Blaine really loves his brother, he loves him more than anything in the world. But sometimes he could use a brother a little less Cooper-esque.  Cooper is fine in himself, a little loud and eccentric but he has more charisma in his little finger than Blaine will ever have and Blaine has always been amazed by this. This year, for the first time in a year, the whole Anderson family got to spend Christmas together in Ohio. The two brothers travelled from Los Angeles together to meet their parents in the family house. This year Cooper isn't filming anything, their parents aren't traveling, and Blaine is single so they all are spending Christmas together.

 That being said, Blaine should've felt that something is going to happen, because Cooper is always filming a movie. On Christmas morning when everyone is gathered around the tree Blaine can feel Cooper's eyes on him.

 “What?” Blaine asks still sleepy and barely awake.

“Nothing, baby brother. I just can't wait to give you your present.” Cooper smiles to himself and hides his face in his mug of coffee and whiskey.

 A shiver runs down Blaine's spine because this can't be good. Cooper never plans anything, he usually gives him a card, with silly poem written on it and a promise to buy him something soon, yet he never does.  Blaine looks back at the tree  fearing what will happen in the next hour and a half.

 Surprisingly enough, Cooper has bought nice presents for everyone. He offered his father a new club for his Sunday Golf Session and he bought his mother Swarovski earrings, it's now Blaine's turn to open his gift and he just wants to tear the paper and be done with it, God knows what Cooper is capable of.  

With no luck at all, Cooper's gift is the last one he opens. The gift is little and this time again it's wrapped in an envelope. Blaine is almost sure he is safe and that Cooper wrote him a poem again.

Unfortunately for Blaine, it isn't a poem that he finds in the envelope but a coupon made of  heavy white paper. On the left corner, printed in gold and grey is the name of an institute. On the card, written in black ink and curvy letters, it is stated that Blaine can come in whenever he wants for a facial, neck, and shoulders massage.

“You see, Squirt, I know you're always tense and neglecting yourself. I can't be seen by the paparazzi with someone who is always looking like he has a wild case of grumpy face and oily skin. I hereby decided to take matters into my own hands and booked a little something for you.” Cooper explains as their mother starts cooing over the fabulous gift that Blaine has just been given.

 “Huh, thank you? I've never tried something like that. It's going to be fun.” Blaine  says, studying the card. It's very fancy and the handwriting looked almost like calligraphy.

 “I booked this in my institute so don't do anything even remotely stupid. I don't want to have to find a new esthetician.” Cooper warns before hugging Blaine tightly.

Blaine rolls his eyes and winces at how tight Cooper squeezes him against his chest.

 “And who knows, maybe you'll get another type of facial if you play your card right during the massage.” Cooper yells as he walks to the kitchen. Blaine instantly blushes bright red feeling the heavy gaze of his parents on him.  Blaine almost thought that Cooper was not going to joke about that, apparently he was sorely mistaken.

The rest of the holidays are exactly the same as Christmas morning. Cooper can't stop making sexual jokes, preferably when they are all eating, and Blaine blushes before hiding as quickly as he can. His parents are going to either think that he is sexually frustrated or that he is a pervert. Blaine can't come back to this house, this house is now the temple of his eternal shame. Maybe Blaine is overacting, maybe not.

Much to Blaine despair he has to ride with Cooper back to Los Angeles. There is nothing calm with making a road trip with Cooper. They stopped every two hours, Cooper flirts with every cashier, man or woman, he buys half of the store and way too many chips, yells instead of sings, and it takes them twice the time to get to Los Angeles than it should.

Blaine is going to strangle Cooper sooner or later. He can feel it.

“You'll see, Blainey. I booked the finest esthetician just for you, I told him all about you and your weird idea of becoming a teacher but apparently he finds this endearing or some shit.”

“I thought this was a massage, not a blind date!” Blaine argues, changing the radio station.

“Don't touch that!” Cooper reprimands, slapping Blaine's hand. “And why can't it be both? He is really hot.” Blaine rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.

“So why don't you ask him out them?”

“Been there, didn't done that. He said no.” Cooper clarifies, looking quickly at Blaine.

“If he said no to you what gives you the idea he will say yes to me?”

“Because you have the dapper charm and the puppy eyes working for you. Always been jealous of them, I could never master them quite like you.” Cooper shrugs, turning onto Blaine's street.

 They quickly say goodbye to each other, promising to grab lunch together some day next week, right after Blaine uses his coupon.

