Fic: It's A Bittersweet Life Ch. 3/?
Paring: Blaine/Puck
Rating: PG 13
Summary: It was so stupid to even think this was possible, but all the symptoms he looked up on the internet said he was, so here he sat in a restroom of a gas station two towns over waiting on a pregnancy test.
Warning/Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. MPreg.
Previously: 01 | 02 |
Author's Note: I can not thank everyone who reviewed/followed this story. It means a lot to me. So in this chapter for both songs the bold is Quinn singing, italics is the boys singing, and the underlined is both of them singing. Song/Download list at the bottom.
Not that Puck would tell anyone, but he was really excited about his senior year. The football team looked promising this year, he wasn't involved in any glee club drama, and (even though he would never admit it) he had actually been going to all his classes. He didn't quite know what he wanted to do after high school, but he was going to do his senior year right.
He was walking to his locker after school on Monday when Artie rolled up next to him.
"What up?" Artie greeted. Puck nodded and made an affirming noise for his hello. "How was your weekend?"
"You know, the usual," Puck answered. Puck thought Artie might interpret 'the usual' as sex and working out, and last year it would have been, but now 'the usual' meant sleeping until noon, eating doughnuts, playing video games, and masturbating. "How about you?"
"Ran a marathon, came in second. I was so close." Artie joked. Puck laughed as he closed his locker and then got behind Artie's chair to push him to glee. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Do you know what's going on with Quinn and Blaine?" Artie asked. Puck had asked himself the same thing earlier that day when he saw the two of them coming into school together holding hands. It seemed they were inseparable since Kurt's performance last week. As far as Puck knew, Blaine was gay, but a fuzzy memory of him and Rachel Berry locked in a fierce kiss also surfaced. The thought made his stomach twist in an unfamiliar way.
"I don't, but they seem to be getting cozy."
"Isn't he gay?"
"I thought so."
"Have…have you talked to Quinn lately?" Artie asked hesitantly.
"Not really. Why?"
"No reason, it's just after everything that happened, one would think you guys would talk more," Artie explains. "That's all."
"Yeah, well….we don't." Puck said, his harsh tone enough to end the conversation. When they got the choir room Puck noticed Blaine and Quinn in the back corner, just like most of last week. He let go of Artie's chair and took a seat next to him in the front. Mr. Shue clapped his
hands together to get everyone's attention.
"Alright everyone, it's that time of year again," Mr. Shue started as he walked to the whiteboard and starts writing. "Time for duets! Now, the prize this year is not only Breadstix gifts cards," a cheer broke out amongst the club, "but also the team who gets the most votes gets to preform together at sectionals." Another round of cheering broke out. "Now, last year didn't exactly work out how it should have, so I'm adding a few new rules this time around. Rule one, no voting for yourself." Everybody groaned. "And rule two, you don't get to choose your partners." A louder groan filled the room as Mr. Shue pulled a top hat out of nowhere. "It's time again for the Hat Of Fate!" He announced with a little too much excitement. "Now, who's first?"
Santana volunteered to go first. She picked out a scrap of paper then read the name Brittany before smiling brightly, tossing the scrap on the piano, and skipping to sit next to Brittany. Next Mr. Shue volunteered Blaine to go, trying too hard to make Blaine feel like part of the group again. Blaine got up to the piano slowly and picked a scrap of paper out of the hat. He had to do a double take to make sure he was reading the paper correctly. The name written was Brittany. He didn't understand, if Santana hadn't picked Brittany's name why did she say she had? It took Blaine all of two seconds to figure it out. He looked down at the paper Santana had discarded to seeing Puck's name.
"Well, who is?" Mr. Shue prompted.
"Puck." Blaine's mouth answered before his mind could. He looked over to Puck only to see a slight smile from the him. He put down the scrap of paper and went back to his seat next to Quinn. She ended up with Artie, Mike picked Kurt, Finn picked Mercedes, and Tina picked Sam. Rachael was left to be the odd one out, again. She quickly assured everyone that working alone would not be a problem for her, and that it would give her a better chance to showcase her talent.
