Kurt was ten minutes early but he decided it was better than to be ten minutes late. He felt like he was going to be sick. He finally understood why Blaine had been so nervous the first night in Ohio. Meeting parents was intimidating. He was dressed in his second best suit and it was simple, something he wasn't okay with, but he wore his best suit on his date with Blaine on Saturday and he couldn't be seen in one suit two times in a row. He just hoped Blaine's parents wouldn't mind and that he would fit in to whatever fancy restaurant they chose for dinner.

Kurt walked to the doorman and asked him to announce his arrival. He looked at Kurt like he was crazy because everybody in the building knew that there were three people who could come up to Blaine's penthouse anytime without notification from the stuff and Kurt was one of them but he did what Kurt wanted.

"Mr Anderson is expecting you." The doorman said formally and Kurt thanked him. He wasn't sure which of the two Mr. Andersons the doorman was referring to but in the end it didn't matter. Technically, it was still Blaine's parents apartment so Kurt wasn't about to just march in there. He needed to make a good impression...Should he kiss Blaine's mother's hand when they met? That was probably something gentleman would do. Blaine would have definitely kissed Carol's hand if she hadn't hugged him before he had had a chance to do so. He didn't have time to think about a proper hello to Blaine's father because the elevator stopped and he was met with two pairs of eyes watching him.

"You must be Kurt." A woman with a velvet voice said and came to him. "I'm Victoria and this is my husband Frederic." She kissed his cheeks and smiled sweetly at him. Kurt recognized the smile immediately. It was Blaine's smile that always calmed him down.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. and Mr. Anderson" Kurt uttered and shook a hand Blaine's father was offering.

"Oh, please, call us Vicky and Freddie, okay?" Blaine's father told him and ushered him to the living room.

"Is he here? Is he here?" Someone yelled from upstairs and then Kurt heard steps running down the stairs, probably taking two at the time.

"Oh my god! I've been dying to meet you, man." A tall man wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulders. "So you're the one my baby brother can't shut up about...I'm Cooper, by the way."

"K-Kurt." Kurt stuttered. Where the hell was Blaine?! Kurt didn't know what to do. He was standing in the same room with the parents of his boyfriend which was stressful enough without Blaine's famous brother being there as well.

"Nick and Jeff were right. You look like a model!" Cooper checked him out, making him blush.

"Cooper!" Blaine shouted as he came to the room.

"What? You know it's true." Cooper grinned at him.

"Hi." Kurt greeted him. "Wh-"

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Kurt and Blaine exchanged surprised looks. Was that Nick's voice? "Here you are!" Nick and Jeff entered the living room, hugged everyone like it was the most natural thing to do and sat down on the sofa.

"What are you guys doing here?" Blaine asked them as politely as he could while being totally pissed.

"Aren't we having family dinner? Your brother invited us. Didn't you know we would come?" Nick was giving him innocent eyes and Blaine knew his brother and two best friends were up to something.

"I didn't know my brother would come until he showed up two hours ago!"

"Hey! You sound like you're not happy that I made time for my family in my busy schedule."

"There was no point of you coming to NY only to fly back to L.A. tomorrow morning!"

"Boys, stop it. We can all have dinner together. Like we always do." Vicky said to calm them down.

"Blaine, hurry up. Why aren't you dressed yet?" Jeff prompted him, taking in Blaine's half buttoned shirt. "I'm hungry."

"I need Kurt to help me choose a bowtie."

"Sure." Kurt nodded and followed Blaine upstairs, glad that he could leave the room. God, what the hell did he get himself into? He thought he was meeting his boyfriend's parents but as it turned out he was having some sort of family dinner and he couldn't help but feel redundant. And Blaine didn't even hug him. Was Blaine keeping them secret in front of his family? Was that what he wanted? Kurt had already told his family about them yesterday. Would Blaine be mad at him? Maybe they should have discussed it. Apparently being boyfriends meant for Blaine something completely different than what Kurt's definition of the word was.

Blaine walked to the first room and closed the door. He kissed Kurt's lips softly and then hugged him, not letting him go for a solid minute.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know those morons were going to come. My parents told Cooper we were having dinner with you and he just made it here. I should have expected that Nick and Jeff would come with us as well. My parents always take all of us for dinner. They're like their sons…"

"It's okay, Blaine. Your parents are really nice and I guess I can survive having dinner with Hollywood's most beloved young actor." Blaine snorted at that. His brother was an idiot. He just knew how to charm everyone.

"Come on. Let's pick up a bowtie…" Kurt stopped mid-sentence as Blaine took a blue bowtie out from his pocket.

"I've already done that. I just needed an excuse to have a second with you alone."

"Okay, here, let me." Kurt tied the bowtie around his collar. "You look amazing."

"You do too." Blaine complimented him shyly and leaned in for another chaste kiss. "Let's go."

