Now It's Your Turn
Disclaimer: I'm not RIB, so I don't own Glee or any of the characters. If I did, I'd be rich and probably not writing fanfiction! This chapter has nothing to do with MPREG, but it does concern Daddy!Klaine so yay! Anyway, I own nothing.
"So where's our granddaughter?"
Anxious eyes glanced all over as two very excited grandparents struggled to catch a peek at the newest member of their family. Unfortunately for them, she wasn't nearby, at least not close enough for a quick glance so they had to settle with seeing their son-in-law instead - not like that was bad or anything.
"Nice to see you too, guys!" Blaine teased as he swung the door open wider, smiling brightly and stepping back to invite his in-laws into the house. As Burt and Carole stepped into the threshold, he explained some more to the overly eager duo who were still curiously looking around for the main person they came to see. "They're back in the nursery at the moment. Kurt wanted to get her all dolled up before you guys arrived."
"Oh, I bet she is just the most adorable little thing," Carole cooed, dropping her bags on the floor by her feet. Burt had already done the same with his own luggage, but he was off and down the hall to the nursery before either his wife or son-in-law could call after him.
He'd spent a week - no, scratch that, nine months... okay, no, actually his whole life - waiting for this moment and nothing was going to stop him from having it either. Yeah, he'd seen pictures of the baby. He even answered the phone that night that Kurt called to inform them that Rachel had gone into labor two weeks early, but he had yet to meet this new little person face-to-face and he couldn't wait another second.
Of course, he didn't take into account that seeing his son as a father for the very first time might just make him stop in his tracks.
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"Elizabeth! Burt! Oh my goodness, just look at your boy! He's a natural!"
"Maybe you two should give him a sibling someday? He looks like he just adores babies!"
"We've been talking about it. We're thinking about trying soon-"
"Oh, how exciting!"
Burt squeezed his wife's hand and left her in the sea of partygoers, twisting and dodging his way through the crowds to get a better look at his son. Kurt was sitting cross-legged on the couch, eyes wide with his small arms curled around a bundle that was almost as big as he was. His cousin Anne was hunched over him, smiling and praising him as he held her three-month-old son in his grasp, the two of them quietly bonding while the rest of the party danced around them.
"He loves you, Kurt. Look at how he's smiling at you!"
"He's squirmy-"
"Yeah, all babies are squirmy little bugs like that sometimes. You were too. I remember carrying you around when you were his size and you were constantly wiggling!"
"Really?"
"Mhmm. Your mom called you wiggle worm for the longest. You were always moving!"
Kurt pursed his lips in thought, gazing at the sky for a moment before he turned his attention back on his baby cousin, his blue eyes growing soft in wonder at the tiny life he held. "I want a baby."
"Well, you're only five, sweetheart. You're much too young for your own baby, but maybe you'll get a little brother or a sister soon." At that, Anne shot her uncle a look, leaving Burt rolling his eyes at his family's insistence that he and Liz start popping out more babies. (Though he wouldn't deny that they did make some pretty damn adorable ones, that's for sure.)
"A brother or a sister?"
"Yep. You should ask your mommy and daddy. Maybe they'll say yes!"
Before another word was spoken, Kurt was starting to twitch himself out of holding his cousin, his gaze darting around the room for one of his parents. He spotted Burt within seconds and waited until Anne picked up her son before he slid off the couch and rushed over to his dad. "Daddy?"
"Yeah, bud?"
"I want a baby and Anne said I gotta ask you and mommy."
"She did, did she?"
"Yup!"
"Well, go find your mother and ask her. Tell her daddy said she gets to choose."
"Okay!" Kurt skipped away from his father and ducked his way around his family members' legs, his small voice loud enough that Burt could hear it trail back as he ran around looking for his mom. "Please move, I've gotta ask my mommy about a baby!"
"Nicely done, Anne."
"Oh, Uncle B, you'll be thanking me eventually. Kurt's a natural with kids; he got Jacob to stop crying in seconds. He'll be an amazing babysitter someday. I promise you that."
