Kurt found himself glad that he had made plans with Tina the next day; he always felt awkward around Blaine after having a sex dream, despite the frequency that he had them. They still texted but he felt less awkward than if he would have had to see him face to face.

Tina was practically giddy when they met up, dropped off by Cooper after sharing a (in Kurt's opinion) too long kiss with him. He had picked her up the day before and promised Cooper that he would safely deliver her to her parents' house that night. Kurt had a feeling their romance would be more whirlwind than anything and their courting period would be short.

"So tell me everything," he said as Tina looped her arm through his. "I mean, not everything, I don't want to know about," he cleared his throat, his ears burning red, "you know, that, but what happened after you guys abandoned me and Blaine?"

"We didn't abandon you guys!" Tina laughed, smacking his arm gently as they step inside the mall, both letting out a sigh of bliss as the warmth envelopes them, chasing away the chill of midwinter. "We just got a little... excited." She let out a giggle when Kurt nudged her playfully, pausing outside of one store, eyes taking in the outfits on the different mannequins.

"I'll bet."

"You don't seem that excited..." Tina trailed off, biting her lip as she purposely avoided Kurt's eyes.

He shrugged. "I'm happy for you and everything, I just don't see what the big deal is."

"You will, Kurt. One day, when you've met your soulmate and you two connect, you'll see." She sighed happily, leaning her head against his arm as they moved on, but Kurt's heart sank at her words.

No, he probably wouldn't ever see what she was talking about, not with his Soulmark being messed up. Countless doctors had warned him against getting his hopes up and so he hadn't, and after last year...

But Tina didn't know about that, didn't know about his foot either. Burt had pulled him out of school after a while because he had been having such a hard time coping after the accident and falling behind because of the different doctor's appointments. Even before everything that had happened, he had mostly kept to himself, too girly to play with the boys and the cooties kept him from being able to play with the girls. Once he returned a year later, he still hadn't been able to make friends with anyone. The teachers had treated him like delicate glass teetering on the shelf, as if one small gust of wind could knock him over and cause him to shatter. The other kids had avoided him even more except to tease him and he saw no reason to get close to any of them.

But now he had Sam and Blaine and even Mercedes, a little, and why not Tina, too?

They wandered around for a while, window shopping and people watching until their stomachs rumbled. They took the escalator up to the third floor where the food court was and separated briefly to grab lunch before meeting back by the stairs.

Tina had just started picking at her food when he blurted, "What was it like?"

She frowned. "If this is some weird way of testing your pick up lines-"

"Oh my god, Tina, no," Kurt said, rolling his eyes. He fidgeted as he continued, "I mean, what was it like, you know, to connect? With Cooper?"

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up and she smiled dreamily. "It was the greatest feeling in the world. I mean, you hear stories and you see it in the movies and everything, but nothing compares to how it actually feels, you know?"

"No, I really don't," Kurt drawled. He didn't stop to let himself think before blurting, "I don't think I ever will."

Tina's face grew sympathetic. "Aw, don't be like that, Kurt," she said, reaching over to pat his arm. "You just have to have patience. One day, your soulmate will come out of nowhere and..."

He chickened out, keeping his lips firmly closed as Tina's words went in one ear and out the other. They might be friendly now, but Kurt had years of blocking people out of his personal life and the thought of spilling his worries to Tina now felt weird. No, he thought as she nattered on about the proposed 'one day' he probably wouldn't have, it was best to keep his secret for just a little longer.

888

Blaine turned, letting out a puff of breath as his back hit the wall, the muted thuds of feet running filling his ears. "I'm just saying," he muttered to his brother, sitting against the wall next to him, "you don't want to move too fast. Just because you're soulmates doesn't mean you're meant to be together."

"I get what you're saying and I appreciate your concern, B," Cooper grunted, swinging his gun up to blast a guy trying to sneak up on them and letting out a victory yell when his armor lit up, "I really do, but I know that Tina is it for me; I've never felt this way before." He sat up, quickly getting out a few more shots before sitting down again as Blaine let out a snort.

"Yeah, that's what you said about Sarah."

"Yeah, but Sarah didn't share a Soulmark with me, did she? C'mon, let's move, they're trying to block us in."

Blaine shrugged as he stood, holding his gun at the ready as he hurried to another spot. He heard Cooper's gun go off a couple of times, covering his back, and he repaid the favor when it was his brothers' turn.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, that's all," he said once they were safely behind another blockade.

"Don't worry about me." Cooper knocked their shoulders together playfully.

"So when are you going to introduce her to Mom and Dad?"

"I'm thinking tomorrow, actually. Have her come over for Thanksgiving dinner or something."

Blaine frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea, exposing her to the whole family at once like that?"

Cooper shrugged. "She'll have to get used to them at some point."

A sneeze alerted them to the other group trying to close in and for the next minute, the only sound that could be heard was the pew of lasers and cries of indignation as more and more of the opposing team 'died.' Once the remainder had retreated, they sat back.

"Speaking of Kurt-"

"We weren't-"

"how does he not know you're in love with him?"

"I'm not-"

"I mean, I could see your moony-eyes from across town-"

"We're just-"

"If we were in a cartoon, your eyes would have literally be hearts, Squirt."

