When they finish their duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” - which they both blush their way through - the tree is done, and both stand back to admire their work. “It’s gorgeous, Kurt.” Just like you…

“Was he really flirting with me?” Blaine asks suddenly during his dessert.

“He winked.” Kurt says and arches an eyebrow at Blaine. “What did you think that meant?”

“I-“ Blaine begins, looking adorably clueless. “I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it, since I’m not interested.”

“Oh.” Kurt says, looking at the plate in front of Blaine. YES! “So, how’s the dessert?”

Blaine instantly perks up. “Delish.”

“Delish?”

“Yes... It’s short for delicious.” Blaine says like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“You are insane.” Kurt declares, but smiles. Blaine grins back and they are both quiet for a moment as Blaine munches on his dessert. “I didn’t think you would get to celebrate Christmas with Aimee tomorrow. Isn’t she celebrating with your parents?”

“When I was a kid Wyland and Monica started this tradition that we eat Christmas-dinner on the evening of the twenty-fifth. Of course I’d get to open my gifts when I woke up, but then nothing special happened during the whole day. So since I’ve been… At Dalton I have had Aimee during the day, after she opens her gifts from them in the morning and before they eat dinner in the evening. Does that make sense?”

“I guess.” Kurt says, scratching the side of his nose.

Blaine swallows the last of his dessert, puts away the dishes and starts to put all the food away. Kurt helps as much as he can, but he is exhausted from being solid during the whole decorating-process during the day. He is barely conscious, Blaine notices, when Kurt drops a fork without acknowledging he did so. He just stands, looking lazily at the silverware-drawer. Blaine picks up the fork Kurt dropped and puts it in the dishwasher, before trying to get Kurt into the bedroom.

“Kurt?” he whispers, standing in front of him. “Let’s get you to bed.” Blaine tries to grab Kurt’s hand, but he isn’t solid at the moment, so Blaine’s hand goes straight through. “Kurt! Look at me.”

Kurt seems to register that Blaine is talking to him, because he focuses his vision on Blaine’s face. “Blaine.” he whispers.

“Come on, Kurt. We’re going to bed.”  He reaches his hand out toward him, and Kurt grabs it and follows him into the bedroom. 

Kurt falls backwards onto the bed, lying on his side and resting his face on the back of his hand. “Blaine.”

“Yes, Kurt?”

“Blaine.” Kurt sighs and then his eyes are closed, and he is gone.

Blaine smiles to himself. “Goodnight, Kurt.” He wore himself out. Poor thing.

Blaine goes back into the kitchen and finishes the dishes before getting into his pajamas and putting his glasses on. He grabs his favorite novel from the bookcase and settles down on the bed beside Kurt. He starts to read quietly, not wanting to wake Kurt, but still wanting him to hear his voice. He looks at Kurt’s sleeping form when turning pages, smiling and sometimes forgetting about the book.

Blaine wakes when coldness spreads through his face. He jolts into a sitting position, finding that Kurt has turned, flopping his hand through Blaine’s head. He rubs his cheek and realizes he fell asleep with his glasses on and his book open on his stomach. He removes the glasses and rubs his eyes. His face doesn’t feel cold anymore, and his side is all warm. Kurt is lying on his side, facing Blaine. One hand on Blaine’s pillow and the other one clenched. Blaine wonders briefly if Kurt had been snuggled up to him during the night, before he realizes something. It’s Christmas morning! He looks at the clock. Good timing! Blaine gets carefully out of bed and sneaks across the bedroom floor in his socks and steps into a pair of boots when he reaches the hallway. He creaks the front door open slowly, grabbing his jacket to put on outside. He closes the door just as quietly again and walks down the driveway, looking down the road and putting on his jacket.

After a few minutes a big truck pulls up outside the house and Blaine tells the men to be very quiet while they work. Blaine goes back into the house and gets an envelope out of his desk drawer, sitting down carefully beside Kurt on the bed. After another minute Charles walks into the bedroom, setting a vase down on one of the nightstands.

“Thank you, Charles.” Blaine whispers.

Charles looks skeptically at him before shaking his head slightly and whispering back. “Merry Christmas, Sir Blaine.” He leaves, and after some jingling in the hallway Blaine hears the front door shut again.

“Kurt!” Blaine whispers. “Wake up! I’ve got something for you.” Kurt clenches the fabric of Blaine’s pajama leg and sighs contently. Blaine feels like he’s melting.  “Kuuuuurt? Wake up.”

Kurt twitches and gasps, sitting up. “What happened?”

Blaine smiles reassuringly. “You were kinda out of it last night, but I managed to get you into bed. And now it’s Christmas morning!”

“I’m sorry. I-“

“Stop it.” Blaine points at Kurt. “I got you something.” He holds the envelope out toward him. “Open it.”

“Blaine!” Kurt whines. “You shouldn’t have bought me something! It’s a waste. I’m dead.”

“It’s not a waste if it makes you happy. Now open! I think you’re gonna like it.” He grins and makes Kurt take it.

