11. Chasing Cars
We'll do it all, everything on our own
We don't need anything or anyone
If I lay here, if I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world
I don't quite know how to say how I feel
Those three words are said too much but not enough
He picks her up for school the next day, like he has before, but this time they don't enter the school separately. Instead, they walk in together, and despite his earlier warnings that he's not the hand holding type, she feels his hand slipping through hers as if it's the most natural thing in the world. It feels oddly exhilarating and terrifying, kind of how she imagines she'd feel just moments before her first Broadway performance right before the curtain rises.
They walk to her locker and she tries not to pay attention to the excessive whispering and blatant staring and audible gasps of surprise because it's sort of what she had expected. After all Rachel Berry, resident crazy and Glee freak, walking into school with Noah "Puck" Puckerman, school stud and badass, is more than a little shocking.
He must have picked up on her apprehension because he leans in and whispers into her ear just how hot her legs look in that skirt and how he can't wait to get between them again, except he uses a couple of expletives that she refuses to repeat. Nevertheless, it has the desired effect, she blushes profusely, promptly forgetting about everyone else.
He leans against the locker next to hers as she unloads and loads her books into her book bag. The bell rings and she turns to him about to tell him that she'll see him at lunch when he leans forwards and presses his mouth to hers. He kisses her right there in the middle of the crowded hallway, in front of everyone, taking her breath away. She suspects that this is his clever way of killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. First, if there was any uncertainty about the nature of their relationship, then surely there would be little doubt after this very blatant PDA. Second, it was his own personal message to anyone who had a problem with it, a very obvious F-you.
She should be offended or at the very least a little pissed because although she doesn't mind a little PDA, she is not into putting on a show for the masses, which this was bordering on. But she's not, surprisingly. She finds it sweet and when he pulls back, she can't help but smile up at him.
He smirks down at her and tells her that he'll 'catch' her later before walking down the hall in the opposite direction of her first class. She watches his retreating back with her heart literally feeling as if it's about to float right out of her chest. She thinks that he's a lot better at this boyfriend thing than he gives himself credit for.
When she turns around to head to her class, her smile falters, stopping short at the sight of Finn. He's at the end of the hall, staring at her and she knows that he'd seen the whole exchange. Her gut twists painfully, probably not unlike the knife that he feels is currently lodged in his back. The look on his face is a mixture of hurt and betrayal, and it's not the first time she's seen it, only before it had been directed at Quinn and Puck, not her.
She wants to explain, make him understand that they didn't do this to hurt him, that it just happened when they were least expecting it, when neither of them were even looking for it. She wants to tell him she's sorry and that she's still his friend, that that hasn't changed, will never change. But when she begins to walk towards him, he turns around and walks away. Her heart falls and she heads to her first class of the day with a heavy feeling.
Most of the morning goes by uneventful, until Mercedes and Kurt corner her in the girls' bathroom before lunch.
"I knew you were crazy, but this just takes it to a whole new level."
"Excuse me?" Turning to Mercedes.
"Oh, honey, you can't be that clueless?" Kurt interjects.
Crossing her arms. "I'm quite sure I don't know what you're talking about." Although, she's pretty sure she does.
"Of all the guys to choose from, you choose Puck. Finn's best friend. Quinn's baby daddy. BAMF of McKinley High. Talk about a broken heart waiting to happen."
"I don't see how this is any of your concern." Tersely.
"It is our concern when it's going to affect Glee and whether we make it past Regionals."
"Well, I assure you that we're not going to let our relationship interfere with our commitment to Glee. You have my word on that."
"Look, there's enough drama going on already and the last thing we need is McKinley High's very own version of Young and the Restless playing out for all to see." Kurt says.
"I agree, we need to focus and I fully intend to put forth 110%, ensuring that we are going to be in top form when we go up against Vocal Adrenaline."
"Good. So, we're agreed." Mercedes looks at Kurt and then they both look at her.
"You're breaking up with tall, dark, and every parent's nightmare." Kurt finishes.
"What? No!"
