FIC: Forever Home - Chapter 92 of 100
Title: Forever Home - Chapter 92 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: Mention of past abuse (non-sexual) from other canon Glee characters. This fic is not particularly kind to most canon Glee characters.
Length: About 5,000 words this chapter. About 417,000 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 91
CHAPTER 92
On the way home from the airport, Kurt was awfully quiet. Adam figured part of it was from missing his parents, but the evening as a whole had been more stressful than he’d expected.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, glancing briefly at Kurt before returning his gaze to the road.
“Yeah,” Kurt sighed. “I’m fine. I’m tired.”
“I am, too,” Adam confessed. “I think I’ll be ready for bed when we get home.”
Kurt’s voice was a bit unsteady as he asked, “Did I mess things up tonight?”
Adam risked another glance at him. Kurt was looking at him, and from what he could see, didn’t look too upset, just a bit worried.
“No, love, you were fine. It was Sebastian causing trouble, not you.”
“But maybe I shouldn’t have spoken up.”
Adam shrugged. “I’m kind of glad you did. ‘Cause if I’d said anything right then, it would have been a lot ruder. You actually seem to have more compassion than I do. Even for Sebastian.’
“Mm-hm. I don’t like him, but I was trying to figure out why he does what he does. I mean, he’s unnecessarily rude, to everyone. I think he must be really unhappy. Maybe he’s not as confident as he wants us to think, and really is trying to make himself feel better by making others feel worse.”
“Go on. I want to hear more about that,” Adam suggested.
“I mean, maybe he’s not sure he’s good enough on his own, compared to other people, so he’s got to put them down so he can feel superior. He doesn’t even give anyone a chance to say anything, he just starts off with an attack. It’s like he’s attacking before he even knows if he needs to defend himself or not.”
“Ah, yes, that does sound like him. I know we all make fun of him behind his back, but we probably wouldn’t if he didn’t behave like such an obnoxious jerk all the time.”
“It kind of reminds me of Puck and Dave. I used to wonder if I might ever have liked them if they hadn’t been so mean to me, but I never had a chance to find out, because they were mean from the time they met me. I’d have liked to be friends with more of the other hybrids at New Directions, but they all sort of pushed me away. Mercedes, this one cat hybrid, used to be nice until I made it clear I didn’t like girls the way she hoped I did, but just as friends. She stopped being nice to me. Most of the others, though, didn’t even try to be nice. Except for Artie. Maybe he and I got along because he was the other one who was hassled from the start, like I was.”
“Could be,” Adam mused. “I thought it was interesting, and very true, what you said about Sebastian only being human by the luck of the draw, so to speak. Of course, if he’d been born to different parents, he wouldn’t be Sebastian. Even if he had the same name, he wouldn’t have all the same things that make him who he is. Including how he was raised. But luckily his parents seemed to understand, and didn’t take offense.”
“But I didn’t mean it to be offensive,” Kurt insisted. “I wasn’t trying to say anything bad about them. I didn’t even know they were there. I just meant, any of us could have had different lives than we do now, with no more control than we had over this life. Like, you could be a hybrid, I could be a human, I could be your owner, you know?”
The thought had crossed Adam’s mind before. Even though he knew he’d be lucky if he had an owner like Kurt - well, who knew what Kurt would be like if he’d been raised a human? Would he be the same sweet-natured, loving boy he was now, or would he perhaps be arrogant and selfish and cruel, the way some people were?
“I hope not, Adam,” Kurt said, startling him.
“Oh, er, did I say that out loud? I didn’t mean to.” Adam tried to focus on the road. He certainly didn’t need them missing their turnoff, or getting into an accident because he was distracted.
“Yeah, you mumbled enough for me to figure out what you were thinking about.” Kurt swallowed, then cleared his throat. “I have no idea what I’d have been like if I’d had your parents, for instance, or what you’d be like if you’d had mine. Much less if we had completely different parents. I think I prefer things the way they are, actually. At least I’m happy with you, and I pretty much like who I am.”
“Me, too,” Adam agreed. “I mean, I’m very happy with you, and I like who I am, mostly. But I think you gave Sebastian’s parents some things to think about.”
Kurt’s cleared his throat and asked, “Do you think they’ll really make him join the Challenge program? Does he even qualify?”
“I don’t know. Even if he doesn’t, it might be a good idea for him to spend more time on his singing or any other creative hobbies. Maybe it would siphon off some of the anger, if he could direct his feelings to something a bit more useful than putting other people down.”
“Maybe.”
Adam could see Kurt was looking out the side window, then he turned back to look at Adam again.
“I was thinking about it, how nice it is to have things to do. I was getting a little bored when you were out picking up Dad and Carole, but I started reading Harry Potter. I was wondering what I’d have done if I didn’t have my designing, or the sewing, or anything like that, to work on while you’re writing and making all those calls. I feel really sorry for the hybrids that aren’t allowed to do anything like that.”
Adam nodded. “Me, too. I think hybrids, especially, need something to do with their time, if they’re left alone a lot. If their owner doesn’t want them to read or watch television, they need something to do. I would imagine otherwise, if they’re already sad and lonely, it would just get worse with nothing to take their mind off it, nothing to channel those feelings into.”
“Like Harold, Gabriel’s brother,” Kurt suggested. “It sounds like maybe he didn’t have enough to do on his own, and if his parents weren’t busy and suddenly Gabriel was gone, maybe he had too much time to think, and to feel, without any way to get those feelings out. So they just multiplied till he couldn’t take it any more.”
“It sounds like that’s pretty much what happened.” Adam took one hand off the wheel long enough to pat Kurt’s knee. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that with you. Because you will tell me, if you ever get to a point of thinking that’s the solution, won’t you?”
“Of course I will,” Kurt reassured him. “But it’s not going to happen. I have too much to live for. But Adam, I can really understand the hybrids that feel like they don’t have a lot to live for. If I had someone else, like Sebastian, or even Mr. Will, for an owner, I’d probably be miserable. I’d probably be alone most of the time, with very little to do. And I might not like what I’d have to do when my owner was paying attention to me. I don’t want to think about how awful that is, to have an owner who really doesn’t care about you.”
“Right. I think I’ll bring that up at the meeting tomorrow night, if you don’t mind. We don’t have to talk specifically about what happened tonight, just that we’d been talking about this idea, of keeping any hybrid pets busy enough with things they enjoy, that they won’t hurt themselves instead.”
