March 29, 2013, 7:19 p.m.
One In Four: Arsenic And Kite Flying
E - Words: 1,400 - Last Updated: Mar 29, 2013 Story: Complete - Chapters: 94/94 - Created: Jun 10, 2012 - Updated: Mar 29, 2013 387 0 0 0 0
Kurt was sleepy. Curled up on the couch underneath his favorite blanket as The Lion King drew to a close on the TV in front of him, he yawned and asked to go to bed. It barely occurred to him that he was on the couch in his old house, from before his dad was remarried.
"Sure thing, bud," said a man's voice from behind him. "Have this first." A hand appeared in Kurt's field of vision, holding a small white pill.
"Whazzat?" Kurt asked, already half asleep.
"It's a vitamin, kiddo. Your dad asked me to give it to you before you went to bed."
"Do I chew it?"
"No, just swallow."
Kurt reached out and took the pill, popping it into his mouth and swallowing it. He made a face. "Yuck."
"I know, it's kinda gross," said the voice. "Come on, it's time for bed."
Kurt yawned again, feeling even sleepier than before. "Can I just sleep here? I'm tired."
A chuckle, and then, "Sure. I'll bring you upstairs later."
Kurt curled up tighter, feeling the edges of his vision go dark. "Good night, Franklin," he slurred.
"Night, bud."
Abruptly, Kurt realized he was looking at his bedroom ceiling. In his new house. He sat up, looking around in slight confusion with the smell of his old house still in his mind. The clock on his nightstand glowed 2:47 A.M. and he felt strangely calm considering that he wasn't sure what day it was supposed to be.
There was a creak of floorboards outside in the hall and the bedroom door opened slightly. Finn's head poked in. "Oh, you're awake," he said softly.
"Hey," Kurt said, resting his elbows on his knees. "What are you doing up?"
Finn breathed a sigh of relief that it was actually Kurt speaking, and he came in and sank onto the bed next to Kurt, propping himself up against the headboard.
"You look tired," Kurt said, leaning back beside his stepbrother.
Finn shrugged. "Yeah, well… Zack made me promise to check on him every half hour 'cause he's still scared of the dark." He yawned, rubbing a hand over his hair. "Are you doing okay?"
Kurt exhaled slowly, letting his head fall back against the wall. "I really don't know."
"Yeah. You're kind of in a tornado of emotional crap right now," Finn stated.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Kurt replied dryly. He sighed again. "Have you talked to Mercedes and Rachel?"
"Not really. I mean, Mercedes and I had a little heart to heart after she met Zack, and Rachel's been rattling on about researching the finest healthcare her dads can buy or something like that, but I'm getting the sense that they're going to be fine."
Kurt smiled. "Good."
Finn's mouth twitched. "Puck, on the other hand…"
"Oh, God…" Kurt cringed. "What did we do and who did it?"
"Truman sort of… made an offer. While making use of a cherry lollipop."
"What!" Kurt hissed. "Oh my god, I'm going to be sick. Truman, I'm going to kill you!" He hid his face in his hands.
Finn laughed. "Don't worry so much," he said. "Puck thought it was hilarious."
"That makes it worse!" Kurt groaned. "Well, I guess that hitting on Puck is just the icing on this poisonous cake."
Finn tilted his head in confusion. "…Your cake has poison in it?"
"No, I…" Kurt sighed, not sure if he should say everything on his mind (or at least, everything on the piece of his mind that actually seemed to belong to him). "I just… First, Blaine finds out. Then, because I'm trying to patch things up with Blaine, Mercedes thinks I'm suicidal. Then, the whole school finds out about us, and subsequently, I'm being sent away from the one place I've managed not to have a transition."
He didn't bother to mention that the entire chain of events was kind of Finn's fault.
Finn frowned. "You did switch at school, though… What about after Karofsky attacked you?"
"No, I know. I just somehow never switched in public. Or, if I did, whoever took over somehow kept a low profile. I don't know." He flapped a hand. "It's hard to put together the pieces when I can't remember them."
