85. Burt and Carole tell Finn and Kurt to invite their significant others over for dinner. Problem is, Finn and Kurt are secretly dating each other.
December
Finn Hudson couldn't wait to go home for the holidays. He'd just finished the last exam of his first semester and he was exhausted. As he headed back to his dorm to pack he checked his phone and noticed his mom had left a voicemail during the test.
"Hi honey, it's me mom. Burt and I have decided it's time we meet whoever is keeping you from coming home and making you sound so happy. It's either this or I'm getting a Facebook to keep an eye on you. Give me a call when you leave campus. Love you!"
Finn reached his room and flopped down onto his bed. His roommate had already left so at least he had the room to himself. He sighed and hit #1 on his speed-dial and left a simple message, "Hey, it's me. We've got a problem."
Kurt Hummel had loved his first semester at Oberlin. Not only had he been able to walk the campus without fear, but he was free to dress and sing what he wanted as well. Having a hot boyfriend didn't hurt, even if they didn't live in the same city. As good as college life was he was looking forward to spending time with his family. His parents had been understanding when he'd decided to spend his Thanksgiving break doing volunteer work at a Cleveland soup kitchen with his friends instead of coming home, but it didn't mean he wasn't in a rush to spend some time with his dad. As he left the last chorus rehearsal of the season he decided to check his voicemail.
"Hey kiddo, it's me. Carole and I are expecting to meet whoever has you so happy. Don't think I can't tell, your credit card bill is half of normal. Invite them over for dinner during the break. I'm sure their parents will understand. I'll see you when you get here, no texting on the road!"
Kurt had two thoughts after that message, first, that he wasn't so sure his parents are going to understand and second, that his dad and Carole should lay off the Dateline specials. He pressed a key for the second message.
"Hey, it's me. We've got a problem."
Well, unless Finn had totally frozen and bombed one of his exams it seemed this dinner invitation had been a parental tag-team. He couldn't argue with Finn's message, this was definitely a problem. Their parents were expecting to meet Kurt's boyfriend and Finn's girlfriend for the holidays, when the truth was much, much closer to home. During the last several months Finn had fallen for Kurt, and since Kurt had never really gotten past his feelings for Finn the two had started dating. They knew that some people wouldn't understand given the whole step-brother thing, so the boys' college friends only knew them as the other's boyfriend and nothing else. They had decided that they would keep their relationship a secret from their parents at least for a while, if things didn't work out it would be awkward enough without them knowing. They'd only been dating for a few months, but things had started changing for them a few months before that.
The Previous June
Kurt spent the week after Blaine left for London crying in his basement with depressing music cranked so loud Burt threatened to cut up his credit card if he didn't find a better way to cope. Just as Kurt rolled over and hit the off switch on the stereo there was a knock on the door.
"I turned it off dad! Sorry."
"No, it's me, Finn. Can I come in?"
Kurt sighed, he wasn't sure he was up to having other people around, but his stepbrother was the easiest to deal with.
"Come in"
Bounding down the stairs with his usual enthusiasm Finn waved his xbox from under his arm.
"Okay, we are going to blast some zombies until you feel better"
Kurt raised an eyebrow, but dragged himself off the bed and over the couch. After all, he had done the same for Finn when Rachel had broken up with him a last winter, and it had been the start of the comfortable friendship Kurt finally had been able to form with his stepbrother.
"Fine" Kurt said, "but you are not bringing any snacks covered in powdered cheese into this room."
Finn tossed him a controller and gave him a mock salute. The taller boy had gotten much better at sarcasm since he started hanging out with Kurt.
A few hours later both boys had given up video games for more general hanging out, Finn draped rather haphazardly across one end of the couch, Kurt leaning against the other arm with his legs folded underneath him.
Kurt stared at the wall behind the tv, "I just miss him. I know it would be silly to try to stay together when we have no idea how many years it would be before we were even on the same continent, but I'm not used to being alone anymore."
"Well, at least let your friends help you while we're still around. You'll be at Oberlin before you know it. I mean Kent isn't that far but it's not like I'll see you every day and Mercedes will be all the way down in Atlanta."
Kurt sighed, "You're right. Let's all go out tonight. Santana told me about a club by campus that doesn't look too hard at fake ID's."
