Chapter Thirteen

"Hey!" Kurt poked his head around Blaine's locker, a smile bright on his lips as he watched Blaine's whole face light up with a golden smile, a smile that Kurt put there, a smile that belonged to them and them alone. The knowledge still made Kurt's stomach squirm pleasantly.

"Hey you." Blaine smiled softly, his eyes sparkling. Kurt wanted nothing more than to loop his arms around Blaine's waist and drop a light kiss to those gorgeous lips, but he had to settle for hooking his arm into Blaine's as they began to walk down the hall towards the front of the school. Kurt might afford them both a certain level of protection by his low ES, but he knew better than to push it. Blaine couldn't be by his side 27/7, after all, no matter how much Kurt wished he could be.

"So..." Kurt drew out the words, testing it teasingly as it rolled over his tongue.

Blaine rolled his eyes fondly, recognising Kurt's I-really-want-something voice, "So? How can I help my lovely boyfriend?"

Kurt's heart did a few back flips at that word thrown so casually from Blaine's lips. Their first kiss had been barely a week ago, but it had rapidly been followed by many more. It was as if a dam had broken between them, the last twig of self doubt and uncertainty snapped aside as a flood of new discoveries and feelings rushed in to meet them. "Well... my dad's been... curious, lately."

He felt the muscles of Blaine's arm tense ever so slightly under his own, but Blaine's voice belayed no sign, "Curious? About what?"

"You, of course." Kurt grinned, bumping their hips slightly. "I mean, before he was always asking why he hadn't met you yet, and then this past week I think he's been getting a bit suspicious that something else might be going on."

Blaine stopped short, momentarily distracted from his conjured fear of Kurt's dad. "You can sense other people now too?"

Kurt shook his head, "Nope. That's definitely still reserved just for you when we, you know..." He grinned, blushing as he trailed off.

Blaine giggled as they reached Kurt's car, "Kiss? You won't burst into flames if you say the word, Kurt."

Kurt scowled, "Shut up. And stop avoiding the subject. I'm trying to invite you to dinner."

"Oh." Blaine's face fell, all playfulness fled. He hopped into the passenger seat of Kurt's car, no longer looking at the other boy.

Kurt rushed to reassure him as he slipped into the driver's side, slamming the car door behind him to give them a certain illusion of privacy while still in the shadow of the school. "It'll just be the three of us. You, me, and Dad. Carole's got the late shift, and Finn's going round Puck's for dinner after football practice. Please? I'd love you guys even just to meet – I won't even say what we are if you don't want me to just yet."

Blaine's head snapped up, his amber eyes blazing fiercely, "We're not lying to your dad! If I do... if you introduce us, I don't want to just be your friend."

Kurt blinked, a happy balloon swelling in his chest at Blaine's conviction. "Thank you..."

"I just..." Blaine fidgeted. "I know you've met my parents tonnes of times, and Coop. And they all know about us – even if I haven't formally told them I think I gave the game away the night I came back from school after you ambushed me in the choir room-"

"I did not ambush you!" Kurt squawked indignantly.

Blaine rolled his eyes fondly, leaning over to drop a casual kiss to Kurt's lips. The touch was too fleeting for Kurt to feel anything from Blaine other than the amazing tingling warmth of his boyfriend's lips on his. "I'm glad you did. And I'd love to meet your dad."

"But?" Kurt prompted, seeing the catch hovering on the tip of Blaine's tongue.

"I just... he's your dad! One look and he'll probably know, and I'm seriously not wearing the right clothes, he'll think I'm some slob and-"

Kurt burst out laughing, "Oh my god you're scared of my dad!"

"What? No!" Blaine spluttered.

"You are!" Kurt grinned, unable to stop laughing at the sheer normalcy of it all. Normal wasn't something either of them was supposed to have. "Blaine, seriously, you look impeccable, as always, and my dad will love you. There's no need to be nervous, I promise."

Blaine huffed, and Kurt knew he had won.

00000

The door banged, and Kurt twisted, grinning, "Hey Dad!"

"Kurt? You in here?" His dad's rough voice floated from the hall into the kitchen, where Kurt was already preparing dinner. Blaine was in theory meant to be lending a hand, but in reality he was proving a distraction. A drop-dead gorgeous, adorable, welcome distraction, true, but it wasn't helping Kurt prepare his risotto any quicker.

"We're in the kitchen!" Kurt hollered back, grabbing both of Blaine's hands as they frantically went to his hair to check that the gel helmet he insisted on having hadn't sprung loose. As if it could.

His dad's smiling face appeared in the kitchen, usual faded ball cap sitting over his balding head, still in his oil-stained work clothes. "You must be Blaine."

Blaine blinked, and Kurt watched with amusement as his boyfriend assessed the father before his brain seemed to come back to himself and he pulled on his most charming smile, "Hi, yes. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Hummel."

Kurt didn't miss the way his dad's eyes flicked questioningly to Blaine's right hand, stiffly held out of the way, tight to his body so that there was no risk of being drawn into a handshake. He quickly recovered, "You too kid. Kurt hasn't shut up about you since you transferred to his school. It's good to put a face to the name."

