Two Steps Back

Disclaimer: I'm not RIB, so I don't own Glee or any of the characters. If I did, I'd be rich and probably not writing fanfiction! This fic will dive into MPREG, so I'll be using my go-to MPREG explanation like I did in When We're Older aka the Reddin gene. The gene is based on the Reddin character from the 1994 movie Junior. You should really watch it if you like mpreg. It's a good movie, I promise (I also don't have any rights to it either!) I also don't really own anything mentioned in this except for the crazy storyline so... I OWN NOTHING. The title is inspired by a Paula Abdul song called Opposites Attract by the way.

"Fresh meat, twelve o' clock."

The group of skanks huddled near the back of the school all glanced up at Puckerman's words. The Mack and Sheila were the first to comment, the two of them making fun of whatever the short, dark-haired new girl was wearing. Kurt took another pull of his cigarette and stared long and hard at the boy walking inside beside the horrendously dressed girl. "They must be siblings," he commented, blowing the smoke out in one long exhale. "What's your deal with pointing out new kids anyway, Puck? You wanna bang the new girl or something?"

Beside him, Quinn growled low in her throat and Kurt laughed, nudging his friend with his elbow. Puckerman, on the other hand, practically cackled with laughter, stumbling forward to throw an arm around Kurt's shoulders. "Hell no. Why deal with that when I can get this for free?" He winked at Quinn, ignored the middle finger she flipped at him, and continued on, "Anyway, did you not see that new guy? He's like you, Hummel. You before you went all bad and shit. He's got a bowtie on and everything! He's gotta be gay. You should totally tap that."

"I don't have sex with every single gay guy on campus, you idiot." Kurt grumbled, flicking his finished cigarette on the ground before he stomped it out with his boot. He glanced back at the school and scowled at the two siblings who were still standing in front of the building. The girl was talking up a storm (if the insane rate her mouth was moving gave any indication) and the boy was just standing there, staring at the school like it was a monster about to eat him up. "Who dresses like that on their first day anyway?"

"Someone who's asking for an ass kickin' obviously," Puck joked, plucking Quinn's half-eaten hashbrown from her fingers. "The jocks will have that kid picked apart by the end of the day, mark my words."

At that, a shiver trailed up Kurt's spine and he shook his head, suddenly feeling nauseous for saying something about the new kid's clothing. The girl would probably get away for dressing the way she did. The boy, however, had a huge target on his back... and that's what worried Kurt. Because he'd been that kid a long time ago. He'd been him before - the kid who wore different clothes, who liked to express himself through fashion. All that did was get him tormented day after day for the longest time until he finally broke.

He couldn't let those same guys who hurt him hurt this new kid.

Stretching, he popped the kinks out of his back and began walking towards the building, ignoring his friends' catcalls as he wandered over to where the new kids were. Right before he made it over to them, the girl rushed into the building and her brother trailed after her; by the time Kurt made it into the building, they were gone.

"Figures," he muttered to himself, dragging his feet over to his locker. He'd wait there until they came back from wherever they went (probably the principal's office, he concluded) and while he waited, he played a few games on his phone. It took them a while, but several minutes before class started, the siblings showed up again, storming down the hall to their respective lockers.

Kurt, curious at their demeanor, stayed hot on their trail.

The boy (when Kurt really looked at him) was actually pretty attractive. His outfit was going to get him targeted, that was sure, but he wore it well and Kurt could appreciate the way it fit him. The pants were just the right length and fit for the boy's slender frame (and he had an ass to die for.) His hair was dark, black as a raven, and his skin was slightly tanned. He might've been Italian or something, Kurt wasn't sure, but he certainly looked multiracial - and Kurt could definitely appreciate that too. Smirking, he sped up his pace and followed the brother-sister duo to what seemed to be the boy's locker.

Oh, he got that locker. What a shame.

Kurt knew that locker. Some random girl had it for a while until one of the Cheerios stuffed some gross mixture of old milk and other rancid things in it because she was jealous that her boyfriend thought the other chick was cute. It caused a big ruckus at the time; the cheerleader claimed her boyfriend was cheating on her with said girl and the girl denied it for months, finally moving lockers to share with her actual boyfriend. The Cheerio and her boytoy eventually made up and the locker stayed dirty for the rest of the semester. There wasn't a concrete janitor to clean it, so the school left it alone... and it now stunk up the hallway.

