Chapter Eighteen

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.

A/N: I must apologize for the little break, folks, but I'm back and unfortunately, the Strandos are back too. I hope you enjoy this installment. Review and let me know what you think, okay?

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


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.

.

Puck looked up as Strando approached to stand over them, Kurt not moving an inch as he watched their host saunter up.

Kurt definitely remembered Strando as one of the assholes that had made his life at McKinley High less than idyllic. Still, as a father he hadn't turned out too bad; Kurt knew nothing about him as a husband but from Daria's always predatory look, maybe he wasn't that satisfactory in that department.

Now Strando came up, a bottle of lite beer in his hand and an oily smile on his stupid face. Kurt just knew this encounter was not going to be a pleasant one but he smiled at the man nonetheless.

"Great party, Nick; the kids seem to be having a ball," Noah spoke before Kurt could, his eyes taking in the way Strando was eyeing up Kurt and not liking it one bit.

Kurt nodded and sat up, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around his knees casually while nodding. "Yes, this is a beautiful place. Daria certainly went all out, didn't she?"

Nick narrowed his eyes though his smile didn't dim. He definitely remembered that Kurt had never been one to be intimidated by the jocks, always coming out with something biting and sarcastic even after being shoved against a locker. Right now, though, he couldn't tell what that undercurrent was in the fag's voice but he would play it by ear.

He dropped down into a casual sprawl on the other side of Kurt and nodded, beaming a fake smile at the two men. "Yeah, thanks, she's pretty good at this sort of thing. I think I oughtta knock her up so she has something else to spend time on than just putting on parties, though."

Kurt's eyes widened slightly at the man's vulgarity but he stared at him with a slight smile curving his pink lips. "Oh, but she's a great volunteer at the school and I'm sure she does other stuff…"

He trailed off as he realized that Strando's eyes were roving all over his body and he frowned before flicking a quick glance at Noah. His lover had noticed what Strando was doing and had tensed slightly but Kurt shook his head at him.

Nick had never really paid Hummel much attention but now that he had decided on this cat-and-mouse game, it made sense to size up his prey. The fag was kinda hot, if you were into tall, slender, pale skin and a mouth that looked like it knew its way around a cock. He felt a tingle of uneasiness that he'd just thought that but took a quick sip of his beer to dispel it.

When he looked up, having realized that Hummel had been speaking, he saw two pairs of eyes boring into him. He thought back to the last thing he'd heard him say and then nodded, pretending that he'd been thinking about what he'd said.

"Yeah, yeah, she does the hostess thing really great – you know, business dinners and the like – but I think it's time Mario had a kid brother or sister. Yep, that's the thing."

Kurt and Noah hummed noncommittally and then all their gazes turned to the kids who were still running around and screaming. Some of the torches and outside lights had started to come on in the slowly gathering twilight and the kids didn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Suddenly, Strando said: "So, Puckerman, what about you? Don't you think it's a good thing to give your kid a sibling?"

Noah and Kurt stared at him, nonplused and then Noah's eyes narrowed slightly. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

Strando looked at him, genuinely puzzled and then Noah decided to enlighten him. "Judith does have a sibling."

There was an awkward silence and then, shrugging if off, Strando turned his attention to Kurt. "What about you; no kids in your future?"

Kurt stared at him in such a neutral way that Strando, beginning to realize that Hummel really was no pushover, shrugged as if to say, 'what?'

Rising to his feet and brushing off his jeans in such a way that both men's eyes were riveted to where his hands were, Kurt glanced down at his host.

"Oh, definitely. In fact, about two dozen," and he sauntered off, the two men watching as he joined Marcy who was playing tag with about ten of the little terrors.

There was another little silence and then Strando chuckled, taking a sip of his beer before saying: "So, you and the fag, huh?"

Noah stilled and then slowly turned his head to stare down the other man. Nick suddenly recalled that Puckerman had had a serious rep in school for violence, even ending up in juvie after having rammed his car into an ATM. Suddenly he was rethinking his plan to mess with this guy; Noah's eyes were dark and there wasn't an ounce of humor in them.

