"Why is it that whenever I come home, my house is crammed full of teenagers?" Burt Hummel asked when he emerged from the house in work boots and coveralls. Straight from the garage then.

"Technically, we're not in your house," Quinn said with a smile. Burt was fond of all the New Directions kids; she could get away with teasing him a little.

"Technically, you're eating my food." Burt clapped Kurt on the shoulder as he walked by. "Good to have you home, kid, hope you haven't burned anything."

"Your faith in me is heartwarming," he said dryly, noting Burt gave his boyfriend the same greeting, perhaps a little harder as Blaine staggered slightly.

"Are we late?" Tina asked as she and Mike walked up, holding hands. No excuse was made for their lateness, but both looked a little ruffled. Puck grinned, but it was Sam who started the teasing.

"Tina and Mike, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g." Mike ignored him with practiced ease and Tina was too busy giving Kurt a hug to pay him any attention.

"Where's Carole?" Kurt asked as Tina released him, not minding the hug so much. It had been a long time since he was particularly close to Tina, but she had always been a supportive friend.

"Mom's working the night shift," Finn explained, which shed no light on why Kurt hadn't seen her when he'd first gotten home.

"She's visiting her sister in Oklahoma," Burt corrected, glancing over at his step-son in confusion.

"That makes more sense," Finn admitted. Kurt sighed.

"Where's Brittany?" Artie asked, taking quick stock of the backyard to find only one person missing.

"Shouldn't you be the person answering that question?" Santana snapped, apparently inflamed just by Artie saying Brittany's name.

"Food's ready, kids," Burt said, some degree of relief in his voice.

The promise of freshly grilled kielbasa (as well as some of the standard hamburgers and hot dogs) calmed all the potential arguments that had been brewing up as the New Directions did their best to fit fourteen people at a picnic table that was designed for eight people at maximum. Artie happily stayed in his chair, Sam graciously taking a seat on the ground and using him for a backrest. Kurt got squished onto one side between his father and his boyfriend, everyone knowing he would be unwilling to sit on the dirt.

"Dalton must be a pretty sad place to be, huh?" Mercedes asked Blaine from the other side of the table.

"The Warblers are used to losing," Blaine admitted with a shrug. Kurt jumped a little when his boyfriend reached over and settled his left hand on his knee, a gentle touch that was never the less surprising. "The end of competition season is sad, every year, but we'll manage."

"For the record," Quinn said from her spot next to Finn on the grass, "you guys were fantastic."

"Just not as fantastic as us," Rachel said before Blaine could respond, hiding her smugness not at all.

"Of course not," Blaine admitted easily. "You wrote original songs. Good ones, even. I fear, my dear New Directions, you may have changed the face of show choir forever." In response to the inquisitive looks he was getting (Rachel still looked smug), he added, "Loser Like Me has gone viral. Your songs are all over the internet. Original songs will be a feature at Nationals for sure. I'm sure Vocal Adrenaline is hiring songwriters as we speak."

"Professional songwriters are against the rules, right?" The people nearest Rachel flinched at the high pitch in which the panicked question came out.

"Rach, it's Vocal Adrenaline. They have dance coaches, gymnastic coaches, dietary specialists… Do you really think they care? Plus, I bet it's something not even covered in the rules yet."

Blaine's announcement was obviously stunning to the New Directions, and Kurt had to admit he hadn't thought of it either. Yes, he knew that competitions were often recorded, both by amateurs and professionally, and sometimes an embarrassing incident would spread around the internet like wildfire, but the fact that people were connecting with the songs they wrote… Well, it was great, for the New Directions, but also meant a lot of glee clubs would hear about the stunt. And many would try to replicate it. Most would fail, but Kurt had a feeling Vocal Adrenaline would not.

Ultimately, he supposed it wasn't really his problem.

What was his problem, however, was that he noticed his father, noticing where Blaine's hand was. And Blaine, completely and utterly failing to notice his father noticing the hand on his knee. And his father again, noticing Kurt noticing him noticing Blaine and giving him a look. The kind that made him feel there were very awkward conversations in his future.

