Klaine Secret Santa 2023

They walked up to the gates of what could only be described as a palace (if America had those). The long and broad driveway behind the gates lead to a building so large and fancy looking, Blaine instinctively straightened his bowtie and readjusted his cufflinks. He knew he looked the part. Headquarters never sent out their agents in anything less than appropriate attire, but he couldn’t help it. He then glanced over at Kurt, who looked like he was a regular at this place, clad in a striking powder blue suit that perfectly brought out the colour of his eyes- no, Blaine, you are on a mission and he is your friend. He had to remind himself more and more frequently of the fact that they were partners in the professional sense only. No matter how gorgeous Kurt looked and how kind he was and how many flirty remarks he made at Blaine. 

“Did you get any information on what we are actually attending?” Kurt asked.

“No, chief Sylvester only gave me the location and this invitation.” Blaine held up a piece of royal blue parchment with a broken red and gold wax seal. The text on it was written in golden ink and read: 

“ Dear guest, 

Recently I received some incredible news concerning someone close to me that has enriched my life. I would like to share this news with you. Therefore, I hereby invite you to attend a celebratory party to join me in my glee on the evening of the 22nd of may at my residence. I would love to share with you a grand revelation that not even I know the outcome of. All that I will say is that it will be an evening full of surprises. 

Sincerely,

Hunter Clarington”

“What do you think it means?” Kurt asked as he took the paper from Blaine to inspect it further.

“I don’t know. But he is clearly up to something. Chief Sylvester said they got a hold of this invite right after they found suspicious signals and radiation coming from the address. They tracked all the vehicles going in and out of the vicinity. All transporting materials to build some sort of weapon… a powerful one.”

Kurt worried his bottom lip between his teeth and nodded, mulling over the information.

Blaine couldn't help but stare at Kurt's mouth as he licked his lips in thought. Blaine swallowed thickly and his breath hitched for a moment.

Kurt eyed him a little suspiciously. “Are you nervous?” he asked.

“Are you?” Great save, Blaine. Clever. 

Kurt shrugged. “A little, I guess.” 

Blaine didn’t actually expect that answer. “What? Why? You’re never nervous .” 

“Well I just don’t really fit in at these kinds of events… ”

Blaine frowned at Kurt. “What makes you say that?”

“Everyone here is rich, Blaine. I don’t know any of these etiquettes and inside jokes. I’ll stick out like a sore thumb…”

“Kurt, you are a spy for the CIA You are literally trained to fit in anywhere. I’ve seen you act. You’re a natural! And your suit looks incredibly expensive.” Better than mine anyways…

Kurt smiled at the compliment. “Thank you. I tailored it myself, actually.”

“A secret agent with secret talents. Seriously, Kurt, what can’t you do?”

“It’s not “Kurt” tonight, Remember?” 

“Right. Yes. Sorry, Mr. Ralph Murray, what can’t you do?” Blaine said to Kurt with a smile.

“Some secrets I don't dare share, not even with you, Mr. George Murray, darling. ” Kurt winked at Blaine.

And there it was; the reason Blaine was nervous in the first place. Tonight Kurt and he were Ralph and George Murray, husbands of five years, millionaires, and most importantly, on the guest list. It wouldn’t be a hard part to play; Kurt’s husband. Blaine had played that part often enough in his head. But Kurt didn’t know that, and Blaine would rather eat his bowtie than have Kurt finding out and Blaine making a fool out of himself. He just couldn't help but blush at the pet name Kurt gave him. 

Then, a sharp noise pierced his ear. Blaine flinched. This damn earpiece! And then a voice, “Hey guys, I’m glad to hear you are getting into character, but you better get in there. We have no clue where the signal is coming from within that building. And we need to find it fast. 

Right. Blaine thought. The stakes were high tonight. The nation was in danger and it was their job to secure its safety. “We best get in, then.”

“Oh before you do, I have hidden some gadgets for you in that bush over there on the left side of the gate.”

“Hold up. You have hidden our top secret, highly dangerous gadgets… in a bush?” Kurt said exasperatedly into his earpiece. 

“I figured they would be easily accessible…”

“Yeah. To literally everyone , Sam,” Kurt hissed.

“Oh… yeah…”

“Look, Sam, just tell us what you got us,” Blaine said as he crouched next to the bush, pushing the branches aside to reveal a suitcase. He opened it and Sam continued, “Alright. There is of course your trusted grenade pen, anaesthetic darts-watch and bulletproof handkerchief, but I have also added a few of my newest inventions.”

To this, Kurt shot Blaine an apprehensive look. They were a little too familiar with Sam's “ inventions” to say they were always a raging success. They looked into the suitcase and saw, beside their usual gadgets, something that looked like a small beauty case, an umbrella and a pair of sunglasses. “What the…” Kurt whispered under his breath.

Blaine frowned. “Sam, the event is inside… how are we supposed to casually pull out an umbrella or sunglasses?” 

“You're worried about the sunglasses? How do you reckon we are gonna be able to pull off using a, what is this, a lipstick ?” Kurt said as he held up a small golden tube. 

“I- hadn’t really thought about that,” Sam confessed.

Kurt looked like a vein was about to pop in his forehead as he pinched the skin between his eyebrows and pursed his lips.

“What do they do, Sam?” Blaine offered.

“Right, so, the umbrella is not only completely waterproof, it is also fire resistant and creates a perfect shield once unfolded. The sunglasses have infrared night vision and the lipstick is my personal favourite. It releases a toxic fume if you press that button on the back there, but that won't affect you when you are wearing the lipstick as it neutralises the toxins as they come close to it, so when you inhale, you're totally safe,” Sam said proudly.

Blaine had to admit the inventions sounded pretty incredible had they been more practical. “Alright,” he sighed. “Thank you, Sam.”

Kurt side eyed him and Blaine offered a shrug in return. 

“Well, we’d better get going, now. We’ll tune back in when we need you, Sam,” Kurt said and tapped on his earpiece once to hang up. Blaine followed. “Honestly, I can’t with him sometimes. I know you guys are friends, but he sure gets on my nerves.”

Maybe Sam didn't always have the best ideas, but he really wasn't bad at his job. Blaine thought. “He tries his best, though. And he is actually really great once you get to know him,” 

Kurt shook his head. “You’re too kind for your own good,” he said, but there wasn't any actual judgement in his voice. 

Blaine smiled and the blush he was sporting a minute ago returned faintly to his cheeks.

They walked through the gate towards a grand wooden front door in front of which a big woman was standing behind a podium with her arms crossed. "Names?" she said as she was eyeing them up and down suspiciously.

Blaine put on his most charming smile. “George and Ralph Murray,” he responded.

She looked at the register in front of her and her expression changed. “Ah! Splendid!" Welcome to the Clarington residence. All guests are expected in the ballroom for the welcome speech at 8:00 pm sharp. In the meantime there will be beverages and appetisers served in the grand foyer. Please enjoy your evening Mr. and Mr. Murray.”

“Thank you,” Kurt said and nodded to the woman. They walked past her as the doors opened. 

“Ballroom? Really?” Blaine whispered at Kurt as they made their way up the steps leading to the front door. “What is this place? Versaille?”

Kurt sniggered and gave Blaine a pointed look. “Play the part now, Blaine,” he said as they stepped over the threshold. 

They entered an incredible marble room with two grand staircases with golden railings on each side. Large pillars reached to the high ceiling on which, in the middle, hung an enormous crystal chandelier. Blaine’s mouth fell open and he heard Kurt release a low whistle. They quickly pulled themselves together as they were approached by a young handsome waiter. “Welcome, gentlemen. Can I offer you a drink? A glass of champagne perhaps? Cocktail?”

“I’ll have an old fashioned, thank you.” Kurt said with a confident, charming smile. See? Blaine knew Kurt had nothing to worry about. He was a natural. Blaine might have come from money, but Kurt just radiated class. 

“For me a negroni, please. Let’s save the champagne for later after the great announcement, don't you think?” Blaine said with a wink.

The young man blushed. “Certainly, sir.” 

“Say, do you happen to know anything about this speech?” Blaine asked him.

The waiter's eyes grew wide for a second. “I- I’m sorry sir, but it’s supposed to be a surprise.” 

“Of course. I’m sorry,” Blaine gave the waiter an understanding smile. The young man bowed his head gratefully and dashed away to get their drinks.

Blaine leaned into Kurt’s side, “You reckon he didn't know? Or he didn’t want to say?” he asked.

“Not sure… Would you share your secrets with the waiting staff?”

“I don’t know. I never had waiting staff.” 

