FIC: Forever Home - Chapter 68 of 100
Title: Forever Home - Chapter 68 of 100
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: About 4,000 words this chapter. About 288,000 words so far.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Glee characters in this story; they're owned by Fox. Any non-Glee characters are my own invention
Chapter 67
CHAPTER 68
Kurt wanted to fix a nice, healthy lunch for Burt’s last day. He made a big salad, with just about every type of fruit and vegetable he could find. He threw in a few other things, like some bacon, salami, and chicken, and added a light champagne dressing Adam had wanted to try. He left the pieces of meat fairly large, but the fruit was in small pieces, and the vegetables were shredded, then chopped finely, and sprinkled all over the salad.
Burt seemed more enthusiastic than Kurt had ever seen him about a salad. Then he asked, “Hey what are all these little green things all mixed in here? They’re pretty good. If it comes in a bottle, maybe I can get Carole to find it at the store.”
Kurt giggled behind his hand, then explained, “They’re vegetables.”
Burt pulled away from the table a bit, as though the veggies would bite him. “Really? Stealth vegetables, huh?”
Kurt nodded, and went back to eating.
Adam thought it was quite a bit of trouble to go to for a salad, but it was very good. He understood Kurt’s desire to make something healthy that his dad would actually eat. “Hm, this is a good way to get rid of the little odds and ends of vegetables, where there’s not quite enough to put them in a side dish.”
Kurt beamed at the compliments, so Adam didn’t mind the fact that they’d have to go to the grocery store after taking Burt to the airport, and stock up on things again.
<><><><><><><><><><>
After lunch, Adam suggested, “I was thinking, maybe Kurt can go with us to the airport? Since I’m only dropping you off outside, there’s no reason he can’t keep me company in the car on the way back.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Burt agreed. “Nobody should object to that.”
Adam looked over at Kurt, wondering why he hadn’t said anything. “Assuming you want to go, that is.”
Kurt scoffed at that. “Of course I do.” He still looked dissatisfied. Of course, he didn’t want his dad to leave just yet.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Burt agreed, “but if you expect him to actually keep you company, good luck. He’ll fall asleep within 10 minutes on the way back.”
“I will not!” Kurt automatically objected.
Adam shrugged. “That’s sort of what I expect will happen.” He turned to Kurt with a smile. “If you manage to stay awake, that’s great. We can talk, or listen to the radio. And if you fall asleep, that’s okay, too. I don’t want you trying to stay awake if your body is telling you it’s time to sleep.”
Kurt heaved a very put-upon sigh, but didn’t argue the point. Adam wondered if he was starting to realize he was more comfortable in general when he got enough sleep.
He turned back to Burt. “Have you got everything?”
He nodded. “I just need to bring the suitcases out here.”
“I’ll help, if you like.”
“I can get one,” Kurt insisted. “You don’t need to carry them yet, Dad. You’ll have enough time to do that later,” he pointed out.
It looked like Burt was going to object, but he grinned. “Hey, thanks, guys. Not that I can’t do it myself, but I don’t often get the chance to let somebody younger do the heavy lifting for me.”
They soon had the suitcases out, and made sure Burt had everything he was planning on bringing back. Including the hand cleanser, pictures from Adam’s camera, and Kurt’s note to Carole, as well as the business cards for Gabriel and Julia. Not to mention the cookies, with a promise to share them with Carole.
“Dad, I just realized - Adam, can you take some pictures of Dad for me?”
Kurt looked so anxious, like he actually thought he would say ‘no’.
“Of course. And I can get some of the two of you together, as well.”
Burt grinned. “I’m glad you thought of that, son. You can have some pictures, and Adam can maybe send me some for Carole.”
“Of course. I’ve got your home address somewhere, don’t I?” Adam really wasn’t sure.
Burt rolled his eyes. “I don’t think I gave it to you. Here you go.”
He wrote it down on a business card, which was a relief. He was sure he and Kurt would be sending holiday cards and gifts, as well as pictures.
Kurt was grinning. “Hey, we’ve got another card to add to the book!”
