Disclaimer: I do NOT own rights to any of the characters from Glee. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: Day 11 in the Glee writing house... I feel like the continuity announcer on Big Brother, except my Geordie accent sounds Eastern European! Thank you all sooo much for your wonderful reviews. I was really pleased with how the last chapter turned out and I'm glad you were too.
Oh, and SiNginG-SenSaTion... Noah's manhood is not kinda hot... it is TOTALLY hot! More meaty goodness from little-noah promised for later you have my word. I'm reminded of an old advert for dog food...
"Noah Puckerman... full of meaty goodness..." lolz. Hmm... that gives me an idea actually... :-)
Anyway, onwards... and backwards... just a bit
Chapter Eleven.
Having abandoned all plans of going to football practice, Noah found himself at a loose end. He was too worked up now to sit still on the football field like he'd planned. He wanted to hit something some more. And keep hitting it. A lot.
Stalking down the corridor he was gratified to see the few clusters of people who were not in the lunch room queue at that very moment, parted in front of him like Moses and the Red Sea. If just one more person whispered or giggled in his direction he was liable to rip out their throats and play a jaunty tune on their windpipe.
Keeping his anger stoked Noah decided he'd use the opportunity of skipping practice to call in a favour. One he'd been sitting on for almost a year...
Unbeknownst to any of the other Glee club members, back in his Puck days, Noah had been recruited by Sue Sylvester. Not to spy on the Glee club as you might have imagined, Sue had her Cheerios for that task after all, why would she need Noah. No...when Noah said recruited, what he actually meant was he was hired.
Sue Sylvester had worked very hard to keep her personal life and professional image as separate entities. After all how would she ensure that the mindless sheep of Western Ohio listened to an internationally recognised cheer-leading coach if they knew that she'd once slept with a 16 year-old pool boy?
Initially Sue had tried to rationalise that nobody needed to know. The pool boy 'Fuck-a-Duck' or whatever; she hadn't been interested in his name, settling for calling him Mohawk for now, had been an extremely 'gifted' young man and he managed to 'unclog her pool filter' in time for her sister's monthly visit from the nursing home.
Mohawk had just finished clearing up when Sue's sister had arrived in the nursing home's minibus. Puck was well schooled in sexual blackmail and so he knew that he was in the position of power now in his relationship with the Cheerios Coach. Deciding to stir the pot some he'd politely assisted Jean from the minibus and escorted her to the shell-shocked Sue who was rooted to the porch just staring.
Realising that now was as good a time as ever Puck winked at Sue over Jean's head and he saw the fearsome Sue Sylvester pale slightly. Clearing her throat she tried to cover up her apprehension with a polite conversational tone,
"Thank you for all your help. Your check will be in the post tonight. Oh and for your extra help, how 'bout I owe you one?"
The even tone of Sue's voice belied the look of fear in her eyes. Everything she'd worked for, all her fame and power in the Western Ohio district, could be brought crashing down by this one meat head of a jock.
Considering the offer, Puck tilted his head to the side and scrunched his nose in what Sue assumed was deep thought for the jock. In actuality Puck had already decided the offer was good, he was just playing now for effect. Having a favour from Sue Sylvester would probably be worth it's weight in gold were he to save it for the right moment, so he nodded in acceptance and watched as the fear retreated and the Sue Sylvester he'd known and despised reasserted herself.
"Right then Mohawk. Thanks again, you'll show yourself out?"
Sue had phrased the sentence as an question but it was clear from her body language that she wasn't expecting an answer. Threading her arm through Jean's she had already turned towards the door and was greeting her sister in hushed tones. Much softer tones than Puck had ever heard the Coach use before...
Puck packed up and tore out of there before Sue decided to break out a hunting rifle and come after him. He still to this day checked his window was locked each night to make sure she couldn't steel in and smother him in his sleep. He'd also become paranoid of receiving a kitty-cat as a surprise gift thanks to Mr Schue's overheard mutterings as he'd worked on a piece of sheet music one time...
Arriving now at the Coach's office, Noah concentrated and brought out his Puck persona once again. As much as he hated to do so, he truly wanted to be Noah from now on, Sue had never met Noah so his bargaining power would be enhanced this way. He rapped smartly on the red lacquered wood and received a curt acknowledgement from Sue to get in the room and stop hovering like an idiot.
As Noah let the door close softly behind him, he spied Sue on her cross-trainer, wearing her eponymous red tracksuit and with a white towel slung across her shoulders. Realising who it was that had dared disturb her during her lunchtime workout she slowed the exercise machine to a halt and slipped off and behind her desk.
