(Author's note: I've been doing a lot of sitting and staring at the empty page of this story. But something finally came out, even if it wasn't what I expected.

I suppose I should mention here, even if you have not read the story of Puck and Adam, that there is currently an Adam/Kurt romance emerging in the chapters of Just Keep Coming Around, which is a kind of collection of short stories about Adam in the Donutverse. It is incredibly hot and sweet. Those stories will fit into the timeline of the sequel to Bending in the Archer's Hand, which will span the rest of season one. There's so much more story to come. I will try to confine most of my Adam to that collection of short stories, in deference to my readers who prefer not to dabble in RPS, even a clearly fictional variety such as this. He does make a brief appearance at the end of this chapter.

Also, if you are not yet sold on Dave/Puck, I highly recommend you come check out the work in progress, So Nothing's Left Unturned, written by myself and the inestimable Penthea. It's a little more serious in tone than Gold Mine, and the boys are in college now, but there's plenty of humor. And math. And cats. And Sarah, and little seven-year-old Beth!

Thank you to everyone who reads the stories. I can't even tell you how much I appreciate your presence in my life, even if you never comment. -amy)

The tree was entirely decorated by the time Kurt and Puck brought Sarah home from Frances' house on Christmas Eve. Puck was mostly familiar with the sterile, single-colored trees he'd seen in department stores, so he was a little confused by the mishmash of the Hummel tree, hung with multicolored lights and decorations of all kinds. Some were bulbs and glass baubles, but there were just as many made from construction paper and painted Play-Doh. Puck frowned at the tree.

"It's a little... cluttered, isn't it?" he said, glancing at Kurt. Kurt slipped an arm around his waist.

"I suppose. But that's not the point. Every ornament on that tree is a piece of our past. I made some of them, when I was growing up. My dad can tell you where every single one of those ornaments came from, even the stupid reindeer made out of cut paper and pipe cleaners."

"Preschool, when Kurt was four," called Burt from the couch.

"See?" Kurt continued, not even turning around. "And half of those glass ornaments belonged to my mother's parents. It's a lot more than a bunch of decorations. It's a family history, a chance to talk about all the places we've been."

Finn came out of Sarah's room and slid his stack of wrapped presents under the tree. "You remember the tree at my house, Puck? It was a lot like this."

"I guess I never paid much attention to it before," Puck shrugged. Carole stood and came over to stand beside them, gazing at the tree.

"I didn't even bother to unpack our decorations this year," she admitted. "It hasn't been a very festive time at our house, has it, Finn?"

Finn didn't respond right away, fiddling with an ornament on the lowest branch. Eventually he sighed and sat back, arms propped on his knees. "It's okay, Mom. I didn't really care much how festive things were, this year... until Tuesday, anyway."

Puck gave him one short glance, then looked quickly back at the tree. It would have been so fucking easy to go over and sit beside him, to put his head in Finn's lap, to let him stroke his head. To pretend that nothing had changed between them.

It wouldn't be true, though. He took Kurt's hand and held it firmly, interlacing their fingers. Kurt looked up at him, startled, but he held just as tightly. It's better. I'm glad to be here. But even since Tuesday night, things were still strained between himself and Finn. He felt it, passing him in the hallway, in the way he hesitated before speaking to him, the tension in his body. It was the kind of tension he knew well. I know what you need, man.

"No matter," Kurt said briskly. "We can add to our decorations next year. I mean..." He paused and glanced at Finn. "You can get our your own, and I can... or we - " He blinked, a little too fast.

"Baby..." Puck tugged his hand gently. "What is it?"

Kurt shook his head. "It's nothing. Let me introduce you to my favorite Christmas movie."

They sat on the couch, all six of them, and watched Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas, which turned out to be an obscure musical by the same guy who did the Muppets. "I remember being scared to death by the big bear character, Chuck," Kurt said, passing Puck the popcorn. "Something about his voice made my toes curl."

"He's the same guy who does the Cookie Monster, right?" commented Finn.

"I guess." Kurt thought about it, listening. "Maybe. Somehow he's much creepier here."

