Anywhere But Here, a glee fanfic

Fic: Anywhere But Here
Word Count: 21,366
Characters: Kurt, Finn, Blaine, Rachel, Burt, Carole, Mercedes, Puck and various OC's
Pairing(s): Kurt/Finn
Genre: Romance/Comedy/Drama
Rating: R
Warnings: Sexual situations and it's AU for Burt and Carole not marrying.
Summary: Break ups are awkward, can leave a person feeling horrible and running back home to their family and friends. What if going back to your family was what led to you falling in love again though? Back in New York things between Kurt and Finn are no way going to be easy but with pushy friends and rooftop meetings maybe things will be okay in the end.

"Blaine...who's he? What are you..."

"...Doing with that suitcase Rachel? We're not..."

"...Going to be living together anymore? But I thought..."

"...The show was in the city? Why are you going away with them? It doesn't make..."

"...Sense! Where did you even meet him? I can't believe you're..."

"...Breaking up with me! Why! You're just going..."

"...To regret this later on! So fine! Move out! I'll be staying with my dad until you're gone!"

"Fine! Break up with me and go on holiday with Jesse and all those...divas! I'll be back in Lima when you want me back!"

It's amazing how two separate conversations between two completely different couples can lead to similar circumstances.

Kurt and Finn had no idea what had been going on in each other's lives that day, but as they both packed and booked tickets for an evening flight to Ohio it was clear that fate had something in store for them.

All it can take is one person to completely change someone's life around after all.

This was what he got for ordering same day flight tickets.

Kurt wrinkled his nose as he glanced at the prematurely balding man sitting next to him. His head was drooping to the side, looking as if it might flop onto Kurt's shoulder any minute, and the man was drooling. Drooling! He could not afford to get drool on his sweater; he'd only bought it a few days before and it was Marc Jacobs. Brand name clothing just did not get drooled on. It was like sacrilege!

The man's head drooped slightly further and Kurt shifted further away in his seat.

He swore if the man even brushed against him then he would not be able to be held accountable for his actions.

With a tired sigh, he allowed his head to drop back against the seat. The seat on his other side was still empty. It was almost tempting just to swap seats but if some meat headed muscleman had bought that seat then there's no way he'd be able to fight him for it. He may go to the gym most days, but it was just to keep toned. He didn't want to gain weight as he liked his figure. He was slim with just a little muscle. It was just enough so that he didn't look too feminine but could still get away with wearing girls shirts if he wished.

Closing his eyes, Kurt tried to relax. He was getting out of New York, getting away from Blaine for a bit, and it would be good for him. So why did he feel so crappy about it right now?

"Sorry, excuse me, can I just get to my seat..."

The voice was oddly familiar but he pulled his legs in without opening his eyes. A warm body clambered past him, legs brushing in the minimal space. He heard the man sigh as he slumped down into his seat, knocking into Kurt with a clumsy jerk of his arm.

"Sorry dude," the man apologized.

It was tempting to snap at the man for knocking into him but he was still very much aware of the drooling creature sitting on his other side. If he wanted to keep well out of the way of its range he had to sit close to the clumsy man and that meant not getting into a fight with him.

"It's okay," he replied.

He opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to study his new seatmate. The man was tall and broad with a relaxed face. His dark brown hair was cut short and slightly spiky. A ragged looking navy blue sweater and worn out jeans adorned his frame. He was handsome in a sort of awkward looking way but it was a familiar, crooked half-smile that managed to awaken the butterflies in his stomach. Oh god, oh god, oh god it couldn't be him!

Finn Hudson.

Amidst his internal panic, Kurt didn't notice that he was leaning back towards the man/creature he had originally been trying to avoid... That is, until a head dropped onto his shoulder.

Kurt froze, eyes widening as he felt a small wet patch starting to form on his shoulder. Oh, oh no, that thing was drooling on him. Drooling all over his gorgeous new sweater. This could not be happening to him!

He shoved the man/creature off of his shoulder, not caring that he had startled it awake as he tugged the sweater off and stared down in dismay where the drool had started to soak through the material. There was a short burst of laughter from 'Finn' but he sobered up when a glare was sent his way. Still his chocolate eyes were crinkled in mirth, his lips twitching with the effort not to smile. It was that sight more than anything that caused the smile to crop up upon Kurt's own lips, even as the man/creature next to him ranted to the nearest air hostess about the soprano's treatment of him.

Maybe he had over-reacted just a little bit.

"Are you okay?" 'Finn' eventually managed to ask, calming himself but still emitting breathy little chuckles, smiling that endearing smile of his down at Kurt; not that there was much of a height difference between them these days, anyways.

"I'm fine. Guess it was just a bit of a shock," he answered. The man on his other side grumbled in response to that; something along the lines of 'And that was a shock?'

Honestly, some people these days.

As the two young men calmed down, relaxing in their seats they both found themselves in better moods then they had been when they'd boarded the plane and only after a few minutes talking.

Kurt guessed it was just part of Finn's charm.

Finn just thought the guy he was sitting next to was amusing and actually kind of cute... Wait, not cute. Familiar... Yeah, that was the word.

"So, what's your name?" the slightly taller male questioned, only to receive a dirty look in response. What? What had he done now?

"Are you saying you don't recognize me, Finn?" he asked and okay, the voice was familiar but he couldn't pin-point where exactly from. Maybe those eyes were kind of familiar as well, blue orbs with flecks of green in them that were just that much more obvious when he was annoyed. Hmmm ... the guy's nose was kind of familiar too, and... Holy crap, he'd been sitting next to Kurt Hummel all this time.

Finn blinked in confusion down at the other male, who simply rolled his eyes and turned away with a quiet 'humph'.

"Kurt?"

The smaller brunet didn't turn back to face him, instead staying with his jaw set stubbornly and a slight pout on his lips as he avoided looking at his old school friend.

"I'm sorry. I didn't really look because I didn't think it could possibly be you. Thought you'd be flying first class or something by now," Finn went on apologetically, feeling like a complete and utter idiot for not recognizing him straight away.

They had practically been brothers at one point!

Hell, they still were. Their parents may have never moved in together again and they may claim to no longer have been dating, but he'd heard his mom on the phone telling him all about what she had done with Burt the night before or what she would be doing that weekend. God knows why they even tried to 'break up' in the first place; it was obvious that the two adults were still very much in love.

It was nice to think about really, it meant that Finn didn't have to worry about his mom being left alone when he had moved away and he knew Kurt had been slightly unsure about leaving to go to college in New York until his mom had promised to keep an eye on Burt.

Come to think about it, they really had become like a family in the end, hadn't they? Not your typical family, but a family nevertheless.

Kurt continued to ignore him.

So maybe he was being a little immature with the whole ignoring Finn thing. He hadn't had the best morning, and now he was taking it out on someone who hadn't really done anything to him... He had just not recognized him. That wasn't a crime, was it? No, so he was just being silly.

Apparently, Finn was thinking the same thing, because his hands crept out to grab his half-turned body by the waist, beginning to tickle.

"Two can play at that game y'know," he cried, and Kurt felt the laughter bubbling out of him. He tried to pry Finn's hands loose and ended up elbowing the disgruntled man/creature in the side.

"Oh, for Christ's sake," the man/creature bellowed, turning to glare at the two younger men, causing one of the air hostesses to scurry over.

"I'm sorry sirs, but could you please refrain from messing around or shouting and put your seatbelts on? We're about to begin the flight," she asked, a smile plastered onto those plastic looking red lips. Kurt couldn't help but note how bad the color looked on her as he settled back into his seat properly.

"Sorry," he muttered but he didn't allow his embarrassment over the situation to show.

This wasn't like Kurt.

He was mature and well-pulled together. He didn't mess around on planes with his former crushes. No, that wasn't like him at all. So instead, he folded up his sweater and put it away carefully before he settled back in his seat for a quiet trip home.

It was a shame he'd only realized how he and Finn had been behaving after they had been reprimanded for it.

He liked to think that he hadn't known what had come over him, but as he turned his head to look at a slightly flustered looking Finn he knew exactly what had came over him, and it made him smile.

So much of his life was serious now, but with Finn he was able to pretend he was a teenager again, even if only for a few moments.

"Guess we'd better settle down now," he commented and Finn nodded in agreement.

"Yeah...that was fun though," he said.

It had been, it was just a shame such care-free moments had always been scattered in their relationship.

The rest of the plane ride went relatively normally. They talked about what had been going on in their lives up until now and why they were both going back home. There was something therapeutic about being able to just sit and talk about your problems without worrying that the other person will hate you forever.

Kurt stared down at the little glass of wine he had ordered from the air hostess as he tried to think how to explain it all.

"It's just...we've been together a while and there weren't any problems. None of the signs you expect when someone has been cheating or about to break up with you. There was just...nothing. Then this morning he tells me that he's moving out and that he's been seeing someone else. I don't even know what I did wrong," he muttered, laughing humorlessly as he stared miserably down into the deep red liquid.

"I just don't know what I could have done to make him do this to me..."

A hand hovered over his shoulder awkwardly for a second before Finn placed it down gently in an attempt to comfort him. He didn't speak; he'd never been good with words, but it was the thought that counted. And at least he was trying to comfort him. Kurt raised his eyes and smiled half-heartedly up at the other male.

Sometimes it felt like neither man had to speak around the other, that they could convey any message with just a look but that was just a silly romantic idea.

"Well...sometimes you can be a bit... Umm... Pushy. But, it's still his loss," Finn eventually managed to say, crushing the momentary romantic daydreams Kurt had been having. Right...nothing was going to happen between them. He couldn't even allow himself a quick gloss over of what could have been if he had been with Finn instead. It was stupid that he even had to remind himself of that; he had long been over Finn.

There was just something about him, though.

"Right, maybe it was my fault that he was an asshole who couldn't keep it in his pants," Kurt replied dryly, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder with a small frown. To his credit Finn did go pink and mutter an apology. Obviously, he still wasn't completely over that homophobia people had tried to drill into him as a teen.

"That's not what I meant..."

The two men lapsed into silence the, ignoring each other as they focused on their individual drinks.

Finn had looked back up at him before much time had passed though,

"I'm sorry. But... Rather than us ignoring each other, could you possibly share your theories on why Rachel broke up with me to focus on her play and cast mates?" he asked, sounding more tired than he did apologetic. But Kurt had learned to take what he could get when it came to Finn's apologies. At least it meant that he knew he was in the wrong.

"Well unless Rachel has had an extreme personality transplant since I last saw her, she probably wanted to focus on her dream. Wouldn't surprise me if she wanted to start a budding romance with the male lead as well; she always had had a thing for strong, male singers after all."

Maybe his words were a little harsh, maybe he was annoyed at Finn or maybe it annoyed him that Rachel still managed to pop up when he was with Finn and she wasn't anywhere near him. But maybe, just maybe, he'd spoken a truth that no one wanted to acknowledge about their friend. That she had always been more focused on getting where she wanted to be even when she was trying to be nice.

The taller male laughed humorlessly for a few seconds.

"You're probably right," he responded miserably.

The guilt set in then, making its way through Kurt's bloodstream as he withdrew into himself slightly. At least Finn had actually tried to help him with his relationship issues-all he'd done was bitch about his.

They didn't speak for the rest of the plane ride.

The airport was buzzing with activity as Kurt went through the seemingly never ending process of getting off the plane and collecting all his baggage. His fellow passengers all seemed to be in similar moods, weary business men who just wanted to get home to their families, young adults who looked like they wanted to get on another plane and go right back to the big city again. Not that he could blame either of them. Of course he wanted to see his dad - he did miss him, but there was nothing else for him in Lima anymore. All his good friends had managed to get away. He knew that Puck was still there with Quinn, that they didn't have an amazingly special life, but that they were happy.

