A/N: Don't hate me guys! I tried to make this chapter longer but it didn't want to cooperate so it's all short and stuff :(. It also doesn't have what the majority of you are waiting for but I promise it's coming. Have patience with me because my muse is still being a giant bitch.
I forgot to thank maggiequeen4 for the help with name suggestions as well as DKnAK for all her invaluable help. I also need to send a big smush to Mel for letting me bounce this chapter off of her *smush*. Thanks so much to everyone who has read and reviewed. I appreciate you all so much it hurts!
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee...
Puck lightly skimmed his fingers across the bare thighs draped across his lap and leaned in to press an open mouthed kiss just below Rachel's ear. She hummed in appreciation even as she picked his wandering hand up to play with his fingers (damn, and he'd been this close to getting those fingers under her skirt). His other hand was splayed wide against her back and almost against his will it began smoothing light circles over her shirt.
"How's your day going so far? Anybody I need to beat up?" Puck kept his voice neutral but the question was a legit one. He knew she was going to catch shit for the video and all the rumors going around about the two of them and he wanted to know how bad it had been for her.
"It's been okay. It's nothing I can't handle or haven't had to handle in the past." Rachel shrugged her shoulders and gave him a rueful look, half of her mouth tipping up as she tried to smile.
"You can't do that shit with me, baby. Even though we just started all this, I know you. Shit went down this morning and I want to know what it was." Puck had to work to keep from getting too angry. He realized she was just trying to spare his feelings or what the fuck ever but he couldn't protect her if he didn't know what he was protecting her from. He was also a little hurt that she would keep anything from him.
She sighed and slumped against him, resuming her distraction with his fingers. It felt really fucking good the way she was stroking and pulling at them but he made himself pay attention to her as she said quietly, "A few Neanderthals approached me and made some rude comments in reguards to how I look in leather or what to do with them 'when I get bored with you'. And one of the Cheerios, Jill something I think, cornered me in the bathroom between second and third and told me I'd never be able to keep your attention for long. She told me there was no way I was good enough of a… well you get the idea. Like I said, it's nothing I haven't dealt with before."
Puck's hand against her back snaked around to grip her hip and he pulled his other hand from her grasp to wrap it around her knees to pull her closer. He had to will his cock into some sort of submission, not an easy thing to do when Rachel's ass was pressed against him in all the right places but necessary for the moment. He worked to remain calm as he told her, "It's not something you should have to deal with, at least not by yourself. We're a team, remember? If I need to kick some asses or put some bitches in their places to make your life easier, I'm gonna do it. That shit we talked about didn't just apply to this whole situation with Jewfro. And just for the record, you're so far past good it's fucking ridiculous"
Rachel's eyes softened in the dim light as she turned so she could press her forehead against his. Puck felt uncomfortable with his admission, but he was happy she seemed to get what he was saying.
"You're really sweet, you know that? I know that's probably not something you like to hear, but you are. You've taken really good care of me these past few days and I don't know what I would have done without you."
"You wouldn't have had to deal with any of this shit if it hadn't been for me, remember? I'm not gonna leave you out to dry or whatever because I'm the one who started this whole thing by following you into that dressing room."
Rachel stiffened slightly in his arms and pulled her face away from his to look him in the eye. "Is that why you've stayed by me and defended me? Do you feel an obligation towards me?"
Puck felt his face flush with anger, though he wasn't sure why. "Fuck no! I'm with you because I want to be. If you haven't noticed, I don't really do anything unless I want to. It's kind of my philosophy or whatever."
"So… you like being with me? Why?" Puck recognized the insecurity in her voice and the way her shoulders drooped a little as she asked him. He sighed and pushed her off his lap, manipulating her until he could pull her back down with her legs on either side of him. His hands circled her waist, fingers almost touching due to how small it was.
