(Put Me Back Together) Of Soirees and Sarongs (2/?)
Title: Put Me Back Together
Part: Chapter 2: Of Soirees and Sarongs
Author: Squeeka Cuomo
Rating: PG
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kurt/Puck, Burt Hummel, Mercedes Jones, Finn Hudson, Quinn Fabray, Emma Pillsbury, Will Schuester, Tina Cohen-Chang, Artie Abrams, Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Brittany, Mike Chang, Matt Rutherford
Author’s Note: The title and opening quote for this fic come from the beautiful Weezer song, “Put Me Back Together.” You can find it here.
Warning: This takes place directly after “Sectionals.” Everything up to that point is considered fair game. There are spoilers if you haven’t seen the first 13 episodes.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: All it takes is one moment to break Kurt apart. How many will it take to put not only himself but Puck back together?
Put Me Back TogetherChapter 2: Of Soirees and Sarongs
When Kurt walked into WMHS on Monday morning, he expected…. Well, to be honest, he didn’t really know what to expect. Yes, New Directions had won at sectionals, but really… that didn’t mean much. After all, the glee club was still considered to be pretty lame. (Though on the school’s cool club ladder, it had managed to climb a step above The Renaissance Club.) So it wasn’t like he expected people to throw themselves at him like they had the Monday after football team finally won a game.
As for Puck…
Kurt had tried to push any thoughts of what had happened in the wing to the back of his mind. He’d tried to forget the feel of the other boy’s hands on his waist and in his hair, tried to completely erase the feel of Puck’s full lips against his own from his memory. Because as much as he’d enjoyed the kiss itself, he couldn’t handle that it had been Puck he’d shared it with.
And for the most part, it had worked.
When he’d woken up on Sunday morning, Kurt’s first thought had been of Puck. But the second he’d rolled out of bed, his dad had come into his room asking if he could help out at the shop even though it was his day off. So the rest of the day Kurt had been too occupied with phone calls, minor repairs, and food runs to think about anything other than engines and jelly-filled donuts. And that night had been taken over by a bio lab write up and an essay for English due the next day that he hadn’t even started yet.
So, for the most part, his thoughts had been blissfully Puck-free.
But when he walked into school on Monday morning and saw Puck laughing with Mike and Matt, it all came rushing back with so much force that Kurt would have swore that Puck’s lips were pressed against his own at that moment. And as the feelings and sensations ran through his body all over again, Kurt felt his heartbeat speed up and a blush begin to creep up the back of his neck.
He was so frozen by the memory that it wasn’t until the bell rang for first period that Kurt was finally able to move. And when he could, he took off in the opposite direction of his class, pushing past everyone until he ran smack into a very tall, thin body.
Pushing himself back a little, Kurt looked up and up until he met Finn’s warm brown eyes.
“Finn.” Kurt’s voice was soft, barely a whisper, but those four little letters somehow managed to feel like an absolute truth in a world full of lies. And when Finn placed his strong hands on Kurt’s shoulders to steady him, he felt all of his tension and anxiety melt away. Almost instantly his breathing returned to normal as his flush receded.
“Hey, Kurt. Going somewhere?” Finn was laughing softly as he set Kurt back on his feet. As Finn continued to smile down at him, all thoughts of Puck and the kiss they’d shared disappeared from Kurt’s thoughts. It was, after all, only a kiss in the dark. Nothing more. And when he thought about it more rationally, Kurt realized that Puck probably hadn’t even known whom he was kissing. It had been so dark that Puck had probably thought he was grabbing Quinn.
And as he continued to stare up at Finn, all traces of Puck slipped from his mind. The kiss was just a kiss, no longer a monumental affair. And it no longer mattered that Puck had been the one he’d shared it with. Sure, it had been Puck’s lips, and his hands, but…
Kurt had been thinking of Finn, wishing and hoping that he was the one who was kissing him. And he still wished that that had been the case because Finn was good and sweet. Unlike Puck who had never been anything but an arrogant self-absorbed jerk towards him. And Kurt had no desire to start believing that Puck had any hidden depths after all of the times he’d been tossed in the dumpster by him.
