XI

~ Creed ~

Staring blankly down at the tray of warm milk and pistachio chip cookies that had been placed before him, Kurt remained motionless, his body unmoving as the breeze from the open window swept through his room. It seemed as though it was the only thing in there that had any life within its soul. That and Carmen, who had nestled herself at the foot of his bed and was eying him with a worried gaze. She had been promised news of the Balencia Ball before Kurt had attended, wishing to be informed exactly who had been there, which dim-witted celebutante had made fools out themselves at their own presentation but more importantly, which man had been lucky enough to waltz Kurt into a stupor. All of these over excited questions, which had meant to be answered with nothing short of equal eagerness from the other side, were now met with a dismally low chance of being replied to, but it was just as well. Last night had only ended in a complete disaster.

"Kurt? Sweetie, are you all right? You've been looking at the food for some time now and the milk isn't getting any warmer. You've got to eat something," muttered Carmen slowly as she reached an arm out to stroke Kurt's leg, her eyes never straying from his gloom stricken face. The boy didn't want to seem ungrateful. In fact, he was glad his friend had rushed over at his time of need, whilst also not using it as an excuse to ask further prying questions. He just didn't think he could muster the energy to talk about last night, let alone eat a plate of biscuits. "Kurt, you can take as much time as you like, and I'll be here throughout, but withholding or even denying anything is just something you know won't do you any good."

"I just feel as though... as though I stumbled blindly into something without a safety harness to save me if I fell, and I did, and I brought it on myself," replied Kurt as he shifted his sight away from the tray to the window, noting that it was starting to spit rain, the little droplets staining the glass as if it now mirrored his sorrow. However as he looked back at Carmen, a frown crossing her face as she attempted to decode the poetic like answer she had just been given, he sighed. It was true about sharing secrets with others. It lessened the load or words to that extent. Yet this was no secret, but more like the spicy new crop of news in people's mouths. The complete opposite. "I just wanted to dance with someone. I just wanted a dance."

"Who did you want to dance with Kurt? Doll face, please tell me. I can't help you if you leave me in the dark," persuaded Carmen as she crawled up alongside Kurt, her eyes now grazing over his now feeble looking frame. He did not look good. His body was shivering from the open air chill or the rattling in his mind and it was consequently sending waves of vibrations into the mattress, the ripples in the milk now once again reappearing on the surface. She now felt guilty that neither her, Lola and Carlson had insisted on accompanying Kurt to the ball. Granted they weren't that much older than he was and he himself was a lot more passive and calm when it came to celebrity events, but at least they knew New York. Kurt didn't. "Sweetie, why don't yo-"

"It started off so well. Noah picked me up, we arrived in good time, and I got to see everything first hand. The ballroom, the presentations, I even got to meet some his close friends, it was all great," explained Kurt as a sudden need to expose everything that had happened the previous night, all the anxiety he had suffered, but now all the sudden rage and frustration he was feeling for it all, came to him. He had been taken advantage off. He had just been blindly naive to realize it. "But in the end everyone began dancing, and I didn't want to be alone. So I met a cute guy by the bar, he asked me to dance, I said yes, and we starting waltzing, but... before I know it, I'm not being lead by him anymore, but by Noah."

"Noah? How did you land yourself with Puckerm-"

"It was one of those waltzes where you're always switching partners along the way. Yet when I landed with him, we stayed together for the remainder of the dance, which threw the whole thing off and ruined it for everyone but... I just couldn't stop myself," choked Kurt as he made a bee line for the milk, gulping down most of its contents before coughing at the rate he'd drank it. Patting his back soothingly, Carmen begged him to continue. "It was too late by the time I saw Quinn crying by the sidelines and when Noah did, he pushed me away so hard I fell to the ground, and everyone saw. Everyone was glaring at me, even the musicians and the waiters and the next thing I knew I was running out of the hotel and never looking back."

"Wow, I... um... At first, it sounded like a joke Puckerman would do. Like some prank or something, but now I'm guessing it wasn't," replied Carmen quietly, Kurt scoffing at her words as he picked up a cookie, broke it in two before shoving a piece in his mouth. No care was given to the amount of crumbs landing on the sheets, neither was there any effort in reducing the chewing sounds from within the boy's mouth. It seemed as though the fire was finally stoking within Kurt, and it was red, hot and angry to the core. "Kurt it wasn't your fault. Noah shouldn't have done what he did. It was wrong of him and it was wrong to Quinn. I mean I don't know what his true intentions were, but from the sounds of it, they weren't honorable."

"But see, that's just it. I don't think he was purposefully going out of his way to harm anyone, and I don't think he was doing it for laughs either," reasoned Kurt, popping in the second half of the biscuit into his mouth before offering the plate to Carmen. Accepting one politely, the red headed girl began picking at it, watching Kurt intently as he now delved deeper into the analytical side of Noah's actions. "I mean I know he's turned out to be this rather sensitive yet slightly psychologically damaged man who's just, I don't know, craving someone who's sympathetic and impartial enough to talk to, and I suppose that's why he's latched on to me because I don't know any better, but it doesn't make sense. None of it does."

