A/N: Once again an idea planted itself in my brain and would not leave until I did something with it. This is the result. I was blown away by the restaurant scene and the living room scenes. Darren was even more amazing than usual. I still don't have a Glee beta, so all mistakes are mine. If I mess with it any longer, I'll end up not posting it. There is still one more idea kicking around my head. We'll see what happens with that one.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm only playing with these characters for my own amusement. However, given the chance, I'd gladly take Darren.
Burt Hummel knew he wasn't always the most observant of men and he wasn't going to pretend to know this Blaine kid well. Kurt was crazy about him and Blaine had been spending more time at their house, but he hadn't been able to get a solid read on the kid yet. On the one hand he was polite and charming, a good student, talented singer, and Kurt was crazy about him. Kurt hadn't been this happy in a long time, so he was willing to give Blaine a lot just for putting a real smile back on his son's face. On the other, Burt felt that there was a whole lot more to this kid's story, something decidedly less charming. It didn't help that this was the kid who pushed him to talk to his son about sex and then ended up dating the very same son a few weeks later. Nope, that didn't work in the kid's favor…at all.
But even he could see how uncomfortable Blaine was as Kurt twirled and modeled his prom outfit. There was obviously something more in the conversation that had nothing to do with formal wear. It didn't take a shrink to read Blaine's posture. The defensive way his arms were wrapped around his body. His usual air of confidence was gone and in his place was a squirming, slight nauseous looking kid who seemed torn between listening to his head and his heart. The kid, quite frankly, looked like he wanted to crawl into the nearest hole and hide. And Burt was world weary enough to know that probably meant something bad.
As much as he worried about Kurt and for Kurt, but he couldn't help the tiny flicker of reassurance he felt when Kurt refused to back down about the kilt. Kurt would need that defiance, that strength, to face an unfriendly world and get through it all. He wasn't surprised though when Blaine agreed with him instead of Kurt. As much as he disliked the idea, he was going to have to talk to the kid. Fore warned is fore armed or something like that, right?
"Finn, would you mind taking these up to my desk?" He asked as he held out the stack of mail.
Finn looked confused for a second. The mail usually stayed on the front table for days before Burt or Carole got a chance to take care of it. Burt shot a pointed look at Blaine, who was trying hard not to look at anyone.
"Oh!" Finn finally got the hint. "Sure, no problem." He said as he got up to take the proffered mail and headed for the stairs. "Need anything else?"
"Nope. I'm good thanks." Burt took another moment to study Blaine. He still looked like he wanted to throw up and this arms were still wrapped tightly around his torso.
"Blaine," he began quietly, but it still startled the kid. It took a second for Blaine to remember his manners and respond.
"Yes, sir?"
"What's going on?" He asked gently.
"What do you mean, sir?" The desire to flee was practically written above his head in neon letters.
"What aren't you two telling me? What kid Kurt mean about 'what you've been through'"?
Blaine let out a strangled groan. This was really not something he wanted to talk about again. Telling Kurt had been hard enough and he'd had nightmares every night since. Even sitting here in the comfort and safety of the Hummel's living room, he could still hear the sounds of being punched and kicked like it was yesterday. As much as he wanted to believe he'd put it all behind him, he really hadn't.
And now, his boyfriend's father was asking him about it. He wanted to lie, make up some story or just leave, but he knew he wouldn't.
Burt watched the internal struggle play out on the boy's face.
"Blaine, you know you're safe here, right?" Burt was reassured when Blaine nodded quickly in agreement. "I'm going to take a guess here and say you know a little bit more about how hateful people can be?"
Burt could see the kid physically gathering his nerve before replying.
"The last school dance I went to ended with a ride in an ambulance."
Burt crumpled just a bit and sighed. Wasn't this exactly what he was afraid of? How many times had he woken up in a cold sweat from a nightmare that involved a phone call from the hospital or the police about Kurt?
"I was afraid you'd say that." He scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration. Why couldn't life be simpler for these kids? "Do you mind telling me what happened?"
Blaine minded, but he knew he was still going to tell him what he wanted to know. This was Kurt's father and one of the most understanding parents he'd ever met.
"Right after I came out, there was a Sadie Hawkins dance at school. I wanted to go but there weren't going to be any girls asking me, so I asked the only other gay guy at the school. The whole school had been buzzing about it for weeks and it was kind of contagious. We foolishly thought that we'd have just as much fun as everyone else. We had fun picking out what to wear and where to go for dinner before the dance. It was nice to do things with another guy who actually understood, you know?" Burt nodded, Kurt had said much the same about Blaine. He remained silent though.
"The dance itself wasn't too bad. We went together, but we didn't take a picture together and we only danced during the faster songs where everyone kind of dances as a group. Even though we were both out, neither of us really had any idea what dating another guy really meant and there were no other same sex couples at our school. Or at least not that were made public. And given what happened, I doubt there have been very many since."