"Now, before we start working on these duets it's also time for the annual rally performance. Now I know our efforts to recruit in the past haven't gone that well, but I feel really good about this year because I want you guys to preform 'Light Up The World'. It's an original song that'll show everyone just how fun being in glee can be. It's also good because everyone already knows all the dance moves and the rally is tomorrow." The club had mixed reaction about the news while Blaine looked to Quinn confused.
"Mr. Shue, Blaine doesn't know that song." Quinn interjects.
"Oh…right. Blaine, you wouldn't mind sitting out for this one, would you?"
"I…it's okay. Maybe I can try to get the people around me interested." Blaine suggested.
"That's a great idea." Mr. Shue smiled.
Blaine sat alone in the back row for the rest of glee while he watched everyone run through the song a few times to make sure everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing. After everyone finished up, Blaine told Quinn he needed to get a few things from his locker and to wait for him by his car. He was a couple feet from his locker when he heard her.
"Hey, Anderson," Santana yelled down the hall as she followed him. He kept walking to his locker, putting in his combination when he got there.
"Yes?" Blaine answered, not bothering to look at her.
"What was that back there?" She demanded, coming to a halt next to him and putting her hand on her jutted out hip.
"What are you talking about?" Blaine asked like he had no idea.
"Why did you say you picked Puck?"
"Why did you say you picked Brittany?" Blaine quipped back, finally looking at Santana. He sighed, shutting his locker. "I'm sorry. Listen, I get
it. You love her." Santana looked around the hallway to make sure no one heard him, only to find they were alone. "And I know what it's like to want to sing a duet with the person you love. Actually, that's sort of how I got with Kurt, though for her sake I hope your story ends
differently."
"Who says I'm one to cheat?" Santana snapped.
"Who said Kurt was?" Blaine snapped back. Santana paused and glared at him.
"You're alright Anderson." Santana semi-smiled at him before turning and trudging away, her cheerio skirt swishing in her wake.
Later that night Quinn and Blaine found themselves in Blaine's bed. Quinn had taken to staying with him until he fell asleep, either telling him softly about her day or singing to him. Once he was asleep she would make sure to tuck him in and turn off the light. On this night Blaine was on his side facing away from her, clutching Canada to his chest while Quinn was rubbing his back.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Quinn whispered.
"Mmhmm." Blaine hummed.
"I was kind of hoping you would pick my name out of the hat." Quinn confessed.
"Who needs a hat to sing together?" Blaine smiled. Quinn laughed softly and scooted closer to him as he began to sing without any music.
I've been outside, Invited in
But I couldn't abide, Wouldn't miss it again
Burning every bridge that I cross
To find some beautiful place to get lost
Quinn scooted down on the mattress and cuddled up behind him as he continued to sing.
I had true love, I made it die
I pushed her away, She said please stay
Burning every bridge that I cross
To find some beautiful place to get lost
To find some beautiful place to get lost
Well I don't know where I'll go now
And I don't really care who follows me there
But I'll burn every bridge that I cross
And find some beautiful place to get lost
And find some beautiful place to get lost
As they finished singing Quinn lowered her hand onto his stomach. He quickly covered her hand with his and squeezed. Blaine's stomach was starting to grow, but only slightly. It wasn't noticeable if you didn't know about the pregnancy.
"Why aren't you a cheerio this year? Like Santana and Brittany are." Blaine asked softly.
"It's just not what I wanted." Quinn whispered.
"Well, what do you want?"
Quinn stopped and thought about it for a minute.
"I don't know." She barely got out. She coughed lightly to clear her throat. "Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Quinn whispered.
"Yeah, I have. I can't…I'm keeping it. I'm not going to get an…get rid of it. If I did it would hurt my chances of getting pregnant again, and I don't want to risk that." Blaine explained quietly. "So," he sighed, "so I'm going to keep it. I don't think I can give it up for adoption."
"It's hard."
"I know. I see you Quinn." Blaine paused. "Quinn, I can't stay here."
"What?"
"I'm going to keep this baby, and I can't rely on you or your mother, not completely. So, I have to get a job and find an apartment."
