15 days.

            That’s how long it’s been since Kurt kissed Blaine by the pond. That’s how long it’s been since they started whispering the word “boyfriends” into each others’ ears. That’s how long they’ve been stealing glances at each other in the hallway, or letting their pinkies brush as they study together in the library. That’s how long it takes before Blaine meets Burt Hummel.

            Kurt insisted Blaine come over one night to eat dinner and watch another musical and Blaine had of course agreed. He’d really liked Rent and he wanted to see more. Besides, they were really important to Kurt, and Blaine new that. He wanted to make Kurt happy, and if all it took was hanging out with him—alone—in his bedroom, then of course Blaine was going to agree. He hoped they would kiss some more; he really liked that part.

            He didn’t realize at first that going over to Kurt’s meant meeting his father, and he panicked a little when the realization struck him. What if Burt didn’t like him? What if he thought he was too awkward or too nerdy. What if he didn’t think Blaine was good enough for Kurt? What if he didn’t think Kurt should date a kid who isn’t even out to his own parents?

            Oh, Blaine thought, I’m not out yet. He knew Kurt would never out him, even to his own father, and Blaine immediately relaxed. He wouldn’t be judged as the new boyfriend, just the new friend. If he could get on Burt’s good side while still in the “friend” category, then he surely wouldn’t mind the two dating, right?

            So that night Blaine shook off his nerves, put on his friendliest smile, and followed Kurt into his living room. He had brought a batch of peanut butter no-bake cookies with him, and most certainly not to win Burt over. It’s polite, Blaine told himself, and he thought Kurt would approve of these more than regular cookies considering his dad’s heart. It was just oatmeal and peanut butter, Blaine reasoned (he chose to disregard the sugar and butter). Besides, peanut butter had protein. These were healthy.

Kurt grabbed the cookies out of his hand as he introduced Blaine to his father.

“Dad, this is my friend Blaine. Blaine, this is my dad.” Burt stood from his chair and crossed the living room, stretching out a hand towards Blaine.

“It’s nice to meet you, Blaine. I’ve heard a lot about you. I appreciate you tutoring Kurt here. He was really struggling,” he said, and Blaine thought it must have been true because it was always the first thing anybody mentioned when Kurt introduced them.

“It’s nice to meet you too, sir.”

“You can call me Burt, kiddo. We’re not that formal here.” Burt smiled and Blaine felt himself relax.

“Thank you, Burt.” The three men headed into the kitchen, where there was already a meal set out and waiting for them. Grilled chicken, salad, carrots, potatoes—everything Blaine looked for in a meal. His stomach growled in anticipation. Blaine clapped a hand over his stomach and blushed, but the two Hummel’s just chuckled and sat down. Blaine found the empty seat and scooped the food on his plate as it was handed to him. He was grateful to be the last one served—he had always been taught to wait until everyone has been served to start eating, which sometimes led to awkward moments at others’ houses, especially informal ones like this one. His house was formal enough that they all waited at every meal, and he and his mother never took a bite until after his father did. Tonight, both Hummels were digging in by the time he had scooped the potatoes on his plate, and he was glad for it. He liked this way much better, he thought.

It was the easiest meal Blaine had ever sat through. Kurt and Burt not only talked about their days, they were interested in what was going on in each others’ lives. They laughed at each others’ stories and told ones of their own. Blaine sat back in his chair just watching what was unfolding in front of him. He couldn’t believe it; he had no idea families like this even existed. He’d seen it on TV, but he always thought it was just that—TV. And here it was in front of him. Blaine had never been unhappy with his home life necessarily, but it was certainly not this. Home was stiff and formal; this was warm and inviting. He knew his parents loved him and were proud of his achievements, but they had a standard to live up to, and that standard didn’t allow for close family bonding. They just happily existed in each others’ lives.

Burt eventually turned the conversation to Blaine, which both surprised and intimidated him. It was always the same dilemma—tell the truth and risk being disliked, or lie to be liked, but risk them finding out later. He’d been making this decision a lot since Kurt came into his life. He’d always chosen honesty and so far it had worked for him, so he chose it with Burt as well. He asked him about his parents, about school, about what he likes to do. Blaine hates these questions, especially the one about what he does for fun. How do you tell somebody your favorite hobby is shutting yourself in your bedroom to play an online game with strangers? How do you tell somebody you know all the words to all the Lord of the Rings movies but have no idea which teams are going to the Super Bowl? For a moment, Blaine wished he’d stayed home tonight. His nerd cave was sounding really good right about now.

Burt didn’t seem to mind his answers, though. He just nodded and smiled and even asked a few questions when he didn’t understand something. Blaine found himself wondering how a father like this existed, and if Kurt knew how lucky he was to have him. Blaine never felt like he was being interrogated by the man, it just felt like a conversation. And when dinner ended and Burt said “well, you sound like a good guy, Blaine. I hope to see you around some more,” Blaine had to look down at the floor so they couldn’t see the emotions in his eyes: shock, relief, happiness. He realized he was probably being rude, however, so he looked back up and smiled at Burt.

“Thank you, Burt. I hope to be around more.” Kurt grinned widely at this (though behind his father’s back) and lead Blaine out of the kitchen and to his room.

“Your dad is amazing, Kurt. He’s really nice.” Blaine hoped the awe in his voice wasn’t as evident as he thought it was, but Kurt must have heard it because he looked at him with a face Blaine couldn’t quite recognize. He quickly smiled, though, and put Chicago in the DVD player.

“Yeah, he is.” Kurt looked thoughtful at this, and Blaine let him ponder while the two snuggled under a blanket and got ready for the movie.

If Blaine liked Rent, then he really liked Chicago. It was dark and funny and big. The music was different than the last; it was more of what he’d expected when he’d first heard the term “musical.” He loved the dancing. They definitely didn’t do that stuff in Rent. This had huge musical numbers with a bunch of dancers, lights, costumes, and choreography. He couldn’t peel his eyes away from the screen, and he just knew he was going to have “Cell Block Tango” stuck in his head for a week, even if he didn’t know the words. He’d have to ask Kurt for the soundtrack. And Kurt. Oh, Kurt. He was singing again, and it was the only thing that could break Blaine’s concentration. He loved that sound. He’d never hear enough of it, even if Kurt sang to him every day for the rest of their lives.

Blaine frowned when the movie was over, earning a laugh from Kurt.

“You’re cute when you pout, you know that?” he asked, his fingers playing with the collar of Blaine’s shirt.

“Yeah?” Blaine replied, his heart starting to race.

“Yeah.” Kurt closed the distance between their lips, and Blaine sighed. He’d been looking forward to this all day and finally—finally—he was kissing Kurt. His hand moved to Kurt’s waist (of its own volition, of course. No way did Blaine put it there), and Kurt’s hand flattened, pressing against his chest. Suddenly, Blaine felt Kurt’s tongue on his lips. Oh god, please let this be okay, please let this be okay, please, please, please Blaine begged to no one in particular as he parted his lips for Kurt. He remembered how complicated this had looked when Kurt and Santana were doing it, and he hoped he could do it well. He wanted Kurt to enjoy it. Then Kurt’s tongue was in his mouth and do you know what? This was even better than the kiss by the pond. Blaine couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him, but Kurt didn’t seem to mind.

Blaine thought they spent hours like this, but it still wasn’t enough when it came time for him to go home. He moped as he went down the stairs and out the door, even with Kurt holding his hand the whole way. They said goodbye with a peck on the lips and the promise that they’d do this again soon.