"Kurt, we could analyze what happened last night for years and never know know what it meant, and it most likely won't matter how many litigation classes you take," replied Carmen as she finished off her cookie before brushing the crumbs from her legs. She'd seen, especially when it came to relationships, and especially in women, people attempt guesswork at how their partners would disappoint them. It never lead anywhere and it only served for them to ponder for hours on end, something Kurt didn't deserve to be wasting his time on. "He's the only one who holds the answer but I don't think you're going to want to talk to him now are you? Not when the only thing you want to do him is punch him."

"Oh Noah… why did you have to complicate matters? Why must there be people out there whose only intent is to further unrest the minds of the content?" moaned Kurt, his hands stretching themselves into claws as his teeth clenched in frustration. It's true what Carmen had said. He wanted nothing more that to hit Noah, hard, but even thinking of doing that didn't sound like enough. He wanted to hurt him more. He couldn't even be around the man, an arrogant prick who was toxic to the core. "Ergh, I can't be bothered to obsess anymore about this. I bet Noah isn't. You see, to many, he's the prince who did no wrong, whilst I was the black hooded seducer who-"

Ring! Both Kurt and Carmen turned their heads warily to look at the model's iPhone, which was now ringing softly on the end table at the head of the bed. Kurt didn't have any sneaky suspicions of who it was but he didn't feel like answering it either. Ever since he'd woken up this morning, his throat had felt like it had constricted to the point where even talking was a chore. A weak voice and a light cough would not do as a greeting but then, it could be someone important. Who knew? Huffing a sigh as he leaned over to his phone, Kurt didn't even bother checking the caller ID before he answered tiredly, only realizing at the last second, of the mistake he'd made.

"Hi, Kurt?... It's me. No, don't hang up, please! I need to talk to you," began the voice Kurt really didn't want to be hearing right now. Noah Puckerman. The man who had strung him alone at a time when he was at his most vulnerable and when he had just been able to earn himself the dance he had so desperately wished for. The man who had humiliated him in front of New York's high society. Though tempting as it was to hang up loudly, so loudly it would break Noah's eardrum on the other end, the pleading, almost begging tone of the voice used, was just too good to resist. Too good. He'd let him grovel like a dog in the street if he had his way. "Listen Kurt, first off, I want to say I'm sor-"

"No."

"What?"

"No!"

"No what, Kurt?!"

"No, I don't want to hear this! I don't need this right now!" shouted Kurt as Carmen rushed over to him, bringing him to a sitting position on the duvet and placing a hand on his shoulders, rubbing them, soothing him, and letting his breath even out once again. It was true about Kurt not needing this right now. It was damaging him and even though she didn't know who was on the phone and even though she didn't know what they were saying, she had an inkling. Only they could bring Kurt down to such a state. "I can't deal with any of it! I have to stay well clear of you before I find myself being chased out of this city with rocks being thrown at my back!"

"No Kurt please, will you just here me out?! Please!" whimpered Noah as Kurt looked over at Carmen with a desperate look in his eye, his lips quivering as tears threatened to fall down his cheeks like a damn ready to burst. It seemed sorrow had now replaced anger and Carmen really wanted to wrench the phone out of the boy's hand and end it all, but this wasn't her fight. She knew Kurt had always wanted, ever since he'd arrived in New York, to grow more secure in his own skin, to grow up, to grow, and for that to happen, battling Noah, was something he would have to win by himself. "Look, I don't want to have this conversation over the phone, Kurt, its not right. Meet me at my place and then we ca-"

"Excuse me?! If anything you should be coming over here, I'm not the one in the wrong!" barked Kurt as he rose himself from the bed and almost screamed so loudly the glass on his phone didn't look as if it would hold out that much longer. The model had had enough. As if he was really going to waste his time making his way over to this man. As if! He didn't want to be talking to him right here, let alone visiting him at his. Besides, Quinn was probably over there right now and she most likely had enough to say to Noah without Kurt showing up. "You have some nerve assuming I'm just going to come to you, as if I'm at your beck and call like some clubbed chump. Some gentlemen you are, or ever were!"

And with that, the line went dead.

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Glee

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Across the city on the Upper East Side, sat a man cradling his phone. The call that had happened a few minutes ago was still fresh on his lips and in the air around but just the way he was stroking the phone, the way his fingers played along its side as if they mourned something akin to loss spoke of an end of an unhappy kind. Noah Puckerman sat on his couch, in his penthouse, alone, with only a ringing eardrum and a guilty conscience for company. What he had done was wrong. He had no right, and if he was a good man, he would seek forgiveness and never repeat such actions. Though with an audience like Kurt Hummel, who had sounded like he'd just been recovering from both an uneasy night and sickness, such desires were hard achieve. He had predicted a reaction like this before he'd even begun dialing the number, but hope that Kurt might want to hear him out, still riled within him.