“Are we collecting them, then?” Adam asked, slightly amused.
He shrugged. “I guess.”
“More practical than collecting stamps, I guess,” Burt suggested.
Adam grabbed his video camera, as well as his phone. He took a few pictures of Burt alone; sitting in the living room; pretending to play the piano, in Kurt’s room, next to Buckingham Palace. Kurt happily posed for some with his dad in various places around the apartment.
“Hey, I was just thinking,” Burt said wistfully, “I wish we’d gotten some pictures of me and Kurt as a cat.”
“That would be cute,” Adam said. Before he got the last word out, Kurt had changed.
He leaped into his father’s arms, and Burt caught him. Adam captured it on film.
“Just a second, let me get the video camera. I can get still shots from it.”
Kurt was climbing around on Burt’s shoulders, then climbed down his back and ran out of the room.
“I’ll bet I know where he’s going,” Burt said with a wide grin.
“Buckingham Palace.”
“You got it.”
They arrived to see Kurt was indeed sitting on top of one of the bridges. Burt went to stand next to him. He petted him, then let him go wild. Kurt ran and jumped, and peeked out of various hidey holes, while Burt pretended to look for him. He’d reach up as high as he could, trying to stick his hand inside of the rooms, while Kurt would be on another level, reaching a paw out to tickle him. By the time Burt could reach to stop him, Kurt would have moved somewhere else.
Adam was having a marvelous time just watching and filming. The coup de grace was Kurt leaping from the highest point of his palace, onto the top of Burt’s head, like a very furry hat. He kept his claws in, of course, and Adam got a great shot of Burt laughing, as he looked up, trying to reach Kurt, who kept shifting just slightly so Burt couldn’t quite get his hands on him. Finally Kurt ran down Burt’s back again, and jumped onto the bed. Burt sat down to join him.
“Hang on, stay like that a second.”
Burt gestured for the camera, so Adam gave it to him, so he could get some close-ups of Kurt.
Adam found what he was looking for quickly enough, scooping them all up into his arms without regard for their dignity. He knew they’d forgive him.
He walked back into the room, and tossed Phoebe, Harriet and Bernard in the general direction of the bed. Burt laid back to try to capture the action, as Kurt tried to catch all of them. He did grab Harriet in his mouth, and the larger stuffed animals fell onto the bed haphazardly. Kurt growled in annoyance. Burt picked up Phoebe and petted and soothed her, while Kurt checked to make sure Bernard was okay.
Adam walked closer to the bed, and took the camera from Burt. He recorded the action as the human, cat, and stuffed animals played together. Burt supplied the voice for Bernard, and Adam attempted Harriet and Phoebe, trying to give them slightly different accents. Kurt seemed delighted, and meowed and meeped at his babies.
Burt finally sat up. “Okay, I think that’s enough for now.”
Kurt whined, but crawled into Burt’s lap for some more cuddles.
Adam finally stopped filming, and quietly left the room, letting them have a last few minutes alone.
When they came back out, Adam shut his laptop. Kurt was human again, and even though his hair was mussed, he was grinning at something his father said.
“Just let me get cleaned up a minute, and I’ll be ready,” Kurt promised.
Adam looked at his watch and saw it was indeed almost time to go.
“Okay, but hurry, if you can. I’d rather get Burt there a little early than have him try to rush to get to the plane on time.”
Kurt sighed heavily, but ran into Adam’s room. Adam thought it was hilarious that even though his legs were longer, human Kurt was no match for kitty Kurt in the speed department.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Kurt often felt like he wanted to get out of his clothes and shower after changing back, but a lot of the time it just wasn’t practical. He settled for washing his face and hands, and changing clothes. He decided to go for comfort rather than style, and put on jeans and a red t-shirt, and brown loafers. He decided he’d need a yellow shirt pretty soon, to go with the yellow tennis shoes. They didn’t really go with the red shirt, but they seemed to fit better already than when he’d first gotten them.
When he found Adam and his dad, they were laughing about something, and he shot them a suspicious look. They shut up immediately, which confirmed they’d been laughing about him.