Finn grinned, Kurt hadn't been out of the house in a week, "I'll tell you what, you can even choose my outfit."
Kurt was on his feet in a heartbeat, "I'll be up to decide when I'm done getting myself ready, text the others and have them meet us there."
As it turned out everyone else had plans, but Finn was determined to cheer Kurt up so they went by themselves. The dance music and lighting weren't really Finn's style, but after a beer or two he didn't care that much. He didn't even mind the impossibly tight shirt and jeans that Kurt had picked out for him. After all, Kurt was dressed pretty much the same, plus the addition of a hat and some eyeliner. He was pretty content to sit at the bar and watch people dance, or rather to watch Kurt dance.
Their relationship had changed a lot since Kurt had been with Blaine. Without any romantic ideas or pressure Finn had been able to get to know Kurt in a different way. Kurt had been more relaxed around Blaine, and in in turn had dropped some of the ice queen persona to everyone else as well. Finn now thought of Kurt as his best friend. Although, given the number of beers he'd had at this point and the way Kurt was dancing Finn was having some thoughts most people wouldn't have about their best friend and especially their step-brother. These thoughts weren't new exactly, but they only came around after a few beers. Well, if Finn was being honest they had started out that way, but they were coming more and more without the help of alcohol.
The next song was one he knew Kurt loved, he had listened to it often enough during the last few weeks anyhow. Finn figured most people at the club were too drunk to care how badly he danced, and so was he. He left his stool and moved over in the general area Kurt was dancing. Kurt raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as Finn started to dance, keeping his movements as close as he could to what other people were doing. The alcohol seemed to help with his usual awkwardness and he smiled to himself as he pictured Mr. Schue's reaction had he suggested that solution before Nationals .
He saw Kurt chuckle at his attempt at dancing, and he moved in closer to the other boy putting one hand on Kurt's shoulder and one on his waist. His body, which had reacted favorably to Kurt's dancing earlier was taking a renewed interest which he hoped nobody would notice. He felt Kurt tense a little and then relax, as if he'd just remembered that Finn was unlikely to freak out about a little touching. Keeping as close to the beat as he could Finn was surprised when Kurt twisted around in his grip and started swaying with his back to him. Finn's body reacted faster than his mind could keep up and he pushed himself up against the smaller boy's back close enough that his lips were at Kurt's ear and the fact that he was turned on was no longer a secret to his friend. Such close contact only added to his problem, and a barely audible, "Oh god, Kurt" slipped out of his mouth.
Almost as quickly as they had come in to contact Kurt jerked his body away from Finn's and headed for the door. It took him a minute to figure out what had happened and he took off after Kurt and caught up with him halfway to the city lot where they'd left the car.
"Kurt, wait for me! Were you just going to leave me there? We drove together remember, and its not like I can drive like this anyhow."
Kurt turned and glared at him before motioning for Finn to follow him to the car, " Get your drunk ass in the car. We are not going to have this conversation in the middle of the street."
Finn knew better than to argue when Kurt used that tone, even if he hadn't quite figured out what Kurt was so upset about. He just nodded and kept his mouth shut until they got home. When they got home Kurt grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him downstairs to Kurt's room so they wouldn't wake their parents.
Kurt spoke before he could, "Finn Hudson, you are going to listen to what I have to say and then you are going to up to your room and sleep it off. "
"I wasn't trying..."
"I said listen, Finn! Not talk."
Finn let out a breath and nodded that Kurt should go ahead.
"I don't know what is going on in your head tonight, but I can't deal with it right now. I don't know if you had too much to drink and lost your mind, if you've been single for so long you'll take any warm body, or if this was your dumbass way of trying to cheer me up, but I went out tonight to forget about my relationship drama for a little bit, not add more."
Finn opened his mouth to speak again but Kurt cut him off with a glare, "Not. Now. I can't handle this right now." Finn just nodded, the last thing he wanted was to make thing worse for Kurt, and it had been kind of a crazy night.
Kurt sighed and the fight seemed to go out of him, "Go to bed, Finn. The way you feel tomorrow morning is going to be revenge enough."
As he woke up the next morning Finn was beginning to realize that Kurt was right a lot of the time. He felt awful, both physically and emotionally. Not only was his head pounding and his stomach threatening to rebel if he even looked at food, but he knew that what he did at the club wasn't very fair to Kurt.
