Isaac was adorably charming. After their first date, Kurt agreed to a second, being enthralled with the clumsy, funny man he'd taken a chance on. It felt nice to be smiled at and to smile in return, to get to know someone and feel better about himself. There were dozens of stories they shared that first evening, Isaac cataloguing his NYADA auditions for Kurt's entertainment and Kurt reciprocating with his own ridiculous tales from his Glee Club days.

But there was still a nagging sensation tugging at a corner of his brain that Kurt tried his best to ignore. He knew exactly what it was, too. Isaac wasn't Blaine. He didn't make him giddy with excitement, or cause his stomach to swoop pleasantly with just a bashful smile. Isaac was a terrific guy, but he was still in love with someone he couldn't allow himself to have right now. Or maybe ever. Rachel had assured him that moving on from a love that deep was hard and painful, that he'd probably see several guys for a few dates before he finally let go of that past, but right now his heart couldn't bear the thought. Even two months later, Kurt knew if he cracked open his chest and pulled his heart out that "Blaine Devon Anderon's" would be tattooed on its pulsing tissue, maybe rubbed slightly blurry after his heartbreak, but there all the same.

Still he tried to relax with Isaac, and it wasn't hard with such a great guy. Maybe if they took things very slow for a while, Kurt would finally be able to open his heart and accept more of Isaac, but for now he couldn't. But Isaac seemed to realize it; without a word, he'd clued in to Kurt's heartache and not pushed on holding his hand or a kiss or anything physical. Kurt would always be grateful for it.

The week leading up to his second NYADA audition was hectic for Kurt. He texted Blaine intermittently, mostly while watching his favorite television shows because he knew Blaine was watching as well. Brody and Rachel helped him late into the night to prepare for the audition, and Isaac was as sweet as ever, agreeing to come over to watch a movie with the three of them after a brutal, exhausting day instead of going out to dinner and a movie as they'd planned.

Kurt had expected him to be upset or decline, but Isaac was incredibly easy-going as he joined them, already knowing both Rachel and Brody from NYADA and Callbacks. As the other two cuddled up on the loveseat, Kurt and Isaac sat next to each other on the couch, close enough to touch, but still unsure, testing the waters and not wanting to push any boundaries they hadn't discussed yet.

"I love the part where she climbs the pole for the arrow," Isaac sighed happily as they watched Mulan scale the wooden pole. "This is one of my favorites."

"Mine, too," Kurt agreed quietly, glancing at Brody and Rachel who were absolutely not paying any attention to the movie anymore.

For a moment, Kurt thought that Isaac had tuned back into the television, but then a small, soft hand slid tentatively into his palm and tightened. Kurt tensed slightly, irresistibly reminded of Blaine. They'd always held hands on the couch in his living room while watching their favorite movies, though their positions had usually been quite different than his and Isaac's.

"I– sorry," Isaac apologized anxiously, his hand beginning to pull back. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable– I'm sorry, that was too soon and– "

"No, no, don't," Kurt cut in quickly, his stomach twisting with guilt. God, this man deserved so much better than what Kurt could give him right now. "I just… m- my ex used to do that and… "

"Oh," Isaac said. "He's… I don't want to rush into anything. You haven't said it but I know whatever happened hurt you a lot and– we're just good, casually dating friends, okay? No expectations right now."

Kurt smiled softly at his words and clasped his hand over Isaac's, his stomach flip-flopping nervously.

"Thank you," Kurt said sincerely, squeezing Isaac's hand and drawing a crinkle-eyed smile from him. "I… you're too sweet, you know that? But thank you. Slow is best right now. I don't– " Kurt bit his lip before he decided to plow on. He wanted Isaac to understand how much of his heart still lingered with Blaine and that there very well may never be anything substantial between them. "I don't know what I want out of us dating or hanging out or anything right now. I don't want you to get your hopes up, okay? I still… Blaine was my first everything, he always will be, and figuring out how to still love him but not be in love with him is hard."

"That's fine," Isaac assured him. "I– you just seemed nice and fun to be around. I've been there, too, so I get it. There's no harm in us being good friends or dating just to have a little fun together, to help you figure out where your heart is going."

Kurt smiled again, but this time it was wider, stronger, and more real. He could see himself falling for a guy like Isaac at some point in the future. All he had to do was ignore the part of his mind that was constantly reminding himself that he already had.

