From Now On our Troubles will be Miles Away
Title: From Now On our Troubles will be Miles Away
Rating: PG? I think?
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
Word Count: 3772
Summary: Part of the Lights 'verse (which is what I decided to call it, I guess...), the first one-shot after the epically-long novel of a fic that I posted. Lily's first Christmas.
A/N: You probably need to at least be familiar with Lights Will Guide You Home before you read these, although this particular one-shot could probably stand alone. Also, it is really really hard to write about Christmas in June when it is 100+ degrees outside and your air conditioner is broken...
December 24th, 2026
Lily: 7 mos.
Kurt: 33 years
Blaine: 33 years
“His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
Lily smiled up at them as Kurt closed the storybook.
“What a good Christmas story, Lily! Did you like that?” Blaine cooed at her.
“Gahhhhhh!” came her reply, a string of drool dripping down her chin.
“Do you like it when dada reads to you? Can you say that? Dada?” Kurt asked her.
“Dadadadadadadada!” she squealed, waving her chubby little arms around. Two smiles radiated down at her from above.
“Okay, my little Lily-Lou, it's bedtime. You need to go to sleep so Santa can come.”
“Aaaaa!”
“I know! Daddy and I are excited, too - I bet Santa's going to bring you all sorts of fun presents!” Kurt scooped her up in his arms and she settled into his chest, one tiny fist clutching his shirt sleeve, the other finding its way to her mouth. He straightened her pajamas and shifted her weight so she was resting on his hip.
Blaine walked over and softly kissed the top of her head. “Night night, baby girl, Daddy loves you! Dream of sugar plums and reindeer tonight, okay?” He turned to Kurt. “I'm gonna go ahead and get started while you put her to bed.”
“Okay, I'll only be a few minutes.” Blaine headed off to the living room and Kurt walked Lily into the nursery.
“Sweet dreams, my sweet Lily-Lou,” he whispered after she was changed and nestled in her crib with her favorite blanket. He turned on the baby monitor and turned off the lights. “I love you, baby girl.”
While Kurt was tucking Lily into bed, Blaine had settled onto the floor for his first Daddy-Christmas-duties, trying to assemble the Jumperoo they'd gotten her three weeks prior. (Trying was a key word there.)
“Babe, come give me a hand with this thing. I think it's harder to put together than the crib was!”
“Mmm, I'm always wary of 'some assembly required' warnings … 'requires 3 adults and a monkey' would be much more accurate.” Kurt wandered toward Blaine, stopping at the iPod dock to turn on their Christmas playlist. Josh Groban's velvety voice, singing “Petit Papa Noel,” oozed into the corners of the room, and Kurt joined in with his perfect French accent, singing an octave higher than the famous baritone. “There,” he said, interrupting himself for a moment, “that sounds a lot more like Christmas.”
Blaine looked up, smiling at him as Kurt closed his eyes and continued singing, letting the beautiful orchestral music fill him up. Blaine sat on the floor, mesmerized in a way that only Kurt's voice could accomplish. As the music rose, Blaine stood, leaving the plastic pieces strewn across their hardwoods, and floated over to his partner. When the instrumental line came, he placed his hands on either side of Kurt's face and kissed him softly.
“I will never get tired of hearing you sing.”
“And I will never get tired of making you melt,” Kurt answered, his eyelids rising slowly like the sun. Blaine's body fell in line with Kurt's, his right hand on Kurt's small waist, his left hand softly holding Kurt's right. He tugged gently, bringing them close, and they swayed in a lazy circle until the last notes played.
“Merry Christmas, my love.”
“Joyeux Noel, mon amour.”
They stayed pressed together that way for a few seconds more, and then the spell was broken by the first notes of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Laughing, Blaine took Kurt's hand and danced him back to the middle of the living room floor where the pieces of Lily's toy lay waiting to be put together.
They sat cross-legged on the floor in comfortable silence, every now and then singing a line or two of whatever song was playing. They assembled toys and cut paper and tore tape and made creases along box corners, joined in the singular goal of giving Lily a proper first Christmas. Because they realized how everything could change in an instant, because they recognized what a gift they'd been given when they brought her home, Kurt and Blaine tried to make every second count when it came to their daughter, and Christmas would be no exception.
Two hours later, after bows were perfectly tied and packages were placed under the tree, Blaine stood up to stretch and happened to glance out the window.
“Kurt. Snow.”
