Brace yourselves for feels guys. This fic was originally a 5-and-1 sort of style (the five times and the time he didn't) but, as with Blood Makes Noise, it expanded on itself. The first chapter is the longest of them all, but it also involves baby Kurt and Christmas so I promise you will have cute overload.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing this!

(Also posted on Archive of Our Own - AO3 - under the same name.)

1. Christmas Season 1999, Kindergarten - the time he lied to his mom

So the Hummels were struggling with the whole Santa thing. The kids at school were really starting to talk about how he wasn't real. How could he possibly get to every single house in the world in one night? (Well, just the ones with kids. Still, that's a lot of kids.) What about the kids who had stayed up all night and never saw him? Or the older siblings who had ruined it for the kids? Or the kids who had never heard of Santa at all?

But their beautiful and very clever baby boy had it all figured out. It was just because they were growing up. Santa was for young kids. The really innocent ones. The ones who weren't old enough to have done anything really bad.

Of course Kurt believed he was still one of the innocent ones. He came up with this theory because all of the kids saying Santa wasn't real were ones who pulled hair or acted up in class or got bad grades or tripped other kids on the playground on purpose or stole lunch money. What Burt and Elizabeth didn't know was that Kurt was regularly the recipient of those attacks. The boys didn't like him much because he always wanted to 'girlify' their games. So Kurt had decided he wanted to play with the girls. They had better toys anyway.

All his parents knew was that he was very popular with the ladies. He was always getting invites to all their parties and even to some of their sleep overs. Since they were just five and six some of the parents were quite ok with having their houses be co-ed, especially because Kurt made such a good impression on them all. He really was a very well behaved little boy.

Meanwhile, Burt had a brilliant idea on how to figure out what Kurt wanted for Christmas without needing him to write a letter to the jolly man in red. Especially when, despite having fairly decipherable handwriting and spelling, Kurt fully believed that he didn't need to do that this year because of something someone else had said. That being that Santa always just knew what kids wanted. Like magic. Of course he'd decided to believe in that rumor. It had explained to his curious little five and a half year old mind how Santa always knew what kids who couldn't write wanted. So Burt had taken his family to the local Toys R' Us to let Kurt check out the toys. Then he and his wife would come back later and grab the things that interested the boy the most.

The big problem with all of this was that as soon as they'd stepped foot in the store the boy had run off for the Barbie aisle. "Dolls?" Burt gasped. Dolls. His son had gone right for the dolls. It wasn't the first time that this had happened, technically, but Kurt had been happy enough with the Legos and action figures he'd been given before. Burt had clearly told his son that action figures were men's dolls. To keep him from doing just what he was up to now. It had been working. Apparently it wasn't anymore.

"Calm down, he's fine. Let him have his fun. Remember, we're here to find out what sort of things he likes." Elizabeth planted a kiss on her husband's cheek before following the boy. Kurt was straining to grab as many prince dolls as he could. Several had already fallen to the ground next to him but there was one in particular he was reaching for. "What do you have there sweetie?"

"Aladdin." As soon as he got the doll he deposited himself on the floor, right in the middle of all the other princes. Burt started to reach to pull him back up but then Elizabeth joined him. It was a lost cause with those two.

"Wow, they look nice."

"What's Belle's prince's name?"

"That is a very good question sweetie. What do you think his name should be?" Kurt paused, his eyes drifting up to look over his dad. Burt held his hands up to show he had no idea either. Then a bright smile returned to their boy's face.

"Ernie."

"Ernie?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why Ernie?"

"Because then he could be Dad's best friend and we could go to all their parties and dance all night." Burt couldn't help but laugh. His son was the cutest child on the face of this earth and no one could ever convince him otherwise. So he joined his family down on the floor. He didn't care if people stared.

"So what were you thinking about asking Santa for?" Kurt held Aladdin up to his mom. "Aladdin?"

"I'd really like the real one but I know that's not possible." He clutched the box tight to his chest.

"Why do you want the real Aladdin?" She wrapped her arm around him and let the boy scoot over and snuggle against her side. Burt tried not to squirm too much. He was not buying dolls for his son. He considered himself to be very open minded about all of this. Kurt was just curious, just exploring, testing his limits, figuring out who he was. Not to mention all the time he spent with girls. Burt would have been a lot more comfortable if this process had taken him over to see all the new Star Wars toys that had just been released for the new movie. That's where all the other little boys were. This part of the store was full of tiny girls squealing and begging for a princess dress. At least Kurt was just looking at the princes.

"Beeecaauuuuse, uhm, I want to ride on his magic carpet with him. And we'll go to New York."

"What about going with Han Solo?" Burt asked.

"Who?" Kurt responded.

"The guy with the giant teddy bear for a best friend. They have a space ship."

"Space ships are boring. If we take a magic carpet we'll have the wind in our hair. And when we get to Broadway we can just roll Carpet up and take him in with us."

"What do you plan to do in New York?" Elizabeth asked, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Watch musicals on Broadway!"

"Oh! That sounds so lovely Kurt! What show do you want to see?"

"Uhhhhmmmmmm. Lion King. And the phantom!"

"The phantom! Are you sure you won't get nightmares?"

"If I do Aladdin will be there to make them better. Then you don't have to worry either because he'll take care of me."

"What else are you going to do in New York? Besides see musicals."

