Carole embraced him the second he stepped foot through the front door.

"I'm so glad you're back," she told Blaine, not appearing to notice the way he stiffened for a moment when she first wrapped her arms around him. "We were so worried you'd be out there in the cold all by yourself - and on Christmas, as well!"

Another pang of guilt hit Blaine as Carole patted his shoulders before releasing him, stepping back enough to allow Kurt to close the door against the winter chill. "I just needed some air," he explained apologetically. "I'm really sorry I made you all worry and go looking for me. I should have let you know that I was going out - I was stupid. Sorry."

Carole smiled reassuringly at him and Burt gave his head a small shake. "Don't stress about it. I know none of this can be easy for you, and you'll need a bit of time away from it all on occasion." He smiled at him, and since he was standing beside Carole and Kurt was at his side, Blaine was able to return it. "Just try and let us know in the future so we don't have to send out a search party, ok?"

His tone wasn't in the slightest bit reprimanding, only requesting, but Blaine still felt that diminishing sensation of being chastised and his throat closed up, leaving him unable to speak. He nodded. Carole laid her hand lightly on his arm and Blaine looked away from Burt.

"You're freezing!" she exclaimed, looking worried as she took in the borrowed scarf and gloves he was wearing. "I can't believe you were out there without a coat on," she said with a small tut. It was such a motherly response, the kind Blaine had never really experienced before, that he had to smile. "Go into the living room and warm up - both of you." She waved her hands at them.

After quickly taking off his scarf and gloves, Blaine followed Kurt through to the cosy living room where Finn was hovering near the window, his gaze switching between the snowy world outside and the door. Blaine faltered slightly as Finn turned his gaze on him, but for the first time since their dispute the tall boy's expression wasn't hostile; it was strangely relieved.

Burt and Carole entered the room a few seconds later, Burt making a beeline for the fireplace where he picked up the iron poker and began to prod at the wood burning in the grate, while Carole sat down and peered over at Kurt and Blaine with some concern, as if waiting for one of them to suddenly fall ill from their night's escapades.

"We're fine, Carole, really," Kurt tried to assure her. "Once we've had a few minutes to warm up we'll be as good as new."

"I know, I know," she said, sitting back in her seat. "I just can't help but worry, and- well, I'm really glad you came back, Blaine."

Burt straightened up as he set the poker aside and turned away from the fire. "You had us real worried, kid," he agreed, taking a seat in his usual armchair. "You know you can come talk to any of us if something is bothering you or you just need someone to listen. I know you're not all that comfortable around me yet-" he held up his hands - "and that's fine; hopefully that will change with time, but you can talk to Carole any time you need to. Kurt doesn't have to be your only confidant; he's only a teenager, he can't help with everything."

Nodding, Blaine smiled gratefully at Burt. "Thank you. And I really am sorry about tonight, I should have spoken to one of you first - I don't know what I was thinking."

"Unless you want to end up in Kurt's bad books, I'd let him know next time," Burt warned teasingly. "You don't want to be on the receiving end of Kurt's glares, trust me; kid can pack a harder hit with a look than a punch."

Blaine laughed at that and glanced at his boyfriend, who was watching him with bright eyes and a soft, delighted smile. He shook his head at Blaine when their eyes met. "Don't say you were never warned," he quipped lightly.

Fighting with the desire to lean over and kiss Kurt's smiling mouth, Blaine looked away and flashed a quick smile at an amused Carole, who was watching the exchange. "We're all here for you, Blaine," she said when she caught his eye. "Just remember that."

"I'm here for you as well," a slightly hesitant voice spoke up from over by the windows. Everyone in the room turned to look at Finn, still standing somewhat awkwardly behind the armchair. His cheeks reddened under all of their stares, but he continued, "I- I know we didn't get off to the best of starts, but everything I said that day we met was wrong and disrespectful and I'm really, really sorry. I was- I'm really glad you came back, Blaine. I was worried you'd left for good."

