2012

He was planning to walk in the door and take off his shoes (because his mom will yell at him if he gets mud on the new carpet and Kurt...well, Kurt is Kurt, isn't he?) and pretty much run upstairs. He's learned he's not the greatest at stealth, so speed is definitely his best strategy.

Only, he can't quite bring himself to do it. Kurt is in the kitchen, doing something that seems to require lots of banging around and maybe throwing things. Finn congratulates himself on his plan, because he knows better by now than to get in the way of Kurt's uncannily awesome aim. He does not hold back. But the thing is, Finn can't help but think of Kurt's face this afternoon in the choir room and how he was mad and probably embarrassed but mostly hurt and kind of, sort of, maybe scared. What kind of brother would he be if he walked away from that?

So, he kind of wishes that it were still football season and he had an excuse to have his helmet with him, but Finn Hudson is nothing if not brave. He heads cautiously to the kitchen, unprotected.

"Hey," he calls from the doorway. He almost adds on a "dude," but Kurt's already mad enough.

Kurt doesn't turn to look at him. His jaw is clenched tight and his hair is actually a little deflated, like he's been running a hand through it or something.

"If you're here to give me some kind of misguided morality lecture, you can can it."

"No, no, I just wanted to see how you were. See if you wanted to, you know, talk about it. It's a little early for warm milk, but if you want – "

"That won't be necessary."

Normally, Finn would be out of here if Kurt used the scary voice on him, but this is different.

"What are you making?"

"Cheesecake."

"I thought Burt couldn't have stuff like that. You know, good stuff."

"Well, it's not for my dad, is it?"

"Can I help?"

Kurt does look at him then, but it isn't a particularly nice look. He's got his eyebrows raised skeptically and his mouth set in what can only be called a grimace.

"I don't know, can you stir the batter without dipping your finger in to taste?"

"It was one time, and my hands were clean!"

"You can't just put your fingers in food that other people are going to eat, Finn, it's unsanitary!"

Finn kind of wants to argue more, but he also kind of wants to make Kurt feel better, and he can't really do both at the same time.

"Okay, fine. I promise not to taste the batter. Can I help now?"

Kurt hands him a wooden spoon wordlessly. They work in almost-silence for a few minutes, and it's weird, because usually Kurt is one of those people who won't shut up. Especially lately, and especially with this week's assignment. Finn figured he'd be tuning out random Whitney facts that no one cares about all week.

He clears his throat.

"So, that was kind of weird, today."

"Can we not?"

"I just thought you might want to talk about it."

"I didn't cheat on him, if that's what you want to know."

"Yeah, you said that. Earlier."

"It is not my fault that my boyfriend has gone insane and decided that texting is an unforgiveable offense."

"Is that really – I mean, did he say that?"

'Cause dude, harsh.

"Well, no, but did you hear the song he chose?"

His voice has been climbing ever higher throughout the exchange, but now it's kind of...cracking, too. Finn wants to, like, clap a hand on his shoulder or pat his back or something, but Kurt gets prickly about stuff like that when he's upset. Once, he actually slapped Finn's hand away. Lesson learned.

"Did you guys talk after?"

"You saw how he ran out of the choir room. He won't pick up his phone or respond to my texts."

"You could try again? Sometimes Rachel just needs some time to cool off before she's ready to talk to me again."

"Blaine's not like that."

"Yeah. I mean, it was kind of weird today, seeing him get so mad. Like, he's always so calm and happy and just...perfect, all the time. Like a robot."

"He's not perfect."

"No, I know that. But it's still kind of weird."

"For you and me both," Kurt mutters. Finn waits, because he doesn't have anything to say, and he suspects that Kurt does. He's right. "I mean, I can't help but feel like there's something else. He's blowing this way out of proportion, and he's singing about it, and he's been so weird lately. The least he could do is listen when I try to explain."

"Maybe if you actually try to explain instead of just making excuses." Kurt gives him a sharp look and opens his mouth, indignant, but Finn cuts him off. "Been there, remember?"

"But your girlfriends actually cheated on you."

"Dude. Low blow."

"Sorry."

"Besides, it's totally the same. I mean, I don't know the details and I don't know if I'd call it cheating, but I know I'd feel really crappy if Rachel was text-flirting with some guy and didn't even tell me about it."

Kurt's gone quiet.

"Yeah."

"If you show him you feel bad about it, maybe he'll listen to you better."

"Maybe."

He doesn't look at Finn, and he doesn't say anything else, so Finn doesn't push it. He tells Kurt about the quiz they're having in Geography next week, instead, and about helping Rachel get ready for her NYADA audition, and about the Halo cheat codes he just mastered. Kurt remains quiet until the cake is in the oven, responding to Finn with the bare minimum of scoffing and eye-rolling and not much else. It's okay, though. Finn figures if he were really annoyed, he'd tell Finn to go away.

They're about to start putting things away when Kurt's phone rings. It's Blaine's ringtone, Finn is pretty sure, even though it's kind of hard to keep track with the way Kurt changes it every, like, two seconds. Kurt freezes, then practically pounces on it where it's resting on the counter. He takes a breath, turns his back to Finn, then answers.

"Hello?"

Finn thinks he should probably leave, but he doesn't. He figures Kurt could use the brotherly support.

"What exactly do you want me to say?"

Ooooh. Not good.

"Well, I thought you were calling to talk."

Kurt listens for a second then sighs, loudly, tilting his head his head back and, probably, rolling his eyes. It's a Kurt classic.

"This is so stupid. I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this when I didn't do anything wrong."

Finn is almost expecting it when Kurt stares in disbelief at his phone a second later.

"He hung up on me. I can't believe – he's never hung up on me."

"Rachel has. I don't even know how many times. Like, every time we fight."

"So every week, then?"

"I'm going to ignore that."

"I just – I don't know how to get through to him when he's like this."

"Have you tried listening to him?"

"Yes. It isn't my fault that he isn't making any sense."

"Maybe if you – "

"No offense, Finn, but you don't know what you're talking about. You don't know him, he isn't a girl, and we are nothing like you and Rachel, okay? So can you please just help me with the dishes and butt out?"

Finn is pretty sure he should take offense at that, but the look on Kurt's face is kind of breaking his heart.

"Whatever you say, dude."

They don't talk much after that.