Fireworks
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
Summary: Spoilers for 2x12: Silly Love Songs. Rachel visits Finn in the nurse's office, hoping to find the closure she needs to move on with her life. Eventual Puckleberry.
Notes: Thank you to all those who read and reviewed! I really appreciate your comments and am glad you are liking this story so far! I hope you'll be pleased with this chapter. I really want to write Rachel and Puck together immediately, but I want to take things slow. I definitely feel that they're both not ready to pursue a romantic relationship just yet; after all, Rachel is still getting over Finn (and I don't want Puck to be her rebound guy!) and Puck is (most unfortunately) starting to date Lauren. While I could go AU and make Lauren nonexistent, I think it'll be interesting to figure out how Puck goes from Lauren to Rachel. Also, I had to change the rating from K to T for Puck's mouth. Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter 2: Support
It's raining / It's pouring / My love life is boring me to tears / After all these years / No sunshine / No moonlight / No stardust / No sign of romance / We don't stand a chance.
Rachel hit the pause button, breathing slowly. Although she loved Barbra and her rendition of No More Tears with Donna Summer, Rachel had enough rain and sadness and "no sign of romance"; she didn't need another reminder. Rachel stared at herself in the mirror, feeling that wave of familiar gloom wash over her again. Then, she looked back at her iPod and her playlist of Barbra Streisand and smiled softly. Not a lot of people knew that Barbra had once been 'Barbara Streisand'; she had changed her name because she wanted to be unique but not fake. Barbra wanted to shine away from the others, but she wanted to do it in a way that still made her herself. Rachel always admired Barbra for this small bit of trivia, among other reasons.
It's time to try / Defying gravity / I think I'll try / Defying gravity / Kiss me goodbye. Rachel picked up her cell phone from her nightstand and pressed the green button without a second glance.
"Hi, Kurt," she said, hoping her voice didn't betray any of her disheartened emotions.
"What's wrong?" Kurt asked immediately. Rachel almost sighed. Of course Kurt could hear right through her broken heart.
"Finn never saw fireworks with me," she said. Half of her wanted to cry and the other half wanted to yell.
"Oh sweetie," Kurt said sympathetically, "Finn's an idiot, hon. He always has been."
"I know," Rachel sighed, "That doesn't mean it didn't hurt. I may have had the closure I needed, but I'm still mourning."
"I know, Rach," Kurt said gently. "Remember that you're strong. Just like Barbra, Patti, Whitney, all the great divas of the century."
Rachel giggled, "Thanks Kurt, I appreciate it."
"That's what friends are for," Kurt said, bringing a smile to Rachel's face. "Now tell me everything that happened between Finn and Quinn."
Rachel couldn't help but laugh.
The next morning, Rachel walked into the school with a goal. That goal was rid her locker of everything that reminded her of Finn. Although she had taken down the kitty calendar and the "4 Ever" from her locker before winter break, there were still pictures and other trinkets in her locker that constantly reminded her of Finn and their relationship. She already had to see her ex-boyfriend during school and Glee rehearsal, and that was going to be more than enough for her for awhile.
As she tore the "Finn" sign from her locker, a familiar face peered at her curiously.
"Yo, Berry," Noah Puckerman leaned against the locker next to hers, one hand on the strap of his backpack and the other in the pocket of his jeans. "What are you up to?"
"Hello, Noah," Rachel said. Since winter break, she and Puck had struck up a friendship. She had asked him to do a duet with her in order to make Finn jealous, but she had been expecting him to turn it down because the last time she asked him to do a project with her, he hadn't exactly been pleased with the results. She figured she should be truthful this time around and told him her motive behind the duet, fully expecting a denial. However, to her utmost surprise, he agreed to help out. In fact, she remembered the look on his face when she had asked him to duet and it was bordered on admiration and fondness.
When they had practiced Need You Now in her room, it reminded her of the mash-up duet they had done before and all of a sudden, she couldn't stop thinking about the way his lips once pressed passionately against hers and the way he had brushed her hair aside while he was trying to kiss her. She actually had to stop practice because she couldn't stop blushing and knew if Puck saw her, he would immediately know what she was thinking about, and she didn't want to know whether or not he thought about the same thing.
