A VERY GLEE CHRISTMAS

If there is one thing that Blaine loves, it's Christmas. He loves the soft white snow that falls in December and fills the Dalton grounds, making it look like a scene right out of a novel. He loves the fashion too, it gives him a chance to expand on his steadily growing scarf collection, which Kurt has now become a large donator to. But most of all Blaine loves the holiday music that really gets everyone in the Christmas spirit. So naturally he has applied for numerous holiday jobs that allowed him to sing his favourite carols in a public setting, and when his phone goes off in the middle of his solo shopping trip to the gap, he answers with a happy tone and practically jumps for joy when he'd told he got a job singing baby it's cold outside at the Kings Island Christmas Spectacular.

"Scored a cute date?"

A voice snaps Blaine out of his excited haze and he turns around, a red scarf in one hand, his phone clutched tightly in the other. He comes face to face with the cute young man he's learnt is the assistant store manager, eyes looking down to the name badge that sits pinned neatly to his green sweater.

Jerimiah

Blaine blinks and composes himself, straightening his back a little as he smiles at the young man.

"Scored a pretty good gig actually" he hums and starts to blush under the man's gaze.

"I did see you staring at your phone for a solid ten minutes, waiting for it to ring so… congrats" Jeremiah hums and reaches behind Blaine to fold a sweat someone has dumped. Blaine swallows and tries not to inhale the man's cologne in too deeply.

He smells amazing.

"Thanks. I'm Blaine, by the way" he breathes and Jerimiah looks him up and down for the briefest of moments before he sets the sweater in his hands down and offers Blaine a handshake. The boy takes it and grips his hand eagerly as they shake.

"Jerimiah"

Blaine grins and let's go of Jerimiah's hand, clutching the scarf even tighter.

"Nice choice. It goes with the uniform. Prep school huh? I remember those days. Hallways filled with testosterone and far too much deodorant." Jerimiah chuckles just a little as he eyes the scarf in Blaine's hand. Blaine swallows just a little, nervous for reasons he isn't really sure of. Jerimiah is older, and he's most definitely cute.

Relax Anderson. Breathe. Be charming. You totally have this.

"It does go very well… but it's not for me. A Christmas present for a friend who happens to share my love of scarves" Blaine smiles and carefully folds the scarf over his arm and goes back to looking at more in the collection he is standing beside.

"You went to an all boy's school?" Blaine muses, looking up at the young man with slight interest in his eyes before he goes back to aimlessly looking through the racks of scarves.

"Sure did. In Michigan. Moved here two years ago." Jerimiah tells Blaine and reaches over him and picks out a long scarf that was a soft blue in colour, with hints of brown and red running through it.

"Here, you should try this. It would really bring out those eyes of yours" he smiles and Blaine is pretty sure his heart is starting to melt. This man is talking about his eyes, and helping him pick out clothes? He takes a small breath and takes the scarf.

"I'll take both" he breathes and Jerimiah gives him a simple nod and walks him over towards the checkout. He rings up the items and smiles at Blaine as he hands him the bag once he has paid.

"Say… if I need more scarf advice…" Blaine begins and Jerimiah chuckles.

"Feel free to come back. I work every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. And next time I might even shout you a coffee" he hums and Blaine grips the bag tightly and nods just a little too enthusiastically.

"Awesome! I'll see you around" he grins and practically skips out of the Gap with his new scarves.

****

"…And so I said that Carole would most definitely not appreciate a new vacuum cleaner, to which Finn replies, 'but she's a mum. They like cleaning up stuff'. I swear he was dropped on his head as a baby" Kurt rolls his eyes as he lays on Blaine's dorm room bed, watching his friend pack up some of his clothes into a suitcase. Blaine chuckles softly as he tosses some socks into the case, looking up at Kurt.

"Your brother doesn't exactly seem like the sharpest tool in the shed"

"Oh he isn't" Kurt hums and pops another piece of popcorn into his mouth from the bowl beside him.

"So maybe give him some assistance. He'll learn eventually. I mean… you said he never had a Dad right? He probably never had any help when it came to these sorts of occasions. The gift giving kind" Blaine shrugs and moves over to his bed, laying down beside Kurt, eating some popcorn too.

