A/N: Shout out to my friend who helped me come up with a lot of the ideas in this chapter! And you have her to thank for chapter four coming now because she pretty much demanded it. More stuff to be updated tomorrow. I think I'll give Stranded another chapter since it's one of my forte's. And then Trapped In Willow Manor and once I work out some details, Raising EM will be updated again. Oh man, so much work! But it will get done! Along with other fics. So hang tight!
Anyway, in this chapter, expect more of Kurt's many acrobatic talents, injured Kurt, threatening Karofsky, Blaine the hero, angry Finn and Puck, and helpful Sue, with a small splash of frightened Quinn and some Kurt history at the end, though that Kurt history follows canon. xD Oh yeah, a little bit of Blaine pole dancing, though that's not what it is really, just fun to say it, haha.
Disclaimer: I don't want to lie, I don't own Glee, cause there a thousand million people who do. From R to I to B at Fox who produces our beloved Glee. I don't want to lie 'cause readers than maybe, I could be the one to own Glee.
Blaine wasn't going to lie. He was rather proud of himself. He was actually picking up the training faster than most people would. This was good because it meant he should be ready to have a decent showcase for the show when they got to Toronto. He was pleased.
Kurt seemed to be too. Both boys hadn't forgotten the kiss, nor that they had decided to take things slow. But that didn't stop them from bonding like best friends. They remained close all the same.
"How does it feel up there Blaine?" Kurt called up into the air one day. Blaine had his arms and legs wrapped around the top of a very tall pole that swayed easily one way or another.
"Great!" Blaine called back, giving thumbs up as the pole swayed several feet forward.
A grin crossed the pale boy's face. "Good! Keep working at it. I have to do something!"
Blaine was curious. He knew that he should practice the tricks that Kurt had shown him when they'd first taken to the pole a few days before but for the first time, Kurt was confident enough to leave him to it to go do some things he had to do. Lately, he'd been turning down his own rehearsals in favor of helping Blaine and showing him what he was teaching him first.
Making a quick decision, Blaine slid easily down the pole and placed his feet on the floor. He hurried after Kurt and grabbed his shoulder gently.
"Where are you running off to?" he asked with a smirk. Kurt pretended to be mad at him for not listening to him.
"I thought I told you to keep practicing Anderson," he said, his smile giving away the false anger.
Blaine folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah but you intrigue me Hummel," he replied, matching the boy's grin. Kurt sighed and ran a hand over his face and Blaine immediately grew concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Kurt gazed across the tent to the right-hand ring where Blaine found Finn and Puck standing with a narrow flexible bar between them.
"It's the Russian Bar flier," Kurt said with another sigh. Blaine glanced back at him.
"What about her?" he asked.
"She somehow managed to twist both her ankles and nearly fractured a knew." Blaine's eyes grew wide. How the hell had a professional managed to do that? Wait, why did this concern Kurt? "We're leaving for Canada in a few days. She's not going to be healed enough to perform." Blaine started to get a gist of where this was going. "I have to take her place."
Well, that certainly surprised Blaine. How many different circus talents did Kurt have? Okay, Russian Bar was acrobatics and he knew that was one of Kurt's strong suits. But Kurt's passion was air acrobatics. That was why he was one of the Flying Cheerios instead of the Titan Tumblers. The Russian Bar act was part of the Titan Tumbler act and now it seemed that Kurt was going to have to fill in for the girl who usually did the stunt. Blaine had never seen him do anything other than his aerial routines, aside from when he was presenting the stunt that Blaine had to learn.
"Russian Bar? Isn't that rather dangerous?" Kurt sighed and nodded.
"Don't worry Blaine. I never get hurt." Blaine, though he knew the statement was true, wasn't convinced. "Go work more on the sway pole. I'll see you for lunch."
