Title: Turning Another Page
Characters: Blaine, Kurt
Rating: M
Description: Kurt and Blaine take on a new obstacle in life, but is either one entirely on board to take on their new responsibility? (Based on the film Nine Months starring Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore.)
Warning(s): MPreg
A/N: Don't like, don't read.
Blaine's toes dug in the sand as he watched a wave crash back against the shore and recede into the ocean. The sun was out on a beautiful May afternoon in the East Hamptons, and it was the perfect day – the perfect weekend, actually – for an anniversary picnic, and an important one at that. Five years.
They'd met rushing past each other in college, but not on the greatest of terms. It was senior year for both of them, and Blaine had crashed head on into Kurt Hummel on the way to his first class, successfully knocking over the sprite and lithe man's books in just thirty seconds. The very next day, Blaine and Kurt soon discovered that they were classmates in a last-minute, remedial course to pass college, much to Kurt's chagrin.
It wasn't that Kurt was one to hold a grudge, particularly over something so stupid, but he had been late for class, and he wasn't fond of the professor anyway. And the truth was that Blaine was far too good from the get-go. If Kurt had been a weaker man, he would have been whisked away by the warm honey of Blaine's eyes and polite, gentile way he picked up Kurt's books and apologized profusely. But at that point, Kurt was still harboring a slight winter bug and was extra grouchy.
But as fate would have it, they were teamed up as class partners, and try as Kurt Hummel might, he was whisked away under Blaine Anderson's spell after just a couple of weeks. Once they'd hit it off, it was as though they'd known each other for years. Blaine, too, had been caught off-guard by Kurt's aggressive, diva front, but all of that faded away over coffees and two "lucky" lottery tickets for an off-Broadway production of RENT. It was the closest thing to their first date without actually slapping a name to it.
They remained friends for months until it all came to a head. Their class project had been long complete by the time they shared a warm, quiet kiss on Kurt's bed in his shoebox apartment in Brooklyn. From that point on, life just clicked. They had been each other's missing puzzle piece that neither one could have anticipated. Blaine was showered with love from Kurt's family over Christmas, and that following spring, after little deliberation, they eventually got an apartment.
Fast-forward five years, and their lives were on fast-moving planes, but they still took the time they needed to step back down to earth. And to each other. Kurt had set out to become a designer, and with pieces sold in boutique shops in Milan, Paris, London, and New York, he was making quite the name for himself. Blaine, on the other hand, had pursued teaching. So while Kurt's days were spent whizzing around and ordering more fabric and painstakingly sketching until he was sore in the wrist, Blaine passed around tambourines and taught new songs to eight year olds.
Their lives were setting out to be something amazing, if not already. And while both men were on the other side of their twenties and were clearly content and monogamous, neither one had stopped to pop the question. It wasn't that it hadn't come up in Blaine's mind; it's just that their lives were packed, or at least that's what Blaine told himself. Although they made enough money to afford a two bedroom place that could last them years, a huge ceremony would put them out for years to come, and Kurt wouldn't be one to just elope on the fly.
They had enough to scrape up a small holiday to the Hamptons, however, and the last two days had actually been a dream. So much so that Blaine couldn't wipe the stupid, adorable smile off his face as he leaned his cheek into his partner's shoulder, his glass of champagne clinking gently.
"To five amazing years," Kurt uttered.
He tilted his chin up, catching Kurt in a kiss. Kurt wrinkled his brow and leaned back.
"Four and three-quarters, when you think about it? I didn't love you so much in the beginning."
Blaine scoffed and pinched at Kurt's side.
"God, yes, you did. You were enamored from day one. Admit it, Hummel."
Kurt let out a small whinging sound, turning his head away even more exaggeratedly as Blaine offered him another cheese and cracker. Kurt wrapped his mouth around the cracker, sucking slightly on his partner's fingers.
"'Mit it!"
"No." Kurt smiled delicately around the cracker.
Rolling his eyes, Blaine leaned back in for another kiss and grinned, his hand squeezing at his side affectionately.
"Love you," Kurt finally resigned, leaning back to look into Blaine's eyes.
Blaine smiled back contently and nodded, nuzzling his nose back into Kurt's shoulder. "Love you, too."
A moment of quiet, comfortable silence passed between them, and Blaine sighed deep in his chest as he watched a small family pass to and from over the beach, along with their enthusiastically loud dog. He could barely perceive Kurt's eyes squint in slight annoyance, but maybe it was the harsh sun hitting his skin.
Either way, Blaine worked up the courage to take in a deep breath and look back at his boyfriend.
"Kurt, do you want more?"
Kurt lifted his hand to wave off any more food and leaned back under their makeshift umbrella, blocking any of the harsh rays. "No, I'm full, thanks."
