Chapter Text
Wednesday, 16th July, 2015 – 22:39
From: Blaine Anderson ([email protected])
To: Kurt Hummel ([email protected])
Subject: I hope you’re happy now
My mom loves you more than she loves me. This is exactly what I feared. This is exactly why I didn’t want you guys to meet.
(She doesn’t love you more than I do, though. I love you ridiculous levels. I love you as much as my dad loves barbecue sauce. I love you as much as Jupiter is big. I love you as much as water is wet. I love you so much)
I can’t believe we did this. I can’t believe I met your family and you met mine. I can’t believe they all met.
I LOVE YOU,
Honey-Bee
Day 171 – E-mail 171
-x-
“Am I finally going to see you without the damn phone in your hand?” Burt asks as puts his bag in the trunk.
Kurt looks up from where he was texting Blaine, telling him they were just about to leave, and blushes slightly. “Sorry…”
“No, it’s fine.” Burt chuckles, “I like seeing you smile, even if it isn’t directed at me.”
“Ugh, dad. Lame.” Kurt shoots back, even though he feels a little warmer at the sentiment.
Carole comes rushing with a pie in each hand, “Hold this, dear! I need to lock the door.” Kurt climbs in the backseat and puts one pie on Carole’s seat and another on his lap, while Burt climbs into the driver’s seat and buckles up.
“So things with this boy are pretty serious, then?”
“Dad, you’re about to go to a barbeque especially arranged for the sole purpose of our families meeting, and then you’re going to go on a road trip with the two of us and his dad to spend a full week in New York and go to the pride parade. What do you think?”
Burt chuckles, and nods, “Good point.”
“I’d say things are about as serious as they could be.”
“Whatever that means…” Burt chuckles as he starts the car and Carole hops in, almost sitting on the pie before noticing it.
“I mean that we’re young and we’ve been together for something like six months, so I’m not going to say I want to marry him and have his kids… But…”
“But you want to.”
“Dad!”
“What? There’s nothing wrong with daydreaming, or even hopeful planning. If life gets in the way and you have to say goodbye, then… that’s what you do, but if right now you can’t help wanting a life with him, that’s what you should aim for.”
“Thanks, dad.” He mumbles grabbing his phone, this conversation getting a little too serious for his liking, even though he should’ve seen it coming with the kind of day they had ahead.
“And Kurt…?”
“Yes, dad?” He doesn’t look up from his phone, even though he hasn’t unlocked it, and is trying not to notice the way Burt’s pulled Carole’s hand between them.
“I’ve been waiting your whole life to give you this advice, so pay attention, kid.” Burt says, stopping where he’d already been reversing out of the driveway and turning in his seat to look Kurt in the eye.
“Okay.”
“Careers and job opportunities and professional fulfillment, those are all important things and you need to do something you love, without a doubt, but don’t for a minute think any of that means anything if you don’t have something good to come home to.”
Kurt frowns, “What’re you saying?”
“I’m saying, if life does get in the way, and the choice is between love and career, choose very, very carefully. Don’t get too caught up in this generation’s craze of career and personal fulfillment first and family second. It might be the right thing for some people, but it might not be for you.”
“Oookay…” Kurt says slowly, still frowning a little, “I just… I don’t understand why you’re telling me this right now, but sure. If the time comes I’ll be sure to remember that.”
Burt sighs and resumes his driving, “I feel like it’s finally something worth saying.”
“It’s like you want me to marry the guy and you haven’t even met him. Excuse me if I’m confused.”
Burt laughs, “I have a lot of admiration and respect for whoever makes you smile that wide.”
“Oh god…” Kurt groans and lets his head fall back, bringing up his phone and unlocking it.
Kurt: We’re on the move. (Dad’s being super lame and cheesy, distract me)
Blaine: thank goodness. How did we even survive all those months you were in Paris? (I do like distracting you)
Kurt: we weren’t dating yet, there were a lot of things you didn’t know you’d miss. You hadn’t been properly introduced to my mouth, for instance.
Blaine: Oh my! And what a fine, talented mouth it is… had that text come twenty minutes earlier and you would have helped make my waking up that much more enjoyable.
Kurt: I was thinking along the lines of innocent, idle kissing. Such a dirty mind you have, my love.
Blaine: You were most definitely not! You started it.
