Is Kurt Hummel already stepping out on brand new boyfriend Blaine Anderson? Sources tell us that Kurt and an unidentified man were recently spotted getting cozy at Peggy Sue's Diner, a local Hollywood eatery, very early in the morning. Their conversation was described as "intense" and "intimate" and it seems that though the restaurant was full of other patrons they only had eyes for each other. Did Kurt just go from zero to playboy in only one month? — CelebTrackers, November 16th, 2018

=^..^=

Thanksgiving was just days away and Kurt was working up to some sort of nervous breakdown trying to prepare. For the first time, his family was coming out to him instead of him traveling back to Ohio and he wanted everything to be perfect. Blaine watched as he ran all over the house, making notes on things that needed to be done (floor-to-ceiling maid service, grocery shopping, find that pumpkin roll recipe that had been given to him last year) and things to do with the family while they were in town. He ordered new linens for the third bedroom and sofa bed, swearing that no guest in his house was going to sleep on anything less than 300 count sheets, no matter if they would even notice or not.

Kurt could be a force to be reckoned with when he started planning a project and Blaine had already learned that it was best to stay out of his way. He was sitting at the desk in his room, filling out a report for Bev, when Kurt stuck his head in the door.

"Blaine, what kind of pie do you want? I'm making pumpkin for dad, pecan for Carole, and apple for Finn. Oh, and a pumpkin roll. Do you have a favorite you want to add to the dessert extravaganza?"

"Thanks for the offer Kurt, that's sweet, but there's no need to worry about me. You have enough to deal with getting things ready for the four of you."

"You mean the five of us." Kurt saw Blaine's confused look and stared him down. "You are eating with us, right?"

"Well, I'd just planned on staying out of your way while your family was here, except, you know, when you go out. You don't have to feel obligated to include me in dinner."

"Blaine Anderson sometimes I think you are the most clueless person I know and that's saying a lot, since I have Finn Hudson as a brother. Of course, you're going to eat with us. You're going to spend the whole time with us and I'm really not interested in hearing another word about it. Is Cooper in town? Should I invite him?"

"Umm…I'm pretty sure he's going to spend it with his girlfriend." Kurt raised an eyebrow and Blaine was appropriate chastised. "I mean, I'll check with him and get back to you?"

Seemingly satisfied with his response, Kurt returned to the initial topic of discussion. "Good. Now, about that pie…"

=^..^=

The day before Thanksgiving arrived and Kurt's family's plane touched down around one o'clock. Kurt had wanted to pick them up from the airport himself, but Blaine convinced him to send the car and driver instead to make it easier on everyone. As the time they were expecting them at the house grew closer Blaine found himself pacing the living room nervously (which was very strange indeed, as Blaine was not normally a pacer). This was going to be the first holiday he'd spent with a family since high school and he was afraid he was very out of practice. In addition, he was apprehensive about meeting Kurt's family. Kurt had told his dad over Skype about the letters and Blaine the day before they had gone public at the premier. Kurt had been in his room with the door shut, but Blaine (who had been sitting in his own room at the time) had still been able to hear Burt yelling threats to come out to California and lay down the law. Remembering the sound of his anger still sent shivers down Blaine's spine and he couldn't quite shake the feeling that the meeting was going to be a disaster.

The sound of a car door slamming echoed outside and Kurt went bounding out the front door before Blaine could suggest caution. He watched as Kurt ran to the car and threw himself into the arms of a rugged looking man dressed in jeans, plain blue button-down shirt, and a baseball cap. A sweet looking woman with bobbed hair and an extremely tall man around the same age as Kurt and Blaine, who Blaine recognized from the family photos Kurt had displayed in the house, exited the car next and were also engulfed in tight embraces. Soon they were all on their way inside and Blaine straightened his bow tie and sweater and ran a hand over his head to ensure that every hair was in place. It was time to face the music.

