Glee - Tell Me I'm Not a Lie - 3/? - NC17
It started as a typical Wednesday night for Finn. Kurt was at school until Friday and the rents had gone out for a Date Night. They didn’t get to go out often, so Finn didn’t fuss when they said he had to feed himself. He just called the nearest pizza place and plopped down in front of the TV in the living room to play Gears of War.
It wasn’t late yet, maybe seven?, when the phone rang. Sighing, he reached over and grabbed the receiver, still shooting onscreen.
“Hummel-Hudsons,” he managed around the pizza in his mouth. The soft voice that answered made his attention slip from the game.
“Daddy?”
“No?” Finn said after swallowing.
“Fuck. Finn, could you put my dad on, please?”
“Kurt?” Finn was surprised. Kurt didn’t usually call during the week, and certainly not sounding like he’d been crying like that. “Dude, are you okay?”
“Finn, please…”
The hiccup at the end caused him to drop the controller. “They’re out tonight. What’s wrong?”
Kurt’s end of the line was silent for a long moment before he spoke up again. “Shit. Could… Finn, could you come get me, please?”
“What happened?” he asked, standing up and turning off the television.
“I… Finn, I can’t stay here. Please.”
Kurt nearly whined the last word and that was all it took for Finn to yank on a light jacket and head for the door. “Dude, call my cell, okay? I can’t take the house phone with me.” Kurt agreed, and Finn threw the handset on the small table for keys as he rushed out to his truck. His cellphone rang a moment later and he answered with an anxious, “Kurt?”
“Yeah.”
“Where are you? What happened?”
“I’m at school.” He didn’t answer Finn’s second question.
“Kurt, what happened?” Finn demanded as he backed out of the driveway.
There was a long minute of just breathing and what Finn was afraid were muffled sobs or something. Then Kurt was choking it out. “I got beat up. My ribs hurt, and so does my face. My limbs all seem okay, though.”
“What?” Finn shouted, stepping harder on the gas.
“I got beat up! Jesus, Finn, are you hard of hearing today?” At least his attitude hadn’t been beaten out of him.
“Look, it’s gonna take me at least an hour and a half to get there, even if I speed the whole way. Do you need to call an ambulance and have me meet you there?”
“No,” Kurt whispered into the phone. “No, I’ll just wait.”
“Kurt-”
“I’ll wait!”
“Okay. I’ll see you when I get there.” Finn didn’t particularly like that idea, but Kurt was going to be stubborn and Finn didn’t want to argue. He needed to focus on not crashing the car.
“Thank you,” Kurt whispered. Then he hung up, and Finn spent the entire drive watching for cops, speeding as much as he dared, and picturing terrible scenario upon terrible scenario that he might come across when he got to Dalton.
When he finally reached the school, somehow avoiding being pulled over, Finn got through “security” by way of being Kurt’s brother and made his way up to his room. Opening the door, he was shocked to find Kurt lying on his bed, wearing old sweatpants and a flannel shirt that he was sure had been Burt’s over a plain tee-shirt, sobbing into a pillow that Kurt was holding against him like a bed partner.
Finn crossed the room and touched Kurt’s shoulder. The slight brunet jerked and stared up at him with almost wild eyes before flinging himself at Finn.
“Oh thank you,” he moaned. “Take me home, please. Just take me home.” Finn did his best to hold and comfort Kurt, but he was nervous and uncertain. The brief glance he’d gotten of Kurt’s face told him that his nose was probably broken and he’d complained of his ribs aching on the phone.
Finn gathered him up and led him down to the truck. It wasn’t until they were outside that Finn realized Kurt was barefoot.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” he said when Kurt winced as they crossed the gravel parking lot.
“It’s fine. I just wanna go home.”
After helping Kurt into the truck, Finn took the driver’s seat and started it up again. “Don’t you think you should go to the hospital?”
Kurt shook his head. “No, not the hospital. I hate the hospital. Nothing good ever happens there.” He was muttering, but Finn heard him clearly enough.
“Kurt, you have to get checked out,” Finn insisted as they got back on the road. “Your nose is broken and maybe your ribs, too.”
“You don’t know that.”
“And you don’t know that they aren’t. So we’re going.” It wasn’t often that Finn was so insistent and forceful, but he wasn’t going to let Kurt convince him to drive back to Lima to let Kurt recover in his bedroom. Kurt sort of pouted and stared out the window.
Finn was speeding again, but not as badly as without Kurt.
“Did you call your Dad?” he asked.
“No,” Kurt muttered, shaking his head, tears still slipping down his cheeks. “He can never answer his cell anyway, and you said they were out.”
