Title: Beating The Odds
Author: saar_fantasy
Pairings:Puck/Kurt
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~
Genre: Established relationship, Drama, Angst, Romance
Warnings: Cancer and all the drama that comes with it (don't worry...It's a happy ending)
Disclaimer: As much as I wished I did, I don't own any of them.
Summary: Puck has been keeping a secret from his boyfriend. From everyone of his friends actually. It takes a fight between the couple for Kurt to realise what's wrong.

The next day in school, all of the Gleeks were surprised to see Puck and Kurt stroll into the school around lunch time.

What surprised them even more was that they were flanked by Puck's mother on one side and Burt and Carole on the other.

Every student looked at them, even some teachers peeked through their door to see what was going on.

Finn was the one who looked the most confused of all of them and he stepped closer to his mother, blocking her path.

"Mom? What's going on?"

Carole put her hand on Finn's arm and tried to smile, "Not now, sweetie. I will explain later. Or Kurt will for that matter."

Then she stepped past Finn and followed the rest of her group again, Finn staring after her with wide eyes and slightly open mouth.

Something was terribly wrong...

-..-

Teachers were called out of their classes to go to the principal's office, making Finn and the rest of Puck and Kurt's friends even more worried.

They wanted to know what was going with their friends.

What could be so terrible?

When it was time for Glee club, they would finally find out...

-..-

Mr. Schuester waited for Kurt outside the principal's office, because he had promised him they would walk to Glee club together.

Kurt said goodbye to Puck with a long, heartwarming kiss, then watched them all walk out of the school, after they said goodbye to mr. Schuester.

Mr. Schuester walked beside Kurt, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, who was now walking hunched over, his head to the ground instead of his usual slightly tilted chin.

It broke mr. Schuester's heart to see the young boy like this, because this wasn't the Kurt he knows.

But he understood why...He just wished it wasn't so.

When they walked inside the choir room, all chatter died and they all looked at Kurt inquiringly.

"Guys," mr. Schuester spoke, "Kurt has something to say to you and I hope you will all understand what to do. Please, don't interrupt him until he's finished."

He gave a nod to Kurt and Kurt turned to his fellow Glee clubbers. The Gleeks. His friends.

"Noah and I won't be here for a while. Noah has to go through surgery and...I just want to be there for him." He saw all of his friends give him a quizzical look, waiting for him to say why Puck needed surgery.

He took a long deep breath before he just blurted it out.

"Noah has cancer."

The girls gasped, grabbing the hand of the person sitting next to them, while the guys stared at Kurt with open mouths.

Kurt was fighting against his tears, so he didn't speak for a few minutes. Finally, Sam asked the question that was lying on almost everyone's tongue.

"What kind of cancer?"

Kurt was a little surprised to hear Sam's voice and see him sitting there with the rest of his friends, but he was glad for it too.

"Brain cancer."

Rachel, Quinn, Tina, Brittany and even Mercedes all broke out in tears. Santana was close to tears as well, but was able to hide it a little better.

Kurt smiled sadly at all the pale faces in front of him before he continued.

"His surgery is planned for tomorrow. We're going home to pack now, then we leave to the hospital because they want to keep him there for the night so they can start surgery early in the morning. He...He doesn't want any visitors...It's gonna be hard enough for him already, and-"

"Like hell that I'm not going to visit him!" Finn spat out. "Puck's my best friend. Of course I'm going to visit him."

Kurt was about to respond, but Rachel was faster, putting a hand on Finn's arm, she spoke.

"We should respect Noah's wishes, Finn. If he doesn't want us to visit him, then we won't. At least not at the 'll find other ways of how we can be there for him." she waited until Finn gave her an understanding nod, then she turned back to Kurt and nodded. "Go on, Kurt."

"Thank you, Rach." Kurt replied, thanking her with a small smile. "That was all I had to say actually...I just wanted to tell you guys this myself because Noah couldn't, he didn't want to see pity in the eyes of his friends, and I didn't want you to hear it from someone else. I have to go now and help him pack."

