Starts during 'Duets' in Season 2. The past is mostly canon, the only thing I changed was that Finn and Puck made up while working at the end of last year and spent the summer hanging out. Not sure if that's canon, so I'm throwing it out there, just in case. In this episode, Puck didn't go to juvie. Maybe since they made up, he was hanging out Finn that night instead?

[Kurt]

When Kurt goes down to his room he has to stop himself from slamming the door. It's just so freaking unfair. Is it really that big of a deal if he sings a duet with a boy?

Okay, yes. It's probably a little too 'different' for Lima, Ohio. But it's glee club. It's not like he's trying to sing with him at sectionals, or even in front of the whole school. If somehow the rest of the school found out about it, would it really be that earth shattering? It's not like he plans on singing some sappy love ballad.

He doesn't even like Sam. Sure, he's cute, in that totally clueless, puppy way. But he had enough to deal with at the moment. Sadly, even if Sam does turn out gay, Kurt wouldn't be looking to him to date. What he really needs is advice. He'd dug himself into a hole that he had no idea how to get out of.

Forcing himself to change the direction that his thoughts are headed in, Kurt gets back to the problem of the duets. He's aware that he crossed a few lines with Finn last year. He was too overt, too obvious. He wasn't really going for subtle back then. Honestly, he's not sure Finn would have picked up on subtle. The man cheats off of Brittany; clearly thinking and problem solving aren't his forte.

As for the 'no means no' crap though, Kurt can't remember a single time Finn had said no. Maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see, -or not seeing what he didn't want to see- but he can't for the life of him remember Finn ever telling him to stop. Not until he'd found out they were going to share a room. He'd gone from uncomfortable glances to screaming in a matter of days.

Actually, if he didn't know any better, he'd think Finn was a jealous boyfriend protecting Sam from 'unwanted advances'. He knows that it's just Finn's homophobia, but it's coming out kind of creepy. Finn and Burt are acting like Kurt is being super inappropriate with Sam, when actually it's Finn that keeps following Sam around, telling him what he should and shouldn't do, and telling him how singing with another guy will paint a bull's eye on his back.

Kurt glares at the door as he takes off his Alexander McQueen sweater, careful not to crease the hand prints. It's only Tuesday, but Kurt is already dreading the weekend. He has no idea how he's supposed to sit across the dinner table and make small talk when all he wants to do is scream at all three of them that he's not a sexual predator.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kurt starts unbuttoning his shirt. I guess I'll tell Sam tomorrow that we can't sing together. It doesn't really matter at this point. If we do sing, Finn will throw a fit and probably make a bigger spectacle than any of the 'real' bullies would.

It's just easier to sing alone or sit it out than deal with this crap. Maybe Mercedes will sing with me, she hasn't told me who she's singing with yet.

Seriously? As Kurt watches Mercedes and Santana dance around singing a love song, with the entire glee club laughing and cheering along, even Mr. Shue, he really wants to hit something.

So it's perfectly fine for two girls -and everyone knows Santana and Brittany are messing around- to sing together and no one has a problem. But, I decide to sing with a boy and the world tilts on it's axis? I hate high school.

After the last bell, Kurt goes to look for Sam in the weight room only to be told he'd already left. Crap. I have to tell him today so he can find a new partner... He's probably in the locker room... Screw it. Everyone already thinks I'm a pervert, so I might as well embrace it.

He's never been so glad to see the locker room deserted as he is in that moment. The last thing he needs is to be caught in the showers with Sam. Even if he is still wearing his coat. He's pretty sure he could be wearing a straight jacket and a chastity belt and rumors would still pop up. Actually, he doesn't want to think too hard about the rumors those things would produce...

As Kurt gives Sam his non-explanation, he really can't help but wish things were different. Sam seems confused by Kurt 'setting him free'. Even a little sad. If things were different, he really thinks he and Sam could put on a great show. They hadn't even had time to pick out a song before he'd been accosted by Finn. These assignments were supposed to be fun but usually they just pointed out how alone he was. It really wasn't fair.

As he turns and walks away from Sam, grinning at being able to leave on good terms -he'd even laughed with him about his hair- he almost runs face first into Puck's chest.

Crap! No no no. There's no way to explain why I was hanging out in the showers with Sam. Kurt opens his mouth to stammer out an explanation only to be shushed and dragged outside the locker room door.

It's only then that Kurt notices that Puck is fully dressed. His hair is still wet from the shower, but he'd clearly been on his way out the door when he must have seen Kurt walk right past him toward the shower. Well that looks bad. I didn't even notice him. He really is going to kill me.

As soon as the door shuts quietly behind them, Kurt looks around to make sure no one else is in the hall. He doesn't really need to be seen being pulled out of there either. Avoiding scandal for things I'm not actually doing is kind of exhausting. Let alone the scandal if someone finds out-

Kurt is snapped out of his thoughts by Puck whispering harshly, "What the hell was that, Hummel?"

Kurt bites his lip, adjusting his bag, and continuing to watch for other people. "What do you mean? If you heard me, you know what it was. I was going to sing with Sam, now I'm not."

Puck just continues to stare at him. "Why not?"

He really can't believe this is happening. Puck doesn't talk to him. Ever. What the hell is he doing? More importantly, Kurt doesn't want to have this conversation. Not again. Not with someone else that will take Finn's side without even considering his. Even his dad had implied that Kurt deserved all this because he'd deigned to have a crush on Finn last year. How dare Kurt flirt with Finn! Didn't he know that straight boys can't handle the idea of another guy finding them attractive?

Kurt wants to snort at his own thoughts but he's broken out of his own hilarity by Puck cocking an eyebrow at him and crossing his arms. Oh, right. I'm supposed to answer him. Out loud.

"A few people have brought to my attention that singing with another boy -because I'm gay- would be embarrassing to the other party. I finally caved to them and I've decided to just sing alone."