"I'll hold you to it."
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"Ugh! Kids are annoying. Why anyone would want to have one is beyond me."
"What happened to you? You used to like kids."
"Yeah, when I was young and dumb. I'm older now, dad. Now they're just annoying."
"You used to be a kid once."
"Yeah and I was probably annoying."
Kurt's sharp, bitter words came out harsher than Burt expected, but he couldn't help but feel like there was something else brewing under the surface that had his boy so angry lately. Most of the time, Kurt was withdrawn and quiet, but sometimes he'd snap and brood, especially when they were in public, much like they were at that moment.
Their waitress slipped by their table to refill their drinks and then she was off on a quest for extra napkins, ones that were requested by the table across from theirs - the one with the kids. One of the toddlers had spilled his drink and it was running down the length of the table, dripping onto the floor between their area and the Hummels'.
"God, can they get any more awful?"
"They're just kids. He didn't mean to spill that. It slipped from his hands."
"Then his parents should've had a better eye on him."
"Sometimes you can't have your eyes on your kids 24/7," Burt whispered, a tinge of regret running down his spine as he studied his grim faced child and noticed how much of the sparkle and life that used to beam from Kurt's pores was now dim and darker than ever. When did that happen? When did his little boy grow up and when did he become so jaded about life? Frowning at his son, he continued, "You'll understand that more whenever you're a parent."
"I'm not going to be one, so why does it matter?"
"You're not?"
"No, I- I'm never- I-" The boy went white in the face, paler than usual as he swallowed deeply and then shook his head, whatever other words he had planned to say just floating away in the air. "It's nothing. I just don't want kids. I don't like them and I don't ever plan on it."
Burt nodded, deciding not to push, especially when he really wasn't sure what the whole deal was anyway. There wasn't much he could do if Kurt was going through his dramatic teen angst stage anyhow; everybody went through it and he was just gonna have to deal with it too, no matter how jarring things could be now and then.
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Music spilled out of the kitchen along with a cornucopia of delicious smells. It wasn't unusual for Burt to come home to something cookin' on the stove or Kurt (sometimes) singing something at the top of his lungs, but this time, Burt found himself wondering why in the world he heard two voices instead of one, especially since the mysterious voice sounded nothing like Finn.
"Kurt?"
"Huh? Dad, is that you?"
"Umm yeah, of course it's me. Who else would it be?" Shrugging off his coat, Burt tossed the garment on the armchair and made his way into the kitchen, eyes falling onto a dark haired teenaged boy standing in front of his stove, one of Kurt's aprons tied around his waist while he stirred something on the stove. "I take it we have a guest for dinner." At that, the boy turned and offered up a bright smile, letting go of the spoon in his hand to offer said appendage to Burt.
"Hi, Mr. Hummel. I'm... uh, Blaine."
"Blaine... Blaine as in the kid who goes to Dalton, Blaine?"
"Yes sir."
Nodding, Burt took the kid's hand and shook it, smirking to himself when he realized that the teen seemed to be slightly nervous over meeting him; his palms were a little sweaty. "Hmm, nice to meet you. You stayin' for dinner?"
"Oh no, sir. I'm not. I just came over to drop off some school things for Kurt and we got caught up in talking too long so dinner got started late. I thought it'd go faster if I helped."
"Well that's thoughtful of ya. Are you sure you don't wanna stay?"
"Oh... no, that's fine. I promised the guys I'd head back and eat at the canteen with them. But thank you for the offer." Blaine flushed a little and then spun back around to finish whisking whatever sauce was bubbling away on the stovetop. Kurt, in the meantime, was watching him with a look on intensity that made Burt's stomach churn. "Well, Kurt, I think this is done. I should probably head out. I guess I'll see you at Dalton on Monday?"
"Yeah. I'll be the guy wandering around lost in the halls."
