Don't Keep Your Distance: Surprises

"Dad, you…you might need to sit down for this."

Burt glanced from Kurt to Blaine and back again, his brow furrowing into a concerned frown. "You two are freaking me out," he muttered as he made his way into the living room, taking a seat in his favourite armchair. After a short pause, Kurt and Blaine sat down on the sofa opposite him, their sides pressed close together.

"Okay, what's this all about?" Burt prompted, after a long moment of tense silence.

Blaine exhaled audibly. "This isn't easy to say," he said, his voice trembling. "And I understand how crazy it is going to sound. Believe me, it's been crazy for me too. But I need to be honest with you, Burt. You've always been there for me and supported me, even when I didn't deserve it. You've been like a dad to me, and I owe you the truth."

Burt didn't respond. His stomach was heavy with the feeling of foreboding as horrible thoughts began to run through his head. Was Blaine drinking again? Was he sick? Was he leaving again, for good this time?

"Burt, coming back to here is the best decision I have made in a long time. In a lot of ways, things are just the way they used to be. The acceptance and support, the sense of family, the Friday night dinners…they all make this place home, for me. But there are also some things that have changed a lot since I was last in Lima."

"Wait," Burt interjected, "is this about Carole or Finn? Are you guys not getting along?"

Blaine shook his head quickly. "No, no, nothing like that," he assured. "Carole and Finn are wonderful."

Burt was relieved for a moment, before he felt even more confused. As far as he knew, Carole and Finn had been the only major change in the household since Blaine's departure six years ago.

He motioned for Blaine to continue speaking.

"Umm," Blaine started, twisting his hands in his lap nervously, "one of the first things I noticed when I got back here was Kurt, and the fact that he wasn't a child anymore. I'd missed six years of his life, and I was suddenly faced with an amazingly mature, smart, and kind man. It was…a shock, to say the least."

Burt nodded, smiling understandingly. "I've always said that Kurt was an old soul," he said. "But I still have no idea where this is going."

"Just, um…just give me a moment, okay?" Blaine asked, looking as though he was about to have a panic attack. Kurt rested a hand on Blaine's shoulder, offering comfort and reassurance, and Blaine seemed to calm down a little at the touch. He took a deep, shuddering breath before speaking again.

"The dynamic between Kurt and I changed when I came home," Blaine said. "We were on an even ground that had never really been there before, since I'd only ever known Kurt as a child. We became close friends – very close friends, as you know. But then I started to develop…feelings. Feelings that I didn't know how to deal with." Blaine reached out and took Kurt's hand in his.

Burt's eyes widened in surprise. Oh. Oh. Fuck.

"…What sort of feelings?" Burt asked cautiously, trying not to let his voice convey his internal panic.

"…Romanic feelings," Blaine said, his voice soft and terrified. Burt just stared, his mind having trouble computing the words that he had just heard.

"I didn't even realise what was happening at first," Blaine continued, the words tumbling out of his mouth in a rush. "But as Kurt and I got closer, it got more and more difficult to ignore. And now, I…I love him. I'm in love with him, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind."

"I love Blaine too," Kurt quickly interjected. "We want to be together. We know that it will be difficult, but it'll be worth the effort."

"Jesus," Burt muttered, glancing between the boys. His head felt surprisingly blank, his mind buzzing dully like the static on an old TV. He was so shocked he didn't even know what he was feeling – or what he ought to be feeling in this situation. There wasn't exactly a manual for what to do when your pseudo-adopted 29-year-old alcoholic celebrity kid announced his love for your 17-year-old son. Then again, Kurt had brought home some pretty interesting pamphlets from his guidance counsellor in the past…maybe she'd have one for this situation too. Burt chuckled at the thought.

"Are you laughing?" Kurt asked, incredulous.

At the matching expressions of shock and confusion on his kid's faces, Burt couldn't help but laugh even harder. Kurt and Blaine glanced at each other as if they couldn't believe what they were witnessing, and Burt buried his face in his hands and tried to get himself under control.

After a couple of minutes, the laughing fit subsided, and Burt wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Well, I can safely say that I wasn't expecting that reaction," Kurt said, his voice cautious, as though he thought that Burt had snapped and was about to have some sort of mental breakdown. Which could very well be the case, come to think of it.

Burt snorted, shaking his head disbelievingly. "This day's just full of surprises, huh?"

