Blaine walks the hall, finger grazing red metal lockers as the bright light around him begins to dim. His eyes zero in on the 'Go Titans!' banner in the distance, marred by scribbled profanity of its oh-so mature student body. Students pass by him absent-mindedly, oblivious to his presence as he moves through the crowd. Finally, he sees a familiar face. Mr. Schuster, still young and radiating excitement, smiles at Blaine as he nudges past him. "Hey Blaine! Can't wait to hear your project this week! Good luck!"
Project? Blaine turns to ask Mr. Schuster what he meant and stops when he sees his reflection in the lockers; hair gelled, jaw perfectly shaved, wide-eyed expression that held no wisdom but had more hope—he was seventeen again.
"Blainey-days! You're coming to my house later right?" Tina asks. Blaine turns to her; he hasn't heard Tina call him that in decades.
"Uh, yeah."
"What's wrong? You sound a little out of it."
Blaine shakes his, forcing himself to ignore the impossible reflection staring back at him. "Tina, do you know where Kurt is? I have to talk to him?"
Tina head tilts in confusion. "He's…in New York? You can try calling him, but I don't think he'll answer."
Oh yeah—he and Kurt aren't together. He swallows harshly and pushes that horrible thought away as it threatens to tear his heart in two.
A loud metallic sound down the hall draws both Blaine and Tina's attention. Tina makes a disgusted face. "They're picking on the new kid again. It's disgusting."
Blaine winces as another loud ring of flesh against locker invades his ears. It's exactly what bullies use to do to Kurt. With the reminder of Kurt's pain, Blaine walks towards the small group of bullies and their victim. "Blaine? Blaine, don't!" Tina calls after him. Blaine ignores her and stomps right up to the tallest bully.
"Hey, knock it off you—" The bully turns and faces Blaine. Blaine trails off breathlessly, hardly able to believe who he is looking at.
The teenage version of Court takes a step towards him, Blaine takes a step back. "Knock it off what?"
Another bully turns around. As if Blaine isn't heartbroken enough, the teenage version of Aimee growers at him. Blaine can't take this; he pushes past his son and daughter and…
Comes face to face with their target. He nervously looks at Blaine through dark, bouncy curls, eyes he had seen on himself and Stefani peer into Blaine's, except one eye already has a darkening circle forming around it. Blaine wants to reach out and hug him, but the shock paralyzes him.
"Dalton…" Blaine whispers brokenly.
()
Blaine is jolted awake by the sound of their mixer and cussing from the other room. He rubs a hand over his face, for once grateful for the morning shadow that welcomed him every morning. It's not the first time he's dreamt of his children being older or Stefani as a boy. That is the first time in a long time he's dreamt of himself as a teenager along with his kids. As an adult, Blaine appreciates the good things about his teenage years (glee club, his friends, Kurt), but is also grateful to be done with it all. To go back to a place he's already been—a place he's genuinely happy to leave behind—is daunting.
He hears another cuss and decides he should probably go investigate it before it gets worse. He leaves the bedroom, walks down the hall, and makes his way into the kitchen just in time for the mixer come alive again. Kurt is standing in front of the counter, holding onto the mixer so it won't shake. The vibrations from the mixer jolt Kurt's sore body, making him cuss and whine. Blaine steps forward and grabs the mixer. "He bravely decides to take on the mixer we've had since our house warming party."
"He wanted to make his thoughtful husband breakfast and instead decided he's getting rid of that fucking machine as soon as we get a new one," Kurt says with a chuckle, immediately taking his hands off the mixer. "Have we really had this since we've moved into this house? It's older than Stef?" Blaine nods and switches off the mixer once the batter is smooth.
"I absolutely adore you for trying to do this, but you should be resting. If you were hungry, I would have made you something."
"Well, as much as I would love to play the appreciative husband to thank you for our surprise renewal, sleeping that much was making my headache worse. I had to get up and do something…besides, once I wake up to you whimpering from a nightmare, it's pretty hard to go back to sleep."
