It's been much longer than five minutes by the time Kurt makes it downstairs but that's the least of his concerns right now. Blaine just broke up with him. Every time he thinks he has it under control that thought flashes through his mind and he's back to square one. Kurt had allowed himself to cry but only for a few minutes because he has other stuff to worry about; the most important being what he's going to tell his dad. He wants to tell him the truth, if only to have someone to vent to about everything he's been keeping bottled up, but then he remembers Blaine terrified and tear stained face. Burt won't hate Blaine, but Kurt would be lying if he said he didn't think this would affect their relationship. Hoping to minimize the inevitable awkwardness, his plan is to come up with a story that understates the relationship he had with Blaine.

Kurt doesn't have a clear idea of what that story is going to be and he's still unsure when he walks into the kitchen a sits down across from Burt. He knew this was going to be bad and Burt's presence at the table confirms that. Kurt's not sure why, but anytime the two of them have a serious discussion it's done at the kitchen table. Burt clears his throat and waits until Kurt looks at him before starting.

"I don't even know where to start," Burt admits. The tone of his voice is more upset than angry and Kurt doesn't know quite what to make of that.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispers, his voice still weak from crying.

"I don't want you to be sorry, I want to understand." When Kurt doesn't offer any response he continues, "Are you and Blaine in a relationship?"

"No," Kurt answers truthfully.

"Well what then?" Burt demands in frustration, "Are you guys friend's with benefits or something?"

Kurt flushes red and quickly shakes his head. "We were just…" he starts before pausing; he needs a moment to think. He has an idea but he wants to make sure he words it correctly. "Experimenting," he finishes.

"Experimenting?"

"Yes. We um- neither of us have had boyfriends before so we were just wondering what that stuff was like." Kurt's stomach knots uncomfortably at the thought that he's lying to his dad again and his only saving grace is knowing that this will help Blaine. Even after everything that's happened, his concern for him rivals little else.

"How often were these… experiments?" Burt asks, putting air quotes around the last word.

"Not often. And they never went too far," he adds.

Burt scoffs at that and says, "They went far enough." Kurt suddenly lets out a small sob which he quickly muffles with his hand. It's nothing his dad said directly, but rather the overall stress of the whole situation. Burt misunderstands though and quickly apologizes. "Shit, Kurt, I'm sorry. I don't mean to- I just want you to remember that you matter. Remember the conversation we had last year?"

Kurt nods, not trusting himself to talk, and Burt says, "Okay good. I just don't want anyone taking advantage of you."

"Blaine wasn't," Kurt assures him.

"Glad to hear it. But if he was-"

"He wasn't," Kurt states firmly. The last thing he needs is Burt thinking Blaine is some kind of sexual predator. "It was all completely mutual. But don't worry," he says, seeing the look on Burt's face, "it's all over now. None of that will be happening again."

Burt sighs. "Look Kurt, I'm not here to tell you how to run your life. You're eighteen now, and while you still have to follow my rules since you live under my roof, I trust you to make your own decisions."

Kurt shakes his head slightly, marveling at Burt's mature parenting style. Most parents try to control their child's every move which causes them to rebel thus resulting in even stricter rules and it becomes this never ending cycle that creates a broken relationship between the two of them. They mean well but their tactics are completely wrong. Kurt knows that when he's a father he won't try and stop his children from making mistakes, but he'll be there to help them pick up the pieces.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, both lost in thought, before Kurt breeches the subject he's been waiting to. "Blaine's a good guy," Kurt says simply, looking at Burt to gauge his reaction.

"And…" he trails off, waiting for Kurt to continue.

"I just don't want this to affect the way you look at him."

"It's going to be hard for it not to," Burt says honestly. "But I'll try," he adds, catching the way Kurt's face falls. Kurt perks back up at this, grateful that Burt hasn't completely written Blaine off. "You know I'm going to have to talk with Sally about this," Burt says and Kurt nods.

It's not until a few seconds later that it registers what Burt said and panic sets in. Kurt hadn't thought about the fact that Burt and Sally would be discussing this. If Blaine tells Sally the truth then all of this would have been for nought and Kurt will get in huge trouble for lying. He makes a mental note to text Blaine later and tell him to give Sally the same fake story.

Kurt starts to rise from his seat but Burt tells him to hold up. "Wait a second there, we haven't discussed punishment yet. First off, you're grounded until further notice."

