Sorry for the long wait to update. Work and RL have been just crazy. But, today, before work, I suddenly got the inspiration to update. So here it is. Hope it doesn't dissapoint!
"I think I'm going to be sick."
"You're over-exaggerating."
"I don't think I can do this."
Kurt lifted his eyes from checking himself out in the passenger side window, and his eyes flew to Puck, who was leaning against his door, one hand clutched to his stomach as if he was going to be sick any moment. The younger boy emitted a small groan from his throat, before heading around to Puck's side. He placed a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly in support.
"Everything will be fine, don't worry." Kurt somehow managed a smile, even though the butterflies in his stomach were threatening to force him to hurl at any moment.
Not that he'd admit that to Puck, though.
"Easy for you to say," Puck gasped, running a hand nervously over his mo-hawked head. Kurt could make out beads out sweat sticking out on the older boy's forehead, noticed his breathing becoming heavy, turning into short, loud pants. The younger boy couldn't help the small smile that twitched at his lips.
"Are you having a panic attack?" He raised an eyebrow as Puck's dark brown eyes shifted to him, feigning anger.
"I've never done this before," he admitted, tugging at his jacket, something to do with his hands. He took a moment to check out what he was wearing. Kurt had UN-ceremoniously burst into his room early in the morning, waking Puck from a deep slumber. He watched with blurry, sleep deprived eyes as Kurt sauntered around his room, throwing clothes at him every which way, until he finally settled on an outfit he deemed appropriate for his "fake boyfriend," as he put it.
Puck now checked himself out in the driver's side window, turning to the side. Even in his panicked state, he had to admit he looked good. Blue jeans, with only a few rips in them, and a white button up shirt, with a black leather jacket. To top it all off, Kurt had even managed to find a chain necklace, that hung with pride from Puck's neck. He pursed his lips, letting out a slow whistle, as Kurt came up behind him.
He had insisted that they wear clothes that were colour matching, so that everyone would know immediately that they were more than friends. So Kurt had donned a black cardigan sweater, following black skinny jeans, and his hair, which he spent so much time on in the morning, was perfectly mussed.
"Gotta hand it to ourselves, we are the best looking fake couple in McKinley." Kurt ran a hand through his hair once more before grabbing Puck's shoulder and turning him around. He started to run his hands over the taller boy's chest, pulling at his shirt in a way that almost made Puck feel uncomfortable. He barely heard Kurt mumbling something about getting all the wrinkles out, when he heard the bell ring.
He could feel a panic attack start rising up again, and he grabbed onto the driver's side handle for support, as his legs started feeling like jelly beneath him. "How can you be so comfortable doing this?" he asked, as Kurt took hold of his arm and surprisingly supported Puck's weight on him.
Kurt merely huffed, as he started walking, dragging Puck alongside with him. "I'm apparently dating the hottest guy in school. How can I be nervous with that?" He threw a lopsided grin at Puck, who felt a calmness come over him.
Puck puffed out his chest and reached into his jeans pocket, pulling out a pair of black sunglasses. He placed them over his eyes, and held his hand out for Kurt. When Kurt's fingers entwined with his, Puck ran his thumb along Kurt's hand curiously.
"You have really soft hands."
"It's called moisturizing. Try it sometime." Kurt took notice of Puck's rough, calloused hand covering his, and he felt a gleam of pride encasing his mind. "You ready?" He asked once more, not bothering to look at Puck.
"Puckzilla is always ready," Puck growled, already taking large strides towards the school. Kurt almost had to jog to catch up, before he tugged on his hand, silently telling him to slow down. Puck stopped then, a small blush reddening his cheeks.
"Sorry," he started, running a hand along the back of his neck. "I sorta got ahead of myself." He stepped behind Kurt, while not managing to break contact, and took a slight bow, gesturing ahead of him with his free hand.
"After you."
Kurt shook his head and started into the school. "You're quite the gentleman," he mocked, tightening his grasp on Puck's hand.
"Don't get used to it." Puck grinned, and gestured once more.
Kurt started into the school, feeling Puck follow close behind, their hands still clasped in one another.
"This is going to be a fun day."
Puck wouldn't be able to count the times he's walked into the front doors of McKinley high, in his whole high school experience. He wouldn't be able to count the looks he'd gotten, every time he entered the school with a new girlfriend, or a new hookup. The guy would look at him with admiration, wishing they could be him, where the girls would look at him with disgust, other jealousy. But Puck would puff his chest out, and just keep going. Nothing could ever stop Puckzilla.
But this feeling was different. As he entered the halls of McKinley, hand in hand with Kurt, he could swear that almost everyone in the hallway – some even poking their heads out of classrooms to look – were staring at him, with disdain and disgust in their eyes. Some of them, who were huddled into groups, started whispering to one another, their eyes shifting from Puck and Kurt's hands, to look Puck in the eyes. Some of the people walking by stopped literally in their tracks, jaws opened in shock, eyes wide.
