Chapter 18
Song Used in this Chapter:  Britney Spears – The Hook Up

March

Blaine is so ridiculously busy between Valentine's Day and Spring Break that he hardly even realizes that Kurt is due in California tomorrow.  He has so much work to hand into his English classes before the week off and he thinks it may have been a bit of a mistake to have Kurt arrive before the school is officially on break.  That's not to say he isn't excited, he just wishes he could have planned this month better.

It's been a few weeks since he's seen his boyfriend and the Kurt-shaped void has been something Blaine's gotten quite used to.

When Kurt calls while he's conveniently in the middle of bullshitting through yet another creative writing essay, Blaine almost considers ignoring the phone to get through at least one more paragraph.  He can't do it, though, and he answers on the third ring.

“Hey baby.”

“Should I bring actual warmth or just a sweatshirt or two?  Jeans?”

Blaine laughs; Kurt gets really adorable, especially when he's excited about something.  Obviously.  “Bring some jeans and a sweatshirt for when we're up north.  You can put all that away for when we go see Coop.  I can't believe you put off packing until a few hours before you leave.  Is this the apocalypse?  Kurt Hummel, unprepared?”

“Shut up, I'm really busy.  This is a business call.  Coop called me and told me we're going to Disneyland.  Are we actually going to Disneyland?”

Blaine's laughing through the conversation; Kurt really does mean business.  “Uh, do you want to?  He hadn't mentioned that to me, but we can if you want.”

“Jeez, B.  Are you excited or dead?”

“I'm the most excited to see my pretty boy, my brain's just fried.  Sorry.” 

“Mmmmm.”

“We can go to Disneyland if you want to.”

“It's okay.  I don't really want to.”

“Okay.  Whatever you want, we'll do.  What else are you packing?”

“Ummm…” 

Blaine can just see Kurt look frantically around his room with the phone attached between his ear and shoulder. 

“I don't know.  Should I bring going-out clothes?  Can we go to that club you used to go to?  Do I get to meet your friends?”

“Kurt.”  Blaine laughs. “There is time for all of that, if that's how you want to spend your time here.  I am literally down for anything.”

“I know you go down on me, Blaine, but I want to meet your friends and go out in the Castro and get the full experience of how it would feel like if I-” Kurt cuts himself off.  “Mmmm.”

Blaine allows a downright giggle.  “If you live here with me?”

“Yeah.”

“That's okay to say, babe.  We know it's gonna happen, we just don't know if it's gonna be here, yet.  Why don't we revisit this conversation after we figure out if you even like California?  I'll show you a locally authentic time, I promise.”

“Then when do we go to LA?  I think I hate LA a little and I haven't even been there.”

“You might.  If you despise it, we can keep driving until we get to San Diego.  It's really pretty down there.”

“Mmm, okay.”  Kurt sighs through the pause.  “Cooper told me I was his best friend today on the phone.”

Blaine huffs,  “I thought you knew that.”  Blaine's laugh isn't lonely; it's quickly joined to Kurt's.

“I don't know; he's never said it before.”

“You're adorable.  God, I miss you.”

There's silence on the other end as Blaine shuts his laptop and deems it impossible to multitask. 

“Blaine, I was thinking...”

“That's dangerous.”  There's a pause that Kurt is supposed to fill with a giggle, but when he doesn't, Blaine continues.  “What about?”

“I want Cooper to be the best man on my side when we get married.  I'm sorry for stealing your brother, but I figured that you'd have Santana or whoever, and I really wanted to have Finn there with me but obviously that's impossible so maybe I can have someone who's like my brother, even though he's also my husband's brother, but that doesn't make me and you brothers, okay?”

It sounds like Kurt doesn't breathe through the entire exchange; Blaine's heart jumps when he realizes exactly what his boyfriend is talking about.  “Wait, are we planning our wedding?”

“It's too soon.”

“Too soon.”

“For a proposal.”

“Kurt, stop.  We can have this conversation if you want to, but it has to happen in person.  I will, however, disagree with you about the too soon shit; it's definitely not too soon.  The way I see it, we've been together nearly six years.”

“Okay, okay.  I'm sorry, I just-”

“I know.”  Blaine sighs.  “Okay, so what time do you get here?  I don't feel like opening my email.”

“Lazy ass.”

“Shut up, I just shut my laptop twenty seconds ago.”

“Four-thirty your time.  Can you pick me up or should I take a cab?”

“No, I'll be there.  I get out of class at two so I'll come straight to the airport after that.”

“Okay.  I don't care where we go or what we do; I'm just so excited to be with you for two whole weeks.”

“I know.  It'll almost feel like we're living together again.”

“I miss you.”

“Eat it for breakfast, pretty.”

“Oh, so you're allowed to say it but when I say it…” He's joking; Blaine knows that.  “Alright, fine.  I should get some beauty rest.  Don't make fun of me when you see me.”

“You're beautiful.”

“I look terrible after long flights.”

“Shut the fuck up and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow!”

“I love you, baby.”

“Something more you too, honey.  See you tomorrow.”

When Kurt hangs up, Blaine does too and opens his laptop again.  He gets through the essay by the skin of his teeth and then looks around his room, suddenly realizing that he has officially finished all the work that's due before spring break.  His eyes avert to the clutter of his bedroom and he deems it completely necessary to clean up before Kurt screams at him about his teenage lifestyle… or whatever.

