"So do we tell them together?"
"Well, considering I've never met your parents, it might be a little awkward."
"I'm really excited about this, Kurt. The thought of waking up next to you in the morning." Blaine feels his emotions boiling to the surface. "I can't believe how lucky I am."
"How lucky we are." Kurt kisses Blaine tenderly. "I feel like a new bride".
"Soon". Blaine winked at his soon to be live-in boyfriend.
On his way to school, Kurt decided that there was no time like the present.
"So Dad, I'd like to have a family meeting tonight. It's kind of important."
"Well, I'm done by 6ish, and Carol should be home right after that. Everything ok?"
"Oh, yeah…everything is great…I just have something…I want to bounce off of everyone. I need Finn there too". Kurt was hoping that his new brother would be supportive.
"Sounds serious. Well, let's do dinner, then we can all sit down. You're sure there's nothing you want to talk about now?"
"No, Dad, tonight's good. Ok, I better get inside. Love you. "
"Love you too, Kurt. Have a good one today".
Kurt went to his classes, but was too distracted by his plans with Blaine to learn anything new today. He keeps pinching himself—I cannot believe I'm with Blaine. He also tried to figure out the best way to approach the issue of their hoped for living arrangements with his father. What if he told him no? Would Blaine believe that it was Burt's resistance, and not his own, that would throw a kink into their plans? Kurt couldn't think of anything more exciting than the thought that the last thing he would see at night would be Blaine's face. He loves him so much. This has to work out. And Burt did like Blaine. Hopefully enough to approve.
Kurt thought he should text Finn to make sure he was there.
"Hey, listen, I need you tonight".
"Dude, I thought you said I wasn't your type".
"You so aren't. Family meeting tonight. Kind of important."
"You ok?"
"Yep. After dinner. More later".
Blaine didn't head to Dalton this morning. He wanted to talk to his mother about Kurt. Although they weren't really close, Blaine did believe that his mom wanted him to be happy, and that she wouldn't cause any type of impediment to their plans. He had been staying at the guesthouse almost exclusively since he and Kurt first made love there. It is where he feels at peace. He loves Kurt, and the thought of waking up each morning in his arms was almost overwhelming.
Coming in through the back door, Blaine saw his mom standing at the kitchen counter. "Good Morning, Mom". Blaine was not wearing his uniform, which was noticed immediately.
"Good Morning, my son. No school today?"
"Not today. I actually wanted to talk to you about something. Well, about someone".
"Come, sit. Let me just grab my coffee. Are you hungry, honey? Do you want me to make you something?"
Blaine had major butterflies in his stomach, so the thought of food made his head spin. "No, I'll pass. So Mom…"
"It's nice to see your face this morning, Blaine. I don't see you much anymore".
"And that's what I want to talk to you about." Here we go. Blaine braced himself. "Mom, I've met someone that I'm crazy about".
"Oh…who is she?"
"Mom, don't". Blaine lowed his eyes from his mother's face. He didn't want to see the disappointment. Again.
"I'm sorry, honey. That wasn't fair. But you can't blame a mother for trying. So go on…who is this special someone that has my son so captivated that he's forgotten about his family and apparently his schooling".
"His name is Kurt. Kurt Hummel. He actually went to Dalton for a while, but is now back at McKinley. He's amazing, Mom". Blaine looked directly as his mother. "I love him."
"I see. So he goes to McKinley. Why did he leave Dalton?"
"Multiple not important reasons, Mom".
"Go on".
"It's really hard now that we're in different schools to spend as much time together as we'd like. So…."
"Blaine, are you asking my permission for your friend to move in with you out there?"
"Mom, he's not a "friend'. He's my boyfriend".
"But does he love you? It's not like the other times, is it?"
Blaine cringed as his mother reminded him of all of his unrequited crushes over the years. Maybe it's not a good idea to throw Kurt into the same room as his parents. He might hear things that will hurt him. "Mom, this is not a crush. I need you to understand that. Kurt is the one".
"I just know how quickly things lose their fascination for you, honey. I don't want your friend…"
"He's NOT my friend. Mom, I love him, ok? If I could marry him right now, I would. Please understand, I'm not trying to be disrespectful to you or Dad, but you've always told me that I should be my own person. That's all I'm trying to do. And Kurt makes me a better person. I need you to trust me on this".