Now the new kid had it. That sucks.

Rolling his eyes, Kurt sauntered towards the angry looking guy and put on his best show face; he wasn't sure who this new kid was, but he was going to find out and if he could, he was going to stop the kid from getting his ass targeted by the douche-bag athletes no matter what it took.

Insults, teasing, whatever he needed to do... as long as the new guy realized that McKinley High really wasn't the place to be wearing stuff like that. He hated to do it, but he couldn't let another soul turn into something like him. So, with a smirk on his face, he stepped forward once the guy's sister left and said, "You should probably clean that up before you put your books and shit in... unless you don't care what your stuff sits in. But then again, just looking at you, I'd say you'd care a little too much."

And that's where it all began.

::::::::::

Kurt ran his fingertips through Blaine's unruly hair and sighed, smiling when his hand practically disappeared into the thick, dark curls that covered his lover's head. The lyrics to Savage Garden's I Knew I Loved You filtered through his mind as he stroked Blaine's scalp and he closed his eyes, wishing the moment would never end. It was later than he thought it was, so Blaine would be waking up soon, but deep down, Kurt wanted the boy to sleep a little while longer. Having this quiet alone time to admire the boy laying next to him was everything to Kurt.

Because he never thought he'd have this again.

Sure, he'd done this before, way back when Blaine first found out he was pregnant and Kurt stayed with him those few times he was really, really sick, but now was different. Last night, he finally spilled out his feelings for Blaine and Blaine reciprocated them, letting Kurt back into his heavily guarded heart. It was the moment Kurt dreamed of and he was afraid that once Blaine woke up, he'd realize he made a mistake and would want to leave... and Kurt wasn't sure he'd be able to handle that.

Humming, he dropped his hand from Blaine's hair and let it rest on the boy's sleep warm back. Since Blaine was asleep, the baby wasn't as active as she was the night previous so Kurt kept his hands away from Blaine's belly, not wanting to wake the baby just in case she woke up Blaine with her kicking. Instead, he hugged the boy closer and enjoyed feeling the pliant, sweet-smelling body next to him.

::::::::::

If there was one thing Kurt Hummel could say about Blaine Anderson-Berry, he'd say he was... perfect.

Sure, most people didn't believe in perfection, but whenever Kurt looked at his newest friend, he saw the most amazing person he'd ever known. Blaine was smart; he could sing and dance and he was incredibly sweet in his own dorky way. His passion for the most random stuff was something that Kurt admired; he could listen to his friend talk all day about the most random crap and not get bored. Blaine always got really animated when he talked about his hobbies and other things and Kurt would just sit there and listen, a smirk on his face as he thought about just how nerdy his best friend was.

And then, when Kurt really thought about it, he realized that he was in love.

God, the idea of being in love with someone like Blaine scared him. It scared the fuck out of him to know that the feelings he harbored for someone who reminded him so much of his old self were so strong. Blaine was the guy Kurt wanted to be. Blaine was brave; he'd suffered through one of the most horrendous things - a hate crime - and he survived to bounce back and move forward. He'd been beaten down for just being who he was and yet, instead of being angry at the world and retaliating, he put the past behind him and moved on. He was the complete opposite of Kurt. He really wasn't like Kurt at all because he was stronger.

But that's what really attracted Kurt to him. Blaine was his opposite, his missing puzzle piece really (yeah, a lot like that damn song Blaine was always humming as they walked to class), and despite the fact that they were so different in some aspects, they did have some similarities. Well, Blaine had some similarities with old Kurt. But, it didn't matter. What mattered was that Kurt had some pretty strong feelings about his best friend and it scared him to death.

