Feb. 17, 2013, 11:53 a.m.
In The Heat Of The Night: Chapter 13
E - Words: 3,074 - Last Updated: Feb 17, 2013 Story: Complete - Chapters: 29/29 - Created: Feb 17, 2013 - Updated: Feb 17, 2013 658 0 1 0 0
Kurt tugged at the collar of his snug, red Polo shirt as Blaine stopped at a stop sign.How poetic?A sign that notified people to stop before proceeding.Maybe I should stop. Maybe I should not pass Go and not collect $200.He was about to have his 'meet the parents' cherry popped and he was extremely nervous.
Blaine noticed his boyfriend's ridged posture and the far off look in his eyes. He empathized with him. He was there at one time and he was about to be there again. Taking one hand off the steering wheel, he rested it lightly on Kurt's thigh. He gave it a tentative squeeze. "Don't be nervous, baby. I told you that they love you already." He heard Kurt scoff.He'll see.
The rest of the ride was relatively silent. Blaine squeezed his boyfriend's thigh every so often for reassurance and Kurt continued to fiddle with the collar of his shirt. It felt too tight at moments and too loose at others. It was a lose-lose situation in his opinion. "Are we almost there?" He asked nervously as he undid the top button of his shirt once again. He neck felt like it was suffocating.
"Almost." Blaine replied as he flicked on his turn signal. Truthfully, they were about a minute away from the parking lot of the restaurant. It was a simple restaurant. Instead of feeding Kurt's nerves, Blaine convinced his parents that they should choose a more informal venue for dinner. Emily and David, eager to meet the man that put the smile on their son's face, readily agreed. Thus, they were headed to Pits, local barbeque restaurant that the Andersons frequented. Blaine loved the playful environment and amazing food while his parents enjoyed the spirits –they loved their wine- and theyalsoenjoyed the food. The Andersons were an eating bunch. Blaine just hoped that Kurt was as well.
The teacher pulled into a parking space and killed the engine. "We're here." Blaine beamed towards his boyfriend. Kurt tilted his head to the side and stared out the window.Pits? What the hell?"My parents and I have been eating here for years. It's really special to us." Kurt's demeanor changed in an instant. His shoulder's relaxed and a smile broke out on his face.
"My family has a Pits. It's this place in Lima called Breadstix. We eat there all the time." He replied. "The food is awful but it's likeourplace. When we walk in, we have a regular table and we have always had the same waitress."
Blaine nodded. As Kurt would see, the Andersons had a table in the back and they were always served by Pam; always. He once called Pam at home –yes, he had her home number- to see if she would come serve him. The elderly woman declined cheerfully, much to the teacher's dismay. "I can relate." The teacher replied. He could.
With a nod, Kurt opened his door and stepped out of the car. Blaine, watching his boyfriend intently, mimicked his actions. Kurt was a brave man. In a few days, when Blaine was set to meet the Hudson-Hummels, he could not say he would be able to set foot out of the car so courageously. From what Kurt told him, his father owned a shot gun and his step brother –"Finn's like a giant" "Finn's in the Army" "Finn is super protective of me."-yeah. In fact, Blaine knew he was not going to step out of the car as courageously as Kurt. At least his parents were cool. Kurt's family sounded....scary.
Kurt stood next to the car and took a deep breathe.This is it. If you make a bad impression on these people, your relationship with Blaine is over. He knew it was a drastic thought, but he felt it was true. Blaine was unbelievably close with his parents and their opinions counted. "Come on, babe. I don't want to keep them waiting." Kurt felt his boyfriend's hand slip down his back and urge him towards the restaurant.
The booth shook in time with Emily Anderson's leg. She was excited. Her son, the light in her life, was bringing a date to dinner. And not any date, a date that he actually liked. She watched for years as her son brought guy after guy home in his never ending quest for love. Each man was worse than the last.
She remembered the first guy Blaine brought home, a narcissistic doctor named Sebastian with a superiority complex. He made a point to steer all conversations towards himself and he took every opportunity to make Blaine feel inferior. Emily made it her mission to take him down a peg or two before the evening was over. Next was Jeremiah, a gold digging model from a local clothing store. Jeremiah liked money and he refused to believe that Blaine's bank account was not as large as his parents'; regardless of how many times Blaine told the boy that a professor's salary did not allow for trips to Paris and Milan on a whim. Then there was Chandler –the kid with a vendetta against straight people- and Eli –the young man that took Emily and David's excitement about their son's love life to a new level by clueing them in on Blaine's bedroom life.
In short, none of them were right for Blaine in Emily's eyes. That did not matter though. Emily had a feeling about Kurt, despite his questionable line of work and the possible age difference that Blaine hinted at –"At least promise me that he's over 18." "He's like way over 18, mom."-Emily could tell that Blaine was happier than he had been in years. He called more often and he seemed to always be in a pleasant mood.I guess if my boyfriend did porn, and that translated into our bedroom, I'd be pretty damn chipper too.
"You're going to stomp a hole in the ground if you keep bouncing your leg around like that." David advised. Emily instantly stopped bouncing her knee and raised her hand to shoot a bird in her husband's direction.