Blaine huffed in frustration and was about to retort when Cooper let out a cry and his armor lit up. Blaine quickly shot the guy as he snarked, "Serves you right."

888

Kurt's phone chimed obnoxiously loud in his ear, jolting him roughly from his sleep. Sunlight streamed from his window, a strip warming his forehead as he blinked awake. His phone was pressed against his face, the edges leaving creases in his cheek as he rolled over. He didn't remember falling asleep the night before, just picking up the phone when Blaine had called him, later than they usually talked, and tucking it between his ear and his pillow.

From Blaine:
Happy gobble gobble day, everyone! Don't eat too much :)

Kurt smiled at the silly message, typing a quick reply before he rolled out of bed. He frowned at the lines on his face as he sat at his vanity and started going through his morning moisturizing routine. His cheek was an ugly shade of red, cut across with the grooves from his phones' edges. He mourned the lines as he finished up and went upstairs to start breakfast.

By the time his dad stumbled into the kitchen, he already had two plates of crepes ready with a bowl of sliced fruit set out. Burt grunted when he spotted the food.

"Where's the bacon?"

"At the grocery store," Kurt replied, setting the plates on the table without looking at his dad.

"Kuuuurt-" he whined.

"No, Dad, you need to start eating healthier. You're not a teenager anymore." Kurt led him to the table and practically shoved him into a seat. "Eat up and then get out so I can make dinner." He fixed a cup of coffee for Burt and poured a glass of milk for himself before sitting down. Burt grumbled mutinously but dug in, polishing off his crepes and two thirds of the bowl of fruit before heaving himself out of his chair.

"I'm gonna go find a game or something."

Kurt hummed, not looking up from the recipe book he was pouring over, searching for a dessert recipe he had found a few days ago and had forgotten to bookmark. "I'll call you when dinner is ready."

There was pressure at the back of his head as his dad pressed a kiss into his hair and ruffled it as he shuffled past, heading for the living room. The TV flicked on just as he let out a soft noise of victory, smoothing the pages down, his eyes darting over the recipe. Pleased to find he has all the necessary ingredients, he grabbed his phone and selected his favorite playlist.

As Beyonce's 'Diva' began pounding out of the speaker set he had on the window sill, Kurt began cooking, dancing around the kitchen, his hips moving to the beat, and singing snippets as he prepared the turkey and ham. Burt had a habit of adding too much seasoning, so Kurt had taken over the job as soon as he was old enough. Aside from the mashed potatoes, rolls, and the desserts, his family was bringing all of the sides. Once the potatoes were boiling, Kurt began pulling out everything he needed for the three pies he had planned.

He was shimmying and singing along to Lady Gaga and slicing apples when,

"You're adorable."

Kurt whipped around, laying his knife flat on the cutting board, and stared at Blaine, leaning against the entrance of his kitchen. "Blaine! You're here! Wait, why are you here?"

Blaine laughed, walking over and looking at his setup. "I got kicked out of the kitchen because my dad says I always burn the food and I didn't want to hang with the other Doms, so I decided to come visit." He looked up, suddenly concerned. "I hope that's okay; I didn't mean to intrude or anything, but you told me last night you were going to spend the morning cooking and that your family wouldn't be over until later and your dad let me in, so I figured-"

"Blaine, Blaine, it's okay," Kurt laughed. "My dad wouldn't have let you in if he didn't want you here."

He immediately relaxed, smiling sweetly at Kurt as he walked over. "Good. So, what are you making?"

"Apple pie. The relatives are bringing all the sides, so it's my job to cook the meat and the desserts."

After watching Kurt work for a moment, Blaine grabbed a knife and began slicing apples with him. "Your dad doesn't help?"

Kurt let out an inelegant snort. "Definitely not. He has a habit of adding too much seasoning and salt. As soon as I was old enough, I took over for him." He frowned, staring down at the pile of apples he had accumulated before tossing them in a waiting bowl as he continued, "He's a good cook, generally speaking, but I'm concerned about his heart. He doesn't listen to me, obviously, but I've been thinking about trying to get my grandma to force him to go to the doctor."

Blaine frowned. "Is he that bad?"

"I don't think so." Kurt shook his head slowly, looking unsure. "But I'm not a doctor and he's such a 'meat and potatoes' man that I think I have cause to worry; he doesn't." He snorted, throwing more apple pieces in the bowl. "Of course, he hates going to the doctor, so that's probably why."

Blaine didn't know what to say, so they worked in silence until Kurt deemed enough apples had been cut up. He showed Blaine how to do the next step before starting to work on the next dessert, peach cobbler, his Uncle Pete's favourite.

"I think your voice was made for Queen songs," Kurt commented after Blaine started singing along to Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Blaine blushed as he began putting the apple mixture into the crust, shaking his head. "Oh, please, I remember you singing Killer Queen for your audition and then we did that duet to You're My Best Friend for Sectionals. You know what I'm talking about."

Blaine laughed. "You're right-"

"Naturally."

"-I've just never had anyone give me a compliment like that before. I mean, being compared to Freddie Mercury is a big deal, you know?"

