It took him a whole minute to remember why he was waking up in a bed that wasn't his, but as soon as he recalled the events of the day before, a lazy, sleepy smile spread on Blaine's lips.

Kurt.

He was here because of Kurt.

The sounds of the morning started to reach his ears. He thought he heard Robert barking outside and a clash of dishes and voices probably coming from the kitchen. With a quick glance to his phone on the bedside table, he checked the time and found himself unable to remember the last time he had slept until nine. He got out of bed and stretched, ignoring the chills that came from leaving his cocoon of warm blankets and searched in his overnight bag for his toiletries and clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, he was walking down the stairs, showered, dressed and with his hair slicked back with gel. The smell of food reached him as soon as he put a foot on the floor.

He stopped in the doorway, looking into the kitchen. Carole and Kurt were there, almost dancing around each other as they moved from the countertops, to the stove, to the fridge. Carole was still in her pajamas and bathrobe, but Kurt was dressed in what looked like thick black leggings, high black boots and a knee-length gray sweater that hugged his chest almost sinfully. He had a red apron on, but somehow that didn't ruin his outfit at all.

Carole spotted Blaine when she turned around to check something she had in the oven. "Well, good morning, sunshine!"

Blaine smiled lightly. "Good morning, Carole."

"Hey," Kurt's smile grew wider when he saw him. He abandoned the bowl he was mixing something in on the counter and came to him, stopping just a couple of steps away. "How did you sleep?"

"Great, great," he couldn't take his eyes off of Kurt, as if nothing else existed in the kitchen, in the house, in the world. "How about you?"

"Mm, amazing. I always forget how comfortable my bed is," Kurt answered with a dreamy tone and then both just stared at each other for a few seconds, not saying anything, as if neither could remember what words were for…

Carole giggled and then cleared her throat, breaking the spell. She seemed embarrassed when they both snapped out of whatever trance they were in and looked at her, almost surprised to find her there. "Uhm, I… I think I'm gonna go get dressed. You two look so good that I feel bad."

Before either of them could reply, Carole was kissing both of their cheeks and leaving the kitchen quickly. Kurt and Blaine turned back to face each other and Blaine was pleased to see Kurt had a slight blush on his pale skin, because he knew he was blushing, too.

Then Kurt cleared his throat, too. "I made pancakes for breakfast."

Blaine's stomach gurgled, which made Kurt laugh. "Do you ever stop cooking?"

"Rarely," Kurt seemed to take a deep breath to gather some courage and then grabbed Blaine's hand to take him to the table. Blaine's body immediately responded to the touch, his fingers curling around his tightly, his heart speeding up inside his chest.

Blaine sat down, but regretted it immediately when Kurt retrieved his hand to go get the stack of pancakes that were next to the stove so they would stay warm. "That looks fantastic."

"They're my brother's favorites, so you better eat up before he gets here," Kurt laughed. Blaine started pouring syrup on his pancakes and Kurt took two mugs from the cupboard.

Blaine actually moaned a bit when the pancakes were in his mouth. "Is there anything you cook that isn't delicious? Oh my God, Kurt."

Kurt slid a cup of coffee across the table towards Blaine as he sat down in front of him with his own. "Of course not, I'm flawless," he said with an irritated huff and a roll of his eyes, which were sparkling.

"Yes, you are…" Blaine said before he realized what he was doing and the teasing that was floating in the air vanished as Kurt bit his lip and looked down at the wooden table, without knowing what to say. Blaine closed his eyes, making a mental note to bang his head against the wall later, before trying to change the subject. "So… where's your dad?"

"He had to go to the shop for a little while. One of his best client's car has broken down unexpectedly and he doesn't trust anyone else to fix it. He and Finn will probably be here in an hour or two," Kurt explained, sipping his coffee slowly.

"And Robert?" Blaine looked around, expecting to see the dog walking into the kitchen.

"He's having an awful lot of fun in the backyard," Kurt chuckled. "He clearly likes being outdoors."

"Yeah, he always goes kind of crazy when I take him to the park."

Kurt looked at him then and bit his lip again. "You have, uhm… you have syrup. There." He pointed to the corner of Blaine's mouth.

"Oh," Blaine grabbed a napkin and tried to dab at it but the amused expression on Kurt's eyes only got more intense. "There?"

"No, no, to the left… not so much…" Kurt leaned across the table. "Here, let me do it."

Blaine thought his heart had stopped at the sound of those words. He leaned in a bit, watching as Kurt grabbed the napkin from him and carefully, maybe too slowly, wiped the syrup away. They looked into each other's eyes then and Blaine could've sworn that Kurt's gaze dropped to his lips for less than a second.

I can do this. I can kiss him. What's stopping me? We are alone and I think there's a chance he wants to, too… Blaine's thoughts were making him dizzy, or maybe it was the deep shade of blue mixed with green and gray specks on Kurt's eyes and… was that even a bit of yellow around his iris?