Kurt studies the envelope for a second and then smiles at the squiggly message on the front. “Merry Christmas, Kurt. Love, Blaine.” he reads out loud and looks up to meet Blaine’s eyes. “Thank you, Blaine.”

While Kurt opens the envelope Blaine moves to sit on his legs, waiting excitedly for Kurt’s reaction.

“Oh my God, Blaine!” Kurt shrieks. “Concert tickets? To Lady Gaga! How did you know I like her?”

“You always sing along to her songs when we listen to the radio.” Blaine grins.

“This is way too much, Blaine.”

“It’s not.” Blaine says, closing Kurt’s hands over the tickets.

“But I don’t need a ticket. People can’t see me.”

“No. But you can keep it as a memory after the concert.” Blaine smiles.

“You’re using the extra ticket.” Kurt states with finality.

Blaine chuckles. “I thought you might say that. That’s why I bought two.”

Kurt looks at the tickets again, before putting them back in the envelope. “Thank you.”

“I got you something else!” Blaine says excitedly, practically jumping off of the bed. “Follow me!” Blaine rushes out of the bedroom and Kurt gets up to follow.

He walks into the hallway and stops. “Blaine!” he calls out. “Why is the Christmas tree in the end of the hallway? And how did it get ther- OH WOW!” Kurt walks into the living room to find a shiny, black upright piano standing where the tree had been the day before. “How did that GET in here? And when?” Kurt gapes at the beautiful sight.

“Charles and his men brought it in this morning. Isn’t it pretty?” Blaine says, sitting down on the coffee table. He crosses his legs and leans on his hands.

Kurt walks closer, dragging his fingers along the wooden top. “It’s beautiful.” he breathes before turning on Blaine. “Why did you buy a piano?”

“Merry Christmas, Kurt.” Blaine smiles and gestures to the piano with both hands.

“ARE YOU INSANE?” Kurt’s voice goes so high pitch that Blaine winces. “You bought a dead guy you’ve known for two months a PIANO?”

“Yes?”

“Why?”

“You said you used to love playing. So I thought you might start again if you had your own…”

Blaine looks kind of wounded, so Kurt sits down on the bench and pushes down a few keys. The piano sounds loud and clear in the room and Kurt has to close his eyes. “Thank you, Blaine.”

“You’re very welcome.” Blaine gets up to stand beside the piano. “This actually leads to the next-“

“Don’t tell me you bought me something more?” Kurt turns to glare at Blaine.

“Not exactly.” Blaine says, smiling ever so slightly. “I thought we could visit my grandmother in a couple of days and see if she can help you see your mom.”

“Oh.” Kurt hadn’t thought about Blaine’s grandmother for weeks. “I’d love that. Thank you.”

“Also, I got you something else…”

“Nooo…” Kurt whines. “Is it a car? A house? A castle?” he jokes.

“No!” Blaine jokes back, sticking his tongue out. “It’s in this room. You have to find it.”

Kurt gets off of the piano bench and looks around the room. “I don’t see anything else that’s changed.”

“You have to look! Move around some.” Blaine grins, following Kurt with his eyes.

Kurt sighs and walks around the room, looking at all the wrong things. Then he turns to Blaine. “I don’t see- Oh! They’re beautiful!” Kurt spots the vase beside where Blaine is standing, under the window.

“Sunflowers!” Kurt laughs. “You’re ridiculous, Blaine.”

“I know you love them.” Blaine grins. “But there’s more.”

“Blaine, no. You can’t jus-“

“It’s not any more gifts. Just…” Blaine gestures to the door. “Let me give you a tour of my house.”

“What?” Kurt looks confused but follows Blaine into the bathroom. “More sunflowers?” He grins and touches a petal on one of the flowers in vase.

Blaine leaves the bathroom and stops right outside the door. A vase of sunflowers on one of the small tables by the door. Kurt smells one and follows Blaine into the kitchen. A vase of sunflowers on the counter in front of the huge window. Kurt picks a petal and puts it on top of Blaine’s curls when he turns around. He giggles to himself as he follows Blaine into the bedroom. A vase of sunflowers on one of the nightstands. Kurt walks up to it and sits down on the bed.

“Thank you, Blaine. They are amazing.” He sniffles but smiles at Blaine who is leaning against the dresser behind him.

“I’m glad you like them.”

“They must have been expensive. Sunflowers are not in season.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Blaine smiles and looks self-consciously at his feet. “It was worth it to see you smile.”

Kurt blushes to the tips of his ears. Both boys are quiet until Blaine’s stomach rumbles a few minutes later. Kurt chuckles. “You should eat something before Charles brings Aimee over.”

“Do you think I need a shower? Do I stink?”

Kurt laughs. “No, you don’t.” Please don’t! I want you to find that petal. “You need to eat.”

“Okay then.” Blaine goes into the kitchen and starts clinking with plates and cutlery while Kurt admires the bouquet on the nightstand.

Wow… Just wow. Why did it take me so long to see that I’m in love with him? He’s amazing. I’ve got to tell him.

But I’m dead…

No, I can’t. He can never know.

