The next morning, Sam was waiting on the sidewalk when Blaine pulled up, which was surprising considering the snowstorm that had moved in overnight. He practically dove into the warmth of the car before it was even fully stopped. "Drive, drive, drive," he chanted, leaning close to the heater with a happy sigh.

Raising a brow, Blaine complied and asked, "Making a quick getaway?"

Sam snorted. "Yes. Away from the memories of the conversation I had with Finn last night. First there was the 'No, I did not turn gay, you don't turn gay' talk. Then the bisexuality discussion…I think his eyes crossed a few times, but eventually I just went with telling him to think of a pickier male Brittany. Then it was 'Well, if you like girls, why a guy?' Then it got worse! He started twitching and asked if I knew what I was doing, because he Googled gay sex…."

At that point, Blaine couldn't help but let out a choked bark of laughter. "He Googled…Oh, bad idea!"

"I tried to tell him that, but he's, like, traumatized. I'm just glad Burt and Carole weren't around overhear anything he said," Sam grumbled, shaking his head. "I don't know exactly what he saw, but…."

"It's Finn. Anything Google spat at him for that search would drive him over the edge."

"Yep. He's gone nuts with the side of nervous, can't look directly at me, which I'm hoping will fade in a few days," Sam replied. "Thankfully he was asleep when I got up. He left a couple of condoms by the fruit I played out for breakfast this morning though."

Still biting back giggles, Blaine said, "Hopefully not a banana." When Sam pursed his lips, he laughed harder again. "Seriously?"

"I think it speaks of what a good friend I am that I didn't put the damn thing on the banana and leave it on the table waiting for him."

Pulling into the dark, empty parking lot, Blaine chose a remote space so they wouldn't be disturbed anytime soon. "Sounds like you had an interesting night and morning. Anything I can do to make it better?"

"Well, now that you mention it…."

It took some maneuvering, but they quickly worked out that it was fairly comfortable for Sam to tilt his seat back which would allow Blaine to sprawl on top of him.

Morning make outs were great way to start the day and Blaine didn't know how much time it passed when his phone buzzed. Letting out an unhappy noise, he pulled back from Sam, who did not want to let him go. "I set the alarm so we wouldn't be late," he murmured, groping for his phone as he surrendered to another kiss. "It must be…oh."

"Oh?" Sam mumbled, clearly unconcerned, lips still busy at Blaine's neck.

Thumbing his iPhone, Blaine said, "I just got a text alert. The school called a snow day."

Sam smiled against his skin. "Cool."

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Blaine pushed himself off of Sam, knowing they'd get caught up in each other again if he didn't. Sam blinked in confusion and Blaine grinned. "Okay, plan. I need to stop at the market and pick up some food, so let's do that and then gets snowed in together for the weekend. Mom and Dad are in Europe somewhere, so we'll have the house to ourselves."

"I like that plan," Sam replied, glancing out the window. "It's really coming down out there."

Blaine nodded. "Last I heard, they're predicting two or more feet before the storm moves out. Even higher accumulations if it stalls, which was looking more and more likely as of the 6 AM news."

"Oh, that's gonna be fun to shovel. I've seen your driveway, dude. It'll take forever."

Blaine shrugged. "We have someone who comes out and plows. I usually clear the stairs and the front walk though."

The lot of the local Acme Grocery Store was fairly busy even at the early hour. Clearly, others were stocking up for the weekend as well. There were lots of harried looking parents pushing around carts that contained one or two disgruntled, snowsuit clad toddlers.

Both Blaine and Sam were well-versed in grocery shopping, more so than most teenage boys. As Blaine's parents were rarely around, he was in charge of such things and Sam had been helping his parents with errands for years and now bought groceries for himself, not wanting to mooch off of the Hudson-Hummel's any more than he had to (if she was home, Carol did insist he eat the dinner's she cooked, claiming it was her right as a mother to feed him).

In produce, they gathered array of fruits and veggies before snagging cold cuts and cheese from the deli. Ground hamburger and other meats were picked up the butcher counter before they began down the nonperishable aisles.

Blaine had just selected a large package of tortilla shells when he heard Sam say, "Hey, where's your mom?"

He turned to see Sam crouching by small, pigtailed girl. She shrugged, lower lip trembling. "I don't know!"

"That's okay," Sam was quick to reassure her. "Why don't we have one of the people who work here call her? The service desk is right there."

