That Blaine-kid

Author’s notes ~ Glee Kurt/Blaine fanfic. Burt’s POV. Takes place during the hiatus after ‘Original Songs’.

~ * ~


 

Burt smiled at his son as Kurt slid into his place at the kitchen table while Carol went to yell up the stairs to get Finn’s attention for dinner.

“So, how did that competition thing go?” Burt asked as Carol rejoined them. He glanced over his shoulder as Finn clomped down the stairs and rushed to the table as if worried there might not be food left if he hesitated.

“New Directions won,” Kurt said in answer to his father’s question.

“That’s too bad,” Burt said at the same time that Carol congratulated Finn. He and his wife exchanged concerned glances as they realized that while one son had won, that meant the other had lost.

Kurt smiled, even if it was a bit rueful. “It’s okay. They were amazing.” He looked at Finn. “I can’t believe you wrote your own songs. They were great.”

“Thanks, bro,” Finn said, looking a little embarrassed. “That song you did was great. I think Puck cried.”

Kurt nearly choked on his drink. “Puck? You’ve got to be kidding.”

“You didn’t tell me you had a solo,” Burt said in surprise.

“A duet, actually,” Kurt said as they passed the food around the table. He had a small smile on his face that seemed out of place considering his team had lost.

“You sang a duet with another guy?” Burt asked. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was partly why their team had lost. He considered himself fairly open on the ‘gay’ issue, but he knew most people in this neck of the woods weren’t as tolerant.

“It’s an all-male school, Dad,” Kurt said in that annoying tone that only teenagers can manage. “Who else would I sing a duet with?”

“Just asking,” Burt replied. It was over and done with now. No reason to start an argument over it.

“So, your Glee club wrote the songs you did?” Carol asked Finn, diverting the conversation to something safer. “That’s impressive.”

Finn grinned wider. “Rachel wrote one song all by herself,” he said proudly. “We all worked on the other one together.”

“What’s going on with you and Rachel?” Kurt asked. “You looked awfully cozy after the competition.”

“We’re just friends,” Finn said, looking away in embarrassment. “I was just congratulating her on her amazing song.”

“Um-hm,” Kurt said in a tone that implied complete disbelief.

Burt exchanged an amused glance with Carol. He and Carol hadn’t been married for even a year yet and already their boys were acting like they’d been brothers all their lives.

“You’ve got no room to talk,” Finn said, pointing his fork at Kurt. “You and Blaine spent more time singing to each other than the audience.”

Burt’s interest was piqued when Kurt’s checks flushed. “Your duet was with that Blaine-kid?”

“Yes, Dad,” Kurt said with a poisonous glare at Finn.

When Finn smirked back, unrepentant, Burt sighed. He preferred to stay out of his son’s relationships, but so far, that Blaine-kid had not made a very good impression on him

“Is that the young man who went to Rachel’s party with you and Finn?” Carol asked innocently.

“Yes, that was Blaine,” Kurt said cautiously. His gaze flickered briefly towards his father, but quickly looked away. He exchanged glances with Finn who shrugged and turned his full attention to his food. Goading each other was forgotten as they presented a noncommittal, unified front against their parents. Brothers indeed.

“He seemed like a nice boy,” Carol said. “Very polite.”

Burt let out a derisive snort before he could stop himself. When Carol gave him a questioning look, he tried to cover by saying, “He’s a prep school kid. Of course he’s polite.”

Kurt’s jaw clenched and he very deliberately set his fork down and cleared his throat. “We’re dating,” Kurt said without preamble. “Blaine and I, we’re dating,” he clarified, just in case there was any confusion as to who he meant. He didn’t look at Burt.

“That’s great, honey,” Carol said with a smile. “When did this happen?”

“Just a few days ago,” Kurt said with a tentative smile.

“'Bout time he wised up,” Finn said with a grin.

Burt caught the uncertain glance Kurt threw his way, but didn’t respond. He was in uncharted territory and didn’t want to lash out in anger, which was his first impulse. That Blaine-kid had gotten drunk at that party, fallen into a drunken stupor in his son’s bed and then, a few weeks later, had the nerve to goad Burt into giving Kurt a talk about sex. Now, they were dating? He didn’t trust this kid for a second.

“Do I need to give him the ‘hurt my brother and I’ll break your legs’ speech?” Finn asked, flexing his muscles for Kurt’s benefit.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Kurt said primly, but a smile tugged at this lips. “I really don’t want to see him cringe in fear every time he sees you.”

