So I'm tired and sick and I'm really not sure what this is. All I know is that it's pre-Season one, aka Freshman year, meaning no Glee yet. I don't know if I like it, but I have the whole story planned out. Please, please review, 'cause this is possibly the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfiction.

:-:

i need an ambulance
i took, i took the worst of the blow

:-:

send me a redeemer
let me know if i'm gonna be alright

:-:

am i gonna be alright?

:-:

'cause i know how it usually goes
i know how it usually goes

:-:

Finn walked out of the locker room, stretching his aching muscles. High school football was a lot more rigorous than middle school football, and he was feeling the effects of it. Outside, the air was starting to get cooler, and he shivered a little.

He saw a couple of his teammates, and he waved to them. They were mostly upperclassmen, and he really wanted to get on their good side. Sadly, no one noticed him as he approached, because they were too preoccupied with the small, huddled figure in the middle of their circle. Finn slowed his pace, watching the older boys carefully.

"Come on, fag. Cry for us! Cry like the little girl you are!" One - Sean Karofsky, the older brother of Finn's classmate, Dave - was shouting at the kid in the middle, laughing like a bad guy out of a movie or something. Finn, with his superior height, caught a glimpse of the team's victim. He was small, definitely a freshman like Finn, with wide blue eyes that were - surprisingly - devoid of tears. He was glaring at Sean like the older student couldn't beat him to a pulp. The boy may have been small and girly, but he had balls.

"The only thing here that makes me want to cry is the inevitability of your future being filled with alcoholism and marriage failure, Karofsky." Ouch. The kid was good. Even if Finn didn't understand half of what he said.

"What did you say, homo?" Sean had a nasty temper, and the gay kid was about to learn that the hard way. Still, it didn't stop him from verbally abusing Karofsky.

"Just stating the obvious. Or did I use too many big words? Should I dumb it down? You are never going to be anything but a Lima Loser, Sean. Get your kicks now; they're all you'll have, in the end."

Sean's eyes flared, and his fist struck out to collide with the kid's face. Finn flinched - violence made him uncomfortable - but said nothing; it was the best way to survive at McKinley High. The other boys laughed and jeered. The kid fell to the ground, but tears would not fall.

"I may be a Lima Loser, but at least I'll live that long." Finn's blood chilled. That was practically a death threat!

Without warning, Sean grabbed the gay kid, pinning his arms behind his back. "Dave!" He barked, and his little brother appeared, looking unsure of what to do. "Grab his feet!"

The Karofsky brother hauled the kid into the air easily, despite the struggle the smaller boy was giving. Sean led Dave over the big dumpster on the edge of the parking lot, and gave a wicked grin. "On three. One...two...THREE!"

They chucked the kid into the bin, laughing even as his head collided nastily with the edge. The football players cheered, welcoming this new form of torture with open arms. Finn felt ill.

"That'll teach the fag. Did you see him checking out my junk? Fuckin' homo..." Sean bitched, leading his posse away. The rest of the team dispersed, though Dave Karofsky lingered by the dumpster a millisecond longer than he should have before running off. Finn bit his lip and approached the bin, leaning over the edge.

"You okay?"

No reply. He looked closer, and the gay kid's eyes were closed, like he was asleep. Maybe it was a defense mechanism, like when possums played dead.

"I won't hurt you. Do you need help getting out?"

The kid didn't move. Finn reached over and poked him in the shoulder. No response. Finn frowned, then looked at the side of the dumpster, where the kid had hit his head.

It was tinted red with splotches of blood.

"Shit!" Finn cried. Without a second thought, he crawled into bin and started examining the gay kid. There was a deep cut on the back of his head, and his face was starting to bruise from the punch. "Help! Help!"

A shy Asian girl who was pushing a boy in a wheelchair heard Finn's shouts and raced over, pulling her friend along. "W-w-w-what's w-wrong?" She stuttered.

Finn motioned to the kid he was kneeling over. "Some guys threw him in and he hit his head and now he won't wake up!"

The girl peered over the edge, gasping. "T-that's Kurt! Have you called 9-1-1?"

Finn shook his head. Tina sighed, and pulled out her cell phone, hands shaking. The kid in the wheelchair - his name was Artie, Finn was pretty sure - took it from her and dialed 9-1-1. She smiled at him gratefully. Artie started murmuring into the phone, urgent but collected. Finn turned back to the gay ki- Kurt, and, thoughtlessly, brushed a piece of hair from the boy's face. The girl looked on anxiously.

