A/N: This has been a record month for me, readership-wise and I want to thank everyone again for reading! Now, on with the show!
Texts and Insanity
Chapter 13 – The Big Day
The day of Puck's big performance arrived, and he decided to put all the shit with his mom and her asshole boyfriend behind him. He could figure them out later, if at all. This performance was right now, and it had to be as badass as he could make it. He didn't need his mommy anymore. He didn't need approval from his classmates, though it would be nice. All Puck had to do was get up there, declare his love for his boyfriend, and look bitchin' doing it. That way, no one would dare hassle him about being with another dude. And hey, it might make them think for a minute before hassling Kurt if a guy like Puck, a jock and a badass, could be a bona fide cocksucker and proud of it.
Before choir third period, Quinn caught Puck and pulled him aside in the hallway, saying softly, "Today's the big day."
Puck thought she looked sad again and it made his chest hurt. She hadn't wanted him. Of all the girls he'd dated, she was the only one who he wanted, but didn't want him back. She'd never really wanted him. So what now? "Is ..." Puck sighed as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. "It'd be okay if you wanted to sit this one out, you know."
"I know," she nodded, and Puck could see that she was tearing up a little before she brushed one eye with deft, soft fingers. "But I want to be there for you. Like I wasn't before. I need to do this."
"So … you're okay? I mean," Puck didn't want to give into her like this again. Waiting for her, letting her tromp all over his heart because Finn was the better boyfriend. "I mean, I'm moving forward with Kurt, no matter what you say."
"No, you're right," Quinn insisted, brushing a few tears away again as she tried to laugh. "It's for the best that we didn't work out. I just…" Shaking her head like she was dismissing some thought that Puck was really curious about, Quinn laughed again and said, "I'm going to get a rep as a turner, you know. First Finn and Man-Hands in there. Now you and Kurt? I'm going to have to move far, far away from Lima after high school just to escape that reputation, not to mention being a teenage mother!"
Taking his cue from the amused smile on Quinn's face, Puck chuckled with her, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously as he escorted her into the choir room. Before they parted, Puck to go sit next to Kurt and Quinn to sit next to Brittany and Santana, she said, "Good luck today."
He gave her a smile and whispered thanks, taking his place beside his boyfriend and still trying to figure out how to feel about the conversation. On the one hand, he was glad Quinn had gotten whatever that was out in the open, but on the other hand, he thought it meant that she'd figured he would wait for her to get her shit together and then they would get back together. Quinn had wanted him. She was also the one who had said it was over, not him. To be fair, getting interested in Kurt had taken Puck by surprise just as much as anyone else. He hadn't been looking for something new, but he had acted on it, eventually. In the end, Puck liked surprises, especially when they led to sex.
Just before lunch, Puck checked over his outfit one more time – dude-sexy jeans, ass-kicking boots, the Def Leppard shirt Kurt gave him, and a badass leather strap around one wrist – and called it good to go. "Ready?" he asked the other boys in the bathroom, a group which did not include Kurt. Puck's boyfriend was getting ready in the ladies room, which Puck smirked at, further proving his point that he was, in fact, the dude of the relationship. Kurt could be the other boy, but Puck was definitely the dude. When Finn and the others nodded, some of their outfits a little more extreme than Puck's (Mike was wearing jeans that were just about ripped to shreds), Puck said, "Alright. Let's rock this motherfucker," and led the way to a spot just outside the lunchroom, waiting for the girls to show up. Oh, and Kurt.
When they had parted after glee an hour ago, Kurt had looked his normal self, in a long red sweater and skinny jeans, complete with a black shirt and tie under the sweater, his hair brushed into its normal swooping style. But now, when Kurt approached, Puck found his jaw dropping. Kurt was still wearing the skinny jeans, but he'd slicked back his hair, exposing the sharp widow's peak at his hairline, his sweater was gone, his tie and collar were casually but artfully loosened, and his sleeves were rolled up. The changes that most caught Puck's attention were the deep, dark eyeliner Kurt was wearing, the industrial steel chain he wore around one wrist, the studded leather strap around the other and the dark black disc-shaped earrings on each earlobe.
Grinning, Puck cried, "What the fuck, Hummel? Where did all this come from?"
"Do you like it?" Kurt asked, turning a quick circle to show off as Puck approached him. "I was going for a sort of Adam Lambert look."
"I don't know who that guy is," he replied, sliding his hand around to the small of Kurt's back and pulling the boy's body closer, "but you look damn hot, babe." Tilting his head at Kurt's ear, Puck asked, "How have I not noticed piercings before?"
"Oh," Kurt shrugged, kissing Puck quickly on the lips, "don't worry. They're magnetic. No real piercings for me."
