“These are a lot of questions,” Blaine commented two hours into their flight, flipping through the book Sylvester had given them. “Sure you’ll know all the answers in time for Monday?”

“I’ll be fine,” Kurt snapped, irritated because he didn’t much like flying and being stuck next to Blaine made it ten times worse. “What about you?”

Blaine laughed. “Kurt, the sad fact is that I already know all of the answers.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?” he scoffed and snatched the book from Blaine’s hand, flipping through it until it settled on a random page. He scanned it, looking for a question that he thought Blaine wouldn’t know the answer to. “What am I allergic to then?”

“Peanuts,” Blaine answered immediately, then added with a grin, “And the full spectrum of human emotions.”

Kurt smirked at him. “Oh, that was funny,” he said sarcastically. “You sure you don’t want to be a stand up comedian instead of a music producer?”

“The comedy audience will just have to live without me, I’m afraid,” Blaine teased, grin widening.

Kurt rolled his eyes and turned back to the book. “Was I in any sports in high school?” he asked, not expecting Blaine to know that one.

“Football and cheerleading,” Blaine answered, just as swiftly as before. “Also, Glee, though I don’t think that’s really a sport.”

“With some of the dancing we did, it was,” Kurt muttered, a little taken aback. 

How much about him did Blaine know? He was sure he’d never shared the details of his high school life with Blaine . . . . He searched through the book, hoping to find something that was so private there was so no way--Ah.

“Do I have any scars?” Kurt asked, knowing that Blaine had never seen him unclothed.

Blaine paused, then said, “I’m actually pretty sure you have a tattoo.”

Kurt froze. Shit, there’s no way Blaine can know about that, shit. “Oh?” he asked, keeping his voice as even as possible. “Only pretty sure?”

“Yeah, you see, your dermatologist called a few years back about a Q-switched laser. I looked them up, and they’re used to remove tattoos. The funny thing is, you cancelled the appointment.” Blaine looked over at Kurt and raised an eyebrow, smirking again, damn him. Since when did Blaine know how to smirk? “What is it? Tribal ink? Japanese Kanji? Barbed wire?”

Kurt didn’t answer him, hoping that Blaine would just forget about it. “You know, it’s fun for me to experience you like this,” he snapped. 

“Thank you,” Blaine said. “You know, you’re gonna have to let me know where it is.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” Kurt said with irritation, snapping the book shut. 

“They’re gonna ask,” Blaine teased.

“We are done with that question,” Kurt told him firmly.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you could buckle your seat belts,” the overhead announced in a tinny voice, “We are beginning our descent to Juneau.”

“Juneau?” Kurt asked with confusion as he strapped himself in. “I thought we were going to Sitka?”

“We are,” Blaine answered, busy trying to fix his seat belt in place.

“And how are we getting to Sitka?” Kurt asked with irritation.

Blaine grinned at him, wide and amused. “Oh, you’re gonna love this.”

-

An hour and a half ride on a smelly and cramped plane was not Kurt’s idea of a good time. He’d never been so glad to descend to land in his life, even if it did mean he was about to meet Blaine’s family.

“Your face is priceless,” Blaine told him, grinning broadly. “Come on, I think I see my mom and grandma.”

Kurt sighed and gathered his two suitcases, rolling his eyes when Blaine didn’t even offer to help him. Typical. He followed Blaine across the landing station until they reached the group of people waiting for the passengers. Blaine stopped in front of two women standing at the front of the group. Kurt knew without asking that these were his mother and grandmother - they both looked eerily alike to Blaine, aside from the female factor. Blaine’s grandmother’s hair was very white, but her eyes were the same hazel-brown as Blaine’s and Blaine’s mother’s. 

“Blaine!” Blaine’s mother exclaimed, reaching out to tackle him in a hug. Blaine’s grandmother joined in a moment later.

Kurt stood a little bit away from them, watching, and felt a pang of envy. It had been so long since he’d been hugged by a family member, not since--

Well. 

“Oh, Blaine, I’m so glad you’re home!” Blaine’s mother said, pulling away finally. “Now, show us your boyfriend!”

