Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, it's characters, or 'War' performed by Edwin Starr.
Pairing: St. Berry. Get your daily dose.
Written for "MissEllie14's St Berry contest".
Prompt: To write a happy/sad piece which featured a dance, a shock of a plot point and a song.
Summary: Rachel Berry will not back down from a challenge, even if it means dragging her boyfriend down with her. Jesse St. James, however, isn't the type to take things lying down. They've got a lot to learn about themselves through each other.
Author's Note: What do you get when you're inspired by 'Rush Hour' and 'Boy Meets World' put together? A St. Berry fluff piece which centres around the subtle evolution of Rachel and Jesse's relationship. Enjoy and don't forget to review.
SWEET VICTORY
"You have got to be joking."
Rachel had expected that reaction.
Jesse St. James never hesitated in voicing out his feelings. Particularly on a subject that appalled him to no end.
"Quite the opposite. I've signed our names up and there really isn't anything you can do about it," came her calm reply as she smoothened down her skirt with an indifferent shrug.
Jesse stared at her, brow furrowed and mouth slightly agape as she successfully rendered him to a stunned silence.
It didn't last long.
"So, let me see if I understand you correctly," he uttered slowly, crossing his arms over his solid chest in careful contemplation.
Rachel mirrored his gesture as she sat opposite him, firmly standing her ground.
"Kurt mentioned that you haven't succeeded in winning over every audience there is in your sixteen years of performing arts. You, being Rachel Berry, took that as a subtle yet obvious challenge on his part. Thus, you demanded he suggest a way to prove your worth," Jesse continued, quoting her exact words here and there as he watched her expressions range from annoyance (over Kurt's accusation) to relief (that he understood her rant from awhile ago).
He paused.
"So... how exactly did it go from there to you and me being signed up for a karaoke contest?"
Rachel immediately launched into a full-out explanation. "It's simple! All I've ever done my whole life is perform for judges and for glee club... just performing as a contestant or a member of 'New Directions'... never as 'Rachel Berry, here to win the votes of the (most likely) culturally deprived masses who have no clue to what real talent is... just likability factor'," she looked at him earnestly, awaiting a response.
"Baby... unless you're on American Idol, that doesn't really apply to you," the handsome senior leaned forward in his seat, partly amused by his girlfriend's antics as he clasped both her hands in his.
"I don't care," she stated simply.
Jesse raised his eyebrows.
"It's a 'couples contest'. Everyone is already rooting for Kurt and Mercedes to win. He knows it. That's why he brought it up with me... to rub it in. Hence, there's no way I'm backing out now," Rachel continued, the hard determination apparent in her voice.
Jesse studied her features quietly.
"Singing to a roomful of drunken tone deaf people matters this much to you?" there was no edge or condescending tone in his voice as he softly asked her the golden question.
Rachel nodded.
Allowing a smile to curve a corner of his lips, he nodded as well. A silent agreement passed between them.
"Now, give me a kiss, Beautiful," he motioned to her with his index finger. She laughed before leaning forward to plant her lips on his.
"This time, I know you're joking."
Rachel groaned, rolling her eyes.
"You saw how the crowd reacted to Kurt and Mercedes' rendition of Cher's 'Believe'. They might as well have just given them the trophy there and then! But they won't because they haven't had their skulls blown wide open in awe of our performance yet," she grinned brightly as they made their way onto the tiny stage.
"But does it have to be this song?" Jesse hissed as they took their places by their respective microphones, him covering his so no one would be able to listen in on their argument.
Rachel threw him a sharp look.
"I asked the deejay what the 'audience favourite' was and he said it was this! There is no way we can go wrong with it, Jesse!" she spoke through gritted teeth whilst covering her own microphone.
Jesse stared at her in disbelief. This was totally going against his principles. First, Rachel made him enter a god-forsaken karaoke contest. An even he was known to openly bombard whenever it came into light.
But, he entered... for Rachel.
Now, she was forcing upon him this song? That was pushing it.
No... he too could stand his ground.
As the spotlight turned on the both of them, Jesse realized it was pretty much too late to back out. Not too late to make his sentiments known though.
Rachel was beaming from where she stood as the opening drum roll resonated through the karaoke bar.
Jesse rolled up the sleeves of his black hoodie.
And so the song began.
"WARRRR!" she exclaimed grittily, flinging her hands out dramatically in front of her.
"Huh," came Jesse's less than enthusiastic back-up vocals from beside her.
"WHAT IT ISN'T GOOD FOR?" Rachel barrelled on, swaying her hips energetically as her face contorted with fiery passion.
Jesse watched her before leaning into his own microphone.
"Absolutely nothing. Sing it again," he practically spoke the words, a dull edge to his voice.
"WARRRR!" she exclaimed even louder this time, looking up to the high heavens as her eyes squeezed shut.
Jesse read the lyrics on the screen, a stony, indifferent expression on his face.
"Good God, you all," he read the said lyrics mechanically before turning to look at the brunette by his side.
Rachel's brown eyes opened as she looked back over to Jesse as well. Her lips formed a tight line as she glowered dangerously at him.
"This is all a big joke to you, right Jesse?" she huffed before storming off backstage, leaving him alone in the spotlight.
The song shut off and the crowd began to boo at the absence of a performance. Jesse was stunned for a few nanoseconds, realizing that proving his point and standing his ground didn't quite feel as good as it used to. Not when he hurt the one person that actually mattered to him.
