The Storm: Redemption
Chapter Six
By Gayforkurt
Summary: Famous countertenor Kurt Hummel and billionaire entrepreneur Dave Karofsky must come to terms with the past but bitter feelings make a future for these two headstrong men highly unlikely. This fic is rated M.
Disclaimer: Messrs. Ryan, Falchuk, et al are the owners of my favorite boys. Only the OCs belong to me, alas.
KHDK
…It was raining, the sound of the water lashing the glass doors and pattering on the parquet flooring almost soothing. Lightning flashed and the thunder was muffled but he could feel its vibrations settle into his groin. He moaned as his sex grew heavy; his legs writhed on the cool, smooth cotton sheets and he kicked off the duvet. The front of his body was cool, exposed to the night air but his back, all the way from his shoulder blades to his butt, was enticingly warm. He sighed and pushed back into the hard body behind him, rubbing himself against the delicious heat.
…A warm, large hand cupped him through his sleep pants; he felt safe, almost as if a cocoon was wrapped around him and he turned to smile at the man behind him but the sun was in his eyes and he couldn't see him. The thunder rumbled again and he laughed, enjoying the feel of the water in his hair, flowing through his fingers and between his legs. The water was so clear he could see the emerald grass glistening as he floated above it. He tried to touch the birds that swam through the water as though they were fish. He knew he couldn't breathe water but he was having no trouble doing so.
…Hands reached for him and the sound of his giggles burbled in his ears. He floated and turned to the man, grabbing him and climbing up him like a monkey. He knew that he knew this man but he couldn't speak because of the water. He had to say his name but nothing came out of his mouth. He started to gasp; the water was draining away out the door and he tried to follow it but something was tangling his legs. He cried out but his mouth was pressed against something so he just stopped, letting the sun warm him. He missed being in the water and his legs writhed as if remembering that he had been swimming. The thunder had stopped and there was no man behind him when he turned, just an empty field and he sighed…
He laid there, feeling the cool cloth of his pillow against his mouth and waited before opening his eyes. He lifted his head slowly and his eyes fell on the bedside clock. 5:30. Kurt flopped over onto his back, a wisp of memory making him spread one hand out beside him to feel the bed. Huh, dry, his mind registered. Damn dream. He rubbed his face, knowing that it was unlikely that he would fall back to sleep and wishing he'd filled the prescription for Xanax his GP had given him.
He padded out to the kitchen for a glass of water and sipped it as he headed for the couch. He grabbed the stereo remote and pointed it at the multi-disc cd player one of the guys had set up for him. He was not handy with electronics and that damn thing had more bells and whistles than was necessary, he thought. Most of the guys he brought by always had orgasmic fits as they fiddled with the various buttons and dials but Kurt was simply not impressed. As long as the sound that issued from it was excellent, he was completely satisfied.
Kurt's favorite classical cds were already loaded so he settled back as the first soft strains of Satie's Gymnopedie wafted over him. Music, especially piano pieces, always put him in a contemplative mood and as he listened, he marshaled his thoughts. He needed to let Will know everything that had happened with David Karofsky but he felt that he should edit what he revealed about the incident. He had no intention of publicly embarrassing the billionaire (privately might be a different kettle of fish, Kurt smirked) and Kurt did not want Will to get up in arms on his behalf.
As the music worked its magic on him, Kurt found himself thinking more about the Karofsky, hoping deep down the man was not seriously ill. A crazy thought occurred to him but he dismissed it quickly. He would like to confront him, one final time, but it was crazy to ask Noah to take him to see him. Would it make him look weak? Would Karofsky think he had gotten under his skin? Kurt's pride rebelled at the thought but a little voice kept telling him to let it go.
The music switched to the sprightly K545 Sonata in C Major by Mozart and Kurt's mood rose accordingly. With the fingers of one hand tapping out the lively beat, he smiled to himself as he remembered Karofsky's melancholy piano-playing back on the island. The man was seriously talented and Kurt wondered how long he had been playing. He remembered that the Karofsky family had always been patrons of the arts, both fine and performing, and figured it was natural that the heir of a wealthy family would have had lessons from childhood onward.
He smirked to himself as he once again noted that the rancor that had been associated with the man's name seemed to have disappeared and he did indeed feel lighter, happier; he seemed to have finally come from under a cloud. He sobered as he thought of his next step in this saga. He had never been one to avoid unpleasant situations and he knew he had to meet with David to be able to finally move on. How or when that meeting would take place, he had no idea; he just wanted it over and done with.
Kurt laughed out loud as Chopin's 'Military' Polonaise, Opus 40, No. 1, started playing as if fate was trying to tell him to be less wishy-washy and more decisive. He made up his mind there and then to tell Noah he wanted to meet with David, whether the other man wanted to meet with him or not. Kurt Hummel was going to get this sorted and no one, billionaire or not, was going to gainsay him.