"Blaine-" Quinn started, sitting up.
"I see you Quinn. Whenever you leave this room you're in tears. I can't keep doing this to you. I'm not your child, but you're taking care of me
like I am-and I cannot thank you enough for that, I can't- but it's hurting you. You have to know I appreciate what you've done, I do, but I think that finding a place of my own is the best option for me and for you."
"I…are you sure?" She asked, her voice still calm and quiet. Blaine rolled over and sat up to face her finally.
"You've done more for me then I could have ever asked. I know I'm young but I don't have a choice anymore. I need to grow up, and for me that means finding a place to raise my child." Blaine assured. She gave him a sad smile as a few tears made their way to her eyes. She hugged him tightly for a while, and eventually they fell asleep wrapped up in each other.
When Puck got to school the next day he thought nothing of the sound of a body hitting a locker. What did stop him was Quinn yelling his name. He turned around to see Blaine lying on the ground, head bleeding, with Quinn kneeling next to him on the brink of tears. Once she realized she had gotten Puck's attention she went back to sitting Blaine up against the locker. Once slumped against the locker Blaine leaned over and puked on the floor. Puck rushed over.
"Fuck. Puck you have to get him to the nurse." Quinn pleaded. Puck's eyes darted between Blaine, Blaine's puke, and Quinn. "Puck!"
"Yeah, right." He said, finally getting back to reality. He moved Quinn aside and picked Blaine up bridal style. Once at the infirmary, the nurse pushes Quinn and Puck out of the room so she could check on Blaine in privacy. Quinn started pacing around the office, muttering to herself. Puck caught her and held her against him to calm her down. She held onto him as he rubbed her back. He didn't understand why Quinn was so upset, but he knew Blaine had gotten it pretty bad. Hummel hadn't even had it that bad.
Finally the nurse came out and assured them that Blaine should be fine.
"Now, I can't be 100% sure it's a concussion, but it would probably be best if he stayed wake for a few hours. He should also probably head home to recover."
"I'll call his dad to pick him up," Quinn volunteered, putting her best fake smile on. The nurse thanked her and went to help another kid who had puked in biology. Quinn turned to him. "Puck, you need to take him home."
"What? You said you were calling his dad."
"His dad kicked him out. He's staying with me." Quinn informed him while she dug through Blaine's backpack.
"What?" Puck couldn't believe what she was telling him. She finally found what she was looking for, Blaine's car keys, and shoved Blaine's backpack against Puck's chest. "Why can't you take him?"
"Because I can't carry him." She sighed. "Listen Puck, Blaine isn't well right now and you would be doing me a big favor if you could just take him home." She pleaded. He looked down. "Think of it as a day off. Just, please Puck."
"Fine." Puck agreed as he threw Blaine's backpack over his shoulder. He finally looked up at Quinn to see tears in her eyes again.
"Thank you." She said quickly as she hugged him. When she pulled away she wiped her eyes and stormed out of the office.
She was making her way down the hall, looking for the nearest bathroom, when Artie rolled up in front of her.
"Hey Qui-"
"Not now." Quinn cut him off, walking past him and continuing down the hall.
"I think I have a song." Artie shouted after her down the hallway.
"Email it to me." She yelled back, not even bothering to turn around.
When she finally found a girl's bathroom she went to the last stall and slumped against the door. Blaine was right. She was taking care of him like he was her child, and it was hurting her worse then she'd realize. She started to sob, trying to keep quite in the echoing bathroom. She thought about Beth every day, but for some reason today it hurt so much more. She knew giving Beth up was the right thing to do, but some days she wants to hold her and sing to her and make sure she knew how much her mother loves her. She stayed in the bathroom two more periods before she finally composed herself enough to go to class.
Puck waited until he was sure the nurse wouldn't catch him to get Blaine from the infirmary to his truck. Once in his truck Puck had to think a
little bit about where Quinn lives before figuring out he'd never been to her house.
