Dec. 10, 2013, 6 p.m.
Married By 21 Verse: Chapter 2: Of engagements and approvals
T - Words: 3,356 - Last Updated: Dec 10, 2013 Story: Complete - Chapters: 3/? - Created: Dec 10, 2013 - Updated: Dec 10, 2013 116 0 0 0 0
Kurt and Blaine telling their friends and family after getting engaged and how they react.
Kurt was woken up to his first day as an engaged man by something vibrating under his butt. And it wasn't even the fun kind of vibrating.
With a groan, he wiggled around until he located his phone where it was lodged under his ass, dislodging Blaine who was sprawled across him in the process. Blaine turned away without waking up, snuffling adorably at his pillow and Kurt was too busy smiling dopily at his fiancé (fiancé) to note the caller ID before picking up the call.
“Hello,” he said dreamily, still half-stuck in the fantasy that was last night, the spontaneous reunion at the airport followed by a perfect afternoon, the end result of which glinted mutedly on his left hand in the early morning light.
“Where the hell have you been?” Burt's voice yelled in his ear, snapping him back to reality with a jolt.
“Dad?” he said, trying to blink off the sleep and the fuzzy warmth turning his brain to mush.
“Your flight landed hours ago, Kurt,” Burt's voice came through the phone, loud and angry, “and you don't call or text once and I call Rachel and she says you never showed up at your loft and do you know how worried I have…”
“Dad I can explain,” Kurt started, but Burt cut right through him.
“You better make it good, buddy, coz I'm two steps away from hauling your ass right back to Ohio.”
Kurt bit his lip as he anxiously picked at the blanket covering him.
“Um, is ‘I'm still in Ohio' a good place to start?” he asked tentatively.
There was a long pause on the line.
“I'm listening,” Burt said finally, tone gruff.
“I was at the airport with Blaine? And um, he was… he and I… um, we,” Kurt stuttered to a stop. How do you tell your father you made out with your ex in the middle of the airport and then followed him home to have sex all day?
“I'm at Blaine's right now,” Kurt finished lamely, wanting to sink through the floor.
There was another long pause.
“I see,” Burt said evenly, voice betraying no emotion, “So you two together now or what?”
Kurt turned to look at Blaine's sleeping form and the ring that was a testament to this new level in their relationship, and he felt a giddy smile spread across his face.
“I'd say we are a little more than together,” Kurt replied back breathlessly, floating on a cloud of happiness.
Burt swore loudly and Kurt's happy cloud poofed.
“What?” he asked warily as his dad continued to swear on the line.
“The kid actually proposed, didn't he?” Burt said. “I thought he wouldn't do it this soon but he actually went and proposed.”
“Blaine didn't propose, I asked him to but how did you know that?” Kurt squeaked out.
“You asked…? I know because the kid came up to me for my blessing last week.”
“He did?” Kurt said, feeling a strange combination of warmth and panic flood into him. “And did you?”
“Did I what?”
“Give him…us… your blessing?” Kurt waited with bated breath.
Another pause.
“Get down here and bring him with you. You have 30 minutes,” Burt said, before ending the call abruptly.
*
“He sounded angry?” Blaine checked once again, as he hastily flattened a particularly rebellious curl. They were standing side-by-side in front of the large mirror in Blaine's bathroom, Kurt furiously brushing his teeth while Blaine tried to tame his hair.
“Well he was swearing a lot so my guess would be yes,” Kurt said around a mouthful of toothpaste, before bending down to spit it out.
“Oh god he hates me,” Blaine moaned, watching Kurt in the mirror as he washed his mouth with some water.
“He mentioned something about you talking to him about this last week…?” Kurt asked, straightening and meeting Blaine's anxious reflection.
“Yes, and he as good as told me we are too young to know what we're doing,” Blaine said, fiddling with his half-tied bowtie. Kurt hummed in reply, biting his lip as he styled his hair, jittery with nervousness and worry.
Blaine reached out a hand to stop him, turning to meet his eye.
“We don't have to,” Blaine said softly, earnestly, ducking his head and taking a deep breath, “we can call this off if you're having second thoughts or would like to think about this some more.”
He looked back up at Kurt, eyes vulnerable and sad.
Kurt's heart flipped.
“No! Blaine, no,” Kurt said, leaning in to dart a quick kiss at Blaine's downturned mouth, aching at the very thought of calling this off. “I'm doing this for me, for us, this is what I want. Don't you dare ever say that again, okay?”
“Okay,” Blaine said, bright-eyed and beautiful.
“He'll come around, I'm sure,” Kurt said, gently running a thumb over Blaine's cheekbone before turning around to the mirror again.
