Chapter 11

Cooper turned the key in the lock of the old Brownstone home. Blaine stood behind him on the steps of the beautiful building, looking around the small and quaint Cobble Hill neighborhood. It was quiet on this Friday evening and Blaine was grateful for that. He could use as much quiet as he could get before the storm.

His older brother pushed the wooden front doors open and stepped inside. The hardwood floors shined beneath his loafers, and the sound of his footsteps echoed throughout the three-story home. It was still empty here, save a few of Blaine's things that his wife didn't want in their 5th Avenue condo. He held the door open for Blaine and smiled at him as the man walked in.

Blaine slid his cell phone into the pocket of his Armani pants as he looked around. The Brownstone was still as beautiful as he remembered it. It was as large as ever, and probably more space than he and his daughter needed, but Cobble Hill was a beautiful area of Brooklyn to raise Madison. She'd love it here. He had a lot of ideas on what to do with all the space—something that he, his little girl, and Kurt could enjoy. Whenever he was ready to move in, that was. As of right now, Kurt didn't seem sold on the idea.

“Have you started packing?”

Blaine took a deep breath before nodding. “I have.” He turned to look at his brother who was closing the door behind them. “Sarah hasn't seemed to notice, I don't think.”

They were both quiet. After a moment, Blaine ran his hand through his hair just to do something with it. Cooper had been staring at the ring-less finger since he picked his younger brother up from his law office that evening.

“You really need to let me pay you something for this, Coop—”

“Nope,” he interrupted quickly and adamantly. “Consider this a gift. I'm proud of you for doing something for Blaine for once in your life. I imagine this was difficult but I also think it was necessary.”

Blaine turned away from him and started to walk down the hall. He turned and looked into the first room—right now it was only a large area of open space with boxes, a dusty grand piano, and three different guitars in the corner. He walked over slowly as Cooper trailed in behind him.

“I don't know if I'm doing the right thing.”

The elder scoffed. Like hell this wasn't the right thing. Maybe it was because Cooper himself never got along well with Sarah, but even more so than that, she was like poison to Blaine. After she got pregnant, she pretty much had him wrapped around her finger, and there was nothing loving about their relationship. “I-I'm sorry, I must've misheard you, Blaine. What?”

“I mean—no, I'm saying in terms of Kurt, or in terms of Sarah and myself,” Blaine answered quickly. The look Cooper was giving him prompted his reply. “I… I asked Kurt to move in with us as well.”

Cooper's eyes went wide. “Like permanently? Already?”

Blaine played at the fabric of his blazer. “Well, he is Maddie's nanny, and a live-in one at that,” Blaine explained. He picked up his old Gibson acoustic guitar and strummed it, realizing it was out of tune. “I get that maybe it would be weird now, since we'd be… together. Like, dating one another. I hope. But I don't see the need to go backwards.”

Cooper walked over to the boxes and looked through them, smiling at the old trophies from his brother's a capella days. He dusted them off a little before he spoke. “Well I don't think that's its necessarily going backwards, Blaine.”

Blaine strummed the guitar again, much more pleased by the sound it emitted.

“You should look at it as being smart. I think you have to consider how you and Kurt started your relationship in the first place.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well for starters…” Cooper turned to him. “Yes, you two had some sort of friendship, and that's great, but from what you've told me it sounds like it's very… hands on. You almost got caught making out on the floor. I'm almost certain you've done more than just making out, too.”

Blaine smiled.

“See.”

“So what?” Blaine placed the guitar down and leant against the white wall, propping his arm up over the fireplace. “We've done things, yes. We're both comfortable—”

“Which is fine, but isn't that how you and Sarah started out?” Cooper questioned. “You jumped into things with her and it landed you a daughter, whom I love, but you also earned yourself a six year marriage that neither of you really wanted. Now I'm wondering if jumping into another relationship is a good idea—”

“What I have with Kurt cannot and should not be compared to anything I've ever had with Sarah,” Blaine said seriously. He shook his head as Cooper stared at him. “I think it's safe to say that I didn't stand a chance with my wife, Coop. I don't think she has ever loved me, and maybe I've never actually been in love with her. But with Kurt… I'm feeling things I've never actually felt about a person and I don't want to lose that.”

Cooper nodded. “Ok.”

“Please don't dismiss the conversation.”

“I'm not,” his brother said with a smile. “I swear I'm not dismissing you, Blaine. I understand everything you're saying. Kurt's amazing, I know that. He cares about Madison, he cares about you too, and I know you think highly of him. I'll even admit he's really good looking, and I mean that in a manly way.”

Blaine smiled, laughing a little. “But…?”

Cooper walked over to the window and looked outside as Blaine undid his tie. “But, I'm thinking about long term. There's nothing wrong with taking it slow, B. Think about how mom and dad will react to hearing about you shacking up with a 19 year-old, and his family learning about him moving in with you and your kid. I just…” he trailed off and turned back to look at his brother. Blaine was quiet; staring down at the floor. “I think that to show that you both are serious about a real relationship that maybe taking it a little slower would be a good idea.”

Blaine listened to everything his brother said before looking away. He made his way over to the dining room and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Maybe he was in a rush, and maybe that was unfair to both Kurt and Madison. Maybe he was being a tad bit selfish—springing all of this on his daughter and then expecting her to be ok with it. If his parents did this to him when he was younger, he didn't know how he'd take it. Expecting Madison to be that strong wasn't fair.

And on top of that, he was asking an awful lot from Kurt. The last thing he wanted was for him to feel pressured, but Blaine genuinely liked the guy. There may've been other reasons for his hastiness as well, but whatever. The most important thing here was being fair. “You know, I have already organized for the furniture company to come in and set everything up through my interior decorator. Over the past couple days I've been having meetings with this lady named Annaleise Donatello and over the next week or so, everything should be great. She says it'll take a few days but this place is huge, so we'll see.”

Cooper followed his brother into the other room. It was sparse as well—the entire house was pretty vacant, though. “Way to change the conversation, Squirt.”

Blaine smiled. “There's not much of a need to talk about it anymore. You're right. I was being my usual, selfish, clingy self I guess.”

Cooper shook his head. “The last thing you are is selfish. The last 6 years have proved that. Stupid, maybe.”

Blaine smiled.

“And probably a little clingy,” Cooper joked. “Lord knows I couldn't get rid of you.”

“Like I was saying, I'm going to be away with Kurt for a few days until it's set up here, then I'll move baby girl in here and we'll get… acclimated.”

 Cooper nodded. “Let me know if I can help out. I have two strong sons who like a good workout.”

Blaine laughed at the thought of his nephews lugging boxes around and shook his head. “I'm not letting you get arrested for breaking child labor laws, and especially not with Xavier and Ethan. And Coop, this… this was more than enough. If you think I'm not giving you something in return you're out of your mind.”

Cooper went into the kitchen and smiled as Blaine followed him. “All I want you to do is enjoy your time away with Kurt. You have enough on your plate right now.”

Blaine shrugged. “Nothing I can't beat, Coop. You know me.”

He nodded. “I do know you, little bro. Carolina and I are going to have a great time with Madison and you have nothing to worry about.” He leant against the counter next and Blaine sat down, sighing a bit. “So what're you doing with all this space?”

Blaine smiled as he thought about it. “My office and study will be down the hall there. I'm going to have a rec room for Madison in the basement for when her friends coming over. She's the one designing it.”

“She's spoiled.”

“Have you met your children?”

Cooper laughed. “Touché.”  

“And on the second floor, Annaleise has already showed me the designs she has planned out; the guest room, Maddie's room, the master bedroom, and I'm not sure what I'm doing with the room at the back of the house just yet. Hm. Maybe that will be Maddie's rec room and I'll make the basement into a personal gym.”

Cooper nodded. “I like it. Get a punching bag down there with Tim's face on it.”

Blaine smirked. “I love the way you think, big bro.”

“And you need to get one of those Keurig machines.”

“Will do.”

“What about the third floor?”

Blaine took a moment to smile, and he knew that the way Cooper was looking at him that he'd given himself up. “That's Kurt's space.”

Cooper laughed as he folded his hands on the counter. “I'm not shocked.”

