More than anything else in the entire building, Kurt loved the big bay window in the apartment he shared with Blaine, his husband. It looked out on the city skyline, bright with ads, skyscrapers, and traffic- a constant reminder that they were in New York City. Along the windowsill, they had arranged various pictures. There were wedding photos, various couple snapshots, a picture of Glee Club (taken right after the 2012 Nationals win), and family photos from both Blaine's side and Kurt's side. The window, Kurt thought, could sum up their entire lives. One night, the two men were cuddled up on the couch, watching the snowflakes fall on nighttime New York. Life was pretty close to perfect, as both of them had scored dream jobs (Blaine was a lawyer at a prestigious defense attorney's office, and Kurt was working as an aesthetics director at Vogue) a great apartment, and each other. Blaine was even beginning to push for a kid, suggesting a surrogate.
"Kurt, we'll be thirty in three years! Come on, we'd make great dads! We could be the next Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka."
Kurt only smiled and shook his head a little. "You'd be a great dad, yes. I just don't know if I'm ready. I mean, what if we forgot to feed it, or could turn it off or something? We've got years, though…maybe for like, a thirtieth birthday gift?"
Blaine smiled back "Christmas present? We've got two weeks left, after all."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kurt reluctantly untangled himself from the mass of arms and blankets. "I'll get it. Venice is dropping by some proofs from today's shoot- the one with the Alexander McQueen, cellophane, and live octopi, remember?"
As Kurt scurried to the door, Blaine couldn't help but roll his eyes. Really? Live octopi?
Kurt pulled open the door, and was met by a petite teenage girl, shivering in a thin blue pea coat and a gray knit beret. Snow clung to the dark brown curls peeping out from under her hat, and her hazel eyes were slightly damp and red. She managed a weak smile as she introduced herself.
"Hi, I'm Lauren. Blaine's niece. I'm really sorry to bother you guys, but I kind of didn't know where else to-"
Blaine appeared behind Kurt in the doorway, and immediately gasped. "Lauren? Sweetheart, come in." He swept an arm around her, ushering her inside. "Kurt can you make some coffee? Lauren, what are you doing here, in New York City, alone, at night?"
Blaine settled Lauren on the couch, where she perched, still wiping at her eyes. She gratefully sipped at her coffee and chatted with Blaine and Kurt, telling them about the three hours she'd spent lost in New York City, terrified until some woman outside a Broadway marquee had helped her hail a cab. She even managed a few laughs, but both Blaine and Kurt could tell that something was wrong. Finally, Kurt slipped away to get the guest room ready, leaving Blaine and his niece alone to talk.
"Okay. Something's wrong, Laur. What is it? School? Were you cut from a show? Is it Amy?" Amy was Blaine's older sister, Lauren's mom, a notorious control freak and homophobe. Both Blaine and Lauren loathed her. "Friends? Boys?"
Lauren sighed "Close enough. Last night, around ten, almost a day ago now, I told my parents…something. They didn't take it well, at all. I got kicked out, and they say they're going to disown me, and I hate this so much. I hate myself, and I hate them, and…"
"Sweetheart!" Blaine wrapped a protective arm around Lauren. "Are you pregnant? We can get you an abortion, okay? You're 16, it's legal. It's fine. You're fine."
"God, no. Not pregnant. Blaine, I'm…well, at least I know you won't kick me out." Lauren took a final deep breath, her voice coming out as a chocking whisper. "I'm bi." With this, Lauren commenced to some kind of sobbing, while Blaine stroked her hair, whispering that everything was fine. Kurt peeped in the living room, but once he saw the scene unfolding, he tactfully retreated to the master bedroom, giving the two a little space. He groaned, absently recalling the time he'd come out to his father. He had cried too, and Burt had held him tight. Kurt couldn't imagine what would have happened it Burt had responded the way Lauren's family had. Actually, Kurt realized, he could imagine. The result was in his living room, sitting on the couch, sobbing into Blaine's shoulder.
Finally, Lauren was calm enough for Blaine to start asking questions.
"So, what exactly happened? How did they react? Other than kicking you out, I mean?"