In above-the-table news, Rachel seemed to be near panic and everyone was looking to poor Finn to comfort her. Everyone, except Quinn, who seemed rather determined to ensure Finn couldn't stand up at all.

"Relax, my little Jewish American princess," it was Puck who finally spoke up, standing up from his spot on the grass, "we're better than those lame robots anyway, and I bet they can't write songs for shit."

"Puck's probably right," Quinn said, sounding somewhat begrudging of the fact. "Songwriting is all about expressing emotion, and VA doesn't have any."

"We'll kick ass, white girl," Mercedes assured her, and Rachel's smile was relieved.

"And if we don't, who cares, show choir is lame anyway," Zizes commented from where her spot on the other side of Blaine, and she got the same look from each of the twelve dedicated show choir members surrounding her. After giving her the look, Blaine turned to look at Kurt instead, and his expression made it obvious what he thought of the New Directions replacing the countertenor with her.

"Show choir is not lame," Rachel objected immediately. "Being a part of something special-"

"Makes you special," chorused Kurt, Artie, Tina, Mercedes, and Finn, all five of them grinning. The early days of the New Directions had not been very long, the three Cheerios joining a couple of weeks in, but they had certainly heard that expression enough.

"Now, that was lame," Puck pointed out, and Kurt didn't fail to see his boyfriend trying to hide a smile. Yes, they were a little cheesy, perhaps, but show choir had done a lot for all of them. "Glee club's got its moments," he admitted with a shrug.

"We have more than our moments," Rachel insisted, and Kurt resisted the urge to groan when he noticed her fiddling with the iPod speaker. Lauren had done it now.

Came in like the breeze
I felt it in my knees
Never will it leave
Each day it is retrieved

At least the song Rachel had chosen was not the inspiring Broadway ballad he had been somewhat expecting. She had chosen a song off their shared New Directions playlist, one everyone would know, and that they had jammed too several times in the past. Lauren didn't even look that annoyed by the sudden singing.

Seems like yesterday
Your eyes crept this way
Into my soul you stared
And broke down every fear

The fact that everyone knew it meant that, much to her visible displeasure, Rachel's spotlight was slowly stolen as Quinn, Santana, and Tina joined in for the next part of the verse and the beginning of the chorus, everyone clapping along. And then when the tempo picked up for the rest of the chorus, everyone joined in happily, with the sole exceptions of Lauren, who still didn't seem sold on the impromptu karaoke, and his father, who just seemed amused by the mass of teenagers standing up to dance in his front lawn.

We built our own house, own house
With our hands over our hearts
And we swore on that day
That it will never fall apart

We built our own house, own house
With our hands over our hearts
And we swore on that day
That it will never fall apart

Will never fall apart
Will never fall apart
With our hands over our hearts
Will never fall apart

With the moves Mike was pulling, it was a shame Brittany wasn't around to dance with him, but Tina was doing her best to keep up and Santana had joined them. Kurt knew she wasn't the most keen on show choir either, despite her little announcement at Sectionals last year, but she was always ready to jam.

Wake up to the sun
Clouds always come undone
You give the light I need
Like water to a seed

Kurt regretted his assessment of Santana's priorities when she started off the next verse, kicking Puck hard in the shin until he sang with her. Fuinn, who had been dancing by themselves in the corner, joined them a couple lines in, Quinn's sandal-clad feet looking worse for wear. Artie jerked his head at Kurt from where Rachel had taken it upon herself to wheel him around to the beat, and he graciously joined his friend for the next part of the verse.

Read it in a tale
One too tall to be real
And prove me wrong it seems
A heart can truly gleam

Blaine touched Kurt's waist gently, a clear invitation, and Artie bowed out as the tenor joined them for the beginning of the chorus, Fuinn having stopped singing since they were… otherwise occupied. They didn't even stop as everyone joined in again for the end of the chorus.

