fic: Like A Family
Burt and Carole had intended to wait until the weekend before to make the big announcement, but Carole just couldn’t keep secrets. “Oh, please, honey?” she pleaded with Burt as they walked inside with the pizzas they’d ordered. “I don’t think I can wait a whole four days!”
“We’re leaving on Monday,” Burt said with a laugh. “We can wait until Sunday night.”
“But they always make so many plans with their friends,” Carole pointed out. “We’ll end up telling them before Sunday night anyway.”
Burt looked over at Carole as he held the door open for her. She was beaming from ear to ear and his heart swelled when he thought about the fact that he was the reason she was so happy. “Fine,” he smiled, giving in to her childish antics.
After dinner they shooed their children from the dining room into the living room. Finn and Kurt sat, anxiously staring up at their parents. “So, you know we used our honeymoon money on tuition for Kurt,” Burt began. “We were more than happy to do that, and since then, we’ve been saving up. You know, so we can take some sort of trip as a family.”
“We’re going to Chicago!” Carole burst out.
She was beaming, and Burt smiled right alongside her. Finn smiled and nodded. Kurt just stared, half a smile on his face, as he asked, “Um…when are we going?”
Burt was a little put out by the lack of excitement coming from Kurt. He would usually jump at the chance to go to Chicago and spend all of his allowance on designer clothes. “Well, you boys have spring break coming up,” Burt pointed out. “We were planning on going then.”
Kurt froze. Burt was confused by Kurt’s actions, but didn’t ask him about it - not in front of Finn and Carole, he wouldn’t. Finn was smiling and hugging his mom. “It’s going to be so much fun!” she insisted. “We’ve already got it all planned out. We’re driving out on Monday morning.”
“We’re staying at one of those nice hotels with a pool,” Burt chimed in proudly.
“And then we thought we’d spend a day shopping and wandering around Chicago on foot, since our hotel is right in the middle of the city!” Carole continued. “Kurt, we can go to all the designer stores while the guys go…well…”
“We’ll find a way to keep ourselves occupied,” Burt laughed.
Finn nodded and smiled, “Aren’t the Sox playing that week?”
“They sure are!” Burt said, clapping Finn on the shoulder. “We’re going to see them play the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. It’ll be a good game.”
“Oh! But don’t worry, we’re going to go see a play, too! That way everyone is happy,” Carole smiled. “It’s a musical, but I’ve never heard of it.”
“Which one?” Kurt asked curiously.
He was finally pulled into the conversation, the thoughts that kept him from being fully excited gone from his mind, or so it seemed. “Spring Awakening, wasn’t it honey?” Carole asked Burt.
Burt nodded and asked, “You like that one, Kurt?”
Kurt smiled, “I like the music, but I haven’t seen it. I can’t wait!”
“There we go,” Burt smiled. “It’ll be a good vacation. We’ll stop by Navy Pier and stuff, too, have some good food and relax.”
“But spring break is next week,” Finn said, his smile faded into a frown.
“Yep!” Carole smiled. “We were going to wait until Sunday to tell you boys, but we couldn’t wait.”
“Well, your mom, here couldn’t wait,” Burt laughed.
Kurt escaped up to his room not long after the excitement died down. He sat staring at his computer screen most of the night, typing furiously away with a frown firmly planted on his face. Burt bid him goodnight, pretending he hadn’t seen Kurt’s strange behavior, and went downstairs where Carole was already curled up in bed.
He switched off the lamp and crawled under the covers. “Do you think they’re excited?” Carole asked, the excitement in her voice was obvious still, so many hours later.
“Finn certainly seemed to be, but I don’t know about Kurt,” Burn admitted.
Carole’s voice was softer as she said, “I noticed that too.”
“Hopefully he cheers up. I think he’ll enjoy the trip if he just gets his mind off of whatever it is that’s bothering him,” Burt said.
“I’m sure he will. Once he sees all the stores, he’ll be unstoppable,” Carole reassured him.
“I hope so,” Burt said gruffly.
The weekend passed by without much incident, although Kurt did spend most of his time locked in his room. Monday morning most everyone was early to rise. Finn hadn’t packed yet, so Carole stood over his shoulder, telling him what clothes to bring and what clothes to leave behind. Kurt’s suitcase sat perched by the door as he waited for everyone else to get ready.
He’d had a major attitude shift in the past twenty-four hours. He was perky, excited, and ready to hit the road. “So, you ready for the drive, kiddo?” Burt asked, wandering into the living room where Kurt was holding a warm mug of coffee close to himself.
“Yeah,” Kurt smiled with a nod. “I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be in the big city.”
“Well you’re in luck, our hotel is right in the middle of the city,” Burt told him. “It’s got a pool and a nice view and everything. We even got you boys your own room.”
Kurt tried not to think about all the implications of that, mainly regarding his dad and step-mom. They were old, and he didn’t need to know when they did that. “That’s awesome, dad,” Kurt insisted with a smile. “I’m really excited we can still have some sort of family trip together. I’m sorry the whole Dalton thing didn’t work out.”
“You know what? It’s okay,” Burt said earnestly. “You needed to get away and McKinley needed to get their stuff straight. You’re back where you like it, safe and sound, and that’s all that matters, right?”
Kurt nodded and took another sip of his coffee. “I’m going to go see if Finn’s done packing yet,” Burt told Kurt, pointing to the staircase. “Once he’s ready, we’ll hit the road. I figure we’ll stop somewhere along the way for some lunch.”
“Sounds good, dad,” Kurt smiled, drinking more of his coffee.
It only took a little more fussing on Carole’s part to have Finn ready to go. They climbed into Kurt’s Navigator (it was bigger than Carole’s Toyota Camry or Burt’s beat-up Chevy truck) and hit the road. It was only going to take about five hours to get there, but Kurt still thought the ride was going to drag on forever, mainly because of Finn.