=^..^=

Kurt could barely contain his excitement at finally being the host for a major holiday. His dad and Carole did a great job and holidays at their house felt like home, but Kurt had been itching to take on hosting duties since the day he'd moved into a house with a full kitchen and separate dining room. He was in his element getting all the plans together and once the ridiculous idea of Blaine's to hide out in his room for three days had been squashed (really, why on earth did he think Kurt would let him get away with that?) things were clear sailing.

His family arrived like a whirlwind. The last time Kurt had seen them was back in May, when he had flown them all out for his movie premier, so he was extra excited to see them again. After nearly knocking his dad over with his hug, he turned his attentions to Carole and Finn and then waited with only slightly impatient amusement as Burt proceeded to tell Bill that the car had sounded a little off and should be checked. Once they were inside Kurt made the introductions and watched as everyone sized Blaine up. He wasn't worried — he had seen Blaine charm enough people (himself included) to know that they would soon be following him around like little puppy dogs. There were no hugs yet, but Blaine got a strong clap on the shoulder from Burt, which Kurt took as a positive sign.

Though Kurt could tell he was a little anxious, Blaine was his usual debonair, gentlemanly self and asked Carole how the flight had been before carrying the luggage to the guest room while they settled in to catch up with Kurt. Carole sat down beside Kurt and watched Blaine head off down the hallway. She sent a sly smile and leaned over to whisper, "The pictures don't do him justice. So handsome and polite. He looks like a matinee idol."

Kurt looked around quickly to make sure that neither Finn nor his dad had heard her comment before giving the slightest of nods. Carole managed to keep a straight face and began fawning over the house just as Blaine returned.

They sat around talking for several hours, discussing Kurt's latest role and getting details from Blaine on the stalker investigation, until Kurt announced that they had 20 minutes before they needed to leave for their reservations at a steak restaurant for dinner. Burt perked up at the word 'steak' and sent Kurt a pleading expression. "Yes, dad, you can have a steak. But only a small one and you'd better have a salad too. Carole told me how good you've been about your diet."

Burt and Carole retired to the bedroom to freshen up for dinner and Kurt pulled out his phone to confirm their reservation. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Blaine as he searched for something to say to Finn.

"Kurt said you'd be fine out here on the sofa bed, but I'm more than happy to switch with you if you'd like the bedroom."

"No dude, this is good. The sofa's like king size, which fits me better anyways." Finn lay down on the sofa and stretched out to drive his point home. "Plus this way I can stay up late and play Xbox on the big screen."

"I don't have an Xbox, Finn," Kurt reminded him, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"That's okay, I brought mine!" Finn reached into his bag and pulled out the game console in question.

Kurt locked a semi-joking version of his death stare on him. "If you packed that thing and didn't bring any clothes we are going to have a problem."

"Course not. I brought an extra shirt."

=^..^=

Even though Thanksgiving was at his house, Kurt was comforted to know that some things never changed. He and Carole still woke up early to prepare the turkey and slide it into the oven before camping out on chairs around the dining room table, armed with steaming cups of coffee, ready for a long lady chat. Finn still stumbled into the kitchen rubbing sleep out of his eyes and attempted to make off with one of the pies for his breakfast. Burt and Finn still planted themselves in front of the TV for a long day of football.

What made Kurt even happier were the things that were different that year. Blaine joined his and Carole's chat after filling up their cups of coffee. Finn's escape with the pie was thwarted when Blaine swooped in and removed it from his hands with some martial arts move that left Finn gaping and the yelling from the living room at the bad calls by the referees was a little louder once Blaine sat down, eager to cheer on his favorite team.

A strange sense of contentedness that was better left unexamined filled him as he saw how well Blaine fit in with his family. He knew Blaine wasn't completely comfortable with family gatherings, given his own background, but in true Blaine fashion he had jumped in with both feet, determined to succeed.

