Not talking to Kurt at school was rough. Santana tended to try and make up for lack of conversation by talking to Blaine more, but it wasn’t even close to being the same. Maybe he hadn’t quite thought it through when the idea first came up that they should make people think they weren’t friends anymore, but deep down he knew he would have done the same thing. If it came down to being faux-annoyed with Kurt while at school or all the secrets coming tumbling out, he would go with the protection of the former every time. It wasn’t just about him and what he wanted, after all.

Thankfully, he was only grounded for one more week after the duet was done, and once that was over it was easier. He and Kurt may have acted indifferent within the walls of McKinley High School, but afternoons were spent at his house where no one could touch them. Lazy kisses and wandering hands made up for the hours of being ignored, and Blaine couldn’t bring himself to care what happened outside of the times that they were together. Nothing seemed complicated when he had Kurt tucked in close against him and could feel his breath playing across his skin.

Winter break sneaked up on him, but he wasn’t about to complain. Not having to go to school and having to play pretend was like heaven. It didn’t hurt that winter was one of Blaine’s favorite times, especially when snow covered everything as beautifully as it did then, and Christmas was his favorite holiday. The best part about not having school and there being snow was that he could spend all day going out and playing in it until his fingers went numb with cold and then escaping back inside to warm them up around a giant mug of hot chocolate. He’d always loved winter breaks home from Dalton for those exact reasons – because his back yard was a giant hill and he could easily spend entire afternoons flying down it on a sled.

Because when it came to winter and snow, Blaine was five years old.

There had been a particularly good snowfall, with thick crunching snow that was perfect for packing snowballs and building snowmen. It was a fresh layer sparkling on top of everything that had been there previously – filling in the footsteps and indentations that had been made before. When Blaine was little, he’d always thought that it looked like someone took icing and spread it all over the neighborhood. He loved that perfect, smooth look it had when it was unblemished, but he also loved laying down tracks in it from sleds and inner tubes.

He had been planning on inviting Kurt over anyway, but the presence of such perfect snow made him feel like he should have other people over, too. Why not? He figured he owed Brittany anyway, after unintentionally upsetting her. Twice. Besides, he was pretty sure that she enjoyed Christmas and snow almost as much as he did – and he was betting that she could get Santana to act like a kid out in it, if given the chance. So he checked with his mom to make sure it was okay and invited them all over. Honestly, he considered inviting some of the Warblers too, but the majority of them were scattered back to their parents’ houses for the holidays. 

The roads weren’t too bad, at least as far as he could see, but he figured he had enough time to be productive before they got there. His dad had always been a big advocate of making a ramp for taking the inner tube down the hill, because otherwise it was easy for it to get stuck in the snow – especially if it was deeper like it was now. Once Blaine had gotten into middle school, his dad had started putting a bump down toward the bottom of it, so the inner tube would go flying when it hit it. That was the kind of ramp he built while he was waiting for his friends to come over – with a bump toward the bottom, snow packed in tight and with a little water added on top to add a fine layer of ice for extra fun.

Kurt got there first, and even all bundled up in a thick winter coat and at least two scarves he still somehow managed to move gracefully as Blaine took him out to the backyard to see what he’d been working on. It was difficult to hold hands when there were gloves involved, so Blaine settled for resting his arm around Kurt’s waist and holding him in close. His mom had gone to the store, so it wasn’t like anyone would see when he leaned up and pressed a kiss against his cheek, which was tinted pink from the cold, but even if she had been there Blaine really couldn’t have cared less.

“I can’t remember the last time I went sledding,” Kurt mused, reaching up and tugging Blaine’s hat down over his ears.

“Well, you’d better get ready,” Blaine teased, looking up at him. “Because today is going to be nothing but sledding and fun and hot chocolate with probably too many marshmallows.”

“Blaine, I think we need to talk,” Kurt said seriously, biting his lip. “Because there is no such thing as too many marshmallows.” Blaine rolled his eyes and Kurt leaned in to kiss him, and it only took a few seconds for both pairs of lips to start to warm from the cold. A car door slamming in the doorway broke them apart, and the laughter he could hear from around the house clearly told him that it wasn’t his mom.

