When they got home everyone was already back and they couldn't do anything. Kurt held in his pout and threw himself into making sure everyone's presents were wrapped perfectly.
The next day Carole had off from work and begged Finn to stay home with her, instead Kurt went into the garage for the first time that month, leaving Blaine back at the house with his step-family. He, again, held in the stupid pouts.
Actually it was kind of nice to hang out with his dad all day; he hadn't done that in a while. And working in the garage, while not the best for his skin or hair, was something he did actually enjoy. Something about the satisfaction of finishing something he'd fixed with his own two hands never failed to get to him. He got the same feeling when he altered his own clothes.
"Kurt, can you get me the three eighths wrench?" Burt asked from beneath a car, just his feet sticking out.
Kurt fished out the right wrench and stuck his arm under the car so Burt could reach it. "You really need replacements for a few of these, Dad," Kurt said.
"I know, I know. I'll get to it in a little bit," Burt answered. "This was my first-"
"First full set, I know." Kurt rolled his eyes. "Just because it's old doesn't mean you can't update it. I'm not saying get rid of it, just retire it a little."
"I'll get to it, Kurt." Burt grunted under the car and Kurt bent to check on him. After the heart attack Kurt wasn't all that fond of letting him do physical labor, but he'd hired a new guy and Kurt and Carole were always on him about his health, so Kurt tried not to say anything. "I'm fine, Kurt, get," Burt said when he saw Kurt peeking. "Go do the touch ups for Mr. Ferguson, we'll go home when I'm done here."
"Alright," Kurt agreed and straightened.
Blaine most of the day trying not to get in the way of Hudson Mother/Son time, in fact, he used his time talking with his own mother. It was kind of ridiculously early where she was, but she'd always had a bit of insomnia, so she kept weird hours anyway, getting a hold of her wasn't entirely difficult.
"Oh, you're not in the house," was the first thing his mother said to him when their Skype connection stabilized. "Where are you?"
"I told you I went to Finn's house didn't I? I thought I did." Blaine sighed. "Anyway, how's your trip?"
"Oh, it's really good honey. Your father's getting so much work done, it's fabulous." She smiled a thousand watt smile he hadn't fully seen in a while. Stress brought her down easily, he was glad to see she wasn't experiencing a lot of it.
"That's great."
"What about you? How's Finn's house? Are they treating you alright?"
"They are." Blaine nodded. "They're really nice people, Mom. I think you guys would like them."
"We'll have to meet sometime then. I have to thank them for taking my baby over the holidays."
"You know I would have been fine by myself. I was alright that year I was seventeen."
His mom frowned. "You KNOW I don't like talking about that. I just wish you could have come with us."
"It's not your fault I wasn't in any condition to travel out of the country." Blaine rolled his eyes. He still kind of got mad sometimes when he thought about that. It would have been his first trip out of the country, a trip to the Caribbean with his parents over Christmas Break, but then he'd been too beat up to go on the plane comfortably and the tickets were too expensive to refund. He'd spent the week camped out on his couch almost on constant Skype with his mom. Unfortunately, seeing things through a computer screen wasn't the same.
Still, he'd managed the day alone, he would have figured it out this year if he had too.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore, it makes me unhappy," she told him flat out. "Anyway, on a happier note, I sent out all your presents yesterday. They should be in your school mailbox when you go back. When you get them promise you'll Skype me before you tear into them, you're father and I love watching you open them."
"You guys didn't have to get me anything," Blaine said, but it felt like a bit of a lie. He LIKED it when his parents doted on him, he just didn't like them knowing how much.
"Of course I did, dear." She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him like it was obvious. "And we picked you up a few things here too; I think you'll like one in particular."
"Oh," Blaine said as a bolt of excitement ran through him. "Now I don't wanna wait, thanks Mom. You got me all excited."
She just laughed at him. "Glad I can still make you smile like that over something so simple." He just kept smiling for her.
Christmas dawned much the same as Thanksgiving had. Finn, usually a late sleeper, started pounding on his door at seven a.m. and barged in to yank the covers off him just to make sure he was awake. When he was satisfied Blaine was in the proper level of consciousness, he lumbered out to do the same to Kurt. Blaine groaned and resisted the urge to crawl back under his blankets; Finn would just come get him again. Seriously, the boy was too old for this.
Still, Blaine dragged himself up and ran a hand through his hair a few times until it was at least potentially decent looking. Then he zombie walked out into the hallway and down the stairs, heading straight for the coffee pot. Kurt was hovering over it, watching like he was waiting for it to become the next burning bush, and looking just as laid up as Blaine. He was kind of too cute like that, straight out of bed with his hair everywhere and a single-minded, sleep induced, determination for coffee guiding him. Blaine sidled up to him and leaned against the counter next to him, joining the staring contest with the coffee pot.
"Morning," Blaine said after a minute of Kurt not speaking. Kurt jumped a little, turning big, sleepy eyes to Blaine.
"Oh," he said and his voice was kind of scratchy from disuse, and EXTREMELY sexy. Only the hour kept Blaine's libido from reacting to that noise coming from Kurt. "I didn't see you."
"It's okay," Blaine assured him, returning his gaze to the coffee. "It's almost done."
