Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, just this little plunny here, there's a little bit of what you see during the episode at the beginning of the chapter as well as at the beginning of Puck so I don't own those little bits either, just the stuff around it.

Warning: Eventual Slash so no likey no ready (take me out reference)

Summary: When Puck and Mercedes are paired together for ballads week Puck finds himself pouring his heart out to the unsuspecting girl and while everyone else is focussed on supporting Finn and Quinn over the whole baby thing, Mercedes offers her hand in friendship to the boy in need through song. Taking note of Mercedes' advice he Puck uses his own ballad to tell the world just who he is and what, or rather who he wants. Meanwhile, Kurt tries to help Finn with the whole baby fiasco as he also battles with the crush he has for the quarterback, all of which is only complicated further when he overhears Mercedes and Puck talking. Puck/ Kurt slash eventually.

Time To Face The Music

Not All About Them

***

Puck POV:

"Ballad," Mr. Schue said as he turned to face us, "From the middle English ballade. Who knows what this word means?"

"It's a male Duck," Brittany said from where she sat at the back and we all turned to look at her incredulously, Kurt and Rachael now with their hands up ready to answer the question.

"Kurt." Mr. Schue said pointing at the teen who I thought was perhaps the most beautiful person I'd ever seen.

"A ballad is a love song."

"Sometimes," Mr. Schue replied, "But they don't always express love. Ballads are stories set to music which is why they're the perfect storm of self expression. Stories in music are the way we express feelings that we can't get out any other way. Okay, sectionals are in a few weeks and there's a new rule this year, we have to perform a ballad."

"Looks like my weekly letter to the Ohio show choir committee finally paid off," Rachael interrupted in that excited way that makes me want to just set myself on fire and I wondered, not for the first time this afternoon, why it was exactly that I was sitting next to her when I could be across the other side of the room sat next to Kurt.

"Okay, so here's our assignment for the week. I'm gonna pair you off and I want you to pick a ballad to sing to your partner. Look them right in the eye, find the emotion you want to express and make them feel it."

"I pick Quinn," Finn stated, Mr. Schue just shook his head in reply.

"No, no, no, too easy. You're partners will be chosen by fate." Everyone ooohed at that, a mixture of excitement and worry emanating from us all I was sure, after all we were all likely hoping to be paired with one particular person, or indeed dreading being paired with someone we didn't really get on with.

"I put all your names in this hat," Schue continued holding up one of those old style top hats, "Whoever you choose is your partner."

"I bet the duck's in the hat," Brittany whispered but we all brushed it aside as Santana, though I loathe admitting it, pointed out something pretty significant.

"Mr. Schue, Matt's out sick today, he had to go to the hospital because they found a spider in his ear," She stated and we all grimaced a little, feeling sorry for Matt.

"Well I guess I'll just have to put my name in the hat for now. Who's up first?"

I jumped up straight away, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible and desperately hoping that I picked Kurt, or at least my best friend Quinn out of the hat for this assignment, wanting an excuse to finally tell Kurt how I felt without actually coming out and telling him, which I was sure I'd never have the courage to do. I put my hand in the hat, pulling out the first name I got hold of and sighed in disappointment as I read out the name.

"Mercedes."

It went on like that with Wheelchair kid picking Quinn, Finn picking Kurt, which of course had Kurt smiling away and my blood boiling as I watched Kurt go all starry eyed over Finn. What did he even see in him?

Goth girl and Mike were paired off as were Brittany and Santana leaving Mr. Schue, and later Matt if he returned, to have to deal with psycho-girl, a fate I had luckily escaped. Mercedes I had to admit wasn't a bad choice, certainly a lot better than having Rachael, Santana or Brittany and she was a pretty decent singer so I didn't think this week would go too badly, choosing a song to sing, something that would expose my feelings to someone who was practically a stranger to me was going to be a difficult barrier to cross though.

I was brought out of my thoughts as wheelchair kid asked a question that I was sure was on all of our minds.

"Would you mind clarifying what type of songs you want us to sing?"

"Why don't you let Mr. Schuester and I demonstrate? Brad, Endless Love in B flat if you will?" Rachael asked and Brad began to play the familiar tune for them to sing. It was odd to watch them singing together, I mean sure it was a great choice to show what a Ballad really was but Mr. Schue looked really uncomfortable and Rachael was going all psycho again, I think maybe she has a crush on the Spanish teacher and I could only feel sorry for him as we watched the scene unfold before us.

