The week passed by in a blur of activity for Kurt.
On Monday night, he decorated the family Christmas tree with Finn, Carole and Dad, everybody indulging in hot chocolate and leftover sugar cookies as they worked.
Adding the Hudson ornaments to the usual mix did not caused any difficulties. Kurt's love of fashionable things did not extend to specifically themed Christmas trees. On the contrary, the more colorful, fun and delightfully mismatched the ornaments were, the better he liked the overall appearance. The tree just would not be complete without his mother's glass angels, the sleigh mechanic elves in red and green coveralls that he had given his dad when he was ten, the tiny candle wax lamb that had been Kurt's favorite ornament since he was a baby, the cute little Hallmark ornaments that his grandmother sent every year without fail. Finn's football player Santa Claus, Carole's miniature toy shop, the late Christopher Hudson's wooden rocking horse, and all of the other family decorations collected over the years just made the tree even better.
They had all declared the finished product a masterpiece.
On Tuesday, Kurt spent the entire day with the New Direction girls enjoying another round of holiday shopping, which naturally ended in manicures and facials at Kurt's favorite salon followed by dinner at Breadstix and lattes to go.
Wednesday, Kurt had the house to himself after Finn went to meet Puck and Mike and their parents went to work, so he indulged in a frenzy of cooking and baking while the stereo blasted with holiday music and he busily wrapped all of his gift purchases up in festive paper, ribbons and bows and placed them under the Christmas tree.
The entire family was delighted with the result of his personal holiday extravaganza when they came home to pot roast with all of the trimmings, three different kinds of holiday bread, candy, more cookies and a pan full of bourbon balls – his grandmother's secret recipe. Burt looked a little dubious over that last item but Kurt assured him that there had been no personal sampling of the ingredients.
On Thursday, Burt left the garage early and picked up his son to show off the new house he and Carole wanted to buy. Kurt was thrilled to have a little one on one time with his dad. He loved his new stepmother very much, but part of him could not help longing for the time when it had been just the two of them. Carole seemed to understand this even better than her husband did, for it had been her suggestion that they do this.
"I miss this," he ventured as his dad's truck glided along the quiet, snow-filled streets of Lima. The weather had grown colder as the week progressed and snow had started falling on Tuesday evening, giving the area a six inch coat of white for the holidays. The streets had been quickly cleared but periodic cloudbursts over the next two days had kept the area a winter wonderland. Burt cocked a curious eyebrow and Kurt elaborated, "Spending time together, just you and me. Not that Carole and Finn aren't great! It's just…"
Burt smiled and reached over to grip the back of his neck in a familiar pseudo-hug. "I know what you mean. It was just the two of us for a really long time, wasn't it? I've missed you, too."
He nodded, grateful that he did not have to explain. "Funny thing is I never would have agreed to transfer to Dalton, no matter what it meant for me, if it wasn't for knowing you had them. I'd have hated the idea of you being all alone."
"You never have been able to accept which one of us is the parent in this relationship." His father chuckled when Kurt ducked his head. "I can't say that I disagree, though. If we didn't have them, I still would have transferred you to a different school but I'd have packed up and moved right along with you."
Surprised, he said, "You would?"
"Of course I would. Are you kidding?" he scolded. "You're my son, Kurt. There's nothing more important to me than your safety and happiness. You think I don't worry about how you're getting along at that school, not being able to come home every day or pop into the garage any time you need to talk to me about something? It drives me nuts, especially since I get the idea you're not totally happy with that place."
Kurt's mouth fell open a little. "How did you . . . ? I mean, it's fine. I am happy."
He snorted. "Nice try, kid. You hate those uniforms, and curfews, and required dead languages and that stick up the butt glee club they have over there."
Kurt stared at him in shock. "I . . . I don't hate the Warblers, Dad."
"But you don't love 'em like you did your old club," he confirmed, nodding at Kurt's expression. "Tell me the truth, Kurt. Did I do the right thing by you? Sending you to Dalton?"
Realizing that his father was genuinely worried about the wisdom of his decision, and whether he had traded his son's happiness for the sake of his safety, Kurt's felt his heart swell. "You did the only thing you could," he replied truthfully. "I'm still adjusting to the new order of things and, yes, it's true that I don't love everything about Dalton, but I didn't love everything about McKinley either. In fact, there was a lot about it that I didn't like at all. I miss my friends in Glee, but the last few days have proven to me that I haven't lost them, and I'm making new friends."
"Yeah?" he said, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Real friends, or just boyfriends like that kid Brian?"
"Blaine," he corrected, feeling his face heat up, "and he's not my boyfriend."
Burt's eyes twinkled. "Not yet."
"Dad!" he protested, smacking his teasing father on the arm.
"Hey! I'm driving here," he protested, laughter giving lie to the indignant words. "Seriously, though. You like this kid?"
Kurt studied his face, more than a little surprised that he did not seem upset with the idea. A year ago, the very mention of Kurt feeling romantic towards another boy had been enough to make him squirm with poorly hidden discomfort. Marriage was having a good effect on him, apparently.
