Both slept soundly all night, only stirring when Burt's voice boomed out "Are you two decent? I'm coming down."
Sitting up quickly, Blaine scrambled to retrieve the covers from where they'd been kicked off in the night. "Just hold on a sec, Burt!" Blaine called before pulling the blankets over himself and a very groggy looking Kurt. "Um..ok. You can come in."
"Oh God, I thought you said you were decent." Burt grumbled as he stared at the floor.
"We are, Dad." Kurt moaned as he rubbed at his eyes.
"You haven't got shirts on."
"No Dad, we haven't got anything on. But we're covered up. So be grateful."
"I knew I should've sent Carole down." Burt muttered. "Anyway. Breakfast is ready. Finn and Rachel are already here so hurry up and get dressed." he stated before turning and heading out of the room. He stopped in the doorway and turned back to Blaine.
"I never had you down as a religious man, Blaine."
"Uh...I'm not." Blaine said, furrowing his brow as he looked between father and son.
"Huh. That's funny. Cause last night I could've sworn I heard you shouting something about Jesus." He fixed him with a brief glare, and was gone.
"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God." Blaine chanted as he hid his head in his hands. "Tell me that did not happen. Please tell me that did not happen!"
Kurt chuckled next to him. "Relax. It's not as bad as when he caught you giving me a hand job in the garage."
"Oh shit! Why did you remind me about that? I feel even worse now. Oh crap. I'm not going to breakfast. I can't."
"Yes you can. Come on, I think we should shower together to save time."
Showering together turned out to be more of a time waster than saver, hands and mouths wandered and explored and both men took pleasure in making the other one moan loudly this time, hoping the sounds were disguised by the running water. A half hour later and they finally appeared in the kitchen, both dressed in pyjama pants and t-shirts.
"What's wrong with you Kurt?" Rachel asked as she eyed him over her coffee mug.
"And a very good morning to you too Rachel." he quipped, beaming a thank you at Blaine as he set a steaming mug in front of him.
"Your hair. You haven't done your hair. And you're wearing pyjamas."
"Yes Rachel. It's what is commonly called sleepwear."
From behind the newspaper, Burt snorted as Blaine blushed a deep red.
"I know that, but this is you. I've never seen you looking so..."
"Plain? Oh God, do I look plain? I should change."
"No!" Rachel cut him off quickly, "I was going to say happy. I've never seen you looking so happy. Both of you. You look like you should be on the front of a Christmas card or something."
"Thank you Rachel," Blaine said reaching for the pile of French toast Carole had made before Finn devoured it all. "That's very sweet. Isn't that sweet Kurt?"
"She's insane." was Kurt's only response before swiping a piece of toast from Blaine's plate.
"Aw, you do look adorable though. All fluffy and cute." he reached over and ruffled Kurt's hair, which felt soft and light running through his fingers.
"You're lucky I love you so much, Anderson." Kurt replied as he climbed onto Blaine's lap. "Otherwise you'd be a dead man walking for that."
"Hmm, but you're going to kiss me instead aren't you?" Blaine asked, grinning up at him.
"Mmmm," was Kurt's only response as he pressed his lips to his ridiculously adorable boyfriend, briefly running his tongue across his lips to taste the syrup lingering there.
"Oh for the love of God." Burt huffed, putting the newspaper down in annoyance.
"Ok boys, I think that's enough now. Remember your Dad's heart." Carole said with a grin.
"I think they're cute." Rachel stated.
"I think they're gross." Finn replied.
"I think we're still in the room, thank you very much, so stop discussing us like we're not here!" Kurt huffed as he sat back in his own chair.
"Well maybe put him down," Burt said pointing at Blaine, "and eat, instead of making us lose our appetites by putting on a live sex show at the breakfast table."
Carole laughed as Blaine blushed even deeper than he had already, and Kurt squeezed his hand under the table.
"Sorry Burt. We'll keep it PG. And um...I'm sorry about the noise, you know, last night."
