Catalyst
Chapter 17
By Dani J.
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Summary: Kurt and Blaine have decided to just be friends and the dapper boy realized he really missed Dalton Academy so he's gone back. No Klaine-bashing is intended, it just wouldn't have worked for this fic. However, Kurt has an admirer in a new kid… and Puck isn't happy at all but doesn't seem willing to step up.
Disclaimer: I own nothing whatsoever. Blame RM and company for this unfairly attractive and addictive group of characters. Well, except for my cute, original character, Kristopher.
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Last chapter: Conversation became general after that, Burt regaling them with a couple of anecdotes from his day at the shop and the atmosphere relaxed considerably. Carole and Mercedes talked a bit about Mercedes' siblings who were as annoying as only younger siblings could be and Puck and Finn gave mostly monosyllabic replies to Carole's occasional questions.
Finally, as they were finishing up, only Kurt, Mercedes and Puck declining dessert, Kurt thanked Carole for dinner. Getting up and pushing in his chair, he turned to Puck with an imperious look and said, "Come with me."
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Puck swallowed as he glanced around the table, catching the sympathetic look in Burt's eye and the amused one in Carole's. He sighed, placed his napkin on the table and excused himself, his voice barely audible.
Kurt hadn't waited but had gone to stand out in the front hall, his arms crossed tightly in front of him. When Puck joined him, though, he turned and relaxed his posture a bit. That made Puck in turn relax – not much, because this was Kurt after all, but he didn't feel as if he was going to get his head bit off.
Kurt though, wasn't given a chance to speak first because Puck simply blurted: "I don't understand you!"
Blue eyes blazed at him but he didn't back down, just stared at Kurt and waited for him to answer. "What are you talking about, Noah? What don't you understand?"
Puck sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face, lowering his head as well as his voice. "It just seems that one day we're fine and the next you're mad at me… and I don't know what I did."
The silence stretched between them as he hung his head and Kurt stared at him. Finally, Kurt grabbed his arm and pulled him outside, making certain that the front door closed properly behind them.
Kurt let Noah's arm fall and then wrapped his arms around himself. "I think I'm the one who should be saying that, Noah. I thought you wanted to … try … with me. The next thing I know, you're going on about some girl, how beautiful she is and talented, etc., etc.!"
By the end of that his voice had risen and he was staring angrily at Puck who was looking both alarmed and confused.
"What? What are you talking about, Kurt? What girl?"
"DON'T LIE TO ME! I heard you, okay! You were in the choir room – I heard you, so do not lie to me!"
He spun around to go back inside, frustrated tears brimming but not falling but Puck grabbed his wrist and stopped him. He was about to lash out and looked up to snarl at Puck for stopping him when he saw the small smile on the other boy's face.
"Are you laughing at me?!" Kurt's eyes widened incredulously.
Puck dropped his wrist and raised both hands defensively. "No, no, Kurt, listen, please! It wasn't a girl!"
Kurt stared at him, his fists tight at his sides and his shoulders hunched because, as much as Puck outweighed him by probably forty pounds, he was going to punch him if he was laughing at him.
"What do you mean, it wasn't a girl?!"
Noah chuckled and stepped closer to the fuming boy before him. He lifted his hands slowly and placed them on Kurt's upper arms. "It wasn't a girl – it was you."
Now there was just plain confusion on Kurt's face and he shook his head slowly but didn't move away. "No, it must have been because when I saw you later, you were walking with some Cheerios. Your arms were around them and you looked pretty darned happy!"
Noah shook his head, though the grin diminished a bit. "I think this is one epic mix-up, babe."
This time Kurt did shrug out of his hands, taking a step back and eyeing Noah suspiciously. "What mix-up – and don't call me 'babe'."
"Okay, okay," Noah said placatingly, and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "It's just that, after I was talking to Brad about you – and he assumed you were a girl, by the way – I came out and saw you walking towards that Kristopher guy. You said something about Saturday and I just- I just felt so…"
He looked down at the ground and Kurt began to realize what must have happened. He'd misunderstood Noah's words, and feeling hurt, he'd gone back to Kris and confirmed their date for Saturday. Seeing Noah with those girls had just made everything worse. He sighed and shook his head.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. When I heard you and then saw you with those girls later, I was so mad… I thought we were working on something special. Then it seemed as if you'd changed your mind… I'm sorry."