He swallowed, nervously and moved an inch forward. He was going to do this.

Except that his phone started ringing in his pocket and reality was already smacking him in the head once again. Kurt jerked back, startled by the sound and so did Blaine, who quickly fished it out of his pocket only to feel his stomach dropping when he saw who was calling.

"I… I'd better take this," he mumbled, uncomfortably.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, go ahead," Kurt smiled at him and stood up, walking to the counter with his cup of coffee and resuming the work he had been doing before Blaine entering the kitchen, his hands a little shaky as he whipped whatever it was he had in that bowl.

Blaine stood up, too, and left the kitchen quickly. His first instinct was to get as far away from Kurt as possible for this, so he opened the front door and went outside as he accepted the call.

"Hello," he said, flatly.

"Are you on your way yet? The guests are starting to arrive," his father's sharp voice said on the other end, ignoring any sort of greeting.

Blaine closed his eyes and tried to sound calm when he spoke again. "I'm afraid I won't be able to make it today."

There was a pause. Blaine opened his eyes and looked around at the neighborhood. It seemed full of life at that moment. A car was parking in front of a house across the street and a little girl was opening the front door to greet her relatives with enthusiasm. Another group of kids where gathered near the corner, all with bikes and helmets and he could hear the sound of their laughter.

"What are you talking about?" Walter Anderson said, and a cold shiver ran down Blaine's spine at how low and unpleasant his tone was. "Stop acting like a child and get here, Blaine."

Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can't. I'm not in Columbus."

"Then where the hell are you?" His father asked and Blaine thought he heard the sound of a door being closed. His father was probably getting too furious to be in front of his guests anymore.

"I'm at a friend's house. They invited me over for Thanksgiving and I decided to come," Blaine answered vaguely. For a moment, he thought about Monday and how bad it was going to be. But he couldn't live his life afraid of what his father would think of him or tell him. He wasn't a child anymore.

"A friend's house?" Walter repeated, angry and incredulous at the same time. "You don't have any friends."

Blaine found himself having trouble breathing. "Yes, I do."

"Who would want to be friends with someone like you?"

The urge to punch something was so bad that he had to grip the doorknob behind him tightly. "I'm sorry that you find your own son so unlikeable, Dad, but there are people who aren't as narrow-minded as you in this world."

He could almost feel his father's anger boiling through the phone. "You don't talk to me like that, Blaine. You will show me respect."

Blaine opened his mouth to tell him respect should be something mutual, but his father didn't give him enough time to form the words.

"Now stop being ridiculous and come home!"

"No, I can't and I won't!" Blaine raised his voice. He couldn't remember the last time he had raised his voice at his father like that. Maybe he had never done it. "I'm going to spend Thanksgiving here with people who are happy to have me around and you can stay there and have fun with your guests and be glad that I'm not there to embarrass you with my presence."

"Blaine Anderson, you…" Walter started, the fire of his rage evident in every syllable. But Blaine interrupted him.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Dad. Say hello to Mom for me," and before he could give it a second thought, he hung up the phone.

His whole body was shaking as realization washed over him. Oh, shit. He felt sick, really sick, as the conversation replayed in his head. A part of him was dreading the retaliation this would bring when he went back to the office on Monday and another part felt liberated. But his father wasn't a man who brushed things off and forgot offenses. Blaine could expect nothing but hell from him in the next few days.

He tried to calm down before going back inside, but five minutes later he was still shaking and it wasn't helping that he had gone outside without a coat on. He turned around and entered the warm, cozy house again, wishing it would bring him some comfort, but it didn't. He swallowed, trying to keep his emotions at bay, before walking back to the kitchen.

Carole was back, wearing a simple blue dress, but everything was silent. Kurt seemed to be making some kind of pie, but it was obvious he wasn't really paying much attention to it. As soon as he heard Blaine returning, his head snapped to the side and Blaine could see all the worry tainting those beautiful blue eyes.

Blaine did his best to say something or to at least stop shaking, but he couldn't and he hated himself for being like this in front of Kurt and, even worse, in front of Carole. But one second later, Kurt was crossing the kitchen in a few long strides and throwing his arms around him.

Blaine was tense for just a couple more seconds before he melted against him. Kurt held him tight, as if he wasn't ever going to let go, his face pressed against Blaine's neck, his breath warming his skin there. Blaine sighed and allowed himself to completely fuse into Kurt's embrace. He buried his head in the crook of his shoulder and hugged him back, his arms wrapped around Kurt's waist. Kurt's scent was all around him, mixing with the delicious smell of the cooking going on in the kitchen, and Blaine breathed everything in.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked against his skin and now Blaine shivered for an entirely different reason.

He tugged him even closer, which wasn't even possible. He knew that Kurt had listened. It had been inevitable, after all, as soon as he had raised his voice. He nodded and he felt Kurt's fingers sneaking into his hairline. For the first time in his life, he wished he didn't use gel in it.