“Hm.” Kurt gave him a considering look that lingered a bit too long. It made Blaine feel a little hot in the face.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Kurt shrugged. “I’m just trying to paint a picture of you.” When Blaine didn't respond immediately he added, “It's a good picture, don't worry.” There was something suggestive in the way Kurt spoke. Blaine looked at him as if to try figuring him out. Kurt was just good at playing his part. Blaine told himself. Though no one was looking at them at the moment so there was no direct reason for it.

“Let's ask around some more, shall we?” Kurt suggested, breaking the tension.

"Yeah. Good plan.”

The young waiter had returned with their drinks and they started moving through the crowd. They asked multiple people if they had any idea what they were doing here, but no one seemed to know or want to tell them anything. 

“This is hopeless. We are wasting valuable time.” Blaine slumped against one of the pillars. 

Kurt opened his mouth to respond but Blaine motioned for him to be quiet when he heard a woman speak; “See, I told you he was weird. Who hosts a party for their cat?” 

They turned to look where the voice came from. A latina woman with long dark hair in a fitted, red, velvet dress was talking to another woman. This one with blond hair styled in a stylishly messy updo and a mint green dress. 

“I would,” the blonde woman said solemnly. “And I have in the past.” 

“Yeah, but that’s different. You’re cute about it.” The dark haired woman flirted and the blonde one gave her a quick kiss. 

“Excuse me,” Blaine piped in.

The dark haired woman gave him a once over, clearly judging him.

“George Murray, pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand and the woman took it with only slight reluctance. “This is my husband, Ralph Murray.” He gestured to Kurt who then also shook the woman’s hand. Blaine noticed that the look she gave him was a lot less disapproving. Though Blaine couldn't blame her when Kurt was wearing that suit. 

“Santana Lopez,” the dark haired woman introduced herself. “This is Brittany Pierce.”

The men shook Brittany's hand as well. “I’m sorry, we just couldn’t help but overhear… Do you happen to know what this event is for?”

“I’ve only heard rumours,” Santana said.

“I see. Where did you get these rumours from?” Blaine asked.

Santana crossed her arms. “Well aren’t you the little detective. What's it to you, anyways? 

“Just nosy.” Kurt’s smile turned a little more devious than polite, matching her energy.

“They say it’s his cat’s birthday, but that doesn’t explain the great announcement. Maybe his cat got nominated for an award.” Brittany said

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other in disbelief, and back at the women. “You can’t be serious,” Kurt said.

Santana crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Deadly.” 

“He can't be that passionate about a cat?”

“Wanna bet?” Santana challenged. “How do you think we know him?”

The men shrugged.

“We know him from cat shows.” Santana rolled her eyes. “Brittany’s cat, Lord Tubbington, often runs against his cat, Mr. Puss. So believe me when I say people are passionate about their cats. Anyways if you really wanna know, we heard it from Sebastian Smythe.”

“Who is that?” 

“He is one of Hunter's closest friends .” She grinned as if to imply something.

“Do you think Hunter told him about his plans for the night?” Blaine asked, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice.

“I’m sure he did. I overheard them talking about half an hour ago. Something about ‘getting it ready in the basement.’ ” She shrugged.

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a meaningful look. “Do you know how we can get in there?” Kurt asked.

“I'm sure Sebastian has a keycard to the elevator. But hold up, why do you want to know so bad?”

“Never mind that. What does he look like; Sebastian?” Kurt asked.

Santana smirked. “Oh you can’t miss him.” 

Brittany then took Santana's hand and whispered something in her ear. They giggled. “Look we’d love to stay and chat, but we, er, we gotta go.” Santana said before she was pulled away by Brittany. Santana managed to add a “good luck” as they disappeared into the crowd. 

“What do we do now?” Blaine sighed. “We have no clue where to find this Sebastian character,”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Kurt said and pointed over Blaine’s shoulder. 

Blaine turned to look, and there, in the middle of a group of people, stood a handsome man who was clearly the centre of attention. The people around him were laughing at his jokes and basically fawning over him. “You reckon that’s him?” Blaine asked.

“ Oh my god, Sebastian! You didn’t!” one of the guys closest to him laughed and flirtily touched the man’s arm. 

Sebastian petted the guy’s hand and smirked. “You should hear what I did with his father,” he said and winked at the woman next to him. The people around him all laughed.

Blaine snorted. “Well that answers that,” he said.

“He looks incredibly obnoxious,” Kurt said and narrowed his eyes. “He is flirting with literally everyone in his little group.” He grimaced.

“Maybe we can use that to our advantage?” Blaine thought out loud. However he didn’t really feel like watching Kurt chat up another man. He would just have to do it himself. “I will go and talk to him!” 

“Wait, maybe-” but before Kurt could protest, Blaine had stepped into the circle of people. Sebastian's eyes were immediately on him. 

“Well hello handsome,” Sebastian said and extended his hand towards Blaine. “I don’t think we’ve met. You look like someone I wouldn’t easily forget.” He grinned.

Despite his better judgement, Blaine blushed. The man was handsome, alright. And definitely charismatic, judging by the effect he had on the people around him. “We haven't. My name is George Murray. Are you Sebastian Smythe?” Blaine asked as he shook the man’s hand. 

“Matter of fact I am. To what do I owe this pleasure?”  

“I was talking to some friends of mine and you sounded… interesting” Blaine smiled a what he hoped was a seductive smile. 

Sebastian raised an eyebrow and turned away from Blaine for a second to make a dismissive gesture to his followers. “Could you give us a moment please?” 

The small crowd looked annoyed, some even jealous, but they obeyed, leaving the two men to themselves. Sebastian turned back to Blaine “Interesting, hm?” he grinned. 

Now that they were talking Blaine realised he didn’t actually have a solid plan. He couldn’t straight up ask Sebastian to give him the key. He would never just hand it over. Maybe Blaine could convince Sebastian to take him to the basement? But he needed Kurt with him. So he had to think of something else.

“They said you were close friends with the host,” Blaine said, trying to imply exactly whatever Santana was implying before. “I can see why he would like you,” he flirted. Apparently this was the right move, as Sebastian looked him up and down let his gaze rest on Blaine’s mouth. 

Sebastian leaned in closer. “You’re cute, George Murray. How come I’ve never seen you before?” 

“I- I’m usually very busy with eh- work. Don’t-“ Blaine swallowed. “Don’t often have time for parties.” Out of the corner of his eye Blaine noticed movement. He glanced over Sebastian's shoulder and saw that Kurt was miming something. “Back pocket!” He mouthed. What about his back pocket? Wait. Sebastian’s back pocket! The keycard was in sebastians back pocket!

Sebastian, who luckily didn’t seem to have noticed anything, spoke again, “Ah, so you're Mr. Professional, hm? Do you always obey the rules or are you capable of letting loose every once in a while?”

“Er, yeah sure,” Blaine said semi on auto pilot. How the hell was he supposed to get the key-card from Sebastian’s pocket? “What about you?” he asked. “Are you a rule breaker?”

“You could say that,” Sebastian quipped. 

Blaine laughed. He needed to get very close and personal with this man but whilst he was doing so, he might as well find out some more information.

“I was wondering,” Blaine said and trailed his finger over Sebastian’s chest. “As you’re such a bad boy, would you mind telling me what tonight is all about?” Blaine looked up through his eyelashes. 

Sebastian inhaled through his teeth. “Oh babe, I can’t tell you that. It’s supposed to be a surprise.” 

“I thought you didn't play by the rules.” 

“Why don’t you come upstairs with me where we can have a little more privacy and I can tell you all you want to know.” Sebastian said and slipped an arm around Blaine’s back. 

This was his chance. He could take it now and Sebastian wouldn't notice. He just didn’t know how to get out of the situation once he made his move. Blaine looked over his shoulder in search of Kurt and found him looking at them. Blaine gave him a quick pleading look, hoping Kurt would understand. Here goes nothing. He put his hand on Sebastian's back and slid it down to rest over his butt. “Sounds amazing...” Blaine felt the card in Sebastian's pocket. “...but I forgot to mention…” He slid his fingers into the pocket over the card, trying to pull it off as a caress, and as he retreated his hand he pulled the card out. Got it. “...that I'm married.” 

As if on cue, Kurt stepped in front of them. “Darling! There you are! I was looking for you.” He smiled a bit too sweetly at Blaine. “Who’s our new friend?” he asked and shot a murdering look at Sebastian. 

“Woah, what the hell?” Sebastian took a step back, letting go of Blaine. 

