Chapter Seventeen

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? Rated M.

Disclaimer: None of these characters belongs to me except for any OCs found wandering. I own nothing save for this computer.

Kurt loved the weekend, what with getting a break from dealing with scores of hyperactive children the whole week. He loved kicking back and relaxing, shopping, cooking, even when housework was involved he was pretty happy.

Not this weekend, though; having to turn up at Daria Strando's party to 'protect' Noah was definitely not his idea of a fun weekend.

Ugh! He was so not in the mood to run interference as he would much rather have just spent the day doing his usual stuff with the bonus of seeing Noah – and Judith – later in the day. Now here he was, standing before his closet and trying to find the most in-your-face but not too outrageous outfit to wear.

The previous weekend had been fun as he'd taken Judith to the mall to shop. He had had a twinge of conscience as he'd driven over to Noah's condo. He didn't know if this was favoritism but he was dating her dad and he had no idea if there were some sort of conflict of interest involved. He wondered if he would have to talk to the school's principal about it.

Driving along and enjoying the surprisingly balmy morning, Kurt had hummed along to his playlist, his heart light and happy. He'd told Noah that the trip was just for him and Judith; he'd been grabbed and kissed nearly senseless before consoling the other man with plans for dinner.

As he stood before the full-length closet mirror smirking at himself, his body tingled at the memory of their dinner – or rather after-dinner activities when Judith had been put to bed. The shopping had been great; Judith had very definite ideas about the kind of sweaters and jackets she considered 'her style'.

Kurt, watching her tilt her head as she stared at herself critically in the full-length mirror, had wondered in a daze if he'd been just as self-assured at her age. He'd snorted quietly; his dad probably would have nodded his head off in agreement as he retold the story of him demanding sensible shoes for his birthday.

He and Judith had had a very enjoyable time in the food court at the mall and she'd waved happily to some of her classmates who had also been shopping with their mothers. Kurt had colored slightly when one woman had smirked at him knowingly and he'd rolled his eyes; people just couldn't mind their own damned business he'd muttered quietly.

That had been a great weekend, even though he hadn't seen Noah for long on Sunday. The tanned and gorgeous man had swung by after dropping Judith at Sarah's and had made up for the brevity of his visit with a truckload of passion. He had left Kurt spent, sated, wrung out and grinning like a fool although he'd had enough energy left to snark that he had been nothing but a booty call.

Noah had stood at the foot of the stairs, still damp from a quick shower and shrugging into his shirt. He had eyed Kurt's sweaty, naked body hungrily before responding with a leer, "Best booty call ever, babe."

Kurt had flung a pillow at him but flopped back on the bed, grinning at the ceiling as Noah bounded up the stairs. Now, he smiled dreamily as he thought of his lover, wishing he were there right now but then he shrugged off the mood and turned back to his closet.

Daria had found him one day in the week, tracking him down just outside of his classroom and letting him know that her 'fall party' would be the coming weekend. Kurt had suppressed a sigh because he had been harboring a hope that she would somehow change her mind but no, no such luck. Smiling politely at her – really, it was just a curve of his full lips – he acknowledged the invitation and said yes, he would let Noah know the time and that everyone was to dress casually.

He'd rolled his eyes, wondering if it was a ploy to have everyone look ordinary while she would stand out in her finery as the hostess. Well, if he had to go, there was no way he was going to turn up looking as if he'd just popped out to the nearest Wal-Mart or Target… or maybe, he paused in his rummaging as an evil smirk took over his face.

There was a pair of jeans he'd deemed some years ago too disreputable for him to wear. It wasn't as close-fitting as his usual pants and was ripped and faded in the most interesting areas. As he raised it up to examine it he could just picture Noah's facial expression when he turned up in it.

Now, for the top, he muttered, staring around his walk-in closet. If Miss Daria wanted casual she would get it in spades. He lifted up a couple of sweaters and then breathed, "a-ha!" as he found the one he was looking for.

The party was scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., according to its hostess. The back lawns were pretty expansive and Kurt suspected she would have them decorated interestingly enough for the kids to be totally sucked in. The adults, however, could choose to hover over their kids or they could lounge in the house (Kurt had been once before for a get-together she'd been happy to host). Nick Strando was justifiably proud of the huge finished basement that doubled as party central, apparently, so Kurt figured that's where most of the adults would hang out, guzzling the drinks and feasting on copious amounts of seasonal treats.

