Kurt watched in disbelief as his deceptively petite new friend efficiently packed away every scrap of his hearty meal without a trace of discomfort or self-consciousness, slurping up the last of his chocolate shake with an amusingly blissful expression.

With a smirk, he passed Denny a napkin to wipe away a trace of chocolate at the corner of his mouth. "Should I be worried that you'll stretch my clothes out of shape before we get back to the car?"

Denny blushed as he wiped his mouth, seeming to realize for the first time that he had not exactly been behaving like a proper and well mannered date, scarfing down his food – a meal he had not even thanked Kurt for buying him – like a starving dog. "Sorry, Kurt. My dad thinks I'm about to have a growth spurt," he said, ducking his head. "Sorry for being so greedy. And, and thank you for treating me. Next time I'll buy you something! I . . . I m-mean, if there is a next time. If you want to go out again. 'Cause I know I definitely want to, b-but I . . . maybe you don't. Um, do you?"

The blush was getting worse and the poor kid was starting to stammer as his fumbling speech ground to a confused halt. Kurt reached out and placed a hand over Denny's, stopping the nervous babble before it could start again. "Hey, take it easy! I was only teasing. I'm glad you enjoyed it and you don't have to buy me anything in return." He smiled. "As for the rest, why don't we worry about finishing this date before we start planning out our next move, okay?"

"Okay," Denny agreed, his tense posture relaxing again.

They chattered amiably back and forth for awhile about Glee and Drama-Club, which it turned out Denny was far more interested in than he was Speech & Debate.

"I like acting. It's really fun. I only signed up for Debating because my mom thinks it will help me pronounciate better."

"You mean enunciate?" Kurt corrected.

Denny nodded. "I kind of have a tendency to talk too much and too fast when I'm nervous, and some of my words get swallowed up."

Kurt did his best not to grin at that. If he had not already realized that the other boy was nervous about this date, that shy admission would have told him so. When he was not stuffing his face with cheeseburgers, Denny had been prattling nonstop ever since they sat down. "I guess we're a good match, then, because I usually go really quiet when I get uncomfortable. Or else I laugh weird, and that's even worse," he said with an unhappy sigh. "I don't know where it comes from, this stupid nasally sound, but I used to do it a lot. Finn probably thinks that's how I really laugh; he's heard it so often."

"He makes you nervous?"

Kurt winced. He had not intended to say that. "Not anymore. It's just that last year, before his mom and my dad started seeing each other, I had kind of a crush on Finn, so whenever he'd talk to me . . ." He gave a demonstration of that awkward nasal titter and Denny smiled, but there was an uncertain look in his eyes that had Kurt hastening to add, "I completely got over it; that crush. Finn is straight and there was never any hope for us getting together. Unfortunately, that didn't stop me from making a total fool out of myself, trying to change his mind."

He rolled his eyes and this time Denny laughed along with him. "Are you guys okay with each other now?"

"Yes, we're actually better friends now. Luckily, Finn is a great guy. We've had a couple of fights since he moved in, but now that we're practically brothers, everything is cool between us. And as far as dating goes, he has Rachel Berry and I . . ."

He stopped, feeling suddenly shy.

Denny just smiled and squeezed his hand. "And you have me."

Kurt smiled back. "I guess I do." Impulsively, he asked, "Hey, do you have to go home right away?"

"No, my dad is still at work and my mom should be going to pick up my sister from girl-scouts pretty soon. I have at least an hour."

"In that case, would you like to see my dad's garage? I might be able to talk the guys into letting you poke around some if they're not very busy."

His big brown eyes lit up at the proposal. "Seriously?"

"Sure, come on."

Gathering their possessions, the two boys left the restaurant and drove the short distance to Hummel Tires & Lube. Jesse gave Kurt a wave from the side of the garage where he was invoicing a customer and explaining whatever work had been done on the man's car. Kurt waved back and led Denny further inside, where he found his father and Frank putting a new set of tires on a Chevy Avalanche. "Hi, Dad, you busy?"

"No, son, I'm just doing my nails," he shot back, grunting as he lifted a heavy new tire into place and settled it properly into the wheel-well. "That ought to do 'er. Can you finish up here, Frank?"

"Sure, boss," he replied amiably, flashing a grin at Kurt. "Hey, guys."

Burt turned around, brows raising as he realized for the first time that Kurt was not alone. "Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you had company. This one of your singing friends, Kurt?"