Mr. Schuester put his hand back on Kurt's shoulder, "Stay strong, Kurt. Wish Puck all the best from us."

Kurt tried to force a smile on his face again.

"You know mr. Schue, cancer might have taken my mother away from me...I won't let it take my boyfriend too."

Mr. Schuester gave him a smile and squeezed his shoulder before he let go again.

Kurt turned around and was walking towards the door when Sam stopped him.

"Kurt, wait." Sam waited until Kurt turned to face him, "Is he still here?"

Kurt nodded, "He's waiting in my car. Our parents already left I think."

"Can I see him?" Sam asked hopefully, "He doesn't know I'm back, and..." he hesitated a little, "Well, I would like to see him before the surgery."

Kurt knew why Sam had hesitated with what to say. He wanted to say; "I want to see him because it might be the last time."; but neither of them wanted to say that out loud, afraid that it would come true.

You never know what can happen at such a critical surgery, and then the chemo-therapy afterwards... It would be a long hard road.

Puck had declined chemo before the surgery, but the doctor had told him it was important for him to have it after the surgery, no excuses.

Why not letting Sam and the others see him now? Because nobody knew how long it would take until Puck would let them visit him.

How long it would take for him to be fully healed again.

And what if he just died and it would never come to all that...

That thought made Kurt make his decision.

"You can all see him one last time before the surgery, but stay away a little until I say it's ok to come to the car." Kurt turned to Sam, "Sam, you can come with me to the car, 're the only one I'm sure of that Noah will be happy to see and won't be pissed at me."

Sam nodded, smiling a little despite himself, then he followed Kurt, walking beside him out of the school and to Kurt's SUV. The others trailing behind them,stopping a few meters away from the car, waiting for Kurt's sign.

They were all anxious to see how Puck would react.

-..-

Puck was slightly dozing off in the passengers seat of Kurt's car when he suddenly heard a knock on his window.

When he looked to the side, he saw Kurt standing there, motioning for him to roll down the window.

Puck frowned, but did as he was told, looking questioningly at Kurt when the window was open.

"What's going on?"

Kurt smiled nervously as he reached behind him and began to pull Sam closer.

"There's someone who would like to see you."

Puck groaned, "Kurt, I told you-" his next words got stuck in his throat when he suddenly saw a blond haired boy in front of him instead of Kurt. "Sam?"

Sam smiled dopiley as he looked through the window.

"Hey, man. I just wanted to say that I'm back at McKinley."

Puck smiled back, "That's great, dude. That way we can hang out again. You know, if-"

"We will definitely hang out again." Sam interrupted him, not wanting Puck to go there because it would only hurt to hear it.

Puck held out his fist, still smiling, and bumped it with Sam's.

Then Sam looked behind him where all the others were standing, watching them anxiously.

"I know you didn't want them to see you," Sam spoke as he looked back at Puck, "But I promise, they won't pity you."

Puck looked behind Sam when he stepped aside and sighed.

"Alright. Let them come to the car."

Sam smiles at Kurt, who smiles back and waves his hand to the other Gleeks, motioning them over.

Puck opens the door of the car and sits sideways in his seat, his legs dangling outside the car.

When the others have joined them, they all talk about everything that hasn't have to do with cancer or hospitals.

It's only disturbed when Kurt's cellphone buzzes. Informing him that he has a message.

He sighs when he reads the message and looks at Puck with an apologetic look on his face.

"It's my dad. He wants us to come home."

Puck nods and accepts all the hugs he gets from his friends.

If they all hug him just a bit tighter than they usually do, nobody says anything about it.

Kurt gets into the driver's seat of the car while Puck pulls his legs inside and closes the door.

Puck sticks his hand out of the open window and waves at his friends as Kurt starts the car and starts driving away.

It bot hits them as Kurt drives them home to pack Puck's bags.

There's no turning back...