If there was one thing Kurt Hummel knew, it was criticism. He had been on the receiving end of it for much of his life. He knew how utterly devastating and hurtful it could be. But he had quickly used it as a learning experience. Good criticism could be turned around and used to improve. Resisting, if not retaliating against, harmful criticism made him stronger. Kurt was not afraid to be who he was and was always willing to go against the grain. Sometimes he did it for attention or simply to spit others. More often than not, he did it because he wanted to.
Kurt also knew when criticism became degradation. He was accused of being inept, incompetent, overdramatic and an overall good-for-nothing pain in the ass. He was too flashy, he was too bold, he sent the wrong message, he was selfish, he was too far left, he thought too far outside the box. It came to a point when nothing he did was ever enough. People were never satisfied with him or his work and no amount of change could fix it. In many situations, Kurt simply gave up looking for approval and did what he wanted anyway. But when it came to his career, sometimes that wasn't always an option. If he couldn't create a design or proposal that reached the approval of his superiors, his idea would go nowhere. He could only continue trying to make it "right" or be forced to the side by someone far more "reserved".
On top of feeling completely underappreciated and useless, living in a large city made one feel, well, rather small. There were times when he felt so utterly insignificant, he questioned his purpose. He felt no more unique than the person beside him on a subway train. He had spent most of his life trying to prove to all those around him that was worth something, far more than they would ever amount to. He had spent years trying to show just how talented and one-of-a-kind he was. But here, there was no one to prove anything too. He was just another face in the crowd and no outfit or outburst could change it. He could do anything he pleased, get a few odd looks and never be noticed beyond that. Kurt Hummel was not used to the feeling of nonexistence.
And now, to make everything come full circle, it was raining buckets, he had no umbrella and he was wearing a very sensitive, very expensive business suit that was now thoroughly ruined. So needless to say, Kurt was exceedingly happy when he finally arrived at his well furnished, beautifully decorated apartment. He barely had the door open when music and the smell of fresh bread and warm apples flooded his senses. Humming happily, the brunette closed the door behind him. He felt the weight slowly lighten as he removed his shoes and dropped his things in the entry. He shrugged off his blazer and tore off his sopping socks.
"When you don't feel important, honey, all I've got to say is to the world…"
Kurt felt a small smile form on his lips as he made his way further into the apartment. It was rare for the radio to be on. It only got a few stations clearly, one of which was a country station. No one had ever bothered to change the station and there was really only one person who used the radio anyway.
"You think you're one of millions but you're on in a million to me. When you wonder if you matter, baby, look into my eyes and tell me, can't you see you're everything to me?"
Kurt quietly stepped toward the entry of the kitchen-slash-dinning area. There he found thick, broad shoulders, honed muscles, and miles of smooth dark skin. He watched as the other danced before the sinks, dressed only in a long blank cotton apron and a pair of brilliant violet boxer shorts. Running the length of the man's spin was a string of names written in Hebrew, each of them having carved a place in his heart. Kurt had traced those symbols countless times, kissing each of them with such love and caring as if they were his own precious people.
Resting on the island were freshly baked hamantashen with apple filling. Kurt felt his eyes sting, warning him of tears. He had called home during lunch, having wanted nothing more than to hear his lover's voice. It always made him feel better. Whenever he called suddenly like that, the man always baked apple hamantashen. It was one of Kurt's favorite guilty pleasures.
"That's alright, that's okay. When you don't feel important, honey, all I've gotta say is…"
Kurt smiled as he basked in the voice of his lover. He had never been one for country music but goodness, could that man do country. He could hit those rumbling lows and those smooth highs and put just a little drawl to it. Kurt didn't know what the song was called or who sang it but it was going onto his playlist later.
"To the world, you may be just another boy~" Kurt giggled at the obvious dub-over by his lover. The sound drew the other's attention. Dark warm eyes feel on his soaked figure and a brilliant smile formed on that mouth. "But to me…" the man sang gently as he reached for the one in the entry. Kurt allowed his cold wet form to be embraced by his warmth. "Baby, you are the world."
Those lips planted a kiss to his forehead as those thick arms held him tightly. Kurt hummed happily, fingers tracing the black ink on the other's spin.
"Welcome home, Princess."
The brunette lifted his head and kissed those lips he loved so much. He felt a hand tug the tail of his dress shirt from his trousers. A calloused thumb stroked over the small symbols on the front of his left hip; the only ink to mare his porcelain white flesh. The only tattoo he would ever get.
"It's good to be home." Kurt whispered against those lips. "Love you, Noah Puckerman."
Discliamer: I own nothing. Glee © Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan and FOX and "To the World" by Brad Paisley
So, yeah. To be honesty, I've yet to watch more than three episodes of Glee including the first two of Season one and episode 16 of Season two. However, because of 2-16, I have fallen madly in love with Kurt Hummel's character and have been reading hundreds of Glee fanfiction featuring him with either Blain Anderson or – my most recent guilty pleasure – Noah Puckerman.
That being said, I do apologize if the character(s) seem really out of personality. However, as I was driving the other day, Brad Paisley's "To the World" came on and Puck/Kurt were on my mind and it just seemed to click. So, hope you enjoyed it for whatever mediocre fluff it may be and let me know what you think.
Thank you for reading and reviewing,
Jo Manta