The girl sniffle then nodded and Sam produced a tissue from his pocket and wiped her nose, big brother instincts clearly flaring up. "I'm Sam," he continued as he took her hand and began toward the counter. "This is my friend Blaine. We're having a snow day. Are you?"

She nodded. "I'm going to be in kinnergarden next year. I'm Sophie."

"That's a pretty name," Blaine told her, which earned a small smile from the girl. He didn't have Sam's experience with children, but some things were universal.

"Do you know your last name, Sophie?" Sam questioned gently. "I'm Sam Evans and you're…."

"Sophie Carter."

"Good job," Sam praised, then stepped close to the customer service counter and waved at the woman working there. "Excuse me, ma'am, this little girl is lost. Her name is Sophie Carter and she's looking for her mother."

The woman's face immediately showed concern. "Oh, it's awful when this happens." She leaned over the counter and peered at Sophie. "You're okay, sweetheart. I'm going to page your mommy. Do you know her name?"

Sophie blinked and even Blaine knew what she was about to say before the word left her mouth. "Mommy."

"I had to try," the woman sighed, then picked up the speakerphone. "We have a missing child at the service desk. Parents, please see if you are missing someone." She then turned to Sam unenthusiastically. "I can keep her back here."

Blaine spoke quickly. "We'll just stay and keep her company. Hey, Sophie, do you like Disney movies?"

She nodded, still hanging onto Sam's hand. "Yes!"

"Me too," he agreed. "Do you have a favorite princess?"

"Rapunzel and Ariel," she declared, then touched her pigtails. "My hair's gonna be long, like Rapunzel. Mommy says so."

She frowned, clearly remembering that her mommy wasn't there at the moment and Sam jiggled her hand. "Sophie, I bet Blaine knows some of the songs from Tangled."

That comment headed off any tears and big eyes turned to Blaine. "You do?"

If it kept her from crying, it was totally worth admitting. "I do. Which you like to hear one?"

"Yes, please!" she nodded eagerly and Blaine met Sam's gaze as he cleared his throat and began.

"All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I've been
Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight
Now I'm here, suddenly I see
Standing here, it's all so clear
I'm where I'm meant to be"

Sophie was gazing at him with rapt attention and around them shoppers at paused to listen. Even the board woman behind the counter looked gob smacked and was openly gaping. Sam was smiling, clear and warm, and expression Blaine eagerly returned.

"And at last I see the light
And it's like the fog has lifted
And at last I see the light
And it's like the sky is new
And it's warm and real and bright
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Now that I see you"

"Sophie!" A woman pushing a shopping cart and wrangling and five other youngsters made her way through the crowd. "Sophie, what have I told you about wandering off?"

"He sang the Tangled song, Mommy!"

"I heard," she said, smiling a little when Sam shepherded Sophie over and continued, "I'm assuming she found you boys?"

Blaine nodded as Sam agreed, "Over by the taco fixings."

"Her oldest brother is about your age. Whenever she runs off, she latches onto the first teenage boy she finds. Thank you both."

Then she hustled her little herd off, saying, "If you're good for the rest of the trip, you can watch Tommy play hockey later."

When they were gone, Sam turned to Blaine. "Hockey. Tommy Carter."

Sophie's older brother was one of the guys who delighted in tossing Slushee's onto the glee club, coming after them with the zeal matched only by a few.

"How did he get such a sweet little sister?" Blame used as they continued with their own shopping.

The roads were starting to get treacherous and Blaine was thankful that he adopted four four-wheel-drive Subaru vehicle when he had turned 16. Cooper had, of course, gone for sports car, but that had seemed needlessly flashy and impractical given the Ohio weather.

Pulling into the safety of the heated garage was a relief. A quick trip into the mud room let them shed damp coats, hats and boots before hauling all the groceries into the kitchen.

Blaine busied himself putting most of the food away, though Sam kept a portion of it out, searching the cabinets and pulling out pots and bowls.

Raising a brow, Blaine said, "It's barely 10 AM."

Within imperious air, Sam waved a wooden spoon at him. "Beef stew is best when you give it time to cook together."

"You're the expert," Blaine conceded. Though he could keep himself fed, it was mostly simple, one step dishes or premade meals. He loved Whole Foods. He got dinner there a lot.

Sam, however, knew how to cook and, in his mind, a snowstorm meant homemade beef stew. Selecting a large pot, he put it on a burner and turned on the heat, pouring in a bit of olive oil.

"Anything I can do to help?" Blaine asked with a smile. "I might be able to burn water, but I can probably manage to cut up some vegetables."