The curly-haired boy didn't have time to protest. Kurt had already turned and started heading toward the Mohawk boy and his brother. Blaine stood there watching him for a moment. Finn and Puck, picked knelt beside the ends of the bar as Kurt reached it and stood straddling the narrow beam. In one swift movement, the two bigger boys lifted the bar up, resting it on their shoulders and catching Kurt in a sitting position. Blaine didn't move. He wanted to see if Kurt could really do this.
Placing both hands in front of him on the narrow bar, which was rather flexible, Blaine realized as he noticed it bending easily under Kurt's weight, Kurt carefully brought one leg up so that his knee rested on the bar. Than he slid it up further until he'd placed his leg foot flat on the bar. In one graceful movement, Kurt pushed himself up into a standing position, sticking his arms out to the side and aligning his feet, not unlike the way a gymnast on a balance beam would.
The pale boy gentle bounced on the bar, causing it to flex, sinking and straightening. Finn and Puck had a good grip on the ends. Blaine noticed Kurt draw in a breath. And then he pressed more.
Kurt started with a small jump, his feet lifting only inches in the air. He continued to jump, increasing the force and still, landing perfectly balanced on the bar every time. Soon he was jumping straight up several feet into the air and landing back on bar without a waver. This in itself was amazing to Blaine, who stood there captivated.
But Kurt wasn't finished. After he'd jumped several times, he sank back down on the bar and flew up into the air, this time, pushing his body to do three back-flips mid-jump. Blaine stared wide-eyed when he came back down and still successfully stuck the landing on the bar.
How the hell could anyone do that?
Blaine knew if he kept watching, he'd get damn scared that Kurt would hurt himself, even though the next few times he watched him jump and flip and still land perfectly, he was nowhere near being injured.
The curly-haired boy returned to the sway pole. Indulging his thoughts in his own practice, he quickly climbed back to the top and returned focus.
At lunchtime, Blaine found Kurt sitting on one of the benches outside the tent, picking at a sandwich. The curly-haired boy frowned and dropped down onto the bench beside him. But his presence seemed to make Kurt feel loads better. He perked up and smiled at him.
"Hey Blaine," he said sweetly. Blaine smiled back.
"Hey," he said. But he knew something was bothering Kurt. "You okay?"
Kurt's face fell and he sighed, still picking at the sandwich in his hands. "Not exactly," he admitted. Blaine frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. He still hadn't forgotten what it had felt like to lay his hands to that bare shoulder. The massage had done wonders for Kurt's bruised back. The bruises had healed faster and Kurt had told Blaine that he was not against letting him give him a back massage again.
"What's wrong Kurt?" Blaine asked, sincerity in his voice. Kurt looked at him for a moment.
"It's the Russian Bar thing," he said finally. Blaine looked confused. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing it. It's just that, well, I don't enjoy showing off that I can do a lot more than what I'm known for," he said.
Blaine suddenly got what Kurt was getting at. Kurt was happy presenting one side of his talent. He was already the center of the Flying Cheerios. He didn't want to be picked out as the star of every other act too. He'd elected just to showcase one aspect of whom he was as a performer because that was where his heart was and he was just fine sticking to the one thing. But now, Kurt would not only have to perform with the Flying Cheerios but he was going to have to do the Russian Bar act, at least until the girl who normally did it was healed.
For a moment, the two boys sat in silence. Blaine gave Kurt's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't think of it as showing off, because I know you would never do that. Think of it as…familial support," he said finally. Kurt looked at him. "Whether you get along or not, the entire circus is like a family right?" Blaine went on. Kurt nodded. "Family has each other's backs. This is like that. She can't do it so you're lending your support by filling in. There's nothing wrong with that."
Kurt was quiet for a moment. "Hm," he said finally. "I never thought of it that way. When you put it like that, it makes me feel better about it," he said. Blaine smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder again. "Thanks Blaine."
"What are best friends for?" he asked. Kurt couldn't help but smile.
