I don't own Glee.
*/*
New York is nothing like Lima. It's always loud and bustling but Rachel feels right at home. She can't walk out onto any one New York sidewalk without spotting a Chinese restaurant. She has her own little family in New York - her, Kurt, and Tina.
Blaine decided LA would be better for him than New York and, oddly, Kurt didn't seem as upset as would be expected when he got the news after Blaine's graduation. Mike and Tina are still going strong, even if he was accepted into a college in Ohio instead of Julliard like the two had planned.
The distance doesn't matter, though because Mike visits New York every chance he gets. Rachel doesn't even mind when he brings Sam and Puck along and the two boys crash on the living room floor while Mike bunks with Tina down the hall during Winter Break.
But Rachel does mind when she walks into the kitchen to get her morning tea and finds a half-naked Puck brushing his teeth over the kitchen sink she shares with Kurt and Tina in their three bedroom apartment they've somehow managed to afford the last few months.
"The bathroom is down the hall, Noah," She shoots a frown his way but he doesn't seem to care.
"Tina and Chang are getting freaky in the shower," His reply is muffled as he continues to brush. "Is that what you wear to sleep?" Puck's eyes take in her worn robe hanging loose in front of her that does very little to hide the fact she's wearing only a tank top and panties. Or that she isn't wearing a bra.
"It's my apartment, Puckerman; I'll wear what I want," She counters and raises her chin defiantly.
He chuckles and spits before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I wasn't complaining, Berry."
She blushes slightly, mumbles 'thank you,' and hurries into Kurt's bedroom without even knocking. She even ignores that she knows Puck is watching her backside as she storms off.
"Good morning," Kurt says when she plops down on his bed, holding her mug carefully between her hands. "Why are you blushing?"
"Sam's still passed out on the couch and, according to Puck, Mike and Tina are having sex in the shower. Puck's brushing his teeth in our kitchen sink, Kurt. I wash our vegetables there."
"That doesn't answer my question," He points out.
Rachel sighs after a long pause and says, "I wasn't even sure if people did that."
"Did what? Brush their teeth?" Kurt continues to file his nails from his spot on the bed.
"No," She grins wickedly. "Sex in the shower. It just sounds..."
"Dangerous?" He chuckles.
"Exciting," She replies and he raises his eyebrows. "And sexy and fun and something Rachel Berry would never do."
"So you and Finn...?" He looks up at her.
"Does hot, soapy, naked shower sex sound like something Finn would do?" Rachel questions. "I mean, I was lucky if he let me be on top once in a while."
"Okay, he's my step-brother, way too much information," He shakes his head. "I don't want to hear about you two getting naked together."
"Whatever," She rolls her eyes. "That was years ago anyway. I haven't spoken to Finn since-"
"Since your break-up freshman year," Kurt finishes for her.
"Right," Rachel nods. "Anyway, back on subject, Puck is messing up my kitchen and I want him out."
"No, you don't," He smiles. "You want him to show you what hot, soapy, naked shower sex is like. You think I haven't noticed the sultry glances and the way you hide your flannel pajamas when he comes to visit. But what I don't understand is why you two haven't just fucked already. It gets me all hot and bothered when I'm in the same room as you two."
"Even if I did want Noah, and I don't, I wouldn't want him in the shower," She whispers harshly and crosses her arms.
"Don't worry, honey," He smirks.. "I've wanted him in the shower since I was sixteen and joined the football team. It's a fantasy everyone has when they meet Puck. It's what Mercedes and I used to call The Puckerman Effect."
"That's not a real thing," Rachel rolls her eyes.
"Puckerman says it best, Rachel, 'it's natural,'" Kurt says and giggles when Rachel blushes.
*/*
Rachel's freaking out about some essay she has to write for one of her professors. Like, literally, she's throwing things at Sam right now because he accidentally deleted everything off her USB drive. Granted, she's only hurling soft objects at his face, but still, it's pretty hot.
