June 1, 2012, 8:59 p.m.
Distance Makes The Heart Grow Fonder: Chapter 77
E - Words: 3,856 - Last Updated: Jun 01, 2012 Story: Complete - Chapters: 86/86 - Created: Jun 01, 2012 - Updated: Jun 01, 2012 265 0 0 0 0
Kurt has just finished helping Carol prep dinner for the Hummel/Hudson Friday Night Dinner when Burt asked Kurt to sit with him at the dinner table in the dining room. Kurt thought that was an odd request because they never talked in the dining room, but then figured his father wanted privacy and the normal talking areas were taken by Finn and Rachel in the living room and Carol in the kitchen. "What's up, Dad?"
"I wanted to talk to you about Blaine."
Kurt tried not to sigh in annoyance. He was expecting this. He had been seeing this coming since yesterday when he told his father that he and Blaine had gotten back together. "Okay," he said full of assumption as he took a seat.
"How is it going with you two?"
"Fine. It's only been a couple days, Dad. What could go wrong in two days?"
"A lot, actually. Are things different?"
"A little, but not in a bad way. We're working on things. Trusting each other."
"Do you trust him? Completely?"
Kurt didn't have to think about this. He exhaled heavily. "Yeah."
"Do you think you could give me more of an answer? I'm trying to make sure that my son is being treated right and not being a door mat that someone can walk all over just because you want what used to be."
Kurt suddenly felt guilty he was run with emotions at the moment and didn't know why. "Blaine is sorry and I believe him. I know him, Dad. I look at him and I see everything. He couldn't take advantage of me if he tried, not that he would because the thing about Blaine, that frankly I take for granted, he will always put me first. The one time he didn't… I don't know." He couldn't finish the sentence. Tears started welling in his eyes. "I trust him. I love him. I know you can understand at least that, Dad. Being with Blaine… it's like breathing. I know I'm young, and I have my whole life ahead of me, and I couldn't possibly know what I'll want in five years, ten years, fifty years. But I know now, that I will never want anything or anyone more than I want Blaine. Through all this, I know now, that I don't physiologically NEED him, and that's something that I feel is a positive thing to realize- but for what it's worth, with the way I WANT him, I'd rather walk forever on broken glass than watch him be taken from me again."
Burt wasn't an emotional man, but listening to his son talk about his love for Blaine, it reminded him how he felt for Kurt's mom when she was dying. He could feel the rims of his eyes burning red. "I just want you to be happy, Kurt. I like Blaine. A lot. I think he's a stand-up guy and knows what he did was wrong. Everyone makes mistakes and as a word of advice, if there's one mistake you shouldn't let yourself make, it's letting love go. If you truly forgive and trust him and believe in your love, then hold onto it with everything you've got because the last thing you could want on your conscience is the knowledge that you let one too many 'I love yous' slip past."
The doorbell rang. "Thank you, Dad."
Both man stood up. Burt embraced his son. "I love you, Kurt."
"I love you too, Dad."
Burt let go of Kurt. "Alright now go say hello to your boyfriend. I'm sure Finn's already let him in by now." Kurt smiled, quickly dabbed at his eyes with his fingers, and bounced from the room.
Blaine was just slipping his shoes off with his back to the rest of the house when Kurt slipped his arms around the boy's waist. Blaine stood upright and leaned his head back on Kurt's shoulder, kissing some part of the taller boy's neck. "I have something for you," Blaine said.
Kurt released the curly headed boy and noticed that he had a single rose in his hand. It was a peach one like the ones he used to give Kurt. Blaine handed it over, gently kissing Kurt chastely. Kurt inserted his nose into the petals and inhaled the scent. "Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome."
Dinner was over and Kurt was surprised at how normal things seemed. Burt kept his word that he wouldn't treat Blaine any different than how he used to and no one brought up the break-up or reconciliation or Zach or James and it was a pleasant meal. Rachel and Finn skipped out on desert because they were going to the Carnival and there would be plenty of junk food there.
