Christmas had come and gone; it had been a little strange to actually do something for the holiday since for the previous 4 years, Kevin had gone to see his father for Christmas. But it had been very nice spending the day with Blaine. He had loved the sketchbooks and pencils she had gotten him, which made Lee happy. And what he had gotten her, a coffee mug with candy and a necklace hiding in the bottom of the mug, had been very sweet.

And the Christmas lunch with Rachel had gone rather well, with far fewer questions than Lee had expected. At least fewer questions while Blaine had been there. That hadn’t stopped the questions that had been asked since then, practically every moment Rachel had gotten Lee alone. Not that that surprised Lee, she had been expecting most of the questions.

But that wasn’t everything that Lee had to deal with over the holidays. She had talked to Blaine about meeting Kevin, and he had agreed that it would be a good idea. And while Lee hadn’t been planning on doing this even remotely this soon, when they had first started the relationship Lee had figured it would be at least a few months before she had Blaine and Kevin meet, things had gotten far more serious far faster than she had thought possible. Because things were more serious, Lee had realized that meant other things, such as meeting Kevin, would have to happen sooner.

That left Lee nervous for the week between Christmas and New Years. It had been her who suggested that they get together for lunch on New Year's’ Day so that she had time to talk to Kevin about it first, to broach the idea of him meeting Blaine, and why it was important. But Lee honestly had no idea how to do that with him. Until a couple of weeks ago, she’d never actually thought she would ever have to do this, so it wasn’t like Lee had thought about how she would do something like this.

Suddenly, it was New Year’s Eve, and Lee still hadn’t talked to Kevin about meeting Blaine the next day. So Lee sat down to play with Kevin before supper so she could ask him how he would feel about meeting a friend of hers.

And thankfully, the conversation went well, though that probably had to do with the fact that Lee mentioned he’d be meeting Blaine at the Chinese restaurant, a place that Kevin loved going. And that Lee told her son that Blaine was a mutant. Apparently, that was a huge draw to Kevin, and he was far more interested in that fact than his mum wanting them to meet.

But at least that went well and Kevin was interested in meeting Blaine. Though Lee didn’t say that day that they were dating; Kevin was still only 6, he didn’t need all the details, after all. That could always come later. Plus, Lee didn’t need Kevin telling his father everything.

*****

New Year’s Day, and Lee hadn’t slept since the day before. The previous night was a rather busy time for bars, after all. Not that it was really a big deal, Lee still had tons of energy as she and Kevin walked toward the Chinese food restaurant she had first gone to more than 10 years earlier. With Rachel walking on the other side of the boy down the sidewalk.

That, Lee wasn’t overly happy about. Rachel had already met Blaine, this lunch was for her two guys. Though, that thought made Lee blink in surprise. She supposed it was true, but she hadn't actually thought of it that way before. But, if Lee made a huge deal about Rachel coming, or fought her coming, Lee figured that would add stress to this situation for Kevin, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She was stressed about it, and she was pretty sure that Blaine was nervous, but that didn't she wanted Kevin to be nervous or stressed. And so Lee had reluctantly let Rachel come along.

They didn't take much longer to get to the restaurant, they didn't livethat much further away than she once did. In through the door, into a place that looked like little more than a hole in the wall. And, while the interior did look better than the exterior, it was well worn, and Lee didn't notice much that had changed in the last five years.

They had just been shown to their table, Lee hadn't even gotten her jacket off when she heard her son's voice. ”Can we get food?”

Lee couldn't even argue that, they did tend to go straight to the buffet. Even years before, they had fine straight to the buffet. ”Take your coat and hat off, then you can go get food,” Lee instructed, then watched as Kevin for his winter clothing of probably faster than she had seen him do so before.

Shaking her head, Lee followed suit, albeit slower than her son, Rachel following along behind.

Christmas was different for Blaine this year. First, he'd gotten a Christmas card from his family, along with a letter from his brother and sister saying how they were sorry for the long silence, and that they still loved him. They just didn't know what to say, and that they hoped he was doing well and at the same address. In return, he sent a letter back, thus establishing contact with them again. Even though they were all the way in Maine, it felt good to have a connection with them again. And then, there was Lee. She'd got him some art supplies, and he'd got her something nice in exchange.

