Fic: The Time Machine (14/?)
Title The Time Machine
Genre: Romance, Humor, Fantasy
Pairing: Klaine, Brittana, Rory/?
Rating: PG - PG 13
Spoilers: none.
Disclaimer: : I own nothing...and do not claim to.
Summary: In a moment of what could be called absolutely brilliance or stupidity, Rory Hummel-Anderson decided that the only way to get his Papa back was to go back in time and stall him, or stop him from getting into the car at all. The only problem is, his Aunt's time machine is still just a prototype and he can't even specify a time. But Rory uses it anyway and suddenly he's back in 2011 and he has to pretend to be an exchange student while he waits for Aunt Brittany to build the time machine again and get back home. In the meanwhile he gets to know his parents as teenagers and even help their relationship along when they hit a bump in the road.
Chapter Fourteen
The Sugar Shack
The day of the party was as normal as any other for Blaine. He woke up around 9, went to the bathroom and took a shower and then headed downstairs for breakfast. His mom gave him a disapproving stare when he arrived -- he'd been primarily taking any meal in his room -- but she didn't say anything except to pointedly look at a chair which meant that he'd have to sit down and not get back up until he was done.
He sat down because he didn't want to fight with her and let her serve him his breakfast with a glass of orange juice. Again he didn't protest even though his drink of choice was usually coffee. His mom didn't approve of coffee - or at least of his intake of it - even though she drank at least three cups of it herself to get through her work day. Blaine was hoping that she might have to go back to work after his appointment, he was already so tired of being around her.
"Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" She asked when she finally say down with her own breakfast.
Blaine tried hard not to stare at her steaming cup of coffee with too much want.
"Yes. It's Valentine's day and I'd like to spend it with the person I love, mom. The doctor said I was allowed to go back to school days ago but I stayed because you didn't think I was ready but you won't stop me from going tonight."
She nodded.
Blaine would never say anything badly about his parents. He knew they cared in their way, it was just that they had never quite showed it like Blaine had needed them to and it wasn't just related to the gay thing though that had definitely contributed to a lot of it later on. It was events like the slushy and years before what happened after the Sadie Hawkins dance that really brought his mom's more caring side out.
It was such a big difference to have her nag and question his every move after having a lot of freedom that Blaine kept wishing for things to go back to normal.
"If you're really sure. But you'll come straight home and you won't be staying out late."
"Sure, mom."
Unlike his mom, his dad had had a completely different reaction to the slushy incident and more importantly the operation on his eye. He had made sure the doctor working on his eye was the very best they could find in Ohio and he'd paid for any and very test, but not once had he visited at the hospital. Blaine had seen him a total of one time since he'd come home and it had only been because he needed something from the home office.
The doctor's appointment wasn't for a few more hours, so after breakfast Blaine relocated to the living room and turned on the tv. There was practically nothing on so he wound up putting in a movie that he half payed attention to.
He was more than a little excited to be leaving the house and even more so to surprise Kurt though he was starting to think that Kurt was onto him. He'd smiled a little too much the night before when he was leaving and he mentioned that he was looking forward to spending time with him the next night even though they were going to be doing what they'd been doing all week long. Luckily Kurt had definitely mentioned that he was going to stop by at the party for Sugar who was insisting.
"Plus," Kurt had added, "I want to see Rory and Sugar acting like a couple."
Blaine had been vey glad for all the drama between Sugar and Rory that week but mostly because it had kept his boyfriend busy and not worrying about him.
Mojo came running into the room then and Blaine thought that he looked a little too happy with himself. It'd been a couple of days since acquiring the adorable creature, Blaine had discovered that he was a harder responsibility than he'd signed up for. Kurt had warned him, but Blaine just hadn't paid him enough attention in light if the cold nose, big eyes, and wagging tail.
"What did you do now?"