"Girl, that boy is trouble with a capital T, you do not want any part of it."
Kurt smiles. "Although, I admit that I see the appeal. His bone structure is to die for, but his personality is downright atrocious. Mercedes is right, Noah Puckerman is more trouble than he's worth."
Raising her chin and placing her hands on her hips. "I am not breaking up with him and I am appalled that you would even ask me to, especially since this is the first time I've actually been happy and not hung up on-" She stops. "-a certain someone else."
Mercedes and Kurt both roll their eyes in an exaggerated way because they know exactly who she's talking about and she knows that.
"Okay, here's the deal, Babs. We're not asking you, we're telling you." Kurt says.
"For the sake of the club and our future success because you owe us this and I ain't losing at Regionals because our male lead can't stand to look at his best friend without wanting to slam his fist into his face. Again!"
She blinks back. "Why? D-Did Finn say something?"
"No, but this isn't the first time Puck has decided to help himself to something that belongs to him. And we all remember what happened when he found out the last time." Giving her a pointed a look.
"First of all, I was never Finn's anything. Second, Noa- Puck was not the only one to hurt Finn. It takes two to get pregnant, the last time I checked."
"Exactly what reality are you living in, girlfriend? Finn's been making puppy dog eyes at you for so long that I've lost all function of my gag reflex. Not to mention, Puck knew the score long before he decided to make a play for you." Mercedes says.
"So, although you may think that Finn had no claims to you before you allowed yourself to be seduced by the dark side, Puck knew better." Kurt adds.
"That's ridiculous." She exclaims.
"It's called the guy code and despite the fact that Puck hasn't exactly been much of an advocate, when Finn gave him a second chance, I thought for sure he wasn't about to make that mistake again." He explains.
"Obviously, the boy is a slow learner." Mercedes drones.
"I think that you're both grossly misinformed on this particular matter. Finn and I are just friends and he is more than okay with that. Furthermore, Puck and I did nothing wrong, except maybe not being as upfront and forthcoming about our relationship as we should've been. And I think it's unfair that just because you don't approve, I am to end our union."
"It's called taking one for the team and you're always preaching about how we need to be one cohesive unit if we're going to succeed. Well, we can't be one cohesive unit if one of our members is wishing a slow and painful death upon another member of the team. So, I think it's time you practice what you preach." Kurt crosses his arms and Mercedes nods her head, uh huhing in agreement.
She stares back at them in disbelief, silently fuming at their audacity and frankly, she is done bending over backwards trying to please them when it is so clear that nothing she did would totally win them over. She'd thought that they had grown closer after winning Sectionals, become friends even. But now she sees that they were only friendly to her because they required her talent, they weren't her friends because friends don't give friends ultimatums which jeopardizes their happiness.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but unfortunately, I am not going to break up with Puck. And if you truly cared or were my friends, you'd see that he makes me happy and your request only serves to destroy that happiness." She takes a breath, looking them both in the eye. "And if this means that I'm out of New Directions, then I sincerely wish you luck because no matter what, I have always wanted to see all of you at your very best and succeed." She declares sincerely.
Kurt and Mercedes don't say anything and she walks out of the bathroom, making her way to her locker, her pace brisk and her heart racing with the realization that she'd just turned her back on the one thing she'd thought was her only shot, to be a part of something special and in turn, be special as well. When she sees him leaning against her locker in his jeans, dark gray t-shirt, and that familiar red and white letterman jacket, she knows without a shadow of a doubt that she'd made the right decision.
They spend lunch out by the bleachers because the weather is actually nice for a change, it's still kind of cold and spring is still a few weeks off, but it's sunny and the snow is beginning to melt on the field. She tells him about her encounter with Kurt and Mercedes. His reaction is not exactly unexpected.
"That's fucking crazy! They can't do that!"
"Yes, those were my sentiments." Pausing. "Minus the profanity."
"You're the best singer we've got. The only reason that we even won Sectionals was because of your fucking amazing solo."
She smiles. "While that is very sweet of you to say, it was a team effort and Mercedes is more than capable of taking over the female lead."