We built our own house, own house
With our hands over our hearts
And we swore on that day
That it will never fall apart

We built our own house, own house
With our hands over our hearts
And we swore on that day
That it will never fall apart

Will never fall apart
Will never fall apart
With our hands over our hearts
Will never fall apart

Having left Artie alone, Rachel grabbed Kurt, pulling him away from his boyfriend as she started belting out the bridge, and he joined her with a shrug back at Blaine, who just looked amused.

Take it all, take it away
We'll still have this undying
Love that is beating
Till our lungs stop breathing

Rachel looked over at Finn to start singing with her, and the devastation was clear on her face when she realized he was too busy kissing Quinn. Blaine looked a little torn, since he was both Kurt's boyfriend and unnaturally fond of Rachel, but thankfully Sam stepped up to the plate and spun the petite brunette around as the boys joined them for some of the bridge.

Take it all, take it away
We'll still have our riches
No need for stitches
'Cause love mends the pain

Take it all, take it away
Hey, hey, love mends the pain
Take it all, take it away
Hey, hey, love mends the pain
Take it all, take it away
Hey, hey, love mends the pain
Take it all!

Everyone came together for the last chorus, Rachel starting to do the belts before Mercedes easily overpowered her.

We built our own house, own house
With our hands over our hearts
And we swore on that day
That it will never fall apart

Will never fall apart
Will never fall apart
With our hands over our hearts
Will never fall apart


Lauren had clearly learned her lesson about calling show choir lame and mostly kept quiet for the rest of the barbecue. Finn and Puck competed to eat the most kielbasas (both consuming a very impressive four, fully loaded, before Puck tapped out) with all the girls rolling their eyes at them the whole time. After the karaoke, everyone migrated to sitting on the ground and once Blaine had finished his two, Kurt found himself with his boyfriend's head in his lap, Blaine lying down and looking quite content. The countertenor couldn't quite find it in himself to push his boyfriend away, so he settled for stroking his curls, and he noticed even though they got a few glances, no one said anything.

Rachel told them the New Directions' after Regionals story, with many flourishes and much hyperbole, judging by the scoffs and expressions of her teammates. Mercedes and Tina managed to mention how much he was missed at McKinley in a semi-subtle way each time either opened her mouth. Each time they did, Blaine snuggled a little bit closer to him. Even Santana mentioned it, casually referencing when Sue had offered a Cheerios position back to Kurt for protection. Quinn caught him up on all the McKinley gossip, about ten minutes into which all the McKinley boys got bored and started playing catch. At first Artie was left out, but then Sam suggested they should just play catch in a circle, which earned him several warm smiles.

As it was starting to get dark, Burt Hummel started kicking teenagers out of his house. Not particularly forcefully, but the evening had run its course, and they had been sitting in mostly-comfortable silence for a few minutes anyway. Quinn left first, Finn walking her out, and everyone else waited until the giant boy returned before leaving. Finn, Blaine, Sam, and Puck got Artie to his dad's car, the kind man offering both Sam and Puck a ride home as well. Santana left chatting with Lauren, and if Puck had still been around, he was sure that would have made him very anxious. Mike and Tina left hand in hand, and while Burt offered that both Rachel and Mercedes could stay (he was used to having the two girls around), they both turned to look at Kurt and Blaine, Rachel giving them a wink, before absolutely failing to be subtle or innocent as they declined the offer and left, giggling.

"I maintain life is easier without females around," Blaine commented as he helped him clean up the backyard.

"You would be right about that, kid," Burt said with a sigh. "You boys got this?" Kurt made a noise that his father seemed to take as a yes, and he noticed his boyfriend visibly relax when the glass door shut behind Burt.

"You don't have to be scared of him," Kurt said for the hundredth time.

"A very logical point. Unfortunately, I do not think it's the logic part of my brain that fears him." Kurt exhaled in a way that could possibly be considered a delicate snort. "I'll be fine."

"How did it go with the people you actually should fear?" Kurt asked as he dumped all the paper plates spread on the table and ground into a trash can.