Finn gave Kurt a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. He wasn't expecting Kurt's arm to whip up and punch him in the throat.
"Ow!" he yelped, coughing and holding his neck. He quickly climbed off the bed and out of Kurt's reach, wheezing.
"Touch me again and I will rip off your fucking head."
Finn stared.
Kurt blinked, his eyebrows knitting together. "When did you move over there? Did I just black out?"
"You freaking punched me!" Finn coughed, his voice hoarse as he massaged his voice box.
"Oh, my god, I—" Kurt sprang off the bed, coming over to Finn. "Are you—?" He was cut off by Finn abruptly holding an arm out to keep Kurt away from him.
"I'm fine," Finn croaked. "Just – just give me a minute."
Kurt swallowed and took a step back. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "Do… do you know who it was?"
Finn took a deep breath, finally getting his lungs back under control, though his voice was still stretched and rough. "I…I'm not sure. Robbie, I think." He chewed on his cheek. "I'm… gonna go to bed."
"Wait, Finn—"
"Good night."
Breakfast in the morning was quiet. Finn hurried off to school as soon as his pancakes had been scarfed down, and Burt seemed to be stewing over the school board's refusal to let Kurt remain enrolled at McKinley, though they all knew that they couldn't really expect anything more. Finally, Burt announced that he had to head in to the shop and shrugged on his coat.
Kurt approached him as Carole cleared the table. "Dad, who's Franklin?"
"…Benjamin?"
"No, I… I dunno, I just kind of had this dream last night," Kurt said. "It just felt like memory from a long time ago, and it was with someone named Franklin."
Burt shrugged. "No idea."
"Okay. Must have just been a dream."
"You sure you're gonna be okay today?" Burt asked, squeezing Kurt's shoulder. "Cause I don't have to go to work if you don't want me to. I can call Randy and have him—"
"Dad, I'm fine," Kurt cut him off with a forced smile. "As fine as I'll ever be."
Burt sighed. "All right. But, Kurt, you call me as soon as—"
"I know, Dad. Thanks. I'll see you later."
Burt nodded, pulling Kurt into a hug. He knew that 'I'll see you later' where Kurt was concerned was a much looser term than it was with most people.
Once Burt was gone, Kurt sat back down at the kitchen table, just so he was in the same room as someone. Carole, who was currently washing the dishes, had called the hospital and taken a leave of absence for two weeks in order to stay home with her stepson. Kurt felt badly that she was missing work, but he was also very grateful for her presence. Despite his lasting love for his biological mother, Carole was and always would be the next best thing.
"Carole, something happened last night," he blurted out, not really realizing that he had spoken until she turned around.
"What was it?"
"I don't know," he said, clasping his hands on the table. "Finn and I were just talking, and then… I blacked out for only a couple of seconds, but I punched him in the throat."
"Oh, I thought his voice sounded a little funny this morning," Carole mused. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sat down across from him. "Do you know who it was?"
"Finn says it might've been Robbie, but… I don't know, it just doesn't seem like something Robbie would do." Kurt chewed on his thumb's cuticle nervously. "And I think I said something bad, because Finn was really freaked out."
"Hmm." Carole rested her chin in her hand. "I've heard that keeping a journal can help with this, especially if you can get each alter to contribute. You think you should give that a go?"
Kurt let out a heavy breath, his shoulders slumping uncharacteristically. "At this point, I'm willing to try anything."
She reached across the table and wrapped her hand around his wrist. "Kurt," she said softly, making Kurt look her in the eye. "You're going to be okay. You know that, right?"
Kurt swallowed. "I'm sure Zack thinks that way, but I'm not sure about the rest of me."
Carole's mouth tightened – she was trying to suppress a smile.
"Oh, God, you're thinking about what Truman did to Puck," Kurt groaned, letting his forehead thunk against the table.
"Come on, it was funny!"
"No! No, it wasn't! I hit on a guy who calls himself Puckzilla! That is not funny!"
Carole paused. "As I recall, you called him Puckzilla."
"Rrrgh."