The dog just wagged his tail. Blaine eyed him, but when he jumped up on the couch and rested his head on Blaine's knee, the picture of innocence. A dog was a big responsibility, Blaine knew, and he was more than willing to have it. Thinking about the fact that he would be a father someday -- and he definitely hoped he wouldn't be at all like his father -- had made him think of it more seriously.
He and his mom headed to the appointment an hour or so later and the drive over was the longest in Blaine's life. His mom kept trying to hint that staying home would be best and Blaine was starting to think that it was more than just her wanting him to stay for his well being, but his moms problem with Kurt.
Blaine had thought that when he finally got a boyfriend that both his parents would be upset about it. They had barely reacted. His dad had been a little blasé about it, and his mom had reacted only long enough to say a quick congratulations. Everything had changed when they met Kurt.
His dad had met him twice and both times been civil enough if distracted. But he was always distracted so that was nothing to do with Kurt. His mom on the other hand had been downright rude and later she'd told Blaine that she thought he could do much better and proceeded to call his voice too girly and his fashion style atrocious.
Blaine hadn't taken it all to heart but now that he knew that he and Kurt would end up getting married he couldn't help but wonder about the role that his parents played in their life. He didn't want to ask Rory, but a part of him hoped that they would come around and accept Kurt and later Rory and that they might actually be grandparents to Rory.
The doctor's visit itself went fine and he was finally allowed to take off the eyepatch and the last of the bandages.
"You'll be a little sensitive to light for a few days still, but you're fine to go back to school and to reading."
His mom did go back to work after she dropped him off and Blaine almost broke out into a happy dance because of it. So he waved at her as she pulled back out of the driveway and let himself into the house.
The day went off quickly enough and he discovered that what Mojo had done that morning just consisted of dragging one of his sweaters out of his closet. Luckily enough it was an older one that he hadn't worn in a while and that he wasn't intending on wearing again. One of the sleeves was a little chewed on and part of the collar was a little ripped, strings of yarn coming apart from the knitted design. He made a note to keep his clothes off the floor if he didn't want Mojo to think of them as his toys and to also stop at a petco or petsmart and buy the dog some toys. His mom had only made a trip to buy food when the dog surprised her when she got home, but she'd been more than okay with the dog becoming a part of their lives.
His mom still wasn't home when he set out and Blaine was more than happy to be behind the wheel of his car again. He had a few things to pick up but afterwards he was going to surprise Kurt at Sugar's party.
- - -
Kurt arrived much earlier than anyone else had. He was more than ready to meet up with Blaine, so ready that he hadn't even bothered calling or texting Blaine to see how his doctor's appointment that morning had gone. Instead he was looking forward to hearing about it now in the hour or so that they'd have before the restaurant closed up so the party could be held. One of the waitresses warned him about the party but he waved her off and then a man in a gorilla suit was standing behind him, someone that was taller than him and definitely taller than Blaine. What was going on? Was Blaine not going to make it?
When his admirer was unmasked Kurt just about had a heart attack. It was Dave Karofsky. Never once had Kurt consisted that it might not be Blaine that was his secret admirer. Everything was different, suddenly, and Kurt just couldn't wrap his mind around it. He let Dave lead him to a table and then he listened to the other boy
Kurt hadn't seen him since the night at Scandals and frankly he's been glad. He and Dave may have been in better terms but Kurt didn't really consider him a friend or anything. He had just decided to put the bullying behind him. Maybe it was that Dave had been so horrible to him that had made Kurt not even once consider that Dave might be interested in him
After they talked it all out, Kurt just got up from the booth. He felt kind of horrible and a little bit stupid. There was also the undying disappointment that Blaine had done nothing to compare to the way he'd put himself out there for a crush just the year before. Mostly though he felt sad and all he wanted to do was leave the restaurant, head over to Blaine's and watch the movies he'd been promised earlier in the week. He wasn't really mad that Blaine hadn't gone out of his way for the silly holiday, but he was a little disappointed and mostly confused because Blaine had always claimed it was his favorite holiday.