"What did you just say?" Though the kids were running around screaming like maniacs, Nick could hear the cold, low tones of Puckerman's voice very clearly. He sat up, looked away and then took another sip of his beer that, unfortunately, had gone flat already.

He chuckled – and, no, that wasn't nerves – glancing at Puckerman with a glint in his eyes that could have passed for male camaraderie.

Noah wasn't fooled at all. People like Strando were like sharks, getting a hard-on the minute they smelled blood in the water. He had probably noticed the way he and Kurt had looked at each other and was now nosing around to find anything he could pounce on.

Strando cleared his throat and shrugged. "You guys look real friendly. I don't remember you being much of a friend to the school fag."

Noah looked at Strando, contempt clear in his eyes but he turned his head to glance at the kids and their teachers before saying: "I would have thought someone who's as successful as you would have grown up a bit…"

The implied insult hung between them and Strando scowled. "What? That's what we all called them, didn't we. Since when did you get so all high and mighty?"

Noah said nothing for a while, letting the raucous sounds of the kids wash away the unpleasantness beside him and then he looked back at him. "Oh, maybe when I grew up."

Without another word, he got up and strolled back inside the house, hoping to get a drink and to avoid Daria while doing so. The Strandos were well-suited to each other; both were loud and classless. He looked around and, not seeing her anywhere, got himself a drink at the bar.

For the next half hour he struck up conversations with a few of the people who came to refresh their drinks, renewing old acquaintances as well. The party wasn't too bad but once again he found himself wishing he were somewhere else with just Kurt and Judith. He shook his head as he listened to the voice whining in his head, smiling as he realized it sounded a lot like his daughter. 'Can we go now?'

Outside, Nick Strando sat and watched his guests – mainly the kids – running around and just plain having a ball. He should be happy that Puckerman seemed to be into Hummel (hah, into!) but it still rankled that the man had sauntered back into their lives as if he owned the town and his wife's panties had got all in a bunch over him.

He finished his beer and went to find her; she was in one of the parlors with a bunch of their friends and he sauntered over to her. He leaned down, whispered something and took great pleasure in seeing the outrage bloom in her eyes. He patted her arm condescendingly, knowing that to the clueless guests it would appear loving and strolled upstairs to his den. He had lost all interest in the party but it would be in poor taste to actually leave the place. Though he had an itch to swing by a little bit he had on the side, now was not the time.


Kurt had watched Strando leave with a disgruntled look on his face and wondered what he and Noah had talked about. He could tell that his lover had been seriously pissed off but doing a pretty good job of hiding it as he watched him stalk into the house. Turning back to the kids, Kurt dodged a particularly eager grab from one of them and then he was off, laughing and dodging the grabby little hands.

Marcy watched Kurt, having taken a time-out to catch her breath. He was laughing, breathless, his cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkling and she knew immediately that he was in love with Noah Puckerman. Something just clicked in her head and she knew she was right. She smiled to herself, trying to keep her mind from imagining the two men together and finally decided to go inside for a drink.

She waved at Kurt and indicated the house to which he nodded, one eye warily on the circling kids and she left. Inside she decided to get a plate of nibbles before heading to the bar to get a drink. Noah Puckerman was sitting on one of the stools, talking to a woman who had clearly had too much to drink and she slid onto the stool on his other side.

He turned his head towards her quickly with something that looked vaguely like relief in his eyes. "Uh, Kurt still playing tag?" His voice was low and the woman on his other side gave a slight sniff and stomped off. Noah relaxed and then turned fully towards Marcy.

She nodded and then asked the barman for a soda which he promptly supplied. She took a quick sip before replying. "Mmm, yes, he's having fun. I get the feeling he didn't do much of that as a kid."

Sipping the drink again and then pausing to take up one of the delicious little hors d'oeuvres from her plate, she watched Noah surreptitiously. It was really pretty clear to her now that the two were intensely into each other and she felt a tiny bit of envy towards Kurt. She didn't allow it to grow, though, because she really liked Kurt and wanted him to have a bit of happiness in his life.