Maybe he should visit them at some point but, realistically, he knew that he probably wouldn't.

Even so, he faked a smile as he finally got his entire luggage together and exited the terminal. He couldn't see his dad waiting anywhere.

With a quiet groan, Kurt looked around the whole room but he couldn't see the unfortunately dressed man anywhere. He'd called him up the night before after he'd booked the tickets and had asked him to pick him up. He'd given him the correct flight times and nothing had changed.

Next time he'd have to remember to book a few days in advance, no matter how quickly wanted to escape because at least then he'd be able to organize himself a rent-a-car or something

He trudged through the terminal dragging his luggage along behind him carefully, heading straight for the doors to wait outside. As he pushed outside into the frigid air he shivered slightly and pulled his wool coat slightly tighter around himself. It may look stylish and supposedly be warm but it had yet to stand that test and now Kurt regretted not getting something he knew for certain would be warmer.

"C'mon dad...where are you?" he muttered to himself, gaze travelling across the car park as he stepped to the side of the doors and let go of his suitcase and travel bag, hugging himself instead. He probably looked completely ridiculous, but he found it difficult to actually care right then. It was freezing cold, and he would take hopping on both feet trying to keep warm over standing still and trying to look cool. He was still dressed a lot better than some of the men and women who had been shooting him weird looks as they passed.

Five minutes went by and Kurt was still waiting. He hadn't seen Finn come out just yet, and for that he was relieved. He'd probably just laugh at him and then try and get him inside into the warmth in that awkward manner of his that was just so irresistibly adorable...and there he went again. Kurt shook his head viciously, trying to clear his mind of thoughts of Finn. They were just friends now, had been for a long time and he was happy with that.

He knew he was because this was the first time such thoughts had popped up in a long while.

He shut his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep, shaking breath before he opened them and focused in on the cars around him.

If anything these feelings were just because he was on the rebound.

He felt slightly worthless, like he needed to be loved romantically by someone for his life to even mean anything, but that was ridiculous. He didn't believe that, not really. He was just in desperate need of some comfort and to just get away from it all.

Seeing Finn may have been nice at first but it hadn't really helped.

If he just avoided him until he was feeling slightly better it would be fine, they could go back to being friends and he wouldn't have to worry about those stray thoughts again.

Everything would work itself out again if he let it.

Kurt spied a familiar car drive in the entrance as he tried to clear his head. Finally, his dad was here!

It was slightly embarrassing that he was twenty-six years old and he was still waiting for his dad to come pick him up at the airport.

He grabbed his luggage and walked over to the car as it parked and the window rolled down.

"Hey kiddo. Just unlocked the trunk," he greeted. Kurt quickly put his stuff away, shutting it with a little bit too much force before he scurried around to the side of the car and climbed in. He sighed in pleasure as he felt the warmth around him. His dad just shook his head, looking at him as if he wasn't sure whether to laugh or to wonder if there was something wrong with him.

"You weren't waiting too long were you?" he asked as he started the car, focusing on finding his way out of the car park as Kurt put his seat belt on. "I got caught up in traffic but I got here as quickly as possible," he continued as Kurt settled. The radio was on, a quiet hum of some classic rock song coming from the speakers as the two men tried to make conversation.

"No, I wasn't waiting too long. I just didn't realize it was going to be so cold," he answered.

The rest of the journey passed in almost silence. It wasn't awkward, though, and even being with his dad was a comfort for the young brunet. He really had missed him, the weekly phone calls just hadn't been enough recently. He and Blaine had been arguing a little before they finished the day before, never anything big but Kurt had been growing increasingly frustrated. He'd needed his dad but until they had actually split up he'd been unable to bring himself to just up and leave for Lima. He wasn't the type to usually do spontaneous things, he liked to plan to an extent even if the plans didn't always work the way he wanted.

Maybe the spontaneity would do him some good.

Once they had arrived home and Kurt had unpacked, the two Hummel men settled down on the sofa in front of the television with a Chinese take-out. The soprano twirled some noodles around his fork as he ate them, mindlessly playing with his food as he focused on the television rather than his task. He wasn't that keen on take-out; it was a little too unhealthy for his tastes, but he hadn't wanted to cook and he didn't want his dad to. That was always a disaster.

Apparently dinner was the perfect time to start asking questions in Burt Hummel's opinion though.

"So what's with the sudden visit? It's not like you to only give me a night's notice that you're coming?"

Kurt nearly choked on his mouthful of noodles; he swallowed and cleared his throat as he reached out blindly for his can of diet coke as his father patted him roughly on the back.

"You okay there Kurt?" he asked as the brunet took a deep breath and relaxed again.

"Yeah, you just surprised me."

He sat quietly for a few more minutes, still toying with his food as he struggled to think of how to explain, deciding whether it was worth just lying for now or just coming out with the truth. He nibbled at his bottom lip, a trait he had picked up from his mother though he had never realized it. Burt did though, and he realized that the reason was obviously an important one, an upsetting one even.

"Blaine...was cheating on me. He came out and admitted it last night before breaking up with me. He... didn't want to live with me anymore, said he was sick of living a lie, so I just let him go. I couldn't handle being there right now though, there are just so many memories... I needed some time to escape..."

Reaching out unsurely, Burt wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders and squeezed them gently.

"That bastard clearly doesn't deserve you. If I ever see him again I swear I'll kill him," the burly man growled, glaring at the television as if it was all the inanimate objects fault. All Kurt could do was laugh slightly awkwardly as the tears started to well up in his eyes.

"I just don't know why or what I did..." he whimpered, glassy eyed as he tried to hold back the tears. He didn't want to cry over Blaine, didn't want to make his dad feel awkward like that but the man simply placed their plates on the table and pulled him into a hug. He patted his back gently and tried to make soothing noises.

"It'll be okay, I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong. It was his fault for cheating on you, bastard is lucky he's in New York, otherwise I'd be making sure he wouldn't be able to sleep around again," Burt muttered gruffly as Kurt held on slightly tighter.

They sat there for a little while longer before Kurt sniffed and pushed away, wiping at his now red eyes.

"Thanks dad. I needed that," he thanked, sighing heavily as he reached for a tissue to wipe his face. The older man took his plate back and returned to eating, not really knowing what to say or do to comfort him now he was calming down.

"Well...I'm your dad; I'm supposed to be here for you."

The two men settled back into an awkward silence, the silence only being penetrated every now and then by Kurt's quiet sniffles as he placed his plate in his lap and started to eat his dinner properly this time.

At least he knew his dad would always be there for him at the very least, even if no one else would.

Sleep came with much difficulty that night.

It was strange being back in his old room with only his blankets for warmth and no one to hold him. He felt cold, miserable and worthless as he clutched the sheets to his chest, face buried in his pillow.

He shouldn't be missing Blaine.

It was pointless. It wasn't going to bring him back and he shouldn't want him back anyway. He deserved better than that and clearly Blaine wasn't the man Kurt thought he was. He was just a heartless jerk.

Even so he just couldn't help it.

As tears tracked down his cheeks and as his body shook with silent sobs, Kurt promised himself that he wouldn't let himself get hurt so easily again. He wouldn't open his heart to anyone unless he felt he could completely trust them and they wouldn't break it.

It only occurred to him as he fell into a dreamless sleep though that those who had broken his heart in the past had been people he'd felt he could completely trust. But maybe, just maybe, he had gone about everything the completely wrong way.

The first few days Kurt spent settling back in, making sure his dad had been okay, had been eating well and hadn't had any funny turns he hadn't wanted to tell anyone about. He had raided the kitchen and threw everything he thought was unsuitable out before he'd gone shopping and stocked up on all the fruits, vegetables and healthy alternatives his dad would need. Burt grumbled about it of course, saying how Kurt wasn't being fair and how he had been living fine and healthily by himself and how Kurt was just tearing the good food out of his life. One look that was both threatening and very much like his mother's was enough to shut the mechanic up though.

It was like Kurt was working hard to distract himself, like he thought that if he didn't focus on his recent break up, he could pretend it didn't happen. Burt wasn't dumb though, he knew how upset his son was and he had heard him crying at night when he had thought no one could hear him. It was heart breaking and he would have liked nothing more than to kick the shit out of the little asswipe who had caused his son to feel that way.

How dare he...

How dare he!

Burt just couldn't understand how anyone could hurt his little boy like that, the poor guy had dealt with enough pain and heartbreak in his life already without that Blaine guy adding to it.

Ugh. The mechanic wanted to kill him, but he knew making sure his son was okay was the most important thing. If he needed time to cool down and forget about things then fine, he could put up with the extreme neatness and the diet being forced upon him. He could deal with it, but he was still going to try and speed the healing process up somewhat.

He just needed to find him a better distraction than housework.

"Hey... Kurt?"

"Mm...? What dad?"

"I was on the phone to Carole earlier. She said Finn's in town, arrived the same day you did as well."

"Oh yeah, I know, we were sat together on the plane over."

"Oh...is there any reason why you haven't hung out with him since you're both around?"

"Not really."

A knife and fork clattered onto a half full plate.

"I'm done. I'm going to go read in bed for a little while, night dad."

The plate was picked up and the brunet shuffled out of the room, the older man sighing audibly as he looked down at his own plate.

The evenings really had drawn in by now hadn't they?

Kurt sighed as he sat by the window in the living room, staring out into the 'normal' suburban street. There was a teenage girl across the road from him walking a small, fluffy dog, and a little way ahead of her a middle aged man was jogging. Nothing was out of the ordinary; he wasn't missing out on anything so why did he still feel so miserable?

It had been a week since he'd come to stay in Lima to escape from his ex and the break up. He should be getting over it by now. He hadn't been focusing on it, had remained calm when anyone did ask him about Blaine. He had acted completely normally, so why was it so hard?

He sighed again, only turning his head when he heard his dad enter the room.

Burt had come home from the garage early that day and had disappeared straight upstairs to shower. That had been an hour ago. Now, he'd come down all dressed up and smelling strongly of...cologne?

What on earth?

Kurt frowned slightly, pushing himself to his feet and striding over to the older man as he took in his appearance.

"Going somewhere special?" he asked, not quite looking like he believed it as he blinked rapidly at his father.

"Do you have a date?"

He reached out to fiddle with his father's crooked tie, loosening it and tightening it again so it looked a little neater. The mechanic scoffed slightly,

"What? Can't a man try and look good without going on a date? You're always dressed up all fancy like," he responded slightly churlishly. The brunet leveled him with a glance as he stepped back and gave him a once-over,

"Yes, but you can't," he stated dryly with a roll of his eyes.

It almost seemed like they had swapped places as Burt crossed his arms and shrugged,

"It's not a date. I'm just taking Carole out to dinner. We both need a break from our adult sons who both seem to have taken to hanging around the house," he explained, his last statement slightly accusatory as he eyed said 'son' in irritation until he rolled his eyes again and crossed his own arms in a similar manner.

"I get it. You're sick of me already. Go out and have a good evening, dad, you've been putting up with me and you deserve it. Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair soon," he muttered, sounding truly apologetic but making Burt want to pull what was left of his hair out.

"No, don't worry about it, kid. You can stay as long as you like, but just try and get out and about. You aren't helping yourself... You know I'm not one for fatherly advice, but... It's not good for you to keep yourself cooped up and miserable. Carole said Finn will be in all night as well, so if you want, why don't you go over there? Might be fun." he said as he stepped forward and reached out to pat his son on the shoulder gently before he headed over to the door.

"I'll see you later. Don't do anything I wouldn't..." Burt paused in the doorway, "I mean that. Really...don't do anything I wouldn't."

