It always amused Kurt how surprised Finn had been when he first came to the garage and realised that when Kurt said he worked for his dad, that didn't mean hauled up in the office doing paperwork. He did do that sometimes if only because Burt was terrible at it. Even now that Finn had started working for his dad on the odd day as well he still seemed shocked that Kurt was just as good as the full time mechanics; the fact that Kurt grew up around cars and spent hours in here 'playing mechanic' and being taught everything there was to know about cars since he could hold his own head up seemed irrelevant to Finn.

Oddly enough it was Puck who was the only one out of his old glee club who didn't even have a moment of surprise. Even before Kurt's appearance slowly began to alter (i.e. before he started punching holes into his body and inking it) Puck and Kurt developed an odd friendship back at the start of Junior year. Kurt'd fix his truck slightly cheaper than normal and pretend to not be revolted by his in depth stories about his conquests. In return Puck, well Puck treated him like normal and sometimes dropped by when Kurt was working just to hang.

That was a year ago and Kurt, despite how much Puck annoys him sometimes is glad for it. They're not close, but in the wise words of Noah Puckerman, they're "bros man, we got each others back." Finn might be crap in terms of 'brotherly love' but Puck, Puck is someone he knows he can ring for a lift home at three am no questions asked. And according to said boy Kurt was the perfect bro simply because he didn't have a girlfriend for Puck to help cheat.

Kurt was so used to seeing Puck around the garage while he fixed someone's car that it felt weird not having him hovering and going on and on about Super Mario Brothers. But it did mean he got almost double the work done (and considering the amount he did do normally on his shift that was impressive), but it also meant he had time to think.

About Blaine.

The new boy with the spectacular ass.

And overly gelled hair, but still, a really amazing rear end.

Who he did not stare at. He might occasionally admire the boy's love of stupidly bright coloured trousers that bared his ankles. Plus, he was allowed to admire from afar especially if they were as beautiful as Blaine. He'd even caught the other boy occasionally glancing at him the last few days, the first time was with Rachel on his arm, so God knows what she told him, and his looks weren't easy to decipher. Kurt had no fucking way of telling if they were good looks, lustful looks or the ones he was more accustomed to around school. The ones that said Hummel and Fabray went of the deep end man.

Shaking his head to get rid of thoughts about the new kid (unfairly hot new kid) Kurt slammed the hood down of the battered old Jag he was working on for old Mr Robinson on their block. Kurt patted the faded racing green hood; the poor car was wasted on the old man - he couldn't even drive it. Kurt wasn't complaining really, he got paid well to maintain the beauty but he would give his left arm (not his right, that's vital to his life) for a car like this.

"Dad! I'm done for today, going home!"

"Okay! Finn's at Rachel's and me and Carol are going on a date tonight. Quinn coming over or something?" Burt's baseball clad head popped up from the other side of the shop.

"Yeah, her dad's in town again. Told me I'm cooking her dinner."

Burt shook his head fondly, "That girl..." He had to hand it to his dad, he might not like some of the things Kurt did now (smoking and body modification), but he took it all in stride - as long as Kurt was happy (relatively), safe and didn't get himself into too much trouble Burt pretty much stayed out of it. Sometimes anyway.

Kurt waved to his dad over his shoulder as he grabbed his shit from the office and climbed into his car. Only Carole's car was on the drive when he pulled up, hopefully he would have time to shower before Q showed up banging on his door demanding food and shelter. Taking the stairs two at a time he said a quick hello to Carole before running to his room, stripping off and darting back the bathroom for a much needed shower to get the grease from his body.

Showers, Kurt decided, after work, hell whenever, were the best fucking things on the planet. Especially after he'd been at work. Sighing Kurt stuck his head under the jet, eyes closed, and let the hot water pour over him.

Evidently he stayed in the shower far too long because when he strolled back into his bedroom, in just his boxers, Quinn was sitting cross-legged on his bed, Beth in her lap who let out a happy squeal at the sight of Kurt.

