Title: The Right Twin
Category: Glee
Genre: Humor/Romance
Ship: Rachel/Puck
Rating: Teen
Warning(s): Strong Language, AU - in which Puck has a twin
Word Count: 5,510
Summary: "Now Puckermans? We're a strong bunch… Possessive too." He trailed his fingers back up her neck, feeling her pulse flutter wildly under his touch. "We see something we like and we get territorial…"
The Right Twin
-1/1-
Aaron was the good twin. He didn't ask to be, it just sort of happened somewhere along the line when Noah started acting out and instead of following suit, Aaron tried to fix things. Their dad split on them when they were eight and their little sister still had a few months before she came screaming into the world; made for a lot of tears and way too many trips to the sev-elev to get mom ice cream and potato chips. Sometimes, on really bad days, she still asked him to crumble up Lays on top of her strawberry ice cream. The last time was when Noah got tossed into Juvie for stealing an ATM with their mom's car. The time before that was because Noah knocked up all-too-gentile Quinn Fabray. And the time before that was when she found out all her hopes of Rachel Berry making her son a better person were flushed down the drain when he tossed a cherry slushie in her face after a JCC picnic. She cried into that ice-cream/chip mash the rest of the weekend. Then she told him maybe he could get Rachel to fall for him, 'cause apparently she really wanted Berry to be in the family, but him and B had been friends since pre-school, so that just wasn't going to happen.
With senior year in full swing, Aaron was happy to cut ties to girlfriends and just enjoy his last year in Lima. He had Ohio State to look forward to next year and a future in architecture. See, he was the golden boy of the family. He got good grades, made captain of his rugby team, and was the Puckerman girls looked to for long-term rather than a weekend here or there. And according to Santana, he had a great credit score, so one more for him. But as far as he was concerned, he and his twin brother weren't competing. Try telling that to Noah though and the dude just laughed. Somewhere between birth and the day Eli Puckerman cut and ran, things changed. They weren't the guys who could finish each other's sentences with that crazy twin telepathy thing or that knew when the other one was hurt or upset or any of that shit. They chose different paths but he didn't think that made them good or bad. Maybe on paper, according to the Lima PD, Noah "Puck" Puckerman was the delinquent and Aaron was just a good kid stuck with a little shit for his twin. But just because he never got caught didn't mean he didn't do his fair share of fucking up.
There was a time when he and Noah were thick as thieves and just as mischievous, before he Hudson took up as his best friend and before having no dad meant Noah went by Puck and beat the crap out of anybody who said different. He used to help Noah fill up pee balloons to toss at Jacob Ben Israel for perving on little Rachel Berry, looking up her pretty pink skirts and skeeving her out by constantly touching her hair and breathing too heavily in her general direction. They used to steal slushees from the corner store too; they'd casually walk up and leave them on the counter, hidden by the register, while they picked out dollar bags of candy, and when they went up to pay, the cashier wouldn't see the slushees and only ring in the other junk, so they'd walk right out with a couple of free slush's and nobody got hurt. Little stuff, sure, but eventually it always got bigger. For Noah anyway. It was his way of rebelling or some shit; saying he was his own man and he didn't need Eli around, didn't need his rules or his guidance. And if he sometimes took the rap for Aaron too, like when the 'good' twin pocketed some of the cash from their middle school bake sale so he could get some new strings for his guitar and got caught… Noah strolled in, saw what was happening and purposely called him Puck so the teacher would think it was him and not Aaron. He owed his brother.
He tossed his Spanish book back in his locker and closed the door. Unlike the tiny girl directly across from him, his shit wasn't color coded. He smiled anyway, 'cause she was bat-shit but he kinda liked that. Walking over, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the lockers next to her. Looking her up and down with a smirk, he said, "Hey Berry…" in that slow drawl his brother mastered back in grade seven.
Rachel glanced at him, eyes narrowed, and then smiled. "Hello Aaron."
