CHAPTER NINE
"Are you seriously sticking up for him?" Kurt asked in disbelief as he walked through the kitchen, dancing the handle of a frying pan between his fingers with skill. He needed to make use of it before it turned into a weapon. "I know this is new and stuff, but I'm pretty sure you are supposed to support your broken hearted, innocent son."
"I'm not on Blaine's side, you are my son and I will always protect and defend you even if your wrong-"
"You think I'm wrong?" Kurt gasped, throwing the pan onto the stove in a huff and gaping at his father.
"Would you quit interrupting me? And careful with the utensils Mister." Burt chastised from behind his beer bottle on the other side of the kitchen island. "You weren't wrong for falling in love Buddy, but to promise each other against something you were blind too was a pretty naïve thing to do."
"Excuse me?"
"But its fine, because when you're in love and a child you think you're invincible, it happens to the best of us."
"I'm not a child." Kurt mumbled juvenilely as he lit the stove and poured in a minimal amount of oil in the pan. "Did it happen to you? I mean, was there someone before Mom?"
"Yeah it did." Burt admitted with a sigh and Kurt looked at him wide eyed. Although it was never discussed or implied, Kurt had always just assumed that no one existed in his parents lives before each other. "Her name was Judy Allen and we began dating after senior prom and we stayed together until I was 22."
"What happened?" Kurt asked, vaguely aware that he had heard that name someone before.
"The Beta I dreamed off four years previously came in my workplace, complaining about a flat tire." Burt smiled fondly to himself. "We were married six months later."
"What about Judy?" Kurt asked while placing minced beef into the pan and breaking it apart with a spatula. "Didn't she hate you? Didn't you feel bad?"
"We both understood Kurt, and that's the difference between me and you." Kurt opened his mouth to defend himself, but Burt held a hand up to silence him. "We had seen all our friends around us get bonded to their Mates and understood that having a Soul Mate isn't just a fancy word, it means something, that there is another person out there who owns the other half of your heart that you didn't even know was missing until it comes together. We accepted the possibility of our Soul Mates showing up and we were very adult about it and we broke things of mutually when Elizabeth agreed to give us a chance. Judy met her Mate, Russell Fabray, not long after that."
"Fabray as in Quinn Fabray?" Kurt asked in shock, eyes bulging when his father nodded. "That's so gross."
"It's a small town Kurt." Burt chuckled.
"Do you regret it?" Kurt asked, scratching up and down his arm subconsciously; a nervous movement since preschool. "I mean, had you of known how it would have ended, would you still have chosen her?"
"Oh course Kurt. Me loving her gained me a fulfilled rich happy life, beautiful memories and an amazing son, who because of my own heart break, refuses to accept or embrace Conjunctio."
"I don't refuse it." Kurt defended in a scandalized tone. Burt gave him a disbelieving look as he walked past his lithe son to the fridge to grab another beer. "Fine, maybe I do protest it slightly, but it's not just because I saw your tears after she died dad, it's just a contributing factor in a much bigger political picture."
"That new bill passed last year, the same sex marriage one if both are fated Mates and all that."
"Exactly." Kurt exclaimed. "I hate it. I could never marry Blaine no matter how much I loved him, but Sebastian could just because they are 'fated Soul Mates' as if love isn't an actually necessity."
"This Simon does love Blaine."
"Sebastian." Kurt corrected in a bitter voice. "And he doesn't. The only organ that beats for Blaine on that tramp is not his heart."
"I don't know if you genuinely believe that or not Kid, but you're wrong. This isn't some cruel joke. Your Soul Mate is chosen as the partner who will compliment you, inspire you and love you unconditionally. Conjunctio is only a guide, a hormone to help point out that partner. The qualities and beauty of your Mate don't change to fit your needs before or after the Alpha dream, they were born with the perfect qualities to please you."
"Well, I.. um…"
"Go on." Burt insisted, staring straight into his son's eyes which danced across the room to avoid Burt's face. "You found him haven't you? Your Mate."
"And you know what father, I never looked at my 'Mate' that way before hand and if I'm completely honest, his personality made me cringe and feel nauseous and know it doesn't. Now I crave his presence, his touch and voice. So that proved your theory wrong, things do change under the influence of Conjunctio." Kurt snapped, roughly pushing the browning meat around in the pan.
"Who is it? Besides Kurt, you probably hated him before because you never got to know him and now that Conjunctio is drawing you both to each other, you noticed the good qualities that were always there, you just hadn't spent enough time around him to recognize them. Give him a chance and you will live a full, happy life, Kurt and as your father, that is all I want, that is why I'm kind of glad you and Blaine ended things-"
"My Mate is Noah Puckerman." Kurt interrupted flatly, turning to look his father straight in the face in challenge.
