When Carole and Kurt returned with several plates of cookies, Blaine was surprised to find that the other boy headed straight over to him. The plate was offered, along with an arched eyebrow.

"Yours turned out nice," Kurt said as Blaine looked down at the gingerbread men with red and green bow ties around their necks.

"I– thanks," Blaine mumbled, taking one and biting off his arm. Kurt turned away after that, but the moment hung in Blaine's mind for the rest of the evening. The shift had been subtle, but it was there when it hadn't been before Kurt had gone into the kitchen. He didn't know what Carole might have said, but he thought he was probably gratefully. As much as he didn't want to be around Kurt, he loved being around Burt and Finn. It was nice to feel like he had a few friends to spend what could have been a very lonely week with.

Burt insisted that Blaine play a few Christmas carols on the piano for old time's sake, and tried to get all of them to sing along. It was a huge surprise for all of them when Finn dropped down next to him and started singing along. He sounded quite good, too. If McKinley wouldn't rip him a new one for joining the Glee Club, Blaine would have tried to get him to come to their next meeting.

After another handful of songs they all headed their separate ways to bed. Finn ran off ahead of Blaine and Kurt, which left them alone for another awkward trip downstairs. As usual silence hung heavily around them when they were alone together, but it didn't feel quite as awkward as it usually did. Blaine thought it might be because of the lingering notes that were still playing in his head, but being reminded of how they'd once sang those same songs together made everything less tense. They stepped into Kurt's room and Kurt went over to his dresser and starting pulling out his pajamas.

"You can use the bathroom first if you want," Kurt offered.

Surprised by the invitation, Blaine accepted and shuffled off with his bag. There really wasn't much that he did before bed unlike Kurt so he was done and back in the bedroom after five minutes. Kurt went in immediately after and Blaine settled down on his cot quietly, staring up at the ceiling and wondering about the tiny change he'd noted in Kurt so suddenly.

Half an hour later Kurt crawled into his own bed and flicked the light off. Blaine wanted to say something, anything really, to figure out if maybe Kurt was going to give this a chance, that maybe they could rebuild something of what they'd lost. Or at the very least he could help Blaine forgive him for all of this. He couldn't find the words, though, and instead stayed quiet.

"I keep thinking we need to stake out the living room like we did in fifth grade," Kurt remarked suddenly, and despite himself Blaine laughed.

"If only your dad had been a bit more theatrical and bought a costume then we probably still would," Blaine replied, smiling slightly at the memory. The thought of the past still made his chest ache some, but with Kurt stifling his own laugh, the pain didn't feel as deep or heavy.

"I doubt he would have been able to pull it off even with a Santa suit," Kurt decided after a moment. "He's not much of an actor."

"Who knows? He might have surprised us," Blaine replied simply. "I think the shock of actually thinking we were seeing Santa might have given him a decent chance."

"Until he opened his mouth," Kurt retorted.

They both laughed again, together this time, and as soon as they realized it the sound died off. An almost unbearable sense of nostalgia had dropped down into the pit of Blaine's stomach. At one point in their lives, laying in Kurt's room giggling until the wee hours of the morning had been a constant. They'd tell stories and laugh and try to sneak back upstairs for snacks or to watch late-night television. Burt had usually caught them, but it had still been fun all the same. Some of those nights had been the happiest moments Blaine could recall, because before he'd met Kurt there hadn't been much in his life. Then once Kurt had shoved him away there'd only been a lot of misery despite having the Glee Club at his side.

"I would have forgiven you, you know," Blaine said abruptly. "Back then, if you'd come to me to try to apologize or whatever... it would have taken some time, but I would have."

The room was silent for a minute, and Blaine almost thought Kurt had slunk back into his aloofness or maybe even fallen asleep, but then he spoke.

"I know," Kurt whispered. There was a certain heartbreak in his voice, a voice that had come out so timid and soft that Blaine had to strain his ears to hear it. But he did hear it. Kurt sounded so defeated and overwhelmed in those two simple words, and Blaine just didn't understand it. Didn't understand any of this, and why Kurt hadn't done just that if he'd known they could have worked it out. He didn't understand why the other boy sounded so upset at the fact when he'd clearly done nothing but make Blaine miserable for two years after the fact. If he'd cared enough to want to – if Blaine had actually meant something to him – then why had he chosen the Cheerios over that?

Blaine turned his head to try to look at Kurt, but it was too dark and even though his eyes had adjusted some he could barely see the outline of Kurt's profile.

"Then why do you– I just don't... I don't get it," Blaine fumbled in exasperation. "Did you– do you," Blaine corrected, "just want me to hate you?"