Noah looked up at him, noting how Kurt's voice had softened and his eyes had a glow to them in the gathering gloom of the evening. His heart skipped a beat and he realized he hadn't lost his chance with Kurt after all. There was still some stuff to clear up though and he gathered his courage to ask.
"And the date with him… he didn't hurt you, did he?"
Kurt giggled and shook his head admonishingly. "No, no, it wasn't anything like that. Maybe one day I won't be too embarrassed to tell you about it."
With that they stood there smiling stupidly at each other and then…
"So, exactly what makes you think I need someone to fight my battles for me, Noah?"
The silence was charged as Puck stared at Kurt wide-eyed, his mind blank as he took in Kurt's beautiful face set in somewhat serious lines, though his tone was mild.
"Uhm, what? I wasn't_"
Kurt interrupted him with a quickly raised hand, his lips tightening. "Stop right there. If you weren't 'defending my honor', exactly why did you feel it necessary to attack Kristopher?"
Puck shoved his hands into his pocket and stared at a spot on the ground between them. He really hadn't been thinking anything at the time apart from the fact that he hated Kristopher Marshall, he had upset Kurt, and he wanted to punch his smirking face in. Now he feared he might have pissed Kurt off to the point where whatever they were starting on would die a premature death.
Finally he sighed, his hunched shoulders slumping a bit before he looked back up at Kurt who was clearly waiting for him to justify his actions.
"What do you want me to say, Kurt? From what Finn had said, you looked pretty broken up when you came in from that date. I-I couldn't stand the thought that… that…"
When he shrugged again without completing the sentence, Kurt decided to take pity on him. He sighed in an overly dramatic way and took a step toward Puck who immediately tensed and looked up at him.
"Look, Noah, I am a big boy, okay? I don't need you, Finn or dad to fight my battles. Is that clear?" When Puck just continued to gawp at him, Kurt gritted out: "I'm not a girl, dammit!"
Puck couldn't help it; at that last comment his eyes did a quick flicker over Kurt's body.
Kurt saw the way Noah had just looked at him and could see the appreciative gleam in the amber eyes. He hid a smirk and thought to himself: There's my horny little toad!
Closing the distance between them, Kurt slid one hand up Noah's muscular chest and brought his hand to rest on the back of his neck. As Noah stared at him wide-eyed, Kurt leaned forward and whispered huskily, "And I'm pretty sure you're glad right now that I am not a girl."
He heard the quick intake of the other boy's breath and stepped back with a little smile tugging at the corner of his full pink lips. Lips that Noah was staring at now and Kurt, a little curl of desire sliding through him, leaned forward and pecked Noah square on his lush lips.
The sound of a throat clearing made the boys spring apart and Kurt swung around to see Mercedes staring at him with a little moue of disapproval tugging at her own lips.
"Uhm, Kurt, I'm going to head out now. Puck, you coming?"
Puck looked like he wanted nothing more than to continue what Kurt had barely started but he nodded his head anyway. "Uh, yeah, yeah. Let me go say 'night' to the others…" and he skedaddled, Kurt looking after him with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Mercedes came up to him and shook her head. "That poor boy is so whipped; I hope you know what you are doing, boo."
Kurt giggled but he nodded in agreement. "Yes, no, I have no idea but whatever it is, it's fun, girl!"
They chuckled as Kurt walked with her to her car. They firmed up their time to meet up on Saturday and just as he'd seen her into her car and was waving as she backed out of the driveway, he heard footsteps behind him.
Puck and Finn were talking quietly and Kurt sauntered up to them as they approached. Finn watched as the two boys stared at each other and when Kurt suddenly threw him a look, he got the picture and went back inside.
Puck waited as Kurt watched Finn's departure and when they heard the front door close softly, Kurt turned to him with a smile.
"Does it hurt?"
Puck stared at him, uncomprehending, until Kurt's soft fingers brushed lightly against his cheek.
"Oh, no, not anymore."
Kurt nodded and lowered his hand, the earlier smile widening before he said, "Kiss me goodnight, Noah."
Puck gaped at him, almost believing for a second he had somehow misheard the slender boy. No, Kurt was looking at him expectantly and Puck felt his heartbeat speed up, but within seconds he had slid his hands onto Kurt's hips and tugged him closer.
Their lips met in a soft, clinging kiss and Noah sighed, his senses filling with Kurt. Soft but strong hands slid up to link behind his neck and though the kiss remained chaste, Noah counted it as one of the best kisses he'd ever received.
