Fic - Hands Touching Hands - P/R
Title: Hands Touching Hands (sequel to Stupidity)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 362
Spoilers: Back 9
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Title from Sweet Caroline.
Characters/Pairings: Puck/Rachel
Summary: Puck consoles Rachel after her heart is broken.
It happened quickly, in the short time between school ending and glee starting.
Jesse talking to Rachel.
Jesse walking away from Rachel.
Rachel looking shocked, her wide brown eyes glazed over and her jaw practically on the floor.
Rachel sprinting into the girls’ bathroom.
She came to glee five minutes late, which Puck barely witnessed because he only got there a moment before she did. She sat in the back, and only spoke to tell Mr. Schue that there was a specific song she wanted to sing.
--
Rachel sat, idly tapping at the piano keys while everyone, including Mr. Schuester, filed out of the room. She didn’t even notice Puck’s presence until he sat down on the piano bench on her left.
They sat in silence for a moment before Puck spoke up. “Jesse’s a big douchebag anyway.”
Rachel looked up at him with swollen eyes. “How did you know?”
“Why else would you sing ‘Irreplaceable’?”
Rachel laughed dryly, but Puck saw a tear appear and roll a salty, wet trail next to her nose and down her check. “He used me,” Rachel said, without looking at Puck. She opened her mouth to say more, but a shallow, shuddered breath came out instead and the tears flowed steadily. The hands that had come to rest on the piano keys fell limply at her sides.
Rachel had almost forgotten that Noah was there, and nearly jumped when she felt his large hand slip into hers. She looked down at his hand. His knuckles were cracked, and some even looked like they would start bleeding if he clenched his fist too hard.
“What happened?” she asked delicately.
He drew his hand back from hers and covered it with his left one self-consciously. “Nothing. I…nothing.”
Rachel reached up and grabbed his right hand. She held it with both of hers and traced random patterns lightly on the back of his hand, coming close to but never touching the sore knuckles.
Rachel looked up at Noah, her eyes still wet but for a different reason than before. “Thank you,” she whispered and leaned her head on his shoulder, hand still intertwined with his.
“Any time.”