Title: In Defense
Summary: Mr. Schue stops Karofsky from pounding on Kurt. So, now Karofsky assumes that Will is gay as well and jumps him after school.
Rating:
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Glee or its characters.
Warning: This fic contains offensive words against gay-people as well as gay-hating.. I DO NOT HATE GAY PEOPLE! But! Karofsky was made out to and so in order to get his character right, I had to put it in the fic.. I cringe with every sentence that comes out of his mouth and I apologize profusely but it has to be done for the characterization.
Author's Note: I didn't like the way NO ONE helped Kurt until it was almost too late. So, I wrote a fic, correcting that flaw. And since it contains Will whump – all the better! ;)
He walks around the corner in time to see David Karofsky raise his fist, preparing to punch Kurt. Without thinking about it, Will jumped and grabbed Karofsky's arm, pulling it down and thus spinning the massive footballer on the spot. Whether it was instinct, momentum, or something else entirely, Will didn't know; all he did know was that ten seconds later there was extreme heat coming from the right side of his face, he couldn't open his eye for the pain, and he was half sitting, half lying on the floor.
It took him all of five seconds to figure out that he'd been punched by the gigantuan football player, and it took another five seconds for him to get up and make sure that the kid wasn't going to try it on Kurt next – even if he couldn't really see out of his right eye.
The moment he stepped in front of Kurt, all of the Glee Club members joined in, forming a barrier between Kurt and Karofsky. Puck and Finn stepped forward most, challenging Karofsky to try anything.
"Mr. Karofsky, Principal's office, now," Will ground out, slightly panting from adrenaline. He stepped out of the crowd and grabbed the footballer's arm, hauling him to the principal's office because he didn't trust the kid to do it on his own. He was going to make sure this kid didn't step foot in this school again even if it cost him his job to do it.
oOo
Kurt sat in the choir room, panting and trying not to throw up. The adrenaline that coursed through his veins was now emptying into his stomach, threatening to overthrow everything he'd eaten in the morning. He couldn't stop shaking; literally, he tried but it just didn't stop. He didn't want to be in the choir room but everyone else had insisted on it and so here he sat, waiting for Mr. Schue to get back from the principal's office.
Mr. Schue. Now there was a surprise. Kurt had never expected the glee teacher to jump in for him like that. He'd always thought the man was just like every other faculty member who said he'd do something about it, but never actually did. He certainly hadn't expected the teacher to get punched for him.
And speaking of getting punched, Kurt wondered how Mr. Schue was feeling. Kurt has been punched before, maybe not by someone as huge and as angry as Karofsky, but still. It's not fun and it leaves you with a headache for the rest of the day, and you can forget smiling – it hurts like a bitch for a couple of days to do that. Although, given how much Mr. Schue smiles, it might be semi-entertaining to watch him be constantly reminded of the bruise.
"Mr. Schue?" Rachel asked, being the first to notice the teacher's presence.
The man himself stood in the doorway, black eye sticking out stark against his skin in the afternoon light and looking enraged. Like Kurt, he was shaking where he stood, but Kurt doubted it was from nerves.
"Karofsky's suspended," Mr. Schue began and they all held their breath for him to continue. Kurt thought he knew what was coming, but he hoped he was wrong. "But he'll be back once the suspension's over."
"What?! That's ridiculous, Mr. Schue, they can't allow that," Finn and Rachel broke out at once.
"I know, and I argued until I was hoarse," – in hindsight, his voice did sound a bit weak – "but they aren't budging." He paused and Kurt had a feeling that the worst was still to come. "I protested by threatening to quit and it didn't help." He paused and sighed and this time Kurt could hear tears in his voice. "So I tendered my two week notice."
"NO!" the group yelled as one, nearly blowing out each others' ear drums at the same time.
"Mr. Schue, as much as I appreciate the gesture, you quitting won't solve anything," Kurt interjected.
