(A/N: Second to last chapter (not including epilogue)! I hope this is satisfying enough for people. I've been quite sick this week, but I managed to get it to a point that I'm happy with. Thank you to everyone for your condolences, they were very sweet.
Just to a few points raised in reviews: I'm aware that there are Glee clubs in England and Scotland, but I figure that as Hogwarts obviously didn't have one and Harry had little to no contact with pop culture after the age of 11, he probably wouldn't have known it; or, if he had heard of it, wouldn't remember. There will be a sequal (though it may not be for a month or two), and several plot threads I've started here will be continued there. I started and planned out this story before Never Been Kissed, so plot threads like Rachel and Finn breaking up, Sam's family, Karofsky's subplot and the like are totally AU; I just didn't make room for them. I may deal a little with Karofsky, because I love his character, but other than that it's totally AU from then, with only the occasional connection.
Once again, thank you to everyone who reviews. I absolutely love you all, and it makes my day that much brighter when I see I have another one. Seriously, I check on my phone at least once an hour! Oh! And inbetween the end of Anonymity and the as of yet unnamed sequal there will be a couple of one-shots in this 'verse. The first one will be called 'Sexual Education (For the Borderline Asexual)'. I'm looking forward to writing that one XD.
"Oh my God, please don't hurt us, please..."
"Let her go, you crazy bitch!"
"I said shut up!" Harry gritted his teeth as Rachel whimpered and Kurt caught a breath. Just do what she says, Kurt. I'm on my way. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.Delmonico sounded totally deranged, like Deatheaters sounded after a while in Azkaban, her voice tense but hysterical and her inflections slightly off. "Come on. We're going for a ride. Now. Get in or I swear I'll shoot you right in the fucking mouth."
"What happened to your other car?" Kurt asked her, and Harry's train of thought paused so he could listen. Kurt's voice was pointed, hard, like he was trying to tell Harry something. Come on, Kurt, I can hear you. I can help you. "This isn't the car from before, this is a blue Ford-"
"Shut up, you little freak!" Delmonico hissed, and Harry grinned a little as he listened to the doors closed. Kurt remembered that I was listening. I know what car to look for. Come on, Kurt, give me more, but don't make her angry, just try... "Just buckle up. We're going for a ride."
"Where are you taking us?" Kurt demanded, and Harry could hear Rachel crying close by. There were rustling noises near the phone - it must be in his pocket, don't muffle it, Kurt - and Kurt's voice continued evenly. "This is a lot of effort. Why didn't you just kill us at my house and run? Why bother taking us away from the house?"
"Oh no, that's not enough," Harry slowed down for a red light and listened closely to the woman's rant, noting Kurt's words. That's it, Kurt. Get a location. Maybe I can beat you there. "I'm going to make sure it works, this time. You're going to die, you hear me? Just shooting you straight out - no, that's not enough. We're going back to where you fucking leeches ruined my life."
"The school?" Kurt guessed, and Harry flicked on his indicator, peeling off from the wrong lane the second the light went green, towards William McKinley High School. The woman laughed and spoke in a babying tone that reminded Harry of Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Very good! Will must be so proud of you. His precious fucking babies, his fucking needy babies who he loved more than me," she laughed cruelly. "And guess what? You'll get to tell him how clever you were when we get there."
Rachel gave a terrified moan and Harry's gaze flickered to his phone. Kurt's voice was a surprisingly deep growl when he spoke, "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing!" Delmonico snarled, and Harry could hear tires screeching in the background. "I would never hurt Will. I love him. I just told him to come to the school alone if he ever wanted to see his precious Rachel alive again. You're just a delicious bonus."
"Then you don't need both of us," Kurt pointed out, and Harry shot his phone a hard glance out of the corner of his eye. Don't do anything stupid, Kurt..."Let Rachel out. You can do whatever it is you're planning with me."
"Kurt, no," Rachel whimpered, echoing Harry's thoughts. Kurt ignored them.
"Come on, she's just going to be loud and in the way. It's her default position. Let her go. I'll go with you. I won't try to run or anything."