"I know," Kurt chuckled. "I also like the fact that you seem to be trying to imitate Elvis with that cute little lip curl you do."

Blaine paused his dancing, looking over at him. "You think I'm cute?"

Kurt felt like his entire head was on fire and he quickly refocused on his cobbler, hoping Blaine hadn't noticed his blush as he shrugged. "I- the lip thing, I mean- um- my, uh, my mom always loved Elvis and I always saw him doing that when I was younger and thought it was cute, and, uh, you know, you look like you're from that era anyway, I just, I'm going to shut up now."

He could feel the warmth of Blaine's body as he stepped up to him, not so close to crowd his space, but close enough that their arms were brushing. "Wanna know a secret?" When Kurt only stared resolutely at the counter, not even pretending to be working, Blaine continued, "I think you're cute, too."

Oh, god, how was he not on fire? He was sure he was expelling enough heat to be. He glanced up, looking at Blaine through his eyelashes nervously. His honey colored eyes flicked down to Kurt's lips for the smallest of moments before darting back up to hold Kurt's gaze. Kurt felt like there was a band around his chest, constricting its movements as the moment grew heavy between them.

Is he leaning closer?

He's totally leaning closer.

Kurt licked his lips unconsciously as he started leaning towards Blaine, unsure, but knowing he wanted nothing more than to feel those lips against his...

"Aaaaawww, they're so cute," a voice cooed from the doorway. They sprang apart guiltily as another voice chided, "Delia, stop that!"

Kurt's Aunt Delia flapped her hand at his grandma. "No, I shan't, Mother, they're just so adorable, look at them." She stepped further into the kitchen, setting down the huge bowl she was carrying as Kurt groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Please let this be a terrible dream," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Nonsense, Kurtsie, this is a joyous time!" Aunt Delia chirped. "A kiss from your sweetie, and you both looked so nervous, it was adorable. These are the memories you hold onto when you're older, you know."

"It would have been a good memory if you hadn't ruined it with your commentary," Grandma Mae scolded her youngest child. She set her own dish on the counter before turning to Kurt. "I should have knocked the silly out of her before that last growth spurt," she confided to Blaine, who laughed.

"Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense! I would have been silly no matter what. It was the weed," Delia staged whispered. "The eighties were a crazy time," she added when her mother glared. She darted over to scoop Kurt into her arms and rock him back and forth. He wrapped his arms around her with an exaggerated sigh, but squeezed her back just as tight before stepping over to do the same to his grandmother.

"Now, Kurt, sweetie, why don't you introduce us to your friend here?" Grandma Mae asked kindly as she released him.

"Grandma Mae, Aunt Delia, this is my friend, Blaine." He couldn't help but stress the word friend just a little and missed the slight frown on Blaine's face when he did.

"How do you do, ladies?" he asked politely, stepping forward to shake their hands and letting out an oof when Delia roughly pulled him into a hug.

"Any friend of Kurt's is family," she insisted.

"Delia," her mother said warningly.

"Mabel," she replied mockingly.

"How do you do, dear?" Mae asked instead, ignoring her daughter and shaking Blaine's hand.

"I'm doing well, ma'am, and how are you?"

"Ooh, manners, I like this one."

"I'm excited to spend the day with my family, so I am doing great. Family time is very important to us Hummel's, you know."

"Yes, it is, which is why Blaine has to be leaving now," Kurt interrupted loudly. He threaded his arm through Blaine's and began leading him out of the kitchen. "I'll be back in a minute; I'm going to walk him out."

"Get it, Kurtsie!"

He leveled one last glare at his aunt before tugging Blaine along. After a quick introduction to the people who had gathered in the living room and saying goodbye to Burt, Blaine allowed Kurt to hurry him out of the house.

"I'm so sorry," Kurt said as soon as they were standing next to Blaine's car. He looked horrified as he shook his head. "I wanted to get you out before they arrived but I lost track of time, I'm so, so sorry."

"Are-" Blaine cleared his throat, "are you embarrassed of me or something?" His voice was low and too quiet.

"What? No! No, of course not, I just know how Aunt Delia is and you didn't even meet Uncle Jack, he's worse sometimes. They're a lot to take in if you're not used to them."

Blaine smiled. "So you planned to introduce me to your family sometime soon, then?" Kurt stared at the sidewalk, shifting from one foot to the other.

"...Maybe? Is that weird? It's weird, isn't it, I'm sor-" A hand clapped over his mouth and he looked up to find Blaine grinning at him.

"It's not weird at all."

"WHY DO I NOT SEE ANY LIPS SMACKING OUT THERE?"

"I'll kill her. I'll murder her dead and then I will never be embarrassed again," Kurt muttered, glaring at the clear blue sky.

"Please don't, I like having you around. Life wouldn't be worth much if you were in prison," Blaine reasoned. He reached down and twined their fingers together, giving his hand a light squeeze before letting go. "I'll text you later."

"Okay. Have fun."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "Doubtful, but I'll try. Happy Thanksgiving, Kurt."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Blaine." Kurt watched him drive away, hand shading his eyes until the dark blue car turned the corner and disappeared.