Written for the prompt: At first when Kurt starts ignoring his responsibilities to hang out with Blaine Burt lets it slide. He remembers new love. But Kurt keeps doing it even after Burt's had a talk with him about it and then Finn ends up getting hurt because Kurt forgot to pick him up(jumped by bullies on his way home? slipped on ice?). Burt needs to teach Kurt never to ignore his responsibilities again.
4:01 pm "We're done, should be read yin ten."
4:14 pm "Ok, outside now."
4:27 pm "Still waiting. Im in front, where are u?"
4:42 pm "NOT COOL."
Kurt scrolled through his text messages and winced. He looked up at Blaine. "I forgot Finn again."
"Is it really already 4?" Blaine asked, pulling out his phone. "5? Oh, I'm going to be late for dinner."
"I need to see if I can catch him walking," Kurt said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Call you tonight?"
"Sounds good," Blaine said, standing up and squeezing Kurt's hand over the table. "Love you."
Kurt smiled, those words still feeling new and extraordinary. "Love you, too."
He headed out of the Lima Bean, guilt nagging at him. He drove home down Finn's path from school, hoping that he'd catch his brother on the way home from football practice. No luck, though, and he pulled into the driveway.
Finn was waiting for him in the living room, arms crossed.
"I'm sorry," Kurt said immediately.
"Three times this week," Finn said, glaring.
"But I bet you appreciated it all the more when I remembered on Tuesday, right?" Kurt asked.
"Why didn't you pick up your phone?" Finn asked. "I kept texting you!"
"I had it on vibrate," Kurt said. "When did you get home?"
"Five minutes ago." His tone implied that this was a lifetime of minutes.
"I'm sorry. Again. But can we not tell Dad?" Kurt asked. "I'll make it up to you."
"Don't tell Dad what?"
Kurt sighed and his shoulders slumped. "That I forgot to pick Finn up again," he admitted, turning to face his father.
"Again?" Burt crossed his arms. "Kurt, it's not like we're asking you to do a lot here."
"I know, I know," Kurt said. "I do. I really am sorry, I don't mean to keep forgetting. I mean it, Finn."
"Yeah, I know," Finn said. He sighed. "It sucks. But I know."
"I'll do all the dishes next week," Kurt offered. "If you forgive me."
Finn perked up. "Dude, awesome. Thanks. Totally forgiven."
Burt shook his head. "Finn, go get your stuff in the washer. Your mom was complaining about it this morning."
"Oh, right," Finn said, heading out.
"Kurt, we've got to talk." Burt rubbed his hand over his head.
"I know, I low-balled him, it should have been a month," Kurt said. "But really, it's his own fault for agreeing to the first offer."
Burt did not look impressed.
"I'm sorry," Kurt said.
"Yeah, you keep saying that," Burt said. "Few times last week, few times this week. I get that you're all moony over Blaine, and I'm real glad you've got that. I let it slide last week - hell, we've let things like this slide all summer. But this falling down on your responsibilities has to stop, kid. It's not fair to the family when you don't pull your weight."
Kurt looked embarrassed. "I promise I won't forget tomorrow. I'll get Blaine to set alarms, too."
"That's a good plan," Burt said. "For next week, maybe. Next few days, I want to watch you remembering. You're going to work extra hours at the shop until it's time to go get Finn, until you've shown me that you're taking responsibilities seriously again."
"But Dad," Kurt protested. "There's only a few more weeks that Blaine and I can spend together! We've been waiting all summer for his job to end so he had time."
"You can see him after work for a few days," Burt said. "Longer if you keep whining," he threatened, when Kurt looked ready to complain again.
Kurt gritted his teeth. "Fine. I will let Blaine know about the change of plans." He headed upstairs - it was this edge of a stomping away and Burt had to roll his eyes as Carole stepped in.
"He's drivin' me nuts, Carole," Burt said, shaking his head.
"It doesn't kill Finn to walk, you know," she offered, leaning against the doorway.
