Title: Of Love and Adoptions
Pairing: Klaine
"Hey. Hey. Hey. Uncle Kurt. Hey. Uncle Kurt. Uncle Kurt. Uncle Kurt. Hey. Hey. He-"
"Yes, Patrick?" Kurt sighed.
"Are we almost there, yet?" Patrick asked, bouncing up and down in his seat.
"I think so…" Kurt trailed off, glancing once again at the directions he printed off of the internet. This place sure is in the middle of nowhere, he thought.
"You think so?" Patrick's sister, Barbara, questioned. "That means we're lost."
"No it does not mean that we are lost, thank you very much," Kurt retaliated. "It just means that Google Maps needs to write better driving directions." Barbara hmphed, crossing her arms across her chest. God, you are so much like your mother, Kurt thought, looking in the rearview mirror at the children behind him. Barbara and Patrick, Kurt's niece and nephew, were the children of his brother, Finn, and his best friends and college roommate, Rachel. And it was obvious which child took after which parent. Barbara was a small girl with long brown hair, Rachel's nose, and Rachel's loud voice. She had Rachel's attitude as well and was named after Rachel's idol, Barbara Streisand. Patrick, on the other hand, was clearly Finn's son. He was tall, gangly, and terribly uncoordinated. He was hyper and sports oriented, much like his father.
"Uncle Kurt! When are we going to get there?"
Oh, yeah. He also inherited his father's impatience.
"Soon, Patrick. Soon. Just relax for a minute."
"Uncle Kurt! Patrick won't stop bouncing and it's making my seat shake!" Barbara complained. Kurt sighed.
"Patrick, stop bouncing. I knew making you chocolate chip pancakes this morning was a bad idea."
He loved his niece and nephew and did not hesitate when Rachel and Finn asked him to babysit for the weekend so they could go to a dance workshop in New Jersey so when his brother and sister-in-law dropped the kids off last night before their flight, Kurt was ready for them. Or so he thought. Having two eight-year-olds in his perfectly decorated New York apartment was way different from going to visit them at their own home. This was the first time Kurt babysat the two of them for longer than a few hours and he wanted to do a good job, but after all Friday night and early this morning, he knew he had to get the two of them out of the house. There was just too much energy for his two-bedroom apartment to handle, so he pulled out his laptop and Googled "kid-friendly places in New York". He printed off driving directions and piled the two kids into his car and set off. Now an hour and a half later, Kurt was driving on a windy road in the middle of nowhere trying to find a place that he did not think actually existed.
"Uncle Kurt! Look!" Patrick exclaimed, pointing out of his window at a wooden sign on the side of the road next to a narrow turn-off.
Second Chance Animal Sanctuary
Slowly Kurt turned on to the narrow road surrounded by tall trees. After a couple minutes of driving, the trees thinned out and gave way to an enormous fenced-in area with an open gate which Kurt drove through on to a gravel road. There was a red house with a porch and a white balcony on the second level. Several cars were parked out front. Kurt parked and got out of the car with Patrick and Barbara who began to run towards a small pen in front of the house holding several small, fluffy bunnies.
"Don't touch them and stay right here. I'm going to-"
"Hello!" Kurt jumped at the voice that was suddenly behind him. He spun around and came face to face with a man slightly shorter than him with wild, curly, dark hair, hazel eyes, and a blinding smile.
"Hello," Kurt said. "Do you work here? I found this place online and thought it might be fun for the kids to see some animals and get some of their energy out."
"Well, that can most certainly be arranged," the man laughed. "I'm Blaine, by the way. Would you all like a tour?"
"Kurt, and yes, I think that would be lovely." The two men walked over to the children who were still peering into the rabbit pen.
"Uncle Kurt! Look!" Barbara exclaimed, pointing to a white one speckled with brownish-grey spots and ears. "It's so cute!"
"I like this one!" Patrick said, pointing out another. This one was black and a deep chocolate brown.
"They're both quite adorable," Kurt said, crouching down to look beside the two eight-year-olds. Blaine crouched down beside him.
"That one," Blaine said, pointing at the white one, "is named Slate and that one is Coffee Bean."
"Coffee Bean?" Kurt asked. "I like him already!" Blaine laughed.
"I'm pretty partial to coffee, myself."
"Barbara, Patrick, this is Blaine. He's going to show us around."
"Hi Blaine," the twins said shyly.
