A/N: Apart from the obvious being that I don't own Glee or the characters, this is my first Glee fanfic. I would appreciate any feedback you could give! R&R! Thank you! :)
Truth or Dare
"You want me to what?!" Rachel practically screeched.
"Please, drama queen, bring it down a few decibels," Mercedes remarked, pretending to retune her ears with her forefinger.
The original glee members, minus Finn, were spending Halloween night at Rachel's house. They had planned on making cookies, watching scary movies, and of course handing out candy to the kids that came by to Trick-or-Treat. They had just finished watching The Shining; Tina was slowly coming out from behind Artie's wheelchair, and Kurt was creeping out from under the blanket he had been sharing with Mercedes. It was then they decided to lighten the mood a bit with a little Truth or Dare. Harmless fun, or so Rachel thought. Until they dared her to do the unthinkable.
"You heard me, m'dear," Kurt replied nonchalantly. "We are going to crash Quinn Fabray's Halloween party, and you're going to complete the dare Mercedes gave you. Don't complain. You could've chosen truth, you know." He grinned like a Cheshire cat.
Rachel glared at him. She turned to the others in the room—Artie, Tina, and Mercedes—searching for mercy. They all grinned mischievously at her. Rachel could not believe they would put her into such a position. She had been so merciful with her truth questions; even when she knew she had it in the bag to get Artie to finally admit his crush on Tina, she opted to let that slide. Even the dares she'd made up were harmless. They were on their fourth rounds when apparently Mercedes decided to get a little feisty.
"Come on, Rachel," Artie prodded. "It could be fun. You know, this could be a good time for you and Puck to…you know…make amends? Move forward with your relation…er, I mean, uh, friendship?"
"You do not have any inkling of what you are talking about, Artie," Rachel said, matter-of-factly. "There is no reason why Noah and I would need to make amends for anything. He has made it perfectly clear what kind of relationship, friendship, or lack thereof he wants with me. So…that's that." Rachel huffed and crossed her arms, taking a cookie from the pile for good measure.
"Girl, you know you're flustered when you can't even use any big words to back up what you're sayin'!" Mercedes scoffed. Tina and Artie exchanged a look that told Rachel they sided with Mercedes.
"Honey, it's okay," Kurt cooed. "We know how you feel about Puck."
"If you are by any means implying that I still harbor romantic inclinations toward Noah Puckerman, you are sorely mistaken," Rachel balked, upturning her nose just slightly.
"Oh come on, Rachel, you know you've liked him since middle school!" Mercedes snorted.
"While previously accurate, Mercedes, two years of slushee facials have diminished my feelings for Noah considerably," Rachel claimed, hoping with all her might they couldn't see right through her.
They could.
"Ohhhh so the way your eyes lit up like firecrackers when he joined New Directions was just a coincidence?" Kurt asked knowingly.
Rachel turned crimson red. She felt ashamed for still having a crush on Noah Puckerman after all these years…after all he'd said to and about her…after all he'd done to make her high school days from freshman year to the present miserable.
"Guys…please…don't make me do it," Rachel pleaded. Maybe if she used her small, timid voice they would have a little mercy.
No such luck.
"T-t-t-too bad, Rachel. Th-they made me eat bananas w-w-with mustard. Y-y-you know I hate b-b-both of those." Tina said. She was still downing lemonade to get rid of the awful taste in her mouth.
"And I had to prank call Coach Sylvester using animal noises," Artie cried. "I swear if she finds out it was me, I'll be running laps for a year…and I can't even run!!"
"Ugh, you guys are no fun," Rachel pouted.
"Oh, now that's where you're wrong, girlfriend," Mercedes said. "The fun is only getting started." As she giggled, a look of mischief passed between her and Kurt. They widened their gazes to allow Tina and Artie into the circle of conspiracy. They soon dissolved into a fit of laughter.
"Wait!" Rachel stopped them. They turned to look at her. "What are we going to do about costumes?" she asked, hoping that they wouldn't have thought about that when planning their little scheme.
But they had.
