I was so irritated with the season finale of Glee that I decided I'd better just work things out for myself. I need a reason to be happy about Kurt not getting into NYADA. It's not going to be fluffy bunnies and smut right off the bat, though, because I think Kurt needs to atone for the sins of the past 4 months, don't you?

Not proof-read yet, as it's very late! Hopefully, not too full of typos or nonsense. Future chapters will hopefully get the once-over from my trusty Beta myownghost!

Dave answered the door, his head turned toward something at the back of the house and a look of irritation on his face.

"I've got it, I said. Just calm your-" The rest of his sentence was an incoherent mumble as he turned to face whoever had been ringing the doorbell.

"Good morning, David."

Kurt Hummel stood on Dave's front porch, clutching a wicker basket to his side. There was a red balloon floating above, tied to the handle with little curls of white ribbon.

Dave's eyes jumped from Kurt to the basket, up to the the balloon, and then back to Kurt before he quickly stepped out of his house, shutting the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

Kurt's eyes opened a little wider as he took a quick breath and squared his shoulders; Dave had never seen Kurt smile at him so brightly. It was weird.

"Can't a friend stop by to say hello? I brought you muffins!"

There had often been something of the performer in Kurt. Dave had seen it in the way Kurt walked the halls of McKinley with his chin held high, even when he was getting shoved or slushied every other day. But he hadn't actually seen that side of Kurt — over-the-top, untouchable, Teflon Kurt — for quite a while, not since before Prom their junior year.

The Kurt that stood before him on his doorstep was that haughty kid in the hallway all over again, full of jangling nerves and bravado; that Kurt had no reason on earth to ring Dave's doorbell.

"The fuck, Kurt? You just show up at my house with a basket of-" he leaned down and examined the muffins. "Banana muffins? I'm allergic to nuts, dude. I can't even eat those. And what if my mom or dad had answered the door?"

"I just… Why would your mom or dad care if a friend stopped by with a graduation gift?"

Dave groaned and leaned back against the door, letting his head thump against the wood.

"Are you really going to stand there and pretend we're friends, Kurt? You're about four months late for that shit."

Kurt breathed deeply through his nose and nodded his head. He set the basket on the porch, and when he stood up, he wasn't quite able to meet Dave's gaze.

"You're right. David, I'm so sorry. I should have come by before now - way before. When you were in the hospital after your—"

Dave waited, staring at Kurt for a few seconds before realizing that Kurt couldn't bring himself to say the words. "My…episode? How about my "cry for help"? That's what my folks tend to call it. When they mention it, I mean. Which is pretty much never, if they can help it."

Kurt shook his head quickly from side to side. "Oh, god. I'm sorry. I really haven't been much of a friend, and I said I would help…"

"Are you crying? Damnit, Kurt. You cannot show up on my doorstep and start crying! That's… Even for you-"

Kurt wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. When he lifted his chin, he was carefully looking at a spot a few inches below and to the left of Dave's chin.

"I should go. I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable."

Dave all but growled at the defensive, injured tone in Kurt's voice.

"Christ, I'm not uncomfortable, I'm irritated. How is it okay for you to show up after all this time and… why am I getting that look? Did I do something wrong? Am I supposed to be more grateful? Am I supposed to want your fucking pity muffins?"

Kurt didn't speak, didn't try to defend himself against Dave's anger. In fact, he seemed to relax as Dave's voice grew louder and his words harsher.

Suddenly, Dave realized Kurt had come there for just that reason: he wanted Dave to bitch him out. He felt guilty, and he expected Dave to tell him what an asshole he'd been for ditching him after he'd said he'd be there. After he'd brought flowers and held Dave's hand in that ugly fucking hospital room and talked about how much better things were going to be in ten years. Dave felt all of his anger drain away in an instant. Fuck that. Dave had realized pretty quickly how empty Kurt's promises had been, but at least he'd given enough of a shit to show up and try to be a good guy, try to help. It was still more than Dave had a right to expect, anyway.

Dave took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off a sudden headache. "Look, I've got to get back inside. I'm supposed to be converting my old room into some kind of shrine to Martha Stewart; once I'm out of here, my mom's gonna drown her sorrows in fucking grosgrain ribbon and glitter glue."

Kurt's eyes snapped to his, his brow furrowed. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, college? Despite what you might think, I'm not actually an idiot. I didn't get into my first choice, but there were still a couple of decent schools willing to take me after all the bullshit this year."

Something like disappointment flashed across Kurt's face before his too-bright smile snapped back in place.

"Well, that's great, David! I'm really happy for you, that things worked out for you. Where are you heading in the fall?"

Dave shrugged. "I'm going to Kenyon. It's not New York or LA or wherever you're going, but it's a good school; my uncle teaches in the Physics Department."

Kurt took a small step backward. "No, Kenyon's great. It's a great school. My, um… My mom went to Kenyon, in fact. I bet you'll love it there."

There was a moment of hesitation before Kurt smiled again — it was a real smile now, small and a little wistful but honest — and turned towards the street. Dave watched him descend the steps and head for the black SUV parked at the curb.

"Hey, Kurt!" He jogged down to where Kurt stood waiting by the mailbox. Dave shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, struggling to find the right parting words. "You didn't owe me anything, okay? I mean, thanks for stopping by. Really. I've only got a few weeks left in this house, in this town, and I don't want to take any of this crap with me. Lima is like the lowest circle of hell, you know? I just kind of want to forget it exists."

Tears shone in Kurt's blue eyes once more. "I know. Believe me, I know."