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“Dad, can we all sit down and talk tonight after dinner?” Kurt asked. Kurt was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened at Rachel’s party the night before and the events of this morning.
“What do you need to talk about?”
“I want to go over house rules,” Kurt explained. “I also want clarification on some of the comments you said to me this morning. Once I’m clear on things, I will be able to act accordingly.”
“Sure thing,” Burt said warily. He wasn’t quite sure where Kurt was going with this, but willing to sit down and talk about things. How bad could it be?
0o0o0o0o
“Okay, I know that I’m the one that started all this,” Kurt began after dinner. They were all gathered in the living room. “But I got some comments this morning and I would like to clarify a few things.”
“Alright Kurt, what’s on your mind?” Burt asked.
“I would just like to point out to both of you that neither Finn or I drank anything last night,” Kurt started. “I wasn’t aware that drinking was even on the agenda. I was trying to impress Blaine, but that plan went right out of the window. We drove everyone home from Rachel’s last night.”
“I appreciate you telling us that,” Carol said. “I know that you are in high school, and drinking it kind of a thing.”
“I had my bad experience with drinking last year, so I’m not sure that I ever really want to drink again,” Kurt informed her. Finn looked like he wanted to laugh.
“Smart choice,” Burt grunted. He wasn’t really ready for his baby to be growing up.
“I brought Blaine back here last night and allowed him to sleep – fully dressed, mind you – in my bed,” Kurt said. “I slept on the couch in my room.”
“I’m glad you didn’t leave him to sleep by himself,” Carol said, a bit of pride in her voice.
“Dad, you said something about inappropriate behavior,” Kurt said. “Can I ask, what I did that was inappropriate? Was it that I helped my friend, who was very drunk and in danger of vomiting in his sleep? Or because I didn’t tell you that I was having him stay close to me so I could take care of him?”
“Burt?” Carol questioned. She wasn’t aware of anything that had gone on this morning between the two Hummel’s.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to have a boy sleep over under my roof,” Burt said.
“Why?”
“I wouldn’t let Finn have a girl sleep over,” Burt pointed out. “I don’t want people having sex with anyone under my roof; well, people who aren’t me and Carol.”
“I can’t get a boy pregnant. And I feel offended that you think I would take advantage of Blaine while he was in a condition like that,” Kurt replied softly, hurt. “I’m not saying that Blaine is my boyfriend, because he absolutely is not, but what if he was. Are you going to make us be in the same room as you the whole time we would be hanging out here? How are the rules going to look? Because I’m getting to the point where I might be getting a boyfriend – I would like to know the rules before I inadvertently break one and you yell at me in front of said boyfriend.”
“I don’t want to see it,” Burt said pointedly. “I don’t want you alone in your bedroom with him. Even if you are, I expect you to keep your door open at all times. I don’t want inappropriate behavior under my roof.”
“What are you considering inappropriate?”
“What the hell do you want me to say!?” Burt said loudly.
“I just want to know what you consider inappropriate,” Kurt explained. “There is absolutely no way that I would have taken advantage of Blaine in his inebriated state last night, and that you think I might have makes me feel disgusted. What is inappropriate behavior? Holding hands, kissing, hugging, cuddling?”
“All of the above,” Burt said quickly. “I don’t want to see it.”
“And for clarification, Finn has the same rules?” Kurt asked.
“I don’t see why not?”
“What?” Finn questioned. “So if I brought Rachel here to hang out, I can’t kiss her?”
“Finn,” Carol sighed. “I think we all need to talk about this some more. I appreciate Kurt bringing this to our attention.”
“I’m sorry to be making things harder,” Kurt sighed. “But I just want to know if I can act like a couple with someone in my own house, or if we have to find another safe space for us to be.”
“What do you mean?” Carol asked.
“I can’t exactly hold hands with someone I were to date, in this town,” Kurt pointed out. “We would be beaten up or arrested. Finn can walk down the street holding hands with a girl and no one bats an eye. So, if Dad says I can’t hold hands with someone in this house, then I will have to find a safe space to do even that, or just wait until I’m 18, and saved up enough money to move out on my own to have a normal relationship.”
“Why would you move out?” Burt asked.
“Because you have always had a rule that no matter how old I am, if I’m living under your roof, your rules prevail,” Kurt explained. “You’ve been telling me this since I was little.”
“And you would move out because I won’t let you be close to another guy?”
“Dad, what if I were to tell you that I wasn’t comfortable seeing you and Carol being romantic? Would you stop? Do it when you are all alone?”