An hour or so later Blaine has wolfed down so much food he’s about to puke. He leans back in his chair and groans, running his hands through his hair. “What is this?” he says and picks something out if his hair.

Kurt giggles. “Looks like a sunflower-petal. I wonder how that got there.”

“Ha-ha.” Blaine rolls his eyes. “Cute.”

Kurt grins and is about to say something when the doorbell rings. Blaine races into the hallway and opens the door, revealing Charles and Aimee on the other side. “Hi baby!” he exclaims, picking her up and hugging her tight.

“Merry Christmas Blainey.” Aimee squeaks from where her face is pressed into Blaine’s neck. “Where is Kurt?”

“In the kitchen.” Blaine kisses her the tip of her nose. “Thank you for bringing her over, Char. Merry Christmas.”

“I’ll pick her up at four. Merry Christmas, sir.” Charles does a small bow before walking back toward his car.

 Blaine sets Aimee on his hip and closes the front door before walking back into the kitchen.

“Hi Aimee.” Kurt says and moves to sit on the floor.

“Hi Kurt!” she beams and wiggles her upper body until Blaine laughs and puts her down. “Merry Christmas!” She walks over and gives him a tight hug.

“Merry Christmas.” He smiles when she pulls back.

“Let’s sit in the sofa.” Blaine says and the other two follow him toward the living room.

“Oh! Your tree is so pretty, Blaine!” Aimee exclaims when they walk past it in the hallway.

“Thanks. Kurt decorated it.”

“You helped.” Kurt states, his cheeks getting slightly pink.

“You moved everything that I put up.” Blaine scoffs and pokes Kurt on the arm.

Kurt’s cheeks darken even further. “Did you get any fun gifts this morning, Aimee?”

“Yeah! I got a new dress and shoes and a bunch of plastic fruits and-“ Aimee starts rambling as the three of them sit down on the sofa. “-and dad said I might get a pony next year. A PONY, Blaine!”

Blaine and Kurt both grin at the little girl. “That’s great, honey.” Blaine snuggles close to her and smells her hair.

She giggles and inches toward Kurt on her other side. “She’s gonna be white and I’m gonna name her Dawn. But you have to help me braid her mane, Blainey! With silver strings!”

“Of course I’ll help you!” Blaine grins.

“Why with silver strings?” Kurt asks as Aimee leans her head against his arm.

“So she’ll look like a unicorn! Duh!” Aimee states and both boys laugh.

Kurt sits on the piano bench hip-to-hip with Aimee, playing a happy melody for her when Blaine comes back into the room. Both Kurt and Aimee turn around to see what he went to get a few minutes earlier.

“Where is it?” Aimee frowns. “That thing you goed to get.”

“The thing I went to get isn’t in here. You two have to follow me.” Blaine reaches his hand out toward Aimee.

She takes it and looks back at Kurt. “Come on! I wanna see what it is!” Then she reaches her other hand out toward him, and Kurt melts inside. He gets up and takes her hand, smiling at Blaine over Aimee’s head. Blaine smiles back with a twinkle in his warm eyes, before they continue into the hallway and when they round the corner-

“PRESENTS!” Aimee shrieks when she sees the mountain of gifts under the Christmas Tree, but she doesn’t let go of the boys’ hands.

“They’re all for you, honey. Go ahead.” Blaine says softly.

Aimee lets go of their hands and plunks down on the floor, grabbing a gift in shiny pink wrapping. She touches the white ribbon around it before looking up at Kurt and Blaine. Her face falls. “You don’t get any?”

“Blaine got me a bunch this morning.” Kurt smiles first at Aimee and then at Blaine. “The piano was a gift from him, as well as the pretty sunflowers all over the house.”

“Oh.” Aimee smiles again. “You like him.” she tells Blaine before starting to unwrap her gift.

Kurt glances at Blaine who is blushing profusely. But then he notices something on the wall. His stocking isn’t empty anymore. “Blaiiiiiine.” he whines, taking a step toward the stocking and picking it off of the wall. He doesn’t notice how close he and Blaine are standing, or how Blaine’s blush has spread down his neck. Kurt pulls a sketch book and a bunch of pencils out of the stocking before putting it back on the wall. “What are these for?” He eyes the different colored pencils with a rubber band around them.

“I thought you might like your own. So you don’t have to use my crappy school-pencil.” Blaine says, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

“Thank you.” Kurt smiles shyly and touches the tip of a pencil that matches the color of his cardigan.

“Now we can draw together!” Aimee says and when Kurt looks down at her she’s holding a big box of crayons.

“Of course!” Kurt smiles.

When Charles comes to get Aimee before dinner she babbles on about all the things she’s done with Blaine and – what Charles thinks is her imaginary friend – Kurt. All the gifts she got, how the boys played her songs on the piano, the drawings they did and how happy she is that Kurt’s parents are like hers and Blaine’s, so Kurt got to spend Christmas with them.

Blaine told her that Kurt was in the same position as him; that he too didn’t live with his parents anymore. And he told Kurt that he thought that explanation was easier than the truth, and Kurt agreed.