Dinner was tense that day. Burt was starting to get really worried. He didn't want to push Kurt but there most definitely was a problem and it didn't seem like Kurt was going to tell him anytime soon. Burt didn't dare ask in case it would cause his son to close in on himself even more than usual but he knew that he had to do something about it, and soon.

That night when Kurt lay in bed, Rachel's comforting presence in the chair next to his desk on his demand, his head was spinning with the millions of scenarios his brain developed for the following day. What would Blaine's parents be like? What would he get to see? Would he be able to help? And how in the world would he manage to get through this without Blaine noticing that Kurt was actually despairing over the fact that it was his task to make sure he'd never see Blaine again?

Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep that night and when he looked into his bathroom mirror for the first time that fateful morning he actually squealed. And not in the good way. He spent so much time trying to fix his positively destroyed hair and the dark circles under his eyes that Burt actually came knocking on his door to ask if he was okay and if he should just make breakfast for the two of them instead.

That got Kurt out of the bathroom in no time. His Dad alone in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal, no matter how simple, wasn't something he felt very comfortable with. There were too many incidents burned into his memory that included uneatable chicken and black toast and a ruined kitchen to want a repeat.

Burt tried to make small-talk over the pancakes Kurt had grudgingly agreed to making - "seriously, Dad, you need to start thinking about your health, we can't always have all these empty calories and don't even get me started on the fat and sugar" - but Kurt stayed mostly silent while they ate. He managed to successfully ward off every attempt at a real conversation until it was time for Burt to leave the house, trying to look as innocent as possible when his father glared at him suspiciously.

The minute Burt was out of the door, Kurt started to panic. God, Blaine had never said where and when they were going to meet and what could he do about that now? It wasn't like he could just call him up. Maybe he could get Rachel to deliver messages between them, surely she knew how to proceed. If he could find her, that was.

For some reason unbeknownst to him, Rachel had walked out in the middle of another doomed attempt at conversation from Burt's end and - to his knowledge at least - she hadn't returned since then. She wasn't in the kitchen when he finally got back there to take care of the dishes. Frowning, he made his way downstairs when he was done, hoping she'd be in his room. He'd got used to Rachel always being at his side when he was at home and though he felt a bit pathetic admitting it, he missed her when she wasn't there. It felt like he was missing a part of himself he hadn't even realized he possessed until recently.

To his surprise, not only was Rachel actually sitting on his bed once more like she owned it, but so was someone Kurt most definitely hadn't expected to ever see in his bedroom: Blaine. He looked around Kurt's room as if he'd never seen anything more fascinating, eyes bright with curiosity and his mouth slightly open. Kurt almost clapped himself on the shoulder for having the self-restraint to not just fall to his feet then and there.

When Blaine's gaze finally fell on Kurt, his whole face lit up like someone had told him Christmas came early that year. The way Kurt's heart started to race at the change in Blaine's expression surely wasn't healthy.

"Kurt! There you are! I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but Rachel told me she knew how to get to your house and I thought that since we didn't really agree on any specifics yesterday... She said it would be okay. I really, really hope it doesn't bother you and I'm so, so sorry if it does-"

Kurt held up his hands to signal Blaine to stop his endless rambling and he shut up mid-sentence as if someone had snapped his vocal chords. Kurt willed away the blush high on his cheeks. Now was not the time to stumble over his words because of how adorable Blaine was when he was nervous and fidgeting.

"It's okay, Blaine, you're not bothering me. I'm glad Rachel thought of this because I was wondering where and when I should meet you, anyway." Kurt smiled at Rachel before turning back to Blaine. "So, you want to leave now? Is Rachel coming with us?"

Blaine quickly looked over at his friend and Rachel practically jumped off the bed and made to leave the room. "Oh no, I wouldn't want to intrude. That's just one of those moments between medium and ghost, you know? I'll just leave you alone now. Good luck, you two!" she chirped, waving one last time before disappearing through the - closed - door.

Kurt just stared after her for a minute before he turned back to Blaine, shy smile in place. "Well. I guess if we want to leave soon you should tell me where exactly your parents live so I can find out how to get there."

That seemed to snap Blaine out of the trance he'd been in. "Oh, oh yeah, of course, we should do that. Sorry, I didn't even think about that. Their house is on the outskirts of Westerville, so..." he hurried to explain. Kurt just sat down at his computer and listened to Blaine's directions, checking schedules until he found the right bus line - he'd have to be at the stop down the road in twenty minutes if they wanted to get there as soon as possible. The thought made the knots in Kurt's stomach tighten. If anything, 'as soon as possible' was, in his opinion, the worst phrasing ever when it came to Blaine leaving him behind forever.

He turned around in his chair to tell him - and spectacularly fell off of it. Even as he landed on the floor with a loud thud and slight pain racing up his spine he wondered why he hadn't noticed Blaine getting so close. He'd have to be leaning over Kurt's shoulder to be so close that when Kurt had turned around, their faces had only been inches away from each other.

"Oh my God, Kurt! Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Blaine was at his side in an instant, helplessly reaching out with his hand as if he wanted to touch Kurt to make sure he was alright but wasn't sure if he should. The hand just hovered in the air between them for a few seconds before it awkwardly fell back to his side.

"I'm fine, no need to worry. You didn't scare me, I was just a bit surprised that I didn't notice how close you were standing. It's alright," Kurt soothed him, sitting up and rubbing his back a bit. It didn't seem that bad now that he was off the floor for the most part.

"Sorry," Blaine murmured, still not looking at Kurt.

"Blaine, I said it's okay and I meant it. Now stop beating yourself up for this and help me off of the floor so we can go see your parents," Kurt laughed, reaching out with his own hand, shooting a hopeful glance at Blaine.

Blaine looked at him for a second, blush still evident on his face, before offering him a bashful smile along with his hand. He stood without a warning, taking Kurt's hand in his and pulling him up with surprising strength. Kurt's hand tingled where Blaine touched it and the by now well-known warmth spread through his body and enveloped him in something that was just Blaine, for lack of a better word.

"When do we have to leave?" Blaine asked, seeming just as reluctant as Kurt felt when he drew his hand away once he'd made sure that Kurt was stable on his own two feet.

"Well, we should be at the stop down the street in a little less than twenty minutes, if that's okay with you." Blaine jerkily nodded his head once, making his way across the room with his head down. "Blaine, you know we don't have to do this. If you feel you need more time we can do it another day," Kurt called after him, not sure how to read his body language.

With a sigh, Blaine stopped moving and slightly turned so he could look at Kurt while he spoke. "I know. But it has to be done and I feel like... if I don't do this now, then I never will. I already postponed this for the longest time. I'll just have to... man up and do this, you know?"

Kurt smiled at him and walked over, gently resting his hand on Blaine's back, doing his best not to blush at Blaine so close to him and the warmth spreading from his hand. "Courage, Blaine. You can do this." And when Blaine looked up at him with a soft smile, Kurt was pretty sure his words actually reached him.

"I'm not sure I can do this. But I'm certain we can."