I'm so so so so so so sorry this took so long. I still love you guys just as much as I ever have. Read. Review. Here's a link to a playlist where you can hear the songs I've mentioned in case you don't listen to them religiously like me:) .com/playlist/20193060619 pay attention to the lyrics! I chose them for a reason.
Where is your boy tonight?
I hope he is a gentleman.
Maybe he won't find out what I know
You were the last good thing about this part of town.
Puck looked over at Kurt. He was trying to detect any anxiety that the other boy had. When the nervous squirming started, Puck nudged him, "Hey."
"Hey," Kurt breathed out absentmindedly.
Puck took Kurt's hands. He squeezed it gently. "It's gonna be fine."
They pulled into the student parking lot. Puck got out and went to the passenger side. He opened the door for Kurt. Kurt bit his lip. Puck sighed, "It's okay. Remember? We are strong, we are beautiful, we are the best parts of this sad town. We are the brain, the beauty, and the class of Lima, okay?"
Kurt giggled a little. He pulled Puck by the shirt into the car, kissing the taller boy. When he finished, he sighed, "Okay. I guess I'm ready. Ready as I'll ever be."
"Okay, good, come on." Puck pulled him out of the car, taking his hand. "Come on, say it with me. We are strong, we are beautiful, we are-"
Kurt laughed at him, "This is the happiest I've seen you in a long time."
"I could say the same for you." Puck said to him. Puck looked at the school doors, than at Kurt, "You ready?"
Kurt didn't respond. Instead, he let go of Puck's hand, pushed the door open, and forced his entrance into the hallway. All talking stopped and the hallway was deathly quiet as they walked together down the hall. Kurt smiled kindly at the other kids, and they seemed to loosen up a bit. Puck whispered, "See, everyone's still looking at you."
The murmurs started then. People whispered to each other and phones shot out of pockets faster than the speed of light. The sounds of shocked whispers and fingers moving over shrunken keyboards fueled Kurt's flame. He stood up taller, walked with his head higher, and even gave out confident smiles to a select few in the hall. He smiled at Puck, "Can we go talk to Mercedes? We've got a few minutes."
"Of course, you lead the way." Puck smiled back. Kurt took Puck's hand and took him to where Mercedes hang out. The whispering grew louder as their hands met and Puck couldn't help but smile excitedly. Months of watching and wishing led to his and he couldn't be happier.
They arrived at Mercedes locker. She looked at their hands, at her phone, then at Kurt, "So it's true?"
Kurt shrugged. "It's kind of complicated. But no more Travis."
Puck sort of frowned at the first thing he said, but he shrugged it off. Mercedes hugged Kurt, "How'd it happen? Wait, tell me second period. I have to tell Puck something before the bell rings."
She motioned for Puck to step back with her. He did so, still holding Kurt's hand. Mercedes whispered, "Travis is prowling. Twitter reports said so and I saw him that morning. And he doesn't look happy. Just heads up."
"Thank you Mercedes, you don't know how much that means." Puck whispered back to her.
"No problem." She said. The bell rang so she hugged Kurt. "By sweet thing, see you second period. Bye Puck."
They parted ways and Kurt poked Puck, "What did Mercedes say? What did you guys talk about?"
"We talked about how beautiful you are." Puck winked. Kurt sighed but smiled anyways. Until they turned the corner. Standing outside their first period class was the monster.
"Oh my god." Kurt's eyes got wide and he stutter-stepped, "No. No no no no no. Oh my god no. I can't-"
"Hey hey calm down. We can do this. Just look away, take out your phone and pretend you're texting." Puck said. Kurt took out his phone shakily and pretended to look at it. Puck put an arm around the smaller boy and led him to the classroom.
"Kurt. Kurt, we need to talk," Travis said. Puck ushered him through the doorway where he was safe. Travis pushed Puck, "What do you think you're doing, asswipe?"
