A/N: I'd been debating with myself whether or not to right this because I've never done a one-shot before but I decided to give it a go. I might give one-shots a go again if I get some reviews.
Inspired by a picture Lea Michele tweeted: yfrog(dot)com/mr85637863j
Disclaimed.
They'd been dating for a few months now and, strangely enough, it was on the right track. No one would have thought that organized, controlling, egotistic Rachel Berry was the match for stubborn, crude, hard-headed Noah Puckerman.
They'd be lying if they said they hadn't gotten into a few arguments but they always lasted less than a few days. Sometimes it was just because Rachel was fearful that Puck would go back to one of his many one-night-stands. He forever had to remind Rachel that she's different to all those other girls. Rachel was the first person, excluding his family, to ever truly love.
He hated being reminded that he wasn't her first love.
"What the fuck is this?" he furiously asked her.
She switched hot curling iron off and places it on the dresser and turned away from the vanity mirror to face her boyfriend. It was the night of their celebratory party for winning Regionals and she had yet to get ready and go. Merely a few minutes ago Rachel had asked him to pass her one of her necklaces from the jewelry box.
How did he go from bored to angry in such a sudden?
"What on earth are you talking about?" she enquired, confused.
"I'm talking about this!" he held up a gold necklace.
"Jewelry?" Rachel said, bewildered. Puck clenched his jaw and shoved the necklace at her face, bang centre in front of her nose so she had to cross her eyes to look at it properly. When she clearly saw the small word Finn hanging from the chain she let out a small, "Oh," in realization.
He hadn't been going through all her necklaces and junk. First seeing some random sparkly thing, he was just going to pass her that until he spotted something familiar. He had seen it sometime around the end of Sophomore year hanging a few inches above Rachel's chest. (At least he had been subtle in the staring, unlike Jewfro. That kid with the afro would stare at her for days on end until Puck showed him the consequences of perving on his girlfriend.)
"Why the fuck is this still in your jewelry box? Wait – why the fuck is it in your house for crying out loud?"
"I'm sor-"
"Or were you planning to wear it when you got back together with Finn?" the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Rachel was all for being honest with each other but when he saw the rage building on her face, he knew some things he should keep to himself.
"You would honestly think that after all these months I'm in love with Finn?" her eyes blazed with irritation. "What is with this incisive obsession with Finn?"
"It's not an obsession!" he defended himself. "You were fucking in love with him for the whole of Sophomore year!"
"But now I'm in love with you!"
"Doesn't seem like it since you still have this thing!" he countered. Clenching his fist and the golden locket inside, he hoped that it got crushed by the strength of his grip.
Her mouth gapes open in shock. He would think that she doesn't love him? That her feelings for him were a lie? She loved him with all her heart and trusted him more than anything. When everyone had thought that their relationship would last no longer than a week she'd believed that they were meant for one another. But now he was testing her love over a silly little thing she'd forgotten to trash because he made her forget everything while they were together?
"Do you know what I have of yours in my room?" Before he could say a word she wrenched her wardrobe door open. "Your Letterman jacket," she gestured to the red and white jacket hanging on the rack, "do you know how happy I was when I found out I was the first girl to where it? Not even Santana had worn it. And that t-shirt!" she shoved the wardrobe door closed and hauled open one of the drawers of her dresser. "You left it here after the first time we were… intimate. I've been wearing it to bed ever since."
Images of her clad only in his flimsy jersey enter his mind, along with visions of her tossing and turning in her bed, trying to sleep. It was very inappropriate to think this while your girlfriend was getting infuriated and pissed but he honestly couldn't help it. That was until he saw a tear drop from her eye. He had forgotten that, at times, she got emotional when angry.
"A-and," she added, wiping the tear away, "when I caught a cold in December and all of my sweaters were too thin and inadequate to keep me warm you gave me your grey jumper! That's still here. Along with all those notes we passed each other in class and the saved text messages we sent when we weren't in the same class and-"
She suddenly stopped when Noah cupped her face in his hands, the stupid gold chain fallen to the floor, and gently kissed her on her soft lips. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her and his hand slipped down to her waist. "I overreacted and acted like a total douche." He called himself a douche because he loved her that much. "I was just…"
"Jealous?" she offered. Her face was no longer etched with anger, but sadness. The fact that he questioned her love for him had really upset her. How could he say that? He made her feels things not even Finn had made her feel.
"Yeah," he admitted in a sigh. "Can you just forgive so we can forget this ever happened? I fucked up and I'm real sorry. I know you love me." He ducked down to press another kiss. "And I love you," he mumbled onto her lips and finally he felt the corners of her mouth rise up in a jubilant smile and knew she forgave him.
That was one of the reasons why their fights never lasted longer than a few days tops. There was something about arguments that made her get very worked up in a way only Noah could cure her of.
~Fin~