TITLE: I'll Be Anybody
SPOILERS: All aired episodes.
DISCLAIMER: See the Prologue.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, here's the first installment, folks. Thanks so much for alerting, favouriting, and reviewing already. Keep it up! :o)
Scene One: Final Curtain Call
Rachel Berry has made several attempts to get ready for the cast party her director is hosting at his Uptown loft but, so far, she has only been able to remove her costume. She can still hear the roar of the standing ovation she received tonight, even though it has been almost two hours since the show ended. She can still feel the adrenaline from completing her first star turn, as a lead in a hit Broadway musical, coursing through her body. Wrapped in the red silk robe her fathers bought her on their last trip to Hong Kong, she sits down at the dressing table once more, determined this time to succeed in removing her stage make-up. She tells herself that she will be leaving for the cast party in forty-five minutes.
She has just finished pinning up her hair when she hears a soft knock on her dressing room door. Sighing, she gets up and goes to answer it, already preparing to tell the Assistant Stage Manager - who takes micromanaging to a level that even she finds difficult to endure - that she'll be on her way, shortly. Thus, she is more than taken aback when she opens the door and finds not the ASM, but a young man she doesn't recognize at all. The flash of alarm disappears as quickly as it arrived, once she realizes that he is desperately clutching a program in one hand, while the other holds a single white rose with a soft, pink blush at its heart. (The fact that she has been training in taekwondo for the last five years also helps.) His shoulders are hunched inward, and a baseball cap is pulled low over his face, as though he has spent his lifetime trying not to be noticed. His eyes dart nervously from side to side, never once fixing upon her own. Clearly, he's a fan; just an incredibly shy one. Wanting to put him at ease (because Rachel Berry adores her public, and never wants them to find her inaccessible) she smiles and says kindly, "Yes? May I help you?"
Looking as though he never expected to get this far, he stutters, "U-um, pardon me, M-Miss Berry. I-I don't mean to intr-intrude, but I was w-w-wondering if you would sign my program."
Reaching out to take the program from him - noticing as she does so how he slightly shrinks back from her hand - she signs her name. Before giving it back to him, though, she says, "I'm curious. How did you get back here?"
His eyes widen in fear, giving Rachel the chance to notice that they're a surprising, intriguing shade of green, flecked with gold, and framed by thick, dark lashes. Taking a deep breath, he replies,
"O-oh, I've been here every night, a-and I know how long it takes everyone to p-pack up and leave. S-so I just waited across from the stage e-entrance and snuck back in before the d-d-door closed behind the ASM. She was the last one out. Except f-for you, of course, Miss B-Berry. Please don't c-call the police. I won't hurt you. I just wanted to g-get your autograph, and to give you th-this." He shoves the white rose at her.
Rachel's not sure why, but something about this poor, stuttering man makes her melt. A flash of insight tells her that he has been treated like a nobody for a long time and, while no one would describe her in that way now, she still vividly remembers how it felt to be treated as such. This is why she takes his hand and says, "Would you like to come in? I could use a little company while I get ready for the cast party."
His entire body freezes at her invitation. His mouth works as though he is trying to say something, yet he is unable to produce any sound.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'", Rachel laughs, pulling him into her dressing room.
Pointing to the brocade chair nestled in the corner across from her dressing table, she asks, "Would you like to sit down?" He does, still not saying a word. Returning to her spot at the table, Rachel spritzes some make-up remover onto a white cotton pad and begins removing her eyeshadow. As she works, she sees the young man's reflection in the three-way mirror: he is watching her every move. His eyes follow her hands as they trace the almond shape of her eyes, follow the curve of her cheek, outline the pout of her lips. The intimacy of the moment, coupled with the unmistakable desire in his eyes, sends a tingling sensation throughout her body. She is reminded that it has been quite a while since she last had sex, given the demands of her performance schedule.
Once all traces of make-up have been removed, she turns around with the intent of asking him if he would like to accompany her to the cast party (and perhaps back to her apartment, afterwards). Before she can open her mouth, however, he breathes,
"Oh my goodness. You are so beautiful."
Rising from the table, she walks over to stand in front of him. "Thank you," she replies, before bending down to kiss him softly on the cheek. The feel of his stubble against her lips creates a low buzzing in her ears, so that she almost misses his sharp intake of breath as her robe gapes open and he catches a glimpse of her breast. Straightening up, she reaches out to remove his baseball cap in order to get a better look at his face. To say that she is surprised by his hairstyle would be a serious understatement. Upon her inquiring look, he mumbles,
"The guys at work told me t-to do it. They said that w-women would find it hot, and I-I would finally get laid. But all that happened was that they l-laughed at me. I'm going to shave the r-rest of it off tomorrow."