"It's not that," Burt said. "I know he's fine walking. But it's one of the few things Kurt has to do this summer, and he's blowing it off like he doesn't care."
"I know," Carole said, soothingly. "But you can't take it personally, you know that he doesn't mean it as a slight to Finn or you. He just needs to work on remembering that other people still exist when he's with his boyfriend. He's a smart kid, he'll figure it out soon. "
"Better be real soon," Burt grumbled.
Carole smiled. "Noah won't be home from tutoring for another half hour. Go take a shower and settle down - Kurt made dinner before he went out, so it's ready to go when we are."
Burt sighed. At least he wasn't blowing off all his jobs. "All right. But it better not involve quinoa again."
"No quinoa," Carole promised.
Carole was right about the quinoa, but a little too optimistic about Kurt's learning curve. Kurt thought it could have gone worse. Burt thought it could have gone better. Kurt remembered to leave on time to get Finn on Friday, but missed a dinner over the weekend and forgot Finn on Monday due to Blaine. Tuesday and Wednesday, he got in the habit and that meant he was free on Thursday.
Unfortunately, he forgot that Finn was missing football boot camp for a dentist appointment.
It was three o'clock, and he was in the middle of acting out the latest scene in Pip Pip Hooray. The incoming text trilled twice in a row before Blaine's phone went off and then Kurt's again.
Kurt dropped his arms and reached for his phone. "Oh, my God," he said blankly. He stared at the screen, coffee shop clatter fading to a buzz in his ears.
The first two were from Carole: "Where are you?? Girls called me home, they said Finn got hurt after the dentist."
"Why aren't you here? Why didn't you pick him up?"
Blaine was already on his feet. "Tina says that we have to get to your house, Finn was trying to get home after a dentist appointment and was too out of it to cross the street right."
Kurt's third message was from Mercedes, saying much the same thing. "Oh my God," he repeated, feeling cold from shock.
"Come on," Blaine said, pulling him up. "We have to get you home."
"I forgot he was going to the dentist," Kurt said, starting to look horrified. "My dad just started to trust me again and I did it again. I knew he had an appointment, I knew Puck was dropping him off and I was picking up. It was on the calendar. Why didn't I realize it was today?"
Blaine pulled him along. "It's going to be fine," he said. He stopped them outside the Navigator and dug into Kurt's bag for the keys. "I'll drive you and walk back for my car later, okay?"
"Okay," Kurt said, distracted, letting himself be settled into the passenger seat.
Blaine jogged around and got in the car. If Kurt was going to let him drive, without even a comment, he must be more upset than he thought. He glanced over as he pulled out of the parking lot - Kurt was still pale and his hands were squeezed together.
"Kurt, it's going to be fine," he said again. "If it was really bad, we'd be going to the hospital, not home, right? So we just need to get the full story."
"Right," Kurt said, feeling his stomach unclench a little bit. "Home is good. Okay."
He was silent the whole ride home and jumped out as soon as Blaine had stopped, before he was even in park. He rushed in, meeting Carole in the foyer.
"What happened? Is he okay? I'm so sorry," he said in a rush.
"He's a little banged up, but otherwise fine," she said and Kurt sagged in relief. "He's sleeping on the couch, the nitrous oxide always knocks him out."
"What happened?" Blaine asked, stepping in the front door and catching the end of the sentence. He dropped Kurt's bag onto the bench.
"Mercedes and Tina were driving by when they saw him try to cross the street," Carole said. "He almost stepped in front of a car, but they honked and I guess he stumbled back."
Kurt had his hand to his mouth in horror, his stomach churching anew.
"The car missed him, and he scraped his knees and twisted his ankle on the way down. They called me home to check on him." She looked at Kurt. "Where were you? We trusted you to help him."
Kurt shook his head. "I-I don't - I don't have any excuse. I just didn't think. I was all set to get him from football and I didn't think to remember that today was the day that was different. I'm so sorry." He looked near tears. "I - I feel just - please don't hate me, Carole. I never meant, I mean I'm sick that he's hurt, I swear it."
