Chapter Nine! This is it, so far the best chapter, if I may say so myself =)
Read and review, as always!
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, neither is the song, it belongs to the incredible Idina Menzel and is entitled Damsel in Distress! Go out and buy it, I have become obsessed with it in the last few days ;)
Chapter 9
When Jay finally hands them their new IDs a few days later, they immediately start looking for jobs. They've managed to live off of their savings for three weeks, but food, rent, gas and now the fake IDs have taken a sizable chunk out of their cushion.
For Noah, it's pure coincidence when he finds one. They stroll into a jazz – bar one night, after a few days of fruitless searches, when they witness one of the bar tenders quitting right on the spot. It's pretty busy for the smoky little club they are in, and the one lone bartender left is a fresh-faced college kid with two left hands. They wait for their drinks for a while until the first few patrons start to leave, grumbling about bad service and the poor kid, who is probably older than the two of them, looks like he might cry any second. Noah is oddly reminded of Finn.
"Wait here, Rach." He says, before taking three strides and hopping across the bar with ease. For a second the kid looks scared and confused, until Noah starts handing out beers and rum and cokes and gin tonics left and right. With a grateful nod, the kid (his name's Chris, as turns out later) turns back to pouring whisky – shots. Rachel just grabs the coke he hands her and sits down on a stool at the end of the bar and watches the phenomenon that is Noah Puckerman.
She has always been aware of his ability to get people (especially the female ones) to like him. Sure, he can be incredibly uncouth, but somehow, people have always been drawn to him. Right now he handles everything with an ease which she envies. People talk to him, shout orders, make bad jokes, good jokes and try to flirt with him. Noah simply pours drinks, answers with jokes of his own and flirts back (she refuses to be jealous).
In between he gives her grins, winks and lascivious smirks, to which she smiles, blushes or frowns slighty. Sometime around 12 she nods off, in her little secluded booth. When Noah softly calls her name and gently shakes her awake at around two, she is completely drowsy.
"Come on, Rach, wake up."
She grunts and blinks slowly. With a slight wobble she gets up and he wraps an arm around her shoulders, leading her outside. When she shivers, Noah takes off his jacket and wraps it around her.
They walk in silence for a while, her still tucked underneath his arm and into his side.
They stroll home with peaceful silence between them, surrounded by the sounds and noise of New York City.
The next morning she is woken by him shouting her name, grabbing her and swirling her around like crazy. Before she can fully comprehend what's going on, he kisses her forcefully on the mouth before hugging her tightly to his chest. Rachel's tenuous grasp on reality, just barely there after being awoken so rudely, is shattered into a billion pieces. Before she can even start thinking about the possible implications, he pulls back and beams down at her. His eyes are dancing around and his face is aglow.
"I GOT IT!" he shouts. On top of being half-asleep, dazed because of a kiss, she is now deaf and confused as hell.
So her usual eloquence fails her.
"Huh?"
"I got it! Chris called me today, they loved me, I mean, they want me to cover the bar again tonight!"
"What?"
"I got it! Rachel, they want me to be a barkeeper! You know what that means? We got some money to blow! Come on, I'm treatin' ya to the Diner!" Unceremoniously he grabs her jeans and shirt from the chair, throws them at her and shoves her towards the bathroom.
"Uuuuh. . ."
"Come on, Rach! I'm hungry! We have to celebrate!" He is practically buzzing with energy.
"But Noah . .." Before she can say anymore, he pushes her towards the bathroom again.
"Come on!"
"Noah . . ."
"Rachel – "
"STOP!"
After she bellows at the top of her lungs, he stands there slightly dumbfounded.
"Noah, I am more than happy for you! And yes, I agree, the Diner sounds lovely, but would you mind if I actually grabbed my bra or are you planning on dressing me as well?" He has the decency to blush (which she does NOT find endearing . . . at all. . . ).
With a sheepish smile he shrugs his shoulders and turns around.
"Alright, sorry, but don't take your time, I'm starving here!" She rolls her eyes, but hurries up regardless. 15 minutes later, Noah is still recounting the time behind the bar, every drink he mixed, every time he tossed bottles, every time he did pretty much anything. Jay for his part is listening with an amused smile on his face. Rachel stopped listening after the third time he repeats the exact amount of alcohol poured into each drink. Their roles have become strangely reversed. Noah is bouncing around like Speedy Gonzales on helium, whereas Rachel has reduced her input to `hmming` from time to time and sipping her coffee.
When they leave the Diner two hours later with a promise from Jay to come over to the club sometime at night, he randomly grabs her and twirls her around. They both start laughing, and when he puts her down again he brushes a chaste kiss to her lips before pulling her closer.
"Thanks, Rach. Thanks."