Blaine quickly slipped the key-card into his own pocket and stepped closer to Kurt. “Ralph, honey, this is Sebastian. He is a close friend of Hunter’s. Sebastian, this is my husband, Ralph Murray.”

“Husband? Wow,” Sebastian said. “Was not expecting that.” 

Kurt held out his hand. “Pleasure,” he said through gritted teeth.

Sebastian took Kurt’s hand and shook it once. 

Kurt turned to Blaine again. “Well it’s almost 8 o’clock. We should get going, darling.” 

“Right.” Blaine nodded. “Maybe we can talk later?” he offered innocently to Sebastian as if nothing had happened. “It was very nice meeting you.” 

“Sure was,” Sebastian said and winked at Blaine, clearly recovered from the initial shock. “I am looking forward to seeing you again, George.”

Kurt then pulled Blaine away by his hand through the crowd, leaving Sebastian behind. 

“Thank you for saving me,” Blaine said once they had found a quiet corner.

“You didn't really seem like you needed saving,” Kurt said coldly.  

“What do you mean? If you hadn’t shown up, I wouldn’t have been able to get away!” 

“I mean, ” Kurt said. “It didn't seem like you had such a terrible time with him. I know you needed to get the card, but how are we supposed to come across as a happily married couple when you are feeling up all the other guests.” He crossed his arms defensively.

Blaine stared at Kurt for a second. Then it dawned on him. “Wait, Kurt, are you jealous?”  

“No,” Kurt snapped. 

“Oh my god, you are totally jealous.”

Kurt’s cheeks turned red. “Shut up, I'm trying to take this mission seriously. Did you at least get the key?”

Blaine couldn't help but grin as he presented it. “Got it right here.”

He stood up and brushed himself off, looking around for more clues. An analog clock ticked away on the wall. The file cabinets looked to be late 20th century, maybe the 1980s. There was a desk in the corner and some chairs. The waiting room for some kind of office. Nondescript photographs of highways hung on the walls.

Blaine looked around for more clues. A small calendar was open on the desk. July 18, 1985. Okay, he could work with that. His clothes weren’t too far off and he still had cash in his pocket.. Luckily for him, there was a jacket hanging on the rack by the door. If it really was 1985, that would help him fit in.

“Sorry to whoever this belongs to,” he said to himself as he put it on. Blaine goes out the office door and into the hall, then follows the stairs down to the street.

It’s a downtown area. Still early, he sees shops starting to open as he looks up and down the street. The cars are a mix of old and new, nothing too flashy. The license plates say Ohio. It is a relief. Maybe this is somewhere he has been or even knows someone, he hopes. But the streets are not giving many clues.

Blaine walks towards what he hopes will be more clues, a plaque or a sign. After a few blocks he sees a building larger than most others, boring and municipal. He has struck gold — the city hall and the library for a town called Lima. The library would have somewhere to sit and hopefully some answers.

There is a girl working at the front desk. Her hair is braided and she has a pencil tucked behind her ear, looking seriously at some papers in front of her. Blaine is a few strides away when a tall guy about her age approaches the desk.

“So, have you read any good books lately?,” he says, friendly, a little nervous chuckle escapes him.

“Are you looking for a recommendation?” she replies.

“Yeah, I think you might have good taste. You had English just before me last year, advanced class. We passed in the hall. I’m Burt”, he says, extending a hand.

“Elizabeth,” she replies. “Are you looking for literature or reading for fun?”

“I want the good stuff”, he says.

“So then, action and adventure? Spies perhaps? Or a love story?” She leans in a bit towards him.

“All of it, please.” He leans in as well.

Blaine takes a movement to give them some space. Blossoming young love. It is sweet but embarrassing to watch. He finds his way to the newspapers to figure out something about why he is here.

***

He did not want to go but Kurt could feel the pain starting again. The small ache in his chest like each time before. He catches his reflection in the glass of the office door, he looks neutral enough to blend in back at home except for the colorful windbreaker. He takes off the jacket and leaves it on the rack. The pain is starting to build now. His breathing picks up as his body aches. He closes his eyes as his vision blurs. No use in looking out, he cannot tell where he is going anyway.

When he opens his eyes he is relieved to find himself at home. The clock still reads 2:00 pm and it’s November 9th, the day he started traveling. The time has been passing for him, but none of his friends were the wiser since he always landed right back in the same spot. He wonders if it had been a strange dream. He had just gone to lie down from a headache when this all started. They are still talking in the kitchen like when he left.

He lays back in his bed and stares at the ceiling, trying to remember everything about what he had seen in Lima. Who he had seen. Tears prick at the side of his eyes. He closes them and tries to cement the image of them into his memory.

“Kurt, we are going to grab a bite. Do you want to come or are you still pretending to have that headache?” Santana shouts from the living room.

“Shh, he is not pretending,” Mercedes corrects her. 

“Yeah, he looks tired. He probably needs his beauty sleep. Kurt! Kurt, do you want to borrow my eye pillow? Are you drinking enough water? You really ought to stay hydrated in the winter, even more than in the summer,” Rachel’s rambles on.

Kurt decides to get up. He is hungry after all.

“I’ll come with. Just give me a minute,” he calls back to them. He looks around for his coat as the pain in his head starts to grow. Oh man, here we go again.

***

There isn’t anything helpful in the Lima News. Blaine checks his watch. It has been nearly an hour. He is standing up and walking out of the library when the shift hits.

Suddenly he is on the street in New York, walking with friends just like he was when he left. He stumbles a bit as he is thrust into the present day.

“Woah, take it easy there, buddy. How hard did you go last night?” Trent asks.

“Not at all, just not sleeping well. Midterms were killer. My mom wants me to come home for Thanksgiving,” Blaine says, trying to play off how off kilter he feels.

“Uh huh,” Trent says, suspicious. “What about all the time you spent messaging someone on your phone last night? Who’s the hot body?”

“There is no hot body. No body. Just a guy.”

“A guy with a body,” he teases.

“Not one I’m interested in. We just got to talking. He’s from Westerville, too, and going to Cornell. It’s nothing.” Blaine means it. This guy was forward and not his type, but Blaine was too nice to cut it off before the guy started sending pics. It’s only polite to respond once you've seen someone’s dick.

“Yeah, yeah. Fighting them off as usual,” Trent jokes. “You;d be so much more fun if you lowered your standards a bit. New York is crawling with hot guys, they don’t have to be the whole package. I just need a package.”

“And they say romance is dead,” Blaine replies. He feels back on his footing since the last jump. When it started, they were walking to a diner. He only hopes he gets to stay in the present long enough to get something to eat.

Chapter 2

Kurt has one hand on his bedroom’s curtain divider when he starts to feel it. Suddenly he is in a hospital room, there is a nurse busy making some kind of preparations and Kurt feels a shiver down his spine. Oh no, not Dad, no no no. He spins around looking for clues.

The bathroom door opens and there is Rachel, a very pregnant Rachel, slowly making her way back to the hospital bed. She is breathing in an exaggerated rhythm when they lock eyes.

“C’mon, we have to be on the same rhythm,” she says to Kurt. “One, one, two, one, remember? Hee, hoo, hee-hee, hoo.”

Kurt does his best to mimic her breathing as he helps her back to the bed. He takes a good look at Rachel. Her hair is different and she looks a bit older. He is in some kind of future.

There isn’t anyone else in the room. It is just him and her and, for a moment, a panic sets over him that they are a couple. What kind of alternate timeline is this?!? 

His thoughts are broken as Rachel screams, clinging to his arms and digging in her nails.

“I cannot believe you convinced me to do this,” she grunts out. “If I damage my vocal chords I am suing you both.”

Kurt can’t seem to catch up to whatever the hell this is. Rachel is clearly having a baby but where or who is the father? He holds her hand, grounding himself as much as her as she squeezes tightly.

A phone on the side table starts to ding with alerts. Ding! Ding, ding! 

“Kurt, answer your phone.”  Rachel releases his hands and closes her eyes to rest, a momentary break from the contractions.

The phone unlocks when he looks at the screen. It is a text, well many texts. Some of them from just before he blipped in. All from someone named Dreamboat.

Oh my god, it’s happening! I just ran out of rehearsal and am hailing a cab. I’m on my way! 

Taxis really ought to have sirens for emergencies. This traffic is terrible.

Getting closer! I gave the driver $100 extra and we definitely broke some laws but I don’t want to miss this. I love you so much, baby!!!!!

Fuck me, it is absolutely jammed. I’m getting out and running the next couple blocks. Tell Rach to hang on. I’ll be there soon.

“Well,” Rachel asks, “Where is he? Is he close? I think another one is coming soon. Oh, yep, here we go. Hold my hand. Your daughter is almost here.”

