Pride. Happiness. Sadness. Blaine was feeling a confusing mishmash of so many different things and he wasn't sure which ones he should show and which ones he should hide to make this easier for everyone.

There were tears in Kurt's eyes.

Blaine decided to try for optimism.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. It's okay," he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, not caring about who saw them, not caring about the crowd milling around them, and ignoring them on their single minded path to their own destinations. Kurt hid his face in the crook of Blaine's neck. "What's a year in a lifetime? Nothing. We'll be together again very soon, before you even get used to living in the city."

Kurt sniffed against his skin. "I'm starting to think that this whole moving to New York thing was a terrible idea."

"Kurt, look at me," Blaine put his hands on the other boy's shoulders and gently pushed him back a few inches so they could look each other in the eyes. Kurt tried to blink his tears away unsuccessfully. "I'm not saying that this isn't going to be hard. And you know it as well as I do. What I'm trying to say here is that we'll make it work. And we'll be so busy making it work that we won't notice how fast the time flies. Yes, there will be a few days when it may feel eternal, but… just remember that I'm going to be there with you next year."

Kurt rummaged through the contents of his messenger bag until he found a package of tissues. He hugged it to his chest and grabbed one, wiping his tears away and blowing his nose in it. Blaine smiled. This was the least elegant he had ever seen Kurt in public. It was adorable.

"Why do you always have to be the rational one?" Kurt whined.

"You left me with no other choice, sweetheart," Blaine answered. He tightened his arms around Kurt's waist. "And I meant what I said. One year is nothing compared to a lifetime. And that's how long I plan to be with you."

Kurt's breath caught as his heart beat quicker. This was the first time one of them stated out loud that they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives. They didn't want to be naïve and make promises they might not be able to keep, especially with Kurt leaving for college while Blaine stayed in Ohio. But they both had somehow planned their lives so they could do exactly that: be together, get married, have kids. And gosh, Blaine wanted it. Blaine wanted it all so much…

Kurt forgot about everyone around them, too. He didn't care that they were in the middle of the airport. He just knew that he wasn't going to see his boyfriend, this wonderful, beautiful, amazing boy he loved with everything he had, for months, so he moved forward and captured his lips in a kiss, throwing his arms around his shoulders to keep him close, to hold him as close as he could for as long as he could.

Blaine immediately melted into the kiss. He allowed himself to get lost in it for a second, and then he started paying attention to the way Kurt's lips moved over his, how they felt against him when they parted, how warm and wet Kurt's mouth was, how sweet he tasted, how perfect his tongue felt when it touched his. He forced himself to memorize every detail, because something as simple as this – kissing his boyfriend – wasn't going to be something they would be doing every day anymore.

They pulled away, breathless, and rested their foreheads together.

"I love you," Kurt said in a whisper.

"I love you, too," Blaine echoed, moving slightly to nuzzle their noses against each other.

It was time for Kurt to board his plane. Finn and Rachel were waiting for him a few steps away. Carole, Burt and Rachel's dads were there, too. Blaine kissed his cheek and then rolled his eyes, playfully, as he pushed him towards his brother and his best friend.

"Go, silly," he said. "The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll come back to see me."

Kurt laughed, watery and a bit sad, but it was still a laugh. He blew a kiss over his shoulder for his parents, who he had shared a very long goodbye with already, and then winked an eye to Blaine.

Once he was gone, Blaine crumbled like a sandcastle on a stormy day. He covered his face with his hands and let the tears and the sobs he had been holding in escape.

A hand fell gently on his shoulder and he looked up, eyelashes wet with tears, to find Burt.

"Come on, kid," he said, and his voice was hoarse. Blaine realized that, if anyone in the world could understand what it felt like to be without Kurt, it was Burt Hummel. "Let's go grab something to eat."

Blaine simply nodded and let Burt guide him outside the airport, as he started calculating in his head, counting the days until he could see Kurt again.

It hit him like a freight train the next morning.