As a loud roar erupted from the living room indicating some sporting catastrophe of epic proportions had occurred, Kurt laid out the recipes for the day's dishes so that he and Carole could break down the work for cooking for seven people. Just the previous day, a few hours before the Hummel-Hudsons had arrived, Kurt had learned that Lynn was stuck in town due to work events on Friday and that his make-up artist, Christine, had put her daughter on a plane to Dallas so that she could spend the holiday with her father. Neither had family in town, so Kurt had invited them to join his little Thanksgiving party, telling them there would be more than enough food to go around (except they weren't getting their own pies. There would no more pies). He'd been nervous about extending the invitations, since it was the first time he'd offered to spend time with them outside of work, but his fears had been proven unfounded when they had happily accepted.

Just as Kurt and Carole were about to roll up their sleeves and get cooking, Blaine appeared in the kitchen, offering to help.

"Don't you like football, Blaine?" Carole asked as she began peeling potatoes.

"I do, actually, but there's a lot to get done if we're going to be ready to eat by 2 o'clock. I'll just catch the highlights on the news or watch the game on the internet later."

Carole shot Kurt a speaking look and stepped aside so that Blaine could start preparation on the stuffing recipe Kurt had handed him. Luckily, the kitchen was large and well-laid out, so they aren't on top of each other and Kurt had baked the (many, many) pies the morning before, so dessert was thankfully already covered. A companionable silence settled over them as the smells of the holiday began to fill the house.

Before they knew it, Lynn and Christine had arrived and everyone was sitting down to eat. Burt gave a contented sigh as Kurt set the turkey down on the table. "I gotta admit, Kurt, I half expected you to have gone all Californian on us and try to serve one of those tofu turkey things and a bowl of leaves for dinner."

Kurt passed Burt the carving knife and fork, happy to leave that tradition up to him. "Don't worry, dad, you carnivores are safe with me. Though I did add some arugula and wild greens to the salad." He caught Finn's look of fear as he stared at the bowl of salad as if it might attack him. "Try it, it's delicious."

Food was passed around and eating habits gently ragged on (Finn wanted none of his food to touch on his plate. Lynn ate one food completely gone before moving to the next one on her plate in clockwise order). Kurt entertained with funny stories about the strange things he had experienced already in Hollywood and Blaine followed up with some bodyguard tales (names changed to protect the innocent) that had everyone howling. Despite the yearly exclamations that there was way too much food, soon the bowls and platters were emptying out. When the last fork was finally dropped on a plate everyone was sated and proclaiming they would never eat again (or would want dessert in 15 minutes, whichever came first).

Kurt brought the pies and pumpkin roll out with a flourish, performing a twirling trick with his knife that had Carole gasping nervously. Everyone settled in with a slice of their favorite sugary treat and sounds of enjoyment filled the air.

"Lynn, how's it working with Kurt?" Burt asked, sneaking a bite of Carole's slice of pecan pie. "Is it as hard for you to get him to do publicity as it was for me to get him to do chores at home?"

Kurt hurriedly swallowed a bite of pumpkin roll, anxious to defend himself. "Cleaning products weren't good for my skin, dad. I kept telling you to buy me gloves. There was no way I was going around with dried out hands."

"He's great Burt. Not everything's gone smoothly, but he's handled it all like a champ," Lynn laughed as she scoped up a forkful of pie.

Burt smiled proudly at his son before letting a crafty look cross his face. "Kurt loves to tell embarrassing stories about other people. How about you return the favor?"

Kurt paused, fork halfway to his mouth, and looked at Lynn with alarm. She just smiled serenely and thought for a moment. "Well, there was the one time our plane was late due to horrible weather and we had to go right to a red carpet event from the airport." Kurt groaned and stuffed his mouth, chewing forcefully. "Kurt had to change in the back of the limo. It was dark and the clothes hadn't been prepped correctly, so he put the entire outfit on inside out. We were about 10 steps out of the car when he realized – too late to go back. He did the whole red carpet like that and didn't once let on."

"I still can't believe no one noticed," Kurt muttered. "Philistines, the lot of them."

