August 4th 2011
"Blaine, you always buy me coffee, I don't want to burn a hole in those tight pockets of yours." Blaine chuckled, a blush creeping up his neck.
"Really, Kurt, I'm happy to do it. And don't pretend that you don't love it when I pay for you." He said with a sly smile.
It was Kurt's turn to blush, "I just don't get where all your money comes from! You don't even have a job; aside from the occasional theme park performance," Kurt teased. Blaine cringed slightly but if Kurt noticed he didn't say anything.
"My dad gives me a pretty large allowance," he admitted casually, praying that Kurt would stop with the 20 questions.
"What did you say your dad did again?"
No such luck.
"Uh, I-I didn't," he stammered, "but he's a mechanic."
"Yeah, well so is my dad and he doesn't make that kind of money." Blaine shrugged, accepting the coffee the barista held out to him, before walking towards their table, hoping it was enough to satisfy the other boy.
…
June 3rd 2012
"Blaine…" Kurt stopped abruptly; causing Blaine to run into his back nearly spilling the coffee they had just run out to get on a much needed study break. "What is that?"
To be honest Blaine didn't know what the deep red Audi R8 was doing in his driveway, but he had a pretty good idea of who put it there; he just really hoped the person he thought was behind it wasn't home. A piece of paper was trapped beneath one of the windshield wipers, trying its hardest to escape. Blaine plucked it from its prison and read the scratchy handwriting that was so familiar to him.
I'm really sorry I couldn't deliver this in person. I know I've missed a few birthdays and Christmases, and I'm so sorry, but I can't risk putting you in danger. I hope you understand, and I hope you put this beauty to good use. I added a few upgrades, and extra airbags just to be on the safe side. I can't believe you've been driving for a year already; I'm sorry I couldn't teach you, but it's probably for the best. I wired more money to your account so that you can take Kurt out for your birthday; make sure to tell him it's on me, alright? I love you and I miss you more than you could ever imagine.
Love from your dad
(And Pepper!)
"It's a birthday gift from my dad. Got here a little early." He said uninterestedly, shredding up the note into small unreadable pieces so there was no chance of Kurt finding out who Blaine really was, and more importantly who his father was.
Kurt's jaw dropped, "I- you… you already have a car!"
"Yeah, my dad's a bit excessive," he said non-chalantly. He gave the car's interior a quick once over; nice two-tone leather, a built in gps, and as promised other features such as a DVD player in the back, a little drink cooler, and if he checked the trunk… yup, a pair of subwoofers that could blow your eardrums. "Ok, so really excessive."
Kurt didn't say anything, just gawked for a few more minutes before Blaine dragged him inside shaking his head as Kurt moved in his grasp to walk backwards so the he could stare at the car some more. "Come on, we'll study for another couple of hours and then we can take a ride past your house and make Finn jealous."
…
December 23rd 2012
His mom was the one to break it to him.
"Blainey, baby, I think you should check the news," she'd said, teary eyed, hiccupping gasps chopping up her words. Blaine knew what this was about, obviously he did-but he found himself flipping on the news anyway. He sat there for a minute, stony faced, staring blankly at the screen. He didn't cry, he didn't scream, he did nothing.
The mansion was in ruins. There were firefighters and police surrounding the crumbling structure that Blaine knew inside and out. He used to just walk, trying to take everything in. While his dad was busy in his workshop he would wander, trying to commit everything to memory before his mom shipped them to Ohio to try and escape the fast paced life that his father lived. There were promises of vacations spent in the concrete palace, holidays and maybe some birthdays, but none of those promises were kept, and now there was no chance of them ever happening.
"Was-was he h-home?" He asked, his eyes still following the action on screen, unable to tear himself away from the wreck. But before his mother had the chance to answer the camera panned away from the horror and focused on a young woman.