It was Saturday, and usually the house buzzed with life on the weekends. It was normal to walk into the kitchen to find Kurt making breakfast, Finn half asleep at the table, having woken up too early for one of the crazy dates Rachel planned for them. Sometimes Blaine would be around, too, having a cup of coffee as he waited for Kurt to be ready to go out, too.

This morning, though, the house felt empty. Burt Hummel walked into an empty kitchen and it suddenly hit him: his sons had gone away to college.

He took a few more steps and then dropped down on a chair, feeling his legs wouldn't hold him much longer. How was it possible? Where had the time gone? It seemed just yesterday he was teaching Kurt how to ride a bike or he was tucking him in at nights, kissing his little forehead and then feeling him reach and grab his sleeve to beg for a story until he could fall asleep. When had his little boy grown up? When had he become the man he was now?

Kurt was in New York, living in a dorm and starting his life the way he had dreamed of since he was about four years old. He had always been too good for this town and Burt knew it. But it didn't make it easier to know he was gone.

"Burt? What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?" Carole asked, as she walked into the kitchen, frowning.

Burt nodded very slowly. "Yeah, it's just… they're gone."

Carole sighed and smiled sadly, sitting next to him and reaching for his hand. "I know. It feels weird, doesn't it?"

Burt looked back at all the months of crazy planning and organizing they had gone through once they knew both Kurt and Finn had gotten into school in New York. They were both going to attend NYU while Rachel went to Julliard. The idea of the three of them getting an apartment wasn't very practical since they finding a place in the middle of both schools wouldn't be convinient for any of them. So Finn and Kurt were now sharing a dorm room and Burt could only hope that they wouldn't kill each other, or at least get along better than the first time they had to share. Kurt had opted for a Theatre major while Finn had chosen to go for Sports Management. Burt couldn't deny he was bursting with pride for both of them… but an empty house felt a bit too lonely right now. He wished their boys hadn't been the same age, so the change would've been a bit more gradual.

Burt sighed bitterly and Carole put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lovingly.

"Do you want me to put some of Finn's favorite loud music on and spread Vogue magazines all over the house?" She asked, teasingly.

Burt blinked a few times. "You know what? That's actually a good idea."

Carole laughed, and then proceeded to make breakfast, realizing only once she was done that she had made the extra plate of bacon and eggs that Finn used to have every morning and Kurt's favorite fruit smoothie.

Yeah, it was going to be hard for both of them to get used to the kids being gone.

It hit him like a freight train on the first day of school.

It wasn't like Blaine hadn't noticed the lack of Kurt in his life until then, it was just that it seemed to intensify as he entered the doors of McKinley High that morning.

Four days. It had only been four days since he had kissed Kurt for the last time at the airport. They had shared several Skype calls and Kurt had showed him his dorm through his webcam. He had sounded very excited and Blaine had forced himself to smile at everything Kurt said even though it was killing him inside because he just wanted to be with him.

How was he going to survive a whole year if he couldn't make it through one damn video call without wanting to reach out through the internet and touch that pale, beautiful skin with his fingertips?

He walked to his new locker and opened it. He shoved his books and the extra change of clothes he knew he would need at some point when the slushies came, before hanging the picture of him and Kurt that summer in Blaine's backyard on the inside of the door, next to a calendar with a picture of New York City. He needed a goal, an incentive. He needed to know what was going to be waiting for him once this (agonizing, painful, unnecessary long) senior year was done and he could reunite with Kurt.

The bell rang signaling homeroom and Blaine sighed. His hand closed reflexively, as if it was trying to grab another hand that wasn't there to hold. He looked around at the students coming and going in a hurry to get to their first classes and realized he had never felt so alone in a place so full of people.

Blaine knew both of them needed something to hold on to, something to fill the empty space that the boy they loved with all their hearts had left in their aching chests. They knew they were the only ones who completely understood what Kurt's absence felt like.