“Dude, he would want to be here for you.”
“You can call them when we get there, then.” Kurt was changing from his normal, fierce, self into this strange, foreign person who just went with whatever was happening.
“Are you okay?”
Kurt just shrugged, leaning his head on the glass.
“Why did they do it? Because you’re gay? I thought your school was, like, a no bullying place.”
“Finn, there is always bullying. It’s just not enforced by the teachers here like it is at home.” Kurt sounded tired. It made Finn wonder if he had a concussion. He knew from football that you couldn’t sleep if you had one of those.
“What about Blaine? Did they hurt him, too?”
The sound Kurt made then sent shivers through Finn’s body. It was like a laugh, but there was nothing funny to it. It was almost scary, and definitely weird.
“No, they did not touch Blaine.” Finn was sure he had his confused-face on again. Damn he hated being confused like this, but he didn’t get it.
“What-? Well, who was it?”
Kurt didn’t answer for a moment. Finn watched for signs pointing to the Westerville hospital as he waited.
“There were about a dozen.”
Finn barely kept from whipping his head around in shock. “What?”
“And… Blaine started it.”
Finn actually slammed on the brakes, coming to a full stop in the middle of the road, and turned to look at Kurt, mouth gaping open. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t think of anything in response. He barely noticed the car that whizzed by, narrowly missing them and blaring its horn. They sat there for some time until Kurt snapped at him, turning to glare at Finn.
“Finn, can we please get back to driving before someone rear ends us? I really don’t need to add whiplash to my list of injuries.” Comforted by the familiar tone of Kurt’s voice, Finn spurred himself back to life.
When they reached the hospital, Finn led Kurt to the receptionist’s desk and tried to get him some attention. “Excuse me, but my brother’s been hurt. He was beat up and I think he’s got some broken bones.”
The woman looked them over before telling them that they would need to sit down and wait for a doctor to be available. Finn was about to start shouting in frustration at her, when Kurt touched his arm and leaned over the desk. He face was bright red, and whatever her said, he said it softly enough that Finn had no idea what it could have been, but it got Kurt a sympathetic look and a nurse was brought over immediately to take him to an empty and somewhat secluded exam room.
Finn was told to wait, so he squeezed Kurt’s hand and promised to call their parents. “They’ll be here as soon as they can be. Promise.”
He watched as Kurt was led away, then made his way outside, opening his phone. It was almost nine, and he hoped his parents were home. As he pressed the call button, he noticed his hands were shaking. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was fine. Kurt was fine. Maybe a couple of broken bones. Finn had had ribs cracked in middle school; Kurt would be fine. When the answering machine came on, he left a slightly shaky message, asking them to come down to Westerville.
Then he tried his mother’s cellphone. Unfortunately, it also went to voicemail. He was embarrassed that he almost cried during that message, but he was worried. Kurt was small and fragile and hurting. He was his little brother.
Finally, he called Burt’s phone. It was his mother who finally answered softly, and Finn swallowed down the desire to call her Mommy. He didn’t know why it was suddenly there, but something was pricking at his heart, making him feel ill.
He was scared for Kurt in that moment. His knees actually buckled for a second and he leaned against the wall. “Mom?”
“Finn? Honey, we’re in a movie right now. What’s going on?”
“I need help.”
“Finn, what happened?” He squeezed his eyes shut. Now he was freaking his mom out. Fuck.
“I’m sorry, but you’ve gotta come here.”
“Where are you, Sweetie?”
“Westerville.”
He heard her gasp before she spoke again. “What? Finn, what are you doing in Westerville?”
“Kurt called me. We’re at the hospital right now. Can you and Burt come down, please?”
“Is he alright? What happened?”
“Can you get Burt, please? We really need you guys here.”
“Sure.” There was a minute of muffled sounds, and then Burt was on the phone.
“Finn?”
“Hey.”
“What’s going on?”
“Kurt… Kurt got beat up.” Finn winced as Burt shouted on his end, demanding to know what happened. Finn explained everything he could and promised Burt he would stay with Kurt until they got there. It would take them at least two hours because, now that it was dark, Finn knew his mother wouldn’t speed.
Going back into the hospital, Finn took a seat, waiting to be let in with Kurt. After about half an hour, a doctor came into the waiting room, looking for him. It was explained that Kurt indeed had a broken nose and several cracked ribs. Finn was just glad he was let in to sit with him.
However, he sort of wished he’d gotten a warning before he went in. Kurt was in the bed, blanket covering his legs, dressed in a hospital gown. It was green and blue, all pale and even Finn knew it was ugly. Kurt probably hated it. But what he hadn’t been prepared for was the way the gown clung to Kurt’s chest.
