Chapter 24

Burt picks up his phone again, fingers hovering over the buttons, debating whether he should call his son or text him…or if he should even contact him at all.

It had been nearly two hours since Kurt had stormed out and Burt was getting worried. He didn't even know what he wanted to say. He was concerned, but he was still angry, and much like his son, he was quite stubborn. Burt didn't want to give in. And there was still the possibility that Kurt would come home tonight. Maybe.

When Kurt had first left, Burt had been furious; he didn't consider that his 18-year-old son might not be coming home again. But as his anger subsided and his brain started working properly, his words came back to him harshly.

"…if you continue to work there, you can't live here."

Burt began pacing the floor and muttering to himself. What if Kurt never came back? What if something happened to Kurt at the club? What if he refused to talk to him?

Burt could still hear the sound of the door slamming as Kurt left echoing through the living room. Or so he thought. It's actually Carole coming home from her shift at the hospital.

"Burt?" she calls, a look of confusion on her face at coming home to all the downstairs lights on.

"In here," he calls from the living room.

"Honey, what on earth…" Carole starts, but she stops when she sees the anguish on her husband's face. "What's wrong?"

"Kurt's gone," Burt says, shoulders sagging and hanging his head in his hands. "He left."

Kurt reemerges from Shades about 15 minutes later looking positively delectable in his street clothes. He somehow makes everything he wears look effortless and Blaine can't help but admire it as his boyfriend makes his way across the parking lot to him.

"Hi," Kurt says with a smile as he approaches.

"Hi," Blaine replies with an even bigger smile.

"So…" Kurt starts, his posture shifting and revealing that he's nervous about what he's about to say. "I kind of got in a fight with my dad earlier. You don't by chance have the kind of parents who wouldn't happen to notice if you brought your semi-homeless stripper boyfriend home with you, do you?"

"Former stripper," he corrects. "And, as a matter of fact, I do," he says. Blaine grins broadly.

"You do what?" Kurt says, momentarily dumbstruck by the look on Blaine's face.

"Have those kind of parents," Blaine says matter-of-factly. "They're probably not even home."

"Oh," Kurt says. He hadn't really expected that. He was planning on calling Rachel or Mercedes to see if he could stay over at one of their houses. He had already resolved to be stubborn and not call his dad to tell him he had quit. But asking Blaine if he could stay with him had really been more of a flirtation than an actual question.

"Yeah," Blaine says. "Did you want to come over?"

The blush on Blaine's cheeks is visible even in the dimly lit parking lot, and Kurt finds it so endearing that he doesn't even hesitate before replying.

"Sure. If that's okay with you."

Blaine nods enthusiastically and gestures toward his car with his head. "Um, you want to follow me?"

It amazes Kurt that Blaine alternates between being so self-assured — beating up Sebastian in the parking lot — and self-conscious, shifting nervously on his feet talking to Kurt about spending the night. It's absolutely adorable. Kurt smiles at his boyfriend and takes his hand lightly. "Of course I'll follow you," he says. "Anywhere you want."

And he means it. Kurt Hummel is so unbelievably smitten by this boy — man, he corrects inwardly — that he would do anything he asked, and probably things he hasn't asked. Unfortunately, that also includes worrying his father to death.

Carole blinks silently at Burt for a few moments before speaking.

"What do you mean, 'Kurt's gone'?" she asks.

"We had a fight over him working at …that place," Burt says, dropping heavily onto the sofa. "And I told him he couldn't live here anymore unless he quit." He drops his head in his hands. "God I sounded like my old man."

"Oh honey," Carole says, running a soothing hand over Burt's shoulder. "He knows you didn't really mean it. He'll come home."

"You know how stubborn that kid can be, though. He's not like Finn."

Carole is quiet for a moment, running her hand along her husband's back.

"Well, now that's true. But I also know he loves you, and he really hates to disappoint you. He'll come to his senses," she says, smiling. "Besides, he'll probably just stay at Rachel's anyway. I'll call Hiram in the morning and we'll sort this out."

Burt sighs heavily, running his hand over the top of his head as he looks up at his wife.

"How do you always know the right thing to say?"

"It's the first chapter in the mom/wife handbook," she teases.

Burt stands and kisses Carole on the top of her head, and smiles at her. "I'm going to bed," he says. "You coming?"

"I'll be up in a minute," she says.