Leaning in to whisper in his boyfriend's ear, Puck asked, "Not even a tongue stud?" letting his eyebrows do the suggestive talking as he leaned back again.
Blushing, Kurt replied, "No way, mister."
"Not even if I get mine done for you?" he growled, noticing the way the hairs on the back of Kurt's neck stood at attention and bumped up his skin.
In a voice much calmer than his goose bumps would lead Puck to expect, Kurt replied, "Nope."
Puck grinned before he remembered that it was almost showtime. Looking around, he saw that all the girls were dressed to the nines, wearing mostly black, in clothes that made them look both badass and hot. Oh, yeah. Puck was only half-gay, given how clearly he noticed that Santana was wearing a bikini top instead of a shirt and was wearing it very well. Hey, no one said he couldn't look!
Mr. Schuester showed up just before the lunch bell rang, saying, "Our AV club and Jazz Band friends are all set. You guys ready?"
Looking around, Puck saw everyone nodding and Finn answered, "Sure thing, Mr. Schue." Was Puck ready to change his life forever? Was he ready to admit he loved Kurt, or could he bail and let the show go on without him? He was sure Kurt and Finn could cover his solos between the two of them if they did this song at Sectionals. He didn't have to do this.
But catching sight of that stupid smile on Kurt's face, Puck realized that he really, really, wanted to get out there and sing. He'd promised he wouldn't disappoint Kurt, and Puck was no deadbeat who went back on his word. Not when he made the promise to someone he loved. So, with a deep breath and a squeeze around Kurt's waist, Puck said, "Let's rock and roll."
Finn rolled Artie into the lunchroom first, heading for the drum set and speakers sitting conspicuously in one corner with a couple members of the Jazz band. They took a few seconds to get ready before Finn tapped out the beat and Artie came in with the guitar line. The instruments weren't too loud, since everyone would be singing without microphones, but the dope accuracy of Artie's fingers drew the attention of the room right away. As the background singers (including a gracious Rachel) danced into the room one by one, their voices gained volume surely and steadily.
(Whoah-oh-a-ohh-oh-a-oh-ohhh)
Kurt was the last singer to enter the room, with Puck waiting behind to make his entrance on cue. Everyone in the room was watching at this point, some of them on the far end of the room pacing around, trying to find a spot where they could see what was going on. Surprisingly, Puck saw some of his football teammates holding a line better than they ever did during a game, keeping the crowd back to give the glee club the room they needed. Who had recruited them? Finn?
When everyone was in place, backs to the audience and knees dipping to the beat in unison, they moved into the next part of the song with a flourish, turning around in two groups to the two syllables of the next word.
(Thunder!)
(Whoah-oh-a-ohh-oh-a-oh-ohhh
Thunder!)
Puck's cue was coming up quickly and he took a few seconds to breathe deeply, watching Kurt dance with the rest of the team, his performance edged with fire. Puck felt like he wanted to drink that fire somehow, pull Kurt as close to him as two human bodies could possibly get and prove how much he loved the boy. He'd start slow, touch his boy everywhere and … oh, shit! That was his cue!
Taking a running start, Puck slid out into the lunchroom on his knees between his team and the rest of the school to sing the last "Thunder!" with the rest of the group. Jumping forward, Mike and Matt each grabbed one of Puck's arms, pulling him up so he landed on his feet just in time for the verse to start.
I was caught
In the middle of a lightning attack.
Mike and Matt faded into the rest of the crowd as they lined up on either side of Puck, boys on one side, girls and Kurt on the other, dipping to the beat in unison, like two warring factions, hell bent on violence.
(Thunder!)
I looked 'round
And I knew there was no turning back.
Puck played up the fear at being caught between the two groups, much to the amusement of the crowd of students, who started cheering as he danced back and forth, bouncing between either side.
(Thunder!)
My mind raced
And I thought what could I do?
Kurt broke away from the group, dancing outward and pretending to ignore him as Puck reached towards his boyfriend, over the line of girls in his way.
(Thunder!)
And I knew
There was no help, no help from you.
(Thunder!)
At this point, Puck got swallowed up by the crowd and Kurt took over the vocals in a harmony to Puck's verse, which was lower pitched than the boy usually sang.
Sound of the drums!
Kurt pointed to Finn, who smashed a cymbal with a grin.
Beating of my heart!
The thunder of guns!
Pretending to push them back with superhuman strength, Puck broke away from the group and careened toward Kurt as he sang.
Tore me apart!
Puck caught Kurt around the middle and dipped him down as everyone, including the two of them, sang the last line of the verse.
You've been … thunderstruck!