“Besides,” he continued, grinning mischievously at Blaine's reflection, “when we went to buy you your Hudmel house coffee mug last year, he spent a pretty long time standing in front of the son-in-law ones.”
Blaine's answering smile could've lit up an entire street.
*
“Is my bowtie okay? I feel like it's crooked. Is it crooked? I can't go in for a talk with my future father-in-law wearing a crooked bowtie! And my hair, is it too… mmpff.”
Kurt drew back and looked Blaine in the eye severely.
“Shut up, Blaine,” he said, before leaning in for another quick peck and moving back to open his car door.
“Sorry. I'm just really nervous,” Blaine apologized, climbing out of the car, fidgeting with his shirt.
Kurt took a deep breath, staring at the front door, before offering a hand to Blaine. They could do this, together. The swearing was probably just a result of the shock of the news. Burt loved Blaine. What was the worst that could happen anyway?
“You dad definitely doesn't own a shotgun right?” Blaine asked a minute later, as they walked towards the house, voice gone high from anxiety.
Kurt couldn't help it. He burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, at the fact that just twenty-four hours ago he had felt farther apart from Blaine than ever and hadn't known how to reach back to him again. And now here they were, engaged and worrying about the possibility of death by shotgun. Kurt doubled up slightly, trying to contain his laughter, while Blaine stared at him with a worried frown.
Which was how Burt found them two minutes later when he opened the door. He raised one eyebrow at Kurt's giggling form before turning to Blaine, intimidation tactics at full capacity.
Blaine's fidgeting became worse than ever.
Burt crossed his arms and planted his feet firmly apart, baleful glare trained on Blaine while Kurt hiccupped himself to silence. A few minutes passed and Blaine looked about ready to throw up or pass out when Burt's face split into the widest grin and he moved to them, wrapping them both up in a strong, ecstatic hug.
“I can't say I'm completely sold on the idea, but boy am I glad to see you two together again,” Burt said in one breath, tightening his hug and whooping out a laugh before letting them go, patting their shoulders with warm solid hands.
Kurt drew back, stunned, and turned to look at Blaine, who was gaping at Burt, mouth wide-open.
“You're okay with this?” Kurt asked carefully, gesturing to his ring and staring at his dad.
“If you both are sure this is what you want, that's enough for me," Burt said, grinning easily at the two of them.
“So, um, you don't hate me?” Blaine checked, eyes wide.
“What? No of course not. Been expecting this for over a year now, to be honest.”
“But that day, when we talked,” Blaine said, confused, “you all but told me I was being stupid and impulsive.”
“I still think you are, but I believe you kids can work it out,” Burt said, shrugging casually, like they were discussing the chances of rain.
Which was how Kurt found himself sitting on the couch in utter bewilderment three minutes later, while Blaine did a fish-impersonation next to him.
“That was unexpected,” Kurt said dryly, while Blaine blinked at the floor.
“I was expecting a little more yelling and threatening, yes,” Blaine agreed, “or at least, not hugs. But I guess - he did say love like ours works itself out and told me not to worry...”
"He said that?" Kurt asked, a warm rush of emotion rising up his throat
"Yeah," Blaine nodded, still blinking at the carpet, a small smile beginning at the corner of his mouth.
“Dad's okay with this,” Kurt said softly, taking Blaine's hand and squeezing it incredulously. “My dad's okay with this, we have his blessing.”
Blaine squeezed back, turning warm overwhelmed eyes to Kurt, just as Burt walked in again.
He settled into the armchair across from them and held out a small square velvet box.
“I decided a few years ago that if Kurt ever got engaged, I'd give him this,” Burt said without preamble, gesturing to the box, a ring box, “go on, open it.”
Kurt took the small box and opened it, gasping when he saw two identical bands of gold adorned by a single diamond resting inside – his parents' wedding rings.
“Those are mine and your mom's,” Burt explained unnecessarily, while Kurt stroked the cool surface of the metal and he felt Blaine freeze next to him. “I always planned to give it to you when you married, Kurt, so here you go.”
“Burt, we can't possibly take this,” Blaine said, sounding overwhelmed and Kurt continued to stroke the ring, remembering cookie dough and motor oil, warm soft hugs full of love and safety.
“No of course you can, you are my boys,” Burt said, waving it off before leaning forward to look them seriously in the eye.
“I know this was a rough year for you two and I won't question your decision now,” he said, “but you should realize what a big deal this is. This is more than just getting back together, this means something bigger. And if you want to keep it, then you should both work at it. A relationship is only as good as the people in it and it's a two-way street, you are each gonna have to pull your own weight to make this work. But know that, no matter what, I will always be here to support you – both of you.”
