FIC: Forever Home - Chapter 29 of 100
Title: Forever Home - Chapter 29
Author: Shadowc44
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kadam (Kurt Hummel/Adam Crawford)
Rating: R (PG-13 for now)
Spoilers: AU. If you’ve seen Kurt and Adam interact, you’re good.
Summary: Adam is bored, and realizes he needs a companion. He decides to adopt a hybrid human/cat.
Warning: Mentions of past abuse (non-sexual) from other canon Glee characters. This fic is not particularly kind to most canon Glee characters.
Length: Over 3,500 words this chapter. About 104,000 words so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story; they're owned by Fox. Any non-Glee characters are my own invention.
A/N: This part is still PG-13, but getting closer to R.
Chapter 28
CHAPTER 29
While Kurt was gone, Adam had the perfect opportunity to do some online shopping. After doing some research, he came up with some things he thought Kurt would really like. They’d still need to go to a store a check out the toys, because Kurt really deserved to pick out his own. So why wasn’t he willing to let him choose his own bed? Adam was having so much fun looking at possibilities, he was having a hard time making a decision anyway. In reality, since it would be Kurt’s bed, he decided to print out some of the options he liked the most and hoped Kurt would like, or the ones that seemed the most practical. And if Kurt didn’t like any of those options, they could look online together. Maybe they could get something specially made.
One thing he wanted to order now was some type of cat tree/condo thing, something Kurt could climb around on that also had several options to sleep on. He found one that had five different levels, a couple of platforms for him to sleep on, a couple of little “rooms” he could sleep in, with a hole to look out of, and a little hammock-type swing. It was mostly carpeted or covered in soft fake fur, but some of the columns were covered in sisal, so Kurt could safely sharpen his claws. But there were so many to choose from, he thought it might be better to keep looking.
He found one toy he decided to get, because he’d seen Misty and other cats play with similar things. He read up a bit more on catnip, and found out it was not, in fact, an aphrodisiac, but its attraction would last about 10 minutes before it wore off, and then would take a couple of hours again before the cat became interested in it again. If, in fact, Kurt was one of those cats who was actually affected by catnip, because some weren’t. But because he’d requested it, he’d probably had it before. Adam found a little pillow, of sorts, about a foot long, that had an insert where catnip could be placed. The cat could hug, kick, bite, or otherwise molest the thing, without tearing through the cover. Both items should arrive on Tuesday, which would give Kurt a bit of time to explore the item he’d previously ordered, that should be arriving on Monday.
He looked through the local papers, to see if there was a show Kurt might enjoy that he could still get tickets to. Hm, pity they had just missed Phantom, which had been playing through March. What else? Mamma Mia might be fun, or The Lion King, he was pretty sure that was one of the movies Kurt had looked at before choosing The Princess Bride. Then he realized, the perfect show was still playing. Wicked was still at the Gershwin, where he’d seen it several times before. Well, surely once more wouldn’t hurt? He ordered two tickets, the best seats still available, for that Thursday. Four days would be enough time for Kurt to get ready. Then he’d be able to tell his father he’d seen it, when Burt visited.
He thought it might be a good time to pay bills and do some other mundane things that might be distracting with Kurt around. Once they were both more used to living together, things should be easier, but for the moment, it was nice to have some quiet time.
Once the bills were paid, he called Tessa to see if she’d be willing to pick up a sweatshirt for him at NYADA. He said he would pay her back the next time he saw her.
“That may be sooner than you think,” she teased. “Jessica and I are going to take you to lunch one of these days soon. We have some questions for you. Or maybe we’d be better off to take Kurt out to lunch instead.”
“Ah, an interrogation luncheon, how delightful. Gee, I’m so sorry we’re both booked up for the next - ever.” Adam tried to keep the anger out of his voice.
“Come on, don’t be like that! We just want to know all the deets on exactly how your two lovebirds met, how things are going, whether you’re as good together in the sack as we think you’d be, and how -“
“None of which is any of your business,” he snapped. “That’s exactly why neither of us will be available to fill in the details of your sordid fantasies.”
“Aw, you’re no fun!” she complained. He didn’t need to be in the same room with her to picture her expression. “I’m sure Kurt wouldn’t mind telling us,” she attempted.
Now he was getting really annoyed. She obviously wasn’t thinking this through very carefully. “And you think I’m just going to let him go out with the two of you, unchaperoned, so you can bombard him with personal questions he would likely feel obligated to answer, even if he doesn’t want to?”
That brought her up short.
“I’m sorry, Adam, I hadn’t thought about it like that. I guess I was thinking of him as more like a regular boyfriend, who might want to gossip.”
