I Think We Should Just Be Friends With Sexual Tension: Part One

[bekkis]

Part One

Kurt fell in love for the first time when he was 15.

And it wasn’t like his crush on Anderson Cooper, who was fierce and wore a good suit every night. Anderson was Kurt’s first real celebrity crush and he watched 360 every night. Yes, Kurt cared about the state of the world and politics and stuff, but it was Anderson Cooper. He even YouTubed that awful reality TV show Anderson hosted way back in the day, but that just made him love Anderson more.

Anyway, it wasn’t like his crush on Tim Gunn either, who like, every gay man should aspire to. For serious, the guy was just awesome. Kurt even made Mercedes and Tina road trip with him to New York City one summer to see him at a book signing, and Tim Gunn told him he looked fabulous. He slept with his autographed copy of the book under his pillow until he went to college. Tim Gunn was more like his idol though, than a crush.

No, it was love at first sight kind of love. It wasn’t a silly celebrity crush or a little idol worship. It was the real thing.

Finn Hudson was the most perfect boy Kurt’s ever seen in person. He’s got this silly, adorable grin that makes him look kind of goofy but still really hot, and he plays football and always, always helps Kurt out of the trashcan after Puck throws him in.

“Sorry, dude, Puck’s kind of a dick. You okay though?” Finn would always dust him off. Kurt always had to bite down on his tongue so he wouldn’t blurt out an I love you.

Of course, now he’s older and he knows better.

Finn Hudson was just a silly crush. He was just another boy in a long line of boys who weren’t interested in Kurt. Just another jock with eyes for the head cheerleader or the world’s most annoying President of Glee Club (Rachel won unanimously and uncontested three years in a row). He was over his crush by the time he turned seventeen, and had moved onto cuter boys who actually noticed him. Instead of pining, they became friends and Kurt left Lima for New York with extremely fond thoughts of Finn Hudson.

He’s not a sixteen year old kid anymore. He’s not going to fall for Finn Hudson again.

&&&

Kurt likes his life.

Two years after graduating from college, he was lucky enough to nab a low level job at his second favorite magazine. It’s not his dream job, it’s not even close to being his dream job, but it’s a step in the right direction. He has feelers out for potential funding for his own line. Basically, Kurt’s life is well on its way to being perfect.

“I’m sorry, kid.”

“It’s okay, Dad.” Kurt reaches over and squeezes his dad’s hand. He’s trying to keep the holy shit look off his face. He’s pretty sure he’s not fooling his dad though, because his outfit is totally atrocious and his hair is just sad. He clearly would never leave his apartment looking like this unless the situation was dire. But it’s his dad and after getting that phone call, he was on a plane to Lima without a second thought.

“You didn’t have to fly out here. I know you’ve got important shit to do.”

Kurt shrugs and fixes the blanket on his dad. He’s probably gonna get fired for this because he’s supposed to be at the office in three hours and his boss is going to flip a shit when he’s not there. But he can’t be anywhere else. It’s just him and his dad, and he can’t just leave his dad alone in the hospital.

“You need anything, Dad? Do you need a nurse?” Kurt jumps out of his chair to look for the little button thingy to call the nurse.

“Kurt, calm down. Just sit down, would you?” His dad grabs his arm.

“Sorry.” Kurt sits back down and fiddles with the blanket again. It’s just weird, seeing his dad laid up in bed and kind of pale.

“I’m okay, just sit down, would you? You’re making me all nervous.”

Kurt smiles at him, hopes it comes across as hopeful and happy and not, please don’t die, please don’t die.

“The doctor said I’m gonna be fine. Now would you relax and tell me about work.”

Kurt takes a deep breath. “Well, my boss is totally insane...”

&&&

His dad kicks him out after lunch, after Kurt throws a hissy about the atrocious lunch they try to give to his dad.

“Kurt, stop acting like a five year old.” His dad smiles at the nurse, who really is too pale and is wearing a totally awful shade of lipstick. “Look, why don’t you get out of here for a little bit.”

Kurt opens his mouth to protest but his dad gives him the look. The ‘Kurt, I’m going to yell in a minute, I don’t care how long it’s been since you lived at home’ look.

“Fine, I’ll go make sure you have something other than Hungry Man dinners in the freezer. I’ll be back for dinner, okay?”

His dad waves him out of the room. Kurt adjusts his sweater, which totally doesn’t match his pants because he was too worried when he left the apartment to grab a decent outfit. His hair looks so awful, he might need a salon visit to fix it.

Kurt sighs a little and leans against the wall outside his dad’s room. He can hear his dad flirting with the nurse a little and smiles, thinks about how close he came to...well he doesn’t want to think about it. Kurt’s just about to push away from the wall when someone calls out to him.

“Kurt Hummel? Is that you?” Kurt mentally flinches before he turns around with a big old fake smile on his face.

“Oh, Quinn, hey!”

