Kurt had just decided on a movie to watch during his dad's nap when he received a text from Blaine that read: "Hey, can I come over?" Kurt frowned for a moment, pondering the situation. His dad was napping upstairs that afternoon because he had felt particularly tired again after lunch. Kurt had refrained thus far from having Blaine over, usually because Kurt took every opportunity he could to get out of the house for a few hours. And on days when Finn didn't visit (which were increasingly rare lately), Kurt typically just didn't see Blaine in person, instead texting or calling him. It wasn't that he didn't want Blaine to see his house or meet his dad; he just liked having his Blaine-time be separate from his normal routine. Their time together often involved heated debates or bursting into random songs, but if they went downstairs to Kurt's room, Burt shouldn't be able to hear them from his bedroom. Besides, Finn would likely be getting busier as the semester approached, and who knew when Blaine himself would be leaving Lima. Kurt needed make good use of the remaining time he had to spend with his best friend, and it couldn't hurt to have Blaine over just for a few hours.
He quickly typed back an answer, realizing he had already delayed his response thanks to his careful consideration of the request. He quietly ran up the stairs to check on his dad, before fixing his hair and outfit in the hall mirror and waiting nervously for Blaine to arrive. He didn't know why he was so fidgety – he hung out in Blaine's room all the time, but for some reason having his neighbor over to his house in his own bedroom was much more of a big deal. Blaine loped across the yard with a smile and his hands in his jean pockets. As soon as he got through the back door, his hands started gesturing and he excitedly said, "Kurt, I have the best idea. I was thinking about our conversation yesterday and-"
"Shhh," Kurt cut him off in mid sentence. "My dad is sleeping upstairs. Let's go to my room." Blaine closed his mouth and nodded, consenting to be dragged through the kitchen and down the stairs. He paused for a moment to take in Kurt's bedroom, nodding approvingly. "Did you decorate this yourself? The color scheme is fantastic…"
"Yes, I did," replied Kurt, flushing at the compliment. "Interior design is one of my favorite hobbies." Blaine continued to look around until Kurt asked, "So what did you want to talk about? It sounded like it was important."
"Oh yeah! Well, I had the best idea. So I was thinking a lot about your current situation and I think I found the solution."
Kurt raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief.
Blaine just smiled and explained, "Your dad moves to New York City with you!"
Kurt stared back at Blaine while he tried to process that suggestion. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Of course they couldn't see Finn and Carole as often, but for the majority of Kurt's life it had just been Kurt and his dad. If Burt went with him to New York, Kurt would still be able to take care of his dad while he auditioned for roles and went to school! It would be a lot of hard work, and money would be even tighter than it was now, but if it meant he could get his chance at Broadway alongside Rachel, it would definitely be worth it.
Blaine looked at Kurt, anxiously awaiting his reaction. "I mean, your dad works with cars, right? There are tons of cars in the city, so when he gets better, he could easily find a job, and you could find an apartment for both of you, and take care of him during the day and take classes at night or online until he recovered enough to be on his own, and-"
"Blaine, stop babbling, I'm trying to think," Kurt snapped, and Blaine instantly shut up.
In the back of Kurt's mind, a part of him was saying that this is a terrible idea and he shouldn't even get his hopes up (again) over some impossible dream. If anything, his dad had been weaker lately, and was in no condition to move across the country. But another part of him remembered what Blaine had said about Kurt not being the only one to make sacrifices for the family. Kurt had already sacrificed the end of his senior year and most of his summer to take care of his dad. And he was prepared to give up a lot more. Was it really too much to ask for his dad to relocate with him to a different city?
"He certainly isn't well enough to fly," Kurt mused aloud. "But maybe if we drove and just took a lot of rest stops…riding in a car isn't that strenuous, right?"
He looked up at Blaine, who had a dangerous glint in his eye. He had apparently only been holding back until he had Kurt's approval, because he then launched into an enthusiastic discussion of possible places to live, and all of the fun things they could do in New York.
Kurt still heard warning bells going off somewhere in his head, but for once he didn't let himself care. He was the happiest he had been all summer, letting himself hope again that he could make it to Broadway, and have his dad with him, too. Burt could come to his shows, and open his own little tire shop in Manhattan, and Kurt could still see Blaine as much as he wanted…
They laughed and carried on for what felt like hours, Kurt feeling light and carefree, not even worrying that his dad was sleeping upstairs. Finally after his feet landed back on the ground, he caught Blaine's eye and said, "This is really going to happen. I'm going to New York City and my dad is coming with me." He had a huge grin on his face and moved as if to hug Blaine, when his door slammed open and a furious Finn Hudson crashed into his bedroom.
"Dude, did you seriously just say that you were taking Burt to New York City?" His hands were clenched in fists at his side.
"What is it any of your business?" Kurt snapped back, raising his voice. "You'll be at Ohio State and I have to figure how to live my own life with my father."
"You know that Burt isn't strong enough to handle the stress of moving, Kurt! You can't seriously think this is a good idea."
Kurt opened his mouth to argue back, but Blaine beat him to it.
"And you can't seriously think you can control what decision Kurt makes," the other boy said, calmly intruding into the conversation.
Finn looked over at him in surprise, as if just realizing there was a third person in the room.
"And who are you to be butting into our conversation?" Finn asked angrily.
"Someone who obviously cares more about Kurt than you or anyone else from your little glee club," responded Blaine, matching his angry tone.
"Will both of you just-" Kurt tried to interject but it was no use with Finn already yelling, "What do you mean by that?" and taking a menacing step towards Blaine.
"Do you even realize how talented he is? He deserves to be on Broadway, not stuck here in No-wheres-ville, Ohio," Blaine said, fighting to keep his voice level as he stared down the taller boy.
"I know he's good, alright? But that doesn't mean he should stop caring about his sick dad! You don't even know Burt, or me, or Kurt! And you have no right to even be in this conversation," Finn shouted.
"I know Kurt well enough to know that he deserves much better than you and those other people you call friends," Blaine snarled in response.
At that statement, Finn leaned forward with a growl and shoved Blaine backwards towards a gray armchair. Blaine seemed to be expecting this tactic, as he kept his balance and shoved right back.
When Kurt was finally able to get between the two of them, he pushed Blaine back towards his bed and Finn towards the stairs. With one final glare at the two boys, Finn shouted, "Screw you both. I hope you're happy in New York City." He then added quietly as he stormed out, "Don't expect me back here anymore, Kurt. Tell your dad I said goodbye."
Kurt put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath; he scowled over at Blaine, waiting to hear the front door slam before discussing what just happened. Instead, he heard Finn's voice again, half thinking he was attempting to continue the argument from upstairs. The only thing his step-brother yelled was Kurt's name, though, growing progressively louder. After the fight that had just occurred, only that level of panic in Finn's voice could have gotten Kurt to take the stairs two at time, especially in the tight pants he was wearing that day. And then Kurt's heart dropped into his stomach as he caught sight of his dad lying unconscious on the kitchen floor.