Oh god this is so late, I can only offer my apologies and this loaded gun to shoot me with.

As promised, there is some happy in this chapter...eventually.

Kurt dumped his soaked bag by the front door, his face a storm as he made his way down to his bedroom, a trail of slushie dripping behind him. He hadn't bothered to clean himself up at school, he just wanted to get away as hastily as possible. And the school showers weren't nearly as accommodating as Kurt's en-suite bathroom. He peeled off his clothes, not bothering to fold them like he usually did; they were ruined anyway, and stepped into pounding flow of steaming water. It drummed against his back therapeutically but despite the heat, Kurt couldn't stop shivering. Whether it was from the ice-cold slushie or from the anger he felt, he was unsure. He stood for an indeterminable length of time, letting his mind empty itself as he stared blankly at the shelf of products. Eventually his body warmed up and he became aware that the water was, in fact, extremely hot as his skin started to burn. He didn't care though. He wanted to be as far removed from the day's incident as possible and burning hot was the stark contrast to the Antarctic-style facial he had unwillingly received.

Eventually he washed out the remnants of syrup from his hair, uncaring that his scalp was beginning to sting, and the rest of him before stepping out into the foggy bathroom. He couldn't quite make out his reflection in the steamed up mirror but he could tell his skin was flushed pink.

When he shut the shower off, he was aware of the fact that the doorbell was ringing. And ringing and ringing.

"Just a sec!" Kurt called up the stairs though whoever it was unlikely heard as the ringing continued. Kurt sighed as he threw some clean clothes on and hastily towel-dried his hair; his dad had probably forgotten his keys again.

He hurried upstairs and pulled the door open, doing a double take when he confirmed that his dad was certainly not at the door.

Blaine.

"Kurt! Thank God, I thought you were ignoring me again," Blaine said with a hollow laugh and worry creasing his brows.

"What are you doing here?" Kurt demanded in a small voice. Blaine faltered for a moment, eyes searching Kurt for…something.

"W-we agreed Friday, right? Today?"

"Yes," Kurt said, swallowing his anxiety, "that was before you threw a slushie in my face."

"What? I didn't-"

"Well you might as well have," Kurt interrupted shakily. "Whether it's you or your stupid friends, it doesn't make any difference."

"Those guys are not my friends."

"Really?" he scoffed, "you hang round with them enough-"

"Kurt!" Blaine burst frustratedly, "please. We agreed to talk, and that isn't going to work if you don't listen." Kurt met his pleading look with a cold stare. He wasn't even sure why he was mad at Blaine, he knew it wasn't him who threw the slushie and it was unfair to place all of the blame on him. But he was just wound up so tight from everything he needed some form of release.

"I'm listening," he said though he wasn't sure what exactly he expected Blaine to say. Clearly Blaine had the same issue as he stumbled over his sounds, mouth opening and closing purposelessly. Kurt sighed, taking pity on him as he stood back from the door. "Why don't you come inside?" Blaine hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Is your dad home?"

"No…?" he answered slowly and Blaine stepped in, toeing off his shoes and leaving them at the door. Why was Blaine so nervous? It wasn't like he'd never been in his house before…but of course the last time he had been in Kurt's house, his dad had somewhat harshly kicked him out.

The realization struck him like a freight train.

Guilt, again, harbored within his chest like an old friend. He'd promised his dad that he would apologize to Blaine on his behalf, which needless to say he never did. Blaine had always looked up to Kurt's dad, his relationship with him sometimes better than that with his own father and Kurt had taken that away from him.

"Karofsky told me…about you," Blaine began hesitantly once they had both taken a seat in the lounge. Kurt took the arm of the sofa, arms folded defensively while Blaine perched on the edge of the recliner.

"So you're believing rumours about me now?" Kurt asked unkindly. He wasn't mad at that, he wasn't sure if he was still mad at Blaine at all but being stubborn was the only way he knew to protect himself. Blaine sighed heavily, pressing his hand to his head as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

"Are you just determined to find fault in everything I say?" he asked rhetorically through gritted teeth. Kurt said nothing.
"I wanted to ask you if it's true."

