Kurt and Finn were up in the attic digging through boxes. Carole and Burt had asked the boys to go through them and give away things that they had outgrown or no longer wanted. A lot of Finn's stuff had been shoved up there when the Hudson's had first moved in and now that they were about to move to a bigger house, it needed to be sorted through.
"Awww sick! My old X-Men action figures!" laughed Finn. He picked up the plastic Wolverine, making it battle with Angel. Kurt, who had his back to the laughing boy rolled his eyes.
"What's so amazing about it? Grow up Finn." He scoffed and hunched over something in his hand. Finn leaned forward, trying to get a view of whatever his step-brother was holding.
"Whatcha got there?" he asked.
"Nothing." Kurt said quickly.
"Tell me." Finn insisted.
"It's nothing Finn, okay? Not important." The small brunette snapped. Bullshit, thought Finn. If it wasn't important, why was Kurt so absorbed in it? The jock quietly got up and snuck over to where his step-bro was sitting, cross-legged. Without warning, he snatched the object from Kurt's hands.
"Hah!" Finn gloated in triumph. He looked at the doll in his hand. She was wearing a sparkly pink dress, fairy wings, and a bejeweled tiara in her long, golden hair. He raised his eyebrows, wondering if Kurt had a single boyish bone in his body.
"Really dude? A Barbie?"
"Give her back!" the countertenor blushed angrily. "She was favorite!" Finn smirked and held the doll above his head when the shorter boy desperately tried to grab it back.
"Kurt, calm down. It's just a stupid girl's toy." Kurt looked as if he had just been slapped. He glared up at the jock.
"Okay look Frankenteen, that is not just a stupid toy. That is a 2001 Fairy of the Garden Barbie. Its price today is fifty dollars and it was my favorite toy so I would appreciate it if you returned her at once." Finn stared at him blankly.
"Who would ever pay fifty dollars for a hunk of plastic?" Kurt stamped his foot and shut his eyes tightly.
"Gimme my dolly back right now!" he squealed, but the minute he said it, his eyes widened and he covered his mouth. Finn broke into a grin and started laughing hysterically. Kurt wished he could melt into the floor.
"You want your dolly back Kurt? Is that what you said?" he howled. The countertenor buried his face in his hands, trying to hide his utter embarrassment. Damn his short temper when it came to material possessions. "And you tell me to grow up!"
Kurt looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "Finn, please give me back what is legally mine." Finn giggled and shook his head.
"Oh God, I gotta tell Puck that one." Kurt paled.
"What! No! Nobody can know about this! Promise me you won't tell anyone!" Kurt exclaimed. Finn promised, snickering as he did. "Good now give her back." The taller boy sighed.
"Can't we please strap her to a rocket or a firework or something?" Kurt's jaw fell in disbelief.
"Are you insane?" Finn shook his head.
"No, I just like rockets. Could you imagine that? It'd be so cool!"
"It would most certainly not!" protested Kurt. He tried to reach for it again but Finn lifted it up high.
"Come on Finn, you're messing up her hair." The diva whined.
"Relax dude, I'm not gonna ruin your doll and it's just a piece of plastic in glittery fabric. What's so special about some toy?" Kurt scowled and crossed his arms over his chest in a pout.
"First of all, don't call me 'dude'." he huffed. "Second, she is not just 'some toy,' she was my first." Finn snorted and started crack up all over again.
"But Kurt! I thought you were gay!" He gasped in mock surprise. Kurt inhaled deeply to avoid another outburst.
"The first doll I ever received." He replied, irritated. Finn kept laughing.
"Can I at least show her to Blaine?" he asked, knowing that would rile his brother up even more. Kurt felt his face heat up.
"Finnegan Christopher Hudson you give me my Barbie back RIGHT NOW!" he shrieked. When he noticed Finn wasn't even paying attention to him he burst. "FINN! I AM TALKING TO YOU! I SAID GIVE ME MY DOLL BACK NOW! YOU'RE RUINING HER HAIR AND WRINKLING HER CLOTHES AND I'VE SPENT TO MUCH OF MY CHILDHOOD PRIMPING HER TO PERFECTION FOR SOME NEANDERTHAL LIKE YOU TO GO AND MESS IT UP AGAIN!" he screamed. If Kurt wasn't so upset me might've realized how age inappropriate he was acting. His hair was a mess, his face was beet red and his clothes were disheveled. He looked up at Finn who was still staring at the doorway.
Kurt stamped his foot and screamed, making futile blows to the taller boy's chest and arms.
"Kurt!" Finn whispered to him. But the brunette was too caught up in his tantrum to hear.