Blaine gave a throaty laugh, blinking back tears, before leaning in to hug Burt and Kurt discreetly wiped his eyes. His dad's support meant the world to him and any lingering worries vanished. His dad believed in them, Burt believed in them.
And when two minutes later, Carole came home from her night-shift and squealed in giddy joy at the news, hugging them both and crying… This visit hadn't at all gone how Kurt thought it would.
Sometimes reality really was better than anything you dared to dream of.
*
Blaine pulled out from Kurt's house, still high from the Burt's acceptance and support, while Kurt stared unseeingly out the window, looking every bit as overwhelmed as Blaine felt. Just yesterday morning, Kurt had been about to leave back for New York and Blaine had resigned himself to the not-knowing and the yearning of Kurt away from him and them not together. And now, here he was, engaged to Kurt – Kurt who was so happy and loving and present, and Burt's unwavering support warming him from the inside.
“Where to now, fiancé?” Kurt asked coyly from next to him, reaching out to place a warm hand over Blaine's knee, thumb gently stroking it.
Blaine wiggled internally in happiness at the word.
“I was thinking we could go to the Lima Bean first to get a caffeine fix,” he said, and Kurt groaned his appreciation of the idea.
“And then I thought we could go to McKinley, give a formal announcement in the choir room?” Blaine finished, biting his lip nervously. Kurt nodded his assent and Blaine drove towards the Lima Bean.
It wasn't that New Directions' reaction would cause him to have second thoughts or that their opinion even particularly mattered. He and Kurt hadBurt's support and barring his parents and Cooper, there was no one else's approval or disapproval that could shake him.
But still. New Directions this year was a family to him, in a way it had never managed to be last year. And they were completely his, with no more than passing ties to Kurt. Their support or disapproval wouldn't change his decision, but he couldn't pretend it wouldn't affect him.
Kurt seemed to sense his nerves and took his hand as they walked to the choir room together, thumb brushing softly over Blaine knuckles as he usually did, catching on the ring, a new addition to a familiar rhythm.
Sam was the first one to notice them.
“Blaine!” he exclaimed, moving out of his chair, cutting off whatever Mr. Schue had been telling them, “I've been calling you all night, man, and you didn't show up in the morning, I was worri… oh, hi Kurt.”
Kurt waved slightly awkwardly as the rest of the room stared, eyes flickering between Kurt and Blaine and their joined hands .
“Wait, wasn't Kurt's flight yesterday morning?” Sam asked with a frown.
“Yes, about that,” Blaine said, moving to the centre of the choir room, pulling Kurt with him. “Um, Kurt missed his flight after we, um, talked at the airport and last night… Kurt and I… I kind of proposed and he said yes.”
Silence, while everyone stared at them, wide-eyed.
“We're engaged,” Kurt added breathlessly, looking around nervously at a group of near strangers to him and waiting for their reaction.
There was another beat of silence. Blaine uncomfortably flashed back to the uproar and opposition when Finn and Rachel had announced the same thing here and felt a bead of sweat roll down his back. They were nothing like Finn and Rachel, and they didn't need glee club's approval but still it would hurt if…
The entire choir room spontaneously erupted into loud obnoxious cheers and before he could fully register it, Blaine found himself and Kurt buried under a pile of overenthusiastic bodies as the entire room rushed to hug them and all the girls crowded around to coo over their engagement rings.
“I call dibs on best man,” Sam yelled, while Tina loudly stated that she was making all the groomsmaid clothes. Artie asked to be given directorial rights for the entire wedding and Unique and Marley started pitching ideas for the perfect song for their first dance.
Kurt looked like he was about to cry and Blaine wasn't that far behind him.
“So you guys are okay with this?” he asked, looking around at everyone gratefully, once they settled down a little.
“Who wouldn't be, boy, please,” Unique said, the scoffing twirl of her head softened by her genuine happy smile.
“You're both practically married anyway, it's about time it became official,” Tina said with a wink.
“This is going to be the best project I've ever filmed,” Artie said, starry-eyed and Sam not-so-discreetly punched him in the arm.
Blaine stared as they all huddled together, already on their way to planning the perfect wedding, Mr.Schue and Nationals completely forgotten, and felt his throat clog with emotion.
Kurt's hand slipping into his and squeezing told him he felt the exact same way.
*
“Well?” Kurt asked nervously, as Blaine got off the phone with Cooper, blinking.
“That…went exactly as I thought it would,” Blaine said, trying to gather himself after the whirlwind that was a phonecall with Cooper Anderson.
“Which is…?” Kurt prodded.