Kurt banged his head down on the table in defeat and embarrassment as Finn, Rachel and Carole all laughed loudly.
"And this morning." Burt stated, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
"Oh, erm...and this morning. Sorry. I thought we were quieter."
"You weren't."
"Oh." Blaine stared at the table as Rachel reached across and patted his hand consolingly.
"Never mind Blaine, it's not as bad as the time he caught you giving Kurt a..."
"NO! No, it's not. Thank you Rachel." Blaine covered quickly, before Burt could be reminded of the event. "Anyway. I'm sorry. I'll sleep in my own room tonight if you'd rather."
"What?" Kurt shrieked.
"As tempting as that is, it's not necessary son. I'm only messing with you. For what it's worth, Rachel is right. You two are cute. Well...you know what I mean." Burt cleared his throat loudly and stood up. "Right, let's get on with the day then."
They sat down to Thanksgiving dinner late in the afternoon. Kurt, Carole and Rachel
had cooked up a storm in the kitchen, while Finn and Blaine had tried to educate Burt in the ways of Black Ops. The food was delicious, and Blaine still kept eating pie long after he had declared he couldn't fit anything else in.
"Right, a toast." Burt called, raising his beer. "Firstly to our three wonderful chefs, thank you for all your work." He tilted his bottle towards Carole.
"You're welcome honey. Thank you for staying out of the way."
"And secondly, to all of us. It's so good to look around this table and see everyone happy. And I've gotta say, I'm really proud of all of you. To family."
"To family." everyone echoed, before sipping their drinks.
"Ok, as is tradition, who is thankful for what? Finn, you start." Carole said with a smile.
"You guys still do this?" Blaine whispered to Kurt.
"Of course. I wasn't here last year, and Dad actually called me at work to find out what I was thankful for."
"What did you say?"
"My new Fendi bag. I didn't really have much else to be thankful for."
Blaine reached over and took Kurt's hand, the small gesture being enough to convey his feelings. He turned his face towards Finn as he spoke.
"Ok, well I'm thankful for Blaine being here so I can play on Xbox."
"Finn!" Rachel reprimanded.
"No, no, wait. I'm thankful he's here for Kurt too y'know? It's good to see him smiling again. Oh, and I'm thankful for Rachel as well."
"Aw honey, that was lovely. Ok my turn." Rachel said as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I'm thankful for Finn, and my Dad's even though they couldn't join us today. I'm thankful for my job, I mean, it's not broadway I know, but I'm happy and I..."
"Whatever. Good. My turn." Kurt butted in. "I'm thankful for mine and Blaine's crazy assistants, and my Dad for giving us the push we needed. And I am so, so thankful for Blaine. And...I can't say anymore because I will cry. Carole, your turn."
"Oh, well I'm thankful for our health I think. It's been a sad year for some of us," She said looking at Blaine, "and I think we should all be grateful that we're all well enough to live our lives to the fullest. Burt?"
"Hmm, well I'm thankful Kurt and Blaine made it home for the holidays. And I'm hoping they'll make it home for Christmas too. Your turn Blaine."
"Um...ok. Well I'm thankful for you and Carole. You showed me so much kindness when you took me into your home all those years ago. I repaid you in the worst way possible, but then you took me back. I will never understand why you did, but I am truly thankful to be a part of such an amazing family." Blaine looked down at the floor, blinking back tears. When he looked up again, he noticed Burt and Finn both wiping their eyes surreptitiously while Carole and Rachel sniffed into tissues. He turned to find Kurt staring at him.
"Well?" he enquired
"Well what?"
"Anything else?"
"Umm...like what?" Blaine asked, perplexed.
"Like...oh, I don't know. Your boyfriend maybe? Might you be thankful for him?"
Blaine shrugged. "He's ok I guess." he grinned at Kurt who shoved him playfully. "Ok, OK! I'm thankful for my overbearing, stubborn and sassy boyfriend who is pinching my thigh so hard that it'll be bruised for weeks! Ow!"
"Thank you, that's better." Kurt said primly, although the laughter was evident in his eyes.