But as he and Dave parted ways, Mercedes followed by Quinn, Sam, and Sugar walked in and from one look from them he knew he wasn't going to be stepping out the door for any reason. He let them cajole him into helping with the last of the decorations - he glared at every pink heart near his vicinity an ignored the looks that Sugar kept giving him - and then sat down in a booth and considered calling Blaine even though he would be seeing his boyfriend later when he managed to sneak out of the party
The godsquad and some of the glee kids - although there was serious overlap - seemed to be the entertainment and Kurt smiled when they actually sang to Brittany despite their religious connotations. Kurt was never going to be religious and was very glad that Blaine had expressed his exact same sentiment on the subject, but he could appreciate that there could be open mindedness.
He kept his eye on Sugar and Rory throughout the beginning of the party but lost track of them eventually. They were sure acting like a couple and Kurt even saw them dancing and laughing together. He was glad they were having a good time
Finn and Rachel got there a little late, and Kurt wasn't very happy to see how happy they were. His dad had filled him on the plan that the Berrys had cooked up to stop the wedding and he knew a big part of it had to so with the dinner they were having that night. It had clearly backfired
Rachel got up to sing at some point, but he should have expected that. He watched and tried to pretend that he was having fun. He had tried calling Blaine but gotten his voicemail and now that he glanced at his phone there had been no return call and not a lot of time had passed since he last looked
He turned to look at the stage when Sugar got up there and was only half listening until Blaine's voice fell over him from the sound system. He gasped and had to be gaping. Blaine winked at him, both eyes in display, and then began to sing and Kurt could only just stare because there he was and he was singing and surprising Kurt and it was the best thing to happen to him all day
He found a microphone in the seat next to him and when Blaine came to try and offer his, he just pulled out the other and just in time for his boyfriend to pull him up out of the booth by his tie. They were suddenly on stage and Kurt was having more fun than he had all day and he wanted to be as close to Blaine as humanly possible. They leaned into each other and sang. Every few minutes Kurt looked at Blaine because he couldn't quite believe that he was really there
When the balloons fell around them at the end of the song he grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him in
"I love you," he said, "and I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too," Blaine muttered
In the midst of all the insanity around them they leaned into each other and shared a kiss. They didn't pull too far apart when it was over. Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder and wished he could just stay there forever
Eventually they moved and the party continued. Blaine lead him back to the booth and Kurt stayed as close to him as possible. They usually tried not to be too touchy in public, but the people at this party were all friends and he and Blaine had come into Breadstix so often on dates that the staff already had to know they were more than friends. It also had a lot to do with Kurt wanting to stay as close to Blaine as possible after the last few things he'd gone through
- -
Rory had danced with Sugar before at parties, but it was a bit unusual to dance with her now, when they had to pretend that they were on a date and it felt like a lot of the people there were watching them. His dad certainly was and so was Artie. The wheelchair bound boy hadn't brought a date and Sugar had most likely felt so bad for him that she told him to just come stag. He looked miserable, not even Puck's sorority girls could make him smile. Rory thought that if it had been him, he wouldn't have shown up at all
"I'm going to be so sad when you have to go," Sugar said
He was brought back from his thoughts. He stared at her for a moment. "What?"
Sugar was smirking a little. "When you have to go back to Ireland."
She was making fun of him, he realized. He smiled a little
"Maybe," and this she said a little louder, "my dad could buy Ireland."
He smiled a little and tried not to associate everything she was saying with the fact that it had always bothered Sugar that she didn't know who her father was. When they were much younger it had been a game between them to list attributes to the biological parents that they didn't know. He remembered how she'd mentioned once that she wished he would be rich
"I thought of something," Rory said when they had sat down again
"Yeah?"
Rory had hesitated on whether he should tell Sugar what he'd been considering since the day before
"I was just wondering if they'd remember us in the future. My dads know who I am and where I come from, this isn't just a tiny little detail to forget. I was just thinking that maybe they remember all of this."