Spending the day with her sister had gone well, and there weren't as many awkward questions as he was warned about, but that wasn't necessarily bad.

Now, it was New Years' and Blaine was still a bit tired from the night before; work on New Years' Eve was always hell, and last night had been no different; even if the Trasheteria was more reputable than basically any other place he'd worked. People always seemed to get out of hand around holidays. He thought it was all the extra booze, but who could tell?

He'd never been to the restaurant before, but he didn't have too much time finding it, even though he was still sleepy. The restaurant seemed like a hole-in-the-wall, but he was quite the fan of those. They tended to have better food, more often than not. Once he stepped inside, he slung his leather jacket over his shoulder, looking around for Lee. Being a smaller place, it wasn't hard, so he walked over to her, wearing his usual one-size-too-small tee shirt that showed off his physique, a pair of faded blue jeans, and his usual black boots.

"Hey," he said once he reached her. "Sorry I'm a little late; last night's shift took a lot out of me. But New Years' Eve usually does."

Lee smiled as she saw Blaine approaching from across the restaurant, then turned her eyes back down to finish helping Kevin fill his plate so she could move on to her own. ”There, be careful and watch where you're going,” Lee said as she handed the plate to her son.

Then she straightened up again, grabbing herself a plate as she smiled at Blaine again. ”You're not late, Kevin's just impatient to get his food,” Lee said with a shrug. ”Not that I can blame him, the food here is really good. Did you sleep well?”

"Can't say that I blame him either," Blaine murmured slightly, looking in the direction of the food. That did seem like a good idea; and why they were there in the first place. He grabbed a plate for himself, then shook his head slightly. "Not really, to be honest. Last night was pretty rough. I mean, I'm used to rowdy nights, but working a more reputable joint has gotten me spoiled, I guess. The good news is, I can't wake up sore, if that's any consolation."

He chuckled lightly at his joke. "So how about you? I hope you fared better than I did," he said, draping his jacket around his neck. "Sometimes, I envy you," he teased lightly.

Lee frowned slightly when Blaine said that he hadn't really slept well. He was actually able to sleep after spending the night at the bar, it would have been nice if he had been able to have a decent sleep. Though he was right, the night before had been not as good as things generally were at the Trasheteria, there had been a lot more problems.

”If that's the case, maybe I need to come be the gym more often, whip you back into shape,” Lee teased, giving Blaine a wink as she made sure to load some chow mein onto her plate.

Then Blaine asked how the night had been for her, and Lee shrugged. ”I probably won't be able to sleep until tomorrow,” she said softly with another shrug.

She had a full plate now, but rather than head back to the table, Lee simply stood there and looked at Blaine for a moment,a crease between her brows. ”What do you mean you envy me?” She asked quietly.

He gave her an odd look as she talked about whipping him back into shape. "Hey, I do all the grunt-work. I may not get sore, but carrying a drunk in each hand and tossing them out the door all night may as well be a rigorous workout routine," he teased lightly.

"I mean, I admire what you can do. I know it's got its complications, but I think the energy thing is pretty awesome," he said softly, still loading his plate, but stopping to look at her as he spoke. "I mean, I know all mutants have their struggles and hang-ups, but...it's interesting how that all works. Like how ours seem to compliment each other, for example."

He gave a slight shrug, piling on a little bit more food before turning to head to the table.

”Sure, if you say it’s hard work,” Lee continued to tease, rolling her eyes slightly. ”If it’s really that hard for you, I can do it next time.”

But then Blaine said that he actually liked what she was able to do, and Lee blushed slightly. He knew a good chunk of what her powers were capable of, even if he hadn’t see everything yet, and knew her issues with actually being able to sleep after the bar, and yet he still said that he liked them, that they were awesome. ”Mornings aren't so great,” Lee finally said. ”I mean, not that you’ve seen it yet, but if I actually get 8 hours, it’s not easy to get out of bed in the morning.”