"Dude, where does Quinn live?" Puck asked Blaine as he pulled out of the parking lot. Blaine babbled some street names and Puck got the general idea of where she lived. He figured he'd ask again when they get closer. "Are you hungry?"
"I don't think I should be but I am." Blaine answered with a light smile tugging at his lips.
"Burger King or Jack In The Box?"
"Jack In The Box. Definitely Jack In The Box." Blaine answered quickly.
"That's my boy." Puck smiled. He ordered for both of them, only get an objection from Blaine on what to drink (Blaine requested a water instead of Coke). As Blaine ate he became more alert and was able to tell Puck where to go.
As soon they got the house Blaine barely got out where his room was before running to the bathroom and puking up everything he'd just eaten. Puck tried to ignore the sounds of Blaine's retching as he walked into the room Blaine was staying in. The first thing he noticed was a shoebox on the dresser. He knew he shouldn't pry, but he also knew when someone was as badass as he was social rules like that didn't apply to him. He opened the box and was faced with pictures of Blaine and Kurt and love notes. He had a box like that under his bed, expect his has a picture of Beth, a copy of her birth certificate, and letters he's written to her he knows she'll never see. He hears the bathroom door open and quickly shuts the box and turning around just as Blaine entered the room. Blaine immediately flopped down on his bed.
"I don't know why I try to eat."
"Because Ultimate Cheeseburgers are amazing." Puck argued.
"Don't," Blaine groaned.
"So, you're staying with Quinn?" Puck asked almost awkwardly.
"Yeah, but not for long. I want to move in to a place of my own. Of course, I'll need a job first." Blaine said, rolling to lie on his stomach.
"I know how hard that can be." Puck nodded. That's when Puck noticed the keyboard. "Is that yours?"
"Wha-?" Blaine muttered looking up from the bed. "Yeah. It's mine."
Puck excitedly crossed the room and sat down at the keyboard. He was about to start pressing keys at random when he noticed the music set up in front of the keyboard. He started reading the lyrics, stuff about not being alone and looking into someone's eyes.
"What song is this?" Puck asked. Blaine groaned again and turned to Puck.
"It's a song I wrote for Kurt. I never got to play it for him, not that it matters much now."
"I wrote a song last year for a girl. It wasn't as good at this, though."
"That song is terrible. I'm sure yours is better." Blaine argued.
"Do you want to hear it?"
"Of course." Blaine replied, a sleepy smile gracing his tired features. Puck smiled at him before running down to his truck and grabbing his
guitar. When he got back upstairs Blaine was almost asleep, but Puck woke him up by playing Big Ass Heart. Blaine sat up and genuinely smiled as Puck played his song, clapping and cheering when Puck was finished. Puck played along, bowing to the left and then the right. "That was great. I wish you could stay longer so we could work on our assignment."
"Who said I'm going anywhere?"
"What about the assembly?"
"They don't need me for that. Plus, those things always end badly. Now, as for our assignment, have you heard Flight of the Conchords?" Puck asked with a raised eyebrow. Blaine had not. That's how they ended up lying next to each other for the next fifteen minutes sharing headphones while Puck chose some songs he thought they could perform. At first Puck was hesitant to lie next to Blaine, but he reminded himself he's slept in the same bed with Finn, so laying on top of the covers listening to music should be less gay.
"These guys are great, but I don't think this will win us that dinner." Blaine chuckled, taking his headphone out. "Have you heard of a band called The Fratellis?"
When Quinn got home after Glee she went to check on Blaine, only to find him asleep on his bed and Puck on the floor playing guitar. Puck didn't notice Quinn had arrived until she coughed to get his attention. Puck finally looked up at her and smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey," Quinn greeted, stepping into the room. "How is he?"
"He's fine. It's not a concussion. I've had enough, I should know." Puck assured her as he stood up. "Quinn…earlier you said he was sick?"
"He's not sick, he's just…going through a rough time, and it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better."
"Is he dying?"
"What? No. Don't be stupid." Quinn spat out then sighed. "Sorry. He just isn't in the best place right now. I mean his dad kicked him out and he's the jock's new punching bag now that Kurt is protected." Suddenly Quinn got an idea. "You! You can protect Blaine."