"You know I wouldn't let that happen." Blaine grinned at Kurt as he untied his apron and handed it over, leaning in to give Kurt a quick hug before he shook Burt's hand again. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Hummel." With that, he was off, Kurt on his tail, their quiet voices trailing behind them as Kurt walked his friend out and bid him a goodnight. When the teen came back, the intense look from earlier was replaced with something wistful.
"So that's Blaine, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Nice kid. You imagining marriage and babies with him yet?"
At Burt's teasing tone, Kurt practically shrieked, scandalized, and he glared deadly at his dad, rolling his eyes after a moment of heavy silence. "No way, dad. We're just friends."
"Uh huh. Sure."
"Seriously!"
"Yep."
"Dad!"
"So what's for dinner?"
"DAD!"
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"Who's this?"
"Oh, umm... this is Robin Sylvester."
"Coach Sue's girl?"
"Yep."
"And you have her because?"
"Umm, well... Sue suddenly showed up and told me she needed a babysitter... some excuse about a date with Michael Bolton or something. And, uh... here we are?"
"On my doorstep?"
"I would've stayed at the school, but there's not much for a baby to do there and I can't take her home because my parents have been fighting like crazy so-"
"I'm just pulling your tail, Anderson. Get in here."
Blaine ducked his head, blushing as he stepped in the doorway with a baby on his hip. His cheerleading uniform looked pristine as ever minus the small drool spot that Robin was leaving on his shoulder, so Burt disappeared for a moment to grab a hand towel from the downstairs bathroom that Blaine could use to wipe up the slobber the baby had left behind.
"Sorry for springing this on you last minute, Burt. I just- I didn't know what to do. I'm not the best with kids."
"Yeah, sure. My son tells me otherwise."
At the mention of Kurt, Blaine grew a little redder in the cheeks, making Burt smirk as his son's ex-boyfriend took a seat on the sofa and bounced the little girl in his arms a bit. Robin looked like she was on the verge of sleeping, her wispy blonde curls falling in front of her light eyes. "Kurt's better with kids than I am. He's more in tune with them than me, I think."
"You're both pretty good with kids. You guys were a hit with the babies at the Hummel family reunion."
"That's because Kurt didn't want to go hang out with the rest of the family and thought it'd be easier for us to hide with the toddlers."
"And look how well that turned out. Everyone loved not having to watch their own kids with you two around."
"Yeah, I guess we weren't that bad, were we?"
"Nah. You two will be great parents someday."
The room immediately went silent minus the sharp intake of breath Blaine took. Burt knew he might've crossed a line, mentioning the future of his son and his son's ex, but he'd been watching the way the two danced around each other for months now and if he knew any better (and he did), it was only a matter of time before the two of them reunited once again. There was just something about their relationship that he knew worked no matter what - even if he did think about throttling Blaine sometimes over what he did to Kurt. But Kurt forgave him and Burt did too and that was a lot for them really. Hummels weren't push arounds, but they definitely stood up for themselves when they were wronged, that's for sure.
Robin made a small noise that broke the silence and Blaine instantly went to soothe her, sliding down off the couch cushion to take a seat on the floor where he let the baby rest on his bent legs. Cooing, he hummed a little to her and then started singing, leaving Burt watching him curiously as Robin slowly started to drift away to dreamland with Blaine's voice as her guide.
"I've told this to Kurt, but someone should tell you too. You'd make a great teacher someday."
"I've thought about it a little. Maybe a music teacher or something? I dunno."
"Well, whatever you choose, you'd be great. A great dad too."
"Certainly better than my own father-"
That broke Burt's heart. He knew Blaine's dad wasn't the worst father in the world, but shit could the man be a douchebag towards his youngest. He'd heard horror stories about the eldest Anderson, listened to Kurt whisper to Blaine over the phone on nights when things weren't going well at the Anderson abode since his parents were constantly fighting... over him no less. Blaine was a good damned kid - his dad just didn't recognize that.
"Definitely better than your own father."
