Chapter Eight
oOo
Summary: Will the proud music teacher eventually find love with the beautiful kindergarten teacher or will he forever come second to the football coach? This isn't very M but, to be safe, I'll leave it at that.
A/N 1: Thank you to all the reviewers and for your many insightful comments. This chapter is especially for JasonDragon64 who has consistently provided me with feedback as well as praise. Thank you!
Disclaimer: None of these characters belongs to me except for any OCs found wandering. I own nothing save for this computer.
The morning dawned beautiful, clear and slightly cool. It was September in Ohio, after all, and Kurt threw open the kitchen window to let the fresh air sweep the baked goods smell out a bit. He'd got up extra early so he could put the fondant on the cupcakes, one of his favourite things about baking. Each cupcake was going to have a slightly different, almost fairytale, look and he knew his kids would love them.
As he set to work, he couldn't help but think about Noah and his seeming change of feeling towards him. Kurt had encountered guys before who seemed to flip flop on their sexuality and the first time it had happened with him, he'd been devastated. It had taken him a while to figure out that the problem hadn't been with him, as such; he'd learned that not everyone was as grounded as he was about what and who he was.
By the time he'd finished icing the three dozen cupcakes, he'd almost convinced himself that he could move on unscathed from this extremely brief 'thing' with Noah. By the time he had the beautiful little cakes settled in their bakery boxes, however, he knew he was kidding himself. Somehow, in the space of two, nearly three weeks, he'd invested heavily in the feeling Noah – and, yes, Judith – had produced in him.
For the first time he'd felt that he was ready to settle down, ready for a family and the sexy-beyond-belief Noah Puckerman had been the man to make him recognize this. Judith was a wonderful bonus that he hadn't even known he'd accepted mentally and now that it seemed as if he'd made a mistake, he told himself he was relieved that Noah had shot them down before he could get in too deep.
It was when he was standing beneath the pulsating flow of his shower and he realized the wetness on his face wasn't entirely water that he knew he was lying to himself. He cried then as the hurt he'd felt at the coolness of Noah's voice on the phone returned. He leaned his forehead against the smooth shower tiles and allowed himself the luxury of his tears and then he straightened up. Dashing the water from his face, he continued with his ablutions, shampooing and conditioning his hair more briskly than usual.
Kurt knew he was going to be spending most of the day in Noah's company, along with over two dozen children and a number of parents who'd volunteered and he needed his armor. His love for fashion had developed out of a need to present a strong front to the narrow-minded residents of Lima and now he stood before his closet, needing to protect his heart from the man who'd made him feel vulnerable.
He took out one of his favourite blue jeans, one he'd been told made his ass look fantastic. Next, he took out a thin turtle-neck sweater over which he would wear a pale blue denim vest. His footwear would be comfortable hiking boots, a pair he'd broken in years before. The clothes were fairly simple but the way they fit him made them look like bespoke tailoring. When he was down, he needed to know he looked good, no matter what and these clothes did just that.
He dressed quickly after drying and styling his hair to look a little less structured to get that casual/sexy look and after giving himself a once-over, he finished everything off with a couple spritzes of his special-occasion Le Male perfume by Jean Paul Gaultier. The sensual vanilla undertones of the exquisite scent suited his little baker's heart to a T and he felt his heart lift at the beloved fragrance. He nodded briskly just once, grabbed his shades and then headed upstairs to the kitchen, smiling slightly as he eyed the three bakery boxes.
He pictured Judith's and the other kids' faces and couldn't help his heart lightening further at the thought of the pleasure they'd get from the special cupcakes. From the refrigerator he took out a container with a salad that he'd put together the night before, stowed it along with a couple of sandwiches, some chips and a couple of water bottles in a stylish leather satchel and then locked up before heading out to his car. He held the stack of cake boxes securely in his hands as he moved off the front steps but stopped in surprise when he saw the other vehicle parked behind his.
"Noah?" Kurt's eyes widened in the morning sunlight and he hoped fervently that there were no lingering signs of his earlier crying jag.
The tanned man had been leaning against the front of his vehicle and Kurt could just make out the faint outline of Judith in the backseat.