Blaine, who had just picked up the bowl from the mixer, almost drops the batter in surprise. Kurt leans against the counter, unable to stare at Blaine completely in his eyes due to his bandaged head, but holding an expression of sadness and what appears to be desperation. Blaine isn't sure what to say. As shameful as it is, his first instinct is to try and lie to Kurt. Not that it'd ever work—when you've been married to someone for as long as they've been married, you knew when the other person was lying before it even came out of their mouth. In this case, all Blaine could hope for is that Kurt didn't know everything. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. It just came out of nowhere, you know?"
"I understand that. I'm not mad at you for having a nightmare. I'm concerned because you had a nightmare hours after you had a panic attack."
Well, so much for Kurt not knowing everything. Blaine can already feel his hands start to shake. He rushes over to the stove and away from Kurt's scrutinous eyes. He sets the bowl on the counter. "Well of course they're connected. I was terrified of losing you. That and the stress from the renewal. I admit it was a little more than I can handle, but now I can—"
"You had a panic attack, Blaine. You've had nightmares for months now. That's not a 'little more' that you can handle! That means you're not dealing with this!" Kurt cringes, surely from his head protesting the volume of his own voice. Blaine rushes over to steady Kurt. Kurt holds his hands up, too frustrated with Blaine to even think about letting him touch him right now. "And don't think I haven't noticed the extra drinking either."
Blaine's eyes go wide and then narrow. His shoulders tense as he leans away from Kurt. "Excuse me for having a glass of wine every now and then. I am legal age, you know."
The comment is biting and it breaks Kurt's confident demeanor. Blaine can't care; he's feeling defensive. The last thing he wants to do is start a fight with Kurt but that's exactly where this is going and fast. After all, he hasn't been drinking that much more…has he?
Kurt counts off on his finger as he speaks, "New Years Eve after I cut you off—I tasted it on your breath when you kissed me. We've been going through wine way faster than usual. Not to mention, how many other instances I probably don't know about."
Blaine's jaw hardens. "Great, so now I'm an alcoholic and a liar. Any other instances you're holding inside, waiting to pounce on me, or are you done telling me what a fucking nut job I am?!"
Kurt's shocked. Blaine barely ever curses and even less often, raises his voice. "I didn't say any of that! You're getting defensive and hiding your emotions like you always do," Kurt responds, his voice starting to crack. He turns his face away from Blaine just as he always does when he doesn't want anyone to see him cry. A small sniffle is all it takes for Blaine's jaw to relax and his eyes to go soft.
"We've been together for 20 years and some—there—why do you have to do this to yourself? Why can't you come to me when you're falling apart like this? At what point do you get so tired of hurting that you'll let your pride go and just…fuck Blaine, just don't let it get to this!" Kurt sobs, covering his mouth in an attempt to stifle it. With his anger gone (how could he possibly stay angry when Kurt's in tears?) all that's left is the thought that he must be the biggest screw up in the world. How could he do this to his injured husband the day after their 20th anniversary?
"What do you want me to say?" Blaine whispers, his arms wrapping around himself even though he wants them around Kurt. His eyes water as the room starts to spin. His throat is tightening just as it did yesterday.
Kurt knows and, despite his anger, steps forward to touch his husband shoulder. "I want you to tell me the truth…. Tell me this is too much for you."
The minute Kurt touches Blaine, the younger man snaps. He presses himself into Kurt's arms and cries into his shoulder. In a way, Blaine feels like the seventeen-year-old kid who cried himself to sleep missing Kurt while they were separated. Then, it was because of the physical distance between them, but this time, it's the emotional distance. It isn't until now that he realizes that by retracting into himself, he's put a distance between himself and Kurt. It's unintentional, and before now, invisible, but hurtful all the same. It goes against the very vows they said to each other the night before. It's such an odd feeling to be so far away from his husband when he's holding him—it's even worse than the feeling he had during his dream. It's also the moment Blaine breaks his awful addiction to silence at last.
