Disclaimer: I still don't own Glee.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! And for all the questioners: yes, this is still a Puckurt story. Meaning they are endgame. But hey, who say's we can't have some fun along the way?
Italics – solo singing
Bold Italic – Warblers singing
The songs in this chapter are Robyn's "Dancing on My Own" (last Robyn song, promise), and The Little Mermaid's "Kiss the Girl", although the lyrics have been changed in both songs to male pronouns, i.e. "Kiss the Girl" is now "Kiss the Boy".
Chapter Twenty Six
Snowball Fight Part II:
Secrets, Lies, and Reasons Why Not
Kurt exited the gym, the deafening music and the loud, happy cries of student's actually enjoying themselves dying in the distance. He was searching for the bathroom furthest away from the dance, not caring how dark or deserted the corridor it led to was. He simply had to get away from all those people; especially Santana, whom he was actually naïve enough to consider a friend. But her hurtful words to him back in the gym shot their burgeoning friendship right in the face, and now he considered her simply another in a long line of people who he'd opened up to, only to have them hurt him in return.
He walked quickly to the bathroom, hoping no one would notice his absence, when out of the shadows stepped Karofsky, swaying unsteadily on his feet.
"Hey," he hiccupped, his eyes bloodshot and his breath reeking of beer. "Look who it is. McKinley's number one homo." Karofsky walked shakily to Kurt, who quickly backed up against the lockers behind him.
"For the love of Farrah Fawcett, Karofsky, are you drunk?" Kurt asked disgustedly. "At a dance? How cliché."
"I'm not drunk," he protested. "I'm just really happy to see my favorite person in the whole world." He swung an arm around Kurt's neck and pulled him closer, the smell of beer and cigarette smoke nearly making Kurt vomit.
"I'm not in the mood for your jokes or whatever it is you have planned. Leave me alone," Kurt said unhappily, "because you are the last person I wanted to see tonight." Kurt unwound the burly jock's arm from around his neck, intent on getting out of there before Karofsky stuffed him inside a locker. So he was very surprised when, instead of promising him bodily harm or threatening his life, as per usual, Karofsky began crying.
Kurt stood shocked, unsure of what to do. He looked left and right, hoping for some sort of excuse to leave the crying jock alone. Instead he found himself reluctantly patting Karofsky on the back, asking him if everything was alright.
"I'm such a jerk," Karofsky sobbed. "I've been a total asshole to you, and you don't even deserve it."
"Oh, that's okay," Kurt said awkwardly. "Everyone treats me a little coldly at first. In fact when I was little it took my Care Bears more than a few weeks to get comfortable around me."
"See?" Karofsky said, wiping his eyes sloppily. "Even now, you're nice to me, when you should be taking this opportunity to push me on the ground and kick the shit out of me."
"Why would I do that?" Kurt asked.
"Because I'm the biggest fucking hypocrite in the world!" Karofsky cried.
"What in the name of Tom Ford's Menswear are you talking about?" Kurt asked.
"Have you ever had a secret," Karofsky began, "that you were so scared of that you'd rather die than let anyone find out?"
"No," Kurt said disbelievingly. "And I refuse to believe you'd rather die than let this secret be known, too. Whatever it is, even if someone did find out, it wouldn't be the end of the world," he assured him.
Karofsky looked torn for a moment, conflicted over whether to divulge the secret to Kurt or not. Then it struck him; instead of telling him, he'd show him. So, with Kurt looking expectantly to him, Karofsky leaned down and was about to kiss Kurt, completing his first kiss with another boy.
Before Kurt could react and push him away, or before their lips could even touch, Sam grabbed Karofsky by the shoulder and pushed him back, sending him flailing to the floor.
"What the fuck, man?" Sam screamed. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Sam!" Kurt said, surprised and upset at his treatment of Karofsky. "Leave him alone."
"Back up, you blond trout," Karofsky snarled. "This has nothing to do with you."
"The fuck it doesn't," Sam said. "You mess with the little dude, you mess with me."
"Sam," Kurt said warningly.