She reaches out and Kurt takes her tiny hand in both of his. His mind reels. This is his baby. Rachel is having his baby, a little baby girl. And there is someone coming he is having this baby with. It is all too much. Kurt starts to cry. His eyes water and his head stings and… oh no, he knows that feeling.

“Thank you, Rachel. Thank you for this,” he says as his vision goes white.

***

The shoots of pain are getting weaker. Blaine looks down at his cinched hands. He has on a hospital gown and shoe covers. Am I a doctor? He thinks to himself.

“Okay, sir, come with me. She is ready now,” a nurse leads him from the hallway and into an operating room. He is clearly a guest, not a doctor, which is a relief.

His new adventures in time travel have taught him that In situations like this it is best to go with the flow, so he follows her and just tries to get his bearings. There is someone on the operating table, a small curtain between their body and head. As he gets nearer is a woman who smiles at him warmly. She must know him.

“I see you won the coin toss,” she says. “Come up here and stand near me. I want you to hold my hand because I am faking this bravery - and also you are not authorized to see anything beneath that curtain.” She is teasing and light, admirably calm for someone about to go through a surgery.

The room fills with more hospital staff. They tell him where to stand and proceed to explain to her what is about to happen.

“I’ve delivered hundreds of babies this way, ma’am, so you are in good hands with this team. We are going to make this as easy on you as possible,” the doctor says quickly and then gets to work.

Blaine ticks off what he needs to be doing. Stand out of the way, hold her hand, do not look below the curtain. He wonders if he should be making conversation. He must know this woman pretty well. She just keeps looking at him, almost like she is trying to calm him down though she is the one on the table.

“How are you doing?,” he asks. Maybe she will give up some more information.

“A bit scared. I was hoping to have this baby in an easier way.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Just be with me,” she smiles at him again.

He’s not really getting much out of her. Though in her defense she is pretty busy. He can’t expect her to tell him her life’s story on this table.

The team is working away and Blaine can hear the squelches and squeaks of her being cut open. He grips her hand tightly as the doctor makes contented noise. They pull something up and take it over to another table, rubbing at it, measuring, and then wrapping in a blanket. It is making gurgling noises. A nurse picks up the bundle and gives it some small taps. A cry rings out in the room as she walks over.

“Here you go, Ms. Jones, a healthy baby girl. Eight pounds, four ounces. Ten fingers, ten toes.” She holds the bundle out to the woman who takes it and holds it close.

Blaine is moved. Everything about the moment is emotional as mother and child share a beautiful bond.

“Okay, Papa, your turn.”

Um, what? She can’t really move in this position so Blaine takes the baby and tries to play it cool. She is a sweet little thing. Tiny little ears and eyebrows thankfully less pronounced than his own. His heart breaks wide open.

“She’s pretty cute. I think she has his ears but don’t tell him I said that,” the woman says.

“Yeah,” Blaine agrees, swept up in the awe of the moment. She is probably right anyway. 

“She needs to try and latch now,” the nurse says. “We will take Mercedes into a recovery room and you and your partner can join her there.”

“Husband,” Mercedes corrects her. She turns back to Blaine. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road and I’ll see you in a bit.”

Blaine is overcome. He walks back into the hallway ready to meet whoever is waiting for him. As he crosses the room, hand almost on the door, the feeling comes. He speeds up, trying to get to the other side but he is not fast enough.

***

Kurt stumbles out of the curtain as he lands back at home.

“Daydrink much,” Santana says.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” he replies. “I caught my foot on the edge of the bed.” He hopes the stumble hides the flush in his face. “Oh, shoot, I forgot my wallet. Just a second.” He goes back into the privacy of his room to catch his breath.

That last jump was a lot. Now he is going into the future? Having a baby? He isn’t even dating anyone. 

They are getting more serious, too. The first one landed him in an open park with no one around, just one solitary tree whose leaves had fallen. He walked the dirt path for a bit and didn’t even see anyone else. That one was just odd, like a puzzle he could not solve. But the next two had been punches in the gut. He was still recovering from seeing his mother in her teen years when suddenly he was becoming a father. It was a lot to take in.

He took a few deep breaths. His stomach grumbled. Well, maybe he could at least get lunch before his next existential crisis.

***

Chapter 3

Blaine lands, catching himself on the arm of a leather sofa. He has jumped again but straight into another time. He looks around and recognizes the Dalton reading room. There is a fire in the fireplace and snow falling outside the window. The room is decorated with poinsettias and greenery. It must be Christmas time.

In the room he spots a boombox on a side table. It looks just like one he got for his fifteenth birthday, one of the few personal effects that came with him when he transferred. Perhaps he is in that time? What a year that was. A new school with accolades and friends but still lonely.

He peeks his head out in the hall. It is pretty quiet. No sign of anyone about.

Honestly, he is pretty tired. These trips have taken a lot out of him. He could rest on the sofa. If anyone came in he would have to explain why he was out of uniform. He only hopes he doesn’t look too much older. Or worse, run into the teen version of himself. God, that guy was a mess.

***

His ass is freezing. Kurt sits on a bench at an outside mall. By the looks of the window dressings it is near Valentines Day.

He takes a few moments to people watch, trying to figure out if this is something he should remember - or maybe some future he hasn’t been yet. But the clothes in the windows look old, maybe 3-4 years ago. It doesn’t make a lot of sense.

The passersby seem normal enough, boring even. Just people going about their day. If this is something important, he clearly does not get it. It isn’t about his parents or his future. He can’t even tell if this is the town with that barren park.

Watching people shop at a random mall loses interest before too long. He was amused to see what gifts people were getting for their valentines but after a bit it just reminded him how lonely he was. He sits on the bench and waits to leave.

***

Blaine yawns and stretches as he wakes. The warmth of the Dalton fireplace has kept the room cozy, almost too warm. A bit moist really. He opens his eyes and finds himself in a bathroom. A shower is running and the room is foggy.

This is not his bathroom. Not a bathroom he recognizes earlier. The curtain squeaks as something behind it moves and Blaine realizes he is not the only one in this room. Someone is humming from inside the shower.

He turns around to see a bit of brown hair peeking out above the shower curtain. When the light hits just right he can make out an outline of a man.

He considers leaving but has no idea what is on the other side of the door. The man is shampooing his hair and Blaine girds himself for the very real possibility of meeting this man face to face. Maybe he should close his eyes? Or turn around? There really isn’t a good way out of this.

He decides to turn around and just listen. The humming stops when it sounds like he is rinsing off his head, then the sound of a squeeze bottle. Blaine peeks over his shoulder to see a mass of wet hair in a mohawk on top of his head. He chuckles to himself. More rinsing and then the sound of the water turning off.

Bang, bang, bang. A knock at the door.

“Kurt, get out of there or I am coming in. I have to pee,” a woman’s voice shouts out.

“Don’t you dare,” the man’s voice answers. It’s high, a bit shrill from irritation.

Blaine has never been so relieved to feel the tell tale pain of the upcoming jump. He needs to get out of there, fast.

***

Kurt jolts into consciousness, standing in his living room.

“You okay, you zoned out for a second,” Mercedes asks.

“Yeah,” he lies. “I’m fine. Ready for lunch?”

“So starving, let’s go.” Santana leads them out of the apartment and down the stairs.

Kurt hopes that last jump might be his last. Everything he has seen has either been traumatizing or boring, like a story missing an important piece. He does not need any more excitement. He just needs lunch.

*** 

Trent is still talking when Blaine returns to the present. So Blaine nods along and tries to make his entrance seamless. He is telling Blaine about his latest hook-up.

“And, I mean, if you are going to want shower head the least you can do is rinse off all the soap. I don’t need that.”

“Yeah, totally,” Blaine says. “It is only polite.”

“Politeness is not what I am looking for when I am on my knees in someone’s clawfoot tub. But, yes, basic hygiene is key. Clean it off, rinse it, then we can see what happens.”

“Can we talk about something else? Maybe save this for somewhere inside and a bit private?”

“Sure thing, Blainers. I forget how old fashioned you are. I still need to tell you the gossip from next door.”

Trent is happy to tell all and Blaine is happy to just let him talk. The walk to the diner isn’t much further now. 

***

“All I’m saying is that if Gunter wants to get my best he should hire more waiters for when I need to perform. He can’t expect me to put down the coffee pot and get to the stage that fast. I need a carefully planned route that shows off my best side,” Rachel is talking as they walk down the street.

“For once, I agree with Berry. I think those of us better vocalists should have a lighter amount of tables,” Santana adds.