Kurt: That I did, that I did. After endless weeks of only this (what are the kids calling it this days? Sexting?), it’s kind of hard to stop (and just when I was getting the hang of it)… I guess my fingers slipped – muscle memory and all. Although you’ll be thanking heavens for it, tonight.
Blaine: you are……
Kurt: I know.
Kurt smiled smugly at his phone waiting for Blaine’s reply and as his eyes wandered a little and met his dad’s on the rearview mirror he couldn’t help blushing and ducking his head, while Burt chuckled.
Blaine: You can’t hear it, but I’m groaning because I miss you so bad. Even if you only had five minutes left on your drive it’d still be too log. I need you here and now.
Kurt: I love it when you groan.
Blaine: Forget about our parents and everyone else. When you get here I’m getting on that car and we’re going away just the two of us so I can do things to you and groan until I’m hoarse.
Kurt: Mmmm… music to my ears. I’ll tell my dad to step on it.
Blaine: Seriously, though. Let’s plan things better next year, because I’m pretty sure this was an insane and unnecessary amount of time apart. Also, don’t tell your dad to step on it, because better late than never, right? Drive safe.
Kurt: Ugh, you sound just like him! (yes, better planning much needed) We’re halfway.
Blaine: Awesomeness. I’ve just finished the salad fruit. My phone is drenched in fruit juices, btw. Sticky. Disgusting. Poor thing.
Kurt: I’m sure it’s seen worse days (nights). Sticky, sticky indeed.
Blaine: Le gasp!
Kurt laughs quietly to his phone. He’s still not sure when this shift happened, when he started to be the instigator and Blaine took over the blushing, coy role. Well, not always – Blaine couldn’t never even come close to a “blushing virgin” if he tried his hardest, the way he is in the heat of the moment. But it turns out, that if you put clothes on him and take him out of the seclusion of a bedroom, he turns the loveliest shade of red whenever they go further than private, whispered innuendos. It makes for spectacular amusement whenever they’re at parties and Blaine’s mildly drunk and Kurt’s feeling… especially rowdy.
It results in so much giggling, stuttering and blushing, it’s both the most adorable and the sexiest thing ever. This last month apart, Kurt’s missed that. Sexting, or even phone sex just isn’t the same – it’s hot, and boy do they make it hot, but he doesn’t get to see the result of riling Blaine up, up close and personal.
He just missed Blaine a whole lot. Everything about him.
Kurt: Are you nervous?
Blaine: About…?
Kurt: Today? Everything about today. Meeting the parents, the parents meeting each other… All at once.
Blaine: Not gonna lie. A little bit nervous. But it’ll be fine. My parents love you already; you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Kurt bites his lips and glances at the back of his dad’s head before he smiles and texts back.
Kurt: Yeah. My dad’s pretty much in awe of you, too.
-x-
As soon as their car is coming up the driveway of a humongous, beautiful house, the front door is being pulled open and Blaine appears, wearing a beautiful navy/white stripped tee and denim shorts that hug his thighs so tightly Kurt’s brain might short circuit if he stares one moment too long. The moment Burt has pulled the hand break Kurt is out of the car and jogging to Blaine, pulling him in and kissing him with all the desperate need of someone who hasn’t seen his beloved boyfriend in nearly a month. Blaine’s certainly not complaining, lacing his arms around Kurt’s waist and lifting him off the ground spinning. As soon as his feet touch the ground again Kurt pulls back, grinning and breathless “The car’s still running, if we run now we can make it to Canada before they have time to realize what we’re doing!”
Blaine laughs and kisses him again, just as Carole steps up, both pies on her hands, “This must be Blaine!”
Kurt beams and shakes his head, “Oh no, this is just the pool boy, Eddie.”
Carole bites away her laughter before she says, “It’s very nice to meet you, Eddie. I’m Carole.”
“Likewise, Mrs. Hummel.”
“If you can kiss my Kurt like that, you can call me Carole”
Blaine has the decency to blush and nod, and Kurt resists the urge to pull him back in, just as Burt catches up, “Blaine,” he says offering up a hand, “Nice to finally meet you, kid.”
“Such a pleasure, sir!” Blaine beams, “I’ve heard so much about you guys it feels like I’m meeting celebrities!”