Jesus Christ, he could barely look at the other guy anymore without imagining what it would feel like to touch his lips or what he would taste like! Those thoughts plagued his mind all day. Would he taste like that dark roast coffee he insisted on getting at the Lima Bean? Would his mouth have just the barest hint of cinnamon taste, much like the little bit he shook into said coffee before he drank it? Was his skin as soft as it felt whenever they accidentally brushed hands while walking in the halls? Did he smell as good all over as he did from afar? God, I'm fucked, he thought as he looked around the coffee shop and observed the other patrons around him. The place was pretty empty for a weekend afternoon, but he'd take it. The silence made it easier for him to get lost in his thoughts... and get lost he did.

He sat back in his seat and stared out of the window, watching as one of the Lima Bean's employees changed the sign out front to something that celebrated the coming of summer. Spring was still in full force in the city, but soon school would be out and everyone would be packing the Bean for iced coffee and cool air conditioning. Right now though, the early May temperatures were cool enough that people spent their time outdoors enjoying the flowers and shit like that. Kurt, on the other hand, preferred a nice cup of mocha and the silence of an empty coffee shop.

Well, until Blaine arrived. Smiling at the thought of his friend, Kurt took another sip of his coffee and let his mind wander with the thought of Blaine holding his hand (and some other unsavory thoughts.) He stayed lost in his mind until a very familiar voice broke through his thoughts and he glanced up, not surprised to find honey colored eyes looking down at him.

"Something on your mind?" Blaine asked as he set his plate of sweets and cup of regular coffee down on the table. Kurt rolled his eyes at the question and swiped a cookie from his friend's plate, smirking when he bit into it despite Blaine's protests.

"Not much," he said, cheeks reddening as he dipped his cookie into his drink. "Just the usual."

::::::::::

"You're still here."

Kurt's eyes snapped open and he looked down, blinking the sleep from them before he could focus on the person who woke him. Blaine was still tucked into his shoulder, but his face was turned up to look at him. When Kurt caught his eye, the boy smiled. God, you're beautiful.

"I thought I was dreaming, but you're actually here."

Sadness waved over Kurt's heart as he thought about Blaine's words. Because of the things that happened after their first time together, Blaine feared waking up and Kurt not being there and it pained Kurt to know that that's what Blaine worried about. Instead of waking up refreshed and excited for the day, he'd probably always wake up scared to find his bed empty and it was all Kurt's fault - because he was a chicken, because he wasn't brave. Ashamed, Kurt leaned down and kissed Blaine's forehead, reassuring him that he was indeed there. "I am and I'm not going anywhere."

Blaine smiled happily, his features still soft from being squished against Kurt's chest, "I'm glad you stayed. I was so afraid I made everything up in a dream or something. I... I can't believe it's real."

"It is," Kurt whispered, tears shimmering in his eyes. "It's real and I'm here and I'm not leaving you ever again. I promise." He kissed Blaine's hair and sighed, "God, I love you so much." Beneath him, Blaine sucked in a deep breath that tapered off into a sob and Kurt pulled back, worry tugging at his mouth as he frowned. "Blaine?"

"I love you too," the pregnant teen cried, clinging to Kurt as the older boy hugged him tight. "Last night you said you've loved me since you met me and that's true for me too. God, it's so true. You- you got under my skin and you've never left and I was hoping... hoping that you'd someday feel the same way-"

"I always have. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Fingers trailed down the length of Blaine's arm and then paused over top of his fingers, sliding in between his to link their hands together. With one hand holding Blaine's, Kurt took his other one and cupped Blaine's chin with it, gently tilting the boy's face towards his. "I love you and I'm sorry I never told you. I love you so much. You're my best friend and I hate that I hurt you."

"Kurt-"

Smiling, the blue-eyed teen leaned down and captured Blaine's lips with his own, moaning against his lover's mouth as the younger boy arched against him. When they finally pulled away, Kurt couldn't help but admire the breathless smile that spread across Blaine's face. "Go out with me?"

"What?"

"Be my boyfriend."

"Kurt, I-"

"We're already having a baby together. We should probably start from the beginning. We're doing it all backwards as it is." The smirk that lit up his face made Blaine blush and he ducked his head into the crook of Kurt's neck.

"You're dumb."

"So is that a yes?"

"That's a yes."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Are you honestly that surprised?"

