Disgruntled Uncle

"Here, Kurt! You need to wear the shoes too," the boy's eight-year-old cousin, Morgan, said as she handed him the matching Sleeping Beauty shoes to go with the pink dress he was wearing.

With a bright grin on his face, five-year-old Kurt accepted the plastic high heels and sat down to slip them onto his feet.

He loved it when his cousins came over to visit. They always brought the best toys with them, and they never had any problems sharing with him.

Morgan's twin sister, Sydney, was busy wiggling into her yellow Jane dress. "Where are the white gloves?"

Morgan was just finishing snapping on a short red cap around her neck to go with her Snow White costume. She then turned back to their dress up bag to search for the missing accessory. "Here they are!" she announced excitedly, holding the found items out to her sister.

Young Kurt was struggling to get back to his feet in his new shoes, and Sydney reached down to help him up. He rocked back-and-forth for a few seconds before gaining his balance in the weirdly angled heels.

"I think we'll almost ready for the ball, ladies," Sydney announced happily, checking her hair in the mirror over the dresser. "Ready to go find ourselves some princes?"

"But what about the tiaras?" Kurt cried, jumping up and down.

His cousin's had showed him the jeweled, ornamental bands that morning when they first arrived. Each one had a small oval shaped picture of one of the princesses displayed on the front, along with different colored jewels decorating the sides. His eyes had lit up immediately at the sight of them and he couldn't wait to try one on.

Sydney spun around in her sun colored dress, searching the room for the missing crowns. "I don't see them."

"We must have left them down in the living room," Morgan guessed, sliding her feet into her princess's shoes.

"I'll get them!" Kurt exclaimed.

He kicked the high heels off his feet so he could move faster and hurried out of the guest room, towards the stairs. Lifting up the hem of his pink dress, Kurt hopped down the steps before skipping into the kitchen to make his way to the living room.

"Well, don't you look pretty," Kurt's mother chirped as he made his way passed his parents who were busy preparing dinner.

"Thank you," the blonde boy squeaked over his shoulder happily, not bothering to stop to make eye contact.

Entering the living room, Kurt spotted his uncle lounging in his father's La-Z-Boy chair, but once his eyes locked onto the three princess crowns that were sitting on the coffee table, nothing else mattered and he hurried over to retrieve them.

"What are you wearing?" the man behind Kurt asked. The young boy sensed the dark tone in his uncle's voice, but chose to ignore it.

"I'm Sleeping Beauty," the little boy replied happily, and spun around in his dress causing the bottom to puff up in a way that Kurt loved.

"You shouldn't be wearing that," his uncle huffed.

Kurt's smile faltered. "Why not?"

"Girl's wear dresses, not boys. Take it off."

The boy's lower lip began to tremble, and he glanced down at his dress. "But, Uncle Benny–"

"No buts," his uncle snapped, raising his voice slightly and Kurt flinched back. "Don't tell me your parents are okay with this kind of stuff."

The corner of the boy's lip perked up as he remembered his mother's comment just before he came into the living room. "They don't care. Mommy said I looked pretty!"

"It's that kind of thinking that turns teenagers into fags."

Kurt paused, and his eyes grew wide at the word. He had never heard it before, but by the way his uncle's lip had curled up in disgust as he said it, told him that it was not something he wanted to be.

"Now, go back upstairs and take it off," his uncle demanded.

Sniffling, the boy did his best to fight back his tears. Nodding his head, he turned to retrieve the tiaras for his cousins and hurried back out of the room.

Kurt sat outside with his two best friends, Nia and Riley. He had pulled out the slightly beat up folding table that was normally kept in his playroom, and by throwing a simple white tablecloth over it, he created what he considered an elegant looking background for his tea party.

For the last couple of years, Kurt's favorite toy had been his Rosanna Tea Set. The pastel colorful set had been one of the last gifts his mother had given him before she past away when he was only eight. Now eleven-years-old, the boy still felt a terrible ache in his chest whenever he thought about her, and playing with the tea set made it feel like she was still close.

"I love your dress, Riley," Kurt complimented.

He knew that her mother had just giving it to her for her birthday last week. It was a white dress with a flurry of butterflies gathered at the bottom, with a handful of them shown on her chest. He knew that Riley was really excited to have the chance to wear it today.

"Thanks Kurt! And this looks great," Riley exclaimed excitedly as she picked up her orange and yellow tea cup and took a small sip of the water that was inside.

"Yeah, you always throw the best tea parties," Nia agreed, here hands wrapped around her blue and purple cup. "But where are the snacks?" she added, looking around the big teapot that was sitting in center of the table.

"Oh! The cookies," Kurt cried, and stood up from the table. "I just made some this morning. They're inside. Be right back."

Pushing through his garage door, Kurt skipped over towards the pantry and used the stepping stool inside to reach for one of the paper plates that were kept on one of the higher shelves. He then bent down to carry the stool with him over towards the counter. Sliding the plate onto the gray and black marbled surface, Kurt stepped back up on the stool and stared down at the sugar cookies he had made for his friends.

