"Kurt! Quit hogging the bathroom!" Burt pounded the door and Finn's light chuckle sounded as Burt mumbled something Kurt couldn't quite make out.

Ignoring the outside of that bathroom, he eyed his reflection on the mirror. What was going on with his hair that it would not cooperate? Another knock. Kurt sighed turning towards the door.

"Dad!" he whined flinging the door open "My hair is a disaster! Tonight's going to be a disaster! I can't go!"

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Burt frowned as Kurt flopped himself on top of the toilet seat, sighing defeated.

"My first date with Blaine! It's ruined, because my hair has decided to be all over the place."

"Your hair looks fine, kid." Burt almost chuckled.

"No, it doesn't…" Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I'm quite sure Blaine won't care about your hair, or anything else, for that matter. I think he just wants your company…" Burt sat at the edge of the bathtub, squeezing his son's knee.

"You don't get it, dad!"

"Try me."

Kurt raised his eyes to give his dad one of the best 'bitch please' stares, but it died as he saw the honesty in Burt's encouraging smile. He sighed "I've been waiting for this forever, dad… and yesterday, when he kissed me, I think my heart exploded, I was so happy, I still am… Then he asked me out on a date-date and of course I said yes, because for the last few months that's all I ever dreamed about! And up until five minutes ago I've been walking on sunshine. But my stupid hair is having a fit… and I know it's stupid and I'm being silly, but now all I can think about is all the ways in which I can mess this up… What if I get food stuck in my teeth? What if I spill my drink all over me… or worse, all over him? What if I sneeze and-"

"Kurt… How many times have you gone out with Blaine, for the movies and plays, and all that stuff you guys are always doing?"

"Tons, but that's different!"

"It doesn't have to be." Burt smiled "Just think of it this way – he's still your very good friend Blaine, and you're still his very good friend Kurt, only now you're a little bit more than that. But you're still the same people. If he's been your friend this long and if he's as infatuated with you as he'd better be, I'm sure he won't mind your hair sticking out a little, or food stuck in your teeth."

"I just… I just want it to be perfect, dad… This is my first date." Kurt searched Burt's eyes for understanding and he found himself drowning in it.

"I know…" Burt sighed "Honestly I'm as scared as you are… For different reasons, obviously. I'm new to this too, kid… you going out, and being… with boys. I really don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't, dad. Blaine's amazing. He'd never hurt me, not on purpose."

"Good. So you have nothing to worry about."

"I suppose…"

"Listen, I remember my first date with your mom… God, I was so nervous, and she was, too, I think. She was just… so intimidating… Well, not her, the situation. Because I knew I had to have her, and I had to make her fall in love with me, because I was crazy about her and you can guess how nervous I was, right… Trying to impress your mom! Ha! Of course I ended up looking like a complete jackass for the first hour of our date…"

"But…"

"But I could see she was not liking it, so I gave it up, told her honestly I was just trying to impress her and she told me I didn't need to try. So I stopped trying… the rest of the date was one of the best nights of my life.." He sighed, smiling as he let himself reminisce for a moment before turning to Kurt, squeezing his knee "So, I guess… What I'm saying, son, is that you just gotta relax, and have fun."

"I will."

"Good, because you, Kurt, are one hell of a catch and if Blaine doesn't see that just because your hair's a little off than he's just too dumb for you." Kurt ducked his eyes chuckling and Burt smiled before raising a hand to cup his chin, making him look up and locking their eyes "I mean it, Kurt… I'm very proud to have you as my son, and it's your business to chose whoever you want to be with, but they need to know they have my greatest treasure in their hands and they need to appreciate it right, and you… You need to know how much I love you, no matter what. And I'm lucky to be your dad, so freaking lucky, but Blaine, or whomever may come along, they'll be even luckier, because they will have been chosen by you. By the most spectacular kid in all of Ohio!"

"Dad…!" Kurt launched his arms around his father's shoulders and held on to him tight "I love you so much!" he spoke into his shoulder, his voice muffled by the worn down flannel.

"Good, now get the hell out of here cuz I need to use the bathroom!" They both chuckled as Kurt nodded into his father's shoulder before pulling back and standing up.

He brushed the creases off his outfit, gave one last glance towards the mirror before smiling and leaving "Thanks, dad."

xXxXx

Blaine shrugged off his black coat, and helped Kurt get out of his own, not bothering to hang them properly. He wasn't surprised when Kurt didn't so much as blink at his lack of care. "Could we just… go to bed? I'm exhausted." Kurt sighed, holding onto Blaine's shoulder with one hand as he kicked off his shoes.