"Sorry. I'll make it up to you later."
"Honestly! Blaine, do you have no filter?" Kurt cried.
"Sorry. Again."
"I'm pretending I didn't hear. It's easier that way." Burt grumbled as he took another swig of his beer. "So, Kurt. You going to come to the shop with me tomorrow?"
"Oh, I can in the morning I guess, but only for a while. Blaine and I are going to visit his mom in the afternoon."
"We are?" Blaine asked, shocked.
"We are. I am not leaving Ohio until you two have spoken."
"I don't want to."
"Blaine, are you pouting? Seriously. I swear sometimes you're five. We are going to visit your mom whether you like it or not. End of discussion." Kurt said determinedly.
"I'm not going to win on this am I?" Blaine grumbled.
"No, you're not honey. He's just like his father." Carole smiled sweetly as she patted Blaine's hand. "As Burt says to me, suck it."
At Blaine's insistence, the pair kept things chaste that night, falling asleep in each other's arms with soft kisses and whispered 'I love you's.' Or at least, Kurt slept. Blaine lay awake for the longest time, staring at the ceiling and wondering. How would his mom react to him turning up with Kurt in tow? How on earth was Blaine supposed to find the words to tell her what his Dad had done to him? And why was Kurt so determined to get this sorted out? He contemplated waking him to ask, but looking down at his beautiful face so content in sleep, he decided against it.
"I still love her." He whispered into the darkness, finally giving voice to his inner turmoil. "And I want her to love me. I just want my Mom."
"I know you do." Came a soft voice from behind him as Kurt enveloped him tighter. "It'll work itself out Blaine, I promise. It won't be easy, but we'll get there." He placed a soft kiss to Blaine's shoulder as he pulled him closer, "Now come on little spoon, sleep."
Before Blaine knew it, Kurt was pulling up outside the Anderson house. The morning had passed too quickly for his liking. Kurt had gone to the garage with his Dad, while Blaine had gone grocery shopping with Carole. It seemed that even with all the extra food from thanksgiving, Finn and Blaine had still managed to leave the cupboards bare. It struck him as he pushed the cart up and down the aisles, that he had never done something as mundane as this with his own Mom. It was such a simple thing, and yet he knew it meant a lot to Carole when he had asked if he could join her. When he lived with Kurt's family, it had become his and Carole's 'thing'. Every week he would go with her to the store, under the pretense of pushing the cart and helping with the bags, but it had come to mean so much more than that. Some of their deepest, most meaningful chats had been held in the frozen foods section, or while deciding which type of cereal to buy.
Maybe that's where things had gone so wrong, he mused. Typical conversations with his parents had revolved around how his grades were, or when his next football game was. He had never engaged in any type of idle chat with either one of them, they always seemed too formal for that. There had never been family trips to the movies, Blaine had never set foot in a mall with his mom, or a sports store with his dad, with the resulting consequence being that he never really 'knew' them. Apart from the Republican Party and gay people, he couldn't really tell you any of their likes or dislikes, he realized with alarm.
"Ready?" he heard Kurt's voice ask, jolting him back to the present.
"As I'll ever be I guess." Blaine replied staring out the window at the imposing house before him.
"You've got me. I'm with you come what may, remember? Come on." Kurt reached over and squeezed his hand and they exited the car together.
Blaine rang the bell and waited, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet and trying to calm his breathing. He clutched Kurt's hand tightly, as if afraid he might disappear if he let go. He heard footsteps in the hall and braced himself.
"Blaine!" The surprise was evident in Cynthia Anderson's voice, but she beamed a false smile in his direction and offered her cheek to be kissed. "What a lovely surprise. And I see you brought a friend. I didn't know you were in town. Come in, come in." Her gaze flicked towards Kurt for a brief moment, who was bristling already at her 'friend' comment. The loathing was evident, but not for one second did she let her mask slip.
"Thank you." Blaine said politely as he stepped into the hallway, dragging Kurt with him. "Um..I'm not actually in town as such, I'm staying with Kurt and his family in Lima."