He gives her a look, quirking an eyebrow. "Am I really supposed to buy that?"
She huffs. "Fine!" She stares at him. "I cannot believe they had the gall to give me such an ultimatum! I mean, I'm all for being a team player and you know that I always have the group's best interests at heart, but this... this is absolutely unfair and uncalled for and for them to even think that I could be so easily manipulated…" She takes a breath. "…well, obviously they underestimated me."
"Can I just say that it's totally hot when you're like this? Seriously, it's like an instant hard on." He quips.
She rolls her eyes.
She turns her head, looking out of the field, nearly all the snow melted away now, patches of green visible now. She can't help but feel like she's lost something.
"Look, don't sweat it okay? Give 'em a week and they're going to be begging you to come back." He says to her.
"Maybe." She says uncertainly. "It's just that I love Glee. It has been the best part of high school for me. For the longest time, it was the one thing that I could never imagine being without because it was all I had." She grows quiet. "Well… at least, until now." Her gaze lifts up to meet his.
He stares back at her, looking a little freaked out and suddenly, she's gripped with the fear that she's said too much. God, she should know better, it was way too soon to say something like that, especially to a boy who was most likely not ready to hear it. It's just that her mouth has a way of running on before she even has the time to filter her thoughts. And looking at the expression on his face, this was one of those times.
"I- I mean…" Desperately, searching for a way to take it back.
"So, I'm the best part of your day now, Berry?" He says, his eyes dancing with mischief.
She stares back for second and then smiles a little in relief. "Well, it's certainly the part I find myself looking forward to the most."
He smirks, pulling her onto his lap. "So, what you're saying is that you can't enough of me." His hands curling around her hips.
She rolls her eyes. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." Sarcastically.
"I knew it! You're hot for my bod!" He grins and then pulls her closer, her arms slipping around his neck. "That's okay because I'm hot for yours too." He adds.
She laughs a little as their lips meet, soft and sweet, not hard and hot as it often is with them. He pulls back a little, his hazel eyes staring up into hers and she can almost pick out the flecks of green.
"For the record, you're definitely the best part of my day." His hands move to her ass, pressing her into his crotch and bringing her into direct contact with his burgeoning erection. It's hard to ignore even through the thick denim of his pants. "And in case you haven't figured it out already, I can't get enough of you either."
She feels her stomach clench with desire, heat pooling low in her belly, and she wonders if her reaction to him will always be so instantaneous.
"And forget about Hummel and Mercedes, they're not the ones who make the call anyway. Mr. Schue does and no way is he going cut loose his female lead right before Regionals because Beyonce and Miss Thang are throwing a hissy because you're finally getting some action and they ain't."
She gives him a withering look. "I'm not certain that's exactly why they're against our relationship."
"Whatever." He shrugs. "The point is you're fucking amazing. I know it. They know it. Mr. Schue knows it. And anyone who doesn't see that, well they're fucking idiots!"
She smiles. "I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me." Melting just a little bit inside.
"It's the truth." And then he smirks playfully. "Although, I'm pretty sure I remember saying some particularly sweet things to you this morning." Suggestively.
She rolls her eyes, despite the fact she vividly recalls the suggestively dirty words he'd whispered into her ear with the sole purpose of getting her all hot and bothered. "That doesn't count. You were just trying to get into my panties." She teases.
"Baby, I was already in your panties. Two seconds later, you were screaming my name and coming around my fingers harder than you ever have before." And then a devilish look crosses his face. "And what makes you think, I'm not trying to get into your panties right now?" One of his hands leaves her behind to slip under her skirt, high on her thigh.
"Because no matter how much I enjoy the spotlight, I am not an exhibitionist." Pulling his hand out from under her skirt and placing it on her hip.
"Hey, don't knock it till you try it." He quips.
She shakes her head with a small smile. "Besides, I'm sure that you know that you don't have to try at all…" Leaning forward. "…you only have to ask." She whispers, cupping his face and pressing her mouth to his, tasting his groan of approval on her tongue a second later.