"Shut up," Delmonico snapped, and Harry dug his fingers into the steering wheel when he heard a smack. Jesus, did she just turn to slap him while driving? The screeching tires point to yes. Maybe police will pick her up before she gets there. "If I've got both of you, I want both of you. Will is going to see just how pathetic his precious club is."
"What are you trying to achieve, here?" Kurt demanded, and Harry silently willed him to stop making Delmonico angry. "You think that if you kill a couple of kids he thinks of like his own that he's going to go back to you? News flash, psycho, he's not as crazy as you are!"
"Shut UP! Oh my God, do you not remember who is holding the gun here? We're nearly there. You're going to stop talking and get out of the damn car, or I'll shoot your skank friend. Got it?"
"Fine, okay, just calm down," Kurt's voice was more subdued, and Harry tried to calculate how far away he was from the school. Maybe three minutes. Have to slow down, don't want her to see me and panic. Disillusionment charm once I'm out of the car, walk softly.He slowed down when he heard a car door slam through his phone, and listened closely to Delmonico's mutterings.
"C'mon, c'mon, hurry up. We need to get inside."
"What are you going to do to us?" Rachel asked tearfully, and Harry winced when it made Delmonico snarl.
"I'm going to kill you, what do you think? We're going to scurry onto your precious stage, show Will just how pathetic the bugs he left me for are, you'll die, end of story."
"So we're going to the Auditorium?" Kurt confirmed, and Harry mentally cheered. And now I have a location. I can't Apparate, I'm too loud still - I never did get the hang of doing it quietly. I'll park here and run under Disillusionment, that'll be safer. He pulled over quickly and opened the door, grabbing his phone and charming himself unnoticeable before getting out of the car and running towards the school at the end of the street. He could still hear Rachel crying and Delmonico swearing in the phone, but he focused on Kurt's careful breathing to guide him, his world narrowing to one singular purpose; making sure that breathing continued.
He saw the car Kurt had described in the parking lot, and slowed to a silent jog as he approached the entrance of the school. The door was ajar; as Harry slipped through he noticed a piece of metal jammed against the handle, keeping it open and preventing it from locking. It was Kurt's cuff-link. He jammed the door...? Merlin, this boy is smart. I wouldn't have thought of that. He could hear muffled voices down the dark empty hallway, and slowly hung up the phone, hoping it didn't make a noise that gave Kurt away. He quickly sent off a text message to Hermione - "K&R taken. WM auditorium. 911" - before following the footsteps. Kurt's other cuff-link was on the ground a ways in front of him, and his blue silk scarf was on the doorknob of the entrance to the greenroom. He's made a trail to their location. Brilliant.Harry ducked forward and looked through the window of the doors to the Auditorium, seeing Delmonico pushing Kurt and Rachel in front of her towards the stage. Harry thought quickly.
First priority: safety of Kurt, Rachel, and possibly Mr Schuester. Second priority: concealing magic. Third priority: concealing skills. Fourth priority: apprehend Delmonico. Currently concealed magically. Six entrances to stage. Stay hidden, wait for the right moment. Side entrance safest, the one Kurt indicated, go.
He slipped into the side door that lead to the change rooms, leaving Kurt's scarf on the handle and running silently and quickly entering the green room. He slipped backstage, concealing himself in the shadows and dropping the charm on himself. No more magic unless absolutely necessary.
Kurt and Rachel were kneeling on the ground, huddled together near the middle of the stage. Kurt had his arms around a still weeping Rachel, and was glaring at the ground furiously, casting his eyes around in a way that Harry recognised from war time; he was looking for an escape or rescue. The wizard felt proud of the non-magical boy; in a situation where most teenagers would be reacting much the same as Rachel he was keeping a cool head, doing everything he could to help a rescuer find them, but not playing the hero and risking their lives. Harry focused back on their kidnapper.
For the first time, Harry got a look at Terri Delmonico. She was thin, like the police had described, with dark blonde hair that hung limply around her face. The lines on her face were stark, and her eyes were sunken - it was the look of someone who had stopped taking care of themselves quite suddenly. She was dressed in black and armed with a hand gun, pacing at the front of the stage, her hands twitching as she muttered and tossed her head. She was watching the door, occasionally pointing the gun in the vague direction of Rachel and Kurt and making Rachel flinch. Harry crept towards the edge of the curtains, out of sight.