Blaine turned and took Kurt’s hand, drawing him in. Kurt smiled a little at Blaine’s mother and grandmother, feeling awkward.

“Mom, Gammy, this is Kurt Hummel,” Blaine said. “Kurt, this is my mother and grandmother.”

“So I gathered,” Kurt murmured. “It’s very nice to meet both of you,” he said, more loudly. “Blaine can’t stop talking about you in New York.”

Blaine’s mother blushed, but Blaine’s grandmother gave Kurt a scrutinizing look. “Bit on the girly side, hm?” she asked. Kurt tensed up. His feminine face and voice had always gotten him ridicule, and even if this woman was turning 90 and his fake fiance’s grandmother, he wasn’t going to take that from her.

“Well you’re a bit mannish, darling, so I suppose it evens out in the end,” Kurt snapped, meaning it. Younger, and in a suit, Blaine’s grandmother could pass for his twin.

Blaine’s mother gasped, but the grandmother smiled, slow and sure. “You know, Blaine, I think I like this one,” she said. “He’s a little spitfire, he’ll keep you on your toes. The best kind of partner keeps you on your toes. You can call my Gammy, Kurt.” She offered her hand.

Kurt relaxed and took it. “I appreciate your approval,” he said, surprising himself by how much he meant it.

“Now, do you prefer to be called Kurt or the Son of the Devil,” Gammy said, smiling wickedly. “Because we’ve heard it both ways.”

“Heard it lots of ways, actually,” Blaine’s mother cut in. “You can call me Alice, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You as well,” Kurt said. “Thank you for letting me be part of this weekend.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all, especially since we finally get Blaine back home again!” Alice exclaimed, kissing Blaine’s cheek. “Now, come on, let’s get you both settled in? How was the flight?”

“Awesome!”

“Terrible.”

Blaine and Kurt looked at each other. “Kurt here doesn’t like cramped spaces,” Blaine explained to Alice, who just looked amused.

“Oh, those planes can take some getting used to,” she said as she led them to the car, an expensive look jeep. “The first time your father took me in one, I nearly made him go deaf from screaming in his ear.”

“Where is dad, by the way?” Blaine asked.

Alice paused. “Well, you know him, always working,” she answered, her tone--odd. Kurt frowned and looked at Blaine, who had a resigned look on his face.

“Of course,” Blaine murmured. “Working.”

There’s a story there, Kurt thought as they all got into the jeep and started off. I never thought Blaine had daddy issues, but I guess there’s a lot about Blaine’s family life that I don’t know. He was going to have to educate himself for Monday, that much was for certain. And he might even have to tell Blaine about his own family situation, which made Kurt’s stomach curl up in knots.

Kurt looked outside of the window, ignoring the rest of the talk going on in the car, and frowned when they passed a store called Anderson Motors. His frown deepened as he realized the store next to that one was Anderson Grocery, and then Anderson Post . . . . Kurt’s eyes widened as they passed store after store that all the name Anderson on them somewhere. He looked over at Blaine, who was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and then back out at the numerous amounts of stores that his name on them. Was there someone else named Anderson on the island who wasn’t related to Blaine’s family? Or was Blaine really filthy rich?

He elbowed Blaine in the side. Blaine grunted and turned to glare at him. “Don’t do that,” he hissed.

Kurt gave him a level stare. “You never told me about the family businesses, honey,” he said, mockingly sweet. 

Blaine blinked, then smirked. Before he could say anything, Alice cut in, saying, “He was probably just being modest.”

“How many businesses does your family own?” Kurt asked, turning to her instead, intent on figuring out just many riches Blaine had been hiding from him.

Alice paused, then said nonchalantly, “Well, we’ve bought out a good portion of the town, so I’d say the majority of the businesses in Sitka belong to us. Wouldn’t you agree, Blaine?”

“Dad doesn’t like to leave anything untouched,” Blaine muttered. Kurt gave him a look and he said, more loudly, “Yeah, that’s about right.”

“Alice, are we going to our hotel?” Kurt asked a moment later, noticing as they drove passed an Anderson Motel. And seriously, it was almost tacky to have ones name in front of everything like that. 