She was excited; simply put. "I can't seem to sit still. I wish they would hurry up." She chanced another look at the door. No Kurt. No Blaine.
David chuckled and took another swig of his beer. They had only been there a few moments but they took the liberty of ordering a beer for each member of their little dinner gathering. "You're where Blaine gets that from." He watched as his wife tilted her head to the side. "That nervous, excited energy. You're the reason he can't sit still when he knows something is about to happen. He got those genes from you." Emily rolled her eyes and chanced another look at the door. Just as her eyes made contact with the door, her son walked in. She squealed, causing her husband and the occupants of many nearby tables to turn and stare at her. She did not care.
Emily smiled at her son. When he caught sight of her, he smiled back. "Baby!" She shouted as she leapt from her seat. She made her way across the tiny restaurant and threw her arms around his neck. "I've missed you so much." Blaine melted into her arms; almost forgetting that his boyfriend was next to him; almost. When he pulled back, he held up their clasped hands for his mother to see. Emily followed the milky white hand that was to her son's, up an equally pale arm, past a set of broad shoulders, to a face; an angelic face. As far as men went, Emily's mind flailed at her gorgeous her son's boyfriend was. She was a proud mother. She was not superficial in the slightest sense, but she could not help the swell of pride in her that raced through her veins when she saw her son's boyfriend. Blaine was always a self-conscious child with unrealistically low self-esteem. As a mother, it was not hard to tell that the fact that he had snagged a looker like Kurt was doing wonderful things for her son's ego.
After an uncomfortable amount of staring, Emily caught her bearings and extended her hand to the young man –oh my, he is rather young. I wonder how young."Hello, you must be Kurt. I'm Emily, Blaine's mother." The young man took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
"Yes, ma'am. It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Anderson." Kurt replied.And he's polite. I'm taking all the points from every guy on Earth and giving them to Kurt.Emily released his hand and turned back to her son. He was watching them expectantly.
"Your father is waiting for us at the table, why don't we go sit down." The boys, one of them really was a boy, nodded and followed her to the table. There, they were greeted by an equally excited looking David.
"Blaine, son, I've missed you." He beamed as he stood up and embraced his only child. Just as his wife did before him, he quickly caught sight of the young man with his son. Unlike his wife, he did not immediately extend his hand. "Please tell me you're at least 18." It sounded like begging because he was begging. To him, Kurt looked light years younger than his son. The boy's baby doll eyes contrasted with the few grey strands littered throughout his son's mane.
Kurt ducked his head. He could have imagined worse but, at that moment, it felt like there was no such thing as worse. "I'm...um...19, sir." He replied. There was a sigh of relief that rung out from Blaine's parents; a literal sigh.
David grinned and released his son from his grasps in favor of pulling his son's boyfriend into a hug. "It's really nice to meet you, Kurt." Kurt grinned and hugged back. For the first time since he and Blaine planned the trip, Kurt felt like everything was going to be okay.
Dinner went better than expected. The foursome chatted about simple things such as the weather and current events for a while as they enjoyed their meals. To Blaine's surprise, Kurt took to the barbequed food much more willingly than expected. At one point, Blaine swore he saw his boyfriend licking the tangy sauce off his fingers.I wish he'd lick me clean like that. It'd be so hot to...I'm at dinner with my parents. I'm at dinner with my parents. I'm at dinner with my parents.
The teacher kept his inappropriate thoughts to a minimum as best he could. He failed miserably until the interrogation began. Once the plates were collected and the party was enjoying drinks –the three Andersons enjoyed their beers while Kurt enjoyed his Diet Coke-Blaine noticed the air at the table change. As old as he was, his parents still felt the need to interrogate his boyfriend.
Luckily for Blaine, Kurt worked well under stressful circumstances. He shot back answers as quickly as they rattle of questions. It was amazing to watch.
"So, you're 19?"
"Yes sir, I'll be 20 next month."
"How did you two meet?" Kurt sighed. There was no use lying.
"At the college."
"Is Blaine one of your teachers?"
"He was."
"Did you two get together while you were his student?"
"No, ma'am. Nothing happened between us while I was his student."Not really.
"Did he pressure you into anything?" Kurt and Blaine both gasped. "It's just a question. The age difference is a bit alarming in my opinion and I just want to make sure everything was...consensual." David replied.
"Everything has always been consensual with us. We're both consenting adults and we liked each other. Blaine has always been a perfect gentleman. You guys did an amazing job raising him." Emily and David sat back in their seats. They liked Kurt. They could already tell.
Once the interrogation was over, the foursome stood to leave the restaurant. There was a brief debate between David and Blaine over who would pay but they quickly fizzled when they realized that Emily slipped the waitress her credit card while neither man was looking.