Glancing down at her plate, Lee saw that she had everything she normally grabbed, and noticed that Blaine’s plate seemed full as well. So Lee turned and made her way back to the table, waiting until everyone was sitting before speaking. ”Blaine, this is my son Kevin. Kevin, this is Blaine, do you remember me talking about him?”

Kevin had been distracted by his food, but at her words, he looked over at Blaine, an excited look on his face. ”You’re a mutant?” He asked. ”Mum said that you’re a mutant. What can you do?”

"As sexy as it would be to see you with a three-hundred pound drunk slung over your shoulder like an overgrown rag doll, I'd rather keep you one-upping me to a minimum," he teased back. "Besides, if you did that, what would you be paying me for?"

He listened as she explained mornings; he'd already told her how sleeping was weird for him. Then, they were walking back to the table, and he was being introduced to her son. "Nice to meet you, Kevin," he said politely, and then the kid jumped right into conversation. He was interested in mutants, which made Blaine smile. However, when asked what he could do, Blaine had to think a moment. How could he demonstrate this without freaking everyone out and possibly ticking off Lee?

"Well, I tell you what," he said as he sat down across from Kevin, leaning in. "Don't do this all the time, but just this once, kick me under the table. Hard as you can." Of course, he'd have no way of knowing if Kevin had actually kicked him, but he figured it'd be a nice, safe demonstration.

Lee blushed when he said it'd be sexy if she were to drag a drunk out of the bar like that. She couldn't help it, just the way Blaine said it, despite the fact that they had been teasing, and the fact that Lee couldn't remember him saying anything even remotely similar before, the blush was there and probably would be for a minute.

”I guess you're right. And I like having you there.” Lee heaved a dramatic sigh as she looked over at Blaine, the blush finally fading but still present. ”So I guess I won't do your job for you.”

Sitting down between Blaine and Kevin at the table, Lee dug into her food once the introductions were made, smiling when Kevin started asking about Blaine’s powers right away. Ah, maybe she should have warned Blaine about that, about the fact that Kevin seemed to be fascinated by mutant powers.

Blaine seemed to handle it alright, though, leaning forward to tell Kevin to kick him under the table. The smile still on her face, Lee was looking at Blaine until she heard what he was planning to let Kevin in on his powers. Then Lee turned her eyes to her her son, who was looking unsure about whether he should actually do what Blaine had said. ”He said that you can this once, so go ahead,” Lee said, giving Kevin a nod.

”You’re actually going to let him kick someone?” Rachel asked Lee.

Lee shrugged, still looking at Kevin who looked like he was getting ready to try and kick Blaine under the table. ”Why not, Blaine’s the one who suggested it,” Lee replied, and it seemed that about that time Kevin connected the kick because he suddenly froze, staring at Blaine, quickly glancing at Lee before looking back.

Lee smiled at Kevin. ”Did you get him?”

"I and my job, thank you," he replied. "Otherwise I'd have to work some other bar with a boss who's not nearly as nice to look at." He gave a sly wink.

He looked around the table at the responses to him telling Kevin to actually kick him under the table. Kevin looked confused, Rachel seemed rather surprised, but Lee seemed...okay with it. At least just this once. Watching Kevin, Blaine could tell that he'd given a good amount of effort to the kick, but nonetheless, Blaine didn't flinch. He didn't even change his facial expression in the slightest.

"And that's my power," he explained to Kevin, his voice gentler than usual. "I don't feel pain." He decided it best to leave his mutation at that for now, because if he'd said he didn't feel anything, Kevin was likely to have a lot of questions, and he figured he'd answer those in due time. "But you can't do this all the time because I still bruise, and your mama wouldn't like if I was covered in scabs and bruises all the time."

After a moment, he started eating his food.

Whether he was trying or not, Blaine was definitely getting better at this part, and Lee's blush, which has been dissipating, returned. ”You're not half bad to look at yourself,” Lee said over her shoulder with a wink of her own, as she started back to the table. ”I mean, compared to Rick.”

After he had been told that he could kick Blaine, and based on his confused expression and the nod to her question, had kicked him, Lee's eyes moved back and forth between Kevin and Blaine. Her smile growing slightly as she heard the tone Blaine was using as he talked to her son. Then Lee laughed slightly as she saw Kevin's entire face grow excited when Blaine told him what his power was.