Sugar but down on her bottom lip. "I never thought of that," she said, "and maybe they do remember. They sent me so specifically, Rory, and I never thought to wonder why."
She had to get up to the stage, so she left him behind. He didn't expect that she would be announcing his papa. But there he was at the door in a getup that was only befitting of him and he had a microphone in his hand. He couldn't help but grin.
Rory had seen his dad's face earlier and there had been a look of devastation and tiredness on it, Rory had almost gone over there and insisted that he go home, but he was glad now that Sugar had distracted him. He now knew why
Any other kid would have probably been embarrassed to have his parents up on a stage looking so besotted on each other that it was sickening, but not Rory. Maybe it was that he was so used to them acting this way, or that they were his age and so didn't really appear to him like his dads would. At any rate, Rory didn’t mind in the least that they sang leaning against each other and that later on the dance floor they were kissing.
"If they remember, then, we'll find out when we get home, won't we?"
Rory nodded, but really what he was thinking was that his papa wouldn't be there to laugh and joke about everything. He had never once considered telling them why he'd used the time machine but now that it might be possible to leave a warning he was definitely tempted. Could it achieve anything really? Or would it change everything? He couldn't figure out what he had to do on his own. What he needed was to go see his grandfather. He already knew and this could be the perfect way to resolve this but so much might also go wrong because of it
He decided to stop thinking about it and instead he focused on watching Sugar who looked happier than she had in a while. She really did like throwing parties and he knew she'd been very happy earlier when her moms were making out after the godsquad dedicated a song from Santana to Brittany. The two of them had been very close all night and Rory could see them sitting aside from everyone else, their heads very close together. He and Sugar in the meanwhile danced some more and Rory tried not to watch his parents too much.
"Hey," his dad said and Rory jumped, almost spilling his drink.
"So tonight went well then," his dad said and looked back at where Blaine was talking to Finn, Rachel, and Mike, "did you know about all of that?"
Rory shook his head. "He never mentioned it."
"I did," Sugar said and rushed past them after Mercedes and Tina
His dad lifted his eyebrow and Rory shrugged. "She's in her element, I think."
"Are you okay?" Kurt asked
"I think so. This wasn't that bad."
"What wasn't bad?"
Kurt turned and took Blaine's hand. "The party," he said, "Rory has a good point. I didn't think I was going to have any fun after..."
Rory watched them. His dad looked preoccupied about something, burdened. Yet he didn't seem to want to share what his problem might be. His papa on the other hand was smiling and looking so carefree that it was strange to see his expression change to worried
"After what?"
"I, um, thought that you were sending me valentine cards all week," he said.
Rory had forgotten about them despite how often his dad mentioned them
"I didn't," Blaine said
"I know that now," Kurt said, "can we talk about this later?"
Blaine nodded
Artie wheeled himself over them
"I'm heading home," he said, "my dad will be here soon. I am going to be the bigger man and apologize for everything I did this past week and also offer congratulations."
Rory was surprised and mostly flattered. He never could have expected that he would get a congratulations from Artie of all people
"Thanks," he said, "I should apologize as well."
They nodded at each other and then Artie rolled away again. When Rory turned back around his dads were smiling at him
"We're going to raise someone so amazing," Kurt said
"Was there any doubt we would?"
Rory loved how much his dads in this time had become in awe of him. He was a representation of the wonderful future they were going to have. They didn't know that he was back here giving them that hope because of the one horrible aspect of their future. Could he actually tell them so far in advance, watch that hope and interest for the future just fall apart
"Anyway," Blaine said, "I promised I wouldn't be out very late. We should get going, Kurt."
They each hugged him, and then Rory saw them gathering their few belongings and saying goodbye to the rest of their friends. Rory couldn't be the reason that their easy going attitude disappeared, he couldn't burden then with this. But there had to be another way
Genre: Romance, Humor, Fantasy
Pairing: Klaine, Brittana, Rory/?