"That depends, what exactly did Karofsky say about me?" Kurt asked, sure he knew what it was anyway.

"Kurt…are you gay?"

A heartbeat.

"Yes."

Okay. So it was out. He was out.

"Are you kidding me?" Blaine asked softly.

"I'm sorry if that offends you."

"Kurt, no, please just…" he sighed, "why do you think that I'm going to judge you for this? And…and if this is who you are then why did you kick me out and stop talking to me when I…told you about me?"

Kurt didn't have an argument. He knew he didn't and Blaine deserved an explanation.

"Because I was scared," he replied with uncertainty. "I was scared that you'd hate me."

"I don't understand, Kurt, why would you think that?"

"Do you remember what you said? When you told me you were gay?" Kurt asked solemnly. Blaine appeared to flinch at the mention of him being gay before he slowly shook his head. "You…you said that it was disgusting and…unnatural and you've spent that last month trying to change yourself. If…If that's the way you felt towards gay people then how was I supposed to think you'd react to me? If you can't even accept yourself then why would you accept me?"

"Kurt, I'd never hate you for something like this…" Blaine responded immediately, automatically because it was true, Blaine loved Kurt and nothing could change that.

"How was I supposed to know that?" Neither spoke for a while as Blaine processed what Kurt was telling him, biting his lip slightly. When Kurt realized he wasn't going to say anything, he continued. "Hearing you say those things it…felt like you were directing them at me. I know it's stupid but I'd imagined coming out to you so many times and…I couldn't help but think of what you would say to me if…you weren't accepting." Blaine fixed his eyes upon his clasped hands, nervously biting his lip. Kurt noticed how he refused to meet his eye as his anxiety began to grow impossibly. "Please say something…" he begged after a minute of silence. Blaine squeezed his eyes shut tight before deciding his words carefully.

"I just can't believe you'd think I'd do something like that. That you think all the years we've known each other mean so little to me." Kurt furrowed his brows as Blaine still stared directly in front, eyes refusing to stray.

"So you're turning this around to be my fault again?" he accused, ignoring the fact that Blaine was right. Blaine was always right and he was sick of it.

"Kurt no! God you've always been the most stubborn person ever!" he said with a slight laugh that, despite being forced, influenced Kurt to smile faintly in response. For the first time in what felt like years, Blaine finally lifted his eyes to meet Kurt's, the intensity of his gaze proving almost too much as Kurt felt as though he was being blinded. "I'm not homophobic," he stated earnestly. "But… it's different when it's yourself, when it's more personal. I mean can you honestly tell me that you didn't hate yourself even just a little bit when you first started to…realize?"

Kurt cast his mind back. He couldn't remember ever having a defining moment where he realized yep I'm gay. He'd always known that he was different somehow but had he actually resented it?

"I wouldn't say I hated myself, I think I just hated everyone else instead. I did occasionally used to wish that I could just be normal. But I've never been ashamed of who I was. I would have come out sooner but…the only opinion that actually meant something to me was yours. Everyone at school can say what they want about me but the thought of you finding out…terrified me. So I kept it to myself. And because it was this huge secret it made me begin to question if I really was wrong and disgusting. And then you came out and I was so, so relieved! But then you kept talking…" Kurt finished with a shrug. Blaine sighed.

"I guess I should've just shut up after that then, huh?" Kurt bit his lip and nodded in silent agreement. "I suppose I was so nervous about what you'd think that I wanted to be the one to say the awful things about myself so I wouldn't have to hear them from you…It was stupid, I wasn't thinking…I'm sorry," Blaine concluded as he resumed staring blankly at his fidgeting hands, awaiting Kurt's reply. He was answered with silence however as worry began to claw its way into his chest. Was that not enough? What else could he do? The sound of faint sniffling brought him out of himself though as he looked up to see fragile tears streaming down Kurt's face brokenly. Instinctively, Blaine rose to his feet, crossing the short distance to Kurt and placing his hands on each shoulder protectively. "What's wrong?" he asked, eyes searching his quizzically. Kurt shook his head in response as more tears escaped his reddened eyes. Blaine gripped him tighter and moved him gently so they were both sitting side by side on the sofa, hips pressed together. He rubbed his shoulder comfortingly as concern coloured his face.