Honestly, he doesn’t hate Quinn. He doesn’t want to rip her face off or wish terrible skin on her or anything like that. But she’s never really liked him and he has a hunch it has to do with him being a flaming queen and not that he wanted her boyfriend. The feeling is entirely mutual, because Kurt has never, ever forgiven her for making Finn believe he was the father and trying to rope him into an eternity of responsibility. He’s not prone to violence, but he really wanted to punch her in the face back then.

Still kinda does, now that he thinks about it.

“What are you doing in town?” She kind of squeals and pulls him into a hug. Leave it to Quinn to be the big, fake, oh my god, remember when we were BFFs in high school, kind of girl. They may have gotten along in Glee and he was nice to her because everyone else was, but he really can’t stand her.

Kurt rolls his eyes but pats her on the back before she pulls away. He smiles at her again as she fixes her scrubs, some awful pink color that clashes with her skin. He mentally does a little dance, because Quinn Fabray looking awkward always makes him happy.

“My dad’s here,” he says, pointing down the hall to his dad’s room, not quite able to say why he’s there.

“Oh no. Are you here for long?”

He shrugs and pushes his hair away from his eyes. “So you’re a nurse now?” he asks, changing the subject.

She grins and fixes her scrubs again. “Who would’ve thought, right?”

Kurt gives her a fake smile and fixes his hair again. God save Lima from Nurse Quinn. He hopes she doesn’t torture her patients too much. “Right, well I have errands to run and stuff. For my dad. I’ll see you around.”

“Of course.” She hugs him again and Kurt rolls his eyes. She kind of smells like vomit and poop.

Quinn Fabray smells like poop. His life just got a little better.

He goes through his dad’s fridge when he gets to the house and he tries not to bash his head against the fridge door. There’s nothing resembling decent food in the entire refrigerator. It’s abundantly clear that his dad is totally hopeless without him. Kurt was the one who ended up cooking at Thanksgiving and Christmas, because his dad is completely awful at cooking anything that doesn’t go on the grill.

Kurt changes into an outfit that isn’t completely embarrassing and fixes his hair before he leaves to make sure his dad doesn’t starve to death when he finally comes home. The grocery store is pretty deserted, except for stay at home moms in really bad jeans. Fucking Lima. He’s trying to find some decent fruit to talk his dad into eating when someone crashes their shopping cart into his.

He jerks his head up and he swears to God his heart doesn’t skip a beat when he realizes who it is.

“Kurt?”

Kurt smiles for real this time, because it’s freakin Finn Hudson pushing that shopping cart and he looks good.

Really good.

“Well, if it isn’t Finn Hudson.” Kurt tightens his hold on the carriage.

Finn grins even bigger and it still gets him weak in the knees over four years later. “What are you doin in town?”

“My, uh, my dad’s sick.” Kurt swallows and pushes his hair away from his face. “Are you still living at home?”

“Yeah, just for a few more months.” Finn shrugs. “My mom’s gettin’ married in a couple of months.”

Kurt’s mouth drops open. “Wow, that’s...”

“I know, right? It’s kinda crazy, I never thought she’d get married again but she is! I’m gonna be her maid of honor...well, I mean, I’m not wearing a dress or anything. Not that there’s anything wrong with a dude wearing a dress, I mean...”

Kurt smirks and damn he forgot how much Finn used to ramble on and on once you got him started. “Finn, sweetie, I get it. That’s really nice.”

Finn grins that big silly grin of his and Kurt feels his stomach flutter. It’s like he’s 15 all over again.

“So I heard you’re living in New York now? That’s awesome!”

Kurt shrugs. “Yeah, in this little shitty apartment with a couple of roommates. My room’s about the size of this shopping cart.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re still tiny then!” Finn laughs and leans forward, and his biceps are pushing against his shirt sleeves. Kurt needs to take a minute for himself, glances around and sees some soccer mom watching the two of them.

Of course, because no one in Lima could dress themselves. Or see a piece of designer clothing outside of a magazine. Kurt knows she’s staring more because he just screams “I love cock” and not because of the fabulous sweater he’s wearing. Kurt coughs into his hand and looks away. Finn’s watching him, looking confused (and god, Kurt knows that particular look so well). He looks over and Kurt can tell the second he gets it, because he looks over at Kurt and rolls his eyes.

“Some people really need to get out of this town.”

Kurt laughs. “Oh, honey, I’ve had worse.”

“Finn? I’ve really got a craving for tacos tonight.” Finn’s mom walks up to the two of them, holding a tomato in her hand. She grins at Kurt. “Kurt Hummel, as I live in breath!” She reaches out to hug him and Kurt can see Finn rolling his eyes behind his mom’s back.

“It’s good to see you again.” Kurt hugs Finn’s mom again.

“How are things? What are you doing on town?”

“Chill with the twenty questions,” Finn says. “And I’d love to have tacos for dinner.”

“It’s my turn to pick,” she says, rolling her eyes and turning back to Kurt. “Can you believe I actually have to schedule an evening with my own son? At least a week in advance?”

“Mom, c’mon.”

Kurt glances over at Finn, sees his face turn steadily redder. It’s pretty adorable.

