A/N: Hello there (: I had severe writers block yesterday, hence the delay. Ugh. So sorry! I love you all, and your reviews mean the world. I may even print them out, laminate them, and frame them. Okay, not really. But you know what I mean 3
Blaine was screwed.
It was December.
The 24th.
He had been texting Wes, who nearly gave him a heart attack.
Sent at: 10:20 AM.
I hope you know, since you ditched me to hang out with Kurt this Christmas, you can expect nothing but coal from me ;] -W
Sent at: 10:22 AM.
Damn! I've already bought you a present :( I'd take it back, but I've already sent it. -B
Sent at: 10:26 AM.
I should start buying my presents, shouldn't I? It's Christmas tomorrow. Blast. Tell Kurt I say hi. -W
Sent at: 10:27 AM.
I've already bought all of mine. HA. He says hi back. -B
Sent at: 10:28 AM.
You're so anal. It's freaky. So what'd you get lover boy? -W
Sent at: 10:32 AM.
CRAP. -B
Sent at: 10:34 AM.
ROFL. You haven't gotten him anything yet? -W
Sent at: 11:52 AM.
You there? -W
Sent at: 12:14 PM.
Oh Blaaaaiinneeeyyy... -W
Blaine had gone out on several occasions to buy Kurt his Christmas present, but nothing had caught his eye. He didn't want to buy him just anything. Wes had made fun of him for the past month for being so picky about what to get his boyfriend. Blaine ignored him, though. Kurt deserved something truly special.
Of course, he had procrastinated this matter to the point of remaining present-less the day before Christmas.
Kurt was also screwed.
A similar texting conversation with Mercedes had to proved him that much. What did Blaine even like? He was starting to feel like a terrible boyfriend.
"He's probably already had mine for months, just to be prepared." Kurt thought to himself, feeling guilty. He didn't want to outright ask Blaine what he wanted the day before, but he had no other choice. Of course, a master of the craft, Kurt decided to be sneaky about it.
"Wes says hi." Blaine said from the other side of the basement, smiling up from his cellphone. He had been texting him for a few minutes now.
"Tell him I say hi back." Kurt replied, contemplating how to ask Blaine about his interests. "Hey, I was wondering..."
"What's up?" Blaine asked from the couch. Kurt shifted awkwardly on his bed.
"Do you like Barbra Streisand?" He blurted out, cursing himself inwardly. So much for stealth...
"Not particularly." The other boy replied, looking confused. "Her voice is marvelous, but it's not my style."
"Really?" Kurt asked, giggling worriedly. "I love her."
"Oh." Blaine said, voice suddenly inked with fear. He was staring down at his cellphone with wide eyes.
"Are you alright?" He asked, noting how Blaine threw his precious Nokia across the room and jumped up.
"Yeah, Wes just reminded me of something I forgot to do." He muttered. "Sorry, I'll be back in a few hours!" Blaine grabbed the nearest jacket he could find, not bothering to make sure it was even his.
"Okay? Bye?" Kurt frowned, watching his boyfriend race up the basement stairs and disappear through the door. He let out a loud groan. What on earth was he going to do without Blaine to interrogate?
"Wait, what the hell just happened?" He wondered, furrowing his perfectly manicured eyebrows in confusion. Blaine was acting weird. It was then that he saw the Dalton boy's suitcase, placed at the foot of Finn's empty bed.
"This is an invasion of his privacy!" Kurt's conscience tried to tell him, but it was shoved into the back of his mind. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Eyes narrowed, he jumped off of his bed, inched closer and closer to the zipped up bag, and kneeled down onto the soft carpet. He fumbled with the zipper for a few seconds before it flew open.
"Oh..." Kurt said to himself. A blush was creeping up on his cheeks as he peered into Blaine's possessions. There was a small compartment on top of all his things that was transparent, clearly meant for a wallet or pictures and such. Blaine had stuffed in every picture of Kurt he could find on Facebook, and kept them in there. A few of them had hearts drawn in the corners.
"Invasion of privacy..." His head piped up again. Kurt sighed, wanting to get this over with before he could start to feel too guilty. He quickly dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor, and sifted through them. Unfortunately, Blaine had not packed much except for clothing, Old Spice products, and a picture of what Kurt assumed was his dog. He let out a frustrated scream, pulling at his hair.
