Kurt takes one last look at himself in the mirror, noticing that his scarf is a bit askew and adjusting it carefully. The apartment is quiet and peaceful around him, for once void of Rachel singing vocal runs in the kitchen or asking Kurt to hurry up or they’re going to be late, even if they are always early.

Rachel has already gone back to Lima for the holidays, but Kurt still has one last seminar and some Christmas shopping to do before he can get on a plane and see his family again. It’s actually surprisingly nice to have the whole apartment to himself; it seems lonelier and quieter, naturally, but Kurt thinks he sort of likes being on his own. If he could afford it, he might even consider getting a place of his own.

Kurt smiles at his reflection, satisfied with his outfit for today, and after making sure he has his keys and his phone, he opens the door and steps into the hallway. Yes, he might consider getting an apartment of his own every now and then, but living with Rachel is fun, and this particular apartment does have one upside none of the other apartments have.

"Oh, morning, Kurt!"

Kurt’s smile widens as he locks the door and turns around. Blaine, his and Rachel’s next door neighbor, fellow student and a friend who Kurt has possibly had a slight crush on ever since he first saw him about six months ago when he moved in, is leaning against his own door, phone in hand. Blaine’s smile is blinding, definitely too bright for a cold early December morning like this, but Kurt finds he doesn’t actually mind the cheeriness.

“I thought you’d already left,” Blaine continues. “I saw Rachel a few days ago, and she said she had to go catch a plane.” He pockets his phone and pushes himself off the door, giving Kurt an easy smile and bouncing a little on his feet. “I thought I’d missed my chance of wishing you a merry Christmas.”

Kurt laughs and ducks his head when Blaine actually pouts, as if not being able to say merry Christmas to Kurt would’ve ruined his whole winter. “No, you’re in luck this year. Rachel left already, but I’m not leaving until the day after tomorrow.”

Blaine stops and blinks. “Really? So you’re… You’re still in town tonight?”

“I have a seminar today and then I’m doing some last minute Christmas shopping tomorrow, so yes, I am.” Kurt starts walking towards the front door, brushing his hand slightly against Blaine’s when he passes him, and the movement seems to shake Blaine out of his sudden contemplation. “What about you?”

Blaine follows him down the hallway and shrugs. “Oh, my brother is coming here for Christmas. My parents wanted to come as well, but they have work.”

Kurt furrows his brows. “Work? On Christmas?”

“They’re always really busy this time of the year. But I’m excited to see my brother,” Blaine says and opens the front door for Kurt. The cold air hits them immediately, making Kurt huddle deeper into his scarf and Blaine pull his beanie further down on his head. The sun is shining through the frosty air, making the whole world sparkle, and Kurt inhales deeply, practically feeling the cold air moving through his lungs. Small snowflakes are floating around them, and as Kurt watches Blaine tips his head back and opens his mouth, trying to catch some of them on his tongue.

“Dork,” Kurt laughs.

Blaine lowers his head and smiles sheepishly, and Kurt is once again struck by how adorable Blaine looks in his dark blue beanie and gray scarf, with his cheeks red from the cold and his eyebrows scrunching up when he notices a bigger snowflake and tries to catch it. They’ve been friends for months, had movie nights and coffee and lunch dates and hung out with or without Rachel, and Kurt thinks Blaine might actually be his best friend, the one person who seems to understand him just from half a word or from the twitch of an eyebrow – but that doesn’t mean that Kurt doesn’t get an overwhelming urge to kiss Blaine every once in a while. Or every time Blaine smiles at him, or looks at him like that, or bumps his shoulder against his, or grabs his hand when he sees something particularly exciting. Or just says his name in that special way of his that makes Kurt’s heart skip a beat.

“Kurt?”