The rest of the lunch hour is spent with Noah trying his best to convince her that a little exhibitionism is good practice for Broadway when they want her to show a little skin. She is inwardly impressed with his tactics and decides a reward is in order for his efforts at the very least. She lets him touch her boobs beneath her shirt, but refuses to let him finger her beneath her skirt.
It happens during basketball practice and she admits that some part of her knew it was only a matter of time, though she was hoping for the best. She's sitting up in the makeshift stands in the gym when she sees Finn shove Noah a little more roughly than necessary to get the ball, not expecting it Noah crashes into the bench behind him.
"What the fuck?" Glaring at Finn as he gets up.
"Sorry." Not at all sounding sincere.
"Look, man, I get it. You're pissed and maybe you have a right to be-"
"You're damn right I do!" Getting up in Noah's face. "You were supposed to be my friend!"
"I am your friend! And as your friend, I'm telling you to back the fuck off!" Pushing him back a little.
"You're just going to hurt her. You're just using her and when you get bored, you're going to dump her."
This time Noah gets in Finn's face. "You don't fucking know what you're talking about! So, shut the fuck up!"
"You know I'm right! She's not like all the other girls you screw around with on a regular basis! She's different. She's sweet and nice and special. And you don't deserve her!" He shoves him hard and Noah stumbles back.
"And you think that you do?" He yells. "You strung her along and played mind games with her for months! Even after you ended things with Quinn, you couldn't get your shit together while she was practically fucking waiting for you to grow a pair and ask her out! Yeah, that's so much better! I might have fucked a lot of girls, but I never fucked with their hearts like you fucked with hers!"
"Shut up!" He takes the first swing, connecting hard with Noah jaw and she gasps, her hands clamping over her mouth in horror.
Noah tackles Finn and they go down, wrestling with each other on the gym floor. By now, everyone is gathered around on the court and a couple of the team members are trying to break them up without much success.
She makes her way over, pushing her way through the small crowd just in time to see Puck slam his fist into Finn's face.
"Stop!" She rushing forward and grabbing his arm mid air. "Noah!"
It seems to break through whatever anger induced haze he's in and he's forcefully being pulled off of Finn by a tall lanky boy, while Finn scrambles up but is instantly held back by another boy whose name she doesn't know. Her gaze shifts between the two boys. Noah's lip is bleeding and she can already see the bruise on his jaw forming. Finn looks about as bad, his cheek cut and his eye is beginning to swell.
She sighs and steps up to Noah, concerned. "Are you okay?" Her hand reaching out to touch his face, but he flinches away a little.
"I'm fine." He mutters through clenched teeth, scowling at Finn over her shoulder.
"What were you thinking?"
He looks at her sharply. "Me? Did you not fucking see him take a swing at me first? I'm sorry, but I was not about to stand there and take it like some pussy!"
She doesn't have time to respond because Coach Tanaka is telling both of them to get their asses to the Principal's office.
She's able to convince Principal Figgins that giving the boys detention would conflict with Glee rehearsals and set them back substantially with Regionals mere weeks away. The Glee club could not afford to lose two of their vital members at this stage; however, she understood that some sort of disciplinary action was in order. She suggests that the boys serve their detention under the supervision of Mr. Schuester, so that the time could be optimized and used to everyone's benefit. He agrees, of course. She's an excellent negotiator.
Ten minutes later, both boys are seated in the practice room on opposite ends, still in their gym shorts and jerseys, holding ice packs to their faces. She stays outside, leaning against the lockers, waiting for Noah and shamefully eavesdropping.
"What happened? I thought that you two had gotten past all this." She hears Mr. Schue ask them.
Neither of them responds.
"Finn?" He prompts.
"Why don't you ask Puck?" He spits out. "Since he's the one who keeps stabbing me in the back!"
"Oh for fuck's sake! This isn't the same thing!" Noah snaps.
"The hell it isn't! You knew how I felt about her! You just didn't give a damn!"
"You had your chance, don't blame me because you fucked it up!"
"Okay! Enough!" Mr. Schue shouts. "This is ridiculous. You guys are best friends."
