Would You?

All previous disclaimers apply.


Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone still reading and reviewing! I love you all. Please drop a review if you have time. They encourage me so! Happy Reading! T.H.


Artie was not prepared for the force of nature that was a determined Puck when he was dragged by the chair into the chemistry lab before he'd even had a chance to stop at his locker Monday morning. It was more disorienting than he would have thought to be suddenly headed one place and in the next moment have no control what-so-ever over where he was going. He turned his upper body to protest, but decided against it when he saw the grim set of Puck's mouth and the distress in his eyes. He felt unexplained nerves rise in his chest and kept his mouth shut. Puck pushed Artie into the room and closed the door behind them. Artie watched his warily, waiting for the explosion that he knew was imminent from the tense set of Puck's shoulders and the way his hands were curled into fists so tight his knuckles were white.

"Set back over the weekend?" Artie ventured, quietly, hoping beyond all hope that the explosion wouldn't be directed at him when it came.

"No…" Puck's voice was soft and controlled, "No. Everything's fucking perfect."

"So, what's wrong, Puck?" Artie tried to gauge his tone so that it was a proper mix of comfort and confused, but almost before the question was completely out Puck had whirled around, anger blazing in his eyes.

"What the fuck's the point!" He shouted, "What the fuck's the point of changing everything, turning back time, making us so happy if there's nothing I can do to save Kurt's life? And why the fuck didn't you tell me? Why the fuck didn't anyone tell me?"

It was an eerie replay of Puck's anger when he had found out that Kurt had been murdered. Artie watched as the big, strong young man punched the brick wall repeatedly, not really aware of the tears that were pouring down his cheeks. But, this time it was more than anger, Artie realized as Puck began to grunt with exertion and the little grunts gave way to gasping sobs. It was despair. Artie took a deep breath and willed the tears in his own eyes not to fall. He rolled as close to Puck as he felt comfortable with, then rolled close enough to set his hand on Puck's shoulder when the other boy finally fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking with the effort he was expending to get his emotions under control again. He moved his hand to Puck's neck and rubbed it, and the base of his skull, gently. His mother always did it for him when he was upset and it always made him feel a little better. He personally thought that it spoke to just how much Puck had changed, or how much he was now allowing who he really was to come out as Artie tended to think, that he even allowed Artie to comfort him.

"What do you mean you can't save Kurt's life?" He asked finally when Puck had calmed enough to hear him, "I thought that was why They turned time back for you. They said you could change things, didn't They?"

"Apparently I can change everything but death," Puck's voice was unsteady around hitching breath. He turned his gaze so that their eyes met and suddenly Artie had to fight not to look away. Puck looked impossibly young and vulnerable with the tears in his eyes and his face stripped bare of everything but his despair, "Abrams, why would They do this? How could anyone, anything, be so cruel? Why would They give me the chance to change everything, to make us both so happy, only to tell me that he's going to be taken away again? It just…It doesn't make any sense."

"Puck…" Artie could only get his name out around the emotion that had risen in his own throat.

"I can't…" Puck looked away, down at his bloody hands, "I can't watch him die again, Artie. Not now. I'm not…" His voice got very quiet, "I'm not strong enough. But, They said that I won't be able to do anything to prevent it. They said that…not even They can stop death, that it'll still come for Kurt on Friday."

"What about keeping him away from the school? Keeping him at home? Locking him in a closet?" Artie asked desperately.

Puck laughed humorlessly. He had asked the same question the night before when he had finally come around again. He refused to say that he had fainted, because men didn't faint. But, he figured that anyone would have passed out after learning that the love of their fucking life was going to die no matter what they did. When he had asked if there was anything at all he could do to keep Kurt safe on Friday They had simply shaken Their heads.