Blaine could hardly believe what he was hearing. He knew Kurt had said that he'd spoken to Finn, but he hadn't expected Finn to say anything like that to him. A small spark of distrust ignited inside of him and he examined Finn's expression and body language carefully, searching for any signs that he may be lying. He found none.

"I- That's ok, Finn," Blaine eventually stammered out into the silent room. He hesitated, not totally sure what exactly to say, and after a few long seconds of awkward silence, Carole jumped to her feet.

"I almost forgot, I promised you boys hot chocolate. I'll go make it right away," she announced in a loud voice, shooting her husband a look as she did so.

Kurt stood up. "I'm going to help."

"Me too," Burt declared, getting up and following his wife out of the room.

Realising he was about to be left alone with Finn, Blaine looked up at Kurt with panicked eyes, ready to grab hold of his wrist and keep him from leaving if he had to. Kurt gave him a reassuring smile as he walked round behind the couch, his hand brushing lightly across the back of Blaine's neck as he passed. Swallowing, Blaine settled into his seat and tried to relax his tense muscles as the sound of Kurt's footsteps faded.

Finn was still staring at him and Blaine kept his eyes trained on the floor, unable to help but find the gaze threatening despite the complete lack of hostility in Finn's expression. It was something ingrained in him that he hadn't quite managed to shift yet - the football players only ever looked at him for longer than a second when they were about to attack him.

There was a loud pop from the fire that made Blaine jump slightly, and then Finn spoke.

"I really am sorry," he said quietly. "About everything. Kurt was right, I wouldn't like it if I was in your position and someone treated me like that, so I shouldn't have said those things."

Swallowing nervously again, Blaine peeked at the other boy through his lashes to find that he'd lowered his gaze and was worrying the fabric of his shirtsleeve between his fingers. He looked guilty and truly sorry for his actions, but Blaine couldn't forgive him that quickly; Finn's reaction had caused him a lot of stress and pain, and just saying he was sorry wasn't quite enough for Blaine to forgive and forget. Time would also be needed, but today was a big step in the right direction.

"No, you shouldn't have," Blaine responded in a low voice. "But I can understand why you thought that way."

There was the sound of Finn shifting his weight. "I don't know what I was thinking that day, but I was wrong to imply that you were using Kurt's kindness and that you were a liar. I shouldn't have said that you should be chucked out on the streets." He sighed in frustration. "I don't want to be that type of person, but sometimes I am - I'm ignorant and quick to stereotype. I was the same way towards Kurt back before my mom and Burt started dating, and I- I hate that I behave that way," he finished, sounding annoyed with himself.

Blaine didn't really know what to say. He had never expected Finn to start spilling his inner battles to him and he was at a loss for what to do. It wasn't like he could comfort Finn given their situation, but he still couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy; the taller boy was clearly torn up about how he'd treated him and Kurt.

"How- Why did you bully Kurt?" he asked, trying to keep as much anger out of his tone as he could - the thought of anyone bullying Kurt made his blood boil. "How could you do that to him?"

Finn shook his head, still staring down at the back of the armchair in front of him and looking troubled. "I don't know," he said blankly. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "My friends were all homophobic football players and Kurt was openly gay and..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "There's no real reason; no excuse."

Biting the inside of his cheek, Blaine looked passed Finn at the snow building up on the window ledge. He didn't speak; he knew if he did he'd say something that would probably result in an argument and ruin any chance of building a positive relationship with him.

"I still feel guilty about it," Finn confessed suddenly. "And I sometimes wonder why he forgave me." He paused for a moment, looking troubled. "I did change, or at least I like to think I did."

Blaine was once again lost for words. He didn't know if he should offer the other boy some reassurance, or if he should be blunt and tell him how he obviously hadn't changed that much, or if he should just remain silent and wait for Finn to say something else or for Kurt and the others to return, whichever came first.

It had always been in his nature to be supportive and kind, though, so there was only really one option for him.