Puck looks as confused as Sam had, "What? Why? Santana and Mercedes sang together today, they were awesome. I'm sure you could find something that didn't scream 'Oh, hey! We're fucking!' to sing."

Kurt's mouth is open. He's literally gaping at Puck. One person. One person out of this whole mess has seen Kurt's side and it's Noah freaking Puckerman. Are you serious?!

When he finally speaks, he says, "Um... yeah. That's what I was thinking, before Finn convinced me it was a horrible idea to sing with the new guy. I'd made an -admittedly short- list of songs that we could do. Some didn't fit our voices, but I thought we could put our own spin on them or something."

Puck nods and gives Kurt a thoughtful look. "Is 'Under Pressure' on that list?"

Kurt is dangerously close to gaping again. "...yeees. Yes, it is."

Puck hitches his backpack up on his shoulder and asks, "Would you want to sing it with me?"

Kurt has to stop himself from taking a step backward. It has to be a trap. Right? There's no way Noah Puckerman really wants to sing with him. Especially now. "Very funny, Puck. Pick someone else for your stupid jokes, I have to get home and check on my dad."

As Kurt turns and starts walking out to the parking lot, Puck falls into step beside him.

"No, really. You said it was Finn that was being a douche about it, right? Well screw him. I guess I can kind of see his point about Sam not doing it, he is the new kid and he'd catch a lot of hell for it. But, I think we both know that's not really Finn's problem with it. Or at least not the only problem."

Kurt turns to look at him but doesn't stop walking. "No, it's not. When he was trying to convince me to pull out of the duet, he started spouting all this stuff about how if he flirted the way I did last year he'd end up having a restraining order against him. His points aren't all bad. I got our parents together so I could spend time with him. Wow, did that backfire."

Puck laughs at that, shocking Kurt. They aren't friends. Puck doesn't laugh at the things Kurt says. In fact, he doesn't even talk to Kurt, so he doesn't know how the hell this whole situation happened. Puck hasn't had a normal conversation with Kurt since last spring.

Occasionally Carole would have to work late or all night and didn't trust Finn alone in the house overnight. Something about a shoe in a grill? So she would push him to stay with a friend. A few times she'd asked Burt if he could crash on their couch. After the first night, when Finn and Kurt wouldn't even stay in the same room and Finn had spent the whole night watching tv, Burt had given Finn permission to bring a friend over. So the next three times, he'd gotten Puck to tag along. Those nights Kurt ate very quietly and quickly and then retreated back into his room. He could feel the waves of 'oh god, don't come closer' from them.

Puck luckily breaks Kurt's train of thought before he can think too hard about those nights. "It's really not cool that he said that though. I've said and done way worse trying to pick up a girl. The most I ever got was slapped. Not that Finn would slap you, but still."

Kurt glances at him but doesn't comment. Puck talking to him like everything is normal is starting to freak him out. When they hit the front doors and move toward Kurt's navigator, Puck gets back on topic.

"So, are you really not going to sing with me? It would prove Finn wrong."

Kurt looks over at him again. "Isn't Finn your best friend? Why are you taking my side on this? You seem really excited about showing Finn up."

Puck shrugs. "Maybe I'm just tired of everyone thinking Finn is perfect when he's actually kind of a jerk a lot of the time. He slaps on a shower curtain and thinks that makes him accepting but then he pulls this shit. It's stupid. Anyway... does it matter? You get what you want, a guy to sing with, and I get what I want, Finn looks like an idiot. Win-win."

Kurt is still skeptical. "You admitted that Sam had reason to worry, doesn't that mean you could also catch a bunch of flack for this?"

Shrugging, Puck replies, "I doubt it. I mean sure, if the team finds out we sung together they might start some shit, but I can handle it. Bring it."

Kurt stops next to his truck and watches Puck closely. This song isn't the only thing they need to keep hidden. Frankly any contact they have, especially at school, risks everyone finding out about... the other thing. Not to mention, it wasn't that long ago that Puck was throwing Kurt into the dumpster about 20 feet from where they're standing. Despite their... whatever the hell it is they're doing, nothing had really changed between them. Kurt wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was a trick. But at this point... Finally he says,

"Fine."

Puck smirks, "Awesome. We practicing at your house?"

He really wants to say no. He doesn't really want him in his house. Spending time with Puck can only end two ways, neither of which would be a good thing. But what else are they going to do? It'll be risky enough to perform once on school property. If they rehearse there too they'll definitely get caught.

"Sure. Tomorrow, after football practice?"

I'm an idiot.

Kurt isn't quite sure how he got himself into this situation, but the least he can do is make sure it doesn't blow up in his face. After school he runs home to make sure the house is still clean. He'd asked his dad to make sure he was staying late at the garage and had just enough time afterward to shower before Puck could show up.

He'd just finished drying his hair and dressing in sweat pants and a slightly baggy t-shirt when the doorbell rings.

Trying not to hyperventilate, Kurt answers the door.

"Hey."

Puck walks past him, shrugging. "Sup. Your dad at work?"

Kurt blushes but nods, closing the door and walking into the living room. He grabs his laptop and pulls up the song so they can practice. "Um, so how did you want to do this?"

Puck watches him for a few seconds before flopping himself down on the couch. "However you want, man. This is more your area than mine."

Kurt kneels on the ground to reach the laptop on the coffee table. He sits back on his heels and mumbles,"Okay. Let's just run through it a few times and see if we need to adjust anything."

After about an hour it's clear they'll do fine. They both know the song well enough and they agree to each work on learning the random improvised parts better after dinner that night. Kurt closes his laptop and turns to Puck,

"So, we'll perform tomorrow? We probably w-" He cuts himself off at the way Puck is sitting and the look on his face. He purposely hadn't turned around while they'd been rehearsing because he didn't want to be distracted... and that was the right call. If he'd known Puck was sitting like that...