"Yeah, well best friends don't steal your girl."
"She wasn't your girl."
"But Quinn was and that didn't stop you from screwing her! So, maybe I should've expected this!"
"Look, I admit that I fucked up with Quinn. I'm sorry for that. I was a prick, but this is different." There's a pause before she hears him speak again, sounding a little less defensive and hostile. "We didn't plan this, okay. It just kind of happened and I'm not going to apologize for it."
There seems to be a long moment of silence, where no one is talking. And then she hears a chair scrape against the floor.
"You're my best friend. My only real friend. I swear that I didn't do this to hurt you and she's been feeling guilty and shit for sneaking around this whole time." Another pregnant pause. "Look, this thing with her it's… I don't know. I mean, she's crazy, the bat shit kind sometimes. And she's always on my ass about homework and punctuality, and I swear the only time she ever shuts up is when we're kissing. But I don't know, I kind of like it, you know. I kind of- shit!" He curses in frustration. "I- I like her, man."
She feels her heart flutter hearing his little confession. She realizes that it's very much an unPuck thing to say or even admit. It makes it all the more real.
"Can't we just put this behind us? For the Glee club? Regionals are coming up and you gotta know she's going to be riding our asses, it'd be easier if you and I could call a truce or some shit like that."
"What do you say, Finn?" Mr. Schue pipes up.
There's another pause, she finds herself holding her breath as she waits to hear what Finn says.
"I can't. I'm sorry but I can't do this. Mr. Schue, I just think it's better for the club if one of us leaves. Either he goes or I do."
Her heart sinks and breaks just a little bit, she thinks.
"Well, Finn, if that's how you feel…" Mr. Schue begins, sounding troubled.
"It is."
"Then I guess, I don't have a choice-"
"Don't sweat it, Mr. Schue. I got this." Noah cuts him off.
A moment later, the door opens and Noah walks out.
Her head snaps up. "Noah…"
"I just gotta shower and change and then I'll take you home, okay?" He says, not meeting her gaze.
"Okay." She says quietly, more than a little worried as she watches him walk down the hall towards the boy's locker room.
"Rachel?" She hears him say.
She turns to see Finn, standing there, a look on his face that she can't quite decipher.
"I'm so sorry. Please believe me, it was never our intention to hurt you." She says sincerely.
"Why didn't you just tell me that it was him? Why sneak around? Why lie?" Hurtfully.
"Because quite honestly, it seemed simpler if no one knew. And then you showed up at his house that day…" She looks up at him and she knows that he knows what she's talking about. The day she lied right to his face. "…and you gave him another chance. Even though he'd never admit it, I know that it meant a lot to him. He missed having his best friend around." She looks down sadly. "I guess, there's little hope of the happening now."
"So wait, when I asked you out, you and he were already…" He trails off.
Shaking her head. "No! We were just friends, but-"
"You liked him." He says quietly.
"Yes." Softly.
He gets this really sad look on his face. "So, when did you stop liking me?"
And her heart twists painfully. "I do like you, Finn." It's the truth.
He nods a little, understanding. "Just not like you like him."
She feels the need to explain. "It just happened. I don't know how or when, but it did and I didn't even realize until you asked me out and I… I don't know."
"I do. He was right, wasn't he?" He asks. "You were waiting for me and I blew it."
She doesn't say anything because that's a pretty accurate depiction of what happened.
"Look Rachel, I know him. I've known him since grade school. I've seen the way he is with girls, the way he uses them, and then tosses them aside. And I just don't want you to get hurt." He says, sounding genuinely sincere.
"I won't." She says confidently. "I know you know him, but I know him too. I know a different side of him, the side of him that comes out only when I'm around. He's sweet and sensitive and I'm pretty sure he'd kill me for even telling you, but he is and that's how I know he won't hurt me." She tells him, realizing that she honestly and truly believes that with all her heart.
"I hope you're right." He says quietly.