"I-I-I can't t-take this, Kurt. I-I can't—" Kurt runs a hand soothingly up through Blaine's hair.
"I know, Honey. I know."
Blaine sobs, murmuring things to Kurt he knows he can't hear. He digs his nails into Kurt's back, keeping him here with him because he's unexplainably afraid he'll disappear like the life he used to know. Somehow, they end up crouching down to the kitchen floor, something they haven't done since they were young, hormonal and believing they were at their weakest. Blaine wraps himself up in Kurt while taking what little comfort he could in allowing himself to shatter in front of his husband.
()
Kurt runs his fingers through Blaine's hair and listens as he pours out his heart at long last. As he listens, Kurt can't help but wonder if he's hearing his husband's story or another man's. Blaine's voice is raw from crying; each word that leaves his mouth is twisted and strained, yet Blaine powers through until everything is out: the stress, the drinking, the dreams. The dreams are actually more disconcerting than Kurt thought they would be. Usually, if someone tells him about a dream, he's the first person to grab a book and try and interpret it. He's sure the children being older have their own meaning-Blaine is about midlife crisis age after all—and maybe even seeing Stefani as Dalton is explainable. What gets Kurt is the idea that Dalton seems so…out of character for their child. Even more so, Kurt can't fathom Court and Aimee, who fight each other like lions at times, would cause harm to their beloved little sibling. He has no idea what those dreams could mean and it's frightening.
Then it's almost silent besides the sounds of Blaine's sniffling. Kurt realizes he's finished talking, "Blaine—I…"
"I didn't want you to know," he whispers with a voice full of rasp. Blaine can't even look his husband in the eyes so he turns his face into Kurt's shoulder. "I was so afraid of what you would think of me… I didn't want to bother you."
"Oh, babe, seriously?" Kurt can't keep the exasperation away because sometimes, it gets tiring to tell him the same things over and over again. At what point will Blaine let these thoughts fade away? Then again, if they haven't after 20 years…will they ever? "I love you. I've always loved you and I'll always love you. I—I really don't understand how you can think I would think differently of you or not want to support you. I'm sorry, but it's ridiculous."
Blaine shakes his head. "I know. I don't know why I do it. I don't know how it got this far. I just—I haven't been happy lately. Honestly, I haven't been happy since I found out dad's dying. But…" Kurt raises an eyebrow, waiting for Blaine to finish his thought. Blaine sighs and then continues, "I could live with being not being happy if I didn't have the pain and stress. What scares me is I'm not aiming for happy anymore. I want to be numb."
Kurt can't help but inwardly recoil at the confession. "You don't want to feel anything?"
"I—I don't want to feel the pain anymore," Blaine corrects, though for a moment, Kurt was sure Blaine was going to agree with him. "The drinking kept the stress down and—"
"No, it didn't," Kurt hisses, regretting it when Blaine visibly flinches. "I'm sorry, but it's just…"
"I know."
Kurt swallows, an awkwardness settling over them that hasn't been there for years. It's more unsettling than when they were yelling at each other. "I really think we should look into setting up an appointment with Dr. Karris."
"No, sweetheart. I promise—"
"You've been saying a lot of things to me and they haven't all been true," Kurt states firmly, cutting Blaine off before he can tell him another lie. Blaine winces again, his eyes watering around the edges once again. Kurt presses an apologetic kiss against Blaine's forehead. "This isn't you. This isn't us. We don't keep things from each other."
Blaine lip trembles as his fingers wrapping up in Kurt's shirt. "I—couldn't we try something else first? Why don't we take a trip somewhere? You, me, and the kids."
