Odds And Ends
Disclaimer: Nope, Glee's still not mine, nor are Finn or Kurt.
A/N: I'm really sorry for going MIA on you these last two weeks, guys, but some personal things came up that shook me and I wasn't in any disposition to write. Thankfully, all's back to okay, great even, now and I hope you'll like this chapter enough to forgive me!
A/N2: So. For my usual episode rant. Gosh, I finished watching 'Mash-Off' with a gasp and a look on my face pretty similar to Sugar's…utter shock.
Like Kurt said, I am also a great believer in letting people be who they need to be and moving at their own speed as long as they aren't hurting anyone. Only Santana did. Repeatedly. Finn has been having some serious insecurity issues (football, Glee leadership, NYADA, and we all know how self-conscious he is about his body) and Santana spent much of the episode deliberately seeking to belittle him, and in front of an audience, so I'm not surprised he finally snapped.
The writers have really amped up the unlikeable side of Santana this season and in a way, her outing was going to be anything but happy. Finn as per usual meant well but stepped in it and whilst it was not fair for Santana to be outed the way she was, she did bring this situation down on her head for being an absolute b$$ch to everyone around her and I just can't bring myself to feel sympathy for her, sorry.
On a lighter note: Kurt as Yasser Arafat and equestrian Sherlock Holmes…thing. Seriously, was Kurt's fashion sense somehow linked with him being a virgin? That, or Burt has cut down on his Dolce budget since he's running for office. Either way – Glee Costume Department, please stop torturing Chris Colfer and us viewers!
And now, the new chapter. Enjoy!
What Comes Around
Wearing only boxers, Finn sat still, drifting in the inchoate gray space between sleeping and waking. He had been here for the last two hours and he gave up any hope of freeing himself from the cramped, dark space of the pantry.
Resigned, he looked down at his bare feet and shivered, bringing his knees closer to his chest.
"Yeah." He sighed. "That turned out great."
72 hours earlier…
Having slipped into the house, Kurt leaned heavily against the door and allowed himself a deep sigh. It had been a long day, and the dodgeball showdown left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. He still couldn't really wrap his head around how a game, silly and brutal, but still a game, turned to real violence and bullying in a matter of seconds. He wasn't naïve or deluded enough to believe that just because people at McKinley lay off him and New Directions (to some extent) the vicious bullying stopped altogether, but he would have never expected Santana, whom he still considered as one of their own, to treat Rory the way she did and lead the rest of the Troubletones to do the same. That wasn't what Mr. Schue had taught them. More importantly, it wasn't right. He had honestly thought they were better than that.
The sound of the TV coming from the living room made him step out of his head. Curious, he walked into the room to be met with the sight of Sue Sylvester asking "Has Burt Hummel married a donkey?" and Finn chucking the remote at the screen with a growl.
Kurt let his messenger bag drop to the floor and crossed the room in three swift strides. He turned the TV off and turned to his stepbrother, who looked like he wasn't done throwing things yet.
"Just leave the Chinese vase alone," he said wryly, aiming at defusing the atmosphere a little because he feared Finn might explode otherwise. "I just managed to replace it after your last stunt."
"That was an accident, dude!" Finn exclaimed indignantly.
The countertenor planted one hand on his hip and regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, so you accidentally tripped and fell straight on Rachel's lips taking the vase with you?"
He was rewarded with a blush creeping onto the other teen's face and he smiled impishly.
"You always come in at the wrong moments," Finn mumbled. "It's like you're doing it on purpose!" he added, shooting Kurt a reproachful gaze.
The smaller boy huffed, dropping into an armchair next to Finn. "Oh, believe me, scarring my retinas with the image of Rachel Berry surgically attached to your face is hardly something I would do on purpose," he retorted. "I think I'd rather shove forks into my eyes," he added thoughtfully.
Finn made a face at him. "Dude, that's gross!"
Kurt shrugged. "You're rubbing off on me."
Finn narrowed his eyes at him. "I think I'll treat this as almost a compliment."
"Almost makes a big difference," Kurt shot back.
"Like Coach Sylvester almost saying on TV my Mom's a donkey?" the taller boy asked darkly.