"Or there's the time he filmed a skit for that comedy website and the costume was so tight they ended up having to cut him out of it. Strangely enough, half of the office suddenly felt the need to turn up on set that day."

Burt laughed at Kurt's embarrassment. "Couldn't have been any tighter than that outfit you were wearing when I caught you dancing with those girls in the basement."

That led to Burt's recounting of the Single Ladies incident, which then somehow resulted in a hilarious account of Burt's confusion when he had caught a flannel clad Kurt kissing a girl. Kurt, who had made peace with the incident years before, wondered aloud how the evening had turned into a humiliating version of It's Your Life, his over-dramatic, huffy tone telling everyone that he really didn't mind at all.

Finn finished his third piece of pie and started in on a piece of pumpkin roll, oblivious to the flabbergasted looks of everyone else at the table. "It's so weird for it not to be cold during Thanksgiving. We saw a bikini carwash in a parking lot on our way from the airport. California is awesome."

"Aren't you a little old to be impressed by girls in bikinis?" Kurt asked, afraid to even wonder where Finn could be putting all of that food.

Finn didn't bother to look up, as he was absorbed in trying to scoop every bit of filling off his plate. "No man is ever too old to appreciate a good bikini. Except I'm sure you never…I mean… If it was a boxer shorts carwash by some Chippendale dancers you'd be all over it, right?" When there was no response he lifted his head and glanced around the table. "What? What'd I say?"

Kurt just raised an eyebrow and Blaine snickered while the others hid smiles behind their napkins.

=^..^=

Kurt had decided to forgo his usual after Thanksgiving shopping ritual and had instead made some appointments for Carole at a couple of boutique shops that would be able to outfit her in ensembles that would flatter her figure and not be too fancy to wear in Lima. Bill arrived at eight o'clock Friday morning and Kurt, Blaine, and Carole piled into the car. Burt and Finn had opted to stay at home and take the second step in what seemed to be a plan to turn Kurt's living room into some clichéd man cave.

At Weekend in Paris, a darling little store that both Bev and Lynn had recommended, Kurt helped Carole select a few pairs of trousers and jeans that fit her perfectly. Kurt had introduced her to jeans that didn't extend above her navel years before, and she'd been pretty good about buying the right styles, but there were no way she would find pants so nice at her local department store. The store was fancy enough that there were no price tags on the items and Kurt told Carole he was buying her the clothes as his upcoming Christmas present to her, never letting on how expensive the items were.

The next shop served them a lovely late morning tea as Carole tried on several dresses that would probably be a little too fancy for a dinner at Breadstix, but would be great for when Burt splurged and took her out for their anniversary. Kurt's favorite was a blue dress with a pleated skirt and metallic accents, while Carole was torn between it and a lilac colored one with a peplum. She asked Blaine to break the tie and the saleswoman went to go wrap up the lilac dress. Kurt felt a little miffed that Blaine hadn't sided with his clearly superior fashion taste, but he did have to admit that Carole looked lovely in lilac, so he let it pass.

Carole was about to change back into her normal clothes when Kurt pretended to have the spontaneous idea to have her try on some of the store's more elegant gowns, just for fun. Kurt didn't want to jinx the upcoming award nominations, but he knew that if he was lucky enough to be included he wanted to bring Burt and Carole to at least one of the events. If that happened, Carole would need a dress to wear that would knock everyone's sock off, so while she had been changing into the other dresses he had been conferring with the sales staff to pull together several gowns for her to try on.

The first two dresses were fine and might have worked, but Kurt didn't see the sparkle he was looking for in Carole's eyes. When she came out wearing a red number with long sleeves and a faux-shrug style neck he knew they had the right one. She stared at herself in the mirror, entranced, as if not believing the woman in the reflection was her. Fortunately, his practiced eye told him that the only alteration needed was to shorten the sleeves a few inches, so Kurt made a whispered request to the saleswoman as Carole changed out of the dress.

