For Charlie, my handsome prince.

Dora Chang was always a little worried about her son.

Michael was a quiet boy, just like his father. Dora figured it was his Asian roots coming out—men were supposed to be strong and silent. It didn't keep her from worrying, though, when Michael would come home from school and she would ask how his day was.

"Fine."

Sometimes it was said in a depressed, dejected tone, sometimes joyous, and sometimes indifferent. She had to learn when "fine" meant "bad", so she could make him his favorite cookies and take them to him to make him feel a little better. She had to learn when "fine" meant "good", so she could give him a celebratory hug. This wasn't normal.

She was overwhelmed with excitement when he came home from his first day of sixth grade. He walked in, and she asked him the same question she had asked him the last 1,170 days of school.

"How was your day, honey?"

She waited for the standard, "Fine." However, what she heard was:

"Mom! It was the best day ever! There's a new kid who moved here from New York named Matt Rutherford! He's super cool and he knows how to break dance and we have all the same classes and so he sat with me at lunch and we have so much and common and we're going to be best friends! Can Matt spend the night this weekend, mom? Please? He's my best friend! Can he? Please mom?"

Dora had to sit down to register his words in her mind. She was sure in her twelve years as his mother, she had never heard him say so much at once. In fact, taking away all of the times she had heard the word "fine" come out of his mouth, she could say with come confidence (and a little shame) that it was more than all he had said to her in his life put together. He was still hopping up and down, his black hair flopping around on his head, his brown eyes widened in excitement. "Of course, sweetheart!" She said, hugging her son before he ran to his room.

"He has a new friend, Eric!" She told him excitedly when he came home.

Eric smiled. "That's good. A boy needs friends."

Leave it to her husband to be calm about something so amazing. Her boy was finally going to be normal! She could not recall Michael having a single friend before now. She smiled at the thought of having a fellow parent to chat with. She called Mrs. Rutherford on the phone.

"Hello, Mrs. Rutherford? Hi! This is Dora Ch—"

"Is this Mrs. Chang? Matt has been talking about your son all afternoon!"

"Oh, Michael has been the same way with your son! Would Matt like to come spend the night on Friday?"

"Oh, he'd be thrilled!"

Their conversation ended up lasting for two hours. As it turned out, Matt had been the same way as Michael, or "Mike", as he had apparently taken to being called. The two mothers became fast friends as well, bonding over being the "outcast" parents—and the hope their friendship gave them for the future.

Matt and Mike got off of the bus together on Friday afternoon. Dora paced in anticipation, ready to meet a new Michael—Mike, she reminded herself. She was ready to meet her "new" son; the son who became chatty and happy around his new friend. She imagined a time when she would actually have to TELL him to be quiet, rather than asking question after question only to receive a grunt or one word as an answer.

Matt Rutherford was an adorable boy, tall and handsome with a winning smile. She liked him as soon as she saw him.

"Hi, Matt! I'm Mrs. Chang, Mike's mother. Nice to meet you!"

He shook her hand and smiled, but didn't say a word. Mike put his arm around Matt and beamed at his mother as though he were showing her a new puppy.

"I made cookies! They're in the kitchen."

Matt and Mike dropped all of their things in the living room and ran to the kitchen. Dora hastily picked up their jackets and backpacks and put them in the hall closet, hoping to find her son and his new friend deep in conversation. She crept to the kitchen, for fear they would hear her and be silent.

She didn't need to be afraid. There was already complete silence in the kitchen. She finally walked in.

Mike and Matt were sitting next to each other at the kitchen table, a cookie in one hand, holding hands with the other. They smiled goofily at each other. Dora's heart sank.

The next morning, after waiting the entire night, hoping to break up a fight or have to tell the boys to quiet down and go to sleep, her ears perked up as she heard giggling coming from Mike's room. She burst into the room, ready to come at Mike with motherly orders.

They were standing face to face, their pajamas around their ankles, giggling. Dora halfheartedly ordered them back to bed, and cursed herself for hoping so hard for them to get out of hand.

