(Authors' note: This story follows directly after the last chapter of Time Passed Makes it Plain (originally Fingers of Your Fire), on the last day of sophomore year, June 2010.

If you've been following the Donutverse, this is where all the threads come together. If you're brand-new, here's the ridiculous summary of the last million and a half words: Kurt, Puck and Finn are in a committed BDSM relationship, with Finn as the Dom, Kurt as the switch and Puck as the sub/slave. Puck and Kurt are also in a relationship with Adam Lambert, who's currently on tour. Puck's daughter Beth is living with them at the Hudson-Hummel house part time and with Shelby Corcoran part time. The boys are good friends with Will Schuester's fiancé Toby, who is the choreographer for Vocal Adrenaline. Blaine and Dave are old friends, but Dave's closeted and in love with Blaine, and Blaine told him he couldn't be friends anymore after Dave called him names. Six months ago, Finn met Blaine in a Columbus coffee house and developed an intense Dom/sub relationship with him. He's been disciplining Blaine, but Puck and Kurt haven't met him yet, and know him only as "Patrick."

There's a lot of sex in this story. It all furthers the plot, but there is a LOT of sex, with a lot of different people. Most of it is sweet rather than heavy on the BDSM, but there is certainly some of that too.

I'm sorry if you're disappointed to see Klaine in the Donutverse. It's canon, so I'm making it work, even if it wasn't my ideal... but I think the way Blaine fits into their relationship is powerful and crucial. The foursome develops slowly and depends much more heavily on the Puck/Blaine and Finn/Blaine relationships.

The story is complete (130k+), though I'm sure I'll continue to edit and add more. I will post it a little at a time over the next few weeks.

Embedded in this story is the short story "Reunion" about Kurt, Puck and Finn at Finn's family reunion. It's reintroduced here with significant revisions.

We started writing this story almost four years ago, and I am so pleased to bring it to you at last. Enjoy.

-amy and knittycat


It took Kurt six times longer than he'd anticipated to clean out his locker on the last day of school. It wasn't because his locker was particularly messy or even all that full of stuff. People just kept stopping to talk to him, wishing him a good summer and asking how Puck was doing. Dating Noah Puckerman and joining the Cheerios had certainly changed Kurt's social standing, even if being in Glee hadn't.

Only some of the people talking to him were there with him in person. Kurt got three texts in ten minutes. The first one came on their way out of Glee, and it was from Finn.

Meet you up in the attic?

Kurt didn't meet Finn's eyes as they passed one another in the hallway. Finn was heading the other way with Rachel, his own phone in his hands. He made sure to keep it cool at school. Being Finn's probable future stepbrother might be a little weird, but dating him was sure to get them into trouble. Of course, what they did behind closed doors was nobody's business but their own.

We could just go home, you know, said Kurt. Nobody else is there.

I was actually thinking we should pack up our stuff. Who knows what might happen to the attic over the summer?

Kurt was reasonably certain by now that nobody was going to disturb their secret attic room. For one thing, the mattress would have caused an outcry if anyone had already discovered it. For another, Kurt was pretty sure Brad was the only one besides Mr. Schue who had a key at all. The custodians never came in, as evidenced by the amount of dust that regularly built up on the table and windowsill.

I'll take my mom's quilt home, Kurt replied. But the rest can stay. We'll be back in the fall.

There was also no question anymore, in either of their minds, whether or not they would still be together in the fall. Their parents were together, for one thing, and they were building a house. Each of them had a room: one for Kurt, with an enormous closet; one for Finn, adjoining Kurt's through the bath; one for Puck, and a connected room for Beth; and one for Puck's sister Sarah. On the main floor, there was a room for his dad and Carole, and an office, not to mention plenty of space in the basement for crafts, Finn's drums — and other things.

The last bedroom was labeled "guest," but Sarah had another name for it. That's the one for the person who comes next, she'd said. Kurt didn't know why she was so sure, but in the meantime, there was no reason why it couldn't be for Puck's brother Timothy when he visited, or Adam, or even Tess if she wanted to come to stay with them when she was in town.

The second text came while he was packing up. This one made him smile.

You're officially a junior, Adam said. Does that mean I get to feel less like I'm robbing the cradle?

I think that would only apply if I wasn't already doing so many nefarious things with so many other people, Kurt sent.

Ooh, nefarious. That's an SAT word if I ever heard one. Seriously, it was so good to see you on Wednesday night.

His dad hadn't let Kurt stay out late enough to catch a performance of Adam's Glam Nation tour, not in the middle of finals week, but he'd grudgingly agreed to drive with him to Toledo after school for dinner with Adam at his hotel. They hadn't actually spent any time eating dinner, but Kurt figured his dad didn't need details.

You too, he replied.

We're in Minnesota this weekend, playing two shows before I head to Tessera. I'll be awake tomorrow in the late morning — still running on California time.