As Brittany and Santana came into the backyard, Blaine thought about how interesting it was that different people could wear such different outfits for the same activity. Kurt managed to look completely put together and fashionable – as Blaine remembered him being back during the summer – though he assured Blaine that he was wearing multiple layers of pants to try and combat the cold and wet from the snow. Brittany was a burst of pink against the white ground, furry hat and mittens and big boots, and honestly she might have been the most appropriately dressed for the occasion out of all of them. Santana was bundled up in lots of red and black, a big scarf covering half her face, and the way she had her hands shoved in her coat pockets made Blaine worry she wasn’t wearing any gloves, but when she reached out to fix Brittany’s hat he could see that she was.

“Oh my gosh, I want to go down that!” Brittany exclaimed when she saw the ramp, and she grabbed Santana’s hand to drag her over to where the inner tube was.

“I think she meant ‘hi’,” Santana offered, rolling her eyes at Blaine as she let herself be pulled over.

“Want to go down on a sled with me?” Blaine asked Kurt, over the shrieks of the girls sliding down the hill. Kurt stared at him for a moment before a look of realization flashed across his face.

“Oh, yes. Sorry, I completely heard that wrong,” he said, shaking his head. “Go down on a sled with you. Yes. That would be good.”

“What did you think I said?” Blaine asked, his brow furrowed as he moved to grab one of the sleds and take it to the top of the hill.

“Oh, uh, if I wanted to go down on you on a sled,” Kurt said, his hands pushing into the pockets of his coat. “Which, that could be very dangerous should it be in motion—”

“Kurt,” Blaine admonished, looking up at him. “It’s cold out here.”

“That too,” he agreed, sitting on the back of the sled and leaving enough room for Blaine to sit in front of him, which he did. They edged up to the top of the hill and Blaine leaned back against him, taking in the feeling of Kurt's arms wrapped around his waist, legs pressed in against his own, the security of it all as they sped down through the snow and barely came to a stop before the tree line far past the bottom of the hill.

They kept taking trips down the hill on the sled, running their way back up the sides and eventually trading off with the girls for the inner tube. That only happened once, and Kurt went soaring off when they hit the bump in the ramp, hitting the ground with an ‘OOF!’ and refusing to get back on it again even though Blaine assured him he would hold him in. Brittany seemed more than happy to take his place, because she said she liked to feel like she could fly.

Blaine lost count of the amount of times they went down, sled or inner tube or otherwise – like when Brittany convinced them all to roll down the hill with her, and they landed in a big pile of bodies and scarves at the bottom despite the fact that they’d all started in different spots at the top. Santana decided to build a snowman after that, apparently needing a break from constantly climbing back up the hill, and Brittany set about finding decorations for it while she built it.

Everything was all well and good until Blaine decided to throw a snowball over in that direction, and it hit Santana right in the back of the head, causing snow to fall down the back of her coat.

“BLAINE!” she shrieked, tearing across the yard toward him.

“It wasn’t me!” he yelled over his shoulder, trying to run away. “It was Kurt!”

“BULLSHIT IT WAS.” Santana caught up to him and tackled him to the ground, sending them both careening over the edge of the hill and tumbling down. She landed on top of him, sitting on his stomach and untangling his scarf from around his neck with surprisingly deft fingers, and then she started stuffing snow down inside his coat collar.

“STOP STOP STOP!” Blaine yelped, squirming beneath her and batting at her hands, trying to push them away but not succeeding in the least.

“Take her down, Blaine!” Kurt called out helpfully from the top of the hill.

“I can’t – she’s a girl,” he shouted back, managing to catch her wrists for a few seconds before she twisted them out of his grip and pulled off his hat. “Santana!”  

“Should have thought about that before you threw a snowball at me, Anderson,” she growled, and he knew he was being stupid because it was Santana and really, he was going to have every piece of his clothing full of snow if she had her way. So he grabbed the front of her coat and yanked her down against him, throwing her off her balance long enough to roll them over and pin her down. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself.” He grabbed handfuls of snow and was about to get some revenge when a voice stopped him.

“Blaine Anderson, I know I’m seeing things right now because no son of mine would actually be sitting on a young lady and shoving snow down her coat,” his mom called out from the back porch. He dropped his hands down to the sides and looked up at her guiltily. His mom might have been the only person in the world who could rival Kurt for arching an eyebrow that fiercely.

“Busted,” Santana said in a sing-song voice, and he gave her a look before climbing off her and offering a hand to help her up to her feet.

“Why don’t you all come inside to warm up? I’ll start some hot chocolate,” his mom said, before disappearing back into the house.

“Hot chocolate!” Brittany said excitedly, jumping up and down a few times before grabbing Kurt’s hand and tugging him toward the porch. “Yum!”

