FIC: Forever Home - Chapter 6 of 100

[shadowc44]

Title: Forever Home
Author:  Shadowc44
Fandom: Glee
Pairing: Kadam (Kurt Hummel/Adam Crawford)
Rating: R (PG-13 for now)
Spoilers: None. 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: Almost 4,000 words this chapter. About 18,000 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.

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 6

Emma led Adam back to Kurt’s cage. He wasn’t surprised at the rather small duffle bag presumably containing Kurt’s clothes and all his worldly possessions. What shocked him was the state Kurt was in. He’d left him looking thrilled, hopeful, and impeccably groomed. When he found was Kurt in cat form, huddled in the far corner of the cage, his eyes huge, ears flat against his head, trembling in fear.

“What the hell?” Adam asked. He glared at the pets in nearby cages. “What happened here?”

He received a chorus of, “I dunno,” and “Not my fault, man,” and similar excuses.

“I’ll take care of this,” Emma announced, straightening her back and glaring at the ones she assumed were the worst offenders. “You take care of Kurt. It might be best to take him and his things and just go.”

She unlocked Kurt’s cage, then unlocked a few others and pulled the occupants out, and marched them into the interview room. Somehow, Adam wasn’t surprised to see Puck, Blaine and Finn were the ones she wanted to interview.

Adam opened the cage door, and beckoned for Kurt to come out. He didn’t even look up, just curled into an even tighter mass of terrified kitty.

“Come on, Kurt, it’s alright. We’re going home, right now. Or as soon as I can get you out of that cage.”

Kurt lifted his head, his eyes so dilated Adam could barely see any color around the pupil.

“It’s okay. Just ignore whatever those ignorant asses said, and come with me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

Kurt still hesitated, but didn’t look away.

“I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you, either.” Kurt looked wildly around the room, but when he apparently didn’t see whatever - or whoever - he was looking for, he uncurled a little bit.

Adam thought he might know what had made Kurt so afraid, and if so, he hoped Emma would convey his lack of amusement to the miscreants.

“Nothing is going to happen. Just come out here to me, or let me reach in and get you, and we’re going to go home. You can stay like that, or change to your other self, whatever makes you comfortable. But you’re not staying here any longer than it takes us to get to the front door.”

Kurt’s ears came up first, and he blinked a few times and seemed to be calming down. Adam very slowly reached a hand in, leaving his palm up and fingers spread out, so Kurt could see he wasn’t hiding anything.

Slowly, Kurt sat up and stretched, then walked over to him. He stood over his hand and waited, and Adam figured out he wanted to be picked up and carried out. Fine. He had no problem with that.

“Come here, Kurt, it’s alright,” he murmured, leaning further into the cage and carefully putting both hands around the cat, supporting his chest and lower back. He straightened, pulling Kurt closer to him, until Kurt was in his arms, against his chest. He could feel his heart beating rapidly, and Kurt’s breathing was still too fast.

“Shhh, it’s alright. Is there anybody you want to say goodbye to?”

Kurt shook his head. Adam held him more securely with his right arm, and scooped up the duffle bag to sling it over his other arm, before holding Kurt with both arms again.

“I guess we’ll have to wait to get you to the car to get the collar on you.”

Emma came out of the interview room, but left the three hybrids in there. “I need to get back to them, but I wanted to see if there was anything else you needed.”

“I just need to get his collar on. Does he have one, or -“

“Here, just take any of these, and any of these leashes.” Emma pointed to a shelf. “Did you want plain black, or -“

“Well, I suppose it goes with everything.” He looked down at Kurt. “If you want something fancier, we’ll see about that later.”

Kurt shrugged, as though the color and style of his collar meant little to him. Adam wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not…there was still so much he needed to learn about Kurt.

“I really don’t think the leash will be necessary,” Adam protested, though he knew it wouldn’t do any good.

Emma shook her head. “I’m sorry, but Kurt should keep his collar on at all times, even at home. He can bathe with it on. Whenever he’s in public, you’ll need to keep his leash on, and you need to hold onto the other end. You can’t let him go out without you, at least not for a while. Eventually, when he’s older, and if you feel you can trust him to run errands for you, he can go out on his own. If there’s a problem, he’s got the collar to identify him, and someone will call you.”

As much as he wanted Kurt to become independent eventually, the thought of him being out alone right now scared Adam. He thought it was less likely if he got lost, that someone would call him to come get him, than just take Kurt home with them.

Adam set Kurt down carefully on a countertop, assuring him it was just for a moment. He took the collar from Emma and fastened it around Kurt’s neck, with the lock behind his neck. He was both amused and relieved to see there was a small bell on the collar. Until he got used to having Kurt in cat form underfoot, it would help to know where he was.

