A/N: Prompt: It matters.

Like most days, Rachel and Puck are in a fight. Puck either doesn't know what's going on or he'll do or say something on purpose to piss her off. He thinks it's funny when she gets angry and she just stands there clenching her tiny little fists at the side of her body. But he hates it when he doesn't know why she's yelling at him. This is one of those times.

They were practicing a duet assignment for Glee after school in the choir room when all of a sudden Rachel is pissed.

She screams, "It's like everything I say goes in one ear and out the other! Are you even listening to me? Does anything I say matter at all? I swear you're like a child."

Puck doesn't know exactly what went in one ear and out the other, maybe that's why she's yelling. But he knows that doesn't mean it doesn't matter.

"It matters", he blurts out.

"What?"

"It matters - What you say, it matters. God knows why or when it started, but you're like this virus that crawled under my skin and seeped into my brain."

"That's disgusting Noah! I don't crawl under anything and I am not a virus!" she yells with her arms placed on her hips.

"Rachel, calm down-"

"No I will not calm down. You just said I was a virus, and the last time I checked a virus is any of various submicroscopic parasites that often cause disease. So excuse me if I find it hard to not take offense to that."

"Yea, well I'm kinda disgusting if you haven't noticed by now."

Rachel just gives Puck a look that tells him she is very aware of how disgusting he is.

Puck, frustrated, huffs out, "Did you even hear the part when I said that you matter to me?"

As Rachel listens to what he says she realizes maybe she overreacted. Maybe. She looks up to see how pathetic Puck looks standing there and thinks it was quite nice to know that she mattered to someone. That she mattered to him.

"Yes I did. I liked that part. You should know I tend to have a flair for dramatics, so I -"

"No shit"

"Hey!"

"Sorry. What I meant to say is at you matter to me" Puck says lowly, shuffling his feet and then looking back up at Rachel.

Rachel looks down at her feet and smiles as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ears and asks, "Really?"

"Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?"

"Well you said I was a virus too, did you mean that?"

"What? No, that's different. That's like a metaphor or some shit."

"Well I'm proud of you for using a metaphor then."

Puck realizes that she seems to not be pissed off at him anymore because she's smiling.

"Well do you?"

"Do I what, Noah?"

They both know she knows exactly what he's talking about. Puck also knows she just wants him to say it. He moves so he's standing right in front of her and looking her right in the eyes. She told him once that eye contact is very important and shows that you're serious about something or whatever.

"Do I matter to you?"

Rachel, with a small smile says, "Noah, you as well are what you so kindly say, a virus that has seeped into my mind".

"That's a yes, right?"

Rachel giggles and says, "Yes."

Puck nods and smiles. He feels relieved, finally able to admit his feeling to more than himself.

"Cool" he says and then leans down and kisses her. He feels Rachel smile against his lips then she wraps her arms around his neck as she fully returns the kiss.

Puck had always thought fighting with Rachel was fun. He learns that now that they're in a relationship it's way more fun cause instead of Rachel's signature storm out, they end up having some of their hottest make out sessions.

Rachel starts fights on purpose now too.