The ladybug currently making its way over Puck's books was infinitely more interesting to him than the science lesson taking place around him. He made a mental note to copy someone's notes - Kurt's would be the neatest, and most useful, but it would be much easier to persuade Santana to enable him - and focused all his attention on the best way of squishing the ladybug. He was just lining up this thumb when Kurt elbowed him sharply in the ribs. He thought he liked it better when Kurt was scared of him.

"Stop trying to squish the poor ladybug and help me with the experiment," Kurt said, brushing Puck's hands out of the way and letting the tiny insect crawl onto his finger. He carried it over to the open window and watched it make its way onto the window frame. "There you go little guy, safe from the big mean boy."

Puck stared at Kurt as he walked back to the lab bench. "Dude, were you just talking to a bug?"

"Observant as ever," Kurt remarked, turning to a fresh page in his notebook to record the results of the experiment. "Ladybugs are a symbol of good luck, so I wouldn't squish them if I were you. That bug I just rescued might mean you'll somehow manage to scrape a B minus in this class."

"Maybe. But I'm more likely to get a B minus if you let me copy your notes." Puck set up the bunsen burner as Kurt thrust it at him.

"There's more chance of Quinn and Rachel locking lips in front of the entire student body than that happening," Kurt retorted, carefully measuring something before making a note for himself. He rolled his eyes as he looked back at Puck to see he was now sitting there with a far away look in his eyes. He bounced a pen off Puck's head. "You might want to start writing things down."

Puck rolled his eyes as he got into his car after school to find a ladybug perched on his steering wheel. He raised his hand to crush it, but stopped himself as Kurt's comment about them being good luck came back to him. "Jesus," he muttered to himself as he carried the bug over to the nearest bush, "I can't believe I'm relying on a damn bug for a good grade now." He watched the ladybug crawl off his finger and start exploring the leaves. "You had a lucky escape, little bug. I really need that B." He almost jumped a foot in the air as he heard someone snickering behind him. He turned around sharply. "Shut it, Hummel," Puck muttered, walking back to his car.

"Did you know that ladybugs are also supposed to be a symbol of true love?" Kurt stated casually. "Maybe there's a reason why they're turning up when you and I are together," he added with a smirk, looking Puck up and down, waggling his eyebrows.

"Get lost, Hummel," Puck said, yanking open his car door.

"I'll see you and your witty comebacks tomorrow, lover boy," Kurt laughed, jumping into his car and grinning as he pulled out of the school lot.

Puck wouldn't have thought any more about stupid ladybugs until he stepped through his front door and found his little sister had just finished icing cookies in red and black, to look just like the cursed things. "Hey, you got a cookie there for your big brother?" he asked, looking hopeful. They may have been iced like the insect which had been following him all day, but they still looked delicious. He headed up to his room and looked at the cookie for a moment before taking a bite and updating his Facebook status to 'Noah Puckerman is being haunted by bugs.' before putting it out of his mind.

He awoke in the middle of the night with a start after a particularly graphic dream. They weren't something alien to Puck, but they usually starred Brittany or Santana, not Kurt Hummel. He frowned. Something was seriously weird, but he wasn't quite ready to admit that the ladybugs meant something.

Puck tried his best to avoid Kurt as much as possible over the next few days until he found himself alone with Kurt in the bathroom as they washed their hands.

"Is there a particular reason you've been avoiding me?" Kurt asked airily, drying his hands and smoothing his fringe. "I didn't mean to freak you out on Monday," he offered, leaning against the sink and looking at Puck.

"Dude, what makes you think anything freaks me out?" Puck said, straightening and puffing his chest out slightly.

"That look on your face, the way you're sticking your chest out right now, the way you've been avoiding me all week," Kurt reeled off. "Would you like me to go on?"

"Jesus, Hummel," Puck snapped, hands automatically going to grab the front of Kurt's expensive jumper to shove him up against the wall. For the first time, he stopped himself.

Kurt looked as surprised as Puck, but recovered himself quickly. "If you've got the hots for me, Noah, all you have to do is say." He picked a stray thread from his arm and smiled lightly. "I'll see you in Glee later."

Puck mouth wordlessly at Kurt's retreating back, speechless for probably the first time in his life.

Kurt grinned to himself as, two weeks later, he opened a small black box he found in his locker to see a small gold ladybug pin. Being right was fun.