“We were just talking about how adorable you are as a cat,” Adam soothed. “I was saying, you could do a much better job on TV than those actors who pretend to be hybrids, and the trained animals. You could have your own sitcom, and it would be hilarious.”
“I agree, I’d watch that,” Burt grinned. “Just think, a comedy from the hybrid’s point of view, about all the silly things humans do and say.”
Kurt relaxed. “Yeah, that would be more entertaining, wouldn’t it?”
“Even better if hybrids were allowed to watch it. I guess a lot of owners don’t want them watching TV,” Adam remembered.
“Stupid rule,” Burt commented. “They’re either gonna do it anyway, when their people aren’t around, or feel like they’re missing out on something. I let Kurt watch whatever he wanted…well, who knows what he watched when I wasn’t there. I just explained why I didn’t think he’d enjoy any of the shows that had hybrids as characters, because they were usually insulting, and/or really inaccurate.”
“I didn’t actually want to see those,” Kurt asserted with a shrug. “I know what it’s like to be a hybrid. I wanted to see the shows about regular people, or people doing things I couldn’t do, because at least it made it easier to imagine doing them. Like driving, or going on trips to exotic places. And I liked the modeling and design shows.”
Burt shrugged. “He never wanted to watch my shows, for some reason, but he’d still sit with me, and fall asleep, or turn into a cat and usually fall asleep.”
“Ah, well, I guess the world is stuck with inferior entertainment, then,” Adam mused. “Alright, I suppose we’d better get going, in case there’s traffic.”
“Yeah, even though it’s a holiday, a lot of people have to go back to work tomorrow, so there’s liable to be traffic at the airport any time of day,” Burt suggested.
“Can I have a snack first? I’m starving,” Kurt mentioned.
“That’s right, you changed back pretty quickly. Do you want to grab a couple of those nutrition bars, or meal substitutes, or whatever they are?”
Kurt made a disgusted face, but nodded. “They taste like chocolate covered cardboard.”
“Then let’s look for something different when we’re at the store, after we drop your father off.”
Kurt put several bars in his satchel, in case his dad or Adam got hungry, and unwrapped another. He ate it in three bites, to get it over with quicker. He then joined them by the door.
“You’re sure you have everything Dad?” Kurt asked.
Burt looked at him intently, then shrugged. “I’ve got everything I’m allowed to take home with me. But honestly, Kurt, as much as I love you, I think you’re actually better off here with Adam. He can give you things I can’t. And he loves you, in a different way than I do, which you really need. I’m going to miss you, but at least now I’ll know you’re safe and happy.”
“Thank you, Burt,” Adam murmured.
Kurt gave his dad a huge hug, then went to get his leash from the closet.
“If you did leave anything, we’ll send it along,” Adam promised.
The ride to the airport didn’t seem nearly as long as Kurt had assumed. Adam insisted they both sit in the back so they could talk while he drove. Kurt reached out and took his dad’s hand. Burt squeezed his hand, and held on for the rest of the trip. Kurt knew he’d think of all kinds of things to say, after his dad left, but at the moment he couldn’t think of anything. His dad told him a few funny stories about things that happened at the garage.
“What are you going to tell them about this trip?” Kurt asked. “Are you going to tell them you saw me?”
Burt sighed heavily. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m still not sure. None of those guys would try to get me in trouble. I know Danny will be glad to know you're okay.”
"I wish you could just tell them without worrying about it."
Burt squeezed his hand again. “I know, buddy. That’s why it’s so important we try to change the legislation about people being allowed to know, at the very least, if their child was adopted, or not. If they know, they can have closure. Even if it’s bad news, I would think most people would rather know for sure, than be wondering. And, like you said, if they never hear from their child again, is it because they’re dead, or their kid doesn’t want to see them? If it was up to the family, they could at least find that out, if they wanted to know. Even if they weren’t told who adopted their child, it might help to know someone adopted them.”
“Dad, what about twins?” Kurt asked thoughtfully. “It never occurred to me before, because I’ve never heard of it, but what if parents have hybrid twins? They’d be taken away at the same time, but would they be sent to the same store? And if they were, would they be adopted together?”
