A groan broke the soft pink lips of Rachel Berry's mouth as she opened her brown eyes, examining the room she was in; Santana Lopez's living room. Last night was a blur of drinking games and goofing off at what was supposed to be the Glee Girls sleepover. Of course, no Glee Guy could hear about a sleepover without crashing it. And so, around ten pm, the boys (minus Kurt, who was already there) had crashed the party, bursting through Santana's back door and starting a party of their own.
Rachel rolled over, her hand reaching up to her head that was pounding only to feel herself gag slightly at the smell of some alcohol that must have been spilled right by where she was laying. Oh, there it was, a bottle of beer that had been tipped over was dripping onto the floor. Suddenly, she didn't feel so well. Rachel stood up quickly and bolted to the bathroom, passing by Brittany and Santana who were cuddled up on the couch, and the rest of New Directions who were sprawled out across the room and hallway leading to the bathroom.
Entering the bathroom, Rachel felt herself try to throw up, alas she could not regurgitate whatever she wanted. She tried gagging a few more times, maybe it was just for show, but outside the door she could hear Santana's snide voice saying, "aww man hands can't handle a little hangover."
True as it was, Rachel hoped she could have some snarky comment right back. However, how she looked in the mirror stopped her right in her tracks. She looked terrible. The only thing that could make this bathroom moment worse? The loud knock on the door and the deep, surly voice Rachel recognized so well.
"Open up I gotta piss!" Puck shouted from outside the door and Rachel's voice wavered in response, "just a minute."
Rachel found a hairbrush of Santana's and she began to smooth out her brunette locks. Nothing but perfect that was her motto. Her pajama pants were perfect pink with gold stars splattered across the fabric. She fixed her top, a plain white tank top that was slightly see through. She had been wearing a jacket, but obviously she had shed the pale pink fabric sometime last night. Rachel fixed the makeup beneath her eyes as Puck burst in through the door and walked right to the toilet, pulling out his penis and beginning to pee.
"PUCKERMAN do you mind?" she asked, her brown eyes shutting rapidly. "Some people are uninterested in seeing your penis."
Stepping out of the bathroom, Rachel pulled the door shut and groaned to herself. She saw Santana and Brittany standing there, staring her down. "That's not what you said last night, about Puck's dick," Santana said to Rachel, a smirk on her face. She, Quinn, and Brittany were clad in matching red, white, and black cheerios pajamas. It was as if the cheerios did not wear anything but cheerios uniforms.
"Wh-wh-what?" Rachel mumbled, fearing what was going to be confessed. However, Brittany giggled and Santana turned her head, walking back towards the living room.
Puck woke up, his mind spinning with thoughts of last night. Though all he could really remember was buying a ton of alcohol, crashing Santana's party with the Glee guys, and then this morning. Looking around the room, Puck's mind was immediately filled with the opening lyrics to "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha. "Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy," Puck sang out, only to be pelted with pillows by those who had pillows, and groans from the rest of the group.
He had drunk enough to not get hangovers, then again he was feeling a little effect from last night running through his veins. What he felt most was the need to piss, bad. Standing up, he saw Brittany and Santana cuddled together and, for the first time, realized that the spot next to him had been warm. Who had been sleeping there? He guessed Santana, though she was on the couch with Brittany, had probably moved recently to be with her best friend.
Puck made his way to the bathroom and he knocked on the door, letting whoever was inside that he had to piss. He had not taken the time to do a head count of who was in the living room, sprawled across the off white carpet, or he would have known who was inside. Berry. Waiting another moment, Puck decided he couldn't wait and he did not give a shit who was in there. Opening the door, Puck pushed past Rachel and whipped out his dick, relieving himself.
The shrill response from Rachel was just what he expected. "Chill out Berry," he said, though the door slammed behind her and she probably did not hear.
Opening the door, Puck heard Santana's comment and he really began to wonder what had happened last night.
Rachel followed after Santana, confused at what she had said. "Santana, what were you talking about?" she demanded, tripping over a curled up Sam and Quinn, who were one giant blob. Across the room, Finn lay alone with Mike and Tina nearby, Artie slept sitting up in his wheel chair, and Kurt and Mercedes were sitting by the fireplace gossiping about Blaine. "Santana, I demand you tell me anything that involves me," Rachel said.
"Uh oh, sounds like someone is a little bit hazy about last night," Quinn mumbled from her spot on the floor, staring up at the three girls who were walking through the living room.