"Sources say that the owner of the home, Mr. Tony Stark was inside of the house when it was attacked, he is now presumed dead by Malibu investigators who say there is no sign of the body in the rubble, and divers have not uncovered anything in their search of the ocean below-"
There was a click and the TV turned black. Blaine continued to stare. "H-he can't be,"
"I'm so sorry, Blaine," his mother said brokenly, she took a seat next to him on the bed, "Blaine?" She placed a hand on his cheek, forcing his attention away from the blank screen; she rubbed her thumb under his eyes wiping up tear he hadn't known he'd shed.
He hadn't seen him in well over a year, and now he'd never see him again. He'd never get to try and fix their broken relationship, he'd never get to introduce him to Kurt, and his dad would never walk him down the aisle.
"Last week-last week when I called to-to make sure I was still gonna go there for Christmas-I- I didn't say 'I love you' back. I was so angry that he cancelled on me again, mom-I-I-" He looked to his mother helplessly, heaving huge unsatisfying breathes that barely gave enough oxygen to his brain to allow him keep thinking about all of the shitty things he'd ever said to his father, and how there was no way he could take them back now.
"He knew, honey, of course he knew that you loved him. This isn't your fault, Blaine. He gave out his address on the news, he knew what he was doing, he just didn't know how powerful they were. He was trying to keep us safe, Blaine, like he always has."
Blaine gave a shaky nod, his lungs too devoid of oxygen to speak, not like his brain would have been able to form a coherent sentence at that moment anyway.
"Why don't you try to rest and we'll figure out everything tomorrow?" Again he could only nod at his mother's suggestion before falling back against his pillows and curling into himself. He heard the creak of the door, and saw the lights switch off behind his lidded eyes, but he knew he wouldn't sleep. He just lay there; without distraction his mind led him to terrible places.
He remembers years ago, he was 12 at the time, when his dad had gone to Afghanistan. Blaine didn't think he was coming home that time, and that was before everyone knew who he was. Sure he was still famous, he was still rich and everybody wanted something from him. But now it was different. Now he wasn't just Tony Stark, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and father of a young 17-year-old son; now he wasn't just Tony Stark, he was Iron man. A superhero.
Things are a lot more dangerous when everybody knows your name and what you are capable of. The risks are higher, the challenges are harder, and everything is more than any one person could possibly handle; but his dad had managed to do it in the past. Blaine prays that he can do it again.
…
The tell tale ding of Kurt's text tone came through a few hours into his not nap. He searched around his bed blindly for his phone, finally finding it under his pillow.
Kurt-8:30pm: Have you seen the news? Isn't it crazy? Aren't you glad you didn't go to Malibu after all?
No.
At least if I went to Malibu I could have said goodbye. I might have even been able to help him. I might have been able to save him.
…
December 24th 2012
Kurt-12:05am: Blaine, baby, you ok?
Kurt-9:04am: Did I do something?
Kurt-1:12pm: Please answer me, baby, I need to know you're ok.
Kurt-5:39pm: Blaine?
…
December 25th 2012
Kurt-12:00am: Merry Christmas baby, I'll see you later! I can't wait for you to open your present; you're going to love it!
Kurt-12:23am: I though we promised we were going to stay up and say merry Christmas to each other? :'{
Kurt-7:21am: Blaine turn on the news, this is nuts!
Blaine squinted, blinked a few times clearing the sleep from his eyes. He'd just found the remote tucked in the folds of his sheets when he phone starting buzzing, Teenage Dream chiming out through the speakers.
"'h'lo," he greeted groggily, rolling onto his back so that he could see the TV more clearly; what he saw made him freeze.
"I knew he wasn't dead!" Kurt exclaimed. Blaine felt his heart leap into his throat, successfully stopping him from putting his foot in his mouth and exposing himself. There were hundreds of suits, but the cameras were trained on only one. His dad, in a plain old t-shirt and jeans, something Blaine rarely saw him in, with bits and pieces of a suit stuck on his arms and legs. He was alive. "I mean he's Iron Man, he can't just die!"