"Kurt, get dressed and help Artie with his costume," Mercedes directed. "I'll take Tina and Rachel, and we'll meet you back in the living room in an hour," she said as she pulled Rachel toward the bedroom. Rachel looked back to see Tina giving Kurt and Artie articles of clothing from a duffel bag that Rachel hadn't even been aware enough to notice when they arrived. She then began to follow Mercedes and Rachel upstairs to Rachel's bedroom, where they promptly sat Rachel down on the bed and locked her door.
"Seriously? You're locking me in?" Rachel asked incredulously.
"Y-y-yes," Tina said triumphantly.
"Okay, Tina, you're on hair, and I'll do makeup," Mercedes said. No doubt about it, she knew how to commandeer a situation and take control.
Rachel sat still and quiet while Tina tugged lightly at her chestnut tresses. Tina reached over her to grab the warm curling iron from Rachel's vanity. It felt strangely comforting to have Tina running her tiny fingers through Rachel's hair, separately pieces to curl.
As Tina worked her hair magic, Mercedes went at her face with different brushes, blushes, and shades of eye shadow. Rachel's eyes held steady at the ceiling while Mercedes put eyeliner on her lower lids. Rachel wondered what she would look like when the other girls were finished. She wondered what this night really had in store for her.
"All right, all done!" Mercedes cried, triumphantly. Rachel turned to look in her mirror, as Tina grabbed her and turned away from her reflection.
"N-n-not yet, Rach," Tina said. Not t-t-till you have your c-c-costume on." Rachel huffed and puffed but agreed not to look at herself until she put on her costume.
"Um, what exactly is my costume?" Rachel asked warily. She looked at Tina and Mercedes share a conspiratorial glance. Tina pulled out an airy piece of clothing and some dark stockings.
"What is it?" Rachel asked again, a little more irritated this time.
"Don't worry, diva," Mercedes balked. "You are gonna love me forever when you get it on." She handed Rachel a flowy white baby doll-type dress with thigh high black stockings and plain black flats. "Okay, girlfriend, put it on and turn around."
Rachel dressed quickly and turned to see her reflection in the mirror. She looked at the costume that fit snugly against her curves; she saw her hair in loose waves; she noticed her makeup was dramatic but not over the top. Then, she realized who she was. She gasped softly as she brought her hand up to her mouth.
"You guys, you made me a Wendla costume?" Rachel breathed. "Oh my gosh…I'm speechless."
Mercedes and Tina shared a good laugh on that one. "Well, that'd be a first, girl," Mercedes said.
They got their costumes on, Mercedes as Catwoman and Tina as a hot dog. They all went downstairs to meet up with the boys. Kurt was dressed as Robin Hood, and Artie was Tina's ketchup bottle. They both whistled when the girls came into view.
"All right," Kurt said. "Let's get this dare started." As they started for the door, Rachel stopped them one last time.
"Wait, how are we getting Artie there? None of us has the proper equipment to safely accommodate his wheelchair," she stated matter-of-factly, thinking this was the perfect excuse not to have to go.
"Relax, princess," Kurt said. "That's why Artie's mom is waiting to drive us there." He nodded to the window, and sure enough, Artie's mom's van was parked outside her house.
"Well," she said begrudgingly, "I see you had this all planned from the beginning."
"Yup," they all chorused.
"Fine. Let's just get this over with," Rachel said as she stalked past them.
Mercedes looked at Kurt who looked at Artie who looked at Tina. "Oh yeah," Mercedes said. "This is gonna be good."
Puck usually loved Halloween. It was a great excuse for chicks to dress a little sluttier than normal with the pretense of "pretending." The music was blaring and everyone seemed to be having a good time, but Puck was just not in the mood to party. He has trying to talk to Matt when some freshman Cheerio came over and tried to dance all up on him. Matt smirked as Puck not-so-gently guided her back to where she came from.
"What's up with you tonight, man?" Matt asked loudly enough to be heard over the music. Puck glared at him.
"Nothing, dude," Puck said defiantly. But that was a lie. He was upset. He was upset at his whole situation. Quinn was still not letting him be a part of the baby's life. Finn still thought he was the father of Quinn's baby. His mom was disappointed in him not dating a Jewish girl. Mr. Schue didn't even trust him enough to carry a lead in Glee. Puck was tired of being a Lima loser.