And then he was gone, leaving Kurt in the house to laugh quietly over his parting words.

The smile tugged at the corners of his lips and the laughter streamed out of his throat in quiet chuckles as he shook his head. He got what his dad meant, no trying anything with any guys and especially not Finn if he went over there. Usually such an assumption would offend him but he knew his dad only said it because he cared.

Kurt shook his head as he walked back over to his seat by the window and stared out of the glass as he watched his dad drive off.

What would be the harm in going to see if Finn wanted to spend the evening with him? It was better than the pair of them moping about their individual houses alone. He slipped his phone out of his jeans pocket and stared down at it for a few moments, before he tried to call the number he still had under Finn's name from all those years ago, taking a deep breath.

"Hey Finn...? Yeah, it's Kurt. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight..."

Somehow their night ended up being a night out with the two young men headed for a bar that Finn had liked to frequent during his college trips home when he had felt the need to go out and just get drunk off his head. It wasn't that rowdy usually but it was a Wednesday night so it was rather quiet as the two brunets crowded into a small booth with two of the establishment's 'finest' beers as they talked.

"I think my mom's about ready to kill me. I think she thinks I've moved back and keeps hinting about getting a job. I'm just like...I'm going home eventually mom, I just need a break!" Finn exclaimed as he sloshed his beer over the table in one eager swoop. Kurt frowned and slid further along the booth and away from the spilled drink.

"So what...? You've just been lazing around the house doing nothing?" he questioned as he sipped at his own drink, wrinkling his nose at the taste of it. It really was disgusting stuff; he didn't know how Finn could stomach so much of the vile liquid.

"Well...yeah but it's not like I have anything else to do. I mean...I would've asked you if you wanted to do anything sometime but I thought you were mad at me," he answered, sounding slightly guilty as his face contorted into one of those puppy dog expressions that Kurt had never been able to resist.

"I wasn't mad at you Finn," he half-lied. Okay, he had still been slightly pissed off at Finn because of some of the comments he'd made on the plane ride but he'd also been mad at himself and Blaine and everything had just built up and he'd just been miserable and alone.

The taller brunet turned to look at him slightly incredulously, sloshing his beer again as he jerked around.

"You weren't mad at me?" he repeated slowly, looking slightly exasperated though the hopeful note in his voice betrayed him. The soprano shook his head, taking another sip of his own drink as he looked down at Finn's mess with disgust.

"Not especially."

Finn groaned, almost dropping his head onto the table when he noticed the sticky mess and glared at it.

"Then why didn't you call me dude. I've been bored out of my mind," he whined, pouting slightly. It was an odd sight and Kurt felt a smile tugging at his lips at the sight of a full grown man acting like a toddler. His voice had a note of laughter in it as he spoke,

"First of all don't call me dude. I'm not one of your loutish friends. And secondly, I didn't call you because I've been busy." The answer proved acceptable to the former jock who nodded before going back to his beer.

"Okay then dude," he replied, trying to hide his grin behind his beer as Kurt reached out to smack him on the arm.

That night had been good for the pair of them.

They'd relaxed, had a good few more drinks and then had gone back to Finn's mom's house where they had crashed on the couch together. They hadn't gotten so drunk that they couldn't remember anything, and when they had woken up the next morning Carole had cooked them both breakfast without them needing to ask. She had regaled them with tales of the evening before, reassuring Kurt that his dad hadn't been worried when he had dropped her off to find him asleep on the couch.

Kurt supposed he needn't have asked, he was an adult after all and he wasn't under his father's care anymore. Still, he didn't like to worry him.

The two young men had spent the rest of the day together after that. They had gone around town, exploring places they'd gone as kids and teenagers. They even walked past McKinley High as the students finished for the day and shoved past them to get out of the institution so they could get home. They'd then gone for ice cream and gone to the park. Finn had pushed Kurt on the swings, teasing him about being a big baby and the man had reminded him that the park and ice cream had been his idea. A little blonde girl with wide brown eyes had wandered over at one point, sitting on the swing next to Kurt and swinging herself slowly. She hadn't been there long but had promptly told them that they were both very adorable and had bounced back onto her feet and had wandered back over to where a group of even younger children and a woman were playing.

It had been a laugh, both men fully enjoying themselves for the first time in a while. It was nice being able to run around, acting as if they were carefree teenagers again. Making jokes and teasing each other, free to act as they liked around each other without all the restrictions of social etiquette or work or even high school bearing down on them. It was a freedom they'd never had, not even as teenagers, and it was how they spent the next week or so.

Of course they settled down into a routine eventually.

They would get up, meet at Burt's garage and help him out a bit there for the morning. Then in the afternoon, they would go to the mall or to the park or to the movies, wherever was open and sounded fun at the time. Together they were able to forget about being dumped, and a few people even seemed to assume they were dating. Not that they ever said anything, but the funny looks and assuming smiles were enough evidence for Kurt. He didn't know if Finn saw it, though.

The only issue was that what went up must come down.

Kurt knew that this time would end soon enough; he had to get back to work eventually. His boss hadn't been impressed that he decided to take his vacation time last minute. To be honest he hadn't thought he'd be able to, but she'd let him go with a threat that she was docking half of his monthly pay to pay the overtime of the last minute assistant she'd have to bring in. He was glad he had gotten away with it though, and he didn't want to go back to New York, even though part of him was yearning for the city lights again.

Perhaps it was fortunate, then, that his boss decided to make his mind up for him.

Kurt was jarred from his sleep by a shrill beep and then Beyonce sounding in his ears. Drowsily, his eyes fluttered open, shutting again as he felt around the bedside table for the infernal ringing device. Feeling the damned thing under his hand he picked it up and brought it over to his face, cracking one eye open to hit the accept call button and placed it to his ear with a yawn.

"Y'ello?" he greeted groggily.

"How lovely it is to finally hear your voice again Mr. Hummel. It's been what, two weeks now? And not a single call during that period of time either. I was worried, seeing as I don't actually know when you're coming back to work, you just asked if you could have some of your vacation time. Care to inform me when you'll actually be back at work?"

The sharp voice jolted Kurt fully awake, he sat up in bed, carefully cradling the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he tried to untangle himself from his sheets.

"Ah, Mrs. Green! I was going to call you today about that. I need to find out when the flights back to New York are but I plan to be back to work on Monday," he answered, making his plans up as he went along, climbing out of bed and grabbing his laptop so he could actually look up flights and book his ticket.

"Of course you were. It sounded as if you were fast asleep to me but whatever. See you're back on Monday. We have a new line to start on then and I need you there," his boss snipped down the line before hanging up without even a 'goodbye' or 'how are you'. Not that he had expected one really but still, it would have been polite. Heaving a sigh he placed his laptop on the desk and opened it up, switching it on to actually do what he was said he was going to. At least he didn't have to leave for a few days so he could get a better flight this time. He reached up to brush his bangs out of his face, hair still tousled from sleep as he slumped into his seat. He had been up late the night before and he was still tired. He stared blankly at his screen as he listened to his dad move around upstairs and heard the doorbell ring upstairs. There were a few moments of chatter and then more footsteps and a knock at the basement door before it was opened.

"Kurt? You up?"

The soprano turned his head at the voice, seeing Finn poking his head and looking down the stairs at him. The former jock grinned at him when he saw he was in fact up but still looked half-asleep.

"Just got up?" he teased as Kurt scowled. Usually it was the other way round and Kurt had to go over to Finn's to wake him up and make sure he got ready so they could go somewhere. It must be a novelty for it to be the other way round. The taller male descended down the stairs, strolling over to him and looking over his shoulder as Kurt navigated his laptop and started to look up flights and ticket prices.

"Yes. My boss rang and I have to go back soon," he answered. He didn't bother looking at Finn as he spoke. Even if they went back on different days or at different times, now that Kurt knew Finn lived in New York he was going to try and keep in better contact with him. Even so, the moment he did catch a glimpse, he looked so disappointed that Kurt's heart started to ache ever so slightly.

"Oh...well...it's been fun seeing you again and hanging out and stuff," the other male muttered as he straightened up again and looked around the gray room. "We've been getting along better then we have done in years," he added with a quiet chuckle as Kurt turned his head to watch the brunet with a small smile of his own.

"Yeah, guess we have been. Obviously we both get along better when we don't have to worry about other people's opinions," he responded with a shake of his head. Maybe that was truer of Finn than Kurt but both men were to blame for their teenage issues and fights.

"Yeah..."

The room fell into silence as Kurt went back to booking his flight but as soon as he was done he got to his feet and smiled brightly at the taller male.

"Now that's done... What's say we both go do something fun for our parents today for putting up with us," he suggested, honestly wanting to thank his dad for letting him stay and Carole for keeping an eye on him when he wasn't around to do so. Apparently his smile was contagious and Finn was soon beaming back as he nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like a plan."

His last few days in Lima were spent planning a secret dinner for his dad and Carole with Finn. He'd had to plan a menu, buy ingredients, candles, etc., and find out if Carole was allergic to anything or if there was any music she would particularly hate. Of course he did most of the planning with Finn only doing little things now and then but he did a wonderful job as a waiter on the Saturday evening for the older couple. They honestly looked so pleased with their treat that Carole had almost started crying. She wasn't used to her son doing such nice things for her and she hugged Kurt, telling him that he was such a good influence on Finn and that she wished she could claim him as her son as well. Everyone had laughed the comment off afterwards but the truth was that it reminded them that at one time they had nearly become a family and that everything had just gone wrong at last minute. The only thing was that Burt and Carole did still love each other, but would just not officially get together for some reason. They wouldn't even say why.

He supposed it didn't really matter, though; both were adults were happy in their separate houses with their separate families, and as long as they were happy nothing else mattered.

When Kurt went to bed that night, he looked around the house again, remembering back to his childhood and thinking back over the last few weeks. It would be a shame to go back to New York, but a relief at the same time. At the very least, he'd had a good break and was able to go to sleep with a big smile on his face.

The trip back went quickly. His dad drove him to the airport and they said their goodbyes, Kurt promising to call regularly though there was a chance he would forget when he got busy again. They did the awkward handshake to hug goodbye and then went their separate ways until the next time Kurt decided to visit again.

He checked his luggage and himself through but as he stood in line to get through the scanners he felt his phone go off in his pocket. That was strange; he hadn't been expecting texts from anyone. Curiously, he pulled the cell out to see Finn's name flashing on the screen. Why was Finn texting him now? He checked the time; it was early enough that he would usually still be asleep. He opened up the message with a small frown that soon melted into a smile.

From: Finn
Hope your seat mates are better this time. Have a good flight back and see you soon =).

Maybe they wouldn't lose contact this time around; at least, Kurt hoped they wouldn't.

The next two weeks passed without anything remotely interesting happening. Mrs. Green had been running him ragged since he had arrived home. Apparently, she was still annoyed at his rather sudden vacation and was enjoying making him pay for it. At least it kept him busy, and he was getting paid so he supposed he really couldn't complain.

Even so, as he dropped down into his chair, rolling it around to take the coffee off the brunette woman standing in front of him with the two cups, he couldn't help but whine a little. Well, what did you expect, really?

"I'm exhausted. She woke me up an hour earlier then I needed to by calling me to remind me about the buyers coming in today and springing it on me that I was going to be the one trying to sell the collection to them. I had nothing prepared and I barely looked at that collection until she told me that - I was busy with the spring dresses line until today," he groaned, stretching slightly and nearly spilling his drink over himself. The woman looked at him sympathetically at least, reaching out to brush away a stray lock of hair that had fallen from her loose bun.

"I wouldn't worry about it. You know how she gets. And anyways, don't you have that hunk of a boyfriend of yours to distract you when you get home anyway?" she responded, with a slightly lewd grin.

