The winter that Blaine Anderson met Kurt Hummel, Blaine had only a vague understanding that complicated things can often disguise themselves as simple at first. Like an iceberg, living only partially on the surface while the impending danger looms underneath. Or like falling in love with the wrong person, unaware of all of the people that could be affected. That is perhaps why it's so hard to prepare for the complicated things, because they once appeared so simple. That was how Blaine found himself standing in the midst of a snowstorm, cheeks wet with tears as he stared at the other man. It was a blur, the only light coming from the moon and the flickering porch light. The words he had just spoken still hung in the air, as if he was repeating them over and over in the silence. "I love you, Kurt. Please ... Please don't go."

The beginning was simple. Blaine's 2011 Station Wagon rolled to a stop in front of the three story cottage, looking familiar yet foreign all at the same time. Like something he had once dreamed of. He got out of the car and rested his arm on the hood, inhaling deeply as a smile stretched across his face. He could already hear the sound of laughter from inside, and the excitement he felt made his heart feel lighter than it had in months. The memories that he had made here as a child were some that he treasured most dearly. From orange and white gingham tablecloths spread across four long tables and napkin turkeys on each plate, to huge Christmas trees surrounded entirely by stacks of presents and enough hot cocoa to last for weeks, this cottage was his home for the holidays. His grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all gathered into one house every year. When Blaine turned eight, the trips stopped entirely.

Sixteen years later, they were finally returning. Blaine had asked his mom once when he was older why they stopped going, and she had simply explained that his dad had a falling out with her parents, and they had mutually decided not to see them anymore. Blaine always had a feeling that that his mother had very little to do with that decision. That suspicion was further confirmed when his father passed away six months ago from a heart attack, and they were finally returning to the cottage.

Blaine felt a thrill when his mom had texted him and his older brother, Cooper, and informed them that she'd be attending Christmas with the family this year, and she would be delighted if they would both come as well. Blaine, a music education teacher at an elementary school in New York, replied immediately that he would be there. Cooper had given some very Cooper-like response about having to make sure he didn't have any life-changing auditions or essential reshoots he had to be present for. Three days later, he texted back and said he would be there.

Bags in tow, Blaine trudged up the snowy path, pushed open the front gate and made his way inside. His mother was the first person to greet him, hurrying out of the kitchen to throw her arms around him excitedly. He dropped his bags beside him and wrapped his arms around her, smiling into her dark hair, "Hi mom," He greeted and she pulled back to grab his cheeks in her hands.

"I'm so happy you're here!" Pam exclaimed, her eyes wrinkled in the corners from how brightly she was smiling.

She led Blaine up to the third floor where his room would be. It was on the small side, only a full size bed and a dresser. "Cooper and I are sharing this?" He asked curiously, lifting his bags up to rest on top of the bed.

Pam shook her head as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, "Oh, Cooper called this morning to tell us he's bringing someone," She shrugged, and Blaine's eyebrows raised in curiosity. He hadn't know Cooper to be dating anyone, but truthfully that was kind of how he liked it. As soon as Blaine would get used to asking about one person, Cooper would have already broken up with them and be on to his next date. It wasn't that Cooper was a bad boyfriend, it seemed, just maybe that he had a few issues with commitment. He normally didn't bother bringing anyone around the family, especially if his significant other at the time happened to be male. They had their dad to thank for that, "They'll be next door."

"Oh, I hope I'm not putting anyone out," Blaine said nervously, but his mother quickly waved his concerns off.

"Please, all of your younger cousins were itching to share a room. That way they can stay up and tell ghost stories."

Pam was the youngest of five children, with two older sisters and two older brothers. Each were married and had children, leaving Blaine with 8 cousins. Cooper, Blaine, and two of those cousins were the only ones who weren't married with kids of their own, but the ones that did have families of their own resulted in him having 6 second cousins. Growing up, it felt like he hadn't had much of a family, but all of a sudden he had an extended family that he couldn't wait to get to know all over again.