Licking his lips a trifle nervously, Kurt admitted, "I really do. I'm just not sure he feels anything for me other than friendship. I'm afraid to say anything in case he doesn't but Finn thinks he's just waiting for me to make the first move. He says I should hit on Blaine."
To his further astonishment, his father actually laughed and said, "Maybe you should."
"What?"
"Why not?" Burt asked lightly. "You don't know how he feels and he doesn't know how you feel, and nobody's going anywhere until somebody releases the brake and takes the car out of park. Why shouldn't that somebody be you?"
Kurt blinked. "You don't think he'll be offended? If . . . if he doesn't like me back, I mean. I don't want to lose the first real friend I've made at my school."
"You told me this kid is gay, just like you, and he's already your friend. Why would it offend him to know that you think he's worth loving?" Burt asked reasonably. "I think he should be damned flattered that you're interested. As for you, I once told you that you'd have to go it alone until somebody as brave and open as you came along. If this guy fits the bill and you want to give him a chance, why shouldn't you go for it?"
A laugh that was filled with tears wrenched from Kurt. "I can't believe you actually said that. I've wanted to talk to you about this for a long time, but I was so sure you'd hate hearing it that I couldn't even bring myself to try."
Gliding his truck into a parking space along the curb on a quiet suburban street, Burt shut the engine off and turned to give his son undivided attention. His bluish-green eyes were serious and filled with a world of love as he reached out and gently caressed Kurt's cheek with his thumb.
"Kurt, I know it hasn't been easy for you these last couple of years. Growin' up and falling in love is hard enough without being gay and having everybody around you saying that the person you love is wrong. It hasn't been easy for either one of us to talk about this, but that's my fault, not yours. I was struggling and I'm not gonna lie about it, but you are who you are, and I love you for every bit of it. I want you to feel that you're able to talk to me about anything." He took a visibly deep breath and smiled. "And that includes guys, if that's what you need to talk about. Just know that if this Blaine character, or any other guy who comes along, doesn't treat you as good as you deserve, then I reserve the right to bury their bodies in a shallow grave."
The tears spilled over even as Kurt burst into laughter, unlatching his seat belt and throwing his arms around his father's neck. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, kid," he said indulgently, rubbing his back and then giving it a firm pat. "Now, you ready for the grand tour?"
Wiping his cheeks with both hands, Kurt looked out the window in surprise. "Is this it?"
The cute little two story, yellow-painted house beside them had a For Sale sign poking up from the snow covered front yard.
"This is the one. I called the Real Estate lady and asked her to let us in, so it should be open."
Eager to see the inside, Kurt quickly hopped out of the vehicle and jogged up the picturesque stone circles planted along the middle of the yard. Burt followed him at a slightly slower pace. The front door was indeed unlocked and as the Hummels entered the wide wood-floored entryway, a smiling red-haired woman in a festively red, skirted business suit hurried forward to meet them.
"Mr. Hummel, it's so nice to see you again!" she chirped. "And this must be Kurt."
He shook hands politely. "Nice to meet you, Miss Hathaway," he replied, reading the name tag pinned to her lapel.
Leaving his father to chat with the agent, Kurt silently requested and received permission to walk around the house on his own. He started at the bottom. Like their own, this house had a basement, but it had clearly been designed as a storage area rather than somewhere a person might choose to live. Open washer and dryer hookups were visible along one wall and someone had built wooden shelves onto the other side. The only illumination came from a set of three naked light bulbs dangling at regular intervals along the ceiling.
He shrugged, not impressed. It was serviceable but nothing special.
Going back upstairs, he checked out the kitchen and felt a little more pleased. The space was twice the size of the one at home and filled with cupboard and work space. A double sink, dishwasher, new gas range and a large side by side refrigerator/freezer were already installed. Kurt's eyes lit up when he realized that the small door to one side led to a separate pantry, built with shelves, storage boxes and cunning little hooks for brooms, dishpans and other necessary items.
The dining room was cozy but adequate. Living room, a bit smaller than he had expected but it would hold all of their furniture without any difficulty and it was also floored in the same smooth, polished hardwood as the entryway, which he liked very much. There was a half bathroom beside the staircase and another small room that was probably intended as an office or den.
Upstairs, Kurt found a full bath with a deep, old-fashioned tub that sent a thrill through his body. It was equipped with a separate shower stall, toilet, sink and plenty of room to move around in. That was good. He hated cramped bathrooms. Like the kitchen, it also had built in shelves and cupboards. He could easily picture his wide array of personal products lining those shelves.
The house had four bedrooms! A master suite with its own private bathroom, perfect for Dad and Carole, two decently sized second bedrooms where he could picture himself and Finn enjoying their own forms of independence, and another slightly smaller room that could function as a spare bedroom or maybe even a game room.
"Well, what do you think?" Burt asked, coming upstairs and smiling as he found Kurt standing in the middle of one of the bedrooms, looking around at the wide walk-in closet and large double-sided window with speculative eyes, his hands pressed to his lips.
