Homemade Love - Glee - Puckurt - Part One
Title: Homemade Love
Author: youaredriving aka Scarletsptember
Word Count: ~9000
Characters: Kurt, Puck, Burt, Mentions of other glee characters. Puckurt!!
Warnings: Sick!fic, slash
Rating: Teen
Summary: Kurt and Puck weren’t best friends but they got along with each other well enough that the moment Kurt got a delirious phone call from Puck he ditched his afternoon classes to make sure Puck was all right. What he found was Noah Puckerman conked out in bed with the flu. If he wasn’t going to take care of himself someone had to.
Author's Notes: This fic came to being because I got terribly sick. Not in the same manner of Puck but in the manner I wish I was sick like he was. I couldn't be that cruel to him. Thanks to Tori for helping me with a title and giving the first bit a read through. Thanks to Crystal because you encouraged me to keep writing when this was only supposed to be a quick drabble but things got a little out of hand. You girls rock my world!!
Kurt looked at the way Puck was sprawled out beneath his covers. One foot was peeking out while his hands were buried beneath his pillow. He was lightly snoring; a sniffling, choking kind of snore that could only be accompanied a cold or flu. Which ever one Puck had, Kurt didn’t really care. Someone needed to take care of the idiot who let his fever get so high he called Kurt delirious and left a message confessing all his darkest secrets.
After he received the rambling voicemail, Kurt skipped his afternoon classes and headed straight for the Puckerman household only after stopping by his house to pick up reinforcements: DayQuil, NyQuil, a thermometer and enough ingredients for chicken noodle soup.
Standing in the doorway Kurt watched as Puck slept in a room that looked like a hurricane just tore. The mess spurred Kurt into action before he could stop himself. He began picking up dirty laundry, straightening the DVD’s and CD’s that had been strewn across the floor. After a moments thought, he tucked Puck’s foot back underneath the covers and pulled the sheets up to his neck before quietly slipping out to make the soup.
It took about forty minutes to get everything set up to a slow simmer before Kurt was trudging back up the stairs with a glass of cool Gatorade, thermometer and little cup of DayQuil in hand. He placed everything on the side table before cautiously sitting on the bed and he pressed a hand to Puck’s shoulder.
“Hey, you need to wake up for me,” Kurt’s voice was soft as he nudged Puck to some semblance of wakefulness.
Puck’s eyes were bloodshot and a bit glazed over with sleep and his lips were cracked beyond the help of ordinary lip balm. Kurt couldn’t help himself when he pressed a hand to Puck’s chest with a whispered, “Oh Noah.”
“Hummel?” Puck croaked out as he rolled onto his back, “How did you get in here and what is that smell?”
Kurt didn’t waste anytime placing the thermometer beneath Puck’s tongue before he started to explain, “You’ve missed school the past few days, you called me earlier and I knew someone needed to either check up on you or just take care of you. The back door wasn’t too hard to jimmy open. That’s how I got in.”
Kurt hummed under his breath in disapproval at the fever Puck had. He gestured for Puck to sit up before he was pressing the small cup of medicine into Puck’s hands, “That should take care of the fever and some of your other symptoms. Take it or I’ll force you to Puckerman.”
Puck threw back the sour tasting syrup and gulped down half the cup of Gatorade that Kurt already had waiting for him. He eyed the tube of lip balm Kurt was holding out over the rim of the cup, “What’s that for. You’re not going to kiss me or something because you have magical fairy germs that’ll make me better?”
Kurt snorted in amusement, “As if. No this is to help those horribly cracked lips of yours. Have you brushed your teeth in the past few days? Taking care of yourself is the key to feeling better, letting germs in your mouth fester can only make you feel worse.”
Puck huffed as he threw back the covers, “I need to take care of business anyways. I might as well brush my teeth while I’m at it.”
“I’m serious Puck,” Kurt stood up and began stripping the bed of the dirty linens, “You could get sores in your mouth because you’re sick. You’re already miserable and you don’t want to feel worse. Clean up.”
“Okay, calm down,” Puck rubbed a hand over his forehead, “What are you doing?”
“Putting your sheets in the wash because there is either a hell of a lot of sweat or something else I really don’t want to think about on them. Simple things make a difference while you’re sick. Where’s your spare set?”
“In the closet in the hallway. It’s next to the bathroom. Is there anyway you thought of feeding me while you turn my sick bed upside down?”
