Chapter Nine:
"You know Finn, if you get any closer to the window, you might actually be outside of the car." Kurt said, chuckling nervously before sighing at the silence that followed.
After Noah had left that morning, Kurt had resolved to talk to Finn and clear the air somewhat. He had to admit he was alarmed and a little confused by Finn's extreme reaction to the situation. They had certainly had their differences in the past, but Kurt really thought they had moved past all of that after their "big fight" when Finn and his mother had first moved in.
It really didn't make any sense to Kurt. He always thought when he finally got a boyfriend, Finn would be happy for him. He didn't expect Finn to be totally comfortable about the idea, but he had hoped Finn would at least be supportive, and probably even a little relieved that he wouldn't be the object of Kurt's affection anymore. Kurt had gotten over Finn long ago, and although things had been good, there was always an underlying tension coming from the Quaterback.
Perhaps it was the way Finn found out. Kurt knew Finn didn't deal with shocks well, so seeing him Kissing Noah seemingly out of the blue probably wasn't the best way for him to find out.
Or perhaps it was because Finn had been shocked by seeing Kurt kissing Noah.
Either way, the tension in the car was palpable and Finn was pressed as closely to the door as humanly possible, as if he was scared to be close to Kurt. A scowl seemed to be permanently etched upon his face and his eyes hadn't deviated from the road ahead of them since Kurt had started the car.
"Finn?" Kurt asked hesitantly, keeping his own eyes fixed on the road. "I think we need to talk."
"Well I really don't." Finn said in a tone so cold he could only have learned it from listening to Kurt when he was in a full diva meltdown.
"Please Finn? I hate this tension between us."
"You should have thought about that before you decided to mess everything up then."
"Finn, I haven't messed anything up... I just want to be happy. So does Noah." Kurt said, trying not to show how much Finn's behavior was hurting him. For all of their differences, Kurt really cared for Finn. Not in a romantic way, not anymore, but he truly cared none the less.
"Yes you have." Finn said, the ice in his voice fading as anger set in instead. "You know you being gay was one thing and once you stopped trying to... To convert me, I could ignore it. But what you're doing now is so wrong. You're fucking up everything for Puck."
"Finn, what are you talking about!" Kurt demanded, anger beginning to creep into his own voice.
"Puck isn't gay!"
"Finn..."
"He isn't! He's my best friend and I know he isn't like you. At first I thought he was just fucking with you and I was pissed at him, but he's serious!"
"Exactly Finn!" Kurt growled. "He is serious."
"Yeah, seriously messed up. He actually thinks he's into you... that he likes that shit... How do you think the rest of the school is gonna react to this?"
"Not everything is about popularity Finn."
"But Puck is. Being popular is who he is. This is gonna destroy his reputation, his place in the school... Everything. And how do you think it's going to be when he realizes he isn't actually gay? That you just tricked him into this to get what you want."
Kurt pursed his lips, determined not to lose his temper. He gripped the steering wheel tighter and took a deep breath, mentally willing himself not to cry. He knew this conversation wouldn't be easy, but the depth of Finn's anger was astonishing. Kurt knew that Finn really did believe what he was saying, but there was obviously more to it than that. Finn pretended to be all accepting and tolerant, but Kurt was beginning to see that Finn's tolerance only seemed to apply to things in theory, not when he was actually faced with them.
"Finn, what Noah and I decide is none of your business. I'm sorry that you feel that way and that you are so obviously disgusted by gay people, but you have to trust Noah to make his own choices."
"How can he with you doing everything you can to get what you want?" Finn demanded, turning to face Kurt fully. Kurt sighed, this time in frustration and pulled the car to the side of the road. When he had stopped, he turned to face Finn, the anger he felt inside easily showing on his delicate features.
"I'm not some kind of predator Finn. I'm not tricking Noah into doing anything he doesn't want to. Whether or not you accept that is up to you."
"I'm never going to accept it. It's wrong." Finn stated plainly. His voice lacked any emotion, as if he was just expressing a simple fact that everyone knew.
"Whatever. Just keep it to yourself. Noah and I have decided not to tell anyone yet, so if you won't accept it, please just respect our wishes and keep this quiet."
"Oh I won't tell anyone." Finn said as he reached for the handle of Kurt's car and stepped out quickly onto the sidewalk. "But not for you, or to help your fucked up plans. I'm not saying anything so that Puck can still have a normal life when he figures out how you sucked him in. Something tells me that shouldn't take too long."
With that, Finn slammed the door closed and began to walk away, leaving Kurt sitting in his car, shaking as he rehashed the confrontation in his mind.
"Hi Kurt."
Kurt closed his locker quickly, startled by the voice that appeared to come from nothingness. He turned around quickly to be greeted by the sight of Quinn Fabray. He smiled slightly, wondering how long the girl had been standing behind him. The conversation with Finn had really made him space out.
"Good Morning Quinn. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He replied, his words laced with only the slightest trace of venom.
Even though he and Quinn were in Glee together, they had had very little to do with one another. Quinn was head Cheerio, the most popular girl in school and Kurt was... well Kurt. He would be lying if he said they were even close to in the same league at this school. Still, Quinn had always been nice enough to Kurt when they had interacted directly and since Finn had moved into their home, he had seen a lot more of her. Somewhere under Quinn's tough exterior was a lovely girl and the small glimpses of that girl that Kurt saw were enough to convince him she wasn't a horrible person after all. Just one that was maybe a little too preoccupied with being perfect.