"Hey, Kurt," Noah's voice was soft, apologetic and Kurt felt himself relaxing slightly as he looked at the handsome face. "I thought that you could use some help with stuff, y'know… Uhm, Judith said you were bringing a treat for them?"
Kurt nodded slowly, his eyes still looking a little guarded but he smiled slightly and handed over two of the bakery boxes. He waved to Judith with his free hand and took out his car keys, stopping the movement when Noah's hand landed on his forearm. Kurt looked up into the dark eyes and wished his heart would stop with the stupid speeding up thing it was doing.
Noah's thick lashes lowered and then he looked directly into Kurt's eyes before clearing his throat. "I meant that you could drive in with us… if you wanted?" He seemed to hold his breath, a tightness at the corner of his eyes that Kurt could simply not fathom. He nodded and Noah relaxed quite obviously.
"Okay, that could work," Kurt said softly, his eyes flickering to Judith whose smile was already beaming at him from her spot in the back. His own smile widened as he went up to her window, poking his head in as he grinned at her. "Hello, Judith, did you sleep well?"
"Mr. Kurt! I helped my daddy with breakfast and I cleaned my teeth by myself and I did my own hair!"
Kurt chuckled as he widened his eyes comically at her. "All of that… and you're not tired yet?!"
She laughed delightedly as he made his way around to the front passenger seat and she continued to regale him with memories of her dreams and what she was going to see at the zoo and what she wanted to have for lunch.
Kurt and Noah exchanged little grins before realizing that things were still a little unclear between them and Kurt looked away as the car backed out of his driveway. He cleared his throat, prepared to ask her more questions, just so that she could keep talking and fill what would no doubt be an uncomfortable silence between him and her dad.
He nodded at some of the things the bubbly little girl was saying, all the time trying to ignore the fact that Noah's tanned and muscular forearm, exposed by the rolled up sleeve of his pale blue shirt, was too close to his left leg. He found himself wishing that Noah wasn't so damned sexy as it was making it hard for him to concentrate on Judith's chatter. The muscles of Noah's right leg bulged every time his foot moved on the pedals and Kurt took to staring out of his window so as not to notice it.
When Judith finally wound down, after one more question about their treat, Kurt was actually a little relaxed and if it hadn't been for the silent, almost brooding man beside him, he would have enjoyed the ride to the school. As it was, however, he was glad when, in next to no time they pulled up in the school's parking lot alongside the vehicles of the other parents who had volunteered to help with the field trip.
Kurt jumped out in full-on teacher mode and by the time he had corralled his kids and given what few instructions there were to the parents, they were ready to board the big yellow bus. The excited chatter of the students and even the more subdued murmurs from the parents gave their departure a festive air, especially when the kids started cheering as the bus pulled out of the parking lot.
Kurt found himself seated near the front of the bus beside one of the other parents, with Noah and Judith seated near the middle but even the intervening seats couldn't prevent him from feeling Noah's eyes on him for most of the trip. The hairs on the back of his head tingled and Kurt did his best to engage the parents and the kids seated closest to him in lively conversation.
Lima Zoo and Botanical Gardens was about a forty-minute ride away and by the time the bus turned onto the approach road to the facility, Kurt was almost exhausted. Who knew trying to ignore one pair of smoky grey eyes could be so nerve-wracking, he mused to himself. Therefore, as he stood to officially welcome his students and their parent/volunteers to what he told them would be the time of their life, he struggled to keep his eyes from meeting Noah's.
He had reason to be grateful for his dramatic training for teaching him how to focus when there was a need to perform because his heart did that odd little jump every time his gaze crossed Noah's. He didn't think the man was deliberately trying to discomfit him but he nevertheless had to take a deep breath as he addressed the assembled group.
"Welcome, everyone, to our very own Lima Zoo and Botanical Gardens!" He paused for the cheer from childish voices – even a couple of the parents chimed in.
Noah watched him with the tiniest smile lurking in his eyes, impressed with Kurt's natural ability with the kids. He tried not to stare at him but their eyes connected anyway and he felt a little frisson of something run through him when Kurt seemed to forget what he was about to say but blinked instead.
Shaking his head slightly, though, Kurt grinned at the group and continued: "This is an awesome facility, one of the best in the country and there are a lot of opportunities to learn fun things here."