He slowly dragged himself into the shower, got dressed, and then went downstairs to talk to his step-brother.
Finn found Kurt in his basement room watching some clips on YouTube. He held up his hands in surrender and tried to look sorry, "Hey Kurt, can I talk now?"
Kurt spun in his chair and folded his arms in front of his chest, "I suppose."
"I'm sorry I had too much last night. It meant you had to take care of me when it should have been the other way around."
Kurt sighed, "You know I don't drink, that whole mess with Miss P's shoes kind of took the fun out of it."
Finn nodded, "Still, it wasn't cool, and I shouldn't have just jumped you like that either. I just really wanted to."
"That's the part I don't really get." Kurt said.
"Yeah," Finn said, " I'm not sure I get it either, but I've been thinking about you a lot lately, thinking about you differently."
Kurt was still just looking at him, his face blank. Then Finn had an idea, with one large step he moved towards Kurt and put a hand on his cheek, "Maybe if we k..."
Kurt jerked back before he could move any closer, "No Finn, that is not going to happen. Even if you were sure that was what you wanted I'm not in a place to even think about it right now."
Finn knew he should understand what Kurt meant right now, but he just felt defeated, "So that's a no? I can't say that I blame you. I can't even tell you for sure I want a yes. We can still hang out right? I didn't screw that up?"
Kurt gave him a little smile, "We can still hang out. I'm not really saying no. I'm saying that you need to figure out what you want, and I need to get over Blaine. We need to be careful, our friendship is too important to jump into this."
"Okay, so what now?"
"Well, it's the beginning of June. Take your time and figure out what this means for you, and if this is really what you want then we'll talk at the start of August. If you are just lonely, or this is just some sort hormone driven insanity then you'll be over it and we'll never talk about it again."
"Two whole months?" Finn asked, his voice starting to sound a little whiny.
Kurt's voice was firm, but now his smile went all the way up to his eyes, "Two whole months."
Later that Summer
Finn was tired of waiting. He was ready to admit that Kurt had a point about the time thing. Kurt was certainly more of his old self. At the very least he had stopped gazing sadly out of windows and listening to his Broadway's Most Depressing Hits playlist at all hours of the day.
The summer had been very different for Finn as well. It was weird to leave all the high school stuff behind, and in a way he wasn't sure where that left him. He wasn't the quarterback, or the lead singer, or someone's boyfriend. He was just Finn, and it had taken a few weeks to get a handle on what that meant, or maybe more importantly what it could mean. He had taken a summer job with the Lima Parks Department, doing some landscaping and mowing grass. It wasn't much fun, but it paid well and it gave him time to think. Since the night he danced with Kurt the taller boy hadn't been able to ignore the new feelings he was having towards his step-brother.
After two weeks of muttering through lots of websites, some helpful and some just plain frightening he gave up trying to figure things out on his own. So, after work one day he jumped in his truck and headed off to see Rachel. It had taken almost all of their senior year, but they were finally able to settle into a comfortable friendship. Finn figured that other than Kurt she knew more about this stuff than anyone he knew.
"Finn! I wasn't expecting you. Come in, can I get you a beverage?" the small brunette said.
"Some water would be awesome, I just finished work."
Rachel nodded and he followed her into the kitchen and sat at the small dining table.
"Are your dads home?" he asked. He wasn't quite ready for her to drag them in for a heart to heart or something.
"No," she said, "Dad took Daddy to Columbus to see that new French movie the critics have been talking about."
"I'm not sure what's going on with me, but you are smart about this relationship stuff - at least when it's other people's." Finn said, smirking at her while dodging her indignant punch to his arm.
"What's her name?" Rachel asked, wondering if Finn had met someone in his new job. When Finn didn't answer right away she looked up at him to find him staring at his shoes.
"Finn?" she asked gently, "Are you here because it's not a girl? You can look at me you idiot, you know I don't care."
Finn blushed and looked her in the eye. Apparently everything was written all over his face because she gasped and her face lit up, "It's Kurt! You've finally realized you have more than friendly feelings for him."
Finn choked a bit, "Finally?"
"You are the only one who didn't know about your feelings, there has always been something different between you and not just on his side."