Kurt sighed and patted him gently on the knee. "You shouldn't watch these ads, Finn," he said softly. "They're preposterous but you know the Coach. She'll stop at nothing to win."
"Dude, how can you be so calm about this?" the taller boy asked angrily. "Doesn't it bother you that she's saying Burt has some red-assed monkey's heart?"
"A baboon, Finn," Kurt corrected automatically. "Of course it bothers me," he replied. "But destroying household appliances-" he put the TV remote down on the coffee table with a meaningful clang, "-will hardly change anything."
"Yeah, well you don't look very bothered," Finn replied, crossing his hands with a pout.
Kurt felt a spark of anger at that. "Just because I don't go around breaking stuff doesn't mean I don't care," he said. "And stop pouting, it makes you look like a carp with indigestion," he snapped.
Finn didn't really know what a carp was but dropped the pout anyway. "I just don't get it, man. You're always the first to tear people's heads off and fight for what you believe in. You're like, fearless. How can you be so calm and Zen master now?"
Kurt sighed, feeling his initial annoyance ebb away. Finn had that effect on him. "Because I know a lost cause when I see one."
The taller boy furrowed his eyebrows.
"I went to the Coach to give her a piece of my mind on her…campaign strategy," Kurt explained with a shrug.
Finn blinked. "You what? Are you suicidal?"
The smaller boy let a small, lop-sided smile ghost over his lips at his brother's stupefied expression. "I thought I was fearless."
"You…you are!" the other teen stuttered. "But I didn't really think you'd do it! I was only bluffing and trying to poke the bear and stuff."
"Well, you poked well." Kurt sighed. "It's almost frightening how easy it is for you to throw me off balance, Finn Hudson," he admitted, shaking his head.
Finn grinned. "I'm just cool that way."
The smaller boy narrowed his eyes. "Just remember one day you may go too far, Captain Cool," he said menacingly, only half-joking.
Finn's grin widened, though. "Do I get a cape?"
"And a beautiful white strait-jacket to go with it," Kurt retorted, his stern tone ruined by the glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
"Hey, I'm not crazy!" the quarterback protested. "I would so make a cool superhero! Like a vigilante, stealthy ninja Superman guy," he said, his eyes lighting up.
Kurt snorted. "Finn, you wouldn't know stealth if it knocked you over and danced on your chest singing 'stealth is back again!'."
The taller boy rolled his eyes. Then he did a double take, giving Kurt an appraising glance. "Hey, you could be my sidekick!" he offered with a grin. "Little K."
Kurt stared at him, his words for once failing him.
"I think I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear this," he said, once he got his voice back. "Besides, I am no one's sidekick," he added with a haughty sniff. "And the only little thing here is your pea of a brain."
"But dude, we'd make such a good team!" Finn insisted. "I mean, we're so great as normal kids, do you know how great we'd be as superheroes? Captain Cool and Little K to the rescue."
If Kurt slapped himself on the forehead any harder, he'd give himself a concussion.
"Touching," he said, staring Finn down with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "But if you ever call me 'Little K' again, I'm going to eviscerate you with a spoon. Slowly."
"So, no cape?"
"No," Kurt replied curtly. "You'd just trip over it and break your neck anyway. And now, can we please return to the realm of sanity before I start looking for a power tool to chase you around with?"
"Um, sure," Finn replied with a smile. He liked pushing Kurt because his expressions when he was angry were just priceless but he had also learned enough was enough. Either he stopped, or he would really find himself being chased around the house. Or without his hair when he woke up the next day. "So, you really went to the Coach?" he asked instead.
Kurt sighed, grateful that Finn lay off. "Yes. And much good it did me or Dad," he said despondently.
"Hey, you're still alive."
The countertenor shot him a sideways gaze. "Oh, how you always manage to find the bright side."
"Thanks." The sarcasm flew right over Finn's head, as per usual, and he looked at his stepbrother intently. "So, what did she say?"
"That it's not personal," Kurt said bitterly.
"Like hell it isn't!" Finn growled.
Kurt gave him a steady look and continued, "Then she gave me one of the infamous Sue Sylvester life lessons on how winning is all about poo-flinging," he added sardonically with a wince. "And if I want to win the McKinley election, I have to play dirty."