"Are you friends with him?" Finn asked, turning to face her. She shook her head.

"W-we've t-t-talked a coup-ple of t-times, mostly j-j-just fashion advice. H-he and Artie are l-l-lab p-partners in b-biology, and we w-went to middle school w-w-with him, but..." She trailed off and bit her lip. "He d-d-doesn't really h-have friends. B-Bit of a l-l-l-loner."

Finn peered at Kurt sadly. Artie hung up the phone and handed it back to the Asian girl. "They'll be here soon. They said not to touch him."

"Too late," Finn said, leaning back against the dumpster's side. "I'm Finn, by the way."

Artie raised his chin in recognition. "Artie."

The girl smiled sweetly - albiet sadly - at him. "T-T-Tina."

The sound of a siren screamed from the distance, and Finn glanced down at his blood-stained hands. "They're gonna get mad at me, huh?"

Tina and Artie didn't get a chance to reply, because the ambulance sped into view, squealing as it turned into the parking lot. Tina clasped her hands together, and Artie rubbed her elbow soothingly.

A paramedic jumped out of the car and approached the kids. "Who's hurt?"

"In here," Finn said, motioning down to Kurt. The paramedic kept a stoic face, but Finn could tell that he was disgusted that someone would leave a kid to bleed in a dumpster.

"Alright, kid, I need you to get out of the way. Are you hurt?" He asked, motioning to the blood on Finn's hand from Kurt's head.

"No. It's his."

The paramedic nodded, and was joined by two others. They hoisted Kurt carefully from the dumpster and onto a stretcher. Artie and Tina watched sadly, and Finn's gut felt like it was filled with ice. This wouldn't be the end of Sean's reign; Tina and Artie were weird, a goth and a nerd, and they were almost as low as Kurt on McKinley's food chain. Surely they'd be next for the pickin'.

"Are any of you coming with him?" The female paramedic asked kindly, but hurriedly. "We need to get goin'."

Tina and Artie both shook their heads. But something rose up in Finn, growling and snarling and terrified. "I am."

Tina and Artie looked as shocked as Finn felt. The paramedic ushered him into the ambulance, letting him ride in the back with Kurt, as long as he stayed out of the way. He did just that, feeling sicker and sicker as they worked on Kurt, stemming the blood flow and cleaning the wound. Finn closed his eyes and tried to ignore the soft, concise words volleyed between the two paramedics. In no time, they had arrived at the hospital.

Kurt was rushed inside, leaving Finn to wander awkwardly into the waiting room. It was a slow night, with only a mother and her injured child and a guy who looked like he had tried to use an electric can opener while drunk. Finn talked with the nurse at her station a little, explaining his situation, and she promised to come get him when the doctor gave Kurt the all clear.

"You're his family, right?" She asked sweetly. He nodded.

"He's my brother." The lie rolled off his tongue easily.

"Alright. I'll call you when he's up for visitors." She paused, noticing the distress in his face. "Don't worry, I'm sure your brother will be fine."

Finn nodded absently, sitting in a seat far away from the nurses' station. Making sure the nurse was out of earshot, he pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.

"Finn? Is practice over? I thought you were finding a ride home."

"I'm at the hospital."

"What? Are you hurt?"

"No, Ma. I..." He lowered his voice. "A friend got hurt. I went with him to the hospital, but I'll need a ride home."

"Oh, thank god. How's your friend?"

"I don't know, they won't let me in yet. I had to tell them he was my brother."

"Okay, I get off work in an hour, then I'll come get you."

"Thanks, Ma."

"Love you, sweetie."

"Love you, too."

Finn hung up, hands trembling. He sat like that forever, wondering vaguely if he was going into shock. He knew the older guys liked to push kids around - you were supposed to do that when you were on top. But it all had always seemed so harmless to him. He never thought they would hurt someone.

"Kid?" He looked up to see the nurse smiling at him. "Your brother's awake. Though he doesn't seem to remember he even has a brother..." She smirked at him. He looked down sheepishly.

"Head injury?"

"You're cute, so I'll let it slide by saying you're stepbrothers. Follow me," she whispered, winking at him. Finn smiled, and eagerly followed her back to the ER rooms.

The nurse pushed back a curtain, motioning for Finn to go past her. "He's in here." Then, more quietly. "Brothers my ass. You two look nothing alike."