"I like it," he decided. "The walls definitely need to be repainted and this carpeting looks like it's been here since Nixon was president, but I can work with it. I think we could all be really happy living here."
Burt nodded, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "I think so, too. So do Carole and Finn."
"Finn didn't already claim this room, did he?" he asked anxiously. The other bedroom had not suited his taste nearly as well as this one, in spite of the ugly carpeting.
"Nah, that closet pretty much volunteered this room as yours, all by itself," he chuckled.
Kurt grinned. His family knew him far too well. "Are you going to make an offer?"
"Yeah, I think we should. The timing would work out perfectly, in fact. I had a more than decent offer on our place just yesterday." Seeing Kurt's curious expression, he said, "Your friend Sam's parents."
"Really?" he said, eyes wide. "Sam didn't even mention that they were looking for a new place when I saw him on Monday."
Burt shrugged. "Apparently they've been renting since they moved to Lima last summer and they're looking for a permanent place. It's only the three of them, so our place should be a good fit."
He shook his head. Funny how things worked out. It was weird to think of Sam Evans living in his house, calling Kurt's basement bedroom his own, but it was also satisfying in a way to think that his home of the last twelve years was not going to be taken over by complete strangers. "Good for them," he said sincerely. "How long do you think it would take before we'd move?"
"It'll take a few weeks to get all the paperwork sorted out and finalized," Burt told him, "but with any luck, we'll have it all done by Valentine's Day."
Kurt nodded. Somehow, that seemed appropriate for a newlywed couple and their family. "Let's do it," he said.
When they got home, Kurt went to his basement, leaving his father to start dinner. His mind was reeling with all of the new things he had been given to think about today. As he sat in his swinging basket chair, pondering the changes to come, his phone buzzed.
Kurt picked up the phone and smiled. He had a text from Blaine reading, Mele Kalikimaka! Blaine had flown to Hawaii immediately after leaving school on Saturday, his family having gone to see his mother's side of the family. Kurt had thought he would be spending Christmas on the island, so the rest of the text caught him by surprise. Back in snowy Ohio! Any point in driving down for the Lima Xmas Eve parade, or are you busy? Miss you – B
A thrill went through Kurt from head to toes. Blaine was home, and he wanted to spend part of the holiday with him! The Lima Christmas parade was a little on the cheesy side, with local bands, floats put together by community businesses and a caravan of 'celebrities' like the mayor, a few news anchors and a Christmas Court made up of girls from the local middle schools and high schools, but it was a tradition that everybody indulged in. Kurt's family had already made plans to meet with Mercedes' family to see the fun but he did not think anyone would mind if he brought Blaine along.
Just to make sure, he called upstairs, "Dad?"
"Yeah, Kurt."
"I just got a text from Blaine. He wants to come down for the Christmas parade tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"
There was a momentary pause, then Burt appeared at the top of the stairs. "You want to invite him?"
Kurt bit his lip nervously. "I'd really like to."
"In that case, I'd love to meet him." He gave Kurt a piercing look, one eyebrow rising. "Just remember what I said earlier. I own a jack-hammer, you know. A little frozen ground isn't gonna stop me if I need to bury that kid."
Relieved and elated, Kurt laughed. "Understood. Thanks, Dad."
"You're welcome, son," he said, giving him a smile as he moved away from the door.
Suddenly giddy with excitement, Kurt indulged himself in an energetic prance around the room, spinning and laughing, before throwing himself onto his bed and texting back. Please do! My family is all going and I can't wait to see you! Can we rendezvous at the Starbucks on 4th and Washington? Mercedes and family will be meeting us there. He paused, hesitating over the keypad, then decided to let Finn and Dad's advice direct his actions and signed the message Love – K.
There was a long pause. Five minutes, ten, fifteen . . . making Kurt's stomach tie in nervous knots. Had he been too pushy? Too bold? Had the thought of meeting all those people put Blaine off the idea? Had Kurt caused him to have a panic attack and he was now trying to think of a polite way to back out?
Just as Kurt was about to give up, his phone buzzed again. He snatched it up anxiously and read the message, a grin spreading over his lips. GPS set and ready to go! Can't wait to see you either. Okay if I bring mistletoe? – B.
It was the sort of playful message that Blaine typically sent, the kind that had made Kurt so unsure if the other boy was serious or just offering a bit of friendly teasing, but he had to mean it this time. Nobody would respond to a message ending in the word 'Love' with a hint that they'd like to kiss the other person and not mean it. Would they?
How should he respond? Serious? Flirty? Maybe a mixture of the two would be best. He sent back, Please do. I just stocked up on Chap Stick. ;) - K.
No way Blaine could mistake that implication! He thrilled when another text appeared only seconds later. Can't wait until tomorrow! See you soon – B.
There had been no return use of the 'L' word, but Kurt was not dissatisfied. He had made a move and Blaine had responded favorably. For now, that was all he could ask for.
"I need to call Mercedes," he muttered to himself, his entire body suddenly teeming with jittery butterflies. "I don't even know what I'm going to wear!"