…

Mike Chang was in love with Matt Rutherford. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Ever since they met in sixth grade, they had been inseparable. He never had to tell Matt that he loved him; one day their hand-holding meant they were best friends, and then somewhere along the line, it meant they were claiming each other as their own. Whispers during sleepovers became soft kisses in the night. Matt loved Mike the very same way back. They never felt a need to make it official. As much as they knew, they also knew their mothers knew.

Their mothers were best friends. When Mike's mother took him to Matt's house, their mothers always ended up sitting and talking for a few hours while the boys went to play in Matt's room. One day, they heard their mothers talking.

"I found this book."

"Oh, Mary…"

"It's called 'Gay Sons: A Mother's Story'. I just finished reading it."

Matt and Mike exchanged a look of surprise in the stairwell.

"Did it help?"

"It made me feel a lot better about the situation. You know I love Mike like he was one of my own."

"And having Matt around is like having two Mikes. I love him dearly."

"So there are no hard feelings here. Our sons are in love with each other."

Dora sighed. "I know. I'm just trying to cope right now…no grandchildren. No big beautiful white wedding…"

"Hey," Mary interrupted. "They can get married in a lot of places. And homosexuals can adopt children."

"I know. But it's not the same."

"I know, Dora. But what can we do besides love our boys?"

Matt took the initiative and finally came downstairs to complete their mission: food. Both mothers wiped their eyes quickly and cleared their throats. Mike was nervous about their mothers knowing, but Matt reassured him.

"This way, we don't have to tell them." Mike was comforted by this.

…

Years passed. Both boys joined the football team, then the Glee club. They both danced and sang and tackled people with brute force. Mike and Matt were on top; unstoppable. Big men on Campus by day, lovers by night.

When Veteran's Day rolled around, Mike's family did what they did every year: put flowers on Mike's grandfather's grave. It was one of the few family events that Matt didn't attend—graveyards creeped him out. Mike wore his nicest jeans with a blue sweater that was perhaps a size too tight from the year before. He paid his respects quietly as he did every year and then made his way to the car, where he would wait for half an hour for his father to finish talking to his grandfather. When he was little, they were there and done in 10 minutes, but since Mike had become pretty obviously gay, his dad tended to have long conversations with his grandfather's tombstone. Mike tried not to let it bother him too much. Halfway to the car, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

A thin, petite boy sat on the ground in front of a tombstone about fifty yards away. Mike immediately recognized him as Kurt Hummel, his classmate and kind-of-friend. He didn't know what made him go to Kurt in that moment, but he did.

He stopped just feet behind Kurt.

Denise Hummel

July 5, 1972-November 11, 2002

Beloved wife, mother, and friend.

Mike didn't know what to say, which was his normal predicament. Kurt was crying. All Mike could think to do was sit next to Kurt and wrap his arms around him and hope he knew that he was there for him, so he did.

Kurt was startled at first. "Mike…what are you doing here?" Mike gestured to the large number of Asians gathered at his grandfather's grave at the other end of the graveyard. "Oh." Mike's arm was warm and strong around Kurt's shoulders, and soon Kurt found himself burying his face in Mike's neck, sobbing.

"Shhh." Mike stroked Kurt's hair. "S'okay."

Kurt looked up. "I don't think you've ever said a word in front of me before."

Mike shrugged. "Didn't have a word to say." They smiled at each other, and Mike's heart felt warm and happy. When he noticed that the Asian herd had begun to migrate toward the car, he stood. Kurt stood with him.

They stood there in awkward silence-land. Finally, Kurt said, "I know it was hard for you to come over and do something. I know how shy you are." He stood on his tiptoes and gently pressed his lips to Mike's. "Thanks."

Mike nodded soundlessly and walked away in a daze. It was only when he had gotten home and laid on his bed that he reflexively reached for his phone to text Matt and remembered. Oh shit. Matt.