"I suppose. I guess I'm just not used to having someone ask me for gift advice who isn't my Dad" Kurt smiles and takes some more popcorn as Blain grabs the remote, turning on the TV that sits directly opposite the bed. The bed isn't too large, so the boys are pressed together, though Blaine doesn't really mind. Kurt's figure is slight and he happens to be extremely warm. Blaine eats some more popcorn before he looks at Kurt.

"Are you excited? To have a larger family for Christmas?"

"I am actually, yes. I love Carole, she's wonderful. And Finn really has started to become like a brother to me. He sends me little updates via text very now and then" Kurt smiles to himself and looks at Blaine, remaining silent for a moment before he speaks.

"Are you going home for Christmas?"

Blaine knows that Kurt is only asking because Blaine hardly ever talks about his family. And when he does, it's not with grand excitement. Yes, Blaine loves his parents dearly, of course he does. He knows that they are both very busy and important people, and he can't expect them to be worrying over him every second of every day, he gets that. He also knows that his father would rather Blaine lead a very different lifestyle to the one he does, but he knows his father loves him. He misses his brother, who is hardly ever home except for birthdays and important holidays. Cooper had missed thanksgiving this year, so Blaine was more than excited for him to come home for Christmas.

"Yeah. I always do." Blaine says softly before he flicks over the channel until he finds something good. He settles for an old timey Christmas movie and relaxes back into the pillows on his bed. Kurt shuffles beside him and plays with the rim of the popcorn bowl.

"I used to love Christmas" he whispers and Blaine looks at him.

"Used to?"

"Well… I still do. But I used to love it a whole lot more. When my Mum was around" he sighs and Blaine turns his full attention to the boy. Kurt rarely talks about his mother, unless of course she is brought up in conversation, which Blaine tries to avoid as much as he can.

"She loved to bake, and she always used to make these delicious holiday cookies. They were mint choc chip and she'd decorate them with little Santa faces or Rudolph…and whenever she would start baking those I knew it was time for Christmas." Kurt smiles and looks down at his hands. "She would always decorate the tree just right, and she and my Dad would sing holiday songs around the house every day. Dad would always get just a little annoyed because Mum would always buy the tree, and never wait until he got home because she was so excited" Kurt grins and looks at Blaine with soft eyes.

"I miss her at Christmas, a lot… but this year won't be so hard. Because I have a new family to celebrate with… and a new friend too" He whispers and bites his lip before he takes Blaine's hand and squeezes it. Blaine feels his heart swell at the wonderfully friendly action and he squeezes back.

"The honour is all mine Kurt" he smiles and looks at the boy for a long moment, thinking just how strong he seemed to be. Kurt's cheeks turn a soft pink and he turns back to the TV, keeping his fingers interlocked with Blaine's, and Blaine is more than happy to keep things that way.

****


"So this singing thing… will it be televised?"

Blaine rolls his eyes as he sits on his bed in full Warbler uniform, flicking through a history book with one hand, phone to his ear in the other as he talks to his brother.

"No Coop, it's not televised. But it brings in quite a crowd, so I don't know… I could get more gigs from it" Blaine hums and stares as the pages, nothing really sinking in.

"And have you been rehearsing? Rehearsing is so important…"

"Well it's a duet, Coop."

"So?"

"So… Who am I going to sing with? I go to an all-boys school" Blaine chuckles and he hears his brother laugh on the other end.

"Really Blaine? You are so clueless. Didn't you tell me a few weeks ago that you have a friend who has the range of a girl? And that meant you guys can branch out in song choice or something" Cooper hums and Blaine blinked, closing his book.

"Oh my god. Of course! God… I didn't even think about asking Kurt…" he breathes and Cooper sighs.

"Big bro to the rescue. I have to go now squirt, photoshoot time. I'll see you"

Cooper hangs up before Blaine can even ask him about what he got their parents for Christmas. He puts his phone into his pocket and get off the bed, straightening up his blazer. He hadn't even thought about asking Kurt to rehearse with him, he'd been so caught up in spending holiday time with the boy it hadn't even occurred to him to ask. He grabs his little CD player and slides the disk he had been practicing alone to inside and heads off down the dormitory hallway. He knows that Kurt will either be in the senior common room (The Warblers always allowed him to study in there), or the south wing common room that people usually tended to avoid after 5pm because they didn't want to deal with the hassle of lighting up the fire. It got incredibly cold down there. Blaine pops his head into the senior commons and sees Wes sitting there, surrounded by papers.