Kurt startles and realizes that he has been staring at Blaine with a fond smile on his lips. Blaine tilts his head and looks at him with an unreadable expression on his face, and Kurt quickly busies himself with checking that his phone is still in his pocket, even if he doesn’t actually need to check for it. As much as he wishes Blaine would kiss him and has a giant, probably completely obvious crush on him, Kurt still doesn’t want to risk their friendship. Every once in a while he thinks that Blaine might feel the same – they are pretty touchy-feely for just friends after all – but he’s pretty sure it’s just wishful thinking.

And he’s not going to confess his feelings any time soon. Nu-uh. He doesn’t want to risk making their wonderful friendship awkward.

“I think I need to get going, actually,” Kurt says, lifting his head and giving Blaine a smile. “So merry Christmas, if I don’t see you before I leave for Lima.”

Blaine shuffles his feet, suddenly looking nervous. “Actually, I was thinking… Are you busy this evening?”

Kurt stops and looks at Blaine. “No? Why do you ask?”

“I…” Blaine ducks his head for a moment before taking a deep breath and straightening his back. “A bunch of us music students are singing Christmas songs at a coffee place near campus tonight, and I was wondering if… If you’d like to come listen. We could hang out, I mean, unless you have something better to do –”

“Blaine,” Kurt interrupts him, trying not to let his own sudden breathlessness show. It’s not a date, it’s just two friends hanging out, but hanging out with Blaine might possibly be the best way to spend his free time that Kurt knows. “I would love to come. You know how much I like seeing you perform.”

Blaine lifts his hand and scratches the back of his neck. “I’m singing just one song. There were so many volunteers that we had to limit everyone to just one song, so it’s not...”

“You’ve been to every single one of my performances,” Kurt points out with a grin. “I’m not going to miss one of yours. Besides, you did just ask me to come. Are you already taking that back?”

Blaine lowers his hand and huffs out a soft laugh. “No, of course not. I just…” He pauses, and then shakes his head. “Never mind. I’ll text you the time and the address, okay? I need… I mean, I really want to see you before you leave.”

“Okay.” Kurt pushes his hands into his pockets, feeling a small blush on his cheeks and hoping that Blaine thinks it’s just the biting wind making his face flush. “I… I really do need to get going now. So I’ll see you tonight, then?”

“Tonight,” Blaine repeats, and then he smiles so wide that Kurt can see his teeth, bright and excited, like seeing Kurt is the best thing about Blaine’s day; and surely Kurt is just making things up by now. Blaine hesitates for a moment, but then he reaches out to squeeze Kurt’s hand. “I can hardly wait,” he whispers, and then he’s suddenly off, the weight of his hand gone from Kurt’s, and he’s turning his back on Kurt with a quick wave and disappearing down the street towards his college.

Kurt stares after him for a moment, feeling the heat on his own face, a weird contrast against the chilly weather. Eventually he shakes his head and starts walking, and if there’s a small spring in his step as he walks –

Well, he’s just excited about Christmas. That’s all.

-

The coffee shop is already bustling with people when Kurt steps in. Several of the baristas are wearing bright red Christmas aprons, and there are students sitting or standing in small groups, some of them people Kurt remembers seeing once or twice with Blaine. A girl in a very punk-rock attire is sitting on the small stage in the corner, strumming her guitar and singing a very tender and calm version of Jingle Bells.

Kurt loosens his scarf and looks around the shop. It takes a moment, but finally he spots Blaine sitting at a table near the stage, close to one of the big windows, his eyes locked on the shining piano behind the punk-rocker girl, as if he’s just itching to go play it. Kurt smiles and makes his way carefully through the crowd, brushing a few errant snowflakes from his coat. It’s still snowing outside, large but fragile flakes covering the whole city. The snow has already formed a thick white blanket over the trees and cars, and Kurt can’t wait for tomorrow morning, waking up to see the city of his dreams hidden underneath pearly-white snow. Maybe he could even convince Blaine to have hot chocolate with him now that he doesn’t have Rachel to keep him company.

Blaine startles a little when Kurt sits down next to him, but then his lips turn into a smile and he reaches out to flick a melting snowflake from Kurt’s hair.