He searched for the words that would reassure her, even though he wasn't sure of everything himself. "I dunno. You make me feel good. You listen to the shit I have to say, you let me be me without wanting me to change like everyone else does, and… you just seem to get me. You make me happy, I guess. I-" He couldn't keep himself from mumbling that last part but he cut himself off before anything else could spill out. Truthfully, he didn't even know what he'd been about to say but whatever it was had made him really fucking nervous.
Thankfully, Rachel chose to focus on the words he had been able to say. A grin lit up her face and she leaned in to kiss him lightly on the mouth before leaning back to look him in the eye again. Puck shifted in his seat a little because no matter how much of this feelings bullshit she managed to get him to talk about, having your hot girlfriend straddling your lap always felt good.
"You make me happy, too. Don't take this the wrong way, but I never saw that coming." Puck narrowed his eyes at her but she forged ahead, ignoring his look. "I mean, look at what happened with us last year. It was always near misses with us, even when we were dating for those few days. I was so focused on Finn and you were completely wrapped up in the drama with Quinn. And then later during the Run Joey Run incident, I was with Jesse. I guess I'm just glad that we are finally getting our proper chance."
Puck didn't know what to say to that but thankfully he didn't have to say anything. Rachel leaned forward, snaking her arms behind his neck to pull him closer, and kissed him long and slow. Her tongue darted out to tease against his bottom lip and a second later she sucked it into her mouth to gently bite.
Puck groaned quietly, still mindful of the fact that they were at school in the middle of the day, and slid his hands down to grip her hips. He slouched lower in the chair and rocked up into her once so she could feel what her teasing was doing to him before pulling his right hand down to her knee. He swept it back up slowly, inching his way underneath her short skirt and skimming the band of her panties lightly along with the seam of her leg underneath.
Puck was sure Rachel would stop him any second but when he tucked one finger beneath the cotton and stroked the outside of her lips, she only whimpered and shifted to give him more access. He pulled his head away from her fucking hot lips and glanced around the big room, making sure to scan the balconies and the stage for anyone who might be perving on them. He had to work to pay attention because Rachel began sliding her lips along his jaw and up to his ear. Satisfied they were alone, he worked his arm so it was trapped between them, mostly hidden in case some fucker decided to poke their nose where it didn't belong.
The angle was a little awkward, but Puck worked with what he had as he slid more of his hand against her under the material. She wiggled her hips against him and Puck groaned as quietly as he could when it caused the back of his arm to rub against his cock. He was rock fucking hard but he wasn't worried about that right now (well, he was, but Rachel was more important or whatever).
Puck parted Rachel's lower lips with his fingers and slid his thumb up and over her clit, spreading her juices and making her slick. She was soaked and he had a moment of male pride for being the one to make her that way.
Slowly, he pressed two fingers inside of her with his palm facing up and pressed against her clit at the same time. Rachel cried out at the sensation, making Puck move his other hand to the back of her neck and pull her in to cover her mouth with his. He pulled back a little to whisper against her lips, "You gotta be quiet baby. When I fuck you later tonight you can scream all you want but you have to hold it in right now. Can you do that for me?"
He felt her nod against him as he drew her back in for another kiss and he kept his lips against her and her tongue busy with his so she wouldn't have the opportunity to scream like he knew she would want to (he fucking lo- really liked his vocal girl, but now was not the time).
Puck started pumping in and out with his fingers, making sure to curl them just right to hit all the places he knew she liked. He flicked his thumb against her clit over and over again, pausing every so often to press firmly before starting back up again. He knew she was getting close when her hips started moving back and forth against his hand, urging him to go faster.
He sped up a little and changed the pressure of his thumb, rubbing firm circles over her and he grinned when he felt her tighten around him and press her hips against his hand as hard as she could. Her whole body shook and she grunted against his lips but she other than that she stayed mostly quiet.
He kept pace with his fingers until he felt her relax against him, pulling them out of her only when she kissed him one more time and laid her head against his shoulder to try to catch her breath. Puck's hand against her neck slid down to stroke her back but he held his other in the air, not sure where to put it since it was still wet with her juices.