Blaine would be lying if he didn't admit to himself that he wanted to be more than just friends with Kurt but right now, he didn't know him well enough to embark on that path. Right now, it wasn't the time to start a relationship, even if he did find himself falling deeper and deeper everyday. The kiss they'd shared had never left his head. He was always thinking about it.
Kurt lost himself in his thoughts, knowing that Blaine was right. This boy was incredible and seemed to have advice for everything. For a moment, he wondered if he should tell him what had happened a few days ago. But he didn't want to. He really didn't want Blaine involved.
The pale boy turned his head away, biting his lip and flexing his left wrist, cringing when the pain shot up through it. God, he hoped it wasn't broken. His thoughts drifted back to the incident.
Kurt had only been sitting in the center ring, stretching out his legs. Blaine had yet to arrive for the morning training session so he figured he would do some of his own aerials before the other boy showed up and he got to show him another new stunt. Kurt was glad that Blaine seemed to be a quick learner.
Standing up, he turned his head to the ceiling of the tent, stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled, and that white ribbon strip unraveled down to the floor. Kurt was just getting his grip in the cloth to climb up and start his practice when a familiar and unwelcome voice called out behind him.
"Hey fag!" Kurt took a breath and shut his eyes. He didn't need to turn around to know that it was Karofsky. Instead, he tightened his hold on his ribbon and pretended he hadn't heard him, pulling himself easily up onto the strip of cloth. "Hey! I'm talking to you Hummel!"
The next thing he knew, Kurt felt a hand on his shoulder. He clung to the ribbon, using his strength to brace against Karofsky's grasp.
"What do you want David?" he asked, still not looking at him.
"Look at me when I talk to you lady boy!" Kurt turned his head and glared at him.
"Happy Neanderthal?" he spat sharply. Karofsky tightened his grip on Kurt's shoulder.
"What did you call me Hummel?" he asked, voice quiet and dripping with venom. Kurt was not going to let him see the fear that was boiling up within. He needed to stand up to this guy. He couldn't let him get to him.
"Neanderthal," he repeated, voice firm and solid. That did not sit well with Karofsky. His hand tensed on Kurt's shoulder.
For a moment, Kurt thought that the boy was just going to storm off angrily like he had several other times. He allowed his grip on the ribbon to slack, which was a big mistake.
The next think Kurt new, Karofsky had ripped him from the ribbon and thrown him harshly to the ground. Kurt felt his left wrist make contact with the ground and pain shot up through his arm. It took all his willpower not to show that he'd been hurt. Karofsky was glaring down at him. Kurt willed his eyes to hold back tears. The pain was incredibly great.
"Don't ever call me that again Hummel! If you do, I'll kill you and your lover boy too!"
After the threat, Kurt felt a shudder of fear travel up his spine. Karofsky stormed off but one thing sat in Kurt's mind. The boy had threatened Blaine. At this point, Kurt didn't care what Karofsky did to him but he wanted Blaine left out of it.
Finally alone in the tent, Kurt let himself go, crying, but not just for the intense pain in his wrist. It was for the sake of Blaine's safety too.
Kurt knew that he should tell someone about the injury but he was that stubborn. Instead, he'd somehow managed to hide it using the excuse that Blaine's training was more important than his practice to keep from having to use it. No one suspected a thing and he was very lucky that no one seemed to catch him whenever he tried flexing. It had been nearly a week and the pain hadn't let up at all. That wasn't a good sign.
It was now afternoon. Blaine was with Mercedes, learning the proper way to ride an elephant as he thought it might be fun to lead in the procession standing on the back of an elephant that rose onto its hind feet.
Kurt was standing on the platform, chalking up his hands. It had been a bit since he had actually practiced his bar techniques. Just as he was fixing the tape wrapped around his wrist to take his go at the swing, he saw Blaine enter the tent, waving to Mercedes. Blaine looked up flashing him a smile and waving. Kurt smiled and waved back, wrapping the tape firmly into place.
