Finn could not stop smiling as he listened to Kurt describe his classes and fellow students at Dalton Academy, frequently interrupting himself to take hearty bites of his sandwich. He had missed his friend these last few weeks. Kurt had kept up with everyone through occasional phone calls and text messages, but it was not the same as seeing and hearing each other in person every day.

It was really nice to see Kurt so relaxed and happy, even though it made Finn feel bad that he had never noticed how unhappy he had been during his time at McKinley. Even the way he ate was different. It was cool but weird to see polite, dainty, calorie-conscious Kurt Hummel mowing through his sandwich and chips with all the enthusiasm of . . . well, of a growing teenage boy!

"What?" Kurt asked, looking at Finn curiously when he noticed the goofy smile that was being aimed his way.

"You're eating."

Kurt frowned down at his plate, which now held little more than crumbs. "Pretty sure that's what your mom gave me the sandwich for," he pointed out. "What were you expecting me to do, put it on the Christmas tree?"

Glad to hear that familiar note of sarcasm, Finn just laughed. "No, I just never see you pack it away like that. Most of the time you hardly eat anything at all."

"I eat," he protested, face turning a little pink at the expressions of disagreement his comment drew from everyone else. "Okay, fine, so maybe I didn't have much appetite for a few weeks. I got over it! I wasn't kidding when I told Dad that my metabolism has been in overdrive lately. These last few weeks, it seems like I no sooner finish a meal than I'm hungry again."

Finn chuckled and stuffed his last few Doritos in his mouth. "Welcome to my world, dude."

"Honey, don't talk with your mouth full," Carole scolded, "And leave your brother alone. I, for one, am thrilled to see that he's got his appetite back."

Kurt and Finn exchanged an amused glance. It was fun to have people refer to them as brothers and Carole was clearly enjoying this new opportunity to have not one, but two sons to spoil.

"Me, too," Burt chimed in, sighing softly as he watched Kurt go to the cookie jar and return with a plateful of frosted sugar cookies, which he placed between himself and Finn. Burt's health had improved markedly in the months since his heart attack but sweets were still mostly forbidden to him. "I was getting kind of worried for awhile there."

"About me?" Kurt said, clearly surprised.

Burt gave him the same sarcastic look he had given to Finn moments earlier, so exactly that Finn nearly burst out laughing. "No, about the neighbor's kid down the street. Of course, you. You always eat like a damn bird when you're upset about something."

They all smiled as they watched Kurt stuff two cookies in his mouth at the same time, chewing thoughtfully as he considered that his eating habits might have become a "tell" to his emotional state. "I didn't know I was that obvious."

"Only to people who love you," Carole said, squeezing his hand in that uniquely motherly way that never failed to bring a shy smile to Kurt's lips.

Finn had once been a little jealous of that, seeing his mom's affections extended to another kid, but now he actually enjoyed it. The same way Kurt had come to view his and Burt's shared obsession with sports with a kind of tolerant affection that had completely wiped out his original jealousy. It made Finn feel warm inside, this proof that the four of them really had become a family.

Clearly wishing to change the subject, Kurt perked up and said, "Speaking of birds, did I tell you guys about Pavarotti? He's this little canary that's mascot for the Warblers. Supposedly, his lineage goes back over a hundred years and it's the job of every new member to look after him until somebody else joins the group."

Burt made a pained face. "Are you telling me there's a live bird somewhere in this house?"

Kurt laughed. "No, Dad, he's back at Dalton. Thankfully Pavarotti doesn't leave school grounds except with a designated handler, so one of the staff members will take him home for the holidays. I've never been as relieved as when they told me I wouldn't have to babysit him over the break. I didn't even want to think about taking care of him with no backup."

"It's just a little bitty canary, how hard could it be?" Finn asked, filching the frosted Christmas-tree Kurt had been reaching for and shooting a triumphant grin when he scowled at the betrayal.

