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Chapter 21

Puck rang Hummel's doorbell just before seven. He didn't doubt the dude's word that he wouldn't help him if he was late. The guy that answered must have been his dad. Scowling like he was and Hummel's warning clear Puck's mind, the man was definitely a man's man. Definitely not what Puck was expecting the fairy's father to look like.

"Er is Hum er Kurt here?"

"He's down in his room." The guy kept scowling at him, but opened the door wider and stepped back to let Puck through. "Leave the door open. I'll check on you." Puck clearly heard the 'to make sure Kurt is doing okay'.

Thankfully he was rescued by a grumpy looking Kurt. Hey, they kind of did look alike after all.

"Come on, Puck." Kurt said. "My room is in the basement."

A few minutes later, Puck couldn't help but whistle. "This is your room?"

It looked like it belonged in a fucking magazine. It was all white with cool looking furniture and expensive as shit. Kurt beamed a little when Puck said so.

"Thank-you. I had to work really hard to get this the way I wanted it to."

"Your dad really spoils you, huh?"

"He does." Hummel admitted, "but I paid for quite a few of these pieces myself. My dad makes me work for my money."

Yeah, Harry had told him that Hummel worked in his dad's shop. It was really hard to wrap his mind around the notion of the girly boy doing something so masculine.

"Let's get to work shall we?" Hummel led him to the obvious study area he'd set up for the night. Neither the card table nor the folding chair matched the white décor of the room.

Harry was right. Hummel was a lot better at explaining this stuff than either the teacher or even Artie. And the snacks the guy provided, even though they were definitely rabbit food, were pretty tasty too. When they wrapped up, Puck was debated getting out of there was fast as he could and checking the room out a bit better.

"Dude!" Puck couldn't help but slobber a bit when he opened a door on the big cupboard and found a massive TV. There was also a wii and a bunch of games. "This is awesome! I didn't know you even played video games at all."

"Of course I do," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm a boy." He liked video games fine. Just not the roll playing ones that took hours. Super Mario world was much more his style.

"You wanna play?"

Kurt checked his watch. It was nine thirty. "I guess we could for a bit. Don't you have to get home soon?"

Puck shrugged. "My ma knows I'm here, she won't care."

"Your mother knows you're here." Kurt repeated. "At my house."

"Yeah." Puck didn't see what the big deal was. He wasn't really a mama's boy, but didn't feel the need to lie when she asked where he was going. "Sweet! You've got Mario Kart!"

Kurt sighed as he saw Karofsky waiting for him by the dumpster.

"Fairy," the jock greeted, malicious smile at his lips as he threw an arm around Kurt's shoulders. "I was afraid you weren't going to show."

"How could I miss this?" Kurt sneered, slipping off his satchel. He barely got it on the ground when Azimo got his legs and the two hefted him up and over.

"Ugh." Kurt let out and he landed on something hard that dug into his back. Two seconds later he could see his bag coming up over the edge, sending his daily essentials, books and papers flying… just as the warning bell rang.

"Don't wanna be late looser," Karofsky laughed.

Kurt could only be thankful that today was Thursday and that the trash had been taken out early this morning. No half-eaten food or drinks left to stain his clothes any more than they would be. How sad was it that he knew that?

"Hummel?" Puck's head popped over the edge. "Dude, I thought they stopped doing this to you."

"Oh to dream," Kurt started to gather his papers first. "Just because you stopped, doesn't mean Karofsky didn't continue."

"I'll fucking pound his head in," Puck growled. "We told him no more dumpster dives. Shove over."

Kurt just managed to shift out of the way before Puck landed, somehow managing not to destroy anything in the process. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you get your stuff." At Kurt's clueless look, Puck rolled his eyes. "Look, you're a whiny bitch most of the time. But you helped me out and your Harry's friend. I'm sorry I didn't realize that they were still tossing you in here. I'll break Karofsky's nose later to make it up to you."

"Don't do that," Kurt said immediately, but was still gratified by the thought. "You told them to stop?"

"Finn did, but I was there, so they should have realized I meant it too." Puck finished gathering Kurt's numerous lip glosses and compacts and handed them over.

"Thanks," Kurt smiled a little at the jock once they were out of the dumpster.

"I get here at twenty after. Coz I drop Sarah off at school in the mornings. And I always park in the same spot." Puck gestured to his truck near the back of the parking lot.

"Okay…" Kurt trailed off, not knowing where he was going with this.

"Hummel. If you get here at twenty after and park next to me, I'll walk you in."

"You'd… you'd do that?" If Puck did that, he was practically declaring himself Kurt's friend. That was much worse (for Puck) than putting up with him because he was a gleek.

"Don't make a big deal out of it," Puck shrugged. "Like I said, you're doing me a favor."

"And I'm Harry's friend," Kurt finished for him, none the less happy about these turn of events.

"Hum…" Puck pursed his lips and then seemed to make a decision. "Kurt. I've been a douche to you, so I won't say that we're friends. But I think you're an alright dude. Even before, I bullied you more than anyone else because you were a tough little shit and it was kind of funny the way you bitched at us."

"Thank-you?" Kurt wasn't sure if that was an appropriate response. Puck had complimented him and apologized, sort of. There was something more, that he wasn't comfortable analyzing at the moment.

Puck nodded, satisfied that it had gone so well. "Can you do Tuesdays?"

"Tuesdays?"

"I babysit for Harry on Tuesdays. He said you can come over to tutor me there if it works for you. I mean, if you're still helping me."

"I am." It's not as though he could really stop now that Puck was essentially putting his reputation on the line to help him out. "Tuesdays work better for me, actually."

"Cool."

Kurt remembered that Puck's makeup test was tomorrow. "I'm free tonight after seven, if you want to go over anything for your test tomorrow. You babysit Thursdays as well right?"

"Naw," Puck hefted his bag over his shoulder and started to head for class. "You explained it real good. I just have to practice a whole bunch of the questions. You could come by later if you want, though. If you don't mind that Harry's probably going to be doing his school shit in the basement."

"I might." Kurt smiled and headed to class.