“Or get themselves in trouble, just to get a little attention. A couple of the hybrids at New Directions used to do that. Mr. Will and Miss Emma knew what they were doing, but I could understand why they didn’t have enough time to spend with all of us. And it wasn’t really their job. Running a store isn’t the same as owning a pet. They had to train us, keep us clothed and fed and in good shape, but it wasn’t the same as an owner who would have really cared about us as individuals.”
“True. Okay, we’re almost home. Did you want to get in some cat time before you go to bed?”
“Mm-hm. If you don’t mind, could you - if not give me a bath, that might be tiring for both of us, but could you at least brush me or massage me? I feel like we haven’t been doing that enough lately.”
“You mean you feel like I haven’t been doing that enough,” Adam teased. “Of course I can. Let’s take some time to get cleaned up and ready for bed before you change, then you can change back whenever you’re ready, without having to take the time to clean up when you’ll probably be exhausted.”
“Good idea. And I don’t want to mess up this suit, either.” Kurt brushed at a wrinkle in his pants’ leg.
Adam cleared his throat, but couldn’t risk looking directly at Kurt. “By the way, I really do like your guyliner. Maybe black might have been better with the black suit, but the blue really brings out your eyes. Which I guess is the purpose.”
“Thanks!”
Adam didn’t need to see Kurt’s face to know he was smiling.
“You did a nice job on Carole’s make-up, too. I’m glad the two of you got along so well together. It might have been really awkward if you didn’t like her.”
“Or worse, if she didn’t like me.”
“But she did,” Adam reminded him firmly. “How could she not?”
Kurt started to answer, then sighed and shut his mouth. He looked out the window again.
Adam pulled into the parking lot and they took the elevator up. They only encountered a few other people getting on or off at various floors. Adam took Kurt’s hand, and could feel him relaxing, even though none of the people said anything negative to them, or sent them any dirty looks.
They made it almost all the way to their floor. The last man in the elevator with them was a neighbor Adam had seen only a few times, and hadn’t spoken to other than to say hello, or comment on the weather. He wasn’t tall, but was solidly built, and always seemed to be grumpy, if not downright angry. Adam didn’t realize he was holding his breath until the man spoke, just before getting off at his floor.
“Well-behaved pet you’ve got there. Somebody trained him well. But there’s something off about his eyes - something around them.” The man squinted. “And the lashes. You should have it looked at, might be medical.” He nodded his head quickly, then left before they could say anything. Which was probably a good thing.
They only had a couple more floors to go.
“What a jerk he is! Like I need his approval about your behavior,” Adam muttered.
“Was he talking about the eyeliner?” Kurt giggled.
Adam looked carefully at his eyes. “Yes, that was probably it. But don’t worry about him.”
They got off at their own floor, and both heaved a big sigh of relief once they were safely inside their own home.
“Lily’s not home yet, I don’t think. It’s probably a bit early,” Adam commented.
“I wonder how Misty’s doing, having her mommy gone for so long?” Kurt asked.
“Oh, she’s been alone for longer than this. But maybe you two can spend some time together tomorrow, some time before the meeting? Would you like that?”
“Yeah.” Kurt smiled softly. “I do miss her. Her crush on me is a little annoying, but I think I get it. She doesn’t really get to be around any other boy cats, and I’m nice to her.”
“Well, if she were human, I bet she’d have a crush on you, too,” Adam chuckled. “You just seem to charm all the ladies, somehow.”
Kurt shrugged. “It’s not like I’m trying. But yeah, everyone seemed pretty nice tonight. Except for -“
“Sebastian,” Adam finished with a sigh. “I really hope he learns his lesson and starts thinking about how his words and attitude affect other people.”
“Maybe he doesn’t think people will like him, so he’s rude to them so he can tell himself that’s the reason they don’t like him,” Kurt mused, as he headed into the bedroom to change.
“Could be.” Adam followed him, shedding his own jacket. “But at the moment I don’t care about him. I just want to make sure you’re alright.”
“I’m fine.” Kurt carefully hung up his jacket, moving the hanger to the “to be dry-cleaned” corner of the closet.
“Really? Did you have a good time tonight?”
“Uh-huh.” Kurt continued meticulously hanging or folding the clothes that didn’t need to be cleaned. His shirt went into the hamper in the bathroom. He continued to talk to Adam while he removed his make-up and washed his face. “It was fun, dinner was good. Lily looked really nice. I forgot to tell her.”
“You can talk to her tomorrow,” Adam suggested. Kurt moved to one side of the sink as Adam started brushing his teeth.
“I think she liked the dress,” Kurt commented. “At least nobody seemed to be laughing at it.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” Adam said, through a mouthful of toothpaste foam. He spat and rinsed his mouth before continuing. “I thought she looked lovely. I did see a couple of people speaking to her, then she looked down at the dress, so maybe they were complimenting it.”
“I’m just glad I finished it on time. I’d really like to make something for Carole.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” Adam chuckled. “Tell you what, why don’t the two of you do that shopping trip. You can get a better idea of her taste, what looks good on her, the types of materials she likes, things like that. Then you’ll have a better idea what to make for her.”
“True. And I need to make that lavender skirt and lilac blouse for Lily, too.”
“And some clothes for me, and you. Maybe by the next time you see Carole, you won’t have as many other sewing projects in the way.”
Kurt brushed his teeth, then they finished undressing and got in the shower together. Despite their tiredness, they took quite a lengthy shower. After drying off, Kurt changed into his cat form. Adam let him run around for a bit to tire him out, then he came back in for some cuddling, a nice massage, and a thorough brushing. Adam was pretty sure Kurt enjoyed all the cat activities more than he did, but only by a small margin. It was amazing how relaxing it could be to pet Kurt, and groom him, while he purred contentedly.
Instead of changing back to human, Kurt stayed in cat form and snuggled as close to Adam as he could get, over the covers. Adam kept one hand on Kurt, and the rhythmic breathing and soothing snoring soon put him right to sleep.
<><><><><><><><><><>
The next morning, Adam had intended to call Lily, but instead she called him.
“Thank you both so much for coming last night. I take it Kurt enjoyed your surprise guests?”
“He did indeed. Thank you for a fantastic evening.”