Burt didn't respond for a really long time, verbally or physically. He just stood there, looking at his son with a blank expression, bottle of beer half way to his lips. Kurt knew his father knew Puck, Finn had the mowhawked man over plenty enough and Burt was always complaining that the kid was a punk who ate all their food and tried to seduce his wife. Of course, Puck wasn't really out to sleep with his best friend's mother, especially in front of her husband, but Burt enjoyed using it as an excuse to irrationally dislike the self proclaimed bad boy.
"You know what," Burt finally voiced as he pushed himself away from the island. "Maybe you should stay Anti-Conjunctio after all. Never know, a decent man might come along soon enough." Burt advised, causing Kurt to burst out laughing as he tried his hardest to disguise the worrying urge to jump to the Jewish teen's defense.
As Santana sat on the bed in her best friend's room, she began to think beyond the fucked up mindset both her and her friend had set up in order to protect themselves from rejection, pain and heartbreak; Especially as she looked around the room at the new addictions that had made their way onto Noah Puckerman's walls; Glee photos. Just last month, the Lothario's walls were plastered with posters of athletes and naked woman -which Santana helped pick out- and sporting memorabilia and now, while the other stuff remained, several pictures of the Glee Club were on show. Puck loved Glee for the music but hated its loser reputation so when he was away from the choir room or anything Glee related, he would ignore such activities ever took place in his life, including his bedroom. While Santana, Brittany and many others had pictures and certificates and trophies of their time in the show choir club, Puck refused to acknowledge such things outside of school. But now, they were about 8 pictures out on display, group pictures from various competitions or numbers and it didn't take an idiot to realize why, even if the man of the hour didn't quite know it himself yet. All the pictures had Kurt in them.
"Noah?" Santana asked over the low playing rock music in the background while the Alpha male took a rare moment to complete his homework before school the next day. Puck grunted in response as Santana took in the form of his back hunched over his cluttered desk. "What's Conjunctio like?"
"What do you mean?" Puck grumbled, sounding like he had his pen in his mouth, a tell tale sign he was having difficulty with the work in front of him. If Santana cared more, she would have left him uninterrupted to solve the problem or even offered to help, as it was, she was a bitch.
"Apart from seeing her in a dream, I've never had any contact with this Dani bitch, so Conjunctio hasn't played a part in my life, whereas you see Kurt practically every day and I was just wondering what it feels like."
"Why are you curious all of a sudden, it's been almost a month since our birthdays." Puck asked in a slightly irritated tone as his head remained bowed over his paperwork.
"Do you think of him while you touch yourself?" Santana questioned bluntly as she crawled to the end of the bed and lay on her stomach, legs flapping about in the air.
"Santana, I'm trying to work here." Puck answered in classical evasion technique which the Latina Alpha snorted at.
"I have. Thought of Dani, I mean." Santana admitted, eyes focused on her fingers locked together in front of her as she held herself up by her elbows. This declaration of honesty, for whatever reason, caught Puck's attention as he turned to face her in shock. "I dream of her, a lot, and when I wake up, I feel sensual, desirable and sexy and it helps me get off." She shrugged in a blasé way which fooled nobody. Santana talking about feeling, no matter how x rated, was a rare thing.
"That's the effects of the hormone." Puck offered with a small smile, probably unsure on how to react.
"So does that mean you think of Kurt sometimes?" Santana asked and Puck huffed and deflated in his chair. "Come on dude, answer the damn question. Are you sexually attracted to Kurt, even in the slightest?"
"I'm not gay Santana." Puck snapped, jumping from his chair and standing over her amused body on his bed. It was an intimidating stance, but the Latina knew him better than she knew herself.
"Prove it." She whispered in a challenging tone as she rolled away from him to the other end of the bed, where she waited for him to join her. "Fuck me and don't think of him." She dared.
"You have to be kidding me." Puck laughed.
"No, are you kidding me?" Santana snapped, shifting to sit on her knees. "How much pussy have you plowed since your birthday huh? None, that's how much. You won't even climb aboard the SS Santana and I'm easy pickings after what shit has happened to me."
"It's only been a few weeks Santana, I've gone without sex for much longer. Just because I'm too busy to-"
"I dare you to finish that sentence without lying to either me or yourself."
Puck growled in frustration, kicked the foot of his bed and stomped back over to his homework, leaving a very smug yet confused Santana sitting alone on his bed.
"Why did you rape me into dating you if you don't want to reap the benefits?" Santana asked quietly, staring out of the bedroom window.
"You know why." Was Puck's mumbled response, signaling the pen had returned to his mouth. Had Santana felt more in an antagonizing mood, she would have made a witty remark about the pen being Hummel's cock.
Of course she knew why Puck had demanded they enter an extremely open relationship, but Santana was beginning to doubt Puck's commitment and loyalty to her. It was almost like Klaine 2.0. After their stupid dreams, Puck decided that both Alpha's pursue a relationship to ward off loneliness. With both unhappy with their 'Soulmates' Santana used Puck to hide her broken heart created by Brittany and Puck used Santana to release any urges of arousal that he had to ensure he doesn't fall prey to Conjunctio and try seduce Kurt. Being together, not matter how false and dysfunctional was their way of protecting themselves against further pain and heartache.