Finn shrugged and gave her his most charming smile, and she patted his arm as she left. Kurt looked up, eyes wide and fearful. "What are you doing here?" He asked, voice raspy.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Finn said, holding his hands up. "I'm the one who found you. In the dumpster."

Kurt blinked in confusion. "And you called 9-1-1?"

Finn shrugged. "Well, technically Artie called 9-1-1, but after I started shouting for help."

Kurt fell silent, and Finn wondered if his presence wasn't welcome, seeing as he was a football player and all. As he contemplated leaving, he heard a soft voice say, "Thank you."

"No problem." Finn sat on the edge of Kurt's bed, smiling happily at him. Kurt blushed.

"You're his brother?" A doctor asked skeptically as she came in. "Really?"

"Stepbrother," Finn pretended to amend. Kurt looked bewildered, but nodded in agreement.

"Are your parents on the way?"

"No."

"Yes."

Kurt and Finn answered at the same time. Finn quickly added, "My mom's coming. His stepmother. She'll be here soon."

"I'm here now." Finn turned around to see his mother standing behind him. Next to her was the friendly nurse, who gave him another wink. "How's my stepson?"

"Lucky," the doctor said, tapping her fingers on the clipboard in front of her. "If his brother hadn't found him, the cut could have gotten infected or he could have even bled to death in that dumpster. But we stitched up his head-" Kurt pouted. "-and as long as one of you wakes him up every hour for the next twenty-four hours, his concussion will be fine."

"So we can take him home now?" Mrs. Hudson asked, rubbing circles into Finn's shoulder. He relaxed at the touch.

"Once you fill out this paperwork." The doctor held up her clipboard. Carole moved to take it, but Kurt spoke quickly.

"I'll fill out."

The doctor gave Mrs. Hudson a look, but she shrugged and said, "He's very independent."

The doctor sighed and handed the clipboard to Kurt, rambling on about coming back in a few weeks to have the stitches removed and being careful about re-injuring his head and such. Mrs. Hudson glanced up at her son.

"Care to tell me what happened?"

Finn sighed. "I saw some of the older guys on the team bullying him. They threw him in the dumpster and when I went to go help him out, I saw that he had hit his head on the side and was bleeding. Artie and Tina called the ambulance and I wanted to come with him 'cause I was worried about him."

Mrs. Hudson smiled lovingly at her son. "Do you even know his last name?"

Finn blushed. "I didn't know his first name until Tina told it to me. I've never met him before in my life."

Mrs. Hudson wrapped her arms tightly around Finn, inflated by the warm, fuzzy "proud mama" feeling that filled her heart. "You're such a sweetheart, Finnegan. Don't ever change."

"He's ready to go home now," the doctor said, taking up the paperwork from Kurt. "Let me get the nurse."

The same friendly nurse who had let both Carole and Finn in came by to help Kurt into a wheelchair. She rolled him out into the parking lot, chatting happily with the Hudsons.

"Have a nice night, Kurt," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "Try not to fall into any more dumpsters, okay?" She turned to Finn, sticking her finger in his chest. "You watch out for him, mister. I don't wanna see him back in this ER again!"

They bid her a goodnight, then Kurt turned to Mrs. Hudson awkwardly. "Um, could you give me a ride to my house? I sort of missed the bus home..."

Carole smiled fondly at him. "No can do, kiddo."

Kurt looked confused and put-off and a little scared. "Excuse me?"

The older woman opened up the passenger-side door, motioning for him to get in. "You can't spend the night alone, tonight, sweetie. And I heard you mention to the doctor that your father was out of town…?"

Kurt didn't move. "Yes, he's on a plane to North Dakota right now for some Great Uncle's funeral. But I'll be fine, really. I can just set an alarm to go off every hour."

"I don't think so." Carole placed her hands on her hips, smirking. "You can come stay with us tonight?"

Finn thought is was really weird that his mom was offering to house a stranger, but he supposed it was the polite thing to do. His mom was really good at knowing stuff like that.

"I really couldn't impose," Kurt said, wobbling a bit on his feet. Finn grabbed his shoulder to steady him.

"Dude, arguing with Mom is like chugging an entire liter of stale root beer – don't do it," he said, grinning at his mother.

"If it's not too much trouble…?" Kurt's voice was small, and he shrugged Finn's hand off of his shoulder. Carole beamed.

"Not at all. We can take you home tomorrow morning."

