Ever since Blaine told Landrick to apologize to Kurt, he noticed the two of them were chummier than ever. They always sat by each other during Warblers practice; smiling and whispering, whispering and smiling. Even though it broke Blaine's heart to see the two of them like that, he was glad to see Kurt happy again, even if he weren't the reason for it.

Because Kurt and Landrick seemed more together than not, Blaine found that he was able to be himself around Kurt more and more, even outside of school. He couldn't quite explain it, but he guess he figured that he had nothing to lose anymore since Kurt was already off-limits.

Now during the week and on the weekends when Kurt was over at the Berry household, half his time was spent catching up with Rachel (who had been dumped by Finn after Sectionals and needed constant consoling), and the other half was spent with Blaine working on homework and talking about Warblers stuff. Landrick was smart, but Blaine was a more patient tutor when it came to helping Kurt adjust to the heavy workload at Dalton. It also helped Kurt relax more because he could vent to Blaine about people at McKinley and Dalton. Kurt had yet to introduce Landrick to any of his friends from his previous high school, so he couldn't empathize when Kurt had stories to tell about his old cheerleading coach, or the other members of the Glee club.

A few weeks before winter break started, Blaine heard back from King's Island regarding a holiday show he and his sister auditioned for. Rachel didn't get cast (which briefly made her furious, though she then appeased herself by saying that her talent was too good for a theme park), but Blaine did. He was selected out of hundreds of young men to sing "Baby It's Cold Outside" with that year's Miss Ohio winner, Shania Worthington. The guy over the phone who gave him the news was trying to make it sound like Blaine would get to "duet" with Miss Ohio in more ways than one, but Blaine kept his cool and accepted the gig with sincere gratitude. He definitely could use the extra money (he was saving up for college), and the experience would look really good on his resume.

Even though Rachel said she was over the fact that her little brother got hired and she did not, Blaine vowed to himself only to practice at school in his free time so as not to further upset his sister. So, on the last day of school before break, Blaine went to the Warblers practice room instead of the study lounge during his study hall. Though he desperately was in need of some coffee, the practice room had a piano and was vacant.

Usually.

Blaine sat down at the piano and messed around with the keys as he did a quick vocal warm-up. He then tapped out the opening bars of "Baby It's Cold Outside." Even though he didn't have the opening lines, he thought he could just think them in his head before launching into his part. But, for some reason, as he was thinking "I really can't stay," a high-pitched, crystal clear voice rang out in those same words from across the room. Blaine was bewildered and looked up as he started to sing, "But baby it's cold outside." His eyebrows shot up as he found himself looking at Kurt, who was seated at a corner table, nestled in among holiday decorations and history books.

The music stopped as Blaine's fingers froze on the keys. He thought he made sure he was the only person in the room and he felt bad for likely interrupting Kurt's studying. "Oh, hey. I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was in here."

Kurt smiled at Blaine's awkward adorableness. "Whatcha doing, Blaine Anderson?"

Blaine's cheeks flushed at Kurt's teasing tone, which was anything but malicious. "Practicing."

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion over Blaine's answer. "Practicing? For what?" Kurt slammed his history book shut, then stood up and made his way over to the piano. He sat down next to Blaine on the piano bench, thighs touching because he didn't even bother waiting for Blaine to scoot over. Delicate hands automatically reached for the sheet music Blaine had propped up on the piano. "I love this song! What are you singing it for?"

Blaine shifted a little so he could address Kurt's face as he spoke. "I got a gig singing in the King's Island Christmas Spectacular."

"Wait – didn't Rachel audition for that too?" Blaine nodded as he started dabbling softly with the piano keys. "So because she hasn't been gushing about this, can I assume that she didn't get a part?" Blaine nodded again as he continued with his impromptu jazz. "You're really good at that, you know.

A small smile crept across Blaine's face at the compliment. "Thanks."

"So, can I sing with you?"

The impromptu jazz stopped. "What?" Blaine looked over at Kurt in confusion.

"Can I sing with you? I mean, this is obviously a duet and you are just one person, Blaine Anderson."