Both of them dissolve into giggles – yes, Burt Hummel, dissolves into giggles – and Kurt rolls his eyes and smiles, “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
Blaine grins and nods, “Good to know.” He gestures towards the front door, “They’re inside. Upstairs, I think. I don’t think they heard my cry of happiness, otherwise they’d be here already.” He takes Kurt’s hand in his and starts walking towards the house, “Please, come in.”
Kurt has a hard time keeping his eyes from dancing everywhere as soon as they’re inside and he’s faced with every interior design fantasy he ever had as a child, “Wow…”
Blaine gives him a quick smile before calling out, “Mom! Dad! Coop! They’re here!”
It takes a few seconds, but suddenly there are hurried footsteps. Blaine’s mother is the first one appearing from the top of the wide stairs, hurriedly putting on an earring. She’s short with soft, voluptuous curves, hugged nicely by casual, modern jeans and a nice airy pink top. “Oh, welcome!” she smiles at once, hurrying until she’s standing in front of Blaine and Kurt, “Oh, is this Kurt?” she gasps, putting a hand on his shoulder and then admiring him at arm’s length. Kurt tries his hardest not to fidget. Finally, she drops to take his hand and pulls it up, wordlessly making him twirl in place, “Oh, Blaine…!”
“Mom.” Blaine mutters in a warning tone.
“But he is gorgeous! Isn’t he, John?” she asks, as a man appears, taking the steps at a pace only slightly slower than she had. He’s discreetly finishing tucking his light yellow shirt in his expensive but casual looking cargo shorts.
John Anderson is much, much taller than his wife, and even though he’s clearly well into his fifties, maybe more, he’s a surprisingly handsome man. And until the moment his smile widens and reaches his eyes Kurt could’ve sworn Blaine had none of his features – all angles and pallor where Blaine was soft and rich, much like his mother. But their smile… their smile was the same. All joy and kindness and candor.
“Impressive, son…” John nods and winks at Blaine before he turns back to Kurt, “You’ll have to excuse my wife, stuck in this house with us three she doesn’t get much opportunities to see handsome men, anymore.”
Kurt’s pretty sure his cheeks are on fire by now and he’s pretty much lost his ability to speak.
“John Anderson, it’s very nice to finally meet you, Kurt.”
Kurt shakes his hand, and he’s trying to say something, anything, when Blaine’s mother laughs, easy and free, “He’s so embarrassed, poor thing!”
“Just shut up, mom.” Blaine sighs and then turns towards Kurt’s family, “Mom, dad, this Burt and Carole Hummel.”
“It’s so nice to meet you!” Carole grins, stepping forward and offering her hand to Blaine’s mom.
“I’m Claire!” they shake hands as Burt steps forward and offers his to John, “I’m so glad you could come!”
The new round of introductions is interrupted as what sounds like a stampede comes barreling down the stairs, turning out to be an exact younger copy of John, with a slightly harried woman behind him. Cooper Anderson in all his glory – his first impression living up to everything Kurt was ever told about him. Magnetic, good-looking, attention stealer, and something that even after three mere seconds of seeing him made Kurt know there was something inherently silly, if not foolish, about him. And absolutely no trace of his difficult childhood left on him. With a mega-watts smile Cooper heads straight to Kurt, hand already stretched out, “Kurt Hummel! I was beginning to think I’d never see the day!”
“Hum, hi!”
“Hi right back at you!” Cooper beamed, “Excuse our delay, we were… huh, delayed.” He shoots another winning grin, as the woman behind him sighs and seems to stop herself just short of face palming. Her hair is slightly disheveled, her cheeks are flushed, and her smile is nervous. Her build is similar to Claire’s, but she’s blonde with chocolate brown eyes, and adorably freckly, chubby cheeks.
“This must be Kurt’s lovely family! It’s so nice to meet you all. I’m Blaine’s brother, Cooper and this is my Elle.” He says all of this as he shakes their hands, completely unphased by the way everyone just went silent and stunned at this sudden burst of energy.
She gives Kurt a small smile that he’s sure means something like “Been there, done that, welcome to the crazy.”, he can’t help but smile back and let out a little relieved sigh. She’s here and she’s alive: it can’t be that bad.