"Well, this Kurt sounds like quite a catch. It's your guesthouse, Blaine. If you feel that you would be happy setting up house out there, that's up to you. But let me break this to your father. He might not be as supportive. And please bring Kurt to dinner one night soon. I have a feeling he's going to be a part of our life for a while."
"Not for a while, Mom. Forever".
Leaving his parent's kitchen, Blaine wondered to himself—did his mother really understand, or just not care?
"Another great dinner, hon." Burt told Carol, who was busy clearing the table.
Finn still sat there, eating. A bottomless pit, Kurt marveled.
"So Kurt. We're all ears. What did you want to talk about?"
"Can we go into the living room? I want everyone's undivided attention"
Kurt was starting to fidget with his sleeves, which did not go unnoticed by his father.
"Hey, buddy…relax. Carol, come on. Finn, put down the fork. What is it, Kurt?"
Kurt looked at the faces of his family, every one of them etched with concern. "So, you all know that Blaine and I are a couple now. A real couple".
The faces all looked at him silently and nodded in unison.
"Right...so here's the thing. With me not being at Dalton anymore, it's really hard sometimes to get time to see each other."
Burt looked down at his hands, feeling again the sadness of having had to pull Kurt out of Dalton. "I'm really sorry, son".
"No, Dad. I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I just…Blaine and I have been getting closer…as you know…" Kurt's face began to blush as he remembered his phone call to his Dad the first night he and Blaine spent together. "And we've sort of figured out a way to spend more time together. That's what I want to talk to you all about."
Finn looked up as the term "getting closer" finally registered. "Wow…do you mean that you and Blaine are…like…doing it?"
Carol play smacked Finn in the back of the head. "That's your brother's business, Finn. Now, go on Kurt."
Kurt was still looking at Finn. "Ok, so what we were thinking is, since Blaine has this really nice guesthouse on his property, that we would, you know, use it on the weekends…to hang out…" Kurt stopped to let what he was saying sink in.
"By hang out, what exactly do you mean?" Burt asked the question, but Kurt knew, by the look on his face, that he already knew the answer, and was not thrilled.
Kurt hesitated, as the words stuck in this throat.
"It's ok, sweetie. Just say it". Carol walked over to Kurt and put her hands on his shoulders.
"What I'd like...what we'd like…to do is see each other when we can during the week…which won't be a lot because of school and Glee Club and such...but on Fridays, I would head out to his place and just stay until Sunday afternoon, and I'd be here to head back to school on Monday morning". Ok, now it's out there.
Burt looked at Finn. "Did you know about this?"
"No. I'm still trying to get the imagine of the two of them, you know, doing it out of my brain." Kurt looked at Finn. So much for moral support.
"Kurt, I don't know if this is such a good idea. I mean, honestly, you guys are so young to be doing something like this. Whatever happened to...you know…courting someone".
"Well, since it isn't 1950 anymore…"
"Kurt, don't be sarcastic. I really don't know about this. And what do Blaine's parents think? Are they ok with this?"
"Of course they are. How could they not love having me around?" Kurt cringed a little bit at the thought of stretching the truth with his family. He's never even met Blaine's family.
"Well I think it's cool" came spilling out of Finn's mouth. "It's like I have a brother in law or something". Kurt offered up a small smile at his clueless brother.
"Kurt, I think your father and I need to just talk about this. But we are both so happy to see you with someone that you care so much about—and who cares about you. Right, Burt?"
Burt looked at his son, who was so obviously not his little boy anymore, and nodded in agreement. "I want you to be happy, kiddo. That's all I've ever wanted."
"Meet me for coffee?" Kurt texted Blaine, already missing him.
"But of course" was the reply, almost instantly. "Love You".
"Love you right back". And every time he said it, he meant it more.
Kurt arrived first, and just stared at the door, waiting. His stomach was nervous as he thought about what living with Blaine—even only partially—would mean. And, if Kurt was being truthful with himself, he thought about the physical part of the relationship. No waiting…no wondering…they now knew every part of each other, and nothing would stand in the way of enjoying that knowledge whenever they wanted. In their own bed.