"Mark's dad was picking us up after, but he wasn't there yet so we waited outside. We were naïve, thinking things had gone well and it was all good. We left ourselves vulnerable."
Burt couldn't help but interject. "Blaine, there was no way you could have known. Nothing that happened was your fault."
Blaine waved him off. "I should have known though. I should have thought things through better. I hadn't been out very long, but just in that short time things had changed. Team mates and so-called friends were avoiding me, there were nasty notes in my locker, name calling, those not so subtle pushes in the hallway, all that fun stuff. I should have realized those people were never going to let two gay guys go to a dance together." Burt could see tears forming in the hazel eyes his son had gone on and on about.
Blaine took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing. "They jumped us outside the school. There were three of them. The school's resident dumb jocks who felt they ruled the place."
Burt forced himself to stay calm as Blaine continued. "They started throwing punches almost immediately. I was knocked off my feet pretty quickly which only worked to their advantage since kicking is apparently easier. Mark was held up by one as the other one hit him. They had plenty to say, but they were more interested in 'beating the gay out of us.'" Burt could practically see the quotes around that last part.
Burt felt like his heart was going to explode. He could so easily picture Kurt in the other kid's position. As bad as things got, he didn't think anyone had ever outright punched or kicked his son. And he really, really wanted to keep it that way.
"It felt like forever, but it was probably less than ten minutes. They didn't stop until his father finally pulled up and got out of the car screaming. I remember thinking "thank god" because it was finally over and then I kind of passed out. I remember waking up for a few seconds in the ambulance, just enough to realize I was in an ambulance and then nothing until I woke up again in the emergency room. I had a concussion, two broken ribs, a black eye, split lip and more bruises and cuts than you could count. One particularly well placed kick messed up my knee so badly that it took two surgeries to fix." Blaine absently rubbed his left knee.
" Mark had much of the same but needed surgery for a ruptured spleen. We both spent time in the hospital. By the time I got out, my parents had arranged my transfer to Dalton and his family was making plans to move."
"What happened to the guys who jumped you?"
The way Blaine's face fell said it all.
"A whole lot of nothing. We pressed charges and they were expelled from school, but the lawyers managed to get them off with probation and community service. My mother wanted to go after them and the school with a lawsuit, but Mark's family just wanted to move and forget and my father wasn't convinced it would do any good. The whole thing had already attracted too much attention as far as he was concerned and unless he was sure something would come out of it, he wasn't going to attract more. He hadn't had much time at that point to adjust to having a gay son and I think that whole mess just made it harder on him. Having people talk about it at the office or stop him in the store was the last thing he wanted. He's better about it now, but I know he'll never be completely comfortable. It always seems like he's waiting for me to say it was just a phase and bring home a nice girl after all."
Blaine paused. He seemed lost in his memories.
"The thing that stayed with me the most is the sounds. I can still hear them. The crack of knuckles on my cheekbone. The thump of boots against flesh. The bruises are gone, bones are healed, but I can still hear it all."
Burt was at a loss. He was heartbroken for the kid in front of him. But he was also terrified his son would find himself in the exact same situation. As much as he wanted these kids to be able to do everything they wanted to do, he also wanted them safe.
"You know, I had actually managed to do a pretty good job of not thinking about it all before Kurt asked me to go with him to prom."
"I take it he didn't know before this?"
Blaine shook his head. "No. I had told him I'd been harassed at my old school, but I didn't tell him any details or about being beaten up. Until the other night anyway."
"And I still haven't told him all the details. He hasn't asked." He added quickly.
"He will eventually." Burt knew his son. Kurt was going to want to know it all.
"I will tell him if he asks, but I don't want him to know. Does that make sense?"
Burt nodded.
"I know things were bad for him and I don't want to diminish what he's been through at all. But there are worse things out there. I just don't want him to experience any of it. He needs to know it's there, to be safe, but I don't want him to know too much." Blaine sighed. "I'm not making any sense now, am I?"
"Oh no, I totally understand." Burt agreed. He was a parent, he knew.
The room got quiet for a moment. Neither of them knew what to say or do. Both of them thinking about Kurt, dances, kilts and hate.
"You really care about him, don't you?" Burt asked quietly.
"Very much, sir." There wasn't the slightest bit of hesitation to the reply.
Burt nodded. It had taken years, but he wasn't the only one looking out for Kurt any more. He had Carole, Finn, Blaine and the rest of Kurt's friends to help now. He could only hope for the best.
"You guys are going to the prom then?"
"Yes, sir."
"And he's going to wear that skirt thing?"
"Oh yeah…" The answer came out as a slow exhale.
The room was quiet again as they waited for Kurt and Finn to reappear. Both torn between wanting life to be simple and knowing that it rarely was.