"Even if you take him away from the school Death will still find him," Aziza had said sadly, taking his hand, "If you take him away…"

He'd gasped when the image of a car wreck was suddenly in his mind. He and Kurt had been in the car. He'd been trapped under his seat, unable to move, only able to comfort Kurt with words as his lover died quickly from blood loss. Kurt had severed the major artery in his leg in the accident. He'd bled out in less than four minutes.

"If you keep him at home…"

Crystal had taken his hand and he'd watched Kurt step wrong on the way to his basement. Kurt had fallen down the stairs and by the time he'd come to a stop at the bottom it was already too late. His neck had snapped.

"Even if you were to simply keep him inside until the car was gone…"

Sakura had taken his hand and Puck had cried out in pain to see Kurt slip in a small puddle by the water fountains, Puck by his side the entire time. He'd struck his head hard against the ceramic and had seemed fine, but three hours later he had gone to sleep in Puck's arms and had simply never woken up again, his injury much worse than anyone had thought.

"Death is not evil, Noah," Sakura had whispered after the three of them had enveloped him in their arms, "Death itself really has no personality at all. But, it is very organized. It has to be. It will know that Kurt is meant to die. And no matter where he is, Death will take him."

"Even if we keep him away from that fucking car he'd just die some other way," Puck told Artie, hanging his head.

"Puck…" Artie set a hand to his shoulder again, "I…don't know what to say…"

"What is there to say?" Puck asked bitterly, "I thought maybe you might know something I don't?" He looked up at Artie and back down when Artie held up his empty palms in defeat. Puck nodded, "I didn't really think so."

"Puck…" Artie looked down on him, hoping that this wasn't too soon, "I…It kills me to say it…But, if…If these are really Kurt's last days…Don't you think…Shouldn't we be concentrating on making sure they're as happy as they can be?"

"We?" Puck scoffed, still looking at his own hands.

"Puck, you didn't really think that you were going to have to go through this alone, did you?"

"Yeah," Puck answered, the honesty in his voice making Artie wince, "Yeah, I kind of did."

"Puck, come on. I'm the only other person in the world that knows what's going on. You're going to need some back-up to get through this…no matter how badass you think you are."

Puck looked up to see Artie looking back down at him, that look, that indescribable look on his face. That look that said Artie knew what you were thinking and even you tried to bullshit your way out of it he would know it and call you on it. Puck looked down and chuckled lightly, relief that he wouldn't have to go through this alone and grief that he was going to have to go through it at all warring for dominance. The chuckles became soundless sobs and he curled in on himself, pressing his forehead to his knees. He couldn't believe how much it hurt. His chest was physically aching. He wanted to cry all the time and he was going to have to hide all of it from everyone. Except Artie. The next time he saw the three women who had turned his life into a huge mess he was going to have to ask them what he had done to make them hate him so much. Here he was in –there was no way he was able to deny it anymore- love. He was in love with a boy he had picked on (Some would have called it torture.) for years. And no matter what he did, no matter how strong he was, he was going to have to watch him die a second time. And the only one who knew anything about it, the only one he could talk to about it was yet another boy he had picked on for years. He knew in the next few days he was going to depend on Artie to be there when he needed to break down. It was going to happen more times than he was comfortable admitting. Because these next few days were going to be, simultaneously, the best and worst of his life. He was going to make Kurt happier than he had ever been in his life and he was going to have to do it knowing that Kurt would die on Friday. Puck wondered if there was a physical manifestation of Karma. If there was, he wanted to kick his or her ass.

"You're a good guy, Abrams," He finally forced out.

"Yeah," Artie shrugged, "So are you, Puckerman. Go figure." He punched Puck's shoulder softly and they both smiled, putting themselves back together mentally, silently agreeing that Puck's emotional breakdown hadn't really happened.

"I'm going to need your help, Abrams. To make Kurt as happy as I can there's going to be a lot about this week that's ugly. I want you to distract him. I don't want him to see the ugly."

"I can do that," Artie agreed, "I can try, anyway."

"Thanks."

