Chapter 7
Warnings: very brief, mild description of non consensual kiss (psst it's from the show, so if it didn't bother you there, you should be good.) Also, one mild violent act, but it's not descriptive. If you think it's a problem for you, feel free to message us and we can explain better. :)
Also, it looks like there will be another full chapter after this and an epilogue! Just a heads up!
"Okay Mr. Atwell. We are going to check your vitals again and then I want you to try to get some rest."
Wes smiled at his patient as he wrapped the blood pressure cuff around his thin arm and attached the pulse oximeter to his finger. He hummed and noted the numbers in his chart while the machine worked. The door hissed shut behind him as his coworker came into Mr. Atwell's room.
"Hey, Wes. Hello, Mr. Atwell." The middle aged woman smiled at him. The patient said hello as they walked back out of the room together.
"Be right back, Mr. Atwell!" She called over her shoulder as they headed back to the nurse's station.
Wes rubbed his face tiredly and smiled at the gentle hand that patted his shoulder.
"Wes, dear. Are you getting any sleep?" she asked. He shrugged.
"I manage. Oh, thank you for those clothes the other day. Jeff had another growth spurt and I wasn't sure how we were going to buy him clothes that fit and new school uniforms. You're a hero, Carole."
She smiled at him warmly as he began to gather his things. "It's no trouble at all, dear. I don't know if Finn will ever stop growing, but it makes me feel better knowing his old clothes are being used for a great cause."
Wes smiled gratefully at Carole. She was such a sweet woman. They had been coworkers for about a year now and had grown close. Unlike most people, she actually cared about the boys under his care and did her best to help him out with things. She considered them small and unimportant, but he was always touched by her generosity, especially when she had so little. She was a single mom after all. "Oh yeah, I meant to ask you," Carole continued, Wes' fond thoughts unbeknownst to her. "How in the world do you get wax out of clothes? Finn was at that candlelight vigil last night and he somehow managed to spill it all over the new shirt I just bought him."
"Blow drier and a paper towel. Candlelight vigil?" Wes questioned. "Who died?"
"Oh, no one died," she said. "It was his classmate, Kurt. You know that really cute guy Burt Hummel, the representative that lives in Lima?" Wes nodded, his stomach sinking. "Well, it's his son. The police think he was kidnapped! Can you imagine that? But apparently there's been no ransom or anything. They did a press conference and candlelight vigil last night and Finn sang with his glee club. Kurt, the boy, he's in glee club with- Wes? Are you okay? You look pale."
Wes sat down hard into the rolling chair, his lunchbox sliding to the floor. Kurt had packed it for him this morning…
"Carole, do you happen to have a picture of the boy? Kurt?"
She nodded and pulled up the video on her phone. Wes watched it and tried not to throw up. This poor man had been worried sick for days and all along he had kept Kurt a secret. He knew he should have gone to the police. He was going to be fired. What would happen to the boys? Wes ran fingers through his hair, tugging a little too hard. It stuck up everywhere.
"I'm going to need that number, Carole."
She watched him carefully. He was acting pretty strange, after all.
"Sure. But why? Did you see him somewhere?"
"Yeah," Wes said, his voice cracking. "In my house this morning."
The mop made a squishy noise as it plopped onto the floor. Sudsy water oozed out before Kurt drug the mop through it and spread it around. He was quiet today as he worked. No singing or dancing around, just trying to get a grip on his thoughts. He had so many.
