Burt Hummel leaned forward.

"Do you mind?"

"Huh?" Blaine jerked and saw that Burt was reaching for the radio dial.

"Oh. No. Go ahead. Of course."

Yes. Music. Something that isn't silence or Burt's voice. Good old music. There you are. I've been looking for you forev-

"You like Springsteen?" Burt had located Born to Run on the radio, but had opted to keep the volume at a comfortable level for conversation.

"Um, yeah. He's great. My Dad really likes him."

Yes, that's it. Remind him that you have family. Humanize yourself. He's much less likely to bury you in a shallow grave in the middle of the woods if he remembers that you have a family.

There were a few moments of silence, and Blaine couldn't believe that he was unable to think of anything to say. Blaine always knew what to say. Blaine routinely sidles up to uncomfortable confrontations with a handshake and a dashing smile. What the hell was going on here?

Oh yeah. Blaine's never had a boyfriend before. Especially not one with a gruff, hulking mechanic for a father, one who had decided to drive him home via an incredibly dark and winding back road.

Blaine's phone suddenly began to beep and vibrate, and he fumbled to silence it.

"Aren't you going to check that?"

"I'm sorry?"

Burt chuckled. "Kurt certainly wouldn't go two minutes without checking a text message on my account. I don't see why you should."

"Um, okay."

It was from Kurt.

You still alive?

Blaine smiled slightly.

Yes, but this is probably the most awkward car ride I've had since I came out to my parents at the Olive Garden.

Poor thing. You know, I'm still thinking about how good you felt.

Okay, really?

Kurt, your father is sitting right next to me.

I know. I miss you. My sheets still smell like you. I'm going to have amazing dreams tonight.

"Blaine?"

"Ye- ye- yes, Mr., um, Sir?"

"Why don't you tell Kurt you're going to turn your phone off for a little while now. I think we should have a talk."

Oh my God, he knew it was Kurt. He could probably read Blaine's thoughts, and if that was true, Blaine was going to die tonight for sure, because the things he had imagined doing to this man's son...

Blaine put his phone on silent, but he didn't turn it off. There was no way he was going to even consider cutting off his one lifeline to the outside world. If Burt were to kill the engine right then and there, no one would ever hear Blaine scream. He wondered briefly how fast they were going, and whether he would survive if he threw himself from the moving vehicle.

"Blaine. Relax, son. I'm not trying to scare you."

"You're not?" Fuck, did I actually just say that?

Burt laughed. "Okay, fair enough. Maybe I am, a little bit. But you seem like a smart guy, so I'm just going to be straight with you. This whole thing with you and Kurt – it's kind of a big deal for me."

Blaine swallowed hard, but felt a tiny trace of composure settle over him. Okay. Burt was being honest. Burt wasn't trying to scare him. Much. Burt had called him son.

"I understand. It's kind of a big deal for me, too."

Burt smiled.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. And I know I'll never hear the end of this when I get home, but I thought it was important for us to communicate, man to man. Now, I'm pretty sure Kurt is going to tell me that I wouldn't be doing this to one of Finn's girlfriends, and it's a double standard, and I shouldn't be treating him like a girl. But it's not that simple, Blaine. I just don't want you to think that I'm being unfair here." Burt glanced at Blaine out of the corner of his eye.

And because Blaine wasn't quite sure where Burt was going with this yet, he simply nodded.

"Kurt's been through a lot. For a kid his age, his been through a whole hell of a lot. And he's a tough kid. I see that. But he's also...he doesn't trust easy, Blaine. He loves easy, but he doesn't trust easy. And I can already see how much he trusts you. And to be honest, that scares me a little."

"Mr. Hummel, I would never-"

Burt held up a hand.

"Look. This isn't so I can tell you that I'll bust your kneecaps if you ever hurt my son. Cause I figure that pretty much goes without saying. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into. Because you mean a lot to Kurt. The way he talks about you, I'd be lying if I said I didn't see this coming. And I know you've had some...confusion around how you felt about him..."

"Mr. Hummel, I...I...I love him." Blaine's voice was shaking, and he blushed so hard he thought his face might melt. But it seemed crucial that he force himself to say it.

Burt smiled at this, and there was such softness behind it that Blaine felt himself relax exponentially, leaving him still pretty tense overall, but at least it was some improvement.

"I'm happy to hear that. I truly am. And I know you've been through a lot too, son." Burt glanced over at Blaine again. "Kurt told me why you ended up at Dalton. But...and I mean no disrespect here, but I think it's always going to be harder for Kurt than for you. Kurt can't put on a mask the way that guys like you and me can, Blaine. And he can't convince anyone that he's straight, even if he needs to so he can keep himself safe. I'm not saying he should have to. I'm just saying that it's a more dangerous world out there for guys like Kurt than for guys like you."

"Yeah," agreed Blaine sadly. "It is."

"I'm not saying it's your job to protect him. Like I said, he's tough. But just know that he's vulnerable too. And it's not his fault. He's just too brave to pretend he's anything other than himself. All I'm saying is...he's going to need you to be there."

"Yeah," Blaine murmured, feeling an unexpected knot in his chest. "Kurt's amazing. He's probably the strongest person I've ever met. And I promise you that I'll do everything I can to keep him safe, Mr. Hummel."

Burt sighed.

"Why don't you call me Burt, Blaine. I have a feeling you're gonna be sticking around for a while."

When Burt pulled into Blaine's driveway, things had gotten decidedly more lighthearted. They had eventually gotten to chatting about cars and music and football, and Blaine was surprised and relieved to realize that Burt didn't seem intent on bringing up such things as Blaine's advice that the man talk to his son about sex, only to have Blaine turn up in said son's bedroom, half-dressed, a few weeks later.

Blaine decided to just be grateful for small miracles and leave it at that.

When Blaine got to his bedroom, he remembered that his phone was still on silent. When he took it out of his pocket, he almost dropped it in surprise.

He had eighteen new text messages and five missed calls.

All from Kurt.

He began to scroll through the messages and discovered that after the first few, Kurt's tone got decidedly less cute and sexy and decidedly more why the hell are you ignoring me bitch, I really am starting to think my father killed you, and now I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't thank him for saving me the trouble. Blaine sighed and dialed Kurt's number.

"Conversation with a scary Hummel take two," he murmured to himself. It was going to be a long night.