Kurt pushed back from the table and went to refill his glass of orange juice from the fridge.
"Dad, are we out of Tropicana?" He scanned the door shelves, but only saw the yellow store brand carton. Now that he thought of it, there was a lot more of that generic brand yellow in the fridge and the kitchen cupboards than usual.
"We haven't been buying it, just the regular stuff. And don't worry, I looked it up and all the nutritional stuff is the same." Kurt frowned slightly.
"But you love Tropicana. You always said that the generic brand tastes like it was strained through a sock." Kurt poured himself some of the juice and closed the door. Finn was staring at his cereal, stabbing slightly at the floating remains. His dad was smiling at him in a slightly awkward way that Kurt didn't really understand.
"Ah. I'm too picky anyways. This stuff is pretty good actually." Something seemed a bit off, but Kurt just sat back down at the table, trying to push it away and enjoy his time at home.
"Well...Do we know where we're going for the tree?" Carole looked to Kurt for approval.
"Finn and I always go out to a farm just past the east end. It that alright with you?"
Finn picked up at this.
"It's cool. If you cut it down yourself they give you a really good deal on it."
"They let you handle an axe?" Kurt retorted with a note of disbelief. Finn smiled.
"Handsaw, really. But an axe would be cool. We should-"
"Use the saw sweetheart. You're much more handsome with all your fingers Finn." Carole interrupted.
Kurt grinned as he reached for a piece of melon from the plate in the middle of the table.
"Well, let me go upstairs and grab something warm. We can all fit into the old truck." He pushed back from the table, only pausing when he caught his dad's eye.
"I thought we could just take the SUV, and put the tree up on the rack."
"Oh. Sure. It the truck broken down again?" Burt coughed slightly. It looked like he was having a hard time meeting Kurt's eyes.
"I decided to sell it."
"What? Why?" Kurt looked around at the whole table, trying to understand what the change of dynamic was that he clearly had missed.
"Well. You have the SUV, and we can use the sedan around town here, so we don't really need the third car."
Kurt drew his eyebrows together. He was missing something still. The reasoning was perfectly logical, but...
"Okay, well, I'll just go grab a coat. We'll take the SUV."
"Sounds good." Burt was cheerful, and Carole smiled at him from behind her coffee cup, but Kurt was feeling awkward. He climbed up the stairs and went to his new room. He sat in the office chair and spun around slowly, like Finn had. Why. And What. Why. What...Oh.
Kurt's feet hit the floor and he stopped spinning. He was an idiot. It was so simple and he hadn't even though about it.
Money.
At the tree farm Kurt carefully looked at the pricing. The five to seven foot range seemed reasonable. It was the least expensive option without looking suspicious. He couldn't really point out three footers without someone asking questions why.
They wove through the field, Finn pointing out several tall and thick options, but Kurt zeroed in quickly on one that fit his specifications.
"Let's get this one." Kurt declared. It was definitely under seven feet. Probably closer to six.
"Really? It's a bit small." Burt looked at it appraisingly. They walked around it for a minute, checking for gaps and broken branches. Kurt's foot was tapping nervously inside his boot.
"I think it's fine." He insisted, before laughing awkwardly to cover up his eagerness. "Uh...In all honesty actually, I just want to see Finn be able to put the star on without a chair, like the Bumble in Rudolph."
There was laughter and a slightly indignant protest from Finn, but the explanation seemed to have endeared the others to the tree, so Finn crawled underneath and started to saw at the trunk.
"Everything alright kiddo?" Burt way holding the tree firm in one hand, but wrapped his free arm around Kurt and pulled him into a slight hug.
"Yeah. Everything's great." Kurt murmured. "Just...fine."
"We miss you around the house." Burt continued quietly. Kurt felt a sharp stop in his throat.
"I... I miss you guys too Dad." He managed to creak out. Kurt's mouth opened again. He felt that he should say something else, but he didn't know what. A grunt and shuffling noise broke him from his thoughts as Finn emerged from under the tree, brushing needles off his coat. He looked up proudly, brandishing his saw.
"Timber?"
Kurt perched on the arm of the couch, appreciating the shattering of the tiny coloured light spots by the tinsel.
"I think it looks good." Finn commented, flopping heavily onto the cushions. Kurt gave him a tight smile.
"Yeah, the combination of ornaments looks better than I thought it would." They both observed the mishmash of Hummel and Hudson decorations on one tree. After a moment, Finn shifted to face more towards the other boy.
"So what's up with you Kurt? We haven't talked much since you've been at Dalton."
Kurt sighed at the mention of the school.
"Not much, I suppose. School and glee. The same as McKinley."
"But better though?" Finn asked earnestly. Kurt nodded, and let himself shift down onto the couch, hugging his knee to his chest. "No one's bothering you about..."
"No."
"That's good." Finn replied shortly. He seemed like he was unsure if he was supposed to say more. Kurt looked at him carefully.
"I went on a date with Blaine last night." Finn focused in on him and the words, but Kurt just kept staring at the tree. "I haven't told anyone else. No one at Dalton even knows."
"Oh. Wow." Finn cast around for his words before swallowing thickly. "Was it...good?" He shrugged, with a slightly absurd smile that made Kurt laugh and break his stare from the tree. He gave Finn a sidelong glance.
"Yeah. It was great actually."
"That's good. Uh. Congrats." Kurt just rolled his eyes.
"You are the most awkward person on earth Finn." Finn just grinned.
"Maybe. You should be heading back soon though. You said you had rehearsal tonight or something?"
"Right. I should get going." Kurt stood up, collecting his phone and scarf from the couch and heading for the kitchen. As he passed by, Finn reached out and punched his shoulder lightly.
"It's good to see you Kurt. You should keep in touch, and, ah, say hi to Blaine. From me."
"Yeah. I got that. I will." Finn nodded in response and lifted his feet up onto the opened space on the couch, shutting his eyes for a nap.
Kurt ducked into the kitchen.
"Dad? Carole? I need to get going." The two of them looked up from the table, covering the page they were looking at with a place mat.
"You're off?" Burt was a bit slow to rise, his knee popping like it always had, but he reached out his arms right away. Kurt gave him a tight hug, and moved over to kiss Carole's cheek.
"Yeah, I need to get back, and it's already getting dark."
"Oh, um, before you go, can you send me a christmas list with some ideas for this year? Just maybe...nothing too designer-y this years. Things are a bit tighter than usual." Kurt felt his stomach crumple tightly, guilt beginning to pool, but put on a cheerful tone anyways.
"I'll send something soon." Burt patted his shoulder.
"Drive safe."
"I will." Kurt replied, heading for the door.
"And no cell phone-"
"If there's igni-tion. I know." Kurt rolled his eyes, but stopped at the front door as he put his bag over his shoulder. He looked back down the hall at the lights reflecting from the tree and the soft glow from the kitchen. "Love you."
"Bye!"
"Love you too kiddo."
"Be careful Kurt!" Three voices answered him back. That was new. But while it was interesting, he had more pressing things to consider. It was going to be a long drive back to Dalton.