The warm air outside embraced the group as they stepped out of the restaurant. It's a bit chilly, uncharacteristically so for a June night, but it's nice none the less. "So, Kurt," Emily began as they trudged towards the Anderson's Mercedes. Kurt did his best not to whimper when he saw the vehicle.Oh, I would love to pull that apart and put it back together."David and I hope we will be seeing a lot of you this summer. We had a lovely time tonight and we can't wait to spend more time with you." Kurt beamed. He liked Blaine's parents as well and he embraced any opportunity to interact with them.
The young man nodded. "I think that sounds lovely and I can't wait either." Emily hugged Kurt and David hugged Blaine before switching. They all promised to meet up before the week was up to have dinner again. All in all, it was a great evening.
The ride to Blaine's cottage was relatively silent. It wasn't until they stopped at a stop sign that Kurt finally spoke. "You know, I'm glad we went. I was so close to stopping and begging you to take me back to your house but I'm glad I didn't do that. You're parents are great and I think they liked me."
A wide grin spread across Blaine's face. "Let me put it to you like this," he began. "both of my parents are ex law enforcement. The fact that they didn't run a background check before hand and grill you on it was a miracle. The fact that they didn't weasel you into giving up your social security number so they could run a credit check is another. They liked you, Kurt. If they didn't, you would know it."
Kurt sat back, relieved as Blaine pulled away from the stop sign.Fuck you, stop sign.He thought as they drove away. It was funny how a single dinner with his boyfriend's parents –hopefully the first of many- made him feel more confident than he had in a while. It was not Super Kurt confidence. It was just Kurt. He liked that. Kurt, justKurt, was not usually a very confident man, so it felt nice. Really nice.
Tyler watched his mother fix her hair in the hotel bathroom mirror. They flew to Chicago a few days prior as their annual summer vacation. Usually, they went to Florida but, Illinois was just as well. During his summers, Tyler remained in whatever hotel or villa his parents rented out reading books and watching movies.
Today he was watching The Avengers. He may have been a child, but he was smart enough to slip a few new DVDs and DS games into his mother's cart at the store before they left New Hampshire. That, coupled with the books he had packed away in his bag, was enough to keep him entertained for the remainder of their vacation.
Susan walked out of the bathroom a few moments later, in a dress that showed a bit too much cleavage with a hem that was a little too short. "Since you decided to bring us to this shit hole for the summer, I'm going out shopping. I took your credit card and I'll be back whenever."
Henry, who was pouring a cup of coffee in the suite's kitchenette, did not reply. He did not care. He hadn't spoken to his wife since he got the news from Ken a little over a week ago. Susan, immune to her husband's bad mood, walked left the room.
"He's a 19 year old student at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I have his address and his phone number."
Henry remembered the conversation well. When Ken called him a few days prior with information about his Kurt, he expected to get maybe an address and a phone number. Oh, but he got so much more.
"I also got some information on his family. He grew up with his father. Burt Hummel, a mechanic in Ohio. He also has a step mother, a widower named Carole Hudson-Hummel. He has a step brother in the Army, named Finn Hudson. Now, information on his mother was a bit harder to find. She left him when he was young. I couldn't find much information on her, so I'm assuming she's stayed out of the picture and possibly remarried. Her maiden name was Susan Elizabeth Sharpe.
Henry gripped his coffee cup so tight that it hurt. Days later, it still shocked him.
"What's your name, cowboy?"
"Henry Davis."
"What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a doctor, baby."
"I love doctors. I think I have a fever. You might need to take my temperature."
"Maybe I do. What's your name, sweetheart?"
"Susan."
"Just Susan?"
"Oh, you want my government name?"
"That's usually the name you give people when they ask for your name."
"Susan Elizabeth Sharpe; the pleasure is all mine!"
Henry picked the coffee cup up and slammed it down. Of all the stupid things his wife ever did, how could she leave an angel like Kurt to fend the world for himself? He hated her in the moments immediately after he got the news. How could she leave Kurt? Sweet, innocent Kurt that just wanted to be loved. Sweet, Kurt that was the pure embodiment of perfection? What had she left for? To have Tyler? That was a bust!
With a disgruntled sigh, Henry left the coffee cup siting on the counter and headed towards the door. "I'll be back later. Stay here." He grumbled almost too low for his son to hear. With that, he was gone. It was just as well.
The moment Tyler heard the room door shut, he smiled and reclined back on the bed.Finally, peace and quiet.For the next hour, the child danced around the room listening to Kidz Bop and flipping through television channels. Eventually, his stomach grumbled. He was starving. So, he picked up the room phone and did the one thing he refused to do in front of his parents. "Hello, um...I'd like to order some room service." He advised the woman on the other end.
"What can I get you, honey?" She asked; her voice kinder than those of his parents.
"Surprise me." He replied. The woman laughed and said she would. She gave him the total and he had it charged to the room. There were definitely perks to being a neglected child.
"It'll be up in an hour, dear." The woman advised. Tyler grinned.
"There's no rush, ma'am," Tyler said as he plopped down on the bed. "I've got all day." And, based on the mood his parents were in when the left, he did.
Comments
Awww I love Tyler and am glad that asshole won't hurt him. He knows that Kurt is Susan's son and they are in Ohio, well damnn. I am glad Kurt met Blaine's parents