Disclaimer: I don't own Glee!

Summary: Puck knew that the bum note Kurt had at the end of Defying Gravity was something more than rusty pipes. "You blew that note on purpose, didn't you, Mariah Carey?" PuckKurt, oneshot

Taking a break from all the Puckleberry and I decided to write this little pairing. I adore Kurt, and really, it looks like Puck is my whore from this fandom, so here we go. Haha. I've read so many good fanfics for this pairing, so I've decided to have a go at it! Please enjoy!

Simple Sacrifice

Something was bothering Noah Puckerman.

Kurt Hummel, the hoity-toity, glory note singing, Lady Gaga fanatic, had just blown what could have been his shining moment.

There was no question in his mind that the cracked, rasping note toward the end of Defying Gravity was faked. There was no way that the pristine, feminine lilt to his voice couldn't handle it. The mohawked teen had heard him practicing one day late after everyone had gone home.

Kurt had hit that note with no problem. None at all. It seemed almost too easy.

After hearing that, Puck thought that the shorter teen had it in the bag. He thought he would've wiped the floor with Rachel - of course that would earn one of her infamous bitch fits, but still, Puck enjoyed the thought of someone else beating out Glee's Chosen One.

So, when the last note, the glory note of that beloved song from Wicked was hit in such a terribly wrong way, just peculiar enough that Puck could catch the various mistakes within the note, he knew he had to confront him.

It happened just after the diva-off, when everyone had cleared out. Puck had yet to leave his chair, and Kurt was just sitting in his own chair, staring out into space with a vacant look in his crystal blue eyes. There were tears stains down his red cheeks, and he wiped them away with his infamous handkerchief, most likely something designer.

Somehow, as awkward as Puck felt around crying people, he couldn't bring himself to leave him.

Puck ran a hand over the hair that made a thick line down the center of his head, and sighed, leaning his head back so it hung over the back of his chair. It was quiet, except for the faint sounds of crying coming from the small man across the room from him.

What am I supposed to do? The football player thought to himself, closing his eyes and letting out a yawn that belied his true concern.

He didn't know how to deal with crying people, that much was obvious. But the hardest was that Kurt was a crying guy, not like his sister or his mother, and that made it all the more difficult.

Groaning, he didn't lift his head as he asked, "Why'd you do it?"

It was silent for a moment while Kurt contemplated what to say.

Puck could hear the sniffling increase before it stilled completely, and he waited for him to say something. Anything that would justify him throwing away what he wanted so much…so much more than anything. He wanted this so bad that he got his father to come down here and file a complaint about not letting him at least try out for the part.

"What…do you mean?"

Ah, so he was taking that route.

"You blew that note on purpose, didn't you, Mariah Carey?"

Puck could feel the other man's eyes on his body, and he moved his neck, straightening out the few cricks it had in it since he leaned back, and opened his eyes to meet Kurt's. The impeccably coifed man had a smile on his face, though it was tinged with bitterness and something that Puck couldn't put his finger on.

"Heh," Kurt spoke, and his voice had a hint of a joke in it, "I'm no Mariah Carey. After all, I'd never do something as atrocious as Glitter."

Puck didn't know what he was talking about, but he assumed to was something bad, so he let out a laugh for the hell of it. He wouldn't want Kurt feeling even worse just because he didn't get his attempt at a joke.

"You don't know what Glitter is, do you?"

"Not at all."

"Figures."

Silence greeted them after that, and the two Glee club members just revel in it, before Puck breaks it again - and he knew he had to break it. It is something that has to be talked about, no matter how painful it would be for the other party.

"Seriously, though." He said, his eyes moving over to the pretty boy, "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

Puck felt a growl deep within his chest due to his aggravation, "Do I really have to go over this again?"

"Maybe…"

"You enjoy pissing me off, don't you." It was more a statement than a question that escaped Puck's lips.

"It is quite amusing, if that is what you're getting at." Kurt said, and his tone held a childish, playful lilt to it as he fixed a stray strand of hair, moving it from his eyes and back into the impeccably styled mass that was his hair.

"Yeah, yeah," Puck replied, clearly wanting to get to the point. "It would help if you just answered the question, ya know."