“Aww, be nice to your mom.” Kurt links his arm through hers.

“Since he’s busy being an ass, I won’t feel guilty for telling you that Finn still talks about you all the time.” Finn’s mom grins, nudging Kurt’s side.

“Really?”

Finn groans, rubbing his face with his hand. His mom elbows Kurt’s side again before pulling her arm away. “I think I’ve embarrassed him enough for one day.” She reaches over and ruffles Finn’s hair. “But we’re real proud of you for getting to New York.”

Kurt opens and closes his mouth a few times. Finn’s blushing and giving Kurt that adorable, embarrassed smile that makes Kurt want to...Christ, it’s like he’s a teenager again.

“I just got lucky,” Kurt says, shrugging.

Finn’s mom checks her watch. “We’d love to have you for dinner, if you’re free tonight. Or do you have plans with your dad?”

“Yeah, that’d be awesome!” Finn looks a little excited.

Kurt coughs into his hand. “He’s in the hospital.”

“Shit, is he okay?”

Kurt shrugs and stands up a little straighter. “Yeah, I mean. I think he’s gonna be.” He looks over at Finn.

“That’s really...”

“Anyway,” Kurt interrupts. He doesn’t want to get into it in the middle of a supermarket in the middle of Lima. “I just needed to pick up some food. ‘Cause my dad still fails at feeding himself. It’s like he doesn’t know what to do without me.”

Finn’s mom reaches out to hug him again. “Well, you’re always welcome.” She pulls away and pats his arm.

“Yeah, it was awesome to see you again.” Finn grins at him, but it’s not as bright as before. He reaches over and squeezes Kurt’s shoulder and his hand is warm and fuck.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll uh...”

Finn pulls out his cell and waves it a little. “Did you change your cell? I think I still have the old number.” He grins and Kurt feels his stomach drop again, because it’s been over four years and Finn still has his number.

“It’s still the same,” he says softly.

Finn grins and reaches over to squeeze his shoulder again. “I really hope your dad’s okay!”

Kurt waves goodbye to them, mind still whirling as he watches them walk away.

Finn Hudson is still a dreamboat. Kurt is totally screwed.

&&&

Lima finally got a place that serves something other than fast food, so Kurt stops there to get dinner and a snack he can sneak to his dad. There’s no way he’s gonna eat McDonalds, even though he’s super stressed and no one’s going to expect him to be thinking clearly about what it’s going to do to his skin or his hips. So he skips the fast food and goes for a delicious cup of soup instead, because when he was little, his mom used to make him really awesome soup whenever he felt sad and it always made him feel better. He even still has the recipe tucked away.

When he gets to the hospital, Quinn’s in his dad’s room, giving him dinner and new meds. She waves at him when he walks into the room, and his dad looks a little tired. He’s eyeing the tray in front of him warily and Kurt wishes he could sneak him something actually edible, but he’s not gonna mess with Doctor’s orders, not after the last twenty four hours he’s had.

“How you feeling?” Kurt drops his food into the visitor’s chair and squeezes his dad’s shoulder.

“The doctor’ll be by in a few, if you wanna ask him,” Quinn offers.

“I’m sitting right here.” His dad pouts a little and plays with the edge of his blanket.

“Sorry, Mr. Hummel.” Quinn flushes a little and Kurt tries not to smirk. She fixes his blanket and turns to Kurt. “I’ll give you guys some privacy.”

Kurt watches her leave and he turns back to his dad once he can hear her shoes squeaking against the hallway floor.

“So, how are you? Did you get some sleep? What did your doctor say?” Kurt starts to fiddle with his dad’s pillows but his dad reaches out and bats his hand away.

“Kurt, I’m fine. Now would you stop worrying? Sit down and eat.” His dad raises an eyebrow at him.

“I am sitting down and eating.” Kurt holds his hands out in front of him in surrender and picks up his dinner. He pulls out his cup of soup and blows across the top.

“Soup?”

Kurt shrugs and stirs it a little.

“So, all your high school friends keep stopping by to see me. Were you secretly a popular kid and never told me?”

“What?” Kurt looks up at his dad.

“Well, that Quinn girl was here. God, she’s annoying. I thought nurses were supposed to be nice.” His dad rolls his eyes and Kurt can’t help but smirk. He never really warmed up to Quinn either, after the whole baby debacle. Sure, he liked her about as much as he liked Rachel, but at least Rachel was up-front and honest about her insanity. Quinn was like crazy wrapped in normal girl clothes. He likes his crazy to be up-front.

“Who else?” Kurt carefully rips off a piece of bread and dips it into his soup.

“That goofy football player, Finn, I think? He was here right before you got back.” His dad picks up his cup of Jello and his spoon.

“What? Finn was here?” Kurt almost drops his soup on the floor.

His dad shrugs and shoves a spoonful of Jello in his mouth. “Yeah, that kid with the goofy face? Really tall?” He swallows and shakes his head. “The kid tried to sneak in his mother’s casserole. Like the doctors weren’t gonna notice the smell.”

