It was probably a good thing that he had been driving with his entire family in the car, Kurt reflected as he eased his SUV into a parking space several blocks over from the parade route. Otherwise the giddy anticipation singing through his veins would almost certainly have had him breaking speeding laws all the way into town.
As everyone exited the vehicle, Kurt smoothed the lapels of his black Burberry Brit peacoat and put on his black and gray fleece-lined gloves. The coat was warm and more importantly, it showed off the high collar and intricate knit pattern of his new sweater to perfection. A jaunty black newsboy cap and a cashmere scarf in the same shade of pearl-gray as his gloves and Kurt knew that he cut quite a handsome figure.
His hope was that Blaine would appreciate his effort, without actually realizing he had made one.
Kurt smiled, remembering how confused Finn had looked when he had said that. The smile grew as he watched his new brother actually bouncing in place with anticipation of the upcoming parade, exhibiting all the pleasure and excitement of a small child.
He reached up and settled the collar of his sweater again, unable to believe how generous and amazingly thoughtful Finn's gift had been. He never would have guessed that Finn knew him well enough to be able to choose such a perfect item. Just looking at the tall, happily smiling boy made his heart practically burst with affection. It was all he could do not to hug him again, but he resisted the urge, knowing that Finn would not understand why, or know how much better the warm, real, brotherly love they now shared felt compared to the naively romantic but ultimately empty dreams Kurt had once cherished.
As Finn charged ahead, yelling that he wanted to find a good spot for them all, Burt and Carole just chuckled indulgently. They each linked an arm through one of Kurt's and he happily strolled along the two blocks to Washington Street in their company.
Starbucks was bustling with business, a lot of people having apparently chosen to meet here. Kurt glanced through the window searching for Mercedes. He did not see her, but his heart started pounding hard when he spotted Blaine sitting alone at a small table sipping on a drink. The other boy looked up and smiled as they walked into the shop, causing the little bell over the door to chime merrily. He rose from his seat at once as they moved closer, causing his long navy trench coat to part, revealing a festive outfit underneath.
Kurt felt a little faint as he took in the other boy's appearance. Blaine wore dark sneakers and deliciously well fitted blue jeans, topped by a white, collared shirt and a dark red v-necked sweater. A jaunty – and slightly tacky if Kurt were being entirely honest with himself – red and green holiday bow tie completed the ensemble. His hair had been left loose and curly and Kurt could not help but smile at the sight of it. Blaine hardly ever let his natural curl loose at school, even on weekends, and it gave him a casually sexy appearance that Kurt envied a little.
"Kurt!" he said happily, shaking his friend's hand with both of his own, then pulling him into a quick embrace. "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas," he returned automatically, wanting to kick himself for how breathless he sounded. "I'm so glad you were able to come down, Blaine. I had no idea you'd be back for the holiday, much less able to come all the way to Lima for Christmas Eve."
He laughed. "My mom can only take so much of her family, even at Christmastime, so we did all our celebrating with them a few days early and then flew back to spend the actual holiday at home. And before you ask, my parents didn't mind me coming here at all. They've been hearing me gush about you for the last five days and I think they just couldn't take any more and wanted to get rid of me for a few hours." He laughed again, brightly, clearly not serious in his description. Flashing a smile at the amused looking adults behind Kurt, he said, "Hello."
"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot that you guys haven't met yet," Kurt apologized, blushing furiously. "Blaine, these are my parents; my dad, Burt and my step-mom, Carole."
Burt shook hands cordially but Carole wasted no time on formalities, giving the surprised young man a quick hug. "Blaine, we feel like we know you already," she said, eyes twinkling. "For the same reason your parents probably feel that they know Kurt."
"Well, that's nice to hear," he said, smiling with an unexpected hint of shyness that sent a flurry of butterflies charging through Kurt's stomach. Gesturing at the table, he offered, "May I order you something to drink? It's no trouble," he added, seeing the polite declines forming on their faces.
Knowing by now that the knee-jerk, generous host reaction was how Blaine dealt with any situation where he felt nervous and that he could probably buy the entire town a round and not sweat the cost, Kurt accepted, "That would be lovely, thank you. Would it be all right if we order something for my brother, too? He's gone to choose a spot along the parade route."
Blaine relaxed at the acceptance and said, "Of course! In fact, if you know what your friend Mercedes and her family might like, we can get them something too."
It was obvious that Burt and Carole had decided to play along, for Carole said, "That's very sweet, Blaine. I'd like a small-sized eggnog latte, please."
Burt looked at the menu for a moment. This was not the type of coffee shop he tended to favor, and it was clear that he had no idea what to order. Knowing his father's tastes, Kurt patted his arm and said, "They have regular coffee, if that's what you want, Dad. The peppermint hot chocolate is really good, too, if you want to try something different."
He smiled. "I'll try one of those. What the heck, it's Christmas, right?"
"You got it," Blaine told him happily.
