The Storm: Redemption

Chapter Four

By Gayforkurt

Summary: Famous countertenor Kurt Hummel and billionaire entrepreneur Dave Karofsky must come to terms with the past but bitter feelings make a future for these two headstrong men highly unlikely. This fic is rated M.

A/N: Thank you so much for your interest and your encouragement, folks; I can't tell you how much it means to me. Keep reading and reviewing and let me know if I've slipped up anywhere, okay?

Disclaimer: Messrs. Ryan, Falchuk, et al are the owners of my favorite boys. Only the OCs belongs to me, alas.

KHDK

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." The soft words were whispered into Kurt's sweet-smelling hair and though he didn't recognize the voice, it was so low, he was grateful for the warmth surrounding him. The arms tightened around him and Kurt gradually calmed; he took several gulping breaths and sat up. When he looked around and saw he was sitting on his couch, a feeling of disorientation overtook him.

Looking around, puzzled because he knew he'd just been collapsed outside the door of his flat, he glanced up at his rescuer – and blanched.

"Noah?" The rest of his question went unspoken but Puck understood.

"I'm sorry I stormed out like that, princess. You okay?" Puck took in the wan face with the drooping eyes and reddened nose. Kurt looked a wreck but an adorable one; he felt like wrapping the distressed singer up in his arms again and just rocking him. Puck stifled a sigh as he knew his feelings for Kurt were not only deepening… but doomed. If Kurt hadn't realized it yet, Puck wasn't going to point it out but the singer's feelings for Puck's boss went far beyond anger or resentment.

Kurt dropped his chin to his chest, trying to hide his face from the other man, embarrassment making him flush childishly. He couldn't believe he'd lost it like that, especially in front of this particular man. Kurt dragged his hands through his hair before something occurred to him.

"Hold on, didn't you leave? I'm sure I heard the street door slam shut." He turned to stare at the other man, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion. When Puck's hand came up to brush a lingering tear from his cheek, Kurt unwittingly leaned into it, still chasing the last bit of comfort.

Puck smiled sadly as he drank in the pale but lovely face before him. He knew he was opening himself up to a world of hurt but he had to say it: "When I got to the door, I turned back; I just couldn't leave you like that." He watched the color come flooding back again.

"Oh," Kurt breathed, his eyes widening and he licked his lips nervously. "Th-thank you, I didn't mean to sound so bi_," he broke off as Puck's thumb rubbed gently at his bottom lip.

Puck shook his head. "I didn't leave because I did realize you probably didn't mean it like that. You were upset and all you'd said before, about the island and stuff, made me realize you're right to be upset."

Kurt dropped his head again, the movement dislodging Puck's hand from his face and he twisted his hands together in his lap. "Uhm, I think I could use something strong about now but I'm still not sure you should."

Puck tilted his head to the side, studying Kurt's body language and wondering if he was going to be alright. He looked around the room, noting the door that probably led to the only bedroom in the flat, and then looked back at Kurt.

"Tell you what; I'll join you in that drink but I'll rough it here on your couch tonight, if that's okay with you?" He didn't realize he was holding his breath waiting for Kurt's answer until the singer nodded slowly.

Kurt realized that having Noah stay over probably wasn't such a good idea but he really didn't want to be alone at the moment and he also wanted to talk some more. When he nodded his assent to the plan, he got up and went to fix their drinks. He glanced over at the man currently sprawling on the couch and asked him what he wanted.

As he fixed Puck's whiskey and a small sherry for himself, his mind went inevitably to the one person he wished he could push to the back of his mind. He had not meant what he said about punishing David – okay, he much preferred thinking about him as 'David' rather than 'Karofsky', he could admit to himself. Knowing that the man was, indeed, suffering did not make Kurt feel any better. He had never been a vindictive person and schadenfreude was never his thing.

He came back over to Noah and handed over his drink, once again taking the armchair, and sipped the delicious wine. They sat in a surprisingly comfortable silence for a while, neither knowing just how to open the inevitable conversation. Kurt sighed, savored the mild burn of the sweet liqueur, and looked over at the reclining man who was staring back at him.

"Can I ask you something?" He watched as Noah sat up and placed his tumbler on the coffee table. His tanned face was seldom without a slight smirk; Kurt only noticed that now that it was missing. Noah seemed to be bracing himself and Kurt couldn't figure out why.

Puck shrugged; he had an idea where this was going to go and even though he'd rather avoid it, it was probably a good idea to let the diva get everything off his chest. "Sure, go ahead."

Kurt set his own glass down and curled his legs up comfortably into the large chair. "I'm really trying to work through all of this in my head, so… why did you go ahead with the_ uhm, scheme?" He really was curious; it might have been a romantic gesture on David's part, but he wanted to know why Noah had gone along with it.

Puck turned sideways so he was lying lengthwise on the couch, his booted feet the only thing hanging off at the end. He thought about the question for a few seconds then shrugged again. "It's hard to tell him 'no' when he's got something in his head." He held up a hand to halt Kurt's undoubted flood of words. "Yeah, I know it was a dumb move; I can only say I felt kinda sorry for him."

Kurt stared at him, confusion and skepticism warring in his eyes, the color darkening to gray. "You felt sorry for him? What kind of defense is that?" He sputtered a bit as he tried to absorb what he thought of as the stupidest reasoning ever.

