MADE FOR EACH OTHER

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GLEE. IT SOLELY BELONGS TO RYAN MURPHY. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT WAS EVER INTENDED IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING THIS FANFIC.

I WAS BROUGHT UP AND TAUGHT TO SPEAK AND WRITE IN BRITISH ENGLISH, SO EVEN THOUGH GLEE IS AMERICAN, YOU WILL FIND THAT THE Z'S ARE OFTEN REPLACED BY S'S AS IN "STABILISE" ETC, AND THERE IS A U NEXT TO AN O IN SOME WORDS, LIKE "HUMOUR". IF THIS IRKS YOU, PLEASE, EITHER DO NOT READ OR JUST IGNORE THE BRITISH SPELLING FOR THE SAKE OF ENJOYING THE STORY.

IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY OR SIMPLY DO NOT APPROVE OF GAY ROMANCE, I SUGGEST YOU FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO READ, YOU HOMOPHOBE.

IF YOU ARE A BIG FAN OF PUCKURT/PURT/PUMMEL, THEN THIS IS FOR YOU.

Kurt Hummel and Noah Puckerman have never been the best of friends, but one day, a fateful incident makes them see each other in a totally different light. An unlikely chain of events ensues, changing their lives altogether. Could this be love? Read on…

Chapter One: Return to McKinley High

Kurt takes a short break from Dalton Academy to visit his old school, and is astonished to learn that several changes have occurred in his absence. There will be slight hints of Kurtofsky in this chapter, but believe me, this entire story is all about Kurt and Puck.

August in Lima, Ohio was and had always been sunny and bright. It was a time for everyone to go outdoors as frequent as possible and enjoy the last of summer. It was also a year since Kurt Hummel had left William McKinley High School for Dalton Academy. He loved it there, no doubt, but of late, an uncanny instinct had been prodding him to apply for sick leave from Dalton Academy just so he could spend a whole day with his fellow former glee clubbers.

Now he was back, walking down the familiar hallways of his old school. He was aware that little had changed in his absence, but still, he felt his mind eagerly absorbing every minute detail like a sponge. The grey lockers with their combination numbers, the red and white polyester uniforms that the cheerleaders sported as well as the bulky Letterman jackets the athletes donned were almost alien to him. Just then, Kurt was instantly reminded of how different McKinley High was from Dalton Academy. In McKinley High, the hallways were like a battlefield in a war-torn country strewn with land mines, waiting to explode, maim and murder. There were very few places in the school one can call safe. You had to be watchful every split second, lest you be made a subject of mockery and humiliation. Yes, bullies lurked everywhere in McKinley High, searching for potential victims. Kurt flinched at his own memories of being victimised, but fortunately on that day, they did not resurface. He heaved a sigh of relief.

He was already in the choir room. A tear fell from his eye at the sight of his favourite haunt as he caressed the black Steinway piano. He was about to make for one of the seats he used to occupy when a voice calling out his name ringed in his ears.

"Kurt?"

Turning around, Kurt saw the massive frame of Karofsky's form approaching him, and his blood froze.

"What are you doing here? How did you know I'm here?" he asked defensively, trying to use his most imperious voice. He had not forgotten the suffering he had to endure in the hands of this jock all those years before. He took a step backwards, not wanting to be anywhere near to this Neanderthal of a bully. He hated this boy so much, and it was hatred that made him use his imperious, defensive voice again.

"Please get out! You're not welcome here," he hissed coldly, but there was something about Karofsky's face that almost made him want to take his words back. In fact, let it be said, Karofsky's face had lost all traces of its old menacing cruelty that always spelt trouble, but contempt propelled Kurt to take another step backwards. Karofsky looked bewildered and slightly hurt. He did not blame Kurt for being hostile towards him. After all, Kurt had been away for so long, and he was therefore oblivious to the changes in McKinley High. Yet still, it had hurt when Kurt shunned him like a sort of deadly contagious plague, and he knew why. It was he, along with the other bullies, who made Kurt's life at McKinley High a living Hell. It was because of him that Kurt had to leave. It was he who ruined Kurt's high school life. Nobody wishes for that, but that's what I gave to so many people, Karofsky thought bitterly at his own ruthlessness. Now, it was his responsibility to set everything right.