Though now, remembering flashes of the conversation, anger hadn't been the central obstacle to it all, but sadness. He didn't think his ears had deceived him, but it was as if Kurt had been on the verge of tears and that in itself was enough to further distress Noah. He couldn't feel any worse if he tried. Moaning before tossing the phone aside on the leather couch next to him, he rested his elbows on his knees and enveloped his face in his hands. For the most part, Noah hadn't been planning to dance with Kurt. The sole goal had been to scowl intensely at his partner, as if to communicate through sight that who he was dancing with belonged to him, and no one else. Though this was it. Kurt didn't belong to him, which lead onto the jealousy. The sheer jealousy. The green-eyed puppet who had manipulated him into taking Kurt as his own.

Noah had never experienced envy to such a powerful extent in his life. It had never been this strong. Not even when his mother doted more on his sister in a day than she had ever done in his life. Not even when his best friend Finn managed to escape trouble with that clumsy like nature that so many found endearing and not even back in high school, when a guy in his science class had snagged himself the hottest girl as a lab partner for the duration of a multi-week project. Nothing compared to this. It was something to think about or maybe to worry about. Dancing with Kurt, and enjoying it. Holding him around the floor and enjoying it. Leading the boy who was as was as graceful and light as a feather, and enjoying it, but it wasn't his moves that he had mostly lingered on, but Kurt himself.

Kurt. There was something about Kurt that put the word enchanted and bewitching to shame and he, powerless to stop it, was utterly captivated. However, digging deeper into it all, and removing whatever grasp Kurt's aura had on him, beneath it all, Kurt Hummel was a boy. He was male. This ought to have been the main factor driving against the jealousy, an opponent strong enough to have prevented him from acting like a complete idiot. Especially to someone like Noah, who was known for his 'many, many women', and now a beautiful blonde fiancée. What was going on? He had never been besotted with another man before, predominantly because he wasn't gay or as far as he knew, he wasn't bisexual... no, no he knew that wasn't true. Although he'd never admit it to anyone, not even to Finn or Mike, there had been past instances of risqué behavior with others.

However whether that was down to experimentation or whether that was because he genuinely enjoyed it, he didn't know. The first instance had been back in Junior High, around the same time he'd lost his virginity. He'd attended a friend's party where a game of spin the bottle had lead him sneaking into the bathroom for the remainder of the night to kiss a pretty boy whilst everyone had been sleeping soundly in their sleeping bags downstairs. That night had tasted good. The second instance had been at the start of High School, where a social gathering of keg like proportions had had him rolling around with a girl under the covers in a room upstairs, followed by her gay best friend, who reportedly hadn't initiated the contact, but hadn't rejected it either. That night had also tasted good.

Moreover, Kurt had felt good close to him, linking all the obvious signs his mind was leading him to, like it had been ever since last night. Noah Puckerman liked Kurt Hummel. He liked him liked him, not just liked him. There, right there, was the noteworthy crucial difference in it all. Looking back, there may have been the possibility that he'd been interested in Kurt ever since The Salvatore Spectacle, but due to confusion and denial, those thoughts had been locked away, securely fastened with the strongest padlock, and the key disposed of. Yet this was no bi-curious need. He had a crush on a boy. A real crush, though not just on any boy, the most beautiful boy in New York. Kurt was pretty, he was effeminate and he had a kind nature that turned his own dust to gold. Just Noah's type. Just the type of boy he subconsciously went for.

Quickly standing up and shaking his head rapidly from side to side, as he marked the day he'd discovered a sweet new meal on his sexuality orientation menu, a knock came from beyond the front door before in came his younger sister, Sarah. The young girl had straight yet slightly wavy, glossy hair that pooled around her shoulders, withheld similar coloring as her brother, with deep hazel eyes and toffee toned skin and a certain proud like posture that they had all inherited from their father. The backpack she wore behind her was in the shape of a teddy bear, butterscotch brown and baby blue in coloring, and a gift Noah had bought her at a Kawaii stand in Tokyo when they'd visited the city last year. Sarah's obsession at the time had been the Japanese culture of Harajuku, with its vibrant colors and manga like influences, although come to think of it, a certain model he knew would be able to pull them off even better than the girls they had had in the stores.

"Noah? Noah!" shouted Sarah as Noah jumped and stumbled back a few paces before hitting the back of his shin on the couch, his eyes blinking furiously as his sister continued observing him with a curious gaze, though there was the hint of a amusing spark in it all, as if she had planned on sucker punching him, but in a kid's way. The little minx. "Are you alright? Your eyes looked funny, and your mouth was open... and your hand was shaking. You're not having a seizure or something. I don't want to have you fall on me with your butt crushing my back."

"No, I-I'm fine, I'm just... I wasn't expecting you to come here. I thought that mom wanted you back at hers," replied Noah as he cleared his throat and steadied his breathing, his hand coming to pat at his chest lightly as Sarah walked over to the couch and deposited her bag. She never came to visit him after school, always returning to their mother afterwards, but there would be the occasional visits, the last time where she'd come specifically for advice on how to throw a punch at a boy. "Anyway, how was school? I would ask you more specific stuff but I... don't know much about your school."

