Falling in love with anyone was the last thing on Kurt Hummel's to do list. He'd experienced it once before, and it ended in a completely gut wrenching heartbreak, so painful it was something only pure, young love could bring. Then, he thought he was maybe experiencing it a second time when timing and unfortunate circumstances took it from him before it could really bloom.

By the time Kurt entered his second semester of NYADA he was already so completely worn out from it that he made the conscious decision to avoid romantic love for the time being. He went on dates, casual dates with casual sex, but never allowed anything more. Then, he went from avoiding it for the time being to just avoiding it altogether, so long that he'd finished up his first semester of his final year with a current fling that was more of a friend with benefits, perfectly happy to be leaving him behind in New York for the summer.

Kurt was packing for his return to Lima for a few months, excited at the prospect of getting a long break from school and everything that came with it. When he came back it'd be one final semester before graduating in December and moving on to the real world where getting a part here and there while taking his classes wasn't how the world worked anymore. It'd become his career, and while that excited him to no end, he was equally as terrified for that final step into adulthood, where his career was all he had.

So, Kurt organized and packed and cleaned, ignoring Rachel's occasional comment on what she'd be able to do with a free apartment for almost three months, interspersed with her getting teary-eyed and waxing poetic about the sadness their coming separation would bring. Somehow, some way, Kurt's strongest attachment to a person apart from his father was one very loud, very dramatic Rachel Berry. She was the only person in New York that he felt real dread in parting from, and while she was planning a couple weeks out in Lima to visit her family as well, it was going to be quite a change to be waking up in his little closed off bedroom in Ohio, unable to hear her doing scales in the shower over the partitions in their apartment or humming some tune while making coffee, sometimes with accompanying movement noises that told him she was cheerful and dancing around the loft.

Rachel was hugging him tightly, restricting the arms he desperately needed for packing purposes—his flight was less than twenty-four hours away, and he was getting anxious—when his phone rang, his dad calling him.

They went through their regular greetings, discussing things like weather-appropriate clothes and ideas for family bonding when his dad reminded him of their fairly recent house-guest.

"And I'm having Sam stay on the sofa while you're here, so you get your room and everything," his dad told him.

"Who?"

"Sam Evans," Burt reminded. "The kid we took in a couple months ago because his parents moved."

"Oh, right. I didn't know he was still living there, I guess."

"Yeah, well, the kid's got one more year of high school left after this one's over in a month. I wouldn't want to leave my friends at that time, either."

Kurt hummed agreeingly, distracted by two pairs of similarly looking navy blue shorts and trying to decide which to bring. The ones with the white threading? Or the gray?

He said his good-byes to his dad, expressing his excitement at the fact he'd be seeing him shortly, seeing all of them, really. He'd quite missed his step-mother, Carole, as well, as it'd been several months since he'd seen her, and he was even finding that he missed Finn's presence as well. His younger step-brother, dopey in an adorable kind of way, was someone he'd become closer to more recently. At first, the five year age difference and fact that when they'd met, Finn was ten and rebellious to the idea of a new family, was difficult for them to overcome. But then, Kurt started bring a one Miss Rachel Berry around the house, and Finn became his new best friend, casually hanging out in the living room on movie nights and claiming that yes, eleven year old boys were allowed to be interested in musicals. (His actual level interest always became quickly clear with the rate at which he fell asleep during said musicals.)

Finn's crush on Rachel—while cute, but altogether premature—was what brought them together eventually, with Kurt having to gently let him down, because no Finn wasn't allowed to continue his pursuit of Kurt's best friend because while she basked in the compliments and having someone who would fetch her water or lemonade, Kurt knew it could get really awkward really fast.

Finn wasn't exactly crushed, soon after chasing after a girl in his grade, Quinn, and coming to Kurt on advice for impressing girls, since Kurt hung around them all the time. It was a strange friendship they formed, still only seeing each other on holidays and talking occasionally throughout the school year once Kurt had moved away, but when they got the chance to get together, Kurt enjoyed reveling in the idea of having a little brother and a step-mom, the family aspect of it all making him warm and happy in a way he'd pretty much given up on for a long while.

Burt picked him up at the airport, the wrinkles around his eyes lifting up when he spotted Kurt, a grin stretching on his weathered face.

Kurt hurried over, carefully wrapping his arms around his father, feeling as warmly familiar as it always did, no matter how many months separated their visits.

They drove to the house, chattering all the way. Kurt and his father had never been the talkative type when it came to their relationship, and things were sure to turn to normal soon, but their drives home from the airport, whether it was Kurt visiting home or Burt visiting New York, were the one time where they barely let a silent moment pass, filling each other in on all the things that required face-to-face communication, that weren't simply passed through a telephone connection.

Kurt asked about Burt's health, a common topic of concern, and was waved away unconcernedly, as expected, before continuing on to discussions of Carole, Finn, and the shop. Burt asked about school, acting roles, and the ever-dreading questioning of Kurt's love life, to which he generally replied non-committedly since he broke up with Adam years prior.

They pulled up to the house, and Burt answered his question of where Finn was, noticing his car was gone, replying, "at the shop," before trying to help Kurt with his bags. It was a short battle, Kurt eventually conceding and allowing Burt to take just his carry-on and a fairly large, but light, duffel-bag, both of which Burt deposited at the entry way of their home before stalking off to the kitchen and announcing he'd have some drinks ready in a few minutes.

Kurt took the opportunity to drag the majority of his bags upstairs to his old room, swinging the door open on its hinges and startling backward at the muffled shout that came from inside his room. His heart rate started to slow back down when a head popped out from the comforter of his old bed, an initially frightened looking teenage boy with sharp, strong features and a mop of light blond hair.

"You must be Kurt," the boy said, his face relaxing, terror washing away from his eyes. "I'm Sam, uh, I meant to take all my stuff downstairs early, but, you know, I got tired and passed out, and you kinda just scared the crap at me, but that was my fault, so sorry about that, because it looks like I scared you, too."

Kurt just watched him amusedly with an arched eyebrow, before coming to his senses. "Yes, hi, I'm Kurt. Nice to meet you."

"Same. I'll just, uh, grab all my stuff."

"It's not—you don't have to move all of your things; it's fine. Just maybe grab the necessities, but you're welcome to keep your stuff where they are and come in here to get them."

"Oh. Well, cool man. Thanks." Sam hoisted himself out of bed, grabbing his sweatpants from the floor and pulling them on over his boxers, apparently deciding to continue forgoing the shirt.

"I feel kind of bad that I'm moving you from your room," Kurt said, setting his bags down and pulling out the items necessary for hanging up immediately.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It was your room first, right? And the couch is comfy. I've passed out there a few times."

"Comforting," Kurt commented lightly, a smile on his face as he watched Sam pile what he must have considered "necessities" into his arms.

Sam moved his shoulder in a sad attempt at a wave good-bye, cheerfully shouting, "See you at the weekly Friday family dinner," and turning to leave.

He was pretty young, but damn was Sam muscular for a teenager. His body's age seemed a little older than it really was, and Kurt repeated that to himself as he watched the muscles shift in Sam's back as he walked out of the room, strong arms carrying the pile of his belongings, and Kurt tried to feel a little less creepy at ogling his brother's seventeen year old friend.