Chapter 26
Title: A Glass of Milk in the Night
Characters: Kurt Hummel, Noah Puckerman, Sarah Puckerman, Burt and Carole Hummel, Finn Hudson
Rating: PG-13
Gen/ slash
Warning: None, I don't think
Main Pairing: Kurt/Puck
Word Count: 1,811
Summary: Kurt is surprised in the middle of the night, and gets to see a side of Puck that most don't.
Let it be said that this is now mostly AU. Some things from cannon can be seen, but most of this is from my head and doesn't follow the stuff that's happened at the end of season two at all.
Kurt was never as happy for speakerphone and Carole as he was the next day. Even after starting with, “Don’t freak out, I’m okay,” Kurt was positive he could hear his father’s heart failing over the phone when he explained what had happened. Even with Kurt, Carole and Noah reassuring him, Burt was still ready to drive all the way over to check on his son. He did eventually calm down when he registered Noah’s apologies. “What the hell are you sorry for, Mohawk?”
Burt’s use of the old nickname for him made one corner of his mouth twitch. “If I hadn’t been playing that stupid game I-”
“Puckerman, did you, or did you not, notice the scum as soon as he started on Kurt?”
“Yeah, but-”
“And did you pull him off, realize that something was wrong with Kurt, and get him medical attention?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then you have nothing to be sorry about.”
Carole chimed in then, “You two should get some rest. I’m going to make Burt some dinner and we’re going to watch the game. You call us if you need anything, alright boys?”
They both agreed, everyone gave each other their love, and then they hung up. “Well, that went marginally better than I’d thought it would,” Kurt quipped, “And I love you. Stop feeling guilty. There’s nothing you could’ve done and you can’t be with me twenty-four seven. Now take me to bed.” Noah was happy to comply.
They got the report from the doctor that Kurt had been roofied and pressed charges. With the witnesses from the party, Troy pled guilty and was charged without a trial or anything and given probation and 500 hours of community service. It was all wrapped up by the middle of November.
The boys went home for Thanksgiving break, heading to the Hudmel household after they got out of classes on Wednesday. Kurt was busy all Thursday morning, helping Carole cook their dinner. Sarah and Bubbe were joining them and bringing dessert. Noah couldn’t wait to see his sister, even though he’d seen her for the weekend less than a month before.
The dinner was nice and they were really happy to see Finn again. He was as overexcited as a puppy. “My classes are awesome! Like, my teachers are really into what we’re learning, and they’ll all work with me outside of class with the stuff I don’t get, so I’m actually getting good grades. And there’s like, this club of people who are all in music programs- kinda like a frat or sorority. They even have their own house off-campus. I think I’m gonna apply to live there next year. I go there all the time, and it’s like a big jam session all the time. Puck, you’d fit in great there, cuz someone’s always playing on a guitar or something like that, and Kurt, you could play the keyboard. You guys have to come visit when I live there. They’ll love you!”
Sarah finally was the one who interrupted him by saying, “I’m learning to play the violin, so there!”
Everyone laughed at that and Finn began to ask her about her lessons and what songs she wanted to learn to play. They finished the meal and Finn, Burt and Puck cleaned up while Kurt and the ladies went to the living room to relax. “So, Kurt, how’s school going for you two?” Bubbe asked.
“It’s great, actually. I’m taking mostly my gen ed classes, but I’m in a psychology class too, and that’s really interesting. Noah’s loving his classes too. He’s in a music theory class he keeps gushing about. We’ve even met another gay couple that we hang out with at least once every week. It’s fabulous not being the only out people. I’ve even joined the PFLAG at my school. Oh, and we found a local shelter that we try to go to at least once a month and serve food at. That was actually Noah’s idea, after Coach Sylvester got us to help out last year at Christmas. It’s just amazing!”
Carole smiled happily, genuinely glad that her boys seemed to be faring so well. If she were to be honest with herself, it was the happiest she could remember seeing Kurt in as long as she’d known him.
Friday, Kurt and Carole had a spa day, while the other guys did “something manly together”, as Kurt put it. This actually equaled going out for burgers and then Finn and Puck played video games until Kurt came home and joined them. Saturday was spent catching up with the other members of New Directions who were home from school or still at McKinley. They were at the bowling alley when Noah’s phone rang, the ringtone being Bubbe’s. He excused himself to answer it, knowing from previous experience that not answering, unless he was in class, would get him an earful.
“What’s up, Bubbe?” he greeted.
“Noah, I need you and Kurt to come to my house,” she answered, no nonsense.
She sounded weird, and her grandson asked her, “Everything okay?”
“I’ll explain it when you get here. Quickly, please.”
“Yeah, sure thing. We’ll be there in ten.” He hung up his phone, pocketing it before heading in to gather his boyfriend, “Sorry guys, Kurt and I’ve gotta jet. We’ll see you all soon, right?”
