Kurt ran into his father's garage, his soul soaring.

Burt was elbows-deep in a small-car engine when Kurt came up behind him.

"DAD!"

Burt withdrew from the hood of the car slowly, putting his hand to the top of his head, one side of his smile curled a little more tightly than the other.

"Hiiii, Kurt. What's up?"

"Ooooh, sorry, Dad." A pause, and then Kurt began to nearly vibrate with excitement again. He bounced up and down on his toes and let out a little squeak. "He kissed me!"

Burt cleared his throat and glanced over his shoulder. Lowering his voice, he said, "This would be Blaine we're talking about?"

"Yes! Can you be-lieve it??? I'd given up hope. I thought it was going to be one of those 'I like you as a friend' sorts of things perpetually! But he kissed me, Dad! And, he wants to sing a duet with me at regionals! We're going to sing a duet at regionals!" By this time, he was flailing.

Burt took off his gloves and reached out to Kurt, smiling. "That's really great, Kurt. I'm happy for ya." He ushered Kurt toward the garage door. "Let's go back to the house so I can get cleaned up, then we'll go get something to eat to celebrate, huh?" He turned back toward the garage. "Hey, Leni, lock up when you're done, ok?"

"Sure thing, Burt."

* * * * *

Burt had, of course, chosen his favorite burger joint. He hated dressing up, and he hated Italian food because he already took "enough garlic to stink everyone away" for his heart problems.

"Now, remember, Dad, no hamburgers. Only grilled chicken."

Burt glared at him. "Hey, at these sit-down places, they've got heart-healthy burgers, don't they?"

Kurt scoffed. "Oh, yes." He scanned the menu. "If you consider clogging your arteries withbeef fat witha side dish of cottage cheese heart healthy."

Burt pursed his lips. "Remind me why I brought you."

Kurt beamed, then. "To celebrate the fact that I have a new love in my life."

Burt smiled at him and looked him right in the eyes. "I knew there was something." He put his menu flat on the table. "So, tell me what happened. I know you want to, so I'm gonna humor you and ask."

Kurt blushed and shook his head. "Oh, that's okay, Dad. You don't have to. My girlfriends will listen. You don't have to."

"Now--" Burt shook his head emphatically-- "you came squealing to me in my garage. You must want to tell me...." Kurt started to blush and grin. "C'mon...."

Kurt took a deep breath. "Okay."

Burt sat back with a warm smile.

Another deep breath. "Well, I was sitting in one of the main building's reading rooms decorating Pavarotti's casket--"

"Pavarotti. That bird?"

Kurt snapped his mouth closed and blinked twice. "Yes, Dad."

"He's dead? Aw, man. I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"Well, go on with your story. You were decorating, and...?" He waved his hand in front of him and gave Kurt an encouraging smile.

Kurt blushed and grinned again. "Blaine walked in and told me he'd chosen a song for our duet and that we needed to practice. I had been wondering all day why he'd chosen me to sing the duet with him--of course, my heart wanted to hope there was an obvious reason, but I have been stomping any of those thoughts down ever since the Valentine's Day fiasco--so I asked him. He told me that when he watched me singing 'Blackbird' in Pavarotti's memory, he had what he called that moment of 'oh, there you are! I've been looking for you forever!' Isn't that the most romantic thing you've ever heard?"

Kurt looked at Burt for confirmation, but Burt could easily see he was actually looking beyond him into some sort of dream world. He looked like the same lovesick puppy he'd been since he'd met Blaine, but now he had more of a happy confidence about him. Burt really enjoyed seeing that.

"Yeah. It's really romantic."

"And, then he said I moved him." A deep sigh, and then, "And he told me he chose me to sing the duet with him so he had an excuse to spend more time with me! And then...he kissed me. He moved closer to me...and he kissed me." Kurt's eyes focused on Burt's again. "And it was the most wonderful kiss. It took me ages to come back to earth!"

Burt smiled, reached across the table, and bunched both of Kurt's hands in his. "I'm really happy for you, son. Blaine's a good kid. I know you love him, and I can tell by the way he acts that he really cares about you. I don't think I could ask for a better guy for my son."

Kurt's smile lit his entire face. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."

"I love you, too." A second passed, then two, then Burt squeezed Kurt's hands. "Can I have a hamburger?"

"No."