Puck hardly ever claimed to be defeated. But this time, he was willing to make an exception.
Though his eyes were covered by the dark sunglasses, Puck closed them, allowing Kurt to lead them through the now crowded hallway. The younger boy's hand threatened to slip away from the amount of sweat that Puck was producing from his palm. He was almost surprised that Kurt didn't let go of his hand in disgust. But as he was led through the hallway, he tried to listen to the sound of his boots clanking against the tile floor, instead of the whispers that he attempted to block out.
"...Puckerman's a homo?"
"What the hell's gotten into Puck?"
"Since when did Puckerman switch sides?"
"Must have been Hummel. He must have caught the Gay."
Puck's stopped in his footsteps, pulling Kurt back slightly. He opened his eyes and looked around, searching for the host of that comment. When all he got was surprised, and disgusted looks in return, he felt his free hand clench into a fist, and his breathing got heavier.
Kurt ran up in front of him, placing a small hand on his chest. "Hey," he whispered, trying to gain Puck's attention. When Puck gave him none, Kurt grabbed his jaw and pointed his head downwards, forcing him to meet his eyes. "It's okay. Just keep walking, ignore them, okay?" He reached out and grabbed Puck's other hand, fist and all, and brought it to his side. "Come on, let's keep going." He tugged at Puck's hands encourigingly, and Puck was pulled out of his stupor. He nodded slowly, his eyes locking onto Kurt, before Kurt started walking again.
"Assholes," Puck muttered under his breath, turning just slightly, so that he could catch sight of the bullies leaving the area. He could feel Kurt's hand tense underneath his. "I'm just supposed to put up with that?" He asked, jaw gaping open slightly. When Kurt just nodded in response, Puck shook his head, and rolled his shoulders, feeling his muscles crack slightly. "I should put them in their place, let them know who still owns this school." He heard Kurt let out a small laugh, and turned a confused gaze to him.
"These baboons will never learn their lessons, Noah. It's a dog eat dog world. Being different, you're going to have to put up with the stares, and the comments." He ended the sentence with a sad tone, his eyes down casting to the floor, watching his feet make small strides along the tile. "In fact, I think you're pretty brave to be doing this."
"Whatever," Puck grumbled, taking in a deep breath. "I made a commitment, I'm going to stick to it."
They stopped in front of a classroom, and Kurt shrugged a shoulder. "See you after?"
Puck's eyes were searching the hallway, trying his best to ignore the looks that people still kept throwing his way. When Kurt cleared his throat impatiently, Puck nodded, licking at his dry lips.
"Yeah, of course."
Kurt released his hold on Puck, leaving a cold, clammy feeling on Puck's hand. He absently wiped his hand on his jeans, making sure Kurt got inside the classroom, before turning around and heading down the hallway.
A few feet behind him, Sam Evans watched him with curious eyes.
Puck tried his best to be the bigger man, and let all the comments roll off his back. As a good "boyfriend" should do, (or so Kurt made him do, more likely), Puck waited outside every class, waiting for the younger Soprano to exit, welcoming him each time with a forced, yet warm smile, before holding his hand out. Kurt took it each time, small muscles gripping his for support. As the day went on, however, Puck found the whole routine to become easier. Word had eventually gotten around, and people yelled comments at them as they passed. Not even Puck's death glare would startle them anymore. They just ended up laughing and running away.
As they entered the Glee club, the entire classroom went silent, and Puck could swear he felt chills run up his spine. Twenty pairs of eyes shot to the couple, making them stop cold in their tracks. Puck stood at the doorway as Kurt made his way to his seat, as if nothing phased him. He sat down and crossed his legs, before waving a finger at Puck, motioning him to follow his lead.
Just one foot in front of the other, the older boy thought to himself, taking one large stride into the room. He faltered a little, but managed to stay upright, pulling at his jacket in a suave manner. He took his spot beside Kurt, who took his hand, and sat back in his chair, waiting for the comments to come.
It wasn't until Finn walked into the room, his face a mask of fury and confusion, that Puck jumped out of his chair. The larger boy came tumbling towards Puck, the younger boy stumbling past the chairs, trying to get away from Finn. He eventually got stopped by a row of chairs, cursing to himself, as he felt a large pair of hands grab at the back of his shirt, tugging him backwards. He let out a small yelp as his feet got swept up beneath him, and his body collided with Finn's, who didn't seem to falter at all.
If there was ever a time for Puck to be scared of his best friend, he thought this would be the right time.
Finn had twisted the younger boy around, fisting his hands into the front of Puck's shirt. His upper lip was curled up into a snarl, spittle forming at the sides of his mouth. He tugged at Puck's shirt, bringing the boy closer to him.