“Oh dear!” Claire gasps, out of nowhere startling everyone “Give those here,” she gestures towards the pies Burt and Carole are holding, “No reason to exhaust yourselves, just yet. Come, come!”
-x-
It turns out, it really isn’t that bad. After the initial shock wears off it’s a nice enough affair. A little awkward, sometimes a little stilted even, but everyone is trying and it’s a great group of people with two young men and their blossoming romance in common. Conversation flows mostly nicely when Kurt asks Blaine’s parents about their vacation to Europe this past month, and when Claire and Cooper go on a rampage, it just makes the job easier for everyone. Kurt glances back to where Blaine’s helping his dad with the barbeque, and he gives him a warm, soothing smile. It’s not hard to see who takes after who, in this family.
When lunch is almost ready, Blaine takes Kurt’s hand and announces he’s going to show him around the house – something everyone but Cooper has the good sense not to comment or tease them over.
They don’t stop long in Blaine’s bedroom (even though Kurt would have loved to be left alone in it for a couple of hours, just to explore and understand), and they try not to get lost in each other, because lunch will be ready soon and they’d much rather not be interrupted by anyone coming to get them. Instead, Blaine really does show him the house, peppering it with little anecdotes from his childhood here and there.
From the glimpses into the few family photos displayed on the walls and shelves, and even just the whole of the house and his stories a lot of pieces that is Blaine’s puzzle slot into place and Kurt falls in love with him a little bit more every five minutes. He tells him so, as Blaine draws his little tour of the house to an end, by the door that leads to the backyard, where everyone else was still pretending not to notice their prolonged absence.
Blaine takes a deep breath; smiles that little smile of his that says more than a hundred words could and pulls him in to a deep kiss filled with love, trust and earnest gratitude.
“Tell me the truth,” Kurt chuckles as he pulls back, “Are your parents dressed down, trying not to intimidate mine…?”
Blaine bites his lip, smile still escaping its prison and he shrugs with one shoulder, “Maybe…” he mutters, “Why? What gave it away…?”
“There’s not one photo of your mother wearing anything less then four inch heels and a designer skirt; her jeans look absolutely brand new… And I think I saw your dad fix his invisible tie at least six times, now.”
Blaine glances at the group outside and, as if on cue, his father reaches up to his neck, only to find there’s no tie to straighten. With a laugh, “They asked me what I wanted today to be like, and I told him I wanted everyone to be comfortable… I wanted this to be the start of something easy… and you know, friendly. It’s not that they’re not ever like this, you know, relaxed and casual, when it’s just the four of us, it’s just, when we have company they love going all out… And you’re wrong, my mom has worn those jeans at least three times before today.”
“Well… To tell you the truth, I think it was probably best this way. I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded much, if your parents were dressed to the nines, but they would have been a little…”
“Intimidated…”
“Yeah.”
“Are you?” Blaine asks, his eyes betraying how worried he really was over the subject.
Kurt shook his head, “Of course not.”
They share another kiss and Kurt pulls back sooner than he’d like “We should probably go join them, or your mother’s going to come in here and start complementing me on my kissing technique as well.”
Blaine lets out a long sigh and drops his head to Kurt’s shoulder, “I am so sorry about her.”
“She’s great, Bee.”
“Yeah… sometimes I lose track of that…” he says with a roll of his eyes, but there’s fondness in his tone and Kurt knows he doesn’t mean any of it.
-x-
“Blaine, honey, put some sunscreen on.” Claire calls from where she’s cutting a pie, opening the rounds on dessert, “You’re getting a little reddish.”
“That’s because you keep embarrassing me, mom, it’s just blushing. I’m fine.” Blaine gives her one of his sardonic smiles. Kurt knows these smiles now – it’s one of those things you only get to see on Blaine if you give him time to show it – this condescending, verging-on-obnoxious kind of side of him. Kurt actually finds it a little sexy, even when directed at himself (maybe especially then).
“Blaine, don’t be silly. It’s just sunscreen and it’s important.” She insists, and Blaine just shakes his head and remains in his place, pulling his feet up and folding them on his chair, like a pretzel.
Kurt’s torn between laughing and telling him he’s the most adorable little shit ever. He glances at Claire who’s rolling her eyes as she plates the first slice of pie. Their eyes meet and Kurt shoots her a smile and a wink.
