Who Says You Can't Go Home Again (Chapter 2/13)
About:
Media: fanfic
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/Rachel/Mercedes/Tina friendship
Rating: R
Warnings [for whole story] (highlight): sexual assault, bullying, hinting of eating disorder
Kurt curled up under his covers without even kicking off his shoes. His eyes were burning red-hot, tears right at the brim of his eyelids. How can they do this? He wondered, Send me back to McKinley? So Karofsky can assault me again? So I can get slushied every day of my life until I either graduate or die? With a sensation not unlike being burned, the tears spilled out of his eyes and onto the silk pillowcase on his bed.
Mid-cry, there was a knock on the door.
"Not now, Dad." Kurt yelled.
Blaine peeked his head in through the crack in the door. "Actually, it's me." Kurt mumbled something into his pillow, and Blaine sat down on the foot of his bed. They sat in silence for a minute, neither wanting to acknowledge what had happened. Never one to keep silences for long, Blaine shrugged, "Well, I guess that's that. I'm going to McKinley with you on Monday. Your dad and Mom already registered us for most of the same classes so the transition is easier. The classes I'm not in with you, Finn is in with you. You'll never be alone."
Kurt mumbled into the pillow again. Blaine sighed and pulled the blanket off his head. "Can we talk like grown-ups, please, and not like kids?"
"We are kids." Kurt argued, pulling the blanket back up. But, being the stronger of the two, Blaine forced Kurt to sit upright.
"I'm not thrilled either, you know."
"'Not thrilled' is the understatement of the century. I'm dreading it. Scared shitless. Considering fleeing the country."
"And go where?"
"I think I have a cousin in Quebec. Je peux parler le français." Kurt tried to lay back down, but Blaine kept him upright.
"Your parents made it perfectly clear. We're going to McKinley on Monday. Game, set, match. The principal has been made aware of our situation. I know it's not ideal, but we're going to go, and that's that."
Kurt burst into sobs again, this time making no attempt to hide them behind a blanket. Blaine patted him on the back, trying to empathize, but having a hard time of it nonetheless. He smiled. "You know, this isn't how I hoped you'd meet my mom." Kurt finally smiled.
"Not the warmest mother, is she?" Kurt rolled his eyes.
"You'd be surprised," Blaine replied. "She does make a mean apple pie."
The next two days at Dalton were a blur. Someone was crying, someone cleaned out his locker and found a dead mouse, someone set a trash can on fire. Even the teachers gave up trying to cram the last bit of information about the Magna Carta into the classroom, and instead let the boys spend the days programming each others' numbers into their cell phones and discussing where they would go. Some boys, banned from the local public schools, were off to military school. Some were going to McKinley or Carmel High. Some, left with nowhere else to turn, were simply going to drop out and pray that a GED was in the cards. By the time Kurt had managed to drag all his textbooks, locker decorations, and pilfered keepsakes from the school home on Friday, he was almost prepared to return to McKinley.
Almost.
At exactly 6:45 on Friday night, someone once again knocked on Kurt's bedroom door. The rhythm was the characteristic 6/8 beat from "America" from West Side Story. There was no question who was about to burst through his door.
"Rachel!" Kurt squealed as she walked in with a box full of DVD's, banana clips, and nail polish. Quickly behind were Tina and Mercedes.
"Kurticus! My love, my daaaaarling." Rachel shouted in the theatrical fashion only she could do. "Finn told us everything. We had to come prepare you for next week."
Mercedes and Tina both hugged him hello, and they quickly set themselves up with popcorn, avocado masks, and, of course, Rachel's extended edition copy of My Fair Lady. They giggled, painted their nails, and gossiped. It was almost like old times.
"Did I miss any drama in Glee?" Kurt asked. "Finn doesn't exactly share these things over the dinner table."
"Or know what's going on half the time." Tina added.
"Quinn and Sam broke up." Mercedes shared, a sly smile growing on her face. Kurt shrieked in surprise.
"No! Barbie and Ken are no more? Say it ain't so." He laughed.
"Yep. Sam dated Santana for like a week, but they broke up." She nodded.
"Word on the street is that Santana plays for your team these days." Tina whispered, looking over her shoulder in case anyone should overhear.
"Ain't my team." Kurt laughed. "Although if we're going with the baseball metaphor, I think Team Lesbian would win with a landslide. Are she and Brittany together now?"
All three shook their heads. "Still with Artie." Tina added.
"And you are...?" Kurt gave Tina the side-eye.
"Still with Mike. Still very much in love with Mike. Still very much over one Arthur James Abrams."
"Still single." Mercedes volunteered. "And not looking. I swear, if you set me up on a blind date with another Warbler, I'm going to-" she cut herself off, forgetting that the Warblers were no more as of that afternoon. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, pulling Kurt into a bear hug.
"Assuming Karofsky stays the hell away from me, probably." He sighed.
"You'll be fine, babe." Rachel cooed. "You'll have someone in every class with you. You know, after you transferred, Figgins really stepped up security at the school. We have two cops on duty all day now. There's a zero-tolerance bullying policy in place. Mr. Schue told us that any teacher who fails to report bullying will be put on probation. It's pretty serious stuff."
Kurt sighed again, wanting to forget about the whole problem. Thankfully, just then, "I Could Have Danced All Night" came on, and all four danced around his room, singing along.