Just as Kurt predicted, they were barely half an hour out of Lima before Finn was complaining that he was bored. Kurt was pouring over his French homework, trying to finish it all so he could have the weekend to himself when he got back. Or rather, so he’d have time to hang out with Blaine when he got back. “Kurt…you’ve got those fancy app things on your phone, don’t you?” Burt asked, glancing at his son through the rear view mirror. “Why don’t you let Finn play one for a while?”
“Do you have Angry Birds!?” Finn burst out excitedly.
Exasperated, Kurt pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over to Finn before turning back to his French. Even when they’d go over bumps on the highway, his handwriting still ended up flawless. Not to mention the unit they were covering was rather easy. He finished his homework by the they pulled over to eat lunch.
They ate at a small diner, Carole, Finn, and Burt indulging in unnecessarily greasy burgers while Kurt opted for the healthiest menu option: chicken strips with a side salad. Kurt hadn’t spoken much and Burt was a little put out at Kurt’s still-apparent lack of interest in the trip.
Once in the car, Kurt curled up, his face buried in the flannel jacket his dad had brought with but not needed. It was a wonderful pillow, and Kurt held out his phone to Finn as the other teen climbed in. “Thanks Kurt,” Finn smiled, opening the Angry Birds app again.
Kurt didn’t usually nap, but he managed to drift off to sleep all the same. Just as he had gotten comfortable and dozed off, Finn shook his shoulder roughly. “What?” Kurt asked, wiping at his eyes.
“You uh…you got a text…” Finn held out Kurt’s phone, blushing furiously.
Kurt stared down at it and blushed as well. “Is it Blaine?” Carole asked excitedly.
Burt fixed Kurt with an overprotective and almost warning gaze through the rear view mirror. “Yeah,” Kurt nodded.
“What did lover boy have to say?” Burt asked.
Kurt instantly hated car rides and having a full family. Now everyone knew his business and just one glance down at the screen told Kurt that the text had not meant to be seen by anyone except Kurt. Finn let out an awkward snort and cough mixture and Carole laughed, “Oh, honey,” she said to Burt, amused, “Let the boys have their privacy.”
Finn nodded fervently and Kurt stared down at the message that had caused his step-brother so much embarrassment. He quickly typed up a reply and handed his phone back to Finn. “No, that’s okay…I’ll just…yeah, we’re almost there,” Finn stammered.
Kurt sighed and said, “Suit yourself.”
Burt watched through glances in the rear view mirror. Finn was obviously embarrassed, and Kurt was hiding something. Whatever that Blaine kid was up to couldn’t be good. Sure, Burt was okay with him dating Kurt, but the look on Finn and Kurt’s faces told him that the text message was anything but innocent. “Oh, it’s fine,” Carole whispered, entwining her hand with Burt’s free hand.
No more than thirty miles later, light snores could be heard from the back where both Kurt and Finn were fast asleep. “Seventy miles to go,” Carole laughed.
Burt smiled and kept driving. It was the first time they’d all gotten to spend time together as a family, since Kurt went off to Dalton right away after the wedding. Sure, they lived in the same house, but they were busy; Kurt was off spending time with Blaine and the Warblers, and Finn was busy with football and glee club, and Carole was getting more involved with the preschool she worked at.
Once they reached Chicago, Burt and Carole didn’t bother to wake Finn or Kurt until they got to the hotel. It would make exploring the city on foot more fun, they thought. Sleepily Kurt and Finn carried their luggage inside the Downtown Chicago Mariott and followed their parents. “Oh look! We’re right across the hall from each other!” Carole said, examining their keys and the room numbers.
Kurt took the key she was offering them and opened the room as Burt and Carole walked into the other. He set his luggage down next to the one lone king sized bed in the room before whipping open the curtains. His jaw dropped and he groaned, “I thought it was supposed to be a good view?”
“What are you talking about?” Finn asked. “There’s just a bunch of stores. You like shopping.”
“Yes, but I don’t like the GAP,” Kurt whined, tossing himself dramatically back on the bed.
Finn was confused but he didn’t ask. Kurt didn’t exactly look like he wanted to talk about it. There was a knock on their door and Finn opened it. Carole and Burt walked in and said something about ordering pizza and going for a swim. “Sure, dad,” Kurt sighed, standing and closing the curtains.
They left to go order pizza and Finn sat down on the bed next to where Kurt was sitting back down. “What’s going on?” he asked. “You seem upset?”
“I just…I was planning on spending this week with Blaine,” Kurt sighed. “And so far it’s looking like that would have been better.”
“Well we just got here. We’re going shopping and to a play and to a baseball game and…wait, you don’t like sports, never mind…”
“I never said I didn’t like sports. I was on the football team, if you remember,” Kurt said snidely. “I just hate the pants they wear.”
“Right,” Finn said slowly. He sighed and said, “And from the looks of that text that I’m sorry I read, you have plenty to do when you get back.”
Kurt sighed dramatically and flopped back on his bed. “Yes, but…I don’t know, I just…I’m tired of waiting.”
“It’s not that awesome, dude,” Finn said. “I mean, Santana was supposed to be really good at it and it kind of just sucked, so don’t get your hopes up.”
Kurt glared at Finn and said, “Thanks.”
Finn looked uncomfortable and a little sorry. “Well it’s cool that you’re waiting, though,” he shrugged. “I mean, haven’t you two been dating for like a year?”
“Yeah,” Kurt sighed.
“I heard it’s better with feelings. Maybe it won’t suck for you,” Finn offered.
Kurt didn’t know what to say to that. He appreciated the sentiment, though, and found himself trying to enjoy the rest of the evening, if only for his family’s sake.
They slept in the next morning before making the drive out to Navy Pier. Finn begged them to go on the Ferris Wheel with him, and throughout the afternoon they went three different times, just for him. By midday Kurt was frustrated with Finn’s childlike antics, however endearing they may have seemed earlier in the day. “We’ll meet up with you guys for dinner in an hour?” Carole asked Burt when she saw Finn’s eyes widen at the Sports Store sign.