"You shouldn't beat yourself up over something that was buried years ago. I know it can be hard, but if Kurt's forgiven you then you should forgive yourself. Kurt's a pretty forgiving person, but only with people who deserve it."

Finn raised his head slowly until he was looking at Blaine, his expression thoughtful. "You're right," he agreed after a moment. "It was a mistake that I've learned from and now I need to do the same thing with how I treated you." He held Blaine's gaze as he spoke, his voice determined. "I really am sorry for what I said to you. I know it must have caused you a lot of pain and I just hope we can put this behind us and start over again."

Finn moved out from behind the armchair and crossed the living room before coming to a stop in front of Blaine. He held out his hand, wearing a hopeful smile.

Taking Finn's hand and shaking it, Blaine found that his answering smile came easily and that his earlier nerves at being alone with Finn had long since vanished. "Of course we can," he replied.

Finn's smile widened and they dropped hands just as Kurt entered the room carrying a tray of mugs, followed by Carole and Burt, all of them with pleased smiles on their faces, especially Kurt. Blaine wondered if they'd been standing outside the door listening.

Finn returned to sit on the armchair he'd been standing by earlier, snagging a mug of hot chocolate off the try Kurt was just setting down on the coffee table on his way, causing Kurt to snap good-naturedly at him about manners. As he watched Carole hand a mug to Burt and Kurt shake his head at Finn, Blaine felt some of the warmth that he'd previously only experienced around Kurt fill his belly and spread through his body in a contented glow.

He accepted the mug Kurt passed him with a soft smile of thanks, and Kurt brushed his fingers over Blaine's right knee as he sat down next to him. The warm sweetness of the hot chocolate mixed with the creaminess of the melting marshmallows added to the warmth in his body and Blaine felt like part of the family for the first time. It was a bit of an odd family situation that they had, but to him it was wonderful.

Burt, Carole, and Finn laughed loudly at something one of them had just said and Kurt took the opportunity to caress Blaine's side, rubbing circles into his waist with his thumb.

It felt so right.

The thundering of feet on the stairs and Finn's voice loudly complaining about how hungry he was woke Kurt on Christmas morning. Rubbing at his eyes, he sat up and checked the time to find it was a little after ten. With a soft sigh he let himself flop back down, not really feeling tired but still not awake enough to consider getting up yet.

It had been well after one in the morning when they had all finished their hot chocolate and made their way upstairs to bed. Kurt had been so happy and light with relief that he hadn't noticed how tired he was until he'd climbed into bed and laid down. He was out the second his head touched the pillow, a smile on his face.

He had been dreading the arrival of Christmas Day because he knew it would be a difficult time for Blaine, but now that the day was actually here, he was hopeful that Blaine would actually enjoy it as much as everyone else. Even if Finn was now knocking on his door and whining at him to get up and make breakfast...

"I'm getting up," he grumbled, sitting up again and pushing the covers back. "You really need to learn how to make breakfast, Finn," he called in the direction of the door.

Finn said something in response, but his reply was lost as he hurried back along the hall and pounded down the stairs.

Yawning, Kurt shuffled through to his bathroom, mentally going through the contents of the fridge and kitchen cupboards as he washed. It had been a tradition when his mother was alive to have orange crêpes for breakfast on Christmas morning - a tradition he had continued after her death - and every year he always made sure they had the ingredients to make them, but he hadn't done any of the Christmas grocery shopping this year, so he was relying on Carole having remembered to get the ingredients he'd requested.

Once he was dressed and had his hair neatly styled, he headed down to the kitchen, smiling when he found all of the necessary ingredients. He was grating the rind off an orange when Blaine joined him in the kitchen, dressed smartly in dark pants, a sweater over a button-down shirt, and an adorable bowtie that he had shyly picked out when looking at clothes online - he said he'd always loved bowties but had to stop wearing them at his old school after one of his tormentors had ripped one from his neck.

