Summary: It took four days, sixteen hours and fourteen minutes for Noah Puckerman and Rachel Berry to realize they're perfect for each other.
Disclaimer: Glee and everything related is property of Ryan Murphy. The songs are Angel, by Aerosmith, Back to One, by Brian McKnight.
Author's Note: A big thank you to NelStar7 for pointing a little mistake I made. This is the corrected version. As always, a shout-out at my mistakes is appreciated. And a big kiss for all those who have reviewed this and added it to their favorites or subscribed to alerts. Thank you!
Showmance
It took four days, sixteen hours and fourteen minutes for Noah Puckerman and Rachel Berry to realize what everyone had seen from the first day they hooked up.
Day One: Kurt.
After their tense moment in the bleachers (in where she broke up with him while her own heart was breaking – how can someone become so important in such a short spam of time?), Rachel drove all the way to Kurt's house, eyes brimming with the tears she wouldn't let escape in front of Noah. She knocked frantically at the Hummels' front door, knowing only Kurt was in the house – Papa Hummel's car was nowhere to be seen. It took all about fifteen seconds, maybe less, for Kurt to flounce down the stairs, but she was ready to knock again when the door opened, Kurt looked at her and the dam broke.
"Get in", Kurt ordered, taking her car's alarm control from her and pressing a button so it would lock up. She obeyed, not really seeing anything beyond the thick veil of tears in front of her eyes, and half-tripped, half-walked all the way to his bedroom, throwing herself in a very unladylike manner on his bed and clutching his pillow as tears cascaded down her face and soaked it.
Kurt walked in the room, locked the door behind himself and sat in lotus position by Rachel, eyes full of worry and concern when he noticed how a mess she really was. Now, back in the day, he would think that the cause of such broken state was a tall, dopey quarterback-slash-gleek he knew and loved, but now he knew better.
"Okay, what did Puck do now?" He asked softly.
Rachel's voice was muffled by the pillow, and thick with her tears, but Kurt heard her all the same.
"We broke up".
Disbelief washed over his face. "I'm sorry?" He said, voice thick with incredulity. No way they had broken up. They… No, it was impossible.
"Noah and I, we broke up", Rachel repeated as she peeked from under the pillowcase, eyes brimming with tears again as she whispered the words. "We broke up because he's still in love with Quinn".
Kurt snapped out of his shock and rolled his eyes. For someone so observant, sometimes diva-in-the-making Rachel Barbara Berry was truly blind. "He broke up with you? Because of Little Miss-I'm-A-Pregnant-Abstinence-Club-President?" His voice was full of irony that went unnoticed by the sobbing girl in his bed. "Please. As if", he rolled his eyes.
"He does. When I told him the relationship wasn't going to work, he just said that he was going to terminate it with me anyway", she sunk her face into the pillow again, breathing hard. Kurt shook his head negatively, divas and their boy-related troubles.
"You broke up with him, then". This new revelation made things clearer. Her reaction to the break-up was not shocking at all. While Rachel believed her heart belonged to Finn Hudson, Kurt had eyes to see that the man she really was supposed to be with was the one she just dumped in the bleachers. While Finn was sweet, naïve and would do whatever Rachel wanted him to do, Puck would hold his own and balance out Rachel's bossy nature and spoiled-brat streak. And the chemistry… OMG, the chemistry! It sizzled and crackled and burnt so red hot, it was no surprise that every morning Rachel would walk in her classes with her skin glowing.
"I thought you liked Finn", Kurt prodded.
"I do!" She squeaked, indignantly, but not as much as one would hope her to. "It's just…"
"Rach, babe, do me a favor and admit it: you so have the hots for one and only Noah Puckerman".
"I do not!" She said, voice squalling as she looked up from the pillow.
"You so are!" Kurt insisted. "He's Leo to your Kate, Brad to your Angelina, Michael to your Catherine, King Taye to your Queen Idina".
"Oh shut up", she rolled her red, puffy eyes.
"If you do not have the hots for him, then why are you bawling your eyes out like someone ran over your West Side Story DVD?" Kurt challenged. "And don't say because your voice is better than Quinn's, and your dance is better than her or anything glee-related", he added.
Rachel opened and closed her mouth several times, but didn't answer, only choosing to shove her face back into the pillow. "Stop being a little prick and join me in my mope-fest", she grumbled.