Five point four metres distance between me and Delmonico at shortest point in pacing. Kurt is wearing talisman and will likely protect Rachel if the gun fires. Can throw a wandless Shield Charm if necessary, but will have to erase memories.
"Where the fuck is he?" Delmonico suddenly shrieked, actually stamping a foot. "Goddamn it, doesn't he know that I'm going to kill you? Maybe he doesn't care."
"Or maybe he doesn't want to walk into an obvious trap!" Kurt snarked, shifting Rachel in his arms. "Or maybe he told one of the dozens of police officers looking for you that you texted him."
"He won't, I told him not to," Delmonico insisted, compulsively checking the gun. Rachel whimpered and Kurt flinched when she snapped the chamber back into the weapon, and she laughed. "Aw, poor babies. Daddy isn't running in to save you, is he? Not going to make it in time to stop me from splattering his stage with your brains."
Kurt cringed and pulled Rachel closer to him as she sobbed. His eyes were bright with fear, but anger burned through behind it, keeping him together. The flamboyant boy was crouched, ready to move at a moment's notice, with Rachel more or less collapsed on top of him. Harry judged the distance between the two kidnapped teens and Delmonico. Far enough, she keeps turning away. Jump out then, make sure she aims for me and not them. No magic. Harry stalked forward towards the edge of the curtain that concealed him, easing himself through the shadows towards where Delmonico was pacing. His instructors' voices whispered in his ear.
Timing is everything.
If you're going to startle, protect the bystanders.
It's better to get a slight injury than leave yourself off balance.
Never stop moving.
Delmonico looked back to the doors of the auditorium, probably looking for Mr Schuester. The gun was pointing at the ground. Now.
Harry leapt forward from the shadows. Rachel screamed as Delmonico swung around, raising the gun. She fired wildly. Harry's mostly dormant survival magic burst into life, and time slowed down.
He could see three bullets coming towards him as though through molasses, so slow he could see the air rippling around them.
Duck and roll, third will graze but will put me in position to disarm her.
He tucked his shoulder down, only barely faster than the bullets, ducking his head and launching himself into a roll. His magic surged him faster than the area around him; he would look like a blur to people seeing the world at normal speed. He rolled, the third bullet still grazing his shoulder as he suspected it would, but he didn't flinch. The pain was minor, tiny compared to what he had felt before, tiny compared to what he would feel if he failed here.
Get to the gun, knock her down. Stun her, don't kill her. Use your momentum.
His momentum pushed him forward, onto his feet, leaping from his crouch to grab Delmonico's wrist. The gun went off again, but upwards, shattering a light and making glass rain down onto the stage. Harry couldn't consider it, couldn't think about how it fall on Kurt and Rachel, on himself, on her. He just twisted the now screaming woman's wrist so the gun fell from her hand, catching it with his other hand so it didn't fire as it hit the ground.
Get rid of it, don't let it fire. Off the stage, it won't be able to reach us if it goes off.
He threw it off the stage and ignored the thunk of it hitting the ground. He rammed his shoulder into her stomach, knocking her too the ground. He felt the crack as her wrist broke; he was still twisting her hand from when he'd disarmed her.
Whoops.
She fell back, and he hit her with a silent, wandless Stunning curse. It wouldn't have knocked out a wizard, rushed and weak as it was, but on a muggle it would work just fine. She hit the stage with a thump, Harry crouched over her and catching the front of her shirt so she didn't hit her head.
Three seconds from the moment he'd stepped out of the shadows, it was over.
Harry rose to his feet. Time rushed back to him, and he became aware of the blood on his arms from the glass that had fallen, the sweat on his face, the thump of his heart. He checked that Delmonico wasn't going to wake up (or die) before turning to Kurt and Rachel. The wizard's stomach dropped when he saw Rachel's eyes shut, her face pale and her head against Kurt's chest.
"Was she hit?" he asked Kurt hoarsely, rushing to drop to his knees next to the other two teens. He sent a scan through her, but Kurt confirmed what he found.
