“Is your dad always home this early?” Blaine asks, following Kurt timidly up the steps to the front door.

“Only on Fridays,” Kurt informs.

Blaine nods quickly, as if he’s afraid to speak any more. He stays right behind Kurt, twisting his hands and unwilling to come out from behind him.

“Blaine,” Kurt says once they’re inside the house, turning around to face him. “You don’t have to be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous. I’m terrified,” he squeaks.

“You don’t have to be,” Kurt says, attempting to reassure him by placing his hands on Blaine’s shoulders. “My dad’s really awesome. I promise.”

“O-okay.”

Kurt waits until Blaine takes a deep, calming breath before calling out for his dad.

“Dad?”

“Kitchen.”

They follow the sound of the gruff reply, Blaine still stuck to Kurt’s back like he’s about to be attacked by a dragon. Kurt reaches back to give Blaine’s hand a quick squeeze just as they walk into the kitchen, finding Burt Hummel standing next to the open refrigerator door.

“There’s nothing to eat in here,” Burt says, staring into the very full fridge.

“No,” Kurt says, rolling his eyes and striding over to the refrigerator, leaving Blaine by the counter. “There’s just nothing in here that you can microwave.”

“Exactly,” his dad says.

“Dad,” Kurt says slowly, shoving the refrigerator door closed. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Wha – oh. Hey,” Burt says once he finally takes notice of the third person in their kitchen.

“Hello,” Blaine replies softly, attempting a smile despite the blush spreading across his cheeks.

“This is Blaine,” Kurt says pointedly, hoping his dad would remember the name. “Blaine, this is my dad, Burt Hummel.”

“Blaine?” Burt asks, attempting to recall the name. “Oh! Blaine, Blaine. You’re the Blaine.”

“Uh…”

“Yes, dad. The Blaine I was talking about.”

“Gotcha,” Burt says before looking back at Blaine. “Thanks for, you know, helping Kurt with his physics and stuff.”

Blaine nods, seeming even smaller than normal, especially in comparison to Kurt’s father. Kurt urges them both to sit down at the kitchen table while Kurt whips up a quick snack, consisting of fresh, sliced fruit and carrot sticks. His dad despises eating anything even remotely healthy, but Kurt would rather slice the fruit himself than have his dad settle for a greasy sack of potato chips that Finn has hidden in the pantry.

“So, are you two dating yet?” Burt asks bluntly, directing his question to Blaine.

Kurt drops the knife on the cutting board and Blaine’s backpack slips from his fingertips in the process of setting it on the floor.

“I – I’m not-”

“We haven’t talked about it yet,” Kurt says, tossing fruit slices into a bowl quickly.

“Oh,” Burt says flatly. “So you didn’t bring home a boyfriend to meet your old man?”

“Dad. We haven’t talked about that yet.”

“But you boys like each other? You know, in that…way.”

“Yes,” Blaine says before Kurt can answer.

Turning away from the counter with snacks in hand, Kurt sees Blaine sitting next to his dad. The small boy sits tall, back straight, as if he’s proud of liking Kurt, proud to admit it. Kurt smiles at the sight.

“Well,” Burt says, “at least one of you can admit it.”

“Yes, dad,” Kurt says, setting their snacks down on the table before taking a seat next to Blaine. “We like each other.”

“Good, then,” Burt says with a nod. “You like football, Blaine?”

Blaine’s eyes brighten in a way Kurt has never seen before.

“Yes, sir,” Blaine replies with enthusiasm.

Kurt tilts his head in curiosity because he never thought to ask such a question. Blaine was gay, this he knew, and he had assumed that Blaine wasn’t interested in sports. But now, as he watches Blaine and his father interact, discussing the Ohio Buckeyes and college football, he wishes he would have asked. It’s funny because Kurt’s the gay one in the family, yet Burt Hummel is the one who didn’t immediately think that Blaine being gay meant he didn’t like sports. Kurt looks proudly upon his father, wishing he could hug him over a simple question that has sparked such interest for Blaine.

