You are at the top of my lungs (you clicked your heels and wished for me)
Title: You are at the top of my lungs (you clicked your heels and wished for me)
Author: latexana
Pairing,Character(s): The ot4 in almost all configurations. Rachel/Puck, Rachel/Quinn, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Finn, Finn/Rachel and a smidge of Puck/Finn
Rating: Hum, light R? There is no explicit sexy times, but they are implied. And there is a lot of swearing (thats hat you get for writing Puck POV)
Word Count: 4431
Spoilers: It takes place after sectionals
Disclaimer: Not mine. I just like to play a bit.
Summary:He keeps staring at Rachel’s face, and when he sees a familiar glimmer in her eyes and notices the way her breathing pattern changes he realizes he is totally fucked.
It happens because Quinn has no place to stay (Puck offered his room, but she only looked at him that way and said no), and because Rachel feels guilty enough for causing so much trouble. Quinn would have hesitated more if she had any other alternative or if the pregnancy wasn’t stopping her brain from functioning. She wonders if this is how Britanny feels all the time. Considering that Britanny always seems friendly and content, she thinks not.
It really doesn’t work. They are always at each other throats, and even Rachel, who is used to receiving criticism with a head-down starts responding viciously. It doesn’t helps that Finn is always grumpy and keeps having these not-so-whispered talks to Rachel, about “how can you be doing this to me?”, “I thought we were friends” and “do you remember what she did?” to which Rachel just replies “What do you expect me to do? Throw her in the streets? A sixteen year old pregnant girl, that has no one else in the world? Are you a moron?” Finn begins to think that they are spending way too much time together, because before, if Rachel wanted to insult him, she would use words like ignoble or chivalrous.
Quinn is always crying around school and Rachel has massive dark circles under her eyes. The mood on glee club gets heavy and the day Rachel shows up wearing jeans and a messy pony-tail Mercedes glares at Kurt before he makes any comments. Still, they have lunch together, because Rachel has always been an outcast and Quinn becomes one more each day. Rachel makes her take all her vitamins and always eat her vegetables
Things get better after awhile. Once, they are listening to Kurt rehearsing a solo and they are sitting side by side, because after all they got used to each other constant presence, and Rachel looks so touched and overwhelmed that Quinn, without looking, reaches for her hand and intertwine their fingers. When is over Rachel looks at her with a huge smile. Instead of acting with contempt, Quinn squeezes her hand a little e says softly “dork”. All of glee club look at each other in shock, except for Finn that pretends (or who knows, maybe he truly didn’t noticed) that nothing happened.
It gets weird when Quinn suggest to Mr Schue that they should do a RENT song, because it reminds her of the gleeks (Artie wonders which one of them will die by the end of the story), and they argue for what it feels like hours what song would be best. Mr Schue thinks La Vie Boehme is appropriate, but Quinn wants one of Maureen’s song, cause she is her favorite. Mercedes, Kurt and Santana all look at Rachel, but she shrugs: “Is not even one that I like best, but she watches again and again.”
And because their lives is a fucked up, musical, parallel universe, Finn starts to come around when he does a duet with Rachel. Artie has been doing some arrangements and they sing Strawberry Fields Forever like is a brand new thing. They hold hands, circle each other, he grabs her by the waist and puts her on a stool (she’s still a head shorter) and by the end of the song he has that goofy grin from before. Quinn feels such a deep relief that her knees buckle and she grabs Brittany’s shoulder for support. Rachel’s smile seems like is going to crack her face in half.
He still doesn’t meet Quinn’s eyes and does not speak with Puck, but asks about the baby, that he doesn’t call Drizzle (Quinn wish he would), e gives her money.
“Is my work pay. Is for the medical bills, or to buy some clothes or whatever.“
She says she cant take it, tries to return it, but he turns and leaves. Finn is a good guy.
Rachel splits her time between the two of them and glee. If her grades suffer a little, oh well. She talks a mile a minute and Quinn catches half of it and Finn about a quarter. Still, is nice to have someone to fill the silence.
They are studying Spanish because Rachel took that class the year before, and she sings under her breath a vaguely familiar tune while correcting his homework, when he looks at her sort of differently and asks if she wants to go out with him.
They are going bowling, is what Rachel explains and Quinn wonders why she looks so guilty. She believes the blessing is unnecessary, she has no business in who Finn should or not date, but Rachel gets so happy when she helps her pick her date outfit (not clothes, outfit, like in a play) that she sings to Quinn’s stomach, one hand over her expanding belly. Is about impossible dreams and stars to be reached. When she waves while walking to Finn’s car Quinn feels something in her stomach, but convinces herself that is only Drizzle changing positions.
Quinn can hear Rachel whistling I Could Have Danced All Night when she gets back, and for the first time in a while she think her tears are not just hormones.