"Definitely not as good as you though," Blaine murmured, his voice breathy soft. His compliment felt like a wave of warmth over Burt's soul and the older man smiled, rising up from his seat to leave the room (and if he had to hide the wet sheen of his eyes from Blaine as he passed and gave the boy a shoulder pat, Blaine never said a word.)
"You're a good kid, Blaine. Don't forget that."
"Thanks Mr. Hummel."
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It was a little lonely at the Hummel household sometimes. With Finn's passing and Kurt being married, moved out, and living in New York, things were quiet and sometimes boring. Sure, it was fun to be able to have the house to themselves and to be able to do whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted, but Burt and Carole missed the full house they once had with their kids, their kids' friends, and all.
Dinner was usually cooked and eaten at the bar in the kitchen since eating in the dining room became too much of a hassle when it was just the two of them. So, once everything was finished, they plated their food and otherwise leaned against the island to eat or they ate at the kitchen table.
"I think the phone's ringing."
"You want me to get it?"
"We're eating. It can wait."
Down the hall, the voice navigated caller ID rang out, "Phone call from... Kurt Hummel. Phone call from... Kurt Hummel." Carole raised a brow at that, tilting her head towards the kitchen cordless, so Burt obliged (knowing damn well he wouldn't ignore a call from his son anyway) and answered the phone. "Yeah?"
"Hey dad! Is Carole home?"
"Yeah, she's right here."
"Well, can you put her on speaker? We want to talk to you both."
Clicking the phone's speaker button, Burt placed the device between him and Carole and went to take another bite of mac 'n cheese, chewing thoughtfully as he wondered what his boys could possibly want to talk to him about. The last time they called, it was about their newest play. Before that, it was about Blaine's grammy nomination... and before that, it was about Kurt's newest adventure in clothing and jewelry design as well as the awards he picked up because of it. "You wanted to talk. We're listening."
"Okay, so! Are you two sitting down? Make sure you're not eating because Blaine and I have some news..."
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With shaking hands and a fluttering heart, Burt stood frozen in the doorway to the nursery, eyes locked onto Kurt as his son hunched over the changing table and murmured softly to the infant hidden behind his silhouette. Dressed in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants, Kurt had never looked so comfy or so calm before, especially on such a big day as this. However, Burt supposed that his (and Carole's) early flight out probably put a damper on any plans Kurt may have had for their arrival. Kurt's attire wasn't what got to him though...
It was the sight of Kurt bonding with his own child that had Burt's throat all knotted up.
From his spot in the hall, Burt could hear the baby's soft noises of displeasure, her whimpers turning into these adorable little squeaks of unhappiness as Kurt cooed at her, his fingers dancing along the length of her body as he tried to calm her a bit. A small socked foot kicked out, giving Burt just the tiniest glimpse of his first grandbaby and he choked back a sob, bringing a hand to his chest as he continued to quietly watch Kurt be a parent.
"Oh honey, you don't like your sockies, do you?" Kurt chuckled at the baby and gently pulled the offending items off his daughter's wee little feet, freeing her from the garments she just seemed to hate so much. "How about we put a sleeper on you and call it a day? I'm sure Grandpa and Grandma won't care. They'll love you whether or not you're dressed up."
We damn sure will, Burt thought to himself, reaching up to wipe away a stray tear as he watched Kurt carefully pick up the baby and cradle her against his chest. Memories of years past came to him, sending him back many, many decades when he was just a young guy try to get used to holding his brand new son for the first time. Over time, it got easier and holding Kurt was one of his favorite things to do. Now he couldn't wait to hold his granddaughter, especially if it was anything like holding Kurt was like.
(He was sure it'd be better though. So much better.)
"Shh sweetheart, dada's got you. It's okay. We're gonna meet your grandparents soon. You don't want to be looking like an angry potato when they show up, do you?" Humming, Kurt patted his hand against the babe's back, pressing his lips against the unruly shock of dark hair that capped her head. Burt couldn't see much of his grandbaby's face, but he could definitely see that she inherited the thick brown locks that both his late wife and his son had been blessed with. God, just seeing her little foot and a bit of her hair already had him feeling like he could weep for days.