Finally Kurt smiled against his lips and loosened his hold, stepping back and smiling again before whispering, "See you at school tomorrow…"
Noah nodded and as Kurt turned to walk away he called out, "Kurt?"
Kurt turned back to him and raised an eyebrow in enquiry.
Noah paused before continuing: "What are we doing?"
Kurt tilted his head and looked back at him, his eyes dark and mysterious in the dusk. "How do you mean?"
Noah shrugged. "I can't tell what's happening here. One minute we're okay, the next you seem angry … with me… now we seem to be fine again. What are we doing?"
Kurt looked down at the concrete of the driveway for a few seconds then looked back at the other boy wistfully. "I-I don't know, Noah; whatever it is, though, I like it."
With that he smiled and headed back inside the house, leaving Noah to stare after him, a little smile making him almost unrecognizable. If Santana could see him now, she probably would have scorned him for looking like a lovesick sap. Nobody was watching him, though, so he continued to smile, even after he got into his truck and pulled away from the Hudmel house.
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The next few days passed with Kurt sitting at the Glee table during lunch even though he met up with Kristopher to walk to classes and sang with Puck in glee club. Mercedes and Tina had bets going as to which one of the boys would crack and ask Kurt out first, 'Cedes siding with Puck and Tina saying that Kris would be the one as he was a lot bolder than Puck where Kurt was concerned.
When Saturday rolled around, Kurt found himself at the mall with his favorite girls and had a fabulous time. They did a little shopping but most of the day was spent window-shopping and eating in the food court. Kurt had fun ignoring the not-so-subtle questioning that he endured throughout the whole trip.
Finally, when he was driving them home, he caved and told them that both boys were apparently giving him space to make up his mind about them.
Tina sighed saying how romantic the whole thing was; Mercedes giggled, saying, "White boy, if you don't watch it, you're going to get a reputation for being a 'playa'."
Kurt scoffed: "I have only ever been with one boy, you know that. One lover does not a 'playa' make, 'Cedes!"
They laughed at him, chanting 'playa, playa, playa' until Kurt nearly yelled at them, laughing all the while.
"Enough! Gosh, I'm just taking time to straighten my head out, okay?!"
That brought another round of laughter as Mercedes echoed 'straight!'
When they sobered though, Kurt said, "Y'know, this is one serious ego boost. Who would have thought I would have two hotties dangling – at least while still in high school."
Tina leaned forward and stroked the shoulder nearest her. "Awww, Kurt, you're gorgeous, and I'm not just saying that because I love you. I wish I had your fashion sense… and your skin is gorgeous!"
Kurt felt his cheeks warm but before he could thank Tina for the compliment, Mercedes jumped in with her tuppence worth. "Ooooh, girl, not to mention dat ass!"
She and Tina shrieked with laughter as Kurt yelled, "Mercedes Jones, you better watch yo' mouf!"
By the time Kurt got home from dropping his girls off, he was pleasantly tired but not so much that he didn't find time to yell at Finn for leaving his trainers right by the front door and almost making him trip over them.
"Barbarian," he muttered as he kicked one offending boot to the side. Still, he was in too much of a good mood to be really cross with Finn and he hummed as he headed into the kitchen for a soda. Carole looked up and smiled as he came in.
"Had a good day out with your girls?"
Kurt laughed. "Yes, me and my posse – we had a good day. Oh, I might have found some of that so-called anti-aging cream you like so much…"
For the next ten minutes, he and Carole chatted while he watched her fix a light supper for Burt and herself. Saturdays was usually catch as catch can where meals were concerned and Kurt snitched a baby pickle from one of the plates while they talked.
Carole looked at her stepson and smiled. "And what about those poor boys? Have you decided to put them out of their misery and choose one to date?"
Kurt gaped at her, his eyes wide before faint color flooded his cheek. He concentrated on chewing and then swallowing the last bit of the pickle and then shook his head. "This is almost an echo of the conversation I had with 'Cedes and Tina."
Carole nodded. "Yes, that's because we want – or at least I do – an end to the drama, I suppose." She shrugged as she sliced the sandwiches on the diagonal before adding some chips to both plates. "Go on – have you decided?"
Kurt got up, brushing his hands off and then smiled shyly. "Uhm, not yet, not really. I'm just going to take my time and think on it carefully."
Carole shook her head and then she smiled at him, her eyes soft. "You know, you're the atypical teenager, Kurt." When he looked at her, a little puzzled, she shrugged. "I mean, most kids your age, they would just go with the one who turned them on the most."