“We are literally singing waiters. They want us to do both,” Kurt says.

“Besides, you never know when you might get discovered,” Mercedes adds. “Or by who.”

She gives Kurt a wink. He knows she is talking about a boyfriend. She thinks someone is going to walk in and fall in love with him. But the last few years have worn down his romantic dreams. He’s not sure if love at first sight, or love at all, is in the cards for him. The handful of promising guys he has met in the city have all fizzled out after a time.

The feeling starts to come, softer this time though. He has more time to prepare. He thinks about holding onto Mercedes for support. But as they round the corner the jump never comes. It just hovers in him as they get closer to the diner.

***

Blaine can see the door to the diner. He can feel the pain coming on and hope he can maybe get inside and sit down before he jumps. The feeling is growing in him, but different this time. Like an ache he cannot explain.

A few steps ahead he sees a group of people going inside. One of them looks familiar.

“Mercedes, it’s you,” he says without thinking.

“Have we met?” Mercedes says.

Suddenly Kurt and Blaine are both on the sidewalk. Each of them knocked down with the sensations inside of them. They fall into each other in a tangled, undignified heap.

“What the hell?” Trent says.

“Are you okay?” Rachel asks.

“Hummel, get up, oh my god,” Santana says.

They get up and brush themselves off. Each of them apologizing to the other as they disentangle and right themselves. Then they lock eyes.

“Oh, hello there,” Kurt says. He’s never seen a man so gorgeous.

“Hi, my name's Blaine.” He extends his hand and Kurt shakes it. An electric feeling runs through them both. Their eyes meet again, smiling. “I think I’ve been looking for you.”

“Weird flex,” Trent says.

Santana opens her mouth to speak but Kurt holds up a hand.

“Could you all give us a minute?” Kurt asks. The rest of them go inside, talking amongst themselves about what just happened. “I think, well I don’t know what I think. Do we know each other?”

Maybe now that he no longer lives here, he’s able to look at it in a different way. It’s nice to be here, with the knowledge that he’ll eventually go back home. Besides, New York is too loud and eccentric and a part of Kurt thrives because of it, but another part of him has learnt to appreciate this quieter atmosphere of Lima.

Oh, and it helps that Kurt never has to run into anyone from high school ever again. All his closest Glee club friends have left Lima as well, so he has no reason to seek out anyone who might recognise him from school. No longer being a high schooler is definitely the biggest perk of living in New York. High school was the main reason he couldn’t ever appreciate the quiet life here, because his life was never quiet. He could never appreciate the small tight-knit community feel, because he didn’t feel like he was welcomed into it.

But now he’s an adult who only comes back to Lima every now and then to see family and friends who are also visiting.

Kurt sighs as he watches a neighbour walk his dog. The neighbour sees him staring and smiles and waves. This truly is different from the rapid pace of the big city. His neighbour in New York barely gives him the time of day and she’s moving out within a few days. Kurt will not miss her. This man, on the other hand, has already shown Kurt more kindness in these few seconds than the other neighbour has in years.

Also, Kurt’s never seen this man in his life. He certainly doesn’t remember him.

“That’s Mr. Anderson,” Kurt hears.

He looks over his shoulder. His dad is sat on the sofa with a book open on his lap, but he also noticed Mr. Anderson walking past the house.

“Is he new in the neighbourhood?” Kurt asks.

His dad nods.

“Yes, he and his wife moved here a couple of weeks ago from Westerville. Apparently they had been planning on moving to a smaller house ever since their youngest son moved out.”

“And they moved to a random suburb in Lima, of all places?” Kurt asks, bemused.

His dad barks out a laugh.

“I know it’s hard to believe for a big city lover, but people still willingly move to the Midwest,” his dad says with a jokey tone.

Kurt moves away from the window and forgets about Mr. Anderson. Instead, he cosies up against his dad and he watches a rerun of Drag Race. His dad keeps reading, since he’s not bothered by the noise. Carole later comes into the living room and when she sees Drag Race is on, she eagerly joins Kurt.

This is what Kurt loves about Lima.

This is what he misses the most when he’s in New York.

This is also one of the moments he misses his brother, but he doesn’t want to bring it up when Carole is trash-talking the judging section. Besides, Kurt’s pretty certain she misses him too at this moment. It goes unsaid.

He and Carole watch three episodes in a row when the doorbell rings. It’s the delivery of groceries. Kurt’s dad gives the delivery person a huge tip to celebrate the holidays and the three of them put them away while chatting about the holiday plans. Tomorrow, some extended family members are coming over for Christmas and Kurt and Carole are going to cook a grand meal for everyone, while Kurt’s dad is going to set up a makeshift bar.

Everyone is going to be perfect.

Hopefully.

But when Kurt and his family are finished putting away the groceries, Kurt realises that they’re missing an ingredient.

“Rosemary! Carole, we are missing the rosemary!” Kurt exclaims. He checks the receipt again, but it really isn’t on it. Which is good, because then they also didn’t pay for it, but they need the rosemary.

Carole realises she forgot to order it, which can happen, but now Kurt’s fucked.

“Calm down, Kurt,” his dad says, “I will drive to the store tomorrow morning before the guests arrive.”

“I appreciate it, dad,” Kurt pouts, “But Carole and I need to start now, because it needs to be in the fridge overnight!”

“Ah. That’s… a problem,” his dad admits.

But then Carole lets out a small gasp.

“Wait a second! Burt, doesn’t Pam have a little herb garden?”

Kurt’s dad thinks it over.

“Yes, she does,” he answers, “But it’s winter, Carole.”

“But she might have some that she’s harvested earlier in the year,” Carole points out, “And Pam is a more experienced gardener. If there’s a way to keep rosemary alive in winter, then she’d know it!”

“Oh, you have a point there. Can we ask if she has some to spare?”

“I think we can just ask her. She wouldn’t mind,” Carole continues, “Kurt can go, because he knows how much we need. He found the recipe on the internet!”

“Brilliant,” his dad says, “Great plan, Carole.”

“That’s why you’re married to me,” Carole jokes.

Kurt waves his arms to get his parents’ attention.

“Hi, hello,” he says, “I love this idea. Who’s Pam?”

“Pam Anderson, the new neighbour,” Carole answers.

“Mr. Anderson’s wife,” his dad adds for clarification.

“On it,” Kurt says.

Carole tells Kurt that the Andersons moved into the house left of theirs, which delights Kurt, since he never really liked Ms. Johnson and her weird grandson anyway. He grabs his coat, since it’s very cold outside, and tells his dad and Carole that he’d be back soon.

The Andersons have a festive wreath on their front door and it makes Kurt smiles. He rings the bell and waits for Mr. Anderson or his wife to open the door. He can already hear the dog bark and his smile widens.

The door opens and Kurt’s ready to introduce himself and ask if Pam is around, but when he sees the man who’s opened the door, he’s rendered speechless. It’s not Mr. Anderson, but it’s another man. He must be around Kurt’s age and he’s dressed in a cozy sweater with a cute checkered bowtie to top it all off.

Kurt’s dad mentioned that the Andersons have a son and this must be him. Kurt assumes he’s also visiting family for the holidays.

“Uh, hello?” the son asks after a short silence. He looks a bit confused and Kurt realises he’s standing on this porch in complete silence, staring at him.

Right. Not a great first impression.

Kurt quickly composes himself.

“Hi, uh, my name is Kurt,” he says and he mentally high-fives himself for being able to sound coherent, “My parents live next door. The Hummel-Hudsons.”

A look of understanding crosses the man’s face. Now Kurt is no longer a random person that came out of nowhere. That’s progress.

“Anyway, my stepmother said that your, uh, mother might have some spare rosemary? We don’t have any and we really need it for the recipe that we’re trying out.”

The man steps aside so that Kurt can come inside.

“Come on in, it’s too cold to wait outside.”

“Thanks.”

Kurt follows the man to the living room where he’s greeted by an enthusiastic dog. There are three other adults. Kurt recognises Mr. Anderson, but there’s also a woman, presumably Pam, and another man who looks slightly older than the son. The son and Kurt explain the situation and, as Carole predicted, Pam is eager to help out.

“Oh, I need to go outside to harvest some,” Pam says.

“If it’s too much of a hassle-”

“Nonsense,” Pam cuts him off, “I’ll be back in a jiffy. Blaine, can you find my easy shoes?”

“They’re probably still at the back door where you left them, iná,” the son, who’s apparently named Blaine, says.

“Smartass,” Pam jokes.

