A/N: SURPRISE. This one's from Burt's POV. You will see why…
Alie is quiet when they enter the kitchen. She stands next to the kitchen counter, awaiting an order or suggestion of how she can help. Burt expects that from Abnegation, but he doesn't want that kind of relationship with Alie and Blaine.
"What would you like for dinner, Alie?" Burt asks going over to the fridge to see what they have.
"I'll eat anything, Mr. Hummel. How can I help?" she asks approaching the fridge.
He holds up his hands, "No, no. You are not going to be Abnegation here in my house. You are a guest and a friend of my son's. I will treat you as such." Alie's eyes go wide, but she nods, a small smile appearing on her face. "And it's Burt. Now, what do you like to eat?"
Alie shrugs her shoulders but peeks around Burt in the fridge. He smiles and looks at the fridge's contents. "Well, let's see… we've got chicken… and some tomatoes…"
"Oh, dear. What are you two up to?" Kurt says as he enters the kitchen. He stands behind Alie and places his hands on her shoulders. She looks up at him and smiles. Burt's heart squeezes at the sight.
"Well, we were trying to figure out what to have for dinner when you so rudely interrupted," Burt says sarcastically.
"No, no. I am intervening, Dad. There is a difference," Kurt says shooing him from the fridge and taking out a few items. Burt backs out of the kitchen and sits at the table. He watches Kurt place the items on the counter as Alie starts to boil a pot of water. At that moment, Blaine pads into the kitchen with an odd look on his face.
"Hey, Alie? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Blaine asks, shooting an anxious look first at Kurt, then at Burt. Kurt immediately looks up at the sound of Blaine's voice and Burt notices the furrow in his brow – Kurt knows something's up. Kurt nods for Alie to go and she follows Blaine out into the living room. Burt can hear hushed voices, but he can't tell what they're saying.
He looks at Kurt pointedly, but his son just shrugs and continues chopping up vegetables. A minute later, Alie and Blaine come back into the kitchen. Alie continues monitoring the pot of water and Blaine makes to go and help her and Kurt in some way, but Burt clears his throat.
Blaine freezes in his path. Burt scoots the chair across from him out from the table with his foot and nods his head towards it. In his peripheral, he sees Kurt watching them carefully. "Take a seat, kid. They've got dinner under control." Burt can see Blaine swallow visibly, but he sits anyway.
"So, Blaine," Blaine's eyes flick up to meet his briefly, but then he continues to look at the table in fascination. "I'm assuming your parents said yes?"
"Yes, sir. They did," the boy says meeting Burt's eyes. He knows the kid is telling the truth, but there is something behind the words that Burt can't quite place.
"And where did you tell them you were?" he inquires and sees Blaine's eyes go wide. Kurt's head pops up from his cutting board and Alie glances up from putting pasta in the boiling pot.
"I – I told them I was at a friend's house. A friend of Alie's." Blaine pauses and looks up at Burt. He's startled to see an intense look in his eyes. "I couldn't tell them that I was at Kurt's because they wouldn't have let me stay. But it wasn't a total lie. Kurt is a friend of Alie's."
Burt nods to show that he understands. He looks up at Kurt whose lips are pursed and Alie who seems unfazed by this information. This must have been what Blaine told her, so that she could cover for them if their parents ask her.
"Are… are you going to tell our parents?" Blaine asks quietly. The innocence and raw fear in his voice nearly breaks Burt's heart. This kid only wants to hang out with a friend – probably more than friend, Burt suspects – and his parents think it's selfish and against their morals. Burt can't imagine living with the constant dread of their reprimand.
"No, Blaine, I'm not going to tell your parents," Burt begins and relishes in the fact that Blaine's eyes light up at the fact. "You have the right to hang out wherever and with whoever you want and if it's with my son and it makes him happier, I approve." Blaine blushes at this and Burt can see Kurt duck his head in the kitchen. He'll get to that later.
"However," Burt says and it turns all three of their heads. "I will not lie for you. It goes against how I was raised and it goes against my Faction. I will keep my door open to the both of you as long as you are on good terms with my son, but I will not lie to your parents. Understood?"
Blaine nods vigorously, seemingly speechless, and Alie says, "Yes, sir. We understand."
Burt nods and with an afterthought says to Blaine, "I don't envy what you're going through, kid. I really don't. But I admire your courage. Hang in there." He reaches out a tentative hand and places it on Blaine's arm. He hopes the gesture is reassuring.
"Thank you, Mr. Hummel," Blaine says sincerely and Burt just smiles.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Burt?" he laughs and Blaine returns his smile.
"You're asking too much of us, Mr. Hummel," Blaine jokes tentatively, attempting to lighten the mood as Alie places the pasta on the table.