It was an uncommonly chilly spring evening so Kurt and Blaine decided on watching movies in Kurt's room, cuddled under the covers. Halfway through K-PAX, Kurt noticed his father had walked by his bedroom six times. At walk-by number seven, Kurt got out of bed and opened the door. "Dad, what are you doing?"
"I'd like for you to keep your door open while you're grounded."
"Why?" Kurt said with a scrunched up face.
"Because you're grounded and I said so."
"That's not a reason. Either you're walking by because you don't trust me or because you have a crap memory and keep forgetting something in your own bedroom."
"Hey, don't blame me. You're the one who admitted to having sex with Blaine. I'm merely being a cautious parent."
"Overbearing is more like it and when did I admit to having sex with Blaine?" Blaine blushed and scrunched himself underneath the covers, hoping this wasn't the conversation he was listening to.
"Yesterday when you yelled out that the make up sex was awesome."
Blaine squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face into the mattress. "Ahhh. Fuck my life," he groaned as silently as he could.
"I was kidding!" Kurt raised his voice in agitation.
"I don't think you were."
"Fine!" Kurt took a step back and swung his bedroom door open he faced Burt and began unbuttoning his shirt.
Burt was confused. "What are you doing?"
"I'm taking my clothes off. If you think that's all Blaine and I are going to do, then what does an open door matter?" Kurt shrugged himself out of his shirt and tossed it on the floor. He vaguely heard Blaine's muffled voice saying "This isn't happening."
Burt looked at his son with a raised eyebrow, wondering how long this tantrum would last. Kurt yanked his undershirt over his head and tossed that one on the floor too. He had just begun to unbuckle his pants when Burt stopped him. "Kurt that's enough."
"There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home." Blaine was clicking his heels underneath the covers. He was mortified and didn't want to be part of this.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Dad. I'm only doing what you clearly expect of me."
"Put your clothes back on. In fact, get dressed and get out of the house. Go do something. Anything. Just get out the house."
"You're kicking me out?"
"No. I just can't deal with your terrible twos tantrum. I don't even know where it came from. Also, I can't spend the rest of my night looking at the Kurt and Blaine love fest. If I wanted to watch a romance movie, I'd be sitting with Carol right now."
"But I'm grounded."
"Right now, you're grounded from the house. Put your clothes back on and take Blaine out. Go to the carnival or something. I don't care. Just put your clothes back on and keep them on." Burt threw his hands up and nervously walked downstairs.
Blaine sat up in bed and gave Kurt a look that sent daggers through his eyes. Kurt couldn't keep eye contact with Blaine and promptly got re-dressed. His entire body was flushed. "We get to go out," Kurt said sheepishly now aware of how childish and unwarranted his tantrum was.
"You told him that we had we had awesome make up sex?" Blaine exclaimed.
"I was irritated and didn't think he'd take me seriously."
"When does he NOT take you seriously?"
"I'm sorry!" Kurt pleaded. There was silence as the boys stared at each other. "So we can go to the carnival if you want." No answer. "Or we can do something else?"
"No. We're going to the carnival. We're going and you're going to make all this up to me by buying me ice cream and riding any ride I want to." Blaine's voice still had an annoyed and demanding tone to it, which was very confusing for Kurt. He didn't know how to react to this side of Blaine.
"We really don't have to go if you don't want to."
Blaine crawled out of Kurt's massive bed and stood up. "No! We're going to that stupid carnival and eating food that will be so fattening that it takes five years off of our lives from clogging up our arteries, going on rides that not only look unsafe, but have been in use for ages, and we're going to play as many games as it takes for me to win you one of those stupid stuffed animal prizes that will do nothing but collect dust in the corner of your room later." Blaine was talking very sternly. His brows were furrowed and his forehead was wrinkled.