The first was the boy's financial situation. Blaine had explained to Kurt before about how the money was distributed, but it wasn't quite fair. Wes got a pay check from his job at the hospital, most of which went to what his scholarship didn't cover for school. He also got a government check for the the home and his manager salary. Even though no one knew the specifics, Blaine had assured Kurt it was all spent on things for the boys. Blaine's mother had left all her money and life insurance to Blaine. It covered any school and medical expenses he might have and the rest was tucked away for when he turned eighteen and graduated. Jeff also had some money set aside for a lot of his expenses, but most of the others weren't so lucky. This became quite apparent to Kurt when he watched the boys pool together their money they made from the concert to try and buy as much of Nick's allergy medicine as they could. Even Sebastian, who had very loudly protested using his portion of the funds, threw in some money for them. It simultaneously warmed his heart and saddened him to see their hard work just to afford something small like antihistamines. Nick sniffed and told them they should be buying things they wanted and not worry about him, but the others wouldn't budge. They proudly laid the money in his hand and ignored his protests. Jeff managed to make him feel better with some hugs and a quick kiss to his cheek, (they were still very new at it) so he didn't cry for long. Kurt shook his head and swiped away a tear at the memory. There had to be something he could do to help, especially after he had been taken in so readily by them all. It humbled him to think they had sacrificed something just for him when they had so little. Blaine had confided as well that poor Sebastian apparently came from a rather wealthy family, but whatever happened had caused them to cut him off. It made a lot of sense to Kurt that he was so angry all the time. Blaine hadn't told Kurt everything he knew about the boy, but Kurt got the hint that it wasn't pretty.
Wiping his brow as he checked over his work, Kurt yawned. He was very tired. Yesterday had been fun for the most part, but he was so drained emotionally. It had started with the confrontation in the park. Even though he was shaking in terror on the inside, outside he hadn't shown his fear. During his few days here, he had become irrevocably attached to all the guys, even Sebastian. He thought maybe it was because he saw the boy for who he was instead of what he wanted to be seen as. Like a dog that snapped and growled because it was hurt, Sebastian tried to attack before he could be attacked. So when Kurt had seen those guys threatening him, he hadn't thought twice about jumping in to protect Sebastian. Unfortunately, it had brought about the terrible flashback. Kurt shuddered and dropped the mop back into the soapy water. He rubbed at his eyes as if he could rub away the memory- and that's what it was; a memory- from his mind. A large boy around his age. He was yelling in his face. His eyes were hard. He was going to hit Kurt. But then he didn't. Lips were pressed to his, smashing uncomfortably and definitely unwanted. He felt sick. He felt gross. Was that Kurt's first kiss? Was that… oh god! He felt weak at the thought. Was that his boyfriend? Kurt shook his head. No. It couldn't be. He didn't remember much, but he distinctly remembered the feeling and he knew himself enough to know he wouldn't date a person who just forced themselves on others like that. While the other flashbacks left him feeling a little weird like he was having the worst déjà vu, this one left him feeling sick to his stomach and just plain wrong. He hated to think what else his mind had blocked out of the confrontation. Maybe not knowing was a huge blessing. Maybe if he remembered his past life, it would lead to depression like Blaine sometimes suffered from.
That brought him back to Blaine. The boy with the kind eyes and gentle smile who made Kurt's heart speed up and his mouth dry. Kurt couldn't deny his feelings for the boy. He knew he cared for them all, but Blaine was different. He was kicking himself for getting flustered at the park when he was pretty damn sure Blaine was about to kiss him. Why? Why would he freak out when all his dreams were about to come true? Kurt sighed. He would probably have to make the next move. Blaine might be too scared to try to kiss him again. Maybe he could get him alone later that evening…
Any other musings about Blaine and his lips were pushed away as the boys tromped in from school. David came first, walking backwards through the door as he teased poor Jeff and Nick relentlessly about their blossoming relationship. It was good natured of course, but Nick had apparently had his fill.
"David, shut up. If you come up with one more euphemism for kissing-"
"You mean like ride the dream boat that is Jeff's succulent lips? You wanna push on his pink mouth pillows? You want his tongue to- aggh!"
As Nick let go of Jeff's hand and wrestled David to the ground, Kurt greeted Jeff. He smiled back and fondly watched the two boys roll around on the floor.
"I just mopped that," Kurt tsked as he raised an eyebrow of admonishment at Nick and David.
"Sorry Kurt, but he's had this coming all day. He drew a freaking picture of us in English and almost got me sent to the office," Nick grunted as he put David in a stranglehold. David couldn't respond due to said stranglehold, but Kurt knew that even if he could talk, it would just be more bullshit. The lopsided grin on the boy's face seemed to support his theory.