"To be truthful, yeah... because we haven't had a long talk yet about what happened."

Blaine nodded, scooting himself out of Kurt's arms to push himself into a sitting position; it was difficult at first since his limbs still kinda felt like jello, but once he figured out his balance (as it was pretty hard getting everything centered and level with his growing belly) he stared down at Kurt with a serious look. "Then let's have that talk now."

"Right now? Like, right here in my bedroom while we're both wearing our pajamas?"

"Yes. Right here in the privacy of your bedroom while your family's downstairs eating breakfast or whatever they might be doing right now." He rubbed his stomach and crossed his legs underneath him. "Let's talk."

Well here we go, Kurt thought to himself as he too sat up cross-legged, his knees bumping Blaine as the two of them faced each other on the large bed. The sunlight bled through the curtains and from where Blaine was sitting, the rays of light bounced off his shoulders and hair making him look rather ethereal. Just looking at him made Kurt's stomach do backflips and he reached out, slotting his fingers within Blaine's own. "You're beautiful."

Blaine blushed, ducking his head as a shy smile appeared on his face. "Kurt, stop."

"You are though. I should've told you sooner, but you really are gorgeous."

"You're buttering me up."

"Nothing wrong with giving the person I love a compliment."

"The person you love..."

"The person I love." Kurt punctuated the affection with a kiss and then sat back, squeezing Blaine's fingers in reassurance. "So where did you want to start?"

"How about the beginning?"

::::::::::

There were very few things that really got to Burt anymore, not after his first wife died. He'd seen it all when she got sick - despair, anguish, pain... everything. He spent weeks/months/years with her, watching her fade away from him and by the time she was gone, he'd built up a better (tougher) way of handling his emotions - or so he thought. He had to be strong for Kurt, his little boy who was struggling with the loss of his mother and best friend. Kurt was young when his mom died, just a bit over eight years old when she finally lost the fight with cancer, and once their tiny family went from three to two, it was like something inside Kurt broke.

He got quiet and remained that way for the longest time. He'd sit alone in his room, talking to himself, practically entertaining himself while Burt grieved and god, seeing him like that (upon losing Elizabeth) broke Burt's heart. It wasn't like he just lost his wife... he lost his son too. Because the day Liz died was the day his little carefree, smiling boy faded away too and just watching Kurt suffer from losing his mom left Burt in limbo.

It took Burt so long to bounce back as well. Originally, he believed he'd be able to handle it. That he could deal with the stages of grief and move on, but when it came time be a single father, he didn't know what to do. He was so angry that his wife was gone, that she'd left him to raise Kurt on his own that he shut down. He knew from the get-go that Kurt was going to be different, but not even his inklings back then would've prepared him for the way Kurt changed as he got older.

For the longest, Burt debated over what to do. He spent weeks flipping through parenting books and calling his relatives to ask what he could do for his son, but nothing helped. Then one day he finally snapped out of his stupor and manned up, taking Kurt under his wing. He needed to parent the best way he knew how, so he did his best to guide Kurt through the rough waters of his pre-teen and teen years... until it all came crashing down.

Kurt came sobbing to him one night and told him that he'd slept with someone at a party and didn't remember it. By then, Burt had already known his son was gay since Kurt came out to him months prior, but never in a million years did he expect his son to do what he did. In the beginning, he judged Kurt harshly (though he never voiced it, because who was this kid before him? His Kurt wasn't like this.) Then he snapped out of it; this was his son, he was scared, and he didn't mean for what happened to happen. Around that time Kurt also mentioned people saying things to him at school about it, but he didn't say anything else on the matter, just that he'd handle it on his own. Burt didn't know what to do with that either. How can you help your son when they won't talk to you? What do you do when you try to talk to them and they shut you out even though you know they're hurting? On those nights, listening to Kurt cry in his room, Burt cried too because he just didn't know what to do. He loved his son and he wanted to help, but Kurt wouldn't let him.

A few weeks after the party incident, Kurt came home and went upstairs a brunette and came back with jet black hair with silver streaks in his bangs. Then next came the piercings and the partying and soon came suspensions and parent-teacher conferences.

