FIC: Forever Home - Chapter 42 of 100
Title: Forever Home - Chapter 42
Author: Shadowc44
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kadam (Kurt Hummel/Adam Crawford)
Rating: R
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 3,000 words this chapter. About 165,000 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.
Chapter 41
CHAPTER 42
When Kurt woke again, he was alone in the room. At first he panicked, but he realized Adam was probably somewhere in the apartment. He looked back at his new palace and purred, then headed out to find his wandering human.
It didn’t take him long to locate Adam, who was slouched on the sofa, typing away on his laptop. Meaning his lap wasn’t available. No snuggles for poor Kurt? He tried his saddest expression, but Adam wasn’t reacting. Oh well, there was always his new palace to play in.
He turned around and headed back to his room, tail drooping and almost touching the floor, ears flattened. He tried to cheer himself up. Adam loved him; there was lots of proof of how much he cared. And it wasn’t like he never got hugs or cuddles, just not as often as he wanted. He decided to work off some of his excess energy running, jumping, and climbing. It wasn’t quite as much fun as when he had an audience, but it will still pretty awesome.
Then he remembered something else. Two somethings. It took a bit of work, but he jumped on the bed and picked up Harriet in his jaws, and took her up to a high, wide perch, that had curving sides and a fairly solid back and settled her there. He went back to the bed for Bernie. It was more of a workout to move him, because he was bigger than Harriet, but not too bad. Pretty soon he had them both sitting on one perch, while he sat on the opposite one. But there was something else, what was it?
Oh yeah! He jumped back up onto the bed and grabbed the new toy Adam had given him, the Kickaroo. He dragged it onto the floor, then set it in front of the castle. It smelled like catnip, and was just the right size to hug. He grabbed it with all four paws and started rolling around. He bit one end, trying to get the catnip out of it, but the cover was strong, and he couldn’t break it with his teeth, to get to the enticing catnip. He rolled over a few times, hanging onto his toy. Named Roo. He wrestled and bit, and started kicking it with his back paws, what his father had called his rabbit-kick, while holding tight with his front paws. He rolled around some more, holding Roo tight with all four legs, with his tail wrapped around Roo’s furry tail. Hey, that felt kinda nice. He continued rolling around, until he banged into the edge of his castle. He rolled the other way, hugging Roo as tightly as he could. He bit where the neck should be, and kept rolling around for a while, until he was suddenly bored again. He didn’t know why, but catnip was only fascinating for a few minutes at a time.
Now he was ready for another nap. He wondered if there was room in the same perch for him, as well as his babies? He thought there might be. He soon had them all arranged. It was a tight fit, but nobody complained.
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Adam saved his file, satisfied with the amount of work he’d done. Almost another chapter completed. One of these days, he’d share it with Kurt, certainly before he showed it to anybody else. It did feature him prominently, after all.
He thought about the conversation they’d had in the car earlier that day, and created another file. He wrote down as much as he could recall of what Kurt had said, but figured he’d have to refresh his memory. It might be helpful for Dr. Hanover to get as much information as he could, straight from the horse’s - er, cat’s mouth.
Once he’d saved that file, he turned the laptop off and stretched. Time to check on Kurt, and see how he was doing. Probably still sleeping. He hadn’t seen or heard him since he fell asleep in one of the rooms of his castle. He’d promised to send Nancy copies of the best pictures he’d taken, so he sent a dozen or so as attachments to an e-mail. He wrote a note on the calendar on the fridge, to remind himself to pick her up the next day at 1:00.
He looked down at his clothing, and thought it might be a better idea to change to sweats, so he could brush Kurt without worrying about getting hair all over his nice clothes. But he was pretty sure he’d brushed him last night, so maybe he should try to massage tonight. Still likely to get his clothes messed up, though.
Once he was wearing sweats, he walked into Kurt’s room as quietly as he could, then wished he’d brought his phone. He ran back to the living room to get it, to take yet more pictures.