He and Noah would arrive separately, they'd decided and Kurt grinned at the reaction he'd get when he turned up looking so very different from his 'schoolmarm' persona. He absolutely loved fashion and even as a kindergarten teacher he was known to dress fashionably. Today though, he was going for a totally different look and he couldn't wait to see the other folks' reaction.

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oOo

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"Come on, Jude, we're going to be late!" Noah called a little impatiently to his budding fashionista while he locked up the apartment. She had been dashing about complaining of various things not being 'right' and now it was past 3:30. Finally he looked up and saw her skipping down the short hallway from their bedrooms, dragging a new jeans jacket that she had got with 'Mr. Kurt'.

"Looking cool, baby girl, I like that shirt," he teased her. "My little punkin, come here!"

She giggled as she made a running leap into his waiting arms. He snuggled her and kissed her, her little body wriggling as he tickled her neck with his nose. She really was the perfect daughter, he thought, and tried not to think of his other little girl.

When he let her down she spun around for him, her face beaming as she told him how she'd chosen it after 'Mr. Kurt' had said the color was perfect for her.

"He knows everything, daddy, really!" Her eyes shone up at him with all the affection she had for Kurt and he couldn't help smiling back at her just as soppily. Kurt was perfect, in his eyes and he was just glad that his daughter thought so too.

"Come on, we're gonna be late and Mr. Kurt will be wondering where we've got to," he smiled as he ushered her out the door. She really looked nice in her bright orange shirt with a cartoon pumpkin on the front and her new dungarees with the cuffs turned up over her favorite sneakers. She dragged the jacket behind her as she bounced towards the elevator and he rolled his eyes, wondering how long the poor jacket would last with that kind of treatment.

As they rode down in the elevator she chattered away about who she was likely to see at the party while he wondered how he was going to keep his hands off of Kurt in front of all those people. They piled into the car and within minutes they were tooling along on their way to their first party of the season.

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oOo

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Kurt, on his way to the Strando house and still wearing a tiny smirk on his face, wondered if he would arrive before Noah and Judith. He sort of wanted to make an entrance, hopefully with Daria witnessing it and he shook his head at himself. He berated himself half-heartedly for seeing the woman as any kind of threat to his and Noah's relationship but he couldn't help himself. The woman had always rubbed him the wrong way and her interest in Noah just brought the bitch out in him.

Finally pulling up at the huge house, he realized that almost everyone had arrived, judging from the number of cars parked in the front and the controlled chaos of tee-shirt clad valets dashing about. Nick Strando just loved to show off his wealth, Kurt muttered. He probably should give the guy a break because he was unexpectedly quite generous in his donations to both the kindergarten and McKinley High.

Kurt pulled up, jumped out and handed his keys over to a grinning youth who didn't seem to be a day over 17.

"Nice jeans!" The boy's eyes crawled all over Kurt who simply raised an eyebrow and turned away to head up the broad steps leading to the Strandos' front door. The door was ajar and he could hear the sound of kids' high-pitched laughter, excited screams and the sound of several parents' loud instructions to "be careful!"

Kurt grinned to himself as he stepped inside and looked about, wondering if Noah and Judith had arrived. He was just about to head towards what he figured was the door to the outside when a voice said, "Kurt?"

He looked around and saw Marcy coming towards him, her eyebrows flying up her forehead as she took in his outfit. Kurt grinned at the way she'd slowed down as she came towards him, almost as if she weren't certain it really was him.

Marcy felt her mouth drop open slightly as she stared at Kurt and then she shook her head, a huge grin taking over her face. "Oh, wow! I almost wondered if I was seeing right. Whew!"

Kurt laughed out loud as she stopped before him, watching as she took in everything from his feet up to his atypical hair. "Well?" His voice was still flooded with his amusement as he waited for the verdict.

"One thing I want to know," she said, lowering her voice as she stepped closer to him. "Who were you dressing for today?!"