“Well, he’s not a regular boyfriend, and I don’t think he’d appreciate having other people know things that should be private. There are certain things he might feel comfortable telling you, about how we met, for instance, but I’d rather he tells you in his own way, when he’s ready. I don’t want anyone pressuring him, especially about things that might upset him.”
“I’m sorry, Adam, I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just that Jess and I really liked Kurt, and think you two are really sweet together. We wanted to get to know him better.”
He relaxed a bit. “I’ll tell you what, maybe the two of you can come to dinner some time next week and bring the sweatshirt. I’ll reimburse the cost, and we can all have a nice meal, and talk about things that won’t upset Kurt. When he has too many things on his mind, especially upsetting things, he stops eating, and that’s not good for him.”
“I’m sorry, sure, that sounds lovely. I’ll let Jess know, and we can e-mail the details later.”
“By the way, Kurt isn’t allowed to go anywhere without me. It’s not just me being protective, it’s the law. I need to remember to call my lawyer tomorrow, and find out everything I can about hybrid ownership. You’d think they’d give you a manual or something of all the laws, what to do and what you can’t do, but unfortunately, Kurt didn’t come with instructions.”
They both laughed about that, and talked for a couple more minutes before saying goodbye. Adam wrote a note on his calendar to call for an appointment with his lawyer, first thing the next morning. He certainly didn’t want to accidentally do, or not do, something that he should, and get both of them in trouble. And he definitely didn’t want to do anything that might result in Kurt being taken away from him, though he wasn’t sure if that ever happened.
He went through his list of items Kurt might need from the store. More scarves, since he really seemed to enjoy them. A yellow shirt, a jacket, a hoodie in his size, and maybe some casual clothes, including some exercise clothing. He wasn’t sure what Kurt had done at the store for exercise, but Adam thought he could probably use some regular exercise, himself. Either they could get a workout DVD or something, and exercise together, or maybe use a public gym. Maybe both. Great, now he had to check and see which, if any, allowed hybrids to be members. Or allowed them to be brought as guests by members.
He located a gym that allowed people to bring their hybrid pets, then looked up local veterinarians. It would probably be a good idea to get a clean bill of health for Kurt, aside from the one from New Directions, just to be sure Kurt was as healthy as possible, and keep him that way.
When Lily called to let him know Kurt was ready to come home, he reflected that his Kurt-less afternoon had nonetheless been mostly about Kurt. But oddly enough, he really didn’t mind.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
When they got home, the first thing Kurt did was excuse himself so he could go wash the makeup off his face. When he came out to the living room again, Adam was sitting on the sofa. He patted the cushion beside him, and Kurt sat down, a little puzzled by Adam’s serious expression.
“Kurt, I hope you didn’t get the wrong impression about the makeup. Your dad actually told me you might want to wear some, so I shouldn’t have been so startled.”
“It’s okay. It’s just that none of those things were in my shade. If I can get the right stuff, I can look so much better.”
Adam put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. When he looked up, he took Kurt’s hand in his.
“Darling, I love the way you look, just as you are. You don’t need to do anything to be more attractive to me. I have a feeling you want to cover up those freckles, but please don’t. I love them.”
“You do? But my face looks better when my skin tone is even.”
“Your face looks perfect to me now. How can you improve on perfection?”
Adam squeezed his hand, and Kurt squeezed back. He wanted to believe him, he really did, but he’d spent his whole lifetime being told, one way or another, that his looks weren’t acceptable.
“Can we at least maybe go to a store, with Lily, to get the right kind of makeup for her? I’d like to get some for me, at least some moisturizer, and if they’ll let me try some on, the right things, you can see what I mean.”
Adam bit his lip, and after a moment said, “Of course, we can do that. It’s not that I object to you wearing makeup, it’s just that I don’t think it’s necessary. But it won’t hurt to try. In the meantime, did you want to wear that dark blue nail polish?”
Kurt nodded. “I really do want to try it. It might not look good on me, but I really like the color.”
“It’s a pretty color,” Adam conceded. “Tell you what, why don’t you paint my nails, too? We’ll both try it, and see. But I’m not going to wear makeup!”
“It’s a deal,” Kurt laughed.
Adam added thoughtfully, “You know, I have worn stage makeup, and I have no objection to that, but that’s because they kind of have to go heavy on the cosmetics for the audience to see your face.”
Kurt shook his head. “No, stage makeup is entirely different.”
“Do you know where you want to look for cosmetics, or will any department store do? I have no idea.”