She watched Noah frown slightly but he simply nodded before saying: "Yeah, Lima isn't – or wasn't – very kind to people like Kurt. I mean, we were kinda douches to him, back in high school."

They sat for a while as he sipped his drink and she nibbled and then she swallowed before saying, "It's a good thing he's so strong, then. I can't imagine anything breaking him."

A smile bloomed on Noah's face and he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Yeah, Hummel was a badass in his own way, back then. He would just tilt his chin up, basically taunting any homophobic prick to take him on." He shook his head as his eyes softened in reminiscence. "I-I really liked that about him, y'know."

Marcy nodded, smiling up at Noah before saying, almost flirtatiously, "I would love to have seen you guys back then. You were a jock, weren't you?"

Noah barked a short laugh. "Oh, yeah, football – but I was in show choir too, with Kurt and a bunch of others." He took a last sip of his drink and placed the empty glass on the bar top. "I played guitar, too, that's why I got into music later – but when it came to singing, Kurt could sing rings around us."

Her eyes widened in delight. "Really! I should have guessed; his voice is pretty unusual."

Noah nodded, faint color coming into his cheeks as his wayward mind went to the sounds Kurt made when they were… uh, he had to shift on the stool and hoped Marcy hadn't noticed his discomfort.

Marcy had watched him fidget but hadn't guessed at the reason. She simply nodded as she continued. "He sings with the kids but mostly it's like he's supporting their voices, y'know. He doesn't sing like in a show choir way."

Noah looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Yeah, Kurt Hummel was the go-to guy for show tunes, seriously. I think Broadway lost out when he didn't get into NYADA."

She looked at him, puzzled and then for the next little while he gave Marcy an insight into Kurt's post-high school life, not going into anything personal but just stuff that she could have found out from anyone who had known him before he started teaching.

This was how Kurt found them, chatting and laughing and he joined them, his hair totally messed up and his clothes a little worse for wear.

"Wow, those kids should not have anything with sugar for the next week!" He flopped beside Marcy and asked the barman for bottled water. Without another word he chugged nearly half the bottle before looking over at Noah with a little grin.

"What have you two been up to?" He eyed Marcy's empty plate and at his look, she grinned and said she would get him something to rebuild his energy reserves. He gushed his thanks before turning to look at Noah.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Mr. Puckerman?" He kept his voice just this side of flirtatious.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I was just telling Marcy about our glee days in high school," he smiled slightly as he watched Kurt pull his sweater away and flap it to get cool air circulating. Kurt had no idea that Noah, who was sitting up on the stool, could see a part of his chest as he tried to cool down. Still, he averted his eyes just in case his body got too interested in the teasing view he was getting.

"Oh, that. I sing in class so she knows already."

"Uh uh, she didn't know that you could have given any of those Broadway divas a run for their money. You were that good," Noah shot back, not liking Kurt's self-deprecation.

Kurt's eyes widened, not at the words so much as the fierce way in which Noah said them and his cheeks colored slightly. His eyelashes fluttered and he smiled softly before looking back at his lover.

Noah, watching Kurt's reaction to what he'd said, felt his body moving closer to Kurt's and he only jerked back when Marcy suddenly appeared with a couple of plates piled high with steaming ribs, chicken wings, potato salad and what looked like tossed salad.

Kurt's eyes widened in appreciation and he looked at her gratefully. "Oh, wow, real food. I thought Daria was only going for finger foods today." He relieved Marcy of one plate and watched as she handed the other to Noah. "What, aren't you going to eat, too?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I had more than enough of those little stuffed mushroom things and mini quiches to keep me for now. Enjoy!" and then she was off into the crowd milling about the basement.

Kurt turned to Noah, flickered his eyebrows enquiringly and tilted his chin towards the stairs.

Noah grinned at his non-verbal communication but nodded, waiting for Kurt to head up before following him. They found somewhere fairly quiet to sit and eat as Noah gazed outside at the kids who had slowed down a bit. Some of them were waving sparklers while some were eating what appeared to be more hot dogs and hamburgers.