“Such ungentlemanly behavior,” Santana teased, poking him in the side as they trekked up the hill. He rolled his eyes and gave her a shove as they got to the top, joining the other two and going up onto the porch. They all went inside and stopped inside the door to start taking off their boots and coats, and his mom glanced over at them from in the kitchen.

“I don’t suppose any of you brought extra clothes with you?” A quick glance around at their reactions proved her right, and she looked at Blaine. “Why don’t you run up and get some sweatshirts and pajama pants or something for everyone, and I can toss all your clothes that are wet from outside into the dryer? That way you don’t have to sit around being cold.”

“Wonderful idea, Mrs. Anderson,” Santana said, her teeth chattering as she stood huddled up against Brittany. “I doubt any of Blaine’s hobbit clothes will fit Kurt, though.”

“They’ll fit just fine,” Kurt murmured, side-eyeing her as Blaine slipped off his coat and hung it up on a hook before heading up to his room.

Blaine grabbed multiple pairs of pajama pants before he couldn’t stand to be in his clothes from outside anymore – the amount of snow that had found its way inside them was ridiculous. He stripped down and changed quickly, then finished getting more clothes for his friends. Carefully holding his own wet things in one hand and everything else clutched to his chest with his other arm, he made his way back downstairs to where they were waiting.

“My hero,” Santana said, her tone slightly dry, as she took clothes for herself and Brittany. “Come on, Brit.”

“I’ll show you girls to the spare room, you can change there,” his mom said, leading them off down the hall.

“And for you,” Blaine said, holding the remaining clothes out to Kurt. “You can change in my room or if you don’t want to go that far, there’s the bathroom down here.”

“I think I’ll take the bathroom,” Kurt said, taking the proffered clothes and walking on his tiptoes to get to the bathroom, as if somehow that would help him drip less of the melting snow onto the floor. Blaine picked up a towel from the floor, which his mom must have given them, and rubbed at his hair to try and dry it off.

“Hot chocolate’s almost ready,” his mom said as she went back into the kitchen, and he dropped the towel and trailed after her to sit at one of the stools up against the island.

“She sat on me first, by the way,” Blaine commented, propping his elbows on the counter and resting his chin on his hands. “I was trying to defend myself.”

“Oh Blaine.” She sighed, exasperated, and pulled four mugs down from the cupboard. “I know that you went to an all-boys school but I expected you to remember some manners, at least.”

“She started it!”

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Love me?” he suggested, grinning as she gave him a look. “What?”

“Of course I love you,” she said as she spooned the hot chocolate from the pot on the stove into the mugs. “That doesn’t mean you get to go around sitting on people.”

“I agree,” Santana said, wandering back into the kitchen and plopping down on the stool next to him. “It’s a good thing you’ve got an ass on you; otherwise it might’ve been painful.” Blaine stared at her, horrified to even consider looking over at his mom. Santana was just smirking.

“I’m sorry,” his mom said as she set the mugs down on the counter in front of them, a bemused expression on her face. “I know I’ve heard your names,” she gestured at Brittany as she came into the room, “but who are you, exactly?”

“I’m Brittany.”

“I’m Santana.”

“She’s Blaine’s girlfr—”

“No she’s not,” Blaine interrupted, reaching over and carefully covering Brittany’s mouth before she could finish her sentence. Her eyes widened and his mom’s eyebrows raised, and he dropped his hand quickly. Well, there was no getting out of explaining that one. He sighed, scrubbing his hands across his face before reaching for his hot chocolate. “They’re my friends from school – we’re all in glee club together. My mom is well aware that I’m gay, Brit.”

“Oh.” Brittany slid onto the stool on the other side of Santana and looked down at her hot chocolate before glancing up at his mom. “Where do you keep the marshmallows?”

“Brittany.” Santana nudged her.

“Sorry. Um, may I please have some marshmallows? I asked the other way because I was going to get them myself but I guess that wasn’t polite.” She folded her arms across her lap and stuck her tongue out at Santana.

“Of course.”

Kurt’s hair was sticking up all over the place when he came back into the kitchen, and he leaned against the island rather than sit, his hands wrapped around his mug to try and glean some warmth from it. Blaine was certain it was the most amazing he’d ever looked – but that might have been biased because he liked when Kurt looked undone, as it was usually his doing. The fact that Kurt was wearing his clothes certainly helped. It wasn’t like they didn’t fit him, they were just a little snug, and that was perfectly fine in Blaine’s eyes. Plus, he was certain that Kurt pulled off the Dalton sweatshirt far better than Brittany and Santana did – but then again, he was biased.