Puck took a deep breath and stood up, wiping away the last of the tears still on his cheeks. He straightened his jacket and brushed the dust off of the backside of his jeans.

"You look fine," Artie said quietly, answering the unasked question, "But, you might want to splash some water on your face." Puck nodded and moved toward the door. He opened it and looked back at Artie, "Go ahead. I need a minute."

He nodded and Artie waited until the door was closed again to begin speaking quietly again, "Why would you do this to Puck? To Kurt? I thought you liked them."

"We do like them."

Artie turned around to see Crystal, Aziza, and Sakura seated on the counter, all of them looking at him sadly.

"That's why we wanted them to have a chance to be happy. But, we just can't control Death. It's the most powerful force on this planet."

"You let me stop my death!" Artie shouted. The three women looked taken aback. In all the years they had known him, and it had been a few, Artie had never yelled at them. He was one of their favorite mortals and he was one of their biggest fans. He had never questioned them. He had always helped them when they needed him to explain what was happening to those they decided to interfere with.

"Artie, sweetheart," Aziza knelt in front of him, "Your soul hadn't left your body at any point when we interfered. You never actually died." He knew that. They had explained it before.

"But now…" Artie felt the tears in his eyes again and closed them to keep the tears at bay, "I've never questioned you, ladies, but you messed up this time. If you had just let it be we would have only lost Kurt. Puck would have healed. Now we're going to lose them both. Puck loves him and he knows it now. He's not going to be able to move on."

"There is a hope," Crystal said, coming to his side, her rough voice uncharacteristically caring. "It's a small one, but it's there. Not even we can see it clearly at this point."

"You need to tell Puck." He already knew that they couldn't.

"We can't," Sakura wrapped her arms around him from behind, "We want to, Artie. So much. But, we can't. There is only so much interference we're allowed. We've already pressed our luck by turning back time after Kurt had already died."

"But, we have confidence in Noah," Aziza laid her head in his lap, "He's strong and he's smart. He won't let us down."

"Can I tell him?"

"Ah, Little One," Crystal pressed herself to his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, "You know better than that."

"You're right. I do. Wish I didn't."

"Are you going to share your story with Noah? We wish you would. You've kept it inside for so long."

"Maybe," He said quietly. They all glared at him. He laughed quietly, "Probably." They smiled at him and wrapped him in their arms again. He sighed and let himself feel comforted.

"We do love you very much, Artie Abrams."

"Yeah, yeah." He rolled his eyes and smiled, despite himself, "I love you, too, ladies."

"Are you alright?" Kurt's soft voice startled Puck out of his observation of himself in the mirror. He hadn't expected anyone to come looking for him as first period had already started. He hadn't intended to stay in the bathroom so long, just long enough to splash some water on his face like Artie had suggested, but had decided, upon seeing how red his eyes were, that it wouldn't hurt anything to take a little more time. It wasn't like he actually went to all of his classes all of the time anyway. He turned to look at Kurt and fought the emotion rising in his throat. Kurt looked so happy, even in his concern.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" He teased gently, sending up a silent prayer of thanks that his voice didn't break around the emotion in his throat.

Kurt smiled, "Shouldn't you?" He quipped, "I saw you tearing through the halls. You terrorized a couple of freshmen, you know. I just wanted to make sure that you're alright."

"I'm fine," Puck smiled back, "Had a rough night. Didn't sleep well. Missed you." Puck opened his arms to Kurt, inviting him in.

"I missed you, too," Kurt looked around suspiciously for a moment, then threw himself into the offered embrace. Puck lifted Kurt's chin to fit their mouths together in a deep, long kiss he tried not to make about his desperation to keep Kurt by his side for longer than the next five days.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kurt asked again as he laid his head against Puck's chest.