"Maybe not," Mr. Schue granted, walking further into the choir room. The light shone brightly on his face, making him wince, close his eyes, and then step back into the relative shadows. "But withdrawing my resignation won't help either. It shows the board that I'm unwilling to stick to my guns, and that's not going to help you either."
"But if you leave, who's going to stand in front of Kurt and get punched in his place?" Brittany asked, making it sound as though that had been Mr. Schue's original plan.
"Yeah, Mr. Schue, black and blue looks good on you," Puck added with a smirk.
Mr. Schue gave a self-conscious laugh, giving a grimace of pain when his bruised eye reminded him not to smile. The group gave a sympathizing wince at his expression of pain. Annoyingly, Kurt actually felt a pang of guilt for his teacher's pain; even though he hadn't directly caused it, he still felt bad that his teacher, his friend more or less, was hurt.
"Yeah, well, as attractive as it might make me, I think I'll try to stay away from fists in the future. And with Karofsky suspended, hopefully I'll be able to stick to that goal."
"Until he comes back," Mercedes interjected.
"Yeah, but by then Mr. Schue will be gone," Artie returned.
"That's true. Maybe Sam could step up, he's good at getting punched," Finn offered, obviously still a little stung by everyone's anger at him for not trying to beat Karofsky up.
"Shut up," Quinn defended, looking like she wanted to smack Finn upside the head.
"Guys," Mr. Schue jumped in before an actual fight broke out. "The point is that Kurt, you are safe from Karofsky for the next couple of weeks. I'm only sorry I couldn't make it longer."
"You did plenty, Mr. Schue," Kurt absolved with ease. "I'm just sorry that it had cost you your job to do it."
"Don't forget the black eye," Mercedes added with a slight wink at Kurt.
"I agree with Puck, I think it looks good on you," Brittany announced, giving Mr. Schue a sexy look and making everyone else in the room completely uncomfortable.
"Okay," Mr. Schue said, being the first to break the ice. He walked further into the room and came to stand in front of them all. Again, he winced at the brightness and this time he raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, only to withdraw with yet another wince.
"You should get some ice for that, Mr. Schue," Finn suggested, his face still in a wince.
"I'll be okay," Mr. Schue deflected, waving his hand in dismissal. He clapped his hands together and then placed his hands on the music stand and leaned into them. "Now, regionals." …
oOo
"Great job guys!" Will praised, smiling as widely as his bruised eye would allow. "That's perfect. I think we just found our number for regionals."
The group cheered, ratcheting his headache up several notches. He winced from the pain and quickly covered his ears as the cheering died down to a loud chatter. His discomfort must have been obvious because the kids went from chattering excitedly to practically whispering all the while shooting him guilty looks, none of whom looked guiltier than Kurt.
"Alright guys, I think that's it for tonight," he said, looking at the clock in time to see it turn six o'clock. "Kurt, can I talk to you for a sec?"
The rest of the group slowly filtered out, giving Kurt pats on the back and hugs before walking past Will, offering several stagnant "good night Mr. Schue," on their way out of the door. Kurt picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, looking so much like a scared little boy that Will wanted to give him a hug.
"Are you okay?" Will asked once everyone had left. He didn't know why he was practically whispering; for some reason it just seemed appropriate.
Kurt took in a big breath, looking as though he were trying to decide how to answer. Will hoped that Kurt would trust him enough to tell him the truth, whatever it may be, but he wasn't sure. It always felt as though Kurt was the student who'd liked him the least. Will didn't blame the kid; everyone was allowed to have their own opinions after all, but it did kind of bother him given how much he trusted and cared for the kids.
"No, I'm not," Kurt finally answered with nothing but resignation in his voice. "But, not having Karofsky here for the next couple of weeks will help."
Will grabbed his bag and started walking out with Kurt, making sure to keep an eye out for trouble. While Karofsky had been suspended, he had also been furious about being in trouble in the first place and promised payment for his punishment – something Will didn't want Kurt having to receive if he could help it.
"Thank you, for helping, by the way," Kurt said when Will didn't say anything. The sincerity in Kurt's voice mad his heart weep. Had Will really done nothing for this kid that it now warranted such a heartfelt thank you?