"No, I mean…" Blaine almost had to laugh, but he bit down on his lip. "More. Like, I don't know, settling down a bit more."
Kurt was up just as quickly as he was down and facing Blaine.
"Like marriage, kids, dog, minivan, the whole nine yards?"
"Well, I mean, some of that. Not necessarily the minivan, and I know you're more of a cat person, but…"
Blaine could see Kurt's brow tighten as the dog continued to bark, to which he sighed in sympathy. But the dog was forgotten as Kurt took Blaine's hands inside of his own and kissed the center of his temple.
"Blaine, you know I want to marry you. But look at it this way. We're going to be thirty in three years. We should live out the rest of our twenties like no tomorrow. And as much as I can't wait to plan our wedding and go all out, we couldn't afford a big wedding even if we wanted to."
"Nobody ever said anything about it being big," Blaine said quietly, meeting eyes with Kurt, who merely shook his head and waved a hand.
"Well, you know me."
Blaine snorted at that and nodded, his head ducked a little. Kurt could see the slouch in Blaine's shoulders and gave them a squeeze.
There was something more and even Kurt knew what was behind it. Blaine was around kids constantly and had been broody ever since he started the job years back. It wasn't that Blaine was particularly baby crazy, it's just that… he knew he'd been given a gift from early on. Carriers were becoming more and more mainstream through discovery and awareness, and while it was still a rare condition, it was becoming less uncommon to see men, even in rural areas, carrying children. In New York City, alone, there were already half a dozen specialty carrier centers, and given the right treatment and environment, men could even carry to full-term with few complications.
Blaine had only discovered that he was one through a blood test in junior high, long before he'd even lost his virginity. But once he and Kurt had settled down and gotten serious, he'd pulled him next to him and told him. At first Kurt had panicked and stared down at Blaine's flat stomach as if an alien could sprout out of it. But soon the matter was set aside and nearly forgotten, once parameters were set. They both adamantly agreed that kids were not in the cards, and that if they set precautions, they could live their lives fine. Or, at least, Blaine had agreed. He knew kids were a mutual decision, and he wasn't about to throw all the good away over one disagreement. Every day, Blaine took a birth control pill specifically approved for men, which had a 97% success rate. It hadn't failed them yet.
If Blaine and Kurt had one major disagreement, it was over Blaine's condition. And while the subject was seldom brought up, it was clear that Blaine and Kurt had two separate opinions of Blaine's "gift." Blaine thought about it constantly, the idea of cherishing with all of his heart a little girl or a little boy that belonged to both he and Kurt. But Kurt preferred to sweep the subject under the rug and assume it didn't exist.
Because if Blaine popped a pill, Blaine and Kurt wouldn't have to be one of those couples. They'd be just like every other gay couple in the world that gets on without kids, or eventually settles down with surrogacy or adoption when the time is right. And it wasn't that Kurt was ashamed of Blaine, it was just that the whole idea of potentially becoming a father because of happy accident scared the living daylights out of him.
Blaine was lost in thought as Kurt tilted his head and kissed the center of his palm.
"Come back to me?" Kurt muttered.
Blaine faced his partner once more to speak, when he was suddenly hit dead in the eye with a beach ball. And instantaneously, Blaine's scowl was replaced by pure joy as three scamps – or rather, three young girls – ran away from him in a tizzy, squealing and giggling and pigtails bouncing.
"Sorry, mister!" The eldest one called. "Your head was just in the way!"
"Oh, my head was just in the way," he rationalized, passing on a smile to Kurt, who shifted his sunglasses and turned his head away with a nod of recognition.
"Can we have our ball back?" The middle one called. She couldn't have been older than five and was clearly fascinated with poking her finger in and out of her belly button.
"Of course, here." He tossed it into the air and spiked it back to the eldest, who caught it with a leap in the air and grinned. Moments later, the middle one approached their beach towel, pointing down to a bowl of crackers and hummus, which Kurt had specially made for the picnic.
"Whassat green stuff?" She wrinkled her nose, to which Kurt raised a brow. Not that he was acknowledging much of the conversation. He'd gone back to lounging and was quite happy to do so.
Blaine glanced back over to Kurt with a fond smile.
"My boyfriend made it. It's hummus. You probably wouldn't like it though."
"Can I try it?" The middle one asked, forward as she was. Blaine raised a brow and wanted to protest, not because the hummus was particularly bad, but he had been a teacher long enough to know that handing kids foreign food was a liability waiting to happen.
"Maybe you should ask your parents first. Are they around?"