Kurt started on a tirade of gratitude as Finn helped him into the passenger seat, and it continued as Carole pulled out of the parking lot.

A tri-tone beeping came from the backseat as they sped down the highway. Finn pulled out his phone, surprised to see a text from an unknown number.

hey, its artie. got ur nmbr from puckerman. grabbed kurts bag after u 2 left. tell him ill swing by his dads shop 2morrow 12 to give it 2 him. hows he doin?

Finn relayed the message to Kurt, then typed out a reply.

kurt says thnx, man. hes doin ok. got stitches in his head & a concussion. but hes arguin w/ my mom so I thnk hes gettin better.

As they pulled up to the Hudson house, Kurt paled. "I don't have anything to sleep in," he confided in Carole. She rolled her eyes.

"Finn'll get you something to wear. Are you hungry? I don't have anything made, but we could order a pizza."

Kurt smiled. "Yeah, I am a little hungry. Pizza's good."

Finn whooped, punching his fist into the air. "Awesome!"

Carole locked the car and hurried inside to place the order. Kurt followed, but a sudden dizzy spell came over him and he stumbled backwards. Finn rushed forward and caught the smaller boy in his arms, chest to back. Kurt was just so tiny and warm and soft that a sudden longing to never let go came over Finn, giving him a bit of a shock.

"Thanks," Kurt mumbled, face bright red. Finn let go as soon as the kid was stabilized.

"Uh, no problem." They awkwardly entered the house, listening to Carole place the order.

"Cheese alright?" She called from the kitchen. Kurt nodded.

"Um, yeah!" Finn shouted for the both of them. "Cheese is fine!"

"So, uh, do you wanna change your clothes? They're kind of bloody and covered in garbage…" Finn asked, running a hand through his hair. Kurt nodded.

Finn led Kurt up the stairs to his room, pulling out a clean t-shirt and pair pajama pants that ran a little on the small side for Finn. "Here," he said, handing them to Kurt. "The bathroom's next door."

"Thanks." That seemed to be the only thing Kurt could say to Finn. As he turned, Finn caught a glimpse of the gash in Kurt's head and the stitches holding it together. He sucked in a big gulp of air, stunned.

"Ugly, isn't it?" Kurt asked, not turning around. "And they had to shave part of my head. My hair won't look right for ages."

"God, Kurt, I'm so sorry-" Kurt held up his hand.

"It's not your fault. My dad warned me that wearing a woman's sweater to school could end disastrously.

Finn nodded in agreement, then thought of something. "Have you called your dad yet?"

Kurt turned around at that point, sighing heavily. "No. I'll call him in the morning, tell him I slipped and hit my head. Not sure how I'll explain the shiner, but I'll think of something."

"You're not telling him the truth?" Finn was stunned – surely Kurt would get his parents to storm down to the school and report every meathead he could name.

"Of course not. My dad doesn't need to know about senseless bullying. He has enough to worry about."

Finn sat down on his bed. "Does he know you're…?"

"I'm what?" Kurt's face was hardened, unreadable.

"Gay?" The word was whispered, as if a taboo. Kurt's jaw stiffened.

"I'm not gay."

"Oh." Finn wasn't sure if he believed Kurt, but he went with it.

"I'm going to go get dressed now," Kurt announced, walking briskly from the room. Finn watched him leave, then buried his face in his hands. He didn't know why, but fatigue was suddenly washing over him. So much had happened in the past couple of hours, and Finn felt like his entire world was changing. Wasn't he supposed to hate the gay kid and side with his football buddies? Yeah, he was, if he wanted to stay on top of the pyramid. Then why did he feel this burning hatred for the Brothers Karofsky? And why did he want to hold Kurt – a kid he'd just met and whose entire life was a complete mystery to him – and never let go?

"Your mom's calling us." Finn looked up to see Kurt standing in the doorway, face scrubbed clean, hair brushed, and body absolutely drowning in Finn's clothes. One sleeve was threatening to slip off of Kurt's slender shoulder, revealing a long, pale expanse of skin. Finn's face felt hot.

"Okay." He stood and followed the boy downstairs, face still flushed. Kurt took the small stack of plates and napkins from Carole's hands, and started setting the table. She tried to reprimand him, but Kurt dodged her outstretched hands, laughing. It was the first time Finn ever saw Kurt smile, and it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Finn found his feet carrying him from the room, back upstairs to the bathroom. He absently splashed cold water on his face and shook his head a couple of times. Boys weren't pretty. Girls were. Boys like Kurt were wrong. Everyone knew that. Boys liked girls and girls liked boys. It was simple.

