"Are you sure I should come?" Kurt asked Blaine for the fifteenth time in an hour. He was sitting on the edge of their bed, legs crossed, and watching Blaine style his hair. A little over a month had passed since their huge string of fights and things had more or less returned to normal—and if not normal, they were better than before. That did not mean his nerves were eased any less. Why was Kurt Hummel nervous? Because he was about to go to Westerville to meet David—and David's family. "I mean, I don't want to intrude. They may just want to see you."
"Don't be silly, Kurt." Blaine said cheerfully. Kurt saw him rolling his eyes in the mirror as he styled his hair—using half a bottle of gel, Kurt was pretty sure. "David already told his parents that you were coming too and his mother was ecstatic. You can't back out of it now."
"I'm not trying to back out. I know they're important to you and you hardly ever go see them. I don't want to take away from that time." Kurt said smoothly, but he was well aware Blaine could see through his act.
A grin spread across Blaine's face and he turned to face Kurt. "You're nervous!"
"What? I am not." Kurt lied, voice coming out higher pitched than normal. Yes. Blaine definitely saw through his act. Not that he had any doubts. His boyfriend was just too smart. "Why would I be nervous?"
"Because meeting David and Wes' family is the equivalent of me meeting your family for the first time." Blaine tilted his head, still smiling brightly. "You're so adorable."
"You're completely wrong." Kurt scoffed. "I'm not nervous."
"I was nervous when I met your dad, you know that. And I was even more nervous the first time I saw him after we were officially dating… I was terrified. It's okay to be nervous, but I'm sure that they'll love you. His mom is very laid back. His dad is nice, but he can be a bit intimidating at times. He might not be there, though. Oh, and Megan is nice. Well to me, not so much to David."
"Megan?"
"David's older sister. She's twenty three or twenty four now… I don't think she'd be there though, considering she's in grad school. But you don't need to be nervous. They're going to love you."
"What if they don't?"
"Not even a possibility." Blaine assured him, waving his hand. "Don't be nervous."
"Well what should I wear? Because they're really rich and—."
Blaine interrupted him before he could even finish his statement. "I'm wearing jeans and a cardigan. I don't think it matters what kind of money they have. Did you worry about what to wear at Dalton when you found out that I had money?"
"Well… no… but that was different. You're you. And by the time I knew just how rich you were, we had been dating for almost four months." Kurt answered, shrugging. Had he been shocked to find out how much Blaine was worth? Of course he had. But he hadn't fallen in love with Blaine for his money. In fact, he rarely even thought about it. Blaine was just Blaine, so there was no reason to act different. "But this is an entirely different situation. It's like I'm meeting your family. I don't know them already. It's kind of a lot of pressure."
"What you're wearing is perfect." Blaine said, standing. "Does my hair look good?"
"Yes." Kurt said, reaching up to smooth down that one curl that never wanted to cooperate lately. "It always does."
Blaine's smile did not leave his face. "You miss last semester when I had school every day and was too tired to use gel, don't you?"
"You know I like your hair however you fix it." Kurt responded, his hand now resting at the nape of his neck.
"There is no use in denying that you love the curls, Kurt." Blaine teased. "This was established last year."
"While under the influence of about six painkillers and medications. Don't flatter yourself." Kurt teased right back, smiling. "But you're right. I do."
Blaine nodded and sighed a bit. "I'm kind of nervous myself to tell you the truth."
"What? Why?" Kurt asked, pulling back more to look at him. "You've been excited about this ever since you decided to go."
"No, I am excited to go and see them. I really am. I just... Well, I keep thinking about it. And you remember that I lived close to David? My parent's house is a few houses down and we'll probably end up driving past it. I guess I hadn't thought about it before... and now I'm a little worried about it." Blaine admitted, sighing. "I shouldn't even have to worry about seeing my parents. It's dumb."
"You shouldn't have to. You're right. So don't." Kurt sighed as well and pulled him into a hug. "But they won't even know that you'll be in the area. They won't see you and they won't have an opportunity to say anything at all to you. I promise. I'll make sure of that."
"I know you will." Blaine nuzzled Kurt's shoulder a bit and sighed again softly. "I'm glad you're going with me. Thanks for putting school work on hold for the day."
Kurt smiled and kissed his ear. "You're welcome. I worked a lot yesterday to make sure I wouldn't get behind... I want to meet them, I do. I'm a little nervous, but I would really like to meet them... I've never exactly been in a house that has a maid. I bet their house is huge."
"Oh, most definitely." Blaine nodded, his head still burrowed in the crook of Kurt's shoulder. "You got taller."
"What?" Kurt asked.
"You got a little taller." Blaine mumbled, pulling away and frowning. "At least half an inch. Why are you doing this to me?"
Kurt laughed loudly. "Now that you mention it, I used to have to strain a bit more to put my chin on top of your head."
Blaine frowned. "I'm never going to get taller, am I?"
"I think you're perfect." Kurt laughed again. "I love how vertically challenged you are."
His boyfriend's frown turned into an outright pout. "One of these days you're going to call me vertically challenged and I'm going to ship that damn dog off to Peru."
Kreacher, who was lounged lazily on the foot of their bed, looked up and cocked his head to the side.
"Yes. You. You think you run the house, don't you? You think you've got everyone wrapped around your little paw. But not me. I don't think you're cute at all." Blaine said stubbornly, clearly deciding to take his anxiety out on their (for once) innocent dog.
"Oh God, not again." Kurt rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that this house is a Democracy? All three of us have equal say."
"He's a dog. He can't have equal say if he can't speak!" Blaine exclaimed. "This entire house is absurd."
"It's the life you chose, Blaine." Kurt said sweetly, giving his boyfriend an almost adorable smile. "No regrets, just love."
"Don't you quote Katy Perry to me." Blaine scoffed, although he smiled. "I'm going to change clothes and then we'll leave. Can you text David and tell him we're on our way?"
"That sounds like something I might be able to handle." Kurt nodded and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "You should wear the green cardigan, by the way."
"I planned on it, actually, seeing as it's your favorite and anytime I wear another one you make that face." Blaine said, making his way over to their closet and peering into it for several seconds before pulling out his favorite pair of jeans, a striped shirt, and Kurt's favorite green cardigan.
"Okay, Kreacher. Blaine and I are going bye-bye and you're going to go and get in your cage like a good boy." Kurt said, kneeling down.
Kreacher just turned his head in the opposite direction, uninterested.
"Kreacher..." Kurt said, trying to sound firm and failing. Failing miserably. "Kreacher, you have got to get in your cage. Whenever Blaine and I leave you out when you're alone, you eat Blaine's things and carry socks everywhere in the house. We still haven't found all of the socks from last weekend when we went to the Cheesecake Factory. I'm not taking no for an answer."
Blaine snorted loudly at this while Kreacher still refused to look in Kurt's direction. He should have found it annoying when Kurt talked to the dog like it was a real child, but it was kind of adorable. Not that he'd ever admit anything relating to the dog being adorable.
Blaine, smoothing down his shirt, put on a big grin and leaned down. "Kreacher want a treat? Does Kreacher want num nums? Does he?"
Kreacher immediately perked up, looking at Blaine and wagging his tail eagerly.
"You're awful." Kurt hissed.