“You’re welcome, but a lot of people are responsible for that,” she explained.
“I was thinking, Kurt wants to visit with Misty for a little bit. I’m sure you’ve got things to do, but if you’d like to bring her over here, I can keep an eye on them.”
Lily laughed in delight. “Thank you, Adam! Yes, that would be appreciated. Misty’s been pestering me all morning, because I was out for so much time yesterday. But I’m sure she’ll find Kurt an acceptable substitute. Maybe I can get some things done without her underfoot.”
“I’ll have Kurt introduce Misty to his friends, and show her Buckingham Palace, and see what she thinks.”
“That would be nice. I’ll bring her over in a little while, along with a couple of her toys. Kurt might not mind sharing, but it might make her feel better about being in a new place without me.”
“You’re probably right. See you soon.”
Adam explained the plan to Kurt.
“That’s great! Don’t worry about us, I can keep Misty entertained, if you’ve got things to do.”
Adam looked upwards and tapped his chin with one finger. “Tell you what. I think I’ll bring the laptop into your room. I’ll sit on the bed, out of the way, while the two of you play. It’s not that I don’t trust you to keep Misty out of trouble, but I told Lily I’d be there.”
Kurt agreed. “I think I’d better change now, so I don’t confuse her too much.”
“But she likes you as a human, too.”
Kurt shrugged. “That’s fine, too.”
Adam made one more quick call before Lily and Misty arrived.
As soon as she saw Kurt, Misty seemed to forget all about Lily. She struggled to get out of her arms, until Kurt, still in human form, reached out to take her. He held her as she purred ecstatically.
“Were you able to raise a lot of money?” Adam asked.
Lily smiled widely. “Yes, just a little over our target we were hoping for.”
She added, “I wanted to let you know, Kurt, my dress was a big hit. Thank you again for making it for me. Several people asked me where I got it, because they wanted one like it.”
Kurt shook his head.
Lily reassured him. “No, don’t worry, I told them it was a one of a kind. Then they wanted to know the designer. I said he hadn’t really been discovered yet, but I thought it was only a matter of time, but for now he’s only taking private commissions for friends.”
Kurt released his breath in a long sigh. “Thank you. I enjoyed working on the dress, but I don’t want to do so much of that, that I don’t have time for anything else. But I don’t mind making things for you, of course. I wanted to work on the lavender and lilac outfit for you.”
“There’s no hurry,” she insisted. “If you have other things to do, go ahead and do them.”
Adam nodded. “Actually, Kurt does have several different projects he’s doing for various friends. Luckily, he doesn’t need any supervision with them, because I’ve been so busy writing and getting things together. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about a meeting Kurt and I are attending tonight. It might be something you could take an interest in.”
Kurt was whispering nonsense to Misty, and started crooning a song to her as he rocked her in his arms, holding her on her back, like a baby.
“She doesn’t like being held like that,” Lily warned him.
Misty couldn’t have understood the words, but she looked in Lily’s direction and hissed.
Adam figured she was saying something like, don’t spoil this for me.
Adam told her briefly what he had in mind, and Lily agreed. She left a couple of minutes later, and Adam cleared his throat. “Whenever you’re ready to change, let me know. I’m going to bring my laptop into the spare room.”
Kurt hummed in agreement, not losing the rhythm of the song. He and Misty followed Adam. He could see Kurt was doing his best to hold Misty tightly so she wouldn’t be in danger of falling. She didn’t look like she was about to try to get away.
As soon as Adam was out of the doorway, Kurt stopped just inside.
“Hey, Misty. Look at this. This is my play room. It was my bedroom, but now Adam’s room is mine, too, I mean, and this is for playing. Or guests. Or playing with guests.”
Misty watched him, and never stopped purring.
“Here, baby. Why don’t you sit here on the floor while I change.” He started to set her down, but she wailed.
Adam had settled himself on the bed, sitting up with his legs stretched out, with the pillows behind his head. He patted the bed near him.
“Hey, Misty, you want to sit up here with me while you wait for Kurt?” he invited.
She didn’t even look in his direction, but Kurt brought her over. He gently deposited her near Adam’s hip. Adam put one arm around her to hold her safely so she wouldn’t fall.
As Kurt changed from human to cat, Misty’s ears flattened, and she started to growl, but it ended on a funny note of inquiry as she saw his cat self.
“Go on and visit with him if you like,” Adam encouraged. He lifted his hand away, and she leaped off the bed and ran to Kurt’s side. She sniffed him everywhere she could see, then let out a meep.
Kurt rubbed his face against hers, and that settled her down. Adam watched for a few minutes as Kurt found each of his babies and brought them to her. She sniffed them, and reached out to touch them, but didn’t try to play with them.
Adam took the toy out of his pocket, that Lily had given him.
“Hey, Misty, here’s your egg. You want your egg?”
He tossed the bright pink egg to the floor, where it rolled between the two cats. He’d examined it earlier, and it was one of those plastic toys with two halves, that people put Easter candy into, then hid for their kids. He wondered if Kurt might like one? Perhaps he could fill it with kitty treats, and hide it. Of course, he’d have to remember where he put it, in case Kurt didn’t find it.
Kurt leaned forward and sniffed the egg, then tentatively touched it. Misty’s shoulders were tense and her ears were back, but he pushed it towards her. She pounced on it and brought it under her body. Adam didn’t make any jokes about the egg not being able to hatch; Misty wouldn’t understand him, and Kurt probably wouldn’t think it was funny. After a moment, Misty raised herself so she was standing on her front legs, and the egg rolled towards Kurt. They batted it back and forth a bit. It didn’t make much more noise than Kurt’s ping pong ball, so Adam was able to ignore it and get on with his writing.
Every now and then he’d look up, to see them playing in different areas of Buckingham Palace. Misty seemed delighted with it. When they got to the shelf where Harriet, Bernard, and Phobe were sitting, Kurt tried to put one of his forelegs around all of them, but it wasn’t quite working. He accidentally knocked Harriet to the floor. He abandoned the other two and raced down to get her, while Misty cautiously sniffed and patted Phoebe and Bernard with one paw. Adam was relieved she wasn’t trying to scent-mark them. But they clearly belonged to Kurt, and if she saw him as the alpha cat, she probably wouldn’t interfere with his claim.