Kurt and Noah ate in silence while exchanging the occasional smile and Kurt breathed deeply with satisfaction. His eyes sparkled with happiness but they dimmed slightly as a figure loomed over them, preceded by a wave of expensive scent.

"Oh, hi guys, having fun?" Daria's voice interrupted the peaceful interlude and Kurt's eyes narrowed when he realized she was only looking at Noah. He answered a little more loudly than necessary.

"Oh, yes, aren't we, Noah? This is great and I'm sure the kids are having a ball!" He stared up at her, willing her to focus on him and stop undressing Noah with her eyes.

Daria glanced at Kurt briefly, a flicker of annoyance twisting her mouth and then she addressed Noah. "Uhm, Puck, there are a couple of my friends I wanted to introduce you to, if you have the time?"

She twirled a lock of hair around her fingers in a way she'd obviously perfected back in her cheerio days and stared at Noah. It was almost as if she thought she could make him get up with the power of her mind. Her face had a strangely intense look and Kurt had a sudden uneasy feeling as he watched her.

Noah, just as wary, glanced down at his plate, then at Kurt and then looked up at his hostess. A tiny sigh escaped his lips and he forced a smile as he said, "Uh, sure, but I'm not done eating…"

Daria glanced down quickly at his half-eaten food and then smiled widely. "Oh, it's okay, I'll just bring them over. Uh, Kurt, don't you have to check on the kids or something?"

Kurt looked slightly startled at that but then he simply smiled directly into her eyes, got up smoothly and said, "Oh, you know, you are right. So, I'll leave you to your socializing, Mr. Puckerman?"

With that he sauntered off and Daria definitely did not like the way Noah's eyes followed the little fag as he left them. Still, he was gone so now she could get on with the test. There was no way that what her husband had told her before was true. Just no way!

She smiled brightly at Noah and moved off only to return in less than two minutes with a couple of women in tow. Noah groaned as he recognized the woman he'd been talking to when Marcy had joined him at the bar.

"Noah, these are my closest friends – Betsy, she does hair, and Tina, she – uh, what do you do again?" She smiled falsely at 'Tina' before answering her own question: "Oh, yeah, she's a secretary in my husband's office."

Noah realized he was seeing a living example of the whole 'keep your enemies closer' thing and, setting aside his plate, he rose gallantly to his feet. "Ladies, uhm, I think I met Betsy before, right? Downstairs, at the bar?"

Betsy simpered and shook Noah's hand, holding it for too long and then Tina was forcing her aside to bring her body much too close to Noah's. He started feeling a little crowded and unconsciously looked at Daria for help. Immediately she slipped her arm into his and bared her teeth at her 'friends'.

"Come on, girls, give the man some air!" She smiled broadly up at Noah, her fake lashes at half-mast. She was certain that her husband was wrong because Tina had once mentioned that she had awesome gaydar.

It was clear that Noah was all man and was strictly into women; after all, he had a kid, didn't he? She smirked at the way the other women were eyeing him up like a side of beef and she surreptitiously rubbed the side of her breast against his arm.

Noah was starting to feel as if he were suffocating and only breathed a sigh of relief when Daria suddenly released his arm. He saw why when he turned his head at her husband's approach. He took his seat again, lifted his fork and dug into his food, only looking up when Nick addressed his wife.

"Hey, you guys move the party inside?" The false joviality in his voice wasn't lost on Noah and he smirked behind his fork at the way Daria squirmed. She hurried to explain that she was just introducing Tina and Betsy to Noah.

"You know he's just come back to Lima so he doesn't know any new people; I think the girls think he's hot!" Her injudicious comment made Noah's eyes widen and he kept them trained on his plate, waiting to hear Strando's reaction to that.

The man's loud laugh bounce around the room and then he said to the women, "Hey, I doubt Puckerman needs help with his love life, doll. Especially from you!" and he laughed again, the sound unpleasant and vaguely mean.

Daria flushed as she glared at her husband but she smiled at the two women. "I'm sure the girls were happy to meet Noah, weren't you?"

Nick's eyes widened as Tina, one of his secretaries, took a seat so close to Puckerman she would have been in his lap if he hadn't been leaning towards the table and his food. Nick frowned at the group, shrugged and then announced he would head down to the basement to see if anyone wanted to play darts.