"Fuck this," Karofsky said, his previous sentimentality gone, now replaced by drunken anger. "Fuck you both." With that Karofsky walked off into the darkness, leaving an irate Kurt and Sam alone.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked, checking Kurt for bruises. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No," Kurt said irritably, pulling his chin from Sam's discerning fingers. "And he wouldn't have, either! Karofsky was just in the middle of revealing a very deep, personal secret when you barged in and started playing hacky-sack with him."
"No he wasn't!" Sam objected. "He was totally gonna mouth-rape you!"
"What?" Kurt asked exhaustedly.
"He was going to kiss you," Sam said. "I've seen that look before: the puckered lips, the tilted head, the closed eyes. He was totally going to try and get to first base with you."
"Even if he did try that, I've taken enough self-defense courses in my life to know how to deal with him," Kurt said. "And not only that, but you interrupted him when he was probably going to come out to me. I could have helped him come to terms with his sexuality, Sam, thus making him a much more pleasant person to be around than the knuckle dragging prosimian he is now."
"Yeah, sure," Sam said, upset that Kurt was more angry at his saving him than Karofsky trying to steal a kiss from him.
"I don't need a savior, Sam," Kurt said, knowing what was irritating him. "I don't need a white knight to come and whisk me away from my troubles."
"So what, you wanted to get assaulted?" Sam asked.
"No!" Kurt said, angry that Sam was twisting his words. "I would just like it if everyone stopped treating me like a porcelain doll! I'm not some fragile, delicate thing that has to be handled with care! And I would appreciate it if you would give me some room to breathe, so that I don't find you looking over my shoulder every time I turn around."
"That's what you want?" Sam asked, pulling back. "You want space, then fine. I'll leave you alone." Sam's jaw was clenched, and he began backing away before Kurt could stop him.
"No, Sam!" Kurt called out to his retreating figure. "I didn't mean it like – shit," he said, cursing as he realized Sam could no longer hear him.
He truly didn't mean to hurt Sam's feelings so, but he was feeling a little suffocated by the blond. His relentless flirting these past few weeks, his lingering looks, his little hints, his body language; it was all a bit too much for Kurt. He'd never had someone like him so much that they felt the need to be around him all the time. So while he did mean that he wanted Sam to cool off a bit, he hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly.
He trudged back to the gym, intent on finding Sam and apologizing, kicking himself along the way. He knew there was nothing wrong with the way Sam acted. He just never had someone like him before. He was always the one pining over an impossible crush, so now that the tables were turned and someone did like him, he didn't know how to respond. So he did what he always does when something uncomfortable comes along: he pushed them away. He did it before with Puck, by trying to sleep and bake the pain of their breakup away, and so he did it now with Sam, pushing the blond away with excuses that he needed space, when really it couldn't be further from the truth. Because yes, he liked Sam; that was already established. He just wasn't sure if he could let himself fall for someone after that disaster with Puck.
Entering the gym he saw Sam was nowhere to be found, but he did spot Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel with Finn at a table, and walked over to them, deciding it would be relatively safe to join them.
"What's up, Kurt?" Finn asked as the countertenor slumped into a seat next to him. "Why the short face?"
"The expression is 'Why the long face?', Finn," Kurt said.
"Oh," Finn said. "Well, whatever. Why do you look all, upset and stuff?"
"I'm not upset," Kurt said unconvincingly.
"Is it about Sam?" Tina asked hesitantly. "I'm sorry about leaving you two together at the movies like that. If it makes you feel any better, Mercedes forced me to do it."
"Yeah, I did," Merceded said proudly. "And I'd do it again, too. You two are perfect together. I don't see why you won't hook up with the guy. I just want to see you happy, Kurt."
"Wait, what? Sam is gay?" Finn nearly spat. "And he's into Kurt? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked Rachel.
"Frankly, it's none of our business, Finn," Rachel said, smoothing back her hair.
"Really?" Mercedes said incredulously. "The whole 'getting them together and stranding them at the movies' plot was your idea."
"Nevertheless," Rachel said, "whatever happens between the two of them from here on out has to be up to them, and not due to our meddling."
"That's a nice thought, Rachel," Kurt said, "but we all know the day you stop meddling is the day we all ice-skate home from school because Hell has frozen over."
