If Kurt thought his Dad's willingness to let him go camping with Blaine meant the start of a bit more freedom, he was sadly mistaken. Maybe it was Kurt's speech about how Burt and Carol weren't always home and he and Blaine could manage to have sex if they really wanted to, or maybe it was the fact that Kurt returned from camping in a particularly good mood and Burt didn't believe he really like the outdoors that much. In any case, every Monday, Blaine's only day off, without fail, someone was always home. The two boys usually went for a leisurely coffee date on Monday mornings, then Kurt would go to work in the afternoons, and they would always do something Monday nights. Anything but Six Flags was Kurt's only requirement for those dates. Sometimes they went out to Breadstix and a movie, spent time with friends, or had supper with Kurt's family and hung out in his room for the evening. Unfortunately, with Burt going frequently by the open door, they never felt truly alone. Any other time they saw each other in a week seemed to be at Six Flags. Kurt had eaten more amusement park food than he even wanted to think about, had been multiple times on any ride he was actually willing to go on, and from their extensive walks through the grounds, had the layout of the entire park memorized. If he hadn't been with Blaine, he would have hated it, but he was really just happy to spend time with him, wherever they happened to be. What they weren't getting, though, was any real time alone. They might take their time saying goodnight, parked in Kurt's driveway, but since Burt seemed to need to water the front flower beds at the oddest times, things couldn't get too carried away. Neither boy really wanted to go park in a random deserted area, which certainly wouldn't be the safest place for two gay teens in Ohio to make-out, so they stuck with their coffee dates and getting caught kissing by Burt.
Blaine was pretty busy with work and Kurt was really enjoying his job at the kids camp and starting to spend more and more time getting things ready for their musical. They hadn't seen each other since Monday this week, and it was already Sunday. Kurt was planning to spend the whole day with Blaine at Six Flags, and after incessantly pleading with his Dad for the last day, he had a surprise for Blaine.
Blaine picked Kurt up and they headed for the Lima Bean first thing in the morning. Kurt could hardly wait until they sat down with their coffees to give Blaine the good news.
"So you know how you were planning on dropping me off at home tonight, then you'd get home really late, sleep in, and we'd hardly have any time together tomorrow morning?" Blaine nodded, sipping his coffee. "Well, my Dad said that you could sleep on the couch tonight if you want to. Then we'd get to spend all of tomorrow morning together and," he said dropping his voice, "maybe we could manage to spend some time alone together, too."
Blaine smiled. "I would really like that. A lot," he added for extra emphasis. "Why don't we run to my place and get my stuff now? We should have enough time before I need to be at work."
"Are you sure it's okay for me to go to your house?"
"Yeah, it should be fine. My Mom's on some sort of weekend getaway with her friends, and my Dad's been away on business somewhere all week. I would have been alone tonight anyway."
________________________________________
When they pulled-up in Blaine's driveway, Kurt was suddenly nervous. It seemed strange to finally be seeing his boyfriend's house after months, even if he wouldn't actually be meeting his parents.
Blaine took his hand and led him up the driveway of the fairly large, newer house, which seemed nearly identical to all of the neighbouring houses. Blaine quickly pointed-out the living room and kitchen, both fashionably-decorated and immaculate. To Kurt, it didn't seem to have that homey quality that his own house had always had. There was no smell of recent baking, no newspaper left out where his father always left it, nothing to indicate that real people actually lived here. Blaine led him upstairs and down the hallway to his room. This room at least seemed to have some character. Here there were pictures on the walls – some of Kurt and some of the Warblers. There was a keyboard and sheet music strewn all over the desk. It looked like Blaine spent most of his time here. Kurt continued to look at the pictures and the DVD collection on one set of shelves while Blaine grabbed a duffel bag and started throwing stuff in. It didn't take him long to get everything he needed, and there wasn't any time to spare before he had to leave for work. They headed back out into the hallway, Blaine with the duffel bag over his shoulder, Kurt a few steps behind, having been gazing at a picture of Blaine as a little kid. He was still thinking about that adorable picture, when Blaine suddenly stopped in front of him.
"Blaine," a loud voice said.
"Hi, Dad," Blaine replied, dropping his eyes, his shoulders rounding forward. Everything about his posture suddenly seemed submissive.
"Who's this?" the voice boomed again.
Kurt finally caught-up with Blaine to see a tall man with greying dark brown hair at the top of the stairs, carrying a suitcase and wearing an unpleasant expression.
Blaine looked at Kurt, catching his eye, suddenly pulling himself up straighter. He looked his father in the eye and said defiantly "This is my boyfriend, Kurt Hummel. Kurt, this is my father, Stephen Anderson."
It seemed to take his father a second to process what his son had just said to him, a second of silence before an explosion. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Did we or did we not have this conversation the last time you dated a boy and ended-up in the hospital? You know that behaviour is not acceptable in this house and," he glanced at Kurt, "for you to openly bring him here and introduce him like you're proud to be with him. I don't know who you are anymore, but you're certainly not the son I raised. Get your stuff and go. Get out of my house and don't come back. And don't think I'll keep paying for that expensive school of yours. You're on your own." He turned and walked back down the stairs, leaving his suitcase at the top of the stairs. The front door slammed shut.