Puck's missed this Rachel. The Rachel that could be pissed at you for weeks just because you ate the last of her cereal and didn't buy more. The Rachel that could hold a grudge for months, forget why she's upset in the first place, and continue to give you the cold shoulder. That Rachel. Sure, New York mellowed her out majorly, but it's good to see Crazy Rachel make an appearance every once in a while.
He hasn't seen this side of her in a very long time. It reminds him of the summer after their senior year of high school.
She'd come over to his house with a bottle of Apple Cider to celebrate her obvious acceptance into Julliard. She said she was having a nice dinner with her dads that night so it was okay to spend the rest of the afternoon in Noah's room. She giggled when he appeared in his doorway with two Dixie cups because he didn't have any wine glasses but she poured them the cider anyway and even made him say a nice toast.
It had been great until she noticed the college applications scattered all over his desk. The applications she said were the key to his future. The applications he never mailed off.
Puck braced himself for the Rachel Berry Spiel of how he was ruining his life and his chances of getting out of Lima. But it never came. She just swallowed thickly and left with the most pathetic look on her face that still made him wince when he thought about it. She just left.
He could have dealt with her bitching at him. He would have preferred it, actually. Maybe that's why it hit him so hard.
He tried to call her the next day but she didn't answer. And when he got tired of hearing her voice mail he tried her house but, unfortunately, he was faced with her dads and they turned him away.
Puck didn't hear about Rachel until August when Mike told him she was gone. She'd left for New York with Kurt and hadn't even told him. All his friends were gone, save for Tina and Sam, who were just starting their senior year of high school.
It struck him hard then. She wasn't mad at him; she was disappointed in him. She was the only one who really believed in him. All of Rachel's advice about getting out of this town and making something of himself finally resonated with him. She spent months with him, helping him, and he'd thrown it all away by one stupid decision of not sending off those damn applications.
It didn't take long, though before Puck decided to prove everyone in Lima wrong. He applied, granted it was a little late, to the local community college and took a few core classes. He even gathered a few letters of recommendation from Mr. Schuester and Coach Bieste, and volunteered for a little while at the hospital his mom worked at by playing his guitar in the pediatric ward.
His college applications weren't that impressive but he sent a few off anyway. Most were to Universities in Ohio but he was hopeful enough to send one to NYU. He's pretty sure the reason for that was pretty clear at this point.
And when Rachel came home for Spring Break her first year, he actually had something to show her. That's how he ended up on her front porch with a bottle of sparkling cider and his two acceptance packages. It wasn't as awkward as he thought it might be. She practically threw her arms around him when he told her about his plans for the future. And when she pulled out two Dixie cups from one of the kitchen cabinets and offered him that amazing smile she let only a few select people see, his chest swelled and it made his own grin appear.
And then she kissed him. He was sprawled out on her bed and she had just finished her cheesy rendition of 'I Love Your Funny Face' when she fell onto the bed and rolled on top of him. He stopped laughing immediately and his hand reached up to push her hair back, revealing the small, shy smile gracing her lips.
In all fairness, he leaned up first, but he's positive she kissed him. If the way she whimpered when his hands snaked under her shirt or how she pulled gently at the hairs on the back of his neck was any indication, she wanted him to go further that night.
But he hadn't. She had pulled away when he was fumbling with the button of her jeans and admitted she was back with Finn. His body just went kind of numb and he ignored the hurt expression on Rachel's face when he pushed her off of him. He wasn't trying to hurt her but he really doesn't know what to think or what to say. So he doesn't say anything. He just grabbed his stuff and walked out of her room.
It's been pretty awkward between them since that night. Rachel likes to pretend as if it never happened and Puck just doesn't bring it up. It's easier that way.
Now, he's a junior at Case Western and she's a senior but he doesn't really know how they got here. They only see each other every few months but they almost always find themselves with ragged breaths and swollen lips. It doesn't go past that, though; one or the other always ends it. And it's not like she's still a virgin. Puck knew all about how she gave it up to Finn. He knows she hasn't been celibate since Finn broke up with her during their sophomore year, either.
