"Hey kiddo. Howd it go?" Burt asked, turning down the radio. His son grimaced.

"Not well." Kurt confessed, dropping into one of the wooden chairs placed at the table.

Carole sat with him, abandoning the potatoes shed been peeling. "What happened, sweetie?"

Kurt glanced at the stairs, making sure Blaine wasnt about to come down. Hed retreated up there when they returned, telling Kurt he needed a moment and would be downstairs soon. "His parents are awful!" He lamented. "His father is incredibly rude and his mother, I dont know, she just seems off to me. I mean, I knew his parents didnt accept him, but his dad just, like, left. No goodbye, or happy thanksgiving, an I love you. Nothing."

"What do you mean he left?" Carole asked.

"He just walked out and Blaine was calling after him, but he didnt even hesitate. He just left and it was awful." Kurt stopped and looked at his parents. "Please never do that to me."

"Oh, honey, we would never." Carole promised.

"You got that right. And we wont to Blaine either!" Kurt had to shush his over zealous father, worried Blaine would over hear them. "I just think that if we cant change his parents," Kurt brightened up at the idea of Anderson family intervention. 

"Which we cant." Carole reminded him.

"Maybe we could at least change the way he views family by, in a way, including him in ours. What do you think about that, kid?"

Carole and Kurt smiled, "I think Blaine would like that very much." Kurt confirmed.

"Great," Burt clapped his big hands together. "Now that that is settled, lets get cooking. I am already hungry and this food wont make itself." The Hummel-Hudsons laughed, turning on their Thanksgiving playlist and continuing their cooking.

Blaine had changed and showered, washing the gel out of his hair. It all seemed so stupid now. Hed thought if he dressed up in his old clothes and did his hair nicely his parents would forgive him, just like that. A lifetime of burnt bridges rebuilt in one visit. It was preposterous. Deep down he knew that, he knew they were a lost cause. So, hes deciding to rinse it off, letting all of the baggage that his parents dumped on him go down the drain. He got out of the shower and happily returned to his jeans and a white v-neck. Thinking twice, he grabbed his camera and stepped out of Kurts room.

The smell of turkey and pumpkins and sweet cranberries reached Blaine from the top of the stairs. He followed it down to the kitchen, along with the faint sound of U2 and Kurt singing along.

"Oh good, Blaine, you finally made it down!" Carole cheered, stirring the cranberry sauce. He smiled sheepishly, stepping into the kitchen. Burt was watching a small, muted TV with the game playing, while "making sure the turkey doesnt run away." Kurt waved from where he was mashing the potatoes and Blaine shuffled over to join him. 

"You dont strike me as a U2 kinda guy." Blaine confessed, leaning on the counter next to Kurt.

He hummed, and then shrugged. "Id have to agree with you. I never saw it coming either. Finn was the one that convinced me classic rock is good for my complexion." 

"Kurt and Finn argued for hours trying to make this playlist, before they finally found a compromise." Carole chimed in. The room had a new tone, all of them sharing a thoughtful moment. Blaine didnt know how to contribute, so he just waited quietly for someone else to speak. I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For had played its end and You Make Me Feel So Young started. "I love this song." Carole cooed.

"This one was my pick." Kurt pridefully reminded her.

"Good," she put down her spoon. "Then dance with me." Kurt acquiesced, taking her hand for a waltz around the small kitchen. Blaine took advantage of the oppentunity, powering up his camera for a few photos. They were both grinning and singing and bumping into the counter. Then, Kurt spun Carole, leaving her free to dance with her husband. She snuck up behind him, swaying his shoulders in the wood chair, until he finally gave in and got up. "You learned to dance for a reason." Carole reminded him.

"You may wanna turn that camera off, this isnt gonna be pretty." Blaine glanced at Kurt who shook his head and smiled, so he kept it on. It took a few beats for Burt to really get the swing of things, but he was doing it. He was dancing. "Look at me, I still got it." He chuckled.

"Looks like you were born dancing." Kurt called to him.

"Learned from the best." He agreed, smiling at his son.

"Maybe we should send you to NYADA, too." Carole joked. Burt laughed, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"You kidding? They should make me a goddamned professor."

And that was how the hour went. The Hummels would cook and dance and be merry, while Blaine documented it all. Kurt even corralled Blaine into a dance, while Carole attempted to wield his professional camera. But Blaine got camera shy and had to cut that dance short. After awhile the energy had died down, yet the merriment remained, and Blaine offered his hand in cooking.

