Title: One Night More?
Spoilers: Up to New York, for safety, though no major spoilers. Spoilers for The Princess Bride.
Summary: After a night of pleasure with Kurt in New York, Puck wants more. But Kurt is still with Blaine.
A/N: Many thanks to all those who requested a sequel – you really spurred me on write this.
Puck hadn't seen Kurt since the bus ride back from Nationals. They hadn't spoken since the rest of the group had returned from dinner to find them both asleep, each in their respective rooms, sheets clean; nothing to suggest what the pair had been up to the previous night.
When he arrived at the Hudmels' house (as it had come to be known amongst the Glee club), he wasn't surprised to find that Kurt was nowhere to seen. Kurt had told him that he was stay with Blaine; Puck guessed that he wouldn't want to be reminded of their brief hook up in New York.
When they two boys came down for some food, however, they were confronted by the sight of Kurt and Blaine seated together on the couch in the sitting room. Playing on the screen was The Princess Bride. Puck had never told anyone this (because he had a sneaking suspicion that the true love aspect of the film overruled any badass points from the fighting) but he loved The Princess Bride. He had watched in when he little and fallen in love with Buttercup, and Westley, and Inigo, and Fezzik. The four fighters who made it through thick and thin.
Evidently Kurt and Blaine were much the same. They were both mouthing half the lines along with the characters, laughing before the jokes were actually said., and collapsing in giggles any time the grandson interrupted, turning to each other and saying in sync, "Typical boy!"
As Finn rummaged for a pizza in the freezer, Puck could hear part of the boys' conversation floating through from the other room.
"Girl, you've got a branch the size of dancing pole in your hands! Use it! Don't just wait for Mr Handsome to come along and save you."
"Aw, Kurt, don't you think it's romantic that he comes and saves her?"
"That bit is, yes. But why does she just stand there and scream? It's the only bit about this film I don't like. She just stands there and waits to be rescued. His sword is lying right there on the ground, and she just ignores it."
Puck peered around the door frame. The two were sitting next to each other on the couch, close, but not touching.
Blaine responded to Kurt: "I think that's the sweetest part – she knows she can always count on him to save her, and protect her."
Kurt shook his head despairingly and turned back to the screen.
Puck went back to the kitchen. Just in time, it turned out; Finn had been about to put the pizza in the oven without removing the plastic.
After resolving the issues with the pizza, the two set the timer on the oven, grabbed some dip and nachos, and headed back upstairs, immersing themselves in Call of Duty 4.
Twenty minutes later, they were interrupted by Kurt's knocking at the door.
"Finn, will you get your pizza out of the damn oven? The beeper's been going for at least five minutes."
Finn scrambled to open the door. "Sorry, Kurt, we'll be down in a minute."
"You had bet-"
Kurt stopped short, trying to hide his sudden intake of breath as he noticed Puck sitting on Finn's bed, game controller in hand.
"Puck… I didn't know you were here…"
Puck nodded a greeting and raised his hand. "Dude."
Kurt snapped his attention back to Finn. "Don't forget about the pizza again," he chided before stalking back downstairs. Puck and Finn followed him down shortly afterwards, having had to save the game first.
Blaine took Kurt's hand as he went to sit back down. "Everything sorted?"
"Yeah. Finn forgot about the pizza, and the gunfire was too loud for them to hear the alarm."
Blaine gently pulled Kurt towards him for a peck on the lips as he settled back down.
Kurt complied, unwillingly; he was very aware of the audience in the next room. His eyes flicked in the direction of the kitchen.
"You don't need to worry about what other people think in your own home, Kurt," Blaine tried to reassure him.
"Hm," Kurt hummed his reply and reached for the remote, pressing play and turning his attention to the giant plunging the Spaniard in and out of barrels of water.
Half an hour later, and the credits were rolling up the screen. As the closing song started to play, both boys joined in – Kurt more quietly than Blaine. Puck leaned casually back on his kitchen chair to see the tops of the two boys' heads over the back of the couch.
When they reached the last verse, Blaine took the solo line:
He said, "Don't you know I love you oh, so much,
And lay my heart at the foot of your dress?"
Kurt smiled – a broad smile – but Puck could see that it didn't reach his eyes as he sang the girl's line in response.
She said, "Don't you know that storybook loves
Always have a happy ending?"
Blaine took back the lead for the rest of the verse, smiling so sweetly at Kurt the whole time that Puck was nauseated.