“Oh no!” Alice exclaimed, sounding genuinely shocked. “No, we cancelled your reservation, Kurt! Family does not stay in a hotel. No, you’ll be staying with us!”

Kurt paused. “Great!” he said with more cheeriness than he felt. “Just great.”

They stopped near the waterside, to Kurt’s confusion, and all got out of the car. Blaine went around back and lifted Kurt’s suitcases off the back for him.

“Oof,” he said as he placed the second one heavily on the ground. “You’ll want to lift that one with your knees, sweetheart.”

Kurt blinked, then realized that Blaine was already walking away, leaving the suitcases behind with Kurt. Huffing, he grabbed the handles and hurried after him, ignoring the way his arms strained a bit.

“Blaine, dear, shouldn’t you help him a bit?” Alice asked worriedly.

“Oh, he’s not a damsel, Alice,” Gammy exclaimed impatiently. “I’m sure he can handle a few bags by himself.” 

Blaine smirked at Kurt and Kurt scowled at him. It was true, he wasn’t a damsel in distress, but at the same time, gentlemen helped anyone who was in trouble, regardless of their gender. And he would never admit it to anyone, least of all Blaine, but his bags were actually kind of heavy and he wouldn’t have minded Blaine taking one.

Kurt watched in horror as Alice and Gammy walked over to the edge of one of the walls and started climbing down, presumably to get to where they had a boat docked. Kurt looked at his bags then back at the edge and wondered how the hell he was supposed to get them down there.

“Here, give them to me,” Blaine said and hoisted one on his shoulder. Kurt pointedly ignored the flutter in his stomach at the sign of strength because he was not a teenage girl and seeing an adult man lift up his suitcase with ease should not give him a case of the butterflies.

Blaine hoisted the suitcase over the edge, and Kurt shrieked. Blaine jumped.

“What is it?!” he asked, looking genuinely confused.

“You threw my suitcase!” Kurt exclaimed. “What on Earth--”

“Don’t worry, our boat driver caught it,” Blaine said, looking a little amused. “He’s used to having to catch luggage, it got down there perfectly safe. Now, give me your other one.”

Kurt wanted to protest, not sure how much he trusted this supposed boat driver, but he reluctantly handed it over after Blaine gave him a look. Blaine hoisted it over, the same as the last time, and then swung himself down. Kurt hurried over to the edge and was relieved to see his suitcase standing the proper way up by the side of a well-dressed man wearing a hat. 

“Climb on down, Kurt,” Blaine called up.

Kurt looked down the ladder - which did not look safe, people needed to replace these things - and sighed heavily. Carefully and slowly, he turned and placed a foot on the rung, hoping his designer shoes wouldn’t slip and make him lose his balance. Which, of course, was like yelling up to whatever deity was in the sky, please, make me fall and lose my balance! because a second later, Kurt’s foot slipped and he found himself tumbling off the ladder.

He closed his eyes, expecting to hit concrete, but instead slammed into something warm and hard - Blaine - and sent them both tumbling to the ground.

“Ow,” he heard Blaine mutter into his hair - Kurt had ended up sprawled over Blaine’s body, his nose buried in Blaine’s collarbone. Blaine, Kurt thought, a bit dazedly, smelled rather good - musky, with maybe a hint of cologne underneath. Kurt had never thought that Blaine was the type to wear cologne but-- 

“Kurt?” Alice cried, “Kurt, are you alright? Blaine?”

“We’re fine, mother!” Blaine yelled to her, sounding a bit breathless. “Just give us a minute to recover.”

“Sorry,” Kurt muttered, not raising his head. The embarrassment of slipping off of a ladder was beginning to catch up with him. 

“You’re lucky I didn’t crack my skull open,” Blaine said, sounding more amused than angry. “Then I’d be dead and you’d be deported, remember?”

Kurt rolled his eyes and sat up, glaring down at Blaine, who was grinning widely. “I’m sure I could find someone else susceptible to my considerable charm,” he sniffed. Blaine’s grin shifted and turned--Kurt didn’t know what to call it exactly. But there was definitely something different in that smile, something almost dangerous. Kurt realized, suddenly, that he was essentially straddling Blaine’s waist and flushed.