“You came,” he says, his voice cracking a little.

Kurt frowns, unbuttoning his coat. “Of course I came. I hope I didn’t miss your performance?”

Blaine shakes his head. “No, no – I’m actually up next, so...”

His gaze flits back to the stage where the girl is just finishing her performance. Kurt looks at Blaine, frowning even more when he sees how Blaine has crossed his arms over his chest and how his foot is tapping to an erratic rhythm. Of course Blaine is always a bit nervous before performing – as much as he loves it and is in his own element when he’s doing it, he’s still not a machine and he does get stage-fright, like everyone does. Kurt knows it, knows Blaine after all these months, and usually Blaine’s stage-fright manifests itself in purposefully calm movements, some breathing exercises and a few steps of nervous pacing.

It certainly doesn’t manifest itself in lip-biting, crossed arms and jerky movements.

“Blaine?” Kurt asks, leaning closer when the girl on stage finishes and everyone else starts clapping. “Is everything alright?”

Blaine looks at him, and his eyes seem even brighter and bigger than usual. “Yeah, yeah, it is. I just…” He hesitates, looking away from Kurt for a moment. “I just want this to be special. I want it to go right.”

Kurt gives a small laugh. “Don’t worry, it’s just one Christmas song. You’ll amaze them all, you always do.”

“I…” Blaine sighs and then promptly stands up, getting ready to go on stage. “Can you just listen to the lyrics? Please, Kurt?”

Kurt lifts his eyebrows in confusion. “Of course?”

Blaine gives him a quick, nervous smile, and then walks the few steps to the stage, saying something to the punk-rocker girl as he passes her by. Kurt’s eyes follow him, still a bit confused by Blaine’s behavior. Blaine dodges the other instruments on the stage and sits down behind the piano, the bright lights above the stage making the gel on his hair glisten, and Kurt makes a mental note to give Blaine a lecture about the proper use of hair styling products after the Christmas holidays.

Kurt can see Blaine flex his fingers above the keys, can see the way he takes a deep breath before lifting his gaze and taking in the crowd inside the coffee shop. He looks even more nervous now that he’s on the stage, and Blaine never looks nervous when he’s performing. Kurt knows it. He has seen Blaine play at several open mic nights before, has seen him busk with a few other students earlier this year, and he hasn’t honestly missed a single one of Blaine’s performances – but he has never ever seen Blaine look this nervous, as if he suddenly wants to bolt from the stage or hide behind the piano.

“E-evening,” Blaine says into the microphone, stuttering almost unnoticeably and giving a small smile. His fingers hover restlessly over the keys before he starts talking again. “My name’s Blaine, and some of you might have seen me up here before. But I’ve never performed Christmas songs here, so that’s somewhat new for both you and me.”

Blaine’s gaze moves to Kurt, and Kurt gives a reassuring smile, almost feeling Blaine’s nervousness on his own skin, prickling on his arms and legs. He wants to know why Blaine is so nervous, why he’s acting so… not-Blaine, not like the boy who’s been living in the same building with Kurt for six months, the boy who opens the door for everyone, plays music into the wee small hours of the morning and tries to catch snowflakes on his tongue. The boy who smiles widely whenever he sees Kurt, making Kurt’s heart flip and skip and do all sort of silly things.

Blaine closes his eyes on the stage for a moment, his nervousness making the whole audience stay silent and just wait, as if everyone knows that this is an anomaly, that Blaine doesn’t normally stop like this. Normally Blaine just jumps on the stage, starts talking excitedly and plays songs like he was born to sing them. He’s not like that now though, and Kurt can see some of the regulars frown worriedly. Kurt’s own face is probably mirroring their expression.

Eventually Blaine takes a deep breath, opens his eyes, and looks straight at Kurt when he starts talking again.

“This song I’m going to play is one of my favorite Christmas songs and the lyrics are… Well, they kind of fit my life right now.” Blaine looks at the whole audience quickly, a genuine smile finally lighting his face, but his eyes come back to rest on Kurt, as if his opinion is the only one that matters. “I hope you like it.”