"You don't need to thank me, Kurt," Will dismissed, disappointed that he was apparently such a horrible role model towards this kid. He was more than disappointed. He was ashamed. "I'm sorry Kurt," he apologized, not knowing how else to convey what he was thinking.
Kurt stopped mid stride and faced Will and suddenly the Glee teacher felt the need to expand on his apology.
"I let you down, as a teacher," he explained. He sighed as he gathered up his thoughts and decided where to go from there. He pinched the bridge of his nose, gentling his touch on the right side of his face so as not to aggravate the angry bruise that surrounded his eye, and let out another sigh. "Like all the other teachers, I saw what was happening, and I was concerned. For a while, I did nothing, thinking it would all blow over." Now, he looked determinedly at Kurt, hoping that the sincerity in his heart reflected in his eyes, even in the night. "I'm sorry that it took you almost getting beaten for me to do something. I'm sorry that I allowed him to terrorize you and didn't take action then."
Kurt stare at him. His blue eyes were wide with what Will assumed was shock. Tears shimmered in them like little small pools and one eventually trailed down his cheek. Will couldn't take the look anymore. Without thinking or debating, he pulled the teenager to him and gave him a hug, squeezing a little as an offer of comfort.
"Well lookie here," a very unwelcome voice jeered from Will's back. "If it isn't the fag and his boyfriend."
Will felt his muscles tense at the sound of Karofsky's voice at the same time that Kurt seemed to freeze within the embrace. They pulled apart and Will put himself in front of his student, glaring at the former football player with anger and something close to hate in his eyes.
"I thought you were suspended from school grounds," Will said, vaguely hoping that the reminder would get the angry mammoth to back down. Not unsurprisingly, it didn't.
Karofsky sneered at him, his own eyes reflecting Will's hate. He punched his fist into his hand, the action a promise of what was to come.
Knowing what the end result would be, Will did the only thing he could think to do. Though his heart was pounding furiously at the idea of facing the student on his own, he knew that he couldn't let Kurt get hurt; not if he could do something to stop it.
"Kurt, run," he said, turning his head as much as he could while still keeping his eyes on Karofsky.
The teen stood frozen where he was. Fear blinded him. It kept him rooted to the spot and so Will gave him a shove as a head start.
"Run!" he repeated, louder this time to get the message through.
It seemed to work. Without sparing a breath to say a word, Kurt spun on his heel and ran to his car. Thankfully it wasn't too far and the teen made it there without incident. Will heard the automatic locks engage and he sighed in relief.
"That won't save him, you know," Karofsky smirked. "It's just holding back the inevitable until I come back."
He stepped forward, crowding into Will's personal space. To his annoyance, the Glee teacher had to look up in order to face the footballer but he didn't let that intimidate him one bit. His breath came out faster as adrenaline began to race through his veins, his body instinctually preparing for the "fight or flight", and his heart raced some more, making him wonder if Karofsky could hear it threaten to explode out of his chest.
Karofsky's eyes briefly flicked towards the SUV where Kurt sat, watching but safe. When he looked back down at Will, he smiled, the thing a cruel twist of his lips.
"Too bad you won't be here to protect him next time."
The urge to land a well-deserved punch was strong and Will found himself clenching his fist in preparation. He refrained, but barely. He kept reminding himself that this was a student, a teenager. He could go to jail for assault if he hit the kid, while the kid would only go to juvie at most.
Jail was almost preferable to the pain that seared through his left cheek. Karofsky's punch had seemingly come out of nowhere. In truth, Will had been expecting it, but he hadn't seen the kid swing; he'd only felt when it had landed.
Will was once again knocked to the ground by the hit. The gravel dug into his palms as he used his hands to stop his decent, but beneath the pain in his face, he barely felt it.
Before he could register what he was doing, Will was up again and swung at Karofsky. His fist landed, painfully, against the taller kid's jaw, briefly stunning the footballer. And from then on, the fight was on.