"Err, Noah? You went to the same school, but don't bother asking, its school, I know you're less than thrilled," dismissed Sarah as she plonked herself on the couch before Noah sat down next to her. Its not that the man wanted to turn a blind eye to her education, or even come across as ignorant about it, he just didn't care. Like she said, it was school. Sucker's paradise. "The workload hasn't changed, my friends are alive and the teachers are lazier than ever. Today, Ms. Evelo saw Tommy and Vicky drawing a big fat woman with a penis on the board and wrote her name on it... and she did nothing."

"I always did like Ms. Evelo..." muttered Noah with a dazed look and a grin on his face. Sarah could only pull a face of disgust. She knew very well of the things Noah had done back in High School. In fact, their mother, Emily, had spent more time in its halls listening to her son's latest round of detentions from the headmaster for trying to seduce the teacher for an overall better grade, than Noah himself. It was just one of those times where being related to such a boy didn't have such advantages. "You know she once fed me coo-lade and chips when I faked being ill. Man, she was the best."

"Speaking of coo-lade, I'm going to get myself a drink, and away from the boy who's day dreaming about old carcass," replied Sarah, still disgusted, as she leaped off the couch and headed towards the kitchen, Noah snapping back to reality as she hit him over the head on the way. Even though Sarah was only at the tender age of ten, her maturity was something to gawk at. Her intelligence was high, her sense of humor was witty but what topped it all off, was the sharp yet sarcastic little tongue she had that she had no problem using on others. Yes, there was a cheerleader in the making, and a haughty one at that. "So, how did last night go, Prince Charming?"

"The Ball?" inquired Noah as he pulled himself up from the couch and into the kitchen after his sister, Sarah hauling the SMEG fridge door open before helping herself to a cola can inside. Whisking a beer for himself, Noah closed the door and leaned against it, Sarah hopping up onto one of the island counter stools as she nodded in confirmation, her eyes now twinkling with news she desperately wanted to hear. Or maybe she already knew, and wanted to hear his side of the story. Did she know about Kurt? He'd just have to see. "It was alright. Cool crowd, sweet drinks and the music was okay... what? I said it was alright."

"Liar."

"What? I'm saying it was alrig-"

"And that's all you're saying?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to say you tripped up and lodged your head in the heart shaped ice sculpture. I want you to say you accidentally stood on some debutante's dress and ripped it apart. I'd like you to even say you swung from the pillars like Tarzan before you actually smashed into one, but no, we both know that didn't happen..." replied Sarah innocently as she twirled her chocolate locks in her little finger before dunking a straw into her can and sucking at it, her eyes never straying from his. Noah froze. All that was heard was the sound of sizzling bubbles and the giant elephant in the room. "...do we, big bro?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, and I have nothing to say to you," shrugged Noah as he casually sipped at his beer, but before he could help or control himself, he was chugging the whole thing down with now only an empty bottle, leaving a ring on the granite surface of the counter. There he stood, a dribble of beer trailing down his chin, his fingers itching to get himself another bottle and all the while his eyes at bloodthirsty war with his sister's, as if she resembled the creepy loner girl from horror movies with telekinetic powers enough to blow your brains out. "I'm out of here, I need a walk."

"Not before I know how I came to have such a joker for a brother," laughed Sarah as she jumped from her stool to rush to her brother's side, his face completely taken aback and confused from the question as she looked back at him with awe. That was not what he had been expecting at all. He'd assumed she was going down a road he didn't want to share with her, but somehow the subject of jokes didn't seem to be all that much more promising. "I mean when I heard you pulled that massive prank on Quinn and everyone with some male model I thought, oh my God, this is big, this is huge, this is like aweso-"

"What?!" barked Noah as he swiveled around so quickly his arm nearly served to hit Sarah right around the face. It was just as well. She wouldn't have survived. He hadn't read the day's morning papers. Primarily because he'd feared what they had on them but to hear from his own sister that what he'd done to Kurt had been a prank. It was enough to chainsaw a journalist. What if Kurt had heard about this? What if he was upset enough to believe it. Had that been the reason behind his blubbering? Oh, shit had really hit the fan now. "You think that was a prank?! Is that what everyone is saying it was?! A fucking joke?!"

"Yes... Tamzin brought in US Weekly today at school and it had in there saying you planned the whole thing with your model friend... before hand... please don't kill me, No-No," cowered Sarah as she stumbled backwards in the wake of her brother's sudden outburst. Her demeanor of courage had gone, the influencing twinkle in her eyes vanished and now she was faced with Noah in a state of fury she had never seen before. It was enough to make her scream for the hills or even burst out crying but she stood her ground, ready to face the onslaught. "I saw the pictures inside and no one was laughing an-"

"Of course no one laughed, it wasn't a joke!" roared Noah as he threw his arms up in the air, pacing the large kitchen as Sarah retreated to the sidelines. Of course she was aware of the media's take on anything Puckerman, but if this wasn't some prank, what was it? "I didn't mean to dance with Kurt, but in the end I did! It just happened! I don't know how! I just wanted him away from that douche bag he was with! I mean I know Kurt was having a good time with him but he doesn't know who he wants! He didn't know what he was doing! That guy was calling the shots and Kurt was just along for the ride!"