Grinning, Sam nodded. "Yeah, rough chop the carrots, celery and potatoes and put them in a big bowl. I won't need them for a while, but it will be good to have them ready."

While Blaine got to work, Sam neatly diced an onion, then cubed beef, dumping the latter into the now hot oil. He peered into the pot and poked at it with a wooden spoon occasionally.

Once the meat met with Sam's approval, he lowered the flame and poured water in, adding Worcestershire sauce, a garlic clove, a bay leaf, the onion, salt, sugar, pepper, paprika, allspice and a dash of nutmeg. Then he covered the pot. "There. That has to simmer for an hour and a half."

Blaine smiled at him and put the vegetables he had cut up into the fridge. "That's enough time to watch two episodes of Buffy."

Snagging the timer, Sam set it with a nod. "Awesome."

The cuddled under fleece blanket, stealing kisses as they watched The Witch. After a while, Sam murmured, "Is it me, or does Cordelia remind you of Santana?"

"Huh," Blaine replied. "I never thought about it, but yeah…Santana on a low dosage of mood stabilizers."

They popped in Once More With Feeling next, not seeing any reason to proceed in order. "Other than of spontaneous combustion, that curse could be fun," Blaine commented lightly after humming along with one song.

Teasingly, Sam poked him. "Really? You'd risk seeing Jacob Ben Israel serenade his Rachel Berry shrine?"

He frowned. "Okay, maybe not," he agreed, because Jacob was still creepily obsessed with Rachel. Normally, Blaine tried to sympathize with his fellow uncontrollably curly haired people, but Jacob made it impossible.

"I always liked Spike best," Sam commented as they watched Spike sing to Buffy in the cemetery. "He loved so much even when he was evil and then he changed, redeemed himself for love. And he didn't mope around all 'poor me, I got a soul, blah, blah, blah'. No, he took stock of his life and went forward. Kept living, unliving, whatever, without constantly badgering everyone about his super special soul. Spike got a soul too, and it didn't make him like Angel."

"I always shipped Buffy/Spike," Blaine agreed, nodding. "Angel was her first love and they had that whole star-crossed true love thing, but I think they would have just made each of them miserable over time. Buffy and Spike bettered each other."

By the time the episode ended, the timer rang and Sam shuffled out the kitchen, fished the bay leaf and garlic out of the pot then added the vegetables.

Since it was noon, they made sandwiches and ate them will seated at the kitchen counter. Well, Blaine had a sandwich. Sam placed two turkey slices onto romaine lettuce leaves and rolled them up. At Blaine's raised eyebrows, he said, "What? Were any junk food this weekend, some skipping out on the bread carbs."

"Okay," Blaine said slowly and Sam sighed.

"Don't give me those 'I think you have an eating disorder' eyes. Carol does that often enough and I read the pamphlet she gave me. I eat healthy and exercise to keep in shape, but it's not like I have a certain number of calories or carbs in mind. I splurge sometimes when I feel like it, and there's no starving myself or binging and purging as punishment. I'm good."

Blaine blinked. "Carol thought you had an eating disorder?"

"In her head, I think she has me lumped in with Finn and Puck so she assumes I should eat like them. Not gonna happen," Sam said, munching on one of his turkey/lettuce rolls. "Normally, I'd toss some hummus in these, but I didn't think to grab any."

Flicker of concern appeased, Blaine chuckled. "I still don't know how the eat like they do. Remember that party at Santana's last year? The pizza eating contest?"

"Oh God, that was just wrong. Five pizzas. Finn's a big guy but he must have a hollow leg."

It had been nauseating to witness.

They were still contemplating the horror of that party (which had been crazy, even for Santana party. A sophomore had lit himself on fire, but had also put himself out by falling into the pool, Brittany got stuck in a tree while visiting with the squirrels and somehow a freshman had wound up taped to the ceiling with about 100 roles of duct tape) when Blaine's phone buzzed. He looked down at it and smiled. "It's Cooper."

When he tapped face time, his brothers grinning face appeared. "Hey, little brother. I was going to leave a message. Why aren't you in school?"

"Snow day," Blaine replied. "We get a long weekend because of the Snowpocalypse outside."

"Nice," Cooper said. "How are things?"

Since his last visit, Cooper had been keeping in touch more often and he knew about Blaine and Kurt's messy breakup. They weren't super close, but they had a far better rapport than they had in years. "Good. Sam's here. He's making beef stew for us."

Cooper nodded. "Sounds good. Sam…he's the blonde who does impressions, right?"

