Interlude: Burt

"He's different. He's not going to be like the other children."

Burt ran his hands over his face tiredly. Kurt was finally asleep after a really nice evening where Burt had been introduced to Kurt's new boyfriend, Blaine. The boy who was going to break Kurt's heart through no fault of his own.

It made him feel sick to even think it, but Burt actually wished that their romance would be brief, a whirlwind of high school feelings ending in an average break-up.

But he knew it wouldn't be. When Kurt decided to love, he truly committed, and even though Burt doubted that the boys had reached that point in their relationship, he knew they would sooner or later. The look on his son's face when he looked at the other boy had told him that much.

And then there was this completely unprecedented reality that Kurt could sense Blaine. That Blaine's ES level was so high that he was able to register on Kurt's own senses, and in turn, that he could delve into Kurt's emotions when others failed. Irrationally, a small part of Burt was jealous, but at the same time he knew that was just something he would need to accept as part of his son growing up. Kurt was going to meet new people who could fill his life in ways that his family couldn't. And that was right.

But why did it have to be a boy like Blaine?

Sooner or later, Blaine's condition would begin to catch up on him. And there was no way Kurt would let go then, not after what he had gone through with his mother, and Burt's own heart attack scare. He would hold on tight until the last, and it would shatter him. Kurt was strong, and Burt was proud to have raised such an incredible young man, but there would always be the ragged fissures left over from his mother's loss scored into Kurt's soul. Just as there was on Burt's.

Burt knew he would have to shove his feelings and doubts aside. From what he could tell, Blaine seemed like a sweet, respectable kid who was dealt a really crappy hand in life. Eventually, Burt would just have to accept that Kurt had chosen this boy. He would focus on the good; Kurt's happiness, and the incredible chance of him finding a boy like Blaine who could show him a world that had previously been dark to him. Both boys would be good for each other, Burt could already see that.

But that didn't mean that Burt would deny himself this night of fretting, worry, fear, and selfishness.

One of the few benefits of Kurt's ES level being that for better or for worse, Burt could drown in his emotions, and they would remain entirely his own.

00000

"He's going to be important."

Burt's favourite moments were moments like these. It was early on a Sunday afternoon, and the family was scattered around the living room, full from a big Sunday roast cooked to perfection by Kurt and Carole. Finn was sprawled across most of the couch – despite Carole's protest that he should sit up straight after eating enough food to feed a herd of elephants – while Burt relaxed in his favourite chair with his paper. Carole was flicking absently through tv channels, arguing with Finn over what to watch, while Kurt and Blaine...

The two boys had volunteered to do the dishes, and they usually did when Blaine came round. The first time they has offered, Burt and Carole had just blinked stupidly at the boys, but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, let them get on with it. As the pattern established over many evenings and weekends, Burt began to recognise it for what it was.

There were little tells and touches that both boys seemed to do around each other without even noticing. They sat close during dinner, holding hands at any break in eating or conversation. They kept constant contact when sitting on the couch together, even if it was something as subtle as Kurt's toes tucked underneath Blaine's legs. When Kurt and Carole cooked, Blaine sat at the kitchen table to keep them company. And whenever Blaine seemed to phase out of conversation, or rub his eyes, Kurt would be there in an instant to rub his back soothingly, or kiss him on the cheek. The casual displays of affection had caught Burt off guard at first, but how could he say anything? Both boys were respectful, and it was clear just how much Kurt helped Blaine cope on a daily basis.

This was exactly what the dirty dishes afforded them. It gave Blaine a break from the rest of Kurt's family for a while without them having to disappear upstairs too soon after dinner.

"Thank you for doing that, boys," Carole smiled as Blaine and Kurt wandered in. Kurt shoved Finn's legs unceremoniously out of his way so he and Blaine could sit. Finn squawked in protest, but to his credit, didn't flinch too badly at Kurt's touch. Burt was proud of Finn, and how far he had come since the Hummels and Hudsons had moved in together. Finn's ES level was on the lower end of average, which meant that while Kurt's presence still unsettled him, he didn't find it as bad as some other kids his age. While the tall boy was incredibly open and easy for others to read, Finn was very bad at interpreting the emotions he picked up from others through touch, as they tended to muddle in his head. It was the source of much drama in his relationship with that loud Berry girl.