"Awfully awesome." Blaine grinned and took off running towards the kitchen. "C'mon, Kreacher. We'll get some num nums!"
Kreacher leapt off the bed, stumbled, skidded a few times, straightened himself out, and then took off out of the bedroom. Kurt walked out of the room and into the kitchen, shaking his head. Blaine was leaned over again and handing Kreacher a treat. Kreacher eagerly ate it and then looked back up at Blaine with big, expectant eyes.
"You want another, you stupid thing?" Blaine cooed, getting another treat out of the bag. "Good, stupid boy. Here's another."
Kurt and Blaine were going to have to have another talk about Blaine calling Kreacher stupid apparently. Kreacher, unfazed, gobbled his next treat up before looking at Blaine, more excited than before.
Blaine tossed a treat into the cage. "Go get it, silly! I'm not going to hand feed you everything for the rest of your life."
Kreacher hopped into the cage and had barely opened his mouth to grab the treat before Blaine shut the cage's door.
"Blaine! That's horrible!" Kurt exclaimed, eyes wide as Kreacher started to whimper and whine.
"And so much easier than you chasing him around the house and wrestling him into going into it himself." Blaine scoffed. "He basically went in on his own free will."
"But you tricked him." Kurt protested. "You know he gets excited when you talk to him. That is unethical. You are horrible."
"Okay. I'll let him out and you chase him around the entire house again. That sounds like a plan to me." Blaine leaned back over and moved to open the cage.
"No! No, no! That'd be silly. He's already in there!" Kurt said quickly as Kreacher let out several more whimpers, looking at them as if he were wounded.
"Fine. Fine, let's go." Blaine tossed another treat into the cage for Kreacher and grabbed his wallet off of the table. "Maybe I can talk Dana into making me french fries. Oh God, Kurt, her french fries are so good. She uses this seasoning stuff. She tried to show me how to do it but I'm hopeless."
"I know, sweetie." Kurt laughed, tugging his jacket on and then handing his older boyfriend his own. "I know. But you're not as bad as Finn, and for that you should be grateful."
…
"Blainers! Kurtsie!"
"Hello, David." Kurt smiled at David. Although Blaine now saw David very frequently, Kurt didn't see him too much and it was always nice to see David . Although, with all he'd heard about David from Mercedes, you'd have thought David was Kurt's best friend. There were some things that he'd heard that he wondered if Blaine even knew. Then again, they were close and surely Blaine did.
"Daviel!" Blaine waved energetically as he hopped out of the car.
"My name is not Daviel." David said, rolling his eyes.
"Nor is mine Blainers or Kurt's Kurtsie. I'd call Wes a stupid name if I could come up with one that was good enough, but his name doesn't leave me with a whole lot to work with." Blaine sighed as if this was a serious dilemma in his life, shaking his head and shutting the door.
"How's school going, Kurt?" David asked.
"Good. It's an entire school-free day today though. Blaine has forbidden me from even mentioning anything school related." Kurt informed him. "How about for you?"
"Pre med sucks. I wish Wes was here so he could help me with my chemistry homework." David shrugged. "It's not bad other than that."
"I'm taking Chem next year. And guess who will be in town to help me?" Blaine grinned.
"I hate you, Blaine. Turn around and go home." David joked. "We don't want you here."
"Is Wes good at chemistry?" Kurt asked curiously before Blaine could make a witty comeback. Maybe Kurt shouldn't have been shocked, though, considering the Asian boy had always gotten good grades at Dalton. He also went to UCLA, which Kurt knew had to be very difficult to manage. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know what exactly Wes went to school for.
"Wes is a BioChem major." Blaine informed him. "He's going to be a biochemist. Whatever that is. So, yes, he's very good at Chemistry. We kind of hate him for it."
"He wants to work for the government." David added. "Because all we need is Wes in a position of power like that."
"Wow." Kurt said, eyes wide. "He must be really, really, really smart."
"He likes to think he is." Blaine snorted, prompting a nudge from David. "Alright. Dana is home now, right?"
"Of course." David nodded, moving towards the large house before them. It was a white three story house with large columns in the front, several beautiful windows, and a perfectly taken care of green lawn. The yard in itself was huge, but Kurt had definitely never been inside a house as big as David's. In fact, he didn't know if he'd even seen one in person. There weren't a whole lot of hugs houses in Lima and he only ever saw apartment buildings in Cincinnati. David's chattering broke Kurt's state of awe. "She's been cleaning nonstop since Tuesday."
"Don't you mean making the maids clean?" Kurt asked, head tilting.
David looked thoughtful before shaking his head. "Usually she would but we don't have maids right now. Maria had to leave because her daughter's having another baby and I have no idea what happened to the other one."
"You don't know what happened to her? Did she quit?" Blaine asked, raising his eyebrow. He grasped Kurt's hand and followed David up the several marble steps.
"By saying I didn't know what happened to her, I meant I didn't know what happened to her. It wasn't that big of a loss those. She was kind of creepy." David laughed, pushing the large door open. "Kurt, watch your step when you come in. It's a really weird one… Mother dearest, your lost duckling is here!"
"I am not a duckling." Blaine scoffed, squeezing Kurt's hand after Kurt had made it safely up the step that dipped in the middle, almost throwing off Kurt's balance.
"At least I said lost and not ugly." David flashed Blaine a seemingly sweet smile.
"Blaine's here?" They heard a woman call from somewhere else.
"Yes, Blaine's here!" David called back loudly, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "This happens every time we have company. Just wait for it."
Kurt wasn't exactly sure what he was waiting for, but he stood silently and waited.
"Blaine's here?" Another voice, this time a man, asked. Blaine let out a loud snort.
"Yes, Dad. Blaine's here!" David called before looking at Blaine. "Doesn't this happen every time we have company?"
Kurt looked to Blaine, who nodded while still looking thoroughly amused. Although Kurt didn't quite get it yet.
"Honey, Blaine's here!" The man hollered.
"I can't hear you, but Blaine's here!" The woman shouted back.
Ah. So that was why it was funny.
"I tried disowning them but they've got too much money. They just had the order overturned." David said, mockingly massaging his temple. "This could continue for a while before they figure out what the other is saying. As usual. They're at complete opposite ends of the house. You guys hungry?"
"Starving!" Blaine said, dropping Kurt's hand and heading straight in the direction of the kitchen. Two seconds had passed before there was an excited shriek of Blaine's name.
"Apparently Mom made it to the kitchen." David laughed again and waved for Kurt to follow him, but moved very slowly giving them time to talk. "Was he okay coming here? He didn't say anything about coming so close to his parents, and I didn't want to bring it up, but..." David trailed off.
"He didn't say anything about it until this morning. I think he's a little nervous to be so close, but he's been really excited about seeing your parents." Kurt answered, hoping that his answer reassured David. He could tell David was worried about Blaine—which seemed to be the case often. "I think he's okay. He didn't say too much about it even when he mentioned it. Sometimes he just thinks things through too much."
"Yep." David said cheerfully, nodding. "That's definitely Blaine."