Trent came in next, carefully stepping over the tangle of boys in the floor before greeting Kurt brightly. He even hugged Kurt, which Kurt had gotten used to. It didn't seem to be his first inclination, but he found he couldn't refuse the sweet boy when he was staring up adoringly at Kurt, his arms outstretched. As he let go, Trent hopped up and down excitedly.
"Guess what Kurt? I got an A on my math quiz! That almost never happens! I remembered that rhyme you taught me and everything just clicked!" Kurt smiled at him warmly and ruffled his hair.
"Good! I'm proud of you! I think we should bake cookies to celebrate later, don't you?"
A chorus of, "COOKIES!?" came from all the boy's mouths and Kurt laughed affectionately at their excitement. "Yes, cookies. Now get off my clean floor you two." They did quickly, not wanting to risk the promised cookies.
"Careful. You're going to spoil us and we won't ever let you leave." It was Blaine. He was leaning against the door, a happy smile tilting his lips up and the afternoon sun backlighting him with a golden hue.
"Maybe I won't." Kurt breathed. He wanted to jump into Blaine's arms and kiss him silly. He almost did. But everyone was looking at them and he felt shy all of the sudden. A throat cleared and Sebastian came in last, his smile subtle, but there.
"I will eat the cookies, but if I get food poisoning then I will sue. Just a warning." Kurt shook his head at the playful teasing. Sebastian sidestepped Blaine and Kurt before slinking off to the shared bedroom. He was acting weird today. He hadn't mentioned anything about the guys from the park yesterday, but there was a lack of sarcastic remarks from the boy, which was definitely out of character for him.
Blaine shrugged at the retreating form as if to say he had no idea what was going on either. Trent was tugging at Kurt's sleeve.
"Can I help you with the cookies? Please? I promise to be careful and not make stupid mistakes."
Kurt's face softened. "Of course you can. But if you mess up, it's okay. That's the great thing about baking. You can make mistakes and sometimes it's bad, but we can always start over. Sometimes though, it makes something unexpected and amazing."
Trent's smile rivaled the sun as he hugged Kurt again before rushing off to start his homework. Jeff nodded gratefully at him as he followed Trent. Anyone who was kind to the youngest boy in their house earned his respect. Plus, Kurt had nudged him enough to be a little bold and ask Nick out even though he was terrified. Kurt was definitely a keeper in his book, and now he was going to try his best to return the favor and help him get together with Blaine.
Kurt rinsed his mop and glanced out the window. "Uh oh. That looks like a storm cloud. I better go get everything off the line outside."
Blaine was about to volunteer to help when Wes pulled up. The expression on his face was strange and he looked sad when he greeted Kurt on his way to the clothes line with his basket.
"Hey Blaine. Can you call everyone in here? I have something to tell you guys. I'll talk to Kurt when he gets back in."
Blaine nodded, a frown creasing his face at Wes' tone. Had something happened? Were they in trouble? Maybe the Dalton administration found out about his spat with Sebastian and had called Wes. No, Blaine figured as he called the others out into the kitchen. If that were the case, they would have been called to the office. It was something else and it didn't seem like good news.
She was sitting in her office when she got the text.
Mr. Smith had called again to try and schedule the magazine interview, but she had told him it wasn't a good time. How would it look if she was seen doing it when Porcelain was still missing? She didn't want to seem suspicious.
The police had called again. They were asking her about the phony guy she had "seen" talking to Kurt. They kept asking her about different features and she was worried they were putting two and two together. Maybe she shouldn't have made him up...
Sue leaned back in her chair, twirling her glasses between her fingers.
Then there was Burt Hummel. At the candlelight vigil, he acted like he saw through her. There was a look on his face, like he was figuring her out and she didn't like it.
Her phone beeped and she leaned forward, putting her glasses back on her face.
From Becky Jackson:
I found him!
It was only three words, but they were the best words she had ever read. She eagerly snatched up her phone and dialed Becky's number.
"Where is our lost kitten?"
