This is a little gift for bloodredlust as a just because/belated anniversary gift in response to a conversation we had about how amazing the Hummels are and how their characters are some of the few things Glee has actually gotten right. Love ya BRL!
xXxXxXx
"Calm down, Kurt, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," Burt told his son as he walked up behind him and clapped his hands on his shoulders.
Kurt whipped around and gave his father his best bitch glare. Lightly referring to the words "heart attack" was a no-no around Kurt; he was still very sensitive about it as it hadn't really been all that long ago since he nearly lost his only surviving parent.
"Sorry," Burt said with a shrug.
Kurt's face softened. "Why are you here comforting me? Aren't I the one who's supposed to be telling you to relax?"
"Why would I need to relax? I'm not the one who's been working his fingers to the bone planning this wedding, and I don't mind telling you that it's shaping up to be one helluva shindig, Kurt, I'm impressed."
Kurt rolled his eyes so hard they nearly stuck at the term "helluva shindig"; sometimes he wondered how he and Burt were even related.
"I've got the easy part," Burt went on. "All I had to do was go get the suit that you TOLD me to rent fitted, pick out Carole's ring, write my vows, and attend a dance rehearsal with your friends for the ceremony. I just don't know how you do it, Kurt."
"Extreme talent," Kurt preened. "That and coffee. Lots and LOTS of coffee."
"That would explain all those late night bathroom trips of yours I hear every night."
Kurt blushed. "DAD!"
Burt wrapped his arms around his son and pulled him close. "Really, Kurt, I can't thank you enough for everything you're doing. Look at this," Burt said, waving his hand around the church where the ceremony was being held. "The decorations are beautiful. Your friends look and sound incredible. And I don't know what you had to do to get this thing catered so well for so cheap, but my wallet thanks you."
Kurt beamed, pleased that his hard work was being recognized and that Burt was so happy with the results.
"You make me so proud to be the one who's lucky enough to be your dad." He squeezed Kurt tightly, and Kurt leaned into the embrace, relishing the father/son moment. They were such vastly different people, but Kurt loved him more than anyone else in the world.
They stood for a moment lost in their thoughts, and then Kurt broke the silence.
"Do you think Mom would approve?" Kurt said softly.
Burt didn't speak right away. Kurt almost thought he hadn't heard his question and started to repeat himself when Burt said, "I think she would.
"Way back when we were first married, we had pretty much no money. And when we were expecting you, we had less, so we had to find ways to entertain ourselves that didn't cost any money. So we'd just talk about anything and everything. It became almost a game to try to come up with questions that we hadn't heard the answers to a million times before. So, as you can imagine, the topic of what we'd do if we were forced to live without the other came up. Mostly these question and answer sessions were light and sometimes we'd even make up ridiculous answers to see if we could tell when the other was being serious or just outright lying, but your mother was never so adamant about anything as she was when she told me that if she were pass on, I was NOT to pine away for her the rest of my life. She didn't want me to force myself to find someone new, but she insisted that I allow myself to be open to loving someone else again.
"Then later, after you were born and she started to get sick, she brought it up again. She told me, 'Burt, our son is very special, and though I know you would move Heaven and earth for him, he'll benefit greatly from a strong female presence in his life. That person is not going to be me for much longer, so please, if you find someone, don't be afraid to let it happen.' I didn't find anyone that I had any sort of interest in for a long time. But then one day, you grabbed my arm and thrust me in front of a beautiful woman, telling me that we had dead spouses in common and that we should talk, and I knew right away that this was my chance to fall in love again.
"So yes, I think your mom would approve. In fact, she's probably up there somewhere saying, 'It's about damn time, Burt Hummel! You know I hate it when you keep me waiting!'" he said in a horrible imitation of a woman's voice.
Kurt giggled. "You're probably right. Mom was always infinitely patient with me, but she had absolutely no patience with you."
"Excuse me, Kurt? Mr. Hummel?" Rachel said, approaching the two. "It is now 12:01 and we haven't started the ceremony yet. We should get going – the minister has other couples on his schedule today."
Kurt and Burt glanced toward the doorway of the sanctuary and found that the New Directions were all lined up and in their places except for Kurt.
"Oh, right. Let's get this show on the road – it'd be a shame to waste all of Kurt's hard work."
"And I didn't shimmy my way into a girdle to fit into this dress for nothing!" Carole called from the back of the group. Everyone who heard her laughed.
Burt gave his son one last squeeze before pointing him toward his spot for the group's entrance. "I love you, Kurt, and thank you."
"You're welcome, and you can pay me back when it's my turn to go down the aisle," he said with a smile before trotting off to join Mercedes.
"Everybody ready?" called Finn. Everyone nodded, and he gave the signal to the sound tech cuing up their music.
"It's a beautiful night, we're looking for something dumb to do… hey baby, I think I wanna marry you…"
xXxXxXx
Kurt looked around the room and couldn't find a single thing that looked out of place or needed any last minute touching up. His girls were beautifully dressed in clothing that was impeccably tailored – by himself, naturally – and he had checked over his outfit almost obsessively. He had to admit it, he looked amazing. But his feet – oy! The shoes were fabulous, though he had to shell out nearly an entire paycheck to acquire them, but he had been wearing them for hours, and his feet were beginning to protest.