His son had changed overnight and Burt was terrifed. By then, he had Carole with him and with Carole came Finn, but they couldn't help Kurt either. Both of them looked at Kurt with pity sometimes, especially when he'd come home with busted knuckles or a swollen lower lip. On those days, Burt would stand all alone in the bathroom and wipe away the tears that filled his eyes... because he didn't know what to do. He couldn't figure out a way to save his child.

When he had his heart attack over a year and a half ago, he'd seen a whole new side of Kurt that he'd never had the chance to observe before. His son had grown up so much (especially during those weeks he was in the hospital) and it was then that Burt really mourned for the little boy that he'd lost to heartbreak. He hated that his son had to deal with such hate and bigotry for just being who he was, that his child felt the need to change who he was because some other people didn't like him for being himself. For the longest, Kurt sunk back into himself, slipping away on that quiet kick he'd been on like he was after his mother died and Burt hated it. It was only after his glee club won Regionals last year that the old Kurt started to show through again, the one that liked to talk and laughed over the dumbest things.

And when that Kurt came back with a vengeance, Burt wasn't sure what caused it.

Before he knew it, there were talks about someone named Blaine and then he found a set of dark-haired siblings standing in the front entrance of his house and he got to meet the infamous boy that was chipping away at the walls Kurt had had stacked around him since childhood.

This Blaine kid was a lifesaver even though Kurt seemed to get in so much more trouble after his arrival. It was like Kurt couldn't think properly around Blaine and a few months later, when the two of them were sitting in his office at work telling him about a potential grandchild, the news scared him, but he accepted it. Because it seemed like Kurt was in love, that he found someone who accepted him for him and that's all that Burt wanted for his only child. He wanted his son to be happy for once... and he was. Or at least he seemed to be.

...until the day that Finn came stumbling into the house with a sobbing Kurt who kept babbling about fucking up this and that and kept crying over Blaine, Blaine, Blaine. From there, there were weeks of silence from Blaine's end and all talks about the grandbaby went silent. Burt spent a month watching his son fade away again and it made his heart ache because it felt like he was losing his little boy again.

And now... now Kurt was sitting on the couch, gaze only on the boy napping across from him, the very same boy who captured his heart and carried his child. Blaine had dozed off after the game, body slumped against the couch cushion with one arm tossed over his belly while the other was tucked beneath his head. He'd been exhausted from the get-go (pregnancy was taxing) and when he passed out, Kurt immediately took to watching him, like that was the only time he'd be able to look at him.

Burt wasn't dumb. He knew his son was (still) madly in love with that boy, but he also knew Kurt was stubborn - he got that from him, like father like son as they say. Burt also knew his kid and the Anderson-Berry boy got into an argument the second the two of them came face to face that day and Kurt was still reeling from that too. But there, sitting in the living room with the sound of a holiday movie playing in the background, Burt couldn't help but observe the loving way his son looked at Blaine, at how longingly he stared at the teen sleeping beside him.

"You should talk to him about what happened."

"He doesn't want to speak to me."

"Well then wait until he does... and when he does, you tell him everything."

"I... I'll try." And Burt hoped he did.

::::::::::

"That night we slept together... I don't remember much about it. I remember kissing you and, uh, bits and pieces of what happened, but other than that, it's foggy."

"Same here."

Kurt swiped his fingers over Blaine's knuckles, brushing the tips of his nails over every knob of the bones there. "When I woke up that morning, I was disgusted. Not with you, but with me. I promised myself I wouldn't do that anymore. I've had hook-ups in the past where I've been tipsy and everything - not counting my very first time - but I promised myself that I would never do that again... and then I woke up next to you and I hated myself. Because I took a bunch of firsts from you and you'd never remember the whole of it."

"The bits I do remember were nice," Blaine joked, grinning until he noticed the sad expression on Kurt's face. "Kurt?"

"Your first time should be special. That's what everyone else says. Mine was shit and I never wanted someone else I cared about to go through that... and then I got you pregnant! It was your first time and you got pregnant! I did that!"

"It wasn't your fault. It takes two to make a baby."