"One person can play many different roles," Carole pointed out. "Frank Oz also does the voices for Miss Piggie, Grover and Fozzie Bear, to name a few. He's incredibly versatile."

"And Bert," said Burt, nudging Kurt, who turned red and grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sarah said. She crunched into a frozen ice cream cookie sandwich. "They all sound like the same person to me."

Bert shrugged and took the popcorn bowl from Puck. "I think it's all in how you listen."

There was a song at the end to which Kurt knew all the words:

Like a flower that has blossomed
In this dry and barren sand
We are born and born again most gracefully
Plus the winds of time will take us
With a sure and steady hand
When the river meets the sea

Puck, sitting next to Burt, noticed him averting his eyes and patting his face with his shirt sleeve. He reached out and got a tissue and handed it to him. Burt took it without comment.

Like a baby when it is sleeping
In its mother's loving arms
What a newborn baby dreams is a mystery
But this life will find a purpose
And in time we'll understand
When the river meets the sea

"Elizabeth liked that song?" Carole inquired, her voice calm, one hand on Burt's knee.

"Mmm," he said vaguely.

It wasn't particularly late when the movie concluded, but Kurt turned to Finn with a pleading expression. "Are you staying tonight?"

"I think Finn needs to come back to our house tonight," Carole said. She gave Burt's knee a firm pat. "It's been a long week, and tomorrow's Christmas. Let's all get some good sleep tonight, okay?"

Finn didn't look like he was in any position to object, but Puck thought he might not have, even if Carole had been less adamant. "I'm going to head back to the apartment," he told Kurt, who was crestfallen, but not arguing. "I bet I'll be back before you're even awake. It's my first Christmas. And I think Sarah will learn how to drive a car just to come and pick me up from my place if I don't get up early and come out here - hey!" He ducked away from her kicking foot. "Brother abuse."

"You brought it on yourself, dude," Finn said, standing and stretching. He hugged Sarah, then went to get their coats from the closet.

"Kurt, I forgot to mention," said Burt, grabbing a box from beside the tree and handing it to Puck. He hefted it experimentally, shaking it a few times before Kurt put a hand on top of his. "This came in the mail today, express mail, from California. It's addressed to both of you."

"Oh, f- I mean, wow," Puck said, staring at the box. Then he looked up at Burt. "It's from Adam. That was quick."

"I guess he wanted you to have it by Christmas." Burt's eyebrows were up under his ball cap, but he just gestured. "Set it under the tree, I suppose. You can find out what it is tomorrow."

"Good night, Carole." Sarah hugged her, then turned to Puck. "You sure you won't stay?" she said hopefully. "It's really boring in the middle of the night with nobody to talk to."

Puck glanced at Burt, who was still lost in his own thoughts, but he was still quick enough to pick up on Puck's unspoken question. Burt walked up behind Sarah and touched her shoulder. "You can come get me if you happen to wake up."

Her eyes widened a little, but she nodded at Burt. "Thanks, Tatenui," she murmured, burying herself in his arms. Puck felt a little sad at this, even though he knew it was better for Sarah to have more people, and this was his family as much as hers. She's supposed to do that with me, he thought, inexplicably, and shook his head.

Kurt was waiting, and as much as he was happy to see that, Puck hesitated before hugging him. "I don't like to leave when you're sad," he whispered into his ear. "Do you want me stay?"

"You'd better not, sweetheart," Kurt whispered back.

He placed a kiss on that space right above his collar that made Kurt close his eyes and sigh, every time. It worked this time, too. "I can sneak back in a few hours," he suggested.

He groaned. "I think my dad's going to be watching." He pushed him away, gently and firmly. "Come back in the morning. If you're really here early, maybe you can come wake me up."

"Yeah." He grinned at Kurt, tracing his ear with one finger. "I'll have you for breakfast. Sleep well, baby."

Finn was getting into the passenger seat of Carole's car when he walked out to his truck. "Hey," Puck called, and Finn paused, startled, one leg in, the other on the snowy driveway. Puck placed a hand on the car door. "You're leaving without saying goodbye to Kurt?"

"You guys looked like you were busy," Finn muttered. "I didn't want to interfere."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Jesus fuck, Finn." He reached into the car and towed him out. "We'll be right back, okay, Carole?"