"I would never!" Burt feigns a gasp and tries to look insulted, but Kurt comes over and ruins their fun, bringing the salad along with him.
"Oh, don't pretend like you haven't asked me to take out the trash while I'm wearing my Doc Martens," Kurt says bitterly, taking a seat next to Blaine. When Blaine gives him an odd look – no doubt because Abnegation has no knowledge of fashion at all – Kurt explains, "It's a brand name shoe? I wear them more than once a week?" Blaine still has a blank look on his face so Kurt let's out a frustrated breath and says, "Black boots?," receiving an understanding nod from Blaine.
Alie takes the seat next to Burt and carefully offers him the pasta bowl. Burt accepts but begins to fill her plate up with pasta instead. They share smiles.
Burt sees so much of his late wife in this little girl that it makes his heart ache. She has such a good heart, as does Blaine, but he fears what will happen to them if they stay in Abnegation with their family. Their parents obviously don't agree with their choices, but Alie and Blaine choose to go against them anyway. He knows they both don't belong in Abnegation, but he doesn't know whether they will have the strength to leave their Faction. He never did.
Once everyone has food on their plates, Burt tries to inconspicuously watch Blaine and Kurt interact. Now that he's opened up his home to Blaine on good faith through Kurt, he wants to know exactly what he's dealing with. Blaine and Kurt have been sharing glances and smiles and laughing over Blaine's inability to handle cookware (Blaine had dropped the pasta spoon on Kurt's plate by accident). But Burt doesn't have any precedents to go off of to determine whether the two of them have crossed the 'friends' threshold. Time to ask some questions.
"So, Blaine," Burt starts and Blaine turns away from Kurt to give his full attention. "I hear you're from Chicago?"
"Yes, sir. Born and raised. I went to Dalton Academy. It was an all-Abnegation private school," he says taking another bite of salad. Burt chews on this information a bit. Blaine must have been comfortable at an all-Abnegation school, but he has really received more than he bargained for by coming to a public, all-Faction school.
"And why did you move?" he asks taking a sip of his water.
"My dad had to relocate for his job," Blaine tries to say nonchalantly, but Burt can sense the bitterness there.
"You probably left a lot of friends behind," Burt comments and Blaine nods, jaw clenching.
"I was supposed to go through my Choosing Ceremony with them. I've known them my entire life – Wes, David, Jeff, and Nick. They were my best friends…" Burt watches Kurt. From the look on his face, he deduces that his son didn't know this information either.
"That must have been really hard, Blaine. I'm sorry," Burt says sincerely, but Blaine just brushes it off with a shake of the head and a smile. This kid has been through so much in such a short amount of time, he left behind everything he's ever known and had to start fresh. Burt's glad he gravitated towards Kurt; they both have good hearts, but they both need someone to lean on.
"Did you leave a lot of friend behind too, Alie?" he hears Kurt ask across the table. Alie pushes the pasta around on her plate and shrugs.
"Not really," she says in a small voice. "But Blaine will always be my best friend." She grins at him and Blaine's face practically lights up. Burt can tell that they mean a lot to each other.
"That I will," Blaine says, but Burt catches the change in his tone. He's not lying, but he's withholding something.
They continue eating for a few minutes before Kurt breaks the comfortable silence. "Oh, Blaine. We have to present our project later this week. Do you want to get together tomorrow to talk about it?"
Blaine laughs, "I'm over here every day, Kurt. Of course." Kurt smiles sweetly at him and Burt wonders when they are going to make it official. He hopes Kurt talks to him first.
"Oh, wait. Tomorrow? Shoot. I forgot I signed up for volunteering at the Abnegation Resting Home," Blaine says and looks resigned for a second before turning to Kurt. "W-would you… Would you like to… come with me? I know it's a lot to ask and you probably won't enjoy it and you don't even have to help if you don't want to – "
"Blaine," Kurt says and he immediately stops and looks at him with such hope. Burt catches Alie rolling her eyes and they share a smile. "Of course, I'll go with you."
Blaine's eyes go wide, "Wait – really? You'd do that?" Kurt laughs and Burt realizes it's been a while since he's heard that sound.
"Yes, Blaine. I would. It would not only be an excuse to spend more time with you," Blaine blushes at this and his eyes flick over to meet Burt's, "but it might also give us an edge on our project. Me participating in an actual Abnegation volunteering opportunity and all." Blaine nods enthusiastically.
"Okay, hold on a sec, bud. Can we talk about this for a sec?" Burt interrupts.
"Dad – " Kurt starts and Burt holds up a hand. He needs to get in his two cents.
"I'm talking about the obvious bush that we're all beating around here," Burt says. Blaine looks confused while Kurt turns even paler than normal.
