Fic: Assumptions
Title: Assumptions
Disclaimer: I don't own em, I if I did glee would probably have to be on a different channel.
Rating: PG-13-ish for subject matter?
Characters: Kurt Hummel, Will Schuester
Warnings: Suggestion of Child Abuse.
Word count: 1075
Summary: When Will jumps to the wrong conclusion, Kurt lays down some home truths.
A/N: Just a little ficlet type thing I decided to jot down after watching the pilot of Glee again and flinching at Will's clueless-ness.
Will Schuester liked to think he was the kind of person that people could confide in, the kind of teacher that the students would go to when something was wrong. Which is why it baffled him so completely that Kurt Hummel never did. The small soprano never asked for help, even if he needed it. So Will decided to take a more proactive role, especially when he saw the bruises.
Kurt always had explanations, stories, as to how he got hurt. How the massive bruise on his forearm was from a mishap at his fathers shop. Or the deep split in his lip was caused by a run by slushing and he’d knocked his face into a locker while blinded. Something that was always his own fault, or could easily be explained away by clumsiness. Except Kurt wasn’t clumsy, and Mercedes and Artie would always laugh a little fakely when someone asked, and then exchange glances as if they knew what was really happening. They probably did, as Kurt seemed to be closest to those two than anyone else in glee.
When Kurt came to school with a black eye, his right hand bandaged up, and moving as if his ribs were grinding against each other, he decided he needed to talk to the other boy, because his concern was getting the best of him, and maybe his imagination was running wild, but he could help. He wanted to help, he just needed Kurt to trust him, but Kurt didn’t trust anyone really, so he knew he might have to earn it.
“Kurt, could I talk to you before you go?” He called out after Glee rehearsal, and Kurt quickly nodded to Mercedes telling her to go on without him. He’d call her later. Once everyone had left the room, Will sighed, and motioned for Kurt to sit down, which he did.
“Yes Mr. Schue?”
“Kurt, you know you can talk to me about anything right?” He started and when Kurt raised and eyebrow, Will sighed. “I know you might feel like you don’t have anyone to talk to, but if something’s going on, you need to tell someone.”
“I’m sorry?” Kurt asked, looking unusually confused. Will decided to get right to the point, there was a time for gentleness and a time for straightforwardness and in a situation like this, it was perhaps best to be straightforward and then be gentle.
“You’re constantly covered in bruises, your explanations don’t necessarily make sense as to how you got them, they are all cover stories. I’ve been a teacher long enough to recognize them.” And he glances over to see that Kurt is stock still in his seat. “I’m just going to ask you, is your dad hurting you?”
There’s a stunned silence for a few moments, before Kurt starts laughing. He laughs hard enough to actually bring tears to his eyes, and Will frowns, because this isn’t funny. This is serious, because if Kurt’s in a dangerous home environment he needs to be removed from it, immediately. Kurt wipes his eyes and set’s Will with this look that’s so flat that suddenly the older man feels a lump in his throat.
“I apologize, I’m sure you didn’t intend that to be funny.” Kurt tells him.
“Kurt, if he’s hurting you I can get you help, you don’t-” but Kurt cuts him off before he can continue, and Will’s a little surprised at how angry he suddenly looks.
“No, my father is not hurting me. In fact my father is probably my one safe haven in this whole damn town, so not to worry Mr. Schuester; my father is not harming me.”
“Then how do you explain your constant injuries?” Will shoots back, slightly unnerved and then Kurt’s face just goes harsh and he looks Will right in the eyes.
“Can you honestly be so blind?” Kurt asks, and his tone isn’t cutting really, but Will flinches anyway. “Has it ever occurred to you, that when you pass me surrounded by football players, I’m not just ‘making friends’ as you put it? Does it honestly look like I’m happy to be there?” And the older man goes still, his face going a bit lax and he thinks about it. “No, I am not happy to be there, and you just pass on your merry way, completely unaware that I’m about to get thrown into a dumpster.” Kurt continues.
“Kurt,” Will says, sounding choked, but he doesn’t stop, he goes on.
“So my constant injuries, no they are not from my father. Surprisingly there are things that can hurt you in a dumpster; it’s not full of foam or stunt pads.” Kurt continues rolling his eyes. “So the massive bruise on my arm? That came from someone grabbing me too hard, the split lip? They clipped me against the lip of the dumpster. This,” He said pointing to his black eye “Was because I didn’t get there fast enough, and my hand?” He said holding the appendage out slightly. “Was cut on a broken bottle. It required twelve stitches to close it and a tetanus shot.”
“Kurt,” Will tried to break in, because honestly this hurt. To know that he just left his student time and time again to be tossed away like garbage. That he was always preaching about helping one another and he was always ignoring one of his students who actually needed help. Now that he was started, Kurt needed to make his point.
“The list goes on and on Mr. Schuester. I know you want to help, and that it’s in your nature to do so, but you don’t help, at least not me.”
“What about the others?” He asks feeling choked.
“What about them?” Kurt asks flatly. “I’m not going to drag anyone else into my battles, they have their own problems. They use to shove Artie into the port-o-potties, did you know that? Contrary to what you think, not everyone in this school gets along, and we’re not making friends, with the jocks who torment us daily.”
“Kurt, I’m so sorry.” He finally says, because he never wanted this.
“Yes well, if that’s all, I really need to get home, my dad worries if I’m late.” And really Will can’t say anything to that, so he just watches as Kurt gathers his things and sweeps out of the room, leaving Will to sit and deal with these new painful home truths.
