Kurt hadnt been as close to his dad as he once had been, but when he got home that evening to find his dad sitting on the sofa watching the TV, he couldnt stop himself from curling up to his dads side. Burt looked down at his son, whose eyes were fixated on the TV, with a look of confusion but pure happiness on his face. He decided not to question Kurt about it as it may scare him away and Burt was content to allow his little boy to snuggle up to him.

Since Elizabeth died, Burt had noticed Kurt pulling away from him and not just in terms of his speech. He wouldnt spend as much time around his father and seemed to be happier just holing himself away in his bedroom. Burt obviously missed spending time with Kurt, even if it wasnt extremely evident. WHen he married Carole, Burt noticed Kurt slip that little bit further away from him despite Kurt being okay with his step mother and step brother.

In that moment, it was the first time that Burt could honestly say Kurt had willingly opened up, in a way, to him in eight years. So as much as Burt wanted to question it, he couldnt bring himself to push his son even further away so he wrapped his arm around Kurts shoulders as the sixteen year old cuddled impossibly closer.

About half way into the show they were watching, Kurts phone bleeped. Not wanting to move from his comfortable position in his dads arms, Kurt awkwardly dug his phone out of his pocket, a smile appearing on his face when he read the message from Blaine.

Blaine: Just checking to make sure you got home okay :)

Kurt: Yup. Im just watching TV with my dad.

Kurt locked his phone once the message was sent, but kept a firm grip on it incase Blaine texted him back.

"Who was that you were texting?" Burt asked curiously as Kurt looked up him with a puzzled expression, not knowing how to respond as he had nothing to write on.

Seemingly reading Kurts mind, Burt reached over and grabbed a notebook and pen from the table next to the sofa.

My friend Blaine; hes the one that I was studying with after school.

Burt read the note with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk, eliciting a confused expression from Kurt.

"Just a friend, huh?"

Yes. Kurt wrote simply on the notebook.

"The smile you were wearing while you were texting him tells me otherwise." Burt teased, noticing the blush on Kurts cheeks even in the dimly lit living room.

DAD! Kurt scribbled across the notebook, hiding his face in his dads arm.

"Okay, okay, Ill stop," Burt laughed. "But you know you can talk to me about it if you want to, right?"

Kurt smiled up at his father and nodded, snuggling back up to him and ignoring the inevitable noise of Finn arrving home.

"Is anybody home!?" Finn called out unnecessarily loudly.

"In here!" Burt shouted back, shaking his head with silent laughter.

"Oh hey," Finn greeted as he entered the living room, Kurt replying with a small wave before picking up the notebook and pen again.

Im gonna go upstairs and get started on some homeworl, see you at dinner.

"Okay." Burt replied with a smile, trying not to let his disappointment show.

Kurt seemed to pull even further away from Burt when other people were around and it would make him question if Kurt pulling away from him was because he married Carole if Kurt wasnt already pulling away before that even happened.

Kurt wasnt close with anyone, really. He didnt appear to have any friends and if he could avoid a family moment by hiding in his room, he probably would. That fact made Burt wonder what exactly had happened that evening — Finn was rambling about something from the other end of the sofa, but Burt was occupied with trying to decode his sons behaviour. That night was the first time that Burt would recall Kurt telling him that hed made a friend, maybe that had something to do with it? He wasnt really sure, but it made sense.

"Do you know a kid named Blaine?" Burt asked Finn out of the blue, cutting off whatever Finn was talking about.

"Uh, yeah. Hes kinda new; in Glee Club with me and Kurt...I actually saw him talking to Kurt earlier, why?"

"Hes friends with your brother but its kinda strange...I mean hes never really had any friends before and he hates interacting with new people — actually just with people in general but still..." Burt wondered aloud.

"Blaine doesnt really have a lot of friends either. Hes friends with everyone in Glee but he isnt exactly close with anyone."

"I think Kurt has a crush on him," Burt said with a slight laugh. "He was texting him earlier with a huge smile on his face and he blushed like crazy when I asked him about it."

"Yeah," Finn laughed. "Thats definitely a crush. Dont worry though, Blaines really sweet."

"How bad do you think Kurt would wanna murder me if I suggest that he invites him over for dinner?"

"If you want to do it subtly why dont you just wait until theyre studying here and ask Blaine if he wants to stay for dinner?" Finn suggested, not giving Burt time to reply as he walked out of the living room backwards.

Burt didnt actually get to spend any more time with Kurt that evening. When he went upstairs to tell him that dinner was ready, he found Kurt sound asleep in bed. He hadnt gotten much sleep the night before — Burt knew because he heard Kurt go downstairs at around four in the morning — so it was understandable. He smiled down at his son as he made snuffling noises in his sleep before leaning over and tucking him into his sheets, pressing a kiss to his forehead and retreating back to the kitchen.

"Wheres Kurt?" Carole asked when Burt re-entered the kitchen.

"Hes asleep, Id wake him up but I know he didnt sleep much last night so I thought Id just let him be." Burt replied, taking a seat opposite Finn at the table.

"No fair!" Finn exclaimed. "How come hes allowed to sleep this early?"

"Firstly," Carole began with a laugh, dishing dinner onto Finns plate. "The only reason youre ever tired at this time is because you stay up half the night playing video games. And secondly, you couldnt pass up an opportunity for food even if you tried so stop complaining and eat."

Burt laughed as Finn ducked his head shamefully and began to eat his dinner.

The next morning, Burt was pleasantly surprised to see that Kurt was trying to have a conversation with him over breakfast, even if he wasnt physically speaking. It didnt end well because, well, eating pancakes and writing messages on pieces of paper wasnt exactly the easiest task but it still meant a lot to Burt. It gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, his little boy was starting to get better and open up to him again.