"Carole!"
She laughed at his outraged squawk while placing the plates of sandwiches, pickles and chips on a tray. "Grab two sodas and glasses for me, please, and bring them through?"
Kurt complied and then they were heading into the dining room where she called out for Burt to 'come and get it'.
Kurt bit his lip and then finished with, "I guess I'm just the sort who needs to take things slowly. I like them both but they have different qualities. There are things in Kris I like … same for Noah."
"Uh huh," Carole said as she set out the food, one part of her mind on the task and listened out for Burt's footsteps. She lowered her voice conspiratorially and said, "Don't wait too long though, sweetie; those boys aren't like you – they might object to having to wait for you to decide."
Kurt straightened up and just as his father entered the room he stated seriously, "Well, I think I'm worth the wait, don't you?"
Burt frowned slightly at Kurt's tone but sat down without saying anything. Carole smiled at him and nodded, indicating that he could start eating and then looked up at Kurt.
"We think you are, sweetie; I just don't want you to be too annoyed if one of them takes the decision out of your hands."
Kurt hummed vaguely and then excused himself, saying he needed to wash the day's grime off. As he left he could hear his dad asking what that was all about and he shook his head. Somehow his love life had developed into a reality show, it seemed, but a part of his mind took what Carole said seriously.
Maybe he really ought not to leave the boys wondering which way he would jump. If things had been reversed, he doubted he would have been as patient as Noah and Kris were being.
As he showered before filling the bath to have a good soak, he mulled the whole thing over. Sinking down into the hot, scented water, he closed his eyes and decided to let his instincts choose for him. He took deep calming breaths and then thought back to the weekend before and his make out session with Kris.
His body definitely perked up in certain places and he smiled as he remembered how good it felt when Kris had his hands on him. Smiling a little lasciviously, he ran his hands up and down his body, enjoying the silky feel of the water on his skin.
Then he thought of Noah and the smile faded slowly. Noah. He couldn't remember when he had started calling him that but it felt better to him than using Puck. There was one complicated boy and he didn't know if he wanted to deal with those complications. Kris represented strings-free fun... and didn't he deserve some of that?
Noah – a sigh escaped him as he came to a decision.
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Puck lounged on his bed, listening while his little sister Hannah went on and on about a frenemy that was getting on her last nerve. As he gave her one ear, he plucked at the strings of his favorite guitar – okay, only guitar but he planned one day to have more and this one was going to be his fave – and grunted every few minutes. He doubted he was fooling Hannah but she was cool, she just wanted a warm body to bounce her grouses off of.
His cellphone on the bed beside him went off and he wondered briefly who would be calling him at that hour. Before he could get it, though, Hannah paused in her diatribe, grabbed it up and spoke.
"You have reached Noah Puckerman's phone; who is calling, please?"
"Hey, bighead, give that to me!" Noah's yell was loud in the small bedroom and he lunged for the phone but Hannah skipped out of the way, giggling. "Come on… or I'll tell Ma!"
She stuck her tongue out at him and then grinned suddenly, saying, "Oooh, it's Kurt, Finn's stepbrother. Why does he wanna talk to you?" Her tone made it sound as if a prince had condescended to greet a commoner.
Puck simply scowled at her and grabbed the phone, giving her a slight shove to get her to leave his room. He spoke a bit breathlessly: "Uh, hi, Kurt, what's up?"
He heard a light giggle and he smiled automatically as Kurt replied, "Your little sister is something else, isn't she?"
"Yeah, she's a handful alright but I wouldn't trade her in." Sliding back to lie on the bed, he realized that Kurt's voice was surprisingly husky voice over the phone.
At Kurt's next words, however, Noah's eyes suddenly widened and he sat straight up in the bed. "Come again?"
He listened, his heart sinking, as the spate of words continued.
"Okay, okay, slow down, Kurt! Let me get what you're saying: for us to be together, I have to be out? Like – at school and everything?"
His heart hammered and his mind was in a whirl. Seriously, he wanted a chance to be with Kurt but could his legendary badassness withstand the kind of bullying that Kurt had routinely faced?
He must have been silent too long after Kurt had spoken because, the next thing he knew, he was listening to a dial tone. Shit!
Puck stared disbelievingly at his cellphone as if all the answers were there on the small device. Shit! Kurt must think he had rejected him but that wasn't it. Not at all. He quickly hit the recall button and listened nervously as the phone rang… and rang.