…

Matt was surprised when he realized Mike wasn't at school the next day. He texted, but there was no answer. Matt worried the entire day and even considered skipping Glee to check on Mike, but ultimately, he decided he was just being stupid. He went to Glee, ready to remember every word so that he could tell Mike later.

"Movies and musicals puts a visual to our favorite songs," Mr. Schue began.

"I thought that's what music videos were for…"

"Thanks for making my entire speech invalid, Mercedes." Schue rolled his eyes. "Pair up, everyone! Assignment for the week is to do a song from a movie or musical. Best routine goes to regionals."

Matt raised his hand. "Mike isn't here." He said pitifully.

"Matt, work with…Kurt. Mercedes, Quinn, and Puck, work as a group of three."

Kurt smiled at Matt briefly, obviously not very excited but willing to take the challenge.

"So," Kurt scooted his chair next to Matt. "any ideas?" Matt shook his head. Kurt sighed. "Alright…have you seen Dirty Dancing?"

Matt shook his head again. "Okay, well there's a good song-and-dance scene at the end…we would BOTH probably have to be recast for regionals, but it's a real showstopper. We should definitely get the idea in Mr. Schuester's head, and you're a fast learner when it comes to dancing, right?"

Matt nodded, smiling. Kurt couldn't help but smile back. He was adorable. They went straight to the auditorium to work on the dance. After about half an hour, Kurt had taught Matt about half of the dance, and they decided to take a break.

"I have a question." Kurt said, opening a bottle of water and handing it to Matt. Matt looked up expectantly.

"Is Mike gay?"

Matt choked on his water. He considered for a moment; nobody had ever flat-out asked. When he and Mike did discuss it, Mike always insisted he wasn't gay, he just liked Matt—no other guys. So he shook his head "no".

"Oh…for some reason, I thought he was."

"I am." Matt had absolutely no idea why he said that, since he felt the same way Mike did.

"Oh." Kurt looked very surprised. "How long have you known?"

Matt shrugged. Kurt realized how uncomfortable he was with the topic, so he decided to lay off. "Let's finish this dance, you were really getting it."

Another hour flew by, and they nearly had the entire dance down except for the lift.

"Okay, so this is the hardest part. I'm going to run to you and you lift me over your head, okay?"

Matt nodded and prepared himself. They tried it several times and couldn't ever follow through with it. Either Matt was unprepared or Kurt's form was off every single time. Kurt was becoming frustrated.

"Okay, one more time, and if we don't get it, screw it. We'll just finish without it."

Matt was determined to get it right. There was yet to be a dance move he couldn't master, and he wasn't going to let this dance ruin his perfect record. Kurt went to the opposite side of the stage and looked at Matt. Their eyes locked and there was some other-worldly level of understanding that flowed between them. Kurt ran to Matt, and Matt lifted Kurt high into the air. He looked up at Kurt's perfect frame, suspended in the air flawlessly.

Matt thought he felt his heart stop.

He lowered Kurt onto the ground, their bodies pressed together in their dancing position. Kurt's fingers wrapped around Matt's neck, and before either of them could have a coherent thought, Kurt was kissing Matt. It wasn't much, and only lasted about a second, but when Kurt nervously murmured, "I need to go," and scurried off, Matt felt like he was floating on air.

Buzzzz. Matt checked his phone.

Mike 4:30

Hey…come to my house ASAP.

Matt's eyes widened in fear. Oh my God. Mike.

…

When Matt got to Mike's house, he greeted Dora with a smile and went straight to Mike's room. Mike was sitting on his bed, his eyes swollen from crying. Matt took a seat across from Mike on the bed, and they looked at each other. This room was where they shared their first kiss, their first sexual experiences, and their first deep conversations. So many memories lingered between them, and Matt found it increasingly hard to breathe.

"I missed you at school today."

"I know…I needed to think."

They stared at each other. Mike held Matt's hands. The longer they looked at each other, the less sad they felt. Mike's melancholia suddenly transformed into a smile. Then, he began to laugh. Matt was baffled.

"You kissed him too!"

"Kurt?"

"Yes!"