He thinks maybe they kind of rely on each other a little too much and they're afraid to take things further. That's why he never brought up the fact that he applied to NYU and actually got in. He was going to tell her but he didn't have chance that night during her Spring Break before she was kissing him and then bringing up Finn.
He never told anyone, actually. He threw it away as soon as he left her house that night.
"That was my only saved copy!" Rachel screams. "I didn't have a chance to send it to my professor yet!"
"I'm sorry, Rachel; I didn't mean to." Sam looks legitimately scared and Puck thinks he ought to be. Rachel may be small but her punches leave bruises. "I was just messing around on the internet and I guess I hit the wrong button. I-I didn't mean to."
Everyone goes silent and all eyes turn to Rachel. She purses her lips into a tight line and lets a deep breath out through her nose. Rachel shakes her head slightly and drops her arms to her sides.
"I'll just…" She furrows her brow. "I'll just cancel my audition in the morning and stay home to retype it. I should have time to get it sent in by tomorrow night."
No one says a word and she shuffles off to her room. Everyone knows how important the audition is tomorrow. Rachel got a call-back for a small Off-Broadway production and this is supposed to be her getting her foot in the door.
"Well," Kurt sighs. "I think everyone should just get some sleep. Puck has to catch his flight early in the morning and I need some beauty sleep. I'd appreciate it if everyone kept the noise to a minimum and please leave Rachel alone. She just needs some time to cool off but she'll be fine by morning."
Sam still looks guilty but settles down on the couch and Puck watches as everyone else slowly trudges off to their respective beds.
"Get some sleep, Puckerman," Sam yawns.
"Yea," Puck glances over to the computer and blows out a breath. He knew how important this audition is to Rachel.
*/*
She doesn't want to get up in the morning. She can hear everyone moving around outside her bedroom but she really just wants to hide under her comforter all day. Her alarm clock goes off but Rachel just smacks the snooze button as hard as she can and buries her face in her pillow.
Finally, she trudges into the kitchen without even running her fingers through her hair and everyone looks over at her. Well, everyone but Puck. She tries not to think about the fact he left for the airport without even saying goodbye to her.
"Good morning," Kurt smiles cheerfully and Rachel throws a croissant at him. It hits the side of his head and he grumbles before rushing off to fix his hair.
"Winter Break is officially over," Tina sighs and kisses Mike on the lips. "I'm just glad Mike and Sam don't have to leave until tomorrow."
"So Noah did already leave." Rachel states flatly.
"Yea," Tina replies. "He wanted to talk to you before he left but you weren't up and he didn't want to wake you."
"Oh," Rachel chew on her bottom lip. "It would have been alright if he woke me. I mean, I wouldn't have been mad or anything."
"Right." Tina's smile is small but it taunts Rachel. "Well, he'll be landing in Ohio in a few hours. I'm sure he'll call," She pauses for a second and then glances towards the computer. "What about your audition?"
"I'm about to call and cancel," Rachel tells them quietly.
"I really am sorry, Rachel," Sam adds quickly.
"Me too," She says and moves towards the computer. Rachel yawns and scrolls through the document that was open on her computer, assuming it was just something Sam left open. "How…? Did one of you do this?"
"Do what?" Kurt questions when he walks back into the room.
Rachel doesn't reply as she skims through the document once more. It was her essay, well not hers, Sam had deleted hers, but it was an essay written around the assignment her professor had assigned.
"Puck was on that thing all night," Sam tells everyone. "I don't know what he was doing but the light from the screen kept me up for a few hours."
"Noah did this?" Rachel's voice is quiet and she isn't even sure if her friends heard.
The essay in front of her isn't as good as her original but it's better than nothing. Rachel isn't one for cheating but sending this in means she gets to go to her call-back.
Everyone is kind of confused when Rachel hurries into her bedroom and is out a few minutes later, dressed to leave.