"I think I've got five minutes in me before I'll come in and find you," she said. "Got it?"

"Got it," he affirmed. "Five minutes."

Puck linked arms with Finn like he was about to tell him a secret, and scowled. "So don't tell me you've been treating him like this all week."

"You don't get to say that to me, dude," Finn hissed back. "Not when you're the one who left."

"If we're placing blame, then no. But that's not my goal here. I'm worried about Kurt. Remember? The guy who didn't do anything wrong?" Puck pushed Finn ahead of himself and propelled him through the door. "You giving him what he needs?"

"Yes!" Finn shot him a wounded look over his shoulder. "Carl - he showed me things... didn't Kurt tell you?"

"A little. But I know he's way too nice to say when he's not getting what he needs."

Finn hesitated outside Kurt's bedroom door, then knocked. "Baby?" he said softly. "It's me."

Kurt opened the door, surprised, glancing back and forth between the two of them. He'd already taken off his shirt and socks and was down to just his butterscotch-colored pants. "Oh," he said. "I don't - Finn, my dad's going to -"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Finn interrupted. "I won't be long." He put a hand under Kurt's chin and tipped it up to his, gazing into his wide, blue eyes.

"Oh," he said again, in a completely different tone. He didn't speak for a few moments, then stammered out, "Y-yes, I'm okay. But thank you... for checking."

Finn caressed his face. "I love you."

"I - I love you, too." Kurt turned to Puck, his face flushed. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Puck considered his callused fingers.

"Mmmm. You guys had better clear out. I'll see you in the morning." He gave Puck one pointed look and waited for his nod before closing the bedroom door.

Finn glanced up the stairs, then over at Puck. "You were right," he said. "I should have checked in, before I left, even if I thought I knew."

He shrugged, but felt a rush of pleasure at the compliment. "I'm learning things."

"You've got the same instincts I've got," Finn said. "And you've got Alex, and Adam, to teach you."

"You've got Carl," Puck countered. "And he's here, in town. I'm sure he's going to show you a hell of a lot of things."

Puck watched Finn's face devolve into needy confusion, right in front of him. He grabbed his shoulders. "Ohhh, no," he said, giving him a little shake. "You're not going there, not here. Your mom's waiting in the driveway."

"I - fuck." Finn shook his head. "Sorry."

Puck hugged him, suddenly, fiercely, trying not to lose himself too much in the feeling of Finn's body under his hands, but then Finn had his face, and was kissing him, wet and sloppy, and he was making unsubtle noises into his mouth. He pulled back, seeking Puck's eyes. His own were troubled.

"This - this is okay?" he said.

"Yeah, man," Puck mumbled, feeling a little dazed, because Finn always did that to him. "Okay. Of course."

He hesitated. "You - maybe I could come to your place?"

Puck blinked. "Uh... you want that?"

Finn still had that troubled look, but he nodded. "I'll go ask my mom."

It had been long enough since any of the three of them had had to ask this kind of permission on a not-school night that Puck was startled by the idea. You've got a parent to ask, he thought, and felt a strange twinge. "Yeah, of course," he said again. "I'll get the truck warmed up."

He waited in the cab until Finn and Carole were done talking. It wasn't a short conversation. By the time Finn climbed in, he'd already made it through track two (For Your Entertainment) and was well into track three (Whatdya Want From Me) of Adam's CD. Finn blinked at the CD sitting on the seat, picked it up and turned it over in his hands as he put his seatbelt on. "He sounds... well, really good."

"Yeah," Puck agreed. He'd listened to the album enough now that the songs were just part of him, every bit of vocal nuance, the harmonies, all the instrumental parts, layered on one another. "This is the first one he sang. In the coffee shop. I mean, not like this - it was just him, singing with my guitar."

They drove in silence for a few minutes, listening, before Puck reached over and took Finn's hand. "This isn't weird?" he said.

"Uh, yeah, it is," Finn assured him. "It's pretty weird. But that hasn't stopped us yet. And I'm pretty sure we thoroughly covered weird last night."

Puck gave a laugh, and tried to relax. "All right. I mean, if you can handle it, I can, too."