“I figured I could give him a safe haven—you know? A place to go when he's annoyed with me or something,” he laughed a little as he looked around the large kitchen. Cooper watched him intently. “So I had the idea of building a library up there. Thousands of books, magazines, whatever resources he could want.” Blaine stopped for a moment and looked at his brother. “You know, I have my music down here. That's like my safe place. I figure he could have that.”

“And that isn't incentive to get him to move in?” Cooper questioned with a smile.

Blaine actually blushed as he rubbed at the nape of his neck. “No, dumb ass. I'm not that bad. But while he's here, you know. Or if one day we get to the point where he wants to, he'll have that.”

Cooper smiled at him.

“Stop that.”

“I'm not doing anything,” the man stood to his feet as he spoke. “I'm going to go home to my wife and my psychotic children now. It's getting late and she made linguine.”

Blaine smiled and stood to his feet. “Give me a hug.”

“No,” Cooper said, moving back. “Because I have to get in the car with you, and you're going to be affectionate when I drop you off at your place and want more hugs—”

“It's because I love you bro, c'mere—” Blaine laughed when Cooper's hand covered his whole face and nudged him back. “Cooper—”

Cooper quickly ran around him and down the hall. Blaine laughed as he chased his older brother. It was easy to jump on him from behind and hug him tightly when Cooper couldn't get out the front door quick enough.

Sure, their average age was over 30, but with the Anderson brothers, some things never changed.

…

Kurt slowly packed the remaining things he had in his NYU dorm room. It was another year completed and in a couple months he'd officially be starting his junior year at the college. As he compared this moment to where he was a year ago, Kurt couldn't help but be blown away with how much things could change in a year. Freshman year was filled with nothing but studying and avoiding every possible opportunity to go out that he possibly could. Sophomore year had started the same way, but now he was dating a man ten years his senior and making plans for the future.

He closed his eyes for a moment. This was such an unlike-Kurt thing to do. He'd known himself for practically 20 years and the Kurt he knew would never do something like this. What he expected for himself was to find a nice guy after college to date, probably a guy named Matthew who was sweet and the more forward one out of the two of them, and they'd date for a while until it got more serious. They'd be a simple couple who ate soup and watched TV Land and would have a mediocre sex life at best.

What Kurt wasn't expecting was someone like Blaine Anderson to walk into his life—or vice versa. Blaine Anderson wasn't simple—he was far from it, and it wasn't just because he was a filthy rich civil litigation lawyer, or because he had almost a decade on him—Kurt had a feeling that if Blaine was just an associate at Staples or a lowly musician, playing for his supper, he'd still make Kurt feel the same butterflies he felt whenever he was around him. He'd still be up at night touching himself at the thought of what the man could make him feel. While Kurt hadn't exactly imagined his life as Mr. Kurt Anderson, or however that would go, he definitely could get used to it.

He hoped.

His phone rang and Kurt knew it was Sebastian rushing him. His best friend's patience was non-existent. Kurt reached for the phone and answered as he threw a couple white polo shirts into his duffle bag.

“Hey.”

“So Hunter is taking us to a strip club tonight and I just wanted you to know. Adam will be there too.”

Kurt sighed and sat down on his bed. It was bare now that he was packing and the plaid sheets were inside his small suitcase. “I'm not ok with this—”

“You need to relax,” Sebastian told him. “For one, I told Adam that this isn't a date between the two of you. You can tell him about being with another guy yourself. And secondly it's just a chance to unwind and have a couple hours of fun after a stressful sophomore year. Just let a guy dressed as a naughty fireman dance on you while you feed him some of Sarah and her asshole boyfriend's money and then we'll leave.”

Kurt rubbed at his temple. “Whatever, Bas.”

“So that's a yes?”

Kurt groaned. “It's a whatever. I'm just about finished here,” he played with his glasses as he spoke, “so I'll be at your place in a few minutes. Cool?”

Sebastian cheered and Kurt rolled his eyes. He was such an idiot. “Cool indeed. I'll see you. Wear something hot.”

Kurt hung up the phone and shook his head before standing up. One day he would grow a backbone. One day.

…

Blaine spent a lot of his time that night with his daughter. Sarah was in the condo but she wasn't paying him any attention, but nothing was new there. After a night of talking about what was learned at school that week, baking cupcakes together, and dancing around the living room to Radio Disney, Madison finally conked out around 10:30.  The sugar from the frosting didn't make her as hyper as he thought it would, but that wasn't a bad thing necessarily.

Blaine held Madison for a while as he sat on the living room sofa. She was clutching on to him tightly as she slept, and her lips were parted a little as she softly snored. He smiled down at the girl and brushed back her curly hair, humming a freestyled tune softly against her forehead. Since the run in the other morning with him and Kurt returning from Weehawken, his daughter had been a bit withdrawn. It wasn't so much that she was having trouble in school or at her recreational activities, but it was enough for her teacher to call Blaine with concern. Madison had usually been in the center of everything, much like he was growing up, but as of late she sat quietly in the background. There was no doubt that it was because of what Blaine told her about him and Sarah, and that the change would probably only shake her more, but the man was determined to do whatever was necessary so that she wouldn't be the one to take the brunt of the blow in her parents divorcing.

After a while of holding her, Blaine closed his eyes himself. He wondered what Kurt was up to. They didn't usually go a whole day without speaking in some form, but to be fair it was Kurt's night off— a night away from the Andersons and their drama. There was no doubt that Kurt deserved it. The last thing Blaine wanted was to annoy him and be clingy, but he did have to admit that he was thinking about him.

The nerves about the next day were starting to sink in. After Blaine tucked Madison in, he said a quick prayer that everything would go ok. He needed to discuss things with his wife and with his daughter. His top priority would always be Madison and he hoped Sarah felt the same way. If Sarah was smart, she'd sign the papers and they could go their separate ways.

Maybe hoping everything flew by without a hitch was stupid and unrealistic, but a guy could dream.

He opened the door to his bedroom and Sarah was getting ready for bed. She had just gotten out of the shower; hair still damp and pulled back into a bun like it usually was, and a towel was wound tightly around her body. She moved around the bedroom in her slippers and looked up at him when he walked in.

Blaine stared for a moment before closing the door behind him. A couple years ago he would love finding her like this. A couple years ago he'd try and make something happen, and depending on her mood she'd go along with it. There was no doubt that Sarah was an attractive woman, and Blaine thought she looked incredible. Despite how amazing she looked, he knew he never loved her. Every moment they had was because he felt he had to have it as husband and wife. She probably felt the same way, too.

“Are you okay?”

Blaine nodded at her before walking over to the bed. “Yeah. I'm just tired.”

Sarah watched him. After Blaine removed his shirt and slid into bed, she turned and walked over to the mirror. “Good thing you're going on vacation, I guess.”

Blaine nodded as he watched her. “Good thing.”

She smiled and turned around, slowly walking over to the bed. “This was such a busy week.” Blaine stared as she dropped the towel and climbed on top of the covers. “I feel like I've barely seen you.”

He nodded as his wife let her hair fall out of its bun. 

“It's been… what? Over a week?” she asked.

 Blaine looked away. “Over a week since what?”

“You know what I'm talking about,” she said, crawling over to him and smiling. “Over a week since you watched me ride you. Is Madison asleep?”

Blaine watched as she pulled the covers away from his body; her smooth fingers running from his chest down his abdomen. “She's asleep, but I'm not in the mood.”

Sarah smiled and leant down, starting to kiss his neck. Blaine tensed as she pressed her chest against his. “It's alright. Relax…”

“No,” Blaine told her, moving his wife's hand from over the slit in his pajama pants. “I mean it, Sarah.”

She pulled back to stare at him, and Blaine ignored the fact that she was stark naked as he sat up. Blaine rarely said no when she wanted to do it.

“I'm not in the mood,” he repeated.

She smiled at that. “Alright, Blaine. Fine.” Putting her hands up, she backed off of the bed and went back over to her clothes. “Excuse me for trying to fuck my husband. And don't wake me up at 3 in the morning when your dick is hard because I'm not going to move a muscle.”