Kurt pushed himself up off the hard floor and followed Blaine's eyes to watch white powder falling from the sky. He found the baby monitor and tugged at Blaine's hand.
“Come on.”
They threw on coats and scarves and hats over their lounge clothes, Kurt stuffing the monitor in his pocket with the volume turned to high, and took the stairs down to the lobby. They gasped when bitter cold air hit their faces as the door opened, and stepped out onto the sidewalk, standing with hands clasped together and staring up at the night sky.
“There really is something magical about Christmas,” Blaine breathed, blinking snowflakes out of his long, dark eyelashes. Kurt didn't reply, but instead raised his head and opened his mouth, trying to catch the big, soft flakes on his tongue.
“Look at you.” Blaine backed up to take him all in. “You're so gorgeous.”
“Blaine, don't be ridiculous. I look like a disaster right now.”
“Maybe so,” he said, smiling a little at Kurt's abnormally thrown-together appearance, “But you're my disaster.”
Kurt stepped closer, curling around his partner. Blaine was miraculously warm for the frigid night, and Kurt tried to absorb his heat deep into his own body. He wished he could freeze time there in that moment, standing in the snow with Blaine, their bodies tucked perfectly into each other.
“Merry Christmas, honey,” he whispered softly for the second time that evening.
“Merry Christmas. I love you.”
* * * * * * * *
“Lily, look who came last night!” Kurt squealed to his little girl as he carried her into the living room. A sleepy Blaine sat on the couch with his legs tucked up underneath him, a half-eaten cinnamon roll in one hand and their camera on the coffee table in front of him.
“These are so good, babe,” he said, his mouth half-full. “I can't believe you got up and made them this morning.”
Kurt just waved his comment away - of course he'd baked cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. He'd only done it every year since they'd lived together.
Blaine set the other half of the pastry down on his napkin and held his hands out for the baby. “Lily, Merry Christmas! Come see Daddy.”
She squealed happily and Kurt handed her down to him. “Dadadadadadada!”
Blaine planted a big, smacking kiss on her cheek and leaned back with her, stretching out on the couch. Kurt was fiddling with his laptop in order to Skype Burt, Carole, and Finn in on their celebration. They would be flying out to Ohio the next day, but Kurt's family had practically begged to watch her open gifts on Christmas morning at their condo.
A few seconds later, a picture of Burt Hummel hovering very close to the screen appeared.
“Whoa, Dad, back up a little. I'm pretty sure I could count your pores if I wanted to...”
Burt did so, and motioned for Carole and Finn to come over, and they all crowded into the view of the camera. Burt had on his bathrobe, Carole was wearing a hideous Christmas sweater that Kurt made a mental note to confiscate later, and Finn was wearing a Franklin Heights High School t-shirt and a Santa hat.
“Merry Christmas!” their three voices rang out.
“Hey guys!” Blaine called from the couch.
“Okay, can you see all three of us? And the tree? And how's the sound?” Kurt was asking.
Burt laughed. “You're good, kiddo. We can see and hear everything.”
“Lily! Hey sweetie!” Finn called, waving at the baby. Lily babbled a reply, effectively melting the hearts of her grandparents and uncle.
“I just want to freeze her right now, you know, keep her at this age forever,” Kurt said, pecking a kiss on her head.
“You'll feel like that at every age, honey,” Carole said, then added as an afterthought, “Except for maybe 12 to 14. Those were hard years.”
“Hey!” came Finn's retort, “I wasn't that bad, was I?”
“Oh sweetie, of course I still loved you - but I might have gone crazy if you'd been frozen at 13 forever.”
“I think Dad would have murdered me if I'd stayed 13 forever,” Kurt told his brother.
“I still don't think I was that bad. I was just … going through an awkward stage, that's all...”
“Finn. You work with teenagers. Don't even try to tell me that you don't know exactly what we're talking about here...” his mom said with a laugh.
“Okay family, let's all remember that it's Christmas, and we love each other,” Blaine gently lectured, the smile apparent in his voice.
“Thank you, Blaine,” Burt said pointedly. “Now I want to see my grandbaby open some presents.”
“Oh, before we do, you guys have to see this - Lily just started doing this last week...” Blaine gently set Lily on the ground on her tummy, and Kurt angled the computer screen where they could see her. He grabbed one of Lily's little stuffed teddy bears and placed it about 2 feet in front of her, moving it around a bit. She cocked her head, watching it, then propped herself up on her elbows, kicked her feet wildly, and scooted forward a little bit. Four scoots later, the bear was in her hands (and then immediately in her mouth.) Everyone cheered and clapped for her, and she looked quite pleased with herself, grinning up at her dads as if she knew she'd done something good.