"I'm not freaking out, if that's what you're asking." Finn squeezed his hand. It didn't feel bad, at all.

He let go when the track changed, and skipped to track 5. "Listen to this one. It's about... uh, well, Adam says it's about casual sex, about feeling lonely and taking a guy home, just because you don't want to be alone."

And you've had enough
Searching for love
And you miss the touch
Of someone new

Soaked to the bone
Sink like a stone
I will take you home
It's not the first time
It's not the worst crime
Our souls will be okay

Puck shot him a look. "Is that what this is? Am I your random hookup? Because, you know, I'm kind of okay with that, if that's what you need."

"Dude," Finn protested, red-faced. "I've never done anything like that. And how could I be doing that with you? I've known you practically all my life."

"Yeah? Tell me you're the same person you were a week ago."

Finn was silent. "You can't, can you?" Puck pressed. "Finn, I was fucking inside you last night. This is different, between us. Don't you think so?"

Finn nodded, still silent. Finally, as they pulled into the parking lot outside Carl and Davis' offices, he blurted, "Tell me about Fight Club."

Puck felt a rush of adrenaline. "How did you - ?"

"Karofsky. He was there."

Puck leaned forward onto the steering wheel, pillowing his head on his arms. "Fuck."

"Yeah," Finn agreed. He sounded kind of pissed. "And he told me exactly what you did with that guy in the men's john. Is that what we're doing here?"

"No!" Puck shouted. "No, fuck, Finn - no. I love you." He watched Finn's hurt face, reached to touch it, and saw him pull away. He let his hand drop to the seat and sighed. "I'm sorry for that, okay? That was - stupid. I was just... I needed..."

"I know what you needed," Finn murmured. His eyes dropped to his own lap. "I know... exactly what you needed."

Puck nodded slowly. "Yeah. You do. I was... in a really fucked up place. And I promise, I won't do anything that stupid again. I'll come to Kurt. Or Adam, or - or you. Okay?"

"You don't have to make me those kind of promises," Finn said, but Puck shook his head vehemently.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. Because Kurt's right. Family sticks together." He reached his fingers for Finn's, and waited for him to take them. Eventually, he did, and Puck sighed in relief. "Yeah. Like that. If we're going to trust each other again, we have to start somewhere. Can you believe me when I say I'm never going to do something like that again?"

"I don't know." Finn watched his face with a faint furrow in his brow. "I heard the rumor and I totally believed it, no question. Because it's exactly the sort of thing you would do. I don't think you can change that about yourself. You're going to..."

"Fuck up," Puck said.

"Be impulsive," Finn replied. "I don't care about that, except that sometimes it could hurt Kurt. Or yourself." He laced his fingers through Puck's. "I love you, too, you know."

Puck did know, but it sent a current of energy through him to hear it from Finn. "You're sure about that?" he said, just to get him to say it again.

"Yeah," said Finn, smiling. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do with you, though. I doubt you got spanked for that, huh?"

Puck had to think about that. "No," he said. "No, I guess I didn't." He looked at Finn, perplexed. "You don't...?"

"Um. No. I don't think I can do that right now." Finn shrugged. "I can't even, with Kurt. I'm just - that place I went, with you, where I was so sure I knew exactly what you needed, and then I was so fucking wrong? I don't think I can go there again."

"So... wait." Puck's confusion escalated. "If you can't do that for Kurt, then how...?"

Finn's face split in the most interesting grin. It made Puck shiver a little to see it. "I'm going to let him show you," he said. "Trust me, it's... awesome."

Puck hated waiting, but he supposed he would have to. "So... you want to come in?"

"Yeah." Finn squeezed his hand once more, then let it go. He followed Puck around to 237 ½ N. Main and waited while he unlocked the door with the key for the first time. My apartment, he thought, looking up at the faded paint and dirty carpet of the staircase. It was a little like the way he'd felt when they got their attic room at school. It felt... nice. Like home, maybe. For now.

Finn seemed to know where he was going when he got inside. "You've been here before?" Puck said, raising an eyebrow. Finn blushed. It was almost too easy to make him do that now.