Kurt doesn't argue even though technically, he didn't break any rules. He guesses it's kind of unwritten that you don't have sex with your father's girlfriend's son when nobodies home.

"Also," he continues, "Blaine's not allowed over here, and you're not allowed over there, unless Sally or I are home."

"That's not going to be a problem," Kurt mumbles and when Burt asks him to repeat what he said he shakes his head.

"Alright then… you can go," Burt says.

Kurt makes it about halfway to his room before the tears start to flow and they don't stop until he's in his bed and nodding off into a dreamless sleep.

&&&&&

Kurt wakes up, stretches his arms above his head until he hears his shoulders crack, and rolls over to look at his clock before groaning. There may be no school but he still can't break the habit of getting up early. He gets back under the covers and tries to doze off again but he knows it's futile and pretty soon he's walking down into the kitchen and fixing himself a cup of coffee. A note on the refrigerator tells him that Burt went into the shop early this morning so he takes his coffee and walks onto the back porch. Nothing wakes him up like the crisp early morning air.

Kurt hasn't seen anyone all break and it's not just because he's been grounded. Mercedes and Rachel called his house a few times after realizing his phone was confiscated, but he avoided talking to them by pretending to be sick. Unless they've talked to Blaine they know nothing of their fight and he really doesn't want to explain it to them right now. The night of the fight, before Burt took his phone, Kurt texted Blaine and explained to him what he told Burt. Blaine sent back a thankful message, praising Kurt's "genius" plan, and agreed that if Sally brought it up he would tell her the same thing. Whether or not she ever did Kurt doesn't know since he hasn't talked to him again.

As the week's gone by, Kurt's anger at Blaine has been increasing quite rapidly. First off, Blaine lied to him. Maybe not in the traditionally sense of telling him something that wasn't true, but he withheld important information; specifically the stuff about his dad. Second, he freaked out and broke up with Kurt without having time to think logically about process what the best course of action was. And lastly, he's yet to apologize. Blaine said, no yelled, some pretty rude things at Kurt and an apology would be nice.

Underneath the anger, however, something else has been eating away at Kurt. Thinking back to what Blaine said brings Kurt physical pain because the amount of guilt Blaine is carrying cannot be healthy. He wishes he could help him, to somehow lift some of that weight off his shoulders, but he can't unless Blaine will let him. Part of him wants to reach out to Blaine and offer him help but for now his pride won't let him. If Blaine needs help he'll come to me, he reasons. It's a coward's argument but for now he's content to be a coward.

The rest of the morning is spent lounging around, catching up on homework, and worrying about his NYADA application. It's still going to be a few weeks before the finalists are announced but with all this free time his mind can't help but wander. His dad came home for lunch around one o'clock so he's the one who answers the door and let's Mercedes and Rachel inside.

"Yes Kurt is here, he's just moping in the family room," Kurt hears from the hallway.

The two girls come bustling in and sit on either side of him, immediately firing off questions about his whereabouts for the last couple days.

"Guys, calm down, I've been here. I've just been feeling a little under the weather."

Mercedes gives him a look that says I don't believe a word you're saying but Rachel seems to take it just fine.

"Well I hope you're feeling better because we've been invited to Brittney's New Year's Eve party this year!" Rachel squeals, bouncing up and down on the couch in excitement.

Brittney's New Year's Eve party is one of the biggest traditions at McKinley High. She has it every year and getting on the invite list is not an easy task. Last year, to Rachel's distress, nobody from the Glee club was invited because Santana was afraid they would scare away the popular crowd. This created a standoff between her and Rachel that resulted in weeks of unproductive Glee club meetings. Why they suddenly got the invite this year is unbeknownst to Kurt but either way he has no interest in going. The party is famous for including copious amounts of drinking and hooking up, neither of which Kurt has any desire to participate in. He turns to Mercedes, expecting to see the same disgusted look on her face, but she actually looks excited too.

"Really 'Cedes?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugs. "Could be fun."

"Even if I wanted to, which I don't," Kurt clarifies, "I can't. I'm grounded."

"Not for tonight you're not," Burt says, walking in from other room.

Kurt splutters, totally not expecting this. "Wait, let me get this straight. You want me to go to a crazy party with underage drinking?" he asks incredulously.