“Sounds good,” Burt laughed.
Kurt and Carole wandered down the pier. A buzzing sound alerted her that Kurt had gotten a text message, and she purposely averted her eyes to avoid a repeat of the previous day. Instead, Kurt let out a laugh and said, “Ha! Finally!”
Carole turned to Kurt and asked, “What’s going on?”
With a laugh, Kurt explained, “Blaine has these horrendous hot pink sunglasses. They look like cheap Ray Bans and I can’t stand them. Well, he forgot to take them out of his back pocket after he washed his hands from mowing the lawn and he broke them.”
With a laugh, Carole asked, “Are they really that bad?”
“You have no idea,” Kurt rolled his eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a store and said, “I have an idea.”
Carole followed him over to the Sunglass Hut and they proceeded to spend the next thirty minutes trying on the most ridiculous pairs of sunglasses they could find for each other. “Kurt, come look at these,” Carole beckoned him over
He looked over the rack of sunglasses in front of her. “If you get him a new, better looking pair, he won’t be tempted to buy more ugly sunglasses,” Carole nudged Kurt’s shoulder playfully.
Kurt’s eyes raked the many pairs of sunglasses, as well as their price tags. He was on a budget, but if he bought Blaine Ray Bans, he’d feel obliged to wear them, and then he’d have to wear whichever ones Kurt picked out for him. “What about these?” Carole asked, holding up a pair.
They were bright pink-red and looked absolutely obnoxious. “No,” Kurt laughed. “Too bright.”
“I was teasing,” Carole insisted.
She picked up several more pairs as Kurt looked over the other side of the shelf. “Carole!” Kurt burst out excitedly. “How about these?”
He held up a pair of sunglasses; they were red and black and quite understated compared to Blaine’s previous pair that had survived far too much if Kurt was being completely honest. “Red is his color,” Carole said with a smile.
“Perfect! I’ll buy these and then we can meet up with dad and Finn,” Kurt beamed.
He walked over to the register and bought the sunglasses proudly. When they left, they spotted Burt and Finn not too far away, skimming items in a souvenir store. “What do you think I should get Mercedes?” Finn asked Kurt as he approached.
Kurt delved into a conversation with Finn about what his best friend deserved while Burt walked over to Carole. “He’s doing better,” she smiled. “I think he’s just doing that teenager thing where he doesn’t want to be away from his boyfriend.”
“What did he buy?” Burt asked, staring at the small bag in his hand curiously. “Usually he doesn’t buy from small shops like that. He’s a name brand kind of kid.”
“Blaine broke his sunglasses,” Carole explained with a laugh. “Kurt hated them and didn’t want to risk Blaine buying new, even uglier ones, so he bought him a pair instead. Name brand.”
With a hearty laugh, Burt said, “That’s my boy.”
“So, where do you want to eat?” Carole asked, looking around.
“There’s a Bubba Gump around here somewhere,” Burt told her, eyes scanning the pier for a sign. “It’s close, and then we can head over to the theatre after that.”
Carole smiled and agreed. They managed to pry Kurt and Finn away from the souvenir stand and went to dinner and Spring Awakening after. “Wasn’t it just wonderful!?” Kurt gushed for the hundredth time as they filed into their hotel room.
“Yeah,” Finn nodded, a fake smile plastered on his face.
If he was being totally honest, he didn’t really understand Spring Awakening. The girls were hot, and that was cool, but the storyline kind of…well, he didn’t notice it. “Don’t worry, I’ll feel the same way after the game tomorrow,” Kurt laughed.
He gathered his things and took a shower. Finn pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Burt. He forgot who the White Sox would be playing and Puck kept bugging him about it. Burt should have replied right away; Kurt had taught him how to text and they’d just separated no more than ten minutes before. He didn’t get a single message, though. Nothing in the hour he managed to stay awake and shower.
As Finn found out the next day over breakfast the Sox were playing the Minnesota Twins. It turned out to be a good game, even though the Twins fans kept booing whenever this one Sox player would step up to bat. He didn’t really understand it, but chalked it up to Minnesotan’s being crazy (even though there was the whole ‘Minnesota nice’ thing as Kurt pointed out). Sox ended up winning 3-2 and they left happy. “That wasn’t that bad,” Kurt admitted as they walked into their hotel room.
“You talked and texted the whole time,” Finn pointed out.
“Well, yeah, but…at least I didn’t fall asleep?” Kurt offered.
Finn laughed and said, “Sure, dude. I’ll give you this one.”
Kurt smiled and things seemed at ease between them. “Want to go swimming?” Finn asked.
“I would, but my suit is still drying in our parents’ room,” Kurt replied.
“We can just go get it…” Finn said slowly, not quite sure where the problem was in the whole situation.
Kurt laughed and shook his head, “Oh, Finn. No, they need their privacy.”
He didn’t like thinking about what was probably going on, but they were a couple just like everyone else, and living in the same house as he and Finn was probably enough of a cock block to last a lifetime. And now that Kurt was in the situation of being cock blocked, he didn’t wish it on anyone. It kind of sucked, as crude of a term as it was. Finn just stared at Kurt stupidly. “Let’s see if there’s anything on TV,” Kurt suggested.
“But…” Finn argued, absolutely baffled.
“Trust me, Finn, you don’t want to go over there right now,” Kurt winced.
He turned on the television and flipped through six different channels before realization hit and Finn burst out, “Oh gross!”
Kurt giggled and they settled on watching Good Luck Chuck, but only because it was the only movie on. Finn watched attentively, but Kurt found himself falling asleep far too early. “Are you having more fun on this trip now?” Finn asked as Kurt moved in and out of consciousness.
“Yeah,” he smiled. “Little bit.”
“Good,” Finn grinned.
