Damn it, Kurt muttered. He’d been caught staring at Blaine. So sue him, Blaine may try to steal all of Kurt’s opportunities out from under him but he’s still hot . But he can’t think about that right now. 

Kurt was supposed to fly out of Heathrow tomorrow, and be back in Ohio in time to spend the holidays with his parents. While he was never going to fully feel at home in Lima, not after spending enough years in New York, he missed Burt and Carole and it had been too long since he had seen them last. Not to mention all the great gifts he’d gotten them shopping at Oxford Street. And this year he was bringing Dani back with him; when they learned she was on the outs with her family after coming out and spending another Christmas alone, they “adopted” her for the holidays. Now he was stuck here, Burt and Carole might end up spending the holiday without him, and Dani would have another orphan Christmas.

He found himself looking at Blaine again. Huh, come to think of it, he’d never seen Blaine’s parents at any of his performances at school. Maybe he was in the same boat - holiday with friends instead of family…

“Do you think if you keep staring at him, he’ll explode?” Elliott asked. “Cause lemme tell you, that will be one heck of a mess to clean up and Adam is too nice to put that task on. I’ve seen Scanners.”

“I wasn’t staring! I was, um, looking at the pictures over the bar.”

“No, you were staring all right,” Dani said. “But I think you want a whole different kind of explosion from that guy.”

“I do not.” Kurt bristled at Dani’s suggestion. “That’s the last thing I want from Blaine Anderson.”

“Methinks you doth protest too much,” Dani said. 

“You do realize just because we’re in England, doesn’t mean you have to recite Shakespeare.”

“If the sonnet fits…”

“Dani, stop teasing him,” Elliott said. “But Kurt, come on. Let’s be serious for a moment. You and Blaine have this whole rivalry thing right now, but you seem to have forgotten the first time you mentioned Blaine to me, and it was not with disdain.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“So you don’t recall telling me about the hottest new guy at NYADA orientation, with ‘dreamy hazel eyes and an ass like a ripe peach’?”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “I never said a peach. Maybe a nectarine.”

“I’m just saying, you are both good-looking and talented people, that are letting what is probably a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication get in your way. Besides, I had to put up with all this rivalry stuff with Rachel and Santana, and I’m not doing it again.”

“Listen up, everyone,” Adam said, loud enough for the bar patrons to hear without shouting. "Here’s the situation. We’re likely here for the night, maybe more.” Groans came from several in the crowd, including Kurt. “Now fortunately we weren’t fully booked, we have three more rooms available. In addition, I’m going to give up my office; it’s got a spare bed, and it’s only fair. That being said, we don’t have room for everyone. Some of you are going to have to sleep on pallets down here. Now, if you need a room, please come see me.”

Kurt began to stand, but Elliott stopped him. “I got this, Kurt. You sit tight with Dani.”

Kurt sat back down, somewhat relieved he had one less thing he had to stress over. What he didn’t notice was Elliott talking to Adam… and Blaine’s bandmate Wes.