Chapter 4

The two of them were practically falling over themselves to help Kurt and win favors.

Kurt's attendance at Dalton was a bit sketchy but after seeing his reaction that second day, nobody questioned it. Not really. There was always a wonder about what had happened to create that reaction, wondered where he was and what he was doing.

He might miss the morning or just an afternoon class. It always annoyed Sebastian and Blaine when they lost out on a class period with him, but it was often David who didn't see his 'roommate' in that last class of the day. Their shared one was pretty safe though and David put his hands up and let the other two sit on either side of Kurt and he sat behind them.

David did keep sitting next to Kurt during their shared class though when Kurt was there. After the second day when they saw him off and saw the man ask Kurt again, how many words? And Kurt held up 5 fingers and receive the praise from the man, David would try to increase the count daily.

He didn't always succeed. Sometimes it was too painful for Kurt and he chose his words carefully. He chose how often he spoke and had to deem it was important enough to try. His voice was getting stronger though throughout the weeks that they'd known him.

David praised him on it one day when he'd asked Kurt a question and Kurt answered back without any of the scratchiness that they'd gotten used to hearing. Kurt had blushed and ducked his head, not expecting it himself and was surprised by the praise by someone else.

He was introduced to their main group of friends, all Warblers and Kurt's lips twisted sadly when he found out that was their Glee Club. "Don't worry, you're our roommate and so you're going to be an honorary Warbler even if you never make a sound." He winked and was rewarded with a small smile.

Kurt pointed at himself. "Terrible roommate."

David shook his head but Sebastian came up sliding an arm around Kurt's shoulders. "You really are, you haven't picked up your part of the room once. Man it's been nearly a month, aren't you sick of living in filth? And you haven't helped out with any of the chores."

"Yeah and you were supposed to help me pick out my outfit for today, but you just pulled a no-show." Blaine came up on the other side, knocking David gently out of the way so he could wrap an arm around Kurt's lower back. Kurt stiffened at being suddenly surrounded by the two of them touching him. He'd gotten better about Sebastian or Blaine alone wrapping an arm around his shoulders in camaraderie but this was a bit more than normal. It was also not going to be the last time.

Kurt forced himself to relax before the others wised up to his reaction. They had proven themselves to be good guys, a little nuts at times, but good to him. He shared a look with David and David lifted a brow in question about whether or not he wanted David to intercede. Kurt told him no with a small twitch of his head.

They watched the blue truck drive up as they headed to the front parking area. "Who's that, Kurt?" David finally asked and all three boys waited for his answer. David had seen him but had never asked before.

"Dad." Kurt was smiling widely, obviously their relationship was a good one. David had seen it before but he'd thought he was the help.

All three looked at him in confusion. "That's your dad?" Blaine finally asked, his arm tightening around Kurt's waist. He too had viewed the man as one of the masses and thought the man would abide by all their narrow small town views.

Sebastian grinned, thinking that was a perfect answer and explained so much and just pleased him. He was the perfect antithesis to Kurt's polished look.

The man got out of the truck and eyed Kurt's position between the three boys warily. Blaine stepped even closer to Kurt, as if defending him from the man who sired him. Obviously Blaine hadn't seen how pleased Kurt was to see his father. Didn't see the love shining out of his eyes toward the older man. "How's he going to react to you being around boys?"

Sebastian scoffed. "It's an all boys school, dumbass. He's only got boys as options. If he had a problem with Kurt being around boys, he could have sent him to Crawford but there's no way he'd belong there." He didn't remove his arm from around Kurt's shoulders either. The man came closer and Sebastian held out his hand to the older Hummel. "Hello Mr. Hummel, I'm Sebastian Smythe. I'm one of your son's friends and roommate."

Burt eyed the hand with even more distrust but clasped it within his own large, thick, calloused and cracked one. "Burt."

"Hmm..." Sebastian looked at the hand surrounding his and tilted his head. "Got his mother's hands, huh?" Burt's hand tightened warningly around Sebastian's and Sebastian wasn't worried in the slightest. "I just mean his are elegant and yours look like they know how to put the hard grueling work in. Although his are strong like yours too, maybe for a different purpose?"

Kurt groaned and bumped his forehead against Sebastian's shoulder. It was probably the most affection Kurt had shown Sebastian in return and Sebastian just glowed at the action. When he picked his head back up, his eyes told Sebastian exactly what he'd thought about his words and Sebastian smiled while shrugging in return. Emerald eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Kurt, get in the truck." Burt's tone was firm and Blaine bristled a little.

"Keys." Kurt opened up a hand, waiting for them. Burt looked at his son, startled. "I drive, remember?"