“Maybe I can just crack my knuckles a few times the next time he’s around,” Finn teased, demonstrating.

Carol backhanded Finn in the arm. “Leave Kurt’s boyfriend alone. Kurt can take care of himself.”

Burt felt a little better that Finn would be watching out for Kurt. Teasing aside, Finn was rather protective of his smaller brother, even if they were the same age.

“Dad? You haven’t said anything,” Kurt said hesitantly.

Burt really wasn’t sure what the appropriate response was. He couldn’t lie and say he was happy his son was dating this Blaine-kid. It wasn’t that his son was gay – at least he didn’t think it was – he just didn’t trust the other boy. He didn’t want to hurt his son by being negative about the first real boyfriend Kurt had either. “As long as you’re happy,” Burt said, hoping that was enough. Judging by Kurt’s relieved smile, Burt had managed to dodge successfully.

The boy’s spent the rest of dinner entertaining Carol with a recount of the Regionals competition, including singing a few lines from the songs. Burt only half listened as he mulled over his dilemma.

Burt remembered enough about being a teenager to know that anything he said against this Blaine-kid would only make Kurt defensive and probably backfire on him. He was also honest enough to realize that teens made mistakes – God knows, Kurt was no angel. It was probably best to just bide his time and keep a sharp eye out for trouble, if it ever came.

~ * ~
 

“You seemed rather distant at dinner,” Carol said as they left the boys to clean up the supper dishes. “Does it bother you that Kurt has a boyfriend?”

Burt wasn’t sure how he could explain without admitting that he’d been keeping things from Carol. “Just worried, I guess,” he finally said. “Kurt’s never really had a boyfriend before. Just don’t want to see him get hurt.”

“He’s seventeen,” Carol reminded him gently. “Another year and he and Finn will both be adults - heading off to college. We can’t protect them forever.”

“Doesn’t keep me from worrying though,” Burt said with a gentle smile. It was a relief to be reminded that he wasn’t alone anymore. No matter what happened with their boys, he and Carol were in this together. Which reminded him yet again that he had been holding back from the one person he shouldn’t be keeping secrets from.

They watched TV for a bit and then Burt noticed the boys heading up the stairs. He sighed again and turned to his wife. “That party the boys went to – I found that Blaine-kid in Kurt’s bed the next morning, hung-over.”

“What?” Carol gasped, pulling back to stare at Burt as if unsure if he were joking or not. “They’d been drinking?”

“Not our boys,” Burt said. “And Kurt said he only let him stay so he wouldn’t try to drive home. He swears nothing happened.”

“Do you believe him?” Carol asked skeptically.

Burt rubbed the back of his neck. “It didn’t look like either of our boys were hung-over.”

“And the other?” Carol asked gently.

“That Blaine-kid came by the shop a couple of weeks ago and practically ordered me to have ‘the talk’ with Kurt,” Burt admitted uncomfortably. “Certainly didn’t sound like they’d been doing anything. And Kurt didn’t act like they had been either when we had our ‘talk’.”

Carol’s lips twitched as if she were trying hard not to laugh. “I would have loved to have seen that.”

“Which?” Burt asked.

“Both actually,” Carol replied. “I can’t quite picture that polite, mild-mannered boy trying to convince you to talk to your son about sex. And I remember only too well having to talk to Finn after that fiasco with Quinn. I’m not sure which of us was more embarrassed.”

“I was more nervous about having to go in that clinic and pick up the pamphlets,” Burt admitted. “I was afraid someone was going to come over and try to ‘talk’ to me.”

Carol chuckled, earning a small smile from Burt. “So, what was Blaine’s reason for wanting you to talk to Kurt?”

“Something about Kurt getting in over his head one day and not knowing how to protect himself,” Burt replied. “Kid definitely knows how to present an argument. Probably plans to become a lawyer.”

“From what little Kurt has told me, Blaine has been friend-zoning him for months,” Carol said. “As Finn put it, sounds like Blaine finally wised up and realized what a catch Kurt was.”

Burt ‘hmmphed’ noncommittally. The fact that this Blaine-kid couldn’t see what a great guy Kurt was, was not a point in his favor.

“Maybe we should just give him the benefit of the doubt,” Carol said. “After all, I made my share of mistakes when I was a teen – some well-intentioned, some just stupid.”

“Didn’t we all,” Burt agreed dryly and then smiled ruefully.
 

