June 11, 2026

" - and of course I would like to thank - oh my God, what am I even doing?" Kurt scoffed himself and put the brush back where it belonged. He locked himself up in the bathroom fifteen minutes ago when he couldn't handle the waiting game anymore and caught himself practicing his Tony award speech, which he hadn't won yet so it was ridiculous.

"Kurt?" Blaine called, knocking softly on the door. "Honey? I know you're freaking out, but can you please freak out with me?"

Kurt closed his eyes and bit away a smile. Blaine was probably even more nervous than he and all he had to do was hold his hand.

"Yes," he found his voice, "yes, coming out."

He waited a minute so he was sure Blaine wasn't against the door anymore and sneaked back into the bedroom, eyed by Blaine who was looking too handsome for his own good in the tuxedo he was ordered to wear.

There was a small crooked smile on his face and even the comfort of it made Kurt relax a little bit more.

"Sorry." he muttered, knowing he probably freaked out Blaine when he suddenly walked out.

"It's okay, it's not going to be the first time you're going to be nominated." Blaine said, taking his arm to pull him further into their bedroom of their New York apartment.

"Is he here yet?" Kurt asked and turned his head to the door to the living room.

Blaine rolled his eyes. "We would notice if he was here because -"

The front door made a shrieking noise, but the following screaming was what really startled both men.

"UNCLE COO!" a tiny girl's voice screeched throughout the entire apartment, followed by equally impressive roars.

"PRINCESS JUDY!" Cooper yelled and Kurt was faster in the living room than a jaguar, finding his daughter being thrown around like a rag doll by her uncle. He felt Blaine's presence behind him, chuckling at the display and not even Kurt could be annoyed anymore because it was utterly endearing how Cooper held up the little girl in the green dress and shared an Eskimo kiss with her.

"Remind me why we gave him a key?" Kurt whispered over his shoulder.

"Because he's uncle Coo."

"Yeah, uncle Coo who will be on top of the list if our daughter gets kidnapped and we'll probably find them together at Chuck E. Cheese, hair braid and face paint included. On both."

"You know she only loves him because he buys her presents." Blaine said amused.

"What are you two gossiping about?" Cooper asked, still holding up Judy close and rocking her in his arms.

"On how you didn't even think twice before coming here all the way from Hollywood to babysit your niece." Blaine quipped.

"Like you would say no when this adorable creature," he pouted at Judy, setting up a baby voice Kurt and Blaine heard many times since they became parents, and wiggled her around, "screams through the phone that she wants me to come." Judy giggled, reaching out to grab his nose. "Ow." Cooper swayed her around. "Shouldn't you two be going?" He looked up to them again.

Kurt's eyes flashed to big wall clock, rechecking the time on his watch too and turned around to Blaine. "We should."

Blaine nodded and plucked some lint off Kurt's suit.

"You two going to be fine?" he asked Cooper, who had Judy on his shoulders now. "Hey! How am I supposed to give you a kiss if you're all the way up there?" His face turned into mock-annoyance and Judy giggled again.

"I'm the tallest!" she squealed.

Cooper was already bending his knees so Blaine could kiss his daughter, much to Judy's chagrin because she no longer was the tallest.

"Give daddy a kiss." Cooper ordered and Judy planted a big wet kiss on Blaine's cheek. "And papa for good luck."

Kurt finally smiled, walking to Judy to give her a soft kiss. "Now, listen to - no, wait, don't listen to Uncle Cooper but go to bed on time and not too many snacks." His hand stroked through her thick hair.

"O'kay papa, good luck!" She reached out with her hand to pet his arm and he gave into the urge to give he another kiss.

"Papa loves you."

"And daddy loves you too." Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand. "But we really should be going. Cooper, try to be... an adult supervisor. Otherwise I will get a babysitter for you both."

"Oh, boo." Cooper said and Judy quickly copied him by yelling boo too.

"Don't break down the house." Blaine warned.

"Not like last time." Kurt added.

"It was just a pillow fort!" Cooper looked at them both in shock, straightening his legs again that made Judy bop up.