They made it into the kitchen and Kurt's mouth actually dropped. It was huge and absolutely gorgeous. He had never seen a kitchen quite like it-not even in the movies. Everything was much bigger and much shinier than necessary, but it still looked gorgeous. The walls were painted an orangeish-reddish color and the brown marble countertops seemed to match perfectly, although Kurt would have never thought they would. Kurt would have absolutely loved to have a kitchen so big and so fancy. With two stoves, like David's house had. The baking he did at Christmas time before heading home would be so much easier and quicker. Okay, maybe there wasn't a reason for two gay young men to have two stoves, but who could blame him? The kitchen—okay, the whole house—was just gorgeous.
Finally Kurt focused on Blaine, who was being hugged tightly by a woman that could only be David's mother. The woman was older than Kurt thought she would be and looked very, very friendly. She kept talking quietly to Blaine and he mumbled back answers that no one else could hear as he nodded.
"Mom, don't suffocate him." David laughed. He looked at Kurt. "She may never let him leave. I hope you realize this."
The woman moved from Blaine and shook her head in David's direction before getting a big smile on her face. "You must be Kurt. I've heard so much about you, honey."
"Hello, Ms. Thompson It's very nice to meet you." Kurt said, smiling a bit nervously. This woman was probably the richest person he would ever meet. Her house was perfect, Blaine adored her, and she just looked so nice. What would happen if she didn't like him? Her opinion would matter a lot to Blaine, he was sure.
"You can call me Dana." The woman smiled even more and approached him. Kurt held his hand out for her to shake but instead she pulled him into a hug.
"Dana likes hugs." Blaine said cheerfully, already going through the fridge.
"Blaine!" Kurt laughed after Dana pulled away from the hug.
"Oh, he may as well be at home." Dana waved her hand. "If you'd like anything, help yourself. Blaine, I'm going to make you some french fries before you leave."
"Yes!" Blaine exclaimed as he pulled a Tupperware container out of the fridge. "I love this stuff! It's absolutely the best. Kurt, you have got to try this."
"Already in the fridge, Blaine?" A tall man laughed, coming into the room. "Then again, I hear that David eats your food all the time so maybe we should be giving you some money."
"I don't know why Blaine says I eat them out of house and home. Kurt's brother eats just as much as I do." David scoffed. "Dad, this is Kurt."
The man shook Kurt's hand smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Kurt."
"You too, sir." Kurt smiled back as he shook his hand. The man looked a lot like David, only much taller. He looked kind like his wife, but Kurt could see how some people might find the man intimidating. After the man pulled away, Kurt watched him go hug Blaine, who was stuffing his some food into his mouth.
"'Lo, Derek." Blaine said, voice muffled because his mouth was still full.
"He is such a boy." Dana shook her head, smiling. "You know, he wasn't bad at all until he started hanging out with David and Wes. I still haven't figured out which one is truly the bad influence because the two of them can be so alike."
"Clearly they're both equally bad influences." Derek joked. "Is school going well, Blaine?"
Blaine swallowed his food and nodded, going to stand by Kurt. "Yeah. I'm taking seven classes again. Next semester I just have to take six and then I'll be caught up enough to where I can only take five and still graduate on time."
"On time?" Kurt asked, eyebrow arching. Last he knew Blaine would have to go at least one extra semester if not two.
"Yeah." Blaine nodded, looking at him. "As if I hadn't had to take the semester off."
"Seven classes?" Dana gasped. "How do you sleep?"
Blaine shrugged. "I'm handling it fine. Kurt over here is the one that you should be talking to. He's taking a ridiculous amount of classes."
"What are you majoring in?" Dana asked eagerly.
"Fashion design." Kurt answered, well prepared for David's parent's shocked faces. He was surprised when they didn't appear shocked at all, but in a good way. He hated how people would look at him like he was dumb when he said he was going to CCAD for fashion design. Sometimes it was nice for someone to not comment negatively about it, especially when even his grandfather made comments.
"Well that sounds like fun!" Dana said. "Wow! You must be good!"
"Kurt and I are both in the same boat." Blaine plopped down at the kitchen table. "Both with majors that have a 50/50 chance of getting us no where in life."
"True match made in heaven." David snorted. "You two better get into the swinging lifestyle. Blaine, find a hot doctor. Kurt, find someone who is already a hot lawyer. You all can just mooch off your new lovers and live happily ever after."
"First, ew." Blaine said, looking disgusted. "Second, it's going to be okay. If law school doesn't work out and Kurt doesn't make it big, we'll just live in a very fashionable box." Blaine smiled sweetly, and then added, "Which is a lot less immoral than becoming swingers just for money."
"You'd probably enjoy that." David laughed. "You'd find multiple boxes and make forts, wouldn't you?"
"The coolest forts ever." Blaine nodded. "Kurt could decorate them. And I could play guitar outside of our fort-box-home for money for food."
Kurt looked between the two boys. Why had he never thought of that? Not about living in a fort with Blaine—which was obviously never going to happen. It had never occurred to him that both of them had chosen majors that were very likely to not prove useful. He had no doubt that Blaine could get into law school, but financially? Sure, he got quarterly payments. But those weren't near enough to pay for law school. Not only that, but... what if Kurt just didn't make it? What if, even with how talented he was, he never made it? What if he got a diploma saying he graduated from CCAD and that was it? Did he go back to a 'regular' college, like Finn? Did he work at his dad's garage for the rest of his life? What would Blaine do? What could he do with an English major? He wasn't aware of any jobs that paid you to read novels. Writing, maybe. But even five page essays would sometimes frustrate Blaine beyond belief. Kurt didn't see his boyfriend making a living out of anything that was strictly writing related.
What if all of Kurt's schooling was pointless? All of the stress? What if it got him nowhere?
But he was so good. He knew it, his professors knew it. But that knowledge wasn't enough to pay his bills. Or to help Blaine pay for law school because-because law school was expensive. How had this not occurred to him? Blaine had been working so hard for law school and the thought of him working that hard, getting into one, and having to turn one down because of money made Kurt sick to his stomach. Mainly because money would be no problem if Kurt hadn't come into his life. Had their relationship cost Blaine law school?
There were loans, he reminded himself. It might have been worth it to take out so many loans to get through law school, though, because lawyers made big money. Those loans would be paid off relatively quickly.
No. Kurt needed to not worry about that. Not quite yet, at least. Maybe he would ask Blaine about it later, though. Blaine was very smart. He was sure Blaine had a plan. Hearing Blaine's plans would probably ease his nerves… Unless Kurt had messed his entire plan up.
He felt Blaine's hand squeeze his and he smiled, squeezing back and trying to not let his thoughts run away with him.
"I'm sure both of them will be just fine." David's father was saying. "You, on the other hand, need better work ethic. I don't care how good your grades are, David. If you're not learning anything from the classes, how can you expect to get through medical school? The university stuff is just a basis for the important stuff."
"Yeah, David." Blaine said, mock sneering. "Get your act together."
"Don't even start, Anderson." David rolled his eyes. "Tell me one thing you remember from your Psych class last semester. Just one."
David's father, who Kurt knew was a therapist of some sort, waited eagerly for an answer.
"Uhm... Well... I know the difference between a dependent and independent variable?" Blaine said, but it came out as more than a question. "I think."
David's mother rolled her eyes. "You boys aren't challenged enough. You know, Derek, that Wes' mother told me that universities are easier than Dalton was? I think that's why this is happening."
"Just wait until you boys get into your upper level classes." David's father pointed between both David, who was still standing, and Blaine. "It will come back and haunt you. Just you wait."