Kurt isn't sure if it's an actual suggestion or a diversion and he's not at all sure that a vacation will magically fix everything. Although…maybe getting away would be good for Blaine's stress? Spring Break is coming up soon so the kids would have a week off of school and Kurt's sure he could pull some strings to get off work, particularly if it's for his husband's mental health. It's so tempting to say yes and ride off into the sunset yet the words can't leave his mouth. Instead, he opts to say, "I don't know…"
Blaine shifts back up to his feet to kneel in front of Kurt. The edges of his eyelids are bright red and puffy, however, renewed hope flickers in his gold eyes. "We could go to California, spend some time with Cooper. The kids would love the horse farm. There'd be plenty of quiet for me…and you too."
"Blaine, I—"
Kurt sighs. He shakes his head, caressing Blaine's cheek with his fingertips. All he wants is for Blaine to be happy again. He wants to go back to late last year when they didn't know Blaine's father was sick, they were strengthened by their support for Stefani, and they were on their suburbia high. However, time wouldn't allow it to happen. They could only go forward and Kurt had to pick the path he thought would be most beneficial for their family. He can't help but be a bit angry that he has to make this decision alone. Isn't part of being married that big decisions didn't fall on Kurt's shoulders alone? But here he is and he feels selfish for thinking this way—after all, Blaine didn't ask for his father's death and he certainly didn't ask for a plate of stress so large it was too much to handle. Another part of marriage is being able to take the stress when your partner can't.
Keeping in mind Blaine's had a tremendous amount of stress to deal with, Kurt wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. Ninety-five percent of the time Blaine is exactly where Kurt needs him and precisely who he needs him to be. Just because right now is a five percent moment it didn't mean that small percentage would suddenly become the majority. Kurt isn't ready to believe some magic vacation will fix all their problems, but maybe some time away from the situation will give Blaine some much needed clarity.
"If I agree to this," Kurt begins to say firmly. Blaine recognizes the unyielding undertone; Kurt is about as far away from fooling around as he can be. "You and I are going to work on our communication. You're going to actually talk to me about what's going on and if I suspect you're hiding anything from me…anything…then you are going to therapy even if I have to knock you unconscious, tie you up, and drag you there myself. Agreed?"
Blaine sits up straight, staring Kurt directly in the eyes as he uses his fingertips to rub the tension away from Kurt's forehead. "I'd do anything for you. Please…please never forget that."
Kurt swallows harshly and nods, accepting that as a yes. "I know you would." Then, Kurt leans onto his husband's chest, seeking the strength inside and hoping with all his might it'll make itself known. They both needed it.
()
A few weeks later, early April, the kids were out for spring break and Kurt had mostly healed from his accident. It didn't take much planning on his part to bring together a last minute vacation—Cooper was ecstatic when Blaine asked if they could come visit the farm, Kurt had enough vacation time left over, and really the most expensive part was buying the plane tickets to California. Kurt noticed Blaine hasn't touched a drop of liquor since their discussion. He also told Kurt twice when he had nightmares again (two—both different, but essentially the same premise, which is the teenage kids with Dalton rather than Stefani), so they moved forward with the plan. Things were going fine enough, though Kurt had a hard time relaxing since their conversation. If he wasn't worried about Blaine, he was worried about his much-too-intelligent kids picking up on the disturbance in the family. For once, they didn't notice as they were too excited about going to visit their uncle, aunt, and cousins.
They left early morning Saturday and arrived in San Diego about 4 ½ hours later. The kids were tired, cranky, and very hungry (or so Court complained about five times after they landed) but Kurt and Blaine manage to get them to baggage, pick up their things, and head to lobby where Michael would be picking them up.
"I'm huunnnnngry…" Court complains once again. "And Stef ate all the Fruitloops."
In a rare moment, Stefani glares at her brother, clutching closely the nearly empty bag of cereal. Blaine sighs, suitcase hitting the back of his shoe when he abruptly stops to search for Michael. "Guys, we'll stop and get something on the way to Uncle Cooper's farm, but right now we have to concentrate and find your cousin."
"What's this 'we' business? I'm being perfect as usual," Aimee comments matter-of-factly with a big smile.