Kurt opens and closes his mouth a few times. Finn Hudson came to visit his dad in the hospital. And brought him food. Kurt’s about to find some notebooks so he can write “Mrs. Finn Hudson” all over them.

“Wow...”

His dad polishes off the rest of his Jello and throws the empty cup on the tray in front of him. “Yeah, it was pretty funny. Nice kid though. Goofy as hell.”

Kurt nods, dazed. “Yeah, real nice.” He stares down at his soup, his stomach all twisted and funky.

“You okay?”

Kurt gives his dad a shaky smile. “Great Dad, just great.”

He hangs out with his dad for a couple of hours, watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy (which Kurt totally kicks ass at) before he gets kicked out by the night nurses. He contemplates stopping at the liquor store on the way home, because it’s been that kind of day, but he doesn’t want to show up at the hospital tomorrow with a hangover.

He calls his roommates when he gets home, tells them his dad is okay and he’s not sure when he’ll be back. He starts thinking about the long list of things that he’s been avoiding thinking about, his dad’s garage, how long his dad is going to be in the hospital, what he’s gonna do if things go the other way...

Kurt sighs and breaks into his dad’s beer, some cheap, disgusting brew that he wouldn’t be seen drinking out in public. He contemplates taking a long, hot bath, but all his best shower things are back in New York and it’s not worth it. He just chugs the first can to get used to the taste of terrible beer, and he’s halfway through the second when the doorbell rings.

He groans and drops the can on the coffee table. He slips his shoes on and by the time he gets to the front door, his cell phone is ringing. Fearing the worst, he grabs his cell and just as he’s hitting the “talk” button, he opens the door.

“Oh, you’re here.” Finn’s standing on the front stoop and Kurt can hear his voice echoing through the phone. “I wasn’t sure if you were home, so I thought I’d...yeah.” Finn shrugs and his face steadily flushes.

Kurt ends the call and leans against the doorframe. There’s a paper bag at Finn’s feet and he’s got a shy smile on his face. Kurt can’t decide if he wants to kiss him or hug him. Preferably both.

“Did you wanna...” Kurt opens the door a little.

“Dude, yeah, of course.” Finn picks up the paper bag and pushes inside. “It must totally suck being all alone and stuff, so I brought you some booze. And I thought we could, you know, hang out? Catch up?”

Kurt closes the door softly behind him and smiles. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

Finn grins and pulls out a bottle of wine, Kurt’s favorite to be exact. “I think this is what you like, right? I remember the picture on the front, of the water and stuff? And I might’ve, um, called Mercedes, because I wanted to make sure I got the right thing. And my mom made cookies, for dessert, and cookies always make me feel better so I thought they’d make you feel better too...”

“Sweetie, slow down,” Kurt says, laughing a little. “You’re gonna hurt something in a minute.” Kurt takes the bottle of wine from Finn and walks towards the kitchen. “All my good wine glasses are in the city, but I think my dad might still have his old wedding glasses.”

“Your dad bought wedding glasses? He doesn’t seem like the wedding glasses kind of guy!” Finn flops onto a kitchen chair and watches as Kurt opens and closes cabinet doors.

Kurt shakes his head. “They were wedding presents. They were my mom’s favorites...” He almost hates to use them but she wouldn’t want them to sit around being useless. His dad always makes him use them whenever he’s home, so it’s habit to go right for them.

“Oh...”

Kurt turns around, glass in hand. “Anyway, they’re gorgeous. I wasn’t allowed to even open this cabinet until I was 15. My dad was always afraid they were gonna get broken.” Kurt shrugs and opens the silverware drawer to get the wine opener. “Anyway, he always says she’d want them to get used.”

“Need help with that?” Finn holds out his hand.

“Thanks but I’ve been opening up my own wine since I was 16.” Kurt winks as he grabs the wine bottle. “You drinking this, too?”

“If it’s as good as you say it is, sure.” Finn grins and watches as Kurt opens the wine bottle, pulling the cork out like a pro.

“Oh, it’s that good.”

Finn grabs a fresh paper plate and dumps the bag of cookies onto it. Kurt pours two healthy glasses of wine before heading into the living room, Finn right behind him. Kurt collapses on the couch and tries not to spill any on himself. He hands one over to Finn and Finn winks as he clinks his glass against Kurt’s and takes a sip.

The cookies are to fucking die for. They’re soft and chewy and Kurt’s thinking of ways to convince Finn’s mom to adopt him. He hasn’t had cookies this good since that bake sale junior year, when they had to raise money to go to Nationals and Mercedes had learned how to bake. He gained ten pounds alone trying to help her perfect her sugar cookie recipe, Rachel screeching at her in the background (in Rachel’s defense, her “I’m sorry” cookies were tasty and delicious).

“Oh! I totally ran into Rachel in the city a couple times.” Kurt flops his head over to look at Finn.