"Poo-flinging? Dude, that woman's seriously out of it."
"Be that as it may, she's on the best way to winning," Kurt replied darkly. "So maybe she's not so out of it after all."
"Dude, she's crazy!" Finn protested vehemently. "I mean, she's something new and people dig it cuz it's like she doesn't have this filter and says everything that comes to her mind without caring for anything or anyone. Sure, we'd all like to be like that from time to time but all the time? It's just rude, bullying and offensive, man, and one of these days she'll slip, you'll see. No matter how much…poo she flings," he uttered, having no idea where this speech was coming from but the intent look in Kurt's eyes made him go on. "Dude, I know I'm just a simple-minded jock, but to me, winning an election is about fighting for what you believe in and convincing others about it, not about making everyone else look bad. That's just mean…and sad."
Kurt blinked, once again wondering how Finn managed to hide so much heart and perspicacity under that goofy, clueless front.
"But you already know that, Kurt," the taller boy continued with a smile, pushing a hand through his already disheveled hair. "I mean, you're like, the only candidate who hasn't flung poo, mud, or anything at anyone. You stayed positive and focused on your cause…which is a salad bar at the cafeteria." He winced. "But still. I really admire you for that, dude. It would be so easy to go down the poo-road but you refused to cuz you're much better than that. You always were."
Finn's words and the admiration in his eyes melted Kurt's heart and he smiled at him.
"You really are full of surprises, Finn Hudson," he murmured, brushing a soft kiss over his brother's forehead.
The taller boy stared at him. "What was that for, man?"
"For being there when I need you," Kurt replied softly. "And being more insightful than half of Ohio."
"Dude, I'm not full of insides!" Finn said indignantly. "I mean, I am, but they're all mine!"
"It's such a relief to know you're not some alien cyborg or the Frankenstein monster," Kurt replied with an eye roll.
Finn grinned. "That would be kinda cool."
The smaller boy shook his head, letting out a chuckle. "Never change, Finn Hudson. Never change."
"Cuz you love me just the way I am?" Finn asked with a teasing smile and Kurt flicked him up the head.
"You deserved it," he stated, sitting back down in his armchair and kicking off his boots. He would put them away nicely later but right now he was way too beat to even wiggle his toes. "That dodge ball face-off was a nightmare," he observed, massaging his right foot.
Finn dropped his head. "How's Rory?"
Kurt sighed. "He'll be fine. Nothing a couple of Band Aids and Tylenol can't fix," he said and shot Finn a playful glance. "By the way, I think he has a kind of a weird platonic crush on you," he remarked casually, trying to hide his wry smile. "He kept asking if you were going to come help him change out of his bloody clothes."
Finn felt color rise in his cheeks and cleared his throat in embarrassment. "He's…he's a nice guy and stuff…but he is getting kinda intense."
Kurt nodded. "Just remember he is only fifteen. And compared to the way I was around you at that age…" he didn't finish, the memory still making him cringe and pray for Earth to open up and swallow him whole.
The taller teen smiled at him. "I guess that's why I'm not freaking out. I remember us then and how tight we're right now…" he let his voice trail and Kurt gave him a warm smile. "I really want to help him but he doesn't make it easy for himself, y'know. I mean, he's so different. That's why he fits with us so well but people like Santana, they live off making people like him miserable."
Kurt looked at him in understanding. "You mean people like you?" he asked softly.
Finn met his eyes with a start.
"Yes, I know about the insult match in the corridor. Or rather the insult knock-out," he added with a sympathetic smile. "Rory told me. And I was there to witness a taste of it in the auditorium, remember?"
The taller boy sighed. "I know I shouldn't have raised to the bait. It's just trash talk and Santana does it all the time but the last couple of weeks? She's been really nasty, Kurt." He let his head drop. "And I did nothing to wrong her! I mean, am I really this disgusting?"
Kurt brushed Finn's hair from his forehead in an affectionate gesture. He was fully aware of just how insecure Finn was about his body, and for Santana to use it so mercilessly against him was just vile.
