Blaine entered the small coffee shop and peered around the cramped space. It wasn’t hard to spot the familiar coif hair style that had only changed slightly in seven years. Making his way past the small couches and bookshelves, Blaine sat down across from Kurt.
“You came” Kurt smiled as he slid a mug toward Blaine. Guessing his ex-fianc� still liked a Caramel Latte, he took the liberty of ordering for him.
“I told you I would” Blaine shrugged as he accepted the mug.
“I’m glad you did, it’s good to see you again”
Blaine nodded silently as he took a sip of his drink. Savouring the taste he hadn’t enjoyed for many years, he set the cup down before looking back at Kurt. He hadn’t changed in years, he still looked flawlessly fabulous without any effort and it killed Blaine to see that life had been so nice to him... after everything.
“You’re quiet...”
“I need to ask, if you hadn’t come into my restaurant which I’m guessing was completely accidental by the disbelief written all over your face when you saw Hunter for the first time, would you ever have come to see him? Us?”
Both men were silent for a moment. Blaine waiting for answer while Kurt tried to find the right words
“I... I wanted to” Kurt finally spoke “I had been trying to plan the perfect moment to come down to DC and see you both. I was grateful that the opportunity kind of fell into my lap a couple weeks ago when I saw Hunter at the restaurant. I’d over planned it so much that I’d almost talked myself out of ever coming to see you”
“You knew we were here?”
Kurt nodded “Finn saw you one day when he was here visiting Dad and Carole. I don’t think Hunter was very old, 3 maybe?”
There was another silence between the pair as they both took a sip of their coffees waiting for each other to speak.
“So, uh, what’s Hunter up to today?”
“I left him and Austin camped out on the couch watching the Browns and Raiders game” Blaine smiled. From the moment both of them got out of bed, their day centred around the television whether it was pre-game coverage or the game itself. Blaine would usually be right there with them watching if he didn’t have ‘errands to run’. Austin knew where he was going and who he was meeting but Blaine kept that information from his son. There was no use upsetting the seven year old over a coffee date.
“He got his love of football from you no doubt”
“He loves it but Cooper got him supporting the Oakland Raiders. He boo’s any of the Ohio teams now” Blaine laughed. Cooper still lived in Los Angeles with his family. He continued his acting career but Scarlett and Dianna had kept him very grounded. He was back to being the same man Blaine knew before he made it big.
“Are the Raiders any good?”
“You still don’t follow football?”
“No” the older man chuckled lightly “What else does Hunter like? Does he play a sport? An instrument?”
“I’m slowly teaching him to play the piano and he tried soccer this year but didn’t like it too much. Stuck it out til the end of the season before asking if he could play baseball next year” Blaine smiled remembering that day vividly.
Hunter’s soccer team was good (for a bunch of second graders running back and forth chasing a ball in too big uniforms) and they had made it to the grand finals. After winning the game and receiving their trophies, Hunter walked up to Austin and his father, handed them the trophy and bluntly said “I don’t like this game, my arms don’t get to do anything. Can I try baseball?”
“Well he’s too short for basketball” Kurt joked knowing his ex hated short quips.
“Not his fault” he laughed “Much to Austin’s dismay though, he played all through college and kinda hoped to pass on some wisdom. He knows nothing about baseball”
“Austin’s very involved with Hunter, isn’t he? Kinda like a... Dad?”
“Don’t made me say it, Kurt”
“Austin is the closest thing he’s got to a second father?”
“Kurt” Blaine sighed softly. He really didn’t want this coffee meeting to turn into another fight.
“It’s true though” Kurt bit back “Does he call Austin ‘Dad’ yet?”
“No, you happy?”
“There’s something else...”
“Kurt”
“Say it, Blaine” Kurt demanded. He had known Blaine long enough to know that he was holding something back. Even after seven years he could still read the brunette like a book.
“Hunter told me that he will only ever have one Dad. Whether I’m with Austin for the rest of my life or not, he won’t acknowledge anyone else as his father” Blaine growled softly “He says he only had one father when he was born and that’s all he needs”
“Ouch, I guess that explains why he was so angry with me at the restaurant”
“He doesn’t know who you are, I never told him” the younger man shrugged “He was angry because that first time we saw you, was the first time my son has ever seen me so upset and frustrated that I was in tears. I’ve always been protective of him so in turn he’s become protective of me”
“He doesn’t know about us?”
“Why does he need to know?”
“Because we brought him into this world together” Kurt snapped
“Yeah and you walked away three months later, I’m sorry for not wanting my son to know that he was the only I got out of bed every morning after you left” Blaine snarled “I didn’t tell him who you were because I don’t want him to hate you for what you did 7 years ago”
“He hates me now anyway!”
“For upsetting me at the restaurant, he’d probably forget about it eventually. If he knew that you didn’t love him or want him, you’d have no chance of him ever forgiving you”
“You cannot tell me I didn’t love that boy, I have always loved him. I think the envelope I gave you was proof enough”
“A pay out doesn’t mean you love my son” Blaine sighed pulling the envelope Kurt had given him a couple weeks ago out of his pocket and threw it onto the table.
“Did you even read it?” Kurt groaned, frustrated. “There’s a letter in there that I wrote the day I left, it’s for Hunter telling him how sorry I was. There are also details to a college fund I set up before Hunter was even born. I wanted to at least set him up with a good future but I know it’s no compensation”
“He won’t understand, he’s too young”
“Please let me try to explain it to him, he seems like a smart kid”
Blaine shuffled in his seat as he thought about Kurt talking to Hunter. He was a smart kid but Blaine worried that his son wouldn’t understand Kurt’s decision to leave. That he needed to focus on his career before his family.
“If anyone needs to explain this to him, it has to be me” Blaine sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. Kurt seemed serious about making amends with Hunter but Blaine still had his doubts.
“I just want to get to know him. I’ve never stopped thinking of him as my son”
Blaine looked up at Kurt and saw the pain strewn across his face. With tears threatening to fall, Kurt just wanted to make up for everything he missed. He wanted Hunter to know that he was always loved, that he would always be loved.
“Let me talk to him”
“Thank you, Blaine”