Kurt never liked the winter. It wasn't the cold that bothered him, or even the snow like some people. The weather conveniently provided reasons to break out his favorite scarves and coats, and he loved how pristine everything looked when there was snow on the ground. It wasn't that all the plants wilted and died and the branches of the trees were bare. Kurt hated the way winter felt, even though he could never quite explain it. He was pretty sure he didn't like the winter because it felt a lot like being alone. How people hurried when they were outside so that they could go warm up. The way he would lay in bed by himself at night waiting for sleep, listening to the wind rattling the branches and his dad's snores down the hall, and he could never quite get warm enough, no matter how many blankets he piled on.

But Blaine loved the winter, loved taking Kurt on dates that were outside, despite the temperature ("It's below freezing, Blaine! Cold, dry weather is awful for your skin!"). But Kurt always conceded and went with Blaine wherever he wanted. They took walks through the empty park in Lima, and built snowmen and had snowball fights unlike ones Kurt had ever had (partially because they normally ended with making out). Blaine loved to rub his nose against Kurt's when they were both covered in snow and ruddy-cheeked and laughing, and kiss him outside because there was nobody to see them, and it was like nothing existed but the two of them. Blaine loved to go inside when it got dark early, and share hot chocolate with and curl up with Kurt and watch Christmas classics and kiss, although that ended up with them needing to repeat more than one movie because they never remembered the plot.

The day that Blaine promised Kurt everything he had ever wanted; they'd ended up staying inside and talking for hours. Blaine fell asleep next to Kurt, his arm wrapped around Kurt, and Kurt could feel Blaine's warm breath on him, steady, fanning across his neck and chest. He was tired, but he didn't want to sleep. It was only their first year together, but Blaine had shown him that winter didn't have to be a lonely time. And as Kurt lay in bed (no longer alone), he was finally warm and drifted off to the sound of his boyfriend's breathing, knowing that this was the first winter of many.