Maybe he hadn't seen the dog coming. Or heard the clatter of voices in the background. Or seen the smallest of the three, a tiny blonde haired thing with pigtails, calling out to her mommy a mere five feet away. But soon he and Kurt had a lap full of wet, slobbery dog, followed by Kurt's yelps for help and the panicked sounds of what could only be their mother.
"SADIE! Sadie! Down, you big oaf."
Kurt pushed the dog off his lap with a grunt and let out a groan as the dog kicked the dirt on to their beach towel.
"Blaine, I swear—"
But Blaine cut him off.
"No, don't even worry about it, it looks like she just wanted to say hello." Blaine rubbed the nape of the dog's neck, who was more than a little overbearing but still sweet as a muffin.
"We're super sorry for the inconvenience, man," a male voice said, appearing behind his wife. He was tall and shirtless and had an incredible body, with blonde hair sweeping over his forehead. His wife was a bouncy, perky, and downright adorable creature, with pigtails to match her youngest. It was hard to believe they were both parents to three kids.
"What did Mama Sugar tell you three about running off out of nowhere?" The mother scolded, patting her middle child on the cheek. "Just because my daddy's condominium sits on a plush spread with its own private beach, doesn't mean you can traipse around like you own the place. Even though we do. But remember what mommy said, don't tell anyone that."
The middle one nodded her head and "zipped up" her lips. Blaine and Kurt both exchanged looks, and if anything, Blaine was simply amused.
"Really, it's no problem at all," Blaine filled in. "Your kids just started playing ball and I think they got excited."
"This tastes like dog poop!" The older one called, having dug into the hummus with a chunk of baguette. Kurt's jaw dropped as the middle child plucked the bread and took a bite from it, her own voice whinging. And soon the littlest one tottled along as well, dirt stuck to her tongue for whatever ungodly reason.
"Is this okay, dude?" The tall blonde asked, making eyes with Kurt before he plucked up the youngest from the ground, littering sand all over Kurt's head. "I can replace whatever food you've got. Or Sugar's dad can. We really didn't mean to cause any inconvenience."
"Don't mention it, just—" Kurt started, a slight edge in his voice.
"No, not at all," Blaine continued to smile, cheery and polite as ever. He was used to kids and their… tendencies to reap chaos. "Help yourself. We've got plenty to go around."
Kurt quickly shot a look over to his boyfriend, but soon plastered on his own version of a smile.
"'Course, help yourself."
"Really?" Sam raised a brow and picked up the small container of hummus, dipping in a finger and eating a chunk clean off his skin. Kurt noticeably winced. "Wowie, that's strong, bro."
"It's uh, better on a cracker," Kurt mused, dusting the sand from his hair and trouserds. Sam just shrugged and dipped in another finger, before he offered it to his little girl, who shuddered and turned her head away at the mere smell. Sam set the girl back down to the ground, and Blaine couldn't help but smile as she toddled off to the dig in the mud with her shovel.
"Sam, get your dog please!" Sugar called. Attention was turned to the dog, whose head was planted in Kurt and Blaine's small basket of goodies. And currently munching on their dessert; a lovely slice of cake from a delicatessen not far from the beach. Blaine had to grimace, but he kept his cool and wrote it off as "unpredictable dog behavior." Kurt, meanwhile, watched with his mouth agape. His romantic picnic with Blaine had gone to crap so quickly.
"SADIE!" Sam barked, tugging the dog at the leash, who let out a foul grumble from the pit of her stomach.
"That has to be bad for dogs," Kurt muttered under his breath, shaking his head incessantly back and forth.
"Seriously, dude, whatever the damage? Just let me know. We are so sorry."
"Yeah, sorry, mister!" The middle one screeched far too loudly, before she and her sisters flung themselves back toward the ocean, along with the overenthusiastic Sadie.
"Don't even—" Kurt thrust a tense hand out, which Blaine caught in midair, rubbing at his knuckles tenderly.
"Don't worry about it, like we said," Blaine supplied, shooting Kurt a quick look to behave. Kurt plucked his hand back and gave a classic pageant wave.
"It was nice meeting you, have a nice afternoo—"
"You know, you guys have been so cool, we should invite you down to my daddy's place! We're having this huge party!" Sugar clapped enthusiastically, and it was hard to believe this woman had birthed three children, given the way she flounced back and forth like a giddy teenager.
Blaine immediately broke into a huge smile, but Kurt hissed out sharply and shook his head.
"Sorry, we can't. We'd love to, but it's our… it's me and Blaine's… anniversary—"
"Anniversary, bro? Whoa! Congratulations!"
Sugar was at Sam's side, squeezing on her husband's bicep. "How many years? Go on, tell us."
"Five," Blaine supplied proudly, smiling over to Kurt, who smirked back tensely.