Then he swooped her up, just like in the books,
And on his stallion they rode away.
My love is like a storybook story.
But it's as real as the feelings I feel.
It was obvious to anyone watching that Blaine was totally into what he was singing. It was also obvious (or at least; it seemed pretty that way to Puck) that Kurt's heart was not in it.
As the music trailed away the pair remained gazing into each other's eyes. Blaine gently placed his hand on Kurt's cheek, and whispered softly a line from the song, "'When he looked in her eyes, he became obsessed.' That's how I feel about you, Kurt."
Kurt gazed back, a flattered smile on his face. "I know." He then flinched as he heard from the kitchen the sounds of Finn attempting to wash up. He glanced nervously in the direction of the doorway, all too aware of the fact that Puck was just out of view. Puck, with whom he cheated on his boyfriend. It sounded so much worse now that he thought about it, now that he was away from the glitz and glamour of New York.
"Are you okay, Kurt?" Blaine asked, worried.
"I'm fine," Kurt tried to reassure Blaine.
"Are you sure? You seem a little… distracted."
"I'm just not used to us being together around other people. People who aren't family, I mean." Kurt smiled at his boyfriend as he spoke, squeezing his hand. "Really, Blaine, I'm fine."
Blaine smiled back at him. "Good. Maybe I can try and help you forget about them," he suggested flirtatiously, leaning forward to kiss Kurt's lips.
Kurt reciprocated the movement, curling his hand around Blaine's neck to hold him close. If he was going to have the comfort of having a boyfriend, he may as well try to enjoy the other perks that came with it. Even if he ended up not enjoying at all… not now that he had been with Puck. No, Kurt thought strongly. Don't think about Puck. He's not available to you. Blaine is here, and he wants you. Isn't that enough for you? Ignoring the little voice in his head that said No, it's not enough, Kurt turned his full attention back to kissing Blaine, as enthusiastically as he could.
As Blaine moved to lay the pair gently down on the couch and intensify their kissing, Puck stood up from his seat in the kitchen, moving angrily in the direction of the TV room. Finn leaped across the room, blocking his way through the doorway.
He hissed angrily at Puck, "Dude, you can't interrupt them! Kurt threatened to burn all my clothes last time I interrupted one of his date nights."
Puck could hear Blaine's whispering from the other room. "You're so perfect, so special. You're just like Buttercup… please, let me be your Westley." He made a disgusted face.
Finn looked at him with an unimpressed expression as he shut the door to the other room. "You don't have to look so grossed out just 'cos they're two dudes."
"I'm not grossed out 'cos they're dudes, man, I'm grossed out 'cos of that sickeningly lovey-dovey romantic crap the gargler's spewing."
"Hey, don't talk about Blaine like that. He's a cool dude. He, like, watches football with me and stuff," Finn said in defence of his brother's boyfriend.
"And you think that makes him good enough to date your brother?"
"What?" Finn was confused at the apparent non-sequitur. "Why the hell do you care so much?"
"I don't." Puck closed off.
"But why-?"
"C'mon dude, let's go back upstairs. Kurt wouldn't want us listening in like this."
"Wha-?" Finn exclaimed to Puck's retreating back as the mohawked boy stumped back up the stairs. Finn shrugged and followed him. Sometimes Puck was just too hard to figure out.
It was later, an hour or so after Blaine had left, that Puck spotted Kurt as he walked past Finn's open door. He excused himself to go to the bathroom; Finn wouldn't notice his prolonged absence for at least fifteen minutes.
"Hey, Kurt!" Puck called after him.
The boy in question turned around, warily. "What is it?"
"Just wanted to check you're doing okay, dude." Puck walked up to him; Kurt was standing with his back to his bedroom door. "I've, like, not seen you for a week. Not since-"
"I'm fine, thank you, Puck!" Kurt said loudly, interrupting Puck's no doubt graphic description of their activities in New York.
"You sure, man? Didn't look like it earlier."
"What do you mean, earlier?"
"When that Blaine dude was macking on you. You looked like you'd rather be on the moon or something, but you were kissing him anyway. Why'd you do that?"
"Blaine's my boyfriend, Puck," Kurt said, beginning to sound angry. "I can kiss him if I want to. I don't need your approval."
"Never said you did, dude. But don't you want to kiss someone who you actually want to be kissing?" Puck stepped forward in Kurt's personal space, near enough that Kurt just had to lean upwards slightly and their lips would meet.