Emma attached a little engraved disc to the collar, that said “Kurt Crawford” on the front, and “Owner: Adam Crawford” with Adam’s phone number below it, on the other side of the disc.

“I can see someone was very busy last night or this morning,” he commented, impressed.

“One of our night workers did that. We have the engraving pen here, and she said she was bored, and said she was hoping it wasn’t going to be a waste of her time. Of course, Will was annoyed, but she’s not afraid of him in the slightest, so he didn’t complain too much.”

Adam had been petting Kurt the whole time, and he was much calmer.

“Well, please thank her for me.” He looked down at Kurt. “Are you ready to go?”

In the blink of an eye, he was only looking slightly down at human Kurt, who was sitting on the table, dressed as he had been earlier that morning. The collar was still securely fastened around his neck.

Emma only looked slightly startled. Kurt hopped off the table, and reached out for Adam’s hand.

Adam immediately took Kurt’s hand in his, squeezing gently. Kurt squeezed back and smiled up at him.

“Can we go now, please, sir?”

“Yes, I think it’s definitely time. Thank you, Emma, for all your help.”

“It was no problem.”

“Thank you, Miss Emma,” Kurt added softly.

She smiled at him, her eyes suddenly very bright. “It’s been my pleasure, Kurt. I hope you go out there and have a wonderful life. You deserve it.” She wiped at one eye and sniffed. “I need to get back to those idiots - er, the others, who still need to learn some lessons in basic decency to others.”

“Good luck with that,” Adam added sincerely. “I hope you find homes for all of them soon.”

“I hope so. Goodbye!”

Adam hurried out of the store before they embarrassed Emma by hearing her crying.

It wasn’t until they were in the sunshine, and Kurt was blinking at the light, that Adam realized how very pale he was. He could also now see the adorable freckles across his nose and cheeks. The sunlight showed the blond and reddish highlights in his hair. He was thoroughly gorgeous.

“The car’s right this way. I think we’ll need to get you some sunglasses.”

Kurt continued to hold his hand, looking around them in awe. Adam didn’t see anything but a dirty sidewalk, and a bunch of shops on both sides of the street. Nothing in particular stood out. Then he realized Kurt probably hadn’t even had this much of a view, except perhaps for the times he was put in the window.

Kurt shielded his eyes with the hand Adam wasn’t holding, but he was smiling despite the slight discomfort of the bright day.

“That’s okay, you don’t need to buy me any sunglasses, I’ll be fine.”

Adam sighed. “I think you’ll be more comfortable with them, and we’ve got a little ways to go. I know where we can get you some, and some more clothes. It doesn’t look like you have much here.”

Kurt shook his head. “I can get by with those for a while longer, but I’m afraid I might outgrow some of them soon.”

Adam took a critical look at Kurt, and noted that his feet were disproportionately large. He was about to make a comment about how you can tell how big a puppy if going to become by the size of its feet, but shut his mouth again quickly.

“You’re probably going to grow a bit more, yeah. We’ll get you a few inexpensive things that will do for now, then when you’ve finished this growth spurt, we’ll see about getting you some nicer things.”

“Oh, but you don’t need to spend any unnecessary money on me,” Kurt started to protest.

“Now hush. That’s a notion you’re going to have to just get used to. I want you to have some nice things, and clothes you’ll be comfortable in.”

“But -” Kurt automatically started to protest. “Yes, sir.” He did sound a little happier about it.

They reached Adam’s car, and he let go of Kurt’s hand long enough to unlock the passenger side door. Kurt gasped at the classic sports car and exclaimed over its perfect condition.

“It’s a hobby of mine, to keep it washed and waxed. I’m rubbish at trying to keep it tuned up. I need to take it in soon to have someone look at it.” He gestured for Kurt to get into the passenger seat, and tossed the duffle onto the back seat.

“I can maybe tune it up for you, if you have the right tools -” Kurt stopped when he saw the expression on Adam’s face. “Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s just that I don’t have any tools that are intended for an automobile. We’ll have to see about fixing that. You’re certainly welcome to take a look under the hood, after we get home, if you’d like, but you’ll have to wait a while before doing anything to it.”

“You’d really trust me to work on your car?”

“If you know what you’re doing. Now let’s get going, I’m sure you’re anxious to get away from here.”

Kurt nodded enthusiastically, and locked the door when Adam closed it.

In moments Adam was seated and pulling out into traffic. “Be sure - okay, your seat belt is on, good.”

“Dad insisted I do that any time I get into the car.”

“Good. Are you feeling a little better now?”

“Yeah. As soon as I realized those guys were lying - or maybe didn’t know what they were talking about.”

Adam sighed. “What were they saying?”