"Whoa, dude, look who just showed up," Matt said, breaking Puck out of his thoughts. Matt whistled low. "Dang, Rachel sure cleans up nice." Puck whipped his head around at the sound of Rachel's name and came face-to-face with the image Matt had been whistling at.
Rachel walked in, albeit a little shyly but still managed to exude some confidence. His eyes traveled from her face which was made up quite nicely, to her hair which was in soft curls that made him want to run his fingers through it all day, to her costume. Wow, and what a costume it was. It was a hot white dress that clung to her in all the right places. Dang, it barely could be considered a dress. It was so short that it barely grazed past her butt and rested at the higher part of her thighs, where her black thigh highs came up to. He dragged his eyes down her legs, the ones that just wouldn't quit. She looked…hot.
Actually, the more he looked at her, he thought she looked so lost. And, all she looked like to him then was human, vulnerable even. Her stance was hesitant, as she looked around, taking it all in. The more he watched her, the more enthralled he became. Rachel Berry really wasn't so bad, he thought. I mean, she talked too much, and she threw diva fits a lot, and she looked at Finn with goo-goo eyes, but she wasn't so bad, he guessed.
He realized, as he'd been thinking about her, she disappeared from his view. When he looked up again, she was walking right toward him with a look of steel determination and nerves mixed in her eyes. What the heck?
Rachel spotted him from across the room. Do it now, she thought, or you'll never do it, she thought to herself. "Good Girls Go Bad" was playing in the background as she made her way across the room to Puck. How appropriate, she thought as she smirked at the irony. Puck was looking at her now, watching her make her way to his corner. His look was confused and intrigued all at the same time. She reached him, and looked back one time to Mercedes and Kurt who were waving her on.
"Hey, Berry," Puck said, "Looking good. What are you, a girl from a teenager's naughty dream?" He smirked as he looked her up and down once more.
Just do it, Rachel, she thought. "Shut up, Puckerman," Rachel said breathily, as she snaked her arms around his neck and brought his lips down to hers with such force he actually stumbled forward almost toppling them both onto the couch. She kissed him with passion and all the pent up frustration she'd been holding back all these years. She thought he'd pull away when he realized he was kissing her, a freak, but he didn't. He kissed her back…hard.
Puck had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that Rachel was kissing him, and he didn't mind. He actually liked it. His arms slid around her waist pulling her flush to his body. He couldn't seem to get close enough to her. She tasted so good. Her lips were sweet, kind of like strawberry cupcakes. He'd have to ask her about that later. Right now, he thought he could get used to kissing Rachel Berry. He grabbed her leg under the knee and hitched her leg up at his hips. He felt her gasp in his mouth, but he just smiled into hers. His hands were all in her hair; it was definitely as soft as he'd thought. Her hands weren't around his neck anymore. They were roaming his chest, touching his cheeks, pulling at his mohawk. She was driving him crazy, and she had no idea.
Then, all too soon, she pulled away for a breath, eyes wide and panting heavily. He smirked at her. "What was that about, Berry? Not that I minded, it's just a little…out of character," he said lazily. He looked around the room now, as all eyes were now on them.
Rachel looked around sheepishly, "It was…just…um…?" She looked around nervously, but then he saw a flicker of resolve in her eyes. She looked up at him with a cocky grin, "I just felt like it." She turned to flounce off to her friends.
Puck wasn't about to let that happen. He grabbed her arm and whirled her back to face him. He took her face gently in his hands, and she closed her eyes instinctively. He leaned in close to her face as he whispered, "I don't know what it was about, Rach, but I'm not going to deny…I liked it, and I want you to kiss me again." Rachel's eyes flew open in surprise and shock. Puck chuckled at the look on her face. Her eyes darted from side to side as if she was trying to decide if he was serious or not. "Fine," he said, leaning in so that their lips were thisclose. I'll just have to do it myself."
Then, he kissed her softly until she kissed him back. Her arms went back to their place at his neck as his moved to her waist. Yeah, Puck thought to himself, I could definitely get used to this.
Mercedes simply smirked at Kurt as she watched the two new lovebirds alternate between kissing and whispering and giggling.
"Mission accomplished."