Puck took a deep breath and decided the best idea would be to not say anything at all. So Puck turned and walked into the classroom where Kurt was shaking, "Did he hurt you?"
"No, didn't even feel it." Puck smiled. Kurt hugged him as the second bell rang for them to sit down. Puck sat in his regular seat, between Santana and Jacob.
Kurt stood next to Jacob and smiled kindly, "Jacob, would you mind letting me sit here for today?"
"S-sure. The queen bee gets what she wants. Would you care to confirm my story that you and Travis are indeed over?" Jacob said, pushing up his glasses. Jacob was the resident gossip mill of McKinley High.
Kurt sighed, "It's over. Seat, please?"
Jacob pulled out his phone and typed a quick message. He closed his phone and got up from the seat, "It's all yours."
Kurt sat down next to Puck as the teacher started yelling for the class to settle down. Puck whispered, "You didn't have to tell him if you didn't want to."
"He might as well hear it directly from the source." Kurt shrugged. The teacher said something about a movie and the lights went off. A movie about basic cell function started to play on the smallish TV set. Kurt leaned over to rest his head on Puck's shoulder. When the bell rang, the light came back on. Jacob leaned over and tapped them both.
"Has our queen found another prince already? " He asked, phone at the ready.
"No comment on that one Jacob, sorry." Kurt said, leaving the super nerd disappointed. He typed something as he walked away. Kurt sighed, "Now what?"
Puck smiled, "Now I walk you to second period."
They went into the halls and the crowd parted for them. Puck sighed, "So I'm not in this class with you, but Mercedes is. Stick with her, and when passing period comes, stay in the room until I can come and get you. You gonna be okay?"
They arrived without any sight of Travis. Kurt sighed, "I hope so."
"Okay, I'll see you in fifty minutes." Puck said as he turned to leave.
"Hey." Kurt stopped him. He turned and received a kiss on the cheek, "Be careful. Be safe. Stay out of trouble."
Puck smiled, nodded, and kissed Kurt's forehead. He set off for his next class, which he would probably be late too. The hallways were emptying as kids found their classrooms and the bell rang for class to start. As Puck turned the corner to his math class, he heard his name called. He didn't acknowledge the speaker until it grabbed him and pulled him aside. Travis was scowling down at him, "Hey, I was talking to you asshole."
Puck got loose and continued to his class. It was only steps away, but he was grabbed again and slammed against a wall. Travis snarled, "What did I say about you screwing with my boyfriend?"
"He's not your boyfriend anymore." Puck spat. Travis punched him hard in the face leaving a faint taste of blood in Puck's mouth.
"We'll see about that." Travis growled. He hit Puck again and left him. Puck shook it off, making those last few steps to the classroom.
"Noah Puckerman, late again-oh my, what happened? Here, here's a pass to the nurse." The teacher handed him a blue slip and ushered him back into the hall. Instead of reporting to the nurse, he went to sit outside Kurt's class.
When class finally ended, Puck let a few kids leave before he pushed into the class. Kurt smiled, "That was fast…oh my god what happened?"
"Ran into Travis on the way to class." He said, wincing as he reached up to feel his eye.
Mercedes looked really pissed off. Puck guessed Kurt had probably told her everything. "First Kurt, now you, that boy is straight up crazy. He needs a good ass whooping from your girl right here."
"No Mercedes, it's going to get taken care of. Puck and I just need to stay away from him until glee." Kurt said to her. He turned his attention to Puck, "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine." Puck said, still trying to flush the blood taste out of his mouth. "Let's get to our next class."
The rest of the day went off without another encounter. They moved around a lot at lunch so as not to be caught in one place, they took new routes to classes, and made sure to get to glee before Travis did. Puck took the seat next to Kurt, "So why did we need to get here first? And what did you mean earlier when you said we had to stay away from him until glee?"
