Title: More
Category: Glee
Genre: Humor/Romance
Ship: Rachel/Puck
Rating: Teen
Warning(s): Coarse Language
Prompt: "Maybe I can't be friends with you!" - puckrachel drabble meme
Word Count: 1,592
Summary: "I'm worth more and I should get more! And you… You are more."
More
-1/1-
"I don't understand why you're being so difficult!" she shouted, stomping after him through the long empty school parking lot.
Puck rolled his eyes. "It's not difficult, it's honest, Berry," he sighed. "Just—Just leave it the hell alone already."
"No." Jutting her chin out, she glared at him defiantly. "I want an explanation. And none of that – 'We were never friends before' nonsense. It's been an entire year since then and we know each other much more intimately." When he stopped and turned to cock a brow at her, she flushed. "Well—I—You know what I mean…" She darted her eyes away. Tugging on the end of her skirt to feel more in control, she frowned. "I just mean that despite our differences and the discourse that plagues glee at any given time, we've managed to maintain a fairly good relationship… With the exception of last winter's… mistake—"
He groaned loudly, throwing his head back and rolling his eyes to the sky. "Kill me now… Just do it. I take it back. I'm not too young to die!"
"Noah… who are you talking to?"
"God, Berry… He fucking owes me… And if he were an understanding dude, he'd just put me outta my misery." He held his hands out. "'m ready for it." He screwed his eyes closed tight. "Any minute now…"
Huffing, Rachel reached over and yanked his arms down. "You're absolutely ridiculous… I don't know if I'm insulted or worried for your mental health… I do know that it would be in your mother's best interest to make temple necessary for you…"
He rolled his eyes, half-grinning at her. "It already is… 'm just too awesome to follow the rules, babe."
She notched a brow at him and pursed her lips. "You've done an admirable job of trying to distract me, but my intentions are still clear… I want to by your friend." She nodded firmly. "In fact, if you would let me, I would like to present all of the information I've gathered that would show you just how much an alliance between us would benefit both each other and the glee club." She grinned happily, drawing her hands up beneath her chin. "I've even made a pie chart!"
He blinked. "You're fuckin' nuts, B."
Angry again, she inhaled deeply only blow it out on a long, exasperated sigh. "Just give me a logical reason that our friendship would be a bad idea and I'll take it into consideration." She nodded slowly. "Or perhaps a pro and con list that I can add to my presentation so we can make a more informed decision. I, of course, will be right that we should develop this acquaintanceship into a full blown friendship, but it never hurts to be prepared."
"You want me to…" He shook his head. "Your brand of crazy has to rub off. That-That's the only thing I can think of!"
She wrinkled her nose and he really hated that it made his stomach flip. "For what?"
"Damn it, stop being so frickin' cute!" He threw his hands up. "I don't care what your or my ma says; this is all God's vengeance. He's trying to get back at me for bangin' all the hot chicks in Lima, except you, so he goes and he screws up my head and then when I finally think I might have it figured out, he just has to make it worse! UGH!"
"Noah…" Reaching out, Rachel touched his arm gently. "Have you been smoking more of that illegal marijuana substance?"
He rolled his eyes. "Jesus, one time I get the whole school high and you gotta start accusing me of smoking up whenever I don't agree with you…"
"It's not so much that you aren't agreeing with my very sound advice, but that you're acting erratically and blaming God for some sort of youth-life crisis…" She stared up at him in concern. "You know you can speak to me, right? Or if it's too difficult to share with me, perhaps you would feel too vulnerable crying on my shoulder, I have various crisis hotline phone numbers should you need them, I—"
"Okay, one, I'm not gonna cry! Not on anybody's shoulder. And two, you are the problem, Berry!" He frowned, hands on his hips. "You're the reason I-I'm acting erratic or what-the fuck-ever. You're the reason I'm telling God to fuckin' strike me down already! It's all you!"