"So what is going on with you and Sam?" Finn asked nosily. "Are you guys together or something?"
Exasperated with their questioning, and regretting even sitting down with them in the first place, Kurt simply said, "I need some air," before rising to his feet and walking across the gym, out of sight from his friends.
As he found a sufficient corner to wallow in, the Warbler's current set ended. The blue-blazered boys stood still as soldiers as Principal Figgins appeared from backstage, an envelope clenched in his hands as a spotlight shone on his shiny head.
"Settle down, people," Figgins said, his lifeless voice booming into the microphone. "I have the results of the vote for this year's Queen and King of the Snowball." Ripping the envelope open, he unfolded the sheet held within.
"And your Snowball Ice Queen and Frost King are…Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman," Mr. Figgins announced monotonously. The crowd erupted into applause, obviously pleased that the golden couple had won the precious title. Quinn shrieked, the spotlight shining on her and Puck as they made their way to the stage. Kurt tried not to watch, tried to tear his eyes away and focus on something else, or even leave the gym altogether, but he couldn't. He was glued to the spot, watching with wide eyed horror as Puck escorted Quinn onstage. Puck held his hand out to Quinn, helping her up the steps to retrieve their crowns and sashes. Quinn beamed as the glittering tiara was placed atop her head, and Puck couldn't help but blush in embarrassment as he too was crowned. They kissed, and the audience 'awwed' at their adorableness, while inside Kurt felt as if he died a little.
For the past few weeks he could lie to himself, pretend that they weren't real, just some abstract thing in the distance, like a mirage or the remnants of a dream forgotten once awake. But seeing them together with so many witnesses around made it impossible to deny; they were a couple. Puck and Quinn were going out. More than going out, they were the new King and Queen of the ball. They had the school wrapped around their finger. Now, Kurt questioned everything he and Puck had. Were they really ever together, or were they what he tried convincing himself he and Quinn were? Were he and Puck a mirage, a daydream, an illusion? Did he ever mean anything to him at all?
The crowd parted as Puck and Quinn descended from the stage, making room for them to have the traditional spotlight dance. As the crowd swelled around them, Kurt pulled back, finding solace in the dark corners out from amongst the audience. As the lights lowered and the spotlight shined brightly on the happy couple, another spotlight shone on Kurt, though it was much less bright. Kurt clutched at his throat as the Warblers began singing a slow, haunting love song for Puck and Quinn, his eyes watering as they joined hands and began taking slow, languid steps to the music. Kurt blocked out the Warbler's voices however, and instead could only hear the rapid keyboard strokes playing in his head, soon accompanied by the rhythmic beat of a drum, their sharp tones pulsing and echoing in his mind as he saw Puck and Quinn dancing. Withdrawing further back from the crowd, he began singing, his voice only audible to himself as he sang his feelings out loud.
"Somebody said you got a new friend," Kurt sang, walking amongst the outskirts of the crowd, his eyes following Puck and Quinn's every move. "Does she love you better than I can? There's a big black sky over my town. I know where you at, I bet she's around. Yeah, I know it's stupid. Just gotta see it for myself," he sang sorrowfully, turning his face as he saw the proof before his eyes.
"I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh. I'm right over here, why can't you see me, oh?" he asked, watching as Puck's eyes swept over where he was standing without a hint of recognition. "I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooh. I keep dancing on my own."
"I'm just gonna dance all night," Kurt promised, swinging his arms out recklessly, twisting and contorting his body wildly. "I'm all messed up, I'm so outta line. Stilettos and broken bottles, I'm spinning around in circles."
"I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh," Kurt sang, watching with a heavy heart as Puck kissed Quinn. "I'm right over here, why can't you see me, oh? I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooh. I keep dancing on my own."
"So far away, but still so near," he mourned, reaching out to touch Puck were it not for the audience blocking his fingertips. "The lights go on, the music dies," he sang, the spotlight on him fading as the one on Puck and Quinn seemed to intensify.
"But you don't see me standing here. I just came to say goodbye," he sang, pulling even further from the crowd and turning his back to the dancing couple.