“I have some sunscreen in my bag,” Kurt says, twisting himself in his seat and reaching inside the bag hanging on the back of his chair, “here…” he offers the tube.
“Kurt.”
“Sunscreen’s important. I don’t want you if your skin’s damaged goods.”
Blaine gives him a steady glare before he takes the sunscreen off his hand and squirts some on his fingers, before applying it in two stripes over his cheeks and then directing that same smile to Kurt. “Better now?”
Kurt gives him a sickly sweet smile and shakes his head before reaching for Blaine’s chin and holding his face in place as he spreads the white across his cheeks and nose. “There you go, Bee.” Kurt finishes with a kiss to his cheek.
“Bee?” John echoes from his seat in front of Burt, his bright blue eyes are alive with mirth, “Nice to see your mother’s legacy lives on.”
“Nuh-huh,” Claire shakes her head from where she’s still distributing slices of pie, “My legacy is Honey-Bee, nothing more, nothing less.”
“Well, it started that way.” Kurt informs her, feeling more comfortable after the sunscreen alliance, “But it was just too long to be practical, I’m sorry.”
“He still uses the full version when he wants me to do something for him.” Blaine pipes up as he reaches for his piece of pie, “He knows I’ll do anything to keep him from calling me that atrocity.” He smiles teasingly, this time it’s all in good nature, not a mean tone to it.
“You love it when I call you that.” Kurt elbows him.
“Of course he does,” Burt smiles knowingly, “Anything to make him feel a little closer to home, ain’t that right, kid?”
Blaine seems completely tripped up at that, mouth open but words failing him, his cheeks definitely reddening with a blush, before he smiles, a little bashful but not at all forced. Claire lets out a wonderful, happy laugh and John grins between his wife, his son and Burt.
“Oh, shush!” Blaine says, over his mother’s laughter, and she fixes him with a smug smile, “This is exactly why I can’t ever admit to anything even remotely nice about you!” he fixes her with a pointed glare, even though he seems just as amused as everyone else, “I admit I miss her and she takes it as a personal victory. She’s impossible.”
“Eat some pie, Blaine.” Claire bites back with a wink, “And stop being a whiny little bitch.”
The table erupts into raucous laughter, and Blaine just rolls his eyes and turns to Cooper, “Whenever you want to steal the attention, just go right ahead.”
Cooper laughs even more before he nods, “Alright, alright, if you say so, let us get back on track with the afternoon.” He announces, “Honey-Bee, do you want to be my best man?”
“What?!” Blaine sputters.
“Oh, yeah…” Cooper grins, “I forgot to tell you, guys.” He shrugs casually, even though he clearly didn’t forget anything, “We’re engaged.”
“What?!”
Elle’s blushing so much it’s amazing she has enough blood to keep the rest of her body functioning, but she smiles and nods, brushing the hair away from her face, “We are…”
“When did this happen?!” Claire gasps, raising out of her chair and walking around the table.
“This morning…?” it sounds like a question, the way this girl is almost coiling under all this attention, but she’s still grinning, and she looks glowing and happy, “he… huh…” she doesn’t finish the stuttered answer as she’s soon enveloped in a tight hug.
“She finally said yes!” Cooper beams with pride and thrill.
“Finally?” Blaine frowns, “You asked before?”
Elle sputters with laughter, while Cooper shrugs nonchalantly, “I asked her to marry me on our first date.”
“He’s asked me to marry him every month since we started going out…” She rolls her eyes, before she raises her hand, a shiny, beautiful engagement ring on, “last month I told him to get a ring and I’d consider it.”
“So I got her a ring.” Cooper grins and says it like he’s commenting on the weather.
With disbelief all over their faces the Andersons share hugs and handshakes and pats on the shoulders. And Burt clears a throat and raises his half empty beer, “To the happy couple! Congratulations, may you get everything you ever wished for in each other and then some!”
“Ditto!” Carole grins, and everyone grabs their drinks and laughs as the sounds of clinking glass and excitement permeates through the summery breeze of a sunny July afternoon.
“Wow, when your brother pulls focus, he really pulls focus.” Kurt murmurs in Blaine’s ear and receives a knowing smile in return.
“I’m not complaining this time, though.” He beams and Kurt kisses his temple before Blaine slips away to hug Elle tightly and then his brother, each of them clinging hard to the other and burying their faces in it.
