Chapter 9

“Cooper said I could fly you to Ohio for Christmas,” Blaine says in lieu of a greeting as he walks away from the King’s office. “I told him that I needed to do my hours to keep my license up to date and then he sighed and said I could as long as I didn’t fly you to a commercial airbase. Only if you want to, of course.” Once he’s back outside in the car and driven to Columbia University where he’s auditing a few classes with the goal of becoming a full term student in the spring, he switches to Facetime so he can see Kurt who’s in tech week for Peter Pan Goes Wrong, but fortunately on a break at the moment.

“I like your costume by the way.” It’s tight, accentuating Kurt’s build, but also not too revealing.

“One hundred percent Sue Sylvester approved,” Kurt rolls his eyes. “And yes, I’d like that. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little bit scared of getting onto a small plane but I’m sure you’re a good pilot. If there are restrictions on my luggage however, the deal’s off,” he adds with a wink.

“No restrictions. We’d fly from a military base here in New York to the one in Columbus. Could someone from your family come and pick you up? I have orders from Cooper not to leave the plane since I’ll be flying without guards.”

“He’s letting you travel without your shadows?” Kurt asks surprised.

“The guards aren’t supposed to take unnecessary risks and apparently getting on a plane with me when I’m perfectly safe on my own would counts as one. You should feel honored though that you’re not perceived a threat to me anymore. Not many people are allowed to be alone with me these days.”

“As long as I can bring all my stuff I promise to keep my hands to myself while you’re flying so I don’t endanger the Crown Prince,” Kurt says with a teasing smile on his face.

Blaine loves that smile. He’s also surprised Kurt agreed so easily when he’s father’s plane crash hasn’t been too long ago. He’d waited for the report before he went flying again himself because if there had been a technical issue he needed to know, but as it turned out the pilot had suffered a stroke and had lost control over the plane and crashed it into the mountains before any of the passengers on board could intervene. The report had concluded that it was likely that the King and the other passengers were asleep when the pilot lost control, since King Richard was a trained pilot himself and should have been able to stabilize the plane in time had the pilot’s stroke been noticed immediately. There hadn’t been a co-pilot since it was a small plane, the flight time less than five hours and the King could fly the plane himself in case of emergency - or so everyone had thought.

“Tell me how much you intend to bring so I know if I need to get a bigger plane,” Blaine jokes because he knows by now that his boyfriend doesn’t usually travel as lightly as he did when they ran off to Ohio together.

On Kurt’s end, a young woman pops her head into the dressing room Kurt’s sharing with his fellow cast members to tell him he’s expected back on stage in five minutes.

“I’m really sorry I can’t come to your opening night,” Blaine apologizes not for the first time.

“It’s okay,” Kurt shrugs. “You can come and see it when we’re official.”

“And I’ll come to your next opening night,” Blaine promises.

“Ha,” Kurt laughs self - deprecatingly. “I like that you think there will be a next one when you haven’t even seen me perform yet.”

“You went to Tisch, of course there will be a next one,” Blaine rolls his eyes. Sometimes he wonders how Kurt even got into NYU when he has so little faith in himself.

“Yes, you’re right,” Kurt nods but Blaine can tell he doesn’t fully believe it himself. There’s nothing Blaine can do however but support Kurt and hopefully see his show in the next few months so he has an actual basis for his praise.

Before Kurt runs off, Blaine tells him to be ready by ten on the twenty-fourth because Blaine’s expected at the Palace for Christmas Eve celebrations and needs to make it back in time.

“Are you flying me back too or should I book a ticket? I need to be back in the city on the twenty-sixth,” Kurt reminds him and Blaine promises to come pick him up unless Kurt hates flying with him the first time around before ending the call and exiting the car with Sam and Puck in tow for his  ‘American Trade Treaties since the 19th Century’ class.

*+*

“That’s pretty small,” Kurt gulps as he stands in front of the single engine propeller Cessna while Puck loads his suitcases into the small space behind the cockpit.

“Hey, it’s okay if you’ve changed your mind,” the Prince gives his hand a brief squeeze. “I’m sure we can still find you a regular flight to Ohio if this is too scary for you.”

Kurt’s faced plenty of scary things in the last six months. He’s learned how to ride a horse, tried to convince the King to let him date his brother, he’s just stood on a professional stage for the first time and didn’t forget his lines, he doesn’t freak out anymore when people whisper about him behind his back and he and Blaine are about to go public with their relationship. He’s not gonna be scared off by a plane.