"I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh," he sang, tears clouding his eyes. Wiping them before they could fall, he slammed himself against the wall, clutching at it before pushing himself off and dancing wildly around, his feet possessed. "I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooh. I keep dancing on my own."
"I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh," he sang, twirling around in the secluded part of the gym he called his own, his breathing ragged and his head spinning. "I'm right over here, why don't you see me, oh? I'm giving it my all, but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooh. I keep dancing on my own."
"I keep dancing on my own," he echoed sorrowfully, his feet stopping as the song ended. The audience applauded Puck and Quinn, and smiling cheerfully they bowed before they were surrounded by well-wishers. Kurt walked towards the exit, red-cheeked and sore-limbed from his dancing. He stepped out, wondering if Puck had noticed him at all, or noticed him and just ignored him. Brushing these thoughts aside, realizing he and Puck were more than through, he walked into the empty corridor, the gentle click-clacking of his shoes the only accompaniment he had.
glee
Kurt walked along the row of lockers, looking for any sign of Sam. He couldn't see him anywhere, so reluctantly turning on his heel to find somewhere to hide for the next hour or so, he nearly fell over as he bumped into a lurker dressed in a dark blue blazer.
"There you are," Sebastian said, grabbing him before he fell over. Steadying himself, Kurt yanked his hand out from Sebastian's grasp.
Looking distastefully over they boy, Kurt said, "Not again. Was my message to you earlier really so unclear, or do I have to resort to more punishing forms of bodily harm to get my point across?"
"I doubt you could do much bodily harm to me," Sebastian scoffed. "But it is kind of adorable that you think you can take me in a fight," he said, running his finger up Kurt's cheek. Kurt slapped it away, scowling as Sebastian licked his lips.
"I do Pilates, you know. And yoga. And if you think those are harmless exercises, look at Madonna's arms and tell me that she can't chokehold a grizzly bear with those things," Kurt said. "So test me again, and you'll find yourself writhing on the floor clutching at the remains of your genitals, doing your own personal rendition of Victor/Victoria."
"You're so cute when you try to be all threatening," Sebastian said breathily. "And I like a guy with some fight in him. Makes the sex all the more fun."
"Get out of my face," Kurt snarled. Just as Sebastian was going to wrap his hands around his ass and pull him closer, the unmistakable squeaking of sneakers and the ruffling of velour signaled the arrival of McKinley High's greatest evil.
"What's going on here?" Sue Sylvester questioned. She had on a blue tracksuit jacket zipped up over a long, ruffled blue gown. She looked distrustfully from Sebastian to Kurt's face; whereas Sebastian's looked far too innocent, Kurt's was red with lividness. "Who are you?" she asked the Dalton boy. "And why are you dressed like you should be serving me peanuts on a Southwest flight to Albaquerque?"
Taken aback at her insult, but recovering enough to secrete some of his noxious charm, Sebastian replied, "I'm Sebastian, Miss. I'm a Warbler tasked with entertaining the school for the dance tonight."
"Last time I checked, the entertainment stayed onstage, entertaining," Sue said, her arms crossed as her towering figure stepped between Kurt and Sebastian.
Sebastian looked up into her face, his thin lips pulled into an obnoxious smile. "Yes, Miss. Sorry if I caused any trouble." He turned, and politely nodded his head to Kurt in farewell, before leaving for the gym.
"That kid reeks of latex," Sue snarled. "Stay away from him unless you want to spend a lifetime at the free clinic, elbow deep in cold sore medication," she said.
"Thanks, Coach," Kurt said gratefully. Thankful though he was for her intervention, he knew better than to spend an extended amount of time around her, so he made to leave. Before he could escape, however, Sue pulled him back.
"Not so fast there, Porcelain," she said, grabbing him by the scruff of his collar. "You look different. Have you aged?" she asked, holding him by the chin and turning his face around, inspecting it thoroughly. "You haven't been using expired mayonnaise as botulism to get rid of your wrinkles, have you?"
"No, Coach," Kurt said, his lips pouting as Sue squeezed his cheeks. "I just lost a lot of my baby fat, I suppose."
"And you're taller," she observed, stepping back to look over his form. "Before I thought you had sprung fully grown from a Clay-mation movie about some queer elf and their search for Baby New Year, but now you look like the halfway point between a Scandinavian woman's gender reassignment surgery."