Burt gave him the set and Kurt skipped off toward the truck, getting into the driver's seat. Blaine realized his lack of manners and made sure his hand wasn't sweaty before he held it out to Burt too. "Hi, I'm Blaine Anderson, another roommate and another friend!" He was enthusiastic and energetic and upbeat; totally at odds with his concern over Burt's parenting.

Burt's head turned toward the trio again. "You're not putting me on, are you?" He grasped Blaine's hand with that polite but firm shake he'd started out with when he took Sebastian's.

"No sir." Blaine responded breezily, it didn't improve Burt's attitude at all, in fact, he might have been a bit more sour in response.

Burt removed his hand quickly and looked over to David. "And you are?"

"The third roommate." David announced without fear or concern, he'd seen Burt and Kurt's rapport before and knew the warmth and love was mutual. "David Thompson." He paused a beat after he shook Burt's hand and let it go. "And the answer to today's question is 16. You'll rightly be proud of him for that and his voice sounds so much clearer than when he started."

Burt's eyebrows lifted while his eyes widened, even more surprised than he had been when Kurt had spoken. "That's- that's very good." He hesitated and then looked at David again. "Did you say David?" It wasn't what David had expected and even though he nodded, he didn't know what to say or why that had been the important part for Burt. "Huh." Burt rubbed the end of his chin and glanced toward Kurt who was ready to go. "That's an interesting development." He nodded to himself and the smile he gave encompassed all three boys when he turned to them again. "Thanks for introducing yourselves, I suspect we'll talk more later."

He walked away, his cap moving as he rubbed it and then he got into the passenger seat. By the time his seatbelt was latched, Kurt was already on the move. Kurt waved to them in goodbye as they backed out and then toward the exit.

"His Highness is an honest to goodness blue-collared offspring." Sebastian said, amusement clear in his voice and breaking the silence that fell over them. "Well shit, who was expecting that turn about?"

Blaine doubled over laughing more at what Sebastian had said rather than the situation. "Oh my, we had him totally pegged all wrong before he got here."

"You two did, I always said to give him a chance so we could find out the real story. You two are so unreasonable sometimes and you were both totally wrong." David couldn't help but feel vindicated. "Do you feel badly at all?"

"No, just sad that Kurt has a dad who likely doesn't know he's gay." Blaine said, calming down a little and a faint frown thinking about whatever he was thinking about. "Probably afraid to tell him for what his small-town mind would do in response."

"How do you even-" David started then shook his head at Blaine. "Nope, nevermind, I don't even want to know how you jumped to that conclusion."

"You thought his dad as kidnapping him." Sebastian pointed out vindictively. "You thought his dad was a fired back of the house, out of sight former employee who was stealing Kurt away in the middle of the night to do who knows what to him." So he had remembered David's earliest fears. David was glad his darker skin tone didn't let Sebastian seem him blush. Sebastian would have teased him mercilessly if he knew that.

Still, David winced. "Ok, so we all have preconceived biases that were all turned on their ear."

"I haven't." Blaine countered, thinking he was the only one who hadn't done wrong.

"You think his dad is going to shun him for being gay. A. We don't even know if he's gay-"

"Oh he's definitely gay." Sebastian and Blaine said at once and David ignored them and continued.

"B. His dad is totally smitten with his son in a really cool positive way. If he is gay and his dad doesn't already know about it, I think he'd be pretty super cool about it."

"He didn't really like us." Blaine pointed out.

"Sebastian made an inappropriate comment about their hands and you were draped over his son and acting all neurotically defensive and bipolar. We don't know what happened but something had gone down before Kurt got here. His dad has every right to be suspicious of anyone near his son if he feels it's appropriate." David was a little put out though that Kurt hadn't mentioned any of them to his dad. Maybe his dad was less reasonable than David was giving him credit for. He did make sure Kurt came home every night rather than trust him to stay with three boys in a room all night. Still, David thought maybe that unease of Kurt staying the night had more to do with the three boys than Kurt's potential actions.

Then he remembered Burt's surprise over Kurt speaking, maybe he didn't talk much and his words were saved for in the moment problems. Yet he could have written out that he'd met his roommates and spent time with them... David sighed, he supposed he hadn't mentioned the new kid to his parents either. He doubted Sebastian and Blaine had as well.

David and the others had tried to figure out where in the '2 hour radius' they'd lived before and understanding their financial situation better hadn't actually narrowed it down any. Blaine and Sebastian spent all night before falling asleep tossing theories back and forth.

David had settled into his bed and closed his eyes, turned his back on the others and tried to sleep. He didn't hear what they eventually settled upon or if they were still coming up with ideas as they fell asleep too. They'd been amused and too excited about what it meant. To David, he thought it meant nothing, it didn't change anything.