Blaine winced. "I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" Burt asked, frowning.

Blaine stared. "For…for everything! For breaking your trust, and for disappointing you – I know you must hate me, but -"

"-Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," Burt said, cutting Blaine off with a glare. "Have you two been sneaking around behind my back?"

Blaine shook his head vehemently. "No, no, we only just figured everything out, I promise."

Burt nodded. He hated seeing that look on Blaine's face - the look of guilt and shame that he was all too familiar with. Regardless of how shocked he was by this whole…thing, Burt knew intuitively that it wasn't Blaine's fault.

"That's what I thought," Burt continued. "And are you sorry for..." he took a deep breath as the reality of the situation really began to set in. "Are you sorry for loving Kurt?"

Blaine's eyes widened and he turned to look at Kurt. For a moment, Kurt looked terrified. "No," Blaine said. "I could never be sorry for loving him."

Burt found himself breathing an internal sigh of relief. "Then I really don't see why you're apologising," he said. "You're constantly apologising to somebody, Blaine. It needs to stop. You take on too much guilt, and blame yourself for things that you have no control over. There hasn't been any deceit here, kiddo. You haven't broken my trust. And I am not disappointed in you. I'm not gonna lie - I'm shocked. I'm still processing this. But I'm not angry. I don't hate you. I could never hate you."

Blaine's relief was palpable, his whole body slumping as he let out a long, shuddering breath. Kurt smiled next to him and kissed him on the cheek. The gesture seemed so natural that Burt almost didn't even notice.

"Well, I'm going to go and take a shower and get changed," Burt said, getting to his feet and stretching. "And then we're all going to have dinner and discuss this calmly and maturely, without any more apologies." He looked pointedly at Blaine. "Understood?"

Blaine nodded. "Understood."

Dinner was awkward, at first.

Nobody spoke for the first ten minutes, the sounds of forks clattering on plates making their silence even more pronounced. Burt watched Kurt and Blaine as they ate their dinner, their eyes fixed firmly on their plates. They were clearly uncomfortable, and Burt would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little amused by the way they kept trying to sneak furtive glances at one another, attempting to communicate through not-so-subtle nudges and eyebrow waggles.

He'd taken a longer-than-necessary shower, using the time to think about what had just happened. And the more that he thought about it, the more it made sense, considering Kurt and Blaine's intimate history. He couldn't deny the uniqueness of their circumstances, but if nothing else, Burt prided himself on being accepting and open-minded. However, he was definitely concerned about what would happen when Blaine moved back to New York and his life was once again under the microscope. He was worried about how the boys would deal with the backlash that they'd undoubtedly receive. Kurt would most likely be fine. He was extremely strong and resilient, and when he committed to something, he committed to it with all his heart. Blaine, on the other hand…

Burt knew that Blaine was stronger than he thought. A lot stronger. But he was also very prone to self-doubt, and extremely sensitive to criticism. His defence mechanisms weren't the best – when faced with a challenge, he tended to cope via escape tactics. Burt was concerned that it would all be too much for him – that he might start drinking again, or withdraw from Kurt and isolate himself.

Then again, Blaine had certainly been through a lot of personal growth since his return to Lima. Although he still had some problems, he'd managed to give up alcohol, and Burt knew that Blaine was actually very proud of himself for that accomplishment. The fact that Blaine had sat in the living room and held Kurt's hand and told Burt that he could never apologise for loving him – that gave Burt hope.

As far as the whole…Kurt and Blaine being in love thing. Well. They weren't related, despite the fact that Burt felt like they were both his kids. They'd never related to each other as brothers, despite their consistently close bond, so…now that he considered the idea, it almost seemed like a natural progression for their relationship to take a romantic turn. There was a significant age gap between them, but that was honestly the least of Burt's concern. Kurt's mother had been eight years younger than himself, and Burt had always believed that if two people have a strong connection, they shouldn't let a thing like that go over something as arbitrary as time. From his experience, the amount of living that someone has done has remarkably little to do with their age. Kurt and Blaine were compatible in all the ways that mattered, and Kurt certainly wasn't a child anymore. Burt still liked to think of him as his little boy, but to call him a child was an insult to the depth and breadth of his experience and understanding of the world. He was an adult, a remarkable young man, and more than capable of making his own decisions about life and love. And honestly, Burt couldn't possibly ask for better partners for both of his boys. They both deserved the absolute best – so it was actually pretty fitting that they had managed to find that with each other.

