The loss at Regionals was devastating in its unfairness. It felt as though they'd worked so hard, overcome so much, just to get kicked back at the last second. They had an after party anyway, what they assumed was going to be one last hurrah before the glee club was cut. Kurt had felt the team spirit and volunteered his house at the last second. It was larger than Mr. Schuester's apartment, and much less illegal than breaking into the school to use the choir room, also less depressing than the auditorium.

"My only concession is that you make sure you take your shoes off when we get there," he announced as they all piled back into the bus hired to take them to Regionals. "If anyone scuffs my hardwood flooring there will be a murder."

He gave Will his address and took his seat on the bus next to Mercedes. She immediately linked arms with him. "We did rock," she said.

"We did," Kurt agreed and squeezed her hand. "And I will go to my grave swearing we only lost due to blatant favouritism."

Mercedes sighed. "I will miss this next year though."

"Me too," Kurt said. The pair of them fell silent, Kurt staring out the window until the bus finally pulled to a stop outside his house.

The after party was fairly sombre. More like a wake, mourning the imminent loss of their club. Kurt played the good host, made sure everyone had refreshments and nobody wandered off too far (more specifically to the master bedroom. Or the upstairs bathroom, which held two toothbrushes and Noah's more masculine shower gel and cologne). He realised he'd forgotten about the few scant pictures of him and Noah together scattered about the place when Brittany picked up a picture frame from the mantle and commented; "This is sweet. I didn't know you'd been to New York."

Kurt might have gotten away with explaining the picture to Brittany and just putting it back, but Santana was right there beside her. "That guy is hot," she said, looking over Brittany's shoulder at the photo of Kurt and Noah posing together after having grabbed an obliging tourist to take their picture. Santana examined at the photo for a couple of seconds, then looked up at Kurt sceptically. "Don't tell me that guy is your boyfriend?"

"If it makes you feel better," Kurt replied snippily, his cheeks turning pink, "I won't."

"Why does he look familiar?" Brittany asked aloud, frowning down at the photo.

The question, and the congregation around one of Kurt's photo frames, brought Quinn over. The blonde girl looked at the photo for a moment. "That's Noah Puckerman, the youngest man ever to own a company that produces fashion magazines. No wonder you got a picture with him, he's practically a fashion industry god."

"Wow." Brittany smiled brightly at Kurt and handed the photo frame to him. "You met a fashion icon in New York! All we did was go shopping."

"Actually," Kurt started as he set the frame back in its place.

He was cut off by Quinn. "Hold on. There's another photo here. And that," she pointed to a landmark just barely visible in the upper right hand corner, "is in Lima."

"You actually know Noah Puckerman?" Santana asked, an odd look on her face.

"He grew up here in Lima," Kurt answered. "I've known him for almost a year, we met by chance when he came back for his mother's funeral. Mr. Schuester actually went to school with him."

The three girls looked at each other, then immediately converged on the Spanish teacher, leaving Kurt alone by the mantle. At least temporarily. He smiled at the photos, then turned and joined Mercedes and Tina on the couch, falling into their discussion with ease. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later, after the cheerleaders had finished pumping Mr. Schue for information, that Kurt found himself in the middle of a Cheerio cluster again.

"Mr. Schue says you're actually friends with Noah Puckerman," Santana informed him from where she was leaning against the back of the couch.

"As in actual, close friends," Quinn added, "not just one of those people who says they're friends with a celebrity when they're really not and have met, like, twice in real life."

"And this is shocking to you how?" Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow at the girls. "I am arguably the best dressed person in the county."

"Can you introduce us?" Quinn asked, calculating little stars dancing in her eyes. The only explanation for those stars, Kurt thought, was that she was too dazzled by Noah's fame to put the puzzle pieces together just yet.

"He'll be in town for the last day of school this year before summer," Kurt replied, conveniently forgetting to mention that Noah was coming only for a couple of days before flying the both of them back to New York for Kurt's summer holidays. Mercedes knew, and was practically vibrating with the effort not to say anything. As soon as the 'party' was over and everyone else was gone Kurt made his best friend renew her promise not to say a word.

.


.

End of year exams and last minute assignment coupled with the sudden, happy surprise that that glee club would not be cancelled and the pressure of cheerleading Nationals was the only explanation Kurt had for none of the three girls figuring it out before the last day of school. Kurt knew he was playing with fire, but he frankly didn't care. It had been nearly a year, he hadn't spoken to his father for most of that time, he was now considered independent by the state, and he was in love with Noah. The fact that he was still only sixteen was the only issue still hanging over his head, and while their difference in age would cause a scandal it technically wasn't illegal according to state law in Ohio.

Kurt booked a taxi to take him to school on the last day, having confirmed that Noah would be there waiting for him when school finished.

He spent most of the day waiting for the summer holidays to begin already, much like most other students. He was expecting the trio of Cheerios to catch up with him after the final bell rang and was not disappointed.

"So...?" Quinn prompted. "When are you going to introduce us to Noah Puckerman?"

Kurt checked his phone, looking for the last message Noah had sent to him, informing him that their plane trip would actually be a road trip instead. "Right now," he said, and tucked the phone back into his bag. "He's in the parking lot. He brought the Lamborghini."

He led the way to the parking lot, where the Lamborghini sat parked innocently underneath the shade of a lone, scraggly tree. Kurt smiled and picked up his pace a little. The car door opened before he got there and Noah stepped out, perfectly dressed in an impeccable pinstripe suit and green silk tie that brought out the faint, matching tones in his eyes. "Kurt," he greeted the small group of teens with a smile, "ladies."

Kurt walked up to Noah and took his hand, twining their fingers together. If Noah was at all surprised by the public contact outwardly he didn't so much as blink. "Noah," Kurt said, "these are some of my friends from Glee. Brittany, Santana, and Quinn. I told them I'd introduce them to you."

"Brittany, Santana, Quinn," Noah repeated in the voice that Kurt recognised as his 'good impression' voice, looking at each of the Cheerios in turn. "Nice to meet you girls. Kurt told me a lot about his friends in the club..."

Kurt could see the moment it clicked into place for the girls. At least for Santana and Quinn, Brittany was still smiling politely, just excited to be meeting someone moderately famous. The other two girls looked at Noah, then how he was holding Kurt's hand, then at Kurt's face. "Anyway," Kurt said, cutting in before either of them could say anything (and bringing home the fact that they'd just been socially one-upped), "we should probably get going."

He tugged lightly on Noah's fingers, hoping the man understood the cue. He knew that Noah had a moment later when a pair of warm lips pressed to his in an amused kiss. Noah understood the social politics behind showing off your rich, gorgeous boyfriend in front of the cheerleaders. (Later he would tell Kurt that he thought the teen's ruthlessness was 'fucking adorable'.)

Noah broke the kiss and smiled at Kurt. "I'll let you say goodbye to your friends, baby," he said, and pulled away to slide back into the driver's seat.

Kurt allowed himself a grin at the almost identical looks on Quinn and Santana's faces. "Bye girls," he said, and walked around the car until he could get in on the passenger side.

Brittany was the only one who replied with a cheery "'bye, Kurt!"