Blaine had expected time to lag at a torturous pace after his conversation with Kurt. Instead it flashed past him, one minute having him returning to a silent house that evening and the next it was several days into December and he'd already received a dozen text messages from Kurt. It was unbelievably nice to have that connection with Kurt again, to be able to talk to him, and, more importantly, to have had the chance to explain how he'd felt when he'd cheated and to get the majority of that out in the open.

He knew there was still a long way to go until things were completely settled between them, and the nagging little voice in his head kept reminding him that Kurt was dating a guy called Isaac, but he pushed it aside. Right now he had to focus on himself, just as Kurt was, because he never wanted anything like this to ever happen again. Never in his life had Blaine imagined breaking someone's trust and heart like he had, and he needed to figure himself out better in order to prevent it from ever happening again.

By the sixth of the month, Blaine was busy with preparing a holiday party with Finn and Sam for the Glee Club. It was in part to celebrate their unexpected win at Sectionals and to celebrate before they all left for Winter Break. It was also the day that Blaine was hoping would be the start of a future at NYADA for Kurt, if Kurt chose that path. He'd come to realize how much Kurt loved working at Vogue, and in some sense he'd always seen the passion for fashion in his ex-boyfriend's eyes. But NYADA had been a huge dream for Kurt, and even if Blaine could see Kurt making an incredible life for himself in the fashion industry, it all came down to Kurt's decision.

Throughout the day he kept checking his phone, waiting for a clue as to what was happening with Kurt. His text message of "Courage" had been returned with a smiling face and a "Thanks," but Blaine hadn't heard anything since. After Glee Club, he drove home, settled in after a quick, lonely dinner and a shower, and tried to focus on his homework. His parents were out of town once more, on business in Vermont for the rest of the week, and Blaine was both relieved and uncomfortable with the silence. He was used to it since he'd returned from boarding at Dalton, and it gave him plenty of uninterrupted time to think and talk to himself about what he'd done to Kurt and how to better himself, but tonight it was not what he needed. But his mind continued to wander, both to the result of Kurt's second audition and to how attached he still was despite meaning to pull back more and focus on himself.

By ten o'clock, Blaine had nearly given up hope of a call or message, and was berating himself for already sinking back into some type of dependency on Kurt's happiness. Or maybe he was over thinking it. This was huge for Kurt and he cared about Kurt more than anyone else. There was no reason not to be anxious for an answer; that was part of being friends again.

As he settled into bed, phone plugged in and charging on his bed-side table, Blaine closed his eyes tightly and tried to hold down the little flash of hurt grinding against his heart. He had no right to expect an answer from Kurt and shouldn't have gotten his hopes up so soon after such a brutally honest conversation, but–

His phone began buzzing, vibrating against the wooden table and Blaine rolled over quickly, lurking up and snatching it up on the second ring.

Blaine barely had a moment to take a steadying breath to say a greeting when Kurt and Rachel's voices burst through his phone.

"He was fantastic!"

"I think I got in!"

But then a third, unfamiliar voice echoed in the background and Blaine's chest tightened around his heart until it felt like a small part of him was suffocating.

"Kurt, you were brilliant! I knew you would be!"

Isaac. That must be Isaac. It didn't sound like Brody from what Blaine could recall, and, sure enough, Brody's voice came through a few seconds later, driving the point home for him.

"T- that's great," Blaine congratulated, hating how strained his voice sounded, but he deserved this agony. He'd done this to himself and Kurt had every right to be happy and find that happiness with someone else. "I knew you'd kill it again."

The other three with Kurt continued to talk loudly and happily in the background, but Kurt seemed to have started to move away, because their voices faded some and then Kurt's excited, pleased voice was pressing against his ear.

"I wish you could have been there like last time," Kurt whispered, and Blaine could hear the grin in his voice. "I was so nervous, and I used a song I didn't think she'd want to hear, but– "

"It doesn't matter what song you sing, you'll always be amazing, Kurt," Blaine told him sincerely, settling back down in his bed and hugging his pillow to his chest.

"Thanks, I– how are you? How's the holiday party coming along?"

"It's– the party should be great," Blaine replied, closing his eyes and attempting to imagine his pillow was Kurt in his arms, that they were laying side by side, their noses brushing as they whispered and talked late into the night, about their future together, the exciting things they wanted to do, and how much they loved each other. Just like they used to.