He had gotten up extra early that morning to make sure they would have time to cool so he could decorate them before his friends came over. Each cookie was now covered with a generous layer of frosting, along with a variety of different colored sprinkle combinations matching the colors in his tea set: blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, and purple. He was very happy with how they had turned out, and couldn't wait to see the looks on his friend's faces.

Pulling back the plastic wrap that was covering the cookies, Kurt carefully picked out six of them and placed them gingerly on the paper plate to take outside.

He was just replacing the clear covering back over the extra sweets when he heard the sound of someone's footsteps entering the kitchen behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, Kurt tensed up at the sight of his Uncle Benny.

The years following the death of his mother had been hard on his father, having to come to grips with the idea of now being a single parent. Working long hours at his auto repair shop, he had a difficult time trying to find a decent babysitter for his son that would stick around for more than a few months at a time. More often than not, he had to rely on family members to help out, which was how Kurt found himself having to suffer through more regular visits with his Uncle Benny.

Kurt knew he wasn't like most boys, and though his father seemed to have accepted this for the most part, Uncle Benny had taken it upon himself to try and force him into doing things that didn't interest him. By itself, Kurt could have let it go as his uncle just trying to be helpful, but it was the hurtful comments that came with it that made the days when the man came over hard for him to bare.

Not wanting to make things even harder on his father, Kurt had never complained about having his uncle come over to watch him, even though his stomach would always twist uncomfortably whenever the man showed up at their front door.

"What do you think you're doing?" the man questioned, sending Kurt a disapproving look.

The boy swallowed the lump that had settled in his throat. Picking up his plate of carefully chosen cookies, he stepped down off the stool. "Just . . . taking some cookies out to my friends. We're having a tea party."

"A tea party?" his uncle asked, glancing out the window at the two girls giggling at the table. "Your father really should take that stuff away from you," he added under his breath, but Kurt was still able to make out the words.

"Take what away from me?"

Uncle Benny turned his piercing stare towards the blonde boy, and Kurt shrunk back a step. "That tea set, of course! Why don't you go and make friends with some of the boys in the neighborhood? I always see groups of them shooting hoops up in the cul-de-sac."

Kurt's eyes grew wet at the thought of his tea set being taken away from him, and he shuffled his feet nervously. "But I don't like sports."

Honestly, Kurt hated playing with the boys his age. They were always so rough with each other, playing tackle sports and yelling at each other. He much preferred interacting with the girls at his school. They were nicer to him.

"Stop being a pussy and toughen up! It wouldn't hurt you to hang out with boys for a change," his uncle growled before storming out of the room.

Kurt's body was shaking. He took a couple deep breaths to help steady himself, and wiped away the few tears that had started to trickle down his cheeks.

When he was sure he was presentable enough, he turned and headed back outside to his party.

Keeping his head down, Kurt hurried past a group of football players on his way to his locker.

A few years ago, he had been looking forward to the idea of starting High School. He had thought that with the change from Middle School to High School, the kids would become more mature and would stop considering it funny to bully the other students.

Boy, was he wrong. If anything, High School was worse.

Entering sophomore year had gone slightly more smoothly than last year. At least this time around he knew what to expect from the other students. He knew what hallways were best to avoid and which kids he should do his best to stay away from during the school day.

Things had gotten even better for him; or worse depending how you looked at it, when he decided to join the school's Glee club. For the first time in his High School life, he had friends. Even so, it did seem to give the bullies that were constantly patrolling the hallways another excuse to slushy him.

Even though life at school had gotten slightly better, things at home had recently taken an unsuspecting turn.

Uncle Benny had lost his job a couple months ago. In an effort to help out his brother, Burt had invited the man to stay with them . . . for an extended amount of time. With his uncle now divorced and his twin cousins off at college, Kurt usually found himself alone with his uncle most days after school until his dad would get home from work. The never-ending ridicule from both his classmates and from his uncle at home was quickly starting to take its toll on the boy.

And the fact that Kurt had just recently come out as gay didn't help things in the slightest.

Returning home after school, Kurt unlocked his front door and slowly opened it, tensing at the sound the hinges made.

Karofsky's taunting remarks and continued shoves into the lockers were turning into a constant, daily routine. Kurt really just wanted to get downstairs to his room and rest, but first he had to make it passed his homophobic uncle.

Not hearing anything from inside, Kurt pushed the door open wider and stepped in, quietly closing it behind him.

Peeking into the living room to his left, Kurt saw his Uncle Benny lounging in his father's chair. His head laid back against the headrest with his eyes closed, the occasional snore vibrating through his throat. Several empty beer bottles were thrown around the room, and Kurt gave a soft sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to deal with his drunken uncle.

Stepping into the kitchen long enough to grab a snack, the blonde bounded down the stairs to his sanctuary. Nibbling on his granola bar, Kurt took a seat on his bed and pulled out what he needed to complete his math homework for the night.