So, with all thoughts of Puck and their kiss pushed to the deepest recesses of his subconscious, Kurt gave Finn a shy smile. “Why yes, actually. I’m on my way to Spanish. Want to walk me there?” Deep down, Kurt knew it was dangerous to flirt with Finn, but he just couldn’t stop himself.
“Uh, sure.” Finn just smiled at him good-naturedly. He’d either missed Kurt’s flirty tone or chosen to ignore it. (He was pretty sure it was the former.) Either way, Kurt was practically beaming as they headed off towards first period together.
After first period was over, Finn surprised Kurt by walking over to him as he was leaving Mr. Schuester’s classroom. But his joy was short lived because just as they stepped out into the hall together, Puck walked by. He quickly gave Finn an apologetic look before dropping his mohawk-ed head and rushing into the crowd of milling students.
He wanted to move, to continue on their way to second period, but the change in the boy next to Kurt was instantaneous. He could feel the tension radiating off of the normally happy boy.
Looking up at Finn, Kurt was taken aback by the hurt and anger he saw on the other boy’s face. His features, usually so open and readable, had closed down. The twinkle was gone from Finn’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth were pulled downward. He wanted to say something, wanted to do something that would wipe away the obvious pain, but he didn’t get a chance.
“Look, I don’t know if anyone has told you or not… I just found out in a note Brittany passed me, but Rachel wants everyone to meet in the choir room during lunch. Something about putting together something for Mr. Schu.” Finn sounded upset, and Kurt could hardly blame him. “Umh, I gotta go. My next class is in the next wing, and I’m gonna be late.” Without waiting for Kurt to respond, Finn turned and pushed his way down the hall, leaving Kurt there to stare after him.
The rest of the morning, Kurt ignored Puck, trying to act as normal and nonchalant as he possibly could.
For the most part, ignoring Puck was par for the course for Kurt. But now, whenever he would pass Puck in the hallway, Kurt would become painfully aware of where he was and what he was doing. It was almost as if all eyes were on him. And normally he would have killed to garner that type of attention. But now, he wanted nothing more than to run and hide.
And the thing that shocked him the most was that Puck didn’t even seem to notice his presence. But that little fact didn’t catch his attention - not because he wanted Puck to notice him, but rather because Puck always managed to find him in a crowded hallway or busy parking lot. And for him to outright ignore Kurt was just strange.
When lunchtime rolled around, Kurt made his way to the choir room thoroughly irritated with Rachel for calling the impromptu glee session. It was Chinese food day in the caf’, and he was hungry. He’d thought of stopping by and grabbing a bowl of lo mein before heading to the classroom. But when he saw Puck at the slushie machine, right inside the cafeteria door, he quickly changed his mind.
It was with a lot of anger bubbling up inside of him that Kurt kept on walking past the cafeteria. He was irritated with Rachel and Puck. And he was upset about how the delicious smells of noodles, fried rice, and orange chicken seemed to be teasing him as they wafted from the kitchen. And because of all that, Kurt meandered through the hallway taking his sweet time. If he wasn’t going to get to eat, he certainly wasn’t going to rush off to do Rachel’s bidding.
And when he reached the door to the choir room, Kurt regretted each and every leisurely step he’d taken. Because Puck, grape slushie in hand, had managed to arrive at the exact same time he did.
Kurt barely suppressed an eye roll as Puck walked up by him. Kurt expected Puck to push past him and most likely slop some of his sugary drink all over his white leather oxfords. But, much to Kurt’s surprise, Puck quit walking as well, eyeing Kurt almost as if he were expecting something.
“What?” Kurt’s normally soft voice barked out. He was hungry and cranky and really didn’t feel like dealing with Puck.
“Geez, Hummel. PMS-ing? You gonna go in or what?” Puck’s dark eyes surveyed him as he took a deep draw from his drink, wrapping his lips around the straw.
As Kurt stared at Puck, a light flush stole over his neck and the tips of his ears. He wanted to respond, but when he opened his mouth to speak, Kurt suddenly remembered the feel of Puck’s lips against his. And it didn’t help that Puck’s lips were puckered around the straw, giving a picture to what he’d only been able to imagine in the darkness.