Kurt moved slightly, just enough to speak into his ear. "I am happy to have you here, Blaine. So happy."

Blaine had to take another deep breath to steady his heartbeat and to stop himself from being even more pathetic and start crying. He dug his fingers deeper into the softness of Kurt's sweater at his sides.

Kurt pulled away without letting go, to look at him in the eyes. His own blue ones were shiny with tears, full of emotion. "Tell me what I can do to make you feel better."

Kiss me. Love me. Don't ever let me go. Blaine carefully wiped Kurt's tears away with his thumb, letting his fingertips linger on that pale, perfect skin for longer than necessary. "I… I just need to stop thinking."

Kurt smiled, not as brightly as usual, but just as beautiful. He moved his arms from around Blaine, but held one of his hands. "There's nothing better to keep you busy than getting ready for a Thanksgiving meal."

Only then did Blaine realize Carole was still there, smiling at him comfortingly, cutting sweet potatoes into perfect circles. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to, either. She kissed his cheek when he stood next to her and that was all he needed.

"Do you think you can handle peeling the potatoes?" Kurt asked, looking at him with calculating eyes. Blaine couldn't stop noticing that their hands were still intertwined.

"I think so, yes," he nodded, hating a bit how scratchy his voice sound, still too affected.

"Good, then get on it," Kurt replied, letting go and returning to the pie he was working on. Blaine missed the touch, but his body still tingled with the memory of it.

They started working and joking around and Blaine discovered that, next to Kurt, it wasn't that hard to forget about all the deceptions in his life. Kurt had the gift of making them look really small just by brushing their fingers together accidentally or flashing him a dazzling smile. Just for once, Blaine pushed reality aside, pushed it as far away as he could.

He would deal with whatever he had to deal with on Monday.

Burt and Finn came home ten minutes before the football game started. Carole, Blaine and Kurt were still in the kitchen, taking a little pause from all that cooking with a cup of coffee.

"Hey, dude, nice to meet you," Finn said when Kurt introduced him to Blaine. They shook hands. "It's good to finally see your face. Kurt talks so much about you that I…"

"Finn," Kurt cut, his teeth gritted. "Don't you have to go wash your hands or watch the game or throw yourself under a bus or something?"

"Oops. Sorry, man," Finn put his hands up in apology and turned around to go to the living room.

Blaine had to bite his lips to hide the huge smile that was threatening to split his face in half.

"Blaine," Burt said, after taking a bottle of water from the fridge. "Do you like football? Would you like to watch the game with us?"

Blaine glanced quickly at Kurt, as if he was asking if it was okay with him. Kurt immediately nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to, Mr. Hummel."

He grabbed his cup of coffee and followed Burt, leaving Kurt and Carole alone in the kitchen. Kurt kept his gaze on Blaine until he disappeared out of sight and then he sighed. When he turned to Carole, she had a knowing smile on her face.

"What?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably on his seat.

"You're head over heels for him," she said, and it was obvious she had wanted to say something about it for a while.

Kurt groaned and banged his head against the table before lying his forehead on his arms. "Am I that obvious?"

Caroled laughed and reached out to pat his hand. "I'm afraid you are, dear." She sipped her coffee before adding, "and so is he."

Kurt looked at her, a glimpse of hope in his eyes. "Do you really think so?"

"Oh, honey, I'm sure even Finn can see it."

Kurt gripped his cup a little tighter. "What should I do?"

"What if you tell him how you feel?" Carole shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"Yeah, but… his life is complicated. I don't think he's comfortable with himself, so why would he be comfortable having a relationship?" Kurt spoke in a hushed, low tone, hoping no one else could hear their conversation.

"Sometimes having somebody love you exactly for who you are makes you see things about yourself that you didn't even know about," she said, standing up to take her cup to the sink and check on the turkey in the oven. "You could save him, Kurt. You could show him a lot of things that he doesn't know about himself. I don't think Blaine has ever been truly happy before."

"I don't think so, either," Kurt sighed, tiredly.

"And he could save you," Carole stood next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you say that you don't care, but you don't have to be alone, Kurt. Your dad and I love how you always put the family first but, honey… we're not gonna be here forever. Your father is right. You need a family of your own."

Kurt didn't say anything. He didn't really know what to say. Yes, he was falling for Blaine, so, so hard. And yes, he could see himself with Blaine not only now but in the years to come, too. But… everything felt so complicated. He knew Blaine needed him. What if he screwed up and Blaine ended up losing the only support he had in his life?

"I'll keep an eye on the food," Carole said. "Why don't you go to your room and relax a bit or to the living room with Blaine?"

Kurt nodded. As soon as he left the kitchen, Brownie appeared around the corner and started rubbing against his legs. He picked her up and stood there, hesitant, in the middle of the hallway, until he decided to go into the living room. Burt was sitting in his old brown leather chair and Finn and Blaine were sharing the couch. Robert was sleeping next to Blaine's feet, contentedly.