"Oh, hon," Carole said with a sigh. "Come here." She pulled Kurt into a hug and rubbed his back. "I'll never hate you, you're my son, too. You know that." Kurt relaxed a little into her arms at that. "I know you didn't mean for this to happen."
She gave him one last squeeze before she lifted her right hand and slapped his backside, hard. He jumped as she stepped back, leaving her hands on Kurt's shoulders.
"That doesn't mean that I'm not frustrated and disappointed," she said, looking him in the eye, and Kurt nodded. "It was an idiot teenage mistake, following many other idiot teenage mistakes. You were irresponsible, it could have had horrible consequences and you're going to be punished. But you never have to worry that I'm going to stop loving you, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said softly.
"Good." She hugged him again. "Now, your dad is on his way home. Kurt, I think you should wait upstairs in your bedroom. Blaine, thank you for getting Kurt here, but it's time for you to head out now."
"Can I see him first?" Kurt asked. "I just-I want to see that he's okay. Please."
"Of course," Carole said. Blaine followed Kurt into the living room, where Finn was stretched out on the couch. His left ankle was wound with ace bandages, but he looked fine. Kurt rubbed his hands over his face. Hearing that he was okay and seeing it were two different things. The guilt was still pooled in his stomach, but he finally felt like he could breathe again.
Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt. "I'm glad he's all right," he said. Kurt nodded and Blaine kissed his cheek. "Call me when you can, okay?"
"I will," Kurt said, squeezing his arm. "Thanks."
Blaine left and he heard him apologizing to Carole on his way out.
"All right, kiddo," she said, coming up behind him. "Go on upstairs now. Your dad will be home in a bit."
Kurt turned to give her another hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I won't let this happen again, I promise."
"I'm holding you to that," she said, patting his back. "We got lucky this time, but I don't want anything happening like this ever again, to either of you."
He nodded as he stepped back and headed upstairs towards his bedroom. Carole hadn't said, but he assumed his Dad wanted him in the corner.
He fidgeted anxiously as he waited. He couldn't remember the last time he'd screwed up so badly. Would his Dad use his belt? He'd never wanted to feel that again, but he couldn't deny he deserved it. All he could think of was how he'd feel if something worse had happened to Finn. It had been so close.
He heard his Dad's truck pull in the drive and bit his lip.
Burt rushed inside and Carole threw her arms around him.
"It's okay," he said, holding her tightly. "He's fine. You said it yourself. It's okay."
"I know," she said, sniffling. "My God, that phone call. I swear my heart stopped. My baby." Her tears spilled over and she buried her head in his shoulder.
"Shh," Burt said, rubbing her back. "It's okay." He held her as she cried, not letting go until she finally stepped back, wiping her eyes.
"Better," she said, a little hoarsely. She cleared her throat. "I feel better now. Thank you."
"Where is he?" Burt asked.
"Finn's on the couch, sleeping," Carole said. "He can go upstairs when the drugs wear off a little more."
"And Kurt?"
"Upstairs in his bedroom," Carole said. "Waiting for you."
"Where was he, Carole? What happened?" He sat heavily on the bench.
"He forgot it wasn't a normal day," Carole said. She shook her head. "Nothing I haven't done before, either. But when I realized he'd forgotten again, I was furious. Just beside myself. Until I saw his face."
"He's already started punishing himself," Burt guessed.
"I haven't seen him like that since you were in the hospital," Carole said. "He was sick. He asked me not to hate him. Like he really thought I could. I wanted to still be that angry, but I couldn't. God, we were lucky."
"I really thought he was going to be more reliable after the last week. I really thought he could do it." Burt sighed, and rubbed his hand over his head. "Waiting for me, huh?"
"I figured that would be best," Carole said.
"I guess I better talk to him, then." He stood up and kissed her cheek. "You should lay down, too. Try to relax."