Kurt tells Pam how much he and Carole need and Pam goes outside. Kurt’s standing awkwardly in this family’s living room, but luckily, the dog takes an interest in him, so Kurt has something to do.

“You like pets?” he says while petting the huge Bernese mountain dog.

“Oh, she adores them,” Blaine says.

“Who’s a good girl?” Kurt coos.

“Well, she wasn’t a good girl earlier today when she made me walk five extra blocks,” the still unnamed man says, “She’s strong and doesn’t listen when she doesn’t want to.”

“She got that from you then, Cooper,” Mr. Anderson teases.

“Dad!”

Kurt smiles. He likes this family. He can see they all treat each other kindly and that they are close, the same way his family works. Pam comes back with a handful of rosemary for Kurt and he thanks her profusely.

“No biggie,” she says, “Happy holidays.”

Blaine walks Kurt towards the door and they don’t say much, which is fine by Kurt, because then he has less opportunity to embarrass himself. He hopes he isn’t red in the face and if he is, then hopefully Blaine will think it’s because of the cold.

“Thanks again,” Kurt says and leaves.

Once he’s back in his own kitchen, he hands the herbs to Carole, who’s delighted. She’d already started meal prepping.

“Did you know that Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s sons are visiting?” Kurt asks.

“Oh, no I wasn’t aware.”

“Me neither.”

“Have you met him- them before?”

“Only Cooper, the eldest,” his dad answers, “He helped his parents move in. The youngest couldn’t make it because of his studies. Cooper is… interesting.”

He and Carole share a private smile and Kurt needs to remind himself to ask about that later, but now he has a more pressing matter.

“And the youngest?”

Carole shrugs.

“Pam says he barely has time to visit, which everyone dislikes, but we get it.”

Kurt also gets it. He wishes he could be here with family more often.

“I did hear that he lives in New York as well!” Kurt’s dad says. Now, that is interesting. “Cooper lives in LA, and Blaine lives in New York. I mean, he’s called Blaine, right?”

He directs that last question to Carole, but Kurt answers it.

“Yeah, he’s named Blaine. I just met him.”

“Oh lovely,” Carole says, “What are the odds? Maybe you two can meet up in New York.”

“… I barely know him, Carole,” Kurt says quietly.

“So?” Carole says back, “Nowadays, people your age meet each other online. I don’t think that barely knowing anyone is a barrier these days.”

“She has a point,” Kurt’s dad adds.

“Alright. Alright,” Kurt says.

The truth is that it sounds nice to get to know Blaine a bit more. Kurt’s not stupid. He understands that he finds Blaine cute. It’s been a while since he met a guy who immediately renders him speechless, but Kurt also knows from experiences that looks aren’t everything. He’s here in Lima to see him family, not to jump on the neighbours’ son.

He and Carole continue their meal prepping and the conversation moves away from Blaine.

--

The next day is filled with joy. Kurt barely has time to see his dad and Carole, so he definitely doesn’t have time to see his extended family.

Everyone likes what he and Carole prepared and Carole points out that everyone should thank Pam as well.

After dinner, Kurt’s aunts prepare the desert and Kurt’s younger cousins beg him to go outside with them.

“Come on, it’s snowing!”

Kurt has to admit that snow also is more enjoyable here than in New York, because in New York, snow feels more like a nuisance blocking Kurt’s way. He’s constantly busy, getting from one place to the other. Here, Kurt has no reason to leave the neighbourhood today. They all go outside to make snow angels and what not.

Suddenly, Kurt hears a somewhat familiar voice.

“See, Squirt, people in this neighbourhood know where it’s at!”

Kurt follows the sound of the voice. Cooper is standing in the doorway of his parents’ house, decked out in winter clothes. Kurt can see Blaine behind Cooper and he’s shivering. He’s talking to Cooper, but he’s too far away for Kurt to understand.

“Coop, close the door,” Kurt can make out at one point.

Cooper says something back before going outside and closing the door behind him. Then he waves at Kurt.

“Hi, merry Christmas, forgive my stupid brother,” Cooper says loudly, probably so that Blaine can also hear it, “He’s a New Yorker, so he doesn’t appreciate snow enough. But I barely see this white goodness in my life, so I am out and about!”

“Tell your brother that I am also a New Yorker so he has no reason to stay inside,” Kurt jokes and Cooper’s eyes widen.

“Great idea!” he says and immediately goes back to the house.

Kurt and his cousins watch how Cooper’s locked out and how he’s demanding Blaine to let him in.

“Who is he?” one of Kurt’s cousins ask.

“Son of the new neighbours,” Kurt answers.

“Is he also coming out to play?”

“I think so.”

“Cool.”

Cooper manages to get in and five minutes later, he and Blaine come outside. Cooper immediately bonds with Kurt’s younger cousins. Blaine stands aside and Kurt takes a deep breath. He can be sociable. He’s a kind neighbour!

“Hey,” he says casually.

“Hi.”

“Not the biggest fan of snow, I hear?”

Blaine shrugs.

“I am, actually, but I just don’t feel like hanging out with my brother in the snow.”

“Why is that?” Kurt looks at Cooper, who’s started building a snow hut with Kurt’s cousins.

“He’s cool, pun intended, with other people, but ever since we were little he’d be kind of an ass. He’d try to put snow down my back, for example,” Blaine explains.

Kurt winces. That is kind of a dick move.

But at least he still has a brother. And even though Blaine sounds genuinely irritated, Kurt understands that Blaine doesn’t actually hate Cooper for the snow thing. After all, Blaine still could’ve stayed inside.

“You did come out here,” Kurt points out.

“I kind of have you to blame for that,” Blaine teases.

“Oh?”

“Cooper said you’re from New York. I had been using my New York status against him.”

Kurt laughs.

“Oh, don’t get me started on snow in New York.”

“Pffff, yeah,” Blaine says, “Good thing the subway is underground, but getting there, trudging through a thick layer of snow? Hell.”

“Hah, yes!” Kurt says and they fall into a comfortable silence. They watch everyone else have fun, and Kurt has an idea. He bends down to make a little snowball and shows it to Blaine.

Blaine raises an eyebrow.

“Now that your brother is occupied with keeping my cousins busy… are you in for a snowball fight?”

Blaine has an amused look on his face.

“You know what. Why not?”

--

Kurt’s aunts asked everyone to come inside, since dinner is ready. Kurt and his cousins are huddled together around the table, getting warm again. Everyone had a lot of fun and time flew by. Kurt didn’t even realise that his aunts were asking him to come in, since he was running around like a madman, trying to hit Blaine with his massive snowball.

And now Kurt’s enjoying his desert, but he’s still thinking about Blaine. It was really fun, so maybe Carole is right. Maybe he can ask if Blaine wants to meet up in New York.

What’s the worst that can happen? Blaine can say no.

Okay, that thought is terrifying.

But he can also say yes.

--

Kurt doesn’t actually talk to Blaine the day after. He only sees him in the morning, when Blaine passes the window. It’s his turn to walk the dog. Kurt and Blaine wave at each other, but that’s it.

In the afternoon, Cooper walks the dog and in the evening, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson take him out. Kurt’s almost sad when he doesn’t get the chance to wave at Blaine.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are out of sight and Kurt lets out a pathetic, sad sigh.

“Dear lord, just ring the bell already!” his dad says.

“What do you mean?” Kurt feigns ignorance, but he’s not surprised that his dad sees right through it. His dad has always known him the best.

“Don’t think I missed the smitten look on your face, kiddo,” his dad laughs, “Your thoughts were elsewhere. And your cousins mentioned that you and Blaine seemed to hit it off.”

“He is really nice,” Kurt admits.

His dad hums.

“And handsome.”

His dad hums again.

“And he lives in New York.”

“He does!”

Kurt looks outside again, because for a split second he stupidly believes he is in some Hallmark movie where Blaine appears outside his window to express his adoration.

There’s no one, obviously. He and Blaine have only known each other for a short time.

But as his dad and Carole point out, this doesn’t have to be the end of it. Kurt goes home to New York just before New Year’s and then he might meet up with Blaine and get to know him better.

Then Kurt thinks: Fuck it, he deserves a cute holiday romance.

“You know what, dad? I will go see him tomorrow.”

“Wonderful!” his dad says, and he’s so genuinely happy for Kurt, it makes Kurt’s heart swell.

--

“Burt says you’re going to ask Blaine from next door out on a date,” Carole says during breakfast and Kurt almost spits out his food.

“Dad!”

“What?” his dad asks, not bothered at all.

“I didn’t say that,” Kurt quickly says, “I said I am going to ask if he wants to meet up once we’re back in New York.”