Blaine watched her bend over and begin to get dressed. He was quiet for a moment. After making Kurt the promise that he wasn't going to be with Sarah, he definitely meant that. Lord knew neither of them would enjoy it anyway. After realizing she'd been staring at him, Blaine lay back down and folded his arms beneath his head.

“Goodnight, Sarah.”

She ignored him. “I'm not tired at all so I'll start the laundry.”

He laughed a little and then peeked up. “You? Start laundry?”

“Me,” she said. “Unless you're willing to pull your head out of your ass and tell Kurt to actually do something around here, then yes, I'll be doing it.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. He guessed she'd be doing it then. “I'm not paying Kurt to wash our clothes.”

Sarah shook her head as she thought about how much money the kid had made since he'd shown up there. It would've been so much better for her if they'd hired someone experienced enough to know to do what the hell she said. Kurt would learn. “I'm guessing you want what you wore today dry cleaned.” She picked up the Armani and glanced over at him. “I'm going to ask the Goldbergs what maid services they use so we can hire some help who isn't a thief.”

Blaine smiled. We. He hoped Timothy would have fun dealing with this. “Ok.”

Sarah slipped her robe on before turning back to Blaine's suit. She picked it up, about to place it with the rest of the dry cleaning when something fell out of the pocket and onto her slipper. It hit the carpet afterwards and she stepped onto it, wincing a little at the hard feeling. Once she noticed that it was her husband's wedding band, her eyes went wide and her heart dropped in her chest.

What?

Blaine's eyes were closed when Sarah looked at him. His hands were still beneath his head, and he looked to be relaxed. Sarah shook her head and tossed his expensive Armani suit onto a chair.

“By chance, is the reason you don't want to fuck me because you're fucking someone else?”

The words hit him like a freight train. Blaine opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. He could see his wife moving around out the corner of his eyes. Sarah bent down and picked up his wedding ring, flashing the gold band in the air.

“What other reason would you need for your ring to be off?”

Blaine turned and looked at her, stone faced. He could tell she was getting frustrated by not getting an answer after a minute had passed.

“Blaine. Who the hell have you been with?”

He dragged his hand down his face, and it was the ring-less hand with a tan around his finger. Sarah folded her arms as she watched him.

This was not how this was supposed to happen. They were supposed to go to sleep and in the morning, Blaine would bring it up. But things don't always go how one plans them.

Nowadays he felt better as a man with the ring off. What was the point in wearing it when they were the shittiest husband and wife in history? It was supposed to symbolize a commitment and that was something Blaine and Sarah definitely did not have.

“I'll go through your phone.”

“If you go through mine, I'm going through yours, Sarah.”

She smiled. “Oh? So are you assuming you're going to find something? Be my guest. Now are you going to explain yourself or not?”

“You need to lower your voice. Our daughter is asleep in the other room—”

“Fuck you, Blaine.” She threw the ring at him and it just missed his face. It hit the headboard with a loud ping and then fell onto the pillows. “Fuck you! If you're with another woman you should have the decency to tell me.”

Blaine sat up again and looked the woman in her green eyes. “Ok, Sarah. Are we really going to do this?” She stared at him, and after Blaine grabbed his shirt to put on he continued. “Are you going to act like you haven't been screwing someone I thought was my friend in the home I bought you, in the place we're raising my daughter?”

Sarah shook her head and walked off, going towards their closet. “The fact that you'd believe something that faggot told you is incredible to me, Blaine. But it says a lot about this relationship and the amount of respect you have for me as your wife.”

Blaine smiled and shook his head. “Watch your mouth about Kurt.”

“Since you're taking his word for something instead of coming to me about it, you can go stay with your brother tonight. Or maybe Nick is willing to let you spend a few nights—”

Blaine watched as she started tossing his things out of the closet. After a moment, she noticed the bags packed in the bottom.

“What—What is all of this?”

“You don't have to throw me out because I was planning to move out, Sarah.”

She turned and glared at him; her face a mixture of confusion and absolute hatred. Blaine looked down at all of the clothes she'd started tossing at him.

“I would've loved for us to get a good night's sleep and discuss this tomorrow but I acknowledge that I'm the idiot who forgot to put his ring back on—”

“None of this is funny, Blaine—”

“I'm not trying to make you laugh.”

He stood up now, heart pounding in his chest. Blaine wasn't sure if it was nervousness or if he was excited to finally stick it to this person who'd treated him like shit for so long. It could've been a mixture of both.

“I want a divorce.”

He watched as Sarah looked from everything packed in the closet back over to him. She scanned his face and he remained serious to let her know just that. This wasn't a game and he wasn't backing down.

“I hired a divorce lawyer and we have the papers ready for you. I think ‘irreconcilable differences' suits us to a tee, don't you?”

She leant back against the wall. “You're leaving me, Blaine? You? Leave me?” After a moment, there was sarcastic laughter. She shook her head and looked down at the floor. “I made you what you are, Blaine. I've been by your side since before you got into law school. You have some fucking nerve.”

Blaine went over to his briefcase and pulled out a leather folder. She smiled.

“And I swear this better not have anything to do with anything Kurt may've said to you. The kid is a liar, Blaine, and you're a dumb ass.”

He nodded. “I stayed with you for this long so I can't really argue that.”

Sarah stared down at the rings on her finger and shook her head. “I'm aware that you respect him, and I know he's good with Maddie and she loves him, but Blaine, baby,” she paused for a moment, still watching him dig papers out. “I'm your wife. You can't take the word of some little piece of shit you just met over me.”

“There's no need for name calling, darling.”

“I'm not signing anything, Blaine.”

Blaine closed his eyes for a moment and slid the papers across the bed. “Don't be so quick to dismiss this. I think you know deep down that this is the right thing to do. You can go and be with Timothy and I can finally move on. We both know that Madison deserves better as well, because neither of us is happy—”

“I'm not signing anything.”

Blaine took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. “Listen, Sarah. I'm being extremely civil with you right now. This marriage is fucked. I could be an asshole about it and leave you with nothing but I'm not doing that.”

She stared at him for a moment before walking over to the mattress. Blaine placed his briefcase down and watched her, speaking softly.

“I don't know how in the hell you think that I'm what I am today because of you, because I'm pretty sure I'm the one who went through law school and worked my ass off to get Partner at the firm. I don't remember you taking the BAR exam for me—”

“Do you remember me staying up with your daughter at nights or making sure there was dinner made when you got home? Because I remember that. And I remember supporting you when you had a crap salary, Blaine Anderson.”

“It turned out well for you,” he said. “And I'm sorry that you, as my wife, had to actually do something to support me, Sarah. And even though I explained how grateful I was for you often, and how lucky I was to have you, I guess you want me to say thank you again. So thank you for being a mother to my daughter and for being the wife you were to me back then.” He took a calming breath and resumed. “But back then you weren't happy and now I know you are even less so. Same thing goes for me.”

“I'm not sure why you're speaking for me—”

“You can stay here at the condo until I've sold it. I'll probably look for a realtor when I return from vacation—”

“And you want full custody of Madison?” She smiled and shook her head no as she read through the document. “Let me get this straight… you're more than likely fucking some tramp while accusing me of doing it with your friend of all people, and you're leaving me to go find somewhere new to live and start over entirely while you move out with my daughter, Blaine? Are you serious? Is this a fucking joke?”

Blaine watched her eyes scan the pages as she flipped through them. “I have more than enough evidence that you and Timothy have been having an affair, Sarah. Please don't play the card of the wounded.”

“Kurt's word is good for nothing,” Sarah said plainly. “When are you going to take this seriously?”

Blaine got back in bed.

“Do not disrespect me like this, Blaine. Get out of the bed, stand up, be a man for once in your fucking life, and talk to me!”

“Wouldn't you rather talk to Tim or do you two only screw?”

Sarah ripped the papers and tossed them onto the bed. This was the first time Blaine had ever seen her throw such a temper tantrum, and he'd known her for years. She'd always been in control and she'd pretty much always been a bitch. Now, she was pissed off because maybe, just maybe, she realized she couldn't win. Blaine would be damned if he gave Sarah her way.