"You kissed Kurt?"

"Yesterday at the graveyard!"

"Today during Glee rehearsal!"

"I felt so guilty!"

"So did I!"

"I love you."

It was the first time they had said it out loud in the four years they had been together.

"I love you too."

Mike leaned forward and kissed his boyfriend. As he held Matt's face in his hands, he knew they were perfect, but there was a special ingredient missing. Matt nodded in agreement, even though Mike hadn't said a word.

…

Kurt sat on the bleachers during lunch time and unloaded his lunch bag next to him. Mercedes had a club meeting during lunch on Tuesdays, so Kurt usually sat alone on the bleachers, enjoying the beautiful slue sky and the fresh air while simultaneously daring the birds to take a shit on his jacket. They never did. He felt his silent threats were the reason.

It took about four seconds for him to realize he wasn't alone.

Matt and Mike came and sat on either side of him. Kurt nearly broke his neck, rapidly looking back and forth between them in some mix of fear and confusion. "Um…is there something wrong?"

"You kissed me." Mike stated, neither angry nor accusing.

"And me." Matt replied in the same way.

Kurt wrinkled his forehead, deep in thought. "Yes…I did."

"We liked it." Mike sat on the lower bleacher in front of Kurt, and Matt followed suit.

"Excuse me?"

Matt and Mike held hands. Kurt looked horrified. "You two are together?" Matt nodded. "Oh, my God…I am so sorry…"

"Don't be." Mike said, reaching for Kurt's hand with his free hand. Again, Matt did the same.

"What…what does this mean?"

"Do you like us?" Matt asked.

"Yes, I like you both very much. I'm still confused."

Mike cleared his throat, trying to remember what he was supposed to say. "Matt and I have been together for four years. We love each other very much, but there has always been…too much silence, between us. We can practically read each other's minds, but sometimes the silence is too much."

"Yeah…and then we met you. We've both kind of…" Matt stopped to remember how to word it. "…have been crushing on you for a while now. You sang and danced, you're funny and nice, you know when to push us and when to back off, and then you kissed us."

"And it was like we found the missing piece."

Kurt's mouth hung open. Matt and Mike both shifted nervously, waiting for his response.

"Let's go to my house."

The three of them stood and walked to Kurt's car. When they finally arrived at the Hummel house and went down to Kurt's room, Matt and Mike sat on his couch while Kurt paced.

"So…you both want to date me? At the same time?"

Mike simply looked Kurt in the eye. He tried to send the right message with his eyes.

"You want us to all date each other? Like polygamy, but not weird?"

Mike nodded happily. Matt's smile threatened to eclipse his entire face. Kurt pulled Matt up from the couch and began to kiss him. Slowly at first, but gradually, their kisses became hungry and needy, and before Kurt knew it, Mike was behind him, kissing his neck. Or maybe Mike had been there the entire time. Kurt couldn't remember.

The three of them began pulling at each other's clothes, and they tumbled onto Kurt's bed in a heap. It was all very confusing at first, and at times, awkward, but soon they got into a groove of sorts, and they we were all working together. Kurt found himself sandwiched in between two of the school's most handsome men, and Matt and Mike had found their missing piece. It was heaven. Hours later, the three of them snuggled close together in Kurt's bed, and they knew that finally, everything was right.

They walked the hallways, hand in hand in hand. When people asked them what was going on, Kurt would reply, "I'm their boyfriend," and nothing more. Mike and Matt would smile at him and look pointedly at whomever asked, daring them to ask anything else. When Matt and Mike sat their mothers down and told them that they were with Kurt now, they were speechless. Dora cried. Mary went to look up books that would help with the subject.

By the time it was time for the boys to go off to college, all the families had come to terms with it. Burt Hummel joined Dora and Mary in their weekly chats. They planned the wedding together and talked about names for future grandchildren.

As always, Matt and Mike would silently roll their eyes, Kurt would make a snarky comment, and the three would walk away, knowing nobody else understood, but they had each other, and nothing else mattered.