Wes was still insistent that Kurt had saved the entire show. Kurt was still blushing, but had stopped humbly denying it.

The curtain had fallen, a few acts after Kurt and Blaine's duet of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside', while the Warblers were performing backing singing to the closing number: a rewritten duet version of 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' that Blaine had presented Kurt with a few days previously, looking as proud as a peacock.

Kurt was still buzzed after the performance when he and Blaine were walking out of the school half an hour later. The Warblers had been enlisted to help with the clean-up but after a while David suggested that the two of them go home early to make up for all the work they'd put in, and was met with murmurs of agreement from the other boys. So, they were walking through the dark car park, white breath whipped away by the breeze.

"Are you driving home?" Blaine asked conversationally.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded. "Dad, Finn and Carole left already and I have my car from rehearsals earlier." He looked at Blaine suddenly. "Do you want a lift?"

Blaine looked surprised by the offer. "No, don't worry. I won't bother you with that."

"What, you don't trust my driving?" Kurt asked jokily. He motioned and made a beeline for his car. Blaine followed him obediently, smiling.

Once inside the car, Kurt put on the heating and tried to rub some warmth back into his freezing fingers before checking his hair in the driver's mirror. Blaine subtly turned on the radio while Kurt was preoccupied.

Hearing the music, Kurt looked at Blaine and saw a very innocent-looking face. Kurt rolled his eyes and laughed. "I should have known the radio'd be the first thing you saw." He put the car into drive and pulled out onto the road. "I've never seen your house," he commented.

Blaine shrugged. "Not much to see," responded, surprisingly reserved.

Kurt frowned. "Why's that?" he asked.

Sigh. Breath. Pause. "My dad's in it," was Blaine's final answer.

"What's wrong with your dad?" Kurt asked, a horrible feeling pooling in the pit of his stomach.

"Well, nothing, especially, I guess," Blaine answered. "But... he doesn't really get me."

"Is it about you being gay?" Kurt glanced off the road to look at his friend.

"No. Well. Yes and no."

Kurt sighed. "What, then?"

Blaine sounded as though he needed to get something off his chest. "Just – my piano playing, and being in the Warblers – he doesn't 'approve'," he ranted. "And he always says how he wants to connect with me but he'll build cars with me and we'll fish – he took me hunting once, about a year ago. He tried to pick the most masculine thing he can think of to do with me and he called it bonding, you know? He doesn't even ask me what I want to do."

Kurt wanted to hug Blaine and never let go, but his hands (lucky for the Vauxhall in front) stayed on the wheel. "I'm so sorry," he said eventually.

Blaine tried to say something in return, but it came out as a teary-sounding "yep".

"So that's why you always come round my house," Kurt said, trying to lighten the mood.

Blaine half-laughed and nodded. "Where your dad will let you teach him how to make brunch? Yeah."

They drove in silence for a few minutes until Kurt broke it by asking which turning he should take to get to Blaine's house.

"So he's never come to see you perform?" Kurt asked.

"Nope. My brother comes, sometimes, when he's in the area."

"I didn't know you had a brother, Blaine," Kurt gasped in mock shock that he'd never been told.

Blaine laughed. "Well, I don't talk about him much because he's hardly ever in Ohio. He works in telly – although it's not really going anywhere right now. I think he's got an audition for some commercial." He sighed. "But it leaves me at home with my parents."

"What about your mum?" Kurt said.

"She's great and all, but she'll side with my dad on everything." Blaine leaned his forehead against the window. "And she's a nurse, so her work hours are all over the place and I don't see her that much." He looked up, suddenly aware of what he'd said. "Oh my god – not that – I didn't – "

Kurt almost laughed. "Don't worry, Blaine. It's fine." It was always awkward for Kurt when someone brought up his mother while talking about theirs. "So it's just you and your dad, huh?"

"Yeah," Blaine sighed again. "Pretty much. And so it kind of sucks."

Kurt felt terrible for Blaine, and it was with reluctance that he pulled the car over outside Blaine's house.

"You could sleep over at my house?" he suggested hopefully.

Blaine laughed quietly and undid the seatbelt, looking at Kurt with his dark eyes. "Thanks for the ride, Kurt. I'll see you on Monday."

And just like that, with a thud of the car door, he'd gone.

It wasn't until Kurt was halfway home that he realised he'd asked Blaine to sleep over and he cringed behind the wheel. Why did he always have to say such stupid things? Him and his big mouth.