When his eyes flickered involuntarily to Puck’s mouth, the blush that had been minimal a second ago quickly took over his entire face. The sight caused Puck to laugh around the straw that he was clutching between his teeth. And before Puck could say (or do) anything else, Kurt threw his head back and stomped into the classroom, the other boy’s chuckle echoing behind him.
Other than that, the lunch rehearsal went well enough. Rachel even bribed Jacob Ben Israel into brining them all something to eat. (What the price was Kurt did not want to know.) And for the most part, Puck kept his distance, choosing instead, to try and get back into Quinn’s good graces by chatting with her. (It didn’t seem to work though.) They brushed past each other as they danced, but that was it.
Nothing more.
But when it came to the actual glee rehearsal after school and they all stood up to greet Mr. Schuester, Puck managed to end up standing right next to him. Kurt pointedly kept his eyes on Schu, but even though he was focusing on the teacher, he could feel Puck’s gaze on his face from time to time. He longed to look over and ask Puck what he wanted, but he just couldn’t bring himself to.
Thankfully Kurt didn’t have to keep his attention glued to the teacher for long as they quickly broke apart to perform the number they’d prepared during lunch. They’d put it together fast, but it went surprisingly well. Even if he did get a little to caught up in his “Single Ladies” moment.
When it was all over and everyone took their seats, Kurt grabbed a small stack of flyers out of his bag and headed towards the front of the room.
Mr. Schuester, noticing what Kurt was doing, called the room to order. “Ok guys, listen up. Kurt has something he wants to say.” He’d asked Schu about making his announcement earlier, and Kurt was happy to see that he hadn’t forgotten.
Smiling at Schu, Kurt said thank you as he placed the stack of blue papers on top of the piano. When he turned back around, Kurt couldn’t help but take note of the faces looking back at him expectantly. Rachel was sitting in the very middle of the front row looking ridiculously attentive. Her brown eyes were wide and bright, like that of an owl, and her hands were folded neatly on top of her lap. Sitting at the end of the front row was Quinn; her eyes were downcast as she rubbed her stomach. In the back row, Matt and Mike were watching him, but not really, as they punched each other on the shoulder. And sitting on the far end of the front row were Mercedes and Finn who looked merely curious. Everyone else was paying attention with varying degrees of interest.
But, out of everyone in the room, Puck was the only one who was truly watching him.
And the other boy’s gaze was so intense, so focused, that Kurt could barely stand it.
Puck’s dark eyes made him feel transparent, as if his deepest and darkest secrets were being put on display in front of the entire glee club. Kurt tried to look away from him, to hide what little of himself he could, but before he had a chance, Puck met his eyes. And for just a second, their gazes locked, deep brown eyes boring into clear blue ones. And even though it tied Kurt’s stomach in knots, he couldn’t look away, couldn’t pull himself out of the murky depths of Puck’s stare.
If it weren’t for Mr. Schuester pointedly clearing his throat, Kurt didn’t know if he’d have been able to look away. And when the sound hit his ears, he blinked and shook his head a little, trying to clear his mind of the feeling of Puck’s eyes on his own. When he looked back at the rest of the glee club, he saw Mercedes staring at him with a look of utter confusion on her face.
And he couldn’t help but wonder… If Mercedes and Mr. Schuester had noticed, who else had?
Quickly looking around the room again, Kurt practically sighed in relief when he saw that no one seemed to have seen. Rachel was eyeing the stack of flyers he’d placed on the piano eagerly, and Mike and Matt had moved onto texting. And Finn’s eyes were flickering between Quinn and Puck even though they were sitting at opposite ends of the room.
Feeling slightly more confident that no one had seen anything, Kurt placed his hand on hip and smiled out at his peers. “In honor of our victory at Sectionals -” Kurt was cut off as a loud chorus of cheers and applause broke out. The explosion of sound, rather than increase his fears, bolstered his confidence. “I’m hosting a little soiree-”
“Wait, isn’t that a little wraparound skirt to go over a bathing suit?” Brittany’s airy voice stopped Kurt mid-sentence.
“No, Brittany. That’s a sarong.” He couldn’t help the tiny bit of annoyance that slipped into his voice.