"Thank you, I guess," Kurt said, massaging his sore cheeks, unsure if she was complimenting or insulting him.
"I want you back on my Cheerios," she announced, feeling his arm for any muscles through his suit jacket, and then letting it fall limply to his side when she found none. "You're now the perfect height and build to be tossed about carelessly like a rag doll."
"Oh, that's okay," Kurt declined. "I have more than enough on my plate with Glee and my regular coursework. I really can't see myself joining in any other extracurricular activities."
"Oh, sweet Porcelain," Sue said, holding Kurt's hand patronizingly. "That wasn't a question. You're joining, just as sure as I'll be menstruating in three days and that pointy faced kid with the blue blazer will be starring in poorly lit adult movies in a couple of years. So slap on those sweats, slick back your Elvis Presley hair, and get ready to rejoin the only team that made you feel like an actual winner around here."
"Thanks, Coach Sylvester," Kurt said unsurely. "But I still don't think - ."
"That's the end of the discussion," Sue said with finality. "Suit up and show up for practice on Monday. I'll be expecting you. You remember the time." With that she returned to the gym, leaving Kurt dazed and confused as to how he just rejoined the Cheerios without even wanting to.
Kurt leaned back into the lockers, his head still in a haze after his earlier altercation with Karofsky and Sam, and then seeing Puck and Quinn, then dealing with Sebastian again, and now having to break it to the Glee Club that he was on Cheerios again, which was going to be especially awkward with Quinn there, as well as Santana who was back to being a bitch to him. He sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge to his nose, wondering what more the night would bring.
He was going to hide out in the bathroom, intent on wasting as much time there as possible until the limo came to pick them up in a little bit, when he walked through the Science wing and saw a light on in one of the classrooms. His curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked inside. There, lying on the floor of the classroom, was Sam. He was sprawled out, staring up into the ceiling, looking wondrously at the hanging mobiles of the solar system with the glow-in-the-dark stars shining behind them. The door Kurt was leaning on squeaked as he looked further inside, drinking in the adorable sight of Sam at his most unguarded. Sam's head shot up at the squeak, his hair disheveled and matted down in the back. Kurt smiled sheepishly at him, closing the door behind him as he asked, "Mind if I join you?"
"Sure. As long as you get lots of breathing room, right?" Sam shrugged listlessly, falling back onto the floor. He didn't seem too excited to see Kurt again, and Kurt couldn't blame him. But still, he found himself drawn to Sam, if only to apologize for what he said earlier.
Kurt leaned down and lay next to Sam, staring up at the glow-in-the-dark constellations while trying to find the words to say what was on his mind.
"I'm sorry, Sam, about earlier," he finally said, unable to even look at the blond laying beside him.
"See that constellation up there?" Sam asked after a moment's silence, pointing to a cluster of stars to the left of where they were laying. "That's Gemini. It's my favorite."
"Oh," Kurt said interestedly, meanwhile wondering why Sam had ignored his apology. "They're the twins, right?"
"Yeah," Sam said. "Castor and Pollux, brothers of Helen of Troy. They're twins, but hey have different fathers. See, Zeus impregnated their mother, Leda, with Pollux the same night she was impregnated by her husband with Castor. They grew up and were inseparable, but Castor, a mortal, was destined to die, while Pollux, as the son of a god, was going to live forever with his father on Mount Olympus." Sam stared bright-eyed at the constellation while continuing, "So when Castor died, his brother begged Zeus to give him immortality as well. Zeus agreed to this, and allowed them to live together forever in the heavens as stars."
"Wow," Kurt sighed, his own eyes bright with the glowing stars. "That's beautiful. So, why are they your favorite?"
"I don't know," Sam shrugged. "There's something about them. Maybe it's the whole 'doing something great for the person you love' thing. And look at how they're positioned." Sam pointed up to the constellation, tracing their imaginary lines with his finger. "See, their arms, how they barely touch?"
"Yes," Kurt agreed, his breath baited as Sam's well-muscled arm was stretched right in front of him.
"And see how they're both turned forward, never looking at each other?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Kurt nodded, shifting a little closer to Sam.