"First, wine," she said. "It's five o'clock somewhere right now."
Burt checked on Finn, who was still sleeping soundly, and headed upstairs. He wanted to get this over with, but knew he had to get himself calmer. He was still too scared by what could have happened to trust himself. He peeked into Kurt's room and saw he was waiting in his corner. Good.
He kept going until he was in his bedroom. A shower would help and give him time to figure out what he was going to do.
Finally, there was no putting it off. Burt stood inside Kurt's doorway.
"Kurt."
That one word, in that tone, and that's all he could take. To his consternation, Kurt found himself bursting into tears.
"Oh, buddy." Burt walked over but Kurt twisted away, shoulders hunched and arms tight around himself. "No way, kid. I don't care what you did, you still get a hug." He pulled Kurt towards the bed and sat him down, wrapping his arm around Kurt's shoulders. Kurt resisted briefly and then Burt had his second Hummel clinging to him with sobs.
He rubbed Kurt's back gently, waiting for his tears to slow down.
"I'm so sorry," Kurt finally managed. "I'm sorry, Dad."
"I know, kid." He patted his back and Kurt sat up, wiping his eyes. "I also know you know exactly what you did wrong."
Kurt nodded miserably.
"We've talked about this before - when you don't pull your weight, it makes it that much harder for everyone. We trusted you to pay attention and take care of your responsibilities and you broke that trust. Again."
"And I hurt Finn," Kurt whispered.
"And Finn got hurt," Burt said. "He definitely didn't deserve to be punished for your mistake, but that's what happens. You don't exist in a bubble, kid, and I thought you understood that. I am so disappointed in you. I expect better than this."
"Yes, sir," Kurt said, feeling near tears again. Those were the worst words to hear.
"I know you feel guilty right now, but what I really need is for you to understand that you can't ignore your responsibilities again. Not just because Finn got hurt, but because this has been a problem for awhile now and it's not going to be tolerated. Got it?"
Kurt nodded.
"Go get your brush, then."
Kurt hesitated.
Burt raised an eyebrow. "You disagree with that?"
"I thought maybe you would use your belt," Kurt said, looking down. "Because Finn could have been k-killed." His voice broke and he cleared his throat.
"Oh." Burt ran his hand over his head. "Kid, that's a slippery slope," he said, finally. "It could have been worse, and thank God it wasn't, but I'm not gonna punish you for what could have happened. Where would I stop? This is about what did happen. What did I just tell you?"
"That I need to stop ignoring my responsibilities," Kurt said, after a pause.
"That even if Finn hadn't gotten hurt, we'd be doing this," Burt said. "Maybe not with the brush," he admitted, "but we'd be here anyway, because it's important. What happened to Finn scared me, yeah, and I need to make that much more sure you understand why we need to be able to trust you to do what you promise. So, I'll tell you again. Bring me the brush."
Kurt stood, nerves rumbling in his stomach. He pulled his wooden brush from his vanity drawer and returned to his Dad.
Burt took the brush and set it on the bed next to him while Kurt pushed his pants and briefs down and got into position over his Dad's lap. Burt didn't hesitate - he steadied Kurt with one hand and starting spanking with the other.
Kurt clenched his hands in his duvet. His Dad was spanking hard and fast, the stinging swats landing all over his backside. He tried to keep still, but it was hard. He was determined to accept this punishment well, though, because he knew he deserved every bit of it.
Burt landed two particularly sharp smacks on the crease of his thighs and Kurt groaned. He bit his lip to keep quiet as Burt kept his focus on Kurt's thighs, rapid-fire swats turning them warm and rosy red. Kurt was used to his Dad lecturing as he spanked, but right now all he could hear was the loud smacks echoing through the room.
Four swats in a row landed on one spot, followed by a matching set on the other side and Kurt trembled with the effort of staying still. He'd lost track of how many times his father's hand had come down and he squeezed his eyes shut as his Dad landed another volley of smacks on his backside. He reminded himself that Finn could have hurt a lot worse than this and blinked back tears.