Kurt threw his head back, delighted with her reaction and her perceptiveness. He shook his head, staring at her with a sultry look on his face. "Why, Marcy, I have no idea what you mean…"

She scoffed and then slid her arm through his. "Come on, everybody is this way – well, most of them. Some are outside with the kids – and, boy, you should see what she laid on for the kids!"

She chattered all the way to the Strandos' entertainment room, occasionally throwing Kurt an admiring look. Kurt was known for always looking neat and buttoned up but not today. She knew quite a number of the other teachers and some of the parents were going to be wondering where this Kurt had been hiding and she grinned with anticipation. She especially wanted to see the reaction of a certain, tall, tanned and way too gorgeous single dad who had arrived not ten minutes before Kurt.

The Strandos' party central basement was built almost the entire width of the massive house in an L-shape. The short side held a pool table, darts set-up and huge flat screen TV that Kurt swore was custom-made. The long side of the 'L' looked like something out of a celebrity's bachelor pad with long, decadently comfortable couches, low tables, a fantastic bar with its own ice-maker and an entertainment system which included a karaoke machine. There were two flat screen TVs in this section and the whole place was illumined with expensive, recessed lighting.

When Kurt stepped down off of the last step the music washed over him, almost drowning out the sounds of several people playing pool at the farther end of the capacious room. He waited a second for his eyes to acclimatize to the lower lighting and immediately felt when several pairs of eyes turned towards him. Once again he heard, "Kurt?"

This was a voice he would recognize in his sleep and he looked to his right to see Noah coming towards him, a faintly stunned look in his eyes. Kurt felt color heat his cheeks and his lips curve involuntarily into a tiny smile. He waited for Noah to come up to him and barely noticed when Marcy slipped her arm from his.

"Oh, hi, Noah – when did you get here?" He knew it was lame but it was the only thing he could squeeze out as he stared at his hunky lover.

Noah was wearing an approximation of one of his McKinley High looks: baggy jeans were paired with trainers and on top of what Kurt knew to be a sinfully tight tank he wore an army surplus jacket. He looked the same as he had back in school and Kurt felt his breath hitch slightly. The secret fantasies he'd had about Puck flooded his mind as his eyes roved all over his lover's muscular body and he licked his lips.

Noah's breath caught as the tip of Kurt's tongue swiped his plump bottom lip and he prayed he wouldn't pop a boner in front of a roomful of people – strangers. He could barely take his eyes from Kurt – a Kurt he could honestly say he had never seen before.

Kurt bit his lip, flicked his eyes at an obviously amused Marcy and then looked back at Noah shyly.

Noah, for his part, knew he was one step away from leering at Kurt. No one could blame him, he thought, as Kurt – his Kurt – had turned up at Daria and Nick Strando's party wearing faded, ripped jeans, the tightest v-neck sweater he'd ever seen and a cropped jeans jacket that looked to be several years old.

If all that wasn't enough to cause Noah to spontaneously throw wood, Kurt's hair – the hair that Noah knew he took nearly twenty minutes to style each and every day – his hair was tousled and windblown and totally complemented his just-rolled-out-of-bed-and-grabbed-the-nearest-thing look.

Jesus, he breathed as his eyes roamed his lover's tall, slender body and lodged at the fluttering pulse at the base of Kurt's long, smooth, creamy neck. He would never, ever have thought Kurt would leave the house looking like anything but the fashion-loving diva that everyone knew he was. This look, though, had shot up to the top of Noah's long list of all his favorite looks that Kurt wore.

"Uhm, Noah, you're staring!" Kurt's sharp whisper brought Noah back to himself and now it was his turn to feel his cheeks heat up and he threw a slightly panicked look at Marcy who was definitely laughing at them on the inside.

She grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him away from Noah's heated gaze, towing him towards the long bar as she chuckled unapologetically.

"Oh, boy, this has made my day, my semester, my year!" Her eyes glistened with tears of mirth as Kurt threw a pout her way. "What, I have to find my fun where I can get it. Seriously, though, if I didn't know you played for the other team, I'd be all over you like … ugh… white on rice!"

Kurt laughed at her as he leaned against the bar, thoroughly amused and also feeling triumphant about Noah's reaction. The look in his lover's eyes as he'd taken in Kurt's outfit had made up for any displeasure he felt at being at this party and he looked around now at the other people there.