Blaine blushed at the sound of Kurt speaking his name. "Why do you insist on calling me by two names like that?"

"Because I like the way it makes your ears turn red," he stated matter-of-factly. Blaine bit the inside of his cheek as he ducked his head in embarrassment. "So can we sing? I don't feel like reading about Charlemagne anymore and this is one of my favorite Christmas songs… plus, it's not like anyone else would ever let us sing this together because we're two… artists."

Blaine nodded, understanding the subtext of why two guys probably wouldn't be allowed to sing this song together, at least in a public forum. He also was trying to stall. This was a super flirty song and he wasn't sure how this was going to go. If he let Kurt set the tone, then he should be okay. Right?

"Okay. Let's do this."

Kurt beamed and clapped his hands together, causing Blaine to break out into a wide grin. He played the intro once again and assumed a faux-serious face. Kurt followed suit and sang the opening line, "I really can't stay."

"But baby it's cold outside."

"I've got to go away –"

"But baby it's cold outside"

And so they sang, and with each line, Kurt got flirtier and Blaine matched him. Nudge for nudge, smile for smile, they sang to each other as if putting up a real fight, though no one objected to the line "Mind if I move in closer?." By time Blaine got to the line "Gosh your lips look delicious," his heart was pounding in his chest and he felt an achingly familiar twitch in his pants.

As they neared the end of the song and harmonized on the last "Baby it's cold outside," the note hung in the air as Blaine finished the last of the notes on the piano. Both boys were breathing heavily as if they had just finished running a race. Their eyes were locked on each other's and their legs were still touching. It was the single most intimate moment of either of their young lives and they each felt like their hearts were going to explode.

Blaine's eyes couldn't help but flick down to Kurt's lips. He might have been able to be more of himself around Kurt lately, but that didn't mean that his crush had gone away. And now it appeared, at least to Blaine, that Kurt was maybe feeling the same way too. Kurt's pupils were dilated and he was breathing just as heavy as Blaine, if not more so.

Feeling brave, Blaine looked Kurt in the eye, then back down at his lips, then once again locked eyes with the older boy. He began to lean in, chest pounding with anticipation, especially when he saw Kurt start to lean in too.

And that's when the clapping started.

"Bravo, you guys. That was really something. You two are really talented, let me tell you…"

Blaine's entire face and both his ears burned from overstimulation of feelings for Kurt and utter hatred of Landrick O'Callahan in that very moment. He dared to look up at Kurt, whose cheeks were only mildly pink.

"Hey, Landrick. And thanks, I thought we sounded amazing." Kurt squeezed Blaine's knee with his left hand before swinging his legs to the right and standing up from the piano bench. He looked down at Blaine who was now scrambling to collect his sheet music so he could disappear from existence as fast as humanly possible. "You're duet partner does not know how lucky she is."

"Thanks," Blaine mumbled mostly to himself as he stood up from the piano bench and thrust the stack of sheet music in front of his pants before he bolted out the door.

Landrick chuckled as Blaine raced out. "Happy Holidays, Blanderson Berry," he called after the boy who was probably too far down the hall to hear him anyway.

Kurt swatted Landrick on the arm. "Stop that! He's nice."

…

That night, Blaine was in his bathroom, brushing his teeth before bed. He was officially on winter break and was super grateful at the prospect of not having to see Landrick for two whole weeks. He knew Kurt would probably talk about him during their conversations and while that wasn't entirely ideal, it was better than having to be in the same room as the senior.

"Oh my god, Kurt! What happened?"

Rachel was on the phone and she was loud. Blaine heard the name "Kurt," though and he was immediately intrigued. He hadn't seen Kurt again that afternoon after he ran out post-duet. After their near-kiss, Blaine was too embarrassed to be around Kurt if Landrick was present because he knew he'd be teased.

After quickly rinsing his mouth out and wiping any residual toothpaste off his face, Blaine crept out of his bathroom and tiptoed down the hall until he was standing outside of his sister's room.

"You did what?! Tell me everything in as much detail as you possibly can."