Puck pulled Kurt back up into a steamy kiss as they danced together and Rachel took over the next few lines, belting them out.
Rode down the highway
Broke the limit! We hit the ton.
As he and Kurt joined the rest of the group, still almost connected at the groin, Puck noticed how people were watching with surprise, but only a few expressions of disgust. Mercedes took the next part, her choreography pushing Rachel aside to take the spotlight from her with some humor.
Went through to Texas, yeah Texas,
And we had some fun!
Hoisted to Mike and Matt's shoulders, Santana rode forward to take over her part, slithering down in front of their bodies as she sang.
We met some boys,
Some dancers who gave a good time.
Brittany joined her, drawing Matt one direction while Santana drew Mike the other to make way for Puck and Kurt as they took center stage again, Kurt singing first as Puck fell to his knees in front of the other boy, still dancing.
Broke all the rules, played all the fools.
Yeah, yeah, they, they, they blew our minds!
Kurt reached down to pull Puck to his feet, only to be pushed back and down as Puck advanced on him and sang.
And I was shakin' at the knees!
Could I come again please?
Puck smirked and thrust his pelvis in Kurt's direction before pulling his boyfriend back up and dancing them out of the way to make way for Finn, who had abandoned his drums to the jazz band drummer and was flanked by Tina and Rachel as he danced forward and sang.
Yeah, the ladies were too kind.
You've been … thunderstruck!
Thunderstruck!
Glee members took turns belting out the rest of the song, which became repetitive, Mercedes' voice rising above the others in embellishment now and again. Everyone danced around Kurt and Puck, trying to pull them apart. However, just like in real life, in the dance, they only had eyes and hands for each other, crashing together after being pulled apart, grinding together, kissing at a few points, and making a damn spectacle of themselves.
Said yeah, it's alright
We're…doing fine!
Eventually two sides formed again, pulling Kurt and Puck apart before they broke free and came together again, urging their respective sides to follow them. Within a few bars, both groups intermingled and danced as one group of couples, mimicking Kurt and Puck's close, grinding position to some degree, dancing in unison as the song came to a climactic end.
Thunderstruck, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've been thunderstruck! Thunderstruck!
You've been … thunderstruck!
Everyone collapsed to the ground as the line ended, hitting the floor in unison to the cheers of the audience. Puck found himself tangled up with Kurt on the floor, and decided that he was exactly where he wanted to be. Kurt smiled at him and mouthed, "Thank you," before trying to move away.
Puck grabbed the boy and held him tighter in a quick hug before letting him go so they could both get up off the floor. "One more for the road?"
"Sure, baby," Kurt smiled, approaching Puck so they met in a devastating kiss, arms wrapped around each other, in front of the entire school. The fading sound of applause and cheering was replaced by a commotion of people talking and a few wolf whistles. Kurt actually broke off the kiss first, beaming up at Puck and then turning to wave at the rest of the school, one arm still around Puck's waist.
Mr. Schue came up to the group with a bright smile, saying, "That was awesome, you guys! I think if we clean it up a little," he put a hard, but humor-filled eye on Puck, "this will be perfect for Sectionals."
A cheer went up across the group, several people patting Puck or Kurt on the back. The revelry came to an abrupt halt when a fight broke out a few feet away from them between several of the football players. "Fucking let me go, homo lovers!" Azimio shouted, punching one of guys holding him away from where Puck and Kurt were standing.
Needing to step up and defend his rep, Puck let Kurt go and strutted over to the fight, saying, "Got a problem, bro?"
"What's your problem, Puckerman?" Karofsky asked, struggling against the dudes holding his arms back. Puck had no idea why his teammates were helping him, but he wasn't going to question it.
Instead, he stepped up as close as he could to Karofsky and said, "I don't have a problem." Looking around at the others, he asked, "Anyone else around here got a problem? No?"
"I knew letting you join glee club was a mistake," Azimio spit. "You've gone and caught a nasty case of the gay, Puck. You're a fucking faggot now."
"Okay," Puck replied lazily, looking the two troublemakers up and down, "three things. First off, I'm bi and second, I'm flattered, but you just don't do it for me, bros. Sorry. The Puckerman Express is an exclusive ride." He smirked back at Kurt, who had joined them, standing behind Puck with a hand on his back. "And third," he leaned in with a grin, "I've always been bi. Being in glee club had nothing to do with it. Think about that, dudes. All those times I was there after practice, showering in the same room as you guys? You're gonna wonder whether or not I ever checked you out. And you can wonder forever, because I know how much that thought scares shitless punks like you."