“He asked me if I remembered to point while proposing to you, to make it more emotional,” Blaine said dryly, fighting back a grin.
Kurt stared at him wide-eyed, before dissolving into laughter.
“And to tell you that if you want to have a summer wedding, to keep it indoors because his hair is horrible with summer humidity,” Blaine said, shaking his head and giggling himself as Kurt burst into fresh peals of laughter next to him.
“No opposition on that front then I see,” Kurt said finally, voice watery and raspy.
“None at all. In fact there's so much enthusiasm we might need a restraining order,” Blaine replied, wiping is eyes.
“I love your brother,” Kurt said, taking Blaine's right hand between both of his.
“I'll be sure to let him know.”
Blaine pulled the car out from McKinley's parking lot, and set the course towards his house. As he drove, his mirth faded as he faced the last important people to tell the news to.
His mom and dad were trying. They'd come a long way from the distant and unsure relationship they'd had with Blaine since Sadie Hawkins. But this, getting engaged while still in high school… he expected nothing but polite but firm disapproval from them.
Kurt picked up on Blaine's mood change and squeezed his knee, rubbing soothing circles while Blaine drove.
When they reached Blaine's house, his parents' cars were in the driveway, as he'd known they would be. Blaine parked behind them and got out, looking up at the house, stomach churning.
Kurt took his hand. “Together?” he said, softly.
“Together.”
*
“You are both engaged,” Lea repeated slowly, enunciating each word, while Peter stared at them.
“Yes,” Blaine said, gulping while Kurt's hands squeezed his.
“I didn't even know you two were together again,” Peter said, frowning at them while they both fidgeted under the scrutiny.
“We weren't yesterday. It just…happened,” Kurt said nervously, chin tilting as he tried to not let it show.
Blaine's mom and dad stared at them some more and then turned to look into each other's eyes in silent communication, before turning back to them.
“We'll take care of your tuition, Blaine, but you are going to have to get a part-time job for your other expenses,” Peter said matter-of-factly, while Lea nodded.
“You are going to New York, right, Blaine honey?” Lea said, while Kurt and Blaine stared at them, uncomprehending. “We can even make a small contribution towards rent every month if you both have trouble getting a decent apartment. We know how high the rents are in New York.”
“Although I hope you aren't planning to get married immediately and you'll put off the actual wedding till you are both at least settled in there,” Blaine's dad chimed in.
“One of my friends runs an excellent wedding contract service, I need to ring her up,” Lea said thoughtfully, tapping her upper lip with a forefinger, a delicate frown creasing her forehead.
“Wait,” Blaine said, sounding mildly strangled, “hold up, wait. You guys have no problem with this?”
“Why would we, honey?” Blaine mom said, patting his cheek fondly, “We've kind of been expecting this ever since New York passed that marriage equality bill last year. Sure, we didn't think it would happen right now, since you were both broken up, but we knew it was going to happen at some point.”
Blaine stared at her.
"Oh look, we should get to making dinner, its getting late," Blaine dad said, standing up and offering a hand to his wife. “We'll both be in the kitchen, boys.”
“Stay for dinner, Kurt,” Blaines mom said firmly, taking her husband's hand and rising, “we haven't had you here for a while, we have a lot of catching up to do.”
With that, they both gracefully exited the living room, leaving Kurt and Blaine dumbstruck on the couch.
“I was so sure they wouldn't be okay with it,” Kurt said, voice still shocked as Blaine tried to digest what had just happened. “Like, even my dad and New Directions… I kind of hoped for support, but I was so sure your parents wouldn't support this.”
“Yeah,” Blaine agreed, because wow.
“And every one that we talked to was so sure about us ending up married,” Kurt continued, sounding almost offended.
“I wish I'd gotten the memo,” Blaine said, “it would've saved me a lot of crying and moping, definitely.”
“I almost feel cheated,” Kurt groused, pouting slightly at the carpet, “I was expecting at least one vehement opposition against which to rally and argue for our love. Instead everyone's just been nice and supportive and boring.”
Blaine started to laugh, at Kurt's adorably put-out expression, and as everything that had happened over the last two days caught up to him. Oh god, he was engaged to Kurt and everyone supported it and he and Kurt were together again and he would be moving to New York to live with him and how was this his life.
“Blaine, sweetie, are you okay?” Kurt asked, staring at him worriedly as Blaine's laughter turned slightly hysterical.
After a few attempts, Blaine managed to calm himself down enough to talk and turned to Kurt
“I'm fine. Everythings fine," he said, holding Kurts eye steadily and trying to convey all he felt in those few words. "In fact, everything's perfect.”
And it really, really was.