Re: Breadstix Restaurant

**Blaine Anderson** Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:22 pm

Blaine forgot about his menu as he saw who walked in the door not too long after Finn and Rachel had arrived. His hand instantly made its way to Kurt's, interlacing their fingers as he gave his boyfriend's hand a small comforting squeeze. He knew the bully wouldn't do anything with Burt here, but the fact that he showed up was already making Blaine want to lose it. He hated that Kurt couldn't have one nice peaceful trip to Lima without Karofsky showing up and ruining his day. He wasn't sure what Karofsky's plans were for sitting so close to them, but he did know one thing; he wasn't going to stand back this time if the Neanderthal laid so much as a finger on Kurt.

Then he remembered the phone calls to the dorm and everything Kurt had confessed to him that night about Karofsky attacking him, which only ended up fueling the rage he was hiding from everyone else. The bullies at his own school had surely pissed him off, but now that he had someone that he cared about and was so in love with being in the same situation he almost couldn't stand it, and even though Kurt had made him promise not to go near Karofsky, Blaine still wished there was something he could do about the bullying Kurt had been through and was still going through, thanks to Karofsky.

He tore his distasteful stare away from Karofsky to look at Kurt instead, his expression both concerned and sympathetic as he kept his fingers interlocked with Kurt's.

**Kurt Hummel** Fri Feb 11, 2011 12:10 am

Kurt smiled as he felt Blaine holding his hand. It wasn't until he noticed how concerned Blaine looked that he realized that something was wrong. It was only moments after that, that he figured out why. He could feel the blood draining out of his face. Why couldn't Karofsky just leave him alone? He knew Dave wouldn't try anything with his dad sitting right there at the table. He worried, though, that his father might not be willing to just let things lie.

"Just ignore him," he quietly urged everyone else at the table, though looking pointedly at his father. "He's a Troglodyte and not worth another moment of thought. Let's just enjoy our meal." Once again, he'd lost his appetite (why ever did he continue to "eat" at this restaurant?), but he knew it would only raise his dad's hackles if he admitted that. He squeezed Blaine's hand and leaned to rest his head against his boyfriend's shoulder. He refused to look over at the other table, but swore he could still feel Dave's eyes on him.

"So how was your week?" he asked Finn and Rachel, interested, but also hoping the quick subject change would distract his father.

**Burt Hummel** Fri Feb 11, 2011 11:43 am

Burt wasn't distracted by Kurt's attempt at distraction. He eyed the boy sitting at the other table, frowning as he noted the expression on the kid's face as he was watching Kurt. He knew Kurt didn't want a scene and that was the only reason he didn't get up and go wipe that ugly smirk off the kid's face. And possibly murder him for the obvious fear he still caused Kurt. Burt's jaw clenched as he glared at the other table. It had been a few months since Kurt left McKinley and the kid still made his son go deathly pale with just his mere presence. He held up a hand to still Finn and Rachel's response to Kurt's question. He wanted to hear all about their trip and all, but that could wait a moment. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something and that it was important that he find out what. "Kurt. Look at me," he commanded. "Is that kid still bugging you?" he asked, even though the answer was already pretty clear to him.

**Kurt Hummel** Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:25 pm

Kurt winced at his dad's command, but shifted his gaze to meet his father's eyes, still keeping his head resting on Blaine’s shoulder. He didn’t think he’d be able to lie convincingly, especially not while looking his father in the eyes, but his father couldn’t know everything. He didn’t want Rachel or Finn to know about it, either, for that matter. It was just plain humiliating that even after he left McKinley he still couldn’t completely protect himself from Karofsky.

Blaine at least knew most of it, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to reveal the worst. He still couldn’t bring himself to admit the full extent of Karofsky’s assault or talk about what the other boy was threatening. Kurt still didn’t want to believe that was real. It was just Dave’s way of keeping him quiet. Obviously Kurt knew that Karofsky wouldn’t actually murder him, so that threat while scary hadn’t ever completely rung true. The newer threat, although more likely than murder still seemed beyond what Karofsky would actually do. At least Kurt kept telling himself that, and needed to believe it.