"Speaking of Wesley," David grinned. "Our Asian friend has decided to transfer to a college in Ohio. In Columbus, I think?"
"Think so." Blaine nodded. "Because he told me that he was going to make daily trips to CCAD to torture Kurt over his lunch."
"Greeeat." Kurt laughed. "That's what I need. Wes distracting me when I could be getting work done."
"Oh God. Wes' mother didn't tell me this!" David's mom exclaimed, joining Blaine and Kurt at the table. Her husband and David soon followed suite. "How could she not tell me this?"
"I don't think he's told them yet. He'll probably just show up with his bags." Blaine giggled.
"Oh, no." Dana looked at Blaine. "You. Blaine Wyatt Anderson, you had better not let your grades drop. Do you hear me? I'm well aware that you and Wes like to drink and act a fool, but you're in college now. Your professors won't be as swayed by that adorable little smile as the teachers at Dalton were."
"And if you happen to get drunk and angry, for the love of God, do not get yourself arrested again." Derek added. "Please."
"Can't I drink without getting myself into trouble?" Blaine asked, looking around the room.
"No." Everyone, Kurt included, said at once. He still hadn't forgotten the Rachel Berry incident. He doubted he ever would.
"Oh, Kurt, you don't know the half of it." Dana exclaimed, leaning over to be closer to him. "He's horrible when he drinks."
"I've had to deal with it. Once." Kurt nodded in agreement. "It was awful."
"That was nothing, Kurt." David said, shaking his head. "Nothing. You can't say you've seen him drunk until you've seen him drink with Wes."
"And he gets an awful temper." David's father added.
"I haven't gotten that drunk since I was fifteen." Blaine protested. "I'm almost twenty now. You can't bring that up anymore. It's been five years."
David grinned. "He can be a funny drunk though. He likes to serenade guys when he's drunk."
"Yep. Know about that too." Kurt grinned.
"Hey! You promised!" Blaine exclaimed, turning to face him.
"Do tell." David said eagerly. "I need another Drunk Blaine story to add to the collection. What happened after this New Directions party, Kurt? Did he serenade you with Do You Think I'm Sexy like he did Thad?"
Blaine very quickly shook his head, praying Kurt wouldn't tell, as everyone else laughed.
"I promised not to tell." Kurt said, almost regretfully. He would have loved to have told someone about Blaine's rendition of The Man I Love if only to have someone else laugh about it with him. But a promise was a promise. Sure, he'd only promised not to tell David and Wes, but nobody else would have found it as amusing as those two.
"It'll come out soon enough." Dana waved her hand.
"I've got to get to work." Derek stood up and shook Kurt's hand. "It was very nice to meet you, Kurt. Don't let Blaine get away with too much when Wesley gets here, alright?"
"Don't worry about that, Dad." David rolled his eyes. "Blaine's whipped. What Kurt says goes and Kurt doesn't like Blaine drinking."
"It was nice to meet you too." Kurt smiled as Blaine rolled his eyes, mumbling about how he was not whipped.
Derek moved to hug Blaine. "You make sure that you take care of yourself and keep doing good in school, okay? I expect this time in two years you'll be calling to tell us about what law schools you're applying to."
Blaine laughed and hugged him back. "Of course. It was good to see you, Derek."
"You too." David's father kissed his wife's cheek, said another goodbye, and left the house.
"He called the office and said he was going to be late to get to see you, Blaine." Dana said as soon as the door closed.
"He didn't have to do that!" Blaine said, looking shocked.
"Of course he did! We haven't seen you in... Gosh, it'd be two years come May." she exclaimed. She looked at Kurt. "You know, he used to stay with us off and on. We just loved having him around. David and Megan, David's older sister, are obnoxious. But Blaine was always a sweetheart."
"Only around adults and Kurt." David snorted, nudging Blaine. "Wes and I are going to videotape him when Wes comes back. We're going to show every adult and Kurt who Blaine truly is."
"I think I'd notice if you were videotaping me, David." Blaine said.
"I don't know. If Wes can hack into government information via Google, I'm pretty sure he can do anything." David's mother sighed. "That boy is too smart for his own good. But, you know, he spent three semesters at UCLA goofing off. His mother says he's making good grades but... I don't know about you, Wes, and your partying. I would almost feel sorry for David if he hadn't been such a rotten child."
"David was bad?" Kurt asked curiously.
"Not bad. Just very mischievous." she laughed.
"In other words, bad." Blaine added.
"It was only when he didn't get his way... and Megan would set him off a lot. I have to give him that. I was so shocked when he became friends with quiet Blaine Anderson. And look what they did to him."
"That's the general consensus." Blaine said cheerfully to Kurt, looking extremely happy. It made Kurt feel good to see Blaine so happy. "Wes' mom says the same thing. But I'm not that bad."
"Of course not." she shook her head and patted his free hand. "He's like family to all of us, Kurt. So I hope you're taking good care of him. We all care about him a lot."
"I don't need taking care of." Blaine shrugged. "I'm doing fine. I'm doing well in school, I've got two jobs between and before classes, I get enough to eat, and I get exercise so I don't get fat from eating too much."
"Are you happy?" she asked, looking at him in a concerned way. Kurt could tell that this woman was like a fill in mother for him. He could clearly see that this was part of Blaine's family, part of his support system. Blaine did have other people that cared for him. Other people, Kurt was now convinced, that Blaine needed to see more often.
Blaine looked thoughtful for a few seconds before smiling a bit. "Yeah... My parents don't bother me at all anymore." he glanced at Kurt. "Last year was a little hard... but that's over and... sure, I'm stressed some. But I think that anyone who is 19 and living away from home while managing school and work and a relationship feels stressed, you know? I'm happy where I'm at... Things are better and... and I hope they keep getting better."
She stood up and went to hug him. "I'm glad. You stay holed up in that apartment too much. You should come down some weekends and stay with us. Kurt, you're more than welcome to come too. And I know Wes' mother misses you. We want to see you grow up, Blaine."
"I am a grown up." Blaine's voice was muffled by her shoulder.
"Oh no, not quite yet." she laughed. "I'll never see you as a grown up until you lose those adorable cheeks."
"Oh God." Blaine moaned, blushing as Kurt and David laughed loudly. "That will be never."
"There's always Lipo." David exclaimed.
"Don't you dare!" Kurt gasped. "He is just fine, thank you very much. I happen to think he's adorable how he is."
"Yes, he is." David's mother cooed, giving him a big squeeze. "Kurt, I want you to promise that you'll make him come see us, okay?"
"I'll try my best... I think it would be good for him to see you all a lot more." Kurt said, nodding. That was something he would definitely be talking to Blaine about. Kurt's family was great, but Blaine needed more support than just Kurt's family. Especially when he obviously had such a strong bond with David's family-and probably Wes' too.
"Alright. I'm going to go and show Blaine that program, momma." David said, standing up. "I'll bring Blaine and your new gay friend back shortly for some more chit chat."
"Don't you dare let Blaine leave before I see him again." she said, pointing at her son.
"Okay, okay, okay." David sighed and gestured for Kurt and Blaine to stand. "C'mon, guys. This is the neatest thing ever. Blaine, you're going to die."
…
"We don't have to do this, you know?" Kurt whispered several hours later as they climbed into Blaine's car. "There's got to be a way to get out of this neighborhood without driving past your house."
