Title: Narrow Stairs, Chapter Eleven – As The World Falls Down.

Pairing: Kurt/Finn

Warnings: Recapping of violence, some sexual stuff but not too much.

Word Count: 2,272

Rating: PG-13 I'd say.

Spoilers: None.

Disclaimer: Glee does not belong to me, these characters aren't mine, they would never do these things, I mean no disrespect, blah blah blah…Death Cab For Cutie owns Narrow stairs and David Bowie owns As The World Falls Down.

Author's Note: I'm so happy with how this chapter came out! It started off as a terrible piece of shit, but somehow it managed to blossom into something wonderful. I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I do!

And no, I'm not sure how the next chapter is going to turn out yet. You'll just have to wait and see ;)

As The World Falls Down.

1

Finn wheeled Kurt to the front doors where Mr. Hummel was waiting with his car. Finn and Mr. Hummel managed to get Kurt in the front seat without causing him too much pain, and Kurt opened the window so they could talk.

"Come straight home, okay?" he said, then smiled. "It's my first decree."

Finn smiled back. "Yes, sir."

Kurt flushed, and Finn found that he was starting to like that, liked how it made him feel, liked how easy it was. "I'll see you soon." Kurt started coughing again as he was driven off.

Finn turned around, nearly walking into Mercedes. "Uh, hi," he said. "You were standing pretty close behind me."

Mercedes grinned at him, but it wasn't a friendly smile, more like that of a cat who had finally cornered a mouse. "I know. We need to talk. Walk me to your car."

Finn gulped. "I'm sorry about this morning, in Spanish. I didn't mean-"

She stared at him. "What? No. Forget that. We need to talk about Kurt."

Finn felt himself go pale. "Oh."

"Yeah. Come on, let's go." She prodded Finn, sticking a finger into his ribs. He started walking, leading her inside and to the elevators. He kept quiet, figuring that was his best option.

"As I'm sure you know, Kurt's been keeping me fully updated about your…goings on," she said.

Finn found his throat was suddenly dry. "He has?"

"Oh yes. In detail." Finn went from white to bright red. "You've been an ass; no point in trying to sugar coat it. Objectively, I could see how this might be hard for you, but I'm not a very objective person. Kurt is my best friend, Finn, and I'm not going to stand idly by while you break his heart."

"I'd never—"

"Shut up, white boy. I'm not done yet." The elevator dinged open and a small crowd of people got out, leaving it empty. Finn pushed the P2 button, and they started going down. "Look, I know you have it in you to be a decent person. I haven't forgotten everything you've done for Glee, especially back when we first started. And I think you could be good for Kurt, if you let yourself. But if you don't step it up and be a man, I'll make your life a living hell. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Finn said, resisting the urge to add ma'am.

"Good." The doors opened, and they started walking towards Kurt's car. "I need a ride home, by the way."

"I promised Kurt I'd go straight home," Finn told her.

Her lips tightened, and she pulled out her cell. "I'll let him know you'll be late."

2

Finn pulled up in front of her house fifteen minutes later. The ride had been one big lecture, accented by what he could only assume was Mercedes' angry playlist. He looked at her, silently begging her to get out of the car. She stared back, eyes narrowing, and Finn wondered if she could read his mind.

"Treat him well," she said eventually.

All in all, the words weren't as deadly as he had been expecting. "I will."

"Don't think Kurt won't be keeping me updated, because he will," she added.

"Okay."

"And try not to be too much of a guy about it."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Mercedes, has it ever occurred to you that I actually like Kurt, and I don't want to hurt him?"

Judging from her expression, it hadn't. "He's my best friend," she repeated, getting out of the car. "He needs someone to look after him."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "I think he can handle himself."

"Yeah, well, we'll see." There was a quiet buzzing, and Mercedes pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Kurt's wondering where you are. You better get going."

Couldn't agree more, Finn thought. "See you tomorrow."

Mercedes scoffed. "We'll see about that."

