AN: Inspired by lyrics from Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars
As Kurt hurried past the table again, off to talk to who knows who now, Burt reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Sit," Burt told him, pointing to the chair next to him.
"But-"
"But nothing," my soon to be stepfather said, not giving Kurt a chance to speak. "You've been organizing things all evening and thanks to you the rehearsal went smoothly and tomorrow is going to be a special one for all of us. Right now though, you need to sit down and enjoy this meal with the rest of us. Anything else that needs to be done can wait an hour or so."
With a sigh, Kurt relented and took his place next to his father. I couldn't help but noticed how relaxed he looked tonight, despite all of his fretting over things for the wedding. He had been smiling all night which only made me realize how little Kurt had been smiling at school lately. Sure, there had been brief ones here and there, but they had been fleeting and far between. This Kurt seemed like a whole different person than the one we had been seeing lately.
"You've done an amazing job planning this wedding, Kurt," my mom said, reaching past Burt to give Kurt's hand a squeeze.
Though Kurt ducked his head at the praise, the smile that lights up his face is still visible and I realize that this is how Kurt should feel all the time - accepted and appreciated for who he is.
With any luck, the song that I chose for my surprise for him tomorrow will convey that message to him - that I've realized that I don't want him to change. It may have taking me awhile to realize it, but Kurt is an amazing person just the way he is. He's got a courage and strength that goes unnoticed most of the time. His compassion shines through in everything that he does and I've come to realize that of all of us, he's probably got the best chance of getting out of Lima given his combination of drive and talent.
Though I definitely haven't be showing it, I'm going to be proud to call Kurt my brother come tomorrow. Proud to be a part of the family that this wedding was going to form. Finally, I could be genuinely happy about what was going on as everybody else was and it was with a light heart that I picked up the champagne flute from the table as Burt addressed the group that was gathered for the rehearsal dinner.