“So how do I get in this thing?”

Once the plane speeds down the runway, Kurt closes his eyes nonetheless because he’s been on a plane twice - both times stuck in an aisle seat - and has never seen his surroundings fly by like this before. But Blaine gets them up in the air and eventually Kurt opens his eyes again and gasps when he sees the skyline of Manhattan underneath them.

“Wow,” he exclaims. “I think I get it now why you love flying.”

The Prince holds his hand during most of the flight after promising that ‘no, Kurt, that’s not dangerous’ and ‘I like you way too much to crash this plane’.

Kurt still feels giddy every time Blaine says ‘I love you’ because it’s barely been two months since the first time and they only ever say it when they’re absolutely certain that they are alone.

While Blaine holds his hand, they talk about what’s Christmas is going to be like for them. For the Prince it means camera crews who’ll record the royal family’s holiday messages to the kingdom, listening to carolers from Crown supported orphanages, a dinner with Palace staff and the family’s personal guards as well as handing out gifts to everyone working at the Palace and then later on a more private dinner with his grandmother Queen Ruth and great grandmother Queen Cathryn and Blaine’s grandparents on his mother’s side. For Kurt it means eggnog with his dad and Carole and crazy stories from his father’s sister and Carole’s mom. It’s going to be small and intimate since neither the Hummels nor Carole have any other relatives in the area and before bed, he and his dad will exchange one present, a tradition started by Kurt’s late mother.

“Are you nervous?” Kurt asks the Prince when the plane starts to descend over Ohio. “You know since your mother…” he trails off not wanting to openly insult Queen Pamela.

Blaine shrugs. “Grandma and great grandma don’t know yet because no one’s told them, but I’m not asking for anyone’s approval. Cooper and I will just let the family know what’s gonna happen and if they support me, great, if they don’t support me, I’ll live.”

“And your mom’s parents?”

“They are rich snobs who think they’re better than everyone else because their daughter married into the royal family. I don’t give a fuck what they think.”

Kurt smiles because it’s so rare to hear Blaine swear and Kurt’s been watching his language in public too to prove that he does not need etiquette classes like a child.

“We’ll have my family’s support,” he assures the Prince, because while his dad might worry about Kurt having a public relationship with the Crown Prince, he’ll definitely be supportive.

Blaine expertly lands the plane and Kurt kisses him briefly before two men wearing the royal crest on their coveralls reach the plane.

“Call me after you’ve talked to your family,” Kurt says before the door is opened and Kurt helped out of the plane.

“Thank you for flying me, Your Highness,” he tells the Prince with a bow when he’s back on the ground and his luggage loaded into a golf cart, since he can feel the men’s eyes on him.

“It was my pleasure,” Blaine beams, paying no attention to the security guards himself. ‘We’ll you be flying with me again?”

“I’d love to,” Kurt replies with a smile on his face before he takes a seat in the back of the golf cart and is driven off to a hangar.

His dad greets him with a warm hug when Kurt leaves the base asking him all sorts of questions about Blaine as soon as they reach his pickup truck. He’s family knows he’s been seeing the Prince. Kurt’s been keeping them up to date because he knows they won’t talk to the press and Carole had been disappointed when they didn’t see Blaine at Kurt’s opening night since she thought he was such a nice young man. His dad had teased her good-naturedly and told Kurt to watch out before Carole stole his prince.

“That must have raised some eyebrows - the Prince flying you here,” his dad observes as they drive toward Lima, but Kurt shrugs.

“It’s a royal airbase, no one there would say anything.”

“Still, with the way you told it, I didn’t think the King would allow it.”

“Yeah, about that,” Kurt fiddles with the ends of his scarf in his lap. “I have something to tell the family tonight.”

They have stopped at a red light and his dad looks at him with a slight frown on his face.

“Any chance you’ll tell me now?” Kurt shakes his head. What he’s going to say concerns his whole family since it wouldn’t surprise him if the press contacted all his family members once he and Blaine go public.

He can tell his dad’s not happy with the answer but he doesn’t ask again and Kurt gets him to talk about the shop and the Christmas party Burt’s held for his employees since they didn’t have much time to talk when his parents were in New York for opening night.

His aunt and Carole’s mom, who insists that Kurt calls her grandma, are already at the house when he and his dad arrive, watching the Nutcracker on Ice on TV and his dad sighs dramatically.