Kurt stepped back hastily, fumbling his door open behind him. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "You can't do that, not here."
Puck stopped in the doorway, a hurt look on his face. "I was hoping you might wanna try a rerun of the night in New York."
Kurt's expression softened slightly. "New York was amazing, Puck, but I can't do this. I'm with Blaine. It was a one-time thing. I can't keep doing that to him, I won't. I got carried away with the city and with you. I don't regret it, but I won't cheat on my boyfriend here."
"You want to."
"I don't want to be that guy. I don't want hurt him. I'm his boyfriend."
"But you don't want to be."
"What other choice do I have? The only other guy who's shown an interest in me is a closeted jock who's too afraid of what people will think to ask to date me. Even if he did, I could never date someone who bullied me so much, no matter how long ago."
"So you'll hook up with me but you won't date me 'cos I bullied you? Nice."
Kurt looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean, you? I was talking about D-" Kurt cut himself off, flushing.
Puck's expression was curious. "Closeted jock? If you weren't talking about me, who the hell were you talking about?"
Kurt shook his head. "I don't out people."
Puck looked at him with a disgruntled expression. "So you don't even consider me as an option? I used to chuck you in dumpsters, so I'm no good."
"No, I… you've changed. You're not him any more. And your bullying… it was never about me. I know that. I was just one of the weedy kids, you didn't even register my name. You stopped doing it as soon as you knew me. You didn't have a vendetta, like D-… like other people."
Kurt changed his tone as he tried to cover his slip. "But, really, Puck, you expect me to consider you an option? You?" he asked, fiercely. "Puck, you're not gay, you're not out, you're the school badass. You are dating Lauren Zizes! Exactly which part of that was supposed to make you look like potential dating material for me?"
"You know what? Fine. No, I'm not gay. I'm not out. Yes, I'm a badass. I could take on anyone who tried to hassle us. I'm not dating Lauren, 'cos she ditched me because I was a great partner in crime but not dating material, apparently. I'm sick of hearing that I'm not dating material. Is it too much to ask for that I might wanna date someone too?"
Kurt looked at him agape. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. But you never showed any interest in me other than that one time. What was I supposed to think? That you wanted to date me? You as good as told me that you just wanted my 'great ass'."
"I let you see more of me that night than I've ever let anyone see, Kurt." Puck's expression was strangely vulnerable as he spoke in a quiet tone.
Kurt's frustrated expression turned tender. "Really?"
"Uh-huh."
Kurt's frustration flooded back.
"I didn't know that, Puck! All I saw was a hot guy who wanted to make me forget about my sucky life for a while."
Puck shrugged.
"So are you telling me you want to date me now?"
"I guess."
Kurt sat down on his bed with a thump. He buried his head in his hands, muttering to himself. "No, no, no. This isn't right. Things were working. I have a boyfriend. He's amazing and he wants me. I can't throw that away." Kurt repeated this to himself like a mantra.
Puck moved to sit next to him, though not near enough to make him uncomfortable.
"When did you become this person, Kurt? When did you let life get you down so hard that you'd date a guy you don't want just because he wants to date you?"
Kurt looked away. "When I was hurting, and no-one saw but him."
"I saw, dude. I tried to fight for you. I didn't want you to go."
Kurt looked back up at him with tear streaked eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried, dude. I told you we could protect you."
"But you couldn't. Not then. I had to leave. I was broken… and he was there to pick up the pieces."
"He picked 'em up, sure. But he didn't stick them back together right. The Kurt I knew walked down the halls in a freaking Gaga dress. You wore kilts to school, like, all the time. Now you're dating him, you hide yourself. It's like you've gone back in that closet all over again. You didn't even fight Rachel for a solo at Nationals. We put so much work into getting you back, and you're content to just sway in the back? That's not the Kurt I knew."
"Don't talk about him like that. He was there for me when no-one else was. He was… he was my knight in shining armour! Any guy would be lucky to have him!"
"Yeah, but that's not what you want, is it? You don't want to be rescued from the evil prince."
"Yes… I do…" Kurt said quietly. Unconvincingly.
"Bullshit. Maybe once upon a time, yeah, you fell for the guy on the white horse, but not now. You're way too badass to be someone's princess. You faced down Karofsky, remember?"
"What do you-? How did you-?"
"I saw you chase after him into the locker room that time. He ran out like a frightened cat."
"That wasn't… I didn't…"
"I just meant, Kurt: he's way bigger than you, and you managed to make him cry. That's badass, dude."