Blaine turns and twists the white card in his hand for two hours on Saturday morning, weighing the pros and cons of going to this beauty salon. He likes trying new things that aren't threatening for his life, he really does. But there is something about letting someone touch you that makes Blaine a little uncomfortable. He is very fond of hugs and pats on the back from people he knows, he just isn't sure he likes being touched by someone he doesn't know and doesn't trust.

Besides, it's in his brother's salon, the one he apparently goes to almost weekly and who knows what kind of salon Cooper is subscribed to. He really shouldn't think about going, isn't sure why he finds the idea appealing, but somehow in the middle of a sunny Saturday afternoon, Blaine is driving to the address written on the card. It's going to be a disaster, he can feel it, he is predicting it, and he wants to see this idea crash and burn himself though.

 It doesn't take long for Blaine to find the beauty parlor. The name is big enough above the glass door to see it from far away. The name tag is made of golden letters and wood, harmonizing perfectly with each other. Blaine pushes the door open and is immediately enveloped by the sweet scent of argan, roses and warmth. There is no bell to announce him, instead several little tubes chime above his head.

 “Hello, welcome to Venus Beauty. What can I do for you today?” A young man asks Blaine, who is already letting himself relax by the music around him. He feels like there is a story behind the name of the salon but he doesn't press the matter. He has no idea what he is supposed to do anyway.

“Oh, hum, hello. My brother gave me this card for Christmas and I'm here to use it.” Blaine smiles and hands the card to the man. He is wearing a white shirt from what Blaine can see. As the man checks something on his computer Blaine looks around him. The walls are made of dark wood and illuminated by amazing pictures of snowy mountains, wide fields of wheat, and a lake at sunset. There  are several green plants and white chairs and Blaine is taken aback for a second because he never thought Cooper would frequent a place that elegant and well…clean.

 “Oh, you're Cooper Anderson's brother.” The man says after a minute.  “I'm Kurt and I'll be your esthetician today. If you can please follow me.” Kurt says, waiting for Blaine to nod before starting to walk down a narrow corridor. The walls are still covered in woods and a warm yellow light is bathing the hallway.

 “Cooper comes here often. But his usual esthetician is Santana. I was the one putting together your gift though. He was very adamant about having someone nicer than her as your esthetician.” Kurt explains as they pass several doors until the man stops and opens one of them before waiting for him to enter.

 “After you.” Kurt says and follows Blaine inside of the room. There is a massage table in the middle of the room, two commodes and a lamp that helps creating a warm atmosphere. Blaine stops in the middle of the room unsure of what to do. He didn't lie, Blaine's never done this before and right now he really has no idea what he is supposed to do or say.

 “Mr Anderson, for today's ritual I'm going to ask you to only take off your shirt, you can keep your pants and socks on and then lie down on the table and under the cover.” Kurt gently says, his hands link in front of him.

 “I'm not wearing socks.” Is all Blaine can find as an appropriate answer and he is about to say something else when Kurt bows his head down and tries to hide his smile.

“Then I guess you won't need to make the very difficult decision of keeping them on or not. I'll leave you alone and I'll be back shortly. Make yourself comfortable.” Kurt gives Blaine one last smile before disappearing and Blaine finds himself completely alone. He is alone in a spa or beauty parlor, he isn't sure what the correct term is, and all he knows for now is that he has to take his shirt off.  Blaine quickly gets rid of it and takes off his shoes before looking fearfully at the massage table.

 He doesn't consider himself short, he is of an appreciable size, the table on another hand is high. Very high. Blaine tries to climb on, raising his knees as high as he can but no matter how hard he is trying he just can't climb on that thing. He isn't panicking but he also doesn't want Kurt to see him struggling like he is right now. So Blaine makes his way around the table and jumps on the table, butt first, before shuffling under the cover just like Kurt told him to. He feels stupid and a little embarrassed but no one saw him and now he can pretend that this never happened and that he climbed on that damn thing with lot of grace and elegance. He doesn't want to think about when he'll have to climb down the thing.

 Kurt comes back after a minute or so, a big smile on his face.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, fine. Thank you.” This is all very polite and Blaine doesn't know what the proper etiquette his. He clutches the blanket that is above him to give him something to do but he is really just waiting for Kurt to direct him. He is going to screw this up, it's supposed to be a massage but he has no idea what he is supposed to do and he is going to screw things up, he can feel it.