He reached up to run his palm over his mostly shaven head. "I even let the 'hawk grow in this time…" He quirked a brow. "How d'you always know?"
She shrugged, focusing on her books once more, moving them up and down depending on what classes she had left. Since it was break, he thought she had better things to do, but since she and Hudson broke up, she divided her time between the choir room, library and auditorium. It was kinda sad, really. But she'd always been low on the food chain and that never really changed. Mostly 'cause she didn't change. She was still wearing animal sweaters and knee socks and big bows in her hair. It was cute, familiar, and he liked Berry, always had, so he didn't think she should change. But high school wasn't easy and it never took pity on her.
"I suspect it may just be instinct," she told him. "Previously, I need only check your hand for a slushee… With your sensitive teeth, you hardly ever drink those anymore, so it was a dead give away that your brother was on a rampage."
He winced. "Yeah, No' was a douche, huh?"
She smiled briefly, nodding. "Confused, I believe… I'm sure it was a coping mechanism. Struggling with hormones and puberty had to be hard without a adult male presence to help him through it. It was by no means a good idea, but I think we both know that your dad's unexpected leaving—"
"He cut and ran, B. No need to sugar coat it." He half-smirked. "I'm not the one who tosses kids in dumpsters 'cause daddy didn't love us."
Sympathetic, Rachel reached out to rub his arm comfortingly, her brows furrowed. Her and her dads had brought kugels galore when Eli left, just trying to be there for their mom and them. Instead of helping, it only served to piss Noah off. Here Rachel was with two dads and they couldn't keep their one deadbeat from ditching them in the middle of the night.
"You dealt with it in your own way, Aaron." She sighed. "Thankfully, it was less violent." She smiled wryly at him. "I'm not sure we could have handled both of you."
He shrugged, stuffing his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "Noah always felt things more than me. S'why glee's good for him. He can get it all out through music."
Her brows arched. "Yes, well, it's certainly helped him with women…" She scoffed under her breath. "They appear to think he's a tortured soul now. A ridiculous assumption to make, but apparently handing a boy a guitar and asking him to croon for the masses means there are layers just waiting to be peeled back."
He laughed, ducking his head. "He was always good with girls…" He glanced at her, licking his lips. "Never really got the best girl though, did he?"
She frowned into her locker, apparently more concerned with her sticky notes now. "I believe he and Quinn did date during the pregnancy." She nodded. "He—"
"Not Quinn, B," he dismissed. He wasn't against Quinn, really. He knew the minute his brother got hooked on the chastity queen, it was the same time Hudson said he was going steady with her. But Aaron also knew that the only thing that'd come out of Noah and Quinn was a whole lot of arguing and cheating. When Rachel glanced at him, he confirmed, "You."
She pursed her lips. "Oh, well, Noah and I engaged in a brief relationship, if you remember…"
He snorted. "That week you guys were hung up on the Inns and pretending you weren't?" He scoffed. "You guys never gave it a real chance and you know it."
Turning, she stared up at him speculatively. "Is this coming from you or your mother?" she wondered. "Because I don't remember you ever being this invested in my or your brother's relationship."
"'m not." He shrugged. "Just wondering why he never gave it more effort." He smirked at her, eyes wandering down her body. "He was always slow on the uptake though…"
She smiled knowingly. "Aaron…"
Reaching over, he tucked her hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger along the shell, his thumb tugging gently at the lobe, before he dragged his knuckles down her neck. "You and Hudson still sniffing around each other?"
Her lips pursed. "Finn is content in his relationship with Quinn."
He cocked a brow. "And you?"
"I…" She was distracted when his fingers traced a curl, drawing circles along her shoulder and down the front of her fuzzy sweater. "I've decided Finn and I are incompatible…" She glanced down and then back up at him. "It's come to my attention that he has very little intent to get out of Lima and I'm afraid that's not something I'm willing to accept for myself… It takes drive and passion to keep in league with me, Aaron, and I'm saddened to find Finn lacks both those attributes."