As he roams around to take a closer look, he realizes that his apartment is a complete disaster.  He's been so distracted by school and study groups that he hasn't had time, since he unpacked from his trip to Ohio weeks ago, to straighten up.  The laundry isn't going to do itself so he starts a load and puts anything he can back in its place.

He moves from room to room aimlessly with the vacuum.  He stops and goes with it, effortlessly transforming each room into a livable space where Kurt can coexist with him for a while.  When everything is picked up off the floor and put in an appropriate spot, the apartment finally resembles a suitable place to live again.

He hasn't really thought about it too much, but he figures that he'll propose at some point this week.  He's nervous – Kurt did mention that it's too soon, but he's also pretty sure that Kurt wouldn't say no.  He's been carrying the ring around in his pocket like a lead weight, forever aware of its presence.  When he's listening to lectures, he fiddles with it as though he's touching a piece of Kurt that belongs to only him.

He's not sure if he should act out some sort of grand gesture or if he should just… ask.  Cooper's suggestions were surprisingly not half bad but he's unsure which way Kurt would appreciate the most.  He'd like to do it at a restaurant, during dessert, or make it seem like a random, simple question while they're alone together in the apartment. 

He gets ready for bed and he can almost see Kurt on the empty side waiting for him to finish brushing his teeth.  It's such a natural need and he hopes his wishes could come true as soon as Kurt agrees to marriage.

xK&Bx

Kurt knows that Blaine is planning to propose this week, because Cooper told him, so he's having more than his fair share of trouble packing.  There is an extra pressure of always looking incredible, as he has no idea when Blaine is going to do it.  Cooper is his eyes and ears on the west coast; every time Kurt's name is even muttered out of Blaine's mouth, Kurt knows the details of the conversation almost immediately. 

He stares harder at the thirty different outfits that are hung neatly, on his portable rack that he's been using for weeks to plan, and tilts his head.  He finds yet another cashmere sweater that he can layer in San Francisco and throws it into the mix, entirely unsure what's actually going to make it to his suitcase in less than ten hours. 

He can't help but freak out a bit as he rearranges a few outfits for what must be the hundredth time, so he dials his best friend recklessly in hopes of being talked off the edge.  Cooper's been the best friend to Kurt, and an extraordinary brother to Blaine.  He singlehandedly sees to it that both of them are not miserable when they're apart.

When Cooper answers on the second ring with a “Bro!,” Kurt sighs a large exhale of relief.  Thank God for Cooper Anderson.

“I'm freaking out, Coop.  What does one wear to their own proposal when they know it's happening but they have no idea when?  You need to get more information so I don't die from anticipation every time he looks at me.”

“Disneyland, dude!”

“Hey, asshole.  You only want that to happen because you are a child.  Stop trying to drill that into his head.  He doesn't even want to go!”

“Ugh, fuck.  I don't know where else to take you.  It's kind of boring here.  At least if you have a few hours to kill in New York, you could be inside a Broadway theatre in twenty minutes flat.”

“Boring?  Los Angeles is boring?”

“Boring for us, dude!  We're ancient out here.  Blaine, though.  Blaine's in his California prime.”

“Ugh, don't remind me.”

“You know I'm just fucking with you, bro.”

“Just find out when he's doing it, please.  I'm about to bring everything in my closet.

“I'll tell B to rent the van.”

“Fuck off.”

Cooper laughs.  “I'll find out.  I can't believe my baby brother is getting married!”

“I haven't said yes yet.”

“Please.  You said yes the day you met him.”

“I probably would have.  I felt a shift in my body I can't explain the day I met him.  He was all… tiny and adorable and beaten up, and limping and he essentially told me to go fuck myself but I couldn't stay away regardless of how much I resisted.”  Kurt sighs and shakes his head as he looks at himself in the mirror.  “This is really it, huh?”

“You changed his life, pretty boy.”

Kurt lets a strong laugh escape from his center.  “Don't call me that.”

“Why not?  Can't I be your other husband?”

“Oh my God, Cooper.  Go away.”

“Anything else to report?”

“Coop.”  Kurt smiles, although mostly to himself because Cooper can't see him through a telephone line.  “You're my best friend too.  You'll be in the wedding, won't you?”

Cooper laughs.  “Of course, man!  Shit, I'm excited to see you.  I hope he does it while you're still in San Fran so we can gush like little girls about it for the rest of your trip.”

“Okay.”  Kurt rolls his eyes and laughs again.  “Goodnight Cooper.  See you in a few days.”

“Love you, man.  I'm gonna go bother Blaine now.”

Kurt can only laugh and hang up the phone.  He texts Blaine, hoping he'll see it before he accepts the phone call from Cooper.

Kurt:  Coop just called me pretty boy. 

Of course, he gets a response immediately.  Blaine seems to get especially territorial over the nickname.

Blaine:  Mine.
Kurt:  Kick him in the balls when we see him.
Kurt:  Goodnight, honey. 
Blaine:  I love you! 
Blaine:  Oh, speak of the devil.  Fucking bastard.

xK&Bx

Kurt twirls his phone around in his hands and paces back and forth in Blaine's living room.  His sweatpants are nearly falling off of him, hanging low on his hips as he walks and twirls quickly, really unsure how to break the news. 