“This is ridiculously good hot chocolate,” Santana murmured as she held her mug close to her face, peering over the edge of it up at his mom. “Thank you.”

“Thank you. It’s an old family recipe.”

“Can I be part of your family so I can have this all the time?” Brittany asked, her eyes wide as she took another big sip.

“Sure,” his mom said with a laugh, setting the bag of marshmallows in front of them. “I’ll just leave these here in case any of you want some more.” With that, she left, heading into the laundry room to start all their clothes drying.

“I like your mom,” Santana said conversationally, drinking half her hot chocolate in two big swallows. “She’s nice – and she made you stop sitting on me, so bonus points.”

“Could you maybe not talk about my ass in front of my mom, by the way?”

“I don’t really blame her,” Kurt chimed in, leaning to the side and glancing down at him.

“My eyes are up here,” Blaine said dryly, and Kurt grinned as his gaze flickered up to meet his.

“Can we watch a movie while we wait for our clothes?” Brittany asked, putting more marshmallows in her mug to replace the ones she’d eaten from it already. “Something Christmasy?

“Sure. We’ve got a lot of Christmas movies to pick from,” Blaine said, sliding off his stool and grabbing his mug. “Come on, you can pick.”

They all took their hot chocolate into the den, and Brittany looked over the movie selection before deciding on The Muppet Christmas Carol. Blankets were pulled out of the chest beside the couch and the four of them settled in on it, curling up under the layers of fabric and getting comfortable as Blaine turned on the movie and pressed play. It may have been the middle of the afternoon, and there was some light coming in from the windows, but the room was almost dark enough that it felt like evening.

Blaine couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so comfortable. They were all crammed in close to one another, because the couch wasn’t quite big enough to accommodate four people, but they managed just fine. It was also the comfort of the fact that everyone who was sitting on that couch was, at that moment, content with themselves. There was no fear – not in the way that Santana slipped her arm around Brittany’s shoulders so she could curl up against her, and not in the way that Kurt held Blaine’s hand, on top of the blanket, and rested his head against Blaine's shoulder as he listened to him sing along quietly.

Blaine wondered if Santana’s parents knew about her and Brittany, or if Brittany’s parents did. There was something about the way Brittany had been so eager to share their cover with his mom, like it was something she was used to doing, and how that all had melted away as soon as Blaine had told her there was no need. He’d almost felt some tension leave Santana at that, which made him think that maybe it wasn’t just something she was keeping from the school, but from everyone. Of course, his mom didn’t know about them, but they didn’t bother moving apart from how they were cuddled together when she came in to let them know their clothes were dry and ready whenever the movie was done.

All their clothes were folded in neat piles on the bed of the spare room and after the movie, Brittany and Santana went in to change first. Kurt took the opportunity to press in closer to him, kissing the corner of his mouth. It struck Blaine that it was the first time Kurt had ever kissed him somewhere in his house other than in his room. He smiled, cupping his jaw and tilting his head so he could kiss him full on the mouth. It felt good, felt nice, almost freeing. At least it did before Santana came back in, dressed in her own clothes but hugging his sweatshirt to his chest.

“Can I borrow this?” she asked, holding it up. “I mean, you don’t ever wear it.”

“Uh, sure,” he said, shrugging and untangling himself from the blanket that was covering them. “Do you want to be a Warbler? Because you have a great voice and all, but there’s a slight problem…”

“No, I don’t want to be in some preppy boy bird group,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“We’re not – they’re not a bird group.”

“Whatever.” Santana waved her hand around, shrugging. “I think Brit and I are going to head out, get home for dinner before it snows any more."

“Blaine, your mom gave me some of her hot chocolate mix to take home!” Brittany said, bounding into the room with a big Mason jar clutched in her hands. “I can’t wait to drink it all!”

“Just don’t have it all at once,” his mom added as she walked into the den and started folding the blankets from the couch. “You girls feel free to come by anytime, alright? I’ll make sure Blaine doesn’t sit on you.”

“Mom.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Anderson,” Santana said, an actual, genuine smile spreading across her features at the offer.

Blaine walked with them to the front door, getting hugs from them both before they went out to the driveway. Kurt lingered, and slipped his arms around his waist from behind as they watched them drive away through the window. There was a pause, a hesitation, then his chin tucked in on top of Blaine’s shoulder and he whispered, “Is this okay?”