"Fine," Blaine promised again, though Kurt still wasn't sure he could be believed.

"Did Santana threaten to skewer your testicles if you were honest with me about how horrifying she is?" Kurt asked, not entirely sure he was joking. It was the kind of thing Santana would do.

Blaine cringed at the question, but shook his head, coming to stand beside him. "No, really, Kurt, it was fine. They don't dislike me, they just… distrust me a little. Because they care about you." Kurt smiled when the tenor reached for his hand, appreciating the familiarity and warmth of the gesture, but felt pink spread across his cheeks when instead of holding his hand, Blaine lifted it and kissed his knuckles softly. "They care about you a lot," he said with a smile, "but so do I."

"Cheesy," Kurt said, taking back his hand, but he knew he was still blushing.

"You love it." Blaine cleared his throat. "Plus, the scary talks haven't even started. Finn and your dad… that's a different story."

Normally, Kurt's first instinct would be to reassure him, but he was thrown off guard. "Finn?"

"We had a little… discussion during Christmas break," Blaine admitted, not looking at him as he wiped down the picnic table, "about you, obviously. He's very protective of you."

Kurt wasn't sure how to respond to that, but Blaine threw him a smile, warm and relaxed, and he realized he really didn't have to. His boyfriend knew everything he wanted to say already.

Burt was sitting on the couch watching the Deadliest Catch when the couple walked in from outside, Kurt putting the condiments in the fridge before walking over to his father. "Isn't this a re-run?" he asked as he leaned over the back of the couch, having witnessed this nightmare before.

"No new episodes recently," Burt grunted in response, not looking away from the TV.

"There's a new episode of Project Runway, but you better not watch it without me." Burt snorted. "I think it's a junkyard episode, you might even enjoy it."

"Any chance I won't be watching that at some point?"

"Minimal," Blaine said, hovering in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Why don't you watch it with him? Isn't that what boyfriends are for?" His father didn't hesitate for a second on the word 'boyfriend,' which made Kurt feel warm inside.

"Blaine doesn't like Project Runway," Kurt said innocently as he levered himself up off the couch. "And I doubt he likes the Deadliest Catch, so goodnight."

"Goodnight, kiddo. Hope you like the guest room, Blaine," Burt said, his intonation the same, but the comment was obviously pointed.

"I'm sure I will, sir," Blaine replied as he followed Kurt up the stairs. He got about two steps past Kurt's doorway before the countertenor reached out and dragged him into the room. "I.. what?" he stuttered.

"Blaine, it's nine o'clock. Were you really planning to go to bed?" he asked.

Blaine raised one of his ridiculously-triangular eyebrows and asked, "You want to make out?"

Kurt could feel all the blood rush to his face at his boyfriend's assumption. "That wasn't what I had in mind."

Blaine grinned and said, "Sorry, that's just the only reason I could think of that you would drag me into your bedroom," a comment that was fully intended to make Kurt blush harder. Unfortunately, it worked.

"I just thought it would be nice for us to have a chance to be alone," Kurt said, taking both Blaine's hands and threading their fingers together. "I know my friends can be stressful, as can my family, and it was obviously getting to you, with your little outburst and all-"

"I'm sorry, my what?" Blaine was still smiling, but he looked uncertain.

"When you yelled at the New Directions," he explained, since Blaine was being a little thick. "I told you not to kiss me in front of them; I knew what would happen."

"They're supposed to be your best friends," Blaine said, and his voice was tight, defensive. "They should be happy that you're happy, not complaining that I gave you a very innocent kiss."

"They do the same to everyone-"

"What Sam said to Chang squared and what Puck and Finn said to us are very different, and you know that," Blaine said, his voice taking on that same tone it had that afternoon.

"I… I understand why they're uncomfortable," Kurt explained, "you certainly didn't have to snap at them-"

"My standards for acceptance may be too high," Blaine said, releasing his hands, and he was getting tired of being cut off, "but yours are surely too low. Someone has to teach them how to behave-"

"Thankfully, that job doesn't fall on your shoulders," Kurt said flatly.