He smiled more naturally when some of the kids groaned and then went on. "Yes, learning can be fun, right?!" He did a little cheer, encouraging them to do so as well and laughed when they did. "Okay, we're going to split up into groups and as there are – one, two, three, uh, let's see – six of us grown-ups and twenty-four of you, my little monsters, it's going to be three groups of eight kids with two grown-ups for each group. Got that?"
The grown-ups nodded and looked around at the gathering, already trying to figure out how to split up so the parents got their own kids in their group. They all exited the bus, taking all their stuff with them and Kurt thanked the driver who assured him he would be right there in the parking lot when they returned at 3:30 p.m.
Kurt was the last off the bus, his eyes flicking to each student and then down to his or her name on his clipboard. Marcy had gone ahead to hand in the tickets for the group and Kurt secured the pastry boxes along with his own things. As he stepped off the bus he looked up in surprise, realizing that Noah was waiting for him. He stared at him wide-eyed and then flushed, looking around at Judith and the seven other kids waiting surprisingly patiently for him.
He pulled himself together quickly and grinned down at the little upturned faces. "Okay, then, where to first?"
He steadied himself as the boisterous children bombarded him with shouts of "snakes!", "monkeys!" and "the tigers!" before he could get a word in edgewise. He laughed and then held up his hands to halt them.
"What have I said before, guys?" He waited as they quieted a bit although they were all still grinning, one or two of them actually hopping on the spot.
"No shouting!" The shouts came at him again and he narrowed his eyes playfully at them when they laughed. They were quite naturally high-spirited but add to that the prospect of seeing all these exotic animals and Kurt was happy he had the parents' help today.
"Hey, hey! Okay, here's what we'll do: let's go over to that big board and see which enclosure is nearest to us. Clear?"
"Yay!" The group dashed off towards the huge board that was a layout of the zoo and gardens and they gathered in front of it, waiting impatiently for Kurt and Noah to catch up to them. Some of the taller kids were already pointing out various points of interest, the words supplemented by tiny pictures of animals, birds and reptiles.
Kurt grinned as he threw a glance at Noah who was actually smiling as he sauntered towards the kids and Kurt's heart did that funny little skipping thing again. He looked away quickly as he realised he'd caught the other man's attention and he speeded up, moving ahead of Noah and reaching the kids first.
He didn't know how they managed it but for most of the day they were able to get around the fact that they weren't actually talking to each other. They focused mainly on the kids, answering questions, pointing out interesting things and, to almost all the kids, they seemed like regular grown-ups. Almost all…
Judith looked between Kurt and her dad fairly often and although she seemed on the surface as happy as the other kids to be there, Kurt was afraid she had picked up on the fact that something had changed between him and her daddy. He was a little saddened by that and he spent a little more time than he normally would have touching her shoulder or smoothing her hair to reassure her that everything was okay.
It was bittersweet to look at her because she had her father's eyes but Kurt hid that thought behind his own professional mask as he encouraged the kids to learn while having fun.
"Who can tell me how fast a cheetah can run?" He looked at the little faces as the children stared in awe at the beautiful animals. He nodded when one of the kids yelled "like a car!"
He and Noah chuckled at that but he nodded. "Sort of... They can go over 60 miles an hour for a little while."
When they were at the reptile enclosure they learned that they could see the komodo dragons after lunch and all the children opted to do that. That meant that when they all finally trooped over to the visitor/rec center, the kids' minds were all on what they would see after they'd eaten. The moment Kurt brought out the cake boxes, though, all eyes were trained on him.
"What," he asked teasingly as he waited a bit before opening the first one. Marcy was beside him, waiting to help hand out the goodies and he couldn't resist playing with the children. "I don't have anything in here for you guys, do I?"
Cheers and yells rang out and he laughed as he took out the first two cupcakes, handing them off quickly to Marcy before reaching in for the next two. There were happy cries when the kids spied his handiwork and little hands went up and waved impatiently for their own little cakes. Kurt really enjoyed baking and cooking but most of all he loved knowing that his food and his skill were appreciated.