“With the intention of dating him.”

“With the intention of getting to know him,” Kurt corrects, although he mentally adds ‘and potentially date him later’, but his dad doesn’t have to know that yet, although as usual, his dad knows better.

“You can get to know him on a date,” Carole says, feigning innocence.

“Oh my god,” Kurt hides his head in his hands.

“Don’t mind us, Kurt,” his dad sounds amused, “Or, don’t mind Carole. I don’t want to invade your privacy. You do what you want to do.”

“Hey!” Carole says back.

“Oh my God,” Kurt repeats, with his head still in his hands, but he can feel the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He acts embarrassed, and maybe he is a little bit, but he’s also glad to have such a supportive family.

They really want him to be happy. Kurt knows so many people who don’t have it as good as him, so he’s not taking this for granted.

If Finn were still around, he’d volunteer to be Kurt’s personal wingman instantly.

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep you guys up to date,” Kurt relents, “I plan on seeing him later today.”

Kurt smells the opportunity for a little fashion moment, so he needs to make use of that. Most of his wardrobe is still in New York, but he likes to dress for the occasion, and asking his neighbours’ son to hang out is definitely a big one.

The conversation shifts to other topics, like his dad’s garage or Carole’s latest interest in diamond painting, and they finish their breakfast. Kurt helps out with the cleaning up and then it’s time to go up to his room to rummage through his limited wardrobe.

He’s going through his closet when the doorbell rings. Kurt doesn’t pay attention to it, because he can hear his dad moving around to open it, but his interested is piqued when his dad says it’s for him.

Kurt hastily puts on some clothes, since he was a bit undressed because he was trying on outfits, and he goes downstairs.

He stops halfway on the staircase when he sees Blaine in the hallway.

“Hey,” Blaine says.

“Hey?” Kurt says, unable to hide his confusion.

Oh, he also looks terrible. He picked the worst combination of clothes in his rush to get down.

Of course this happens to him when Blaine’s at the door. And don’t even mention his hair. It’s a monstrosity! Of course Blaine looks prim and proper.

“I’ll leave you two at it,” Kurt’s dad says and promptly turns around to leave, although once his back it towards Blaine, he winks towards Kurt.

The mix of embarrassment and happiness about his dad and Carole’s interest in Kurt’s love life returns.

“Hey,” Blaine says again.

“Oh. Hello,” Kurt finally comes down.

“I kinda wanted to talk to you before I leave.”

“Leave?”

Blaine nods.

“I’m flying back to New York later today,” Blaine clarifies.

“Oh.”

“I need to move apartments, so I couldn’t stay for longer,” Blaine continues.

“Right.”

“Which sucks, because I like seeing my parents.”

“Yeah.”

“Cooper not so much,” Blaine says, but again, Kurt can hear the jokey undertone.

Kurt smiles.

“Yeah.”

“But, uhm, I kinda wanted to ask if I could see you again? In New York, I mean? To, uh, chill?”

“To chill, huh?” Kurt says, amused, and Blaine turns a bit red.

“Weird choice of words,” Blaine agrees, “But what do you think?”

“Yes, sure,” Kurt tries to act casual and cool, but his mind is reeling. Blaine wants to see him too! Man, the moment Blaine’s out of the door, Kurt will probably jump up and down with excitement.

“Neat,” Blaine sounds relieved, “Can I have your number then?”

“Yeah!” Kurt answers and they exchange numbers.

“Alright. Cool. I mean, yeah, cool!” Blaine stumbles a bit over his words, which Kurt finds endearing.

“Cool,” Kurt echoes.

“Then see you soon!”

“See you soon,” Kurt says back.

Blaine leaves after that and as predicted, Kurt leans against the front door with a huge, disbelieved grin on his face. He might look like utter shit and his hair is a mess, but who cares, cause Blaine wants to hang out with him!

“And?”

Kurt looks up to see Carole’s head peeking around the corner.

Kurt’s smile widens.

--

Kurt isn’t in a rush to get back to New York, since he wants to savour every moment with his family and he meets up with friends, but knowing that Blaine is waiting for him in New York does make him more eager to leave.

Okay, Blaine isn’t actively waiting for Kurt, but Kurt can dream, right?

They’ve texted a little bit over the past few days, but now that Kurt’s actually leaving, he sends more messages.

“Kurt, get off your phone! We need to say goodbye!” Carole scorns, but it’s nor serious. Besides, she has a point. His dad and Carole and about to drive home from the airport, and Kurt’s on his phone to text Blaine.

“Sorry,” Kurt pockets his phone.

“You’ll see him enough,” his dad says.

“Ideally, yes,” Kurt says with a smile. He’s shooting his shot.

Not immediately, though. He doesn’t want to come off as overeager. He’s going home now, then he’ll celebrate New Year’s tomorrow with some friends, and then he’ll see if he can meet up with Blaine.

He and his parents say goodbye. As usual, the hug between him and his dad lasts a long time, but it’s time for Kurt to go. This really is the worst part of going back home. He knows his dad and Carole will miss him too.

--

New York is messy, loud, and gorgeous.

He takes the elevator to his floor. Then, he stops in front of his door and casts a look to his neighbour’s door. There’s a new rainbow doormat in front of it, which Kurt sees as a confirmation that his shitty neighbour is truly gone.

Once he’s inside, he lets out a sigh of relief. He’s so ready to just unpack and relax. He’ll need to do some groceries later, but now he wants to “chill”, as Blaine said.

So that’s what he does. He unpacks, makes some coffee, and browses social media on his phone in peace. He texts Blaine, telling him he’s arrived home, and he also checks in with some other friends about tomorrow’s New Year’s plans.

Yet, life continues. Groceries are part of adult, independent life. There’s no grocery delivery here for Kurt, so Kurt sighs and decides to just do it instead of procrastinate, which is something he’s proud of. He put on appropriate winter attire and grabs a shopper.

When he’s outside and turns around to lock his door, the neighbour’s door opens. Kurt doesn’t really pay attention, since he needs to lock his door. He’s forgotten once before, so he always pays attention here.

Once everything’s locked up, he turns to his side to introduce himself, since unlike his previous neighbour, Kurt does have manners, but his words die in his throat.

Blaine is standing on the rainbow doormat with a surprised look on his face.

“Hello neighbour,” he’s the first to break the shocked silence.

“Hello.”

“Long time no see-”

“What a surprise-”

It falls silent again, but it’s not an awkward silence. In fact, Kurt’s amused by this whole situation, because what are the odds? Blaine’s shocked expression has also been replaced by a more amused one.

“You’re my new neighbour,” Kurt sounds disbelieved.

“I see,” Blaine says back, “Hello, neighbour, again.”

The two of them laugh.

“I’m… going to go,” Kurt holds up his shopper.

“Oh,” Blaine opens the pocket of his jacket and takes out a folded up shopper, “Groceries?”

“Yes!” Kurt says. This is so weird. “I just got home from Ohio, so I have absolutely nothing.”

“I get it. Anyway, great to see you. I’m new here. Where do you get your groceries?”

“You haven’t done any grocery shopping since you moved here?” Kurt asks.

Blaine turns a bit red.

“Uh. No. I have.”

“Okay?” Kurt says with a frown.

“Sorry,” Blaine says and then lets out an awkward laugh, “This- I- Okay. I didn’t know how else to ask if you wanted to hang out now.”

Kurt’s eyes widen in surprise. Neither of them had made actual plans to “chill” yet. Kurt didn’t want to seem to eager, and Blaine hadn’t made any concrete suggestions yet.

Kurt’s down to hang out, even though he didn’t expect their first meet-up in New York to be for grocery shopping, but then he also didn’t expect Blaine to be his new neighbour.

“Sure,” Kurt says with a smile.

--

And that’s how they end at a coffee shop called Think Coffee instead of the grocery store. Kurt’s reasoning was that it’s easier to get coffee beforehand and before Kurt could apologise for randomly suggesting a coffee date (is it a date?), Blaine agreed to it.

Of course, they discuss how funny it is that their parents live next to each other, and now they also live next to each other.

“My dad mentioned that your family is originally from Westerville, I think?”

Blaine nods.

“Yes. Cooper and I went to a boarding school there, but we were day students. Do you know Dalton Academy?”

The name does ring a bell.

“From the Warblers?”

Blaine looks amazed.

“Yes!” he utters in disbelief, “That’s my former glee club!”

“Really?” Kurt asks, “I’m from the New Directions.”

Blaine shoots him a quizzed look.

“McKinley High, in Lima,” Kurt clarifies.

“… That sounds familiar.”

