Jenny Wrayne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ladydreamer) wrote2012-01-15 09:19 pm
ladydreamer) wrote2012-01-15 09:19 pm
Entry tags:
FIC: Holding Down the Fort
Series: No Day But Today
Title: Holding Down the Fort
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Includes: post-mpreg, zombies, spam
Word Count: 5425
Summary: The Refugees have found a temporary place to stay, and Kurt and Blaine are settling in.
“My turn on the perimeter.” Finn knocked Blaine’s arm and lifted his chin. “Go give Kurt a kiss for me.”
Blaine narrowed his eyes at Finn. “That’s just weird.”
Finn winked and puckered his lips.
Blaine walked across the deserted lot between the outer wall and the houses as Finn climbed up and took his place, crossbow in hand.
The group been on the road for the better part of a week when they’d found a nice, abandoned mining town to hunker down in, while members of their party came and went, stockpiling goods, scouting for where the walkers were (frozen or otherwise), and trying to make plans to get a boat and find someplace more permanent. They’d built a hell of a fence, starting the day they’d gotten there, and they kept watch, always, even if the walkers seemed to be taking a winter vacation. One might make it through. Other stray people might want to attack them for their food or weapons.
There were murmurs about whether Burt and the others had been aiming for this place all along, a spot to wait out the winter safely while Forest made his plans. They couldn’t really know, and there was no point in asking.
Blaine knew. Kurt was often drawn into meetings about the group. He was just glad Kurt wasn’t up there as a watchdog.
Blaine stepped into their house and looked around at all the lit candles brightening up the room. They had to save the generators’ energy for heating. No nonessentials. The town was so old that there was little electric lighting anyway. Briefly, Blaine was reminded by the dancing shadows of that old abandoned house with the horse out back. They’d delighted in the hot water, made love in that frantic, desperate way they had when the walkers had been right on their heels, and found out that Kurt was pregnant.
Pippa lay on her belly and wiggled around in her pen on the floor, lifting her head and grabbing a little rag doll Deidre had sewed for her on the road as she listened to Kurt sing Beatles songs in the kitchen by the gas stove. Whatever he was cooking smelled good. Kurt had magic powers with their paltry supplies.
Blaine hummed along to “Across the Universe” and came up behind Kurt. He was probably being a sap, but Kurt was more gorgeous than ever. He just never stopped getting more beautiful. His cheeks had regained their color, and he had recovered a lot, regaining muscle and strength. Even the scar over his eye and the glasses couldn’t detract from it. The imperfection seemed to enhance it, somehow.
Blaine knew the level of sexy that Kurt felt probably varied with his soreness still, and how his chest felt between feeding Pip and the cold. Still.
“Is it my turn out there?” Kurt asked.
“Nope. I think everyone’s just grateful to you for training us all on those things.”
“I’m healed,” Kurt insisted. “I can manage to sit up on a wall. I’m not just a good cook and a pretty face, y’know.”
Blaine shook his head. “That’s not why.”
“No, it’s because I’m mommy.” Kurt stirred the sauce and poked at the spam he was turning into something edible.
“Kurt-”
“Chivalry,” Kurt grumbled.
“It’s also because you’re Burt’s son, and Finn’s brother, and you have a good head on your shoulders when we need ideas and plans.” Blaine slipped his arms around Kurt’s waist from behind and kissed his neck. “You put people at ease. They feel better about our situation when they listen to you because they want to know someone knows what to do. No one wants to lose you. For... various reasons.”
Kurt rolled his eyes.
“Any word from Forest?”
“No. But last I heard, Joseph has gotten some good feedback on the coast. We might have a way out of here soon.”
“Assuming we can make it there. The walkers have probably eaten their way through most of Ontario by now.” Blaine rested his chin Kurt’s shoulder and sighed.
“Well, there’s no point moving until the weather is a little warmer anyway.” Kurt started to make up a few plates. “I already fed her. You can eat, if you want.” Then he turned and said in an overly flirtatious girlish, and Southern, voice, “I’m gonna take this to the boys!”
Blaine watched Kurt’s swinging hips and whistled.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what got us in trouble the first time.” Kurt turned halfway and winked at him.
Blaine looked at Pippa, lifted her up, and kissed her nose. She still preferred to be held most of the time, but they could let her be on her own now. Had to try, so she could work on lifting up her head muscles. But she had no shortage of people to be with her while she grew stronger.
“Your mommy is more than anyone can handle,” he informed her.
***
It was funny to be treated as precious by everyone in the camp. At first, Kurt had thought he was being dramatic, but he soon came to realize that, at least from some of the men in their group, they felt Kurt was to be protected, maybe more so than girls like Brittany who had yet to figure out how to shoot a gun or a crossbow. Whatever Blaine said, the mommy thing had something to do with that. His procreative abilities slotted him as a little woman, and teaching the bulk of their cohort to use a crossbow would put much of a dent in that notion for those who were disinclined to really see him.
Unfortunately. There were also enough of the second sort of people-- the ones who kept him out of harm’s way because they loved him... or because they’d rather have him saving their necks in ways that didn’t involve guard duty-- that Kurt was effectively barred from watching the perimeter, but not Blaine.
For his own sanity, Blaine would probably be better off just playing with Pippa and working out ways to keep people calm and happy. Blaine had gotten a lot better. They both had, by the necessity put on them by the love of their daughter. But he’d broken once. Having to be harder than he was had broken him, and he was as scarred as Kurt was. They both woke in the middle of the night. They both went to check on Pippa when she was perfectly fine.
At least no one wanted to send Blaine out as a scouter. Kurt just couldn’t lose him.
“Hey, there, boys!” Kurt said saucily.
Nick and David turned and laughed.
“Thanks!” Nick looked at the plate and shook his head. “Where can I get one of you?”
“I’m one of a kind.” Kurt took his bow and leaned against the platform, squinting across the deserted field. He would never get used to the glasses, he was afraid. And they didn’t quite make up for the injury, though his vision had improved quite a bit. If it affected his shot, that could be big trouble. “Eat up before the mens see you have a ladyfolk up on the front lines.”
“If they complain, we’ll just sing something for them,” David joked. “Charm them with our own ladyfolk wiles.”
“The “Right Stuff.”” Nick said. “I tried for so long to get the Warblers to sing that... NKOTB!”
He took a fork and dug in, humming to the nineties song. Canned spam and veggies and fried potatoes weren’t the best, but Kurt did what he could with them. No one seemed to complain. Maybe because the food at the refugee center and housing hadn’t been great either, and filled bellies were better than not, no matter what.
“Sing that at the walkers,” David said. “That should send ‘em back south.”
“I don’t think they’ll be up this way anytime soon.” Nick swallowed a mouthful of food. “They haven’t come so far.”
“It’s been friggin’ cold so far,” Kurt replied.