Kurt couldn't stop himself. He started laughing and didn't know how to stop. He was quickly doubling over, holding his stomach from laughing so hard.
"What's so funny?"
Kurt laughed harder, his body convulsing and his chest heaving from trying to breathe. "You!" he somehow forced out. He felt the tears being squeezed out of his eyes from the laughter. He took a few breaths. "I think you left out: And we're going to have a wonderful time whether you like it or not!" he began laughing uncontrollably again.
Blaine rolled his eyes and a smile spread across his face. It came slow at first, but the laugher did come and soon enough, both boys were holding each other up and embracing.
An hour later found them chatting with Zach and Mercedes at the New Directions booth that sold different baked goods, which Mercedes explained was all baked by Puck. Kurt knew better than to trust Puck's "family" recipes. "I think you've had enough student made baked goods for a while," Kurt reminded Blaine was he saw him eyeing a vanilla cupcake with red frosting. Blaine understood immediately.
"So how did you get out?" Zach asked Kurt. Kurt eyed Blaine, a smiling threatening his mouth. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and squeezed it. Kurt knew Blaine was telling him to not go into detail. "You threw a tantrum didn't you?" Kurt looked back at Blaine again who's eyes were speaking volumes. "Over what?"
Kurt smiled widely now, unable to hold it back anymore and looked at Blaine once more. Blaine did nothing by shake his head 'no.' Blaine was conflicted because he was both remembering the humor of the situation back at Kurt's house and becoming jealous at the fact that Zach knew Kurt so well now. Kurt didn't need to say anything and Zach already knew the answer. This bothered him. Not that it was Kurt or Zach's fault; he still felt guilty and responsible for the break-up and sending Kurt over to Zach's arms, but he couldn't stop himself from taking it out on Zach.
"Oh! It was about the other night, wasn't it?"
Blaine shot Zach a "it's none of your business" look and ended up raising his voice at Kurt. "Is there anyone you did tell?"
"Relax, Blaine," Mercedes interjected. "He didn't tell us, Zach made a joke and just happened to be right."
Blaine looked back to Zach who looked like he was tired. "Mercedes," Kurt started. "I owe Blaine an ice-cream. Wanna come with me and leave the boys for a few minutes?" Kurt asked.
"Yes!" she answered quickly and rushed around the booth. Kurt kissed Blaine on the cheek and left with Mercedes.
Zach looked away from Blaine and began rearranging the baked goods and taking out more to fill in the empty spaces. Blaine just swallowed hard and tried his best to subside his uncomfortably. "So let's get this over with," Zach said, splaying his arms across the table.
"Get what over with?" Blaine asked.
"This," Zach gestured to the space between them. "What do you want to know? What do you want me to know?"
"I don't like that you know how to read Kurt like a book."
Zach shrugged. "Sorry," he said, not meaning it. "I don't like that you feel threatened by me." Blaine clenched his jaw. "You need to get over this thing you have with me. It's going to ruin you. I have nothing against you."
"I don't believe that you don't have feelings for Kurt."
"You don't know anything about me. You don't know anything about my relationship with Kurt and if you tried to understand you'd spend a lot less time being a dick. I'm so done trying to make things right with you. I've been sorry, I've been a coward, I've been supportive and nothing is good enough for you. Don't you think that if I had feelings for Kurt and if I wanted him, I'd have him by now?" Blaine stayed silent. "Let's get one thing straight. The only thing you and I have in common is that we care about Kurt. You care about him in a different way than I do because I'm going to go ahead and say for the umpteenth time: I'm not gay. You're a dick, Blaine. A fucking dick. And if you truly wanted to make a change to make your relationship better with Kurt, you'd quit being a dick and get to know me like the supportive boyfriend you should be."
Blaine stood still, listening to everything Zach was saying. "Are you finished?"
Zach smiled. "You're a dick. There. I had to say it one more time. Now I'm finished."
