Fic: Curdle (Finn, Puck) PG-13 (4/?)
Title: Curdle
Author: hyperemmalawlz
Fandom: Glee
Chapter: 4/?
Characters/Pairing: Finn, Puck, ensemble
Word Count: 1213
Rating: PG-13 (bordering R)
Summary: "I don't need help," Puck had said, even when he turned up bleeding and almost-crying on Finn's doorstep at 2 AM. A year later, he still needs the help -- and Finn is still slightly incompetent.
Spoilers: Up to 1x22, "Journey."
Warnings: Swearing, discussion of child molestation.
Author's Notes: Written for the glee_angst_meme, the prompt: "Puck's mom has an on again off again boyfriend who abuses him sexually. Now they're on again and said boyfriend has moved into their house. After the last time they broke up, when Puck thought he was gone for good, he told Finn about the abuse."
4: GLASS
When Finn got home, he really just didn't want to deal with the world. He didn't want to look anyone in the eye, and sure as hell didn't want to call and tell Puck the bad news - “Hey man, either your mom's a crazy delusional bitch or she just generally doesn't give a shit about you. Congrats!”
Fuck.
Maybe he should have tried harder; not left when she ordered him out, said more to convince her he wasn't lying. He didn't really think it would have worked, but was so sick of just being there and feeling helpless and scared. The crazy, selfish part of his brain wished Puck had never told him, if he wasn't going to do anything when push came to shove.
Finn did his best to force that thought back down, because it wasn't fair. He didn't really know what Puck was dealing with, and he couldn't ask for anything - dude, Puck needed him right now. He thought, anyway. He'd be there.
Even if it was fucking annoying.
Finn was lost somewhere in his reverie (Rachel Berry's word of the day) when Kurt burst in, startling him. “You weren't at Glee today.”
“Gah!” Finn almost fell off the bed. “Um. No. I guess I wasn't.”
“...Why?”
Finn bit his lip, looking away. “I had... stuff to do. It's complicated.”
Kurt looked kind of suspicious. “Finn, what's going on?”
“Noth-“ Finn couldn't bring himself to finish that word. He sighed. “Okay, yeah, something's going on. But I can't tell you, so leave me alone, okay?”
Kurt's eyes narrowed. “Finn, it isn't another girl, is it? Because, while I may not like Rachel that much, I wouldn't let you betray her like this.”
“No!” Finn said. “I...”
And then something in him just broke, tired of trying to carry this weight on his own. Kurt was a good guy - probably a better person than Finn was - and he'd want to help if he knew; he was smarter too, he might actually have a clue what to do about the whole mess.
“Kurt, can you keep a secret?”
Kurt frowned, but came down to sit on the bed. “I'm gay in Lima, Finn; I got some practice in the art of not telling all.”
“The gay thing doesn't really count though, dude; no offence, but we kinda figured it out like, ages before you told us. Well, except Mercedes apparently, but she really liked you and y'know, love makes you stupid.”
“Don't I know it,” says Kurt. “But that's besides the point. Finn, what is going on?”
Finn breathed in deeply. “It's... it's Puck.”
“I suddenly feel less inclined to care.”
“Dude!” Finn needed Kurt to take this mess seriously.
“Sorry,” Kurt said. “But I'm still not sure why I should be concerned with Noah Puckerman's problems; he's never really been any better than indifferent to me, and many times has been outright malicious.”
“Dude, words,” Finn said, rubbing his forehead so he'd miss Kurt's 'Finn-is-an-idiot' eye roll. “But dude, you're a good guy, and while Puck is kind of a douche there are seriously levels of what goes from douche to evil bastard and the evil bastard does not get to attack the douche, and yeah, Puck has been a dick to both of us in the past but I'm not calling this karma, and you wouldn't either, because seriously neither of us have been in anything near this so-“
“Finn!” Kurt interrupted. “From the beginning, please?”
Finn inhaled and tried to become calm again. It wasn't easy. “Look... you know how Puck's mom's boyfriend's moved in, right? Like, they were off-and-on for ages and they thought it was done for good like, last summer, but now they're living together?”
Kurt frowned. “I was vaguely aware, yes. But I don't get why this is...”