“We could just stay up here,” David suggested. He wiped his mouth, then retook his place at the wall. “It’s cold, and it’s unpopulated, but it’s pretty walker free.”
Kurt sighed. “If they get desperate enough, though, they’ll start staggering further. Especially once summer hits. Nice and cool, but not freezing. At least right now, if one makes it to our perimeter, they’ll be weak and easy to pick off.”
“You always give me nightmares,” Nick complained. He got up and reached for his crossbow. “Can’t we talk about show tunes? Or marshmallows, or something.”
“I’m just glad someone thinks about this stuff,” David muttered.
“And it’s not like we’ll be able to move a town. Us, we can move. People are settling in here.” Kurt sighed, then gave him a forced smile. “We should do a drag show for the group. Work up something cute and cheerful.”
“Oh, I would make such a pretty Maria, don’t you think?” Nick grinned.
David rolled his eyes.
“To-niiiight, tooo-niiiiight,” Nick sang as David tried to wave him off. “There’s only you to-niiiiight!”
Kurt saluted and went to deliver food to the other guys in the middle of their shift. Each one greeted him with a warm smile. Some flirted. Even the straight ones.
They lived in a weird little town.
“Hey, there, big boy,” Kurt said as he approached his brother.
“Aw, no food for me?”
Kurt rolled his eyes and sat on the edges of the lookout station. “You just got here. Don’t you know I keep track of the rotation?”
“You keep track of a lot of things. And if you do, you know I came on this shift early so you could spend some “alone time” with Blaine.” Finn ruffled Kurt’s hair.
“I will. When I get done with work. He needs some time with the Pip, too,” Kurt pointed out, watching the perimeter again.
“We’ve got this. You guys are safe, I promise. We’re not goofing around,” Finn said quietly.
“I trust all of you, of course. I just worry.” Kurt reached over and squeezed Finn’s cold, gloved hand with his own. “Peg a walker for me.”
He winked before heading back down again.
***
Burt sat in the middle of the building they’d repurposed as a meeting house, cleaning guns and thinking of how they were going to feed all their people until Forest got back with word for their next move. Mike had gone out with Van and Juni for more supplies. They were the quickest among them right now, but Burt still had issues sending kids out to do their work.
They weren’t the first to have grown up before their time. More and more as he watched these kids, he knew that he was a friggin’ figurehead here. He had some good ideas, sure, but he hadn’t been out there from day one scrapping it with whatever he could find, surviving against all odds. The adults listened to him because... Well, because he was an adult. He had some experience with talking to business owners and managing people, and it showed. But really, Burt had become the leader here because they couldn’t get along with folks just fussing with each other about what to do all the time.
The reality was, Burt sat down regular with the kids or Carol, the ones who had been out there, living it. And he was proud as hell of Kurt. If anything happened to Burt, he knew who would be leading them. Still. It made him sad, sometimes, to see his seventeen year old shifting between the roles of a father and a hardened war vet. He and Blaine had been to war down there in America, come out barely sane, and were thrown back into it again. He just wished... He wished a lot of things. He just wished Kurt had ever had the chance to really be a child himself. But he was afraid that if Kurt hadn’t been so self-sufficient to begin with, those kids wouldn’t have made it up here.
He’d stopped cleaning and was just staring at the table. Carol lingered in the doorway. Burt could sense her there before she entered, sat down silently, and went to work cleaning with him.
“How’s your boy doin’?” Burt asked. But he knew. He’d talked to Rafe just that morning.
“I think he’s finally gotten used to the leg. Can get around pretty quickly now. That puts my mind at ease.” She smiled softly. “Kurt looks like he sure snapped back into shape. I’m jealous, frankly. It took me the better part of a year to lose my pregnancy pounds.”
“He’s determined. Also, lack of food and time on the road’ll do that to ya.”
“Not a diet I recommend.” She smiled softly. “It does my heart good to see the three of them together. I’m sure others feel the same.”
“Yeah. They really do.”
“Are you worried?”
“About practically everything,” Burt said dryly. He was only half joking. He rubbed his brow and clicked the gun he’d been working on back together.
Carol seemed about to say something when Kurt strolled in. He looked to Carol and smiled before sitting down in front of his father. “The watchdogs have been fed.”
Carol chuckled.
“And I gave the generator on the west side of camp a look. I think we’re good for a few more months. It didn’t need any new parts. You should still check it, but I think it’ll be fine. Got anything else for me before I head back? The chore rotation taken care of?”
“Nah. Take a break. I put the cheerleaders on laundry duty. Needed to give them something to do,” Burt said.
“I’m pretty sure Santana would fight, given the chance. Is Tina with them?”
“I’m just tryin’ to keep those two together. Her and Britt. The blond gets confused, and I don’t want her wandering. And yeah, Tina’s with them. It’ll keep her mind off of Mike.”
Kurt nodded and rubbed his arms. Burt reached over and squeezed his bicep.
“You make sure you eat, too. Okay?”
“Dad, I’m fine.”
“You’re very dear to all of us, Kurt,” Carol said. “I know you want to do your part, and you are more than doing it. I promise.”
Kurt nodded again and looked between his father and Carol once more. “Any news from Forest?”
“Not since yesterday. But Mik checked in to say they were still alive. They’ll be heading back from the coast tomorrow, and we’ll get a report at some point about what’s going to happen,” Burt said. “Keep that under a lid for now, okay? We don’t want to make anyone anxious before necessary.”
“Some folks won’t want to go. They’ll want to stay here because we’ve been safe so far,” Kurt said.
“I’m aware. That’s always how it is. Some people think they’ve got better ideas, and then our numbers go down.” Burt shrugged. “I just hope we can convince most of them, because no place with walkers is gonna be safe permanently. They gotta clear them all off, or it’ll just start over again.”
“Talk about a perfect bioweapon.” Kurt tilted his head to the side.
Burt’s eyes widened with alarm.
Kurt spread his hands. “All they have to do is pick up a walker and drop it into their area of choice. If the rest of the world doesn’t inoculate, if they don’t even have the vaccine, we’re not safe until every last one is dead, permanently. I wish I had the means.”
“Do me a favor.” Burt pinched his brow.
“Oh, I know. I’ll keep that little theory to myself.” Kurt stood. “But it’s true. We can’t keep running forever. Even if it was stupid and just served to scattered the walkers, on fire, into the countryside, whoever decided to start dropping bombs on major American cities had the right idea. We have to fight back, and bigger than we ever have before. Or we’re done. Not just our little ragtag group of survivors, either.”
“You’re right.” Carol shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”
Burt watched Kurt moving toward the door. “Give the Peanut a kiss for me.”
“Do it yourself. She misses you,” Kurt called behind him.
Carol laughed. “Someone’s a pip.”
