The Finchel show had come to a grinding halt for the final time when she found him kissing a Cheerio at Santana's Homecoming party. Right then and there, Rachel Berry called it quits on her hot and cold romance with the quarterback, shoving away both his hulking form and brittle excuses.

"You- you'll never change!" It was a public break up, in the middle of the crowded living room, music blaring around them. It wasn't exactly an ideal situation, nor was it something she wanted people to see, but it was inevitable at this point. "We're through, Finn!"

The Cheerio peered up at the tall, distraught boy, nose scrunched. "Wait. You're not Sam Evans?"

Finn waved away the ditzy blond, trying to make his way back over towards Rachel, gaping like a fish out of water. "But- but what about us? Our reputation. We're the Glee power couple and stuff. What about our kiss? It was like Superman!" Rachel's body was quaking, and she very much appreciated when a large body stepped between herself and Finn, another hand wrapping around her arm gently.

"Bro, back off." Noah's growl came at the same time as Quinn told her "C'mon Rachel. We'll get you a drink.

With some assistance from Quinn (who had an uncanny skill when it came to mixing drinks), Rachel found herself giggling ridiculously, stumbling about, and eventually colliding into the coffee table.

"Woah there, tiger." A muscular arm encircled her waist, righting her. "I think you had enough."

She wanted to swat the busy body away. If she wanted to wake up smelling like a mini bar, that was her prerogative. And, just as she opened her mouth to say just as much, the fellow turned her, and her rant came to a halt before it even began.

"Noah!" She swung her arms around his neck, squeaking happily in the way only an intoxicated Rachel Berry could. "Thank you so much for rescuing me."

He chuckled warmly, his arm still wrapped firmly around her. "Yeah. Coffee tables can be tricky like that."
"Don't make fun of me, mister!" She pushed at his chest, stumbling back before he caught her again, this time scooping her into his arms, cradling her close against him. She pouted, looking up at him, her temple resting against his shoulder. "You stopped me from running away."

"Kinda don't want to lose you, baby." He smiled, maneuvering her through the throngs of people, Rachel not really caring where he was taking her. He smelled good, and his arms were strong around her, holding her up. It wasn't until she felt a sudden change in height that she wondered where they were going. Vertigo hit her hard as he carried her up the stairs. With a squeak, she closed her eyes tight, burying her face in his collar, arm looped around his neck.
"Noah, where are we going?"

He didn't answer until they reached the top of the stairs, pushing open the door to the guest bedroom. "I just want you to be comfortable, Rach." He kicked the door shut behind them, drowning out the noise from the party below.

"That's so considerate of you!" Her eyes narrowed, a hand tapping him on the nose. "What have you done with Noah? Is this a disguise?" She tugged at his cheek, brows furrowed. All that did was earn her an eyeroll as he puffed out his cheek, preventing her from further investigation.

Carefully, he set her down on the bed, making sure that she was laying down comfortably before pulling back. "Stay here, okay babe?" He started to pull away until her tiny hand shot out, fumbling for a minute before her fingers locked with his.

"Please don't leave." Her voice was somewhere between whining and pleading, and she'd probably find the request embarrassing in the morning. "I want… just—stay?" His eyes widened and his tongue poked out to lick his lips. Her heart skipped a beat when he nodded in agreement, a little smile appearing on her lips.

Within a few minutes, he was shirtless, laying next to her, arms wrapped around the tiny, drunk diva, the girl half on top of his chest.

"You're lovely, Noah."

He groaned, fingers teasing the tips of her hair. "Don't use that word to describe me, baby. S'not badass."

"Oh, sorry." Turning her head, she pressed her cheek against his pectoral, humming. "Noah?"

"Yeah?"
She sat up, elbow keeping her upright as she focused on him. "You're my Superman."

He was quiet, which was unnerving, and she nearly missed his soft "No I'm not."

She shook her head. "Yes you are."

"No. I'm not." Louder this time.

"Why?"

"'Cause." He tugged at her hair gently. "Superman's lame. He's too perfect and stuff. There's nothing real about him."

"But-" She stumbled, hands spread against his chest. "You rescued me. And you wear glasses sometimes, and you have lovely arms and a lovely figure and face and you're a hero to not only myself, but to everyone you defend. And I'm not suggesting you try to fly anytime soon but-"

She missed when he flipped her over, pressing her into the mattress. But there was no way she'd miss what followed after, or the way he cut her off. It was the softest brush of his lips over hers, a kiss that was so gentle and chaste she wondered if she'd imagined it in her inebriated state. But she wasn't that drunk anymore, and the way his lips hovered over hers afterwards certified that it wasn't something she'd dreamt up. And her heart was thrumming away in her chest, a reaction only a Noah kiss could elicit.

"I can't be because Finn's your Superman." He brushed his nose against her cheek tenderly, breath warm on her skin. "I'm your Batman."

Her breath snagged in her throat, eyes opening slowly, though she wasn't sure when they'd closed in the first place. "That-" She blinked up at him, hesitating before murmuring "I like Batman more than Superman."

That seemed to be all he wanted to hear, as Noah proceeded to kiss her, lazily, taking his time, hands staying on top of her clothes, despite her soft mewls of protests. "Maybe when you're sober," he mumbled in her ear before pressing his lips to her hers once last time before tucking her against him. "Time to sleep, Rachel. Don't want you feeling shitty tomorrow."

"Okay. And Noah?"

"Yeah, baby?"

She turned back to look at him, eyes wide, nibbling on her lower lip. "You won't- you won't let me blow up like that girl in the Batman movie, right?"

Noah blinked at her in surprise before chuckling, pushing her bangs back to kiss her forehead. "No way, baby. Never going to let that happen to you."