“That's fine. That was just a copy.”

Sarah shook her head. “Like I said, fuck you. I'll be spending the night away from you.”

“With him, huh?” Blaine asked, moving the ripped papers away from his face and chest. “You could spend every night with him if you signed the damn papers, Sarah. I'll be out of your hair. That's something to think about.”

She started to get dressed. “I won't agree to full custody. I want spousal support, also.”

“Do you remember our prenup? You signed it, Sarah. I don't owe you anything.”

“Then we can go to court and see what a judge has to say. And I can't believe you're dragging our daughter through this, Blaine. She's about to be in the second grade and she definitely doesn't deserve any of this.”

Blaine's heart broke more and more every time he thought about what Madison may have to deal with as a result of this. “I can believe you'd use Madison as a tool and that's exactly why I want her with me.”

Sarah slid into her high heels while simultaneously buttoning up her blouse. She walked over to the mirror and began to put on her jewelry; earrings first as always. “Like I said, I guess I'll be seeing you in court. We can drag this out.”

Blaine nodded. “We could. I agree. And as a result, I can let the judge listen to you admitting on tape that you and Timothy are in a relationship because I'm pathetic. I can also show the judge all the records of how I've been providing for Maddie—for the both of you. I may be pathetic,” Blaine said. “But I am also a husband and a father and I've been doing the best I can. On top of that, you can spend thousands of dollars in legal fees out of your pocket.”

Sarah smiled at her reflection. “You've got this all figured out?”

Blaine shook his head no. “I don't. But when you're ready to be an adult, we can figure it out together.”

The room was quiet. Sarah continued to get dressed and once she deemed her appearance acceptable, she walked over to her bag and packed a few things. Blaine didn't say anything. He watched her, though, and for some reason he didn't feel relief or freedom at the sight of her leaving. He felt absolutely nothing.

He feared he'd continue to feel nothing until she signed the papers.

“What is it that we're supposed to be figuring out together?”

Blaine looked at her, rubbing over his arm. “What's best for our daughter, primarily. How we're going to do this. I'm willing to split birthdays and Christmases and we'll come to agreement about the weekends and holidays. But we need to figure out how we're going to talk to her about this and continue to make sure she knows she's our priority, especially as you date other people and I see the person I'm intending to see.”

Sarah stared at him for a moment before looking back at what she was doing. She slid sleeping clothes and a couple other outfits into the bag. Blaine looked away.

“Also, I know if the tables were turned, you'd make me pay thousands a month in child support, but I'm not asking you for anything. I literally want nothing but for you to sign the papers, Sarah.”

She threw the bag over her shoulder. “I'm going to sleep on it.”

He smiled. “It's clear to see you're not even upset about this. You're upset about not being in control, maybe, but you're not upset about the idea of us not being together. We're not in love. What is there to even think about?”

“Don't assume you know what's going on in my head, Blaine. We've been married for years and now your ring is off and you spring this ‘we're unhappy' shit on me. You don't know what's going on in my head.”

Blaine looked at the wall ahead of him. “Ok. When are you coming back?”

Sarah started to leave the room. “You'll see me before you leave. I'm going to stay with Delilah.”

The door slammed and Blaine didn't even flinch at the thundering sound. A framed photo fell off the wall and he shook his head. After the sound of the front door slamming as well, Blaine got up to go check on his daughter. Thankfully, she was still sound asleep and the noise hadn't startled her awake. He lay with her a while, holding her close and simply thinking about all that could go terribly wrong over the next several months, especially if his wife dragged out the process, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

A half hour later, Blaine found himself back in his bedroom. Before he even knew what he was doing, his fingers had dialed Kurt's number and the phone was pressed to his ear. Three rings in brought him back down to earth, and the sound of Kurt's voice helped him to come down from his anxiety.

“Blaine? Hello?”

“Yeah. Yeah, hey handsome. Are you… are you at a party?”

Kurt answered after a while. It sounded as if he was moving away from the loud thumping music. “I'm sorry. What did you ask?”

Blaine laughed a little. “I'm a bit jealous. Are you at a party?”

“I'm at this stupid strip club,” Kurt practically shouted. “It's awkward. I hate Sebastian. I'm with him and his PDA heavy boyfriend, and Adam too, and apparently I'm really cute because guys won't leave me the frick alone.”

Blaine smiled and shook his head. “You didn't tell me you were going out to a strip club with a guy who has a crush on you, Kurt.”

“Well I didn't know until forty minutes before it happened. And you're supposed to be sleeping, old man.”

Blaine closed his eyes. “I love your voice. You should keep talking.”

The only sound coming through the receiver was what sounded like Anaconda by Nicki Minaj. Kurt spoke after a moment.

“Something is bothering you.”

Blaine smiled. “Yeah. You're not talking.”

“Hm. Well I'm supposed to be getting danced on by a hunky guy wearing bunny ears. Sebastian promised to buy me The Lord of the Rings deluxe edition Blu-Ray set if I sat through tonight.”

Blaine hated the thought of Kurt with Adam and a bunch of strippers fawning all over him. He hated it. It wasn't an image he was fond of, and the reason he wanted Kurt to move in with him was evident. It wasn't fair, but Blaine knew what it was. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes tight. “Ok.”

Music continued to play. “I really miss you,” he shouted.

“If you were here you wouldn't have to miss me…”

Kurt laughed. “That's true. But you know why that can't happen.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “I'll buy you all of Marvel from Disney if you come here right now and let me kiss you from head to toe.”

There was a choking sound and eventually Kurt cleared his throat. Blaine could basically hear the teen blushing. “Um… I'm sorry? What about your wife?”

“She left because we had a fight and I tried to make her sign divorce papers—” Blaine stopped momentarily, “Divorce papers that she threw right back at me, ripped up of course.”

Kurt simply said, “Wow.”

“Yeah. She went to her friend's place supposedly. I'm here with Maddie who is fast asleep and I don't know. I just wanted to see you. But I understand if you're having fun—”

“No, I want to see you too. You really sound like you need a hug.”

“I'm fine,” Blaine answered, closing his eyes and playing in his curls.

Kurt let go of a deep breath. “You can be real with me, Blaine. Once I get there I'll be able to tell if you're telling me the truth anyway.”

Blaine smiled. “I'm telling the truth, fetus.”

“I'm coming. You have to give me a little while, and try not to fall asleep before I get there,” he said, chuckling too. “But I want to be there. You can vent if you need to.”

Blaine wasn't quick to respond, thinking about everything that'd happened that day. “Yeah. Right now I just want to kiss you. Everywhere.”

“I'd like that.”

“And I can tell you how it went at the new place and everything.”

“I'll see you in a bit, Blaine.”

Blaine nodded. “Don't catch an STD from one of those strippers.”

“Shut up.”

They laughed and hung up. Blaine smiled to himself for a long while. It was scary how he could easily compare his mood with one person to his mood with another, but it told him everything he needed to know.

…

Forty five minutes later, Blaine crawled onto the bed in Kurt's bedroom, or what would be Kurt's former bedroom pretty soon, landing on top of the teen and meeting his lips with his own. Kurt tasted like a little bit of tequila—as if Sebastian made him take a shot so that he'd stop complaining about being dragged along to a strip club. The taste was strong, and Blaine chased it eagerly. Their tongues tangled together as Kurt's fingers moved up the smooth skin of Blaine's back, spreading his legs so Blaine could settle in between them.

They moved from long, deep, needy kisses, to more sweet and delicate ones. Blaine smiled against Kurt's lips as his boyfriend bit teasingly on his top one. “I missed you today.”

“I heard,” Kurt said softly. He let his hands fall beside him and looked up into the man's hazel eyes. “You look like you could use a friend to talk to.”

Blaine smiled and kissed Kurt's neck. “I hired the interior decorator. She's going to spearhead the project while we're away.”

Kurt hummed as Blaine's tongue moved in circles over his pulse point. “Mm? That's great.”

Blaine kissed his earlobe before sucking softly. “Transitional design. A little more contemporary than not. A lot of neutral colors. Nothing crazy.” He tugged on Kurt's earlobe which was between his teeth. “You know…. Nothing an old man like myself couldn't handle…”

Kurt moved his hands to Blaine's waist and nodded. “That sounds great.”