“Like father like daughter. She’ll need a little of both of them to get by in this world. Ah. He’s right. I need to get over there more. The two of them.. I just don’t know whether to treat ‘em like grown men or little boys.”
“Both at once. And be prepared to make a mistake.” Carol looked at her hands. “He comes over here because he misses his daddy, y’know. Everyone misses what they had, the secure houses, the home it made, and their families.”
“They miss Carole. Blaine probably misses the whole lot of his family. No idea what happened to them, aside from his mother, I hear. But I’m still here.” Burt touched his mouth. “Let’s set up another town gathering. Make sure folks feel comfortable with the community we have here.” Carol shrugged her head to the side. “It’s all these kids have got.”
***
“Dance with me! I want my arms around you!” Blaine’s smooth voice echoed through the house they shared with Van and Finn. He swayed his hips from side to side and danced Pippa’s little hand back and forth. “The charm about you, will carry me through to... Heaven!”
The place was a little crowded with two couples and a baby, but having more people in the house was a safety issue. More people to watch each others’ backs. There were times when Kurt wished his father was staying with them. Then there were others when he was grateful to have the time alone with his partner and child. Who knew how much they would have, ultimately.
Right now, he watched Blaine dancing and singing with their baby. This was how it always should’ve been.
“Hey!” Blaine’s face lit up and he danced Pippa over to him.
“Hey.” Kurt took her hand and moved in close. She yawned, and Kurt kissed her eyebrow. “We need to put her to bed.”
“You think?” Blaine looked at her and stroked her cheek with a finger. “Aw. Well, let’s give our Peanut a nap.”
“You seem to be moving from Pink to Sinatra,” Kurt observed as they walked to the bedroom. “Did you eat?”
“No, I strapped on the Pip and took the rest of the food over to our hard working laundry girls. They appreciated it.” Blaine laid the baby down gently. “Blanket? Well, Pink is less lullaby than Frank.”
“I don’t know about that.” Kurt grabbed a second blanket and leaned over the crib. “Made a wrong turn once or twice,” he sang softly.
“Fought my way out, blood and fire,” Blaine chimed in.
“Bad decisions-” Kurt rubbed Pippa’s chest, then smirked at Blaine. “-that’s all right.”
Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist and sang with him. “Welcome to our silly life!”
There was something satisfying about singing a self-esteem anthem to their daughter as a lullaby. Kurt thought maybe he would’ve done that with his firstborn no matter what. He’d sung “Defying Gravity” to her earlier that day.
They stayed with her until she dozed off. Kurt checked the windows to make sure they were secure and then took Blaine’s hand, which was offered with a sense of bravado that almost made Kurt laugh.
“Are you trying to romance me while the baby is asleep?” Kurt let Blaine twirl him on the way to the kitchen.
“Maybe.” Blaine grinned.
“I’m not really in the mood for that. Sorry, babe.” Kurt closed his eyes as Blaine pulled him close and kissed his cheek.
“I wasn’t thinking of that kind of romance.” Blaine’s fingers moved over the side of his face in gentle little circles. “But... y’know if the evening turns that way and Van and Finn still aren’t back, I’d be willing to take one for the team...”
Kurt bent his head over Blaine’s shoulder laughing. “I’m sure you would!”
“C’mon.” Blaine tugged Kurt into the kitchen, where most of the candles seemed to have migrated, and pulled out a chair at the table for him.
“You cooked?”
“Don’t sound so surprised! I can heat up stuff in cans as well as the next refugee!” Blaine stood by a large pot on the stove and spooned soup into two bowls. “I uh, had to make enough to freeze. You know, for the rest-”
“Obviously. I still appreciate someone cooking for me.” Kurt leaned on his hand, trying to hide his smile.
Blaine set the bowls on the table, then opened the oven and pulled out bread.
“Ohh, fresh bread,” Kurt groaned.
“I know.” Blaine sliced the bread and brought some over to the table.
Kurt took his hand and tried the soup. “Hm. Learning to make use of the spices.”
“I don’t have as much experience making culinary masterpieces, but I do have taste buds.”
“It’s good. And the bread is amazing. You’re a better baker than I am.“
Blaine lifted Kurt’s hand and kissed it. Kurt bit his lip and giggled softly. They ate in comfortable silence, eyes on one another as the candles flickered.
A creak at the back of the house caused Kurt to jump up and drop his spoon.
“Babe-”
Blaine rose and reached for him again, but Kurt was bolting across the house back to their room. He stilled at the doorway and took in the sight of their daughter sleeping there peacefully. He swallowed and walked over to her.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Kurt leaned on the side of the crib. He jumped again as the floorboards creaked, only to see Blaine standing there. “Sorry.”
“I checked the rest of the house. Did you hear something?”
“No one has lived in these houses in years. Maybe decades. They make noises.” Kurt sighed.
“And it freaks you out.” Blaine took a step forward. “Me too. Come finish your dinner?”
Kurt drew in a deep breath, looked at Pippa again, and moved reluctantly back toward Blaine. “I wish we had a baby monitor.”
Blaine shrugged and took his hand. “While we’re wishing, I wish all the walkers were gone, and we could enroll her in a snobby daycare and bedazzle her clothes, and I could fight with my parents about marrying you.”
“That would be nice. Some fights, I would love to have, right now.” Kurt laid his head on Blaine’s shoulder. “I wish we could fight about... Babysitters. Or whether or not we’re going to college, and where, and what the effect of having a career or not having a career would have on our baby girl. I want to fight about silly things! Like forgetting an anniversary, who’s going to win for Sectionals, and how everyone wants to flirt with you.”
“Pfft. No one’s flirting with me here. Or anywhere else for that matter. I wasn’t a guy magnet before.”
“Hm. There aren’t that many people here. But I’m sure the girls would. Well, two of them are into each other, and the other three are with someone... Plus some moms. I bet they end up flirting with you.”
Blaine laughed and shook his head. He pulled Kurt flush to his chest in the kitchen doorway. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Kurt kissed his lips hungrily.
Blaine sighed. “And I love that you have no idea that you’re the one who has an admirer.”
“I have... What?” Kurt tilted his head to the side.
Blaine scratched the back of Kurt’s hair and kissed him again.
“Mmm!” Kurt reached around to squeeze Blaine tightly. He gave Blaine’s ass a pinch, and Blaine jumped and laughed.
They didn’t manage to finish dinner. Somehow they made it back to the bedroom once again, kissing frantically and hands roaming over one another’s bodies. Kurt felt back onto the bed, and Blaine pounced over him and jerked his pants down.
“Ah!” Kurt covered his mouth and looked over to Pippa. She didn’t make a peep.
“I wouldn’t put you in danger like that again,” Blaine murmured, kissing his way up Kurt’s belly.
