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Chapter 23-Sannytanny

If it was possible, Noah looked more gorgeous than before. His clothes were rumpled, his eyes were bloodshot and he was in need of a shave, but that didn't matter to Kurt. To him, Noah had never looked so handsome.

"My dad?" Kurt croaked out.

"He'll be back soon." Noah assured him as he brushed Kurt's hair away from his forehead. "I'll call for a doctor, then I'll go find Burt. Just don't go anywhere ok."

As Noah hurried away, Kurt closed his eyes briefly and chuckled in amusement over Noah's stupidity. He may have woken up but he certainly wasn't in any state to get up and wander off.

He looked down at himself and let out a wail of despair as his vision was attacked with the sight of the hideous hospital gown he was dressed in. There were no mirrors in the room so he couldn't see his face or hair, which was probably a good thing. He imagined his hair was in total disarray and there were probably heavy dark circles around his eyes. Hopefully his appearance didn't matter to Noah.

A few minutes later, a doctor showed up. A young, cute doctor, Kurt noticed. The blonde man offered Kurt a dazzling smile as he checked him over. Unless Kurt was very much mistaken, the handsome doctor was flirting with him a little and he couldn't help but feel flattered by the attention. Perhaps he didn't look as awful as he suspected.

However, upon Noah's return with his dad at his heels, the flirting came to an immediate stop.

As Noah hovered awkwardly by the doorway, Kurt's dad rushed over to him and pulled him into a tight hug. Still sore, Kurt hissed in pain and Burt instantly loosened the embrace before firing questions at the doctor.

After answering all of Burt's questions, the doctor gave Kurt a final smile and squeezed his shoulder lightly before leaving, earning himself a hard glare from Noah.

Looking over his dad's shoulder, Kurt smiled coyly at Noah before beckoning him over with a slight incline of his head. Hands in his pockets, Noah dragged himself over to the bed and stared down at Kurt. His eyes then flickered to Burt and he shifted on his feet uncomfortably before dropping his eyes to his sneakers.

Standing up, Burt clapped Noah on the shoulder before telling Kurt that he was going to phone Mercedes and the others to let them know that he was awake.

Realising that his dad was merely making an excuse to give him and Noah some time alone, Kurt smiled in gratitude. With his dad gone, Kurt peered up at Noah through his eyelashes, suddenly unsure of what he should do or say.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Noah looked uncertain too. But Noah Puckerman wasn't known as a badass for nothing. He straightened up, and reached for Kurt's hand before lacing their fingers together.

Staring down at their conjoined hands, Kurt's mouth morphed into a radiant smile. He very much liked the feel of Noah's hand in his own. Lifting his eyes up, he met Noah's gaze and found the taller boy smirking at him a little, though not unkindly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kurt asked as he felt a gentle blush stain his skin.

"Dunno." Noah shrugged as he shifted a little closer. "I just… I'm glad you're awake. I was starting to think you might never wake up."

"Hey, I'm Kurt Hummel." He pointed out. "It takes more than a swarm of homophobic jocks to get rid of me."

At the word 'homophobic', Noah's face fell and he lowered his eyes.

"I used to be one of those homophobic jocks." Noah whispered, his voice thick with shame and self-loathing.

The two fell silent for a while but they kept their fingers threaded together. Looking at their hands, Kurt wondered what the future held for them. He wanted to ask, to clarify once and for all what they were to each other, but he didn't know what words to say. So he settled for looking deep into Noah's eyes, trying to convey to the other teen that he needed an answer to the question he didn't know how to ask.

But the answer wasn't in the brown of Noah's irises or the expression on his face. In fact, Noah looked as clueless as Kurt. Neither boy knew what to do or say.

Silence stretched on between them until Burt returned. As Burt informed Kurt that he needed to be checked over once more before he could take him home, Noah slipped his fingers away from Kurt's before excusing himself.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?" Burt asked once Noah was out of earshot.