He hurriedly got off Blaine and stood, dusting himself off. Before he could think about it, he offered a hand to Blaine, who was still lying on the ground. Blaine gave him an amused look, the danger lurking in his expression disappearing, but he took it and Kurt hoisted him up. Kurt, however, was either stronger than he thought, or Blaine had just miscalculated, because Kurt pulled him too hard and they ended up standing chest to chest. Kurt, feeling flustered, was a little gratified by the way Blaine had to tilt his head up a bit to meet his eyes - he’d never felt better about having a few inches on Blaine.

“Shall we go?” Blaine murmured, and his mouth was too close to Kurt’s mouth and Kurt flushed deeply, feeling more flustered than he had in his life as he stepped away from Blaine, clearing his throat.

“Yes, let’s--let’s go. It’s time I saw where you lived, right?”

Blaine’s smile slipped a bit, but it was back so quickly that Kurt thought he might have imagined it faltering.

“You boys all set?” Alice said, coming up to their sides. “Kurt, are you sure you’re alright? That was a nasty fall--”

“I managed to catch him, mom,” Blaine cut in. “I think he got out of it without a scrape.”

Alice patted her son’s shoulder. “You’re alright too, aren’t you, Blaine? We don’t need to go see Doctor Figgins, do we?”

Blaine shook his head. “Nope, all good. Now, let’s get home, shall we? I’m looking forward to unpacking and relaxing.”

Alice hesitated. “Well,” she said cautiously, “you see, Blaine--”

Blaine groaned. “Mom,” he said, sounding resigned. “Who did you invite?”

They started toward the boat. “Just a few close friends,” Alice assured Blaine. “And, you know, the relatives. And maybe some of your father’s business associates.”

“So the entire town then?” Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Pretty much,” Gammy cut in, shrugging. Kurt’s lip twitched. “Come sit by me, doll face,” she said to Kurt. “Gammy will make sure you don’t fall out of the boat and drown.”

Kurt made a face, but went to sit by her. “What’re they talking about?” he asked her, gesturing to Alice and Blaine.

“Oh, Alice is throwing a welcome home party for Blaine,” Gammy said. “She invited pretty much the whole damn town.”

Kurt swallowed heavily. “Oh,” he said. “I see.”

The thought of not only meeting Blaine’s father, but also the rest of the people in the town Blaine grew up in was a bit--daunting, to say the least.

-

“Your house is amazing,” Kurt whispered to Blaine as the boat pulled up to the dock in front of Blaine’s home.

It was on its own small island a little off the coast of the town and it was huge - easily mansion sized, painted a rich creme color which gave it an elegant, stately look. Whenever Kurt had imagined where Blaine lived, he somehow always envisioned a tiny apartment with stacks of records and CDs surrounding him. This house - this life - was never something he’d expected Blaine to have. It almost made him jealous, because Kurt had come from humble, middle-class beginnings and worked his way up. He’d paid for college by working two jobs, for God’s sake. 

“It’s not that great,” Blaine muttered. 

Kurt elbowed him, glad that Alice, Gammy and the driver, whose name was Thad, were ahead of them and not paying attention. “You never told me you were rich either, Blaine.”

Blaine scoffed. “I’m not rich,” he said. “My family is. There’s a difference.”

Kurt considered Blaine for a moment, taking in the worn, ragged sweatshirt with Dalton Academy written in faded ink, the jeans with holes at the ends, the dirty sneakers, the way his hair was in desperate need of a haircut. Outside of work, Kurt had never seen Blaine wear anything fancier than that. Even his suits were cheap and worn. Kurt wondered if it was Blaine’s choice to stay poor or if his family didn’t want to support him. Maybe his father was the cause of it - Alice and Gammy seemed to love Blaine quite dearly. They made Kurt feel a little guilty for all the times he’d stopped Blaine from going home for a party or a birthday.

