The Joys of Parenthood
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 is an MPREG fic, so I'll be using my go-to MPREG explanation like I did inWhen 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.
Warning: If you have a hard time reading fics with a slight Finn focus, you probably don't want to read this drabble.
[PROMPT: Kurt and Blaine have something very important to reveal to Kurt's parents and something very important to ask of Carole.]
Lima, Ohio wasn't any different from the day he packed up all his stuff and moved away from the blasted place. The city was still filled with backwoods idiots who wore camo and drove souped up pick-up trucks. The air still smelled of firewood, hay, and manure that made his nose crinkle every single time he stepped out of the car during a visit home. But no matter what - for some odd reason - there were bits and pieces of this place that Kurt Hummel just couldn't shake.
For one, he grew up in this bodunk hick town, spent nineteen long years there, and despite his disgust with many of the people who lived around him, there were parts of Lima that were still his home. Random areas of the city reminded him of the good old days when he used to run with Blaine, sneakily hiding out in the park where they'd share mocha flavored kisses and talk while they watched the sun droop in the sky and the moon begin to rise. There were parts of the town that reminded Kurt of being a little boy, hand tightly squeezing his mother's as she led him through the crowds of people towards the ferris wheel at the county fair. His fingers would be sticky with cotton candy residue, but his mom still held them tight, squeezing his palm gently as she took him to booth after booth and played games with him to try and win some sort of useless stuffed animal.
He hoped to do that with his own child someday.
That someday would be coming up very, very soon. Smiling, Kurt pressed his palms against his growing stomach and stared at the city as it slowly passed him by. Autumn was in full bloom, the leaves on the trees a multitude of colors, some of them bare as they prepared for the lengthy winter ahead. Blaine was at the wheel, driving the rental car through the streets that he too had begun to see as a pseudo-home despite the fact that he grew up in Westerville, a little over two hours away.
"You okay, honey?" The younger man asked, sliding one hand off of the steering wheel to place on Kurt's arm. He glanced over at his pregnant husband for a second and Kurt smiled and nodded.
"Just letting myself get caught up in the moment. You'd think I wouldn't give a shit about this place, but I think these hormones are really getting to me."
"Ugh, I know," Blaine added, scoffing at McKinley as they drove by it. "This place wasn't good to us at all - you especially. But it's strange because it's still kinda home-y to us."
"Probably because my dad and Carole are here."
"Yeah... and some of our friends still live around the area."
"Basically Lima is a cesspool but we're never gonna be able to escape it."
"At least not for a few weeks out of the year when we come visit your parents."
"True, true."
The rest of their conversation dwindled away as Blaine continued the drive through the city and towards the ever familiar road that led to the only place in Lima that Kurt cared about. He smiled when he spotted his family's home coming up ahead, his hand stopping its movement on his belly as the baby that grew inside picked up their kicking, as if they too were excited like he was. It had been forever since he'd been home, not since he'd gotten pregnant, and here he was at almost seven months along, coming home for a visit.
This visit had a purpose though, a very, very important purpose.
"We're here," Blaine announced, easing the car into park in the expansive driveway. Both men silently studied an old beat-up truck that sat dormant next to Carole's sedan and Burt's SUV; Finn's vehicle was there to stay, Carole voting to keep it for as long as possible because Finn loved the damn thing so much. Kurt and Blaine both knew that occasionally she took it out on the road to keep it running, but it was all for sentiments sake - driving around in Finn's old car was like spending time with Finn himself and neither man could front her for it. They completely understood.
Just looking at the lonely truck made Kurt's heart skip a beat and he reached out, taking his husband's hand as Blaine kissed his knuckles and made arrangements to get out of the car and take their bags. Within seconds of them pulling into the driveway, the front door opened, Burt stepping outside with Carole on his heels as they came to meet their kids. Carole instantly cooed at the sight of Kurt's round belly, coming up to hug him as he climbed out of the passenger seat. Burt, in the meantime, came round to help Blaine unload the car, waiting until all the boys' luggage was safely in the house before he wrapped Kurt up in a bear hug, chuckling at the feeling of his first grandchild kicking at his hand.