That was why once a week (twice if it became too much to bear, if the distance seemed endless and painful), he walked into Hummel Tires and Lube with two cups of coffee ("Decaf for my dad, Blaine, please. You and Carole are in charge of looking after him, now."), dressed in an old pair of jeans and a ratty hoodie with the Dalton Fencing Team logo on it, already stained with grease and motor oil from all the other times he had come over to spend some time with Burt.

It had started just a few days after Kurt was gone. Blaine had gone to Friday night dinner, because Burt and Carole refused to have family dinner without him.

"I refuse to go through all the trouble of cooking a decent dinner just for the two of us. And I refuse to stop seeing you just because Kurt is in New York," Carole had said, looking severely at him, but her lips were tugging slightly, as if she was holding back a smile. "You're like a son to us, Blaine. Please don't stop coming to Friday night dinners."

And how could Blaine say no to that? He loved Burt and Carole as if they were his own parents, and the idea of not seeing them until Kurt was back in town made him feel even emptier than he already did without his boyfriend around. Who could understand Blaine better than the people who missed Kurt as much as he did?

It just took one comment from Burt saying how noticeable Finn and Kurt's absence was back at the garage while Carole passed him a bowl of salad, for Blaine to open his mouth.

"I could come over and help out, if you want," he offered, a bit shyly, wondering if he was overstepping. Burt was, after all, his boyfriend's father. He didn't want to say something out of line. "I-I mean… if you need some help at the garage. Because if you just miss them, then I just… I'm sorry."

"Blaine," Burt rolled his eyes in that very characteristic way that reminded Blaine of Kurt. "You don't have to apologize, buddy. Of course I miss them and I constantly notice they're gone, but yeah, I also miss their help. Especially Finn's. Kid was getting really good."

"Oh, okay…" Blaine nodded, hesitantly. "So…"

"You can come over after school or on the weekend or whenever you want," Burt passed the salad to Blaine once he was done with it. "I'm sure Kurt left his coveralls somewhere in his closet…"

That's how Kurt's coveralls had ended up in Blaine's room, but he preferred to not use them, wearing instead his old Dalton clothes, because he could still smell Kurt's skin and… yeah, well, Blaine missed his boyfriend like crazy. If hugging a piece of clothing helped with the longing he felt, then he would smell and hug the hell out of them.

The first afternoon Blaine spent at the garage was a little bit awkward. He had shared very few moments with Burt alone since he had started dating Kurt, and most of them had been filled with the background sound of football or Kurt working in the kitchen or getting ready upstairs. But this time, Blaine spent four hours with just Burt, working on the cars. At first it was easy to get distracted and just absorb everything Burt was explaining to him, but once he understood what he had to do, the silence seemed to fall heavily on both of them.

Until Burt started telling Blaine stories from Kurt's childhood.

Blaine loved hearing stories that showed him a different side of Kurt he had never had the chance of knowing or seeing with his own eyes. Burt even looked for old photo albums that Kurt had stashed away in the house to avoid exactly what Burt did during one of the Friday night dinners: showing Blaine all the pictures of Kurt as a baby or as a cute toddler dressed in a cowboy outfit for Halloween one year. He didn't seem very happy with what he was wearing, considering the glare he was directing at the camera in several of the pictures.

After that, it became a lot easier to talk about other stuff as well. Blaine talked more about school and what his plans for the future were and Burt shared that he was planning to take Carole on vacation as soon as both of them had some free time so Blaine even helped him find vacation spots on his laptop. Kurt remained their favorite topic, but it was nice to change from subject to subject comfortably, too.

That particular Wednesday afternoon, Blaine walked in with the two usual cups of coffee and a frown on his face. He was still thinking about the horrible choreography Mr. Schuester had pushed them to learn on Glee today. The teacher even insisted he was going to use that number for the Locals' competition even though half the club had protested against it. Blaine knew that if Mr. Schue didn't change his mind, there was no point in even dreaming about going to Regionals.