There’s something undeniably powerful and indescribable about their hug. Kurt swallows and tries not to think of Finn and how he used to hug him just like that – just as strong and perfect. He feels a little lump in his throat as he watches Blaine pull back from the embrace and take his brother’s face between his hands, beaming, eyes filled with joy. He’s saying something, they both are, but Kurt can’t hear them.
He takes a deep breath and lets the happiness of the moment overwhelm the sudden pang of longing for his own brother’s embrace (he tries not to think about how he’ll never get to have this, he’ll never get to congratulate Finn on his love, or receive Finn’s congratulations on his), and makes his way to Blaine’s parents, “Congratulations to the happy parents, as well!” he grins.
“Thank you, sweetheart!” Claire pulls him in for a hug.
John claps his back and gives him a little knowing smile that Kurt can’t quite decipher, but it’s still nice and heartwarming, before he clears his throat and raises his drink again, “Today we celebrate love – young, new, and old.”
They toast that second time, and the afternoon just keeps going with more and more toasts, laughter increasingly easier, and smiles all too quick to surface. There’s a nice buzz to everyone, and the awkwardness that had been there at the start was completely gone, along with three bottles of wine and too much beer.
-x-
Kurt watches from the car as Blaine hugs his mother goodbye. It’s a tight hug that contrasts with the never ending, back and forth snark they’d shared all day. He smiles at it, but feels it’s almost too private and can’t help averting his eyes. He looks to Pirate’s little travel-case, at his side where she’s miraculously sound asleep and resists the urge to open it and start petting her. She’s adorable.
Carole opens the door and tells him to scoot over so he’s in the middle, and Kurt picks up the case and settles it on his lap. Pirate stirs awake, meows once and falls back asleep – Kurt has yet to master Blaine’s cat-conversational technique.
It’s a little while before Burt, John and Blaine hop on the car. They’re going through Lima first to drop Carole off, and then heading out to New York, for a few days of showing their dads (mostly Burt) around before the big Pride Parade Day (apparently Blaine’s dad has a conference in NYC the week before the Parade, and this is how the whole male-bonding week in NYC idea got started). Just a lot of male bonding. Kurt feels like he should be nervous, but after today, it’s kind of hard to.
They’ll stop for the night somewhere along the way, and they’ve packed sandwiches for dinner on the road.
Blaine settles nicely onto Kurt’s other side, and he offers to take Pirate, but Kurt just shrugs and tells him it’s fine, instead offering him a hand to lace their fingers together, and sliding down in his seat until he can lay his head on Blaine’s shoulder.
Burt and John fall into easy “manly” conversation about the car, and Kurt sees Blaine frowning slightly at his own dad before chuckling to himself and resting his temple against Kurt’s. Carole pipes up in the conversation every once in a while, especially as it eventually moves away from cars and into other fields she’s more interested in.
Kurt and Blaine, though, keep their silence, not quite sleeping, but lulled into a lazy comfort, leaning into each other. Sometimes Blaine will kiss the top of Kurt’s head, and Kurt will squeeze Blaine’s hand in response.
They both pretend they don’t notice either one of the three adults stealing glances at them every once in a while.
They’re pulling into Lima when Kurt disentangles his hand from Blaine’s to press his index finger to his denim-clad thigh and spell out “I L-O-V-E Y-O-U”
Blaine breathes deep, wrapping his now free arm around Kurt and pulling him closer, burying his nose in Kurt’s hair, his breath tickling and delicious as he lets it out.
Kurt closes his eyes and knows this is just one of those moments, or even days, that, however simple they may be, they’re perfect.
He knows his dad was right before – with Blaine’s arm around his shoulder, keeping him close, and his scent in every breath he takes, he knows that one day they’ll be in that same backyard with those same people, the happiest they’ve ever been and just as in love, if not more than today, announcing their own engagement.
Later that night, in their slightly less than ideal motel room, after he watches Blaine type out his daily e-mail on his phone and then put it away with a smile, he tells him “You’re not allowed to ever go on a three weeks vacation so far without me. Ever again”
Blaine grins and nods his acceptance of this new rule before he wraps his arms around Kurt and throws him on the bed, amidst laughter and yelping.