Blaine settled on the other side of Kurt, sandwiched closely in between his boyfriend and the arm of the sofa.

"No problem, Carole." Kurt smiled, before continuing a conversation he had clearly been having with Blaine in the kitchen, "Broadway is the easy answer. I think of everyone, that's where Rachel's going to end up."

Burt pretended not to listen while also subtly looking over the top of his paper at the boys.

"You would be incredible too though." Blaine gestured enthusiastically, his emotions sparking a distant resonance of kindness and support within Burt, but nothing clearer than that.

Elizabeth would have sensed more. She had been at the top end of what was considered average for an adult's ES level, around 3.7. It had always been a mystery to the sense doctors how Kurt had ended up with such a low level, but then, the genetics of these things were still very much in the theoretical stages, and Burt couldn't even begin to grasp it.

Kurt seemed to glow at Blaine's comment, leaning over to peck a light kiss to the tip of Blaine's nose in a gesture so domestic that it made Burt's heart ache. Blaine's nose wrinkled as Kurt pulled back, "That's very sweet, Blaine, but I think you're the only one who'd say that. It's okay; I came to terms with it a ages ago, and planned accordingly."

Blaine grinned, "Okay, so what do you want to do?"

"Fashion." Kurt's answer was immediate. "I've been building my portfolio of outfits and sketches since before high school, and have a list a mile long of potential schools. It's just... people can't read my emotions, and dismiss my singing straight away. But in fashion... by designing clothes, I can put a piece of me in them. My feelings, my emotions, all out there for the world to see. It's been my dream since I discovered the accessorising ability of scarves." Kurt laughed, trying to lighten his admission with a flippant comment.

"Hey, dude, that's really cool, I didn't know you wanted to do that." Finn grinned, before his face morphed into a grimace, "I have no idea what I want to do, and Miss Pillsbury is gonna start asking us soon. What about you Blaine? Though I guess you've got a year to go still..."

Burt tensed. Finn didn't know about Blaine's levels. Hell, Carole didn't know, although Burt was pretty sure she had made some pretty good guesses. Kurt worried his lip between his teeth, shooting Blaine a tentative glance that held too many words for Burt to read.

Blaine just shrugged, far too casually for Burt to feel comfortable. It wasn't right, he was just a kid. "I don't know. I never really bother thinking about it."

Kurt flinched, and Burt noticed how Blaine just quietly took Kurt's hand, his attention still on Finn.

The taller boy frowned, oblivious, "What, like never? Not even when you were a kid?"

"You just said yourself you don't know what you want to do!" Kurt snapped defensively.

"I used to want to write music. Be some famous composer, or write songs for other people to bring to life." Blaine's voice was quiet, wistful.

Kurt's head whipped around, "What?"

Blaine's eyes were in his lap. "I love music. I love what it can do, the stories it can tell, how it can touch people..." He seemed to shake himself, "But there's no point wishing. It'll never happen."

"Why not, man?" Finn asked incredulously, oblivious to the look of lost devastation on Kurt's face, "You're awesome at that piano, I've heard you. You could do it, don't give up on your dream."

While Kurt looked ready to cry, Blaine seemed to take it all in his stride, which only made Burt all the more angry at the injustice of it all. "Thanks Finn. I appreciate it."

00000

"He's going to be strong, like his daddy."

Burt had never felt so bone tired in his life.

"Thank you, for being so understanding." The voice of John Anderson sounded just as world weary as Burt felt, and the gratefulness rang loudly.

Burt decided to cut straight to it. On the one hand, he was incredibly proud of how Kurt had handled himself today, of how he had been there for Blaine, but on the other... "He's getting worse, isn't he?"