"We still need someone to make the Mac and cheese." Kurt had explained. "How does that sound?"

"Well, if Im getting what youre saying, then it sounds like this macaroni is going to be fucking amazing. Its actually my speciality dish." Blaine had winked at Kurt, who gave him an impressed smirk in return.

"Then you better get cookin good lookin, you have officially worked up my hopes and my appettite." Then, Burt and Carole had shared a knowing look, which both boys were too distracted to notice.

At dinner they talked, which surprised Blaine. His family talked of course, but it was mostly fighting. Kurts family didnt fight. They made jokes and exchanged stories and talked about relatives. But everything they said was relevant and relatable. Even when Blaine had no idea who or what they were taking about, he was engaged and entertained, simply because of how they told it. Kurt had also tried to get some wine with his meal, but Burt had intercepted that. He reasoned that if Kurts guest wasnt old enough to drink, then Kurt would have to grape juice it with him. Blaine had reassured them that he didnt mind, but Burt insisted. Part of Blaine is certain he just didnt want to see Kurt so grown up.

After they ate, Kurt decided to help Carole with the dishes. 

"Blaine is nice." Shed said, after checking behind her to make sure he wasnt nearby. Kurt had shrugged and nodded. "And hes cute." She added.

"But Carole, youre married!" Kurt gasped, teasing his stepmother.

She splashed the soapy water on him, "I meant for you. Besides, dont you think hes a little young for me."

"Id say the same for myself."

"Hes only, what? 18, 19?"

Kurt had nodded, "18, but he seems much younger,"

"Young can be exciting." Carole chimed in, earning a bemused look from Kurt.

"And he seems so..." Kurt struggled for a few seconds, searching for the word. "Fragile."

"Oh, Fra-GEE-leh, he must be Italian!" Carole joked, quoting the number one Christmas movie of their household.

Kurt was smiling when he looked at her and said, "no more wine." Shed laughed, handing him another plate to be dried. "Blaine is like a glass figurine. Its so pretty and you just want to hold it and have it and play with it. But you know as soon as you have it in your hands itll shatter."

"But, Blaine isnt made of glass, dear. Hes human and, as a nurse, I can confirm that humans do not shatter in the hands of other humans."

"Not physically." Kurt mumbled.

"Honestly, in the months you two have been living together, I think youve done more fixing than breaking."

Kurt chuckled humorlessly, "you didnt know him before that, he could be worse now than he was then."

"But, sweetie, you forget that I know the healing process far too well and Blaine is definitely going through it." She shook her head. "Which is a shame, hes such a good kid."

Having nowhere else to go, Blaine had nervously sat down in the living room. Burt was there watching the big game, beer in hand. Hed spared a look at Blaine. "You like football?" Blaine nodded. "Good." Silence passed. "I always tried to get Kurt to watch it with me, but hed usually fall asleep."

Blaine chuckled. "I used to, uh, well when I was little, after wed eat on Thanksgiving, I used to play with my dad and brother in the backyard." He grinned a little at the memory.

Burt nodded. "Finn and I usually-" he cleared his throat, "nevermind." More silence; they just listened to the game.

"Maybe later we could play a round or two. If you want." Blaine offered, interrupting the silence.

"Alright, kid, youre on." Silence, then Burt added, "But dont cry when I kick your ass." 

"Well see about that." Blaine challenged, good-naturedly.

Burt chuckled, "About what? Me kicking your ass or you crying?" 

Blaine laughed, "not the latter, sir."

"Its Burt." He reminded him.

"Right. Burt." More silence, less tension. But, on the next commercial break, Blaine excused himself. He snuck past the kitchen, hearing Kurt and Caroles hushed voices but not catching words. He slipped out the front door.

First, he cursed himself for not bringing a jacket. Then, he brushed some snow off of the swinging bench and sat down. The tips of his shoes brushed the ground enough for him to push off and get a little motion going. He patted his pockets until he found the one with the carton in it. That was when the door creaked open. This time Kurt slipped out with two blankets. Blankets, Blaine thought, genius.

"I thought I saw you sneak out here." Kurt smiled warmly, handing Blaine one of the cable knit blankets. "Can I sit?" He asked. Blaine nodded, clearing away the snow for him. "Thanks." The bench swung a little, squeaking under the additional weight. Kurt, whos feet easily reached the ground, slowed the motion to a more manageable speed.

"I think your family is very cute." Blaine confessed.