Kurt said nothing however as he exhaled shakily before resting his head against Blaine's shoulder. It felt so familiar, of course it did, it was Blaine. He nestled himself into Blaine's sweater, breathing in the familiar scent of the apricot fabric conditioner his mother always used as well as his aftershave. It was relatively recently that Blaine had begun to wear it and it had taken Kurt a while to get used to the new fragrance. At first he'd found it to be far too overpowering and he'd missed the fruity apricot that had always seemed so prominent but now he couldn't imagine Blaine without both and he had to wonder how he'd managed without it for so long. He breathed in another lungful before finding himself content, head lolled comfortably against Blaine's shoulder. Everything suddenly seemed okay.

"Kurt?" he heard Blaine ask worriedly.

"I'm sorry," he said on autopilot, "just…I'm sorry." He felt Blaine nodding above him before his chin came to rest against his still damp hair.

"Can we be friend again?" he sounded uncertain, as though he felt he was asking too much and Kurt's heart broke at the thought.

"On one condition…" Kurt said after brief deliberation and he felt Blaine tense. "You clean up that damn coffee stain in my car." Blaine laughed gently in response.

"Of course."

"I missed you," Kurt admitted into his best friend's shoulder. He was certain he could feel Blaine's smile above him.

"Me too."

The sound of the front door alerted their attention to the arrival of Burt as he immediately spotted the two clutching each other on the sofa.

"Blaine! Good to see you again!" he said, ruffling his hair as he passed on route to the kitchen. Blaine froze at the contact and Kurt realized he had some explaining to do.

"My dad sort of thinks that we made up weeks ago… I told him that we've been really busy with football and glee club which is why you haven't been over much." Blaine eyes widened, clearly confused.

"But he…"

"He also asked me to apologise to you on his behalf for kicking you out so…yeah he's sorry, better late than never though right?" Kurt said with a nervous smile which Blaine returned as he shook his head slowly.

"It's in the past."

"You staying for dinner tonight, kid? I'm making chicken!" Burt asked enthusiastically, poking his head out from the kitchen.

"Uhh...if it's okay with you…" Blaine mumbled, caught by surprise and still not used to the fact that Burt didn't hate him.

"wouldn't ask if it weren't okay, would I?"

"Thanks Mr Hummel." Kurt saw the confusion etch itself on his dad's face at Blaine's thanks. Even for him, hearing Blaine address his dad so formally felt alien.

"You wanna go downstairs and watch a movie?" Kurt asked, surprised at how quickly they could fall back into their old routine. Blaine smiled and nodded as the two stood and made their way to Kurt's bedroom.

"It's kind of weird isn't it?" Kurt said absently as he searched through his movie collection.

"What is?"

"How we both ended up…gay." Blaine tensed again, crossing his arms over himself looking nothing less than uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Kurt asked kindly, abandoning his search for a movie and moving over to where Blaine was sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"Nothing," he defended.

"Blaine."

"I'm just not quite used to the idea yet…I'm still searching, I don't know for certain if I am…I'm still dating Britt I just…I don't know," Blaine confessed with a heavy sigh. Kurt eyed his friend sympathetically as he took a seat beside him, folding his legs under himself. Like a hurricane, all of the feelings he had begun to feel towards his best friend before their fight came hurtling back.

"I still think you need to break up with Brittany," Kurt said, trying to convince himself that it was best for Blaine if he did so, not because thinking about them being together made him want to lock himself in his room and cry.

"But-"

"This doesn't even have anything to do with…that. You said yourself you're not into her."

"I just thought that maybe I could trick myself into liking girls if I stayed with her long enough," Blaine reasoned.

