So here it is, the end of yet another chapter in the lives of Kurt and Dave a la SIYT. I have enjoyed so much going back to revisit them, and can only thank LizziePoodle one more time for this amazing prompt. It would have never happened without her, so whatever love you have for this story, goes out to her too. {{{hugs}}}
One might think that when the twin daughters of Kurt Hummel and Dave Karofsky turned one year old, the resulting party would be a grandiose production just short of a royal wedding. With all of Kurt's connections and expertise in event planning, one might expect a rented carousel, live music, or a fourteen tier cake that reached the ceiling. Clowns were out, because they creeped Dave out in a way that Kurt tried very hard not to find amusing; but surely at least a pony ride was to be expected.
On the contrary, though, Melody and Harmony's first birthday party was held in their fathers' small brick bungalow, mostly in the living room. Decorations were limited to some streamers and balloons, and although the cake was very pretty (one of Kurt's favorite bakers had created a whimsical topsy-turvy cake in bright colors), it was only two tiers tall. Kurt got his fill of coordinating complicated events at work, thank you very much. This party was about family and friends, and of course the two little girls currently charming the socks off of each and every one of their guests. It was a casual, happy and warm gathering, and in the eyes of the Karofsky-Hummels, it was just perfect.
It was on a Thursday evening, so everyone from Sheer Elegance could attend. Stacy was standing in the corner next to Justin, looking at each other as they talked in such a way that Kurt suspected there might be another "internal" S.E. wedding in the future. Three months ago, Kurt had walked into the video editing suite after normal office hours without knocking, only to find his receptionist in his videographer's lap, the two of them making out like crazy. Stacy had been mortified, and Justin apologetic, but Kurt had just laughed and congratulated them on finally getting past the awkward flirting stage. As someone who had used his offices for an impromptu tryst with his husband on more than one occasion, Kurt figured it would be awfully hypocritical to get upset about it. Darlene had even come, passing over a colorfully wrapped package as she entered, smirking. "I only have two things to say," she said to Kurt and Dave. "One? FYI, I don't sing that stupid birthday song. And two? This is the noisiest, most annoying toy I was able to locate in the greater Chicago area. You're welcome." Zoe flitted about the room snapping photos, even though Kurt tried to insist that the party was completely off the clock. She succinctly informed him that she wouldn't have made a career out of photography if she didn't love taking pictures, and shooed him away with a smile.
Both Kurt and Dave's parents had driven in for the occasion, along with Finn, his wife Debbie, and their two sons. Eight year old Jacob was sitting on Burt's lap, talking animatedly to his grandfather, and ten year old Edward (Debbie had been more than a wee bit of a Twilight fangirl back when they were born, to Finn's never-ending embarrassment) was stuffing chips in his mouth in a way Kurt recognized all too well from when he lived with his step-brother. Dave's parents sat next to Becca and Brian, watching as both girls repeatedly stood by hauling themselves up by the arm of the couch, then fell on their diaper-clad butts and giggled delightedly. A couple of the moms from Dave's playgroup had stopped over with their kids, and the whole house was filled with conversation and laughter.
Kurt looked at Dave, smiling. "I think it's time, don't you?"
"Definitely," said Dave, going into the kitchen.
Kurt clapped his hands. "Okay, everybody, it's cake time!" he announced. Sounds of approval resulted, especially from the kids. Dave entered the living room with Harmony and Melody's high chairs, and set them up in the middle of the room. He and Kurt then went to pick up their cheerfully babbling babies, who of course had no idea what was going on, yet still seemed to pick up on the excitement in the room. Once settled into their chairs, Kurt and Dave hopped into the kitchen to get the two cupcakes that matched the birthday cake, each with a candle stuck on it. They lit the candles quickly, then Dave snaked his hand around the corner of the kitchen door to flip off the lights. Slowly, so as not to extinguish the candles, they walked back into the living room, harmonizing beautifully.
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you…
The voices of the other guests joined in, except of course, as promised, by Darlene. Each twin was presented with her own cupcake, and they stared at the candle flames, fascinated. Dave mimed blowing to them, but both girls took one look at their father's pursed lips and began making smacking noises, looking for a kiss instead. Everyone laughed, and Kurt and Dave finally gave up and blew the candles out themselves, before wax dripped onto the pink and purple frosting. Melody and Harmony didn't need any direction about what to do with the cupcakes once they were unwrapped, though. They managed to get at least some of the treat in their mouths, but most of it wound up all over their faces and in their hair. A bath was definitely in the cards tonight, for both of them. Kurt and Dave cut the main cake for the rest of their guests and served the pieces, and soon the room was buzzing with talk and laughter again.
A few hours later, their daughters bathed and put to bed, Kurt and Dave collapsed on the couch. They looked around at the mess; plates and cups everywhere, discarded wrapping paper and toys strewn about. "Maybe we should just set it all on fire, and start over again in a new place," said Kurt laughing lightly.
Dave snorted. "That would be easier, I suppose," he replied. "But it's okay, we'll shovel it all out somehow. If nothing else, my mom and Carole are in town through the weekend, and we can always throw ourselves on their mercy."