"Oh, the mechanic and his wife? How quaint." Cynthia tried to keep her delivery light, but it came out as more of a sneer as she looked down her nose at Kurt.
"Mom. Stop. Please. I haven't come here for this. Now can you please just welcome us into your home?"
"Oh darling, you know you're always welcome here, this is your home too you know."
"And Kurt?"
"Tea?" Cynthia asked, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on Blaine.
"Tea would be lovely Mrs. Anderson, thank you." Kurt answered quickly. "Blaine and I will wait in the living room." He guided Blaine through the house with a firm hand to his back, and forced him to sit on one of the overstuffed sofas.
"God Kurt, I'm so sorry. She shouldn't be speaking to you like this. You don't deserve it. We should just go." Blaine held his head in his hands and stared at his feet.
"Oh hush now," Kurt retorted. "I came for you, not her. Just try not to lose your temper, ok? Keep in mind that this is going to be as hard for her to hear as it is for you to tell."
"How are you so smart?" Blaine asked, looking up at him with a small smile.
"Oh, you know. My quaint mechanic dad didn't do a bad job." He answered with a kiss to Blaine's forehead. They both pulled apart as Cynthia returned, though they kept their hands joined together.
"Tea for you Blaine," his mom said as he poured two cups, handing one to Blaine and taking the other herself. Kurt smiled inwardly.
"Mom." Blaine forced out through gritted teeth. "Can you please acknowledge Kurt? We've uh...we've worked things out and are back together now. It would mean a lot to me if you could accept him."
"Is this what you came to visit me for?"
"No. Actually, it's kind of connected but that's not the reason."
"Well I must say Blaine, I am very disappointed in you."
"What a surprise." Kurt muttered.
"Not only have you expressly gone against your poor, dead father's wishes, but you have actually lowered yourself to accept him back after the way he treated you. Now I know you've found things difficult recently, there's always a period of readjustment after a family bereavement, but I..."
"MOM!" Blaine yelled, face red with anger. "Will you please stop! Just stop it! I may have gone against dad's wishes, but I've been true to myself. I didn't choose to be gay mom, any more than I chose to have curly hair. And as for how Kurt treated me- you do realize he has only ever treated me with the utmost love and respect? He has always been the most perfect partner anyone could wish for. Not only was he gracious enough to let me love him, but he actually gave me a second chance when I really didn't deserve one."
"Oh Blaine please," his mom scoffed "Will you quit with the dramatics. You want to try and turn that," she said, signalling towards Kurt, "into some kind of hero then fine. But where was he when your poor father lay sick and dying? Who looked out for you when you were frantically flying back and forth between here and New York? He never cared, Blaine. He couldn't give a damn about you. And now, suddenly you're the owner of a very large law firm and in a more than enviable financial position, he comes crawling back? Excuse me for trying to protect my darling son here, but I am more than a bit suspicious." She pulled herself up straighter, with a smug grin. She turned to Blaine, expecting a response, but it was Kurt who beat him to it.
"How dare you!" He thundered, "You think I'm back for Blaine's money? Really? Do you even know what I do for a living, or how my own financial situation is? Well let me tell you, it's just dandy thank you. And just to inform you, it was your 'darling son' who came after me. All the way to London to be exact. Begging me to hear him out, to understand why he acted as he did. So I listened, and although I can't pretend to be happy about what happened, I do understand and I do forgive him. And don't you dare sit there and tell him that I didn't care. I flew from London to attend Mr Anderson's funeral, and when I couldn't summon up the courage to speak to Blaine at the service, I drove all the way out here the next day to see him instead. I can only assume, since he's never mentioned it, that you never even told him I had called.
With all due respect, you don't even realize what you have here, Mrs. Anderson. You have a handsome, smart, caring young man sitting here before you begging for your love. You're going to put both of you through a lifetime of misery because he happens to be gay? He is your son. He is the most incredible man anyone could ever wish to meet, and I am proud to call him my boyfriend, and I hope one day, my husband. That will happen, with or without your approval or involvement in our lives, but I know which one Blaine would rather."