Kurt was sleeping on a platform that had curved end pieces, to create a sort of shortened U shape. The back of the platform rested against one of the two-story sleeping areas, so it was nice and sturdy. Kurt was asleep on the right-hand one, with one front leg around his teddy bear, holding it close, and the other arm cradled Harriet under his chin.
After Adam took pictures from several angles, he stowed his phone in his pocket and contemplated the best way to wake Kurt without startling him. It was getting late, and they had to get up early the next day, but he really thought it would be good to spend some time actually petting and massaging Kurt. Aside from the doctor’s office that morning, he hadn’t given him much affection that day.
He cleared his throat, about to speak, when Kurt’s eyes opened. Those beautiful, blue-green eyes stared at him, and Kurt meeped. It sounded sad somehow. Kurt looked down at his fuzzy companions, as if trying to figure out how to get down with them in the way.
“Would you like some help, darling? Can I move your friends to another spot?”
Kurt nodded, and Adam carefully took Bernie and Harriet out of Kurt’s embrace.
“We want to keep them safe, don’t we?”
Kurt meeped again.
“Hopefully we’ll both remember where they are. I’m going to put them - damn, can’t reach that high. I’ll have to put a step-ladder in here. How about in the center bedroom here, a little over halfway up?”
Kurt was watching him as he carefully placed the toys inside the room.
Adam saw the Kickaroo on the floor, and picked it up. “Argh, you slobbered all over this one.”
Kurt looked guilty, so Adam tried to reassure him. “Don’t worry, that’s what it’s for, so you can chew on it, and kick it, and whatever else occurs to you, to work out your aggression. I’ll put it here, on this shelf near the bottom. Hopefully it will dry out soon.”
Adam wiped his hands on his sweats. “Now, I brushed you last night, didn’t I?”
Kurt nodded, and his ears lowered. He managed to look very sad, like he hoped for another brushing.
“I’ll tell you what, Dr. Hanover suggested I alternate the brushing with a massage, so --“
Before he could complete his sentence, he had to reach out to catch Kurt, who had thrown himself at Adam’s chest.
“Oh, you like that idea, do you?” He grinned, and sat down on the bed. “I’ll get you a proper cat-massaging gizmo soon, but in the meantime, let’s try the old-fashioned way.” He flexed his fingers, and set Kurt down on the bed next to him.
Kurt rolled over on his back, exposing his tummy. Adam was pretty sure it was a sign of submission and trust. Considering how independent and stubborn kitty Kurt could be, he knew it meant a lot.
“I appreciate the trust you’re showing me, but I think until I know what I’m doing, I’d better do it the same way as the video I saw. Roll over, please, on your stomach, and lift your head.”
Kurt did so.
“Wow, you’re a lot more cooperative than the cat in the video. Hm, that makes me think…how would you like to be a YouTube sensation?”
Kurt hissed and growled, so he backed off.
“I’m sorry, darling, okay, I won’t ruin your dignity for the viewing pleasure of the great unwashed masses.”
Kurt licked his hand, presumably as a thank you.
“You’re welcome.”
Adam started by lightly stroking Kurt’s head, running his fingers between the furry ears. He slowly circled the outside of the ears, paying special attention to the base. Kurt started purring. Using both hands, he went around the ears and behind the neck, and under the chin, and spent a minute or so there. He very lightly stroked Kurt’s face, where the cheekbones would be on a human, and was very careful about touching his whiskers.
“Let me know if there’s anything you don’t like,” he said, though he was pretty sure Kurt wouldn’t hold back on letting him know.
Next he stroked the back of Kurt’s neck, being sure to get under the collar as well. He used the entirety of his hands on Kurt’s sides, again not pressing too hard. He lightly petted the top of Kurt’s spine, then used just a couple of fingers on each hand to gently stroke along the sides of his spine. He went back up to the shoulders and pressed carefully with his thumbs where the shoulder blades would be on a human. He was careful with the front legs, just using his thumb and forefinger on the front and back of the leg, then along the sides. Up and down and up again, listening to Kurt’s verbal cues. His purr now sounded something like a motorboat, so Adam guessed he was happy. He found himself humming along as well.