He could have meant so many things – the affection, him staying, any of it – but Blaine thought he knew what he was asking. It wasn’t just a question about one thing or another, it was everything. Blaine’s hands ran along Kurt’s arms, taking in the soft, worn fabric of his own sweatshirt covering them, until he got to his hands and laced their fingers together. Kurt drew in a breath and let it out slowly, and Blaine leaned back against him. “This is okay.”

They popped in another movie, going for the classic A Christmas Story and curling up on the couch again. There was twice as much space without the girls there, but they didn’t use any more than they had previously. It was nice to be close, to not have to worry, though Blaine was almost certain he was going to have to explain some things to his mom once Kurt left – which he hoped wasn’t anytime soon. Though he didn’t really have to hope when nature took care of that for him.

The movie finished just in time for dinner, which was pizza that Blaine’s dad brought home on his way back from work. It was easily the most time Kurt had ever spent in the same room with Blaine’s parents, which was slightly unnerving for Blaine but it wasn’t like they didn’t know Kurt. He’d been over so often, just always in Blaine's room or away from everyone else. Blaine had spent so much time telling them that he and Kurt were just friends that he wasn’t sure how to go about saying that they weren’t. That wasn’t a bridge he really felt like crossing just then – he’d save it for all the rest of the questions he was sure he was going to be answering.

“My dad texted me,” Kurt said after dinner, looking down at his phone as they took their plates into the kitchen. “Apparently the roads are bad?”

“It’s been getting worse for the past few hours,” his dad said, bringing in the leftover pizza and putting it in the refrigerator. “My car was slipping a little on my way home, and the sleet was just starting.”

“I haven’t even… looked outside since San and Brit left,” Blaine said, his brow furrowing. “Is it really that bad?”

“It’s pretty bad.” Blaine looked over at his dad and he bit his lip.

“If Kurt’s dad doesn’t want him to drive home in the weather, would it be okay if he stayed?” he asked tentatively, and Kurt glanced over at him. “Just, if it’s really bad, that would be better… right?”

“Right…” his dad said slowly, looking between the two of them before giving a slight nod.

“I’ll call and ask,” Kurt offered, his phone still clutched in his hand. “Thanks, Mr. Anderson.”  He ducked out of the kitchen and Blaine could hear him talking to his dad as he went down the hall.

“Thanks, Dad,” Blaine added, putting their plates in the dishwasher and offering his dad a brief smile of gratitude before escaping from the kitchen and trailing after Kurt. It had been a brief call to Mr. Hummel, judging by the fact that Kurt was off the phone by the time Blaine found him perched on the edge of the bed in the spare room, but Kurt just gave him a smile and a nod and Blaine felt a slight rush at the fact that Kurt was spending the night. That hadn’t ever happened before, not even when he’d been at Dalton.

His parents offered Kurt the spare room, which Blaine took as a subtle attempt to keep them from being in the same bed. They settled for unfurling sleeping bags on the floor of the den and grabbing as many spare blankets from Blaine’s room as possible to pile on top, just case, along with plenty of pillows. The icy rain had stopped, but it was back to snowing, and they could see it out the windows through the spaces in the curtains.

It’s a Wonderful Life played in the background as they sat, legs completely engulfed in blankets and backs pressed in against a multitude of pillows, barely paying attention to what was on the screen. Blaine didn’t really know how he was expected to pay attention to a movie, though it was a Christmas movie and a classic, when Kurt was right there beside him. He was far too intent on tracing the tip of his finger along the palm of Kurt’s hand, following every little line and running up and down the edges of his fingers, as if outlining them. Kurt’s head tilted back against the couch cushions, but he still watched the paths of Blaine’s finger as it never ceased in its exploration of his palm.

“You can tell me to stop,” Blaine murmured, after Kurt’s hand had jerked away involuntarily. It was tickling, he knew, it wasn't intentional.

“I never want you to stop,” Kurt whispered, and Blaine glanced up to see him looking down at him so intently.

“Kurt…”

“Blaine…” Kurt drew in a breath and closed the small distance between them, his lips capturing Blaine’s and overwhelming him because he could feel that there was so much behind it. Kurt pulled away first and rested their foreheads together, his eyes closing and his brow furrowing. Blaine stayed quiet, not wanting to speak out of turn when Kurt was so clearly trying to form words to say. “Blaine, I want you.”

