First ever one-shot! Go easy on me. Here's a fic about Rachel Berry & Noah Puckerman's friendship. Since they're too adorable not to write about. Go on, follow the path and maybe leave me a review or two as soon as you're done? :p xoxo, Rachel.
…
Shitty was the perfect word to describe his day.
Noah Puckerman sneezed as he made his way out of the boys' locker room, being the only person left after the shitty practice their shitty coach made them do. And no, before you decide to accuse him of anything, he is not a pussy. People just aren't born a fucking polar bear, and what's up with the coach wanting them to do 3 hours practice outside when it's almost winter? Again, no, stop accusing him of being a pussy. It's okay for jocks to be whiny asses from time to time, and right at this moment, all he wants to do is be depressed. Maybe kick a couple of random kids or more.
He squinted his eyes as he made his way across the school's hallway to the door. It's almost 6 PM, it's supposed to be deserted. Even teachers already made their way home. So why is there a giant pink bundle thing that looked like a giant hideous bunny that used to come out of that Power Puff Girl show his kid sister liked so much? Puck muttered a few unnecessary words. That damned Tanaka. He must cause him to be seeing things. And he is not under any circumstances going to go to the doctor for a case that's just so whiny-sounding. But his worry is instantly gone when he finally realized that it's…
"Rachel?" He questioned out loud. Wondering why the hell she above all the students would still be here in this time and in this weather.
The person in question looked up from her uncomfortable position on the floor and looked up at him. It's clear that she's been sleeping. And after finding out who's calling her name, all the sleepiness on her face is instantly gone, and is turned into a deathly glare. "Finally." She grumbled in venom.
"Huh?" Now Puck isn't so sure about the situation. And to think about it, he hadn't been sure about the situation from the start either. But one thing's for sure, he's relieved she didn't turn out to be the Power Puff Girl hideous bunny. "W-what are you doing here?" he sneezed again.
"What am I doing here? WHAT am I doing here?" Rachel scoffed, "I've been waiting for you for hours, Noah! You're the one who said that you needed to talk so I've been waiting here for you for I don't know exactly how long and—look! You even made me skip jazz class! And today was supposed to be the first ever practice session for 'Chicago'! And I've been here worrying about you and in those hours I can't help but think about Jess—"
Rachel closed her mouth, embarrassment flooding through her face. She really didn't need to panic because Puck himself doesn't know what she's talking about anyway.
"Rach, are you going to go all bat-shit crazy again or are you willing to talk?"
"N-no," she regained her composure—she's a good enough actress to do that, and formed a tight-lipped smile at him. "I could use a talk, I guess."
"You sure? Maybe since I am already in a standing up position I might have a running chance."
"Noah!" Rachel exclaimed furiously.
Puck just laughed and sneezes again as he kneeled down and sat beside her, leaning his head against the wall. One thing's for sure; he's positive that he'll never get tired of Rachel's drama. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Now talk."
Rachel eyed him warily, "I thought you're the one who wanted to talk?"
"Well," he sighs, "you see, I don't have my brain in its normal place right now and the thoughts in my head are so confusing, even for me so I'd skip. I think I kinda forget what I wanted to talk about in the first place."
"Oh, like you forgot about leaving me here?" she spoke bitterly.
"Come on, Berry, don't hold grudges like that. See, now I'm here, so it's not like I really left you alone. And you seem… to be needing someone." He scrunched his nose at how much of a woman he sounded like, "so leave the unnecessary things behind and just let it out."
She looked down, almost like contemplating the decision to tell him or not. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. That continued for several times but Puck is just too tired to interrupt. He knew when a person needs someone to talk to, and now he's ready to be that person to his best friend. "When I was here… I, I can't help but think back about Jesse."
Puck immediately tensed and he sneezed (way to ruin the badass moment, Puckerman). "That motherfucker? What did he do to you now?"
"Noah!" she warned, slapping him on the arm, "you mustn't talk like that to him!"
"Well he did hurt you! He deserved it! And I swear, if he even thought about messing around with New Directions again…"
"Not only him, to anybody else in that matter," she shushed him down, straightening her crumpled pink sweater. "Now do you want me to continue or not?"
He still looked annoyed that she interrupted him and managed to give him a lecture, but nodded, allowing her to do so.
"You're a guy, Noah, and I don't expect you to understand or anything, but in that moment when he's my boyfriend and everything… I was happy. He's the most perfect guy ever. And I can't help but feel giddy around him. I was sure I'm living on cloud nine and we're soulmates. Seriously, did you ever think I'd find a guy who's just as dramatic as I am?" Puck had to snicker at this, "We're perfect for each other, just like Romeo and Juliet, and the irony of how our love was forbidden! I can't help but fall deeply… in love with him. And to have my heart crushed by him and in that way? I… have you ever feel that way, Noah?"
Puck never and is not going to let it slip out. But Quinn's name is the first thing that popped into his mind. He gulped as he recognizes the feeling he has grown accustomed to for months now. "N-no," he lied, "but I think I understand, you should continue."
If Rachel caught the strange tone Puck has, she didn't mention it. "Well that's about it. I just can't seem to get over him, Noah. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself. No matter how fine I might look in front of everyone else. I'm still hurting inside. I know I shouldn't. I have friends now. I have you. But there's still this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that both still having the need to see Jesse and wanting to strangle him at the same time. I just… I don't know."
"Of course you want to strangle him," Puck shot her an incredulous look, "he fucking egged you!"
"But did I tell you he told me he loved me after?"
Rachel noticed his surprised expression, but she turned her head so she didn't notice Puck's sudden smile. It was a small one, but he just find himself humored about the situation. How he and Rachel are actually so alike. Puck whistled, "this 'love' thing is really fucked up, isn't it?"
