There was no ‘talk’ that night. They were all exhausted and Burt announced they all needed to sleep, that questions and conversations could wait until tomorrow.  Burt had walked over to Kurt, stared at him for a few seconds, and then enveloped him in a hug before patting his cheek and going upstairs. Carole followed, hugging and petting Kurt’s hair wordlessly before following her husband. Finn had lifted Kurt off his feet with his hug and Blaine had wrapped his arms around Kurt, kissing him deeply before walking upstairs, leaving Kurt to stare around the dark house, remembering the feeling of truly being home in the house he loved, with the people he adored.

Finn lay in his bed dozing when the door opened and he heard feet padding over to his bed before the end dipped and someone sat down cross-legged. He cracked his eyes open and saw blond hair and lightly tanned skin in the wash of light from the doorway. Kurt.

He opened his eyes and groaned lightly, shifting into a seated position, crossing his own legs and looked at Kurt.

Kurt looked back at the door then back at Finn. “So, tell me what happened.”

Finn blinked at him. “What do you want to know dude?”

Kurt smiled. “Everything. I don’t want to ask dad or Carole and Blaine just keeps tearing up when I look at him, he’s like a one man water pump, give him a shove and-“

“He loves you,” Finn cut him off. “He loved you and you were gone and we all tried to cope, we did but Blaine, he fell apart for a while there. He still does. Kurt, I love you, you’re my brother but the day you left was like a bomb exploding or something. It was like ‘boom’ and everything near you got taken out.” Finn made the hand movements for an explosion, puffing out his cheeks and making crackling noises.

Kurt stared. “He fell apart?”

Finn sighed and thought back. “It was like something in him broke that day. Not, like his heart, cause duh, that broke but something in his mind just snapped and he’d just have these mood swings and we’d be talking or doing something and he’d just vanish. His eyes would go all misty and he’d go silent for ages. Like he was remembering everything, then he’d be back.”

Kurt gulped. He’d seen a little of Blaine’s rage earlier when the curly-haired man pinned him against the wall but he’d never expected that. “Is…is he better now?”

Finn shrugged. “Eh, sometimes. It comes and it goes. When he attacked Coop at the airport was the first in a long time. I think he got used to you being gone, like he accepted you were gone but knew you’d come back. I guess.”

Kurt sighed then snapped his head up. “Wait, he attacked Cooper? When?”

Finn realised what he’d said and held a hand up. “Oh! That was when we got to LA. Coop was being an ass to Blaine and Blaine got angry, he knocked him down and punched him. I shouted at him and he calmed down. It’s not like he hurt him or anything.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow. He smiled a little at Finn and sighed, making his voice quiet. “Don’t yell at him around me Finn, okay? I love you but I don’t want to see him yelled at.”

Finn’s eyes went wide in the darkness and he wondered if Kurt had ever had an episode like Blaine. They smiled at each other until a quiet voice sounded from the door.

“Kurt? Are you coming to bed?”

Both men looked over; Blaine was standing in the doorway, looking smaller than ever. Kurt’s heart broke over the sight of the vulnerable, scared, quiet man who was usually so happy and vibrant. “I’ll be there in a second Blaine.”

Blaine stayed in the doorway and Kurt sighed. He’d have to work hard to get the shorter man’s trust back. He turned back to Finn who was looking at him with an amused smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow Finn. Love you.”

“Love you too bro. Night Blaine, love you.”

Kurt got up and walked over to Blaine who gave him a charming smile. Blaine looked over at Finn, grateful for his presence. “Night Finn, love you too.”

Kurt took Blaine’s hand and walked into their room, shutting the door behind him. He wrapped his arms around Blaine’s waist and waited until the man he loved was looking up at him. “I love you Blaine Anderson and I will spend every day for the rest of my life making the last 5 months up to you.”

Blaine blinked at him, happy tears in his eyes. “Just exist Kurt. Just be with me.”

The next morning Kurt woke to fingers threading through his hair. He hummed happily and opened his eyes, smiling at Blaine staring at him in wonder.

“You know I had a dream last night. I dreamt you were gone again but I couldn’t see, all there was were pictures of you and they were moving, calling out to me but every time I went to touch one, it vanished.” Blaine looked distant, describing his dream and Kurt’s eyes widened. Wow. He’d really messed up Blaine’s head by leaving.

Kurt smiled, leaning in and kissing the tip of Blaine’s nose. “I’m here Blaine. I’m not going anywhere.”

Blaine smiled and pulled them into a sitting position, looking Kurt over. “I want to know everything.”

Kurt smiled, placing his hand in Blaine’s. “So do I. How about we each ask a question, it’ll be easier that way.”

