More Burt and Kurt, but of course it's me who wrote it so you probably already knew there'd be a lot of that here. The father-son dynamic is just absolutely beautiful to me and its a big part of the reason I kept watching Glee in the first two seasons so of course I'm going to write about it a lot.


3. Spring 2006, Sixth grade - the time he lied to his dad

So it wasn't Broadway. Burt couldn't get Kurt there. They were on a bit of a budget this year. Granted it would probably be easier if he wasn't spending the money to spoil his son in other ways. He just had a hard time saying no about the little things Kurt wanted. His son's smile was worth it. Though it did mean they had to go to Cleveland instead of New York. Burt swore he'd save up for it. Maybe for Kurt's sweet sixteen. Maybe graduation. But they'd go. He'd get his son to New York one day one way or another.

For now they had to substitute with the posters they'd picked up. There was a beautiful skyline poster with the two lights for the two towers that they had already taped above his bed and now the kid was going to work making sure his new Phantom of the Opera poster was perfectly straight.

"So, let me get this right, it's not an opera."

"No, it's about an opera house."

"Ok. I guess that makes sense."

"You know what I really want to see?"

"What?"

"Wicked."

"What's it about?"

"The wicked witch of the west, it's her story. I got the soundtrack with my allowance." He pointed over to where the CD case was sitting open on his nightstand.

"Oh! So that's what you've been singing all week."

"Yep."

"You sound like you could be in that musical." The boy paused, then gave his dad a bright smile.

"I'm going to be. Just not yet. You kind of have to be in New York to be on Broadway. And I know you like it here. So we can stay here for a while longer."

"Why thank you Kurt." He was going to let his son keep his pride but he knew what the boy had prayed for every night, back before he'd stopped. He always wanted to go live in New York. Kurt was also well aware that they couldn't afford that. Even if they did own a company here in Lima that wasn't going to get them even a half decent place out there.

"There's lots of normal guys on Broadway," Kurt said suddenly as he finally settled the top corners of the poster into their final positions.

"Normal?"

"Uh-huh."

"What are you talking about Kurt?"

"The guys at school say only fags go to Broadway. I'm not a fag. But I'm going to be on Broadway." Burt felt his body fall to Kurt's bed. It took effort to keep himself sitting up. That word - those words - had not just come out of his precious child's mouth.

"Kurt sit down for a second."

"Is something wrong Dad?" The boy's eyes were so bright. There was so much innocence inside of them still. How had this happened?

'Elizabeth help me,' Burt pleaded in his thoughts. "No, no, I was just wondering if you knew what that word meant."

"Which word?"

"That F-word you just used."

"Of course I do!"

"Well, what does it mean?" Kurt froze.

"It means. Uhm. A person who's a fag isn't normal."

"Go on."

"A fag is a boy, not a girl. Who does something really bad."

"What does he do?"

"He wants to marry another man." Burt let all the wind out of his lungs. Kurt did know. He was so young. Sixth grade? Really? They knew that word already? Let alone what it meant! "But I'm not one of those guys. I'm normal."

"Kurt, listen to me. There's nothing bad about those men. Whatever the kids at school are saying, they're wrong. They're just fools that don't know what they're talking about. They probably heard it from their parents or some other adult that had no idea what they were talking about and now they're using it because they think it's ok, but it's not." He took his son by both his shoulders. This house, this home, this family. They had to be a safe place for Kurt to go. He had to understand that he was always safe here. To be whoever he really was. "Do you understand?" The boy's eyes shifted down to his knees.

"I guess so." There was a long and heavy pause. "But I'm still not one of them." Burt knew. In that moment he just knew. Kurt was gay. He was struggling with figuring that out and understanding what it meant to him but he was definitely gay. Sure Burt had wrestled with the thought ever since Kurt was three, but three year olds weren't sexual. Kurt was getting to an age where boys were starting to date. Hadn't he already taken a girl to the movies? That girl had given Burt hope that Kurt wouldn't have to face this but he was certain now.

"Well, son, just remember. You are just fine the way you are, whoever or whatever that is. And I will always love you." The boy reached out and hugged him tight. Burt buried his face in Kurt's hair.

"I'll buy you a big mansion when I'm rich and famous."

"Thank you Kurt. In advance."

"You're welcome. In advance." Kurt wanted so badly to be like the other boys. He didn't want to be different and to be singled out. But at the same time he wasn't willing to sacrifice his dreams just so they wouldn't call him queer. He'd show them. Straight guys got to Broadway too. They weren't going to decide who he was for him.

He couldn't wait to watch them eat their words when he came back to Lima and was asked to lead a parade or something just because he was so awesome.