"Coulda put some clothes on." Quinn grinned slyly up at him, eyes unashamedly roving over his body. "It tickles me that you have a six pack that more than half the football team would kill for without playing any sports."

Glaring at the older Fabray before poking his pierced tongue out at the younger Kurt ignored that. "Coulda waited for me to let you in." Rolling his eyes he quickly pulled on some of his comfy jeans and a looser v-neck t-shit before running some product through his hair - he'd do his face later before he went to bed.

"Beth was getting fussy so I used your spare key you gave me 'for emergencies'; don't tell me a crying toddler isn't an emergency."

Ignoring his friend completely Kurt reached over to pluck the wiggly baby from her lap, lifting her high into the air and spinning her around. "You're not fussy are you Beth?"

"NO!"

"Oh yeah, she learnt a new word." Quinn pulled her 'I'm-not-happy-she-says-it-but-she's-far-too-cute' smile as she watched Kurt lift the baby above his head before pretending to drop her, causing the little girl to scream with laughter over and over. "Pucks darling little sister is going through a difficult phase according to his mother, apparently Beth has picked up on Auntie Sarah's new favourite thing to say hasn't she?"

Beth turned her attention from the purple in Kurt's hair to her mother when the last part of her speech was directed towards the toddler. She smiled toothlessly at Quinn before nuzzling into Kurt's chest, chubby fingers clutching at the tattoo visible on his bicep. She had a fascination with it. Kurt said it was because she could see it, Quinn said it was because she liked pretty things; "Just like you hot stuff."

"Looks like you and Puck are going to have fun for the next few days then!" After catching sight of his clock from the corner of his eye he added, "any idea what you two would like for dinner?"

"She's just stopped teething again, got any solid food that's baby friendly?"

They decided on pasta, bolognaise for them and a plain cheese and tomato one for Beth, who sat in Kurt's old high chair (fuck knows why his dad kept it but luckily it somehow made it to the new house last year as Quinn and Beth were frequent guests in the Hudmel house), banging on upside down Tupperware containers with a wooden spoon and her hand. Every now and again she'd get their attention by shouting one of the few words she knew.

By the time they were both sitting at the table with her Beth had grown thoroughly bored of her makeshift drum kit and was about to start moaning when her bowl of pasta was shoved in front of her, Quinn alternating between eating her own and feeding her daughter...who got more sauce around her face and clothes than in her mouth but seemed to love it all the same.  

"Okay, bath time for you baby." Beth giggled happily making grabby-hands at Quinn as she stood up to take her upstairs.

By the time Kurt had cleared the table and sat down to watch some TV Finn got home and Beth was clearly in the bath judging by all the happy squealing and splashing going on upstairs.

"Oh, hey dude...take it Quinn's here."

Kurt nodded mutely, he didn't really talk to Finn about his ex-girlfriend turned Kurt's best friend. Taking pity on his awkward looking step-brother and holding back a smirk he gestured to the space next to him on the sofa. Finn was well and truly over Quinn now, but he seemed to still find it excruciatingly awkward to be in prolonged exposure to his ex and the baby he'd thought was his. Though how he though Beth was his still baffles Kurt to this day; it probably always will.

While he did feel for Finn to some degree, and not so much that he ever let on that he sympathised with the taller teen, Kurt didn't care enough to stop letting the two girls spend the majority of their time here. It's not his fault Finn was stupid enough to buy the hot tub story and definitely not his problem that Puck and Q slept together and ended up pregnant. He's not going to stop hanging out with two of the people he cares most about for Finn Hudson of all people. The boy who called him a fag in his own bedroom. He could suck it the fuck up for all he cared.

The two boys sat there in an almost painfully tense silence, Friends occupying the TV, before Quinn came downstairs with a now clean and damp Beth. She nodded to Finn and said a quick hi, before passing Beth off to Kurt and going out the front door.

"Where's she going?"

"She's gone to get the travel cot for Beth from her car."

"Is that even, like, comfy for her all night?"

"Nope, she can deal with it for a while, but she'll end up waking up and wanting to get in bed with us at some point."