Yes he can, Blaine thought. He could easily die while Blaine watched on. The fight was still happening, there were still a few dozen…weird orange people who were attacking him and his unpiloted suits. His chest wasn't even covered by metal, something could easily happen…
"I-I, wow, I'm so glad he's alive." He said like he was half asleep as if to not give himself away because he was fully alert and tracking every move on the screen in front of him, not letting his dad out of his sight for a second.
"Where were you tonight? I texted you a few times, I thought you were mad at me or something… you're not are you?"
"What, no, of course not! Sorry just some family stuff, and then I fell asleep watching the news… Merry Christmas, by the way."
"Merry Christmas! Is everyone ok?" Blaine looked back at the screen that cast a strange blue glow around his room. There were only a few of the…things left now and his dad and Rhodes seemed to have it under control. He clicked the TV off; he wanted to be able to hope, he wanted this to be his Christmas miracle.
"I hope…I think everyone will be fine." Blaine ends the call soon after that, excusing himself, lying to Kurt, telling him his mom is calling him down to breakfast.
…
It was around 11 am when he got the phone call.
Incoming Call: Pepper
Blaine's breath hitched; could it be the call telling him his father was dead?
Only one way to find out.
"Hello?" Blaine heard a huge sigh on the other end of the receiver.
"Blainey!" He heard his father all but cry out, making relief swoop through Blaine's stomach, the tension of the unknown releasing from his back and his shoulders.
"Daddy," he used a term he hadn't since he was a little boy, when he would fall and cut himself and his father would scoop him up and make it all better. Just knowing his father was ok was mending the scrapes that had been scratched onto the surface of Blaine's heart through all the worry and fear of the last few days. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Blaine cried into the phone. He didn't like to cry in front of his father, he feared the rugged man, the man made of iron would see it as a weakness, just another reason to protect Blaine, but Blaine couldn't find it in him to stop. As much as they fought and disagreed, Tony Stark had always been there for Blaine, even when he couldn't physically be with him. He always sent him cards and flowers for his performances in school plays and concerts, and he always called him after to see how they went.
There was never a week were Tony didn't call his son. Tony truly loved him, and Blaine knew that, and Blaine would never take any of that for granted again.
"Hey, no, shh. I'm ok. Everybody is ok; I'm sorry I couldn't call you. I wanted to but I couldn't risk them finding you Blainey. I told Pepper not to call either."
"Pepper knew?" Blaine asked through a sharp hiccup.
"Well… yes," he father answered apprehensively, "but she had protection Blaine, and they still got to her. Imagine how quickly they could have gotten to you."
"They took Pepper? Is she alright?"
"We're all fine Blaine. Everyone is fine; you're fine right?"
Blaine nearly laughed at that. Fine? Not even close.
"I-yeah. I'm safe, not hurt or anything, just- I was kinda freaking out."
"No need to freak out, son. Everything is going to be fine. I'm going to fly out there tomorrow to see you, ok?"
"I-yeah," Blaine was shocked, and elated. He didn't think he'd really believe that his father was fine until he could see for himself. Honestly his dad coming to visit was the best Christmas present he could ever give him.
…
July 3rd 2013
"Blaine this is…" Kurt spun around the room in awe; he'd never seen such a beautiful building, such a beautiful home, their home if everything went the way Blaine planned.
The three-story townhouse was… gorgeous. Kurt had researched housing in this area and knew that this house was easily worth well over a million dollars.
"Blaine-this-how?"
"It's not too far is it? I know that West 152nd street isn't what we imagined but, I don't know, this place just spoke to me."
Kurt was still wide eyed, taking in the lovely red color of the dining room, his eyes quickly switching to the industrial style, modern, eat in kitchen. It was everything he ever imagined his and Blaine's home being like; he'd just never imagined they move into it while they were still in their first couple years of college.
"I-How, Blaine, how?" Kurt asked, getting slightly angry thinking this was some kind of joke Blaine was pulling on him.