So, Puck starts to tend bar at the Razzmatazz, a small Jazzclub and bar a few blocks from where they live and his having a blast. Chris is more like Finn than he thought possible, and while it also pushes the whole Drama at home to the forefront, he can't help but notice how much he misses the big goofy dude.
Rachel starts looking for job for herself. Within a week, she tries a bunch of things. The first is a gig as a barista at a Starbucks. It's a catastrophe. Turns out, pointing out healthier options to your customers and embarking on lectures about the impact of too much dairy on your vocal cords is not only appreciated. Plus, her boss totally thought she'd swiped about half a pot of coffee during her two hours of try-out work . . . no one can be that hyper all the time. (Puck laughs for ages when he hears that).
Rachel also tries out selling records at a small shop down town. She's actually not half bad . . . for about an hour or so she can impress people with her detailed knowledge about musical theory. It's when she suggests the soundtrack of West Side Story to a bunch of Grunge metal-fans that things get ugly. Turns out, the leader's girlfriend is Hispanic (and weirdly enough, the dude knows enough about the story to somehow get offended by her suggestion). Puck quickly steps in and with a flexing of his guns and a few calming words diffuses the situation. Sadly, the manager is still a bit wary of Rachel's attempts to sell Broadway to anyone who enters.
She tries working at the supermarket, but he doesn't like the way the pimply teenaged manager is leering at her. She's fired because he accidentally throws veggies at the nerd's head, after he overhears him mentioning Rachel and the breakroom. ("Why would you throw produce at my supervisor?!?!?" –I was aiming for Jay, he was gonna catch it and put it in the basket! – You have excellent aim, Noah! You are the Pitcher for the school's baseball team! – well, yeah but . . . I hate Zucchini!" (When she finds out why he did it during one of the nights on the roof with Jay and their soon-to-be friends, she kisses his cheek and calls him sweet, but right now, throwing groceries just ticks her off)).
The break comes, oddly enough, during one of the nights Noah's tending the bar. He's a natural at both mixing drinks and getting people to drink, so he's in his element. Rachel, Jay, Don and Jay's flavor of the week, plus Don's sister Karen are sitting in a booth, chatting calmly. From time to time he shoots a smile at Rachel and she blushes at being caught staring. The dark vest over the white dress-shirt with the rolled up sleeves makes him look incredibly sexy. Add to that his bulking muscles, it is no wonder why Noah receives more tips and female patrons than any other barkeeper.
Every Wednesday there is karaoke-night, both Jazz and pretty much everything else is a go. That Wednesday, Rachel is not drunk, but definitely daring after a few rum-cokes. When she mentions accidentally that both Noah and her are in Glee Club, Jay, Don and Karen force her to go up to the stage and sing, just to prove she can.
When the first few chords of the song fill the air, Puck nearly drops the glasses he's polishing. The riffs are pure sex and go straight to his core. He can feel every single male pair of eyes slide over to the brunette bombshell that's Rachel in jeans and a black tank top (turns out she wore those sweater assemblies because she KNEW she was gonna get slushied, what's the point of looking good when you end up doused in pink corn sirup anyways?). Rachel tosses her hair a little bit and Puck pities every poor fuck who will never see Rachel Berry perform.
With a grin she pushes a hand through her tousled hair and turns on the bedroom eyes. With a sensual sway of her hips she opens her mouth and sings in a deep throaty voice that has Puck nearly pulling a Finn from across the room.
"Ooh, you got big muscles rippling
Underneath your shirt"
She shoots him an easy wink.
"I'm so glad to meet you, baby
Tell me, what do you do for work?
Me? I'm just a housewife
So sad and all alone
Desperate for a strong man
To help me fix my home"
Swaying her hips from side to side she steps into the audience, which by now is panting and starts advancing on some guy in the front. She strokes a finger down his nose and pats his cheek, before winking at him and sauntering off again.
"I know I must look a sight
In this--this flimsy little dress
Won't you try your very best
To save a damsel in distress?"
The next guy gets his hair tousled and actually looks after her with his tongue nearly hanging out. She still advances towards Puck, who is trying very hard not to jump the counter and take her right there in the middle of the bar with everyone watching. I've got tasty treats to tempt you
Come and sit down on my couch
I'm sure it won't take long
To figure all my problems out
My home, it needs attention
It's such a big old mess
Take out your trusty tool
And save this damsel in distress!
