December 1920
Kurt
Kurt clutches Blaine's hands for dear life, while Blaine effortlessly glides backwards. Kurt thinks he might have found his balance on the ice, but it's a good excuse to hold hands in public. Kurt has no idea how Blaine isn't bumping into people on the busy ice rink in Central Park.
"Fancy getting some hot chocolate?" Blaine asks.
"That's a really good idea. We've been out on the ice for an hour now. I'm freezing."
Blaine slows them down and spins so that he is skating next to Kurt, with their arms tucked together to support Kurt. They get off the ice and change into their boots, then return the ice skates to the rental stand. They make their way to the nearby restaurant, and Kurt gets them a table while Blaine goes to the counter. Kurt isn't the least bit surprised when Blaine arrives with not only hot chocolate but a large cookie to share.
Kurt's hands heat up when he holds the mug of hot chocolate. "It's amazing to think that the city drains the lake to a level that ensures that it freezes each year."
"I know! Uncle Hiram told me that the lake is connected to the City's water system so that they can regulate the level. New York City is an incredible place to be during the winter."
"How did you get to be so good at ice skating?" Kurt asks.
"I learnt to ice skate at The London Glaciarium in Chelsea."
Kurt often forgets that Blaine is the son of an earl; he's such a down-to-earth person. However, every now and then, he's reminded that Blaine has led a privileged life, which includes ice skating at an artificial ice rink in London.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Blaine asks.
Kurt can see the hopeful look in Blaine's eyes. Now that they are apart from their families over the Christmas holidays, Blaine is quite keen to find new things for them to do.
"You know, I really did enjoy ice skating. I think that I'm going to take lessons to learn how to skate properly."
Blaine's face lights up. "We can make ice skating in Central Park part of our own Christmas tradition."
Kurt would do anything - even climb the tallest mountain if that's what it takes - to keep that smile on Blaine's face.
K&B
"Happy Christmas, my love."
Kurt opens his eyes to see Blaine pouring a cup of tea. No matter what time he wakes up, Blaine beats him to it. Blaine always has a loving smile on his face and a cup of tea at the ready. It's hard to believe that once upon a time, he was the one rising early to wake up Blaine. When Blaine bends down, Kurt automatically tilts his head to receive a kiss.
"Happy Christmas to you, too."
"I've already made the batter for blueberry lemon pancakes. I'll go cook the sausages and bacon while you get dressed."
While Kurt drinks his cup of tea, he recalls the past few weeks. It's been very busy in the tavern with people getting together before the Christmas holidays. On their time off, Kurt hasn't seen much of Blaine during the day - he's been busy buying Christmas presents. They must be some pretty special presents to take all of Blaine's spare time.
Kurt makes quick work of his morning routine and goes to the living room to fill Blaine's stocking hanging on the hearth. He notices that his stocking is lumpy as well.
Kurt joins Blaine in the kitchen, and it smells absolutely delicious, with various frying pans on the hobs. Kurt notices that in place of the usual daisies, there are a dozen red roses in the shell case that Blaine turned into a beautiful vase when he was in the trenches during the Great War.
"Perfect timing, Kurt," Blaine says as he flips the last pancakes.
Kurt walks up to Blaine, pressing his body against Blaine's back, and wraps his arms around him. "I absolutely love the roses, darling. They are so beautiful."
Blaine leans back into Kurt's arms. "You're beautiful, too."
Blaine might be a pro at delivering cheesy lines, but Kurt loves them. "Everything smells so good. I'm one lucky fellow to live with a chef."
"I've got other talents, you know?" Blaine smirks.
"Trust me, I know all about those other talents, too," Kurt laughs.
They sit down to eat, and Kurt piles his plate with the offerings. "This breakfast is so huge, I'm not sure if I'll be able to eat another big meal today."
"That's exactly what I had planned. I don't want to spend my entire Christmas Day in the kitchen. I cooked twenty turkeys and all the trimmings for Thanksgiving. I thought we could eat something simple out."
Kurt appreciates that Blaine needs a day off from kitchen duties. "Do you know what I would really like to eat later? Fish and chips! I haven't eaten them since I left England, and there is that shop nearby that does them. Hopefully, it will be open on Christmas Day. We could get fish and chips as a takeaway and eat here."