 “I'm going to ask you to relax, Mr Anderson.” Kurt says as he moves behind him and behind the table. “Also this feels much better and it is much more relaxing if you lay down.”

Blaine blushes before finally laying down, his back to the table. He doesn't know what to do with his hands, they don't fit on the table but he can't let them down on each side either and crossing them on his stomach would make him look like he is dead. He feels stupid, those are just hands but they are a major problem right now. This was such a bad idea, he is never coming back again.

 “Did you put some make up on this morning?” Kurt asks, and his voice is like music to Blaine's ears. He closes his eyes and waits for Kurt to do whatever is supposed to happen.

 “No, I don't usually wear make up.” Blaine explains as Kurt starts applying a wet wipe on Blaine's face. Kurt only touches lightly Blaine's face, cleaning him thoroughly. Kurt cleans Blaine's face, from under his chin to his ears, on his cheeks and up to the arch of his brows before paying more attention to his nose and forehead. The pad is wet and warm on Blaine's skin and he can't help but smile a little at that. It isn't tickling but the sensation is weird enough for him to smile as a nervous reaction.

“I'm going to ask you to tell me everything you know and remember about your skin.” Kurt asks, taking the pad off Blaine's face. Blaine searches his mind to find something interesting he knows about his skin but can't find anything. Instead he focus on Kurt moving behind him, the noise of some bottles being open and the rustling of Kurt outfit against the massage table.

 “My right cheek is kind of really dry when the rest of my face is completely oily.” Blaine blurts out when he remembers that Kurt is waiting for an answer.  He thanks all the deities he doesn't believe in that his eyes are still closed and he doesn't plan on opening them anytime soon. This is mortifying, he should just run away already.

Blaine doesn't hear the sound of Kurt's laugh, but he feel the vibration of his stomach against the table and Blaine smiles a little as well. If he is ridiculous at least it's making someone smiles.

 “So your right cheek is really dry, do you apply any cream on it?” Kurt asks, while putting a very thin layer of cream on Blaine's face. Blaine has no idea what this is but Kurt makes sure to avoid the eye contour and Blaine is forever grateful that he isn't trying to blind him.

“Not specifically. I clean my face twice a day, put some cream on for the day and then some night cream  on well...at night.” Blaine provides feeling stupider by the second.

“What kind of cream is that?” Kurt asks again, gentleness in his voice.

 “I'm not sure? Something I bought at the supermarket.” Blaine answers, wincing at the same time because he knows that for an esthetician he might as well tell him that he is using bleach to clean his skin every morning.  But he can feel and this time hear Kurt laughing a little before starting to rub circles on his cheeks. Kurt is being gentle and the little pearls in the cream are nothing like the big ones he has in his scrub. Those ones don't hurt, don't feel like his skin is being ripped off his face and god if it doesn't feel good.

“I see. Do you know if it's a cream for oily skin or dry skin?”

“I have a cream for when you're in the mountains and it's winter. It's an oil based moisturizer.” Blaine explains.

“Do you often go to an institute?”

“This is my first time actually.” Blaine answers, ashame of being a 25 year old who never went to a salon before. “You're my first time.” Blaine adds before realising what he just said. He could punch himself in the face.

“I mean, in this salon and in general. I've never have a facial before… I mean not a fa…” Blaine cuts himself. He can feel his body growing hot with embarrassment and he'd rather not make a complete fool of himself today.

 He can feels Kurt's finger lightly rubbing his skin, spreading what must be an exfoliator on his skin. The cream doesn't smell like anything but Kurt's hands smell like apricot and almond and Blaine is conquered. Between Kurt's smiles, his white shirt, and his fabulous hands, Blaine feels like he doesn't mind all the shame he feels anymore.

 “I'm glad your first time is with us then. As for the moisturizer, be sure to only apply it in the evening then. Because at night your cells regenerate and this is when they'll most need the cream. Besides, if you're not going out and there is no witnesses at home, might as well look as shiny as you can.” Blaine can't help the smile that creeps on his face because this is exactly what usually happens at night. He cleans his face, puts on as much cream as he can, and shines all night because of how oily the cream and his skin are.

 Kurt is finishing scrubbing his face, he goes over his jawline, his cheeks, his nose, and then his forehead, and Blaine feels cleaner than he has ever been.  The thing is, while rubbing the cream on his skin and hence exfoliating it, Kurt made all the cream disappear and Blaine's face is now smoother than ever, giving Kurt all the opportunity to start massaging his forehead with some oil.