“I just didn’t want to wake her...” Kurt petted Blaine’s curls. “I trust you.”
Blaine began to nibble along Kurt’s thigh, and he arched his back and gasped.
“Oh... Okay. Kind of... maybe in the mood now...”
Blaine looked up at him and licked his lips. Kurt threw his head back, took a deep breath, then met Blaine’s eye with a nod.
***
Blaine’s kisses had slowed, but even after he’d crawled back up to the pillow to cuddle with Kurt, he still needed to feel and taste him. It had been a long time since they’d been intimate. Too, too long. He stroked his fingers down the small of Kurt’s back and kissed along his collarbone.
“I’m not sure how I’ll match this,” Kurt murmured. He twirled his fingers through Blaine’s curls and sucked in his lower lip.
“Hm. I think your standards for romance are pretty low.”
Kurt draped his leg over Blaine’s and pulled the blankets up over them a little further. “Not many chances to be silly and romantic with each other. Though I thought getting me maternity clothes and anti-stretch mark oil was romantic. Making me dinner. Jumping up to change Pip in the middle of the night so I don’t have to get up.”
“Well, you have to feed her. And practically everyone else.” Blaine shrugged and stroked his hand through Kurt’s hair. “You keep us all going. Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?”
“Oh!” Kurt laughed and hugged him tightly. “No, but you can say it all you want.”
“You’re beautiful!” Blaine kissed his nose. He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.
The floor creaked and both of them jumped up. Blaine’s eyes bulged as he caught sight of Burt turning away.
“Okay,” Burt said a little testily. “Okay then.”
“Dad!” Kurt grabbed his jeans, ducked under the covers to shimmy them on, and then slipped out of the bed.
“You said to come over.” Burt crossed his arms. Then he eyed Blaine sharply.
Blaine crossed his legs under he covers and looked up sheepishly. He had no idea where his pants had ended up. Or even his underwear. Oops.
“Knocking is still appropriate at the end of the world.” Kurt tossed Blaine’s jeans at him. “Dress, baby. And it would make us less jumpy.” He pulled his shirt back on and then went over to check on Pippa.
Blaine got his pants zipped up and got out of the bed. “You don’t have to worry about more grandchildren right now. We’re being safe.”
Burt looked between the two of them.
“I wouldn’t do that to him,” Blaine said seriously.
“I wasn’t gonna ask, but... good.”
Kurt lifted Pippa up in his arms. “She’s starting to wake up anyway. I need to pack away the food so we can heat it up for everyone tomorrow.”
He handed her off to Burt, who cradled her carefully.
“We can both do it. I don’t want bugs.” Blaine followed him, pulling on his shirt. Burt followed them into the kitchen. “You know...”
Blaine raised his brows as he got out a big tupperware dish.
“If you need, I can babysit her. I know it’s hard to get any kind of peace of mind around here. Just let me know ahead of time so I’m not working on anything?” Burt said with a nod. He looked down at Pippa and tickled her tummy. “How’s she doing in here? Gosh. She’s starting to look like a real baby now.”
“What did she look like before?” Kurt protested. He pressed the container top over the bread and pushed it to the side of the counter.
“Skinny,” Burt replied. He rubbed a hand over her chest, then stroked her cheek. “You’re doin’ real good with her.”
Kurt stopped and leaned against the counter.
“Thanks,” Blaine said.
“Well. I’ll get outta your hair. I’ll keep you updated,” Burt offered after a minute of silence.
“You don’t have to go.” Kurt straightened his sweater, then he touched the top of his head. “What did I do with my glasses?”
“In the bedroom,” Blaine said.
“Oh. Good. Stupid things.”
Blaine smiled and pulled out a chair. “If you can juggle, Burt, we’ve got a pack of cards.”
“The watchdogs want to have a social, or something. I’m not sure what you’d call it. We all know each other already,” Kurt said, taking a seat next to his father.
“Carol thought something similar. Aw.” Burt chuckled as Pippa grunted. “You find those cards, I’ll take care of her. When she need to feed next?”
“I’ll get her when you get back. Then we’ll need to change her again,” Kurt said with a raised brow.
Blaine shook his head and rifled through a drawer for the cards. “How long is Finn on the perimeter?”
“‘Till midnight,” Kurt answered automatically.
“Ugh.”
“I know you hate it.”
“Mostly because it’s boring. It’s not hard. I’m not sure if it’s even dangerous. I can handle it.” Blaine sat down and started to shuffle. “Which is more than I could say a few months ago, I guess.”
Kurt reached over to muss his hair, then kissed his cheek. Burt returned and sat as he supported Pippa’s neck carefully.
“Deal me in. What are we playin’ for?”
“What?” Blaine laughed. “I think we should just play Go Fish.”
“Well, no need to corrupt the Peanut, I s’pose,” Burt said. He looked to her. “What do you think? You like Poker?”
Kurt threw his head back and laughed when she cooed in response. “Oh, dad. You have it wrong!”
“Do I?”
“She thought you were talking about the Lady Gaga song.”
“I... Wow. Wish I didn’t know what you were talking about.” Burt rolled his eyes. “Please tell me you aren’t singing that to her? The only muffins she needs to hear about are the delicious baked kind.”
Kurt opened his mouth wide. “I can’t believe you know the lyrics.”
“How am I supposed to not know the lyrics when you blasted them in the basement for a whole year?”
“It wasn’t a whole year.” Kurt leaned on his hand and looked to Blaine as he took his cards. “There was Britney Spears, too.”
“Oh, no!” Blaine covered his face. “No Britney songs. Spare me that one.”
“Well, Nick was threatening to sing New Kids on the Block, earlier.”
“Who what now?” Burt frowned and looked up from his hand.
“You don’t need to know who they were.” Kurt’s head jerked to the side and he got up, setting his hand face down.
“Babe?” Blaine started to get up.
“Just hold tight. It’s the house.”
Blaine nodded. Burt looked between them and wrapped his free hand around Pippa.
“You think someone is there?” Burt asked quietly. “Has someone been bothering you?”
“No. It’ll be okay.” Blaine got up and peered out the kitchen doorway. Kurt was on his way back, and Blaine reached for his hand and pulled him close with a kiss to the lips. “Ready?”
“Had to check the doors again. Stupid, creaky old house.” Kurt sat down again and caressed, then kissed the back of Pippa’s head. “When you’re a teenager, Pippy, I’ll embarrass the hell out of you by pulling a gun on your friends. Make sure to tell them not to sneak up on me.”
“You’ll find plenty of fresh new ways to embarrass her,” Burt said. “I have faith.”
“Yeah.” Blaine grinned. “And you’ll find plenty of ways to spoil her.”
“That’s my goal. I’m workin’ on it.” Burt picked up his cards again, and they began to play.