"Yeah? Didn't think he could handle you anyway…" He shrugged. "Now Puckermans? We're a strong bunch… Possessive too." He trailed his fingers back up her neck, feeling her pulse flutter wildly under his touch. "We see something we like and we get territorial…"
"I-I hope this isn't the part where you archaically urinate on your intended cavewoman," she replied archly.
He grinned, chuckling lowly. "See? That spirit… I don't think Hudson's got the balls to keep up with that."
She nodded stiffly. "It's true I've only met a few boys who could… One of them being Jessie."
Scowling, his jaw ticked. "Noah told me about St. Douche, B… He wasn't worth the Babs songs you probably cried your eyes out to." Before she could argue, he traced her cheek with his finger lightly. He smirked as her breathing stuttered and her eyes fell to half mass. "And the others?"
"Hm?" she asked, dazed and distracted. At his grin, she quickly recovered, glaring at him. "Oh, well you, of course. An-And…" Her brows furrowed. "Well, Noah… Though I suppose I hadn't thought it over much."
"Blasphemy," he teased.
Swatting his hand away, she muttered, "Har, har." Rolling her eyes, she huffed. "So what is this really about then?" She tapped her foot impatiently.
He grinned, leaning back against the lockers lazily. "I can't pay a little special attention to my favorite girl?"
"You can, and it's appreciated," she dismissed before narrowing her eyes at him, "But I know you, Aaron. We've been friends since we were four and you comforted me after Jacob Ben Israel cut off one of my braids in an infantile gesture of his affections."
"I did the comforting, Noah did the wedgying," he agreed, nodding.
She wrinkled her nose. "He's always been a physical boy."
He quirked a brow at her. "He got a week of no play-time for that."
"And yet it never taught him better conflict resolution tactics," she mused sarcastically.
He chuckled. "Y'know… He told ma you were worth it…" He stared at her. "She stopped yelling at him when she realized he was sticking up for a nice, good, Jewish girl…"
She rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile. "Maybe if she'd kept yelling, violence wouldn't be his go-to answer when people do things he doesn't like."
He shrugged. "Maybe…" He reached over and tugged on one of her curls. "So what're you doing this weekend?"
"What happened to enjoying your last year as a free man? Partaking in festivities without the added baggage of a girlfriend to weigh you down?" she wondered, quirking her head.
He rolled his eyes lightly. "It's dinner, B. Not a proposal."
Her lips pursed. "Don't think I'm sufficiently distracted just because you used the Puckerman charm on me with your cheap displays of affection…" She shook her head when he pretended to be offended. "You're up to something!" She pointed at him. "And I won't have any part in it!"
He grinned, leaning toward her. "Will you play along if I promise you won't have to bail me out of jail later?" He wiggled his brows hopefully.
She peered up at him skeptically before holding out a hand. "Pinky-swear?"
He sighed when she waved her pinky around expectantly. Checking to see nobody was looking, he reached out and hooked his around hers. "You're killing my manhood here, B."
Satisfied, she smiled back at him. "Raise your right hand and swear that I won't need my hidden stash of Puckerman Bail money…"
"Both times that happened, you were getting Noah off the hook!" he reminded.
"Just because you hid in the bushes when the sirens commenced and managed to get off scot free, does not mean you weren't involved!" She raised her brows at him. "Now raise your right hand, Aaron Elijah Puckerman, or so help me—"
"A'right, a'right," he muttered, lifting his right hand and rolling his eyes. "I, Aaron Elijah Puckerman, of currently sober mind and body, promise I won't get Rachel Uptight Berry to bail me out later because I used my superior brain to cook up some crazy scheme that involves her saying yes to a date at 'StiX this Friday."