Puck was leaning back on the couch, scooted so far down in his seat that his ass was almost hanging off the edge. His knees were spread and as Kurt's eyes are drawn to his crotch, Puck reaches down to palm himself.

Kurt licks his lips, darting his eyes up to catch Puck's before silently moving forward. Without another word between them, Kurt starts unbuckling Puck's belt and pants, the Jewish boy lifting his hips and helping to slide his pants down.

As Kurt leans closer and holds the base of Puck's dick, he flashes back to how this had all started.

[Mid-summer]

Kurt suddenly jerks awake. As he lays there, trying to control his breathing he thinks back on dinner that night. Finn was staying in his house again. It had been nothing but awkward the last time, but tonight had been so much worse. Now Puck was here too.

Yay for having two awkward straight boys in my house, ignoring my existence and wishing to be anywhere else! Why didn't they just go to Puck's house? Ugh.

Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, at least not right away, Kurt gets up to get a drink. As he silently creeps up the stairs he glances into the living room. It's too dark and quiet for Kurt to really see anything, which is fine. Dark and quiet means they're asleep.

After Kurt had drunk a third of a bottle of water, he takes it and heads back to his room. As he goes to open the door to his basement though, he hears a quiet groan. Looking around, nothing seems out of place. He's about to shrug it off when he notices that the half bath on the other side of the hall has the door cracked, but the light isn't on.

Assuming someone had just forgotten to close the door, Kurt reaches for the door handle to pull it shut. His hand is only a few inches away when he hears another groan, slightly louder and much closer.

He snatches his hand away and looks at the door with wide eyes. Someone is in there. In the dark, with the door open. What the hell?

Knowing that he'll regret this until the day he dies, Kurt pushes the door open quietly. Enough light seeps in from the hall for him to see that it's Puck. And he's jacking off. Oh god.

Kurt panics. His mind immediately points out that he should run. He really, really should. But sadly, his legs aren't working. Nor is his mouth. He's staring at Puck with wide eyes and trying to remember how to breathe. That's about all he can manage at this point. His mind is screaming at him that if he doesn't run, Puck is going to kick his ass for perving on him, but he can't make his feet move.

To make matters worse, Kurt isn't staring wide-eyed at his face. Oh, no. That would be bad enough. No. He's staring at his dick. Because it's the first one, beside his own, that he's ever seen in real life. And it's Puck. You'd have to be dead to not think Puck was hot. And Kurt is not dead. Yet.

He still hasn't recovered or moved, and he can't until he hears Puck whisper harshly, "Shit, Hummel. In or out, but shut the fucking door."

Before Kurt can think through what Puck said, implied, or meant, he's stepping inside and closing the door behind him. It's only in the shocked silence that follows that he realizes he probably should have picked 'out'. He should have shut the door, run to his room, and pretended this never happened.

Now he's standing in the pitch dark, tiny bathroom off his hallway with Puck sitting on the closed toilet lid, probably with his hand still wrapped around his dick. Oh my god. What the hell am I doing?

"Um... I'm sorry. I didn't think that through, obviously. I was uh... distracted." Kurt is kind of glad that it's pitch black at this point, at least Puck can't see him blushing. Jesus. How am I going to get out of this without getting my ass kicked? He's going to kill me! And I wouldn't blame him! Oh god!

Like he'd somehow heard him, Puck reaches over and flips the light on, blinking in the sudden brightness. Kurt wishes he could say that the light just convinced him this was real and he took that opportunity to leave. Instead all he does is start staring at Puck's dick again. Christ! What is wrong with me?! Stop looking at him!

Puck cocks an eyebrow at him and whispers again, "See something you like, Hummel?"

Kurt's only response is to bite his bottom lip and glance up at Puck's face. When he's only met with a smug smirk, Kurt blushes and drops his head back down. Which means he's staring at Puck's crotch again. Crap.

Puck moves his hand away, leaning back a little, and widening his legs. He'd dropped his pajama pants down around his ankles and was watching Kurt closely. Eventually he says, "Go ahead."

Kurt almost has a brain aneurism. Puck isn't really telling him it's okay to... But no, that's exactly what Puck's doing. When Kurt takes a step closer, Puck's only response is to cock his eyebrow again.

Refusing to look back up at Puck's face, Kurt kneels down at Puck's feet and reaches out with one hand to run a finger from the base to the tip of Puck's erection. Still not believing that this is really happening, and that he's not going to get punched, Kurt wraps his fingers around the base and leans in to swipe his tongue over the head of Puck's cock.

When he still isn't told to stop or pushed away, Kurt decides to just go with it. Maybe if he makes Puck come, he won't get his ass kicked afterward.

Unfortunately, Kurt has no idea how to give a blow job. He doesn't watch porn, he'd never given one, and he'd sure as hell never received one. So Kurt just tries anything he can really think of. Puck doesn't seem to mind at all that Kurt is clueless, not if the groans are anything to go by. He figures out pretty quickly that his gag reflex isn't that sensitive, but he can't take him all the way down, yet.

He can fit most of it though. He switches between bobbing his head as much as he can and running his tongue all over the head, tracing every inch that he can reach with his tongue and rolling his balls in his hand. He's only been at it a few minutes when the pressure in his own pants becomes too much.

Hoping that Puck doesn't notice, Kurt reaches inside his own flannel pants and palms himself, quickly wrapping his hand around his own cock and trying to match his rhythm to the one his mouth is using as he sucks as much of Puck in as he can, meeting his lips with his other hand.

When Kurt starts to get close, he finally looks up at Puck, afraid that he'll come before Puck does and the other boy will notice what he's doing. When his glasz eyes meet Puck's hazel ones, Puck sucks in a breath before grunting and pulling Kurt's hair like he's trying to warn Kurt to pull away.