"I want you to get out of this house. You've been sulking around since Friday and quite frankly I don't think it's healthy."

Kurt shoots daggers at his dad, hoping desperately that Rachel and Mercedes didn't catch on to the Friday thing, but unfortunately they did. "What happened on Friday?" Rachel asks.

"Nothing," he says dismissively. "And fine, I'll go," he adds, hoping to distract them.

It works and the conversation quickly turns to driving arrangements and what outfit to wear.

"Wait, is Blaine going to be there?" Kurt asks, interrupting the girl's chatter. He desperately hopes not because there's no way he's ready to face him just yet.

"Oh sure you can invite him. Santana said anyone from the Glee club can come," Rachel responds, misinterpreting his question.

Mercedes, always the more intuitive friend, sees the look on Kurt's face and pauses. "Is everything okay boo?"

Kurt's instinct is to assure them he's fine but he figures he'll have to come up with some excuse for why Blaine and he are no longer friends. He bites his lip and admits, "Actually we, Blaine and I, got in a fight the other day."

Both his friends make sympathetic noises and Rachel pulls him into a tight hug. "What about?" she questions, her voice muffled by Kurt's hair.

"Oh nothing really," Kurt says, dodging the question, "just stupid stuff."

"Well I'm sure you'll get it all sorted out soon," Mercedes says and Kurt forces a smile and nods.

"All of us in Glee club are rooting for you two. I mean, Puck always says it's because he thinks you'll be less uptight if you get laid or something, but we all really think you guys should get together."

Kurt looks at Mercedes in shock and she nods, confirming Rachel's words. As much as he loves to complain about them, he guesses the kids in Glee really are his family.

"Like I said Kurt, I'm sure you and Blaine will end this little fight soon enough."

&&&&&

Entering the party Kurt had a plan. That very same plan went to shit about five minutes after arriving.

"Hey guys glad you could make it!'" shouts a very drunk Puck. He crosses the room in three strides and throws one arm and around Kurt and the other around Mercedes. Rachel stands off to the side, clutching Finn's hand tightly, and looks at Puck in disgust. A few guys call out to Finn and wave him over to the open keg where they're standing so the two of them head over in that direction.

"Where's your little butt buddie?" Puck slurs, taking another swig of whatever it is he's drinking. The term and insinuation should offend Kurt but it doesn't because that's just how Puck is. He doesn't mean any harm, and he's actually more considerate than most of the guys at McKinley.

Before Kurt can respond someone lets a celebratory cheer and the three of them turn to see some guy, a hockey player Kurt thinks, waving a bottle of whiskey above his head. "Finally got the damn liquor cabinet open!" he shouts and Puck quickly runs over to guy, calling dibs on the first drink.

Kurt tries to catch Mercedes' eye but she's laughing at Sam and Artie who are dancing wildly a little ways away. There are people everywhere and the music is blasting so loud the house is shaking yet Kurt still feels so alone. This will simply not do. He grabs Mercedes by the arm and drags her in the direction of the bar area. Puck and his friend are setting out shot glasses along the bar and without thinking Kurt takes one and downs it. It burns going down and he has to fight it from coming back up but as soon as he's sure it's not going to he grabs another. When that one's gone the room is spinning slightly and everything looks blurry as if his eyes are crossed. He then realizes that his eyes actually are crossed.

"Whoa! Hummel I'm pressed, you took those like a pro," Santana says, coming out of nowhere. "Come on over here, I need a partner."

Suddenly Kurt's being pulled into another room where a group of tall, athletic looking guys are playing beer pong. "Out of the way bitches, me and my boy here are ready for some real competition." Santana uses her hip to bump two of the boys out of the way and they scowl at her but move off to the side to let them play.

"This is the great partner you were talking about?" a guy with short hair and a pimply face asks, snickering loudly.

"Nope… he's better. Now let's get it started!" she shouts and the game commences.

Kurt's never played beer pong before but it's not rocket science so he catches on pretty quickly. Throwing the balls is not his strong suit but he's surprisingly good at the actual chugging part. They win the game with ease but Kurt refuses a rematch because he can barely walk as is. He stumbles back into the main room and slams into an annoyed looking Rachel.

"What, the party isn't all it's cracked up to be?" Kurt asks with a huge grin on his face. He hiccups loudly and Rachel's eyes widen when she sees how drunk he is.