“I made some chicken noodle soup. It should almost be ready. So you take a shower, get in some clean pajamas then get comfy and back in bed. I’ll bring a bowl and another cup of Gatorade, juice, or something to drink up to you.” Kurt waved a hand to usher Puck out of the room with a clean change of clothes. He followed the shuffling jock down the hallway and paused at the linen closet. He eyed the shelves of towels and spare table cloths before he found a set of bed sheets that would fit Puck’s mattress. He made quick work of changing the sheets and propping the pillows so Puck wouldn’t fall straight to sleep as soon as he got back into bed. The poor guy looked like he was about to fall asleep just walking to the bathroom.
He could smell the soup at the top of the stairs and the smell got more intense as he moved through the kitchen and found the laundry machines tucked away next to the pantry. He started the laundry before dishing out the soup and grabbing another bottle of Gatorade.
By the time Kurt made it back up to Puck’s room, Puck was sitting in on his bed eyeing the floor suspiciously. He looked up at the sounds of Kurt’s soft cough and tilted his head, “Did you clean my room too?”
“Environment aides the healing process,” Kurt shrugged as he passed over the steaming bowl of soup along followed by a spoon. “And despite everything I can’t stand to see someone feel as miserable as you look.”
Kurt sat at the foot of the bed holding the bottle of Gatorade in his lap as he watched Puck sip at the broth and cautiously eat the noodles and vegetables. “Holy shit Kurt! This didn’t come from a can.”
Kurt smiled at Puck, “No it didn’t. I started it as soon as I got here.”
“You made this,” Puck blinked before he took another bite, “For me, from scratch?”
“Yes,” Kurt nodded, “I read somewhere that chicken noodle soup has healing qualities. Plus it’s a comfort food so I figured you’d probably like it.”
“It’s delicious,” Puck nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve never had it like this before. I’ve always just nuked it in the microwave but I really need to learn to make this. If not just for me, then for my ma and sister.”
“Noah Puckerman can cook,” Kurt’s eyes widened, “You never cease to amaze me.”
“Well,” Puck finished off his soup and grabbed the Gatorade from Kurt, “I’ve been known to amaze people from time to time.”
Kurt ducked his head with red cheeks, “I know. You manage to make me think that you really are changing with out all the dumpster dives, slushies, and how much you care for everyone in glee.”
“You guys are like family,” Puck shrugged as he snuggled down beneath the covers. Kurt took that as his cue to stand up and begin cleaning up the lunch mess, “I’ll just clean this up and get the rest of the soup in the fridge so you can have the leftovers for dinner.”
Having the dishes cleaned, the sheets set up in the dryer there wasn’t much else for Kurt to do. He dug through the cabinets and found an unopened back of cough drops and he refilled a glass with water before heading back up to Puck’s room. The snores weren’t as bad as they had been. It was a good sign that the medicine was doing something for Puck and letting him get better rest that he had been getting.
Kurt scribbled out a note telling Puck to take another dose of the medicine, try the cough drops if his throat was sore, to drink lots more water and to eat.
He had everything set up and was about to leave when Puck’s warm hand wrapped around his wrist. Kurt looked down at Puck worried that something was wrong, “What is it?”
“Why are you doing all this?” Puck let out a raspy cough that he barely managed to cover with arm. “Why are you taking care of me?”
Kurt brushed a hand along Puck’s forehead, subtly checking for a temperature and in effort to calm Puck. He smiled as he answered, “Because.”
“That’s not a real answer,” Puck groaned as Kurt gathered up his coat and headed for the door.
“Why wouldn’t I help you Puck?” Kurt shrugged as he leaned against the door frame pulling on his gloves, “You’ve helped me so why can’t I return the favor?”
“But,” Puck closed his eyes as if it hurt to think, “Just thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Kurt ducked his head, “I’ll stop by tomorrow before school to check on you and to make sure you’ve eaten and taken your medicine.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But I want to. Get some rest Puck and…just get better.”
“Why did that feel like you were leaving another sentence off of that?” Puck rolled onto his side, his eyes halfway closed and on his way to sleep.
“Because I did,” Kurt rolled his eyes. “We’ll talk when you get better.”