Kurt seemed to have shrunk back in on himself, his arms folded. He whispered, "He deserved to cry."
Puck looked at his, curiosity plainly evident on his face. He spoke softly, "What did he do to you, dude?"
Kurt just shook his head. "I don't want to think about it. Can we talk about something else?"
Puck's brow furrowed. He determined to get to the bottom of it when Kurt was in a better mood.
"Kurt, I wanna date you. I want you to break it off with the gargler and date me. Please, Kurt."
Kurt remained where he was, shaking his head.
"I don't want to hurt him, Puck. He loves me, he really does. He's romantic, he wants to make me happy."
"Yeah, he wants to make you happy, but he doesn't, does he? I saw your face when he told you he loved you. You tried to hide it, but I saw."
"What? When did you see that?"
"Earlier, after you watched the film. Me and Finn were getting pizza, and he said 'As you wish' to you. You didn't say it back."
"Maybe not, but that's the kind of thing I mean. He tries so hard to make me happy. I can't hurt him – I won't." Kurt shook his head in confused realisation. "Anyway, how did you know what that meant? Are you telling me you've seen The Princess Bride?" He quirked an eyebrow at him.
Puck looked abashedly at the ground. "It's one of my favourite films, alright? And just 'cos a guy says that doesn't mean he's, like, the perfect boyfriend."
"It's a step in the right direction."
"I said it to you."
Kurt blinked. "What?"
"In NYC. That night. I said it to you."
Kurt floundered. "What? But you… and you said…" He gasped as he remembered, "You did! I noticed but… you meant it?"
Puck shrugged and nodded simultaneously.
Kurt's voice dropped to a whisper. "You… you love me?"
Puck kept his eyes as the ground as he responded. "Yeah."
"Since… since when?" Kurt asked, still utterly shocked.
"Since, like… I dunno. Ages ago."
"I can't be with you just because you love me, Puck. That's the very reason you're giving me to break it off with Blaine."
"But you wanted me. That night at least, you wanted me. More than you wanted him."
"Yes…" Kurt nodded slowly.
"Please, Kurt. He's not making you happy. Let me have a chance."
"I… I don't know. Blaine… he's not who I really want, but he's safe. I know him. I hardly know you, Puck. We all sing together every week, but I've never talked to you. I don't know your hobbies, your loves, your hates. You hang out here with Finn, but we never talk. You guys always get your food separately, we never even talk at meals."
"So I'll stick around to dinner. I want… I hate seeing you so unhappy with him. Get to know me. I can be better for you than him."
"I'm not unhappy with him."
"You looked like you wanted to be anywhere else but on that couch with him when he was spewing all that lovey-dovey crap."
"I li… I like the lovey-dovey crap. It's what I always wanted from a boyfriend."
"But not from him. Look, Kurt, I think we could be awesome together. I just need you to give me chance."
Kurt floundered. He didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he had this amazing boyfriend, who loved him, who would do anything to protect him and keep him safe. On the other, there was this guy who was begging for a chance to prove himself. A guy who didn't make him twitch uncomfortably when they kissed. A guy whom, if Kurt was perfectly honest, he wanted to just throw against the wall and have his wicked way with.
Kurt made up his mind.
"Stay to dinner this Friday. I'm not promising anything. I'm not breaking up with Blaine. Yet. But I want to get to know you better. That's all I can give you for now."
Puck nodded with a small smile on his face. "Thanks, Kurt."
He got up to leave, realising that Finn would probably be wondering where he had got to, but paused at the doorway, turning back to face Kurt.
He stepped back towards the pale teen. "Kurt, can I please…?"
"What?" Kurt asked, unsure what he was asking.
Puck raised his hand to Kurt's cheek, cupping his face gently.
"Oh…" The surprised syllable slipped out of Kurt's mouth. He was frozen to the spot, brain suddenly not functioning as Puck leaned down, slowly, giving Kurt time to pull away, speeding up at the last second to place a fierce kiss on Kurt's lips.
Puck grinned broadly as he backed away – but it wasn't his usual smirk. It was a smile of genuine happiness. "I'll see you Friday."
With which comment he slipped out of the door, leaving Kurt standing, remaining frozen in place in the centre of the room. Kurt's long fingers drifted slowly up to rest on his lips, still able to feel the warmth of Puck's lips upon his own.
This was an interesting development.
As always, feedback in the form of squees, concrit, or anything in between will be gratefully received!