"Well, it's tragic, isn't it? They're destined to be together forever, brothers, best friends, but they aren't even touching or looking at each other," Sam commented. "It's sad. It shows if it could happen to the gods, it could happen to anyone."
"Anyone?" Kurt asked. He knew what Sam was hinting at, and bit his lip worriedly as Sam went on.
"The gods were all powerful," Sam said, still looking up to the stars. "And if they couldn't even grant themselves a happy ending, what chance is there for us?"
"Sam," Kurt began, turning his head away in exasperation at Sam's vague hints. "It's not like that."
"Look at us," Sam said, observing his and Kurt's body language. "We're barely touching. You can't even look at me."
"Sam," Kurt said again, still unable to look the blond in the eye. "I just want - ."
"Kiss me."
Kurt finally looked at him. Sam was staring at him intently, his blue eyes shining brightly underneath the fake stars glowing above them. "What?" Kurt asked, his mouth suddenly dry and his palms inexplicably sweaty.
"Kiss me," Sam said again. He rolled over and was fully facing Kurt, his eyes expectant, his mouth parted.
"Sam, I thought we talked about this," Kurt said awkwardly. "Why can't we be friends?"
"Because you look at me weird," Sam huffed, sitting up.
"What?"
"You look at me weird," Sam accused again. "You give me these giant doe-eyed looks, and you always find an excuse to touch me. And your smile…"
"What about my smile?" Kurt asked hesitantly.
"I've never seen you smile at anyone the way you smile at me," Sam said. "And I can't take it anymore, Kurt! I can't take it because I feel like I'm going crazy and I'm making up all these signals in my head, but that can't be it, can it? It's all real, right? You like me? Or am I just imagining it?"
The seconds felt as if they stretched into hours, and Kurt still couldn't find a response to Sam's accusations. Had he really been so careless around Sam, and led the boy on with what he assumed to be flirting? He hadn't meant to. True, he had feelings for Sam, but everything with Puck was still too fresh in his mind, and so he didn't really want to entrap the boy in a relationship neither one of them were ready for.
But still, Sam was good. No; Sam was great. There was nothing standing in the way of the two of them being together. So why was Kurt putting up all these imaginary barriers where there were none? Why couldn't he just accept that Puck was Puck, and Sam is Sam; two completely different people who would treat Kurt differently. So Kurt decided to let Sam in. He lifted his eyes to meet Sam's gaze, and was about to express his true romantic feelings for the blond, when Sam got to his feet angrily.
"Forget it, Kurt. I know that look. That 'we're just friends' look," Sam said as he rushed out of the classroom. "And to be honest I'm getting sick of it. I wish you would just…give me a chance." Before Kurt could even react Sam was out the door. Kurt hurriedly got to his feet and ran to the gym, intent on proving to Sam he was going to give him a chance.
As Kurt entered the gym he saw Sam idly ladling some punch into his cup at the refreshment table. Rachel spotted Kurt as soon as he entered, and eagerly walked up to him, smiling annoyingly at his side.
"What?" Kurt asked, looking down on her.
"Nothing," she smiled back, clutching his hand and swinging it around excitedly. "I would just like to apologize for meddling before, you know with you and Sam. And…"
"And?" Kurt asked, looking bewilderedly into her mischievous eyes.
"And for meddling again now," she said cryptically.
He was going to rip his palm from hers when he spied Mercedes rushing onstage. The Warblers were ambling about as a record was playing, but after Mercedes whispered something into Blaine's ear he began shuffling them into place. He walked up to the microphone and waved to Kurt. Suddenly Kurt felt very uncomfortable.
"What is going on?" he whispered to Rachel, all of the students in the gym looking to them expectantly. The lights dimmed, and two spotlights shone on him and another person. Squinting under the harsh light, he scanned the gym and saw Sam was with Tina, and they, too, were holding hands underneath the spotlight. Music started, and as Blaine and the Warblers sang Rachel and Tina led a cautious Kurt and Sam towards each other, Sam still unable to look Kurt in the eye. Rachel took Sam's hand from Tina and wrapped it around Kurt's, smiling as she then placed Sam's hand on Kurt's hip. Sam looked away awkwardly, while Kurt huffed in annoyance at his friend's set up, especially at the fact that they were on display for the entire school to see.