"Hello, Barbara and Patrick. How would you guys like to go look around? We keep most of the animals back behind the house. These guys are just hanging out here because they live inside the big house with the owner. Have you ever been to the county fair?" The twins nodded. "The guy who owns the sanctuary runs the rabbit show there. He breeds them."
"I love watching the bunny show!" Barbara exclaimed. "The last time we went, Daddy, Mommy, Patrick, and I got to feed some baby bunnies. They were so soft!" Blaine chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"I like to feed the bunnies, too. Would you like to?" he asked. The twins looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Really?" Patrick asked.
"Yeah, really?" Kurt asked cautiously. He'd never been to a place like this, but he could have sworn that most zoos don't let eight-year-olds feed the animals.
"Yeah! It's fine!" Blaine assured him. "Trust me. Not many people visit around here since it's so out of the way. Allen likes to make sure anybody who does has a memorable experience and one of the best memories I have of this place is the first time I fed the bunnies."
"Allen?" Kurt asked.
"Oh, yeah. Allen is the guy who owns Second Chance. This is actually his house. I'll just run in and get some food to give them. Be right back." Blaine then climbed the steps to the house and disappeared inside only to return a moment later with a bag of vegetables and an old man in jeans and a sweater.
"This is Allen," Blaine said. "Allen, this is Kurt, Barbara, and Patrick." Allen held his hand out to Kurt to shake.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, his eyes crinkling and twinkling as he smiled. He then turned to the kids and shook both of their hands as well. "I hear you would like to feed my rabbits for me," he said. The twins nodded.
"May we?" Barbara asked.
"Please?" Patrick chimed in. Allen chuckled.
"Of course! Blaine, why don't you give these young'uns somethin' to feed 'em?" He said. Blaine set the bag down on the ground and opened it up, pulling out a couple leaves of lettuce and a carrot and handing them to Barbara and Patrick.
"Now," he said, "You want to be careful when you feed them. They won't mean to, but if you get your fingers too close to their teeth when they're eating, they might accidently bite you. Just hold it still and wait for them to eat. Don't try to force them or wave it in their face." Blaine demonstrated, leaning over the edge of the low fence holding a carrot. A snowy white rabbit with dark spots hopped over and began to nibble at the end.
"You guys try," he said. The twins copied him, leaning over the side with their vegetables and giggled as the rabbits began to eat from their hands. Kurt couldn't help but to laugh with them, pulling out his cell phone and snapping a couple pictures to send to Finn and Rachel.
Look at your children! I apologize in advance for any pestering they may do for a bunny. They seem to have taken quite a liking to them.
—K
Oh, my goodness! Are they feeding rabbits? Where on earth are you and why didn't you take me?
—Rachel Berry-Hudson
Haha! Maybe they won't have such a hard time getting a bunny after all! And we're at Second Chance Animal Sanctuary about two hours away from Manhattan.
—K
They look like they're having so much fun! Oh, Finn says for me to tell you that if they come home with rabbits they are never going to your house again. Don't worry. I'll sneak them over there. He can't stop me. I'm his wife.
—Rachel Berry-Hudson
I don't think they'll be coming home with any rabbits. Tell Finn not to worry. I have to go watch your children, but have fun! We sure will be!
—K
SEND ME MORE PICTURES!
—Rachel Berry-Hudson
Okay, I will. Love ya.
—K
Luv ya!
—Rachel Berry
"Uncle Kurt! Come feed the bunnies with us!" Barbara pleaded, grabbing Kurt's hand and pulling him over to the fuzzy little critters and handing him a fistful of lettuce. Kurt leaned over the side next to Blaine and fed a fat brown rabbit. Once he finished the lettuce, he nosed around in Kurt's hand seemingly looking for more food. Kurt gasped.
"He's so soft!" Blaine chuckled. "What did you expect all that fur to feel like? Sandpaper?" Kurt just petted the rabbit in awe.
"Have you never touched a rabbit before, Kurt?" Blaine asked incredulously. Kurt shook his head.
"Do you want to hold him?" Blaine asked. Kurt looked up at him.
"Can I really?"
Blaine looked back at Allen who nodded. Kurt had forgotten he was there.
"Of course you can, as long as Blaine is here. I'm going to go back inside, but you all have fun."
"Hey, kids. Do you guys want to hold a bunny, too?" Blaine asked. The kids nodded frantically. Blaine leaned over the side and picked up the chocolate brown bunny Kurt had been feeding.