Silence followed his question, and Blaine turned his gaze back up to the ceiling. He blinked back the tears already threatening to fall, because Kurt didn't seem to want to answer that question, which probably meant it was true. All Blaine wanted was to understand why. They'd been best friends and Kurt had thrown it all away even though he'd known he could have gotten it back. None of it made any sense to Blaine.

"Yes," Kurt's voice said suddenly, lifelessly. "Maybe if you'd hated me... maybe then I could stop h- hating myself. But you didn't."

Kurt's last three words were almost accusatory, but Blaine was too stunned by the admission he'd just heard to even fathom a reply. The bed sheets rustled as Kurt rolled over and faced away from him.

"Goodnight, Blaine," Kurt mumbled, his voice shaky and not at all like it's usual confident self.

A heavy thud echoed over from Finn's room, but Blaine stayed quiet. He didn't know how to respond to that. Two years ago he might have, but not now. If he'd confronted Kurt outside of school on his own back then, then maybe he would have found the right words or the right response to Kurt's self-hatred –maybe they could have cut this fallout off before they'd smacked the ground. Now all he had was the idea that, if either of them had bothered to take that step that weekend, things would have turned out very different.

Kurt's huge grin greeted Blaine when he pulled his front door open. The other boy was once again in his uniform and it took Blaine a moment to shake off the bizarre feeling he got at the sight. It was only the third day of Kurt's new position, but it was still hard for Blaine to adjust to not speculating on Kurt's outfit every morning. Even in the plain cheerleading outfit Kurt still looked stunning, and Blaine's heart squirmed as he looked him over. He turned away swiftly as something else twitched, his face flooding with color he hoped Kurt wouldn't noticed.

"Hey, are you ready?" Kurt asked, stepping in as Blaine turned towards the hall and stuffed one of his hands into his pocket.

"I, um. Just a minute. G- gotta get my bag and tell my mom," Blaine stammered, willing his body back into submission.

His mother shuffled in from the kitchen, his bag in hand.

"I thought I heard a knock," she said cheerfully, pecking Kurt on the cheek. "How are you, dear? I see you've made the squad."

"I'm great," Kurt replied happily.

Blaine took his bag from her, still blushing and took his time putting it on.

"Are you okay, sweetheart? You look a little flushed," his mom asked in concern. She pressed her palm against his forehead and Blaine squirmed away in embarrassment.

"I'm fine, Mama. Really," Blaine insisted as Kurt laughed.

"Hmm," she hummed, looking him over once. "Well, have a good day, boys. Are you coming back here after school?"

"No, we've got Glee Club," Blaine mumbled, trying to keep his voice down in case his father heard those words. "Maybe for dinner."

"All right, Blaine," she brushed his curls off his forehead, kissed his forehead and then straightened his glasses. "I'll see you tonight."

Blaine nodded and quickly rushed out the door, tugging Kurt with him. Kurt was still giggling at his side when they crossed the street.

"It's not funny," Blaine snapped, trying to fix his hair until it felt right again. Kurt just smiled brightly and slid his arm around Blaine's waist, dropping his cheek onto Blaine's shoulder.

"I think it's cute," Kurt told him, pinching his cheek roughly. Blaine's heart leapt at Kurt's words, but part of him also hated them. Cute wasn't going to make him catch Kurt's eyes. Being six foot and a football player would. "She's really great, you know. You're lucky to have her."

Blaine's steps faltered for a second as he took in the wistfulness in Kurt's tone. God, he always forgot, always regretted complaining about his mother in any way around Kurt. It only came back to punch him in the gut because Kurt's mother was dead, and even now, almost eight years later, Kurt still missed her terribly.

"Yeah, I– sorry. She's... I only complain because I love her," Blaine tried to explain sheepishly.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's not like I don't complain about my dad or anything," Kurt shrugged, head still on Blaine's shoulder. A month ago it never would have worked, especially while they were walking, but Kurt seemed to being shooting up the same way Blaine had over the summer.

As they crossed the final crosswalk and turned the corner the school came into view. Kurt tensed at his side and suddenly stood up straight, letting go of Blaine's side and straightening his bag. Blaine slumped down a little at the loss, eyeing Kurt as the other boy pulled out a hand-mirror and made sure his hair was perfect. It wasn't anything new to Blaine, really, because Kurt had always cared a lot about his appearance, even if nobody else at McKinley noticed or appreciated it. But things were subtly changing in this little morning routine.

Last week Kurt had casually pulled his mirror out, not even bothering to let go of Blaine and given himself a once over, or a little fix here or there. Yesterday, he'd pulled away to fix his uniform and make sure everything was perfect, much like he just had. He'd given Blaine's hand a little squeeze after, and then kept a small distance between them.