Title: Holding Down the Fort
Pairing: Kurt/Blaine
Includes: post-mpreg, zombies, spam
Word Count: 5425
Summary: The Refugees have found a temporary place to stay, and Kurt and Blaine are settling in.
“My turn on the perimeter.” Finn knocked Blaine’s arm and lifted his chin. “Go give Kurt a kiss for me.”
Blaine narrowed his eyes at Finn. “That’s just weird.”
Finn winked and puckered his lips.
Blaine walked across the deserted lot between the outer wall and the houses as Finn climbed up and took his place, crossbow in hand.
The group been on the road for the better part of a week when they’d found a nice, abandoned mining town to hunker down in, while members of their party came and went, stockpiling goods, scouting for where the walkers were (frozen or otherwise), and trying to make plans to get a boat and find someplace more permanent. They’d built a hell of a fence, starting the day they’d gotten there, and they kept watch, always, even if the walkers seemed to be taking a winter vacation. One might make it through. Other stray people might want to attack them for their food or weapons.
There were murmurs about whether Burt and the others had been aiming for this place all along, a spot to wait out the winter safely while Forest made his plans. They couldn’t really know, and there was no point in asking.
Blaine knew. Kurt was often drawn into meetings about the group. He was just glad Kurt wasn’t up there as a watchdog.
Blaine stepped into their house and looked around at all the lit candles brightening up the room. They had to save the generators’ energy for heating. No nonessentials. The town was so old that there was little electric lighting anyway. Briefly, Blaine was reminded by the dancing shadows of that old abandoned house with the horse out back. They’d delighted in the hot water, made love in that frantic, desperate way they had when the walkers had been right on their heels, and found out that Kurt was pregnant.
Pippa lay on her belly and wiggled around in her pen on the floor, lifting her head and grabbing a little rag doll Deidre had sewed for her on the road as she listened to Kurt sing Beatles songs in the kitchen by the gas stove. Whatever he was cooking smelled good. Kurt had magic powers with their paltry supplies.
Blaine hummed along to “Across the Universe” and came up behind Kurt. He was probably being a sap, but Kurt was more gorgeous than ever. He just never stopped getting more beautiful. His cheeks had regained their color, and he had recovered a lot, regaining muscle and strength. Even the scar over his eye and the glasses couldn’t detract from it. The imperfection seemed to enhance it, somehow.
Blaine knew the level of sexy that Kurt felt probably varied with his soreness still, and how his chest felt between feeding Pip and the cold. Still.
“Is it my turn out there?” Kurt asked.
“Nope. I think everyone’s just grateful to you for training us all on those things.”
“I’m healed,” Kurt insisted. “I can manage to sit up on a wall. I’m not just a good cook and a pretty face, y’know.”
Blaine shook his head. “That’s not why.”
“No, it’s because I’m mommy.” Kurt stirred the sauce and poked at the spam he was turning into something edible.
“Kurt-”
“Chivalry,” Kurt grumbled.
“It’s also because you’re Burt’s son, and Finn’s brother, and you have a good head on your shoulders when we need ideas and plans.” Blaine slipped his arms around Kurt’s waist from behind and kissed his neck. “You put people at ease. They feel better about our situation when they listen to you because they want to know someone knows what to do. No one wants to lose you. For... various reasons.”
Kurt rolled his eyes.
“Any word from Forest?”
“No. But last I heard, Joseph has gotten some good feedback on the coast. We might have a way out of here soon.”
“Assuming we can make it there. The walkers have probably eaten their way through most of Ontario by now.” Blaine rested his chin Kurt’s shoulder and sighed.
“Well, there’s no point moving until the weather is a little warmer anyway.” Kurt started to make up a few plates. “I already fed her. You can eat, if you want.” Then he turned and said in an overly flirtatious girlish, and Southern, voice, “I’m gonna take this to the boys!”
Blaine watched Kurt’s swinging hips and whistled.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what got us in trouble the first time.” Kurt turned halfway and winked at him.
Blaine looked at Pippa, lifted her up, and kissed her nose. She still preferred to be held most of the time, but they could let her be on her own now. Had to try, so she could work on lifting up her head muscles. But she had no shortage of people to be with her while she grew stronger.
“Your mommy is more than anyone can handle,” he informed her.
It was funny to be treated as precious by everyone in the camp. At first, Kurt had thought he was being dramatic, but he soon came to realize that, at least from some of the men in their group, they felt Kurt was to be protected, maybe more so than girls like Brittany who had yet to figure out how to shoot a gun or a crossbow. Whatever Blaine said, the mommy thing had something to do with that. His procreative abilities slotted him as a little woman, and teaching the bulk of their cohort to use a crossbow would put much of a dent in that notion for those who were disinclined to really see him.
Unfortunately. There were also enough of the second sort of people-- the ones who kept him out of harm’s way because they loved him... or because they’d rather have him saving their necks in ways that didn’t involve guard duty-- that Kurt was effectively barred from watching the perimeter, but not Blaine.
For his own sanity, Blaine would probably be better off just playing with Pippa and working out ways to keep people calm and happy. Blaine had gotten a lot better. They both had, by the necessity put on them by the love of their daughter. But he’d broken once. Having to be harder than he was had broken him, and he was as scarred as Kurt was. They both woke in the middle of the night. They both went to check on Pippa when she was perfectly fine.
At least no one wanted to send Blaine out as a scouter. Kurt just couldn’t lose him.
“Hey, there, boys!” Kurt said saucily.
Nick and David turned and laughed.
“Thanks!” Nick looked at the plate and shook his head. “Where can I get one of you?”
“I’m one of a kind.” Kurt took his bow and leaned against the platform, squinting across the deserted field. He would never get used to the glasses, he was afraid. And they didn’t quite make up for the injury, though his vision had improved quite a bit. If it affected his shot, that could be big trouble. “Eat up before the mens see you have a ladyfolk up on the front lines.”
“If they complain, we’ll just sing something for them,” David joked. “Charm them with our own ladyfolk wiles.”
“The “Right Stuff.”” Nick said. “I tried for so long to get the Warblers to sing that... NKOTB!”
He took a fork and dug in, humming to the nineties song. Canned spam and veggies and fried potatoes weren’t the best, but Kurt did what he could with them. No one seemed to complain. Maybe because the food at the refugee center and housing hadn’t been great either, and filled bellies were better than not, no matter what.
“Sing that at the walkers,” David said. “That should send ‘em back south.”
“I don’t think they’ll be up this way anytime soon.” Nick swallowed a mouthful of food. “They haven’t come so far.”
“It’s been friggin’ cold so far,” Kurt replied.
“We could just stay up here,” David suggested. He wiped his mouth, then retook his place at the wall. “It’s cold, and it’s unpopulated, but it’s pretty walker free.”