As much as Blaine tried to strain to hear what Kurt was saying on the other end of the phone, Blaine could only hear a muffled voice and his sister squeal every now and again.

"Shut up! He did not! Kurt, that is the single most romantic thing ever. It's like you were in a movie or something!"

Blaine's eyes widened and his heart pounded.

"Oh my god, I LOVE THAT SONG!"

Single most romantic thing ever? Song? A crooked grin sprouted across Blaine's face as he found himself falling against the wall, needing something to hold him up because his legs were about to give out.

"KURT ELIZABETH HUMMEL, DID YOU TWO MAKE OUT?!"

Blaine let out a contented sigh. No, they hadn't kissed, but he could tell they were so going to.

"OH MY GOD, KURT! YOU HAD YOUR FIRST KISS! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!"

The smile may have been temporarily stuck on Blaine's face, but his eyebrows scrunched up in epic confusion. They hadn't kissed.

"Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuurt! Now I really need to meet this Landrick guy if you two are boyfriends!"

Blaine's legs gave out and he sank down to the floor outside his sister's room. Landrick? But, Blaine was the one who sang with Kurt. Blaine's the one Kurt almost kissed. But… Landrick?

Lightheaded and queasy, one hand flew up into his hair while the other gripped his stomach in agony. Blaine tore at his curls, as he shook his head in disbelief. He knew Kurt and Landrick had been real buddy-buddy the last few weeks, but after that afternoon's epic moment in the practice room, Blaine had allowed himself to hope that maybe – just maybe – Kurt finally felt the same way too. You don't just flirt like that with someone you don't like… right?

Before he could hear the end of his sister's phone conversation, Blaine crawled his way into his room and shut the door quickly. He leaned against the door and closed his eyes, failing to prevent tears from rolling down his cheeks.

It all just felt like too much to handle at the moment. Blaine knew he was just tired and worked up from the day, but he couldn't help but wonder how everything escalated so quickly between Kurt and Landrick when it seemed that Kurt was just as willing to kiss him as he was ready to kiss Kurt.

And then there was the fact that Rachel was so excited for his kiss with Landrick to be his first kiss. Blaine knew this was a lie because he knew Kurt's first kiss was taken from him by his bully. Kurt obviously hadn't told Rachel about it… he wondered if Landrick was still in the dark about it too. But Blaine knew. And knowing he knew when other people Kurt considered to be his best friend and his boyfriend (ugh, boyfriend) just didn't make any sense.

Blaine drew back his blankets and crawled into bed. He hugged his pillow tight as he mind raced with unanswered questions about the boy he liked and his newfound relationship status. Sleep did not come easy that night for Blaine Anderson Berry.

…

After an incredibly restless night, Blaine felt like shit on Saturday morning. What a way to start your first day of winter break. Blaine and Rachel's dads were out of town for the weekend, and Blaine knew his sister would likely invite Kurt to spend the night so they could gossip about Kurt making out with Landrick. Blaine wondered if he could spend the night at a friend's house, but his closest friend was Kurt, so that obviously wasn't happening. He just wanted to be left alone for awhile.

Blaine grabbed his phone and texted his sister even though he knew she was in the next room over. "Threw up last night – don't know if I'm contagious or anything. Am going to stay in my room all day. Please leave me be so I can rest. Thanks." Through his wall he heard his sister yell "Gross!" and then he promptly received a text from her stating "Do not get me sick. I'll make you soup later just don't touch anything else in the kitchen. Feel better. See you tomorrow."

Off the hook for the whole day, Blaine plugged his headphones into his keyboard so he could play around without bothering his sister or ruining his cover. He had been working on some compositions for various music camps. Already planning ahead for college, Blaine was building a repertoire of original songs and scores that he could use for admission requirements. As much as he loved to perform, writing music was his first passion and he used it as a way to sort through what he was feeling. Sometimes he couldn't put his emotions in words, but he definitely knew how to express them in song.