"Then it falls on yours, and I'm happy to help." Kurt could feel himself tensing at his boyfriend's tone. Blaine clearly noticed because he took a deep breath and when he spoke again, his tone was closer to imploring than anything. "Look, I know not every place is Dalton and not every team is the Warblers, but these are your teammates, your friends, and they should at least have the common decency to treat you the same way they treat each other."

"I know it upsets you that the world is unfair, but it is."

Blaine sighed, scrubbing his hands through his hair. "I know that, all right? I do. But I'm a firm believer in pockets of decency, and you would think if any place in Lima would qualify, it would be the New Directions. Hell, they were clearly named after terrible gay porn."

Kurt laughed softly, taking that for the olive branch he knew it was. "I don't even want to know what Mr. Schuester was doing when he thought of that. I hope the association was formed much later."

Blaine laughed. "Somehow, I doubt it."

Kurt sighed when he heard the familiar sound of his dad's feet on the stairs. "And that is my father, clomping up to check on us."

"At least he cares," Blaine said, shrugging one shoulder. "I'll head to the guest room. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Kurt managed to say before he was inundated with kisses so sweet the butterflies in his stomach started multiplying.


Burt had peeked his head in to check on his son not once, but twice during the course of the night, waking the light sleeper each time, so Kurt was somewhat sleep-deprived and fairly grumpy by the time he was having breakfast. Normally he would be joined by Carole, who rose early both for her job and by her nature, but since she was out of town, he was forced to break his fast alone. Blaine, Finn, and his father were all fast asleep.

"Did I wake you up too much?" Or not. His dad shuffled into the kitchen looking about as awake as Kurt felt.

"Too often," Kurt corrected, grabbing a coffee cup for his father as well. "Blaine's far too scared of you to sneak into my room at night, not that I would let him." Not for anything inappropriate, anyway.

"Forgive me for not sleeping easy with my son's boyfriend in the house," Burt grumbled as he accepted the black liquid of the gods from his son. "Especially since he came to my business and gave me a lecture about-"

"Don't make me stick my fingers in my ears again," Kurt cut him off as he slid into the chair across from his father, because that conversation did not need to have a part two. "The timing was unfortunate," was all he wanted to say on that subject, "but Blaine's a good guy. You know that."

Burt sighed, reaching for a baseball cap he wasn't wearing. "Yeah, the kid's all right. I guess I just thought I wouldn't have to worry about you dating until college."

"If it makes you feel better, I thought the same thing." Kurt and his father shared a smile.

"So what's it really like? This fancy school of yours?" Kurt took a sip of his coffee as he debated the wording. "Your brother makes it sound like a madhouse."

"It is," Kurt confirmed immediately, trying not to be stuck on the fact that Burt had called Finn his brother. "It's pretty much exactly what one would expect to get from hundreds of well-mannered but still very teenaged boys who spend all of their time together."

"Doesn't give me an image I think you would enjoy very much."

Kurt shrugged, looking down into his mug instead of up at his father. "I do. I might be giving you the wrong impression, they're less Finn and Puck and more… well, Blaine," he said with a chuckle, because Blaine pretty well embodied the spirit of Dalton.

"I'm glad you like it there. Glad we got you out of that hellhole excuse for a school."

"I never did thank you for that, did I?" he asked, still not looking at his dad.

"I'm your father, keeping you safe is my job." Burt snorted. "Even if it's from pipsqueak boyfriends."

"Dad!" Kurt objected with a laugh. "Blaine is not a pipsqueak."

"The kid is short, bud." Burt was still laughing. "Gotta say, I was expecting someone a little more like Finn, after everything."

That sobered Kurt up real fast. "You should be grateful I don't just pick my boyfriends on appearance, or you would be having to worry about Puckerman sneaking into my room, which frankly sounds a lot more likely."

"Hey, hey," Burt held up his hands in the gesture universally understood to mean peace, "wasn't trying to offend you, or insult Blaine. He seems good for you."