Dave had assaulted him already, and Kurt had no doubt that Karofsky would attempt to do that again if given the chance. But he’d also had Kurt completely helpless and could have done anything--and hadn’t. It was a small mercy, but Kurt had to believe that it was telling. That didn’t mean it didn’t still terrify him that Karofsky might assault him again, or that he wouldn’t do everything in his power to make sure that Karofsky didn’t have reason--or opportunity--to go through with the threat.

Kurt knew he was being silent far too long and that his dad already knew the answer to the question. He took a deep breath and gave a small affirming nod. Before anyone had a chance to react, though, he shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried his best to minimize the damage. “It’s nothing,” he tried to downplay it. “He got my phone number somehow and has been calling me. It’s not like I haven’t dealt with a few childish prank calls before.” He swallowed nervously, hoping that his father wouldn’t press because he really didn’t want the man to know about the assault. He couldn’t lie outright, but omitting wasn’t the same thing.

**Burt Hummel** Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:49 pm

Burt knew his son pretty good, and was fairly certain by now that he could always tell when Kurt was trying to hide something from him. Though he wouldn't ever reveal it to Kurt, his son had several 'tells' that Burt was an expert at reading. And right now, Burt was reading them hard and clear. "What aren't you telling me?" he demanded to know, his fear for his son making his voice harder than he intended. He looked questioningly at Blaine, trying to determine if perhaps the other boy knew and could help shine some light faster than it would take to draw it out of Kurt.

**Kurt Hummel** Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:59 pm

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand, but his eyes went immediately over to Finn, silently pleading him to not let his dad out of the booth. He was glad Rachel wasn't the one in that seat because he was pretty certain that she'd never be able to block Burt's path. Finn at least stood a chance. "You can't...do anything now but he...he's the one who slashed my tire last time I was in town," he admitted, flushing guiltily as he continued to hold back the full story. "You can't do anything," he reiterated, pleadingly. "You're sick and I don't have any proof."

**Blaine Anderson** Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:06 pm

Blaine frowned as Kurt rested his head on his shoulder, and leaned against Kurt as a small attempt to try and comfort him. As he listened to Kurt's story, he tried to keep his expression neutral. He knew Kurt wasn't lying to his dad, but he also knew about the key factors that Kurt had left out. As much as he felt Burt should know about everything as well, he kept his mouth shut, knowing how important his promise was to Kurt to keep things quiet. Kurt knew his father better than Blaine ever would, so he wouldn't question Kurt's wishes to keep the Karofsky attack to himself. It made perfect sense, even if it wasn't the easiest thing to do.

His eyes accidentally locked with Burt's for a brief second, before Blaine shifted his gaze back to Kurt, keeping his expression worried and concerned as he stayed silent to try and hide the fact that he knew more than what was being said at the table. After the gentle squeeze he gently pulled his hand away from Kurt's, quickly replacing it with his other and intertwining their fingers again in order to make it easier to wrap his arm around Kurt's shoulders instead.

When Kurt continued talking about the night he had his tires slashed, Blaine felt his stomach knot up as he remembered what else had happened that night. How Kurt had explained to him in the dorm about the way Karofsky attacked him while he was trying to change his clothes. "Kurt, you know how much we all care about you. We're not going to let him come near you again," he assured his boyfriend quietly, wishing with everything he had that he could guarantee what he was saying to Kurt.

**Finn_Hudson** Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:18 pm

Hearing this new information from Kurt pissed Finn off. Sure, he had a lot going on in his own life, but Kurt was his brother and that shit wasn't going to fly. If Karofsky was still bugging him, there was a problem. Knowing that Kurt would try and pretend the entire thing didn't exist, Finn turned to Burt. "What do you need me to do?" he asked dutifully. He'd do whatever he could to help his brother, no matter if Kurt wanted it or not.

**Rachel Hudson** Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:47 pm

Rachel scowled as Karofsky entered the restaurant and took the booth across from them. Couldn't he just leave them alone? Especially after what had happened when they all last faced him. She had hoped that that had sent a message not to mess with them, but obviously Dave just didn't learn. Rachel did her best to ignore him, though it became rather difficult once the conversation focused around him. She laid her free hand gently on Kurt's shoulder and looked at him in the eyes. For once, her own problems were pushed out of her mind. She considered Kurt to be her closest friend, even if he may not have felt the same way, and she hated that he was being so obviously terrified every time he returned to Lima. "Kurt," she said carefully. "Look I know you don't want to, but you have to tell us if he's done or said something. It's the only way he'll ever stop scaring you." She shot a quick warning glance in Finn's direction as she heard his words. She knew he wanted to help, but he had promised her he wouldn't do anything that might get him hurt, and that was one promise that she would not let be broken.