“That I’d have to get my balls cut off before you’d take me home, and it would take a couple of days to heal, so you couldn’t even take me out of the store till then, and maybe by then you’d have had enough time to change your mind -“

“Stop right there. Breathe. Relax. I already explained to Emma that was NOT going to happen with you. There is absolutely no reason to do that.”

“Thank you, sir, thank you so much! You don’t know how grateful I am. But if you like my singing voice the way it is --”

“Don’t worry about it. If your voce hasn’t changed by now, it probably won’t change very much at all. Even if it does drop a bit, it doesn’t matter, to me, anyway. I think you’ll still have a beautiful voice, even if it’s a bit lower. And if it doesn’t change, that’s fine, too.

“I don’t want to change anything about you, Kurt. Whatever nature does, that’s one thing, but there’s nothing artificial that needs to be done.”

Kurt sighed loudly. “Thank you, sir, that’s really a relief.”

“You’re welcome, and you don’t need to call me sir.”

“Then what should I call you, sir? I mean -” Kurt stopped, flustered.

“You can just - oh, for God’s sake, what’s the matter with me?” Adam was annoyed at himself for his unintentional rudeness. He glanced over at Kurt. “I never properly introduced myself. My name is Adam Crawford. You can call me Adam.”

Kurt shook his head, his eyes wide again. “No, that’s not - Maybe I can call you Mr. Adam? In the store, that’s how they wanted us to say it.”

Adam sighed. “We’ll work on that. If it makes you feel better, yes, call me Mr. Adam, but eventually I want you to be comfortable enough to just use my name.

“One more thing, when we go out, you will be in your human form the entire time. Unless, for some unlikely reason, I tell you to change. Is that understood?”

Heavy sigh. “Yes, sir.”

Adam looked at him sharply. “What was that for? The sarcastic sigh?”

Kurt looked a bit nervous now. “I’m sorry. It’s just that people don’t usually take their cats for walks.”

“Well, I know some who do. I don’t want to take a chance on losing you, or anything happening to you. I don’t think I really have to worry about you running away, do I?”

“No, sir!” The response was rapid-fire and very sincere. “No, Mr. Adam, I mean,” he amended.

“Good. Now, let’s stop here and get you some clothes.” Adam pulled into the Walmart parking lot, and looked over at Kurt. He’d have thought he might be a little happier about getting a new wardrobe.

“Kurt? Is everything alright?”

“Oh, sure, it’s just -” Kurt looked down at his clothes and sighed.

“Ah, you’re not likely to find anything very fashionable here, but we can get you some of the basics. Socks, underwear, undershirts, maybe some pajamas… Hm, maybe tennis shoes for now. We’ll pick you up one or two shirts, maybe some jeans. We can always go to the mall later and try to find some nicer things for you there.”

Kurt was wringing his hands together, looking distressed. “I’m sorry, you really don’t need to spend a lot of money on me.”

“Why not? I told you already I don’t mind.”

Kurt sighed, looking out the window rather than at Adam. “Because I’m not worth it.”

“Who told you that?”

Kurt shrank back in fear. “I’m sorry.”

Adam sat up straighter and looked him in the eye. “Forgive me, I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at whatever bastards gave you the impression that you’re not worth it, or you don’t matter, because you do matter.”

Kurt took a deep breath, and seemed a little calmer. “My dad used to say that. He said nobody ever pushes a Hummel around, and no matter what anyone tried to tell me, I should remember that I matter.”

Adam mentally filed the name away for now. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying. I’m glad your father and I are in agreement about that.”

Kurt looked nervous, as though he thought he’d done something wrong.

“Now, there are some things we need to talk about later, but for now, let’s get this shopping over with.”

“Okay.” Kurt was very slow to unlock and open the door. Adam got out and finally opened the door for him, waiting for him to get out.

“What’s the matter now?” Adam really didn’t want to be impatient with Kurt, but he was realizing there were a LOT of issues that would come up. Hopefully not all in one day.

Kurt looked up at him, and slowly got out of the car. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a store. I mean, other than being in the pet store.”

Adam mentally kicked himself for not making the connection earlier.

“I promise, we won’t be here long. Here, I guess I’ve got to attach this stupid leash. I’m sorry you need to wear it.”

Kurt shrugged, but waited patiently for Adam to fasten it to the collar. A few people glanced in their direction, then looked away, as though it were a common sight. Adam supposed it was; he’d never thought much about it before meeting Kurt.

“Alright, let’s go in and see what you need. Think of it as an adventure!”

Kurt smiled slightly, and followed Adam into the store, walking the correct two paces behind him.

Almost as soon as they walked into the store, Adam regretted it. Yes, Kurt did need some clothes and probably other things, but for the middle of a weekday, it was awfully crowded.