Puck smiled again and walked away, laughing when Azimio tried to break free of his captors. "Thanks, guys," he called back to his teammates, "for keeping those two fuckers from starting some shit they wouldn't want me to end." Catching Kurt's hand, Puck said to him, "C'mon, babe. Let's get ready to go back to class."
"This isn't over, Puckerman!" Karofsky called. "You sick-ass cocksucker!"
Puck turned with a broad smile and bowed, acknowledging the insult as a compliment, before turning and leaving everyone else behind. Only Kurt mattered now, laughing beside him as they escaped the lunch room and hurried down the hallway. They ended up at Kurt's locker, where the shorter boy pressed Puck against the cold metal and kissed him senseless.
Kurt knew they had been planning it for two weeks, but somehow, he didn't expect Noah to follow through with the lunch-time announcement. But now it had happened, his boyfriend had come out, standing up to the jerks that thought it was wrong or uncool to be in love with another guy. For Dior's sake, the whole thing made Kurt hot for Noah, wanting to push him somewhere private and just have at every inch of the boy. Too bad they still had class and Cheerios practice and evening glee practice at Rachel's house. There wouldn't be much time to be alone together until after Sectionals.
Noah pushed Kurt away when the warning bell rang, murmuring, "God, baby. I really wanna finish this, but I should go to class. Show my mom I'm doing better without her."
"Yeah," Kurt agreed, breathless. "And I can't go to class like this." He pushed Noah over by one shoulder so he could open his locker, taking off the earrings and bracelets first and stowing them in a small zippered case, exchanging for a brush and a can of hairspray.
Reaching past him, Noah grabbed the leather cuff, and growled in his ear, "I liked this one on you," in a tone of voice that made Kurt's knees week and his resolve waver, just wanting to meld into the boy behind him until the end of time.
"Awesome," Kurt nodded, shaking his head and struggling to regain control over his body as he turned around and pushed his boyfriend away. "Go to class. I'll see you after school."
"Okay," Noah grinned, giving Kurt one last chaste kiss before dropping the cuff into his hands and leaving, strutting down the hallway like he owned the place. At one point, Kurt actually saw his boyfriend feint toward one of the nerds who was staring, scaring the crap out of the boy before moving on. At least he hadn't actually pushed the kid. That was progress, right?
As he left his locker, Kurt saw Azimio and Karofsky coming his way, the scowls on their faces sending terror shooting straight through his body from head to toe. Noah was too far away to help him, and none of Kurt's friends were in sight. Except for Tina. "Hi, Tina!" Kurt said, grabbing her arm in his and practically dragging her down the hallway towards their after-lunch English class. "I thought you did a great job this afternoon."
"Hey, Kurt," Tina smiled back at him a little confused for how quickly they were moving. "Thanks. You were good too. Wanna tell me why you're ripping my arm off?"
Kurt turned back to see how long he had before death came knocking, only to see that Azimio and Karofsky had been waylaid by Santana. The cheerleader, flanked by Brittany and three non-glee club football players, looked like she was publicly shaming the jocks, getting her whole head and one finger involved in the action. "Well there's a new development," he murmured, pointing the scene out to Tina, who looked similarly confused.
In Home Ec, Kurt found Santana alone for a moment and asked her, "Why are you helping me and Puck? Getting the football team to stand up for us?"
Giving him a harsh look, all eyes and lips, Santana replied with a shrug, "You guys are on my teams. I need you both in one piece for tomorrow's competition and for Saturday. And besides, I'm totally not a homophobe."
"Then, why have you always treated me so badly?" Kurt asked, getting more and more confused by the moment.
"Because you're a loser and I don't really like your face," she replied, going back to mixing her cake batter. "You can have Puck, if he wants you."
"Thanks," he replied sarcastically with a little chuckle. Noah had told him that he and Santana hadn't been together since way before his Mohawk got shaved. "That's so generous of you."
"I've got a million guys after me," Santana said as she poured the batter into a cake pan and licked the spoon. "Besides, he's too big to go down on. I really need a man I can blow without getting a sore jaw."
Kurt choked and laughed nervously, mumbling, "I know what you mean."
Giving him a scornful look, Santana asked, "Well, I'm not giving you any tips. Now get out of my face. I'm tired of looking at you."
Figuring that was the best treatment he was ever going to get from the cheerleader, Kurt left, sharing a fond smile with Brittany as he passed her, going back to check on his own cake. Halfway there, Brittany turned, stopped him, and asked, "Can I come to the wedding? I'll sing for you, if you want."
"Britt," Kurt smiled, "that won't be for a long time, if at all."
Tilting her head at him like she didn't understand, Brittany asked, "So, can I come?"
"Sure," he nodded, squeezing her hand in friendship. "You can come."