He slid his butt onto the stool but didn't completely sit on it so that one sneaker-clad foot was flat on the floor and the other leg was up on the stool's support. He didn't seem to realize that the way he was perching on the stool drew all attention to the faded placket around the jeans' zipper or the rips on the thighs. Marcy, however, was very aware of other people's attention and she smirked, thinking that it was about time Kurt brought out his sexy, badass side. No one was one dimensional, she thought and for too long people just seemed to see him as the sweet, asexual kindergarten teacher.

As they ordered their drinks and sipped them, they chatted as they looked around the almost packed basement. They exchanged greetings with some of the folks they recognized, the parents of their kids in their class but mostly they just talked while Kurt eyed up Noah on the other side of the room.

Noah had tried to keep his eyes away from Kurt's tantalizing body in that sexy get up but even as Daria tried to monopolize his attention, he couldn't help himself. Finally, ten minutes after Kurt had arrived he found himself crying thirst and excused himself from a now-pouting Daria to head to the bar.

Kurt watched Noah's approach while pretending to listen to a parent who thought her daughter was the most advanced child in his class. He tried telling her that the school didn't stream the kids into special groups – that would happen later, in Elementary school, probably – but she wouldn't believe him.

Thankfully, at Noah's arrival, the woman was so caught up with staring a hole in Noah's muscular chest she forgot all about what she was saying to Kurt. He grinned at Noah but turned his attention back to Marcy after a teasing grin at his lover.

Noah was amused; Kurt it seemed was in a playful mood and was pretending that they were mere acquaintances. He felt a low buzz of arousal at the thought of keeping secret from these bigoted people the fact that he was fucking Kurt as often as he got a chance to. It was a kind of role play and he smirked sexily at the woman even while all his thoughts were on the way the washed out jeans stretched across Kurt's crotch.

Kurt had flicked a glance at Noah when he ordered his drink and saw the flare of arousal in his smoky eyes and barely suppressed a shudder. He colored as his eyes then collided with Marcy's, a knowing little smirk on her face as she ordered fresh drinks for her and Kurt.

As Noah sipped at his drink, his eyes roved around the room and then he groaned softly; Daria Strando was heading towards him and he wondered briefly how he could escape her unwanted attentions.

Kurt had his back to Noah by this time and wasn't aware of Daria's approach; when he heard her purring Noah's name, though he couldn't help but turn around on his stool. He repressed an evil grin when her eyes widened as she caught sight of Kurt.

"K-kurt, I hadn't realized you'd made it," she smiled falsely, her eyes narrowing as they roved over his body. Goddamit, she thought, feeling overdressed in her Donna Karan caftan that hugged her bosom while it plunged almost to her navel. Her diamond and ruby earrings and necklace glimmered in the low lighting as she took a deep breath to calm herself. Her veneers flashed as she continued to smile while eyeing Kurt's outfit.

"Oh, my, when I said casual, dear, I didn't mean… uh, garage chic!" Her eyes glittered maliciously as she punctuated her remark with a cascading laugh.

Kurt, mischief bubbling in his chest, returned her smile with a genuine grin, making sure that his dimples showed to best advantage. "Oh, you mean 'grunge'?" He watched her eyes harden and he tried not to glance at Noah. "I plan to roll around with the kids outside in a bit… hence the ripped jeans."

He said that last in such a soft, almost sensual way that was totally inappropriate but served the purpose of dragging all their eyes to the way the soft, worn material stretched across his surprisingly muscular thighs and hugged his crotch. This woman brought out the worst in him and he wasn't going to play meek and mild while she flaunted the bosom that Nick Strando had paid for in Noah's face.

There was a small, tense silence after that which was broken suddenly by Nick Strando's arrival. Kurt's eyes widened as he was a little startled, so intensely had he been staring at his wife's furious face.

Daria jerked slightly as her husband's arm slipped around her waist from behind and she gasped a small laugh. "Oh, Nick, uhm, these are a couple of teachers from the kindergarten." She sounded a little breathless and she prayed Nick wouldn't look any closer at her face which she knew was slightly flushed.

Nick took in the tense tableau and smiled disarmingly, turning on his charm as he nodded at Marcy and then his eyes landed on Kurt. They widened slightly in recognition; surely Kurt didn't always dress so – ordinarily, he thought now as he took in the jeans, sneakers and plain sweater. He wondered now what had got Daria into a state, one he could recognize from across the room.

