A/N: Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments, it means such a lot to know that people are enjoying it. I have no idea how long this story will end up being, it kind of writes itself!
If Finn knew what the word "mortified" meant, that's how he would be feeling. But he doesn't, so all he does is wish that the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
He is fully aware that he is now just staring at Kurt's face, open-mouthed and confused. Say something, Hudson. "Huh?" He shakes his head then formulates a more coherent sentence. "Oh God! Why am I so dumb? Why did I believe my stupid dream? I bet you think I'm an idiot, thinking you were dying and all that. Jeez. I'm sorry, Kurt. I'll just... I'll just go."
"I think it's sweet that you were so concerned for me," Kurt smiled. "I think maybe you should come inside, calm down for a bit before you drive home." Sensing Finn's unease, he added, "Don't worry, my dad's not in. Drink?"
"Huh?" Finn is still processing the Hummel/Hudson relationship. "How long? And uh yeah, just a glass of water?" He plops down onto the sofa as Kurt moves into the kitchen, busying himself preparing drinks.
As the rooms are across the hall from each other, Kurt doesn't really need to raise his voice much to reply. "He just said they met at some PTA thing and hit it off. Then they went on a few dates, and here we are." Entering the room again, he passes a glass of water to his friend, and sits on the armchair directly opposite. "I doubt he would have told me if it wasn't serious. But your mom didn't tell you?"
"No. Last night I was playing Call of Duty when I heard her come in. And now I think about it, she looked a bit nervous this morning, I just thought she was tired though. She didn't eat her omelette either, and it's her favorite." He takes a sip of the cool water and asks, "So are we brothers now, or what?"
Kurt laughs nervously. "I don't think so. They aren't married or anything yet. We can still be just friends."
"Cool," Finn replies. "Because it would be weird to be brothers, you know. It was always just me and my mom. I don't know what having a dad and a brother would be like. But you knew your mom, so it's different. You've known what it's like and you don't think you'd want anyone to replace her."
"Very perceptive, Finn." Pausing briefly, he continues, "Oh, that's the phone." He walks out of the room, and then runs upstairs, leaving Finn wondering a) what the hell the word 'perceptive' means, and b) if Kurt's hearing things, because he doesn't hear a phone ringing at all.
He's not sure if he should go and find out what's going on, because what if Kurt really is on the phone, and he interrupts a private conversation? Finally, he stands up, having decided to investigate, but is distracted by a photograph on the wall. It's a picture of Mr and Mrs Hummel, with a very young Kurt. He notices that Mrs Hummel shares a lot of her features with her son – they both have the same dark hair, and the same shaped nose, and the same cute dimples when they smile. Wait, cute?
He shakes the thought from his head as he hears Kurt descend the stairs slowly. Poking his head through the doorway, Finn smiles – one of those sideways smiles that makes half the girls at William McKinley swoon. "I don't know what that word you said means, but I'm sorry if I upset you by talking about your mom. I was looking at her photograph though. She's very beautiful. She looks a lot like you."
Seeing that his apology has had the opposite effect than he intended (Kurt is starting to look a little weepy again), Finn walks forward to his friend, who has stopped on the second step from the bottom of the stairs, making their heights almost equal. "I'm not very good with words. I don't know the right words to say. Or when to stop saying the wrong ones. Is there anything I can do? Would you rather I just left?"
"No, don't go. I would just start to feel sorry for myself if I was left alone. Which would be fitting if this was a movie, there'd be some sad song playing in the background as the camera panned away from me sitting, staring out of the window." Finn's glad that Kurt's sense of theatricality is back, it means he's cheered up a bit. "But I could use a hug. Just don't crush me this time."
"Sure, I can do that." Now that Kurt's at more-or-less the same height as Finn, he takes the opportunity to rest his head on the quarterback's shoulder. Finn's arm wraps around his back.
They stay there silently for a few moments, until Kurt can't hold it in any longer, and starts to cry again. "I'm sorry. I just miss her," he mumbles into the blue and red stripes on Finn's shoulder. Far from being freaked out, Finn just strokes Kurt's back gently. "Don't worry. I miss my dad and I never knew him. And sometimes you just need to cry, right?"
So they stood there, quietly. Neither of them hear the front door open. "You know I'm always here for you, Kurt? If you ever need me, just call," Finn says, as they pull away from the hug. "I know what it's like to feel how you're feeling."
And as Finn turn around, and as Kurt looks up, they are both faced with a very gobsmacked Burt Hummel. "Guys. Do we need to talk?"