"Mohawk..." said Sue, unwilling to give an inch to her erstwhile blackmailer.
"Cougar..." replied Puck with a nod to the Coach.
The silence between the two stretched. And stretched as each stared at the other, neither willing to blink or concede. To concede would mean defeat. In the end Sue's nerves betrayed her and she blurted,
"Favour."
It wasn't a question. The jock in front of her wouldn't be here now unless he planned to cash in his one-time-only Sue Sylvester favour-chit.
Tilting his head in acknowledgement of the Coach's deductive reasoning skills he continued to stare and Sue got more unnerved.
'Get it together Sue, this is a 16-year old kid you're dealing with not an armed terrorist. Treat him like you would a terrorist, rip off his arms and beat him over the head with them!'
Sue's introspection was interrupted when Puck offered two words into the room,
"Kurt. Hummel."
Sue looked at the jock incredulously,
"The Gay Kid?" she asked, what could the jock possibly want her to do for him about the Gay Kid?
Puck nodded his head.
"What... you want me to punish him? Make him cry? Take him to the Mall for chilled mocha drinks and some ass staring?" None of the scenarios in Sue's head prepared her for the next words from the boy in front of her.
"I want you to help him. He's going to need support, faculty support..." he elaborated.
Sue was impressed by the eloquence of the meat head. Clearly she'd underestimated this Truck or Duck or, oh who the hell cares?.
"There is going to be some friction between Kurt Hummel and Dave Karofsky."
Sue nodded along knowing full and well which meat head was Karofsky, she'd given him enough detentions for attempting to molest her Cheerios in the past. She wanted to know however why this jock wanted to intercede though, it wasn't the natural order of things and Sue liked the natural order of things.
"OK. And you want me to back the Gay Kid and punish the meat head". Noah did well not to flinch at the 'meat head' reference, after all he was still a jock himself.
Tilting his head again in confirmation, he was relieved to see Sue nod in acceptance.
"Agreed. I will help you protect the Gay Kid. I will not however stop anything from happening. That will be your job. I will however punish any indiscretions from your fellow meat heads. You will of course be exempt from any repercussions."
An unexpectedly primal feeling in Noah's chest roared in triumph realising that was actually a pretty sweet deal, while he kept tight a reign on his facial expression.
"Agreed".
Conversation over, Sue broke out a huge tub of protein powder and dismissed Puck,
"OK. Then we're done here. I do this and we're even. Now get out of my office, you're stinking the place up with... is that Sandalwood?" she asked wrinkling her nose in disgust.
Puck got out of Dodge and by the time the door had closed behind him, Puck had withdrawn and Noah was back in charge.
Noah smiled as he strutted down the hallway from Sue's office. It was reassuring to confirm that though Puck was an undeniable badass, Noah could be too when the situation called for it.
As he turned the corner by the library doors, he squeaked in surprise as a small but powerful arm grabbed him and pulled him inside.
Righting himself and smoothing out his rumpled shirt, trying to pretend that he hadn't just squeaked like a girly mouse, he looked down at the amused face of Q.
"So...?" she asked, a grin splitting her face.
"So...?" he mimicked his friend refusing to rise to the bait.
"Noah and Kurt sittin' in a tree... K I S S I N G..." she sang in a childlike voice. Quinn was having a great time ribbing her friend, who was steadily turning a most amusing shade of purple at her teasing.
"You and Kurt. What's up with that?" she asked.
"You know what's up, you were there remember?" he said blush now receding.
"Yeah I was there and I distinctly recall you stumbling through an offer to give your little sweetheart a ride to school in that rust bucket of yours".
Noah felt the urge once again to defend his Princess,
"Hey! You leave my Princess alone Q!..."
"And just which Princess is that Noah? Kurt or the Truck?" she teased.
Refusing to rise to the bait and desperately trying to shift the conversation from a direction he wasn't entirely comfortable heading in he groused,
"Better than that flouncy little yellow monstrosity you drive".
"Hey! You drove her too if you remember..."
Noah slapped a hand to his forehead dramatically before swooning,
"Don't remind me... Next time I'll just leave your fake-sleeping ass behind."
Though the words were harsh there was no heat behind them and Q couldn't but chuckle at his histrionics.
"So... what is going on with you Noah? I've never seen you like this before...so protective. You're focused somehow... 'Distilled Noah' - God what a horrible perfume that'd make..." she giggled at the thought.
Refusing to bow to her obvious need to humiliate him, Noah instead nodded in acknowledgement of the girl's overall point, knowing exactly what Q was alluding to.