Shrugging a little, he popped them into his mouth and sucked at the liquid, cleaning himself off and turning himself on even more in the process. His mind went to a million dirty places as he tasted her but he knew they didn't have enough time for ninety nine percent of them (well, maybe if he... no they didn't). He was still harder than diamond (fuck rock) but he knew he would have to figure something out for himself on his own.
He came back from his thoughts when Rachel lifted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eye. Her eyes were hooded but her pupils were huge in the dim light. He had to fight to keep himself from looking down because they way she was looking at him was fucking intense and shit. It was hot and unnerving all at once.
Rachel licked her lips once before bringing her hands up to frame his face. She smiled that little half smile again and said, "I love you, Noah."
Puck forgot how to breathe for a second and he could feel his eyes go all wide and crazy. His mouth dropped open but nothing came out as he stared at her. She stared back at him, biting her lip and looking more at his chin now than into his eyes. He finally drew in a lungful of air and was about to say something (fuck, anything) when the bell rang. Well fuck.
Rachel sprang off his lap before the bell had even finished, reaching down to their forgotten lunch to snag an apple. "Look at that. We didn't even eat anything. I'd better run so I can hit the ladies room before class. See you later, Honey." All this was said in one breathe and with a peck on his lips she was gone in a flurry of brown hair and plaid. Puck sat for a second, not freaking out (fuck you) and wondering what the hell had just happened.
Rachel loved him.
Rachel loved him.
Rachel loved him.
Puck knew there was no way he was going to class anytime soon so he absently reached next to him and grabbed the first item of food that his fingers touched. He promptly put that back when it turned out to be Rachel's soy yogurt cup and grabbed the sandwich next to it instead. He stuffed half of it into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed on auto-pilot as he stared at the stage that held so much significance to his and Rachel's relationship. He felt like if he squinted hard enough he could see Rachel with her shiny hair and red shirt, dancing and smiling like there wasn't a single bad thing in the world as she belted out Don't Stop Believing.
He let his mind wander to the first time he had been on that particular stage with Rachel. He'd told himself at the time that he was indifferent to who sang lead in the club, be it April or Rachel, but when Rachel opened her mouth and belted out the first verse to Somebody to Love, he got chills down his spine and he had to physically stop himself from staring at her throughout the performance. He went home that night after Invitationals shaken and continued to hear her voice even as he slept.
He remembered performing Keep Holding On and, even though he was knee deep in shit with Quinn at the time, he remembered how hot Rachel had looked in her white shirt with the low neckline and short black skirt. He remembered like it was yesterday how they touched hands, the first physical contact they'd had had since they were kids and how he'd looked forward to those moments in the choreography every time.
He remembered how much he loved performing One because it felt fucking good to spin Rachel around, wrap his arms around her, and sing into her ear so he could feel her shiver against him.
He remembered performing Give Up The Funk and not being able to concentrate on the lyrics or choreography because he kept catching glimpses of Rachel in those fuckhot little shorts she was almost wearing. He remembered wanting to punch Matt and then being confused as to why the fuck he would think that. He also remembered wanting to leap off the stage and put his fist through that smug fucker Jesse's face, but holding himself back because he knew Rachel would be mad at him or some shit if he did that.
As the moments flipped like a slide show through his mind, he realized suddenly that he couldn't do this for any of the other girls. He couldn't recall any specific moments together on that stage with Santana or Brittany even Quinn. He spent most of last year thinking he loved Quinn and he couldn't even pick out of his memories any hand touches or looks he shared with her like he could with Rachel. It was like a fucking video library in his head of little moments that didn't mean anything at the time but evidently made an impression enough to stick with him and those moments all starred Rachel (he idly thought that she would be really fucking proud of that fact... she loved to be the star of shit). He stared dumbly ahead as the realization washed over him.
He was in love with Rachel. And he had been for a really long time.