"But when those two people are drunk off their asses and one of them is having sex for the first time, the person who's more experienced should know when to stop-"

"If he's drunk too, how is he supposed to know that he's supposed to stop it? I just wish you'd quit blaming yourself. We slept together - you and me. Like I said before, it takes two to tango. You need two people to create a child and that's what we did... and I don't mind that. I wouldn't change this-" He gestured at his belly, "-for anything."

"I still feel bad."

"If anything, Kurt, it really hurt to see that you left in the morning. That's the only thing about that whole night that I disliked."

"And I'm so sorry about that. I just- I wasn't in the right mind at that moment. I started panicking and I ran. I shouldn't have. I really shouldn't. I should've stayed with you and made sure you were okay and I hate the fact that I hurt you like that."

"I forgive you now that I understand your side and everything." A soft sigh slipped from Blaine's lips and he looked up, catching Kurt's gaze with his own. "Just don't ever do that again, okay? I don't think my heart could handle it."

"I won't. I promise."

The two sat in the silence, listening to the sounds of the house around them. Kurt let go of Blaine's hands after a while and reached out to place his on the other boy's stomach, beaming when the baby began to kick at his touch. For a moment, he just sat there and felt the movement beneath his palms, but then a tiny growling noise pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up at Blaine amused.

"You hungry? Your stomach's growling."

"I'm starving."

"Well then why don't we get some breakfast? I couldn't make you sit here when you and our baby are hungry." Beside him, Blaine blushed and Kurt leaned forward to give him another kiss, gently pulling at Blaine's hands to help him up. "Alright, up you go!" He helped Blaine off of the bed and then immediately ducked down, pressing his lips to the roundness of Blaine's tummy before he patted it fondly. "So what does baby want for breakfast?"

"Well... her daddy is kind of speechless right now with how cute her other father is being. But if she must choose, she'd like some leftovers from yesterday, granted her uncle Finn didn't eat them all."

With a grin, Kurt popped back up on his feet and kissed Blaine yet again, sliding his hand into the other boy's as he walked with him out of the bedroom. "Her highness' wish is my command," he cooed, batting his eyelashes in the silliest way. "Come on. It's time for breakfast."

"Yeah," Blaine murmured, still in awe at the good mood Kurt was in. "Time for breakfast."

::::::::::

Breakfast, as it seemed, was a short affair.

Finn and Rachel were passed out on the couch, tuckered out from going shopping that morning with Carole for Black Friday. Carole herself was seconds away from napping in Burt's favorite chair, so Burt was chilling out in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a piece of pumpkin pie, his eyes lighting up when the last two members of the house came creeping into the kitchen. With a curt nod, he raised his coffee cup and smiled at the two boys. "Hungry?'

"The baby demands nourishment, so here we are." Kurt said as he let go of Blaine's hand to begin pulling container after container from the fridge, only stopping to shoot a look over his shoulder at Blaine before he set the tupperware down on the counter. "You can sit down if you'd like." He jerked his head towards the kitchen table. "I'll bring these over to you and you can dish out what you want."

Blaine ducked his head, quietly going over to sit across from Burt, and once he was seated, the older man gave him a look complete with a smirk that mirrored Kurt's. When Blaine saw it, he wondered if their daughter would inherit the same exact facial expression.

"So... Blaine, you sleep okay last night?"

"You mean after I woke everyone up with my screaming? Which I'm sorry about by the way." He brushed off Burt's comments when the man said there's nothing to be sorry about, "But yeah. I did sleep better. Thank you."

Burt accepted the answer and went to sip at his coffee again, brows furrowed in thought before he pulled the mug of joe away from his lips and regarded Blaine with a curious look. "So what's the deal between you two now?"

"Dad!" Kurt interjected, glaring at his father as he dropped several containers in front of Blaine. "We just woke up. No early morning twenty-questions!" For a second, he disappeared, only to come back with a plate and a few utensils. "Leave Blaine alone."

"Okay, one: it's after noon and two: I'm just tryin' to figure out what's going on here, bud. One moment you two are at each other's throats and the next you guys are cuddled up in bed and-"

"What?"

