Well this is fucking insane.

“Dad, Carole?” Kurt half squeaks/half croaks out with a double take and a hilarious lift of both eyebrows, when his dad and step-mom waltz into the Anderson's living room behind Adrian.

He quickly looks around to find Blaine a few steps away staring at them also, his lips still parted and upturned into a twist from where he was laughing with Cooper just moments ago. His eyes are so wide that it looks almost painful, like they could just fall right out of their sockets.

“Hey kid,” Burt calls cheerfully, smiling at Kurt's incredulous expression and then chuckling when Cooper –who is positively beaming- shuts Blaine's mouth with a finger pressed to the underside of his chin.

“Oh Carole, hi.” Rey smiles coming forward to hug the other woman. “I'm glad you're here, we must talk about our lunch date next week-”

The two women carry on chattering like old friends, and behind them Adrian and Burt laugh gruffly at some obvious inside joke.

“Ok, what the hell?” Every body turns to look at Kurt who is now standing in the middle of the room, his eyes shifting between the two sets of parents.

With all eyes trained on him, Kurt realizes the need to lower his pitch and calm his tone and clears his throat. “Um, sorry, uh, what exactly is going on here? Why are you here, dad? Do you guys know each other? H-How?”

Blaine steps cautiously towards him, coming to stand by his side, and resists the reassuring need to slip his hand through into Kurt's, though his arm does raise to do so automatically.

Burt slips off his sports cap and scrunches it in his hand, his older crinkly eyes almost disappearing as he grins, and steps forward towards his son.

“Came to collect you and Blaine, didn't we?”

“Dad?” Kurt huffs out, clearly unimpressed and bored and tired of this game already, though his lips are trying to raise at his dad's amused, playful tone, and telltale expression.

“Ok, ok. I don't think we're going to be able to keep this up much longer, they're clearly not up for playing ball-” Blaine's dad laughs from behind them.

“Aw no fun, I could have easily enjoyed a few more minutes of B panicking-” Cooper cries out from somewhere towards the back of the room. Blaine would happily hit him right now if it wasn't for the fact that he can't move, can't take his eyes away from staring at his father.

Who is this man? Blaine's never known his father so energetic and jolly and sociable. And that's without the fact that he's just met Blaine's boyfriend (his famous boyfriend) and is now currently making nice with him and said boyfriend's family.   

Rey shushes her eldest son and then starts gently ushering all of the guests out of the living room. “Come on everyone, let's fix some drinks and divulge shall, I think we have some leftover cake, unless Cooper has been at it.”

“Hey, why always me?”

Burt smirks, squeezes Kurt's shoulders and then leaves the room with Carole in tow, winking and grinning like a blushing teenage girl.

Once everyone has left the room and entered the hallway towards the kitchen with a loud chorus of chatter and laughter, Kurt turns to Blaine, still rooted to the spot, staring helplessly out of the open now empty doorway.

This time Kurt take's Blaine's hand and squeezes hard. They look at each other in complete shock and confusion, with some slight worry but there is also a tinge of something else there. Something hidden, softening their gazes and their serious like features. Something very close to relief and wonder and unnervingly like happiness?

“What the fuck?” Kurt mouths, silently but clearly.

And if Blaine wasn't still shocked into statue mode, he would have leaned in and quickly kissed the filth from Kurt's lips.

*

“So,” Burt decides to start once everyone is settled around the vast kitchen table, with cups of coffee and tea, and glasses of juice and small china plates of cake and whipped cream.

Cooper has been downgraded to the kitchen island behind them and is stooped over on his bar stool, digging a folk into an untouched bacon and cheese quiche.

“Yeah, so?” Kurt remarks probably a little quicker and cooler than planned. Blaine, who is sitting ramrod straight beside him, squeezes his knee under the table, confident that nobody can see the movement of his arm because of the long white table cloth.

They are a couple, a pair of consenting adults, who are great friends, have grown to trust and care for each other deeply, and have allowed themselves to fall in love with each other over time, no matter how long or short or previous or current the circumstances.

Their families know this, everybody knows this. Yet here they are acting like two kids who have just been caught behind the bike sheds with each other and are getting the ‘talk' for the first time.

