Chapter 4: All the Single Ladies

Kurt nervously watched his dad climb up the stairs, feeling his face drop as he realized what he had gotten himself into. When he heard the to door to his basement room close he turned to Brittany, "Really, Brittany? Really?"

Brittany shrugged and pouted a bit. "That's what you were saying though." Kurt sighed as Brittany gazed at him with those big, blue eyes. Honestly, how could he stay mad at her? Even Santana loved her.

"It's okay, Britt," he muttered. The cheerleader smiled, relieved that Kurt wasn't angry with her anymore.

The boy pulled out his phone and speed dialed someone, lifting the phone to his ear. "Hey…thank you…see you in a bit."

When he hung up he seemed to be shocked that the girls were still there. "Can you girls leave? Noah's coming over."

—

Noah had been relaxing on his bed, reading a Batman comic when his phone started playing "Push It". He could barely keep himself from laughing even though he had changed Kurt's ringtone to that weeks ago, when the glee club first performed that number. "Yello?" he asked into the phone.

"Hey," Kurt replied.

Noah frowned, knowing what that tone meant; his friend was in trouble somehow. "Let me grab my keys."

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you"

"No prob."

"See you in a bit." They clicked off their phones and Noah practically raced over.

—

Noah had barely pressed the doorbell when Kurt, dressed in a sequin-coated shirt and lots of stretchy black fabric, yanked open the door and pulled him inside his house. Grasping his friend's hand, Kurt whispered, "Just go with it," before pulling him from the hallway into the living room.

"Hey, Noah," Burt said from the couch he was lounging on.

"'Sup Burt," he replied with a head nod. Kurt sighed when Puck came to a stop to see what was on the screen. "Nice choice of show as per usual, Burt."

Burt barely got to say a thanks before Kurt grabbed Noah again, "Anyways, dad, we're going downstairs so he can help me memorize football plays for the game Friday."

"The fu—" Noah started until Kurt's look, a look that said, "What did I tell you to do before?" interrupted him. "Um, yeah, definitely. Got to make sure Kurt's ready. See ya, Mr. H."

As Kurt opened the door to the basement, Puck locked eyes with Burt. Puck raised an eyebrow and Burt just shook his head gravely in response. Noah grimaced at him right before Kurt pulled him down to the basement.

—

"Are you sure I have to do this?"

"If you want to go through with being on the football team, then yeah, Finn's the way to go," Noah said as the two approached the tree outside the caf they normally chose to eat lunch at.

"But why aren't you a good enough way to get on the team?" Kurt asked, nervously fidgeting with the paper sack he held in his hand.

Noah sighed. "Because even though he's 'betrayed' the team by joining Glee, he's the quarterback; he's in charge of everything and the team looks up to him. And look, all we have to do is get him to help you practice with me and bring you to the try out for them to see it as him supporting you." He threw his apple into the air, watching it spin around, and caught it with one hand, letting out a quiet whoop before sitting down in the shade of the tall oak tree.

Kurt glanced at the ground and then at his pants. "Noah," he whined. The boy in question rolled his eyes and stretched out his legs. Kurt grinned and sat on his friend's lap, pulling out his food from his paper bag.

"Y'know, your dad's not dumb; I think he realizes you're not like most kids," Puck finally said, deciding not to tell Kurt that he and Burt had that secret conversation via eye contact the day before. "And he loves you more than you realize, Kurt, whether you do football or have a girlfriend or whatever else."

"Just because you knew my sexuality doesn't mean everyone does. Mercedes didn't even know!" Kurt waved his arms for emphasize, a baby carrot accompanying his right hand. "Plus I already told him I was on the team, I can't quit on him now."

Puck sighed and resisted the urge to tell his friend that Burt would understand his need to lie. Instead he leaned against the trunk of the tree and, as a result, pulled Kurt into his chest. Kurt, who had been taking a bite into his turkey sandwich giggled a bit at the movement before readjusting himself so his back was pressed into Puck's chest. When he finished eating his sandwich he moved onto his grapes, occasionally reaching back and blindly guessing where Noah's mouth was in order to feed him some, both boys laughing at the results.