Blaine looked up when he noticed Kurt was in the room and smiled at him softly. Kurt felt his heart flutter in his chest and made a gesture for him to scoot a bit so he would have room to sit down. Blaine obliged immediately, shifting to the middle of the couch so Kurt could sit on the end, with Brownie in his lap.

"You're going to watch football?" Finn asked, confused.

"No, I'm just going to sit down here because I'm tired," Kurt answered, with a warning tone that he hoped his brother would get.

He really didn't care about the game. He scratched behind Brownie's ears as she purred happily, painfully aware of the heat of Blaine's body next to him. He wanted to lean his head on his shoulder of kiss his cheek or grab his hand or anything, but he just couldn't. Not now. Not when he was so confused and so lost about what he wanted.

He really was tired. He had woken up quite early to help Carole with the food and he hadn't slept very well the previous night. Something about Blaine being in the room across from him had made him anxious and he had ended up finally falling asleep long after midnight.

It wasn't surprising then, that he fell asleep, especially since the game was boring and Brownie's purring seemed to be coercing him to close his eyes. But when he woke up, he was comfortable, comfortable and contented and he didn't feel like moving, so he just kept his eyes closed. Voices and noises coming from the TV started to fill his ears.

"Keep the volume down, Finn, and let your brother sleep," Burt's voice said, and it sounded as if he was a million miles away. "He's been up since early so you could have a decent Thanksgiving' meal, so be grateful."

"I am grateful. I just can't really hear the game," Finn protested, equally distant.

"It's halftime anyway, Finn," Burt replied. "Come and help me and your Mom get the table ready. She said we'll eat when the game is over."

"Fine," Finn said, clearly not pleased.

"You okay there, buddy?" Burt asked then. "Do you want me to help you move him off you?"

"No, no, it's fine," came Blaine's voice, a lot closer. "I don't want to wake him up."

Then there was silence. Kurt was shifting between being conscious and falling back asleep and in the moments of consciousness, he could feel something warm and firm against his cheek. He inhaled, taking a deep breath, telling himself that he needed to get up and go help in the kitchen. It was then that Blaine's scent filled his senses and he snapped his eyes open to look straight into the curve of Blaine's neck.

He was pressed against his side, an arm thrown around his waist, his face pressed against the crook of his shoulder, almost half lying on top of him. His stomach started bubbling and he swallowed, looking up to see Blaine staring right back down at him.

"Hey," he whispered, knowing he had to move away but, God, it was so nice being there in Blaine's arms.

"Hey yourself," Blaine muttered with a little smile. "I think your dad was right. Football really isn't your thing."

Kurt laughed, but it was a hoarse sound, muffled with sleep. Blaine's eyes got a little darker and he licked his lips. Kurt didn't see it, busy nuzzling against his neck until he realized what he was doing.

"Sorry," he straightened up, immediately missing the heat of Blaine's body. He started fixing his hair, knowing it probably looked disastrous, but he stopped when Blaine reached out and brush back a strand falling on his forehead. His breath got caught in his throat.

"It's okay," Blaine said.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep on you," Kurt insisted, his cheeks blushing furiously.

"I didn't mind," Blaine shrugged nonchalantly, but his cheeks were pink, too. "It looked like you really needed it."

"Yeah…" Kurt didn't realize their legs were tangled, too, so when he tried to get up, he ended up falling on Blaine again, who caught him in his arms.

Kurt was first grateful for not kneeing Blaine in the groin when he fell, and then immediately hypnotized by how close Blaine's eyes were. He could see how golden they looked in the light of the living room, how amazingly beautiful they were.

I'm going to kiss him, Kurt thought, I'll just do it. Everything I need to know is in a kiss. I'll just kiss him now…

He moved forward, very, very slowly, giving Blaine time to pull away if he didn't want it, but it didn't seem like he was going to. In fact, Blaine's chest started heaving under him, his lips parted in anticipation, his eyes almost hungry…

"Come on, Burt, I think halftime must be done by now!" They heard Finn saying and Kurt jerked away as if he had been electrocuted, landing on the other end of the couch. He stood up, avoiding Blaine's eyes and hating himself so much, without even knowing why. "Oh, hey, you're awake!" Finn said with a goofy smile as he came into the living room. "Great. I think Mom needs help with the turkey and stuff."

"Right. The turkey. Yes, I'm coming," Kurt answered nervously, leaving the room as fast as he could. Blaine stayed where he was, eyes fixed on the television, his heart still beating like crazy, an annoying buzzing noise inside his head.

"You can turn the volume up now, Finn," Burt said, and Blaine looked around, confused, because he had no idea when the older man had slipped into the room. All he could perceive, feel and see seemed to Kurt and only Kurt.