Hurt, eyes darting away, she stopped looking through her purse for the help line numbers and bit her lip. "Oh…"
His shoulders slumped as her teary eyes looked anywhere but at him. "No, I…" He sighed, reaching for her.
Skittering back, she shook her head. "No, I understand. I… I expected too much. I-I shouldn't have bombarded you with this. I guess…" She sniffled, lifting her shoulders high. "I guess I overstepped some sort of boundary, I just thought… I thought since you were always standing up for me and you were quick to tell Santana that even if nobody else liked me you sort of did that maybe you… maybe you wouldn't be opposed to a friendship, but I… I see now that I was seeing more than what there was." Swallowing tightly, she wrapped her arms around herself. "I won't bother you anymore, No—Puck." She nodded decisively. "Please, if you could do me just one last favor and not mention this to anybody, I would really appreciate it." Turning on her heel, she hurried away.
Jaw clenched, Puck blew out a breath. "Berry… Berry, stop! Come on!" He hurried after her but her stupidly long legs only quickened. "Rachel!"
She paused, but then kept moving.
"Damnit, did you ever think maybe I can't be friends with you!" he yelled.
She stopped. Turning slightly, she stared up at him, her brows furrowed, but he couldn't help but notice the tear tracks on her cheeks. "Can't…or won't?"
He swallowed thickly. "You're not like every other girl, Rachel," he sighed.
She scoffed. "I'm well aware of my abnormalities in personality, Puck, I don't need you to—"
He winced. "No, I didn't… You're better than them. You should know this, since you tell 'em all the time. But…" He fidgeted back and forth on his feet. "You're never gonna be like Santana or Quinn or any of them… And I don't just mean that you're gonna get out of Lima while they're trying to pretend they're okay with spending the rest of their lives in this shithole, but…" He shook his head. "Being with you for, what was it, like a week? It was… I felt proud for the first time in my life. Not like 'I just banged so-and-so' or 'I just won us whatever game…' but like… 'Rachel freakin' Berry is willing to be seen with me,' like 'This girl, who's got it all figured out, wants to waste her time with me…'" His jaw ticked. "And I don't care if you wanted Finn then or if it was all built on some fantasy, what I care about is that when I was with you I didn't think about being popular. I finally knew that what I was doing was the right thing. When I got slushied, when I picked glee over football, when I walked through that shitty school with you on my arm, it was all just right for the first time in like ever…"
Her brows knit, eyes staring up at him widely.
He shook his head, laughing derisively to himself. "But you are always going to want Finn or-or think you should and being you friend… It's not enough anymore… 'Coz I tried that. I tried being a good Jew and listening to you bitch about Finn and his massive douche complex and all it got me was an open door to revenge sex… One I stupidly walked away from because for the first time in my life, I wanted to be with a girl longer than it took to come and I—" He threw his hands up. "I can't be your friend, Berry, but you're right— I won't be either… 'Coz maybe I only got a week with you, but it taught me something." He nodded. "I'm worth more and I should get more! And you… You are more." He stared at her. "So when you've got a pie chart for why we should be together, like legit together, then I'll sit down and listen to your whole speech. Fuck, I'll even bring popcorn! But until then…" He started backing away. "Then we're just acquaintances, half way in love with each other and pretending we're not…" Turning around, he walked away, breathing out a heavy sigh.
"N-Noah…"
He stopped (hearing her say his name was really not supposed to feel that good), but refused to turn around.
"I still care about Finn. It's not… It's not like I can turn those feelings off, but…" She blew out a soft sigh. "But when I do, and I would really, desperately, like for that to be soon… I would be very lucky and honored if you would walk through the halls with me on your arm again…"
He's pretty sure in Berry speak that means, 'When I'm over Finn, let's you and me give us a try!' He can handle that.
"Don't forget the pie chart," he told her and then with a half-grin, he kept walking, jumping into his truck and leaving the parking lot and Rachel Berry behind… for now.
[End.]