“Last time Puck's mom and that dude broke up? Puck showed up at my house. At like, three AM. That Hugo guy... the bastard had freaking raped him, man. And it wasn't like that was the start, either; I mean, he'd never gone that far before, but... Puck said it had been going on for years, man. And now the guy is back, and Puck's in denial or something, and he refuses to do anything about it; he keeps saying he's too old or some shit now, and it won't happen again. And even if it doesn't anyway, I mean, it can't be good for Puck's head, living with the guy who did that to him, right? Not even mentioning Sarah; I mean, Puck might be too old but she's just a kid and...”
Kurt didn't interrupt Finn's word vomit this time, at least partly because he wanted to normal-vomit at the news. “Oh god,” he whispered. It took a few seconds, but he forcibly activated the cynical, logical part of his brain. “Are you sure it's true?” he asks. “I mean, I hate to say it, but Puck isn't exactly the most honest person I know. Can you believe him?”
The look Finn shot him was one of the most withering Kurt had ever seen; it actually made him recoil. “Dude. He was bleeding out his ass. How'd you think that'd happen; you think he could fake that? Besides. Puck is kind of a dick, but I don't think he'd lie about this.”
Kurt drew back, immediately admitting defeat. “Sorry,” he said. “You know, that doesn't actually explain why you weren't at Glee.”
“I went to go talk to Puck's mom. Tell her what was going on. I had to find a time I knew Puck wouldn't be home, because he'd freak at me for trying to tell her,” Finn explained.
Kurt bit his lip. “How'd it go?”
“She doesn't believe me,” Finn said, looking down. “She accused me of making the whole thing up to get back at Puck about the Quinn thing. She called me disgusting, then she threw me out.”
Kurt flinched. “Do you think she actually believes that, or is trying to convince herself of it so she doesn't have to deal?”
Finn just stared for a few seconds, as if that question had never occurred to him. “I... dude, I don't know.”
Kurt sighed. “So, how do you think Puck'll react when he finds out you told me?”
Finn's eyes went wide and panicky. “Dude, you cannot tell him I told you! He'll freaking kill me! I mean, he'd kill me for telling anyone, but he doesn't even like you.”
“Relax, Finn. I like being alive, and I don't want to make anything worse for him - I won't let him find out I know,” Kurt said, then sighed. “I just... never expected this. Having to treat Noah Puckerman like something fragile; like glass that might shatter. I feel so sorry for him, and it confuses the hell out of me.”
Finn looked like he might start crying. “What do we do?”
“How am I meant to know?”
Author: hyperemmalawlz
Fandom: Glee
Chapter: 4/?
Characters/Pairing: Finn, Puck, ensemble
Word Count: 1213
Rating: PG-13 (bordering R)
Summary: "I don't need help," Puck had said, even when he turned up bleeding and almost-crying on Finn's doorstep at 2 AM. A year later, he still needs the help -- and Finn is still slightly incompetent.
Spoilers: Up to 1x22, "Journey."
Warnings: Swearing, discussion of child molestation.
Author's Notes: Written for the glee_angst_meme, the prompt: "Puck's mom has an on again off again boyfriend who abuses him sexually. Now they're on again and said boyfriend has moved into their house. After the last time they broke up, when Puck thought he was gone for good, he told Finn about the abuse."
4: GLASS
When Finn got home, he really just didn't want to deal with the world. He didn't want to look anyone in the eye, and sure as hell didn't want to call and tell Puck the bad news - “Hey man, either your mom's a crazy delusional bitch or she just generally doesn't give a shit about you. Congrats!”
Fuck.
Maybe he should have tried harder; not left when she ordered him out, said more to convince her he wasn't lying. He didn't really think it would have worked, but was so sick of just being there and feeling helpless and scared. The crazy, selfish part of his brain wished Puck had never told him, if he wasn't going to do anything when push came to shove.
Finn did his best to force that thought back down, because it wasn't fair. He didn't really know what Puck was dealing with, and he couldn't ask for anything - dude, Puck needed him right now. He thought, anyway. He'd be there.
Even if it was fucking annoying.
Finn was lost somewhere in his reverie (Rachel Berry's word of the day) when Kurt burst in, startling him. “You weren't at Glee today.”
“Gah!” Finn almost fell off the bed. “Um. No. I guess I wasn't.”
“...Why?”
Finn bit his lip, looking away. “I had... stuff to do. It's complicated.”
Kurt looked kind of suspicious. “Finn, what's going on?”
“Noth-“ Finn couldn't bring himself to finish that word. He sighed. “Okay, yeah, something's going on. But I can't tell you, so leave me alone, okay?”
