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After Burt announced that they were going to go get hoagies, Finn was ecstatic. What kid wouldn't be? Burt was, well, awesome. Now Finn wasn't ready to call him step-dad yet but...he was a really great father. Amazing even. Surprisingly gruff given how Kurt acted (how someone so, well, dirty could produce Kurt was quite the wonder of the universe), but that was ok. Finn had never felt so comfortable with a fatherly figure before. Sure if he was going off the list of men he looked up to he could probably count Mr. Shue above Burt but they were in two very different spheres. Mr. Shue was the artsy type and while Finn loved that he also liked to get down and dirty. Play the sports games. That was where Burt got him.
Man, the previous afternoon in the carshop had been more than Finn could have ever dreamed. He knew that guys were supposed to be good with cars. Hell Kurt was good with cars. And he wasn't. So when he'd talked about that Burt had offered to show him the insides of a very nice sports car he was patching up.
Apparently he was supposed to be working on it with Kurt though. Finn remembered catching sight of his friend when he stepped into the shop, then Kurt was soon gone. Off in that beautiful car of his...apparently to pick up Brittany for a date. At least that was what he'd seen on Facebook. From Brittany. They'd gone to Breadstix.
So that hadn't bothered Finn. At least not then. But he had had one of those 'epiphanies' as he was getting his things out of his locker and he happened to catch sight of Kurt watching his father walk away. Finn wasn't the smartest person in the world, but he wasn't stupid either. He'd seen Kurt cry before. It wasn't something his friend did in public but they'd been talking about their dead parents while Kurt was helping him clean his garage and, well, that look on Kurt's face was perhaps more painful than recounting his mother's last days and how he suspected she knew and was ok with his sexuality but how he would give anything to hear her tell him that she was proud of him.
Also how much it meant to hear those words from his dad.
Who wouldn't, after all? When Burt complimented him it was like he'd finally gotten the approval he'd always needed in his life and Burt wasn't even his father. He was Kurt's. And he was spending time...with Finn. Finn knew it was hurting Kurt to see his dad click so well with a kid that wasn't him. He just hadn't expected it to break his friend. Even if he was a bit creeped out by Kurt's unabashed advances he still cared for the guy. They had a lot in common and to be honest Kurt was just as awesome as his dad was. Yet there was the proof marching itself down the hallway. Burt Hummel heading one way to get the car started and Kurt heading the other looking like his entire world was over.
When Finn saw Kurt pulling one of those silky fashion scarves out of his locker he knew that Kurt would survive this. But...that still didn't make things ok.
After he'd gotten over the shock of the boots Kurt pulled out of his locker (they were so big where did he even keep his books with boots that big in there?!) he hurried out to the car. Where Kurt should be. It wasn't fair, really. If he had his own dad, that he'd grown up with, and that dad liked some other kid more then he liked him? Well Finn knew that wasn't true, and he was pretty sure Kurt knew it too. Burt loved his son. Yet he was pretty sure they didn't talk or hang out the way he hung out with Burt. Since, well, Kurt didn't like sports. Among other things.
"Better get in before the other guys eat all the food," Burt laughed as he approached the driver's side.
"Actually, I uhm, I can't."
"...Why not?"
"Uhmmmm...Mom. She uh, made a casserole..."
"Your mom is working late tonight." Finn started to try and roll further with his lie but the look in Burt's eyes told him he didn't stand a chance. Burt wasn't the guys on the football team. Some teenage kid didn't stand a chance at lying to him.
"Oh."
"You ok?" Underneath that knowing adult-y gaze Finn felt his eyes dropping to his shoes. This definitely wasn't like with Mr. Shue. Mr. Shue was more like that cool older brother, he decided. Burt was most definitely a seasoned father used to calling people out on their bs. And not the least bit scared to do it either. Actually, Finn was kind of sure that this was probably where Kurt got his sass from. Not in the same form but there was definitely a resemblance. Kurt didn't take anyone's crap either.
"Yeah, I am...Better than I've ever been, actually. But...there's someone that I care about who's not doing so well. See, he's been having a hard time lately. I mean he always has a hard time but he's always been able to get through it because he's a lot tougher than he looks but I think...I think he's reaching his breaking point. I mean, this week he completely changed his style and started wearing overalls to school." He heard the car shut off and stepped back. "E-e-everyone's pretty weirded out, it's really not like him you know."
"Why is he at his breaking point?"
"Because...and uh, this has to stay between us because he told me this in the strictest confidence."
"I won't tell him if you won't." The teen's eyes rose up. Burt looked ready to fight someone. Bullies, probably. That made sense. That he'd think Kurt was being bullied. But Kurt was always being bullied. He was very good at turning the other cheek and just moving on with his life. It took something very, very big to break him.
"Someone he loves very, very much has been, uhm...well, not paying him much attention."
"...Really?" The man shifted his weight as he realized what Finn was poking at. "They've talked about this."
"Yeah well, maybe they should think about it from his perspective. Like I did. Burt, I...I love spending time with you. I've never ever had someone so, well, so much like a dad in my life. But...if you could hear how he talks about you. You really matter to him. Like...I think the most important thing anyone has ever said to him was you telling him you're proud. He told me that."
God Burt was wiping tears from his eyes. Finn took another step back. He'd kind of thought that Kurt cried so easily because he was, well, kinda girly. But there was his father wiping away some tears.
"He told you that?"
"Yeah. And...when I saw him in there just now. I thought for a minute how I'd feel if I'd grown up with my dad and then suddenly he found some other kid who was just perfect. You know, the kind of kid that did everything he wanted to do. Like...what if...What if he was more like Kurt, you know? And liked to dress up, go to musicals and festivals, and...and we got along but we didn't really spend a lot of time together, and that was normal for me. Like I thought that was just how things were, and what he wanted. Until he found this kid who did all the things he liked to do who needed a father figure. But...I need my father too. And he's here but he's not really here. Am I making any sense?"
"Actually, you're making perfect sense." There was another tear. At least Burt wasn't really crying. Just a couple tears. No big deal. Well it was a huge deal to see someone so manly shedding any tears. This was just something he could handle. "Sorry we're not getting hoagies."
"That's alright. I think I should go bake my mom a cake or something anyway. There's probably some holiday about how awesome moms are that needs celebrated today." With a laugh the man pulled some money out of his pocket.
"Why don't you just buy her dinner instead? I don't want you to burn the house down and I have on good authority that you can't cook."
"Ok that one time with Kurt doesn't count-"
"I was talking about your mom. You tried to cook with Kurt?"
"Er...uhm he was making dinner and I came over early and tried to help."
"That makes sense."
"He's really good at cooking."
"He really is. I'd have gone hungry if he didn't have his mom's knack for it. And the patience to play with recipes until they're perfect. Seriously that kid will take an already good recipe and tweak it and you'd swear you're in a five star restaurant." Burt let his hand come down gently on Burt's shoulder. "Tell Carole I'm sorry but I'm probably not going to be coming over tonight. Last minute thing with Kurt you know."
"I know. And uhm, really, please don't tell Kurt I talked to you. He'd probably get upset. He's really secretive and doesn't like to share deep personal stuff so this is probably a violation of his trust."
"I'll tell him I called it off how's that?"
"Perfect."
"Maybe we can all go to that car show Saturday, hm? He likes cars too. Even if he mostly sees them as a fashion accessory."
"Sounds great."
"Is he still inside?"
"I think he headed towards the auditorium."
"Thanks kid." With one more pat, Burt sauntered off.