The evening started out as nothing out of the ordinary. He went to New Directions practice, drove home, and did his homework while his mother made dinner and his father handled some business in the study. And then the doorbell rang.

Ugh, not another dinner party.

His parents had been friends with the Donovans for years through his father’s job at the firm. They had a daughter, Claire, about Blaine’s age with golden blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. The two had played together when they were younger, but Blaine hadn’t seen her in years.

The Anderson’s were no strangers to dinner parties. In fact, they hosted them quite frequently. The men would go into his father’s study for a drink, while the women would chat in family room or occasionally the kitchen. And that’s exactly how this one started out. Blaine was invited into the study, where his father offered him a glass of scotch. He accepted politely and engaged himself in conversation. Mr. Donovan asked him about school and his music, while his father brought Claire into the conversation, asking Blaine if he thought she was pretty. Soon enough, both men were talking the young girl up; yet Blaine smiled, commented appropriately, and remained mostly oblivious.

It wasn’t until his mother announced that dinner would be served that he began to catch on. “Blaine, dear, why don’t you sit right there,” she nodded towards one of the seats on the side of their long table, “next to Claire.” Blaine politely pulled the seat next to him out for his childhood friend before seating himself.

This might not be so bad. We were friends before. Before he came out to himself, before she was sent to a preparatory middle school. Before he learned just how cruel kids could be. Before he knew what he was, who he was. Maybe we can be friends again. Kurt does have Mercedes after all, maybe you can have Claire.

It wasn’t long before his parents’ intentions became well known and suddenly not so subtle. Comments like, “Don’t those two look good together, Hannah?” and “You two would make a nice couple,” were tossed around like they were casual everyday remarks. Blaine nearly choked on his vegetables, blushing profusely when the latter statement was made.

How could they do this to me? Don’t they understand that I’m gay? That I’m not interested in dating girls? And what about Kurt?

The rest of the dinner followed as such and Blaine couldn’t remember a time where he had felt so awkward and out of place…maybe on Valentine’s Day, but that was completely different. On Valentine’s Day, he made a fool out of himself for a guy. This dinner was all his parents’ doing. As he sat through the rest of the meal, desert, and a short bit of socializing afterward, he remained polite and the feeling of betrayal that he got from his parents remained hidden.

Claire seemed completely clueless throughout the whole ordeal. She smiled at him, laughed at all the right moments, and snuck glances at him, attempting to let him know that she was interested.

How do I get out of this. We used to be good friends. I really don’t want to upset her.

It wasn’t until the Donovans were about to leave that Blaine got an idea. “Hang on a second,” he told Claire before racing to his room where he grabbed a piece of note paper and a pen. Quickly he scratched out a note.

Claire,

This isn’t going to be what you want to hear, but you really do need to know. I’m gay. I have a boyfriend and I really, really love him. I hope that we might be able to be friends again though. Maybe we could grab a coffee sometime if you’d like.

-Blaine

Beneath his name, he scribbled his number before folding the paper neatly and walking back to the foyer. “Read this when you’re alone,” he whispered in Claire’s ear as he gave her a hug. When the door closed for the night, a wave of relief washed over him.

"What were you thinking?" he half shouted at his parents.

"Blaine, honey," his mother began.

"I don’t want to hear it, Mom. We’ll talk about this tomorrow. I’m going to bed!" And he storms off to his room, slamming the door behind him. He flopped onto his bed, looking at the clock on his iHome; 9:45 pm. Kurt should be finishing up his nightly moisturizing routine right about now. It’s the perfect time to text him.

I’ll pick you up tomorrow. We have important things to discuss. Goodnight <3

The next morning, Kurt finds himself almost as nervous as he used to be around Blaine before they got together. He can’t stop thinking about the text that Blaine sent him the night before. Sure, he ended it with a heart, but receiving a text that said they needed to talk was rather nerve-wracking, especially since the message nearly mimicked the cliché breakup note.

I’m sure everything’s fine. Blaine seemed happy enough yesterday when you walked out to your car with him.

Nervously, he awaits Blaine’s arrival, adjusting and readjusting his scarf. When Blaine pulls into the driveway and beeps his horn, Kurt jumps, startled. He grabs his bag, the latest Marc Jacobs, and heads out to his boyfriend’s car. Barely able to hide his surprise, he smiles as Blaine greets him with, “Good morning, Love,” and leans in to kiss him on the cheek.

Maybe I really don’t have anything to worry about.

Blaine grabs their coffees and walks over to their usual table, where Kurt is replying to a text. As he sits down, Kurt slips his phone back into his bag and takes a sip of his nonfat mocha. “You said that we need to discuss something important,” Kurt states, still a bit nervous.

"Yeah," Blaine answers, frowning. "You know how my parents are always having dinner parties?" Kurt nodded. "Well they decided to have some friends over again last night – the Donovans. When my mother told me, I didn’t think anything of it, but all night they kept trying to push me and the Donovans’ daughter, Claire, together. My parents tried to set me up with a girl."

"Oh. My. God." Memories of the time that Blaine questioned his sexuality after kissing Rachel came rushing back and Kurt couldn’t help but to tense up.

"I know! It’s as if they don’t even ca–" Blaine paused, noticing the hurt expression on Kurt’s face. "What’s wrong?" He reaches across the table for Kurt’s hand. Sighing, Kurt explains how this reminds him of the Rachel incident.