It hung the way Rachel and Quinn’s tops did. When Kurt crossed his arms across his chest, Finn realized he had been staring.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted, tearing his gaze to Kurt’s face. His eyes were wide and wet and his cheeks were bright red. “Are you okay?”
Kurt shrugged, still covering himself and looking away. Finn moved further into the room, closing the door. Reaching the bedside, Finn sat in a chair. He reached out and pulled Kurt’s right arm from his body, taking Kurt’s smaller hand in his.
“It’s gonna be okay. Your dad is on his way,” Finn whispered.
“Thank you.” It was barely a breath, but the way Kurt’s hand tightened around his, Finn knew he meant it. When the tears started falling again, Finn wiped them away.
He wanted to ask what had happened, why the boys had really done it, but now he thought he had a better idea of it. He didn’t know why, or how, Kurt had boobs, but he did. He would ask, but Kurt seemed so tired and just…sad right then. He couldn’t.
Not knowing what to say, Finn found himself starting to sing. The first song to come to mind was that Bruno Mars one that he did at the wedding. When the chorus came along, he couldn’t help but smile at how fitting it really was right then. He was leaning his head against Kurt’s. He could feel that Kurt’s eyes were closed and taste the saltiness of his tears on his lips.
They just sat there, the room silent except for Finn’s voice as he made his way through every song he had done for glee, holding hands.
When the door opened to their parents bursting in, Kurt jumped. Kurt was pulled from Finn’s hold as Burt hugged him, kissing his head. “Oh god, Lizzie, are you okay?”
“Dad, Daddy, my name isn’t Lizzie,” Kurt whined against Burt’s shoulder.
“I know kiddo, I’m sorry. I was so scared…” Finn felt uncomfortable seeing Burt crying like that. He looked at his mom, hoping she might be able to explain something more to him, but she just smiled slightly and mouthed ‘thank you’ to him. Finn wiped the tears from his face and smiled back shakily.
It took hours for anyone to really explain it to him; why Kurt had boobs. It was a weird thought, being born a girl but being a boy. Finn didn’t get why Kurt didn’t just want to be a girl, especially since he liked boys and fashion and stuff. But he didn’t say anything about it because he knew it would upset everyone. It sort of upset him that he was thinking it. Because Kurt had admitted that was why the boys beat him up. That was why Blaine dumped him.
And Finn didn’t want to make him think that Finn was bothered by that at all. Because he wasn’t. Not really. Maybe if it were the other way around, where Kurt had always been a boy but wanted to be a girl, because that would mean a total change in who Kurt was to Finn. But this was just Kurt, the way he always was. Finn just knew a little more about him now.
The doctor coming in with some test results caused an uproar, though. Kurt started crying again when the man said what he was there with while the rest of them were just concerned. Before the doctor could say anything else, Kurt was tugging on his dad’s sleeve, begging for his attention.
“Daddy, Daddy listen. Please listen.” Burt turned all his attention to Kurt, worry obvious on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“For what, Kurt?”
“I…” It looked like he couldn’t say what he wanted, or maybe felt he needed, to say. The doctor glanced around the room at them all before turning to Kurt.
“Miss Hummel? I-”
“Mister! It’s mister!” Kurt cut him off, scrubbing the tears from his face.
“Of course, I’m sorry.” Finn wasn’t sure if the guy was sincere or not, but it didn’t matter, because right then Kurt managed to blurt it out.
“Daddy, they made me. I didn’t want to, but they wanted to fix me.” He was pulling Burt as close as he could again, burying his face against his chest. “Please don’t be mad. I’m sorry.”
Finn could literally see each emotion cross his step-father’s face. First concern, followed by confusion and worry, before he made the connection of whatever Kurt was trying to tell him, because Finn sure as hell didn’t get it, and realization came into his eyes, quickly replaced with a fury. Finn really hoped Burt wasn’t mad at anyone that would ever be in arm’s reach of him.
“Kurt, would you like to have anyone removed before we go over these?” the doctor asked.
“No,” he whimpered from where he was pressing his face against his dad. Finn had never seen Kurt so vulnerable before. Finn looked at his mother, who was crying again. Finn was starting to feel angry as well, but with himself. He hated that he just couldn’t seem to put things together sometimes. It was frustrating and made it too easy for people to hide things from him. But when the doctor sat down and spoke, it all finally cleared up.
“Let’s go over the results of the rape kit, then.”
Finn stood up, covering his mouth, and bolted from the room. He only made it a few feet down the hall before grasping a large trash can and throwing up.