"I know I am." She says. "But thank you for looking out for me, even after everything that's happened. You're a good friend." She smiles softly at him. "I don't expect you to be okay with this or even accept it. Not now, at least. But one day. One day, maybe we could even be friends again, the three of us." Hopefully.
He looks down at her for a moment and then sighs. "Maybe." He murmurs unconvincingly before turning around to leave.
She watches him walk away, a sad smile ghosting across her lips. Taking a cleansing breath, she turns and heads down the hall towards the boys locker room in search of Noah.
The hallways are empty and basketball practice has been done for half an hour. The locker room most probably deserted by now, all the boys having already finished showering and changing a long time ago. She stands in front of the door, hesitating for a second before pushing it open and walking in, holding her hand up in front of her eyes.
"Noah?" She calls out.
She doesn't hear the shower running, so she assumes that he's already finished and is probably getting dressed. With her free hand outstretched in front of her, she walks further into the room, blindly feeling her way around.
"Noah, are you decent?"
She hears him chuckle in obvious amusement. "Why don't you see for yourself? You know you want to."
She frowns. Ask a simple question and get a sexually suggestive reply. She should know better by now.
Slowly lowering her hand from her eyes, she sees him standing in front of his locker. He's shirtless except for his jeans that are currently riding low on his hips, no hint of boxer shorts in sight. She feels her breath catch slightly when she realizes what it means. She looks away, hoping that he didn't notice just exactly where her eyes had been lingering. She's not that lucky.
Smirking. "Sorry to disappoint to you, Berry. I know you were hoping to sneak a peek at the goods, not that I blame you. It's pretty impressive."
She rolls her eyes, but she really can't disagree. Not about wanting to sneak a peek, but that she does find him pleasing to look at, all tanned skin and toned muscle. He's beautiful, plain and simple and there is no denying it.
She watches as he pulls on a plaid button up shirt, it's one of her favorites because the green in it brings out the green his eyes.
"Are you okay?" She asks quietly.
"I'm fine." He shrugs as he does up the buttons on the shirt.
She approaches him and he looks up, stopping mid button. "You must feel something. Glee-"
"Glee will be fine without me. It was never really my thing anyway." He says nonchalantly.
She gives him a sympathetic look. "I know that's not true." He opens his mouth to protest, but she continues. "Maybe in the beginning it was just something you did because you wanted to get closer to Quinn." Looking up at him. "But that's not what it's about for you now."
"And how do you know that?" Frowning.
"Because I see you and you're actually having fun, the kind you can't fake."
"Fun is a bit of an exaggeration."
She gives him a look.
He sighs. "Fine. Yeah okay, sometimes it doesn't totally suck."
She smiles. "It's okay to admit that you like it." She pauses. "I promise not to tell."
He looks away. "It doesn't really matter now anyway." He sighs. "It would've been cool to actually get to Regionals though." He admits as an afterthought.
"You're very talented, Noah. And you've worked very hard. You deserve to be there with us. It's not fair-"
"Yeah, well… if there's anything I've learned in these past few months, it's that life's not fucking fair." He mutters darkly.
He sounds so lost and hopeless, so unlike himself, the boy who never lets anything faze him. She steps closer and reaches for his hand, she'd noticed the redness on his knuckles when he'd been buttoning up his shirt. She runs her fingers over the back of his hand gingerly with a slight frown.
"He has a fucking hard head."
She brings his hand up to her lips and brushes a soft kiss over his knuckles, hearing him inhale sharply. She's not certain if it's from pain or something altogether different. She looks up and his eyes are dark with desire, swirling with everything that remains unsaid between them. Everything that is obviously between them, but neither are ready to say out loud or even admit to themselves.
She watches as his gaze falls to her lips wantonly and then back up, and that's really all it takes to send her heart racing and her breathing to become erratic. She stretches up on her toes as he leans down, their lips meeting in a soft kiss.
Their lips move against each other, sliding and slanting in a slow and thorough exploration. He tastes of cola and grape flavored gum, a combination that she thinks would normally be disgusting but on his tongue is completely addictive. He smells clean, a mixture of soap and axe deodorant, absolutely intoxicating.