Burt didn’t answer for a while, but Kurt knew his dad had heard the question.
“One of the things I found out is, in the case of twins, even though they’ve been raised together for all that time, they’re sent far apart, like to opposite ends of the country. Because how likely is it that anyone is going to be able to afford to adopt, and raise, twin hybrids? I’ve never heard of anybody that had two hybrid pets at the same time. They might replace ‘em if they die, or if for whatever reason they sell them, but I don’t know of anyone that took on that kind of responsibility. But I don’t think it happens very often.”
Kurt shuddered. “I’m glad I was an only child. Can you imagine… Maybe if you don’t get along it would be okay, it might be a relief. But I dunno, I think maybe hybrid twins in the same family would get along better, like, it’s us against the world, you know?”
He looked up at the driver’s mirror to see if he could get a clue what Adam was thinking, if he’d heard any of it. He looked very, very intent on driving, his jaw set and his eyes straight ahead.
He lowered his voice a little. “I wonder, though, if it’s been years, or maybe decades, would the twins want to be reunited? Or would they have an even harder time adjusting to adoption than the rest?”
Adam spoke up. “I think that would be a very good question to ask Dr. Hanover when you see him tomorrow. And I’m very sure he’s got some opinions on the subject.”
“That’s a good idea. I need to think about what all else to tell him.”
“Why don’t you write down some things you want to talk about?” Burt suggested. “It seems to help you to write things out, and that way you’re not as likely to forget.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. There’s not much time between now and our appointments tomorrow, but I could work on it tonight.”
“After we go grocery shopping,” Adam said. “Or, I could drop you off at home, and do the shopping,” he mused.
Kurt vehemently shook his head. “No, even if I’m tired, I’ll go with you. It’ll go faster that way.”
Adam coughed, then said, “Well, I can be more sure of getting things you like if you’re with me.”
Burt laughed. “You always did love to go shopping, even if it was only for groceries. We could always rely on you to find bargains, and know what brands were better than others. Hey, Adam, if you ever need to go shopping on Black Friday, this is the guy to take with you.”
Adam didn’t look too convinced.
“I don’t know, it might not be the same now,” Kurt said. “It was one thing when I was, like, 10. People don’t seem to mind child hybrids all that much. But now, it might be harder to get through the crowds.”
“Well, I don’t think we’ll ever be putting that to the test,” Adam said firmly. “I see no reason to be out shopping when it’s that busy. We’ll simply plan to get whatever we need before or after that.”
“But that’s when they have all the sales, Adam,” Kurt reminded him. “That’s why people go, to get stuff while it’s on sale.”
“Have you ever heard of Cyber Monday?” Adam countered. “Now that people can shop online, and there are a lot of sales going on there, they don’t need to try to push through hordes of people to get to what they want. And if something is sold out, usually you can put a hold on one as a rain check.”
Burt shook his head. “I never thought of that. The things you learn.”
They were almost at the airport; the closer they got, the more obvious it became. He didn’t want to say goodbye to his dad, but he knew he had to. They’d see each other again.
He hadn’t realized how quick it would all be. They pulled over to the curb at Burt’s airline, and Adam got out to help Burt with his suitcases. Kurt was opening his own door, holding the end of his leash so he could give it to Adam, but Burt came over and stood against the door so he couldn’t open it. Kurt quickly rolled down the window and looked up curiously.
Burt leaned down, speaking to Kurt quietly. “It’s okay, son, but it’s better if nobody sees that,” he said, looking at the leash.
Kurt knew his father was right. He was almost always right, about everything. But it didn’t mean he had to be happy about it.
Burt leaned in further and hugged him around the shoulders, and kissed him quickly on the forehead. “Be good, alright? I’m so proud of you. I love you, and I’ll see you soon.”
Kurt tried to pull his dad into a better hug, but the door was in the way, for both of them.
“Okay, Dad, love you,” he mumbled into Burt’s neck. He didn’t want to cry; he was not going to cry. He wasn’t a little kid anymore. He could control…damn.