Kurt didn't expect Blaine to take his hand but he still felt little sad when Blaine didn't do it. He put on a happy face though. He had parents and a brother to please so there was no time for being in a bad mood.

"I wanna sit next to Kurt in the car!" Cooper announced in a tone that didn't give Blaine any chance to object. "I read your articles. You're really good with words."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Here," Cooper opened the door to the limo and motioned Kurt to get on. Then he occupied the seat next to him, continuing in the conversation or monologue, because Kurt didn't say anything. He tried to stay focused on what Blaine's brother was talking about but his attention got distracted by the intense gaze of Blaine's father. He seemed nice enough but Kurt couldn't tell whether he got on his good or bad side. What if Blaine's father hated him already? A lot of people judged him before they got to know him…

Nick, Jeff and Blaine were having a jolly conversation with Blaine's mother, none of them sensing Kurt's discomfort. Man up, Hummel. You've been through worse…Kurt gave himself a pep talk and took a deep breath.

"He gets to be too much after a while, doesn't he?" Freddie asked Kurt, understanding written on his face.

"No, not at all." Kurt answered quickly.

"You can tell the truth, Kurt. We all know him." He laughed and Kurt's tension eased a little. "When he moved out to L.A., we were looking for moments of silence. Then Blaine started to hang out with Nick and Jeff and it was like we got two more Coopers."

"HEY!" Jeff mocked offense and winked at Kurt. "Don't make us sound bad. Kurt loves us!"

"I'm pretty sure he does." Vicky joined the conversation and turned to face Kurt. "So Kurt, how do you remain sane while being round the three of them? I find it extremely difficult."

"Well, my best friend Rachel can be a bit overwhelming so I'm used to it. I've had a lot of training during the years."

"Rachel would kill you if she heard that." Nick noted with a grin.

"And she would say that you can be a diva as well." Jeff added.

"Never said I'm not" Kurt admitted and Blaine nodded, which didn't go unnoticed by others.

"Do you want to say something on the matter, Blainey?" Jeff asked teasingly and Kurt sent him the 'don't you dare' glare.

"Well, not really. Just that sometimes you can't explain yourself before Kurt makes up his mind about the situation and gives you the cold shoulder…"

"Like when?" Nick loved squirming Blaine. He wasn't about to give up on this topic. The evening just got interesting.

"Like on Friday, when he left the party." Blaine said quietly, not looking at Kurt at all and already planning how to get out of the dog house. He was so screwed.

"Oh, that doesn't count. That was entirely your fault." Jeff took Kurt's side without batting the eye. "Kurt wouldn't have left OUR birthday party if you hadn't done something very stupid."

"What have you done?" Cooper was curious.

"Nothing, it was just a misunderstanding." Kurt said firmly and Nick and Jeff knew their fun was over. The topic was closed. Blaine mouthed Sorry to him and Kurt gave him a weak smile. The evening had just begun and Kurt was already exhausted.

The car stopped in front of the restaurant Kurt and Blaine had had dinner at on Saturday. Kurt was relieved. It was at least, more or less, a familiar environment. They were taken into a private salon and this time Blaine claimed the seat next to Kurt. While others got seated Blaine whispered sorry to Kurt once again and Kurt snapped.

"Stop saying you're sorry. You're making me even more nervous." He hissed quietly so others wouldn't hear him.

"I'm sor…okay. I'll just shut up." Blaine squeezed his knee under the table in attempt of giving some kind of comfort to him but he was sure it wasn't enough.

"So Kurt, you're from Ohio, right?" Vicky decided it was finally time to get Kurt involved in some decent talk which boys had failed in miserably so far.

"Yes, ma'am, I'm from Lima."

"I was there a few times." Freddie said. "It's quite a nice town, isn't it?"

"Well, I couldn't wait to get out of there, actually. I used to hate it there."

"Oh…Why? I met a few people from Lima and they were all nice."

"Then you were lucky. There are nice people in Lima but there are also a lot of bad people there…I mostly interacted with meanies."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It was years ago. No big deal."

"Kurt!" Blaine warned him. "Stop underestimating the situation."

"I'm not." Kurt protested. "It happened. Nothing I can do about it now…"

"What happened?" Cooper asked, not liking how Blaine's body tensed when Kurt just shrugged his shoulders.

"I was bullied a bit."

"He had it worse than Tommy." Blaine cut in angrily. "He just acts like it was nothing."

"I didn't. I wasn't beaten up. I didn't end up in the hospital with spinal cord damage, Blaine."

"Tommy had it bad for a year. You've been bullied since you were a child!" They were arguing, not realizing that the rest of the table was staring at them with big eyes.

"What?" Blaine snapped at them.

"You told Kurt about Tommy?" Nick asked, clearly disbelieving.

"I did."

"Okay. Maybe we should talk about something else." Kurt suggested.

"Did you enjoy the opera?" Blaine's father changed the topic and took a bite from the appetizer that waiter just served them.