Blaine turned the heat up, rubbing his hands together as he waited for the car to warm up a bit. He spoke in a falsely cheery voice. "It's just a house, Kurt."
"If it's just a house, you wouldn't have that look on your face that you're trying to hide." Kurt said softly, putting his hand over Blaine's, effectively stopping their movement. "You don't have to see it. Here, I'll just back into the driveway and we'll go out the way we came."
"I… I want to see it." Blaine said slowly. "I just…" He closed his eyes and shrugged. "I kind of want to see it."
Kurt swallowed, watching him carefully and not sure what to say. It wasn't often that stuff concerning Blaine's parents came up. Typically it was a topic that was avoided—and it most certainly had been avoided since their argument. It was hard for Kurt to know what to say to Blaine because his own father had always supported him in everything. He didn't know the type of pain Blaine felt, didn't know the right words to say to make it better. But he had a feeling that seeing his old house would only make things harder for Blaine.
Blaine's face, which had been so happy not even five minutes before, fell. He frowned, his brow furrowed, and he smacked the side of his steering wheel out of frustration. "It's supposed to be my house. I've still got stuff in there that I'll never even get to see again. If they didn't throw it away, that is. I've still got clothes in there. I've got pictures in there, gifts from friends in there, music, two guitars, my piano, my first license plate that I had to beg the mechanic to let me keep. And I'll never see any of it again. None of it."
"I…" Kurt paused. "I don't know what to say."
"There is probably so much stuff in there that I haven't even remembered yet… It sucks. What they're doing to me sucks. And it makes me angry. They are supposed to be my family and that house is supposed to be my home. They're supposed to take care of me. I should be coming home to see my family today, not David's. I should spend my lunch breaks every day talking to my own mother, not Carole." Blaine said angrily, glaring out the window. "I just don't understand what I've done that is so wrong!"
Kurt reached over bringing both of Blaine's hands down and squeezing them between his own. "I love you."
"I know that." Blaine said miserably. "I just don't know why love has to cost me my family."
Kurt opened his own hands and kissed the back of Blaine's. He wished he had answers for Blaine. He at least wished he knew what to say to make him feel better. But he just didn't. "I don't know, Blaine… I don't know."
"It's just not fair. I… I can't change myself, Kurt. It's not like I can hit an off switch a-and not feel the way I feel about you. And I wouldn't want to." There it was. The hitch in his voice. He was getting emotional. Blaine was about to cry. Kurt didn't want him to cry because he absolutely hated seeing Blaine so broken down and upset.
"I know, babe." Kurt scooted closer, wishing they weren't in the front seat of his car. It made it harder to comfort him. "I know."
Blaine removed his hands from Kurt's and shook his head. "You would never sit in a car, five houses down from a house, and do this. You've always handled everything with such dignity. You take on too much and you still somehow manage to do everything perfectly, Kurt. If the roles were reversed, if you were me, you wouldn't care what they thought. You wouldn't want to cry, you wouldn't have thought to yourself so many times over the last 8 years, 'What if I hadn't come out?' Because you're stronger than that. Because you love yourself and you are yourself and you just don't care what anyone else thinks. B-But I can't do that, Kurt."
"You're giving me way too much credit that isn't deserved. I didn't come out until I was sixteen." Kurt whispered. "I held it in that long before I told anyone. And I didn't even tell my dad first."
Blaine let out a shaky sigh and looked at him, looking broken. "Really?"
"I didn't know how to accept myself for a very long time." Kurt admitted, looking down. "I mean, Taylor…" he took a deep breath. "Taylor asked me if I was gay when I was thirteen and I… well, she knew… but I didn't tell anyone else until I was sixteen. And I told Mercedes first after that… But, Blaine… I was terrified to lose my dad. He… He was all I had and I was so afraid to lose him. I didn't know how he would react… So I held it in for years and years… I'm so sorry that the thing I feared most happened to you, Blaine, and I'm so sorry that you were so young. But you are so much braver than me."
Blaine let out a sarcastic laugh. "No, I'm not. I'm not at all, Kurt."
"Do you honestly think I don't care what people think when people give us nasty looks when we're grocery shopping? Do you think it doesn't upset me? Do you think that if I lost my family that I wouldn't act just like you? You're hurting, Blaine. Being upset and wishing things were different does not make you weak. At least you didn't take years to accept yourself. At least you didn't tell people that you weren't gay."
"You've dealt with much worse." Blaine protested.
"No, I haven't." Kurt said, voice rising. He wasn't angry. He just wanted Blaine to understand. "Since the age of twelve you've had people constantly telling you that you were wrong and disgusting. You were just a little kid! Your parents didn't only reject you; they sent you away and hid you like you were something to be ashamed of! People hurt you and bullied you! In the grand scheme of things, last fall and Karofsky don't even matter. And, to be honest, I didn't handle either of those things perfectly, okay? I ran away to Dalton, and sometimes I still get upset over last fall. I just don't say anything because nothing I can do will ever change it. So don't say that I've dealt with worse, Blaine, or that I've handled anything better. They're completely different situations, for one. And second, you're much braver than me because you put up with your family's hatred for years and years. My attack lasted fifteen minutes."
Blaine stared out the windshield, barely blinking.
"It's okay to still be hurting, Blaine. It's okay to still be upset and to hate them... I hate them for what they did to you." Kurt whispered, taking his hand again. "Do you know what I realized today?"
"What?" Blaine mumbled.
"That you do have a family… David's family cares about you so much, Blaine. His dad went in to work late just to see you. His mom almost cried when you left. They miss you, Blaine. They love you. And I'd be willing to bet money that Wes' family is the exact same way, aren't they?"
"They're not my family though. They're their family." Blaine protested.
"You say I'm your family." Kurt scooted closer, leaning to kiss his cheek. His voice was barely about a whisper. "How is it any different?"
"We're dating. It's different."
"But we're not related by blood."
"But we love each other." Blaine muttered, looking down.
"They love you too. Not in the same way, but they love you too. You don't have to be related to someone to be their family. You've got more people that care for you than you think… and that makes you very, very lucky."
Blaine's face screwed up but he took several deep breaths to stop himself from crying. He refused to get that upset.
"I know you and Dad aren't talking… but you've still got my family too. Dad included." Kurt continued. "I know Dad was a complete idiot, but sometimes… sometimes even family members act like complete idiots. And I bet if you two made up, things would go right back to normal."
"I don't even want to be around him." Blaine said, voice thick.
"Right now I don't either." Kurt agreed. "But he's still my family. And I know he considers you a part of the family… and just look at how close you and Carole are. Last fall you always ate breakfast with her before she went to work. Then, once classes started, you'd talk to her on the phone. You just said yourself that you talked to her every day when you ate lunch. Isn't that true?"
"Yes." Blaine wiped his teary eyes.
"You two are so close. Carole and I talk a fair amount, but you and Carole are so much closer than Carole and I. Dad calls you Carole's baby for a reason. She really loves you. And I know you care for her a lot too, Blaine."
"I don't want your family, or Wes', or David's. I want my family! I hate feeling like some lost stray puppy all of the time who everyone just takes care of or likes because they feel bad for it!" Blaine's face crumbled and he covered his mouth, letting out a muffled and choked sob. Kurt rushed out of the car and around to the driver's seat, pulling it open and wrapping his arms around Blaine in a proper hug.