“I thought maybe you’d want to bring Blaine to the game today,” Kurt eventually says. “Since Carole’s working a late shift and you don’t have anyone to go with. Blaine doesn’t have anyone to go with either.”

“Sounds good to me,” Burt says gruffly. “You wanna go, kid?”

“I-if it’s not too much trouble,” Blaine says shyly.

“No trouble at all.”

They fall into silence and Kurt panics, not wanting this to be awkward for anyone.

“Wanna see my room?” he asks Blaine.

“Um, sure.”

“Door open,” his dad says when they stand to leave the kitchen.

“Dad,” Kurt says in warning.

“Just sayin’,” Burt says, reaching over to finish off the last few apple slices.

Kurt rolls his eyes, dragging Blaine behind him as they head down to his basement bedroom, leaving the door open as instructed.

“Finn’s room is on the other side of that wall,” Kurt informs, gesturing to the wall in question. “My dad put it up. But we’re moving soon and he promised us our own rooms in the new house.”

“You’re moving?” Blaine asks sadly, looking up at Kurt with wide eyes while standing on the bottom step of the basement stairs.

“Just to a new neighborhood,” Kurt assures him with a smile. “We’re not moving school districts.”

“Oh, okay,” Blaine says, sighing in relief.

“I wouldn’t leave you that soon.”

Blaine blushes, biting his lower lip to stop a smile, and Kurt takes his hand. Blaine steps closer to his side, pressing his forehead against Kurt’s upper arm. Kurt kind of likes the way it makes him feel, sort of tall and strong, and it’s strange because he’s never been that guy. Even being a Cheerio, even being able to walk through the halls with his head held high, none of it makes him feel as…important as Blaine makes him feel.

Like he’s really worth something.

“I like your room,” Blaine says softly.

“It’s a bit cluttered right now,” Kurt says. “Ever since the wall went up, I had to make do with a smaller space. I can’t wait to really have my own room again.”

“Mmm,” Blaine hums in acknowledgement, nudging his nose against Kurt’s sleeve.

“Do you – do you wanna sit down?”

Blaine nods and Kurt leads him over to the bed, their hands never unclasping. Once they’re seated, Kurt doesn’t know what else to say. It’s just nice to sit together on the edge of the bed, breathing the same air and feeling Blaine lean his gelled, little head on Kurt’s shoulder. Kurt cranes his neck, breathing in the scent of Blaine’s hair.

It smells like strawberries.

Kurt smiles. He untangles their fingers in order to wind his arm around Blaine’s shoulders, tugging him closer until they’re pressed hip to hip on top of the bed. Kurt’s heart flutters in his chest. He’s so nervous. He shouldn’t be nervous. They’ve spent plenty of time together.

Granted, they’re usually fighting with each other and pointing out each other’s flaws or they’re studying in a busy coffee shop.

But this…this is just really nice.

Because they like each other.

Kurt feels giddy at the thought and suddenly the gel in Blaine’s hair, the dark frames of his glasses, and the weight of his backpack don’t make a difference anymore.

“Your hair smells really good,” Kurt whispers without really meaning to. Immediately he wants to slap himself for being so silly.

Blaine lifts his head and glances up at Kurt, eyes still huge and beautiful behind the lenses of his glasses and oh, god, Kurt wants to kiss him so badly.

“Kurt?” Blaine asks quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Will – will you be my boyfriend?”

Kurt sighs because he wants to say yes. He really, really wants to say yes but everything else still exists. All of the problems he had are still there. He’s still scared of losing everything, still scared of all the bad that might come if he’s seen around someone like Blaine. Kurt thinks of the volatile way that Santana had acted earlier and he’s almost certain the other Cheerios will react the same way if they find out.