Day Two: Matt
The fact that Puck stalked in the locker room before practice with a scowl as dark as a stormy sky would go unnoticed by Matt, had not Kurt arrived earlier that afternoon with the news that Rachel Berry and Noah Puckerman were no longer an item (something that set the Cheerios on fire, since it meant the 'stud' was back available), having broken up the previous day, and that Berry had spent the day crying like a losing Tony nominee (whatever the hell was a Tony, it sure was something big and important for Kurt, and Matt did not want to be yelled by the shorter boy for not knowing what it was).
If the scowl hadn't warned Matt about what had happened, Puck's attitude at practice would. Puck was on edge, and it took an angry glare from Finn for him to explode. Before anyone could stop them, Puck and Finn were wildly throwing punches at each other, Puck growling that it was all Finn's 'fucking' fault for keeping Berry strung up, and Finn saying Puck had no right to devastate Berry like he had.
Coach Tanaka helped break off the fistfight by threatening to kick them out of the team and dismissed the team for the day, sending Kurt off with word to Mr. Schue that "Hudson, Puckerman, Cheng and Stevens would miss Glee practice today so they all could take time to ponder about their behavior on detention". Matt, who had a firm grip at Puck, looked over at Mike, nodded at Finn and dragged a still furious Puck away. "Come on, man. Let's get going", Mike mumbled, knowing that Finn would want to rant out about what had happened the previous day and just then.
Matt took Puck to his house, where he would be alone for the day (Kurt had mentioned that Santana, Brittany, Mercedes and Tina had rallied around Berry to help her out of her funk, while Quinn had rushed off to yell at Finn). While Matt went over to turn his stereo on, Puck threw himself at Matt's bed, eyes staring at his ceiling without seeing. Matt then took a seat on his carpet and opened a beer, passing to Puck before opening one for himself.
Nothing healed a wounded pride better than getting drunk and then getting some.
Only, they didn't go out to get some. Puck drowned beer after beer, while Matt stayed as sober as he could without being called a pussy by his teammate, then got up and punched the hell out of Matt's bedroom wall, growling about how stupid it was that in some days Berry had managed to sneak under his skin, and how blind Finn was to see what he was missing out by sticking with Quinn, and just how hot Berry was without even trying.
Matt stayed silent the entire time, because, really, they're dudes and they just don't talk about those things. He just handed can after can of beer for Puck and listened as he ranted about how amazing she was and how shitty it was that he just wanted to be with her again.
Then Puck fell asleep on Matt's bed. The next morning, Matt tentatively tried to approach the subject with the hung over Puck, suggesting that he maybe could give Berry a call and talk things out. Nursing a very throbbing head, Puck just glared at Matt, growled, "When did you turn into such a girl, Stevens?" and scowled at his black coffee when Matt told him Kurt had said Rachel was an emotional wreck.
"She's just upset Finn didn't drop Quinn off and run to her like she hoped he would", he grumbled, and refused to talk about the matter again.
Day Three: Mercedes
It was Rachel's first day back at Glee practice after the break up and, no matter how hard she tried to keep a brave face on, Mercedes Jones could see under the façade, like she knew everyone else could.
Rachel could repeat over and over again that the relationship with Puck was just a fling, but Mercedes knew better. She noticed Rachel's puffy eyes and pale face, the way her eyes would anxiously hover at the door to catch sight of Puck when the time came for the rehearsal to start, how her face would fall every time another gleek that wasn't Puck stepped in and took a seat next to the piano. She noticed Finn's pitiful looks at Rachel, and Quinn's barely concealed satisfaction (and Mercedes secretly wondered why was that).
When Puck finally arrived, Mercedes drank all the alarm Rachel's face showed before she forcefully reigned herself in. Not that Mercedes blamed her – Puck looked terrible, all wrinkled clothes, dark bags under his eyes – one of which was black and blue – and knuckles raw as a result of what Mercedes supposed had been the fist fight Puck and Finn had engaged at halfway through football practice (Finn had a broken nose and his face was pinpointed with bruises, and he didn't look towards Puck, who in turn glowered darkly at his guitar the entire time).
Mercedes took note of every tine glance she saw Rachel throw at Puck's direction when she believed no one was seeing. She ticked off her list the way Rachel closed her eyes, which were brimming with tears, when Puck quietly sang his part on that day's song. She listened to the way Rachel's voice quivered and cracked when she tried her solo.
All in all, Mercedes Jones was sure of one thing: Rachel Berry was in love with Noah Puckerman.