Kurt declared their shopping day a success and announced it was time to go, as he had made other plans for the rest of the day. As they left, Kurt caught Carole throwing a last longing look at the gown and he smiled, hoping that there would end up being a need for her to wear the dress he'd just secretly purchased.

Bill drove them back home, where they picked up Burt and Finn and they then drove to the studio where Kurt was currently filming his movie. They had a light lunch at the studio commissary, where Finn nearly tripped over his tongue when Kurt introduced him to an actress that he happened to know had graced a poster hanging in Finn's room all through high school. They spent about two hours touring the lot and checking out the studios of some familiar TV shows. As they finished up their tour and headed back to the car, Kurt noticed Blaine hanging back a bit, as if trying to make himself unobtrusive. Kurt knew that Blaine had some ridiculous idea about trying to let Kurt enjoy time with his family without him interfering, but Kurt was having none of that. He grasped Blaine's arm under the pretense of having to keep up the boyfriend façade with so many people around, and pulled him into the heated debate he and Finn were having over where to have dinner that night. Kurt wanted to take the family to an elegant Vietnamese place he loved, while Finn was hot to try In-N-Out Burger.

"In-N-Out isn't a place for a family dinner, Finn," Kurt argued, looking to Blaine for support. "Tell him. We can't do fast food for their last dinner here."

Blaine looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck before answering. "Actually, I could really go for a burger. I love that place."

Kurt threw up his hands, knowing his attempt to expose his family to a little bit of culture and sophistication was a lost cause. "Argh! You're peasants, all of you. Fine. Burgers."

Finn gave a dopey smile and threw Blaine a high-five. "Great! Puck told me I have to order my burger 'animal style.'" He paused for a moment, looking uncertain. "That doesn't mean anything gross does it? I mean, it's still going to be made of cow, not road kill or something, right?"

Kurt buried his face in Blaine's shoulder, which was shaking suspiciously, not having the strength to comment.

They still had a few hours before dinner and no one in the Lima contingent had seen the Pacific Ocean before, so the decision was made to head out to Santa Monica, where they could walk the beach and even visit the famous Pier if they felt the need.

They played on the beach as a family for a bit and Finn and Blaine made a sand castle. The day wasn't overly warm, but it was sunny and the tide was low, so it was still great beach weather.

After a while Burt pulled Kurt aside for a walk. Kurt looked back at Blaine, who nodded and let them go ahead, giving them some space to have a private conversation.

They walked peacefully for a bit, just enjoying being in each other's company again, before Burt spoke his mind. "So how's it really going, Kurt? And don't give me that 'days of wine and roses' bull you tell me over the phone. I want the truth."

"Things are good, dad, truly." He paused at Burt's skeptical look and sighed. "I just…miss the anonymity of New York, you know? Where you can do what you love and still walk into a coffee shop unmolested, where you can be an actor because of the art, not the fame. And film acting is so different. I never realized how much I got out of the audience, you know? It just isn't the same."

Burt dug his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders as he walked. "If it's not what you want, then do something about it. Go back to New York."

"If I leave now I'll lose everything. I won't get another shot at this." Kurt stopped and turned to his dad, needing his guidance.

"Kurt, I know this has been your dream since you were a kid —hell, I've been to more basement performances, murder mystery nights, and competitions than any 20 guys I know and I'll be first in line to run your personal eBay memorabilia store if you ever get around to wanting to sell all of that stuff we have packed away in that storage unit — but there's no shame in reaching your intended destination and deciding it isn't where you want to be." Burt pulled his baseball hat off and ran a hand over his balding head. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, because it's definitely something you have to figure out for yourself, but I do know you're going to have to decide if this is really what you want, 'cause bring rich and successful isn't worth it if it makes you miserable. Just know that you are the best thing I ever did in my entire life and I'm proud of you no matter what you decide — movie star, Broadway actor, or ditch digger — it's all the same to me as long as you're happy."