The next day Kurt trudged around lazily. “We’re shopping today!” Burt said over complimentary continental breakfast at the hotel. “Your favorite.”
“You guys will just be bored the whole time,” Kurt said woefully, picking at his pancakes.
“Not true,” Carole smiled. She held up two maps and said, “We can just split up and meet at the end.”
“We’ll have dinner at a steakhouse, my treat,” Burt smiled proudly.
Things seemed a little more optimistic after that, but Kurt still wasn’t really looking forward to it. It was a lot of walking, and it was rather hot out. He looked over the map as Carole finished her breakfast. “Well, I want to go to Burberry; that’s closest. You guys can go to Eddie Bauer or something…” Kurt read off, gazing intently at the map.
“Isn’t that store lame?” Finn asked hesitantly.
Kurt sent a glare in Finn’s direction but didn’t say another word. The store sold clothing Kurt would never be caught dead in (they had far too much plan and were rather rugged), but he had to admit that on the right man (like the models in the catalogs) those clothes looked good.
“We’ll all meet up to go in the Hancock tower thing,” Burt said, diffusing a fight. “We bought tickets for that online.”
“Okay, we’ll meet up there after the first store. Then it looks like we’ll go our separate ways until we get to the steakhouse,” Kurt said seriously, still staring at the map. “Just as long as you guys follow North Michigan Avenue until Walton Street.”
With a laugh, Burt said, “We’ll be sure to do that.”
Kurt took special care to dress himself and Carole that day, wearing only the best clothes. It paid off, too, because at soon as they stepped into Burberry, they were doted on like they were practically royalty. “See?” Kurt whispered to Carole as she admired a purse well out of her budget. “It pays to own a few nice shirts.” She smiled and absolutely glowed at the service they were being provided.
The view from the Hancock observatory was nothing special in Kurt’s opinion, although he did feel like he was on top of the world. He stared out at the lake and marveled at how wide and expansive it was. “It’s a cool view, isn’t it?” Finn asked.
Trying to stay positive, Kurt smiled, “Yeah.”
“My mom and your dad are really happy,” Finn commented, spotting them having their photo taken by a stranger on the other side of the observation deck.
“Well, you know…” Kurt teased with a smirk.
Finn made strange noises that sounded like broken Morse code begging Kurt to stop talking about it. “I just mean in general. Not like…because of that,” Finn said, scrunching up his face.
Once Kurt was sure he’d scarred Finn for life, he asked about the Eddie Bauer bag in his hands. “What’s that?” Kurt asked, pointing to it.
“Oh,” Finn said, blushing slightly. “Just a shirt.”
“Isn’t that store lame?” Kurt mocked.
Finn made a face and said, “Mercedes told me that instead of buying her something I should get myself a new shirt. She kept going on and on about how I needed more colors that go with what she usually wears. And she said I look good in plaid, so…”
Embarrassed, Finn pulled out a purple and white plaid button down tee shirt. “I mean, she wears purple a lot, and I can make it look manly, so…” he blushed and asked, “Do you think she’ll like it?”
“I think she’ll like you in it,” Kurt smiled. “I also think you should still get her something. It’s this thing she does. She insists you just treat yourself when really you should treat the both of you.”
“Woah, you’re good,” Finn said proudly. “So what should I get her?”
Kurt shrugged innocently and said, “You need to decide that. She’ll know in a heartbeat if I helped you.”
Finn looked frustrated but didn’t argue. After they’d had a good look at the city from the tower, they all went their separate ways again.
Kurt and Carole received the same exceptional service when they went into Louis Vuitton and Gucci. They spent hours looking at overpriced clothing and real diamonds and everything Kurt could usually only admire on the internet.
With about half an hour left until they’d all agreed to meet at the Rosebud Steakhouse, they began making their way down East Walton Street where the restaurant was located. “Oh. My. Gaga,” Kurt said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.
“What? What’s going on?” Caroled asked, panicked.
“Marc Jacobs,” Kurt said, his eyes focused on the store on the corner in front of them.
Carole laughed in relief and followed Kurt down the street. “We don’t have time to wander around another store,” she said, checking her watch.
“Just…wait here. I already know what I want to buy,” Kurt insisted. “In and out, I promise.”
“Okay. I’ll call your dad and let him know we might be late,” Carole said, and when Kurt rolled his eyes she said, “Just in case!”
The phone rang and after a few minutes, Carole was warning Burt that Kurt had been distracted by Marc Jacobs. “That’s okay,” Burt laughed. “Finn found the Hershey’s store and now I don’t think we’re ever going to get away.”
Carole giggled and said, “That sounds like Finn. We’ll just wait at the restaurant until you get there.”
“And we’ll do the same if you guys are running late,” Burt said.
“Okay, love you, bye,” Carole smiled.
“Love you too, Carole,” Burt beamed before hanging up the phone.
Kurt took a full fifteen minutes before he walked out. His face looked flushed and Carole looked at him curiously. “I was panicking,” he told her, his eyes looking anywhere but at her. “I couldn’t find the scarf I wanted. Turns out it was in the back corner.”
“Well I’m glad you found it,” she smiled. “Finn got distracted by the Hershey’s store so we don’t need to worry about being late. They’ll probably get there after us.”
Kurt just laughed at his step-brother. They all ended up meeting at the steakhouse around the same time, half an hour later than they’d originally planned. Dinner was great and soon they were off to bed, their last night in the city.
They slept in the next day and hit the road after lunch at the Hard Rock Café. “So, did you boys have a good trip?” Burt asked, just before they were drifting off to sleep for the drive back.
“Yeah, it was awesome,” Finn smiled happily.
“What about you, Kurt? Did you have fun?” Carole asked.
Kurt nodded and said sleepily, “Definitely.”
“What changed?” Burt pressed curiously.
With a light laugh, Kurt mumbled, “Marc Jacobs makes any trip amazing.”