Quickly deciding that if this is his only chance, he might as well get the full experience, Kurt sinks down farther and hums gently. Puck swears as he comes down Kurt's throat, the look on Puck's face sending him over the edge as well.

Due to his own orgasm, his inexperience, and the amazing amounts of come flooding into Kurt's mouth, he coughs a few times, but manages to swallow most of it. Quickly taking his hand out of his pants before Puck realizes what happened, Kurt reaches for some toilet paper and starts wiping his face and hand, throwing them away under the sink. By the time he's half way cleaned up, his face is red from his hairline to his collarbone.

Oh god. Now what? What do I say? What if he's pissed off now that the hormones have passed? What if he freaks out? Kurt sits back on his heels, leaning against the wall a few feet in front of Puck, refusing to meet his eyes.

After a few seconds, Puck clears his throat and gets up. Kurt flinches away from him a little, hoping the taller boy won't see it. Instead of reacting in any way, Puck just pulls his pants up and walks to the door. As he reaches for the doorknob he turns half way around like he wants to say something but he stops. Without a word, Puck leaves, closing the door quietly behind him.

Well, crap. Now what do I do?

[Present]

Kurt had been sure, after that first time, that Puck would either kick his ass, threaten him, or pretend it never happened. And yeah, he didn't mentioned it. Kurt had been sure that he was going with 'pretending it never happened' until the next night Puck had stayed over with Finn.

They'd been leaving the dinner table, Kurt about to dart back into his room, when Puck had loudly claimed that he wasn't tired at all. He turned his head slightly and met Kurt's eyes, still talking to Finn as he told him he probably wouldn't be able to sleep until really late. Like 2am, late. Kurt's eyes had widened but he'd caught on. He nodded and then ran down the stairs, not even checking that Puck had understood that he'd agreed to the... invitation.

That night, at just after two in the morning, Kurt found himself once again sitting on his knees on his bathroom floor with Noah Puckerman's cock in his mouth and his own hand down his pants.

They still didn't talk about it.

They didn't talk about it the last night, either. Kurt had actually managed to swallow Puck's dick all the way down that time, which had made Puck swear loudly and clench his hand in Kurt's hair, moaning out what sounded suspiciously like Kurt's name. When Puck came, Kurt reached further back and pressed his fingers to his own hole, giving a muffled moan as he'd also come, Puck still buried in his throat.

And they still didn't talk about it.

So now, as Kurt bobs his head, Puck's fingers threaded through his hair, he decides that he doesn't care if Puck notices what he's doing. He has no idea what all of this means, so maybe if he freaks Puck out enough, he'll say something. Anything. Because Kurt isn't sure he can keep doing this without knowing what it means.

Throwing caution to the wind, Kurt pulls off Puck just long enough to suck his own fingers for a few seconds before leaning back down and taking his cock back in his mouth. The hand he hadn't moved was still wrapped around the base of Puck's dick, the other moving quickly down his pants to press against his entrance.

It's not the first time he'd done this. It's not even the first time this week. After he'd started messing around with Puck over the summer, he'd started doing it more and more often, wishing it was Puck pressing into him. Now was no different, as long as he didn't focus on the fact that Puck was there to see it this time. Kurt can't decide if he wants Puck to realize what he's doing or not. He's just beyond caring right now. He needs to get off, and since Puck has shown no interest in touching him, this will have to suffice.

As Kurt presses one, and then two fingers inside himself, he groans slightly around Puck. Once Kurt has stretched himself enough that he can move his fingers easily, his speed picks up with both his hands and his mouth. It's only the fourth time they've done this, and they definitely aren't dating -in fact Kurt is pretty sure Puck doesn't even care who's sucking him off, just that he's getting an easy blowjob- but if Kurt didn't think Puck would freak out, he would climb into his lap right now.

He'd always assumed that he'd need romance and flowers -sweet kisses and mutual love- before he'd want to give up his virginity. He was wrong. All he needed was the smallest sign from Puck that he wouldn't mind it and Kurt would give it up, now. He's not actually that happy about that revelation, but he's not going to lie to himself about it. Especially not now.

As Kurt presses against his prostate he keens, muffled by Puck's cock. There's no way he doesn't know what I'm doing now. Very few things can produce that noise. Kurt looks up, wanting to see Puck's reaction to what he's doing. Puck is staring at Kurt incredulously, like he really can't believe that Kurt is doing that.

Kurt holds his gaze on Puck as he continues to slide his lips over his cock, all but riding his own fingers at this point. Puck seems to lose a bit of his control because he thrusts his dick into Kurt's mouth a little, the first time he'd really tried to. Kurt's only response is to moan and move to a better angle so Puck can do it again. Eyes widening more, Puck slowly starts to fuck into Kurt's mouth, tentatively at first, but quickly picking up speed.

Too soon, Kurt realizes that he's holding on to his control by his fingertips, barely able to keep himself from finishing. Tightening his grip on the base of Puck's cock, he sinks himself down as far as he can, and Kurt presses his fingers in a way that makes him shriek, or try to. Puck comes with a loud moan, Kurt thankfully allowing himself to follow.

When Kurt pulls away his hands and his mouth, he grabs a tissue from the table nearby, not looking at Puck. He's only blushing a little this time, which is progress. Frankly, at this point, he's more excited by the whole thing than embarrassed. Sure, he wishes that Puck actually liked him and would consider more than whatever this was, but he'd learned to take what he can get. If only I could get him to actually talk to me.

When Kurt sits back and looks up at Puck, he's met with a very confused frown. They must have been at this much longer than he thought because as Puck goes to speak the front door opens. Kurt stands and tugs his clothes into place, hiding all the evidence of what they'd been doing. By the time he turns to Puck, you'd never guess his pants were on the floor ten seconds ago. Don't think about why he's so fast at getting dressed. That way lies madness.