"But I do like girls! Seriously, there was his girl at the city pool the other day and …"
"Finn, focus! You know it's not as simple as one or the other right? You can like both. Although, if you are seriously considering a relationship with Kurt I suggest you stop ogling girls at the pool."
"I'll keep that in mind," he said, watching as she popped into the living room and took a book down from the shelf. She checked the index and opened it to some kind of chart and laid it in front of him.
"This is called the Kinsey Scale, it's not the only way to think about these things, but I think it will help you understand. See, at this end is people who are exclusively straight, and at the other end are people who are only homosexual. Now, you'll have to figure this out for yourself, but I'm guessing you'll feel that you are a 2 or even a 1. "
Finn read through the descriptions and thought for a minute, "A two, I think."
Rachel nodded, "Kurt's not the only guy then?"
"Well, he's the only guy I've actually wanted badly enough to do more than just think about. But, yeah, I've noticed guys before."
"I kind of figured that was the case," she said, looking past him and biting her lip to keep from laughing.
He looked up her and sighed, "You obviously think you know something?"
"About your crush on Mr. Schue? Um, yeah. We all kind of knew, you are not really subtle Finn. that was while Kurt was at Dalton though so he missed it. Did Schue give you the "you deserve someone special" speech?"
Finn shook his head.
"Then he was clinging hard to the denial. Interesting."
Finn didn't quite follow what she was talking about, but accepted it when she she waved it off with a "Don't worry about it." After all, he was here to talk about Kurt.
"Kurt is worried I'm just lonely or horny. I mean, I'm kind of lonely, and I'm definitely horny. So what! If I wasn't interested in Kurt I could get that taken care of any weekend. There are only five bars in this town that people under thirty go to. There are plenty of babes that would be willing to take a go at last year's quarterback. I'm not looking for a meaningless fling. " Finn said, bringing their conversation back to his problems.
Rachel made a face when he mentioned the "babes'" but couldn't argue the point, "Kurt needs reasons not to let himself hope too much. In case August comes and you choose the 'Never talking about it again' option. Now he needs you to take those reasons away for him. That's why he's making you wait."
Finn nodded, "So if I let him know that I've figured out I sometimes like guys and it's not just a piece of tail I'm after he'll give me a chance?"
"That's up to Kurt, but I think you are finally ready to follow your heart instead of the crowd. I think he is beginning to see that too. I'm proud of you."
Finn rolled his eyes, but gave her a hug anyway, "Thanks Rachel, I think I just needed a chance to say some of this stuff out loud."
Rachel just smiled and walked him back to her door, "That's what friends are for."
Not Quite August
Kurt Hummel was not a patient person. It had seemed like a good idea when he'd told Finn they needed two months to get their heads and hearts together. He'd been right about waiting, just maybe not about how long. He'd meant what he'd told Finn about getting over his ex.
Honestly, Kurt had never expected that relationship to last as long as it had. He had always known that being different made him shine, and Blaine just didn't see the world that way. The other boy needed to blend in. Still, they had loved each other and even though ending their romantic relationship had been for the best it was still painful. He still couldn't quite believe that Finn might want a romantic relationship after all they'd been through, but he didn't have to be a relationship expert to know having your step-brother as a rebound guy was an extremely bad idea. So he'd waited, and now he wanted to move on. With Finn, if he would have him, and Kurt was pretty sure Finn still wanted them to be together.
He'd meant what he'd said to Finn about still hanging out, and they had. They had fun both alone and out with their friends who were still in town, but one thing was very different. Finn was touching him all the time. Not like he was trying to rush things, mostly just friendly casual touches. They had gone to the beach with their glee friends and not only had Finn picked him up and thrown him in the water but he'd also put him up on his shoulders so he could chicken fight Tina who was on Mike's shoulders. It was a very couple-ish thing to do and earned them a raised eyebrow from Mercedes.
On the Fourth of July Finn had talked him into watching the fireworks from the roof of the house, and they had stretched out shoulder to shoulder on a blanket Finn had brought up. What finally broke Kurt's resolve to wait had happened a little more than a week after that.