“Well, since you’re my kid, I don’t see how I conduct my relationships would affect you,” Burt said. “You can look away if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Thank you for my answer,” Kurt said, tears starting to prickle at the edge of his vision. “If I may be excused.” Burt nodded. Kurt stoically got up from his seat on the couch and calmly walked down to his basement room. The door was just barely closed before Carol could hear a muffled sob.
“Burt,” Carol admonished. “What was that all about?”
“What?”
“You won’t allow Kurt to have a relationship?”
“He can have a relationship,” Burt reasoned.
“But he can’t have that person over here?”
“He can,” Burt said.
“But they can’t act like a couple if they’re here?” Carol asked. “They need to act like Finn and Puck while they are here?”
“I don’t see why not,” Burt shrugged. Carol disagreed, but just sighed.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Kurt bided his time at Dalton. He petitioned Dalton to see if he could get a financial hardship scholarship or he could apply for other scholarships. They allowed him to apply for several different scholarships and ended up getting enough money to live at Dalton and attend for free. For the rest of this school year, Kurt got a job at the local auto shop. They were more than happy to have him come in one night a week and both weekend days. They were very accepting that he would be going home for the summer and coming back in the fall, working for the same deal. Kurt was actively saving all the money he was making – no more buying frivolous clothes or buying expensive coffee. He had a set up in his dorm room to make coffee daily for much cheaper, and he would now go to good will and modify any clothing that he managed to find to make them fit him better.
That following summer, Kurt worked every day at his father’s shop. They didn’t really even speak any more. Kurt had no reason to really talk to him. Kurt applied for all the certificates that he qualified for – which allowed him to apply to Burt for a pay raise. Burt agreed to give him a raise. H wasn’t really sure where all the money was going since he hadn’t seen Kurt wear any new clothes this summer. Carol saw the writing on the wall, but was powerless to stop it.
Kurt returned to Dalton, having Burt remove his name from any and all of Kurt’s accounts since he turned 18 the day before his senior year started. Kurt returned to Dalton, working hard on his AP courses and all the college prep classes. He paid for and took the SAT’s in October. He applied to schools in Ohio and New York. He still worked at the shop in Westerville. They actually tried to get him to go get his full certifications after graduation and would have a full time mechanic’s job waiting for him. Kurt thought this was a generous thought, but he knew that he would eventually take over his Dad’s shop one day. Kurt took and passed all of his AP classes, getting all 5’s on his tests. This got him into the University of Lima for a business degree.
Burt was shocked when Kurt didn’t move home after he graduated from Dalton. Kurt had instead moved into a small two bedroom house down the street from the shop. “Kurt, what’s going on?”
“What?”
“You moved into your own house?”
“You told me that I couldn’t be myself in our house,” Kurt pointed out. “I didn’t think it was fair for me to hide that much of myself in my own home.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You wouldn’t let me bring a boyfriend home and have him act like my boyfriend,” Kurt said. “You didn’t trust me that I can behave like a normal human being, instead of a sex-crazed teenager. I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re more than welcome to come to dinner this Friday, and you can meet Tristan.”
“Who’s Tristan?”
“My boyfriend,” Kurt said.
“Since when did you get a boyfriend?”
“Since April of junior year,” Kurt said. “When I wasn’t working at the shop last summer, I was hanging out with him at his parents’ house.”
“And they allow you to be together?” Burt asked skeptically.
“They realize that it’s not safe for us to be a couple in public in the state of Ohio,” Kurt said. “Their house was safe for me to give my boyfriend a hug.”
“What time Friday?” Burt sighed.
“Dinner will be served at 7,” Kurt informed him. “Tell Carol and Finn they are welcome to come.”
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Burt and Carol showed up at Kurt’s house Friday evening at 6:30. Carol had wanted to go sooner so she could help out, but Burt was adamant that since he moved out, he no longer wanted their help. Tristan was the one who answered the door and Burt was taken aback. This young man was quite handsome. He was also just about Finn’s height and built more like Puck.
“Mr. Hummel, Mrs. Hummel,” Tristan greeted, a smile gracing his face. He held out his hand to shake Burt’s and leaned in to hug Carol. “Come on in, Kurt’s nearly done.”
“Thank,” Carol replied, smiling at him. They walked into the house and Carol was beaming. Kurt had decorated so cute, and it really did look homey.
“Hon,” Tristan called out. “I’m gonna show your parents the house.”
“Alright, this should be done by the time you’re finished,” Kurt called out from the kitchen.
“I’ll show you upstairs first,” Tristan offered. The Hummel’s followed him up the steps and listened to him as he described the rooms on this floor. “Here’s the office/study room.”