Today, when Kurt had finished his primping he gave Blaine a little smile and nod towards the school. Blaine swallowed thickly and fell into step beside his best friend. Because that was all he was ever going to be wasn't it? If he was even that in a few weeks. Kurt might not have noticed how he was changing in these past few days, but Blaine did. He was distancing himself from Blaine physically, and while Blaine had certainly anticipated a lot of it because of the new part of Kurt's life, he wasn't sure if he could handle it.

Maybe all of this had been a bad idea. A stupid idea he'd thought could work but would just end in disaster for them. But he couldn't say that to Kurt, not when the other boy was so happy and slushy free because of his idea. He couldn't take that away from him, even if it meant they drifted apart.

It was still early when Finn came charging into Kurt's room and nearly upset Blaine's cot. Squawking loudly, Blaine gripped the little mattress on the bed and tried to hold himself steady as Finn bounced on his knees by his feet.

"Guys! Guys, it's Christmas! Wake up!" Finn bellowed.

From Kurt's bed Blaine heard the unmistakable sound of an annoyed groan and then a pillow was flung across the room at them. Finn batted it away, spending it straight into a bookcase. Blaine sat up and watched the avalanche of books and magazines crash to the floor as Kurt slowly untangled himself and sat up as well.

"You've got two seconds to get out of here, Finn," Kurt growled, looking fierce and outraged, "before I rip you a new– "

"Let's go, Blaine," Finn yelled, twisting around while he grabbed Blaine's arm and hoisted him onto his back. "Before he starts shrieking."

"Put me d- d- d- "Blaine tried to order, but Finn had started running up the stairs and the force of his chest hitting the other boy's back made it too difficult for him to finish his sentence. They barreled through the door and up onto the main level. A light flickered on from upstairs and Blaine swung his free hand around and smacked Finn in the face.

"Ow, dude!"

"Put me down!"

Finn's grip loosened and Blaine slid off his back, feeling relieved and grateful when his feet were flat on the floor again. At one point in his life he'd wanted to be that tall, or at least an inch taller than his older brother, but now he was glad he was average, or even a little below that. At least he never had trouble finding clothes that fit, and he didn't scalp himself walking through doorways.

"Boys, what in the world is going on?" Burt rumbled from the stairs.

Carole stepped down until she caught sight of them, looking concerned.

"Guys, it's Christmas!" Finn said excitedly. "Come on, let's open presents!"

Carole shook her head, and motioned for Burt to follow her down. Burt laughed in exasperation.

"You'd think you were still five," he commented as Finn dragged Blaine into the living room. "Where's Kurt?"

"Picking up his books," Blaine answered, dropping down onto the couch as Finn skidded across the floor on his knees, diving into the presents and starting to make piles. Blaine eyed the stack in surprise, because it was definitely bigger than it had been last night. He glanced over at Carole and Burt as they settling down onto the other end of the couch. He seriously hoped they hadn't done what he thought they had.

"Finn knock'em over again?" Burt asked, sounding resigned.

Blaine nodded as Kurt finally appeared in the entry way. He looked furious, and exasperated.

"How many times, Finn? How many times?"

"But it's Christmas, Kurt!" Finn explained, looking pitiful. "I'll buy you an extra present later."

"Ugh, just– get this over with," Kurt snapped, dropping into the arm chair and trying to look bored.

Blaine watched him closely, starkly reminded of the Kurt he remembered even though he could see parts of the Cheerio Kurt as well. That was one nice thing about being around here for the week or however long he stayed. It made Kurt feel more human the longer he stayed around, more like himself, even though they barely spoke beyond a few words. It made Blaine wish he had a chance – a longer chance – to spend this time together, to draw Kurt out completely so that they could really talk like they'd come close to last night. But his parents would be back in two days, and then he'd be gone again. Possibly forever removed from Kurt's life.

While he certainly hadn't forgiven the other boy, he'd been given a reason to hope for something.

Finn tore through all of his presents quickly, uncovering countless new drum and football items. Carole ended up with half a wardrobe between her three guys, and Blaine could tell just by the designs and cuts that Kurt had definitely picked all of them out, regardless of the name on the gift tag. Burt had some new clothes as well, and Finn and Kurt had gotten him season tickets for the Indians. Kurt had some different exercising and stretching tapes, a ton of moisturizing bottles, clothes that would never be worn since he spent so much time in his Cheerios uniform, and a new iPod.

Blaine was a little unnerved by the little pile left, but he wasn't surprised. He'd dreaded the thought that the Hummels had spent any amount of money on him after they'd been so gracious and let him stay for the week.