"Of course not, sweetie!" he assured him. "You're…great," he said cautiously, not wanting to make this awkward. "-and as I recall, your girlfriend thinks the same. That's what matters, not some maladjusted, pot-mouthed Cheerio's barbs," he nudged him lightly in the side. "Besides, I'd have never fallen for anyone who was disgusting," he risked adding in hope of making Finn smile. They were long past that stage but still-
His apprehensions were eased when the taller boy smiled at him. "That's actually comforting, dude," he replied. "In a totally non-gay way, of course," he added quickly.
"Of course." Kurt snorted and pecked him on the cheek teasingly. "Totally non-gay."
"Dude!" Finn exclaimed with mock horror and pushed him away, both of them chuckling.
Finn was the first to sober up. He glanced at Kurt apologetically. "I'm sorry about the dodge ball. I know it was a stupid idea but Santana had me cornered and I couldn't think of anything else."
"That's good old Santana for you," Kurt nodded in understanding.
"Only it isn't," Finn replied, his brow furrowed. "I dunno what's going on with her these days but she's become, like, evil. It's not just her usual abuse, Kurt. The way she treats Rory, it's bullying of the worst kind. Did you know she told him to go and kill himself last week?"
Kurt felt all blood drain from his face. "I…no. That's just-" he let his voice trail because that brought too many painful, awful memories.
"Yeah, it's like she's the new Karofsky," Finn said with a frown, his hands clenching into fists. "Only worse and meaner cuz she doesn't use fists or slushies but words. And it hurts more than any dodgeball in the face," he said soulfully. "I mean, a slushie can be cleaned off and a bruise will heal but you can do nothing about words. They have, like, unlimited shelf life."
Kurt looked at him with sympathy. He knew the place Finn was talking about only too well and he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy. He felt anger rise within him at Santana. Finn was really vulnerable right now – his dreams of playing college football had crashed and burned, New Directions were falling apart, and he was faced with staying behind in Lima when everyone he liked and cared about moved on. It was a really scary place to be, and Santana went there because she could. And because she wanted to. And because she really enjoyed it.
"I know," he finally replied. "And I'm proud of the way you've been taking this."
"Well, I'm not," he replied bitterly. "The dodgeball was so stupid, it was like I gave us all up to Santana on a silver platter…it's my fault Rory got hurt."
"Don't you dare blame this on yourself, Finn," Kurt said vehemently. "It was no one's fault but Santana's."
"But if it hadn't been for me-"
"Stop it, Finn," Kurt cut him off. "Your kindness does you credit but you didn't put that ball in Santana's hand and made her pelt Rory with it until he was bleeding. She did that all by herself. Is that clear?"
"Scary Kurt," Finn said, swallowing.
"I can be a lot scarier," Kurt said in a low voice. "Are we clear?"
Finn gave him a small, grateful smile. "Yeah, we are. I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right, you big lummox," Kurt replied with a huff.
Finn grinned. It never ceased to amaze him that he actually quite liked it when Kurt called him names. To him, it was something theirs and he knew Kurt felt the same way. The teasing and the insults were embedded in the very essence of their relationship, and they served as confirmations that they were in fact so close that such blatant insults like 'lummox' or 'dimwit' didn't hold any meaning. When Kurt called him that, it was almost affectionate. Like the look his stepbrother was giving him now.
"So. I don't want to hear another word about dodge ball, okay?" Kurt said. "By the way, that also entails you never ever again choosing it as a way of solving conflict by involving your innocent friends."
"I learned that lesson the hard way," Finn replied, massaging his still sore temple, where a bruise was forming from Santana's hit. Then he met Kurt's eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't tell this to Rachel but I think I've made my mind about who I'm gonna vote for," he said, lowering his voice and looking over his shoulder as if he expected his girlfriend to jump from behind the ficus tree in the corner wielding a pair of shears any moment. He gulped and forced himself to focus back on Kurt. "You'll make a great Senior Class president, man. The way you stood up for Rory, it was really cool. And how even Santana listened to you. You were like Yoda, man. Only taller and with better English."
Kurt raised an eyebrow at him, trying to cover up how touched he was by his brother's words. "So I'm on a par with a wrinkled, old lizard? Smooth, Finn."
"Yoda wasn't a lizard!" Finn sputtered. "And what I'm trying to say is that you were really impressive…and that I'm kinda proud I'm your stepbrother, man."