What was going to happen once he actually held her?
"Are you going to go in or not?" A voice piped up on his right, snapping him back to reality for just a moment. He turned and caught his wife's eye, giving her a watery glance that ended up with him receiving a sweet kiss on the cheek. "I take it you're nervous?"
"A little."
"You shouldn't be. That's your son and granddaughter in there. It's not like we're visiting our next door neighbors."
"I just-" He paused, the words on his tongue freezing as he debated over what to say. He wanted to say something about it being just that: his son in there, his son who was now a dad. However, the thought of Finn's absence weighed heavy on his heart; he knew that Carole was still heavily affected by the loss of her son and how Kurt's milestones only reminded her of the ones she wouldn't get to see with a child of her own flesh and blood. Yeah, she loved Kurt with all her heart, but it was still different nonetheless.
"You're thinking about me, aren't you? And Finn?"
"When am I not thinking about either of you?"
Carole sighed, pressing closer to him before she leaned her cheek against his shoulder, allowing her gaze to fall on Kurt as he laid the baby back on the changing table and went about dressing her in a different outfit. He was still none the wiser that he was being watched and it was nice to be able to catch him unaware as he went through the motions of a incredibly new part of his life. "Burt, honey... you don't have to worry about me. You shouldn't let your feelings get pushed aside for me. I'm a strong woman-"
"I know."
"-and I can handle this just fine. I'm just as excited as you are. Finn would've been excited too. You know he'd have pushed you aside by now to get to his niece if he were here."
"Yeah, he would."
"So why don't you just slip on in there and say hello?"
"I will. I just-"
"Need a moment?"
"Yeah."
Humming under her breath, Carole leaned in again, kissing Burt's shoulder as she peered back at Kurt, observing her son's easy going nature in regards to dressing his daughter. The baby was quieter now, her once disgruntled noises having turned into soft whines that Kurt kept sighing over. It was obvious that he and Blaine were going to be the best parents considering how in love they were with the little girl already and Carole was excited to be a part of their journey.
"Care?"
"Hmm?"
"Let's go meet our granddaughter."
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Nothing in the world could have prevented the onslaught of tears and emotion that overwhelmed Burt at the sight of his firstborn grandchild. When Kurt turned around and gave his parents that proud cheek-to-cheek grin as he picked up his daughter, Burt completely lost it. Like a tower crumbling to the ground, he started to weep, everyone around him awwing at his display; he couldn't help it though. All those years of being worried to death about Kurt, of wanting everything for his son and hoping that his child would survive the torment and the pain... and there they were. There he was, meeting his granddaughter for the first time, watching his adult son - his happily in love, married, now a father Kurt - show off his family...
Well, it was a lot.
For hours it went that way. Burt would be completely fine for a moment and then his eyes would well up and he'd have to turn his head, wiping his fingers along his cheeks to brush away the evidence of his overzealous feelings. Nobody said a word, just watched him fondly while he used one hand to scrub at his face while the other remained curled around his sleeping grandbaby.
While he and Carole bonded with the little girl, Blaine and Kurt went out to lunch and came back for a nap, happy to hand over the reins for a while so that they could catch up on all that they'd missed (not like they cared or anything; the lack of sleep and the bird-like pecking they did at their food was worth it compared to the ridiculous amount of love they held for their little girl.) Burt couldn't put her down, only passing her over to Carole for a small amount of time before he got antsy and wanted to hold her again. Carole found it hilarious and it was... as well as being adorable.
"I was thinking about starting on dinner. Are you feeling anything specific? I asked the boys already and they said they'd be down with whatever I cooked, so I thought I'd ask you."
"Whatever you want to make is alright with me," Burt answered back, barely tearing his eyes away from the sleeping babe in his arms. Her dark hair stuck up all over the place in little wisps, her little bow shaped mouth pursed as she dreamed. He was in such awe of her, reminded so much of Kurt when he was a baby except her lips sort of reminded him of Rachel.