Kurt became conscious that he was now standing over Blaine's mom and paused for breath, taking a step backwards and sitting on the couch once more. He risked a glance at Blaine, who was sat with his mouth slightly open, staring incredulously at Kurt. Cynthia cleared her throat before speaking in a small voice.
"Well. Thank you for your opinions Mr...I mean...Kurt." he inclined his head toward her softly, it wasn't much, but it was enough for now. "I would be rather interested to hear more about the purpose of your visit now Blaine, if you wouldn't mind."
Blaine turned from where he was still staring at Kurt. "Oh...um...well it's actually about why I broke up with Kurt four years ago."
"Because your dad made you realize the error of your ways."
"No, because dad told me your secret." With a deep breath he began.
Forty minutes later and Blaine had sobbed, choked and stumbled his way through all the events that had led up to him breaking up with Kurt. He left nothing out, needing to make his mom see how much he had hurt both himself and Kurt, in order to protect her and Cooper. Cynthia sat, very still and very pale, for the longest time before she spoke.
"Why, Blaine? Why did you protect me like that?"
"I couldn't do it to you mom," he whispered, his voice hoarse from crying. "Or Cooper. I couldn't do it to Kurt either really, but I figured I had spent my whole life disappointing you and dad, this was my one chance to redeem myself I guess."
"Oh Blaine," Cynthia groaned. For the first time in all his 26 years Blaine watched as his mother let the facade slip. Her face crumpled as she allowed the sobs to overtake her body. Heaving and sniffing, she blindly patted her pockets for a tissue. It was Kurt who offered one, and she received it with a grateful smile in his direction.
"What ever must you think of me?" She lamented, "Both of you. And how could James have put you in that situation? Oh Blaine, I am so sorry. I'm sorry that I let you down. I'm sorry that you think you were a disappointment to me, and I am so, so sorry that you felt you had to forsake your own happiness in that way. Will you ever forgive me?"
"I did, long ago mom. I know you made a stupid mistake when you were younger, and I don't want you to spend your life paying for that. But I do want you to tell Cooper."
"No, no I can't do that."
"Yes you can, and you must." Kurt interjected. "You can't all go through life knowing his secret and not saying anything. He deserves to know the truth. He may want to try and find his biological father."
"I hadn't thought of that." Blaine said wearily.
"He's right." Cynthia said softly, "He does deserve to know. And I will tell him. Soon. I just...need to work through this on my own for a while."
"I think that's fair." Kurt said as he squeezed Blaine's hand tightly. "We should go."
"You're a wise man, Kurt. I may not approve of your lifestyle choice, but you make my son happy and I can see that you love him, so I thank you for that." She stood, offering out her hand. Kurt took it and shook it gently.
"Thank you Mrs. Anderson, that means a lot."
"I'll see you soon mom," Blaine said as he stood and embraced her quickly. "I'm sorry for arriving unannounced and telling you all this but..."
"It's ok. Really. It needed to be said, and I'm glad you did. I'll see you soon?"
"Yes, I promise. I'm going back to New York on Sunday, I'll call you then."
"Ok, and Blaine..."
"Yes?"
"I love you."
The drive home was silent, both trying to comprehend the afternoons events as the scenery sped by. Blaine nodded off briefly, feeling too drained to keep his eyes open any longer. Kurt shook him gently as they pulled into the driveway.
"Hey...we're back. I think you should take a nap before dinner."
Blaine didn't argue, just allowed Kurt to lead him through the empty house and into bed.
"Get some rest, we'll talk more when you wake." he whispered, placing a soft kiss into Blaine's hair.
"Hey Kurt..." Blaine murmured.
Kurt turned in the doorway.
"Yes?"
"Way to go, telling my mom you wanted to marry me before informing me about it."
Kurt chuckled. "Oh please. Like you hadn't already guessed."
Blaine laughed softly and blew a kiss to Kurt, before rolling over and closing his eyes contentedly.