In that moment, Burt realized he said the wrong thing. Glancing up, he wasn't surprised to see his son's blue eyes narrowed in a deadly scowl, nose scrunched as he glared at his father. "I-"

"Were you spying on us today? Dad!"

"Listen, I came to check on you two this morning and that was it. Then Carole shut the door and we came downstairs for breakfast. It was hours ago, you two were sleeping, and I was worried, okay? I'm a dad, that's what I do. You two will find out soon enough." He tilted his coffee mug towards Blaine's belly, "You're what? Eight months now?" Blaine waved his hand a bit, mentioning that he was close to eight months but just wasn't there yet. "Well, anyway, you guys haven't got a lot of time to piddle around. She'll be here before you know it and then you'll understand what me, Carole, Hiram, and Leroy are talking about."

"God, when you put it that way... I can't believe how fast time has flown." Blaine sat back in his chair and rubbed his hand over his belly, staring down at it with so much adoration in his eyes. "It feels like only yesterday that I was finding out about her and now she's close to being ready to be born. I mean, it's almost December and she's due in the middle of February. How crazy is that?"

Behind him, Kurt stood frozen, hands still full of leftovers. His lips pursed together in thought and he wandered over to the table, dropping the containers carelessly before he plopped in the chair next to Blaine. "We don't have much time. It didn't hit me until just now."

"We have a few months left. We've got time."

"But not for all we need to do. We've got to discuss names and figure out what we're doing with college and... shit, Blaine! We've gotta figure out all this before she's born and that's not too far from now!"

Burt shook his head, snapping his fingers in front of his son's face before Kurt finally glanced up. "Okay now you listen here, Kurt. I didn't bring that up to freak you out. I was just wondering what was going on with you two. Are you a couple? Because if you two are together, then you shouldn't have a hard time sorting out the rest of this baby stuff. If you aren't, but are on friendly terms, that'll help too. But if you guys are on the fence with each other, then things are going to be harder-"

"We're working this out," Kurt said softly, reaching over to place a hand over top one of Blaine's where they rested on his stomach. "We're talking things through right now and we're- we're together but we're still sorting out our differences-"

To which Blaine interrupted, "But we'll try our best to get things sorted out before the baby comes. She's our top priority right now."

The older man looked at the two teens before him, tired eyes falling on to where their hands were linked together over Blaine's belly. Kurt's fingers were squeezing Blaine's tightly and his thumb was flicking between rubbing the top of Blaine's hand and his stomach. Together, they looked like the strangest couple - Blaine in his glasses and sweatsuit with the insignia of his former private school and Kurt with his rainbow hair, wearing a tattered pair of flannel pants and an old t-shirt. However, despite their differences, anyone could see the feelings they had for each other written as plain as day on their faces. An understanding look shone on Burt's face as he watched at the boys and then he stood up, walking around the table to pat both his son and Blaine each on the shoulders before he went to put his cup into the sink.

"You two have a good breakfast, okay? I'm gonna go take a nap."

Blaine and Kurt bid him goodbye, watching him head out of the room before they heard his footfalls on the stairs. Once he was gone, Kurt reached over and pulled Blaine into his arms, exhaling against the younger boy's ear as he hugged him close. "We'll sort this out. We've got time, like you said."

"We do. Plus I'm going to be here for a few days until my dads get back, so we have lots of time. Lots."

"Good. That's... good."

::::::::::

Most people hated going in their attics. Attics were the dusty, dingy places that people tossed boxes of things they no longer used just so they could have more space throughout the rest of their house. However, unlike some people, Kurt Hummel loved his attic. It was a place where he could escape. It was a place that he could go to when he just wanted to be alone or when he felt like slipping back into the past. Upstairs in his attic were hundreds of items that meant the world to him, his dad, and his new family. When the newly blended Hudson-Hummel family moved into their new home, they got a place that had a huge upstairs and they used it to store their combined family heirlooms. On one side sat stuff that belonged to Carole and Finn, reminders of their lives before Burt and Kurt came around and on the other side sat items that pertained to the Hummel mens' past, including tons of boxes of things that once belonged to Elizabeth Hummel herself.