"There you see him, sitting there across the way. He don't got a lot to say but there's something about him," Blaine sang, the Warblers swaying behind him while Sam and Kurt were thrust onto the dance floor by a pushy Tina and Rachel. "And you don't know why, but you're dying to try, you wanna kiss the boy."
"I'm going to kill each and every one of them," Kurt promised through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, sorry they forced you to dance with me," Sam said, rolling his eyes at Kurt's predicament. "Now the whole school's seen you with the hick with the huge mouth."
"Stop doing that," Kurt said, squeezing Sam's hand irritably. "Stop putting yourself down." Sam looked down, focusing on the steps to the dance rather than fighting again with Kurt.
"Yes, you want him. Look at him, you know you do," Blaine winked, making Kurt's jaw clench. "Possible he wants you, too, there is one way to ask him. It don't take a word, not a single word. Go on and kiss the boy."
As they danced, Kurt saw the student's watching them. Some were taken in by the moment, others seemed disinterested, while still more looked disgusted by the sight of two boys dancing together.
"Aren't you scared?" Kurt asked, looking around at the judging eyes surrounding them.
"Scared of what?" Sam asked.
"Of them," Kurt said, gesturing with his eyes to the crowd. "Of what they're going to say after you finish dancing with the biggest gay in town." Sam scanned the students around them, looking disinterestedly from one acne-ridden face to the next.
"No," Sam shrugged. "I don't care what they're going to say or do or whatever. Let them talk." Kurt was taken aback at his response, his courage against the entirety of the school impressing him.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my. Look like the boy's too shy, ain't gonna kiss the boy. Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame? Too bad, he gonna miss the boy," Blaine and his fellow Warblers pouted, looking on as Kurt and Sam didn't seem to be getting the obvious hints he and the girls were shooting them.
"Why are you so…?" Kurt said, trying to find the words to express how he felt about Sam.
"What?" Sam said gruffly. "Nerdy? Annoying? Persistent?"
"Perfect," Kurt finished. Sam stopped dancing, and Kurt almost tripped over his own shoes at Sam's sudden halt.
"Now's your moment, floating in a blue lagoon," Blaine sang hurriedly, looking to the girls as to why Sam and Kurt stopped dancing. "Boy you better do it soon, no time will be better. He don't say a word, and he won't say a word, until you kiss the boy."
"What did you say?" Sam asked.
Kurt looked tearfully up to Sam. "You're perfect. You've been so patient, but why? Why do you want me?" he whispered.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared. You got the mood prepared, go on and kiss the boy (Whoa, whoa). Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now. Don't try to hide it, how you wanna kiss the boy."
Sam took the plunge. He listened to the lyrics of the song, took his friends advice, and kissed Kurt. He held Kurt's head, pressing their lips together urgently, lest the brunette try to pull away. And he did pull away. Kurt looked fearfully at the disapproving faces of those around them, afraid of what they would do to Sam now that he was fully out.
"Forget them," Sam whispered so only Kurt could hear, his breath warming Kurt's face. "They're not here right now. No one's here. It's just me and you, okay?" Sam said, forcing Kurt to look him in the eyes. "Just me and you." He wiped Kurt's tears away, and was surprised when this time Kurt lunged forward and kissed him, wrapping his arms around his back and holding him tightly.
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along and listen to this song: the song say, kiss the boy," Blaine sang proudly, his voice and the Warblers' seemingly magnifying under their joy at Sam and Kurt getting together. "Sha-la-la-la-la-la, music play. Do what the music say, you gotta kiss the boy."
"Yay!" Rachel screamed, clapping excitedly. She and Mercedes and Tina were screaming joyfully, happy that Kurt and Sam got past all their stupid hang ups and finally got together. There was also a deafening cheer let up from the crowd, and most of the students were happily clapping to the new couple as well. This support gave Kurt a reaffirming boost, and he couldn't help but bask in the moment as he and Sam shared their very first kiss for everyone to see, not worrying about the naysayers amongst the crowd.