"You're right. I have been a dick for not giving you the benefit of the doubt. And I'm an asshole for taking my jealousy out on you." He paused. "I'm sorry."
"Forgiven."
"Really? Just like that?" Blaine's eyes shifted back and forth curiously.
"Sure. I just called you a dick five times in the same conversation like rapid fire. I think you agreeing with me means that we can move on."
"Damn it. You really are better than me, aren't you?"
"No. Just less dramatic and fueled by my emotions. I'm not trying to be any better or worse than you. This isn't a competition for me. If you'll let me, I'd really like to have coffee with you and explain everything one day. Kurt and I… we're really just friends. That's all."
Blaine's expression softened even more. "I know. Deep down I know that, but I think that my real problem with you is that I saw you as the one person who could take him away from me. I've never been so happy in my life as when Kurt entered into it. I didn't know what happiness was until I met Kurt. I couldn't believe it when he told me he loved me. I became a different person. Then I saw you with him and that threat that his attention could be elsewhere scared me because it made me think that I could potentially lose that happiness."
"But that's just it. It wasn't me. I didn't do anything other than be nice to him."
"I know that. It was me. I was doing it all to myself. And even though I am having a hard time expressing it, you'll never know how thankful I am that he had you during this whole mess."
"So, truce? Fresh start?" Zach held out his hand to Blaine.
Blaine took it. "Truce."
Kurt returned with Mercedes shortly after the Zach and Blaine make up with Mike and Tina trailing behind them. Kurt handed Blaine a vanilla and chocolate swirled soft serve ice cream cone, doused in rainbow sprinkles. "I didn't know what you wanted so I got both flavors and I figured you wouldn't object to the gayest looking thing that had." He smiled and giggled. "Get it, because there's rainbow sprinkles on it?"
Blaine accepted the ice cream with a smile and then promptly tapped Kurt's nose with it lightly, leaving an ice cream smear on the tip of his button nose. He licked it off himself. "I'm sorry."
"You better be. Dairy is not part of my moisturizing routine."
"No," Blaine chuckled. "I meant about how I acted towards Zach."
"Oh?" Kurt asked.
"I was a dick and I'm sorry. This will also be the very last time you'll need to hear an apology from me when it comes to Zach. I promise no more stupid jealousy and un-needed idiot attitudes towards your friend."
"Really?"
"Really."
Kurt kissed Blaine on the lips and smiled. "I love you!"
Quinn, Brittany, and Santana showed up to take Zach and Mercedes place at the booth and Tina, Mike, Zach, Mercedes, Kurt, and Blaine all went in the direction of the games. The all threw pies at the football players and dunked the principal in the dunk tank. They played a game where you throw a baseball at soda bottles and if you knock them all down you get a prize. Mike was the only one who won that game and Tina selected a giant panda thinking it was symbolically funny. Kurt won Mercedes a goldfish at a dart throwing game, which Blaine was impressed by. Kurt said that he threw enough darts at the faces of yearbook pictures of the jocks over the years to be a pretty good aim.
They all rode the Ferris wheel and a ride called the zipper that sent people in cages flipping upside down as it spun around in the air. Kurt convinced Blaine to ride the Carousel with him and Blaine watched lovingly at the carefree way Kurt closed his eyes and let the wind blow into his face.
They all ate enough deep fried food to feed a small village. The girls convinced everyone to take an old time photo where they dressed up in western wear. The guys all dressed like cowboys and the girls dressed like Saloon girls with whisky bottles and revolvers.
By the end of the night, they were all back in the game section playing different things that Mike Chang seemed to excel at more than everyone else.
From across the way, Kurt saw a humungous stuffed dog with floppy black ears and tan fur. He decided that he had to have it. "That one?" Blaine asked. "Of all the games that offer feather boas as a prize, and you want the big fluffy puppy?"
"Well, yeah," Kurt mused with a smile. "Look at it's eyes. Now, when I go to sleep and you're not there, I can look at the stuffed animal and see it's sad puppy eyes begging me to hold it, the same way you would."