Cooled down, Finn traipsed back down the stairs, where his mom was opening a big box of pizza and Kurt was filling up glasses of water.

"Make Finn's milk, would you, hun?" Carole eyed Finn knowingly, then put on a teasing grin. "I want my baby boy to grow up big and strong, don't I?"

"I think he's already there," Kurt said, tipping the carton over an empty glass. "Any more and he won't fit in the house."

Carole gave a hoot, patting Kurt on the arm. "Who knew there was so much sass underneath such an innocent face?"

Kurt seemed unused to the affection and attention Mrs. Hudson was giving him, and Finn wondered idly what his parents were like. Carole plopped two pieces down on her own plate, turning to Finn. "Three, for starters?"

Finn nodded, sitting down as far from Kurt as was socially acceptable, and took the pieces gratefully. Carole seemed to notice, but ignored her son for the time being.

"Kurt?"

He smiled. "Just one, thanks."

"Seriously, dude?" Finn was stunned; three pieces was, like, an appetizer for him.

"I'm watching my weight," Kurt replied simply, as if it was obvious that he needed to. Finn, on the other hand, was of the opinion that he could stand to gain a few pounds.

Carole rolled her eyes. "Finn can eat an entire pizza by himself."

Kurt wrinkled his nose in a way that made Finn's heart speed up. "Ew."

"I know."

To avoid blurting out something stupid, Finn stuffed his face with pizza, scowling at the plate. Kurt and his mom chatted lightly, talking about shopping and movies and hairstyles.

"I guess I'm going to have to cut all of mine off, now," he heard Kurt say. "I'll miss having bangs." It was such a pity, really, since Kurt's hair was so pretty-

"I gotta pee." Finn announced eloquently. His mother sighed in irritation. Kurt just bit his lip like he had just seen a barrel of puppies covered in glitter or something. Finn didn't stop to think about that face. He just needed to escape.

He locked the bathroom door behind him and sank to floor, tired and excited and freaked out and angry, all at the same time. When he went after Kurt that afternoon, he expected to be rid of the stranger by now, not clothing him and feeding him and taking him in like an adorable lost puppy.

Adorable? Pretty? Beautiful? That was Finn's next problem! Why couldn't he think about Kurt like he would with any other guy? Sure he was tiny and girly and weird, but that didn't mean he wasn't a guy! And Finn was not into guys.

The weird thing was, Finn had never really seen a problem with gay people. In elementary school he'd met Rachel's two dads, and aside from the fact that their daughter was a psychopath, there had been nothing wrong with them. And Neil Patrick Harris was a pretty cool dude, even though he liked kissing guys and shit.

But now, Finn couldn't help feeling freaked out by the fact that the resident gay kid was sleeping in his house. What if he tried to kiss Finn? Or sleep in the same bed as Finn? Or-

Stop that. He told himself. That's mean. Kurt hasn't tried to do anything to you. Why is this bothering you so much?

Finn sighed, and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. He was just tired and a little in shock – he'd never seen so much blood that wasn't his own before, and he'd never witness such an act of violence that wasn't in video games. (Was it a hate crime? He thought those only counted if the victim was black, but something told Finn he was being an idiot again.)

"Finn?" It was his mom. "Are you feeling alright?"

Finn stood up and took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door. His mother looked partly worried and partly disappointed.

"Yeah. Just…long day."

She pursed her lips. "Kurt isn't making you uncomfortable, is he?"

Finn's eyes widened; his mother was psychic.

She continued in a hushed voice. "Because being gay isn't wrong, Finn, and I hope that I taught you better than to hate someone for something they can't control. When he leaves, I want the names of every player you can remember who took part in the bullying and I'm going to march into Principal Higgen's-"

"Figgens."

"Whatever. I will march down to that school and get every one of those boys expelled, you hear me? Because that kind of behavior is unacceptable, and if I ever catch wind of you participating in that kind of thing, I will whip you so hard-"

"Ma!" Finn's mother had never hit or spanked him – ever – so the threat was enough to make him realize how dead serious she was. "I'm fine with Kurt. He won't even admit that he's gay. And I would never- I mean, it was just so- you should have seen the blood."