Kurt rolled his eyes, bringing the cup to his lips to take a sip. "Not anymore. Turns out he was ready to move on to someone new. It's the whole reason I went away in the first place," he answered, slightly glumly as he looked down at the hot beverage rather than his friend. There was a quiet clucking sound, and then there was a hand on his shoulder.

"Well you know what they say. High school relationships never last. And now you have the chance to find yourself a hot New York man," she said. She did have a good point. Hadn't Mr. Schue known his wife since high school? That relationship really hadn't ended well from what he knew and he didn't want to experience anything like that with Blaine. They had had a good run and though he was still hurt and missing the older man, he knew that some good could come out of their breaking up at least. He just had yet to actually find it.

In front of him the brunette was staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling, her lips pursed slightly as she frowned, seemingly thinking something important over.

"You okay, Tasha?" he asked. Blinking, the brunette looked back down at him as she nodded.

"Yeah, I was just thinking... If you and Blaine broke up, then who have you been texting like, every five minutes or so? I assumed you'd been flirting or planning really kinky nights in or something," she asked, her mouth falling open slightly. She placed her hands on her hips, "You've not been begging him to come back or anything have you? Or dating another guy seriously already? 'Cause I can understand some flirty texts or even sexting, but if you're serious..." she reprimanded, looking like she was going to start going off on one anytime now until Kurt held up a hand and shook his head.

"You know me better than that. I'm not begging Blaine to come back and I'm not dating anyone already, I'm not even sending slightly flirty texts to anyone. I've just been texting an old friend. We bumped into each other on the plane on the way to Lima and hung out while we were there," he explained. Tasha's face remained set stubbornly as she looked at him disbelievingly.

"An old friend...or an old flame?" she prodded, one perfectly shaped eyebrow raised.

Of course the brunet's cheeks colored slightly at her accusation. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't once liked Finn but they had never gotten together and he wasn't contacting him in hope of getting any from him. Yeah, considering the fact he was as straight as a ruler, he didn't think that they'd be sleeping together anytime soon. It wasn't like he wanted to either.

Tasha raised an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly but it was clear that she had already made up her mind.

"An old friend. I might have had feelings for him once, but they're long gone. It's just nice to catch up," he responded. She just looked like she didn't believe him and shook her head.

"If you say so," she commented. She dropped the subject and let Kurt return to his coffee, but he doubted that this was the last he'd hear of it. She'd be asking to see pictures of Finn in no time and asking him about what they were texting about, talking about, everything.

His phone went off on the desk and he picked it up, grinning when he read the message. Tasha raised an eyebrow at him but didn't say anything.

Obviously this was going to be a long week.

He was right about it being a long week.

Tasha seemed to pop up whenever his phone went off, she came and bugged him during his break's about his old friend's name, age, if he was cute – questions like that. Kurt had told her to find out herself, that she was pretty and slightly controlling, just Finn's type. She had skulked off after that, sulking slightly but she'd been back in no time.

Kurt didn't know how on earth he was friends with her.

Eventually, he agreed to go for a drink with her after work. He decided he'd ask Finn along, and if he could make it then Tasha could meet Finn. He told her that under no circumstances though was she to say anything about how she thought they were dating. Because they weren't, and it would scare Finn off. She agreed but she didn't look happy about it.

They agreed to meet at the Dove. The prices weren't too bad and the cocktails were good, and it wasn't too far away from any of them.

Not to mention Kurt felt like he deserved a drink after the week he'd had.

The bar was practically empty; This was a rarity, especially on the weekend, but it was an opportunity Kurt wasn't going to miss taking advantage of. He was the first one there; he and Tasha had decided to head home and change rather than coming straight from work. Tasha had been absolute in her decision that he had to look his best and apparently his grey cardigan and skinny jeans didn't work that day. Looking down at the pants and shirt he'd changed into, he had to admit that it had been a wise call. He had been a little lazy that morning after all; he had still looked good but not his best. He looked his best now, though, perfectly put together if he did say so himself.

Kurt sighed to himself as he headed over to the bar and ordered himself a 'spiced peach cobbler', as he waited on his drink he looked around the bar. He'd been here before, but that had always been for business meetings and a few times as a last stop on a few of the dates he'd been on over the last few years. Even so, every time he came here he found himself struck by the pink décor. The place looked rather old-fashioned, but it was homely and sold some of the best cocktails in New York. If you wanted to make a good impression on someone, it was a good place to bring them even if it could be a bit difficult to actually get into. Places like this were about as far away from Lima as you could get without leaving the country. Such thoughts never ceased to amuse Kurt - to think, only a few years ago he would have been stuck sitting in his room on a Friday night, dreading the fact he didn't have a date and only had one shopping trip with the girls over the weekend. Now he was sitting in a glamorous bar, waiting for a fashionista friend and Finn Hudson of all people. The world really did work in strange ways.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts before he thanked the bartender as his drink was placed down in front of him. He picked it up, taking a tiny sip before he turned around to go find a table and found himself colliding with the large frame of another man. He gasped as the drink spilled out all over the man's shirt, it didn't look designer but even so. The soprano looked up quickly, trying to formulate a sensible apology as he looked up into the angry eyes of an older gentleman who was clearly wearing a toupee.

"Look what you've done! You've ruined my shirt! And I had a date as well! Why don't you watch where you're going!" the man snapped, glaring down at him.

One quick scan of the man told Kurt that he obviously didn't usually visit places like this. He had 'dressed up' but his shirt and blazer were too cheap, his toupee too obvious and his aftershave too strong. In fact, he was pretty sure that stinking that much, he could have easily known to avoid him when turning around if he hadn't been right behind him. The guy was clearly a sleaze; no way was he going to apologize. It was just a shame he had lost his drink.

"It's your own fault for standing so close behind me. God knows why you deemed it socially acceptable to stand so close to a stranger anyway, maybe that will teach you a lesson," he retorted, sticking his nose in the air and stepping to the side to go around the man. Apparently the man didn't appreciate that though and he grabbed a hold of Kurt's arm in a vice like grip,

"Don't you try and put the blame on me, mate! Maybe if you hadn't wiggled your fucking ass so much I wouldn't have been so close, hmmm? And you're still the one who spilled the drink over me so you can help me get cleaned up then pay for the dry cleaning," he growled, head dipping far too close to Kurt's face and he could smell the alcohol on his breath. He couldn't hold back a shudder of disgust as he tried to pull away. He knew he could get away from and deal with this bastard if he wanted to, but that didn't stop the wave of fear rushing over him when he saw something he didn't like in those eyes.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

Kurt didn't think he'd ever been so relieved to hear Finn's voice in his life as he looked slightly around the man to see the brunet standing there. His feet were slightly apart and hands clenched slightly into fists, clearly ready to fight if he deemed it necessary. The man took one look of him and scowled before slinking off - not before he'd muttered something about Kurt being a 'fucking cock tease', though. An arm reached out to tightly wrap around Kurt's waist, pulling him closer as the sleaze eyed them carefully while stalking off. It didn't look like he was done and that idea seemed to piss Finn off. His grip on the soprano was tight and it didn't feel like he would be letting him go anytime soon.

"Finn...it's okay. I could have handled him, y'know... so you don't have to keep hold of me," Kurt commented, struggling slightly to escape the taller brunet's grasp and eventually Finn seemed to get the idea and released him with a quiet 'oh'.

"Do I at least get a thank you? I mean, it didn't look like you were handling yourself at that exact moment in time," Finn muttered as he watched Kurt turning back around to the bar so he could order himself another drink.

"Fine. Thank you for scaring the creep off."

The two fell into silence for a few moments as Finn studied the drinks menu and Kurt ordered two Spiced Peach Cobblers, paying without a word before he pushed one towards Finn. Looking down at the slightly bright drink, it was clear in his eyes that he thought it was a bit of a girly drink and he turned to his companion with a questioning look. It almost read 'you really expect me to drink this?' Rolling his eyes, Kurt took a sip of his and turned, pausing to make sure he wasn't going to bump into anyone again before he headed across the room. On a raised platform of cherry wood, there was placed a large leather corner sofa, and on a slightly lower platform in front of it sat a wooden table of an even darker wood, two candles placed carefully in the middle. That was where Kurt was headed. It was possibly one of the most comfortable places to sit in the bar, the decor almost minimalistic if the pink wallpaper could be described as such. It was surprising to see the area free and they would be stupid not to take advantage of that. Stepping up onto the wood, Kurt placed his drink on the table before he gracefully draped himself neatly over the seat with a sigh. He knew how to act in places such as this, and if they didn't want to be shafted from this seat for a group of 'somebodies', he needed to act as if he owned the place. Finn, on the other hand, didn't seem to get this and just took a seat beside him, looking uncomfortable.

"Where's your friend?" he asked, striking up conversation again as he practically drained the cocktail in one. Now seated, the bar was starting to fill up a little more and they had staff walking around to take drink orders. Calling one over, Kurt ordered Finn another drink, a rum tea this time to try and help him relax.

"Tasha's usually late, later than I ever expect you to be actually, but she'll be here."

As if the words he'd uttered had been some sort of summoning spell, Tasha entered the bar and looked around for them. She looked around for a few moments before spotting them, raising one hand to neatly wave at them before she headed over to the bar. She'd dolled herself up in a tan dress, the skirt looking slightly pleated, one side slightly longer than the rest with the middle and the right side having a black panel effect. It was cinched in at the middle with a long fuchsia ribbon, the end of which hung loosely at the back and the top half of the dress also seemed to be separated into three with the right side being black, thick fuchsia straps held it up close to the neck. It was very dressy looking, but Kurt was well aware that this was a casual dress – her gladiator sandals and wooden jewelry added to that effect, but she still looked very classy. Clearly, she was hoping to pull tonight. Sighing, Kurt watched as she flirted with the barman, got her drink and then sashayed her way back over to them as the waitress came by with Finn's next drink. The former jock barely noticed, he was staring almost bewilderedly at Tasha. Tearing his eyes away, Finn turned to Kurt, eyes still slightly wide as he leaned over to whisper rather loudly,

"That's your friend?"

Oh great...it looked like Tasha had managed to pull already.

"Put your tongue back in. You'll put her off if you stare at her like that."

Finn opened his mouth with a frown as Tasha waltzed up onto the platform with them. She plopped down on the seat next to Finn and placed her drink down with a loud sigh.

"What a day! Took me hours to convince them to lend me this dress" she exclaimed, crossing one leg over the other. Kurt watched Finn staring down at them.

"Well, clearly it was worth it, but did you get any actual work done today?" he responded, maybe slightly sharply, but could you blame him? Why did he always have to come second when it came to girls around Finn, even when he wanted them to be just friends! It just wasn't fair.

Tasha looked at him confusedly and he didn't try and explain himself, just picked up his drink and sipped at it angrily. He would have drained it but then he'd have to order another drink and he didn't feel like having to call anyone over or going over to the bar.

"Of course I did but I didn't have too much to do luckily. Unlike you, you're always working hard - not too hard mind, because you play just as hard... and I'm sure you can get just as hard," she responded, giggling as Kurt's cheeks flushed pink.

"Natasha!"

In between them Finn looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or be embarrassed for Kurt, his eyes moving from Tasha's legs to Kurt's crotch for a moment,

"Don't be such a prude, dude. I've heard Puck make dirtier jokes then that," he commented. Oh, now that was not fair! Kurt was not a prude, far from it; he just found it awkward having Tasha make such remarks while he was still sober.

"I am not a prude!" he insisted before he drained his drink then ordered absinthe for them all.