Puck notices how down Quinn looks and her slight sneer every time she sees Rachel and Finn holding hands down the hallways, he so comically taller that it looks like a father holding his child hand. He realizes a window of opportunity and takes advantage of it. They still talk now and then, although with caution and about trivial things, mainly because crazy Berry had become like Quinn’s watchdog. But she has been busy lately so Puck corners Quinn one afternoon and asks to talk, to settle things about Drizzle, and no, his daughter is not being called that, thank you very much. She agrees and he takes her to his home that day.
They talk for about ten minutes before his hand reaches her thigh. He feels very badass when she doesn’t flinch away. He kisses her once, twice. On the third time she doesn’t kisses back. He angles again and she pushes against his chest. He searches something in her eyes and finds it.
“Is not you Puck, is…”
“You like someone, don’t you?”
She nods.
“Finn?”
She shakes her head.
“Oh fuck.”
He sighs and deflates on the couch.
“Sorry”, she says while looking at the floor.
“Is not your fault, okay?”
They spend the rest of the afternoon watching movies on TV. In none of them someone sings.
Mr Schuester had assigned everybody to sing a solo, and when the day comes Quinn volunteers to go first. Puck plays his guitar and Quinn sings Unchained Melody. To Rachel. Directly at Rachel.
Nobody notices excepts Santana (that always notices those things) and Finn. He keeps staring at Rachel’s face, and when he sees a familiar glimmer in her eyes and notices the way her breathing pattern changes he realizes he is totally fucked.
After that catastrophic afternoon (Quinn’s words) who becomes responsible to keep Puck informed of all things baby is Rachel. She dines at his house once or twice a week. The first time he opened the door and she was there, smile on her face, sickly pink sweater and one of those skirts that should be illegal for being so short that she is always wearing, he almost closes the door on her face. Unfortunally his mother saw her David star over his shoulder and practically dragged her inside the house.
She was under the impression that this nice, jewish girl was dating Puck and no one bother to correct her.
Rachel talks too much but is polite and knows way more about jew history then he and his mom combined. She eats chinese with them and even lights candles on one of Hanukah days.
Always after dinner his mom leaves to “give the kids some privacy”. She stays in the kitchen, next to the living room and leaves the door open. At least they can whisper without her listening to it. Rachel talks about glee, he about football and both, as quietly as possible, about Drizzle (“That’s not her name!” “Noah!”). Rachel talk about medical visits and how much she have grown and what’s her favorite song.
“How the hell can you possibly know this?”
“Is when she kicks harder”
“May she is kicking so that you stop”
“You are such a jerk some times.”
He asks what Quinn decided to do, if she’s keeping the adoption plan or what. Rachel gets very serious and very quiet and only shakes her head, as if indicating that she cant say anything. He gets so frustrated that almost throws her out.
Once, his mom goes out and asks them to baby-sit his sister. Rachel comes, bakes cookies, play scrabbles and sings, because that is what Rachel do. After his sister is already asleep she sticks around and insists that they practice the last choreography because she noticed that he and Santana didn’t have all the steps down (He doesn’t mention that that is because Santana refuses to stays ten feet near him lately).
They dance and okay, there’s some grinding, so is not his fault he gets hard. He knows he shouldn’t, but you know what? Screw it, he cradles her face between his hands and kisses her, hard and furious. He sticks his tongue into her mouth, and while she grabs his bicep for shear life, and because she’s Rachel, she gives as good as she gets and sticks her tongue into his, fighting for dominance. When they come apart, he still dizzy from the kiss, feels the sting from the slap. Man, for someone the size of a midget she is surprisingly strong.
“Berry, what the hell?”
“How dare you, Noah? You know I´m with Finn. Just because Quinn fell for your charms...”
“Yeah? Lets talk about Finn and Quinn for awhile then. How does it feels to be fucking both of them?”
That shuts her up. She looks at the ground and has the decency to blush. His eyes double its size and he feels like sitting down.
“Shit Rachel, I was just sorta of reaching.”
She opens her mouth to speak but stops. Balls, Rachel speechless? Did he broke her?
“Does he know?”
“He... imagines it.”
He feels like laughing. Poor, dumb Finn. First is cheated with his best friend, now with the ex-girlfriend. And he doesn’t even do anything, not even when he knows.
“Did they ever double-teamed you?”
“Noah, dont be crude.”
That only increases his will to be dirty. He lifts an eyebrow and speaks in the most vulgar manner he manages.
“So, I want in. If you’re already a slut...”
She looks up tearing up and something catches in his throat from the amount of honesty he sees in her face. Fuck, why must she be so open? Doesnt she know you are suppose to guard your heart so no ones breaks it?
“I’m in love with him. I’m in love with her.”