No problem. I'll talk to you then. Love you.

Kurt knew he didn't have to remind Adam to call Puck. They hadn't missed one nightly call since Beth had been born in April. Even on nights when Adam had a show, he called Puck from the wings. "To listen to her yell her fucking head off," Puck informed him, but Kurt guessed it wasn't just Puck's daughter Adam was calling for.

Kurt had managed to stuff most of his locker contents into three big canvas bags by the time the third text came. It wasn't Puck; Kurt didn't expect to hear from him until after Beth went down for her third nap, anyway. It was Dave.

So when are you taking off again?

Kurt wasn't fooled. Dave didn't forget things. His memory for dates and facts was impossibly accurate. But Kurt played along. Monday. Noah's coming home Sunday. You?

Sunday morning. If you don't have plans, the sky should be clear tonight, if you want to meet at the observatory.

Dave knew about almost all of Kurt's possible "plans." This was kind of amazing, when Kurt thought about it. Dave even knew about Adam, even if he didn't know his name or his exact identity. Kurt looked both ways down the hall, but Dave was nowhere in sight. He was probably in the physics lab.

Finn's having a pretty hard time of it. He just broke up with somebody really important to him. I don't think I should leave him home alone.

There was an extended pause, during which Kurt hauled all three bags out to the Navigator and locked them inside. As long as Azimio had it out for Kurt, Kurt wasn't going to invite trouble by leaving his things in the hallway to be plundered.

He'd be okay if you left him with video games and a big pizza, Dave replied.

Kurt frowned at his phone. What was going on?

Mercedes approached Kurt in the hallway with enthusiastic hugs, but when she saw his expression, she paused. "Everything okay?"

"Multitasking," he said, flashing her a smile and waving his phone. "Everybody's leaving for the summer, or making plans, or has a job. God, I couldn't wait for summer, and now I almost feel like I wish it were fall already."

"Bite your tongue!" She glared at him. "Believe me, I am not going to let you be bored. While your guys are busy with summer school and parenthood, you and I are going to do some epic hanging out and watching reruns of every performance reality show there is. Starting with the last season of Idol, which I totally missed."

"Yeah, um, I didn't watch it this year either." His phone buzzed again, and he had to focus to read all the text that came through.

Finn says, "Not that this is a reason to hold back; in fact I deem it a sign to press on." Do I want to know what that means?

Kurt blinked at the screen. "Um — Mercedes, I gotta go. I'll call you tonight."

He headed up the stairs to the third floor, but he had already guessed what he would find when he got there. Finn himself was the only one who would be quoting from Griffin and Sabine.

"…The books have postcards, and some are actual letters you can take out of the envelopes," Finn was saying to Dave when he opened the door to the attic room. "It makes it a little more mysterious, I guess. Hey, Kurt."

Kurt looked between Dave, who was sitting by the window, and Finn on the mattress, leaning propped up against the wall with his feet crossed. He gave Dave an irritable glare. "You could be a little less mysterious?"

"Could I?" Dave said mildly. He shrugged, apparently unconcerned. "Finn was explaining the quote. Which, already, meant he's exceeding my expectations for him to know any quotes. Or even what a quote is."

"Says the one who claimed not to be able to spell loser," Finn said, waving his hand toward his own forehead. "And that was in Sharpie, so it really counted. But, yeah, anyway, in the book... the letters are exchanged between two characters, Griffin in London, and Sabine, this random girl, from a tiny made-up island in the Pacific. Uh —" He turned to Kurt, hesitating. "They are made-up, right?"

"Geography is not my strongest suit," said Kurt, "but I'm pretty certain the Katie Islands don't exist, yes."

Kurt decided having Finn and Dave in a room together and not yelling at one another was more good than weird. He came over to sit at the foot of the mattress, close enough to rest a hand on Finn's ankle. Dave looked away, but didn't comment.

"I'm surprised you haven't read them already," said Finn. "Seems like you spend a lot of time at the library."

For some reason, that made Dave blush. "I mostly read fantasy and science fiction."

"Well, this series is definitely one of those. I'm not sure which one. Maybe you can check it out over the summer."

"Doubt it. I'll be at camp." Now Dave was starting to get jumpy. Kurt turned his attention on Finn.

"You're saying you don't mind if I go to the observatory tonight instead of—?"

"Instead of babysitting me, yeah." Finn grinned slightly. "I can deal."

Kurt wasn't exactly sure if that was true. Watching the change in Finn, even three days after he'd told Carl he didn't want to be his boyfriend anymore, was hard. He was sure it didn't help that Puck had been gone for over a month. He guessed there might have been something else, something that had happened with Patrick, the boy Finn was disciplining in Columbus. Finn was still very secretive about him.

"At least Sarah and Puck will be coming home on Sunday," Kurt said, patting Finn's ankle.