"Merry Christmas," he greeted Kurt brightly, his eyes shining in the winter sunlight streaming through the kitchen window.

After shooting a furtive glance at the doorway, Kurt set the orange aside and stepped forward to kiss Blaine. "Merry Christmas," he whispered once they'd parted.

They stood close for a moment, breathing against each other's skin and letting their fingers link together, until they heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs followed by Carole's voice calling out a warning to Finn about not rummaging through the presents stacked under the tree. They reluctantly stepped away from each other.

"Do you want any help?" Blaine asked as Kurt picked up the orange again.

Kurt ran his eyes over the bowls, utensils, and ingredients set out on the counter as he grated more orange rind. "Um..." He nudged a bowl with his elbow. "You could mix that and start adding this orange rind to it." He smiled when Blaine joined him at the counter and picked up a wooden spoon to start mixing. He liked working together like this; the domesticity of it made him feel warm inside.

Kurt was in the middle of making the first batch of crêpes while Blaine finished setting the table when Burt, Carole, and Finn entered the kitchen, wishing the pair of them a merry Christmas. They breathed in the delicious, sweet, citrus scent that filled the air and discussed how much they were looking forward to breakfast.

A few minutes later they were all sitting down to crêpes and coffee. Kurt didn't contribute much to the conversation, preferring to just listen as he absorbed the feeling of Christmas with his somewhat unusual family. Last Christmas it had just been him and his dad; this year he had his step-mom, step-brother, and his boyfriend celebrating the holiday with them.

Finn insisted on being the one to pass out the presents when they moved to the living room after breakfast. Kurt smiled when he handed the first brightly wrapped parcel to a surprised Blaine, and he watched eagerly as his boyfriend carefully opened his present with awe-filled delicate movements, the complete opposite of the frenzy of tearing paper that Kurt knew Finn would be doing soon. Tears filled Blaine's eyes when he pulled back the paper to reveal the soft, maroon sweater that Carole and Burt had gotten him (and Kurt had chosen).

Blaine smoothed a hand almost lovingly over the sweater. "Thank you so much," he breathed, lifting his teary eyes to look at Burt and Carole. "You didn't have to get me anything; you've already given me the best Christmas I could have dreamed of having."

"We just wanted to give you a little gift," Burt explained as Carole nodded in agreement. "A nice surprise for you, ‘cause you deserve to get presents on Christmas, too."

Blaine bit his lip and fidgeted with the neckline of his new sweater. "I don't have anything to give you. I don't have any money to buy you both something." Blaine sounded almost ashamed of himself and Kurt shifted slightly on the couch beside him.

"Blaine, the point of giving gifts isn't to just swap an item with someone else, it's the thought and the emotions behind it that are what's important," Burt said gently. "We knew you wouldn't be able to give us something in return, but your gratitude and your appreciation is all that matters."

Swallowing, Blaine nodded and lowered his gaze to the unwrapped gift in his lap, his long lashes hiding his eyes from Kurt. "Thank you," he said again, sounding less choked-up this time, but just as sincere.

Burt smiled and nodded approvingly. "You're welcome."

More presents were opened and Blaine managed to keep his emotions under control when he opened Finn's gift of music books filled with sheet music for the piano. When the last parcel had been opened, Blaine pulled a small, tissue paper-wrapped gift from his pocket and handed it to Kurt, looking a little nervous as Kurt ran a finger over the silky red ribbon.

"It's not much," Blaine admitted, "but I hope you like it."

Under the curious gazes of his family, Kurt slowly tugged at the ribbon as his mind made a few half-hearted attempts to guess what Blaine's present could be - not that it really mattered. All that mattered was that it was his first Christmas present from his boyfriend.

None of his guesses came close to what was revealed when he set the ribbon aside and parted the tissue paper. His jaw dropped and a tiny noise of delight escaped him.