"That sounds perfect. I've made mince pies, and we have Mrs Sylvester's fruitcake. Maybe we could turn it into a picnic in front of the fireplace. Remember how we did that back in London and Dower House?"
Kurt smirks, "If my memory serves me right, the picnics always ended with us racing upstairs to the bedroom."
Blaine waggles his eyebrows. "This time, we'll be in our own house, and we won't have to leave the living room."
Kurt giggles because Blaine is so transparent in his wishes. If truth be known, he's hoping that Christmas Day will end in a very special way as well. As they eat their breakfast, Kurt can see Blaine practically vibrating on his chair, excited about something.
"What's up with you? It looks like you've got ants in your pants."
Blaine blushes, and Kurt thinks he looks adorable. "I might be excited to give you your Christmas present."
"Why don't we do the cleaning up quickly and then go to the living room to see what Father Christmas brought us?" Kurt suggests.
Blaine jumps up from the table and starts to clear the dishes into the kitchen. Just as they are putting away the last plate, the telephone rings. They both rush to the telephone in the corridor, and Blaine answers it. "Greenwich Village 2214."
"Yes, this is Sir Blaine Anderson."
"Happy Christmas, Grandmama. It's wonderful to hear your voice once again."
"No, it's still morning here. We haven't opened our presents yet."
Kurt leans against the wall as Blaine chats to his grandmama and other family members.
"Yes, Kurt is here with me. Just a moment."
Blaine hands over the candlestick telephone, and Kurt places the handset to his ear. "This is Kurt."
"Happy Christmas, Kurt," his father greets.
"Happy Christmas, Father. Are you having a nice day?"
"We've had the best Christmas lunch since before the Great War - turkey and all the trimmings. Thank the Lord that food rationing is over and we had a good harvest."
"Have you exchanged presents yet?"
"The Andersons gave Mrs Hummel and me new furniture for our cottage. I really want to thank you for the baseball cap. It fits me perfectly, and I can already tell that I'll get a lot of use out of it. The flannel shirts are lovely too. You know what I'll be wearing when I'm pottering around the cottage."
"I'm glad. I thought of you as soon as I saw them."
"How are things with you, Kurt?"
"I'm really happy. I'm truly settled in at Blaine's place in Greenwich Village. I can't imagine living anywhere else. It's perfect."
"Very well. Can you and Sir Blaine share the telephone handset? There are so many of us here that want to wish you both a Happy Christmas."
Kurt waves Blaine over and they both have their ear to the handset. "Happy Christmas, Hummel. It's Blaine, here."
"Happy Christmas, Sir Blaine. This telephone call must be costing your father a fortune. Everyone has decided to send their greetings at the same time."
Blaine and Kurt give each other a quizzical look until they hear the piano start to play.
Joy to the World; The Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King;
Let every Heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and Nature sing.
Blaine and Kurt smile at each other while they listen to both the Anderson family and the downstairs staff sing them a Christmas carol. Kurt can make out Cooper singing very loudly and Mercedes' fabulous soprano voice.
He rules the World with Truth and Grace,
And makes the Nations prove
The Glories of his Righteousness,
And Wonders of his Love.
When the carol finishes, Blaine says his final goodbye to his mother. Blaine sets down the telephone on the credenza and wipes a tear from his eye. Kurt moves toward Blaine and simply holds him.
"I know how difficult it is to be away from your family on Christmas Day. I miss everyone, too. Before you know it, the summer will be here, and we'll be in Westerville to visit."
Blaine nuzzles his face into Kurt's neck. "I know that, but I haven't spent Christmas at Westerville Abbey in five years."
"I know what will perk you up. Let's go to the living room to see what Father Christmas has left for you."
When they arrive in the living room, Blaine looks excitedly at his stocking hanging on the mantel. Kurt removes the stockings before lighting the timber in the fireplace. He places Blaine's stocking on his lap before he sits down. Blaine's stocking contains a pack of chewing gum, saffron threads, an apron that has 'kiss the cook' printed on the front, a bow tie, sandalwood shaving cream, chocolate, and a fountain pen.
"These are really great things. I can't wait to figure out how to use the saffron in a recipe."