Disclaimer: I don't own em, I if I did glee would probably have to be on a different channel.
Rating: PG-13-ish for subject matter?
Characters: Kurt Hummel, Will Schuester
Warnings: Suggestion of Child Abuse.
Word count: 1075
Summary: When Will jumps to the wrong conclusion, Kurt lays down some home truths.
A/N: Just a little ficlet type thing I decided to jot down after watching the pilot of Glee again and flinching at Will's clueless-ness.
Will Schuester liked to think he was the kind of person that people could confide in, the kind of teacher that the students would go to when something was wrong. Which is why it baffled him so completely that Kurt Hummel never did. The small soprano never asked for help, even if he needed it. So Will decided to take a more proactive role, especially when he saw the bruises.
Kurt always had explanations, stories, as to how he got hurt. How the massive bruise on his forearm was from a mishap at his fathers shop. Or the deep split in his lip was caused by a run by slushing and he’d knocked his face into a locker while blinded. Something that was always his own fault, or could easily be explained away by clumsiness. Except Kurt wasn’t clumsy, and Mercedes and Artie would always laugh a little fakely when someone asked, and then exchange glances as if they knew what was really happening. They probably did, as Kurt seemed to be closest to those two than anyone else in glee.
When Kurt came to school with a black eye, his right hand bandaged up, and moving as if his ribs were grinding against each other, he decided he needed to talk to the other boy, because his concern was getting the best of him, and maybe his imagination was running wild, but he could help. He wanted to help, he just needed Kurt to trust him, but Kurt didn’t trust anyone really, so he knew he might have to earn it.
“Kurt, could I talk to you before you go?” He called out after Glee rehearsal, and Kurt quickly nodded to Mercedes telling her to go on without him. He’d call her later. Once everyone had left the room, Will sighed, and motioned for Kurt to sit down, which he did.
“Yes Mr. Schue?”
“Kurt, you know you can talk to me about anything right?” He started and when Kurt raised and eyebrow, Will sighed. “I know you might feel like you don’t have anyone to talk to, but if something’s going on, you need to tell someone.”
“I’m sorry?” Kurt asked, looking unusually confused. Will decided to get right to the point, there was a time for gentleness and a time for straightforwardness and in a situation like this, it was perhaps best to be straightforward and then be gentle.
“You’re constantly covered in bruises, your explanations don’t necessarily make sense as to how you got them, they are all cover stories. I’ve been a teacher long enough to recognize them.” And he glances over to see that Kurt is stock still in his seat. “I’m just going to ask you, is your dad hurting you?”
There’s a stunned silence for a few moments, before Kurt starts laughing. He laughs hard enough to actually bring tears to his eyes, and Will frowns, because this isn’t funny. This is serious, because if Kurt’s in a dangerous home environment he needs to be removed from it, immediately. Kurt wipes his eyes and set’s Will with this look that’s so flat that suddenly the older man feels a lump in his throat.
“I apologize, I’m sure you didn’t intend that to be funny.” Kurt tells him.
“Kurt, if he’s hurting you I can get you help, you don’t-” but Kurt cuts him off before he can continue, and Will’s a little surprised at how angry he suddenly looks.
“No, my father is not hurting me. In fact my father is probably my one safe haven in this whole damn town, so not to worry Mr. Schuester; my father is not harming me.”
“Then how do you explain your constant injuries?” Will shoots back, slightly unnerved and then Kurt’s face just goes harsh and he looks Will right in the eyes.
“Can you honestly be so blind?” Kurt asks, and his tone isn’t cutting really, but Will flinches anyway. “Has it ever occurred to you, that when you pass me surrounded by football players, I’m not just ‘making friends’ as you put it? Does it honestly look like I’m happy to be there?” And the older man goes still, his face going a bit lax and he thinks about it. “No, I am not happy to be there, and you just pass on your merry way, completely unaware that I’m about to get thrown into a dumpster.” Kurt continues.
“Kurt,” Will says, sounding choked, but he doesn’t stop, he goes on.
“So my constant injuries, no they are not from my father. Surprisingly there are things that can hurt you in a dumpster; it’s not full of foam or stunt pads.” Kurt continues rolling his eyes. “So the massive bruise on my arm? That came from someone grabbing me too hard, the split lip? They clipped me against the lip of the dumpster. This,” He said pointing to his black eye “Was because I didn’t get there fast enough, and my hand?” He said holding the appendage out slightly. “Was cut on a broken bottle. It required twelve stitches to close it and a tetanus shot.”
“Kurt,” Will tried to break in, because honestly this hurt. To know that he just left his student time and time again to be tossed away like garbage. That he was always preaching about helping one another and he was always ignoring one of his students who actually needed help. Now that he was started, Kurt needed to make his point.
“The list goes on and on Mr. Schuester. I know you want to help, and that it’s in your nature to do so, but you don’t help, at least not me.”
“What about the others?” He asks feeling choked.
“What about them?” Kurt asks flatly. “I’m not going to drag anyone else into my battles, they have their own problems. They use to shove Artie into the port-o-potties, did you know that? Contrary to what you think, not everyone in this school gets along, and we’re not making friends, with the jocks who torment us daily.”
“Kurt, I’m so sorry.” He finally says, because he never wanted this.
“Yes well, if that’s all, I really need to get home, my dad worries if I’m late.” And really Will can’t say anything to that, so he just watches as Kurt gathers his things and sweeps out of the room, leaving Will to sit and deal with these new painful home truths.