After Blaine’s comment months earlier, Burt had been very careful to make sure that he didn’t let his new role as Congressman interrupt his family time and that he would still be in Lima as much as he could be. As spring rolled around, this became harder. He was busier, yes, but Burt had unconsciously started to avoid being home. He hadn’t realized it at all, but he was starting to worry about his boys moving out in just a few short months.

     The separation was going to hurt. It would be tremendously painful, especially to have Kurt so far away for so long at a time. Kurt was as much a part of Burt as his own arm was, and learning to cope without his first son was a task that Burt didn’t know if he could face.

     So, unintentionally, he began to practice. Two nights in D.C. became three, until they were four or more. And then, suddenly, he was missing the sacred Friday Night Dinners. When he was away, he would phone home and check in every night, sometimes twice if a lot was going on. At first, Kurt would give Blaine the phone so that he could talk to Burt, too, but this started happening less and less as Blaine started to spend less time at their house.

     Kurt would complain about it, vague phrases like “He’s always so busy.” or “We haven’t gone out in such a long time.” but whenever Burt suggested that Kurt talk to Blaine about it, Kurt refused, saying that Blaine was bad with confrontation, and he didn’t want to upset his boyfriend.

     Burt’s realized, particularly in the past few months, that any problems the boys have do not simply go away or work themselves out. Problems tend to escalate until they reach of boiling point of tears and hurt feelings. He tries to remind Kurt of this, but Kurt has moved on to a story about Glee club’s disco theme week.

     When Burt is home, he really notices that Blaine isn’t around as much as had been normal. Plus, when Blaine is at the house, he seems a little bit disconnected from the family, almost as if he was holding back from conversation and interaction. Burt doesn’t realize just how similar his actions are to Blaine’s, and decides that if things aren’t better by the next week, he’s going to have to do something the next time he’s home.