"Let's play a game," Sarah said, taking the last truffle and settling back into Finn's dad's easy chair.
"We did play a game," said Puck. "And I won."
"What kind of game, Sarah?" Kurt asked, glaring at Puck. "And you only won because I landed on Park Place."
"Still won," he said, lacing his fingers behind his head. Kurt sighed, and moved into the space on his chest under his arm. Puck glanced down, startled, then dropped one hand down to rest on Kurt's shoulder.
"We did this at school," said Sarah. "You have to imagine what you want your life to be like in one year, in five years and in ten years. What are you going to be doing, what job will you have, and so on. If you could have everything you wanted, that is."
"This is completely fantasy? Like, I could say I get an NBA basketball contract if I wanted?" Finn looked intrigued.
"Yeah," she agreed. "Anything you want. You want to go first?"
"Okay." Finn took a bite out of his fourth cupcake and chewed thoughtfully. "One year. I'll be a junior. QB again, I hope."
"No hoping. Just say what's gonna happen," Sarah urged. "Pretend it's already real."
"Um... MVP?" She nodded encouragingly. "And all B's in everything except Glee."
"Why not all A's?" said Kurt, clearly appalled.
"A's are too much work," said Finn. "There are too many other things I want to do besides work for A's. B's are fine."
"It's his dream," said Sarah, when Kurt looked like he might object further. "You can't tell him no. What else?"
"I guess everything else the same," Finn said. "Only we're... everybody at school knows about us. And it's not a big deal." He took another bite of cupcake. Kurt automatically reached over and wiped the extra frosting off his lip with his finger, and before he could do anything else, Puck leaned in and licked the finger off. Kurt made an abortive moan.
"Focus," Sarah rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you three? Come on. Five years from now?"
Finn tore his eyes away from Puck and Kurt and blinked several times. "Uh. College. Ohio State, or someplace, with a scholarship, basketball or football, or maybe music. You guys... living with me?" They all grinned. Kurt snuggled closer to Puck. "I'm getting good enough grades to keep my scholarship. Majoring in something cool. Oh, and can my mom get a raise?"
"This is about you, Finn," Sarah said. "But okay. Ten years?"
"In ten years I'll be... jeez. Twenty-six." He shook his head. "That sounds really old. Living close enough to my mom so I can visit, but not so close that she'd be over every day. Working... I don't know what I want to do, but it makes enough money to support the three of us... and the kids..."
"How many?" asked Kurt.
"I think I'd like a bunch. Four? And we're all happy," he added.
"Well, thank god for that," Puck drawled, "or else I'd be bored to death in Leave It to Beaver Land. I'm going next. One year: I get kicked out of school for being a badass. I get my GED and teach guitar lessons all day, make enough money to go to culinary school, like your mom was saying. Five years: I'm an awesome chef in a big city kitchen. New York, or Chicago, or - hey, San Francisco. That's really gay, right?"
"Right," Kurt choked, covering his mouth with his hand.
"Perfect. I make tons of money and you guys can do whatever the fuck you want. Ten years: I'm rich and famous and have my own cooking show. We've got a big pile of kids - four is fine, sure - and we homeschool them, so they never have to go to school. We travel everywhere and see the world and nobody messes with us because we're way too cool. The end."
"Bravo, Noah," Kurt said, patting his chest. "I'm all about big dreams. In one year, I'll be taking the PSATs and getting ready to apply to college. My grades will be good enough that I can focus primarily on Ivy League and conservatories. Glee will be gearing up to win nationals again, of course. We'll have a score of new recruits and we'll hire a real choreographer. I'll have the lead in the Lima youth community theater musical. Oh, and at least ten other kids will have come out of the closet, and the school will have implemented and enforced a non-bullying policy. No more dumpsters or slushies."
He considered the nails on his right hand. "In five years, I'll have finished two years of college, be on the Dean's list and will have landed my first big break in local professional theater. A traveling agent will discover me and want to cast me in something small, maybe a supporting role in a film, or a major commercial, nothing that would take me away from school for too long. I'll experience overnight success, but it won't go to my head."
"Of course not," Sarah said. "What about ten years?"
"I'll continue my film career, but that will just be to pay the bills. My heart will still be on the stage. I'll have a small apartment in New York and another in Hollywood, and do musicals and avant-garde theater between movie deals. I'll hold benefit performances for gay rights and anti-bullying organizations. I'll win my first Tony."
"What about us?" Finn said softly. Kurt looked at Finn, then at Puck.
"Oh - well, of course, we're - still together," he said, looking stricken. "You've got to understand, I've been having these dreams for years, and we've only been... I mean, I never thought I would have..."
"It's okay, Kurt." Puck tightened his arm around Kurt, pulling him close. "You don't have to apologize for your dreams." He glared at Finn, who gave him a quizzical look. "You go, Sarah."
"Okay," she said. "One year: I'm in middle school and I'm wildly popular, but not in an annoying way. All the kids who pick on me at school move away or get mono or something. I win the regional spelling bee and go to the semis in Columbus, where I meet the boy of my dreams and have my first love affair, but long distance so it'll be more romantic. You guys are all happy and I see you all the time."
"I thought this was about you?" Kurt said.