The Buckeyes ended up losing, which made Finn and Burt scowl at the television for a few minutes. Blaine would have been upset too if the image of Kurt's lips getting closer to his own wasn't numbing his mind.

It was almost three in the afternoon when they finally sat down to eat. The table was laden with food and Finn looked around trying to decide what to put on his plate first. Kurt was sitting next to Blaine, but they weren't looking at each other. It was too soon, it was too hard, it was too tempting.

Once everyone's plates were full, Burt looked around the table with a pleasant smile. "This year I'm grateful for my family and my health. For my beautiful wife and my two sons who are both doing great in their lives. That's all I need."

Carole's smile was warm. "I'm grateful for those things, too. And for all of us being here together today. Nothing makes me happier than having the house full of people again. Since the two of you moved out it's been too quiet."

When Finn's turn came, he tried to swallow the mouthful of mashed potatoes he had eaten while everyone else was distracted. He cleared his throat, spitting a bit and causing Kurt to look at him in disgust. "Yeah, I'm grateful for this family, too. It's the greatest thing ever. And I'm grateful for Mom's cooking and Kurt's sandwiches."

"So, basically, you're grateful for food," Kurt quirked an eyebrow at his brother, disapprovingly. "I swear, Finn Hudson, sometimes I feel like I shouldn't have left Lima so early. There's so much I need to teach you."

Finn shrugged, clearly uninterested, eyeing the piece of turkey waiting for him on his plate. "Just start talking, dude, I'm starving."

Kurt sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm grateful for the same thing I'm grateful for every year: life and the people who make it worth living." Kurt's gaze travelled around the table.

There was a silence and then Carole tilted her head to look at Blaine. "What about you, dear?"

Blaine seemed genuinely surprised to be included in what obviously was a family tradition. His family didn't have traditions like this one, and if they had, Blaine was sure his mother would have been grateful for her large closet, her massage appointment on Tuesday's afternoon and her country club membership; his father would've been grateful for his expensive car and his young secretary.

"I…" Blaine hesitated. If he had to be honest, he had rarely had anything to be grateful for in his life. Being healthy? Having a place to live? Having food in his fridge? His dog? "I'm grateful for Kurt," he ended up saying and he instantly felt the heat rushing up his face, his ears, even into his hair. He could feel his skin reddening.

He chanced to look up a bit. Finn's mouth hung open, a half-chewed piece of bread visible inside. Carole was hiding a smile behind her hand and Burt had a weird expression on his face. It wasn't anger, or discomfort or anything Blaine had ever seen before. He couldn't really place it. And he couldn't really look at Kurt either.

Then, he felt a hand grabbing his. Kurt's long fingers intertwined with his, squeezing. Blaine forced himself to look to his side to find Kurt staring back at him with a sweet smile and eyes full of emotion. They kept their eyes fixed on each other, without saying a word, for what felt like forever. The others started eating, sharing glances between them, knowing they were absolutely invisible to the other two boys sitting at the table with them.

The moment was broken when Finn dropped his fork and it landed quite loudly on his plate. Carole seemed like she wanted to murder him when Kurt and Blaine's hands pulled away, but they simply smiled and started eating.

Saying the food was delicious would've been an understatement. Blaine kept praising both Carole and Kurt for it and Finn joined him enthusiastically with every bite he took to his mouth. They were all soon chatting animatedly. Finn was telling Blaine about his work at the shop and Kurt and Carole were talking about the Black Friday's sales they were hoping to take advantage of the next day, as Burt tried to convince them not to go because it was going to be crazy. Kurt looked at his father as if he had lost his mind.

Blaine watched everyone interact for a while. This was what a family was supposed to be like. This was what a holiday gathering was really about. It was like entering a different dimension. He tried to imagine what his parents and their guests would have done if Kurt and Blaine had held hands like they just had and then decided he didn't want to know the answer.

When they were done eating a long time later, Blaine offered to help Finn with the dishes. He washed as Finn put the leftovers away in the fridge and then started drying. Just as soon as they didn't hear anyone else around, Burt and Carole probably in the living room watching TV and Kurt was somewhere else in the house, Finn turned to look at him.

"So… you like my brother, right?" He asked.

Blaine froze for a moment and almost dropped a plate. "I…"

"Hey, it's cool if you like him, you know. I think he likes you, too," Finn shrugged. "I just thought I should tell you that if you break his heart and stuff, I'll kick your ass."

Blaine's eyes got a bit wider. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious, he's my brother, he had a hard time in high school and he shouldn't have to deal with more crap," Finn fixed his eyes on him. They were gentle, but surprisingly severe at the same time. "Kurt deserves to be happy. I guess the way you look at each other is a good sign, but still… I felt like I should warn you."

"I… okay, thank you," Blaine said, still a bit confused about the whole exchange. "I really don't know if Kurt and I will ever… but it's cool because… don't worry about it, Finn."