Finn drove off, wondering what she meant. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

2

Finn found Kurt lying on his bed, bowl of chicken soup on his lap, Desperate Housewives on the TV. He was propped against what looked like a mountain of pillows.

"Took you long enough," he said, taking a sip. "Though I guess if Mercedes was involved, it probably wasn't your fault."

"She can be pretty…intense," Finn said, eyeing the bed. "Can I sit down, or would it hurt too much?"

Kurt smiled at him. "I thought you'd never ask. You can be my pillow; I made my dad give me every last one, and he'd probably like a few back." Wincing a little, he set his soup down on his bedside table. "I'll need your help, though." Finn put a knee on the bed, and Kurt hissed in pain. "Be careful."

"I don't know how to be more careful," Finn replied. "I need to, y'know, put my weight down."

"Find a way," Kurt snapped. "You're supposed to be making me feel better, not worse."

It was then that Finn started to suspect that taking care of Kurt wouldn't be quite like anything he had done before. "What do you want me to do?" he asked, trying to keep his voice diplomatic.

"I don't know."

Finn sighed. "Are you sure you want me to sit with you?"

Kurt glared at him. "If you're just going to be a jerk about it, then I guess not. Do you know what time it is?"

Finn, confused, pulled out his phone. "Uh, almost four. Why?"

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god." He grabbed a pill bottle and shook two tablets out, swallowing them with a sip of water. He lay back against the pillows, eyes closing. "Sorry," he muttered. "Maybe you can wait until the Vicodin kicks in?"

"Yeah, sure." Finn leaned down and kissed the top of his head before heading over to his own bed. He pulled out his Spanish textbook and stared at it miserably. "Don't suppose you're up for helping me study?"

"Not unless it's about Wisteria Lane," he replied.

Finn sighed. He'd figured.

3

"Hey, Finn?"

He looked up from his Spanish homework, happy for the distraction. "Yeah?"

There was a long silence, and Finn was about to go back to studying when Kurt finally spoke. "I need your help with something."

Finn stood up and stretched. "Yeah?" he repeated.

"You're going to think it's stupid, but it's not."

Finn went over to Kurt, sitting very carefully on the edge of his bed. He didn't flinch, so the painkillers must've kicked in. "What is it?" Kurt looked up at him, and Finn saw the determination and seriousness written all over his face. Finn took his hand, expecting the worst. "You can tell me."

"I need you to wash my hair." Finn laughed, unable to help himself, and Kurt glared at him. "I won't be able to do it myself; I can hardly breath, let alone lift my arms. You wouldn't want my hair to get all stringy and oily, would you?" Finn shook his head, barely able to contain his laughter. It was just such a Kurt thing, to take his hair this seriously. "It's not funny, Finn." That, of course, didn't help anything. Kurt swatted his arm, and Finn thought he could see some playfulness sneaking in. "I mean it." Finn started laughing again, bringing one hand up to cover his mouth. Kurt smiled, though he clearly didn't want to. "Finn…"

"I love you." The sudden declaration seemed to take the air out of the room, and he stopped laughing. Kurt's eyes widened, and his mouth opened wordlessly, clearly not knowing what to say. That makes two of us, Finn thought. He looked away, standing up awkwardly. "So, um. Your hair?"

"Uh, yeah." Kurt sat up, and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Can you help me up?"

"Yeah." Finn wrapped an arm around Kurt, taking most of his weight. "How do you want to do it?" he asked.

Kurt leaned on Finn, snuggling into his embrace. "Mmm."

"Kurt?"

Kurt's eyes flew open. "Sorry, what?" He flushed. "I think the Vicodin makes it hard for me to focus."

Finn readjusted so he could hold him more easily. "You wanted me to wash your hair?"

"Oh, right. If you could get the shower to a decent temperature, I'll—"

"Shower?" Finn interrupted.

Kurt gave him a strange look. "What, were you expecting me to bend over the sink?"