He was very careful with Kurt’s feet, remembering how Misty wouldn’t even let him touch her paws. Kurt, however, was very trusting, and allowed him to very lightly press his paw pads, and even stroke in between the toes. Adam was equally careful with Kurt’s back legs, hips, and rump. He was mindful to not squeeze Kurt’s tail too hard, but made sure it got some attention, too. When he was done, or thought he was, Kurt turned over on his back again.
“I’m not that sure of cat anatomy, and if your organs are in the same place as a human, so I’m gonna be real slow and gentle here.” His hands were large enough that he could just run one hand all the way from Kurt’s neck down to his stomach, then repeat it with the other hand. He did that a few times, then lifted his hands.
“Okay, kiddo, that’s enough for now.”
Kurt grumpily informed him it was a very brief massage.
“I’m sorry, darling, when I get more used to this I’ll try to stretch it out longer. But for now, I just want us both to get used to it. I don’t want to accidentally bruise you.”
Kurt licked his hand again.
“You’re very welcome. Now, are you going to stay like this all night and tomorrow morning? I don’t suppose you’ll want to change for just a little while before you go to play with Misty.”
Kurt shook his head and lay down, trapping Adam’s hand beneath his chest.
“Hey, I’m gonna need that!”
Kurt lifted himself up enough for Adam to pull his hand free.
“I’m going to get ready for bed. Are you going to stay here, or sleep on my bed?”
He wondered why he even bothered to ask the question, and followed Kurt out of the room.
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Kurt had enjoyed the massage, even more than the brushing. Nobody had ever really tried massaging him before, but he thought it would have gone a long way towards making up for the treatment he got at the pet store, if somebody had given him a massage every night. He leaped onto Adam’s bed and made himself comfortable. He wasn’t going to try to actually sleep till Adam was in bed. Once Adam was settled, Kurt would determine the best way to cuddle. Sometimes he and Adam disagreed on this very important matter, but he could also shift around after Adam had fallen asleep.
Kurt dozed lightly while waiting for Adam. He would take his own shower the next day, probably after getting back from his play date with Misty, and before going with Adam to pick up Nancy.
He let Adam get comfortable under the covers, then moved as close as he could on top of the covers. There! Adam’s hip would make a pretty decent place to sleep.
“Really, Kurt?” Adam muttered sleepily.
Kurt sighed, and slid down to the bed again, and settled behind Adam’s knees. A moment later Adam reached out and petted him, so he figured he wouldn’t have to move again. Now that he was settled for the night, he could allow himself to fall asleep. In three…two….
He wasn’t sure what woke him up, but he was wide awake. Must be the middle of the night, when he got his second wind. In the latest part of the night, before most people would really consider it morning, is when he’d get his third wind. But in the meantime, he didn’t want to waste time. He had plenty of energy to spare, but remembered Adam needed to sleep. He was as stealthy as possible in moving away from Adam and jumping off the bed and running out of the room.
First he explored the kitchen. No leftovers actually left out, but Adam had half-filled his food bowl with crunchies. It was an acceptable offering from his favorite subject. Clean, fresh water was in his water bowl, which was always appreciated. He pondered what he could do that would be quiet, but still let him stretch and move, when he remembered his castle. He thought he made it from the kitchen to his bedroom in about 6 seconds, a pretty decent time. There it was!
He sniffed all around it, to make sure nothing had changed, and resisted the temptation to mark it. It really wasn’t necessary, nobody would take it away from him. He couldn’t remember exactly where Adam had put Harriet and Bernie, so he took his time exploring every little room and hiding place he came to, till he found the right one. For some reason he couldn’t name, he deposited them in the highest tower room, the one that was out of Adam’s reach.
He tried sitting and resting on every possible surface, and could see there were lots of different ways to get from one place on the castle to the other. Eventually he would try them all. But now he was getting sleepy again, so it was time to go back to Adam’s bed. He jumped up as far away from Adam as he could, so he didn’t move the bed too much, and took up the same position behind Adam’s knees. He was content and relaxed, and his human was right there with him, so all was right with the world.