Burt's shoulders sag slightly as he leaves his wife standing in their living room, but otherwise, he gives no indication how much he's worried about his 18-year-old son. Carole, on the other hand, knows her husband very well, better than he knows himself some days. She knows he's more worried than he's letting on.

She takes out her phone and opens a new text message to Kurt: I know you and your dad had a fight, but he's worried sick. Just let me know if you're alright so I know if he has reason to be worried.

The response only takes a few minutes.

Kurt
I'm just fine. Staying at a friend's. I'll be by in the morning to pick up some clothes.

Carole considers asking him which friend he's staying with, but decides against it, knowing she's gotten all she needs and Kurt probably won't divulge that bit of information anyway.

She turns out the lights in the living room and climbs the stairs. It doesn't hit her until the next morning that Kurt's text had implied he was moving out.

Blaine's house is dark and quiet when they enter. Kurt fidgets nervously in the foyer, taking in the cold, museum-like feel of the décor that he hadn't noticed before.

"It's nice," he says.

"Yeah, I guess," Blaine says, following Kurt's gaze with his own around his parents' home. He's always thought his house was elegant and modern, but his mother changed it up so often, he never really had time to form an attachment to it. It's just a place to live.

When Blaine's eyes land on Kurt, he smiles warmly. "My room's much nicer," he says. "Want to go up?"

"Sure," Kurt replies, returning Blaine's smile with one of his own. It startles him a little when Blaine grabs his hand and tugs him upstairs. Kurt will never get over the feeling of having someone grab his hand in such a warm and affectionate manner. And the best part is it's not just someone, it's his boyfriend. His stunningly gorgeous boyfriend who he's going to spend the night with.

Kurt nearly trips over his own feet at the thought and stumbles slightly on the stairs. Blaine turns when he feels a backwards tug on his hand.

"You OK?" he asks.

Kurt laughs nervously. "Just lost my balance," Kurt says. "Sorry."

"You're usually so graceful," Blaine teases. "Dancing? No problem. Fifteen stairs and you've got two left feet."

Despite his nervousness, Kurt laughs at Blaine's attempt to banter with him. He relaxes a little under Blaine's flirtatious smile.

"Guess I'm just tired," he says nonchalantly. "It's been a long night."

"Come on then," Blaine says, tugging slightly on Kurt's hand. "Let's get you to bed."

Kurt can feel the blush coloring his cheeks. Earlier he had been on an adrenalin rush and still partly in "Dalton mode" when he and Blaine had fooled around in the lounge. He's not sure what Blaine's expectations are, but he's not sure he's ready for much more than what they'd already done.

"Home sweet home," Blaine says, swinging the door to his bedroom wide open to reveal a warmly lit, cozy bedroom with a double bed that looks scandalously comfy. Kurt immediately notices that it's big enough to fit the both of them, but small enough that cuddling could happen "accidentally" if he played his cards right.

"It's wonderful," Kurt gushes. Blaine laughs fondly at his boyfriend, acknowledging Kurt's nervousness.

"Bathroom's through there," Blaine says, pointing to a door to the right of the bed. "I'll find you something to sleep in and you can get cleaned up. I don't have a spare toothbrush, but there should be some mouthwash under the sink."

Kurt nods quietly and mumbles a quick "thanks" as Blaine starts digging through dresser drawers. Kurt fidgets anxiously and throws his bag on the floor near Blaine's desk, his eyes falling on a photo of Blaine from a Warblers performance. Blaine's mouth is open wide, his eyes closed as he grips a hand to his chest passionately. The boys behind him are in a precise formation, faces stoic as they sing backup. Kurt smiles at the memory of competing against the a capella group the previous year. Blaine finally pulls out a t-shirt and pair of flannel pants and walks over to hand them to Kurt.

"That was from sectionals this year," he says absently.

"Oh yeah?" Kurt says. When he turns, Blaine's face is only inches from his own, and he can feel the shorter boy's breath on his cheek. Kurt's breath catches as he meets Blaine's gaze. He'll never get over the expressiveness of his boyfriend's eyes, but in the warm light of Blaine's bedroom the gorgeous honey-colored irises are sparkling brightly and it's like seeing them for the first time.

Kurt leans down to meet Blaine's lips, momentarily catching the darker-haired boy off guard and earning a surprised gasp from his perfectly lush mouth. Blaine recovers quickly and pushes back against Kurt's lips. With the clothing in his hands, he can't quite get a grip on Kurt, so he fumbles with his hands a little. But Kurt won't let him pull away. Kurt's tongue drags deliciously across Blaine's and it hits him suddenly that his gorgeous, tall, perfect boyfriend is staying in his room — his bed — that night. He pulls back slightly from the kiss.

