Warnings for a teeny bit of rudeness and character death. And lots of baby fluff, and spoilers up to season 4.
Chloe is only a puppy when she meets Blaine. He's thirteen when his parents take him to the pet store, and she tries to stand a little taller than the other puppies around her. This boy's face is warm and friendly, and as soon as he picks her up and nuzzles into her fur, she desperately wants him to take her home.
He's been quiet lately, a little reserved, and his parents hope that having a dog to play with, and the responsibility of walking her and feeding her every day might bring his confidence back, and it does. He's never been shy, but he likes that Chloe is just his. It makes it easy to talk to her. He knows that she won't tell any of his secrets, and that she'll love him, follow him around and bump his hand with her head for a stroke, no matter what. He needs that kind of reassurance right now.
As he gets older he's allowed to take her for walks on his own – she would probably eat anyone who tried to hurt him anyway – and she becomes his confidante. Chloe knows more about Blaine than anyone else does. She's the first one he comes out to, and even before he's told his parents they can tell he's relaxed a little. When he tells them, they hug him and tell him they love him, but he's convinced they've started to look at him a little differently; Chloe hasn't.
The night he is attacked, she sleeps at the foot of his bed even though he isn't in it. She barely leaves his room as he recovers, nervously nudging his limp hand with her nose every now and then just to make sure he can still move it.
He spends ages brushing her hair off his new blazer. She waits patiently for him to get home each weekend so she can have a proper walk with him, not like the quick ones his parents give her. They've grown to love her as much as he does, but they're always too busy. She always likes Blaine's walks the most anyway.
One such weekend, Blaine has a friend over. He seems a little shy, and Chloe's unsure about him until he bends down, scratches behind her ear and gives her a treat, at which point she begins to pant and rolls over so he can tickle her belly. Blaine grins and they both call her a good girl, and she wags her tail so it thumps loudly on the ground. Blaine obviously wants this friend to have Chloe's approval, and for once she's happy to give it. He knows how to stroke her hair so it doesn't get all tangled. Her leg twitches in the air as he strokes her and tells her how gorgeous she is. She could definitely get used to him.
The friend comes over more and more. She likes it, because it means extra hands to stroke her, a whole extra person to pay attention to her, someone else for Blaine to confide in. Most of all, he makes Blaine happier. He's constantly smiling, always giving her extra pats and treats for no reason. They sing together, putting on little performances just for her, and when they both take her out for walks they're always happy to stop for a while to play fetch, sitting together on a bench and sharing a thermos of hot chocolate.
One afternoon, Chloe knows something has happened. Things seem different. They aren't touching so much. They're still laughing a lot, but there's an edge to it, a tension between them. They look nervous around each other, which is unusual for them. They aren't nudging into each other and touching knees all the time, but their hands are linked wherever they go in the house, even though it almost makes them stumble over once or twice. They sit down to watch a movie, and from her spot by the fire, Chloe looks up at them every now and then to see them moving closer and closer. She dozes off for a little while, only to be woken by voices.
"Kurt, I- I'm really glad you're here."
They were much closer now, Kurt curled into Blaine's side, his head on Blaine's chest. He smiles and blushes, reaching up to kiss Blaine's cheek.
"So am I."
Blaine grins and kisses Kurt back on the lips, squeezing his waist gently.
"Kurt?" Kurt nods. Blaine takes a deep breath and swallows. "Are we... boyfriends?"
Kurt's smile gets bigger.
"I hope so."
They beam at each other and kiss again, and settle down to watch the rest of the movie. Chloe's definitely missed something. She puts her head back on her paws and enjoys the warmth of the fire on her side, letting the crackling flames send her to sleep.
There's one thing Chloe doesn't like. At least Blaine is home during the week now, but just as she's trotting happily after him and Kurt into Blaine's room, expecting them to practise singing together or just sit around doing homework or talking, they both give her a quick stroke, walk in and close the door behind them. Chloe doesn't even have Blaine's parents to play with. How inconsiderate. She whines for a moment, trying to fit her paw under the door, but realises just how much they'd been touching, kissing, their hands moving towards each other's hind quarters. Their scents had definitely been different.
They must be in heat. Human mating season or something. She's been there.
As Blaine's room gets awfully quiet, Chloe figures she can probably sit this one out, and wanders downstairs for a nap.
Sometimes Blaine doesn't come home for a night or two, but he always comes back eventually, armed with treats and brandishing her leash, smelling like Kurt. She licks his hand gratefully and bows her head so he can clip the lead onto her collar, and it's just like normal. She likes smelling Kurt on him, knowing that even if she can't always be there to protect Blaine, she can trust him to do it for her. She definitely likes Kurt.
Summer is amazing, walks and trips to the beach and Frisbees and jumping around in the stream of the garden hose, and she's jealous of the way Kurt and Blaine can just remove their layers in the sunshine instead of walking around in a fur coat all the time. They really make the most of it. Sometimes they're hardly covering anything up at all, and Chloe's sure they're just making fun of her.
There's laughing and dancing and singing, and taking her with them on picnics and letting her run around while they lay together on the blanket, feeding each other strawberries and kissing, cleaning each other's faces, necks, chests, tail-areas with their tongues as needed – normal summer things. Until the end of August, when they stop smiling so much. They just stroke each other and whisper serious things and look into each other's eyes. Chloe gets it. She doesn't want summer to end either.
Kurt stops coming round. After over a year of seeing him a few times a week, Chloe finds it unsettling. Even though it means Blaine has more time for her, he's just so quiet. He's never been like this, even after that dance. At least then he got to focus on getting better, and transferring to Dalton, and he still sang to himself. He wasn't singing these days. He keeps staying late at school, coming home in weird costumes, taking Chloe for such long walks that she gets exhausted, talking and talking and talking about how much he misses Kurt. Chloe misses him too. Even when she hears his voice, it's never for very long, and it's always crackly.
They talk for a couple of minutes one evening, and after Blaine's said goodbye, he looks down at Chloe where she's sitting, gnawing on one of his father's slippers.
"At least you're not bored of me, right?"
He sits on the floor with her and strokes her shoulder, not bothering to wrestle the slipper out of her mouth.
One night he stays out later than usual. He's been extra quiet for days, and despite his parents offering food and a spot on the sofa, Chloe won't move from the door. She watches the lock, her tail tapping the floor impatiently, waiting for him to come back. Mrs Anderson kneels next to her for a moment, asking Mr Anderson if she looks okay. He kneels with them, trying to look into Chloe's eyes. She remains passive as he inspects her, lets him scratch her neck but doesn't react. She keeps staring at the door. He shrugs at his wife. They leave her food and water bowls nearby so she doesn't have to move, but she doesn't touch them. She has to be here for Blaine when he gets home.
"Night, girl," Mr Anderson says, stroking her back gently, "he'll be back soon." He puts a hand on the small of his wife's back as they walk up the stairs. "He's not usually at Sam's this late. I'll text him again."
They leave the light on in the hallway, supposedly for Blaine, but it's really so she won't feel lonely. They know they can't stop her waiting for Blaine, but the least they can do is not make her do it in the dark.
Chloe's resolve is strong, but her eyelids are starting to droop. It's been hours since the adults went to bed, but Blaine still hasn't come home. Her muscles are begging her to sleep, but she refuses. Finally, there's a click and the jingle of keys and the door opens, and she barely moves back in time to stop it hitting her in the face. Blaine looks as tired as she feels, and for a moment he stands and looks at her, his key still in the door, his breathing shallow, his clothes rumpled. He knows she waited for him. She would wait for him forever.
"Hey, girl," he kneels in front of her, pushing the door closed quietly and ruffling her fur, "thanks for waiting up. You look like you could use some sleep. Come on."