Kurt sighed. “If they get desperate enough, though, they’ll start staggering further. Especially once summer hits. Nice and cool, but not freezing. At least right now, if one makes it to our perimeter, they’ll be weak and easy to pick off.”
“You always give me nightmares,” Nick complained. He got up and reached for his crossbow. “Can’t we talk about show tunes? Or marshmallows, or something.”
“I’m just glad someone thinks about this stuff,” David muttered.
“And it’s not like we’ll be able to move a town. Us, we can move. People are settling in here.” Kurt sighed, then gave him a forced smile. “We should do a drag show for the group. Work up something cute and cheerful.”
“Oh, I would make such a pretty Maria, don’t you think?” Nick grinned.
David rolled his eyes.
“To-niiiight, tooo-niiiiight,” Nick sang as David tried to wave him off. “There’s only you to-niiiiight!”
Kurt saluted and went to deliver food to the other guys in the middle of their shift. Each one greeted him with a warm smile. Some flirted. Even the straight ones.
They lived in a weird little town.
“Hey, there, big boy,” Kurt said as he approached his brother.
“Aw, no food for me?”
Kurt rolled his eyes and sat on the edges of the lookout station. “You just got here. Don’t you know I keep track of the rotation?”
“You keep track of a lot of things. And if you do, you know I came on this shift early so you could spend some “alone time” with Blaine.” Finn ruffled Kurt’s hair.
“I will. When I get done with work. He needs some time with the Pip, too,” Kurt pointed out, watching the perimeter again.
“We’ve got this. You guys are safe, I promise. We’re not goofing around,” Finn said quietly.
“I trust all of you, of course. I just worry.” Kurt reached over and squeezed Finn’s cold, gloved hand with his own. “Peg a walker for me.”
He winked before heading back down again.
Burt sat in the middle of the building they’d repurposed as a meeting house, cleaning guns and thinking of how they were going to feed all their people until Forest got back with word for their next move. Mike had gone out with Van and Juni for more supplies. They were the quickest among them right now, but Burt still had issues sending kids out to do their work.
They weren’t the first to have grown up before their time. More and more as he watched these kids, he knew that he was a friggin’ figurehead here. He had some good ideas, sure, but he hadn’t been out there from day one scrapping it with whatever he could find, surviving against all odds. The adults listened to him because... Well, because he was an adult. He had some experience with talking to business owners and managing people, and it showed. But really, Burt had become the leader here because they couldn’t get along with folks just fussing with each other about what to do all the time.
The reality was, Burt sat down regular with the kids or Carol, the ones who had been out there, living it. And he was proud as hell of Kurt. If anything happened to Burt, he knew who would be leading them. Still. It made him sad, sometimes, to see his seventeen year old shifting between the roles of a father and a hardened war vet. He and Blaine had been to war down there in America, come out barely sane, and were thrown back into it again. He just wished... He wished a lot of things. He just wished Kurt had ever had the chance to really be a child himself. But he was afraid that if Kurt hadn’t been so self-sufficient to begin with, those kids wouldn’t have made it up here.
He’d stopped cleaning and was just staring at the table. Carol lingered in the doorway. Burt could sense her there before she entered, sat down silently, and went to work cleaning with him.
“How’s your boy doin’?” Burt asked. But he knew. He’d talked to Rafe just that morning.
“I think he’s finally gotten used to the leg. Can get around pretty quickly now. That puts my mind at ease.” She smiled softly. “Kurt looks like he sure snapped back into shape. I’m jealous, frankly. It took me the better part of a year to lose my pregnancy pounds.”
“He’s determined. Also, lack of food and time on the road’ll do that to ya.”
“Not a diet I recommend.” She smiled softly. “It does my heart good to see the three of them together. I’m sure others feel the same.”
“Yeah. They really do.”
“Are you worried?”
“About practically everything,” Burt said dryly. He was only half joking. He rubbed his brow and clicked the gun he’d been working on back together.
Carol seemed about to say something when Kurt strolled in. He looked to Carol and smiled before sitting down in front of his father. “The watchdogs have been fed.”
Carol chuckled.
“And I gave the generator on the west side of camp a look. I think we’re good for a few more months. It didn’t need any new parts. You should still check it, but I think it’ll be fine. Got anything else for me before I head back? The chore rotation taken care of?”
“Nah. Take a break. I put the cheerleaders on laundry duty. Needed to give them something to do,” Burt said.
“I’m pretty sure Santana would fight, given the chance. Is Tina with them?”
“I’m just tryin’ to keep those two together. Her and Britt. The blond gets confused, and I don’t want her wandering. And yeah, Tina’s with them. It’ll keep her mind off of Mike.”
Kurt nodded and rubbed his arms. Burt reached over and squeezed his bicep.
“You make sure you eat, too. Okay?”
“Dad, I’m fine.”
“You’re very dear to all of us, Kurt,” Carol said. “I know you want to do your part, and you are more than doing it. I promise.”
Kurt nodded again and looked between his father and Carol once more. “Any news from Forest?”
“Not since yesterday. But Mik checked in to say they were still alive. They’ll be heading back from the coast tomorrow, and we’ll get a report at some point about what’s going to happen,” Burt said. “Keep that under a lid for now, okay? We don’t want to make anyone anxious before necessary.”
“Some folks won’t want to go. They’ll want to stay here because we’ve been safe so far,” Kurt said.
“I’m aware. That’s always how it is. Some people think they’ve got better ideas, and then our numbers go down.” Burt shrugged. “I just hope we can convince most of them, because no place with walkers is gonna be safe permanently. They gotta clear them all off, or it’ll just start over again.”
“Talk about a perfect bioweapon.” Kurt tilted his head to the side.
Burt’s eyes widened with alarm.
Kurt spread his hands. “All they have to do is pick up a walker and drop it into their area of choice. If the rest of the world doesn’t inoculate, if they don’t even have the vaccine, we’re not safe until every last one is dead, permanently. I wish I had the means.”
“Do me a favor.” Burt pinched his brow.
“Oh, I know. I’ll keep that little theory to myself.” Kurt stood. “But it’s true. We can’t keep running forever. Even if it was stupid and just served to scattered the walkers, on fire, into the countryside, whoever decided to start dropping bombs on major American cities had the right idea. We have to fight back, and bigger than we ever have before. Or we’re done. Not just our little ragtag group of survivors, either.”
“You’re right.” Carol shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”
Burt watched Kurt moving toward the door. “Give the Peanut a kiss for me.”
“Do it yourself. She misses you,” Kurt called behind him.
Carol laughed. “Someone’s a pip.”
“Like father like daughter. She’ll need a little of both of them to get by in this world. Ah. He’s right. I need to get over there more. The two of them.. I just don’t know whether to treat ‘em like grown men or little boys.”