He looked at Kurt who said, "I'll come up and order with you. Makes more sense than you trying to memorize a bunch of orders I already know by heart, and we don't want to keep Finn waiting."
"True," he agreed, slipping his hand into Kurt's gloved one without a thought and making him tingle all over with a rush of warmth. He smiled as the bell jangled again. "She has excellent timing."
Kurt turned his head, waving to Mercedes. He was thrilled that Blaine did not instantly release his other hand. Kurt gave his a squeeze and let go to hug his best friend. "Lookin' good," she whispered in his ear, flicking a finger against the collar of his sweater.
"Thanks," he murmured back. "You have a good eye for color."
"Remember that the next time you start complaining about my fashion taste," she teased, pulling back and allowing Kurt to greet her parents while she did the same to his. The two families had gotten to know each other quite well over the year and a half their children had been best friends.
Wanting to make sure he showed his best manners this time, Kurt drew Blaine into the group and reintroduced him to Mercedes first, causing the two teens to nod and smile at each other, then added, "And Blaine, these are Mercedes' parents, Lorne and Trisha Jones."
"A great pleasure," he said smoothly, shaking hands with them both. "Kurt and I were just about to order some drinks for everyone. Can we get you anything? Call it a small holiday gift."
Pleased and surprised, the Jones family took their cue from Kurt's nod and voiced their choices. Taking a moment to remove his cap and gloves, Kurt left the others to seat themselves at a couple of tables to wait for them while he followed Blaine to the end of the order line, smiling shyly. "This is very nice of you, Blaine. I think you made a very good first impression."
"That's a relief," he laughed. "The look your dad gave me when you guys first walked in reminded of the time I got called into the Principal's office back in the second grade."
"Second grade? Am I detecting a bad-boy behind that gentlemanly exterior?"
"Well, considering that I got in trouble for kicking a little girl who made fun of my hair, probably nothing to get your hopes up about."
Kurt chuckled. "Damn." They broke their repartee to place an order for eight drinks, all of which Blaine paid for without batting an eyelash, then moved to the opposite end of the line to wait. Glancing at his companion's outfit again, Kurt smiled. "I like seeing you out of your Dalton colors for a change. You look really nice. Kind of . . . festive!"
"That's what I was going for," he replied, smiling at Kurt's choice of adjective. "You, however, look gorgeous. That sweater is perfect for you."
Ridiculously pleased with the compliment, he said, "It was my Christmas gift from Finn. He really surprised me. When he insisted that I open it early, I couldn't imagine why, but he wanted me to have something nice to wear for our first . . . parade together."
The awkward last second correction brought a grin to Blaine's handsome face. "Our first date?" he said softly. "Is that what you meant to say?"
"Um," Kurt replied articulately, feeling the color rise in his cheeks again.
Blaine smiled at the uncomfortable answer. "I hope it was, because in spite of the unusually crowded conditions, I'm totally counting this as a date myself."
Pure happiness welled up inside Kurt, spilling over into what he feared must be an entirely goofy looking grin. "Really?"
The other boy nodded, that shy look appearing in his eyes again. "I hope I wasn't presuming too much. When I read your text, I thought maybe you'd decided it was time we stopped being quite so formal with each other." He actually ducked his head in adorable embarrassment. "I've kind of been waiting for that."
"You didn't presume at all," Kurt told him, heart singing as he realized that Finn had been totally on the money. He really needed to quit underestimating his brother's intelligence when it came to reading people. Surreptitiously squeezing Blaine's hand again, he smiled. "I'm glad you meant it. Even if you didn't bring the mistletoe like you promised."
"Oh, but I did," he said, laughing. At Kurt's disbelieving expression, he hitched his thick eyebrows and reached into the inside pocket of his coat. Kurt burst out laughing, causing his family and friends to look up curiously, when Blaine pulled out a bright red headband with a sprig of plastic mistletoe hooked to it by a wire spring, and slipped it over his curls.
Blushing almost as red as Blaine's sweater, Kurt reached inside his own pocket and pulled out a brand new tube of Chap Stick, causing the other boy to laugh in return.
Fortunately for both of them, their drinks began to appear at that moment and they were able to distract themselves by setting the cups in egg-crate holders for easy transportation.
To Kurt's combined amusement and embarrassment, Blaine left the ridiculous accessory in place as they rejoined his family. Burt raised an eyebrow at the decoration but just chuckled good naturedly and steered Kurt to walk at his side, leaving Blaine in the custody of the Jones family, a smiling Carole taking up the space in between.
They found Finn without too much difficulty and introductions were made again. Finn looked a little oddly at Blaine's headband but just shook hands and said, "I'll pass, dude, but thanks anyway," making everybody laugh.
As the parade started, Burt gave Kurt's shoulder a squeeze, then moved back to join his wife, leaving the four teens sandwiched in between the adults, Finn flanking Blaine, and Mercedes flanking Kurt, allowing the two boys to enjoy their very-public first date in peace.