"My brother," Kurt corrected him, his eyes turning watery. Collecting himself before Finn noticed exactly how moved he was, he straightened up and crossed his arms. "Besides, someone had to stand up for our leprechaun," he said. "What with you being knocked out by Santana."
Finn shot him a sideways glance. "If you say that a girl beat me, I think I'm gonna strangle you, dude."
Kurt arched an eyebrow. "I think I already did."
"Okay, you asked for it."
The smaller boy was already up and sprinting towards the hallway. "You'll never catch me alive!"
XxXxXxX
Kurt watched Santana jump off the stage and yell at Finn in a stupor. He felt for the Latina because it was true what he had said to Karofsky, he didn't believe in outing anyone and what Finn had done was not on. But knowing what he knew, he wasn't really that surprised. Everyone had a breaking point and Santana had enjoyed bringing Finn to his. So it was understandable he finally snapped and did exactly what she did all the time – he found a weak spot and went for the jugular. Still, given that Finn knew and had experienced first and second-hand what happened to gay students in McKinley, he should never-
Slap.
The sound of Santana's hand colliding with Finn's face had Kurt up and next to the other boy's side, all his doubts temporarily erased because no one, no one hit his brother. Rachel seemed to be of similar mind because she threw herself at the Latina.
In the commotion that followed, with Rachel and Santana going at it, and Mr. Schue and Mike trying to separate them, Finn just stood to the side, petrified. He had no idea what had just happened. His face hurt like hell and he felt like he was drowning. Then he registered he wasn't alone. There was someone next to him.
Kurt. His presence was comforting and he felt huge relief when the smaller boy reached up and put a hand on his shoulder. When Finn chanced a glance at him, his stepbrother's eyes weren't filled with hate or disappointment but with concern, mutely asking if he was okay. When Finn nodded, Kurt gave his wrist a gentle squeeze and turned to the commotion, bravely stepping in between both girls.
"Stop it!" he yelled, using all the volume his singer's lungs allowed and to Finn's and everyone else's surprise, they did.
"Rachel, go take care of your boyfriend," Kurt ordered in an imperious manner and she moved away, giving Santana one last look of death. Then he turned to the Latina, his eyes blazing. "And you keep your paws off my brother."
"This has nothing to do with you, ladylips," the black-haired girl growled. "So just walk away while you still have legs."
"You're not going to scare me, Santana," Kurt said, drawing himself up to his full height, chin tilting and attitude rising until he suddenly seemed a good foot taller than he had been a moment before. "I've had to deal with more than enough bullies to know that you're all cowards."
There were a couple of startled intakes of breath and Finn readied himself to jump in to protect Kurt from Santana's claws but the girl remained still.
"Well, you can die happy now, fruit pie, cuz I'm about to get a taste of my own medicine then, right?" She laughed bitterly. "Are you happy now that your pet knuckledragger did what you didn't have the warblers to?"
"No," Kurt replied sadly. "I feel sorry for you, Santana, I really do-"
"You can go and shove your sympathy up your-"
Kurt shot her such a crushing look that she trailed off.
"No one should be outed before they're ready, not even bullies," he continued. "Finn behaved badly and I'm not condoning what he did but I won't let you put the blame for this on him, Santana. You brought this on yourself."
Santana eyes flashed dangerously. "You sure you want to go down that path? For him?"
"He's my brother," Kurt replied evenly.
The Latina snorted viciously. "Oh? You mean the I'll-let-Karofsky-rearrange-the-lockers-with-Kurt-because-I-can't-be-bothered-to-care brother? The I-can't-be-seen-with-Kurt-cuz-of-my-rep brother?" She laughed bitterly. "You're pathetic, Tim Gunn."
Kurt didn't even bat an eyelid even though it had to hurt. Finn knew it had to. He felt even worse because what Santana said was – had been – true and once again, he was the one giving her ammunition for insults. He tightened his fists and Rachel gave him a concerned look, squeezing his shoulder lightly.
"That's the past," Kurt replied calmly. "We both made mistakes but we learned from them and moved on. Nothing you say will change that so stop turning this around," he stated. "This is not Finn's fault."