 “Does it burn?” Kurt asks, and Blaine can almost see the concern written all over Kurt's face, even if he is still closing his eyes.

“Ah,” Blaine starts. “My face is all blotchy and red, isn't it?”

“Well, yes.” Kurt acknowledges before starting to strum Blaine's neck and cheeks with his fingertip. It tickles but it also relaxes Blaine more than he could have ever imagined. Kurt's fingers are everywhere, thrumming the oil on his skin to ease the penetration. He isn't going to lie, it feels amazing and just like before, Blaine starts to smile. Because he is nervous and this is the only reaction his body knows when facing nervousness, he smiles broadly. He thinks of himself as a lucky man for already being as red as a tomato because of all the scrubbing.

 “It's always like that, my skin is really reactive. It doesn't burn and it doesn't feel bad. Quite the contrary actually. It feels really, really good, amazing even.” Blaine whispers. He doesn't know why he feels the need to whisper but since the beginning of that thing every thing that he does isn't really rational. He doesn't know the proper spa etiquette, he is making things up as he goes along.

 “I'm glad this is to your convenience then.” Kurt says before applying a film on his face. It covers his whole face, even his nose, mouth, and eyes, but it's so thin that Blaine doesn't mind.

“I know this film is covering your entire face but you can breathe through it, don't worry.” Kurt says, putting his hand on Blaine's cheek in reassurance over the film. And Blaine doesn't know what to think of this because maybe it's part of the massage but maybe it's also Kurt being overly gentle when he doesn't have to.

 “I'm going to apply the mask over the film now. It's rather cold.” Kurt warns before starting to put a generous amount of cream on Blaine's forehead and cheeks and goddamnit if this isn't cold. Since the beginning of the ritual Kurt has only used warm products, even his fingers were warm, but this, this is really cold, and Blaine can't refrain the shiver that goes through his spine.

 Once again he can hear Kurt giggles, his senses heightened now that he can't use his eyes anymore.  Closing his eyes through the whole massage has been a great idea because every little touch, the texture of the products, the smells, and even the music that is playing, immediately became much more important.

 “I told you it was cold.” Kurt gently admonishes while evening the layer of the mask on Blaine's face. It's heavy and cold on Blaine's face but it's weirdly comfortable and relaxing, the smell is amazing as well. Blaine can't put a name of it, it smells earthy and clean, but it is that pretty much all he can tell about it.

 Kurt stops for a second, before putting two moisturized cottons on his eyes. They are almost hot in comparison to the mask, and Blaine feels his eyes becoming heavy, even if they are already closed. He can feel his body relaxing, and he knows he is letting go.  Kurt moves behind him, before walking around the table and putting his hand where Blaine's ankle is.

 “I'm going to leave you alone to enjoy this for approximately twenty minutes. The blanket should keep you warm. “ Kurt explains, his hand secured around Blaine's ankle. “I'll be back shortly. Try to enjoy this, Blaine.”

 And with that, Blaine is alone again, in this spa, lying on table with God only knows what on his face. He wants to relax, wants to completely let go and let his body just enjoy what is happening, but his mind just doesn't want to. He tries to listen to the muffled conversations in the hallway, tries to hear if someone is coming or not. Then he starts wondering what his face must looks like and finds himself frustrated when he realizes that there is no way for him to quickly look at himself. He can't get up or half of his mask is going to fall on the floor, can't reach his phone to try and take a selfie. Curiosity is going to kill him, but he still has too much pride to ask Kurt to ask him what the color of the mask he has on his face is.

 He has nothing to do. The music doesn't have any lyrics, he can't hear a single thing of what is being said in the lobby, and his hands! He still doesn't know what to do with his hands. Maybe he should just put them under the cover and under his back, but it's going to be rather uncomfortable. Or maybe he could just put them on his belly but still under the cover. Ah yes, that's it. Perfect idea.

 Blaine knows he isn't exactly experiencing this the way he should. People must fall asleep often in here, because who wouldn't? He knows he needs to relax, to let his body and his mind unwind, to stop thinking so loudly. He would take a big breath, in and out, if he could, but the mask is preventing him from doing that. He is going to die from boredom.