Puck's hands immediately flew up, palms out, in a gesture of surrender. His eyes were wide, mouth opening and closing trying to form a coherent thought. He settled for:
"Hey, buddy." A small, forced smile tugged at his lips.
He thougt for a second that Finn wasn't going to respond. That the older boy would just go straight for the hitting part. But instead, Finn's eyes narrowed a little, his breathing slowing. But his grip on Puck's shirt never loosened.
"Tell me it's not true."
Puck looked desperately over at Kurt, who gave him a helpless shrug of his shoulders. Then his eyes moved to Quinn, who was sitting just behind Kurt. Her eyes glinted in amusement, seeming unable to keep a smile off her face. She gave him a tiny nod, encouraging him. Beside her, Santana and Brittany giggled, obviously enjoying his pain.
"What's not true?" He'd play the clueless card. That seemed like the safest bet.
"You know what I'm talking about!" Finn yelled, shaking Puck by his jacket in emphasis.
Okay. So it wasn't going to work.
"Listen..." Puck started, but Finn cut him off again, abruptly.
"Tell me!"
"I'm trying!" Puck countered, lowering his hands. He shoved against Finn - was he always this hard to move? - and felt Finn loosen his grip on his jacket. He stumbled back a little, holding out his hands, his body caught by a chair. He straightened himself out, and stood, standing fully erect, in front of Finn.
"Alright, just listen," he started, holding his hands out in front of him, mostly to ward off his best friend from beating his face in. Unconsciously, he started moving around the chairs, an invisible guard. "What you've heard is probably just a rumour."
"All I've been hearing all day are whispers that you're dating my brother!" Finn pointed a finger at Kurt, then back at Puck. "You better pray it's not true!"
Puck's lips moved soundlessly, his mind racing to find the right answer to the accusation. Without looking at Quinn, he already knew what her reaction was, and he cursed himself mentally for ever getting involved in this plan in the first place.
"Well, here's the thing..." he started again, placing his hands in his pocket. "The things you've been hearing all day. They're sorta...kinda...true."
He heard the scuffle of chairs on the tile floor, as Finn tumbled through them, carelessly kicking them aside. Puck reflexively jumped aside, just narrowly missing Finn's muscular hand grabbing at his throat. He threw himself sideways, sliding on his butt into the middle of the room. He pushed himself up onto his elbows as Finn came stomping towards him, his shadow towering over him.
"Stop!"
Finn had stopped in his tracks, and Puck realized that Kurt and Mike had stepped in between Puck and Finn. Kurt had his hands on Finn's chest, Mike in front of Puck, ready to move into action if the giant made another advance. Finn's chest was rising and falling rapidly underneath Kurt's hands, his eyes locked on Puck in a death glare.
"Please, Finn. Stop." Kurt pleaded, eyes wide with terror. Only a few times had he seen Finn in this mode, and everytime, it still scared the younger boy.
A few moments passed, and Kurt started to lower his hands from Finn's chest. Finn had seemingly calmed down some, his breathing slowing, face returning to the normal color. His fists unclenched at his sides, his body relaxing.
Mike finally turned to Puck and held out a hand, which Puck didn't hesitate in taking. As he got pulled to his feet, he heard Kurt muttering to Finn, in a small, scolding voice.
"I'm very disappointed at your behaviour, Finn." Kurt shook his head, throwing a sympathetic look towards Puck. Finn followed his gaze, only his glance was more threatening than anything. Puck had to swallow the large lump that had formed in his throat.
"Why are you dating this douche?" Finn asked Kurt, before turning to Puck. "And since when are you Gay, Puck?" He hissed.
Kurt started to answer, but Puck cut him off, holding up a hand.
"I don't believe I've ever actually discussed my sexual orientation with you, dude." He shrugged a shoulder lazily. "Maybe I've discovered some new found feelings for Hummel, alright?"
"And you have no say in who I date, Finn," Kurt pointed out, shoving Finn back a little bit.
Finn's eyes narrowed again as he shook his head. "Is this some sort of game?"
Puck's eyes flew to Quinn, who shook her head.
"No," he answered easily. "It's not a game, alright?" As if to prove his point, he walked over to Kurt and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "We're an item now." He jutted his chin out at the rest of the club. "Anyone's got a problem with it, they answer to me."
Finn's breathing increased a little, but he stayed silent. He shuffled backwards a bit, eyes locked on something over Puck's shoulder. As Puck turned to look, he saw Will standing at the door, frozen in shock from over hearing the conversation.
Kurt started to move towards his chair, and Puck followed, daring with his eyes for someone to challenge him. As they took their seats, Will entered the room, placing his briefcase on the piano. He shook his head a little, but kept his cool.
As he started his lesson, Puck felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Finn sitting beside him.
"This isn't over, you know," he whispered, leaning back into his chair.
Puck let out a loud sigh.
No. It's just beginning.