For reference: Here are the items I talk about in the fic (top to bottom) Blaine's new Ray Bans, Finn's Eddie Bauer shirt, Kurt's Marc Jacobs scarf.
“We’re leaving on Monday,” Burt said with a laugh. “We can wait until Sunday night.”
“But they always make so many plans with their friends,” Carole pointed out. “We’ll end up telling them before Sunday night anyway.”
Burt looked over at Carole as he held the door open for her. She was beaming from ear to ear and his heart swelled when he thought about the fact that he was the reason she was so happy. “Fine,” he smiled, giving in to her childish antics.
After dinner they shooed their children from the dining room into the living room. Finn and Kurt sat, anxiously staring up at their parents. “So, you know we used our honeymoon money on tuition for Kurt,” Burt began. “We were more than happy to do that, and since then, we’ve been saving up. You know, so we can take some sort of trip as a family.”
“We’re going to Chicago!” Carole burst out.
She was beaming, and Burt smiled right alongside her. Finn smiled and nodded. Kurt just stared, half a smile on his face, as he asked, “Um…when are we going?”
Burt was a little put out by the lack of excitement coming from Kurt. He would usually jump at the chance to go to Chicago and spend all of his allowance on designer clothes. “Well, you boys have spring break coming up,” Burt pointed out. “We were planning on going then.”
Kurt froze. Burt was confused by Kurt’s actions, but didn’t ask him about it - not in front of Finn and Carole, he wouldn’t. Finn was smiling and hugging his mom. “It’s going to be so much fun!” she insisted. “We’ve already got it all planned out. We’re driving out on Monday morning.”
“We’re staying at one of those nice hotels with a pool,” Burt chimed in proudly.
“And then we thought we’d spend a day shopping and wandering around Chicago on foot, since our hotel is right in the middle of the city!” Carole continued. “Kurt, we can go to all the designer stores while the guys go…well…”
“We’ll find a way to keep ourselves occupied,” Burt laughed.
Finn nodded and smiled, “Aren’t the Sox playing that week?”
“They sure are!” Burt said, clapping Finn on the shoulder. “We’re going to see them play the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. It’ll be a good game.”
“Oh! But don’t worry, we’re going to go see a play, too! That way everyone is happy,” Carole smiled. “It’s a musical, but I’ve never heard of it.”
“Which one?” Kurt asked curiously.
He was finally pulled into the conversation, the thoughts that kept him from being fully excited gone from his mind, or so it seemed. “Spring Awakening, wasn’t it honey?” Carole asked Burt.
Burt nodded and asked, “You like that one, Kurt?”
Kurt smiled, “I like the music, but I haven’t seen it. I can’t wait!”
“There we go,” Burt smiled. “It’ll be a good vacation. We’ll stop by Navy Pier and stuff, too, have some good food and relax.”
“But spring break is next week,” Finn said, his smile faded into a frown.
“Yep!” Carole smiled. “We were going to wait until Sunday to tell you boys, but we couldn’t wait.”
“Well, your mom, here couldn’t wait,” Burt laughed.
Kurt escaped up to his room not long after the excitement died down. He sat staring at his computer screen most of the night, typing furiously away with a frown firmly planted on his face. Burt bid him goodnight, pretending he hadn’t seen Kurt’s strange behavior, and went downstairs where Carole was already curled up in bed.
He switched off the lamp and crawled under the covers. “Do you think they’re excited?” Carole asked, the excitement in her voice was obvious still, so many hours later.
“Finn certainly seemed to be, but I don’t know about Kurt,” Burn admitted.
Carole’s voice was softer as she said, “I noticed that too.”
“Hopefully he cheers up. I think he’ll enjoy the trip if he just gets his mind off of whatever it is that’s bothering him,” Burt said.
“I’m sure he will. Once he sees all the stores, he’ll be unstoppable,” Carole reassured him.
“I hope so,” Burt said gruffly.
The weekend passed by without much incident, although Kurt did spend most of his time locked in his room. Monday morning most everyone was early to rise. Finn hadn’t packed yet, so Carole stood over his shoulder, telling him what clothes to bring and what clothes to leave behind. Kurt’s suitcase sat perched by the door as he waited for everyone else to get ready.
He’d had a major attitude shift in the past twenty-four hours. He was perky, excited, and ready to hit the road. “So, you ready for the drive, kiddo?” Burt asked, wandering into the living room where Kurt was holding a warm mug of coffee close to himself.
“Yeah,” Kurt smiled with a nod. “I’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to be in the big city.”
“Well you’re in luck, our hotel is right in the middle of the city,” Burt told him. “It’s got a pool and a nice view and everything. We even got you boys your own room.”
Kurt tried not to think about all the implications of that, mainly regarding his dad and step-mom. They were old, and he didn’t need to know when they did that. “That’s awesome, dad,” Kurt insisted with a smile. “I’m really excited we can still have some sort of family trip together. I’m sorry the whole Dalton thing didn’t work out.”
“You know what? It’s okay,” Burt said earnestly. “You needed to get away and McKinley needed to get their stuff straight. You’re back where you like it, safe and sound, and that’s all that matters, right?”
Kurt nodded and took another sip of his coffee. “I’m going to go see if Finn’s done packing yet,” Burt told Kurt, pointing to the staircase. “Once he’s ready, we’ll hit the road. I figure we’ll stop somewhere along the way for some lunch.”
“Sounds good, dad,” Kurt smiled, drinking more of his coffee.
It only took a little more fussing on Carole’s part to have Finn ready to go. They climbed into Kurt’s Navigator (it was bigger than Carole’s Toyota Camry or Burt’s beat-up Chevy truck) and hit the road. It was only going to take about five hours to get there, but Kurt still thought the ride was going to drag on forever, mainly because of Finn.