"You better be sober," she muttered. "And my middle name is not Uptight. I resent the implication that I—"
"Rach," he laughed. "Look, just promise to meet me at 'Stix, seven sharp, and leave the bail money at home…" He wiggled his brows. "Unless you're planning on getting frisky after dinner in the parking lot and get arrested for indecent exposure."
She guffawed at him, stomping her foot. "Aaron!"
Laughing, he shook his head. "You're so easy…" At her glare, he added, "To rile up, jeez!"
Slapping his chest, she released his pinky. "Give me one good reason I should go to BreadstiX with you!"
His smile faded a little, expression more genuine. "'Cause I guarantee the guy sitting across from you is gonna be head over ass in love with you."
Her brows furrowed, fury slipping. "Aaron…" she murmured, eyes darting away.
"Just trust me," he told her, reaching out and grabbing her hand again. "Seven o'clock, okay?"
She sighed, biting her lip, and stared at the floor a long second. "All right…"
"Awesome." Grinning, he leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "You're gonna thank me, B. I promise!" With that, he turned and jogged off down the hall, proud and excited.
His good mood lasted until after school when he walked upstairs to his bedroom and found his brother in his favorite beanbag chair, feet up on his dresser as he played Halo: Reach on his X-Box 360. "Sup dude," he said, tossing his bag on his bed. "Thought you had glee practice or whatever."
"Yeah, I skipped." He hit pause and looked up at him. "So what was that in the hall today… You and Rachel were practically going at it for all to see…"
Shrugging his jacket off, Aaron smirked. "Nothing… Why? You jealous?"
Noah scoffed, turning back to his game. "Whatever… That skirt's like Fort Knox, you're not getting anywhere."
"I guess I'll test that theory on Friday then."
Not even bothering to pause this time, he just whipped his head around. "What the fuck's going on Friday?"
"I asked Rachel to 'StiX…" He shrugged. "Maybe we'll hit San's party after, I dunno…" He winked at him. "Depends on how she's feeling."
"The fuck, Aaron!" He climbed out of the chair, tossing the control behind him. "You said you weren't dating this year… Said you wanted to hang with the bros before you guys all left for college."
"Yeah, and I am…" He hooked his thumbs in the loops of his jeans. "Me and Rach are just hanging out, having fun." He smirked. "You should know what it's like…"
"Don't make me deck you," he ground out. "Rachel's not like Santana or Brittany. You want an easy lay, I got a black book of Cheerios, but you don't screw with Berry."
"I don't know why you're so pissed. So what if I get in there first, you've got the rest of the year to break her in after…"
Snapping, Puck reached over and shoved him back. "Seriously, dude, you keep talking shit about her and Imma lay you out flat."
"First of all…" Aaron shoved him back. "Rugby players are sure as shit stronger than you padded up footballers," he sneered. "And secondly…" He crossed his arms over his chest. "You had your shot with B… You wasted it. I don't see why I can't—"
"Fuck you! Shit was screwed up then and you know it!" He threw his arm out. "And she's been hung up on Finnessa since; you think there's been an opening that I just ignored?"
"I think your balls must be missing, 'cause you've had two years to get in good with Rachel and you've been screwing around with the whole Cheerios squad, not to mention Cadillac and that wrestler chick?"
"The fuck is Cadiallac?" His face screwed up.
"Aretha Franklin?" He snapped his fingers, trying to jog both of their memories. "In your glee club?"
"Mercedes?" He scoffed. "Whatever, chick's cool but that was to get my rep up. And she was on the cheerleading team when we hooked up!"
"The-fuck-ever, not even the point!" He rolled his eyes. "Rachel's fair game and she already said yes, so you—"
Noah shoved him again, throwing his shoulder back enough that he stumbled slightly. "If any Puckerman's getting up the plaid skirt, it's me!" Teeth grit, he glared at him. "You knew I liked her!"
"I knew you wanted to get laid." He shook his head, scoffing. "What's new?"
"It's not like that with her," he snapped. "Rachel's different. Always has been!"