"What?"
"You like him, right? I mean, he's going to need someone to protect him if he's going to make it out of this year alive. Please be that for him."
"Why should I?" Puck asked almost defensively. Quinn thought for a second.
"Think of Beth. Think about if she was going into a new school and being bullied for no reason. Wouldn't you want someone to look out for her? To be her friend?" Quinn reasoned. She knew it was a low blow, but she couldn't watch Blaine get battered the rest of the year, especially now that he was with child. Puck looked down for a second before swallowing and nodding.
"Yeah…yeah, okay. He's a good kid, I'll look out for him." Puck agreed. Quinn smiled at him and cupped his cheek.
"Thank you." She whispered before kissing his cheek. He smiled at her before she excused herself to her room. Puck left a few minutes later, and once Blaine heard the door click he felt the first tear fall.
Once in her room she powered on her laptop while she changed into something more comfortable. Once everything was loaded she checked her email. Sure enough there was an email waiting for her from Artie. When she opened the email and saw that it just had a song attached, nothing in the subject or body. She made it halfway through the song before slamming her laptop shut and curling into herself. Why couldn't he take a hint? She didn't need this, not right now.
The next day Puck greeted Quinn and Blaine at the door.
"Hey," Blaine greeted, "are you coming over to work on the song after football practice?"
"Of course." Puck smiled as he fell into step with them. He stayed next to Blaine all day, trying to make his hovering look as inconspicuous as possible. Blaine didn't let on that he knew the motives behinds Puck's newfound friendship, instead reveling in the feeling of being safe. When they got to glee at lunch Puck took a seat next to Blaine and Quinn in the back row. They found out that the rally had yet again ended in
another riot. As Mr. Shue debated if they should participate in any other rallies, Santana volunteered her and Brittany to be the first to perform their duet. They performed a rather sensual song that, although not completely vulgar, Mr. Shue wasn't sure was entirely appropriate. They spent the rest of their lunch period working on a group number Rachael had insisted she take the lead in instead of entering the competition.
After school was the first time Blaine didn't have Puck by his side that day. He felt like he should have been relieved, but he wasn't.
"Hey Blaine." A voice came out of nowhere startling him. He turned around to see it was Mike.
"Mike, you scared me. You shouldn't sneak up on people." Blaine joked, putting on his best smile.
"Yeah, sorry. Listen, can I ask you something?" Mike said, his voice getting quieter.
"Um…yeah, sure." Blaine agreed. Mike looked around nervously before leaning in.
"How do you know that you're gay?" Mike whispered.
"What?"
"Just like…how do you know?"
"Well, um, I like to think that labeling your sexuality doesn't really matter, but if one needs to label it, one should ask yourself 'do guys turn me on?' and 'do women turn you on?'…so, one can ask themselves that and…see what they find." Blaine smiled. Mike nodded, deep in thought.
"Yeah…yeah, okay. But what if just one guy turns them on?'
"Well, like I said, labeling your sexuality doesn't matter. Just follow your heart, or your balls." Blaine joked. Mike forced a chuckle.
"Thanks man." Mike said, clapping his hand on Blaine's shoulder before going to football practice.
The next day Tina and Sam performed, followed by Quinn and Artie. While Tina and Sam preformed, Quinn and Artie got dressed up for their number. Artie rolled into the choir room in a tuxedo with his hair slicked back while Quinn sauntered into the choir room wearing a strapless purple dress, her hair done up, and long white gloves on. Blaine noticed Quinn's forced smile. As the music started, Quinn started to regret agreeing to the song.
Now I'm about to give you my heart, But remember this one thing,
I've never been in love before so you gotta go easy on me,
I heard love is dangerous, Once you fall you never get enough,
But the thought of you leaving ain't so easy for me,
Don't hurt me, Desert me, Don't give up on me,
What would I want to do that for?