Karofsky landed more hits than Will did, but the Glee teacher was satisfied at just how well he'd managed to block most of them. They landed harmlessly – though not painlessly – on his arms as Will recalled some boxing that he'd learned growing up. A few punches ploughed into his right side but his left side took the brunt of them.
With a speed and swiftness that wasn't often attributed to the behemoth of a teen, Karofsky kicked near Will's left knee. It landed midway between his ankle and his knee, on the inner side of his calf but it still had the same effect. Will fell to the ground as his leg collapsed from under him. That was when the kicking started.
Refusing to allow any more hits to his torso, Will curled into a ball, praying that Kurt had called the police and that they would arrive sometime soon. A vicious kick landed on his lower back, far too close to his spine for Will's liking and he cried out, unable to stop himself. His body a mass of pain, Will just simply waited for the next blow. When it didn't come, he carefully unfolded, giving a rather unmanly whimper as he did so.
"Will?" he heard Shannon call just before he felt her strong hands gently touching his shoulder. "Hey, you alright?"
It was a stupid question. They both knew it. But it was the most succinct way of asking him if he would live or if he needed urgent care and so he didn't remark on it.
"Shannon," he said, his jaw barely moving as he kept his teeth ground together. He opened his eyes as far as he dared and found her blue eyes staring down at him with nothing but pure concern. "Where's Karofsky?"
She looked over his shoulder at a spot where he assumed the footballer was and then she looked back down at him. "He's being escorted to the station," she informed. "I came out in time to stop him from doing more damage and pinned him to the ground until the police showed up."
Gingerly, she helped him unfold completely, the task drawing another whimper as well as a tear from him, and then slowly eased him so that he was sitting upright.
"We should get you to a hospital," she said, looking him over with diagnostic eyes.
Will nodded. He knew he should have been more worried about Kurt than himself but he just couldn't find it in himself to be so. He was sure that, beyond being scared and shaken, Kurt was fine.
Will, however, was in pain, and a lot of it. His headache from earlier had grown into a dwarf star the size of the sun, threatening to blind him with the sheer intensity of it. His arms ached from blocking and he knew that he'd have some pretty spectacular bruises on his biceps by the morning. His right hand ached as well, though it was mostly muted beneath all the other hurts. Most of the pain emanated from his left side and his lower back.
Blue flashed alongside red and Shannon looked up, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Looks like they brought the barn to the animals," she said, making a farm reference that actually made some sense to Will.
He tried to turn to see what she had seen but he stopped as fire ignited through his torso and seared through his back. He was going to have to be careful how he moved for a week or two – that was becoming clear.
"Easy," Shannon soothed when she saw what he had tried to do and just how much pain it had caused. Her right hand went to his mid-back while her left stayed on his shoulder. It was a small comfort, a warmth that felt pleasant, and Will tried to smile at her in thanks or assurance. Almost absently, it appeared, she began to rub gentle circles between his shoulder blades as she kept her eyes on "the calvary" that had just arrived.
"Mr. Schuester?" a female's voice called to him and he turned his head to find a pretty brunette EMT kneeling in front of him.
"Yeah," he answered, his brows furrowing in confusion. "How did you know my name?"
She smiled warmly at him, her brown eyes heating along with it. "My colleague has seen to your young friend, Kurt, who told us who you were." She paused for a moment and then asked, "Do you think you can walk over to the ambulance or would you prefer a free ride in the stretcher?"
The way she phrased it made Will want to laugh. In fact, if it hadn't been for the pain that he knew would come, he would have laughed. He was told that it was an easy laugh that he generally gave when he was amused by a pretty face but he honestly couldn't tell the difference between that supposed laugh and his general one and so he'd brushed the declaration aside. He did settle for a small smile that turned into a grimace when it moved his painful cheek.
"I think I can handle the walk," he assured, not bothering to mention that he would probably need assistance remaining upright.
Shannon instantly offered her hand, standing up just before she did so, and patiently waiting for Will to take it. The EMT, apparently having noticed that he needed help getting up, also stood and offered her hand, her touch gentle as she moved closer to help him, essentially, limp to the ambulance.