Just as Kurt predicted, they were barely half an hour out of Lima before Finn was complaining that he was bored. Kurt was pouring over his French homework, trying to finish it all so he could have the weekend to himself when he got back. Or rather, so he’d have time to hang out with Blaine when he got back. “Kurt…you’ve got those fancy app things on your phone, don’t you?” Burt asked, glancing at his son through the rear view mirror. “Why don’t you let Finn play one for a while?”
“Do you have Angry Birds!?” Finn burst out excitedly.
Exasperated, Kurt pulled his phone from his pocket and handed it over to Finn before turning back to his French. Even when they’d go over bumps on the highway, his handwriting still ended up flawless. Not to mention the unit they were covering was rather easy. He finished his homework by the they pulled over to eat lunch.
They ate at a small diner, Carole, Finn, and Burt indulging in unnecessarily greasy burgers while Kurt opted for the healthiest menu option: chicken strips with a side salad. Kurt hadn’t spoken much and Burt was a little put out at Kurt’s still-apparent lack of interest in the trip.
Once in the car, Kurt curled up, his face buried in the flannel jacket his dad had brought with but not needed. It was a wonderful pillow, and Kurt held out his phone to Finn as the other teen climbed in. “Thanks Kurt,” Finn smiled, opening the Angry Birds app again.
Kurt didn’t usually nap, but he managed to drift off to sleep all the same. Just as he had gotten comfortable and dozed off, Finn shook his shoulder roughly. “What?” Kurt asked, wiping at his eyes.
“You uh…you got a text…” Finn held out Kurt’s phone, blushing furiously.
Kurt stared down at it and blushed as well. “Is it Blaine?” Carole asked excitedly.
Burt fixed Kurt with an overprotective and almost warning gaze through the rear view mirror. “Yeah,” Kurt nodded.
“What did lover boy have to say?” Burt asked.
Kurt instantly hated car rides and having a full family. Now everyone knew his business and just one glance down at the screen told Kurt that the text had not meant to be seen by anyone except Kurt. Finn let out an awkward snort and cough mixture and Carole laughed, “Oh, honey,” she said to Burt, amused, “Let the boys have their privacy.”
Finn nodded fervently and Kurt stared down at the message that had caused his step-brother so much embarrassment. He quickly typed up a reply and handed his phone back to Finn. “No, that’s okay…I’ll just…yeah, we’re almost there,” Finn stammered.
Kurt sighed and said, “Suit yourself.”
Burt watched through glances in the rear view mirror. Finn was obviously embarrassed, and Kurt was hiding something. Whatever that Blaine kid was up to couldn’t be good. Sure, Burt was okay with him dating Kurt, but the look on Finn and Kurt’s faces told him that the text message was anything but innocent. “Oh, it’s fine,” Carole whispered, entwining her hand with Burt’s free hand.
No more than thirty miles later, light snores could be heard from the back where both Kurt and Finn were fast asleep. “Seventy miles to go,” Carole laughed.
Burt smiled and kept driving. It was the first time they’d all gotten to spend time together as a family, since Kurt went off to Dalton right away after the wedding. Sure, they lived in the same house, but they were busy; Kurt was off spending time with Blaine and the Warblers, and Finn was busy with football and glee club, and Carole was getting more involved with the preschool she worked at.
Once they reached Chicago, Burt and Carole didn’t bother to wake Finn or Kurt until they got to the hotel. It would make exploring the city on foot more fun, they thought. Sleepily Kurt and Finn carried their luggage inside the Downtown Chicago Mariott and followed their parents. “Oh look! We’re right across the hall from each other!” Carole said, examining their keys and the room numbers.
Kurt took the key she was offering them and opened the room as Burt and Carole walked into the other. He set his luggage down next to the one lone king sized bed in the room before whipping open the curtains. His jaw dropped and he groaned, “I thought it was supposed to be a good view?”
“What are you talking about?” Finn asked. “There’s just a bunch of stores. You like shopping.”
“Yes, but I don’t like the GAP,” Kurt whined, tossing himself dramatically back on the bed.
Finn was confused but he didn’t ask. Kurt didn’t exactly look like he wanted to talk about it. There was a knock on their door and Finn opened it. Carole and Burt walked in and said something about ordering pizza and going for a swim. “Sure, dad,” Kurt sighed, standing and closing the curtains.
They left to go order pizza and Finn sat down on the bed next to where Kurt was sitting back down. “What’s going on?” he asked. “You seem upset?”
“I just…I was planning on spending this week with Blaine,” Kurt sighed. “And so far it’s looking like that would have been better.”
“Well we just got here. We’re going shopping and to a play and to a baseball game and…wait, you don’t like sports, never mind…”
“I never said I didn’t like sports. I was on the football team, if you remember,” Kurt said snidely. “I just hate the pants they wear.”
“Right,” Finn said slowly. He sighed and said, “And from the looks of that text that I’m sorry I read, you have plenty to do when you get back.”
Kurt sighed dramatically and flopped back on his bed. “Yes, but…I don’t know, I just…I’m tired of waiting.”
“It’s not that awesome, dude,” Finn said. “I mean, Santana was supposed to be really good at it and it kind of just sucked, so don’t get your hopes up.”
Kurt glared at Finn and said, “Thanks.”
Finn looked uncomfortable and a little sorry. “Well it’s cool that you’re waiting, though,” he shrugged. “I mean, haven’t you two been dating for like a year?”
“Yeah,” Kurt sighed.
“I heard it’s better with feelings. Maybe it won’t suck for you,” Finn offered.
Kurt didn’t know what to say to that. He appreciated the sentiment, though, and found himself trying to enjoy the rest of the evening, if only for his family’s sake.
They slept in the next morning before making the drive out to Navy Pier. Finn begged them to go on the Ferris Wheel with him, and throughout the afternoon they went three different times, just for him. By midday Kurt was frustrated with Finn’s childlike antics, however endearing they may have seemed earlier in the day. “We’ll meet up with you guys for dinner in an hour?” Carole asked Burt when she saw Finn’s eyes widen at the Sports Store sign.