Do a better job, Puckerman! Puck scolded himself internally and tightened his hold on Kurt. That was it. He was just going to have to pretend that he didn't know about Friday. As hard as it was going to be, the only way he was going to get through this week without wanting to cry every time he saw Kurt's face was to pretend that nothing was going to happen. He had a good mind for fooling himself. After all, he'd had himself convinced that he was straight for most of his life. So, this should be nothing.

"I'm good. Promise." He pressed a kiss to Kurt's hair. He seriously didn't want to do the school thing today. He just wanted another day to have Kurt completely to himself, "Do you want to get out of here?"

"What?"

"Let's get out of here.," Puck said again We don't have Glee, we don't have football. Do you have any tests today?"

"I…no," Kurt said slowly, trying to remind himself why skipping school to spend the day with his (Dare he even think it?) boyfriend was a bad idea.

"Let's just go. We'll catch a movie, go get frozen yogurt…"

"Go back to my place and make out?" Kurt suggested.

"Or more," Puck smirked and lowered his arms from Kurt's back to his waist to pull their lower halves closer, "If you're so inclined, babe."

Kurt giggled and pressed a kiss to Puck's jaw, just where he knew would make Puck weak in the knees. "I am still a teenaged boy after all," He whispered, then liked a quick line along the shell of Puck's ear.

"So, that's a yes?" Puck finally asked when he found his voice again.

"Let's see," Kurt took a step back and pretended to consider, setting a finger to his lips, "Spend all day in a place I hate having to pretend that I don't want to kiss you every time I see you or spend the day with you doing all of the things that I want to do? Hmm…Decisions, decisions."

"What about that perfect attendance that you're so proud of?" Puck asked, crossing his arms and nearly laughing at the look on Kurt's face.

"Fuck my perfect attendance," Kurt shrugged simply.

"Fuck, Hummel," Puck crossed the room and pressed Kurt to the wall.

"The mouth on me," Kurt finished, laughing, and curled his hands into Puck's shirt. He turned his head when Puck tried to kiss him and laughed out loud when Puck groaned and pushed their hips together.

"Tease," He moaned.

"You love it. Meet me at my place in an hour. Bring frozen yogurt."

"Any particular flavor?" Puck asked, his voice strained.

"Hmm…Surprise me." Kurt kissed the tip of Puck's nose, "I'll see you there."

"I hate you," Puck muttered as Kurt ducked under his arm.

"Hate you, too," Kurt smiled softly and was out the door. Puck waited a couple of minutes until he was sure he could walk right and followed him.

"Want to make out now or later?" Puck asked as Kurt opened the door and pulled him inside by the collar of his jacket.

"Depends on what you brought me," Kurt said. He pressed a quick kiss to Puck's mouth and reached for the paper bag in Puck's arms. Puck wondered what had Kurt so hyper as he followed him into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe, simply watching as whirlwind Kurt cooed over the frozen yogurt from his favorite shop, –Puck had managed to get them to let him in even though they weren't open yet. The new boyfriend story really worked well on girls.- grabbed two spoons and a couple of water bottles, and disappeared down the stairs, calling for Noah to follow him. Puck shook his head and followed Kurt down. He smiled when Kurt tapped his foot impatiently and waited for Puck to settle onto the bed before he settled against him and turned on the movie he had already put in the player. Puck was glad to see that it was not a musical, not a chick flick, and not a Disney princess movie, but something they could both ignore and not have it drive them insane.

"Bananas Foster," Kurt moaned, and it sounded almost sinful, as he licked the first spoonful, "You know me much better than you should, considering."

"I always paid attention, Kurt," Puck whispered, "I…"

"Noah," Kurt reached up and behind to cup the back of Puck's head in his gentle hand, "There's no need. Promise." He angled his head against Puck's shoulder and gently pushed Puck's head, encouraging the bigger boy to angle his head down and kiss him. Puck smiled as he allowed Kurt to take control of their kiss for the first time. Kurt surprised him and took his lips with no hesitation, licking his lower lip to get him to open up. It was shock that had Puck doing so, but pure desire that had him moaning when Kurt coaxed his tongue into his mouth sweet with frozen yogurt. He wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, hugging him close as the kiss carried on. Kurt made a small noise from the back of his throat that went straight to Puck's groin. He didn't even try to stop his hips from thrusting gently into Kurt's backside.