"I'm going to my audition," Rachel replies to their confused expressions. "I'll send that report to my professor tonight. I have to hurry if I want to get across town in twenty minutes." Her smile is huge as she busies herself in the bathroom, trying to fix her hair and she finally just gives up and lets Kurt throw it into a cute ponytail.
The apartment door slams shut behind her and the four friends share a look.
"Looks like she owes Puckerman a huge thank you," Kurt smirks.
*/*
Okay, so Rachel doesn't get the part but she knows she made an impression on the producer. He said her voice was refreshing and while it sounded a bit scripted, Rachel has learned to take what she can get. And it's not like it wasn't good practice. At least now she knows what to expect on her next audition.
She sent her essay to her professor last night after a bit of tweaking and she knows it won't earn her an 'A' but it won't alter her grade dramatically, either so she's fine. Her college transcript was currently impeccable with a 3.78 GPA and getting a rare 'B' on something that isn't going to account for much of her final grade isn't going to hurt anything.
Her cell phone is heavy in her hands as she tries to decide whether or not to call Noah. She isn't sure exactly what time it was in Columbus but she dials the number anyway and he answers after just two rings.
"Make it quick," had been his response to answering his phone for years so Rachel isn't deterred when that's the first thing she hears. He probably didn't check the caller-ID in the first place.
"Noah, hi." She can't stop the smile that takes over her mouth and she shifts on the bed so she is under her comforter. "I meant to call yesterday but I got kind of busy and lost track of time."
"Oh," He seems distracted but she doesn't hear any noise in the background so she figures he's just in his dorm room. Or at least, she hopes he's in his dorm room.
"Mike and Sam left this morning. Tina's kind of upset but I think she's calmed down," Rachel rambles but tries to focus on why she really called him. "What are you doing?"
"Studying," His reply sounds tired and she tries to picture him in the dorm room he shares with his rather large, annoying roommate. She knows he isn't at his desk since it's probably covered with old papers so she imagines him propped up on his bed with his laptop balanced on his thighs and his phone wedged between his ear and shoulder. "What about you?"
"About to go to sleep," She isn't sure why her voice sounds so weird and she clears her throat. "So, uh, I went to that audition."
"That's great," He sounds genuine and she can tell he's focusing on her now instead of his laptop. "How'd it go?"
"As to be expected," She chuckles. "I wasn't exactly what they were looking for but the producer said he might have another part for me. I'm not sure if he was serious or just being nice."
"I'm sure you'll get lots of parts soon, Rachel; aren't you the one that said breaking into this business would be the hardest part? I mean, you've only been on one audition so far. Did you really think it'd be that easy? Besides, you like working towards your goals. It wouldn't be nearly as rewarding if the part was just handed to you, right?"
"Right." Something in her chest tightens and she clears her throat again. Maybe she's coming down with something. She'll just have to double her vitamin regimen tomorrow. And drink double the amount of herbal tea. She can't afford another case of laryngitis. "I really just called to thank you. You know, for the essay."
"You found that, huh?" She can practically see his smile and it makes her lips tug upwards.
"Yea," She takes a deep breath. "You didn't have to do that. It was written really well actually and I haven't gotten my grade back yet but I'm sure my professor will love it. So, thank you."
"No problem," His voice is muffled by the sound of a door slamming on his end of the line.
"Roommate?" She asks flatly.
"Yea, let me call you back in a few minutes, okay?" She can hear him moving off of his bed and she bit into her bottom lip. She doesn't want to hang up just yet. "Genius over here just showed up drunk. I'll call you back in ten minutes. Promise."
"Okay," She replies and he hangs up.
But he doesn't call back. And after watching the clock for fifty-seven minutes, she lets herself fall asleep.
*/*
A/N: I know I haven't been updating recently so I decided to post this little two-shot I had been working on before my accident. The second part is almost finished so it shouldn't be too long before I get that part up. And for my readers waiting for an update on the rest of my fics, I'm currently working on the next chapter of Reach for the Stars and Suburbia, but I can't really make a promise of when those will be posted.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to please leave me a review.