“Sounds good,” Burt laughed.
Kurt and Carole wandered down the pier. A buzzing sound alerted her that Kurt had gotten a text message, and she purposely averted her eyes to avoid a repeat of the previous day. Instead, Kurt let out a laugh and said, “Ha! Finally!”
Carole turned to Kurt and asked, “What’s going on?”
With a laugh, Kurt explained, “Blaine has these horrendous hot pink sunglasses. They look like cheap Ray Bans and I can’t stand them. Well, he forgot to take them out of his back pocket after he washed his hands from mowing the lawn and he broke them.”
With a laugh, Carole asked, “Are they really that bad?”
“You have no idea,” Kurt rolled his eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a store and said, “I have an idea.”
Carole followed him over to the Sunglass Hut and they proceeded to spend the next thirty minutes trying on the most ridiculous pairs of sunglasses they could find for each other. “Kurt, come look at these,” Carole beckoned him over
He looked over the rack of sunglasses in front of her. “If you get him a new, better looking pair, he won’t be tempted to buy more ugly sunglasses,” Carole nudged Kurt’s shoulder playfully.
Kurt’s eyes raked the many pairs of sunglasses, as well as their price tags. He was on a budget, but if he bought Blaine Ray Bans, he’d feel obliged to wear them, and then he’d have to wear whichever ones Kurt picked out for him. “What about these?” Carole asked, holding up a pair.
They were bright pink-red and looked absolutely obnoxious. “No,” Kurt laughed. “Too bright.”
“I was teasing,” Carole insisted.
She picked up several more pairs as Kurt looked over the other side of the shelf. “Carole!” Kurt burst out excitedly. “How about these?”
He held up a pair of sunglasses; they were red and black and quite understated compared to Blaine’s previous pair that had survived far too much if Kurt was being completely honest. “Red is his color,” Carole said with a smile.
“Perfect! I’ll buy these and then we can meet up with dad and Finn,” Kurt beamed.
He walked over to the register and bought the sunglasses proudly. When they left, they spotted Burt and Finn not too far away, skimming items in a souvenir store. “What do you think I should get Mercedes?” Finn asked Kurt as he approached.
Kurt delved into a conversation with Finn about what his best friend deserved while Burt walked over to Carole. “He’s doing better,” she smiled. “I think he’s just doing that teenager thing where he doesn’t want to be away from his boyfriend.”
“What did he buy?” Burt asked, staring at the small bag in his hand curiously. “Usually he doesn’t buy from small shops like that. He’s a name brand kind of kid.”
“Blaine broke his sunglasses,” Carole explained with a laugh. “Kurt hated them and didn’t want to risk Blaine buying new, even uglier ones, so he bought him a pair instead. Name brand.”
With a hearty laugh, Burt said, “That’s my boy.”
“So, where do you want to eat?” Carole asked, looking around.
“There’s a Bubba Gump around here somewhere,” Burt told her, eyes scanning the pier for a sign. “It’s close, and then we can head over to the theatre after that.”
Carole smiled and agreed. They managed to pry Kurt and Finn away from the souvenir stand and went to dinner and Spring Awakening after. “Wasn’t it just wonderful!?” Kurt gushed for the hundredth time as they filed into their hotel room.
“Yeah,” Finn nodded, a fake smile plastered on his face.
If he was being totally honest, he didn’t really understand Spring Awakening. The girls were hot, and that was cool, but the storyline kind of…well, he didn’t notice it. “Don’t worry, I’ll feel the same way after the game tomorrow,” Kurt laughed.
He gathered his things and took a shower. Finn pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Burt. He forgot who the White Sox would be playing and Puck kept bugging him about it. Burt should have replied right away; Kurt had taught him how to text and they’d just separated no more than ten minutes before. He didn’t get a single message, though. Nothing in the hour he managed to stay awake and shower.
As Finn found out the next day over breakfast the Sox were playing the Minnesota Twins. It turned out to be a good game, even though the Twins fans kept booing whenever this one Sox player would step up to bat. He didn’t really understand it, but chalked it up to Minnesotan’s being crazy (even though there was the whole ‘Minnesota nice’ thing as Kurt pointed out). Sox ended up winning 3-2 and they left happy. “That wasn’t that bad,” Kurt admitted as they walked into their hotel room.
“You talked and texted the whole time,” Finn pointed out.
“Well, yeah, but…at least I didn’t fall asleep?” Kurt offered.
Finn laughed and said, “Sure, dude. I’ll give you this one.”
Kurt smiled and things seemed at ease between them. “Want to go swimming?” Finn asked.
“I would, but my suit is still drying in our parents’ room,” Kurt replied.
“We can just go get it…” Finn said slowly, not quite sure where the problem was in the whole situation.
Kurt laughed and shook his head, “Oh, Finn. No, they need their privacy.”
He didn’t like thinking about what was probably going on, but they were a couple just like everyone else, and living in the same house as he and Finn was probably enough of a cock block to last a lifetime. And now that Kurt was in the situation of being cock blocked, he didn’t wish it on anyone. It kind of sucked, as crude of a term as it was. Finn just stared at Kurt stupidly. “Let’s see if there’s anything on TV,” Kurt suggested.
“But…” Finn argued, absolutely baffled.
“Trust me, Finn, you don’t want to go over there right now,” Kurt winced.
He turned on the television and flipped through six different channels before realization hit and Finn burst out, “Oh gross!”
Kurt giggled and they settled on watching Good Luck Chuck, but only because it was the only movie on. Finn watched attentively, but Kurt found himself falling asleep far too early. “Are you having more fun on this trip now?” Finn asked as Kurt moved in and out of consciousness.
“Yeah,” he smiled. “Little bit.”
“Good,” Finn grinned.
The next day Kurt trudged around lazily. “We’re shopping today!” Burt said over complimentary continental breakfast at the hotel. “Your favorite.”