Blaine nodded. “I’ll start. Did you ever consider coming back?”

Kurt nodded. “All the time. I missed you all so badly but I had it in my head I needed to be something. I guess I did, before I could. Now you. Did you really get me monogrammed towels as my graduation gift?”

Blaine looked at him oddly. “No. I gave you a photo. You broke the frame.”

“No I didn’t.” Kurt replied. He’d never seen a photo with the towels.

Blaine nodded and reached over to the nightstand. “Here. This was in between the towels; it must’ve fallen and broken when you took the top one. Ok my turn. Did you make a name for yourself?”

Kurt shook his head, smiling wryly. “I tried. I’ve done a few commercials, like Cooper said but nothing more. I want to. One day. Ok, this one’s an important one. Is there anyone else?”

Blaine shook his head. “No. I loved you then and I love you now. I don’t think I could be with anyone else, you kinda ruined me,” Blaine smirked at Kurt and carried on. “I wanted everything to be the way you said it would. I trusted you and when you left I wanted you back so badly. I searched for you and coped and lived my life. I carried on but I didn’t want anyone. Just you. You’re my soul mate and the love of my life, Kurt. Did you have anyone else?”

Kurt shook his head, his heart swelling at Blaine’s words. He knew it was probable that Blaine had waited but he could’ve understood if his boyfriend went for someone else with him gone. “The same for me. I never wanted anyone else. My running away wasn’t to do with you or how I felt about you. I know it hurt you and I’m really, really sorry but I never wanted anyone else. You’re my soul mate, the love of my life and one day I’ll be worthy of that title again.”

Blaine nodded, blinking against the tears. He was so happy Kurt hadn’t loved another but the thought of giving himself back to Kurt was daunting. He loved Kurt, he would one day trust Kurt but right now…he could only promise to learn to have Kurt back in his life, before the trust came.

Kurt leaned closer and wiped the tears from Blaine’s cheeks. “Do you think you’ll ever trust me again?”

Blaine nodded. “We just need to learn to live in each other’s lives again before I can. Be mine Kurt, just be.”

Kurt nodded, he could do that. He kissed Blaine softly and looked at the time. 10.30am. “I guess we’d better let the rest of the world in. My dad will have a lot of questions, I think.”

Finally, after getting washed and dressed the two teens walked down the stairs. Burt stood in the hall with Carole and Finn. When they reached the bottom Burt stepped forward, looking Kurt in the eye. “I don’t care why you went or how. I just want to know, were you happy?”

Kurt stood there, stunned. He’d expected shouting, anger, disappointment but his dad just looked so earnest, so desperate that Kurt doesn’t know if his answer will hurt or heal the older man. He settles for honesty and nods, tears filling his eyes.

Tears slipped down Burt’s cheeks, he pulled Kurt to him in a crushing hug. Blaine, Finn and Carole watch, their family complete again.

They’re sitting watching TV when Burt says it, low and clear over the football game Kurt had decided to watch just to be near the three men he loved. “It’s every parent’s nightmare and it was mine for 19 years. You were such a happy kid but so different and I was so scared.”

Kurt watches him, wanting to go over, sit in his lap and tell him everything’s ok but he can’t. He’s not the kid in Burt’s nightmare anymore and Burt’s not crying.

The older man carried on. “In a way I’m glad it was this. If it had been anything else it could have changed things. We wouldn’t be the Hummel-Hudson’s, with a touch of Anderson from our Blaine. You wouldn’t have Blaine and you wouldn’t have acting. You’d be lost, but you’re strong and you came back.”

Kurt looked at Blaine and their joined hands. His dad was right. His life is beautiful. A mess, but beautiful. It’s the last his dad wants to talk about him being gone. To him having Kurt is more than enough but deep in the night Kurt wanders into his room and promises that he’ll never let Burt, or Carole, down again.

He spends time with Carole, walking in the garden and talking non-stop about his time in LA and making cookies and food and everything he’d missed from having her around and her having him around. She only asks him why once, and all he can say is that he needed to go, to come back.

Kurt sits in their bedroom Thanksgiving night, after they finish dinner and listens to Blaine play guitar.

One day I’ll be strong

Strong enough to carry you

One day I’ll be a man

Big enough to comfort you

One day I’ll live

With all the words I know are true

One day love will come back to you

I was lost

Alone and scared love

For a long time I needed you

I learned to live

With one foot in the ocean

Waving into the sunset

Watching your boat sail away

I found myself

In the people I love

And in you love

I knew you would come home

And one day when

I’m big and strong and able

I will be able

To share our love again

I was lost

So alone

But I’m not now

You have come home