Their parents had gone to Toledo for a car expo and they had left the boys alone for the night with pizza money and a warning against throwing a party. Finn had spent most of the day watching an Indians double header in the living room, while Kurt was re-organizing his closet in the basement. Kurt had just come upstairs to see if Finn wanted to watch a movie before they went to sleep when the tornado sirens went off. He froze. He thought he heard Finn go into the garage to grab the radio his dad kept in there, he may have heard Finn say something about grabbing some water and snacks from the kitchen. He couldn't be sure, he couldn't hear much of anything over the sound of his own heart. Suddenly Finn was in the kitchen with him and looking nervous.
"Dude, are you okay? You look a little freaked."
Kurt shook his head, "I'm not good with tornadoes."
Finn put a hand on his shoulder, "Okay, well, you know what to do right? We've lived in Ohio our whole lives. We need to go down to the basement, probably in your bathroom and wait it out. I'm going to grab some bottled water and stuff. Do you have your phone?"
Kurt just nodded. He was sure he could hear it coming, a sound like a freight train. He'd heard it before.
"Okay, let's go downstairs. We'll check the weather on your phone then." Kurt still wasn't moving so Finn grabbed his hand and carefully pulled him down the stairs behind him. Once they were downstairs and in Kurt's bathroom Finn guided Kurt to sit down on the edge of the tub and crouched in front of him taking both of his hands in his larger ones. "Kurt, you're scaring me. Can you tell me what's wrong?"
"It's the storm. It..it's not the first one I've been through." Kurt said, visibly trembling. When Finn pulled away Kurt thought he was going to tell him he was being silly, maybe even laugh at what a baby he was being. He was confused when Finn darted out into the bedroom and came back with the pillow and blanket from Kurt's bed. He watched as Finn placed the pillow at the back of the tub and climbed in, bending his long legs at the knee to fit. "Come here, " Finn said and patted the spot in the tub between his legs. When Kurt didn't move right away Finn reached out and guided him over the side and into his spot. When he had Kurt settled against his chest he pulled the blanket over both of them and started gently rubbing Kurt's shoulders. "Please tell me what is going on, I just want to help."
Kurt sank back into the taller boy and started to explain in a shaking voice. "I was little. Maybe four or five, it was before my mother died. My dad and I had gone to visit my Uncle Andy in Bluffton and we were on our way back. We didn't have the radio on because I had insisted on listening to my Aladdin CD instead. We heard it before we saw it. Tornadoes sound like trains, but louder. I looked up and just saw this big black thing ahead of us. I was too young to even know what it was, but I could tell my dad was scared. I had never seen my dad scared."
Finn wrapped his arms around him tighter, but didn't interrupt. Kurt kept going, "Dad stopped the car and pulled me out of my booster seat. He carried me over to the ditch at the side of the road and told me we had to hide. I didn't want to get dirty, but he said we had to. I still don't know how he managed to cover me without crushing me, but he did. The funnel cloud didn't pass right over us, but it was a close thing. The car...the car was totaled. Dad didn't have a cell phone back then, so we had to wait on the side of the road until someone came by. So now I don't like tornadoes."
"Wow, dude. Your dad is like superman or something. No kidding you don't like tornadoes." Finn said, resting his chin on Kurt's shoulder. "We're doing the right thing to stay safe though. Let's look at your phone. "
Kurt pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the weather app. The tornado warning was still in effect and they expected at least a watch to last a couple more hours. Luckily the storms that had been spotted so far were a good distance outside of Lima.
Kurt was suddenly exhausted and very comfortable. He stretched out his legs and leaned back, causing Finn to relax his grip a bit and lean his own head back on the pillow. "I'll tell you what," said Finn, "you look like you need some rest. I'll stay awake for a while and keep an eye on the weather. Once it's over we can go to bed. "
After a while Kurt drifted off and Finn started to relax himself. The tornado warning had ended, but there was no way for Finn to get up without waking Kurt. The other boy just looked so peaceful Finn just couldn't wake him. He sent a quick text to their parents telling them not to worry and letting his head fall back on the pillow Finn slept with Kurt in his arms.
When Kurt woke up the next morning he was very warm. It took him a minute to figure out that he was still in the bathtub and still wrapped up in Finn. He began to move when the arms around him tightened and Finn planted a sleepy kiss on the top of his head, "S'okay love, 'nados are over. Jus' sleep here for now."