“Both at once. And be prepared to make a mistake.” Carol looked at her hands. “He comes over here because he misses his daddy, y’know. Everyone misses what they had, the secure houses, the home it made, and their families.”
“They miss Carole. Blaine probably misses the whole lot of his family. No idea what happened to them, aside from his mother, I hear. But I’m still here.” Burt touched his mouth. “Let’s set up another town gathering. Make sure folks feel comfortable with the community we have here.” Carol shrugged her head to the side. “It’s all these kids have got.”
“Dance with me! I want my arms around you!” Blaine’s smooth voice echoed through the house they shared with Van and Finn. He swayed his hips from side to side and danced Pippa’s little hand back and forth. “The charm about you, will carry me through to... Heaven!”
The place was a little crowded with two couples and a baby, but having more people in the house was a safety issue. More people to watch each others’ backs. There were times when Kurt wished his father was staying with them. Then there were others when he was grateful to have the time alone with his partner and child. Who knew how much they would have, ultimately.
Right now, he watched Blaine dancing and singing with their baby. This was how it always should’ve been.
“Hey!” Blaine’s face lit up and he danced Pippa over to him.
“Hey.” Kurt took her hand and moved in close. She yawned, and Kurt kissed her eyebrow. “We need to put her to bed.”
“You think?” Blaine looked at her and stroked her cheek with a finger. “Aw. Well, let’s give our Peanut a nap.”
“You seem to be moving from Pink to Sinatra,” Kurt observed as they walked to the bedroom. “Did you eat?”
“No, I strapped on the Pip and took the rest of the food over to our hard working laundry girls. They appreciated it.” Blaine laid the baby down gently. “Blanket? Well, Pink is less lullaby than Frank.”
“I don’t know about that.” Kurt grabbed a second blanket and leaned over the crib. “Made a wrong turn once or twice,” he sang softly.
“Fought my way out, blood and fire,” Blaine chimed in.
“Bad decisions-” Kurt rubbed Pippa’s chest, then smirked at Blaine. “-that’s all right.”
Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist and sang with him. “Welcome to our silly life!”
There was something satisfying about singing a self-esteem anthem to their daughter as a lullaby. Kurt thought maybe he would’ve done that with his firstborn no matter what. He’d sung “Defying Gravity” to her earlier that day.
They stayed with her until she dozed off. Kurt checked the windows to make sure they were secure and then took Blaine’s hand, which was offered with a sense of bravado that almost made Kurt laugh.
“Are you trying to romance me while the baby is asleep?” Kurt let Blaine twirl him on the way to the kitchen.
“Maybe.” Blaine grinned.
“I’m not really in the mood for that. Sorry, babe.” Kurt closed his eyes as Blaine pulled him close and kissed his cheek.
“I wasn’t thinking of that kind of romance.” Blaine’s fingers moved over the side of his face in gentle little circles. “But... y’know if the evening turns that way and Van and Finn still aren’t back, I’d be willing to take one for the team...”
Kurt bent his head over Blaine’s shoulder laughing. “I’m sure you would!”
“C’mon.” Blaine tugged Kurt into the kitchen, where most of the candles seemed to have migrated, and pulled out a chair at the table for him.
“You cooked?”
“Don’t sound so surprised! I can heat up stuff in cans as well as the next refugee!” Blaine stood by a large pot on the stove and spooned soup into two bowls. “I uh, had to make enough to freeze. You know, for the rest-”
“Obviously. I still appreciate someone cooking for me.” Kurt leaned on his hand, trying to hide his smile.
Blaine set the bowls on the table, then opened the oven and pulled out bread.
“Ohh, fresh bread,” Kurt groaned.
“I know.” Blaine sliced the bread and brought some over to the table.
Kurt took his hand and tried the soup. “Hm. Learning to make use of the spices.”
“I don’t have as much experience making culinary masterpieces, but I do have taste buds.”
“It’s good. And the bread is amazing. You’re a better baker than I am.“
Blaine lifted Kurt’s hand and kissed it. Kurt bit his lip and giggled softly. They ate in comfortable silence, eyes on one another as the candles flickered.
A creak at the back of the house caused Kurt to jump up and drop his spoon.
“Babe-”
Blaine rose and reached for him again, but Kurt was bolting across the house back to their room. He stilled at the doorway and took in the sight of their daughter sleeping there peacefully. He swallowed and walked over to her.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Kurt leaned on the side of the crib. He jumped again as the floorboards creaked, only to see Blaine standing there. “Sorry.”
“I checked the rest of the house. Did you hear something?”
“No one has lived in these houses in years. Maybe decades. They make noises.” Kurt sighed.
“And it freaks you out.” Blaine took a step forward. “Me too. Come finish your dinner?”
Kurt drew in a deep breath, looked at Pippa again, and moved reluctantly back toward Blaine. “I wish we had a baby monitor.”
Blaine shrugged and took his hand. “While we’re wishing, I wish all the walkers were gone, and we could enroll her in a snobby daycare and bedazzle her clothes, and I could fight with my parents about marrying you.”
“That would be nice. Some fights, I would love to have, right now.” Kurt laid his head on Blaine’s shoulder. “I wish we could fight about... Babysitters. Or whether or not we’re going to college, and where, and what the effect of having a career or not having a career would have on our baby girl. I want to fight about silly things! Like forgetting an anniversary, who’s going to win for Sectionals, and how everyone wants to flirt with you.”
“Pfft. No one’s flirting with me here. Or anywhere else for that matter. I wasn’t a guy magnet before.”
“Hm. There aren’t that many people here. But I’m sure the girls would. Well, two of them are into each other, and the other three are with someone... Plus some moms. I bet they end up flirting with you.”
Blaine laughed and shook his head. He pulled Kurt flush to his chest in the kitchen doorway. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Kurt kissed his lips hungrily.
Blaine sighed. “And I love that you have no idea that you’re the one who has an admirer.”
“I have... What?” Kurt tilted his head to the side.
Blaine scratched the back of Kurt’s hair and kissed him again.
“Mmm!” Kurt reached around to squeeze Blaine tightly. He gave Blaine’s ass a pinch, and Blaine jumped and laughed.
They didn’t manage to finish dinner. Somehow they made it back to the bedroom once again, kissing frantically and hands roaming over one another’s bodies. Kurt felt back onto the bed, and Blaine pounced over him and jerked his pants down.
“Ah!” Kurt covered his mouth and looked over to Pippa. She didn’t make a peep.
“I wouldn’t put you in danger like that again,” Blaine murmured, kissing his way up Kurt’s belly.
“I just didn’t want to wake her...” Kurt petted Blaine’s curls. “I trust you.”
Blaine began to nibble along Kurt’s thigh, and he arched his back and gasped.
“Oh... Okay. Kind of... maybe in the mood now...”