Blaine started sucking on his neck and all Kurt could see was his father's face when he showed up with a huge hickey in a couple days.

“I'll let you leave marks wherever you want when we get back from Ohio.”

Blaine smiled. “Sorry.”

“It's o-okay… That feels good.”

They moaned softly as they slid against each other. Kurt could feel Blaine's cock against his own through their clothing and what he needed more than anything was for there to be no clothing. “If I didn't move in with you right away, would you be upset?”

Blaine smiled and shook his head no. “As long as you're still mine, I'd be ok. We'll figure all of that out, though. I'm still willing to get you a place of your own or with Bas. Whatever you want. I just want you.”

Kurt opened his eyes as Blaine started moving down his body. “W-What made you change your mind?”

After unbuttoning his shirt, Blaine started to kiss Kurt's chest. He smiled when the boy sighed blissfully. “I thought about how you and how Madison must feel about all of this and,” he kissed the center of Kurt's chest, “I don't want you two to be uncomfortable. That could cause strife between you and I and you know how I feel about us.”

Kurt nodded. His eyes rolled back as Blaine's tongue moved along his body. “I'm not staying the night. Sarah could show up earlier than you expect.”

Blaine sighed. “There goes my boner.”

Kurt smiled. “Seriously. I'm sorry.”

Blaine licked his lips and sat up. “No, you're right.” He rolled over and they both lay on their backs, looking up at the ceiling. Kurt slid his hand into Blaine's and held it.

“I'm officially moved out of NYU for the summer as of six hours ago.”

Blaine smiled. “That's great. So what would you do if you didn't have a job here? Go home for the summer?”

Kurt nodded. “Yep. I've been meaning to ask you about that… how does this work after you and Sarah are separated? Would I still be the nanny or is that a conflict of interest?”

“I'm 100% certain that we are officially separated after the falling out we just had.”

Kurt turned and looked at him. “Was it bad?”

Blaine laughed, holding his hand a little tighter. “Pretty much. But it could've been worse. I didn't expect it not to be bad, though. I think Sarah would've loved to break me with news of a divorce one day, but I beat her to it and it threw her off guard. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, though,” he turned and faced Kurt, “it only did because I forgot to put my ring back on. I'm an idiot. But now the cat is out of the bag and I have a feeling she'll be willing to compromise on some things. And thank you for helping out how you did… recording her and all of your undercover work. Thank you.”

“Yeah, any time...” Kurt looked into his eyes and frowned a little. All of this had to be hell for Blaine. It wasn't fair. “I'm sorry you're going through this, Blaine.”

He smiled. “I'm sorry you're going through this.”

“You're worth it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Kurt smiled a little as he slid over closer, placing his head on Blaine's chest. “Sometimes I have gut feelings. They've yet to steer me wrong.”

Blaine hummed. “If you say so.”

“Are you trying to convince me that you aren't worth it?”

Blaine smiled as he took his free hand and combed through Kurt's tall hair with his fingers. “I wouldn't want to convince you of something like that. I need you around. Someone young and nimble like you, Kurt,” he laughed with the boy and closed his eyes. “Someone who will be willing to change my Depends.”

Kurt laughed as he buried his face in Blaine's chest. This man smelled so good, and he felt even better. “You're an idiot.”

“I know.”

Kurt glanced up at him. “You know you're worth it, right?”

Blaine smiled a little and nodded. “Yeah. I had someone come in my life recently that makes me feel that way.”

Kurt nodded. “Must be a smart someone.”

“He's brilliant.”

They smiled. Blaine continued to play in his hair as he spoke. “Back to your initial question, I think Madison would love for you to continue being her nanny. You don't have to live-in if that makes it too uncomfortable for you, but I would like to have you around. I trust you around her and she has a great time with you.”

Kurt smiled, bringing his hand to Blaine's waist. “Yeah.”

“Unless you want to get another job, of course.”

“No,” Kurt looked up at him and smiled. “I'm happy where I am. You pay great, too.”

Blaine smiled. “So that's that.”

He nodded. “Well, I am excited for you in the sense that you're getting to start over. And that you're getting to be the man you want to be.”

Blaine rolled them over and smiled as his eyes met Kurt's. “Thank you, but enough about all of that. How was the strip club?”

Kurt laughed and shook his head. “I didn't belong there, I don't think. I was nerdy and I didn't want to put dollar bills in G-strings and it was just weird. I continuously had to correct people who said Adam and I made a nice couple, too. He liked it but—”

“Does he know you're taken?”

Kurt smiled at the kiss he received as he nodded. “I told him I'm with someone. He was a little sad but he got over it—”

“You should've told him it was me.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “You're power hungry.”

Blaine laughed. He lay down, hiding his face in between Kurt's neck and shoulder. “Perhaps a little. I'm just not ready to lose one of the only good things I have right now to someone else.”

Kurt smiled and wrapped his arms around Blaine. “Yeah. So are you ready to meet my family?”

Blaine closed his eyes and enjoyed the closeness between the two of them right now. This was something he'd been craving for longer than he ever realized. Losing it wasn't on his agenda, no matter who he had it with. “I'm ready. Are you ready?”

“I think so.” Kurt smiled at Blaine's chuckle. “I'm a little worried about my dad's reaction, but not so much.”

Blaine looked up at him. “We're going to be fine. I really believe that.”

Kurt smiled.

“I still want to kiss you from head to toe.”

“And your wife could come back—”

“Let's not call her that,” Blaine said softly as he undid Kurt's belt buckle. “Let's just call her Sarah.”

Kurt nodded, biting his lip as he felt Blaine's tongue and then mouth cover his nipples. “Sarah could walk in.”

“She won't,” Blaine said. He teased the nub with the tip of his tongue and Kurt's breathing hitched. “Focus on me.”

Kurt nodded. Blaine continued to move his lips across his pale skin, kissing and nibbling and sucking softly along the way. “Mmhmm. On you…”

…

Kurt woke up the next morning (afternoon) at Sebastian's place. He usually slept in his best friend's room whenever he stayed over but this time he opted to stay on the couch. Hunter had been staying over the past couple nights and he knew for a fact that he and Sebastian had been doing it all over that bedroom. It made him think about finding a place with Sebastian that had more than one bedroom because this was definitely not working, but to be honest, he still didn't know what he wanted to do in terms of living arrangements after he got back from Ohio.

Moving in with a guy he was dating and his daughter was a bad idea— at this stage in the game, at least. No matter what way you looked at it, it was a bad idea. Kurt tried to convince himself that they'd simply be staying in their respective rooms and he'd be the full-time, live-in nanny or what have you. He could wake up in the morning and get Madison ready for school or summer camp or whatever would be happening that day. Blaine would go off to work. Kurt would hang out around the house, straightening up, preparing dinner, reading, etc.

It could work, right?

On the other hand, he had to be honest with himself. There was no way in hell he was telling the truth. He and Blaine would be going at it every night after Madison went to sleep. Last night was the biggest testament to that. What was initially ‘I want to kiss you from head to toe' turned out to be ‘Just let me suck you one more time' and then ‘Kurt, Kuurrt, fuck yes'. Kurt didn't end up leaving until after 3 in the morning.

Now he had to imagine a life where he and Blaine lived together without having to sneak around Sarah. They would drop the ball for sure. Madison would see something that would make her ask questions and probably even resent Kurt, even worse, resent her father, and he didn't want that at all. He thought for sure the best thing to do right now was to let Madison and Blaine have some time alone and then when they were ready, they'd let her know about the two of them. When she was ready, they'd let her know.

He sat up on the couch and rubbed the nape of his neck, rolling his shoulder afterwards. His stomach growled and made him jump a little. After grabbing his phone, he read a few messages and got up for the day.

From Finn:

I can't wait to see you tomorrow night! I got a ton of movies we can binge watch, and that extra buttery popcorn you like. :D

He loved his ‘big' bro. He couldn't wait to see Finn, either.

There were tons of messages from Blaine. He realized it after he replied to Finn, and had to scroll up to read the first one.