"And you? You're okay, right?" Kurt reiterated, sounding a little less happy at the unanswered question left hanging in the air. It surprised Blaine slightly and shattered the illusion he'd been trying to enfold himself in, but he had to stop doing that. That comfort wasn't his to have anymore; he had to find that strength within himself.

"I'm… all right for the most part, I think," Blaine decided quietly.

"You think?" Kurt echoed, sounding nervous and concerned. "Are you– "

"I'm just… still struggling to figure myself out and… you know, accept what I've done enough to forgive myself for it all," Blaine grumbled, blinking away a few stray tears. "It's hard to know myself when I haven't been me in so long, I guess, and there's a lot of… bad memories that go along with that."

"Oh," Kurt said, and Blaine knew from the tone that Kurt had understood his reference to include recent things and his past nightmares. "You'll get there, Blaine. It's all part of growing up, right? I know I had a lot of struggles to get through to be who I am now. Hell, if I was still the boy I was when I first started McKinley, I wouldn't be friends with Rachel, let alone living with her."

Blaine smiled and laughed softly at Kurt's confession. He'd heard plenty about Kurt when he was a few years younger, scathing, brave, but still a little timid and unsure of himself – still bullied and willing to let it change the person he knew he was.

"It's getting easier, especially now that we're talking again," Blaine told him. "And Sam, god, he's helped so much. Besides you, he's… he's the first really close friend I've had in a long time. Even if he's insisting that I'm Cyclops and he's Wolverine, but that's nonsense because he could never style his hair right for that look– "

Kurt's laughter cut him off, and Blaine blushed a little, realizing that Kurt had probably not understood any of that.

"You– I don't know who those things are, but, wow, I can still picture it," Kurt giggled as a trio of voices grew louder. "Oh, they're coming to drag me out of my room. I'll call you once I get a letter from NYADA, okay?"

"Yeah," Blaine agreed, his heart sinking slightly as Isaac's voice reached Kurt's phone.

"Hey, come on! There's a great movie on and I've already called the couch for us– "

"Goodnight, Blaine!"

"Night," Blaine replied, followed by an echoing click as Kurt hung up. It stung, not as badly as the hang up mid "I love you" had, but it still hurt him.

Somehow he had to stop this, stop pining and moping before it became entirely too awkward and too much for Kurt to handle. If he didn't find a way to set his feelings aside, then this would never work. Every day it would eat at him, and every call about what Kurt should wear for this date or that date would plague him. If he didn't focus in on himself and what was right, he was going to end up losing his best friend all over again. Only this time, it would be permanent.

After he hung up, Kurt allowed himself to be dragged out of his room by an excited Isaac. They joined Rachel and Brody in the main room, where the television was already playing the opening credits to whatever movie they'd chosen. Kurt honestly didn't care what the movie was, he was still on a high from the success of his audition, the words of praise at having better his voice since the spring, and the hope welling in his chest that this time he would get it. They'd take him as a student and then the real choice would have to be made.

His letter from Parsons had already arrived a few days ago and Kurt had debated whether or not sending it off with an acceptance letter immediately, because he felt like his heart was already made up for him. The idea of performing and NYADA was a huge fantasy of his. It was a dream and a fantastic hobby he liked to dabble into, but it wasn't his passion. When it had always come down to it, when he was stressed or struggling, he'd taken to doodling outfit ideas, designs, and so forth to relieve some of his tension. It was his absolute favorite thing to do, something he'd been doing since he'd been a toddler, and now with the realization in front of him, the choice felt like it had already been made.

"You were great," Isaac gushed as Kurt dropped down on the couch next to him. An arm curled around his shoulders as Isaac tucked his legs under himself and beamed at him. "I can't believe you can hit notes that high, just,wow."

Kurt smiled, realizing for the first time just how close they were. He could see himself reflected in the other man's bright brown eyes, could feel his stomach give a little attempt at a swooping motion as Isaac's head tilted slightly, his eyes darting back and forth between Kurt's hesitantly.

It took two seconds for Kurt to figure out that he was suddenly being kissed, softly, chastely, and that there was no hint of cinnamon on his lips or the scent of raspberries invading his nostrils from an abundance of hair gel. He returned the kiss regardless, more on instinct than anything else, smiling a little as he caught a taste of chocolate as his eyes slipped closed.