The driveway to Puck’s house was already empty by the time Kurt got there. It wasn’t all that surprising because the younger kids went to school a good forty minutes earlier than the high school did and Puck’s mom worked in a hospital. He got back into the house the same way he did yesterday before he headed up to Puck’s room.
He was surprised to hear the soft lull of music streaming through the room while Puck sat up trying his best to eat sloppy oatmeal. Kurt peeled his gloves off followed by his jacket, “Feeling any better?”
“Not really,” Puck set the bowl down on the table and leaned back on the pillows with a huff. “I just can’t sleep anymore.”
“That’s why there is music,” Kurt pointed out, “Or silly movies to get lost in while you’re sick.”
“You pick,” Puck tossed the remote towards Kurt, “I’ll probably just fall asleep.”
“Nah,” Kurt picked out The Boondock Saints and toed his shoes off as he set the DVD to play. He crawled onto the bed next to Puck, “Did you take any medicine?”
Puck grinned, “And I took my temperature. Not nearly as bad as it was yesterday.”
“And you’re actually talking,” Kurt bumped shoulders with Puck. “See what the little things do?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Puck rolled his eyes as he shifted further down on the bed and rolled to his side to see the television better. The room as quiet for about ten minutes before Puck was tugging on Kurt and making him loosen up from how still he had been sitting and to get more comfortable. “There you go, now you won’t get a crick in your neck from trying to watch the movie.”
“You just want to cuddle,” Kurt rolled his eyes as he settled in the bed with his back turned towards Puck with his head resting on his arm and the pillow beneath him.
“What if I did?” Puck’s words were hot against Kurt’s neck.
Kurt swallowed down the coil of lust that seemed to be loosening with every second he spent lying down in Puck’s bed. He could feel heat rolling to places it didn’t need to be. “Then I would say, save the cuddling until you are healthy and we’ve had managed to have that talk.”
Puck let out a loud yawn before he pressed his forehead to the back of Kurt’s neck and snuggled closer, “What talk?”
“The one about the voicemail you left me that you probably can’t even remember leaving me,” Kurt whispered out after Puck’s breathing had slowed to the steady rhythms of a body falling into sleep.
Waking up with Noah Puckerman’s arms wrapped around him like a giant Teddy Bear wasn’t something that Kurt was expecting. It felt like Puck was there, protecting him from the things that wait for sleep to come. He felt the strength and warmth of the hold. It was enough to make him want to close his eyes, burrow down deeper and go back to sleep for the rest of the day.
But he didn’t. The soured oatmeal and the time flashing at him from the clock persuaded him out from Puck’s arms and into the kitchen to figure something out for lunch. The chicken noodle soup had disappeared over night so Kurt set out in search of something else.
A light toasted sandwich and more Gatorade for the both of them was what he ended up settling for. He made the journey up the stairs with plates in hand but froze at the sight of Puck standing next to his nightstand with Kurt’s phone to his ear. Kurt scrambled back out of the doorway and pressed his back against the wall trying to remind himself to just freaking breathe.
He heard the phone clatter on top of the nightstand and Puck attempting some kind of odd breathing therapy on himself before he heard something else crash to the floor and Puck started cursing and coughing until he was wheezing. Kurt couldn’t hide any longer so he made quick work of setting their lunch down and getting Puck to stand up straight before he was rubbing Puck’s back and whispering all kinds of nonsense to him.
Puck grabbed a glass and nearly chugged it down before he turned to face Kurt. His face was red and his eyes watering, “Thanks man.”
“Oh shut up,” Kurt rolled his eyes, “You’ll make your throat hurt worse, here eat one of these before you try to eat real food. At least your throat won’t completely be on fire.”
As Puck sucked on the lozenge they settled on the bed and Kurt handed over the plates and sat quietly, waiting for whatever excuses Puck had to come flying out of those lips. It didn’t come though. Not even after they finished up their sandwiches and Kurt handed Puck his barely touched drink. Instead Puck just set the plates and glasses on the floor before he was tugging Kurt to lie down beside him.
There wasn’t anything but the sounds of the heater clicking on and warming the room that lulled them back to sleep. It didn’t matter much. It was obvious Puck had heard what he had said. As soon as Puck woke up he wouldn’t waste any time kicking Kurt to the curb saying he didn’t mean it and this was all a big misunderstanding.
The room had dimmed with evening light and Kurt could hear Puck’s sister downstairs laughing at whatever she was watching on the television. He didn’t even realize that Puck was awake until Puck’s arms wrapped tighter around Kurt and he let out a soft sigh.