Blaine kept headphones on for as much as the day as possible. If he wasn't playing the keyboard, he was listening to his iPod, or watching a movie on his laptop. He snuck down to the kitchen during the middle of the day to get lunch. As promised, his sister left a container of soup on the counter for him wish a giant note saying "Don't touch anything but this soup container and the microwave. I will do your dishes for you." He laughed at the note and then to spite his sister, ran his hands all over the refrigerator and cabinets. He got himself some Pop Tarts and shoved them in his pants pocket before he grabbed his soup and went back up to his room.

Though he didn't hear exactly what time Kurt came over, he knew he was in the next room that night while he slept. Blaine kept his headphones on as he went to bed. He thought they could protect him from squeals through the walls or additional heartbreak over hearing Kurt say the words out loud.

…

By time Blaine left his room the next morning, Kurt was gone. Blaine texted his sister before he went downstairs to assure her he was feeling 100% better and no longer was a hazard to anyone's health. He blamed non-existent food poisoning for his ailments and told Rachel that her soup must have nursed him back to health.

He went down to the kitchen and saw his sister sitting at a barstool reading Patti LuPone's biography and eating oatmeal. "Have you read this?"

Blaine gave her a "bitch please" look as he opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice carton. "Yeah. Twice."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well excuse me, Blaine Warbler. You really shouldn't be drinking out of the carton like that, you know. And you look like shit."

"So?" Blaine shrugged as he wiped his hand across his face to catch the drips that were inevitably rolling down his chin. The back of his hand scraped across two-days growth of stubble. It was winter break and he had no reason to look even remotely presentable. Add on the fact that Blaine hadn't gotten a haircut in awhile, one could say he was starting to look like a rugged mountain man.

If eye rolling were an Olympic sport, Rachel would have earned herself a gold medal that morning. "Don't forget, the dads wanted you to get a new sweater for the holiday party we have to go to tomorrow night."

"Oh crap," Blaine muttered. Even though it was a yearly thing, Blaine somehow forgot that he and his sister had to accompany their dads to one of Hiram's colleague's parties. Though he hadn't gone through a huge growth spurt, all of Blaine's holiday party-appropriate sweaters were too short on him and looked ridiculous.

"They left you some money," Rachel said as she pointed to the countertop area next to the toaster. "I'm wearing blue, so don't get something that clashes." Blaine gave her a mock salute as he took another swig of orange juice. "Ugh, you're gross."

…

That afternoon found a bearded and bespectacled Blaine at the North Hills Mall on a quest for a sweater and something to keep his mind off of Kurt and Landrick. It was hard to be around clothes and not think of Kurt, but somehow Blaine was doing all right. Like, he was still thinking about Kurt, but he was rationalizing the whole situation out in his head and was coming to terms with the fact that Kurt is his own person and if being with Landrick made him happy, then Blaine was going to support that (or at the very least, not completely detest that) because Blaine just wanted Kurt to be happy. At least, that's what Blaine was going to keep telling himself.

He had this epiphany in the Gap while browsing through a rack of sweaters, so Blaine almost didn't hear someone ask him a question. "I'm sorry, what?" Blaine asked as he turned around to find himself almost awkwardly close to a much taller boy – well, man. "Oh… um, hi."

"Hi," Jeremiah Stevens adjusted his ear piece as he cracked a smile and repeated his previous question, "I said, 'Are you shopping for a special occasion?'"

"Oh… yeah. Holiday party." Blaine blushed as his eyes found the floor. From the brief glance he got, Blaine knew the other boy was attractive. His strawberry-blonde hair fell in shaggy waves past his ears and his nose and chin were angular like a model's. He knew the other boy must work here because he saw a nametag out of the corner of his eye, but wouldn't be able to make out a name unless he manned-up and looked at the other boy instead of the ground.

"Well, this is just my humble opinion, but I think cranberry or forest green would look amazing with your skin tone," the stranger stated matter-of-factly with a sizeable hint of flirting.

Though Blaine felt the shells of his ears burning from embarrassment, he somehow managed to look up and look the other boy in the eye. Hazel eyes locked on brown and though Blaine's stomach didn't swoop in the same way when he looked at Kurt, he was beyond flattered in the moment and it gave him an extra surge of courage. "Thanks. I'll definitely consider that." His eyes flicked down and saw the nametag read "Jeremiah."