From Blaine:

You won't believe what I woke up to.

(Unfortunately it wasn't you)

Sarah was here but with Timothy. He smiled at me and said he was here to help negotiate the terms of the divorce. So 8 o'clock in the fucking morning (excuse my French) I have to call my attorney over and while I wait for Wes, watch the guy who's been screwing Sarah behind my back for however long smile smugly and ask if I have coffee.

From Blaine:

But to be honest I didn't even care that Tim was in my place, or that he'd been doing the mother of my child over the last year or so. Could be longer. I don't know, maybe I should care, but he actually helped me out in the long run.

Kurt walked into the kitchen, grabbing a box of cereal off top the fridge and shaking his head as he continued to read.

From Blaine: 

If it wasn't for him, Sarah probably wouldn't have agreed to a divorce.

It's insane because I agreed to some shit I wouldn't normally have agreed to, but I couldn't take this anymore. I'm selling the condo and a quarter percentage of what I get for it will go to her, so probably close to 200 grand, but that'll help her find a place (most likely for the two of them) but it gets her off my back. We're drafting up the papers now. She gets that, and we've filed for joint custody of Madison until she's old enough to make the decision of who she wants to be with solely. Wes, my lawyer, thought it would be the most fair, and it keeps us away from a judge, so. Yeah.

From Blaine:

I know you're probably asleep and this is probably a lot for you to take in. You never went looking for a job as a babysitter asking to be a part of this, but I'm happy you were crazy enough to stay. Because out of all of this I get you, and I'm very happy to have you.

What is it that you young kids say nowadays? You're bae.

From Blaine:

Also, she's already called my parents and they've been calling me, harassing me. I'm just going to drive up there later and tell them all that happened—her with Timothy, and me with you.

Don't worry. You don't have to come. More than likely, they'll be absolute assholes about it. I don't want you around that. But what's important is how I feel about you and me. Not how they do.

From Blaine:

Madison is already with her aunt and uncle and the plan is for her to stay there until I get back from Ohio. Sarah doesn't seem to be disputing. She's amazing, yeah? But because of that, I'll only be spending a few days with you and your family because, you know, I can't just ship my little girl off on my brother. Besides, my designer said she only needs a few days to have everything ready and I want to sign off on everything, get Maddie moved in to the new place.

From Blaine:

I just hate that Maddie will be so jostled. She needs some consistency. I don't want the new place to throw her. We want to finish this school year strong.

From Blaine:

I'm going to leave you alone now, handsome. I'll be a bit busy today but enjoy your time with Bas and Hunter and call me if you need me.

Xs and Os.

Kurt looked up and saw a very sleepy Sebastian walking out of his bedroom. The Hugh Hefner robe he wore wasn't even a little surprising.

“Good day, mate. How was your night? You got in late.”

Kurt put the phone down as he went to the fridge for milk. “It was a long night. I'm happy I went.”

Sebastian walked into the living room and turned on the TV. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah,” Kurt answered. “Well, my bosses are signing divorce papers right now. One of them is on his way to New Jersey in a bit to tell his parents that he's seeing a soon to be 20 year old male. The other is probably going to be shacking up with her lover, and their daughter has no idea how much her life is going to change, I'm sure. But you know, everything's ok.”

Sebastian looked at Kurt for a while before walking over to the kitchen. He watched his best friend pour milk into his Apple Jacks and smiled. “You sure know how to pick ‘em, huh?”

Kurt laughed. “Well. What can I say?” He took off his glasses to clean them before taking his breakfast into the living room, Sebastian following behind him. “I'll never forgive myself if I'm responsible for any strife between Madison and her parents.”

Sebastian nodded. “I think you're psyching yourself out. You're afraid because you're realizing this is serious and you two aren't just messing around after midnight.”

Kurt smiled, shaking his head and taking a bite.

“Now you know he wants to be with you right? And that he wants you involved in that little girl's life, and that he's really leaving his wife.”

“I knew all of that before.”

“We both knew it but it was all bullshit,” Sebastian sat down next to him and picked up the remote. “It wasn't real. He could've been saying that he wanted you while he had no intention of leaving her. You didn't know for sure.”

Kurt was quiet.

“But now he's showing you that he was fucking serious, and he's about to tell his parents, and you're afraid aren't you?” Sebastian asked. He nudged Kurt's knee with his own to try and get some eye contact, but Kurt wouldn't look at him. “Now it's real.”

Kurt took another bite and stared at the screen. He hated to admit it but Sebastian was right. He didn't think it was possible that maybe he hoped a little bit for all of this to be a fluke. Maybe that was indeed a possibility. But now that he knew for sure that Blaine was serious, he had to ask himself why. He had to wonder what would happen to Madison and even to Blaine if they weren't to work out. “He could go and talk to his folks right now and they can convince him that—”

Sebastian laughed. “Don't even finish that sentence. Have a little faith in him.”

Kurt shook his head. “This could be the guy I spend my life with, Sebastian. What if he is?”

Sebastian shrugged. “What if? Would that be a bad thing?”

Kurt played in his cereal, spinning the spoon around. “What if he isn't? What if I'm screwing his life up and he isn't even gay.”

They were both quiet. Kurt looked down at his food, unsure if he even wanted to finish it. That was fine because Sebastian took it away and took a bite himself.

“I won't say you're stupid to have those concerns because if I was in your shoes, I'd probably wonder about all of this myself. But you, Kurt, your problem is you don't think you're good enough.”

Kurt smiled. “Why should I?”

Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Because like I've been telling you for a while now, you're amazing. Blaine sees it. His daughter sees it. Anyone with a fucking brain sees it, Kurt. And I don't know, maybe he isn't gay. Maybe you're just some phase because he wanted to know what a cock in his mouth feels like, and since you were nicer to him than his ass of a wife was, he was drawn to you—”

“That's what I'm thinking—”

“OR,” Sebastian said, placing the spoon in the bowl. “Maybe he's attracted to you because he likes you, Kurt. It's not impossible for someone to like you. So what, you aren't like everyone else. You haven't done things other people have done and you enjoy time alone more often than not. Who cares? You're a nice person, you're attractive, and you genuinely care for him. It's possible that the guy wants you because you make him feel good, and he likes to make you feel good too. It's possible, Kurt. Stop trying to downplay everything all the time.”

“I'm not—”

“You are! You do it often. But just because you don't see what we see, it doesn't mean you get to dismiss yourself or Blaine. Let him at least have a chance before you play the ‘what if' game and fuck this up for yourself and for him.”

Kurt took the bowl of cereal back. Sebastian watched him for a moment.

“Now are you going to take me to the movies before I go home to Westerville for the summer or not?”

Kurt smiled. “I'll take you to the movies.”

His friend stood up and stretched loudly. “Good to hear. I'm going to go shower.” He walked off, scratching his head and mumbling something about needing a haircut. Kurt smiled at him and shook his head.

“Sebastian.”

He turned around before reaching the bathroom. “Hm?”

Kurt nodded to him. “Thank you.”

His friend waved him off. “Don't mention it, idiot.”

Kurt laughed a little, and a second later Sebastian disappeared into the bathroom. The teen grabbed his cell phone from the coffee table and composed a text.

To Blaine:

I'm proud of you, Mr. Anderson. If you need me, please call me.

A while later:

From Blaine:

I needed that. Thank you, handsome.

…

Blaine parked his car outside of his parents' estate. The whole drive over to the New Jersey town, he'd been thinking nonstop. Nonstop about his daughter, nonstop about Sarah and Tim, nonstop about whether or not he wanted to stay with his law firm or start from scratch, and of course he'd been thinking about Kurt. That was a given.

They had so much to talk about now that Sarah had agreed to terms of the divorce and wouldn't contest. She'd signed where she needed to and each of them attached the documents they needed to regarding their assets, and in about 6 months—hopefully less—he'd be officially divorced. Now, there was so much more to deal with.

He walked up to the property, admiring his parents' beautiful landscaping as always before finally ringing the bell. Their new maid answered and invited him in, letting Blaine know where they were in the home. He went straight for the dining room and smiled at the smell of apple pie the way his mother could only make it. It was good to know some things never changed.