After glee was over for the day (with Mr. Schue discretely pulling Rachel aside to advise her on taking good care of herself), Mercedes hung back as the others filed out. Puck, naturally, was the first one out – but not before giving Rachel a longing look, which she missed and no one but Mercedes saw – with Matt after him. Finn and Mike took off afterwards, Quinn going behind them looking furious. Kurt, Tina and Artie approached Mercedes, but she shooed them away nodding at Kurt's silent plea of help for Rachel.
Rachel smiled exhaustedly at her friend when she managed to get away from Mr. Schue. "Hey, Mer. Were you waiting to talk to Mr. Schuester? Sorry I took so long, he's available now".
"Actually I wanted to talk to you, Rach", Mercedes looped her arm around Rachel's elbow and began pulling her away from rehearsal room. "Your dads gonna pick you up?" She asked, and at Rachel's silent negative headshake, she smiled. "C'mon, I'm giving you a ride home".
The two girls piled into Mercedes' mother's Sentra, and the African-American quickly turned on the stereo. Rachel froze when the softly drummed chords of a guitar began flowing from the speakers, and Mercedes bit her lip, quickly moving her hand to fast forward to the next song; "Sorry", she mumbled, but Rachel stopped her.
"It's okay", she whispered, then put her brave face on. "It's just a song".
"It's 'Sweet Caroline'", Mercedes said, driving out of the parking lot and into the street.
"Yes, I know it's 'Sweet Caroline', Mercedes, I'm not short in intellect", Rachel snapped, then closed her eyes, sighing. "Sorry. I'm just… It's been a long day".
"No joke", Mercedes smiled. Then, as Rachel began to hum the song, a far away look in her eyes, she asked quietly, "Have you tried, you know… To talk it out with him? With Puck, I mean".
Rachel froze for a moment, then slipped a mask of indifference on. "Why should I? We're no longer committed to each other, Mercedes, No- Puck", she caught herself before it slipped, "Puck can now pursue Quinn Fabray as he told me he would do".
Mercedes' face was incredulous as she abruptly braked the car. "Rachel, have you looked at Puckerman today?"
"Should I have?"
"You know, girl, you're an awesome singer and a great actress, but your eyes can't lie. And neither can Puck's. And you know what I saw when I looked at his eyes?"
Rachel shook her head negatively, spine stiff as she looked out of the car window. "I don't really care".
"Yes, you do. I saw the same misery that I'm seeing in your eyes right now", Mercedes prodded mercilessly. "Rachel, don't be stupid, try and call the boy. Work things out. Hudson is sticking with Quinn, don't believe he's gonna dump her any day soon. She's having his kid. And you and Puck… If only you could see what we did!"
"And what was that?" Rachel's voice is thick with a jumble of feelings: exhaustion, irritation, sadness, dryness and a hint of curiosity that Mercedes accepted gladly.
"Rachel, you sparkled! No, you shone! Girl, you looked your best and sang your best and danced your best when that boy was your arm candy. And I don't know why the hell you believe he's into Quinn – he took a slushie in the face for you!"
Rachel quickly looked away as she remembered rinsing melted, pink-colored ice from Puck's hair, blinking against tears as she remembered his heartfelt apology and the sincerity in his soft green eyes. "I know", she whispered, voice rough with the tears Mercedes was sure were now pooling in her eyelids. She decided it was time for her to give Rachel a break, and the rest of the drive to the Berrys house was made in silence, broken only by Rachel sniffling every now and then.
When Mercedes parked her car in front of Rachel's house, she took her friend's hand before she could leave. "Rach, you're like my sister. Listen to me when I say that what you did was the most stupid thing ever. Try and give Puck a call. I bet he'll be willing to work things out".
With that, Mercedes allowed Rachel to step off the car and drove away.
Day Four: Will.
William Schuester couldn't understand what was going on with his glee club leading lady and one of the most promising boys in the group. One day, they were looking happier than ever and stuck by their hip. The next, squeaky-clean Rachel Barbara Berry was in the middle of glee rehearsal looking like she's about to burst into tears (and not because she went off key or wasn't given the lead vocals on a song), and Noah James Puckerman's face was a mix of get-me-out-of-here and I-just-missed-the-best-thing-in-my-life.
Now, Will was way into his thirties and preparing to become a dad, but he still had memories of how it felt to lose his first love – April Rhodes – and he recognized, mostly in Puck's hardened-yet-vulnerable eyes, the same depressed, lost expression he carried on his own for a short while until the day he met Terri.