Wait, why would I want to know whether or not Noah wants to kiss me or thinks of me?
"I'm de-Finn-ing my locker," Rachel explained, shaking off the intruding thoughts. Puck stood up straight, still looking at her curiously. She pressed the torn "Finn" sign into Puck's hands.
Puck looked up, impressed. "Dang, Rachel, I didn't know you had it in you."
Rachel smiled, "Well, it's time for a fresh start," she looked at the other things she had taken down, "After all; Finn never thought our relationship had any sparks or fireworks. He obviously cares about Quinn a lot more than he ever cared about me. Not surprising of course, who wouldn't?" She closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry, not in front of Puck or the entire school body. She half-regretted admitting all her feelings in front of the guy who once slushied her on a weekly basis.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to see Puck looking at her with a concerned expression. "I do," he said, and she looked at him, completely stunned. A year ago, Noah Puckerman would be the last person in high school to even acknowledge her presence without a condescending remark or a slushy to the face, but now he was singing solos in Glee club, defending those he once deemed "losers" and threw in dumpsters, and admitting he cared about Rachel Berry. It didn't take much for Rachel to see how much Puck had grown and matured.
"Rach, you're totally hot and talented. Finn's always been a douchebag and I'm not going to lie, he's a hypocrite," Puck scoffed at the thought of his best friend and his actions, "He never deserved you. You were so much better than him."
Rachel gaped at Puck, amazed. She knew he was never one for eloquent words, but the way he had just basically told her that she, the prime loser of Glee club, was better than the star quarterback and his best friend made her feel as weak as if he told her he loved her. Not that that's ever going to happen!
"Thank you, Noah," she smiled softly, "That's really sweet of you to say."
Puck simply shrugged. With one hand, he tossed the "Finn" sign she had given him into the trash can on the other side of the hallway. Rachel smiled, feeling a weight being lifted from her shoulders. Without a word, Puck took the other items from her and dumped them into the trash as well. He sauntered back to her with a smirk.
"See? No more Finn. You're good to go," Puck said.
"Thanks again, Noah," she grabbed her books and shut her locker. "By the way, you were great yesterday. Although I don't know if your song selection was the best choice for the situation, I admire the way you took the initiative to perform for Lauren." Even though Rachel was proud of Puck for his performance, she had also felt confused and a bit annoyed. She presumed the confusion was due to the fact that Lauren was the one Puck serenaded to and she had not been expecting that (neither did Mercedes or Santana either, as she recalled), but she didn't know why she felt annoyed that Puck sang to Lauren.
"Thanks, Berry," Puck grinned, "She didn't dig it either, but we ended up having a good time at Breadstix anyways," again, Rachel felt her insides churn with irritation. "By the way, I saw you there too. Had a good time?"
Rachel nodded, starting down the hallway with Puck in tow. "Yes, I had a wonderful time with Mercedes, Tina, and Mike. I was so glad to hear Kurt and the Warblers. They're very good, you know. We'll have to practice a lot to defeat them at Regionals."
"We'll beat their sorry asses." Puck said frankly, smirking.
Rachel couldn't help but smile. Even though she wasn't one to condone offensive language, she didn't mind it as much when Puck used them. In fact, although she would never admit it to anyone, least of all Puck, but she always thought that Puck using vulgar language was a very appealing part of his bad boy persona.
"It was my first time to Breadstix, you know," she remarked, "Although I don't know what the big fuss is about; their vegan meatballs really are not that appetizing."
Puck stopped walking, turning around to face the tiny brunette. "Wait," he looked puzzled, "Why was that your first time? Didn't Finn take you there before?"
Rachel looked down, embarrassed. She didn't want to think about Finn again. "Um, well, he never took me to Breadstix while we were dating. I mean, w-we would have gone if we won the duet competition, but we threw that in order to boost club morale, so we never went."