“I gotta go, Kurt.”
He could hear a car horn behind them, honking, and Adam was getting back into the front seat. He’d apparently already said goodbye to Burt outside.
“’Bye, Dad.” He was sniffling, but tried not to actually let the tears fall. He waved at his father as Adam pulled the car away.
As they maneuvered through the maze to get out of the airport, Adam spoke up. “I’m sorry, Kurt. I should have warned you we’d only have a minute or so to get Burt and his things out of the car.”
Kurt sighed deeply. “It’s okay. I just wish - so many things. I wish things were different.”
“So do I. Do you want to go to the grocery store tonight, or wait till tomorrow? Either is fine with me.”
Kurt didn’t really want to be around other people at the moment; he didn’t have anything with him to cover up the signs of crying.
“Can we go tomorrow?”
“Sure, that’s fine. Why don’t we find a drive-through for a quick dinner? We’ll find one near the apartment, and we can eat at home.”
Kurt shrugged listlessly. “Okay. Whatever you want.”
Adam bit his lip and looked at him, obviously concerned.
He tried to clarify.
“I’m not being - I’m just sad, that’s all, it’s not a submissive hybrid thing. I’m just tired and I don’t really care what we have for dinner.”
“I understand. But we both need to eat. Let me know if you have a preference for anything, if not, just let me stop and order for both of us.”
“Sure.”
Kurt wished he could just fall asleep in the car like he usually did on long rides. That way he wouldn’t have to think anything, feel anything, for a little while. But one thing he was starting to learn, was that he couldn’t escape reality for long. The longer he waited to really feel his feelings, the harder they were to deal with. While he was sleeping, or being a cat, whatever problems he had were still there when he returned from his little break, and sometimes the feelings were more intense.
He wondered if he should talk to Adam about his feelings, but he was driving. It didn’t seem like the best time to get into an emotional conversation.
“Adam?”
“Hm?” Adam turned his head to glance at Kurt, then went back to watching the road.
“I’ve got a lot of stuff, a lot of feelings, things I need to think about, and feel, and I’m not sure how or when I should do that.”
“Ah, that can be a tricky thing.”
Did Adam struggle through the same thing?
“I think before you go to bed tonight, you should write down that list of topics to bring up to Dr. Hanover. You might not be able to get to all of them tomorrow - in fact, I’m pretty sure you won’t get to them all. You’re certainly welcome to talk too me, as well, if you like. But Dr. Hanover is a trained professional, and he’s got a lot of hybrid patients, so he might have a better perspective, that could be more useful to you than my opinions.
“Of course, you might not want my opinions, but you can always just vent to me, tell me whatever you want. Just let me know ahead of time if you just want me to listen and sympathize, so I’ll know to keep my big mouth shut.”
That made Kurt smile, briefly. “Those all sound like good ideas, but there are a lot of choices. I’m sure I’ll talk to you about most of this stuff, but I think you’re right, Dr. Hanover is the one I should be talking to about sorting out my feelings.”
Adam nodded, but didn’t speak. Kurt wondered what sorts of things he was going to discuss with the vet - doctor, for Adam - when it was time for his appointment. He slumped further down in the seat and leaned his head back, hoping he could fall asleep for just a little while. He really was tired. And hungry, he realized.
“Hey, Adam? Can we get some fried chicken and mashed potatoes and all that stuff?”
Adam chuckled. “If you’d like, yes, certainly. We’ll get whatever you like, within reason. How about one fairly healthy side order, and one that isn’t?”
Kurt shrugged. “Or one healthy side order, and two that aren’t?”
“Depends on what they are. We’ll share them, so we both get some of the healthier option,” Adam insisted. “And maybe get a dessert as well,” he mused.
Kurt yawned, and didn’t bother to cover his mouth.
“Try to sleep, if you can,” Adam advised. “You’ve had some very busy days, again, so let’s make sure you get your proper rest, and food.”
“Uh-huh,” Kurt agreed with another yawn, not particularly caring what he was agreeing to, just at the moment. Sleep was calling him, and it seemed only polite to answer.
Next - Chapter 69