Maybe because he was distracted with his own thoughts it took him a little longer to realize how empty the garage was. Usually, at this time, Burt's employees and Burt himself were working on the last few cars of the day, while the radio was blasting music from behind the counter. But now, the shop was empty. There was no sign of either of the two guys that had worked for Burt for over a decade. Tools had been abandoned on the floor, as if everyone had rushed out of the shop. Blaine frowned even more, but now for an entirely different reason. And then the panic set in.

What if something had happened to Burt? What if he had another heart attack and the guys had to rush him to the hospital? What if it was really bad? What if something happened to Burt while Kurt was away?

Blaine noticed he was having trouble breathing, nervous as he was, and took his cellphone out of his pocket to call Carole. If someone could tell him what was going on, he was sure it was her. But then he heard a voice coming from the back office and he froze again.

A new kind of panic replaced the fear of Burt being hurt. What if someone had sneaked into the office? What if there were thieves there right as Blaine stood in the middle of the garage with two cups of coffee in his hands, completely paralyzed?

The voice rang from the office again, louder this time. "I don't care what you want! I just want you out of here right now!"

It was Burt. It was Burt's voice.

Blaine's feet reacted before his brain had time to, and he found himself almost running towards the back office. Burt sounded upset, nervous, even. Blaine had no idea what was going on, but if Burt was in some kind of trouble, he needed to do something about it.

The door was slightly ajar and he could peek inside, holding his breath. Burt was behind his desk, standing, with his hands gripped firmly on the back of the chair in front of him, his knuckles almost white with how hard he was holding onto it. He was livid, but his face showed how hard he was trying to control his anger. On the other side of the desk, facing him, was a woman.

Her back was to the door, so Blaine couldn't really see who she was, or what she looked like. The only thing he noticed was how slim and tall she was, almost as tall as Burt, and how her thick brunette hair was held in a pony tail that rested on her shoulders.

"Burt, please," she said, pleadingly. "I need you…"

Burt let out a bitter laugh. "Really? You need me? That's funny to hear you to say…"

"You don't understand… if you'd just let me explain…" the woman said, her voice shaking.

"No. I'm not letting you explain because you don't deserve it. You don't deserve to be heard. What you did was…" Burt's hands curled up into fists.

"It didn't mean I didn't love you, Burt! It didn't mean I…" She sounded more and more desperate every time. Blaine realized he was intruding into a very private conversation, but he couldn't move, he couldn't step away. Something held him there, something even stronger than his will.

"Don't. Don't you talk to me about love," Burt interrupted, taking his baseball cap off and throwing it on to the desk. "As if you even know what it's like to love someone! You're totally selfish and I can't believe you dared coming here, into my work place, like this!"

"I didn't know where else to find you," she answered sadly. "I needed to see you. Just five minutes, I promise. You didn't have to send your men home…"

Blaine's thoughts were travelling at the speed of light inside his head. Something was incredibly off about this situation. Who was that woman? She clearly wasn't a customer. Could she be a relative he didn't know about? Maybe a sister, an aunt, a cousin Kurt had never mentioned Burt had?

He finally managed to step aside and decided to leave. It was clearly none of his business what was going on in there and he didn't want Burt to catch him eavesdropping…

But what if Burt had been cheating on Carole? It seemed completely out of character for a man like him, who always put his family first, but… what if he was? Blaine felt an unpleasant sensation in his stomach. He loved Carole. She was like a second mother to him, always so warm and welcoming and loving… just thinking about anyone doing something to upset her, something that could hurt her, made his heart ache.

But… Burt wouldn't do anything like that, right? He would never betray her… he loved Carole. He loved her.

If he loved her… why was he doing this to her?

He heard the door fly open and he startled out of his thoughts. The woman came out of the office, without even noticing him. Her blue eyes were filled with tears and she rushed out of the store as quickly as she could. Blaine realized he had to get out of there as quickly as he could before Burt noticed him…

"Blaine?"

Damn.

Blaine turned around. Burt was standing at the office's doorway, looking at him with wide eyes, the sort of wide eyes that spoke of fear. Blaine had never seen him like that, so shaken, so terrified.