“When you said we had to talk, you really meant it didn’t you?”
“You left me a message, albeit a delirious one, about how much you wished you could be like me, be with me. So yes, we do need to talk but we can do that when you’re better and can remember the conversation in whole and not in little bits and pieces.”
“But,” Puck licked his lips and pressed a feverish forehead against the back of Kurt’s neck. “I did mean those things. You are one of the only people at McKinley who isn’t afraid of being who you are completely. No matter what the consequences are you are the bravest dude I’ve ever met. I wish that I could do that. Let the world see who Noah Puckerman really is. I’m not just Puck. I’m not that always a jerk. I’m just, I’m afraid for people to really know what I’m really like and what they would do if they found out.”
“There’s no reason to be afraid of who you are Noah.”
“Yes there is,” Puck’s arms pulled away from the hold he had on Kurt and he rolled to his back and threw an arm over his eyes. “I’m not like you Kurt. I’m not brave. I’m afraid of what people would do to me. I’ve been on their side of things. I’ve never really been where you are and I don’t understand how you can handle it all.”
Kurt rolled onto his stomach, Noah’s words echoing in his mind the entire time. I’m crazy about you. Like crazy in the way that I’m so gone I don’t know what to do. I’m going crazy over Kurt freaking Hummel and hell if I care. I just want you. Kurt gently pried the arm away from Noah’s eyes and stared into scared eyes. “If you’re afraid they’ll know it. You have no reason to be afraid of who you are. Not here, not at school, not anywhere. You are Noah Puckerman. You’re fearless, badass, and you are not afraid of being maybe a little gay for me.”
Puck pressed the heels of his palms in his eyes, “Oh god.”
Kurt chuckled, “Think the name you’re looking for is Kurt.”
Muffled laughter turned into bone jarring laughs, hard enough to make Puck cough and sit up. His face was red again but this time he was grinning. “Only you would say something like that.”
“What you see is what you get,” Kurt shrugged.
“Why’d you come here?” Puck whispered almost as if he were afraid of what Kurt could actually say.
“Despite the fact you admitted you were crazy about me?” Kurt asked and watched Puck blush. He rested a hand on Puck’s knee, “Because you were sick and if you were sick enough to admit that you needed someone to take care of you why would I ignore that request?”
“What if I had Ebola or something?”
“Then I’d still be right here with you. Okay well there would be a plastic containment sheet around you but I’d still be here. Can’t let you die alone, can I?”
“Nah,” Puck shook his head, “You’d by the only one fearless enough to visit someone if they had Ebola.”
“Well I’d probably have it to, being airborne and all,” Kurt waved a hand to dismiss the thought, “I just can’t let someone be miserable and you Noah Puckerman are the whiniest sick person ever. Even over the phone.”
“Thanks,” Puck rolled his eyes before he sobered, “Really, thank you. For all of this. Not making a big deal out of my confession, being sick and stuff. You’re a good guy. Anyone who has you for a boyfriend is going to be one lucky dude.”
“Of course,” Kurt rolled his eyes before grabbing another does of DayQuil and handing it over to Puck who was already yawning. “Get some more rest.”
“No,” Puck shook his head. “This bed is giving me sores. Or maybe it’s your elbows.”
Kurt shoved Puck in the shoulder, “Grab your pillow and blanket, hang out and watch television with your sister then.”
“What about you?” Puck asked with his hands clutching the quilt and pillow.
“I need to go home and explain why I missed another day of school to my father. No doubt he’s sitting at the kitchen table glaring at his fingers as if they were the one to have skipped school.”
Puck dropped his pillow and the quilt to the floor before his arms were around Kurt without though, “I’m so sorry, tell him I threatened you or something.”
Kurt let out a chuckle, “It’s not a big deal. He’ll understand.”
Kurt was right. His Dad was sitting at the table glaring at his hands. He set his bag down in the living and stripped his coat of before making his way into the kitchen to sit across the table from his Dad.
“Your school called today,” Burt tapped on the table angrily, “A stupid recording said you missed school. Want to tell me what’s going on Kurt? You skipped your afternoon classes yesterday and today you didn’t show up at all. Is someone messing with you at school? What’s going on? This isn’t like you at all.”