Kurt hugged him tightly, too choked up to respond. They broke apart and continued on their walk, until a shout of laughter brought their attention back down the beach to where a collie had broken away from a jogger and run over to Blaine, placing its front paws on his shoulders and licking every inch of his face it could reach. Blaine was laughing so hard he could barely push the dog away and it looked like the owner was apologizing profusely and trying to reign the dog back in. Kurt laughed with him, unaware that his expression was giving away more than he intended.

Burt looked from Kurt to Blaine and back again. "I thought you said this whole boyfriend thing was just a cover?"

"It is, dad," Kurt said, suddenly finding the sand beneath his feet very fascinating.

"Don't look like it to me," Burt scoffed in disbelief.

"Blaine is…He's really supportive and probably the sweetest person I've ever met. I can't believe all the things he's done for me, helped me with. He's wonderful…but we're just friends. That's all it is."

"Well, you might wanna ask yourself why you feel so comfortable around him, 'cause this? How you are with him? I don't think I've ever seen you like this before. I'm just sayin."

=^..^=

Blaine was in awe of Kurt's relationship with his family and how easily they had come to accept Blaine. From the moment they had stepped from the car there had been no awkward moments, no suspicious looks, and no one had made him feel like a gatecrasher or an employee. Even more surprising, though, had been the difference in Kurt himself. He was more open, light-hearted, and comfortable than Blaine had ever seen him. Watching him interact with his family, seeing the small things he did to make them happy and the love that he obviously felt for them was inspiring. He felt like he had found that important puzzle piece, the one that suddenly brings the picture into focus and makes the rest of the pieces easier to place; for Kurt Hummel, that piece was his family. Blaine now understood how Kurt had managed to become the admirable person that he was despite the bad experiences he'd had growing up. He was glad that Kurt had had such a remarkable family, a support system that was there no matter what else was going on in his life and he only felt the slightest bit jealous that he hadn't had the same himself.

The family's trip was a quick one, though, and Burt, Carole, and Finn were packed up and ready to head back to the airport early Saturday morning.

Blaine held the door open for them as Kurt carried their bags out to the car. Carole pulled Blaine in for a tight hug and he savored the softness of her embrace and the light floral smell of her perfume. Kurt was exceptionally lucky to have such a wonderful step-mother. Finn was next and he gave Blaine a quick fist bump and a promise to play with him on Xbox Live if Blaine could convince Kurt to get a console.

They made their way to the car while Burt came over to stand next to Blaine, who was still standing by the front door.

"The hardest thing about being a parent is watching as your kids become independent and leave you," Burt said, watching Kurt give Carole some last minute tips on how to keep her skin hydrated during the flight. "They're adults and need to take care of themselves, but you never forget what it was like that first day seeing them in the hospital, cleaning their first scraped knee, nursing them through their first broken heart. They grow up, but you never stop wanting to protect them." He finally turned to look at Blaine. "When Kurt told me about the stalker and this whole stupid plan to fake having a boyfriend I wanted to fly out here, bundle him up, and take him back to Lima where I could keep a close watch on him, but he's a man now and I know it's not my job anymore. It is yours though and I'm trusting you to do right by him."

Blaine felt himself get choked up, knowing that his own father would never have made such an impassioned speech about him. "I promise, Burt. I'd do anything for him."

Burt nodded, as if Blaine's answer had been a foregone conclusion. "It was great meeting you, kid. Carole and I sure sleep a whole lot better knowing that Kurt isn't alone out here."

"It's my pleasure, but Kurt was never alone. He's got a good support system here."

"But they're all invested in his career, so that makes them…biased. He needs someone who'll be there win, lose, or draw. Someone who sees the soul inside and not just the commodity. Anyways, thanks for protecting him. I know he isn't always the easiest person, but he's worth it." Burt held out his hand.

Blaine grasped Burt's hand and gave it a firm shake. "I know Burt, trust me."

"Yeah, I think you do."

Kurt gave his dad one last hug and promised to see him soon at Christmas. The car door slammed shut and they were off, the gate closing behind them.