"With the baby," added Dave.

And Adam, Kurt thought, with a rush of pleasure. I get to see Noah and Adam, together, before he heads off to Columbus for his next show and we leave for Finn's family reunion. He couldn't really say that in front of Dave, but he could tell from Finn's smile that he knew Kurt was thinking about that.

"Beth," Finn said aloud. "Her name's Beth."

"Yeah. Beth." Dave looked perplexed by this. "What's he going to do with her in the fall, anyway?"

"She's staying part time with a friend of Noah's," Kurt said. Which was true, even if Shelby wasn't going to be able to solve the problem of school for either of them. "I know the whole family situation is kind of strange."

"I think the strangest thing is that your dad's building a house to fit all of you." Dave shook his head. He definitely looked jealous.

"Well, I can meet you at the observatory tonight. Dusk again?"

"I'll be there at seven to open it to the public, but I can keep it open as long as we need." Dave stood and moved toward the door. "See you whenever you get there."

After Dave left and the door was securely closed behind him, Kurt let himself crawl onto the warmth of Finn's body, resting on top of him. They both let out a sigh.

"He's making jokes," Finn said. "I mean, jokes that aren't mean and cruel. I think that's a positive sign."

"Do you think he's faking?" Kurt asked.

"No, no." Finn stroked Kurt's hair, to which he might have objected if he still was in school, but at the moment it felt like the most wonderful thing in the world. "I think he's… being himself. Trying to, anyway. He's acting more like the guy I remember from fourth grade."

Kurt moved his cheek to rest on Finn's shoulder. "I know Noah didn't trust me when I said Dave was trying to change."

Finn chuckled. "Noah would trust anything you told him. Puck, on the other hand…"

"They're not really two different people, Finn. No more than this Dave is a different person than Karofsky." He tipped his head up to look at Finn. "No more than you're a different person when you're with Carl."

"Yeah, well." Finn sounded resigned. "That was kind of my point in breaking up with him, wasn't it?"

"Was it?" Kurt asked softly.

"He can't really be my boyfriend. Not really ever. It was stupid to want that." Finn held him a little tighter, and Kurt snuggled into his embrace. "He can give me… what he gives me."

"Discipline, Finn."

"Yeah. That. We might as well be honest about what it is and what it isn't, you know?"

"You can't tell me you don't care about him," Kurt said. He felt the catch in Finn's breathing.

"It wasn't… like the way it is with us, Kurt. Every time I tried to make it like that, he'd remind me of my place. And he was right, you know? He needs somebody his own age."

Somebody like Ms. Pillsbury, thought Kurt. She'd been there with them at Regionals, and in the hospital when Beth was born, but she'd conveniently found her own way home when Carl decided to take Finn back to the house for a session with the single-tail. The marks were still there on his back, thready and red and stark against his skin. They'd be mostly healed by the time they left for the reunion, but Kurt suspected Finn wouldn't be taking his shirt off in front of his thirty-odd cousins.

"He still wants you to be his boy," Kurt said.

Finn stiffened. "Yeah, well, he doesn't always get what he wants, either." His voice was gruff. "Can we go back to your dad's now? I'm so done with school. And I have to be back in less than a week. Goddamn summer school."

Kurt obliged by standing and helping Finn to his feet. "Mr. Schue's not teaching Spanish over the summer, is he?"

"No, and — don't tell him I said this, okay? — I'm kind of glad. I mean, I don't think it was his fault I got a D, exactly, but maybe I'll learn it better from somebody else."

"I'm proud of you for trying again," Kurt said, and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

"It's not like my mom is giving me a choice," said Finn, but he looked pleased. "Come on. Grab your quilt and let's go home."


At the end of the night, Kurt and Dave were the last ones left. Kurt figured open viewing night at the Schoonover Observatory wasn't exactly a big draw on the last day of school. Just after dusk, there had been a mother and her daughter, maybe eight years old, and an older couple, but other than that, it had been pretty quiet. He waited while Dave turned off the lights.

"Mars and Regulus," said Kurt. "That was a really beautiful pairing. What constellation is Regulus in again?"

"It's the lead star in Leo." Dave pulled the door closed and checked to be sure it was locked.

"Leo. I don't think I even know what that constellation looks like. I know Orion, and the dippers."

"Dippers." Dave sounded offended. "Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, please. Bears are even more stuck-up than lions. At least the bears from those books I gave you are."

"The ones about Lyra and the bears, yes. Now it's vacation, I can actually try reading them." They walked through the parking lot up the hill to Jefferson and waited at the curb for the light to change. "Thank you again for thinking of me. It was a perfect birthday present. That, and the visit to the observatory."

"It's no problem," Dave said. His feet scuffed on the gravel of the parking lot.

"I might read them aloud to Noah. He's not much for reading, himself, but he really likes hearing the stories."