"No, but…"

"You can wear your clothes for all I care, but I need your help." Kurt tried to move away from him, to stand on his own, but he swayed, and Finn caught him, wrapping both arms around him, holding him. "Sorry," he repeated, voice breathy. "I guess it makes me dizzy, too. Can you get me to the bathroom?"

Finn walked them over to the bathroom, not saying anything. A shower? With Kurt? His stomach was knotting itself as tightly as it could, torn between nerves and excitement and a sign in his mind flashing NO over and over again in big, red letters. There was something else he didn't want to name, but Kurt would find out for himself if he didn't get away from him soon. "What…?"

"Put me down on the toilet," Kurt said. "I need to sit. You know how the shower works, right?"

Finn set him down and turned away. "I've been living here for a week, Kurt," he said, turning the water on, holding his hand under the tap until it was the right temperature. He stayed that way for a little longer than necessary, willing himself to calm down in every sense of the word. He took a deep breath and turned around.

Kurt had managed to get his shirt off himself this time, but he was stuck on the ace bandage. "I can't find the stupid edge," he muttered.

Finn knelt in front of him and put his hands flat on Kurt's chest. "Let me know if I'm hurting you, okay?"

Kurt's eyes slipped closed. "Mmm."

Being as gentle as he could, Finn ran his hands over his chest and back, looking for the silver clasp. He could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing, saw every hitch when he accidentally touched a bruise. Without being aware of it, his breathing fell in time with Kurt's, and he was more than a little sorry when his fingers stumbled across cold metal instead of coarse cloth. "Got it," he said, voice coming out oddly rough.

"Be careful," Kurt whispered, barely loudly enough to be heard above the running water.

Finn nodded. He removed the clips easily, putting them on the sink. "Put your hands on my shoulders," he instructed. Kurt did, biting his lip against the pain. Finn took the end of the bandage and started unrolling it, going slowly, exposing a little more bruised skin with each revolution. Eventually it was completely off, and Finn found he had to fight down a sudden wave of anger. Kurt's whole left side was a sunset of bruises, skin stretched tightly from the swelling. Finn noticed a bruise on his arm, too, and he reached up gently, brushing his fingers against it questioningly.

"They grabbed me," Kurt said, voice still quiet. "And slammed me against the lockers. Karofsky punched me, my eye and then my nose. I fell, hit my head against the floor. They kicked me. I don't know how long it went on, but eventually they stopped. I guess I managed to get myself to the nurse's office, I don't really remember." A ghost of a smile touched his face. "And then you came."

"Kurt…" Finn breathed, unable to say anything else.

Kurt opened his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it anymore." He took his arms back and undid his jeans. "Can you, uh, take these the rest of the way off?"

"Stand up," Finn said, working to keep his voice even. "You can rest your hands on my shoulders again if it helps."

Kurt did, fingers digging in, using Finn to support himself. Keeping the faces of Kurt's attackers in mind, he slid Kurt's jeans off, leaving his boxers on, trying not to think of what was right in front of him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking up at Kurt. "Are you ready?"

Kurt nodded. Finn stood up and Kurt didn't move his hands, letting them slide down his body, coming to rest on his hips. His good eye was wide, filled with things Finn couldn't understand. He leaned down, kissed him gently. Kurt's eye closed and he moved closer, pressing his bare chest against Finn's. Finn didn't know what was so special, couldn't figure out what was different from this morning, but there was no apprehension, nothing holding him back anymore. He cupped Kurt's head in one hand, supporting his neck, and moved the other down to his ass, feeling the silk beneath his fingers, feeling Kurt's gasp.

"You can't do that," Kurt said, breaking the kiss, resting his head on Finn's chest. "You can't do anything that screws with my breathing."

"Sorry," Finn said, smile playing around his lips, and said again, "Ready for your shower?"

Kurt nodded, but made no attempt to move. "You gonna keep your clothes on?"

Finn considered it. It was the safest answer, definitely, both for Kurt and for him. He didn't want to do anything to hurt him, but he also didn't want to do anything that might trigger his panic reflex. "Yeah."

Kurt sighed. "I thought so. Come on, let's go."

10