But Santana wasn't stupid, fuck no, she was a nasty manipulative scheming bitch who saw the world with a more critical eye, helping her pick up on warning signs easily and when she looked over at Puck, red lights began flashing. The Jewish Alpha could deny it as much as possible but only an idiot could miss the fact that Kurt had gotten under his skin, if only in the tiniest bit, and Santana doubted it would take very long before the Porcelain Beta unintentionally stole her boyfriend's heart. She knew she should feel happy for the pair; they were both hot after all, but for their happiness would come at the price of Santana's and the Latina hated losing, so instead of joy, she felt resentment. Every picture of the Glee Club littering the wall made her angry and Puck's complete lack of response, generally and sexually enraged her and it was all Kurt Hummel's fault.
"I've called this 'Guess Who' committee to order." Rachel announced, standing in the middle of her basement where she, Finn, Brittany, Sam and Blaine conjugated. "Now that we have it confirmed that Kurt Hummel has indeed seen the identity of his Alpha, we can begin to piece the clues together." She went on, pointing a sharp finger at Blaine, who looked a little uncomfortable with being at this impromptu meeting at all.
"I just don't see why it concerns us and why we have to get involved." Brittany commented, her voice somewhat muffled as her teeth gnawed on her nails.
"Because there has to be a serious explanation as to why he would keep such a life altering event secret, right Finn?" the brunet Beta asked her Mate, who for the first time in a long while, seemed to be enthralled by her every word.
"That's right. Kurt's my little brother and I know I've been a douche to him in the past-" both Sam and Blaine scoffed, Finn choose to ignore them. "-but it's my duty to make sure he is safe. For all we know, his Mate might have threatened to hurt Kurt if he told anyone and that's why he has kept quiet."
"Strangely enough, I agree with you Finn." Blaine replied, nodding his head and looking around at the others from the edge of Rachel's makeshift stage. "Me and Kurt told each other everything, we are best friends before we were lovers and he kept his dream a secret from me and I can't understand why. The only reasonable explanation is that his Mate is straight or something and threatened Kurt into silence."
"How do we know that Kurt even met his Mate yet?" Sam asked.
"He pretty much confirmed it when he told me that he said he was pissed that I couldn't fight the Conjunctio hormone when he could, implying that it's been tested for him to resist, meaning he has been in direct contact with his fated on at least one occasion." Rachel nodded heavily at Blaine's assessment whilst Sam, Brittany and Finn looked at him with a lost sort of expression. "Maybe it's Karofsky, he already threatened Kurt's life once before because of his own secret shame, what's to say he wont do it again?"
"Nah dude, Dave's still only 17." Finn informed and Blaine let out a large sigh of relief.
"Maybe someone else on the football team?" Rachel asked. "They are all brainless oaths capable of endangering the life of others."
"Karofsky is the youngest senior on the field; he's the only one still 17 year old after Puck's birthday." Sam pointed out.
"Maybe it is Puck?" Brittany suggested with a shrug of her shoulders. Rachel and Blaine immediately perked up in interest.
"Puck's my boy, he would have told me." Finn reminded the group. "Besides he wouldn't hurt Kurt, he'd only reject him."
"Maybe Kurt isn't keeping silent over fear but out of embarrassment? I mean Noah isn't exactly husband material, especially by Kurt's standards." Rachel offered. "It explains the Jacob Black with hazel eyes description as well." Blaine frowned in confusion at that. "Oh my lord, it is Noah isn't it."
"Probably not, but at the moment, he's the only suspect we have, and if it is him, we don't need to worry no more. Puck won't attack Kurt and Kurt won't out Puck." Sam said, looking over at a very uncomfortable looking Finn. "You Okay, man?"
"It is Puck." Finn said with such finality and dejection. "Now it's been mentioned I can completely see the signs. On his birthday when he stopped by the house, he was all flustered and stuff because Kurt was only in his underwear and when Blaine took Kurt out of the cafeteria, Puck followed them, he said he was going to the bathroom, but he was obviously lying."
"So what do we do?" Brittany asked.
"Nothing." Blaine answered simply. "If Kurt hasn't told anyone then he obviously wants to keep it to himself, same for Puck and I doubt they would appreciate knowing that we sat in a basement trying to work out their secrets. We pretend we are oblivious until they decide to tell us, if they ever do."
"An acting exercise, how exciting." Rachel squealed.
"I'm good at exercise." Sam stated, lying on the floor and doing several sit ups causing Brittany to jump up into the air and perform star jumps while Finn jabbed thin air with his fists in quick recession.
Rachel and Blaine simply watched on in equal puzzlement and amusement.
Next Chapter: Santana gets spiteful, Puck gets possessive and a determined Beta comes on to the scene.