"Are you okay?" Someone asked from the doorway. Kurt jumped and blushed at his stepbrother, who was now making his was down the staircase and into the room. He thought he had been alone.
"I haven't gotten Blaine a Christmas present yet." He admitted, frowning at the mess of clothes around him. Finn laughed, walking over to him.
"So that's why you're looking through his stuff?" He concluded, sitting down next to Kurt and feeling some of his usual confusion leave his expression. Kurt nodded, pouting. "He likes "The Simpsons" by the way."
"Wait, what?" The porcelain boy raised an eyebrow at Finn. Blaine was anything but a guy that watched cartoons.
"And Disney movies. You fell asleep early one night, and we hung out a bit. I wanted to watch "Family Guy", but he insisted on "The Simpsons." I can't lie, he's pretty cool." Finn smiled at his brother, wanting him to know that he had formed a friendship with Blaine.
"You-Finn-My hero!" Kurt spluttered, pouncing on him. He wrapped his arms around his neck, a squealed.
"You're welcome!" Finn said awkwardly, when the tiny soprano refused to get off of him. "You should go buy him something now, right?" Kurt immediately jumped up as if shocked.
"Yeah, yeah I should. If Blaine asks, I'll be back later." And with that, he sprinted out of the basement at full speed.
"Woah." Finn whispered to himself, wondering if he was this confusing. First Blaine, storming out of the house as though his life depended on it, and now Kurt. Sometimes he felt as though he was forever doomed to be confused.
...
Blaine brought the car to a sudden stop infront of the crowded mall. For him, it wasn't a matter of figuring out what Kurt liked, but buying him something him something he didn't already have. Before he raced out of the Hummel's home, he briefly explained to Carole the situation. Bless her soul, she gave him the keys to her car, and told him that his favorite white cardigan had been slushied and stained three months ago. He had bought it for $115 from a family owned boutique tucked away at the back of the mall. Blaine, who was humble, also happened to be very rich. In fact, almost all the Dalton boys were. So here he was, wrenching the car door open with unnecessary strength, ready to buy Kurt his favorite article of clothing back.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me..." He muttered to himself as the cold air whipped his face. He was just beginning to zip up the jacket he had brought, when he realized it was Kurt's. He was embarrassingly clumsy. There was a large chance he would ruin this undoubtedly expensive "Marc Jabobs" coat. Unluckiness aside, there was no time to waste, so he plunged into the crowd of angry shoppers, trying to force their way inside the mall.
"Watch where you're going!" Someone yelled at him, as he fought his way towards the entrance. He didn't look back to apologize, sensing that it was useless. There must have been a hundred people out there!
"Ahh!" He screamed, as a handbag hit him straight in the face. Blaine rushed towards the entrance doors, fearing for his life. Obviously, everyone in Lima had left their Christmas shopping until the day before. Just his luck.
"In here, hurry up now!" A security guard scolded him, trying to maintain order. Blaine somehow found his way into the warmth of the building, and gasped at the sight before him.
Chaos.
It looked as though a bomb had exploded. People were everywhere, pushing and screaming. The Christmas decorations that staff had put up were ripped down and strewn across the floor.
"For Kurt." Blaine whispered to himself, tensing his entire body before throwing himself into the mob of shoppers.
...
"The Simpsons...Disney movies..." Kurt repeated to himself, expertly diving through the mall, teeming with an abundance of scary and violent customers. He hated this rush right before Christmas, but somehow found himself a part of it each year. Unlike Blaine, he knew how to take care of himself, and had yet to be scathed in this dangerous annual event. He slipped through a tall man's legs, and jumped over a pile of shopping bags.
An enormous pair of Mickey Mouse ears stopped him in his tracks. It was a "Disney" store! Kurt did some variation of a happy dance, and plowed towards the store with all the determination in the world. Thankfully, the path towards the store was not too treacherous. He found his way into it without being hit once!
"Can I help you?" Asked a young, black haired woman at the entrance. She was clearly unaffected by the hassle, and looked rather bored.
"Last minute Christmas present-" Kurt tried to huff, before she laughed.