When almost everyone had been served, the parents' eyes widening in acknowledgement of the delicious cake and artistic icing, Kurt took his own and sat beside Judith. Noah was on the other side of her and Kurt carefully avoided his eyes as the man took a slow bite. He had eaten the cake Kurt had brought to Finn and Rachel's so he knew Kurt was good. However, the beautiful presentation of the cupcakes just for a school outing made Noah realize how truly special Kurt was.
When they all finished eating, the kids' minds once again returned to the thought of seeing the komodo dragons, Kurt organised quick bathroom runs for the kids, asking the male parents to help with the boys and the females with the girls.
He looked up when a hand tugged at his sleeve, smiling when he saw Judith looking at him. "Hey, Judith, what is it, sweetheart?"
Judith looked at him with wide smoky-grey eyes. "Can you come with me?"
Kurt looked up and around, noticing that Noah was walking ahead of them with a couple of the boys from their group. He searched for Marcy but not seeing her, he smiled and nodded. Taking a hold of the sticky little hand, he escorted her into the restroom so she could do her business. He waited for her to wash and dry her hands on some paper towels then escorted her back outside. He held her hand again as they went back to their group but suddenly she tugged on his hand to stop them.
"Is something wrong, Judith?" Kurt's eyes examined the serious little face anxiously. "Did you still want to go?"
Judith shook her head and stared up at her teacher before biting her lip, a habit he realized she'd picked up from her father. "No, I just want to… Do you like my daddy?"
Kurt was ashamed to admit later that he gaped at the child before him, his mind blanking for a second or two before he flushed. He crouched down so that he was at eye level with the little girl and thought rapidly how best to answer her.
"Oh, Judith, why do you ask?" He knew he was stalling and hoped the little girl was too young to pick up on that.
Judith looked down at the ground and then back up at her favourite teacher. "Why don't you talk to him anymore?"
Kurt blinked as he stared at her, not having realized that she had noticed the odd distance between him and her father. He forced a smile now, his eyes softening as he replied: "Oh, honey, I, uhm, of course I talk to him!"
She rolled her eyes in a suddenly very grown up way and then narrowed them at him. "Nuh-uh!"
Kurt straightened up and looked around for Noah and then he looked back down at her. "It's nothing to worry about, okay? We just have grown-up things to talk about later, that's all."
He cringed inwardly because he'd always hated when his dad used to do that when he was younger. 'Grown-up things' was always code for 'you're too little to understand' and here he was doing it to Judith. He really had no idea what was going on with her dad but he knew he couldn't say that to her.
They continued walking back to the group and he noticed that Noah, too, was returning from the boys' part of the restrooms with the other two kids. He smiled briefly at the other man, hoping that Judith saw him do it, and relaxed slightly when Noah's lips lifted in a one-sided smirk.
By 3:30 all the kids were starting to droop and Kurt grinned, satisfied. Some of the parents looked as if the fresh air and extensive walking had done them some good too as they looked more relaxed than usual. All in all, judging from the kids' happy comments throughout the day, the field trip had been a rousing success.
He herded the groups back to the parking lot, lining everyone up so he could do the mandatory head count/name check. There was quiet chatter and soft laughter as the adults helped the kids board the big bus. Judith smiled dazzlingly at Kurt as her dad lifted her onto the first step although she insisted she was quite capable of doing everything herself.
Noah had relaxed somewhat as well and he smiled briefly at Kurt as he climbed up behind Judith. As Kurt watched the last of the kids and parents straggle on board his mind wandered again to Noah's strange behavior. There was no doubt that Noah felt some sort of attraction to him but he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to dampen his ardour in such a short time. He sighed as it was his turn to step up on the bus and he smiled wanly at the driver before taking his seat.
All the way back to the school, the mood on the bus was lively, upbeat though with an undercurrent of fatigue. The kids chatted with each other and the parents and Kurt… he stared out the window, only one thing on his mind. He'd decided in the relatively short time it took to get back to the school that he needed to confront Noah. Not knowing why he'd seemed to change his mind was tying Kurt's mind up in knots. He was a big boy, he could take whatever Noah could dish out; he simply needed to know why.
It was a happy group that disembarked in the parking lot, the vehicles of the other parents who had not made the trip filling the space. As the bus pulled in, the cars' occupants climbed out and waved to the kids on the bus who laughed and shouted as they saw their family members waiting for them.
