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Chapter 7

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Burt took one look at his son and step-son and son's boyfriend and started laughing because they all looked ready to leave; all of them were dressed for the day in clothes that they'd all wear to the public school, even Blaine was not wearing his uniform, knowing that Blaine was unlikely to go back to Westerville until at least Monday. He knew Blaine just that well. Knew his own son too that well, knew Kurt would pretend that yesterday hadn't happened and would block it out from his thoughts and memories to the best of his ability, whatever happened.

Finn, well he looked less oblivious than he had the day before as his eyes didn't leave Kurt once since he got upstairs, even while eating. Ok, so now Finn was finally clued in on what could befall these other two boys, oh so easily. It didn't mean that Finn was totally safe either, nobody ever was, but Finn was far less of a target in many ways.

They were all eating so calmly and chatting, or at least Kurt was, he was trying to pretend today was just any normal day. The biggest flaw in his plan though, was that he was chatting at Finn too, a boy he'd barely said boo to over the last few weeks since the wedding. Blaine was trying his best to keep up with Kurt and normally that wasn't a problem, at all, but was also leaving gaps for Finn to add his own bits in. That was also unique, usually Blaine and Kurt were lost in their own little world as they chattered like two sparrows.

The laughter caused all conversation to cease and they all looked to Burt, looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. "I have no idea where any of you think you're going, but none of you are leaving this house today." He'd called in at the shop and called the school to let them all know that he and his boys weren't going anywhere. He made up some excuse- they all had the bubonic plague or something, he didn't care, he wasn't going to apologize for keeping his three boys under the safety of his roof today, not after yesterday's scare.

They were all going to have honest conversations today and he would get to the bottom of everything.

It was a harder task than he thought it would be, they were all in cahoots and camaraderie, that was unique for Finn who usually spilled all the secrets he learned about Kurt to Burt when asked. He couldn't even keep his mouth shut on what he did with Rachel, even though he didn't want to kiss and tell. He even told Burt about Santana and they'd had the talk then, maybe a little late but never too late to learn about other ways to keep himself and his partner safe and comfortable.

None of them would break and Carole came shuffling in sometime around 2 pm and stared at the four males in her living room in shock and looked at the clock again. "What the hell happened?" She demanded and Finn broke into a blubbering mess and shared everything he learned that morning, which wasn't a complete picture, Burt decided but was glad to know that Carole had such a firm hold on her son and that he told her everything when she asked for it.

"Thanks Finn." Kurt hissed as he released all the secrets the boys had discussed downstairs, even the bits about how Blaine said that Kurt wouldn't tell those he cared about even less than complete strangers. He looked over at Blaine though then. "Do you really feel that way?" Kurt asked shocked and hurt that he'd ever made Blaine feel that way.

"Yeah." Blaine ran a hand through his unkempt curls, he hadn't gotten an opportunity to fix them yet today and now it almost seemed pointless to worry about the loosening gel and the hold they had on them.

Kurt melted at the look and at the small confession. "I want to tell you everything, always." Kurt went to Blaine's side and sat next to him and curled into his side. "I'm sorry that you feel like I hold things back. I don't want you to worry about me though."

"I know, that's what I told Finn too, although he seemed to miss that part in his confessions. I'm going to worry anyway and the less you tell me about what happens to you at school with the bullies, the more I'm going to worry, imagining, knowing there's more and fearing the worst."

Kurt swallowed and looked up at Blaine. He'd told him so much more than he'd ever told any one about anything. "I've never realized. I tell you so much-"

"And I love how open and honest you are with me on so many things, but you haven't really been forthcoming on some of the most important things, things that really effect you on a daily basis."

Burt cleared his throat. "You need to share with the class, actually, from now on." He held Kurt's gaze who looked away in embarrassment.

"I-" Kurt swallowed again. "I think it's easier to show you than tell you this part." He left Blaine's side and went into the main floor bathroom and washed his face off and came back with those bruises worse than ever.

Burt did a remarkable job keeping himself even tempered even as he understood exactly how those bruises came about.

"Oh, sweetie." Carole engulfed Kurt into a hug which totally surprised him and had him stiffening, she'd never touched him before, not even when she married Burt had they hugged in congratulations on the families becoming one or joy of having him in her life permanently after the ceremony. They didn't hug hello or goodbye or goodnight. Finn and Burt did. Finn and Carole did. Burt and Kurt did and Blaine and Burt did. Blaine didn't hug either Finn or Carole, just like Kurt, but those two definitely hugged each other (Blaine and Kurt), often.