Blaine sets a stocking on Kurt's lap. In addition to the traditional orange and chocolate coins, there is a sewing thimble, spools of thread, a red apple pin cushion, and the latest Vogue magazine. Blaine obviously took great care to buy him things that he needs.
They make quick work of the presents sent from Westerville Abbey - books, a bottle of port, English food delicacies, and of course, Mrs Sylvester's fruitcake. When they have finished unwrapping the last present, Kurt says, "Your present from me was too large to put under the tree. I'll need some help to get it from the cellar."
Blaine jumps off the sofa. "Now I'm really intrigued."
Kurt leads them downstairs to the cellar, where a large box is sitting in a dark corner. They slowly carry the heavy box upstairs to the living room. Blaine carefully opens the box, that is stamped with the words 'Columbia Grafonola', to discover a tall wooden cabinet.
"I say, this is nice. I'm sure you've already decided where it should go when you bought it. Where do you want it?"
Kurt indicates a space in the corner of the room, and they push the heavy cabinet over to the space.
"Should we use it as a drinks cabinet?" Blaine asks.
"Why don't you lift the top up?" Kurt suggests.
When Blaine lifts the top, he exclaims, "It's a gramophone! But where is the horn for the sound?"
"It's actually called a Victrola. The horn and other bits are concealed in the screened-in section in the center of the cabinet. That's where the music comes out. It's also electric so we don't have to crank a handle every disc or two. We can use the bottom of the cabinet to store the discs. I thought we might go buy the music together."
Blaine opens the bottom section to reveal the storage space. "This is such a wonderful present, Kurt! I've missed listening to music since I left Uncle Hiram's townhouse. Let's have a party on New Year's Eve and christen it. I'm thinking of something small with just our family. I doubt that they have plans, with Carole being a newborn. Finn and Rachel can bring a cradle for her to sleep in."
"Since we have today off, won't we have to work on New Year's Eve?" Kurt asks.
"Nope," Blaine replies, smacking his lips together with a pop.
"That's a little strange. I can't believe that the Healy brothers don't want their head chef and waiter on New Year's Eve."
"I refused to work on New Year's Eve. They weren't happy about it, but I was quite firm, and they eventually relented."
While Blaine has inspected every nook and cranny of the cabinet and Victrola, Kurt looks around and sees no additional presents. It's a little strange that Blaine didn't buy him a present, given that he was away shopping so often the last few weeks.
"What do you want to do today? Perhaps we should take a walk in Central Park?" Kurt suggests.
"I still have to give you your Christmas present. Like your present to me, it's too big to fit under the Christmas tree. As a matter of fact, it's not even in the house. We need to go out for me to give it to you."
Kurt is curious as to what this Christmas present might be. Perhaps Blaine was afraid that he would find it in the house. After all, there aren't too many hiding places.
Blaine is practically bouncing on his heels. "Do you want to go get your present now?"
Kurt laughs and agrees. They put on their winter coats, hats, and gloves and set out.
"We can walk to our destination," Blaine reports.
They walk a block to Washington Square, and Kurt assumes they will be taking the subway, but Blaine leads them to the north side of the square, and stops at an old abandoned building. The windows are boarded up and Kurt can't see what's inside. He's surprised when Blaine opens the entrance door with a key from his keyring. When they enter the building, Blaine switches on the lights.
Kurt looks around at the dusty space. It looks as if it was once a nightclub. There are a few tables in the open space, and a long bar along one wall. It certainly hasn't been used for years, if not decades.
Blaine hands him an envelope, and Kurt carefully opens it. Inside is the title deed for the property in both of their names. "You bought us a building?"
"Not just any building, Kurt. It's our new restaurant!"
Kurt tries to take in what Blaine has just said. "What do you mean, our new restaurant?"
"I've bought the building so that we can open a restaurant. You said yourself that we should consider leaving Haley's Tavern. I racked my brain trying to figure out where we could work. Then it came to me - we should open a restaurant ourselves. We have plenty of ideas on how a proper restaurant should be run."
Kurt shakes his head to make sure he isn't dreaming this.
"I think we can get about 30 tables in this space, maybe more. It depends upon how you want to design it. We'll keep the bar for after Prohibition, but in the meantime, we could use it as a soda fountain. You know how much I love milkshakes."