Kurt thought for a minute. “Ooh, they must have a Lush store here in New York, somewhere!”
“Lush? What’s that?”
“They have natural, hand-made cosmetics,” Kurt explained.
“Then they’re probably pretty expensive,” Adam said.
Kurt realized he should have thought about that. “Yeah, they are. One reason I like them is they don’t do any testing on animals.”
“In that case, we should probably support them, rather than a company that does,” Adam decided. “I think I’ve heard of them, actually. Did the company start in the U.K.?”
“I think so. You mean it? We can go there?”
“Of course. Let’s go see what they have. I’m sure they’ll have a store here.” Adam brought his laptop over and soon had the information. “Nine stores in this state. There has to be one nearby. Here’s the closest.”
“Perfect! It looks like it’s not too far away.”
“No. We can manage that. So, you and Lily wanted to get cosmetics and go to lunch, is that it?”
“Well, she needs help finding the right shades, I think. Also, she wants me to make a dress for her for something she’s going to next month, but she’s not sure of the color or fabric. She thought I could help her.”
“Fabric and cosmetics… Well, if there’s a book store nearby, I can - damn, no, I can’t. I’m not supposed to leave you, even with Lily, in public.”
“We can go to a book store, too, I’m sure,” Kurt suggested. “Please, Adam? You can pick out some material for some clothes for you. I have some designs I haven’t shown you yet.”
“Really? May I see them?”
Kurt got his sketches, and showed Adam the various ideas he’d had.
“I like these!”
“You’re not just saying that?” Kurt asked anxiously.
“No, really, I do! And you’ll let me choose the color and fabric?”
Kurt wasn’t sure if Adam was teasing him or not, but decided to treat it as a serious question.
“Of course!”
“We still need to get you a sewing machine,” Adam reminded him. “I was planning on taking you shopping tomorrow anyway, to get some more clothes. I think instead of a department store, we’ll go to a store that specializes in sewing machines. The sales people are much more likely to know what they’re talking about.”
“Good idea.” Kurt tried to hide a yawn, but Adam saw it anyway.
“I think you need to take a nap.”
“Mm-hm. Don’t you? You were up awfully late last night.”
“I did sleep in, but a nap does sound pretty good right now.”
“Okay. Here on the couch?”
“I don’t think we can both fit.”
“Sure we can.”
Without warning, Kurt changed.
Adam sighed, but stretched out and patted his stomach. Kurt climbed over him and settled down on his stomach and chest, and wrapped his tail around Adam’s wrist. Adam held onto him, keeping him in place, letting his fingers sink into Kurt’s fur. Kurt was soon purring, and so, so relaxed…
<><><><><><><><><><>
Kurt changed back to human before dinner, and helped Adam clean the kitchen afterwards. He broached a subject he’d been thinking about, but hadn’t discussed with Adam yet.
“Adam, I haven’t had any nightmares since I’ve been sleeping with you. On your bed, that is.”
“I wonder why?”
“I dunno. I just feel safer with you.”
“Well, it’s not that I mind you sleeping with me - er, as a cat - but I do wish you felt safe enough to sleep in your own bad, by yourself.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to feel strong and independent on your own. I don’t just want you to feel safe when you’re with me, I want you to feel safe on your own, too. I realize it hasn’t been that long since you were in the pet store, surrounded by others, and with people there to take care of you. You still need some time to adjust. I’d just like to help you, however I can, to help yourself. Does that make sense to you?”
Kurt thought about it a minute. “Uh-huh. And if something happens to you - “ He started breathing faster, and choking a little, “I’ll need to - need to - get along - by myself - till - till - someone else ad- adopts me. Or go back to - to - to the store.”
“Oh, Kurt.” Adam put his arms around him and held him tight. “I’m not planning on going anywhere, but you’re right. I’d like to know that, if something happens to me, you’ll be okay with someone else.”
“I sometimes think, you might want me to be someone else. Hybrids aren’t supposed to - we can’t get jobs, we can’t live alone, it’s illegal. We’re not supposed to be independent.”
“And you don’t know how, because you’ve been trained to let someone take care of you. Maybe I’m pushing too hard, expecting too much. I just don’t want you to get so wrapped up in me that you’ll never be able to adjust to being with someone else.”
“Where else am I gonna find somebody like you?” Kurt mumbled, burying his face in Adam’s chest.
“Well, that might be a bit difficult,” Adam admitted. “I should give it some thought, because I really don’t know the ramifications.”
“It’s something you’re supposed to put in your will,” Kurt said.
“But I don’t have a will.”
“You don’t?”