"Try saying that in front of him."

"Still terrified of me?"

"Yes, of course."

"Good." Burt reached again for a cap that wasn't there. "Still, I'll be nice to the kid."

"I appreciate it," Kurt said quietly. "He deals with enough from his own parents."

"I figured." Burt snorted at the surprise on his son's face. "Exactly how dense do you think I am?" he asked, continuing before Kurt could stutter his way through an answer. "He looks like he's been shocked every time Carole gives him a hug. I assumed that was because he doesn't get much of that at home."

"I should start giving you more credit, shouldn't I?"

Burt shrugged. "I've been keeping a close eye on the kid for a while. Kind of figured we'd end up here."

"For the record, gay men are capable of just being friends," Kurt reminded him, though it was kind of a weak argument.

"Not you two. You were barely still friends when you met." Kurt blushed. "I remember your first… date thing, where you went to go see that play about all the kids who have AIDS-"

"Rent," Kurt reminded him, not that he expected his father to retain the information. "And they're not kids."

"They are to me." That didn't seem worth arguing. "You weren't even very convincing when you said you didn't want to transfer because of him. And the nerves on that kid when I opened the door…" he chuckled, shaking his head. "I can't even believe it took you this long."

"Me neither," Kurt admitted with a roll of his eyes, "but it was worth it."

"Still, you two were friends first, so you might think it makes sense to…" His dad trailing off was enough of a hint as to what he was talking about.

"Dad," Kurt complained, doing his best to hide his face in his coffee cup. "Blaine and I aren't… we're taking things slow."

"Good." Kurt made a little noise of complaint. "C'mon, kid, had to be said."

"I would beg to differ," he said with a sniff.

"You're a teenage boy. Worse, you're both teenage boys. I get to worry as much as I want."

Kurt bit his tongue, then decided it was worth saying. "I make no promises about my thirtieth birthday."

It was enough to make his dad laugh.


After mentioning again the Project Runway that he hadn't gotten the chance to watch and being nominated by his dad for 'Smart Mouth Kid of the Month,' the two Hummels settled on watching Top Gun until it was time for Burt to head in for work. Kurt offered to join him at the garage, since it didn't seem like his boyfriend was going to wake up anytime soon, and was reminded firmly that he was on vacation and everyone occasionally needs a break.

The shock of the day was Finn stumbling down the stairs before Blaine was awake. "Crepes?" he asked Kurt hopefully, pointing the full force of his puppy dog eyes in his step-brother's direction. After being somewhat suspicious of any French food after Rachel tricked him into trying escargot, Finn had quickly fallen in love with crepes and ate them faster than Kurt could make them.

"Might as well," Kurt said, putting down his second cup of coffee and heading into the kitchen. "Will we be seeing more of Quinn today?"

"Nah, probably not. Coach Sylvester may not have her budget anymore, but that doesn't mean she's not running them like dogs. Sometimes with actual dogs." Finn very rarely sounded bitter, but his opinions of the cheerleading coach were right there in his voice. "What are you guys up to?"

"Well, I planned for us to go to the beach, but since it's almost noon and there are no signs of life from Blaine, those plans are most likely scrapped." Kurt shrugged. "A lazy day, then."

"Cool," was all Finn said in response, eying Kurt's cooking with interest. "Artie might be hosting a video game marathon for the guys, but I know you're out and I'm guessing Blaine would rather be here with you."

"I'll mention it to him, if he ever awakens." Kurt said the last part more quietly, mostly to himself. "Video game nights aren't quite as popular as Dalton as you might think." At least, not in Stevenson.

Finn made a noise that was probably supposed to be acknowledgment, still staring intently at the food, and Kurt resisted the urge to sigh. "So, a little birdie told me you talked to Blaine during Christmas," he said finally, unable to think of a better way to broach the topic.

"Dude, the birdie can't be anyone but Blaine," Finn pointed out. "But yeah, I did. You're my little brother, and you two were so going to end up together." Kurt blushed but didn't bother to argue. As hopeless as he had felt at some moments, everyone had seen he and Blaine as an inevitability, and they had clearly been right.