He groans as he stands, his limbs aching, and she follows him up to his bedroom obediently. He sits on the bed and pats the space next to him. She looks at it doubtfully – she's not allowed on the furniture – but he strokes her head and nods, so she jumps up. He switches his television on and mutes it, leaning back and pulling her closer. She puts her head on his hip, nuzzling at him so he knows she's glad he's home, even if he's still quiet. He keeps stroking her head, scratching behind her ear the way Kurt always did really well. When he stops she looks up at him, and his eyes are closed but he's not asleep. He drags his hand up to wipe his eyes, and when he opens them he's looking right at Chloe.
"What have I done?" He sniffs for a second, then just starts sobbing. His head is shaking and he hugs Chloe close to him, muffling his cries in her fur as his breathing becomes fitful and laboured. "I've fucked everything up. You've waited up all night for me to come home, and I couldn't wait a couple more weeks- oh, God-" He keeps clinging to her until he runs out of tears, and she licks his cheek to clean them up. He buries his face in her fur. He doesn't want to wake his parents up while he cries himself to sleep.
It takes a long time for things to get any better. He starts singing again, but it's one song over and over, with the same moves every time. He wears a weird white outfit when he does it, and keeps calling Chloe 'Frenchy' while he sings to her as she sits on his bed. She'll never understand human coping mechanisms.
He makes a scrapbook. It makes him cry.
He receives a plastic box in the mail, still wrapped in cellophane. It makes him cry.
He wears a cape for a couple of weeks. It makes him stop crying for a bit, but he refers to himself as 'Nightbird'. Chloe starts to miss the crying, and chews on his weird little eye mask.
She notices a difference one night when he comes home dressed up in a black waistcoat with gold piping. He's finally smiling. He walks into the kitchen, where Chloe's just eating her dinner, and he strokes her and starts babbling excitedly.
"He loves me. He still loves me," he grins, "happy Thanksgiving, girl."
He lets her have some of his turkey. Mrs Anderson tells him not to, but she's smiling at him. She's glad to see him so perky again.
He's gone for Christmas. But he was smiling before he left, and he said goodbye properly. When Mr Anderson calls for her, she doesn't mind leaving the door unattended. She knows he'll come back. When he does, he gives her a squeaky Empire State Building and grins.
Blaine comes home one night in a messy suit, smelling different, but familiar... is that- if the scent isn't enough to tell her, he's wearing the dopey grin she's missed so much. It's not like the last time his clothes were all wrinkled and he was late getting home. He's relaxed and humming to himself, and he runs to get changed before taking her for a walk in the dark. She likes seeing him like this again. She doesn't mind the snow sticking in her paws and him wittering on for the whole journey. He hasn't been like this in months, a spring in his step and the old sparkle back in his eyes.
Chloe's got the Empire State Building toy in her mouth when she pads into the living room to see Mr and Mrs Anderson perched side by side on the edge of the sofa, fingers intertwined, staring at the TV. Mrs Anderson's free hand is clamped over her mouth, tears spilling from her eyes. Mr Anderson is just as upset, frantically stabbing at his phone.
"Come on, come on- please, Blaine, just, please-" he mutters to himself. He pauses to kiss Mrs Anderson's hand. "He'll be okay, darling. I know he will." She looks at him, neither of them believing what he says, but unable to say the alternative out loud. She nods and leans her head on his shoulder, eyes returning to the screen. She suddenly grabs the phone from his hand.
"They might hear it ring."
He kisses her hair, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and letting a tear escape. Chloe's teeth clamp down on the toy. She walks out and sits by the door again. She'll move when he gets home.
She flinches when the house phone rings, a noise she forgets even exists, and Mr and Mrs Anderson trip over themselves running to answer it. She gets there first.
"Blaine?" After half a second, she nods at her husband and they both let out sighs of relief. He wraps his arms around her middle and rests his chin on her shoulder. "Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're okay- look we're coming to get you. Oh, no, he doesn't have to do that- well, of course. I understand. Blaine, sweetheart, I love you so much."
There's more talking, each of them speaking to him for a moment. They hold each other the entire phone call, tears still streaming down their cheeks.
Chloe watches the window and sees Blaine come out of a car. Tina hops out too and hugs him before she leaves, and he runs to the door. There's some scrabbling outside as he tries to unlock the door, and Chloe barks until Mr Anderson runs through and opens it for him. Blaine falls into his arms, trembling and crying, and Mrs Anderson joins them. They take turns pulling back and putting their hands on his face, as if they're checking that he's really there, and he laughs and hugs them again.
Nobody sleeps that night. Chloe lies on Blaine's feet so he can't leave her again. When his parents go to make tea for all of them, he bends down and strokes her.
"Don't tell them this, but... I was so scared I wasn't gonna see you again. I'm not going anywhere, Chloe. It's alright."
She jumps up and licks his face, and nobody tells her to get off the sofa. She ends up laying across three Anderson laps, occasionally nuzzling against Blaine's stomach to remind him that she's glad he's home.
As soon as she smells him, Chloe bounds in from the kitchen and jumps on Kurt, licking his face, her paws on his chest. Anyone else would shout at her to get down, but Kurt just asks how the world's most beautiful dog has been. They take a walk, going slowly but throwing a ball for her so she doesn't get bored. Every time she comes back to them, they're smiling shyly at each other, arms linked. She never gets very long to take them in, because as soon as she gives Kurt the ball he throws it again. She can't resist dashing after it to show her how good she is, so he won't leave again and make Blaine sad.
Kurt stays over, but she's allowed in Blaine's room with them this time. She's glad, but she gets the feeling she should probably leave anyway. They're giving each other those looks, like they want to be left alone, but she stays. She wants to make the most of Kurt before he goes again. She jumps onto the bed next to him, knowing he won't push her off, and nuzzles close to him. She and Kurt watch Blaine at his desk, trying to work out the harmonies for a song, and she closes her eyes at the sound of them singing together again. She's missed it so much.
He comes over a few more times, and there's lots of talking and laughing, just like there used to be, and one afternoon she watches Kurt leave. Blaine walks him to the car, sneakily linking their fingers together. Kurt stops them before they get to the car, tugging on Blaine's hand so that he spins into a kiss. It looks like a sneak attack, but Blaine doesn't seem to mind. He flushes and throws his arms around Kurt's neck and kisses him back. They stop for a second and talk again, until Blaine takes Kurt's face in his hands and Kurt nods and they kiss again. It's pretty boring. Chloe goes to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Kurt and Blaine start taking Chloe out together more often, and one afternoon a month or so later they're walking through a forest, the one full of so many flowers that Chloe can't see her feet, when they stop and sit on a bench for a serious talk. She doesn't understand it, of course, but she knows those tones, the way Kurt touches Blaine's hand and tilts his head to look at him. Blaine's sad about something, so she pauses to lick their hands before rolling around in the blossom that's fallen from the trees.
"Blaine, it wouldn't be fair. We're going to have classes all day; I don't want to leave her in the loft all the time. And the place is too small for her. I promise we'll find her a good home, somebody with a big garden and plenty of time to take care of her."
"I can't believe Mom just wants to get rid of her. She just doesn't want to walk her every day."
Kurt leans over to kiss Blaine's cheek and puts an arm around his waist.
"You know she's just as upset about this as you are."
"Could've fooled me."
"Blaine."
"I know. I just. I hate the idea of coming home and Chloe not being there."
"Well... we could try and get some kind of, I don't know, visitation rights? If the new owners don't think it's weird. Except they probably will."
"Do we know anyone that could look after a dog? Wait- what about your dad?"
Kurt pauses, annoyed that he hadn't thought of it before.
"Yes. Blaine, that's perfect. He'd have to do more exercise, and you could see her whenever you wanted – and Carole's wanted a dog since they got married – okay, I'll ask him tonight. No, I'll tell him. He's taking care of her."