Wordlessly, Blaine turned and headed back to his room. Kurt followed him and sat on the bed as Blaine grabbed another bag and started throwing more things in. It seemed pretty random to Kurt, buy maybe there was some kind of logic to it. Maybe Blaine, as upset as he was, was really picking out the things that meant most to him. Kurt wasn't sure how to help, other than just being there with him. He watched as Blaine's Dalton clothes went in the bag, not just the uniform, but his T-shirt and sweatshirt with the Dalton logo as well. A scruffy stuffed dog from one of the drawers in his bedside table was also thrown in, as was a small notebook, and some loose sheets of music it appeared Blaine had been composing. Blaine took a final look around, grabbed a picture of the two of them and his laptop, and said "Let's get out of here." Kurt grabbed his other bag and they headed downstairs and out the door. Blaine locked it, dropped the house key through the mail slot, turned and didn't look back. He dumped all his stuff into the trunk of his car and made no objection to Kurt taking his car keys, heading for the passenger side instead.
"So, now what?" Blaine asked, having flopped down in the passenger seat.
"Well, I don't think you should go to work," Kurt replied.
"I forgot, I have to work today," Blaine said, seeming slightly dazed.
"Why don't I call and tell them you can't make it?"
"They won't like me cancelling on them at the last minute. They won't have time to get anyone else."
"Don't worry, I'll think of something. Do you have the number?"
"In my phone. It's listed as work. Ask for Kevin. He's in charge of the music. Kurt, please don't tell him what happened. I don't want everyone to know."
Kurt nodded. "Hi, could I speak to Kevin, please?" he said into Blaine's phone. "This is Kurt, Blaine's boyfriend. Blaine's not going to be able to come to work today. He got stung by a bee and he's allergic, so we're at the hospital now. He's so swollen already, he can't even talk, so there's no way he could sing." There was a pause, then "Yeah, no problem. Bye," Kurt said. "Okay, you're all set with work."
Blaine didn't respond. He was staring straight ahead again and looking dazed. Kurt started the car and started driving back to his house. Blaine stayed silent for the whole ride. They arrived and Kurt turned off the car. Blaine didn't move.
"Baby, I want to help you, but I'm not sure what to do here."
"Why don't we go inside?" Blaine asked, apparently just realizing they'd arrived.
They went in and Kurt walked Blaine to the couch. He sat down and seemed to be watching the pre-season football game Burt must have left on.
"Kurt, is that you? We weren't expecting you back until tonight," he heard Carol ask from the kitchen. "Is everything okay?"
Kurt headed into the kitchen to find both his parents there. "Blaine's Dad just kicked him out of the house."
"What happened?" Burt asked.
"We went back to his house to get his stuff so he could stay over. He didn't think anyone would be home, but his Dad came back from his business trip, and when he found out I was Blaine's boyfriend, he just lost it and kicked him out."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Dad, but Blaine's not. He just seems kind of out of it. I'm not sure what to do."
Carol glanced out to where Blaine was still watching football. "Poor boy. What kind of parent would kick their own son out? Just be there with him, Kurt. It may take a little while for it to sink in, but when it does, he'll need you."
She walked out to where Blaine sat with Kurt following behind her. "Blaine, Honey, Kurt told us what happened. You can stay here as long as you need to, and you just let Burt or I know if you need anything at all, okay?"
"Thanks, Carol," Blaine said in his usual polite voice. "I really appreciate it."
________________________________________
They spent the day like it was any other normal day at Kurt's house. Blaine watched football and played video games with Finn. They had lunch and supper with Burt, Carol and Finn. Blaine was acting like his normal self, but Kurt kept giving him concerned glances. After supper, Blaine and Kurt curled-up on the couch together to watch a movie.
"Are you doing okay?" Kurt asked.
"I'm fine, Kurt, really."
"You'd tell me if you wanted to talk about anything, right? Because you know you can tell me anything."
"I promise, if I need to talk, I'll let you know."
Kurt left it there and went back to watching the movie, his head resting on Blaine's shoulder.
Later that night, Carol helped him pull out the sofa-bed and set it up for Blaine, before she headed off to bed herself.
Kurt got changed into pajamas and did his lengthy moisturizing routine. The house was quiet as he crept back downstairs to check on Blaine. The lights were out in the living room and Kurt could hear quiet sobbing. Wordlessly, he crawled into bed beside Blaine and pulled his boyfriend close against his chest. "Baby, it's going to be okay," he soothed.
"What am I going to do, Kurt?" Blaine sobbed.
"You know you can stay here as long as you need to."
"I can't sleep on your couch for a whole year. And what about Dalton? What about my car? I've been paying the insurance and gas, but my parents bought the car initially. Do you think he'll take it away from me? I won't be able to drive to Lima to see you without my car," he cried.
Kurt rubbed his back comfortingly. Then he thought of something. "What about your Mom? Do you think she'll be able to help at all?"
"Yeah, my Mom should be back tomorrow morning. Maybe she'll be able to do something," he said, sounding more optimistic.