"No, I think she just fainted, oh my God, Harry," Kurt's mouth was trembling but he seemed unharmed, his hair clinging to his forehead and his eyes red rimmed. He reached up and caught Harry's hand desperately, and Harry reached across Rachel's prone form to press a desperate kiss to the side of his mouth. So close, too close, nearly lost him, nearly lost them both... "She went limp when the gun went off but I haven't been able to find any blood - Harry, I didn't even see you move."
"I've got good reflexes," was all he could say, sighing in relief and checking Rachel's pulse out of habit. His magic was settling down, still just buzzing underneath the surface but not completely carrying him like it had been. The danger had passed - now he just had to deal with the aftermath. "That was too close. Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine," Kurt shook his head, shifting Rachel in his arms and trying to shake her awake. Harry took the girl out of his arms as Kurt spoke in a tense voice, lowering her to the ground carefully and gently tapping her face. "It didn't even hurt me when she slapped me earlier. Usually I bruise when I brush past a branch, but I'm totally fine. And when the glass fell it just slid off me! I think Rachel has a few scratches, I covered her the best I could but it happened so fast..."
"It's okay, you did great," Harry soothed him, carefully brushing some stray glass from Rachel's clothes. "Really, Kurt, you did amazingly for someone with no experience in a crisis. You let me know where you were, you kept your cool, you left a trail... I never would have been able to get to you in time without everything you did. You were amazing."
"I didn't even see you move," Kurt repeated in a stunned voice, his eyes so wide they reminded Harry of Luna Lovegood's. "You just came out of no where and - it's really - you're really -"
Kurt seemed to cut himself off when Rachel whimpered, and both boys looked down at her with concern. She brought a wavering hand up to her face, but Harry caught it before she reached her eyes. Best check for glass before it goes near her face. The feeling seemed to rouse her and her eyes slid open as she gasped, looking from side to side at the boys kneeling next to her.
"Where's - where's..." she slurred, trying to sit up. Kurt helped her as Harry spoke.
"She's unconscious, and probably will be for a while. It's okay, Rachel. It's over."
"Harry?" the girl's voice started to clear, and her vision focused. "Harry? Why are you here? Where are the police?"
"On their way, I expect," he assured her, leaning back and reluctantly letting go of Kurt's hand. "I asked Hermione to call them. I'd better go grab the gun, if she does wake up - which she probably won't - we don't want her to have it."
"We've got to get out of here!" Kurt exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He dragged a still slightly fuzzy Rachel up with him, and she stumbled. Harry leapt up to catch her before she fell, and Kurt looked at him with frantic eyes. "If she wakes up - "
"She'll discover that her wrist is broken and so are a couple of her ribs," Harry interrupted, steadying Rachel with one hand. "She's not going anywhere for a while. I hit her pretty hard."
Kurt huffed a nervous breath and looked over Rachel's shoulder at the unconscious woman, "Still, I'd rather wait for the police outside-"
"Wait, someone is coming," Harry caught Kurt's hand and tugged the boy behind him, motioning to Rachel with his other hand. As the girl scurried behind him he used his magic to enhance his hearing. The boy sighed sighed. "It's the police, we're alright."
Sure enough, moments later there were police bursting through the doors, shouting for Delmonico to freeze and looking startled to see the three teens unharmed and unimpressed instead. Harry and Kurt exchanged a glance as Rachel ran towards the door with a shriek, having spotted Mr Schuester just outside. It was over.
Three hours later found Harry sitting once again in the Lima Police Station waiting room next to Kurt, Remus once again asleep at his side. His shoulder had been stitched and bandaged by a paramedic at the scene at Harry's insistence - Kurt wasn't going to the hospital and he didn't want to leave Kurt's side. The wizard almost regretted it now, the deep sting of the bullet-graze pounding with his pulse, but he just gritted his teeth and kept glaring at the wall. Burt Hummel was this time sitting with them as they waited for Mr Schuester to finish speaking to the police. Rachel was being treated for shock at the hospital, while both Kurt and Harry had simply wanted to give their statements and go home. Terri Delmonico was in police custody at Lima General with a broken wrist and three broken ribs, courtesy of Harry's tackle.
Mr Schuester had comforted the kids on the front steps of the school while the police placed Delmonico (whom Harry revived as soon as the police were standing over her, much to their collective surprise) in the back of the ambulance under heavy guard.
