Title: Absolute Crescendo
Author: Nightothers
Rating: PG
Word count: 2,659
Spoilers: For 2.12 and speculation. Also if you haven't seen WIGYA this might not make sense. Than at the same time it might.
Summary: Puck, Finn and Kurt figure out they're stronger together, helping Kurt to feel human again and getting that happy ending he so greatly deserves. Even if it means Puck and Finn have the crack some skulls along the way. While Puck and Finn truly learn what it means to find family outside of blood.
Pairing: Endgame!Klaine once Blaine smartens up. Kurt/Puck/Finn (Friendship/family)
Never in Kurt's life did he honest to Gaga want to punch a friend in the face, Rachel aside. But even then it was just to knock some sense into her rather than to cause any actual pain. Never had he seen pure red while wanting to do it either. No, right now he wanted to growl savagely and swing a fist right into Blaine's charming little smile.
With the last notes hanging in the air and Blaine at the counter with a pair of freaking socks, Kurt growled and turned away before the red completely over took his vision. He got it, Blaine wanted something better, someone who wasn't him. After all his past screw-ups, he's learned. What really got him was that Blaine had put him through this and only a fool would be blind enough to not know about his feelings for the kid. He had tried to hide them but even he wasn't that delusional.
If Blaine didn't know about Kurt's feelings than, well the boy was just cruel acting the way he was one moment than turning around and forcing Kurt to help him serenade some random boy at the mall the next. Feelings or no feelings it just makes the last few months seem cheap.
As Kurt breeched the door to the Gap, finally seeing his escape in sight as his eyes landed on the entrance to the mall, two people stepped close to him from the side. His eyes shifted towards the pair while his feet decided to slow down their moments on their own. He inwardly cursed.
Wes was staring at him with sad eyes while David glanced behind him, probably to Blaine and glared before shaking his head. Kurt narrowed his eyes at both of them before mouthing a simple, "Screw them."
He pushed past the two boys as tears started to spring to his eyes and bee lined it to the door, moving through the busy albeit small food court. His anger was starting to turn to sadness and his feet moved faster. He needed out now. It felt like his heart was breaking over and over again as it echoed within his ears.
This was it, cementing his whole option that he wasn't good enough for a happy ending or at least a not so depressing story line. But like always he was dealt the losing hand while others laughed around him. A single tear escaped and slid down his cheek
With a heavy sigh he realized he was almost there to the doors when an all to familiar voice called out his name. His hand was just an inch away from the door handle but no the Universe decided that him leaving was too easy. With a deep sigh he hung his head and cursed under his breath. His other hand came up and wiped away the tears.
"Kurt!" Finn called again as he broke out into a sort of run to catch up with his stepbrother. Kurt turned in time for Finn to wrap an arm around his shoulder. He glowered at the taller boy who squeezed his shoulder in a sort of hug. Kurt relented and wrapped one arm around the boys middle to return it before both stepped back.
"Hello, Finn." A hand came out of nowhere, straight for him but before it landed, Kurt sidestepped and put his arms up in a weak fighting stance. He had only been practicing for a few weeks but still it must have shown. He looked over and was surprised to see Puck, his brow furrowed. "Sorry, you just startled me." He smiled weakly and dropped his hands and stepping up to the boy who smiled brightly before giving the shorter boy a very similar to Finn's one arm hug.
"Hey dude-"
"Don't call me that."
"- You should have told me you'd be at the mall," Finn stated with his famous dopey grin. After living together for a few months Finn had completely embraced the role of older brother and some times Kurt wasn't sure that was a good thing.
"Why?" Kurt asked a little to sharply, folding his arms and looking away. Puck looked at him strangely but Kurt tried not to notice. At this point he didn't really think of him self at worth the time.
"Dude!" Puck exclaimed grabbing Kurt's shoulders and looking straight into his eyes. "You- Are- Do I need to hurt someone?" Kurt pulled back suddenly aware just how much his cheeks were burning like they always did when he got upset.
"Kurt?" Finn stepped towards him finally really seeing the red-rimmed eyes and red tinted cheeks. He knew that look.