Blaine crossed to the motorcycle, the wire it climbed traveling up to the other platform that the Flying Cheerios usually swung across to in practice, the one where Santana – whom Blaine had learned was the dark haired girl from the aerial act – took her trapeze. Kurt smiled down at him. Blaine was getting exceptionally good at the motorcycle stunt.
As Blaine climbed aboard the bike, Kurt felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Quinn, the short hair blonde, holding onto the bar and nodding to him. "Thanks Q," he said with a smile.
Chalking up his hands one more time, Kurt wrapped both hands firmly around the bar. His wrist screamed in pain but he ignored it, trying to push away the dull ache that spread up through his arm. Now was not the time to show his teammates that something was indeed very wrong. Kurt Hummel did not get injured. Kurt Hummel did not have accidents. Kurt Hummel did not make mistakes.
He sucked in a breath as he heard Blaine revving the motorcycle below him. Arching his form back, Kurt pushed off the platform, his legs straightening and ankles locking tight together as he swung out. He swung both legs forward, increasing the speed and height of the swing. His wrist strained with the flexing movement as he swung back. He ignored it. Down below, Blaine was starting his ascent up the wire.
Kurt managed a few more swings forward and back, maneuvering his aerial swing flawlessly. But than it happened. His wrist, gave the worst twinge yet, causing his hand to shake and the pain was so great, he reflexes immediately swung his hand from the bar. The sudden action broke his concentration and Kurt's graceful form slackened. In his haste to right himself and still ignore the massive pain in his wrist, his other hand pulled its grip.
The next thing Kurt knew, he was falling.
His mind went blank, trying to comprehend what was going on. He could just barely hear Quinn's shriek from the platform. The flying Cheerios were so good, they usually didn't practice with the aide of a safety net unless they were training a new flier, which they weren't.
None of them had ever fallen after they had perfected themselves and certainly, no one expected Kurt to be the first.
Kurt saw a million pictures flash through his head. His mind had dulled out the pain in his wrist as he realized that he was probably going to see the end of his life in just a few moments.
And then he felt strong arms from beneath him. The pale boy opened his eyes, which he hadn't even realized he had closed to see Blaine staring down at him. Blaine. The curly-haired boy was breathing hard. The motorcycle was revving on the wire beneath them. Blaine had sped up the wire and caught him.
"Are you okay?" Blaine asked, voice failing to remain steady. Kurt still ignored the pain in his wrist.
"I am now. Thank you for saving me Blaine." His voice was quiet and breathless. A smiled tugged at the corners of Blaine's mouth but he didn't say anything. Instead, the curly-haired boy held onto Kurt with one arm and used the other to maneuver the bike back down the wire to the floor.
It wasn't until the two of them were back on the floor that Blaine decided to speak.
"Kurt, what happened?" he asked. Kurt could hear the fear in the other boy's voice and his heart broke. He hadn't meant to scare Blaine. He hadn't meant to scare anyone. But now that they knew something was wrong, he couldn't hide it anymore.
Kurt let out a sigh as he heard the sound of footsteps. A few of his teammates, Finn, and Puck had just rushed over. Blaine was still holding Kurt in his arms. Kurt gave them all a weak smile, knowing that he was going to have to come clean. There was no way they would let him continue his aerial act now, not until the wrist healed and he knew he would have to tell them because they would know damn well that everything was not okay. If it were, Kurt would not have fallen.
He ran a hand over his face, his right hand and took a breath.
"I'm sorry guys," he said, giving his head a shake. "I injured my left wrist almost a week ago. I didn't want it to get in the way so I didn't tell anyone and I ignored it."
"Oh Kurt, you're so stubborn," Quinn cut in. Kurt gave her a weak smile.
"I guess it gave out on me up there. It was hurting really bad. The pain hasn't actually let up since it happened. I'm kind of worried about it," he admitted.
