Chapter Nineteen: First Dates and Friends
Upon their return to Kurt's house, Noah took Kurt's hand and guided the boy down to his basement room. Had Burt been there, Puck was sure that he wouldn't have been happy about the fact that he knew exactly where he was going.
He sat the pregnant boy down on his bed and bent to remove his shoes.
"Noah," Kurt murmured, a confused smile on his face, "what are you doing?"
"Shh, just let me do this." Noah spoke quietly too, as though raising his voice any louder would break the spell. He unlaced Kurt's shoes and slid them gently from his feet. He sat down on the floor, cross-legged, and lifted Kurt's right foot into his lap. Shyly, he looked up at the smaller boy before gently massaging the foot in his hands.
Kurt was surprised, but he wasn't about to complain – not when Noah turned those beautiful, earnest eyes to him, not when his hands felt so soothingly good. He allowed his head to drop back and his eyes to slide close in bliss. Noah was good at this. He knew where to press softly and where to be more vigorous, Kurt could feel all his muscles slowly relaxing. Everything flying from his mind: Quinn, the media circus, even his fear – gone. Noah clearly had many hidden talents and Kurt was looking forward to discovering all of them.
Puck smiled as Kurt finally relaxed, all the tension of the short, but stressful day leaving his body and his mind. Noah was an asshole, he knew that, but he also held close those who were important to him. He had researched into male pregnancy after finding out the news and when he saw Kurt panicking in the car, he had freaked out. Stress was bad enough during the early stages in a 'normal' pregnancy, let alone a pregnancy where the carrier was male! Puck shuddered when he thought of how awful it could have been. In that second, as he stared up at Kurt's beautifully peaceful face, he knew he would never forgive Quinn for the terror she had invoked in the boy before him.
Kurt opened his eyes and gazed down at Puck as he switched to massage the other foot. The bigger boy was staring at him with an intense expression that was hard to read. It made Kurt feel vulnerable and... loved. He reached down and ran his baby soft hands down Noah's strip of hair and massaged at the nape of his neck. The affection he held for the boy on his knees before him, pampering him, was growing stronger with each passing second in his company. But, although the words were right there on the tip of his tongue, Kurt couldn't bring himself to utter that life changing phrase. Neither boy was ready even though they both felt the emotions resonating deep in their beings – calling to one another with an inevitable pull.
Kurt hesitated only for a second before he grasped the collar of Noah's shirt with desperate hands and pulled him upwards to kiss him. Stunned, but happy that Kurt had taken the initiative, Puck reciprocated the kiss with passionate fervour, his hands gently running over Kurt's ribs and abdomen.
When they pulled away, Kurt's pupils were blown and while Noah wanted nothing more than to ravish him, he felt that he would be taking advantage of Kurt's emotionally frazzled state. He pressed a soft kiss to the pregnant boy's mouth and another to his forehead before standing.
Kurt looked confused and Noah expected hurt but instead found appreciation. He knew that Noah wasn't rejecting him – he was showing him respect.
Puck stretched his muscles as he asked, "So, what do you wanna do?" He smiled, "Since the school day got cut short, how about we make a 'day-date'? Safe, secure and alone."
Kurt grinned at him, "Nice improvisation of this incident, Noah. Resourceful." He thought for a moment. "If you take a look at the DVDs," he made a sweeping motion at the floor-to-ceiling DVD storage, "I'll go and make some popcorn and other snacks."
"Deal." Noah smirked and patted Kurt's ass as he made his way upstairs.
Half an hour and a good natured argument about the Alien films later found the two boys snuggled under Kurt's duvet, their sockless feet entwined with Alien – Noah! The original film is the best one, it's a modern classic! – playing across the screen. Noah had to admit, Kurt's adoration of the Alien films was beyond cute. The boy who could sing notes higher than Rachel and owned a collection of musicals that rivalled Noah's own collection of online porn... It wasn't something that Noah had expected of him. In fact he'd had to move several romantic comedies around to discover this particular guilty pleasure of Kurt's.
"I love Sigourney Weaver's character. I really do." Kurt murmured through a mouthful of toffee popcorn.
Noah smiled, "Yeah, she's one helluva badass!" He leaned into Kurt, "But no-one's more badass than my boy." Kurt blushed, but wiggled closer to Puck.
Neither boy knew when they had fallen asleep. Whether it was at the same moment or whether one followed the other into slumber. All they knew was that they woke, warm and feeling safe in one another's arms, to Finn's muted voice at the top of the basement stairs. Kurt groaned and buried his head into Noah's shoulder, grumbling, "I really don't want to deal with reality at the moment."
"Guys, maybe you should come back tomorrow. Kurt's already under a lot of stress right now." Finn murmured, and Noah briefly wondered if he'd checked on them when he returned home.
"That's why we're here, Finn." Santana. "Besides, I have some apologies to make."
"You're always preaching about how we're 'family' and they need to know that we support them, even when others won't." Artie. "Puck's been a good friend to me and Kurt's never been one to shun people who are different."
Kurt growled but sighed and relented, "I'm gonna regret this, I just know it." He muttered into Noah's chest before raising his voice a little, "Finn, it's okay. Just let them in."
Finn's head popped around the door and he smile down at Kurt before casting Noah a half-hearted glare and vanishing upstairs to round up the rabble. Noah rubbed soothing circles on Kurt's back and Kurt tried to snuggle deeper in to his warmth. Puck smiled and held him tighter as their friends descended the stairs.