And as they kissed, Kurt waited. Waited for the brush of a thumb over his jaw as a hand cupped his face, or the little nibble on his bottom lip as the other man exhaled. There was nothing familiar in the sensation of having his eyes closed and being kissed, and even before he blinked open as Isaac pulled away, he knew what he wanted to see wouldn't be there.

Sure enough, the warm hazel eyes his mind envisioned melted away into a deep, but bright brown, still warm, but not the same – not his.

"Was that– that was okay, right?" Isaac breathed nervously, biting his lip. "I'm sorry. I just– I'm so happy for you and I've wanted to do that all week and– "

"No, hey, no. It was nice," Kurt assured him, and it had been. His lips were tingling and kissing Isaac had certainly been pleasant, if unexpected, but it wasn't the same. Isaac's kisses weren't the ones his heart was longing for.

"It wasn't too soon?" Isaac asked uncertainly, glancing at the television and then at Rachel and Brody, completely engrossed in each other.

"No, that was… I've never kissed anyone that's counted besides Blaine," Kurt confessed, his cheeks feeling warm. "We sort of learned what we liked together and… "

"Oh, yeah…" Isaac replied, looking a little lost and sad.

"No, no! Don't– that's not what I meant," Kurt said quickly, wincing with guilt as Isaac looked up at him. "I'm sorry. It's just… different. Not in a bad way, justdifferent."

"But okay?"

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. After a few seconds, he added shyly, tentatively, "Could we… try it again maybe? When I'm a little bit more prepared?"

Isaac beamed once more, eyes brightening as he leaned back in, slower this time, his eyes catching Kurt's gaze right before their lips met. Kurt hoped by the end of this one that Blaine's eyes wouldn't haunt his vision, but even as their lips slowly learned to move together, he knew they would for a long time.

Time zipped back for Blaine after that. There were more text messages, more phone calls, but somehow the distance really started to sink into him once more, only this time it didn't throb and ache like an open wound. Maybe he was bettering himself and growing into a stronger individual. Those feelings the day of Kurt's audition had to have been nerves over Kurt's NYADA fate and not the same dependency he knew he couldn't rely on anymore.

The middle of December rolled around, his parents returned from Vermont, and for the first time in months, thinking about Kurt didn't ache. It didn't even hurt him to think of the other boy and Blaine hoped that was a good sign. He still loved him but it felt more manageable, less of a priority and simply something that was real and true. There was no anxiousness in him for confirmation of their love when he called now, and something about having fewer expectations for both of them made reconnecting easier.

They sent silly text messages about people they saw throughout the day, Blaine updated Kurt on Glee Club happenings while Kurt kept him informed about his work and NYADA. Overall their communication had become exponentially better without the added weight of their love and a romantic relationship in the mix.

On the fourteenth, Blaine headed home after school instead of staying to box like he typically did. Sam had been out sick for the day and the exercise was much less fun by himself. He drove home the long way, cruising through the neighborhoods by his own to see the snow covered houses and the Christmas decorations filling yards and roofs.

When he finally pulled into his driveway, Blaine was surprised to see his father home from work already. If it had been this time next week, it would have made sense, but it was still almost two weeks until Christmas so his father's presence in the house was odd.

Once inside, Blaine heard the murmur of his parents voices from the kitchen, which stopped abruptly as the door clicked closed behind him. This had something to do with him then. There was nobody else that would ever be expected home at this hour, nobody else that had a key besides Cooper, who visited once a year at best.

"Blaine? Sweetheart, is that you?"

Blaine stiffened slightly at the tearful sound of his mother's voice. Had someone died? There was no other reason he could think of or call for his mother ever sounding like that and yet…

"Yeah, Sam was out sick so I skipped on boxing today," Blaine called in reply. He slid his gloves, hat, and coat off and hung them up by the door.

"Will you come in here for a minute?" James hollered. "There's… there's something important we need to discuss."

Brow furrowed, Blaine set his backpack down, and headed towards the kitchen. That didn't sound like the beginning of a conversation about a relative dying, not with that tone. His father sounded stern, a little unnerved, too. Slowly Blaine stepped into the expansive kitchen, finding his mother seated at the island with a pile of mail and a small brown package. Next to her, James was standing facing the entry way, arms folded and a frown of his face. He nodded towards the barstool around the counter's edge from his mother.

"Sit," his father commanded, and Blaine clenched his teeth together tightly, but obeyed automatically.

