From the moment he got on the train he knew there was only one person he wanted to see. He arrived in Lima, Ohio at some ungodly hour for a Saturday standing outside a familiar home contemplating knocking or running. He looked around and wondered how those crazy enough to walk their dogs in this weather might have been looking at him. He stood there for fifteen minutes thinking of all the possible things he could get off his chest. He paced back and forth, moved away from the door, inched closer and finally as he was lifting his arm to knock the door was pulled open with such force.

“Blaine…” the man said through a sigh but his eyes told him everything. They were resting on him with the right amount of concern but yet still firm.

“I…” Is all he was able to get out before the man’s hand clipped his shoulder and led him in “Come on in son, it’s freezing” He took one look at the familiar house and was hit with the “Kurt” of it all, he once again felt the lump in his throat but forced it away. He was not going to cry in front of Burt Hummel. He walked over to where Burt was leading him, moving chairs out of the kitchen table to settle him there.

“So..” the man started, “Are you going to tell me why you were pacing around outside for the last fifteen minutes at 9am on a Saturday morning?” the question was reasonable but Blaine really had no response, he looked down at his hands for what seemed like eternity. He didn’t want to be rude, not at all but he also didn’t want his emotions to betray him. The sound of the chair screeching on the tiled floor brought him back to the question. At that moment Burt got up and walked over to the counter “I think maybe some coffee might help?” he looked over at Blaine hoping for any sign of life. Blaine looked up at Burt and caught his eyes, those eyes that he shared with Kurt. Both so full of love and compassion and something he felt he gave up when he hurt Kurt. Blaine managed a nod and tried to find his composure. A few minutes later a hot mug of coffee was seated in front of Blaine as Burt readjusted his chair. “Care to tell me what this is all about?” Blaine knew he didn’t just mean the visit.

“I… sir..” Burt interrupted “Call me Burt son, just because of you know you-” he himself was stuttering through his words to find the correct sentiment. “just because you messed up, and royally at that doesn’t mean you are bumped down to stranger” It was those words that relaxed Blaine in a way that no one had been able to in the last month.

“Burt …” he corrected himself and continued “I didn’t mean to hurt your son, I just … I was so alone and Kurt he was, I thought he was over me. He never called, and when he did we barely talked. I know that was not an excuse but your son meant the world to me and I can’t help to feel that in doing this I was punishing  myself just as much as I was punishing him” he didn’t know what he was saying, he was stammering through his words. He looked up to those same Kurt Blue Eyes and let go of the tears, nothing like the sobs he had in New York but he could not hold back the strays that streaked his cheeks any longer. Burt was breathing heavily trying to figure out words, the silence scared Blaine so he decided to fill it.

“When I transferred schools I did it because I wanted to be close to Kurt. Kurt was literally my everything, so much so that when he left I felt like I had nothing.” He paused and looked up at Burt’s eyes, now filled with worry. He always wondered what it would be like to have a father like Burt, someone who you could be honest with even if it made you both uncomfortable. He once hoped that he would be part of the family, to be able to call that man “Dad” but now he was just lucky that he didn’t kick him out. With Burt’s eyes still trained on him he sighed and continued

“You know what my father said after I came back from New York last month? It took them three days to notice anything was wrong and when I finally told him he said “That’s a shame but maybe now you can give Molly from down the street a chance.” .. “I couldn’t believe what he was saying, I was falling apart and somehow he found this was the perfect time to stray me away from my preferred sexuality?” Burt reached over and once again clasped his hand over his shoulder, to the normal by stander this wouldn’t mean much but to Blaine he knew this was like Burt enveloping him in a hug.

“Buddy, I know you feel bad, I know there was a lot going on but unfortunately being the father of the one in question I can’t do much for you in that regard. You are young you will make mistakes, but I can’t condone those mistakes that will hurt my son” That’s when Blaine found it again, the lump in his throat. At the moment his gripped tightened and he wanted nothing more than to figure out if he was going to get thrown out into the street or beaten up by his ex-boyfriends dad.

“I can’t meddle in what happened between you and Kurt but I can tell you that you are always welcomed here… if you need to talk about ANYTHING”

Blaine barely had any time to react as he heard the creak at the stairs and looked up to find Carole.

 “Blaine?” She asked, looking back at both of them “is everything okay? Are you hurt? I mean..” she cut herself off knowing the answers to these questions and just placed her arms around Blaine’s neck as she gestured a hug.

Burt was quick to answer trying to save Blaine from another wave of emotions “He’s fine, or he will be as soon as we get him some breakfast” Blaine finally released the breath he didn’t know he was holding. He looked over at Burt and Carole and felt like they were family, he wanted this, and he wanted them to be.