A/N: Hello again! So apparently when I called this fic a two-shot, I accidentally lied. I had every intention of it being a two-shot at the time of its conception, but a few people requested something more, some Warbler action and Burt's reaction specifically. And who am I to deny my readers something I'd love to see just as much?
Sunday update, as promised! I'm amazed at myself keeping to an actual schedule.
This shifts between Blaine and Kurt, which is shown by the break lines.
Enjoy! (Let's see if you guys want another chapter after this one.) :)
Blaine stood for a few seconds more, watching as Kurt got into his vehicle and drove away. He sent one last wave in the countertenor's direction before resuming his seat at the small table. He stood up again when he realized there was no way he would sit here with Nick and Jeff. It was bad enough they inevitably tease him about Kurt, but there was really no need to allow that teasing to happen at his and Kurt's table. Because in Blaine's mind, this table had become theirs.
Luckily one of the larger areas had opened up, the group of teenagers who had occupied it during his conversation with Kurt finally left, so Blaine grabbed his nearly empty cup, drained its last dregs, and sat down facing the window. It'd be best to see Niff when they arrived, to get a feel for how their mood was. If they were being particularly rambunctious, he might just save the news of Kurt for later, when they weren't in a public place they could be banned from forever.
Momentarily a black sedan pulled into the parking lot and Blaine recognized it as Nick's when he spotted the vibrant "We're here, We're queer, Get used to it" bumper sticker. Blaine shook his head fondly at the sight. It was a miracle his car hadn't been bashed to pieces by now in a town like Lima with a bumper sticker like that. But Nick took pride in rattling the homophobes of the town and wouldn't remove the sticker despite what anyone told him, so Blaine eventually gave in and admitted how awesome it was.
The duo currently walked through the doorway and over the threshold, the tingling from the bell hanging above the door announcing their presence to anyone who cared enough to look up. Blaine heard a sigh and some whispers from the girls sitting at the table behind him and smiled to himself. If only they knew what Nick and Jeff were really like. They'd probably think twice.
Blaine watched silently as the two went up to the counter and ordered their drinks and snacks. Eventually he decided the table would be safe enough for a moment and approached the counter himself to order another coffee. He would definitely need it with those two.
"Blaine! Why didn't you tell us you were already here?" Nick chastised when he spotted Blaine standing in line to place his order. He and Jeff walked over to their friend and shook hands, clapping Blaine on the back just loudly enough to be heard throughout the entire room. Blaine shook his head and opened his mouth to speak but Jeff spoke instead.
"You trying to hide from us, Blainers? Because you know that doesn't work."
Blaine smiled a knowing smile. "Don't I know it. I remember last Halloween very well."
Nick and Jeff laughed in sync. "We warned you," Jeff reminded.
"But you just wouldn't listen," Nick added.
"The past is the past, gentlemen, and let's leave it at that."
"You just don't want us talking about how you -"
"Close your mouth this instant Nicholas or I will be forced to reveal your innermost secret."
Nick's jaw snapped shut quicker than a gazelle escaping a hungry lion. Blaine smirked triumphantly while Jeff side-eyed the two of them curiously.
"I'm not even going to ask," the blond determined aloud.
"So, Blaine, how long have you been here?" Nick asked, obviously changing the subject as far away from his innermost secret being revealed as possible. Blaine considered lengthening his friends' duress, but decided to let him off the hook.
"About an hour now, I think."
"An hour? You never let us be more late than fifteen minutes before you start calling and texting up a storm," Jeff interjected disbelievingly. "What kept you occupied for an hour?"
"Nothing," Blaine answered. He stepped forward and realized he was next in line (when had that happened?) and gave the barista his order, paying and stepping to the side, all with Jeff and Nick at his heels.
"I don't believe that for a second," Nick retorted. "Oh God, did you meet someone?"
Blaine fought the smile trying to break across his face and the heat rising in his cheeks. Unfortunately, his friends knew him well enough to recognize the signs.
"You did!" Jeff exclaimed. You met someone here while we were on the way. Okay, so tell me, is he cute? Smoking hot maybe? Does he sing? How old is he? Where does he live?"