On the plus side, the blanket is really warm and the table comfy. Kurt still hasn't tried to steal his wallet or murder him, and the place is fancy. Fancier than what Blaine is used to with Cooper. If he is being honest, he also has to acknowledge that yes, Kurt is handsome and for some reason seems to find him funny when he is just being plain Blaine. Blaine is already in a deep relationship with Kurt's fingers, they have a bond, he can feel it.

It happens slowly and Blaine isn't even aware of it, but is muscles are less and less tense, his head is becoming heavier, and the warmth of the blanket is surrounding him. The music with the sound of small drops and guitar being stroked gently lulls Blaine into a semi-sleep. He doesn't feel his body anymore, can't move his body anymore, and his mind is fuzzy. He is far away, all the sounds are muffled, the scents lessened and it's like he doesn't weigh anything anymore.

Blaine falls in and out of sleep several times, not even realizing that Kurt checks up on him twice during the twenty minutes.

What makes Blaine come back is the feeling of Kurt's shirt against his hair. He stirs as much as he can, refraining a big yawn.

“Welcome back.” Kurt greets, a soft hand on Blaine's shoulder. Blaine's very naked shoulder. The touch is warm and soft, it almost feels like intimacy, and if Blaine could he would bite his lip because intimacy is something he is craving for.

Kurt mops away the cream before taking off the film and bringing with it the rest of the mask. Blaine feels weirdly naked once the mask is off his face. He feels clean, he feels good, but he also feels vulnerable. Probably because of the nap, partially because the mask felt like an armor after a while.

 Kurt doesn't say a word and instead starts rubbing some lavender oil on Blaine's cheeks. The smell is amazing, and Blaine can perfectly imagine the purple color of the plant, the feelings of the granule under his fingers. It's perfect.

 Kurt's touch starts getting heavier, he lowers his hands on Blaine's neck, rubbing exactly where Blaine has some knots and it feels really bad before it starts feeling heavenly.  Kurt leans above Blaine, lowers his hands on Blaine's arms, all the way down to his elbows. Blaine can feel the warmth of Kurt's chest right above his lips. He can almost feel the heavy muscles of Kurt's stomach against his forehead and the pressure of Kurt's fingers on his arms is blissful. Blaine notices, among everything else, that Kurt smells amazing, he smells like the institute of course, but he also smells manly and there is a touch of apricot that Blaine likes.

 Kurt continues stroking his arms and Blaine keeps his eyes closed, heightening the feeling of Kurt's fingers over his skin, he can feel the fingertips, feel the softness of Kurt's skin on his. Kurt's hands travels up, up to Blaine collarbones where Kurt conscientiously puts some more pressure and Blaine wants to let Kurt take control over his body, because it feels like floating and Blaine lets go happily.

Kurt's hands scratch Blaine's scalp before disappearing. Blaine waits for what is going to happen next. But nothing comes.

“This is the most difficult part, now.” Kurt whispers so he doesn't startle his client. “It's time to get up. But take all the time you need.”

Blaine doesn't want to, he feels really good here, and he wants to listen to Kurt's voice some more and to feel Kurt's fingers on his face and on his arms a lot more.

Blaine slowly opens his eyes, and he notices that Kurt turned the lights a little less brighter so his eyes won't be hurt . Still it's difficult to put the blanket away and sit up on the table. Blaine finally finds the strength to do it and looks over at Kurt who is waiting next to the table, in his white outfit. White is really something that looks good on Kurt.

The esthetician is extending his hand for Blaine to take, a smile on his face and a light blush on his cheeks. Blaine put his hand in Kurt's and hops down the table as Kurt helps him.  Blaine knows Kurt didnt have to do this, but he did.

 “I'll wait for you in the lobby.” Kurt says, lingering a little and looking at Blaine, before disappearing behind the door.  Blaine quickly put his shirt on, jumps into his shoes, grabs his satchel, and walks to the lobby.

 Kurt is waiting for him behind the counter, just like he said, and Blaine can't help but smile broadly at him.

“How are you feeling?”

“Perfect.” Blaine breathes out, and if he isn't mistaken, he can see a proud smile on Kurt's face.

“I'm glad, this is how you're supposed to feel after one of our massages.”

“Well I don't know about everyone else. But I know that this is how I feel after your massage.” Blaine answers boldly, before scratching the back of his neck nervously and smiling. “Would you mind if I booked another massage?” Blaine asks, before adding. “A massage with you?”

“I wouldn't let another esthetician touch you.” Kurt flirts. Blaine is going to have to buy something nice for Cooper.