Perhaps it was cold of him, but the only way Blaine could think of for getting over his fight with Leo was to spend more time with Kurt. They sat across from each other at their usual table in The Lima Bean, the quaint little coffee shop in West Lima that was a favored Warbler hangout mostly because Blaine's dad owned it. His biological dad, though Blaine hated tacking on that qualifier.

Blaine glanced over at his boyfriend, and felt just a little more confident in his decision. He would have felt better if Kurt was being his usual adorably chatty self, but alas, "You're quiet."

"No. I'm being passive-aggressive." Kurt said. Blaine tilted his head to the side, scared to say anything because he just couldn't handle having another person get mad at him this week. "You promised that by the first day of school, you'd make a decision. And yet, there you sit, cute as ever, but still in your Warblers blazer."

Oh. Blaine hadn't even thought about that. His fight with his brother had blown it right out of his mind. But he had promised Kurt he'd make a decision, and he didn't feel comfortable telling Kurt what had distracted him, so Blaine searched for an excuse.

"I can't just bail on the Warblers," He said, "Those guys are my friends."

"Okay, all right, fine," Kurt glanced down at his lap, thinking, "One final sales pitch, and then we can talk about making over Nancy Grace."

His boyfriend was adorable. "Okay," Blaine laughed.

"If you stay at Dalton," Kurt said, "You and I are competitors."

"That's true."

"And I'm just not sure that our budding love can survive that." Kurt put on an affected air of drama.

"Let me get this straight," Blaine teased, "I have to transfer because you're just afraid that I'm going to beat you at Sectionals?"

"No, I'm afraid that I'm going to beat you."

"Ooh," Blaine smiled, "Ooh, yeah."

"And I know what that does to you when I win," Kurt said. Blaine laughed. Laughing with his boyfriend was one of the easiest things in the world. How bad would it really be to leave Dalton? For the first time, Blaine actually considered it. It would mean trading schools again. It would mean walking through school afraid and taking locker shoves and slushies to the face, which sounded sooo unpleasant. It would mean trading homes again, though at this point, Blaine didn't actually care.

It would also mean Kurt.

Blaine had just about settled it in his mind, when Kurt struck the final blow. "Look, I mean, honestly, I-I just…" Kurt's eyes darted to him, then became so wonderfully earnest, "I just want to see you more. I want my senior year to be magic, and the only way that's gonna happen is if I get to spend every minute of every day with you."

He was so romantic. Blaine smiled, feeling his heart swell with just a little more love for the boy who made his life so perfect, and reached over to grab his hand. Here, in his Dad's coffee shop, was one of the few places Blaine felt actually safe.

"I have to ask my dad."

Kurt sighed, pulling his hand away. "I really wish your step-dad," Kurt was careful to make that distinction, "Didn't have so much control over you. I know you can't do anything about it, but I just-"

"You're protective," The smile was tugging at his lips again. "But I was talking about my other dad. The dad I would have to live with to go to McKinley?"

"Oh," Kurt waved his hand in the air, "He'll say yes."

Blaine certainly hoped so.

It was Friday night on an odd weekend, which meant heading to Daddy's for curfew. Mother called Daddy at eight o'clock every evening to make sure the boys got there on time; if they weren't, their parents would spend the next forty-five minutes yelling at each other, and Blaine hated when they yelled at each other more than anything.

It was 7:54 p.m. when Blaine knocked on his Daddy's door, his weekend bag in one hand.

A second later, the door flew open, and there was Blaine's father. "How are my boys!" His eyes fell on Blaine, "... Boy. What happened to your brother?"

"He had a polo tournament," Blaine said, avoiding his father's eyes, "He decided to stay over at Mother's. Hoped you wouldn't mind."

"No, no. Of course." Blaine could see Daddy mentally calculating how many weekends Leo was missing; if he'd asked out loud, Blaine could have told him it was five. Blaine's father was a tall man with broad shoulders and kind brown eyes; he smelled like coffee - probably why Blaine drank coffee whenever he wanted to feel better - and when he smiled, it stretched across his whole face. He smiled then, "I get to spend some time with my youngest son. You get to choose the movie tonight, congratulations, kiddo."

Blaine carried his bag into the room he usually shared with Leo. He threw it on the queen bed they were getting too old to share, and looked around. It seemed to be evenly divided; polo and fencing trophies for Leo, singing trophies for him. Bookshelves filled with both of the twins books. Blaine wondered if that would change when they were living in different homes. A strange pang filled his chest, and he realized that this is what his father must feel whenever Leo skipped a weekend with them.

"You're quiet, Blainey boy," Daddy said, halfway through dinner. They always ate at the table, something both sets of parents insisted on. Daddy's brown eyes - the eyes Blaine inherited - fell on his plate, "And you aren't eating. You always eat. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Blaine mumbled.

"Okay," Daddy said. He took a bite of his own, "This isn't as good as it should be. I tried out a new recipe Kurt lent me, but it looks like I'll need the master to teach me. When's he coming over?" Daddy seemed to be the only member of Blaine's family who genuinely enjoyed having Kurt over.

"He can't this weekend, he has an audition thing. For college," Blaine took a deep breath, "Can I ask you something?"

"I knew it wasn't nothing," Daddy said with a smile.

"Yeah," Blaine said, "I wanted to ask you if I could... live here. With you." He dared to glance at his father, just in time to see the tiny flare of hope in the older man's eyes.

"You... you know I would love that, baby. But I can't drive you all the way out to Dalton - "

"I want to go to McKinley."

Daddy cocked his head to the side, "Isn't that where Kurt's going? Wait, baby boy, you aren't changing schools for a boy, are you? Cause I have to tell you, that's not a great plan. I don't want to say you'll break up, but you might, and Kurt'll be graduated next year-"

"It's not just that."