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Kurt was in the middle of a nice dream, where he, Harriet, Bernie, and Misty were having a tea party. He was annoyed that none of them could hold the teapot correctly to pour, so he didn’t complain when water magically appeared in all their cups. They all drank from the cups as though they were water bowls and continued their conversation, though he didn’t really think bears, mice and cats all spoke the same language. There were cookies, as well as hybrid crunchies, and pieces of cheese. He thought the bear was the one who wanted the cookies. Kurt loved cookies when he was a person, but not when he was a cat, then they just gave him a tummy ache if he was stupid enough to eat them.
Then Adam was there, and he tried to talk to them, but Kurt was the only one who understood him, and Adam didn’t understand any of the others. It made Kurt sad. He was trying to tell Adam he wanted them all to play together, but now Adam didn’t understand him, and he didn’t recognize the sounds Adam was making. He knew they were words, human words, but he didn’t know what they meant.
Then Adam handed him his new reading glasses, and they somehow fit him. Now he could figure out the words, but the others still didn’t understand. Maybe they needed glasses, too? Somehow he knew the glasses wouldn’t actually help.
The bed started shaking, and he started to panic, wondering where he could go to be safe, when he felt Adam’s hand on him. There. Now he felt safe.
“Kurt? Wake up, darling.”
He blinked, and thought maybe Adam had been shaking him to try to wake him up. Oh. That made sense.
“Time to get up, love, and get ready to go see Lily and Misty. I’m almost ready to go.”
Kurt shook himself awake, then jumped off the bed. He ran to the bathroom, grateful that he’d left the lid up. A little while later he was ready to face the day.
Adam had put some wet hybrid food in his bowl, so he ate that and had more water, while Adam had his tea.
He walked over to the table about the same time Adam was standing up.
“You ready, Fuzzy Face?”
Kurt flicked his tail at him, but started walking in the direction of the front door. Adam grabbed the leash and attached it, and they had a nice little walk for the 30 seconds or so it took to get to Lily’s door.
Adam picked him up in one hand, cradling him against his chest, while he knocked on the door. Lily answered, and let them both in. Kurt tried to pay attention to what they were saying, in case it was important.
“Thank you so much, Lily, we both appreciate it,” Adam was saying.
“You’re welcome. You’ve come over to watch Misty, so it’s no trouble.”
Lily was smiling at him, so Kurt tried to smile back, but wasn’t sure how well it would come across.
Adam petted him with his free hand.
“If Misty would like to come over sometime, I just got Kurt one of those cat condo/gym things, it’s huge. There’s more than enough room for Misty to play there as well.”
She looked at Kurt to see what his reaction was, so he nodded.
“She might enjoy that. I thought perhaps they could play in the spare room today. I’ve moved all of Misty’s furniture and toys in there. I can put them in the closet if I have guests, but I thought she might as well use it.”
Adam and Kurt followed her. She opened the door to the furthest room, and Kurt had to blink, and hope his eyes adjusted soon. The room was very, very pink. The walls were a light shade of pink, that wasn’t too bad. But the bed had a bright fuschia bedspread, and because of its size, it was brighter than Harriet.
He saw a couple of smallish cat condos, and Misty herself was lounging on a sort of cat couch that was, big surprise, bright pink. Even the rather large size of it didn’t equal Harriet-pink, but it was very bright. The back curved inward, to cradle the cat. It was furry, and had a thick cushion, and looked very soft. That was all he had time to take in before Misty jumped up and ran over to them.
“Purt! Gimme Purt!” He wasn’t sure what the humans were hearing, but he understood her clearly enough. He sighed quietly and meowed “hello” back to her.
Adam set him down on the floor and he rubbed noses with Misty, which seemed to make her feel better. He heard the humans talking quietly, but he decided it wasn’t anything he had to really listen to. He followed Misty as she showed him her other furniture. It wasn’t as grand as his castle, but it looked cozy, and she was inviting him to try everything out, so he thought it might be an entertaining morning after all.
Next - Chapter 43