Still, Burt knew that he had to be absolutely certain that they both knew exactly what they were getting themselves into.

Burt cleared his throat pointedly, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement when the boys jumped in their seats.

"So," Burt said, chewing on a bite of steak while Kurt and Blaine shuffled nervously, "You two do realise how complicated things are about to become, right?"

Kurt bit his bottom lip, chewing on it nervously. "Yeah, we do," he said. "Blaine and I have talked about it. We're both aware of the…reality of the situation. I know how many roadblocks we're likely to face, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared…but I'd never forgive myself if I gave up on this before it even started. When you love someone, you have to at least try."

Burt smiled. Elizabeth would have said the exact same thing.

The table fell back into a slightly tense silence, and Burt felt the need to lighten the mood. "I guess you never really got over that childhood crush, huh?" Burt asked, smirking at his son and throwing him a sly wink. Kurt choked on his iced tea, coughing and spluttering while Burt grinned and handed him a napkin.

"What?" Blaine asked, frowning in rather endearing confusion, glancing from Burt to Kurt while Kurt wiped his mouth.

Burt turned to Blaine. "Kurt was a bit smitten with you when he was a kid. You were oblivious, but it was pretty cute. It lasted for years, come to think of it. He started telling me about your wedding plans when he was three, and by the time he was eight he was scowling the TV every time you took a young lady to one of your awards shows."

"Dad," Kurt whined, his face bright red, "can you not?"

Blaine was blushing too, but the soft smile on his face showed that he was more pleased than embarrassed. "That actually makes a lot of sense," he said, grinning at Kurt. "You never liked Tom very much."

Burt let out a bark of laughter. "Hey Kurt, you remember what you said about him the first time Blaine brought him back here?"

Kurt glared at his father. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."

"You told me that his scarf looked like it was made from cat hair and he smelt like the back of an old lady's underwear drawer."

Blaine laughed loudly, turning to grin at Kurt.

"He didn't actually smell," Kurt said, smiling hesitantly back at Blaine. "I was just bitter."

"It's okay," Blaine said with a shrug. "I always hated his scarves."

"I thought I'd gotten over that silly childhood crush," Kurt said, reaching out to grab Blaine's hand on top of the table. "But when you came back, I realised that it had always been you." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Blaine's, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. "You've always been my prince charming."

And that…wow. That was something. That was definitely love, right there, and Burt recognised the way the boys looked at each other – there was a wedding picture on his mantelpiece upstairs, in which he and Elizabeth were looking at each other the exact same way.

Burt coughed loudly. He hated to break the moment, but the boys seemed to have forgotten his presence entirely, and he felt like he was intruding on a private moment. They snapped out of their daze, smiling sheepishly.

Burt's stomach twisted nervously at the thought of what he had to say next. There was really only one thing about this that made him have serious reservations. He needed to make sure that they understood why he was concerned – he needed it to stick.

"So, boys," Burt said, taking a sip of his water, "We need to be serious for a sec."

Immediately, the smiles faded from the boy's faces, replaced with looks of solemn determination. They think I'm going to try to talk them out of it, Burt realised. When he spoke, he chose his words very carefully.

"I need you boys to remember that relationships can be messy, and sometimes things just don't work out. That's okay, it happens. But I want you both to promise that you'll always be good to each other. I know that seems like it goes without saying, but you two are going to have to be extra cautious, because you're not just a couple, you're family. The fact that you're not related by blood doesn't make that any less true. And even if you guys break up, that connection is not going to go away…at least not if I can help it." Burt paused, taking another sip of his water. Kurt and Blaine were listening to him with rapt attention, and Burt was pleased to see that they weren't panicking or getting defensive – just listening, and from the looks of things, understanding.

"I'm not going to say that you two won't make mistakes," Burt continued. "Of course you will, you're only human. But be careful, because I don't ever want to have to choose sides, and I don't ever want there to be any tension or hostility between us. We – me, you two, and Carole and Finn – we're a family, and a damn good one at that. You can get mad at each other, and have ridiculous fights and say stupid things you don't mean and do all those things that normal couples do, but at the end of the day, I want you both to remember who you love and why you love them, because I'm not giving either of you up. Ever."