"What else is it?"

That's when the emotion hit. It came over Blaine in a sharp wave, making him swallow hard before speaking in a tiny voice, "I hate it there."

He didn't realize his dad had changed seats until he heard the squeal of the chair next to him. "Hey, kiddo... look at me." Blaine hated that command, but he did it anyway, staring at his father's jaw. Daddy's broad thumb swept under his eye. "What's going on?"

"Well, Dalton's no fun anymore, now that Kurt's gone. And it's so expensive, and I don't even like it that much, and I have other friends at McKinley besides Kurt, you know... and... and... everybody hates me."

Blaine started sobbing then, snuffling, humiliating little sobs. "Hey, hey, hey. Don't cry. Shh..."

"D-Dad made me built a car with him," Blaine said, starting at the beginning, "He made me b-build a car and he just yelled at me the wh-whole t-time... he doesn't even l-like cars... and Mother w-won't take me shopping and she's always t-telling m-me I can't be too girly but I'm not being girly and everybody's yelling at me for dating Kurt and they're all mean to him and I hate it there! I hate it! I want to l-live here with you, D-daddy, p-please..."

Blaine trailed off, startled at the broad finger that was laying across his lips. "Blaine. Look at me." Blaine looked back to his daddy, startled to see that other pair of eyes, so much like his, wet around the edges. "Nobody hates you. Nobody."

"But-"

"Blaine, I'm going to tell you something right now," Daddy said, "Something I've never told anyone. You ready for this?" Blaine nodded, and Daddy looked down at the table, drawing shapes over the wood with his finger, "You know, when your mom called to tell me she was pregnant? You know what the first thing I thought was?"

"How you'd do anything for us?" Blaine smiled thinly.

"Nope," Daddy admitted, "It was the second thing I thought. I wish it was the first. But this tiny, selfish, horrible part of me beat me to the punch. The first thing I thought was, 'He isn't going to be white.'"

Blaine stared at his father, shocked. "You never mentioned that. Is that... a problem?"

"No," Daddy laughed, "No. No. No. It was never a problem. But the thing is... when you're a parent. When you get that call that says you're going to have a little person to love and take care of... you want their life to be perfect. And getting that call from my ex-wife, that I was going to have a mixed race baby... all I could think of was how much harder life was going to be for you. The racism you'd have to deal with, from people who thought you were too Asian, or not Asian enough, the pain of not knowing where you'd fit in, what box to check on college applications... at the time it seemed like a big deal. I wanted to protect you from all of it. And with the divorce... for a while there, I considered backing away. Staying out of your life and letting your mother raise you as one race."

"Wow." Blaine said. He tried to imagine a life without his daddy, and came up empty. Daddy nodded, his face twisted in a half smile. "So, how did you get over it?"

"I called your Nana. And I was telling her about you, and how much I loved you already. At the time, I'd decided that I wasn't going to be a part of your life, and I told her so."

"What did she say?"

"She called me an idiot. I think she would have slapped me over the phone if she could. She said, 'Joe, you're trying to fix him, when you don't even think there's anything wrong with him in the first place. Instead of making him ashamed of who he is, you should be teaching him the skills he needs to be strong, despite everything life throws at him." Daddy covered Blaine's hand with his, "As a parent, when the child you love with your entire heart tells you he's gay, the first thing you think of are all the reasons to be afraid. The prejudice, the hate he'll have to face. The kids killed on the news, the broken hearts... and your first instinct is to say, 'No. No, don't do it. Do the thing that's easy, that's simple. Be safe.' Blaine, please don't cry. Look at me."

Blaine looked up at his father, taking in the matching tears on Daddy's face.

"Your Nana had been dead for ten years. But I could hear her in my head like it was yesterday. I was trying to fix you, and I didn't even think there was anything wrong. I still thought you were perfect, so my job wasn't to make you stop being gay. It was to teach you to be strong. And you are so strong, baby boy. I am so proud of you."

"I'm glad," Blaine whispered, "I want you to be."

"Your mom, and your step-dad, they don't hate you," Daddy said, "They love you. I promise. But you have to understand, baby boy, they are so scared of you getting hurt. They're so scared of you being hurt that sometimes they're the ones hurting you. But you are strong, and you are loved. And I promise you... I promise you, Blaine. You're going to be okay."

It was silent for a long moment, "... So, does this mean I can move in with you?"

Both men burst into a fit of wet, sobby laughter. "Yes," Daddy said, when the hysterics had subsided, "Yes, you can move in with me. But on one condition. You call your mother and tell her how you've been feeling. I don't want you moving in with me because you think she doesn't want you there, because that. is. not. true. You hear me?" Blaine nodded, smiling, "There's my bright little boy. Now, what's say we break the rules, just for tonight, and finish dinner in front of the tv. I hope you've been thinking about the movie you wanna watch, cause you're picking."

"Mmmmm," Blaine thought for a moment, "Moulin Rouge? And, can I call Kurt and tell him I'm transferring? No, wait, I'll surprise him on Monday - oh, that'll be so awesome!"

"Oh, and don't you need a new clothing allowance?" Daddy said, "Tell you what; I'll give you enough for some new school stuff. Clothing is usually your mother's arena, but I think I can take care of it for you just this once."

"I can pick whatever I want?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, I trust you," Daddy said, "Wait, no. Maybe you should take Kurt with you, just in case. I'm telling you, I'm thinking of letting him dress me. That kid is a snazzy dresser." Daddy picked up his plate, heading towards the door until his child called him back.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"No problem, kiddo. You know I'd do anything for you."

Blaine did.