William Anderson put on a mocked shock face at the sight of his youngest son. Blaine was expecting it. He hadn't seen either of them in a while. Barbara, his mother, looked up and smiled when he walked in. She stood to her feet and walked over.

“If it isn't my beautiful Blaine,” she grabbed him into a hug and Blaine wondered if she'd be this affectionate a few minutes into their conversation. “You poor thing. Sarah called us this morning and explained that you two were calling it off.”

Blaine nodded, pulling away. “It was a long time coming.”

His father looked at him and continued to eat his dinner.

“Hi dad.”

“Blaine,” the man said. “I'm sorry to hear about your failed marriage.”

He nodded at that, trying not to smirk. His father would never change, either. “I'll make it through.”

“I'll make you a plate,” Barbara told him.

“I'm not hungry, and I have a feeling I won't be here long.” Blaine didn't even bother to sit down. “I just felt like I owed you guys an explanation… well maybe it isn't owed to you per se, but I'd like for you to know.”

William sat back and Blaine looked the dark haired man in the eyes. It was clear to see he'd been using some kind of Just for Men product to keep the gray hairs in check. His mother didn't seem to care as much, but she looked beautiful showing her age.

“Madison and I are moving to Brooklyn into Cobble Hill. The Brownstone that granddad left Cooper.”

Barbara smiled. “That's nice of you brother.”

“Figures you'd take a hand me down,” William said. “That's good for you, though. What about your wife?”

Blaine cleared his throat. “Well my ex will more than likely be moving in with the guy she'd been having sex with behind my back. If not, she's a smart and wealthy woman. She can find a place for herself.”

William smirked, picking up his wine glass. “Hm.”

“So she's been unfaithful,” Barbara said, shaking her head. “I still stand by what I said. She got pregnant so that she'd have her claws in you for the rest of her life.”

Blaine shook his head no. “Only for the next 11 years. Madison will be 18 before we know it.”

William laughed. “You've always had it all figured out. I guess you can find someone who'd be interested in you, right? You're a millionaire after all. Partner in a firm with a bunch of wins under your belt. Despite the fact that you have a daughter, I'm sure someone will be dumb enough to be with you again.”

Blaine nodded at the man. “It shouldn't be too hard for me.”

Barbara turned to her husband. “I don't know why you're tormenting him when he's had such a hard day, Bill.”

“I'm just surprised, that's all. I expected that Latina to divorce Cooper before Blaine was divorced. He and Sarah seemed so promising—”

“I'm seeing a man now,” Blaine said, interrupting his dad's bullshit. He could feel his heart in his throat, and if he didn't get this off his chest now, he never would. “His name is Kurt. One day, when I'm ready, I'll let you meet him if you want to.”

Barbara stared at him. William was slowly turning red.

“What did you say, boy?”

Blaine's hands were shaking. His father had always been this way—he'd much rather little clones for sons instead of what he got in Cooper and in Blaine. He wanted them to be with who he said and do what he said do. That wasn't going to work anymore, though. Blaine was damn-near 30 now; he wasn't that 18 year old who was so afraid of letting the man down.

“Sarah started seeing my friend, and subordinate after I made Partner. She explained everything to me this morning. I didn't know that until recently… after I realized that I liked another guy a lot. I'm attracted to him—”

“Get out.”

“William,” Barbara turned to him. “Stop it—”

“And this guy—his name is Kurt,” Blaine said, continuing from where he stood. “He's gorgeous. Cooper has met him, and Madison loves him, and I know one day that he's going to be the one as you so sweetly put it, father—the one that will dumb enough to be with me.”

“Get the fuck out of my house!”

The maid ran in as Blaine smiled, back tracking away. “I should also add that he supports my love for music unlike you two and that he also likes how good I am at sucking dick—”

William stood up from the table and slammed both hands down. Blaine dropped his smile and stared at the man. His father's eyes were dark as he glared at him.

“You're not welcome here,” he said clearly. “If you want to ruin your life for that homo shit, then be our guest. But I don't want you around me with it.”

Barbara stood up too, reaching for her husband's hand. “William—”

“Don't touch me. I want him out of my sight. No son of mine will be a gay, and if he wants to be then he's not flaunting it in my face.” William stepped around the long table. “I didn't raise you like that and I never will tolerate it.”

Blaine felt his fists clinch as he nodded, taking a step back. “Goodbye dad. Bye mom.”

“Blaine,” she went to follow him and the maid stood frozen, unsure of what to do. William called out for his wife so that she wouldn't chase him, and for some reason Blaine was grateful that she'd listened. He ran out of the home, punching at a wall on the way out, and headed straight for his BMW. Once inside, he punched the steering wheel repeatedly and let his forehead hit the top of it, crying for the first time in a long time.

He didn't think it was because his father was an asshole, or because his mother let him be. He didn't think it was because of how he'd failed with Sarah or anything to do with that shamble of a marriage. Blaine didn't know why he was crying, but he knew it felt good. It felt good to be honest with himself and with the people who'd been weights on his chest for the past however many years. It felt good to know what he wanted and actually go for it. It felt great knowing the man he wanted to be and promising to be him. He promised that Madison would know him as a great man who lived to his fullest potential and who was happy with himself, not someone who let people walk over him and was secretly miserable.

After a few minutes, he backed away from the property and drove back in the direction of New York City.

…

“Give me my glasses back.”

“Wake up.”

Kurt smiled. “I'm awake.”

“You're sleepwalking. I don't need your father to think that I drugged you, baby.”

Kurt stretched and then looked at Blaine with a smile. “I'm awake, I promise. I need my glasses to see when our bags are coming.”

Blaine smiled, handing them back over. He looked around them and noticed the other people not paying them much attention before he snuck a quick kiss on the cheek. Kurt's face heated up immediately as the boy smiled.

“What was that for?”

Blaine smiled. “Because technically, I'm a free man. Well maybe not technically, but you know what I mean. And I can.”

Kurt fixed his glasses on his face, still blushing. Blaine stared at him.

“You look incredible, by the way.”

“Thank you. You do too.”

Blaine shook his head. He had a feeling he dressed up a little too much, but he couldn't help it. Business-like happened to be Blaine's style. He wore a navy blue button-up shirt with the top button undone, tan slacks, and a grey blazer over it all. At least the shirt wasn't tucked in, but still. Kurt happened to have on a dark Henley shirt with very nice form fitting jeans and some brown Ferragamo boots. His clothing left little to the imagination, and Blaine's imagination had been running wild for a while. There was lots of sex in his imagination.

But as Kurt announced that their bags were coming down the belt, he snapped out of his dirty thoughts and helped grabbed them. Kurt turned to lead them to his father—Burt always insisted on picking Kurt up from the airport—“Why pay for a cab when you can get a ride from your old man?” he'd say. As they walked, Kurt blushed, feeling Blaine's fingers link with his own.

They'd been holding hands a lot.

They held hands in the taxi on the way to JFK. They held hands in the terminal awaiting their flight. On the flight, Kurt rested his head on Blaine's shoulder as their fingers intertwined, and after asking Blaine why his hand was bruised and not getting much of an answer, he went to sleep. And now, they were walking through Lima Allen County Airport hand in hand. Kurt liked it, but he knew Lima just as well as any other asshole that came from here. He didn't think other people would like it.

“Why are you so fidgety?” Blaine whispered with a smile.

Kurt shook his head. “I'm not, but I'm wondering why you aren't. I'm about to introduce you to my crazy father.”

Blaine laughed. “I'm nervous. It just isn't showing, I guess.”

They continued to walk through the small crowd of people and Blaine pulled him a little closer. Kurt turned to face him.

“Are we going to talk about day yesterday?”

Blaine shook his head. “I'd rather not. Not right now. My parents are evil, ignorant souls, and right now I want to enjoy this vacation.”

Kurt was concerned by that but Blaine kissed his cheek again and made him smile. “If you want to enjoy a vacation, I think you picked the wrong place. We should've gone to Hawaii or Paris or something. Not Lima, Ohio. I don't know how much of a vacation it'll be.”