"That series is one of my favorites. The youth librarian gave them to me and — my friend, when I was younger. She gave us all the best fantasy books. And books about kids like us."

"You mean gay kids," said Kurt. Dave shrugged.

"I mean kids who didn't feel like they fit in. Some of them were gay, some of them weren't. It took me a while to even open one of those books, but… well." He grinned. The expression still startled Kurt every time he saw it, it seemed so out of place on Dave's serious, bitter face.

"You were too curious?" Kurt guessed.

"Something like that. I can't really resist a book."

They crossed Jefferson when the light changed. Kurt gazed up at the clear sky. "The stars look so much dimmer now."

"The light pollution makes it hard to see anything worthwhile around here," Dave agreed. "Looking at them with the naked eye, it's hard to believe how much more you can see when you look a little closer."

Dave had left his car in his dad's garage's parking lot. He paused beside it, watching Kurt.

"What is it?" Kurt asked.

Dave grimaced. "I'm kind of… I don't know. This business of being friends with another guy. I've never been very good at it."

"You're doing fine."

"I have a hard time figuring out how much is too much. Like, where's the boundary there. I just… at some point it gets awkward, when I realize I've asked too much or trusted too much or something. And I end up backing off because I don't want them giving me that supercilious, patronizing look, like, all right, David, you're trying too hard."

Kurt suppressed his smile, but Dave noticed it anyway and scowled. Kurt held up a hand, shaking his head. "Sorry... I'm only smiling because there's no way Noah or Finn would ever use a word like supercilious in conversation. It's refreshing. You're not trying too hard, Dave. I am actually appreciating an opportunity to be your friend."

Dave jammed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, well, if you haven't noticed, I'm the one with everything to lose here."

"Not really. I don't have very many gay friends."

Dave didn't answer that. Kurt looked up at the sky, finding the spot in the west where Regulus and Mars were conjunct.

"The bears are interesting? In the books you gave me?"

"They're the best thing about them, and that's saying something. I have a thing about bears." He paused before adding, "My mom calls me Yogi."

Kurt nodded. "… Because?"

"Because," he muttered, squirming a little, "he's smarter than the average bear."

"See, I'm not going to laugh at you for being smart," said Kurt. "In my book, that's a worthwhile thing." He grinned. "I might laugh at you for the Yogi thing, though."

Dave rolled his eyes, but Kurt could see he was grinning too. "Sometimes I think being smart and being a jock at the same time is worse than being… like we are. I think I get more shit for that than I would if somebody knew what got me off. It's so fucking stupid."

"Well, I'm definitely scared about what the world would say if they found out what got me off," Kurt said. "Especially considering it's not exactly ordinary."

Dave was looking at him. "Well... I found out about that, right?"

"Yes, and I would note that you used it as leverage against us."

He looked at the ground. "I apologized for that."

Kurt flapped his hand at him. "No, I know, it's just... polyamory, BDSM? Who does that stuff in high school?"

"Looks like some people do. Obviously you're not alone."

The envy in Dave's voice was unmistakable. Kurt took a few cautious steps back.

"You're not alone, either, Dave. I'll let you know what I think about the books."

Dave nodded stiffly. "I'll see if I can get my hands on a copy of Griffin and Sabine."

Kurt tried not to look surprised. Of course Dave would remember the title of the book. "Text me this summer, while you're gone, okay? Let me know how camp is going, how you're doing. I want to know."

Dave's face softened. He nodded again. "Yeah, okay. I will."

He climbed into his Civic. On the outside, it was in better condition than Kurt's father's truck was, but Kurt could hear the rattle in the engine. He'd have to remind Dave to get his timing chain looked at before it became an issue.

Once Dave had disappeared toward his own neighborhood, Kurt walked home. He stayed on the west side of Jefferson instead of walking in the park. As much as he loved it, it was already dark, and he didn't want to get in trouble for being there after sundown.

He was already feeling wistful about moving, about losing his connection to the park and the garage. All the little landmarks and neighbors and things didn't mean much individually, but together, they comprised his entire childhood. It was hard to imagine what it would be like to live outside of town. He wouldn't be able to walk anywhere out there.

On the other hand, there was a beautiful stand of oak trees right on their property, and acres of surrounding fields to provide them with privacy. And the house itself would be magnificent when it was finished. Kurt knew it was a reasonable sacrifice.

While he walked, he sent Dave a text. I don't think you should be ashamed of what gets you off, or of being smart. Or of anything at all.

Are you kidding? Dave replied. Of course I'm ashamed, of all kinds of shit. Have you seen the kind of person I've been at school for the past year?

But that's not you, Kurt said.

Are you sure about that?

Yes.

Kurt didn't receive another response until much later, long after he had greeted his father and Carole and had gone downstairs to find Finn. Finn had his suitcase open on the floor of the bedroom and was rummaging through Kurt's drawers.

