Chapter 7.

Kurt was unusually quiet for the entirety of glee practice and Mercedes, being the friend that she was, picked up on it easily.

As everyone filed out, she tapped him Kurt on the shoulder and he spun around looking rather surprised.

"What's wrong, Kurt? One minute you were putting on a better performance than Natalie Portman with all those fake tears, and the next you're just silent."

Kurt was still only halfway into what she was saying, thoughts still running through his head. Where had the whole thing with Puck come from? Why was the other boy so caring all of the sudden? The last time Kurt checked, Puck was still the latently homophobic guy who was best friends with Finn. Sure, Puck had made some strides in the acceptance department, not throwing Kurt into dumpsters being the grandest of them all, but they were nowhere near on the level of… if he dared… friendship that the boy was acting like they were. Kurt was uncomfortable even saying that much.

Mercedes began snapping her fingers in his face after a while and it was only then that Kurt realized that she had asked him something.

"I… it's nothing 'Cedes. I just have some things on my mind," Kurt said fleetingly, wanting to get home and soak in his tub. That was something that always cleared his head.

Mercedes narrowed her eyes at him and slowly began to turn away. "If you say so, Kurt… text me later. Don't forget, Saturday night ritual tomorrow," she said with a suspicious tone to her voice, and then she was off.

Kurt continued on out the front doors of the school in the direction of his Navigator, bit that was when he saw Blaine.

It wasn't like seeing Blaine made Kurt upset, in fact, it was quite the contrary. Whenever Kurt saw the boy he would just act out so as to catch his attention; which is just what he had intended on doing for the first few seconds after he spotted him. But then, what he saw actually did upset him.

As Kurt stood where he was, he watched as Blaine ran into some good looking boy with really long hair. And from what Kurt was able to make out, they boy even had a couple tattoos. Puck didn't even have any tattoos…

Blaine of course fell back and dropped all o his things, and that would have been fine. It would have suited him for dumping… breaking up with Kurt in the way that he did. But, that wasn't all that happened.

The boy then knelt down and picked up Blaine's things and smiled as he handed them over. And when Blaine looked up at the boy…

Kurt knew that look…

That look used to be reserved for him.

So this time, when Kurt began to cry, the tears weren't fake. They were so real it hurt. And he turned and walked to his truck as quickly as he could.

Puck stood in front of Finn's mirror trying on shirts. He couldn't decide if he should wear the blue button down one, or the black tee. Both of them were just as tight, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to show his arms off or not. After all, it was only the first date…

Puck smirked to himself after having thought that. He knew that without a doubt Blake would see a whole lot more than just his arms before this night was over.

"Kurt come on, dude! He's not gonna just up and date some guy cause he picked his books up for him," Puck heard Finn yeling down the hall.

"DON'T CALL ME DUDE! And you didn't see the look he had in his EYES, Finn! THAT look! THAT WAS MY LOOK!"

Puck heard a door slam, a loud groan, and stomping feet coming up the stairs. A few seconds later he saw Finn come into the room out of the corner of his eye, while he was still trying to decide on which shirt to go with. The taller boy went over and fell face first onto his bed with a loud, defeated sigh. Puck turned around.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

Finn turned his head to the side so that he could both get some air, and talk.

"He saw Blaine looking at some guy and now he's convinced they are gonna be dating like tomorrow."

Puck rolled his eyes. Leave it to Kurt to blow something as little as eye contact out of proportion. Puck made eye contact with tons of people. He made eye contact with the kids whose lunch money he stole. He made eye contact with the assholes he tackled on the football field. He even made eye contact with some of the girls he fucked… sometimes. But that didn't mean he was going to date any of them. They were just eyes for crying out loud.

Puck slung the two shirts over his shoulder and turned to leave the room. Finn sat up as he walked through the doorway.

"Where are you going?" he asked furrowing his eyebrow.

"To shut Princess up," Puck put simply.

Once he had made to Kurt's bedroom door, he opened in and strolled right on down the stairs and into the room like it was his own. Once he was all the way downstairs, he didn't see Kurt, so he just sat down on the huge white loveseat that was there, and he looked around.

Puck had been in Kurt's room before, but he never really looked around. He would like to keep it simple and just say the room was gay, but there was more to it. It was… and he would kill anyone who tried to quote him on this, but the room was beautiful. It reminded him of those fancy bedroom displays that you see in Macy's, only bigger, and more extravagant.

The floor was covered in plush, white carpet. The walls were painted come rich brownish color. And all of the furniture looked as if it had come straight from one of those old French movies. You know, the ones where everyone is rich for no reason, even the poor people.

As Puck was examining the room, he heard a door open and someone walked out. He looked over and what he saw almost made him choke on the air he was breathing.

Coming out of the bathroom, in nothing but a pair of tiny, pink briefs, was none other than Kurt Hummel.