**Kurt Hummel** Sat Feb 12, 2011 12:02 am

Kurt scooted even closer to Blaine, appreciating his words and knowing that he meant them completely. The only problem was that they couldn't protect him forever. And he would never ask them to; he couldn't stand the idea of anyone getting hurt because of him. When Finn turned to Kurt's dad, he shook his head in protest, his eyes widening. That was exactly what he wanted to avoid at any cost! They couldn't confront Karofsky; it would only make things a lot worse. Yes, Dave had done awful things, and was threatening even worse, but at this point it would be useless to go to the police because all his bruises had healed and there were absolutely no witnesses to what had happened at the garage. It would be his word against Dave's, and he didn't kid himself how that would go. The burdon of proof was on him, and he had none to offer. And if his dad or Finn (or Blaine or Rachel for that matter) attacked Dave in retaliation for the assault or the threats, they'd be the ones in trouble. And that, he figured, would also give Karofsky reason to go through with his threats.

He looked to Rachel when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He gave her a wary smile. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "He's trying to freak me out because I got him into trouble," he insisted. It wasn't entirely true, but it also wasn't completely a lie. His eyes darted over to where Karofsky was sitting and shuddered as he saw the smirk on Dave's face. "He's doing a really good job of it, but he hasn't done anything that the police could do anything about. And I don't want anyone else getting hurt or into trouble. I just want to ignore him and have a nice meal," he insisted quietly.

**Burt Hummel** Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:01 am

Burt stared at Kurt, still positive that Kurt was holding back something important. He glared at the boy sitting at the other table for a few moments, seething. "Look, Kurt, I know there's still something you're not telling me. I get that you don't want to talk about it and you think that there ain't nothing that we can do about it. You may be right about not getting police involved, but you need to tell me what's going on. But we can't help you if you don't help us know what we're up against." He kept his voice as calm and steady as he could. His eyes went to Blaine again. He hadn't missed the brief look he'd given before. "You don't want to do it in front of your friends, fine. After the game we'll have a talk. But you need to tell me, and not hold anything back. We'll figure it all out. You don't have to go this alone."

**Blaine Anderson** Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:01 am

Blaine gently rubbed Kurt's arm, knowing that the small gesture wouldn't be enough to easy Kurt's fear of Karofsky but not knowing what else to do. He stayed quiet as Burt talked, not wanting to give away the fact that he knew more than the others. He wanted Kurt to tell his father everything about Karofsky, but he doubted it would happen. He had seen how determined Kurt was to keep as much as he could from his dad, and it killed him that there was really nothing they could do about the Karofsky situation.

He looked back at Kurt after Burt had finished talking, trying to communicate with his eyes that as brave as he thought Kurt was for trying to do this alone, his father was right in saying he didn't have to.

**Kurt Hummel** Sat Feb 12, 2011 11:00 am

Kurt pressed himself even more against Blaine as he felt his boyfriend's comforting gesture. He honestly was starting to wish that he could just tell them. He hated lying, hated hiding things from them...but he just couldn't. Especially not with Karofsky sitting only a few feet away. "There's nothing more I can tell you," he insisted, though his voice was unmistakably raw and he could feel his eyes welling up a little bit. He hated keeping things from his dad, but it really was for his own good. He shook his head. "I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, his eyes lowering with remorse. "I just...can't."

**Burt Hummel** Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:06 pm

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Kurt wasn't telling everything, and was only getting more agitated the more Burt pressed. Kurt could be so damn stubborn sometimes, he swore. He loved him, but couldn't help but get a bit angry with him. He knew his kid thought he was protecting him, but that wasn't Kurt's job. It was Burt's job to protect Kurt, but how was he supposed to do that when the kid kept lying to him?

Burt stared at his son, contemplating the situation. He could tell that Kurt was getting upset, but he still really wanted to just shake the kid and tell him that the only one he was really protecting was the creepy kid who threatened to kill him. That wouldn't do any good and would only alienate Kurt even further. He sighed, disappointed that his son didn't feel comfortable enough to come to him with what was clearly a serious issue.