"You're smart," Kurt said. Finn looked up at him, obviously confused.

"Uh… okay?"

"I mean, you're smarter than you let on. People think you're a dumb jock, but you're not."

Finn set his shirts down in the suitcase. "If you haven't noticed, I am repeating Spanish because of this D."

"You know what I mean. You're not perfect at everything, but you're smart. And you don't tell anybody." Kurt glared at him, drawing in closer. Finn looked around nervously. "Is that on purpose? Do you do that to make it easier to hang out with other jocks?"

"I don't think I do anything on purpose, Kurt. I just do stuff because I do it." He looked down at Kurt, touching his face. "You think about stuff like this way more than I do."

"I don't think so, Finn. I'm just the one who talks about it." He reached up and took Finn's face in both hands. "I don't ever want you to pretend not to be smart."

"I don't know if I can actually promise that," Finn said. He sounded apologetic. "But knowing you care about that, and you think I'm smart, that's pretty fantastic."

Kurt kissed him passionately, letting Finn feel exactly what he thought about him. Eventually he paused for breath, resting his forehead against Finn's neck.

"And you're really hot," said Kurt.

Finn laughed. He kissed Kurt back, more slowly and deliberately. It drove Kurt crazy when he did that, like he had all the time in the world to get to what he wanted. Kurt whined in the back of his throat and nipped at Finn's bottom lip with his teeth.

"Easy, baby," Finn murmured. He leaned the heel of his hand against Kurt's erection, letting him rock against it. "You can have anything you want. Sarah's at Frances' house tonight."

"That is... incredibly tempting." He looked at the clock. "I think I want to shower and get ready for bed, and call Noah. And then go to bed with you and ask Noah to tell us about the last time Adam visited."

"That sounds awesome," Finn said. He kissed Kurt on the nose. "You'd better go first in the shower. I bet if I get in there with you, plans would change."

It was comforting that, even after eight months together, and considering all the other people who'd come in their lives, Kurt was still ridiculously attracted to Finn. He was aware of Finn watching him taking off his clothes, and took his time hanging them up, showing off a little as he stretched to hang up his vest and bent down to pick up his dirty socks. It was deeply satisfying to be ogled by a boy as hot as Finn, but even more satisfying to have a connection with the person he was inside. Nobody knew Finn like he did, except maybe Puck, and he definitely didn't begrudge the two of them that.

When he emerged from the shower to begin his evening moisturizing routine, there was a reply text waiting from Dave and a voice mail from Puck. He read the text first.

I think you actually believe that, said Dave.

It was in reference to what he'd said earlier about knowing what kind of person Dave was. It gave Kurt a strange leaping sensation of hope to hear him say it.

Even if you don't believe it yet, he replied, if you can trust that I think that, that's enough. For now.

I don't know if I can always trust that. Some days I can barely stand to look at myself.

Kurt felt his heart pound harder. He reached for Finn's hand as he walked by and held onto it.

"What is it?" asked Finn.

"It's Dave. He's... I don't know, exactly. He's opening up. He's trusting me."

Finn gave him a curious smile. "That's a pretty great feeling, when somebody does that?"

"No, I mean, he's trusting me. He really has no reason to want to do that."

"Kurt, of course he does. Look at what you're giving him." Finn sat on the edge of the bed. He looked troubled. "I kind of feel bad I didn't want to give him a chance, when I see the way you're helping him. What if you'd treated Puck that way? Or me? We were both just as awful to you."

"Yeah, but I was in love with you," Kurt pointed out. "I would have forgiven you just about anything. And Noah..." He smiled to himself as he smoothed lotion on his neck. "What he wanted from me, the way he asked for it? It was like a gift, that kind of trust."

Finn nodded. "Is it really all that different?"

Kurt paused. "From what's going on with Dave?" It was an uncomfortable thought. "You don't think he wants that from me, do you?"

"I have no idea. I'm just saying, you're kind of giving him the same sort of opportunity to open up, to trust, by trusting him the way you are. I'm not saying he wants you to discipline him." Finn grinned. "Who knows, maybe he does?"

"Yeah, I don't think I can do that for Dave Karofsky." The more he thought about it, the more it made him laugh. "I can just hear my dad saying, oh, no, not another one."

"Hey, I could see you handling a whole group of boys. Getting all bossy with them, telling them to line up and drop their shorts." Finn fended off Kurt's feeble swats, laughing. "You'd have them all calling you sir."

"I can't believe you're even making jokes about that," Kurt scolded. "I know it's not a joke to you, considering the way you do that with Noah and Patrick."

He didn't say and Carl, but he watched Finn's smile dim, and kicked himself a little for bringing it up. But Finn just shook his head.

"No. It's not a joke."

Kurt leaned over to take his hand. "You miss that."