“I don’t suppose you’re going to help me out this year and vote for watching ice hockey,” he says when Kurt takes a seat on the couch after kissing the ladies on the cheek.

“Sorry, Dad.”

He waits until the program is over, drinking hot cocoa with a shot of rum while he tries not to ogle the dancers in tights too much in front of his dad, but when it’s over, he turns off the TV and addresses his family.

“So you know that King Cooper’s coronation is next week?”

Everyone nods because they don’t live under a rock and Kurt takes a deep breath.

“After, the Palace will release a statement confirming that Prince Blaine and I have been dating for six months.”

As he looks around the room for reactions, his dad looks worried, Carole excited, his aunt confused and Carole’s mom shocked.

“Wait, you’re dating him. I thought you only…” his aunt trails off, but grandma Penny rolls her eyes.

“You can say hook up. I may be old now, but I was young once and we had urges too.”

“Mom,” Carole turns bright red and his dad hides a laugh behind a fake cough while Kurt wishes the earth would swallow him whole because if even grandma Penny knows about his one night stand then there probably really aren’t many people who haven’t heard about it. He shudders when he thinks about Mrs. Danvers, his childhood piano teacher who used to pinch his cheeks or his preschool teacher Ms. Carlton.

“Yes, we are a couple and King Cooper has agreed to release a statement. He won’t come out and support us directly because he’s been advised against it, but the Palace will acknowledge that Prince Blaine is in a relationship with me. I wanted to let you know before we go public since we expect the media to come knocking again. I’d appreciate if you don’t say anything in case you’re contacted by any reporters.”

There, he’s said it and now he can enjoy his dad’s eggnog and help Carole with the turkey.

“Does he treat you well, the young Prince?” grandma Penny asks and Kurt nods. “Good. You’re a nice boy, Kurt, you deserve a nice boyfriend.”

“Yes, we’re all happy for Kurt, but what I want to know is, is the King still single and when can I meet him?” his aunt, who’s nearly twenty years Cooper’s senior, jokes after giving Kurt a hug and Kurt tells her to get in line because Rachel has already called dips in case she breaks up with her boyfriend.

“And you’re sure that’s what you want Kurt? Because it hasn’t been too long since your face was in all the papers and they said some pretty nasty things about you,” his dad says with a frown on his face, but Kurt nods.

“The press has already published everything they had on me, and I’ve had media training since, been vetted by the Palace and have been following all their rules. I know Blaine and I will be under scrutiny and people will just wait for us to mess up and make fools of ourselves in public, but we’ve talked things through and I know what’s expected of me when I’m with him. You should be happy, Dad. I’ve been much better behaved since I was told the rules for dating the Prince,” he adds with a teasing smile because it’s true. Since Sue’s visit, he hasn’t had more than two drinks in public, was watching his language, didn’t snap his fingers at waiters anymore and most importantly, didn’t pick up another guy at a bar. He spends nearly every night he’s not at the theater at home, usually with Blaine, and days off are usually spent horse riding at the club.

“You know you have our support,” his dad tells him and pulls him into a hug. “But I gotta be honest. I’d very much prefer it if you were seeing a regular guy, someone you can bring home for Christmas and with whom you don’t have to watch what you say or do every time you leave your apartment.”

Kurt doesn’t tell him, that sometimes he does too. Sometimes he wants to be a normal twenty-two year old college grad who goes out and gets shit-faced with his cast members instead of going home early so he’s not tempted to have more than a drink or two. At the moment, half of them think he’s stuck up and thinks he’s too good for them, while the other half thinks he’s super boring. Hopefully, they’ll understand once he and Blaine are official, because he wants to have a good relationship with the people he’s going to spend the next six months with.

“I know we’re young,” he tells his dad instead, “but we think we could have a future together. We’re not stupid, we know that maybe I’ll just be his first boyfriend and that we might break up at some point, but that shouldn’t stop him from having a relationship that’s out in the open and that makes him happy.”

“It shouldn’t stop you either,” his dad points out. “You shouldn’t have to hide for some guy.”

“And I won’t much longer and he’s not just some guy.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know he’s the Prince but that doesn’t mean…” Kurt interrupts him before his dad can finish.

“That’s not what I meant. He’s not just some guy because I love him and he loves me. I wouldn’t do all that for just any guy.”

And then he tries not to cry when his whole family pulls him into a group hug.

