Even in the midst of Burt's hospital stay and Finn's existential crisis, the bullying from Karofsky and Azimio never faltered. It concerned Finn, since Kurt was so closed-off, he didn't know how to help him, especially since he was being so hard-headed about the God stuff they had been talking about in glee club.
He and his mom had been staying at Kurt's house for the duration of the hospital visit, so Finn had gotten used to sleeping in the old recliner in the living room, his feet dangling off the footrest while he slept because of his height. He was even willing to share Kurt's room with him for the time being, but figured he probably wanted his space.
His mom got up extra early to make the three of them breakfast, but it didn't feel right without Burt. Kurt sat across from Finn at the table, not breaking eye contact with his toast the entire time.
Kurt moved like a magnet out the front door to his car, Finn stumbling behind him when his mom caught his shoulder, looking him in the eye.
"Sweetie, take care of him today, okay? Make sure he eats lunch, that kind of stuff. I'll meet you at the hospital after glee ends. Alright?"
Finn nodded, determined to take her request seriously. He had been a little annoyed no one told him about Burt's heart attack in the first place, but seeing Kurt just mope around school like a zombie was seriously depressing. His mom kissed him on the cheek, and they went their separate ways.
The day passed dreadfully slow. Finn got a nice nap in during US history, but in biology Rachel kept poking him with her eraser to keep him focused and awake.
He didn't even see Kurt until lunch. Finn knew he needed to meet Rachel by her locker so they could walk to the cafeteria together. Dating her was so different than Quinn- mostly because of Rachel's needs… and sometimes demands. Overall, she was way more genuine and down-to-earth than Quinn though. And Finn knew Rachel would never do him dirty like she had.
He had turned the corner to find Rachel, when he saw Karofsky shove Kurt's head against his open locker, causing the younger boy to flinch. Kurt already looked like he hadn't slept in days, and hitting his head was sure to leave a minor bruise.
Finn brushed past Rachel, who greeted him with a smile, and rushed over to Kurt. He ideally wanted to track the two bullies down and beat the crap out of them, but they were already gone.
"You okay?" Finn asked, tilting Kurt's chin up to look at where his forehead made contact with the unforgiving metal. Tears were in Kurt's eyes, but he blinked them away quickly. "I'm sorry, dude. I wasn't quick enough to stop them this time. Come on, you're gonna eat with me and Rachel."
Finn couldn't help but feel protective over Kurt, especially when he was so vulnerable. After all, he couldn't let his mom down, either.
The afternoon was even more of a lull than the morning. Once Finn had eaten lunch, he was ready to curl up and sleep for the afternoon, but their glee rehearsal lasted from three until five that afternoon. Finn tried to sit by Kurt, but he was glued to Mercedes' side, and Rachel probably wouldn't have let him move, anyways. Oh, well. At least she was able to give Kurt some form of comfort.
Once the rehearsal ended, Kurt booked it out to his car without talking to anyone. Finn tried to hurry after him, not wanting to make him impatient, but Rachel held him back, making Finn stay with her while she bugged Mr. Schue about Sectionals, even though they weren't even on Finn's radar yet. She spread out all kinds of sheet music on the piano, and Finn saw their teacher sigh as everyone else filed out the door.
He was torn; stay with Rachel or go on to the hospital with Kurt? He worked up the courage and squeezed his girlfriend's hand. "Rach, I gotta go. We're meeting my mom at the hospital. I'll call you tonight, I promise." Finn Hudson learned early on that he could never break a promise with Rachel Berry.
Finn made his way out to the student parking lot, where only a handful of cars remained. Kurt's Navigator was easily the newest and stood out the most. Finn stared at the ground as he walked, but when he looked up and saw the unmistakable letterman jackets and heard the taunts of Azimio and Karofsky, Finn dropped his bag on the ground and ran.
They had Kurt on the other side of the car, so they would have caught him off guard as he tried to get inside. That was why Finn didn't even notice them until he got close enough.
"Hey!" Finn yelled, the anger and fear inside him coming to a head. He grabbed Azimio by the shoulders and threw him away from Kurt. With strength he didn't even know he had, he swung a punch at Karofsky so hard he heard a crack as his knuckles came in contact with his jaw. "What is your problem? His dad is in the hospital, you ass!"