"Well, yeah, of course I do. Me on my power trip, being in charge of them." He was still saying it jokingly, but Kurt could see the seriousness behind his smile. "Who wouldn't miss that?"

He squeezed Finn's hand. "We can do that, if you want. Sir."

It was impossible to say it and not be affected by it, by all the history they had around that word and what it had come to mean for them. But Finn just smiled and shrugged.

"I only really want it with you when you need it. And I think you only need it sometimes. When you're being a total brat."

Kurt's lips twitched. "Like that time I tried to tell Rachel you wanted a girl who dressed like a - like Olivia Newton-John did at the end of Grease?"

"Mmm," Finn said, nodding. "You remember how that turned out."

He shivered. "I'll never forget it."

Finn looked at their joined hands. "I, uh... I took Patrick to Carl's office. Two Saturdays ago, when you and Dave were at the observatory. I gave him the collar I had made for him."

"So that's what you were doing that night." Kurt watched the tension in Finn's fingers, the way he was holding on tight. "I'm guessing it was intense."

"You could say that," Finn said, exhaling. "Yeah. He... we haven't really talked about it much since then. Last I saw him, it was at Irene's, and it was kind of... well, something happened there, and Carl and I took off early."

Kurt realized what he was referring to. "That's the night you and Carl broke up."

"That's the night I broke up with him," Finn corrected. "He barely went along with it."

He pulled Finn into a hug, holding on, just as tightly as he had to Finn's hand. "You're so brave, doing what you thought was necessary. I don't know if I could do that. I think I'd be more selfish than that."

"You'd do it, if you thought you had to," said Finn. He kissed Kurt. "You'd better answer Dave's text, or he's going to think you agree with him about not wanting to look at himself in the mirror."

"And then I'll call Noah." Kurt climbed up on top of his bed, letting the moisturizer soak in, and reread Dave's texts.

I remember that feeling, he told Dave. I spent a lot of time feeling angry at myself when I thought the whole world was against me and it was always going to be that way. I was lucky I had a dad who told me I was a good person, and a best friend who made me promise never to feel bad for being honest.

You really are lucky, Dave replied. I don't think most people get either of those things.

Well, I'm not your dad, but I am your friend. I already told you I believe you're a good person.

Kurt. The one word stood by itself, with no context. Dave could be yelling it or crying it or rolling his eyes.

Will you let me ask you never to feel bad for being honest? said Kurt.

The reply took a while. Kurt just waited for it, there on his bed, surrounded by the things and memories that made him who he was - until October of last year, anyway, when Finn and Noah had given him the potential to become who he was now.

Eventually Finn came out of the bathroom and climbed onto the bed beside him, giving him minty toothpaste kisses and making him feel lucky all over again.

I don't know if I can promise anything about feelings, Dave said. They don't seem very consistent.

Fair enough, Kurt said. How about, if you do feel bad, you come talk to me about it?

And what are you going to do about it?

Kurt considered the words for a long moment. He sat up against the wall, showing Finn the screen while he typed, so he could read too.

I can listen to you, he typed. I can be your friend. I can let you know you're not alone.

"That's about all I can do for him," he said aloud. Finn kissed him on the cheek.

"That's a lot. And you get to decide what you want to do, all right? I wasn't trying to tell you you should do anything else. I was just saying I know you're capable of it."

He smiled. "You always did believe in me."

Dave sent his last reply while Kurt was calling Puck: That sounds like something I could handle.

When Puck picked up the phone, the noise in the background evoked pleasant memories of Tessera. Kurt automatically put a hand on the tattoo over his heart, the triplet notes he and Puck and Finn had created. They'd added accents and flourishes for Adam and Carl. All five of them bore the same tattoo, resting over their heart - easy to conceal, but always there.

He put him on speakerphone. "Noah."

"Hey, baby." Puck's lazy voice held a smile, which told Kurt that he was feeling good, if not necessarily behaving well. "In forty-eight hours I'm totally going to be sucking your dick."

"Not in the airport, I hope." He had to smile too. "Do you suppose you'll let me hold Beth first?"

"If you can pry her away from Carole."

"You're the boss," said Finn. Puck snickered.

"Dude. You tell your mom that. She's already telling me she gets dibs on her until Shelby takes her home."

Kurt snuggled closer until he was resting against Finn's shoulder. "I know I say this every time we talk, but we miss you. You, and Sarah. You're going to be amazed at how much work's been done on the house."

"Well, you're never going to believe how big she's gotten." Puck definitely sounded smug now.

"I've got an audition tomorrow for the summer community theater production of Free to Be You and Me. It's kind of stupid, but I'm going to try anyway. When's Adam planning to arrive?"

"Early Sunday morning. He said he'd wake me up when he got there. Our flight leaves in the afternoon, and we'll be home by evening. What the hell is this about Finn's reunion? He hasn't told me anything about it."