It was a brooch, a handmade brooch in the shape of a tiny bird that had been painstakingly and wonderfully created out of silver and blue coloured wire. The wire had been artfully twisted and shaped to form the little bird. Kurt turned it over in his hand, noting the tiny safety pin so it could be attached to clothing, marvelling at Blaine's skill and wondering how long it must have taken him to make it. It may not have been the most expensive brooch he owned, but it was priceless compared to his others. It was unique, beautiful, and best of all, Blaine had made it, Blaine had spent hours over the fiddly and delicate task of shaping the wire with Kurt on his mind as he did so.

A gush of emotion threatened to send the tears prickling in Kurt's eyes rolling down his cheeks.

"It's beautiful," he breathed, finally lifting his gaze from the tiny bird to look at Blaine. "Thank you so much."

Most of the worry in Blaine's expression cleared. "You really like it?" he asked hopefully, a hint of disbelief in his tone.

Kurt smiled affectionately at him. "I love it. I can't believe you made it!" He set the brooch aside carefully, hesitated for about a second before reaching out and pulling Blaine into a tight hug, hooking his chin over the smaller boy's shoulder and closing his eyes when he felt Blaine return the embrace. He didn't care that his family was still watching them - they had hugged in front of them before. He really just needed to thank Blaine in more than words and a smile; he needed to hold him in his arms, rub his back as he felt Blaine smile against his shoulder, and murmur another thank you in his ear.

When they reluctantly let go of each other, Kurt glanced away immediately, knowing that if he looked at Blaine any longer he wouldn't be able to stop himself from kissing him or declaring how much he loved him, and it wasn't the right time for his family to be learning about that. He distracted himself by holding up the brooch to show to his family. They immediately began to praise Blaine's craft skills. He allowed himself a peek at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eye when Blaine was describing how he made the bird out of coils of wire he found in the old crates in the attic. He could give Blaine a proper thank you later when they were alone.

After everyone had stopped admiring the bird pin, they all went across the hall to the barely-used room into which Finn had moved the piano this morning. Blaine did a great job of pretending that he hadn't already seen it, even managing to tear up again as he ran his fingers lightly over the gleaming keys like he had done the night before.

With the presents now all given out, Kurt and Blaine helped Carole in the kitchen with preparations for dinner until she shooed them away, telling them to go relax and to send Burt and Finn in to help her with the last of the preparations. When the mild, protesting grumbles from Finn faded away, Kurt suddenly realised they were finally alone.

Knowing that his family would be returning soon, Kurt wasted no time in sliding closer to Blaine on the couch and pulling him into a passionate kiss.

"Thank you so much for my present," he gasped when they parted. "I adore it."

Blaine's face lit up in an eye-crinkling smile. "Thank you for the piano."

Sighing happily, Kurt dropped his head onto Blaine's shoulder and nuzzled against his neck. "Why a bird?" he asked curiously. Feeling Blaine shift under his head, he added hastily, "There's nothing wrong with it being a bird; I was just wondering why you chose it?" He tilted his head back enough to see Blaine's face.

A smile tugged at the corner of Blaine's mouth as he tucked an arm around Kurt's waist and held him close. "Well, obviously because of your love of singing and your beautiful voice, but also because whenever I saw birds flying by the attic windows I always thought about how free they were and wished I could have that same freedom." Their eyes met and his crooked smile widened. "You gave me that freedom, Kurt. You made me as free as those birds."

Kurt didn't think it was possible for him to fall any more in love with Blaine, but as he pressed a soft kiss to the underside of Blaine's jaw followed by another one to his lips, he felt himself falling even further.

"I love you," he breathed against the corner of Blaine's mouth.

Blaine hummed in agreement as he kissed Kurt again, his lips warm and soft, tasting both sweet and slightly bitter from his crêpes-and-coffee breakfast.

After a moment, Kurt sat back, resisting the urge to lean back in and just stay that close to Blaine all the time. He could quite happily spend the rest of the day tucked into Blaine's side as they shared lazy kisses, but there was something else he really wanted to do.