”Why would mum care if you have bruises?” Kevin asked, and Lee saw a hint of confusion clouding his excitement.

”Do I care when you're hurt?” Lee asked her son in return. Seeing him nod, Lee continued. ”Then why wouldn't I care of Blaine's hurt? Just because he doesn't feel it, doesn't mean he doesn't get ouchies. Do you understand?”

As Lee watched her son, she could see him thinking, and after a couple of moments he nodded.

”You can't feel any pain?” Rachel asked. ”That sounds awesome.”

"Rick's a cool guy, but...not too many people wouldn't look good in comparison..." he murmured.

The conversation that took place between Lee and Kevin brought a small smile to Blaine's face, though it didn't take long for him to seem to grasp hold of things. He went back to his food, and he had to admit he was enjoying this so far. Kevin seemed like a good kid, though considering the kind of person his mother was, that was really no surprise.

Looking at Rachel, he nodded. Then, while Kevin was still distracted with Lee, he mouthed 'I can't feel anything.' Then, he followed this with a slight shrug before returning to his food.

”You can't-” Rachel started to ask, her tone thoughtful and calculating. And though Lee's eyes had been on Kevin, she had heard Rachel's previous question. And despite not knowing that Blaine had mouthed something to Rachel, or what it was since she wasn't looking at him, Lee could guess what Rachel was about to ask. Her eyes shooting to her sister, Lee shook her head.

”Later,” Lee said simply.

But that didn't seem to put Rachel off much, she just looked more curious. ”Why didn't you tell me?”

”Because it doesn't matter.” Seeing Rachel's eyebrows rise, and knowing she was about to ask something else, Lee continued. ”It doesn't matter to you, so I didn't say anything.”

”What doesn't matter? What are you talking about?” Kevin asked.

Raising an eyebrow at Rachel, Lee then turned to her attention to her son. ”Nothing important, sweetie,” Lee said.

And almost the instant he revealed to Rachel the true extent of his mutation...he wished he hadn't. For awhile, he just sat there, focusing more on eating his food than on the world around him. It was odd, while he was in a fight he was able to keep a cool head and stick it out til the end. But in awkward social situations, he just wanted to leave, or crawl off somewhere and hide. However, he stayed.

He sort of flinched a little at Lee's words, however. 'It doesn't matter' and 'It's not important,' kind of made him cringe a little. He didn't know if she was aware of what they were talking about, but even still, the implications there sort of hurt a little. Well, more than a little.

For awhile, he just stayed there eating his food, but then he looked down to see...it was gone. "So, Kevin," he said breaking his own awkward silence, and focusing on the young boy. "You know something interesting about me, so tell me something about you. What's your favorite color? Or favorite animal?" he asked, his voice still gentle, yet may have cracked a little as he leaned back in his chair.

Lee was too busy looking at Rachel, trying to catch if she was going to say anything else before it came out, so she didn’t see Blaine’s flinch at her words. At least Rachel seemed to get the hint that Lee wasn’t going to be talking about that anymore here, with Kevin around.

Which left the table in a slightly uncomfortable silence. Glancing over at Blaine as she ate, Lee frowned. He didn’t look very happy, but Lee really wasn’t sure what had caused this change. Then she glanced over at Kevin, who appeared to be busier looking Blaine than eating. ”Food in your mouth please,” Lee said, giving Kevin a look. Once he picked his fork back up, Lee turned her attention back to her own food as she thought about why Blaine might be upset.

And a few minutes later, Lee heard Blaine talking to Kevin again. Despite her earlier worry, she couldn’t help but smile. The tone he was using, and what he was saying, he was doing very well with Kevin.

At least she thought that Blaine was doing well until she heard Blaine’s voice crack. Lee’s eyes shot over to Blaine, a crease between her brows.

Kevin, on the other hand, didn’t notice. ”Red. My favourite colour’s red,” Kevin said. ”And tigers. They’re daddy’s favourite animal, too! Did you know they have tigers at the zoo here?”