“I never really thought about it before, because I don’t have any family - I don’t have children depending on me. But you’re right, I have you now, and I need to make provisions, to see you’ll be taken care of if something happens to me.”
“Chances are I’ll die before you, ‘cause hybrids don’t live as long as regular humans,” Kurt reminded him.
Adam winced. He really didn’t want to think about that. Odds were Kurt might live to 70 or so, if he were lucky. It gave them a good 50 years or more together, if nothing happened to either of them before then, but suddenly, it didn’t seem nearly enough time.
“I’ll figure something out. I’ll make up a will. I don’t suppose I can leave you to your father? I know he’d take good care of you.”
Kurt was almost crying now. “No, that won’t work. Not legal. He could get in so much trouble. What about Miss Lily? Would she take care of me? I’m not sure Miss Nancy can afford to take care of me.”
Adam laughed, even as he fought back tears. “I’ll talk to Lily about it. She did once make me promise to take Misty, if something happened to her first. Of course I said yes. This is a little different, though.”
“That would be nice. I wouldn’t mind having Misty as a sort of sister. But I hope Miss Lily lives a long time.”
“Me, too. I’m glad you brought this up, because I really do need to figure out what to do. What happens, I wonder, if I die without making provisions for you in a will?”
Kurt shrugged. “I guess everything you have would go to the State, anything you didn’t specify, including me. They’d either put me back in New Directions, or more likely a different pet store, and someone else would eventually adopt me, or they’d put me to sleep if I was too old or sick or nobody wanted me after 7 years.”
“Seven years? That’s all the time they’ll take care of you?”
“It’s a long time. I was there more than five years. I’m glad you found me when you did.”
“Kurt, I just realized. Your file didn’t even list your birthdate, just your age. Do you remember your birthday?”
“Mm-hm. May 27, 1994.”
“That’s coming up not too long from now. We’ll have to do something special.”
“Really?”
“What did they do in the pet store?”
“Nothing. We didn’t celebrate birthdays. Or holidays. But the days we were closed, like official holidays, they’d have to find someone to take care of us. It was usually Miss Holly and Mr. Ken, or sometimes Miss Terri or Mr. Ken. I didn’t like any of them. They weren’t mean, just - they didn’t care about us too much. They did what they had to do, feeding us, giving us water, making sure we got our exercise, showers, and flea baths, but they didn’t care even as much as Mr. Will did. The only ones who were really nice to us was Miss Emma, and Miss Shannon, and sometimes Miss Sue.”
“It must have been a little confusing to have so many different people taking care of you.”
“Yeah, sometimes. It was just me and my dad for so long. He left me at home alone a lot, because he had to, for work. Sometimes he’d bring me with him, usually on days when there weren’t many people, and show me how to rotate tires, change the oil, different things to help him. I guess some customers thought it was like playtime, like with the toy vacuum Mom got me, ‘cause I wasn’t supposed to really work. But I wanted to help my dad, and spend time with him, and that was the only way I could. Sometimes, when customers came in, he’d send me into the office. I wasn’t allowed to answer the phone, but he’d let me do some filing, and do stuff on the computer. He only let me onto the Internet to download music, ‘cause he just couldn’t figure out how to do it.”
Adam sighed. So many things that Kurt should have been able to take for granted.
“Well, while you’re with me, you can watch TV, and sing, and play music, and dance, draw your designs, cook, bake, whatever. I guess we just need to be careful not to let anyone know about the designs.”
“But what about Miss Lily? She wants me to design for her.”
“Yes, she does. We talked about it a bit more, and she’s going to reimburse me for the materials. She’s not allowed to pay you for your time, or your designs or anything, but she’s going to give me some money, and I’ll put it in a separate bank account. It will be in my name, of course, but I’ll get an interest-bearing account. You can use that money if you want to buy something special.”
“Or if I want to buy a present for you? For your birthday, or Christmas or whatever? When is your birthday, anyway? Do you celebrate Christmas?”
“Just a moment, I have something in my eye. There. You don’t have to do that, but if you want to, that would be very sweet. My birthday is February 23, and yes, I celebrate Christmas. I usually have Christmas Eve with friends who are single, and sometimes we go to movies on Christmas Day. I don’t do a lot of decorating, but I do put up a small tree. Are you going to help me with all that this year?”
“Of course I will! Dad sometimes forgot to get a tree, after Mom died, but I always wanted one. He’d always remember, eventually, even if it was Christmas Eve, and we’d get one. But it was more because it was special to Mom.”
“I see. Well, how about we figure out our own traditions?”
“That sounds good to me.”
Next - Chapter 30