Her heart breaking for him, Rachel whispers, "No. Don't do that. It ishot. Very hot." Then she unties her robe and lets it float softly to the ground.
For the second time that night, his eyes widen; this time, in shock. As he slowly takes in the swell of Rachel's breasts, the curve of her waist, and the dark patch of hair between her legs, barely covered by a black lace thong, his eyes darken to a deep, hunter green. As Rachel leans forward to kiss him again, they flutter closed.
She kisses him softly at first, slowly letting him get used to her nearness. Since he has never been intimate with a woman before, she knows she needs to be gentle with him. When his arms reach up to encircle her waist, Rachel deepens the kiss, running her tongue along his upper lip. He opens his mouth to her, and she leisurely slides her tongue along, over, and around his. She is pleased to discover that he is a fast learner, as he begins doing the same to her.
As the intensity of their kissing grows, so does Rachel's need. Her body aches with longing for the feel of a man against her, beneath her, inside her. When he tightens his fingers on her behind, she takes a few steps forward so that she is standing between his legs. Reverently, he pulls her panties down, luxuriating in the softness of her skin, thrilling at the firmness of her muscles. Rachel uses her legs to slide her underwear the rest of the way down, before stepping out of them. She then straddles the young man, one knee on either side of him. The seam of his jeans presses directly against her swollen, throbbing, centre.
Bracing herself against the walls, Rachel begins circling her hips over his crotch, working herself into a frenzy as the rough material scrapes against her heated inner thighs. When she feels his erection twitching and pulsing beneath her, she sits up, and slowly undoes his jeans. She doesn't want to undress him: something about his being restricted by clothing, while she is naked and unrestrained, drives her wild. Slipping her hand inside his boxers, she gives his penis a gentle squeeze. The low moan he emits sends moisture trickling down her legs, so she begins stroking him with greater and greater urgency. The louder his moans, the more aroused she becomes. When she is unable to wait any longer, she places her hands on his shoulders and lifts herself up so that the tip of his hardness just barely touches her opening. The she sinks down onto him in one fluid movement.
She freezes for a second, surprised by how well this man - his stranger with the intriguing green eyes - fits her. The moment ends suddenly, though, when he involuntarily thrusts upward, driving so deeply inside her, he touches that most sensitive spot in her body. Throwing her head back with a cry, Rachel begins to ride him: hard, fast, furious. His body is pressed tightly against hers, fingers digging into her hips as he urges her on and on and on. The creaking of the chair provides a counterpoint to her moans; it is almost as though each thrust of his hips forces the sounds from her body. His shirt rustles as her breasts rub against it, the sound matching the rhythm of his sharp, panting breaths.
As tension builds deep within her, she realizes that she has never had sex that felt this wonderful, this free, this alive. She wants the moment to last forever, but then he takes one of her nipples into his mouth and begins to suck: gently, slowly, caressing the peak with his tongue. At the same time, he massages her clit with his thumb, circling faster and faster as she grows hotter, slicker, wetter. Just when Rachel is sure she can't take anymore, he presses his knuckle right against her, sending a fiery bolt shooting up her spine. She comes so hard, he following her lead, that her entire body shudders with the force of their release.
Collapsing against him, she remains there for several minutes, until their breathing has returned to normal. Then she gets up slowly, enjoying the sensation of his penis gradually sliding out of her. She steps away from the young man, smiling as he redoes his jeans with trembling fingers. She wonders if he's going to tell anyone about what just happened. Her panic over what the tabloids will say vanishes the moment she looks into his eyes: they are so full of gratitude, and something that looks like love, she knows that he will never breathe a word of this to anyone.
"Thank you, Miss Berry", he says. His words are more than just a simple courtesy. As are hers.
"You're most welcome", she replies.
Closing the door behind him, Rachel realizes that she never got his name. She decides it doesn't really matter: she will always remember him as the man who gave her best final curtain call she's ever had.
Rachel opens her bedroom door to let Puck back in. Congratulating herself over his still-sex-glazed eyes, she drawls, "What did you think of that, baby?"
Taking her hands in his, Puck is silent for a moment. Then he says,
"I think I can't believe Tina faked her stutter for so fucking long! That shit is hard, man!"
Scene.