Chapter 11
Blaine and Rose were on the floor of their living room playing their seventh round of Candyland of the day when Blaine's cell phone rang. "Hello?" he asked.
"Hey Blaine Warbler." Kurt's teasing voice greeted him.
Blaine grinned. "I think you may have the wrong number. There are no Warblers here. Just a former Warbler-Titan-Leopard and a current Pirate."
Kurt snorted. "Pirates?"
Blaine rolled his eyes. "I'll have you know that 'Pirates' are in the top forty of high school mascots in the United States."
Kurt continued to snicker. "So you're still top forty." He commented. By now, Rose had wandered off to her room to have a tea party with her stuffed animals, the board game forgotten.
"I didn't choose the mascot!" Blaine insisted, "It was already there!"
"So I guess your old eye patches are coming in handy." Kurt laughed.
Blaine snorted. "Actually, yeah. Remember the heart one that I wore on Valentines day? Last year the star basketball player wore on the day of their Valentines day basketball game."
"You still have it?" Kurt asked, amazed. "You've moved across country twice since then."
Blaine shrugged before remembering Kurt couldn't see. "Yeah, well, I kept some things." He knew that he and Kurt were both thinking about a certain shoebox. They were silent for a moment.
"So. Leopards. Where did you go to college? I know it was in southern California, but where?" Kurt asked.
"University of La Verne." Blaine said. "It's about forty-five minutes from LA." Blaine made his way to his own bedroom and lay down on the bed.
Kurt was quiet for a bit, then Blaine heard him laugh. "Hey, so you know how I knew you had a 4.0 in college?" Kurt asked.
Blaine laughed. "Yeah, I'm still curious how you know." Blaine rolled from his back to his stomach, grabbing a magazine from his bed side table and flipped through it. And yet again, he found himself feeling seventeen-or at least acting like he had when he was seventeen.
"Never mind that." Kurt said. "How did you do it with Rose? I mean, how did you raise a baby and go to school?"
Blaine laughed. "I didn't sleep. That's how. Rose was three months old at the time, so I ended up studying until midnight and then waking up three or four hours later when Rose cried, fed and burped her, studied some more, changed her diaper, and slept for another three or four hours. When I woke up I did the same thing again, and then studied until class. I usually sat in the back near the door of classes where the professors allowed me to bring Rose, and asked my old dean to watch her during the classes where she wasn't allowed. That was my junior year, but in my senior year she was sleeping much better and in daycare while I was in class."
"Why did you decide to move back to Lima?" Kurt asked.
"Because I had a job here." Blaine shrugged. "I had double majored in early childhood education and secondary education, with a minor in history. One of my teachers really identified with me and liked me, and was sure I'd be a good teacher, so he really stuck his neck out until he found me 'the perfect job.' Because ELA is a private school, they didn't make me go through all the student teaching stuff, although I was an aid during some summer classes the summer before I started working. Also, since I didn't have to have my degree in high school history education, they let me teach anyway as long as I was working towards it. I have it now, though."
"And what about Glee club? How did you get into that?" Kurt teased.
"What, are you stalking me or something?" Blaine laughed.
Kurt giggled. "I have connections."
"That," Blaine began to explain, "Was a complete accident. One of the teachers who has been working there for seventeen years was a show choir fan, and used to go to all the competitions in the area. She recognized me, told the school board, and together we started a Glee club. I do most of the singing and assignments while she does costumes and choreography. I sit in the audience for support and she preps them back stage—I don't do well helping them de-stress before a performance and she's great at it."
Kurt laughed. "So when's your guys' next competition?"
"February 12." Blaine said, "Regionals."
"I hope you guys win." Kurt said.
Blaine rolled his eyes. "We won't."
"And why not?" Kurt asked.
"We're going up against McKinley. Mr. Schue is still their director, and he's so experienced and has some really great kids this year."
Kurt scoffed. "That means nothing. You can do it. Don't go into it saying you can't."
"Good point." Blaine laughed. "Alright. We'll give it out best shot."
"Better." Kurt giggled. The two were silent for a few moments, and Blaine could faintly hear the sound of pencils scratching on paper. "So, are you working?"
"Kind of." Kurt said. "I don't have anything due soon, and this one is just for fun, but I might eventually turn it in if I think they would go for it. I swear, my job feels more like school than anything else."
"I know how that feels." Blaine laughed.
