Blaine just wanted to sleep.  He was so cozy and warm and Kurt's left hand fingers were twitching against his belly in just the most calming manner.  Kurt had showered before bed last night too and used some soap or shampoo or something that made him smell even better than usual… like vanilla or something else subtly sweet.

Cooper though, had other ideas.

“SQUIRT!”

Blaine's eyes shot open and looked in shock at the man standing at the end of the bed, hopping on his toes as he bounced the footboard of the bed and make it rock under his movements.  

Kurt whined and drew up the hood of his hoodie in an effort to try and hide himself.  “Go ‘way Cooper…”

“But it's CHRISTMAS!  We need to get up and open our presents and sing songs and dance and eat!”

“Go away Cooper.” Blaine echoed and tried to turn towards Kurt as he also tried to hide away.

“No!  Get up!  We can't open presents until everyone is in the living room!”  Cooper whined and bounced the bed again.

Both Blaine and Kurt groaned and then Kurt snapped his head up to glower at Cooper, “Get the hell out of here before I ensure that Christmas is your LEAST favourite time of year.”

Cooper paled and backed out the doorway.  When he was safely out of reach of Kurt, he yelled back into the room, “I'm sending Shelby in if you don't get out here soon!”

“You know… he's so much less annoying on TV….”  Kurt moaned and dropped his head back to Blaine's chest.

“Agreed.” Blaine grunted and lifted a hand up to comb his fingers through Kurt's hair.

Blaine's step-dad had picked Cooper up at the airport yesterday and since that moment, Cooper had barely left Blaine and Kurt alone, following them along on their walks, sitting between them at the table, and inviting himself into their room to read along with Kurt who had been trying to escape him.  Despite his obnoxiousness though, Blaine's grandparents had taken a particular liking to Cooper and declared him a “good ol' boy”, which Cooper reveled in of course.   Kurt however, clearly couldn't stand him despite his star status, a fact which made Blaine feel better about having Cooper around.  He didn't know why he worried in the first place.

“Maybe we should go out there….”  Kurt said quietly.  Even though he was awake now, he still was petting Blaine's stomach softly and Blaine didn't want for that to end.

“Mmm… Maybe…”  Blaine responded, his insides quaking.  This was the date he set for himself to tell Kurt.  Shit.  It was here.  “Maybe we should just stay here for as long as we can though.”

Despite Blaine's words, Kurt sat up and looked over Blaine, causing him to flush under those scrutinous blue eyes.  “I want to give you your present though…”

He chuckled and shook his head, “How did you manage to get me a present?  I wasn't expecting anything from you.”

A gentle swat to the side and then the explanation, “Online shopping doofus.  I sent it to Wes' apartment.  I've had your present for over a month now.”

Of course he would.  Blaine had waffled up until the last possible moment and only yesterday settled on a gift after making a couple calls and writing up a card.  Kurt however, had planned it all out and no doubt it would be spectacular… of course, Blaine didn't know how anything he got from Kurt could be anything but amazing.

Blaine's nerves began to show as he looked away, “A month…. oh man… okay… just so you know, my present is probably dumb and I can get you something better if you want and I really didn't know what you'd like and you're probably going to hate it and-”

He was silenced by a finger against his mouth and he glanced back to Kurt who had one brow arched up and an amuse smirk on his face, “Shut up dummy.  Let's just go open presents.  This is my first Christmas in years now and so far it's already pretty amazing.”

Blaine smiled and nodded, letting the finger fall away from his mouth and getting up.  They turned their backs to one another as they changed and got ready, walking out to the living room where everyone was already waiting and Cooper had already organized the gifts into piles.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!  Shelby won't let me open anything until we're all here!”

Blaine rolled his eyes and heard a snort of amusement from Kurt as they sat down in front of their piles.  That was when Cooper began opening his gifts over enthusiastically and whooping triumphantly with each one.

“Are you sure he's almost thirty?” Kurt whispered over to Blaine.

Blaine nodded and smiled back to Kurt, “Yes… shocking hmm?”

Blaine got the usual assortment of bowties, gift cards, yet another bible from his grandparents (it had become a consistent birthday and Christmas gift), and some new sheet music.  He left Kurt's gift for last, looking at it worriedly throughout his present opening.  It didn't matter what it was.  What mattered was that once he opened it he knew that the first part of Christmas would be over and he'd be that much closer to having to admit everything to Kurt.  That little box was all that stood between him and… well… whatever came next.

So he watched Kurt open his own gifts, thanking everyone in turn graciously, especially Shelby who had the sense to get Kurt a digital tablet with a large gift card for ebooks.  “You read so much that I thought this would save you and Blaine from getting buried under books.”

“Should get a bible on that whatcha-ma-dooie.” Blaine's grandfather said with a huff, a statement which Kurt ignored.

Then Kurt was left with Blaine's card, and Blaine with Kurt's box.  Both looked at one another and Kurt made the movement to slit open the card, Blaine's heart holding still as he watched.