Pam informed Blaine that he had been unanimously elected to go pick up pizza for dinner, so he only had a few moments to settle in before heading back outside into the snow to make the five minute drive into town. Cape Elizabeth was kind of a sleepy town, especially when it came to wintertime. It was a little more bustling during the summer with a lot more tourist traffic, but the population was roughly around 10,000 - probably fewer at the moment with people heading somewhere warmer for the holidays. It was home to some of the most photographed lighthouses in the world, and there weren't many corporate businesses. Mostly everything was owned and maintained by the residents of the town. It wasn't hard to find the local pizzeria, but it was rather full when he arrived. It was a Saturday night, and he felt a little guilty placing such a large order to the already busy restaurant. They let him know it would take about thirty minutes before it would be ready. To pass the time, he wandered across the street to a small bookstore.

He perused the stacks, his mind wandering at the idea of relaxing near a roaring fire, a mug of hot apple cider, and a good book in his hand. He was in the used book section and had about four already stacked in his grip when a voice broke him out of his thoughts, "Excuse me," Blaine turned to meet the source of the voice, "Um, hi. Can I ask you a question?"

Blaine felt overwhelmed at the sight of the man in front of him. He swallowed to coat his suddenly dry throat, "Sure, of course."

"I'm looking for something, like ... A little gift. Something to make a good impression, you know what I mean?" It was at this moment Blaine realized, with some amusement, that the man speaking to him thought that Blaine worked here in the book shop.

"Right. Yeah, um, what kind of stuff are they into?"

The other man looked away slightly, as if deeply in thought, "I ... Don't know," He admitted finally, and his cheeks took on a light pink tinge of embarrassment, "This is the first time I'm meeting them. I just need, like, a little thing to say, you know, "thank you for letting me spend the holidays with you while my dad is in the Bahamas". You know?"

Blaine held up a hand to stop the other man and then used it to gesture that he should follow him. He walked quickly up the aisle and stopped at one of the first aisles, making a quick right turn. He stopped in front of the stack of books, drumming his fingers thoughtfully on his lips before reaching forward and grabbing one at a time until he had three, "You can never go wrong with a coffee table book," He prefaced.

"Of course, why didn't I think of that?"

"Number one," Blaine held ump his first choice, flashing the cover to the man before him, "Vanity Fair: 100 Year Edition," He handed it off to the other man, who took it between his fingerless glove clad hands and flipped through a couple pages, "Number two, Joy! Photographs of Life's Happiest Moments," the next book was handed over, "Or my personal favorite, Penis Pokey." Blaine handed over the last book, and the man's eyes went wide with surprise. He flipped the cover open and slowly flipped through the pages, all of amusing illustrations with a medium sized hole poked dead center in the middle for, well ...

The silence dragged on a little too long, and Blaine felt embarrassment settle over him quickly, "That one's just a joke."

To his relief, the other man looked back at him, blue eyes bright with amusement and he finally let out a laugh, "This is really good, actually," He admitted, though he handed it back to Blaine, "But not quite the first impression I'm looking to make. Maybe next Christmas." The man looked over the two choices still in his hands, before raising Joy! up as his winner, "This one's perfect. Thank you, seriously."

Together, they walked up to the cash register, and once there, Blaine rang the small bell on the front desk, and a young woman emerged from the back room to check them out. The other man looked between them slowly, and when recognition settled in, his cheeks burned brightly again. They said nothing as they each paid for their own purchases, and walked out of the store, "You could have told me you didn't work there!" The other man said sharply once they had left, accompanied with a light slap to his shoulder, and Blaine could only laugh.

"Sorry, I didn't want to make you feel embarrassed. I'm a total bookworm anyways, it wouldn't be a bad idea for a side hustle."

The other man shook his head, his cheeks still slightly red. His light brown hair was becoming dusted with snowflakes, and they came to a stop in front of the shop, "Well, thank you. I really appreciate your help."

Blaine shrugged as if to say it was no problem, and extended one hand out, "My name's Blaine."

"Kurt," The other man introduced himself, reaching forward to shake Blaine's extended hand.

"Kurt, well, could I make it up to you?" Blaine inquired, gesturing next door to a small coffee shop, "For misleading you about my occupation, and all."

