Dave's phone had vibrated in his pocket several times on his way home from the grocery store. He hadn't bothered to check it, though, opting not to set down all the strategically placed bags in his hands until he was home. Once he'd plunked everything down, however, he pulled his cell from his pocket and quickly scanned the home screen. He had two new texts, one from his boss and one from a work buddy asking about golfing this weekend. A new voicemail from Blaine caught his eye, and he put the phone to his ear to listen as he began to put his groceries away.

The message was short and to the point, and Dave could hear the mix of relief and anxiety in his former lover's voice. "Hey, Dave. It's Blaine. I—I wanted to ask you about something. Call me back when you get a chance, please. Bye."

Dave almost thought he could hear—but no. He shook himself. Blaine probably just wanted to ask a question about his fantasy football league or something. Dave was, after all, the only sports agent Blaine knew, and Blaine took all competitions seriously, even if it was just fantasy football. Dave was sure Blaine couldn't want anything too important, but nevertheless, he dialed Blaine's number and waited for him to pick up as he opened the refrigerator and began to put away his cold groceries.

Blaine was sitting in his mostly dark living room, only one lamp on at the end of the couch closest to him. Kurt had gone to the gym, and Blaine was doing nothing, just picking at his fingernails and fretting. He was worried that Dave wouldn't call him back, but he almost hoped that he wouldn't. He was lost in thought, playing scenarios over and over again in his head, paying no attention to what was going on around him. So, when his phone rang, he jumped. He picked up his phone with trembling fingers, checking to see Dave's name on the ID before answering.

"Hello?" He was sure Dave could hear how nervous he sounded.

"Hey, Blaine. What's up?"

"Oh, you know." Phone pressed to his ear, Blaine chewed on his bottom lip for a second. "How are you?"

Dave couldn't help but smile a bit as he finished putting away the groceries, kicked off his shoes by the front door, and headed to the living room to sit down. Blaine was sounding odd, and Dave remembered fondly how cute Blaine looked whenever he was nervous. "Everything's going good for me." Dave gave him a moment to respond but when he was met with silence, he decided to prompt Blaine. "Did you want me to call so we could sit in silence?" he asked quietly, voice low.

Blaine started a bit. He was so nervous about what he needed to say, he'd gotten lost in his head again. "Um, no." Another long pause. "I'm just not really sure how to ask you this."

"Just say it, Blaine. I'm sure it's fine."

Dave heard a heavy sigh from the other end. He picked up a magazine and began flipping through, knowing he'd just have to wait Blaine out. Whenever he got like this, faced with something he needed to say but couldn't bring himself to, Dave had learned that silent patience always drew it out of him.

Blaine stared at the carpet, making a shape out of a few loose carpet threads in his mind. Finally, he spoke quietly. "Just listen 'til I get all the way through, please. Okay?"

Dave set the magazine aside and switched the phone to his other ear. "Okay."

Blaine sighed again and picked up a pen to doodle on the notepad next to him. "I'm sure you know that after Kurt and I got married, we moved up here to New York." Blaine's voice was soft but so full of emotion that Dave tried to center in on it, give it his full attention. Whatever this was, he'd been wrong. It was important. "Kurt and I both went back to school after we got settled up here, and we got part time jobs. Everything, for the most part, has been really great. We spend evenings together, mostly, and we're happy. But now that finals are coming up, we're both really stressed. We've been fighting a lot and Kurt—we...never really relax. So..." Blaine took a deep breath, down to the most serious part of his conversation with Dave. "So, I was wondering if you would be willing to start...if we could try the type of relationship you and I had for a while." The last part of Blaine's speech came out in a rush, and Dave had to take a minute to process it.

"Have you talked with Kurt about this?"

"No. I mean, not yet."

Dave ran a hand through his hair, leaning back further into the couch. "How do you know that he'll be open to this?"
"I don't, for sure, but he shows some signs."

Dave nodded, though Blaine couldn't see him. "Having a relationship like that is a big deal. You need to bring it up gently and give him plenty of time to think."

"I know. But, Dave..." Blaine dropped his head, trying to find the resolve to restate his point. He didn't think Dave had gotten it. "I want you to be there," he tried again.

Dave's brow furrowed. "Won't Kurt be uncomfortable if I'm there while you're discussing a private part of your lives?"

"Not if it involves you."

"Involves me?"

Blaine sighed, then said in the softest voice Dave had ever heard, "I want you to be our...Daddy."

Dave didn't respond for a bit, his brain moving rapidly between screaming "no" emphatically and considering the idea. Running a hand over his head, Dave finally answered. "...I dunno, Blaine."

"I know this is an odd request, Dave," Blaine rushed. "But, I just remember how much it helped me, back when you and I were together. And I know Kurt might not like it so much right away, but I think he'd warm up to it. Please." Blaine hated to sound like he was begging, but he'd thought this over several times. He knew it could work. He was riddled with anxiety about it, but he knew it could work.

Dave took in several deep breaths, caught up in indecision. "Blaine, I—I'm just not sure. It was one thing when we were together, but I'm afraid Kurt will think I'm meddling in your relationship or trying to get you back."