“I… don't understand?” Kurt said quietly as he read the card and then glanced over at Blaine.

“I looked around… for the best tattoo artist I could find and she actually specializes in covering up bad or unwanted tattoo's… and so there's an appointment for you next week…”  Blaine said it all really quickly, hoping he hadn't overstepped.

“Blaine….”

“I included those pictures… of things that might be good for covering it up… you don't have to pick any of those though… I just… I thought those ones were nice…”

Kurt set a hand on Blaine's shoulder and gave him a genuine smile.  “Thank you.  I love it.”

Then it was Blaine's turn.  With Kurt beside him, holding his breath, Blaine unwrapped the small box and opened it.  It was a software package, one he wasn't familiar with.

“It'll let you record your own songs and music… “ Kurt said quietly.

“I… you think I can do that?” Blaine looked back to Kurt curiously, the boy nodding to him.

“You can and you should.”

Blaine smiled and moved to hug Kurt, who actually gave him a quick hug back.  Then it was all random conversation scattered among relatives, with Cooper dominating them all in the game of who could talk the longest and loudest.

At some point, Kurt snuck out, and Blaine found him in the guest room with the pictures he had included in the card spread before him on the bed.

“I'm glad you like it.”  Blaine said, shutting the door behind him.  Now.  It was now or never.  He could do it.

“I'm going to be rid of him…. Blaine… you don't know know how much that means….”  Kurt looked up and grinned, truly and honestly grinned, and then let out a small, sweet laugh, “Now I just need to figure out what kind of tattoo is the most… me.”

Blaine settled on the bed aside Kurt, and then talked about each of the pictures in turn - their pros and cons and then they looked up a few more on the internet.  Kurt didn't even narrow down his choices, clearly too overwhelmed to make a decision today, but he did keep telling Blaine how much it meant, and Blaine in turn told him each time that he was happy to do it.

“Can I come with you when you get it done?” Blaine asked, laying back on the bed and rubbing his eyes.  The day was already exhausting and it had hardly begun.

“I assumed you would… I need to get there somehow.”  Kurt said, humor in his tone.  “Maybe we could go see another movie to wipe the one from yesterday out of our memories.”

Blaine laughed at that.  The romantic comedy they had subjected themselves to the day before was an over-cliched, groan worthy, piece of shame.  They had, however, been able to secure a whole row to themselves with the lack of attendance in the early afternoon showing, and ate so much popcorn and movie theater candy that they had to forgo dinner the night before.  

And then of course there had been Kurt's hands.

Blaine had been working up to it… trying to test the waters before he made his big reveal.  Everytime he reached for Kurt's hand, Kurt had taken his.  Everytime their fingers touched, it was like Handel's Messiah played at full volume in Blaine's head.  Kurt didn't pull away.  He didn't reject Blaine's slight advances.

Maybe it would have been easier if he had.  Then Blaine wouldn't have gotten to this point where he needed to make things clear.  

But he had to do this.  If for no other reason than to prove Wes wrong.  He could do this.  He was braver than Wes gave him credit for.  He was….

Kissing Kurt?

Blaine had missed the movement towards him entirely, so wrapped up in his own anxiety that he didn't even see Kurt lean over him and didn't register anything until plush pink lips were being pressed to his own.  Half startled his eyes went wide and he sucked in a breath that he was getting from Kurt before he relaxed and let himself go pliant below Kurt.

Well this would make things easier.

Blaine didn't know how long they shared soft, chaste kisses.  He only knew that this was what kissing should feel like.  Like there were little electrical charges dancing between their lips when they connected.  It was nothing like the stiff, automatic way he had kissed Sebastian.  This was real.  Kurt had a taste - cinnamon and cigarettes.  He had a texture - silken with a small rub on one side from his lip ring.  So close, Blaine could even smell him better.  Not just vanilla… but some kind of spice too.

When Kurt pulled back, Blaine at first tried to follow but a hand was brought to the side of his head and Kurt's thumb stroked his upper jaw line gently.  “I might have stockholm syndrome.”

It was the least romantic thing that could have been said, but Blaine laughed and that seemed to give permission to Kurt to laugh as well.  

“Are we going to talk about…?”  Blaine started when he finished laughing, only to have a finger come up and silence him again.

“Not everything has to be said Blaine.  You're not my shrink and I'm not yours - even though Wes is convinced you need one what with the way you dress.  Can't we just… be?”

Maybe he had been around upper white class people that overanalyzed their feelings and motivations too much, but the thought was absolutely novel to Blaine.  Just being.  No need for discussion or debate or exploration of their innermost desires, but acting on the way they felt without worry.

“Yeah… I think… I would definitely just like to be… with you.”

Kurt made a little chuckle aside him and lifted his head, centimeters away from Blaine's own, “Good.  Because talking would take way too much time away from this.”  

Then they were kissing again, and Blaine let himself be, even when that meant having to yell at Cooper to get the hell out of their room several times that day.