"Jeff, calm down."
"Yes, Jeff. Let's interrogate our curly-haired friend in a more private setting, shall we?" Nick shared a meaningful look with his fellow Warbler and the other boy nodded. Blaine still admired the way Nick could effortlessly keep Jeff's effusive energy at bay when no one else could.
"Medium drip for Blaine!"
"That was quick."
"Just get your coffee so we can sit down. My feet hurt," Jeff complained good-naturedly.
"Then go sit down," Blaine responded as he went off to grab his drink from the counter. When he turned back around Nick and Jeff were already sitting at the table Blaine had moved to occupy just before their arrival. He sat down across from them, dreading the interview to come yet relishing the idea of having someone to talk with about Kurt at the same time.
"Alright, Blaine. Talk."
"Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"
"Not that kind of talk," Jeff whined. "Stop being an ass."
Blaine sighed, twisting his fingers around his coffee cup, tracing his fingertips along the Lima Bean logo embossed onto the cardboard. He wanted to talk, Kurt was amazing, but at the same time he didn't really know what to say.
"Fine, we will start from the beginning. How did you meet him?" Nick prompted.
"At the mechanic's, right after I texted you guys I might be late."
"Okay, so he was getting his car fixed too?"
"No, he works there. With his dad."
"A grease monkey, Blainers? Doesn't seem like your type," Jeff commented.
"You didn't see him, Jeff. He's gorgeous."
Kurt pulled into the driveway of his family's humble abode with a complex mixture of trepidation and delight mingling in his stomach. Trepidation because, obviously, his father would soon question why his son had deemed it necessary to take off from work at the garage and then not return. Kurt wasn't exactly sure how much he felt willing to divulge about his date with Blaine. It had been a date, right? They had coffee and got to know each other, and that's what a date was supposedly all about.
Kurt shook his head away from the thought. Not a date…yet.
Delight because, equally as obvious, he still felt on a high from his time with Blaine. Just thinking of the boy's name had Kurt's heart beating that little bit quicker.
He shrugged of his sweater, hanging it on the coat rack in the tiny entrance hall closet before stepping fully into the living room, expecting his father to be waiting with his "disappointed dad" face fully in place. Pleasantly surprised to find the room empty, Kurt contemplated sneaking up to his room for a few minutes to compose himself before the inevitable questioning began. He had just taken a deep breath and turned toward the stairs when a voice called out from the kitchen, "In here, buddy. And don't even think about it."
Kurt sighed. He should have known better than to think he could escape his father, especially when he had sounded so worried during the phone call earlier. Time to face the music, whatever that may entail. Hopefully no groundings. If he became stuck in the house, how would he meet up with Blaine again?
He pulled his shoulders back and lifted his chin, determined to play the confident act. Walking into the kitchen took more courage than Kurt liked to admit.
He found Burt sitting at the same table where he and Finn had been given "the talk" after word got around about Quinn's pregnancy. The words "you matter" would always be in Kurt's head from then on.
"Sit down, son," Burt requested, waving his hand toward the empty seat across from him. Kurt obeyed, admittedly sitting further on the edge of the seat than usual.
"Now, let's start with why you left the garage."
"A customer needed a ride to the Lima Bean because his friends were meeting him there. I felt bad about that he might miss them since his car needed to be taken in, so I offered to give him a ride there."
Burt nodded. "Admirable. A little stupid, but admirable. You had no idea what kind of man he could have been, Kurt. You still might have no idea."
Kurt shook his head adamantly at the thought. "Blaine's really nice, Dad. I swear."
"I'm sure he made you think that. How old is this Blaine?" Burt inquired suspiciously.
"My age. He attends Dalton in Westerville."
Burt released a gust of breath at the answer. "That makes me feel a little better, I'll admit."
"I'm not that stupid, Dad. I think I can judge a person's character well enough to avoid any dangerous situations."
"Young people always think that. But as your dad, it's my job to keep you safe and happy. Whether you like me to or not." Kurt nearly bristled in his seat so Burt explained further. "Kurt, you're almost an adult now. I get that I won't be here to watch over you forever. I get that you want to make your own choices and decision regarding life. I do trust your judgment, son. Don't get that wrong. I wouldn't let you run the shop every once in a while otherwise. I just like to be in the know, is all."