The other man looked hesitant for a moment, looking down at his watch which lit up long enough for him to check the time. Blaine was sure he was keeping him from something. But before he could backtrack, Kurt was nodding, "That sounds great," He said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pea coat and his purchase hung loosely from his wrist.

They sat together at a small table near the window, cups filled to the brim with coffee atop small saucers with Christmas designed cookies surrounding it. Blaine felt as if he couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt. His skin light as porcelain, his eyes bright with laugh lines already seeping in to the corners. He carried himself with confidence, a self assuredness that Blaine envied. When he spoke, Kurt's voice was melodic, "So you're not a bookstore clerk. What do you do for a living?"

Blaine allowed himself to look away from Kurt to dunk a gingerbread man cookie into his coffee and take a bite, "I'm a teacher," He said, "Elementary school. What about you?"

"I'm in fashion," Kurt replied simply. Blaine could see how that would be fitting. From the pea coat to the bright blue ascot to the white Doc Martens, everything about Kurt was impeccably put together.

"Ah, hopefully you won't judge my outift," He said with a laugh, "I think I got this cardigan three years ago."

Kurt waved his hand dismissively, "Not at all. We can't all be as trendsetting as I am." He was teasing, but 100% true.

The conversation flowed effortlessly, the two of them bouncing off of each other so easily it almost felt familiar. They discovered they were both from Ohio, both participated in their school's show choirs, and graduated only one year apart from one another, Kurt being one year older. When Blaine mentioned he had attended a private school in Westerville called Dalton, Kurt's eyes lit up with sudden curiosity, "That's so interesting, I looked into transferring there, actually," He had said, and Blaine felt a strange ache in his chest as he thought of meeting Kurt earlier, all those years ago in high school. An inquiry from Blaine brought Kurt to admit that he had looked to transfer after being the subject of homophobic bullying. The ache Blaine felt grew even further.

Without hesitation, which he normally felt when talking to new people, Blaine delved into his own personal story. Blaine had told his family and friends that he was gay at the age of 15, though he felt like he had known for so much longer than that. His public school was hosting a Sadie Hawkins dance, and he asked a friend of his who was the only other openly gay kid in their school to go with him. The dance itself had been nice, they got a few sideways glances here and there but still enjoyed hanging out with their friends. When the dance was over, however, they were waiting in front of the school for their ride, and were attacked by a group of upperclassmen.

"It was terrible," Blaine admitted, his eyes slightly unfocused as he spoke, "I broke my wrist and a few ribs. He had it worse, though. They broke his nose, tore his iris, he had to have surgery," He shook his head, looking down. He could see Kurt staring at him, one hand covering his mouth and deep sympathy in his eyes, "My parents started my transfer paperwork the next day. I never set foot back in that place."

"Blaine, I ... I'm so sorry," Kurt said quietly, reaching across the table and placing his hand on top of Blaine's. The touch sent a shiver up Blaine's spine.

Blaine shook his head, "Thank you," He admitted, smiling a little bit, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this all to get so ... Serious," He laughed.

"You don't have to smile," Kurt said seriously, though he was smiling a little bit in return, "And you certainly don't have to be sorry."

A familiar ringtone went off, and both Kurt and Blaine stirred, as if broken out of their trance they had been in. Blaine pulled his phone out of his pocket, found that it wasn't his ringing, but that he was about fifteen minutes late on picking up his pizzas. Kurt let out a breath and smiled apologetically at Blaine, "Sorry," He raised the phone to his ear and turned his head slightly, as if to make the conversation more private, "Hello?"

Blaine cleared his throat and typed out a quick text to his mom, letting her know he'd be home soon. He couldn't help but listen in on Kurt's phone call, "Yes, of course, I'm sorry. I'm a few minutes away ... Of course, yeah. See you soon." He hung up and was quick to stand. Blaine hurried to do the same, not quite ready to leave his side yet, "I'm so sorry, I lost track of time completely," Kurt admitted, grabbing his bag that contained his book off of the floor, "I have to go."

"Right, of course, but maybe I could ... Get your number!"