"But... you used to do that all the time with the girls you dat-"

"No, that was for a different ride, believe me," snarled Noah, resting his outstretched arms on the counter, his head low as Sarah's fear morphed into one of repugnance. She would have accompanied the expression with an appropriate sonic round of 'ew!', 'gross!', or 'sick', but she'd already sand papered down her brother's patience enough. She didn't want to take chances of being chucked out the window. "God, now Kurt is never going to talk to me. I've screwed it all up but now I don't stand a chance because of the assholes who wrote in your little friend's weekly magazine of bullshit! Is it so hard to believe I just wanted to dance with Kurt Hummel?!"

"Wait, so now you're saying you wanted to dance with him?" asked Sarah inquisitively, squaring her shoulders as she walked briskly back over to her unfinished cola can at the counter. She'd never met Kurt before. In fact, she'd never heard his name mentioned during conversation or in passing. He was relatively new but he was already stirring up quite a fuss in her brother's social and personal life, a life that right now wasn't making any sense. She wasn't involved in any of it, but her childlike curiosity was already brimming with questions. "What is it about this guy? There must be something, I mean, you dancing with a bo-"

"So he's a boy, so what?! What does that prove?! Just because he's got a dick in-between his legs means I have to have ulterior motives?!" But he had had ulterior motives hadn't he? Well at first anyway. Getting Kurt away from his friend had been easy, yet staying with him only paved a way to address his secondary, hidden yet primal desire and motive, to actually dance with him. "He dances like a fucking angel. No one can keep their eyes off him when he does and it would have been majorly stupid of me to not show everyone what they were missing out on! God! How thick can you people get?!"

"Well what everyone is missing out on is that you have a crush on him," countered Sarah defensively as Noah whipped his head around at her, the mixture of fear, truth and exhilaration surging in his eyes, capturing her attention furthermore. She had just hit the jackpot without even needing a confirmation from the man. Though no such thing would ever occur. Noah having feelings for a boy sounded more like a preposterous lie fabricated by an angry ex-girlfriend than a statement coming out of his own mouth. The notion was something he'd deny to the day he died, yet, was it all that bad? That hard to believe? "I'm not stupid Noah. You're little 'Mathilda McBooky Brain' isn't dumb."

"Sarah... I don't lik-"

"Noah and Kurt, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Sarah, I'm warning you."

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a stranger and an invasive medical procedure, then comes the baby in a baby carria- argh!"

"That's it, you asked for it!" boomed Noah, launching himself at Sarah as she screamed before she dodged his attack by mere inches. His sister was being too analytical for her own good and had reached such a conclusion by unknowingly playing on his pistol like emotions like a book. Though that didn't mean she could tease him for it. He made no attempt to go easy on her as he sprinted after her into the living room, the girl sliding behind one of the armchairs, both of them keeping a close eye on each other's movements as they waited for the other one to make the first move. "You are so going to get it now!"

"Now calm down Nounours," panted Sarah, circling the armchair, her hands holding onto it like a life support before a wicked smile emerged on her pink lips, the teasing glint reappearing in her eye. Faking a faint or an exaggerated stupor, she brought her hand to her forehead and sighed contently, her brother's temper blowing through the roof as she openly mocked him. "I'm sure your heart doesn't beat faster when you see him, I'm sure you don't feel the fire when you touch him, I'm sure your soul doesn't melt when he smiles at you, oh, the joy of being young and falling in love again! So precious!"

"Come back here!" roared Noah, Sarah braking into hysterics as she pelted away from the chair, her brother circling it before he chased her down. She may have been quick witted and a tongue to match but Noah had the physical speed. This time, he made easy work of grabbing hold of her waist and hauling her up against him, her lighthearted cries of protest now softening his anger. The frustration he had been feeling earlier dimmed and the whole fucked up situation of what had happened within the last 24 hours vanished, as he held his sister, chuckling at her baby like squirms. "You're not going to get away with this, kiddo!"

"Stop! Stop tickling me! Ah, Noah! Ah! The only thing I'm trying to get away from is you!" laughed Sarah as she tried with all her ten your old might to wrench her brother's thick fingers from her but to no avail. He was just too strong. There had always been an excuse to call him 'Action Noah', which he hadn't minded in the slightest, but with all those muscles came the power to tickle her until her sides split and she couldn't let that happen. He'd tickle her to death if he had the chance, so she'd just have to rely on herself for rescue. Here it comes. "And the only things you're trying to get away from are your true feelings!"

"Huh..." sounded Noah as immediately after Sarah had uttered the line, the tickling stopped, both of them stopped and everything she had predicted stopped, but she didn't know about the silence. There was a possibility that Noah would begin denying such a claim what with panting and heavy breathing seemed to do all the talking right now, but it was enough for Noah. If even his little sister was able to source out the truth from him, others would too. Well, soon enough. Changing his grip on Sarah before sighing into her hair, the man's hold on her changed from possessive to comforting. He needed her close. "I err... oh God..."

