The River

"So Puck calls you…that word—"

"Well, technically he just tells my dad that I'm that word," Kurt interjected as he put his books into his locker.

"Right. Well, he is talking about you and uses that word, a word that is completely, horribly offensive, but you've forgiven him already? Not only that, you forgave him after a day?" Mercedes asked. "I'm sorry, Kurt, but that's just crazy. He hurt you and you just let him go."

"No, I was being a forgiving person," Kurt sighed. Closing his locker, he looked at her, "I know it's weird, maybe even stupid, because I know if anyone else but Noah said it I would need a lot more convincing to forgive them. But Noah…he's my life. I know he messed up, and he's not completely forgiven, it's just…there's no point holding hate in my heart, especially against the person who has been a huge part of my life for as long as I've had one."

Mercedes rolled her eyes and huffed, "Fine. Just don't expect me to forgive him right away, if ever."

Kurt gave a crooked smile, "Thanks, 'Cedes."

—

"Mercedes," Puck read from the Hat of Fate. Mercedes let out a frustrated sigh, but Puck did his best to stay positive, not wanting to break the thin ice he was on with Kurt (it may have been thickening every day but no need to risk it).

"Maybe now you'll see how Noah's not a bad guy," Kurt suggested in a whisper with a bright smile as Puck headed back to his seat.

"Doubt it," Mercedes shot back.

Puck sat back down and put his arm around the back of Kurt's chair and gave a head nod to Mercedes. The other teen ignored him and glared at the wall. Noah groaned internally; Mercedes had been cold to him ever since the phone incident and it sucked since they weren't particularly close before, just friends because they both loved Kurt, but God, this project was going to suck if she insisted on acting like this.

When Finn pulled Kurt's name out of the hat, Puck and Mercedes both turned and smiled at Kurt. Seeing the similar reaction in the other, they rolled their eyes and looked in opposite directions. Kurt simply sat with a stunned smile on his face, his heart fluttering. He wanted to talk to Finn and help him and get closer to him for months but had been too concerned with how Noah was taking it to help. Now he had a legitimate reason to get closer to him.

This was going to be the best week ever.

—

"This is going to be the worst week ever," Puck grumbled as he waited for Mercedes to meet him in the choir room. The girl was already somewhat diva-ish—not that Puck minded since she was funny enough and kept things real—but now she was pissed at him and wouldn't give him the time of day. He just wanted to get the project over with so he could go on with his life but she didn't seem to be interested in spending time with him at all, even just to get the project over with.

When she finally got to the choir room, they only had a few minutes left until their free period was over. Puck told her to go ahead and sing her song for him. He looked at her as was required by the project, but zoomed out on other thoughts—Quinn and Kurt, mainly, and winning their trusts. By the end of the piece, he couldn't even remember what it was since he was focusing intently on his own problems. Much to both of their chagrins, they set up a time to meet later in the week for Puck to sing his song to her.

After they left the choir room, he grumbled and grabbed some books from his locker. He spotted Finn and Kurt leaving from the theater, Kurt looking exhilarated as Finn sported his usual half-smile. Catching up to Kurt as Finn went in another direction, Puck asked, "When's the wedding?"

"I was thinking that with my skin tone I should stick to winter colors, so how about next week?"

"Aw, I won't have enough time to throw you a bachelor party," Puck said in mock sadness. He then laughed but Kurt just watched Finn go off.

"I really do love him," Kurt whispered.

"I know," Puck whispered back, patting his hand on Kurt's shoulder pads. He wasn't sure Finn was the right guy for Kurt, but all he could hope was that Finn didn't break his best friend's heart.

—

Kurt couldn't believe his luck. He was at Finn Hudson's house. As in the guy he was in love with Finn Hudson, not some random guy named Finn Hudson. Finnifer Hudson. Finntastic Hudson. inFinnity and Beyond Hudson.

Okay, his brain really needed to shut up, but he couldn't help it, he was so excited and nervous and happy. He may have only been there to help with an outfit, but if he was there to support him, who was to say that he couldn't help Finn if he had a gay crisis or when Quinn dumped him or if he realized he was in love with one Kurt Elizabeth Hummel?

And who said he wasn't allowed to dream?

So it wasn't his best idea, but when Finn talked about wanting to be brave like his father, Kurt had to help him. Finn using his voice as a weapon would be great; he'd be confident in there, show them the charm that made Kurt fall in love with him.

"But…what song would I sing?"

Kurt tilted his head to the side, "Well that depends; what do you want to tell them?"

Finn's eyebrows scrunched together like they always did when he thought (which Kurt found completely adorable), "I want to show them that I love Quinn. And…I…I want to stop hiding the baby from her parents, it's not cool."

At first Kurt wanted to warn that he shouldn't use singing to tell them that, but he stopped himself. If Finn did this, Quinn's parents would definitely make her break up with him, leaving her free to go with Puck and Finn would be crying into his shoulder pads, realize how perfect Kurt was for him, and he would get his happy ending to. Then they'd all go to New York City, have lavish weddings, and grow old together, just like the people on Friends and How I Met Your Mother; they were always happy, right?