As his mother wipe at her eyes with a paper towel, Blaine slid onto the bar stool and faced his father across the counter, still towering above the two of them, the pile of mail and the package separating them.

The package was pushed towards him as Blaine looked his father, glancing at his mother's re eyes, but she looked, oddly enough, happy. Completely thrown by the differences in his parents' moods, Blaine turned back to his father just as he began speaking.

"This came in the mail today," his father began evenly. "It's for you."

Even more confused than before, Blaine glanced down, and found that the package was actually open even though the cardboard flaps were down. As he read the address it had come from, though, his heart plummeted. Maine, from the jeweler's company he'd contacted over the summer.

Heart in his throat, Blaine stared over at his father's stony expression and his mother's little tearful smile.

"It's– I bought it over the summer," Blaine began to explain, swallowing thickly. "I didn't know when I'd use it or– "

"An engagement ring!" James shouted, his fist slamming down on the pile of letters. A few slid off the counter and onto the floor. Blaine and his mother jumped and a small hiccup escaped her.

"James, please, don't start this– "

"This is a ridiculous phase and I cannot believe we've let it go on until it's reached this point, Lyra," James cut in sharply. "He's far too young to even be entertaining the idea of marriage, especially to some boy."

"James, he's in love! Just because you won't let yourself understand that who he loves doesn't matter doesn't mean that it's not real!"

Jaw tight, Blaine watched his mother rise from her bar stool, eyes dry now and mouth set in a firm frown. It was the first time in his memory that he could ever recall her standing up for his sexuality. His throat went dry as he watched her pop open the flaps of the little box and pull out the black velvet ring box, a few pieces of packing Styrofoam clinging to it and her fingers. She brushed them off, opened the box, and held it up for James to see.

"This is a beautiful gift to represent a beautiful, incredible part of our son's life, James," she went on, voice soft and wistful. "I know it's not what you wanted for Blaine and I know he's young, but isn't this how you wanted your son's life to go? For him to fall in love and be so sure of it at seventeen that he's ready to commit to something that isn't even legal for him and Kurt in most states? Do you realize how huge and different that is for him than it was for us? Do you even remember how we felt when we first fell in love? Right before we got engaged? Don't you want that for him?"

"I– that's not what–" James stammered helplessly, gaze dropping as his jaw worked furious. He massaged his forehead for several minutes as Lyra moved in a bit closer, rubbing his neck and still holding the open ring box in his direct line of sight.

"I know how hard this is for you to get, especially with how you were raised. There were times when I thought the same after Blaine first told us, but this" – she moved the little box slightly as James looked up and into her eyes – "this isn't something to hide or that's wrong. This is love, James. Please, don't tell our son he isn't allowed to have that in his life."

James said nothing, staring down at the box for a long time and Blaine swallowed and dabbed at his eyes. His chest felt like a game of ping pong was going on inside of it. He'd known his mother was more open to the idea, less stern about the person he should grow up to be, but when he'd walked in here ten minutes ago, he'd never expected her to defend him like this. Not once he'd seen where the package had come from.

"Blaine, I– this is tough for me, buddy," James began awkwardly, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Especially after watching you go through that Sadie Hawkins incident thing. I never want to see that happen to you again. For years I've just wanted this to go away so it won't, but… " His gaze shifted down to the ring box in his wife's hand. Carefully he plucked it from her grip and set it on the counter, spinning it around and towards Blaine, whose breath caught slightly as he laid eyes on the simple, silver band for the first time.

"I– wow," Blaine whispered, pulling it towards him as tears formed in his eyes. For a few moments, his father's unfinished sentence faded away as he stared down into the little box. It hit him all at once, what this ring symbolized and how much of that was gone so far beyond his reach now. He'd ruined any chance of getting to see Kurt wear this or of one day exchanging it for a wedding band. "It's– I'd forgotten I'd bought it," Blaine sniffed, wiping at his eyes as he plucked the ring from the box and examined it more carefully. "It's– wow, it's perfect."

The outside of the band was plain, a dull but pleasant silver. The inside was the reason he'd had it made, though. Tucked along the inside of the band was the indent of his fingerprint, sunken into the silver where he had hoped it would someday permanently rest against Kurt's skin.

The touch of a fingertip is as sexy as it gets.

As soon as he'd seen it online, he'd known it was the one he wanted to propose to Kurt with someday, whether it was five months or five years from now. All of that was lost to him now, and the echoing reminder of Kurt's words made his throat tight and raw.