"Sure…" Blaine smiled sympathetically "Do you mind if I make some tea first? Do you want some?"

"No, I just really want to sleep…" His voice was so small.

"Ok…" Blaine nodded, before leaning up to kiss Kurt's forehead, whispering "I'll just be a minute, ok?"

"'K… I'll just go ahead and get myself ready for bed…"

Blaine squeezed his hand before letting it go. He watched as Kurt made his way upstairs, only moving once he was out of sight. With a deep sigh he made his way to the all too empty kitchen. Carole and Finn were still at the church, but they'd urged Blaine to bring Kurt home – he just looked so worn out.

As he waited for the water to boil Blaine eyed his surroundings carefully for the first time since they got back. He'd been in this house many times, but it'd never seemed as unfittingly big or depressingly empty – it was like he was seeing the house for the first and thousandth time simultaneously. What shocked him most was the big chair, by the TV… That was where he used to sit. Most afternoons that Blaine used to come over, when they were kids, that was where he sat, that was where he greeted Blaine, smiled and asked how he was doing, if he was sure he didn't want to stay for dinner, where he would congratulate Blaine on his school results (which for some reason he always knew) or comment on the lasts game.

Blaine felt his chest tighten. For a house that looked so empty and so big, it suddenly felt a hell of a lot claustrophobic right now. There just wasn't enough air. He'd just kept seeing him smiling and laughing, that twinkle in his eyes as he teased Blaine "So when are you going to propose to Kurt, huh?" and "when are you two gonna give me some grandkids, huh?". He just couldn't deal with seeing that. Blaine turned away from the couch because he just could looked at it. He gripped the counter tight, trying to keep the tears away. His whole body shaking.

With a few calming breaths he managed to get a grip on himself.

With on last trembling sigh he straightened himself up and rubbed the bridge of his nose quietly. That's one he heard it – the loud thump upstairs.

"Kurt?"

There was no response.

"Kurt?" He repeated louder jogging up to the bottom of the stairs. He could hear some shuffling noises "Kurt?… Sweetheart?" He ran up the stairs "Kurt?"

He found the bathroom door ajar, light streaming out to the dark corridor – he could hear the quiet sobs coming from inside. He pushed the door open carefully. His heart dropped to the pits of hell as he was faced with the sight of Kurt lying on the floor, curling in on himself, trying to hold his body together as he fell apart, tears pouring down his face, and his sobs suddenly breaking free, and coming out broken and uneven. He didn't even look up as Blaine gasped, just kept on crying "Oh, Kurt…" He sighed, crashing to his knees at once, and wrapping his arms around Kurt's fragile frame, his own eyes flooding in a split second. Immediately Kurt's arms flew to wrap themselves around Blaine's torso, gripping him so tightly that in any other situation it would've hurt. But now, Blaine was glad to feel them… Kurt was still strong and vital – yes he was in pain, but at least he was well alive.

Blaine didn't even so much as Shhhh'ed Kurt… He couldn't. Kurt needed this. Today had been the worst day of Kurt's life, Blaine was sure of it. So, if Kurt needed to cry, then he should cry, without restrain. He felt as his tears seeped through the fabric of Blaine's white shirt, soaking it, and he wondered if Kurt could feel his own, dampening his hair as he buried his face in Kurt's hair.

"I c-can't…" Kurt muttered after a while.

"What is it?"

"I… too much… too much mem-mem-mories…"

"I know, love, I know…" Blaine murmured, holding him tighter.

"This… this whole ho-house… it's him… he's eve-every… where."

Blaine just nodded – it was true, he knew that, he knew that for a while now it would be hard not to go into a room and think of him, or sit down on a couch and not remember something. Everything in that house – in that home – took them back to him. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking. But that night… that night it was mostly heartbreaking. Painful. Excruciating. Suffocating.

"I m-m-miss him… a-alre-eady" Kurt cried, his voice breaking so much it was barely understandable "It h-h-hurts s-so much, Blaine… It j-just hurts."

"Oh god!" Blaine lost it for a second there as his own sob came loud and clear and he held on to Kurt as for dear life.

"I want my daddy back, Blaine! I need him! I need him back!"

xXxXxX

Ok, so this is a really small one-shot. I know some things aren't very clear in this, like their age or whatever, but I have my headcannon, you can make yours.

If I ever write smtg where Burt dies I might use this, I don't know… I do have stuff in my head for the 'before' and stuff for the 'after', but I really just wanted to get this moment down because when it came to me it was just so tragically beautiful that I had to write it.

Tell me what you think.