"Blaine, this is for y– "

"You shouldn't have," Blaine said automatically as Carole forced the package into his hands. "Really, you've both done enough."

"Oh, sweetheart, it's no problem. You've been so sweet and helpful all week," Carole insisted as Finn picked up the other two on the floor and handed them over to Blaine. "Go ahead and open them."

"I– all right."

Blaine eyed each for a moment before deciding which to open first. He settled on the biggest one, sloppily wrapped in Christmas tree paper. The tag said it was from Finn. Warily he ripped the paper and was surprised to find what looked like a plastic Captain America shield underneath.

"I thought you could bring it to school to block the slushies," Finn said brightly. "And throw it at anyone who actually does get you."

Blaine laughed at the sentiment, and pulled the last of the wrappings off. Beside him Burt and Carole exchanged a sad look, but Blaine didn't let it bother him. They might not like what happened to him on an almost daily basis, but Blaine was accustom to it. Talking about it didn't bother him anymore, regardless of whether or not it should.

"Thanks, Finn," Blaine said, sliding his arms through the straps on the backside and holding it up. Finn punched it playfully and they both laughed again.

In the armchair Kurt shifted uncomfortably, and Blaine glanced over. The other boy was biting his lip and staring at the shield, looking guilty. Blaine was briefly satisfied by the look, because Kurt should feel guilty that Finn thought his protection had to come to that. But he didn't say it aloud. Kurt may project a different person to the rest of the world, but he was still partially the boy Blaine had known. Letting the guilt and rejection work its way into Kurt on its own would eventually draw him back out – would bring everything up to boiling point and make it explode. Blaine only hoped he had enough time and ideas to do it.

Blaine turned back to the remaining two gifts for him, and opened the one from Carole and Burt. He was amazed to find a Buckeyes jersey waiting for him inside.

"Oh, wow!" Blaine said loudly, holding it up in excitement. "This is– I can't believe you– thanks!"

Burt patted him on the shoulder and Carole leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. His chest flooded with warmth at the gestures, and even though he was reminded of his own family and how much he missed them it was still nice to feel that he'd regained the one place he'd always felt at home.

It took him a few minutes to careful fold the jersey up and neatly drop it back in its box. Then he was just left with one package. His first thought was that Carole and Burt had gotten him something else on top of that expensive jersey, but the handwriting on the tag wasn't the same as the last one. For a moment Blaine had to think about who's it was, and why it was so familiar, but then it clicked. Kurt. This was Kurt's handwriting, and Kurt's present for him.

Flabbergasted, but also overwhelmed at the thought, Blaine made no comment and instead focused on unwrapping the present. Kurt kept shifting in his chair, but finally Blaine pulled out the small velvet box. It was as big as his hand, but rather flat. Blaine looked up and over at Kurt, but the other boy was staring at his knees.

Blaine flipped the box open, and a rush of surprise sped through him. It was a pocket watch almost exactly like his grandfather's had been. He remembered the day that one had broken back in middle school and how devastated he'd been. It was the one thing his grandfather's will had passed on to him and he'd cherished it for a long time. This one looked a little less worn, and the metal was a little brighter, but it was almost an exact replica.

"How– "

"I found it at a pawn shop the summer before high school," Kurt muttered awkwardly. "Spent a few months fixing it up, and I... I was going to give it to you for Christmas that year, but then... "

"It's beautiful," Blaine breathed, gently tugging it from its case and testing the weight of it in his hand. "I can't believe you found one just like his."

Everyone was staring over at Kurt, who shrugged uncomfortably. Blaine had to bite his lip to stop himself from asking Kurt why he'd given it to him now, but he was glad for it. It had to mean something that Kurt was willing to do this instead of nothing at all. Maybe it was only to get rid of the watch, but somehow, Blaine didn't think so. The Kurt he remembered would have done this for him.

"Thank you," Blaine said softly, staring over at Kurt earnestly. "It's... perfect."

"Yeah, well, "Kurt cleared his throat loudly. "I figured you'd have more use for it than my cabinet would."

Blaine could feel the pressure building behind his eyes, but he refused to let the tears fall this time. Not right now when Kurt couldn't even look at him. The other boy knew exactly how much this pocket watch meant to him, even if he didn't know all of the reasons. It also made Blaine certain that Kurt was willing to try, and was sorry for what he'd done. He still couldn't bring himself to forgive Kurt, but he was more than ready to find a way to make it work. Somehow he'd figure something out that would give them a chance, even if it only resulted in them both being about to let go of all of this built of tension and loathing. He'd find a way to make Kurt realize how much better the real Kurt was than the person the other thought he should be.