After a few more solid smacks, Burt stopped and shook out his hand. Kurt tensed, anticipating the cool of the brush against his hot skin. Instead, Burt's hand rested on his back.
"Kurt, you've always been so damned responsible. That's why I let all of this with Blaine slide so long, but I know you can do better than you have been. There will be no more letting things slide, got it?"
"Yes, sir," Kurt said, his voice shaking. His backside throbbed even harder during this break, and the idea of disappointing his father made it worse. It hurt, it hurt a lot, and they weren't even close to done.
Burt snapped the brush down on Kurt's backside, a crimson oval blooming, and Kurt gasped, his legs kicking involuntarily. He crossed his ankles and dug his toes in to the carpet with the next swat.
"I want you to think about this the next time we ask you to do something." Burt kept a steady rhythm as he spoke, heavy thuds landing as Kurt grimaced and tried not to squirm so much. He was starting to wonder if maybe he would have preferred the belt after all. His ass was on fire and it felt like the paddling was never going to end.
"We have to be able to trust you, Kurt. Maybe next time you'll think more about how your actions impact the rest of us." His Dad punctuated that with a crack and Kurt couldn't stop his yelp.
The brush snapped down again and he kicked out again, squeezing the duvet as hard as he could. He felt awful, pain and worry and guilt spinning in his stomach, and he couldn't stand it anymore.
He cried out at the next smack and the tightness in his chest loosened as he finally gave into his tears with the next hard swat. His sobs combined with apologies as Burt continued to thoroughly tan his backside.
It was another dozen or so swats on his thighs and backside before Burt finally set the brush down on the bed next to him. Kurt sagged over his Dad's lap, crying as Burt rubbed his back.
It took several minutes before Kurt's tears slowed into sniffles, but Burt patiently waited it out. He helped Kurt stand up and let him pull his pants back up.
Kurt wiped at his eyes and clasped his hands to keep from reaching back..
"It would kill me if anything happened to either of you," Burt said gruffly, standing and putting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "I want you to think about what your actions mean for the rest of us, okay? This is part of being a family."
Kurt nodded. "I will, I promise. I'm not going to let you all down again. I'm sorry I messed up today and so many times this summer."
"I'm glad to hear it, kid. You're forgiven." Burt hugged him tight and Kurt clung to him.
"Finn's going to be needing extra help for the next week or so," Burt said, pulling back. "I don't expect you to be his slave, but I do expect that you will be very helpful, got it?"
"Yes, sir," Kurt said. "I want to. I need to make this up to him."
"Good," Burt said. "I'll call you down when he's ready to go to his bedroom. Use this time to come up with a schedule for the next week that involves Finn and that you will remember."
"Yes, sir," Kurt said.
He grabbed his iPhone when his Dad left and carefully settled himself face down on his bed. He started imputing events into a new Hudmel Family google calendar that he shared with the others. After a few minutes, Carole's events started popping up, as well.
He organized them as best he could, syncing his schedule with Finn's for the next two weeks, until Burt called for his help.
The two of them prodded Finn up the stairs, carefully and slowly, and into his bedroom.
"I've got it from here, Dad," Kurt said, ushering him out. "You can't exert yourself too hard, don't forget."
"Fine," Burt said, leaving. "But Carole or I will be up in a bit for the next shift."
"You forgot me again," Finn said, yawning. He winced and rubbed his jaw. "I waited a really long time for you."
"I know," Kurt said, passing over an ice pack. "I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you."
"I'm missing football practice," Finn said, sadly.
"I'll make sure you can still watch practice," Kurt promised. He arranged himself gingerly on the bed next to Finn. "I've got it all scheduled," he began, but by the time he'd turned the iPhone screen around, Finn was fast asleep again.
He blinked. Well, there was going to be plenty of time to show Finn all the ways he was going to make this better.
He laid down on his stomach across the foot of the bed.
After their naps.
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