Kurt looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but didn’t argue. They hugged everyone and made their way out to the Navigator, and only then did Kurt ask, “What’s with the speedy exit?”
Noah shrugged, “Dunno, really. Bubbe wants us over there, stat. She sounded strange but wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.”
Kurt nodded and grabbed Puck’s hand for the short drive. When they got to the door, it opened before they even had a chance to knock. Bubbe looked like she had been crying and Noah immediately wrapped her in his arms and asked, “What is it?”
Kurt closed the door behind them and Bubbe led them into the living room. “I’m sorry Noah, it- it’s your mother. She died this morning. It…they think it was an overdose.” Kurt could see she was struggling to keep herself together.
“Shit. Did you tell Sarah?” Noah asked.
She shook her head, “She was at Genevieve’s when I found out, so I called and asked if she could stay there until one of us could pick her up. I thought, thought it’d be better if you were here.”
“Okay. Kurt and I’ll go get her. C’mon babe.”
Kurt and Bubbe exchanged a look and Kurt followed his boyfriend back to the car. Noah stopped in front of it and took the keys out of his pocket, “Do you wanna drive, K?”
Kurt knew this was Noah’s way of asking him to drive, so he agreed, taking the keys and climbing behind the wheel. “Where to?”
Noah gave him directions, and that was all that was said during the short drive across town. They walked up to Genevieve’s front door and rang the bell. Her father answered the door with a smile, “Good to see you again, Noah,” he stuck his hand out to shake, “Is this Kurt?”
Noah smiled tightly and agreed, “Yep, this is him. Kurt, this is Mr. Thompson.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Kurt smiled, shaking the man’s hand as well.
“Pleasure’s all mine. Sarah talks about you all the time. I feel like I know you already.”
“Wow, thanks.” Mr. Thompson led them inside and called up the stairs, “Genny, Noah and Kurt are here to get Sarah!”
A moment later, the two girls crashed down the stairs and the redhead, Genny smiled, “You’re right Sarah, Kurt does have really nice clothes!”
Kurt laughed a little at that and smiled at the pre-teen, “Why thank you, Genevieve. I’m very glad to have made your approval. Ready to go, Sarah?”
“Yep! Bye Genny, bye Mr. T!” and with that, she bound out the door to Kurt’s car.
She talked the whole way back to Bubbe’s, mostly about what she and Genny did, with the occasional comment on the hotness of the singer playing on the radio. When they got in the house, Noah stopped her before she went to her room, “C’mere, Squirt.” He tugged her to the couch and pulled her onto his lap. She looked to Bubbe, who was still sitting in her armchair, and lastly at Kurt, who was biting his lip. “Noh?” she questioned, uncertainty coloring her voice.
“Listen, Squirt, it’s about Ma. She…died this morning.”
Sarah sat up, pulling herself out of his hold and yelled, “No! No she didn’t! Right, Bubbe?” the last question was quieter, pleading.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Bubbe said, standing and holding her arms out to hug the small girl.
“NO!” Sarah screamed and ran to Kurt, throwing herself into him. He wrapped his arms around her while she kept saying, “She’s not dead, she’s alright… it’s not true, it can’t be. Please, please. Please Kurt, she’s alright…”
Noah’s eyes were watering, as were Kurt’s. Bubbe was sobbing again. When Sarah’s legs gave out, Kurt lifted her and carried her to the couch, sitting next to Noah and petting her hair, “I know sweetie, I know. It’ll be alright, I promise. It’s going to be okay.”
Eventually, she cried herself to sleep. Kurt carried her to her room, where Noah helped put her into bed. They went back to Bubbe, promising to be back the next morning and then headed home to the Hudmel’s.
When they got in, Noah went straight to the bedroom. “I’m just going to tell Dad we’re home. I’ll be right down,” Kurt told him. He stopped briefly in his parent’s room to tell them what happened, then went to the kitchen to heat up two glasses of milk. He brought them down to his boyfriend, who was stripped down to his boxers and under the covers already. Kurt set down the milks and started undressing himself for bed as well.
“I hate her, you know. But still…” Noah’s voice was quiet and wrecked, like he’d been screaming for hours.
Kurt climbed in and wrapped his arms around the bigger boy, “I know baby.”
“It really sucks. I always hoped she’d get better. Be a real mom. For Sarah at least. God, Kurt. It’s not fair. She never even met dad, and now…” his voice broke and a sob tore out of his throat. Kurt held him tighter and whispered nonsense to him until he quieted down.
It was, in actuality, over fairly fast. He wiped his eyes and Kurt stated lamely, “I brought warm milk.”
Noah huffed a wet laugh at that and smiled, sitting up and taking a glass. “I love you, babe.”
“I know you do, baby. I love you too. Try to get some sleep now, okay?”