"They're so adorable together, aren't they?" Quinn cooed, cheerfully clapping along with the crowd as she, Brittany, and Artie stood by the entrance.
"I'm so happy for Kurtie!" Brittany said, jumping up and down animatedly. "He's a happy dolphin again!" Quinn laughed as Brittany continued cheering on the new couple.
Puck was lurking behind Quinn and Brittany, his arms crossed as he took in the sight of Kurt and Sam dancing happily in the spotlight. He ran his hand through his mohawk and stalked backwards out of the gym, making sure no one saw him. He walked deep into the empty hall, pacing back and forth along a row of lockers as tears clouded his vision. He tore angrily at his mohawk, sure he pulled out more than a few strands of hair, before stopping and slamming his fist through a locker. The sharp pain shooting through his hand didn't even faze him; his mind was too full of the image of Kurt together with Sam.
"FUUUCK!" he howled, the word echoing down the hall, though the booming music in the gym made sure no one but himself heard it. He then slumped to the floor in defeat as his gnarled knuckles lay bleeding beside him.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
*This response is directed at anonymous reviewer nick, with a lower case 'n'.* Well, nick with a lower case 'n', I'm sorry you've lost patience with this story. As stated above, this is still a Puckurt story, and not a Kum story. I know it seems that way now, but there is a method to my madness. I know that Puck has been out of the picture for a while now, and I do have my reasons. I didn't want Puck's perspective yet because right now Kurt is too busy getting over him and falling for Sam, so to read from Puck's point of view would make you readers feel sorry and sympathetic for him, when right now you need to be on Kurt's side. But Puck will be reentering the picture soon. Well, he kind of already did up above at the Snowball, what with punching the locker and all, but he'll be there again. Kurt is rejoining the Cheerios after all, and Sam and Puck are on football, and football practice is the same time as cheerleading practice, and they're all going to be on the field at the same time, so yeah, let's sit back and watch the drama unfold.
And, nick with a lower case 'n', in response to your other comment: that I've grown tired of Kurt drama and used Santana as a way of getting over my writer's block and am from now on going to focus on other characters and storylines. To that I just have to say, you couldn't be more wrong. I could never grow tired of Kurt drama. If it were up to me, the entire show would be about Kurt and his love life, and the others would just be his supportive friends who got no more than five minutes screen time each. That being said, I don't focus on other characters exclusively. I just use them as a sort of foil for Kurt and his romantic entanglements. Look at Santana; she's in the exact same position as Kurt. The same-sex person she loves is with someone else, only Brittany's with Artie because she really likes him, not because she's like Puck, who is scared of his sexuality. Meanwhile, Blaine pining over Sebastian will be addressed later on, when Kurt betrays his best gay and their friendship is tested, all after things fall apart with him and Sam. Finally, Rachel and Finn are similarly in the same boat as the others, only their love life is much less complicated and is a good comparison to both Santana and Kurt as it shows how easy they could have it, if only life were a little less cruel to us gays (that somehow sounded derogatory).
I hope that satisfactorily addresses your concerns, nick with a lower case 'n'. I know you've lost patience, and I'm sorry for that, but it is my style as a writer to fully flush out a character's feelings, and not just have them act of feel differently than the previous chapter just because it suits my needs or because I'm too lazy to full explain their actions. I like to see these characters as living beings, and I try to paint them as such, with real choices and real regrets. I know I fail most of the time at this, but I hope to get better with practice. Also, I don't update as often with this story because it does take a while for me to write a new chapter, and sometimes I'm just not in the mood to write, so that could add to your feeling that this story is taking forever. On top of that, I like to be inclusive with the characters, and try to have them each have at least one line per chapter, so that way they're not just background scenery, which does stretch out a chapter. Plus, I am an overly detailed writer. I write everything, from the glint in their eyes to the awkward shuffle in their step; that draws out a chapter as well, and makes it feel longer in word length than it really is in development.
So, nick with a lower case 'n', I hope I've sufficiently answered your review, and maybe now you will give this story the time it deserves to blossom into a truly epic love story. If not, thanks for reading this story so far, and I hope you find another story you can better enjoy (there are tons out there much better than this, after all). Happy readings.