"It must be one of them," growled Puck as he caught sight of some of the other Warblers finally exiting the Gap. He started marching over to them only to have Kurt grab onto his wrist and pull him back sharply.
"No, don't. Please!" But before Kurt could fully pull Puck back Finn had turned around as well and must have been on the same wavelength as Puck because he to started towards the group of prep school boys. "Finn!" He grabbed a hold of Finn's hand with one hand and tightened his grip around Puck's wrist with the other. "Both of you stop it before I dismantle both of your engines while you sleep!" he called out crystal clear causing both football players to stop as well as some of the Warblers to finally start to pay attention.
"But Kurt-"
"No buts Finn- Finn stop glaring at them- Both of you- Puck look at me, you're scaring them! We're going this way." Kurt tightened his grip and leading the boys away, Finn was still dragging his feet wanting to go back and throw a few punches while Puck stepped up and was walking kind of close while shooting glares back at the Warblers.
Kurt sighed before looking back and locking eyes with a worryingly bewildered Blaine. 'Please someone just kill me now,' he thought. Embarrassment was now covering his heartbreak enough for him to move.
Without really paying attention to where he was dragging the two boys, they some how ended up outside the music store in the mall. A few dozen beautiful guitars lined the store front and with a piano and a drum set behind them. He looked at the store with a frank expression before turning to his stepbrother and friend.
"What the hell was that?" Kurt shouted almost giving into the temptation to stomp his foot.
"We could have totally taken those rich bitches, all of them!" Puck supplied as eloquently as always.
"That's not the point and yes you probably could have."
"If they hurt you in some way than why did you stop us?" Finn asked in his adorably innocent way.
"They didn't- I mean- It's complicated." Puck just crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Its just Blaine, okay?" Finn lost his innocent look and turned around before either Puck or Kurt could react.
"I'm going to kill that half sized hobbit!"
"Finn!" Kurt grabbed his arm again but this time had to run to catch up to him. He pulled the tall teen back to where Puck was standing confused. "You can't kill him and besides hobbit's are half sized in nature anyways." He had added the last part softly, under his breath but Puck heard and still smirked before turning and seeing Finn. All traces of humor left Puck's face.
The two football players locked eyes and something passed between them, unspoken and Kurt wanted nothing more than to find out what the hell it was. He glared at the two and crossed his arms.
"Story, now," Puck demanded mirroring Kurt's stance.
"No."
"Kurt's in love with this Blaine kid," Finn supplied crossing his arms as well.
"Finn, stop talking about things you know nothing about," Kurt muttered as a blush rose to his cheeks.
"So what did he turn you down?" Puck asked flexing his muscles.
"Not that simple."
"If you don't tell me the story I'm going back there and beating it out of some Uniforms," Puck stated smoothly. Kurt looked between the two boys and for the first time truly understood what it meant to be actually cared for. True they might be motivated a bit by their guilt from not doing anything while Kurt was at McKinley but he would take what he could get for now.
"Thank you," he uttered before launching into the story about the miserable performance at the gap and how he was lied to in order to help the guy he was in love with get laid. "It's just I'm not mad at the fact that I'm not the one he wants. I honestly can't blame him. Look at me. But honestly I've come to terms with not being that person for well, anyone but just being forced into watching it and… helping against my will. It was like-"
"A slushie to the face?"
Kurt nodded before looking down and saying softly, "One that also happens to break your heart and shatter you're confident." Puck and Finn exchanged looks once more before each grabbed one of Kurt's hands and pulled him into the music store. "Guys, my uniform," he protested with no real heart in it.
"Just sit, and shut up," Puck stated as he sat Kurt on the piano bench before running over to the guy at the cash register. Finn smiled before pulling out his phone and quickly sending off a text to Rachel and Mercedes. He didn't mention Kurt because for some reason he wanted this to just be a memory the three of them shared, his little brother and his best friend. He looked up at the smaller boy with a sort of smile.