"You were right, Coach! He was at that gay school!"
Sue's smile curled up over her teeth. "I knew it. They tend to flock to each other. Do you have him yet?"
"That's the thing," Becky said, sounding nervous. "He's at this house the students live in… I'm not sure how I'll get to him."
Sue tightened her grip on her phone. They were so close! A plan formed in her mind.
"Okay, this is what you're going to do…
"I found Kurt's family."
Blaine gasped and felt the breath knocked out of his lungs. Everyone around the table had been shocked into silence. Blaine felt like he couldn't breathe. What did this mean? Was it good or bad? Would they take Kurt from him? He had a million questions in his head, but his tongue felt like it was knotted worse than Trent's tie.
"How did you find out?"
It came from Sebastian, of all people. Wes sighed from where he was standing at the head of the table, hands on his hips.
"I would rather wait to tell you all the details when Kurt is back inside. I just wanted to go ahead and tell you all first because I don't know how Kurt will react. He's had those fainting spells and I don't know if he will go into shock or not, so I thought it I told everyone else first, we could be prepared."
The door swung open at that moment and Kurt trotted in carrying a basket full of laundry. He was smiling even as his hair was being battered by the wind.
"It's definitely going to storm soon. You can smell it in the air." He took a look around the table at all the saddened faces and dropped his basket. "Is everything okay?"
Wes gestured towards an empty chair next to Trent which Kurt took wordlessly. "Kurt, I have news. While I was at work today, I found out who you are."
Kurt stared at him, his face blank. Wes decided to continue and get it all out there.
"Your name is Kurt Hummel. You're from Lima, which isn't far from here and your dad is Burt Hummel, the representative. You went missing Thursday and they have been looking for you ever since. They think you were kidnapped."
Kurt had put his head in his hands and the others watched him carefully with worried frowns. He was looking down at the table.
"You also go to McKinley High school," Sebastian supplied quietly. Everyone turned to look at him, even Kurt. He shrugged when Wes gave him a questioning look. "The other night I remembered this girl I talked to online. I've been digging into it, trying to find your friends for you."
Blaine was touched. Maybe Sebastian had a kind heart after all…
"I figured the sooner you left, the sooner I could get you out of my way."
Well, so much for that theory.
"Kurt, I know this is a lot of information coming at you at once and I don't want to overwhelm you, but I have already called the police and your dad is on his way," Wes told him gently.
"My… my dad?"
Wes nodded and pulled out his phone. "This is the candlelight vigil your dad and friends held for you yesterday. Ironically, it was in the same park we did the concert in. My coworker Carole told me about it. Her son is Finn Hudson. Do you remember him? Anyway, he is in Glee club with you. Here."
He handed the phone over to Kurt and he pressed play on the video with a quavering breath. The others all crowded around behind him to watch it. When Burt Hummel appeared on the screen looking rather haggard, Kurt broke.
"Dad…"
He looked stunned as he stroked the screen with his dad's face on it tenderly.
"I… that's my dad. He, he had a heart attack once… I hope he's okay." Kurt looked to Wes, his eyes wild. "Is he okay? Did you talk to him?"
Wes nodded, a sad smile on his face. Blaine felt relief. He wouldn't wish losing a parent upon anyone.
"I didn't personally talk to him, but the officer I spoke with said they would call him immediately. They are all on their way. You're going home, Kurt." His eyes looked bright. "I owe you an apology. Your dad too. I should have called the police immediately when you arrived. Then all this could have been avoided. I should have been more responsible, but I made a mistake. Will you forgive me?"
Kurt set down the phone and smiled wetly at him. Nothing but respect and admiration was plain on his face. "Wes, no. There's nothing to forgive! You respected my wishes, kept me safe, and took care of me when I was hurt just like you do with any boy who steps into this house. I should be thanking you, Wes."
"I'm glad you stayed," Jeff said quietly. He was crying. "If it wasn't for you being here, I might never have gotten the courage to ask Nick out."
"We're both grateful," Nick agreed as he kissed the back of Jeff's hand. He was crying too.