Kurt's eyes narrowed. “Finn, it isn't another girl, is it? Because, while I may not like Rachel that much, I wouldn't let you betray her like this.”
“No!” Finn said. “I...”
And then something in him just broke, tired of trying to carry this weight on his own. Kurt was a good guy - probably a better person than Finn was - and he'd want to help if he knew; he was smarter too, he might actually have a clue what to do about the whole mess.
“Kurt, can you keep a secret?”
Kurt frowned, but came down to sit on the bed. “I'm gay in Lima, Finn; I got some practice in the art of not telling all.”
“The gay thing doesn't really count though, dude; no offence, but we kinda figured it out like, ages before you told us. Well, except Mercedes apparently, but she really liked you and y'know, love makes you stupid.”
“Don't I know it,” says Kurt. “But that's besides the point. Finn, what is going on?”
Finn breathed in deeply. “It's... it's Puck.”
“I suddenly feel less inclined to care.”
“Dude!” Finn needed Kurt to take this mess seriously.
“Sorry,” Kurt said. “But I'm still not sure why I should be concerned with Noah Puckerman's problems; he's never really been any better than indifferent to me, and many times has been outright malicious.”
“Dude, words,” Finn said, rubbing his forehead so he'd miss Kurt's 'Finn-is-an-idiot' eye roll. “But dude, you're a good guy, and while Puck is kind of a douche there are seriously levels of what goes from douche to evil bastard and the evil bastard does not get to attack the douche, and yeah, Puck has been a dick to both of us in the past but I'm not calling this karma, and you wouldn't either, because seriously neither of us have been in anything near this so-“
“Finn!” Kurt interrupted. “From the beginning, please?”
Finn inhaled and tried to become calm again. It wasn't easy. “Look... you know how Puck's mom's boyfriend's moved in, right? Like, they were off-and-on for ages and they thought it was done for good like, last summer, but now they're living together?”
Kurt frowned. “I was vaguely aware, yes. But I don't get why this is...”
“Last time Puck's mom and that dude broke up? Puck showed up at my house. At like, three AM. That Hugo guy... the bastard had freaking raped him, man. And it wasn't like that was the start, either; I mean, he'd never gone that far before, but... Puck said it had been going on for years, man. And now the guy is back, and Puck's in denial or something, and he refuses to do anything about it; he keeps saying he's too old or some shit now, and it won't happen again. And even if it doesn't anyway, I mean, it can't be good for Puck's head, living with the guy who did that to him, right? Not even mentioning Sarah; I mean, Puck might be too old but she's just a kid and...”
Kurt didn't interrupt Finn's word vomit this time, at least partly because he wanted to normal-vomit at the news. “Oh god,” he whispered. It took a few seconds, but he forcibly activated the cynical, logical part of his brain. “Are you sure it's true?” he asks. “I mean, I hate to say it, but Puck isn't exactly the most honest person I know. Can you believe him?”
The look Finn shot him was one of the most withering Kurt had ever seen; it actually made him recoil. “Dude. He was bleeding out his ass. How'd you think that'd happen; you think he could fake that? Besides. Puck is kind of a dick, but I don't think he'd lie about this.”
Kurt drew back, immediately admitting defeat. “Sorry,” he said. “You know, that doesn't actually explain why you weren't at Glee.”
“I went to go talk to Puck's mom. Tell her what was going on. I had to find a time I knew Puck wouldn't be home, because he'd freak at me for trying to tell her,” Finn explained.
Kurt bit his lip. “How'd it go?”
“She doesn't believe me,” Finn said, looking down. “She accused me of making the whole thing up to get back at Puck about the Quinn thing. She called me disgusting, then she threw me out.”
Kurt flinched. “Do you think she actually believes that, or is trying to convince herself of it so she doesn't have to deal?”
Finn just stared for a few seconds, as if that question had never occurred to him. “I... dude, I don't know.”
Kurt sighed. “So, how do you think Puck'll react when he finds out you told me?”
Finn's eyes went wide and panicky. “Dude, you cannot tell him I told you! He'll freaking kill me! I mean, he'd kill me for telling anyone, but he doesn't even like you.”
“Relax, Finn. I like being alive, and I don't want to make anything worse for him - I won't let him find out I know,” Kurt said, then sighed. “I just... never expected this. Having to treat Noah Puckerman like something fragile; like glass that might shatter. I feel so sorry for him, and it confuses the hell out of me.”
Finn looked like he might start crying. “What do we do?”
“How am I meant to know?”