Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

Chapter 14

Kurt collapsed down to the ground, arms wrapped around his knees.

It was late and the school bell had rung a long time ago, the building now virtually empty.

Kurt had escaped his brother, who he knew must be looking for him somewhere, but he didn't care, he didn't want to be home, he didn't really want to be here either, he felt like he didn't want to be anywhere in the world. If it were up to him, he wouldn't even be himself.

He let the tears flow unchecked, he didn't even really know what he was crying about anymore, he had so many reasons swirling around in his head.

A hand on his head shot him out of his dark, teary world.

He looked up, expecting to see Finn, but it was Coach Humbert that was standing over him looking concerned, Coach Humbert who sank down to one knee and placed a consoling hand on Kurt's shoulder.

"Was it you? Did you tell Puck that Azimio was involved, did you tell him to beat them up!"

The Coach lied easily.

"What? Kurt I am a teacher, a member of staff, I-"

"Its just you told everyone it was Karofsky, which didn't help by the way, it made things a lot worse, and I just thought-"

"Kurt, I swear to you I had nothing to do with this, I found out today, it saddened me it had to happen, I've lost a valuable member of my team"

Kurt suddenly felt embarrassed.

"Oh my God I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't be talking to a teacher like this, I shouldn't be blaming you, its just-"

"You've got so many thoughts going on at once that you can't seem to focus on just one, can't seem to think straight?"

Kurt looked at him in amazement, "Yes, yea that's exactly it"

The Coach moved round so he was sat next to Kurt.

"Sometimes I feel the same way"

Be careful, don't sit too close, don't spoil things now!

"Often I can get myself so confused, like I want to give up, but you just need to find something or…someone…that's worth carrying on for"

He looked closely at Kurt, put his hand on the boys knee.

Kurt didn't seem to notice.

"I thought I had found someone like that, but- oh my God, you don't want to hear this"

Kurt tried to get up but the Coach just gripped his knee tighter.

"Tell me"

Kurt looked at him, feeling a little strange at the situation, but oddly calm.

"It's…my boyfriend, he's, he's leaving and-"

Humbert stopped listening for a few seconds.

He had a boyfriend?

How had he not known that?

Here he was getting rid of all these people and all along there was someone who was closer then all of them?

A boyfriend?

But wait, Kurt said he was leaving.

"- and we had this stupid fight and now I don't know what to do"

Humbert tried to remain focused.

"Hold on, where is he going to…again?"

"London"

"Oh yes…you said…how long for?"

Kurt wiped his nose with his sleeve, "I don't know, but it sounded like for good"

The Coach tried not to cry with joy, taking a mental note to write and cross that out in his notebook; at least he wouldn't have to whack anyone round the head with a baseball bat again. He was making fast progress without even trying.

"I don't know what to do to make it better with my dad-"

"Wait, you had a fight with your dad?"

Kurt looked at him oddly.

"Yes, I said"

The Coach remained silent, and just began staring at him.

"Oh yes…you said…."

The familiar feeling of anger started to return to him, he knew the time would come to get rid of the father soon.

"What happened…again?"

Kurt's feeling of discomfort returned, feeling like he was betraying his father, but it had been a long time since he'd been able to just unload onto someone.

"He just, he doesn't understand at all, I know it sounds cliché for a teenager to say his father doesn't understand him, but he just doesn't"

"No Kurt, it's understandable to feel like this, our parents are the ones we expect to understand the most but actually at times they understand the least"

"Yes, yes, exactly! I-I know he tries hard, but-"

"It's not enough"

"Exactly!"

Humbert gazed at Kurt, a feeling of warmth flooded through him, he was helping him, he was making him feel better, all these people were letting him down, but he was helping, Kurt wanted it, Kurt wanted his help, he….needed him.

"I thought I meant something to Blaine, I thought I was more important to him-!"

Blaine….bye bye Blaine…what a stupid boy.

"I-I-I don't know what do to! No matter how much-"

Humbert inched closer, Kurt was so deep into his rant that he didn't notice the feel of the coaches leg pressed side to side with his, his skin and flesh so numb everything around him fell away and a mans arm around him felt like nothing but his imagination.

"I know how you feel…"

"What am I supposed to do? Like, they're all acting like it's my fault about Puck-"

"Yes, you don't need that…"

The Coach gripped Kurt tighter.

"Just forget about them…"

He started to rub Kurt's back roughly, he'd lost control of his senses, someone needed him again.

"Co-coach-"

"Just forget…"

Kurt couldn't move, he tried to break free but the Coach was practically clinging onto him, his hands grabbing onto his clothes.

"Coach, please!"

Kurt shoved the Coach off with all his strength and scrabbled to his feet.

"What are you doing?"

Kurt had backed against the corridor wall, watching the Coach rise to his feet slowly, an odd expression on his face.

"What's wrong Kurt?"

Kurt was frozen against the wall, his eyes wide and unblinking, he felt like he'd woken from a bad dream, he wasn't sure what was real….

"Kurt, I think you need to sit down, you look pale, I think you should get some water"

"But-"

"We were having a conversation Kurt, a nice conversation and you just…jumped up like a….crazy little possum or something"

"What?"

