Basically, I really shouldn't be writing this. I am already in the LITERAL middle of two, multi-chapter fanfictions that need desperately to be finished, I am about to start another multi-chapter fanfiction in the next two weeks, but I cannot bring myself to care.
I really shouldn't be writing this, but I really don't like following the guidelines that I set for myself.
Therefore, here I am, writing a new multi-chapter fanfic that was never actually planned.
This fanfiction will include POSSIBLE smut, if requested, prompts, random ideas that pop into my brain, and any ship.
I will seriously write about any ship except Kadam and Kurtofsky because just NO. NOT HAPPENING.
Anyways, onto the first chapter of my fanfiction.
PROMPTS ARE WELCOME AND NEEDED TO MAKE THIS THING BREATHE.
Title: Courageous
Characters/Relationships: Kurtana friendship
Prompted by: my glorious little brain.
Season: one or two, before Blaine and before Furt and before Karofsky.
Kurt walked slowly out of algebra, careful not to bump into anyone on his way to his locker. He was being overly cautious, but that was what was expected of him now-a-days. Nobody from the glee club had noticed yet; his absence on occasion, his petrified gaze as he walked through the halls, his flinch whenever someone patted him on the back or something happened that made a loud noise. No one had cared enough to notice, is what Kurt associated their obliviousness with.
No one had cared enough except for Santana.
Santana Lopez, the girl who constantly had made fun of him or shot him snarky comments and glares, had noticed and cared. Kurt thought he was hallucinating all of the encouraging gazes that she was sending him lately, but maybe not. Santana had successfully protected Kurt for a few weeks now from Azimio and some of the jocks. Neither of them had spoken about it, but in Kurt's opinion, that needed to change. He wanted to talk about it. Well, not necessarily the bullying problem or why Santana was helping him or any of the details. Kurt just needed someone to talk to about anything. He needed someone who truly cared.
Mercedes had been growing distant lately, so she was out of the question. Sure, Kurt loved his best friend more than anything in the world, but lately she wasn't his best friend anymore. She was a nice person to talk to, merely a friend, if he could call it that. They hadn't hung out in weeks, let alone spent the night together and watched movies. Kurt was feeling very isolated from her, which hurt more than he could explain.
Rachel had been tolerable lately, but not to the point where friendship was remotely possible. Rachel was selfish and she really didn't pay much attention to anyone's problems unless they included her in some way. She was nice, she was polite, she was funny, but she was still the same Rachel Berry from sophomore year; still too caught up in basking in the glow of spotlight on herself and her non-stop drama with Finn.
Finn was a completely different topic all-together. Kurt wasn't sure where he stood with his soon-to-be stepbrother. Kurt wasn't sure that he could talk to him about anything, really. Kurt didn't know what to think when it came to Finn. Kurt was actually a little threatened by the idea of talking to Finn about anything that didn't involve glee club or academics, so he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea of talking to Finn about the aching loneliness that ate him from the very core of his soul.
It's not like anyone else in the glee club actually cared, anyways. Kurt was friends with them and got along with them inside the four walls of the choir room, but once it got to the scary idea of talking about such a personal and serious topic with any of them, they were all pretty much strangers to him. Kurt had no interest in sharing something so private with them.
But, as always, Santana Lopez surprised him by making Kurt actually feel like he could talk to someone and actually feel like he wanted to talk to a member of the glee club.
"Santana? Can I talk to you?" Kurt asked timidly. School had ended; most of the hallways were clear and desolate, as well as the privacy at maximum capacity. The teachers had a meeting after school today, so the adults that could be bothered or concerned with the communication between Kurt and Santana weren't there.
"Let's go, Hummel. You've got some things that you need to get off your chest; I can tell from here." Santana's tone wasn't impatient, rude, snarky or impolite. There wasn't a trace of sarcasm or annoyance that laced her voice. It was all purely sympathetic and kind, which was a relieving change. Kurt nodded mutely, following Santana to her car and getting into the passenger seat in silence.
"Where do you want to talk?" Santana asked him, turning onto the main road.
"I don't have a preference." Kurt replied, inwardly cringing at how weak his voice was. He sounded emotionally stressed, which was a sign of vulnerability in his eyes; a flicker of his internal pain that flashed through into reality, where people weren't built to care or have compassion for Kurt Hummel. Santana shocked him by not commenting on it; brief sadness flashing through her eyes and a brief nod being her only response.
The ride in the car was mainly silent, the music that played on the radio flickering in and out as Santana drove further out of town. Kurt didn't ask where they were going and didn't grow suspicious. He didn't really care where they went, as long as they could talk. His curfew was midnight and it was still only 4 as Santana drove through a bunch of trees and bushes. The path was barely visible and Kurt would have glanced right past it if Santana hadn't been driving through it. From a bystander, it was nothing more than scenery.
"This is a place where I go when I want to be alone. I found it when I was in 9th grade. No one else knows about this place except for me." Santana explained as she drove past a large, thick tree. Kurt nodded, still remaining mainly mute.
Eventually, the trees began to clear and Santana made a sharp right, leading the car into a clearing and parking it. Santana took out her hair and told Kurt that she was going into the woods to change out of her Cheerios uniform. Kurt nodded again and walked around until finding a spot with the perfect amount of shade.
Santana returned a few minutes later in jeans and a tee shirt, her expression softer than Kurt had ever seen it before as she seated herself across from him.
"Alright. I want you to talk now. I want you to tell me all of the things that have been running through your mind. I'm here for you and I swear that I won't make any stupid comments or jokes and I won't say a word about our conversation to anyone. I'm here for you to talk to and I'm here to be your friend." Santana explained gently, a look of encouragement crossing her features.
Kurt was too overwhelmed with emotion to say anything. He was too stunned from the compassion and the care that radiated off of a girl that he had never given a second glance to. Kurt was genuinely touched by Santana's words and had no other way to thank her than to wrap his arms around her and let out a shaky sob, which led to more tears and the eventual revealing of emotions.
Kurt ended up back at his house later than curfew, although Burt didn't mind.
Santana was with him, finally giving him something solid to lean on that he was almost certain wouldn't let him down. Kurt had a friend for the first time in what felt like years. Sure, they would still occasionally bicker in school and Santana would never let her guard down or show compassion to Kurt in school, but it didn't matter.
Kurt had someone that cared about him. Kurt had someone to give him the one thing that he desperately needed and that very thing ended up being given to him by two people, not just one.
Santana gave Kurt courage, whether either of them knew it or not.