They didn't even shake hands. Finn hadn't shaken his hand either, refusing to touch the gay kid, afraid he'd be infected.

Carole sounded completely moved and saddened by what she saw on Kurt's face, had never called him an endearment either. She ignored his rejection of her touch under her embrace. She kept holding on, showing him that she would be there no matter what he did, that she was there for him, even if he didn't want her to be.

She hadn't even offered him a warm embrace like this while his father underwent surgery and was stuck in the hospital for a week. She and Finn had cuddled together and held each other as they worried over Burt and she'd held Burt's hand, cuddled with him on the bed. Kurt had been on the other side, holding his father's other hand when Carole or Finn weren't in the room. Laid on the bed with his dad while he slept and the Hudsons were nowhere around to see Kurt soft and weak about his father's health.

"Why- why are you touching me?" Kurt finally asked.

"Because I've been foolish, you've been foolish and it has to end, now. I should have held you long ago but I was afraid of ruffling your feathers, afraid of causing you to dislike me and wanted to take it at your pace. I know you were not exactly pleased with Finn or I joining your family and I wanted to approach you slowly when really all I wanted to do was take you into my arms and hug you and promise that everything would be all right, that we would be a good family together, that we cared about you and wanted you to lean on us like a real family too. I saw you were hurting since the first day I met you and I was afraid of pushing you too far, hurting you more. I know Blaine was your only source of true happiness outside of your father." She looked over at Blaine and beckoned him closer. "I'm sorry, I should have hugged you both from the first day but I didn't want to overstep. I know you loved your mom dearly and I didn't want to appear like I was taking her place. I wanted us to be friends first. I didn't know how to walk that line though and I'm afraid I came off colder than I meant to. I care deeply about both of you." She pulled Blaine into the hug too who wrapped his arms around both of them, feeling her warmth and sincerity in the touch and the words. That was what Blaine couldn't quite put his finger on, she was distant because she didn't want to be and didn't want to rile either of them up by trying too hard, pushing too much. It made a lot more sense now to Blaine but he could feel that Kurt still wasn't convinced.

Kurt, who had never had parents who were truly distant and uncaring, he didn't understand that Carole was being truthful here. He'd only seen the misconstrued view that he had of her and Finn. There was also the jealousy he knew Kurt harbored toward Finn being 'the perfect son' who matched his father's interests in a way that Kurt couldn't. He didn't understand that Burt would give everything away to just keep that smile on Kurt's face, that if he hadn't thought Carole and Finn could help put it back on his face, then he would have never joined their families together. If there was a chance that either of them were a risk to Kurt's safety, he would pack Kurt up and move with him away from there. Hell, Blaine was surprised Burt hadn't wrapped Kurt in bubble wrap yet and store him in his office at the garage where he could keep an eye on him all day every day. Kurt really didn't understand what he had here with these three. He, thankfully, knew what he had with Blaine and vice versa.

Blaine hadn't seen it at first either, but now his eyes were open. He'd known instantly though what he had with Kurt and had never for one second let Kurt think otherwise, wouldn't give it up at all, not even one inch was going to get in between him and Kurt. Blaine was glad that the two adults had fully accepted him into the family. It wouldn't have daunted Blaine though if they hadn't, he wouldn't let them interfere with his relationship with Kurt, they'd have had to learned to accept it if they hadn't anyway right away. Now it was a matter of getting Finn to view him as a friend too, hopefully one day, a brother-in-law and if he was really asking for a lot, then as a brother too down the line.

She sat Kurt down onto the couch and Blaine was right next to him and Kurt curled up into his boyfriend's embrace. Burt had been quiet for quite some time, he'd been silent through all of Finn's confessions and then through the embrace and Carole telling Kurt exactly what she thought and wanted from their relationship. Could see that Kurt still wasn't convinced, he realized his boy had been hurt by more than just the bullies at school. He'd hurt his own son too and hadn't even realized it until last night. He hadn't known that Kurt was wary of Carole and her presence in their life until just then. He'd known Carole had told him that she was working slowly and hard at building a relationship with his son, but hadn't known that Kurt hadn't seen her attempts. Had thought Kurt was fine with her and he was fine with her, just had never accepted her as a parental figure.

