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Kurt is the one who suggests hot cocoa, and it takes Blaine a little by surprise.
“He makes the best hot cocoa in the world,” Chris assures them, and then Kurt squeezes his shoulder and something passes between them. Blaine knows that Kurt is worried about Chris, but he hasn’t said why. Kurt had assured him, again and again, that he’s alright, that he’s just worried about Chris. There’s definitely been a shift in the mood—Blaine’s sure they all feel it—but no one seems willing to point it out.
“We should sit by the fire,” Darren suggests, because he loves cheesy things like that, and he’s got Blaine by the wrist and is tugging him towards the living room.
“I’ll stay and help Kurt with the hot cocoa,” Chris says, quietly, and Blaine watches as Kurt’s arm curls around his brother’s shoulders, and then they’re out of sight.
“Darren, I’m pretty sure you learned how to light the fire by yourself years ago,” Blaine mutters, but Darren’s just standing by the grate looking pensive.
“Something feels weird, right?” He doesn’t look at Blaine when he asks, searching for the gas key behind all the picture frames and various things that clutter the mantle.
“…yeah.” Blaine goes to grab the matches, even though Darren is completely capable of lighting the fire on his own.
“Did something happen with you and Kurt…?”
Blaine nearly laughs, because sometimes Darren can be really observant, but sometimes he seems to miss the point completely.
“No, Kurt and I are…” Blaine isn’t sure. They haven’t really spent any time just them since right before Chris and Darren got back from… Well, wherever they went. At least they had the decency to give them privacy, even if that was also ruined by the fact that they’d obviously orchestrated the whole mistletoe thing.
Kurt and him hadn’t spoken much afterwards, sharing shy glances, and Blaine trying to apologize and Kurt telling him that it was unnecessary. But they needed to talk about it, because Blaine needs to know what happens next.
“We’re good,” he finishes, because, yeah, he thinks they are.
“Oh.” Darren frowns, turning on the gas, and Blaine hesitates before throwing the match in. The logs go up cheerily in flames, and Blaine feels that small sense of victory that he usually gets when he doesn’t burn anything down.
“I think Chris is mad at me.”
Blaine looks over at Darren in surprise, but he’s just frowning down at the flames. Blaine can tell that something is wrong, he just… Doesn’t know what? Kurt seems to know, but seems unwilling to share. It makes sense, though. Blaine hasn’t known Kurt very long, but he can tell that he keeps things close to his chest. It isn’t surprising that Chris is the same way, even if Blaine doesn’t know him nearly as well.
“Why?” Blaine asks, because he doesn’t know if that’s the reason, but it isn’t good for Darren to keep these sort of things in.
“I don’t know, he’s just been really quiet all night.” Darren’s eyebrows furrow together.
“Chris is always sort of quiet, though.”
“No… No, he’s not.” Darren looks at Blaine a little incredulously. “Chris is…” Darren just shakes his head, and Blaine raises his eyebrows, surprised. Darren doesn’t run out of words very easily. “He’s contemplative, and thoughtful, but he’s not quiet. Not like this. This is different.” Darren frowns. “Something’s wrong.”
Blaine doesn’t hesitate before pulling Darren into a hug, and Darren hugs him back without question. Of course he does; Blaine knows when Darren just needs a hug, because sometimes words just don’t cut it. And words won’t do it here and now, when Blaine isn’t sure what to say.
“Talk to him?” He suggests, and Darren just nods.
“Interrupting?” Kurt asks, and they turn to see him and Chris walking in with four mugs of hot chocolate. Darren immediately pops away, not because he was caught hugging Blaine, but because he’s hovering by Chris almost immediately.
“You put extra marshmallows in mine!” Darren says happily, and Blaine sees him smile.
“How’d it go?” Blaine asks quietly, and Kurt just smiles a bit.
“We were just making cocoa, Blaine,” Kurt says simply, but Blaine can tell something happened between Kurt and Chris. “The best cocoa of your life.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it.”
*
It’s late, and Blaine can’t quite remember how they all ended up squeezed on the couch in front of the fire, but that’s where they are. Kurt’s asleep, leaning away from Blaine and onto Chris’s shoulder. Darren’s asleep, too, also sprawled unapologetically on Chris.
“Sorry you became the communal pillow,” Blaine says apologetically, and Chris just smiles at him over Kurt’s head.
“I’m used to it. I don’t know why it always seems to happen; I think I’m a little bony to make a very good pillow.”
“I can…” Blaine gestures towards Kurt, but Chris shakes his head, smiles like he’s sorry that he did.
“No, Kurt is…” Chris runs a hand through Kurt’s hair, and Blaine knows (and surely Chris does, too) that if Kurt was awake, Chris would be the subject of his wrath. “He’s weird, when he’s sleeping. He’ll probably hate me for days because I let him sleep in the first place.”