Blaine smiles, then looks at Chloe and the smile fades. She wonders if he's angry with her. He scratches at the tangled fur on her neck, picking a petal from it and blowing it away. He sniffs and quickly wipes a tear from his cheek.
"I'm going to miss her so much."
"At least soon you'll be coming home to me," Kurt adds, sliding his hand over the small of Blaine's back, "if it's any consolation."
Blaine grins.
"It's a start."
He kisses Kurt and tucks himself into his side, but Blaine's hand stays on Chloe's head, despite the dampness of her fur.
She doesn't understand at first. She's never moved house before.
"I'm sorry, Chlo," Blaine says, his voice wobbling, "we just can't take care of you like you need, not in New York." Kurt's eyes are just as shiny as Blaine's, and she preens when they both stroke her and scratch behind her ears, sniffing and clearing their throats, but when she rolls onto her back so they can tickle her tummy, Blaine stands up. She sits, head cocked, confused, and tries to follow him when he leaves. "No, girl. You're staying here with Kurt and Burt and Carole. They'll have more time for you than we did. I'm sorry." She keeps trying to follow him, but eventually Burt holds her back by the collar and Carole kneels at her side to stroke her and keep her calm. Kurt kisses Blaine goodbye, and when he looks back to wave goodbye to Chloe, his cheeks are wet.
"God, you must think I'm such an idiot."
Kurt shakes his head and kisses his cheek.
"Never."
Blaine sniffs and waves one more time, and leaves.
She whines for hours, waiting by the door until she falls asleep, squeaky Empire State Building tucked under her chin. She wakes up for a second, feeling strong arms carrying her, and when the sun comes up she's in her old bed, even though it's in the new house. She blinks at Kurt as he sits with her, smiling and stroking her head, with one of Blaine's old dark blue sweaters in his hand, with the red logo on one side.
"I know how you feel, sweetie. Thought this might help."
She sniffs it and relaxes, nuzzling it into the bed with her. The smell lulls her back to sleep.
Chloe hears the word 'transition' a lot, and it seems to translate to 'I don't want you any more'. It's not that she doesn't like living with Burt and Carole. She feels safe in the house, because it smells like Kurt all over, and there's the Blaine sweater, and there are other smells too – food, so much food, and oil and metal and fumes from Burt which make her dizzy at first but she gets used to them, even grows to like them. She likes Burt's soft, worn shirts and Carole's gentle voice and the way she always sneaks her pieces of people food. There's always someone around to stroke her and talk to her and walk her ('come on, girl, Doctor Kurt insists') but they're not quite the same. They're not her someone.
Blaine comes over all the time, and he and Kurt take her out and it's almost like last summer, but just when she thinks Blaine will take her back home, when she thinks she's been good enough for him to want her back, she goes back to Kurt's house. He smiles at her and strokes her and calls her a good girl, then he goes home without her, and she still doesn't know what she's done wrong. She just makes sure she's extra good for Burt and Carole so she doesn't have to leave them too.
Blaine comes round for dinner one more time, and everyone's tearful. Kurt's been packing since yesterday, and when Blaine gets there his eyes are already red and puffy. He and Kurt load the car with everything from Kurt's room but the bed, and it's already full of boxes that Blaine brought with him. They both hug Burt and Carole, and they take turns hugging Chloe, telling her what a good girl she is and how much they're going to miss her.
Carole has to shush her and hold her so she doesn't try to follow them. She can tell it's worse than before, that they won't come back to walk her any time soon. She whines and pulls against Carole's arms until the car is out of sight, and after half an hour of scratching the door and little helpless howls, she gives up and hides under Kurt's bed, her squeaky toy in her mouth and the sweater under her chin.
Burt and Carole are on the sofa, huddled around the other screen, the one that isn't the TV, when Chloe hears their voices.
"Ask them, Blaine."
"No. It's fine. It's stupid."
"Dad, could you get Chloe on? Blaine wants to see her."
As soon as she hears her name she bounds over, jumping into Burt's lap and lunging at the screen. They manage to pull her back before she licks the laptop, but she still pants happily because she can see Kurt and Blaine and hear Kurt and Blaine, and she tries a few more times to nuzzle against them, but eventually she settles for the sound and sight of them, and the way Burt and Carole light up when they see them together.
When they say goodbye and close the laptop, she tries to nudge it open again with her nose until Burt puts it on a shelf out of her sight.
"Sorry, girl. Next time."
Just when she's gotten used to sleeping in her bed, she goes back to Kurt's room that night.
Chloe's never been good at car rides. Either she's with Kurt and Blaine and they're taking her to the beach, or she's with adults and she's going to the vet, and now Burt and Carole are in the front, so she's nervous. But this trip takes much longer than the vet. For a start, they've brought a huge bag of food, and her bed, and a small bag each. They even have to stop a few times, stretching their legs and getting coffees and letting Chloe relieve herself. They stop at a diner and the lady smiles and gives her a bowl of water. She's never travelled for this long before, and it turns out she quite likes it. Carole reaches back to give her a treat every now and then and calls her a good girl, and she watches everything passing by outside, listening to Burt and Carole chat and giggle and sing along to the radio.
The place they arrive in is very different to home. Carole clips Chloe's lead on before she can even get out of the car, and she's grateful for it when she hops out and a cab almost takes her head off.
"This is it, honey. Your new home."
"Come on," Burt mutters, "let's get this over with."
"Are you okay, dear?"
"Can't we keep her?"
She shakes her head.
"She's not ours to keep. We can come back for the bags; let's just get her upstairs."
Chloe pants happily, eager to find out where she is and what's happening. Maybe this is what vacations are like. It's loud and there's no grass, but she likes it. It's so busy and colourful, and this house is nothing like the ones she's seen before. Carole presses a button and says 'we're here!' and there's a buzz. Chloe leaps inside as soon as the door opens, and they walk into a small room which rumbles for a second. The door opens onto a hallway, and for a second she looks back. How did it change? She walks in and out of the tiny magic room, but Burt gives her lead a tug and they walk towards a door.
It opens without them knocking, and they're there. Kurt and Blaine, open arms, huge smiles, and she doesn't know which one to jump on first. She stands, overwhelmed, looking from one to the other and back again, until they both kneel next to her and start stroking her and scratching behind her ears and tummy and she physically can't stop herself from rolling on the floor when she hears their voices, actually right in front of her, laughing and talking and cooing over her.
Blaine pulls her up into a hug, and they don't really fit together properly like he and Kurt do, but he's warm and strong and he smells like home. Burt sniffs behind her and Carole gives his hand a squeeze, but Chloe's too busy licking Blaine's face to notice.
Chloe decides she really likes chasing pigeons in the park. And this park is so much bigger than the one in Lima.
Chloe misses fireplaces. She's never lived without one before. Her bed's by the kitchen, and usually she's warm enough, but tonight the cold is getting to her. She wanders around the apartment for a while, laps up some water, stretches, rolls around in her bed to try and warm it up, but nothing seems to work.
She hears noises coming from the bedroom, grunts and groans and whispers, gradually getting louder.
"God, Blaine, fuck- I- I'm gonna come..."
"Don't stop, please-Kurt-don't-stop-"
They must be trying to get warm too.
Their door isn't quite closed, so she nudges it open. One glance and she can tell there's no room for her on that bed. She's a little annoyed that they've got so many quilts and they're not even using them. She feels a little smug that she's got fur and they haven't even remembered to wear clothes. Silly people. She sees a blanket that's fallen on the floor – seriously, do they not realise how cold it is? - and walks over to pick it up and drag it back to her bed. The clicking of her claws on the floor makes them jump, and they make some confused attempt to cover themselves up but all they can do is giggle.