"I know you're hurting." Kurt whispered, rocking him and kissing his face. His stomach was twisted in all sorts of knots as he tried to comfort his boyfriend. He was really hoping it wouldn't get to the point of Blaine crying. "Blaine, I know it's hard… I know…"
"I don't know what I could have done." Blaine sobbed into Kurt's chest. "I j-just don't know what I could have done, Kurt!"
"I love you so much. I love you so much." Kurt whispered repeatedly in her ear as he rocked him. Blaine's hand began fumbling, trying to grab Kurt's jacket, but Kurt grasped it and squeezed hard. "I love you so much."
"I l-love you too." Blaine cried, squeezing his hand back so hard that it was almost painful.
"Shh, shh." Kurt cooed, rocking him slowly. "It's okay, Blaine… It's okay… I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Blaine's shoulders shook more, his grip on Kurt's hand tightening even more as if he were trying to make sure Kurt was indeed physically there. It broke Kurt's heart. He hated seeing Blaine like this. He hated knowing the people that had caused Blaine this pain were only five houses down. Kurt would have paid money to burst into that house, to tell them just how cruel they were, to tell them where exactly they could shove their fucked up views, and tell them exactly how wrong they were about their son. All he could do, though, was hug Blaine, shush him, and try to comfort him.
It seemed to take ages for Blaine's sobs to subside. Kurt stood still, not caring that it was snowing, that he was standing outside hunched over in a car, and that he was freezing. All that mattered was Blaine getting this out of his system so it didn't bottle up inside and get worse. He just wanted Blaine to feel better, to feel happier.
Finally Blaine's sobs turned into cries which turned into hiccups and then quiet sniffles. He didn't dare loosen his grip on Blaine until the older boy pulled away, eyes puffy and red, cheeks tearstained.
"I-I'm sorry." He sniffled, letting his grip on Kurt's hand loosen. "I d-don't know w-why I can't go s-six months without d-doing this."
"Shh." Kurt shushed him. "Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for, Blaine. Nothing."
"I don't want to s-see the house. I-I'll just b-back up and go the other way."
"No." Kurt shook his head.
"Kurt, I can't." Blaine squeaked.
"I mean, no. You're not driving. I'm going to drive us home." Kurt whispered, kissing his forehead. "So whenever you're ready to leave, I'm driving."
Blaine nodded and his lip began to tremble again.
"No, Blaine, no." Kurt cooed, wrapping him in another hug. "It's okay. I promise, you're okay."
"I don't know what I'd do without you." Blaine choked out. "P-Please don't ever leave me, Kurt."
"I'm not going anywhere, honey." Kurt whispered, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere."
Blaine nodded, just gripping his hand tightly again.
…
Blaine had fallen asleep just as Kurt made it onto the highway, curled up with his feet tucked underneath him. He slept the entire way, very softly snoring and occasionally sniffling in his sleep. He only woke up long enough to make it to bed as soon as they got home. When inside, he conked out before his head even hit the pillow.
Kurt had barely made it out of the bedroom when his cell phone rang. Kurt fumbled to answer it as quickly as possible so it wouldn't wake his sleeping boyfriend. "Hello?"
"Is he okay? You guys were sitting out there forever. I was going to come out there and check but I didn't want to intrude." David said without preamble. "Is he okay? It's about his parents, isn't it? I knew it was a bad idea to invite him out here."
Kurt quietly shut the bedroom door and walked into the kitchen to pour himself some milk. "What's your definition of okay?"
"Shit." David sighed. "He seemed just fine when he was here, though."
"I know… It seems like this just happens every so often…" Kurt sighed as he put the cup in the microwave. "It hasn't happened since we moved into the apartment. He's pretty upset. He cried himself to sleep on the way home."
"I'll call him tomorrow and talk to him, and apologize." David said quietly. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I was hoping he'd be fine with being in the neighborhood."
"It's not your fault, David. You don't have anything to apologize for. It was something about passing the house on the way out." Kurt said. "That's why I think it happened then… I told him I'd just back out and we could go the way we came but…"
"But he was already too upset for it to matter." David sighed. "Is he awake? Can I talk to him now?"
"He crawled right into bed and fell back asleep." Kurt answered, taking a drink of his now warm milk. "He'll probably feel better when he wakes up. That's how he always is when he's worked up about something. Try not to worry about it. He'll be fine."
"Okay. I'm going to get off here and call Wes, and warn him just in case Blaine happens to call him before I get a chance to talk to Blaine. If anything happens, you'll call me right?"
"Of course, David." Kurt said, smiling a bit. He remembered Blaine stating how David had stood up to Blaine's father. He always took care of Blaine. Clearly he was very protective of the shorter boy. "Thanks for having us over again."
"Anytime, Kurt. Have a good night."
"You too, David. Bye." Kurt snapped his phone shut and, after letting Kreacher out to potty, went towards the bedroom. "Now, Kreacher, you need to stay on the edge of the bed tonight. Blaine needs to be cuddled and you'll just get in the way."
Kreacher, still mad at how he had been treated earlier, gave Kurt a look but did as told when they made it to the bedroom, hopping onto the bed and making himself comfortable at the foot of it. Blaine was awake, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were still fairly red rimmed.
"Hey, you want something to drink? Or eat?" Kurt whispered, going to his side of the bed and leaning over him.
"'M fine." Blaine whispered, moving his head to look at Kurt. "Was that David calling?"
"It woke you up. I'm sorry." Kurt frowned. "But yes, it was."
"He saw us. I knew he would. He was probably looking to make sure the car started and I started blubbering."
"You weren't blubbering." Kurt said soothingly, moving and getting into bed next to him. "Want to snuggle?"
Blaine's only response was to curl up with Kurt, getting into his arms and nuzzling his chest. "I like it here."
"I like you there too." Kurt smiled a bit and gave Blaine a squeeze. "Are you doing okay, baby?"
"Yes and no." Blaine sighed a bit. "I'll feel better tomorrow… At least, I hope I will."
"I'm sorry you're hurting." Kurt whispered, running his fingers up and down Blaine's back through his striped t-shirt (Kurt had only tugged off the cardigan and Blaine's jeans before getting him into bed).
Blaine curled into him slightly. "I would rather have you over them anyway."
Kurt just tugged him closer while whispering, "I love you so much."
***WBUCT***
Every time that Blaine would have a breakdown about his family, there were a few things that were guaranteed. Blaine would stick close by Kurt's side, as if by some magnetic force. No matter what Kurt was doing, Blaine would be close by with his head on Kurt's shoulder or his hand on Kurt's knee. Just close enough to touch him, to know that Kurt was still there. Blaine was never one to be clingy, but he definitely craved being close to Kurt after any episode involving his parents happened. He liked to be reassured.
The next few days were uneventful really, but Kurt tried to spend as much time with Blaine as humanly possible just for the sheer fact that it offered some comfort to the boy. When he didn't have to be working on school work, he made sure to comfort him as much as was possible.
While Blaine seemed to return to his chipper self after the fourth day, Kurt wanted to make sure that Blaine knew he would always be there for him. If that meant staying up even later some nights to get work done, then so be it. He was used to staying up late anyway and Blaine was more than worth it.