Finn just looked at him for a moment longer and then nodded. "Okay. But you can talk to me about it, if you want to. After Burt, I'm the one who knows Kurt the best."

Blaine finished washing the dishes and dried his hands on a kitchen cloth. "I appreciate it, Finn."

Finn gave him a pat on the shoulder and then walked away, leaving him alone in the middle of the empty kitchen, wondering if Kurt's brother had just offered to help him and Kurt get together.

He stood there in confusion for a moment before simply shaking his head and deciding it would be a good moment to take Robert out for a walk. He thought he would ask Kurt to go with him, so he left the kitchen to go find him. Finn, Carole and Burt were watching TV, but Kurt wasn't there, so Blaine climbed the stairs to his room.

Kurt's bedroom door was slightly ajar, so Blaine could see him lying on his bed on top of the covers, with Brownie curled up on the empty side, flipping through a magazine. He took a few seconds to appreciate how gorgeous Kurt was when he was relaxed and in his own world, before softly knocking to get his attention.

The smile that spread on Kurt's lips when he saw who it was almost too much for Blaine.

"Hey," he said. "I was thinking about taking Robert out for a walk. Would like to come with me?"

Kurt put the magazine aside instantly and sat up. "Sure, let me just put my boots back on."

Blaine glanced around the room, curious about what Kurt had been like when he was a teenager. The room was tastefully decorated. He could see a large vanity next to the window on the opposite wall and a couple of bookshelves with magazines, portraits and CDs.

"You don't have to stay out there. You can come in, you know," Kurt teased, as he tied one of the boots. It almost reached his knee and it hugged his calf perfectly. Blaine had never thought he would have a thing for boots, but hey, maybe he did when it came to Kurt.

"It's a nice room," he commented, just to say something.

"Thanks. I had a great time decorating it when we moved in," Kurt said.

"I guess that's one more thing to add to your list of skills, then. Interior design," Blaine muttered, studying the books on another shelf and eliciting a chuckle from him. He was then distracted by the huge collection of records Kurt had. "Whoa, some of these are almost impossible to get. And you have so many Broadway originals."

"We could listen to some of them when we come back, if you want," Kurt offered and Blaine turned around to find he had finished putting his other boot on and was waiting for him.

"I'd love to," Blaine replied.

He made a stop in Finn's room to get Robert's leash and his camera, just in case, and then they both went downstairs, looking for the dog, who was asleep next to the fireplace in the living room, but jumped up excitedly as soon as he realized they were going for a walk.

Kurt put on a white coat that contrasted perfectly with the black tights and boots he was wearing and also matched the thin layer of snow outside. Blaine couldn't help but notice how good he looked as he slid into his own black coat and wrapped a red scarf around his neck.

They walked down a few streets without saying a word, just simply looking around and breathing in the cool autumn air. Kurt had his hands in his pockets and Blaine held Robert by his leash, stopping every now and then when he wanted to sniff a tree.

"Your family is even nicer than I imagined they would be," Blaine commented after a few minutes, stopping to take a picture of Robert as he rolled around in the snow.

Kurt smiled. "I know. I have no idea what I would do without them."

Blaine was silent again, thinking about the conversation he had had with his father earlier. He had promised himself he would keep those thoughts away for the rest of the weekend, but he knew he couldn't. He knew that, if he didn't think about it now, he would think about it all night, when he went to bed and the dark of the room around him offered no distraction.

Kurt sighed, obviously realizing what was going through Blaine's head. He took a step forward, just enough to stand beside him, and tangled one of his arms around his, pulling him a little closer. "You're welcome here with us whenever you need to, Blaine. And I know you probably don't want to talk about what happened today, but if you ever do, I'm here."

Blaine could've turned to the side and just pressed his lips against Kurt's, but he really didn't want to kiss him while being so upset because of his father. "Thank you for everything, Kurt. I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

They smiled at each other sweetly for a few seconds before resuming their walk, this time with their arms linked. Kurt kept rubbing his hand up and down Blaine's coat, probably trying to warm it up, so Blaine decided to be a little more daring and grabbed it, pulling it down until it was inside his pocket, where he didn't let go.

They kept walking, scooting closer and closer with every step they took, as Kurt hummed under his breath, Robert wagging his tail in front of them. They stopped once again while Robert seemed to be deciding which tree to pee. Kurt sighed and leaned his head against Blaine's shoulder, brushing his cold nose on his scarf. Blaine, feeling the bubbles in his stomach once again, held the camera in front of them and snapped a quick picture before Kurt had time to cover himself.

"Blaine," he whined, nuzzling a bit further against his neck and, well, okay, this proximity thing was really getting to Blaine. Kurt was warm, firm and real against him, and absolutely adorable. He couldn't get tired of him. He wasn't sure how he was going to go back to his routine on Monday, how he was going to go back to his apartment at the end of the day, to an empty place without the nice vibes he felt being here with him.

