Ok, now this was feeling strange.

It wasn't like he had never had dinner with the Changs before. He had. Thousands of times. During summers there were times when Matt would swear he spent every single day of the week at Mike's house. But usually after they ate, he and Mike would bounce out the door to hang out with other friends or take over the basement to play video games. Then, at the precise minute he had to leave to still make curfew, Matt would go home to his own house. Sleep in his own bed.

That wasn't happening tonight. Because his bed was now in what he had always known as the guest bedroom, or as Mike referred to it "attic overflow". For all intents and purposes, he was home. Only it sure as hell didn't feel like it.

The bed in the corner had the comforter he picked out two years ago, but it wasn't made the way he made it. Well how he made the bed the few times he actually did it. His books were lined up on the bookshelf, but they didn't look right. A small ledge displayed what Kurt had dubbed "the most random trophy collection in the history of ever". Matt felt an irrational urge to yank them down and shove them randomly into the various corners of the room. The only thing that was where it was supposed to be was the picture of Leah and Mom sitting on the window sill by the bed.

Mechanically he picked up the picture, remembering the day. Leah's graduation from McKinley. His parents had been so proud, so happy. Leah had protested the entire day about the constant picture taking, complaining she was going to permanently see spots in front of her eyes. But there was no mistaking the pride the joy his parents and sister had felt when her name was announced at the podium to receive her diploma. His dad had even thrown an arm around his shoulder; smiling down at him (he hadn't hit his last growth spurt just yet back then). "Sooner than you think, that will be you Matthew. And we'll be just as proud of you as we are of Leah."

Just about two years later and he was practically disowned from his family. Matt stared at the picture, trying to find some hint in his mother's eyes that she was capable of this. Because if you had asked him a week ago, he would have sworn she wasn't. He wasn't an idiot. Matt knew neither she nor his father was going to be dancing in the street about him being gay. But they had always taught him to have an open mind, that accepting people was the Christian thing to do. He couldn't recall a single look or comment they made when Kurt first started coming over and really there was no hiding who Kurt was. Nothing. Hell, he knew he remembered his parents laughing at Will & Grace reruns not that long ago.

Of course those were all people they didn't really know. He was their son. Ok, his being gay meant adjusting some dreams for him. He knew that. The big white wedding in the church was so out of the picture. But it didn't mean everything had changed.

"Matthew?" Susan Chang had every of just checking to make sure everything was ok with Matthew before finishing the week's laundry. Although her son's best friend had never been a big talker, there was something different about his silence tonight. And even though her husband had warned her to give Matt his space, he was still a teenager after all; she couldn't just let it lie. He maybe still a teenager, but teenaged boys rarely admitted they needed their mothers. And that, unfortunately, was precisely who Susan would bet Matthew needed most at this moment.

From the minute they had met during the second week of the second grade for their boys, Susan had liked Marian Rutherford. The petite brunette had an irresistible smile and charm for miles, both traits she had clearly passed on to her eldest son. Even then, Marian had marveled at how such a tiny woman had the energy to keep up with her active brood. Just keeping up with Michael made her bones ache with weariness at times. She had begged Marian to share her secret of seemingly unending energy, but the other woman had just laughed and credited lots and lots of coffee.

They had always had their differences of course. It was inevitable when you knew a person for eight years an occasional argument would surface. But for the most part, they counted each other as friends and confidants. Two women determined to help their sons grow up to be respectable young men, hopefully avoiding the traps far too many other teenagers fell into all the time. Although they had both been taken somewhat by surprise by Michael and Matthew's desire to join the glee club, both women had talked about how seeing Quinn Fabray's pregnancy up close and personal stood to be a more powerful detractor from unprotected premarital sex than any lecture they could come up with. Susan had always figured that the day their boys graduated from McKinley, she and Jim would be standing right next to the Rutherfords, identical smiles on their faces for a job well done.

Now, Susan could barely stand to think of Marian and Jonah Rutherford without wishing to slap some sense into their heads. When Michael had told her the barest details of what was going on with Matthew, she had hoped her son was just exaggerating. Surely all that was needed was for the family just to have a few days to cool off and then everything could be worked out. But when Marian had barely responded to her questions over the phone, Susan had a sinking feeling Michael had actually under-reported the situation.

Sitting next to Matthew on the bed, she cautiously touched his shoulder, noting how the boy seemed to flinch. "Honey are you ok?" she kept her voice soft as she wasn't completely positive Matthew was even aware she was in the room with him.

"I'm fine. Fine." Matt responded quickly.

"Matthew." Susan sighed. "You're not fine. And that might work with everyone else in your life right now but it's not going to work with me."

"I was working on a plan today. And I think I have one that will work. I'm going to pay you guys back for all this."

"There is no need to do that. None. You are family. You have been for years." Susan admonished him gently. "Of course we would help you."

"You didn't have to." Matt countered, his voice starting to break. "I have a family. Had I guess. They're supposed to be the ones to help me."

She watched as he furiously brushed away the tears that stole down his cheeks. This was probably the first time he had to really process everything that had happened to him in the past few days. The poor boy had been in survival mode, concentrating on where he was going to live and how he was going to finish school. Now those immediate concerns were settled, it was only natural he started to break down a little. She was glad to see the tears. For her, tears meant a start on the road to healing.

"Hey." She cupped his chin in her hand and forced him to look at her. "You are allowed to cry about this. You're allowed to be hurt. And upset. And confused. And angry. All of it. You didn't deserve this. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I could have told them differently." Matt answered stubbornly.

"Alright I'll give you that." Susan smiled. "But that doesn't mean what your parents or the kids in school are doing the right thing."

When Michael had told her about the locker, the looks, and the whispered comments, Susan had wanted to charge down to the school and demand some changes. She knew kids that were considered different were always singled out by their peers, but the school should be doing more to protect them. School was supposed to be a safe place, not a place of torture.

"I knew…I knew they wouldn't like this." Matt continued his eyes almost vacant. She wondered if he was just talking to actually hear the words out loud, instead of echoing in his head. "I just didn't…..I didn't'….."

His voice cut off in a sob the poor boy tried to choke back. Feeling tears fill her own eyes, Susan Chang pulled him into her arms and rocked him. His arms locked around her waist and he buried his head into her shoulder. In the reflection of the window, she saw Michael come up to the door. Taking in the scene, he turned around, quietly pulling the door shut as he left. If she knew her son at all, he would never mention observing this to Matt. Concentrating on rubbing circles on Matthew's back, she kept her voice just above a whisper.

"You cry. Cry all you want. You're safe now. Now you can deal with this. I'll help you. We'll all help you. But right now, you just cry it all out."