Kurt wasn't sure that Finn had actually even woken up, making the endearment and his actions that much sweeter to Kurt. It was one thing when Finn was alert and knew what he was supposed to say, but to be like this when his guard was down told Kurt how he really felt. He didn't need the calendar to tell him when it was okay to let Finn into that part of his life. He knew that they were both ready. Trying not to wake Finn just yet he carefully twisted around so that he was on his knees facing the taller boy. Gently he shook Finn's shoulder to wake him, and when he opened his eyes and saw the bright smile on Kurt's face he tilted his head and smiled too.
"Something's changed." Finn guessed.
Kurt laughed and leaned over and rested his forehead against Finn's, "We've both changed, Finn. I think I'm ready now if you are."
Finn paused, "Is this a test or something? Are you going to be mad if I say yes since it's not August yet?"
Kurt shook his head, "No, I just got tired of waiting and thought maybe you did too."
Finn didn't answer, he just pulled Kurt closer into a deep kiss.
December
Finn's phone beeped just as he was getting in the car for the three hour drive back to Lima. It was a text from Kurt - Meet me at the Starbucks on West Market before you go home. ILY
Finn sent a quick reply telling him when he expected to get there and settled in for the three hour drive.
He pulled into the coffee shop a few hours later and spotted Kurt's Navigator parked in a corner of the parking lot. Before he could go in and look for his boyfriend Kurt spotted his truck and came through the door and motioned for Finn to get in his car with him. Finn scrambled out of his truck and into the Navigator, giving Kurt barely enough time to put their drinks in the cup holder before pulling the smaller boy into his lap and kissing down his neck, "I missed you so much, three weeks is way too long not to see you. "
Kurt laughed, "Why do you think I wanted to meet you here! We need a little time together before we have to keep our hands off each other. "
Finn started to push Kurt off of his lap so they could get more comfortable, but Kurt shook his head and hit a lever on the side of the seat leaving Finn horizontal and Kurt stretched out on top of him. "I'd like to hug the person who invented tinted windows," Finn said. The two boys spent several minutes getting reacquainted before Kurt pushed himself back and moved to the driver's seat, "If we keep this up we're going to have more things to explain to our parents."
Finn blushed, but agreed reluctantly, "About that, what are we going to do about this holiday dinner?"
"I don't know. I hate lying to my dad, but I'm not ready to tell them either. If they are weirded out by this..." Kurt trailed off with a shake of his head.
"They know better than anyone that we were close before they met, even if I couldn't quite admit it then. I know what you mean though, it's a lot to lay on them. Hey! Maybe I could get someone to pretend to be my girlfriend, Santana should be home for break. " Finn said, happy to contribute an idea.
Kurt's eyes narrowed, "That girl is not getting anywhere near you as long as I can help it. I still don't trust her. Still, getting someone to play the part is not a bad idea. Wes owes me pretty big, I covered for him so he could sneak out to his girlfriend's prom."
Finn considered that for minute, "Fair enough, but only because I know he's straight. I don't really want anybody else's hands on you either. Is he still with the same girl? Maybe she could help me out?"
"Okay, let's find out when Dad and Carole want this dinner to happen and then I'll call Wes. In the meantime we have to behave."
"Fine, but we're going to have to sneak out a few times. I know all the good places to park. "
Kurt snorted, "From Puck? You dated the two biggest prudes in the history of McKinley. I won't leave you hanging like they did. "
Finn glanced at the clock on the dashboard, "I should probably be home soon."
"Go ahead, I'll wait twenty minutes or so before I leave here." Kurt said, kissing him quickly before Finn headed back to his truck.
Despite their brief meeting in the parking lot Finn was having trouble keeping his hands off Kurt and it really wasn't helping matters during the rather awkward family dinner.
He'd almost sprayed 7up all over the table when Burt asked Kurt where he'd met his boyfriend, but the other boy just said "at school" which Finn figured wasn't technically a lie.
Finn immediately started talking about the classes he had taken last semester in hopes of changing the subject before the questions went too far.
When Kurt offered to do the dishes Finn quickly volunteered to dry, much to his mother's surprise. The smaller boy barely started to fill the sink before Finn had him pinned against the counter, pressing up against him.
"Finn!," Kurt hissed at a whisper, "Our parents are still in the dining room, they could walk in any minute."
Finn lifted his lips from Kurt's neck for just a minute, "I can't help it, you look so hot. It's been weeks!"