They approached the house, which had a huge lawn, and Kurt could already hear people inside, as well as music. Butterflies erupted in his stomach. Kurt had learned to deal with people, due to his job, but he always felt awkward around people who weren’t music stars or producers. It came from his high school days, when 98% of the school couldn’t and didn’t want to try and understand who Kurt was or the things that he did. Kurt had been friendless in high school, which he supposed was part of the reason he’d worked so hard to go to New York and make his dreams come true.

They entered the house, and the inside was just as amazing as the outside - all hardwood floors and lush carpets, with high ceilings. Kurt thought of large-ish apartment back home and had a desperate longing to have a house like this to call his own. But then again, it wasn’t as if he needed it, not just for himself. Maybe one day, when he found someone--if he found someone--

“Blaine!” he heard people calling as they passed through. Blaine was the recipient of many back pats and hair ruffles. 

“Kurt, dear, let Thad take your luggage upstairs,” Alice said and Kurt handed his suitcases over to Thad, who took them with an easy smile. “Blaine’s father is in the kitchen, I believe. Let’s go and introduce you, shall we?”

Kurt nodded, curious about Blaine’s elusive father, who apparently decided to work instead of going to bring his son home and who might be the reason Blaine still lived like a broke college student. Alice took his arm and led him through the crowd. Gammy stayed behind, chatting with some older ladies, and Blaine was lost in the sea of people. Kurt swallowed nervously, hoping Blaine would catch up with them. It was more nerve-wracking than he’d thought it would be, meeting the parents. Maybe it was because he was starting to realize now just how elaborate this entire scheme would be, just how many people it would affect. Kurt hadn’t even thought about it before, because there wasn’t anybody on his side who would care or notice if he got engaged. But Blaine--Blaine had a loving mother and a funny grandmother and a father that sounded stern and unyielding and Kurt realized that they were soon going to be lying to all important people in Blaine’s life. 

He swallowed heavily and pushed back the guilt. It was either this or spend a long, lonely year in Canada, and he would sacrifice anything, say anything to avoid that. 

They managed to push their way into the kitchen - a room that nearly made Kurt salivate due to its shining, polished surfaces and the amount of space it provided. Kurt loved cooking and baking, more so than he admitted to anyone, and the amount of things he could make in a kitchen like this--

“Thomas?” Alice said, stepping forward and bringing Kurt’s notice to the single man in the door. “Thomas, this is Kurt, Blaine’s boyfriend? Kurt, this is Thomas, Blaine’s father.”

Thomas was much taller than his wife (and, by default, than Blaine) and his hair was light brown. His eyes were also a very light, pale blue. It was clear, looking at the two of them, where Blaine had gotten the majority of his looks. There was a frown pulling at the edge of his mouth as he looked at Kurt, who shifted uncomfortably.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” he said finally, holding out a hand. 

Thomas paused, but then took it in his own. His hands were rough, callused, and much larger than Kurt’s. “Nice to meet you as well,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. “Blaine has told us a lot about you.” He looked Kurt from head to toe. “Never mentioned how fancy you are though.”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “Well he never mentioned that his father had an unfortunate habit towards rudeness, so I guess he forgot a lot of things,” he snapped. 

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Got a tongue on you, huh? I meant no offense, Kurt, just wondering why my boy, who keeps telling me he likes men, went out and got the--”

“Dad!” Blaine came in to the kitchen, his face closed off and angry. “I would appreciate if you wouldn’t offend my boyfriend.”

Boyfriend sounded so odd in Blaine’s voice, especially since Kurt knew Blaine was referring to him. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Thomas said, not really sounding sorry. Kurt’s mouth pinched. “I’m just an old man trying to keep up with you young people.”

Blaine’s smile was very forced. “Just don’t do it again, dad.”

“Of course,” Thomas murmured. “So, Kurt, you’re in the music production business, huh? How’s that working out for you?”

“It’s going very well,” Kurt said, wishing to be anywhere but in that kitchen. “We recently just managed to get one of our artists to do a Rolling Stone photo shoot.”

“Oh?” Alice asked, perking up. “Which one?”

“Rachel Berry,” Kurt said, smiling as Alice’s eyes widened in delight. Rachel was very popular with the 30-50 crowd, for some reason--definitely more so than she was with the younger generation. Kurt was hoping that the Rolling Stone coverage would widen her appeal a little more. 