“This is insane,” Kurt says before taking a sip of his coffee. He needs to let this sink in. The day has certainly turned out to be different than expected.

“Yeah. I’m a Dalton boy.”

“And then your parents moved to Lima of all places, when you graduated.”

Blaine snorts.

“I know right?” he says, but then he smiles, “Although, it led to me meeting you, so I cannot hold it against them anymore.”

“I agree.”

“And you? Did you grow up in that house?”

Kurt shakes his head.

“No, but I did grow up in Lima. My dad got married to Carole a few years back, and then they bought that house for the four of us to live in.”

“Four?”

“Me, my dad, my stepmother and my stepbrother,” Kurt answers.

“I didn’t know you had a brother!” Blaine sounds surprised, “God, I hope he’s not as bad as Cooper.”

“Oh… Well… No,” Kurt says slowly.

“Did I miss him during my visit? I mean, my parents never mentioned him, so does he live out of the state?”

Kurt sighs. This part is always hard, painful, and eventually awkward. He didn’t plan on bringing up the dead brother story, but on the other hand, he does want to get to know Blaine and he hopes Blaine wants to get to know him as well. Well, it must be. Otherwise Blaine wouldn’t have joined him on this supposed grocery trip.

“He died, actually,” Kurt says quietly.

As expected, the silence stretches out and it becomes more awkward and awkward.

“Oh. Kurt. I’m… sorry,” Blaine eventually says, although he seems a bit lost for words.

“It’s okay.” It’s not, but it’s okay that Blaine doesn’t know what to say. Kurt can’t blame him. How do you properly react to hearing a young person died?

“Oh, shit!” Blaine suddenly exclaims, “And here I am, complaining constantly about Cooper! That’s such a dick move!”

“It’s okay,” Kurt says again, “You didn’t know. And besides, it was fun to see you two interact.”

“Yeah?” Blaine asks.

Kurt hums.

“Yes. It’s clear that your complaining and his teasing comes from a place of love. Me and Finn would do the same. God, you have no idea how many times I complained about his habits, or how many times he’d playfully tease me for my brooch collection.”

Kurt would give anything to hear Finn playfully mock his hippo brooch again.

“Can you tell me about him?” Blaine asks.

So Kurt does. He tells Blaine that he and Finn didn’t really like each other at the beginning, but then they both joined glee club, although it turned out that Finn got blackmailed by their glee club director who had planted a stash of weed in Finn’s locker. (“What?” “It’s not important, Blaine.”) That’s how they slowly became friends, and Kurt eventually developed a crush on Finn and decided to pair up his dad and Finn’s mom in an attempt to get closer to Finn. (“Excuse me?” “It’s in the past, Blaine.”) But eventually their parents got married and Kurt’s crush died out and they became stepbrothers. It was a bit rocky at the beginning, but they grew to love each other as family and dropped the “step” part quickly.

“So yeah, we didn’t always see everything eye to eye, but that’s just how family is. I miss him, especially now, during the holidays.”

“I can imagine.”

“The entire family always shows up, and it’s glaringly obvious that someone is missing,” Kurt laments, “I don’t like to dwell on it, neither do my dad and Carole, but it’s on our minds, especially when I see my cousins together, or when you and Cooper banter. But it also makes me think of good memories with him, like the time he and his friend Puck dressed up in Star Wars outfits for Christmas.”

“Oh. Amazing.”

“Or when Carole told Finn he needed to help out for Christmas dinner, and he burned it all down, so we ended up eating soup out of a can that year.”

Kurt chuckles and Blaine also lets out a laugh.

“He sounds lovely,” Blaine says.

“He was. Most of the time.”

They laugh again.

Kurt lifts his cup to get another sip, only to find it empty. Blaine also wiggles his cup around.

“Time flies,” he says.

Kurt hums in agreement. He gets out of his seat.

“Grocery time?” he asks.

“Oh. Yeah. Groceries,” Blaine sounds bewildered. It’s that Kurt definitely needs to eat, otherwise he also would’ve forgotten.

Kurt leads them to the grocery store he always goes to, which is one that Blaine hadn’t seen before, so that’s a nice extra. Kurt needs to buy a lot, since he just got home after a trip to Lima, but Blaine only needs some things. Still, he sticks around to talk to Kurt and so that they can walk home together.

--

“Hello neighbour.”

Blaine looks a bit surprised. He probably didn’t expect Kurt to just knock, but Kurt’s feeling daring. Yesterday’s coffee and grocery trip-slash-date was a lot of fun and Kurt decided to just go for it.

“Hello,” Blaine says back.

“Do you have plans for this New Year’s?”

“Yes?” Blaine says, which is fair. Kurt should’ve expected that. “But why are you asking?”

Kurt’s asking because he woefully fantasised about kissing Blaine, if he wants, when the clock hits midnight.

“Oh. Well, I am meeting up with some friends and I wanted to see if you wanted to join, but it makes sense you already have plans.”

Kurt’s about to awkwardly say goodbye and admit defeat, but Blaine stops him.

“I’m meeting my friends at eleven in the evening. I still have time. When will you meet your friends?”

“Also later today,” Kurt answers. Around ten, or something. It wasn’t very clear. It’s more one of those “drop by whenever you want” parties. He just wanted to check if Blaine were interested in joining.

“Sooo,” Blaine draws out the word, “I don’t think I can make it to your friend’s party, but what are your plans now?”

Now? Well, Kurt planned on binge watching trashy TV, order food and wait till it’s time to go see his friends.

“Nothing. I am free,” Kurt answers.

Blaine opens his front door further and steps aside.

“Feel free to come in, then,” Blaine says with a smile and how can Kurt refuse. He didn’t plan on this, but he isn’t mad about it.

“Thank you.”

Blaine gives Kurt a small tour of his still bare apartment. It’s clear that he’s only just moved in. Blaine tells Kurt that beforehand he lived in a shitty dorm room, so he was ecstatic when he found this relatively cheap apartment.

Kurt can relate. He used to live in Bushwick in a place that didn’t have proper walls. This building is still not the most luxurious, but it is an upgrade!

“My dad mentioned you moved here for your studies,” Kurt recalls.

Blaine nods.

“Yeah. I’m go to NYADA. Maybe you’ve heard of it.”

Oh, Kurt’s heard of NYADA. He got accepted into NYADA as well, but he turned it down to pursue an education in fashion instead. But he knows how hard it is to get into NYADA.

The conversation quickly turns into a long and winded discussion about the current Broadway season and how other shows got robbed at previous Tony Awards ceremonies.

Blaine also shows off his new coffee machine (“Got it as a Christmas present!”), so Blaine makes Kurt a fancy cappuccino. It’s so comfortable to be around Blaine and Kurt’s glad that Blaine likes him too.

An hour later, they’re on Blaine’s couch, huddled underneath a shared fleece blanket, and they’re eating snacks that Kurt brought over from his place while watching a Broadway bootleg. Kurt adores this show, but he’s having a hard time paying attention to it.

How can he, when Blaine’s so close?

He keeps staring at Blaine, so of course Blaine notices at one point.

“Something on my face?” he asks with a jokey tone.

Kurt doesn’t answer. He knows what he wants. He puts his hands on Blaine’s cheeks and pulls him in for a kiss.

Blaine kisses back and he wraps his arms around Kurt to pull him even more closer.

Kurt had wanted to kiss him at midnight, but he couldn’t wait any longer. There are no actual fireworks now in the background, but that doesn’t matter. Kissing Blaine already feels like fireworks are going off.

They keep kissing until they remember that they need to breathe.

“Woah,” Blaine sounds out of breath.

“Woah indeed,” Kurt echoes him.

The two of them stare at each other before Blaine throws himself on Kurt and kisses him again.

--

Later that evening, they’re finally finishing the bootleg. They got a bit preoccupied, so they weren’t able to watch all of it.

Both Kurt and Blaine cancelled their plans. They want to spend this New Year’s with each other. Outside, the city of New York is alive and bustling, filled with people who are ready to go wild and party. But Kurt and Blaine are fine, cuddling together in Blaine’s new apartment in their neighbourhood.

It’s a perfect way to start the new year and Kurt wouldn’t have had it any other way.

--

End notes: Here ya go, Arden! Your wishlist was an absolute delight and I actually had a hard time narrowing it down, because I wanted to include as much as possible. This fic uses the "genre: alternative universe", "genre: fluff", "genre: romance", "location: Ohio", "location: New York", "age: young adult/college", "designer!Kurt", "actor!Blaine", "preferred theme: holiday-themed" and of course "other favourite tropes/story elements: neighbours".