“Is everything all right?” she finally asked.

“Everything’s fine, Carole,” Kurt answered.

“Yeah,” Blaine chimed in, agreeing. “It was just a really long day and it’s not over yet.”

She nodded and then turned to Blaine. “Do you think your parents will be coming to the ceremony?”

Blaine kind of choked a little on his bite of salad (Kurt had actually been incredibly distracted the entire meal, watching Blaine eat. He actually used both a knife and a fork on his salad, something Kurt had only seen in movies. Kurt had spent most of the meal resisting a dreamy sigh because it would make him look really odd and he didn’t think he could explain it).

“I don’t think so,” Blaine answered quietly. “I’m not on good terms with them, and they told me that I was officially cut off as of today.”

Carole reached out and laid her arm on Blaine’s wrist. “I know it’s not the same, but you have us now.” She smiled softly at him.

“Thank you,” Blaine replied, looking slightly teary.

“I know they’re your parents, but I have to say that it makes me angry that they would just cut you off without a way to make it in the world,” Carole continued.

“They probably thought it would be the one thing to ‘change my immoral behavior,’” Blaine told her.

“That’s terrible,” Kurt said, his voice high and breathy with emotion. He couldn’t resist the urge to slip his arm around Blaine’s shoulders and squeeze him gently. “I had no idea it was so bad.”

“You haven’t met his parents, I take it,” Carole confirmed. Blaine was staring down at his lap now, his hands twisting together in front of him, his silverware resting on his plate.

“No,” Kurt answered.

“Be glad,” Blaine muttered.

“Why don’t we talk about something happier?” Carole suggested. “Why don’t you boys tell me what you have planned for the summer and New York and school?”

Kurt exchanged a glance with Blaine before replying. “Well, some of it’s still up in the air,” he began. “But the general idea is that I’m going to work at the shop this summer until we can hire some guys –"

“And I’m going to be looking for places for us to live in New York, and planning out my courses,” Blaine added.
“We figured we’d move sometime in July so we can get the lay of the land before Blaine’s classes start,” Kurt finished up. They hadn’t really discussed it and Kurt noted Blaine’s raised eyebrows at his words, but Blaine thankfully kept silent. “I’ll have everything with the bills and the shop figured out by then, I’m sure.”

“You take too much on yourself,” Carole said, frowning. “I’m the adult here, Kurt. I should be the one figuring this stuff out.”

“I promised Dad, Carole,” Kurt whispered. “Please, just let me handle this.”

“Every day I thank God I married your father, do you know that?” she told Kurt, smiling sadly. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Kurt returned her smile, his stomach churning. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go powder my nose.” He got up, unable to sit at the table a moment longer.

*

Blaine was worried about Kurt. He knew that Kurt was dealing with a lot after losing his father but the truth of it was, he didn’t think Kurt was actually dealing with it at all. He wasn’t sleeping, he was working too much, taking over the family responsibilities and seemingly burying his feelings.

They’d only known each other for three days and Blaine had picked that up. He wondered, if it was that obvious to him, why no one else had said or done anything to try and help.

“You’re worried about him too, aren’t you?” Carole asked once Kurt had left the table.

“He doesn’t seem to be handling his father’s death as well as he wants us to believe,” Blaine answered.

“I had a feeling,” she murmured. “Maybe you can get him to talk about it.”

“I don’t want to push,” Blaine said.

“Just let him know you’re there if he wants to talk,” Carole told him. “It can make a world of difference.” She sighed. “I don’t think he’s even let himself cry since it happened.”

Blaine opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he saw Kurt was coming back to the table. “We should probably head out,” Kurt said, gesturing to his phone. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late. I took care of the check already.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Carole admonished.

“It’s fine, Carole,” Kurt replied. Blaine smiled as he watched Kurt help her into her light jacket and the three of them headed for the door. Blaine knew he would have to talk to Kurt and soon, maybe that night.

He decided not to think about it for the moment, determined to enjoy his graduation.

It never occurred to him to think that his parents might actually show up, so he didn’t even give them a second thought.

*

Kurt and Carole found their seats and sat down. “This place is fancy,” Carole whispered to him once they were seated. “No wonder the tuition was through the roof.”

“No kidding,” Kurt replied. “Did you see the chandelier in the hallway? It’s crystal.”

Her eyes widened. “I hope I’m dressed all right.”

“You look amazing,” Kurt insisted, giving her a critical eye in her black dress. “I should know, I bought that for you.”

She smiled and settled back into her seat. There was a couple on her other side about the same age, Kurt noted. The man noticed him looking and Kurt smiled, embarrassed to be caught staring. The man didn’t return his smile, just turned his head and faced the front.

Okay then.

Kurt sighed. He guessed even a school with a zero-tolerance policy couldn’t get lucky enough for it to extend to family members of the students. He resolved to put it out of his mind as he focused on the stage, where Blaine and the Warblers were being announced.

The Warblers were met with loud applause as they took the stage and launched into their first song, “Please Don’t Stop the Music,” by Rihanna. Kurt had heard them perform it earlier, but it didn’t stop him from enjoying the performance.