"Finally," Alie breathes. "Thank you, Mr. Hummel." Burt chuckles.
"I don't mean to be rude or prying, but I'd like to know if you guys are… you know… together," Burt says eyeing the two across the table. They both seem to flush at the exact same time and Alie giggles next to him.
"Sir, we were going to tell you – "
"Dad, I was going to tell you – "
Burt holds up another hand to stop them. "So you two are, in fact, together?" Kurt and Blaine look at each other and share soft smiles before nodding at Burt. "Okay."
"Okay? That's it? You're not going to lecture us about relationships or doing this cross-Faction?" Kurt babbles.
"Oh, no. I still want to talk with him after dinner," Burt says pointing at Blaine. A mix of fear and hope wash over Blaine's features as he looks at Kurt. Kurt opens his mouth, but Burt says, "You I'm talking to later tonight."
As Burt starts gathering plates and heading to the kitchen, he prepares what he wants to say to Blaine. He doesn't want to scare the poor kid – he's had enough of that to last him a lifetime. But he wants Blaine – and Kurt for that matter – to understand the intricacies of cross-Faction relationships.
Burt waits patiently in his desk chair with his chin propped up on his hand looking out the window. He hears the soft shuffle of feet on the carpet and looks up to see Blaine standing in the doorway.
"Close the door please, Blaine," he gestures. "And then come sit down."
Once the boy perches nervously on the chair in front of him, Burt lets out a deep sigh.
"Which Faction do you plan on switching into, Blaine?" he asks. He hears the sharp intake of breath and can practically hear the gears in the boy's head turning, trying to make up a useless lie.
"I, I – no. I don't plan – "
"They never do, son," Burt says, cutting him off. He eyes the scared looking boy in front of him. He really feels for him. He couldn't deal with what Blaine's going through. "You've probably thought about leaving Abnegation." Burt pauses to look pointedly at Blaine who gives the smallest nod.
"You've probably imagined what it would be like to live in another Faction even…" The look in Blaine's eyes confirms his words.
"But thinking about actually doing it. Actually switching – no. You wouldn't do it. You couldn't do it," Burt says, his voice growing thick. Blaine's starting to give him a calculated look, as he should. Burt is talking from experience now.
"Sir… did you – were you – ", Blaine can't seem to find the words to ask.
"No, Blaine. I never switched Factions… I wanted to. I really did. But I didn't have the courage to," he says looking Blaine straight in the eyes.
"My first wife, Elizabeth, switched Factions to be with me," Burt says. "She left her family, friends, her whole Faction behind. I couldn't do it…"
Burt expects to see pity in Blaine's eyes but all he sees is understanding. Maybe Burt underestimated this boy.
Burt takes a deep breath. "People never plan on switching, kid. It always happens in that last moment on the stage in front of all the members of all the Factions. That's where your true self comes out."
Blaine's eyes are wide and he looks paler than he did before. He doesn't want to scare him witless, he just wants to tell him the truth, just as he always has.
Burt continues, "I know you don't want to be in Abnegation. I can tell, Blaine. And I don't blame you. I've got nothing against the Faction, but it's just not for you." Blaine seems to gain some more of his color at this comment.
"However, I do know that it is quite difficult to leave everything behind. And I know you're struggling with a lot of things. But I just want to know that you aren't leading Kurt into believing you are going to leave your Faction for him," he says to the small-looking boy in front of him.
"Oh, no! Sir, I wouldn't…" Blaine says sincerely. "We, uhm, we actually haven't talked about that…" He looks at his hands.
"Okay," Burt says kindly. "I believe you, kid. But I think you two should talk about it sometime and the sooner the better. I'll tell Kurt to do the same." Blaine looks up and nods vigorously, a sad smile on his face. Burt wouldn't be looking forward to that conversation either.
Burt stands up and Blaine mirrors him. "I know you've only just met me, but I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, Blaine. You're not alone." Burt rests a hand on Blaine's shoulder.
Blaine lights up at this offer and gives a tentative smile. "Thank you, Mr – Burt. That really means a lot to me."
"And you mean a lot to Kurt, so you're a good kid in my book," he winks at Blaine and grips his outstretched arm.
They walk out into the living room to find Kurt and Alie sitting on the couch, though they stand up immediately when they enter the room. Burt winks at Alie and she gives him a smile and a thumbs up. He likes that kid, she's on the same page as him. Kurt rushes forward, all wide eyes and fluttery fingers over Blaine's body.
"Are you okay, Blaine? What did he say? Was he mean to you? Dad, did you threaten him – " Kurt looks over at Burt and attempts to give him his best "bitch face" as he likes to call it, but Burt's immune at this point.