The confusion was evident on Brittany’s face, and next to her, Santana was rolling her eyes. “Oh. But then what’s a swar-”
But before Kurt could respond, Puck spoke up. “It’s a party, Einstein.” Kurt was amazed that not only had Puck spoken up but that he sounded just as irritated as he felt. He wanted to look over, to see the expression on Puck’s face, but after what had happened before, Kurt didn’t trust himself.
So, before anyone could say anything else, Kurt spoke again. “Like I was saying, I’m hosting a party.” He looked directly at Brittany who smiled happily. “It will be at my house this Saturday night, and I’ll be showing a video of Sectionals.”
When everyone started to smile and chatter about the upcoming get together, Kurt felt his confidence rise even more. But before he could finish his announcement, Finn spoke up.
“Will there be food?” He sounded hopeful, and Kurt couldn’t help but wonder why he was always so focused on eating. And from the look on Mercedes face, she was wondering the exact same thing.
“Yes, of course. There will be refreshments.” Kurt made a mental note to ask his dad if he could call in a favor with his uncle who owned a local pizzeria.
When Finn smiled at him and nodded, Kurt felt a flush creeping up the back of his neck. And in an effort to stave it off, he quickly looked over to Mercedes who was clearly trying not to laugh. Taking a deep breath, Kurt tore his eyes off of Finn and his best friend. “And you’re all invited.” Kurt looked at every kid in the room in an effort to let them all know that they really were invited (even Rachel).
But when he got to Puck, Kurt stopped short, not able to look him in the eye again.
And to makes matters worse, he could feel Puck’s eyes boring into him from across the room.
“Umh…” The feel of Puck’s eyes on him caused Kurt to stutter and wish he were safely tucked into his seat rather than standing in front of the class. “The flyers I put on the piano have all of the information you’ll need. The time, directions to my house, and… and my cell number.” Kurt didn’t know why, but he felt embarrassed admitting that his number was on the small pieces of paper in front of Puck. And the fact that he’d put his number on the invitations shouldn’t have. After all, Puck meant nothing to him. Kiss or not.
Without saying anything else, Kurt rushed forward, taking the open seat next to Mercedes. But rather than sit up straight, he slouched down just a bit, hoping to blend into his seat. But even though he was safely hidden next to his best friend, Kurt still felt as if he were being watched. But when he peeked around the girl next to him, Puck was staring at the illuminated screen of his cell phone.
“Kurt, what is with you?” Mercedes’ voice was barely above a whisper, but Kurt could still sense her irritation. “And why didn’t you tell me about the party? I could have helped you plan it.”
Mr. Schuester was now walking around the room, a stack of sheet music in his hand, so Kurt had to wait for him to pass by before he could respond. When he could finally speak, his voice was equally low and irritated. “Nothing. I… I’m fine. And I had to talk to my dad about the par…” Kurt didn’t get to finish, because Schu asked everyone to get up and divide into pairs. He and Mercedes didn’t even bother asking one another if they wanted to be partners. Instead they just stood together still trying to whisper about the party.
When rehearsal finally ended, Kurt lagged behind to see if anyone would pick up the flyers he’d made. And for the most part, everyone did. The only ones that didn’t were the ones like Brittany, Tina, and Mercedes who already knew where he lived.
And watching the kids he’d come to think of as his friends pick up the invitations put a smile on Kurt’s face. Over the past few months he’d grown closer to the motley bunch that made up New Directions, but it wasn’t until that moment that he realized how much they meant to him.
After everyone left the room, Kurt gathered up his things and grabbed the remaining flyers off of the piano. When he walked out of the choir room and into the hallway, he was surprised to find that it was completely deserted except for one person.
A few feet down the hall, Puck was poking around in his locker, a small blue flyer sticking out of his back pocket.
Squeeka Cuomo’s Notes
- The title and opening quote for this fic come from the beautiful Weezer song, “Put Me Back Together.” You can find it here.
- I owe a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. So… thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate it more than I can say. :duck:
- Silver Arrow: No, this does’t take place in the same universe as “While You’re Dancing.” But I agree that if it did, that would make for some interesting plot twists. That said… I do have some other twists in mind. :)
- Quack: Thank you so much. I really couldn’t do this without you. And more importantly, I wouldn’t want to.
- Reviews are love.