"I wish I knew." Kurt replied as he stared down at his hand, mourning the loss of Noah's touch. "Things have been torturously complicated between us for a while now."

"So you told him then." Burt guessed. "You told him how you feel."

Kurt nodded and his dad clucked his tongue sympathetically before gently cupping his face.

"Look, I've never been much of a romantic." Burt told him. "And it's been a while since I've had to deal with any teenage drama stuff."

"I assume this speech has a purpose." Kurt interjected with a raised eyebrow.

"All I'm saying is, I saw that kid sit by your bedside holding your hand as he waited for you to wake up." Burt said. "The way he was looking at you, that's exactly the way I used to look at your mum, and I loved her more than anything. He may be scared or confused right now, but that boy loves you."

"So… what should I do?" Kurt asked finding it weird to be asking his dad for advice on boys, well boy.

"Nothing." Burt answered him and Kurt wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Now I like Puck, you know I do, but don't you be chasing him around like a love-sick puppy. That kid needs to man up. You wait for him to make the first move alright."

"Ok, dad. I'll wait." Kurt agreed.

"Good." Burt nodded in approval. "And when he finally grows a pair and asks you out, you let me know so I can give him the protective father talk."

Kurt rolled his eyes before reaching for the get well card Brittany had made him. On the front, she had drawn a picture of a fairy. He laughed lightly knowing that the blonde cheerleader didn't mean anything malicious by it. She wouldn't even understand the connection of the mythical creature to Kurt's sexuality. He'd been called a 'fairy' numerous times and it had always stung a little. But seeing a picture of a fairy on the card Brittany had made him somehow swept all those negative memoires away and he knew then and there that being called a 'fairy' would never hurt him again.

It was coloured beautifully and a great deal of glitter had been used. Opening it up to look inside, Kurt found that Brittany's handwriting was surprisingly neat and she'd only spelt one word wrong. She had written 'Get Wow' instead of 'Get Well'.

After a final check up and much fussing from the nurse and the cute doctor, Kurt was allowed to go home. A privacy screen was drawn around his bed and his dad helped him find his way into a loose pair of pants and a baggy yet stylish sweater that Mercedes had bought with her last time for him to wear when he woke up.

He made a mental note to thank his favourite diva. She'd clearly put a lot of thought into the outfit, selecting something that provided comfort as well as looking good. His body was still sore all over so skinny jeans and tight-fitting shirts were out of the question. The loose pants and baggy sweater were perfect.

As Kurt sat on the edge of the bed, his dad bent down to slip on his socks and shoes. Before leaving, Kurt insisted upon the use of the nearest rest room so he could at least attempt to sort out his hair.

When Kurt had done the best he could, he allowed his dad to half carry him out of the hospital as he cuddled the teddy bear Brittany had got him to his chest and his dad held the card. Their footsteps echoed loudly as they walked through the corridors and Kurt shuddered a little. The whole building, though perfectly clean, just reeked of death and decay. The thought that he could have died in this place made him feel a little lightheaded and he had to lean heavily on his father for support.

Stepping outside into the crisp Lima air was a huge rush for Kurt. Even though he'd been awake for a while now, the wind whipping against his face and tousling his hair made him feel truly alive.

Together, Kurt and Burt made their way through the car park. They found Noah waiting by Burt's car and he headed towards them as soon as he spotted them. Noah wrapped an arm securely around Kurt's waist and helped Burt walk him to the passenger seat. Before they helped him into the vehicle, Kurt complained that he was cold. Without hesitation, Noah stripped off his letterman jacket and draped it across Kurt's shoulders.

After helping strap Kurt in, Noah placed a hand on Kurt's cheek and lightly rubbed his thumb over his pale skin. Catching Noah's eye, Kurt hoped for a moment that he might dip his head down and kiss him. It seemed that Burt thought Noah might just do that too as he chose that moment to look away. However, Kurt received no kiss, only a tender smile before Noah shut the door then scrambled his way into the backseat.

