Disclaimer: Surprisingly, still not mine. Nor are the songs and lyrics mentioned here.
A.N.: Thank you to everyone who subscribed, marked it as favorite, and, of course, reviewed! It makes all this worthwhile.
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Puck sighed as he rang Berry's doorbell. It was not the first time he had thought about quitting Glee club. But this time, it was not because he thought it demeaned (how the hell did he come up with this word?) his image as a badass, but because he seriously didn't like the idea of spending time with Rachel.
Not that he didn't like being in her house, or her bedroom, he smirked. But the last time he was here, they didn't exactly spend time together. They just made out. A lot. Spending time together would mean talking and stuff like that. And though the girl is hot (come on – it's impossible not to notice her legs in those really short skirts), it's not enough to keep you from getting bored when she starts talking.
"Hello, Noah. Right on time" she smiled as she let him in. He didn't remember ever seeing her with her hair up, or wearing jeans; she looked different and comfortable.
He said nothing as he walked up the stairs to her bedroom, one hand holding his guitar, and the other one in his pocket.
It was also the first time he had seen her room like this: a mess. Not that he had been there many times (he did have some good memories, though. He still wondered how did she learn to kiss like that), but he had the impression that Rachel's room was always – just like everything she did – impeccable. Instead, there were music sheets everywhere; her bed, her desk, her chair, and all around the floor.
"What the…?"
"I'm glad you brought you guitar along, Noah. As you can see, I had a very hard time trying to find one song that feels right. Of course, I do have a list of my all time favorite songs, which as of right now consists of seventy-six items. I can tell that you are worried, but you don't need to be; not all of them are show tunes, and I think you will come to learn that I can be really eclectic where music is concerned. Anyway, I thought that in our first practice, we should focus on choosing my song for you, and that means going through many of the songs in my list. Not all of them, obviously, that would be just pointless, since I managed to narrow it down to a few finalists. I trust that your great talent with your instrument will allow you to play some of those? It'll probably be easier for you if you have the accompaniment. I have all the lyrics we'll need, so why don't you take a seat and we'll begin?"
Honestly, could someone really listen to this girl?
"Ok… Where?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Noah. Here, we can sit on the bed, let me just move these papers somewhere else." She organized the papers in a tidy pile, and turned back to him "Are you ready?"
"Sorry, what? I only heard 'we' and 'bed'" He grinned. If he had to do this for the next two weeks, the least he could do was try to get something good out of it. And for the Puckzilla, something good always meant sex.
She blushed. Classic Puck. She tried to ignore his comment and the fact that it did stir some feelings… Suddenly her mind was crowded with images of both of them in her bed, she on top of him, kissing and touching.
"Your comment was much uncalled for. We are working Noah; please try to keep that in mind. I'll sit over here just in case, but I trust something this inappropriate will not happen again" She said, and sat on the floor, her legs crossed and the music sheets on her lap.
"Suit yourself, Berry" He sat on the bed and positioned his guitar, pleased with her reaction to his words. He had noticed her blushing. "So, what you got in there for me, uh?"
She knew he wasn't talking about music, but she chose to ignore that "I thought we could start with this one" She handed him the sheet "In my opinion, it's a very well written song that just speaks for itself. It's been one of my favorites since the very first time I heard it."
He looked at the paper she gave him and was genuinely surprised "Who would've thought you're an Alanis fan, Berry?"
She smiled shyly "There are many things you don't know about me, Noah" It took her by surprise when she realized she wanted him to say that he would love to discover everything there was to know about her. But he said nothing as he adjusted his guitar and read the sheet "Do you know this one?"
"No, but it's pretty easy to play" It took him a few more moments to begin playing it, and soon he started singing it with his deep voice.
That I would be good
Even if I did nothing
That I would be good
Even if I got the thumbs down
"Am I singing it right?" He looked at her, but kept playing his guitar.
"Yes" she whispered "You're doing great" She loved his voice, and she had forgotten just how much.
That I would be good
If I got and stayed sick
That I would be good
Even if I gained 10 pounds
One or two times, he hesitated over a note or stumbled through a word, but that's because he had never heard the song before. And Rachel thought that it wasn't enough to ruin his performance.
That I would be fine
Even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good
If I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great
If I was no longer queen
That I would be grand
If I was not all knowing
By this point, Rachel could tell he had started feeling the song. It made her smile, but she wondered if he understood what that song meant for her, and why it was one of her favorites. Hadn't it been the whole purpose of this assignment, according to Mr. Schue? So they could understand each other better? Could Noah ever understand someone like her? And would she ever be introduced to Noah, instead of the mask she was sure he wore everyday to school?
That I would be loved
Even when I numb myself
That I would be good
Even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved
Even when I was fuming
That I would be good
Even if I was clingingShe closed her eyes and allowed his voice to wash over her. This was proving itself to be a very interesting assignment, she thought with a smile.
That I would be good
Even if I lost sanity
That I would be good
Whether with or without you
He finished the last note and looked at her.
"So?"
"What do you think, Noah?"
"I liked the song. But it's your choice"
"We have a few more options." She expected him to protest, but he just nodded his head.
"Alright. Let's do it" He said, and she smiled brightly "What, Berry?"