“No way. Was she still crazy?” Finn stretches his legs and crosses them at the ankles. Kurt would normally yell at him for putting his feet on the coffee table, but this is his dad’s house and he knows his dad does it all the freakin time.

“Oh, she was still crazy. She was the understudy for this woman who Rachel said was even crazier than she is. If you’re crazier than Rachel, then how far off the reservation have you really gone?”

Finn giggles and moves a little closer to Kurt and his hand flops down on the couch between them. Jesus, he smells really, really good.

“Remember when you gave her that makeover. She looked like an old lady trying to be a baby prostitute.” Finn snorts, his fingers brushing Kurt’s thigh. “I shoulda known then that she wasn’t for me.” He sits back a little and looks up at Kurt.

“You date a lot?” Kurt asks softly. It kills him to ask but they’re both buzzed enough to be a little more honest than they might be otherwise.

Finn shrugs. “Little bit. Had kind of a shitty breakup couple weeks ago.” Finn scratches the back of his hand. “I kinda thought that might’ve been it for me. You know?” He looks over at Kurt.

Kurt swallows and looks away. “So, what happened?”

Finn sits up, his hands between his legs and his wine glass dangling from his fingers. “She was way outta my league. I mean, she was funny. And really smart. She went to night school, cause she had to work to help out her mom.” Finn pushes the wine glass onto the coffee table. “Anyway, it just didn’t work out.” He flops back on the couch, glancing over at Kurt.

“I feel you there.” Kurt swallows, Finn’s eyes steady on him. “I’ve been having kind of a dry spell,” he says, shrugging.

Finn snorts. “At least you got outta this shitty town. I’m still living with my mom.” Finn pulls himself off the couch.

“Hey,” Kurt starts, and grabs Finn’s arm. “You know what? You’re not a loser. Maybe you didn’t get out of Lima, but you’re not a loser. You stayed here to help out your mom. You still have time to get out.”

Finn grins, big and bright. Kurt’s stomach is a little fluttery, it’s that big. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. Besides, you went to college too.”

Finn shrugs, but he’s still smiling. “Yeah, but community college. I had to get help like all the time. College was really hard.”

“You did it though. That’s a lot more than other people who live in this miserable town. You’re not a loser, Finn. Trust me.” Kurt squeezes his arm.

“Okay.” Finn grins back and holds up his wine glass. “Want more? You were totally right, this stuff is awesome.”

“Fill ‘er up.” Kurt hands over his glass and watches Finn’s ass as he walks back into the kitchen, twirling a little as he walks over the threshold. He can hear Finn singing softly in the kitchen and this boy is making it impossible for Kurt not to fall in love all over again.

He comes back with two full wine glasses and hands one over to Kurt. His cheeks are red from the booze, his eyes a little bloodshot and Kurt’s never wanted the guy more. He’s a little older and wiser now, but Finn is just still so...

Kurt sighs a little and takes a long drink of his wine. It always makes him a little maudlin.

“What’s it like, living in New York?” Finn turns on his side and looks at Kurt, his legs stretched out over the coffee table again.

“It’s great,” Kurt says, smiling softly. “I have these crazy roommates. And our apartment is a total dump. I got hives the first time I went there, it was so disgusting.” Finn giggles. “But I really like it.”

Finn picks at a thread on his jeans. “I wish I had the balls you did to get outta here. Like, you just went, you know? I wish I had the guts to do that.”

“You can leave anytime you want, you know that, right? You’re not stuck here forever.”

Finn shrugs. He’s quiet for a minute, rubbing his finger along the rim of the glass. “You wanna watch a movie or something?”

Kurt studies him for a minute before jumping off the couch. “Yeah, sure. I think I got Star Wars around somewhere.”

“Really?” Finn grins widely.

“Yeah, Harrison Ford, sweetie, Harrison Ford. I think even my Dad has a dude crush on him.”

&&&

Kurt wakes up the next morning in his old bed, with his old comforter and sheets, still soft and warm. But his mouth is dry and he’s got a stuffy head, a stupid hangover that he wanted to avoid. It’s not terrible though.

He stumbles to the shower and makes sure he follows his beauty regimen, because it’s been two days since he washed his skin properly and his dad might notice. Seriously, it’s how his dad knew the first time Kurt got dumped by a boyfriend, because his skin got all dry and terrible. He has to look at least close to his best or close to normal, or his dad is going to start asking questions and then it’s going to get awkward.

He stops for coffee on his way in and debates getting a donut for his dad. It fits perfectly into his bag so he figures it’s fate. He gets to the hospital as soon as visiting hours start and when Kurt gets to his room-

His dad is arguing with the nurse about his breakfast.

“What the hell is this? It’s cold. And it tastes like ass.” His dad’s holding up a styrofoam cup with a little straw in it. “How the hell do you expect me to drink this?”

“Sir, it’s what every other patient gets.”

“Well, you must want your patients to die of starvation, because you’d have to force them down and shove it down their throat for anyone to drink this voluntarily.” His dad throws the cup onto his tray. “What’s a guy gotta do to get a decent cup of coffee around here?”