"I can't," Blaine wheezes, "not in front of her."
"Honey, I don't think she cares," Kurt answers, but he's let go of Blaine and flopped down onto the bed, hiccuping with laughter. "It was supposed to be easier with our own place."
If Chloe could have rolled her eyes, she would have. She wishes she could get her people fixed like they'd done to her. She's glad she's never as embarrassing as them.
Sundays are Chloe's favourite days. Kurt and Blaine let her sit on the bed while they eat breakfast, and after they do some stuff together she knows she doesn't want to see, they wrap up warm and take her for a long walk in the park. The snow's sticking in her paws today, but she doesn't mind. She just lets their voices float over her head as she watches children playing and an elderly couple holding hands on a bench, sipping from a flask of hot chocolate. They remind her of Kurt and Blaine.
She's contentedly trotting alongside her owners when she feels a tug on her lead. She looks back to see Blaine's stopped walking. Kurt's grinning at him, pulling on his hand a little to try and snap him out of his daze.
"Blaine? You okay?"
"What did you say?"
"I asked you to marry me. Problem?"
"I-"
Blaine looks upset, confused, but Kurt keeps smiling. He leans in for a kiss, but Blaine pushes him off.
"Blaine?"
"No. No, no, no-"
Kurt's smile disappears.
"What?"
Blaine shakes his head, panicking, and wraps both of his hands around Kurt's.
"No, wait. I don't mean no. I mean- this isn't fair. I was supposed to- you beat me to it, you asshole."
He takes one hand away from Kurt and reaches into his pocket, producing a black velvet box. Kurt looks down at it and up at Blaine and they both drop to one knee despite the cold.
"Blaine-"
"Kurt-"
"Marry me!" they both blurt out simultaneously.
"Blaine, I've been thinking about this for a long time-"
"Well, I've been hiding this ring from you since my senior year. I win."
Kurt drops Chloe's lead to grab onto Blaine's arms, but Chloe doesn't go anywhere.
"Are you serious?"
Blaine nods.
"Regionals. I know we weren't together and it would have been fucking stupid, but- I knew. I knew it had to be you, it had to be us. Forever. I love you as much now as I did then, and I promise I'll never stop."
"Blaine, I-" Kurt shakes his head in disbelief, "I love you too. With all my heart. Nothing would make me happier than being your husband."
They kiss, and people around them stop to clap and cheer. They laugh and rest their foreheads together.
"I guess we both win. Again."
As they kiss again, Kurt reaches for a handful of snow and smushes it into Blaine's hair, making him gasp.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again."
Blaine picks up some more snow and pushes it against the back of Kurt's neck and he screams, and Chloe takes that as her cue to jump on top of them.
She has to stay with Kurt and Blaine's friends for two weeks. Kurt insists that sending her to a stranger would be too cruel, but Chloe thinks an apartment with two loud women and no bacon is worse. Luckily, one of them keeps slipping her sausages. Chloe has no time for vegan dog food.
When Blaine comes to pick her up, Chloe licks his hand and jerks back when it tastes different.
"How was it?" Chloe's favourite woman asks, "Still sore?"
Blaine laughs, an easy smile on his lips.
"Amazing. So perfect. But it's nice to be home."
Chloe looks at his hand, wondering what tastes so weird. There's a metal band on his finger. It's gross. She makes a mental note only to lick the other one from now on.
"Fine, you big sap. Take your baby and go home to your husband."
Blaine keeps grinning.
"Husband. Mmm. Come on, you," he beams at Chloe, clicking her lead into place. "We've missed you so much."
Something happens. They've been happy for a long time now, even more so recently, giving each other knowing smiles and sighing a lot. There's a little black and white photo stuck to the fridge, and it's blurry but they both keep stopping to stare at it all the time. Kurt shows Blaine some shoes he's bought, and it makes him cry. It's probably because they're way too small for him.
They're both crying today, but it's different. When Kurt got home, he told Blaine something, something about a phone call and 'complications'. Now they're not even speaking, just sitting together on the couch in silence, wrapped around each other, and when Chloe licks their hands, Kurt pats the seat next to them. She jumps up without hesitating and nuzzles up to them. Whatever's happened to make them so sad, she wants to try and make them feel better. They pull her into their snuggle pile, and her fur is used to muffle sobs and soak up tears again.
"For God's sake, will you just stop for a second and talk to me?"
Chloe shuts her eyes. She hates when this happens, and it's been happening more and more lately.
"No, Blaine, I won't. I can't. I don't have time."
Blaine takes Kurt's wrist, and when Kurt pulls it away he grabs it again and doesn't let go.
"I just feel like I've hardly seen you in weeks-"
"Jesus, can't you just jerk off or something? I don't have time to-"
"You know that's not what I mean!" Kurt's eyes are darting around as if he wants to look at anything but Blaine. Blaine pulls him a little closer and steps right in his way so he doesn't have a choice. "Kurt, I know you're upset-"
"I'm busy-"
"But if we don't talk about this," he cups Kurt's cheek with his hand, "it'll just-" he swallows, "God, Kurt, I don't want to lose you."
That makes Kurt stop. He starts to shake his head.
"Blaine, no-"
"Don't you think this is killing me too? I thought- I thought we would get through it together, but you keep pushing me away, and I- I can't deal with this on my own."
Chloe is relieved when their voices get softer and she doesn't hear any doors slam. She opens her eyes to see them kissing, then Kurt pulls Blaine into a hug.
"I'm sorry. I just don't get it. I don't- I'm so sad. All the time. And there's nothing I can do."
"You can talk to me," Blaine whispers, "I'm sad too. But we don't have to be sad on our own."
They stay in the kitchen, holding each other, and Chloe wanders up to nudge Kurt's hip with her nose. He and Blaine instinctively reach down to scratch an ear each, keeping their heads tucked into each other's shoulders.
They've been tense for weeks when the phone rings. Blaine and Kurt both run for it, and Kurt gets there first, and Chloe thinks about Mr and Mrs Anderson, the day they were both so scared for their son. Blaine grabs Kurt's hand as he listens to the voice on the other end of the line, nodding and nodding, and he claps his hand over his mouth.
"Are you serious? Really?" He keeps listening and he looks like he's going to fall over. Blaine's eyes are widening, silently questioning him, and Kurt nods. "Okay," he chokes out as Blaine starts hopping from one foot to the other, "okay, thank you so much. Yes. Thank you." He presses a button on the phone and takes Blaine's other hand. "She picked us. Blaine, she picked us!"
"Oh my God, Kurt," Blaine wraps his arms around Kurt's torso and lifts him off the ground. "We're getting a kid! We're gonna be dads!"
They keep shouting and screaming and hugging and kissing. Chloe has no idea what's going on, but they seem happy. Kurt turns to Chloe and sits next to her bed – she doesn't leave it these days unless she has to – and strokes gently down her back.
"I hope you don't mind our little family getting bigger, honey."
She doesn't care what he's saying, as long as he keeps stroking her. She stretches out under his hand, burrowing further into her blankets.
They don't make the usual amount of noise when they get home. They've been gone for hours, but Chloe wasn't worried. She's learnt that they always come home eventually.
"Welcome home, baby girl," Kurt whispers to the bundle of blankets in his arms. Chloe wonders if he's lost his mind, but Blaine's staring into the bundle too, his gaze warm and soft. He looks like he could fall asleep any second, but Chloe's never seen either of them this happy.
"Hey, Chloe," Blaine whispers when he sees Chloe watching them, "we want you to meet someone very special." They walk into the living room and sit down, doing everything painfully slowly for some reason. Kurt nudges the blanket down and lowers the bundle so Chloe can see inside it, specifically a tiny, pinkish face. Its eyes are barely open, and it doesn't speak, but Chloe's pretty sure it's a new person. Kurt and Blaine are just staring at it, dopey smiles on their faces outshining the bags under their eyes. Chloe leans forward to look properly, and Kurt quickly puts a hand on her chest to push her back.