Kurt raced back up with Harriet in his jaws. Adam was prepared to intervene if necessary, but Misty just sat patiently and waited for Kurt to make sure his baby was alright. He pushed his babies into one of the little rooms, for safekeeping, presumably, while he and Misty continued to explore.
Adam wasn’t getting much work done on his book, but he didn’t mind too much. It was fun to watch the two cats playing together. When they’d had enough running and jumping, they settled down on separage bridges and looked ready to take a nap. Adam thought it would be safe enough to get back to work. First he sent an e-mail to Gabriel about the meeting that night, then opened a new document for another chapter. By the time he’d completed most of that, he realized he was sleepy, too. He glanced at the cats, and they were still sleeping soundly. He supposed he could get a nap in without neglecting his supervisory duties.
He put his laptop aside and made himself comfortable on the bed. He’d already discarded his shoes.
He could have sworn he’d just fallen asleep, but he could feel a heavy weight on his chest and neck. He opened his eyes to see not one, but two cats, making themselves comfortable on top of him. Well, he could make out white fur in front of his face, and could see the tips of Kurt’s ears and his tail.
He closed his eyes briefly, but realized he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. For one, he could barely breathe with fur in his nose and covering his mouth. He glared at Misty, but she couldn’t see him from her position sprawled across his neck.
He supposed he should be grateful Misty was finally starting to accept him, but he really did need to breathe. He carefully put his hands around her and lifted her away from his neck. She grumbled, but he growled back at her and she allowed him to set her down beside him. Now he could see Kurt, curled up on his chest.
“Sorry, love, I need to get up.” Kurt rolled off him, and he left the two cats on the bed, figuring there was plenty of room to make themselves comfortable. He called Lily and asked if she was ready to retrieve Misty, or if he should bring her over.
A few minutes later, he found both cats sound asleep. Kurt was snoring, stretched out, and Misty was curled up against him, with her head resting on his side. Kurt’s tail was wrapped protectively over her. Adam gave in to temptation and took a few pictures, then let Lily in.
“They’re so cute,” he insisted. He held up his phone. “I’ll send you the pictures.”
“Here, before I forget.” Lily took something blue out of her pocket and handed it to Adam.
“What’s this?”
“You asked me about Misty’s egg. Rather than you having to buy a dozen, when I’ve got a lot left, I thought Kurt would like this.”
Adam grinned as the examined the bright blue plastic egg. He carefully separated the two halves. “Thank you. I think he’ll enjoy this very much.”
“You’re welcome. It’s poor repayment for the dress, but…”
“Nonsense. You paid for the sewing machine and material. But I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”
Lily was reluctant to wake or move Misty, but in a few minutes the cats were separated and Misty was on her way home.
As Adam let them out the door, he heard Lily say, “No, sweetheart, you can’t live here. No. How about I give you some treats when we get home?”
Apparently the bribe was acceptable enough that she didn’t try to get out of Lily’s arms.
Adam found Kurt still on the bed, but he was sitting up.
“Well, what do you want to do? I think I’ll fix some lunch. Do you want to join me, or are you staying like that?”
Apparently the answer was “both” because Kurt followed him into the kitchen. Adam made a sandwich for human Kurt later in case he got hungry. He couldn’t resist the look in those eyes, and gave him a small corner of his tuna sandwich. He wasn’t sure Kurt would eat the bread, but it was gone in seconds. He glanced at the food dish, and saw there were still some crunchies left, so Kurt would be fine if he was really starving.
Adam made a couple of phone calls while Kurt was busy catting it up, then sat down with a mystery he’d been trying to finish for ages. It wasn’t that it was boring, but it seemed he hardly had time to ready anymore. There were so many characters, it was hard to keep track when he had to keep putting the book down. About the time he finally remembered who all the characters in the current scene were, Kurt ran out of the room. He’d been running around the house, then had been sleeping across Adam’s feet.
He wasn’t too surprised to hear the shower running a few minutes later. He glanced at his watch, and wondered if he’d have time to finish the book before Kurt was ready for their ‘gardening club’ meeting. He decided there was only one way to find out.
He was on the last chapter when Kurt walked into the room. He didn’t look up, wanting to finish the book.
“Hey, Adam, I’m ready,” Kurt announced.
“Uh-huh,” Adam replied, turning a page.
Kurt sighed loudly, and Adam glanced up over the top of his glasses. He was wearing rather tight jeans, a green t-shirt, and a long-sleeved, lighter green shirt over that, which was buttoned almost all the way to the top.
“You look nice,” he added.
“You’re not ready,” Kurt announced. “Don’t we have to leave pretty soon?”
“Not for a while yet. And yes, I’m ready. Tell you what, let me finish my book, I’ve just got a few pages to go, then I’ll be willing to listen to your opinions about the suitability of what I’m wearing.”
Kurt sniffed, but didn’t argue.
“I left a sandwich for you in the fridge, if you’re hungry. I thought maybe we’d stop at a fast food place for dinner, on the way to Gabriel’s. You can leave the sandwich for later, if you want.”
“No, I’ll have it now,” Kurt decided. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll just have a salad for dinner.”
“That’s fine. Now please let me finish this, before I lose track of who’s been exonerated, and why.”
“Exonerated?” Kurt repeated.
“Found not guilty. The detective is telling everyone in the room, all the potential killers, one by one, why he doesn’t think they did it. Till he gets to the real killer.”
Kurt shrugged. “If it’s a true story, it was the husband. Or wife. If it’s British fiction, it was the butler.”
“What? Why are you so sure?” Adam was amused, wondering where he’d gotten those opinions.
“Oh, that’s what Dad used to say.”
He went to the kitchen, and Adam returned to his book.
About five minutes later, Adam closed the book, and joined Kurt in the kitchen. “It was the wife. In collusion with the butler.”
Kurt raised his eyebrows.
“They were in love, and the husband was in the way. I was sure it was the younger brother, but no.”
Kurt swallowed the last of his sandwich. “I don’t like mysteries. Life is confusing enough without filling my head with all those other people and all their emotions and motives and all that.”
“You could be right.”
After a brief discussion, they compromised on Adam’s wardrobe. He kept everything he was wearing, except for his sweater, which was inexplicably covered with cat hair. He substituted a vest, ran a comb through his hair, and declared himself ready to go.