“God, she's getting big. I can't believe she's mobile already...” Finn had surprised everyone, including himself, with the incredible fondness he held for his niece. “I see what you mean about wanting to freeze her where she is.”
“Yeah, I always thought it was so dumb when Dad told me he was going to put a brick on my head,” Kurt said. He looked at Burt through the computer screen. “But I understand what you meant now.”
Burt simply nodded at him.
Blaine had finished eating his cinnamon roll during this exchange, and he got up off the couch to get Lily's first present. She was still mouthing at her teddy bear, and Kurt gently took it away from her and sat her up on the floor. He turned their camera on, ready to capture those first precious moments as she figured out how to rip the paper from her gift.
Blaine held it up in front of her. “Here, Lily-Lou, you can open it.”
She stared up at him, unsure of what to do next. He tore a little piece of paper for her to get her started, and she squealed in delight.
“Now you do it.” He brought her hand up to the paper, and she grabbed and pulled, ripping a large piece off. She squealed again, laughing happily, and ripped some more. The rip-squeal-laugh sequence continued for the next five minutes as she took her time getting to what was inside. They'd gotten her a Leap Frog musical activity table, but she seemed much more interested in eating the wrapping paper than playing with the toy.
“I think we could have just wrapped up empty boxes and she would have been just as happy,” Kurt observed as Blaine pulled a large wad of wrapping paper out of her mouth.
“I coulda' told you that, Kurt,” Burt said with a smile.
They moved onto her other gifts, and she was just as excited to open the remainder of them as she was the first. In addition to the activity table, they'd gotten her the Jumperoo that had taken so long to assemble the night before, some much-needed clothes as she was growing by leaps and bounds, several stuffed animals, and a few new books for bedtime stories. Kurt and Blaine had both snapped so many pictures that they'd lost count, and by the time they offered her the very last gift, they were all smiling so hard their faces hurt.
“Put her in the Jumperoo, I want to see what she does with it,” Finn said with a grin.
Kurt scooped her off the floor and set her in the seat. At first she simply banged her hands on the tray in front of her, setting off all sorts of music and noises, and she jumped, startled at the sounds. But when she jumped, she seemed to realize that she was bouncing, and she looked up at Kurt and Blaine.
“It's okay sweetheart, go ahead!”
She tentatively crouched down with her feet on the ground and pushed up, a grin coming over her sweet face. She repeated the motion several times until she was in a full-on bounce, waving her chubby little arms in the air. Burt, Carole, and Finn were all laughing in delight at the sight, and Blaine had gotten the camera and was videoing her “performance.” Then he had an idea.
“Kurt, Kurt, turn on some music! See what she does … I wonder if she'll dance...”
Kurt looked positively giddy as he ran over to their iPod dock, scrolling through his playlists and turning on “Sleigh Ride.” He grooved back over to Lily and took her hands, helping her bounce to the music. Blaine kept taping, grinning like an idiot as he zoomed in on their faces as Kurt and Lily just beamed at each other.
* * * * * * * *
“Well I'd say we can count this as a successful first Christmas,” Blaine said as he picked up wrapping paper and stuffed it into a garbage bag. They'd put Lily down for a nap after all the excitement, ended their Skype call with farewells of “See you tomorrow” and “Merry Christmas” and “We love you,” and were settling into what looked to be a lazy afternoon.
“Agreed. But we haven't exchanged gifts yet,” Kurt pointed out.
“That's true. Would you like to remedy that?”
“Very much. Let me go get yours.” And Kurt flounced off to their closet, unearthing a fairly large box from the back of the top shelf.
“How long have you been hiding that up there?” Blaine asked incredulously after following him into their bedroom.
“Oh, about a month or so. Sometimes you're not exactly the most observant person in the world, honey...”
Blaine rolled his eyes, but began to tear the paper off the box. He took off the lid, drawing in a sharp breath.
“Kurt, it's beautiful.” He pulled the sweater out, a soft but heavy knit. It was a cardigan of sorts, a striking slate-gray color with brown toggle fasteners and a turned-down collar. He rubbed his cheek into the supple fabric, sighing happily. Then came the usual question saved for whenever Kurt bought him clothing. “Who is it?”