Kurt tilted his head upward, putting his nose in the air, and inhaled deeply. Puck could hear the breath shaking in the other man's chest, as if he were stifling tears. His dark eyes roamed over the other man's slight form and he felt a swell of pity overcome him, something that he hardly felt. He was, after all, supposed to be emotionless when it came to the matters of the Glee club. But he found himself loving his time here, and as he sat there with the very boy he had thrown in a dumpster, he knew he regretted those decisions as well.

The smaller man then looked over at Puck and said, "My dad got a call."

He wasn't hesitant, like Puck thought he would be, when he said that. After all, Kurt was all for the dramatic, bold gestures, and he was no shrinking violet when it came to speaking his mind.

"From the school?" Puck said after a long bout of silence that followed his statement. "Because if the school made you forfeit, then that's…"

Puck trailed off when he saw Kurt's face - really saw it. That wasn't the face of a kid angry at the school, it was the hurt, forlorn, dejected look that might have been more at place on an abused dog's face than on the almost angelic features of Kurt Hummel.

This was something more than a little school drama.

"If you haven't figured it out," Kurt started. However, this time, he was hesitant, and it almost caused Puck to shush him, to tell him that he didn't have to tell him that at all. That he would just forget he ever asked, but the determined set of his pretty features was enough to tell him that Kurt wasn't going to shut up once he got started. Puck had opened this can of worms, and there was no closing it. "I'm gay."

It was quiet.

"Well…yeah."

Kurt snickered at that, at Puck's brazen comment as if he'd known it all along. Then again, it wasn't as if he'd hidden it very well. He had no intention of putting up his Jimmy Choos and his Beyonce poster and his corsets just because he was afraid of the repercussions. He was who he was, and apparently, everyone translated that to gay.

"And being gay…" He said the word almost timidly, tiptoeing around it almost, "in such a small town…there's bound to be people who don't…like it."

A fierce, protective urge ripped through Puck, "Who hurt you?"

Kurt smiled at him through the fresh tears that rolled down his cheeks, "Nobody. But I take it by that question that you care."

Puck's eyes darkened, as if saying, "Well, duh, you Madonna-worshipping idiot!"

In fact, that was what raced through his head, stunning even him at the intensity of his thoughts.

"My dad got a call." Kurt continued, quietly now, as if the whole world were listening, "Some anonymous guy, saying 'Your son's a fag.'" His voice cracked on the last word, as if it pained him to say it. "So, I messed up the note. I figured, hey, if I don't put too much spotlight on myself, then my dad won't have to worry about me." Tears welled in his eyes, and he closed them, letting the salty reminders of his pain make tracks down his face, "So I'll just be in the background for now. In this city. For his sake."

Puck hadn't realized his fists were grasping so hard on the chair until there was actual pain stinging throughout his hands and forearms. His teeth grit together harshly as he watched Kurt use his hand to wipe away his tears instead of the used handkerchief from before. Something about the action made Puck stand up, trying to steady his shaky hands - with rage, he kept telling himself.

He never knew Kurt to be such a selfless person, all for the sake of his rough-around-the-edges father.

Kurt hadn't realized that Puck was coming toward him until his large hand grasped around his wrist and yanked him upward, crashing him into his muscled chest. He gave a startled gasp as he came into contact with the chiseled muscle of Puck's torso.

Puck placed his arm around Kurt's shoulders somewhat awkwardly. He had no experience with comforting guys. Let alone guys like Kurt, but as the other man wrapped his arms around Puck's midsection, he found it was something that he could get used to.

He felt his shirt grow wetter and wetter as Kurt let out his tears onto the fabric, clutching pathetically at his clothes. Puck found his other arm making its way to wrap around him as well, and there was no awkwardness this time. Just the comforting of a guy who needed it. And, boy, did Kurt need this. He probably couldn't have told anyone about the call, finding solace in only Puck. It was something that made his chest swell, though he didn't know why.

Puck sighed as he continued to sob, and his hand somehow found its way into the soft, silken strands of Kurt's hair. He stroked back and forth in a soothing gesture, trying to comfort when he had no idea how to.

"It's okay, Kurt. It'll all be fine. I'm here."

Because, until he found the bastard who had made that call, that was the only promise he could make.

End.

And there ya go! I absolutely loved writing this. It was so much fun! I've been wanting to write Kurt for a while, and I absolutely love the idea of Kurt and Puck together, so here's my first little footstep into that territory. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this! I would love to hear your feedback! That is what makes my day, knowing that people actually like what I've written.

Gah, and the Glee season premiere is this week! I'm so excited!

Thanks so much for reading!