“Dad, seriously, calm down. You’re gonna make yourself sick.” Kurt sits down in the chair next to the bed.

“Kurt, c’mon. Would you eat this?”

Kurt looks over at the tray and his stomach turns over. Ugh. He wouldn’t eat that if you paid him. “Well, you should’ve thought about that all those years you stuffed your face with burgers.” Kurt crosses his legs and smiles at the nurse. “He’ll eat, don’t worry.”

She smiles at him and hurries out of the room as fast as possible. His dad gives him the stink eye and Kurt just shrugs and pulls a paper bag out of his bag. “Don’t tell anyone I gave this to you.”

His dad grabs the bag and groans happily. “Oh man, you’re the best son ever.” His dad practically stuffs the whole donut into his mouth. “So good,” he says with a drop of jelly on his lip.

“Don’t make a mess!” Kurt pulls a napkin out of his bag and tucks it into his dad’s hospital robe. “Now, what’d the doctor say? When can you go back to work?”

His dad shrugs and shoves the rest of his donut into his mouth. Kurt narrows his eyes and waits for his dad to finish chewing. He gives his dad a look.

“Dad, c’mon. How long?”

His dad looks down at his tray and picks at his food with the plastic fork. “Said it might be awhile.”

Kurt swallows. He’s been terrified that his dad won’t be able to go back to work, that he’ll be stuck with no one to run the garage and who knows what else.

“How long? Couple of months?”

His dad shrugs again. “Maybe. Look, don’t worry about it, okay? I’ll figure something out.”

Kurt sighs. “Let me help you.”

“Kurt, you’ve got a whole life. You don’t need to worry about me, okay?”

Kurt rolls his eyes and grabs the remote off his dad’s tray. “I’m not dropping this. We’ll see what the doctor says.” He turns the TV off, effectively ending the conversation.

If he has to move back to Lima to help out his dad, he’ll do it. He just needs to get used to the idea.

&&&

Kurt’s dad doesn’t let him hang out at the hospital all day. He kicks Kurt out around lunch time, gives him a list of things Kurt knows he doesn’t really need, and leaves the hospital promising to come back around dinner.

Kurt knows his options aren’t all that great. Either way, his dad has gotta stay off his feet for a few months and someone’s gotta take over the garage until he can handle it again. Kurt’s not gonna let him put himself back in the hospital. At most, he’ll be stuck in Lima for a few months and then he can head back to New York. He doesn’t have a job anymore, but he beat out a ton of lesser beings to get that job and he can do it again.

So he’ll put his life on hold.

Not that he’s happy about it. He’s good and pouty in the middle of his favorite Chinese place, waiting for his takeout to be ready when his phone vibrates. He pulls it out of his bag and smiles when he sees Finn’s goofy face.

“I'm starting to think you like me or something," Kurt smirks, and he can hear Finn laughing on the other end.

"See if I ever buy you booze again." Finn laughs again. "Alright, my mom is insisting you come over for dinner tonight. Unless, you know, your dad is back home. Is he? I'm sorry, I should've asked that first. Dammit."

"Sweetie, calm down. He's still in the hospital for a couple more days." Kurt shakes his head. "I've been going to see him around dinnertime..."

"Well uh..." Finn coughs. "I can go with you, just to go hang out. And then we can go back to my place for dinner? My mom's just worried and stuff."

Kurt crosses his legs and rests his elbow on his knee. He watches a group of high school girls walking from McKinley. "I think we could arrange that. Your mom isn't gonna show up at my dad's place with casseroles and cleaning supplies, is she? She’s not that kind of worried?”

“You never know,” Finn laughs over the phone. “Nah, I think she has enough trouble keeping me clean. Actually, I think you could probably take her in some cleaning competition or something.”

“You wound me.” Kurt giggles and then slaps his forehead. He’s like a teenage girl or something, Christ.

&&&

Kurt’s always liked Finn’s mom. She’s nothing like his own mother was, but she’s funny and tells dirty jokes over the dinner table, and doesn’t even care that Kurt’s queer. All through high school, Kurt knew he could go over to Finn’s and she’d never give him dirty looks like half the town did. She’d just offer him snacks that Kurt never turned down, because even though they were really bad for his skin, she was too nice for Kurt to say no to.

Dinner is the exact same way. Finn’s mom already has dinner ready by the time he and Finn get back from the hospital. She holds back from hugging him and just kind of squeezes his shoulder when he walks in the door.

“Everything okay?”

Kurt shrugs and pulls his jacket off, handing it over to Finn. “My dad’s getting kind of restless. I don’t even want to think about what he’s going to be like for the next two months.” Kurt really doesn’t want to think about the fact that his dad is pretty much going to be unable to do any kind of work in the garage besides yelling at the rest of his staff.

Finn’s mom makes them sit down at the kitchen table and serves them dinner, ignoring Kurt’s insistence that he can serve himself.

“Finn told me you were staying in some tiny apartment in the city. I bet it’s been a long time since you had a decent home cooked meal.”

