Two Ficlets: Burt/Blaine & Burt/Kurt post-4.10
Just copying over from tumblr. Anything under 1k doesn't end up here, but these are just over 500 words each, so I'll throw 'em together. :D Even though they don't GO TOGETHER, because well, I had Burt do different things in each one, but whatever. Details.
Title: Build From The Bottom
Rating: PG
“You’re awful quiet,” Burt comments to Blaine as they roll down the highway towards Lima out of Columbus. “Lot on your mind?”
Blaine looks back from the passenger window, a bit foggy from where he’s been breathing so closely, to glance across the console at him. “Just trying to practice patience. Trying really hard.”
Burt sighs as he makes the turn off of 70. “I know when Kurt was telling me about your original plans, he said he wanted you guys to sort some stuff out, not just the ice skating. I figured there was a chance that might not happen if I brought ya, but I had to take it anyway.”
Burt notices Blaine’s eyebrows jump towards his hairline at his statement and he has to suppress a laugh. “I - I didn’t mean - I want you to know, Burt, no matter what happened I don’t regret coming, not for a second. I’m still really grateful for the past forty-eight hours, I really, really am. More than you know.” The last sentence is almost a whisper, and Burt’s glad his heart is solid these days. He saw the way Blaine looked at Kurt the past two days and he knows how stubborn his son can be and how he shuts down in a crisis.
“It - it’s not the right time. It’s never the right time. It’s no one’s fault, certainly not yours, or mine, or Kurt’s. I know that.” Blaine’s still whispering, staring out the window again, and Burt wonders if he tells anyone this stuff. If he talks to his own parents or the kids at school, or if he feels alone like Kurt did and is just a whole lot better about putting on a face.
“It will be. He just needs some time to process, which you’ve experienced firsthand and I’m sorry about resetting for ya.” He glances over at Blaine with a sideways grin, and Burt actually gets a burst of laughter out of him.
It reminds him of the drive to the airport, when Blaine was fidgety and nervous and Burt finally pried out his issue - he didn’t know if Burt knew everything, all the gory details of the breakup. Burt confirmed he did, and Blaine whispered confusedly, “But you’re bringing me anyway?” and Burt said bluntly that Blaine hadn’t cheated on him. Blaine broke into nervous laughter that grew and grew and Burt joined in until tears pricked at the corner of his eyes and he finally had to try to catch his breath before he drove them off the road. Because that was the whole point, wasn’t it?
Sure, Kurt’s heart was broken, and Burt was there to help pick up the pieces, but he knows his kid. He saw the subtle signs along the way that Kurt wasn’t ready to give up, but he’s also not ready to move forward. Burt thought he could use a little reminder, especially with everything else going on.
They drive on for a few more moments once the laughter subsides, in comfortable silence, and finally Burt says, “There’s still good between you two, you know. That’s why I brought you. You don’t have to fix each other, just what you have together.” Blaine mulls on that for a moment, staring at his hands instead of out the window, and Burt finally adds, “I think you going to New York is a good thing. For you and for Kurt. No matter what happens. But for the love of god, can you apply to at least one other school besides NYADA in case you don’t get in? I can’t take that all over again.”
Blaine laughs again, this time light and airy and replies, “Yes, sure, that I can do.”
“Good,” Burt says gruffly. “Never a good thing to put all your eggs in one basket.”
The corners of Blaine’s mouth are tugging up in a smile, and well. Burt can think of one exception.
Title: He Gave Me Hope (When Hope Was Gone)
Rating: PG
Notes: because I saw this post and ccmskatechick is a dirty enabler.
“Thanks for going with me, Dad,” Kurt says as they exit the movie theater on December twenty-seventh, snow flurries whipping softly around them. Blaine flew out that morning, and he has another three days with his dad before he leaves. Rachel’s not back until the second, so he’ll have New Year’s all by himself, which he’s not entirely sad about. He could use some time to think.