"Have you ever heard of Paul Anka?"

—

"Mercedes, finally!" Puck said as she entered the room.

"Yeah, I'm here, now can we get this over with?"

Puck frowned as they sat down. Then he looked her straight in the eye. "Look, it's not my fault we're partnered together—"

"Like how Kurt seems to think it's not your fault that you did what you did," Mercedes said with her lips pursed bitchily.

"He may say that but I sure as hell don't," Puck reasoned.

"You know, you really, really hurt him and yet he forgives you just like that," she snapped a finger. "Says you have stuff on your plate, but don't we all? I mean, we all are swamped with school work and Glee club pressure, not to mention—"

"That's nothing," Puck said through gritted teeth, trying to hold his temper.

Mercedes glared down at him, "Then what is it, Puck? What is so difficult for you right now? Is Santana not hooking up with you? Do a few less Cheerios worship you now that you're in Glee club?"

"Well, for one, let's try the fact that I'm queer and as unacceptable as it is for Kurt to like guys, it's even more unacceptable for jocks like me," Puck burst out. There was a moment of silence as he realized what he said, cursing himself all the while.

Mercedes looked at him, "Wait…you're gay?"

"No," Puck said after a long silence. "Bi or pan or queer or something, I still like pussy," he ignored Mercedes' groan at the word, "But I like cock, too."

"…How…how long has Kurt known?"

"For almost months now," Puck said, sitting down and resting his elbows on his thighs. "He's the one who taught me all those words anyways," he added with a slight laugh. "So all those jocks' jokes at Kurt upset me because he's my best friend, but also because I'm what they make fun of."

"That doesn't make it right."

"Yeah, trust me, I know," Puck mumbled, massaging his temples.

The diva kept studying Puck until finally saying, "So that's it? That's your big problem? I know it's hard to come to terms with things like that, but you've also grown up with Kurt your whole life. Look on the Brightside: at least you aren't Finn, trying to get money for a baby—"

"Do not bring up that baby with me," Puck nearly yelled, scaring Mercedes enough to shut her up for a few seconds. "Finn gets everything, the girl, the family, the sympathy—"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Puck took a deep breath to calm down and make sure he really wanted to say what he was thinking. But he had to; he was tired of only Kurt and Burt knowing, being his only support system. "Finn's not the father; I am."

Mercedes eyed him for several long moments of silence, studying the teen. Then she finally said, "You may be the baby's daddy, but Quinn chose Finn to be the father, not you; if she's not letting you get involved with the case, then don't mess with it, just enjoy the fact that you don't have to grow up at such a young age."

Puck remained silent and shook his head; there was no way Mercedes would understand his need to be the father his dad never was. He was beginning to think no one but Kurt would understand it, how it hurt to have someone you loved so much leave you at such a young age.

When Puck didn't say anything for several moments, Mercedes rolled her eyes and left the choir room in a huff. She pulled out her cell phone and called Tina; she couldn't complain about Puck to his best friend after all.

—

"You told Tina about the baby?" Kurt yelled from behind Mercedes, his girl jumping into the air at the sound.

"Kurt, you scared me—"

"Well you might have just ruined Noah's life," Kurt shot back. At her confused face he rolled his eyes and brought her into a spare classroom. "You told Tina. With both of you knowing, everyone in the whole school will probably know what position they had it in at his rate."

"I'm sorry, Kurt, I really am," Mercedes pleaded sincerely. "I didn't mean to tell Tina, it just sort of happened."

"Just stop it, 'Cedes, okay? You told Tina because you're still mad at Noah—which I understand, I still have some anger towards him—and you want him to hurt like he hurt me. I get that," Kurt ranted. "But soon everyone in New Directions, if not the whole school, will know his secret. And his life is ruined because of it. People already think he's a player, that he doesn't care about girls, but he really does. And now he'll be considered an even bigger loser for and, just, damn it Mercedes. I'm honored that you want to protect me, but, let's face it: if I didn't forgive people for wronging me for no reason, we wouldn't even be friends right now." With that, Kurt stormed out of the room, leaving an upset but thoughtful Mercedes behind.

—

"…Puck?" Mercedes asked tentatively as she entered the choir room. "I'm glad you came." Puck merely shrugged, Mercedes frowning ever so slightly. "Look, Puck…I'm sorry. I've realized I don't really have the right to condemn you for what you did to Kurt if he forgave you. You hurt him, and he forgave you, and it's not my business what you did."

They were both silent for a while until Puck finally smiled slightly, "Thanks, Mercedes. I appreciate it."

"You can call me 'Cedes if you want; all my other friends do," she responded with a grin.

Puck laughed slightly and nodded, "'Cedes it is." He stood up from his chair and grabbed his guitar, "So, I want to do my part of the project before Mr. Schue gets mad at us for not completing it." Mercedes sat down in a chair, Puck standing in front of her. "Now, I can't play the harmonica, so Springsteen will have to forgive me for this." Mercedes gave a soft smile before he started.