-x- An interlude from Blaine –x-
New York’s Pride Parade is the craziest thing Blaine’s ever seen in his life and each year it never fails to take his breath away. He loves it exactly because it’s completely and utterly mind-blowing – it’s a day when anything is possible, when everyone is valued no matter what.
Blaine has always detested when people criticized the parade because “it sent the wrong message out to the world”, because “it only gave more ammunition to those who thought the LGBT community was just a bunch of insane, abnormal and flamboyant little freak sluts.”. Those people were, in his opinion, committing the gross mistake of thinking this parade had anything to do with what the outside world saw or thought. This parade was not for the straight people, this parade was not about convincing straight people to like them. This parade was solely and uniquely about the LGBT community, about that community telling itself and its members that no matter how different they are, they had a place in this world. They had support, they had acceptance, and they had love. This is not for you, Blaine always told those people, this is for us.
This is us claiming our right to be simply be, whether we have your “permission” or not.
He looks around himself and he sees the world he wants to live in, the world where he’s just another person, singular as he may be, but still a part of something bigger than himself.
“Isn’t this beautiful?” he asks, grinning, squeezing Kurt’s hand more than was probably advisable.
Kurt just laughs, “You really love this, don’t you?”
Blaine beams and nods, “Whatever gave me away?”
“You look like you just got a Golden Ticket to the Chocolate Factory.”
“That would also be pretty awesome.” He chuckles, stopping so that their dads can catch up, “It just… it just gives me hope, you know?”
“For what?”
“Tomorrow…? The future.” He smiles, “Things will get better,” he says and he means it, “Things are getting better. It’s not just something to placate and talk young kids out of ledges anymore. It’s true. And we get to be here and see it happen in real time. Don’t you think that’s amazing?”
Kurt’s smile is fond and completely unabashed as he just looks at Blaine for a long time before he says, “I think you are amazing.”
Blaine throws his head back with laughter and then shoves away at Kurt, “Stop it, I mean it! You know the story behind it, right? You know what we’re celebrating, here…”
“The stonewall riots.”
“We’re celebrating action! Action for change! Demands for change! And look at how far we’ve come! I think it’s pretty amazing.”
“We’re still a far cry from perfect…” Kurt points out.
“But today we get to celebrate how far we have come, and we’ll worry about what’s still to be done tomorrow. This day is for celebration. For us.”
“Honestly, Blaine, be more adorable, I dare you.”
“He gets it from me,” a voice pulls them out of it, and they look to find their dads happily holding ice cream cones, “I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m pretty adorable myself.”
“Dad, please.”
“No, it’s true. It’s how I got your mother. With my adorableness.” He grins and takes a big chunk of ice cream and proceeds to fight the urge to spit it out, wincing slightly.
“Okay… I guess I see it now.” Blaine teases, tilting his head sideways and squinting, “but your brand of adorable is a little different from mine… Yours is more along the lines of endearing idiot.”
John just swallows thickly taking only the time for a deep gasp of relief before he sticks his tongue out at Blaine who laughs, “Real mature, dad.”, to which John grins and starts walking, continuing on their search for a nice place to sit and watch.
Blaine follows his dad, shooting a glance to check Kurt and Burt are following, and he exchanges quick, easy smiles with them both. He’s a little bit in love with watching Kurt interact with his dad.
The four of them do find and nice place to sit on a curb, and it has shade and they get to watch as the parade passes by.
Kurt makes Blaine put on sunscreen and then asks John to snap a picture of it and send it to Claire. Blaine pretended to mind and he pouted for the picture, but just as soon he forgot about it, kissing Kurt at every chance he got and blushing each time he found one of their dads watching. Both Burt and his dad would always smile, though, so he couldn’t be doing anything too wrong.
By the end of the day, when the sun is setting they sit on the green grass of a park, eating lousy hot dogs for dinner and exchanging thoughts on the parade and everything about it.
When Blaine shoves the last of his food in his mouth, balling up the soiled wrapper and trying to look for a place to put it in, his dad’s hand lands on his shoulder, “Blaine, could we talk for a bit?”
Blaine frowns and swallows the last bite as he nods, “Sure, dad.”
He exchanges a look with Kurt who’d been mostly listening to his own dad going on and on about Lima and how backwards it still was, and then accepts his dad’s hand to hoist him up and lets him guide them somewhere more private.