"Hey, Hummel," a voice broke through Blaine's thoughts and Kurt lifted his head from his shoulder to look to their left. A big, black man that looked around their age was staring at them, frowning. "If you're going to be a disgusting fag, don't do it in public."

Blaine felt Kurt's hand tensing in his inside his coat's pocket. "Well, hello to you, too, Azimio. I see you're still an ignorant jerk. Some things never change."

"I can see that. You're still a filthy cocksucker," Azimio's face scrunched in displeasure. "If you don't want a reminder of what we do to abominations like you in this town, you better take your lady boy and leave."

"And here I was thinking this was a free country and that I could walk down the streets as a free man," Kurt replied. Blaine had no idea what to do. Should he drag Kurt away from the other man? Should he just stand there? Should he intervene?

"A man doesn't take things up the ass, Hummel," Azimio retorted. "And now get out of my sight. My nieces are home and I don't want them to look out the window and see any of your crap."

"Oh no, we really don't want to teach tolerance, respect and acceptance to our future generations, that would be an atrocity," Kurt rolled his eyes. He was clearly furious, but he kept a calm expression on his face, looking almost bored with the whole situation.

Blaine saw the flash of anger in Azimio's eyes. He tugged at Kurt's hand. "Kurt, let's just leave. We don't want any trouble."

"No. You know what, I had to put up with a lot of crap from him when I was in high school. Now I'm a grown up and I'm not scared of him," there was something fierce in Kurt's expression, some sort of fire burning under his skin. "I'm so tired of people treating us like we have a disease they're afraid to catch…"

"Well, Karofsky certainly caught it from you," Azimio said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Some people say he moved to Kentucky and he's living with another guy."

"Good for him," Kurt answered sharply. "He might have been an idiot and a coward when we went to school, but he has more guts than you do for deciding to be who he really is."

Azimio was clearly done with the whole conversation and decided that the best way to reason with Kurt was to actually use his fists, because he moved forward, clenching his hands at his sides, his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed.

Blaine moved before he could even think of what he was doing and stepped in front of Kurt. It wasn't really necessary, though, because as soon as Azimio stepped towards them, Robert growled, the hair on his back bristling, his teeth showing in a menacing way. He barked three times, causing Azimio to back away immediately.

"Get the hell away from him," Blaine said, tightening his grip on Robert's leash so he wouldn't throw himself on Azimio.

"Grab your dog and your little cum bucket here and stay away from my street if you don't want any trouble," Azimio replied, pointing at them with his finger, but walking back to his house, his glare fixed on Blaine.

Blaine exhaled shakily once the door was closed and they were alone again. Robert immediately relaxed and went back to his happy, tail-wagging self, as if nothing had happened. He turned around to look at Kurt.

"Let's just go," Kurt mumbled, clearly upset.

"Kurt…"

"Please, Blaine, I just want to get out of here," he tugged at his hands, which hadn't let go of each other during the whole thing.

Blaine nodded as they started walking back to the Hummels' house. Now he had a bit of an idea of what Finn had been talking about earlier in the kitchen. Kurt seemed to have as many ghosts as he had, but, unlike Blaine, he dealt with them with his head high, proudly.

As soon as they closed the front door behind them, Kurt broke the grasp of their hands and climbed up the stairs quickly, not looking back at Blaine, not saying anything. Blaine felt a painful pang in his chest when he heard him locking himself up in his bedroom.

When would people stop trying to ruin every good thing they built for themselves?

Blaine had retreated to Finn's room after watching Kurt go upstairs. He laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, until his brain started pleading for something to be distracted with. His eyes landed on Finn's old comic book collection. He grabbed a couple and started flipping through them, reading them vaguely, still feeling something bugging him at the back of his mind.

Robert was on the floor next to the bed, sleeping. His quiet snoring was the only company Blaine had, and for a moment, if he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was back in his apartment. He didn't like how it made his heart clench painfully in his chest.

The door opened slowly, carefully, almost shyly. Blaine looked up to find Kurt peeking inside, his hair a little mussed.

"Can I come in?" He asked timidly.

"Yes, yes, of course," Blaine sat up immediately as Kurt slid into the room and closed the door behind him. He stood there uncomfortably for a moment until he sighed and fixed his eyes on Blaine again.

"I'm sorry," he said then. "I shouldn't have acted like that. I shouldn't let this affect me, not anymore."

"You don't have to apologize. You know I understand how you feel," Blaine shrugged. Kurt took a few more steps into the room.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I should have just walked away from you like I did," he rocked on his feet, back and forth. "I should actually thank you, for stepping in front of me, for defending me. The last time I had to face Azimio no one really cared…"

"I have to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing," Blaine chuckled nervously. "He's three times bigger than me. But… I didn't want anything bad happening to you."

"Well, we're lucky we had Robert with us, then," Kurt muttered, crouching to scratch Robert's ears.

"I've never seen him react like that," Blaine admitted, looking down at his dog.