Blaine was normally quiet and subdued from what Kurt could tell, but onstage he came alive. Kurt had never seen such a dramatic transformation. He clapped hard at the end of the song, as did Carole. Carole started to put her fingers into her mouth to whistle but Kurt stopped her with a hand on her arm and a gentle “no.” The last thing he wanted was to call attention to themselves.

The Warblers did one more song, Green Day’s “Good Riddance,” before the headmaster took over and began announcing the graduates. Kurt clapped loudly when Blaine’s name was called. Lots of Dalton students cheered for him and Blaine accepted his diploma with a handshake and an ear-to-ear grin.

Kurt let Carole whistle then.

*

Blaine made his way through the crowd, looking for Carole and Kurt, his diploma clutched in his hands.

He was officially graduated and he was actually excited about it (for the last few weeks the thought of it had brought nothing but dread). He found them in the aisle near their seats and he couldn’t help it – he pulled Kurt into and excited hug.

Kurt laughed, a sound that was music to Blaine’s ears.

“You guys were great,” Kurt told him, pulling back. Carole pulled him into a hug as soon as he and Kurt separated, and Blaine relished the feel of a motherly hug. It had been a long time since he’d had one of those.

“I’m ready to leave when you guys are,” Blaine said when she let go.

“Blaine, could we speak with you?” Blaine stiffened at the voice behind him. He turned around slowly and saw his parents standing before him. His father looked stern and his mother tentative and unsure.

“Mom, Dad,” Blaine greeted them, surprised. He heard Kurt inhale loudly behind him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”

“Could we speak with you for a moment? Alone?” his mother asked.

Blaine felt indecision course through him. Maybe his parents had changed their minds. “We can wait for you here,” Kurt murmured.

“Anything you say to me, you can say in front of them,” Blaine finally said. Even if his parents had changed their minds, he still owed it to Kurt to go through with their deal, because Kurt needed the money.

“Very well,” Douglas Anderson spoke up. “Perhaps we could take this somewhere quieter?”

“Of course,” Blaine agreed, his face flushing. He should have thought of that himself. He berated himself as he led their group to a small room near the auditorium.

*

“You gave a wonderful performance,” Blaine’s mother said. Kurt watched as Blaine stared at his mother, shock on his face and wondered if Blaine’s mother had ever complimented him.

“What are you doing here?” Blaine asked, cutting to the chase. “I thought I was cut off.”

Blaine’s father winced. “Your mother insisted we give you one last chance to come to your senses.”

Blaine laughed but it was bitter and empty. “So you came to see if you had successfully scared the gay out of me?”

“Blaine,” his father sighed. “You know that’s not…”

“But that’s exactly what you’re trying to do,” Kurt interrupted, stepping forward and taking Blaine’s hand. “Your son is gay, Mr. Anderson. The sooner you accept that, the happier we’ll all be.”

“I don’t know who you think you are, son, but this is between Blaine and us, his parents,” Mr. Anderson replied. “It doesn’t concern you.”

“I’d say it’s my main concern, actually,” Kurt replied. “Since Blaine and I are married.”

Blaine’s mother actually gasped and his father turned an interesting shade of red.

“You can’t be serious,” Mrs. Anderson finally managed.

“He’s completely serious, Mother,” Blaine replied. “Kurt and I are newlyweds.”

*

“I really thought he was going to have a stroke right there,” Blaine said, sliding into bed that night. Kurt was seated at his vanity, going over his skin care routine.

“I though Carole was going to attack them or something – she’s pretty vicious when she wants to be,” Kurt replied.

“So are you.” Blaine looked over meet Kurt’s gaze in the mirror. “Thank you for standing up for me.”

“I couldn’t just let him talk to you that way.” Kurt shrugged. “We’re in this together, right?”

“Yeah,” Blaine murmured. He’d never had anyone in his corner quite like the way Kurt was. Sure, Wes was a good friend and he was close with some of the other boys at Dalton, but none of them seemed to get him the way that Kurt did. Kurt finished up and clicked off the light.

He climbed in beside Blaine and Blaine wasted no time moving closer to him. “Do you want to sleep the same way as last night?” he asked Kurt softly.

“Part of me wants to say no,” Kurt answered and Blaine felt something in him sink. “But the logical part of me says I’m crazy because it’s worked the last two nights.”

“So that’s a yes?” Blaine wanted to know, his voice light.

“Yes,” Kurt told him. He moved, pressing himself up against Kurt the way he had the night before.

“Hey Kurt,” Blaine whispered after they’d been quiet for a while.

“Hmmm?”

“You know I’m here if you ever want to talk, right?” Blaine said. “About anything. I know we haven’t known each other that long but I just wanted you to know that.”

Kurt was silent and Blaine worried that he’d fallen asleep, until his grip on Blaine’s hand tightened for a moment.

“Thank you,” Kurt mumbled.

“You’re welcome,” Blaine replied with a smile, letting himself drift off to sleep.