Noah took this as his opportunity to jump up and announce it was time he took his daughter home. He didn't miss the pleased gleam in Strando's eyes when he said that but he simply smiled at Daria and the other women and made a quick exit.

Nick watched his wife and the other women eyeing up Puckerman, noticing how Betsy licked her lips as her eyes lingered on Puckerman's muscular body. Gah, he didn't know what all these people saw in that has-been jock! He stomped off towards his kick-ass basement to intimidate a bunch of people into playing a round of darts with him.

Noah took a gulp of fresh air as he wandered around outside, looking for Judith but hoping to find Kurt as well. He wanted to just immerse himself in Kurt's sweetness and forget about the fake people in the house behind him.

Kurt saw Noah before he saw him and noticed the other man's tense body language. He wondered if he'd run into Daria again and he giggled as Noah finally caught sight of him. He waved him over to the slide down which Judith, Briony and a bunch of other kids were taking their last turns. Marcy was helping to round up some of the other children, along with several parents, as clearly it was more than enough time that the kids settled down.

"Hey, sweetheart," Kurt said softly as Noah came up, turning to watch the kids come down the slide screaming like banshees. He felt the warmth of Noah's big body and almost leaned against him before remembering where they were.

Judith, sensing that it was time to leave, came up with Briony in tow. "Daddy, please, can I sleep over with Briony, pleeease?"

The two little girls stared up at Noah with large, shining puppy-dog eyes and Noah faltered. Briony's mom hurried up and assured him that it would be more than okay for Judith to stay.

"Ah, Jude, you don't have any pajamas or anything with you," Noah said softly but he was interrupted by Briony's mom shaking her head and grinning happily.

"Oh, don't worry about that; Briony has a lot of stuff that she won't mind sharing. In fact, I don't think I'm going to have any trouble getting them to bed early tonight!"

Noah stared down at his daughter's pleading face, glanced at Briony's and caved. "Oh, alright_ ooph!" He staggered as the two little girls pounced on him, Judith's arms squeezing him tightly as she squealed, "thank you, daddy!"

Kurt chuckled as he watched, mouthing "pushover" as Noah looked at him helplessly. The little girls trotted away with a "bye, daddy, bye Mr. Kurt, bye Mr. Puckerman!" and the two men were left staring off after them bemusedly.

Briony's mom shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry; I'll call you tomorrow so you know where to pick them up." She handed over her phone and Noah entered his cell number into it and with a little wave she was off, bustling after the two little girls who had their heads together conspiratorially.

Noah sighed, rubbed the back of his neck and then turned to look down at Kurt's little grin. "I didn't stand a chance, did I?"

"Nope!" and Kurt giggled all the way to his car, Noah walking slowly behind him. Halfway there, Marcy joined them and she and Kurt chatted briefly before they all separated to their own cars. Noah threw a look at Kurt who pretended not to see as he slipped behind his wheel but he smiled.

Nick Strando had left his darts buddies to come outside onto the steps and watched his three guests separate. Hummel and the other teacher had exchanged some words but Puckerman hadn't spoken to either of them. Nick knew that didn't mean anything but he was certain deep down that if he followed Puckerman, he would find him heading to Hummel's house.

Daria's friends seemed quite taken with the ex-jock but Nick knew his wife; she had the hots for Puckerman. She was simply trying to prove a point when she introduced her friends to him; just a game … or something. He had to find a way to prove that Puckerman could never be interested in her.

Oblivious to the plotting going on behind them, Kurt and Noah headed to Kurt's house, Noah driving discreetly behind his lover.

Kurt smiled to himself, his eyes flicking every now and then up to the rear view mirror to keep an eye on Noah who was a couple of cars behind him. He felt a little surge of anticipation as he thought of what the night would bring and his body tightened deliciously.

.

oOo

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"God, do you know what those jeans did to me today? Huh?" Noah stilled, deep inside the luscious body wrapped around him and he mouthed at Kurt's long neck hungrily.