Rating: PG - PG 13
Spoilers: none.
Disclaimer: : I own nothing...and do not claim to.
Summary: In a moment of what could be called absolutely brilliance or stupidity, Rory Hummel-Anderson decided that the only way to get his Papa back was to go back in time and stall him, or stop him from getting into the car at all. The only problem is, his Aunt's time machine is still just a prototype and he can't even specify a time. But Rory uses it anyway and suddenly he's back in 2011 and he has to pretend to be an exchange student while he waits for Aunt Brittany to build the time machine again and get back home. In the meanwhile he gets to know his parents as teenagers and even help their relationship along when they hit a bump in the road.
Chapter Fourteen
The Sugar Shack
The day of the party was as normal as any other for Blaine. He woke up around 9, went to the bathroom and took a shower and then headed downstairs for breakfast. His mom gave him a disapproving stare when he arrived -- he'd been primarily taking any meal in his room -- but she didn't say anything except to pointedly look at a chair which meant that he'd have to sit down and not get back up until he was done.
He sat down because he didn't want to fight with her and let her serve him his breakfast with a glass of orange juice. Again he didn't protest even though his drink of choice was usually coffee. His mom didn't approve of coffee - or at least of his intake of it - even though she drank at least three cups of it herself to get through her work day. Blaine was hoping that she might have to go back to work after his appointment, he was already so tired of being around her.
"Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" She asked when she finally say down with her own breakfast.
Blaine tried hard not to stare at her steaming cup of coffee with too much want.
"Yes. It's Valentine's day and I'd like to spend it with the person I love, mom. The doctor said I was allowed to go back to school days ago but I stayed because you didn't think I was ready but you won't stop me from going tonight."
She nodded.
Blaine would never say anything badly about his parents. He knew they cared in their way, it was just that they had never quite showed it like Blaine had needed them to and it wasn't just related to the gay thing though that had definitely contributed to a lot of it later on. It was events like the slushy and years before what happened after the Sadie Hawkins dance that really brought his mom's more caring side out.
It was such a big difference to have her nag and question his every move after having a lot of freedom that Blaine kept wishing for things to go back to normal.
"If you're really sure. But you'll come straight home and you won't be staying out late."
"Sure, mom."
Unlike his mom, his dad had had a completely different reaction to the slushy incident and more importantly the operation on his eye. He had made sure the doctor working on his eye was the very best they could find in Ohio and he'd paid for any and very test, but not once had he visited at the hospital. Blaine had seen him a total of one time since he'd come home and it had only been because he needed something from the home office.
The doctor's appointment wasn't for a few more hours, so after breakfast Blaine relocated to the living room and turned on the tv. There was practically nothing on so he wound up putting in a movie that he half payed attention to.
He was more than a little excited to be leaving the house and even more so to surprise Kurt though he was starting to think that Kurt was onto him. He'd smiled a little too much the night before when he was leaving and he mentioned that he was looking forward to spending time with him the next night even though they were going to be doing what they'd been doing all week long. Luckily Kurt had definitely mentioned that he was going to stop by at the party for Sugar who was insisting.
"Plus," Kurt had added, "I want to see Rory and Sugar acting like a couple."
Blaine had been vey glad for all the drama between Sugar and Rory that week but mostly because it had kept his boyfriend busy and not worrying about him.
Mojo came running into the room then and Blaine thought that he looked a little too happy with himself. It'd been a couple of days since acquiring the adorable creature, Blaine had discovered that he was a harder responsibility than he'd signed up for. Kurt had warned him, but Blaine just hadn't paid him enough attention in light if the cold nose, big eyes, and wagging tail.
"What did you do now?"