Next - Chapter 93
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: Mention of past abuse (non-sexual) from other canon Glee characters. This fic is not particularly kind to most canon Glee characters.
Length: About 5,000 words this chapter. About 417,000 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 91
CHAPTER 92
On the way home from the airport, Kurt was awfully quiet. Adam figured part of it was from missing his parents, but the evening as a whole had been more stressful than he’d expected.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, glancing briefly at Kurt before returning his gaze to the road.
“Yeah,” Kurt sighed. “I’m fine. I’m tired.”
“I am, too,” Adam confessed. “I think I’ll be ready for bed when we get home.”
Kurt’s voice was a bit unsteady as he asked, “Did I mess things up tonight?”
Adam risked another glance at him. Kurt was looking at him, and from what he could see, didn’t look too upset, just a bit worried.
“No, love, you were fine. It was Sebastian causing trouble, not you.”
“But maybe I shouldn’t have spoken up.”
Adam shrugged. “I’m kind of glad you did. ‘Cause if I’d said anything right then, it would have been a lot ruder. You actually seem to have more compassion than I do. Even for Sebastian.’
“Mm-hm. I don’t like him, but I was trying to figure out why he does what he does. I mean, he’s unnecessarily rude, to everyone. I think he must be really unhappy. Maybe he’s not as confident as he wants us to think, and really is trying to make himself feel better by making others feel worse.”
“Go on. I want to hear more about that,” Adam suggested.
“I mean, maybe he’s not sure he’s good enough on his own, compared to other people, so he’s got to put them down so he can feel superior. He doesn’t even give anyone a chance to say anything, he just starts off with an attack. It’s like he’s attacking before he even knows if he needs to defend himself or not.”
“Ah, yes, that does sound like him. I know we all make fun of him behind his back, but we probably wouldn’t if he didn’t behave like such an obnoxious jerk all the time.”
“It kind of reminds me of Puck and Dave. I used to wonder if I might ever have liked them if they hadn’t been so mean to me, but I never had a chance to find out, because they were mean from the time they met me. I’d have liked to be friends with more of the other hybrids at New Directions, but they all sort of pushed me away. Mercedes, this one cat hybrid, used to be nice until I made it clear I didn’t like girls the way she hoped I did, but just as friends. She stopped being nice to me. Most of the others, though, didn’t even try to be nice. Except for Artie. Maybe he and I got along because he was the other one who was hassled from the start, like I was.”
“Could be,” Adam mused. “I thought it was interesting, and very true, what you said about Sebastian only being human by the luck of the draw, so to speak. Of course, if he’d been born to different parents, he wouldn’t be Sebastian. Even if he had the same name, he wouldn’t have all the same things that make him who he is. Including how he was raised. But luckily his parents seemed to understand, and didn’t take offense.”
“But I didn’t mean it to be offensive,” Kurt insisted. “I wasn’t trying to say anything bad about them. I didn’t even know they were there. I just meant, any of us could have had different lives than we do now, with no more control than we had over this life. Like, you could be a hybrid, I could be a human, I could be your owner, you know?”
The thought had crossed Adam’s mind before. Even though he knew he’d be lucky if he had an owner like Kurt - well, who knew what Kurt would be like if he’d been raised a human? Would he be the same sweet-natured, loving boy he was now, or would he perhaps be arrogant and selfish and cruel, the way some people were?
“I hope not, Adam,” Kurt said, startling him.
“Oh, er, did I say that out loud? I didn’t mean to.” Adam tried to focus on the road. He certainly didn’t need them missing their turnoff, or getting into an accident because he was distracted.
“Yeah, you mumbled enough for me to figure out what you were thinking about.” Kurt swallowed, then cleared his throat. “I have no idea what I’d have been like if I’d had your parents, for instance, or what you’d be like if you’d had mine. Much less if we had completely different parents. I think I prefer things the way they are, actually. At least I’m happy with you, and I pretty much like who I am.”
“Me, too,” Adam agreed. “I mean, I’m very happy with you, and I like who I am, mostly. But I think you gave Sebastian’s parents some things to think about.”
Kurt’s cleared his throat and asked, “Do you think they’ll really make him join the Challenge program? Does he even qualify?”
“I don’t know. Even if he doesn’t, it might be a good idea for him to spend more time on his singing or any other creative hobbies. Maybe it would siphon off some of the anger, if he could direct his feelings to something a bit more useful than putting other people down.”
“Maybe.”
Adam could see Kurt was looking out the side window, then he turned back to look at Adam again.
“I was thinking about it, how nice it is to have things to do. I was getting a little bored when you were out picking up Dad and Carole, but I started reading Harry Potter. I was wondering what I’d have done if I didn’t have my designing, or the sewing, or anything like that, to work on while you’re writing and making all those calls. I feel really sorry for the hybrids that aren’t allowed to do anything like that.”
Adam nodded. “Me, too. I think hybrids, especially, need something to do with their time, if they’re left alone a lot. If their owner doesn’t want them to read or watch television, they need something to do. I would imagine otherwise, if they’re already sad and lonely, it would just get worse with nothing to take their mind off it, nothing to channel those feelings into.”
“Like Harold, Gabriel’s brother,” Kurt suggested. “It sounds like maybe he didn’t have enough to do on his own, and if his parents weren’t busy and suddenly Gabriel was gone, maybe he had too much time to think, and to feel, without any way to get those feelings out. So they just multiplied till he couldn’t take it any more.”
“It sounds like that’s pretty much what happened.” Adam took one hand off the wheel long enough to pat Kurt’s knee. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that with you. Because you will tell me, if you ever get to a point of thinking that’s the solution, won’t you?”
“Of course I will,” Kurt reassured him. “But it’s not going to happen. I have too much to live for. But Adam, I can really understand the hybrids that feel like they don’t have a lot to live for. If I had someone else, like Sebastian, or even Mr. Will, for an owner, I’d probably be miserable. I’d probably be alone most of the time, with very little to do. And I might not like what I’d have to do when my owner was paying attention to me. I don’t want to think about how awful that is, to have an owner who really doesn’t care about you.”
“Right. I think I’ll bring that up at the meeting tomorrow night, if you don’t mind. We don’t have to talk specifically about what happened tonight, just that we’d been talking about this idea, of keeping any hybrid pets busy enough with things they enjoy, that they won’t hurt themselves instead.”