"Hey, Nounours, it's alright. It's okay. We all get crushes from time to time... well not me yet, but you know what I mean," assured Sarah as she turned around in his arms to face him, grabbing a hold of his Ralph Lauren shirt to bring him down to her eye line on a crouch as she rested her hands on his broad shoulders. Noah just needed someone to say that everything was going to be fine. They always did it in the movies, and it seemed to translate well to those in reality. All of this was pretty crazy. "The heart wants what the heart wants… although I think in men's cases; it's an organ a little further south from there."

"Okay, I'm monitoring what you're reading and watching for now on, young lady," chuckled Noah, throwing her an expression of mock seriousness as she fell into the amusement herself, but not before rolling her eyes breezily in true Sarah like fashion. He pulled her into a hug and enveloped her with his arms, treasuring a moment that had been so frequent when they had been younger but now so few with days gone by. It seemed Kurt's fate like gifts were getting more personal all the time, as if the model knew exactly what he was doing. "But what can I do, squirt? I like 'em sweet and beautiful, even if they are dudes."

"Some time or another, I am going to have to see what this Kurt boy looks like, but not now, I have to go," replied Sarah, disentangling herself from the hug before petting Noah's head. He chuckled as he followed her back into the living room and stood by the couch as she headed towards the door, a light bounce in her step and curls. Indeed, she was going to have to see Kurt's face because the moment she did, she'd understand. Beauty could make dignity take a flying jump and Noah, as he was, was a smitten soul. "Bye Nounours! Although it may come naturally, try to avoid any further screw-ups! And don't sleep with this one!"

"Why you!" shouted Noah as he made to chase her down once more before her joyful bouts of laughter were muffled by the slamming door. He could still here in the circular foyer outside as she caught the private elevator, the 'ding' of the bell mixed in the city's music outside creating the perfect soundtrack for a moment like this. It was a rather impressive sonic stimulator to his thoughts and now that he was alone once again, accompanied by his sister's more than invigorating visit, he had more of an idea of what to do now. He needed to talk to Kurt. It wasn't an option. He needed to apologize profusely for shoving him aside and... shit! What if he had injured Kurt? What if he was now sporting a bruise on his hip or on his arm somewhere? Fuck, fuck, fuck!

All this guessing work was not doing him any good. Not only was apologizing common decency but also allowing this catastrophe to win could ultimately rob of Kurt and no one, or nothing, stole from him. Kurt had already been so good to him where others might have been too frightened and Noah would never, ever, forget how Kurt had nearly clawed his way back into his life after that fight in Central Park. If Kurt could do it, so could he, but putting it into action was another matter. Chances were Kurt would be at home, probably preparing a cauldron to boil Noah alive in, but it only brought about an option that never failed. Noah was going to spend his money responsibly and for a good cause at that. Kurt was the good cause and he was worth every single fucking Puckerman penny in his bank account. Yes, it was off to Fifth Avenue with him.

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Glee

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"Thank you very much. Have a nice day, sir," said the cashier as Noah thanked her for her more than useful assistance. He had been in dire need of it. After he had found himself at the foot of one of the most expensive streets in the world, fully equipped with stores of wealth and luxury that almost acted as some sort of money vacuum to the wallets and purses of the rich and fully loaded, he had been completely stumped as to what to do. Unfortunately, for him, Noah did not know squat about Kurt's taste in fashion or in fragrance or in fact, hardly anything. The conversation they'd had at Mangia had covered their pasts, presents and futures but only so much could have been crammed in a lunch before Kurt had bolted down the street, and they'd hardly had a one to one conversation at the Balencia what will the dancing, the music and oh, of course, the humiliation.

He wanted to buy Kurt something. Something nice, something that would ease an apology into the right gear, give it a calm sea to sail smoothly on, but it didn't matter how much he had or was willing to spend, it was all useless at this point. He'd wondered aimlessly through the streets, window-shopping at the products they had in there, but he never went in. Shopping at all these designer stores just wasn't his scene, a scene that had soon morphed itself into Madison Avenue at 67th Street. He'd walked all that way, looking like a clueless idiot with nothing to guide him but the pavement, and it was only when the rumble of a certain stomach indicated that he hadn't had breakfast and that lunchtime could not come any quicker that he came upon the Creed Boutique, the niche perfume house.

This was the last straw. Either he'd buy something here and give a purpose to all this wondering around or he'd go home empty handed with nothing to show for anything. Luckily, for him, Creed was one of the few perfumeries he'd heard of. Some of the girls he'd dated in the past, whilst rambling on about stuff he'd regrettably not been listening to, had sworn by the fragrances that the place sold. He didn't know whether they were just exaggerating or just eager fans but the minute he'd sampled some its scents, he knew they were onto something. The house purportedly created its perfumes in-house by two perfumers: a father and his son, and what they had concocted on the range of lightly lit shelves lining the walls were so much more natural and with it, than the designer junk they sold in Bloomingdales.