When Burt walks in, Kurt is picking up his laptop and turning to face him. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, buddy. Puckerman, what are you doing here?" Burt looks confused, but not suspicious. Thank god.

Puck shrugs, looking slightly annoyed. "We got teamed up for glee and were working on something. We actually just finished."

Kurt tries not to blush at his choice of words and heads for his room. "See you at school tomorrow, Puck."

Without waiting for an answer, Kurt goes down the stairs. He puts his laptop on his bed and checks his appearance in the mirror before heading into his bathroom to clean himself up and try to find a pair of pants similar enough that Burt wouldn't realize he changed.

As he walks back up the stairs he wonders what Puck had been about to say. He'd clearly figured out what Kurt was doing... and he'd looked annoyed before Kurt had run off. Maybe I grossed him out? Most straight guys would be grossed out. It's one thing for a 'sex shark' to be able to accept head from another guy, but if he's forced to face exactly what gay men want, it makes sense that he'd freak.

Kurt shakes his head as he walks into the kitchen to ask Burt about dinner.

Well, I guess it's over. At least we both got off before Dad came home... It was nice while it lasted.

On Thursday, after Sam and Quinn perform, Kurt can feel the eyes of at least three people on him but he doesn't look up. He knows that everyone thinks he's depressed because he's 'alone' for this assignment. Which is good news. If they haven't figured it out or heard anything, neither has anyone else. When Mr. Shue asks if anyone else would like to go, Puck raises his hand.

"We're ready." Puck gets up and goes to grab a guitar.

Everyone starts looking around in confusion, trying to figure out who 'we' is. Kurt is guessing that people assumed after Santana sang with Mercedes that Puck wouldn't perform. He has been unusually quiet this week. When no one even glances in his direction, Kurt huffs.

He stands up and stomps past Finn, ignoring his incredulous look. Kurt tries to hide his resentment for everyone's reaction. It's not like he'd believed it either, at first. But their rehearsal had gone really well. Kurt blushes. The song. Singing the song had gone well. Kurt still didn't get what Puck was really doing, or why he was risking everything over a song, but screw it. They were getting what they wanted. Sort of.

They had decided to just sit on stools, that way if anyone found out at least there wouldn't also be 'dancing around' comments. It didn't fit the song, but it's not like it really mattered. Kurt knew they wouldn't win. He was just happy not to be doing it alone. And Finn's face right now was pretty awesome.

When Puck starts playing Kurt wants to laugh at the few people in the room that think Kurt is about to bust out with Vanilla Ice. Musical education is really lacking in this group.

Kurt sings the Freddie Mercury verses. Puck takes the Bowie. Kurt can't really tell objectively how their voices sound together, but again, he doesn't really give a damn. They have fun with it and are laughing together by the end of it, ignoring the rest of the glee club who still look stunned by the fact that Puck of all people is singing with Kurt.

When they finish Mr. Shue is the first to recover and starts clapping, standing up. "Wow! That was great guys! Really... unexpected, but great!"

Kurt rolls his eyes but smiles, "I'm sure your love of classic rock isn't making you biased at all."

Shue laughs and gestures at them, "Okay, good job guys! That's it for today! Brittany and Artie tomorrow, then we vote!"

Kurt scoffs. Like it'll matter. Everyone will vote for themselves. If someone does win it'll be because they pulled a Pirates of the Caribbean.

As Kurt is grabbing his bag, he's interrupted by Puck who punches him lightly on the arm. "Hey! We were awesome. Did you see Finn's face?"

Kurt giggles a little before he catches himself. Coughing, he replies, "Yes. He did look rather dumbfounded. It was surprisingly satisfying. So thank you. I was just thinking to myself that whoever does win this it will have to be because Mr. Shue gets forced to vote or someone takes a line out of Jack Sparrow's book."

"Oh, shit! I didn't even think about who would win. You're totally right. I bet Finn votes for his boyfriend." Puck shakes his head like he's disappointed in Finn.

Kurt realizes that not only was Puck talking to him, he had already grabbed his backpack and was... waiting on Kurt? What the hell?

Before he can think too much about what exactly that means, Kurt hears Finn yell out as he walks over. "Hey, Kurt! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kurt sighs, shifting his book bag. "Sure, I guess. Is something wrong?"

Finn turns to Puck, the only other person still in the room. "Hey, dude. I'll see you at practice, okay? If I'm late, tell Coach my mom called or something?"

Puck looks like he wants to argue, but Kurt taps his foot, impatient to go home. Puck just nods at Finn, waves at Kurt and heads toward the locker room.

Finn waits until Puck walks out the propped open door and then turns to Kurt. "What the hell was that, man?!"

Kurt glares at Finn. "What was what?"

"The song! What the hell were you doing? How did you get Puck to sing with you?! How is this any better than you singing with Sam?!" He looks like he genuinely doesn't understand what Kurt had been thinking.

Kurt snaps, "I didn't think there was anything wrong with me singing with Sam either, Finn! I admit that singing with a new guy that doesn't have a girlfriend would probably backlash on him, so I told Sam to find a new partner. I obviously don't have to worry about that with Puck. No one would believe for a second that we were together. It's Puck."

Waving his arms around, Finn explodes, "That doesn't make this okay! What if the team finds out? They'll tear him a new one. They don't have to believe it's true to give him shit for it! He gives me shit all the time about coming out or dating you, but he obviously knows it's not true! How the hell did you even get him to do it?!"

Kurt hitches his bag on his shoulder and shifts his footing. He doesn't know how to explain this. He'd known that Finn wouldn't take it well, but this is a little much. It was just a song! Dear god if he ever finds out about...

"Look Finn, I don't know what to tell you. It's not that big of a deal. We sang a song. It wasn't even a sappy love song. I thought it went pretty well. Better than the train wreck you and Rachel produced. This wasn't even my idea! I was fine singing by myself. I had a song that would work as a one person duet picked out. He approached me."