The mood was really quite cheerful and Kurt, having made the decision to talk to Noah, was more relaxed than he'd been hours before in that same spot. He hugged and waved off the groups of kids, thanking the parents who had helped him chaperone them and stood with Marcy as he watched them all leave the school.
"That was one of the best field trips we've had, wouldn't you say?" Kurt glanced at Marcy, noting the slight sunburn she was sporting across the tops of her cheek and her forehead. "Hmmm, forget the sunscreen again, did we?"
They chuckled as they stood together for a bit, sighing in satisfaction at a job well done. Marcy glanced up at him, her eyes soft in the afternoon light. "I really enjoyed today. When I get the chance, I think I'm going to go for my degree."
Kurt turned to her, his eyebrows raised and a big grin on his face. "Wow, that's great! I'm going to miss you as my assistant but that's a great idea. We need more teachers and fewer politicians, if you ask me."
They laughed together and then Marcy said her goodbyes, waving to him as she moved off towards her little two-door job. Kurt watched her, waiting until she'd got in and driven off before taking a deep breath. He turned towards his own ride and saw two pairs of grey eyes staring at him. He gave a quick smile and hurried over to Noah's car.
"Well, Judith, did you enjoy yourself?" He kept his eyes forward as he buckled himself into his seat, trying to ignore the warmth of Noah's big body beside him.
Judith took up the conversational ball and ran with it, naming all her favourite things she'd seen and marveling especially at the huge goldfish they'd seen. The group had taken a break and gone over to the Botanical Gardens and Kurt had taken great pleasure in showing the kids the huge goldfish pond with the lilies in it. The kids' awed reaction at the sight of the fish was an educator's dream; knowing that you've helped to broaden children's experiences was a wonderful feeling.
Kurt and Judith chatted all the way to his house, Noah adding only the occasional head nods and hums. Kurt fought with himself not to look over at the other man and by the time they got to his home, he was tense again.
Finally, as Noah pulled up into his driveway, Kurt turned to look at the other man. Judith had fallen silent when she realized that Kurt was about to leave them and he turned to smile at her.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself today, sweetie," he smiled at her in her car seat. She was such an angel with her sun-kissed face and her hair coming loose from her pigtails. She'd run and jumped and dashed about with the other kids and now looked like any other little five-year-old after a day of fun in the sun. She smiled sunnily at him and nodded her head rapidly.
"Yay! I want to do it again!" She grinned, the little gap in the bottom row of teeth not detracting from the beauty of her smile. "Can we go again, Mr. Kurt? Pleeease?!"
Kurt chuckled and his eyes flicked to Noah's smiling face. He couldn't help himself in the face of such winsome pleading and he nodded, although he had to add, "Yes, but not just now, okay? Maybe in a little while, if I think you kids deserve another outing."
Her little lip pouted but she looked at him shrewdly and he had to stifle a laugh. "Okay, but what do we have to do, then?"
Kurt grinned but winked at her. "Just continue to be very good and learn lots and lots of things, okay? Then I'll see about another trip – maybe next year, in the spring."
"Awww, but that's foreverrr!" Her dismayed gaze made her eyes even bigger and Kurt couldn't help the little twinge his heart gave. He shook his head at her, his eyes softening.
"Sweetie, that's when the baby animals will be there. Don't you want to see them?"
Her eyes widened dramatically and her little mouth dropped in an 'o'. "Baby animals – really? Yay, I want to see the baby animals, pleeease?!"
Kurt nodded and then chuckled, turning around to gather up his satchel that he'd placed at his feet. "As I said, you guys have to show me that you're paying attention in class. Then I'll definitely see about a reward." He paused and then glanced at Noah from beneath his thick lashes. "Uhm, thanks, Noah, I – I guess I'll see you…" and grabbed the door handle to get out of the car.
Noah's hand on his arm halted him and he glanced into the serious eyes that, to be honest, were far too mesmerising for Kurt's good.
"Uh, wait, Kurt, I have to talk to you," but he glanced back at Judith who was staring between the two men avidly. He knew she was anxious about the distance that had gaped between him and Kurt but what he needed to say to Kurt he couldn't do in front of her.