"Like hell it isn't! It's all cause this bacon-faced half-witted gorilla couldn't take a bit of truth!"
"Truth?" Kurt asked incredulously. "You call verbal abuse and bullying truth?"
Santana shrugged. "Just because I don't sugarcoat it like the rest of you doesn't mean it's any less true!"
Britt took hold of Santana's hand. "I like sugar," she whispered.
The Latina turned her blazing gaze away from Kurt and as her eyes locked with Brittany's, they softened. "I know. We'll get some of that candy corn you like so much later, okay?"
The other cheerleader nodded and seemed to be appeased. Santana turned back to Kurt.
"You," she sneered, giving him a glare so fiery Finn wondered how Kurt's hair didn't go up in flames. "-are even more naïve and stupid than I thought. You're standing up for that moron when all he's done this year is put down your beloved hobbit! Everyone but you sees how jealous orca here is of your midget. Wake up and smell the coffee, Tinkerbell!"
If Finn didn't know Kurt so well, he would have thought Santana's words hadn't affected him at all. He stood proud and confident, his chin jutting out and his gaze steady. Still, he noticed that his face had become slightly paler and he had to curl his fingers into fists to stop them from nervously fidgeting. Kurt truly was the master of hiding away his emotions if he wanted to but Finn simply knew him too well, and to watch him this affected because of what he did, hurt more than a hundred of Santana's slaps.
"No, Santana," Kurt's confident voice brought Finn back into the face-off.
"You wake up," the countertenor said through gritted teeth. "And for once, look at yourself instead of lashing out at others. You can't use the closet as refuge while hurting everyone around you! Your problems are no excuse, we all have our issues but we don't take it out on others and behave like vicious, heartless jerks!"
The silence that followed was deafening. The Latina stood in front of Kurt with her usual defiance but her eyes didn't hold the same fire any more. If anything, they seemed a little broken.
"Some speech, Harvey Milk. You almost made me puke rainbows," she snarled. "But it doesn't make you any less of a loser. Like all of you," she looked around the petrified New Directions daring someone to oppose her. "I've wasted enough of my time on you," she growled and stormed off, taking Brittany with her.
Kurt looked after them, desperately trying not to shake, until he felt Blaine stand next to him and press a kiss to his temple. "You're the bravest guy I know," he whispered. "That was really impressive…and hot," he added with a small smile.
The countertenor felt color rise in his cheeks but he didn't have time to reply because Finn was walking towards them with Rachel.
"Dude, that was awesome!" he exclaimed from a few steps away. "I totally give it up, you're Captain Cool!"
"Captain Cool?" Blaine raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend. "Do I even want to know?"
Kurt sighed. "You really don't," he replied with exasperation an squeezed Blaine's wrist. "I'll talk to you in the evening, okay? Right now I need to have an eye-to-eye with my brother."
"Be merciful," the black-haired boy whispered, as they both watched Finn come up to them.
"Oh, don't worry," Kurt assured him, giving his stepbrother a bright smile. "I'm in a good mood, I'll settle only for maiming."
XxXxXxX
For a small person, Kurt could sure move fast and Finn had to really step it up to keep up with him as he crossed the parking lot towards the Navigator. He only chanced a glance at him once they were buckled in and moving, and the frown on Kurt's face made him drop his gaze and stay quiet, however much he wanted to thank him.
"Is it true?" Kurt's voice suddenly cut through the wild swirl of thoughts in his head.
He raised his head, meeting the other boy's eyes in confusion. Kurt drew his lips into an even tighter line.
"What Santana said about you being jealous of Blaine," he supplanted. "Is it true?"
"I'm not-"
"Please, for the sake of both my and your time," Kurt cut him off, staring straight ahead with hard eyes, "-tell me the truth the first time around."
Finn dropped his gaze, fiddling with the hem of his jacket. He sighed deeply and knew he could never lie about this after what Kurt had done for him in the auditorium. "I guess…yeah. I am."
Kurt nodded stiffly, still refusing to look at him. Even though he couldn't see his eyes, Finn knew by how tight he squeezed his lips and how white his knuckles on the driving wheel had become that he was angry. Very angry. It wasn't until they had pulled up at the driveway that he spoke again.