"Maybe she'll convince him to change his mind, at least to let you keep going to Dalton. You can always stay here for the rest of the summer."
"Yeah, that wouldn't be so bad," said Blaine. He'd stopped crying completely now, but still wasn't letting go of Kurt. He rested his head on Kurt's chest again. "Thanks for listening."
"No problem. You're always there for me, but you don't always have to be so strong. You can let me look after you sometimes. You know I love you no matter what."
"I love you, too."
Kurt continued holding Blaine tightly, rubbing his back slowly as he fell asleep. He didn't want to risk waking him up by getting up and leaving, so hoping his Dad would understand, he settled back against the pillows and fell asleep.
________________________________________
They woke-up the next morning to the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Kurt slipped outside the covers, so he might be able to convince his Dad that they hadn't actually slept together, but it was just Carol, heading into the kitchen.
"Did you sleep okay?" asked Kurt.
"Yeah, perfectly. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep at all, but I guess with you beside me, it was okay."
"What time does your Mom get home?"
"First thing this morning. She has to work today, so she said she would be home early."
"Are you going to call her?"
"I don't know. What if he answers?"
"Does she have a cell phone?"
"No, my Dad tried to get her to carry one, but she never turned it on, so I think he gave up and cancelled it."
"So I guess you're waiting to see if she calls you."
After breakfast, Kurt decided that they should go out for a walk. Blaine seemed distracted, constantly checking his phone and Kurt thought it would be good for him to get out of the house for a bit. Burt was staying home that morning catching-up on garage paperwork. If he knew they'd spent the night together, he wasn't saying anything.
They walked through the park and kept on going. Blaine checked his phone - ten o'clock and still no phone calls. He didn't say anything, but he was starting to look more and more worried.
Kurt was getting nervous, too. If Blaine's Mom wasn't calling him, what did that mean? Was she disowning him, too? And then what? What was Blaine supposed to do without either of his parents?
After walking a little longer, they turned around and started heading back home. They were walking back through the park when Blaine's phone rang.
"Hi, Mom," he said. The two of them sat down close together on a nearby bench and Blaine turned up the volume so Kurt could hear as well.
"Are you okay, Blaine," his Mom asked. "Where are you?"
"I'm with Kurt, and I guess I'm okay."
"Kurt is your uh... boyfriend?"
"Yes."
"And, you stayed with him last night?"
"Yes."
"His parents don't mind you being there?"
"No, they don't mind at all. His parents are very supportive of us."
Blaine's Mom continued, ignoring Blaine's last comment. "Your father is very upset. Why did you have Kurt at our house in the first place? You must have known that wouldn't go well."
"We were only there for a minute. I just had to pick-up some of my stuff. I wasn't expecting anyone to be home."
"Well, I guess it's done now. Your father and I had a long discussion this morning. He's agreed to let you move back home and continue going to Dalton, provided you stop seeing Kurt."
"No, Mom!" Blaine exclaimed. "I'm not going to stop seeing him. I love him. He's the best part of my life."
"It took a lot of convincing just to get your father to agree to let you back in the house. He's not going to change his mind about this. It's only one more year and then you'll be able to do whatever you want. Just think about it, Honey. What else are you going to do?"
"I don't know, but I have to be with Kurt."
"Just think about it, please. I don't want to lose you. Call me tonight, okay?"
"Okay, Mom. Bye."
"Bye, Honey."
They had a heated discussion on the way back. Kurt was trying to convince Blaine to at least consider all the options, and Blaine wasn't even willing to think about any option where he couldn't be with Kurt anytime he wanted to.
"Look," Kurt said as they entered his house, "I'm not saying we should actually break-up. I'm just saying, you managed to hide me from them for months. Summer's almost over and you'll be back at Dalton in a few weeks. Can't you just tell them you're not seeing me anymore?"
"Why should I have to hide you? Why can't they just accept who I am?"
"I don't know, Blaine. It's not fair."
"But if I don't go home, then what do I do?"
"You could just stay here and go to McKinley with me."
"Your parents are so nice to let me stay for a few days, but I couldn't do that for a whole year. Your Dad would get sick of me pretty fast if he couldn't watch any late night TV because I was always asleep on the couch." He sighed. "I don't know what to do."
"Are you going to be okay alone here while I go to work? My Dad must have gone to work, and I'm not sure where Finn is."
"Yeah, I'll be fine. It'll give me some time to think about everything."
When Kurt got home, Carol was already making supper and Blaine was helping her. Kurt could hear him telling her about the conversation with his mother and he left them to it. Maybe Carol would have some good advice. He went up to his room until supper and went over some notes he had made that day about the musical.
Blaine was kind of quiet at supper and afterwards, he and Kurt went out to the back deck where he told Kurt what he'd decided. "I have to go home," he said. "I talked to my Mom just before supper and told her I'd be home tonight. Like you said, it's only a few weeks until I'm back at school and we can still talk on the phone and maybe you can even visit me at work."
Blaine gathered up his stuff and Kurt walked him to his car. They put their arms around each other and held each other for a long time. "I love you and nothing will ever change that," Blaine said. He kissed Kurt passionately, like it really was the last time he would ever see him. Then he got in his car and was gone.