"Woah, not so close-"
Blaine strokes her head softly, as softly as Kurt is holding the baby.
"Honey, it's fine. It's Chloe."
Kurt looks at Blaine and relaxes. He nods, takes his hand away from Chloe and links it with Blaine's on his thigh. Blaine's hand smooths down her fur and rests on her collar, just to put Kurt's mind at ease, but he's not really holding her back. He knows he doesn't have to.
"Okay, girl, come here. Take a look."
She doesn't need to be told twice. She leans in to smell the baby and look at her squashed nose and soft lips and chubby cheeks. She gets close, almost close enough for her nose to touch the baby's chin, but nobody pushes her away. She looks up at Kurt and Blaine, and back to the baby.
She knows this little thing means something huge. She has a feeling things are going to change forever because of this tiny person, and it could be bad, awful maybe – but Chloe doesn't think so. Things have been getting more and more tense the last couple of months, as if Kurt and Blaine were preparing for a disaster, but she knows this isn't it. The tension's all gone. No catastrophe. Just a small pink creature wrapped up in Kurt's arms, and him and Blaine looking peaceful, looking complete – looking like they've always been ready for this. Like this thing has been missing for years, and now she's come home to them.
Chloe did not sign up for this.
There's paint in her fur, crayons in her bed, and noise. So much noise. It's not just city noise any more; it's a little person tugging on her fur and squealing in her ear and Kurt and Blaine not having time for her any more. What's even more annoying is that she starts caring about it.
She used to get the apartment to herself when Kurt and Blaine went to work, but now she has to share it with The Little One and the woman who takes care of her. The woman doesn't like Chloe. She looks at her like she's a filthy animal about to maul The Little One, when The Little One is actually far dirtier, frequently soiling herself and smearing food wherever she lays her hands. Chloe gets distressed when The Little One cries and the woman ignores it for too long. The woman leaves The Little One alone on the floor, and when Chloe tries to lick her, just to soothe her, the woman locks her in Kurt and Blaine's bedroom. She scratches at the door to no avail. She can hear The Little One crying again, and the woman groans. The crying carries on.
Eventually she hears keys in the lock. Good. Blaine's home. She knows the woman will pick The Little One up, pretend she's been taking care of her properly all day, and greet Blaine with a smile Chloe knows is fake. She hears them talking in the next room.
"Hey, baby girl, what's wrong? Okay, come here, Daddy's got you- what's wrong with her? Where's Chloe?"
"That dog's not safe. She- she was barking at the baby, and I thought she was going to bite her, so I shut her in your room. I've done all I can, but she wouldn't calm down."
Blaine must be holding The Little One now, because the crying's stopped.
"She seems fine now." Chloe whines a little, knowing a bark will get her in trouble. The door opens and Blaine kneels to stroke Chloe, The Little One content in his arms. "Hey, girl. Who's our good dog?" The Little One reaches out to grab at Chloe's fur, but she's grateful when Blaine holds her back. "Uh-uh, young lady. Not with sticky hands." He turns to the woman. "Look, Marissa, I don't think this is going to work out."
The woman looks annoyed and Chloe likes it.
"Excuse me? Are you- am I fired? For saving your daughter from that?" She points at Chloe, and Chloe looks up at Blaine.
"'Fraid so. Chloe's family. She wouldn't hurt anyone, never mind the baby. I'll pay you until the end of the week, but you needn't come here tomorrow."
"Seriously? What are you going to do without me?"
Blaine's hand automatically finds its way to Chloe's ear, scratching it gently.
"We'll figure it out. Thanks for your concern."
Chloe wags her tail when the woman leaves.
Kurt comes home to find Blaine and Chloe on the sofa, The Little One nestled between Chloe's paws. Blaine's got a hand on The Little One's back, but they both know she's safe with Chloe. Chloe could never hurt anything that makes Kurt and Blaine so happy, and nothing's ever done that like The Little One.
Kurt bends down to kiss Blaine, then The Little One, then Chloe.
"Such a good girl, looking after her. Thanks, sweetie."
After that, Blaine and Kurt take turns staying home with Chloe and The Little One. Today is Blaine's turn.
"Come on, baby. Papa. You can say Daddy, why can't you say Papa? We can't both be Daddy; it's too confusing, so just do this for me. Do this one thing and I'll never make you eat vegetables. I'll buy you a pony. Anything."
Chloe trots up to Blaine, leash in her mouth. She may not hate The Little One, but she hasn't had a long walk or a day in the park in weeks. She nudges Blaine's knee, jostling the toddler in his lap.
"Yeah, Chlo, in a second-"
"Ko!" The Little One yells, pointing at Chloe.
Blaine looks at the two of them in turn.
"Seriously? You can talk to the dog, but not me. Don't you think that's a little rude?"
"Roo!" The Little One shouts. Blaine hums in agreement and smiles at Chloe.
"Well, I guess you're more important than me. You wanna go out? Sweetie, shall we go to the park? Pa-a-ark?", he drawls slowly, hoping she'll pick it up. She's silent. "Fine," he takes the lead from Chloe's mouth and clicks it on with his free hand, "let's go for a walk."
"Wa!"
"Come on honey," Blaine moans, "you're so close, just turn that wuh into a puh, please-"
"Wawa!"
Blaine pauses on his way to the front door.
"Wawa?" She grabs at his cheeks, and Chloe wonders why he doesn't stop her. Chloe always gets in trouble for putting her paws on people's faces. "You talking to me, punk?"
"Wawa!" she yells again, patting his mouth and resting her head on his shoulder, showing him she's finished with the conversation. Blaine grins at Chloe.
"Guess that makes me Wawa. I'll take it. Come on."
He kisses The Little One's cheek and strokes Chloe's head as they head outside.
The Little One is upgraded to The Medium One, and joined by a Littlest One and a Big One. She didn't see them growing; they just appeared, eyes open, standing for themselves, The Big One even talking, but Kurt and Blaine love them just the same. The Medium and Littlest Ones think riding Chloe is a good idea, but thankfully The Big One always stops them. The Medium One tries to steal Chloe's food once, and Chloe very politely nudges her hand away. The Littlest One scribbles things and shows them to Chloe, shouting 'Koey! Koey!' The Medium One rolls her eyes at Chloe, and they both acknowledge that they have formed a bond now that they both have newer, needier beings to compete with. It's an alliance of exasperation.
Big and Littlest aren't there for long before Big starts going out during the day, just like Middle. Chloe expects to enjoy the peace, but finds she misses the chaos. It's okay, though; there's still The Littlest One there for Blaine or Kurt to stay home for. Chloe mostly just sleeps these days anyway.
The Big One had the most trouble settling in with Kurt and Blaine. They love her and she loves them, and she's glad she got to stay with her baby sister, but Chloe can tell she still doesn't feel quite at home. She's quiet at dinner, and she often stays in her room and closes the door. Kurt and Blaine decide to leave her alone at first, not wanting to intrude, but dogs don't have to worry about personal space.
Chloe scratches at the door a little and waits for a response.
Nothing.
She scratches again and adds a little whine and snuffling at the door frame, so The Big One knows it's her. The door opens, and The Big One is hiding behind it, holding a hand out for Chloe to sniff and lick a little. She's big compared to the others, but she's still small for a human.
"Hi, Chloe."
Chloe sniffs the room inquisitively, adjusting to the smell, less gross than the smaller ones often get, a little sweeter than Kurt or Blaine. She's trying to push her hair back into the bunches that have fallen out during the day. Chloe's never seen it like this. It's unruly just like Blaine's used to be, and Chloe thinks it looks better this way than Blaine's did when he plastered it to his scalp. There are some things she'll never understand about humans. But she knows this one is lonely and a little bit frightened, and she wants to show her that she doesn't have to be.