"Oh... hey" Blaine smiles and Wes looks up, chuckling softly when he sees Blaine in the doorway.

"He's in the south wing. Trent was just there" Wes smiles and Blaine blinks a little, confused.

"I… Kurt?"

"Yep"

"How did you know I was looking for Kurt?" he asks and Wes looks down at his notes.

"You're always looking for Kurt." Wes hums and Blaine doesn't bother asking what he means by that. Instead he gives him a small waves and head's off down the hallway, gripping his CD player even tighter. He hums as he goes, smiling to a few classmates as they head back to their dorms for the night. He sees the two open doors to the south wing and he heads inside, immediately spotting Kurt with his head down, studying a rather large text book. He sets down the CD player and Kurt looks up quickly.

"Hey" Blaine smiles and Kurt's face relaxes a little.

"You scared me" he breathes and Blaine turns on the CD player, smirking a little.

"Good because I'm actually Marley's ghost, and I'm here to tell you to stop studying so hard" he smiles as he takes a seat opposite Kurt.

"What's with the boom box?" Kurt asks and looks at it quizzically as Blaine leans back in his chair.

"I need you to sing with me. Well, rehearse with me. I got a gig singing Baby It's Cold Outside at the Kings Island Christmas Spectacular" Blaine widens his eyes and gives Kurt a little smile.

Kurt raises his brow at his words and sets down his pencil and sits back in his chair.

"Ah, a personal favourite. Too bad they'd never let us sing it together" he hums and Blaine furrows his brow a little in confusion.

"I am as two… artists" Kurt states and Blaine agrees with him with a soft smirk.

"So, are you gonna help me out here?" he muses and Kurt responds quickly.

"Anything to get me to stop reading about Charlemagne."

"Very good then" Blaine smiles and flicks Kurt's text book closed as he gets to his feet, heading over to the CD player. He has to admit, he's a little happy to get to sing with Kurt after their few months of friendship. Kurt has a wonderful voice and Blaine loves performing in general, and who knows, maybe he'd find a new car duet partner after this. He hits play on the box and starts to dance a little as the music comes on. He leans against the chair and gestures for Kurt to begin.

"I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice"

Kurt gets up and starts to make his way towards the other side of the room and Blaine smiles, following along after him as they sing, finding that their voices blend together extremely well.

"My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry?
Father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry
Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some records on while I pour"

The neighbours might think - Baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink? - No cabs to be had out there
I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight now
To break this spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell

I ought to say no, no, no - Mind if I move in closer?
At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride?
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out
Ah, but it's cold outside"

Blaine grins when they end up at the piano, letting his fingers move over the ivory keys as he plays along to the soundtrack, smiling up at Kurt who has a slight blush to his cheeks.

'I've got to get home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there
Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there
You've really been grand - Thrill when you touch my hand
Why don't you see - How can you do this thing to me?
There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow
At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died'

Blaine kneels on the couch and pouts at Kurt, letting his eyes scan over the boy's as he sings and for the briefest of moment's Blaine can't get the thought of Kurt's lips out of his head. They're pretty close together now, all he'd have to do is lean forward and he's be able to taste the cherry lip balm he knows Kurt uses, but Kurt moves and the thought is immediately out of Blaine's mind just as quickly as it entered.

"I really can't stay - Get over that hold out
Ah, but it's cold outside"

They finish singing and end up on the couch, pressed closely together. They smile at each other and Blaine looks away for a moment, chuckling softly to himself, trying to find the words to explain to Kurt just how fun singing with him had been.

"I think you're ready" Kurt smiles and Blaine smiles back.

"Well… for the record," Blaine begins as he gets to his feet, turning to look at his friend. "You're much better than that girl is gonna be" he hums and heads over to his CD player, picking it up. He sees a vaguely familiar man enter just as he exists and smiles at him, remembering him to be Mr Schuester, the coach of the New Directions. He must be here to see Kurt. He leaves the two alone and head's back to his dorm, completely happy with how that rehearsal had went. He gets changed into his pyjamas [ a pair of track pants and a Dalton sweatshirt, his normal pyjamas were packed in his suitcase]. He gets out his phone once he is under the covers, his roommate out for the night.