Kurt grasps Blaine's hand reassuringly, but for a brief moment Blaine is more annoyed with the action than he is comforted by it before he snaps back into reality and remembers Kurt's intentions are all from the heart. Their discussion in the kitchen had Blaine been walking on egg shells to make sure Kurt saw him at nothing less than his best. There's relief in his dark secret finally being out in the open, but there's an added burden of feeling like an incompetent husband and father. It makes him fearful that his family will see him as worthless. Blaine tells himself that Kurt only wants him to get better and gently squeezes his hand back.
Stefani is the first to spot her cousin. "Mikey!" she shouts, waving excitedly before taking off in a run. The adults spot the recently-turned-18-year-old as he maneuvers himself through the crowd, waving back to his younger cousin and then to Kurt and Blaine. Blaine then notices that Michael is holding hands with another young man, dragging him through the crowd despite the other boy's larger muscles and taller height. The other boy is bulky even in his letterman jacket yet the gentle way he holds his nephew's hand tells an entirely different tale. It doesn't take much for Blaine to figure out this is the boyfriend Michael was so afraid to tell his grandparents about at Thanksgiving, nor does it take much for Blaine to look at them and see the similarities between the couple and a younger Kurt and Blaine.
Michael releases his boyfriend's hand to scoop Stefani in his arms while hardly missing a beat in his stride. Court and Aimee finally break their resolve and run to meet their cousin. Kurt makes a humming noise in his throat at the sight. "So… I guess that's the new guy?"
"Must be. What do you think?"
"He kind of reminds me of Dave Karofsky, don't you think so?" Kurt asks, and Blaine nods in agreement. By that time, Michael, carrying Stefani while Aimee and Court walk beside him, and his boyfriend were there.
"Daddy, Papa, this is Scott. He's Michael's boyfriend," Aimee says with a teasing tone. Michael rolls his eyes at the younger girl with a smile.
"Yes, his name is Scott, thank you Aimee. Scott, these are my uncles, Blaine and Kurt. Blaine is my dad's brother." Scott quickly extends his hand, a light flush coming over his cheeks that reminded the two even more of Dave.
"Sirs, a pleasure to meet you. I want you to know that your nephew is wonderful and he's told me all about you. He thinks you guys are great too—and so do I! Well, we haven't met until now but you sounded-uh…"
Oh, never mind, he was much more like Finn. Kurt bites his lip to stifle his laughter and then shakes Scott's hand. "It's nice to meet you. We've heard mostly good things."
"Mostly?" Scott asks. Michael laughs, playfully jabbing him with his elbow.
"He's kidding, right Uncle Blaine?"
Blaine tsks. "I don't know. I wasn't able to stop him from dousing a woman in punch once. Just hope I have the good sense not to give him coffee next time." Scott's blush gives way to paleness. Michael shakes his head fondly and hands Stefani to Scott so he can help carry bags. Oddly, Stefani seems instantly comfortable with the young man, immediately setting her head on his shoulder. "We better get going. My dad ordered food so you New Yorkers would feel at home."
()
The space in Michael's pick-up truck is limited and Blaine has to hold Stefani on his lap so they'd all fit, but he also notices that none of the kids care. In fact, in all the excitement, they seem to have forgotten how hungry they were at the airport. Out the window, the city streets, towering and powerful in their presence, shrunk until there were only long fields of green and yellow (for corn) and the occasional fenced in animal whether it was horses, sheep, cows, or llamas. Blaine never existed in life outside of urbanization nor had he ever wanted to, but he has to admit there's something so serene about being where rustic and nature dominated over sleek and artificial.
They pull up to the Anderson farm, a long dusty road rolled up before them like a red carpet. Along both sides of the road were white fencing where inside horses grazed and ran freely. A dapple grey took notice of the truck and immediately cantered along with it. "Papa, look!" Stefani points out with happy laughter. Michael glances over.