His suspicions were confirmed when, as he walked into glee practice room, he found Puck sitting on a corner, softly fingering his guitar, strumming accords that he recognized instantly. He stood in the shadows, watching as Puck began to sing softly, voice full with an emotion Will was sure he wasn't supposed to witness:
I'm alone, yeah – I don't know if I can face the night
I'm in tears, and the crying that I do is for you
I want your love – let's break the walls between us
Don't make it tough, I'll put away my pride
Enough's enough, I've suffered and I've seen the light
Baby, baby, baby
You're my angel, come and save me tonight
You're my angel, come and make it alright
Don't know what I'm gonna do about this feeling inside
Yes, it's true – loneliness took me for a ride
Without your love, I'm nothing but a beggar
Without your love, I'm a dog without a bone
What can I do, I'm sleeping in this bed alone.
You're the reason I live
You're the reason I die
You're the reason I give when I break down I cry
Don't need no reason why
Baby, baby, baby
Will's heart tightened in his chest as Puck lowered his head, hiding his face in his hands and mumbling something in the lines of 'Fuck, I'm such a pussy'. (Now, he knew he should be reprimanding Puck for his language, but he could totally understand it and so he let it slide). Applauding quietly, but firmly, Will walked out of the shadows and saw Puck look up, startled and vulnerable eyes before their mask of ice fell back into place. "Awesome, Puck. Angel was always a personal favorite", he said as he sat by the boy.
Puck nodded before sighing, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. "I always wanted to sing it to her… But she said it was too sad a song", he whispered, finally opening up to someone. "It's been almost a week, Mr. Schue. And every time I come here and look at her, all I want to do is to get the fuck away and forget I ever met her. But at the same time… I just want to beg her to come back to me".
Will sighed deeply. "When you guys broke up, did you try to convince her to do otherwise?" At Puck's negative headshake, the older man looked shocked. "Puck, if you love Rachel, then why did you let her go without a fight?"
Puck grumbled something in the lines of 'stupid Finn', and Will nodded understandingly. "Well, I can't say what Finn feels for Rachel, but I know one thing: she sure doesn't look like a girl who's happily single. She looks more like someone who has got their heart ripped off their chest and stomped upon. So, maybe it's time you consider that, whatever it was that led you guys to breaking up, then it should be reconsidered, uh?"
Puck frowned pensively for a minute, while Will got up as the other kids walked in, Rachel in the middle, long hair pulled back in a simple braid. The teacher waited for everyone to be settled before announcing their new task, "Okay, guys, Principal Figgins approached me with the idea of a personal show for everyone. Each and every one of you is going to pick a song to present by the end of the week in front of the entire student body. It's going to be a solo for every one, so choose well and… I'll see you by the end of the week!"
As he left his kids behind to brainstorm about which songs they were going to sing, Will passed by Puck and discretely passed him a music sheet, with a wink.
He just hoped his little trick would help bring old, bubbly Rachel Berry back, with Puck along.
Day Five: Noah and Rachel
When Noah Puckerman walked in glee practice room that afternoon, he was a man with a broken heart (sweet David, when did he turn in such a pussy?!).
After it, he was a man with a mission. His mission was to woo Rachel Barbara Berry back into his arms, whether she had the hots for his stupid best friend or not. They had managed to build a fragile bond between them in the week they had dated, and he very much missed it. It was something that had surprised him, more than Rachel's decision of breaking things off: she had managed to sneak into his heart and the void that she had left behind with their break-up just got worse by the day. It was an ache that he never felt before, that ate away at him even when he slept.
He believed he had managed to hide things pretty well – the only time he allowed his feelings to flow freely was when he was alone at glee rehearsal room and he began playing songs that came close to what he felt. He was always very careful not to be caught by anyone, but somehow Mr. S had managed to bust him – and it had helped to talk, it had helped having someone from outside to give a different perspective from his relationship with Rachel.
He then picked up the music sheet Mr. Schue had slipped him after Glee, and read it from the top. It was something completely different from what he usually heard (he was an eighties rock kinda guy), but as he read the lyrics, they struck so close to home that it wouldn't hurt to try. It was a pop song, definitely not his favorite style, but he'd be damned if his disinterest over country music would keep him from getting Rachel back.