Nick welcomed them to his house, urged them to go crazy with the food and drink and then started to turn away from them with his arm still around his wife's waist. He stopped, however, when he noticed the way she was staring at Kurt; of course, he remembered the little fag from school. He and some of the other jocks had had a great time letting the show choir losers know where they belonged on the food chain.

Now as he looked from his obviously angry wife to the slender, pale-skinned man in front of him, he noticed something. Kurt had always had a girly air about him that screamed gay even before he had officially come out but Nick personally hadn't had a problem with him because of that. The skinny, faggy kid had carried himself as if he owned McKinley, strutting down the hallways in high fashion, obviously expensive outfits and that was what had always irked Nick. Therefore, he and the other jocks had had fun putting him in his place with judiciously applied slushie facials and dumpster tosses. It hadn't really worked until Karofsky had stepped up the game. It had resulted in Kurt's sudden departure and just as sudden return. It all hadn't meant a damn thing to Nick.

Now, though, in the space of the couple of minutes they had all been standing there – including Puckerman, which he hadn't even realized – he knew deep down that his wife was jealous of Kurt Hummel. What the f_?

Nick looked again at Kurt more closely, taking in the subtle challenge in his stance; those clothes were old and worn but they displayed a body that oozed sexual confidence. Nick's spidey senses began to tingle and when his gaze shifted to Puckerman's, the almost protective stance almost made sense. Almost.

Marcy watched Nick carefully and saw the moment the other shoe dropped. Her amusement dimmed slightly because it must be embarrassing to realize that your wife was hot for a man who was hot for … a man.

Nick, his eyebrows coming together in a faint scowl, gripped Daria's waist harder and said with a forced smile: "I hope you guys enjoy the party… excuse us, eh?" and he dragged Daria away.

Kurt smirked, Noah huffed a quiet sigh and Marcy stared between the two men. Noah and Kurt didn't look at each other but she could almost see the tension rolling off of them. She rolled her eyes and then said sarcastically, "Well, if that didn't spoil your appetite, I think we should hit the buffet," and walked away.

Noah finished his drink before looking at Kurt coolly, the heat in his eyes belying his outward stance. Kurt tilted his chin up, swallowed the last of his drink and then lowered his head to stare at Noah.

Nothing was said but Kurt bit his lip and Noah's eyes immediately went to it, his desire to tug the abused lip into his mouth almost overwhelming him. Kurt decided to take pity on him and slid from the stool, throwing a small thank you over his shoulder at the barman. He walked away, knowing that Noah was following and made his way to where Marcy was standing.

Noah did try to keep his eyes from the rips in the back of Kurt's jeans but it really was a losing battle. The damned jeans were ripped just where Kurt's ass met the top of his legs. Oy, Noah sighed as he forced his hands into the front pocket of his jeans to ease some of the restriction. Kurt was going to be the death of him.

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Kurt yelled as a couple of streams of water pounded him, the delighted yells of his attackers mingling with the happy laughter of the revelers. He was so, so happy he'd worn 'old' clothes to this party because the kids were leaving him a mess!

He laughed as he tugged the soaked sweater away from his skin, his eyes sparkling in the afternoon light, oblivious to the way some of the parents were watching his antics with the littler kids. He had decided to join them shortly after he'd eaten his fill of the really delicious finger foods that Daria had had catered. The kids, he'd told Marcy, seemed to be having way more fun than the adults and he wanted in on it.

They had gone out to the backyard and he'd been delighted to find several huge bounce-abouts that were rocking wildly as the children ran and leaped and slid all over them. The noise was horrific and he pitied the parents who were running about trying to corral the kids. Really, they were there to have fun and they definitely needed to work off their sugar high; the kids had had their own buffet outside and it had been top-heavy with carbs and sweets, naturally.

Now Kurt laughed as he watched Marcy get squirted by his same attackers and he relaxed back onto the grass and stared up at the clear blue sky. Suddenly a body dropped beside him and he turned his head casually to see who it was. Of course, Noah, he smirked to himself and turned back to stare up at the endlessly cloudless blue.