"Not like that," he said irritably. "Davis was here the other day. He told me... well, I told him about what was going on with Carl, and he told me about him and Carl."

"Davis and - Carl?" Puck set his backpack down on the chair in the kitchen. "Whoa. I didn't see that coming."

"Yeah, apparently they were, like, married or something for a while. In a triad, at first, with a girl, Bebe. She and Davis were married, and -"

"Hold on, hold on." Puck shook his head in confusion. "Davis was married? He's totally gay."

"Yeah, well, so am I," said Finn, grinning. "So what? Maybe he didn't know yet. His wife fell for Carl, and -"

"She had Davis and she went for Carl? What the... uh, never mind." Puck saw the look Finn was giving him, like if he interrupted once more he was going to have a fit. "Sorry. I mean, yeah, Carl's hot, but Davis? Holy shit. Tell me I'm wrong."

Finn glared at Puck. "You're wrong," he said.

Oh. "Right. Whatever, man, to each his own and all that. So - his wife, what was her name? She went for Carl, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Bebe, he called her. Davis, he was completely clueless, but he wanted her to be happy, I guess, so he went along with it, but then she got pregnant, with Carl. They have a kid - a daughter. She's... um. She's our age." Finn sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Go ahead, I know you're dying to say something."

"A kid?" Puck felt a strange leaping inside him. "He - well, he must have been older than me, I guess, but - doesn't this sound awfully familiar?"

"Yeah," Finn agreed, "except Quinn didn't run away to New York with the baby to leave you and me to fuck like bunnies."

"Gay bunnies?"

Finn laughed. "Sure. Gay bunnies. With tiny handcuffs. Apparently Davis really likes that stuff." He gazed up at Puck. "Apparently we do, too, huh?"

"Hey, man, it's not news to me," Puck said. "I've known I wanted this shit all my life. I just didn't tell anybody. And I made sure to clear my browser history every time." He thought of Tessera. "There's lots for us to learn, though. And - hell, man, Carl knows everything. I mean, Tess was his Top, right? So what, are you his apprentice or something now? Is he teaching you to be a Top like him?"

"I... I think he was. But now..." Puck watched Finn close his eyes, saw the look pass over his face. "It's different. I think. I don't know. There's... a lot I don't know."

Puck smiled. "Yeah, you do. You really do. Come on, man. You can't hide from me."

Finn kept his eyes closed, but he smiled, and finally nodded. "I'm his boy," he whispered. "His. And I had no idea, Puck, I had no idea I even... wanted that."

Puck knelt down on the floor in front of Finn's chair and wrapped his arms around him. "I know, man - it's all new, but I've been there. I'm fucking there right now, with Adam. But Carl - he'll figure this out. That's what I'm saying. He knows what he's doing."

He felt Finn's nod against his shoulder, and pulled back to look into his wet face. "I'm just such a mess right now," he said. "I'm not used to feeling so... so helpless."

"Yeah," Puck said tenderly. "But it's kind of awesome, isn't it?"

Finn's eyes were wide. "Yeah," he said, so confused and amazed that Puck had to kiss him.

And because it was Finn, because it was the two of them, together, there was no way their clothes weren't going to come off. "Dude," Puck panted, shaking off the leg of his jeans. "How did we get through middle school without doing this every day?"

"I have no idea." Finn pulled his shirt off his head and tossed it on the table. "I think we probably would have had a hard time hiding it, though."

It was kind of amazing to think that nobody was going to walk in, because this was his place. They could have sex on the couch if they wanted, or on the kitchen table... and there was an old fantasy, Finn Hudson on the kitchen table. But it wasn't quite the same, he decided, without the risk of getting caught by your parents.

"Carl put the sheets on the bed himself," he said, just to see Finn twitch, and they chased each other into the bedroom.

Puck pressed the bottle of lube into Finn's hand. "Don't tell me you can't do this anymore."

Finn claimed his mouth again before running his free hand down to cup Puck's ass. "I'm not telling you that."

It was different, like this, without the driving force of submission. "Is this how it is with you and Kurt?" Finn wanted to know, fingers stroking into him from behind.