Sam grinned and Blaine leaned toward him so the phone could catch both their faces. "Yes."

"Hi, Cooper," Sam greeted him genially. "How's California?"

Grinning, Cooper said, "That's part of why I'm calling. I just got a role in a new series! A lead!"

"That's amazing," Blaine replied, delighted for his brother. "What's your part?"

"I'm going to play a stripper who moonlights as a private investigator in New Orleans. It's going to be a really gritty drama, so I'm gonna head to Vegas for a couple weeks, hang out at some clubs, immerse myself in the atmosphere and get to know what makes these guys tick."

"Baby oil, body glitter and self-loathing," Sam said with a small frown. "Sometimes cocaine and diet pills…no personal experience with the last two, thank goodness."

Cooper stared at him from the phone. "Spend a lot of time hanging out in male strip clubs, Sam?"

"Cooper!" Blaine snapped, but Sam just snorted.

"I worked in one for 4 1/2 months. My family had money problems, so I did what needed doing. Yes, I was underage, but my fake ID is really good," he said, nibbling serenely at his lunch.

"Tell Blaine where you got it. His sucks," Cooper replied. "Look, I've got a call on the other line, but I'm totally going to pick your brain, Sam. Talk to you later, Blaine!"

"Baby oil, body glitter and self-loathing?" Blaine questioned as he set down the phone.

Sam shrugged. "Looking back, I'm more settled. It was what it was. Unpleasant, but necessary. When it was happening…It was pretty awful. I didn't want anyone else to know and after I leave the club I have to swing by DQ so Brendan could spray me down with the heavy-duty hose to get the glitter off my skin. I was little messed up about it for a while."

"Totally understandable," Blaine said, because it was.

Letting the topic drop, Sam rose and mixed some cornstarch with water then ladled some of the stews broth into a bowl and mixed in the water/cornstarch, stirring until it became smooth. Then he poured everything back into the pot and stirred some more, turning the flame down to its lowest setting.

"That smells really good," Blaine said, stepping in close to Sam side and slipping his arms around his waist. Sam made a pleased noise and slung his own armor and Blaine shoulders, still slowly stirring with the other hand.

"It's my favorite thing on a cold day," Sam murmured. "This is the fancier version, but you can make a decent meal with just the meat, veggies, cornstarch and water. Good for the budget."

For a few minutes, they stood there in the kitchen, soft music pouring from the iPod dock on the counter. Eventually, Blaine said, "This is nice. Do you think it's weird to feel so…comfortable so soon into a relationship. I mean, isn't there supposed to be a phase of nervousness when you worry about impressing the other person?"

"I think it's fine to be comfortable. It's great and a lot less stressful. We already know and like each other so we don't need to impress each other," Sam said, smiling down at him. "We can be ourselves with added kisses and cuddles. That's just all around awesome!"

"Well, if you put it like that," Blaine said with a smile, reaching up to pull Sam down for one of those aforementioned kisses.

The rest of the day was spent watching a selection of Marvel movies, discussing the merits of said movies and making out on the couch, a far more comfy place than the car. Far more intimate as well, without the layers of heavy winter outerwear between them.

Dinner consisted of big bowls of Sam's stew, crusty baguettes and sparkling cider (which Blaine had poured with a laugh. He could have taken wine from the humidor but he didn't want either of them to be tipsy) eaten in front of the fireplace.

After the first bite, Blaine groaned, "Oh my Lord, this taste better than it smells. I didn't think that would be possible."

"Mama taught me well," Sam said with a smile, soaking his baguette in broth and happily eating it.

"Can't wait to meet her," Blaine said lightly, then paused. "I mean, sometime in the future…."

Sam smiled. "This spring, when we stop having to worry about killer snowstorms, we'll pick a weekend and drive over to Kentucky. My family will love you."

"Really?" Blaine was a little surprised. "So, your parents know?"

"Of course," Sam said it like it was a given. "Summer after sophomore year, there was a guy I met at DQ. We really hit it off. I told my folks then."

"And they were okay with your bisexuality?" He prodded, knowing Sam's parents were churchgoing folks and sometimes that didn't mix well with alternate sexuality.

Snorting, Sam grinned. "As long as I'm happy, they're happy. We might be a little country, but mom and dad are like…hold over hippies disguised as blue-collar Christians. Sure, we go to mass on Sunday, but we also knowledge that the Bible was written by a group of men a very long time ago and that some of the ideas really need to be adapted when applied to the modern world."