Understanding better than Blaine that their new relationship had been given the sign of approval by his father, Kurt took a chance and looped his arm through the other boy's, pressing against his side. They were well protected from any disapproving eyes that might look their way, assuming anyone would even notice between the dark of night and the distraction of the parade, but he felt too shy to just openly put his arm around Blaine. Much less kiss him!
Blaine did not seem to mind, pressing back and distracting him with delighted commentary on the various parade attractions. The "Snow Queen" and her court floated by in their fluffy blue and white ball gowns, the mayor and his wife beamed at the spectators and threw handfuls of candy canes to the children, and bands tromped by bleating familiar Christmas carols every few minutes.
Kurt laughed and pointed excitedly along with Mercedes and Finn when Sue Sylvester came into sight on the WOHN news float, wearing a bright red tracksuit with a fur-lined hood that had been her Secret-Santa gift from Mr. Schuester – aided by a knowledgeable suggestion from Kurt – and barking insults right and left. The crowd, amusingly, was delighted by her venom, cheering wholeheartedly. The appreciation seemed to thaw Sue just a trifle as she smiled and flashed her trademark 'C' hand signal at them. Kurt whispered a quick explanation to Blaine, who laughed and clapped along with everyone else when Sue's float drove by.
More bands, more floats and a dizzying array of local business owners in charming and tacky holiday costumes trooped past. Kurt loved every moment of it. It had started to snow lightly again as the parade progressed, lending an even more picturesque perfection to the evening. Standing in the crowd of familiar Lima faces, sipping warm mocha, watching the biggest holiday event his home town had to offer, surrounded by people he loved and with his arm now boldly slotted around the waist of a boy he was suddenly free to view as more than a friend, Kurt felt as though he had never been happier in his entire life.
The only thing that could possibly make the night better came at the end of the event, as he was slowly escorting Blaine back to his car, parked on one of the side streets away from the main crowd. Kurt had said goodbye to Mercedes and given his keys to Finn, promising to meet them back at the Navigator in a few minutes. His family had given him a few understanding smiles, Burt unable to resist shooting one dagger-filled glare of warning in Blaine's direction, and moved out of range, leaving the two boys alone.
"I wish you could have stayed longer," Kurt murmured, holding Blaine's hands in both of his. "I wish you didn't have to go at all."
"Me too," he said quietly, "but don't think I'm going to resist the urge to come see you again over the next couple of weeks. And you're more than welcome to return the favor."
Kurt smiled, tingling with pleasure at the reassurance that Blaine wanted to see more of him before they both returned to school. "I will," he promised. Feeling bold, he admitted,"I've been sort of hoping I might get my first New Year's kiss next week."
"That can be arranged. I would love it if you'd do me the honor of seeing in the new year with me and my family, Kurt," he replied formally, his twinkling eyes and that goofy sprig of plastic mistletoe pretty much ruining the seriousness of the moment. He bobbed his head to make the sprig bounce as he asked, "But what about your first Christmas kiss?"
Blaine knew better than anyone how Kurt felt about first kisses, his disappointment and regret over having lost his first one to an unwelcome advance. By wording it this way, he was giving Kurt a chance to start fresh. Smiling tenderly, Kurt pulled his hands free and removed his gloves. He reached into his pocket and deliberately smoothed on a layer of Chap Stick, just to make Blaine smile.
Ghosting his fingertips against the other boy's cold, rosy cheeks, he whispered, "All yours."
They slowly leaned closer, heads tilting at the last moment as their lips met in a sweet, cold, achingly tender press. Blaine sighed into the contact, instinctively sliding his hands inside the warmth of Kurt's coat, which had somehow become unfastened, and cradling his ribs. Kurt pulled back just enough to remove Blaine's ridiculous head gear, tossing it into the snow as he stared for a long moment into the other boy's beautiful hazel eyes, and then pressed forward again as Blaine's lips parted and he answered Kurt's silent question eagerly.
Daring to open his own mouth a little, Kurt pressed soft, loving attention to Blaine's rapidly warming lips, feeling overwhelming happiness sweep over him. It seemed forever and yet just a moment until they were forced to part, both breathing heavily in visible, frozen puffs.
"Wow," Kurt whispered, smiling and dropping another tiny peck onto Blaine's lips. "So that's what a first kiss is supposed to be like."
"No mistletoe required," he replied, a warm, sincere smile shining in his eyes. He kissed Kurt again gently then pulled away. "I think . . . I'd better go home now."
Kurt nodded, knowing it was true but reluctant to end this moment. "Merry Christmas, Blaine."
"Merry Christmas, Kurt."
Kurt waited until Blaine was safely in his car and had driven all the way out of sight down 4th street before leaning down and picking up the discarded novelty item from the snow. Flicking the plastic sprig with his fingertip, he smiled and tucked it inside his coat, knowing the gaudy trinket was going in his hope chest, a souvenir that he would treasure forever.