"I still want a kitten." Blaine randomly chirped from the loveseat the fourth day as he read his English novel and Kurt worked on his latest sketch—one that finally required the use of his tablet.
Kurt looked up from the tablet. "No way."
"No way?" Blaine asked, looking up from his book also. "Why not? I bought you a puppy. An evil puppy."
"And I am eternally grateful, Blaine, but we can't get a cat right now. Besides, cats are mean."
"Only when you're mean to them." Blaine protested, moving to join Kurt on the couch. He would have joined him initially, but he had fallen asleep before Kurt had made it home from classes on the love seat and had begun to read as soon as he'd woken up. "Come on. I already told you I'd go to that dumb Lady Gaga concert with you and we both know how I feel about Lady Gaga."
"Gaga is fabulous." Kurt said, retuning his attention to his table. Did he know he was going to have to eventually let Blaine adopt some small, furry animal? Yes. Did he know it would probably be a cat, as Blaine had admitted he'd always wanted a 'fat cat to curl up and read with?' Yes. Did that day have to be today? Not if he could help it. Two young men and one crazy dog was just about all their tiny apartment could handle.
"Potato, Pah-tot-oh." Blaine waved his hand in the air. "C'mon, Kurt. I'm prepared to pull out my guitar and make songs about wanting a cat until you agree."
"We have a hard enough time making sure Kreacher doesn't stink up the apartment. You can't want to bring a cat in too. The apartment will smell like a zoo." Kurt said.
"What if we get a bigger apartment?"
"We don't need a bigger apartment."
"Yes we do. We've both taken over one another's closets. Face it. Two gay guys in an apartment with two tiny closets do not mesh. Maybe we can get a two bedroom one and lock Kreacher in the second one."
"Blaine…" Kurt laughed and set his tablet down, scooting closer to his boyfriend. He gently prodded his stomach. "You're so distracting. This is why I used to stay after school every night."
"Well if you let me get a kitten, I'll have a new friend to play with." Blaine smiled at him adorably and rested his head on Kurt's shoulder. "Pleaaaase."
"Honestly?" Kurt asked.
"Uh huh." Blaine stuck out his lower lip in an adorable pout. "I would like a kitten friend."
"Would you settle for a hamster?" Kurt questioned. Maybe Kurt could turn this around. Maybe, just maybe, it would work in a way that was more to Kurt's advantage.
"Nope." Blaine shook his head. "I might settle for a sugar glider, though."
"Settle? That's an exotic animal!" Kurt's eyes widened. "Are you insane? A sugar glider in this apartment?
"A cute and tiny exotic animal!" Blaine corrected. "It would fit right in with me—after all, you always say I'm cute and tiny."
Well Kurt would certainly never be saying that again if it was going to be held against him. He rolled his eyes. "What about a hedgehog?"
"Nah. I've moved on to bigger and better things. Maybe a fuzzy bunny? With floppy ears?"
"Oh God." Kurt moaned, covering his face. "You're really going to sit here until I agree to a new pet, Blaine. You realize we're not even technically allowed to have Kreacher here, right?"
"When I get my next quarterly payment, I'll take you shoppppping."
"Don't you dare bring that money into this!" Kurt laughed. "You're a cruel and sick individual, Blaine Anderson."
"I take pride in that fact." Blaine said cheerfully. "You know, I'm pretty sure you promised me a cat once."
Kurt rolled his eyes. "No. I'm pretty sure that I did not because I do not like cats."
"I'll make it worth your while." Blaine said, sitting up and smirking.
"What on Earth are you doing?" Kurt yelped as Blaine crawled onto his lap.
"Nothing." Blaine said, leaning down to kiss him.
"Mmh, you're very persuasive." Kurt smirked as well, resting his hands on Blaine's thin waist.
"I've been told that once or twice." Blaine mumbled before pressing their lips together.
"I can't believe you're doing this." Kurt giggled into the kiss, tugging him closer.
"It's because you taste so yummy." Blaine said, kissing down his neck.
"Don't get too excited. I don't think I've fully recovered from last night." Kurt teased, tilting his head.
Blaine just giggled into his skin in an absolutely adorable way. "Kitten?"
"Mmh, not quite convinced yet."
"No?" Blaine asked, fingers moving to unbutton the first few buttons of Kurt's long sleeved purple shirt. "How about now?"
"Maybe I'll be more easily persuaded if you're shirtless too?" Kurt asked in an innocent voice as Blaine tugged his own shirt off—finally. "Although I really like that shirt on you, I think I like you better shirtless."
"That can be arranged." Blaine said, yanking his sweater off eagerly. "Now?"
"I will agree to a kitten—."
"Yes!"
"If we get it after school is out." Kurt finished.
"It's mid-March. That's only two months away! I can really get a kitten?"
"Only because I love you and you asked so nicely." Kurt pulled him down for another kiss as the doorbell rang.
"Ignore it. It's probably some bible carrying weirdo again." Blaine said, bending to kiss his collar bone. "I swear the lady across the hall sends them over here because we're gay. I still think we should give them a show the next time they come."
"I'm not going to make out with you in front of Jehovah's Witnesses, Blaine. You're even the one went to church." Kurt said, kissing him again as the doorbell rang a second time. "Oh my God. Can't they take a hint?"
Blaine rolled off of Kurt and tugged his shirt on, scowling. "Apparently God only wants me to get laid once a week, sometimes not even that much."
Kurt buttoned his shirt up and opened the door. His eyes widened when he saw his father. "Dad?"
"Hey, kid." Burt said, shuffling anxiously. "Can I come in?"
Kurt glanced at Blaine, who was now very quickly straightening his shirt. "I guess, Dad, but what are you doing here? No offense, but I haven't been coming to Lima for a reason."
"Look, Kurt, I understand why you're upset with me. I understand why Blaine is upset with me. But this isn't your fight to fight." Burt said, eyeing him. "I want to talk…" he trailed off and looked at Blaine. "Do you mind if we talk, Blaine?"
"Dad, no." Kurt sighed. "He doesn't want to talk to you."
Burt ignored Kurt's statement. "Why don't you go in the kitchen so I can talk to him, okay?"
"No." Kurt shook his head. "That's not happening."
"It's fine, Kurt." Blaine said quietly. What could possibly happen with Kurt in the next room? Blaine didn't see a flame thrower in his arms and he was tiny. Surely if Burt came at him, he could run past him.
"If you start anything again, Dad, I'm not talking to you for three months." Kurt threatened before stalking out of the room.
Blaine looked down at the floor awkwardly, not wanting to look at Burt who had his hands in his pockets.
"Look, Blaine…" Burt began after several seconds, sighing heavily. "I never should have… come up here and accused you of… well, you know. And I regret it. I don't like that you two never come over any more. I know it's my own doing."
Blaine did not speak. He looked up, but made sure to not look in Burt's direction.
"I jumped to conclusions. Kurt came home sobbing in the middle of the night, wouldn't say anything, would only eat when Carole forced him to. He wouldn't even play with Melody. It scared me. The only thing he said was that he said some bad things—which I do not agree with at all— and that you called him an idiot. In my mind, in that moment, I thought…" Burt trailed off. "I never expected that out of you. When Kurt was still sick and he'd be a brat, you just let him do it and waited for him to cool off. I get it. Things are different now. For you. Not for me. The day after the trial, he moved out with you. I see him once a week, but I don't live with him. I don't get to see the day to day fits you all have, I don't see if he's just putting on a happy face because he's at home and doesn't want me to worry. I'm protective of him. Can you blame me?"