Her arms find their way around his neck as his slip around her waist, pulling her flush up against his body. Her stomach clenches in need and desire and lust as she feels him hard and urgent against her. Pressing herself against him, she hears him groan against her mouth and then suddenly, her back is making contact with a row of lockers and his kisses grow hard and hungry, stealing her breath.
She moans in approval when she feels his hands moving lower, cupping her behind and pressing her into his denim covered erection. It's not enough, not nearly close enough and he must realize because the next second his hand is slipping down her thigh and curling around her knee, pulling it up and hooking it around his hip. Her skirt hitches higher and his hand slips beneath the fabric, cupping her through her panties.
He tears his mouth away from hers. "Shit! You're so fucking wet." He breathes.
She stares back, biting her bottom lip, tingling from the absence of his. Normally, she finds his use of expletives vulgar and crass. But when they're like this, for some odd reason she can't help but be turned on. Not that she'd ever admit it to him, although, she has a feeling that he already knows.
She feels his fingers run over the crotch of her panties once, twice, and then slipping beneath with practiced ease. His eyes bore into hers, refusing to let her look away. His touch is so light and teasing, frustrating her and at the same time, slowly setting her on fire. She feels the slick heat sliding through her belly, thick and hot.
And then he's pulling his hand out from beneath her skirt and she hears herself make a pitiful noise of protest that earns her a smug grin. Before she can voice her discontent, he's lowering her leg back down and then dropping to his knees, causing her breath to catch in her throat.
"Wha- what are you doing?" She stutters breathlessly. She knows exactly what he's doing.
He runs his hands up her legs, calloused fingers, roughened from football and years of guitar playing, slowly slip up her calves and behind her knees and then higher.
"Something I've wanted to do from the first time you walked into school in freshman year, wearing a skirt so God damned short, it made the Cheerios' uniforms look like fucking nun's habits." He raises his gaze to meet with hers, dark and dangerous. "You looked like sin and I wanted to push up your skirt and bury my face into your pus-"
"Noah!" She shrieks, feeling her cheeks burn.
Laughing. "And then of course, you opened your mouth and the crazy was just too much to ignore." He says teasingly.
"Oh, really!" She scowls at him in mock seriousness.
She half heartedly attempts to push his hands away from her thighs, but he ignores her and just slips them higher beneath her skirt, hooking his fingers into the elastic of her panties.
"Now, I think it's kind of fucking hot." He says and she finds herself smiling in spite herself. His expression grows serious, less teasing. "Is this okay?" He asks simply.
She feels his fingers brushing against her hip bone, tracing along the edge of her panties. She feels a rush of warmth at the mere thought of his mouth on her. Biting her bottom lip, she nods her head.
He smiles and then pulls her panties down her legs, they're a deep cranberry hue, the same color of her bra and her sweater. "So fucking hot." He mutters before stuffing them in his back pocket.
He gently guides one of her legs over his shoulder as his hands slide up the back of her thighs and then cup her bare bottom. And then his head ducks beneath her short pleated skirt and his mouth is open and hot on her, nearly causing her supporting leg to buckle beneath her.
It feels incredible, just as she knew it would, his tongue is quite skilled, doing all kinds of incredible things to her. Licking and sucking and probing until she has to bite her own tongue in order to keep from screaming out.
Her hand finds the back of his head, curling into his Mohawk and he groans against her, sucking hard on her clit and causing her to jerk against him. Her other hand searches for something to grab onto, but the lockers she's leaning against offer her nothing, and she finds herself gripping his shoulder for support instead.
Her eyes close as his tongue delves deeper and with a few more encouraging licks, she's coming. Her hips arching as she presses herself against his mouth, moaning in pleasure and his name slipping from her lips unbidden.
For a long while after, she feels lightheaded and dizzy, her legs feeling like jelly and every nerve ending in her body from head to toe is tingling with awareness. She feels his lips on her inner thigh, soft and warm, easing the quivering, before he lowers her leg off of his shoulder.