"Go have a drink and a sit down, I'm…sorry if I've upset you"

Kurt was breathing heavily now, he brought his hand up to his throat.

"Ok, I'm- I'm sorry"

"Its ok, heh, no problem, sounds like you've got a lot on"

The younger boy nodded and stumbled down the hall, feeling like he was walking on jelly.

A young woman who was twirling her blonde ponytail around her one hand and sucking a cherry lollipop with the other watched her rainbow friend walk down the hall. She thought it was nice to see people have a hug, she thought if more people shared a hug the world would be a more happy place.

GGGGGG

"One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me"

The first thing Kurt saw when he slid into the choir room the next day, half an hour late, was Rachel trying to pretend that she didn't see him. He could tell because her eye brows had shot up her forehead and she had the expression akin to someone sucking on a lemon.

Mr. Schuester shot him a quick smile as he slunk into the first seat he could find.

Even though it was him in the seats and the rest of the club on the stage area, he felt like the one on show.

He was trying to act as if it were any other day, but he was pretty sure it wasn't normal to stare at your blank phone just to make it appear as if you were busy.

"Hi Kurt"

Kurt suddenly found his vision filled with the red of a cheerios uniform as Brittany enveloped him with a hug still standing up so that she was basically just hugging his head and shoulders.

"I like hugs too Kurt"

"Oh, thanks, Brittany…wait what?"

He suddenly felt like he'd swallowed an ice cube.

"I just wanted to say Kurt that-"

Kurt leaped from his seat as soon as he heard Rachels voice and found himself walking on auto-pilot towards Will Schuester.

His legs had decided to take him there before his mouth had decided what to say.

Mr. Schue smiled pleasantly. "Heh, Kurt, got held up somewhere?"

"Sorry I was late"

The man frowned, but still smiling.

"That's ok, it's just you missed the last of our 'under appreciated show tunes' and…Kurt?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Schue"

"Oh ok, ok, come on, come on"

Kurt tried to keep back the tears, but somehow seeing a smiling face brought them all up.

"Right, guys just, some improvisation yea?"

As Kurt was gently led out the room he heard the spiteful tone of Rachel. "It's all about Kurt isn't it"

He felt like walking and never stopping.

"Whoa, heh, wait, Kurt, I-", he sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"Kurt, I don't know exactly what you're going through-"

"Nor do I"

He sighed heavily.

"Kurt, come with me"

"What?"

"Come on, just…humour me yea?"

Kurt sniffed, wiping his nose with his sleeve and nodded meekly.

GGGGG

The Coach rose from his chair as he looked down at the notebook with the assortment of names all crossed out.

He stared at the name Blaine and wondered how evil that boy must be to have done what he did to Kurt. He had him, he had had him and he threw it all away.

All these people…these evil evil people…Kurt needed him to save him from them, Kurt depended on him.

He took a deep breath. He wouldn't let him down, Kurt was struggling and he needed all these parasites extracted.

He wrapped his arms around himself and closed his eyes.

He could still feel Kurt next to him, could still smell him as if he were in the room. He wanted to feel that every day, his boy, his Kurt. His songbird.

He rose from his chair with his eyes still closed and his arms still wrapped tight around himself. He walked to the door and bumped into the wood, pushing his forehead against the surface. He began to bang it against the door, over and over and over…

He needed something, he needed another hair or piece of fabric or a song…wasn't Glee club going on right now? He had to hear that beautiful voice again

His eyes rolled in his head like marbles in treacle as he opened his eyelids.

He opened the door and made sure to lock it behind him.

GGGGG

Kurt walked out onto the stage and gazed across the auditorium.

He wasn't sure why he was here, but he had to say, it calmed him a great deal. The darkness, the spotlight, even the smell just made him feel completely free. It made him think of a future, a future as a star where every day was a day where he was happy and doing what he loved.

"Mr. Schue why am I here? Do you want me to sing about my feelings? Do you think it will make me feel all better because I'm sorry but I don't feel like singing right now"

Kurt swivelled round as he heard the powerful chord played on the piano behind him.

It echoed around the large school theatre and sent shivers down his spine.

Kurt walked closer as Will played a series of seemingly random chords, all of them discordant and emotive.

He paused as Kurt approached and patted the seat next to him.

The boy smiled as he lowered himself to the seat and tentatively a few arpeggios.

Will placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He slammed his hands against the piano and made the air shake.

Kurt laughed despite himself and slammed his own hands against the keys until the two were playing the weirdest duet Kurt had ever heard.

He didn't know what kind of 'therapy' this was, but it was working.

Coach Humbert felt the sting of blood as his nails scratched down the wall.

Kurt rose from the chair laughing and Humbert watched as Will placed his arm briefly around Kurt's shoulders.

It was time.

GGGGG

A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I havn't found the right moment to sit down and write! I've been wanting to for ages! This isn't my best chapter, I really want to start getting to the fostering but I'm struggling with how to get there, I'm getting myself confused with who knows what, what's happened to who etc, I'm loosing track with my own plot! I need to get going! ^^ anyway, hope you like this one in the meantime!

Oh yea and the song extract is from 'One night in Bangkok' from Chess.