"I know you want me to drop this...whatever is going on, but, Kurt, I'm your father. It's my job to take care of you. I'll do everything I can to protect you. You know I'd rather you be home and not off at that school where I never get to see you. But if it keeps you safe, you know it's worth every penny to send you there. But now you're telling me that that kid," he glared over at Karofsky, "is still harassing you there? I need to know what's going on, Kurt, because I'm going to start assuming the worst here, kid."

**Kurt Hummel** Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:04 pm

"Dad..." Kurt winced, feeling even worse. He really was at a loss for what to do. He couldn't stand his father's disappointment in him, but he couldn't risk his father's health. His eyes drifted toward Karofsky's table and he silently raged at the boy sitting there looking so smug while he was wreaking havoc on Kurt's life. With very little effort on his part no less. He looked down at the table, trying to figure out what to do. "I'll...talk to you later," he finally agreed, knowing he couldn't risk saying anything with Karofsky nearby. "So please can we talk about something else?" he pleaded. He looked back to Rachel, forcing a small smile. "You were going to tell us about your week?" he asked, hopeful that the subject could be changed quickly.

**Finn_Hudson** Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:10 pm

Finn sighed, hearing Kurt deny everything about Karofsky. But eventually he promised to talk to Burt, which he figured was the best they were going to get at the moment, so he nodded and dropped the subject for the time being. Hearing Kurt ask about his and Rachel's week caused his eyes to go wide. "Oh, uh, well, we've just been doing... y'know, stuff." he said nervously. He sent a look towards Rachel, silently asking her if they should spill the beans there and then.

**Rachel Hudson** Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:02 pm

Rachel felt herself growing more and more frustrated as Kurt continued denying everything. Obviously it had to have been really bad or he wouldn't refuse to tell them. But what could Dave have possibly done to scare Kurt this much? Rachel wanted to hit him. She realised though, that their questioning was just making Kurt feel worse and she was relieved when he finally promised to speak with Burt. It was better than nothing at all. Rachel wrapped Kurt in what she hoped was a comforting hug. She wanted him to know that she would be there for him, no matter how bad it was. Pulling back, she chewed at the inside of her cheek at his question. She glanced at Finn. It hadn't been the way she wanted to tell them, but if it distracted Kurt at all it would be worth it. She nodded slightly at his questioning look and began to speak. "It was good," she said slowly. "But there's actually something we want to tell you guys."

**Blaine Anderson** Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:22 pm

Blaine removed his arm from around Kurt, making it easier for Rachel to hug her friend. He leaned forward slightly as he looked over at Rachel, still holding his boyfriend's hand under the table, of course, as he pointedly ignored Karofsky's presence over at the nearby booth. He really wanted to have a nice 'chat' with Karofsky, but he figured that it would be best for Kurt if they just dropped the subject completely...for now. "Oh? And what might that be?" he asked Rachel, looking genuinely curious about what she and Finn had to tell everyone.

**Kurt Hummel** Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:26 pm

Kurt leaned into Rachel's hug, smiling wearily. He knew he was worrying all of them and felt terrible about it. He'd figure out some way to make it up to them later, once he got everything figured out...

Kurt raised an eyebrow as Finn revealed they'd been doing "stuff". That certainly was descriptive...although Kurt decided this was probably not the time to be sarcastic and all since he really didn't want to draw attention back to himself.

When Rachel began to speak, he settled back against Blaine again, giving his boyfriend a thankful smile for not revealing what he knew about Karofsky. He looked between Rachel and Finn trying to guess what they were going to say.

Oh. God.

Not another pregnancy.

They were so not ready to be parents and he was so not ready to be an uncle...

**Finn_Hudson** Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:37 pm

Seeing Rachel's nod of confirmation Finn swallowed nervously. "Well, we sorta... left some stuff out about what we've been up to." he said slowly. "The truth is.... me and Rachel, we kind of.... well..." he slid his hand out from under the table and took Rachel's left hand in his, showing the gleaming bands to the three guys.

**Kurt Hummel** Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:47 pm

Kurt squeed as he saw the pretty sparkly on Rachel's hand. He broke out into a big grin, the past few minutes momentarily put on the back burner as he examined it. And then he blinked, realizing what finger it was on. His eyes widened.

Whoa.