"Okay. You guys need to be really careful not to hurt them and you have to hold them just like this," Blaine said, placing the rabbit in Kurt's arms and positioning him. Kurt looked down at the animal in his arms in wonder. Blaine then turned to the twins.
"Which ones do you two want to hold?"
"Slate!"
"Coffee Bean!"
Blaine chuckled and picked up the two rabbits, positioning them in the kids' arms before turning back to Kurt.
"What's this one's name?" Kurt asked curiously.
"Chip," Blaine replied. Kurt tilted his head to the side questionably.
"It's short for Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip the Fourth."
"Well, that's quite a mouthful," Kurt remarked.
"Allen let a little girl named Sara name him. She loved the bunnies but was allergic. She was so sad that she couldn't own a bunny so Allen let her name one. He's really a big softie when it comes to kids. It's too bad he never had any of his own. He would have been a fantastic father."
"Well, why didn't he?" Kurt asked. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business. Never mind." Kurt looked down embarrassed. Blaine looked at him and smiled.
"I don't think that's a story for right now, but perhaps another time I'll tell it." Blaine walked over to where the kids were cuddling their rabbits. "Okay, guys. Why don't we put these little guys back and go see some more animals?" The twins and Kurt placed the rabbits back into the pen and followed Kurt around to the back of the house to another gravel road. Blaine walked over to a parked golf cart.
"Climb in!" he said, sitting in the driver's seat. Kurt sat next to him and the twins sat in the back.
"Why are we taking a golf cart?" Patrick asked.
"Well, this place is pretty big and if you want to see it all without having your legs fall off from walking so much, this is the best choice. Also, because riding in golf carts is fun!" Blaine replied. Kurt laughed at Blaine's childish response. Blaine looked over at him and Kurt blushed, turning his head quickly and looking at the passing cherry trees that lined the road. It was springtime so all of the trees were bursting with fragrant pink blossoms. Kurt breathed in the scent deeply and sighed. There was something about this place that seemed to put him at ease. He loved living in Manhattan, but the fresh air and wide open spaces were refreshing. They rode for a while before Blaine pulled up to a slightly run-down barn that needed a fresh coat of paint.
"I thought barns were only red on TV," Kurt remarked jokingly.
"Well, TV and ours," Blaine chuckled, flashing a smile at Kurt and leading them to the barn door. He opened the door and gestured for them to enter.
The inside of the barn was exactly how one would expect a barn to look. It was a little dark, the only light coming from the window in the hayloft and the open door, but it was a bright day so they could see fine. The floor was covered in a layer of straw and there was a feeding area on one wall filled with fresh hay. Also, there were cows. Lots of cows. Kurt was careful where to step as they walked in.
"This is where the cows stay at night and where the babies stay a lot of the time. The only ones who are in here right now are either pregnant or have young calves," Blaine said. Kurt looked around and, sure enough, there were plenty baby cows playing, eating, and nuzzling who Kurt assumed to be their mothers. One particularly friendly calf walked over to them and nuzzled Blaine's hand.
"I don't have any treats, buddy, sorry," he said, patting the calf's head. The calf really was kind of cute, in a smelly barnyard animal kind of way. He was mostly a rich caramel brown, but his face was white except for the top of his nose and around his eyes. The twins were thrilled. They walked right over and began to pet the calf, copying Blaine, and the calf seemed to love the attention.
"This is Capulet. He's the most playful and energetic of the newborns. He's also the most hungry. He eats all the time!" Blaine laughed.
"Uncle Kurt! Don't you want to pet the cow?"
"No thanks, Patrick," Kurt said, snapping another photo or two and sending them to Rachel. "Bunnies are fine, but I have no desire to pet a cow." Blaine laughed.
"What? He's not going to bite! Cows are vegetarians, you know."
"Yes, Blaine, I am quite aware of that, thank you very much. It's just that I have no desire for my brand new Marc Jacobs shirt to smell like a farm for the rest of eternity."
"And why would you wear your 'brand new Marc Jacobs shirt' to play with animals?" Blaine questioned, getting a kick out of Kurt's huffed response. Kurt didn't answer. In truth, wearing this outfit was not one of his brighter plans. At least he had the forethought to wear last year's jeans and boots.
"If you guys want to follow me," Blaine began, "behind the barn is where the pigs and chickens are. And there is a new litter of piglets that was just born last week."