Put Me Back Together
Chapter 1: Kiss Me Goodbye
Part: Chapter 2: Of Soirees and Sarongs
Author: Squeeka Cuomo
Rating: PG
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Kurt/Puck, Burt Hummel, Mercedes Jones, Finn Hudson, Quinn Fabray, Emma Pillsbury, Will Schuester, Tina Cohen-Chang, Artie Abrams, Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Brittany, Mike Chang, Matt Rutherford
Author’s Note: The title and opening quote for this fic come from the beautiful Weezer song, “Put Me Back Together.” You can find it here.
Warning: This takes place directly after “Sectionals.” Everything up to that point is considered fair game. There are spoilers if you haven’t seen the first 13 episodes.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: All it takes is one moment to break Kurt apart. How many will it take to put not only himself but Puck back together?
Put Me Back TogetherChapter 2: Of Soirees and Sarongs
When Kurt walked into WMHS on Monday morning, he expected…. Well, to be honest, he didn’t really know what to expect. Yes, New Directions had won at sectionals, but really… that didn’t mean much. After all, the glee club was still considered to be pretty lame. (Though on the school’s cool club ladder, it had managed to climb a step above The Renaissance Club.) So it wasn’t like he expected people to throw themselves at him like they had the Monday after football team finally won a game.
As for Puck…
Kurt had tried to push any thoughts of what had happened in the wing to the back of his mind. He’d tried to forget the feel of the other boy’s hands on his waist and in his hair, tried to completely erase the feel of Puck’s full lips against his own from his memory. Because as much as he’d enjoyed the kiss itself, he couldn’t handle that it had been Puck he’d shared it with.
And for the most part, it had worked.
When he’d woken up on Sunday morning, Kurt’s first thought had been of Puck. But the second he’d rolled out of bed, his dad had come into his room asking if he could help out at the shop even though it was his day off. So the rest of the day Kurt had been too occupied with phone calls, minor repairs, and food runs to think about anything other than engines and jelly-filled donuts. And that night had been taken over by a bio lab write up and an essay for English due the next day that he hadn’t even started yet.
So, for the most part, his thoughts had been blissfully Puck-free.
But when he walked into school on Monday morning and saw Puck laughing with Mike and Matt, it all came rushing back with so much force that Kurt would have swore that Puck’s lips were pressed against his own at that moment. And as the feelings and sensations ran through his body all over again, Kurt felt his heartbeat speed up and a blush begin to creep up the back of his neck.
He was so frozen by the memory that it wasn’t until the bell rang for first period that Kurt was finally able to move. And when he could, he took off in the opposite direction of his class, pushing past everyone until he ran smack into a very tall, thin body.
Pushing himself back a little, Kurt looked up and up until he met Finn’s warm brown eyes.
“Finn.” Kurt’s voice was soft, barely a whisper, but those four little letters somehow managed to feel like an absolute truth in a world full of lies. And when Finn placed his strong hands on Kurt’s shoulders to steady him, he felt all of his tension and anxiety melt away. Almost instantly his breathing returned to normal as his flush receded.
“Hey, Kurt. Going somewhere?” Finn was laughing softly as he set Kurt back on his feet. As Finn continued to smile down at him, all thoughts of Puck and the kiss they’d shared disappeared from Kurt’s thoughts. It was, after all, only a kiss in the dark. Nothing more. And when he thought about it more rationally, Kurt realized that Puck probably hadn’t even known whom he was kissing. It had been so dark that Puck had probably thought he was grabbing Quinn.
And as he continued to stare up at Finn, all traces of Puck slipped from his mind. The kiss was just a kiss, no longer a monumental affair. And it no longer mattered that Puck had been the one he’d shared it with. Sure, it had been Puck’s lips, and his hands, but…
Kurt had been thinking of Finn, wishing and hoping that he was the one who was kissing him. And he still wished that that had been the case because Finn was good and sweet. Unlike Puck who had never been anything but an arrogant self-absorbed jerk towards him. And Kurt had no desire to start believing that Puck had any hidden depths after all of the times he’d been tossed in the dumpster by him.