"Nothing" She had noticed something different in him. There were no sexual jokes, no hardness in his voice or his eyes. And she thought that maybe, just maybe, the real Noah was starting to come out. At that moment, she made it her mission to get him to open up to her. She had two weeks for that, and hopefully, by the end of it, they would have turned into good friends.
And, obviously, this had nothing to do with the fact that she became ten times more attracted to him when he was singing. Or that seeing him in her room had reminded her of the last time he had been there. Or even that, if she was honest with herself (and Rachel Berry always tried to be honest with everyone), she had to admit she kind of had a crush on him. Nothing to be worried about, of course, it was just a natural reaction to a very handsome guy. Nothing personal, right? And she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach when he said her name.
"Rachel? What's the next song?" He looked at her puzzled.
"Here, Noah" she pretended she hadn't been daydreaming about him and handed him another music sheet.
"I know this one" he said, and smiled at her as he started playing.
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Meanwhile, in Kurt's basement, the boy was desperately trying to ignore Brittany's attempts to perform the song he had chosen for her. Frustrated, he called Mercedes.
"Please tell me Mike's not doing any better than Brittany"
"We are doing fine. I think he was just afraid that my favorite song would be by Mariah Carey. What is Brittany doing?"
"What she isn't doing, you mean" Kurt answered, a hand on his forehead, pacing the floor, a few feet away from Brittany "I don't think she has ever heard of ABBA before. And that, my dear, is a problem."
Mercedes laughed "What's the song you gave her?"
"The Winner Takes It All"
"Kurt!" the girl shrieked "That's just mean!"
"Mr. Schue said to pick our favorites!"
"Yeah, but he also said to take in consideration who your partner is. And your partner, honey, is Brittany"
"I'm fully aware of what that means, thank you very much" he said, looking over at the blonde once again "I think I'll just have to choose something else"
"Did she choose anything for you yet?"
"No, I told her it was better to think about it some more. But I've been looking through her iPod, and I got the strange feeling that whatever she picks, is not going to look good on me"
"Chill, diva. Everything's gonna be fine. I gotta go, Mike's back from the bathroom. Call you later. Bye, hon"
"Goodbye, gorgeous" Kurt hung up and turned to Brittany "OK, let's try something different"
She smiled, relieved.
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Tina had always been extremely shy. Her relationships in the Glee club were basically the ones with Artie, Mercedes and Kurt, and an occasional talk with Rachel. She had never really been interested in being friends with anyone else, and maybe that's why sitting next to Finn in the doorstep of her house was so awkward.
"So that's your song?" He asked, handing her iPod back to her.
She nodded. He was surprised. He had never thought she would listen to this type of songs. And the lyrics… He wondered if anyone else realized they knew nothing about Tina. If it wouldn't make her embarrassed, he would have asked what that song meant for her.
Although he had heard many times that he had "lead man material", Finn had gotten used to have someone else leading the way (he had worked a lot with Rachel, after all). But it was clear that, in between him and Tina, he was going to have to step up.
"I only have two favorite songs, you can choose in between them. I think the hardest thing is gonna be the love song"
She blushed "Y-yes. A-any id-d-deas?" She asked.
"I don't know. It's not like I listen to a lot of love songs, that's more a chick thing" He said, looking at her.
"I'm a goth" they both smiled
"We should Google it, see if we can find something" He suggested.
"Ok. W-wanna c-ome inside?" She asked.
"Sure"
He got up and they both entered her house. He couldn't help but notice she had stuttered. He knew that, although she had once admitted to fake it, the stutter still came out whenever she was nervous. He understood her – they had barely exchanged a few words during their time in Glee, and now they were talking about singing love songs to each other.
Yeah. Being in Glee club kinda made everyday a new surprise. Or something like that.
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Santana tapped her foot impatiently. She just had to get stuck with Wheels. Gay kid would have been better. This was going to be so boring. I mean, look at the boy's hair. He was probably gonna force her to sing Beatles or some other crap like that.
They were at his house, since hers wasn't adjusted for handicapped people. He parked in the middle of his living room, and had his laptop on his lap. She had refused to sit down and stood with her arms crossed. This was just pointless. Why didn't each of them pick a song to sing and pretend the other had chosen it?
"I'll show you the song I'd like you to sing, Santana" Artie was a bit nervous in Santana's presence. Not that he liked her, but it was the first time he had a cheerleader in his house.
"Alright, but I swear, if this is some nerdy embarrassing song, I will make you sing Lady GaGa" she said.
"Okay" It was the only thing he said before hitting 'play' on his laptop.
He didn't look at her while the song played, so he missed the little smile she had on her face midway through the chorus.
"That's my favorite" He said timidly when the song ended.
"It's fine" she said, back to her usual bitching self, and crossing her arms again. "Guess I'll have to find something else for you to sing, instead of Poker Face"
He smiled.
A.N.:Hope you guys liked this one! Song suggestions are more than appreciated! The song Puck sings is "That I Would Be Good", by Alanis Morissette. Also, I'd like to say that many people subscribed for this story – and that made me really, really happy. But not many people reviewed, so, while I know many people are reading it, I don't know how many of you are liking it. I guess that's just a better way to say "please, please, review". Please?