For Blaine the whole uneasiness and shock value of it all comes down to the fact that his parents (especially his father) have never taken any interest in his romantic life before, yet here they are quite comfortably and obviously best friends with Kurt's parents. Kurt's very welcoming, understanding parents. Blaine's dad had even implied earlier that Kurt was part of the family. What?

It's amazing and beautiful of course, but what?

Everybody appears to just be taking it all in their stride, Everybody apart from Kurt and Blaine, apparently.

“So,” Burt continues, shooting his son a warning look, and Kurt shuffles back into his seat like a kid on his last warning before the naughty step rule is introduced. “Here's what it is. Back when you and I were having our…” Burt pauses, looking at Kurt, clearly looking for the right words to continue.

“Quiet phase? Stubborn time? Moment of unnecessary manly awkward madness?” Carole offers and Rey smiles behind her teacup.

“Quiet will do. Thanks honey.” Burt says, not quite looking at his wife. “When we weren't speaking,” Burt rephrases and continues, “Carole had met Blaine and come to know him well after his initial interview and probation period, had told me great you two were together, and so I decided that it was time to start and bury the hatchet so to speak. That's what started off the process with me turning up at your place unannounced that night.”

Both Kurt and Blaine nod, both ears and eyes wide open with curiosity etched all over their faces. Kurt tentatively sips at a his drink, and Blaine pushes around a chunk of  chocolate cake on his plate until Cooper gets up and comes to take it from him. 

“I don't know if you remember me telling you Blaine but that was actually around the time that your father was having some car troubles.” Blaine's eyes shoot up to the ceiling in thought, his eyebrows knitting together as realisation starts to home in.  

Kurt sighs, leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest. He shakes his head slowly, but not unkindly, the corners of his lips are even ever so slightly curling upwards. He eyes everyone around the table carefully, eventually landing his gaze on Blaine beside him, as he twists slightly to look at him properly.

The silent message conveyed through the deep stare of both sets of beautifully bewildered eyes fixed upon each other, is terribly obvious.

So Burt somehow, for some reason fixed Adrian's car, and somewhere amongst that little meet cute they discovered who each other were.

These people who call themselves parents (one half who never seemed to care that much, that often) have actually known and befriended each other for god knows how long. And kept it some sort of secret from their kids, their kids who are dating, more than dating. Their kids who have this huge history together, living both of their personal and professional lives so publically, and their parents thought it would be fun to keep up a little secret joke with them?

“Ok. Facts. Straight up.” Kurt says, it's not quite a question yet not quite a demand, either way it's aimed mostly at his father, though he does search the faces of everyone else around the table.

Blaine seems to ease up a little beside him, his hands hanging by his sides and his fingers brushing against the outer side of Kurt's thigh, scratching a nail against the thick rough denim of Kurt's jeans, hoping that the slight contact is as reassuring to Kurt as he is finding it himself.

They've enjoyed dressing down this weekend. Well dressing down in terms of getting out of their suits and ties. But their dress sense has still been impeccable compared to Burt's flannel shirts and oil smudged faded jeans. 

“I was travelling through Lima for business and my car broke down,” Adrian starts with a small smirk. “I called up my breakdown service and they told me that the nearest garage was this Tires and Lube place and they would call for a repair truck to come out and find me.”

“And you didn't put two and two together dad?” Blaine asks, not accusingly but certainly curiously.

“To be honest son, and Burt and I have talked about this enough that I feel comfortable enough admitting it now, but no I didn't. I didn't know who Kurt was other than what little your mother had been filling me in over dinner. I didn't know about his family, or anything.”

Because you didn't care, Blaine thinks. He's not sad or disappointed, he knew this was the case with his father. His father wasn't mean or unkind to him, he just wasn't interested in his life enough to at least act like it. At least up until now.

Adrian looks over at Kurt, his eyes a little distant and far off. He offers a small rueful smile, which is blatantly a form of an apology, and to his relief Kurt sends him one back. Kurt has spent enough time making enemies in his past life and he certainly does not want to cause any rifts between his and Blaine's families. Not that there's especially any reason to and not after everybody is now back at a place of caring and spending time together.

It's clear that Adrian is obviously thinking that way too.

“So you guys had already met when you showed up that night in New York?” Kurt asks his dad calmly. Burt nods and a scrape behind them tells them that Cooper is obviously bored of this seemingly civil conversation and has taken his quiche and Blaine's cake to enjoy elsewhere.