"Just sit there a moment okay?" Finn asked a lot nicer than Puck. Kurt nodded causing Finn's smile to grow. "Cool."
He jogged over to Puck and pulled his phone back out when two distinct beeps sounded from his pocket. They stood there for a minute whispering back and forth, with some abrupt arm movements so as not to hit each other because of how close they were. With a fist pump they broke up, Finn going for the drums while Puck picked up what was probably the most expensive guitar in the whole store, causing Kurt to roll his eyes.
"Stop that," Puck stated playfully as he swatted lightly at Kurt arm. A small smile escaped the smaller boys lips.
"Listen carefully, Kurt," Finn stated before signaling to Puck to start.
'Of course they're going to sing. It's like a New Directions freaking tradition,' Kurt thought as a small chuckle rose up his throat.
Puck squared his shoulder and strummed once or twice before beginning to sing. "Made a wrong turn, once or twice. Dug my way out, blood and fire. Bad decisions, that's all right. Welcome to my silly life."
Puck stepped back as Finn cut in with both voice and drums, "Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood, Mr. 'No way, it's all good', it didn't slow me down. Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated. Look, I'm still around."
Both boys looked to each other than to Kurt before picking up the chorus. Puck and Finn's voices ringing out clear, together. "Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than freakin' perfect. Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing. You're freakin' perfect to me!" The rare emotion was enough to bring tears to Kurt's eyes again. A few people had started to gather at the door to the shop but Kurt couldn't bother to really notice.
Puck stepped forward and knelt in front of Kurt, looking him in the eye. "You're so mean, when you talk about yourself, you were wrong. Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead." Puck quickly pulled his hand from the guitar and poked Kurt in the forehead playfully before resuming strumming while getting up. Kurt half heartedly swatted him away.
"So complicated, look happy, you'll make it! Filled with so much hatred...such a tired game," sang Finn as Puck turned to him before the two started singing together. "It's enough! I've done all I can think of. Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same." They paused for a moment before turning back to Kurt and singing out the chorus again loud and clear. "Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel like you're less than freakin' perfect. Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing. You're freakin' perfect to me!"
Puck spun quickly to the crowd at the door straightened up for some reason with a hard look on his face but Kurt couldn't bring himself to look away from his two friends. "The whole worlds scared so I swallow the fear," Puck sort of rapped. With one last glare to whomever, Puck spun around quickly and gave Kurt a toothy grin. "All I should be swallowing is an ice cold beer."
"So cool in line, and we try, try, try, but we try too hard and it's a waste of my time," Finn seamlessly picked up the style while turning to the store and spat the last part out at the crowd.
"Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere. They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair." Puck grinned as he gave the crowd, or was it one singular person a frightening grin that usually meant someone was going to get their ass kicked. Kurt looked at him strangely, just now getting curious about who was there but before he could look Finn pulled him back with the next line and pointing a drumstick straight at Kurt than back at himself. Kurt knew what it meant. Finn wanted him join in.
"Exchange ourselves, and we do it all the time. Why do we do that? Why do I do that? Why do I do that...?" Kurt got up smiling and stood between Puck and Finn looking from one than the other. The three just smiled as Puck bumped Kurt's shoulder.
"Yeah, oh, oh baby, pretty baby!" Kurt sang out, reaching the notes the other two probably couldn't, belting out the lines with so much emotion. The two football players couldn't help but laugh as they joined him back in for the final reprise of the chorus. They sang the words together as a three stood close together, singing the song to each other.
Something snapped in each one of them at the last line and without a doubt they all knew it. A new pack was formed, and Kurt couldn't help but to smile when he truly realized how much each one had grown since they had met. And now here they were in the mall singing to each other a chick song no less just to help. They were no longer friends but a family unit, a pack that can't be broken.
A moment passed as silence filled the room before loud applause roared through the store and bouncing off the walls. The three teens turned at once and noticed a good-sized crowd watching them.
They heard some comments yelled out to them and as Kurt's eyes landed on Blaine's, Kurt heard, "So much better than that Gap performance."
A.N. Song used: Pink's Fuckin' Perfect. More to come.