"Thank you. My family thinks youre cute, too." Kurt grinned, then his words finally made it back around to his ears. "I mean-"

"Really?" Blaine asked, jocularly, "did Burt say something? Do you think he likes me?" Kurt rolled his eyes and bumped shoulders with him. They listened to the swing creaking, watching their own breath and their feet kicking out under the swing.

"So, tell me more about Blaine and his big adventures in Ohio."

Blaine chuckled, "they were very little and actually not adventures at all."

"God, I hope you didnt think I was talking about your sex life." Blaine laughed but the tips of his ears got a little pink. Kurt figured he was crossing some sort of boundary. "Okay, whats your favorite, uhm, hmmm, movie theatre?" Kurt asked, devising a way to change the subject.

"Movie theatre? Are you fucking kidding me?" Blaine chuckled.

Kurt shook his head, "Im afraid not."

Blaine glanced over at him again, checking his sincerity. Since Kurt had a noteworthy poker face, Blaine sighed and thought about the question. "The only one I really went to was like a Cinemark a block away from Dalton. But it was probably the shittiest place in Westerville."

Kurt laughed, "okay, sounds classy...What about, well you read a lot, so bookstore? Or library or whatever."

"I read a lot? I mean, I read. But is it a lot? Is it excessive? I do really like books..." Kurt listened to Blaine ramble aloud as he pondered upon the bookstores of Ohio. "Probably the Dalton library, it was like Hogwarts in there."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "did you ever go anywhere that wasnt in a ten mile radius from that school?"

"No," Blaine replied seriously, "the magnetic force field that they implanted in my brain prohibited such roaming. I was programmed for close proximity."

"Alright, R2D2, tell me this: what, in you artificial intelligence, led you to come here today? Force field break?"

The memory pricked Blaine like a sewing needle. "Right! I almost forgot." Blaine slipped the carton of cigarettes out of his pocket and grabbed his lighter.

Kurts nose crinkled, "I wouldnt do that here. They both really like you," Kurt said, gesturing with his head back towards the house. "But thatll change their minds."

"So, I cant smoke?" Blaine asked, biting his lip. He really wanted a smoke.

"Not here." Kurt got up, sending the bench swinging again. "Come on, well go for a walk."

They set off at a slow pace down the street, Kurt leading the way. They talked as they strolled side by side, wrapped in blankets and hunched over like old men going out to fetch the paper on Christmas Day.

"Im suprised you know who R2D2 is." Blaine admitted.

Kurt shrugged. "My friend Artie was a diehard Star Trek fan."

"Star Wars." Blaine corrected.

"Thats what I said. Wait, why are you surprised?" Kurt asked, sounding a little taken aback.

"I dont know, youre just so...not Star Wars."

"Im not Star Wars? Are you Star Wars?" The young boy nodded. "You, Blaine Anderson, are the entire franchise of Star Wars? What does that even mean?"

"Nevermind, Kurt, it wasnt an insult. Can I smoke now?" Blaine asked, rolling the cigarette in his fingers.

Kurt shook his head, "Ill let you know when you can smoke. Why do you do that anyways?"

"Cooper said I look cool."

Kurt snorted, "that is so cliche it hurts."

"Whatever. You think youre so cool with your...your Star Trek and your blankets." This time Kurt laughed at Blaine. "Im serious, we look insane."

"Youre the one who went outside in a thin tshirt." Kurt accused, whacking him on his shoulder. "The low today is below freezing."

"But, Kurt, thats the low. Youre so pessimistic."

The pair walked together until they came to a small park. It was just a playground, reminding Blaine of when they had stopped in Pennsylvania. "You can smoke now." Kurt informed Blaine, as promised, climbing onto the playground. Blaine followed him up the small steps. 

"What about your Ohio past, sir Hummel?" Blaine asked, sitting next to him on the twin slides.

"Where do I start?" Kurt asked, chuckling.

"Hmm," Blaine grinned, "movie theatre." He demanded. Then he started counting down from five, slow and measured.

"Thats not fair, I didnt count." Kurt complained, but Blaine only counted louder and faster. "Shit." Kurt swore realizing he only had two seconds remaining. "Rachels house." Kurt had blurted in a panic.

"What?" Blaine asked, shaking his head in disapproval but also chuckling.

"Well, we never really went to the movies because Rachel had surround sound and a collection of pirated plays on DVD." Kurt explained.

"Alright, fine. You pass." 

"Yay!" Kurt cheered half heartedly, doing a small jig from where he sat. 