"You wouldn't be asking that if I'd made you share a room with him for the next three weeks," Kurt shot back. "That stupid bird chirps half the night away, even when his cage cover is on, and he eats enough to feed a freaking ostrich! That expression 'eats like a bird' has absolutely no meaning to him. Well, except for a couple of weeks ago when he nearly gave me a stroke because he'd started molting. Apparently, birds lose feathers and get really listless when they're growing a new coat. I had no idea! I was sure I'd accidentally killed him or something. Thought I was about to be the fastest evictee in Warbler history."

They all laughed and Kurt was encouraged to tell a few more silly stories about his new pet and his fellow glee-club members. It seemed that the Warblers were a stiff and serious bunch until you got to know them, but were pretty decent guys under the surface. Kurt appeared to like them all and yet Finn could not shake the impression that he was not really friends with any of them. At least not the way he had been with the members of New Directions. Part of him was glad of that. It was good to know that they all continued to hold a special place in his heart, but at the same time, Finn felt a little sad. It had been a month. Shouldn't Kurt be closer to a few of those guys by now?

The only one Kurt spoke of with any true warmth was Blaine, the one who had sung lead at Sectionals and whose picture Kurt had kept pasted in his locker for his last few weeks at McKinley. Mercedes had met him and reported that he seemed like a sweet person. She had also mentioned that this Blaine guy was gay and Finn couldn't help but wonder if he and Kurt might be a little bit more than friends. Kurt probably wouldn't have told him if they were.

He would have to press for details as soon as they were alone.

"So, what do you want to do with the outdoor lights?" he asked as a lull fell over the conversation. The cookies were gone, so there was no point in hanging around the kitchen any more. "We tested the decorations yesterday and there were a bunch of dead bulbs and stuff, so me and Burt bought a whole bunch of new ones."

"What kind?" he asked eagerly, eyes brightening with anticipation.

Burt smiled indulgently. "Mini-bulbs, big multi-colored bulbs, white twinkle lights, some of those little snowflake things . . . you name it, we probably got it."

Kurt's face had taken on a look Finn usually only saw when he had spotted a designer clothing sale somewhere. He would bet anything he owned that a dozen designs had already been visualized and rejected in the time it took Burt to finish speaking.

"I know exactly what we should do," he said, confirming Finn's thoughts. Clamping a hand firmly around Finn's wrist, Kurt hauled him to his feet. "Let's go get the ladders set up. How are you with heights?"

"Don't answer that," Burt advised quickly. "Let my little spider-monkey handle the rooftop. He's quick and he has absolutely no problem with running around on slanted surfaces. Besides, if you don't follow his exact instructions, he'll just make you climb back up that damned ladder a dozen times until you get it right."

Kurt blushed. "That only happened one time, Dad."

Burt shook his head and held up three fingers, making Finn and Carole laugh and Kurt huffily fold his arms over his chest. The dimple that popped into Kurt's right cheek gave him away and he was soon laughing too.

"All right, maybe more than one time," he admitted sheepishly, "but you have to admit, it looked fantastic when we were done."

"Yeah, it did," his father agreed with a chuckle. "That doesn't mean I'm not happy to avoid the chore, though. You two kids have at it. Go nuts! Just remember that this is new for Finn and let him have some of the fun, too, okay? Don't just put him to work and forget about letting him have a say in what goes where."

Kurt nodded. "I promise. I've earned a whole new appreciation for the need for every member of a team to have their opinions respected."

The parents nodded agreement and the boys grabbed jackets, hats and gloves and headed outside. It was a cold, crisp day with only a slight breeze and they both breathed deeply of the fresh winter air. It felt like a perfect day for decorating.

Finn led the way to the garage where the light sets had been temporarily stored, along with three different sizes of ladder. "What did you mean by that?" he asked as they began making trips back and forth, moving everything outside for easy access.

"By what?" Kurt asked, poring over the light strings with eager eyes.

"Having your opinions respected," Finn said, following Kurt's instruction to start by wrapping the first string of mini lights around the wide porch column.

Kurt shrugged, evenly feeding out the string as Finn wound it higher around the pole. "Individuality is not as highly prized as team conformity in the Warblers," he explained. "It's a little hard to get used to, but the system seems to work for them and I can't deny that the end result is worth the trouble."

