AN: this is part of a personal challenge/project filling all the prompts of past Kadam weeks, and posting one every day from March 28 to May 8th, 7 prompts per year 5 previous rounds (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 last two managed by vcg73) the first week of May 2-8 will present to you the offering for the Kadam Week 2021 you can search for more on tumblr
This is the offering to Kadam Week 2014 prompt 5: Fight for you
At the very beginning of the semester, Kurt was just too excited to finally be at Nyada to really notice much of what was going on with the other students, besides the basic concept that surprisingly it was high school all over again…
And maybe soon after Kurt was already a little too infatuated with the British man to spare much consideration to what the other students were gossiping about… All of Kurt's attention was for Adam himself.
when Adam focused so much of his time on convincing Kurt to accept compliments graciously, the only thing filtering into Kurt's brain had been Adam, his accent, his voice, his looks that the rest of the sycophants leeches pretending to be sharks swimming through the Nyada's corridors simply didn't register because they were not important.
Once they actually got together, Kurt started noticing.
He noticed how at times Adam's shoulders grew tense, and how his bright eyes became slightly duller, before a calm and confident smile hid it all.
Being Adam's boyfriend was exceedingly easy, and sometimes a little frustrating, Adam insisted on always seeing the best in everyone and every situation. But that also meant he wasn't sharing what really troubled him...
All in all it was a frustrating contradiction He was the most honest and direct man Kurt had ever known, and at the same time he was just as secretive as Kurt himself knew he could be.
Amongst the Apples, it was a recurring gag that Adam had already the backup plan of becoming the best baker in New York city should, knocking on wood, his career in theatre not work out...
As a stress baker himself, Kurt started to notice that, while it was true that sometimes the baking was initiated to be comfort baking for someone else, most of the time it was to calm Adam's own nerves. The main difference between the two of them was that, while Adam favoured making things that he could give to his friends, Kurt was more used to bake and prepare meals in advance, things he was going to be able to freeze and eat later on...
Years of taking care of his dad had taught him to plan in advance, make the best use of those highly stressful moments to cover up the other moments when he would become too busy to have the energies to do much...
It wasn't ideal but he had learnt to survive and adapt.
The problem was trying to figure out how to get Adam to fess up and spill the beans on what was the problem.
Initially, he resorted to just observing, he had noticed a couple of people seemed to be around the majority of the times when Adam's smile became a little terse, or when his eyes become duller.
He tried to discreetly fish for information from the other Apples, but either they never noticed, or they weren't sure, or simply didn't want to talk about it...
Meaning in Kurt's mind that there was a story there, but he wasn't sure how to ask...
Kurt had tried approaching the subject a couple of times, but the experiment resulted in Adam baking non stop for a whole long weekend, insisting those were to be prepared right away.
Needless to say that seeing him that way made Kurt feel terrible, especially because Adam had refused to either acknowledge that something was wrong, or even admit that his was stress baking and not just a spur of the moment decision of passing three whole days going through all the flour, butter, milk and sugar in the house, plus half of the jams and chocolate jars, other than using a third of the cinnamon powder.
And worse, Kurt couldn't even join in and at least keep Adam company or do some baking together. So from that moment on Kurt held his tongue and ended up moping at the loft.
He was so worried that he didn't even fight Satan, when she started eating the fresh out of the oven batches.
However living with two roommates meant that, unlike Adam, Kurt was the one being pestered about talking about what was on his mind.
The first was Rachel, a little too scared about reaching the point of losing her figure if the baking was allowed to continue beyond the first two days.
Santana had been the one defending the practice, mostly because it meant she had free already prepared food.
However when in response to that, Kurt started preparing plain english scones adjusting and changing the recipe used, until almost all his share of the freezer was full. And yet he still hadn't reached a conclusion on how to solve the situation. The only thing he obtained was that even Satan got fed up with the "less than delicious" snacks.
In one of her rants she laid it hard. Insisting that, if Kurt wanted so much the bland english man, then he should just man up, go and get his injection of chillax from Doctor who, and spare the rest of them the contagious moping before it caught...
Satan probably had not really intended to be helpful, in fact Kurt was pretty sure some of that speech was supposed to appear as some sort of sexual encouragement... At least considering the source it came from.
But it gave him an idea...
One terrible, terrifying idea...
Kurt put on his coat not caring for once how dressed or put together he looked and went to Adam's place in a rush.
Though before he was even out of the door with his keys in his hand, Santana handed him a tupperware with at least six scones for each different recipes he had made.
She commented about the fact those needed to go pronto, and kindly to not return unless the moping passed or he had gotten it out of his system... Kudos if he could do Auntie Snixx proud and get some so he'd be a lil more relaxed in the process.
Adam had been a little confused and surprised to say the least, when a rather dishevelled looking Kurt knocked at his door. Which in and on itself, all things considered, was not that unexpected considering how careful Kurt still was about looking good...
It was only when the door clicked behind his back that Kurt actually made a mental check of the image he must give now... Yoga pants, soft sweatshirt, sneakers, his long coat, hair completely undone and tupperware in hand.
Kurt groaned and made a beeline for the kitchen to hide in there.