Feeling better now that he'd made up his mind to be proactive, he bounced into his bedroom to decide his ensemble for the day. Will was going to feed him so he did not have to stop for breakfast. In fact, he was quite looking forward to filling in the older man on all his baggage and he had the bonus of knowing Will would never judge him.
As he listened to Barenboim play the heck out of Schubert's Serenade, he had a moment of clarity. A long time ago when he'd been crying on his dad's shoulder after being mercilessly bullied at school one day, his dad had told him: No one can defeat you unless you let them. A then fifteen-year-old Kurt had not understood him but now, after letting go of the anger that had been poisoning him since the Incident, he could agree with his dad.
He stepped into his shower, adjusting the water temperature absent-mindedly and suddenly realized he'd gone a step beyond just letting go. Maybe, having come out the other side, he could find it in himself to forgive the other man. Maybe.
KHDK
Breakfast with Will had turned out to be a light-hearted affair as the older man had refused to discuss anything serious while eating. His housekeeper had provided them with fluffy scrambled eggs, ham steaks, perfectly done breakfast potatoes, fried tomatoes and crisp toast. Will's favorite Jamaica roast was a deliciously bitter counterpoint to the food and the freshly squeezed orange juice was just perfect.
The two men chatted and laughed as they made serious inroads into the food. Kurt basked in the feel of the sunlight on his face and relaxed even more as he took in the flower-bedecked patio on which they were seated. Stone steps led down to a slightly overgrown garden but the riotous growth only added to its charm, in Kurt's opinion.
Sipping his juice, Kurt leaned back to look at his mentor, watching the man as he drank the last of his coffee, an orgasmic look on his face.
"I can leave you two alone if you'd prefer," he grinned as the man hummed his appreciation of the bitter brew.
Will laughed as he placed his cup back in its saucer. "Hey, Terry doesn't let me have more than one cup a day when she's here and Mrs. H. is almost as bad. Without Terry here, I can have another in the afternoon."
"Yeah, well, how's your pressure these days? You look as if you've been taking care of yourself," Kurt pointed out, just as concerned as Terry about Will's health. The older man had had a scare just the year before when they'd thought he was having a stroke. After an overnight stay in the hospital, Will's doctor had warned him to take it easy, to slow down and let the younger chaps handle the bulk of his business. Terry had flown over to England and between her and the housekeeper, Mrs. Hendricks, had made sure that Will had followed his doctor's orders. And that included cutting his coffee intake down to a "lousy two cups a day, can you believe it?"
Kurt had not been sympathetic because he'd been just as scared as Terry; ever since his own dad had suffered a heart attack he'd been worried that he'd lose more of the few people he loved.
"Hey, we all love you; we don't want to lose you too soon, y'know," Kurt grinned as he admired the healthy flush to Will's skin, his blue eyes bright and clear.
Will smiled in acknowledgement, turning to look over at Kurt and assess his appearance as well. Kurt had been so on edge over the last few weeks, it was wonderful to see him looking so relaxed. There were still a few signs that he had been having it rough, but they were fainter than the last time Will had seen him.
He cleared his throat and then, more seriously than before, asked the younger man, "So, how have you been, really?"
He watched as Kurt paused before answering him, obviously gathering his thoughts and probably deciding how much to tell Will. Will was accustomed to how guarded Kurt was; many people would be surprised to know that though Kurt was almost stereotypically temperamental as an artist, personally he was naturally reserved. He very rarely let people into his inner thoughts and everything he said was calculated to give away as little as possible of his privacy.
Given his past experiences as the only out gay kid in his backward, homophobic high school, Kurt was a very strong individual who took nothing lying down. He always bounced back with his sharp wit as his primary weapon. With Will, though, and very few others, he was a little more open and warmer. Will was happy to have him as a friend and cared more for him than the singer probably realized.
Now, as Kurt enjoyed the warmth of Will's concern, he decided to get on with the task of unburdening himself. "Honestly, I'm a lot better than the last time we met up." He paused before continuing, settling himself more comfortably in the wrought-iron patio chair and gazing out at the garden.
"Do you remember when I took that break back in the summer?" He waited for Will to nod before resuming. "Well, I met someone and – to make a long story very short – it was nothing like I'm used to at all!"
Will's eyebrows knitted together as he stared at Kurt, puzzled. Kurt's demeanor when he'd returned had not indicated that he'd had any kind of romantic interlude over his summer break. Usually he'd be bouncy, re-energized and way more relaxed than this last time. Will wanted to know why this break had been different but he waited for Kurt to tell him; the singer hated to be pushed or harassed into doing anything he wasn't ready for.
