Sam.

When Kurt had first shown interest in Sam, it was the first crush he had had since his interest in Finn. Finn had expected to find out that Kurt's moving on as a relief, as refreshing. He was wrong.

To watch his new stepbrother making googly-heart eyes at his new rival, not to mention someone who looked like they had just stepped out of an Abercrombie and Fitch ad, it left Finn with a strange hollow feeling in his chest. And not in a good way.

So when he sees Sam and Kurt walking back in from the field one afternoon, Sam glistening with sweat and grinning in the sunlight, Kurt blushing as he moves his hair out of his face and adjusting his Cheerio uniform, Finn realizes that this can't keep going on anymore. It's his job to protect his family, right? He can't watch Kurt get hurt by Sam, because it's clear that Sam is way out of his league, and Kurt getting rejected would obviously crush him. It's Finn's duty as his stepbrother to make sure that doesn't happen. Right?

Before he leaves the locker room, freshly showered and feeling a bit uneasy in his own skin, he walks up to Sam, who's packing up his backpack. Placing a hand on the locker door, he bluntly says "Kurt is gay." It's totally uncalled for and he's feels horrible as soon as he says it. But if it's what Sam needs to hear to keep the two of them apart? So be it.

Sam looks up at him, a strange look on his face. Slowly, a smile creeps up, tugging at his pouty lips. "Uh, okay? Hate to break it to you, Finn, but I kind of already knew that... I'm not the typical dumb blonde."

"But..." Finn splutters.

"'But I'm not?' Is that what you're trying to get at? Finn, dude, I'm from California. Peace and love is what's going on out there. No one cares what you're having sex with. So unless you have issues with me liking guys and girls, I don't see what the problem is..." Finn can tell that Sam's starting to get angry, and the last thing he wants to come across as is a homophobic dick, because it would get back to Kurt. And that's the last thing he it. Sam's staring at him, his lips pursed and an angry look on his face.

"...No, not - not at all. I was just -" He takes a deep breath, not fully understanding the magnitude of what he's about to do. "I just wanted to warn you. About Kurt. He's really into… into, uh, whips and chains. Yeah. That kind of freaky stuff. I thought I should tell you, because that stuff, it could, like, really ruin a complexion? And don't you, like, pride yourself on that?"

It's a horrible excuse - never mind that, it's a flat out lie - but as Finn's watches Sam stop and blink, frowning before he walks over the row of lockers, looking at himself in the mirrors, Finn almost laughs because he can't believe that the other boy is believing it.

Sam looks back at him, his expression complete different - one of sadness. He sighs, slamming his locker and throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "Thanks, I guess," he mutters, walking out.

As Finn hears the door slam, he tells himself that it was for the best. He needed to protect Kurt.

Karofsky.

Dealing with Dave Karofsky was a little bit different than Sam. After the issues that had been between Kurt and Karofsky, Finn had figured that nothing would have blossomed between the two of them.

Of course, he was wrong. Because it seemed that his stepbrother was a sucker for any guy who paid attention to him. And when Karofsky came out, going through some sort of behavioral reform, it was like they were meant to be; Karofsky had always been in love with Kurt, and Kurt had always wanted love.

At least, not if Finn could help it.

Watching the two of them walking down the hall one afternoon, he finds himself gagging. It's too much like an episode of a cheesy teen romance. He finds himself wondering where Kurt's common sense went, because it was only months ago that Kurt was terrified of Dave, cowering from him in fear and running away to Dalton Academy.

But when Kurt heard that Dave was no longer a menace to McKinley with The Fury, he'd come running right back. As if he'd been waiting for this to happen all along.

Finn grits his teeth, that same hollow sensation returning to his chest as he'd felt with Sam. Bullies don't change for the better, they just don't. And Finn can't let Kurt be hurt again. Watching him break down and crumble the weeks before their parents' wedding almost broke Finn, and he'd done nothing to stop it. This time, it wasn't going to be that way.

When he sees Karofsky walk Kurt to his car, watches the smaller boy drive away, he takes that as his cue. He approaches Karofsky, a slightly nauseous feeling washing over him. "Karofsky," he calls out, jogging to catch up with the other boy.

Dave spins around. "What do you want, Hudson?"

Suddenly feeling a bit of deja vu, he sighs. "I just wanted to give you a heads up. About. About Kurt," he says, motioning to the now empty parking space in front of them. Karofsky raises an eyebrow in confusion, his mouth opening a bit but he doesn't say anything.

Seeing that Karofsky is looking expectantly at him, Finn realizes that he hasn't said anything. "Oh. Oh yeah. He, uh. He hates football. Despises it, actually. He wanted to make me quit it because he hates it so much, but I had to tell him no. You know, put my foot down..." Finn responds, laughing weakly.

Karofsky makes a face. "He played on the football team, though. He won a big game for us. Why would he hate it?"

Finn stops, forgetting that little detail. "Well. He..." He needed to think of something that would hit deep. Hit hard where it would hurt Karofsky and drive him away from Kurt for good. Where he could hurt Kurt.

"He associates it with all the bullying he had to put up with over the years..."

After that, Karofsky stops, his face wide open. His lips move silently as his eyes focus on the ground. As he drives away minutes later, leaving Finn standing all alone in the parking lot, Finn tells himself, just for Kurt. Just to protect Kurt.

Blaine.

Finn doesn't realize what he's saying until it's spilling from his lips. "Kurt... he's - he's actually asexual. He's confused about his sexual orientation. He thinks he's interested in guys...but he's not. He's just wants to be accepted, and he thinks the only way is to pretend he's gay."

At first, Blaine laughs, almost spitting his coffee out. However, when he realizes that Finn is actually being serious, he freezes, wiping his mouth and straightening up, his eyes darkening. "Oh. What?"