Finn watched with an almost dumbstruck expression as Beth drank from a bottle of milk and leant back against Kurt's chest, her other pudgy hand gripping the arm he wound around her tummy and teddy bear, while he played with her blonde curls. "For God's sake Finn, what?"

"It's weird that's all."

Kurt narrowed his eyes, and being careful to keep his voice calm so as to not upset Beth turned his head more towards Finn "what exactly is weird?"

"You're...ya know, gay and like..."

"I'd think very carefully about what you're about to say Finn, cause I won't kick your ass right now but I will the moment she's not on my lap."

"No, dude, I meant, like you and Quinn act like a couple! More like a couple than we did and we actually were one!"

"Well Finn, that's because I'm his platonic girlfriend. Everything but the sex!" Quinn's sharp voice came from the doorway, infamous glare on her face as she stared down the younger boy. Kurt sniggered into Beth's hair at the sight of the six foot three quarterback almost cowering at the sight of the other skank. "Kurt, baby, let's go be out fabulous married selves upstairs shall we?"

Still sniggering to himself Kurt stood up, traded sleepy baby for the cot, and followed Quinn back to his room, pulling faces at Beth as she peaked over Quinn's shoulder. "You do realise," he started once his door was shut and he began to set up the cot "that he won't get that and is probably on the phone to Rachel right now about us dating right?"

"Screw him; he doesn't get to judge our friendship. Look at his actual relationship. Fucking Finn probably thinks we really do have sex just cause we share a bed when I crash here."

Beth seemed to sense her mother's mood and leant into her shoulder to play sleepily played with Quinn's pink locks, another thing that endlessly amused the eighteen month old. Quinn sighed, dropped a kiss to Beth's forehead and scowled at Kurt. "Screw everybody."

"I'd really rather not; you never know what you might catch." She smiled grudgingly at his poor joke as he finished with the cot. Beth finished her bottle and held it out for Kurt to put down on his desk, "Thank you sweetie," and snuggled further into Quinn's side, thumb now firmly in place of the bottle, teddy bear looking squeezed to death in her arms.

He got ready for bed, stripping his jeans so he could sleep in his top while Quinn was here (she didn't give a fuck but he did, and he threw out all his pyjamas before the summer holidays) and starting his face regime, something he refused to give up despite his new look, while Quinn sung a hushed lullaby to the baby until she fell asleep enough to move her into the cot.

Kurt kept his back to them while Quinn stroked the baby's curls. "I hate him."

"I know."

"I hate her too."

Still with his back to her, but eyes following her in the mirror, watching her stare down at the little girl in the cot, trying not to cry. "I know you do."

"He kicked me out. He kicked me out and she let him." She bit her lip, fingers still running through Beth's hair, "she let him Kurt."

There was his queue, standing up and striding over to her Kurt wrapped his arms around her from behind in time for the tears to start. "I thought, when she came to regionals and was there when she was born tha-that everything would be okay! But, he keeps trying to come back, and...and she lets him." Quinn was full on sobbing now, muffling her cries in Kurt's chest, t-shirt bunched up in her fists.

Again Kurt kept quiet, ran his fingers through her hair and just squeezed her tighter. "She just reverts back to that, that fucking silent housewife! They're not even fucking married anymore but she can't fucking say no to him." Beth stirred, a tiny little frown on her face, which in other circumstances would be adorable and Kurt would take a picture to send to Puck, but tonight he led Quinn back until they were in the cubby part of his room by his vanity.

"I don't want Beth around him, she knows this, I told her last year when all this shit started back up again! I can't Kurt, I can't let him near my baby, I can't deal with him looking at me like I'm shit - there's no way in Hell I am letting him look at her that way, no fucking way. Fuck him, fuck him and fuck her. Fuck him, fuck him, fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

"Me and Puck won't let him near her. You know that right?" Another squeeze and a dropped kiss to her hair, letting his head rest there. "That's assuming he even gets past you in the first place. You can be a fierce mama bear when the time calls for it Quinnie, and a ruthless bitch the rest of it."