"Five great years, yep, and we're having a great day, or at least we were but—"
"You two make the cutest, cutest couple!" Sugar enthused. "Are you two married? Are you just here for the weekend? Oh. My daddy is friends with the mayor! Actually, he's friends with the mayor and the governor and probably even the President. He's not in the Mafia, I swear. Anyway, he could get you two reservations to like the greatest restaurant in the Hamptons. Couldn't he, Sammy?"
Sam gestured enthusiastically and laughed. "Yeah, shit, I can't remember the place's name, but last time we were there…. Who was there, baby? Was it the Kardashians?"
"Oh my god, all of them! You wouldn't believe it! It was ahmahzing."
"Ahmazing."
Kurt at least tried to diminish his shudder, playing it off as a slight chill by rubbing his arms as Blaine swatted him over the shoulder.
"Well, as tempting as the offer sounds," Kurt supplied after a long pause. "Sadly, we have reservations. Great reservations, I mean. And we just couldn't…"
Sam and Sugar seemed to visibly pout, before they cast a glance back over to their kids and let out a mutual sigh. If this was sulking, Kurt had to give them credit. But to perfect strangers? Whatever, it was tacky. And Kurt was anything but tacky.
"Well, if you guys insist, but we still could…" Sugar drawled out with a sigh, biting down on her lip. Blaine cast a quick look to Kurt, who just mouthed "no" when the couple wasn't looking.
"Sorry, we'd love to, but we really do have plans tonight, but it was lovely meeting you and your adorable family." Blaine smiled gingerly, before he stood up and extended a hand out. "My name's Blaine, by the way. And this is…"
"Kurt," Kurt supplied, thrusting a hand forward and nodding his head. "Thanks, so great to meet you two."
"GIRLS! Come say goodbye to Kurt and Blaine and give them big hugs!" Sugar called to the girls, who came running like bats out of hell toward both of the men. Kurt grimaced in terror, but what could he really say or do at that point? It was an echo of "thank you, Mr. Kurt and Mr. Blaine" as the girls heaved themselves into their chests, nearly knocking the wind straight of Kurt in one fell swoop.
"Goodbye, girls," Blaine finally uttered, waving a small hand as the family started to peel themselves away, all except the youngest who pulled on Blaine's pant leg and babbled his name over and over. Sam eventually plucked her away and waved the couple off, before all calamities were gone.
At first it was quiet, but Blaine was still smiling as he tossed the rest of the food into the basket and began to fold up the towels. "Did you see the way the little one hitched herself to my pant leg like that?"
"Typical breeders," Kurt muttered, digging the umbrella out from the ground and hissing as the latch pinched at his finger.
The comment threw Blaine off his balance, and he just looked back at his partner quietly and didn't say a word. Kurt caught the look and gasped.
"Jesus, Blaine, don't give me that look, you were there! The kids were out of control, the parents… completely negligent, and the dog nearly gacked in our food! Our food, Bla—what?"
By that point, Blaine was laughing and shaking his head back and forth.
"They're kids, honey. And yeah, as chaotic as it all kind of was, it was all harmless fun. I mean, when do you actually get to see a family like that, hanging out at the beach?"
"This isn't the beach, Blaine, this is the Hamptons. And our expensive anniversary vacation, to boot, if you'll recall."
Blaine rolled his eyes and snorted under his breath.
"Kurt, you're being a butthead. They didn't ruin anything except a slice of chocolate cake and maybe your ego. Besides, apparently we're on her daddy's beach, remember?"
Both men laughed softly at that. Kurt's eyes scanned up and down the beach before he let out a sigh.
"Mafia-owned beach, don't forget."
Blaine simply grinned.
"This is about the hummus thing isn't it?" Kurt paused and didn't say a word, just turned his head away stubbornly.
"I just wish they hadn't. I mean, they were so…"
"Kurt?"
Kurt turned his head back to his boyfriend.
"I love your hummus. And it's our anniversary, and our picnic, and our vacation. At the end of the day, that's all that counts."
Kurt's mouth dropped in complaint, but he actually managed a smile as he threw a towel over his shoulder and slid his feet back into a well-loved pair of gray boat shoes. Over the years, they'd learned to choose their arguments, and this wasn't one that Kurt was going to win. Quietly, both men started back toward the hotel, and it was a comfortable silence before Kurt spoke up again.
"Did you really just call me a butthead, Anderson?"
Giggling like a fool, Blaine gave Kurt a playful shove before he pulled him back in for a kiss. And as he pulled back, he hitched his head toward the nearby hotel and took off in a sprint, expecting Kurt to follow after with the same spirit.
Perhaps their anniversary wasn't quite ruined.