“It's mine.” He suddenly sounded shy, shyer than he had been in years. There was a vulnerability lingering just below the surface of Kurt's voice and demeanor that Blaine barely recognized anymore.
“Yours? As in, you made this for me?”
“As in, I handpicked the yarn and knitted it on a loom with my own two hands.” The familiar confidence was coming back. “I realized a few months ago, I've never actually made you a piece of clothing. Which is just … ridiculous, really, considering how long we've been together, and how long I've been designing.” He paused, the vulnerability slipping back into his voice. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. God, I can't believe you made it … I mean, I've seen your work so many times, but … I don't know, this feels different.”
“It is different. It's one-of-a-kind, tailor-made for you. And it's customized - look on the inside, where the label would be.”
Blaine held the sweater up and found words hand-stitched in Kurt's perfect script on the inside just below the collar.
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)
“Oh, babe,” he sighed, and pulled his partner into a tight, loving hug.
“Merry Christmas,” Kurt whispered in his ear.
When they finally broke apart, Blaine pulled off the sweater he'd been wearing and pulled the cardigan on. To no one's surprise, it fit perfectly. Kurt stood back, admiring his handiwork.
“It looks good on you. Of course, everything does...”
Blaine strode forward to the mirror, eyeing himself, turning around to see the back. He smiled his approval, and turned back to his partner.
“You're amazing, and I love you. And now I feel like your gift is going to be the biggest letdown in the history of Christmas presents...”
“Oh, stop. I'm sure it's amazing.”
“Not like this is,” Blaine countered, pointing at the sweater he was currently enveloped in.
Kurt shook his head. “Blaine, seriously stop it. Now go get my present so you can watch me flail over its assured perfection.”
“Okay bossy...”
“Go.”
And Blaine trotted over to his dresser, unearthing a small rectangular box. “I'm not the only one who's less-than-observant at times,” he said with a smirk.
This time it was Kurt who rolled his eyes and snatched the box from Blaine's hands.
“OhmygodBlaine. Blaine.” His head snapped up as he removed the two small pieces of paper from the box. “Do you know what these are?”
“I do.”
“These are tickets. To opening night. For the Broadway revival of RENT.”
“They are.”
“Opening night, Blaine.”
“Yep.”
“In Row D!! Four rows from the stage!”
“Yep.”
“How did you think that I wouldn't like this?!?!”
“I don't know … I didn't think that you wouldn't like it, it's just not as … personal. Or heartfelt. You knitted me a sweater on a freaking loom, Kurt. We go see Broadway shows all the time.”
“Not anymore we don't.”
He had a point there.
“Well … yeah, that's kind of why I got them. We haven't been on a date-date since Lily came home, and we haven't seen a show since then either, and I thought it might be nice to have a night to ourselves. I've already made arrangements for Zoe to keep her overnight that night, so it'll just be the two of us-”
He was cut off by Kurt's lips being firmly planted on top of his. He let himself sink into the kiss, a warm, burning feeling rising up all over him, and his hands came up to cup around Kurt's soft face.
“God I love you,” Kurt murmured against his lips, never breaking contact.
He walked Blaine backwards until he was leaning against the wall, then began to trail kisses down his face to his neck and collarbone.
Their reverie was broken a few seconds later, however, by Lily's cries.
“And that is why Zoe will be keeping her for the night when we see RENT,” Blaine said with a sigh. “I love her so, so much, but honestly, if we had a nickel for every time she interrupted us...”
“You'd never have to write another book ever again,” Kurt finished for him. “I'll go get her.”
They spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with Lily's new toys and packing for their trip to Ohio the next day, but by evening their pace had slowed. Blaine was sitting at the piano with Lily, playing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and Kurt was lounging on the couch with his sketch pad, idly doodling new designs.
It was moments like this when Kurt felt that his life truly could not get any better. There he was on Christmas Day, stretched out and comfortable, drawing designs that actually had a potential to be created into being, his partner singing his favorite Christmas song in that beautiful voice of his, their baby sitting happily at the piano. Every now and then Lily would reach up and plunk out a note or two on the keyboard, and Blaine would smile down at her, never missing a beat. And when the song was done, he took her little hands and placed them on the keys, helping her beat out notes that to most people would sound like noise, but to Kurt's biased ears sounded more like a concerto.
It was the perfect way to end her first Christmas, and he settled back to enjoy the sounds of Blaine and Lily making music together.