"There's a new one. Come here." She grabbed him by the elbow, and dragged him to the far right corner of the large room. Kurt wondered if he had ever seen more screaming toddlers in his entire life...
"I'm sorry, I'm not really sure what to get-" He said again, before being interrupted.
"Hun, I can tell. You look like a deer in headlights." She smiled warmly at him, and Kurt found himself liking her. She had a very motherly quality to her, though she couldn't be more than twenty. Also, there were multiple piercings on her face. She reminded him of a grown up Tina, with less clothing. Her name-tag read "Audrey."
"Please help me!" He laughed. She returned the gesture, and stopped him in front of a large display of dvd's, and figurines.
"I suggest, a cheap dvd. Though of course, if you're rich," She eyed his Versace watch, "you could also consider one of these." Kurt scanned the little figures of Disney characters with shining eyes. There was a little mermaid one, made entirely of china...It was Eric and Ariel in their boat, just before it tipped over, ruining their to-be first kiss.
"That one!" He yelled for no reason at all. He supposed it was the rush of relief. A sudden memory of Blaine humming "Kiss the Girl" had struck him, and he was saved. Maybe his present wouldn't be a complete disaster after all.
"Woah." She snorted. "That would be $150. That's real gold." Kurt was nonetheless jumping up and down like a little kid.
"I don't care, it's for my boyfriend. This is important!" He said, smiling silly. His excitement was so great, he didn't even realize he had told a total stranger that he had a boyfriend. She let out a long whistle.
"Gay in Ohio. Tough break, kid." She noted, patting him on the back. He shrugged, muttering something about getting used to it after a while. He didn't notice her walk away to get the figurine from the back.
"Be your teenage dream tonight..." Kurt hummed to himself quietly. His heart was doing backflips. Blaine was going to love him! "He already does, you idiot." His brain reminded him impatiently. "But do you love him?" Kurt frowned, contemplating this. The only people he had ever loved in his life were his family, and Mercedes. "Love" was not a word he used often, unless he was very sure it was necessary. Before he could internally struggle with this more, Audrey was back with a wrapped present in her hands.
"Sorry about the wrapping. Its some policy about customer service." She said, assuming Kurt would have liked to wrap it himself. To her surprise, he looked ecstatic.
"I think you're awesome." He breathed, clearly cheerful he had found a present so quickly. "And wrapped too!" He added internally.
"I think you're the first customer today that hasn't hit me." She laughed, taking him to the front of the long line by the cash register. Kurt smiled apologetically at the gang of frustrated shoppers and swiped his credit card when Audrey scanned the present.
"Thanks so much!" He squealed when she handed him the bag.
"Have a nice day." She smirked at him, her bored expression returning as the next customer in line hounded her. Kurt laughed to himself. She was really something. Now, onto the next challenge: Getting out of this mall alive, and without breaking the figurine. Suddenly, Kurt felt his optimism die.
...
Blaine was arguing with a fussy old woman over the last cardigan in the boutique. She insisted it was her size, although it appeared to be at least three times too small.
"Listen, please. This is important." He tried to say, not wanting to be rude. The old lady gave him what she must have thought was a hard slap on the cheek.
"I want this for my aunts wedding next year, mister!" She huffed. Blaine groaned as the store manager came rushing towards them. He was a tall man with a squeaky voice.
"What is going on here?" He demanded, as the two were beginning to draw a crowd.
"This boy wants to buy my cardigan!" She complained, crossing her arms. The manager frowned. It wasn't the first time today something like this had happened.
"I have $150! I'll pay extra!" Blaine said, staring at the man with pleading eyes. The old woman yanked the cardigan out of his hands, and obnoxiously strode to the front of the line. This caused many who had been stuck in the line for an hour to mutter about unfairness. The manager gave Blaine a questioning look, who shrugged in return.
"I'm sorry madam but-" He started, making his way to her, being trailed by an exasperated Blaine.
"I'll pay $200 for it!" She said. Blaine's heart may as well have shattered right there.
"Sorry, sir." The manager said, giving him a truly apologetic look. He tried to smile back half heartedly but failed. "Stick around, and I'll try to find you something else."
"Exactly! Rude boy, trying to take away my clothing!" The woman growled. Neither of the two men around her decided to tell her it was not a woman's cardigan...