Rachel is in the middle of the bar now, all eyes on her. She saunters from guy to guy, never quite close enough to catch, but with a hair toss here and there, winks and blown kisses, they are all putty in her hands. With a feral grin she stalks towards Jay as she sings the next part. Rachel positions herself in his lap and calmly strokes her hand down his chest, winks at him and tousles his hair. Puck doesn't even hear the crunch of the glass in his hand as he involuntarily tenses. "Now, you need no invitation, baby
Just walk in and shut the door
Follow the red rose petals that I've left
Scattered on the floor
I'll be upstairs waiting
With a wisp of honeydew
Customize and tell a maid
For a handed man like you"
She leaves Jay in a daze and blows Don and Karen a kiss as she struts back to the stage. Rachel can feel Noah's gaze burning a hole into the back of her head. With a sexy smirk she throws a look over her shoulder at him.
Oh, yeah! So sweet
"You know, I'd be so grateful
If you'd come relieve my stress
Won't you heed my S.O.S.
And save a damsel in distress?"
Oh! Yea-ay
I got the need if you're willing to please
Trust me
I make it so good that you won't wanna leave
Back on stage, she is moving sensually. Puck for his part is very close to punching all the guys in the bar for the way they look at her. His gaze clearly brands her as his. And Rachel is enjoying every minute of it. With the last chorus, she gives it her everything. Looking him right into the eye and returning his smoldering looks with a challenging one of her own, she sings directly at him.
Now what's a girl to do?
"I got tasty treats to tempt you
Come and sit down on my couch
I'm sure it won't take long
To figure all my problems out
My home, it needs attention
It's such a big old mess
Take out your trusty tool
And save this damsel in distress
I'm just a--a damsel in--in distress, yeah
Oh-- little old me, baby
What you want for dinner, baby?!
Oh! Yeah!"
The bar is collectively on their feet after a few seconds of stunned silence. She grins and mutters a thank you into the microphone, but her eyes never leave his. When she steps off the stage and towards the others, he jerks his head towards the backdoor and motions to Chris that he'll step out for a minute. Somehow, he doesn't think there'll be a lot to do, the line for the men's bathroom is suspiciously long, so they'll be preoccupied. Chris for his part just nods goofily, not quite aware of why Noah wants to leave now, or why there is a shattered glass in Noah's hands.
Two seconds later he is breathing in the stench of a backalley of New York, waiting for Rachel to show. He knows he wanted to wait until he could be the emotional, honest and nice boyfriend that Rachel deserves. But fuck this, he's a teenage boy, and he's wanted her pretty much since the first time he made out with her in her Bubble-gum pink bedroom. And she totally wanted him, too, he hopes. Plus, she's fucking hot, as the raging hard-on, well hidden by the apron he has to wear, shows. If she can do that with her singing and dancing alone, he doesn't want to imagine what she'll do in person.
He hears the door behind him open and sees Rachel step out. She looks around for a second before spotting him. A mischievous smirk crosses her face and she raises a suggestive eyebrow.
"What can I do for you, Noah?" Her formal speech, his given name on her tongue, and the fact that she fucking knows what she just did to him rip the small sliver of self-control he had left to shreds.
Before he can chicken out, he advances and backs her into the wall, a predatory gleam in his eye. He searches her face for any kind of indication that she's uncomfortable or doesn't want this, but all he sees is arousal and something deeper, that he knows is also reflected in his eyes.
"You little minx!" he growls, before capturing her lips in a searing kiss. It's not sweet and stumbling and awkward, like Finn's kisses, and not as forceful and demanding as when they made out during their week together last year.
This kiss is raw, powerful and emotional, it burns her lips and her soul. Rachel sees fireworks, something she thought was nothing but a clichè. But underneath that raw, primal power that embodies Puck, is a gentleness and a tenderness that is pure Noah.
His lips are soft against her own, and while his tongue is certainly used with skill, it isn't as pushy as last time. Of course, all these thoughts only enter Rachel's mind a few hours later, when she tries to sleep. Right now, she can't actually think, Noah Puckerman has kissed her speechless.
He buries one hand in her hair and pulls her closer to his body with his other arm. With ease he lifts her, and Rachel snakes her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She doesn't know how long they make out like this, she just knows that this, right here, this is real!
She can feel the rough brick wall pressing into her back and his warm, calloused hands as they stroke down her arms and neck. His lips are warm and soft and she feels the powerful muscles of his chest and shoulders as they hold her in place. His back ripples under her hand, as his arms push up her shirt and he trails his hands down her back and over her flat stomach.
Her hands caress his head. When she scrapes her fingernails lightly across his skull, he responds with a deep-throated moan. When she starts trailing his neck with kisses, he shudders and she feels his heart racing as she nips his pulse point, causing his knees to buckle slightly.
After a few more enjoyable minutes, he slows his kisses down to a soft massage of her lips with his, until he finally rests his forehead against hers. They are both breathing heavily and their eyes are closed. She can still feel his heartbeat racing, just as fast as hers. He can feel her chest heaving with every labored breath she takes.