"I... I like being the new me. I don't want to be the same Puck all the losers in this town expect me to be. But I think if I tried to be the new Noah around anyone else first, it wouldn't work. Kurt deserves to be the one to decide whether this new me is a success or failure. His acceptance means more than anyone else in this whole damn town".
Quinn looked at Noah in sympathy, the emotion in his voice was difficult to deny.
"It's not going to be easy... but you know that don't you?" sounding a note of caution.
Nodding Noah agreed,
"Yeah, Karofsky is going to be a problem I think... he... well he 'attempted' to intimidate me earlier..." despite the confident tone in the boy's voice Quinn couldn't help but worry for him.
"Karofsky's a jackass Noah... you and I both know that. The number of times I've caught him trying to spy on the Cheerios in the showers." Q's nose wrinkled in disgust while Noah shot Q a lecherous grin at the thought.
Rolling her eyes at his childish antics, Quinn became serious again.
"You... you're alright though right? You're not hurt or anything?" As she said this, she began fussing over the taller boy, prodding him in this sides and arms, legs and finally feet and started when Noah hissed in obvious discomfort.
Tears coming unbidden to her eyes, Quinn looked at Noah in concern before pushing him backwards until the back of his knees connected with a reading chair. He collapsed into it with a startled 'oomph'.
Thankfully for his studly reputation, with it being the lunch hour the library was deserted and there was no one present to see pint-sized and pregnant Quinn Fabray manhandling the larger boy.
From his now seated position, Noah had to look up to meet the blonde's eyes. She looked fierce, so fierce even Puck on his bravest day would have reconsidered engaging the girl in combat.
"Show me..." she demanded.
'Oh god... the pink bunnies!' thought Noah, panic bubbling to the surface. Sealing his mouth shut in a thin line the jock shook his head furiously.
A growl came from the blonde who was clearly imagining grievous injuries like a missing or broken toe on the football player to elicit such recalcitrance from her friend.
"Noah..." she said in warning placing her hands on her hips.
Realising Mount Fabray was rumbling and there were no ding-dongs within a thirty-metre radius Noah succumbed to the pressure.
Hanging his head, he toed out of his sneakers which was substantially easier to do without socks, hissing again as his injured toe rubbed against the abrasive lining.
Quinn couldn't understand it, Noah clearly was in some discomfort but when she looked for the injury that Noah was obviously concerned about showing her, she couldn't see anything.
All she could see was a band-aid... with cute fluffy pink bunnies on it?...
She started chuckling... the chuckling became laughing... the laughing became guffawing, until the girl had to sit down in the chair next to Noah before her legs gave out from under her.
"Oh it's so cute Noah! Does it match your underwear? Shall I buy you some nail polish to go with it? Pink is so your colour... and the bunnies..."
The whole time Q was having a riotous time at his expense, Noah sat with his arms crossed grumbling quietly about traitorous best friends.
The laughter in Quinn died immediately to be replaced with a slightly breathy wavering tone,
"Best friend?" she asked looking at him with suspiciously wet eyes. Noah looked embarrassed but forged ahead, running his hand through his mohawk in agitation,
"Well... yeah... don't make a big deal out of it Q..."
Sadly for his manly status, Noah didn't get a choice in the matter. Within a quarter of a second, Q had crossed the short distance between them and had wrapped the taller boy up in a crushing embrace.
"You... you're my best friend too Noah..."
Noah rolled his eyes as he held his friend who was leaning against him sniffling quietly. Trying to lighten the mood he said,
"Quit crying Q, this is supposed to be a good thing..." squeezing her slightly to convey the strength of his feelings for the blonde.
Leaning backwards in his embrace, which was not easy as a result of the pregnancy bump between them, Q placed a hand on Noah's cheek and gave him a small chaste kiss to his lips.
Taking hold of Noah's wrist she gently twisted it to better her vantage point, realising that the lunch break was almost over and that she'd need to collect her books from her locker.
She was just about to suggest exactly that when Tina burst in through the library doors, face red and clearly out of breath as she doubled over clutching at her knees.
Quinn looked at Noah unsure what would cause their friend to behave so strangely. Raising her head Tina looked Noah in the eye, still unable to form any coherent speech.
'Wait... wasn't Tina spending lunch with Kurt?'
Noah didn't need her to speak now, he could clearly see the panic in her eyes. Releasing Q, he waited for the confirmation of which direction to take off in, adrenaline starting to pound through his system.
A gnawing feeling began in the pit of his stomach as the few seconds Tina took to slow her breathing felt like hours to the half-back. In the end, Noah only hung around for one word,
"... Karofsky..." said the girl wheezing and pointing back in the direction she'd just sprinted.
Turning to Quinn he said,
"Get Sylvester...", before tearing off in the direction of Kurt's locker.