He can't believe Christian Anderson is dead.

The bay window allows the sunlight to bask in stripes across the room; it's warm, glowing happily across his skin as if it's trying to taunt him in what should have been a great day.  He taps his chin three times with the phone and huffs.  He takes a seat on the corner of the couch and pulls back a sob, twisting around toward the doorway to make sure he hasn't been caught yet, knowing it's just a matter of time before Blaine feels the cold, empty left side of his bed; he's always had a sixth sense for that sort of thing.

Kurt selfishly resents Christian for dying just as things were getting good again.  He fears that this will turn Blaine's upward spiral in reverse and they'd be right where they were three years ago in New York.  Worse, he feels his own walls going up as he finds a way to cope with the death of the man who was a primary obstacle for most, if not all, of their previous relationship.  Kurt stubbornly decides that they have to get through all of this together because having Christian there with them, chasing them around the country until one of them died, would be so much worse. 

Kurt accepts that a cruel and painful death was Christian Anderson's destiny.

Ultimately, Kurt decides to let Blaine come to him.  It'll be a much better situation if Kurt doesn't specifically wake him up for this.  That's just wrong. 

So he gets up from the bench at the bay window and finds the filter and the coffee beans (Lima Bean brand, of course.  Kurt will have to kiss Julie on the mouth the next time he sees her.) and rests his chin on his hand with his elbow on the counter as it percolates centimeters away from his face.  He steals a cup before it's finished and throws a splash of milk and sugar in, topping it off with a shake of cinnamon.  He sits, reflecting on the painted sky outside the window as it comes into full focus, cerulean catching off the bay nearby. 

All of Blaine's jubilant sounds resonate through his brain as he remembers each one from last night.  It's so good to finally be here with Blaine, in a house he's never lived in within a city he's never been to before in his life.   Kurt feels complete, like the marathon straight across the country has been finished for hours and he came in first place.  He aches deep down in his bones as his mind banishes all of his happy thoughts and forces to focus on the death of a family member.  He truly cannot predict the way Blaine is going to react. 

Right on cue, his beautiful Blaine trudges into the kitchen and beelines promptly to Kurt's lap. 

“What about my coffee, pretty boy?”  Blaine yawns and looks at him for the first time this morning and immediately must sense something being off.  “Kurt?  What's up?”

“Honey… umm, so... you know how, sometimes, closure is just really great for the rest of your life?  It shapes who you become and… sometimes, it's just time to say goodbye.”

“What?”  He plummets off of Kurt's lap and immediately attaches his hands to his own hips.  “What exactly do you fucking mean by that, Hummel?”

The magnet gives and takes it all away just to confirm that each side is where it belongs. 

Kurt stands and latches onto his own hips, imitating Blaine's stance, and stares into his face.  “Whoa, hey… no.  Shit, nothing like that.  Not me.  You never have to say goodbye to me.”  He curls his hands through both of Blaine's elbows and hugs him around the waist.  “We're never breaking up again.  This is it, right?”

“Fuck, Kurt.”

“I love it when you talk dirty.”  Kurt smiles and kisses him lightly in the center of the mouth.  “Seriously, though.  We do need to talk, but it doesn't have anything to do with us.  Directly, anyway.”  His face is somber again, the curve of his teeth falling wayward down to his knees.  “I just got off the phone with my dad.”

“He's okay?  Carole's-”

“They're fine, Blaine.”  Kurt grabs at Blaine's hair and threads his fingers through it, in hopes of comfort.  He scratches at his scalp and sniffles.  “Baby, it's Christian.”

“Uh huh, and what about him?”

“Honey.”  Kurt takes his hand, winding his own fingers around Blaine's.  “I'm here for you regardless of what you decide, okay?  Either way, we'll get through it together.”

“He's dead, isn't he?”

“Yeah, B.  He is.”

“When?”

“Last night.”

“Prison fight?”

Kurt nods, watching Blaine closely as he stares past Kurt into space.  A few minutes of silence pass and then Blaine simply nods.

“I'm gonna…” Blaine thumbs in the general direction of the bedroom.

Kurt rubs his pointer across Blaine's knuckles.  “You're going to get through this, B.  I'm right here.”

“Will you tell… do you think Coop knows?”

“You head back into bed.  I'll get in touch with him.  Right behind you, okay?”

Blaine nods and smiles at him, but in a way that breaks him completely. Kurt kisses Blaine's temple and separates to find his phone, conveniently situated by the coffee maker across the room, while Blaine heads gloomily into the bedroom without a word. 

xK&Bx

He shuts the door behind him, empty of anger and feelings.  He plops himself on the bed and turns to watch himself try to push tears out in the mirrored closet doors.  For so long, he was under the impression that he was entirely numb to the lot of Christian Anderson, and now he's learning a new emotion altogether: three parts angst, regret, and longing, one part mourning.  He would have believed no one if they told him he'd be shaken by the fact that his father, of all people, had passed away. 

He lies still, making eye contact with himself all the while as he tries to shift into what the feeling is supposed to be.   Remembering back to the way he felt when his grandfather died, someone he hardly knew, he finds that the sadness is for the end of a life and not necessarily the person.  He remembers relief for the poor guy to stop suffering, but that was cancer.  Blaine feels relief for himself, that he'll never be beaten up again, although it's been years since the last time. 