After that everything seemed to go smoother, as they drank more they all became more relaxed, even if both Finn and Tasha seemed to become rather touchy feely when drunk. Finn especially; he didn't think he'd had anyone sling an arm around his shoulders, stroke his arm or squeeze his legs so many times in one night before. It was almost as if Finn was hitting on him even with a stunning woman in a short dress on his other side hitting on him.

"Why do you keep ignoring me, Finny? I'm hot, aren't I?" she whined at one point, dropping her head on the taller male's shoulder as she pouted her painted pink lips at him. In response, Finn just grinned and wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulders once again.

"Very sexy," he agreed, his gaze taking in every inch of her body once again, "but Kurt's just prettier," he explained with a small sigh.

The rest of the night after that wasn't that eventful but by one am they were all ready to pack up and head home, all very tipsy and giggly. They all scooped up their coats and headed outside as they pulled them on slowly, both Kurt and Tasha trying to be careful of their outfits as they simultaneously tried to protect themselves from the cold. Finn got bored of waiting and departed first, heading off to his apartment to collapse for the night as the two fashionistas stood there and chatted.

"So what did I tell you? He's so into you."

Kurt scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he finished doing up the military style coat.

"Don't be stupid. He was just drunk and messing around. And anyway, he said you're the sexy one, I'm just 'pretty'," he responded pointedly, the cold night air bringing him slightly back to his senses as he leaned up against the wall.

"Honey, he was far more interested in you then he was me and he kept touching you. That's a definite sign," she insisted as she finished doing her own coat up. "Put it this way - if it turns out he isn't at least attracted to you, then I'll pour red wine all over that nice Chanel dress I brought a couple of weeks ago."

She had to be serious; even she couldn't joke about spilling wine over a white designer dress.

"You're that confident he likes me?" he asked.

The brunette woman nodded with a small smile, stumbling slightly forwards as she patted him on the shoulder.

"He so wants you and I bet he wants you for more than a quickie," she reassured before she stepped backwards with a small giggle.

"I'll see you on Monday then. Have a good weekend," she said before she tripped her way down the small stone steps to try and hail a taxi.

Well, that was that then. Either Tasha was insane, or maybe he and Finn had been growing closer then he'd ever expected.

As the weeks passed, Finn and Kurt kept in close contact. They texted or emailed as often as they could, met up for coffee after work and generally got on better then they had in years. It was nice really, being so close to someone for the first time in a long time. By the time the pair of them had moved to New York with their respective partners, the honeymoon period had long passed and their only intimacy they had ever really shared had been in the bedroom. So it was nice that there was just someone there that they could talk to again.

Especially when Blaine tried to contact Kurt again.

The phone rang as Kurt had finished his breakfast and was placing the plates in the small kitchenette. He hadn't been expecting anybody to call. He had a full day planned, it was his birthday in a few days and he'd been going to meet Finn for coffee and a movie. It wasn't like either of them had anything better to do, so Finn had called up the night before and had suggested it. He supposed it could be Finn telling him to hurry up and choose an outfit because he'd be there soon. The mere thought made him laugh quietly as he bounced over to the phone and, picking it up, greeted the person on the other end with a chirpy "hello."

He didn't hear anything on the other end for a few moments and he almost wondered if there was something up with the phone until he heard a breathy sigh.

"Hello Kurt. You sound...good."

The familiar voice came as a shock and he almost dropped the phone. Instead he stood there frozen, phone pressed tightly to his ear as he stared blankly at the cupboards across from him.

"I was good...until you called. What do you want, Blaine?" he responded, voice stronger then he felt as he slumped back against the kitchen counter.

"I don't know...to hear your voice? To see you? To apologize maybe?"

There was a shaky laugh and Kurt wasn't aware that it had even come from him at first.

"You're kidding me, right? You're sick of your new boy already? No fun when he's not a bit on the side? How ungentlemanly of you," he spat. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he stood there. He could deal with this, he'd shed enough tears over the bastard recently.

"Kurt it's...it's not like that. It's not like I fell out of love with you...it's just...oh I don't even know right now! Just let me come over and I'll explain. I can't do this over the phone," Blaine stuttered down the other end and Kurt shook his head. It didn't matter to him if the other male couldn't see it. Not right now anyway.

"No, Blaine. I don't want to see you right now. I have plans with Finn and I'm not canceling on him for you," he snapped before he slammed the phone back down on its cradle. With shaking hands he covered his face and just breathed deeply, trying to calm down and stem his tears. He shouldn't cry, he couldn't cry. Not anymore.

The doorbell went off in the main room and he just remained where he was. The doorbell went again before the person on the other side started to knock.

"Kurt...are you in there!" Finn's disembodied voice called inside.

Slowly looking up from his hands, Kurt took a shuddering breath and straightened up. He'd said he wasn't going to cancel on Finn for Blaine and he wasn't going to.

"I'm just coming," he called, wiping at his eyes hastily as he pushed off from the counter and walked over to the front door. Opening up, Finn took one look at his face before he was bundling the smaller male in his arms.

"What's happened?"

Kurt sniffed quietly, burying his face in Finn's shoulder as he pressed his body close, seeking warmth and comfort from the taller male's body.

"Blaine called," he murmured, voice muffled by Finn's coat. Pulling slightly away, the taller brunet looked down at his friend with a small frown.

"What did he want?" he asked. Kurt pulled himself away from Finn completely, shaking his head once again as he tried to regain control of his emotions.

"To talk. He asked if he could come over and explain or apologize or something but I said I had plans with you instead," he explained, wiping at his eyes again with a quiet sigh. "And I don't really want to cancel on those plans just because of him. So can we please just go?"

With worried eyes, Finn studied Kurt carefully, probably trying to work out if he was likely to burst out crying on him or not before he wrapped a gentle arm around his shoulders.

"Sure. Let's go."

He let Kurt grab his coat before he carefully led him out, leaning against the wall as he waited for Kurt to lock up.

"Oh by the way...I'm organizing a special secret surprise for you for your birthday," Finn spoke up as Kurt turned his head to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Okay then."

Maybe his birthday was going to be something to look forwards to then rather than having to worry about his past with Blaine.

The air was cool that evening.

Kurt could feel the goose pimples pricking up on his arm as they left the stairs and stepped out onto concrete. He guessed they were on the roof but that didn't explain why Finn had blindfolded him. Warm hands kept a gentle grip on his shoulders, tugging him to a stop once they reached around the middle.

"We're here."

A smile twitched on Kurt's lips as he turned his head to look where he assumed Finn was standing behind him.

"Your 'special secret surprise' was to bring me up on my own roof?" he asked, laughter bubbling in his throat when he heard Finn scoff.

"The roof isn't the surprise," he answered.

That had Kurt's attention.

As Finn released him and stepped away, he reached up behind his head to tug the scarf free. The fabric fell to his feet, catching in the wind before floating a little further down the roof where Finn caught it. Kurt was more focused on the items that were in front of him...a picnic basket and a blanket?

Kurt tipped his head to the side slightly, stepping forward and kneeling down on the wool. He reached inside the basket; there was a bottle of red wine with some sandwiches and chips.

"I ummm...tried to cook something but I ended up burning it. Grilled cheese sandwiches were all I could do at short notice," Finn tried to explain, sounding apologetic. The soprano shook his head, though,

"It's fine, perfectly fine."

Clumsily, Finn sat down on the blanket beside him and pulled out the cellophane wrapped ceramic plate with the sandwiches on and unwrapped it, handing one to the smaller male with a grin.

"I know it's not a five star meal in a hotel but since you couldn't go home again so soon and you don't have a boyfriend I thought I could try to do something at least."

That was...unexpectedly sweet even, if the comment about his lack of a boyfriend was a bit of a harsh reminder. Not that he needed one. Still, it was the thought that counted, and Finn had tried to do something nice for him for his birthday. He watched Finn pull out the bottle of wine and two plastic wine glasses, the taller male grinning at him.

As they sipped their wine and ate their picnic, they chatted quietly. It was relaxed and after a stressful week at work, it was just what he needed. Kurt reclined back when he had eaten, resting on his elbows as he looked up at the sky. It was strangely clear for a night in the city, the effect of the stars was slightly dulled by the skyscrapers and the bright lights but it was a jaw-dropping view anyway.

"It's beautiful like this," Kurt murmured as Finn moved the basket and lay down next to him. His deep brown gaze was focused more upon the male then the scenery around them.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Finn didn't know why, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from Kurt. The brunet looked so relaxed and happy. His skin glowed porcelain in the moonlight, his eyes a deep impenetrable blue and his lips, his soft pink lips cocked into a gentle smile, looked kissable. The tendrils of desire wrapped around him, crawling over his skin and leaving him with goose bumps and almost breathless as he looked. He had never felt like this before and something told him that he shouldn't be reacting like this to Kurt. As the soprano turned to face him though, still smiling as his sapphire eyes met Finn's chocolate ones, something stirred within his chest and he almost leaned in then and there to kiss Kurt. He saw the smaller brunet's dark lashes fan across his cheeks as he looked at him almost expectantly, leaning in slightly himself.

He wanted to lean in the rest of the way himself but instead he gulped and turned away. The moment was broken and the sounds of the city below them came rushing back.

It just wasn't going to happen.

"He did what?" Tasha's voice screeched down the phone as Kurt held it slightly away from his ear. The woman sounded so excitable, it was almost as if she had been the one experiencing the evening rather than him.

"He organized a little picnic for me last night. It wasn't anything special but it was nice," he repeated, shrugging as he sat down on his bed, staring down at his bare feet as he twiddled with the cordless phone in his grasp.

"I heard that bit. I mean, he nearly kissed you?" she demanded, causing Kurt to roll his eyes as he lay back.

"Well, I don't know if he was. I could have sworn he was going to but he just turned away," he started, frowning slightly up at the ceiling, "I probably imagined it."

There was a snort down the other end of the phone,

"Honey, I doubt you were imagining it. Remember what I said when I left you at The Dove?" she asked. Kurt nodded, then realized she couldn't see it,

"Yes. You said he was so clearly into me that if he didn't want me then you would spill red wine down your white Chanel dress," he repeated drolly. Well, it wasn't like he actually believed it, and if she wasn't just saying the red wine as a figure of speech then she would be ruining a gorgeous dress.

"Exactly, I mean even if he doesn't want to date you he at least wants in your pants. Not that I could blame him...or blame you if you just want in his. That's one fine man," she said, giggling very loudly. Seriously, did Tasha always have to be like that? She was slightly boy crazy.

"Thanks... Seriously," he replied dryly and she calmed down with a sigh. He could just imagine her shaking her head,

"Sorry, sorry. Listen, I have to go now as my mom's visiting and she'll be here soon, and I still have to clean up. Don't hesitate to call with any updates, though. See you on Monday hon."

Kurt dropped the phone on the sheets beside him, thinking over what she had said. He had been certain that Finn had been about to kiss him last night, so certain. They'd both leaned in and they'd been so close...plus there had been all that touching at the bar...

Maybe it was worth trying to go a little further, just to see what sort of reaction he got. Yes... Why not? He was going to do that, and if Finn reacted well then maybe they could have something.

Rolling over onto his front, he rested his chin on his pillows.

It would just take some careful planning.

For Finn things weren't going so well though.

The memory of the almost kiss was haunting him. All he'd needed to do was lean in a little closer and then their lips would have been touching. It wouldn't have even had to have been a make out session to make him happy at the time. The whole scene had just felt so intimate and he'd gone and messed it up by moving away. All because part of him was still afraid about how he felt for Kurt.

He groaned, thumping his hand against the coffee shop table as he stared down at the rough wood.

He'd had to get out of the apartment, go somewhere where he hadn't hung out with Kurt recently so he'd ended up finding this little coffee shop he'd never heard of before. If Kurt ever went there then Finn didn't know about it and he'd rather keep it that way. Groaning again quietly to himself, he almost didn't hear somebody sit down in front of him.