Playing a chord to get his note, Puck started singing an intro on Ah. Then he slowly started to sing, "I come from down in the valley where, mister, when you're young they bring you up to do like your daddy done. Me and Mary we met in high school when she was just seventeen. We'd ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green." He paused slightly before coming back in at a slightly faster tempo, "We'd go down to the river and into the river we'd dive. Oh down to the river we'd ride.

"Then I got Mary pregnant and man that was all she wrote and for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat. We went down to the courthouse and the judge put it all to rest; no wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle, no flowers, no wedding dress. That night we went down to the river and into the river we'd dive. Oh down to the river we did ride…"

Puck continued the song, trying his best to make eye contact with Mercedes like the assignment said. He tried to communicate how he felt about the whole situation, to let the song tell his story. When he finally finished, he looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up and giving Mercedes a half-smile.

"Wow," she said quietly. "That was great."

"It really was," a quiet voice said from the doorway. Mercedes and Puck turned to see Kurt standing there. "Sorry," he said as he walked in, "I know this wasn't supposed to be with other people, but I was walking by and heard your voice so I had to drop in."

"It's cool, Kurt," Puck said, Mercedes nodding behind him.

"So…did you mean it?" Kurt asked.

Puck put down the guitar and rubbed his eyes. "I mean that I love her, but I don't want her to have that life. I want her to be happy; I want to learn from that guy's life."

"So maybe you really shouldn't be with her?"

He froze for a moment before saying, "I have to give it a chance though. She doesn't have to marry me or anything if it doesn't work out but…I just want something with her; I want her to be happy...I love her, Kurt." Kurt nodded before pulling Puck into a hug, not noticing the thoughtful look on Mercedes' face.

"I'm officially over the phone incident now," Kurt added as Puck squeezed him close. Puck smiled widely and swayed them quickly.

"Why are you here, Kurt? Aren't you supposed to be working with Finn? People will be here any minute to get ready to sing to Quinn and Finn. Wasn't I supposed to get you after the rest of them got here so you'd bring Finn?" Mercedes asked.

Kurt pulled apart and nervously looked at Puck. "I…I think I messed things up for everyone." He sighed and continued, "I told Finn if he wanted some confidence when he met Quinn's parents, he should sing; it's like his weapon. And he said he didn't want to lie about the pregnancy anymore and I figured, hey, why don't we try to get this to work for Puck and me. So, I figured if he told them in song that Quinn was pregnant, they'd make him break up with her and she would be free to date you and then I could go after Finn since we've gotten closer this week and…and…they kicked her out instead."

Puck and Mercedes stared at Kurt for several moments, mouths slightly gaping. "Wh-What? Where is she? Where did she go?"

Kurt looked down at the floor and muttered, "Finn's."

Puck slowly collapsed into a nearby chair, not sure what to think. He knew Kurt didn't mean it, but he pushed Finn and Quinn closer and fuck Quinn's life just sucked now and hearing about her in that sort of shit...it hurt.

"If it helps, I know that all that time together will eventually pull them apart," Kurt explained quickly, "And she'll have…she…she…I'm sorry, Puck, I guess I'm used to my dad being so accepting I never thought someone would really throw out their kid and…I'm an idiot, I'm sorry. I don't blame you for hating me."

Slowly, Puck looked up at Kurt. "I don't hate you, Kurt. You made a mistake. And you forgave me for being an ass, so I don't think you deserve hate. I think we'll just have to wait and see how it pans out."

Kurt smiled. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Of course," Puck said, standing up. A second later, Kurt threw himself into another hug. "I love you, Kurt, you know that."

"I love you, too," Kurt whispered.

"Now, c'mon, let's go get Hudson; everyone else should be here any minute." The two boys started walking out the door when Kurt turned back, "Coming 'Cedes?"

Mercedes shook her head, "No, I'm good." She watched the other two leave before thinking things over. The only time she hurt Kurt, attacked him/his windshield, was because she thought she was in love with him and that he was in love with Rachel. The only time Puck hurt Kurt was because…was it because he was in love with Kurt?

Of course when Kurt came out he expected it, but her theories were soon dismissed in her head as she got to know them. But that didn't explain the intensity of how they acted/felt around each other, how they smiled when the other was there, how they forgave each other easier than most friends did…

They were in love.

Mercedes gave a small, disbelieving laugh as some of the members of ND started trickling in. Those two were completely, head-over-heels in love with each other. And they didn't even realize.

Her friends were complete idiots. Snorting slightly, she stood up and went to her starting spot, waiting for Finn and Quinn to be escorted in. Things were going to be interesting for her to watch now.

—

A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm really excited to write the next one. Thanks to Sevvy101, my tumblr wife, for the idea to use "The River" by Bruce Springsteen in this chapter. She's the best and you should check her writing out! And remember, reviews are love!

Love,
xLessxThanx3x