Safe Harbor - 18

Kurt was still seated in the community room, staring pensively at one of the darkened windows, when Bobby returned. He turned to smile at him. "It’s late. Are you going to bed down here for the night?"

Bobby shrugged, not looking at him. "Wasn’t planning on it."

"Why not? You can use one of the sofas if you don’t want to be in the boys’ dorm." 

"Staying here’s not such a good idea for me."

Kurt frowned. "Sleeping on the streets isn’t such a good idea either, especially now."

"Better than here," Bobby muttered under his breath.

"Okay, sit. Talk to me. Something’s going on with you and it has been for too long now. You never used to be so damned stubborn about staying here."

"I was a kid then." Bobby ran a hand through his hair, tempted to just leave and maybe not come back. Ever.

"So now you’re too old? I don’t think so." Frustration tinged Kurt’s voice.

"It’s not that. Damn it. You wouldn’t understand."

"Not to state the obvious, but how can I unless you tell me?"

Bobby paced across the room to the same window Kurt had been staring at. It made a halfway decent mirror in which to watch him. "You’re here." His words were low but he knew Kurt heard them from the look of surprise on his face.

Kurt’s expression turned to puzzlement. "I’m always here. I live here. And why should it matter anyway?"

"It just does." Bobby swung around to face him. "I…you make me…you just don’t get it. Fuck this! I’m out of here!"

He headed rapidly to the door only to find Kurt barring his way before he could get there. When he tried to move around him Kurt gripped his arm to stop him.

"Someone told me something recently." Kurt locked eyes with Bobby. "To be specific, he said you had ‘a thing’ for me."

"Yeah, like it would do me any good if I did." Bobby glared at Kurt defiantly. "You’re a priest."

Kurt smiled and nodded, not releasing his hold on him. "You noticed that did you?"

"Hard to miss since you wear that collar all the time."

"Comes with the territory but it doesn’t mean I’m not human."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"