Finn realized that Blaine was going to be the hardest to take care of because Kurt really liked Blaine and Blaine felt the same way about him. And it really didn't help Finn that Blaine was a good guy. He was nice, smart, he cared about Kurt's well-being, and everyone talked about what a cute couple they would be together. For a while, Finn believes it as well too. But soon, after he sees that the two are quickly becoming close - too close - that hollow feeling is back, and Finn can only take it as a premonition that Blaine is going to end up hurting Kurt. He's had that two times before with guys who have hurt - well, had the potential - to hurt Kurt, and he stopped them. At this point, it's up to him to do the same as well.

Protecting Kurt, he tells himself, as he prepares himself to break this news to Blaine. Protecting Kurt because he can't do it himself. At this point, though, Blaine's watching him carefully, his eyes searching for something that Finn can't give him.

"Finn. I really don't think that's true. Kurt, he would've told me something like that. So unless he's been lying to me this entire time or you're the one lying…" Blaine retort, raising an eyebrow, a small smile pulling at his lips, and for a moment Finn's wonders if he's been found out. He wonders what Kurt is going to say to him; if he'll even give him a chance to explain.

Diverting his eyes, Finn sighs. "I'm just trying to protect him, Blaine. I know him better than you do, if you're willing to accept that. He's my brother, and I care so much about him and just want him to be happy. If – if he gets hurt because of you, I'll feel horrible. So I'm just trying to prevent that…" Finn admitted. When he looked up, the expression on Blaine's face was one he'd never encountered before. Like Blaine understood. Which wasn't supposed to happen; Blaine was supposed to be upset and frustrated and storm out at the loss of Kurt. Instead, he was smiling softly, sighing.

"Preventing it by telling you he's asexual. And will never be interested in you."

Blaine nodded silently, getting up from the table without a word. He placed a hand on Finn's shoulder before leaving. As he heard the bell of the coffee shop door ding, he still felt the touch on his arm, and couldn't understand what Blaine had meant by it.

Because he was just protecting Kurt… right?

Oh fuck. Since when was that a question?

Puck.

Finn should've realized that with him pretty much cock-blocking Kurt at every chance he could, Kurt was going to find another outlet. It was inevitable. However, what Finn wasn't expecting was that the outlet would be so close to home.

As in Noah Puckerman. Because when you walk in on your best friend making out with your step-brother on top of the laundry machine in your house, that's pretty much as close to home as it can get. With a jump, Puck and Kurt had separated, Kurt gasping and running a hand through his hair. Puck dropped his eyes, licking his cherry swollen lips. Finn stared for a second, before stepping back out and slamming the door behind him.

Leaning against the door, Finn closed his eyes. How the fuck was he going to get Puck away from Kurt when he had managed to slip in, already under his nose? And it's not like any of the stuff that he had used on Sam, Karofsky, or Blaine would work on Puck either...

If he told Puck about Kurt being into whips, it would probably just excite him.

Telling him the Kurt hated football wouldn't do anything either, because he'd know Finn was lying. He'd also most likely quit football, seeing how he did so for Rachel.

And clearly he didn't think Kurt was asexual, because unless he was just giving Kurt CPR on the top of washing machine for fun…

Finn groaned loudly. All he had wanted was to protect his brother; protect from all the people who could hurt, who could take him away from Finn…

Finn's eyes shot open.

Oh. Well. That's new.

All of this work, to come up with htat conclusion. A conclusion that he probably could of come up with months ago. And saved himself a lot of trouble. And some other guys a lot of trouble as well.

He turns back, looking at the closed door behind him. He couldn't hold Kurt back anymore, not even with this new conclusion. Kurt had clearly moved on from his feelings for Finn. And now, even though Finn was just discovering his, he had to let his go to. If he really cared about Kurt – cared about him in the way he had explained to Blaine – he'd have to walk away now.

Finn.

"So… I've come to hear I'm a asexual football hater with a leather fetish?" a voice says from behind him. Slowly, he turns around to find Kurt standing there, a hand lazily placed on his hip and a teasing smile pulling at his lips. Stepping forward, he laughs softly. Finn rocks on his feet uncomfortably, suddenly feeling uncomfortably.

"Who…?" Finn growls, wondering who opened their mouth.

Kurt smirks, taking another step to close the gap between them. "Puck told me, actually. Apparently, everyone else knew these facts except for me. Especially you, considering that you made them up and told Sam, Dave, and Blaine that they were true. Coincidentally. All of them before they mysteriously decided to break up with me…"

"I'm going to strangle Puck," Finn says flatly, taking a step towards the laundry room, hoping that his friend is still in there.

In a soft, delicate voice that Finn's come to understand, Kurt places his hands on his shoulders, attempting to hold him back even though they both know it's pretty much a lost cause. "You are not going to strangle Puck…" he orders, and suddenly, that hollow feeling erupts in Finn's chest, knocking the breath out of him. All he can see at this moment is Puck and Kurt, together. Puck kissing Kurt. Having sex with Kurt. Kurt moaning Puck's name.

Yeah, he's going to strangle Puck.

"I hope the two of you are happy," he say coarsely, starting to head for the stairs. Still holding onto his arms, Kurt studies him with interested eyes, the expression reading as both intrigued and confused.

"You know, you could've just said something." Kurt's voice is quiet, but it's saying everything that needs to be said at once. And when Finn's opens his mouth to respond, Kurt catches his lip in a kiss, his mouth warm and wet and just perfect in every single way.

When Finn finds himself moaning into Kurt's mouth, smiling against the smaller boys lips, he understands finally. He was protecting Kurt. Maybe not from evil boys, or maybe not because he's his stepbrother and it's his job, but just …because.

Because that's what you do for people you love.