"When I got the text I went straight to the police officers outside," the teacher admitted, rubbing a weeping Rachel on the back as she cried into his shoulder. "The text said not to, but what could I do against someone with a gun? I didn't want to risk you guys like that."
"You did the right thing," Harry had assured him quickly, squeezing Kurt's cold hand and letting the boy rest his head on the wizard's. "Honestly, it's a better idea to let a professional take care of it than try to play the hero."
Mr Schuester had shot him a wry look and shaken his head, "Just like you didn't rush in alone, right Harry?"
Harry shrugged, unrepentant, I am a professional."I couldn't put the phone down if Kurt was going to let me know what was going on, and I couldn't just do nothing. I told Hermione to call the police, and it worked out okay. I knew what I was doing."
Kurt let out a little hysterical laugh, "I'll say."
He had then buried his face into Harry's hair, and he hadn't said anything else or pulled away until his dad screamed up in his car. Then there were statements to make and parents to reassure, police running to-and-fro and cell phones ringing endlessly as Gleeks tried to find out what was going on. Harry had had to give his statement with a social worker present because they hadn't been able to wake Remus up and he'd had to defend his decision to follow Kurt's leads rather than wait for police until he was blue in the face, but finally it was all done.
At the police station, after giving his statement, Kurt had finally broken down and cried in his father's arms. Harry had stood by nervously, wanting to help Burt comfort Kurt but worrying that he might be overstepping a boundary. His heart twinged to see the way Burt cradled Kurt protectively in his arms, tears of relief pouring down the father's face uninhibited, just too relieved that his son was safe. Harry had looked over at Remus at that point, to where the man was still asleep on the chair Ron had deposited him on before rushing back to Harry's place to help Hermione field calls from New Directions. The werewolf hadn't stirred, so dosed up as he was, and even if he'd been awake Harry knew that he would be comforting the man rather than the other way around. He'd caught Burt Hummel's eye over Kurt's shoulder in that moment, where his longing and sadness was shining in his eyes, and the man's expression was pitying. Harry had just looked away.
Kurt was very quiet as they waited for the police to tell them what to do, and he kept shooting Harry odd glances. Harry had initially attempted to make conversation, but after a few monosyllabic answers the wizard shifted uncomfortably and tugged on his fringe, not bothering to speak anymore. Is he upset about me not calling the police, or that I injured Delmonico? Maybe he's just tired and scared, not everything has to be about you, Potter. He did just get kidnapped by a psychopath. Not everyone is as used to that sort of thing as you.
A police officer dropped a phonebook, and Remus started awake at the noise. He blinked blearily and looked over at Harry. Harry raised an eyebrow as the man looked around the room, "...'arry?"
"Yes, Remus?" he sighed, rolling his eyes. Remus mumbled on.
"Where 'm I?"
"At the Lima Police Station again. Thanks so much for your help this evening, by the way."
"Oh...'kay."
The man's head dropped back to the seat and he started snoring again. Harry sighed. He jumped a little when he felt a gentle hand on his arm, and he looked over to a red-eyed, pale faced Kurt.
"How are you holding up?" the taller boy whispered hoarsely, before coughing a little. "Sorry I've been so quiet, it's just - it's all catching up to me, you know? We could have died tonight."
"I get it, it's fine," Harry caught Kurt's hand and squeezed it. "I'm okay. Don't worry about me. Are you okay? I mean, I know you're not okay, but is there anything I can do?"
Kurt smiled weakly, squeezing back, "I'm just going to need some time to... get over it, I think. Dad said he'll call a therapist in the morning, someone who's qualified to deal with trauma. Would you... like him to give you the number, when he finds one?"
"That's okay, I'll just write to my therapist in England," Harry frowned suddenly. "...why didn't I think of doing that earlier? Like, when all this started and I started freaking out? He said I could if I needed to talk. Damn it, I'm an idiot. But it's fine; like I said, you actually can get used to this sort of thing after a while."