“He looks so cute when he’s sleeping,” Blaine whispers, and then stills, but Chris’s eyes just look happy.
“He does. But don’t tell him that. It sounds like a compliment, but he just gets testy.” Chris rolls his eyes. “Then again, it might be different with you.”
Blaine flushes, looking away, eyes catching on where Kurt’s hand is lying limply between them.
“I should probably get him home.” Chris sighs, starting to shift, but Blaine’s hand shoots out and awkwardly lands on his knee.
“It’s late.” Blaine thinks it over quickly in his head, but, no, this is the best thing to do. “Why don’t you guys just stay here?”
Chris’s eyebrows raise.
“I… Are you sure? We don’t want to—”
“Trust me. The more people here, the happier Darren tends to be.” Chris’s mouth twitches, but he doesn’t say anything. “You and Kurt can stay in my room, and I’ll share with Darren. That way no one’s stuck on the couch?”
“…thanks, Blaine. I really don’t want to force Kurt out in the snow if I don’t have to,” Chris says, with a soft smile. “I, um. Do you mind taking him up and finding him something to wear?” Chris’s eyebrows pull together. “And I’ll…” Chris motions towards Darren, and Blaine just smiles, nodding.
“Sure.”
Chris leans to wake Kurt up then, and he does seem slightly unpleasant once he has his eyes open.
“We’re gonna stay here. Blaine’s gonna give you something to wear to sleep.” Chris speaks slowly and quietly, and Kurt just looks like he’s glaring, but then Blaine is touching his arm and Kurt starts to lean in towards him. Blaine and Chris share a surprised look, and then Chris presses his smile into a thin line.
“Be up in a bit,” he promises Kurt, and Kurt just nods, letting Blaine help him towards the stairs.
“Can we pretend this never happened?” Kurt asks, his voice husky with sleepiness.
“Why?” Blaine feels his heart pick up, and wonders what exactly Kurt is talking about.
“Because I don’t want to think about what my hair looks like, and I’m wrinkled, and just… Can you pretend? Erase it from your memory?” Kurt looks at him, hopefully, and Blaine can’t help but smile. He decides to take Chris’s advice—or, well, implication—to heart.
“But you look so cute,” Blaine whispers, and Kurt immediately ducks his head, and… Well, maybe he should talk to Chris about Kurt more often. “Uh, this is my room. You’ll be sharing with Chris, and I’m just going to find someplace clean to sleep in Darren’s room.”
Kurt laughs first, low and sleepy, but then he frowns.
“Are you sure? I can—”
“Kurt, it’s fine. And I promise my room is clean.” He feels strange, having Kurt in his bedroom when it’s well past midnight and dark. He turns on just the desk lamp, gestures Kurt towards the bathroom door, and begins to dig through his dresser. “They’ll be a little small… You’re taller than I am, so.”
“It’s fine,” Kurt says, smiling. “Ugh,” he groans a moment later, and Blaine looks over at him in worry. “I don’t have my face wash or moisturizer or toothbrush.”
“Um, well… I know it’s not the same, but you can use mine?” Blaine suggests. “I mean, face wash and moisturizer. Obviously not my toothbrush, that would be…” Would it be that weird? They did kiss, but it hadn’t been anything too intense. There’d been no spit exchanged.
“Really?” Kurt looks like Blaine’s just offered him the moon. “I mean, I’ll have to check it, if it’s just going to make my skin worse—”
“Oh, no, I totally understand.” Blaine gives him another hesitant smile, and then hands him some pajamas, and Kurt gives back a smile that’s more gracious than anything else. “So I’ll just… See you in the morning, then.”
Kurt nods, bites his lip, and then steps forward very quickly. Blaine’s not even sure what’s happening, until Kurt’s lips are brushing against his cheek.
“Goodnight, Blaine.” Kurt looks at him for a minute, smiles, small and shy, and then ducks in to the bathroom.
Blaine is torn between doing some sort of victory dance or yelling, but he settles on grinning a little manically instead. He’s humming as he walks back into the hallway, pajamas under his arms, and resigns himself to using Darren’s toothbrush rather than disturb Kurt again. He realizes that Chris hasn’t come up yet, and turns towards the stairs when he hears the sound of murmured voices and then light laughter.
Well, if they’re talking now, it’s probably better if Blaine lets them. He smiles towards the stairway, and then turns towards Darren’s room. There’s promises that it will be a disaster, but at least he knows the last time Darren washed his sheets and doesn’t have to worry too much.
When he closes the door, it’s to the knowledge of Kurt sleeping in his bed, and the sound of his brother laughing softly from a floor below.