Finally it went to voicemail and he took a deep breath before saying: "Kurt, I do want to be with you… there's no doubt in my mind. I just … please… do I have to give you an answer right now… about being out? This is still new to me… please?"
He ended the call, unwilling to have it descend into him begging and maybe crying because that's how he felt right now. His eyes were doing that annoying itchy thing and his breathing was getting funny.
A soft knock at the door distracted him and he looked up to see his ma standing there, a faint look of concern in her brown eyes.
"Noah, son, you okay?"
He started to nod yes but then took a deep, steadying breath and then shook his head 'no'. She came into the room, shifted his guitar aside and sat on the bed beside him as he stared at the phone still cradled in his hands.
"Want to talk about it?" She ran her hand down the back of his head and then rubbed across his tight shoulders. She didn't know when her sweet little Noah had turned into this big, masculine stranger but she loved him so much. She could have resented him for looking so much like her feckless husband but her son was a good boy. He had always been a bit of a handful and he'd disappointed her many times over the years but she hated to see him confused and hurting like he was now.
Instead of relaxing into the soothing movement of his ma's hand, however, Noah tensed even further. In fact, the comfort she was offering was likely to make him break down and sob like a little girl and he so did not want that to happen right now. He did turn slightly to give her a soft smile before looking back down at his phone.
She tried again. "Did you get an upsetting phone call, hon?"
"Yeah… in a way… I guess I'm just a little, I don't know, confused right now."
He both felt and heard her sigh but when she didn't speak he continued. "You know that thing with Kurt… the other day?" When he felt her nod he sighed gustily. "Well, I think he kinda feels like I do…"
The bed shifted slightly as she moved and Noah knew what he'd said had come as a surprise. He hadn't told her about the date he'd had. For some reason he had wanted to keep it private, just him and Kurt, no outside pressure or expectations from anybody. Now he thought maybe he should have prepared her a bit.
"What are you trying to say exactly, sweetheart? Does Kurt like you the same way you like him? How do you know? I don't want you to get your hopes up."
Noah finally felt a little grin tug at his lips but he restrained it and turned fully towards her. "Well, we've had a date or two so far and he certainly seems to like kissing me."
He definitely had to hold in a chuckle at the way his ma's eyes widened and a gleam of happiness shone in them. "Noah, really? Oh, sweetie!"
He gradually sobered though as her chuckles died down and then he glanced back down at the phone. She reached for his hand and squeezed it and when he looked back up she asked softly, "So why the sad face just now, boychik? Has something happened?"
He shook his head and then sighed. "Yeah, you could say that." He pointed to the bruise on his face that she had quite carefully ignored, used to him over the years scrapping at school or on the playground.
Noah had always been a somewhat boisterous child and she had been so happy when Hannah came along and she could sort of exhale. She needed the feminine energy as a buffer from Noah's rambunctiousness. Now she waited to hear what had happened to make her son happy one minute and then gloomy the next.
Noah nodded now. "Yeah, well, there's the guy I told you about, that first time? He is pretty out there; he doesn't care what anyone thinks about him being gay or bi or whatever." He trailed off and did an odd, one-shouldered shrug. He didn't continue speaking so his ma picked up for him.
"So, he's out and he likes Kurt? Kurt likes you though, right?"
Now Noah looked a little angry but he nodded. "Kurt likes both of us, okay! That other guy, he can get away with coming onto Kurt, right there in the lunch room if he wants to. I can't do that! I want_"
She nodded understandingly. "You want to be able to do that, too, but something's holding you back." She didn't even phrase it as a question.
Noah sighed and nodded, feeling like the biggest wimp. "See, Kurt's always known he was different, I think, but he never let anything we did or say stop him from being proud of himself, not really."
He did remember a time – and he shuddered at the memory – of ugly flannel and songs about pink houses but that was so weird he knew everybody just shoved it to the back of their minds. Kurt just went about his business, dressed in some of the sexiest and some of the most outlandish outfits. He never showed if anything they did or said hurt him or made him question his sexuality. Deep down inside of him, Noah knew he did not know a stronger person than Kurt Hummel.
He looked at his ma with bewildered eyes. "I-I want to be able to just walk up to him, fling my arm around his shoulder and walk down the hallways at school. I really want that, ma; I just…" he sighed, frustration evident in every line of his slumped posture. "I just don't know if I can handle that first slushy or the second – or maybe the first time someone calls me a 'fag' – I don't know if I'm ready. What if I'm never ready, ma?"
TBC