Kurt watched Will slyly as the man struggled to hold back the questions he was dying to let fly. He decided to put the other man out of his misery.
"Yeah, this one was really different – I don't want to go into details – but I was hopping mad when I returned. Worse, I couldn't sleep for thinking about it and I was angry and… and frustrated about the whole thing, I guess."
Will coughed and asked tentatively: "Uhm, were you hurt? I mean, nothing bad happened…" he trailed off and reddened as he tried to get out what he really meant.
Kurt, a little puzzled at first as he tried to decipher Will's stuttering, suddenly understood and his eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no, no, I wasn't raped or anything. Good god, no!" He stared as Will visibly relaxed, a gust of breath leaving the older man suddenly.
"Oh, thank god, I don't know why but that just popped in my mind while you were speaking and I don't know what I would have done if something like that had happened," Will explained, grabbing his juice and downing it in one go.
Kurt looked down at his hands and then back up at the other man. "Well, it was kind of an unusual situation and at first I was a little put out," he smirked at the understatement; "but it was basically a huge misunderstanding."
Will still looked a little confused and asked: "You seemed a hell of a lot more than just 'put out'; you seemed to be mad at the world, y'know, really pissed off, and you weren't talking about any of this."
Kurt smiled apologetically and shrugged. "What can I say, I don't handle surprises very well and this was a whopper. Anyway, I ended up making a friend, or two, as it turns out," and he smiled broadly, willing the other man to just accept that things were better and let it drop.
"Okay, then, you have obviously come to terms with whatever it was and you do look better," he paused as Mrs. H. came in with the morning papers and thanked her before turning back to Kurt. "I can only say that all's well that ends well, huh?"
Kurt scoffed, "Wow, aren't you sounding British these days," and chuckled as Will swatted at him with one of the papers. "Here, let me have one of those," and grabbed for a newspaper.
The two sat perusing the papers and exchanging little bits of news from the broadsheets in front of them. Mrs. H. bustled around them, clearing up the breakfast things and the patio got warmer as the friends relaxed some more. Will, moving onto the Arts and Leisure section of the paper, let out a funny little sound and Kurt glanced over at him enquiringly.
"What," he asked, wondering why Will had that odd little smile on his face. The man had a mischievous twinkle in his eye that Kurt rarely saw. Will glanced up at him, started to say something and then he flipped the paper around for Kurt to see. Kurt's eyes widened and he burst out laughing.
There in living color was a photo of him and Noah leaving their brunch the day before. His cheeks pinkened as he noticed the way the other man was looking at him but he shook his head as he pushed the paper back towards Will.
"Hey, I can have brunch with a friend can't I," he smirked at Will, knowing the other man had even more questions for him now. He wasn't disappointed.
"So, he's kinda hot; when did you meet him? Is he in the theatre, too? Is he the reason you're looking more 'rested'?" Will's eyes gleamed with hope as he waited for Kurt to satisfy his curiosity. "Come on, spill, kid; remember, at my age, I can only live vicariously through you these days."
"Oh, don't pull that 'poor old man' routine with me, it ain't gonna work," Kurt teased him, his spirits considerably lighter as they bantered. This is what had been missing while he was in his Karofsky-induced funk and he was glad it was back.
Kurt suddenly stopped laughing as he glanced back at his own newspaper, only to encounter another shot of him and Noah, this time with them obviously exchanging numbers. He groaned aloud as he said, "Oh, man, now those guys at the theatre are going to give me hell. Not a moment's peace until they find out who this is." He shook his head as he read the caption and marveled again at the tenacity of the paparazzi.
He glanced up to see Will waiting patiently for him to spill. "Oh, this is one of the people I met over my break. His name's Noah and he's not in the theatre; that's all I'm telling you for now." He giggled at the frustrated huff Will let loose.
The two men continued in this vein for a while until Kurt had to leave for the theatre. The company had a big meeting that day and he needed to get back into town, check his mail, the usual domestic stuff before meeting up with the producer, director, his cast mates and crew. Staging one of the biggest shows on the West End was not easy; it really wasn't just a song and dance.
The two men fell into an embrace as Will walked Kurt out and he assured the older man that yes, he was fine, really, and that he'd get to meet Noah someday. Kurt felt the urge to tell him that Noah wasn't the person who'd made him restless, angry and frustrated, but he felt he could leave it for another time. He still wasn't certain yet how he felt about David and he didn't want to worry Will; after all, the whole thing might just turn out to be that clichéd standby: a storm in a teacup.
TBC
Next up: Kurt demands a meeting but will he get it? Has David healed enough to handle Kurt?