Pain reignited in his body, making Will groan. His two crutches stood patiently to the side as they waited for him to be able to breathe again. They were careful as they slipped under his arms and wrapped their arms around his waist but even so, it made Will grimace.
"Is Kurt alright?" he asked to keep his mind off the discomfort in his body.
"Yeah, he's okay. A little shook up, I'm told, but he's not hurt," the EMT assured. "He's giving a statement to the police and then he'll be free to go home."
Her hand tightened slightly around his waist as his step faltered and Will couldn't stop the hitching of his breath or the whimper that came out on the exhale as her arm brushed against his sore back. Pulsing throbbed through his lower leg, reminding him of the hit he'd taken to his calf. He'd briefly forgotten about it since the pain had been dimmed, barely there at all amongst his other hurts. Now, however, he felt it and he heavily limped in order to favor the limb.
"Sorry," she apologized, her arm all but leaving his back and the hand lightening on his side. The position couldn't have been comfortable for her but she didn't seem to mind.
"It's fine," he absolved, surprised at the level of guilt he heard in her voice. It wasn't fine, really. This whole situation shouldn't have happened but it wasn't her fault in the slightest. She had no reason to feel guilty for accidentally causing him pain.
Between the two of them, the EMT and Shannon got Will up and seated in the ambulance. Once that was accomplished, the EMT went straight to work.
"Okay, I'm going to give you a small shot for the pain and then I'll get you set up for the ride to Lima General," she informed, almost casually, as she bustled around and pulled out a syringe. "Sound good?"
"Sounds great," Will answered, his head leaning back into the pillow and his eyes closing of their own accord.
She grabbed his hand, her touch lightening when he winced, and rotated his arm so that she could have access to a vein.
"I see you managed to get a good hit or two in," she observed, apparently having seen the bruising around his knuckles and the swelling in his hand.
"For all the good it did," Will answered, a little self-deprecatingly.
"Hey, Karofsky had about 100 pounds and several inches on you, Punkin," Shannon interjected. Her tone was sharp but her words were gentle. Will knew the anger he heard wasn't necessarily aimed at him and so he let it wash over him and focused on the nickname she used for him when she was feeling particularly sisterly.
Will felt a pinch in the crook of his arm and he winced in response. Even so, he couldn't be bothered to open his eyes and so he kept them closed, letting his ears do the watching for him.
"Honestly," the EMT said to his right, "I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. I mean, I saw the kid as they were putting him into the squad car and, I know that many people would have been in far worse shape had it been them.
Will felt the pain dull to barely there and he assumed that the pain medication he'd been given was beginning to work. He sighed out of pure relief and melted into the uncomfortable stretcher bed.
"There, that's better, right?" the EMT prompted, bring him back from the black that wanted to consume him.
"Yeah," he answered, figuring that he should probably say something. He offered her a dopey smile, his eyes opening just enough to see her return it with a warm smile of her own.
"I figured it would be," she said, packing away the discarded supplies. She turned her head to look at Shannon, who had remained outside of the ambulance. "Did you want to ride along or did you want to stay here?"
"I should stay here and give the police my report," Shannon answered. Her voices sounded hesitant, almost. As though she didn't want to stay behind but felt obligated to.
"Okay," the EMT answered, sounding as though she couldn't care less either way. "Well, you can always meet him there when you're finished. I get the feeling that he'll be tied up behind the scenes for a while anyways. By the time you're done here, he should be settled into a room."
"Thanks," Shannon said. Will felt her hand land on his ankle, drawing his eyes open so that he could look at her. She squeezed when he focused on her and smiled. "I'll see you in a bit. Be good for the docs, you got it?"
"Somehow," Will answered sleepily. His eyes closed again and it seemed that it took an awfully long time for him to respond. "I don't think that's going to be a problem."
It felt as though he'd barely gotten those words out and then the darkness enveloped him completely, dragging him into sweet blackness.
TBC