Blaine was walking down the halls of Dalton after breakfast, on his way to the dorms before class, when he ran into Tom, Kurt's roommate. "Hey, I'm headed that way too. Mind if I walk with you?"

As they walked they chatted politely about their classes, and their weekend plans. Tom asked how Blaine's relationship with Kurt was going. "Great! I mean, slowly but surely, you know how it is, but no complaints here. He's so great. I'm really excited to have dinner with his family next week."

Tom was just about to respond to that when he opened the door to the dorm room, and Kurt was inside, half naked, in only his pants.

"Blaine, get out!" A metal belt buckle thunked to the floor as Kurt's arms flew up to cross in front of his chest. He turned so his back was to the door, but Blaine could still see his face in the vanity mirror, horrified and wide-eyed.

"Kurt, I -" Blaine struggled for what to say, but his voice caught in his throat as he realized what Kurt was covering. His chest was mostly hidden by his arms, but there was no disguising the fact that he had breasts. Actual, female breasts.

"Now!"

Blaine stumbled out into the hallway, and Tom sent him an apologetic frown and a shrug before softly shutting him out. Blaine could hear Tom speaking on the other side of the door. "Kurt, I'm so sorry, I didn't even think. We were walking together and -" Then Kurt's more muffled voice, farther away. He couldn't make out the words.

He walked away when he heard Kurt sob.

Kurt didn't show up to his first period class, and his eyes were red and puffy when he got to second period. He looked otherwise normal though. Male. Blaine tried to imagine what he wore under the layers of his uniform - under the layers of all his outfits - to hide his real shape. He tried to talk to him before third period, but Kurt ignored him and breezed past him as if he was in a hurry. As if they didn't normally hold hands and walk together every chance they got.

Blaine caught up with him at lunch time. "Kurt, can we just talk about it?"

"No." Kurt's chin was held high and his back was straight, but his eyes were scared, looking anywhere but at Blaine.

"C'mon, look at me, would you just -"

Kurt hissed under his breath: "Blaine please just let me get through this day."

Blaine backed up a step and nodded. He couldn't imagine how this tension could be easier to bear than just getting things out in the open, but if that was what Kurt needed... "Can we still go for coffee after school?"

Kurt stared straight ahead, over Blaine's shoulder, off toward the distance. "Yes." He walked away, conversation over, and never met Blaine's eyes.

So Blaine let Kurt keep his distance all day, like they were fighting, then went to the coffee shop alone and ordered for both of them. Kurt arrived shortly after and slid into the seat across from him. He kept his eyes down, toward the table.

Blaine took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He waited for Kurt to start the conversation, but he didn't. Blaine said: "I'm sorry for invading your privacy. I didn't mean to."

Kurt shrugged. "It's... That's not the problem." He sipped his coffee.

"You don't need to feel embarrassed. I don't think less of you or anything."

Kurt shook, once, twice. He sniffed, straightened up, took another sip.

"Can you talk to me?"

Kurt's breath hitched. "I'm trans." His nostrils flared and his chin crinkled in his attempts to keep from crying.

Blaine tried to speak calmly. "You were born female? Physically I mean?"

Kurt nodded.

"So your... I mean. Your body is female, sort of, all over? Below the waist?"

Kurt blinked, and a tear dripped down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry." Blaine reached forward to grasp Kurt's hand. "It's ok, I'm just... really confused right now. I mean, I've seen you use a urinal..."

"I have a packer."

Blaine turned his head, confused. "What -?"

Kurt struggled to breathe normally. "It's like a fake - penis - thing, with a tube..."

"I didn't even know they made those."

Kurt lowered his head and sniffled loudly.

"Are you... how long have you been - I don't know how to put this. How long have you been living as a boy?"

"Three years."

"And, is that how long you've wanted to be one?"

Kurt looked up and met his eyes, finally, but he was glaring. "It doesn't just randomly start one day, Blaine. It's not like wanting to be a singer, or a private school student."

Blaine shook his head and rushed to take back his words. "I didn't mean that."

"This isn't a decision I made. This is who I am."

"I'm sorry! Kurt, I didn't know, I don't know anything about it."

Kurt sputtered and sobbed, and pulled his hand away from Blaine's to cover his mouth.

Blaine shook his head and frowned. "I can't believe how little I know about this. Kurt, I'm so sorry, I really want to be supportive for you, but - God I feel so ignorant. I've been reading about gay history and culture and sexuality since I was twelve. How can I not know anything about what it's like to be trans?"

Kurt suddenly laughed through his tears. At Blaine's confused reaction, he said: "I've been panicking all day thinking you were going to break up with me, and you're worried about being an inadequate boyfriend." He cried and laughed at the same time, sniffling and hiccuping awkwardly.

Blaine smiled. "Kurt, breathe. You're such a worry wart. Always assuming the worst."

Kurt picked up his napkin and wiped his eyes, and sniffled again, still laughing. "So... you're not breaking up with me?"

"Well, not yet anyway. We have that dinner to go to next week."

"Of course. You can't miss that."

"After that though, all bets are off."

Kurt shoved him and stuck out his tongue. "Jerk."

They talked a lot that evening. Blaine asked a lot of questions, and Kurt gradually got less embarrassed. But Kurt was still so scared, and his feelings seemed so fragile. Blaine watched everything he said carefully, to make sure it didn't come across as a rejection of Kurt. He felt like he was walking on eggshells, trying to keep the mood light, trying to keep Kurt from crying again.

