Having received a mysterious text summons from Burt Hummel, Blaine Anderson walked into his car shop after school on Monday morning.  All the text had said was: Need to talk.  3pm work?  Seeing two of the other employees working on cars, but no Burt, Blaine waved and walked further into the shop.  “Mr. Hummel?  Burt?” he called out.

From inside the office, Burt appeared.  “Hey, kid.  Come on in.  Thanks for showing up on such short notice,” he said cheerfully.

“Is everything alright?” Blaine asked with concern, shrugging off his messenger bag and walking inside as Burt held the door and then shut it behind them.

“I'm fine, kid.  Sorry if you worried.  No, this has nothing to do with my health,” he answered firmly.  Gesturing towards the couch, he said, “No, this has to do with a long overdue conversation that I need to have with my son and future son-in-law.  Sit.”  He was smiling at Blaine, but his tone certainly implied that any arguments would be summarily shot, spit roasted and eaten with a jalapeno BBQ sauce.

Kurt's mouth had gone dry the second Blaine had walked in wearing his McKinley cheerleading uniform.  Damn!  He certainly wore that uniform well.  His eyes followed hungrily as Blaine tugged down the top to his uniform and sat – as far away from Kurt as he possibly could.

“Are you two listening?” Burt asked pointedly.

“Yes, Dad.”

“Yes, Burt.”

“Good,” he remarked, leaning against his desk, arms folded, staring down at two of the most important people in his life.  “Now I know I'm getting older and the memory is not quite what it was when I was your age – and I was your age once upon a time – but I seem to recall having this same conversation, or a variation of it, with both of you. 

“Back at Christmas, Kurt, I told you that I have faced death three times – twice myself, and once with your mom – and through those struggles, I learned that the single most important thing on this earth, is the love we have for one another.  And when you find what you and Blaine have…you don't walk away from it like its nothing…or like it's too hard to fight for.  Relationships take time…and effort…and compromise…and love.  People make mistakes.  And one of the greatest inventions of all times, is forgiveness.”

“And Blaine, I told you back in February, when you asked my permission to ask Kurt to marry you that you needed to give this time.  You and I both know that you and Kurt are meant to be together.  There's no rush.  Life isn't a sprint to the finish line.  God knows, if you treat it like that, you're gonna miss the amazing scenery going by.”

Burt took a deep breath and watched his two boys steal glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.  Removing his ever-present ball cap, Burt rubbed the top of his head thoughtfully.  “I feel like I've done you both a disservice by not locking you up in a room to hash this all out sooner.  But enough is enough.  You've both done things you regret.  Learn from them.  Talk to each other.  Don't do it again.”

“Blaine…Kurt told me some of what went down Saturday night.  My son was an idiot.  When he asked me to see if I could get you here so he could apologize, I decided it was my opportunity to smack you both upside the head.  Kurt – eventually, he's gonna ask you to marry him.  Blaine – eventually, he's gonna leap into your arms shouting ‘yes' to the world.  Eventually, I'm gonna have to shell out more money than I care to think about on what I imagine will be a fabulous wedding that will make the fashion gossip columns in New York.  God, did I actually just say that?”

Pushing off his desk, Burt went to stand in front of Blaine.  “Kurt asked for my help in getting you here.  I'm going to ask you to give him the opportunity to apologize.  From what he's told me, you have every right to be furious with him – and I think you might have expressed some of that to him.  But, as your future father-in-law, and as someone who will always consider you to be my third son whether or not you end up with Kurt…which you will, but just so we're clear, give him a shot.  Please.”

Blinking to clear his eyes, Blaine nodded, not trusting his voice.  Last Father's Day he'd helped Kurt pick out a ‘World's Greatest Dad' coffee mug for Burt.  It was the times like these that Blaine wondered how the world would look if everyone had a ‘Burt Hummel' as a dad.  More flannel and John Cougar Mellencamp for sure; but he had a suspicion that there'd be a lot more happiness and goodness too.

After his dad left the office, Kurt turned to look at Blaine.  “Five minutes.  I don't deserve it.  But that's what I'm asking for.”

Blaine pulled up his legs, wrapped his arms around them, and rested his chin on his knees.  “I'm listening,” he whispered, not making eye contact.

Chewing on his lip, Kurt decided he had nothing to lose.  “Saturday night, I behaved like a complete jackass.  I was completely out of line.  I had no right to behave the way I did, no right to say what I said, and from the bottom of my heart, I apologize.  I am sorry for embarrassing you, embarrassing your date, and for making a scene.  I'm sorry I ruined your night, Blaine,” he said regretfully.

“Thank you.”  Blaine was quiet for several long moments.  “Kurt? Why'd you do it?”

Kurt played with the hem of his shirt.  “I…Because you were with him.  When Sam told me you were taking him, I just was so…jealous.  And hurt.  And jealous.  And I didn't expect to be.  I had this whole plan in my head about how I would surprise you…and sweep you off your feet…and we'd…we'd be back together…and I realize now how unrealistic that sounds…but I like the romantic comedies, you know?” he glanced up to see Blaine smiling shyly back at him.