"So, ready to woo your way onto the football team?" Noah asked teasingly into Kurt's ear. Kurt simply replied by slapping him upside the head. "Ow!"

—

"You got this, Kurt, you remember that," Puck said, locking eyes with Kurt as he and Finn got ready to show what Kurt could do to Coach Tanaka and the team.

"Please, this is so in the bag that Coach would design a tote for it," Kurt said with a laugh. Puck and Finn looked at each other in confusion and then back at Kurt. "Coach is a design company. They make a lot of bags…it's a joke. When you say something's 'in the bag'—oh, whatever," Kurt shoved on the helmet he'd been holding and he and Finn set off.

"He's so small," Puck muttered to himself, shaking his head a bit. He sighed as Kurt looked pointedly at him and then he pressed play on Kurt's iPod player.

"'Cause if you liked it then you should've put a ring on it!" Kurt went into his dance, totally focused on making all the moves connect. A few of the football players laughed and pointed but were soon straightened out by a glare and knuckle crack from Puck.

"Woah, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…" soon the sounds of Beyoncé were the only thing that could be heard on the field as the rest of the team stared in shock as the ball flew through the goals.

"That's good, right? That's good..." Kurt said as he took off his helmet, obviously knowing that he rocked that kick, as per usual.

"Yeah, that's great," Finn replied, still in shock.

"You did it, Kurt!" Puck exclaimed giving him a high five and engulfing him in a hug before the coach got there. Kurt and Coach talked it out a bit and before he knew it, Kurt was on the team. The rest of the team huffed a bit but walked away with a quick, mandatory "congrats".

Kurt just smirked at Puck as they walked off the field after practice, "Looks like I deserve that tote after all."

—

Puck realized that he should've known that having Kurt on the team would change everything. He just didn't expect for the practices to now take place in the choir room as the team tried to learn how to swivel their hips like Beyoncé. But there they were, Kurt instructing them to comb their hair and smack their asses, most players tripping over their feet, Chang purposefully holding back to blend in (Puck was well aware that the guy could dance like none other after walking into his room to work on a project without knocking). But Finn seemed more distracted and out of beat than usual. So while Kurt went to talk to Coach about something with high animation, Puck followed Finn out.

"What's up? You're acting weird, dude," Puck said, talking to him as they walked down the hall. "I knew it! You're in love with Kurt! If you want, I can totally hook you up with him—"

The two stopped and Finn turned to Puck. "What? But he told me he's not gay," Finn said, looking confused. He shook his head and finally added, "Quinn's pregnant and she's keeping it." He continued down the hallway as Puck stood, frozen as the weight of the words crashed over him.

"Noah?" He vaguely registered a soft, small hand clapping his shoulder and Kurt's familiar scent filled his nostrils. He turned around to face him, concern lining the other boy's face, his mouth frowning.

"She's pregnant," he whispered.

"Who?" Kurt asked before his eyes turned so wide it would've been hilarious in another setting. "Quinn?" he asked incredulously. He gaped a bit before gathering himself again.

"Looks like I'm going to be a father," Puck said slightly bitterly.

Kurt's eyes softened as he stroked Puck's cheek with the back of his hand, "Are you sure it's not Finn's?"

Puck yanked away for what they both was sure was one of the first times (if not the first time) he ever pulled away from Kurt in their whole friendship. "Finn is still a virgin; he would've told me otherwise. And Quinn's not a whore, she wouldn't have sex with anyone else."

Kurt bit on his lip in thought, hoping he wouldn't burst out and say what he was thinking (Well, she was enough of a slut to cheat on Finn). He looked down then back up, "If she's going to pretend that she managed to get knocked up through Immaculate Conception, then what can you do?"

"Fight for my kid," Puck said roughly, "I'm not going to be the deadbeat my father was, Kurt. My kid is going to have a father around to support him." Kurt looked up at him, eyes wide and full of worry, and tried to pull him into a hug. Puck shook his head, "I need to go talk to her."

Kurt watched as his best friend walked away, his arms slightly raised from when he tried to hug him. When he realized his arms were still up he crossed them low on his chest, hands resting on his elbows, nearly hugging himself. After taking a moment to put on his game face he continued his walk down the hallway to the boys' locker room, not sure what had just happened between the two of them.

