Author's note: As I see it, they got together some time shortly after the end of the "Hairography" episode, because, well, there's no way I could work around Rachel's obsession in "Ballad", and I did mention Santana's sexting and Puck screwing up that sweet deal with Quinn in the beginning of this story. Also, don't you think Puck looked a little jealous when Rachel and Mr. Schu were singing that duet at the beginning of "Ballad"? And they sit next to each other a lot in the show. Just a few thoughts. Also I've realized that if you really wanted to, you could read my other Puckelberry story, "Puck's chivalric gesture", because it works as a prequel to this story. If you were to put them in order, it would be "Puck's chivalric gesture", "Mash up" (meaning the show), and then this story. I didn't even do that on purpose! That how most of my intelligent ideas come to light however, lol. The following scenes have spoilers for "Mattress".

Music suggestions: 'Hold my hand' by Hootie and the Blowfish, 'My life would suck without you' by Glee Cast.

Disclaimer: The same goes that went in the first chapter.

Mattress Addition

When she closed in on him as soon as he entered the choir room, he knew it couldn't be about anything he actually wanted to do. She almost made him jump out of his skin when she materialized from behind the door as she closed it behind him with that ambitious, maniacal gleam in her eyes. Looking around the room warily, he noted that they somehow always ended up in this classroom alone when a serious conversation was about to ensue.

She looked a little crazy and very determined right now.

It helped slightly that he was on the "Mercedes/glee phone tree" and she'd sent out the warning text.

"Look, sweetheart," Puck said, backing away from Rachel and warding her off with his hands as she crept after him like prey. "I don't care how together we are. I'm not taking that picture with you."

She was hoping it wouldn't resort to this so soon, but then, she had a feeling the word would be leaked out before she even finished trying to recruit Mercedes. That had been a mistake, going to her first. Anyway, she knew his weakness. It was the same as every boy and man, only more extreme due to his abstinence on her behalf. She really liked Noah, and that he'd been so patient with her. She was smart enough to know what that entailed. With others, it usually involved earplugs. And it was Noah they were considering here, the playboy of McKinley High, which meant all that much more. She was seriously considering going to the next level with him, but then she would think about Finn and she would be back to the beginning of why she was holding out in the first place.

However, at this point, she would do just about anything to get her co-captain. Granted, she would only make an offer like this to Noah. It was out of the question for everyone else.

Her resistance was beginning to wane, anyway. Kind of.

Looking down at her chest, she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at him heatedly. Well, she hoped it was heatedly but it might very well look crazy to him for all she knew.

"I'll let you touch my boobs if you take the picture with me. Maybe even under the shirt." Rachel said coaxingly, bringing one hand up to the hem of her oxford and pulling it up a few inches as even more temptation.

His gaze immediately dropped to the aforementioned body parts, an eyebrow rising as he seriously thought over the request. Rachel almost rolled her eyes. It should have been a no-brainer. She knew he wanted to. He probably thought about doing more than that.

But he never pushed her. You'd never think of him being chivalric like that.

However, he was still thinking. And that probably couldn't mean anything good for her co-captain idea.

"Sorry, Caroline." Puck said, grimacing as he made his decision. As he backed towards the door, he looked at her enticing him for as long as he could. Reaching the door, his hand searched blindly for the knob. "Not this time. Another day, when you're not trying to use it against me." Finding the knob, he saluted his exasperated girlfriend, turned, and left the room.

Huffing indignantly, Rachel stood there with her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed on the spot he'd just been in.

Oh yeah, they definitely weren't making out anytime soon.

oouoo*oozoooo*oooaooo*owooo

When Puck arrived at the room the yearbook pictures were being taken in, he was out of breath and cursing himself six ways from Sunday. What had been wrong with him? He couldn't take a hit for his own girlfriend? Sure, his popularity would go more toxic than Finn and Quinn's, and his picture would probably receive the worst beating in Thunderclap history, but he should have been there for his girl. She was obviously obnoxious and two bats from being completely crazy, but he was really starting to like that about her.

And he'd gone and potentially f*ed it up completely by not stepping up when she'd asked him to. Hell, she'd even given him the chance to touch her boobs if he did. He'd been waiting forever for her to let him do that. What had he been thinking at the time, turning an offer like that down? It was just a yearbook picture, and from what he'd seen and grazed since they'd been together, it would have been more than worth a little defacement.

He about blew a gasket when he heard that Finn agreed to the picture. That was his girl, and Finn had better damn well not try anything by taking the high road. Besides, how did that make him look?

Then he found out that Finn had been "coerced" out of the picture. Even worse, he didn't even think to tell Rachel that he'd chickened out. And he thought he was a coward by bailing on his girlfriend's original request.

He was really pissed then.

As soon as he found out about Finn's repeat coward routine, he raced across the school grounds at a flat out run from the football field as the rest of the team headed for the showers after practice. But he'd been too late. He'd let another one of his girls down. First, his baby girl growing inside of Quinn, and now Rachel. Couldn't he ever get his conscience to act before his ego?

However, as he leaned against the door frame, trying to catch his breath, she looked...happy. The photo shoot was over, the camera guy was gone, but she was grinning from ear to ear. As if she'd been awarded one of those Grammy things just for breathing. Collecting her possessions, she had yet to notice him. Maybe that meant she wasn't mad at him after all?

Maybe she was in a good enough mood to let him touch her boobs anyway? He had tried to come correct and take the picture with her. She'd take that into consideration, right?

"Hey, babe." Puck said to get her attention as he stood up from the door frame. "I heard about Finn's bailing act. I tried to get here, but it looks like..."

"Noah, you won't believe the good fortune that just dropped into my hands." Rachel interrupted excitedly, dropping her bag and tackling him in a bear hug. "I can't wait to tell everyone."

Detracting her arms from around him, she leaned down and snatched her bag off the floor and gently brushed past him in the direction of the choir room. Stopping mid-stride, she pivoted around and frowned at him as if she'd just registered something.

"Were you really going to take a picture with me for glee in your football uniform?" Rachel asked, a mixture of happiness and reprimanding battling for dominance in her voice and on her face.

Looking down at himself sheepishly, he recalled the uniform he hadn't had time to change out of, full pads and everything. He might want fix that before he showed up for Rachel's impromptu emergency meeting.

"Maybe. Anything for my girl and the chance to feel her up." Puck retorted, the comeback passing through his lips without having to even think about it.

ooooowooo*oaoooosoowo

I ramble way too much in these author's notes! Continuing on from above, I thought it was kind of hilarious that Finn was Rachel's last choice when she was looking for a co-captain in "Mattress". My scene can be slipped in anywhere in that segment that she's on the hunt. I like to think that she would have gone to him at some point, well, if they were still dating. I'm not bitter (yeah, I kind of am) that they broke up. Also, as I was writing the second scene, I had "Sectionals" on in the background. When the glee kids sang "My life would suck without you" and Mr. Schu was running down the hall towards Emma, I fell in love with that scene. I had the same idea in mind when I thought of Puck racing to get to Rachel and the yearbook picture. Besides, didn't he look kind of sweaty and tired at Rachel's mattress commercial announcement? Until next time...