"Alright, alright." Grumbled the tired manager. "You said you would pay $200."
"Yes, I'm getting it!" She said, rummaging through her large purse. Blaine was sure he saw something move in there... "Right here!" She exclaimed proudly, pulling out a ripped twenty dollar bill.
"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Said the manager, realizing that she may be just a tad bit crazy. He wrenched the cardigan from her flailing hands, and gave it to Blaine. The hurried boy threw a hundred, and a fifty dollar bill onto the counter, ripped the tag off the cardigan and ran away at full speed.
"I hate Christmas!" The stressed out manager screamed at the top of his lungs when the woman kicked him in the shins. If he were going to have a stroke, now would be the moment.
"I was going to pay good money for that!" She wailed, pretending to cry. At this, the crowd of shoppers, as a combined force, dragged her out of the store and locked the doors.
...
Kurt had escaped the dreaded mall. The parking lot was another beast he had to tackle, but by this point he was simply excited to be going home. There was quite a frenzy out here too, what with people hunting down parking spots, but at least he could breathe. He took the bus here, as Carole's car had mysteriously gone missing. Making his way to the stop, he saw his bus turning at the corner across from the street.
"No, no, no, no!" He yelled as it stopped for a few seconds, and drove away. He had missed it. This, of course, meant waiting another half hour in the cold. He began sprinting, wondering if he could make it to the next stop, before he slammed face first into somebody infront of him.
"Sorry..." A familiar voice muttered, sounding hurried. Kurt made to keep jogging away, but turned around for a fraction of a second to see that it was Blaine who he had run into.
"Blaine?" He asked, quickly stashing the present out of sight, behind his back. His boyfriend looked up from his feet to stare at Kurt. His face was covered with dried up milkshake, but once he realized who he had bumped into he grinned widely.
"Kurt, what are you doing here?" He asked, pulling him in for a tight hug.
"Uhh..." He replied into Blaine's shoulder, awkwardly holding the box in his left hand.
"Come on, we'll talk in the car. I took Carole's." Blaine grabbed his hand, and led him to the silver Honda Civic mere meters away from them. Kurt shuffled towards it, and leaned into the cold window, waiting for Blaine to unlock, and enter the car.
"Thanks!" Kurt almost yelled with relief, as Blaine reached over from the drivers seat to open his door. He stepped inside blissfuly. If his feet didn't have blisters, it would be a miracle. He closed his door, sighing deeply. The seats were comfortable.
"Again, may I ask what you're doing here?" Blaine asked, intertwining his fingers with Kurt's for the second time that day.
"Nothing, just last minute presents. I'm assuming that's why you disappeared so quickly this morning-to come here." He replied, chuckling at Blaine's face.
"It's a milkshake..." Blaine explained, noticing what Kurt was laughing at. "Someone in the food court threw it at me for getting in their way." He blushed, smiling despite himself.
"It's like a war in there, except possibly worse." Kurt giggled, forgetting to hide his present.
"Does that have 'Blaine' written on it?" He asked slyly, narrowing his eyes at the wrapped box in Kurt's lap. The sopranos face paled and he moaned out loud.
"I'm a bad boyfriend, okay?" He confessed. "I didn't know what to get you and-" Kurt tried to mumble, but Blaine raised a finger to his soft lips to stop them from moving.
"Guess what I came here for?" He sniggered, picking up an almost identical box, with 'Kurt' written on it in large silver letters. He had gotten the cardigan wrapped by a staff member dressed up by an elf before he left the mall.
"You're kidding!" Kurt whispered, before the two of them broke into fits of laughter. They had both spent the day avoiding each other, and trying to be sneaky for the same reason. "So that's where you ran off to this morning!' He repeated.
"Wes reminded me!" Blaine said, still shaking with chuckles. "You have no idea what I went through to get you this." He pointed at the box in his lap. "If you don't like it, I might just cry."
"Somebody bit me when I was getting yours!" Kurt said, pointing at a small mark on his neck. Blaine beamed, and leaned over to plant a kiss on Kurt's cheek.
"I love you." He smiled, breathing in his boyfriends scent.
"You're great." The small boy giggled. Blaine pulled away reluctantly, and shoved Carole's keys into the ignition. The car flared up in record timing, and he drove away from the mall with greater enthusiasm than ever before.