Kurt groaned low in his throat, his body clenching and impatient for Noah to resume fucking him. "Uh, yes, yes; please, move!"

Noah felt Kurt's nails backing up his demand and grinned down at his demanding lover. "You knew what they would do to me, right? Yet you still wore them."

He grunted as he withdrew slowly, maddeningly and then, just as Kurt was going to reply, his hips surged forward, drawing a wail from the man beneath him.

"Yes, yes! I wanted to make Daria jealous; uh, and I wanted your attention," Kurt moaned, his eyes glittering blue beneath his heavy lids. He licked his lips and then gasped as Noah took his mouth, kissing him ferociously, almost as punishment.

They pulled apart and stared at each other, panting, their gazes steady and in direct contrast to the way their hips were grinding and lunging. Noah bit his lip, holding back a groan as the fire licked through his body and he shuddered before giving up the battle. He surged forward, slid his arms beneath Kurt's long, gleaming legs and sped up his movements.

Kurt threw his head back, a breathless scream leaving his body at the delicious onslaught and he started to convulse. He shuddered, his arms sliding around Noah's neck and he buried his face there, panting and muttering before crying, "Yes, yes, yes!" His come spread between their bodies, slicking them and he clenched down on Noah, ripping the orgasm from the larger man.

Noah emptied himself in the sheath of Kurt's body, his eyes tightly closed as he gasped for breath. Finally, shuddering still, he slipped to the side, pulling Kurt to him and holding him there. He ignored their messy state and placed his mouth against Kurt's forehead. They breathed in tandem, their bodies slowly calming but for a few shudders and then he laughed softly.

Kurt tilted his head back wearily to look into Noah's eyes, a little smile curving his swollen lips. "What?"

Noah nuzzled him and dropped a little kiss on the smooth skin of his cheek. "Just remembering how my eyes popped when you walked in today."

Kurt chuckled. "Well, I'm a diva; we love making entrances." He snuggled into Noah although he rather thought they should clean up. "You thought I really looked hot in those old clothes?"

Noah pulled back his head and looked disbelievingly at his lover. "Are you kidding? Old clothes or new clothes, you were so hot I could have thrown you over a bench and done you right there!"

They chuckled in the gloom of Kurt's basement suite, snuggling and just enjoying the afterglow. A thought occurred to Kurt and he looked at Noah again, one eyebrow raised enquiringly.

"Oh, tell me; when you came outside after eating, why did you look so … I don't know… disgruntled?"

Noah thought back and then shrugged, a grin appearing. "Oh, just Daria… and company." He looked at Kurt's curious expression. "She introduced me to a couple of her friends. Let's just say 'birds of a feather…'"

Kurt nodded in understanding, a tiny smirk on his lips. "So, were they all over you like a rash?"

Noah gave an exaggerated shudder at which Kurt giggled. "Like you wouldn't believe… and then Strando joined us."

Kurt sat up and looked at him, his eyes wide but with a mischievous gleam. "Uh oh, and what did he have to say?"

Noah pulled Kurt back down to lie against him, one hand stroking down Kurt's side to his butt. He squeezed it lovingly, watched Kurt squirm and then said quietly, "I think he suspects that I'm more into you than he would have expected."

Kurt stilled and then looked at him. "D'you think he's going to try something?"

Noah looked up at the ceiling, his hand still stroking lovingly. "I don't know, but I guess we just have to be careful. This is still Lima, even though things aren't like back in high school. I think he's just pissed off that his wife has the hots for me."

Kurt nodded, his head on Noah's chest and he yawned widely, his eyes drooping. "Okay, sweetie, we'll just be careful. I'm not running scared, though. Nick Strando will find out I'm no easy target and I will fight for my man!"

Noah chuckled, his eyes closing as well. He hugged Kurt closer to him and snuffled his hair. "That's my sexy tiger… just rip him up if he tries anything, okay?"

Kurt hummed in agreement, slid his arm around Noah and, despite the drying mess between them, managed to fall asleep within seconds.

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TBC

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A/N: Who thinks Daria is going to back off? Some people just don't get it. Please, review and let me know what you think.