"You called saying we had a code purple so I brought DVDs and ice cream" Molly called from the porch of Susan's house. The morning sun illuminated Susan sitting cross-legged on a chair, and on the adjacent sofa a distraught Kurt Hummel was wringing an expensive fuchsia scarf through his hands and coming dangerously close to damaging an item of clothing. "It's Ben & Jerry's Phish Phood" she called but to no effect. "I'll just dish it up in the kitchen; you two can start without me."
Susan snapped out of her reverie. "Molly you're here. Now then Kurt, feel free to tell us what's going on with you and Puck. Start from the beginning.
"Well the first fight we got into since moving here was a few days ago. I was really irritated and started saying I could probably be on Broadway by now and he said that he isn't forcing me to live with him. We both said some things we didn't mean but managed to sort it out."
"Is that what this is about? That's not too bad; it's just a little fight. Perfectly normal."
Kurt looked up at Susan. "I'm just getting started."
The night after the party and Puck was sitting in the garden. Truth be told he had been sitting in the same spot for over half an hour.
Through a haze of alcohol Puck saw an elderly man approach him, a man with straggly grey hair, a scar above his right eye and an unpleasant expression.
"'Sup faggot" the man sneered down at him. In Puck's mind the strong desire to punch the man in the face was quelled by the unlikelihood he would be able to walk in a straight line
The man was waving something in his face and he focused on a picture of him and Katherine kissing.
Oh god, he has a picture of him and Katherine kissing.
"Well that got your attention, 'aint it. I'm thinking your little ladyboy won't want to see this picture."
Puck gathered his thoughts together. "You're trying to blackmail me?"
That wasn't right, that would make this some shameful secret. It isn't even Puck's fault some cougar Kurt invited came and snogged him.
"Get off my property." It's a phrase Puck has always wanted to say, he thinks as the man walks off with a heavy scowl.
Puck should tell Kurt. Yes, these things are so much worse otherwise. Puck would tell him right now-no, no he would tell him in the morning. At this point Puck keeled backwards onto the decking and fell into an uncomfortable sleep.
"I just feel like I've been really stressed by the move and that's why we keep getting into fights." By this point in the conversation Susan is on her third cup of coffee. Next to Kurt Molly is tucking into a bowl of Ben & Jerry's and Susan is giving her a look that says ice-cream-is-for-the-romantically-depressed-not-you. "Anyway, I feel a lot better having gotten all this off my chest, thanks for giving me someone to talk to."
"Oh sure, anytime," Susan remarks "to be honest I think you're just having trouble adjusting to living with someone. Happens to everyone."
Molly nods with a mouthful of ice cream.
"Well that isn't the only reason I wanted to talk to you two." Kurt pulls something out of his pocket. "The morning after the party I bumped into this old man. Has a scar above his eye."
"That's . I don't talk to him, he isn't very nice."
"Anyway he gave me this." Kurt produced a photo of Puck and Katherine locking lips.
Susan visibly seethed. "I am going to kill her."
Molly peered at the photo. "Kurt I don't want you to jump to conclusions, this might not be what it looks like."
"When we were teenagers Puck slept with pretty much every girl in the school. He got his best friend's girlfriend pregnant."
"Ahh."
"I am going to kill her" Susan repeated.
"The thing is now I keep thinking loads of irrational thoughts. What if the only reason Puck was satisfied with a long distance relationship during college was because he was cheating on me?"
"Listen Kurt, the best thing you can do now is talk to Puck and get this cleared up. If it's an honest mistake he'll be willing to talk it out."
As if on cue Susan's door slammed shut. "Susan, I've got a headache that could slay a walrus."
Susan was on her feet immediately. "Katherine Fairchild you are unbelievable. We know that you made out with Kurt's boyfriend, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Katherine looked visibly pained. "I made a mistake. I'm really sorry Kurt, I was really drunk and-"
"Oh what a surprise."
"-I'm really sorry for coming on to your boyfriend."
"You know what Katherine," said Susan "you've crossed the line. People always ask me why I'm friends with you and at the moment I honestly don't know."