Blaine scoffed at that. "We're married now, Dave. Not dating. There is no 'getting me back.'" He was going to say more, but he heard Kurt's keys jingling at the lock. "Kurt's here," he said in a whisper. "Think about it and text me." With that, Blaine hung up.

Dave let the phone fall into his lap unceremoniously. That was not at all how he'd expected his phone call with Blaine to go. This was...big. Really big. And a decision about it seemed to be resting on his shoulders, currently.

He needed a beer. Going to the fridge, Dave popped the top off an ice cold bottle and took a long swig. The bitter flavor that coated his mouth and throat helped to clear his head. Sitting back down with his beer, a pad of paper, and a pen, Dave set to work on a pros and cons list.

On one hand, Dave felt pretty strongly that Kurt would not like this plan. He would think it was meddling. Even though Kurt and Dave had patched up most problems from their high school days, there were still some unresolved feelings about Dave and Blaine dating during the Anderson-Hummel's final break up. Dave was pretty sure that his and Blaine's history would throw up some major red flags for Kurt. Not to mention that while nearly two years had passed, and they had seen each other at random gatherings in Lima, Dave wasn't sure that Kurt knew he was in New York, though Blaine seemed to. Even if he did know, Kurt liked to keep things in his relationships pretty quiet. He wouldn't want to air his and Blaine's dirty laundry to Dave. Dave wasn't a marriage counselor. This didn't seem like a very good idea.

On the other hand, Dave knew that Blaine really did thrive under that sort of relationship. He had been angsty and mean with Dave at the start of their time together, always on edge and prone to anxiety and anger episodes. Dave had brought up the possibility of starting something new one night after a particularly awful date in which Blaine spent the majority of dinner complaining about how Dave didn't fold the laundry correctly and how they needed to find a way to cut back on energy consumption because the bill was too high.

Blaine had resisted the idea at first, but after trying it out one Saturday, he admitted to Dave that he felt a lot calmer. He liked not having to handle the stress of everyday things, relished just being able to enjoy things that made him happy without worrying about the consequences, most of the time. He wasn't a big fan o f punishments; Dave was pretty strict and had a firm hand, but Blaine did admit that the guilt was gone after his punishments. Plus, Dave was good to snuggle with, and he was a pro at reading stories. So, Blaine was happy to play as often as they could.

Dave also found that he really enjoyed taking care of Blaine. He was a nurturer at heart, and he thrived on seeing the people he cared about happy and healthy. He also noticed a big change in Blaine as they went on with their relationship. Blaine became more relaxed and level-headed, willing to talk things out with Dave rather than yell about them, even when they weren't playing.

Their breakup was hard for both of them, and losing that part of the relationship especially. Dave felt the emptiness for quite a while after the two of them split. And even though he'd dated around a bit, he still hadn't found anyone long term.

Dave sat back and checked his list. His pros list looked a little longer than the cons, but that didn't really help the nervousness in his stomach. What if he made the wrong decision?

Finally, he pulled out his phone and texted Blaine.

Thursday, 7:15pm: Blaine, I'm willing to talk about this with the two of you. But you have to tell Kurt first.

Thursday, 7:16pm: Help me!

7:18pm: With what?

7:18pm: Telling Kurt!

7:19pm: He's your husband. You need to tell him.

7:21pm: But what do I say?

Dave grinned. He could practically hear the whine in Blaine's voice.

7:22pm: Just be honest. Tell him what you want.

7:22pm: Can you come over for dinner tomorrow night?

7:23pm: Will you be ready by then? You'll have told him?

7:23pm: Can you come or not?

7:24pm: Sure. But I'm serious, Blaine.

7:25pm: Bring a bottle of wine. See you tomorrow. And thanks.

7:26pm: No problem. See you tomorrow.

Dave sighed. It was only 7:30pm, but he already felt exhausted. He needed another beer. That didn't seem to help him take his mind off of what Blaine had asked, however. Neither did watching TV or reading. For some reason, little images of the "family" they could be kept plaguing him.

He could see himself sitting on the couch, Kurt on one side, Blaine on the other. The two boys would be curled into his side, listening intently as they read together.

Or he could see them on the floor, playing with Legos, the boys on their stomachs, giggling as they worked together to build a town.

He could also see himself tucking the two of them into bed, laying a kiss to each forehead before turning out the light and leaving the door cracked just a bit.

It all seemed so...perfect, but Dave wanted to kick himself for obsessing over the idea. It was very likely that Kurt would not agree, and even if he did, the two of them could always tell him to leave whenever they wanted. He would be nothing more to them than the guy they did scenes with sometimes. That made him very sad, and he wondered for a moment if he could handle that. But, he knew, he loved the two of them enough that he would. He'd been in love with both of them, after all, at one point or another.

Eventually, Dave decided to just go to bed. This day was shot anyway, and he had a long day of work before dinner with Kurt and Blaine tomorrow. So, he got himself ready, laying down and switching off the light. He was pleased that he was able to fall asleep quickly, but he was less than thrilled that his dreams all revolved around the possibility of taking care of people he truly cared about once again.