“I went out, worked on his engine, and we had to wait a while for one of the guys to go out pick up a spare part and drop it off. In that time we talked and it didn't take long for the pieces to slowly slot together for me.”

Rey and Carole share a fond look and their expressions are readable. This is clearly a conversation with only the men needed present. Their facial expressions are clearly those of two women used to living with and being surrounded by sometimes silly and irrational men. And that right now all they actually care about is that their sons are happy and that they can take their tea next door and discuss what the doctor had advised Rey about her evening primrose pills.

When the women get up and leave after Carole has bent down and given Kurt a quick kiss on the cheek and patted Blaine's cheek lightly, and Rey had sent both boys a reassuring smile- Burt continues and Adrian nudges a plate of biscuits his way.

“After that we met up the next night for a beer and-”

“And Burt taught me what being a father is really about. Taught me how I should have been doing it all along.” Adrian interrupts.

He squirms a little in seat, looking visibly ashamed but with his head still high, like he knows his wrongs and is ready to right them, and when he catches Blaine's eye, Blaine feels his throat start to dry up and swell.

Kurt doesn't hold back, he pushes his hand into Blaine's, hanging between their legs and threads their fingers together tightly.

“Burt and I swapped numbers and we talked almost every night after that, swapping stories about our sons, our feelings on fatherhood, the right, the wrongs, the ‘I don't know what the hell to do's'” All four of them laugh a little at that and Blaine's heart melts a little. “Then we got the girls involved, and they hit it off right away, so we started meeting up-”

“And you kept all of this a secret? Dad I don't think you've ever managed to keep a secret like this ever, not since my tenth birthday party when you'd hired that-”

“Yeah, yeah I know. It's pretty easy when you're not talking to me kiddo.” Burt says a little sadly though he's grinning as best as he can manage.

He then turns to Blaine. “So I was finding out all this stuff about you from your folks, plus stuff that Carole kept telling me, on top of everything I kept seeing of you two in those awful magazines that Carole gets and on those websites.”

“It's funny,” Adrian chirps, “Because at the same time that Burt was finding out all of this stuff about you, from me, so was I.” Blaine looks between his own father and Kurt's. He never thought it possible to feel so overjoyed, so warmed from his head to toes through to his very core just by being in the presence of someone else, let alone three someone else's.

“I just needed reminding son.” Adrian adds, his voice thick, looking at Blaine from across the table. The table grows quiet, all men looking at each other with clear watery rimmed looking eyes, coughing and throat clearing.

“You two have a hell of a lot to go through on a daily basis, and you've both proven you're more man than I've ever shown to be. No matter your choices, whether other people agree with them or not, that doesn't take away your credibility and the fact that you're wonderful people no matter what.” Adrian adds, smiling proudly at Blaine.

Burt leans over in his chair and nudges at Kurt's shoulder, Kurt catches his hand and gives it light squeeze.

“So,” Burt says after a bit more throat clearing (god know what the girls must be thinking next door with all these sounds and thank god Cooper isn't here,) “That was when I had decided to take the bull by the horns and come and see you kids for myself.”

“Why did you not want to tell us about all of this, or what made you think that you couldn't?” Kurt asks.

“We know how crazy things are for you guys, how busy and how hard it is for you sometimes. We wanted you to be able to initiate when you wanted us to meet. No pressure and all, you know.” Burt says, shrugging a little and looking amongst the selection of biscuits. “Plus we enjoyed making new friends, playing this little game without you guys stressing out about anything.” He finally picks up a ginger snap and smiles as he takes a bite.

Blaine doesn't think that there will ever be a time when he will not like Burt. And what's more, he has influenced his father. And right now Blaine likes his father very much.

Blaine can see Kurt smiling out of the corner of his eyes, he can feel him relaxing against him and their palms and fingers that are pressed against each other tingle and tighten instinctually.

“But you didn't leave it up to us,” Kurt says teasingly, “surprising the shit out of us back then, had nothing to do with us initiating when to introduce you guys to each other.” Blaine giggles and their fingers wiggle together. 

“Well I guess you can blame me for that, for just wanting to keep up appearances.” Burt points a finger to himself after licking up the last of the biscuit crumbs.