Rating: PG? I think?
Warnings: none
Spoilers: none
Word Count: 3772
Summary: Part of the Lights 'verse (which is what I decided to call it, I guess...), the first one-shot after the epically-long novel of a fic that I posted. Lily's first Christmas.
A/N: You probably need to at least be familiar with Lights Will Guide You Home before you read these, although this particular one-shot could probably stand alone. Also, it is really really hard to write about Christmas in June when it is 100+ degrees outside and your air conditioner is broken...
December 24th, 2026
Lily: 7 mos.
Kurt: 33 years
Blaine: 33 years
“His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly!
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"
Lily smiled up at them as Kurt closed the storybook.
“What a good Christmas story, Lily! Did you like that?” Blaine cooed at her.
“Gahhhhhh!” came her reply, a string of drool dripping down her chin.
“Do you like it when dada reads to you? Can you say that? Dada?” Kurt asked her.
“Dadadadadadadada!” she squealed, waving her chubby little arms around. Two smiles radiated down at her from above.
“Okay, my little Lily-Lou, it's bedtime. You need to go to sleep so Santa can come.”
“Aaaaa!”
“I know! Daddy and I are excited, too - I bet Santa's going to bring you all sorts of fun presents!” Kurt scooped her up in his arms and she settled into his chest, one tiny fist clutching his shirt sleeve, the other finding its way to her mouth. He straightened her pajamas and shifted her weight so she was resting on his hip.
Blaine walked over and softly kissed the top of her head. “Night night, baby girl, Daddy loves you! Dream of sugar plums and reindeer tonight, okay?” He turned to Kurt. “I'm gonna go ahead and get started while you put her to bed.”
“Okay, I'll only be a few minutes.” Blaine headed off to the living room and Kurt walked Lily into the nursery.
“Sweet dreams, my sweet Lily-Lou,” he whispered after she was changed and nestled in her crib with her favorite blanket. He turned on the baby monitor and turned off the lights. “I love you, baby girl.”
While Kurt was tucking Lily into bed, Blaine had settled onto the floor for his first Daddy-Christmas-duties, trying to assemble the Jumperoo they'd gotten her three weeks prior. (Trying was a key word there.)
“Babe, come give me a hand with this thing. I think it's harder to put together than the crib was!”
“Mmm, I'm always wary of 'some assembly required' warnings … 'requires 3 adults and a monkey' would be much more accurate.” Kurt wandered toward Blaine, stopping at the iPod dock to turn on their Christmas playlist. Josh Groban's velvety voice, singing “Petit Papa Noel,” oozed into the corners of the room, and Kurt joined in with his perfect French accent, singing an octave higher than the famous baritone. “There,” he said, interrupting himself for a moment, “that sounds a lot more like Christmas.”
Blaine looked up, smiling at him as Kurt closed his eyes and continued singing, letting the beautiful orchestral music fill him up. Blaine sat on the floor, mesmerized in a way that only Kurt's voice could accomplish. As the music rose, Blaine stood, leaving the plastic pieces strewn across their hardwoods, and floated over to his partner. When the instrumental line came, he placed his hands on either side of Kurt's face and kissed him softly.
“I will never get tired of hearing you sing.”
“And I will never get tired of making you melt,” Kurt answered, his eyelids rising slowly like the sun. Blaine's body fell in line with Kurt's, his right hand on Kurt's small waist, his left hand softly holding Kurt's right. He tugged gently, bringing them close, and they swayed in a lazy circle until the last notes played.
“Merry Christmas, my love.”
“Joyeux Noel, mon amour.”
They stayed pressed together that way for a few seconds more, and then the spell was broken by the first notes of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Laughing, Blaine took Kurt's hand and danced him back to the middle of the living room floor where the pieces of Lily's toy lay waiting to be put together.
They sat cross-legged on the floor in comfortable silence, every now and then singing a line or two of whatever song was playing. They assembled toys and cut paper and tore tape and made creases along box corners, joined in the singular goal of giving Lily a proper first Christmas. Because they realized how everything could change in an instant, because they recognized what a gift they'd been given when they brought her home, Kurt and Blaine tried to make every second count when it came to their daughter, and Christmas would be no exception.
Two hours later, after bows were perfectly tied and packages were placed under the tree, Blaine stood up to stretch and happened to glance out the window.
“Kurt. Snow.”