"Does this mean we're both bad boyfriends?" Blaine teased, pausing at a red light. He motioned to their last minute presents.
"After what we just went through to get these gifts, I'd say we're pretty amazing." Kurt smiled, turning to watch Blaine.
"I could have gotten pneumonia and died in the parking lot out there! All for you." He smirked, pressing the pedal down as the light turned green.
"It's not that bad out there." Kurt smired. Was Blaine doing what he thought he was doing?
"Oh please. Baby, it's cold outside." He chuckled. Kurt sighed, catching on.
"You dork!" He leaned over to push Blaine's shoulder playfully.
"Baby you'll freeze out there!" He roared, singing at the top of his lungs. Kurt noticed people from other cars staring at them and began to howl with laughter.
"Why am I even dating you..." He joked, squeezing their hands. For once, Kurt had the rare pleasure of staring at Blaine freely. The sun hit his eyes perfectly, making them go from a dull brown, to a rich hazel. His curls were perfect, and it took all of Kurt's willpower not to run his hands through them.
"You alright?" Blaine asked ten minutes later. His boyfriend had become very quiet.
"Fine." Kurt mumbled, smiling off into space. "I'm just really happy."
The rest of the ride home was uneventful. Blaine sang along to songs from the radio, and Kurt stared unashamedly at him as he did. When they pulled into the Hummel's driveway, the soprano was surprised to see a new car there that was certainly not his fathers, or Finn's.
"Whose is that?" Blaine asked, voicing Kurt's thoughts as he opened his car door.
"Not sure..." He replied suspiciously. It looked awful familiar. He stepped out of the car and trudged up the snowy drive to his porch. Blaine took his hand reassuringly. Kurt tried to pry the door open with his free hand, but found it locked. Before he could ring the doorbell, it opened with a shriek from the girl inside of his house.
"Kurt!" Quinn screamed, launching herself at the shocked, pale boy infront of her.
"What-You-Ahh!" He yelled, grinning widely. Before he got to hug her back properly, she shoved him inside, not even noticing Blaine, who trailed behind them into the house.
"Why don't you have a hat on? It's freezing out there!" She scolded Kurt, closing the door with her foot.
"Sorry!" He laughed. "How are you? What are you doing here?" Quinn did not appear to hear him. Instead she stroked his bangs and felt his forehead, frowning while doing so.
"You're lucky you're not burning up, or I'd glue a scarf onto you." Kurt tried to yell at her teasingly, before she interrupted him. "Who's this?" She stared up at Blaine not unkindly.
"Blaine. He's my friend." Kurt flushed, playing with his thumbs.
"Ah, yes. Blaine. Mercedes told us he was your boyfriend." She winked at the blushing boy infront of her. She meant to pursue the subject but Finn came bounding down the hallway before she got the chance.
"Hey!" He grinned at the three of them. "Come on, Rachel's in the living room." They all eagerly left the cramped entrance of the house, and made their way to the main room. Blaine trailed along behind them, feeling out of place, but content. Kurt looked ecstatic to see some of his old friends, therefore, he was ecstatic as well.
"Get back here! I was in the middle of explain-" Rachel Berry's loud, commanding voice boomed from the living room when the four of them entered it. She was sitting on the carpet, cutting up pieces of streamer and gluing them onto a complex looking Bristol board. A worn out "Dell" laptop was open next to her, clearly in use.
"Hi Rachel!" Kurt laughed, eyeing the stressed out girl on his floor. She looked up, and shrieked his name.
"You!" She stood up, scattering confetti everywhere, and jumped into Kurt's arms. It wasn't the most eloquent greeting, but it did the job.
"I don't recall you liking me this much!" He joked, hugging her back tightly.
"Yes, well, you were always stealing my solo's." She pulled away and grinned at him fondly. "Finn's failing history, so Quinn and I are here trying to help him ace his culminating."
"Oh, why is that not surprising." He said, giving his brother a disappointed look.
"Rachel!" Quinn interrupted, pulling an out-of-place Blaine up to the front of the small group. "This is Blaine. He's Kurt's new boyfriend." She smiled a Cheshire-cat smile.