“And it was me who suggested that Burt and Carole come here this weekend, we didn't want to keep it up too long,” Adrian starts, “You're mother was very eager to meet Kurt, and officially start the ball rolling.”

Blaine's heart sinks as he remembers how sad his mother had sounded during their phone call, all along she had known that Carole knew her son very well but couldn't say the same for herself and Kurt.

Just then a cackle of laughter carries from the front room out into the hallway and Blaine's heart rises in his chest at how happy they both sound, he can even hear Cooper in there with them eating up all of the attention front and center, and his body fills with warmth.

When it's clear that not a lot more needs to be discussed right now and in this manner, the four of them stand, picking up their drinks and what ever else is left on the table. Kurt gives his father a playful nudge followed by a one armed hug because of the items in their hands, and Blaine steps right up to his dad and throws his arms around him.

Words are not always needed at times, and this is one of those times. Sometimes a gesture, a simple touch, a hug can say all that is necessary.

They separate so that Burt can pull Blaine into another one of his skilled sideways hugs, both grinning and Adrian offers Kurt his hand. Kurt takes it happily, shaking firmly with bright eyes and there's a moment when Blaine thinks they're both going to go in for a hug. It doesn't happen even though both of them seem fairly content in each other's presence, but there's time yet. There is forever, actually.

The two older men head back out toward the front room to find out what their wives have been up to, leaving Kurt and Blaine standing staring at each other. Some how after pulling apart from their fathers, their hands have managed to gravitate towards each others again and knit together like magnets.

All Blaine can do is shake his head slowly from side to side, grinning widely with their hands swaying between them. Kurt just nods back at him silently, knowing exactly what Blaine is communicating even though it is nothing at all.

Kurt bite's his lip into a smirk, and his head bobs forward as his eyes dart down to Blaine's mouth. Blaine leans in, knowing what Kurt is thinking, knowing what both of their bodies need, like there's some kind of silent beckoning call happening between them.

Kurt unravels their fingers, brings his hands up to cup Blaine's jaw and is just about to grab him and close the distance between their mouths when they hear Cooper shout out obnoxiously and exaggeratingly loud from the next room.

“Oh come on, they don't need privacy in this house too, let's not be that family. If they wanna make out, they can do it in front of us. Ow! Dad!”

*

By the time the afternoon is slowly shifting over into evening and the sky outside is a sea of reds and oranges and purples as the sun lowers, Burt insists that they must get going if the boys are going to make their flight on time.

There's a little bit of an awkward silence out in the hallway, with everyone standing in a half semi circle just staring at each other. Burt already has Kurt and Blaine's luggage in the trunk and Blaine has his satchel with his and Kurt's necessities strapped to him.

It's sad and weird, kind of like the family that never knew they were a family ready to part ways already and split off into four different directions. Cooper's flight back to LA leaves first thing in the morning and when Burt and Carole get back to Lima, Burt's going to be busy with the shop for a while and Adrian has an accountancy conference in Delaware.

And of course Kurt and Blaine will be heading back to their life in New York, already eager to see what's awaiting them when they arrive. Though they will miss this. This crazy new and wonderful realization.

But now that only means that there will have to be more opportunities to do this, to be like this, all together and comfortable.

Rey starts off the proceedings by swiftly hugging both Burt and Carole, telling Carole that she'll call her about that Aqua Yoga class and then swoops in and envelopes Kurt in a big hug before he even knows what's happening.

Blaine smiles at the sight and feels his heart thud hard in his chest when he hears his mom murmur into Kurt's ear, “You're always welcome here Kurt. You'll always be safe here in this home, you can trust us, and Blaine knows that too.”

Kurt's arms tighten around the woman and Blaine wishes he could fit them both into his arms and scoop them up.

Cooper hounds his way into the middle of the group, kisses Carole sweetly on the cheek and then places both hands on Burt's shoulders and says, “You ever need a pretty face up in that work shop, you know where to find me.”

Without much of a pause he then turns to Kurt and bows dramatically in front of him, “And you know where to find me too.”

He straightens and winks as Kurt fishes his business card out of the side pocket of Blaine's satchel for him and then gives him a hesitant but warm hug. Cooper then takes off up the stairs. 