Now Carole went into the kitchen, went into the freezer and came back with a package of peas and laid it gently against Kurt's bruised face and he hissed and pulled away but she kept it firmly there and Blaine helped her stabilize it against his face, knowing that they'd left it a little late but it would still help in the long run, they had about 24 hours where icing the wound really helped. Blaine said something too quietly to Carole for him to hear but she got up and came back with another one and handed it to Blaine. He pressed it to one of Kurt's sides and Burt jerked at that, what was wrong with his son's body for Blaine to be that concerned about it?

Kurt winced and tried to pull away from that too but Blaine held on steadily, not letting him go anywhere. Then Finn's words filtered through his head again, oh yeah, that bastard had kicked him in the ribs, hard. Finn just didn't know who it was.

"Who did this?" Burt asked calmly and all eyes swung to him and he realized that even though he was calm, there was a lot of malice in his voice.

He held Kurt's gaze but it was Blaine who apologized in Kurt's ear and spoke up for the others to know. "He said it was a David, Dave, Karofsky."

Finn had at one point gone and got a glass of water to drink, now it shattered in his hand and Carole jumped up to make sure there wasn't any shards of glass in his hand and dealt with that while Finn's head was twisted towards them the whole time. "Karofsky?"

"I take it you know him?" Burt asked, still calm and they kept blinking at him whenever he spoke, he supposed they all thought fury would just be coursing out of him and he'd be shouting, but he couldn't, not in front of Kurt, not anymore, not knowing that Kurt wouldn't dare breath a word of anything to him, if he thought Burt would react passionately, too concerned about Burt's heart to realize that he was perfectly healthy and fine, he exercised now daily and was getting into even better shape then ever and he exercised hard and ate well and cut back his overtime at work.

"Yeah, he's the right safety." Kurt had no idea what Finn was saying and was sure that was a made up position, it certainly sounded made up.

"Without him, Finn would be crushed by the opposing team." Blaine whispered down into Kurt's ear, trying to explain what the others in the room all understood from just that statement by Finn. They were all football fans or had learned to be or whatever.

"He's also constantly saying homophobic things and making crude jokes about gays and lesbians." Finn looked back over at Blaine and Kurt. "So he's acted out on his words, then?"

"Worse than that, he's gay." Kurt's shocked eyes swung over to Blaine – that was not discussed between them. Blaine shook his head at Kurt. "He kissed you, kissed you. If he wasn't gay, he wouldn't have done that, he would have just had you jerk him off or give him a blow job or he would have raped you. He didn't do those things, did he? No? That's because he's gay and wants things he can't ask for or doesn't think he can get normally. A straight guy trying to get pleasure out of whoever is available wouldn't kiss." Blaine explained, he'd been on those blogs too, had seen attacks from both gays on straights and straights on gays.

Gays on straights weren't as common but there were horrible people in every group, just because you were gay, didn't mean that you were a good person and just because you were straight or religious meant that you were a good person either, some of the worst crimes in history had been done in the name of 'religion'. Being a bad person was not mutually exclusive with any other label you could put with them. Gay on straight crime could happen, even a sexual assault and it didn't even have to be the same gender and in some minds, a hole was a hole no matter who it belonged to or what hole it was, it might not be as common but female serial killers weren't as common either but it didn't mean that they didn't exist.

Yet in none of those blogs had anyone talked about how they were kissed, except when it was a date-rape type of situation, or what Kurt was experiencing. A closeted male who was also a biggot but couldn't help his desires for one particular person or a handful, feeling desire but terrified of acting on it but acting on it anyway but in a way that lashed out onto the person that caused them to have those desires, even if they weren't pushing for them to be with them, may not even want them at all themselves and that usually angered them too, that and the fact that they couldn't stop themselves from doing any of those acts they found disgusting but doing them anyway.

Of course Finn didn't understand, but Carole found she understood only too well, thankfully never having experienced that directly herself, but had gotten close at times. Had known how terrible people could be and how some men thought that since they had strength over their partner that they were entitled to it and would use that strength if necessary. Burt, was finding that he was starting to understand exactly what Blaine was saying and didn't like it, at all.

"Monday, we're going to the principal. We need to get photos, documented proof that you've been forced into unwanted situations. That he's hurt you, done more than hurt you, done things to you against your will." Burt was making a plan and he already had his phone out and was taking pictures of Kurt's face while the rest of them tried to catch up.