"I did. It was amazing."

"I'm glad. When Blaine called me that he needed a company balcony I wasn't sure I'd manage to do that in such a short notice."

"A company balcony" Kurt didn't understand.

"It's one of our benefits for employees. The company gives them free tickets for performances."

"You took tickets from people so we could have the whole box?" There was an accusation in Kurt's voice and Blaine had the need to defend himself.

"I bought six tickets and sent it to the HR department. They did get their tickets, just different seats. I couldn't get tickets for the whole balcony because in each of them were at least two seats already taken. What was I supposed to do? Wait six months for us to go?"

"You've been to the Opera? When? Why didn't you take us with you?" Nick pouted.

"On Saturday. And it was Le Bohéme. You've seen it three times already with me…"

"You still could tell us…"

"Guys, you can't expect them to take you with them on a date. Let them breathe a little." Vicky scolded them.

"A date?" Jeff squealed.

"A date? A DATE?! Like a date date?" Nick threw a napkin at Blaine. "Why the fuck didn't you tell us?"

"Nicolas! Watch your mouth!" Vicky used her mother status and Nick murmured an apology.

"We haven't had a chance yet." Blaine responded and sent him the napkin back.

"You told your parents who live in Europe! How come you didn't tell us?" Kurt lowered his head to hide a big smile that was spreading on his face. Blaine had told his parents. Blaine wasn't hiding their relationship. He wasn't embarrassed by Kurt, which was Kurt's biggest fear.

"So are you like an item now?" Jeff took his phone out of his pocket, tapping something on the display.

"We are." Blaine confirmed.

"We gotta call Rachel. It's a month, Nick. We were right!"

"You took your time. Gosh, I thought this day would never come." Nick sighed and shook his head. "Wait, was this supposed to be like the meet the parent's dinner?"

"It was." Blaine said smugly.

"Jeez, sorry guys." Nick said, not being sorry at all. "You know how we love mamma and papa Anderson. They're more like parents to us than our own…Couldn't miss the opportunity to see them."

"But you know it's your fault, Blainey." Jeff remarked. "Had we known you and Kurt were a couple, we wouldn't have come…"

"We don't mind you here, do we?" Kurt looked at Blaine, waiting for his affirmation.

"Oh my god! They already use WE!" Nick clapped his hands and laughed at Blaine's glare.

"WE do mind you here. Would you just shut up and let us enjoy the meal?"

"Us as in 'all of us' or us as ' you and Kurt'?" Cooper teased him, earning an olive flying in his direction.

"You know," Blaine father leaned closer to Kurt. "We thought they would grow up but it hasn't happened yet. They're still acting like they are fifteen. I really appreciate that you are willing to stick with them even though they are absolutely crazy. They need someone sensible in their lives."

"HEY!" The Anderson brothers with Nick and Jeff protested unison but Kurt ignored them.

"I have a brother who is very similar to them. They can do nothing to surprise me."

"Maybe you could give us some advice on how to deal with them...we haven't found the right key yet."

"It's easy. You just have to be strict and have something to threaten them with."

"Yeah, like it works." Nick sniffed at Kurt's words.

"Nicky?" Kurt asked with a sweet voice and Blaine hoped Nick wouldn't fall for it.

"Yeah?"

"Would you like the number of that cute blondie volunteer from H&C House?"

"Shit!" Nick cursed silently. "Guys, I guess we have to behave ourselves. I really, really need to take that girl out. She is stunning." Cooper and Jeff nodded with compassion. Kurt could be such a buzz kill.

"See? Works like a charm."

Blaine loved the rest of their evening. They talked and laughed, Kurt finally relaxed and he held his hand under the table between meals. Everything was perfect until Kurt said he wouldn't go with them back to Blaine's apartment. Blaine was disappointed. He hoped he could convince Kurt but it was impossible. Kurt was having a meeting with someone who he was interviewing for his new article in the morning and he needed to go home. They said their goodbyes with a promise to meet again soon while Blaine's parents were in the city and then it was the time for Kurt to get in a cab.

"I'm going to miss you." Blaine told him as he opened the door of the car for Kurt.

"I'm going to miss you too. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Enjoy the day with your family and I'll see you on Wednesday or Thursday."

"It's too far away…" Blaine complained.

"It isn't. It's one or two days from now."

"Call me when you get home."

"I will." Kurt promised and Blaine knew he had to let him go. He looked around and though the street was almost empty and nobody beside the group of people he was there with was taking any interest in them, he still didn't dare to kiss Kurt goodnight properly. He decided to at least hug him and peck his cheek. One day though. One day he would be brave enough to act like Kurt's boyfriend in public.

"You know little brother, I was expecting more from you. A hug? The guy is probably the hottest piece of ass in the city! What's wrong with you?"

"Shut up, Coop!" Blaine ordered and took out his phone to text Kurt how he missed him already.