"Yeah, he always does that. He was a racer before he came here. A lot of them came from the track, actually—Mom's always had a soft-spot for retired thoroughbreds."
They pass by the stable and indoor arena, a large white panel building. Each stall had a window that could be opened when the horses were inside for the night or closed with a wooden door in case a storm came around. On a bit higher elevation, there's an outdoor riding arena where a woman could be seen trotting a big draft horse, forceful legs stretching out as they worked along.
"That reminds me," Scott comments, staring up at the rider. "You still need to ride Henson tonight. Or do you want me to do it?"
"Nah, I can do it, but you can ride along on Sally if you want. We better wait until Lina finishes though. I sure as hell don't want to deal with her tonight."
"Why? Is she mean?" Court asks.
Michael hums uncertainly. "The long answer is that she takes things very seriously and doesn't like people getting in her way….the short answer is yes. Just save yourself the trouble and keep clear of her if you can."
They pull up to the house where Cooper is leaning against the rail of the deck. Blaine's surprised to see the house his brother lives in is fairly modest, at least compared to the fancier farm buildings. It's a nice two story house, a modern-farm hybrid as the panel is a fine brown with some stone accents, but clearly had brand new windows and a nice roof on top. It makes sense since while Cooper is flashy with limited humbleness, Amanda is down to earth with a sense of dignity about her. It's as if the home they built represents the relationship they have together.
"Little brother!" Cooper calls out, jumping over the rail and then regretting it when he's obviously hurt his knee. Everyone gets out of the car and Michael and Scott go to unpack the bed of the truck. Blaine, meanwhile, meets his brother half-way to hug him. "How was the trip?"
"Long…and Stef ate all the snacks so we're starving!" Court mumbles, remembering his complaint from earlier. Kurt snorts at his son before receiving the next hug from his brother-in-law.
"I didn't eat them all, Uncle Coop," Stefani insists, making sure she'd be the one Cooper hugs next. Kurt and Blaine pick up the bags that were placed on the ground, allowing their nephew and his boyfriend to get the rest. After he hugs Aimee and Court, Cooper gestures to the house.
"Well, we got some barbecue from this little place in town. Let's get you guys inside so you can eat!"
()
"Hey, I thought you weren't going to eat meat anymore?" Court comments as Aimee starts picking apart the piece chicken she choose from the plate. For once, she's embarrassed to be caught by her brother doing something she shouldn't.
"I'm starving…and it smells good."
Well, they did say they were hungry…Kurt thought to himself. Apparently, he was too as he bit into his second pulled-pork sandwich of the night. He ate well and exercised every other day of the year so Kurt gave himself permission this one time.
Court and Mason, who had returned home from guitar lessons not long after they arrived, share a knowing look, quickly finishing up their second plates of food so they could go play video games. Cooper and Amanda sat next to them while Mandy sat between them and her eldest brother and his boyfriend. At least until Michael and Scott finished their first plates of dinner. "We have to go. Henson needs to get worked and I was going to do a foot check before we get the farrier out."
Amanda stands up abruptly. "Hold on, let me make a plate for you guys to take out for Lina."
"Mean Lina?" Blaine asks after she heads into the kitchen to grab another plate. Cooper chuckles, turning to Michael.
"Is that what you told them?"
Michael shrugs. "She can be a bitch sometimes, pardon my language."
"Yes, but she does a lot for your mom," Cooper points out before turning back to his brother and brother-in-law. "Alina Schmidt. She pretty much helps Amanda run the place. She's a pretty big rider from Austria, or was anyway. According to Amanda, she's pretty old school in regards to riding, so she's a little strict when it comes to respect and form so boys have problems with her, I guess."
"I don't have a problem with her being old school. I just think she's a little controlling about the arena at times. Any more than two people and she starts flipping out."