"We-" Kurt cut off, he'd seen the hand print where he didn't ever want to think about that hand being ever again. Karofsky wasn't going to stop, not after hearing what Blaine had just said. He was going to keep ramping up until it was far worse than anything Kurt could imagine. Even if the cops didn't do anything, even if the principal didn't, there would be proof for down the road if it got worse. If he came after Kurt again. He'd always known Karofsky would, now that he'd slept and was awake again for awhile, he called himself all sorts of stupid; his brain was working a lot more rationally now again. He'd told others to go forward with a lot less. He was going to put himself where his mouth was and go forward, no matter how hard it was. If he did, then others may follow. Who knew if Karofsky had done this to anyone in the past? Or would to someone in the future? He didn't want to know he could have done something about this and have not done so and had someone else hurt in the process. This was his battle and he was going to fight it. Maybe it would give courage to others who were going through something similar. Now that he had people rallied around him, he felt a lot more courageous.

"Ok." He agreed and Blaine was almost too enthusiastic about stripping him of his shirts. Blaine gave him a cheeky look when he looked over to Blaine at his jubilance and speed.

It was hard for Burt to see all the bruises but he dutifully took the pictures, not letting one go undocumented. "The pants next." Burt said his voice not quite stable anymore and Kurt shook his head. "Kurt-"

"No, I'll take those pictures on my own phone and we'll go in to the station together with them. I don't want you to get into trouble if someone misinterprets why you have certain things on your phone. This would be myself on my own phone and people will just assume that I'm sending a naughty picture to someone. I've got this part." He revealed a lot with that and all of the ones in the room swallowed hard as they understood exactly what he was saying and he disappeared into the bathroom and was in there for quite awhile. Burt looked up to Carole and they both had tears in their eyes and wiped them away before anyone else could see them.

Blaine wanted to punch someone or something and he knew Finn was feeling the same way and yet none of them could go anywhere or do anything like that. They had a target in mind though and wouldn't hesitate to do anything to him if they found him first; which is why Burt kept them home, knowing those two boys too well.

The police did nothing, just copied over all the pictures and said they'd look into it. It was exactly as Kurt said – a story of he-said, he-said and that without more information from the other party they couldn't prove that it wasn't anything but rough sex, most likely consensual rough sex; especially as Kurt bruised easily. Burt almost blew a gasket then and there but made sure Kurt wasn't within hearing distance as he laid into the cops and they threatened to arrest Burt if he didn't calm down and start speaking to them more politely.

He dragged Kurt out of the police station and decided he was going to hire a lawyer who would hurt all of those involved in covering this up in the area that hurt the most – their pocketbooks and make sure it was dealt with more appropriately in the future. He was going to sue every last person who tried to deny that his son was attacked, and beaten up, repeatedly. He didn't threaten them with that yet though, he still needed to deal with the principal and the school and keep Kurt safe while still getting an education. He was going to leave this backwater town, Burt was going to make sure of it. He was going to have his name in lights and on billboards and his face would be plastered all over the place as a star and everyone who ever doubted him was going to work for him in some way, shape or form.

He didn't threaten them with ramifications of a lawsuit kind because he didn't want to be arrested then and there. He needed to hire the lawyer first and he knew exactly who he was going to hire. He was hoping that he could get it done pro-bono though or at least, not having to pay unless they won. Santana Lopez's father was a fantastic lawyer who championed not only lost causes and somehow won but supported the disenfranchised whenever he could, if he felt like it was a cause he could support. Burt knew him fairly well, he and Kurt were the only ones allowed to work on his cars when he brought them into the shop. He always treated Kurt well and kindly and had known Kurt had his father's knack with vehicles. He could take something that others would suggest just junking and made them purr as if they just came off the lot and didn't charge exorbitant fees to do so. Burt was going to call in his chips and favors for Kurt, and he didn't have one second of guilt about it. There was not a single qualm he had with that, he would do anything for his son and to keep him safe.

He made the phone call while in the car with Kurt who was quiet now and looking out the window, proven correct, or so he thought but he didn't know all the world's ins and outs yet and all the paths that were open to an adult who knew where to look and an adult who had secrets about everyone in town in his back pocket. He wasn't opposed to using those secrets to make sure his son graduated untouched and got out of this town.

It was fine for people like Burt, Finn and Carole but for people like Kurt and Blaine – this place was too small, too narrow minded, not enough of a challenge and not safe for them. He wanted Kurt out of here, permanently. He wished that he was careful with what he wished for and how he went about it.