"Mmm…wait…" Kurt murmured. Puck smiled and peeled off his jacket and his shirt as Kurt set aside his frozen yogurt and threw his own shirt across the room. Puck got comfortable on his back as Kurt shimmied out of his pants and then crawled back across the large bed. Puck took his hand and pulled him on top of his body when Kurt hesitated a moment. Kurt giggled, delighted, when he realized that he didn't have to support his weight because Noah was strong and built. The thought brought a blush to his face as heavy, large hands landed on his ass and pressed their hips together. He moaned and leaned in for another kiss as he felt the evidence of Noah's arousal hard in his jeans against his hip.

"I feel like a twelve year old virgin," Puck moaned, when Kurt began to kiss his neck, "Humping like I've never…God, that feels good." Kurt had moved down from his neck and was currently licking his nipple, playing with the ring in it with his considerably talented tongue. He put a hand in Kurt's hair when he began to kiss lower, down Puck's abs. to just above the rise of his jeans. He stopped and looked up, his big eyes swimming with desire and a little apprehension.

"Do you want me to?" He asked quietly.

"Only if you want to," Puck answered quietly, stroking Kurt's cheek gently.

"I've never done it before," Kurt whispered, apprehensively.

"Take it at whatever speed you want, babe. And stop if anything makes you uncomfortable, okay?"

"Okay."

"Kurt, seriously," Puck cupped his chin in his hand, "I don't want you to do it if you don't want to."

"I want to," Kurt said quietly, smiling a little, secret smile, "Just…try not to move?"

"Okay."

Puck closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping his breathing steady and simply feeling as Kurt pulled the zipper of his jeans down slowly. He lifted his ass when Kurt pulled his jeans down and concentrated on trying to hear what Kurt was up to as the boy pulled his pants off completely. Whacko was probably folding them. He smiled at the thought, then pulled in his breath sharply when he was grasped in a steady, sure hand. There was a hot breath against his hip and he reached down carefully until he felt the soft strands of Kurt's hair. He buried his fingers in it and lifted his hips once, slightly, to encourage Kurt to continue. He was already hard, just thinking of Kurt's mouth on him and forced himself not to fist his hand in Kurt's hair when a long, wet stripe was licked from his base to his tip, then gentle, teasing tongue lapped like a kitten at the tip. He moaned from the back of his throat when a gentle hand cupped and rubbed and he was enveloped in an impossibly hot, wet mouth. It was hard to resist the urge to thrust up into the heat, but he did it, knowing it was Kurt's first time and would probably scare him. As far as blowjobs went, it was sloppy and more than a little amateur, but Kurt made up for it with his enthusiasm. And, Puck thought, he'd never been given a blowjob by someone he loved before. Knowing that it was Kurt, who loved him and wanted him in return, doing this to him, for him, made it ten times better than a blowjob from any teenaged girl or housewife. He was ashamed of how quickly Kurt had brought him to the edge when he felt his orgasm building deep in his belly.

"Kurt, I…" He broke off on a moan, then forced himself to concentrate. He finally opened his eyes and looked down. He resisted the urge to thrust up again when his eyes met Kurt's. The fact that Kurt was watching everything, watching him fall apart, made the whole thing impossibly hot, "Kurt, I'm going to…Pull off, babe."

"Not a chance," Kurt pulled up and panted, stroking him with fervor, "I want to taste you." Their eyes remained locked as Kurt went back down on him.