Kurt laughs as Finn’s mom drops a plate of hot food in front of him. It smells awesome. “Actually, I made Christmas dinner last year, so I guess it has been awhile since I had something good.”

Finn’s mom frowns as she sits down across from him. Finn’s already digging into his food.

“Kurt...”

“Seriously, Mrs. Hudson, it’s fine. My roommates and I cook all the time. And this looks really good.”

“Mom, seriously, let him eat,” Finn says with a mouthful of food.

Finn’s mom makes a face but Kurt asks her about the wedding and she turns back to him.

It’s the most fun Kurt’s had in awhile. Finn’s mom is really amazing and keeps him laughing all through dinner. He gives her some ideas for the wedding and she sort of talks him into helping her out when he’s free. He’s barely put his fork down when she offers him dessert and a fresh drink, but Kurt begs off.

“Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

She gives Kurt a hug before he leaves and Kurt lets himself sink into it. It’s been so long since he’s had a hug like this and he enjoys it, feeling less like a 23 year old with too much responsibility and more like that six year old kid before his mom died.

When he gets home, he sneaks into his dad’s room. His dad’s never really gotten rid of all his mom’s old stuff, even though the drawers haven’t smelled like her perfume in years. But he huddles down next to the dresser anyway, legs pulled up to his chest. He hasn’t felt like this in a long time, missing her so fiercely it hurts. He fumbles with his cell phone, wiping the tears off his face as he makes a phone call.

“Mercedes, hey...”

&&&

His dad gets released from the hospital the next day with strict orders to watch what he eats and to stay off his feet for a few weeks. Finn shows up right as they’re getting ready to go, his dad changing in the bathroom while Kurt impatiently flips through his emails on his phone. Finn looks tired, bags under his eyes and hair flattened against his head, like he rolled out of bed and came right to the hospital.

“What’s up?” Kurt tosses his phone back into his bag, getting up to zip his dad’s duffle.

“I thought you might need help. Though, I think I maybe should’ve called you first.” Finn rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “You’ve probably got it all under control, huh?”

Kurt smirks and tosses his dad’s duffle at Finn. “Nah, I think my dad’s gonna give me shit about this wheelchair thing.”

There’s a soft knock on the door and Quinn pokes her head in.

The silence is a little awkward. Finn and Quinn buried the hatchet years ago, and they even tried dating again right before graduation. From the looks they’re exchanging, it worked out about as well as Finn and Rachel did, which is not at all. Kurt gets a little thrill at the idea that his relationship with Finn is better than ever and these girls never managed to make it work.

And then he feels like a douche, because Rachel is sort of decent and was there for him when he was stuck in the city and didn’t know anyone.

“Kurt, your dad’s getting released today? I thought you might need some help...” Quinn leans awkward against the doorway, fiddling with the hem of her scrub top. She’s wearing blue today and it’s a much better color for her. “But I guess you already have enough help.” She glances at Finn.

“Jesus Christ, where did all these people come from?” His dad comes out of the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt and hospital gown in hand as he walks towards his bed. He gives Quinn the stink eye and tosses the gown onto the bed. “Can we get the hell outta here already? This place is driving me crazy.”

“Dad, calm down.” Kurt checks his watch. “The doctor said he’d be by in a few. Now sit down and stop freaking everyone out.”

His dad scowls but sits in the visitor’s chair, eyeing the bed warily. He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks like a pouting ten year old. Kurt barely resists rolling his eyes before he turns towards Quinn.

“Actually, could you make sure the doctor really is on his way? ‘Cause I think he might start throwing punches if he’s stuck here much longer.”

Quinn smirks and pushes out of the room. Kurt waits until the sound of the squeak of her shoes fades away before he turns to Finn. “So that wasn’t awkward at all.”

Finn snorts and drops down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face. “It was a messy breakup.”

“I think that’s an understatement.”

His dad snorts and Kurt feels like an idiot, gossiping about Finn’s old flames in front of his dad.

“Can you wait to get me home before do your little coffee talk thing like a couple of old ladies?”

“Sorry, Dad.” Kurt flushes and checks his watch again. Thankfully, the doctor chooses that moment to appear, walking through the doorway with his dad’s chart in hand.

“You sure are in a hurry to get out of here, aren’t you, Mr. Hummel?”

“Yeah, well no offense, but the food here is terrible.” His dad rolls his eyes and stands up. “Can I get the hell out of here already?”

“Now, Mr. Hummel, I just want to go over a few things with you. I want you to take it easy for the next couple of months. A heart attack is not something to take lightly, especially at your age. Take some time off of work. It’s too stressful for you right now. I want you to meet with your regular doctor in a week to discuss your diet and what we can do to prevent this from happening again.”

“Yeah, yeah, can I go now?”

“Dad, let the man finish. I’m the one who’s taking the next month off of work to help you out, so stop your bitching and let the man talk.” Kurt turns back to the doctor. “When does he get the okay to go back full time?”