The dog just wagged his tail. Blaine eyed him, but when he jumped up on the couch and rested his head on Blaine's knee, the picture of innocence. A dog was a big responsibility, Blaine knew, and he was more than willing to have it. Thinking about the fact that he would be a father someday -- and he definitely hoped he wouldn't be at all like his father -- had made him think of it more seriously.
He and his mom headed to the appointment an hour or so later and the drive over was the longest in Blaine's life. His mom kept trying to hint that staying home would be best and Blaine was starting to think that it was more than just her wanting him to stay for his well being, but his moms problem with Kurt.
Blaine had thought that when he finally got a boyfriend that both his parents would be upset about it. They had barely reacted. His dad had been a little blasé about it, and his mom had reacted only long enough to say a quick congratulations. Everything had changed when they met Kurt.
His dad had met him twice and both times been civil enough if distracted. But he was always distracted so that was nothing to do with Kurt. His mom on the other hand had been downright rude and later she'd told Blaine that she thought he could do much better and proceeded to call his voice too girly and his fashion style atrocious.
Blaine hadn't taken it all to heart but now that he knew that he and Kurt would end up getting married he couldn't help but wonder about the role that his parents played in their life. He didn't want to ask Rory, but a part of him hoped that they would come around and accept Kurt and later Rory and that they might actually be grandparents to Rory.
The doctor's visit itself went fine and he was finally allowed to take off the eyepatch and the last of the bandages.
"You'll be a little sensitive to light for a few days still, but you're fine to go back to school and to reading."
His mom did go back to work after she dropped him off and Blaine almost broke out into a happy dance because of it. So he waved at her as she pulled back out of the driveway and let himself into the house.
The day went off quickly enough and he discovered that what Mojo had done that morning just consisted of dragging one of his sweaters out of his closet. Luckily enough it was an older one that he hadn't worn in a while and that he wasn't intending on wearing again. One of the sleeves was a little chewed on and part of the collar was a little ripped, strings of yarn coming apart from the knitted design. He made a note to keep his clothes off the floor if he didn't want Mojo to think of them as his toys and to also stop at a petco or petsmart and buy the dog some toys. His mom had only made a trip to buy food when the dog surprised her when she got home, but she'd been more than okay with the dog becoming a part of their lives.
His mom still wasn't home when he set out and Blaine was more than happy to be behind the wheel of his car again. He had a few things to pick up but afterwards he was going to surprise Kurt at Sugar's party.
- - -
Kurt arrived much earlier than anyone else had. He was more than ready to meet up with Blaine, so ready that he hadn't even bothered calling or texting Blaine to see how his doctor's appointment that morning had gone. Instead he was looking forward to hearing about it now in the hour or so that they'd have before the restaurant closed up so the party could be held. One of the waitresses warned him about the party but he waved her off and then a man in a gorilla suit was standing behind him, someone that was taller than him and definitely taller than Blaine. What was going on? Was Blaine not going to make it?
When his admirer was unmasked Kurt just about had a heart attack. It was Dave Karofsky. Never once had Kurt consisted that it might not be Blaine that was his secret admirer. Everything was different, suddenly, and Kurt just couldn't wrap his mind around it. He let Dave lead him to a table and then he listened to the other boy
Kurt hadn't seen him since the night at Scandals and frankly he's been glad. He and Dave may have been in better terms but Kurt didn't really consider him a friend or anything. He had just decided to put the bullying behind him. Maybe it was that Dave had been so horrible to him that had made Kurt not even once consider that Dave might be interested in him
After they talked it all out, Kurt just got up from the booth. He felt kind of horrible and a little bit stupid. There was also the undying disappointment that Blaine had done nothing to compare to the way he'd put himself out there for a crush just the year before. Mostly though he felt sad and all he wanted to do was leave the restaurant, head over to Blaine's and watch the movies he'd been promised earlier in the week. He wasn't really mad that Blaine hadn't gone out of his way for the silly holiday, but he was a little disappointed and mostly confused because Blaine had always claimed it was his favorite holiday.