Media: fanfic
Pairings: Kurt/Blaine, Kurt/Rachel/Mercedes/Tina friendship
Rating: R
Warnings [for whole story] (highlight): sexual assault, bullying, hinting of eating disorder
Kurt curled up under his covers without even kicking off his shoes. His eyes were burning red-hot, tears right at the brim of his eyelids. How can they do this? He wondered, Send me back to McKinley? So Karofsky can assault me again? So I can get slushied every day of my life until I either graduate or die? With a sensation not unlike being burned, the tears spilled out of his eyes and onto the silk pillowcase on his bed.
Mid-cry, there was a knock on the door.
"Not now, Dad." Kurt yelled.
Blaine peeked his head in through the crack in the door. "Actually, it's me." Kurt mumbled something into his pillow, and Blaine sat down on the foot of his bed. They sat in silence for a minute, neither wanting to acknowledge what had happened. Never one to keep silences for long, Blaine shrugged, "Well, I guess that's that. I'm going to McKinley with you on Monday. Your dad and Mom already registered us for most of the same classes so the transition is easier. The classes I'm not in with you, Finn is in with you. You'll never be alone."
Kurt mumbled into the pillow again. Blaine sighed and pulled the blanket off his head. "Can we talk like grown-ups, please, and not like kids?"
"We are kids." Kurt argued, pulling the blanket back up. But, being the stronger of the two, Blaine forced Kurt to sit upright.
"I'm not thrilled either, you know."
"'Not thrilled' is the understatement of the century. I'm dreading it. Scared shitless. Considering fleeing the country."
"And go where?"
"I think I have a cousin in Quebec. Je peux parler le français." Kurt tried to lay back down, but Blaine kept him upright.
"Your parents made it perfectly clear. We're going to McKinley on Monday. Game, set, match. The principal has been made aware of our situation. I know it's not ideal, but we're going to go, and that's that."
Kurt burst into sobs again, this time making no attempt to hide them behind a blanket. Blaine patted him on the back, trying to empathize, but having a hard time of it nonetheless. He smiled. "You know, this isn't how I hoped you'd meet my mom." Kurt finally smiled.
"Not the warmest mother, is she?" Kurt rolled his eyes.
"You'd be surprised," Blaine replied. "She does make a mean apple pie."
The next two days at Dalton were a blur. Someone was crying, someone cleaned out his locker and found a dead mouse, someone set a trash can on fire. Even the teachers gave up trying to cram the last bit of information about the Magna Carta into the classroom, and instead let the boys spend the days programming each others' numbers into their cell phones and discussing where they would go. Some boys, banned from the local public schools, were off to military school. Some were going to McKinley or Carmel High. Some, left with nowhere else to turn, were simply going to drop out and pray that a GED was in the cards. By the time Kurt had managed to drag all his textbooks, locker decorations, and pilfered keepsakes from the school home on Friday, he was almost prepared to return to McKinley.
Almost.
At exactly 6:45 on Friday night, someone once again knocked on Kurt's bedroom door. The rhythm was the characteristic 6/8 beat from "America" from West Side Story. There was no question who was about to burst through his door.
"Rachel!" Kurt squealed as she walked in with a box full of DVD's, banana clips, and nail polish. Quickly behind were Tina and Mercedes.
"Kurticus! My love, my daaaaarling." Rachel shouted in the theatrical fashion only she could do. "Finn told us everything. We had to come prepare you for next week."
Mercedes and Tina both hugged him hello, and they quickly set themselves up with popcorn, avocado masks, and, of course, Rachel's extended edition copy of My Fair Lady. They giggled, painted their nails, and gossiped. It was almost like old times.
"Did I miss any drama in Glee?" Kurt asked. "Finn doesn't exactly share these things over the dinner table."
"Or know what's going on half the time." Tina added.
"Quinn and Sam broke up." Mercedes shared, a sly smile growing on her face. Kurt shrieked in surprise.
"No! Barbie and Ken are no more? Say it ain't so." He laughed.
"Yep. Sam dated Santana for like a week, but they broke up." She nodded.
"Word on the street is that Santana plays for your team these days." Tina whispered, looking over her shoulder in case anyone should overhear.
"Ain't my team." Kurt laughed. "Although if we're going with the baseball metaphor, I think Team Lesbian would win with a landslide. Are she and Brittany together now?"
All three shook their heads. "Still with Artie." Tina added.
"And you are...?" Kurt gave Tina the side-eye.
"Still with Mike. Still very much in love with Mike. Still very much over one Arthur James Abrams."
"Still single." Mercedes volunteered. "And not looking. I swear, if you set me up on a blind date with another Warbler, I'm going to-" she cut herself off, forgetting that the Warblers were no more as of that afternoon. "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, pulling Kurt into a bear hug.
"Assuming Karofsky stays the hell away from me, probably." He sighed.
"You'll be fine, babe." Rachel cooed. "You'll have someone in every class with you. You know, after you transferred, Figgins really stepped up security at the school. We have two cops on duty all day now. There's a zero-tolerance bullying policy in place. Mr. Schue told us that any teacher who fails to report bullying will be put on probation. It's pretty serious stuff."
Kurt sighed again, wanting to forget about the whole problem. Thankfully, just then, "I Could Have Danced All Night" came on, and all four danced around his room, singing along.