Kurt had curled up on the ground, hunched against the door of his car, resigned from the fight. The other two football players tried to shove Finn to the ground, but he fought back, not going down without a fight.
"You better not have laid a hand on him," Finn said, his voice breaking. Kurt was already so broken, having the worst week of his life. "If you ever touch him again I will kill you both! Get away from us, unless you want me to call the cops."
Finn stood his ground, bending down to try and help Kurt up, but the two of them just wouldn't leave.
"Maybe if he wasn't such a fag he wouldn't be such an easy target," Karofsky sneered, poking Finn in the chest. "You two gonna go make out? Don't worry, we won't interrupt."
That word triggered Finn. Just months earlier, Burt had nearly ripped him apart for even associating that word with Kurt. Finn wanted to murder Karofsky right then and there. His appreciation for Kurt had developed so much that he hated himself for ever using the word in the first place. He hated himself for weeks, and now, he hated Karofsky forever.
Karofsky led Azimio away, the two chuckling and smacking each other on the shoulder. Finn knew they wouldn't be back that time.
"Kurt?" he said, getting on his knees next to him. Kurt had his forehead on his knees in the fetal position, covering his head with his arms. "Kurt, they're gone." Finn was so unsure what to do. He could have gone to get Mr. Schue, but there was no way he was gonna leave him alone.
"My mom's at the hospital," Finn coaxed. "You wanna see your dad? Just stand up, dude."
Kurt shook his head the slightest amount. Finn watched his shoulders twitch, and realized Kurt was sobbing into his arms, no longer trying to hide it.
Oh.
Finn figured it was bound to happen. Kurt was always crying about something. Finn didn't think it was a flaw in him; some people were just more emotional than others. But that time, hearing him sob over his dad, and the two losers who tormented him relentlessly, broke Finn's heart.
He was desperate. Comforting someone was not Finn's strong suit. He had to comfort Rachel about a lot of things, but her problems were much different than Kurt's.
Finn put his arm around Kurt, who flinched, and pulled him close. Kurt broke away from hiding in his arms, and put his head on Finn's shoulder. His face damp with tears… and blood?
His lip was split. Already swollen like a grape, Finn didn't dare to touch it, until he noticed Kurt's nose was also bleeding. They hit him. They actually hit him. Aside from that, the deep black bruise on his temple was already appearing from their attack earlier by the lockers.
"It's okay," he offered. That was all Finn could say. "They're never gonna come near you again. You hear me?" Finn pulled down the sleeve of his hoodie and tried to dab at the blood collecting on Kurt's face, but he jerked away in pain.
"Don't touch it," Kurt pleaded turning his face away. "Don't even look at me. Please."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Finn apologized, unsure what to do. Kurt remained against his side on the asphalt, too limp to move. "Can you stand up? My mom can help, dude. She'll be able to help without hurting you."
Kurt trembled a little, and Finn was desperate to ward off another round of tears, even though he knew it was most likely unavoidable. He was just desperate to get on to the hospital, but wasn't sure how to manage that feat.
Finn tried to get his feet under him, and Kurt put most of his weight on the bigger teen. Finn walked him to the passenger side, not about to let him drive. Surprisingly, he was met with no protest from Kurt, who was normally overprotective of his car. Instead, he curled back up in the seat, hiding his face again.
"We'll be there soon," Finn promised, looking over at how resigned Kurt looked, bloody and scared for his dad, and now the victim of the school jocks.
Finn did his best to remember the route to the hospital. At least he knew where to park, and what entrance to go in.
"You gotta let my mom see your face, okay?" Finn said, locking up the Navigator. Kurt walked slowly beside him, nodding his head and sniffling back more tears.
Finn spotted his mom easily in the waiting area, and she covered her mouth with her hand when she saw Kurt, rushing up to them.
Kurt collapsed into her open arms, crying again quietly but trying to hide it this time.
"Finn, what happened?" she demanded, easing Kurt down onto a chair. "Honey, it's okay. Just breathe. We're right here."
Finn scrambled to find the right words. He had been running on so much adrenaline that what happened twenty minutes prior now felt like a haze. And his hand was beginning to throb.
