Title: More than a Lima Loser
Word Count: 1,002
Characters: Puck, Quinn, appearances by the New Directions
Pairing(s): past Puck/Quinn
Genre: Friendship
Rating: K+ for now?
Warnings: Unbetaed, feel free to correct any grammatical or syntactical errors
Summary: Puck doesn't want to hold Quinn's purse on the red carpet
Spoilers: umm, up to and including 3x12, just to be safe?
Author's Note: I'm not sure if this is a one shot or if I want to continue and make it a chapter story, for now I want to leave it where it is. If I do continue this, though, it'll only be Puck/Kurt, and possibly Quinn/Santana, as I've recently started shipping them. Anyway, if I get hit with inspiration, then I'll write more. The episodes just make me sad, so I constantly feel the need to make my favorite characters happier.
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
There they were sitting next to each other on a plane heading to Connecticut. Quinn was going to Yale to follow her dreams and Puck was, well, Puck was following Quinn. He frowned momentarily at the thought before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he breathed out, he felt a hand in his. He opened his eyes to see Quinn interlacing her fingers with his.
"Are you okay," she asked with a smile and a sympathetic look in her eyes.
"I'm fine," he gruffed.
She sighed to herself. She knew why she was going to Yale and she knew exactly why Puck was going with her, but he wasn't going to talk to her until he was good and ready to, so she kept her mouth shut and changed the subject, filing away her worry for later.
"Do you think she meant it this time?"
"I don't know."
It was the truth. He didn't know what was going through Shelby's mind. She gave up on the dreams she had for her career to focus on Beth and came charging back into their lives like a battering ram. Her initial intentions were great. They'd get to be involved in Beth's life and still be kids. They'd get to focus on school without feeling like there was something missing in their lives. Then, Puck had to ruin everything.
"Hey, stop that! I told you, that wasn't your fault!"
He grunted in response.
"It wasn't! She just wanted us to realize we weren't old enough to take care of a child," Quinn choked out. She always got choked up when thinking about Beth. It was one of the things Puck would always love about her.
"It's true," Quinn continued, "She told me right before she left."
Puck snorted out a humorless laugh. She did leave. She didn't bother to stop and think about how hard it was for them to give up their child the first time around. No, she took their child and left, leaving them feeling just as empty as they did the first time. Then, they get matching emails asking if they'd like to 'be a part of the family.' They're angry, of course. They're tired of being jerked around, and they know they're taking a huge risk by agreeing, but it's the only way they get to see their kid. He can remember the conversation too.
*Flashback*
They're sitting in the choir room not saying anything until Puck interrupts the silence.
"What do you want to do?"
"I'm going to Yale in the fall. I want," she sighed before continuing, "I want you to come with me."
He looked up at her in shock.
"I can't do that."
"Yes, you can Puck! You don't have plans after graduation, and by coming with me, you get to be closer to Beth," she sniffles.
He sighs, "Quinn, we don't work together—"
"I know that," she interrupts him.
"Pu—Noah, I know that! We're awful as a couple," she laughs before continuing, "But, you're my best friend. You were there for me when no one else was."
He rolls his eyes and opens his mouth to tell her that everyone else had noticed just how far off the deep end she had gone, when she continues as if she wasn't interrupted in the first place.
"AND, if you'll let me I'd like to return the favor. You have so much potential, and I know you are meant for better things. I'll be there by your side while you figure out what they are."
He rolls his eyes again, even though it's a nice feeling – knowing that someone besides Mr. Schue believes in him.
"Is this a bad idea," he asks in reference to Shelby's email.
"Probably," she replies, "She keeps jerking Rachel around. She's probably doing the same thing to us."
"How long do you think before she takes off on us again?"
"I don't know, but I talked to Mr. Schue, and he said to be careful. In the end it's our decision, but—"
"Yeah, I know, I talked to him too," he confesses. She smiles at him before asking again one more time.
"So, you headed northeast with me or what?"
The rest of the gang files in two at a time, and Puck can't help but feel a sense of loneliness overcome him as he watches Santana and Brittany dancing in with their pinkies linked, and Blaine and Kurt mimicking their moves. He notices Finn stroll in with Rachel on his back, and Mike and Tina trailing behind them in a similar fashion. Sam and Mercedes are holding hands and have big smiles on their faces as they traipse in through the doorway. Artie rolls in with Sugar in his lap, and Rory and Sam are right behind them exchanging jokes and high fives. Puck watches as he realizes everyone else has someone that cares and he doesn't. He looks up at Quinn who has a sad smile on her face, and realizes that she knows exactly what he's thinking, and he hates how she does that, but in this case, he appreciates it.
"Okay," he says.
*Flashback*
"I'm not that guy, am I?"
Quinn smiles at the fact that didn't have to beat him over the head with a stick to get him to talk, she would have done it, but she likes it when he makes things easier on her.
"No, you're not."
"You're sure, right? It's not like Kurt said to Finn? I'm not just going to end up holding your purse on the red carpet," he asks as he looks away from their hands and into her eyes. He squeezes her hand a little tighter.
"Of course you're not! Puck, I told you, you'll figure out the next step eventually," she exclaims as she squeezes his hand right back.
He sighs, "Yeah, yeah, you're right."
He fidgets in his seat until he's comfortable as they wait for the flight to land.