"I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect to see you either," he responded, looking up to see Rachel with a cup of what was probably some strange tasting tea that was good for her throat. She was always trying to keep her voice in good condition, after all.

"This is my usual coffee shop. It's nice to stop in on the way to the theater," she replied with a small smile as she watched him. She took in his appearance, he looked tired and slightly irritable.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

Finn just shook his head, lifting his cup to sip at his coffee, pulling a face when he tasted that it had gone cold. He guessed he had been sitting there for longer then he'd thought he had.

"Finn, I still class you as my friend you know. I would have been in contact sooner but I thought you would want some space," she said, trying to convince him to tell her what was wrong. She wasn't dumb and she'd known Finn long enough to know that something was clearly wrong if he was avoiding talking about it.

"What does it matter? I just missed out on doing something because I almost freaked out. It's not exactly a huge, life changing event that involves you," he snapped. Rachel glared back; she was not going to be spoken to like that.

"Well it clearly matters to you," she retorted.

She wasn't going to stay here if he was going to be like that with her. She'd just been trying to help and she'd had a perfectly good reason to break up with him and it hadn't just been because she'd been going away. She'd realized that she wasn't actually in love with Finn but he'd been her dependable high school boyfriend. They may have had issues in the past but she had always been willing to forget them but when it came down to it... She'd never actually loved him. It had just been the idea of being with this popular guy who was also her lead male. When she had bumped into Jesse again and had started working with him for this musical, she'd once again started to realize what real love was.

If she'd have stayed with Finn, they'd have both been living a lie and that wouldn't have been fair on him now would it?

Getting to her feet, she moved to leave but there was a hand grabbing at her wrist and stopping her.

"Rachel, wait... I'm sorry. I guess I'm still kinda broken up over our fight," he murmured, clearly not wanting to admit it but it was enough for her. The Jewish woman took her seat again with a sad smile,

"I wish the break up could have been more amicable but what's done is done. I just hope you find someone soon," she admitted with a small sigh. Bringing her cup to her mouth, she blew gently at the hot drink as she watched conflicting emotions crossing Finn's face. He looked like he wanted to say something that was causing him confusion...probably the reason why he was so upset.

"What...if I said I think I might be...falling for someone else already?" he questioned, not looking up to meet her eyes and instead focusing purely on his drink.

Falling for someone already? She knew it had been a month or so since they'd finished but that still seemed a little soon to her. Not rebound soon, but... How could he have met someone he wanted to get so serious over so quickly? Unless he already knew them... If he already knew them then they wouldn't need to get to know each other and there could have possibly been feelings there before.

Her eyes widened slightly...it couldn't be...

"It's Kurt, isn't it?"

Finn's head jerked up, his pupils blown wide as he looked at Rachel worriedly.

"H...how did you know? Have you been talking to him?" he demanded, his grip on his mug clearly tightening. Rachel reached out, placing a hand on top of one of his much larger ones.

"No. I haven't spoken to him in years, but I know you, Finn. There's always been a little spark between you two, even if you didn't want to see it," she explained with a small smile. She could feel his hand relax under hers and eventually she pulled away to return to her own drink.

"So are you going to tell me what's been going on since you and I broke up or am I going to have to guess?"

She could have sworn she heard him muttering something about her being far too nosy for her own good but she decided to ignore it for now at least.

"Well, I went back home like I said I would. He was on the same flight as I was apparently and we were seated right next to each other. Turns out he'd been through a pretty bad break up recently himself. So we just caught up and hung out a lot together back home. Then, when he came back here... Well, we stayed in contact and we've just seen a lot of each other," he explained slowly.

That was all he was going to give her, really?

"It was his birthday recently wasn't it?"

A nod.

"Did you do anything together to celebrate?"

"... Maybe..."

Rachel sighed; he wasn't going to give her anything was he?

"Obviously you did and whatever you did is probably what's causing your inner turmoil and it's no surprise really. I mean, there may have always been a spark but now you're igniting it so soon after you got out of a serious relationship. One I know you were happy in for at least some of, and you seemed pretty broken up when we split," she rambled, a frown coming to her face now.

"What are you saying Rachel?"

The brunette female seemed to pause to think for a moment but as per her usual self, she just spit out what she'd been thinking.

"I think it's too soon for you to be entering some sort of serious relationship. Even thinking about it isn't doing you any good so maybe you should just stay away from him for a bit. It'd be for the best," she stated.

Finn frowned, trying to think of something to argue back as his phone started to ring in his pocket. He pulled it out; hopefully whoever it was would be less infuriating then Rachel to speak to. It was Kurt. He stared at his phone for a few moments, wanting to answer it but not while Rachel was around.

Apparently he'd hesitated too long because suddenly Rachel was leaning over to snatch his phone and answering it without even looking to see who it was.

"Kurt? I thought so. Now listen up. I wouldn't call or try and contact Finn anytime soon. He's still in a very delicate state and you throwing yourself at him isn't helping his confusion. He needs time to be himself before he even thinks about starting a relationship. What? Oh, you say that but you and I both know that's not true, you never got over him and now he's showing an interest back, you're right in there. I'm not saying you have to stay away forever but since it sounds to me like you're incapable of being friends, maybe you need to try and avoid...hello?"

With a frown, Rachel placed the phone back on the table.

"He hung up on me. How rude," she muttered.

Oh, that was it.

Finn grabbed his phone and leapt to his feet,

"Of course he hung up Rachel. You were feeding him a load of bullshit. Now if you excuse me I have a friend I urgently need to go talk to," he snapped before he stormed off.

"I thought I might find you up here."

Kurt turned his head slightly, looking blankly at the taller male standing in the entrance to the roof and shrugged,

"I needed time to think."

He turned his head back.

There were footsteps and then Finn was sitting down beside him,

"About what Rachel said?" he asked.

Another shrug,

"She had a point."

The two men lapsed into silence, watching their breath in the frigid air as they thought upon the situation they were in.

"I don't think we're growing too close," Finn commented, turning his head to look at Kurt with a stubborn frown. So what if he was starting to think he liked Kurt? So what if they had perhaps been closer than friends were expected to be? That didn't mean they were 'too close', that didn't mean that they shouldn't hang out. Rachel was just being stupid.

Kurt remained silent.

This wasn't an issue that was going to be resolved easily. They had been hanging out too much. Every time they were going to meet Kurt got butterflies, butterflies, in his stomach. He walked with a bounce to his step, had a silly grin on his face and it was definitely something his coworkers were starting to notice. How many times had he been asked who the lucky guy was? Every single time he answered that it was just an old friend he was meeting up with but no one ever believed him.

Not that he could blame them.

Once again he had fallen for Finn and he'd fallen hard.

"No. You're not growing too close to me but that doesn't mean I feel the same about you."

Kurt pushed himself to his feet slowly, eyes focusing on anything other than Finn. He stepped back and turned to walk away, his heart dropping when it seemed like Finn wasn't going to try to stop him. He'd made his point but...that didn't mean he wanted Finn to give up the fight so easily. Obviously he didn't care that much.

A larger hand reached out for his then, gripping gently and tangling their fingers together to stop Kurt in his tracks.

"How do you know I'm not? Listen... I don't know what I want to be to you but... what I do know is that I want us to at least try and be friends. I'm not going to stop hanging out with you because Rachel says so...especially not when you need me...so... Yeah..." Finn stated, trailing off slightly unsurely at the end. He didn't want to annoy Kurt or to give him false hope or anything because he honestly didn't know what he wanted but... he was certain that he didn't want to stop hanging out with him either.

The smaller male turned, lips pursed slightly as he studied Finn's face carefully. He didn't know whether to listen or not. He didn't know whether he should just give in and allow himself to be slave to unrequited love once again. As his cerulean eyes met Finn's chocolate ones, he could feel his resolve melting and he knew that he was going to end up giving in.

It really was useless for him to fight his desires.

"Okay then."

And for now, that was enough for the both of them.

Things continued on as usual after that. They hung when they could and enjoyed each other's company. Neither of them spoke of the almost kiss and it didn't happen again. Possibly because Kurt made sure that they were never close enough.

If they were going to remain just good friends, then there had to be limits.

Perhaps there should have been limits on the amount of time they spent around each other, though; perhaps they shouldn't have given each other the spare keys to their apartments just in case, and perhaps Kurt shouldn't have let Finn practically move in with him.

And it wasn't like this all went unnoticed. Oh no, people certainly noticed.

The first person to really notice was Blaine.

It was stupid really but even when he'd broken his heart he still felt partially in debt to him. The slightly shorter man had been there for him for a long time and had helped him through a lot. If it hadn't been for Blaine...Kurt didn't know what he would have done in a lot of situations.

The dark haired man looked slightly unsure as he entered the apartment, going to take a seat on the couch but having to move a plaid button up shirt that obviously did not belong to Kurt out of the way. The brunet scowled slightly, picking the offending object up and folding it carefully over his arm as he went to deposit it with the laundry.

"I swear I told him that if he insisted on stripping off and leaving his clothes here he could at least put them somewhere neatly," he muttered to himself.

That...confused Blaine slightly. He...? Stripping off...? Had Kurt moved on and found himself a new man already? No, he couldn't have... He was so bloody picky that it was practically impossible...

"Sorry. Finn's practically moved in because of the TV. I've heard of friends living closely together but sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous," Kurt explained as he sat down next to the other male with a nervous smile.

"And you've let him?" Blaine asked, slightly surprised. He had remembered Kurt telling him he couldn't come over because he'd been going out with Finn but he didn't think they could have become that close, that quickly.

Kurt shifted about slightly uncomfortably,

"Well...yes. We're practically like brothers, anyway. We could have been at one point. You know that," he explained unconvincingly.

Blaine just looked at him.

"...Okay... So I still like him. Can we just deal with the reason why you came over in the first place...?"

With a nod and a sigh, Blaine gave in and they started to discuss the more important things that came out of their splitting up. Blaine agreed to continue to pay his half of the rent until Kurt managed to find himself a flat mate. They were also going to try and remain friends, but Kurt didn't want to hear from the other again until he was ready and Blaine gathered together the last of his things. He was getting ready to leave when the front door opened and Finn entered with a plastic bag of groceries.

Finn stopped, meeting Blaine's gaze with his own as they looked each other up and down in a predatory fashion. Neither male moved a muscle at first, not until Kurt joined them with a sigh. He'd asked Finn to stay away today but apparently, he hadn't listened. Eventually, Blaine stepped back, dropping his head in a show of submission.

"I'll see you around, Kurt... Maybe," he said before he started forwards, slipping past Finn and out of the apartment. The taller male turned his gaze on Kurt dropping the bag as the soprano crossed his arms almost defensively.

"Is he why you wanted me out of the way today?"

Silence...

"What the fuck dude...? I mean, seriously?"

Kurt scowled, tilting his head up as he met Finn's eyes with a glare of his own.

"What does it even matter? We had things to sort out, I don't even get why you're pissed. You have no reason whatsoever to be mad at me," he snapped back.

"Why the hell not Kurt...? Or have you forgotten that last time he contacted you, you wound up crying my arms," Finn shouted, stepping forwards to grab Kurt by the shoulders.

"Well as you can see, I'm fine this time! We're adults Finn; we had things we needed to sort out in a mature fashion. Why are you getting so upset? It's not like it affects you in anyway," he retorted.

What the hell was wrong with Finn, just coming in and lashing out at him for no reason whatsoever?

"Because the moment he asks to come back you'll let him and then I'll lose you," Finn shouted, not thinking over what he said until the words had already left his mouth. His eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed a few more times as Kurt blinked up at him. The smaller brunet looked conflicted, he didn't know whether to smack or kiss Finn right now.