“Couldn’t stand you moping around for four days,” Burt teases, a bit gruffly, and Kurt opens his mouth to protest but - okay, his dad is right, sort of. He hasn’t been mopey, but like he said. Time to think. He can save that for his forty-eight hours of solitude. He’s not sure when his dad will be back in New York - not like that, not at all, but he didn’t expect him this time and it’s not like he makes a habit of dropping in. They should make the most of it, especially now that it’s just the two of them again and there aren’t any games on the TV. At least, he thinks there aren’t.
“Oh, come on. You know Rachel and I have plans to see Les Miserables the instant she gets home. I don’t even think she’s going to unpack, I think she’s going to throw her suitcases down and drag me to a theater immediately. She’s going to kill me for going without her already!” They turn down a corner to wait at a traffic light, and Kurt stuffs his hands in his pockets. He tries to think about where they could grab dinner that wouldn’t be too awful, health-wise.
“Tell her that I insisted! Play up the cancer card for all it’s worth!” Burt’s eyes are sparkling though, grinning wide, and to look at him now, Kurt wouldn’t even believe he was sick. “I can really relate to that Valjean character, ya know? Carrying that kid he’d just met, that his daughter barely knew through the sewers so he wouldn’t die because he knew they were in love? I mean, that’s commitment right there. He didn’t know anything aside from that note and what he saw in the kid’s face.”
Their eyes connect then, just a brief meeting before the light changes and they cross the bustling street, but somehow the message is clear. Burt would carry Blaine through the sewers of Paris, or most likely New York, since that would be a bit more accessible, for Kurt.
He doesn’t know why his head is still such a mess when all the signs are so clear, but time alone to think will surely fix everything.
They pass a generic greasy diner, and Burt’s face lights up as he points in that direction, and Kurt laughs lightly. He caves instantly, nodding his head as he follows his dad in out of the cold. Maybe in 2013 he’ll work on compromise. On being less stubborn. On not letting other people’s decisions affect him so much.
When his dad orders fries, he only glares at him briefly, before softening his expression and ordering some for himself. Burt quirks an eyebrow, but says nothing, and they go back to talking about the movie, about characters Burt knows nothing about but tries to understand for Kurt’s sake.
Jean Valjean has nothing on Burt Hummel, Kurt thinks, smiling into his hot chocolate. Nothing at all.
Title: Build From The Bottom
Rating: PG
“You’re awful quiet,” Burt comments to Blaine as they roll down the highway towards Lima out of Columbus. “Lot on your mind?”
Blaine looks back from the passenger window, a bit foggy from where he’s been breathing so closely, to glance across the console at him. “Just trying to practice patience. Trying really hard.”
Burt sighs as he makes the turn off of 70. “I know when Kurt was telling me about your original plans, he said he wanted you guys to sort some stuff out, not just the ice skating. I figured there was a chance that might not happen if I brought ya, but I had to take it anyway.”
Burt notices Blaine’s eyebrows jump towards his hairline at his statement and he has to suppress a laugh. “I - I didn’t mean - I want you to know, Burt, no matter what happened I don’t regret coming, not for a second. I’m still really grateful for the past forty-eight hours, I really, really am. More than you know.” The last sentence is almost a whisper, and Burt’s glad his heart is solid these days. He saw the way Blaine looked at Kurt the past two days and he knows how stubborn his son can be and how he shuts down in a crisis.
“It - it’s not the right time. It’s never the right time. It’s no one’s fault, certainly not yours, or mine, or Kurt’s. I know that.” Blaine’s still whispering, staring out the window again, and Burt wonders if he tells anyone this stuff. If he talks to his own parents or the kids at school, or if he feels alone like Kurt did and is just a whole lot better about putting on a face.
“It will be. He just needs some time to process, which you’ve experienced firsthand and I’m sorry about resetting for ya.” He glances over at Blaine with a sideways grin, and Burt actually gets a burst of laughter out of him.
It reminds him of the drive to the airport, when Blaine was fidgety and nervous and Burt finally pried out his issue - he didn’t know if Burt knew everything, all the gory details of the breakup. Burt confirmed he did, and Blaine whispered confusedly, “But you’re bringing me anyway?” and Burt said bluntly that Blaine hadn’t cheated on him. Blaine broke into nervous laughter that grew and grew and Burt joined in until tears pricked at the corner of his eyes and he finally had to try to catch his breath before he drove them off the road. Because that was the whole point, wasn’t it?