Grandpa had cancer; Christian was cancer.

He stares at himself as he furrows his eyebrows, as he reaches his finger up to brush against them, as he is aware of each of his blinks.  The walls are setting a thick foundation all around him as if he's been placed in a body cast, suffocating his pores until he is ultimately immobile.  He lies, as still as a log, as each brick is laid down and the cement dries. 

Like his father, he's properly turned to stone.  He knows he should inform Kurt of his transformation, but cement lying in his lungs seems to have taken all of his energy.  It's the most depressing thing to think, but he knows that Kurt is used to the walls.  He'll be able to figure it out sooner than later.

Blaine's not sure how much time has passed when Kurt knocks and lies behind him.  Kurt hooks his chin over Blaine's shoulder and bores turquoise into gold, not for the last time in their lives, through the mirror. 

“Cooper will be here in the morning.  I told him we'd pick him up from the airport.”

Blaine can only nod.

Blaine's sure that the best trait Kurt carries is his intuition.  By just looking at each other for less than a few seconds, Blaine knows Kurt understands that there is nothing that can fix the moment but a squeeze around his middle, so Blaine's not surprised when that's the next thing that comes.  Kurt's grip around Blaine's waist gets tighter, but more grounding, and Blaine allows his eyes to close, finally protected and safe with Kurt as his shield. 

They remain still for the rest of the morning, not quite sleeping but teetering on the edge of somewhere in between.  Wrapped in Kurt's arms, Blaine starts to chip away at his walls, if only so he can create a peephole to see out of at the funeral.

Kurt shifts in his nap and startles suddenly, like he's fallen out of a dream.  “Whoa.  Hi.”  He kisses Blaine's temple and squeezes again, this time his palm meeting Blaine's hip.  “You fell back asleep?”

“A little.”

“Okay.”  Kurt sits up and rubs his eyes; Blaine knows this, watching his every move in the mirror.  “Are you hungry?  I'll make you something.”

Blaine turns and nuzzles into Kurt's hip.  “It's okay.”

“Okay, honey.  I'm right here if you need anything.”

“I love you.”

“Me too, Tiny.  Me too.”

“We'll get up soon.  Go walk around or something?”

“Whatever you want.”

xK&Bx

“This really is a beautiful city.  It feels like New York but without all the… angst.”

Blaine huffs as he swings their hands carelessly between them.  They walk aimlessly through Union Square, hand-in-hand and free.  “I'm really grateful you're here, Kurt, especially… now.  Thank you for… how did Burt say it?  Peeling me off the floor?”

“He's crazy.  I mean, I know I was a mess after the break up, but there was no peeling.”  Kurt smiles and stops them and hooks his arms around Blaine's neck, pulling him in for a hard, rough kiss that's usually reserved for the bedroom.  “I love you, honey.”

“Good.”  Blaine smiles after they mutually break the kiss.  “I love you too.  Hey, when Coop gets here, will you distract him?  He's been texting me all day about how much an inheritance will apparently be worth all the pain and suffering and seriously, if he says that shit to my face, we'll be having a double funeral in the lovely town of La-la-la-Lima.”

“Ugh.  Yeah, I gotchu, baby boyfriend.”

“Honestly, what would I have done without you here when I found out?”

“I probably would have come to you and made sure you didn't find out until I was with you.”  Kurt smiles.  “I know you love when you can protect me, but it makes me feel good when you let me take care of you, too.  Just so you're aware.”

“Thanks, pretty.  But I mean, what if this were to happen during that time we weren't speaking?  I really don't know what I would have done.”

“You don't ever have to find out.  Now come on, we'll have lunch down at the Wharf.  Then you can take me to that park you love.”

“Okay.  All of that is far from here, so let's go get the car.  Then, maybe we can find Jimmy and Steve?  You could meet them tonight at QBar or something?”

“Perfect!”

“Okay, cool.  Just know that the boys out here are ruthless, so you will be picked up forty times in the first half hour we're there.  You'll be fresh meat to them.”

“Taken.”

“Hell yeah you are.”  Blaine lifts their hands up so he can kiss the back of Kurt's.  They turn the corner so they're on the block he lives on again, finds the car quickly, and proceeds to their next destination.

Blaine drives up and down hills, pointing out landmarks along the way.

“Okay.”  Blaine swallows and lifts his hands to hold them on top of the steering wheel as he speeds down a straightaway.  “Are you sure this whole let's-go-to-Christian's-funeral thing is a good idea?”

“Listen, Richie Rich.  I already changed my flight; I can't afford to change it for the third time now.”

“I can-”

“Honey, I'm teasing.  I know you're second-guessing this whole thing.  You're going to see your mom and maybe some other family members that you don't want to see, but closure is important and you are so strong for going through with it.”

“What if I'm not?  What if, after all of this, it turns out I'm just as much of a coward as I was in high school?”  This conversation is clearly bringing up old memories.  “Kurt, I literally just let him beat me up night after night because I honestly thought that was my destiny, liking boys the way I'm supposed to like girls.  That's not strong.”