Was that all it had been?

Was Finn jealous of Blaine?

Finn stepped back, gulping but Kurt just followed him step for step. He looked up at him from under his eyelashes.

"You're not going to lose me Finn...not unless you want me to leave..." he said slowly, his lips turning up into a small smile as Finn stopped in the middle of the room. He seemed to be frozen, Kurt's gaze keeping him there, enraptured by the smaller male's smooth, confident movements.

Stopping in front of him, the soprano placed his hands on the taller male's shoulders, fingers gently stroking his shoulder blades through his coat and shirt.

"You're the one I want...not Blaine," he murmured as he slowly leaned into to brush his lips against Finn's. It was nothing more than a brushing of the lips and lasted mere seconds before he pulled away. Their gaze never broke as Finn followed after him, lips connecting more insistently. The kisses remained short though, fast, hot and needy. Their actions became more deliberate, Kurt's hands gripping at Finn's coat and pushing it off his shoulders as the taller man shrugged it off and let it drop to the floor. His fingers quickly dropped to the sweater which he tried to tug it off of him, needing to reveal the skin hidden under beneath. Finn's fingers went straight to the buttons on his shirt, practically ripping them open as Kurt moaned into his mouth.

The sound permeated the silence, breaking the spell.

Finn pulled away hastily, stumbling backwards as he stared at Kurt with shock. Before Kurt could say anything the other man had grabbed his coat and fled the room leaving a broken hearted Kurt with nothing but his sweater and the plastic bag of groceries.

Contact between the pair ceased after that, neither male wanted to see or even think about the other as they tried to get on with their own lives.

It wasn't like when they'd broken up with Blaine or Rachel, though; it was something that seemed to numb them both. Their feelings had run a lot deeper than either would like to admit. They'd been in love since their sophomore year of high school even if it had taken Finn until now to realize it.

It was obvious that they both still had a lot to learn and that they needed each other to be able to do that, but that was something neither of them wanted to admit to any longer.

It would take some force to push them back together any time soon.

Force arrived in the form of one Miss Mercedes Jones.

She swept into Kurt's office one Wednesday evening, a bright addition to the middle of a boring week. Radiant in all her multicolored glory, she looked amazing as she stalked through the corridors and into Kurt's office with nothing more than a single knock. She had a bright grin on her face as she greeted her best friend. Tasha had been with Kurt at the time and familiar with the diva she squealed slightly and stepped forwards after Mercedes had hugged Kurt to give her a hug of her own.

"I wasn't expecting to see you Mercedes," Kurt greeted with a cheerful laugh as he leaned back his desk, his messenger bag taking the seat space as he and Tasha had just been getting ready to leave. They'd planned to go back to his place and eat ice cream and watch chick flicks all night to try and make Kurt feel slightly better about Finn freaking out after that kiss. Not that he could see how movies about women who always managed to win over the men of their dreams, when part of the reason Finn had probably freaked out was that he had always classed himself as straight, would make him feel any better. He was the sort of guy who would be the hero in said romantic comedies, the sort of guy most girls dreamed of having. He'd been lucky enough to get a taste but... Obviously, he hadn't been good enough.

Something smacked him on the arm and Kurt looked up to see Tasha crossing her arms and Mercedes looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"Kurt... What are you looking so depressed over? Is there something you haven't been informing me of?" the black woman asked slowly.

Oh boy...Kurt wasn't looking forwards to explaining to her.

He sighed, pushing himself straight and grabbing his bag,

"I'll tell you the whole story back at mine, where I believe we all have an appointment with two lovely men named Ben and Jerry," he said, holding out his arms for the two women to link onto before they all left the building and headed for his place.

It was going to be a long night.

Across the city in a smaller apartment Noah Puckerman lay slumped on the sofa, one eye open as he watched Finn attempting to wash up in the kitchen but succeeding more at breaking all the plates he owned.

"Dude what is up with you. You're kitchen is practically spotless anyway, looks like you haven't eaten in for weeks," Puck asked as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He saw his friend's back tense up in the kitchenette.

"So what if I haven't?" Finn responded, slightly snappishly as he turned his head to glare at the mohawked man and Puck raised his hands in defense.

"Chill man! What's got your panties in a twist?" he responded with a raised eyebrow.

Ever since he had arrived the afternoon before Finn had been acting like he had male-PMS, acting seriously moody and snappish. He'd lightened up after a few beers the night before and had let Puck stay but now he was back to being rude all the time. He knew his best friend had broken up with Rachel, he'd heard that from her himself. She was the reason he was here actually - she'd called up Quinn and asked her to send him over to make sure Finn was okay. Apparently he was already having relationship troubles with some other chick. That was what Quinn had told him at any rate; there had been no way that he was going to talk to Berry. That chick was all kinds of crazy, even if she was kind of hot. If he wasn't engaged then he would have totally hooked up with her while in New York, actually, but he was a changed man. He wasn't going to sleep around anymore, not now that he had won Quinn back.

"Seriously Finn, you're my bro. If something's bothering you, you can tell me, you know."

Finn sighed, carefully placing the mug he had in his hands down as he headed back into the main room and collapsed on the sofa next to Puck.

"I just...I just did something really stupid recently and I really regret it and now I've probably lost my only chance with someone I think I may have loved forever," he muttered with another tired sigh.

Someone he had loved forever?

This wasn't some random chick he'd started a hook up with then.

"Yeah...? Can't be worse than knocking a girl up then still going off and sleeping around with other girls rather than sticking by the pregnant woman who actually turns out to be the love of your life," Puck said casually, wincing slightly but trying to make Finn feel better. He really had been stupid and a man-whore as a teenager.

The taller male laughed humorlessly,

"No, I just acted kinda homophobic, made stupid mistakes, let him get bullied and recently freaked out after we got into a rather heated kiss a few days ago," he responded miserably.

Why did he always have to fuck things up with Kurt?

"Dude, are you two ever going to get together, or are you just going to carry on fighting forever?"

Puck's response was...surprising to say the least.

Turning to face his best friend, Finn blinked in confusion as the mohawked male shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Seriously...? So what if you had another little spat? Doesn't mean you should just sit here sulking. Call him up and... I dunno... buy him some flowers or something. Chicks usually like that sort of thing," he responded, punching his friend gently in the arm.

"Wh...what...? You're not surprised? You're not going to make some sort of comment about him 'turning me queer'?" Finn stuttered, confusion evident on his face. Puck rolled his eyes,

"Dude, he didn't need to. You've been gay for him for so long it doesn't even bother me anymore. If you wanna date him then go ahead and do it. I'm not gonna stop you," he replied.

As Finn sat there, still confused, Puck picked up the phone and dropped it into his lap as he jumped to his own feet.

"Just call him up and ask to meet up or something. It won't kill you and it might stop you from sulking like Sarah did when she got dumped for the first time," he teased before he disappeared into the bathroom to give the other male some privacy. The empty beer can that Finn had thrown narrowly missed as Puck slammed the bathroom door with a laugh.

Picking up the phone, Finn stared down at it. Maybe Puck had a point; he at least owed Kurt an explanation right? Right, of course he did.

Taking a deep breath he dialed the familiar number for Kurt's flat and waited, fingers tapping against his knee nervously.

"You've been going after Finn, again? Didn't you learn your lesson last time boy?" Mercedes exclaimed as she jumped to her feet, hands on her hips as she glared down at her best friend. That boy seemed to have a masochistic streak when it came to Finn Hudson and she just couldn't understand why.

"I thought you said you were over him when you got with Blaine?" she asked as Tasha looked between them curiously. She had never managed to get the full story out of Kurt but it looked like he and Finn had some serious history. Kurt sighed, shaking his head,

"I thought I was but I've never really gotten over him, 'Cedes. God knows I've tried, but not even Blaine was on the same level as him and this time...this time he actually reciprocated somewhat. He kissed me back and kept doing all these romantic things and...oh god, I really don't know," he tried to explained, groaning as he slumped further down into his seat.

Tasha on the other hand had placed her bowl down and was standing up beside him.

"I may not know much about their history but I do know that Finn really seemed to like Kurt. And I mean really," she commented with a laugh as Mercedes shot her a dirty look. "What I mean is his interest seemed genuine so maybe it was his past confusing him. Maybe he just needed some time to think," she suggested with a small shrug.

Listening, Kurt shook his head tiredly,

"Who knows with him? I certainly don't obviously."

The phone went off in the kitchen and Kurt got to his feet, lumbering over to get it as his two female friends bickered over his romantic wellbeing. It was nice that they both cared but he sort of wished they'd just both agree on something so they could just pressure him into the right decision, seeing as he certainly didn't know what to do.

"Hello?" he greeted into the receiver as he picked up the phone, leaning against the counter as he waited for a response. All he heard for a few moments was quiet breathing, and then he heard him.

"Kurt...hey..."

His defenses went up automatically and he tensed up.

"What do you want, Finn?" he demanded sharply, voice slightly shrill as he reached out to shut the kitchen door with a frown so the girls couldn't hear his conversation.

"...Kurt...listen...I know you don't wanna see my right now. Actually, I'm pretty sure you'd rather burn your entire wardrobe then see me right now but...can we meet up sometime soon...I just want you to know why I freaked and then if you want me to, I'll leave you alone forever."

Kurt frowned, he didn't want Finn to leave him alone forever, and maybe part of him wanted to see him right now. He bit at his bottom lip slightly, unsure what to do but he soon sighed resignedly.

"How about right now if that's okay? We can talk on the roof and then if you've left anything around mine then I can give it back to you afterwards," he decided as he took a deep breath.

He heard shuffling on the other end of the phone and a murmur of voices, it sounded like Finn was telling someone to behave and they were arguing, but then Finn was back again.

"Okay, I'm headed right over. See you soon."

The phone clicked off and Kurt returned it to the cradle, taking a deep breath as he went to return to the living room to explain everything. If Mercedes and Tasha hadn't already listening in that was. Unsurprisingly, as Kurt went to pull open the door, his friends tumbled into the room and he rolled his eyes.

"How much did you hear?" he asked as he waited for them to right themselves before he returned to the living room.

Mercedes and Tasha followed, sitting on the coffee table in front of him much to his chagrin.

"We heard enough. So you're meeting him on your roof soon right? You want us to stay here for moral support?" Mercedes asked. The brunette next to her smiled and nodded, though there was a glint of confusion in her eyes.

"Why the roof though? You're not going to push him off are you? Because I'm not dressed for dealing with corpses," she asked.

...That was a slightly worrying statement...

As Kurt and Mercedes looked at her like she was a freak, her cheeks colored and she held up her hands as if to say 'what did I say?'

"No...I'm not going to push him off. I just like it up there and...it's sort of a special place for us, if you remember," Kurt answered. He knew that as perceptive as Tasha was she could be a little dumb sometimes, but... That was seriously taking it down to Brittany's level of dumb.

She seemed to remember him telling her about the roof top picnic then as she mouthed 'ooooh', and promptly shut her mouth and kept quiet, probably a wise idea.

"But yes, I would like you to stay down here. If things go badly then I'm going to come down to get his things and kick him out of my life for good but if things go well...I don't know. We'll just have to see," he explained with a sigh. The two women nodded and they sat in silence, Kurt shifting about nervously and checking his appearance every five minutes until the doorbell rang.

That had to be Finn.

Finn had actually brought a bottle of wine and a blanket. He'd forgotten to get glasses and he didn't have the sense to ask for any when he was standing outside Kurt's apartment, but it was the thought that counted. At least the wine was a screw top so as Finn lay the blanket out, Kurt was able to get the lid off and take a swig to calm his nerves.