“There’s nothing going on at school,” Kurt swiped a hand over his face trying to figure out how to exactly to explain that he was missing school in order to take care of a sick Noah Puckerman.
Burt’s fist banging against the table shook Kurt from his thoughts, “Then what is it? Is it drugs? Please tell me it’s not drugs kid.”
Kurt rolled his eyes internally, “It’s not drugs dad. It’s nothing bad like that.”
“Then what is it?” Burt tugged at his hat. “You can tell me. You know that.”
“It’s Puck,” Kurt blurted out.
“Noah Puckerman?” Burt repeated, “What’s this got to do with you missing school?”
“I’ve been missing school to take care of him,” Kurt licked his lips before folding his hands together in his lap looking everywhere but at his dad.
“To take care of Puckerman?” Burt sounded like a parrot but he tilted his head back in thought. “Why does he need taking care of and why are you the one taking care of him?”
“He called me the other day at school,” Kurt whispered. “He sounded like he was this close to passing out or worse. So I ditched school to check on him. He’s just got the flu or something but he wasn’t taking care of himself so I made sure he had medicine, he was eating and that he had clean clothes and bed sheets. His mom was at work, his sister at school and he wasn’t really taking care of himself.”
“So you decided that you had to be the person to do that for him?” Burt huffed out a sigh. “Even though you would miss school, miss out on glee and everything else to be there for Puck?”
“Yes,” Kurt nodded.
“Are you two, uh, boyfriends or something? Is that why you’ve been watching out for him?”
Kurt felt the heat rush to his cheeks and knew that he was blushing so badly there wasn’t anything he could do to hide it from his father. “We’re not boyfriends dad. We just, I don’t know it’s complicated.”
“But you want to be?” Burt fumbled with a guess.
“Maybe,” Kurt threw his hands up in the air, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Burt narrowed his eyes at his son and waited Kurt out for a better explanation than he was getting.
“He called me okay? He called me crazy out of his mind from a fever,” Kurt fumbled with his cell phone as he pulled it from his pocket before he handed it over to his Dad, “Just listen.”
Through the course of the voicemail Burt’s eyes danced with curiosity. Once it was over Burt set the phone down on the table and slid it back over to his son, “So, I can see why you would have gone over there.”
“He sounded horrible!” Kurt agreed.
“No,” Burt shook his head, “He admitted that he was attracted to you. Pretty damn obvious he has been for away by the way he was talking.”
“I,” Kurt rolled his lips together, “I couldn’t just not go over there. He has been so nice to me lately. He won’t let people throw me in the dumpster. He’ll pull me out of the way of slushies. He watches out for me. He has been for the past few months. He’s changed from what I used to know. He’s a good person Dad.”
“I don’t doubt that. I’ve seen how he’s changed too but,” Burt licked his lips and shook his head, “Just look out for yourself too. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Heart of stone,” Kurt smirked and ignored the head shake he got in response.
Kurt went to school the next day. He regretted not stopping by to check up on Puck but his Dad had a point even if Kurt didn’t really like that it. Puck could just be acting this friendly because he was sick. Kurt had done crazier things while he was sick so it was possible. To be honest they weren’t really friends anywhere outside of Glee and school hours. Sure if there was a Glee activity outside of school they’d exchange hellos and maybe talk every now and then but they weren’t best friends. They were just acquaintances. Which sucked.
He wanted Puck to be the Puck that he had gotten to know in private. The cuddly, sappy Puck. Which would probably only come out with Puck was ill so why should he bother? Really? Even if the stupid voicemail was left while Puck wasn’t completely in his right mind, it didn’t mean anything. Then again, drunk minds usually tell the truth because there is no filter what-so-ever. So how did Kurt really know what was really going on in Puck’s mind or if there even was anything going on in Puck’s mind.
Out of every possible outcome, Kurt really found himself wanting Puck to be Noah. The boy he had cared for. The boy who helped him stay out of dumpsters, out of the way of slushies and stood up for him when the football team decided that he needed another beating. It was more than that though. Kurt wanted to feel Puck’s arms around him like he had. He wanted to be able to cuddle up and watch movies, make dinner for them and get to know Noah even better. He didn’t just want to know Puck.
Banging his head on his locker as the day ended Kurt came to one conclusion. He was screwed. He was utterly and completely screwed when it came to Noah Puckerman.
Go to Part Two