"We can talk about it when you get home," said Finn. "Right now, Kurt has plans for you."

"Oh." Puck's voice changed. "Yeah?"

"He wants to hear about the last time Adam visited." Finn smiled at Kurt. "You ready to tell us what you did?"

They could hear Puck taking a long breath, letting go as much as he could on his own. "Yes, sir."

"Go ahead, Noah. Any time you're ready, you have permission."

This, their ritual, had grown from sharing simple things about what they'd done while they were apart: what they'd eaten for lunch, the people at Tessera, things about school and Beth. Puck, never one for rigid boundaries, had begun sharing the things he and Adam were doing in bed, and that had been unexpectedly inspirational for Kurt - so much so that Finn had decided to require it. It was a way for Puck to submit to Finn over the phone, and for Kurt to feel closer to both Puck and Adam. Kurt was still a little embarrassed at how much it turned him on, but he'd decided not to complain and to just enjoy it.

The silence went on for a few moments, during which they could hear nothing but Puck continuing to breathe as he let Finn's command settle him. "Well... I could talk about last Thursday, I guess? That's the last day he was in town, the day he took off for Pennsylvania. I got up with Beth in the morning, and Adam slept a little. Then I, um. Ellie took Beth for her morning feeding while I woke Adam up. He cuffed me with my arms bound in front of me and he, um. He did me from behind, on my side."

Kurt squirmed a little. Finn opened his arms, letting Kurt climb in, reclining against him like a chair. Finn's hand traveled across Kurt's chest, his stomach, and down each leg, but didn't touch his cock.

"Did you beg him to touch you?" Finn asked. His soft, low voice landed on Kurt's ear as he spoke. Kurt moaned softly.

"I kept my hands to myself, but I could kind of rub the head of my dick on the edge of the blanket. You know the part around the edge that's kind of silky?"

"I know," said Finn. He was hard enough now that Kurt could feel him pulsing against his back, but he didn't seem to want anything more yet. He just nudged up against Kurt every now and then. "Was that enough to get you off?"

"Not until he switched positions." Kurt could hear the way Puck's voice was changing as he spoke. It was like he was talking about a dream instead of something that had really happened, kind of speculative and wondering. Kurt's breath hitched, and he thrust harder into the air, seeking Finn's hand, even though he knew Finn wouldn't touch him yet.

"What did it for you, Noah?"

"Fuck. He was kind of half on top of me, and he brought one leg up, kind of pinned between him and me? And then he could get in really deep."

"How many times did you come, before he was done?" Finn was nudging more frequently now, kind of rotating his pelvis and grinding against Kurt's ass from behind. Kurt lifted up a little, and Finn unzipped Kurt's pants for him, edging them down his legs until he was naked. Finn was still wearing his own shorts, but Kurt could feel the heat of his erection now, each throb against the small of his back.

"Three," said Puck. "Fuck... I'm so hard."

Puck knew better than to ask for his own pleasure, but Finn allowed him to talk about how hard he was, the way he strained against his shorts, the sensations of his cock on the fabric of his clothing. When Kurt whined again, he could hear Puck's groan.

"You want to touch," said Finn.

"No, I want - I want you to touch me."

Kurt lifted up so Finn could take off his own shorts, and his boxers, too, until there was nothing but skin between the two of them. When Kurt squirmed a little too much, Finn captured his arms, holding them securely to his chest.

"You'll have that soon, Noah." He reached down and tucked his cock between Kurt's legs. Finn's length was significant enough that Kurt could feel him pressing into the sensitive skin around his ass. Finn kept his own words slow and steady. "Do you need someone to cuff you to the bed so you can't touch?"

"I'm not gonna," said Puck.

"You're my good boy." Finn paused long enough for Kurt to adjust himself, and then he reached down with a fingerful of thick lubricant, coating the rim of Kurt's perineum with it. He couldn't quite reach him to finger him, but that didn't matter. His cock settled into the crease of Kurt's ass, already slick. Very slowly, he pushed.

"Ohh," Kurt moaned. He could hear Puck's harsh breathing, but he could barely concentrate on it anymore, he was so intent on the sensation of Finn entering him, one fraction of an inch at a time.

"I'm inside him now," Finn said. Kurt didn't know how he could keep his voice so calm, even as he drew back and thrust deeper. Kurt braced his legs on the bed, trying to time his thrust back to maximize the depth of penetration. "Just like I'm going to be inside you."

"Want that," said Puck, his voice thick.

"Very soon."

There wasn't a lot of talking after that. Every time Kurt heard Puck's noises, or Puck heard Kurt's, there was another cascade of reaction. When Kurt sat up, Finn helped him squat over his cock, canting his hips back to get the best angle, raising and lowering himself with desperate effort.