"You'll see." Kurt said, running a hand across his perfectly manicured bangs. Puck dropped it, not wanting to push the subject too far. Mercedes came in and sat on the other side of Kurt and they had Tina sit behind him. They made sure he was covered so there was no way anything could happen to him. When they saw Travis come in, Kurt grabbed for Puck's hand and squeezed it tight.
Travis walked to them and stood tall in front of Kurt's seat. He folded his arms, "Kurt, may I have a word with you in the hallway."
"No. I mean…I'm a little busy at the moment." Kurt said softly. Travis' hands clenched together and Puck was ready to stand up to face him. Luckily, Mr. Schuester issued them to settle in and warm up their voices. Puck noticed Kurt glancing up at the clock every five seconds and wondered what was going on. When the clock struck three, Kurt stopped singing and squeezed Puck's hand tightly.
Right then, the door opened and three policemen came into the room. Everyone stopped and looked around. The lead policeman looked at Travis, "Travis Connolly?"
"Yes?" He eyed them. The room fell quiet, then he made the connection. Looking from them to Kurt, he frowned, "Oh no. Oh no, you stupid stupid bitch."
Kurt whimpered a little and shrank into Puck's side. The policeman grabbed Travis, "You're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have-"
"I know! I fucking know!" He screamed at them. He looked at Kurt, "You're a liar."
The policeman pulled him out of the room. Mr. Schuester looked around bewildered, like the rest of the glee clubbers. He sat down, "I think we're done for today."
Kurt was the first to stand and leave the room. Puck followed him to the hallway where he was hyperventilating, "Oh…my…god…I…he…kill me…he'll…kill me."
"Hey, hey, calm down," Puck hugged him and rubbed his back, "He's not coming anywhere near you. Ever again."
Mercedes came out and hugged Kurt too. Tears were in her eyes, "Bastard deserved what he got. Did you call the cops on him? Oh Kurt I'm so glad you did."
Kurt finally calmed down enough to breathe evenly. He sighed, "Puck, could you take me home? I have to talk to my dad."
"Does he know?" Mercedes asked. Kurt shook his head solemnly. Mercedes sighed, "Well good luck little mama, you might need it. If you need to talk, I'm only a phone call away."
Kurt hugged her goodbye before he took Puck's arm and made Puck lead the way out. Puck looked at him, "I'm really proud of you Kurt. You're so strong, to be able to call the police on him like that. You are so brave."
"I'm terrified. I won't be able to sleep tonight." Kurt said as they approached Puck's car. Puck opened the passenger door for him then moved to his side.
When he got into the car, he smiled, "You can be brave and terrified. And if you can't sleep, you call me and I'll sing you to sleep."
"That's very sweet." Kurt said. They drove in silence to Kurt's house. When they got there, Kurt touched Puck's arms, "Could you…stay? Just while I tell my dad. I can't do this alone."
Puck looked at the house and nodded silently. They got out of the car and Kurt let them into the house. Kurt called nervously, "Dad?"
"In here." They followed the sounds of clamoring pots to the kitchen where Kurt's dad was busying around the room. "Hey Kurt. Hey, Puck! How are you? How was school?"
Kurt swallowed and said again, "Dad."
"Yes, son?" His dad said, "Oh by the way we might have to run to the shop later, you think-"
"Dad." Kurt rubbed his arm.
Kurt's dad kept putting stuff away, "I thought maybe Puck might want to-"
"Daddy." Kurt whispered softly.
Kurt's dad stopped in his tracks, putting down the plates he had in his hands. He turned to Kurt, "What happened? What's wrong?"
"I think we need to sit down." Kurt said softly, holding back his anxiety and the tears beating against his eyes.
They sat down at the kitchen table, the three of them. Kurt took Puck's hand under the table and squeezed it. "Travis was arrested in glee today. I…I had him arrested. Daddy, there's something I need to show you."