So, with all thoughts of Puck and their kiss pushed to the deepest recesses of his subconscious, Kurt gave Finn a shy smile. “Why yes, actually. I’m on my way to Spanish. Want to walk me there?” Deep down, Kurt knew it was dangerous to flirt with Finn, but he just couldn’t stop himself.
“Uh, sure.” Finn just smiled at him good-naturedly. He’d either missed Kurt’s flirty tone or chosen to ignore it. (He was pretty sure it was the former.) Either way, Kurt was practically beaming as they headed off towards first period together.
After first period was over, Finn surprised Kurt by walking over to him as he was leaving Mr. Schuester’s classroom. But his joy was short lived because just as they stepped out into the hall together, Puck walked by. He quickly gave Finn an apologetic look before dropping his mohawk-ed head and rushing into the crowd of milling students.
He wanted to move, to continue on their way to second period, but the change in the boy next to Kurt was instantaneous. He could feel the tension radiating off of the normally happy boy.
Looking up at Finn, Kurt was taken aback by the hurt and anger he saw on the other boy’s face. His features, usually so open and readable, had closed down. The twinkle was gone from Finn’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth were pulled downward. He wanted to say something, wanted to do something that would wipe away the obvious pain, but he didn’t get a chance.
“Look, I don’t know if anyone has told you or not… I just found out in a note Brittany passed me, but Rachel wants everyone to meet in the choir room during lunch. Something about putting together something for Mr. Schu.” Finn sounded upset, and Kurt could hardly blame him. “Umh, I gotta go. My next class is in the next wing, and I’m gonna be late.” Without waiting for Kurt to respond, Finn turned and pushed his way down the hall, leaving Kurt there to stare after him.
The rest of the morning, Kurt ignored Puck, trying to act as normal and nonchalant as he possibly could.
For the most part, ignoring Puck was par for the course for Kurt. But now, whenever he would pass Puck in the hallway, Kurt would become painfully aware of where he was and what he was doing. It was almost as if all eyes were on him. And normally he would have killed to garner that type of attention. But now, he wanted nothing more than to run and hide.
And the thing that shocked him the most was that Puck didn’t even seem to notice his presence. But that little fact didn’t catch his attention - not because he wanted Puck to notice him, but rather because Puck always managed to find him in a crowded hallway or busy parking lot. And for him to outright ignore Kurt was just strange.
When lunchtime rolled around, Kurt made his way to the choir room thoroughly irritated with Rachel for calling the impromptu glee session. It was Chinese food day in the caf’, and he was hungry. He’d thought of stopping by and grabbing a bowl of lo mein before heading to the classroom. But when he saw Puck at the slushie machine, right inside the cafeteria door, he quickly changed his mind.
It was with a lot of anger bubbling up inside of him that Kurt kept on walking past the cafeteria. He was irritated with Rachel and Puck. And he was upset about how the delicious smells of noodles, fried rice, and orange chicken seemed to be teasing him as they wafted from the kitchen. And because of all that, Kurt meandered through the hallway taking his sweet time. If he wasn’t going to get to eat, he certainly wasn’t going to rush off to do Rachel’s bidding.
And when he reached the door to the choir room, Kurt regretted each and every leisurely step he’d taken. Because Puck, grape slushie in hand, had managed to arrive at the exact same time he did.
Kurt barely suppressed an eye roll as Puck walked up by him. Kurt expected Puck to push past him and most likely slop some of his sugary drink all over his white leather oxfords. But, much to Kurt’s surprise, Puck quit walking as well, eyeing Kurt almost as if he were expecting something.
“What?” Kurt’s normally soft voice barked out. He was hungry and cranky and really didn’t feel like dealing with Puck.
“Geez, Hummel. PMS-ing? You gonna go in or what?” Puck’s dark eyes surveyed him as he took a deep draw from his drink, wrapping his lips around the straw.
As Kurt stared at Puck, a light flush stole over his neck and the tips of his ears. He wanted to respond, but when he opened his mouth to speak, Kurt suddenly remembered the feel of Puck’s lips against his. And it didn’t help that Puck’s lips were puckered around the straw, giving a picture to what he’d only been able to imagine in the darkness.