Blaine laughed and handed five dollars over to the teacher running the game. The rules were simple: One dollar gets you one basketball. Sink the ball in the net and get a prize. The more balls in the net gets a bigger prize. Five balls gets the giant stuffed animals. Mike sank all five of his basketballs immediately and Tina picked a giant giraffe, he second giant assed stuffed animal of the night. Zach sank three balls and told Mercedes she can pick his prize. She wanted a basketball, but no one knew why because she wasn't into playing basketball at all. Twenty-two dollars later and Kurt saying "Never mind, I don't need it" after the tenth dollar, Blaine finally sank his fifth ball in the basket and happily asked for the giant puppy. It was bigger than Kurt. All the money spent through the night was well worth the look on Kurt's face as he carried it back through the carnival to the car.
In the parking lot, everyone said their goodbyes and Zach and Blaine exchanged phone numbers so that they could make plans for coffee together sometime after the benefit concert when they both would have more time. They shook hands and Kurt gave Zach a hug, asking him to tell his mother that Kurt said hello. Blaine found this weird, but figured that he'd find out sometime why Kurt is so interested in Zach's mother and not to worry about it.
When they got back to Kurt's house, it was eleven o'clock. Burt was asleep on the couch, waiting for the return of his children. Finn wasn't back yet. Kurt handed the dog to Blaine and instructed him to go upstairs with it to his room. Kurt gently rocked his father awake and told him that he was home and he and Blaine were going to bed. He'd leave the door open if he want him to.
"No, I trust you," he said sleepily. "Where's Finn?"
"Not home yet. Come on, I'll help you upstairs."
"Wait, did you say you and Blaine were going to bed?"
"Yes."
"He can stay where he's always stayed… in the office."
"Dad, the last few times he's spent the night, he's slept in my bed."
"He has?"
"Yeah. Remember?" Kurt knew that Burt only approved of one of those times, but pretended that Burt was supposed to know about the other times, hoping to use his father's sleepiness to his advantage.
"Oh yeah." He started trudging his way to the staircase. "Keep your clothes on."
Kurt giggled. "I will. Promise."
"What time is it?"
"Eleven."
"You're past curfew."
"You kicked me out of the house. I didn't think curfew was an issue. Also, I was at a school function so I don't think you can be that mad."
Burt swayed a little. "Keep your clothes on," he slurred slightly. Kurt giggled again and helped Burt up the stairs and into his bedroom. "Good night, Kurt."
"Good night, Dad."
Kurt went into his room to find a bare-chested Blaine lounging under the covers of his bed and the giant puppy tucked into the bed on Kurt's side. Blaine yawned. Kurt undressed down to his briefs and crawled into bed between the puppy and Blaine. Blaine turned into Kurt and spooned his body. He kissed Kurt's shoulder and murmured an 'I love you."
"Thank you," Kurt said eventually.
"For what?" Blaine asked sleepily.
"For talking to Zach. It means a lot to me that you two at least get along. For being here. For winning me a giant puppy." Kurt could hear Blaine smiling by the way he breathed through his nose.
"Zach's not so bad. I'm sorry it took me so long to see that. Also, the giant puppy was kind of a necessity."
"It was?"
"Yeah. You said you wanted it. And when Kurt Hummel wants something, he's gotta have it." He kissed Kurt's shoulder again and chuckled.
"That's true. I am a spoiled brat aren't I?"
"The worst kind. But I can deal with it and love it as long as the thing you want the most is me."
Kurt turned his head back to Blaine. "I'll always want you more than anything or anyone else."
Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt tighter. "Me too." He yawned. "Good night, My love."
"Good night."
Minutes later they were both asleep with Kurt spooned between Blaine and the puppy. He'd never felt so safe and comfortable in his life and Kurt knew that in this moment, most, if not all of their problems disappeared.