“Enough with this ‘the way I'm supposed to like girls' crap, B!  That's only implying that he's right, that the only type of normal person is someone who can be attracted to the opposite sex.”

“I'm not strong like you, Kurt.  Even now, it's sometimes in the back of my head about how it's wrong.  How I should feel ashamed for loving another man.”

“Well, you shouldn't.”

“I know that.  It was just his influence I had growing up.”

“You're brave.  You accepted what your life was at the time and dealt with it by avoiding the house as much as you could.  The Lima Bean was there and I'd like to think I made that part of your life better, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, let's go do what we were going to do today, visit with Cooper when he gets here, and if we decide that we should cancel some flights, then we can.  But not before we talk it over thoroughly and weigh all the options.  I want you to think about it sincerely, and speak with your brother too because there will only ever be one funeral and I think you both may need it more than you'd think.”

“Fucking voice of reason.  Who taught you that?”

Kurt smiles and shrugs; Blaine recognizes how bashful he seems.  It's adorable.  “I guess a combination of life experiences and the people I grew up around.”

“Remind me to thank them in my wedding vows.”

“Hey, Blaine?”

“Hmmm?”

“When you're sitting at your computer with your big, fancy English degree and you're stumped on how to put your feelings about me into words in a creative way that would showcase your education in the UC system to the guests of our wedding reception, remember to thank my influences for being your voice of reason.”

“Duly noted.”  Blaine grins.  “Thanks, babe.”

“Keep driving, I want to be a tourist.”

“I could just turn east and we could head to Vegas.  I mean, I know how badly you want Coop to be your brother-in-law.”

“Blaine Anderson, I will be getting a legitimate wedding that we'll have argued the details to death.”

“Okay, fine.  But you say the word and I'll lock you up in holy matrimony and we're throwing that key so far, you wouldn't be able to find it even if you wanted to.”

Kurt grins and rolls his eyes at Blaine and they drive on, temperature soon burning the arms they have hanging out their respective windows.  It's a good ten minutes later when Kurt laughs and says, “Ever the romantic, my boyfriend, Blaine Anderson.”

“You knew exactly how I am and you chose me anyway.”  Blaine laughs.  He merges finally into tourist traffic and they quickly come to an absolute stop, parked perfectly on a side street only the locals would know about.  “Welcome to Fisherman's Wharf, pretty boy.”

xK&Bx

The music is pounding; it's actually louder than Blaine remembers, in all of Britney's glory.  Kurt's arm is entangled with his as he leads him through the sea of people to get toward the corner where he usually meets up with Jimmy and Steve before they head inside.  It's a busy night in the Castro and Kurt appears to be a bit out of his element in the large crowd of people just like him, so Blaine pulls him close and kisses his temple.

“They should be here any minute.”

Kurt looks at him with wide eyes, like he's finally made it to heaven.  “Blaine, you live seconds from all of this.  This is amazing!”

QBar starts pumping out the vibration of Rihanna's Only Girl (In The World) and Blaine can't help but take Kurt, just like the song says, and grind up against him.  His belly flips when he sees Kurt's facial expression, like he might come right here and now, and stops abruptly with the catcalls of a few drag queens walking past. 

When Jimmy approaches, hand in hand with his beloved Steve, Blaine smirks and backs away from Kurt. 

“Giving them a show, Anderson?”

“No, but he is.”  He grins at Kurt then back to his friends.  “Hi guys.”

“Long time no see, player.  It's like you have a fucking boyfriend or something.”

“Kurt Hummel.”  Kurt straightens his back and holds out his hand to Jimmy, who takes it heavily and shakes.  He turns to Steve, and mimics the movement.  “It's so great to meet you guys!”

“Well, shit.  I would turn celibate too, if it were for you.”

Blaine mumbles.  “Not celibate.”

Steve smiles at Kurt, seemingly as an apology for Jimmy's crude behavior.  “Shall we?  It's Britney night after eleven.”

“Of course it is.”  Blaine rolls his eyes and takes Kurt's hand.  “Come on, babe.  Stay close; they're vultures.”

The four of them form a single-file line as Blaine leads them straight to the bar.  The dance floor is more than packed, with the vibration of the latest Robyn song whistling through from their feet up.  He orders drinks for everyone and opens a tab, turning in Kurt's cocoon of arms to deliver his vodka soda. 

“Thanks.”

Blaine bats his eyelashes as a response, fully deserving of the loud kiss Kurt plants in the center of his mouth. 

The night continues as Kurt and Steve scream at each other over the entirety of the In The Zone album and Blaine watches them befriend each other with Jimmy at his side.  He watches as Kurt scrunches his nose up and slaps away wandering hands of a random from behind, then immediately searches for Blaine. 

The disco ball is twirling at full speed and Blaine has to get Kurt back in his arms this instant.  The worst possible song for right now comes on, and Blaine attaches himself to his boyfriend quickly and efficiently.

Baby, I can't believe everything
That I feel when I dance with you
From the small of my back to the breath on my neck
To the move you do

He digs his nails into Kurt's hips and turns him so his ass is rutting over Blaine's cock.  Kurt definitely knows what he's doing; he backs up on Blaine's lower half until he's a sputtering mess right there in the middle of the dance floor. 

“My God, Kurt.”

“Want you.  Need you under me.”

“Let's go home.”