Blaine laughs and takes Kurt's hands, which had been framing his face, in his and smiles. "Kurt, I'm fine. Your dad is great, he really is." Burt shares a look with Blaine. Yeah, he approves of this kid. He's alright.
"Oh, okay. Good," Kurt says, a smile pulling on his lips. "So, then I'll see you tomorrow?"
Blaine nods and pulls Kurt into a hug, winding his arms around Kurt's torso and Kurt wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck. After a moment, Burt clears his throat. As much as he wants Kurt to be happy…
Alie hops up from the couch and grips forearms first with Burt and then with Kurt. "Thank you so much Mr. Hummel, Kurt for everything." She grabs Blaine's hand with a smile, "Come on, B."
Blaine twists in her grip to look back at Kurt who smiles broadly at him.
"Bye Mr. Hummel! Bye Kurt, we'll meet after school tomorrow!" He says as he's being dragged away. Burt can see why his son would be drawn to this boy; he's so lovable.
The front door closes and Kurt turns to face Burt, a huge smile on his face. Burt chuckles and gestures to the couch but sits in his old recliner next to it.
"So, Blaine's a really nice kid," Burt starts and Kurt gives him a face.
"We're not going to have the talk again are we? Because I got all the information I needed from the last time, really – "
"No, Kurt. That's not where I was heading," Burt says solemnly and his son cocks his head at the tone in his voice. "I wanted to talk about your mom."
Kurt blinks and clasps his hands in his lap. "Y-you do?"
Burt takes off his cap and rubs his head before speaking. "I told Blaine about your mom." Kurt raises his eyebrows but says nothing. "I told him about how she left her home in Amity, all her friends and family, to be with me. And about how I never had the courage to leave Candor to do the same."
Kurt gives him a questioning look now. "Wait – why did you tell him all of that?"
Burt returns his cap to his head. "Kurt, you and Blaine are in a relationship now. Cross-Faction. And before your Choosing Ceremony too. I don't want you to make any decisions based on Blaine, I want you to make them for you."
"You think I would base my life choices on someone I've only known for a few months? Dad, I'm not stupid – "
"I didn't say you were, Kurt!" He says raising his voice above Kurt's. "But you are both young and I can tell that Blaine means a lot to you. I don't want you to expect something out of him that he doesn't have the courage to do or for you to do something that would make you unhappy!"
"Blaine does mean a lot to me," Kurt cries getting up from the couch. "And I know we're young and dumb, but we also have to decide basically who we want to be for the rest of our lives in a few months! How fair is that? So what if I do want to spend the rest of my life with him because he is more than I ever could have hoped for!"
Kurt's words send a knife through Burt's chest. His son never thought he would ever find anyone and now this wonderful, charming, kind boy falls into his life and he can't help but fall for him.
"Kurt – " He starts but his son cuts him off.
"No. Don't, Dad. Just don't. I know you've been here for me every step of the way and I appreciate that more than you'll ever know, but I don't want you thinking I fell for Blaine because he was the only adorable, openly gay guy that was available or something. I fell for him because he's Blaine. He's everything I never thought I needed and more. I just – I can't… I can't imagine life without him."
Burt's heart squeezes in his chest. That's how he felt about Elizabeth all those years ago, at least until he met Carol. He still doesn't know how he got so lucky meeting two wonderful women in his life.
Burt nods and opens his arms and Kurt rushes into them. It's been a while since Burt has been able to hold his son like this, so he soaks up this moment. He can feel Kurt's shuddering breaths against his chest and the erratic thumping of his heart.
"I just want to look out for you, kid," Burt says into Kurt's hair. "Elizabeth's family, they… they never forgave me for tearing her away from them. They blamed me for her death."
Kurt pulls away abruptly. "You never told me that… That's horrible, Dad! It was cancer not a knife to the back." Burt gives him a tight smile.
"I know it's not the same, but I just want you to start thinking about these things. This is your future. It's not Blaine's or mine for that matter even though I know we would both love to be a part of it," Burt sighs, putting his hands on both of his son's shoulders.
"Okay, I will. Thanks, Dad," Kurt says carefully wiping his face with a handkerchief he pulled out of nowhere. Kurt smiles softly before heading to his room.
Burt sees so much of Elizabeth in Kurt – the open heart, the willingness to see the good in people, the need to treat people fairly. Sometimes he wonders if Kurt will choose Amity.
Not anymore though. Burt has a new fear. A fear in the shape of a curly-haired boy with the power to take away the very person he holds dear.
He imagines this must be how Elizabeth's parents felt.
Burt can only hope that Kurt and Blaine's story doesn't end in tragedy.
A/N: Don't hate me...