Puck looked furious. "What the fuck? Just because you didn't win that duet thing doesn't mean Hudson can't take you to Breadstix! That motherfu-I'm going to kick his ass!" He began to stalk down the hallway in search for the giant quarterback, but before he could, he felt a hand on his arm, pulling him back.
"Wait, Noah!" Rachel was completely startled by Puck's behavior. Why was he so concerned that Finn had never taken her to a restaurant? "It's not a big deal," she said, trying to keep him from squirming out of her grasp. "I'm not a fan of Breadstix like Santana is and they don't really have a variety of options to choose from."
"That's not a reason, Rachel! You and Finn dated for months and he never took you out to Breadstix? I've taken one-night stands to Breadstix!" Puck said, still livid.
Rachel sighed, letting go of Puck. She leaned against the closest locker, feeling miserable. Puck's words hit her hard. He was right though; she and Finn had dated for awhile, but he had never thought to take her out to Breadstix. Sure, they went to other restaurants to eat, but everyone at McKinley High School always talked about Breadstix and how wonderful it was. Rachel had tried to persuade herself that it wasn't a big deal that Finn never took her to Breadstix, but the truth was she always felt dejected when she thought about how Finn had taken both Santana and Brittany to Breadstix at the same time, but never bothered to take her when they had been dating for so long.
Puck leaned on the locker next to her, tossing the freshman whose locker it was into the bustling crowd. He looked at her with worry and understanding. "I'm sorry, Rach. I didn't mean to make you upset. Like I said before, Finn's a douchebag."
Rachel sighed, "Don't worry about it, Noah," the first bell rang, "I got to go to class. I'll see you at Glee rehearsal." With that, she took off. Puck swore under his breath, watching Rachel until she turned the corner and was out of his line of sight. He shouldered his backpack and started heading towards class.
Per his luck, his rival was walking his way. Puck smirked and took a couple of meaningful strides until he was face-to-face with Finn.
"Hey, Puck," the quarterback said. "What's up? We have to go to class."
"Hell no, we don't Hudson, not until you give me some answers." Puck said, dragging his best friend to an empty classroom. Screw class, he was going to demand an explanation from the tall giant.
"What the…" Finn looked at Puck, baffled. "What are you doing, Puck?"
Puck turned to face Finn, fury etched on his handsome features. "What are you doing, Hudson? Why the hell did you never take Berry to Breadstix before?"
Finn furrowed his brow, confounded. "Wait, why…"
"Don't ask me why, Finn. Just answer the damn question!" Puck said, infuriated.
Finn took a defensive stance against his friend. "Why does it matter? What's it to you if I never took Rachel to Breadstix?"
"It matters because it's offensive! It's offensive to all guys," Puck explained. "You and Rachel went out for months and you never bothered to go to Breadstix? But you brought Santana, Brittany, and loads of other girls there you went out with for just one date!"
Finn looked taken aback. He wasn't used to this protective side of Puck and even though he had broken up with Rachel and was striking up a renewed romance with Quinn, he didn't like what he was hearing. "What the hell, man? Are you trying to get with Rachel again? Why do you always have to go after the girls I like?"
"This isn't about me and Rachel!" Puck nearly screamed at him. "This is about you and the fact that you are a complete asshole!"
"Me?" Finn started, outraged.
"Yeah, you," Puck poked Finn hard, "You're a dick, man. Cheating on girls and yet calling Rachel out just 'cause she kissed me. Sleeping with another girl and lying about it to your girlfriend. You think you're such a stud just 'cause you scored the winning touchdown at the conference and all the girls want you? That whole kissing booth thing was low. Mercedes was right; you weren't doing it to help Glee club, you were doing it 'cause you wanted to mack on all the girls,"
Shouldering his backpack, Puck headed for the door. He turned around, facing his best friend again. "Just so you know, you don't deserve Berry. You only go after her when she's with someone else. You lead her on. You treat her like crap when you are together. You don't even stand up for her, man. I mean, I'm not the greatest boyfriend or whatever, but at least I own up to that."