"Fascinating how concerned you all are when it comes to Blaine, but I'm harassed for years and it takes murder threats to get any kind of reaction," Kurt muttered, sure it was very audible to Finn.

"We offered to protect you," Finn said immediately, but he must have known he didn't have much of a leg to stand on, because he didn't say anything else. Not for a while at least. "That offer still stands, y'know."

Kurt sighed, because now even Finn was doing it? "Although my name is still not 'dude,' that is sweet, Finn, but I'm both happy and safe at Dalton. Karofsky is dangerous, no matter how much he enjoyed being in Glee club for a week." Repression tended to do that.

"Yeah, I know. Just… we miss you, man."

"I miss you all, too. Well, most of you," he teased gently. "I do like it at Dalton, despite the mania." Or maybe because of it, he hadn't quite decided.

"Yeah, no other reason you might like it." Finn was smirking at him, and Kurt could feel his face heating up as he opened his mouth to answer.

"Do I smell crepes?" came Blaine's voice from the stairs before he could say anything.

Kurt's heart just about melted at the sight of his boyfriend. Blaine was adorable, rumpled and sleepy-looking, with pillow marks on his face and his hair in wild disarray.

"Good afternoon," he teased, "and yes, you do smell crepes."

"Best boyfriend ever," Blaine said with a smile, heading straight for the coffee.

"Blaine, it's noon!"

"I think you overestimate how much sleeping I've been doing for the past couple of weeks. Wes is a little non-stop," he said with a smile, clicking on the coffee pot. "Man, the man is non-stop," he sang a little to himself and then before Kurt could object, or even react, really, Blaine had his arms wrapped around the countertenor's waist and was pulling him close.

Kurt put a hand on his chest before he could do anything though. "Morning breath," he reminded Blaine, which was a serious concern, but also, Finn was sitting right there and watching them with… amusement, by the look of it. He had expected some level of disgust or discomfort from his step-brother, given his reaction yesterday.

Blaine sighed dramatically. "Fine," he relented, pressing a kiss to Kurt's cheek instead before grabbing his now-full cup of coffee and retreating to the table. "Good morning," he said to Finn, lazily saluting him with his mug.

"How'd you sleep, man?" The jockish version of pleasantries, he supposed.

"Alone." Kurt could hear the grin in his boyfriend's voice, the comment half-joke and half-reassurance. Finn didn't exactly look comforted, but he still seemed amused overall. Never before had Kurt had either a boyfriend or a brother, and he had a feeling the combination would result in a lot of teasing.

"Artie's having all the guys over to play video games this afternoon if you want to tag along." Apparently, Kurt didn't have to be the one to mention it.

"Babe?" Blaine called into the kitchen, and Kurt could feel his cheeks heating up at the nickname. He was never going to live that down.

"You're welcome to go," Kurt answered, starting to wonder what the girls were doing. It had been a long time since he had hung out with Mercedes and Rachel for non-miserable reasons and if Rachel happened to be busy-

"Are you coming?" Blaine's questions interrupted his thoughts.

"While I certainly enjoy spending my precious free time blowing up zombies and eating food slathered in grease, absolutely not."

"Then I guess I'm out," Blaine said to Finn.

"You don't have to not go because I'm not going," Kurt said as Finn opened his mouth to surely express the same sentiment.

"I would rather spend time with you," Blaine said simply, and dammit, his last blush had just been starting to fade.

Thankfully, the ring from his phone indicating that the crepes were done saved him from having to respond, and although he could feel Finn's gaze burning a hole in his back, his step-brother didn't say anything either.


A/N: And the shorter chapters continue! I love the Burt-Kurt father-son relationship so much, writing it always makes me happy. I'm also a big fan of breaking out into spontaneous song at barbecues.

Songs used/mentioned:
'Loser Like Me' by Glee (mentioned)
'Our Own House' by Misterwives (soloist(s), everyone)

Reviews are Love.