~ * ~

Burt looked up from the car he was working on and gave a heartfelt groan when he saw that Blaine-kid walking in his direction.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Hummel. I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time?” Blaine asked as he stopped on the other side of the car.

“Back for Round 2?” Burt asked, wiping the old grease off the part he was holding.

“I think I may have made a really bad first impression,” Blaine said. “And probably not a very good second one either.”

Burt waited without comment. One of the prerogatives of being a parent was to let your son’s boyfriend squirm a bit – or a lot – depending on the situation.

“I’d like a chance to rectify that, if I can,” Blaine finished.

Burt continued to wait, but it looked like Blaine knew when to keep his mouth shut, unlike Kurt who would have started to ramble aimlessly in the silence.

“Why would my opinion matter?” Burt asked. “You’re dating my son, not me.”

“I think it would tear Kurt apart if we were at odds with each other, sir,” Blaine said bluntly. “I realize that it’s my fault and I wouldn’t be much of a boyfriend if I let that continue without at least trying to make amends.”

The kid was either going to be a lawyer or a politician - probably both.

Burt set aside the part he was cleaning and motioned for Blaine to precede him into the office area. This wasn’t a conversation he really wanted bandied about in the garage later.

Once they were safely in the office, Burt motioned for Blaine to take a seat across from the desk. “Say your piece. I’ve got work to do.”

“I realize my actions have prejudiced my case and there isn’t much that I can say that is going to change your mind, sir,” Blaine said, not quite meeting Burt’s gaze.

“Then what’s the point of this?” Burt asked in irritation.

“I care deeply about your son,” Blaine said, finally looking up. “I’m asking that you give me a chance to redeem myself – to prove that I’ll do whatever it takes to make Kurt happy.”

Burt huffed a bit in annoyance, but he could see the sincerity in the boy’s gaze. At least the boy believed what he was saying. “Tell me, something. Why Kurt? Why now, after all these months?”

Blaine sat back, a brief flash of panic in his eyes. Burt could empathize, but he wasn’t backing down. Blaine wasn’t the only one who could make uncomfortable requests.

“Kurt and I have… this connection,” Blaine said hesitantly, as if choosing his words carefully. He stared at the wall over Burt’s shoulder. “At first, it was just that we liked the same kinds of things, especially music. I mean, we don’t agree on everything, but that just makes it more interesting. We liked… hanging out… being together.”

Burt nodded slightly, but didn’t comment - taciturn was his middle name.

Blaine frowned slightly. “Kurt is… difficult to really get to know. He comes off as if he doesn’t care what others think, almost arrogant at times.”

Burt didn’t see how insulting Kurt was supposed to help Blaine’s case, but kept quiet.

“He keeps everything inside where no one can see how much he hurts,” Blaine finished. “It took a long time for me to realize that he did that. To see that he really did care about something other than himself.”

Burt was a little taken aback. He’d never thought of Kurt in those terms, but he realized that this kid was right. Kurt internalized everything and tended to become extremely snarky when confronted.

“When I finally saw that part of Kurt, I realized that this was someone I could fall for,” Blaine said softly. He gave a short, depreciative chuckle. “Someone I did fall for.” He looked up, his gaze pleading. “Will you give me a chance, sir? For Kurt’s sake?”

Burt took a deep breath, encouraged despite his attempts to dislike the boy. “You know, everyone makes mistakes. A smart person learns from them. You seem like a smart kid.”

Blaine blinked, trying to figure out if that were a positive answer or not. “I try to learn from my mistakes, sir.”

“Good. I believe everyone deserves a second chance,” Burt said evenly and then added in a slightly darker tone. “I don’t believe in thirds.”

“Understood, sir,” Blaine replied with wide eyes. He stood and offered his hand to Burt across the desk. “Thank you.”

Burt stood and shook the boy’s hand. His misgivings weren’t completely gone, but he doubted he’d ever feel completely confident about any boy, or man, who was interested in his son. He walked Blaine to the reception area which was thankfully empty, except for the receptionist.

“Everything okay, boss?” Marilynn asked as Blaine left. “That kid looked shell-shocked.”

“My son’s boyfriend,” Burt said and allowed himself a small smile. “A little fear goes a long way in keeping teenage boys in line.”

Marilynn laughed in agreement. “I doubt you’ll have any trouble with that one.”

Burt forced himself to relax and returned to the car he had been working on. Only time would tell, but he didn’t think he’d have any more problems with that Blaine-kid either. At least, not the same problem more than once.
 

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