Blaine rests his fingers on the keys and swallows thickly, his eyes closing right before he plays the first notes. The tune sounds familiar, something that Kurt has definitely heard on the radio or played in the stores or shopping centers around Christmas time, but the arrangement is slower and calmer, stripped-down in a way that’s typical for Blaine’s covers.

“Stockings are hung with care as children sleep with one eye open. Well now there’s more than toys at stake ‘cause I’m older now – but not done hoping…”

Blaine opens his eyes as he starts singing, his voice soft and happy, as it should be when singing joyful Christmas songs – but there’s something underneath all that happiness, something Kurt can’t quite put his finger on. Something that sounds vulnerable and hopeful and scared all at once, and he unconsciously straightens in his seat, giving Blaine his full attention. He’s baffled. He has never seen Blaine like this, and it’s… odd. Kurt has heard Blaine play so often that he stopped counting months ago and Blaine performs somewhere several times a week, so there’s really no reason for Blaine to be nervous tonight. Not that Kurt knows of, at least.

Blaine still plays expertly, as always, starting to gain more confidence with each word and note, and when he reaches the chorus he’s starting to sound more like himself again, capturing everyone’s attention and bringing the song to life. It makes Kurt smile, a warm feeling of happiness settling in somewhere next to his heart. He’s glad he came to see Blaine perform. He might harbor an unrequited crush towards Blaine, he might wish and hope for something every time he sees Blaine, but even if nothing ever happens between them, Blaine is still… Well, he’s still Kurt’s friend. A very talented and kind and lovely friend, a very, very dear friend, and Kurt wants to support him in whatever he does. Blaine has supported him in the past with auditions and NYADA showcases, and Kurt is more than happy to return the favor.

Blaine slows the melody before he plays the chorus – and then suddenly he’s staring straight at Kurt, his gaze intense and warm, and it… It almost feels like he’s singing the words to Kurt. In this crowded coffee shop it’s Kurt he’s staring at, and the words he sings seem to flutter around Kurt in the air, hopeful and full of feelings.

“So please just fall in love with me this Christmas; there’s nothing else that I will need this Christmas. Won’t be wrapped under a tree, I want something that lasts forever – so kiss me on this cold December night…”

Kurt shifts on his seat. Why is Blaine… Is he seriously singing to Kurt? But why would he do that? Kurt tries to glance behind himself, to see if there’s someone sitting behind him whom Blaine could be singing for, but there’s no one there, just the window revealing the cold and snowy city outside the coffee shop, and when Kurt turns back Blaine’s gaze is there again, staring right into him, right into his eyes.

He looks at Kurt for the whole song, and Kurt thinks he should probably feel awkward or restless, but he can’t, not when Blaine’s smile starts to widen during the second chorus, not when the hopes and wishes Kurt has had ever since he saw Blaine for the first time start to grow inside his heart again, making his cheeks flush and his eyes stare back at Blaine, forgetting the coffee shop and the people around him. There’s only Blaine, only the words he’s singing and the notes he’s playing, and as cliché as it sounds – seriously, when did Kurt’s life turn into a cheesy romantic comedy? – it feels like everything else just fades away into the bright spotlights above the room, into the background of Kurt’s mind, leaving just Blaine and the song he’s singing right in front of Kurt’s eyes.

As if nothing else exists in this moment.

Kurt doesn’t have moments like this often; never in fact, and it… It takes his breath away. Blaine takes his breath away.

Boy, does Kurt Hummel have it bad.

Blaine’s hands float across the keys as he plays the last notes, his eyes blinking slowly as they keep staring at Kurt.