The atmosphere was quiet, the air actually smelt clean and the assistance he'd received from the consultant, who knew a confused face on a man any day, had been commendable. They had let him in on everything he had needed to know for an 'apology gift', as he had named it, and after half an hour of testing, had finally narrowed it down to a fragrance entitled: 'Sublime Vanille', a luxurious scent based on the flowers and fruit of the vanilla orchid, used from oils sourced from the Comores Islands. Bingo. He'd found it. He'd found Kurt in a bottle, a beautiful fluted flacon of transparent clear glass with a flower-shaped octagonal stopper, embossed with Creed's distinctive ostrich plume logo. It envisioned Kurt to a tee with softness, sweetness, and a shimmer quite irresistible that evoked the languorous sensuality of a tropical evening under the stars.

Yes, his afternoon looked like it had the prospect of ending successfully and as he waved goodbye, but not before leaving the cashier a tip for their help, he left Creed. Or he would have when Kurt, the very boy he had wronged the night before and the boy he had been thinking about all day, walked right on past with a red headed friend just as he was about to open the door to leave, their attentions completely distracted and focused on one another. Noah didn't know what to do. This was not part of the plan. The plan was to return home, write his apology speech, learn it, practice it to the nth degree and then approach Kurt, not dive bomb straight into it. That was just a mission built up to fail and no way was he failing a second time. The first had been quite enough.

"Kurt!" cried out Noah suddenly, wincing as the boy turned around followed by his friend, followed by the Abercombie & Fitch bag he was carrying in his hand. What the fuck was he doing? What the actual fuck? He'd just said to himself he would just tiptoe away but now, the words had been that desperate to leave his mouth... oh great! That's fucking great! Now his feet were walking their way closer to the surprised yet glaring duo as Kurt flicked his eyes from side to side before hiding his face with his sepia tinted bag, his pretty features covered by a surfer's washboard abs. I've got better. "One word Kurt: Lollipop."

"Uh, right... um... oh, Carmen Noah, Noah Carmen," replied Kurt, lowering his bag form his face as he warily and without any enthusiasm in his voice what so ever, introduced Noah to his friend who briefly nodded her head at him but otherwise settled herself happily with a glare in his direction. However, the fact that she knew what had happened didn't bother him, but Kurt. He thankfully didn't look homicidal or worse, suicidal, but it wasn't much better. The boy looked exhausted. "Well this has been sufficiently awkward. Thanks Noah for jumping out at us from the bushes with your zest for life and your... Creed bag?"

"Oh, yeah, I um... bought some things from there... just now... you know... for you," admitted Noah as Kurt blinked before looking at him in confusion. Something about this was coming across as seriously wrong. Carmen was looking at him, the bag and then at Kurt as if she too was trying to work this all out, until the frown on the boy's pale face burst into anger. "Oh shit, no, Kurt, no I'm not trying to buy your forgiveness or anything, I would never do that. It's just... I mean... I wanted to get you something. You didn't deserve what happened to you but hopefully, you'll approve of what you do deserve... this."

"You bought me... oh my God, Noah, this must have cost you a fortune," replied Kurt in disbelief as Noah handed him the bag, the boy handing his own to Carmen, as he peered inside the small, his mouth letting out a gasp as in it he saw a 250 milliliter flacon of $640 perfume, alongside Bath, Shower gel and Body lotions of the same fragrance costing $85 and $95 respectively. Kurt had never been gifted such beautiful things in his life and he was attempted to pop them all open and smell their luxury scents until the sun went down, but he didn't. He pulled his face together and rewarded Noah's efforts with a smile. This time, with enthusiasm. "Thank you Noah. This is very thoughtful of you... and your bankrupt wallet."

"No problem Kurt. I just hope you like it," chuckled Noah, shuffling his feet as he returned Kurt's gaze with equal intensity. At this point in time, a moment would have bloomed but due to company, not such thing happened, except something was born as Kurt's anger deteriorated. The warmth in Noah's eyes was as fresh as steaming cocoa on a winter's day and Kurt's baby blues were drawn. "This is by no means the whole apology, Kurt. This is merely... the starter, the prologue, intro, whatever you want it to be. I just thought you needed something pretty before I power on through with something that's due. Soon, Kurt."

And with that Noah turned around with a parting smile, leaving the invisible current that had prevented Kurt's eyes and his from straying from each other's gazes, to float in the air outside the perfumery. It had been a matter of not being able to look away but with a clearing of a throat, reality had found them. Who knew how long they would have stayed there but that wasn't really the point. Kurt now knew that Noah had been thinking about what had happened. He had felt guilty, and he had prepared a two-episode apology to go with it. The first one had cost him a total $820, a staggering price for an apology gift, but yet what was yet to be answered was something money just couldn't buy, let alone touch. Noah was going to apologize, and this time, Kurt was going to listen.

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Glee

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As Noah entered his building, before ascending the elevator into his penthouse apartment, he fell onto his couch, his face crushed against the leather. He was officially beat. The afternoon was closing with the setting sun and so were his eyes if he was to allow them to follow suit. After gifting Kurt with his present, he'd returned to Mangia for lunch. He didn't know why he'd gone but now the place seemed to signify something that hadn't been there before. Maybe it was down to opinion or even classification but Mangia had been the setting, whether Kurt knew it or not, as their first official lunch date, or even date. It had been Noah's first date with a boy and the first actual date of the kind that hadn't involved a club, drinks and a leather couch. It had been casual, New York style and ever so delicious.