"Okay, something like that," Mr. Schue said as the song ended, everyone got up then to arrange practise times and the like and I guessed that I would have to do the same with Mercedes. Apparently though, she'd already decided when, where and how we were doing this as she made her way over to me, all but poking me in the chest like you see in the movies.

"Meet me here tomorrow after school, I want to get this over with as soon as possible," She stated before turning and going to join the rest of the gleeks, well technically I'm a gleek as well but... ah to hell with it, I was seriously starting to lose it, especially as I looked over to that group and realised that I actually quite liked most of them, especially Kurt, but then that was hardly surprising considering the massive crush I'd had on him for the past two years, but that was neither here nor there. The point was, I was a gleek and I had to learn to stop distinguishing myself from them if I wanted to be part of the team, a proper member of the club.

"Hey Puck," I was pulled from my thoughts as Finn made his way over to me, "Do you wanna come round to mine tonight, just to hang out, have pizza and play video games, that kinda thing? I mean ever since you know the whole baby thing we haven't really had a guys night and I kinda just need a break from it all, you can crash if you want." He asked in one big rambling sentence. He'd started talking like that ever since he'd found out about Quinn, I think his brain was suffering some sort of overload what with football, glee and now this...he looked like he could really use a break, some time to just have fun and forget about everything else and if I was honest, I needed it too.

"Sure, we might have to swing by mine first though so I can grab a change of clothes for the morning and let my mom know where I'll be." I replied with a smile and he seemed to sigh in relief.

"Yea, no problem."

It wasn't long before we were in my old beaten up truck making the short drive to my house.

"Hey mom," I said as I walked into the kitchen where she was sat helping my little sister with her homework, "Is it okay if I stay round Finn's tonight?"

"Sure honey, just be sure to get some sleep while you're there, it is a school night after all." She replied and after kissing her on the cheek with a quick "Thank you" and grabbing my clothes from my room we were back in the truck and making our way over to Finn's house for the night.

***

Staying at Finn's had been exactly the distraction I'd needed to keep my mind off of what was going on with me and the whole gay thing as well as the whole Quinn/Finn/baby situation. Of course the distraction didn't last and the next morning I was feeling worse about the whole thing then I had before.

I was finally realising that it wasn't just me being affected by this whole situation and it made me feel ten times as bad about lying to my best friend, besides Quinn that is, knowing that there was so much he could have been spared if we hadn't been so foolish, so unequipped, and totally unprepared for the consequences of our actions.

I hated myself for the whole woe is me thing I was doing but I just couldn't seem to bring myself out of it before and even now I wasn't really out of it so much as adding an extra helping of guilt on top of my crazy life pie.

As I coasted through the day I found myself completely unable to even look at Finn or even Quinn and felt myself withdrawing into myself as I walked from class to class, barely concentrating on what the teachers were saying or anything really as the pressure built and built.

By the time my ballads meeting with Mercedes came around I felt like I was ready to burst, to lash out at someone, to throw them in the garbage or slushie someone, like I used to do, like I hadn't done in months, ever since I'd joined glee club.

My brain was working overtime to try and work out how exactly I was supposed to fix my latest screw-up that I hadn't really registered where I was until Mercedes walked into the music room, talking on the phone.

"We're supposed to be rehearsing," I stated, but she just ignored me, carrying on her conversation with "Tina" she told me before finally hanging up.

"This is bad dude, all of our ballads are terrible because we're all so distracted. We're all worried about Finn and Quinn and baby gate, we can't even sing about our emotions because we're so worried about theirs."

"Who cares?" I asked trying to be the badass I was known to be, desperately hoping that she would stop talking about the one thing that was driving me completely crazy.

"Umm, we all do," She replied, "So we decided we're all going to sing them a ballad to show them that we got their backs."

"Are you kidding me? There's no way I'm singing to them." I let out a frustrated sigh that sounded more like a growl to my ears as I turned away, "Finn gets all the sympathy all the support..."

"What is your problem?" Mercedes asked incredulously.

"Finn's not the father...I am," I stated and that was it. It was like the dam had finally broken and the water just started flooding out.

"What?"

I felt the tears coming before they even started to fall, but I'd already turned away from her, not wanting her to see poor little weak Noah Puckerman.

"It's not like I even like Quinn,"

"No of course not, she's just another notch on the bedpost, one more to add to the string of girls..."