"Yeah? Then prove it!" He shoved his little brother back, younger by three minutes. "You've been sitting on your ass waiting for her to get over Hudson, well she's over it…"
"Yeah, obviously, since she said yes to dating your fugly ass."
"We're identical twins, you moron!"
"Whatever, I'm still hotter."
Sighing with exasperation, Aaron gripped his brother's shoulders and shook him. "I'm doing you a big fat favor here, No', try not to fuck it up, all right?"
He stared back, curious and a little skeptical.
"I don't want Rachel," he told him.
"The hell!" His expression screwed up angrily. "Then why'd you—"
"Shut up! Fuck!" He shook him again. "I don't want Rachel, but you do…"
"'m not pretending to be you just to hit that," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "That only worked twice and trust me, cuddling with your girlfriends after is so not fun."
He waved it off. "I know, 'cause hitting it isn't all you want," he said smugly. At Noah's scoff, he smirked. "Dude, you've been in like with Rachel since you were four… You screwed it up with the slusheeing thing but for some reason, she forgave your stupid ass… And I don't know when you fell in love with her, but everybody else can see it and we're sick and tired of you sitting around not doing anything." He reached up and slapped his face lightly, amused when he got a pissed off snarl back. "Hudson's not gonna step up and take this from you. Not unless you let him. So grow a pair and get in the ring again… If you don't, then I'm gonna wise up and make ma proud by dating Rachel myself."
His teeth clenched tightly. "You think it's that easy?"
"I think I got you a date with her Friday at 'StiX and you should take it…" He shrugged, releasing him and stepping back. "You wanna prove to everybody else you're a badass, go ahead… But when you're ready to prove to yourself that you're better than dad, then you've got a really cool chick who never needed anybody else to tell her what you are… She's always known it."
He looked away, sighing. Turning, he moved to leave, but paused at the door. "Hey, you wouldn't really date her, right?"
"I'm gonna be there that night, little brother… You don't show and I'll fucking join homo-explosion, school your ass in song, and date your girl…" He smirked back at him. "I'm not the good twin, No', I'm just better at hiding my evil streak."
Lips pursed, Noah rolled his eyes before stomping out of his room. "You're an ass, Aaron!" he said, slamming his own bedroom door.
Chuckling, Aaron sprawled back on his bed, arms crossed behind his head. "You're welcome," he said to the empty room.
Noah didn't speak to him the rest of the day, or all of Thursday, and when Friday rolled around, he looked ready to beat him into a pulp and blend him into his afternoon grape slushee. He stalked through the halls with a tick to his jaw, making others jump out of the way for fear of being tossed in a dumpster. Fortunately for them, Noah had reformed some of his old, worst, habits and even now, pissed to all hell, he didn't take it out on anybody else. But Aaron noticed when he slunk off to the auditorium to sing out his frustration and anger and fear. Standing high on the steps, he watched as his twin, often called a 'stunted brute' by Rachel, belted out Collective Soul's Needs to an empty room of seats, fisted hands only coming undone in the end as he bent and ran his fingers through his 'hawk before kicking the air and stomping off stage. And Aaron grinned, because he knew his brother couldn't hide from the truth much longer.
When night rolled around, Aaron sat in the parking lot, waiting and watching, until Rachel rolled up in her little red Prius. She fiddled with her clothes, smoothing them out as she stood and locked her car door. She checked her hair twice before she went inside, five minutes early. And Aaron sat in his mom's station wagon, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the radio, eyes scanning, searching for his brother's rumbling blue pick-up. The only good thing to come out of his summers spent cleaning pools and banging cougars.
At five after, he started worrying; maybe his brother really was as dumb as he made himself look.
By ten after, he was climbing out of the car, hoping Rachel didn't hold it against him that not only was he late, but the wrong brother.