"Kurt," he rasps. "Um…I got you some pajamas." It's an obvious statement, but Blaine doesn't know what else to say to break the tension. "I'll change in here; you can have the bathroom."

"Okay," Kurt breathes, pulling back further. "I'll uh…I'll just be a minute."

Blaine hurries to change his clothes after the door closes behind Kurt. He throws on a clean t-shirt and a pair of nylon shorts he usually wears to the gym. He figures it's best if he doesn't sleep in his underwear like he normally does.

He perches awkwardly on the edge of the bed while he waits for Kurt to reemerge from the bathroom. He taps his foot restlessly and hums to himself.

When Kurt closes the bathroom door behind him, he sags roughly against it, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He's going to have to talk to Blaine about his expectations, but the fact that he broke the kiss first gives Kurt hope that maybe they're on the same page.

While he changes his clothes and uses the mouthwash he finds under the sink, he thinks through what he wants to say. Nothing comes to mind, so he takes his time, gargling the minty liquid three times and rinsing thoroughly. He still can't come up with anything to say to Blaine that doesn't sound like he's having another freak out. Which, let's be honest, he kind of is.

When he feels like he can no longer keep stalling without making the situation even more uncomfortable, he grabs his discarded clothing and turns the knob on the door. Blaine is sitting on the edge of the bed, turned slightly away from the bathroom door and humming quietly to himself. It's downright charming how anxious he looks.

"I Wanna Hold Your Hand?" Kurt asks.

Blaine jumps slightly and turns to face Kurt. "Wuh?" he says.

"The song you were humming…sounded like the Beatles. I Wanna Hold Your Hand? My mom used to sing it to me."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites," Blaine confesses. "I hum it when I'm nervous."

"You're nervous?" Kurt asks raising an eyebrow.

Blaine looks down at his hands resting on his knees. He drags his bare toes across the carpet, making random swirls in the loose pile. "Yeah," he says. "I've never shared my bed with anyone before."

The fact that he means another guy is implied, and Kurt understands immediately.

"Me neither," he says simply, sitting down beside Blaine and taking one of his hands.

Blaine looks up at Kurt and smiles. "Oh good," he says. It comes out in a rush of breath and his shoulders sag when he releases it.

"Don't sound so shocked about it," Kurt says with a laugh. "Just because I've been stripping, it doesn't mean I throw myself around."

"Oh, no…Kurt, that's not what I …"

"It's okay," Kurt says. "I know you didn't mean anything by it. I'm nervous too."

"You are?"

Kurt nods. "I assumed because of what happened earlier, you'd expect …things."

Blaine pulls his hand from Kurt's grip and holds both hands up in mock surrender. "No expectations, whatsoever," he says. "Cross my heart." He mimes it for emphasis. The childish gesture makes Kurt snort out a laugh.

"You're adorable when you act like you're five," he says.

"You're just adorable," Blaine replies.

Kurt rolls his eyes, but there's no intensity in the action; it's playful and flirtatious. Blaine leans forward and presses a soft kiss to Kurt's lips.

"We can just sleep," Blaine says. "Come on." He nods his head toward the headboard and stands to pull back the covers. He lays back and pats the pillow next to him for Kurt, who joins him beneath he sheets. He snuggles down into the thick down pillows and sighs. Kurt hadn't realized just how tired he was until he was nestled deep in the warmth of Blaine's bed. When he feels a tentative arm wrap around his torso, he sighs deeper and relaxes into his boyfriend's arms, turning slightly to his side as Blaine tugs him in close.

"You make a wonderful big spoon," he whispers.

Blaine's arm squeezes him tightly before he rolls away to switch off the lamp beside the bed. When he returns to Kurt's side, he presses several soft kisses to the back of his boyfriend's neck and says, "You're so much better than any teddy bear I ever had."

"You really are five, aren't you?" Kurt teases.

"Nope...eighteen. All. Grown. Up," he says, punctuating each word with a kiss.

Kurt sighs and scoots even closer into Blaine's chest.

"Definitely grown up," he says softly. Kurt only lasts a few moments before he is sound asleep. Blaine listens to Kurt's soft breathing for a while before he joins him in a deep, comfortable slumber.

On the other side of town, Burt Hummel is having the complete opposite experience: tossing and turning violently, and completely unable to sleep.