Sure, Kurt’s heart was broken, and Burt was there to help pick up the pieces, but he knows his kid. He saw the subtle signs along the way that Kurt wasn’t ready to give up, but he’s also not ready to move forward. Burt thought he could use a little reminder, especially with everything else going on.
They drive on for a few more moments once the laughter subsides, in comfortable silence, and finally Burt says, “There’s still good between you two, you know. That’s why I brought you. You don’t have to fix each other, just what you have together.” Blaine mulls on that for a moment, staring at his hands instead of out the window, and Burt finally adds, “I think you going to New York is a good thing. For you and for Kurt. No matter what happens. But for the love of god, can you apply to at least one other school besides NYADA in case you don’t get in? I can’t take that all over again.”
Blaine laughs again, this time light and airy and replies, “Yes, sure, that I can do.”
“Good,” Burt says gruffly. “Never a good thing to put all your eggs in one basket.”
The corners of Blaine’s mouth are tugging up in a smile, and well. Burt can think of one exception.
Title: He Gave Me Hope (When Hope Was Gone)
Rating: PG
Notes: because I saw this post and ccmskatechick is a dirty enabler.
“Thanks for going with me, Dad,” Kurt says as they exit the movie theater on December twenty-seventh, snow flurries whipping softly around them. Blaine flew out that morning, and he has another three days with his dad before he leaves. Rachel’s not back until the second, so he’ll have New Year’s all by himself, which he’s not entirely sad about. He could use some time to think.
“Couldn’t stand you moping around for four days,” Burt teases, a bit gruffly, and Kurt opens his mouth to protest but - okay, his dad is right, sort of. He hasn’t been mopey, but like he said. Time to think. He can save that for his forty-eight hours of solitude. He’s not sure when his dad will be back in New York - not like that, not at all, but he didn’t expect him this time and it’s not like he makes a habit of dropping in. They should make the most of it, especially now that it’s just the two of them again and there aren’t any games on the TV. At least, he thinks there aren’t.
“Oh, come on. You know Rachel and I have plans to see Les Miserables the instant she gets home. I don’t even think she’s going to unpack, I think she’s going to throw her suitcases down and drag me to a theater immediately. She’s going to kill me for going without her already!” They turn down a corner to wait at a traffic light, and Kurt stuffs his hands in his pockets. He tries to think about where they could grab dinner that wouldn’t be too awful, health-wise.
“Tell her that I insisted! Play up the cancer card for all it’s worth!” Burt’s eyes are sparkling though, grinning wide, and to look at him now, Kurt wouldn’t even believe he was sick. “I can really relate to that Valjean character, ya know? Carrying that kid he’d just met, that his daughter barely knew through the sewers so he wouldn’t die because he knew they were in love? I mean, that’s commitment right there. He didn’t know anything aside from that note and what he saw in the kid’s face.”
Their eyes connect then, just a brief meeting before the light changes and they cross the bustling street, but somehow the message is clear. Burt would carry Blaine through the sewers of Paris, or most likely New York, since that would be a bit more accessible, for Kurt.
He doesn’t know why his head is still such a mess when all the signs are so clear, but time alone to think will surely fix everything.
They pass a generic greasy diner, and Burt’s face lights up as he points in that direction, and Kurt laughs lightly. He caves instantly, nodding his head as he follows his dad in out of the cold. Maybe in 2013 he’ll work on compromise. On being less stubborn. On not letting other people’s decisions affect him so much.
When his dad orders fries, he only glares at him briefly, before softening his expression and ordering some for himself. Burt quirks an eyebrow, but says nothing, and they go back to talking about the movie, about characters Burt knows nothing about but tries to understand for Kurt’s sake.
Jean Valjean has nothing on Burt Hummel, Kurt thinks, smiling into his hot chocolate. Nothing at all.