—

Kurt found Puck sitting by himself in one of the nooks in the school's walls, looking hurt and confused. Kurt timidly sat down next to Puck, putting a hand on his leg. Puck, without even thinking, put his head on Kurt's shoulder, Kurt putting his arm around him, the other angled so he was stroking the side of his head.

"She said I'm just a Lima Loser," he finally muttered. Kurt stiffened in anger that Quinn said that but softened when Puck added, "She's right."

"No she's not," Kurt said strongly. "Would a Lima Loser have a kick ass GPA? Would he be able to play guitar and sing beautifully? Would he be one of the few actually decent members of the football team—and of the baseball and basketball teams while we're at it?" Puck shook his head slightly but Kurt could feel him calm down and actually smile. "You know, in a few years, we're going to get out of Lima. We'll both be in New York, me on Broadway, you recording hit after hit single, and we'll be happy and out of Lima, more importantly." Kurt smiled down at him, "How is that a Lima Loser?"

After a few more minutes Puck sat up with a bittersweet smile. "Well, let's get to practice. Have to perfect my ass slapping technique."

Kurt rolled his eyes, but in a loving matter, and they both stood up. Kurt grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. Puck smiled and squeezed back, their little way to make the other feel better, and kept their fingers intertwined.

—

"Uh, this has been a good week, guys. I think we've really come together as a team," Finn said as the team huddled before the game. Puck nodded in agreement and gave Kurt a friendly wink from across the huddle.

"Yeah, but dude, we can't do that gay stuff out there," one of the players said.

"Seriously. It was fun at practice and all, but now? We'll just make fools of ourselves," another one chimed in.

Kurt gave Finn his best "Are you going to let them tell you what to do?" face and Puck sent a glare at the two football players who spoke out (both looked away immediately in fear—how's that for a loser, Quinn?) Finn looked away from Kurt and put on his helmet and yelled for them to go to the field.

Now this is what Kurt was sure would be the most awkward part of the whole game: sitting with people he didn't know. He went to every game possible to support Puck, but he either had his phone to keep himself occupied or, more recently, Mercedes or another Glee club member to talk to. But he had no iPhone and he didn't know any of the football players left on the bench. Sighing, he walked over to the benches and sat down, wrinkling his nose at the thought of all the sweat that his uniform was now exposed to.

And it didn't help that the game was horrible. They never won, of course, but it was still the most disappointing game to watch, knowing that if they were brave enough to just step outside their box and let themselves go they would win and do amazing plays. It was just beyond frustrating. And how could they be okay with how mediocre they were? Kurt just didn't understand.

Thankfully, Kurt's dad finally made it during the fourth quarter, and he had missed nothing of Kurt's. "Dad! Dad!" Kurt yelled, getting his attention the best he could. Burt always went to the games when he got off work in time, always doing his best to be a second dad for Puck, but this was the first time Kurt was actually there playing as well. His dad gave him a little wave and Kurt smiled, "I told you! I told you I made it!" He had no idea what possessed him to start doing a kick line move at that point, but that he did…maybe that'd impress his dad? Well, he at least needed something to stretch, in case Finn actually made the right freaking call so he would get to kick.

—

"Look, dude, we can't do this here, we'll be losers," some guy said in the huddle as Finn called them back for a last minute play change.

"We already are losers!" Puck exclaimed. Everyone stared at him for his outburst and he rolled his eyes and looked at Finn, hoping he would make the right calls.

Finn sighed, "You guys, Puck's right. And I don't wanna be a Lima Loser for the rest of my life."

Puck looked down at the ground, trying his best not to think about Quinn or the baby or how those two words were thrown at him earlier that week when the obnoxious member of the opposing team yelled, "Hey, running back, your mom's so fat her neck looks like a pack of hot dogs; get me some ketchup!"

Oh, Puck was so not in the mood for that. He turned around and faced the player and yelled, "Hey, you, I had sex with your mom." Everyone else stared. "No, really: I cleaned your pool then I had sex with your mom, in your bed. Nice Star Wars sheets." The players looked at him, mouth gaping, and Puck smirked and turned back to the huddle. "Let's do this, Finn."