"It is. Five years: I'm a junior. I've got hair down to my butt. I tested out of all my classes and they let me go to college early. We bought a big house and you're all living in it with me, the three of you and Ma and Mr. Hummel and Mrs. Hudson and Timmy, and you're all in college too. We're all still happy."
"Who's Timmy?" Kurt asked.
"My oldest brother." She took the last cupcake and broke it into four sticky pieces, and solemnly passed one to each of them. They all ate it together, like they were taking communion.
"Ten years: We're on tour together. Finn, you're singing and playing drums, and Kurt, you play piano and do the choreography. Noah on guitar; I'm on bass. Timmy's doing our sound, maybe stage managing for us. We've got an album contract and we have a huge international following. Mrs. Hudson and Mr. Hummel come along with us and they're watching your kids during the day. At night we get together and eat Noah's cupcakes and play Monopoly. And we're all still happy."
There was a silence. "I think Sarah wins," said Finn, grinning.
"Yeah," said Kurt. "I like that one best too."
"As long as I can still be an internationally famous chef," Puck said. Sarah considered this.
"You can plan the menus while we're on tour, but you'd have to have other people doing the cooking, or else you'd miss out on performances," she said, and he had to concede.
Kurt hesitated. "Timmy - where is he now?"
"Nobody calls him Timmy except Sarah and Ma," said Puck testily. "His name's Timothy. And you really don't want to know."
"No-ah," Sarah sighed.
"It's embarrassing," he complained.
Finn was mystified. "What? Come on, tell us."
Puck rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay. He's a sound engineer for Lady Gaga."
Kurt's eyes flew open and he sat up straight. "What?"
"I told you it was embarrassing."
Kurt pushed Puck away from him with both hands. Puck toppled over on the couch with a mild protest. "Are you kidding me?" he shrieked.
"That's why he's not around much," Sarah said. "He was on tour with her last spring. They're working on the new album now." She shook her head and yawned. "Noah just thinks she's too girly for Timmy."
"I remember Timothy being pretty tough," Finn said, stretching his legs out and resting them on the table. "I imagine he can handle anybody making fun of him for wanting to work for Lady Gaga."
Kurt was still apoplectic. He knelt on top of Puck and beat him with a couch pillow. "You know someone - you're related to someone - who works with Lady Gaga and you didn't tell me? Immediately?"
"Kurt, you guys have barely been on speaking terms for three weeks," Finn said. "Be reasonable."
Puck grabbed Kurt's wrists and held him easily away from his chest, then looked at Finn. "Should I be uncomfortable with this?" he asked dubiously.
"No, he's just playing," Finn said.
"No, I'm deeply annoyed," Kurt declared, ineffectively struggling to get free. "And I'm disappointed in you both, for your inability to see the genius of Gaga. She's revolutionary."
"She's totally over the top," Puck said, "and I can relate to that." He shifted Kurt's hands so they draped over his shoulders, then stood up suddenly, scooping Kurt up in both arms. "But she's also super gay." Kurt stopped struggling and made a noise of surprise as Puck kissed him, deeply and passionately.
"I don't know if you noticed this, Noah," said Kurt, a little hoarsely, when he was done, "but you're a little gay yourself."
"A little," he agreed. "Enough to want to do this." He kissed him again. Kurt's arms hesitated, then twined around Puck's neck and pulled him closer.
"In front of your sister?" Kurt whispered, his cheeks flushed.
"No worries," breathed Puck, kissing his neck. "She's asleep. See?"
"How about in front of your father?" said Burt grimly, leaning with both hands on the door frame.
Kurt swore under his breath and struggled to get down, but Puck just held onto him and swung around to grin at Burt. "Depends on which father you're talking about. My father? I'm guessing it would involve a lot of name-calling and leave marks on my face."
"Puck," said Finn, stepping up behind him, and Puck put Kurt down right away. "Sorry, Mr. Hummel," Finn added.
Burt squinted at Finn, then at Puck, whose eyes were on the floor, and then finally at Kurt, disheveled and well-kissed. "It's okay," he said at last. "I said it was okay, and it's okay."
"We don't want to be insensitive," Finn said, nudging Puck.
"Sorry, Mr. Hummel," Puck echoed, not looking up.
Burt came close to Puck and put a hand on his shoulder, stepping into his line of vision until Puck finally made eye contact with him. "I'm not that father, Puck," he said firmly. "You got that? I'm not doing any of that. No matter what happens. You're safe with me."
Puck still looked wary, but he nodded. Finn touched his back. "You should put Sarah to bed, Puck," he said. "She can stay in the guest room."
Burt cleared his throat. "Actually," he said, "Carole suggested Sarah might stay in your room, Finn, so you guys can have the double bed." Before they could react to that, he added, "I'm staying, too. I'll be here on the couch, in case you need anything."
He went to Kurt and smoothed his hair. "Dad," Kurt said, but Burt shook his head.
"It's late, son," he said, and he didn't sound upset. "Get some sleep, okay?"
"We will," Kurt said. He offered a hug, which his father accepted with no hesitation, and then took Finn's hand and trudged upstairs. Puck effortlessly swung Sarah's small frame into his arms, much as he'd held Kurt, and followed behind them as the clock chimed eleven.