Puck frowned, not liking that he had to defend himself and his boss for what they hadn't thought of as a malicious prank at all. "Look, I'd never seen the guy head over heels before; give me a break, dammit!"

Noah's reaction made Kurt pause and look more closely at him. To be honest, Kurt had never had anyone make such a huge gesture – though it had been somewhat ill-thought out – and a part of him was beginning to squirm at the notion that the reclusive billionaire just might have real feelings for him. The thought was a little uncomfortable – and to be honest it felt a little stalker-ish – but Kurt couldn't honestly put the man in the same category as a rabid fan.

He sighed because the headache was still there, a little less intense but it reminded him of how late it had become. He continued to stare at Noah, unsure what else to say, and then got up to go get some bedding for the other man. When he came back, Noah had taken off his boots and his shirt, and was sitting on Kurt's couch, bare-chested and sexy as a pin-up model.

Kurt took a deep breath and came over to him slowly, hugging the pillow and duvet to himself almost like a shield. Puck looked up at him with a slightly feral grin lighting his face as he held out his arms. When Kurt stopped a few steps farther away than necessary and stretched out his own arms to hand over the bed things, Puck chuckled.

"Come on, princess, what's this? I don't bite … unless you want me to," his teeth gleamed and Kurt was reminded of nothing so much as the wolf and he was damned if he was going to be Red.

"Pffft, I bet you're all bark and no_ oomph! Noah!" Kurt flailed as both he and the bedding were pulled down onto the bare-chested idiot grinning up at him unrepentantly. "Stop it, you twit, I'm not going to roll around with you so stop smirking!"

Kurt struggled to right himself, realizing that the supposedly helpful hands were doing more grabbing and squeezing instead. He slapped the hands away and couldn't help chuckling as he straightened up and backed away. Noah was behaving like a horny teenager and, strangely, the horsing around was just the right thing to lighten the previously gloomy atmosphere.

Puck had no intentions of making any move on Kurt again; his sole intention now was to cheer up the singer. He'd hated seeing this beautiful, fiery-tempered man crumpled on the floor outside his flat totally distraught and bawling his eyes out. As he'd approached him and gathered him into his arms, Puck had finally realized he'd lost whatever chance he'd had; heck, he was probably kidding himself if he'd ever thought anything could happen between him and Kurt.

From the moment Dave and Kurt had met, no matter that it had happened in such a screwed up way, there was no way anyone could have cut that connection that had been forged between them. Kurt could deny it all he wanted, but Puck had a feeling his mind (and probably his body) was fighting against him. There was no way you could be completely indifferent to someone and react the way Kurt had done.

Now he just wanted to see Kurt smile again, maybe return to that bright-faced, almost angelic person that Dave used to bore him to tears talking about. Dave had recordings of almost every new performance Kurt had done, whether it was opera or the albums the singer had put out twice before. In fact, Kurt didn't know it, but on one of Dave's many estates, the billionaire had had built a state-of-the-art recording studio. Even though he knew of the man's philanthropic projects, especially the one regarding helping young, unknown singers, Puck also knew that deep down he one day wanted Kurt to see it and maybe record there.

Puck sighed to himself as he watched Kurt eyeing him warily and decided he'd try to keep Kurt from brooding as much as he possibly could, and if it meant playing and teasing and flirting with him just to hear him laugh, it wasn't too much of a hardship, seriously.

Kurt grinned down at Noah, glad for this little break in the melancholy and gloom that had been threatening to derail him. Noah could be good company and even if his being here also reminded him of the other, well, Kurt could handle it for a little while, couldn't he?

"Don't think you can distract me from your upcoming interrogation, you savage," his cute little grin took any sting from the words. "Get a good night's rest – there's an extra toothbrush beneath the sink – and since I don't have to be at the theatre until the afternoon, we can go have brunch, okay?"

Puck relaxed against the couch, flexing his pectoral muscles, and grinned as Kurt's eyes reluctantly followed the movement. "Anything you say, princess, you're the boss."

"Right, just you remember that. Sleep well," and he stalked into his bedroom, making certain that his lustful guest could hear the lock click. He let out a sigh and relaxed against the door, wondering why his life seemed to have taken a tumble down some wretched rabbit hole. Damn, I need my head examined, he muttered, and then proceeded to prepare for bed.

Outside in the living room, Puck stared at the locked door, wondering if he could go the whole night without trying to get into that bedroom. Though he knew and accepted that the other man didn't have the same feelings for him, the thought of Kurt sleeping so close by and just the two of them in the flat made his pulse speed up and his earlier thoughts of Kurt being vocal in the sack came back to taunt him.

He dropped his head into his hands and thought about bemoaning his fate. It was just his luck the man he was beginning to really like was well on the way to falling for his boss. Worse, because his boss was also irrevocably in love with Kurt, Puck knew he would never do anything to get in the way of that. Fuck my life, he chuckled bitterly; always doomed to come in second.

He got up to go and wash up, shrugging off the melancholy that was trying to creep up on him; at least we can all be friends, eh? Yeah, right, friends.

TBC

A/N 2: Next up, breakfast, a talk and the first step toward redemption. BTW, I apologize for the little bits of Puckurt that I've sneaked in along the way. That boy is just too hot for me to completely ignore. ; D