Kurt glanced down at the hand on his arm and then back at Noah. "Noah, call me later, okay? I'll be home," and then he slid out and away, shutting the door firmly before waving at Judith. "Bye, sweetie, see you on Monday!"
"Bye, Mr. Kurt!" Her little piping voice made Kurt smile despite the heaviness in his heart. He just knew that he was going to get his explanation from Noah later but now he was a bit wary as to what he would hear.
He let himself into the house, sighing as he dragged his feet towards the kitchen. He emptied his satchel and washed the food containers on auto pilot, his mind running around and around the subject of Noah's mysterious behavior. He finally headed downstairs to his bedroom, throwing himself on the huge leather couch that had replaced the white one he'd had in his high school years.
He stretched out, groaning slightly as he lifted his aching feet up onto the seat. He really should remove the boots but he didn't want to move any further just now. He closed his eyes and smiled slightly as his mind went over the day's activities; then he frowned as he realized he had yet to give Noah his invitation from Daria Strando. Oh, well, he thought as he yawned and closed his eyes, I'll tell him later.
The sound of the insistently ringing phone jerked Kurt out of his nap, his blurry eyes roving the room before groggily landing on the table beside his couch. He grabbed it, stifling a yawn as he answered. The sound of Noah's voice on the line made his eyes widen and he sat up, swinging his feet to the floor.
"Oh, uh, hi, Noah," he cleared his throat as he realised he sounded hoarse and continued. "I guess I fell asleep…"
Noah groaned inwardly at the sound of Kurt's voice all husky and innocently sexy and he cleared his own throat. "Uh, yeah, I kinda had a nap too when Judith did. Look, I wanted to… Tell you what, I don't want to do this over the phone. Can I come and see you? I really need to explain something to you."
There was an uncomfortably long pause and Noah wondered for a second if Kurt had fallen asleep again. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 6:30 and he crossed his fingers, hoping Kurt would say yes to his request.
Kurt cleared his throat and then, "Okay, you can come by later. What are you doing for dinner, you and Judith?" He could throw together a quick stir fry and he could cook rice in a jiffy, no problem. He waited as Noah said something in the background to Judith who, from the tone Kurt could hear, was whining about something.
Noah came back on the line, his voice a little firmer. "I've got to drop Judith off at my sister Sarah's anyway but she wants to come with me to see you, as you can probably guess. She can't, though, because she's supposed to hang out with Sarah this weekend."
He broke off again to no doubt argue with his daughter and with a final, "I said go and have your bath!" he tuned in back to Kurt. "Uh, kids! Okay, so I'll drop her off around 7 – remember my mom's house wasn't far from yours?" At Kurt's answering hum he continued. "So then I'll swing by you around 7:30. Are you going to cook for me?"
The intimate tone of those last words, after the recent and sudden distance between them, threw Kurt off and he was silent for a moment. Finally he sighed, "Noah, I like to cook and I hate cooking for one so I'll see you at 7:30, okay?"
He admitted to himself that he was afraid of Noah's blowing hot and cold and as much as he wanted to wrap himself up in that warm, sensual voice and roll around in it, he needed to know what the hell was going on with the man!
Noah dropped the joking tone and accepted the terse invitation. "Okay, then, I'll see you in a few. Oh, Judith says 'hi'."
Kurt couldn't help the chuckle. "Tell her 'hi', back and tell her that I want to hear good reports from her weekend with her Aunt Sarah, or I'll know the reason why," he said, employing his 'schoolmarm' tone. Noah laughed and said he would and then hung up.
Kurt relaxed against the couch, his head lolling on the back of it as he stared up at his spackled white ceiling. He felt as if he were on a kiddie roller coaster with Noah, gentle ups and downs, nothing as dramatic as the monster rides but still a little unsettling. He sat for a while before remembering that he had to start the rice and then jumped up, shucking his clothes as he went.
As he stepped into the shower, he thought of the way Noah had kept looking at him and he felt himself harden slightly as the water slid down his body. He knew that wearing those jeans would garner him some attention but he hadn't factored in how he would respond to Noah's gaze on him.
