Fathers and Son:

Chapter 6of 6

Rating: T

"My Dad and I rebuilt a '59 Chevy in our driveway two summers ago. One of his many attempts at bonding." - Blaine, "Sexy"

Summary: Five times Mr. Anderson tried to bond with Blaine, and the first time Burt succeeded.

A/N: Here you go! Maybe not so fluffy, but it's sweet.

Chapter 6 Moving Day

If there was one benefit to the Hudson's abortive effort to move in with the Hummels last spring, it was that Finn and Carole had a lot less furniture and "stuff" to move.

The logistics of selling two small houses and purchasing a third, larger place, were something of a nightmare. Or at least, they could have been if the Hudson-Hummel family had tried to do everything at once. But they didn't.

Kurt, naturally, led the way with his hyper-organized packing. Burt and Carole closed on the new house shortly before Christmas, and Kurt insisted that the family move two boxes of small items in their cars each evening. On weekends, they made four or six trips. Even Finn could manage to sort through two boxes a day. Whenever they could, they unpacked the boxes and put the items in their places at the new home.

But there are always some things that won't fit in the car, like Christopher's chair. Large furniture takes more help, so a moving day was planned. The evening after Christmas, December 26th, Burt rented a moving van. Finn had told the New Directions, and Kurt mentioned the move to a few of his Warbler friends.

As usual for Northern Ohio in the winter, there was snow on the ground. But it hadn't actually snowed in a week, so the roads were clear and the sidewalks shoveled. It was still freezing cold, but everyone dressed for the weather.

Sam and Mike were the first to show for the New Directions, around 8 am. Mercedes and Tina weren't far behind. Puck was later, and felt a little out of place, but he stayed focused on the tasks at hand, and everything was fine.

Then Rachel showed up, and she brought Hiram and LeRoy. But for once she gave Finn space, and went to help Carole and the girls with packing / unpacking. With that many hands, even the heavy furniture felt light, just time-consuming.

The Warblers showed up around 10 am: Wes, Blaine, That, and Nick. They brought regrets from Jeff, whose family had traveled to Grandma's for the holiday, and David who needed to take his sister out.

Loading the truck went smoothly, but then came unloading. About halfway into the truck, Blaine and Kurt teamed up to carry the coffee table. Blaine was in front, walking backwards up the driveway, when he slipped on a patch of ice and fell on his back, table clattering to land over him. Kurt was beside him instantly, moving the table out of the way. The other guys who were outside, hurried over.

Blaine sat up stiffly, as all the guys started asking "Are you all okay? You all right, dude?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Blaine insisted, trying to get up and shake it off.

Mr. Hummel had been inside the house when it happened, but he came over when he saw the commotion. "Give him some room," he gruffed, then crouched beside Blaine. The other boys tried to hover, but Burt directed the New Directions boys to keep working. Kurt, Wes, and Nick insisted on staying close.

Gently, Burt grabbed Blaine's chin and turned his head, examining Blaine's pupils. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, sir. Just let me up, I'll get right back on this." Blaine didn't want to make a big fuss. Sure, he'd dinged the back of his head, and his right ankle was a little sore, but he would be fine in a few minutes. He was astonished when Mr. Hummel just shook his head.

"Any pain?" Mr. Hummel asked, looking Blaine in the eyes with an expression that insisted on the truth.

"Just dinged the back of my head," Blaine admitted, looking away in shame. When Mr. Hummel continued looking at him, placidly, Blaine continued "and my ankle is a little bit sore."

Mr. Hummel looked to Wes and Nick, "Can you please help him inside?"

"I'm fine, sir," Blaine protested, "I can help finish unloading the truck."

But Mr. Hummel shook his head again. "Let's get you inside to the chair. We're almost done, son. Take a rest. We can finish this just fine."

Wes took one side, and Nick the other, Kurt walking behind to protect Blaine's head again. Once they had Blaine seated in a chair, Mr. Hummel sent Wes off to find Carole, and Nick to the kitchen for an ice pack. When Blaine tried to protest again, Mr. Hummel just shook his head, and asked Kurt to bring some water.

Suddenly Blaine found himself alone with Mr. Hummel. Even though he and Kurt were just friends, he couldn't help feeling uncomfortable. Kurt really needed a friend right now, as he struggled to adjust to Dalton and get over the flinching from his bullying.

But Mr. Hummel didn't say one word about Blaine's intentions towards his son. Instead, he gently asked what had happened.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hummel," Blaine spluttered. "Kurt and I were carrying the coffee table, and I slipped, and I dropped it. That was so clumsy of me, I'm so sorry. Is your table all right?"

"Call me Burt," Mr. Hummel sighed. "The coffee table isn't as important as you, son. You sit here and rest. Ice that foot, and your head if you think you need it. Drink some water, and take it easy."

Mr. Hummel – Burt – patted Blaine's leg. Then Kurt arrived with the glass of water, and the ice pack Nick had prepared. Carole and Wes arrived soon after. Once Wes was assured that Blaine would be taken care of, he returned to the moving.

Burt told Carole what he knew about the accident, the head and maybe the ankle, then left Blaine in Kurt and Carole's capable hands.

Blaine shook his head, marveling at how different the Hudson-Hummel family was from his own.

A/N: Thus ends this story. I hope you enjoyed. If you want to read more, I plan to incorporate this back-story into my other fics, Parental Wisdom in particular.

Please let me know what you think!