“You have me,” he murmured, bringing his hand up to cup Kurt’s cheek and let his thumb stroke against it.

“No, I want you, want to be with you,” Kurt clarified, his eyes opening to look into Blaine’s. “To be able to tell anyone and everyone and hold your hand when I walk down the hall, kiss you somewhere that isn’t behind a closed door. To not have to hide anymore.” He hesitated, his head tilting almost subconsciously into the touch of Blaine’s hand. “You make me want to be more.

“I was fine with pretending until you came along. Everything that happened over the summer should have been terrifying. I never let myself do anything like that before, never even thought about approaching anyone because – what if someone saw? What if I completely misread someone and then people at school found out and then they would know? Being thrown into dumpsters, having slushies tossed in my face, being humiliated on a daily basis and who knows what else – I couldn’t deal with the thought of any of it. But there you were and all I could think was that I didn’t care. And then you came to McKinley and I was terrified because I knew I couldn’t, no matter how much I wanted, and then you gave me so much just by understanding and being willing to deal with all of it, and you never… you never asked for anything in return.”

“Kurt…”

“I want to be with you – out in the open, no hiding, no secrets. I want to be brave for you. I owe you that much, if not more.”

“God, Kurt,” Blaine whispered, his hand sliding to the back of his neck and threading up into his hair. “You don’t owe me anything. I want you too, I do, more than anything. But I can’t… I can’t ask you for that – I can’t let you do that for me. It has to be for you, because you want to. I doubt it’ll be easy, if and when you do come out, and it has to be for you and not anyone else because resentment would be so easy should something bad happen. And Kurt, you are brave, don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

“I hide.”

“You do what you feel is necessary to stay safe,” Blaine corrected gently, kissing him for just a brief moment. “As much as I want to be with you, to shout it from the rooftops and tell the whole world, I would never want you to jeopardize your safety just for that. I could never ask you to, never let you, do that for me. It has to be for you.”

“I want to, not just for you, but I’m just so tired of pretending,” Kurt whispered. “It’s worse now, because there’s you. Before, I just had to keep my head down and no one noticed or paid attention, because it was just me and other than a fleeting ill-advised crush that I knew would never ever amount to anything, I never looked at anyone twice. But now there’s you, and every time I see you I just wonder why I’m holding Brittany’s hand and not yours, and it’s worse now that I’m pretending like I don’t even like you as a friend anymore. You’re kind of that catalyst, but I want this for me. I do.”

Blaine realized it as soon as Kurt said Brittany’s name, and he felt a small punch in his stomach. It was one of those instances where they’d made their bed and were being forced to lie in it, because even if Kurt did want to come out and it was for his own reasons and not because he felt like he owed it to Blaine, he couldn’t – not without dragging Santana and Brittany out with him. He closed his eyes, a slightly bitter laugh falling from his lips as he shook his head. “Mutually assured destruction.”

“What?” Blaine opened his eyes, and Kurt was looking back at him with panic etched across his face.

“No, not – sh, it’s okay,” he said quickly, kissing the corner of his mouth and tracing lazy circles through his hair with his fingers that were already tangled in it. “I just – Santana said that once, when she found out that we had, well, a history. I told her not to tell anyone and she said that it would be mutually assured destruction if she did, so I had nothing to worry about, and God, I really want you to be able to do whatever you want at whatever time you want, and if you want to come out then you should be able to, but…”

“I didn’t even think about them,” Kurt murmured, shaking his head. “I’m a horrible friend.”

“No you’re not, you were just caught up in yourself which is fine, Kurt,” Blaine soothed, his hand moving down to his back to rub between his shoulder blades. “This isn’t something that needs to be rushed, it shouldn’t be rushed – so we’ll all get together and talk. We’ll figure it out, one way or another, and we’ll find a way so that no one gets pushed into something they don’t want. We’ll figure it out.”

“But what if—”

“You have me, Kurt. You have me, and I’m not going anywhere, even if we have to keep pretending until graduation or beyond. There’s no ‘what if’ that’s going to change that.”

That seemed to appease Kurt enough for the subject to be dropped until they could figure out what to do, and the movie ended not long after. They burrowed down into their sleeping bags, and Blaine rolled his over until he was half-laying on top of Kurt, his arm poking out of the top so it could curl around him. Kurt tugged the extra blankets up to their shoulders so that Blaine’s arm was covered and wouldn’t get cold, and they fell asleep amidst lazy kisses.