A/N - apologies for this chapter not only being late but also shorter than usual. Life got away from me this week and I've just not had the time to write! Normal service shall resume shortly!!!
In the meantime, I'd thoroughly recommend checking out A Summer Story by Kb Ellen - the final chapters are being posted this weekend and it's a beautiful story!
Anyway, back to Repair!
The next month was a blur of Christmas preparations. Both Kurt & Blaine had felt it best to delay planning the wedding until their schedules were more manageable.
Kurt had a lot of balls to juggle with school and work not to mention the final touches to his part of the prospectus recording. The applicant showcase was set for the second week in January and rehearsals were taking up any free time he had between classes. As part of his role as campus guide he'd already been in touch with most of the prospective students to introduce himself in advance of their visit.
As for Blaine, he was enjoying the effects of being engaged again. Aside from the kisses and gentle touches that he thrived on from Kurt, he also found himself bothered less at school by guys (and the occasional girl!) trying to hit on him. Word soon got around that he was engaged to be married and he found himself left with a small bit pleasant group of friends who he enjoyed talking to. He was also thriving in his song-writing class and was already working on a piece that would be included in the class' end of year performance. Blaine really wanted to surprise Kurt with it so he'd avoided practising it at home despite his excitement for it.
Burt and Carole had invited both Kurt and Blaine back to Lima for Christmas and although initially hesitant they both agreed that spending time with family was too important to miss out on. They were due to fly out on the 22nd, giving them all time to catch up before Christmas. Blaine was conflicted - he loved Burt and Carole and how they'd always made him feel so welcome but he'd be 90 minutes away from his own parents. Should he pay them a visit whilst he was in town and try to reconcile with them or should he just leave things as they are. Kurt had been absolutely no help in the matter.
"It's up to you B," he'd said. "Only you can know how you feel and whether this could make you feel any better or any worse. Whatever you decide I'll support you and so will dad and Carole."
Blaine knew Kurt made sense but he still wanted someone to make the choice for him. To tell him to go and see his parents or to stay away and carry on with his life. But he knew in his heart that none of the Hummel's would push him into a situation he was uncomfortable with.
Kurt knew what he'd wanted to say - he wanted to shake Blaine hard and remind him that his parents had disowned him and cut him off completely after he told them about his diagnosis, that they hadn't even tried to find out what had happened to him after they'd tossed him out on the street. But he wouldn't - he couldn't! Blaine's heart was too good and Kurt knew that he was hoping that they'd come around and realise they couldn't turn their backs on their own child.
So when Kurt got home from rehearsals late one night and found Blaine crying quietly on the couch, his phone in his hands he guessed that things weren't going the way Blaine had hoped.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Hey you." Blaine looked up at his fiancé, his reddened eyes and tear stained cheeks giving away his raw, emotional state. Kurt sat down beside him and pulled him into a tight hug. "I called them."
"I guessed as much. Do you want to talk about it?" Kurt stroked the dark curly hair resting on his chest.
"Dad answered. All I was able to say was "hi dad, it's Blaine" before he started yelling at me through the phone, calling me disgusting and a disgrace to the family. He….he said that he thought he'd made himself perfectly clear before and that if I tried to contact them again he'd get his lawyer to deal with me."
Kurt's jaw clenched as Blaine dissolved into loud sobs. He held the broken man tightly as if to protect him from anything else that could hurt him. After about an hour, Blaine's sobs had settled into quiet hiccups as he fell asleep in Kurt's embrace. As the well-muscled, olive-skinned body fell limp in his arms, Kurt made a silent promise that he would do whatever it took to make sure he never made Blaine feel like that ever again. He carefully manoeuvred them into a horizontal position and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch to cover them. As he kissed Blaine's forehead softly, Kurt reminded himself just how lucky he was that his own dad had been so loving and welcoming to Blaine. He may not be a Hummel by blood but he was definitely loved as if he was.