Burt was carefully eying Kurt's bent head later that night after supper. He and Finn were sitting at the kitchen table, each working on homework assignments that ironically paralleled each other considering the age gap. Finn had decided to move home for the duration of his education and perhaps stick around for a few years while he figured out what he wanted to do.

Carole and Burt had tried to convince Finn that it wasn't necessary but after the scares they'd all had... it was kind of nice to have the bigger boy in the house. If Carole clung onto Finn just a bit more tightly, a little longer, Finn didn't protest or squirm away. Burt knew all too well about holding on more tightly. His had been nearly a choke-hold with Kurt especially, he'd allowed Finn a bit more breathing room. However Finn's had been self-inflicted whereas Kurt's had been done to him. Maybe both needed a choke-hold and some breathing room in turns. Kurt was still underage though and Burt held on just a bit more tightly because of that, not because he was tiny or because he was blood. Burt had chosen to be a parent to both boys and thought he'd managed to love them equally.

"Kurt." Burt said softly, not wanting to disrupt the study session but he needed to tackle this situation right away. Kurt lifted his eyes to his dad, focusing in on him quickly with his young eyes. He waited patiently for Burt to speak again. "Your new 'roommates', are they being too much in any way?"

Finn's head snapped up and looked between Kurt and Burt and back again in curiosity and a small frown forming on his lips as he put it together. "You're not staying there, Kurt."

Kurt looked at his brother briefly and shook his head to let him know that's not what this was about and he needn't worry. Then looked to his dad and took a deep breath and held his dad's eyes as he spoke. "No."

Finn sat up straighter at hearing Kurt speak. It was such a rarity around the house these days. In the past it had been nonstop chatter. Finn had always tuned it out because he hadn't understood what he was talking about. Now he'd sell a kidney to hear Kurt even utter a sentence. He would voluntarily give so much more to have the old Kurt back. Kurt was alive and at his side and while this changed his brother, it didn't change his feelings for him. Finn was grinning broadly like an idiot at hearing his brother voice a single syllable, but it was something.

He tossed his arms around Kurt in a hug that Kurt didn't fight to get out of. Though it looked incredibly uncomfortable to Burt, with how his arms were pinned between Finn's. That was also a move in the positive direction. Kurt caught his dad's eyes and they shared a soft, knowing smile. Finn in a few hours would recognize the gravity of what Kurt not struggling would mean. Then Kurt gave a light sigh. "Twenty-seven." Kurt said, taking into account the number of words he'd used to let his dad know the newest count.

Burt looked so incredibly pleased and Finn tightened his arms just a bit more at hearing him speak again. Burt had to look away otherwise Kurt would see the tears in his eyes. Who'd have thought a few short months ago, he'd get so worked up hearing his son speak just a word or two? It was nothing like when he was a baby and echoing the sounds. No, his son knew the words, knew how to say them but had to fight to get them out. That fight was easing.

Burt wasn't foolish though, he knew once this fight was on it's last round, a new one would be starting. He already saw it developing and thought it was too soon. He sobbed into Carole's lap that night, never more grateful that their children slept two flights down. All she could do was run her hand soothingly along his bald head and let him run through his emotions. Tears streaked down her own cheeks and dripped onto her chest. While they both knew he knew she cried as well, it saved him from the tactile reminder that he just didn't need at that moment.

Still, she thought to herself, Kurt was doing a remarkable job appearing like the fight wasn't taking everything out of him. He bounced back so quickly and she worried that it was just a shell-game. He was moving the pieces around so nobody could see what laid underneath. Every once in a great while he let slip his frustration but was quick to cover it up again.

Her heart bled for her youngest son. Therapy was a difficult thing to accomplish when the patient couldn't express themselves with oral words and sounds and verbalized emotions. When he had time to think about what he wanted to say and laid it out carefully, was able to disguise the pain. If the therapist questioned, it took too long and was too difficult to get that back and forth to discuss and work it out, to explain himself in more detail or protect and defend what he admitted to. A therapist had a harder time chipping at those walls when it was impossible to see what he was saying, much less through it. Further disadvantaged by not knowing him prior, but in some ways that was an advantage too.

They still sent him weekly and he went willingly without a fuss or a fight. He gave a shrug the first time and walked in with his head held high. He walked out with a raised brow, daring them to tell him he did it wrong. The therapist spoke to them and gave them a card for someone who was a bit better equipped to deal with this situation.

He'd exited the non-verbal specialist's office with less of a chip on his shoulder every week. Burt wasn't sure what good it was doing though. He still sent Kurt, any help was better than no help and he just wasn't equipped to deal with it. He knew his failings, he knew he could be there for Kurt all he could but he just didn't know what to say or how to say it to help Kurt heal.