Kurt was out of the door, but Blaine was hot on his trail, "I don't ... I don't know if that's a good idea," Kurt said, crossing to his car. It looked like a rental, which meant Kurt probably didn't live here full time. They hadn't quite gotten to that part yet.

Blaine's steps stuttered for a moment, feeling suddenly rejected that Kurt didn't want to see him again, "Oh."

Kurt looked back at him, his face apologetic, "I'm sorry, it's not ... I'm seeing someone," He said as he came to a stop by the car, "And it's ... It's new."

Nodding numbly, Blaine looked down at his feet, clearing his throat quickly, "It doesn't have to be ... Anything, you know, just ... Two people finishing a conversation. I don't know about you, but I don't ... I don't meet people I feel this connected to everyday."

Silence took over for just a moment, but the smile that found it's way to Kurt's lips made the tension in Blaine's shoulders relax. He reached into the rental car and grabbed a pen, and then fished his receipt from the bookstore out of his bag. He wrote down the numbers quickly and then handed it off to Blaine, who instantly tucked it into his pocket.

"I'm not here for very long," Kurt said, his voice soft, "So ... Call soon."

Kurt was in his car and driving away before Blaine could do anything more than wave goodbye. He took in a deep breath and glanced around, a smile stretching across his face as he hurried to the pizza parlor. He offered his apologies to the workers for being late for his pick up, before he headed back home, eight pizzas warming his front seat. Once there, he looked down at his phone, where his mom had replied to his text.

Great! Cooper got here a little after you left, he can't wait to see you.

Blaine walked inside, a spring in his step, and joyfully announced, "Pizza's here!" as he made his way into the kitchen. No sooner than he had set down the boxes were there about five sets of hands working on opening them up and grabbing slices out, comments of "I'm starving!" and "Finally!" exchanged to Blaine as a thank you. He didn't mind.

"Squirt!" Cooper's voice broke out across the room, and Blaine turned on his heel, excitement coursing through him as he saw his brother.

"Coop," He responded, walking forward and wrapping him in a tight hug. They hadn't seen each other since their father's funeral, and the thing Blaine was most excited to do during this trip was spend time with him. They had a bit of an age difference between them, 8 years, so they never were really as close as either one of them wanted to be.

"It's about time you turned up, I've been waiting here for like an hour!" Cooper returned the hug, tousling Blaine's hair a little as they pulled back. Pam joined in on the embrace, and Blaine was positive he hadn't felt this happy in a long time.

"Yeah, what took you so long? Was the wait terrible?" Pam asked, hands placing on her slender hips.

Blaine shook his head, "Not too bad, but um ... " He hesitated, wondering if he should even say anything. Against his better judgement, he continued, "I kind of ... Met someone."

"Really?" Pam inquired, her eyes bright and a smile on her lips.

"Here?" Cooper said in disbelief.

"Yeah ... I don't know. He gave me his number, but it's ... I don't know."

"You don't know?" Cooper parroted, looking at Blaine like he was crazy, "You've gotta hit him up, man. Not right now, of course, that'd be way too soon, but tomorrow!"

Pam nodded her agreement, "Absolutely."

"I don't know," Blaine repeated dumbly, his mind still focused on the fact that Kurt had said he was seeing someone.

"Hang on," Cooper said, leaving their embrace for a moment, leaving Blaine and his mom.

"Does he live here? Or is he in town visiting as well?" Blaine didn't have time to answer.

"Come on, we need your advice," Cooper's voice interrupted, and he pushed his way back into the kitchen, someone in tow, "Blaine here met a total hottie while he was out picking up pizzas," He explained, and Blaine rolled his eyes a little in embarrassment before his blood ran cold. The person Cooper had in tow, hands clasped between them, was looking at him with familiar bright blue eyes.

Kurt.

"Oh?" Kurt said, the same look of panicked recognition on his face that Blaine was sure was mirrored on his.

"Yeah, so we're trying to convince him that he should definitely hit him up, tomorrow, of course, not tonight."

Blaine finally seemed to find his voice, "No, no, it's not ... He told me he was seeing someone," He said stupidly, not sure of what else to say.

"Well, that's not your problem," Cooper retorted, looking to Kurt for a look of agreement.

Oh, if only that were the case.