Finn snorts. "Yeah, right. Like Puck really came to you about this? It's Puck. I don't even know how you got the guts to talk to him about it. Weren't you afraid he'd throw you back in the dumpster?"

Kurt looks away, feeling guilty. He had actually been afraid of that. He felt so bad for it now. Especially after what they'd done and that Puck didn't freak out over it.

"I told you, he came to me about it. I didn't hunt him down and beg him for this. Yes, I thought he was just tricking me at first... I'm not really sure what he got out of it. But this wasn't my idea."

"Whatever, Kurt. I saw the way you were acting just now. You were giggling and flirting with him. You're doing it again! You need to stay away from Puck. You're going to get his ass kicked! Unless you want him to end up back in the dumpsters beside you, leave him alone!"

Kurt snaps out, "Oh my god, Finn! Really?! I wasn't flirting with Puck! We're not even friends! We only met to rehearse one freaking time! I firmly expect that he'll never talk to me again, and I sure as hell won't be hunting him down to hang out. What is your problem?!"

Finn just shakes his head, backing toward the door. "I've gotta get to practice, Kurt. Just stay away from Puck. He's not gay."

Once Finn leaves, Kurt is left standing in the choir room trying not to cry. Is it really that big of a deal for me to talk to other guys? I wasn't flirting. I was very careful not to flirt with Puck after last night... It must have been the giggle. I need to be more careful.

When Kurt finally snaps out of it, he walks slowly out to the parking lot. As he climbs into the nav Kurt is hit with a horrible thought.

Oh god. What if Puck thinks I was flirting with him too? What if he thinks I'm assuming we're dating now or something? Crap! I better wear something old tomorrow.

The next day, Kurt wears an older outfit and packs a change of clothes and leaves it in his navigator. He isn't sure what Puck had to endure in football practice or what Finn had said. He's also worried that Puck had really thought Kurt was under the impression they were dating. He really doesn't know what to expect, but it's better to be prepared.

He wouldn't even really blame Puck if he started throwing slushies at him again or even tossed him in the dumpster. If he's getting too much crap, and a few minutes of misery from Kurt can fix it for him, well it's not like it's not something he hasn't dealt with before. Hell, he'd slushied himself for Finn. What's the difference?

Until lunch, Kurt walks around somewhat wary, always expecting the next corner he turns to yield burning eyes and ice falling down his shirt. It never comes though. By midday he's mostly relaxed, sure that if he was going to do it, he'd have done it by now. He's on his way to his last class when he finally sees Puck for the first time that day.

When he does, Puck is leaning against a locker running his hand down the arm of some Cheerio Kurt had never seen before. Must be a freshman. Gross, Puck.

Feeling his heart clench a little, which Kurt resolutely ignores, he waves at Puck when he glances over, but doesn't stop walking, obviously. Puck just glares at Kurt before turning back to the giggling 15 year old.

Stung, Kurt lifts his head a little, pretending not to care about the snub and walks past him. Well, that answers that question. He's not angry enough to bully me but we definitely aren't friends either. I'll take it. It beats the hell out of what could have happened. Even Finn's reaction was worse. Angry silence is better than screaming.

Nothing changes in the next week. For the first three days, Puck either ignores him or glares at him. Kurt is just resigning himself to it when Mr. Shue walks in and announces that Puck had gotten himself thrown into juvie. Kurt doesn't know if he should feel relieved but what he really feels is sad.

They weren't friends, but Kurt liked him, even if Puck couldn't like him back. If he'd done something as stupid as driving off with an ATM, he was obviously upset about something. Maybe he'd been catching more hell for their duet than Kurt had realized? Finn and Puck hadn't been talking to him at all and he'd avoided even making eye contact with either of them, so who knows what's been going on.

With Puck gone, Kurt slips into a funk. He'd thought the only person that had been hurt last week was him, but something must have happened with Puck that had landed him in juvie. Kurt has no proof that it's his fault, but he can't help but assume it is. Rocky Horror had been a good distraction for awhile but after Halloween, he was back where he started.

November had barely started when Karofsky's manhandling reached a new height. Instead of being taunted or slushied occasionally, all the sudden he was being thrown into lockers everyday. The homophobic slurs weren't rolling off him the way they used to and the bruises were getting harder to hide.

He's not sure if the other glee club members haven't noticed the difference or if they just don't care, but Kurt had started to feel invisible to everyone except David Karofsky, the one person he wishes couldn't see him. In fact, it takes almost three weeks of daily locker slams before anyone comments. It also happens to be the day Puck comes back.

He'd hoped that when Puck got out, he'd be able to apologize for whatever went wrong, but he'd been so busy bragging about being a badass and 'helping' Artie that Kurt didn't get a chance. Tina had seemed mildly concerned but it was Mr. Shue that sat Kurt down to ask what was going on. He'd pointed out what Kurt had already realized. It was different now. He just didn't know what to do about it.

The only real thing that had come out of his conversation with Mr. Shue had been him changing the assignment, which Kurt was excited about. Until he actually meets up with his 'team'. He should have known that even if he was tailor made to lead them, the guys would being insulting and rude. When Puck had basically told him to fuck off, he'd finally had enough.

Screw it. What's the point in trying? I'm so tired of fighting tooth and nail for everything. It's not worth it.

"Fine."

Kurt grabs his board and walks out the door. If they want me out of their hair, or lack thereof, fine. I'll go see what the 'Garglers' are doing. I just can't take Puck acting like such a jerk when all I'd been trying to do was work on the assignment.

Kurt throws the idea board into the back and tosses his book bag on the passenger seat, climbing into the nav. He'd have to cut school the rest of the day to drive to Dalton, but at this point, who cares?

