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Chapter 2

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AN: Actually, now that I've gotten a little further into this story, I've kind of, sort of, changed my mind. This is still probably going to be a short. But it will also be one of a number of shorts set in this world. It's just going to be the first. There might be sequels, prequels, side steps, AR of this AR, my prerogative. I do love me an established Kurtbastian, especially this Kurtbastian.

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"Kurt!" Burt Hummel greeted his son happily, pulling him into a fierce hug. He set him back and let his eyes rake over his form with a pleased look in his eyes. "You're looking so good."

"Thanks... Dad." Kurt blushed a little at the compliment and attention. He ducked his head a little.

Sebastian's fingers along the back of his neck, had him lifting it again and standing a little prouder. "Mr. Hummel." Sebastian held out his other hand but Burt bypassed it for a hug from Sebastian as well.

"How many times do I have to tell you it's Burt? Honestly Sebastian, it's like you're still that little 8 year old looking up at me after you broke my mother's antique serving plate." He glanced at Kurt and their continued physical contact and he smiled wryly. "Or when you were 10 and told me you were going to marry my son."

"Well... you only had one of each." Sebastian gave a shrug, some of his cockiness that he tried to keep tamped down around Burt slipping out. It was only a day later when Kurt told him he now had a boyfriend. Burt reflected upon that time in humor but at the time he'd been unsure what to think. That plan had apparently not wavered once but Sebastian hadn't brought it up again and Burt wondered if his silence on the topic had been taken as approval.

"Uh, um, yeah, that's true." Burt didn't always have the best comebacks with his son's boyfriend but there was a lot of mutual respect there and that meant the world. "Well, come in, come in, I'm glad you both could make it. Carole is going to be a little late, she has to go home and change after her shift."

"Shift?" Kurt perked up. "Is she a doctor?"

"Nurse."

"Oh." Kurt pushed through that disappointment, he'd been hoping that she was breaking gender stereotypes. "RN?"

"Nope, NP." That did cause Kurt's eyes to start dancing again.

"Sounds smart."

"And caring." Burt added, thinking that was the most important part and Kurt nodded his agreement. "I was wondering if maybe the two of you could do some one on one bonding this weekend? Maybe... take her out shopping or something?" He glanced at Sebastian. "You could help me down at the shop while they're out."

"I was thinking of maybe going to the grocery store and picking up dinner ingredients." Sebastian countered. "I have a few recipes I wanted to try out but if you need me at the shop, I could swing by."

"No, no, that's find, that's a better use of your time than helping me try to figure out the new software program my team convinced me to invest in."

"That's more Kurt's foray than mine." Sebastian gave a small shrug. "Give me my phone and I can work wonders. Put me in front of a computer and I want to toss it out the window." Burt knew that too, but he was just trying to help keep Sebastian distracted while Kurt was out. They usually had something they could bond over whenever Kurt was otherwise occupied.

"You wouldn't mind Kurt's absence for a bit longer then?" Burt glanced at his son, firmly ensconced within Sebastian's arm. "I only need to borrow him for a couple of hours."

"I am more than capable of entertaining myself." Sebastian laughed. "He's your son, you don't get to see him very often. I am just intruding in on your time with him but I don't think I could handle a whole weekend without him."

"When was the last time you had to?" Burt asked, not actually expecting an answer.

The two boys shared a wry smile. "When we were 13 and you sent me to that horrid summer camp and I came back with all those welts from all those flies." Kurt shuddered. It had taken days of meticulous ointments and creams for the bites to go away. Turned out he was allergic to something in those bites and he'd been allowed to come home earlier than the week he was supposed to be gone.

"I thought you would like astronomy camp, you were always talking about the moon and stars."

The boys shared a laugh and Sebastian hid his face by burying it into Kurt's hair. "Not those stars and moon."

"I'm hoping that you're not alluding to something I'll be upset about at the age of 13." Burt's tone was no longer quite as easy going as it had been before.

"Celebrity stars, Dad."

"And the moon?" Burt questioned, holding his son's eyes that were tearing up with laughter and trying to look away but would hold Burt's as steadily as Burt's were.

