Disclaimer: I don't own Glee
Chapter 25
It is said that when a person wakes up that they experience a few moments of complete bliss and ignorance.
But it only takes a matter of seconds for all the worries of that persons waking mind to rush back.
Kurt lay in the darkness, letting his eyes adjust until he could make out Finn sleeping in the bed next to him.
He wasn't sure whether Finn was really asleep or if he was pretending, just like he himself was, but Kurt didn't want to call out and see.
His eyes were sore and damp, as if he'd fallen asleep crying and hadn't stopped.
He wasn't sure when he'd finally managed to get to sleep but he was certain he hadn't been asleep for long as it was still dark outside and the room had that unmistakable feel of night, that feeling that just by being awake you're doing something forbidden.
Usually Kurt loved the feeling, it was peaceful, it made him feel safe and it gave full permission to be lazy as the only thing to do was go back to sleep, to wake up later when it was time. Often it was a good time to think and plan the day ahead, but now Kurt didn't want to think and he had no idea what he was going to do when morning really came.
After a long while, when Kurt had decided that he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, he quietly sat up and tucked his knees into his chest.
He breathed in deeply and gently cleared his throat. It was bone dry.
Looking over to Finn and deciding that the other boy was either a much deeper sleeper then he was or just a very good pretender he swung his legs over the bed. He hadn't needed the cover as the room was too hot so he just quietly eased himself off the bed and padded silently to the kitchen.
He slowly felt his way down the hall into the living room and after bumping into a few plants he managed to find his way to the kitchen.
He fumbled round the cupboards and after a long time of trying to be as quite as possible finally found a mug.
He turned on the tap and filled the mug, the sound of the water seeming twice as loud in the silent kitchen.
As he sat on the sofa and drank deeply it felt like he was replenishing his tears.
He gazed into nothingness as a feeling of despair gripped him.
"I don't know what to do"
He let the mug drop onto the ground with a thud.
"I don't know what to do!"
Kurt shuddered as he covered his face with his hands.
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He was dreaming again, the same familiar dream, the sun was shining into the windows of their new house, Kurt was singing, like he always did in the mornings, and he was smiling…
Humbert didn't want to open his eyes, he never did when he was dreaming of Kurt, he didn't want the spell to be broken.
Unwittingly his eyes fell naturally open and no matter how hard he wished it to return, the dream was over.
He looked around him and groaned when he found himself on the ground next to his door, the place where he'd finally fallen asleep.
He shifted his stiff and sore limbs and then suddenly he remembered, the sounds of Kurt crying, screaming, sobbing…
He covered his eyes with his hands, he knew what he had to do, he had to take Kurt back home, he-
Suddenly he froze; was that?
He shot off from the ground and followed the sound to the living room where there, there stood at his very bookcase was the boy who he thought of night and day.
Stood, one knee slightly bent, head tilted looking down at one of his very own CD's, his brown hair falling into his eyes, the sun shining on his skin… and that voice.
Oh, he had never known beauty like this. His skin tingled with the sight.
"Memory, all alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then, I remember the time I knew what happiness was, let the memory live again"
Kurt's voice was a whisper, soft and angelic.
"I don't know how to love him."
"Oh!", Humbert exclaimed out loud and Kurt, startled by Humberts sudden presence turned round quickly and nearly dropped the CD he was holding.
Humbert froze to the spot when he saw how beautiul Kurts face was when surprised, his eyes wide and shining.
"Coach! I didn't know you were there, you scared me!"
Humbert watched in a sort of daze as Kurt hurridly attempted to put the CD back in the book shelf.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"
"Don't worry, you can look!"
Humbert hurried over to where Kurt was standing trying to stop his voice from shaking, "Which one have you got, oh of course, The best of Musicals collection, I purchased it quite recently actually, I've suddenly discovered an interest in it- would, would you like to play a track?"
Kurt stood tentativly for a moment and then nodded his head jerkily.
"Great! Lets just-"
He took the CD from Kurts hands and walked over to an old looking music system which was both a tape and CD player combined.
