Prompt: Mrs. Stein - "He's my child, I want every minute I can with him" - 'ER'
Something was wrong. I could sense it. Maybe I wasn't a close to Kurt as I would have liked, I tried to be there for him but talking was something that I wasn't always good at, but I did know my boy enough to know when something was bothering him.
"Why don't we take a break," I suggested, striaghtening up and putting down my tools. Even if I had promised to have this car done by tomorrow, my son was more important than keeping that deadline.
Kurt just nodded, following my suit in laying his tool aside. Sometimes it felt like this garage was the only thing we had in common, at least until he had joined the football team. Going to the games, and cheering my boy on, no matter how unconventional his approach to the ball was, was something I was comfortable with. It was a nice change.
"Everything okay at school?" I asked, trying to sound casual as I wiped my hands on a rag.
"Yeah," Kurt replied, not sounding at all convincing as he took a seat on a nearby stool.
"You sure, because you seem sort of upset about something," I said, not about to let the subject drop so easily.
"Well, it's not school exactly," Kurt replied, looking down at the ground in front of him. "I sort of quit the football team," he said in a voice so quiet I just barely caught the words.
"You what?" I said, surprised by the announcement. Knowing that the guys on the team had given Kurt a hard time in the past, I immediately thought they were up to it again. "What have they done?"
"What?" Kurt asked, looking up.
"What have your teammates done to make you want to quit?"
"No, it's not like that," Kurt told me. "It's my choice. The coach is making everyone in Glee to choose either Glee or football. I know how happy you are that I was on the team, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I love Glee. I can't quit that," he explained, his voice taken on a pleading tone.
I was shocked. I thought I had made it clear to him that I loved him no matter what when he had come out to me. Apparently, he still had his doubts.
"Kurt, I'm not disappointed."
"You're not?"
"Of course not. You were given an ultimatum and you chose what would make you happiest. I'd never want you to do otherwise."
Looking relieve, Kurt got to his feet and closed the distance between us. Without hesitation, I drew him into a hug. This boy was my life, and I knew my job was to show him that. To convince him that I loved him, no matter what choices or mistakes he made.
"I love you," I whispered, holding him tight as he rested his head against my shoulder.