It felt so familiar, so fucking good, to be with Finn like this again, Puck couldn't answer for a while. Eventually, he said, "Not exactly. He's my Top, too, you know, in a way."

"Yeah, I know." Finn had to stop and breathe for a moment, pushing into him, and for a little while it was just them, their bodies, moving together, feeling the way they fit so perfectly.

"This is... how it is with us," he said at last, wrapping an arm around Puck's chest. "With you and me. Like nobody else."

"Nobody else," Puck echoed. It was all the words they needed.

Puck sat up suddenly in the middle of the night, shocking Finn out of sleep. "Fuck!"

"What? What happened?" Finn reached for his arm. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No, man - I forgot to call Adam!" He stumbled out into the kitchen to find his jeans. "I can't believe I forgot - I need to figure out a way to remember to do this. Shit."

"It's not a big deal," Finn said, yawning. "I'm sure he knows you're okay."

"No, he told me, I have to call him every night before I go to sleep," he called back. "What time is it? Oh, shit, it's already past midnight there." He groaned and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm totally fucked."

Finn grinned. "Yeah, you were."

"Shut up, man. This isn't a joke." He pressed the buttons on his phone. "I should give you his number. He told me I should give it to Kurt. You need it, too, like, just in case."

"Just in case what?"

"I don't know, like, if I die in a car crash or something, you can tell him. ... Adam." The relief on his face was tangible. In the dim light of the room, Finn saw him smile. "I'm sorry, man, I got caught up in what I was doing and fell asleep before... yeah. No, with Finn." He looked up. "He wants to talk to you."

"Me?" Finn regarded the phone with suspicion. He couldn't think of anything good that could come from this conversation. What was he going to say? He sighed. "All right." He held out his hand, and put the phone to his ear. "This is Finn."

"Finn," he heard, exactly the voice from the interviews and songs. It was a little weird and incongruous, but Finn knew this was important for Puck. "I must say I didn't expect to hear about you in Noah's bed, quite this soon. Is he all right?"

"Uh - yeah, I think so. I didn't expect it either. He's not - I mean, we're not -"

"That's your business, Finn. I won't ask, and it's up to Noah to tell me, if he wants to." He didn't sound very happy about this. "I understood the way things were long before we made our connection. I'm... happy he's getting what he needs. May I speak with him?"

"Sure, of course. Here." He passed the phone back to Puck, a little shaken. Yeah, he's definitely in charge. He sat on the bed, watching Puck make eyes at the phone, and felt somewhat jealous. Which made absolutely no sense, considering who was in Puck's bed right now.

After he hung up, Puck set the phone on the nightstand and took a deep breath. "Phew. I think I got away with it that time. Here, give me your phone." Finn handed over his own phone, and Puck programmed in Adam's number. "There. It's supposed to be a secret, though."

"So is this, with us," Finn pointed out, kissing him. "And I'm totally never going to be able to talk about Carl. I think I can manage one more secret."

Puck laughed. "Yeah, but - dude, we're not a very well kept secret. We kind of made out on Mercedes' lawn, didn't we?"

"Kind of. And Kurt came out to pretty much the whole school about you two. I don't think we're going to be able to keep this under wraps much longer."

He saw Puck watching him. "And?"

"And what?"

"Is that okay?"

Finn grabbed him and wrestled him down to the bed, kissing his neck, just to make him laugh. "Yeah, it's okay, dumbass. I love you. I love Kurt. It's all good."

Puck sighed as his laughter subsided. "I really fucking missed you, man."

"I missed you, too. Don't take off like that again, okay? I think I overdosed on Neil Diamond."

"Yeah... I can't tell you how awesome that is." Puck lay down with his head on Finn's chest and threw a leg over him, and for a minute, it was like they'd never been apart.

"It's not always going to be this easy," he whispered, and kissed Puck's head.

"No, I guess not." Puck traced a pattern on his chest. "We're both different, now. But we still have this. And Kurt, and your mom and Burt. And Sarah. That's kind of a lot, right?"

Finn hesitated, feeling the tension inside. "All my life," he whispered.

"Uh..." Puck raised himself up on his elbows and stared down at Finn. "What?"

"Nothing. Go to sleep. It's already Christmas."