"You deliberately shot him down. You snapped at him for no reason."
"I never-"
"No!" Kurt exploded, slamming the driving wheel with both hands. He turned towards Finn, his gaze deadly. "Don't even try to deny it! Goddammit, Finn! I really am naïve, aren't I?" he asked with a bitterness that made Finn's insides constrict painfully. "All this time, I stayed out of it, even though I wanted to rip your tongue out sometimes, because brothers, they don't pick sides when one is feuding with the other's boy/girlfriend. Just like you didn't come in between me and Rachel when she was running against me for class president. That's loyalty and it was you who taught me that!"
"Kurt, you know I'd never-"
"Don't." Kurt raised a warning hand. "I've been putting a blind eye to your behavior because I thought you were just going through a rough patch and needed some time to clean up your act but it's more than that, isn't it? You've changed. You're not the sweet, kind person you used to be."
It was as though Finn's world had caved in on him. The finality and disappointment of Kurt's words cut through him like a knife, and the calm resignation in his tone made his heart clench.
"I…Kurt, I'm still me," he stuttered painfully, and forced himself to look into Kurt's eyes. "Please, you've got to believe it. You've got to believe in me cuz if you don't, I…don't know what I'm gonna do."
"How can I believe in you, Finn?" the smaller boy asked mutely.
Feeling completely useless and helpless, Finn curled his hands into fists. He wanted Kurt to be angry with him, to shout and even punch him, they both knew he wouldn't even try to protect himself and take the punches, insults, anything. Anything was better than this resigned disappointment.
"After everything…after how badly you handled Santana this week…I can't believe you any more, Finn."
"But…you stood up for me!" the taller boy mumbled in bewilderment.
"Of course I stood up for you!" Kurt exclaimed angrily. "You're my brother, Finn, and even though I don't like you very much right now, I love you," he continued sadly. "I'll always stand up for you. But that doesn't mean I'm okay with what you did. Far from it!"
"But everyone already knows!"
"That doesn't make it okay, Finn!" Kurt glowered at him. "And you of all people should know that! You know better than most what it's like for gay students in McKinley and that was a line you should have never crossed!"
"I didn't mean to out her," Finn said. "I just spoke to her in the corridor, like she did to me time and time again! It wasn't like I made sure everyone was looking and shouted at the top of my lungs! She viciously tore me down and enjoyed it, and I was just defending myself in the only way I knew."
Kurt narrowed his eyes at him. "So you're saying bad behavior is acceptable as long as the person it happens to is really mean?"
"What? No!" the taller boy objected. "But I just snapped, Kurt. I'm not proud of it but I couldn't take it anymore!"
"You still could have handled it differently."
"Well, not everyone's Saint Kurt!" Finn snapped.
Kurt drew his lips in a thin line, trying to constrain the anger clouding his brain.
"You're certainly not a saint, Finn," he replied after a moment, "but before, you were always the guy who did the right thing. You struggled and fought with yourself but you always came through. I know Santana crossed every imaginable line and more this week…but I thought you could rise above it and be the better man, Finn."
"Kurt…I am." Finn's tone was imploring. "You know I am."
Kurt's eyes flashed when he met his stepbrother's beseeching gaze.
"Prove it," he shot back.
Finn blinked. "H-how?"
"Apologize to Santana. Look out for her."
"What? She'll literally tear me to pieces!"
"Finn. I don't know if you realize how thin the thread our friendship is hanging on has become. If you don't do something…" Kurt's voice trembled and it was the first time Finn saw an emotion that wasn't anger or disappointment in his face. "I need you to do this, Finn," he continued, his tone almost pleading. "I need you to prove to me that you're still the great boy that I was proud to call my brother and friend."
"Kurt, I-" Finn faltered for a while but that was enough. Kurt's expression turned back to stone.
"Fine."
"Kurt!" Finn called after him, grabbing his wrist to stop him from walking away. "Dude, there's gotta be-"
"Your mouth is still moving," Kurt snapped, looking at the other teen's hand around his wrist with such scorn that Finn could almost feel the holes his eyes burned in it. "You might want to look into that."