Kurt's dad looked puzzled from Kurt to Puck. Kurt let go of Puck's hand and stood up. Puck swallowed hard and looked away as Kurt reached for his jacket. He unbuttoned it and pulled it off. Mr. Hummel's hand went to his mouth as Kurt shed his jacket exposing his bruised and burned arms. Kurt looked at his dad as tears silently rolled down his cheeks. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a sob came out. Kurt's dad jumped up and hugged him, "It's okay Kurt, I gotcha. My boy, my boy, how could I let this happen? How could I let this happen to my only little boy?"
"It wasn't your fault Dad. It wasn't your fault," Kurt cried. "I was stupid and naïve. But I called the police. Daddy, it's going to be okay now, right? I did it. Aren't you proud of me?"
"I've always been proud of you, Kurt. I love you more than anything thing in the entire world." Kurt's dad hugged him hard, "Kurt, you are the most important thing, you are the only thing I have. When someone hurt's you, they hurt me too."
He pulled away and looked at Kurt, "I love you Kurt. You know that right? I love you and don't you ever forget that."
The phone rang and Puck stood up to get it, but Kurt's dad waved him off. "It's alright Puck, I got it. Kurt, why don't you, um, change. I'll be right back."
"We'll be downstairs." Kurt said picking up his clothes and nodded to Puck. Puck looked bashfully at Kurt's dad, who nodded approvingly. They went downstairs to Kurt's room where Puck sat in the spinning white chair. He spun around mindlessly as Kurt put on a new top, a maroon colored thermal with a Marc Jacobs splattered tee shirt. When he finished, he sighed and looked at Puck with his clear, sad eyes.
Puck got up and hugged the smaller boy, "What's wrong?"
"I'm tired. I want it to be over. I want it to go back to normal already." Kurt sighed, hugging Puck back, "I just want to open my eyes and hope this was one big horrible dream."
Puck sighed, "Yea, just a horrible dream…"
"Not you, oh god, not you! I didn't mean it that way Noah." Kurt said frantically.
Puck shook his head, "No I know what you meant."
"Good." Kurt sighed. He kissed Puck softly. "You are the best thing that's happened to me since…Lady Gaga."
"Gaga?" Puck laughed. Kurt giggled and hugged his head to Puck's chest.
Kurt's dad knocked as he descended the stairs into the basement. "That was the city court person. They want us to go down and sign some paperwork and stuff like that in an hour. I don't know if you wanted to join, Puck…"
Kurt looked up at Puck. Puck shrugged, "As long as it's okay with Kurt. I'm always here to support him."
Kurt nodded at Puck, then at his dad. His dad nodded, "Alright. Okay. Well you should call home; tell someone where you are and where you'll be. We'll leave in about half an hour. I'm just gonna run down to the shop and let them know I won't be in. Be back in twenty minutes."
"Bye Mr. Hummel." Puck waved respectfully.
"Bye Dad." Kurt called to his dad. He turned to Puck, "What do you want to do?"
"Anything you want." Puck smiled, "Have anything in mind?"
Kurt giggled softly, "No…it's stupid. I mean, y'know way back when you sang to Rachael? And you played guitar, it was just…really sweet. I don't know, if you think it's stupid…"
"Not at all." Puck smiled. He thought about it, "But I don't have me guitar with me. Do you have one here?"
Kurt thought, "Um. Yea, let me get it for you."
He ran upstairs and returned with an old acoustic guitar. Kurt shrugged, "Sorry if it's out of tune, it was my dad's. He used to play it for my mom, but…he hasn't played in a while."
"You sure it's okay?" Puck said, taking the guitar. Kurt nodded, so Puck started to tune the guitar. "Do you have a song in mind?"
Kurt sat on his bed, legs crossed, "Surprise me."
"Okay, I'll give it a shot." Puck positioned the guitar. He started to play the acoustic version of 'Everlong' by Foo Fighters. He sang the tune softly, taking turns looking from his fingers to Kurt's eyes. They were bright and sparkling with amusement, and he sat captivated like a small child.