But as he and Dave parted ways, Mercedes followed by Quinn, Sam, and Sugar walked in and from one look from them he knew he wasn't going to be stepping out the door for any reason. He let them cajole him into helping with the last of the decorations - he glared at every pink heart near his vicinity an ignored the looks that Sugar kept giving him - and then sat down in a booth and considered calling Blaine even though he would be seeing his boyfriend later when he managed to sneak out of the party
The godsquad and some of the glee kids - although there was serious overlap - seemed to be the entertainment and Kurt smiled when they actually sang to Brittany despite their religious connotations. Kurt was never going to be religious and was very glad that Blaine had expressed his exact same sentiment on the subject, but he could appreciate that there could be open mindedness.
He kept his eye on Sugar and Rory throughout the beginning of the party but lost track of them eventually. They were sure acting like a couple and Kurt even saw them dancing and laughing together. He was glad they were having a good time
Finn and Rachel got there a little late, and Kurt wasn't very happy to see how happy they were. His dad had filled him on the plan that the Berrys had cooked up to stop the wedding and he knew a big part of it had to so with the dinner they were having that night. It had clearly backfired
Rachel got up to sing at some point, but he should have expected that. He watched and tried to pretend that he was having fun. He had tried calling Blaine but gotten his voicemail and now that he glanced at his phone there had been no return call and not a lot of time had passed since he last looked
He turned to look at the stage when Sugar got up there and was only half listening until Blaine's voice fell over him from the sound system. He gasped and had to be gaping. Blaine winked at him, both eyes in display, and then began to sing and Kurt could only just stare because there he was and he was singing and surprising Kurt and it was the best thing to happen to him all day
He found a microphone in the seat next to him and when Blaine came to try and offer his, he just pulled out the other and just in time for his boyfriend to pull him up out of the booth by his tie. They were suddenly on stage and Kurt was having more fun than he had all day and he wanted to be as close to Blaine as humanly possible. They leaned into each other and sang. Every few minutes Kurt looked at Blaine because he couldn't quite believe that he was really there
When the balloons fell around them at the end of the song he grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him in
"I love you," he said, "and I'm so glad you're here."
"Me too," Blaine muttered
In the midst of all the insanity around them they leaned into each other and shared a kiss. They didn't pull too far apart when it was over. Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder and wished he could just stay there forever
Eventually they moved and the party continued. Blaine lead him back to the booth and Kurt stayed as close to him as possible. They usually tried not to be too touchy in public, but the people at this party were all friends and he and Blaine had come into Breadstix so often on dates that the staff already had to know they were more than friends. It also had a lot to do with Kurt wanting to stay as close to Blaine as possible after the last few things he'd gone through
- -
Rory had danced with Sugar before at parties, but it was a bit unusual to dance with her now, when they had to pretend that they were on a date and it felt like a lot of the people there were watching them. His dad certainly was and so was Artie. The wheelchair bound boy hadn't brought a date and Sugar had most likely felt so bad for him that she told him to just come stag. He looked miserable, not even Puck's sorority girls could make him smile. Rory thought that if it had been him, he wouldn't have shown up at all
"I'm going to be so sad when you have to go," Sugar said
He was brought back from his thoughts. He stared at her for a moment. "What?"
Sugar was smirking a little. "When you have to go back to Ireland."
She was making fun of him, he realized. He smiled a little
"Maybe," and this she said a little louder, "my dad could buy Ireland."
He smiled a little and tried not to associate everything she was saying with the fact that it had always bothered Sugar that she didn't know who her father was. When they were much younger it had been a game between them to list attributes to the biological parents that they didn't know. He remembered how she'd mentioned once that she wished he would be rich
"I thought of something," Rory said when they had sat down again
"Yeah?"
Rory had hesitated on whether he should tell Sugar what he'd been considering since the day before
"I was just wondering if they'd remember us in the future. My dads know who I am and where I come from, this isn't just a tiny little detail to forget. I was just thinking that maybe they remember all of this."