"Cool," Brittany nodded, flouncing back toward Santana and leaning her head on the girl's shoulder.
Smiling to himself, Kurt decided that today was the best day he could ever remember having. Noah loved him enough to tell everyone about them. Tomorrow's Cheerios competition would get him out of a math test, six weeks of detention and a mark on his permanent record. And the New Directions were going to kick ass at Sectionals. Even if this time they had to compete against teams that weren't deaf or otherwise underprivileged.
Puck thought about skipping shop class at the end of the day, but he knew he had to show up and not act like a scared little punk. The guys in shop class were some of the worst, as far as harassing Kurt went, and Puck knew this for a fact because he used to be one of them. God, how stupid he had been, wanting to be seen as a badass instead of actually being one and standing up to those assholes. Today had been difficult, both before the performance and afterward, but Puck would not let them kick him out of shop, the only class where he was getting an A.
It started out right away, as soon as he showed his face in the room. "Hey, Puckerman! What are you doing here, homo? Home Ec is down the hall!" He thought those words might have been coming from Karofsky, but he couldn't be sure until he saw the shit-eating grin on the guy's face.
"Showing up to class, ass wipe," Puck replied with a smile he didn't feel and wondering if he was going to have to bust out his Fight Club moves. "But thanks for the tip. I'll know where to look for you after your junk falls off from all those steroids you've been taking. For god's sake, man," he grinned as he poked at one of Karofsky's arms, "are you trying to get kicked off the hockey team for doping? Tone it down a little, dude!"
"What?" Karofsky spluttered, clearly not following Puck's argument, which made him laugh and look around at the rest of the guys in the class, silently asking if any of them had a problem. Everyone kept their eyes turned downward, though they did start whispering back and forth when he sat down at his bench in the back of the room. Well go ahead and let them think whatever the fuck they wanted about him. Puck knew who he was and who he loved. These ass monkeys couldn't give a crap about being with the person they wanted and not the person they thought everyone else wanted. Puck had done enough of that with Santana and Quinn. Maybe once these virgins - because most of them had to be, seriously; Brittney made out with most of them, sure, but you had to be really special to her to get sex out of that girl, or any of the others - had slept with a few of the wrong people, they would figure that out, too.
Near the end of class, everyone had pretty much forgotten about Puck as they tried to put their small motorcycle engines back together and everything felt normal. There were even a few guys huddled around a dirty picture of some girl that Gary Kendrick had smuggled into class. When Puck passed by them, one guy said, "Hey, Puck. Look at – oh, wait. It's a chick. You wouldn't be interested anymore."
Rolling his eyes and explaining, "I still dig chicks, moron," Puck snatched the picture from Gary and took a good look at it. "Yeah, I'd do her. Nice tits," he said before tossing the picture back to the group. "Who is she?"
"Didn't you notice?" One teased. "That's your mom. From when she was young and hot."
Puck snorted. "That chick looks nothing like my mom, guys. Nice try though. See if it works on Karofsky."
Mentioning mischief against someone else seemed to make Puck alright again in their books. He laughed loudly when, after they'd showed it to Karofsky, the jock who had harassed Puck shrieked and tore up their precious picture before anyone could stop him and then they all freaked out. Fucking hell! Hadn't any of these dudes figured out that the internet was for porn? A naked picture shouldn't have been such a big deal, yet they were the ones ragging on him for being weird? Get a clue, dudes.
So what if Puck had fallen for a guy? It's not like Owen hadn't fallen for that fat chick in September. And Haverson had been going out with his fugly band-nerd girlfriend for three years, some said in the hopes that she would grow into that nose and suddenly get hot. Kurt was way more attractive than either of those chicks. No one could deny that. So what if he had a dick? It just meant he was better at figuring out what to do with Puck's when they were alone together. Everyone else should be jealous of him and Puck was just going to act like they were until it happened.
Song used: Again, it's "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC
What did you think of Puck and Kurt's big number? I tried to make it as clear as possible what was going on without getting in the way of the flow of the song, but that's very difficult to do in prose form. What about the students' reactions? Santana? Thanks again for reading and reviewing!
P.S. To Gay-stats-man who left the anonymous review on chapter 1. You are using an old statistic, my friend. All the most recent, least biased surveys indicate that 2-5% of the population self-identifies as gay or bisexual, while a further 8-20% report ever having same-sex attractions whether or not they were ever acted upon (see Wikipedia for links to those surveys). I'm a scientist, by nature, so I'm just about contractually obligated to look these things up before I post them. I admit, I did have Kurt estimating a little low, but he was pretty depressed about being alone, so I did that on purpose. Thank you.