"There we are"
Kurt found himself relaxing when he heard the familiar intro to 'The Music of the Night'. He let a small smile grow on his face, despite the tiredness he felt and the headache that was forming behind his eyes. For Kurt, 'The Music of the Night' felt like a lullaby and he found himself drifting to sleep where he stood.
On Humberts part he was finding it difficult to breathe: Kurt was smiling again!
A million different thoughts exploded in his head, maybe there was a chance?
"Kurt, you know you can talk to me about, about whats happened-"
Kurts face didn't change, the smile stayed but tears were welling in his eyes and a small shake of the head told Humbert that he wasn't ready to talk.
"Ok, ok. I tell you what, lets go get some breakfast, hm?"
Everything about Kurts stance reminded Humbert of a frightened animal, ready to bolt, and Humbert reminded himself to be gentle.
"What do you fancy? Toast? Or maybe eggs? How about pancakes?"
Humbert listed off the foods as he led Kurt into the kitchen.
Every touch, every brush of his hand against the boys shoulder, every time he caught a smell of his hair made him want to pinch himself to check he wasn't still indeed dreaming.
His hand lingered on Kurts shoulder as he sat him down in a chair.
He coughed as he forced himself to turn away from the boy, "Right, pancakes will be ready before you know it!"
Kurt watched as Humbert busied himself with finding various ingredients and other things required for making breakfast.
"Thank you"
A cloud of flour exploded from the bag as Humbert gripped it too hard.
"What?"
Kurt shifted a little in his seat, "Thank you, for letting us stay here, for…for everything"
Humbert felt weak, "Kurt, I told you I'd be there for you, and I meant it"
He tried not to show the emotion in his face, suddenly he remembered why he'd done all this in the first place, Kurt needed him.
"Why are you helping me so much? I'm so grateful, but I don't really understand"
Humbert looked up and was met with Kurts confused expression, his heart began to beat faster. "Just call me a good samiritan"
Kurt smiled, but it dropped quickly and he looked down at his hands.
Humberts heart was beating uncomfortably now, he didn't want to pick up the eggs in fear he might drop them his hands were shaking so badly.
"You've been amazing, but, I can't stay here forever, I need to- to, um-" Kurt gave a deep, shuddery breath.
"I need to go, and s-sort-"
The whisk fell into the bowl with a clatter.
"Kurt, Kurt, I havn't been a hundred percent honest with you, the reason I was at the hospital, I havn't told you the full reason, you see, your dad, your dad and I, we'd grown quite close, and when I heard about the terrible accident I went to visit him and he told me, he said, he asked me, to look after you both if he died, he told me to make sure you were safe and cared for. I didn't want to say anything cause I thought it was insensitve but Kurt, Kurt I'm moving, I'm leaving Lima and I want you to come with me!"
Kurt looked at the man in shock, "What, when?... What?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I know this is strange, your going through so much change, but think about it, this place is already up for sale, theres already a buyer, we could go as soon as everything is finalised, I'm quitting my job, and then, then Kurt I could foster you, you and Finn and you can get away from everything, leave all this worry behind, you won't have to face any of it, you won't have to go back to that school, to those people, we can go wherever you want!"
Kurt didn't get a chance to respond before Finn walked into the kicten.
GGGG
When Finn woke up it didn't take him long to remember yesterdays event, what had happened and where he was.
He ran to the bathroom and threw up as all the pain that had ebbed away in sleep rushed back all at once. A new wave of tears overcame him and he suddenly found himself on the brink of a panic attack.
"What to do, how to move him. I've been changed, yes really changed. In these past few days, when I've seen myself, I seem like someone else."
He slowly pulled his head away from the toilet bowl as he heard the music.
What the hell?
He walked, still in the makeshift pyjamas leant by Humbert, to the living room where the music was playing.
There were the plants, the sofa, the aquarium, the hanging bird cage, but no sign of Humbert or Kurt.
He padded into the kitchen, feeling in a daze when he found them.
"Kurt?"
Kurt was sat at the kitchen table, hands gripping the seat of his chair, his shoulders raised and his eyebrows higher still.
Humbert was stood right in front of him, in the middle of what looked like a very animated discussion.
"Kurt, are you ok?"