"I wouldn't have gotten better at math," Trent added. Tears were pouring down his face openly. He had never been ashamed to cry.
"I would have never experienced the wonder that is your food," David said with a smile, but his eyes were wet too. Everyone laughed at that, brushing tears from their faces.
Blaine was quiet. What had Kurt coming here meant for him? It was too much to put into words at the moment, especially in front of everyone. Blaine looked up and caught eyes with Sebastian. He was staring at him strangely with an expression Blaine couldn't quite place. He nodded at Blaine and gave the tiniest smile, like he understood. Blaine smiled back. He swallowed past the huge lump in his throat as David called for a group hug that Sebastian tried to escape from, but they yanked him into anyway.
"Well Kurt," Wes said after wiping his eyes. "You better go pack up your stuff. Your dad and the police will be here soon."
Kurt nodded and shyly walked towards the bedroom, rubbing an arm. Blaine was crushed. He decided to go for a walk to try and think.
The door to the fridge shut hard, rattling some jars inside. Burt trudged over to the kitchen table and sank down with his beer and salad. He was trying to be good and eat what Kurt would want him to eat, hence the salad, but he felt like drowning in sorrow, hence the beer. Burt supposed the salad would taste decent on a good day with the chicken and cheese on it, but these last few days he barely tasted anything. There hadn't been any leads yet after the vigil and he was feeling a bit discouraged. Surely someone somewhere had to know something. He stabbed halfheartedly at the lettuce and rubbed his forehead with his other hand. His cell phone suddenly rang from where he had plugged it into the wall. Stupid thing kept dying. He grunted a hello into the phone as one of the officers assigned to his son's case asked for him.
"Representative Hummel-"
"Please just call me Burt," he said tiredly as he speared a piece of chicken on his fork.
"Burt, I had a few more questions about the man Coach Sylvester saw with your son."
He nodded before remembering he was on the phone. God, he needed sleep.
"Sure. You may want to call her though. I wrote down exactly what she said, but maybe I missed something."
"That's the thing," she continued. "The description only works if we have someone to match it to. She said she saw them talking in the parking lot, but we reviewed video camera footage and that's not what it shows."
Burt dropped his fork, his interest in food vanished. Sue had lied? But why?
"What does it show?" He forced the words out. He wasn't sure he wanted to know if it was bad, but he had to know.
"That's the strange thing. Nothing happens. We got the footage from a gas station across the street from the school, but you can clearly see Kurt walking to his car alone and driving in the direction of your house. He's wearing his cheerleading uniform so he came directly from practice and went home, presumably to change."
"Yeah, I found the uniform in his hamper," Burt recalled. "So you think he was taken from the house? Why would Coach Sylvester lie about that?"
"Well, that's why I was calling you. Have you ever had cause to think- hang on." A beat. "Burt, I'm sorry I have to put you on hold."
The line went quiet and Burt prayed to every deity he could think of that it would be good news. After what seemed like an eternity, the line clicked back on.
"Burt!" The officer exclaimed brightly. "We know where your son is! He's okay! He's been living in a boy's home! We will explain all the details later, but I'll text you the address and we can meet there."
Burt didn't hear anything else after that. He was openly sobbing in relief that his son was alive and he was going to go get him. He was up grabbing his keys and tearing out to his car before he even hung up. He had a million questions about what happened and why Kurt was there in Westerville and what the hell Coach Sylvester was high on when she gave him the story about the guy, but he only could think of one thing: getting his hands on his boy. He was never ever letting him go again.
"Thank you," Burt whispered as he forced himself to obey the speed limit. He was okay for the first time in days.
It was all laid out on his temporary bed. The few articles of clothes he had been given to wear while he was there. Kurt supposed he should give them back to the boys now since he surely had his own clothes at home. God, he hoped so. No, he did. The memories were still fuzzy, but seeing his dad had brought back so much. He remembered a lot about his dad now like how he worked as a mechanic and of course a representative. He wore flannel shirts and a ball cap, watched too much sports, drank too much beer, and was the best dad in the entire world.