When his eyes flickered involuntarily to Puck’s mouth, the blush that had been minimal a second ago quickly took over his entire face. The sight caused Puck to laugh around the straw that he was clutching between his teeth. And before Puck could say (or do) anything else, Kurt threw his head back and stomped into the classroom, the other boy’s chuckle echoing behind him.
Other than that, the lunch rehearsal went well enough. Rachel even bribed Jacob Ben Israel into brining them all something to eat. (What the price was Kurt did not want to know.) And for the most part, Puck kept his distance, choosing instead, to try and get back into Quinn’s good graces by chatting with her. (It didn’t seem to work though.) They brushed past each other as they danced, but that was it.
Nothing more.
But when it came to the actual glee rehearsal after school and they all stood up to greet Mr. Schuester, Puck managed to end up standing right next to him. Kurt pointedly kept his eyes on Schu, but even though he was focusing on the teacher, he could feel Puck’s gaze on his face from time to time. He longed to look over and ask Puck what he wanted, but he just couldn’t bring himself to.
Thankfully Kurt didn’t have to keep his attention glued to the teacher for long as they quickly broke apart to perform the number they’d prepared during lunch. They’d put it together fast, but it went surprisingly well. Even if he did get a little to caught up in his “Single Ladies” moment.
When it was all over and everyone took their seats, Kurt grabbed a small stack of flyers out of his bag and headed towards the front of the room.
Mr. Schuester, noticing what Kurt was doing, called the room to order. “Ok guys, listen up. Kurt has something he wants to say.” He’d asked Schu about making his announcement earlier, and Kurt was happy to see that he hadn’t forgotten.
Smiling at Schu, Kurt said thank you as he placed the stack of blue papers on top of the piano. When he turned back around, Kurt couldn’t help but take note of the faces looking back at him expectantly. Rachel was sitting in the very middle of the front row looking ridiculously attentive. Her brown eyes were wide and bright, like that of an owl, and her hands were folded neatly on top of her lap. Sitting at the end of the front row was Quinn; her eyes were downcast as she rubbed her stomach. In the back row, Matt and Mike were watching him, but not really, as they punched each other on the shoulder. And sitting on the far end of the front row were Mercedes and Finn who looked merely curious. Everyone else was paying attention with varying degrees of interest.
But, out of everyone in the room, Puck was the only one who was truly watching him.
And the other boy’s gaze was so intense, so focused, that Kurt could barely stand it.
Puck’s dark eyes made him feel transparent, as if his deepest and darkest secrets were being put on display in front of the entire glee club. Kurt tried to look away from him, to hide what little of himself he could, but before he had a chance, Puck met his eyes. And for just a second, their gazes locked, deep brown eyes boring into clear blue ones. And even though it tied Kurt’s stomach in knots, he couldn’t look away, couldn’t pull himself out of the murky depths of Puck’s stare.
If it weren’t for Mr. Schuester pointedly clearing his throat, Kurt didn’t know if he’d have been able to look away. And when the sound hit his ears, he blinked and shook his head a little, trying to clear his mind of the feeling of Puck’s eyes on his own. When he looked back at the rest of the glee club, he saw Mercedes staring at him with a look of utter confusion on her face.
And he couldn’t help but wonder… If Mercedes and Mr. Schuester had noticed, who else had?
Quickly looking around the room again, Kurt practically sighed in relief when he saw that no one seemed to have seen. Rachel was eyeing the stack of flyers he’d placed on the piano eagerly, and Mike and Matt had moved onto texting. And Finn’s eyes were flickering between Quinn and Puck even though they were sitting at opposite ends of the room.
Feeling slightly more confident that no one had seen anything, Kurt placed his hand on hip and smiled out at his peers. “In honor of our victory at Sectionals -” Kurt was cut off as a loud chorus of cheers and applause broke out. The explosion of sound, rather than increase his fears, bolstered his confidence. “I’m hosting a little soiree-”
“Wait, isn’t that a little wraparound skirt to go over a bathing suit?” Brittany’s airy voice stopped Kurt mid-sentence.
“No, Brittany. That’s a sarong.” He couldn’t help the tiny bit of annoyance that slipped into his voice.
