Fallout

The first night, he sleeps in the hospital. None of the nurses have the heart to throw him out when visiting hours end, and Kurt prays to a god he knows isn't listening that his father will be all right, prays and pleads until his eyes start to droop and he falls face-forward onto the mattress, snoring away.

He shows up at school the next day in the same clothes as before, a day behind on his skincare routine for the first time in years, and after he walks out on glee practice early, he's surprised to see Finn follow him out.

"Wait," he says, and Kurt turns around, sapped of his strength, too worn to fight him any longer. "Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you back in there. Your dad's in a coma, and I... I'm just sorry."

"It's fine," says Kurt, even though it isn't.

Finn isn't buying it. "No, it's not, Kurt."

There's a look between them. Then the moment passes.

"My mom wants you to come stay with us until your dad wakes up," says Finn. Silently, Kurt thanks him for believing that Burt will wake up. "I know I'm not welcome to stay in your house anymore, but... you're welcome in ours."

And Kurt can't help but flinch because now is not the time to try and fix whatever the hell is between him and Finn. "We don't have to talk about this," he insists with half as much conviction as he'd usually have.

"Yes," says Finn. "We do." His mouth opens and closes a couple of times in his discomfort, but he holds his ground. "You've barely spoken to me since I stuck up for you in front of Azimio and Karofsky last year. Our parents are dating; I've been spending my Friday nights at your house for the last two months, and you always find some excuse not to show. I know I can't just put on a shower curtain and make everything okay again, but we never really talked about this, and I meant it when I said that I want to."

"It's okay, Finn. Really. I'm over it," Kurt says hastily.

"I called you a... a..." Swallowing thickly, Finn says it all with the strained look he gives Kurt, mouth hanging open dumbly, with shame.

"It's fine."

"It's not!" Finn erupts.

Kurt stands there, face impassive. "What do you want me to say, Finn?" he asks numbly. "Do you want me to say I've been avoiding you because I'm still in love with you? Because I haven't."

Finn visibly recoils at this—though, from the looks of it, more out of shock than disgust. It occurs to Kurt just how twisted of a long-overdue confession of his feelings that this is. "You're in love with me?" he repeats in a small, small voice.

"Was. I haven't been in a... very long time," Kurt says weakly, and it's true.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Finn presses, "I just... I want to talk, Kurt. I want to help."

"Well, you can't," he dismisses, turning away.

"You have to let me try! I know your dad's not my dad and... you're not my brother, we were never even good friends—but, I don't know, I think I want us to be. And maybe I don't deserve it, but I just hope that... that earning your forgiveness someday isn't going to be an impossibility."

For a moment, Kurt just stares at him; then he smiles as much as he can manage and says, "God, Finn, I didn't realize you thought I was melodramatic enough to hold that much of a grudge against you."

Blankly, Finn asks, "So does that mean you'll stop living out of the hospital and come home with me tonight?"

With a sigh, Kurt answers, "Yeah, Finn, I'll go home with you tonight."

They're not fine, but Finn wants them to be. And for Kurt, for now, maybe that's enough.