*+*

They’ve recorded their holiday messages, had dinner with the staff and handed out presents, but now that he’s alone with the extended royal family, Blaine works hard to keep his hands from shaking. He’s been up to the balcony three times already since arriving at the Palace, one time bumping into Cooper who’s also nervous about going against his family and supporting his brother. He’s confessed his habit to Kurt a few weeks ago, because they’re trying this total honesty thing, and predictably his boyfriend is not a fan, especially because he’s a trained singer, but he’s also told Blaine that he’s a grown man and could decide for himself what he did or didn’t do at least in some aspects of his life. ‘Just don’t expect me to kiss you after you’ve had one of those things,’ Kurt’s said, his nose wrinkled adorably, but that was an easy thing to promise.

When he returns from his latest trip, after brushing his teeth, everyone’s already sat down for family dinner and Blaine takes a seat next to Cooper who’s head of the table.

“How nice of you to join us,” his mother says snidely and Blaine rolls his eyes, because apart from the servers they are alone now and no one will judge him for arriving a few minutes late. Well, no one but his mom and her family.

He tries to tune out the conversations around him, his grandfather boasting about a business deal he landed even though he’s retired and his maternal grandmother gushing about her granddaughter who just got engaged to an investment banker. He and Cooper both squirm in their seats when they’re asked about girlfriends and when Cooper’s finally going to announce his engagement to a nice woman.

“It can’t be too hard to find a nice young lady now that you’ve repealed that law. Can’t say I fault you for that, it must have been near impossible to find one before,” his grandfather booms from the other end of the table. “Women are so much more liberal these days.”

His grandfather’s affairs are an open secret in the family, but like a lot of things they are tolerated as long as the press doesn’t get wind of it.

After sharing a look with Cooper, Blaine straightens his spine and takes a deep breath.

“Actually,” he says, “I’ve been seeing someone for the last six months and Cooper has signed off on a Palace announcement after his coronation.”

His mother’s eyes find him and her expression says, ‘don’t you dare, Blaine.’

“I’m confused, Pamela, Blaine’s grandmother says. “I thought Blaine is engaged to that lovely young Lady Charlotte.”

“They ended their engagement,” his mother says through gritted teeth.

“Oh, leave him alone,” her father says. “The boy’s way too young to be tide down by just one girl.”

“It’s not a girl.” That gets everyone’s attention.

“I don’t understand,” ninety-two year old Queen Cathryn says. “How can you see someone if it’s not a girl.”

Queen Ruth’s eyes widen in shock and understanding and she leans over to her mother to say rather loudly.

“Oh for heaven’s sake, mother. He’s saying he’s one of those queers.”

“But he can’t be a queer,” Queen Cathryn frowns. “He’s a prince.”

“Exactly,” Blaine’s mother glares at him. “And we thought that Richard had gotten through to him, but it seems since his father’s death, Blaine’s been lacking a proper male role model.”

“Hey,” Cooper protests. “And I’m sorry Mom, grandma, great grandma, but I’m with Blaine. I’ve met the young man he’s in a relationship with and they are in love, just like a man and a woman.”

“Is he at least royal?” Queen Cathryn asks, born and raised at a time when marriage between royals and commoners was impossible.

“Um, no. He’s father owns a car shop and his stepmother is a nurse,” Blaine admits. “He’s father remarried a few years after his mother died,” he adds for the benefit of the old folks who do not believe in divorcees remarrying.

“Doesn’t sound like a good match,” Queen Ruth frowns, while Peter Anderson says, “a business man, Blaine could do worse.”

Blaine’s honestly surprised that his grandfather seems to be the one sticking up for him, because his whole family is very conservative, privately supporting the conservative party and prime minister Grey.

“I value your input,” Blaine says politely, remembering his manners, “but Cooper has agreed to let me go public with my relationship and that’s what I’m going to do. I would like your support in this, but I will understand if you for whatever reason can’t give it. Kurt will be at Cooper’s coronation, at an appropriate distance,” he adds quickly when his mother opens her mouth to protest, “and I would very much like to bring him to the Palace after to meet my family.”

“You will not bring that boy here,” his mother says immediately. “Cooper, I don’t know what you think you are doing when everyone’s told you to stay out of this, but I’m going to have to accept your decision. But I will not welcome this boy into our home. It’s improper for a member of the royal family to be a homosexual and you know it.”