“Need to say bye to your friends.”

“I'll text them.  Come on.”

They rush around the corner and fuck until their brains come oozing out of their ears.

xK&Bx

Kurt breaks the kiss when his phone starts vibrating in his lap.  Blaine chases his lips as he pulls away, causing a childish giggle from the back of Kurt's throat.  “Blaine, it's probably Coop.”

“Don't care.  Make me come.”   He attaches his lips back to his boyfriend's and licks the inside of his mouth.

“Blaine.  I'm not coming in an airport parking lot.  We just had sex last night.  Can we please go get your brother?”

Blaine climbs into his seat.  “Whatever.”

“How are you still a teenager?”

Blaine rolls his eyes at Kurt and hops out of the car, waiting for Kurt to come around the back.  “I'm not still a teenager.”

“I knew you when you were a teenager and your sex drive has remained exactly the same.”  Kurt looks at him and smiles, taking his hand and tangling their fingers together.

“Yeah but you never dated you.  Of course I'm gonna want to have sex all the time with Kurt Hummel!”

Kurt can only shake his head as he digs out his phone again, answering Cooper's call this time.  “Hey Coop, we're on our way in now.”  He waits for a response.  “What?  You have?”  He looks at Blaine with wide eyes and a grin.  “He's been calling us for twenty minutes.”

Blaine grabs the phone from Kurt and huffs into it.  “Fucking cockblock.” 

Cooper's clearly laughing at him as Blaine continues on through the grumbles of not being able to have sex in the airport parking lot.  As Blaine speaks candidly for anyone to hear while Kurt holds the door open for him, Cooper laughs.  All the way through baggage claim until they're face to face with Cooper, Cooper laughs and he laughs even harder when Blaine hangs up and gives Kurt the phone before he approaches his big brother and falls into his arms. 

Kurt watches them from a distance, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head.  He smiles when Cooper whispers something into Blaine's hair and Blaine can only respond with a nod in his brother's arms.

Cooper lets go of Blaine and skips over to Kurt, capturing his body and squeezing tight.  He sways them, as friends do, and lets go, winking at his brother's new boyfriend. 

“This is giving me so much déjà vu, it's unbelievable.  Thank God you two got your heads our of your asses.”

“Well, that depends-” Blaine chimes in.  Kurt backhands him roughly across his chest. 

The three turn and start making their way out of the airport.  Kurt can't help but grin at the fact that he has a brother again in Cooper.  Although he would never dream of replacing Finn under any circumstance, it's nice to have someone present at anytime who isn't a boyfriend.

It boggles Kurt's mind how Blaine and Cooper interact with each other. 

Cooper jumps up and down, and hugs Kurt properly.  “Dude!  Fuck!  I've missed you!”

“Okay, get off me.  Missed you too.  Leave me alone.”  Kurt brushes himself off and raises an eyebrow at Cooper, laughing hard at the defeated face that greets him.  He watches as Blaine and Cooper hug again, tighter and longer than usual, and when they break apart, Kurt offers Blaine his hand.

Blaine takes it and squeezes it as Cooper leads the way blindly to the parking lot.

Kurt shrugs and looks at Blaine, who is staring into nothing as they walk.  There's something wrong, like something is hitting him just now after he's had a day to process.  The death of anyone's father, regardless of how terrible he was, needs to be dealt with accordingly.

“Blaybee.”  Kurt sputters, tripping over two words at once.  

Blaine turns, smirking at him.  “What did you just call me?”

Kurt laughs so hard, he thinks he must be purple in the cheeks.  “I tried to say baby and Blaine at the same time.”  He sighs to catch his breath and smiles at Blaine.  “And it came out all wrong.  What I was going to say is… umm, are you okay?  You seem very deep in thought.”

When Blaine only stares at him with a self-deprecating smile plastered to his face, Kurt tilts his head and looks to Cooper.  “Coop.  Is it a good idea to go to the funeral?”

“Honestly, I was only going because Blaine said you guys are going.  Mom's obviously going to be there, and probably some other people we haven't had to face in a while.”  They get to the car and Kurt opens the trunk.  Cooper throws his overnight bag there and climbs into the back seat while Kurt and Blaine situate themselves in the front.

“I know, but if we don't go, would that make us exactly like him?  I think I'm going to try to forgive him, now that he's gone.  I almost wish I came to the revelation when he was still alive.”  Blaine pipes in and starts to drive away from the airport, back up and down the hills and valleys of San Francisco, making their stomachs drop when he takes them too fast.

“Is that something that you think you could realistically do?”  Kurt asks, concerned for the mental health of both his boyfriend and best friend.

“There's only one way to find out.  I'm going to attempt to go and know that we can always go to Burt's if it doesn't work.”

Cooper stares at Blaine in the rearview mirror, who's looking over at Kurt, who's staring back at Blaine.  Time stands still in this moment, as if they're not there together facing the truth just yet.  Kurt will never know the feeling of being completely certain of the hate in his heart toward his father, but he can identify with hating Christian because he defintely does.  Christian Anderson is dead; he's no longer breathing.  In their own separate and very unique ways, both Blaine and Cooper will have been broken just a little bit more and it's Kurt's responsibility to glue them all together again.