Humbert abruptly turned away and busied himself with making the pancakes once again, but now there was a heavy handedness in his movements. He breathed deeply as he slammed the frying pan onto the oven, the breath came out his nose as a kind of loud snort.
Kurt was finding it difficult to speak. He just nodded meekly, still trying to process what he'd just been told.
"Kurt?"
"Morning Finn, sleep well? Come on, take a seat, how many pancakes do you want?"
"Actually I'd like to have a word with my brother, if that's alright with you?"
Humbert gripped the spatula harder, "Of course"
Kurt didn't resist when Finn grabbed his arm and yanked him into the living room.
Humbert glared at their retreating backs.
"Kurt, come on dude, I'm gonna get changed and then we're going home"
Kurt still had Humberts words spinning round his head, you won't have to face any of it.
He looked around him dully, how hadn't he noticed before? The place was virtually empty apart from the odd bit of furniature and the plants…how had he not noticed all the boxes?
"No"
Finn threw his arms up in the air, "What?"
"No, no Finn listen, we could go, leave everything behind, he could foster us and-"
"Excuse me?"
Kurt raised his voice as Finn began to pace the room in disbelief, "He can foster us! We can go anywhere!"
"OUR PARENTS HAVE JUST DIED!"
Kurt flinched and covered his ears with his hands.
"OUR PARENTS HAVE JUST DIED AND YOU, YOU WHAT? JUST WANT TO RUN AWAY, RUN AWAY WITH OUR FOOTBALL COACH? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? AND WHAT'S WITH THIS GUY? I'M LEAVING NOW, AND YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!"
Kurt gripped his ears tighter, "NO NO NO! SHUT UP, JUST SHUT UP! YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME THEY'RE DEAD FINN, I GET IT! I GET IT! I GET IT!"
Humbert raced into the room at the sound of Kurts shouts. Seeing Kurt he ran to him, grabbed him and gripped him tight.
"I know they're dead, I just want to forget, I don't want to know, I just want to forget, please just stop it Finn!"
Humbert closed his eyes as Kurt sobbed in his arms. He knew now what he had to do, Kurt needed him, and he was never going to let him get hurt ever again.
Never.
He glared at Finn.
"I'm sorry, God Kurt, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout, I'm just…I'm scared!"
Humbert thought for a moment, "Finn, its ok, I understand-"
"No you don't!"
"Ok, ok, let's just calm down, Finn, come sit down"
Finn looked like the last thing he wanted to do was sit down, but one look at Kurt's sobbing frame and he found himself obeying the Coaches beckoning hand.
"Kurt, Kurt come on now, shall I tell Finn what we were just talking about?"
Kurt nodded and took a quick and embarrassed look to Finn.
Finn looked to Humbert both irritably and expectantly, "Finn, me and Burt, well we were actually quite good friends"
Finn looked to Kurt, his face unbelieving.
"When we found each other at the hospital, I'd…I'd just left Burt's room and-"
He paused for a moment for dramatic effect, "I couldn't believe it when they told me that he'd…" he looked to Kurt quickly, "…passed on, I mean I was just there, talking to him, telling him that everything was going to be ok, that he shouldn't be talking the way he was-"
"How was he talking?"
"This was my friend, hurt, in pain, just lying on that bed, nothing I could do-"
"Dude!"
Humbert froze, he slowly looked up to Finn, "Don't…"
He had to close his eyes for a moment to stop himself from shouting at the boy, calm down, don't blow it.
"He told me that…that he wanted me to make sure the two of you were safe, to look after you if he died. Finn, I'm moving house, I'm quitting my job and leaving Lima, and, well, I want you to come with me."
Finn's eyes widened and he looked to Kurt to for his reaction, the other boy just sat there, in a world of his own.
"Finn, I know that this is hard, I'm your football coach for Gods sake! But, Burt was a good friend of mine and, I made a promise to him, please, let me keep that promise."
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A/N: I think I'm finally starting to work out everything in my head, which means the actual fostering is going to happen very soon! For me Humbert is a very mixed up character, but what's important is that he does have a slight conscience, he truly loves and cares for Kurt, but he also has a very split personality, one second he's seeing reason the next his obsessions and delusions take over and he looses all reason. That's pretty important for the rest of the story!
Love to all my readers!