"You look like you're having fun," Noah murmured, his eyes riveted to the strip of skin he knew Kurt wasn't aware was showing. The thin-gauge sweater with its V-neck that drew his attention to Kurt's long neck had ridden up when he'd flopped back onto the grass and Noah was admiring the view.

Kurt nodded, still looking up and then he closed his eyes, his lips curving in a happy smile. "Yeah, I didn't have this as a kid so, in a way, I'm living vicariously through these ones."

Noah felt a twinge of remorse, knowing that he and guys like him had been a large part of the reason why Kurt's childhood had been so different. Children could be cruel, often learning at the knees of older folks who should know better and it had been fun to tease the kids that were different.

He wanted desperately to touch Kurt now; the luscious body spread out beside him on the Strandos' perfectly manicured back lawn called to everything in him. He didn't though; nobody here knew what was happening between him and Kurt. Maybe Marcy had an idea but he knew Kurt hadn't confided the details of their relationship to her.

Kurt sensed Noah's mood and opened his eyes, pinning Noah in place with their azure beauty. They looked at each other for the longest time in silence and then Kurt smiled. He didn't realize that all his feelings for the gorgeous man beside him were displayed on his fair face and even if he did, he wouldn't have cared.

"You know, everything we go through – have gone through – has brought us to this point, Noah. I don't really regret anything. Well," and he paused to smirk at him, "maybe the fact that we could have been doing this a lot sooner if we had been brave enough."

His voice was soft in the midst of the racket being raised by the kids but Noah heard him perfectly. Neither of them said 'I love you' but it hung in the air between them.

They were startled out of the bubble of quiet that surrounded them when Judith bounced up to fling herself in her daddy's lap. Noah pretended to be winded by her 'attack' and they all laughed at him.

"Silly daddy, that didn't hurt!" Judith laughed up at her father, her happiness like a halo around her head – or it could just be the light of the lowering gold-red sun shining through the wild hair that Kurt was certain hadn't been that way just a minute ago.

He lifted his head to study her and then raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "Miss Judith Puckerman, what happened to your hair?!"

Noah looked at his daughter and then suddenly realized she was wearing a pretty turquoise tee-shirt with Disney princesses on it.

"Jude, what happened to your pumpkin tee-shirt?" He was absolutely puzzled; he would never understand kids.

Judith got a superior expression on her face. "Oh, I gave it to Briony… we exchanged shirts because now we are bffs – best friends forever!"

Kurt and Noah were silent for a couple of seconds and then laughed aloud simultaneously. Judith grinned at them, glad that they had found her amusing. The little family sat on the grass in their cone of happiness until Judith decided she needed more 'pumpkin juice'.

As she leapt up, Kurt stared at her then sat up. "Hold on, missy; pumpkin juice?"

Judith nodded, her disarrayed hair flopping madly about her head. "Oh yes, the witch over there said it was pumpkin juice and that it was waaay better than soda!" and she dashed away, yelling for no other reason than that she was happy.

Kurt and Noah stared after her and then at each other before bursting into chuckles. Kurt shook his head, glad that the kids were having such a great time. Daria had to be applauded for going all out to make this party fun, even if her motives were less than commendable. And speaking of the woman, there was her husband approaching them with a fake 'hail-fellow-well-met' grin on his smarmy face.

Noah sighed as he caught sight of Strando and looked around warily to see if Daria was anywhere around. When he didn't see her, he relaxed slightly.

Nick Strando was a shrewd businessman; despite his douchiness in high school, he'd grown into a savvy individual who could pick up on subtleties like no one else. This time, as he walked towards the two men lounging on the grass, he noticed the intimate body language between them and smiled maliciously.

Poor Daria hadn't stood a chance, Nick crowed inwardly. Now he was going to have some fun with Puckerman and Hummel. Nothing too bad but he had always disliked the jock for his reputation as a ladies' man. Now here he was, hot for the school fag.

Yes, this was going to be good.

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TBC

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A/N: Okay, I don't know if 'douchiness' is a real word (couldn't find it anywhere) but hey, it fit Nick Strando to a 'T', so why not. I took no pleasure in using the other 'f' word but, douchy is as douchy does. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; if you did, please review. Reviews are like catnip to me, guys!