As Burt pulled into the Hummel driveway, they were greeted with the sight of the Glee club sitting and standing around the front door waiting for them.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Noah had hopped out of the back to open the passenger door and help Kurt out. With Noah supporting him every step of the way, Kurt made his way closer to the front of his house where his friends were waiting.

To the surprise of all, Santana was the first to rush at him and pull him into a strong hug as she burst into happy sobs. After a few moments, she realised her outburst and pulled away before fixing a glare on the rest of them, warning them without speech not to breathe a word of what they had just witnessed.

Mercedes and the other girls made their way over to Kurt, all hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. Artie rolled towards him next and Kurt bent down a little awkwardly to share a quick hug with him, just managing to conceal a hiss of pain as the movement irritated the cuts that had been etched on his back. Matt moved forward next and gave him a brief hug before Mike and Finn stepped up together and flung their arms around him unexpectedly.

Opening the front door, Burt ushered them all inside and Mercedes reached for the phone and ordered them all pizza before smiling widely at Burt as she informed him he would be paying for it all.

They all sat around the living-room talking and laughing. It felt so normal, like Kurt hadn't been unconscious in the hospital after a vicious beating. He liked it. When they all left, he knew he'd have to face the truth and have a proper talk with his dad about what had happened, but for now, he was content to bask in the pretence.

Noah had dropped into his favourite armchair then guided Kurt onto his lap, the slender boy still wearing the larger male's jacket. At some point, their fingers found one another and linked together. It was clear that the others noticed but nobody said anything.

The pizza arrived and the boxes were passed around the group as they each took a slice. Kurt chewed his down slowly, the flavour dancing on his tongue. Pizza had never tasted so delicious. Turning his head, he smiled at Noah and the boy smirked back before lifting a finger to wipe away a smudge of pizza from the corner of Kurt's mouth. Blushing slightly, Kurt watched as Noah sucked that finger clean before returning to his own slice of pizza. Both of them were eating one handed so that their free hands could still hold onto one another.

After all the pizza had disappeared, most of it being eaten by Finn, Rachel started up a little singing session. Even Burt joined in as the Gleeks sang and danced around. Only Kurt and Noah remained still and silent as they remained on the armchair together simply watching the others perform.

Eventually, when Kurt let out a large yawn, Burt asked them all to leave. They made their goodbyes to Kurt, thanked Burt for the pizza then headed home. Except for Noah.

He stayed behind and carefully carried Kurt down to his basement with Burt following behind. As Kurt was lowered onto his bed and Noah and his dad seated themselves either side of him, he knew the dreaded conversation was coming.

In a soft voice, Burt asked Kurt to tell them what had happened the day of his attack.

Clutching to his new teddy bear, the one Brittany had given him and earlier begged him to name Sannytanny, much to Santana's horror and everyone else's amusement, Kurt closed his eyes so he didn't have to see their faces and explained all that he could remember.

Once his tale was through, Kurt admitted to himself that he felt a little better. A kiss was dropped to his head and he opened his eyes to smile weakly at his dad.

"I love you, Kurt." Burt told him.

"I love you too, dad." Kurt replied tiredly.

"Get some sleep, kid." Burt instructed in his best fatherly tone. "Come on, Puck. I'll drive you home."

"I'm not leaving." Noah replied stubbornly as he lifted the covers up and crawled in beside Kurt.

"Yeah, I thought as much." Burt chuckled. "I'll call your mum and let her know where you are." He moved off the bed and headed for the stairs. Half-way up he paused and turned to looked directly at Noah. "No funny business, he's still sore."

Kurt slammed his eyes shut in embarrassment and he could almost hear Noah's lips twitching into an amused smirk as his dad headed back upstairs.

"Noah?" Kurt asked looking to the other boy wanting to say more but not knowing what.

"Not now." Noah replied. "Sleep."

Kurt simply nodded and rolled onto his side, his head resting on Noah's chest before he drifted off to sleep listening to the sound of Noah's heartbeat.

To Be Continued

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