“They call it the season of giving – I’m here, I’m yours for the taking. They call it the season of giving – I’m here, I’m yours…”

The final note echoes through the bar. Blaine leans back, breathing heavily, his eyes still locked on Kurt’s. Around them the other people start to clap their hands, a few of Blaine’s friends whistling at the back, and Kurt feels like he should applaud as well, yell or whistle or stomp his feet because he knows that Blaine was amazing, more raw and honest than he has ever been before, but he can’t turn his gaze away from Blaine, away from the small sheen of sweat on Blaine’s forehead or the way his mouth is slightly open, his lips looking so damn kissable under the spotlights.

Kurt swallows again, and Blaine startles on the stage, looking around himself as if he has just woken from a daze. He stands up quickly and gives a tiny jerky bow. He jumps off the stage and disappears towards the back door, his eyes glancing at Kurt one last time, too fast for Kurt to read his expression, and then he’s gone, the door thudding closed behind him.

Kurt jumps up as well and looks around the bar. People are still talking and the next performer is getting up on the stage, but Kurt’s insides are full of confusion and complicated feelings, and before he knows it he has grabbed Blaine’s coat from the seat next to him and made his way through the crowd to the back door and outside.

He ends up on the street behind the coffee shop. It’s still snowing outside, and the cold air makes Kurt shiver, slipping under his open coat. He looks around until he notices Blaine pacing a few feet from him, his arms wrapped around himself and his breath fogging up the air in front of him.

“Blaine!” Kurt exclaims.

Blaine’s head snaps up and he stops pacing, looking at Kurt like a deer caught in headlights. “K-Kurt?”

“Jesus, Blaine, what’s going on with you?” Kurt asks and crosses the short distance between them, shoving Blaine’s coat towards him. “I’ve never seen you like this, and you’re going to freeze if you don’t put your coat on!”

Blaine doesn’t take the coat; he just stares at Kurt, his gaze intense and worried. “Did you… Did you listen to the lyrics?”

Kurt shakes his head in frustration. “I did, of course I did, but I –”

“They’re about you,” Blaine breathes out.

Kurt stops, his hands falling down to his sides. “Wh… What?”

“’I’m here, I’m yours for the taking’?” Blaine repeats the lyrics. “They’re about you. Or, well, about my feelings for you.”

Kurt just blinks back, staring at Blaine and trying to ignore the way his heart is beating in his chest; loud and surprised, almost as if it’s going to jump out of his chest any minute now.

“I… I know we’re friends, and you’re probably the best friend I’ve ever had and I don’t want to ruin that, but I’ve also…” Blaine huffs out a quiet laugh. “I’ve had a crush on you ever since I saw you for the first time. Ever since I was carrying my moving boxes up those stairs and you walked by and stopped to help me and then stayed with me for the whole day. I thought you were the most beautiful boy I had ever seen, in your skin-tight jeans and knee-length sweater.”

Kurt inhales sharply. “Y-you remember that?”

Blaine’s cheeks turn pink. “I do. I remember everything, Kurt, because I… I’ve been in love with you for months, but I haven’t said anything because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but then I thought that you’re supposed to be honest at Christmas and I desperately wanted to see you before the holidays and… It was about you, Kurt. The song was about you. I know it was a bit cheesy, but you once said that you’re a romantic at heart, and you’re kind of the only thing I need this Christmas and I’m yours for the taking and I really wish you would kiss me on this –”

The rest of Blaine’s sentence is cut off when Kurt surges forward, pressing their lips together. Blaine makes a surprised sound at the back of his throat, but then he relaxes against Kurt, his hands grabbing Kurt’s biceps and his lips almost melting into Kurt’s. It isn’t the perfect first kiss; their noses are smushed against each other and their lips are dry from the cold winter air, but then Blaine moves his head and opens his lips a little, his tongue reaching out, and oh, this kiss just got so much better, so much more intimate and sweet and deep, and Kurt thinks he could quite well spend the rest of his life kissing Blaine.