"Nice to meet you." Rachel mumbled stiffly shaking his hand. Suspicions aside, she winked at Kurt suggestively.
"Rachel, he's a fellow Warbler. This does not mean he's diseased." Kurt said, nudging Blaine in the shoulder. The bossy brunette took a deep breath, and put her admittedly comical prejudices behind her.
"Come, everyone, sit!" She ordered, returning to her place infront of the project. "I need to save Finn's educational life." Quinn followed her and plopped herself onto the bean bag nearest to the laptop.
"I'm not actually helping, they gave up on me after I cut myself on some safety scissors." Finn admitted, sitting on the couch nearest to the girls. Kurt sat crossed legged in front of them on the ground, and pulled Blaine along to remain next to him.
"History, eh?" Blaine asked, laughing. "I gave up on it after grade 10. Bad choice, bud."
"I know!" Finn groaned into his hands. "Puck said it was really easy!"
"Puck's never taken grade 11 history." Quinn reminded him, raising her eyebrows. An awkward silence ensued as Finn began to furiously text his mohawk-friend.
"So, Blaine." Rachel started, eyeing Kurt holding hands with him. "You're taking good care of our little friend?" Quinn laughed.
"He's kind of my baby." She admitted, looking down at him fondly.
"You guys, stop it!" He moaned, flushing a deep maroon. Rachel huffed up, and hastened to defend herself.
"My dad's wanted to know!" She said, still smiling. "I tell them about you."
"You have two gay dads?" Blaine asked, mouth gaping.
"Oh, yes. They're fantastic...And very worried about you!" She pointed at Kurt, frowning. "Mr. Schue told them about what happened."
"Tell them I'm perfect now." Kurt mumbled quietly, smiling as he did.
"Wait, and they chose to live in Ohio?" Blaine repeated incredulously.
"I get that all the time!" Rachel piped up. The two began to chatter amiably about gay rights, while Finn dozed off. Kurt turned to Quinn for company.
"I missed you so much!" He whispered, watching her type up an essay for her ex-boyfriend. Maybe it was losing Beth, but she seemed like such a mom. The way she had checked his temperature, and cared for everybody. It was cute, but a little heartbreaking all at the same time.
"Well, miss me no more! Mercedes was gonna ask you anyways...But do you want to come to Breadsticks this Sunday? The whole Glee gangs coming. If you said no, we were all planning to come and kidnap you." She winked at him. "Even Puck."
"Of course I want to!" Kurt laughed in response. "It's been too long."
"Oh and, Kurt?" She lowered her voice to a whisper, and leaned in so that only he could hear. "They all want to meet Blaine. Bring him, or Tina's gonna have a fit."
"Well...Alright fine!" He gave in. At that moment, Blaine absentmindedly wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder while talking to Rachel. Quinn smiled widely at her flustered friend, who was now looking away from her pointedly.
The rest of the night was one of the most comfortable Kurt had ever experienced. He caught up with Quinn and Rachel, laughing as they teased Finn. It also seemed as though they liked Blaine. A lot. For the first time in a long time, Kurt felt completely happy.
Tomorrow was Christmas, and the day after, he was going to see all of his old friends. Life was looking pretty good at the moment for one Kurt Elijah Hummel.
A/N: Hope you all liked it (: I was going to post this tomorrow, instead of today, because editing was becoming frustrating. Of course, a reviewer who happens to be from Sweden (that is so cool!) reviewed and inspired me to keep going. You guys are awesome. Love you! Next chapter: Christmas, and Blaine meets New Directions! EEP! Then, alas, we head back to Dalton. We have some major Wes catching up to do, don't we? Don't worry. The chapter after the next is dedicated completely to him! I've got fun things planned for you all, so stick around!
Ps. I didn't mean to write Quinn as a mom, it just happened by accident. I feel so bad for her, losing Beth! I might just write a fanfiction about her being all motherly to the rest of the Glee group. Plot-Bunny attack!
Pps. Your reviews are so amazing it hurts. I know I always ramble on about them, but they brighten up my day. Each and every one of them.
Psps. During the texting scene, right at the beginning with Wes and Blaine, it took all of my willpower not to add in:
"Did you get my text?" -Wes
...
"Well you didn't text me back." -Wes
Hugs and butterfly kisses! 3