“Blaine, you have to keep stirring it…”
“I know, I know, I am-” Blaine cut Kurt off, still not stirring the sauce. It was the only cooking Kurt would let him do, but he was far too busy nuzzling into his neck, pressing himself against his back, feeling the muscles flex ever so slightly under his shirt and waistcoat as he chopped another onion. Some men would change into something more casual when they got home, but Blaine thanked God he hadn’t married one of them.
“But I need to get these chopped and in the pan, my eyes are already streaming-“
“Don’t care. This is keeping me warm.” He lazily reached for the wooden spoon sticking out of then pan, almost knocking the whole thing off the stove. He gave it a couple of quick stirs and returned his arm to Kurt’s waist, wrapping himself around him even tighter. “There, all done. Hmmmmm.” Kurt shivered as Blaine breathed onto his neck, squirming slightly in an attempt at protest, but it only let Blaine rub his nose against him and hold him closer. Not that Kurt minded. He put the knife down, turning to face Blaine, sliding a hand onto his waist, and just as he leaned forward to kiss him, they were interrupted by a voice.
“Dad?” They both turned to see Alex standing timidly, his feet pointing awkwardly towards each other, wringing his hands. Kurt and Blaine had both been worried about him the last couple of weeks. He was still smiling the same smile, all freckly and slightly wonky teeth and glasses making his big, blue eyes look bigger and bluer, but he had been so quiet recently. Seven years old was too young for teenage angst, surely? They immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to face him, Kurt instinctively pushing the knife further away so Alex couldn’t reach it and hurt himself, and Blaine rushing to kneel in front of him, brushing his floppy, sandy hair out of his eyes and holding his hand, smiling his most comforting smile.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked, resisting the urge to just sweep him up into a hug and fly him around the kitchen. He missed being able to do that and make everything better. Alex sniffed, his breath catching slightly, his eyes glued to the floor. Kurt felt a pain in his chest. What could be hurting him this much? A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind: was he being bullied? Was he struggling at school? He started trying to think of ways to fix whatever was wrong.
“Honey, you know we’ll do anything we can to help you. Is it something to do with school?” Kurt knelt at Blaine’s side, taking Alex’s other hand and rubbing his back. Alex glanced up at them both, before returning his gaze to the ground.
“Kind of.” He rubbed one foot against the other. He was obviously torn up. “It’s… I, um… I-” He mustered up all the courage he could, and looked each of his fathers in turn. They looked back, both smiling warmly and softly. “You know how you two love each other?” They both had to try hard not to grin. Blaine put a hand on Kurt’s back, but they just about kept straight faces. Alex needed to know they were taking him seriously. Alex sniffed again, and a tear rolled down his cheek, making any hint of a smile disappear from his dads’ faces. They both felt lost. It was their job to keep him away from pain, but this… No. Blaine raised his hand towards Kurt’s shoulder, squeezing it tight so he wouldn’t do it to Alex’s hand. Kurt wiped the tear away with his thumb.
“Yeah, of course we do. Why?”
“Well…” His breathing was laboured now as he fought back sobs. “I… I think I love someone.” Kurt and Blaine frowned, growing even more concerned.
“Alex, why is that a bad thing?” Blaine asked. “Being in love just makes us happy. And it’s why we’ve got you and your sister. Who is it you like?”
“That’s the thing,” the little boy went on, his hands shaking as his parents held them, “It’s not like you two. It’s a girl. I love a girl the way you love Daddy. Is that bad?” Blaine had to bite his lip; he wasn’t sure if he was trying not to laugh or cry. It was gut-wrenching to see Alex this tortured, but the idea that him being in love could make them anything but happy was ridiculous. He glanced at Kurt, and he was obviously thinking the same thing. Blaine kept hold of his hand, as Kurt stood, simultaneously sweeping Alex off the floor. They were both glad he wasn’t too big for this yet. Blaine let Kurt do the talking, as he stroked and kissed Alex’s hair.
“Listen. We love you more than anything in the whole world. People used to get angry with us for loving each other, but it didn’t matter, because everyone who cared about us, everyone who was important to us, they would love us no matter what.”
“OK.” Another hard sniff.
“No, baby. More than OK. If you love someone, a boy or a girl or anyone, it’s fantastic. We always just want you to be happy.” Sophie started crying upstairs.
“I’ve got it,” Blaine said, “Just remember how much we love you, OK sweetie?” He stooped a little so he could look him in the eyes, which were just poking out over Kurt’s shoulder, his arms stretched around him as far as they would go. He nodded, then took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes against Kurt’s shirt to dry his tears. “Good. Whoever this girl is, she’s lucky to have such a special boy like her, OK?” Alex nodded again, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Blaine grinned at him, stroking his hair again and kissing him on the forehead before running upstairs.
“Alex, why did you think we’d be upset?”
“Because you always hug each other and kiss each other and hold hands, and wouldn’t it be weird if a boy did that with a girl?”
“Well, what about Grandma and Grandpa? And Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel? They’re boys and girls, and they do all that stuff, and it’s not weird.” Alex pulled back to look at his father.
“It is. They’re gross.”
“And you don’t think Daddy and I are gross?”
“Not like them. I don’t know. I just thought you’d want me to be like you. And you don’t like girls.” Kurt hoisted Alex up on his hip and pressed his own nose against the tiny one belonging to his son.
“Woah there. You look at me. The only person we want you to be is Alex. You are perfect to us, no matter what you do or who you love.”
“And what on Earth makes you think we don’t like girls?” They turned to see Blaine holding Sophie, who was gurgling and sucking on his little finger. He couldn’t resist pulling faces at her, making her giggle.
“See? She’s a girl, and we love her just as much as we love you. We all love Sophie, don’t we?” Alex nodded again, smiling at his little sister. She didn’t really do much, but he liked being her big brother. Even when she drooled on everything and cried a lot. He felt important when she looked up at him, just like she was now.
“Now,” Blaine cut in, tearing his gaze away from the baby and smiling at his son and husband, “We just need to know about your girl. If she doesn’t like you back, she’s crazy.”
Kurt nuzzled into Alex’s neck, making him squeal with laughter, while Blaine allowed himself a sigh and a stare at his little family before fetching a bottle for the baby. He’d imagined a lot of scenarios for himself and Kurt as parents. But their son dramatically stepping into the closet wasn’t one of them.