But as Kurt gazes at Blaine, taking in the fullness of his lips and that look in his eyes, the one that’s pleading ‘please don’t turn me away’, he realizes how stupid and childish it all really is. Blaine is a good person. He’s a far better person than Kurt and he deserves someone who will really care for him. Thoughts begin to rush through his head as he imagines Blaine on someone else’s arm, Blaine looking up at someone else through those glasses, and Blaine kissing someone else’s lips. And he thinks of Blaine alone in his bedroom on a Friday night, books scattered on his bed and no one to call…

He deserves something good.

In that moment, Kurt vows to do everything he can to be that something.

“Yeah,” he finally breathes.

“You will?” Blaine asks with so much hope in his eyes.

“Yes,” Kurt says again. “Blaine Anderson, I will be your boyfriend.”

Blaine’s eyes begin to water and he starts crying. He’s crying and he’s smiling so broadly that Kurt thinks he’ll never see something this beautiful in life ever again.

“Can I kiss you?” Kurt asks, cupping Blaine’s face with a cool hand.

Nodding, Blaine scoots closer and their lips collide. Kurt wishes he could melt into Blaine and he does his best to do exactly that by wrapping Blaine up in his arms and pulling him into his lap, holding him while they kiss. Blaine’s lips are soft and pliant against his. Even Kurt wants to cry now because it’s so different from that night they kissed in the car but it’s better. It’s so much better.

“I’ll do everything,” Kurt says in between kisses. “I’ll be good to you, I will.”

Blaine says nothing in response. Instead, he slides a hand around the back of Kurt’s neck and kisses him deeper, tongue slipping into Kurt’s mouth and Kurt whines at the sensation. Blaine’s tongue is quite skilled despite his lack of practice in the art. The frames of his glasses bump against Kurt’s cheek and Kurt is surprised to find himself in love with the way they press against his face. Those glasses are part of Blaine and it’s Blaine who is kissing him now, Blaine’s tongue that’s tickling at the roof of his mouth, Blaine’s lips that taste as sweet as the fruit they had eaten earlier and it’s wonderful, oh, it’s perfect. It’s perfect.

“I’ll be good,” Kurt says again when they break for air. “I’ll – I’ll hold your hand and everyone will know that I’m with you.”

“I don’t want you to do something you’re not comfortable with, Kurt.”

“I don’t care,” Kurt says before kissing him again briefly. “I’m not ashamed of you. God, how could I ever be ashamed of you?”

Blaine’s breath hitches and Kurt lowers him down onto the bed, covering Blaine’s body with his own and pressing their lips together once more. Kissing Blaine is the best thing in the world, Kurt decides, and he can’t believe he can do this whenever he wants now.

Because they’re boyfriends.

“I’ll make you proud of me,” Kurt whispers, pressing a soft kiss to that spot just below Blaine’s ear. “I’ll be good to you.”

“I’ll – I’ll make you proud of me, too.”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Kurt says quickly, pulling away from Blaine’s face. “I’m the one – I’m the idiot, here. I never should have – I never – you were right. I should never have changed who I was.”

“Kurt,” Blaine says with this adorable, half smile. “I know it’s not going to be that easy.”

“But I want to do it. I want to do it for you.”

“I know you do. But just – just remember,” Blaine says softly, “that I still fell for you. Even when you were being a jerk.”

“I don’t want to be a jerk. I want to be good for you.”

“And I want you to be good for you.”

Kurt sighs, dropped his head into the crook of Blaine’s neck and shoulder. Blaine’s hands rub his back in a comforting way, easing the tension out of Kurt’s shoulders.

“I don’t need hand-holding in the hallway to know that I’m with you,” Blaine whispers into his ear.

“But I want to hold your hand.”

“So hold my hand when you’re ready.”

“I won’t ignore you anymore.”

“So don’t ignore me.”

“I want to give you everything.”

“Give me everything when you’re ready to give me everything. For now, it’s enough to know that you’re with me.”