The people around him all exchanged looks. It was Finn who spoke up next. "Kurt, how did you injure your wrist?" he asked firmly. Kurt opened his mouth to reply when Finn stopped him. "Don't try to lie. We all know you're not clumsy so there's no way you could have just fallen and hit it."
Kurt sighed yet again. He knew that Finn was right. "Karofsky," he muttered under his breath. Blaine, Puck, and Finn all immediately felt anger flow through them and Kurt hastened on, not wanting them to go off looking for the stupid clown right than. "I decided to practice my sky ribbon while waiting for Blaine to arrive. Karofsky came in and well, he grabbed me by the shoulder and threw me off." He didn't feel much like details right than.
"That asshole! I'm going to beat his face in!" Puck spat angrily. He started to turn and march off, followed by Finn, when Kurt stopped them with his voice.
"There's more," he said quietly. They all looked at him.
"What do you mean Kurt?" Blaine asked. He could sense fear in the boy and clutched him closer, no one even caring that he was still holding the other boy in his arms. They seemed to be more interested in finding out what happened.
Kurt raised his eyes to Blaine's and for several second, blue-green-gray swirls met Blaine's hazel orbs. Kurt swallowed and Blaine saw that he was trying not to cry. Oh God, what had broken Kurt to such fear and…well, sorrow?
"He threatened to kill me," Kurt said, voice barely above a whisper.
"What the hell?" Finn shrieked. Kurt glanced over at him. There was nothing but red anger in his brother's eyes. Puck looked equally angry and both boys were ready to punch something. Kurt still had to finish and Blaine was holding him closer, trying not to cry into Kurt's shoulder because how could anyone want to threaten this perfect and beautiful boy? All he wanted to do was protect.
"Not just me," Kurt went on. Everyone stared at him and Finn and Puck were both swelling with anger. Kurt's eyes went back Blaine's. "He threatened your life too," he finished, his voice breaking and tears finally starting to fall. Blaine stared at him wide-eyed.
"That's it! That asshole either dies or gets kicked out of this circus!" Finn shouted. Before Kurt could protest, he and Puck had turned on their heels and stormed out of the tent. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess at what they were going to do.
But only a few moments later, both boys were storming back, an Asian girl – whom Blaine had learned was named Tina – boy in wheelchair, named Artie, and a tall woman with short blonde hair wearing a tracksuit following them.
"Porcelain," the blonde woman said.
"Hi Coach Sylvester." Blaine recognized the woman's name. She trained the Flying Cheerios. But what she was doing there, he didn't know. He was however grateful that something had stopped Finn and Puck from attempting to commit murder. Violence was never the answer.
"Asian and Wheels said that clown threatened your life," the woman went on. Kurt was slightly confused. He hadn't even noticed that Tina and Artie had been present when he'd told them all. "Is it true?"
Slowly, Kurt nodded his head. Coach Sylvester sighed and looked at Blaine.
"Young Bert Reynolds, take Porcelain to the nurse's trailer." Her eyes went back to Kurt. "I hate to do this Porcelain, but seeing as you're injured, I can't risk putting you in the aerials for a while. You have to do something that doesn't require the use of your wrist. Stay grounded. Work with the Titan Tumblers for a while." Kurt sighed heavily. He knew she was right. He couldn't keep flying through the air with an injured wrist. But if it was properly taken care of, he knew it would at least get better now.
"What about Karofsky?" Kurt heard Puck spit out as Blaine dismounted the bike and started following Coach Sylvester's orders.
Blaine was carrying him away, holding him to him as he heard her reply. "I'll take care of him."
That was the last of the conversation Kurt heard as they exited the tent. He knew that he could walk but he really didn't want to. His good arm was wrapped around Blaine's neck and Kurt was resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. He was incredibly strong, what with being able to easily carry Kurt. The pale boy found this to be just another thing that made him feel even stronger for the boy.
Was it love?
No, he was not going to think that. He would admit that he didn't feel closer to anyone than he did to Blaine but love? Kurt was only seventeen years old. He still had nearly two years left in the circus. He was in the middle of what would have been his junior year if he had been in a regular high school. He was too young for love right?