"What? Does everybody know about last night except for me?" Rachel shouted, her voice stern and angry.
The room replied with a mumbled yes and okay, save for Puck who stood confused in the doorway of the living room.
"No, no clue," Puck said, his voice was loudest of all.
"Wait…" Rachel said, quickly followed by Puck's loudest word of the morning. "FUCK!"
The original twelve of New Directions sat in Santana's living room, staring at each other. It was quiet and organized, all at the direction of Rachel. Puck sat there, between Santana and Rachel.
"Okay so all I can remember are shots," Rachel mumbled, the thought of alcohol nauseating her. "And then dancing."
Puck stared at her, amazed at how calm she was. The club was hiding something from the pair of them.
"What the fuck is wrong with you guys? Just tell us what the fuck happened," Puck said, beginning to get angry. It was stupid and he was angry at them.
"Okay, just…calm down," Finn said, speaking fully for the first time that morning. He looked hung over as all get out and Puck didn't blame him for finally speaking up. "Just, stop fucking shouting."
"You and Rachel, you had a…moment," Tina said quietly, looking between Mike and Artie. She felt awkward, you could tell, but that was exactly why Rachel had seated them in such a way.
Rachel, Puck, Santana, Finn, Kurt, Mercedes, Mike, Tina, Artie, Brittany, Sam, Quinn. An awkward circle full of awkward friendships, relationships, and enemies.
"Noah and I had a moment?" Rachel spoke, turning to Noah with a bit of fear in her eyes.
"You say that like I disgust you Berry," Puck responded and a deep red blush fell to Rachel's cheeks.
"N-no, not disgusted just…annoyed," Rachel said to him. Her mind was full of thoughts of Puck. Every moment she'd known the real Noah. From Sweet Caroline to Need You Now, his songs rang throughout her mind. There was no denying to herself how she felt about him. But nobody else needed to know that, right? It was all fun inside of your own mind.
"Let me finish the story, man hands, freak over there doesn't do it justice," Santana spoke, leaning forward to talk to Rachel across Puck's lap.
"Wait, I think I remember," Puck spoke.
"We finished beer pong, and we danced to some Ke$ha, Brittany was singing We R Who We R, and then the music changed to Lady Antebellum," Puck spoke, his eyes focused on Rachel.
He was thinking about every solo he'd heard her sing, and then when they'd sung Need You Now together and he couldn't stop thinking about what she'd sung last night.
"It was I Run To You," Rachel said quietly, memories sweeping back into her mind.
"And you sang it together, it was creepy kinda," Mercedes said.
"And then Rachel left the room," Brittany said.
"And Puck followed her," Artie said.
Flashback
"I run to you," Rachel and Puck finished out the song perfectly, in a duet. Rachel's eyes darted to the ground. She was used to performing; it wasn't the performing that got her. It was who it was with. Sure she'd sung with Puck before, even had a duet with him, but still she didn't want people to see that side of her. The soft side, the side that didn't love Finn anymore. She turned around the corner of the room, walking down the hall and into what she assumed was a spare bedroom.
Tears began to flood her eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks as she sat on the bed, her back facing the door.
"Berry, you okay?" Puck asked her as he stepped into the room. She jumped slightly and turned to him, shrugging.
He rushed over to the bed and sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "You're an emotional drunk, it's okay, happens to the best of us," he said to her.
"No, Noah, that's not it," Rachel spoke, her voice wavering slightly. "It's…shit."
"Whoa, Berry using foul language," Puck laughed softly, his hand rubbing her arm gently.
"Shut it, Puckerman," Rachel said, laughing softly. "Noah, I think…I think I love you."
"Well, Berry, you're in luck. Cause I'm drunk enough to admit that I think I love you too."
Applause broke out behind them and Rachel turned, embarrassed by the fact that ten of her teammates were crowded in the hallway.
"If you are gonna do it, get out of my room bitches!" Santana shouted with a laugh.
"Remember now?" Sam asked, watching as Puck and Rachel's faces both indicated their memory of the night before.
"Well, shit," Puck said. Rachel chuckled softly.
Rachel stood from her spot slightly, sliding herself and sitting herself on Puck's lap. "Well Noah, I guess I love you and you love me too and you can't deny it," she said, laughing happily.
"I can to deny it, that could definitely be the alcohol speaking," Puck said, trying to stay badass.
"Shut it, Puckerman," Rachel said, pressing her lips tightly to Puck's.
"Sealed with a kiss!" Kurt said.