistake of telling them when I came out. I could go but it would be a few weeks of complete awkwardness, my aunt wouldn't talk to me once and I'd ruin Christmas for everyone else. It's easier for everybody."

"Except you," Kurt murmured, his grip tightening on Blaine's shoulder involuntarily. "Why don't you go and stay with someone - you said you practically live at David's place during the summer?"

Blaine nodded. "I usually spend a few days here and there, it's just Christmas is the issue. Christmas Day is always family time, no matter who you are and I could never ask anybody to impose on their Christmas." He suddenly laughed, albeit bitterly. "Of course everybody thinks I'm at someone else's place and they're not too impressed when they come back and find out I stayed alone."

"I'll bet," Kurt said absently, his mind already preoccupied.

Blaine reached up a hand to squeeze the one on his shoulder, finally giving Kurt a proper smile. "Don't sweat it, I'm totally used to it. You just go on home and have a great Christmas, okay? Tell your family I said hi."

Kurt nodded and stood, Blaine following him. "Look after yourself," he said and apparently the meaning was received loud and clear as Blaine was hugging him a moment later, clutching him a little tighter than usual. Kurt gave him a soft smile as they broke apart and turned to walk away, his mind still whirring with plans.


It took a few minutes after waking up before Blaine realized why he wasn't in the best of moods. Right. Christmas. Sighing, Blaine pulled himself out of bed, determined to have a normal day anyway, even if it would only be spent studying.

He didn't even have any presents to open - his friends all exchanged presents before they left for the holiday and his parents would bring him something back from Europe as they always did. As he got dressed, Blaine smiled when he saw the light green cashmere scarf draped neatly across his chair. Kurt had insisted that once he tried cashmere, he would never go back to cheap blends or scratchy woolen scarves and Blaine was starting to think that he might have a point. Or perhaps it was due to the scarf being from Kurt. Either way, it was definitely his new favourite. Tucking the scarf around his neck, Blaine deliberated over gel then decided to forego it. After all, nobody was going to see him apart from the few staff members who had to stick around when any boarders stayed over Christmas.

It was only when Blaine began to walk down the stairs that he noticed something off. There was another car in the car park, just hidden behind Blaine's own so he couldn't make it out properly. Probably just a teacher, he decided, continuing to walk down the stairs. But Blaine couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder.

Maybe he should have. Because when he reached the bottom of the staircase and a quiet, "Excuse me," came from behind him, Blaine nearly jumped out of his skin. But as he turned around his annoyance was replaced with an overwhelming sense of deja vu.

Kurt was standing a few steps above him, the exact position they had been in the first time they had met. And Kurt knew it, the devil, his grin a mile wide. "What are you doing here? It's Christmas, shouldn't you be with your family?"

"Yes, but nobody should spend Christmas alone, Blaine. Come on." Blaine must have still looked confused because Kurt sighed, walking down the last few steps to meet Blaine. "You're spending Christmas with us." Blaine immediately tried to protest - he really didn't want to be an imposition on Kurt's family - but Kurt was having none of it. "Blaine, I'm not going to enjoy my day knowing you're here alone. Carole has cooked far too much food and Finn needs someone to talk sports with. You'll be doing me a favor, promise."

Blaine rolled his eyes fondly. "Don't pull that line, I know you're doing this for me." He hesitated for a second then went with his impulse to hug Kurt. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome." Blaine pulled back quickly as Kurt's voice sounded rather breathless and he was afraid he was squishing him. "So do you need anything?" Blaine shook his head and Kurt grinned. "Let's go then!"

And as if to add to the deja vu experience, Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and tugged lightly, leading him out to his car. One of the staff members happened to be walking by and Blaine quickly let them know that he would be out for the day before letting Kurt usher him into his car. There was still a little reluctance on Blaine's part - not that he didn't want to spend time with Kurt but he still felt bad about imposing. He turned to say so only to find Kurt's hand raised in his direction. "I don't want to hear a word unless you're asking if you can pick the music, in which case the answer is no."

Blaine mock-pouted until Kurt started the car and music began to play - Christmas themed music. "Why, Kurt Hummel, you've gone commercial on me!"

"It's Christmas. I think I'm allowed to get in the festive mood. I do draw the line at gaudy sweaters though; despite Finn's persuasiveness, I do not see the fun in wearing a reindeer around all day." Kurt glanced across, smirking. "Clearly neither do you."

Blaine laughed, allowing himself to relax back into the seat. The trip to Lima had always been long when Blaine was driving out on his own but now that Kurt was driving and regaling him with tales of what Finn had already managed to get up to in the first few days of winter break, the time actually flew by and Blaine was surprised - and maybe a little disappointed - when they arrived at Kurt's place. But as they walked towards the front door and Blaine smelled what was inside the house, that disappointment disappeared. "What on earth did she cook?"