Thanks for singing with me tonight. Let's do it again sometime? -B

He sets his phone down on the bedside table and flicks his lamp off, falling to sleep almost immediately.

***

"I suppose I'll see you after the Christmas break" Kurt sighs as he stands outside by Blaine's car, a small box in his hands, all wrapped up in shiny green and red wrapping paper. Blaine smiles as he closes his trunk, leaning against his car. He's all wrapped up in his winter gear, scarf and beanie keeping his head warm, and Kurt is exactly the same.

"You could always come for the ride; I can drop you home"

"I know but my Dad's already on his way with Finn. They want to check out the school again for some reason. Personally I think Finn want's to have some of the muffins I rave on about all the time from the caf�" Kurt rolls his eyes and Blaine chuckles softly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Right. Well, we will obviously call each other. And text. And skype" Blaine hums and Kurt looks down at his gift.

"I know. I've just gotten so used to seeing you all the time" he chuckles and Blaine unfolds his arms, opening up his car door. He pulls a small present off the seat and offers it out to Kurt.

"Merry Christmas Kurt" he hums and Kurt smiles, exchanging gifts with Blaine. Blaine had gotten Kurt a soft red scarf and a small silver canary broach along with a voucher to a new vegan skin care store that opened up in the Lima mall.

"Don't open that until Christmas day" Kurt warns and smiles widely as he takes Blaine's gift and tucks it under his arm. Blaine stashes his present from Kurt in the back seat and closes the door, sighing softly.

"Well… have a great Christmas and a happy New Year." He smiles and steps forward, pulling Kurt into a warm embrace. Kurt hugs him back for a few moments before they let go and Blaine adjusts his scarf.

"You too" Kurt smiles and steps back, waving as Blaine gets into the car. The boy turns on his stereo and White Christmas starts to blare as he backs out and starts the drive home, waving to Kurt until the boy is out of sight. He smiles to himself as he goes, glad that he'd managed to score such a wonderful friend this year.

****

Blaine shivers a little as he stands outside at the amusement park, waiting for his duet partner to show up. They have two hours of rehearsal time before they are set to perform and Blaine is sure that he's ready. He pulls his coat just a little tighter around himself, smiling at the people who pass him by.

"There we go. He's right here. We'll see you both at curtain call" A man's voice cut's through Blaine's thoughts and he looks up, smiling at his duet partner as he walks over to him. Something about her is familiar, her bright red stockings and emerald green dress are taken in as Blaine looks her up and down quickly. He's seen this girl before.

"Hi! It's Blaine right? I'm Rachel Berry, star performer of the New Directions. I have to say, I'm glad that you're my duet partner. At least I know you harbour some form of talent" Rachel smiles brightly up at Blaine and the boy blinks before he quickly holds out his gloved hand.

"Lovely to officially meet you Rachel" he smiles softly and grins when Rachel's grip is just as firm as he'd expected.

"Likewise. Now, shall we get to rehearsing?" the girl hums and Blaine nods, following after her happily He can't wait to share this with Kurt.

****

"What do you mean… he's not coming home?" Blaine swallows as he stands at the bottom of the stairs in his red skinny jeans and overly large Christmas sweater, an arm full of gifts ready to put under the tree.

Pam sighs softly with her phone in her hands, looking up at her son as he husband takes off his coat, having just come home from work.

"He's not able to make it. They don't stop shooting until late tonight and by that time he wouldn't land here until tomorrow afternoon…"

"But it's Christmas" Blaine breathes and stands there, unsure of what is actually happening. One moment he was racing down the stairs, completely overjoyed because his brother was going to be coming home any minute and he had so much to tell him, and the next moment his mother was telling him that Cooper would not be home for Christmas. They hardly had time to speak on the phone these days for longer than five minutes, and Blaine hadn't seen him in person in almost a year.

"And Cooper had a job that requires him to work over the holidays. We have to accept that" Daniel says simply as he presses a small kiss to his wife's cheek, looking up at his youngest son.

