“Baby, you know I love you, right?” He whispered, rubbing her hands over his back like she used to when he was small.

Blaine tried to reign in his emotions as he answered, “I know, I have never doubted your love.”

“Your dad loves you too, it’s just harder for him. I don’t know why.” Blaine wanted to answer back, but wasn’t sure if he wanted to reassure her, or contradict her. Instead he just sighed, tightening his grip around his mom. “If it makes you feel better, I like Kurt.” She soothed in his ear.

“Really?” Blaine asked hopefully.

She pushed him away so she could look him in the face, “Really. He seemed sweet, and confident. He certainly has good manners, but is not afraid to stand up for himself. And I must say he is handsome to boot. He seems like a good catch.” She chuckled.

Blaine’s smile clearly showed his mom just how much he truly loved the young man, “He really is. I want you to get to know him, I want you to love him just as much as I do. Oh and you should hear him sing, It’s like listening to an angel, I have never heard anything like it. He is smart, and funny and…”

“Blaine, you don’t have to convince me.” She laughed, but quickly became serious again. “Your father will come around eventually. We just need to be patient.”

Frustration welled up within Blaine and he snapped, “I have been patient, he has had five years to come around! Do you know how awful I feel knowing he would act just the way he did, when Kurt’s dad has been nothing but welcoming to me. Kurt has only been out for two years, granted he said his dad knew since he was three, but he has only really known for two years, he has always been accepting. Why can’t Dad be like that? Why can’t Dad just be okay with me?”

“It’s not you I am not okay with.” A frustrated voice called from the kitchen door.

Blaine whipped around to face his father, “But don’t you understand, being gay is part of who I am, if you can’t be okay with that, then you aren’t okay with me.”

“How do you even know you are gay?” His father asked.

“It’s not that hard to figure out Dad.” Blaine yelled. “It’s not like it wasn’t obvious to me that I am attracted to men. I tried, I really did, to like girls. I knew if I did everything would be easier. I even made out with one of the girls from Drama in eighth grade, but I felt nothing, it was just weird. She could even tell I wasn’t into it. With guys it’s different, with Kurt it’s REALLY different.”

“I don’t know if I want to hear it.” Tim said quietly.

“Well, you are going to. My first kiss with a boy, it just felt right. I knew that that was what kissing was supposed to be like, with butterflies and all that. With Kurt, it is so much more, it is perfect, because I love him. Can’t you see what a great guy he is?” Blaine almost pleaded with his father.

“I don’t want to talk about Kurt right now. One thing at a time, alright?” he huffed.

Blaine’s face became hard, “But I do. If it wasn’t for Kurt, we would still be pretending, you would still be pretending that I am going to ‘straighten up’. He made me want to stand up to you, to stop playing this stupid game.”

Mr. Anderson sighed, he looked more tired than Blaine had ever seen him before. “I understand that, but for right now, can we just focus on the less concrete proof of your homosexuality, please. I need to take this one step at a time. I promise I will listen to you sing your praises to that boy soon enough, but let me come to terms with the abstract first.”

“What do you want to know?” Blaine asked quietly, not wanting to get his hopes up that his would turn out alright.

“Are you sure, one hundred percent sure, that you are gay?”

Blaine shook his head that he was even having to answer this question. “Yes, dad, I am positive.”

“You aren’t even, maybe, bisexual?” his dad asked almost hopefully.

Blaine couldn’t help but chuckle at his dad, knowing he was gripping at straws. “No dad, I do not hold even a small attraction to women. I mean I can appreciate that a woman is beautiful, but only in an objective way.”

Tim nodded, and seemed to take this new information in before speaking again. “Have you acted on your… attractions?” he mumbled.

Blaine nearly choked, which was a feat in and of its self, seeing as the only thing in his mouth at the time was his own spit and air. “Do we really want to be having this conversation?” he sputtered.

“I just need to know, how serious you have been with… boys. Do we need to have some kind of talk,” Mr. Anderson’s face got redder as he continued. “I would have to do some, research or something, but do we need to sit down and talk about safety and… mechanics”

Watching his dad fluster and stammer, Blaine realized that he was really trying, or maybe had finally accepted this. He decided to ease his father’s fears. “I don’t think a talk will be necessary, I have done all the research on my own, I know how things work,” he saw both his parents flush a bit and clarified, “but not from my own practical knowledge. The furthest I have been has been with Kurt, and we are taking things slowly, so don’t worry.” Blaine’s face was red, never had he thought he would have to have this type of conversation with his parents… both of his parents, and in the kitchen. “But I would rather not discuss in details my sex life with my parents. No offence but this is just… weird.”

Both of his parents gave nervous laughs. It was clear no one was particularly comfortable with this part of the conversation. Blaine glanced once again at his father, unsure where the conversation should go from here.

“Okay,” Tim said, “so, you’re… gay.” A beat later, “My son, is homosexual. Are you happy?”

Blaine could see everything finally sinking in, “Yes, Dad, I am very happy. Kurt, he makes me happier than I have ever been. Before… even when I was at Dalton, I was alone. Even when I dated before, they weren’t… it wasn’t like with Kurt. He’s special… to me he is special.”

A true smile graced Mr. Anderson’s face at last, “Well then I think it’s time that you tell me more about this young man.”

The three Andersons talked for hours about Kurt, NYU and New York. For the first time in four years, Blaine felt himself opening up to both his parents. There was still some strain but finally things were looking up. He told them about wanting to stay in New York for the summer, his plans, his hopes and dreams.

As they readied themselves to go to bed, Blaine turned to his father and asked the question that had been nagging him most of the night, “Why now Dad, why is now different than any other time I have tried to talk to you about this?”

His dad turned back to him, “It was something Kurt said, about it not being your job to change but my job to accept. I don’t know something just clicked, I realized that all I was doing was pushing you away. Knowing that you doubted my love for you, that really did it. There is nothing you could do or be to make me stop loving you. It may still take me a while to be completely comfortable with all of this, but I am getting there.”

It was late before Blaine had a chance to call Kurt. Unmindful of the fact that he had to get up early the next morning, Kurt stayed on the phone talking with Blaine about everything that had happened with his parents. They groaned together as Blaine related the sex talk his father tried to initiate, leading to Kurt telling Blaine about his father and the pamphlets he insisted on talking over with him last year. It wasn’t until Kurt was drifting off listening to Blaine’s voice, did they end the call with declarations of love.