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There wasn’t much during that first Christmas in New York that Kurt counted a win.
Except, he won round four of the Christmas Tree war.
Round One and Two went to Rachel. Kurt stood strong for a week, but Rachel’s whine about how she never got to decorate a Christmas Tree before (and she lied….she and Finn decorated the Hudson/Hummel tree both their senior and while Kurt was away at Dalton and Kurt’s dad just used that same excuse on him then (well, their senior year at least…junior year Kurt went to school the first of December and came home to the tree decorated and was told to just live with it, it was done)) and how since it was her very first own tree they should decorate as soon as possible was given into in the end. As determined as Kurt was to hold out about it and not decorate until December started and to decorate the tree mostly himself…Rachel bawls when she doesn’t get her way in cases like the tree and the crocodile tears annoy Kurt more than anything else…like homicidal annoyance, not just lock her out of the loft annoyance. It was just better for his sanity.
And since Kurt lost round one (when to decorate the tree) he also lost round three…real or fake. After all, it is no use having a real tree if you put it up at the end of November. By the time Christmas gets there it has no needles left and is a massive fire hazard.
But round four he won.
“That’s is the one, Kurt!” Rachel shouted with wonder in her voice and a wistfulness Kurt wasn’t sure was fake. He considered giving in, too, until he saw what she was looking at.
“No.” Kurt said.
“It is 7 ft tall, so it isn’t too tall and it is bushy and it is pre-lit with white lights. It would fit just right.” Rachel listed off as she read the card telling about the tree.
“No.”
“But Kurt…what is wrong with it?” Rachel said whining.
“It is pink.”
“I know. It is perfect. I’ll get baby blue and white ornaments and ribbons and we’ll wrap all the presents only in white and blue and pink, as well. Or maybe…maybe we’ll go gingham in pinks and baby blue and yellow and maybe even spring green with white ornaments. Or, I know…cupcakes and lollypops and doughnuts and other treats! Our whole place can be a candy land.”
“No.”
“Kurt. I really want that tree. I deserve that tree. I need that tree. It will give me the incentive to really perform well at the Winter Showcase.”
“I don’t care. No. You buy that tree and try to move it into the loft and you will not be living there come the new semester. I will find other roommates to replace you with. Strangers, Rachel. I will replace you with strangers. You will be homeless.”
“But Kurt. It is the perfect tree.”
“No, Rachel. It is not. It is pink.”
“But Kurt…”
“No. I am not kidding, Rachel. You will be homeless.”
Rachel crossed her arms and pouted and fussed and snarled at every other tree before finally just agreeing to whatever Kurt bought.
He didn’t win anything else, not really. Even his audition at the Winter Showcase wasn’t a complete win. Rachel held everything together for three days before blowing up at him for stealing her spotlight and taking attention away from her when it was rightfully hers and having people talking about him in the chatrooms instead of her.
Rachel chose all the ornaments and the rest of the house decorations. Rachel chose the music played and sung. Rachel chose the foods eaten.
And then there was the Santa fiasco (which involved the loss of all the stuff Rachel had bought and decorated with and the loss of the tree), and then his dad and his ‘Christmas gift’ which he could have done without, and yeah…
There wasn’t much good about that first Christmas in New York…but at least they didn’t have a pink tree.