Burt had to be reassured every time that he was doing just fine. That just being there for Kurt was enough and his love and support was obvious. That was what Kurt needed from his dad. What he needed as well though, was to be with people his own age again. Burt nearly fired the therapist on the spot when she brought it up. She'd pressed a card into his hand. "There's a no tolerance policy in effect at this school. It's known for having a higher than average gay community because of that."

"I don't want to send my son into a school full of only boys. Boys are dangerous and I'm not sending my wounded, bleeding child into shark infested waters." McKinley wasn't an option either, no public school in the area was.

"Always shark infested." She shook her head with a tease. "Never into that cave of snakes or den full of lions."

"Those too."

She laughed lightly. "I was only kidding, I hear all of those quite often. I think your son would have come up with a more interesting metaphor if he'd heard us." She was right, Kurt would have, Burt knew it too, which was the problem. With a heavy sigh, she looked up into Burt's blue eyes. "Look, think about it. You and your other son are not horrible, terrifying males, are you? I'm sure you know others who are just as kind and gentle and sweet."

Oh, they might have appeared that way to the doctors, but they were definitely terrifying, dangerous men when they got their hands on the culprits. It was satisfying that they hadn't been alone in their task. Burt wouldn't be surprised if they still wet the bed years from now. The police had to pull them away and they weren't able to get to all of them before they were rounded up and sentenced. Their families knew better and moved shortly after. They couldn't deal with the public backlash either. If the rest of them even stepped foot into Burt's city again or came across them, they'd learn the same fear the rest had or become reacquainted with it.

One got away from the retaliation he, Carole, his eldest son and Puck brought down upon them and he was the most deserving of them all. Finn and Burt had made a pack to track him down once he got out. Wherever he would reside in the future and make sure the body was never found nor have any evidence that foul play was involved.

The only gentle and sweet one Burt actually knew was his younger son and he was including females in on this too. The rest might have a soft spot for Kurt or were good decent human beings, but Kurt was truly unique. He'd never met a kinder, more forgiving soul. He doubted he'd ever meet one less tainted in his lifetime, especially so near or into adulthood.

When he'd told Kurt he would be attending classes again, Kurt had lit up so brightly. Then he'd told him he'd be going to a private all boys' school and he'd deflated and shared a rare negative mood. "Would you rather go to an all-girls' school?" Burt asked gently and Kurt shook his head. "Well then, what is it, if it's not the idea of being surrounded by boys?"

He'd mouthed it and lifted the sweater the group had bought him, knowing he'd never wear it but on the off chance he did, he'd feel their love wrapped around him. Burt's eyes turned to stone, unmovable in his response and decision. "No." Kurt's bottom lip quivered and Burt shook his head. "Never. Can you really walk in there again?"

Kurt paused and thought about it, really thought about it for the first time. Then his head and shoulders sagged forward and he shook his head no. Burt had pulled him into his arms and held him tightly as he cried for the first time since coming home from the hospital.

Kurt had been surprisingly good about going to Dalton. He had hesitated though on the steps and had adjusted his perfectly laying suit into a different position and then tugged it back again. It looked too big on him. Kurt always had things tailored to fit him to a T. This was always going to look big and loose but Burt couldn't help but feel like his son was dwarfed by it, every time. He always came home and changed back into his own clothes and they fit him much better. However even those that had once been a snug fit seemed looser. His son didn't have any weight to lose and yet he was losing it.

Pureed meals had to get old pretty quick and he wouldn't eat any ice cream from day one. Finn had made him a meal once but hadn't gotten it all to be as smooth as he thought he had. He never touched the machine again even though he wasn't the only one to have made that mistake. Nobody had yelled at him or tried to make him feel guilty. He did that all on his own. Nothing anyone said or did could lessen that guilt.

Kurt had been in so much pain when one of the broccoli branches snagged his throat on the way down. He started choking too from the pain and the sensation. Something that small would have never normally have gotten lodged but the throat wasn't as smooth as it once was and had caverns where things got stuck a lot more easily now. It had been too soon otherwise it wouldn't have hurt as much.

Kurt had made his own smoothies before and sometimes the ice hadn't broken up enough or had sharp edges. He'd caused his own troubles like that too. Finn refused to listen and only seized up in remembered horror whenever he witnessed it happen after that.

Burt had gotten quite frustrated with all of them and had been in too much pain while witnessing it in action too. So he bought and brought home a blender that wouldn't make those kinds of mistakes and took all human error out of the equation. There was an additional strainer feature that caught anything it might have missed but so far nothing had been caught.

Finn still wouldn't touch it.

There were a lot of things that were avoided in the Hudmel home these days.

Except some of the things they had intended to avoid were coming up on them too quickly.