"I don't remember?" Kurt asked hoping his dad would buy it. Mirth filled Sebastian's eyes as Burt turned slightly pink at all the possibilities and Kurt remained completely neutral. What a switch for those two! Though Sebastian had in the past had done a good job embarrassing both and causing both to be pink.

Oh, the first time Burt walked in on them- Sebastian started to crack up at that memory but managed to push it down before he did. Kurt was having a battle of wills with his dad and Burt flinched first, nodding and looking away, accepting that he didn't want to know what that was all about.

Burt's green-blue eyes locked onto Sebastian's green ones. "Do you have anything to add?"

Sebastian couldn't keep the smile completely off his face as he shrugged. "Nope." He always forgot how similar yet different Kurt and Burt's eyes were from each other. Burt's were definitely greener with a hint of blue in there. Kurt's on first description were always claimed as blue, hence the claim on his driver's license, but there was a lot of green and gray and even some golden yellow in there too. Sometimes though, if the light was just right, and at a distance, Kurt and Burt would appear to have the same eye color. It was always comical to see them lift the same brow in the same way at the same time.

In some angles, they had a similar nose but that's where their physical similarities ended.

Recently, over the summer, Kurt had gained 4 inches and his dad was just noticing it too. He didn't quite reach his dad's height and he'd never bulk up and broaden to his dad's extent but there was still some possibility of it happening somewhat. Kurt didn't want to broaden though he wasn't opposed to strengthening some of those muscles, but he didn't want the bulk.

Sebastian didn't care, he loved Kurt no matter what he looked like. He slipped his hand into Kurt's seeking one. Then he brought it up to his lips to kiss the back of when he moved closer to lift Kurt's hand without putting strain on his arm.

"You've gotten taller. I thought it but it wasn't until you two were standing here like this that I realized it. You're almost as tall as Sebastian now."

"A couple of inches." Kurt agreed, glancing over at Sebastian, it had been a bit of an adjustment, being able to just look into Sebastian's eyes rather than look up. Sometimes he caught himself still looking up but would end up looking at Sebastian's forehead than meeting his eyes.

He'd gotten taller without expanding outward at all, so it made him even thinner. He had to have all his uniforms re-fitted and tailored and had to let out the hem in his pants and buy new long sleeved tops in his day clothes. They didn't fit in a lot of different ways. Not much was left of his closet except a few pairs of jeans that had been too long when he bought them and hadn't gotten to tailoring yet and accessories. Even his non-long-sleeved tops were awkwardly short along his hips and waist. There was some relief with some of them because as he got longer, he got thinner so it didn't sit too high on him if he didn't reach upward or outward for something.

Sebastian had bought him what he was wearing now after he split his pants at Coney. The salty air and inappropriate drying of his clothes had contributed but his sudden height change had more to do with it. Sebastian had been helpful in the end, he'd gone out with Kurt's measurements and got him a couple of new outfits. He just had to tease and take advantage of Kurt's discomfort first. Kurt would have done something to Sebastian too, even if it might not have been the same type of reaction.

"Careful Sebastian, of you might be the one having to look up if he keeps growing."

Sebastian shrugged and wrapped his arms around Kurt, not content to be so far from his boyfriend. "Might be a novelty to look up at someone and there's no person I'd rather do that with than Kurt."

"It really wouldn't change anything for you, would it?" Burt wasn't actually asking, he just seemed pleased. After all these years, it hadn't changed at all, maybe only increased in intensity. Then he shook his head. "So tomorrow, Kurt's shopping with Carole for a few hours, you're grocery shopping and cooking and I'll be at the shop, wonderful."

"Yeah, about that, dad... won't she think it weird that I just meet her and then tell her we need to completely change her wardrobe?"

Burt shook his head. "Yee of little faith, you should know me better than that. I am not a complete neanderthal." There was a small smile but neither of the boys knew what he was smiling about for sure. "I've told her about you and your love of fashion. She was the one to come up with the suggestion as she said she needs a few outfits, woefully overdue in purchasing them, actually were her words."

"Any idea what she needs?" Kurt's thoughts were already jumping to the possibilities.

"You'll have to ask her over dinner." Burt gave a small shrug. "You know how it is, you talk about clothes and I only have a vague idea what you're talking about. A woman talks about clothes and I'm just totally out of my depth." He didn't even hope that Sebastian had his corner in this one.