Puck opened the door, beginning to walk out. He smirked, turning around one more time. "Oh by the way, the $324 you got for kissing all those girls? I made that much from one Bob Marley song." He walked out, smirking widely.
By lunchtime, Puck was overwhelmed with worry. He hadn't seen Rachel since their morning encounter, even though he had walked by her locker between breaks. He wondered if he should have left her in her wounded state over Finn's stupidity and cursed himself for letting her walk away so quickly. Finn, on the other hand, had been avoiding Puck all day, and when Puck did catch a glimpse of him, Finn looked either guilty or rueful. It wasn't exactly what Puck thought was tactful retribution, but it was a start.
Puck looked around the lunchroom. When no Rachel was present, he decided to check her locker. Maybe she was putting away her books and getting her lunch. He walked away from the crowded lunchroom, almost bursting into a run to get to Rachel's locker. As he rounded the corner, his face fell. Rachel was nowhere to be seen. He sighed, stuck his hands in his pockets, and kicked a crumpled ball down the hallway out of frustration. He racked his brains, trying to think of where the Glee star might be.
As Puck wandered down another hallway, he thought he heard humming. He realized that he was walking towards the music room and it hit him that perhaps Rachel was in there practicing. He quickly sped up his pace, stopping before the door to the music room.
Just as he suspected, Rachel was seated at the piano, staring blankly at the black and white keys. She continued to hum, not realizing she had an audience. Then, Rachel began to sing.
You don't bring me flowers / You don't sing me love songs / You hardly talk to me anymore / When you come through that door at the end of the day / I remember when you couldn't wait to love me / Used to hate to leave me.
Puck stood in the doorway, staring at Rachel. She had always been a good singer. Even before he got to know her, before he became her friend, he always thought she was talented. There was no hiding that fact. Glee club wouldn't have come this far without her, both her talent and her as a person, as a leader, as a rock. And now, that rock was crumbling because of one Finn Hudson.
Rachel stopped singing and turned to face Puck, her eyes wide. She stood up quickly. Puck walked in slowly, shoulders hunched.
"Nice song," Puck commented awkwardly, "Streisand, I'm guessing?"
Rachel nodded, "Yes, You Don't Bring Me Flowers by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond."
Puck smirked, "Neil's my homeboy," he walked closer to Rachel. "You alright, Berry?"
Rachel smiled gently, "Yes, I'm okay, Noah. I just thought I'd come down here and practice a little. I wasn't feeling very hungry." She walked over to the chairs where they usually sat in rehearsal and sat down in the front row. Puck strolled over and sat down next to her.
"Hey, Rach," he broke the silence, turning to her. "I'm sorry."
The Glee star looked at him inquisitively. "Why are you saying you're sorry, Noah?"
"Because I never took you to Breadstix either," he said, falling back into his seat. He realized this during English (or was it biology?) class and it had punched a hole in his stomach.
Rachel's expression softened. "Oh Noah," she touched him gingerly on the forearm. "It's okay, really. We only dated for a week and-" she was about to continue, but Puck held up a hand.
"No, I don't care if we were dating a week or ten years. It wasn't right of me to not take you out to eat at Breadstix. I mean, I'm a douche too, but I never thought I'd be on level with Hudson."
Rachel grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Puck looked up to see her smiling. "Noah, you are certainly not and never will be on the same level as Finn," he looked down, knowing she was going to say that he was much lower than the quarterback, "You are so much better." At this, he looked up, staggered. He had not been expecting this. Rachel always preferred Finn Hudson over him; when had this changed?
"When I think about it," Rachel explained, "Even though we only dated for a week, Noah, you were so much better to me during that one week than Finn has been to me over five months," she squeezed his hand again, "I mean, you sang a song for me, you quit football, and weren't ashamed of being seen with me in public. I never got to thank you for all that, actually. It took me until now to realize how wonderful of a boyfriend you were to me."