“You guys will just be bored the whole time,” Kurt said woefully, picking at his pancakes.
“Not true,” Carole smiled. She held up two maps and said, “We can just split up and meet at the end.”
“We’ll have dinner at a steakhouse, my treat,” Burt smiled proudly.
Things seemed a little more optimistic after that, but Kurt still wasn’t really looking forward to it. It was a lot of walking, and it was rather hot out. He looked over the map as Carole finished her breakfast. “Well, I want to go to Burberry; that’s closest. You guys can go to Eddie Bauer or something…” Kurt read off, gazing intently at the map.
“Isn’t that store lame?” Finn asked hesitantly.
Kurt sent a glare in Finn’s direction but didn’t say another word. The store sold clothing Kurt would never be caught dead in (they had far too much plan and were rather rugged), but he had to admit that on the right man (like the models in the catalogs) those clothes looked good.
“We’ll all meet up to go in the Hancock tower thing,” Burt said, diffusing a fight. “We bought tickets for that online.”
“Okay, we’ll meet up there after the first store. Then it looks like we’ll go our separate ways until we get to the steakhouse,” Kurt said seriously, still staring at the map. “Just as long as you guys follow North Michigan Avenue until Walton Street.”
With a laugh, Burt said, “We’ll be sure to do that.”
Kurt took special care to dress himself and Carole that day, wearing only the best clothes. It paid off, too, because at soon as they stepped into Burberry, they were doted on like they were practically royalty. “See?” Kurt whispered to Carole as she admired a purse well out of her budget. “It pays to own a few nice shirts.” She smiled and absolutely glowed at the service they were being provided.
The view from the Hancock observatory was nothing special in Kurt’s opinion, although he did feel like he was on top of the world. He stared out at the lake and marveled at how wide and expansive it was. “It’s a cool view, isn’t it?” Finn asked.
Trying to stay positive, Kurt smiled, “Yeah.”
“My mom and your dad are really happy,” Finn commented, spotting them having their photo taken by a stranger on the other side of the observation deck.
“Well, you know…” Kurt teased with a smirk.
Finn made strange noises that sounded like broken Morse code begging Kurt to stop talking about it. “I just mean in general. Not like…because of that,” Finn said, scrunching up his face.
Once Kurt was sure he’d scarred Finn for life, he asked about the Eddie Bauer bag in his hands. “What’s that?” Kurt asked, pointing to it.
“Oh,” Finn said, blushing slightly. “Just a shirt.”
“Isn’t that store lame?” Kurt mocked.
Finn made a face and said, “Mercedes told me that instead of buying her something I should get myself a new shirt. She kept going on and on about how I needed more colors that go with what she usually wears. And she said I look good in plaid, so…”
Embarrassed, Finn pulled out a purple and white plaid button down tee shirt. “I mean, she wears purple a lot, and I can make it look manly, so…” he blushed and asked, “Do you think she’ll like it?”
“I think she’ll like you in it,” Kurt smiled. “I also think you should still get her something. It’s this thing she does. She insists you just treat yourself when really you should treat the both of you.”
“Woah, you’re good,” Finn said proudly. “So what should I get her?”
Kurt shrugged innocently and said, “You need to decide that. She’ll know in a heartbeat if I helped you.”
Finn looked frustrated but didn’t argue. After they’d had a good look at the city from the tower, they all went their separate ways again.
Kurt and Carole received the same exceptional service when they went into Louis Vuitton and Gucci. They spent hours looking at overpriced clothing and real diamonds and everything Kurt could usually only admire on the internet.
With about half an hour left until they’d all agreed to meet at the Rosebud Steakhouse, they began making their way down East Walton Street where the restaurant was located. “Oh. My. Gaga,” Kurt said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.
“What? What’s going on?” Caroled asked, panicked.
“Marc Jacobs,” Kurt said, his eyes focused on the store on the corner in front of them.
Carole laughed in relief and followed Kurt down the street. “We don’t have time to wander around another store,” she said, checking her watch.
“Just…wait here. I already know what I want to buy,” Kurt insisted. “In and out, I promise.”
“Okay. I’ll call your dad and let him know we might be late,” Carole said, and when Kurt rolled his eyes she said, “Just in case!”
The phone rang and after a few minutes, Carole was warning Burt that Kurt had been distracted by Marc Jacobs. “That’s okay,” Burt laughed. “Finn found the Hershey’s store and now I don’t think we’re ever going to get away.”
Carole giggled and said, “That sounds like Finn. We’ll just wait at the restaurant until you get there.”
“And we’ll do the same if you guys are running late,” Burt said.
“Okay, love you, bye,” Carole smiled.
“Love you too, Carole,” Burt beamed before hanging up the phone.
Kurt took a full fifteen minutes before he walked out. His face looked flushed and Carole looked at him curiously. “I was panicking,” he told her, his eyes looking anywhere but at her. “I couldn’t find the scarf I wanted. Turns out it was in the back corner.”
“Well I’m glad you found it,” she smiled. “Finn got distracted by the Hershey’s store so we don’t need to worry about being late. They’ll probably get there after us.”
Kurt just laughed at his step-brother. They all ended up meeting at the steakhouse around the same time, half an hour later than they’d originally planned. Dinner was great and soon they were off to bed, their last night in the city.
They slept in the next day and hit the road after lunch at the Hard Rock Café. “So, did you boys have a good trip?” Burt asked, just before they were drifting off to sleep for the drive back.
“Yeah, it was awesome,” Finn smiled happily.
“What about you, Kurt? Did you have fun?” Carole asked.
Kurt nodded and said sleepily, “Definitely.”
“What changed?” Burt pressed curiously.
With a light laugh, Kurt mumbled, “Marc Jacobs makes any trip amazing.”
For reference: Here are the items I talk about in the fic (top to bottom) Blaine's new Ray Bans, Finn's Eddie Bauer shirt, Kurt's Marc Jacobs scarf.