"Fine." Finn let go of his hand, his face contorted in anger, and went around him to the house, not sparing him another glance.
Getting inside, he stormed into his room and angrily threw his clothes off, wanting to get into shower and maybe try to get the grime from today off himself and try to make something of his jumbled thoughts. His stomach, however, had different plans and rumbled in protest just as Finn had stripped to his boxers.
Heaving a sigh, he decided to pop into the kitchen and grab a snack he could maybe eat in the shower (Kurt would kill him if he knew but it wasn't like he wasn't on Kurt's most-hated-persons list anyway so he didn't really care). With that in mind, he padded downstairs into the kitchen, which was thankfully empty. Or so he thought. Because when he stepped into the pantry, there was a loud thud behind him and the next thing he knew, he was engulfed in complete darkness.
The present…
"Finn? You ready to come out?"
"Kurt?" Finn called and opened his eyes, his vision blurry. "Is that you?"
"Who else could it be?" came the snarky reply. "Ricky Ricardo?"
"Dude, I have no idea who that is but if you don't let me out, I'm gonna-"
The door swung open before he could finish. He hissed as the light hit his eyes and covered them with his forearm.
Kurt took the miserable sight of his brother curled up into a be-boxered ball on the floor and his heart clenched but he willed it away. They still weren't okay.
"You're free, Willy."
Finn glowered at him and slowly stood up, groaning as his sleeping muscles stretched painfully.
"How long was I in here?" he asked dryly.
"Hopefully long enough," Kurt replied, crossing his hands.
Finn had half a mind to tear Kurt's head off for this stunt but in his heart of hearts, he found he appreciated it for what it was. It was scary to be locked up with only your thoughts when you currently didn't like yourself very much but it made him realize there were still things…people in his life he did like and never wanted to lose. But before he told all this to Kurt, he had to know there was still something to fight for. That he hadn't lost his brother completely.
"Dude, I know you hate me but did you really have to be this mean?"
"Hate you?" Kurt asked incredulously. "I care about you, you moron!"
Finn raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, so that's why you locked me up in the pantry in my underwear?"
"Yes," Kurt replied, nonplussed. "That and my perverse joy at seeing you suffer."
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Finn," Kurt sighed, dropping his gaze. "Our traditional petty bantering aside, I'm sorry for this but-"
"-you couldn't think of anything else and just snapped?" he finished knowingly and Kurt looked at him in shock. "Yeah. Been there, done that."
Kurt shook his head. "I really am sorry. But you can be such a stubborn oaf sometimes and-"
"I'll do it," Finn declared with a sheepish smile.
The countertenor blinked. "W-what?"
"I'm gonna try and apologize to Santana."
"You…will?" Kurt asked, his eyebrows rising to meet his hairline. "Just like that?"
"I'm still getting payback for this when you least expect it," Finn promised, "but you made me think. Like, really think. And it didn't even hurt."
"Oh?" he asked, a small smile curling his lips upwards. "And what did you think about?"
Finn pushed a hand through his hair, gathering his thoughts. "Losing your friendship and trust…that's much worse than being torn to pieces by Santana," he replied with a self-deprecating smile. "I'm sorry I put you through this and I'm sorry about Blaine. I'll try to do better by him. And I shouldn't have let Santana get to me, even she didn't deserve to be outed like that. I'm sorry."
Kurt threw himself into Finn's chest without so much as a warning, eliciting a surprised 'oomph!' from him. Then the taller boy put his arms around his frame, letting Kurt nestle his head in the nook of his shoulder.
"You'll never lose me as a friend, Finn," Kurt said into his shoulder and Finn put his arms even tighter around him. "You're my rock."
Finn smiled into his hair. "Same here, man."
Kurt pulled back, his eyes glassy. "We're hopeless, aren't we?" he asked wryly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.
"No," Finn denied, a serious look in his eyes. "We're great. You're great."
Kurt's eyes shone with joy as he gave him an impish smile. "I think I should lock you in that pantry more often."
Wow, totally the longest chapter yet! I hope I didn't wear your eyes too much and that you liked it! I know it was an emotional rollercoaster and not quite the usual flippant bickering but I feel the episode demanded it…
Reviews make smiles :)
Until next time!