"Dad. Seriously?" Kurt protested.

Burt grinned, his eyes sparkling. "Sorry Kurt. Way I see it, if I can't embarrass my own kid in front of his friends then I'm a failure as a father."

Kurt's stomach lurched nervously. Now. Get it over with. "Actually Dad, Blaine's my boyfriend." Kurt's hand found Blaine's between their bodies.

Burt stared at them both for a second, his eyes slightly wider than they had been. Kurt was sure that he had suspected something, but given Kurt's condition, had probably not given it too much thought. Until now.

"I see." Burt's voice was precise and neutral. "Since when?"

A thousand thoughts flew around Kurt's head. What if his dad didn't like Blaine? What if he was only okay with the idea of having a gay son when he wasn't faced with a boyfriend in his own kitchen?

Blaine answered, "Since last week, but Kurt's been my best friend since I came to McKinley. I... Kurt's amazing. And we really like each other."

Burt's eyes were fixed on their hands, joined tightly between their pressed bodies, until finally, "Well, I can't wait to hear all about it over dinner. And get to know my son's first boyfriend. Food smells amazing, Kurt."

And that was that. The dinner turned out really well, and Kurt relished being able to sit there chatting while his new boyfriend and dad got along like a house on fire. Burt had a knack of getting people to relax in his presence. Although Kurt had never experienced that reassurance in the same way, Finn once said how Burt seemed to project an aura of strength and comfort to those around him. No wonder Blaine was so calm and together.

At the end of the evening, with his father giving the pair of them a false sense of privacy by hovering at a slight distance, Blaine placed a chaste kiss on Kurt's lips with a ghost of happiness and warmth. Before he pulled away completely, he murmured softly, "You can tell him. When he asks."

Kurt's eyebrows hiked up into his hairline, "Are you sure?"

"Of course." Blaine's eyes were certain and clear, sparkling with life, the same gold as the stars that danced in Kurt's mind whenever they kissed. He looked over Kurt's shoulder to the hovering father, his voice normal volume again, "It was nice to meet you, Mr Hummel. I'll call you tomorrow, okay Kurt?"

"Nice to meet you too, Blaine. You're welcome for dinner anytime." Burt nodded solidly.

Kurt found himself nodding too, holding Blaine's gaze for as long as possible, his nerves renewed.

"So." Burt opened with, as soon as Kurt had closed the door. "Blaine's nice."

"Blaine's nice?" Kurt parroted wryly.

"Well he is." Burt said defensively. "I just... Kurt, not that I had a problem with it – opposite, in fact –but the pair of you barely let go of each other's hands the entire evening! Did you want to shed some light on what's going on here? Because it took a whole month before Finn could sit on the same sofa as you after he and Carole moved in."

"That's not my fault!" Kurt snapped, his body tensing. It was true, but that didn't mean he liked to be reminded of that.

Burt was across the living room in an instance, his large, warm hands clasping tightly over Kurt's shoulders, "I would never say that it was. And neither was it Finn's. But you gotta see where I'm coming from here, Kurt."

"You can't tell Carole. Or Finn. Or anybody. You have to promise." Kurt folded his arms. "It's Blaine's life, and he's trusted me with his secret. His family know, obviously, and Miss Pillsbury I think, but last time it got out Blaine was hurt, and I won't do that to him. He said I could tell you though. He knows I don't like keeping secrets from you."

Burt stared for a second, before nodding warily, "I promise. Though something tells me I'm gonna want to get the number of Blaine's parents."

Kurt took a deep breath, before letting it all spill out in a rush, "Blaine's ES level is 4.8. To him, I'm quiet, but not silent. He can touch me, and I can touch him, and it's normal. We're normal with each other, and Dad... I can't believe we found each other. When..." Kurt swallowed harshly, his face going bright red, but he had to force himself past the embarrassment, he had to make sure his dad understood the gravity of what they meant to each other. "When he k-kissed me, I could sense him, Dad. And he could sense me."

He raised his eyes to watch his dad's reaction, watch as Burt absorbed the words of his son, lips slightly parted. Finally, he spoke, his voice hoarse and disbelieving, and... tinged with something else, sadness, hopefulness, loss; Blaine would know. "4.8?" Kurt nodded, words unspoken passing between the father and son pair, because neither needed to utter out loud the connotations of such a high number. Instead, his voice soft and mellow, Burt drew himself up straight, nodding succinctly. "I'm glad you found each other too, kiddo. I really am. You both deserve it."

Kurt smiled, throwing his arms around his dad in a tight hug, "Thanks Dad."

For a moment, Kurt truly felt normal, the shadow that hung in the background seeming faded and small in the strong comfort of his father's arms. He didn't have to think about Blaine's bad days, or the risk he ran every day at school. He didn't have to think about the future. He could just be happy about the stupid stuff, like how well his dad and boyfriend got along, that he hardly had any homework that weekend, and how soon Nationals in New York were.

A gossamer illusion of normality, just give them that.

TBC