When he finished, Kurt applauded. "That was amazing Noah! Could you do another one please?"
"Sure. Let me think." He thought to himself, muttering, "Let's see if I can do this one right."
He came up with a melody that sounded vaguely familiar. Then he looked straight into Kurt's eyes and sang 'Paparazzi' . Kurt was jubilant. He sang along with the choruses and laughed quietly. When Puck finished, Kurt was laughing and applauding like mad, "That was the best thing ever! Come here!"
Kurt reached over and pulled him down. He kissed Puck sweetly before letting him go. Puck smiled, and Kurt smiled back, "Play another one?"
"Okay. Hm." He racked his brain for a girly love song. Instead, he strummed the sad melody of 'I Miss You' by Blink 182. Kurt's face went soft as Puck sang the lyrics with heart and emotions. Then he looked on passed Puck, but Puck kept playing anyway.
When he finished, he raised an eyebrow at Kurt, "What, you didn't like that one?"
Applause came, but from behind him. He spun on his heel to see Mr. Hummel. Kurt's dad smiled, "That was really good. Is that my guitar?"
"Yes, sir, I'm sorry Mr. Hummel." Puck reached the guitar out. "I'm sorry I should've-"
Mr. Hummel waved him off. "No, it's okay. I'm just surprised it still plays. You're really good, Puck. We have a little time, would you mind if I listened in on another song?"
Puck took the guitar back in his arms, "Um, sure. Do you have anything in mind?"
He sat down next to Kurt, who looked a little embarrassed. He shook his head. Puck sighed and nodded, thinking of another song. He decided to go simple after all and he started to play 'Hey There, Delilah' by The Plain White T's. When he finished, they both applauded him. He took a bow and placed the guitar on Kurt's bed. Kurt smiled, "Thanks Noah."
"You boys ready to go there?" Mr. Hummel asked. They nodded and followed him outside. They decided to all ride in one car and Puck could come back to get his car later.
When they got to city hall, a woman ushered them into a room with a few people. Kurt nodded at the female lawyer and she introduced herself as Kurt's lawyer, and introduced the two other people in the room. One was a district attorney and the other was a judge. They all sat and the district attorney opened a file and read aloud, "In the case of Kurt Hummel vs. Travis Connolly, Mr. Connolly has plead guilty to all of charges listed. Charges are as followed: assault, battery, and rape."
"Rape?" Kurt's dad exclaimed in shock and anger. He looked at Kurt, who nodded solemnly. Mr. Hummel stood up and walked away from the table a few steps.
"Mr. Hummel, please." The judge scolded him. She turned back to the lawyer, "Continue."
"Just awaiting a sentence, your honor." The district attorney closed the file.
The judge opened the file placed in front of her. "Does the plaintiff have any bargains or concerns?"
Kurt looked at his lawyer and she nodded, "We'd like to see Mr. Connolly tried as an adult. We'd also like to note his past conflicts with the law when deciding a sentencing."
The judge nodded at the file in front of her. "Alright, taking into consideration past offenses and the age of Mr. Connolly, my sentence would call for thirteen years at Dayton County Facility for Men with no bail or parole. If both parties consent, we won't have to take this to court."
"Sounds fair." The district attorney nodded, looking across the table at the other lawyer.
Kurt's lawyer looked at him. He looked at his dad, who was holding back tears. He looked at the judge, "Could we make it fourteen?"
The judge shrugged, "As long as their consensus from both sides."
Both lawyers nodded and the judged nodded. "Alright, sentence stands at fourteen years at Dayton County Facility for Men with no bail or parole. Have him moved immediately. Thanks for coming in folks, have a wonderful rest of the day."
They were released from the room and the three of them looked at each other silently. There wasn't much to say, so Mr. Hummel said, "You know what we should do? How about we go get some ice cream?"
It was just so absurd and so perfect, they had to laugh. It was the first time Kurt had genuinely laughed in a long while and if felt good to share it with Puck and his dad.