"Kurt, it's okay," he found himself saying, "You don't have to be afraid of me. I'm not…who I used to be," his voice faltered when he finished. Upon hearing this, Kurt laughed a thin, jeering, mirthless laugh at him. He did not hesitate to hide his scorn either. Karofsky's eyes began to blur.

"Oh, really?" he asked, the disbelief thick and clear in his voice. Then, his eyes narrowed into a haughty sneer. "Is this a lame joke you're trying to pull on me? If it is, I'm not buying it. Now you listen to me, Chubby. I can take your stupid slushies, your barbaric homophobic taunts, your oafish shoving and your childish tripping. Hell, I can even take your slobbery kiss and your absurd death threats, but not this! Enough is enough! As of now, you are so disgusting to the point of being beyond reproach. Did you hear me? YOU MAKE ME SICK!"

Kurt's heart was filled with a perverse satisfaction. He had had his say. He had spat out his choicest venom on this much-despised boy, and it exposed all the times he was made a hapless victim. He was barely inches away from Karofsky's face when he finished, expecting the jock to blow his own cover and beat him up out of suppressed rage, but all he saw were tears flowing down the jock's face. Kurt was suddenly at a loss for words. He may be armed with a mental dictionary full of witty remarks and bitchy repartees for all kinds of degrading situations, but nothing had prepared him for this, nor had anything prepared him for what was to happen next. Had he gone too far?

In one swift moment, a shaking Karofsky dragged Kurt into a tight hug, whispering "I'm so sorry, please forgive me" in between fits of tortured sobs. Kurt felt the jock's tears wetting his expensive Alexander McQueen shirt, and judging from the way Karofsky was weeping, he had a sense that Karofsky had meant what he said. He was tempted to rub the bigger boy's back tenderly and comfort him, but a part of him remained sceptical.

"Are you alright? Do you need something to drink?" he eventually asked, out of genuine concern. Karofsky loosened his hug and looked at Kurt. He was neither defensive nor dismissive anymore, but Karofsky could see that Kurt was still maintaining an air of extreme caution. Wiping his tears away, Karofsky forced a smile, but despite his best efforts, he still looked sad.

"I…I'm good. It's nice to see you again, Kurt," he replied, trying to sound cheerful.

"On, um, thanks," were all that Kurt could manage to say. Now, it was his turn to be confused. The Karofsky he once knew would have been gung-ho about ruining even a simple visit like this, turning it into a nightmare, but standing before him was a completely different Karofsky, a Karofsky without a single hint of any bad intentions in his eyes. The Karofsky he once knew possessed an energy fuelled by a pernicious longing to cause harm, but the Karofsky standing before him now looked lifeless, as though he was thirsting for something to rejuvenate himself, and clearly, the desire to hurt was not the answer. Kurt instantly felt pity for him. Karofsky deserved to be heard out, no matter how rotten his misdeeds were.

"What are you sorry for?" he finally asked. Karofsky's eyes met his, and Kurt saw true remorse and deep sorrow in them.

"So many things," Karofsky choked, "I wish Time is a clock, so I can reverse it back to all the times I have hurt you, for me to make them right, and for me to be your friend. It's killing me because I know I can't undo anything, especially the worst parts. I've been such a cunt to you, Kurt. I know you loath me for all the pain and fear I've caused you, and I understand if you choose never to forgive me. I deserve to carry this guilt, more than Azimio or anybody else, because I stayed bad when I knew I had a chance to be good…!"

"You called me Kurt," Kurt whispered in amazement, cutting the bigger boy short.

"I did. Why?" Karofsky asked, dazed.

"You've always called me Hummel," he replied.

"That's because I want to start seeing you as my friend. When you were just Hummel, you were merely someone for me pick on, and I'm really ashamed of myself for being so immature back then. Trust me, Kurt. I'm not setting out to hurt you again. I just want us to start over, as friends," said Karofsky sincerely.