"And let's hope he never has to again," Kurt sighed, before sitting on the bed next to Blaine.

There was a pause before Blaine spoke again. "Finn mentioned you had a hard time in high school."

"Uhm? He did?" He hummed distracted. "Oh, well, Finn's been beating himself up since we graduated. I was bullied a lot and he didn't always step up for me. I was a bit mad at him at the time, but now I understand. He was a kid, too, he was just as scared as I was, even if our fears were different."

"How bad was it?" Blaine asked, a bit afraid of the answer.

"Lots of pushing around, name-calling," Kurt said quietly, moving to sit beside Blaine. He shuddered a bit before adding. "One of my bullies kissed me in the locker room."

"What?" Blaine turned to look at him, his eyes wide.

"Karofsky was gay, too, but he was terrified of other people finding out. I guess he bullied me because he was jealous of how confident I was about who I am? I don't even know," Kurt shook his head. "He apologized and he transferred to a different school during our senior year. I barely heard about him or saw him after that."

"Kurt, that's horrible…" Blaine placed a comforting hand on his back and started rubbing circles there with his thumb.

"Yeah, well… I like to think I put everything that happened in high school behind me. But then there are times, like today, when it all comes back to me, and it hits me that nothing has really changed," Kurt sounded tired and kind of sad. Blaine missed his bright smile already.

"You're so much better than any of them," Blaine said softly. "You're better than anyone I know, Kurt. He insulted you, he threw every name in the book at you and you still were able to stay classy and witty. Not many people would've done that. I definitely didn't."

"You did more than enough," Kurt replied soothingly. "Azimio is my problem, not yours."

"People like him are everyone's problem," Blaine huffed.

After a long pause in which Blaine unconsciously never ceased to trace random patterns on Kurt's back with his fingers, Kurt studied him with interest.

"It might have been nice," he commented, "going to a school like Dalton. You were lucky."

"I didn't always attend Dalton," Blaine's fingers froze against Kurt, and that didn't go unnoticed. "I transferred there because I… because I was beaten up pretty badly in my old school."

"Oh my God, Blaine," Kurt turned to face him. Blaine's hand fell limp on the bed. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he said, as if it wasn't a big deal, as if the little scar on his side where one of his ribs had broken through the skin had been nothing but a scratch.

"It's not," instinctively, Kurt cupped his face with his hands, locking their eyes, staring deep into Blaine's honey eyes. "It shouldn't be like this."

"If I think about it, it was almost worth it," Blaine said, an edge of bitterness in his voice. "That's what made me end up transferring to Dalton, and that's where I spent the happiest years of my life. I liked boarding there. My friends were much more of a family than my parents."

"Do you still see them?" Kurt asked.

"No. Most of them went to other states and the few that really were near me while I was in Harvard or when I came back here… I just, I didn't make the effort to stay in touch and I hated myself for that. I was too obsessed with being the top of my class in college and then working my ass off to please my dad when I started at his firm…" Blaine frowned, clearly disappointed in himself. "I isolated myself because I thought doing something to feel part of my family was more important than anything else, and I ended up exactly how I didn't want to end up: alone."

"Not anymore," Kurt whispered, his head resting on his shoulder. The weight was nice and warm and it comforted Blaine more than anything else had in his life.

Somehow they ended up sliding back on the bed until they were lying down, tangled together. Kurt rested his head against Blaine's chest, his forehead pressed into the crook of his neck, and threw an arm around him. Their legs were intertwined and Blaine had one of his arms around Kurt's shoulders and was holding his hand with the other. It was perfect and much more intimate than most of the things that Blaine had done in his life, and it made him feel complete.

They didn't move or say anything until Robert woke up what seemed an eternity later and started whining because he wanted to get out of the room. Sighing, neither of them really wanting to let go, they got up and went downstairs, letting the dog go out to the backyard.

Burt, Carole and Finn were eating pie at the kitchen table.

"Hey boys," Burt smiled at them. "We didn't know where you were, so I hope you don't mind we started eating dessert without you."

"It's fine, Dad," Kurt smiled back.

He immediately began a conversation – well, more of a monologue, really – about his detailed plans for Black Friday. When he turned around and asked Blaine if he would like to go with him, Blaine grinned widely and nodded with enthusiasm. The other three instantly looked at him as if he was doomed.

"Dude, you do not want to go shopping with him," Finn said with his eyes wide open.

"Why not?" Blaine asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side, as Kurt glared at his brother.

"He goes crazy. Literally," Finn insisted.

The two brothers started bickering back and forth, their parents were used to it and just laughed at them as Blaine watched them with a tiny smile on his face. It all felt right, as he sat there sharing with someone else's family the kind of holiday he had always wanted to have.

Even with the unpleasant encounter with Kurt's bully, this was much better than many of the memories Blaine had from other years.

That night, he went to bed feeling excited for what the next day would bring.