Sugar but down on her bottom lip. "I never thought of that," she said, "and maybe they do remember. They sent me so specifically, Rory, and I never thought to wonder why."
She had to get up to the stage, so she left him behind. He didn't expect that she would be announcing his papa. But there he was at the door in a getup that was only befitting of him and he had a microphone in his hand. He couldn't help but grin.
Rory had seen his dad's face earlier and there had been a look of devastation and tiredness on it, Rory had almost gone over there and insisted that he go home, but he was glad now that Sugar had distracted him. He now knew why
Any other kid would have probably been embarrassed to have his parents up on a stage looking so besotted on each other that it was sickening, but not Rory. Maybe it was that he was so used to them acting this way, or that they were his age and so didn't really appear to him like his dads would. At any rate, Rory didn’t mind in the least that they sang leaning against each other and that later on the dance floor they were kissing.
"If they remember, then, we'll find out when we get home, won't we?"
Rory nodded, but really what he was thinking was that his papa wouldn't be there to laugh and joke about everything. He had never once considered telling them why he'd used the time machine but now that it might be possible to leave a warning he was definitely tempted. Could it achieve anything really? Or would it change everything? He couldn't figure out what he had to do on his own. What he needed was to go see his grandfather. He already knew and this could be the perfect way to resolve this but so much might also go wrong because of it
He decided to stop thinking about it and instead he focused on watching Sugar who looked happier than she had in a while. She really did like throwing parties and he knew she'd been very happy earlier when her moms were making out after the godsquad dedicated a song from Santana to Brittany. The two of them had been very close all night and Rory could see them sitting aside from everyone else, their heads very close together. He and Sugar in the meanwhile danced some more and Rory tried not to watch his parents too much.
"Hey," his dad said and Rory jumped, almost spilling his drink.
"So tonight went well then," his dad said and looked back at where Blaine was talking to Finn, Rachel, and Mike, "did you know about all of that?"
Rory shook his head. "He never mentioned it."
"I did," Sugar said and rushed past them after Mercedes and Tina
His dad lifted his eyebrow and Rory shrugged. "She's in her element, I think."
"Are you okay?" Kurt asked
"I think so. This wasn't that bad."
"What wasn't bad?"
Kurt turned and took Blaine's hand. "The party," he said, "Rory has a good point. I didn't think I was going to have any fun after..."
Rory watched them. His dad looked preoccupied about something, burdened. Yet he didn't seem to want to share what his problem might be. His papa on the other hand was smiling and looking so carefree that it was strange to see his expression change to worried
"After what?"
"I, um, thought that you were sending me valentine cards all week," he said.
Rory had forgotten about them despite how often his dad mentioned them
"I didn't," Blaine said
"I know that now," Kurt said, "can we talk about this later?"
Blaine nodded
Artie wheeled himself over them
"I'm heading home," he said, "my dad will be here soon. I am going to be the bigger man and apologize for everything I did this past week and also offer congratulations."
Rory was surprised and mostly flattered. He never could have expected that he would get a congratulations from Artie of all people
"Thanks," he said, "I should apologize as well."
They nodded at each other and then Artie rolled away again. When Rory turned back around his dads were smiling at him
"We're going to raise someone so amazing," Kurt said
"Was there any doubt we would?"
Rory loved how much his dads in this time had become in awe of him. He was a representation of the wonderful future they were going to have. They didn't know that he was back here giving them that hope because of the one horrible aspect of their future. Could he actually tell them so far in advance, watch that hope and interest for the future just fall apart
"Anyway," Blaine said, "I promised I wouldn't be out very late. We should get going, Kurt."
They each hugged him, and then Rory saw them gathering their few belongings and saying goodbye to the rest of their friends. Rory couldn't be the reason that their easy going attitude disappeared, he couldn't burden then with this. But there had to be another way