After that night, things went back to normal. They held hands, and kissed, and went for coffee, and Blaine didn't bring it up again. But it was all he was thinking about. Kurt has breasts. Kurt has a vulva. One day he's going to want vaginal sex. Maybe fingering. Maybe oral. How do you even do that to a girl? (Not a girl. A person with a vagina.) Will it taste awful? How can he have sex with someone whose body doesn't turn him on? Kurt is so attractive, but that's when he's clothed. Sex has to involve some level of nudity, doesn't it? Will he leave his chest binding on? Will he be offended if Blaine asks him to?

On the night of the dinner, Kurt wasn't there when Blaine arrived. Burt said "He's out picking up a few things with Carole. Should be back soon."

Blaine took a seat on the couch near Burt, and pretended to watch the TV for a moment. Then he said "Mr. Hummel, could I talk to you about something? Something personal?"

"You can if you call me Burt."

"Burt." Blaine nodded. "Ok. Well. Last week I found out about Kurt's - um, I found out that he's trans."

Burt raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"By accident." Blaine blushed. "I walked in on him - changing."

Burt smirked. "That explains a lot about last week."

"The thing is, I can't tell anyone, because it's a secret, so Kurt's the only one I can talk to about it. But I can't talk to Kurt because some of my feelings about it aren't really very nice..."

Burt just looked amused. "Tell me what's on your mind. I'm not gonna tell him what you say."

"Ok." Blaine took a breath. "I'm - really happy with Kurt. There are so many things I like about him that have nothing to do with his - body." He glanced at Burt's face to make sure he wasn't angry or anything. "He has a wonderful personality, we have so many things in common, I think we're really compatible... It's just -" He paused. "I'm really not interested in female bodies. At all."

"It's my understanding you were interested in Rachel once."

"Yes. Well, that was - It's just I had never really kissed anyone before and I was kind of -"

"Drunk?"

"I swear that's not a common thing for me."

"Yeah, it better not be."

Blaine swallowed hard. "Mr. Hummel, I -"

"Relax, I'm just givin' you a hard time."

Blaine laughed nervously. He licked his lips. "Like I was saying, I'm not interested in female bodies, and I wasn't expecting Kurt to have one and, well. What if I just don't like it? Once we get more intimate, I mean, once we're ready for that..."

The look on Burt's face was thoroughly unimpressed, but he didn't interrupt.

"God, I am so sorry to be talking to you about your child in this way, and I don't want to be crude. But I think the physical side of things is really important in a relationship, at least I imagine it would be, and I don't want to rush into things but I can't help thinking maybe we should try things out sooner rather than later -" Blaine turned bright red, realizing what he had just said.

Burt leaned forward, frowning, and was about to say something in response, but Blaine just kept right on going, trying to get it all out.

"Because what if we spend all this time building up this relationship, getting really invested in each other, only to find out it's not going to work out physically. Maybe we should get it over with, so we don't waste each other's time. So we can each spend this time looking for someone who will be more compatible with us in that way -"

"Ok, now you listen here." Burt pointed at Blaine's chest sternly. "Love is never a waste of time. You think if I'da' known Kurt's mom was gonna pass away like she did, that I woulda wanted to just never have known her at all? I wouldn't give up the time I had with her for anything. Not for a million bucks. Sure, I wish things coulda gone different, at the end, but what we had made my life better, not just while she was here, but after that too. And not just because of having Kurt. In lots of little ways. The way she saw the world. The things she taught me."

Blaine listened intently, and watched the way Burt's eyes softened as he spoke. Blaine started to smile.

"Listen, if you wanna break up with Kurt, that's your business, but I know you're good for each other, and you make each other's lives better, so don't you dare rush into anything with him. You take it at the pace it wants to go. Whatever feels right. You work on getting to know him first. And then, when things get serious, then you'll figure out that other stuff. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. If it takes a year, two years before that happens, so be it. But either way, it won't be a waste of time. You hear me?"

Blaine nodded, smiling broadly. "Yes. That's - Yes, I completely understand."

"Now, as far as whether you're gonna like it, I can't tell you too much about that. But do you think Carole's with me 'cause of the way I look? When she first met me, do you think she thought I was the best lookin' guy in the world? Hell, I wasn't even the best lookin' guy in the room. But that's not what it's about. I know she wishes I had less of a belly. More hair on my head and less on my back. But there are way more important things in this world than whether your fantasies match up with the person you're with. You can make each other feel good, whether you really like each other's looks or not. I know Kurt having the wrong - parts, goes a bit above and beyond that, but the principal's the same. If you love somebody, there's no telling how well things can go for you. If you just give it a shot." Burt slapped a hand on Blaine's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Respect Kurt enough to give him that shot, alright?"

Blaine nodded again. "I will. I think I will. Thank you Mr. Hummel."

"Burt."

"Burt. Thank you so much for this. For listening to me. I really appreciate your advice. Kurt is so lucky to have a father as smart and as caring and as... compassionate as you."

"Don't try to kiss my ass, kid. I won't fall for it."

"All the same. Thank you."

Burt smiled. "He named himself after me, you know."

Blaine's eyes widened in surprise. "He did?"

"Well. He thought my name was kind of hokey and old-fashioned, so he changed it a bit, but..."

Just then, Carole walked through the front door, carrying a grocery bag, Kurt following close behind. Burt started to stand but Carole stopped him as she breezed through. "Don't get up! Kurt and I have it all under control. You stay out of the kitchen, mister."

Kurt stopped and smiled when he saw Blaine. "You're early!"

Blaine walked over and pressed his lips to Kurt's, taking his hand and swinging it.

"Is everything ok?" Kurt smiled and tilted his head.

"Yeah." Blaine grinned and kissed him again. "I really think it is."