Puck wanted to turn away, he honestly did, but for some reason, he just couldn't. for some reason, his eyes began to wander. He began to watch Kurt's back as he walked. The way the muscles there seemed so strong, and yet so fragile.

He noticed just how smooth and soft Kurt's skin looked. The boy was so pale, but it wasn't a pasty pale. It was almost like he was glowing. Like the way the light hit his skin just illuminated his entire body.

And he also noticed the way Kurt's back gently curved into his backside. But he wouldn't have ever admitted to that. That was going too far. Puck couldn't deny, however, the slight tingling feeling he got in his groin area.

Just as Puck was 'readjusting' himself, Kurt turned around to go back to the bathroom and saw the boy on his couch.

"OHMYGOD, PUCK GET OUT!" Kurt screamed as he dove into his bed and hid under the comforter.

Puck just smirked and stood up, pushing the thoughts he had just been having to the back of his mind. "Calm down, Princess. You know you've wanted to strip for me for years," he teased.

Kurt peeked from under his covers and glared at Puck. He opened his mouth to say something, but then he stopped. What came out of his mouth instead was as unexpected to him as it was to Puck.

"You mean like how you've wanted to kiss me for years?"

And as soon as he said it, his hands shot up to his mouth, and his eyes all but popped form their sockets.

Puck just stood there, his facial expression completely unreadable. Kurt was prepared for anything. He had been ready for Puck to curse at him, to berate him, to throw a punch or two. Something. He just didn't expect… nothing.

"Puck… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring-"

"I was trying to forget that," Puck mumbled.

Kurt slowly shifted and reached for the drawer beside his bed where he kept his pajamas. He pulled a pair of pants out and slipped them on under the covers before he got out from under them and stood up.

"I know. I didn't mean to bring it up, Puck. I'm sorry," Kurt said, still wary of the possibility of the larger boy freaking out and doing something rash. It wouldn't be unlike Puck to do so.

Puck's mind was racing too fast for him to lash out right now though. When Kurt first said it, he was shocked. It was like that moment when you almost fall down the stairs, and your heart skips a beat. And your stomach drops. And everything seems to get a little bit more colorful. That was how Puck felt right now.

He really had been trying to forget that kiss. He was doing his best to think about anything but that kiss. And, up until now, he was at least doing a halfway decent job of it. He wasn't freaking out at least. Not like he was now.

Kurt was inching his way closer to Puck now, his hand extended in a way that was meant to be soothing. The lack of emotion on Puck's face was concerning him.

"Puck, I… it's not… I know you didn't mean anything by it," Kurt said. Truthfully, it kind of hurt him to admit that. Because somewhere, deep in his mind, he knew that he really did want the kiss to mean something.

It had meant something for him…

"I'm not gay." Was the only thing that left Puck's mouth.

It hit Kurt like a ton of bricks. Those three words. They were so simple, yet they held so much power. For Kurt they did anyway.

For Kurt, they meant the loss of… he didn't know what. It just felt like something. Like by Puck not being gay, Kurt was losing something.

And that confused Kurt. Because up until only recently, Kurt all but loathed Puck. And, up until recently, Puck had given Kurt no reason to do anything but that.

But now, he didn't.

Now Kurt wasn't sure what he felt for Puck. And not knowing was worse than knowing and not liking it. Because not knowing meant he couldn't ignore it. Because he didn't even know what it was he was supposed to ignore.

"I know you're not gay, Puck," Kurt said, doing his best to sound reassuring. "Everyone knows you're not-"

"But I liked it."

Puck finally looked at Kurt, and in that moment, he understood just what the boy had meant about 'that look.' He finally understood what eye contact meant.

It meant everything.

"You… what?" Kurt sputtered.

And that was when Puck couldn't handle anymore. Everything was just getting to be too much for him, and he needed to leave. So he did. He turned around and practically ran up the stairs and out of the front door.

OMG I KNOW! YOU HATE ME! LOL Let me explain. So, i graduated, and i was preparing to go to college right. then i find out that i didnt get any money excpet for a ten thousand dollar scholarship. to St. Johns University... a school that costs between 60-70 thousand a year. so, yeah... LOL i was depressed. THENNNNNNN i started working at popeyes and OMG THE WORST JOB! But i met some cool people there. Anyways, i worked there for like five months, and while I'm there, me and my mother find out that i DID GET MONEY TO GO TO SCHOOL! OMG we were so mad and happy at the same time! So LONG sotry short,i reaplied, and i just started my first semester of college at St. Johns last month, and i love it, and now im happy, and everything is back on track in my life. So... I'm gonna try and get back to writing. As much as possible given my work schedule. PLEASE DONT HATE ME TOO MUCH!

AND i know this is short, but... bare with me. I'm just getting back into this. AND i know this is not very climactic... bare with me LOL. Its been a while! Whatever is wrong, BARE WITH ME! I FEEL THE SAME WAY! LOL!