(Rachel was certainly going to get the biggest hug from him whenever he saw her next. He and Carole sent her a huge bouquet of flowers after the baby's birth and they'd also bought her a bracelet to gift her as well. But, holy crap, after meeting the baby, Burt kinda/sorta wanted to buy her a car too.)
"You want me to take her for a minute?" A familiar voice asked and Burt looked up, smiling at his son as Kurt stood a few feet away, clothes wrinkled and hair mussed. His cheek was still pink with an imprint of where he'd laid his head (Burt was sure it was on Blaine) and he kept yawning. Ahh, the perks of parenthood.
"Nah. I've got her. Unless you're missin' her somethin' fierce. Then I know I can't keep her away from you."
"Oh, you're fine. I just wasn't sure if you were tired of holding her yet-"
"Tired of holding her? Are you crazy? I could hold her forever. I could sit in this chair and hold her until I've wasted away into nothin' but a skeleton!"
"You are so weird, dad."
"It's a dad thing. You'll understand more later on."
At that, Kurt's eyes went a little hazy as he glanced at the sleeping infant in his father's arms. Voice breathy, he nodded and whispered, "Yeah," and Burt's heart soared. Out of all this, he couldn't wait to watch Kurt grow more into his role as a dad. He'd done so much: acting, singing, designing - but this seemed to be his most important role yet. Burt was sure he'd do fine though. He always did.
Same went for Blaine too.
"Where's your husband?"
"He's still sleeping. We haven't slept much lately."
"She a crier at night?"
"Not really. We just... it's fun to watch her sleep."
"Don't I know it. I did the same thing with you."
Kurt smirked, dragging himself closer to his dad and the baby. Carefully, he climbed up on the sofa next to his father and tucked his body against him, leaning his head on Burt's shoulder as he peered down at his sleeping daughter. "I love her so much, dad."
"I know you do. You did a great job."
"I didn't do much. Rachel did all the work."
"Remind me to buy that girl a car." At Kurt's bark of laughter, Burt grinned, leaning down to kiss the top of his grandbaby's messy hair. "You still did a great job though, bud. You and Blaine are going to be the best damn fathers a kid could ask for and I'm so proud of you guys. I'm incredibly proud of you, Kurt. You're the best damn kid a dad could ever imagine."
"Dad-"
"Just remember that, okay? I'll remind you and Blaine all the time if I have to, but you guys should know that by now."
A yawn. "We do."
"Good. Now-" He nudged his boy with his elbow, knocking Kurt over a bit so that his son was practically laying against his side, "-go back to sleep. You need just as much rest as your husband. You can watch the baby sleep later and then you can-" Before he could finish the rest of his suggestion, a soft snore interrupted him and he glanced down, unsurprised to find Kurt already napping away on his shoulder. As his son (and granddaughter) slept, Burt snuggled deeper into the sofa and just reveled in the moment. In the other room, he could hear Carole humming as she cooked. He could hear the quiet breaths of Kurt and the baby right against his ear and down the hall, he was sure he heard a snore come from Blaine.
There, sitting in the living room on an overstuffed sofa with two very tired family members sleeping against him, Burt Hummel was in heaven, prouder and more in love with his life than he ever had been.
A/N: For the longest time, after the finale that is, I thought about writing a Burt-centric piece about becoming a grandfather. Y'all know he had to have been SO excited to know he was gonna be a grandpa, so I tried to capture a little bit of that excitement in this. Mostly, I wanted to portray the happiness that a new grandchild brought as well as that proud feeling a parent gets when their own kid grows up and starts their own family. Thus, that's where this came from. I hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review if you did. Also, if you have any daddy!Klaine (or mpreg) prompts, feel free to send them to me on here or on tumblr. I hope to have more of my stories updated soon (plus I've been entertaining the idea of writing a Kurt version of We Let the Bough Break but I'm not completely sure about that.) Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review! Pretty please?