“Or get themselves in trouble, just to get a little attention. A couple of the hybrids at New Directions used to do that. Mr. Will and Miss Emma knew what they were doing, but I could understand why they didn’t have enough time to spend with all of us. And it wasn’t really their job. Running a store isn’t the same as owning a pet. They had to train us, keep us clothed and fed and in good shape, but it wasn’t the same as an owner who would have really cared about us as individuals.”
“True. Okay, we’re almost home. Did you want to get in some cat time before you go to bed?”
“Mm-hm. If you don’t mind, could you - if not give me a bath, that might be tiring for both of us, but could you at least brush me or massage me? I feel like we haven’t been doing that enough lately.”
“You mean you feel like I haven’t been doing that enough,” Adam teased. “Of course I can. Let’s take some time to get cleaned up and ready for bed before you change, then you can change back whenever you’re ready, without having to take the time to clean up when you’ll probably be exhausted.”
“Good idea. And I don’t want to mess up this suit, either.” Kurt brushed at a wrinkle in his pants’ leg.
Adam cleared his throat, but couldn’t risk looking directly at Kurt. “By the way, I really do like your guyliner. Maybe black might have been better with the black suit, but the blue really brings out your eyes. Which I guess is the purpose.”
“Thanks!”
Adam didn’t need to see Kurt’s face to know he was smiling.
“You did a nice job on Carole’s make-up, too. I’m glad the two of you got along so well together. It might have been really awkward if you didn’t like her.”
“Or worse, if she didn’t like me.”
“But she did,” Adam reminded him firmly. “How could she not?”
Kurt started to answer, then sighed and shut his mouth. He looked out the window again.
Adam pulled into the parking lot and they took the elevator up. They only encountered a few other people getting on or off at various floors. Adam took Kurt’s hand, and could feel him relaxing, even though none of the people said anything negative to them, or sent them any dirty looks.
They made it almost all the way to their floor. The last man in the elevator with them was a neighbor Adam had seen only a few times, and hadn’t spoken to other than to say hello, or comment on the weather. He wasn’t tall, but was solidly built, and always seemed to be grumpy, if not downright angry. Adam didn’t realize he was holding his breath until the man spoke, just before getting off at his floor.
“Well-behaved pet you’ve got there. Somebody trained him well. But there’s something off about his eyes - something around them.” The man squinted. “And the lashes. You should have it looked at, might be medical.” He nodded his head quickly, then left before they could say anything. Which was probably a good thing.
They only had a couple more floors to go.
“What a jerk he is! Like I need his approval about your behavior,” Adam muttered.
“Was he talking about the eyeliner?” Kurt giggled.
Adam looked carefully at his eyes. “Yes, that was probably it. But don’t worry about him.”
They got off at their own floor, and both heaved a big sigh of relief once they were safely inside their own home.
“Lily’s not home yet, I don’t think. It’s probably a bit early,” Adam commented.
“I wonder how Misty’s doing, having her mommy gone for so long?” Kurt asked.
“Oh, she’s been alone for longer than this. But maybe you two can spend some time together tomorrow, some time before the meeting? Would you like that?”
“Yeah.” Kurt smiled softly. “I do miss her. Her crush on me is a little annoying, but I think I get it. She doesn’t really get to be around any other boy cats, and I’m nice to her.”
“Well, if she were human, I bet she’d have a crush on you, too,” Adam chuckled. “You just seem to charm all the ladies, somehow.”
Kurt shrugged. “It’s not like I’m trying. But yeah, everyone seemed pretty nice tonight. Except for -“
“Sebastian,” Adam finished with a sigh. “I really hope he learns his lesson and starts thinking about how his words and attitude affect other people.”
“Maybe he doesn’t think people will like him, so he’s rude to them so he can tell himself that’s the reason they don’t like him,” Kurt mused, as he headed into the bedroom to change.
“Could be.” Adam followed him, shedding his own jacket. “But at the moment I don’t care about him. I just want to make sure you’re alright.”
“I’m fine.” Kurt carefully hung up his jacket, moving the hanger to the “to be dry-cleaned” corner of the closet.
“Really? Did you have a good time tonight?”
“Uh-huh.” Kurt continued meticulously hanging or folding the clothes that didn’t need to be cleaned. His shirt went into the hamper in the bathroom. He continued to talk to Adam while he removed his make-up and washed his face. “It was fun, dinner was good. Lily looked really nice. I forgot to tell her.”
“You can talk to her tomorrow,” Adam suggested. Kurt moved to one side of the sink as Adam started brushing his teeth.
“I think she liked the dress,” Kurt commented. “At least nobody seemed to be laughing at it.”
“They wouldn’t dare,” Adam said, through a mouthful of toothpaste foam. He spat and rinsed his mouth before continuing. “I thought she looked lovely. I did see a couple of people speaking to her, then she looked down at the dress, so maybe they were complimenting it.”
“I’m just glad I finished it on time. I’d really like to make something for Carole.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” Adam chuckled. “Tell you what, why don’t the two of you do that shopping trip. You can get a better idea of her taste, what looks good on her, the types of materials she likes, things like that. Then you’ll have a better idea what to make for her.”
“True. And I need to make that lavender skirt and lilac blouse for Lily, too.”
“And some clothes for me, and you. Maybe by the next time you see Carole, you won’t have as many other sewing projects in the way.”
Kurt brushed his teeth, then they finished undressing and got in the shower together. Despite their tiredness, they took quite a lengthy shower. After drying off, Kurt changed into his cat form. Adam let him run around for a bit to tire him out, then he came back in for some cuddling, a nice massage, and a thorough brushing. Adam was pretty sure Kurt enjoyed all the cat activities more than he did, but only by a small margin. It was amazing how relaxing it could be to pet Kurt, and groom him, while he purred contentedly.
Instead of changing back to human, Kurt stayed in cat form and snuggled as close to Adam as he could get, over the covers. Adam kept one hand on Kurt, and the rhythmic breathing and soothing snoring soon put him right to sleep.
<><><><><><><><><><>
The next morning, Adam had intended to call Lily, but instead she called him.
“Thank you both so much for coming last night. I take it Kurt enjoyed your surprise guests?”
“He did indeed. Thank you for a fantastic evening.”
“You’re welcome, but a lot of people are responsible for that,” she explained.