"Yes. It's 'messed' up." Puck laughed at Rachel's attempt to change the language into a subtler one. "So what do I do?"
Something inside Puck snapped. It's like a sudden realization, and he straightened his posture. Huffing, he lets it out, "Okay Berry, first of all… you really shouldn't let any guy—especially when he has hair that looked like that dumb-ass Bieber—"
"Justin Bieber is gorgeous!" Rachel gushed, leaning against his shoulder.
"As I was saying," he narrowed his eyes at her; having enough of the Bieber talk his sister puts him through. "You must be tough, Rach. I want to say you can't trust a person so much but I think that's not being fair, seeing every one is different. You should be careful, though."
"And anyway, your first love is supposed to suck. It's what 'first's are meant for; so you could learn from it and use it as a reference for you in the future. You're young, you're gorgeous, so you should be ready for all those motherfuckers that are going to come for you later in life. Of course, Puckzilla will be here to defend your honor anytime you want, but sometimes there are things you should deal with yourself, Rach. And I could only go as far as breaking the kid's nose and a couple of fingers, but I can't mend a broken heart."
"I know it's hard, but I know slowly and surely that you will let him go. We have a long way ahead of us, and who says those guys aren't going to come chasing after you when you finally made it as a broadway star or someshit?" he teased her with a smirk as he nudged her lightly, smiling when Rachel giggled. "But you have to trust me in something; you have to believe that somewhere, a person is there waiting for you. You're meant for that one person and if it all goes well God will lead us to them. You'll fall in love and there are a lot of corny and cheesy things I have in my mind right now to say to you but I'm deciding against it. It's not the end of the world. Coach Tanaka would advise us to kill every team member that beat us down after every game but I guess in these kinds of situations you just can't muster the energy to plan a revenge. You're too good of a person, Rach. And that Jesse kid doesn't deserve you. You deserve someone who's ten times better—wait, a hundred times better. You can't lose faith."
"And I'm here for you." Puck placed his chin on top of Rachel's head, closing his eyes. "I don't know if it helps or not, but just know I'm here."
After a while, Rachel finally lifts her head up to smile at him and kissed Puck on the cheek, "you don't know just how much that helps. Thank you, Noah."
Puck eyed her nervously, and sure enough, now there are tears in her eyes. "Now don't go all crying on me, if there's one thing I can't handle; it's chicks crying." He rolled his eyes before sneezing again, not even bothering to look at her. Rachel furiously wiped the tears and trying to appear tough for him. Puck is her best friend, and he don't know how much his advice means to her. Just having him there is enough, and she could only give him a brave smile in return.
But something's wrong.
Rachel realizes she's not the only one with the broken heart. After getting to know him, Rachel now knows he has two sides of him. One is the tough Puck, and the other one is just… Noah. A guy who's protective of everyone he cares about, and a softie inside. Not that he'd ever say it out loud. Rachel's one of the lucky ones to see this side. "Is there something wrong, Noah?"
"Yeah," it doesn't take a genius to know whom she's talking about. "But don't worry, Berry. Not even you could solve this problem."
Rachel sighed, knowing he's probably right about that one. But that doesn't stop her to give him a warm hug, happy that he returned the embrace. "You have me too, you know? You don't have to face your world alone."
Puck chuckles, silently thanking his God's crazy mind. Who would've thought that above all people the angel He sent him is Rachel fucking Berry? Puck doesn't have to answer Rachel's question. He knew it takes more than a rhino to take her away. And that's what he loves about her, even if her rant about Barbra and her obsession with the Glee club drives him over the edge sometimes. Little that she knows, the advice he gave her is somehow an advice he also meant for himself. Noah Puckerman isn't going to be a Lima Loser. Someday, somehow, he's going to prove Quinn wrong. That he could be above her expectations. And maybe, if they're not meant to be, he could also find that special person.
"Friends," he absently said with a smile on his face, lightly massaging Rachel's shoulder.
"Best friends!" she squealed and they laughed together. Knewing nothing could go wrong as long as they have each other. Bros before hos, or however Puck says it. She's not technically a 'bro' but you could get the point. Puck sneezes once more and Rachel handed him a tissue. "Now that that's solved," Rachel scrunched her nose, pulling away, "how am I going to get home?"
"D'uh, I'm giving you a ride." Puck answered her raising an eyebrow. "I want to chill at your house for a while anyway. Sis is spending the night at a friend's house, and my mom's working late, so there's no one at home. You're really that mean to leave me all alone?"
Rachel bit her lip, "I'm not. But I'm not sure my dads will going to like it."
"Your dads love me," he snickered, relaxing his seating position as he remembers his past encounter with them, "they said after 'Puck's presence in Rachel's life, we don't have as many clothes to dry clean due to slushie stains."
Rachel frowns bitterly as she watched him laugh, "Yeah, because you're the one who caused them at the first place, Noah."
"Aw, come on Berry, I thought we've put that behind us."
She sighs, deciding on playing tough but his pout is just too adorable not to give in to, "that we have, don't worry." Rachel smiles as she watched Puck's lips curve into one too, "so you're coming then?"
"Damn straight I'm coming," he quickly stood up, lifting her up from her seat as he did so. Puck never said it out loud, for his bad-ass reputation's sake, but he liked the way Rachel feels when he slumped an arm around her. Yes, their height difference is troubling, but they fit so perfectly. And Puck knew he's being all too girly as he sneezes again, must be a warning from the Bad-ass-ism god.
"And you'll be needing my dads chicken soup as soon as we get there, then?"
Tiredly, he smiles, kissing the top of her head, "you know me better than anyone, Rach."