He walked inside at fifteen after, checked with the front to see where she was. "She's already had six glasses of water," the waitress told him, pointing her out, and he sighed. Noah was a dick. He was halfway to her table when he got shoved out of the way, his mirror image smirking at him before slowing down near the table.
With Noah's attention on her, Aaron sat down in a booth close enough so he could hear what they were saying, but far enough that he could see them without being spotted. He grabbed a breadstick and got comfortable, head cocked so he could better hear their conversation.
"Noah," she murmured softly, staring up at him with her big browns.
"Yeah…" He sat down, blowing a breath and rubbing his palms on his jeans. "So, uh… What's good here?"
She raised her brows. "This is where you bring your date of the week… I think I should be asking you that," she reminded wryly.
"Yeah, but you've got something against meat, so…" He grabbed up the menu. "They got salad here, right?"
She chuckled. "I don't only eat salad, but they do have a very nice selection."
He licked his lips, staring down at the menu, glancing at her every few seconds. "We never really did this when we were together, hey…"
She lowered her menu, clasping her hands together on top of it. "You mean leave the comfort of my bedroom to engage in a meal?"
"I mean… Anything you could've called a real date…" He shrugged. "Like the singing and making out was cool, 's hot, but we didn't really…" He rubbed the back of his neck, shifting in his seat.
And where the hell did girls get the idea that this dude was charming? Aaron totally did this better! If Rachel couldn't tell them apart, he'd have faked being Noah, talked her into a relationship, and then dropped her off in his brother's lap before he could screw it up.
"We never really gave us a chance," he told her, eyes darting up to pierce her. "I mean, yeah, we dated… For like a week. But you wanted Finn and I—"
"Wanted Quinn."
"Maybe… Maybe it was the baby, I dunno…" His jaw ticked. "I know I liked you when I was four and you used to share your oranges with me... And in kindergarten when you told me your favorite crayon was the green one, 'cause it matched my eyes…" He laughed under his breath. "Grade two when you told me holding your hand would keep us from getting cooties and I did it for like a week…" He grinned. "Or grade five, when you were my first kiss at that stupid dance and you laid one on me behind the stage curtains…"
Her lips quirked. "If I remember correctly, you kissed me…"
He smirked. "Same difference."
"If we're listing milestones, we should probably add the summer before middle school… When you slusheed me at the JCC picnic because I told you Eli didn't know what he was missing… That you were going to surprise everyone with your talent and make it big outside of Lima…"
He frowned, looking away. "I was a screwed up kid… I stayed screwed up for awhile…" He picked at the edge of the menu. "I'm not much better, but… I wanna be… And I think I could be…" His brows furrowed. "Look, I'm not good with words like Aaron is. He set this shit up 'cause I've been a pussy about not trying harder with you, so I'm here and I'm trying and I'm not even saying we'll work or I won't fuck this up royally, but you… You forgave me once and we gave it a half-assed attempt, so I guess I'm hoping you'll let me try again, and this time I won't waste it."
She bit her lip, staring up at him from under long, dark lashes. "And there are no unborn children currently residing in any cheerleaders that may be yours, I assume?"
He half-grinned. "Not that I know of."
She smiled, nodding slightly. "You know, when Aaron told me that I'd have a date here tonight, he mentioned the boy across from me would be very much in love with me…" She stared searchingly at him. "I think I may have overlooked that very important fact about you, Noah… And I think you may have denied it quite a bit longer."
"My brother talks too much," he muttered. "Look, Berry… It took me three days to convince my ass I could actually get you to date me. And I spent the last hour sitting in my truck at home, trying to tell myself you weren't gonna laugh in my face or tell me Finn was your Prince Charming and I was just the court jester, so if you think you're getting me to tell you I'm crazy in love with you, you've got your work cut out for you…"
She grinned. "I look forward to it."
He quirked a brow. "'s not gonna be easy… And I think my brother might have a thing for you, 'm not sure… Dude's weird."