As he pulls the door closed he's stopped by a hand reaching out to grab it. He looks up to see Puck panting beside his truck.

"What the hell, Kurt? Where are you going? We're supposed to be working on that glee shit."

Kurt just blinks at him. "Are you kidding? You told me to go. Now you're asking why I'm going? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Just because I told you to, you're going? When have you ever listened to me, Hummel?! Why start now? What the hell is wrong with you?" Puck seems torn between bewildered and concerned, which is a strange mix. Well, strange for Puck.

"I think everyone knows what's wrong with me, Puck. I'm gay, remember? Nothing worse than that, apparently." Kurt wants to leave. He wants to slam the door in Puck's face and just go.

Puck straightens. "What? Who said that? You being gay isn't news, Kurt. I don't think anyone cares anymore."

Kurt laughs, and if it's slightly hysterical, well, he's earned it. "Of course you wouldn't notice. Why would you? No one else has, so I guess even the great Noah Puckerman can't know everything." When all Puck does is stare at him questioningly, Kurt groans. "Just leave me alone, Puck. It's not like you care."

The mohawk'd boy seems to realize where he is suddenly. He's technically cutting class his first week out of juvie and showing concern for the school gay. Kurt waits for the vitriol to start spewing out of his mouth to prove how much he doesn't care. Instead Puck just walks away. Kurt assumes he goes back to class, but Kurt doesn't go with him.

He's already outside, and he'd already decided to cut, so screw it. He's going home. Why drive all the way to Westerville just to spy on some school that Kurt really couldn't care less about, just because Puck told him to? He'd rather go home and give himself a facial and watch Project Runway.

The next day, Kurt feels like he's being watched. At first he'd assumed that it was just Karofsky staring at him before coming up to attack him, but he's not even in the hall most of the time. The last time Karofsky slams him into a locker that day, Kurt slides to the floor and just sits there.

He wants to stand up for himself. Chase Karofsky down and yell at him. But what's the point? He wouldn't gain anything but a few bruises, at best. Eventually he hauls himself up and picks up his bag and his dropped phone, shaking his arm out from where it had been slammed against the locker.

As he's walking away he doesn't see Mike standing at the other side of the hallway looking worried.

When he gets to his locker first thing the next morning he's immediately surrounded by all the guys in glee. He turns around to face them with a confused look on his face.

"Uh... hi?"

Sam speaks up first. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Tell you what? What's going on?" Kurt is no less confused.

Artie says, "About Karofsky! Why didn't you tell anyone about what's he's doing? We knew he was a jerk, but we didn't know he was targeting you like this."

Kurt's only response is to press his lips together until they almost disappear. This is the last thing he wants to talk about. Especially with Puck.

Mike winces, "We saw him push you yesterday. None of us knew how bad it was or we'd have stepped in, but me, Artie and Finn all saw him check you at different times."

Puck asks, "So, really. Why didn't you tell us?"

Kurt glares at Puck. "Why would I tell you? We aren't friends, remember? The first time you'd said a word to me since the duet was yesterday. None of you have ever cared what I think, or what's going on with me. Why would I tell you anything?"

They all sputter like they can't understand why Kurt would say that. Fed up, and relieved that for once he's allowed to unleash on the people pissing him off, he yells at each of them in turn.

"Puck, you've ignored me and glared at me since the duet competition. Mike, I can't remember holding a single conversation with you in my life. Artie, you told me yesterday that you expect me to wear a dress, which is rude and homophobic. Sam, I don't know you very well. Which is mostly Finn's fault, because he told me to stay away from all the straight boys, because apparently I might molest them. Which is why I wouldn't have come to him, either. You guys tell me which part of what I just said isn't true, and why I should feel safe coming to you with my personal problems."

He's met with dead silence and blank faces. Kurt scoffs, biting out, "I get it. I'm the gay guy. You can't befriend me, what if I get the idea that it's okay to actually touch you? Dear god. You could catch it! It's better to keep your distance. Just in case."

Kurt slams his locker door and slips between Sam and Finn, careful not to touch them, and moves around the corner. When he sees Karofsky standing there looking confused he immediately turns and goes in the other direction. Nope. I'm just not dealing with any more crap right now.

Throughout the day, Kurt noticed that one of the guys had been meeting him outside his classrooms and walking him to the next class. Even if none of them are in said classes.

At first it was Mike, who actually had trig with him, so he didn't really notice. He'd kept to the outside, which put Kurt by the wall, like a buffer from the rest of the hallway. Afterward Sam had been waiting for him when he came out, and started talking to him about Star Wars like it was perfectly normal. His next break he found Artie rolling up beside him no farther than ten feet from his last class. They'd all stayed in the buffer role. Like they were cutting him off from being approached.

At first Kurt was annoyed. All the sudden, they cared. Where were they the past month? Well, Puck was in juvie... By Friday Kurt is just resigned. It seemed to be working, actually. He'd seen Karofsky but all he'd done was glare and stomp past them.

He was now being walked to class by Mike, Sam, Artie and sometimes Finn. Puck was conspicuously absent, but Kurt wasn't really surprised by that. Finn seemed reluctant too, so he knew it was a matter of time before he stopped doing it. The other guys would get bored too. For now Kurt decided to just enjoy the brief respite.

When Kurt sits at the usual 'glee' lunch table he's one of the first there. He sits across from Tina and listens to her complain about Mike's mom until he shows up. She stops talking and starts stabbing the food on her tray, refusing to look up.

Kurt giggles at her frustration and reaches for his bottle of water. Mike had sat next to Tina, which put him pretty close to Kurt. On Tina's other side was Rachel, who pulled Finn down beside her. Artie was at the end of the table, Mike on one side and Puck on the other, who was sitting beside Kurt, surprisingly. It's not until Sam sits down on Kurt's other side that he gets it. It's like the freaking secret service.