If Kurt had been anything like Burt was as a teenager, he would have responded to his dad's advice with an eye-roll, a statement along the lines of, "yeah, dad, I know," and a flippant gesture of reluctant acquiescence. But Kurt was different. When Burt met his gaze, Kurt looked back at him with a hard resolve and an understanding that went far beyond his years. He gave Burt a small, barely perceptible nod – a gesture that said I understand, dad. Try not to worry too much - I'll be okay. And Burt believed him.

"Burt?" Blaine said, softly. Burt turned his attention to the other boy.

"I promise that I will always try to do what's best for Kurt," Blaine said. "I would never intentionally hurt him. I love him so much, and I truly believe that our bond is strong enough to keep us together forever – whether that be as lovers, friends, or something else entirely. I can promise you that, whatever happens in mine and Kurt's relationship, I will never shut either of you out again. I will always consider myself a part of this family."

Burt looked met Blaine's gaze, and the conviction in his eyes spoke volumes. He gave Blaine a firm nod, not trusting himself to speak around the lump in his throat.

"Well," Burt said, after taking a moment to compose himself, "now that that's settled, the important thing for me to say is – I approve. And I give you my…blessing, I guess."

The smiles on Kurt and Blaine's faces were almost blinding. Burt grinned.

"Okay, come on, let's hug it out. Family hug." The boys were out of their feet in seconds, quickly enveloping Blaine in too-tight hugs, and Burt embraced them back just as fiercely.

When they broke apart, Burt noticed that both their eyes were wet, as were his. He surreptitiously attempted to wipe them on his sleeve. "Right, well," he said, clapping Blaine on the shoulder, "It's been one hell of a day. I'm gonna turn in early." He paused. "If you two wanna share a room, that's okay with me, since I trust that you're both mature enough to make wise decisions." He looked pointedly at Kurt. "But if I hear anything– and I mean anything – that I shouldn't be hearing, I will not be afraid to embarrass the both of you at the breakfast table, you hear?"

Blaine spluttered helplessly, blushing scarlet, and Kurt groaned, burying his face in his hands. "We get it, dad," he mumbled, and Burt snickered as he carried his plate to the sink before heading upstairs. The sound of Kurt and Blaine's hushed, ecstatic whispering followed him all the way to his bedroom. When he crawled into bed ten minutes later, he fell asleep quickly, happy and content.

Blaine could hardly believe what had just happened.

Seriously, how was this day even real? How had he gone from sobbing on the floor with a bottle in his hand, to kissing the man of his dreams, to getting Burt's blessing?

Blaine pinched himself, hard. It hurt.

Letting out a burst of hysterical laughter, Blaine ran his hands through his loose curls and span on his heels, making his way out of the bathroom.

Kurt was already in Blaine's bed, clad in white silk pyjamas, and he looked so beautiful and perfect that Blaine had to take a moment to just breathe.

Kurt raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. "You alright?" He asked, smirking.

Blaine grinned, probably looking absolutely ridiculous, and clambered onto the bed to hover above Kurt. "Mmm," he said, leaning down to kiss Kurt softly on the mouth. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I heard you laughing to yourself like a crazy person," Kurt said with a cheeky grin.

Blaine chuckled. "I'm just really happy," he sighed. "I actually can't believe how amazingly this day has turned out, considering the way that it started. Your dad, he...wow. He was amazing."

"I told you so," Kurt said, booping Blaine on the nose. "I can't believe you thought he'd hate you. He loves his family with every fibre of his being, and as far as he's concerned, you're his son. He really, really loves you."

Blaine smiled, nuzzling Kurt's neck. His skin smelt like vanilla and coconut. "I don't think I really believed that, until today."

Kurt turned his head to capture Blaine's mouth in a deep kiss, and Blaine kissed back eagerly, before pulling back and letting out a huge yawn. Kurt threw his head back, laughing, and Blaine pouted at his body's rude interruption.

"Sleep," Kurt said, gently rolling Blaine over to his side of the bed before shuffling closer so they could curl up together. "You must be exhausted."

"Mmm," Blaine hummed, pulling Kurt closer to his body and resting his hand over his heart. His eyelids began to droop immediately. "Will you still be here in the morning?"

"I'll be here every morning," Kurt mumbled. "Just you wait and see."