"I-I followed him out to the car after glee club," Finn stammered, towering over his mom and Kurt, too on-edge to sit down. "Those two bullies from the football team that have been harassing us all just wouldn't let up on Kurt today. They smacked his head into his locker, but I didn't catch them in time. And so I walked to the car and they had him on the ground. I guess they hit him good enough to make him bleed. I punched one of them." Finn gestured to his hand. "They called him a-a fag. Mom it's not right, he didn't even do anything, I-I'm sorry."
Finn's mom stood up, hugging him as he felt his face turn red hot with anger. "You helped him, honey. This is a hate crime," she said quietly so Kurt wouldn't hear, sounding angrier than Finn had ever seen her. "Those two are never going to see the light of day again."
She shook her head, but Finn knew it wasn't over yet. His mom would protect Kurt like he was her own son. Finn knew Burt would do the same thing for him, if he managed to recover…
His mom sat back down again, and Finn came to Kurt's other side. "Honey, it's going to be okay. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? We'll get your face cleaned up. Can you talk to me? Does anything hurt?"
Kurt held his head up. "I just want my dad," he choked, his chin trembling. Finn sat by, feeling helpless as his mom got Kurt some water and managed to clean off the blood from his face, leaving only his puffy eyes and gash in his lip.
"Can I just go see him?" Kurt pleaded. "That's all I want."
Finn saw his mom smile, which confused him, considering the circumstances.
"Sweetheart, that's why I'm out here," she said, pushing his hair away from his forehead and taking his hand. This time, she was the one who was about to cry. "He woke up. The nurses are checking on him right now, but he's gonna be okay."
The way Finn saw Kurt, it was like he had had the best day ever. He jumped to his feet, and as soon as one of the nurses gave them permission, the three of them headed in to see Burt.
Finn watched Kurt the whole time. He refused to leave his dad's side. When he was asked about his face, Kurt lied and said he fell down the stairs at school. From the look on Burt's face, he didn't buy it, but the conversation was dropped, everyone just thankful to be a family once again.
And as soon as Burt was released from the hospital and doing fine at home, Finn's mom told him the truth about Kurt's injuries. Finn had never heard so much yelling in his life. He and Kurt remained in the living room, Kurt's face turning white.
"I guess she told him," Finn said, scooting closer to comfort him. "I'm sorry, man. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. I should have walked out with you to protect you. It's just… you're really important to me, okay? What your dad went through, and everything."
Kurt offered a smile. "It's okay," he said quietly. "Thanks, Finn."
Finn should have known Kurt's dad wasn't going to go down without a fight. He managed to get the principal, football coach, and cops involved. After a long process that involved Kurt and Finn having to give an official statement, Karofsky and Azimio were no longer students at McKinley High. Kurt's bruises and the gash on his mouth healed, but Finn was beginning to catch on that there was a lot more to Kurt than what was on the surface, and he swore to himself that if anyone pushed him around again, he would be there to protect him that time.
Author's Notes:
WOW this took a lot out of me to write. As I mentioned earlier, I am re-watching the show, and this episode just about killed me. I also whole-heartedly believe that the scene in Theatricality where Burt yells at Finn is one of the best written scenes in the show.
Also... Furt. I love them. I love writing them. Finn is precious and just trying his best. Kurt is jaded and just needs a consistent friend.
Heart attack or no heart attack, I knew Burt wasn't gonna let it go when he woke up and saw his baby with a black eye and gash in his lip. Since Kurt had so many visible injuries this time, and since Finn served as a witness, they were finally able to press charges and say goodbye to the days of Kurt's bullying early on. The way I see it, he never transferred schools then, but still went to Dalton to spy on the Warblers, met our handsome brown-eyes boy, and the rest was (still) history.
It's also been interesting writing these last two chapters because it is Kurt's life pre-Blaine. Blaine is able to get Kurt to open up so much more and helps him grow in more ways than one, so seeing this closed-off, miserable kid in season 1 (and early 2) is so sad.
But never fear! Blaine is coming. I will write something Blaine-centric next, since he's about to get introduced on the show! My heart.
Did I mention I have final exams this whole week and I've blown off everything for writing about this show? I really should prioritize better...