I am so changing out of these as soon as the ceremony is over, he thought to himself as he plopped down into a nearby chair for a few moments' rest.
"Kurt!" he heard a voice say in surprise. "I never figured I'd see you doing anything but running around like a chicken with its head cut off today."
Kurt rolled his eyes at the disgusting mental picture. "I actually have a few spare moments, if you can believe it."
"I'm not surprised – you've got this wedding running like a well oiled machine."
"Well, I HAVE had a lot of practice," Kurt said proudly. Which was true – in addition to Burt and Carole's wedding, Finn and Rachel as well as Mercedes and Sam and Tina and Mike had all asked Kurt to take the reins of their celebrations. Theatre was still his first love, but he had made enough connections and had enough people willing to give testimonials as to his organizational and planning talents that he could probably open up a wedding planning business at any time and be a success.
Burt sat down near Kurt and studied his son carefully. "You don't seem nervous," he stated.
"I'm really not," Kurt confirmed. "I can't wait to be married to Blaine. We've been together forever, and I'm excited for us to be official in the eyes of the law. Finally."
"I never thought I'd see the day when Ohio of all places was ready to accept same-sex couples."
"I have you to thank for that, Dad," Kurt said, leaning over and kissing his father on the cheek. And it was true – in Burt's two terms in office, he was the head cheerleader for marriage equality and other legislation benefitting the LGBTQ community.
Burt modestly shrugged his shoulders. "Well, no one else was doing it, and I was eager to get you to make an honest man out of Blaine," he joked.
Kurt grinned. "I'm sure Blaine appreciates it. I know how bothered he was by living in sin all these years," he said facetiously.
They sat quietly for a moment. "Any word from Blaine's folks?" Burt ventured.
Kurt snorted. "Yeah right. I'm sure Cooper has probably mentioned it to them by now, but to be honest with you, we didn't even waste postage on an invite for them. Blaine sent a generic 'We'd love to see you blah blah blah' email to them, but the address bounced back and he just said hell with it. He doesn't want them here; he says that even if they did show up and kept their opinions to themselves, they would still ruin the mood. A few choice words for them later, and the subject was dropped permanently. He's always said that you and Carole are parents enough for him, so he's at peace with his decision."
"It's not too late to change your mind – Carole would be honored to walk him down the aisle."
"Oh, I know, and I love her for that," said Kurt. "But we're big boys now. We were 'given away,' so to speak, years ago when we moved in together and committed ourselves to each other even without the benefit of the marriage certificate. It just seems right for us to walk together. And besides," he pointed out. "You have a big job to do, Best Man."
Burt immediately patted down his pocket at the reminder and relaxed as he felt the small gold circles in his pocket. "Yep, still got 'em."
Kurt checked the time on his cell phone; there were still fifteen minutes left before he had to worry about getting himself and Burt ready for the processional.
"I wish your mother was here to see this," Burt commented sadly.
"She is, Dad." He said it so emphatically that Burt looked at him questioningly. "She is. I know it. She told me.
"Last night, I had a dream. In my dream, Blaine and I were in bed, snuggled into each other in our sleep. A beautiful woman who looked a lot like me came into the room, and I knew immediately that it must be Mom. Honestly, I'm impressed I remember her so clearly after all these years. My conscious memories have faded, but I guess way deep in the back of my mind, I remember her perfectly.
"Anyway, she walked up the bed and started tucking me in; Blaine's kind of a space heater and I kick the blankets off a lot. She said, 'Sleep well, sweetie. You've got a big day tomorrow. You couldn't have chosen a better match for yourself. You did good, Kurtsie. I can't wait to see you take your well deserved vows tomorrow.' She kissed me on the cheek, and then walked around the other side of the bed to tuck Blaine in and kiss him as well. She whispered 'I love you,' and then she just kind of faded away.
"It seemed so real, but I know it wasn't because I woke up right after that, but even if it was just a dream, I know she'll be here."
"I'm sure she wouldn't miss it for the world," Burt said, his voice betraying the fact that he was a little choked up after Kurt's story. "I wouldn't, either. But, I think if we don't get moving, we're both going to miss it, and then your mother will show up in your sleep again and smack you upside the head for being late."
Both men chuckled to themselves and went to the door of the hall. Kurt peeked through to see the chairs full with all their friends and family. Everything still looked perfect, so he stepped back to address the wedding party and get them lined them up. In order to avoid breaking up couples, they chose their unmarried mutual friend Tanya to serve as the Maid of Honor and walk with Burt.
The music began to play, and one by one, Kurt sent their "groomsmaids" and groomsmen down the aisle. Just as the last couple split at the altar to take their places on either side of the arch Kurt had constructed for him and Blaine to stand beneath, there was a pause, and then the music changed.
Kurt felt a tap on his shoulder and he spun around on his toes to find his Blaine, his caramel eyes sparkling and a heart-stoppingly beautiful smile on his face. "Hi," Blaine said softly as he offered his hand for Kurt to take.
Kurt grasped Blaine's hand and felt the grin spreading across his own face.
"Hi."