Characters: Kurt Hummel, Noah Puckerman, Sarah Puckerman, Burt and Carole Hummel, Finn Hudson
Rating: PG-13
Gen/ slash
Warning: None, I don't think
Main Pairing: Kurt/Puck
Word Count: 1,811
Summary: Kurt is surprised in the middle of the night, and gets to see a side of Puck that most don't.
Let it be said that this is now mostly AU. Some things from cannon can be seen, but most of this is from my head and doesn't follow the stuff that's happened at the end of season two at all.
Kurt was never as happy for speakerphone and Carole as he was the next day. Even after starting with, “Don’t freak out, I’m okay,” Kurt was positive he could hear his father’s heart failing over the phone when he explained what had happened. Even with Kurt, Carole and Noah reassuring him, Burt was still ready to drive all the way over to check on his son. He did eventually calm down when he registered Noah’s apologies. “What the hell are you sorry for, Mohawk?”
Burt’s use of the old nickname for him made one corner of his mouth twitch. “If I hadn’t been playing that stupid game I-”
“Puckerman, did you, or did you not, notice the scum as soon as he started on Kurt?”
“Yeah, but-”
“And did you pull him off, realize that something was wrong with Kurt, and get him medical attention?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then you have nothing to be sorry about.”
Carole chimed in then, “You two should get some rest. I’m going to make Burt some dinner and we’re going to watch the game. You call us if you need anything, alright boys?”
They both agreed, everyone gave each other their love, and then they hung up. “Well, that went marginally better than I’d thought it would,” Kurt quipped, “And I love you. Stop feeling guilty. There’s nothing you could’ve done and you can’t be with me twenty-four seven. Now take me to bed.” Noah was happy to comply.
They got the report from the doctor that Kurt had been roofied and pressed charges. With the witnesses from the party, Troy pled guilty and was charged without a trial or anything and given probation and 500 hours of community service. It was all wrapped up by the middle of November.
The boys went home for Thanksgiving break, heading to the Hudmel household after they got out of classes on Wednesday. Kurt was busy all Thursday morning, helping Carole cook their dinner. Sarah and Bubbe were joining them and bringing dessert. Noah couldn’t wait to see his sister, even though he’d seen her for the weekend less than a month before.
The dinner was nice and they were really happy to see Finn again. He was as overexcited as a puppy. “My classes are awesome! Like, my teachers are really into what we’re learning, and they’ll all work with me outside of class with the stuff I don’t get, so I’m actually getting good grades. And there’s like, this club of people who are all in music programs- kinda like a frat or sorority. They even have their own house off-campus. I think I’m gonna apply to live there next year. I go there all the time, and it’s like a big jam session all the time. Puck, you’d fit in great there, cuz someone’s always playing on a guitar or something like that, and Kurt, you could play the keyboard. You guys have to come visit when I live there. They’ll love you!”
Sarah finally was the one who interrupted him by saying, “I’m learning to play the violin, so there!”
Everyone laughed at that and Finn began to ask her about her lessons and what songs she wanted to learn to play. They finished the meal and Finn, Burt and Puck cleaned up while Kurt and the ladies went to the living room to relax. “So, Kurt, how’s school going for you two?” Bubbe asked.
“It’s great, actually. I’m taking mostly my gen ed classes, but I’m in a psychology class too, and that’s really interesting. Noah’s loving his classes too. He’s in a music theory class he keeps gushing about. We’ve even met another gay couple that we hang out with at least once every week. It’s fabulous not being the only out people. I’ve even joined the PFLAG at my school. Oh, and we found a local shelter that we try to go to at least once a month and serve food at. That was actually Noah’s idea, after Coach Sylvester got us to help out last year at Christmas. It’s just amazing!”
Carole smiled happily, genuinely glad that her boys seemed to be faring so well. If she were to be honest with herself, it was the happiest she could remember seeing Kurt in as long as she’d known him.
Friday, Kurt and Carole had a spa day, while the other guys did “something manly together”, as Kurt put it. This actually equaled going out for burgers and then Finn and Puck played video games until Kurt came home and joined them. Saturday was spent catching up with the other members of New Directions who were home from school or still at McKinley. They were at the bowling alley when Noah’s phone rang, the ringtone being Bubbe’s. He excused himself to answer it, knowing from previous experience that not answering, unless he was in class, would get him an earful.
“What’s up, Bubbe?” he greeted.
“Noah, I need you and Kurt to come to my house,” she answered, no nonsense.
She sounded weird, and her grandson asked her, “Everything okay?”
“I’ll explain it when you get here. Quickly, please.”
“Yeah, sure thing. We’ll be there in ten.” He hung up his phone, pocketing it before heading in to gather his boyfriend, “Sorry guys, Kurt and I’ve gotta jet. We’ll see you all soon, right?”