"It's not like that. Contrary to popular belief I don't sleep around, I'd never...not before Quinn," I whispered, I'd though perhaps it was too quiet for her to hear but I was wrong.

"Yeah right,"

"It's true, Quinn, no-one knows this but she's my best friend, more than Finn even. She offered...it was just supposed to be a test...it wasn't supposed to end up like this." I stated, incoherent even to me.

"You're not making a lot of sense you know," Mercedes said, her tone softer now, concerned even, probably from the shock of seeing me, the asshole jock completely break down in front of her but I just couldn't bring myself to care about what she thought of me then, about what it was doing to my reputation, one that I completely despised. It just felt so good to finally get it all off my chest.

"She offered to sleep with me to help me, we never meant for this to happen and now everything's so messed up."

"Why would Quinn sleeping with you help you?"

"It was a test, to find out...so that I could work out if I was..." I trailed off, suddenly aware of what exactly I was doing.

"If you were...?" Mercedes prompted and I gave in, I finally let myself admit what I'd been trying to hide from people for nearly two years.

"To work out if I was gay or not," I stated, turning to look at the first person besides Quinn to ever find out that particular fact about me.

"If you were...gay?"

I couldn't bring myself to say anything so I just nodded, and watched as she slumped down on the piano stool.

"And are you?" she asked after a while. Another nod.

"I was thinking about a guy the whole time we were...you know..." I stated as I slid down the wall to sit on the floor, elbows resting on my knees as I covered my face with my hands.

"So you're the father of Quinn's baby but you're gay?"

"Yep."

"Well hell, your life is all kinds o' crazy," She muttered, more to herself than me but I still heard it.

I laughed bitterly as I looked up at her, the tears had finally stopped falling but I know I looked a mess.

"Well, I think you should still sing with us, if not for Finn, then for Quinn, she's carrying your baby after all, she needs to know that you're going to support her no matter what happens."

I nodded again, she was right after all, Quinn was my best friend and she needed me, whatever I was going through with the whole baby thing, she was too.

"So who was it you were picturing while you and Quinn were...you know?" Mercedes asked for a while and I couldn't help but laugh along with her as the tension I'd been feeling all day just seemed to melt away like it had last night, even for just a little while and immediately I was glad that I'd told her, glad that she'd been there to listen when I needed someone the most.

"You won't believe it." I stated once I'd stopped laughing long enough to actually get a sentence out.

"Try me."

"Kurt."

"No way, really?"

"Yep, the one and only Kurt Hummel; who I just happen to have had a crush on for nearly two years."

"Oh my God, I don't believe this...but what about all the slushies and the dumpster?" She asked on a more serious note.

"I was in denial, blaming Kurt for having these gay feelings so I took it out on him. Ever since I joined Glee though and since the whole thing with Quinn I kinda just embraced it, I stopped fighting who I really am. That's why I stopped throwing him in the dumpster and throwing slushies at you all." I replied.

"Why don't you tell Kurt how you feel?"

"Two reasons, firstly besides you and Quinn no-one knows that I'm gay and secondly I don't stand a chance with him. He hates me, and with just cause as well, I was a complete asshole to him for no reason and I don't deserve to be with him for it, and besides he's completely in love with Finn and I just don't compare, even though I happen to be gay and actually like Kurt as opposed to straight and into Rachael and Quinn."

"You have a point about Kurt liking Finn, but I think you're nice enough, when you want to be that is, and when you're not being a complete idiot. If you show Kurt that, if you try to be his friend rather than being a complete asshole then he might see what's right in front of him." Mercedes said with a smile that I found myself returning. I realised that in the past I'd passed judgement on the cover rather than the book, and way too quickly at that and was glad that I'd had the opportunity to actually talk to her, and damn did she give some good advice.

We spent the rest of the time when we should have been practising, just talking about everything and nothing, getting to know each other as friends rather than enemies, completely forgetting about the ballads that we should have been focusing on, knowing that we still had time during the rest of that week.

I left the music room with a lot to think about, and feeling completely and utterly drained, emotionally so more that physically and pretty much fell asleep as soon as I was in my room.

And voila...Glee fic number one. Ever since I watched Glee I just knew I had to write a Purt fic and here it is. I know it's mostly just Puck and Mercedes interaction in this chapter but their friendship is going to play a big part in this fic. Next chapter will be Kurt POV, these first two chapters are mostly going to be like introductory chapters, merging Glee the original with my version and then the rest will follow on from there. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and as always comments and constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated.

Multi x