"No, just give us a second," he spoke into the microphone as he shot the deejay and apologetic look before sprinting off backstage too. He found her with her back turned to him haughtily.
"Rachel..." Jesse pleaded as he approached the tiny form.
"No, I don't want to finish that song with you. You're not even taking this seriously!" she snapped, though her glassy eyes betrayed her tough exterior.
He sighed. "Rachel, how can I take it seriously when the basis of us performing this heinous song is for you to prove something to Kurt Hummel... when you and I both know he'll never be half as talented as you are," Jesse responded in exasperation as he looked down to her petite figure.
"It's not about Kurt Hummel!" Rachel stumbled over her words slightly as her voice broke.
"I've never doubted my talent, Jesse. But... sometimes... it's hard to ignore that people don't like me. No matter how hard I try, I'm still Rachel Berry, the target as everyone's punching bag," her voice grew softer as her eyes lowered to his chest (her exact eye level when standing directly opposite him).
Jesse felt a rampant rage bubble inside him. Who the hell dared to use his girlfriend as a punching bag? He opened his mouth to say something before Rachel cut him off.
"And no, I don't need you to tell me I'm perfect the way I am or that there will always be a few haters when you're at the top," she calmly interjected as she looked back up into his hazel eyes.
"Yes... and I was also going to ask for some names, Berry," his voice lowered threateningly as he blindly began planning his methods of confrontation.
Rachel looked at him sternly.
"To be honest, the unfair treatment directed towards me ended when you came into my life, Jesse. I guess they figured I'm not much of an easy target now that I'm not alone. But, that doesn't mean the hurt has completely disappeared," she replied quietly.
Jesse tucked her dark hair behind her ears as he let his palms cup her delicate face.
"I promise you that I will make that hurt go away, Rachel," his voice was a deep timbre as he looked into her brown orbs.
The young ingénue cracked a half-smile.
"Now... does going out there mean that much to you?" he asked softly.
Rachel nodded.
Jesse's pillow-soft lips began to form a cool, determined smile.
Drum roll...
"WARRRR!" Rachel actually doubled over with her microphone stand ala James Brown as she exclaimed that particular word with incomparable passion.
"HUUUGGHHH!" Jesse growled, pumping his fist forward for good measure.
They exchanged smirks before grabbing their microphones off their respective stands.
"WHAT IT ISN'T GOOD FOR?" Rachel got on her knees and clutched her chest whilst shaking her head from side to side.
"ABSOLUTELY NOTHIN'!" Jesse thrusted his hips in time with the music, mimicking Elvis Presley's moves and voice to boot. "SING IT AGAIN, BERRY!" he hollered, pointing to his partner in crime.
"WARRRR!" she jumped to her feet with impressive flourish as she looked over to him.
"HUUUGGGHHH!" he responded, tapping into his inner 'caveman' instinct and pulling the growls off well (even a little sexy too, much to Rachel's delight).
They looked at each other for awhile.
Rachel with her dark hair askew, shoulders rising up and down heavily.
Jesse with his hoodie unzipped fully to reveal the white T-shirt underneath and his eyes ablaze with excitement.
They almost had to stifle their laughter at how ridiculous the other looked.
"WHAT IT ISN'T GOOD FOR?" Rachel gyrated her hips as she fiercely snapped her fingers to bare some major attitude on her part.
"ABSOLUTELY NOTHIN'! SING IT AGAIN!" Jesse shuffled lightly with his feet, doing the 'running man' with such conviction, he was even surprising himself.
"SING IT, JESSE! SING IT!" the impressionable sweetheart beside him ordered, uncaring that she was passionately bellowing with those (already) strong lungs of hers.
The music escalated into a bridge and they had somehow both begun to do the 'running man' together.
"I DON'T LIKE THE WAR!" Jesse preached, wagging his index finger to a now laughing Rachel Berry.
"WAR'S NOT GOOD!" he growled, feigning authority as he shook his head.
Looks like all those years of running on the treadmill while singing was paying off.
"NO WAR!" Rachel yelled, though she couldn't keep the grin off her face or out of her voice.
"NO MORE! NO MORE, BABY!" a stray chuckle escaped Jesse's lips as he nodded to his girlfriend in a similar growling voice.
"NO MORE!" Rachel couldn't help herself as she let out a full-on giggle, covering her mouth with her hand as she did so.
"I'LL TELL YOU WHY! I'M GONNA CRY! WE DON'T LIKE WAR! NOT YOU OR YOU!" Jesse pointed to random people from the audience as he attempted to rap in that 'caveman' voice of his to the sound of Rachel's musically boisterous laughter in the background. He wanted to hear more of that, so he continued his overdone clowning around with his little drama queen beside him.
"OR I!" Rachel quickly offered, nudging his shoulder, her eyes bright with glee.
"OR I?" Jesse's deep chuckle bloomed into a hearty laugh to which Rachel immediately joined in with.
"I've gotta run... coz' I don't like war," Jesse breathlessly and finally ended the song before turning to smile tiredly to Rachel.
Rachel beamed enthusiastically as she flung herself into his awaiting arms.
Embracing her securely, he lifted her off her feet, spinning the petite brunette around. They laughed together, remembering that second as a moment they were truly happy. The very moment they absolutely knew that they belonged.
The roaring applause of the audience didn't even seem to matter as much anymore.
Rachel buried her face in the comfort of Jesse's neck.
She knew he'd always pull through for her, no matter what.
And that made her feel like the greatest winner of all.