Amanda returns with the plate and some plastic wrap. She starts putting together a sandwich and scooping sides as well. "Look, I'll be the first to admit Lina isn't the easiest person to get along with, but she gets things done. Half of those barn hands wouldn't get anything done on time if she didn't light a fire under their asses. Not to mention how many horses she's saved from injury or colic over the years." Once the plate is done and covered, Amanda hands it to Michael. "In fact, I'll bet you money she already has a list of horses that need their hooves trimmed Tuesday."
"Yeah, probably," Michael says, looping his free arm with Scott's as they start to walk out. "We'll be back later!"
"Okay, ride safe. Turn the stadium lights on!" Amanda calls after him and then sitting down to finish her dinner after they were gone. "He's just mad at Lina for calling him out on his hands again. At some point, he'll realize that when he's too focused, he pulls on the horse's mouth and needs to break that awful habit."
"I know," Cooper says, shaking his head at Kurt and Blaine to indicate that he didn't have a clue. "But he's barely 18 and he's my kid. Anderson men can be stubborn."
"Well, I don't want him hurting my horses just because he thinks Lina is being dramatic. Not to mention, he won't make it professionally if he keeps doing it."
"He knows. It's just Lina. He didn't get an attitude when you told him," Mason mentions and then asks Kurt, "Is it okay if Court and I go play video games?"
Kurt leans over to make sure Court's eaten all his vegetables. "He's excused."
"Awesome! What's the bloodiest, scariest video game you own?" Court asks Mason as they leave the room. It's apparent that Cooper and Amanda are waiting for all the kids to leave before they talk about why the Hummel-Anderson family made the long trip to California. Kurt knows Cooper won't drop it and he supposed they did deserve an explanation for this abrupt visit, but he's not quite ready to dive into that yet.
"So, Scott seems like a nice kid. How long have they been dating?"
"Uh, wow. How long has it been A? I think 2 months?"
"Whenever Michael turned 18," Amanda says rather specifically. Blaine catches it as well as Kurt.
"Is Scott not 18?"
"Nope. 23," Cooper explains. Both Blaine and Kurt's eyes widen, surprised at the number. Cooper smirks. "You thought he was younger?"
"Well, he is wearing a letterman jacket…" But now that Kurt knows, he can definitely see Scott's real age. He's much gruffer and filled in than he'd expect a teenager to be. When he thinks about it, he wonders how he couldn't have seen it, especially compared to Michael.
"And he told me he was seeing someone around Thanksgiving," Blaine adds.
"Nope, that was some other guy. Scott was his BFF then. Amanda hired Scott to work here, so they ended up doing a lot of barn work together. Then, when things didn't work out between Michael and his ex, Scott and Michael hung out more and now they're a thing. I think they were probably dating before Michael was 18, but that's when everyone found out."
"You mean, you think they were dating before? That doesn't bother you?" Kurt hears the protective edge in Blaine's voice. Since the day his oldest nephew was born, there's a side of Blaine that's looked over the young man like a guard dog. This persona later grew and became fiercer when his other nieces and nephews and his kids were born. Kurt understands because he feels the same way—despite his initially good impression of Scott, he isn't sure how to feel about Michael dating a man five-years his senior while he is still so young.
"There isn't really much we could have done. By the time we knew, Michael was 18. Besides, Scott's a nice guy; he made sure we were comfortable with it before they started publically dating. Leah had the same worries, but at some point, it's not really our business, you know?" Amanda answers, stumbling a bit at the mention of the boys' biological mother. She'd never say it out loud around Michael and Mason (or anyone else for that matter), but she didn't have much love for Cooper's ex-wife. Not since she packed her bags and moved across the country for a man before she even told Cooper they were getting divorced.
"I had the 'the talk' with both the boys and I always kept a box of condoms in their bathroom; they're smart kids, they know what they're doing." Cooper grins devilishly at Blaine, likely remembering when he gave his little brother the sex chat. Blaine pushes his plate, disgusted as a slew of memories he tried to repress reappear. "Anyway, wasn't the guy you serenaded at the Gap like 25?"