"All right, BREAK!" Finn called and they went to their positions. Out of the corner of his eye, Puck saw Finn give the signal to the audio workers.

"All the single ladies! (All the single ladies!)…"

Puck couldn't and didn't focus on the crowd, he just focused on dancing and moving on the right beat, watching Chang out of the corner of his eye every now and then to make sure he was doing the right moves. But the whole team managed to stay on the beat the whole time, not missing a beat or cue, even Finn.

And before he knew it, they were hunched over again and he was running faster than he ever had in his life—even faster then when he and Kurt ran from his house to Kurt's after accidentally knocking over Mae's vase—and the ball was in his hands and the rival team was too shaken from before to successfully stop him. They were tied, and now it just depended on Kurt kicking it through the goal post. It was in a fucking Coach bag.

Kurt looked nervous, but he held his head up and cued the audio boys. He lifted his head up and did what he did best, performed. Puck smiled, happy to see his best friend work it better than he ever could. And as the ball soared he locked eyes with Kurt and they beamed at each other, so when the referee whistled and the crowd cheered, Puck was the first one at Kurt's side, hugging him and helping the players lift him up so he was balancing on his and Chang's shoulders. Kurt milked up the applause and the cheers, blowing kisses and waving, and Puck even sent a wink and a point up toward Burt, getting a head nod that seemed to say, "You did good, kid," back. He saw Finn and Quinn sharing a clichéd kiss out of the corner of his eye, but his heart couldn't completely break when Kurt was that happy, when the man who was more of a father than his real father ever could be, was proud of him.

—

"So you're going to still fight for her?" Kurt asked, rubbing some lotion into his face, both boys chilling in his room after the game, deciding to skip post-game parties in favor of a movie to lighten up Puck's spirits.

"Yeah, definitely," Puck said. "You may even see me in Glee club Monday. I got Chang and Rutherford to agree, too."

Kurt smiled widely and ran over to Puck, attacking him with a hug. "Yes, yes, yes! It will be the best! You can keep me from killing Rachel and we'll get our loves and it will be perfect!" Kurt jumped up and shook his arms out. "Wow, I love the adrenaline from all this."

Puck chuckled, "Yeah, the first game is always the biggest rush, now get back to your moisturizing so we can watch that movie soon."

Kurt kept smiling but sat down at his vanity, spraying something on his face, when Burt finally came downstairs. Puck, sensing that this was going to be a big talk, stood up, "I'm going to find a snack, I'll be back…soon."

Burt clapped him on the shoulder as he walked by, "Good game, son." Puck smiled and said his thanks before heading back up the stairs, leaving the father and son alone.

—

"Nice…puff," Burt finally said, breaking the silence.

"Night time skin care is a big part of my post-game ritual," Kurt responded, looking at him through the mirror.

"I wouldn't know about that…but, uh, I was really proud of you tonight, Kurt," he managed to say with a smile. "I wish your mom would've been there, y'know…alive."

Kurt gave a weak smile, "Thanks."

Burt wanted to say more but had absolutely no idea what or how to say. So he turned after a few moments of silence to walk up the stairs when Kurt stopped him.

"I have something I want to say…" Kurt said.

He turned back around and looked at him, hoping that it was finally going to happen. "I'm glad you're proud of me, but I don't want to lie anymore. I know I already had Noah teaching me this, but being a part of Glee club helped me realize even more that I can be anything and that I shouldn't be ashamed of who I am. And what I am is…" Kurt took a breath and Burt leaned his head forward. "I'm gay."

Burt's face didn't change at all. "I know," he finally said.

"Really?"

"I've known since you were three. All you wanted for your birthday was a pair of sensible heels," he admitted.

Kurt let out a little disbelieving huff and explained, "Noah said basically the same thing." But he gave a little smile.

"I guess I'm not totally in love with the idea," Burt started, "But if that's who you are, there's nothing I can do about it." Kurt faltered a bit and Burt rushed out, "And I love you just as much." When Kurt did nothing he clapped his hand on his shoulder and added, "Okay?"

Kurt stared at his hand for a split second before throwing himself into a hug. Burt hugged back tightly, hoping Kurt realized how much he loved him. "Thanks for telling me, Kurt," he said as Kurt pulled away. Kurt nodded and went back to his vanity as Burt walked up the stairs, biting back the urge to ask if he was sure.