"That was a pretty long testimony you gave me before I unintentionally stopped you. True, you were the biggest jerk I've ever met, and that's why you were just Karofsky to me," replied Kurt, and Karofsky's face sank. "However, in spite of how much I hated you, I believe you when you said you want us to start over as friends. So, for starters, can I call you Dave?" Kurt finished meekly, and a wide grin formed on Karofsky's lips. Kurt thought he saw new life in his eyes, too.

"It's more than anything I can ever ask from you. So, we're friends, then?"

"Well, yes, we are," said Kurt, and he saw that Dave's face had brightened up considerably. His grin was not one of mischief or malice, but rather it was one of sheer comfort and pure joy, and for that, Kurt was happy, too. They shook hands.

XXX

Shortly after Kurt and Dave's declaration of friendship, they heard a loud shriek coming from the entrance of the choir room. It was Mercedes, Kurt's best friend and fellow diva.

"Kurt, MY BABY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she lunged at him to embrace. Kurt jumped from his seat and returned her embrace, overjoyed. Up next was Tina, the soft-spoken Goth girl, who smiled at him warmly before hugging him. After her, came Quinn and Brittany. The two cheerleaders squealed in delight upon seeing him, and they exchanged heartfelt greetings with each other. Then, there was Santana, who offered him a friendly "Hi" before taking a seat. Rachel, the co-captain of New Directions, grinned broadly at him as he greeted her.

"It's such a pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed. Soon, the boys came in. They were just as excited and stunned to see Kurt in the choir room. Artie, Sam and Mike rushed to shake his hand and comment on how long they have not seen him, whereas Puck, though surprised to see him as well, merely nodded his head and raised a hand in greeting. Kurt smiled at him, but he did not respond. Maybe some people have not really changed at all, thought Kurt as he turned to his stepbrother Finn.

"Thanks for keeping this a secret," he whispered to the taller boy's ear, and Finn clasped his shoulder, replying with a "No problem" as he sat next to Quinn. After that, Lauren Zizes came in, and Kurt was shocked.

"Is she in New Directions?" Kurt asked Mercedes and Tina, and they nodded in unison. Kurt was still digesting this new piece of information when Mr. Schuester finally came in. The curly-haired teacher saw him first, and he beamed upon seeing his former student sitting in the choir room, as though he had never left McKinley High at all. He laughed good-heartedly as Kurt hugged him.

"How's my male soprano?" asked a happy Mr. Schuester.

"Never been better," replied Kurt.

"Well, a lot of things have changed since you left," said Mr. Schuester. "First of all, I'd like you to meet two new members of our glee club, Lauren and Dave."

"That's really wonderful. I mean, I just spoke to Dave before everyone else came in, but what made him join New Directions?" asked Kurt. Everyone was silent. Finally, Dave spoke up. He told Kurt how much he was inspired by him to be proud of who he was, no matter what. He told Kurt about the day he was beaten up by his own best friend Azimio for coming out. He was subsequently hospitalised, whereas Azimio was expelled from McKinley High. During his stay at the hospital, the members of New Directions took turns to keep him company, mainly because those who mattered to him never showed up. Dave told Kurt it was only then that he realised what it was like to be a victim, but the most beautiful part of it was that he realised the true meaning of friendship. He admitted that it was initially out of pity that the members of New Directions visited him in hospital, but it was thanks to those visits that he got to know them better and even become friends with virtually all of them. That was how he came to be a part of New Directions. When he finished, he saw tears trickling down Kurt's eyes.

"I'm so proud of you, Dave," he said, and they exchanged hugs.

"I owe it all to you, Kurt," replied Dave. Turning to Mr. Schuester, Kurt asked about Lauren.

"I joined the glee club because Puck invited me in return for rescuing him from that nasty 'Port-a-Potty'," said Lauren, and everybody laughed. Puck squirmed in his seat, but gave everyone his signature smirk nonetheless.