“Yeah, I know,” he admitted

“When I saw you two dancing…I just wanted that so much to be me.  With you.  I felt like I was losing you to him.  Even though you…you aren't really mine to lose right now.  But that's what I felt.”

“Kinda like how I felt when I was losing you to Alex,” Blaine shrugged.

“Adam.”

“Uh huh.  Whatever.”

“Blaine?” Kurt waited until Blaine peeked up at him again.  “You were never in any danger of losing me to Adam.  Ever.”

Blaine could feel his cheeks flush with heat at that news.  Tilting his head, he raised his eyebrows at Kurt.  “You've never been in competition with Sebastian.  Ever.  I asked him…because I knew we'd have a good time…as friends.  He's a flirt, yeah.  But he's funny and intelligent and gay – and I know that he knows…where my heart truly lies.  Where it's always been.  At the end of the day, he respects my boundaries.  That's the only reason why I asked him.”

Kurt stared at the WMHS emblazoned across Blaine's chest.  “Blaine? I'm sorry about a lot of other things too.  I'm sorry I never took the time to sit down with you and allay your fears about my moving to New York.  I'm sorry I made you feel like my life in New York was more important than you.  It never was -–but I realize now that that's how I made you feel. 

“I'm sorry for promising that we'd sit down and talk things through and then never, not once in seven months, finding the time to do so.  I'm sorry for promising to make time for you and then blowing you off for NYADA.

“I'm sorry for telling you and all of our friends that we were just friends, and then throwing myself at you.  I'm not sorry that we made love in the hotel room.  And for the record, it meant everything to me…I don't throw myself around…and you're the only person to…touch me like that.  I'm sorry for trying to make it seem like being with you was just a hook up. 

“And most of all, Blaine, I'm sorry you thought, for all these months, that I was laughing at you, when you tried to propose.  I wasn't, baby, I really wasn't laughing at you.  I was just so…nervous…and, it just came out.” Kurt stopped as tears came flooding down his face.  Dropping his head into the crook of his elbow, Kurt tried to cry as quietly as possible.

After a minute or two, he felt the cushions shift and then Blaine's arms were around him.

Blaine held Kurt tightly, reveling in the feeling of having the love of his life in his arms after so long a time.  But eventually he had to let go.  Glancing at his phone, he realized the time. 

“I've kept you too long,” commented Kurt with regret.

“No!” insisted Blaine, “No, Kurt. It's not that.  I'm…I'm really glad to be here right now.  It's just…it's time for my medication.  Hold on.”  Blaine got up from the couch and walked over to the mini-fridge where he knew Burt always kept a bottle of apple juice just for him.  Pulling his pill bottles out, Blaine shook two pills onto his palm and swallowed them, chasing them with the sweet juice.

Seeing Kurt's look of curiosity, he tried to explain, “I'm on an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication.  Since about March.  It helps.  A lot.”

“Blaine – ” Kurt breathed.

“Please don't judge me,” he whispered.

Pulling Blaine back down on the couch, Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's waist, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder.  “Never.  I just…I just feel really bad that I wasn't here for you.”

Sighing, Blaine raised a hand to rub small circles on Kurt's back.  “Well…maybe…maybe you could be here for me…soon.”

“Blaine, I'm here now,” Kurt insisted, feeling Blaine grow tense beneath him.

“Kurt…I need to ask you for two things.”

“Anything.  Name it,” Kurt response was immediate and firm.

“Graduation is June 2nd.  I've got three and a half weeks until I finish school.  I need to focus on that.  Only that.”

“Okay.  Would it be okay for me to send you a text message occasionally?  An email?  Or do you need me to go all stealth mode?

Blaine giggled, burying his face in Kurt's hair.  “I'd like to hear from you when you have time.  Just…if I don't immediately respond…it's because of school…not anything else.”

Kurt hugged Blaine tighter.  “Understood.  What was the other thing?”

“That sometime after June 2nd, we…we actually make the time to talk…about everything else,” he whispered, bring his hand up to caress the back of Kurt's head.  “Because I really miss you.  I miss my best friend.  I miss my boyfriend.  I miss my lover.  And I really want us back.  But I'm so scared,” he stopped, swallowing hard.  “I'm so fucking scared Kurt to go down that path again.  I don't think I'm strong enough to make it if we can't figure this out,” his voice wavered as he admitted one of his deepest fears.

“Ssshh,” Kurt murmured.  “You're the strongest person I know, Blaine Warbler.  We're gonna fix this.  I promise.  And if you think I'm breaking my promise to you again, you have my permission to call Jeff and Santana and turn them loose.”

Blaine snorted.  “That's a frightening combination, Kurt.”

“One that makes me ask myself, which one will call for bail money first?”

They looked each other in the eye, replying simultaneously, “Santana.”