Her eyes open to see him slowly rise to his feet, wiping his chin on the back of his hand. She watches as he licks his lips lasciviously, giving her a pointed and smug look. She grabs his face and pulls his mouth down on hers, kissing him hard and deep. She can taste herself on his tongue and she can feel him pressing against her hip, painfully hard.
Her hands reach for his belt, undoing it and then quickly unbuttoning his jeans and slowly unzipping them. When her hand slips into the opening, her hand wraps around him instantly, the lack of underwear not lost on her.
His hands smack loudly against the lockers on either side of her as he tears his mouth away from hers, breathing hard and ragged in her ear. She slides her hand along his rigid length, ever hardening with every stroke. She loves that she can do this to him, bring him to his knees with the touch of her hand and reduce him to this.
She presses her mouth to his neck, open and hot, sucking softly and letting her teeth graze his Adam's apple. She can tell that he's close as he moves against her, she admits that it's hot, bringing him to release this way.
His hand joins hers, guiding her, showing her where he's especially sensitive and where to add more pressure. He groans her name when she does something that must feel especially good because the next second he's jerking her hand off of him and grabbing his wet towel off the bench behind him to cover himself as he comes.
She watches unabashedly as he cleans himself off and then zips and buttons up his jeans, buckling up the belt again. And then finishes buttoning up his shirt, having only gotten half of them done before she'd interrupted him.
He looks up then and she smiles. He chuckles a little. "Definitely not going to be able to step foot in here without getting a hard on from now on."
She feels herself flush, realizing that she'd just let Noah Puckerman go down on her in the boys locker room at school.
"What if we'd been caught?" Panicking now.
"Well, then the perv would've gotten quite a show." Unconcerned.
She sucks in a breath. "We can't let this happen again."
He steps closer, slipping his arm around her waist and tugging her closer. "If I recall correctly, you're the one who came in here and then kissed me."
She frowns, realizing that he's right.
"Face it, Berry. You can't keep your hands off me." He says, sounding awfully cocky.
"I most certainly can." She protests.
He raises an eyebrow and then lowers his head, his lips a breath away from hers. "If you say so, baby."
She feels the magnetic pull towards him, instantly drawn to him, and she finds herself leaning in, wanting to feel his lips on hers, needing it. Just as her lips are about to touch his, he pulls back, releasing her and stepping back. She nearly stumbles forward and he grins.
She huffs and crosses her arms. "Fine! I can't keep my hands off you. But you seem to have the same problem."
"I never said I didn't. And just so you know, I don't exactly think of it as a problem." Smirking.
She rolls her eyes.
He chuckles. "C'mon, I'll take you home."
She raises an eyebrow. "Are you forgetting something?"
He gives her a puzzled look.
"My panties."
"Oh, those." He gives her a mischievous smile. "I was kind of hoping you'd go commando. It would be so hot!"
She holds out her hand. "My panties please."
He sighs and then pulls out the cranberry colored scrap of lace from his back pocket. "You're no fun, Berry." Handing them over to her with exaggerated reluctance.
"I'm certain that is not true, considering what I just let you do to me." She slips them on, feeling his eyes on her the whole time.
She stands, straightening her gray plaid skirt, fixing her argyle knee socks and then looks up to see him smiling with an odd expression on his face. But then he's reaching for her hand.
"C'mon, let's get out of here before we do get caught." He pulls her along after him as they exit the locker room.
TBC...
Song Credit: Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
Thanks so much for reading and all the wonderful feedback. Just a heads up, I might be incorporating some more things from the newer episodes. Obviously, the story is already very much AU after Sectionals, but I kind of like mixing things in from canon just so that that time frame is more or less the same. So in other words, this is kind of how I view the show could've gone if we'd gotten a more Puckleberry spin than a Finn and Rachel with my own twists and turns thrown in.
I love Glee for being an ensemble cast show, but at the same time it frustrates me when there is little to none Puck/Rachel interaction. As for Bad Reputation, I loved the Puckleberry that we did get, but I still wanted more. There was still too much Jesse and Rachel for my taste. I thought Mash Up was a more evenly paced Puckleberry centric ep.