"Unresolved sexual tension" muttered Molly in a voice she had meant to be too quiet for them to hear."
"So just to clarify you're the one who was kissing Puck?" came Kurt's voice from the end of the sofa.
"From what I can remember he didn't kiss back. Then I vomited in your primroses-sorry-and he directed me to the bathroom."
Whilst Susan and Katherine argued Kurt thought about how easily he had blamed Puck instead of trusting him. Something wasn't right here.
Puck was sitting in the living room feeling the most under the weather he had ever felt when Kurt and Molly entered through the front door.
"Kurt!" Puck pulled him into a tight embrace "I was worried about where you where." Kurt simply hugged his boyfriend back as he remembered how awful it felt when he thought he might have lost him.
"Listen Puck, the two of us need to have a talk-don't make that face, it's not that kind of talk-after I've straightened up." Kurt indicated his uncharacteristically dishevelled hair and sauntered upstairs.
"I was hoping to talk to you. As you might know I am a relationship councillor and I would like the two of you to have a meeting with me."
"I don't know if we can afford couples' therapy."
"It's completely free. I'm not offering this to you as a client; I'm offering it to you as a friend."
Puck grinned and he suddenly looked much more tired. "You really think we need counselling?"
"The reason I'm concerned is that Kurt seems to have problems trusting you. And you need to ignore the negative stigma of therapy. All couples run through some rough patches and get into fights; I'm just offering this because I kind of, really want you two to work out."
After a moment of silence Puck asks "Can I talk to you about something?"
"You can tell me anything."
""When we were in high school I was kind of a dick. Me and the other jocks used to bully Kurt all the time and I've always felt guilty since then. The thing is when Kurt was a teenager he had to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. I think he has a tendency to internalise his problems instead of talking about them and I'm worried one day it'll build up and he'll just, pop, or something."
Molly had an unusually serious expression. "I'll bear that in mind."
The grin was back on Puck's face. "Oh boy do we have some good stories about high school. Our relationship drama was bad by the standards of the Glee club, which is really saying something."
"It's still Sunday morning, were the two of you planning on doing anything?"
"I was planning a little something but don't tell Kurt, it's going to be a surprise."
The sun had just set, the air was very chilly and Kurt was appropriately grumpy as he trailed after his boyfriend.
"Are we almost there yet?"
"Just a bit more."
Then they passed some trees and emerged into a clearing where Puck was already laying out a blanket. Kurt realised they were going to look at the stars just like they used to.
Kurt laid his head on Puck's chest as he usually did and stared up at the sky, trying to identify constellations and listening to the steady rise and fall of Puck's chest. After about fifteen minutes Puck starts to speak, which is unusual because normally the point of their stargazing is to forget about their life problems and lose themselves in the sky.
"Do you think it was a mistake, to try to carry on this relationship after high school?"
It's a familiar thought, one Kurt has also thought about very often.
"Sometimes I worry about the fact this is the only proper relationship I've ever been in" replies Kurt.
"It's just, I've put so much work into this relationship and I've given up so much to be with you, done things I never thought I'd do. What if I just don't want to give you up even though we actually make a terrible couple?"
Kurt considers what Puck has said for a moment then takes hold of his hand in a gesture of romance he realises they haven't done since moving in together.
"Maybe all that really matters is how we feel about each other." They look into each other's eyes and without saying anything Puck kisses him, an action that is reassuringly familiar and yet still exciting, and Kurt kisses him back as the two lay down underneath the twinkling stars.
I've had the idea for this chapter in my head since chapter one, though I've edited it about 50 times before posting and I'm still not entirely satisfied by the ending.
Unfortunately this is the final chapter. I liked the idea behind this story but it's taken me six months just to write four chapters and to be honest I'm not sure if it's the best I've written. Still, I'm happy I got it to a conclusion.
Not to worry, I am planning on writing a prequel to Willow Lane that looks at how Puck and Kurt got together in high school. Not exactly an original premise, but I at least have lots of ideas.
Finally, I can't believe I haven't said this yet but thanks to everyone who reviewed and favourited. Really, I know this is said a lot but it genuinely means a lot to me.