When he finally opens his eyes, he sees her staring right back at him. The look on her face is nearly his undoing, her lips are swollen and slightly red, there is a hickey on her neck and her face is flushed. A few strands of hair are hanging in her face and he softly brushes them away with one hand. Her eyes lock with his, and he can't help but press a quick peck to her lips.
"God, Rach." He buries his head in her neck. "God, I want you. . ." Noah hears her throaty chuckle in his ear. "Trust me, the feeling's mutual." She presses a kiss to his ear.
He heaves a sigh, and steps back, allowing her to drop her legs from around his waist. He doesn't let her go though, keeping her encircled with his arms.
When he finally looks up at her, the raw vulnerability in his eyes nearly brings her to tears. He takes a deep breath and just decides to be honest:
"Shit, Rach, I want you. Like, bad! And I like you, like, like like you . . .a lot! But, we probably gotta talk n shit first. You don't know how fucked up I am, and you deserve to go into this thing with both eyes open. And I won't let your first time be in some back alley next to some fucking trash cans, because you deserve better, you deserve the best baby!" he has to stop before he goes on, because what he says next goes against everything he's always wanted people to think: " And I know I ain't the best and you got people like Finn and shit and you can probably find at least a million other guys who are a million times better than me and who deserve being with you a hundred times more than I do. I mean, I'm screwed up and shit, and I'm a jerk half the time and a total ass the rest, and I get it that you don't want a relationship or anything with me, because I pretty much ruined your life and I don't wanna, like, pressure you into something, but if you could at least give us a chance to talk, I'd be . . .grateful . . ." he trails off as he notices that he's been kinda rambling for the last five minutes.
Noah looks at her and sees a shocked expression on her face and he feels his face fall. What the fuck, Puckerman? Way to screw it up! The one good thing in your life and you've managed to fuck that up as well! His mind screams at him. Rachel opens her mouth, but doesn't say anything, her expression still one of disbelief. With her apparent rejection, Noah's feelings plummet. Funny, he thinks, right before this shit, I felt like my organs were all twisted n shit. Now, he feels kinda empty.
He looks to the floor and shuffles a little backwards.
"Well. . . I'm sorry . . . I. . . yeah" Noah clears his throat and steps back.
"Don't worry, I get it. Why would someone like you wanna be with someone like me." He chuckles bitterly. "Look, this doesn't have to be awkward, I'll sleep at the bar tonight and grab my stuff from the apartment tomo - - -" he doesn't get any further, because with two steps Rachel as walked around him and presses her lips to his in a sweet, but powerful kiss.
"Shut up, you big lug!" She says. There are tears in her eyes, which sends Noah into panic-mode. He can deal with screaming girls, girls who laugh at him, but tears? Not good.
"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry, I - - -" she kisses him again, and briefly deepens it, before pulling away, but staying in his arms.
"Happy tears, Noah! Happy tears! That was by far the sweetest, and somehow simultaneously the most offensive thing anyone has ever said to me" She pecks him on the lips, and he finally gets what she's trying to say. Rachel is grinning like a maniac but so is he, so that's kinda cool. And shit, no way is he crying now, too.
"I want that conversation Noah. I want that conversation, and a whole lot more." His response is to grab her and squeeze her so tight, she's afraid she might break. But somehow, she doesn't care, because she does the same with him. When he finally let's go of her, he peppers her face with kisses, muttering "Thank you!" incessantly. He leans his forehead against hers and they simply enjoy being with each other. Until Gary, the owner, throws the backdoor open and calls out for Noah to move his ass back to the bar.
He presses a last kiss to her lips, and whispers:
"Tomorrow!" into her ear, before pulling her back towards the entrance.
Once inside, he rejoins an oblivious and helplessly overwhelmed Chris at the bar, while Gary pulls Rachel towards his office. The rest of the night, he is unaware of any flirting attempts and grins like a fool the whole time. He mixes up orders and has to re-do quite a few drinks, it reaches a point where even Chris looks at him confused. But three hours later, when he is standing in front of the Razzmatazz neon-sign waiting for his girl (it still seems premature to add the friend), his grin is still in place and the world feels like it's finally spinning in the right direction. And then Rachel comes barreling out of the door and jumps into his arms, screaming about how Gary just hired her as the in-house live-vocalist for four nights per week. Scratch spinning. It's pretty much racing towards wherever he wants to go.
I finally did it . . . they are together, sorta, and it has only taken me 10 chapters and 10 000+ words. . . gotta admit, this was by far the best chapter to write yet!
Next up, the dreaded talk and my attempts at writing humorous Puckleberry-goodness ^^ and does anybody else think that puckelberry sounds like a new Ben & Jerry's Ice cream???