Her face softened, and she pulled her son into a hug. "I'm sorry, Finn. I'm just so angry about what those boys did to him. He's such a sweetheart, and I've only known him for a few hours. If only they could see what we see…"

Finn kissed his mother's cheek. "Don't worry, Mom. I won't let them hurt him again." There he went, with his irrational urge to shield Kurt from the world.

She smiled at him. "How about I go pick us up some ice cream?"

He led her down the stairs, into the kitchen where Kurt was cleaning up. Carole slapped at his hands until he backed off, and she made Finn do the rest. Finn looked at his mother hopefully. "Rocky Road?"

Her eyes flickered to their guest. "What flavor would you like, Kurt?"

He blushed, sneaking a glance at Finn. "Rocky Road is fine."

"Alright. I'll go grab a tub of Rocky Road." She leaned in and kissed Finn's cheek, then pecked Kurt's gently. "See you boys in a few! Don't burn the house down!"

Kurt sat back down at the kitchen table, face pale. Finn cocked his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kurt murmured, running a hand through his bangs. "Just…a little dizzy."

Finn set down the soapy dishes, wiped off his hands, and helped Kurt stand back up. "C'mon," he said gently. "Go sit down in the living room. It's comfier there."

Kurt let himself be pushed into the next room without protest, gingerly sitting down on the squashy old sofa. Finn stood awkwardly for a second, then asked, "Wanna watch a movie?"

Kurt's eyes fluttered, and Finn remembered that he was on some serious pain meds. "Sure thing, Frankenteen."

"Frankenteen?" Finn couldn't help but laugh at the new nickname. "Seriously?"

"It fits," Kurt said slyly, curling his legs underneath himself. "Go, shoo, pick a movie."

Finn dug through his meager DVD collection. Transformers? Nah, seen it too many times. The Notebook? Kurt might enjoy it, but it belonged to Finn's mom, therefore, Finn hated it. Willow? No one would ever know about his obsession with that movie as long as he lived.

"Toy Story?" Finn wasn't sure what possessed him to offer a kids' movie, but a lot of things were surprising him tonight. Kurt smiled.

"Sure."

"Cool." Finn popped it in to their old VCR player, watching as it happily flickered to life. He plopped down next to Kurt, fast-forwarding through the decade-old ads. "Buzz Lightyear was always my favorite."

Kurt chuckled. "Woody was always mine. And Bo Peep, 'cause she's so pretty. But mostly Woody."

Finn smirked. "I always wanted to be Andy, and have such great adventures with my toys. Being an only child got lonely sometimes."

Kurt nodded. "Can't argue with you there. But, for me, I guess it's better that I was an only."

"Why's that?" Finn asked quietly.

"'Cause only one child had to lose his mother that way."

Finn felt the air rush out of his lungs. He should have suspected, from the way Kurt only talked about his dad, that his mom wasn't in the picture. A terrible sadness welled up in Finn.

"How did she die?" He asked, scooting a little closer. Kurt's eyes shimmered, but he didn't cry.

"Cancer. I was eight."

Finn rubbed the boy's shoulder for a moment, before coming to his senses and pulling away. "My dad died when I was a baby. Iraq."

Kurt turned to his savior, eyes wide. "I'm sorry."

"He died a hero." Finn shrugged, like it was no big deal, but it still hurt his heart to think about. "I'm sorry about your mom."

"Thanks."

They sat in silence as the familiar tune started playing. "You've got a friend in me. You've got a friend in me. When the road looks rough up ahead, and you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed…"

"This song always makes me super happy and super sad at the same time, you know?" Finn said, humming along. "It messes with my emotions."

Kurt chuckled, peering over at Finn. "Thanks for what you did today. I know it probably isn't good for your reputation to stand up for the local fag, but I appreciate not being left in a dumpster to bleed to death." Finn paled at that prospect, and Kurt babbled on awkwardly. "And your mom has been so nice to me. I mean, ridiculously nice. I'm going to have to take her on a spa date or shopping or something."

Finn blinked, giving Kurt a are-you-sure-you're-not-gay? look. Luckily for both of them, Carole came bustling in at that moment, arms laden with a tub of ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles. "I'll make you boys some sundaes! Don't get up, let me dote on you." Kurt blushed at her coddling; Finn wondered if he was feeling like Harry Potter being babied by Mrs. Weasley.