He looked at his watch, wondering what was taking Blaine so long. Finally, he walked in, and as always, took Kurt's breath away. He then looked at Blaine's hand, which was carrying something with a cover over it.
"What have we here"?
"Well, I know how much you miss Pavarotti, so I thought we could have our first pet". Blaine pulled the cover off of the small cage, and Kurt smiled as he saw a beautiful blue bird looking back at him. He got up from his chair and hugged Blaine. "I love him. Or her. I love it!". Blaine was never happier than when he brought a smile to Kurt's face. Kurt took the cage from his boyfriend's hand. "And birdy makes three".
"So, roomie…how did it go with the family?"
"Not as frightening as I thought. Some concerns, and I'm sure some questions, but they just want me happy."
"Yeah, same here". Blaine didn't want to get into the whole conversation that he'd had with his mother. Another time, perhaps.
"So what should we name him? I like Bocelli. Sounds romantic. Bocelli Anderson-Hummel."
"I think that's adorable. Bocelli it is". Blaine said that he would take their new pet back to the guesthouse so that he could get used to it. He would borrow Pavarotti's old cage for more space once they got settled.
By Wednesday, Kurt could not stop thinking about the coming weekend. He was deciding what outfits to bring when he was startled by a voice behind him in the hall. Karofsky.
"So I hear you and your lady friend are shacking up now. How sweet".
Kurt kept walking, trying to ignore the other comments that were being hurled at him, and wondering why Karofsky just never got tired of this. And how did he know? Then it dawned on him. Finn. Kurt turned into a classroom that wasn't his, and waited for Karofsky to keep walking by. He looked at his watch. Only two days and he would feel safe again with Blaine.
"I would appreciate you not discussing my personal business with that animal", Kurt fumed at Finn.
"I didn't say anything to him, Kurt. I was talking to Sam. He must have overheard me. Give me more credit than that".
"I'm sorry, Finn, but I don't want him knowing anything about what I do. He scares me, you know?" Finn walked over and put his arm around Kurt. "You know I'd never let him hurt you, right? I've got your back."
Friday came and Kurt jumped in his car to head to the guesthouse. He couldn't wait to see Blaine. Texting and talking on the phone was one thing, but he just wanted to be in Blaine's arms and feel his kisses. Maybe they would cuddle in bed and watch a movie. Blaine's choice this time.
He planned on getting there before Blaine so that he could decorate a little bit and visit with Bocelli. They were going to have dinner, and then try to get together with Blaine's mom. His dad was out of town on business, so maybe this would not be as painful as Kurt was anticipating. Win over his mom, and he'd have an ally. He walked over to the door, turned the key, and started whistling to encourage Bocelli to do the same. It worked.
About fifteen minutes later, there was knock at the door. Kurt turned towards it and shouted out "Did you forget your keys, beautiful?" as he turned the doorknob.
Blaine pulled into the driveway, trying to juggle a bag of groceries in each hand. He stopped at the main house to talk to him mom for a second.
"Hi, Mom. How are you?"
"I'm good. What's all this?"
"Kurt and I are going to use the grill tonight if that's ok. And then we'd like to come up and visit with you for a bit. I want you to get to know him, Mom. You'll love him."
"That's fine. I'll be home all night. So are you having a big get together?
"What do you mean?" Blaine was confused by the question.
"Well, other than the other boy that's here?"
"Mom…what other boy?" Blaine didn't remember Kurt saying anyone else was coming over. This night was just supposed to be for them-their first night together as live-ins.
"The one from the football team. He said he was a friend of Kurt's so I just told him to go on back…"
Blaine dropped the bags on the floor and ran across the grounds to the guesthouse. His heart was racing as every form of horrible thought ran through his head. He got to the door, where he saw a new "Home Sweet Home" mat on the ground, slightly askew. Kurt would not have left it like that. The door was partially opened, and Blaine pushed it the rest of the way.
The room looked like there had been a struggle, and Bocelli's cage was on the floor on its side. It was empty.
"Kurt?" Blaine shouted his name, having a hard time breathing. "Kurt?"
Blaine's mother appeared at the door, and then stepped inside. "Honey, what's happening?"
He turned to his mom, tears running down his face.
"He found him".