When goodbyes between the two families have been shared Burt heads for the door with Carole on his arm, Kurt turns to both Adrian and Rey and says, “Please do come and visit us in New York sometime, maybe for Thanksgiving, and Cooper too of course.” 

There's a distinct whoop from upstairs, Carole chuckles softly and says, “Ooh maybe we'll join you then. Oh I can't wait to see little Jester-”

“Oh Blaine's little homeless cat, you still have that thing?” Rey turns to Blaine, laughing incredulously.

Blaine nods proudly. “He's half Kurt's responsibility now, since he insists on feeding him stuff that's not good for him.” Kurt rolls his eyes fondly.

Carol laughs and claps her hands, cooing, “Oh Reyna you should see them both with him, they're like the sweetest little fam-”

“Ok time to go. See ya folks, thanks for the hospitality.” Burt ushers Carole out of the door, as Kurt follows with his cheeks flushed and Rey is just staring at Blaine, an eye brow raised and endless obvious thoughts running through her head.

The Hummel's pack into the car quickly and quietly and wait for Blaine to say goodbye to his parents with a bit of privacy.

A Handful of short minutes later Blaine exits the house, his cheeks are a little pink and his hair is a mess where his mother's hands have obviously been trying to pat it down. His eyes are rimmed a little red, but there's a huge smile on his face and when he gets to the car, Kurt opens the door for him.

Blaine is barely buckled in safely beside Kurt with the door closed as Burt starts pulling off and away.

Kurt barely thinks, he pays no mind to his parents in the front of the car when he smacks a messy kiss to Blaine's cheek, wipes a stray tear from his eye and says as loud as he dares, “Love you.”

Carole hiccups and Burt smirks at the passing traffic.

*

“I've been thinking-” Blaine says as he unties his robe at the waist and hangs it on the hook on the back of the bedroom door, wandering over to the bed in just a grey pair of boxers.

Jester watches him lazily from his little bed in the corner of the room. He's fast and rather cleverly come to learn that three in the bed can sometimes lead to poor little cat injuries and it's just better to stay in his own bed.  Especially when they're both in that mood, when Blaine whistles and hums as he undresses and changes into his casual leisure wear and Kurt dances around the kitchen as he serves Jes his dinner.

Jes has come to learn little key signs like that and usually retreats to his own room, in the form of Blaine's old bedroom.

“Uh-oh-” Kurt sing-songs lowly, from his propped up position in bed against the pillows, under the covers. He grins cheekily, with his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose but doesn't look up at Blaine from the email he's busy reading on his phone.

When his eyes finally do slide over, Blaine loves how wide they get as they travel down Blaine's body.

The bedroom is filled with soft magnolia light from the lamps on the night stands by both sides of the bed, and Kurt's skin, pale and soft, looks glowing from the effect filtering through the room.

His bare chest is peaking out from behind his arms and the bundle of covers heaped at his waist, and Blaine can't wait to find what he's got on underneath, or not got on.

Sometimes it's easy for Blaine to forget that behind the suits and the masquerade, that this is them. Lazily flirting in their underwear, sharing a bed at night to warm their skin against the other's, trying to raise a wayward adolescent feline.

Just ordinary, perfectly normal, wonderful domesticity.    

It's a midweek November night, not too late, not their usual bedtime but they've both decided to retire for the night and cosy up under their warm sheets and blankets.

The past weeks gone by have been busy to say the least.

Kurt has recently accepted an offer to join a judging panel for an online competition which encourages amateur designers to send in their drawings and ideas. The winner receives a grant of $200,000 and a full year of professional assistance and work space to get their line under way. With Kurt being one of the ‘professionals' to help advise and encourage. The campaign will be well publicised and has already been ranted about with boatfuls of positivity within the fashion world.

Kurt is very excited about it, it's different and will be somewhat challenging but it's exactly in the direction in which he wants to head with his career. Opportunities that keep his head above water and still in the game, unique circumstances that continue to ensure his work and willingness to help the underdogs are recognised.

Blaine is also very excited about Kurt's new opportunity, and because of this he will be working harder within the other areas of the business, so that Kurt can breathe a little easier.

Together they make quite the team, that's been made certain, but now with both of them starting to focus on more individual aspects, it's time to start proving that they can focus on more than just each other and their combined schedules.

