To Be Like Father

The Trouble with Nick

**•**Blaine's POV**•**

"What do you think the problem is, honey?" My husband asked as we sat out on our porch in early August. It had been a while since I had lived in a house with this large of a porch. My childhood home had an elaborate porch that connected to a small sunroom. Then I moved to New York City and everything shrunk in size. Now Kurt and I spend nearly every night outside discussing our day while our son, Nick stays in his room playing the guitar he's had since he was ten years old. Nick was the topic of discussion tonight.

I leaned back in the one of the wicker chairs Kurt bought upon arriving in Indiana. The chair creaked and sighed as I relaxed. "I don't know, Kurt." I told him. "Nick has been so withdrawn for over a month now! He wasn't like this in New York at all and now he's pulled himself into his music and hasn't pulled himself out enough to enjoy the move."

Kurt nodded and nimbly removed the silk neck scarf he had around his neck. "True, but we have to take off our small town shoes and put on his city shoes. We know what it's like to live in a fairly small town. This move is like returning from a long vacation. For him it's like he was forced on a rocket ship from Earth and plopped down on Farm Planet!"

I smiled at his comparison, but quickly became serious again. "Yeah, that's true. I just wished he went out more and got to know the place."

Kurt pointed to the street, "Speaking of Nick...." I followed his finger and saw our son making his way up the street towards our house, guitar in hand.

As he approached the house he started to go around back, but I called out to him, "Come over here, Nick."

Our son stopped in his tracks. "Why, Father?"

"Because you're closer to the front door and your Dad and I like to see you once in a while." I said.

Nick shrugged and slowly walked towards us. He opened the door, but stopped to say, "There. I went through the front door, happy?"

Kurt cleared his throat. "Why the snarky attitude?"

Nick shrugged again, a common action of his. "I don't know, Dad. Lay off me. I'm going inside."

I exchanged a look with my partner. "No you're not. I want you to go inside, put the guitar away, and come back out and spend the evening with your parents."

Nick opened his mouth to object, but when he saw the look on my face he sighed, "Fine." and stomped inside.

When he was gone I looked to Kurt. "We have got to change that."

Kurt nodded. "I know, Blaine. We've been needing to change that for months. Leia wasn't like this." he folded his neck scarf and set it on his lap. "I hope I wasn't like that to my dad, though I probably was at some point in my teenage years."

"I know I was." I replied. "Both Dad and I were kind of bitter with each other and you know why."

Kurt smiled sympathetically. "Yes. Yes I do, but I am so glad that has changed."

I was about to say something else when the door creaked open and Nick came back out. "Welcome to the great outdoors!" I told him.

Nick didn't acknowledge my attempt to make eye contact with him. "Thanks." he said with a sarcastic edge. He looked around. "So....where am I supposed to sit?"

I patted my teal fitted jeans. "The world always looks brighter from on top of a lap!" Kurt giggled, but Nick just looked embarrassed.

"Very funny, Father." he mumbled.

Kurt pointed to the steps. "Just sit on the cement. I just swept the porch when I got home from work so it's fairly clean."

Nick sighed and took a seat on the landing, pulling his knees to his chest. He rested his head of dark curls on his lap and looked out to the street.

"So why weren't you in your room?" I asked him.

Nick turned his head the other direction. "You said you wanted me to get out more so I did. After supper you two cleared the table as usual and then went out here to enjoy the evening, as usual. So I, as usual, went to my room to play guitar. Then I decided to go check out the park. I took my guitar and headed out the back door. I was gone for a little less than an hour and was hoping you had gone back inside, but you're still here."

"Was there anyone at the park?" Kurt asked.

Nick nodded. "Yeah, me and two other guys." after he said that, I noticed that he gripped his kaki shorts tighter.

"How old were these guys?" I asked.

"My age."

"Did you talk to them?"

"A little."

A man of few words, my son. It's hard to get anything out of him. At least right now. In NYC he would always come home talking a mile a minute about anything and everything that went on that day. It was hard for Kurt and I to get used to this New Nick. "So what did you talk about?"

Nick shrugged, again. "Nothing really."

I assumed that was all I was going to get out of him so we just sat there in silence for some time. A late summer breeze blew from the east and I saw Kurt shiver. He stood up, "Excuse me. I'm going to go get a jacket."

When Kurt left Nick sat up and rested his head against the black metal porch railing. "When do you go back to school?"

"Tomorrow. Why?" I asked him.

Nick tucked his curls behind an ear. "I'm going with you."

"Is this your next move on getting out more?" I inquired.

He nodded. "Yeah." then after a few breaths, "Yeah, sure. That's what I was thinking."

I'm pretty good at guessing when someone is hiding something and I had my suspicions about Nick, but I let it wait.