"We will go ice skating and we'll curl up and sing Christmas carols under the big tree while we drink hot cocoa."

"What about Princess Jasmine?" His face scrunched up at that question.

"I'll be Princess Jasmine." Burt tensed up. He'd heard about things like this. Boys wishing they were girls. He took the toy from his son and pretended he was looking it over. He mostly just wanted to get it away from him. Of course he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was scared of all the images he remembered on TV. They weren't pretty and there was no way those people had happy lives. Weren't they all dying too? That wasn't the kind of future he wanted for his son.

"Why do you want to be Jasmine?"

"Well, I don't. I want to go on adventures with Aladdin. It'd be just us."

"Jasmine would get in the way?" Kurt nodded.

"It'd be better that way, if he broke up with her. He wouldn't have time for her if he was with me." Elizabeth kissed the boy on the head as she giggled.

"Would he be your boyfriend?" Kurt started to nod but his movements were cut off.

"He just looks up to Aladdin," Burt interrupted. "Right son? You look up to him, want to be like him." Kurt looked completely lost in thought for a moment before nodding. His wife shot him a dark look. "What?"

"I want to be like him. Especially when he sings. I like it when he sings."

"See? Kurt still wants to be a singing adventuring hero and Aladdin is a good singer. He could learn a lot from him."

"Are you sure sweetie?" the woman crooned gently, brushing her fingers through Kurt's hair. "It's ok, whatever you say is ok. I promise." Burt felt his heart aching. He'd done it again. He'd promised he wouldn't judge but his upbringing was rearing its ugly head again.

"Right, you're ok no matter what you want," he echoed. He needed to get over that. For his son. He loved Kurt with all his heart. He would not raise his son in a hostile environment. He would not be the cause of that hostility.

"I want to sing like Aladdin," Kurt reinforced as he nudged the other toys away.

"I think I saw a toy at the end of one of the aisles that has A Whole New World recorded on it." Elizabeth's glare softened. "I know its a bit early, but why don't we get you a Christmas present today? I'm sure Santa wouldn't mind a lighter load."

"Really?" Kurt leapt over and attached to his dad. "I love you Dad!"

"I love you too Kurt. Now, why don't you go find that toy, huh? We'll clean up here." He bolted.

"Burt," Elizabeth whispered.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"I don't mean to."

"You have to stop. I know you heard that lie. I know you know he was lying."

"I just...whenever he does stuff like that, I can't help but think, what if he's one of those kids that thinks he's, I dunno, a girl or something?"

"So what if he is a girl? Its not our place to tell him who he is inside."

"But just think about what everyone else will think, they'll think we're awful parents-"

"What matters more to you? Them, or him?" Burt started picking up the dolls. "Tell me Burt."

"Kurt." She let out a little humph as she pulled some of the toys close. "Careful, please take it easy."

"I'm fine. Sweetie, you need to work on this. You aren't going to change him. All you're doing when you say things like that or cut him off or tell him what to think is making him afraid of himself. And afraid to trust us." She took a deep breath. "What do you leave to your child when you're dead?"

"Elizabeth don't-"

"Only whatever you put in their head." She glanced to him. "I know you know that song. I sing it often enough."

"Please, I don't want to think about things like that right now."

"Even if this isn't cancer, no matter if I have six months or a hundred years left to live, he's going to outlive us Burt. That's my goal. That he has a longer life than we do. And someday he'll be on his own, and no matter how many pictures we take or videos we make the only thing he'll truly have with him at all times is the lessons we taught him. And I want him to know that he is safe, and loved, and beautiful just the way he is. Or she. If he is a girl. But I think we'd know by now if he was."

"I love him Elizabeth."

"I know you do."

"I don't want to see him hurt."

"He's going to hurt no matter what, eventually. What's important is that it isn't us that's causing the pain. Please, stop trying to change him." Burt took in a very deep breath. "He needs to feel safe with us."

"Ok. Ok, I promise. No more talk about Star Wars or cars or football or baseball games. Unless he wants to. But if he ever asks then-"

"Then you can do those things with him. But we know right now he doesn't like any of those things. He likes music, dancing, and you know what else he loves?"

"What?"

"He loves his daddy. And he looks up to you. And he pays attention and listens to you."

"Oh yes, he listens so well. Kurt, clean your room! No Daddy I'm still playing. He's not even a teenager yet and he already thinks he runs the house."

"You know what I mean Burt." She pecked him lightly on the lips. "You're his biggest role model. I'd even say you're his hero. He needs your support and unending admiration."

"We're gonna give him a big head."

"As long as he loves himself I don't care how big his head is."

"You won't be saying that when he's sixteen."

"Yes I will. All teenagers are brats. We were. Then they all grow up. We're here to make sure ours loves who he is so he knows its ok when he says no and…"

"And?"

"And when it comes time for him to settle down, with a woman or a man and as a man or a woman, he'll make sure its with someone who respects him as much as we always did."

"Right, that's a very good point too." He kissed his wife. "As always, you're right. I won't do it again." Kurt came running back, poking the button over and over again as he sang along. Elizabeth took his hand and sang Aladdin's part to him proudly. He had no qualms singing Jasmine's part. And he was so damn good at it.

Burt fished out the money for him to pay for it himself. No matter what he was going to support Kurt. Even if the kid was strange, even if they didn't have much in common, no matter what he was going to be there for his boy.