Eventually he breaks the kiss, though, and looks at Blaine. Blaine’s eyes are closed, his lips bright red and still open, and he’s swaying a little, gripping Kurt’s arms more tightly for balance. Kurt himself feels like he just lost all of his breath, like he has been thrown under water and he’s gasping for breath, but he doesn’t think he has ever minded losing the function of his lungs less.

“– kiss me on this cold December night,” Blaine whispers. His eyes flutter open, and he looks at Kurt, all of the nervousness gone and replaced by the most beautiful and amazed look Kurt has ever seen.

Kurt blushes. “I think I just did.”

Blaine blinks. “So I… I didn’t just make a complete idiot out of myself by practically serenading you in front of everyone? I didn’t just ruin my – or your – Christmas holiday?”

“Definitely not,” Kurt laughs, leaning over to brush his lips slowly against Blaine’s for reassurance. “I think you just made my Christmas a whole lot better.”

“So you… You –”

“I’m in love with you too,” Kurt confirms, practically beaming. He immediately feels like saying it again, over and over again, wants to shout it from the rooftops now that he knows that Blaine feels the same, knows that they have felt the same way all along, and god, they could have been kissing each other for months if one of them had had the guts to do this earlier. The thought alone makes Kurt want to close the small distance between them and kiss Blaine all over again, kiss his nose and lips and cheeks and forehead, kiss his whole face until he has learned what he tastes like.

Blaine ducks his head and laughs. “Wow. So I actually had no reason to be so nervous.”

“Not at all,” Kurt answers, bouncing a little on his feet. He feels like his smile is going to break his whole face in half, like all his Christmas wishes just came true, and a part of him can’t believe that this is actually happening, that this adorable and wonderful boy in front of him actually feels the same way as he does, that Kurt got himself a boyfriend for Christmas.

“Are we boyfriends now?” he thinks to ask, just to be sure.

Blaine laughs, and it’s such a stark contrast to the nervousness Kurt could hear in his voice less than fifteen minutes ago that Kurt almost startles when he realizes that Blaine was nervous because of him, because he was afraid he was going to ruin their friendship. Kurt doesn’t think anyone has ever been nervous because of him before.

“I’d like us to be,” Blaine says shyly and presses a chaste kiss on the corner of Kurt’s mouth. “Merry Christmas, boyfriend.”

It’s Kurt’s turn to laugh, breathless and overjoyed. Blaine smiles back and then shivers against him, hunching his shoulders against the wind. Kurt suddenly realizes that Blaine is wearing just his cardigan over his shirt and they’re standing outside in the biting cold with snowflakes falling around them. He quickly twines his arms around Blaine, feeling Blaine sigh contently against his chest as he opens the coat still in his hands and wraps it around Blaine’s shoulders.

“We should probably go inside. I’m freezing,” Blaine whispers, nuzzling Kurt’s cheek.

Kurt rubs his hands up and down Blaine’s back. “I am too. But it’s… It’s just so perfect right now. In this moment. Isn’t it?”

They both turn their heads to look up, at the snowflakes twirling in the wind. The Christmas lights of New York City are shining above their heads, the soft melodies of Christmas songs trailing from the coffee shop behind them, and when Kurt lowers his gaze he can see how a few snowflakes have gotten stuck on Blaine’s eyelashes or are resting on his cheeks. Blaine feels him staring and turns to look at him, a fond smile on his lips.

“Beautiful,” Kurt breathes. He isn’t sure if he’s talking about the weather or Blaine.

Blaine smiles. “I know.” He looks at Kurt in a way that makes it obvious that he is talking about Kurt and not the weather, and Kurt blushes under his gaze.

Kurt Hummel’s life has officially turned into a cheesy romantic Christmas movie. And he doesn’t mind it at all.

“Merry Christmas, boyfriend,” he whispers, repeating Blaine’s words back to him before he presses his lips against Blaine’s. Blaine shivers in his arms, and Kurt is pretty sure it has nothing to do with the cold.

I’ll wear you like a Christmas sweater
Walk proudly to the mistletoe tonight
I want something to last forever
So kiss me on this cold December night.