She skulks up to The Big One's hand and nudges her head against it for a stroke.
"It's okay for you. Your hair's smooth. I bet you've never had to braid it."
She has a point. Kurt tried once years ago when he was drunk, but Chloe was having absolutely none of it.
"Can't believe hers just goes into those perfect little ringlets and I get a haystack. I stand out like a sore thumb."
Chloe couldn't see how that could be a bad thing. If you stand out, people feed you and tickle your belly. The Big One turned to sit with Chloe, still trying to drag her brush through her hair. After a while she stops, and settles for just stroking Chloe instead. Chloe leans into the touch, showing that she appreciates it. The Big One smiles.
"At least you don't care that I'm not cute, right?"
Chloe rests her head on the girl's knee. She thinks she might like this one the most. She's quiet, but she's got such a warm smile, and she doesn't squeeze Chloe as hard as the others.
"I should probably go downstairs, right? Hang out with everybody else?"
Chloe lifts her head, but the girl sighs and she lets it drop again.
"It's not like I'm what they asked for. They wanted a baby, and they had to take me too. I'm like the side order they didn't ask for. I'm a pickle."
Chloe stands to give her cheek a lick and she giggles.
"Fine. Let's get you something to eat so you don't have to eat me."
They go downstairs and it's quiet, much quieter than usual. They wander into the living room to find Kurt alone, reading. He smiles when they come in, and takes his glasses off to look at The Big One.
"Hey, sweetie. I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down before." She blushes and tries to flatten it a little, but he stands and takes her hand. "No, it's nice. God, you're so pretty. You know, Blaine's hair is a lot curlier than this. At least you're better at taking care of it than he was. Have I shown you pictures of him from high school? Disaster. Gel everywhere." She laughs and Kurt smiles softly. "I'll get our yearbook out another time when he's home. It's way more fun when you see him get all embarrassed about it."
She glances around.
"So he's not here now?"
Kurt perches on the arm of the sofa, still holding her hand.
"He'll be back soon. He's taken the others to your Aunt Rachel's house. It's just you, us and Chloe tonight."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Oh, honey, no-" he reaches up to brush her fringe out of her eyes and she flinches a little at the contact. He frowns. "I told him to. You know, we're always so busy trying to take care of them, we never get to hang out with just you. I get it if you want to be on your own sometimes, but you know the whole house is your home now, not just your room."
"Oh. Okay."
"Sorry, you know, if you'd rather I didn't- uh- touch you-"
"No. I mean, I don't- it was just that- you don't normally. You hug the others all the time, but I thought... it doesn't matter."
Realisation dawns on Kurt's face just as Blaine's keys jingle in the door. He squeezes her hand, about to try and reassure her, when Blaine bustles in.
"Sorry, sorry, I know I wasn't supposed to, but- I got ice cream. I thought we could make brownies to go with them. Unless-" he looks at The Big One, "is baking lame? I never grew out of it, but that could just be me. I haven't grown out of anything since I was thirteen." He lifts up the grocery bag. "Better get these in the fridge. Your hair looks gorgeous," he grins, "I hope you're okay with a night in tonight. If we get too annoying, you can always take refuge with Chloe."
Blaine leans in to casually kiss The Big One's head, and she beams. Kurt takes her other hand and smiles at her.
"You get spoons, I'll get the yearbook."
"The what? Oh man, that's not fair- although, this way you can see how weirdly he used to dress."
"I was daring. I still am, just in a slightly more subtle way. We need spoons. We also need Gracie Hart and Elle Woods. Go."
"Gotcha."
Blaine nods, giving The Big One's arm a gentle squeeze and running into the kitchen. Kurt keeps holding her hand and nods to the couch. They both sit down. Kurt folds his legs underneath him, but the girl stays stiff.
"I know this is all still really new, okay? Everyone we've spoken to has been telling us to be affectionate but not too affectionate, to keep our distance but be available- babies and toddlers are easy. They'll do whatever you want."
"So- it's hard with me?"
"God, no, honey, we just- we're as new at this as you are, okay? We're trying to respect boundaries, you know? We never want to push you or make you feel uncomfortable- I guess we've probably been holding back a little, but it's because you're already this smart, amazing person. We can't just take you to the zoo and expect you to suddenly feel totally at ease with us."
She nods and takes a deep breath – it's actually a relief that they're as scared of messing this up as she is.
"Okay. Thanks, Kurt."
"But I'll tell you one thing – if you feel like we're not hugging you enough, just tell us. Because once we get started, we won't stop. We're like... hugging maniacs. I know that taking things too slowly can be just as bad as too fast, but you have to tell us what you want."
Chloe sits patiently next to The Big One, letting her keep stroking her head as she swallows and nods.
"Okay."
Kurt looks sheepish, something Chloe hasn't seen in him in years.
"How about a hug?"
"Yeah. Okay. Please."
She's smiling nervously, and they both lean in for what could be an awkward embrace, but her head fits into the crook of Kurt's neck and he pulls her close. The girl wraps her arms around her father, and Chloe doesn't even mind when the stroking stops.
Blaine walks in, mixing bowl in his hand.
"You guys, these brownies aren't gonna make themselves- okay, what did I just miss?"
"Nothing," Kurt sighs happily, "we were just coming out."
The Big One sniffs as she sits up and walks toward the doorway, stopping to hug Blaine on the way. He hands the bowl to Kurt and follows her lead, kissing her forehead and squeezing her tightly. He gives Kurt a brief questioning glance, and Kurt just nods and smiles.
"Blaine?"
"Yeah?"
"Can Chloe help make the brownies?"
Blaine grins.
"Of course she can. But you have to make sure she doesn't eat any chocolate. Not just because it's bad for her – we need tonnes for us to eat."
A few hours later, she's almost asleep, her head on Kurt's chest and her hand in Blaine's.
"You think it might be time for bed?" Kurt asks.
She blinks slowly and nods.
"Blaine?"
"Uh-huh?"
"Is it okay if I don't call you Wawa?"
He laughs.
"Of course. That only stuck because your sister couldn't say P's. Blaine's fine."
"Actually, I was thinking- could I call you Dad? Both of you? It might get confusing, but we can-"
Kurt and Blaine are both beaming, their eyes sparkling a little.
"We would love that," Kurt answered, "you can call us whatever you want. But nothing rude in front of your sisters, okay?"
She smiles and nods. It's still weird suddenly having two sisters. Good weird, though. The same kind of weird as going from no parents to two dads.
"Um, there's one other thing- would it be okay if Chloe slept in my room?"
Chloe perks up immediately at the sound of her name, and The Big One's hand is casually scratching behind her ear. She must be Kurt and Blaine's daughter, because she's doing it perfectly just like they do. Kurt looks down at the dog and grins.
"You think you can be trusted?"
Chloe pants happily, promising to be extra good if it means The Big One keeps smiling like she has been tonight. Blaine strokes down her back.
"No problem. Let's move her bed up there."
"Thank you," she says, blushing, "not just- you know. Thanks for every- for tonight."
Kurt and Blaine smile at her, Kurt taking her hand and Blaine squeezing her knee gently as if she's thanking them for much more than this evening. Chloe had no idea her company was such a privilege.
"Any time you want to watch a few early 21st Century classics with way too much junk food, we're here for you."
She laughs.
"Okay. Night, Dad."
They grin up at her, not caring which of them she meant. She isn't just the child they'd picked any more. She picked them too, and given a chance she'd pick them all over again.