"God, look at you! You've gotten so big!"
"Are you calling me fat, dad?" Kurt teased, stepping back to take a long hard look at his father. He hated not getting to see his dad as much as he liked. Work had been so busy during the time before he got pregnant, so he barely had the chance to skype or facetime his parents before his life got swept up in baby fever. To be honest, his dad looked older, as he should considering he was getting up there in age, but just seeing him a bit more grey and a little more wrinkled brought that pang of worry right back into Kurt's heart as he realized that his family was getting older. He was getting older.
It was a mindboggling thought.
"So are you ready to spend a week here in Lima with your parents doing absolutely nothing?"
"Psh, as if I'm just gonna sit around while I'm here. Blaine's taking me to Breadstix and the Lima Bean as a bit of a before the baby comes date. We thought we'd get some reminiscing in before I get too big."
At that, Carole grinned, "Only two and a half more months to go! I cannot tell you how excited I am to have a baby around! It's been so long." For a second, a sad look passed across her face and Blaine reached out, taking her hand with a gentle squeeze. The older woman smiled at the two, blinking back tears. "It really means a lot to us that you guys are letting us spend a few weeks with you after the baby's born. We promise we won't get in your hair too much, but if we do, please let us know, okay? We just want to help."
"We'll be sure to tell you if you guys are hovering too much. I doubt you will though. We're gonna need all the help we can get." Blaine stated, smiling when Kurt added, "Yeah, especially when I'm gonna be out of commission for the first month that the baby's here thanks to the c-section."
From there, the family talked about the upcoming birth and the plan they had for when Burt and Carole were to arrive in New York City. They all settled in the living room, Kurt's thoughts slipping elsewhere as he took in the room he once spent tons of time in. Memories of laying on the sofa with Blaine in his arms bulldozed him, causing him to snuggle a little further in his husband's arms as the other man regaled his in-laws with tales of work and the stress that being a Broadway star brought. In the midst of Blaine's discussion, Kurt found himself staring at a portrait of his brother, his heart thudding hard in his chest as he looked at the tilted grin of Finn Hudson staring back at him. God, it'd been so long since he'd seen that grin in person; Finn passed away quite a while ago, but the pain was still fresh, like an open wound that wouldn't heal.
Soon it would be ten years to the day that they found out about Finn's death, The baby was due a few months before that anniversary, but Kurt knew that when the time came, no matter how exciting having a new grandchild would be, Carole would still ache with the loss of her only son. Frowning at such a horrid thought, he ran his hand over his stomach and rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling, trying his hardest to blink back the tears in his eyes. Blaine's voice trailed off, his worried eyes finding Kurt's as he leaned over his husband and watched him quizzically.
"You okay, Kurt? The baby's not freaking out again, is it?" Despite already knowing the sex of their child, they were incredibly careful not to spill the beans until they were ready to break the news to their families. Burt and Carole were first because they had a huge favor to ask of them, so until then, they were mum on whether or not their child was a boy or a girl. However, as the tightness in Kurt's chest increased over the thought of Finn, he realized that maybe now was the right time to tell them instead of in a few days like he planned.
"I want to tell them," he whispered, glancing up at his best friend to find the other man's eyes widening in acknowledgment.
"Right now?"
"Yeah. Can you help me sit up?" Kurt took Blaine's hands, huffing as he pulled himself up using Blaine's strength, finally getting himself back into a sitting position. His parents were watching him worriedly, their light eyes locked on him like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop. All he could do was smile at them to try and calm their fears. "Umm, Blaine and I have something to tell you."
"Well we already know you're pregnant, so what else have you got to surprise us with? Are you moving back to Ohio?"
Burt might have been teasing, but Kurt couldn't help the scowl that painted his face. "Ugh, god no. Nothing of the sort!" Schooling his expression into something a little more serious, he shot a look to both his dad and Carole, placing both hands on his stomach to calm himself before he made the big announcement. "So," he started, locking eyes with his dad. "Blaine and I were able to find out the sex of the baby a few weeks ago."