About an hour went by before Kurt heard the sound of something toppling over upstairs. Frozen in fear, he turned his wide eyes towards the ceiling, listening closely. Heavy, stumbling footsteps were heard moments later that seemed to be heading in the direction of the kitchen . . . and the door to his bedroom.

Holding his breath, Kurt tried to remember if he had locked the door before coming downstairs. The sound of the door being thrown open answered it for him.

Seconds later, the angry creature stood glaring down at him from halfway down the stairs. His uncle's hands were turning white due to their tight grip around the banister.

The look in the man's eyes terrified Kurt. Uncle Benny's eyes were narrowed into slits, and his posture was cold and hard. Kurt had seen his uncle angry many times over the years; usually at him, but this . . . this was something different.

One second, Uncle Benny was staring at him with a menacing look in his eyes and next he was right in front of Kurt's face. Grabbing his arm, his uncle ripped him off the bed and slammed him against the wall so his back was facing him, his forehead smashing against the hard vertical surface.

Kurt blinked back tears as he tried to wrap his mind around what was happening. His uncle had always been verbally abusive to him, but he had never done anything to hurt him physically. Before he could have time to digest what was going on, the man wrenched his right arm back behind him into a painful position causing Kurt to cry out in pain.

"You thought you could just sneak in here unnoticed, faggot?" Uncle Benny snarled into his ear and Kurt smelled the strong stench of alcohol on his breath. "Huh?" he shouted, pressing the boy's arm painfully into his back when Kurt didn't answer.

"N-no sir," Kurt stuttered, he could feel his other hand shaking by his side. Fear bubbled up in his gut and his heartbeat started ringing his ears.

"You weak disgrace," the man sighed. He reached up to rub his thumb down Kurt's cheek, wiping away a single tear that had managed to escape. "Pathetic. I tried to warn your father. He should have taken care of the behavioral problems years ago. Now look what he's done to you."

Kurt wiggled in his uncle's grip. "Stop! You're hurting me!"

A dark laugh trickled out of Uncle Benny's mouth. "Oh, I'm hurting you, am I?" he growled, before spinning Kurt around and sending a punch into his stomach.

Kurt cried out as he was finally released from the man's grip and he toppled onto the floor. The boy wrapped his arms around his tender stomach, trying to protect it from any farther abuse.

Instead, Uncle Benny walked over to Kurt's vanity table on the other side of the room and ran his hand across it, knocking over all of the blonde's skin care bottles and a few picture frames. The boy watched as the photos smashed onto the floor, leaving glass in its wake, and the contents of the bottles were spilled all over the tiles.

"Stupid fag," Kurt heard his uncle groan before finally leaving his room without looking back.

He stayed huddled on the floor, listening closely to the sounds of things being smashed upstairs and his uncle stumbling around in his drunken state.

Kurt knew his father had invited Uncle Benny to stay with them because he had fallen on hard times, but he couldn't take being treated like this. This was his home. He was supposed to be safe within these walls. He wasn't safe here any longer.

Several minutes passed before Kurt heard the sound of the stairs squeaking above him as his uncle made his way up to the guest room. The boy waited a few more minutes before hesitantly pushing himself into a sitting position, and turned to glance at his alarm clock.

His father was getting off of work soon. He would be here in less than thirty minutes, but Kurt didn't want to wait. He couldn't stay in this house. What if his uncle came back down?

Groaning in pain, Kurt managed to get himself to his feet. He grabbed his car keys from his bedside table and sluggishly made his way up the staircase to the main floor, flinching every time a step screeched under his weight.

It seemed like hours had passed by the time he made it outside and into his car. Turning on the ignition, he backed out of his driveway and headed in the direction of his dad's auto repair shop.

Tears were pouring down Kurt's cheeks the whole ride there, but he managed to keep his car on the road. He had just parked his Navigator next to his dad's car when he saw Burt stepping out of the building.

As Burt turned back to lock the garage door, Kurt leaped out of his car and walked around to the back of the vehicle so his dad would see him as soon as he turned around.

"Kurt? What are you doing here?" his dad called when he saw his son waiting for him. Drawing closer, he saw the look on the boy's face and panic washed through him. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked, pulling the boy into a hug and holding him close.

Kurt buried his head into his father chest, enjoying the feeling of having his father's arms around him. He always felt safe when his dad was around, and this time was no different. It didn't take long for Kurt's sobs to quiet down and he pulled away from his dad just enough so he could bring a hand up to wipe away his tears.

"What happened, Kurt?" his dad asked again, concern written on his face. "Did something happen at school?"

"N-no," the blonde shook his head. "Dad . . ." He had been going through his uncle's torment for so many years now, it was hard to get the words out.

"Kurt?" Burt asked again, and rubbed his hand up and down his son's back in encouragement.

"I-it's Uncle B-Benny," he stuttered. "He's homophobic."