"Just tell me we can wait until tomorrow to start," said Kurt. "I don't think I can face it now."
"Totally agree," replied Dave. "I'm going to see if I can dig out a clean glass and have some wine. You want some too?"
"Yeah, that would be great," said Kurt. He slipped off his shoes and curled his legs under him, smiling gratefully when Dave returned with two healthy pours of red wine. He took a sip and relaxed back into the cushions. "Mmmmm…that's nice. Thanks, honey."
"Welcome," said Dave, drinking from his own glass. "But why're you all the way over there?" He lifted his arm. "C'mere, Fancy. I need a snuggle after all of that activity today." Kurt complied eagerly, sliding over and putting his head on Dave's shoulder. They sat there in the dim living room in comfortable silence, sipping their wine and listening to the soft sounds of their house settling around them.
"It was a great party," said Kurt, finally. "Not that the girls will remember it, but we've got lots of pictures and video to show them one day. I don't think we could have put together a better first birthday party."
"One year old already," mused Dave. "I used to think it was just a figure of speech when people would say 'time flies' or 'they grow up so fast'. It's totally true, though. They'll be walking on their own before we know it, and then they won't even be babies anymore."
"Toddlers," said Kurt. He sighed, but it was a happy one. "On the one hand, it's kind of scary to see them grow up at all. But," he said, twisting to face Dave, "it's wonderful too. Exciting, to see what kind of kids they're going to be; how their personalities will evolve, and what they'll be good and not so good at."
Dave bent his head and kissed Kurt's head. "Mmm hmm. They'll do great. How could they not? We're pretty good parents, you know." They both chuckled. "Speaking of which…" said Dave trailing off.
"Oh, now there's a segue if I've ever hear one," said Kurt, pulling away to look at Dave with a grin. "Something on your mind, dear?"
"I've been thinking lately," started Dave. "We have so much, Kurt. We're in a great place financially, and I'm able to be a full time parent. And we have so much love in this house, so much that I'm surprised it doesn't bust out the windows." He paused, taking Kurt's hand. "I'm not saying we should do anything right away. But maybe we could at least think about, um, adding to our family someday?"
"Sounds like you've already been thinking about it," said Kurt, raising an eyebrow. He didn't mind, since he'd have been lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind as Melody and Harmony's birthday approached. "Not really sure if Becca's up for another round of IVF, though."
"I wouldn't want to ask her again," said Dave. "What she and Brian did, especially at this point in their lives, was incredible. I was thinking more about adoption."
"Really?" said Kurt. When trying to have a baby the first time around, they'd discounted the idea. It was easily as expensive as the fertility treatments, and healthy babies were rarely available, especially to a gay couple.
"I know we decided not to go that route before," said Dave. "But we've had our babies. We've changed diapers, and been puked on, and all that fun stuff. Maybe this time we could open up our home to an older kid…one who's harder to place, who really needs a family like ours."
"Wow," said Kurt, considering. "I never really thought about it before. I mean, a lot of those older kids, they've been in foster care…come from tough home situations. Would we be ready to take on that kind of thing? Would we be qualified to help a child like that?"
"Kurt, everything might be pretty sweet for us now," said Dave. "But you and I…we both had a long, hard road to get here from where we were as kids. We both know what it's like to feel unwanted, unloved. Like freaks in our own skin; not good enough for anyone or anything. It was a long time ago, but I still remember what it was like, how hard it was. Don't you?"
Kurt didn't like to think about it much, since it seemed like that part of his life almost belonged to someone else. Like a movie he'd watched, or old TV show. But of course, it was all still there inside him, underneath the fabulousness and confidence. The death of his mother so early in his life had left scars that would never go away. She hadn't meant to leave him, but the feeling of being abandoned was there all the same. He'd been picked on, made fun of, and ostracized much of his childhood and adolescence, even though things had started to improve in the latter half of high school. And of course, even though it had all been forgiven, there was what happened with Dave at the beginning of junior year. Kurt had truly feared for his safety, for his very life back then. Sure, there were people who had it a lot worse than him growing up, but his journey had hardly been smooth sailing. And of course, neither had Dave's.
"I do," said Kurt. "We both went through a lot, and had people help us along the way, so that we could be happy and secure as adults. I guess maybe we could think about being those people, for someone else."
"I love you, Kurt," said Dave, moving in for a quick kiss. "Whatever our family is, or becomes, our love will always be the heart of it. No matter what happens."
"Families are always changing," Kurt agreed. "But you're right – that's one thing that will always stay the same. I love you too, Dave." He picked up his wineglass and tipped it towards Dave to clink them together. "To our family," he said.
"To our family," Dave repeated. They each took a swallow, then cuddled back together on the couch in the peaceful quiet of their home.
I want to thank everyone for their support and reviews for this story, and for being so patient for the final chapter. I'd never started a new story without finishing the old one, and I think I've discovered that working on multiple stories at the same time is not such a good thing for me. But thanks for hanging in there, and I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to this tale.
Will there be more in the SIYT universe? Only time and the muse will tell. But I'll never say never when it comes to these guys. XD