It was those items that attracted Kurt to hang out in the muggy upstairs storage area in the first place.

Within the boxes of the late Elizabeth Hummel were a lot of memorabilia that pertained to her pregnancy with Kurt. There were baby books, pregnancy books, and other items all tucked away with the rest of her things and the day that Kurt found out he was having a daughter, he crept up the rickety ladder to the attic to go through his mother's things.

It was calming for him to see her handwriting and to be able to read her thoughts about having a baby. Getting the chance to read through her journals and see how excited she was about Kurt's impending birth made a giddy feeling settle into his stomach; because while he was terrified to become a dad, he was incredibly happy to know that he was having a daughter, a child of his own, someone he could love as much as his mother loved him. Also, hiding out in the attic let him take a break from his constant struggles over his feelings for Blaine. He loved Blaine, he really did, but he was so lost when it came to the other boy that he needed time... and he had all the time in the world when he was curled up on the floor with a few of his mother's most personal things.

Sighing, he flipped through the baby book and paused when his eyes fell onto a list of baby names. The paper was yellowed with age, but it was still legible. His mother's bubbly handwriting spelled out tons of names in red and blue ink (red for girls, blue for boys) and when Kurt spotted the girl names, he sat down and read them all over and over, picturing each name attached to the last name Anderson-Hummel or Berry-Hummel or Anderson-Berry-Hummel.

Or sometimes just... Hummel.

No matter what though, he knew that he had to bring up the baby names to Blaine sometime. Because his mother thought of some adorable names that they could use for their child and he'd like to try to incorporate them somehow. His mother was a good woman and he'd like to honor her in some way... and maybe they could do the same for Blaine's mother too.

::::::::::

"Blaine?"

"...hmm?"

"You awake?"

"...yeah."

Soft snores filled the air again and Kurt shook his head, scooting down in his spot on the loveseat to allow his boyfriend better access at laying against him. Blaine instantly melted into his side, head resting on his chest as he snuggled into Kurt's arm and fell back into a deeper sleep. He was warm against Kurt, body curled up and wrapped around Kurt's side and while it was a little uncomfortable, Kurt couldn't bear to move. In the background, the sound of a cooking show played on but Kurt wasn't paying attention to it. Instead his mind was focused on Blaine and the baby (especially the baby.) Gently, he cupped his hand over Blaine's tummy and hummed when his daughter's foot (or hand, he wasn't sure) nudged his palm.

"Hey there, sweetie. Don't kick too hard. Your daddy's trying to sleep." The baby kicked again, a little softer this time, making Kurt's heart swell up a bit over the fact that she might've heard (and understood) him. "That's my girl. I love you, Jellybean. I love you and your daddy." He glanced down at the sleeping boy against him and rested his cheek against Blaine's hair, sighing as he closed his eyes and breathed in Blaine's scent.

It was such a big change from the last few weeks, being there with Blaine in such close proximity. They were together now; they'd confessed their feelings and were working on them for her and he was ready for it, so so ready. He was ready to be a dad and a boyfriend and it might've taken him a million years to get there (for at least one of those things), but he would try to be the best he could be.

Because they deserve the best and that's what I'm going to give them, he thought as he finally dozed off, hand still resting against where his daughter grew. Because I love them.

A/N: Whew lord, this chapter was a doozy to write. It just didn't want to be written, but I got it out and here it is. I hope it didn't suck too bad. Anyway, thanks for the feedback on the last chapter. I must say though that it feels like I've lost some readers. I've been checking my hits and they've gone down quite a bit and I'm not sure if the angst ran people off (it sometimes does dun dun dunnnn) or if the fact that I disappeared for, like, a month made people forget about this, but if you guys know of anyone who reads/likes mpreg, I would be forever grateful if you recc'd this (or any of my other mpregs, if you don't care.) I just want people to come back lol. I miss everyone (and I adore the lot of you who stayed!) Alas, I'm rambling now! Please keep sending me those baby name ideas (Kurt and Blaine will be talking about those soon) and if there's anything you'd like to see in regards to their relationship or the pregnancy, you can drop ideas by for that too. Thanks!