"Just another minute," Kurt agreed. Sluggishly he reached for the coffee mugs and pulled two down. He got another two and the sugar on his next reach.
"Do you have cinnamon?" Blaine asked, blinking.
"Spice cabinet, left of the microwave." Kurt pointed it out and then sighed as the coffee maker beeped. While Kurt set about pouring the cups Blaine got the cinnamon out of the cabinet. He hadn't had coffee in the Hudmel house for a while, usually letting himself wake up naturally while he waited for Finn to get up, rendering the coffee unnecessary. That morning, however, Blaine was kind of yearning for it like he had back in high school.
Kurt wordlessly handed him a mug and then turned back to his own. Blaine watched long enough to see Kurt dump more chocolate syrup than was probably necessary in his coffee before he attended his own.
His first sip had just managed to reach his bloodstream when Burt and Carole stumbled into the kitchen. Kurt just pointed to the two steaming mugs waiting for them. Finn followed behind, much too chipper to be allowed, and got himself a glass of orange juice while the rest of the room woke up enough to function.
"I don't know why you woke Blaine up too, Finn." Carole broke the silence first. "You could have let him sleep."
"But I got him a present, and so did you and Burt, and I'm pretty sure Kurt got him something too. He should open them on Christmas morning," Finn told them like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Nobody tried to contest his logic. Instead the four of them drank a little more coffee and followed Burt's lead into the living room.
The tree, decorated by Kurt and Carole, was kind of beautiful and under it laid two small mountains of presents. They were colour coded, which Blaine kind of suspected to be Kurt's doing, and between them sat three presents of varying colours that, given Finn's statement in the kitchen, Blaine figured were probably for him. Carole proved him right a moment later.
Instead of going to them immediately Blaine sat on the couch. He wanted to watch the boys first.
Finn plopped himself on the floor right in front of the pile Carole said was his and began ripping into them like he was nine instead of nineteen. Kurt, on the other hand, picked up a tower and carried them to the couch. He put them on the floor in front of where he sat and picked the first box up carefully, almost delicately beginning to tear the wrapper.
Finn was done ripping through his presents, mostly more clothes and a few video games, just as Kurt was finishing his tower. "I can help you finish off, Kurt." Finn said and it was kind of pathetic the way he was eyeing Kurt's presents.
"You will do no such thing." Kurt glared at him and managed to pick up the rest of his presents and get them away from Finn's puppy eyes. "They're mine."
"You can open my presents, Finn," Carole offered. "But wait 'till your brother's done."
Finn sighed. "It's alright, I'll just wait. You should open your own presents, Mom."
Carole just nodded. "Blaine, honey, why don't you open yours?"
"Okay," Blaine answered, put on the spot. He retrieved his trio of gifts and brought them back to the couch much as Kurt had done. Finn walked on his knees over to him so he could watch Blaine open the gift that was from him. "I, um… I hadn't known I'd be opening these now, so um… your guyses presents are upstairs in the guest room still, so… should I go get those first?"
"If you want to," Burt told him with a nod, watching his son open his gifts intently.
Blaine tried not to run up the stairs like a herd of horses, but he still felt like he was making the same amount of noise. When he returned Kurt had five more gifts to unwrap.
"So, I got this one for you guys as a thanks for letting me stay here. Especially for so long, so, um… thank you, again," Blaine said awkwardly and handed over the largest present, a decorative vase, to Carole.
"You didn't have to," she said.
"I wanted too," Blaine insisted.
"And Finn, this one's yours." He handed over the wrapped box containing the wireless X-Box controller he'd gotten Finn to replace the wire one he'd broken.
"Kurt," Blaine said, trying to get the boy's attention. Kurt looked up with a slow blink. "This one's for you." He held out the poster he'd gotten Kurt. It was a shirtless one of Taylor Lautner from the second Twilight movie. He watched Kurt open it, enjoying the blush that came to Kurt's face. The boy rolled it back up immediately, completely red.
"What'd you get, Kurt?" Finn asked as he struggled with opening the box.
"Nothing," Kurt squeaked and shook his head much too quickly.
"What's on the poster, Kurt?" Burt asked, smiling.
"Kurt?" Carole asked. Kurt just kept shaking his head, turning redder and redder. "Blaine?"
"Taylor Lautner," Blaine answered with a smirk. "Kurt has an actor crush."
Kurt hit him with the poster. "I'm taking your present back."
"No, you can't, I already have it." Blaine quickly located which one was from Kurt and dug his fingers into the sides so he could open it before Kurt reached for it.
Kurt didn't try to get it away from him, and Blaine kind of gasped when he saw the box so that was probably for the best, it would have went tumbling to the floor.
Reverently Blaine opened the box. Inside laid a plated silver harmonica that was absolutely beautiful. Blaine had been wanting one for so long, he'd just never went out and bought one. Now, thanks to Kurt, he had one.
He hugged the boy hard, luckily he remembered the rest of Kurt's family was in the room before he kissed Kurt like he so wanted to. "Thank you, I've always wanted one," Blaine said.
"You're welcome." Kurt blushed and looked down at his remaining presents.
Blaine left him to them and picked up his own remaining presents. He'd thank Kurt properly later for such a magnificent gift, probably around the same time he gave Kurt his REAL gift.