It's actually quite terrifying to think about how much Blaine's matured in only a few years.  Kurt can only quietly observe as Blaine talks with his brother, mapping out a verbal pros and cons list for going to Ohio, although their tickets are already booked and paid for.  It's funny how one major event turns Blaine's entire world upside down in a way that he needs to deal with immediately.  It's like Blaine resorts back to his old self with an added plethora of life experience and knowledge, common sense bleeding through until it's palpable.  As they talk, Kurt tunes out the words and focuses on the facial expressions.

Kurt watches as Blaine runs his fingers through his hair, and as Cooper mimics the exact move.  It's such an Anderson quality and although they are currently discussing the very person who gave them that trait, Kurt still loves them both even more for it.  To have been raised by the monsters that are their parents, Kurt is so proud to have them both in his life as two of the most cared-about people in his world. 

“Cooper!  What the fuck?  I need you to support me!”

“I do!  I just don't think it's a good idea to not talk to anyone.  Bite your tongue of what you really want to say for a few hours and make friendly conversation or whatever and then we can be done!”

“I can't believe I survived him.”  Blaine sobs, simultaneously breaking Kurt's heart in half.

In an instant, they are in a random parking lot and Blaine throws his head into his hands and cries, probably for himself more than the loss of Christian.  Cooper and Kurt sit still, clearly on the same page of realizing when Blaine needs to let all of his bottled emotions out.

It's when Blaine can hardly catch his breath that Kurt needs to step in, if only for his own sanity.  “Okay, B.  Take long, deep breaths and come back to me honey.”  Kurt gets out of the car and crosses to Blaine's side.  He opens his door and crouches down in front of him.  “Come on.  Look at me; blink away those tears.  You survived him so perfectly and now, you get to move on to so much more.  Baby, he died because someone in the prison fought him back.  He called someone a faggot and they were physically strong enough to put him in his place.  He had like two hundred pounds on both of us, there's no way in hell we could have done anything like that.  I know it's hard and it's bringing up all these unanswerable questions… please, come back to me and I'll help you move on.”  Kurt tilts his head and looks up at Cooper.  “The both of you.  I can't have either of you crumble and I'm going to be here until I know that you won't.”

Cooper wordlessly wraps his arms around his baby brother from behind with the back of Blaine's seat in the middle.  Blaine cries into Cooper's temple and Kurt sits back on the balls of his feet, watching them intently as Cooper whispers something that sounds like “you're okay” into Blaine's hair.  It's a sweet gesture, and Kurt feels wetness in his own eyes, all of a sudden, clearly as part of the aftermath of sorting his thoughts that a member of the Anderson family died today.  He misses Finn more than anything in the world, in this moment, but he needs to power through because now is not the time for that. 

He lifts himself to his feet and gets back in the car. He takes Blaine's hand, entwining their fingers together.  The three of them sit there for upwards of a half hour until all seems to have calmed down.

Cooper finally breaks the silence after Kurt threatens him with his squinted eyes.  “Um, are you guys hungry?”

“Starved.”  Blaine whispers.  “Can we go out?  I want to take Kurt to Aziza.  Think we can get in?”

“I'll call them.”  Cooper sits back and yanks his phone out of his pocket.  He searches for the phone number and quickly makes a miraculous reservation for seven o'clock.  He hangs up the phone and frowns at Kurt and Blaine.  “Uh, I was invited right?”

Kurt laughs and looks at Blaine who smiles. 

“Of course, doofus.”  Kurt rolls his eyes.

“Okay.”  Cooper laughs.  “The reservation is at seven.”  He nods at them and looks out the window; the tourist tour for Kurt was interrupted by the sudden outburst of emotions regarding Christian fucking Anderson.

Kurt untangles their hands and smiles as Blaine drives away, fixing the radio.

Kurt sits up straight.  “You're gonna be okay?”

“Always.  You're around.”

“Borderline barf, Anderson.  Careful with that.”

They get back to Blaine's apartment with a few hours to spare, so they deem it necessary to dress a bit for dinner.

Blaine is futzing around in the bathroom so when Kurt is finished changing, he wanders around the apartment until he finds Cooper in the guest bedroom.

“Hey.”

Cooper smiles at him in the mirror.  “Dude, it's so… not normal to see you in person in California.  It's tripping me out.”

“Well get used to it.  I'm gonna stick around for a while.”  Kurt sits on the corner of the bed and watches him fix his hair with the same face Blaine makes – tongue sticking out and furrowed eyebrows.

“He's going to be fine.”

“I know that.  But I still worry about the time between now and fine.”

“Does he really want to go to Ohio?”

“I don't know if he ever did, but I think we still will.  Don't unpack yet.”  Kurt grins and turns his head to see Blaine leaning up against the frame of the door.  He's clearly watching Kurt as he answers Cooper in a way that hardly gives Kurt away. Kurt couldn't be less sure if they are actually going to Ohio in the morning.  “Ready, hot stuff?”

Blaine rolls his eyes and smiles, walking across the room to sit behind Kurt on the bed.  He spreads his legs so Kurt can shimmy back and up in between them, leaning his back to Blaine's chest.

“Coop, seriously.  Let's go.”  Blaine says, then places three light kisses on Kurt's temple.  “Why do you insist on redoing your entire morning routine?”