"Well you can't," Kurt bit back somewhat bitterly, unwanted feelings beginning to creep back. Blaine realized what he had said immediately however.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he hurried, "but you stopped talking to me when I told you I thought I might be gay, what was I supposed to think? I tried to change myself because I thought it was what you wanted and Brittany was just…there." Kurt nodded, Blaine was right, of course he was, he just needed to get his jealousy under control. He reached over and threw both arms around his best friend's neck.

"I'm so sorry Blaine, I'm sorry I made you doubt yourself, I'm sorry for being the worst friend ever," Kurt sobbed into his shoulder, clinging tightly. Blaine hugged him back just as tight.

"You're so lucky," he whispered, "you know exactly who you are, you know what you want."

"I can help you," Kurt offered, pulling away to look Blaine in the eyes, "you don't have to do this alone."

"How am I supposed to figure this out?" Blaine asked helplessly "How do you just know?" Kurt shrugged, hating how lost Blaine looked.

"Everyone's different, I guess I've kind of always known, I think you might just need some sort of perspective," Kurt said nervously, wondering where the hell he was going with this. Blaine's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, I'm really not the best person to discuss this sort of thing with but…" Kurt breathed a long sigh, "You've kissed Brittany. A girl."

"Yes…?" Blaine confirmed slowly.

"Well…what was that like? How did it f…feel?" Blaine considered this for a short moment.

"Messy…" he said with a short laugh, "I don't know it just feels kind of how I always thought it would…a little ordinary I guess. I don't really have anything to compare it to though…"

"Exactly," Kurt said pointedly, his heart racing as his brain finally caught up with what he was actually getting at. Blaine looked at him curiously, mouth hung open slightly before shaking his head.

"Easier said than done, I don't really want to kiss some random guy and I'm definitely not ready to look for a relationship with another guy." Kurt tried his utmost not to let his sinking heart show on his face and instead nodded in agreement.

"Of course, no it was a stupid idea," he replied hurriedly, ignoring the way Blaine's eyes lingered.

"Boy's dinner's ready!" Kurt's dad suddenly called from the top of the staircase.

"Uh oh," Kurt said to Blaine as they both stood, "Dad still hasn't mastered cooking yet, don't say I didn't warn you."

Dinner was amazing. It wasn't even the food that made it special, Blaine was just so happy to be with Kurt and Burt again that he didn't even taste what he was eating.

Nothing was lost between them, nothing seemed awkward, it was as though they'd never had the argument in the first place. A small part of him wondered if Kurt was just putting it on for the sake of his dad who was under the impression that they had never strayed from each other but the content nudges he received from Kurt's leg beneath the table erased those doubts.

When Kurt asked him to stay the night, how could he say no?

"What's that?" Blaine asked, returning from the bathroom to see Kurt draping spare sheets over the sofa.

"My dad says we can't share a bed anymore…" he said a little sadly.

"But-"

"I know."

"It's not like we're gonna-"

"I know."

"Were not even-"

"Believe me Blaine I know," Kurt said as Blaine pouted.

They stayed up far later than they ever used to, watching movies, laughing together and making up for lost time. The new rule imposed by Kurt's dad went ignored as Kurt eventually fell asleep resting against Blaine's chest and he didn't have the heart to disturb him. He'd just wake up early and retreat to the sofa in case Burt came to check on them.

He breathed a content sigh of relief as he stroked his fingers through Kurt's hair absently.

Miscommunication. That's all it was. When had they stopped telling each other things?

And now, they'd just managed to make things right again and he was doing exactly the same thing all over again. Because he'd be lying if he said his thoughts didn't immediately go to Kurt's soft, pale lips the minute he suggested kissing someone to gain 'perspective'.

But just because he felt like he might want to kiss Kurt doesn't necessarily mean he's definitely gay. Right? He could just be confusing their close friendship with potential romantic feelings and he wasn't going to risk their relationship again for the sake of finding out.

Blaine settled against the pillows, Kurt shifting against him as he did so, nestling further into his chest. It felt right, normal but he knew that most guys didn't do this with their best friends.

"I love you," he whispered, surprising himself when he realized just how true it was.

"Where are we going?" Kurt asked persistently the next morning. He was fidgeting impatiently in the passenger seat of Blaine's car while Blaine just smirked and refused to tell, keeping his eyes fixated on the road. "Blaaaine!" Kurt whined.