"So, there's a reason I called. Besides that I just miss talking to you." Kurt admitted. When Blaine didn't reply, he went on. "My family, that is Carole, my dad, Finn, Rachel, Rachel's dads, and I are doing this party type thing on New Years Eve tomorrow night. Do you want to come?"
"I'm not sure I should. I mean, Carrie is working that night and Rose shouldn't stay out past midnight, and it's your family thing and I don't want to intrude." Blaine stuttered.
"Rachel already has planned on you bringing Rose and letting her fall asleep in her dads' guest room. And you won't be intruding—everyone in my family loves you. They all asked me to invite you and Rose."
Blaine sighed dramatically. "Well, if you insist."
"I do." Kurt assured."
"Then Rose and I will be there. What time?" Blaine couldn't hide his grin.
"Six-thirty sound good? We're having dinner and then just hanging out until the ball drops." Kurt explained. "Rachel will probably force you to sing with her at one point, though."
Blaine laughed. "We'll see."
Blaine couldn't see it, but Kurt was grinning ear to ear as well. "I can't wait."
Blaine drove to the Berry's house and rang the doorbell. There were three cars parked out front—Burt's, Finn's, and Rachel's dads', so Blaine assumed he was either the last one to get there or no one in the Hudson-Hummel-Berry clan knew how to carpool.
Blaine and Rose headed to the door and knocked. A breathless Kurt Hummel and a red faced Rachel Berry answered the door. "Hey Blaine!" Kurt greeted as Rachel said, "Hi Rose!"
Rose tugged on her daddy's shirt. "I think they raced to the door to see us." She whispered.
Blaine laughed. "I think so too, honey." Rachel nodded as Kurt scowled at her. The four headed downstairs, with Rachel occupying all of Rose's attention. Blaine heard Rachel ask Rose if she liked to sing before he turned back to Kurt.
"Hey." Blaine smiled.
"Hello." Kurt replied, smiling back.
"Remind me again why we don't know how to stay mad at each other?" Blaine winked.
Kurt giggled. "Because of destiny."
Blaine laughed. "That's not cheesy at all."
"Cheesier than easy cheese on a cheese-it." Kurt declared as he grinned. Before Blaine could reply, he saw (and heard) Rachel and Rose on the stage in the Berry's basement singing a song from one of the most recent Disney movies.
"Rachel Berry is corrupting my daughter." Blaine said plainly.
"With Disney?" Kurt teased.
"No," Blaine held back a giggle, "with her diva-ness, love of performing, and obsession with self." The two laughed as Rose strutted across the stage with pink sparkly microphone in hand. "Told you." Blaine said. Kurt glanced at Blaine and Blaine glanced back. The two smiled at each other for a second, before looking back at the duo on stage.
The rest of the night went on fairly well. Rose found out that she loved singing, but loved listening to her daddy sing with Mr. Kurt or Miss Rachel even more. Around ten, she fell asleep from the couch and Blaine, after commenting on how he was surprised that she made it that long, carried her to the guest room.
Everyone talked, ate snacks, and played games until it was eleven. Then they turned on the TV to watch the festivities in Times Square. Rachel and Kurt gushed on about how, their second year in New York, they actually went to Times Square and had a relatively good seat. At 12:59.50, they watched the ball drop. Kurt and Blaine stared at the ground awkwardly as Hiram and Leroy, Carole and Burt, and Rachel and Finn exchange New Years kisses.
Then Rachel decided to start a movie. After checking to make sure Rose was still asleep, Blaine opted to join them for the movie. Or he would have, had Kurt not started throwing up half way through the movie.
"You guys watch your movie." Blaine said. "I'll take him home—I need to get Rosie home anyway."
"Are you sure?" Burt asked, "I can take him."
"No, it's fine." Blaine insisted. "You stay and watch the movie. I'll get these two to bed." Blaine motioned to the hall where Kurt was in the bathroom and Rose was sleeping.
Burt muttered a 'thank you' and everyone turned back to the movie. Blaine headed to the bathroom and helped a clammy, sweaty, and pale Kurt Hummel into his car. Then he carried Rose out and buckled her into her car seat.
"Are you sure you're okay, Kurt?" Blaine asked for probably the seventeenth time.
"I'm fine. I probably just caught the stomach bug my dad got a couple days ago. Turn there." He pointed to an apartment complex and Blaine turned into it. He watched as Kurt tried to stumble towards the door and hurried to steady him. Blaine took Rose out of her car seat, locked the car door, and helped Kurt into his apartment.
