Glee: Meeting and Greeting
Title: Meeting and GreetingRating: PGish, for language
Summary: Blaine's coming over. Kurt's freaking out. Burt's freaking out. Carole and Finn aren't making matters easier and Blaine's coming over.
Companion to Of New Snow and Uncertainty and That Time of Year. You totes don't have to read them to read this, but it'd probably be a good idea. Go for it, you'll like it! :)
Burt’s pretty sure he’s handling this wrong but his only child is going to have boy in his room within the hour (if he’s on time and Burt wouldn’t put it past that little punk to be late) and he’s freaking out. He doesn’t care how old Kurt is. He isn’t ready for this.
His temper has been short all day and he keeps snapping at everyone, including Kurt, who just makes sad puppy faces until his father feels so guilty he’s willing to buy him a puppy, just so he won’t make that face anymore.
Carole just keeps patting his hand and telling him everything will be fine, just relax, and be grateful there’s no chance anyone will end up pregnant.
Burt’s face goes completely blank and Carole realizes she’s said the wrong thing as Finn exclaims, “Hey!” and Kurt throws his hands into the air and says, “Don’t make him think about that!”
“Sorry,” Carole says sheepishly. “Just trying to help.”
“I’m going to do the dishes,” Kurt says quickly, hoping keeping his hands busy will take his mind off the twisting his stomach is doing. As he stands, his phone vibrates.
New Message from Blaine
I’m on my way. Can’t wait to see you.
Kurt grins widely and clutches the phone to his chest, treasuring the most straightforward text he’s gotten yet from that ridiculous (and yet charming and gorgeous) boy.
He jumps about a mile when a deep voice over his shoulder says, “So-”
“GAH! Finn, what the hell?” Kurt exclaims, voice jumping an octave in surprise.
“Language, Kurt!” his father shouts from the other room.
“Sorry Dad! Finn, what the hell,” he repeats low enough his father can’t hear him.
Finn just laughs, slowly and comfortably, the laugh that used to make Kurt’s stomach do cartwheels. “So, you don’t mind Mom and I being here for your date?” he finishes.
“It’s not- it isn’t- no, I don’t, uh,” Kurt mumbles very quickly, flustered. “It’s not a date. At least, I don’t think it is.”
“Come on, man, he’s coming to spend the afternoon with you alone-”
“Stop making everything sound so lewd.”
“-and then staying to meet to whole happy family at dinner? It’s a date, dude.”
Kurt bit his lip.
“Believe what you want, man, but I bet he’s going to be disappointed when he finds out you just want to hang out or whatever it is you have planned.”
“That’s not- it isn’t- argh, I can’t even talk to you!” Kurt exclaims, turning back to the sink. “Go hang out with your Mom.”
“Is that supposed to be an insult? Because my Mom is awesome, I like hanging out with her.”
Kurt sighs loudly. “It is not an insult, Finn. Just, please, go away for a while.”
Finn claps Kurt on the back. “Whatever. And, hey, stop freaking out. Your face has been pink for an hour.”
Great, Kurt thinks. Now I have something else to worry about. He rubs his hands over his face before realizing that probably isn’t going to help anything. He takes a deep breath, which doesn’t actually do any good, and tries to focus on the dishes and just the dishes. He’s carefully considering the pattern on a coffee mug when he starts to think about warm hazel eyes and hair that looks really soft and how much he wants to find out if it feels like he imagines it does instead…
He glances at the microwave clock.
Soon, soon, soon, he thinks as he begins putting away the dishes. His phone vibrates a second later.
New Message from Blaine
I got lost but it was a totally awesome shortcut. I’m almost there.
Kurt laughs out loud and wonders if anyone will notice if he just stands in the window and waits for Blaine to appear in his driveway. He glances over his shoulder and sees that his Dad has moved so he can see the front windows too.
Glancing over his should one last time, Kurt shuffles into the living room simultaneously hoping “almost there” means he’s practically in the driveway and that he’s going in the totally wrong direction and they’re going to have to cancel. Kurt’s heart is thumping so loudly he’s pretty sure everyone else can hear it and now his Dad’s giving him a strange look.
“You alright, kid?” Burt hopes, secretly wishing Kurt’s getting sick- not seriously ill or anything, just sick enough that company is a bad idea.
“I’m fine, Dad,” Kurt replies, sounding slightly more irritated than he actually feels. And, really, does his Dad really need to draw any more attention to his flushed skin and his clammy palms?
“He’s just nervous, Burt,” Carole supplies and Kurt sits and tries to sink all the way through the chair to the floor.
Burt frowns. “I don’t like this boy coming here and making you look so nervous.”
“You don’t even know him, Dad,” Kurt sighs.
“So, how much snow do you think we’re going to get?” Finn offers for Kurt’s sake. “It’s already pretty thick out there.”
Kurt gives him a weak smile. “Not supposed to get very much.”
“Now, that’s very interesting, because I heard something different when I was watching the news with my mom. I like to spend time with her because she’s awesome,” Finn says very precisely and then he and Kurt are laughing and Carole and Burt aren’t sure what they missed.
Finn’s laughter trails off and Kurt begins to relax and then a car door slams. Kurt’s eyes widened and he’s suddenly realizing this is about to happen- Blaine is going to be in his house- in his room- with him. With only him.
The doorbell rings and Kurt’s up before his father can react.
“Just, sit, Dad, you’re supposed to be relaxing.”
“If you don’t stop panicking, you’re going to be next in line for a heart attack,” his father quips and Kurt suspects this is correct.
Kurt resists the urge to fling the door open and tries for what is a very calm and collected way to open a door, if such a thing exists (Kurt later reasons that it probably doesn’t). On the other side, a brightly smiling Blaine is waiting.
“Hey,” he says and Kurt thinks he’s imagining how breathless he sounds.
“Hey, come in,” and Kurt can feel his hands sweating but Blaine just looks so relaxed, like he’s completely in his element.
Kurt hopes it’s not because he’s done this many times before.
He starts to turn around and finds his father almost directly behind him. He doesn’t look very welcoming and Kurt isn’t surprised in the least.
“Smile, Dad, you’ll scare the company,” he says dully and Burt has the decency to look slightly apologetic.
“So you’re Blaine?” he asks a little less gruffly than he had originally planned.
Blaine nods, looking only marginally shaken by Burt less than warm welcome. “Yes, sir. It’s nice to meet you. Kurt talks about you all the time.”
That’s not entirely true but it seems to placate Burt a little bit so Kurt lets it go.
“Well, Dad, Blaine. Blaine, Dad. Blaine, Carole and Finn, and vice versa. Now you know everyone.”
Finn waves awkwardly and Carole smiles warmly. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Blaine.”
Burt seems to understand his interrogation isn’t going to go any further. He sighs, resignedly. “We'll call you up when dinner’s ready,” he says, squeezing his son’s shoulder in peace offering.
“Thanks, Dad,” Kurt replies, accepting the apology and returning the sentiment with just the tone of his voice.
“This way,” he says to Blaine, directing him toward the basement. He lets Blaine down the stairs first and he turns back for a moment. Finn raises his eyebrows and grins and mouths, “get some!” Kurt chokes back his laughter and turns back to the stairs.
“Door open,” is the last thing Burt says before Kurt disappears down the stairs.
“Well,” Carole smiles. “That wasn’t so bad.”
Burt groans and sinks onto the couch next to her. “I don’t like this.”
She pats his knee. “I know. It gets easier. Blaine seems like a very nice young man.”
The living room’s occupants were quiet for a minute.
“So…” Finn begins. “How about that snow?”