Kurt winced sympathetically, then hesitated. He had a look on his face like he was dying to say something, but he glanced around nervously. Harry subtly angled himself towards Kurt so the boy could whisper to him easily, and Kurt caught the movement and smiled a little. He leaned in and practically breathed into Harry's ear, "Can you come to my house tomorrow, when everything has settled down? We need - I have something I need to tell you."
Harry pulled back to look Kurt in the eye, wary. Kurt noticed his expression and forced a smile, "It's nothing bad, Harry. I just need to tell you something. Can you come?"
"Sure," Harry agreed, his mind racing. I have a very bad feeling about this. Kurt turned back to his father then after another weak smile, and Harry was left alone with his thoughts and his unconscious guardian.
What could he need to talk to me about? What if he is having second thoughts about us, now that he's seen how dangerous I am? What if he wants to leave Lima after everything that's happened? I can go with him if he does, as much as I like the other guys I want to stay with Kurt. Maybe it's nothing to do with that. Maybe there's something totally different, like some social faux pas I don't even know about that I've made and he's never going to speak to me again-
Harry felt Kurt's hand slip into his, and his rushing thoughts slowed down. Or maybe I should just relax and worry about that tomorrow, after I've slept and brushed the broken glass out of my clothes. Enough has happened today already.
A police officer approached them from behind the desk, and Burt and Kurt both stood up anxiously. Harry allowed Kurt to tug him to his feet with a grimace. He addressed Burt without sparing the two teenagers a glance, a triumphant look on his face, "I just got word from the officers at the hospital, sir. Delmonico has confessed to everything, and didn't have an accomplice. You can head on home; there's nothing more to be done tonight."
Burt sighed in relief and tugged Kurt under his arm, "You're sure she didn't have help?"
The officer nodded, "She explained how she did everything without it. It was just her and her mental illness. Your son should be safe now."
Kurt looked over to Harry from under his father's arm. He was smiling widely, with tears in his eyes. He was sniffling when he muttered, "Finally. Honestly, this has been the worst few weeks of my life for a long time."
When Harry shifted, the taller boy shot an apologetic look over his shoulder and amended it to, "With some bright spots, too."
"Thank you."
"You folks can go home whenever you like. We'll leave the officers outside your houses tonight, just to be safe, but you should be able to go back to normality tomorrow," the sergeant continued, ignoring the two boys. Burt nodded and reached out to shake his hand, allowing Kurt pull away to hug Harry. Harry slipped his arms around Kurt's narrow waist and squeezed back, pressing his head against Kurt's chest next to his heart. The thump was comforting against his ear, and he felt a little disappointed when Kurt pulled away. The taller boy bent his head to whisper into Harry's ear.
"You'll come over tomorrow?"
"I will. About 10 okay?"
"In the morning? No, make it noon. I need to sleep for at least 12 hours to make up for the last few. Dad-" Kurt looked over his shoulder at his father, who was on his cell phone. When Burt covered the mouthpiece and raised an eyebrow, Kurt continued. "Sorry. It's just - can we wait for Mr Schuester? I don't think it will be long, and I really want to see him before we go."
"Kid, tonight we can do whatever you want," Burt said gruffly, before turning back to his call. "Carole? Change of plans. We're going to be a while longer..."
Harry tugged Kurt back to him impatiently, snuggling up against his chest again and smiling when he felt slender arms wrap around him. Kurt giggled a little and dropped a peck to the top of Harry's head.
"My little cuddle-junkie," he quipped, his voice warm and affectionately teasing. Harry pulled back for long enough to stick his tongue out at him, then dropped his head back against Kurt's chest. He felt his own tension melting away for a moment, but his relief stopped when he heard Kurt's hesitant voice against his hair. "I really want this, Harry. I want to be with you. That's not what tomorrow is about, okay? It's something else. Okay? Don't worry. It's okay."
Harry tensed for a moment, and paused. The amount of 'okays' in that sentence make me nervous. Is he lying? No, he wouldn't lie. But if he's telling the truth than what could it be about? What's wrong?Kurt's heart thumped against his ear, the solid, steady beats soothing him again, "Okay. I trust you."