Santana was the first to approach the two boys. She stood by Kurt's large bed and ran a hand over Noah's hair, "I'm so sorry Noah. I didn't... I mean if I'd known... I'm sorry."
Puck shook his head, "It's okay; I didn't tell you. It's okay, Hon."
Santana smiled sadly and went around to the other side of the bed. She stood there for a moment before sliding onto the lush bedding behind Kurt and curling around him. Kurt jumped at the unexpected closeness and turned to glare at her. "I'm sorry, Kurt." She whispered brokenly, "I'm sorry. I'm gonna fight your corner all the way."
Kurt was quiet for a long moment and Puck could almost hear the cogs whirring in his head. Kurt looked up at him with wide eyes before turning in his arms and hugging Santana to him.
"That means a lot." He whispered back, his voice breaking as he felt hot tears escape and his hand stroking Santana's dark locks. She wrapped an arm around him and the others approached the bed, perching along its edges tentatively – with the exception of Artie, who wheeled over to Noah's side of the bed.
"Hey dude." He said, folding his hands in his lap, "It was a really shitty thing Quinn did." Everyone hummed in agreement, Santana curling closer still to Kurt, "If it's any consolation, Sue kicked her out of Cheerios, she went ape-shit actually... She has a real soft spot for you, Kurt."
Kurt giggled, before he turned solemn again. "This is going to change everything. Noah was going to come out today – on his own terms – but that's gone down the shitter. I wanted to tell you guys about this as well. Maybe not today, but I wanted to be the one to do it."
Noah growled. "I thought she'd understand our situation." Kurt's hand found Noah's and he squeezed encouragingly. Puck visibly relaxed.
"Does this mean that we're going to have a capital "G" gay-baby joining our Glee-family?" Brittany asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Yes, Britt, it does." Rachel squealed, apparently she wasn't too upset that Finn hadn't informed her, "It also means the birth of 'Pummelman', right?"
Kurt groaned and turned from Santana to bury back into Noah's side, muttering, "Why?"
Santana sat up on the bed, beckoning Britt to her and glared at Rachel, but Mercedes seemed just as intrigued to know the answer to that question. "Does it?" She persisted.
"I hope so." Noah said, grinning when Kurt glowered up at him.
"That's right," he grumbled, "add fuel to the fire. Traitor." His actions belied his words, though, as he wrapped an arm around Noah.
"I hate to be the one to ask this," Sam said, and his face truly showed his regret, "but, why didn't you just tell us, guys?"
"Kurt is in a very delicate position right now." Noah murmured, a hand gently rubbing Kurt's tummy, "He can't afford any stress," Kurt snorted at the current irony of that statement and Puck smiled, "we really did want to tell you all, but... Maybe when Kurt was a little bigger and further from the danger zone in his pregnancy."
"I really hate Quinn right now." Kurt muttered and Santana patted his back while Noah pressed a firm kiss to his forehead and pulled him closer. There was a few moments of quiet as everyone recollected what had happened at the school, Noah shuddered when he remembered Kurt's panic attack and squeezed the smaller boy's shoulders for comfort.
The silence was broken as the door was slammed open, "Kurt?!" Burt called down the stairs and took them two at a time, "Kurt are you alright? I just saw it on the news." The worried man ignored the group of guests in favour of getting to his son's side. He reached across Noah and patted Kurt's pale cheeks and felt his forehead his eyes searching Kurt's for answers.
At the sight of Burt's apprehensive face, Kurt abruptly burst into tears and reached for his dad. Noah moved Kurt over his lap so that he could be held more easily by Burt and rubbed soothing circles on his baby-daddy's lithe back.
Finn, ever the caring brother, and well aware of how embarrassed Kurt would be later when he realised that he'd broken-down in front of his Glee-mates, quietly suggested that they head upstairs to give him some space. They left without much fuss, but Santana gently touched the back of both Noah's and Kurt's heads as she passed, guilt riddling her.
"Shhh, Kurt, it's okay. Nothing's gonna happen to you." Burt whispered into his son's hair. When he had seen the news that afternoon he thought his heart was going to give out again. He'd never been so afraid in his life.
He saw Noah's own eyes becoming watery and without really thinking it through, he pulled the other boy towards him until he was pressed into Kurt. He ran a hand over the back of Noah's head in a fatherly gesture and puck gripped the side of Burt's shirt as he felt hot tears burn his eyelids. The three of them stayed like that for a while, providing comfort for the others by simply being.
Kurt was the first to fall asleep, both the strain of the day and the baby siphoning off vast amounts of energy and Burt placed him back into the sumptuous bed. Noah stood to follow Burt back up the stairs, but the older Hummel stopped him with a raised hand. He pointed back at the bed and at Kurt. "You're just as tired Noah. Go sleep. We'll talk later, alright son?"
Puck's eyes pricked with fresh tears at the endearment, but he didn't argue. He was so tired. Slipping in beside Kurt felt natural and when Kurt turned over and mumbled, "Turn the light off, babe," in a sleep-drenched voice as he curled into Puck, his last thought before the exhaustion-induced, dreamless-sleep enveloped him was: I belong.
Sorry for the late update guys, have been busy, will be updating sooner I promise, provided I get my life sorted. Don't forget to review.