"Will you play the piano for me?" he asked. "I really want to hear you play."

"Now?"

Kurt nodded, getting ready to pout if Blaine was reluctant.

Blaine sat up, smoothing out the wrinkles in his sweater. "Ok," he agreed, smiling at Kurt's expression. "I'll be a bit rusty, though," he warned.

Jumping to his feet, Kurt shrugged and took Blaine's hand to pull him along. "Doesn't matter, you'll get back into the swing of it now that you can play whenever you want."

Kurt led Blaine across the hall. Blaine dropped his hand and approached the instrument, smiling at the large bow still taped to the top of it. Like he had done last night, he trailed his fingers lightly over the keys, familiarizing himself with the feel of them under his fingers, the fond expression on his face akin to seeing an old childhood friend.

Taking a seat on a nearby armchair, Kurt quietly watched his boyfriend begin to play random chords and scales, his touch on the keys light and almost hesitant, the notes soft in the air. He gained confidence quickly, and was soon playing several bars of songs, the music filling the room and spilling out into the rest of the house. After several minutes he paused, the latest chords gradually fading into silence as Blaine examined the piano musingly.

It had been his plan to simply sit and listen to Blaine play without interrupting him at all, but Kurt was beginning to feel a few prickles of concern as Blaine continued to stare down at the piano. Just as he opened his mouth to see if Blaine was alright, however, Blaine moved, pulling out the piano bench and sitting down on it before stretching his fingers out over the keys again. He surveyed them with his head tilted for a moment, and then he began to play.

The notes were soft and gentle, but unlike those that he had played earlier; these weren't played with hesitation, but with the purpose that came with knowledge and confidence - Blaine was playing something that was obviously familiar to him. Kurt didn't recognise the tune, but it was beautiful and he found himself leaning forwards in his chair until his forearms were resting on his thighs, admiring Blaine's skill and enjoying the way the music strengthened, escalated.

The performance wasn't perfect; Blaine slipped up a few times and played a wrong note or broke rhythm, but it still made Kurt's breath catch in his throat and his heart swell.

The song ended on a low, soft note, and Blaine gazed down at the keys for a moment before turning slowly around to face Kurt, smiling shyly. "I used to play that song a lot in the year or so before I left my parent's house. I worked on it for months until I was finally happy with how it sounded."

Kurt blinked at him, snapping out of the almost sleepy trance he'd been in. "Wait, you wrote that?"

"I used to tinker around on the piano a lot," Blaine replied with a nod of affirmation.

Kurt simply stared at him, wondering what other remarkable talents his boyfriend was hiding. "Well, tinker away. That was incredible."

Blaine ducked his head bashfully as a pleased smile and light blush appeared on his face. "Thanks." He stretched out a hand and slid a finger absently over the keys. "I've been thinking about how I left the house last night..."

Startled by the sudden change in topic, Kurt straightened up in his chair. When Blaine looked over at him with his bottom lip caught between his teeth, he nodded in encouragement for him to continue.

"I don't want to go back to staying indoors all the time, not when I have no problem with going outside anymore," Blaine continued.

Shifting in his chair, Kurt watched Blaine's face as the other boy gave him a small smile. "So, you're saying..."

"I want to do normal stuff again. Go out for coffee, join you on your marathon shopping trips at the mall - just be a normal teenager." He twisted further round on the bench until he was fully facing Kurt. "I want to try and join you in school next term and I think- I think I'm about ready to do that."

A wide smile spread across Kurt's face. "That's great, Blaine! And I'll help you do that. I'll help you with anything you want to achieve."

The smile on Blaine's face turned coy as a teasing twinkle appeared in his eyes. "You can help by going out for coffee with me."

"Blaine Anderson, are you asking me out on a date?" Kurt asked, struggling to keep a straight face as a smile twitched his lips.

Blaine stood up and crossed the room until he was standing in front of Kurt. "I'm asking you out on a date," he confirmed, before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to Kurt's lips.