“I was thinking, Kurt wants to visit with Misty for a little bit. I’m sure you’ve got things to do, but if you’d like to bring her over here, I can keep an eye on them.”
Lily laughed in delight. “Thank you, Adam! Yes, that would be appreciated. Misty’s been pestering me all morning, because I was out for so much time yesterday. But I’m sure she’ll find Kurt an acceptable substitute. Maybe I can get some things done without her underfoot.”
“I’ll have Kurt introduce Misty to his friends, and show her Buckingham Palace, and see what she thinks.”
“That would be nice. I’ll bring her over in a little while, along with a couple of her toys. Kurt might not mind sharing, but it might make her feel better about being in a new place without me.”
“You’re probably right. See you soon.”
Adam explained the plan to Kurt.
“That’s great! Don’t worry about us, I can keep Misty entertained, if you’ve got things to do.”
Adam looked upwards and tapped his chin with one finger. “Tell you what. I think I’ll bring the laptop into your room. I’ll sit on the bed, out of the way, while the two of you play. It’s not that I don’t trust you to keep Misty out of trouble, but I told Lily I’d be there.”
Kurt agreed. “I think I’d better change now, so I don’t confuse her too much.”
“But she likes you as a human, too.”
Kurt shrugged. “That’s fine, too.”
Adam made one more quick call before Lily and Misty arrived.
As soon as she saw Kurt, Misty seemed to forget all about Lily. She struggled to get out of her arms, until Kurt, still in human form, reached out to take her. He held her as she purred ecstatically.
“Were you able to raise a lot of money?” Adam asked.
Lily smiled widely. “Yes, just a little over our target we were hoping for.”
She added, “I wanted to let you know, Kurt, my dress was a big hit. Thank you again for making it for me. Several people asked me where I got it, because they wanted one like it.”
Kurt shook his head.
Lily reassured him. “No, don’t worry, I told them it was a one of a kind. Then they wanted to know the designer. I said he hadn’t really been discovered yet, but I thought it was only a matter of time, but for now he’s only taking private commissions for friends.”
Kurt released his breath in a long sigh. “Thank you. I enjoyed working on the dress, but I don’t want to do so much of that, that I don’t have time for anything else. But I don’t mind making things for you, of course. I wanted to work on the lavender and lilac outfit for you.”
“There’s no hurry,” she insisted. “If you have other things to do, go ahead and do them.”
Adam nodded. “Actually, Kurt does have several different projects he’s doing for various friends. Luckily, he doesn’t need any supervision with them, because I’ve been so busy writing and getting things together. In fact, I wanted to talk to you about a meeting Kurt and I are attending tonight. It might be something you could take an interest in.”
Kurt was whispering nonsense to Misty, and started crooning a song to her as he rocked her in his arms, holding her on her back, like a baby.
“She doesn’t like being held like that,” Lily warned him.
Misty couldn’t have understood the words, but she looked in Lily’s direction and hissed.
Adam figured she was saying something like, don’t spoil this for me.
Adam told her briefly what he had in mind, and Lily agreed. She left a couple of minutes later, and Adam cleared his throat. “Whenever you’re ready to change, let me know. I’m going to bring my laptop into the spare room.”
Kurt hummed in agreement, not losing the rhythm of the song. He and Misty followed Adam. He could see Kurt was doing his best to hold Misty tightly so she wouldn’t be in danger of falling. She didn’t look like she was about to try to get away.
As soon as Adam was out of the doorway, Kurt stopped just inside.
“Hey, Misty. Look at this. This is my play room. It was my bedroom, but now Adam’s room is mine, too, I mean, and this is for playing. Or guests. Or playing with guests.”
Misty watched him, and never stopped purring.
“Here, baby. Why don’t you sit here on the floor while I change.” He started to set her down, but she wailed.
Adam had settled himself on the bed, sitting up with his legs stretched out, with the pillows behind his head. He patted the bed near him.
“Hey, Misty, you want to sit up here with me while you wait for Kurt?” he invited.
She didn’t even look in his direction, but Kurt brought her over. He gently deposited her near Adam’s hip. Adam put one arm around her to hold her safely so she wouldn’t fall.
As Kurt changed from human to cat, Misty’s ears flattened, and she started to growl, but it ended on a funny note of inquiry as she saw his cat self.
“Go on and visit with him if you like,” Adam encouraged. He lifted his hand away, and she leaped off the bed and ran to Kurt’s side. She sniffed him everywhere she could see, then let out a meep.
Kurt rubbed his face against hers, and that settled her down. Adam watched for a few minutes as Kurt found each of his babies and brought them to her. She sniffed them, and reached out to touch them, but didn’t try to play with them.
Adam took the toy out of his pocket, that Lily had given him.
“Hey, Misty, here’s your egg. You want your egg?”
He tossed the bright pink egg to the floor, where it rolled between the two cats. He’d examined it earlier, and it was one of those plastic toys with two halves, that people put Easter candy into, then hid for their kids. He wondered if Kurt might like one? Perhaps he could fill it with kitty treats, and hide it. Of course, he’d have to remember where he put it, in case Kurt didn’t find it.
Kurt leaned forward and sniffed the egg, then tentatively touched it. Misty’s shoulders were tense and her ears were back, but he pushed it towards her. She pounced on it and brought it under her body. Adam didn’t make any jokes about the egg not being able to hatch; Misty wouldn’t understand him, and Kurt probably wouldn’t think it was funny. After a moment, Misty raised herself so she was standing on her front legs, and the egg rolled towards Kurt. They batted it back and forth a bit. It didn’t make much more noise than Kurt’s ping pong ball, so Adam was able to ignore it and get on with his writing.
Every now and then he’d look up, to see them playing in different areas of Buckingham Palace. Misty seemed delighted with it. When they got to the shelf where Harriet, Bernard, and Phobe were sitting, Kurt tried to put one of his forelegs around all of them, but it wasn’t quite working. He accidentally knocked Harriet to the floor. He abandoned the other two and raced down to get her, while Misty cautiously sniffed and patted Phoebe and Bernard with one paw. Adam was relieved she wasn’t trying to scent-mark them. But they clearly belonged to Kurt, and if she saw him as the alpha cat, she probably wouldn’t interfere with his claim.