"God damn…" Puck muttered, "So hot, babe. When you say things like that…"

Kurt hummed contentedly from the back of his throat and it proved to be Puck's undoing. He felt the fire rush through his veins and spilled himself into Kurt's mouth with a strangled cry, throwing his head back and clenching his eyes shut. He loosened the fist he had made in Kurt's hair and panted, coming down from his high slowly. When his breathing had finally regulated he opened his eyes to see Kurt propped up on an elbow by his side, looking down at him with uncertain eyes. He tried to tell Kurt how good it was, but his voice wasn't working yet. Instead, he set a hand to Kurt's waist and smiled.

"It was okay?" Kurt asked quietly.

"You swallowed?" Puck asked. He wanted to smack a hand to his forehead at his callousness, but it was the first thing that had come into his head.

Kurt nodded, "I was prepared for it to taste a lot worse. It's no ambrosia, but it's nothing to make me gag, either. But, Noah…was it…was I…"

"Babe," Puck pulled Kurt into his arms, settling him at his side before tilting his chin up and kissing him gently, dipping his tongue into Kurt's mouth tenderly. He could taste himself in Kurt's mouth. Kurt tasted better, he thought, "It was great. You were great."

"I'm glad," Kurt smiled. Puck closed his eyes and pulled Kurt closer to his side. His eyes snapped open again when he heard Kurt whimper and felt him thrust his hips minutely against his thigh.

"That really turned you on, didn't it?" Puck asked quietly. Kurt whimpered again and buried his face in the juncture between Puck's neck and shoulder, "Tell me, Kurt."

"It turns me on to know I can do things like that to you." Kurt admitted quietly.

"Hmm," Puck moaned from the back of his throat and reached down. His hand slipped into Kurt's underwear and he circled Kurt in a firm grip, "Whenever you want to, babe."

Kurt let out a breathless, high pitched cry as Puck stroked him mercilessly, muttering dirty words in his ear. How beautiful he had looked sucking his cock, how beautiful he was now as he was falling apart in Puck's arms, how much Puck could tell he wanted to come, how much Puck wanted to see him come. He encouraged Kurt not to hold back his noises and told him that he thought they were hot. Kurt arched against his hand again and again and allowed himself to be as noisy as he had always wanted to be and had never dared.

"Come for me, baby," Puck whispered, his voice rough, and nipped Kurt's earlobe. Kurt let out one last cry, arched, and came. Puck stroked him a couple times more, milking his small lover's intense orgasm for all it was worth. Kurt panted against his neck and giggled when Puck sat up to pull Kurt's underwear off. He watched through sleepy eyes as Puck cleaned them both up with the already smeared fabric, then tossed it on the floor.

"Hmm," Kurt snuggled when Puck laid down and took him in his arms again, "This is nice."

"Yeah," Puck agreed, "It is. What do you say? Nap a little, eat some more frozen yogurt, watch a movie, have some more sex?"

Kurt murmured against his neck and Puck looked down to see that Kurt had already fallen asleep. He laughed softly and pulled the edges of the blanket around them so that they were covered before he snuggled closer to Kurt and allowed himself to fall asleep.

He was jerked awake he didn't know how much later by Kurt pushing him off the bed and hissing, "Put on your pants! Now!"

"Kurt…what?" Puck asked, rubbing his sore ass. He froze when he heard the other voice up the stairs.

"Kurt? You home? Saw your car. Are you sick or something?"

"Shit!" Puck grabbed his discarded jeans and struggled into them.

Kurt was just reaching for his own pants when his father appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Puck froze at the side of the bed, reaching down for his shirt. Kurt covered himself with his blanket.

"Dad!" His voice was too bright, "It's not what it…it looks like?" Even he didn't sound like he believed himself. Puck said a quick prayer, then stood up to his full height.

"Mr. Hummel…I…It's nice to meet you…sir."

Burt Hummel's eyes narrowed, "Mohawk, you have ten seconds to back away from my boy's bed and another thirty to think of a reason I shouldn't get my go get my gun."

Puck swallowed hard.

And began to pray again.