She doesn't comment on it, however, and whines, "Finn's been looking at Quinn all night!"

Kurt looks at sees that indeed, Finn is standing in a corner and staring rather creepily at Quinn, who's talking with a couple other cheerios. "Maybe… Maybe it's because you're over here pouting rather than talking with him!" Kurt exclaims as if he's just solved one of life's greatest mysteries.

Rachel rolls her eyes but takes Kurt's advice and stalks off in Finn's direction. Kurt staggers aimlessly around the room until somebody tugs him off course. After the room stops spinning he sees that it's Mercedes along with a couple other kids from Glee. Mike's there and so is Sugar but those are the only two faces he registers before the dizziness sets in again.

"Are you okay?" Mercedes voice sounds far away as if she's speaking to him from underwater. Kurt opens his mouth to respond but nothing comes out. The last thing he remembers before passing out is seeing Mercedes concerned face looking down at him.

&&&&&

When Kurt wakes up it takes him a moment to realize there's no music playing; the pounding is all in his head. He groans and shifts slightly but even the tiny movement sends intense pains shooting through his head. As the sleepiness fades it becomes clear that he's spent all night at Brittney's with only a small, decorative pillow between him and the hard floor. A feeling of horror slowly seeps in as he realizes a good part of last night is a complete black spot. He could have done anything, or anyone, and he wouldn't be the wiser. The latter is unlikely considering the lack of gay guys around but the idea that he doesn't know is completely terrifying. Kurt's all about control and this morning he feels less in control than ever.

"Oh good you're up, I was just about to wake you." Kurt sits up the rest of the way at the voice and sees Mercedes sitting on a nearby couch nursing a glass of water.

"I- we, what…" Kurt tries but his brain won't work with him enough to come up with a decent question.

Mercedes laughs and says, "Man you really were wasted last night. We were all pretty drunk though," she concedes, "so we decided just to crash here for the night."

Kurt looks around and sees a couple other people milling around although there are still a great number passed out in various places. He doesn't see any other Glee club members, however, except for Santana and Brittney who are snuggled up on one of the couches.

"Sam, Mike, Finn, and Rachel left a little while ago," Mercedes says as if reading Kurt's mind. "I decided to let you sleep for a little longer considering you were the drunkest of anyone last night. But don't worry, I didn't let you do anything too crazy."

Kurt hums softly in acknowledgement and slowly gets to his feet, using a small coffee table for support. With Mercedes' help, Kurt manages to hobble out of the house before the nausea sets in. He ends up leaning over into the bushes by Brittney's front porch and unloading his stomach. Mercedes looks disgusted but to her defense she stays with Kurt the entire time to make sure he doesn't fall over.

"Why aren't you hung-over?" Kurt asks once they've made it to the car. He winces as Mercedes slams her door and she sends him an apologetic look.

"I didn't drink all that much, just enough to get buzzed," she answers.

Kurt nods and they rest of the car ride is spent trying to fight back the still present nausea so he doesn't throw up in her car. When they reach his house Mercedes offers to help him inside but he tells her no thanks.

"Thanks for everything but I got it," Kurt says, climbing out of the car.

"No problem. Call me when you feel better okay?"

Kurt agrees and then starts the slow, painful journey up his driveway. He pauses for a second on the porch to try and steady himself. There's no real way to cover up the fact that he's hung-over but he can at least attempt to.

"Hey bud, how's it going?" Burt says loudly, coming to greet Kurt in the front hallway. He slaps Kurt good naturedly on the back and Kurt can't hold back a pained whimper. His dad's knowing smile says he's aware of Kurt's state and is going to make him pay for that.

"I was just about to make some pancakes, you want some?" Kurt's stomach twists at the thought of food and he quickly shakes his head.

"I think I'm just going to go upstairs and sleep for a little bit," Kurt manages.

Kurt brushes part him and heads straight for his bathroom to grab the bottle of aspirin before going to his room. He downs a couple capsules before collapsing on his bed, fully clothed, and falling into a fitful sleep. The rest of the day is spent in bouts of sleeping and eating and Kurt is thankful for his dad's allowance of that. He was fine after he talked to him and convinced him that while yes, he drank, no, he didn't drive or do anything else he regrets. Kurt wonders if Mercedes' decision not to drink was so she could watch out for him and he decides that he has the best friends in the world.