"Out," Blaine answered, laughing at the way Kurt crossed his arms, clearly not amused.

"Well I never would have guessed that, Sherlock," Kurt bit back sarcastically, playfully punching Blaine's arm who cried out indignantly. "Out where?" he begged but Blaine refused to say anything more.

Kurt couldn't help but let his gaze linger on his best friend as he drove. Things were okay, they weren't perfect but they were better. Blaine never intended to hurt him with what he had said and Kurt still harboured a substantial amount of guilt for his gross overreaction. But, like Blaine had said the day before, it was in the past.

"What's up?" Blaine asked, doing a double take when he noticed Kurt staring.

"Nothing, just happy," Kurt replied airily. And he was. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten such a good night's sleep as he did the night before. He couldn't even remember going to bed but he'd awoken in a state of bliss and relished in a silent chuckle when he saw Blaine curled up on his sofa.

"It's not really that great of a surprise," Blaine said a little nervously as they pulled into the parking lot of a small family owned diner, "but I wanted to take you out to breakfast."

"That's so sweet," Kurt said as they exited the car, brushing shoulders as they walked together.

Blaine ordered their coffees as they analyzed the menu together.

They fell into conversation easily, catching up on all that they had missed with each other's lives over the past month. Kurt spoke animatedly about the glee club, explaining all of the new people he had to put up with, especially one Rachel Berry.

"I saw that performance you guys did in the gym, it was…interesting to say the least," Blaine teased as Kurt buried his face in his hands.

"Don't! Oh my God that is the single most embarrassing thing I think I've ever done!" Kurt said cringing. Blaine laughed at his embarrassment as he poked him with his fork.

"I kind of really wanted to join but…figured you probably wouldn't have wanted me there," Blaine admitted sadly, once again making Kurt feel like the most terrible person on the planet.

"You should," Kurt said without even needing to consider it as he lifted his head from his hands, "join, I mean. I'd love to have you there with me." He offered a hopeful smile, excited at the idea of introducing Blaine to the glee club.

"Count on it," Blaine promised with a grin, "then our dance parties won't have to be strictly confined to the privacy of your bedroom." Kurt laughed loudly, remembering fondly how adorable Blaine looked whenever he would dance and sing along to whatever Kurt played on his iPod when he was over.

Their light hearted conversation was interrupted by Blaine's cell phone vibrating on the table and a text from Brittany appearing on the screen. Blaine glared at the phone briefly before turning it so the screen faced the table though this only earned him a stern look from Kurt.

"You can't just ignore her," he chided.

"But I'm talking with you," Blaine defended. Kurt sighed, picking up Blaine's phone and handing it to him forcefully.

"Then tell her you're busy at least, if you ignore her it'll only hurt her feelings."

"I don't get it," Blaine said tapping his reply into the phone, "first you insist I break up with her, now you're forcing me to talk to her?"

"I still think you should break up with her but be gentle, she obviously likes you and cares about you a lot, I mean she talks about you all the time in glee club." Blaine's brows furrowed as he hit send, telling Britt that he couldn't talk.

"Really?" he asked, he was sure that she was only using him for her perfect record, that's why he didn't feel so guilty about using her in return, why would she talk about him in glee club?

"Yeah, so be nice. She may not be the sharpest pencil in the box but she's sweet. And there's enough drama in glee as it is."

"I'll talk to her on Monday, I promise," Blaine said with a sigh, he really didn't want to have to do this but he had no choice.

They tried to keep the conversation light after that, simply enjoying each other's company and celebrating their renewed friendship. Blaine insisted on paying for breakfast but caved and let Kurt buy him coffee at the Lima Bean on the way home.

When they arrived back to Kurt's, Blaine immediately got to work on cleaning the miniscule coffee stain in Kurt's navigator.

"I promised I would!" he justified with a laugh as Kurt shook his head affectionately, sitting on the driveway as Blaine scrubbed.

"There," he said triumphantly, admiring his job well done. "Good as new."

:D