‘Uh-hu." Kurt took Blaine's hand and started to drag them out of the house before they never would. "Contact Puck if something goes wrong, okay?"

"You're all talking like I can't take care of a child!"

"I was talking to Judy." Kurt winked, and with Blaine chuckling behind him they left.

"Tsk." Cooper turned around to sit on the couch with his favorite little munchkin. "You and I can take perfect care of each other."

"That's right!" Judy let out a ‘wee' when Cooper took her off his shoulders and placed her on his lap. "What are we going to do tonight, Uncle Coo?"

Cooper shrugged. "Maybe we can watch papa perform? On television?"

"But I see papa perform all the time." She rolled her eyes just like Blaine always does.

"Oh, well, but Uncle Coo doesn't."

"Oh." Judy seemed to understand and an hour later they were watching the opening number of the 2023 Tony Awards. Cooper was completely settled on the couch and Judy was lying against his chest, puffing out tiny little breaths as she tried to watch the TV and lie on her stomach.

Kurt and Blaine were on screen a lot, not that it surprised Cooper - upcoming Broadway legend Kurt Hummel-Anderson and his husband, star composer and teacher, Blaine Hummel-Anderson were supposed to be on screen all the time.

"Uncle Coo?" Judy asked quietly.

"Yes, Princess?" Cooper reached for the remote control to turn down the performance of a show he didn't care about.

"Why don't you have someone like papa?"

He tensed unnoticeable, but his breath faltered anyway. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Judy started to sit up so she could look at him, "why don't you have something what daddy and papa have?"

"And what's that?"

She shrugged, how could a four and half year old explain what her dads had? But she somehow knew it was something special - and special things should Cooper have too.

"I don't know. They always smile at each other and kiss when they think I'm not watching, it's kind of gross, but they always smile more after that." She toyed with the fabric of his shirt. "And I was just wondering why you don't have that?"

"Why would I want that?"

"Because I want you to smile too. And sometimes when daddy and papa kiss and you're there you always look sad. I don't want you to be sad."

"I'm not sad." Cooper pushed back a stray of hair on her forehead. "I just - why would I want that if I already have you? You make me smile." He poked her sides and it resulted in a rewarding giggle.

"But - but don't you want a grown up?"

Slowly Cooper shook his head. "I once had someone that made me happy."

Judy perked up with her eyes wide. "Really? Where is he now?"

"Somewhere." he shrugged. "But Uncle Coo said some stupid things, and before he could make it right the man already found someone that made him happier than I did."

"But can't you..." she stopped midsentence when Cooper was already shaking his head.

"He will always be happier with the other man, and I don't want to break them up. Because then everybody would be sad."

"Okay." She looked down with a pout on her face.

"Hey, hey -" he tilted up her chin, "you make me happy? You make me smile, and dance and no-one could ever replace you."

Judy smiled and Cooper let out a sigh. He always loved her the most when she smiled, because that was always when he saw it: the shape of her little lips, her big blue eyes and he could always connect it with the vague chestnut hair with strawberry blonde streaks. It didn't matter how many times Kurt and Blaine denied on knowing who the real father was when Judy was born - Cooper knew for certain his precious little princess was from the man he never really got over.

"... and of course I would like to thank our darling girl Judy, who hopefully hasn't burned down the house yet with her Uncle Cooper."

They both looked up at hearing Kurt's voice as he accepted his first ever Tony Award and the shot jumped to Blaine who was definitely crying on television.

"Papa won!" Judy whispered, lying her head back down against his chest.

"Yeah, he did."

"He said your name too!"

Cooper nodded. "I think you should go to bed."

"Nooo!" she whined, grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt like if she would hold tight enough he wouldn't take her to bed. "One more song."

"Alright, Princess."

She didn't even make it to the next song, sleeping deep quickly and Cooper texted Blaine he got them a hotel room for the night. He sighed, hand stroking the soft hairs of his niece and wondered if it maybe was time to try and find someone new to make him happy.

And with Kurt closing the show with a number from the original musical he was starring in, Cooper fell asleep with the smile on his face that Judy wanted to see more often on her uncle.

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