Kurt deflated with a sigh. He knew his dad was right. After everything that Kurt had gone through, the bullying, his mother's passing, and more, Burt's protective streak made more than enough sense. "I know, Dad. I know."
"Good. So why don't you tell me about why you left, what you did while you were gone, and why you didn't call Kevin to let him know you weren't heading straight back."
Kurt resisted the urge to laugh. His father could co from dead serious to playful in under five seconds. Just another thing Kurt loved about him.
"Well, I looked over his car, gave him the estimate, and had him fill out the paperwork. Then when I asked if he had someone picking him up, he asked if that was my way of offering him a ride. As I said earlier, I agreed to give him one."
"Must have been quite the looker," Burt interrupted with a playful glint in his eye, "for you to take to him so quickly."
"Daaaaaaad." Kurt hid his face in his hands, peeking up through his fingers at his father's stupid grin.
"I'm sorry," Burt apologized, looking less sorry than a dog caught eating from the refrigerator. "Go on."
"Anyway, when we arrived there he asked me to come in with him, so he could buy me a coffee in thanks for fixing his car. I mentioned that I hadn't even started any work yet, but he insisted. He seemed like the type to be extremely polite to everyone. We went in and ended up talking the whole time. We have so much in common, Dad. It's unreal."
"And this Blaine does well in school?"
"Yes. He's on the honor roll every year, a huge teacher's favorite from what I gathered, and he's in the glee club there as well as a few sports teams during the summer."
Burt smiled knowingly. "You heard him sing, didn't you?"
Kurt knew better than to ask how Burt knew that fact. Moms had mother's intuition about most things, and Burt had what he liked to call "Kurt senses," a name Kurt both laughed at and cringed at. So cliché, but also totally adorable.
Instead he simply nodded in reply, a smile unconsciously stretching his lips as he thought back to Blaine singing along to the radio in the car on their way to the Lima Bean. That smooth voice that ran over a person's being like warm honey and soothed the soul of anyone within earshot.
Burt guffawed. "I thought as much. Just like your mom, a sucker for a guy with a good voice."
Kurt guffawed in return. "Says the man who can't sing to save his life."
Burt huffed. "Hey now, I serenaded your mother once and she happened to enjoy it very much."
"I know, Dad. Just messing with you."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, both caught up in memories of Elizabeth Hummel singing around the house as she completed daily chores or holed up in the bathroom taking a relaxing bubble bath. Her voice alone remained clearly in Kurt's memory. Everything else about her, her scent, the way she walked, had slowly faded away over time. But not her voice. That would remain in his heart and mind forever, Kurt would make sure of that.
"You like this boy, do you?" Burt asked softly after a few moments of reminiscing had passed.
"Yeah," Kurt replied, his voice equally as soft and tender. "I really do."
Two cups of coffee each, a few scones of various flavors, and another serving of chocolate biscotti had been devoured in the meantime. Plus Jeff had gotten the pretty barista's number. He planned on setting her up with Thad. He needed to loosen up.
After listening to Blaine gushing over the Kurt guy for ten minutes straight, Jeff and Nick seemed thoroughly amused and equally happy for their friend.
"That's great, dude," Jeff exclaimed at the end of Blaine's breathless description. "I'm glad you've found someone to be truly interested in."
"Yeah," Nick agreed. "You deserve some happiness in your life."
"Thanks guys," Blaine responded. "You're not going to tell Wes and David, are you? They'd have my head for "being distracted" so close to the school year starting up again. You know Wes goes into Warbler mode soon."
"Of course not," Jeff vowed. "I can't believe you'd think so lowly of us."
"My lips are sealed," Nick swore, even going so far as to motion with his hand that his lips were zipped shut.
Even as they said the words, Blaine had a feeling the other Warblers would know of his "date" with Kurt soon enough.
A/N: And that's where I'll leave it.
Hope you guys enjoyed! I really loved writing this fic. (and yes I am open to more for this verse, if the demand for such a thing arises.)