"Later, Finn. Wait until they are both asleep and sneak down to my room. " Kurt said quietly before Carole's voice wafted in from the dining room, "Boys? Everything okay in there? You are really quiet!"
Finn immediately jumped away from Kurt and answered, "Yeah Mom, we're fine. Almost done!"
Kurt just shook his head and grabbed the scrubber.
Once Finn was sure that their parents had gone to bed he turned off his Xbox and slipped quietly down to Kurt's room. He would have rather spent the evening watching a movie with his boyfriend but he wouldn't have done that before and he already felt like his mom was suspicious. He found Kurt stretched out on the bed, the most recent copy of Vogue in front of him.
"Hey," he said, "Mom and Burt are asleep."
Kurt smiled, "Set the alarm on your phone for four if you want to stay. Dad will be up at 5 to go to the garage."
Finn quickly set his alarm and placed both it and Kurt's magazine on the nightstand before stretching out on the bed and pulling Kurt on top of him. They had some time to make up for.
Kurt was starting to think that keeping their parents in the dark wasn't worth the damage it would do to his complexion. He was still groggy when he met Mercedes at the mall for last minute Christmas shopping the morning after Finn had snuck into his room. He had a hard time getting back to sleep after convincing Finn to leave before his dad got up. Luckily he didn't have to keep his act up with Mercedes. He hadn't intended to tell her so early on, mostly for Finn's sake, but he had unthinkingly answered a Skype call from her while Finn was hanging out in his room one weekend. Given that the taller boy was only wearing his boxers Kurt decided to tell her the truth and explain. She had taken the news well, but insisted on explaining to Finn rather graphically what she would do to him if he was just messing around.
The two friends spent the morning shopping, with Kurt picking up a few things he wanted to see on Finn that the other boy would definitely not be opening in front of their parents. It was about one o'clock when he got a text from Finn telling him to come to the food court. They arrived to find Finn pushing Artie to a table in the back while Mike carried a tray piled with food. Kurt's phone buzzed again, "Thought we could all catch a movie, parents won't think twice about a group thing".
"Hi guys! What are you doing here?" Mercedes asked, looking directly at Finn.
"We wanted to see that new Incarceron movie, and Finn said you and Kurt were already here. Are you finished your shopping?" Artie said.
"Get me anything good?" Finn asked, craning his neck to look in Kurt's bags.
"No!" Kurt snapped, blushing. "A movie sounds good, my phone says there is show starting in forty-five minutes, that should give us time to eat before we go."
Everyone agreed and got down to eating lunch and catching up. When it was time for the movie they all filed into the back of the theater where there was room for Artie's chair. Mercedes carefully manipulated the group so that Finn ended up on the aisle with Kurt between the two of them. It wasn't that they didn't want Artie and Mike to know, it was just that the more people that knew the less chance of keeping their secret in a town like Lima. As soon as the lights went down Finn flipped up the armrest between them and pulled Kurt closer into his side. They mostly behaved themselves, but it was nice to be close without having to worry about who might see them.
Burt Hummel sat at the kitchen table peeling potatoes while his wife prepped the rest of the meal, "And Finn still thinks we're expecting to meet his girlfriend?"
Carole chuckled, "I wonder if he even realized that I never said "she" or "girlfriend". I just told him I wanted to meet whoever was making him happy."
"I basically told Kurt the same thing, although I hinted about his credit card bill. I'm not sure whether they think we forget how we got together in the first place or we're just plain stupid." Burt said with a shake of his head.
"That's not it. I think they both feel like this is a very big thing and they don't quite know how to talk about it. I was upset at first that he didn't tell me, but I think I understand. What I don't understand is why Kurt thinks we don't see all the charges for places around Kent." Carole said, dumping the rest of the vegetables into the pot.
Burt stopped for a minute, he had promised his wife he'd be honest, even though parenting related issues were hard for them. They'd been doing it on their own for so long they were always nervous about butting in, but this involved both their kids. "If Finn is really so uncomfortable about this, I'm kind of worried that Kurt might be too invested," he said.
Carole sat down at the table and took her husbands hand, "I know you're frustrated because you can't figure out who to threaten with the shotgun, but do you really think Kurt is that easily won over any more? If I know Kurt he made my boy work for it. One look at Finn's face when he talked about Kurt during Thanksgiving totally gave them away."