Carol walked in and checked things out. She notice there were two desks. “What are you studying?”
“I’m at the University of Lima for physical therapy,” Tristan explained happily. “I’m in the seven year doctoral program.”
“That’s impressive,” Burt commented.
“Down here is just the linen closet,” Tristan said, continuing the tour. The followed him down the hall and into the bedroom. “Here’s the master bedroom, with the master bath attached.”
“Oh this is lovely,” Carol said. “I love the bed he picked out.”
“Thanks,” Tristan said. “Oh, Kurt finally got a walk in closet.”
“I remember him complaining how he never had enough closet space,” Carol laughed. She went over to check it out and saw more than one person’s clothes in the closet. Tristan was looking at her for her response to this discovery, but was relieved when she smiled at him. Burt followed his wife and looked inside the closet. Tristan wondered if he was just not observant or ignorant. They both followed him back out of the bedroom and downstairs once again.
“So the living room has a working fireplace, which is quite nice, and I can’t wait to use it this winter,” Tristan explained. “There’s a half bath down here as well, just under the stairs. And if you follow this hallway down, there’s the door to the back yard and the other door to the laundry room.”
“How does he deal with the room being this small?” Carol asked.
“The ironing gets done in the living room,” Tristan said wryly. “I mostly try to not get it done while he’s at home.”
“You do the ironing?” Burt asked, looking confused.
“It’s the least I can do,” Tristan shrugged. “I’m quite busy with school, long hours, so if I can do the ironing while he’s at the shop on Saturdays, then I’ll do it.”
“Dinner’s ready!” Kurt called out. Tristan grinned before leading them through the kitchen and into the dining room where Kurt was putting out the final dish. Carol hurried around them to give Kurt a warm hug. He returned the hug with a smile on his face. “Come on, sit down and eat.”
“It smells good kid,” Burt complimented. Kurt smiled and nodded at his father. They all sat down at the table and Tristan bowed his head to say a quick prayer before he began eating. Burt noticed that Kurt watched him with a soft look on his face, without saying a prayer, but he wouldn’t start eating before Tristan did. They all made small talk through dinner and things seemed to be going well until all the dishes were cleared and dessert was being brought out. “So, how’s school going?”
“It’s going alright, most of mine is online,” Kurt said. “That way I can still work full time. Tristan has to take most of the classes on campus, so it’s harder for him to have a steady job.”
“What does him having a job have to do with it?” Burt asked.
“My parents help out by paying Kurt what a dorm would have cost,” Tristan explained. “They understand our need to be independent.”
“It works out that we pay just about half,” Kurt said, taking a forkful of the cake everyone now had a slice of.
“Wait, back up...” Burt said, holding his hand up. “You live here?”
“I thought that was obvious,” Tristan said. “My clothes are hanging up in the closet next to Kurt’s. I have pictures of my family on the wall in the living room.”
“You moved out so you could pay rent and have a live in boyfriend?” Burt accused.
“I moved out because I no longer felt comfortable living under your roof and your rules,” Kurt said. “I’m in a long term relationship. We’ve been together for over a year and a half. His parents are perfectly fine with us living together and they realize that we have our priorities right. We work and go to school. I don’t see us doing anything wrong.”
“I don’t see why you feel the need to live together,” Burt replied sullenly.
“The college campus is two miles away from here and the shop is down the street,” Kurt reasoned. “Living with each other is cheaper than living on campus. I got a bunch of scholarships and I can afford the left over costs with Tristan’s parents giving me ‘rent’ money.”
“There’s only one bedroom,” Burt said.
“Your point being?” Kurt asked.
“Kurt,” Burt began but Tristan cut him off.
“Mr. Hummel, I don’t appreciate how you are speaking to Kurt,” Tristan said quietly.
“Stay out of this,” Burt practically growled.
“No, I will not,” Tristan returned. “You are speaking to your own son, the man I love, and I won’t let you treat him like this in our house.”
“Who do you think you are?!” Burt roared.
“Dad!” Kurt said sharply, abruptly standing up from the table. “You are crossing the line. I think it’s time you left.”
“You can’t kick me out!”
“You’ll find that I can,” Kurt replied cooly. “Our names are on the deed to this house. We are the owners of this home, and I’m 19 years old. You are no longer in charge of my life.”
“You’re my son!” Burt shouted.
“And that won’t change,” Kurt shrugged. “But you need to start treating me like an adult or you are no longer welcome in my house.”
“Why should I treat you like an adult when you moved out because I wouldn’t let you kiss your boyfriend in my house.”