“I love her!” Alice exclaimed. “Do you know what issue she’ll be in?”

“We’re hoping to get her scheduled in the next few days, so she should be in the month after next week’s issue,” Kurt answered. He hesitated, then added, “I could give you a call when I know the specific date, if you’d like?”

“Oh, I’d love that,” Alice proclaimed. “Remind me to give you my number before you both head back to New York.”

“Still going back to New York then?” Thomas cut in, looking at Blaine.

Blaine’s eyebrows drew together. “Yes,” he said, the word sharp and irritated. “My work is there, you know.”

“Yes, yes, producing music,” Thomas murmured. “But you’re still an assistant, aren’t you? Blaine, I’ve told you this before, you should just--”

“Give up my job and my dreams and come and work for the family business,” Blaine finished for him, his voice full of anger.

Kurt stiffened. How many times had they had this conversation? The thought that Blaine’s own father didn’t support him, didn’t want him to pursue his dreams--Kurt remembered, with vivid clarity, the way his father had reacted when Kurt had told him he was going to New York for school. His father had been happy for him, ecstatic even, and had urged him on. Kurt’s hands tightened into fists. It itched at him, that Thomas was doing the exact opposite, that any father wouldn’t support his child’s dream. And the itch deepened at the thought that Blaine could have taken him up on it at any time, that he could have very easily given up his dream and come back to Alaska, where Kurt would never see him again. Kurt took a deep breath.

“Actually, Blaine is being promoted to producer in a few weeks,” he announced. Silence reigned in the kitchen for a moment.

“Really?!” Alice exclaimed. Kurt nodded sharply, ignoring the way Blaine was staring at him in confusion. “Oh, Blaine! That’s wonderful, darling!” She threw her arms around him. Blaine hugged her back, his eyes still on Kurt. Kurt, however, was staring at Thomas, who was frowning deeply.

“He’s even getting ready to sign his first artist,” Kurt continued recklessly. Thomas’ eyebrow went up. “What was his name again, Blaine?”

“Rory,” Blaine answered, still surprised. “Rory. Rory Flannegan.”

“He’s going to be our biggest new star,” Kurt said, vowing silently to himself that he would do whatever it took to make sure Rory Flannegan made it big. 

“Blaine, this is all so wonderful!” Alice exclaimed delightedly. “Honey, you’ve become producer and you’re signing artists and you have a wonderful boyfriend--everything is finally coming together for you!”

“It really is,” Thomas murmured. Kurt relaxed a little bit as the anger left Thomas’ face, replaced with something that looked like grudging respect. “It’s good that you’re finally moving up in the world, son.”

“Mom, dad, there’s one more thing we have to tell you,” Blaine said suddenly. Kurt tensed again, already knowing what was coming. “Kurt and I are engaged.”

A pause.

“Engaged,” Thomas said flatly. “You’re engaged.”

"That's wonderful, Blaine," Alice said quietly, though she was frowning slightly. 

"Alice,” Thomas said, sharp and angry. “Don’t--”

"Be happy for my son and his fiance?" Alice finished, an edge to her voice. 

Thomas gaped at her. Kurt glanced at Blaine, taking in the tight set of his shoulders and the frown on his lips. He took a deep breath, knowing he’d regret getting involved.

"Mr. Anderson," he said, stepping forward. Blaine's head whipped around. "I'm sorry we sprung this on you without any warning--"

"You damn well should be," Thomas said, not yelling, but still angry. “It’s bad enough that he came up with a boyfriend, but now a fiance--”

"Dad!" Blaine interjected.

"No, Blaine, I won't be sorry for saying this," Thomas growled. "Not only is it a damned funny sight to see that--that boy hanging on your arm, but now you're going to get married to him! What does that mean, huh? It means you're going to stay over in your swanky new home--"

"Dad," Blaine said again, more angrily. Thomas' mouth snapped shut. "I'm sorry that we sprung it on you, but this is happening. Kurt and I are getting married. I would hope, at the least, to get some sort of blessing from you."