He quickly finished his shower, rubbing his skin briskly and then took care of his moisturising routine. He creamed his face and lotioned his arms and legs before putting on soft, fleecy sweatpants and an ancient t-shirt, subconsciously doing the same thing Noah had done the night before when Kurt had stopped by with the papers for the field trip. He didn't want Noah to think he was trying to seduce him, not until this whole mystery was cleared up.
He bounced up the stairs and padded through the living room, the dining room and then into the kitchen where he quickly set the rice to cooking. He reached into the freezer, remembering that he had individually-wrapped packages of chicken breasts and then took the vegetables he'd need out of the crisper. He set three of the chicken breasts in the sink with warm water running on them for a quick defrost before reaching for his largest skillet. Setting that on the stove, he got out his wooden cutting board and proceeded to julienne a mix of red, green and yellow bell peppers. Stir fry was one of his favorite dishes as it was quick, healthy and very tasty.
Next he cut up a small onion and several stalks of scallion and reached for his favourite bottle of soy sauce as well as a bottle of teriyaki sauce. The teriyaki was his personal addition to the standard stir fry flavouring and every time he served this particular dish and he got rave reviews, he winked and hinted at his secret sauce.
After the rice cooker dinged he turned that off, allowing the contents to continue steaming so that the rice would be fluffy and just right when they were ready to eat. He looked up at the clock, realising it was already after seven and then set the skillet on his countertop grill. He had updated the kitchen after his dad, Burt and stepmom Carole had moved to D.C. and he smiled in satisfaction at the modern, elegant feel of the place. Granite countertops and state-of-the-art equipment made his little heart fizz with glee, he thought smugly, stirring the ingredients of the stir fry in a quick and professional manner. It helped, too, to have the TV in the kitchen always tuned to the cooking channels so he could cook along with his favourite hosts.
He turned the heat off under the skillet at exactly 7:25, dashed around setting the table in the kitchen for two and dithered over whether he should serve wine or not. Shrugging, he decided to set the wine glasses anyway and stepped back to admire the table setting. He shook his head at himself, "Suzy Homemaker," he muttered and jumped slightly when the doorbell rang. He looked around the room and then dashed out through the dining room and then the living room. He paused at the front door, took a deep breath and deliberately restrained himself from fixing his hair which he knew was unusually disordered, and swung the door open.
Throwing Noah a nonchalant, "hey," he stepped aside to let the other man in, his eyes inadvertently dropping to his ass encased in tight dark blue jeans.
Noah turned, almost catching Kurt out in his ogling and held out the bottle of wine he'd brought. Then, to Kurt's surprise, his other hand thrust toward him and he held out a small bouquet of flowers, his eyes pleading as they met Kurt's.
Kurt stared stupidly from the wine to the flowers before smiling sheepishly. "Uhm, wow, flowers. Thanks?"
His nervousness seemed to make Noah relax and the smile that came into his grey eyes made Kurt's breath catch in his throat. They stood staring at each other, Kurt not yet taking either gift from Noah and then…
Kurt's mouth moved beneath Noah's hungrily, soft sounds from the back of his throat complementing the way his hands roved up the larger man's back.
Noah groaned as his tongue tangled with Kurt's, his breath growing short as his hips slammed into Kurt's. He hadn't realized he had shoved Kurt against the front door until they'd stopped moving but he couldn't seem to get enough of the mouth that haunted his dreams. Kurt's lips, the way they moved when he spoke, the habit he had of biting the puffy bottom lip – it all combined to drive Noah crazy with need.
Kurt's hands dropped to the ass he had just been admiring and he squeezed it before pushing his hardening cock forward against Noah's groin. Matching groans erupted from both of them and Kurt wrenched his mouth away, his lips already swelling and moist from their frantic kissing.
"Noah, Noah, wait! Wh-what are we doing?" Kurt's breathy voice, the wide, lust-blown eyes, even the hands gripping his ass all brought Noah suddenly and unwelcomingly back down to earth with a bump. He moved away and stared first at Kurt's mouth and then up into his eyes.
"Uh, ah, I don't… know?"
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TBC
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A/N 2: So, the boys are finally going to talk and - just maybe - get some one-on-one time in. Some of you wanted Finn to be bitch-slapped but that boy's just plain clueless.
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