"Putt it this way - Finn woke up thinking it was Thanksgiving." Blaine laughed again as Kurt opened the door, letting him in. "Dad! I'm back with Blaine!"

Blaine couldn't help but tense up as Kurt's father approached. He presumed that it was all Kurt's idea for him to join them for Christmas and that Burt had probably been coerced into it, much more willing to spend Christmas with his family than some kid his son was friends with. So when Burt appeared around the corner smiling broadly, it threw Blaine for a loop. "Good to see you kid. Kurt told me you might be a little stubborn and try to refuse to come."

"I'm very persuasive," Kurt said, linking his arm around his father's. "Plus, nobody is allowed to spend Christmas alone."

"Yeah," said Finn, bounding down the stairs to meet them and thumping Blaine on the shoulder. "It should be illegal or something."

Carole came bustling out of the kitchen to complete the picture, wrapping Blaine in a hug. "I'm so glad you came, sweetie. Do you like turkey?"

Blaine's mouth practically began to water at that. "Yes, Ma'am," he said before trying not to cower under Carole's stern look. "Sorry… Carole."

And then Kurt's hand was in his, leading him towards the stairs. "Come on, come see what I got!"

"Door open, boys!"

Kurt groaned without looking back. "I know, Dad."

Blaine waited until they had reached the top of the stairs before asking. "Door open?"

Kurt suddenly blushed, confusing Blaine. "He thinks two gay guys can't exist in the same room with the door shut without going all 'Brokeback Mountain' on each other. "Blaine tried to find something witty to say but for some reason his throat had gone dry. "I should never have shown him that movie," Kurt muttered to himself, pushing open his bedroom door and leaving it wide open. "Anyway, awkward and far too revealing moment aside, you know how I told you I was worried that my dad wouldn't take my hints about the Marc Jacobs bag?"

"You got it?"

In response, Kurt pulled the long-coveted leather bag out of his closet, holding it out for Blaine's inspection. "It's perfect," he said, running a finger along the strap before gesturing for Kurt to put it on. "And it looks perfect on you."

And there was that blush again as Kurt hastily put the bag back in his closet. "Thank you," he said quickly. "That scarf was an excellent choice, I can see. It brings out your eyes."

Blaine fiddled with the ends of it nervously, though he couldn't understand why he was nervous. "Well, thank you for buying it for me." He glanced down at Kurt's wrist and smiled. "The watch fits?"

"Oh my goodness, you should have seen my dad's reaction to this! I think he's going to steal it off me in my sleep." Kurt lifted his arm and twisted at the watch. "You still shouldn't have gotten it, it's worth far too much."

"You're worth more than a watch, Kurt."

And okay, where did that come from? But Blaine knew it was true and Kurt was blushing again and there was something about the whole situation that just seemed to be out of Blaine's grasp - like he should know what was going on but really didn't. At least not yet.

"Boys! Lunch!"

The moment was broken as Kurt quickly turned to close his closet door before gesturing towards the hall. "Come on. I don't care how much food is down there, Finn will try to eat it all."

And as Blaine laughed in response, everything seemed normal again. They traipsed downstairs to join Kurt's family for lunch, Blaine managing to stop his jaw from dropping when he saw the sheer amount of food on the table, and then again when he saw the amount of food Finn managed to load onto his plate. Blaine took a much more civilized plateful and watched as Kurt went for the healthiest options possible, instructing his father to do the same.

There were a few moments of silence while everybody began to eat, but Finn quickly broke it. "So, Blaine, did you see the game on Friday?"

"Of course I did!"

The subsequent conversations quickly began that always seemed to happen when Blaine was visiting - he would talk football with Finn and Burt while Carole and Kurt would discuss fashion. The three boys invariably ended up talking about Glee also, Finn keeping tight lipped about any performances they had done recently. "It's not that I don't trust you, but you know Rachel would murder me if I let something slip."

Finally - after Finn had taken fourths and fought with Kurt over the last of the potato salad - the meal was over. "Carole, that was amazing," Kurt groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Thank you."

Blaine nodded, already standing to begin loading up plates to take to the kitchen. "Oh honey, you don't have to do that -"

"I want to," Blaine said quietly. "It's the least I can do for your hospitality." Kurt stood and joined him with the others following suit to clear the table. As soon as that was done, Finn disappeared - which Kurt had told him was actually a good thing, Finn and soapy wet dishes did not go well together - and Blaine began to run the water while Burt and Kurt set to work wrapping up the leftovers. Carole had been shooed out under popular demand considering she had cooked.

Just as Blaine had begun to wash the dishes, Kurt's phone began to ring. "It's Tina," he said as he checked the ID. "Blaine, do you mind...?"

"Of course not." Kurt shot him a grateful smile and disappeared out of the kitchen, already talking rapidly. Blaine smiled to himself before Burt appeared beside him, dishtowel in hand. "I can't thank you enough for having me over, sir."