Thomas’ eyes narrowed. “It will be a long time before that happens,” he said.

Kurt, for a moment, wanted to step forward and say, sorry, no, stop, it's all a sham. To tell them that Blaine was only marrying him because he'd ordered Blaine to do it. Before he could, Alice stepped forward and slapped Thomas against the cheek - a full-on swing, hard enough to leave an immediate afterimage of it on his skin.

"Thomas Anderson," she hissed. "You will apologize to your son right now, or so help me God, I will be asking Blaine the rates for apartments in New York."

Thomas stared at her, wide-eyed, one hand pressed to his damaged cheek. 

“Mom, you shouldn’t--” Blaine started, his eyes wide.

“No, Blaine,” Alice said, not looking at him, her eyes fixed on Thomas. “He’s your father and, I may be his wife but that doesn’t mean I have to sit by and let him treat you - or anyone, for that matter - like shit.”

Kurt’s knew that a gaping mouth was unattractive, but he couldn’t seem to close his. He made a mental note to never piss of Alice, even if she did look sweet and unassuming. 

“Apologize to them,” Alice told Thomas fiercely. 

Thomas took a deep breath. “I’m--sorry,” he said, and though it sounded forced, at least he wasn’t angry anymore. “I just want you to be happy, Blaine.”

Kurt blinked in surprise as Blaine’s hand slipped into his. “Kurt makes me happy, Dad,” Blaine said. 

Kurt had never realized Blaine was such a good liar - he played the perfect, devoted fiance. Kurt’s guilt, which had been building ever since landing in Sitka, tripled suddenly. 

Thomas eyed their joined hands with resignation. “I see,” he said quietly. Then he sighed. “Well, I suppose we should break the news to the town, huh?”

“That’s not necessary--” Kurt started, stuttering a bit.

“No, we may as well,” Thomas said. “And everyone’s outside now, let’s just get it over with.”

Alice beamed, apparently content now that Thomas was at least pretending to be okay with Blaine and Kurt. She kissed his cheek, over the place where a handprint was forming.

“Do you boys want to make the announcement, or should I?” she asked.

“We will,” Blaine said quickly.

Alice nodded and took Thomas’ arm, leading him out of the kitchen. The moment they were out of earshot, Kurt turned on Blaine and whacked him in the arm.

“Ow!” Blaine exclaimed, rubbing his elbow. “Not even married and the abuse begins already! What was that for?!”

“Blaine, we can’t make an announcement!” Kurt exclaimed. “This is a sham wedding!”

“So?” Blaine asked, looking genuinely nonplussed.

“Everyone you know is out there!” Kurt exclaimed. “Do you really want them all to know, so that when you come back in a year with a divorce, they can all just throw it in your face?”

Blaine blinked at him. “They won’t,” he said confidently. “They’re good people. Most of them have known me since I was a kid, Kurt.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. Was Blaine that naive? If there was one thing Kurt knew about people, it was that they were horrible to each other, given the chance. Blaine’s face, however, told Kurt that there wasn’t any chance in hell Blaine would listen to him about that little fact of life. Kurt sighed heavily.

“What are we even going to tell them?” he asked.

“We’re in love, we’re getting married,” Blaine answered, as if it was obvious.

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Well, yes,” he said. “But--how did we meet? How did you propose?”

“I thought you were the one who proposed,” Blaine said, amusement in his eyes. 

Kurt huffed, and Blaine laughed out loud. Alice, as if drawn by the noise, popped her head back into the kitchen. “Everyone’s ready for you!” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

“We’ll wing it,” Blaine decided, taking Kurt’s hand and dragging him out of the kitchen. 

Outside, large group of people were gathered, all ages. Kurt gulped, a bit nervous - he was no stranger to working a crowd, but these people were all Blaine’s friends and that made Kurt feel unaccountably timid. 

Blaine grabbed a champagne glass from a table and tapped it, gathering the group’s attention. “Everyone!” he called. “We have an announcement to make!” A hush fell over the room, all eyes on Blaine and Kurt. “I’d like to introduce Kurt Hummel . . . my fiance!”