Sebastian despite his attempt at pretending he was clueless was actually well-versed in brands and formalities and all the details that went into different outfits for different events. Between Kurt and having to attend them all his life, he was well too versed in fashion. Having an aunt in the fashion field who loved to gossip with Kurt every Christmas and over this last summer was also hard to avoid unless he was willing to sacrifice his proximity to his boyfriend.

Kurt was polite and welcoming to Carole. The whole night, he didn't ask one inappropriate question or demand to know the full story. He just let it unfurl and Sebastian matched his style. Had it been one of his own parents, he might have just refused to speak to anyone until they explained themselves. Kurt had never been like that, not with his family, at least. Sometimes he was a lot more blunt with his friends, calling them out on their shit.

Sebastian never seemed to have a problem with that, but he didn't want to mess anything up for Kurt here, this was his family. There had always been a different relationship and understanding in the Hummel house. It's why Sebastian did enjoy coming with Kurt. He felt like another son in Burt's eyes, even if he attempted to keep the formality between them and Burt was careful not to criticize too harshly when he didn't agree with something Sebastian did.

Carole greeted them both warmly and dare he say it? Motherly, as she came in and wrapped both in their individual hugs and kissed one of their cheeks each. She held Kurt's arms in her hands though as she leaned back and looked him over. "Your father has neglected to mention just how handsome you are."

Kurt blushed and Sebastian's hand came to rest on the small of his back. "I tell him that every day and he has yet to believe me. Maybe with your help we can finally convince him?" Sebastian asked conspiratorially with Carole, giving her a wink and she smiled broadly in agreement with his terms. It also indicator of future meetings and Carole having some kind of permanence. Carole was smart, she didn't miss the subtle compliment, rare from Sebastian for anyone other than the Hummels.

Kurt elbowed him gently. "I'm pretty sure handsome isn't the term you use."

"I guess I'll have to start using it more then." Sebastian said giving Kurt a look that he correctly translated and tore his eyes from Sebastian and back to Carole before they could act on that promise.

"I get it from my father, don't you think?" Kurt moved forward and wrapped his arm around Carole's to guide her into the kitchen. By now she probably knew the kitchen better than he did, but no one pointed that out, wouldn't dare dream to. This was the first woman Burt had ever introduced to his child and may just be the first one he dated, Kurt was determined to give her the warmest of welcomes.

Conversation flowed smoothly between the four and dinner was nothing compared to what Sebastian would cook up the next night but it hadn't been gross. Cooking was definitely not Burt's forte.

At one point, Carole caught Burt's eyes and they seemed to be talking about something the boys weren't privy to. Burt slipped his hand around Carole's and gave a small nod. She turned her attention onto Kurt. "I have a son your age, actually."

"Oh?" Sebastian was the one that asked, moving a minuscule amount closer to Kurt, most wouldn't have noticed but Kurt could feel it and Burt and Carole's eyes were trained on them and their reactions.

Burt shook his head at Sebastian, just mentioning another boy shouldn't be cause for alarm. He didn't know what got into Sebastian's head some days, those two had been together for so long and Kurt had never once glanced at another boy. There was no need to be so jealous or protective. He wasn't a hundred percent sure what was motivating Sebastian just then. Kurt was perfectly at ease... except he wasn't. Burt frowned when he saw that Kurt was tense. "A son, my age?" He repeated for clarification. Sebastian's reaction was clearer now, he had sensed Kurt's response before they were able to see it.

"Yes, his name is Finn."

Kurt gave a small nod, his hand seeking Sebastian's beneath the table and Sebastian squeezed it reassuringly. Burt frowned harder at the reaction, what was this about? "What... what's he like?"

Carole grinned, totally missing the concern, Kurt was good at covering up his feelings but the two males at the table with him knew him too well. Even the slightest of ticks could tell them so much about Kurt's inner workings that others would completely miss if they weren't watching so closely.

"Well he's a football player, captain actually." Her voice was so proud of her son.

"Oh how nice." Kurt agreed with a smile, if anything though, he tensed further.

"He's also just a loveable teddy-bear. He's so incredibly sweet and thoughtful. His girlfriend is the captain of the cheer-leading squad."

Sebastian saw Kurt swallow back his initial reaction, he'd had the same thought. "Sounds like an All-American boy, you must be very proud."