"I'm glad you came to visit, Kurt. It truly is a pleasant surprise. You'll always be a part of New Directions, so remember that you're always welcome to join us anytime," said a beaming Mr. Schuester, and with that, the afterschool bell rang.

Kurt joined the rest of New Directions as they gathered their things to leave. He went out to the parking lot with the girls, receiving from them the latest news from McKinley High that Finn never bothered to tell him, like Miss Pillsbury's lavish Hawaiian vacation with her husband, Dr. Howell the dentist and that Miss Holly Holliday was not allowed to teach in McKinley High anymore due to her wrong methods of delivering sex education. Indeed, so much has changed after he left McKinley High. He expressed his sadness over the fact that Miss Pillsbury was married, leaving Mr. Schuester lonely, and also for Miss Holly Holliday, because she was a wonderful teacher whose noble intentions were cruelly misunderstood. In the end, they all sighed tiredly, finally deciding it was time to split and go home.

As he headed to his car after saying goodbye to the girls, another voice called out to him. This time, it was Puck's, and he did not sound friendly at all.

"Hey, Hummel!" he hollered.

"Yes, Puck?" asked a confused Kurt.

"Why are you here, exactly?" Puck demanded.

"I just missed McKinley High, and I thought of visiting. What's up?" replied Kurt calmly.

"Cut the crap, Hummel," snapped Puck brutally, "You're never the type to skip class. Do you think I'd buy your story? Nationals are just round the corner, and Dalton Academy sent you here to spy on us, isn't that right?"

"Now, you're the one who's talking crap! Why would I ever do that to New Directions? I love our glee club more than anything else; you should know that. I'm sorry I had to leave McKinley High, I'm sorry I can no longer be an official part of New Directions, but even though I'm with the Warblers now, my heart is and always will be with New Directions. If you still don't believe me, why don't you ask Finn? He planned this visit with me," retorted Kurt. He was obviously hurt by Puck's accusation.

"Oh, that's a likely story," said Puck mockingly, and it proved to be the last straw that broke the camel's back for Kurt. Unable to control his fury, he slapped Puck across the face with the back of his hand, hard. Puck winced and staggered a bit from the effect of the slap. When he looked at Kurt, he saw angry tears threatening to fall down the smaller boy's rosy red cheeks.

"How dare you? You, of all people, Puck! Do you really want to know why I'm here, Puck? I'm here because I needed a break! Things haven't been going on smoothly for me, Puck! I just had to get out of Dalton! Everyone thinks I'm happy there because nobody will hurt me there, but it's not true! Do you know how hard it was for me to receive the dean's approval for a sick leave?" Kurt was flushed when he finished. He could not believe that Puck could be so insensitive as to question whether he had ulterior motives behind this well-meant visit.

"Okay, fine, I believe you; that school was meant to kill anyway, but there's something fishy about you coming here all of a sudden," replied Puck. Kurt could not take it anymore. He had to tell the truth, at least to his interrogator with a Mohawk. Why was Puck so infuriating?

"Blaine just left me. He left me for somebody else, Puck. It seems I'm not worthy for him. Every time I see his face, I always think of what would have been for us, and it hurts a lot. There, now you know my secret little anguish. Are you happy now?" he said slowly, as if the very utterance of each word was painful. Puck lowered his head to face the ground. He mentally cursed himself for being so stupid.

"Kurt, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…!"

"Ruin my day, you mean? I came here to cheer up, but you destroyed whatever hope I have left to make this day a happy one for myself. I don't know what's going on in that twisted mind of yours, but thanks a lot. You did a pretty good job," retorted Kurt icily as he hopped into his car. Puck remained frozen in his tracks, aware that he had hurt Kurt in the worst way possible. He would probably never see Kurt again, unless if he was visiting Finn during the weekend, but even then, Kurt would come home only on certain weekends, because he was so contented in Dalton Academy.

Feeling angry, Puck kicked at the tyre of his truck and swore loudly when the pain shot to his head. "Thanks buddy. I needed that," he said to his truck.

TO BE CONTINUED…

In my personal opinion, this story is definitely worth continuing, but I need the support of you, my darling readers, to keep going…so please review!