The St. Berry Effect
The electric ripple that went through the air was almost tangible, a surge of hormones and tension made all the more potent by the confined space of the school corridor. Low murmurs erupted and heads swivelled to a point somewhere over his shoulder. Ditching his detested Math book back into the locker, he slammed the door and let his gaze turn lazily towards the source of disruption.
For a moment he thought he'd wandered into one of his own fantasies, but the hungry stares and jealous glares of the surrounding populace of students was more than enough to confirm that he was not the only one being treated to the delectable sight. His eyes travelled the length of her body, lingering over her attire with a darkened gaze and something almost like pride. She hadn't seen him yet; too busy enjoying her sudden attention as she twirled one soft plait around her finger coyly, a knowing tease shining through her lowered lashes that he recognised all too well. He watched as she bit lightly into her bottom lip in a habit that drove him crazy even on a good day, and there was a seductive sway to her hips that was entirely too distracting for ten in the morning and in the middle of a crowded hallway.
Then again, he'd learnt long ago that one underestimated Rachel Berry at their peril. She was going to cause a riot if she wasn't careful. He allowed himself one more leisurely sweep over her revealing figure before pushing off from the lockers, a private smirk spreading across his lips.
"Very impressive. I think you just managed to break up about three different couples in under a minute." Rachel couldn't help but smile at the familiar, silky voice that murmured in her ear as she felt him fall into easy step beside her. "In fact," he continued idly, "I think this is possibly the first time more people are looking at you instead of me."
She rolled her eyes with as much dignity as she could. "I believe, Mr. St. James, that you are labouring under a grand case of self-delusion."
He laughed and she spared him a quick grin, feeling a thrill of heat skim through her abdomen at the dark twinkle in his gaze.
"So tell me," he went on conversationally, "Is this you simply taking this week's theme to heart, or have I missed a step in the story?"
A cloud fell over Rachel's expression at his words, something which didn't go unnoticed by those ever perceptive eyes, before she hastily lifted it with an indifferent shrug. "Just felt like a change. And I figured that it doesn't hurt to spice up the image now and again." Her brow furrowed slightly in thought. "Plus I had a rather…vivid fantasy at the dentist's, and it just made me reconsider how I think about myself."
Jesse raised a playful eyebrow at her admission. "Sounds like a pretty intense experience. Should I be jealous?"
He watched a gorgeous blush colour her cheeks and didn't bother to hide his smirk of satisfaction. She smiled and nudged his shoulder with hers, refusing to meet his eyes. "Not that kind of fantasy."
"Good to know," he teased, before lowering his voice suggestively. "But if you ever feel the need to live out another daydream, just let me know."
The blush deepened almost invisibly, much to his amusement, but Rachel made a valiant effort to ignore it and quickly moved the conversation on. "Well, at least this is one look that even Santana can't object to," she muttered, a hint of bitterness creeping through her tone that caught Jesse's attention. He frowned gently.
"Why do you care what she thinks? That girl wouldn't recognise an original thought if it knocked her up."
Rachel shrugged, a reluctant smile tugging her lips even as she relived the passing snipe the cheerleaders had thrown at her the other day. Despite her usual efforts, the remarks had been playing on her mind, and she couldn't deny that they had played a part in her determination to explore this new provocative side of her self image. She wanted to know and prove that she could hold her own in the fickle popularity polls in which she had always been labelled an outsider. She wanted to know what it felt like to be stared at in these hallways with something other than ridicule for once. Call it a social experiment and personal indulgence. The fact that she knew it would also torture Jesse and give him a little taste of his own medicine, was just a wicked bonus.
"Guess I just fancied a change," she replied evasively.
"Hey, I'm not complaining."
And neither was anyone else if the stunned looks and lewd gestures behind her back were anything to go by. Jesse glanced up at that moment and recognised two large oafs from the football team coming towards them, the same ones that he knew had been responsible for Rachel's almost daily slushie attacks last year. Their eyes raked her up and down in lecherous approval as they passed by, before they turned around to continue their blatant ogling. He saw them slap each other on the shoulder in a private joke and make to call out to her.
Jesse tilted his head and caught their gaze sharply, draping a proprietary arm over her shoulders and narrowing his eyes subtly in silent warning. He watched them falter for a brief second before they exchanged a look with each other, laughing loudly but wisely choosing to move off without comment.