They sit by a small pond with grey ducks that don’t look particularly well or healthy.
“I like Kurt.” His dad says out of the blue.
“Oh. Good. I’m glad.”
“He seems good. For you, I mean… he’s… yeah.” His dad looks nervous. He’s rubbing his hands and staring at them, “What I mean to say is that I’m very happy to see you this happy.”
“Oh!” Blaine breathes and beams, “Thank you, dad.”
“And it makes me very proud to see you make him happy, too. It makes me feel like we did a good job with you, you know? You’re a good man, now, and I hope I somehow helped with that. I hope I did right by you.”
Blaine tries to wrap his head around the conversation but he can’t. His father’s kind and good, but he shows affections with gestures, with humor, with earnest smiles. Never with open, candid words – that is the one thing Blaine inherited from his mother and Cooper didn’t. “I… thank you. You did do a good job, dad. You did the best job.”
John chuckles and gives Blaine one of those earnest smiles he relies on so much, “I have something for you.” He says reaching into his pocket and pulling out something he keeps in his hand.
“Oh, do tell.” Blaine prods, bumping their shoulders together.
“As you know your mother and I celebrated our twenty fifth anniversary and we renewed our vows… and we got new white wedding bands… As per tradition.”
“Yes,…?”
“I, huh, I don’t know how it works with… huh, two men, but, I want you to have this.” He opens his hand to reveal his simple and worn out wedding ring. To Blaine it’s still the most amazing and beautiful wedding ring there ever was. As a kid he used to space out and just stare at his parents wedding rings, at how they were always there, at how, never once, did either of them go a single day without them – his dad’s slightly thicker than his mother’s, but otherwise just the same in its simplicity and consistency. He used to go to bed at night and wish for the chance to have one too, one day. “It… It brought me luck, maybe… in my marriage. I wanted to give you something, you know, for whenever you feel like… using it.”
“Dad…!”
“It doesn’t have to be Kurt, son, but… I see you two, and it feels like… you know…”
“I know.” Blaine murmurs as he reaches for it, holding it between his fingers and looking at it. It’s got a whole life behind it. It makes Blaine’s insides turn to jelly, just thinking about the possibilities of his own happy marriage, “What do you want me to do with it, though? Do you want me to use it as an engagement ring? As my wedding ring?”
His dad shrugged, “I don’t know. It’s yours now… You do what feels right to you.”
“I want to honor it.” Blaine shakes his head, “I want to do right by it. By you. I… This is so much more than a ring, dad, I need to… use it right. I’m asking you…”
“And I’m telling you it’s your choice. I don’t care if you just frame it and hang it up in the bathroom. I just needed to give you something that held meaning, that held a story, and love… because… well, because I need you to know that I’m behind you, one hundred percent. Whoever you are, whoever you love, I will always support you, okay?”
“Dad…” Blaine gasps, as suddenly there’s a thick lump in his throat and tears in his eyes.
“I know I wasn’t always… the best with this, but…”
“Dad…!” he tilts his head and smiles through his tears.
“And I know I changed, but I never… I never told you this. So, you know, there’s nothing more important to me than to see you and your brother happy, and when you are, I… I’m just proud to be your father.”
“Dad!” Blaine half-laughs half-sobs and pulls him in for a tight hug.
“You knew all of that, right?” John’s voice is muffled against Blaine’s shoulder but he doesn’t pull back.
“Of course.” He breathes, squeezing tighter, “I always know that.”
“Good, good.” John nods as he pulls away, “You know, I’m not good at this… feelings talks, but… I needed to make sure, you know?”
“For the record, dad, I love you, and I’m happy, and I’m so proud to have you as my father.”
“I just…” he sighs and takes Blaine’s hand, “We miss you, when you’re here… but we’re so glad that you’re living your life like you want to.”
“I miss you guys, too, all the time.”
His father takes a long look at him, before squeezing his shoulder, “You’re all grown up, Honey-Bee.” Blaine laughs and rolls his eyes, “When did that happen?”
“I’m still your little boy, no matter what.”
“Thank goodness.” His father breathes and laughs, “Now that that’s settled, I’m scheduling our next feelings talk for… huh, ten years from now…? Sound good?”
Blaine laughs and shrugs, “I guess I can pencil it in.”