“Hang onto me,” he told Kurt, looking back and seeing he was already nervous. “I’m going to push the basket, and just can just walk beside me and hold onto my arm.”

“But -“

“Don’t worry about it. Hang on.”

Kurt sighed, but held onto Adam’s nearer arm, making sure his leash didn’t get tangled.

Kurt clearly wanted to stop and look at everything, but Adam wanted to get them in and out. They could take a more leisurely shopping trip later, when Kurt was a little more acclimated.

They found the sunglasses first. Adam quickly found a pair of mirrored aviators that fit Kurt and would protect his eyes well enough. Kurt didn’t seem to care about looking for any others he might like better, so they moved on.

Men’s clothing was next. There were so many people, Adam might have thought it was a holiday weekend sale if he didn’t know better.

Adam took a guess on sizes for underwear and socks. He wanted Kurt to try on a couple of shirts and pants to get his size, and a few people gave them dirty looks when they went into the changing room together.

“You can try these on by yourself, if you like,” Adam had suggested, but Kurt shook his head and gripped his arm even tighter.

“Okay, fine, but you’re going to have to let go so I can get the door open,” Adam pointed out.

Kurt wasn’t happy about it, but he let go long enough for them to both get into the small room. They left the cart outside the door.

Adam quickly unclipped the leash so Kurt could get the t-shirts on, and they soon found the correct size. Kurt didn’t seem to have a problem undressing in front of him, so Adam did his best to not react.

“That’s a good size on you. They have it in a few colors. Let’s get a couple. Do you know which colors you want?”

Kurt shook his head.

The jeans took a little longer to find in the right size, but once they found some that fit, Adam put the rest aside, while Kurt put his old clothes back on.

They went back to the aisle with the shirts Adam had liked, and he again asked Kurt which colors he wanted. There were six different options, and Kurt looked back and forth, and started making little unhappy noises in the back of his throat.

“What’s the matter, Kurt? If you don’t like this style, we’ll find something else.”

“No, it’s - it’s - I don’t know.”

Adam finally realized the problem. Kurt probably hadn’t had so many things to choose from in his time at the store.

“Then I’ll choose for you, shall I?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Adam,” he quickly corrected himself. “Yes, Mr. Adam.”

“The green would look nice with your eyes. And let’s take the red. Do you like red?”

Kurt nodded and smiled slightly.

“Okay. That’s t-shirts out of the way.”

It wasn’t too bad, until they got to the shoe section. There were several customers waiting, and one overworked shoe salesman, who was trying to explain that one salesperson was on a break, and the other was sick.

The loudest of the customers clearly didn’t want to hear excuses. As soon as he saw Kurt, wearing the collar and leash, he had another target on which to vent his anger.

“Wait a minute, you let animals in here? I don’t wanna buy shoes no animal has been trying on!”

Adam thought about pointing out that they had just got there, besides which, even as a cat Kurt was no doubt cleaner than this individual was at the moment. But there was no point upsetting Kurt further.

He turned their basket in the direction of the check-out counter. “Never mind. I don’t think I want him trying on shoes you’ve tried on, either.”

He realized as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he should have kept it shut, but fortunately the department manager came over and decided to wait on the obnoxious customer. The man seemed to think it was a better use of his time to find the shoes he was looking for than pick an argument with Adam. Nevertheless, Kurt was clinging even closer to him.

“You know what, there’s a shoe store just a couple of blocks from my house. I usually shop there, and they’re very nice. Let’s just go there instead.”

“But I - I - I -- ” Kurt couldn’t get out whatever he wanted to say.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. It will only take a few minutes. Let’s get these things for you and get out of here.” They passed the men’s pajama section, and in about 5 seconds Adam found some plain navy blue pajamas that should be a close enough fit for Kurt. He decided it wasn’t worth trying them on; if they didn’t fit, he’d return them and get the correct size the next day.

Luckily they saw a couple of other customers with pets in tow while they were at the check-out counter. They also saw all sorts of impulse buy items while they were standing in line.

Adam considered himself immune to such gimmicks, but Kurt was looking at everything. He seemed particularly wistful regarding the candy.

Adam wondered how long it had been since Kurt had been allowed any candy.

He thought he might regret it, but asked anyway.

“See anything you like?”

Clearly too many choices, and they probably all looked good to the sugar-starved hybrid.

“Do you like chocolate?”

Kurt nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Adam grabbed a couple of chocolate bars. “We’ll start with these. We can get you some more candy later. There’ll be plenty of time to get caught up on things.”

“Thank you,” Kurt murmured, obviously still overwhelmed by everything.

Adam debated about saving the shoes for another day and just getting Kurt home as soon as possible. That seemed like the best idea.

Next - Chapter 7