Burt waved a hand. "First, sir makes me feel old so you're calling me Burt. And it wasn't a problem at all. As soon as Kurt told me you were alone for Christmas, I knew you'd be coming over. If Kurt hadn't suggested it, I would have." Blaine was honestly touched and not sure what to say. Luckily Burt seemed to be a man of few words and they continued washing and drying the dishes in relative silence. But once the kitchen was almost clean again, Burt suddenly spoke up. "Now that you're not holding anything breakable, I'd like to talk to you about Kurt."

"What about him, si- Burt?"

"Well, I guess what I really want to know is why you aren't dating him yet."

Blaine couldn't stop his jaw from dropping slightly. "You - did you think that's why I was here today?"

Burt shook his head. "No, and that's why this is more confusing." He hung the dishtowel up slowly, giving Blaine a minute to ponder. "Look, I try real hard to understand what's going on with Kurt. I've accepted that he won't be bringing any pretty girls home, but now I have to try and work out what's going on when he brings a guy like you home, even just as friends. I watched Finn with that Rachel girl when they were dating and even when they're not and I can tell what's going on there. And when I try to apply the same thing to Kurt, I just keep seeing you in that picture. So, why aren't you?"

Blaine leaned back against the counter, taking a moment to think. "I don't really have a definitive answer for you. Of course it all boils down to a few things; whether Kurt is ready for a relationship, whether I'm ready for a relationship and whether we have romantic feelings for each other." He steepled his fingers together. "I wouldn't know whether Kurt is ready for a relationship but he doesn't seem like he isn't. I also don't have anything holding me back right now. I could never answer for Kurt's feelings though."

"And you?"

"And me," Blaine echoed, still deep in thought and not really aware of the words spilling out of his mouth. "Well Kurt is fantastic of course, he's absolutely one of a kind in every way. Ever since that first time I saw him, I knew he was something different, someone very special. He makes me laugh every day but I know I can sit down and have a serious conversation with him at the drop of a hat. He gets me, and I'd like to think I'm beginning to understand him too. He's out and proud and fabulous, he's my best friend but he's so much more than that too and I never want him out of my life and I'm -"

Blaine froze, turning to stare at Burt. "I'm in love with your son."

Burt blinked a couple of times. "You're in love with my son."

"Who's in love with me?" came Kurt's voice as he walked around the corner, stopping dead at the sight in front of him. Blaine attempted to smile, speak, something, but he was frozen by the enormity of his own realization.

A realization that Kurt now knew.

"I'll leave you boys to it, I think. Why don't you go on up to Kurt's room - door open of course."

Numbly, Blaine followed Kurt up the stairs and into his room. Kurt gestured for him to sit on the bed which he did, Kurt sitting next to him. There were a few seconds of silence before Blaine felt like he had to say something. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Kurt's voice was small and confused. "You didn't mean it?"

"No, I - no, I didn't mean no, I meant no I meant it, I just…" Blaine sighed, burying his face in his hands. "I'm so bad at this. You must think I'm a complete idiot."

Inexplicably, Kurt laughed. "Not quite." Blaine felt Kurt's hands on his, pulling them away from his face. "Now, why don't you tell me why you told my dad that you're in love with me."

Blaine sighed, trying to avoid eye contact but realizing it was impossible. "I only just worked it out," he said quietly. "I mean, Kurt, you've always been special to me in a way that nobody else was, I just never knew what that way was. And now I guess I do. I know you don't feel the same so it doesn't have to change things -"

"I want it to change things."

Kurt's voice was still quiet but so determined that Blaine froze, staring at Kurt. Kurt who was looking back at him with a smile that was too perfect. "Blaine, you're amazing but you're the most oblivious person I've ever met if you think I don't want this too."

Blaine knew his jaw would have dropped if Kurt hadn't picked that moment to lean in and kiss him. Which was a jaw-dropping event in itself, but thankfully his mouth was otherwise occupied in kissing Kurt back, something that came so naturally that it nearly hurt. How did I not work this out sooner? he asked himself, pulling Kurt closer, wanting nothing more than to keep him in his arms forever.

"Best Christmas ever," he murmured when they broke apart.

Kurt laughed softly and freely. "Without a doubt."


So I know we've had a string of oblivious Blaine... I guess that's just how the prompts worked. But this takes the cake for obliviousness, I believe.


MusicalEscape:

"...should finish this." *walks back into room*

Note on couch says:

"Hey, sexy boys, we know you guys are probably making out, so we decided to ditch you for Breadstix. We also took that gavel that was lying around. -Santanna."

*next day...*

"OH EM GEE! WHERE'S MY GAVEL!" *starts sobbing* "I KNEW KARMA WAS OUT TO GET ME SINCE I ATE THE LAST REDVINE!"