"But… I haven't seen him in so long…"

"And neither have we. That's a part of life Blaine. People grow up and they leave home and start their own lives. I'm sure Cooper will come around for birthdays…"

"He missed my last one" Blaine sighs and looks down at the gifts in his hands. Daniel simply sighs and moves to stand in front of his son, looking up at him from the few steps below.

"Blaine… you're 16 years old. It's time that you accepted the fact that your brother isn't always going to be around when you want him to be." Daniel says simply and Blaine swallows, trying hard not to cry. Christmas is an important time of year, was it so wrong of him to want his whole family to be there for it?

"I suppose he's just like you in that respect sir" Blaine says flatly before he turns and heads back up the stairs. He can hear his mother and father start to argue softly and their voices soon drown out as Blaine closes his door. He sets his presents for Cooper down on his desk and moves to sit on the edge of his bed. He knows on some level that his father is probably right, he does need to learn that Cooper isn't always going to be there, but that's hard. Blaine had always looked up to his brother, even though Cooper hadn't always been the kindest brother in the world. As Blaine got older though, they had been able to bond a little more, and in Blaine's freshmen year they had really connected, until Cooper moved away. Blaine felt like all his progress had been tossed down the drain since then.

A soft knock on his bedroom door brings Blaine out of his thoughts and he collects himself once again.

"Come in"

Daniel steps inside and closes the door behind him, and Blaine is surprised to see that the man's expression does not contain anger.

"That was extremely rude, what you said downstairs Blaine" Daniel says simply and Blaine looks down at his knees.

"I know. I'm sorry…"

"But you were right"

Blaine's head snaps up so fast that his neck clicks a little, his eyes just a little too wide.

"I… I was?" he asks, his voice soft as he stares at his father. Daniel gives him a brief nod before he moves over to his sons bed, taking a seat beside him.

"Yes. I… I know that I have been distant. For a long time. My job doesn't help that and I know that there have been a few times where you'd needed a father and I haven't stepped up to the plate" Daniel rubs his hands over his own thighs as he talks, something Blaine knows the man does when he's nervous…a very rare situation. "And it's my job to apologize for that. It's been tough on me too Blaine…these past few years and with everything that went down at your old school… I should have responded immediately to your complaints. Instead I thought you should… face the situation dealt to you like a man. And it never once occurred to me that you were still just a boy" Daniel looks at his son and takes a small breath.

"You and your brother are so different. He's bold… he speaks his mind constantly… and he never really needed me as much as I'd hoped he would… I just assumed that you were the same. But you're not. You're more soft spoken and you think before you speak… most of the time" he chuckles and Blaine smiles softly. "And you needed me. You needed me to hear you and I'm sorry I didn't listen. And I'm sorry Cooper isn't going to be here for Christmas… but me and your mother are and I would really love it if we could just spend tomorrow as a family." Daniel looks to his son and opens his arms, Blaine pausing for a moment before he moved into his father's embrace.

"Thanks Dad" he breathes and chuckles when he receives a small pat on the back.

"Good. Now… clean up and come back down stairs… we'll watch a movie" Daniel states before he gets to his feet, heading to the door. He pauses and looks back at Blaine.

"It's good to have you home son" he says simply before he leaves.

Blaine smiles and lays down on his bed, closing his eyes. At least now maybe Christmas wouldn't be so bad.

Christmas Day for Blaine wasn't as bad as he's thought. He'd woken up in the morning bright and early and raced downstairs to find his mother and father already awake with breakfast set. They'd eaten and then exchanged gifts. Lunch had been spent with Blaine's grandparents and then dinner was at their home once more.

Blaine heads back up to his room after a Christmas movie and smiles when he sees Kurt's gift sitting on his chair. He picks it up and moved to his bed, slowly tearing at the lovely wrapping. Inside is a simple, black velvet box. Blaine frowns a little and opens it up, his breath hitching in his throat when he sees the gift. It's a small charm, a little yellow canary sitting upon the black cushion. Blaine gently strokes over its solid form and flips it over, grinning from ear to ear when he sees the small engraving in the back.

/Courage/

Blaine sets the box down and moves to his phone.

Your gift is amazing. Merry Christmas Kurt xx -B

He smiles and lays down, holding the charm in his hand until he falls asleep.