"They are really good," Finn agreed. "Or, I guess I should say you guys are really good. Somehow I still can't get used to thinking of you as a Warbler."

He laughed. "Sometimes, neither can I," he admitted. Casting a critical eye upon their work as Finn reached the end of the first string, he decided, "That looks good. Let's hook a string of the larger frosted bulbs in next. Do you want to go straight across or weave it to the upstairs and around the window?"

Pleased that his opinion actually was being sought, Finn said, "It'd be really cool to have lights around all the windows and up and down the roof ridge. Maybe we could do white around the windows and color for the rest?"

Kurt studied the outline of the house for a moment, and then nodded. "I like it. Let me pull the ladder over so I can get up there."

Finn's intention to grill Kurt about Blaine was quickly forgotten as they became more involved with their work and the excitement of watching their vision come to life. Burt had not been joking about Kurt's lack of fear when it came to scrambling over rooftops. Even when he was standing all the way up on top of the ridge pole with his hands on his hips like some kind of modern day Peter Pan, Kurt did not look nervous at all. In fact, Finn was more concerned watching him than Kurt seemed to be about risking his neck.

Quickly, their design took shape as new ideas were considered and rejected. Kurt's desire to hang snowflake lights from the gutter beat out Finn's preference for candy canes, and Kurt argued vehemently against the tackiness of putting a light-infused Santa and reindeer sleigh on the roof, pointing out that they did not even have a chimney, but Finn gave him the full power of the puppy dog eyes and managed to win that one easily. He regretted it as soon as he realized that the sleigh was too heavy and awkward for one person, so he would have to climb up on the roof, but Kurt's enthusiastic chatter about all the places he wanted to go Christmas shopping managed to distract him sufficiently to get through the ordeal.

Christmas carols kept spontaneously bursting out of their lips and so they sang as they worked, blithely ignoring running noses and cold digits as the temperature continued to drop throughout the afternoon. Neighbors frequently left their houses to watch the decorating process and invariably smiled at the two merrily singing workers.

They kept going tirelessly for several hours until at last Carole came out to check on them.

"Wow," she said as she took in the display. "You boys really outdid yourselves! I think you'd better come inside, though. It's getting dark and you can finish up tomorrow."

"No need," Kurt told her, climbing quickly down the medium sized ladder next to the porch and hooking up the final string of lights to the circuit protector Finn had installed and hidden behind the edge of the porch rail. "Your timing was perfect."

Finn stuck his head inside the house and yelled, "Hey, Burt, we're all done! Come out and see!"

In moments, Burt Hummel joined his wife and boys on the lawn as Finn nodded to Kurt.

"I think Carole should do the honors," Kurt decided, grinning and giving her an exaggeratedly gallant bow as he pointed to the control switch.

"I'd love to," she agreed, face filled with eagerness. They each took a deep breath as she flipped the switch, hoping there was not going to be a short circuit somewhere to ruin things, but everything lit up beautifully.

Burt laughed, throwing his arm around Kurt's shoulders. "The electric bill for all those lights is going to put me in hock, but you guys did a great job!"

"Oh, look at the little Santa sleigh!" Carole pointed out, drawing a smug look from Finn and an eye roll from Kurt. "And the snowflakes! And the window lights!"

Her pure, child-like delight in their work had the two artists puffing up with pride.

"It looks fantastic," Burt agreed indulgently, "but right now I think we better get you guys inside before we end up adding a couple of ice-sculptures to the lawn. Come on."

The mention of the dropping temperature seemed to remind Kurt exactly how long he had been outside, for he suddenly shivered from head to toe. Finn felt cold just looking at him. Thoroughly satisfied with his first experience as an outdoor light decorator, he generously offered, "I'll put the ladders and stuff away if you want first dibs on a hot shower."

Kurt flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Finn. And thanks for doing all of this with me. It was a lot of fun."

He nodded happily. It had barely begun and he already knew that their first family Christmas was going to be completely awesome.