"I just thought we should talk about... well you know. You and Puck." She said hesitantly, looking around to see if anyone was listening. She took Kurt's arm and led him to a currently empty classroom, shutting the door behind them.
"Quinn, I really don't think I can deal with another verse of the what's wrong with you Kurt song right now..."
"I'm not hear to yell Kurt, or judge you at all." Quinn said, gently laying a hand on Kurt's arm. "I just thought we should clear the air. Finn was so angry... I've never seen him like that. I hope things are OK at home."
"They've been better." He admitted, feeling his eyes begin to moisten again as he thought of the furious glares Finn had been directing towards him. "Finn believes this utterly ridiculous notion that I have somehow poisoned Noah's mind and turned him gay."
"Oh Kurt..." Quinn whispered, her eyes downcast. She looked up at him after a short moment and gave him a hopeful smile. "Things will turn around, you know Finn. I'll try to work on him."
"Thanks Quinn. It... It's hard. This thing with Noah is so new and already it's more stressful than shopping with Rachel."
"I'll bet." Quinn agreed. "Puck can be quite a handful for anyone!"
"Oh it's not him... It's just everyone else. Noah and I agreed not to tell anyone for now, I hope you understand, but if Finn's reaction is anything to go by..."
"It'll be OK Kurt. I really thing people will be more tolerant than Finn. And I'll support you. And you have Mercedes, Tina, Mr.. Shue... Pretty much the whole club will be on your side."
"Just not the one person I should be able to count on." Kurt said quietly as a tear escaped and slowly ran down his cheek. "He might be my brother one day and he hates me."
Quinn pulled Kurt in for a tight hug and rubbed small circles on his back.
"You'll be fine Kurt." She said into his ear, squeezing him tightly. "Plus you have a secret weapon."
Kurt pulled away and chuckled slightly as he wiped away the tears from his cheeks.
"Oh?" He asked.
"Well, I happen to know Coach Sylvester has a soft spot for you. If you have her on your side, you can pretty much guarantee things will work out."
Kurt laughed, genuinely amused this time.
"Thanks Quinn. Really."
Kurt smiled, feeling slightly better. Quinn might be right, maybe not everyone would react as badly. And he did have his friends to rely on. And his father. If Burt Hummel could accept his feelings for Noah, maybe it wasn't such a stretch of the imagination to hope that others would too.
"Anyway." he thought, "My luck must be changing. Quinn Fabray is being nice to me and Noah Puckerman wants me. Aside from being obvious signs that I've slipped into another universe, this just shows anything can happen."
"I thought I'd find you here." Puck said, grinning wildly as he jumped onto the auditoriums stage and pulled Kurt close, kissing him deeply. He had been looking for Kurt in between classes all morning, but everytime he saw him, Mercedes was hanging onto his arm and talking a mile a minute, or Finn was standing across the hall staring at him with a look that could easily kill.
"Mmm, hello to you too Noah." Kurt said as he straightened out his shirt. Puck smirked at the light pink color that had risen to Kurt's cheeks. He knew he was a total stud, but it was nice to see the effect he had on Kurt.
"I've been trying to get you alone all day Tiger. So, how did this morning go?" Puck asked.
He frowned as Kurt's eyes met the floor, his posture slumping ever so slightly. A burst of rage tightened his chest. Kurt was obviously hurt and the strong need to make it better conflicted greatly with the urge to find Finn and punch him for upsetting Kurt so much.
"Not so well. Finn's really angry, but he won't tell anyone." Kurt said quietly, looking up at Puck again.
"What did he say to you?"
"It doesn't matter Noah. He was angry and acted like a child, but it's fine really."
The conflict Puck had been feeling moments before doubled in intensity now. Even before he had began to have feelings for Kurt, Puck had always felt bad about hurting him or seeing him hurt. It wasn't a conscious thing, but somewhere deep down, he felt hurting Kurt was worse than anything. Kurt had one of the most expressive faces he had ever seen and the way the soprano looked so crushed hurt him deeply.
He pulled Kurt into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around the smaller boys waist. He smiled when he felt Kurt do the same as his rested his head on Puck's chest. Puck may have still been confused and a little uncertain about where things would go between him and Kurt, but he couldn't deny that holding him like this just felt right.
"It'll all be fine Kurt." Puck said. He kissed the top of Kurt's head lightly before pulling away and looking at Kurt again. The smile he received made his heart swell.
"So Tiger, any ideas for our next date yet?"
Quinn smiled as she walked away from the auditorium doors, unnoticed by the two boys she had been watching. Kurt had taken the bait so easily that morning it had almost felt disappointing. She hadn't gotten to use any of the tricks she had come up with to get him on side.
Finn was angry enough to go along with whatever she said if she brought it up the right way and Kurt and Puck were so obvious it wouldn't be too long before people started to suspect. All she really needed was to dig up some dirt on Santana and then she would be ready to set her plans into motion.
Getting back on top was going to be easier than she thought.
AN: Ah, he updates again! Miracle.
Thanks for the reviews and surprising amount of alerts. Also thanks to FroggerJane, yeah me and the family are doing OK. It's just been a super crazy time all around. I had never realized quite how bad earthquakes could be, guess it's just something you have to experience, but hopefully if you haven't, you won't.
I have direction with this story. I hope it's coming out in an interesting way...
Oh and on a technical note, my spell check has spazzed out, so I'm using a maybe not so reliable one right now.