Puck felt his heart soar. He had never been deemed a "wonderful boyfriend" before. In fact, there were two things Puck thought he would never be told he was, 1) a good student and 2) a wonderful boyfriend. He was the bad boy, the one girls kissed and had sex with to rebel against their parents, the one who helped girls get over unrequited crushes and being dumped, the one who was there when girls simply got bored. He was rarely called a boyfriend, much less a "wonderful" one. Puck couldn't help but smile.
"Thanks, Rach." he squeezed her hand in response.
Rachel sat back in her chair, letting her hands fall out of his grasp in the process. At the loss of her touch, Puck suddenly felt…lonely. He liked the way their hands had intertwined; he wouldn't admit this to her, but he thought their hands fit together perfectly.
"So, are you and Lauren dating, I presume?" Rachel asked, unzipping her backpack and taking out her lunch.
Puck squirmed a little in his chair. It was odd talking about his dalliance with Lauren when he and Rachel were having little moments here and there. He didn't know if she thought they were just moments of friendship, but to him, it felt a little more than that. He didn't want to say anything though; what if he embarrassed himself?
"Kinda," he admitted, taking half the sandwich Rachel offered to him. "We were at Breadstix as friends. She wants to take things slow." Puck took a careful bite, wondering how bad vegan sandwiches were. To his surprise, it was actually pretty tasty.
"That's a wise approach," Rachel said, taking a bite of her sandwich as well. "How do you feel about it? You're not usually one for taking things slow."
Puck chuckled. Everyone knew that. "Yeah, well, I'm into her, so why not?"
Rachel smiled, "You might actually like taking things slow, Noah. You can learn a lot from a person that way."
Puck snorted, "Yeah, I can also learn a lot taking things the fast way."
Rachel huffed, "Not really. You don't get to really know the person. Those kinds of things you just learn as you naturally get acquainted to someone, like what they look like when they're angry or what to do to make them laugh"
Puck considered her words carefully. "I guess," he shrugged, "I don't know why you'd want to though. Relationships are too much work. Carpe diem or whatever, have some fun."
Rachel rolled her eyes, "Of course relationships are difficult Noah, but they're also worth it. Sure, having fun now is fine, but eventually you just want to be with one person who makes you happy, treats you right, and loves you for all the good and bad parts about you. You get to realize what kind of person you want to share your life with; you figure out who you'll love and who'll love you for just the way you are."
Puck didn't say anything. Normally, he'd retort with a "So what?" comment, but Rachel was looking at him so sincerely, talking to him without a hint of superiority, embarrassment, or resentment in her voice that he couldn't say it. And to be quite honest, while looking at her with that genuinely honest and heartfelt expression on her face, he couldn't bring himself to even think of anything, except how soft her lips looked.
Rachel bit her lip. She felt a little uncomfortable; Noah's gaze was intense, it almost seemed to burn her. She couldn't help but notice how soft his lips were and the way his eyes were looking at her with such passion. She felt herself start to lean forward but suddenly, a vision of her and Noah from the Run Joey Run debacle came to her mind. She sprung up from her seat abruptly, clearing her throat. Puck nearly leaped back in surprise.
"I'm sorry, Noah. I just remembered I have to ask Mr. Flint about the math assignment. I'll see you later!" She quickly gathered her things and nearly sprinted out the door. As she walked away from the music room, her heart pounded loudly. She quickly opened her locker, throwing her leftover lunch inside.
I can't believe that almost happened again! What am I doing? He's practically dating Lauren! I'm not going to be a cheater. No, not with Noah again. I went down this road before and it didn't end well. I'm not screwing up Noah's relationship with Lauren.
Back in the music room, Puck leaned forward in his seat, his hands massaging his temple. Holy crap, I can't believe I almost kissed Rachel. I'm kinda with Lauren and I'm not going to be that guy again. Fuck but Rachel is just so…
Rachel leaned against her locker, shutting her eyes. Noah is just so…
The two Glee members looked in the direction of where the other one had disappeared. The bell rang, forcing them to give an audible sigh and head towards the direction of their next class.