He remembered his mother had passed away when he was little, but he couldn't remember much about it yet. He couldn't wait to tell Blaine. They had that in common…
A shuffle at the door caused Kurt to glance up and see Trent standing in the doorway looking awkward. He smiled at the younger boy and beckoned him into the room. Trent came and sat beside Kurt on the neatly made bed.
"Are you really leaving forever?" Trent asked quietly. He was looking down at his hands and fidgeting nervously, like he couldn't sit still. Kurt bumped his shoulder with his own, coaxing a smile from Trent.
"Of course I'm not leaving forever. I do have to go home tonight, but I promise I'll be back to bake cookies with you."
"And help me with my homework?" He asked, his eyes big. "No one explains it like you do."
Kurt nodded and felt his heart squeeze painfully. "Definitely. Just because I am going back home doesn't mean I won't come back. I can always drive out here on the weekends or to your Warbler concerts… at least, I think I can drive." He mumbled the last part to himself. He wasn't very clear on lots of details still. Trent smiled brightly and wrapped Kurt in a bone-crushing hug. He then scampered off to tell the others when Sebastian glided in, arms crossed.
"You shouldn't make promises you don't intend to keep."
Kurt raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Of course I'm going to come back to visit."
Sebastian's eyes glittered as he smiled. "Sure. I believe you believe that. But once you get back to your perfect cheerleader life with your perfect father and perfect friends, you'll get busy and it just won't be convenient or you'll be too busy. The days will turn to weeks and before you know it we will be left in the dust like old toys you've outgrown."
His face growing hot and tears prickling his eyes, Kurt stood and leveled a gaze at Sebastian. "How dare you! I have been nothing but kind to you all, trying to help and be grateful for everything and you haven't even tried to give me a chance! You have been nasty to me this whole time, calling me names and treating me like dirt! Well, I'm sick of it!"
They squared off in silence for what felt like hours, Sebastian glaring cooly down at the slightly shorter teen and Kurt breathing heavily with balled up fists. The corner of Sebastian's lips quirked up for just a moment before he frowned again.
"Are you done?"
Kurt made an exasperated noise and pulled at his hair. "What is your problem with me? Is it Blaine? Because he likes me and not you? Well, I'm sorry. I can't help it. You will just have to get over it."
"It's happened before you know," Sebastian continued as if Kurt hadn't spoken. "We've had… people come here. Friends, we thought, who are here for a moment and then never return. I think we make them uncomfortable. They feel sorry for us and they don't know how to deal, so they just don't."
Kurt deflated. "That's just awful, but it's not really fair to compare me to them. I wouldn't do that to you though. You believe me, right?"
He almost reached out and put a comforting hand on Sebastian's still-crossed arms, but he figured it wouldn't be appreciated. Sebastian wasn't exactly cuddly. His tightly crossed arms and rigid posture spoke volumes.
"This isn't about me. I'm already too fucked up to be damaged any more. I warned you before not to hurt him. He's too soft."
Kurt gasped. "Sebastian! Don't say that! You aren't… fucked up! Look, I don't know your story and honestly, I still can't remember much of mine, but I know one thing for certain: no one is too far gone." He smiled gently at Sebastian. "As for Blaine, I told you I won't hurt him. We haven't- I mean, we still aren't really anything. But I intend to clear that up very quickly after I straighten out the mess my life has become these last few days. I know you don't believe me and I don't know all of what's happened to you, but I count you as my friend, Sebastian. I do remember that Kurt Hummel doesn't leave his friends behind. You matter. To Wes, to the guys, and to me."
Sebastian's face was unreadable, but it looked like he was fighting a smile. Either that, or his appendix had just ruptured and he was in immense pain. Kurt couldn't be sure.
"You are just so…" Sebastian rolled his eyes, but he was definitely smiling now. "You need to go."
Kurt blinked. "Geez, I thought we were having a moment here."
"No, you idiot," Sebastian growled. "You need to go find Blaine. He's outside being angsty because he thinks you're leaving forever and never going to talk to him again."