Kurt pulled away again, but before Harry could be disappointed he was leaning down and pressing his soft lips against the wizard's chapped ones firmly. Then he was running towards Mr Schuester as the man exited a conference room and throwing his arms around the teacher, leaving Harry with tingling lips and a faintly worried feeling. Harry caught Burt's eye as Kurt talked to Mr Schuester in a hushed voice, and blanched when he saw the considering look in the man's eye. Burt raised and eyebrow at him and folded his arms.
"You dating my son now?" the man asked gruffly, and Harry winced at the veiled threat in his tone.
"Yes, sir," he confirmed, glancing at Kurt out of the corner of his eye. He was too tired to be truly nervous of his boyfriend's father, no matter how fiercely he glared (or how aware of the man's shotgun Harry was). It's almost lucky this is happening now. Usually I'd be Disapparating to Paris if someone looked at me like that. "I care about Kurt a lot and want to be with him."
Burt looked at him with a suspicious eye, "I thought you weren't gay."
Harry shrugged. Seriously, muggles? Get over your labels. Probably easier not to explain it, though. It's not like I'm going to be dating anyone but Kurt for a long time. "I didn't think I was. But I know that I'm at least bisexual now. I really like Kurt."
Burt nodded thoughtfully, his face not giving anything away, "You're going to take care of him?"
"He doesn't need much taking care of, but in any way he'll let me, yes," Harry shrugged helplessly and gave a little wry smile. It's not like someone as independent as Kurt is going to need a lot of doting. Won't stop me from trying, though.
The father sighed, squinting over at where Kurt was hovering over the pale Mr Schuester. There was a long pause as the man tried to find the words, and Harry waited with trepidation. Burt spoke slowly, thoughtfully, "You know, I always thought I'd be your typical shotgun-wielding- redneck-daddy when Kurt started dating a boy... but I like you, kid."
Burt looked back at Harry with a gentler expression. Harry felt his eyes go a little wider at the sincerity in the man's tone, "I mean, I'll still kill you if you hurt him, but I don't think you will. You stand up for him at school, you ignore what the little punks there say about you, you don't let them push you around... Kurt's always going on about how brave you are. That's the kind of boy I want for my son. Someone who's as brave as he is. You treat him right, you make him happy, and as far as I'm concerned you're part of the family. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Harry responded automatically, his face a little flushed and his heart swelling with joy. Part of the family... Burt took a deep breath, and shot a glance over Harry's head at Remus.
"And even if things don't work out between the two of you - not that I don't think they will, you seem to be pretty good together - you can still stay if you need to. If things get too hard at home," Burt's voice was a little rougher, and he seemed to be fighting off a scowl at Remus as the werewolf snored on his chair. At Harry's quirked eyebrow, Burt insisted. "I'm serious, no matter what. Even if things go south for you and Kurt, if you need a place to go, you're welcome in my home. I'm not going to leave a good kid like you in a bad situation if I can help get you out."
"Thank you," Harry murmured. Even as he felt a surge of protectiveness for Remus he felt himself getting a little choked up. Merlin, he's like a slightly-redneck Mr Weasley. How do I keep finding such welcoming people?
Kurt and Mr Schuester joined them then, Kurt slipped back under his father's arm. The teacher shot Harry a weak smile, rubbing a hand over his red eyes, and Kurt nodded to his father.
"We're heading home now. Do you need any help getting Remus to your car, Harry?" Kurt asked, shooting Remus a disapproving look that was so like his father's that Harry smiled a little. Remus chose that moment to slide off his chair with a mumble, remaining where he'd landed in a heap. Harry cringed.
"It's fine, I can carry him," he assured the assembled people. Mr Schuester patted him on the shoulder and wandered out with a mumble about getting some sleep, and Harry waved Kurt and Burt away. "Really, it's fine. You should go home and rest. I'll see you tomorrow, right Kurt?"
"Noon," Kurt confirmed, and allowed his father to started leading him away. He hesitated after a few steps, then pulled away from Burt to run back and kiss Harry again, just a rough peck against the side of his mouth, before he was rushing back to his father's side and waving back. "I'll see you then! Call if you need anything!"
"I will!" Harry called back. He turned back to Remus with a sigh. He surveyed the heap of man with a critical eye. "I don't suppose there's any way you're going to wake up and make my life easier?"
Remus just snored. Harry sighed again, "Didn't think so."