"Yes." Blaine said very simply, unable to stop himself. "Yes, I can blame you for driving all the way to Cincinnati from Lima to tell me that I haven't taken good care of Kurt. I have taken excellent care of Kurt ever since last fall. I was the one who got up in the middle of the night. I stayed every night in the hospital—many more nights than you, because you had work. I took him to doctor's appointments, I fed him, I held him when he had nightmares, I made sure he took his medicine even though he absolutely hated taking it and I hated making him. Yes, I can blame you for telling me that I didn't take care of Kurt."
"I helped as much as I could." Burt protested. "I helped a lot."
"I'm not saying you didn't. I'm just saying I did. I don't appreciate you throwing that out the window as if it never happened. Because it was hard. But I did it because I love him. And I try my hardest to take care of him. I try to make sure he gets some sleep, even if it's just a nap. I try to make sure he eats too. I take care of him."
"You do. That's why I was wrong to say that." Burt said very calmly. "I think that you take very good care of him. I just don't think you showed Kurt a whole lot of respect throughout that entire fight."
"We both said things. We both did things. I feel terrible about the things I've said and I have apologized to Kurt on more than one occasion since then." Blaine said very slowly. "We both could have treated each other with a lot more respect. But that is for us to decide and not you. The facts are that I disrespected Kurt and he disrespected me. I find it incredibly unfair that you're using that against me—especially when the fight had nothing to do with you. It didn't have anything to do with you."
"It had something to do with me the minute he showed up at my house, Blaine." Burt argued. "How was I supposed to react?"
"You weren't supposed to think that I would ever hurt him like that. Why were you so quick to w-write me off like that? After everything I've done for Kurt?" Blaine asked, looking hurt. He could feel himself becoming emotional again—just like he did whenever he really thought about it. It still made him sick to his stomach that anyone could think he'd do—that stuff. "I put my whole life on hold for six months for him. I would do anything for him. You're the one who let me stay at your house. You're the one who went to Finn's football games with me almost every Saturday last football season. You should know me better than that. H-How could you think I'd ever lay a hand on Kurt?"
The last part came out sounding broken. Even Burt had to look away. "I'm sorry."
Blaine let out a hollow sort of laugh. "Right. Because that just makes it all go away. Sorry makes everything better, doesn't it? Or wait. For you, forcing Kurt to leave me makes everything better. I don't even understand how you think you possibly have any control over who Kurt does or does not date."
"I was worried about my son." Burt said gruffly as Kurt walked in, looking between the two.
"Fine. Worry about him. Don't try to control him. Don't always let him run to you with everything. How is he—how are we—supposed to handle stuff on our own if you're always in the way? Always there to make things right? We're supposed to make mistakes, okay? He's supposed to do stupid shit and have to figure out how to get himself out of it. You can't hold his hand forever. At some point you have to accept that fact that he's an adult who is capable of making his own decisions, as well as his own mistakes. You have done a good job raising him. Now it's time to let him take over."
"He's too young. He's still learning." Burt protested.
Kurt, who had quietly been listening for the last few minutes from the doorway, stepped into the room and didn't stop until he reached Blaine. "Dad, Blaine's right. I'm nineteen. In August I'll be twenty… It's probably—no, it is time that I start dealing with stuff myself, I think."
"Nineteen is not old enough to be completely on your own."
"I'm not alone." Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed it firmly. "You just said you trusted him to take care of me and that he does take good care of me. He's taken care of me for a long time… I'm still going to need you for things… but there are some things that I need to figure out for myself, right? I don't want to have to go to you with almost everything for the rest of my life… It doesn't mean you're losing me or anything, though. It just means I'll have to try a little harder with things, but that's good. You should want that for me. You should want me to be at a point where I can live on my own and not have to run to you for money or help over anything, right?"
"I suppose." Burt said gruffly, rubbing his temple. "Look, I get it. I know what I did was wrong. And Blaine, maybe I don't give you enough credit for everything that you've done for Kurt. I'm sorry for that. For both things. You've done a lot of my son. You're right. You're there for him one hundred percent. Kurt's… Kurt's very lucky to have someone like you."
"I don't know what you want me to say. I'm appreciative that you came here to say all of that." Blaine took a deep breath. "But I'm not ready to just… act like it never happened. But no matter what I say to you, it's a lose-lose situation for me."
"Why's that?"
"If I say how I truly feel, I'm not being a team player. If I say how I truly feel, everybody else gets upset. I'm supposed to just say 'it's okay' because you're Kurt's dad. Otherwise I look like the bad person who can't accept something and move on."
"I upset you, kid. You don't have to accept my apology until you're ready." Burt sighed.
"You say that, but that's not what you mean. If I don't, you and everyone else are going to judge me for the rest of my life."
"That's a bit dramatic." Burt joked, before speaking in a more serious tone of voice. "I'm not going to judge you. I don't think anyone would. You've got every right to be pissed. I never should have gotten so involved in Kurt's life. I never should have said that stuff to you and I deserved everything you said to me that day. You shouldn't accept my apology until you're ready to accept it. But when you are, you just let me know. Because I think everyone would like things to go back to normal. Carole misses seeing you at least once a week. I know you talk every day, but it's not the same to her."
That was one thing he hated about the fight. He did miss seeing Carole every Friday. Burt was right, and Kurt had mentioned it before. They did talk on the phone every day. Blaine felt closer to her than he'd ever felt to David and Wes' moms. He knew Carole genuinely enjoyed hearing from him and hearing about his day and that was nice. Because he was just her stepson's boyfriend. She didn't have to do that, make him feel welcome, but she did. It was nice to feel a kind of bond like that. Kurt was right when he said that Blaine cared for her.
"I'm going to head back to Lima." Burt sighed after Blaine's lack of response. He put his hand on Blaine's shoulder. "Listen, kid. I'm sorry. I can't say enough how sorry I am for belittling everything you've done and for accusing you of harming Kurt. I'm sorry for all of it and I want to make this right eventually… I wasn't lying in the hospital when I told you that you were a part of this family. And you still are, even if you hate my guts right now. When you're ready to work on it, let me know."
Blaine didn't say anything. He just nodded, holding back a sigh.
Kurt squeezed his hand before dropping it and moving to hug his Dad. Blaine heard him whisper a 'Thank you' very quietly.
"You boys take care of yourself." Burt said, hugging Kurt back and then leaving.
Kurt pursed his lips together and turned to look at Blaine cautiously. "So… I take it the mood is gone and we're not going to continue where we left off?"
"I'd have to agree with that." Blaine let out his sigh and nodded. "That was a bit of a cockblock, you know."
Kurt pursed his lips together and rocked on his heels for a few seconds before smiling. "A kitten, huh?"
"Please, please, please, please, please." Blaine said, feeling himself starting to smile. "A really little one that can fit in the palm of my hand."
"Okay." Kurt nodded, moving to hug him. "We'll start looking for your new kitten friend as soon as finals are done. Does that sound like a deal?"
"That sounds like a very good deal." Blaine said, and turned to stick his tongue out at Kreacher, who just growled in response.