One of Chloe's favourite places to hide is underneath the piano. Unless it's being used, in which case she prefers to sit and listen and watch. Especially when it's The Littlest One. She's sitting on the stool with Kurt and they're taking turns to press the keys and sing along. Of course, Chloe can never fully understand what they say to each other, but now it's even more confusing.
"Frere Jacques, frere Jacques..." Kurt sings, and The Littlest One copies him perfectly, or so Chloe thinks. "No, honey, you have to roll your R's." He taps his neck and holds her hand up to her own. "In the back of your throat, like this-" he makes a weird noise a few times. Blaine, sitting at his desk and marking exercise books, looks at Chloe and smirks.
"Sweetheart, she's three. It doesn't matter if she can't do it. She already sings better in French than a lot of people do in English."
"I'm just trying it out-"
The Littlest One sings the line again, this time making the same weird noise with her throat that Kurt did. Kurt and Blaine's mouths fall open and their eyes widen. They beam at her, then at each other. Blaine puts his pen down and goes to kneel next to them.
"That was beautiful-"
Kurt scoops her up and kisses her blonde curls.
"My baby's a prodigy! Fluent in French at three years old!"
Blaine stands and stretches.
"It was four words. Actually, it was the same two words twice."
"But she said them so well, and her voice is so pretty- Blaine, can we keep her?"
Blaine laughs and drapes an arm down Kurt's back, dropping a light kiss on his head.
"You know that's kind of the deal with adoption, right? It's normally a long term arrangement."
"No, I just- remember when we thought having them at school would be so much easier, and now- now I never want her to go. She doesn't need school. She's so smart she should just stay here and play with us all day."
He buries his nose in her hair and makes weird noises.
"Are you kidding? She'd outgrow us in a week. We're not going to be exciting enough for her for long."
There's a pause. They smile sadly at each other, fingers linked over The Littlest One's back. Blaine bobs down to kiss her hair.
"Tell you what. Now that you're so good at le francais, why don't I rustle us up some snail sandwiches for lunch?" He grins at The Littlest One and she makes a face. "Hmm. How about PB&J?"
"Yes please, Daddy," she says, grinning, talking just like the adults. Chloe cocks her head, not quite understanding this one, but glad she's so well-behaved, and rarely sticky like The Middle One was.
Kurt blows a raspberry on her cheek and heads out to the kitchen with a smile at Blaine. "Love you!"
"Love you more!" he calls back. He looks down at Chloe, who's lying down again now that the music has stopped. "At least you'll never leave us, right Chlo?"
"Chloe! Wake up!"
Chloe's not sure how The Middle One is louder whispering than she is normally, or why she's nudging her in the middle of the night. All she knows is it's pissing her off – although it's better than when she tried to speak dog. She opens her eyes for a second, but closes them again as soon as she sees the little girl with a stuffed backpack.
"Come on, girl, we're running away. You and me. I've got food for both of us until I get a job or join the circus. We need to go before Daddy and Wawa wake up."
Chloe opens her eyes as The Middle one tugs on her collar impatiently, and there's panic in her voice. She's been crying. Chloe angles her head to nestle it under The Middle One's hand so that the agitated pulling turns into a gentle stroke. She looks up at the child, her expression a mixture of 'please let me go back to sleep' and 'don't run away or Kurt and Blaine will be sad and I hate it when they're sad'.
"It'll be an adventure. Just imagine it, Chloe. No more school. No more homework. No more Jamie Fitzgerald." Chloe blinked sleepily, hoping there was an explanation coming soon. The Middle One sat in front of her and kept stroking her head, her voice catching in her throat. "He's such a butthead. He- he keeps saying mean things to me."
The hand drops to one side and The Middle One looks at the floor. Chloe nudges her hand and gives it a lick. If she's going to keep Chloe awake, the least she can do is show a little appreciation. Besides, she looks like she needs to cuddle something and everyone else is asleep.
"He says there's no such thing as a Wawa. I- I know not everybody has one, but- and he said- he said they won't want me any more. Not now they've got new kids."
Chloe licks her hand again and yawns, resting her head on The Middle One's lap.
"Are you tired? Okay, well maybe we can have a little nap. Just a quick one, so we can get moving as soon as we wake up."
Chloe yawns again, letting her tongue hang out for extra effect. The Middle One strokes her head and lies down, resting her head gently on Chloe's stomach. Chloe watches as she falls asleep and pushes the now battered squeaky Empire State Building towards her hands where they're tucked under her head. It always cheers Chloe up; she doesn't see why it wouldn't work with humans. She waits until The Middle One is asleep before she lets herself doze off too. She wakes again to see Blaine lifting her up and carrying her upstairs. Chloe hears a sleepy 'love you, Wawa,' and 'I love you too, baby girl'.
Blaine comes back down to get her backpack, and he kneels with Chloe for a minute.
"Thanks for keeping her here, Chlo. What would we do without you, huh?"
The next day seems normal, school and work and dinner, but later on Kurt and Blaine sit down with The Middle One between them. Chloe doesn't catch all of it, but the girl cries a lot and her fathers hug her even more.
"Listen, sweetheart," Kurt finishes off, "the only reason we wanted more kids is because you turned out so great. If we didn't love you so much, we would never have wanted to make our family even bigger. And nothing is ever going to change that. You're our baby girl, and we're your daddies, and we love the three of you more than anything in the world."
"Exactly," Blaine adds, "and there's nothing wrong with you having a Wawa instead of whatever that boy has. You've got us, and your grandparents," he gives Kurt's hand a squeeze behind her, "and you've got more aunts and uncles than any kids I know. And you invented Wawa, baby. No other kids in the world have got what you've got."
"And sweetie," Kurt stage-whispers, "don't tell him I said this, but I think you've got the best one you could ever ask for."
The Middle One giggles, and Kurt and Blaine smile at each other.
They're in a bigger house now. It's almost like her first one: lots of rooms, a fireplace, a staircase that's a little harder to climb than when she was a puppy. She still makes it to the top occasionally though, and she's just about to doze off at the foot of her masters' bed when there's a sudden ringing. Rude. Kurt and Blaine flinch, and they're wrapped around each other so snugly that Kurt almost gets hit in the face. Kurt grabs the phone and pushes it against his ear, his eyes still closed.
"Hello?" he says, his voice raspy and rough, rubbing his eyes groggily. "Finn, wait, slow down- what? When?"
Kurt's sitting up now, and Blaine joins him, propping himself up on one hand and scooting up on the bed. They're both alert. They each spontaneously reach for the other's hand and squeeze hard.
"Kurt? Is it-"
Kurt ignores him and keeps listening intently to the phone.
"Uh-huh. Okay," his voice is cracking, "okay, we'll – um – we'll book flights out and- I'll call you when we know. Thanks for calling." He rolls his eyes a little at whatever the voice on the other end has said, and sniffs. "I love you too, Finn. Give Carole a hug for me, and tell her we'll be there as soon as we can. Bye."
He presses a button and stares at the phone for a second, his breathing uneven, his mouth hanging open.
"Kurt?" Blaine tries again, picking his hand up and kissing his knuckles. "What's happening?"
"Happened." Kurt's voice is flat. He swallows and stares straight ahead. "My, uh- it's Dad. He. He died. He was having chest pains a few hours ago, and Carole called an ambulance, and- he died. It was another heart attack. Blaine- my dad died."
"Kurt, I'm so sorry-"
Blaine shakes his head and leans in to hug him, but he climbs out of bed.
"I have to go to Lima. I need to get a flight tomorrow, or as soon as possible. Carole's gonna need help with the funeral, and- you can meet me out there. Your parents can take the girls- or should we take them with us? They'll want to say goodbye. Can we all get packed in time- no. I'll go on my own and you can come when you're ready; I just need to be there. I need to go."