Only to find it looking very much like a disaster zone, mirroring perfectly how Kurt himself had left the loft's kitchen... He put the container down and simply asked what recipe Adam was experimenting with. Kurt then made himself at home, putting the kettle on and unloading the scones on a plate.
When Adam joined him there, he had suddenly looked sheepishly and shrugged, mumbling something about failed attempts, and that he'd let Kurt know once he'd figure out how to make it work.
Kurt sighed and instead of pressing the issue, he simply offered his help should Adam wanted it. And if that was not the case then Adam could help Kurt figure something out instead...
Neither option seemed to make Adam relax, not until Kurt pointed to the plate he had placed on the table.
Adam was rather surprised by the plate of scones and Kurt smiled sheepishly shrugging. He then said softly how Adam had mentioned, that back at home scones were the easiest and most versatle of comfort food available.
And how sometimes he missed them, And how no matter how much Adam was not sharing what was the root cause of the worry.
Kurt himself could see it anyway, and it pained him how at times, Adam ended up preparing everyone one else's comfort cookies instead.
So Kurt had thought of trying something that maybe might have resembled the scones Adam remembered. Trying to have something for Adam since he apparently seemed too focused thinking about everyone else instead...
But then Kurt discovered more than a couple of dozen different variations. Some didn't sound as nice as others.
And even selecting only those that had, what seemed the most likely list of ingredients, he ended up having at least half a dozen different recipes.
And by the time he had baked a batch of each Satan had been already fed up with Kurt's own moping. Enough to pack some of each and kindly suggesting that Kurt should to get out of the loft and came here to Adam instead...
Adam looked surprised and then finally a smile blossomed on his lips before he took a seat at the kitchen table next to Kurt.
They passed the rest of the afternoon tasting them out with something sweet and with someting savoury.
Until in the end, Adam said teasingly that while they hadn't been together long enough to trade secret family recipes and tricks yet, he could share with Kurt which of the recipes he thought came out the best.
It wasn't exactly the break Kurt had hoped for, but it was progress, and Kurt had learnt to take any victory he could as such.
It took almost another two weeks to finally hear how one of Rachel sycophants was tearing Adam and the Apple down.
It made Kurt furious, here was this guy, who knew nothing about what they did, who knew nothing about Adam and hew was trying to making himself feeling important by putting other downs.
It was irritating, annoying and it managed to push all Kurt's buttons, even some he wasn't quite yet aware of having.
In that moment something snapped or more exactly broke free. All of sudden the Royalty of McKinley Lima, the HBIC who wore a corset and heels to school was back.
The guy who wore a kilt to prom and accepted the Prom Queen crown was unleashed, throwing shades and tearing the dude apart.
Without ever raising his voice or losing his smile Kurt pointed out how, if the other freshman was so desperately in need of attention, and the only way he could make a name for himself was by tearing down others, then he probably should reconsider his career choices. And that maybe he should become a paparazzi, or a gossip columnist, given the amount of correct information he was sharing...
Kurt also made it clear that what he said earlier in the semester, after his midnight madness win, was still very much true and that it was a promise, not a threat.
And one ought to think carefully, if Kurt was willing to challenge to midnight madness, those who spoke badly about the Apples, in defence of all his friend... What could Kurt possibly do to someone daring to go after Adam, who not only was a member of the Apple, but also Kurt's boyfriend...
Kurt had left things at that, hoping that would be enough. However, clearly the dude had no instinct of self preservation. For he dared to blurt out, to Kurt's face, how someone on the top like Kurt should be with someone better than Adam.
Kurt's voice then became deceptively sweet when asking the guy if he thought he himself, was a better candidate instead... And the idiot didn't even realise all that.
Nor he actually had enough brain cells to understand that answering in the positive to such question, was committing suicide and begging to be shot down.
As soon as the declaration of him being a way better partner for Kurt left the guy's mouth, Kurt took a step back, scanned the guy slowly from head to toe, and then turned to leave without another word.
That of course had the intended effect of incensing the guy, whose name Kurt hadn't even cared to learn.
And when venom was spit at Kurt's way, Kurt levelled a condescending look at the guy and said over his shoulder how he was done wasting time with a boy who wasn't worth it, because he already had a man, one Kurt had no intention of letting go, especially for a downgrade.
The set down made the round of the school, and some of the faculty, before the end of the day.
It had just become public knowledge at that point, that Adam Crawford was at the very least to be left alone, unless the offender had every intention of discovering in personal and painful details exactly what Kurt Hummel was capable of.
Some thought it more prudent for their shaking standing, to suddenly offer tentative friendship to the soon to be graduating senior.
That evening, when they went out together, Adam asked about the reasons behind the by now epic confrontation.
Kurt simply smiled and said that Adam was worth fighting for.
Though Kurt also added teasingly, the request to that if there were more demons to be slain, it would be a lot easier if they could talk about it...
Because Kurt was a little too in love to whether well having to watch Adam being distressed in silence…
And that after all, Kurt was pretty good with the shredding, but not so good with the hunting...
Adam in turn smiled brightly agreeing that the hunting was decidedly an english sport, but seeing how they both were a tad too gone to try to protect their heart, it would be his pleasure to make an englishman out of Kurt...
Maybe starting Kurt's education with how to bake proper Crawford's scones...