Chapter 28: I Love You
TPD: Funeral-New York

"Why are you calling me?"

"Where are you, sweetheart?"

"My name is Blaine."

"Yes, and sweetheart is an endearment that mothers call their children."

Blaine cringed. Part of him wanted to be happy, but the rest of him just felt the unspoken it that went with his mother refusing to call him any name or son.

"Honey?" she prompted. "Where are you?"

"I'm at home."

"Are you living in a motel?"

That was how Blaine found out that sometimes he couldn't trust someone's word. Sure, he knocked and Sam said a whole bunch of things about being concerned for him and just wanting to make sure everything was okay, but he didn't know. Sam had no idea what he'd just unleashed. His mother was coming. She was getting him and his stuff and taking him back.

He was miserable. He missed the freedom that he felt even more keenly now that he was trapped in his parents' house. He missed feeling like himself instead of like an errant- child. He couldn't even think the word daughter, but he could swear sometimes he felt the ghosts of the parts of him he'd finally managed to expel. Blaine spent most of his time locked in his room because he couldn't stand interacting with his parents.

It hurt.

He could see them waiting for him to come to his senses, still. What did he have to do to prove to them that he wasn't making it up? That he was a boy, that he had to live this way or it would kill him? He just had one minor physical difference from the other boys at Dalton. Why was it a bigger deal than something like the color of his eyes or his height or his slightly curly hair? It was just some physical characteristic that he was born with. It shouldn't be such a big deal. People didn't even have to see it.

He was seeing less of Kurt between his parents' disproval and Kurt's rehearsals for Nationals, but at least he was seeing him.

The worst was that, even though his tuition credit at Dalton was non-refundable and non-transferable, they insisted they wouldn't pay for him to go back.

So he started to look for better summer jobs and found one. The auditions were about a week away.

It was the call from Cooper that finally broke him.

His parents wouldn't stop gushing about their son who'd landed a part in a commercial, who was making something of himself, who was going to be a big star.

Blaine might be a big star one day, too.

Blaine was their son.

He couldn't help it. He needed to hear Kurt's voice so he phoned him, knowing full well that Kurt was in New York.

"Blaine!"

Kurt sounded so happy to hear from him.

"Hey, Kurt," he said with a smile on his face to hide the despair he was certain would be in his tone.

"Oh, my god, Blaine!" Kurt grinned. "New York is amazing! We've got to live here."

"We?" Blaine echoed.

"Well, I mean-" Kurt seemed to realize what he'd implied. "I'm definitely coming back here for college and- I mean, the more roommates the better, right?"

"Definitely," Blaine grinned. Somehow the idea that Kurt saw them living together in the future had cheered him immeasurably. "New York is the place for us."

"Oh, god!" Kurt said suddenly and Blaine wasn't sure if he'd even heard Blaine's reply. "I have to go! Feathers, and- I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine said as Kurt hung up. Kurt saw them living together, and Blaine would hang on to that future. He'd be out of high school soon enough. This wasn't forever. Besides, who cared about whether or not his parents approved of him?

The painful answer was that Blaine did. He cared way too much.

He was practically falling over himself to get to his coffee date with Kurt on Monday. He told him all about the theme park audition and they decided to go look at sheet music after.

Kurt was telling him about Nationals, lit up with enthusiasm, so excited about this city where he apparently saw him and Blaine living together in a couple years, and Blaine was hit with the realization that he wanted that. Of course, he'd already known he wanted that, but he realized he wanted that for his life. He wanted to spend his life with Kurt. He was so comfortable, and suddenly the idea of scaring Kurt off seemed ridiculous. So he said it.

Even as Kurt looked startled, gulping down the quick sip of latte, Blaine felt comfortable, read the pleased looked under the startled one, and wasn't worried about what he'd just said.

"I love you, too," Kurt replied, and for a second Blaine was reminded that Kurt might change his mind, that he loved who he thought Blaine was and not... who Blaine was. Sure, he knew Blaine so much better than his parents, so it wasn't the same thing, but for a moment, the dysphoria threatened to ruin the moment.

He smiled.

Kurt loved him.

That was all he needed. Kurt loved him, Kurt wanted to live in New York and share their dreams together.

It didn't matter that Blaine was different because Kurt loved him.

Hopefully unconditionally.