Kurt pushed himself up off the hard floor and followed Blaine's eyes to watch white powder falling from the sky. He found the baby monitor and tugged at Blaine's hand.
“Come on.”
They threw on coats and scarves and hats over their lounge clothes, Kurt stuffing the monitor in his pocket with the volume turned to high, and took the stairs down to the lobby. They gasped when bitter cold air hit their faces as the door opened, and stepped out onto the sidewalk, standing with hands clasped together and staring up at the night sky.
“There really is something magical about Christmas,” Blaine breathed, blinking snowflakes out of his long, dark eyelashes. Kurt didn't reply, but instead raised his head and opened his mouth, trying to catch the big, soft flakes on his tongue.
“Look at you.” Blaine backed up to take him all in. “You're so gorgeous.”
“Blaine, don't be ridiculous. I look like a disaster right now.”
“Maybe so,” he said, smiling a little at Kurt's abnormally thrown-together appearance, “But you're my disaster.”
Kurt stepped closer, curling around his partner. Blaine was miraculously warm for the frigid night, and Kurt tried to absorb his heat deep into his own body. He wished he could freeze time there in that moment, standing in the snow with Blaine, their bodies tucked perfectly into each other.
“Merry Christmas, honey,” he whispered softly for the second time that evening.
“Merry Christmas. I love you.”
* * * * * * * *
“Lily, look who came last night!” Kurt squealed to his little girl as he carried her into the living room. A sleepy Blaine sat on the couch with his legs tucked up underneath him, a half-eaten cinnamon roll in one hand and their camera on the coffee table in front of him.
“These are so good, babe,” he said, his mouth half-full. “I can't believe you got up and made them this morning.”
Kurt just waved his comment away - of course he'd baked cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. He'd only done it every year since they'd lived together.
Blaine set the other half of the pastry down on his napkin and held his hands out for the baby. “Lily, Merry Christmas! Come see Daddy.”
She squealed happily and Kurt handed her down to him. “Dadadadadadada!”
Blaine planted a big, smacking kiss on her cheek and leaned back with her, stretching out on the couch. Kurt was fiddling with his laptop in order to Skype Burt, Carole, and Finn in on their celebration. They would be flying out to Ohio the next day, but Kurt's family had practically begged to watch her open gifts on Christmas morning at their condo.
A few seconds later, a picture of Burt Hummel hovering very close to the screen appeared.
“Whoa, Dad, back up a little. I'm pretty sure I could count your pores if I wanted to...”
Burt did so, and motioned for Carole and Finn to come over, and they all crowded into the view of the camera. Burt had on his bathrobe, Carole was wearing a hideous Christmas sweater that Kurt made a mental note to confiscate later, and Finn was wearing a Franklin Heights High School t-shirt and a Santa hat.
“Merry Christmas!” their three voices rang out.
“Hey guys!” Blaine called from the couch.
“Okay, can you see all three of us? And the tree? And how's the sound?” Kurt was asking.
Burt laughed. “You're good, kiddo. We can see and hear everything.”
“Lily! Hey sweetie!” Finn called, waving at the baby. Lily babbled a reply, effectively melting the hearts of her grandparents and uncle.
“I just want to freeze her right now, you know, keep her at this age forever,” Kurt said, pecking a kiss on her head.
“You'll feel like that at every age, honey,” Carole said, then added as an afterthought, “Except for maybe 12 to 14. Those were hard years.”
“Hey!” came Finn's retort, “I wasn't that bad, was I?”
“Oh sweetie, of course I still loved you - but I might have gone crazy if you'd been frozen at 13 forever.”
“I think Dad would have murdered me if I'd stayed 13 forever,” Kurt told his brother.
“I still don't think I was that bad. I was just … going through an awkward stage, that's all...”
“Finn. You work with teenagers. Don't even try to tell me that you don't know exactly what we're talking about here...” his mom said with a laugh.
“Okay family, let's all remember that it's Christmas, and we love each other,” Blaine gently lectured, the smile apparent in his voice.
“Thank you, Blaine,” Burt said pointedly. “Now I want to see my grandbaby open some presents.”
“Oh, before we do, you guys have to see this - Lily just started doing this last week...” Blaine gently set Lily on the ground on her tummy, and Kurt angled the computer screen where they could see her. He grabbed one of Lily's little stuffed teddy bears and placed it about 2 feet in front of her, moving it around a bit. She cocked her head, watching it, then propped herself up on her elbows, kicked her feet wildly, and scooted forward a little bit. Four scoots later, the bear was in her hands (and then immediately in her mouth.) Everyone cheered and clapped for her, and she looked quite pleased with herself, grinning up at her dads as if she knew she'd done something good.