"So you were going to tell me why you had a big gay freak out and ran away from me?" he asked as he pulled the bottle from his lips, handing the bottle over as he took a seat on the blanket. It wasn't the same, swigging a bottle of wine like that, unfortunately. He watched as Finn swigged an even larger mouthful then he had before joining him on the blanket.

"Y...yeah...I guess I just freaked out because it was all so much at once y'know. I started thinking...maybe Rachel was right and maybe you were right saying I shouldn't be jealous and then I got to thinking how I couldn't be gay because I'd never liked guys before you and I just...I'm sorry Kurt. I wish I hadn't reacted like that, I really wish I hadn't and that we'd carried on but I was still freaked out over the fact I'd been so jealous of Blaine and then you were kissing me and it was just...ugh...I don't know," Finn rambled, furrowing his brow as he tried to work out what to say that would make everything better. He didn't want Kurt to be upset with him, if he had a chance of repairing his relationship with Kurt again then he wanted to fix it the best he could. He wasn't good with words though and he looked hopelessly at Kurt, hoping he was getting the message across okay.

Kurt just looked thoughtful, like he understood what Finn was saying but he just didn't know what to do with it. Finn was pretty sure he looked like that quite a lot.

"So you're saying...maybe we moved a bit fast? Not that you necessarily don't want to be with me?" he questioned, bringing his knees up to his chest as he placed his hands on them. Finn nodded,

"Yeah...I mean, I'm pretty sure I want to be with you, Kurt. And I was speaking to Puck earlier and he made me realize that I've wanted to be with you for a long time. I just never know what to do but... I think I'm ready now... If we go slowly, then it should be fine," he answered with a small smile. He watched a matching smile grow on Kurt's lips and it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders and that his heart was so light he could float into the air. But that would be a bit too gay for him, obviously.

"So...you want to be together? Officially, I mean?" Kurt asked slowly, really not wanting to push Finn right now.

Around them the sun had started to set, bathing them in a soft orange light as they subconsciously leaned in closer. Finn paused for a moment, for a fleeting second debating whether to run away again or not but eventually he nodded.

"Yeah... I do."

With a small smile, Kurt leaned in and kissed Finn again, this time it wasn't too heated and Finn didn't pull away. He reached out to grasp the smaller male by the hips, tugging him onto his lap. The soprano placed a hand on one arm, fingers stroking the skin gently as he pulled slightly away from the kiss.

"Finn...I love you," he murmured.

Could Finn respond earnestly to that? Did he know how he felt for Kurt?

As looked down, though, he took in the blue eyes, wide with hope, the rosy cheeks and the slightly parted lips. He was dressed in some eccentric shirt and vest combo, something that Finn wouldn't dare be caught in but it suited Kurt perfectly. He thought back on all the times they'd spent together, all the conversations they'd had and all the things they could do together. He felt his heart swelling in his chest and with a smile of his own, he knew his answer.

He bent his head to capture Kurt's lips with his own for another moment, capturing his bottom lip and nibbling gently as he softly responded,

"I love you too."

They kissed slowly, their lips and tongues moving with each other as they explored the new territory. Kurt's fingers continued to trail up and down the bare skin of his arm, hand dropping to the taller male's back. His slender fingers slipped up his shirt, mapping out patterns on his back. It was slow, gentle... Perfect. Finn's lips moved, scattering gentle kisses across his jaw and down his neck. The soprano tilted his head slightly, giving Finn better access to that long pale column that always seemed so tempting. He kissed, licked and nipped slowly, marking Kurt as his own.

Kurt moaned quietly, eyes fluttering shut for a few seconds before meeting Finn's eyes with his own, his pupils blown wide as he expressed his need without words.

Slowly Finn laid Kurt back, not dropping eye contact as well as he licked at his lips nervously. He was the one who had said he wanted to go slow but... He just couldn't stop... Something just felt so right. His hands reached down to clasp the smaller brunet's shirt, pulling it up until it scrunched up under his arms. He pressed soft kisses against the pale skin, stopping to toy with each nipple as the soprano keened underneath his mouth, hands reaching up to curl into the taller male's hair.

His lips continued their path until they reached the waistband of Kurt's jeans. With shaking hands, he pulled away to unfasten them, moving slightly to the side so Kurt could kick his shoes off before the jeans were pulled off of his feet. The smaller male sat up, working at Finn's jeans until they were undone and he was able to get them off before resuming his place above Kurt.

They simply looked at each other for a few moments; this wasn't something they'd prepared for. They had no precautions and they were going to be having sex on the roof in the winter. In anyone's mind it had to be a bad idea but neither man had it in him to care. Kurt took hold of one of Finn's hands, bringing it up to his mouth and, with a small sigh, slipping three of the digits into his mouth. He sucked gently, tongue lathering them in saliva as Finn watched him in surprise, enjoying the unexpected sensation.

After a little while, Finn pulled his fingers out with a quiet pop, lifting one of Kurt's legs up to his shoulder with his other hand, raising his hips and stretching him open so he could prepare him. He pressed one finger against the puckered hole, circling it before he gently pushed the digit past the tight ring of muscle. He wiggled it about carefully, trying to open Kurt up and find his prostate at the same time. The second finger soon followed and then a third. Carefully, he crooked his fingers, finally brushing against that bundle of nerves that had Kurt moaning for more.

Finn still wasn't sure about this. What if he hurt Kurt? He opened his mouth to ask. The smaller male just shook his head.

"Finn...please?" he pleaded.

Removing his fingers, he spat into his hand and wrapped it around himself, pumping himself a few times as he spread the mixture of precome and saliva across his length. Finn grasped Kurt's leg on his shoulder tightly with his other hand, really glad for the smaller male's flexibility as he lined himself up.

And then, slowly, he was pushing in. With each roll of his hips, he was taken further and further in, until finally, he was buried all the way in Kurt. He gasped quietly as he stilled himself, not wanting to hurt the soprano. His free hand went to Kurt's hip, squeezing him gently as he waited for the smaller male to get used to the invasion.

Eventually Kurt rolled his hips forward, licking his lips slightly as he nodded at Finn. Finn thrusted slowly at first, trying out different angles until he'd found Kurt's prostate again. His hips kept stabbing forwards but he knew he wasn't going to last long. He never could. Finn leaned forwards, hand reaching to grasp Kurt's cock as he pressed their lips together in another sweet kiss.

His thrusts grew faster, less controlled as he started to pump Kurt's cock; the brunet was writhing and moaning beneath him, unable to do much else.

Finn could feel all the tell-tale signs of his impending orgasm coming as he pushed into Kurt, again and again and again. He just felt so wonderful, so hot and tight. It was a high he had never felt when having sex with any women before - a high he doubted he would feel with any man other than Kurt, either.

"F...Finn...I love you..."

And that was it for Finn; he came with a cry and then his seed was filling Kurt, the former jock riding out his orgasm as he gazed down dazedly at Kurt. As he returned to his senses, he didn't pull out just yet, though; instead, he squeezed gently at Kurt's member, stroking him until he came with a muted moan, Finn murmuring, "I love you too," in his ear.

Finally Finn pulled out, flopping down on the blanket next to him and looking up at the now dark sky.

"Well, that was certainly different," he murmured, holding one arm open as he watched Kurt roll onto his side to curl up against him out of the corner of his eye. "Good different though. Best sex I've ever had," he added with a slightly cheesy grin. He felt Kurt laugh against him, his breath warm as they cuddled up close,

"And yet you're the one who said he wanted to go slow not long before," the smaller brunet teased. Finn just smiled and placed a gentle peck on the other man's head,

"Yeah, well, the moment just seemed right and I don't regret it. We'll just have to go slow starting now."

We...they were officially a 'we' now.

They were together and they both wanted to be. They had a future and, well, Kurt was excited to find out what the future might contain.

~~~~ A Year Later ~~~~

"Yeah, we'll see you guys in the morning."

There was heavy sigh as the hotel door finally shut, Finn kicking off his shoes and flinging his jacket off as he flopped back onto the bed.

"I'm exhausted, what a day," he whined as he slung one arm over his face, closing his eyes with another sigh. There was a snort and the bed went down again as Kurt sat on the edge of the mattress.

"You were the one who offered to be the best man of possibly the only man who would still get pissed out of his mind the night before his wedding," the soprano responded dryly as he looked down at his boyfriend.

They'd been together for a year now; no one had been at all surprised and to be honest, that had been a good thing.

"I didn't think he'd be that bad! I mean, all the other guys behaved!"

Kurt rolled his eyes, leaning over the taller male as he uncovered his face,

"Oh really...? From what Blaine tells me you were pretty far gone yourself. I'm surprised you weren't complaining of a hangover as well," he commented with a raised eyebrow. Finn at least had the decency to look embarrassed as he pulled Kurt down onto the bed so he was staring down at him.

"Are you really going to listen to them? They spent the whole night sucking each other's faces off. It was supposed to be stag night," he defended with a small pout.

With a fond smile, Kurt shook his head and reached up to cup Finn's face gently,

"And yet you wouldn't have been complaining if I'd been there. Quinn needed some last minute adjustments on her dress though and I had to pick out something suitable for Rachel to wear, otherwise she would have looked like a clown. And Jesse practically begged me to help her. She's apparently been moaning for weeks but could never find anything for herself," he teased with a sigh, raising his head to peck a lazy kiss on the taller male's lips.

Finn smiled back and got up then, going over to his jacket and reaching into the pocket to pull out a small jeweler's box.

"This whole wedding thing has got me thinking though... About trying this whole marriage thing out ourselves," he started off-handedly, walking back over to the bed and getting down on one knee as Kurt slowly sat up.

Was he dreaming?

"Kurt, you know I'm no good with words, so you'll have to bear with me but... You're the best thing to ever happen to me...even back when I was too stupid to realize it. Sure, you can be bitchy, judgmental and slightly over the top but inside that perfectly dressed body you have a good heart. You're sweet, caring and you've always put me before yourself. And though I have no idea what I'm saying, seriously dude, I do know that I want to be with you forever so...will you marry me?" he asked

Even though he was rambling, and had slightly insulted Kurt with some of his explanation - and really, who calls their possible fiancé dude? - Kurt couldn't think of a more wonderful way for Finn to ask.

Subtly he tried to pinch himself but he knew Finn saw him from the grin spread across his face.

"You're not dreaming Kurt. I really, really want to marry you," he teased.

And how could Kurt say no to that?

He felt tears welling up in his eyes, holding out his hand as he nodded.

"Y...yes... Yes, I will marry you, Finn Hudson," he managed to choke out. He watched Finn open the box and saw a slender golden band with a small diamond set into the middle shaped like a small heart. Taking his boyfriend's hand in his own, he slid the ring onto his ring finger before he bent his head to kiss the small jewel lightly.

"Almost as beautiful as the man wearing it," he murmured.

Suddenly Kurt was flinging his arms around Finn's neck, hugging him tightly, not trying to restrain himself anymore. He kissed him, beaming at the man who was still down on one knee. Not for long though as he pushed himself to his feet and swept Kurt into his arms with a grin of his own, dropping him back onto the bed.

"So I say we celebrate," he commented, getting onto the bed himself and crawling over his fiancé. With a coy smile, Kurt wrapped his arms around Finn's neck and pulled him down for another kiss.

"I agree...I love you, Finn," he murmured. The taller man pulled away for a few seconds to nuzzle the brunet's neck gently.

"I love you, too, Kurt."

-end-

AN: This was a huge project for me so though I'm glad it's done and up on LJ...I thought I would post it here as well for more people to read. There is also some AMAZING art which I will link to on my profile sometime soon.

I hope you enjoyed and please review!