Blaine walks to the far side of the room. "There used to be a platform here. We could use this space as a stage for live entertainment. It would have to be rebuilt, but I think there could be enough room for a piano, a small band, and a performer or two."
Kurt looks around in amazement. "How did you?... I mean, I've thought we should leave Healy's Tavern, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to own a restaurant."
"Last month, when you suggested that we leave Healy's Tavern, I thought things over. I want more control of how the kitchen is run and the food on the menu. Your talents are wasted as a waiter. You told me that one day, you wanted to manage a restaurant. Well, my love, that day has come."
"I would manage the restaurant?" Kurt squeaks.
"As if we would get anyone else to do it. Trust me, Kurt, you're ready for this."
"How can we afford this?"
Blaine replies, "I used some of my trust fund, and Rachel provided the rest of the money as a loan. She will also supply money to renovate the place. We start paying her back when the restaurant opens. We've seen her lawyer and signed legal documents to make it official and above board."
Kurt shakes his head in disbelief. "Rachel is very generous when it comes to you, but this really is beyond anything I can imagine."
Blaine chuckles. "Well, Rachel is charging us interest on the loan. She thinks the restaurant will be a great success. She believes in us."
"But the title deed is in both of our names."
Blaine holds Kurt's hand. "This is our business. You'll manage the front of the house while I manage the kitchen. We're partners, and you need to own the property, too. I signed the loan papers in my name only, and if something happens to me, you'll own the property outright. Rachel agreed to that."
Tears well up in Kurt's eyes, and he hugs Blaine, clutching on to him tightly. "Blaine, I don't know what to say. I never thought that I would own property. This isn't just a Christmas present. It's more like a promise of a lifetime together, building our own business. I love it… I Iove you."
"I love you, too. Let me show you the kitchen."
Blaine takes his hand and leads him into a back area. The white tiles on the walls are chipped and cracked with old age. There are old wooden counters and spaces where the ovens once were located. The linoleum floor is covered with a thick layer of dust, and it's peeling up in places.
"The kitchen needs a complete makeover. I'm glad about that because it means I can design it exactly how I want it. We can lease the kitchen equipment like the ovens, hobs, and refrigerators."
Kurt pokes his head into various storerooms, thinking that one could be turned into a walk-in refrigerator, leaving one to store non-perishable food and the last one to store linens and drinks. There is even space to create a staffroom.
"This is going to be a lot of work to get the restaurant up and running. I think we'll need some help," Kurt comments.
Blaine bounces on his toes. "Finn said he would oversee the work. He's going to find a crew in the new year. He's already interviewing plumbers and electricians."
Kurt looks around once again. "This place has so much potential, and the location is perfect. It's across from the park, and the subway station is a stone's throw away. I can really see this restaurant being successful."
"There are still two more floors. Once the restaurant is operating, I thought we could use part of the next floor as an office. I haven't really given any thought about what to do with the rest of the space. We'll have to save some money before we decide what to do with it."
"Do you have any ideas about its name?"
Blaine shakes his head. "I've thought of all sorts of combinations of our names, but nothing has grabbed me."
"How about we call it Westerville's?" Kurt suggests. "After all, we met at Westerville Abbey. It means something to us."
Blaine claps his hands together. "That sounds perfect. So, are we going to make a go of this?"
Kurt checks their shoulders. "Absolutely. It's like my wildest dream come true."
Blaine pulls Kurt into his arms. "Let's seal the deal."
Kurt kisses him deeply and needy. The man he loves has given him a present of a lifetime. They are now in control of their destiny, and Kurt wouldn't want it any other way. When the need to breathe gets to be too much, Kurt reluctantly pulls away.
"Let's go back home," Blaine suggests.
"Let's skip the fish and chips and pretend we had that picnic in front of the fire."
Blaine's eyes darken, and they rush out of the restaurant to return home.
Author's notes
Many thanks to my fantastic betas - Fearlessly, Lilyvandersteen, Dblmalfunction. I made the last-minute edits and performed the final proofreading by myself, so all mistakes are mine.
I'm HKVoyage on Tumblr.
Next up: Blaine and Kurt host a New Year's Eve party.