And something had clicked inside of his mind when Mr. Schue told him to watch Rachel. She sure looked as unhappy as he did. He tried to approach it with Kurt, but the kicker just told him he had been stupid to tell Rachel he was going to dump her anyway and to man up before it was too late to save Rachel of dying from heartache. "It kills, man", Kurt said before grumbling. "It's going to kill both of you".
And so he spent the rest of the week rehearsing like crazy. His mother and sister helped a little – they had met Rachel in the course of the week they had been together and her confidence on herself and sincerity had been refreshing after Puck's relationship with Santana (Anne, his sister, had been violently against the cheerio, saying that she was a bad person). Louise, his mother, even cried once, saying she had never thought her baby had such a beautiful voice after he sang the entire song for her and Anne.
The days flew quickly and before he knew it, it was the day Mr. Schue had picked for the performances. The school was buzzing with excitement for the event, and the Gleeks held their songs close to their hearts, not wanting their friends to know which one they had picked. When the time came for them to gather for the show, Kurt was practically skipping as he went to where they had set up the stage, giddy with joy, babbling nonstop with Mercedes about how awesome his song was. She was dressed up for the kill, all diva, and just telling Kurt to shut up and wait for her turn. Artie and Tina were behind them, with Rachel next to them, looking distracted. Every now and then she and Puck would catch each other's eyes, and she would look away, with redness tinting her cheeks. This gave Puck new hope, and he vowed to just prove to Rachel that, whatever it was that he felt for Quinn, it was gone and replaced with his new feelings for her.
Mr. Schuester stepped into the stage, presenting each and everyone of Glee. Kurt went first, a perfect little miss diva as he sang and danced to Madonna's Material Girl. Mercedes went next, causing tears in everyone as she belted out Jennifer Hudson's And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going (Rachel sobbed quietly in Tina's shoulder). Artie was third, singing Michael Jackson's Man In The Mirror a cappella. Finn took the stage after Artie, serenading Quinn with Nickelback's Never Gonna Be Alone. Quinn was next, smiling wryly as she rocked out to Papa Don't Preach from Kelly Osborne. Mike, Matt, Brittany and Santana followed suit, and Mr. Schue poked Puck discretely. "Puck, it's your time". His smile was encouraging and reassuring.
With a quick glance at Rachel, who was at the stage wings looking forlorn and being supported by their friends (she was the next to sing after him), Noah took the stage, his eyes remaining locked at his ex girlfriend as he began fingering his guitar."Baby, this is for you".
Well I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house
That don't bother me
I can take a few tears now and then
And just let them out
I'm not afraid to cry
Every once in a while
Even though going on with you gone
Still upsets me
There are days every now and again
I pretend that I'm okay
But that's not what gets me
What hurts the most is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
His eyes never moved from Rachel as he poured his heart out, but they widened and sped up as she marched on the stage, eyes brimming with tears as she sang the next verse, but with voice that was firm and crystal clear, very passionate.
It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you
Everywhere I go, but I'm doing it
It's hard to force a smile when I see our old friends
And I'm alone
Still harder, getting up, getting dressed
Living with this regret, but I know
If I could do it over
I would trade, give away all the words
That I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken
What hurts the most is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
She was crying in earnest now, but her voice never wavered, and his own voice was thick with tears when he joined it with hers to repeat the chorus. They were so entranced in each other that they couldn't see that the school had fallen silent, tears running from the girls' eyes. The glee club were also crying, Kurt and Mercedes sobbing quietly in each other's arms, while Finn, Matt, Mike, Artie and Mr. Schue consoled tearful Quinn, Brittany, Santana, Tina and Miss Pillsbury and at the same time trying to keep their own tears at bay (some failing miserably).
What hurts the most is being so close
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
Never knowing
What could have been
And not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do
And not seeing that love you
Is what I was trying to do
The school burst into applause when they finished singing, some girls wiping the tears in their eyes while some still let them flow freely. Principal Figgins was also crying, a sight that some took with surprise.
But the eyes of the ten people standing in the wings of the stage were glued at the two unmoving teenagers looking at each other in the middle of the spotlight. Rachel was the first to act when they finished the song, throwing herself at his arms and crying softly against his shirt. He held her close, stroking her shiny chestnut hair and softly whispering words of love into her ear, when she mumbled, her muffled words sounding loud and clear in his ears, "I love you, Noah".
His smile was wide, thrilled, and he squeezed her close, lowering his mouth to her ear to whisper, "I love you too, Rach".
And, when their lips melded together, New Directions' members applauded and cheered and celebrated like crazy people.
The End