Kurt raced back up with Harriet in his jaws. Adam was prepared to intervene if necessary, but Misty just sat patiently and waited for Kurt to make sure his baby was alright. He pushed his babies into one of the little rooms, for safekeeping, presumably, while he and Misty continued to explore.
Adam wasn’t getting much work done on his book, but he didn’t mind too much. It was fun to watch the two cats playing together. When they’d had enough running and jumping, they settled down on separage bridges and looked ready to take a nap. Adam thought it would be safe enough to get back to work. First he sent an e-mail to Gabriel about the meeting that night, then opened a new document for another chapter. By the time he’d completed most of that, he realized he was sleepy, too. He glanced at the cats, and they were still sleeping soundly. He supposed he could get a nap in without neglecting his supervisory duties.
He put his laptop aside and made himself comfortable on the bed. He’d already discarded his shoes.
He could have sworn he’d just fallen asleep, but he could feel a heavy weight on his chest and neck. He opened his eyes to see not one, but two cats, making themselves comfortable on top of him. Well, he could make out white fur in front of his face, and could see the tips of Kurt’s ears and his tail.
He closed his eyes briefly, but realized he wasn’t going to be able to sleep. For one, he could barely breathe with fur in his nose and covering his mouth. He glared at Misty, but she couldn’t see him from her position sprawled across his neck.
He supposed he should be grateful Misty was finally starting to accept him, but he really did need to breathe. He carefully put his hands around her and lifted her away from his neck. She grumbled, but he growled back at her and she allowed him to set her down beside him. Now he could see Kurt, curled up on his chest.
“Sorry, love, I need to get up.” Kurt rolled off him, and he left the two cats on the bed, figuring there was plenty of room to make themselves comfortable. He called Lily and asked if she was ready to retrieve Misty, or if he should bring her over.
A few minutes later, he found both cats sound asleep. Kurt was snoring, stretched out, and Misty was curled up against him, with her head resting on his side. Kurt’s tail was wrapped protectively over her. Adam gave in to temptation and took a few pictures, then let Lily in.
“They’re so cute,” he insisted. He held up his phone. “I’ll send you the pictures.”
“Here, before I forget.” Lily took something blue out of her pocket and handed it to Adam.
“What’s this?”
“You asked me about Misty’s egg. Rather than you having to buy a dozen, when I’ve got a lot left, I thought Kurt would like this.”
Adam grinned as the examined the bright blue plastic egg. He carefully separated the two halves. “Thank you. I think he’ll enjoy this very much.”
“You’re welcome. It’s poor repayment for the dress, but…”
“Nonsense. You paid for the sewing machine and material. But I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”
Lily was reluctant to wake or move Misty, but in a few minutes the cats were separated and Misty was on her way home.
As Adam let them out the door, he heard Lily say, “No, sweetheart, you can’t live here. No. How about I give you some treats when we get home?”
Apparently the bribe was acceptable enough that she didn’t try to get out of Lily’s arms.
Adam found Kurt still on the bed, but he was sitting up.
“Well, what do you want to do? I think I’ll fix some lunch. Do you want to join me, or are you staying like that?”
Apparently the answer was “both” because Kurt followed him into the kitchen. Adam made a sandwich for human Kurt later in case he got hungry. He couldn’t resist the look in those eyes, and gave him a small corner of his tuna sandwich. He wasn’t sure Kurt would eat the bread, but it was gone in seconds. He glanced at the food dish, and saw there were still some crunchies left, so Kurt would be fine if he was really starving.
Adam made a couple of phone calls while Kurt was busy catting it up, then sat down with a mystery he’d been trying to finish for ages. It wasn’t that it was boring, but it seemed he hardly had time to ready anymore. There were so many characters, it was hard to keep track when he had to keep putting the book down. About the time he finally remembered who all the characters in the current scene were, Kurt ran out of the room. He’d been running around the house, then had been sleeping across Adam’s feet.
He wasn’t too surprised to hear the shower running a few minutes later. He glanced at his watch, and wondered if he’d have time to finish the book before Kurt was ready for their ‘gardening club’ meeting. He decided there was only one way to find out.
He was on the last chapter when Kurt walked into the room. He didn’t look up, wanting to finish the book.
“Hey, Adam, I’m ready,” Kurt announced.
“Uh-huh,” Adam replied, turning a page.
Kurt sighed loudly, and Adam glanced up over the top of his glasses. He was wearing rather tight jeans, a green t-shirt, and a long-sleeved, lighter green shirt over that, which was buttoned almost all the way to the top.
“You look nice,” he added.
“You’re not ready,” Kurt announced. “Don’t we have to leave pretty soon?”
“Not for a while yet. And yes, I’m ready. Tell you what, let me finish my book, I’ve just got a few pages to go, then I’ll be willing to listen to your opinions about the suitability of what I’m wearing.”
Kurt sniffed, but didn’t argue.
“I left a sandwich for you in the fridge, if you’re hungry. I thought maybe we’d stop at a fast food place for dinner, on the way to Gabriel’s. You can leave the sandwich for later, if you want.”
“No, I’ll have it now,” Kurt decided. “Thanks. Maybe I’ll just have a salad for dinner.”
“That’s fine. Now please let me finish this, before I lose track of who’s been exonerated, and why.”
“Exonerated?” Kurt repeated.
“Found not guilty. The detective is telling everyone in the room, all the potential killers, one by one, why he doesn’t think they did it. Till he gets to the real killer.”
Kurt shrugged. “If it’s a true story, it was the husband. Or wife. If it’s British fiction, it was the butler.”
“What? Why are you so sure?” Adam was amused, wondering where he’d gotten those opinions.
“Oh, that’s what Dad used to say.”
He went to the kitchen, and Adam returned to his book.
About five minutes later, Adam closed the book, and joined Kurt in the kitchen. “It was the wife. In collusion with the butler.”
Kurt raised his eyebrows.
“They were in love, and the husband was in the way. I was sure it was the younger brother, but no.”
Kurt swallowed the last of his sandwich. “I don’t like mysteries. Life is confusing enough without filling my head with all those other people and all their emotions and motives and all that.”
“You could be right.”
After a brief discussion, they compromised on Adam’s wardrobe. He kept everything he was wearing, except for his sweater, which was inexplicably covered with cat hair. He substituted a vest, ran a comb through his hair, and declared himself ready to go.
Next - Chapter 93