“God, she's getting big. I can't believe she's mobile already...” Finn had surprised everyone, including himself, with the incredible fondness he held for his niece. “I see what you mean about wanting to freeze her where she is.”
“Yeah, I always thought it was so dumb when Dad told me he was going to put a brick on my head,” Kurt said. He looked at Burt through the computer screen. “But I understand what you meant now.”
Burt simply nodded at him.
Blaine had finished eating his cinnamon roll during this exchange, and he got up off the couch to get Lily's first present. She was still mouthing at her teddy bear, and Kurt gently took it away from her and sat her up on the floor. He turned their camera on, ready to capture those first precious moments as she figured out how to rip the paper from her gift.
Blaine held it up in front of her. “Here, Lily-Lou, you can open it.”
She stared up at him, unsure of what to do next. He tore a little piece of paper for her to get her started, and she squealed in delight.
“Now you do it.” He brought her hand up to the paper, and she grabbed and pulled, ripping a large piece off. She squealed again, laughing happily, and ripped some more. The rip-squeal-laugh sequence continued for the next five minutes as she took her time getting to what was inside. They'd gotten her a Leap Frog musical activity table, but she seemed much more interested in eating the wrapping paper than playing with the toy.
“I think we could have just wrapped up empty boxes and she would have been just as happy,” Kurt observed as Blaine pulled a large wad of wrapping paper out of her mouth.
“I coulda' told you that, Kurt,” Burt said with a smile.
They moved onto her other gifts, and she was just as excited to open the remainder of them as she was the first. In addition to the activity table, they'd gotten her the Jumperoo that had taken so long to assemble the night before, some much-needed clothes as she was growing by leaps and bounds, several stuffed animals, and a few new books for bedtime stories. Kurt and Blaine had both snapped so many pictures that they'd lost count, and by the time they offered her the very last gift, they were all smiling so hard their faces hurt.
“Put her in the Jumperoo, I want to see what she does with it,” Finn said with a grin.
Kurt scooped her off the floor and set her in the seat. At first she simply banged her hands on the tray in front of her, setting off all sorts of music and noises, and she jumped, startled at the sounds. But when she jumped, she seemed to realize that she was bouncing, and she looked up at Kurt and Blaine.
“It's okay sweetheart, go ahead!”
She tentatively crouched down with her feet on the ground and pushed up, a grin coming over her sweet face. She repeated the motion several times until she was in a full-on bounce, waving her chubby little arms in the air. Burt, Carole, and Finn were all laughing in delight at the sight, and Blaine had gotten the camera and was videoing her “performance.” Then he had an idea.
“Kurt, Kurt, turn on some music! See what she does … I wonder if she'll dance...”
Kurt looked positively giddy as he ran over to their iPod dock, scrolling through his playlists and turning on “Sleigh Ride.” He grooved back over to Lily and took her hands, helping her bounce to the music. Blaine kept taping, grinning like an idiot as he zoomed in on their faces as Kurt and Lily just beamed at each other.
* * * * * * * *
“Well I'd say we can count this as a successful first Christmas,” Blaine said as he picked up wrapping paper and stuffed it into a garbage bag. They'd put Lily down for a nap after all the excitement, ended their Skype call with farewells of “See you tomorrow” and “Merry Christmas” and “We love you,” and were settling into what looked to be a lazy afternoon.
“Agreed. But we haven't exchanged gifts yet,” Kurt pointed out.
“That's true. Would you like to remedy that?”
“Very much. Let me go get yours.” And Kurt flounced off to their closet, unearthing a fairly large box from the back of the top shelf.
“How long have you been hiding that up there?” Blaine asked incredulously after following him into their bedroom.
“Oh, about a month or so. Sometimes you're not exactly the most observant person in the world, honey...”
Blaine rolled his eyes, but began to tear the paper off the box. He took off the lid, drawing in a sharp breath.
“Kurt, it's beautiful.” He pulled the sweater out, a soft but heavy knit. It was a cardigan of sorts, a striking slate-gray color with brown toggle fasteners and a turned-down collar. He rubbed his cheek into the supple fabric, sighing happily. Then came the usual question saved for whenever Kurt bought him clothing. “Who is it?”