He doesn't even look at Blaine, just runs his fingers through his hair and walks out of the room and down the stairs. Blaine and Chloe follow him, finding him on the sofa in the living room, laptop open.
"Kurt."
"God, they're all so expensive. I thought last minute flights were meant to be cheap. Screw it, it's not like I'm gonna have to do this again. Is eight too early? I can sleep on the plane or something, I guess-"
Chloe looks up at Blaine, who's staring helplessly at his husband, totally at a loss. He perches on the arm of the couch and wraps an arm around Kurt's shoulders, but Kurt doesn't respond, just keeps clicking and muttering to himself about 'arrangements'. Chloe walks around to Kurt's other side and nudges his hand with her nose. When he pauses to look at her, she jumps up next to him (she knows the no-Chloe-on-the-furniture rule doesn't count when people are crying) and gives his jaw a lick. He closes his eyes and strokes up and down her back.
He looks up at Blaine, his eyes glistening and his throat dry and sore. He sniffs and takes a couple of laboured breaths. Blaine reaches down to close the laptop and put it on the floor. Kurt takes Blaine's hand and pulls until Blaine's wrapped around him. Blaine kisses Kurt's hair and cheek and eyebrow and anything he can reach.
"He's gone, Blaine."
"I'm so sorry, Kurt. I'm so, so sorry." Chloe keeps her head on Kurt's lap as he leans into Blaine's hold, his frame shaking as he cries. "We're all going tomorrow. You don't have to do any of this alone."
Apparently dogs don't go to funerals. Chloe has to go to a kennel for the weekend, because the friends who looked after her last time want to say goodbye to Burt too. Chloe's not the only one who loved him.
She's allowed on the sofa when they all come home again, and she's bombarded with hugs and belly scratches.
Carole only ever visits alone after that.
Chloe's just enjoying the smells of Kurt's cooking and the sound of him singing along to the song on the radio when the daily rush of noise starts up in the hallway – feet and voices and bags being dumped on the floor and coats being hung on hooks.
"Hi, honey, we're home," Blaine calls from the door, rolling his eyes at the cliché, and he and the children take turns patting Chloe's head as they walk in. "God, that smells amazing."
"My one day off," Kurt kisses the girls one by one, "and I spend it slaving away for you guys. Best dad ever, right?"
The Big One rolls her eyes and smiles, but the Middle and Littlest ones agree happily. Blaine's kiss lasts longest, and while he slides one arm around Kurt's waist, he picks a piece of chicken from his plate and feeds it to Chloe.
"Mmm, what did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Maybe in a previous life you didn't feed human food to a dog."
"But she likes it-"
"I know, that's why I put some in her bowl. She's spoiled."
"She's worth it."
Kurt smiles and kisses him again.
"Yeah, she is."
The Middle One covers Chloe's eyes, even though Chloe's seen far worse before now.
Kurt and Blaine's attention turns to Chloe a lot more. Even the Big, Middle and Littlest Ones start earnestly stroking her and being very careful around her. Kurt takes her to the vet and she doesn't fight it. The woman talks and talks and Kurt gets upset.
"Sir? Can I get you anything? Would you like me to talk to your husband?"
He wipes his nose and shakes his head.
"No, no. It should be me. They've been through a lot together, haven't you, Chlo?"
He scratches behind her ear. She just wants another nap.
She's glad they're not in the apartment any more. The fireplace is so nice and warm. Her bed's in the kitchen, but it feels like miles away, so she just stays where she is. Kurt sits with her until Blaine gets home, stroking her and tickling her belly like he did the first time he met her. She doesn't move when she hears the door, but Kurt stands. She hears them talking in the next room.
"What did he say?"
"I'm sorry, honey. There's an operation, but at her age it'll probably just make things worse. Honestly, she's probably lasted a little longer than she should have."
There's a pause, and she hears a sniff and a cough.
"Okay. So. What do we do?"
"We take her in tomorrow afternoon. Just an injection and she'll fall asleep." Chloe hears the rustling of their clothes as they hug each other, and the familiar, comforting sound of them kissing for a moment, and they both come into the living room. "I tried to get her into her bed, but- I think she wants to stay here."
"Fair enough. She always liked the fireplace."
"You wanna come to bed?"
"No. I think- I think I'll sit with her. Just for a minute. Make sure she's comfy."
She hears more sniffing and a throat clearing.
"Okay. Night, Blaine. Night, Chloe," Kurt says, stooping down to kiss her head.
She feels Blaine sitting down behind her, then lying next to her. She lets his body line up with hers, trying to push her head up to him so he knows she appreciates the company.
"It's okay, girl. I'm not going anywhere. I'm never leaving you again."
She closes her eyes, content. She must have been a good dog. Her breathing is slow and heavy, and she feels Blaine's arm around her middle. After a couple of minutes she hears him start to snore, and she's vaguely aware of someone draping a blanket over both of them. She opens her eyes briefly to see Kurt smiling down at her with tears in his eyes.
"It's okay, Chlo," he whispers, "go back to sleep. You've earned it."
Chloe's nice and comfy in her bed in its new position by the fire, barely paying attention to everyone gathered in the living room. The kids are on the sofa, and Kurt and Blaine are kneeling in front of them, holding their hands and getting ready to hug them. She hears her name a few times, as well as 'sorry' and 'sleep' and 'goodbye'.
They take turns stroking her head and holding her paws and cuddling her, and it's nice. They're not so sticky any more, and they're being so sweet and quiet and not jumping on her. She wonders why they weren't always like this. The Middle One makes sure she has what's left of her squeaky Empire State Building. Kurt's sadder than she's ever seen him, and his voice is shaking when he scratches behind her ear one more time.
Blaine picks her up, which he almost never does. He keeps her blanket wrapped around her and hugs her close, and now that she thinks about it she's not sure she could walk anywhere even if she tried. She rests her head on Blaine's shoulder, hoping it's enough to stop him crying, but it isn't.
"Bye, girl," Kurt whispers, stroking her head again, and all she can do is lean into it. "Thanks for everything. Thanks for looking after him when I couldn't. You're such a good girl." He looks right into her eyes, a look that says it's okay, that he'll take care of them all now, Blaine and the others. He kisses her head and kisses Blaine's cheek. "You sure you don't want me to come?"
Blaine nods.
"Stay with the kids. We'll be okay, won't we puppy?" His voice cracks on the last word and he has to bury his face in Chloe's fur for a second. "I'll see you later. Love you."
"Love you too. More than anything."
There's a quiet chorus of 'love you, Dad' from the children and Blaine walks out, carrying Chloe to the car. She blinks and she's at the vet's again. She can't feel anything except a little tired.
"Shouldn't be long now, sir. I'll leave you alone for a minute."
Blaine nods and swallows. Chloe does her best to keep her eyes open; it's all she can do to comfort him. She opens them and she's on a bed, higher than her normal one, and Blaine's in a chair stroking her and holding her paw.
"Just you and me again, Chloe. Just like it used to be. Except you're a real lady now. And I'm- I don't know. I mean, I've grown up too, I guess, you've watched it happen, but right now I'm just- I'm really gonna miss you, Chlo. Thank you for everything. I know everyone says their dog is the best, but they're all wrong. You're the best I ever could have asked for. Thank you for being there when nobody else was. You're the only one who never left." He sniffs and wipes his nose on his sleeve. "God, how did I forget tissues? You see what you've reduced me to?" He smiles sadly and lets out a shaky breath. "I don't know if this hurts or not. I hope not. Just go to sleep, honey, then it'll be okay."
He keeps stroking her head, down her back, pressing kisses into her fur, humming softly, and it's so soothing she can't keep her eyes open.
"That's it, Chloe. I've got you. Good girl. Such a good girl."
She lets her eyes close, knowing it'll all be okay. As long as she's with her master, her Blaine, everything will be fine.