Don't use me, take advantade of me,
Make me sorry I ever counted on you,
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5 ,Baby I'm counting on you,
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5,Baby I'm counting on you,
1 ,2 ,3, 4 to the 5, Baby I'm counting on you,
Understand I've been here before, Thought I found someone I finally could adore,
But if you failed my test, Gotta know her better, Saw I wasn't the only one,
But I would later put my trust in you, Baby you can put your trust in me,
Just like you count to 3, You can count on me,
And you're never gonna see, no numbers in my pocket,
Anything I'm doing girl I drop it for you,
You're the one I'm giving my heart to, But I gotta be the only one,
Don't hurt me, Desert me, Don't give up on me,
What would I want to do that for?
Don't use me, take advantage of me,
Make me sorry I ever counted on you,
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5 ,Baby I'm counting on you
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5,Baby I'm counting on you
1 ,2 ,3, 4 to the 5, Baby I'm counting on you
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5 ,Baby I'm counting on you
I really hope you understand that if you want to take my hand
Then you should put yours over my heart,Promise to be careful from the start
I'm trusting you with loving me, Very, very, carefully
Never been so vulnerable,Baby I'll make you comfortable
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5 , Baby I'm counting on you
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5,Why would I want to do that
1 ,2 ,3, 4 to the 5, Baby I'm counting on you
1, 2, 3, 4 to the 5
Now I'm about to give you my heart so remember just one thing
I've never been in love before yeah ya gotta go easy on me
As the song ended everyone in the room got to their feet to applaud the duo's performance. Quinn tried to wipe her tears away without anyone noticing as she took her bow. When the applause finished (and Mr. Shue made an unnecessary comment like always) Quinn pushed Artie to the locker room so he could change before going class, but as she left to go to the girl's locker room Artie grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She swallowed and turned around to face him, her eyes glued to the floor.
"I meant it, you know. The song."
"Please don't." She whispered, still looking at the floor.
"Are we ever going to talk about what happened?" Artie asked earnestly.
"No. No we aren't." Quinn answered quietly.
"Why not? You can't tell me you-"
"Just stop it, okay? What happened happened and it's over now." Quinn said before turning on her heels and storming down the hall.
"I'm not giving up on this!" Artie yelled down the hall after her.
When Quinn and Blaine got home after school they shared a snack before he went on his computer to search for jobs and Quinn went to take a nap. When she woke up three hours later she heard the music coming from Blaine's room. She wandered down the hall and peered through Blaine's slightly open door to see Blaine and Puck finishing a song. She smiled to herself while continuing downstairs to see what was for dinner.
Meanwhile in Blaine's room the boys were excited about their song choice.
"That sounded amazing. We're winning for sure." Blaine smiled at Puck genuinely.
"It's all you man. Your voice is amazing."
"No, no. It's you and that guitar. I wish I could play guitar."
"I could teach you…if you want. I mean, we'll probably be spending a lot of time together anyways now that you're my boy and all." Puck reasoned. Blaine bit his lip. Maybe Puck wasn't just hanging around him because of Quinn. Maybe he actually liked him…as a friend.
"Yeah…that would be nice actually." Blaine agreed.
"Cool, now can we play Sellotape?"
"Yeah, sure."
That night Blaine fell asleep with the thought of being 'Puck's Boy' keeping him warm.
Author's Note:
So I hope you liked this chapter. I'm going to try to update weekly on either Sunday or Monday, but my birthday is coming up so my schedule might get busy. Anyways, a few nites about this story. I'm going to use the rules of my old high school for the rules of McKinley, and before someone says something about Blaine being out of character, you have to remember he's lost everything so being his usually bubbly self wouldn't make much sense. So, if you have a second you should review so I could know what I did wrong or right, or you could go over to my beta, Midnightatmine, and tell her she's lovely. In the next chapter we'll see Blaine and Puck's duet and who wins, along with some other junk.
Songs:
Blaine & Quinn - Lets Get Lost by Elliott Smith mediafire(.)com/?wl9x70qjt4jppqw
Brittany&Santana - Feels Like The First Time by Corinne Bailey Rae
Artie & Quinn - Count on You by Big Time Rush
Blaine and Puck - Sellotape (Pencils In The Wind) by Flight Of The Conchords