John's shoulders seemed to slump, "I think he is, yes. The doctors tell us this is all normal but... Emily blames me, for letting Blaine have his way and return to school."

Burt liked the Andersons. They were good people, and loved Blaine dearly. He also really didn't envy their position. "You can't wrap them up forever. God knows, there are times I wish I could with Kurt, but in the end, they're their own person. They've got to live for themselves." He hoped he wasn't over-stepping. It was one thing for him to talk about his own son, whose life expectancy was actually longer than the average person, and another thing to be in John's shoes.

Still, the taller man just sighed, "I completely agree with you. Blaine has so much to give, and if it wasn't for McKinley, he would never have met Kurt." His amber eyes were serious, "Your son has done so much for mine, I don't think even he really knows how much."

Burt shrugged one shoulder helplessly, "I just wish there was more we could do."

John's eyes bore into Burt, "What you're already doing is more than enough. Do you know how many parents would be comfortable having Blaine around their kids as much as those two are together?"

Burt grinned wryly, without humour. "I do, actually. Lizzy and I, we really had to fight to get the school to even accept Kurt into kindergarten. They were worried about the problems he'd cause the other kids. I remember, it was one week before he was due to start, and the school was still digging their heels in. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I was ready to give up. The doctors had given us this big speech, when Kurt was born and they told us how low he is on the scale."

"I think we got a similar talk," John said sombrely. "'Your child will have a difficult life, but don't worry, society has safeguards in place to ensure that he will live as normal a life as possible.'"

Burt snorted, "Yeah. Safeguards. Lock them away from the normals and pretend they don't exist, more like. Wait till the problem goes away. I won't lie, Kurt's diagnosis was a big deal for me, a lot to take in. But Liz... it's like she always knew, even before the doctors. She wouldn't back down, not one inch. She fought for him, and that was enough to kick me up the ass. When... when I lost her, I swore I'd keep fighting for Kurt. And if he wants to be with Blaine, then I'll stand by him, and your son."

John swallowed harshly, nodding jerkily, "I really appreciate it, truly Burt you are a better man than most." He coughed, a discordant sound melding into a broken laugh that held too much loss. "Emily... she's terrified of losing Blaine, but... I think she's starting to give up. It's just getting so hard... We're as exhausted as Blaine most of the time these days. But I just... I just can't. I can't give up. I can't give him up."

Burt swallowed, feeling the other father's desperation seeping into the air in a cloying mass. He stepped forward, resting a solid hand on John's shoulder, "You ever feel like stopping by the garage for a coffee or anything, you make sure you do that, alright? Let's face it, ours sons up there are in pretty damn deep, and with everything else..."

Though the physical contact, Burt got a better read on the other man in a rush of fear gratefulness loneliness stubbornness loss. "Thanks, Burt. I appreciate it."

00000

"How do you even know it's gonna be a boy? We ain't even been to the doctors yet!"

"I just do. Don't argue with me Burt, you know you always lose."

"Hey there little guy, I'm your dad!"

"Oh my god, you're insufferable! Get your hands off my stomach and our son until you've washed your hands! You're covered in motor oil!"

"Yeah, you love me."

"Unfortunately. I don't know why I... oh..."

"What is it? You okay? Oh my god, is it the baby, Liz what do I do?"

"If you're going to be like this for the entirety of this pregnancy, we're going to have some serious problems."

"Well don't pull faces like that then! Or send off those damn vibes of yours! You scared me half to death!"

"I'm sorry... I just... he's going to be special, I can feel it."

"Special? Of course he will be, he's ours, ain't he?"

"No, I mean... different. Promise me you'll fight for him."

"Liz, don't be daft... You're just scaring yourself, sensing things that aren't even there."

"Oh no, I can sense him alright."

"Elizabeth. Love. If it makes you feel better, then yes, I promise, I'll fight for him, even if when we get you to the doctors they tell us he turns out to be a she with twelve toes and an ES level of ten."

"I love you, so much."

"Well, I am pretty a pretty amazing husband."

"And you're going to be an incredible father."

TBC