With Kurt's encouragement and Cooper's incessant bugging (though he calls it gentle reminding), Blaine did in fact call Andre Kahn about a possible new business venture, and the two had apparently hit it off right away.

They're not rushing into deals or contracts right away but they're meeting up, discussing things and simply getting to know each other, learning where each other are at and how they can divide and maximise their skills between them to create something really great.

It's clear to both Blaine and Kurt that Andre is a humble, well rounded, well to do guy, who quite possibly just wants to make friends and help people. He's not after a monkey to run around doing all of his work, or an apprentice to boss around. He's just after someone worthy enough to have belief and faith in, somebody's who's a real go-getter. Somebody exactly like Blaine.     

“Hush you,” Blaine grins, folding back the duvet and sliding in, turning on his side to face Kurt with his head propped up an elbow.

“What were you thinking dear?” Kurt says, shutting down his phone screen and placing it on the night stand beside him, and then quickly turning to add, “Did you read that email by the way? From-”

“Yeah,” Blaine interjects, “I already forwarded it on to the appropriate departments, and I've made a note of it in our diaries also.”

He grins when Kurt turns and imitates his position, picking up his hand and placing a kiss to his knuckles. “You're so efficient. Now go on, tell me what you were thinking?”

“That's why you hired me,” Blaine quips, moving in to catch Kurt's lips before he can pull away again. “And I was thinking that, when we go back to Andre's office tomorrow, after the meeting we could maybe head out for a late lunch and celebratory drinks.”

Kurt smirks, clearly intrigued and shuffles forward, his body rustling under the sheets closer to Blaine. Instinctively Blaine's arms under the covers reach out for Kurt, his fingers curling around Kurt's bare hip, just above where the tight elastic band of his snug underwear are sitting.

“Our diaries are pretty much empty for the rest of the afternoon,” Blaine continues lowly, his eye lids drooping into slits as his eyes both dark and bright land on Kurt's lips. “Whatever is in there, I'm sure could be moved to another day-”

“Mr Anderson,” Kurt's eyes are twinkling in the shadows of the night lamp behind him, his voice deep and rough. “Are you suggesting that I play hooky with you tomorrow?”

Blaine bites his lip and nods coyly, “Mr Hummel, with all due respect, sir,” Something twinges hot deep down and he just knows that Kurt feels it too. “You love that place around the corner from Andre's office, the one that looks out on to the Hudson, we could go for a walk along the water-”

“Mr Anderson,” Kurt whispers, his tongue dipping out and down to wet his pink lips, “Are you trying to lure me on a date?”

Blaine's whole entire face lights up with delight. They've never actually had a date, like a real one, not intentionally anyway, where they don't have to hide or act.

“Yes.” Blaine whispers back. “That's exactly what I'm tying to do.”

Kurt giggles slightly at the look on Blaine's face and can't keep up the pretence anymore. He wiggles down and rolls himself forward so that there is no longer any space left on the mattress between them, his lips pressing straight to Blaine's throat.

“Yes. I would love that.” Blaine wraps his arms tighter around Kurt, his hands moving down slowly to rest above the swell of Kurt's ass cheeks. He sighs deep and blissful and Kurt feels the movement against his lips.

“And just so you know,” Kurt continues to press whispered words against Blaine's warm skin, “Efficiency is not the only reason I hired you.”

“Oh?” Blaine's tone is humoured and a little cracked and Kurt knows that he's quirking an eyebrow though he can't see it.

“Yes oh,” Kurt kisses down Blaine's chest, “Roughly forty-two and by my estimations, we have around forty-two days left until Christmas.”

“That's quite the countdown.” Blaine muses, moaning and squeezing his eyes shut when Kurt's lips suck the soft thin skin around his belly button, his teeth grazing the light spatter of hair neatly lined there.

“Tis. You remember Christmas right? What we did, what we started?” Kurt's voice is so low and rasped.

“Yuh-huh.” Blaine's hips thrust up as Kurt takes the elastic of his boxers between his teeth, as he crawls down further under the covers, his head almost disappearing, and his nose pressing firmly to Blaine's pubic bone.

“And I intend to show and remind you of exactly why I hired you up until then.”

“Yes sir.”