Pelting down the hallway, heedless of the confused and sometimes fearful looks being thrown his way Noah skidded around the corner just as Karofsky released Kurt's throat and the small boy slumped bonelessly against his locker.
Seeing red, Noah shoved his way through the crowd of students noting with disgust that not a single one of them was intent on coming to the smaller boy's defence.
'Pussies' he thought viciously.
Just as Kurt had closed his eyes in resignation of another slushie facial, with his sneakers squeaking on the floor, Noah swept between Kurt and Karofsky and levelled his deadliest glare at the football player. He was glad to see shock and genuine fear in the other boy's eyes.
"I wondered if you'd show Puck..." said Karofsky a noticeable quiver in his voice. Noah realised quickly that the jock wouldn't be able to back down, not with his pack behind him baying for blood.
Swinging his slushie around at the end of his arm he continued,
"... the guys said you wouldn't dare show your face but I know you better don't I Puck?" Mocking laughter accompanied the statement from the other jocks, though they clearly had no idea why the statement was funny.
"So... what's it going to be Puck?... Huh?... You're team or your boyfriend... either way one of you is getting this slushie..."
Noah growled at the jock, the beast rattling at it's cage in his chest pleased at the flinch that resulted.
'Can I do this? If I do this now and things break down between Kurt and I, I'll have no friends left.'
Looking to his left, Noah noted the Glee kids, Mercedes and Artie looking at him eyes pleading with him to protect their friend. From the other side, Noah could see Tina approaching shooting worried glances between Noah and Kurt.
'For Kurt. Yeah... for Kurt he could do this. For Kurt's friendship he would do anything.'
Squaring his shoulders he made his choice,
"Kurt."
The single syllable echoed around the hallway as dozens of interested spectators all drew in breath in disbelief. The only person he took notice of at that moment however was Kurt, and in the distance the unmistakeable silhouette of Sue Sylvester stalking down the hallway with Q struggling to keep up in her wake.
'Love you Q'.
This was all going to be about timing now.
Nodding at Karofsky, he watched stony faced as the blue liquid arced in his direction only to connect with his face and wash up over the top of his head.
Wiping the moisture from his eyes, he sighed as it was replaced seconds later by more of the sickly sweet beverage. Sticking his tongue out he tasted grape, coincidentally his favourite flavour, though he'd never actually drunk a full slushie before.
Noting the imminent arrival of Sue just prior to blindness overtaking him again Noah decided that payback was a bitch.
Taking a quick step forward, Noah crouched and unleashed a wicked right uppercut straight to the jaw of the smug Karofsky. The beast in the Noah's chest roared again as the lights went out and Karofsky hit the floor with a meaty smack.
'Yeah, he'd made the right choice alright. THIS feeling was what friendship was all about.'
Noah's timing had been absolutely perfect. The moment that Karofsky had connected with the tiles, Sue had pushed her way into the middle of the ring of spectators and begun barking orders.
Though he couldn't see her, if he opened his eyes, the corn starch stung his eyes too badly, Noah could picture Sue as she delivered her cutting tirade. He'd growled at the Coach involuntarily when she'd called Kurt "Gay Kid" however the noise was swallowed up by the echo of Sue's booming rhetoric.
'His name is Kurt... cried the beast in Noah's chest...'
Trying to reign in his emotions as proving to be an extremely difficult task for Noah. His main priority at that very moment was to see Kurt, to make sure he was OK and then to dismember Karofsky one meaty-chunk at a time.
"Hey... Gay Kid... scram... vamoose... mince... get going already."
Feeling a smaller hand take his, through the odour of grape assaulting his senses, he smelled the familiar fragrance of sandalwood and Chanel.
'It must be Kurt' he reasoned.
Threading his fingers through the smaller hand, he squeezed slightly and allowed himself to be led, hopefully to the nearest bathroom. His eyes were really starting to sting.
As he heard rather than felt a door being pushed open ahead of him, a puff of cool air washed over him and he grinned as he heard Sue's final shot at Artie.
'Sue Sylvester... I'm going to clean your pool for free for a year...'
A/N: And there we have it. Chapter 11 all done and dusted.
I'm really starting to get into the swing of this story now, I also have to thank one eagle-eyed reviewer who pointed out I'd referred to Atticus Finch instead of Scout Finch in the previous Chapter. Once I've finished this story I intend to go back and beta it properly.
For the moment though I'm literally doing my own beta'ing while I'm thinking of the next plot point, so apologies for the little discrepancies.
PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU LIKE. PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU DON'T. EITHER WAY PLEASE REVIEW!