Kurt turned his attention on the movie, a small smile forming on his face as he watched the toys run around in a frenzy, making funny jokes and spitting out witty one-liners that Finn didn't really understand, but made Kurt giggle.

Kurt laughing was possibly the cutest thing ever. His blue (or were they green?) eyes sparkled and his rosy cheeks grew bigger with his smile. His nose crinkled, making him look like a kitten, and Finn just wanted to cuddle him and- hold the fuck up.

No. Finn's mom was right, being gay was cool and all, but Finn was a straight, manly man. Men did not cuddle. Not unless they were forced to by their girlfriends. Who were girls. Not other guys.

"Here you kids go," Carole handed them both big bowls of ice cream, smothered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce and decorated with sprinkles. Kurt looked torn between eating the whole thing and complaining about his weight. Finn dug in immediately, dribbling chocolate down his chin.

Carole retreated to the kitchen to do the dishes (score! That was usually Finn's job!), humming some song or another. Kurt looked over at Finn, and tried not to laugh.

"You've got chocolate on your face."

Finn licked around his lips, reaching every bit of skin he could. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"No, here, let me-" He reached over and used the pad of his thumb to clean Finn's chin. To Finn, it felt like a spark jumped between their skin at the touch, and his heart started racing.

Kurt looked a little shaken, and pulled his hand back immediately. Finn saw that his eyes were dilated and his breathing was uneven. Hands shaking, Finn went back to his ice cream, but suddenly his appetite was severely decreased. Kurt was taking tiny little bites of his, licking his lips after every spoonful. The cold from the ice cream made those lips pink and a little plump, transfixing Finn's gaze.

"What?" Kurt asked, eyes wide. "Do I some on my face, too?"

Finn nodded, though it was a lie. Trying his hardest to steady his hand, he brushed his thumb across Kurt's pretty (dammit!) lips, ignoring the voice in his head chanting "not gay, not gay, not gay."

Kurt's eyes fluttered closed, and Finn pulled his hand back before he did something stupid. Both the boys settled back into their original positions, ignoring Carole's singing from the kitchen as they pretended to watch Toy Story.

:-:

When the movie ended, Kurt was half-asleep. Finn turned off the TV, and noticed his mom had slipped out a while ago, probably to go sleep herself.

"Kurt…" he whispered, poking the boy's shoulder. "Time to sleep."

Kurt stood shakily, blinking with fatigue, and Finn made a mental note to set the alarm on his phone to an hour from now. He led Kurt to his bedroom, suddenly embarrassed by the mess.

"So, you can take my bed, tonight. I'll just go crash on the couch," he said, clearing his dirty clothes and papers from the bed. "I know it's not much, but it'll work for tonight."

Kurt smiled sadly up at Finn. "The other guys would kill you if they found out I stayed in your bed, wouldn't they?"

A small part of him was dreading the day the others found out about it, yes, but a greater part of him remembered that those guys were douche bags who thought nearly getting people killed was funny.

"So what?" Finn fluffed up his pillow and pulled back the covers for Kurt, who crawled in sorely, the day finally catching up with him. "They don't matter."

Kurt looked at him strangely. "For a football player, you're pretty cool, Finn."

Finn chuckled. "For a geek, you're pretty awesome, Kurt."

Kurt beamed, and shuffled his body under the covers some more. He would never admit it, but being surrounded by the scent of Finn was intoxicating and soothing. Not that he was gay. He wasn't.

Finn pulled out his phone and set the alarm, then stood awkwardly in the room, hands in his pockets. "Do you need anything?"

"I don't think so," Kurt said, voice subdued. "Finn, seriously, I can't thank you enough for everything."

"Then stop trying, dude." Finn sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard. It wouldn't hurt to rest a little here before going downstairs, would it?

Carole popped her head into Finn's room an hour later, making sure they woke Kurt up. Finn was slumped against the back of the bed, Kurt curled innocently against his chest. Both were so peaceful looking that she felt bad about having to wake them.

Finn's alarm went off and they both stirred, sleepy and embarrassed. Carole slipped back out before they even saw her.

Every hour that she came back, they were back in the same sleeping arrangement. Carole Hudson wasn't sure if she should be proud of her son or have a nice, long talk to him about his sexuality. Either way, Kurt and Finn were possibly the cutest things she had ever seen.

Hopefully (if she had her way), they would stay like that for a long time.

:-:

Up next: Burt comes home, Kurt goes back to school, and Quinn gets really, really pissy.

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