Blaine looked up at him and licked his lips. Kurt threw his head back, took a deep breath, then met Blaine’s eye with a nod.
Blaine’s kisses had slowed, but even after he’d crawled back up to the pillow to cuddle with Kurt, he still needed to feel and taste him. It had been a long time since they’d been intimate. Too, too long. He stroked his fingers down the small of Kurt’s back and kissed along his collarbone.
“I’m not sure how I’ll match this,” Kurt murmured. He twirled his fingers through Blaine’s curls and sucked in his lower lip.
“Hm. I think your standards for romance are pretty low.”
Kurt draped his leg over Blaine’s and pulled the blankets up over them a little further. “Not many chances to be silly and romantic with each other. Though I thought getting me maternity clothes and anti-stretch mark oil was romantic. Making me dinner. Jumping up to change Pip in the middle of the night so I don’t have to get up.”
“Well, you have to feed her. And practically everyone else.” Blaine shrugged and stroked his hand through Kurt’s hair. “You keep us all going. Have I told you how beautiful you are lately?”
“Oh!” Kurt laughed and hugged him tightly. “No, but you can say it all you want.”
“You’re beautiful!” Blaine kissed his nose. He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.
The floor creaked and both of them jumped up. Blaine’s eyes bulged as he caught sight of Burt turning away.
“Okay,” Burt said a little testily. “Okay then.”
“Dad!” Kurt grabbed his jeans, ducked under the covers to shimmy them on, and then slipped out of the bed.
“You said to come over.” Burt crossed his arms. Then he eyed Blaine sharply.
Blaine crossed his legs under he covers and looked up sheepishly. He had no idea where his pants had ended up. Or even his underwear. Oops.
“Knocking is still appropriate at the end of the world.” Kurt tossed Blaine’s jeans at him. “Dress, baby. And it would make us less jumpy.” He pulled his shirt back on and then went over to check on Pippa.
Blaine got his pants zipped up and got out of the bed. “You don’t have to worry about more grandchildren right now. We’re being safe.”
Burt looked between the two of them.
“I wouldn’t do that to him,” Blaine said seriously.
“I wasn’t gonna ask, but... good.”
Kurt lifted Pippa up in his arms. “She’s starting to wake up anyway. I need to pack away the food so we can heat it up for everyone tomorrow.”
He handed her off to Burt, who cradled her carefully.
“We can both do it. I don’t want bugs.” Blaine followed him, pulling on his shirt. Burt followed them into the kitchen. “You know...”
Blaine raised his brows as he got out a big tupperware dish.
“If you need, I can babysit her. I know it’s hard to get any kind of peace of mind around here. Just let me know ahead of time so I’m not working on anything?” Burt said with a nod. He looked down at Pippa and tickled her tummy. “How’s she doing in here? Gosh. She’s starting to look like a real baby now.”
“What did she look like before?” Kurt protested. He pressed the container top over the bread and pushed it to the side of the counter.
“Skinny,” Burt replied. He rubbed a hand over her chest, then stroked her cheek. “You’re doin’ real good with her.”
Kurt stopped and leaned against the counter.
“Thanks,” Blaine said.
“Well. I’ll get outta your hair. I’ll keep you updated,” Burt offered after a minute of silence.
“You don’t have to go.” Kurt straightened his sweater, then he touched the top of his head. “What did I do with my glasses?”
“In the bedroom,” Blaine said.
“Oh. Good. Stupid things.”
Blaine smiled and pulled out a chair. “If you can juggle, Burt, we’ve got a pack of cards.”
“The watchdogs want to have a social, or something. I’m not sure what you’d call it. We all know each other already,” Kurt said, taking a seat next to his father.
“Carol thought something similar. Aw.” Burt chuckled as Pippa grunted. “You find those cards, I’ll take care of her. When she need to feed next?”
“I’ll get her when you get back. Then we’ll need to change her again,” Kurt said with a raised brow.
Blaine shook his head and rifled through a drawer for the cards. “How long is Finn on the perimeter?”
“‘Till midnight,” Kurt answered automatically.
“Ugh.”
“I know you hate it.”
“Mostly because it’s boring. It’s not hard. I’m not sure if it’s even dangerous. I can handle it.” Blaine sat down and started to shuffle. “Which is more than I could say a few months ago, I guess.”
Kurt reached over to muss his hair, then kissed his cheek. Burt returned and sat as he supported Pippa’s neck carefully.
“Deal me in. What are we playin’ for?”
“What?” Blaine laughed. “I think we should just play Go Fish.”
“Well, no need to corrupt the Peanut, I s’pose,” Burt said. He looked to her. “What do you think? You like Poker?”
Kurt threw his head back and laughed when she cooed in response. “Oh, dad. You have it wrong!”
“Do I?”
“She thought you were talking about the Lady Gaga song.”
“I... Wow. Wish I didn’t know what you were talking about.” Burt rolled his eyes. “Please tell me you aren’t singing that to her? The only muffins she needs to hear about are the delicious baked kind.”
Kurt opened his mouth wide. “I can’t believe you know the lyrics.”
“How am I supposed to not know the lyrics when you blasted them in the basement for a whole year?”
“It wasn’t a whole year.” Kurt leaned on his hand and looked to Blaine as he took his cards. “There was Britney Spears, too.”
“Oh, no!” Blaine covered his face. “No Britney songs. Spare me that one.”
“Well, Nick was threatening to sing New Kids on the Block, earlier.”
“Who what now?” Burt frowned and looked up from his hand.
“You don’t need to know who they were.” Kurt’s head jerked to the side and he got up, setting his hand face down.
“Babe?” Blaine started to get up.
“Just hold tight. It’s the house.”
Blaine nodded. Burt looked between them and wrapped his free hand around Pippa.
“You think someone is there?” Burt asked quietly. “Has someone been bothering you?”
“No. It’ll be okay.” Blaine got up and peered out the kitchen doorway. Kurt was on his way back, and Blaine reached for his hand and pulled him close with a kiss to the lips. “Ready?”
“Had to check the doors again. Stupid, creaky old house.” Kurt sat down again and caressed, then kissed the back of Pippa’s head. “When you’re a teenager, Pippy, I’ll embarrass the hell out of you by pulling a gun on your friends. Make sure to tell them not to sneak up on me.”
“You’ll find plenty of fresh new ways to embarrass her,” Burt said. “I have faith.”
“Yeah.” Blaine grinned. “And you’ll find plenty of ways to spoil her.”
“That’s my goal. I’m workin’ on it.” Burt picked up his cards again, and they began to play.
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I'm really enjoying reading it, but I don't seem to be able to find the pieces in order. Fortunately the individual chapters pretty much make sense on their own.
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I could go back and make sure everything is mirrored properly on DW. The Series link has all the parts in order, though:
http://ladydreamer.livejournal.com/636054.html