“It's mine.” He suddenly sounded shy, shyer than he had been in years. There was a vulnerability lingering just below the surface of Kurt's voice and demeanor that Blaine barely recognized anymore.
“Yours? As in, you made this for me?”
“As in, I handpicked the yarn and knitted it on a loom with my own two hands.” The familiar confidence was coming back. “I realized a few months ago, I've never actually made you a piece of clothing. Which is just … ridiculous, really, considering how long we've been together, and how long I've been designing.” He paused, the vulnerability slipping back into his voice. “Do you like it?”
“I love it. God, I can't believe you made it … I mean, I've seen your work so many times, but … I don't know, this feels different.”
“It is different. It's one-of-a-kind, tailor-made for you. And it's customized - look on the inside, where the label would be.”
Blaine held the sweater up and found words hand-stitched in Kurt's perfect script on the inside just below the collar.
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)
“Oh, babe,” he sighed, and pulled his partner into a tight, loving hug.
“Merry Christmas,” Kurt whispered in his ear.
When they finally broke apart, Blaine pulled off the sweater he'd been wearing and pulled the cardigan on. To no one's surprise, it fit perfectly. Kurt stood back, admiring his handiwork.
“It looks good on you. Of course, everything does...”
Blaine strode forward to the mirror, eyeing himself, turning around to see the back. He smiled his approval, and turned back to his partner.
“You're amazing, and I love you. And now I feel like your gift is going to be the biggest letdown in the history of Christmas presents...”
“Oh, stop. I'm sure it's amazing.”
“Not like this is,” Blaine countered, pointing at the sweater he was currently enveloped in.
Kurt shook his head. “Blaine, seriously stop it. Now go get my present so you can watch me flail over its assured perfection.”
“Okay bossy...”
“Go.”
And Blaine trotted over to his dresser, unearthing a small rectangular box. “I'm not the only one who's less-than-observant at times,” he said with a smirk.
This time it was Kurt who rolled his eyes and snatched the box from Blaine's hands.
“OhmygodBlaine. Blaine.” His head snapped up as he removed the two small pieces of paper from the box. “Do you know what these are?”
“I do.”
“These are tickets. To opening night. For the Broadway revival of RENT.”
“They are.”
“Opening night, Blaine.”
“Yep.”
“In Row D!! Four rows from the stage!”
“Yep.”
“How did you think that I wouldn't like this?!?!”
“I don't know … I didn't think that you wouldn't like it, it's just not as … personal. Or heartfelt. You knitted me a sweater on a freaking loom, Kurt. We go see Broadway shows all the time.”
“Not anymore we don't.”
He had a point there.
“Well … yeah, that's kind of why I got them. We haven't been on a date-date since Lily came home, and we haven't seen a show since then either, and I thought it might be nice to have a night to ourselves. I've already made arrangements for Zoe to keep her overnight that night, so it'll just be the two of us-”
He was cut off by Kurt's lips being firmly planted on top of his. He let himself sink into the kiss, a warm, burning feeling rising up all over him, and his hands came up to cup around Kurt's soft face.
“God I love you,” Kurt murmured against his lips, never breaking contact.
He walked Blaine backwards until he was leaning against the wall, then began to trail kisses down his face to his neck and collarbone.
Their reverie was broken a few seconds later, however, by Lily's cries.
“And that is why Zoe will be keeping her for the night when we see RENT,” Blaine said with a sigh. “I love her so, so much, but honestly, if we had a nickel for every time she interrupted us...”
“You'd never have to write another book ever again,” Kurt finished for him. “I'll go get her.”
They spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with Lily's new toys and packing for their trip to Ohio the next day, but by evening their pace had slowed. Blaine was sitting at the piano with Lily, playing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and Kurt was lounging on the couch with his sketch pad, idly doodling new designs.
It was moments like this when Kurt felt that his life truly could not get any better. There he was on Christmas Day, stretched out and comfortable, drawing designs that actually had a potential to be created into being, his partner singing his favorite Christmas song in that beautiful voice of his, their baby sitting happily at the piano. Every now and then Lily would reach up and plunk out a note or two on the keyboard, and Blaine would smile down at her, never missing a beat. And when the song was done, he took her little hands and placed them on the keys, helping her beat out notes that to most people would sound like noise, but to Kurt's biased ears sounded more like a concerto.
It was the perfect way to end her first Christmas, and he settled back to enjoy the sounds of Blaine and Lily making music together.