"I told you," a smile crept onto his face as he put his arms around Kurt's waist from behind, "my dad is a bit excessive. He gave me an early birthday present so I could buy us a house here. He knows how much New York means to both of us, he knows we want to start our life here as soon as we can; I'd say this is a good head start."
"Head start?" Kurt scoffed, wigging his way out of his boyfriend's arms to continue exploring the 4,000 square foot masterpiece. Everything this was finished, and upgraded, all new appliances-it was perfect. "More like a giant leap. Blaine… this is amazing. But are you sure?"
"Absolutely! I know it's big now, and there will be a few empty rooms, but I'm sure we can fill them in the future."
"Mmm," Kurt hummed placing a light kiss on Blaine's forehead, "I'm sure you're dad will love the guest room once I'm done decorating it."
Blaine blanched at that; he still wasn't ready for Kurt to meet his dad. "I-I was thinking we'd fill 'em with a few kids, but I guess they can be guest rooms for now."
…
March 29th 2014
Blaine tried to snatch the photo from his hands before it hit the other boy; just who he was looking at, but Blaine wasn't fast enough and Kurt had an iron grip (probably from all of the sewing). "Blaine, this is-"
"I know who it is, Kurt," Blaine said sharply, taking advantage of Kurt's shocked state, snatching the photo from his boyfriend and stuffing it back into the hidden pocket in his wallet where it had been for the past 7 years, since before Pepper and the Avengers; back when hid dad used to visit him nearly every month, twice a month in June because of Blaine's birthday. "I told you my relationship with my dad was complicated."
"Yeah-but," Kurt gaped at him, "your dad is-"
"My dad is Tony Stark… Iron Man."
Kurt looked at him as if he was seeing him for the first time, and it made Blaine's blood run cold; he didn't want Kurt to be mad, he never wanted that, he just never knew how to tell him. Kurt ran his hand down his cheek, pulled his chin up, Kurt gasped as soon as their eyes met, Blaine quirked and eyebrow at him, his heart beating wildly in his chest, waiting for Kurt to storm out of his their house, out of his life.
"What?"
"It's- how did I miss it? It's all there in your eyes, and that nose- I need to go get my vision checked, I must be blind! And all the expensive gifts! The million-dollar house! It finally makes sense." Blaine shook his head, and sighed out an airy chuckle of relief.
"I- fuck Kurt, I'm sorry. Don't be mad, I just- I just never knew how to tell you!" He grabbed Kurt's hand, holding tightly up to heart, needing to be touching him, needing to hold on to him so that he didn't get a chance to run away. "I've been selfish and I've put you in so much danger over the years without you even knowing about it; I just couldn't risk you leaving me because I love you so much. And I-I don't deserve you. You deserve someone who is selfless enough to know when to let go of someone for their own good but I couldn't- I-"
"Blaine?" Kurt was shaking his head back and forth reverently, "what the hell are you talking about? Do you really think I would leave you because of who your father is? Don't ever think that. And don't ever think you're selfless, you're the most selfless person I know Blaine Anderson." Kurt pulled a trembling Blaine to his chest, rubbing soothing circles on his back, trying to stop the younger man's tears that were coming in streams down his red cheeks. "Now stop this nonsense. You are what's safe in my life, you are what is right in my life and that will never ever change no matter who your parents are, no matter what they do, and no matter what happens. You are mine. Ok?"
Blaine nodded shakily into Kurt's neck, trying to get closer, always closer to Kurt. Thank god Kurt felt the same. "Ok," he chocked out.
"Ok," he said pressing a kiss to Blaine's hair, still rubbing circles on the boys back and rocking him slightly. "Hey," he said pulling Blaine's chin up so Blaine would look at him, he pressed a soft kiss under each of the shorter boy's eyes, smearing the tears that sat there, "there's no need to cry ok? I love you, nothing is changing that."
"I know," he croaked, "I just feel bad for never telling you; I wanted to so bad-"
"I know," he reassured, "I know. Now go calm yourself and then tell your dad there is a very well designed, yet comfortable, guest room with his name on it."