So guilty, caught in something he obviously didn't want Blaine to see.

Oh my God, he's really cheating on Carole? Blaine thought to himself, desperate. And fuck, he knew he had no right to say anything, to get mad, to get involved, but… he loved Carole. He loved that amazing woman who had had enough of men stomping all over her heart and who should be able to finally be happy. He loved her and, even though he loved Burt, too, right now, he just wanted to ram some sense into that man.

"What are you doing here?" Burt asked, anxiously.

Blaine felt it coming. He tried to hold it back, but he felt it burst out of him anyway. "How can you do this to Carole… to your family? She's a wonderful woman and she loves you so much! I… I can't believe that you, out of all people, would do something like this!"

"Blaine…" Burt's tone was low, almost threatening and Blaine knew he was being absolutely disrespectful, but he couldn't stop.

"Don't tell me it's none of my business and that I should stay out of this, because even though you may be right, I'm not going to do that! I love Carole. She's like a mother to me and she's like a mother to Kurt, to your son. And she's Finn's mother, who I thought you loved like a son, too!"

"Blaine, stop it!" Burt exploded at last. "You really don't know what you're talking about. You're too young to understand and I'm not sharing my private…"

Blaine gasped. One of the coffee cups slipped from his grasp onto the floor, splashing the dark liquid everywhere. He swallowed and looked up at the other man in shock. "You… you're admitting it."

"Of course I'm not!" Burt answered, frustrated, running his hand over his face. "Blaine, please, don't ask any more questions and just leave. I'll see you some other day…"

But Blaine couldn't just leave. He couldn't walk away knowing that something was wrong, that Carole's heart could get broken if his suspicious were true, or that something else, something serious, was happening to Burt. Kurt had asked him to make sure his dad was alright. He couldn't break that promise.

"Burt…" He mumbled, nervously. "I… okay, you don't have to tell me what's going on and if you say you're not… you're not cheating on Carole, then, I believe you."

"I'm not cheating on my wife, Blaine, and this conversation is inappropriate!" Burt said in a scary growl that had Blaine flinching a bit.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, dropping his gaze to the coffee-stained floor.

A tense, long moment of silence stretched between them. Blaine wasn't sure what to do and the reality of what he had accused Burt of doing was finally catching up with him: with just a few stupid words he may have ruined his relationship with his boyfriend's father. He may have ruined everything.

Then the silence was broken by Burt's shuddering breath as he leaned back against the wall. Blaine lifted his eyes up to him. The older man's eyes were closed and the expression on his face was pained. Blaine found himself freaking out again.

"Burt? Are you okay? Should I call an ambulance? Is it your heart?"

In any other circumstances, Burt would've told the kid he was overreacting, that he was turning into an obsessive nut when it came to his health, just like Kurt was. But now… now Burt shook his head weakly and focused on breathing in and out, in and out, until he felt Blaine moving one of the stools from the counter closer so he could take a seat.

"I thought it was over," Burt muttered, still with his eyes closed. Blaine frowned, confused. "I thought that after all these years I didn't have to worry about her anymore…"

Blaine swallowed again, unsure. Should he ask? Burt was talking about it, so he assumed it would be okay to ask… "Who was that woman?"

Burt's green eyes blinked open and Blaine could actually see the despair and anguish in the man's gaze. He held his breath without even knowing he was doing it.

It had been a secret for so many years. So many years of sweeping it under the carpet, under the bed, under all the surfaces so it wouldn't come back and hurt him. So it wouldn't come back and shatter the life he had built with Kurt. And now the past was slapping him right in the face and he realized he couldn't keep it quiet anymore. He needed to tell someone.

Maybe Kurt's boyfriend wasn't the person he had imagined telling his darkest secret to, but he was there and he could be trusted and he clearly cared about their family, so Burt held onto the edges of the stool, looking for strength wherever he could find it and said the words he thought he would never have to say again in his life.

"She is… she's Kurt's mom."