Lauren's voice was unnaturally flat, like she was reciting lines from a script. "They yelled. My mom started crying, and my dad chucked a vase across the room. It barely missed my head. He kept on hollering that I was just pretending to be "half gay". My mom wouldn't stop asking how to fix me."
Blaine was taken aback. He had known that his sister and her husband were homophobic, but this? "And then they kicked you out?"
"I got an hour and a half to pack." She nodded to the pair of massive suitcases at the door. "Fortunately, I'm a fast packer. They were awful about it, always yelling at me that I was running out of time. On the way out, my mom threw a billfold at me. Ten thousand dollars, Blaine."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. She called me a dyke as she handed it to me, though. I wish…I wish she'd kept it."
"God…Amy. Look, here's the deal Lauren. I'm pretty sure she'd take you back, but I don't think you really want to go back. Do you?"
Lauren snorted through her tears. "No. Ohio was my worst nightmare. I know you and Kurt had each other, and the choir, and you two plowed through it all, but I don't think that's happening for me."
"That's what I thought. So, I'd have to check with Kurt, of course, but do you want to stay here? There's a public arts school, we could get you in next semester. You could live here, finish up high school…"
Lauren's eyes began to gain some hope. "Really? I don't want to be in your guys' way. I mean, I'd love to but…"
"So it's settled. I'll talk to Kurt, who'll say yes, and you'll stay with us."
"Thanks. For letting me stay, and for dealing with all this. I'm a mess." Lauren laughed a little, obviously a little embarrassed about the evening's events. "It's just so…you know."
"I do know. It's awful, trust me, I get it. But you have money, a place to stay, and some halfway sane family. We'll get through this, okay?"
"Okay." Lauren smiled up at Blaine, a crooked grin that assured him that he was right. She would be fine.
...
That night, Blaine and Kurt lay in bed together, speaking in soft whispers. Lauren was asleep in the guest room, where she had retreated, exhausted, as soon as Kurt had finished convincing her to eat massive amounts of potato and leek soup along with slices of baguette.
"So." Blaine was treading carefully with Kurt, who seemed to really like Lauren the person, but would most likely be less than thrilled with Lauren as a concept.
"She's sweet. And yes, of course she can stay as long as she needs to."
"You're so creepy when you do that." Blaine smirked as he cuddled in closer to Kurt, who happily held him tighter.
"I know. Mind reading is one of my many singularly remarkable talents."
Blaine still wasn't content with Kurt's response, sincere as it had been. "Are you sure, though? She's great, really more like a college student than a highschooler, but it would be for a year and a half. You'd have to follow through with it, and I don't want to do something like this without consulting you fully."
"You're talking like a lawyer again, Blaine. But, in all seriousness, I could probably deal with a little parenting of a teenage girl. As long as I don't have to buy tampons, or give massive emotional advice on a regular basis."
"I can deal with massive emotional advice." Blaine squirmed a bit against Kurt. "And she can buy her own tampons. Even I'm not that brave."
Kurt considered the situation a bit more. "And" he decided aloud "A teenage quasi-daughter would be an excellent excuse to watch romantic comedies and look at prom dresses online."
"You do that anyway, darling."
"Yes, but now I've got more justification."
"You're bizarre, Kurt. Bizarre in a completely adorable way."
There was only one response to that. Kurt leaned in, and gave his husband a long, warm kiss.
That night, Blaine and Kurt help each other more closely than usual. Neither of them would admit it, but remembering the painful process of teenage sexuality was a little bit heart wrenching, especially when the current example involved disownment and greyhound busses.
Lauren, meanwhile, had fallen into a deep sleep, a little bit plagued by tears and snippets of nightmares, but mostly calm. She was safe, that much was sure. The next morning, she would wake up. She would still be sixteen, still be bisexual, still be a tiny bit broken, and still be some crazy kind of fine.
This is a setup for a fairly long saga of Klaine adult, with some Lauren here and there. By the way, this Lauren has nothing to do with Lauren Zices, of prior Glee fame. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, reviews, suggestions, and prompts are always more than welcome!
Merry Christmas, by the way!