"I'm so close, Noah," he panted.

"God, Kurt. Wish I could see you right now, baby. You're so fucking beautiful."

He smiled. "You always say that."

"It's always true. Nobody like you. Want you both so much."

"We want you too, sweetheart. Listening to you... hearing what you did with Adam, it gets us so hard." He raised himself up again, letting gravity do the work, while Finn held steady beneath him. Each time he came down, Finn made an anticipatory noise: oh... oh... oh. He could feel Finn tensing, every muscle taut as he let Kurt set the pace.

"Yeah, fuck, you know just how good he sounds when he's inside you..." Puck sounded so hungry, but Kurt could tell he was already satisfied by what was happening.

He's getting what he needs, Kurt thought. It was a profoundly meaningful sensation to know that was true.

"When Kurt comes," said Finn, his voice beginning to lose its integrity, the words stuttering and forced as he struggled to keep control. "When he comes, you - you come too. Not before. Oh -" He reached out with both hands and gripped Kurt's hips, holding him in place as he thrust into him. "You ready, baby?"

"Right there, god, yes, Finn... Noah, tell me, tell me what he said to you when he cuffed you?"

"He said I'm the best alarm clock. That every morning I'm there, he wakes up ready to give me what I need."

It wasn't what Kurt had expected to hear. It made him cry a little, there on the edge of coming, to hear Puck talking about Adam like that, with such love and devotion. "Oh, sweetheart."

"Yeah, I don't know how I ever got to deserve that, but I'm so fucking lucky. All of you."

Kurt had to agree. It wasn't anything like the way he'd expected his life to look in any of his dreams or fantasies. The reality was so much more colorful and messy and surprising.

He cried out as Finn's hand wrapped around his own, surrounding his cock, and brought him to an abrupt climax.

"Had to," Finn said. He released Kurt's arms and flipped him over, face down on the bed as he took over thrusting into him. "Had to, the two of you, you're so hot, god... I couldn't wait any longer."

Kurt doubted that. Finn's control over his own impulses had become incredibly precise. But he wasn't going to deny Finn his release - especially not if it meant Finn on top of him, filling him up like that. Kurt wasn't built like Noah; he was pretty sure he didn't have the capacity to have multiple orgasms from penetration, but it that didn't mean it didn't feel good.

"Can I...? Fuck, it sounds good, whatever's happening." Puck didn't sound jealous, but he was definitely reaching the end of his own control.

"You can touch yourself, Noah," said Kurt. His voice was a little muffled by the pillow under his face, but he thought Puck would hear him anyway.

The sounds of Puck, bringing himself off, were especially delicious in the wake of their sweaty lovemaking. Kurt could feel Finn, still inside him, twitching with aftershocks. He sighed and stretched, resting on the bed.

"Tomorrow," Puck said, already drowsy. He yawned, which made Kurt yawn. "Tomorrow I wanna feel you inside me."

"Which of us?" Kurt asked. "Me or Finn?"

"Do I have to pick?"

He looked over his shoulder at Finn, laughing in surprise. "I... um. Both of us? I don't even know if that's possible."

"Porn would say yes, definitely," Finn said. "And I think he might really dig it."

"A conversation for another day, Noah. Go into the bathroom and get cleaned up before bed."

"Yes, sir." He sounded pleasantly exhausted. "Talk t'you tomorrow. Love you."

"We love you too, Noah." Kurt switched off his phone and set it on the nightstand, breathing a deep sigh. "God. I really need another shower."

"C'mon, we'll go together." Finn heaved himself out of bed and reached for Kurt, helping him to his feet. "He sounded better afterward."

"He always does. I think Adam's been giving him what he needs."

Finn shook his head. "That's good for now, but..."

"What?"

"I don't know." He turned on the shower, waiting for it to warm up before stepping under the spray. He didn't say anything more about Puck until they were clean and had brushed their teeth.

"It's like, what they're doing together," Finn said, "with Adam and Beth, at Tessera? It's like he's... playing house. It isn't his real life. Tomorrow it's going to be over, and he's going to be back here with us."

Kurt considered this soberly. "Are you saying Adam's pretending?"

"No... not really. I mean, Adam's got his life, you know? His grown-up life, his tour... the thing he's been working toward. I don't think he actually wants to be taking care of Puck and his kid every day. Not if it was for real."

It made him wonder if Finn was talking about Puck and Adam, or about himself and Carl, but Kurt wasn't going to bring up that question before bed. He turned off the light and climbed into bed, pulling the duvet up over both of them.

"This bed's almost big enough for two of us," he said, making Finn laugh. He kissed Kurt on the ear and snuggled up to him from behind.

"Yeah, we're gonna go back to being crowded for a while. I think we can deal, though. The house will be done in the fall. There'll be enough room for all seven of us."

Kurt closed his eyes. And whoever comes next.