Burt had to agree, "So I think this dinner thing should be Friday. Give them two more days to freak out. How far do you think they'll take this before they come clean?"
"I think they'll at least consider asking a friend to play the part."
"Hmnfh, I think one of us will be unlucky enough to catch them in the act before they get the chance."
Carole had to laugh at the face Burt made to go along with his prediction, "Okay, whoever is wrong does the dishes next week."
"You've got yourself a deal."
Finn and Kurt made it home from the mall just in time for their parents to tell them that they'd like both their significant others to come for dinner on Friday night. Giving Finn a pointed look Kurt quickly excused himself to go down to his room and make a phone call. To his great relief Wes picked up on the second ring.
"Kurt? Hey, what's up? You usually just text." said Wes.
"Yeah, but look I have to call in that favor you owe me. I need someone to pretend to be my boyfriend and meet my dad Friday night. I was kind of hoping Madison might be willing to pretend to date my step-brother too."
"Um, I know I owe you, but I think there is something I'm not getting here. Why do both you and Finn need fake dates?"
"Remember what I told you guys about how my dad met my step-mother?" Kurt said, hoping Wes was going to connect the dots on his own.
"You introduced them, you had a crush on Finn." Wes said.
Apparently Kurt was going to have to spell it out, "Well, things between he and I kind of developed over the summer. Our parents know we are seeing people, they just don't know who we are seeing."
Kurt was not amused by the laughter that was coming from the other end of the phone, "Focus Wesley! I'm serious."
"So let me see if I get this straight, pun intended. You are dating your apparently not-quite-so-hetero step-brother, and rather than tell your parents, who I assume know better than anyone how long you've had a thing for Finn, you want Madison and I to spend our Friday night pretending to be your respective significant others?"
"See, I knew that fancy Dalton education had to be good for something. So will you do it?" Kurt asked, starting to lose his patience.
"I really can't. It's my grandmother's eightieth birthday and Madison is going with me. Just tell them Kurt, from everything you've said about your dad it's not going to be a problem...except maybe that you didn't tell them before. Do you really think he'd rather you bring some random person home? "
"Okay, okay. Point taken. But you still owe me," Kurt said, pinching the bridge of his nose, his friend did have a point.
He could hear Wes pause and his voice go gentle on the other end of the phone, "Blaine's doing okay. He likes London, but I can tell he's lonely. Have you talked to him?"
"No, we agreed. In the new year maybe. It was too hard to keep talking when..." Kurt said.
"I get it. I do, Kurt. I'm glad you're moving on. I think when you're ready he would like to hear from his friend. You don't have to give that part up too."
"Thanks Wes. We should talk more often. Have a good time with your family on Friday."
"Later Kurt." Wes said, and the call ended.
Kurt spent a few minutes thinking about what Wes had said. At least the part about Finn and telling their parents. As far as getting back in contact with his ex, even in a completely platonic way. that he'd have to think about and talk over with Finn.
He went upstairs and found Finn watching ESPN as usual, "Hi there, can we talk?"
"Of course, are you okay?" the taller boy said, scooting over on the couch so Kurt could sit next to him.
Kurt took a deep breath, "I think it's time to tell them the truth. I don't like lying and you know deep down they are going to be okay with it. Unless that it makes it too real for you?" He didn't really mean to question Finn's commitment to them being together, he just wanted to understand what was keeping his boyfriend from being open about it.
"Kurt, this is the most real thing that's ever happened to me. I think you're right. I mean how long can we really keep this up?"
Kurt smiled, "As long as you are sure, how should we do it?"
Before Finn could answer they heard a key in the lock. It had to be Carole, Burt was always at the garage until dinner time. Kurt didn't have a chance to react when Finn grabbed him and pressed him to the couch covering his lips with his own just in time for his mother to enter the room.
Carole only paused a minute before hitting the speed dial on her cell, "Hi honey, looks like you won. I'll be doing the dishes this week." The boys gaped at her, although Kurt's disbelief seemed to be split evenly between her and Finn's method of spilling their secret.
The sides of her mouth quirked up, "A parent always knows, boys. I expect you'll be acting like gentleman the rest of your visit. There are some things we'd rather be kept in the dark about."
With that she continued into the kitchen to start dinner, leaving the two shocked boys on the couch.