Kurt looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but didn’t argue. They hugged everyone and made their way out to the Navigator, and only then did Kurt ask, “What’s with the speedy exit?”
Noah shrugged, “Dunno, really. Bubbe wants us over there, stat. She sounded strange but wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.”
Kurt nodded and grabbed Puck’s hand for the short drive. When they got to the door, it opened before they even had a chance to knock. Bubbe looked like she had been crying and Noah immediately wrapped her in his arms and asked, “What is it?”
Kurt closed the door behind them and Bubbe led them into the living room. “I’m sorry Noah, it- it’s your mother. She died this morning. It…they think it was an overdose.” Kurt could see she was struggling to keep herself together.
“Shit. Did you tell Sarah?” Noah asked.
She shook her head, “She was at Genevieve’s when I found out, so I called and asked if she could stay there until one of us could pick her up. I thought, thought it’d be better if you were here.”
“Okay. Kurt and I’ll go get her. C’mon babe.”
Kurt and Bubbe exchanged a look and Kurt followed his boyfriend back to the car. Noah stopped in front of it and took the keys out of his pocket, “Do you wanna drive, K?”
Kurt knew this was Noah’s way of asking him to drive, so he agreed, taking the keys and climbing behind the wheel. “Where to?”
Noah gave him directions, and that was all that was said during the short drive across town. They walked up to Genevieve’s front door and rang the bell. Her father answered the door with a smile, “Good to see you again, Noah,” he stuck his hand out to shake, “Is this Kurt?”
Noah smiled tightly and agreed, “Yep, this is him. Kurt, this is Mr. Thompson.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Kurt smiled, shaking the man’s hand as well.
“Pleasure’s all mine. Sarah talks about you all the time. I feel like I know you already.”
“Wow, thanks.” Mr. Thompson led them inside and called up the stairs, “Genny, Noah and Kurt are here to get Sarah!”
A moment later, the two girls crashed down the stairs and the redhead, Genny smiled, “You’re right Sarah, Kurt does have really nice clothes!”
Kurt laughed a little at that and smiled at the pre-teen, “Why thank you, Genevieve. I’m very glad to have made your approval. Ready to go, Sarah?”
“Yep! Bye Genny, bye Mr. T!” and with that, she bound out the door to Kurt’s car.
She talked the whole way back to Bubbe’s, mostly about what she and Genny did, with the occasional comment on the hotness of the singer playing on the radio. When they got in the house, Noah stopped her before she went to her room, “C’mere, Squirt.” He tugged her to the couch and pulled her onto his lap. She looked to Bubbe, who was still sitting in her armchair, and lastly at Kurt, who was biting his lip. “Noh?” she questioned, uncertainty coloring her voice.
“Listen, Squirt, it’s about Ma. She…died this morning.”
Sarah sat up, pulling herself out of his hold and yelled, “No! No she didn’t! Right, Bubbe?” the last question was quieter, pleading.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Bubbe said, standing and holding her arms out to hug the small girl.
“NO!” Sarah screamed and ran to Kurt, throwing herself into him. He wrapped his arms around her while she kept saying, “She’s not dead, she’s alright… it’s not true, it can’t be. Please, please. Please Kurt, she’s alright…”
Noah’s eyes were watering, as were Kurt’s. Bubbe was sobbing again. When Sarah’s legs gave out, Kurt lifted her and carried her to the couch, sitting next to Noah and petting her hair, “I know sweetie, I know. It’ll be alright, I promise. It’s going to be okay.”
Eventually, she cried herself to sleep. Kurt carried her to her room, where Noah helped put her into bed. They went back to Bubbe, promising to be back the next morning and then headed home to the Hudmel’s.
When they got in, Noah went straight to the bedroom. “I’m just going to tell Dad we’re home. I’ll be right down,” Kurt told him. He stopped briefly in his parent’s room to tell them what happened, then went to the kitchen to heat up two glasses of milk. He brought them down to his boyfriend, who was stripped down to his boxers and under the covers already. Kurt set down the milks and started undressing himself for bed as well.
“I hate her, you know. But still…” Noah’s voice was quiet and wrecked, like he’d been screaming for hours.
Kurt climbed in and wrapped his arms around the bigger boy, “I know baby.”
“It really sucks. I always hoped she’d get better. Be a real mom. For Sarah at least. God, Kurt. It’s not fair. She never even met dad, and now…” his voice broke and a sob tore out of his throat. Kurt held him tighter and whispered nonsense to him until he quieted down.
It was, in actuality, over fairly fast. He wiped his eyes and Kurt stated lamely, “I brought warm milk.”
Noah huffed a wet laugh at that and smiled, sitting up and taking a glass. “I love you, babe.”
“I know you do, baby. I love you too. Try to get some sleep now, okay?”