"You were? Oh Kurt, that's great." Carole said, beaming as she watched Blaine rest one of his hands over Kurt's.
"Yeah, well... we found out what we're having and we've already got a name in mind and we wanted to discuss it with you." Blaine paused, looking over at Kurt to give him the signal, just a slight nod that told his husband everything. It was time; they were ready. Kurt just hoped that he wouldn't cry too much depending on the outcome of this whole situation.
"Well," he whispered, staring down at his stomach. "You see, in a few months, you two will be the proud grandparents of a rambunctious little boy." He waited until their shouts of joy died down a bit before he continued on, a nervous smile on his face. "We were wondering if... well, Carole? We were hoping to get your permission to name him after Finn."
The room grew silent, Burt's wide eyes locking onto his wife as he took in her shocked expression, from the way her mouth fell open to the sight of tears brimming in her eyes and then spilling down her flushed cheeks. The woman was speechless, hand pressed against her chest as she looked to and from her sons, eyes crinkling as her awed emotion bled into pure admiration. "You want to name him Finn?"
"His first or middle name, if you don't mind. We only want to do it if you're comfortable with the idea. If you don't want us to use his name at all, we'll respect that. If you don't mind that we use it as a middle name or a first name, we'll be honored. We just... we'd like to include Finn in this too. We know how excited he would've been at the thought of being an uncle."
"Finn did love kids," Carole whispered, sniffling as she began to push herself up off the couch. Blaine was quick to help Kurt up, both men smiling as the woman pulled them into a tight hug, her sobs and tears wetting their shirts as she held them close and wept into their shoulders. "I would love it if you named the baby after Finn. He would've loved it too. I just know he would."
With her blessing, both men started to cry as well, their tears increasing when Burt came up and wrapped his arm around his family too, the tiny circle of cramped people feeling so full of love yet empty with the knowledge that someone else very important was missing from that moment.
::::::::::
Rain pelted the window, the sound of a spring storm tinkling outside as Kurt stared into the darkness and watched the water trickle down the side of the house. The lights were off, everyone else was in bed fast asleep, but he couldn't rest, especially not with a fidgety baby against him. Once again he was in Lima, for a different reason this time as compared to the last. Tomorrow they were going to McKinley for the ten year anniversary of Finn's death. Everyone was in for the occasion, ready to see how big the tree they'd planted in his honor was and to also have a celebration of his life. Kurt and Blaine had arrived from New York just hours ago and while Blaine was sleeping (since he drove the whole way down without a nap like the rest of the family was able to take), Kurt was busy roaming around the house with their son on his chest, one hand cradling the baby's bottom while he ran his fingers through the infant's thick dark hair.
"You know what they say," he murmured, kissing the side of the babe's head. "April showers bring May flowers, right?" When he wasn't met with a response, he chuckled, stepping away from the window to head to the other side of the room where a well-studied picture of a lost family member sat proudly on the wall. He smiled up at it, eyes alight with tears over the lopsided smile that reflected back at him and he turned, twisting his body towards the photo to show off the small sleeping baby in his arms.
"You see this guy right here, baby boy? That's your uncle and he would've loved you to pieces. I'm sure he does love you, wherever he is. He's your namesake, sweetheart, and I hope that you one day grow up to be just as amazing as him." The infant in his arms sighed and Kurt nuzzled his face against the little one's soft hair, looking up at the portrait with a watery gaze, finally ready to say the words he'd been thinking about saying since the second they stepped in the door that evening. "Hey bro, I've got someone to introduce you to. Hope you don't mind that we stole your name, but- umm... Finn, meet Finn."
A/N: I know it's probably annoying having to come to this fic to read my mpreg drabbles, but I didn't feel like making a whole new fic to write just mpreg drabbles in so I merged it with my daddy!Klaine fic. All of these drabbles are also on tumblr (my tumblr name is the same as my pen on here: warblerslushie - so follow me if you want! I love getting followers! Or you can message me at any time on there as well!) Anyway, this was prompted to me on tumblr and I hope you liked it. Please review if you can! Also remember you can prompt me on here as well. Any time!