After Rose was asleep on the couch and Kurt was in his bed, Blaine sat on the bed next to a still very sick-looking Kurt.. "Is there anything I can get for you?" Kurt told him where medicine was, and asked for a glass of water. Blaine grabbed him everything, only for him to throw it up a few minutes later. Rose was already happy and asleep on the couch, and Kurt was in no shape to be alone. Blaine supposed it wouldn't hurt to stay an hour or so…
"Daddy?" Rose whispered. "Daddy wake up."
Blaine shook his head to wake up his half asleep mind, and found that it hurt his neck to do that. Then he saw that he had fallen asleep sitting up. 'No wonder I'm so sore.' He thought. He glanced over to see Kurt sleeping peacefully beside him, and still looked a little paler than usual. But despite being sick, he was still so incredibly beautiful. Probably even more gorgeous than he had been in high school, if that was even possible.
"Daddy, where are we?" Rose asked, bringing Blaine back to the present.
"We're at Kurt's house. You fell asleep at the Berry's house last night, and then Kurt got sick so I brought him here. But he was too sick to be left alone so we stayed the night." Blaine explained, as if staying the night had been the original plan.
Why are you guys sleeping in the same bed?" she asked. "Did one of you have a bad dream?"
"No, I'm here because I was up taking care of him and I accidentally fell asleep." Blaine said. "Do you want to get home, sweetie?"
Rose's eyes widened. "Is he still sick, Daddy?"
Blaine felt Kurt's forehead. "He still has a little bit of a fever, but I don't know how sick he's feeling since he's sleeping."
"Should we wake him up and ask how he's feeling?" Rose asked.
Blaine shook his head. "No, he needs to sleep if he's feeling sick."
"Then I don't want to go home. We have to wait until he wakes up to see if he's feeling better." Rose said definitely.
"Then let's see what Kurt has in his house for breakfast." Blaine said. He and his daughter walked out of Kurt's room and into the kitchen. Blaine opened a few cupboards until he found things to make pancakes and scrambled eggs. Blaine set the food on the table and started putting food on Rose's plate.
When Kurt walked in, he was sure he was still dreaming. In his kitchen was Blaine and a little girl that looked like him, talking and giggling together, eating breakfast. When the little girl saw Kurt, she beamed at him and seeing his daughter's grin, Blaine turned as well. When Blaine saw Kurt, he smiled brightly at him as well. Smiling back, confused, Kurt convinced himself that this was his mind torturing him, showing his what could have happened if he hadn't been so stupid in college.
"How are you feeling?" Blaine asked. "I made breakfast if you're feeling up to it."
Kurt smiled again, remembering the events of last night and finally admitting this was real—but Blaine wasn't his. 'The dream was better.' He thought. "I'm feeling a little better. I'll try to eat something."
Blaine grabbed a plate and put food on it, setting it in front of Kurt. "I'll have you know, Rose was very concerned about you. She wouldn't leave this house until you woke up to make sure you were feeling better."
Kurt turned his attention to Rose. "I'm feeling a lot better. A lot thanks to your dad, though."
Rose nodded. "He takes good care of sick people. I would know. He and Miss Carrie are the only ones who have ever taken care of me when I'm sick, and he always does a good job."
Kurt and Blaine laughed. "Well his perfect record is still in tact." Kurt glanced at Blaine, who was laughing a little uncomfortably. "When do you guys go back to school?" Kurt asked.
"The sixth; next Wednesday." Blaine said.
"Perfect." Kurt said. "There's a Winter Fair in Westerville on the second through the fifth. Do you two want to go on Monday?"
"Oh can we Daddy? Can we?" Rose begged.
Blaine laughed at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Of course we can go, sweetie." Blaine said, before and shooting Kurt a playful glare that said 'I know you asked me in front of her so I couldn't say no.'
Kurt just winked back. "I'll pick you up Monday morning."
I'm not sure if I'll have internet access next weekend since I'll be camping in South Carolina for a family reunion. And then I'm going to Arkansas for another family thing, and then Tennessee for these meeting thingies my parents have to go to. So I'll be gone for sixteen days and I'm not sure when I'll have internet in those sixteen days. So the next two chapters will be put up but I'm not sure exactly when... Maybe I'll find a Starbucks and put them up (:
And my computer is still broken. I don't have any of my stuff from the computer back yet, and it randomly turns itself off every couple minutes... But I found a bunch of stuff that I'd emailed to friends, and while it's less edited than I may have liked, I have it back which makes me seriously happy. So. Yay!