Disclaimer: I don't own Glee and all that razzmatazz.
A/N: Amazingly enough... no, this is not slash! It's just a fun little idea I had one day and wrote, but never uploaded. So, since its just been sitting there, I decided to up it. I planned on making this a sort of 'mini-series' of Puck's escapades, but I don't know...
Anyway, hope you enjoy it.
Noah Puckerman was rather known in McKinley High (and even the entire town of Lima) for doing outrageous things. But, what most people didn't realize was that he didn't do it for attention. Puck had pride the size of his ego—which meant that it was enormous. So, when someone simply questioned his badassness, he would do anything to shut them up.
And that was exactly what happened one afternoon when he brought his acoustic guitar into glee practice.
"What is that?" Mercedes asked when she saw the suede carrying case slung over the boy's shoulder.
At her outburst, everyone looked up from what they had been doing, their eyes fixed on the mohawked boy.
"What's what?" Puck questioned, stopping in the middle of the doorway.
"It looks like…" Artie began, before shaking his head. There was no way there was another rocker in glee besides himself, especially not him.
"Wait," Brittany began with her usual airy voice, "I've seen this in a movie once. Like, where this guy smuggled guns and stuff pretending to be a musician."
This time, everyone looked at her, but she just continued to chew on her gum, oblivious.
Finn laughed, bringing him under everyone's focus. "It's exactly what it looks like. It's a guitar case."
A displeased look settled on Puck's face. "What's the big deal?"
"The 'big deal'," Kurt began, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, "is that any musical bone in your body was broken long ago during a football game or some back alley brawl."
"Hey, I'm in glee ain't I?" Puck said, gesturing towards the entire room. "Why's it so surprising that I can play guitar?"
Nobody particularly knew Puck's motivation for joining New Directions, so he had them there. However, surprisingly, it was Tina who spoke up.
"Y-You hate m-music."
Puck's gaze swiveled to her and she seemed to falter under his glare. "When have I ever said that?"
"Last week?" Artie queried, adjusting his glasses. "You knocked Felix Rain's flute out of his hand, stomped on it and said, I quote, 'I hate the flute.' Unquote."
"Exactly," Puck said, "I hate the flute. But what does that have to do with me playing the guitar?"
"Can you even play that thing?" Quinn Fabray asked, a small mocking smile on her face.
Their gazes locked and sparks seemed to fly across the room. Everyone looked at each other in confusion, shifting in their seats at all the tension.
Mercifully, Puck finally bit out, "Are you guys questioning my badassness of the musical variety?"
Once more, glances were exchanged. Finn was the only one who sighed and shook his head.
"Please," Rachel said, sitting perkily in her seat, "we would love to hear your… badassness!"
Everyone rolled their eyes, but that seemed to be enough encouragement for Puck as he sat the guitar case on the floor. With bated breath, the members of glee all watched in anticipation as Puck began to unzip it. Various thoughts were flashing through their minds ranging from bags of illegal drugs to the heads of his victims.
When it was revealed to be just a plain brown acoustic guitar, nobody knew if they should be relieved or disappointed.
"Told you," Finn muttered sulkily, but everyone ignored him.
Taking the guitar in his hands, Puck adjusted the strap over his shoulder before pausing. Then, as if coming to a decision, he began to softly strum the guitar.
At first, everyone could only watch in wide-eyed shock as music began to fill the room. It was Rachel who was the first to move. Smiling, she began to sway in her seat and tap her feet. It wasn't a song any of them recognized, but unable to help themselves, they too began moving to the tune. Lost in the music, they all smiled as they did impromptu dances while still remaining in their seats. As the final chord of the guitar faded away, everyone began clapping loudly.
However, a new set of claps from the doorway surprised them all.
"Very good, Puck," Mr. Schue said, stepping into the room. Placing a hand on Puck's shoulder, he said sincerely, "I always knew you had hidden potential. Glad to know I wasn't wrong."
"Yes," Rachel gushed, "that was most impressive, Noah."
"I play the guitar too you know," Artie said, wheeling over to Puck. "Maybe we could get together and play sometimes."
Puck hesitated in removing his guitar strap from around his shoulders. "Aren't you mad at me?" he mumbled, unable to wrap his mind around the offer. Not even a month ago he had been planning to knock over a porta-potty that contained the wheelchair bound boy.
"Nah, I know how collective unintelligence works."
His guitar once more in his case, Puck raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's that?"
Grinning, Artie elaborated, "Unlike ants who get smarter when in larger groups of their kind, I've noticed that jocks are the opposite."
Unexpectedly, Puck laughed. Usually a joke like that would have Artie dumped head first in a toilet, but already, Puck felt like he was no longer just a jock. Looking across the room at the talking and laughing members of the glee club, he felt as if he belonged.
"Sure," Puck shrugged. "We can meet over Finn's house and all jam together."
"I'd like that," Artie agreed, smiling.