“The Crown will not be endorsing Blaine’s relationship, mother,” Cooper sighs, and it still hurts even though Blaine knows why Cooper’s not publicly supporting him, “but it will acknowledge the relationship just like it would have done if Blaine had been dating a woman for six months. The people in this country are more supportive of same sex relationships these days and we do not want people to think that Blaine’s being forced back into the closet. All I’m doing is trying to strike a balance between what many of my subjects want and what the Church wants. Please respect my decision since it’s final.”

Cooper sounds tired and Blaine wishes his brother would open up to him too. He tried to find out more about the woman Cooper disappeared with during Halloween, but his brother said it was nothing, just a woman asking about joining the royal guard, and Blaine can’t force his brother to talk, especially since he needs an appointment most days to get to talk to him.

“Is he at least good looking?” Queen Ruth asks after a pregnant pause. “He can’t be ugly if he’s going to be photographed with you.” His grandmother, ever the pragmatist.

Blaine waits until there plates have been cleared before he looks through his phone for a picture of Kurt and when he finds one of Kurt sitting regally on the horse he’s been riding at the club, he hands the phone to his grandmother.

“Your mother is right, you should be with a young lady, but if you can’t control yourself and have to be with a man I guess he will do,” Queen Ruth degrees after studying Kurt’s picture for a moment.

Luckily, desert is served then and Blaine busies himself with stuffing his face with chocolate cake to avoid having to talk more about Kurt. Unfortunately though, his mother pulls him aside before he can run off to his bedroom in the Palace.

“I’m glad your father isn’t here to witness this,” she tells him. “I never agreed with him until now, but you are a disappointment.”

“I’m sorry you feel this way,” he replies through clenched teeth before he lets himself be led from the room by his brother who steers him to the second floor, their guards in tow as usual.

To his surprise, Cooper hands him a bottle of Jack Daniels when they reach their balcony that he must have nicked from the drink cart in the living room.

“Drink up, Squirt,” his brother, the King, tells him. "After tonight, I think we both need it.”

*+*

Kurt’s dressed in his best suit as he stands in the back of St. Patrick’s cathedral with the other mere mortals lucky enough to get to see the coronation from within the Church. They have to wait more than an hour before the King’s carriage draws up outside, the crowd’s cheers following King Cooper into the Church. The King’s wearing ceremonial robes in cobalt blue as he strides down the middle aisle, followed by the immediate royal family also dressed in ceremonial robes and coronets. The front rows are filled with Kings and Queens from around the world on one side, and members of parliament on the other and Kurt strains to keep Blaine in view when his boyfriend kneels down behind his brother.

The ceremony is performed by the Archbishop and Kurt listens with rapt attention when Cooper swears an oath to uphold the law and the Church before he is whisked away to a small side chamber where he is anointed with holy oil. When Blaine’s brother returns, he is invested with regalia before King Richard’s ceremonial crown is placed on his head for the first time. One after the other, the members of the royal family step forward to kneel before the King after which the prime minister and senior government officials follow their lead.

Kurt’s not one of the few selected commoners who also step forward to swear their fealty to the King, since he’s supposed to stay in the shadows until the Palace’s statement, but Blaine manages a brief smile in his direction when the service ends with the closing procession.

There will be a banquet at the Palace for the King’s family and all foreign dignitaries, but Kurt doesn’t follow the carriage toward the Palace since he knows he’s not welcome there. At least not yet. King Cooper wants to wait for the public’s reaction to Blaine’s relationship, before he’ll extends an official invitation to the Palace to Kurt whether Queen Pamela likes it or not.

Also, he doesn’t want to be out and about when the Palace releases the statement and thrusts him back into the lime light, and so he heads home to Brooklyn while the people of New York follow King Cooper’s carriage to the Palace.

*+*

By Order of The Crown of America, The Royal Family of Virginia

The Palace confirms that His Royal Highness Crown Prince Blaine Devon James, heir presumptive to the Crown of America, has been in a committed relationship with Ohio born actor Kurt Hummel since July. The Palace would also like to ask for the young couple’s privacy as they navigate their increasingly public relationship. Please direct any questions at Palace Press Secretary Emma Pillsbury as there will be no interviews with either the Crown Prince or Mr. Hummel.

*+*

The next day, Kurt has five hundred new friend requests on Facebook and the play’s sold out. But none of that matters, because he’s finally allowed to visit Blaine at Richmond House, where they will be able to be together without guards constantly breathing down their necks. 

Paparazzi are waiting for him when his cab pulls up in front of the Prince’s home, but Kurt holds his head up high and gives them his best show smile. He’s got this.