Blaine rolled his eyes, "but, Kurt, remember internet piracy is a very serious crime." Blaine joked, knowing they were both very much guilty of it. Kurt laughed, too. Blaine paused, glancing around. "What about the park? You been here before?"

Kurt glanced around and nodded. "All the time when I was little. I used to come here with my mom, like my real mom, and my dad. We would go on family walks the way we just came. And my dad would push me on the swings and wed play pirates together and, just silly kid stuff. My mom would film everything. We dont have very many pictures or videos of her, because she was always behind the camera."

"Did she study photography?" Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded again, "NYU, she got a bachelors in arts, kind of like you," Kurt grinned, tapping his foot against Blaines. "Except, like, in the 80s."

"Oh, right, makes sense." Blaine nodded to himself.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "what makes sense?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "I just know why youre so taken with me now." 

Kurt laughed despite himself, then huffed indignantly. "Im not, though."

"Kurt, I know," Blaine grinned, even though he didnt want to. "It was just a joke." 

Before Kurt could respond, he heard a familiar voice shout out "hey Hummel!" Kurt turned and saw Puck, with his hands cupped around a grin, forming a megaphone. With him was Quinn, holding the hand of a little girl swaddled in winter clothes. Kurt slid down his slide and hurried up to his friends.

"Hey! I miss you guys." Kurt exclaimed, hugging them.

"We miss you, too." Quinn added, holding him warmly in her arms.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Kurt asked.

Pick was first to explain. "Im on leave for Thanksgiving, so I came home and Shelby called me. She asked if I could take Beth out for a walk after they eat. Give her a chance to get some cleaning done and whatever lady alone time she needs."

Quinn giggled and rolled her eyes affectionately. "Im sure she didnt ask for lady alone time." She mocked him, absentmindly stroking Beths thin hair.

"She didnt have to, I knew." Puck explained, "anyways, I felt it wasnt right to have a family outing without her birth mommy."

"That was almost really sweet, Noah." Kurt admitted.

Quinn leaned closer to Kurt and whispered to him, knowing Puck could still hear them. "I think the Air Force is making him a little sappy."

He, of course, rolled his eyes, indignant. "Please, babe, Im tough as ever."

"But youve matured, too, and its hot." Quinn reminded him, then two kissed. Kurt made a disgusted face, which caused Beth to giggle and hide her face in her fathers leg. Then Kurt cleared his throat. Quinn broke the kiss, looking apologetic, while Puck showed no visible remorse. "So, um, whatre you doing here?" She asked, turning the question on Kurt. "And who is that?" She pointed past Kurt to Blaine, sitting alone on his slide and watching them. Sheepishly, he waved. The gang waved back.

"Thats Blaine. Hes my new roommate."

"Hes cute." Quinn confessed.

"Get in his pants yet?" Puck asked. Quinn looked shocked, whacking his arm and covering Beths ears. She just looked at them, with bright and curious eyes, smiling. "Its a fair question."

Kurt laughed, "well, he is gay, but not exactly my type." Puck and Quinn both nodded, understanding what that was like. "I can introduce you guys." Kurt offered, turning and waving Blaine over.

Blaine slid to the bottom of the slide, then jogged over to them. "Guys, this Blaine. Blaine, these are my friends from glee club, Quinn and Puck, and their daughter, Beth." From the tone of Kurts voice and the look he gave Blaine, he figured he shouldnt ask about the kid.

"Its nice to meet you both." Blaine extended his hand, decided to go with it. Quinn shook his hand first, smiling warmly. Then Puck, who had a concerningly firm grip. Hed decided, with finn gone, he had to rise to the occasion and look out for Kurt. Intimidating Blaine was the brotherly thing to do. Although, Puck did soften up on him, when he knelt down to also shake Beths hand, who giggled gleefully when he asked her "how do you do?" in a silly voice.

"So, how long will you two be in town?" Quinn asked.

Blaine looked to Kurt to answer. "We were going to try to head out tomorrow night." He answered.

"Oh, great, because, Mike and Artie are also in town and we were thinking of meeting up at the Lima Bean sometime around noon tomorrow."

"Yeah, lets do it. Thatll be great!" Kurt exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"And Blaine," Puck added, surprising the whole group. "Youre welcome to come, too." Quinn nodded in agreement.

"Oh, alright, I will. Thank you." Blaine smiled.

Kurt stayed a bit longer, chatting with his friends. Puck, eventually broke off to entertain a whiny Beth on the playground. Blaine stayed, rarely chiming in, but enjoying listening. However, when snow started falling, surprising them all, Kurt decided he and Blaine would head back to his house.

