A/N: One more prom idea that refuses to let me go until I post it. I think this is the fastest I have ever written anything. I hope it reads as good to you as it did to me. I will eventually get back to the other idea kicking around my brain. Until then, I hope you enjoy this.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I wish I did though because the boys would be doing a lot more kissing on screen!
Burt makes it back to the house just minutes before the boys do. He doesn't want Kurt to know he's been sitting in the parking lot outside the school for the past three hours. Call him irrational, but after talking to Blaine the other day, he couldn't sit home and merely hope that everything would turn out okay at the prom. He had to do something! And if that something meant following the boys to the school, watching them get inside without incident, waiting outside for three hours and then making sure they came back out and got into the car safely before racing home, well then so be it.
He tries to look casual as they came into the house.
The beaming smiles on both their faces are a good sign. One of the many knots in his stomach loosens up as Kurt twirls into the living room and plops down on the couch. He sighs happily as Blaine sits down next to him. Like magnets they automatically pull closer to each other.
"So…how'd it go?" He needs to know. He needs to hear it.
"It was…" Kurt pauses trying to find just the right words, "interesting, but all in all good. I got to dance with the hottest guy in the room and my, oh my, can he dance!"
Blaine ducks his head bashfully at the compliment.
"Dad, is it okay if Blaine stays here tonight? I'm not really ready to let him go yet, but if he stays much longer it will be too late for him to drive back."
Burt hesitates for a moment. He knows the boys will behave and he did tell Kurt to ask the next time. So this is Kurt asking.
"I suppose, but he sleeps on the couch." Kurt bounces happily as Burt adds. "And no sneaking around in the middle of the night." He points a warning finger at both of them.
"I should go get my gym bag out of the car then. I'll need something to change into." Blaine stands up and heads for the door.
"I'm going to go change, too." Kurt heads up the stairs while Burt takes the opportunity to follow Blaine outside. He knows something happened. There are no obvious bruises or blood, but he can tell it wasn't all good.
Blaine is pulling a duffle bag out of the trunk when Burt gets to the car parked behind Kurt's Navigator.
"So what really happened?"
Blaine knows exactly what Burt is looking for and gets right to it.
"They voted him Prom Queen." Blaine sounds sad and defeated. "Karofsky, of all people, was King."
Burt is stunned. He wasn't expecting that.
"It was awful." Blaine shakes his head trying to clear out the memory of Kurt's tears. Burt stares at the ground trying to think of ways to punish the little monsters that find joy in his son's pain.
"And then it was actually pretty amazing."
Burt's head whips up to face Blaine again.
"You should have seen him, Mr. Hummel." The love and joy and pride in Blaine's voice are so obvious that it actually warms Burt's heart. "He was so amazing. He was crying and hurt and humiliated at first. He ran out of the gym when they announced it. But then he started pacing in the hall and he got mad." Burt smiles at this because he knows what Kurt is like when he's mad. Look out world.
"He said he didn't care if they were yelling at him or whispering behind his back. He was going to show them that they can't touch him. They can't touch us. They can't touch what we have."
Another one of those pesky knots in Burt's stomach loosens up because this is what he needs to hear. This is the strong, defiant Kurt that is going to not only survive, but bend the world to make sure he gets what he wants.
"And then he marches back in there and accepts his crown, sassy as ever. 'Eat your heart out Kate Middleton' he said." Burt chuckles because can totally see Kurt doing that, in fact he wishes he could have been there to see that. He's insanely proud of his son just hearing about it from Blaine. He's pretty sure he'd have been close to tears had he been inside as opposed to out in the parking lot.
"And then they announced the King and Queen dance, but Karofsky couldn't do it. He ran off and left Kurt standing there alone. So Kurt and I danced instead." Blaine stops to relive the moment. "I could feel him shaking, he was so nervous, but he did it. He refused to let them win and we ended up dancing and hugging and having a pretty good time. It had been nice before the whole King and Queen thing, but it was even better after. He was right to stay and face them. If we had left when I suggested it, we would have both regretted it."
Burt's voice is quiet and choked with emotion as he says, "he gets that from his Mom. She was always the strong one."
"I was only able to stay because I had you there with me and I knew my Dad was right outside."
Both men whip around at the sound of Kurt's voice. Burt realizes he never closed the front door, so a barefoot Kurt was able to come outside without being heard. He wonders how much Kurt has heard.
Blaine blushes and takes Kurt's hand. "I have the feeling that you would have faced them even if you were alone."
"Maybe, maybe not." Kurt replies demurely. "But I wasn't alone. I had you by my side and that made me feel like I could do just about anything."
Blaine holds his hand a little more tightly and stands a little closer. He finally realizes the rest of what Kurt said. "Wait…what do you mean your Dad was outside?"
It's Burt's turn to blush now.
"Didn't you see his truck in the parking lot? He left right after we did. And he almost ran a red light trying to get back here before us." Kurt arches an eyebrow at his father who has the good grace to look ashamed.
Blaine is still a bit stunned that Burt was willing to spend the night sitting in his truck just to be there for them. He's 100% certain Burt did this because of their talk the other day. He can't imagine his own father doing anything of the sort, so the tiny part of him that is irrationally and insanely jealous of the relationship these two have gets just that much bigger. He wouldn't take Mr. Hummel away from Kurt for anything in the world, but he's glad he's gotten to know them both and be a part of their lives. He's a better man for it.
"Come on, let's go in and get comfy. I'll even watch football with you two." Kurt grabs both of their hands and leads them back inside.
They share a laugh as they both answer. "It's May, Kurt. There is no football on!"
Kurt winks and then bounds into the house ahead of them. "Oh really, then I guess we just have to watch a movie on AMC."
As they settle into the living room, Burt in his easy chair and the boys snuggled on the couch. Burt realizes that for once there isn't a single knot in his stomach. He's completely relaxed and content. He wants to enjoy it and remember it because there aren't many of these moments.
The movie starts and Blaine leans in to whisper in Kurt's ear. "The lump is gone." He realizes that while his knee may still hurt when the weather is bad, he feels like he can stand a little taller and be a little braver because Kurt has shown him how. He relaxes into his boyfriend's embrace and tries to commit every second of the night to memory. There haven't been many moments like this in his life so far and he wants to hold on tightly to every single one.