"It's beautiful, Blaine," his mother gushed, stepping over to him and hugging him from behind. "He's going to love it whether you decide to give it to him now or–"

"I can't," Blaine choked out, and suddenly the tears in his eyes weren't happy ones from his mother's defense of his love, but painful, anguished reminders of how foolish he'd been. "God, I ruined everything. I was so stupid and– "

"Blaine, what?" his mother's voice turned concerned and worried. "How have you ruined everything, dear? Kurt loves you just as much as you love him– "

"He cheated, Lyra, " James informed her quietly, his eyes flashing up to meet Blaine's regretfully. "Kurt broke up with him."

"You– "

His mother glanced in disbelief from her husband and back to her younger son. Blaine hung his head in shame, his stomach churning as his mother digested this new, unbelievable piece of information.

"But why? Sweetheart, that's so unlike you. This doesn't make any sense," his mother continued, shaking her head as if it would dislodge the memory of her husband's words forming in her mind.

"I– Mama, it was– I thought he was leaving me behind because we never talked, and he had this whole other life in New York and had no interest in mine anymore and my love didn't feel like it was enough anymore," Blaine rambled tearfully. Now that the words had started falling out of his mouth he couldn't stop them. "I thought he didn't love me anymore and I just– I've never done anything so stupid in my life, and we're talking now, but… I ruined us because I couldn't handle it and I'm trying so hard to make everything right but– "

"Shh, come here," his mother soothed, leaning down and holding him tightly against her. A gentle hand brushed over the ungelled hair at the nape of his neck as his father's hand closed the still open ring box.

"He's talking to you?" his father asked, looking surprised.

"Y- yeah, he was home for a few days around Thanksgiving and we… talked. A lot," Blaine mumbled, slowly pulling out his mother's arms.

"Did you tell him what you just told us?" his father continued.

Blaine nodded as his mother continued to stroke the back of his neck. "W- We both made mistakes leading up to that, but it's still no excuse. Even if I n- never get to give this to him," Blaine said quietly, picking up the velvet box and examining it from all sides, "he's still my best friend. I want us to have that again, even if it's all we ever are."

His parents were silent for a few minutes as Blaine passed the box back and forth between his hands, trying to decide what he was going to do with it now. He knew there were no returns unless it was damaged or the wrong cut and even they'd send the proper one. The ring was his, and the idea of having it sitting around in his room, collecting dust and slowly absorbing all of the beautiful memories he had together with Kurt, made him nauseous.

"I think you'll find your way back to each other," his father decided suddenly, and it surprised Blaine so much he nearly toppled off of his bar stool in his haste to look up. "I– look, Blaine, I'm still not… I want you to be happy," his father settled on awkwardly. "You're my son and I love you, but this has always been difficult for me, and I think part of that was seeing you with Kurt and knowing that what you two shared was real. It scared me, everything about you being… being g- gay does after that beating you took before you went to Dalton."

Amazement trickled through Blaine at his father's sincere words. This day was full of surprises for him and right now he was incredibly overwhelmed, both by his father's unexpected, and rather misguided, acceptance, and the arrival of the ring he'd bought for Kurt before Kurt had left for New York months ago.

"Y- you mean that?" Blaine stammered hopefully, trying not to get his hopes up anymore when his heart was already crushed down and stuffed in the little velvet box in his hand.

James nodded and reached out to grip Blaine's shoulder tighter. "I'm sorry for what I said on Thanksgiving. It was cruel and wrong. There's no excuse but my own fear and ignorance and– "

Blaine shook his head and got to his feet. "Don't, Dad. I– I forgive you, okay? Knowing this more than makes up for that."

For the first time in years, James eased Blaine into his arms, uncertainly and loosely at first, but then tighter when Blaine returned the embrace. Once again Blaine felt like crying, and it was something he did so much these days as he struggled to accept his flaws and mistakes, that it wasn't even strange to feel a few tears fall.

"He'll let you back into his heart," his father whispered against his hair. "If you can forgive that, then I know he'll forgive your mistakes, too. That's all part of love, Blaine, sometimes it has to hurt more than anything to make you realize how much it's worth it."