"Its fucking freezing." Blaine confessed as they walked back.

"Told you." Kurt chimed. Blaine stuck his tongue out at Kurt, a snowflake melting on the tip. "Come here." Kurt offered, opening his arm. Without hesitation, Blaine nestled himself into Kurts blanketed embrace, like a baby bird in a wing.

"Thanks." He grumbled. "Do you mind me tagging along tomorrow?" Blaine asked.

"No, not at all."

"Okay," he nodded. "Thats good." Kurt smiled and the two fell into a comfortable silence, as they awkwardly shuffled together.

"This isnt working." Kurt finally concede, when they had made minimal progress in a large margin of time. He released his hold on Blaine, then unwrapped himself from his blanket. "Take it." He told Blaine, draping the second blanket over his shoulders.

"But what about you?" Blaine sweetly asked, looking up at Kurt with his big honey eyes.

Kurt shrugged, clearly better dressed for the weather. "Ill be fine."

"Thank you." Blaine said, still gazing up at Kurt. He had these eyes like melted caramel and snowflakes caught in his eyelashes. Kurt wanted to grab his precious face in his hands, with its rosey cheeks and little stuffy nose and pink lips, that were chapped yet somehow still captivating. Kurt realized they were nothing starring at each other with the same wonton abandon and he shuffled a little closer to Blaine. But Blaine stepped towards Kurts house. "Ill race you back." He offered nervously.

Just as if hed never left, Kurt was back and very aware of the familiarity of Blaines words. Only this time it wasnt his mothers voice and he wasnt five again. "Okay. But, Im gonna win." He told Blaine, just as he always did. Blaine shook his head and took off running. Kurt chuckled and watched him, with the blankets flowing behind him like a cape, before he too took off.

Blaine had won, sitting on the steps to catch his breathe and wait for Kurt, who wasnt far behind. Hed forgotten completly about his cigarette, too distracted by all of Kurt. But then he started thinking about that moment— how Kurt looked at him, the energy between them, the way his soft lips parted just barely as he got closer. Blaine thought maybe if he hadnt run, he wouldve really needed that cigarette.

When Kurt caught up to Blaine, the two went back inside the warm house.

"Oh there you two are." Carole greeted, "I was wondering where you guys had gone."

"We just walked down to the park." Kurt suficide. "Oh and Puck and Quinn were there with Beth."

"Really?" Carole asked, "thats nice. Shes about five now, right?"

Kurt nodded, "shes really cute." 

While Carole and Kurt reminensced about Kurts old friends, Blaine peeked his head into the living room.

"Hey, Burt, are you ready for our game?"

The older man looked out the window. "You do know its snowing, right?"

Blaine nodded, a mischievous smirk on his lips. "What? Cant handle a little cold?" He teased.

"No," Burt shook his head. "I, as the adult, was looking out for you. You look more like a warm weather kid."

Blaine rolled his eyes, "I can handle a little late fall flurries."

"Fine, youre on." Burt challenged, rising from his chair. Blaine grinned, clearly excited for their game. He hurried to the door, only for Burt to stop him. "Put youre coat on first, so you dont catch a cold."

"Yes sir." Blaine conformed quickly, hurrying to grab his jacket.

Burt chuckled from the door, "its Burt." He called after Blaine. Then he turned to his son. "Wanna come outside with us?"

Kurt nodded, "I will, just give me like five minutes." He promised, also heading upstairs. He went into his fathers room and locked the door. In there was one of the few things of his moms that theyd kept. Kurt gingerly tugged open the doors of the old dresser. The white paint was chipping off, exposing bits of brown wood, and the paint of the pink roses had faded, but it still smelled like Elizabeth Taylor perfume and lilac fabric softener. Kurt grabbed one of the photo albums stored on its shelves and curled up on the floor with it. He let himself cry as he flipped through the pictures of his parents many premarital dates, breathing in the smell of his mom.

Twenty mintues had quickly passed, before Kurt packed it all up and washed his face. When he stepped into the backyard, tucked in Finns big old football sweatshirt, Burts face lit up. It was a rare occasion when Kurt agreed to play football with him, even though everyone knew he was one helluvah kicker.

"Alright, two on two." Burt announced. "Carole with Blaine, and, Kurt, youre with me." He said, smiling at his son. Kurt grinned and hurried to join his father. Once in position, he locked eyes with Blaine. The younger boy mouthed "youre going down" to Kurt. In return he mouthed, "in your dreams, Anderson."