"What? Why would he think that?" Kurt asked, zipping up the small bag David was letting him borrow. He tossed it over his shoulder.
"I told you," Sebastian said impatiently. "Shit like this has happened before and if I know that little dumb ass, he's ambling around like a kicked puppy and saying, 'woe is me.' So go, before I say something mean and make you cry for the thousandth time."
Kurt grinned widely and hugged Sebastian, no matter if he reciprocated. He stiffened, arms trapped against Kurt's and looking like he would rather be anywhere else in the world.
"Thank you, Sebastian. I'm gonna go find Blaine and then before I leave, I want your number! We are planning another game night and you're either on my team or I'm kicking your ass!" Kurt called the last part over his shoulder as he hurried out the door, bag in tow. Sebastian shook his head and finally let himself smile.
"Ugh, I hate him," he said to the empty room as he slid his hands in his pockets.
There were patches of sun mixed with thunder clouds cutting shadows out of it. The wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves violently. Opposites fighting for dominance. A storm was definitely on the way, but it hadn't started raining yet. Blaine didn't mind the wind. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as it attacked his tie and tried to loosen his hair from the gel he had used to tame it. It was a perfect representation of what he was feeling inside. Still giddy and excited with romantic feelings, but stormy and blustery as he threatened to slip into the temptation of a depressive episode. So Kurt did have a family that loved him and wanted him back. Friends too, it sounded like. He heard Wes tell Nick that he saw missing persons flyers for him everywhere when he stopped for gas. And who was Finn? Jealousy shot white hot through him at the thought of anyone getting to call his Kurt theirs. He stopped. His Kurt? That was so possessive and the fact was that Kurt didn't belong to him.
Blaine sighed as he walked down the dirt path they always took to school. The wind whipped a few leaves across his path and he frowned at them. He felt like his heart was breaking. It had happened before. Someone amazing would come into their lives and then would just be gone. Blaine knew Kurt wasn't flaky, but from that video, it seemed he had a wonderful life full of amazing people who cared about him. Maybe even a boyfriend… Blaine's heart clenched at the thought. Would Kurt go home and forget all about him? He didn't even spare him a glance after Wes broke the news… He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't help it. He was in love. Blaine stopped abruptly.
"Oh my god…"
He had to tell Kurt he was in love with him. Maybe it might make a difference. He thought of how strong Kurt was, fearlessly standing up to those guys at the park for his friend. How caring he was for all the boys as he made them food and talked to them. How fun and competitive he was as he played games with them, his beautiful eyes lighting up with passion. Blaine thought about that first time he saw Kurt, laying there injured and terrified in his bed. He had chosen Blaine that day and Blaine knew he would never be the same. His heart had been stolen. He decided then and there he would tell Kurt how he felt and fight for him, no matter what this Finn guy had to say about it.
The sound of gravel popping under tires caught Blaine's attention and he hurried towards the noise. Someone was here. Someone had come to get Kurt. As he came back to the clearing where the house was situated, a man he now recognized as Burt Hummel was hopping out of a truck. He didn't really look like a politician, but Blaine didn't like to judge people based on appearances. He himself had first hand experience with that.
"Hello there, I'm Blaine." He stuck his hand out. "It's nice to meet you Representative Hummel."
Burt nodded and quickly shook the boys hand.
"It's Burt. Where's my son?"
A branch swatted Kurt's face as he ventured gamely through the woods. What the hell was Blaine doing out here? Why would anyone voluntarily go into the woods? He tried to recall a time when he had, but came up short.
"It's best those memories stay gone if they did happen," he murmured quietly to himself. Kurt tried not to think about what he was going to do when he actually found Blaine. He was afraid if he did, he would lose his nerve.
Kurt picked his way through some thick brush as he heard voices. One sounded like Blaine and the other… his heart sped up. It was his dad! He would recognize it anywhere! He rushed towards the sound when something hard crashed against the back of his head and he stumbled to the ground. Just before everything went black, he heard a vaguely familiar voice.
"I've got him, Coach. I'm bringing the kitten home."
