AN: This piece is dedicated to Sarah-the-strange. Ilu.
***
Emma Pillsbury got out of her shiny red Prius, carefully watching her step as she got out of the car. She fixed her canary yellow outfit with a smile before shouldering her purse and looking around campus.
Gah, she loved this school. She loved her job. She loved being a guidance counselor. She loved helping kids with their problems. It helped distract her from her own.
Speaking of kids with problems, there was Kurt Hummel getting bullied yet again. She took in a breath, her cheeks puffing out angrily as she stomped over towards the dumpster. But she wasn't fast enough. All the jocks were gone by the time she got there, leaving only Kurt alone, in the dumpster.
"Oh my oh my," Emma chided, watching her step around the garbage bin. Ugh, it smelled so bad. She wanted to puke. Her heels were just high enough that she could peer over the side without touching the edge. "Kurt, are you alright?"
Kurt glanced up at her, mouth open to chew her out, but he bit his tongue when he realized who it was. "Good morning, Ms. Pillsbury," he managed to say, his tone still coming out sharp. "And yes, I'm fine."
Emma pursed her lips, a look of despair on her face. "Do you…um… do you need help?" he asked, praying that he would say no or that Will would come and save her. She was already way too close to so many germs.
"No thank you," Kurt said quickly. He knew her too well. You might say that he was one of her regulars. Emma stepped back, and he managed to climb out of the dumpster.
"Come on, I still have that extra pair of clothes for you in my office," she told him, motioning for him to follow her into the school, which he did. "I'll write you a note for class, so you don't have to worry about that."
"I'm not worried," Kurt told her, following her into the school with his chin held high. He tried not to be too snarky around the guidance counselor, but he trusted her more than any other person in the world. Emma was reliable, but Kurt's trust came with a price.
He knew about Will. She had told him so he would open up to her. And it worked, but now the sophomore always gave her sympathetic looks when he spotted them together, and sometimes it was more than she could handle.
They arrived in her cheerful little office a few minutes later.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Emma asked gently, looking up at Kurt through her lashes as she handed him his clothes.
He considered it, seeming a little nervous. "Yes, just let me change."
The counselor nodded before flopping down into her chair. She jiggled her mouse, bringing her computer to life. In moments she was checking her e-mail. Stupid forwards, people wanting her to buy for fundraisers, all the normal crap. Most of them were unopened, but for some reason, every e-mail from the Spanish teacher had been read. Strange.
Kurt slipped into her office without her noticing. She did hear the door click closed and immediately turned her attention to him. Kurt mode. She needed to be in Kurt mode. He sat down in front of her, crossing his legs with a sigh. Good, this meant he was going to talk without her having to ask any questions.
"It was the foot ball team again," he said softly, not looking at her but focusing on the plant sitting on the corner of the desk. "The third time this week. Funny actually. I always thought that I wanted attention, but now that I've got it, I want just want to be invisible again."
Emma nodded slightly, clasping her hands on the desk in front of her. "Well, Kurt, there's one in every class. But you know those guys. They aren't going to ever do anything, but you're going to go off and do something amazing."
Kurt let out a little breath of frustration. "I know. But that doesn't make it any better. It still hurts."
"I know," she said gently, eyes soft and sympathetic. "I know it hurts."
"And I can't help it," he reminded her, tossing her one pleading look. "I can't change me. I can't help the way I am."
She nodded, moving her elbow to rest on the arm rest of her swivel chair before resting her chin on her fist. "You don't need to change."
Kurt nodded, sniffling slightly. "I wish other people thought the same as you, Ms. Pillsbury."
They were quiet for a few moments, but it wasn't awkward. Her head snapped up when her computer beeped, telling her that she had a new e-mail, but her expression immediately darkened when she saw it was from the nasty gym teacher, Tanaka. Ugh.
She turned her attention back to Kurt when he chuckled, a blush creeping up on her face.
"Not Mr. Schuester?" he asked lightly, crossing his arms across his chest. She looked away from him, muttering something under her breath. "What was that?"
"No," she whispered. "Coach Tanaka." She hated that man with a passion. He was old and gross and wouldn't leave her alone. Kurt clucked sympathetically.
"Ah, well, sorry." He leaned across the desk, placing his hand over hers. "I'm sure it'll work out for you two."
"He's married," she reminded him, surprised by the touchy. She was the touchy person, Kurt was not.
"That's never stopped anyone before," he remarked, giving her one of his rare, perfect smiles. "Eventually. It'll work out eventually."
"I hope you're right, Kurt."
He pulled his hand away before pecking her quickly on the cheek. "I'm always right, honey. Always."
***
AN: And there you have it. The first Kurt/Emma fic out there. What a crack pairing. XD May be continued, may not.