His father was now quite used to Kurt and Finn's fellow Glee members showing up at their home at all hours, so he appeared unfazed at finding one now apparently invading his place of work. Kurt shook his head and put an arm around Denny's shoulders, drawing him closer. "No, Dad, this is Denny Payson." Kurt raised his eyebrows significantly, and when his father's face remained blank he brushed a fingertip over his own jaw, drawing his attention to the nearly invisible bruise still coloring it.

Burt's expression changed at once as he focused on the small red haired boy, who actually fell back a step as the large man's pale bluish-green eyes suddenly fixed on him with intense interest. "The locker poet?"

His lips twitched and Kurt smiled. "That's right. I decided that you were right and that maybe I should take a chance."

Nobody who did not know Kurt well would have been able to recognize the uncertainty and plea for approval that shone from his wide blue eyes as he raised his chin and looked to his father with a slightly challenging expression, but Burt knew his son very well indeed. Wordless communication flowed between the two Hummel men for a few seconds, then Burt gave Denny a smile and held out his hand after wiping it off on a rag. "Good to meet you."

Denny beamed. "You too, Mr. Hummel!"

"Kurt, uh, you mind if I talk to you for a minute alone?" Burt said casually. "Denny, we got some sodas back in the office fridge if you're thirsty."

"May I look around, sir?" the boy asked, displaying his very best manners. "I've always wanted to see an auto shop up close!"

Kurt smiled at his father's dubious expression. "He's serious. From what he tells me, Denny comes from a family full of gear-heads."

Burt's doubtful look softened into approval. "In that case, I don't see why not." Lifting his head up he bellowed, "Yo, Jesse!"

The younger assistant-mechanic poked his head around the back of the Chevy. "Yeah, boss?"

"This is Kurt's friend, Denny. You mind showing him around the place, letting him poke around a little?"

Recognizing the silent order to keep the boy from getting into any mischief, Jesse grinned and tugged the brim of his grease-covered baseball cap. "Sure! Follow me, kid."

Denny cast a questioning glance at Kurt, who nodded, then he happily went on his way, chattering questions a mile a minute as he disappeared into the maze of car parts and grease-racks that made up Burt Hummel's place of work.

Jerking his head sideways to indicate that Kurt should follow, Burt led him over to a place where there was no chance they would be overheard. "When did all this start?" he asked abruptly. "Two days ago you were afraid this kid was going to turn into some hero-worshiping pest, and now you're . . . what, friends? Boyfriends? Kurt, just tell me you two haven't already . . ."

He waved his hand in a too-uncomfortable-to-say-the-words manner, but his scrunched up face said the words for him.

Kurt was shocked and more than a little embarrassed. "Dad! No! Jeez, what's with the gutter-brain? We've only had one date so far! Assuming you can even call burgers and fries after school a real date. I think we're kind of just," he bit his lip, considering how to phrase this new relationship, "friends with potential right now."

Burt looked confused. "So, why is he wearing your clothes? And don't tell me he just shares your sense of fashion, because I know damn well that's the same sweater you were ready to send out birth announcements about when it arrived in the mail off that designer's website last year."

Sudden understanding swept over Kurt and he started to laugh. "Oh! God, Dad, I didn't even think about how that would look to you." He laughed harder, his embarrassment giving way to jocularity as he imagined himself in his dad's position. Just the same, he decided not to be completely honest, for both Burt and Denny's sake. "He was getting picked on by three bigger kids at school and his own clothes got stained too badly to wear around school. I had my uniform on after this morning's assembly, so I offered to loan him my other clothes so he wouldn't have to feel embarrassed all day."

"And that's all that happened?" Burt checked, looking so relieved that Kurt snickered again.

"Well," Kurt said, smiling a little shyly. "I . . . I did kiss him once."

Much to Kurt's surprise and happiness, his father did not look repulsed by the thought of his son kissing another boy. "And then you took him out for food and now you've introduced him to your old man." Burt gently ruffled Kurt's hair. "Looks like you just got your first boyfriend, kid."

"You don't mind?"

He looked at him, a long probing look that Kurt stood up straight and tall against. "He make you happy?"

"I like him, Dad, and he likes me. I think we might just make each other really happy."

Burt smiled. "That's all I've ever wanted for you, Kurt. C'mere."

Kurt found himself enveloped in a warm hug and he clung to his father tightly. Everything was moving so fast and he felt like he was being pushed on to the fast track toward adulthood. It was what he had been striving toward, but now that it was here he suddenly felt nothing more than a strong desire to cling to the safety of childhood represented by his father's strong embrace. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Kurt." Burt smiled as he let him go, giving his shoulders a squeeze. "Now, lets you and me go find your friend before he convinces Jesse to do let him do something stupid."