He'd then taken it upon himself to stroll alone through Central Park, the exact route they had taken that day and as if by magic, the golden apology which he had struggled until now to form, came to him as easily as leaves fluttering down from the trees around him, their now auburn like shades now the exact color of the sun's orange rays as it basked his living room in a wave of light. Thanks to his two story windows that granted 'the' view of the city, Noah was able to twist his head and watch as the New York landscape seemed to wave goodbye yet again to the day. It allowed is thoughts to take hold once more. He was intensely grateful to Kurt for not ignoring him today at Creed. He could have run away, he could have shouted, exploded in anger even, but he hadn't. He'd remained calm and dignified. Perfect behavior for no other.

Yes, Kurt had risen up against Noah's expectations by not calling the whole world in on their situation to embarrass and humiliate him. For that would have been one satisfying payback tactic, but what had happened earlier today had caused Noah to realize how much he treasured Kurt's friendship. If Kurt had slashed all contact with him, he didn't know what he might have done. Most likely kidnapped him and kept him under house arrest in his penthouse. In any case, it was a hypothesis he wasn't willing to give much thought to. Kurt had marveled at his present like a beggar just been given food, and after he'd thanked him, they'd once again locked eyes with each other. That, right there, had been the perfect thank you.

Heaving himself up from the couch and making his way into the kitchen, Noah placed Sarah's cola can that she'd left behind in the recycling bin and went to pull out a frosty bear from his fridge's depths. The warmth that pooled into him as he gulped it down was much welcomed and served to rinse out the troubles of the door with only a single sip yet as he made to reward himself yet again with another drink, his eyes fell on a rose colored note attached to the note-board on the wall next to him. It was from Quinn. He would be able to associate that color with anything to do with the blonde and as thoughts of her now filled his mind, he sighed, resting his head on the fridge door. Ever since his little 'joke' with Kurt, he'd been on the receiving end of a silent treatment with not a single acknowledgment of his existence coming from her.

In fact this note, which was nothing more than a brief way of letting him know that she was out of town to see her folks for two weeks, was the closest thing she'd come to even communicating with him, but it was just as well. At the end of the scribbled note she'd ended it Q, and only, Q. Despite Noah being her fiancé and despite them having known each other for some time, she'd ended it as if he'd been a simple friend, a simple nickname for a simple friend. Neither had she ended it with any x's or o's. Quinn would always end her texts, casual notes or letters to her friends and family with the classic hug and kiss, always, and it only meant that you were in her bad graces if you received one without. This didn't look good, though one thing still bugged him. All of this jealousy, all of this possessiveness as if she cared about him. Where had it all come from?

The thought of Quinn developing feelings for him was puzzling. She'd never cared about his indiscretions with women for the past month that they'd been engaged. As if they didn't par up to her standards. Yet now that Kurt had appeared, it was as if she felt threatened. As if the fact that he was a boy created a barrier that she couldn't compete against. No longer could she turn away from it all but she had to face it one head on. Yet all of this was mere theory. It was just an excuse for Noah to fantasize about two babes fighting over him, as most men did, though in his case, there was a male model intertwined in it all. Sighing as he grabbed the note and hurled it in the trash, Noah deposited his empty beer bottle in the sink and returned to the living room where the light was now drastically fading to the point where only flecks of it now scattered themselves around his room.

As he stared out of his window, Noah knew that somewhere down there amongst the many, many buildings was Kurt, hopefully not throwing his gift away but bathing in it and as Noah kicked of his shoes and lifted his gaze to the gorgeous fading skies, he couldn't help but picture his crush's face perfectly emblazoned in the angelic depths of the heavens. Kurt really was a boy of beauty and he was worth someone Quinn getting jealous over, more over than all the others but as his thoughts once again reverted to the blonde's new attitude that sent questions flying, a knock was heard from beyond the door. Blinking, Noah turned to frown at it as it continued. This was odd. No one had announced themselves downstairs and all his family members had cards so obviously this was either a lost idiot or spy or... someone hiding their face behind an Abercrombie and Fitch bag.

"Who... who is that? Who are you?" asked Noah as he now found himself at the entrance with his door wide open with only a figure with abs for a face and with a smell that very closely resembled fine vanilla, luscious Tonka bean and a bracing dab of Calabrian lemon. Only the scent had seemed to blend into the skin of the figure and evolve into a richer variation of the original, nearly toppling Noah over with its soft oriental notes. This was just too good to be true and, as he hoped, it was, because as the bag was lowered to reveal the boy who was no longer running from him, no longer ignoring him but now coming to him with his cherub beauty and aura knocking, Noah's eyes widened.

"Kurt?"

~ PLEASE REVIEW ~

(But if you wish to criticize, may it be constructive. I'm not going to learn from my mistakes and improve if you vent.)

Author's Note: For those who do not speak French, the word 'nounours', that Sarah uses as a nickname to refer to Noah as, is the word for teddy bear. I think it's cute.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the characters from Glee since I don't own the show. I'm not earning money from this and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I mean only to please whoever stumbles upon my Love Story.

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