His father spent the weekend with him, much to Blaine's surprise. For the most part they watched football together, arguing over Ohio State's chances this year and which NFL teams would progress to the Super Bowl in a few months. It was the first time they had bonded so easily in years, not since Blaine had been a young boy, trying to follow in his older brother's footsteps by joining the local peewee soccer league. There was nothing forced or fake about their interactions since before Blaine had come out, and when a letter from Julliard was discovered in the mail Saturday evening, his parents were actually thrilled by its arrival.

"They gave you an audition, sweetheart! Oh my gosh!"

Blaine stared down at the letter in amazement, his mother hugging him tightly as his father smiled proudly – his dad was proud of him again – and attempted to ruff his hair like he had years ago. Instead he pulled his fingers away with a disgusted noise and grabbed a towel to wipe the off his fingers.

"You really should tone down the gel, Blaine," his father told him.

"I– sorry," Blaine babbled, trying to flatten the spot his father had touched, and desperately hoping that Sam and his father didn't meet and begin tag teaming him about how he styled his hair. Sam had been bugging him for almost a month now about toning it down or trying "a moose". For once Blaine hadn't bothered to correct his friend because he hadn't wanted to stay on the topic for too long. "I can't believe it."

He read over the letter once more, seeing the date for his audition in January to be set either at Julliard or a location near him, depending on his preference.

"I have to call Kurt," Blaine decided breathlessly. He had to share his news with his best friend, and while Sam certainly qualified as that, he wouldn't understand Blaine's excitement in the same way that Kurt would. "He'll– I just– he's going to be so excited and– "

His phone buzzed in his pocket and, with a jolt, Blaine pulled it out, half expecting Kurt's face to be on his screen, almost as though the other had sensed his excitement and good news. Only it wasn't Kurt's face flashing on his screen, it was the entire Hummel-Hudson family. Kurt's house was calling him, which meant it was either Sam, too lazy to find his phone, or Burt or Carole. Stomach twisting at the implications of the last two people, and the short, terrible list of why they'd call him out of the blue, Blaine accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, kiddo. It's Burt."

The cheerful sound of Kurt's father's voice made the tension that had begun to tighten his body leak out.

"Hi, um" – Blaine glanced over at his parents, watching him but still examining the first of what he hoped would be a number of acceptance letters – "is there a, err, reason you're calling? I mean, Kurt's okay, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, he's fine," Burt assured him, still sounding quite pleased with himself. "And the way he talks, I think he could do with a visit from his best friend for Christmas."

"What do you– oh," Blaine gaped at his phone for a few seconds, suddenly remembering the offer Burt had given him at the shelter on Thanksgiving. "Wouldn't Carole o- or Finn be a better choice? Not that I don't want to see him, but– "

"Finn's insisting on handling around Lima to see Rachel, Puck, Quinn, and the others," Burt told him, with a sigh. "Carole's working for the holiday since she had last year off and Sam's going to be with his family, so I figured you might still want my extra ticket."

"I'd, um– my parents probably won't want me to– "

"Who is it, Blaine?" his mother's voice broke in, her hand gently rubbing over his arm.

"I– could you hold on for a minute, Mr. H– Burt?"

"Yeah, sure."

His father joined his mother by his side. "Kurt's dad? He's all right, isn't he?"

"What? Oh, yeah, they're all fine. It's just–" Blaine hesitated for a few seconds, not knowing the best way to mention the offer to his parents. With the change that had suddenly started within their relationships, this might be the very first Christmas where they all got along and had a happy holiday together. He wasn't sure if they would want him to pass that up for a few days with Kurt and Burt in New York. "Burt has an extra ticket to New York. To visit Kurt," he elaborated, watching their expressions closely. "He wants me to go with him, says Kurt wants to see me and– "

"Go," his father commanded instantly, and Blaine was momentarily stunned by the quick decision. "If Kurt wants to see you… then go."

"Are you sure? I mean, we're supposed to have Cooper in town and– "

"Blaine," his father began, voice soft but firm. "You've made a huge mistake with your relationship, but he's giving you another chance to be his friend. He wants to be your friend. Don't pass up a chance at that just for another boring Christmas with us. If he's the love of your life like you say he is, then show him that. See him, be there for him, do whatever it takes to earn back that trust."

Mesmerized by his father's heartfelt words, Blaine gazed up at his sincere eyes for several moments, searching for some hint of doubt or regret. There was nothing but acceptance there for the first time in Blaine's life and he welcomed it as he nodded and held his phone back up to his ear.

"Burt? What time do we leave?"