Kurt huffs, crossing his arms as he sweeps his eyes around the guys, none of which are looking directly at Kurt. Before he can tell them they're overreacting, Karofsky walks by the table calling out,

"Don't sit too close, guys. Didn't you know being a fag is contagious?" His hateful smirk is halted by Sam leaning closer to Kurt and putting an arm around his shoulders.

Kurt turns to Sam to ask what the hell he's doing only to be shocked silent by the blonde kissing him on the cheek and flipping Karofsky off with the hand on his shoulder.

Sam laughs at the jock's dumbfounded gaping, "Stop acting like a moron, Karofsky. If gay was contagious you would have caught it from pressing Kurt to lockers long before now. But you're straight. Right?"

The bully looks like he wants to punch Sam but with all of the guys glaring at him, all he can do is stomp away, yelling about next time. Whatever.

Kurt is still frozen. What the hell was that?!

Apparently he's not alone. "What the hell was that?!"

Everyone glances between Finn and Sam until Sam snorts. "What Finn, jealous? Come here, I'll kiss you too!"

Kurt snorts, laughing quietly. The tension breaks and everyone either laughs or shrugs it off. Quinn, sitting next to Sam, smiles at him. "Should I be jealous?"

Sam grins at her, taking a drink before answering. "Nah. I'm straight. But anyone thinking you can 'catch the gay' is stupid."

Finn is still sputtering. "What the actual fuck. Everyone is going to think you're gay now!"

Sam raises an eyebrow. "I don't think anyone is going to believe Quinn is a dude. If anything, they'll think I'm bi. I don't really care. They already hate us, what's the difference?"

"But what if they jump you or something? You share a locker room with them!" Finn actually has a point, one Sam hadn't really thought of.

Before Kurt can freak out, Puck speaks up for the first time from his other side. "Then I guess we'll have to beat their asses, huh? No one go in the locker room alone for awhile."

Finn finally shuts up, going back to eating his lunch. Kurt doesn't know what to think. Everyone seems to shrug off the fact that Sam had kissed Kurt on the cheek in middle of the cafeteria, but he's still freaking out.

He doesn't look back up from his tray until the bell rings and he gets up to clear it. As he's walking out he's flanked by Mike and Puck like nothing happened.

That afternoon, he walks out of his last class and heads toward his locker. It's not until he's repacked his bag, even taking the time to clean it out and re-sort it that he realizes he'd been waiting on whatever bodyguard was on duty. It had been almost ten minutes, the hallway is deserted and there's no sign of the guys.

Figuring that whoever it was had been hung up or had gotten bored, Kurt shrugs and heads for the parking lot.

Kurt is just stepping up to his navigator when he hears footsteps behind him. He turns around quickly, accidentally dropping his keys. When he sees Karofsky standing there glaring at him, he can't decide if he should bend down for his keys or run. Instead he freezes.

Fight or flight. Fight or flight... if I fight, he'll kick my ass. If I run, he'll probably catch me and kick my ass. If I had my keys I might be tempted to just try to get in the truck...

With a smirk, Karofsky says, "What's wrong, Fancy? Your boyfriend dump you?"

Kurt decides that if he's going to get jumped anyway, he might as well not be extra pathetic. He takes off his bag and puts it on the hood of the truck before answering. "I don't have a boyfriend, so I don't know who or what you're talking about."

"Oh, good point. I guess you don't have just one. They've all been following you like lost puppies. Evans is just the most open about it."

Kurt scoffs, "I know this must be a strange concept for you, Karofsky, but some people have friends. People that care about their welfare without fearing them or expecting something in return. And the only person I've seen following me around lately has been you. Maybe Sam was right, you did catch it."

The bully takes a few angry steps forward, getting in Kurt's face, raising his fist and biting out,

"Do not push me, Hummel."

"You gonna hit me? Do it."

"Don't push me!"

"Hit me, because it's not going to change who I am. You can't punch the gay out of me any more than I could punch the ignoramus out of you."

"I said get out of my face!"

"You are nothing but a scared little boy who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!"

Kurt hadn't realized how close they were until Karofsky grabs Kurt's face with both hands and kisses him. Kurt is frozen again. The kiss seems to go on forever, Kurt not even breathing, let alone kissing back. When they both hear a vague clicking sound, Karofsky pulls away, turning his head.

Puck is standing, leaning against the navigator with his smartphone in his hand, not looking at either of them. Eventually he looks up. "Hey, guys. Want to see something awesome?"

Karofsky looks horrified and this time it's his turn to freeze. Kurt takes the opportunity to grab his keys and dart around the jock, hiding behind Puck. Not that he would ever admit that's what he's doing. Instead he pretends to just be interested in whatever Puck has on his phone.

When he sees the picture displayed, Kurt almost swallows his tongue. It's the kiss. Puck had taken a picture of it. Just then, Kurt and Karofsky's phones chirp in their pockets and Puck nods. "Yep. I just facebooked all three of us a copy to keep as a memento. Don't worry, just a message, not a post. Yet. Check it out, Karofsky."

As the bigger boy digs his phone out and checks his facebook, his face pales. "Oh, fuck."

Kurt has to agree. The picture is possibly the worst thing that's ever happened to Karofsky. It shows, very clearly, that Karofsky is kissing Kurt and Kurt is too shocked to move, let alone respond. No matter how he tries to spin it, it shows that he'd kissed Kurt, not the other way around.

Before Karofsky can snap out of his stupor and beat the hell out of them and take their phones, Puck speaks up,

"So! This is what's going to happen."

The last scene was obviously stolen from canon, although I left some parts out and it happened later.
The lunchroom scene I actually saw in a manga once, a long time ago, and I thought it was hilarious and just such the perfect reaction for a straight guy that's really comfortable to have. Yay Sam! I can't remember the name of the manga, but if it seems familiar, that's probably why. lol