"More people should think like that," Blaine said with a smile. "My parents…well, they aren't fond of the fact that I'm gay. Not that we were ever close, but now our relationship consists of one or two sightings a month, face time at dad's corporate events, money given in lieu of affection…But they do that to Cooper too, so…."

"Yeah, our families is big on affection affection. Expect lots of hugs. Sing to the kids and they'll latch onto like little monkeys."

It was hard to imagine a family really like that, but the image made Blaine smile. "I'll look forward to our trip."

After dinner, full, stated and changed into comfy pajamas, they lay on a pile of pillows and blankets by the fire, quiet and sleepy, trading soft kisses and touches. Letting his hands roam over Sam's T-shirt clad back, Blaine enjoyed the feeling of firm muscles through the thin cotton. Sam himself was busily getting acquainted with the spot below Blaine's jaw that, when licked or sucked, made him hum with appreciation.

Sliding a hand up under Sam's T-shirt, Blaine grinned, feeling the contrast of soft skin and hard muscle shifting beneath his fingers. "What do you want to do tomorrow?" He murmured, hips rocking gently against Sam, more of a reflex than any real attempt at friction.

Sam pulled back with a smile. "I want to make a snowman."

It took a moment for that to sink in and Blaine grinned. "What? Seriously?"

He nodded. "It'll be fun. We'll play outside and then come in and have hot chocolate and warm each other up."

"Oh, that does sound fun," Blaine agreed, catching Sam's lower lip between his own and tugging slightly, just to hear the little moan he discovered that action drew. Sam's lips were just a soft as they looked and Blaine enjoyed the new freedom he had to experience that first-hand.

One of Sam's hands cupped his jaw, thumb running along nighttime stubble. It seemed to give him pause, but then he smiled. "This is different. But nice."

Blaine smiled at him and leaned close, brushing his cheek against Sam's neck and feeling him shudder a little in reaction. Sam's own skin was still fairly smooth, tiny blondish hairs barely visible and Blaine kissed the corner of his jaw.

It wasn't really intentional, but Blaine shifted closer as Sam did the same and somehow they wound up pressed hips to hips, cocks lined up against each other even through their cotton and flannel pajama pants. The surprising contact and friction tore small gasps from each of them as they rocked slowly together, hands tugging at their shirts, stroking whatever skin they found.

Stretching, Blaine caught Sam's lips, then murmured, "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," Sam breathed in reply, rubbing his nose against Blaine's and letting therefore heads touch for a moment before stealing his own kiss.

What had begun as a sleepy cuddle by the fireplace had grown into something more intense. Warm and enjoyable, a little clumsy, as they were still learning how to interact with each other on this level, urgency quickly building.

Sam was panting slightly, short, even little puffs of breath, and Blaine felt a surge of power that his breathing stuttered when Blaine ground his hips forward with more purpose. Sam pushed back against him, hips hitching forward as he scrambled to grab at Blaine's hips.

The friction was good, not too hard, but not too languid and Blaine tried to set a steady rhythm as he leaned forward to suck on Sam's collarbone. Proving to be a quick study in this situation, Sam mimicked his movements, their hips working together. He gasped a bit when one of Blaine's roaming hands brushed over a nipple, arching to rub his chest harder against Blaine.

The sounds that Sam made, breathy little gasps and deeper moans were kind of amazing and Blaine tried to gather enough mental resources to make a note that he had to make Sam sound like this as often as possible. For the moment though, other things were more important and he pushed on Sam's shoulder, urging him onto his back so he could settle atop Sam.

"Oh," Sam breathed, sounding stunned when Blaine's hips settled heavily onto his own, the new position allowing them to get better leverage. His teeth sank into his bottom lip and Blaine had to lean in and kiss the abused flesh, even as they resumed bucking against each other.

With Sam arching up under him and gasping, Blaine could feel his orgasm building. They moved together, harder and faster, eyes locked, and hands scrambling to clutch at each other. A few more thrusts and Blaine groaned, shaking as his climax hit. He was vaguely aware of feeling Sam cum beneath him as he collapsed, burying his face against the taller boy's throat.

Panting and gasping, they laid in the tangle of blankets before the fire, enjoying the afterglow. One of Sam's big hands trailed along planes back in slow, lazy strokes. Blaine knew that they should get up, should clean up because they'd both just come in their pants, but he couldn't find the energy to do so.

The last thing he was aware of was the feel of lips pressing against the crown of his head.

TBC….