"Kurt stop!" he said louder and this time Kurt did stop, still breathing heavily from the screaming. Finn turned his step- brother to face the doorway. Kurt made a silent plea for the house to collapse on top of him when he saw the guys from New Directions standing there minus Artie who was at the bottom of the stair but could still hear everything.
"We umm came a little early, and your uh mom said you were up here." Sam stammered awkwardly. Mike's mouth hung open in shock and Puck was biting his lip to keep from laughing. Kurt stared at them with a look of pure mortification before brushing past them and running out of the room.
As he ran down the attic stairs and to his room he could hear Pucks laughter. What had caused him to blow up like that? He was always so calm and collected and now every guy in Glee knew how much of a little girl he was. He fled to the safety of his room and hid there for the rest of the night. He heard the other boys come downstairs and retreat to the living room to watch the game and discuss girls and sports. Around six, Carole knocked on his door, telling him it was time for dinner and that the boys were staying.
"I'm not hungry." He mumbled to his step- mom.
"Please Kurt?" the brunette still refused. Carole sighed. "Finn told me what happened." She said. Kurt hid his face in a pillow when he felt his face heat up. The woman sat down next to him on the bed and began to rub his back in slow, soothing circles. Kurt groaned into the pillow.
"Sometimes boys don't understand the sentimental value of a doll." She said kindly.
"She was the first one I ever received. My mom and I went to the store and we picked her out together." Kurt mumbled. Carole immediately realized why Kurt had gotten so upset and felt a flash of anger towards her son for teasing the poor boy. She wrapped the pale boy in a hug and stood up.
"Whenever you're ready to come down, there will be a plate with your name on it." She told him kindly. Kurt nodded but didn't move. Carole sighed sadly and left the boy to his thoughts.
Finn and the others were eating when Carole came in.
"Finn we need to talk." She said sternly.
"Yea?" the jock asked, mindful of his friends
"Why would you tease Kurt with that Barbie?" she asked. Finn paled and Puck almost spit out his water trying not to laugh.
"Mom, it was just a doll." Carole scowled.
"He asked for it back nicely and you wouldn't give it to him."
"Nicely? He screamed at me!" the jock protested.
"Because you wouldn't give it back!"
"What's the big deal? It was just a stupid girl toy." Carole shook her head angrily.
"What if somebody took your father's chair and refused to return it saying it was 'just a stupid chair'?" she inquired. Finn's eyes widened.
"What? That's different and what does that have to do with some toy?" Carole was about to respond when Burt entered the house.
"I'm home!" he called and kissed Carole hello. When he noticed his wife's angry expression and Finn's guilty one he raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?" Finn looked at his feet.
"Finn teased Kurt." Carole answered.
"What?" Burt asked.
"It's not that big a deal, I was just messing with him and he overreacted." His step- son interjected.
"You took his property and refused to return it to him." Scolded Carole. Burt ran a hand down his face.
"All right, what did you take bud?" he asked.
"Just a stupid doll." Puck said. Burt paled.
"What doll?" Finn bit his lip.
"Some fairy garden princess whatever thing." He mumbled. Burt placed a hand on his forehead.
"Oh God." He groaned.
"What?" Finn wondered.
"That was his favorite! He and Elizabeth bought it together. Nobody is allowed to touch it 'cept Kurt and Liza." Carole glared at her son.
"What did you say to him?" she demanded to know. Finn flushed red.
"I'm so sorry."
"What did you say?" Carole repeated.
"Strap it to a rocket." Mumbled the tall boy.
"Oh no." gasped Burt. "Where is it now?"
"We put it in the attic." Sam said softly. Carole looked furious.
"Finnegan you go up to that attic right now and fetch that doll. Then you will go to Kurt's room and apologize." Finn nodded sullenly and dashed to the attic.
Kurt was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling when Finn came in. The taller boy shifted awkwardly and handed the Barbie to Kurt who took it without a word.
"Sorry for, ya know, messing with you and stuff. I didn't know about you and your mom." Kurt stroked the doll's hair carefully and straightened out her dress with delicate precision. Finn watched uncomfortably. "So yeah, I feel really bad and I just came to apologize but I guess I'll just leave you alone now." Kurt's gaze never wavered from the doll.
When Finn left the room Kurt slowly got off of his bed and walked over to his dad's. He made sure the door was closed and locked before opening every drawer in the empty dresser. The smell of lilies and rain and peaches and everything beautiful wafted out and Kurt inhaled the scent deeply, willing himself to relax. He lied down on the floor next to the dresser and carefully held up the doll.
"Hey Mom," he said softly, "guess who I found in the attic today."