Blaine squeezes his hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, babe. I handed her a note that told her that I’ve got a boyfriend whom I love very much but I would be happy to be just friends. The issue is my parents. They need to understand who I am, that I’m not choosing to be gay. They need to realize that no one that they try to fix me up with – especially any girl – will be good enough for me compared to you.”

"I’ll go with you." Kurt squeezes Blaine’s hand this time. "We can talk to your parents together."

"No, this is something that I need to do on my own. As soon as my dad gets home from work, we’re going to have a talk. They’re will listen to me.”

Again, Blaine finds himself in his usual routine. He drops Kurt (who gives him a kiss ‘for good luck’) off on his way home, then does his homework while his mother does whatever household chore she’s set herself to do, the only thing keeping him clam is a text from Kurt reading, ‘courage.’ After the way he stormed off last night, things are tense. He waits to hear the sound of the garage door opening, a noise that he’s learnt to associate with his father coming home from work.

"Mom, Dad, we need to talk. Now," he tells them boldly, demanding their attention.

Minutes later, they’re seated in the living room, facing each other. Nervously, Blaine begins to speak. “I’m really upset about what you did to me last night. You know that I’m gay, that I’m in a relationship. Why?”

"Your mother and I think that you were confused before Dalton and that going to an all-boys’ school just contributed to the confusion."

"I’ve only been confused once…and that was when I thought I might be straight. I’m gay and I’ve never been more sure of anything."

"We just want you to be happy," his mother contributed. "And Claire’s such a nice girl from a nice fam–"

"I am happy, Mom. I’m in love with Kurt Hummel and I’ve never been happier in my life.”

"Blaine, could you give us a moment?" his father asks. Obliging, Blaine goes upstairs to his room. He can hear his parents arguing below and after a good fifteen minutes, he hears his name being called. Cautiously, he walks back to the living room, unsure of what to expect.

"Blaine, honey, we want you to know that though we don’t agree with everything, we will always support you. If you’re really happy with Kurt, then we’d like to meet him. Invite him over for dinner this weekend." His mother smiles at him and for the first time in ages, he returns the smile.

As soon as his discussion with his parents ends, Blaine rushes back up to his room to call Kurt, who answers on the second ring. “I love you,” he tells him before Kurt even has a chance to say hello.

"I take it your conversation went well?" Kurt’s voice can be heard from the other end of the line.

"They want to formally meet you. What are your plans for Saturday night?"

"I was planning on having you over for another movie night."

"Then you’re coming here for dinner tomorrow night. We can watch the movie after."

"Sounds great!"

Blaine grins. How did I get so lucky.

"Finn’s out with Rachel and then he’s at Puck’s for the night, so my dad, Carole, and I were going to order a pizza and I was going to watch some Greys on my computer. You can come over, y’know, if you want."

Even through the phone, Blaine can tell that Kurt’s blushing. It’s so cute – how nervous he still gets sometimes. He grins, imagining cuddling with Kurt as they watch his favorite show, knowing full well that they won’t be paying much attention to the screen.

"I’ll be there in fifteen minutes."

He honestly couldn’t wait for the next evening. Whether his parents approved of his sexuality or not, he knew that they would love Kurt.

By the time Saturday arrived, Blaine was near the point of a nervous breakdown. Though his parents’ attitudes toward him had changed only for the better since their discussion the other night, he knew that being okay with the idea of something was completely different from being okay with that thing once it was tangibly presented and he wasn’t quite sure how his parents would react when they actually saw his relationship with Kurt in person.

Though Kurt had assured him that his parents’ opinions and/or treatment of him wouldn’t affect their relationship, should the Andersons be anything less than kind to their son’s boyfriend, Blaine was worried that Kurt might resent him if he even wanted him anymore should their dinner be a less than pleasant experience.

Kurt could sense Blaine’s nerves from the moment he opened his front door to find Blaine adjusting his bowtie—something he does often when he’s nervous. “Hey, B,” he greeted Blaine, pulling him into a gentile hug. “Everything’s going to be fine, I promise,” Kurt assured him as he pulled away from the hug, taking one of Blaine’s hands in his before he headed to Blaine’s car.

They rode in silence for the majority of the trip, the only sound coming from the radio speakers. Kurt let Blaine have complete control of the music for once, hoping that it would be a pleasant distraction for him at the very least. He didn’t understand why Blaine was as nervous as he was. If anyone should have been trembling with fear, it was Kurt. Blaine already had his parents’ approval—or at least their support—in some capacity. He had already met Kurt’s father and Burt had taken a liking to him almost instantly. Kurt had yet to make any impression on these people. All he knew was that they had been distant since Blaine came out to them. He had no idea how they would react to his effemininimity or his relationship with their son.

As soon as Blaine had informed him that his parents wanted to meet him, Kurt had decided that he wasn’t going to let their opinions affect him. He had Blaine and he had Blaine’s approval and acceptance; that was all that mattered to him. Sure, it would be nice if he could get along well with his boyfriend’s family, but that wasn’t a deal-breaker for his relationship.

As they pulled into the Andersons’ driveway, all of the nerves and fear that Kurt had been trying to avoid hit him hard. In fact, his hand was shaking in Blaine’s as they made their walk to the front door.

“They’re going to love you,” Blaine finally spoke, not sure whether he was trying to assure Kurt or himself.

“I hope you’re right,” Kurt murmured as his boyfriend reached for the doorknob.

Just as Blaine’s hand was about to touch metal, the door swung open to reveal Hannah Anderson. Though both boys were visibly nervous, their tension began to subside almost immediately when she smiled genuinely and pulled Kurt into a hug.

“Hello, Kurt. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”