Jeremiah caught the customer eyeing his nametag and broke out into a smile. "Well, I'm Jeremiah, if you need any help or anything." Suddenly, some white noise broke out over Jeremiah's earpiece. He winced and fiddled with a knob on a battery pack on his hip, then shot an apologetic look at Blaine. "I gotta get back to work, but it was nice talking with you…?"

"Blaine," Blaine blurted out quickly.

"Blaine," Jeremiah repeated, liking the way it sounded rolling off his tongue. "Well, see ya later, Blaine."

Blaine watched with wide eyes as the other boy walked away. He was still looking when Jeremiah turned around to glance back at Blaine. Caught staring, Blaine's face flushed as Jeremiah gave him a small wave of acknowledgement.

The two boys met again at the cash register where Jeremiah rung up Blaine's purchase of a forest green v-neck sweater and a cranberry button-up cardigan. They exchanged knowing smiles as Jeremiah bagged the garments. He ripped the receipt from the register asked if Blaine wanted it with him or in the bag.

"Um, I'll take it," Blaine said as he reached for the receipt.

Before Jeremiah let go of the slip of paper, he leaned in toward Blaine and said, "I get off work in an hour, if you want to grab some coffee or something."

Blaine's eyebrows raised in shock over the rims of his glasses. He had never been asked out before, but his instincts told him to say yes. "Um, yeah… sure."

Jeremiah smiled. "Great! Meet you at Starbucks at 4?" He let go of the receipt as Blaine nodded in agreement.

…

By 4:07, Jeremiah and Blaine were seated at a corner table with their coffees in hand. There was some awkward silence as they both took slow sips of their drinks. Blaine just flat-out didn't know what to say and Jeremiah was trying to figure out what line he could use on the other boy. In the end, he just decided that a simple compliment was probably the best route.

"You're really cute, you know?" Jeremiah smiled as he watched Blaine almost choke on his coffee.

After somehow managing to swallow his drink, Blaine grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth. "Um," he coughed on his words, "thanks."

They spent about an hour in the Starbucks and Jeremiah did most of the talking. This was fine with Blaine, as it gave him a chance to just listen to Jeremiah's stories and watch the other boy watch him. Blaine had never felt so self-conscious about himself. Jeremiah complimented his eyes and hair more than a handful of times and said that if Blaine took his glasses off, he could probably model.

Embarrassed, Blaine adjusted his glasses and said he normally wore contacts but couldn't be bothered with putting them in if he didn't have a reason to. Each time he nervously ran a hand through his hair, Jeremiah complimented his bed-head-esque curls. Blaine's cheeks reddened as he bit his tongue, not wanting to let himself slip that his hair just happened to look like that that day because he neglected to do anything with it before he left for the mall.

It turned out Jeremiah was a model, or at least wanted to be. After high school, he opted not to go to college and focused all of his time and energy on becoming famous. He had some experience posing for some clothing ads that came out in the Sunday paper, but was still looking to make it big. His job at the Gap was supposed to be only temporary while he submitted his headshots to different agents and managers in New York and Los Angeles. So far, Jeremiah had been working for the Gap at the North Hills Mall for two years and had just been promoted to Junior Manager.

If Blaine were thinking more clearly, he wouldn't have been so impressed with Jeremiah's job status. However, not used to having someone pay him so much attention was clouding his better judgment. So, Blaine ate up all of Jeremiah's stories and compliments and found himself swooning a bit over the obviously older boy.

They parted an hour later, phone numbers exchanged with promises of texts over the holidays, and a standing agreement to get coffee again after the New Year because Jeremiah was going to be far too busy at the Gap for the next couple weeks.

Blaine drove home with a smile on his face. Though he wasn't planning on telling anyone about his coffee date just yet, he was already plotting what he would wear on his next trip to the Gap. Surely his sister could use a Gap gift card for Hanukkah…