He looked questioningly at Rachel, not sure whether he was hoping she'd confirm his sudden realization, or if she'd laugh and indicate it was some sort of joke. Finn and Rachel married? That seemed so...sudden wasn't the right word, but...soon. Too soon. They were broken up not all that long ago. And they were still in high school!

"Um...are those..." his eyes darted over to Burt, then back to Rachel and Finn. Well...that would probably distract his dad pretty sufficiently.

**Blaine Anderson** Sat Feb 12, 2011 6:01 pm

Blaine's eyes widened as he took in the shiny rings on both their hands. He realized instantly what hands they were on, and his eyes darted back and forth between Burt, Finn, Rachel, and the shiny rings. For some reason, 'Congratulations' didn't exactly seem like the right thing to say. He didn't know enough about Finn and Rachel's relationship together to judge them getting married at such a young age, but...for anyone it did seem like a pretty big decision to be getting married to someone at only 16.

What if Rachel was pregnant and they had to get married before she started showing?

Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting dinner.

**Karofsky** Mon Feb 14, 2011 5:06 pm

Karofsky smirked as he watched Hummel squirming. He felt the sharp pangs of jealousy as he watched how the shrimpy kid hugged Hummel close and tried to comfort him, but watching the tensions mounting and the wedge growing as Hummel's dad kept trying to get him to talk was enough to make Dave feel better.

Dave sat up straighter as he heard Hummel admit to the phone calls--he wasn't supposed to say anything! That was part of the deal. Dave was almost gleeful as he considered the implication. Hummel had knowingly broken their agreement of keeping quiet, knowing what the consequences were to be if Hummel told anyone. But Hummel had told anyway with Karofsky himself as a witness. To Dave that meant one thing. Hummel wanted it. Hummel wanted him. The smaller boy might give off the illusion of being prissy and untouchable, but really he probably just needed an excuse and he wanted to be controlled. Dave looked forward to obliging.

He was still staring intently at Hummel when Hudson and Hobbitgirl whipped out their rings.

"What the hell, Hudson?" he blurted out. There was really only one explanation. "Did you you get her pregnant?" He whipped out his cell phone so he could text his circle of friends this huge piece of gossip.

**Burt Hummel** Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:31 pm

Even after Kurt relented and said that he would talk to Burt, Burt still had a very bad feeling in his gut about the whole thing. Kurt was most definitely still hiding something, and was clearly putting off revealing what as long as he could. Burt could understand, though, not wanting to talk to his old man in front of the others, especially his boyfriend. So he relented.

When Finn started stammering, Burt was only partially paying attention. "What have you got there?" he asked, trying to look past Kurt who was ogling some sort of trinket on Rachel's finger. Burt would hate to admit later that it didn't even occur to him at first that the rings indicated anything more than just signs of going steady. Kurt's question caught his attention and he looked a little closer.

"Finn," he spoke the boy's name as calmly as he could. "I want to make sure that I'm not misunderstanding anything. What exactly are you telling us here?"

At the sound of the Karofsky kid's voice, Burt's hackles rose. Threatening one of his boys was bad enough, but now he was harassing the other one, too? Surely after the whole pregnancy scare fiasco last year Finn wouldn't have...would he? He didn't even want to think about that just yet. He just wanted to shut the Karofsky kid up. He started trying to get up from the table, but Finn was in the way.

**Rachel Hudson** Mon Feb 14, 2011 9:53 pm

Rachel concentrated on Finn's face as he lifted their hands to show everyone. She couldn't bring herself to look at whatever expression the others may have been wearing. So instead she focused on the one person who would keep her strong. "Wedding rings?" she said quietly in response to Kurt's question. "...Yes. Finn and I eloped," she confessed. "While in Cincinnati." She didn't know what to make of Blaine's silence, but to be honest she was more concerned with how Mr. Hummel would react. She braced herself, thinking he would yell, but instead his voice was low and controlled. Rachel was surprised, and was about to chance a look at him when she heard Karofsky speak. She whirled around just in time to see Dave whip is cell phone out, and her eyes widened in horror. This couldn't happen. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. And the entire student body was never supposed to think that she was knocked up. And now, because of the one idiotic kid, Rachel was certain that she was going to start getting whatever crap Quinn Fabray had last year, only it would be ten times worse. She turned back to the other four, panic painted across her face and unable to say a word as she started hyperventilating.

Sponsored content