As soon as he opened the door to the basement he saw Puck with a glass of milk and a pack of Oreos at the kitchen table, staring at his beverage. When he closed the door behind him Puck finally looked up. "Well…?" he asked as Burt poured himself a glass of milk.

Burt smiled and sat down at the table. "He finally came out to me."

Puck sighed in relief, "Thank God, it was getting ridiculous for me to pretend like I assumed you didn't know. It's hard not to push someone to come out."

Burt nodded, "Trust me, I know; why do you think I pretended to believe the football story?" He shook his head with a smile, "That boy…I love him though."

"Yeah," Puck said. "Me, too."

Burt looked up and gave him a look Puck couldn't identify, "Good. Because he needs that right now. He's a bit emotional at the moment." Burt took an Oreo and pulled it apart, licking off the inside before dipping the chocolate cookie leftover into his milk. "…Is there something you wanna tell me, Noah?" Burt finally asked.

"I…" Puck started, not sure if he wanted to tell the truth to Burt just yet, but then Burt gave him that look, that fatherly look he had perfected, that look that just said he loved you and wanted to help, and Puck couldn't hold back his words. Everything about Quinn and Finn and the baby spilled out before he could stop himself.

"Hmmm…" Burt said, trying to process everything. "Not your smartest move, having unprotected sex with your friend's girlfriend."

"I know," Puck said, ashamed of himself.

"But you're not a bad kid, Noah," Burt said, "And any child would be lucky to have you as a father." Noah stared at his milk after he said that in an effort not to cry. Burt Hummel saying he'd make a good father? That's like God saying he'd make a good rabbi (which would hopefully never happen because he loved God and being a Jew, but that was just a bit too much for him).

Burt sighed, "I don't know, kid. Just know that if she decides to let you keep it, that I'll do whatever I can to help out, okay? And let her know all the support she has from us and I'm sure your mother, too. If she's really the amazing girl you claim her to be, she'll come around."

Puck nodded. "I just feel like, she's the One, y'know?"

Burt gave him that weird, unidentifiable look again. "Yeah, I get ya. It can sneak up on you…but for me and Kate, it was there way before we even knew it."

Puck furrowed his brows, trying to form a question about what Burt meant when Kurt's hushed voice came from the kitchen entryway. "Noah? Are you ready to watch the movie?"

Kurt was dressed down more than usual, gray sweatpants and one of Noah's old football sweatshirts from middle school, hugging himself as if he was afraid to let go. Noah felt his heart ache at how unconfident his friend was. "Of course, Kurt, just let me put my cup away—"

"No, I got it, Noah," Burt said, grabbing his cup. "Go watch the movie." Puck smiled and nodded. "Enjoy, boys—and don't be too loud!"

He walked over to the sink and started washing out his and Noah's cups, but not before he saw Kurt and Noah smile at each other before walking down the stairs, Noah's arm around Kurt's shoulders. Burt smiled to himself. His boys may not know it yet, but there was definitely something besides friendship in between them. But he was willing to wait for them to realize it themselves; he needed some time to be ready for his son to have a boyfriend, after all, and it was definitely going to take them time to realize it if they didn't know at this point.

He started the dishwasher and headed upstairs, wondering what embarrassing stories he could tell about those two at their future wedding. There were too many to chose from…

—

"I'd like to introduce you guys to our newest members, Noah Puckerman, Mike Chang, and Matt Rutherford!"

The Glee club clapped as the boys came in, but Kurt just tilted his head up and sighed over dramatically. "You know, Puckerman," he said as Puck walked right up to his side, "You should stop following me everywhere. I need my space."

Noah raised an eyebrow and Kurt dissolved into laughter and hugged him, "Welcome to the club, Noah."

—

A/N: Hey, sorry for the long hiatus! I had finals and lots of school work to do, and then massive writer's block and, I hate to admit, just plain laziness. And then I had inspiration for future chapters but couldn't write them until I finished this. I'm proud to say I have an outline written out of what I want/need to happen, so hopefully that all works out!

Hope you guys liked it. Reviews are great and really help motivate me.

Love,
xLessxThanx3x