But there was no denying that he felt something. To be honest, it scared him. A part of him really wanted to be with Blaine. He had a feeling Blaine wanted to be with him too but neither of them felt that it was the right time for a relationship.
No, it wasn't the right time for a relationship.
Kurt let a sigh escape his mouth. He couldn't lie to himself anymore. He really wanted to be with Blaine, but for the sake of the circus and the timing, he was not going to let that happen, not now. There were other things he had to worry about.
He told himself firmly as Blaine rapped on the door to the nurse's trailer that now was not the time for a relationship, no matter how bad he wanted to be with Blaine.
Besides, there was one thing he valued more right than. That was Blaine's friendship. Kurt was dead scared that if they started something now, he'd ruin their status as friends forever.
He definitely didn't want that.
That night as Kurt lay in bed, left wrist properly bandaged and a heating pad resting gently atop it, he allowed his mind to wander.
Yes, he couldn't be with Blaine now, but he could definitely dream about it. He could dream about being with Blaine. God, he'd never felt such a strong desire to be with someone before. But what did it mean?
Kurt had sworn he'd been in love with Finn. And than he had sworn he had a crush on Sam, until it turned out that Sam was in fact straight. Kurt wasn't mad at the blonde boy though. It wasn't his fault he sent the wrong signals. But Kurt had been rather disappointed when he'd found out that Sam was indeed straight.
That frustrated the pale boy to no end. Until Karofsky had ended up kissing him, he was pretty sure he was the only gay boy in the entire circus. He knew he was definitely the only openly gay boy in the circus. But the prospect of knowing the only option he had at a relationship was a bully that pushed him around in order to deny his own sexuality and was afraid to step foot outside of the closet, made Kurt wish he wasn't.
Before Blaine showed up, Kurt had actually made an effort to be the straight boy. He went through a phase where he was ashamed of who he was. This was when Kurt's dad had started dating Finn's mom. And the few times McKinley had been back in Lima, Burt Hummel had spent an awful lot of time bonding with Finn. Kurt felt somehow like he was being pushed away because Finn was the straight son Burt hadn't been blessed with. So Kurt had done the only thing he thought would work.
He'd spent like a week pretending to be the butch boy. Dressing in flannel and baseball caps and even dating Brittany for a stint. Listening and singing Mellencamp, whom he knew his father was a fan of.
But in the end, all it had gotten from Burt was a speech telling him that Kurt's only job was to be himself and Burt's was for him to love him no matter what. That was all it took for Kurt to feel that he was still incredibly important to his father and he'd started being himself and opening up to the world again.
Since than, he embraced who he was. But it wasn't without the bullies in the circus making his life a living hell.
And then Karofsky had kissed him.
Kurt had been nothing but confused about that whole thing. He didn't understand why the bully had done that and instead of feeling like he had a powerful tool at his disposal, he'd kept it to himself. He wasn't one to out someone.
The boy suddenly shot up in his bed. He had just remembered another detail. Karofsky had threatened him with death then too.
He said if he told anyone about the kiss, he'd kill him. Kurt had told someone. Blaine. Oh dear God. Things just got a thousand times worse.
A/N: Wha-bam! Now don't we hate that damn Karofsky even more? The pole swaying thing again is something I saw Bello do! And if you don't know what Russian Bar is, look it up on youtube. It's positively amazing! Pretty dangerous but absolutely amazing! If you watch videos of it, you'll get a better picture of what exactly Kurt was doing. :) Anyway, let me know what you think! Reviews make me smile! If you have suggestions for things you'd like to see in the story, don't be afraid to let me know! Next up, on the road to Toronto! This will likely be a chapter that is Klaine centric because since they'll be traveling, it will be them in their trailer. It will be a mellow chapter obviously but action will pick up again when their no longer on the road! Happy reading!