Blaine smiled. “We have our honeymoon for Hawaii or Paris. Don't worry about that.”

Kurt laughed, blushing a bit. “I guess you're right. But you can't legally get married until how long after the divorce is finalized? Like 6 months?”

Blaine smirked. “Let me stick to the law in this relationship, buddy. There isn't a time frame in NYC. As soon as a judge finalizes the divorce I could get married the next second.”

Kurt laughed and shook his head. “Well I have a three year rule.”

Blaine bit his lip into a smile as Kurt laughed. “I'm an old man, Kurt. You can't make me wait that long.”

Kurt smiled. “When I'm 21, we'll talk. I don't want to be someone's husband before I'm legally allowed to purchase liquor.”

Blaine laughed and nodded. “Understandable. But we're jumping the gun. Right now I only want to make sure you're interested in spending time with me and that your family knows I'm not some perverted asshole. Once we pass that stage, we'll talk about the rest of it.”

Kurt squeezed his hand. “Agreed.”

Blaine stepped onto the escalator with Kurt as they went up to ground level. His stomach was doing these ridiculous flips right about now. He felt more confident screaming at his dad yesterday about how much he liked sucking dick than he did going to meet Burt, but he didn't want to let it show.

“Well,” Kurt took a deep breath and resumed. “There he is.”

Blaine looked up as they walked forward now, shouldering his bag and scanning the crowd for intimidating dads. He found him pretty easily. With the way the guy was glaring at him, it was hard to miss. Blaine's legs got a little heavier with each step they took, and Kurt gave him a reassuring tug as he glanced over at him.

“You ok?”

“Me?” Blaine asked, nodding to him. “Yeah. I'm fine.”

Kurt nodded. They walked over to Burt who was standing in the entrance of the Arrivals terminal, staring between the two of them. He wore his plaid shirt and his dingy jeans and his work boots, an NYU cap on his head and that blank look on his face.

“Hi dad,” Kurt smiled as Blaine let his hand go so that he could hug his father.  He did so, knowing that as Burt squeezed him tightly that his dad was glaring at Blaine.

He was.

Blaine swallowed and nodded to him once Burt finally let go of his son. “Hello, Mr. Hummel.”

Burt nodded. “Hello. I'm Burt.”

Kurt nudged his glasses further up his face before beginning introductions. “Dad, this is Blaine Anderson. Blaine,” he said, voice cracking a little because of how nervous he was, “this is my father Burt Hummel.”

He reached out to shake Burt's hand and smiled at the man. His grip was stronger than it needed to be. “It's great to meet you, Burt. I've heard a lot about you. A lot of good things.”

Burt took his son's luggage and nodded. “I've heard about you as well, Blaine.”

They stood there in the entrance looking at one another before Kurt cleared his throat.

“Well. We can get going now.”

Blaine smiled at him before looking back to Burt. The man turned around and led the way out of the airport and over to his SUV. Blaine gulped, following the two of them.

He wasn't dead yet, so that was definitely a good thing.

The ride to Kurt's old neighborhood was a bit awkward for everyone in the car. Blaine decided to sit in the second row as Kurt took the passenger seat. He and his father got caught up on finals and the end of the school year, as well as how the shop was doing. Blaine listened in until he was summoned by Mr. Hummel.

“I heard you have a daughter. Where is she?”

Blaine cleared his throat. “She's with her uncle for the next few days.”

Burt looked at him through the rearview. “Leaving so soon?”

Blaine nodded. “Yes. I just wanted to meet Kurt's family so that you knew who he was spending his time with. I don't want to hog his time alone with you.”

Burt was quiet, driving along the road.

“I think next time I can definitely bring her. Maybe a few days over the summer. She adores Kurt and I have a feeling she'd love meeting you as well.”

Kurt watched his father's face for any sign of … well, anything. He hadn't gotten much.

“How long has this been going on?”

“Not long,” Kurt answered.

Blaine nodded. “But long enough for me to know that I'd like to see where it goes.”

Burt smiled, though it had more sarcasm in it than anything. “Ok.”

Blaine sat back in the seat. “So you've been in Ohio all your life?”

Burt shook his head no as he drove into the right lane. “My mother moved me here from Kentucky after my father left. Been here ever since.”

Blaine nodded.

“He met my mom when he moved here,” Kurt said. “He was 16.”

Burt smiled. “We stayed together until she left for college. She came back and I slid back in, married her before she could change her mind. This knuckle head came a couple years later.”

Kurt smiled at Blaine's laughter.

“What about you, Anderson?”

Blaine rubbed at his stubbly chin. “I was born in Westerville. My mother was born into money, but she grew up to be a doctor. Met another doctor, and they had my older brother and I. I lived there up until I was 18 when I left for New York, following my older brother's footsteps. I was determined to become a musician, though. My parents laughed at me and said I'd be cut off if I didn't get my head out of my ass, so I decided to go into criminal justice. It wasn't pre-med, but they were fine with it.”

Burt listened, as did Kurt.

“I didn't date much growing up, but my friend introduced me to Sarah at Cornell, my soon-to-be ex-wife, and she and I hit it off. She was the type I knew my parents would love so that was a good thing. But we had our ups and downs. Eventually, I got her pregnant and we decided to get married.”

“Which obviously didn't work out,” Burt added.

Blaine smiled. “Obviously. But I got my law degree at Columbia, passed the BAR, got a job with Johnson Day Law Firm and climbed to partner within 3 years, and tried to create a happily ever after with her, and failed.”

Kurt looked out the window. “Sometimes failing is the best thing you can do.”

Burt got off at the appropriate exit. “I have a lot to ask you, but we'll save it for later.”

Kurt nodded at him. Blaine looked away.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the Hummel residence. Blaine watched a tall, young guy come and open the door and knew by his goofy yet charming smile that this was Finn. Kurt turned back in the seat and smiled at him after Burt got out of the car.

“Are you ready for this, Mr. Anderson?”

Blaine took a deep breath. “As ready as I'll ever be.”

Kurt grabbed his bag and got out, quickly running to hug his stepbrother. Blaine took a long breath but before he could say a prayer, his door was opened.

Burt looked at him expectantly, and Blaine grabbed his bag to get out. He would've walked away if he wasn't backed against the vehicle.

“Um.”

“How old are you now, son?”

Blaine looked him in his eyes. “I just turned 29 in March.”

Burt smiled. “My son is turning 20 in July.  You know that?”

Blaine nodded. “I know that.”

“He's still a kid. Two years left in college. He's never dated or mentioned bringing guys home before, and the first time he does, I'm meeting a man with a child and an almost ex-wife. That's a little alarming for me, you know?”

Blaine nodded. “I can imagine. I have a little girl and one of my fears is her bringing home a guy who's wrong for her one day. But I'm not wrong for Kurt.”

Burt smiled and looked away. His wife was on the front porch hugging Kurt now as Finn hovered over them, still in his work uniform, smiling.   “You're not?”

“I'm not,” Blaine repeated. “And I know what you're thinking—”

“I'm thinking that it's nice that you show up here with your nice outfits and that expensive Rolex on your wrist, but I don't give a shit about it, Anderson. I doubt my son cares about your money either—”

“You'd be right—”

“Don't interrupt me,” Burt said. Blaine looked him in the eye, staying quiet. “Now that boy means the world to me and I would hate to see him hurt. I don't know you and I don't like whatever this is, but I'm going to do the right thing and give you a chance. You both deserve that much.”

Blaine was quiet, though he nodded. Burt looked at him for a while when Kurt's voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Dad? You coming in?”

Burt looked over at the house and nodded. “Blaine and I are talking. We'll be in soon.”

Blaine looked around the neighborhood and eventually, the front door closed. He turned to Burt.

“Where are you staying?”

“At a Holiday Inn,” Blaine said. “In North Lima.”

Burt nodded. “I'll give you a lift there tonight. On the way we can stop for a drink at an old Irish Pub I've grown fond of and I'll buy you a drink. We can talk. Fair?”

Blaine nodded as he adjusted his bag. “I'd like that, Burt.”

He smiled. “My wife made roast beef. Let's go.”

Blaine finally let himself breathe as he followed the man inside.