Blue Ivy at the VMAs was too cute, y'all. I had to make this happen.
Kurt had to consciously keep himself from fidgeting in his seat. They were just about to announce his category at the Tonys – the freaking Tonys – and he was sure he was about to throw up on Rachel's dress out of nerves.
"Babe. Calm down," Rachel said from two seats away. She leaned across the empty seat and put a soothing hand on his knee. "You've got this on lock and you know it. Not a single one of those actors was as good as you, and I'm saying that as a seasoned professional, not just your best friend."
"There have been upsets before, Rach!" Kurt hissed, trying not to draw attention to himself (for once). "And the other actors are good. Some of them have better songs than I do, too, and it is a musical category."
"Oh my God, you need to-"
What Kurt needed to do got cut off as the cameramen signaled that they were back on air and Blaine took the stage. When they had gotten the call that the producers wanted Blaine to present Kurt's category, they had laughed at the cute coincidence, but now Kurt was really wishing that Blaine was announcing anything else so he could be next to him during these stressful moments.
"Leading men, like leading ladies, are the backbones of their shows," Blaine read, doing an excellent job of not just woodenly staring at the prompter, in Kurt's opinion. "If they aren't pulling their weight, the whole show tends to be seen in an unfavorable light. The five men up for Leading Actor in a Musical tonight are truly going above and beyond to make their productions great."
The screen behind Blaine flashed to a prerecorded clip of the nominees, leading off with Kurt's own performance as Elphaba in the gender-flipped production of Wicked that had just opened last season. He was thankful to note that he wasn't making any weird singing faces in his clips, but still huffed a small sigh of relief when it changed to the next performer.
"Wasn't that impressive?" Blaine asked as the montage ended. "Now, I've got a little announcement to make – they told me who won already. I got the phone call last night, and the producers asked if it would be alright for me to co-present this award. When they said who they wanted my partner to be, I immediately said yes. Could my special guest please make her way to the stage now?"
Kurt gasped as their two year old daughter Ella ran onstage, holding the Tony and giggling. Blaine picked her up. "Hi, people!"
"For those of you who don't know, this is Kurt's and my daughter, Elena. Ella, can you tell the audience who won?" Blaine asked, tickling Ella's tummy.
"Papa!" Ella squealed. She looked out into the house eagerly. "Papa, where are you?"
Kurt was frozen in his seat, only getting up when Rachel nearly shoved him onto the floor. He walked up to the stage on autopilot, buttoning his blazer and smoothing his tie as he went.
"Papa, you won!" Ella said once he was next to his family. She held out the Tony in her small fists.
"Thanks, baby girl," Kurt said, taking the award before Ella could drop it. "Oh my God, this is the best surprise I've ever gotten."
"Hey!" Blaine interjected.
"Oh, I knew you were gonna propose, B," Kurt said, and the audience erupted in laughter. "I can't believe my husband and daughter got to present me with my first Tony, oh my God. I'd like to thank my cast and crew for being amazing, the professors at NYADA for giving me the training I needed, my best friend Rachel Berry for always being there when I needed her, my wonderful husband and daughter for putting up with me when I'm out for blood after a bad rehearsal, and, and – oh, and my father, Burt, of course! Dad, you have always been my rock, and I could never have gotten this far without your support. And to everyone I know I'm forgetting!"
The music swelled as Kurt said his final words, prompting him to walk offstage, one hand holding his Tony and the other firmly encased in Blaine's.
"Congratulations, sweetheart!" Blaine said once they were far enough from the stage. "I'm so proud of you."
"Papa, Papa!" Ella said, squirming and holding her arms out to Kurt. He took her from Blaine's arms and she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Love you, Papa."
"I love you too, sweet pea," Kurt said, snuggling her closer. "I can't believe the American Theatre Wing planned this."
"They wanted this moment to be special for you," Blaine said. "I think they also figured this moment would go viral once it aired, and ratings are always good."
"Wouldn't surprise me," Kurt said. "I know they've been worried about people tuning in for years now."
"Mr. Anderson-Hummel!" came the call from a nearby PA. Both Kurt and Blaine's heads turned. "Sorry, Kurt," the burly man clarified. "We need you in the press room."
"Do they want photo ops with Blaine and Ella, too?" Kurt asked, shifting Ella to a more comfortable spot in his arms. It was past her bedtime, and he could tell the adrenaline rush of being onstage was starting to wear off.
"Oh, probably," the PA said. "Please hurry, the next winner will be out soon!"
Kurt and Blaine shared a quick, celebratory kiss before hustling to the press room, where they'd inevitably share a few more for show.
All in all, I'd say it's been a pretty good evening, Kurt mused as he smiled for the first blast of cameras.