"Pigs!" Patrick exclaimed, running to Blaine and slipping on the straw. He caught himself before he hit the ground, but that didn't stop the others from giggling, or in Barbara's case, laughing so hard she cried.
"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Patrick assured them. "Let's go see some pigs!" Blaine chuckled once more before opening the back barn door to let them back out into the bright sunlight.
"Oh, my god," Kurt said, covering his ears from the assaulting screeching sounds. "What the hell is that?"
Blaine started laughing hysterically, clutching his sides and gasping for air. "Your… face… right… now. Oh… my…. GOD!"
"Piggies!" Barbara screeched, running over to the pen of squealing, screeching animals and cooing over them. "They're so cute! Like little Piglets! Where's Pooh?" she asked the pigs, crouching down and pressing her face against the chain link fence.
"Look at them all! There's black spots all over them! Why are there black spots on them?" Patrick questioned Blaine curiously.
"They're dirty! That's why!" Kurt exclaimed, setting Blaine off on another round of gasping laughter.
"No, no. Well, yes, they are dirty. They're pigs. Of course they're dirty, but that's not why they have black spots. Their father was mostly black. They're mother is pink. Therefore, their children are both. Tadaa!" Blaine explained. "Their mom's name is Posie and their dad's name is Rocker. That's them over there, sleeping in the mud." The twins looked to where Blaine was pointing to two larger pigs snuggling with one another in the mud and sunshine, fast asleep.
"Awww. They're so adorable!" Barbara said.
"Girls," Patrick scoffed. "'So cute! So cute!'" he mocked his sister who stuck her tongue out at him. Kurt and Blaine chuckled.
"There are chickens in the hen house, right there," Blaine pointed to a wooden shack-like structure, out of which a brightly colored rooster strut across the yard. "If you're careful, you can go inside and look around. Just don't touch any of the chickens, or their eggs, or their roosting areas. Chickens can be mean when threatened."
The twins nodded seriously before entering the chicken coop. Waiting outside, Kurt and Blaine could hear their squeals and giggles of delight.
"They're so yellow and fluffy!" they heard Barbara exclaim. Blaine chuckled.
"I think she discovered the chicks," he said. "They really are enthusiastic kids, aren't they?"
"Yeah, they are. Now you know why I wanted to get them out of my house for the day!" Kurt laughed.
"So, I heard them calling you 'Uncle Kurt'. Are they…"
"My brother's," Kurt finished. "He and my best friend, his wife, are out of town for the weekend for work so I said that I'd watch them."
"That's nice. Does your girlfriend watch the kids, too?" Kurt laughed.
"Are you kidding me right now, Blaine? I could have sworn I practically screamed of flamboyancy."
"So, no girlfriend, then?"
"No, Blaine. No girlfriend. Not now, not ever. I am 100% completely and totally gay." Blaine smiled.
"Well, I was about to suggest maybe bringing your girlfriend, or boyfriend, I suppose, a baby chick home. They are pretty adorable and we get a lot of people who want to adopt one for fresh eggs, class pets, etc."
"Well, I don't have a boyfriend to bring a chick home to, nor would I want to. Chickens do not go well with fifth floor terraced apartments in Manhattan. No animal would, actually." Blaine chuckled.
"You're a real city boy, aren't you, Kurt?"
"Now I am."
"Now?"
"Yeah. I moved here after graduating from high school. I have never really found having a pet appealing, however, in any place I have lived, city or not. I did have some chicks as class pets in elementary school, though, I think, and you're right. They are pretty adorable and fun, but when I was a kid, I wasn't the one who would have had to lean up after them."
"Yeah, chickens can be pretty messy. What am I saying? Not can. They are messy." Both men chuckled as Barbara and Patrick came rushing out of the hen house chattering about all the baby chicks they saw.
"What other animals do you have, Mr. Blaine?" Barbara asked, eager to see more.
"Well, Miss Barbara, there are lots more. Horses, turkeys, donkeys, cats, dogs… The list goes on and on. We should probably get going if we're going to go see them all, huh?"
"Yes! Come on, Uncle Kurt!" Barbara said, grabbing one of Kurt's hands and pulling him over to the golf cart where Patrick was already seated, ready to continue. Blaine watched as the brunette man was dragged by his tiny niece and chuckled before following them to continue the rest of the tour.