“Agents reside in San Francisco too, B.  Weekenders on their way to Napa?”

“Whatever. Wanna go to In and Out instead, babe?”

“No.”  Kurt laughs at Blaine's sulking.  “Be patient.”

“You guys aren't allowed to be friends.  I hate when you gang up on me.”

Kurt and Cooper laugh at him. 

“I love you?”  Kurt twists his neck back to look at Blaine and smiles.  “I'll always choose you over Coop, I promise.”

“Oh, gee.  Thanks.”

“You give me way more than he ever could.”

Cooper stops what he's doing and watches them.  “Kurt, wanna go have sex?”

Blaine squints his eyes at Kurt then Cooper and sighs.  “Can we go?  Please?”

“Relax, honey.  He's kidding.”  Kurt stands and offers his hand.

“I know that, I just want to go.”  He sighs.  “You're such an asshole, Coop.”

xK&Bx

Dinner is fabulous.  Aziza is perfect as always and the company Blaine has with him couldn't be better.  Sure, he's sad and conflicted about the death of his father, but he chooses to take Cooper's lead in the mourning process, and Kurt is here.  No matter what, he'll be okay with Kurt finally with him again.

He needs to go to this funeral, if only to face the devil that lives inside his mother's side of the family.  He hasn't really seen anyone in so long so he's not sure who would even show up after all of the public family drama.  From what he can remember, his father's family were decent, and they all are from California actually, if he remembers correctly.

“Do you think Dad's family from California will be there?” 

They're waiting for their dessert they decide to splurge on.  Blaine leans back in his chair and looks at Cooper then Kurt. “I mean, when Grandpa died… according to that letter you gave me from him, they seem cool.”

“We'll see if they show, Squirt.”

“Aren't they from here somewhere?”  Kurt asks.

“Cooper here refuses to tell me how close either of us live from them.  I assume it's very close but I have no way of knowing because my big brother loves to pretend he can protect me like I'm eleven.”

Cooper rolls his eyes.  “I am trying to protect you, in case they all have a fucking problem with you because Dad did.  He has a sister who lives in Huntington Beach, and his brother lives in Grandpa's old house.”

“Coop, no offense or anything… but I can only assume that people born and raised in LA, of all places, are probably okay with our being gay.  Is that wrong to think?”

“In theory, pretty.  He's just nervous because Dad was from LA too and wound up brainwashed by my mother and her family. Maybe the rest of them could have been brainwashed too.”

“I understand that, but that isn't very likely if they're still here.”

“Uncle Paul lives in West Hollywood.”  Cooper chimes in, as if that much is supposed to make a point.

“I'm pretty sure he'd be okay with it, considering he has Pride knocking on his door every single year.  Right?  At the very least, he'd be able to tolerate us?”

“I'm just irrationally weary and nervous.  I can't stop associating them with him.”

“That's understandable, honey.  But maybe they'll surprise you.”

Blaine looks at Kurt and nods.  “If I need to leave, we can just go.  No questions asked?”

Kurt smiles.  “You jump, I jump.”

Blaine smiles at him and squeezes his palm around Kurt's wrist.

“You guys are disgusting.”  Cooper laughs, which sends them all into a fit of giggles right when their hot Brazilian waiter comes back with the surely impeccable dessert and coffee.  Blaine watches as Kurt savors a bite and moans softly around his fork, and he has to look away so he's not too affected by the sounds.

When they finish up, Kurt tries to thrust his credit card into the waiter's hand, but Blaine beats him to it with cash.  Kurt slumps in his seat and gives Blaine a look that could kill.  Blaine laughs at him and winks. 

Cooper shrugs and says, “Thanks for dinner, bro.”

They stand, thanking the waiter, and head for the door.  Blaine has a hand situated lightly on the small of Kurt's back as he leads him outside, and it's all he can do but feel the warmth through his veins when Kurt looks back at him and smiles over his shoulder.  He hands the ticket to the valet attendant and they wait. 

Cooper keeps busy watching a set of three girls also waiting for their cars.  He inches closer to them, clearly attempting to start a conversation.

Kurt snuggles into Blaine's arm and sighs.  “I want you closer.”

“Mmmm?”  Blaine inches closer to Kurt's body, only causing Kurt to giggle and take a step back.

“Not physically right now, although I guess I'll take it.  I mean that I want to come back to California with you after you leave Ohio.”

“You do?  It's already basically April.”

“Vacation for a month and a half and then we can figure out what we want to do long term.  I really like it here, B, and not just because you're here.”

“Oh, I see how it is.”

Kurt laughs and turns his head to look at Cooper, who is now picking up each and every one of those girls a hundred feet away.  “I just… want to spend more time with you and I can't do that from halfway across the country.  I want to familiarize myself with another city, and San Francisco is like New York without all the poison.”

“You said it was without the angst.”  Blaine is grinning; this is an awesome idea and he can't wait.

“All of the above.”

“Move in with me for two months?”

Kurt nods.  “Okay, fine.  If you insist.”

“I hate you so much.  You're the one who suggested it!”

“Uh huh.  Love you, too.”  Kurt bops the tip of Blaine's nose and breaks away to hand the valet attendant a twenty before getting in the passenger's seat.  The Andersons follow suit and they're off into the dinner rush traffic in the big city.