“That’s entirely up to his doctor. Typically, we say it takes two months to recover. Sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less.”

“You know, I’m sitting right here.”

Kurt rolls his eyes. “Oh, we know, trust me.”

“Anyway, if you have any questions, you can direct them to his usual physician.” He holds his hand out for Kurt to shake before nodding at Finn and his dad. “And you can always call the hospital if you need anything else.”

“Alright Dad. You can stop your bitching and complaining.”

His dad pulls himself out of his chair and punches Kurt on the arm as he walks by. “I’m hungry. I want breakfast.”

Kurt rolls his eyes and glances at Finn. “You up for breakfast?”

“I don’t know, your dad seems kinda cranky.” Finn eyes Kurt’s dad warily. His dad is standing in the doorway, arms crossed against his chest.

“Nah, he’ll be fine. And then he’ll remember I’ll be taking over for him at work and he’ll be miserable again.”

&&&

Kurt gets up early the Monday after his dad comes home from the hospital. It’s been an unbearable couple of days. His dad has sat around the house, bitching about his back, about hurting all over, how bored he is, how bland the food is, hasn’t Kurt learned how to cook better food living in the city, blah blah blah. Kurt’s basically going crazy, listening to his dad bitch. He gets that his dad is bored and hates being stuck in the house all day, but it’s not like it’s a cake walk for Kurt either.

He practically grew up in this garage, helping his dad out after school and doing his homework while his dad finished his latest project. He’s still good with cars, managed to fix Finn’s piece of crap car all through high school whenever it would shit the bed and Finn couldn’t afford to pay to fix it. His dad wanted him to take over the garage for years, still does actually, but Kurt would rather do what he loves than be stuck in this town just to keep his dad’s garage.

Kurt’s starting to rethink this decision when he gets into the garage an hour before the rest of the crew and sees what his dad’s office has turned into.

When Kurt used to hang out there after school, his dad’s office was nice and organized. Kurt helped his dad with bookkeeping and kept things nice and neat, making sure his dad was bleeding money because of his terrible accounting skills. His dad was always good with cars, but for a couple of years there, he lost his business partner and had to keep the books himself. Kurt was great with numbers and helped his dad out till he went to college. The garage stinks, and now his office looks like something exploded in it, paperwork, half drunk cups of coffee everywhere.

Kurt doesn’t know what to do first. It’s kind of terrifying.

“Dad, what the hell have you been doing for the last four years?”

Kurt sighs, goes in search of some trash bags, and gets to work.

&&&

“So did you completely fuck up my office?”

His dad drops a plate in front of him. It’s actually a healthy dinner, though he pokes warily at the steak.

“I wasn’t aware it could get more fucked up than it already was. I thought you were going to find me dead under a pile of trash in a week.” Kurt cuts into the steak and frowns. “This steak is a little uh...”

“Shut up and eat it. You need more red meat in your diet. It’s nice and rare, and since I can’t eat it, you’re gonna shut your mouth and eat it instead.” His dad drops into the chair across from Kurt and starts stabbing his salad. His dad is eating a salad. Voluntarily. Kurt’s world is all topsy turvy.

Kurt’s quiet for a few minutes, cutting up his steak and dipping it into sauce. His dad sighs a little as he eats his salad, trying to eat more of the chicken than the actual lettuce. Kurt bites back a smirk.

“So, how’s it been?”

“It’s been worse.” Kurt eats a piece of steak before he continues. “You did good with the finances while I was gone.” Even though it was put in an order that made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever, his dad really did seem to have a bookkeeping system. He didn’t want to fuck with it too much, so he mostly cleaned up the old paperwork and cleaned out his dad’s old filing cabinet.

“Kinda had to learn how to do all that shit.” His dad shrugs and picks at a piece of tomato. “Anyway, it was about time I figure out how to do all that anyway.”

“So, your office is actually clean now.” Kurt pushes away his plate.

“Yeah, yeah, you probably screwed it all up. I won’t be able to find anything anymore.” His dad scowls, but it looks more like he’s trying not to smile than looking pissed off. “So, hey, Finn hasn’t been by in a few days.”

Kurt shrugs and gets up from his seat, looking for his wine. “He does have an actual life, you know.”

“Yeah, I just thought maybe you two...”

Kurt turns around and leans against the cabinet. “Two of us what?”

“I don’t know, maybe you two had a little thing going on.”

Kurt tries to suppress a laugh and fails. “Oh, Dad, no way. He’s totally straight. Always has been, always will.”

“Oh. ‘Cause it kinda seemed like...”

“What? We’re friends. And I think he doesn’t really have that much to do around here.”

“Oh. Well, I guess I was wrong.”

“It’s okay, Dad. You know I can be friends with a boy without dating him, right?” Kurt smirks.

“I know! I’m just gonna shut up now, if you’re gonna keep picking on me.” His dad flushes and gets up from the table. “Clean up dinner, would you?”

Kurt turns towards the cabinet and grabs himself a wine glass. “Yeah, Dad, don’t worry about it.”

Part Two