"Oh my god, conversation over!" Blaine declares suddenly.
"Daddy, what's a con—?"
"Something you'll learn about when you get older. It's time to go play with your cousin," Kurt says, cutting off Stefani before she could finish the question.
Aimee, Stefani, and Mandy all give each other an unamused look before getting up from the table and running upstairs to do something (other than argue, Kurt could only hope). Now, the adults are left alone and Kurt has given away whatever time he was hoping to waste before they had to talk about what happened to bring them to California. He's relieved they're no longer talking about awkward sex-talk, Jeremiah, or answering inappropriate questions, but now the entire mood is different. Cooper and Amanda wait silently, afraid to ask but obviously very curious. Blaine stares down at where his hands are folded in his lap.
Never one to be discrete, Cooper breaks the silence. "So, not that we aren't happy to have you here—we are—but you two aren't typically so spontaneous."
"Look, I'm just going to be honest," Blaine says quietly, sounding more like a child than an almost 40-year-old man. "I'm not handling Dad's, uh….diagnosis well at all. It's been a nightmare pretty much since I've heard the news."
Blaine won't go much further into the details, nor will he explain how accurate that last sentence really was. Kurt puts his hand over Blaine's. "We didn't want to make a big deal of it, but Blaine had a nervous breakdown at the vow renewal."
"Yeah, I knew. Carole told me. I figured you'd tell me if you wanted me to know," Cooper says, obviously trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. While Blaine and Cooper's relationship wasn't smooth sailing, the two were overall very close. In this weird way, they were always there for one another when they needed someone. Blaine was there when Cooper went through a work dry spell and when he divorced Leah, and Cooper was there when Kurt and Blaine broke up and whenever the world appeared to be against Blaine. It's easy to see how Cooper could be hurt that Blaine would keep something like that from him. "So, you just needed to get away?"
"Basically, yeah. I also have to watch my drinking. It's gotten…It's…." Blaine trails off, fighting to hold back tears. Cooper catches on and holds up his hand.
"Hey Squirt, it's fine. This is hard stuff, but we'll pull through. You guys are welcome here as long as you like."
"We just want you to get better, Blaine," Amanda agrees. Kurt and Blaine smile gratefully at the other couple.
"Thanks. We can only stay for the week, but we appreciate your hospitality," Kurt says.
"Don't even mention it. The best part is, you guys get to try out the new guest house!"
"Oh, awesome. I'm sure the kids will love it."
"Nope. Kids will be staying in here. Just you two in the guest house, but you guys will definitely love it," Cooper responds with a charming look that promised there was more to this than he's saying. Kurt and Blaine, having a long history of Cooper's surprises, both nervously laugh.
It's certainly going to be an interesting week.
Guys, look, I finally updated! I apologize for how long it's taken, but I've been dealing with some stuff. If you read Timeless to Me or No Other Superstar, you already know this and don't have to read it again (and sorry that you keep seeing it; I just want to make sure all my readers know), but for those who don't know—
1. I've been in therapy dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The good news is I've completed my therapy for the time being. The idea of having to update by a certain time was adding to my stress level which was difficult to deal with until I learned to get my GAD under control. Of course, writers have a duty to their readers, but I as a person have a duty to my mental health so everything had to be put on the back burner. I promise I'm doing much better now, though.
2. To try and lessen my stress level so hopefully I update more, I will no longer be answering reviews. Sometimes, I'll answer a specific review or even occasionally go ahead and answer them all, but it will no longer be the constant. I'm sorry and please know this doesn't mean I don't want to connect with you or don't appreciate your support! I absolutely do! If you want to chat, please feel free to PM me. My hope is that by doing this, it'll alleviate some of the pressure and I'll be a more productive writer.
So, with all that said and done, I want to thank you all again for being patient (and of course, for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting this story) and thank my beta, irishflute, for looking over this story and correcting it so you all can read it. Thanks guys! Enjoy :)