She chuckled. "Aaron's been a constant in my life since pre-school… I think in this instance, he was trying to repay a debt by getting us together… Either that or he's as cunning as your mother is at matchmaking." Her brows furrowed. "I wouldn't put it past either of them that they planned this elaborate thing weeks in advance."
"Shit, they couldn't get on this earlier?" He grabbed up the menu. "Hey, you're not gonna ralph is I get my steak rare, right?" At her horrified expression, he laughed. "No worries, Berry, I hear they got a bunch of salads and shit to pick from." He rolled his eyes.
"Your sense of humor needs work, Noah. It's sadistic in nature."
"I'm funny shit," he told her, shrugging.
"I'm laughing on the inside," she muttered plainly.
He winked at her, tossing the menu aside as he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Hey, so you still got that 'get Puck outta jail without pissing off ma' safety net?"
She pursed her lips, staring at him speculatively. "I do… Why?"
"Live a little Berry, we're totally d-and-d'ing this place."
She blinked rapidly, irritated. "Noah… We are not dining and dashing on our very first date… What kind of beginning is that?"
He snorted. "A great fucking story for the grandkids, that's what." He rolled his eyes. "C'mon… We're having water and salad! I need my money to hit up BK and get some real food after!"
She crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. "Not only is that meat, but it's over-processed and completely unhealthy."
"Yeah, but it tastes awesome…"
"Fantastic, well, while I'm telling our lovely grandchildren about our first date and they ask me where you are, I can blame Burger King for your early heart attack."
"So fucking dramatic," he muttered.
"Language," she scolded. "And please, as if you'd eat a salad… Just get something that doesn't bleed on the plate…"
His brows furrowed. "So… Chicken?"
"Or fish."
"Shit babe," he sighed, "you better be worth this work…"
She raised a brow at him. "As if you ever doubted I was."
He stared at her thoughtfully. "You're bat-shit, but it's hot… Maybe it evens out."
She grinned. "If that's what you need to tell yourself to explain your affections, fine. But we both know that you happen to enjoy my company and even like the boundaries I set and expect you to abide by."
"'Cept the boob one…" He smirked. "'m so gettin' around that."
"Oh, I'm certain you will," she said dismissively. "So chicken then?"
He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Fine… I'll pay…" He pursed his lips. "But we're spending the rest of the night testing your boundaries…" His eyes pinned hers heatedly and she shivered slightly, biting her lip.
"It'll be interesting to see you try."
His lips curled dangerously.
Clearing her throat, she reached over and took a long sip of her water, her cheeks flushing. "You realize you'll have to thank your brother for this, don't you?"
He nodded. "Dude's just lucky he wasn't serious about getting with you."
She rolled her eyes affectionately. "Eventually I hope to quell those violent tendencies, Noah."
His eyes brightened, brows lifting high. "Sex works."
She laughed. "Nice try."
"Thought so."
She reached out, grabbing his hand, and linked their fingers. "I'm glad you came here tonight."
"Yeah…" He rubbed his thumb along her forefinger. "Me too."
Job well done, Aaron rose from his seat and walked out of the restaurant, dragging out his phone and hitting two on his speed-dial. A few seconds later, he said in greeting, "S'done… Puckleberry reunion accomplished." He grinned. "I take money and food for my awesome services." He waved goodbye to the people taking names at the front and walked out into the parking lot. "Yeah, yeah, you know I love your kugel... Be there soon." He smiled. "Love you too…" He jogged toward the station wagon and stuck the key in the lock. "Hm…?" He laughed. "Yeah…" He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, you're right, they'll make some beautiful Jewish babies, ma…"
Climbing into the car, he grinned back at BreadstiX and shook his head. He considered this him paying Noah back in full for all the times he saved his ass. And hell, he probably got an awesome sister-in-law out of the deal. This was one solid he was glad to do. And so what if to most the better twin lost; the right twin got the girl. Aaron would never argue that fact.
[End.]