Returning his attention to his girlfriend, he couldn't help but admire the way his own reputation had gained ground in this school, despite the relatively short time he had been here. Of course, it was nowhere near the level he had enjoyed at Carmel, yet, but it was sufficient enough to keep the worst of the leers and jeers away from Rachel. Despite being a part of the hated Glee Club here in McKinley, the majority of the ruling set had recognised that he came from a similar hierarchy and had learned to back off from confrontation with him fairly quickly. Jesse was ruthless in more ways than one and wasn't afraid to fight dirty – politically or otherwise. In fact, he rather excelled at it.
"So I assume this means you're taking Kurt's side in the great Homecoming debate?" he asked, slipping back into their conversation without missing a beat.
Rachel pursed her lips in thought. "Well, certainly the club could benefit from drawing from more contemporary artists, and even you have to admit that Britney Spears was a major influence in pop culture."
"I didn't say that it was a good influence."
"Whatever," she said airily, brushing aside his objection with a wave of her hand. "But the point is that she was a pretty big phenomenon in her day, one that helped shape the face of popular music. She has an extensive collection of songs and her videos are considered iconic in many regards."
"She certainly had a way with costumes," he conceded with a smirk.
Rachel met his gaze with a deceptively innocent smile as he suddenly pulled them to a stop and caught her in his arms. Ignoring the growing audience around them, he leaned in close and nuzzled into her neck, his words sending a hot shiver over her skin. "Remind me to thank Santana for her more than usually inane comments."
"You agree with her?" she demanded in a dangerously low voice, even as her hands snaked around his back and clenched into his shirt.
"No," he said with a touch of amusement, before drawing back to better study her new look. His eyes skimmed down the svelte curves of her legs until they reached the perky knee socks, familiar desire burning in his gaze as he worked his way back up to meet her face again, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the effects."
Rachel felt her heart skip over in her chest, moving to the beat of their own private rhythm once more. She looked up at him and arched a curious eyebrow. "And it doesn't bother you that people are staring?"
"Why would it? After all, it's only human nature to gaze at the stars in awe. In fact," he added slyly, moving closer with a mischievous glint that she knew all too intimately. "Why don't we give them something to really talk about?"
Before she could utter a coherent response, Jesse closed the distance and captured her mouth in a breathtaking kiss that reduced her reply to a muffled moan of agreement. His teeth grazed over her lower lip, echoing her earlier gesture, eager to taste that particular pleasure for himself – and she was more than happy to comply. Rachel barely registered the clang of rusty metal as her back was pressed firmly against the cool lockers, pinned by the heat of his body and tease of his mouth. She hooked her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened, her mind going blissfully blank.
Jesse swallowed down a groan as he felt her pulling them closer together, the crush of their bodies becoming almost unbearable at this proximity. He was only vaguely aware of the crowd of students around them, the feverish murmur of whispers feeding the rumour mill that would no doubt have escalated into wild stories of debauchery by the end of the day. He allowed himself a moment of smug satisfaction but otherwise spared them no focus, far too absorbed in the intoxicating taste of the girl in his arms. He felt those delicate fingers tugging through his hair, and kissed her harder in response, losing himself in her mouth as his hands curled tightly around her bare midriff, palms spreading out flush against her heated skin in a whole new appreciation for school uniforms.
When they broke for air, he watched the awareness slowly return to her gaze as she finally glanced around them and registered the reaction to their little scene. She found his eyes again with a slightly dazed smile and light blush in her cheeks.
"I guess there's something to be said for the Britney effect after all."
"That's not Britney," he corrected with a smirk. "That's all us."
A beautiful smile blossomed across her face, matched only by the fiery spark in her eyes.
"Even better," she mumbled against his lips.
The lingering temptation proved too much and they soon fell back into each other's touch, melting into their kiss. They dimly heard a warning being shouted through the crowd of Figgins's approach, but the couple was too wrapped up in each other to notice or care. At that moment, detention seemed like a pretty insignificant price to pay.
Jesse actually smiled to himself as he considered all the ways they could potentially amuse themselves, trapped together in a classroom after school hours. He was sure he could think of something to make detention worth their while. He intended to make the most of this intriguing phase while it lasted.
~o~
AN So this is just a little St. Berry rewrite to satisfy my curiosity of how that scene in Britney/Brittany could have gone if Jesse had been there instead of Finn. A girl can dream... This is also a part of my continuing mission/obsession to incorporate Jesse into as much of Season 2 as I can! Everything is just so much better with him in it ;) I know this is very AU as Jesse would actually be in college by now, and the characters are probably a little OOC, but I don't care - it's just a bit of fun. I'm also thinking that maybe I should try writing something other than St. Berry at some point! As much as I adore these two, they're kinda taking over my life. Or at least my muse!
As ever: thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed and your comments are always happily appreciated!