“That’s precisely why I moved out,” Kurt reasoned. “I wasn’t even allowed to hold hands or sit next to a guy in your house; even the straight ones who would come over to hang out with Finn. Did you know that Puck and I texted? We were friends, but whenever I was home last summer, you got this look on your face and would make excuses to get Noah away from sitting next to me. I don’t know what you were trying to prove, but that’s not accepting me for who I am.”
“Your father did what?” Tristan asked incredulously.
“Burt?” Carol asked, not realizing that he had gone this far with his mandate. No wonder Puck looked so sad whenever he came over. “Kurt, have you had Puck over since you moved in?”
“Yes,” Kurt assured her. “I explained what was happening and while he wasn’t happy about it, he knows he is more than welcome to come here. The sofa is a sleeper, and it’s unofficially his bed.”
“He’s pretty cool,” Tristan confirmed.
“So yes, I followed your rules,” Kurt said. “I did nothing ‘inappropriate’ in your house.”
“Inappropriate?” Tristan asked. Kurt quickly explained what he wasn’t allowed to do in his father’s house. Kurt had pretty much told him before that his house was full of people and they wouldn’t feel comfortable being there – hence why they always hung out at Tristan’s. “How is holding hands inappropriate?”
“I’m still confused about that, but I abided by his rules and I didn’t do anything he deemed inappropriate while living under his roof,” Kurt replied honestly. “Dad, I’m serious, I think you need to leave. Carol, you’re more than welcome to come back. I just don’t think I can deal with any more of his rhetoric tonight.”
“Kurt,” Carol sighed. “I’m so sorry things have turned out this way. I don’t know where this even comes from. He wasn’t like this when we first met.”
“I don’t know either,” Kurt shrugged. “He said he was okay with me being gay, but I guess that was only in theory.”
“I will be by without him,” Carol promised. Burt began to balk at this but she gave him a look that would freeze fire. “He will not like how cold out house will be for a while.”
“Don’t punish him,” Kurt insisted. “It’s not worth it. I know you love him, no sense in depriving you.”
“This isn’t fair,” Carol said.
“No, it’s not,” Kurt agreed. “But this is my lot in life. I accept it, and that’s why I moved out. I need to live my own life and not on anyone else’s terms.”
Tristan came around the table and wrapped Kurt up in his arms, cradling him to his strong chest. Kurt sighed and burrowed closer into his embrace. Carol let the tears fall down her face. She couldn’t understand how Burt could think this was inappropriate. Carol came around and looked at Tristan, silently asking if it was alright to hug them both. He opened up one arm to her and she jumped at the opportunity. Burt turned away from this display of affection. Carol let the boys go before dragging Burt out of the house.
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Kurt vowed to not hide things anymore. He posted a picture the next time they had a romantic picnic in their back yard of them kissing sweetly. He got so many positive comments, from all his classmates and former classmates. Burt posted his own comment about keeping this stuff private and not splashed all over the internet. Kurt retaliated in a petty manner, but it did make him feel better. Finn had posted a picture last week of him kissing Rachel after graduation, expressing how much he missed his tiny girlfriend. Burt commented that they had such a sweet relationship. Kurt screen shot’d the comment under the picture and posted it to Burt’s page, calling him a hypocrite. Burt retaliated by cutting Kurt’s hours at work. Kurt shrugged it off and began looking for other jobs at other mechanic’s shops. Cassius caught wind of what Kurt was doing and confronted Burt. He told Burt he would quit if he let Kurt get away. Burt refused, and Cassius quit. He had enough for a shop of his own, and came to Kurt with an offer to go in together on the shop. Kurt agreed, and they got another three mechanics on board.
By age 20, Kurt had a house, a loving partner, half way to his bachelors in business, and a 50% ownership in a shop that had nothing to do with his father. When their success was well known around town, Burt finally began to realize what he had done. He had alienated the only person he had left from his beloved Lizzy. Tristan was so proud of Kurt making it on his own and not letting Burt get him down. Carol was a regular fixture in their house and was on the verge of divorcing Burt. Kurt made her aware, under no uncertain terms, that she would always be welcome in his life.
When Kurt proposed, it was at Tristan’s graduation ceremony from his physical therapy doctoral program. Carol was jumping for joy. She been divorced from Burt for three years and she still treated Kurt like he was one of her kids. Finn also stuck around. They were both very excited that Tristan said yes. Kurt invited Burt to the wedding, but Burt sent back his regards and declined. Kurt had Carol and Fin walk him down the aisle. Never in a million years did Kurt think that Burt would have turned out like this. But he was happy how his life was turning out: Business owner, homeowner, husband, husband of a doctor, and hopefully one day... father.