"Oh, I am. He's also a pretty smart kid."

Kurt's eyes flickered over to his dad then. "And you've met him?"

"We've had a few dinners together." There it was, the reason for Kurt's reaction and Burt frowned, wondering where he'd went wrong to put that look in Kurt's eyes. "A couple of outings, the two of us to get to know each other, the three of us too."

As a family, Kurt's thoughts filled in the blank that Burt had left out.

Sebastian tried to break the tension, Kurt's hand was going to break his hand otherwise. "Have you two known each other long?"

Carole and Burt shared a look, she was finally piecing together the tension in the room but wasn't sure why it was, yet. "We've been dating for about a year." Burt confirmed. "She came in with this clunker that she just bought for Finn and it was not running at all the way it had been before she brought it home. We hit it off right away and next thing we knew, we were dating starting that night." He shared a soft smile with Carole.

"A year?" Kurt gasped and then quickly tried to hide his reaction. "This is getting pretty serious then."

"Yeah..." Carole squeezed Burt's hand that rested on the top of the table and looked to Kurt. "I've been asking about you the whole time but you're pretty busy with school. We haven't been able to figure out a time to meet until now."

It was an inconvenient time now too. "I've had breaks. I've been home."

Burt was grateful for Sebastian's hand soothing Kurt's back just then, for Sebastian saw what Burt was going to say. "You've been at Sebastian's or with him elsewhere over the breaks. I had you for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day this last year. I wasn't going to drop it in your lap at either of those occasions." He sounded a bit peeved actually now that he said it out loud.

"You never had a problem with me going with him before."

"You usually spent summer holidays with me and I don't have a problem." He looked to Sebastian to reassure him too. "You two are making a life together, I'm not getting involved in that. I just wish I'd see my son a bit more often. I didn't even realize how much it annoyed me until just now. I thought I was fine with it. I miss you every day anyway, this just cemented though that you're getting older and you're going to be around less and less." Even though he only went to school two hours away.

"I... I guess I could home more often." Kurt looked to Sebastian for his thoughts and feelings. Sebastian shrugged, he didn't feel like he needed to have a say in it, as long as it wasn't every weekend. He couldn't handle being apart from Kurt that much, even if he came with Kurt on most of those trips, the times apart would be rough. Kurt bit his bottom lip and looked to his dad again. "I don't exactly have a car though to come." He was 17 and it had never really been an issue before. He just usually bummed a ride with one of the other guys if they went anywhere or Sebastian drove them down to Lima. Burt tended to make the trip up to see him for dinners on Fridays.

Kurt's head snapped back with that self-reminder. "I might not have come here other than those times but you come up nearly every Friday. You could have told me at any of those dinners."

Burt held up his hands, and even Sebastian wasn't able to calm Kurt down in light of all this. "Ok, ok, I probably could have told you sooner but I never thought the time was right and after we celebrated our one year anniversary, I realized that the time to tell you was running out. I didn't intend to keep it a secret, I just didn't know how to broach it with you. I didn't realize it'd been a year until then and I knew I would have to create the time."

Carole shook her head. "I'm sorry dear, that you had to hear about it in this way. We talk about you all the time and I've asked about you, wanting to meet you. I guess time slipped by me too."

In the face of reason, and desire to explain themselves, Kurt's anger usually disappeared as quickly as it flared. There had only been a few, best forgotten and learned from, occasions that the anger took longer to pass. Kurt could be vicious when provoked.

Thankfully this time, the anger passed and his shoulders sagged and he leaned into Sebastian. He rested his hand on Sebastian's thigh and stroked in small short movements his thanks for his support. Sebastian pressed his mouth to the shell of Kurt's ear briefly.

Kurt gave a small nod toward the newer couple and reached easily for a topic they could all partake in. He was the consummate host, even if he was visiting his dad and his new girlfriend. He always knew how to smooth the situation over and pretend nothing was wrong. He got a lot of practice with Sebastian intentionally stirring things up.

The other men in the room though knew they would have to tackle this topic at a different time. They knew it wasn't the end, that Kurt still had lingering unsettled feelings over this. One would have more success than the other in the short term.

Kurt was too good at dancing around an issue he didn't want to discuss.