The confusion was evident on Brittany’s face, and next to her, Santana was rolling her eyes. “Oh. But then what’s a swar-”
But before Kurt could respond, Puck spoke up. “It’s a party, Einstein.” Kurt was amazed that not only had Puck spoken up but that he sounded just as irritated as he felt. He wanted to look over, to see the expression on Puck’s face, but after what had happened before, Kurt didn’t trust himself.
So, before anyone could say anything else, Kurt spoke again. “Like I was saying, I’m hosting a party.” He looked directly at Brittany who smiled happily. “It will be at my house this Saturday night, and I’ll be showing a video of Sectionals.”
When everyone started to smile and chatter about the upcoming get together, Kurt felt his confidence rise even more. But before he could finish his announcement, Finn spoke up.
“Will there be food?” He sounded hopeful, and Kurt couldn’t help but wonder why he was always so focused on eating. And from the look on Mercedes face, she was wondering the exact same thing.
“Yes, of course. There will be refreshments.” Kurt made a mental note to ask his dad if he could call in a favor with his uncle who owned a local pizzeria.
When Finn smiled at him and nodded, Kurt felt a flush creeping up the back of his neck. And in an effort to stave it off, he quickly looked over to Mercedes who was clearly trying not to laugh. Taking a deep breath, Kurt tore his eyes off of Finn and his best friend. “And you’re all invited.” Kurt looked at every kid in the room in an effort to let them all know that they really were invited (even Rachel).
But when he got to Puck, Kurt stopped short, not able to look him in the eye again.
And to makes matters worse, he could feel Puck’s eyes boring into him from across the room.
“Umh…” The feel of Puck’s eyes on him caused Kurt to stutter and wish he were safely tucked into his seat rather than standing in front of the class. “The flyers I put on the piano have all of the information you’ll need. The time, directions to my house, and… and my cell number.” Kurt didn’t know why, but he felt embarrassed admitting that his number was on the small pieces of paper in front of Puck. And the fact that he’d put his number on the invitations shouldn’t have. After all, Puck meant nothing to him. Kiss or not.
Without saying anything else, Kurt rushed forward, taking the open seat next to Mercedes. But rather than sit up straight, he slouched down just a bit, hoping to blend into his seat. But even though he was safely hidden next to his best friend, Kurt still felt as if he were being watched. But when he peeked around the girl next to him, Puck was staring at the illuminated screen of his cell phone.
“Kurt, what is with you?” Mercedes’ voice was barely above a whisper, but Kurt could still sense her irritation. “And why didn’t you tell me about the party? I could have helped you plan it.”
Mr. Schuester was now walking around the room, a stack of sheet music in his hand, so Kurt had to wait for him to pass by before he could respond. When he could finally speak, his voice was equally low and irritated. “Nothing. I… I’m fine. And I had to talk to my dad about the par…” Kurt didn’t get to finish, because Schu asked everyone to get up and divide into pairs. He and Mercedes didn’t even bother asking one another if they wanted to be partners. Instead they just stood together still trying to whisper about the party.
When rehearsal finally ended, Kurt lagged behind to see if anyone would pick up the flyers he’d made. And for the most part, everyone did. The only ones that didn’t were the ones like Brittany, Tina, and Mercedes who already knew where he lived.
And watching the kids he’d come to think of as his friends pick up the invitations put a smile on Kurt’s face. Over the past few months he’d grown closer to the motley bunch that made up New Directions, but it wasn’t until that moment that he realized how much they meant to him.
After everyone left the room, Kurt gathered up his things and grabbed the remaining flyers off of the piano. When he walked out of the choir room and into the hallway, he was surprised to find that it was completely deserted except for one person.
A few feet down the hall, Puck was poking around in his locker, a small blue flyer sticking out of his back pocket.
Squeeka Cuomo’s Notes
- The title and opening quote for this fic come from the beautiful Weezer song, “Put Me Back Together.” You can find it here.
- I owe a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. So… thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate it more than I can say. :duck:
- Silver Arrow: No, this does’t take place in the same universe as “While You’re Dancing.” But I agree that if it did, that would make for some interesting plot twists. That said… I do have some other twists in mind. :)
- Quack: Thank you so much. I really couldn’t do this without you. And more importantly, I wouldn’t want to.
- Reviews are love.
Put Me Back Together
Chapter 1: Kiss Me Goodbye