He concedes that if he was a girl or something, he would have mixed what he feels in his chest for a pain . But he is not, he is a stud. There is no such thing as pain.
“Anyone but the Puckerman.”
She bites her lips and gets this determinated look. She not going to start to sing, is she?
“I like you Noah. But I cant do this to them. Wanting or not you are now my friend. I never had friends before, and I’m not willing to go back to that. So, I hope you get over this quickly. I’m still going to talk to you in glee and come back here next week, understood?”
“Yeah, whatever” He says to her while she’s opening the door to leave.
At night he jerks off till his dick feels like is going raw to images of Rachel and Quinn together. If Finn comes up some times is only because he feels sorry for the guy. How it goes that song from that musical that Rachel promised him he would like (He did, a little, but he is not going to tell or anything)? Oh yeah, its a bitch of a living.
Finn is furious. The first thing he does when he gets to school is look for Puck and…
“Ouch man, what did I do now?”
Puck is sprawled on the gym room floor, trying to feel if his nose is broken or not.
“You kissed her!”
“She told you?”
“Of course she did. Who do you think she is? You?”
“Yeah well, if she is so honest is not me you should be beating up.”
Finn feels a buzzing in his brain and changes stance.
“That’s none of your business, punk.”
“Hell yeah is my business. If Rachel is going to become some sort of step-mom to Drizzle you bet I want to know the details.”
Finn tries to relax a little but is a delicate subject. Puck begins to stand and he does nothing to stop him.
“Nothing was settled yet. Qui-Quinn is still weighting her options.” “Yeah, well, okay. Just dont sucker punch me again or I’ll have to fight back.”
When he is out in the hallway he sees Rachel, that smiles until noticing his purple hand.
“What did you do?”
“No biggie, Berry” He listens to Puck behind him “Was just helping my boy here with the punching bag when his hand slipped. I’ll live.”
Finn is certain she doesn’t buy it, but she doesn’t say anything either and kisses his knuckles before dragging him to class.
No one slushies Rachel anymore. Between Quinn reconquering the title of queen bee (after Sue Sylvester got suspended the Cheerios lost a lot of status) and literally hold her hand through the hallways, which nobody thinks much about since Britanny and Santana have being doing that for ages, the shear size of Finn, the fact that Puck’s fist had 4 or 5 asides with Karofsky´s face and the modicum of respect the glee club received after winning Sectionals, it has been weeks since she doesn’t bring a change of clothes to school.
She has the boyfriend of her dreams, a pregnant girlfriend, a friend that everytime he hugs her (and who knew Noah Puckerman would be so generous with hugging) tries to grabs her ass and glee club. Sometimes she wonders that is more then she can handle, that is more then she ever asked for. She has never felt so happy.
They decide to do Tonight for Regionals after all. And not that pansy-ass (she’s been hanging way too much with Puck) version that Kurt keeps angling, with just the two of them on the balcony, but the movie climax, with the Jets and the Sharks and everybody singing over each other till the last word. And okay, Tina is getting the lead, but Rachel doesn’t mind, since she got Rita Moreno’s part, which is a much more challenging and rich character, especially now that she gets that true love is not like Romeo and Juliet. No one should die for another, but live life at its fullest. She thinks she heard that in a song once.
Anyways, is almost as if is a scene from the play. They are going to dress in character and dance as close as the original choreography as possible. They might not have the right number of Jets or Sharks but they’ll manage, they always manage. Everything is going so smoothly, and with Kurt’s birthday coming along they set up to thrown a party. The first gleek party.
And that night Rachel decides to drink for the first time. On her third beer (that has a foul taste in her opinion) she’s already giggly and sleepy. She sitting (it feels like sinking) on this chair, with Finn by one of her sides and Quinn, the one who remains sober to drive them home, by the other.
Suddenly she sees Puck coming into the house and gets really happy.
“Noah, Noah, come here, I’m here! We are here!” (she might be yelling a bit, she is not sure.)
He goes trying to hide a smile. He is wearing a shirt and some jeans and he looks gooood!
“Hey Noah, come here, give me a hug. That’s it, you smell nice. Dont you think he smells nice Finn? No? And you dressed up! Are you trying to get it on with someone (at this Mercedes looks at Matt and mouths “Get it on?”). Is it Tina? Because you are doing Tonight with her, so is like fate or something. We like Tina, dont we Quinn? OH MY GOD! If you want to I can totally tell her you are a good kisser. Cause you totally are, dont you think he is a good kisser Quinn?”
At that Finn starts to look tense, but Quinn only laughs and answers:
“Maybe a littler eager, dont you think?”
Puck looks totally offended till Rachel steps up to defended his honor.
“No, but eager is good. Is very him, isn’t it? Is like completely different from Finn Who is so solid and deep. Dont you agree Quinn, that kissing Finn is like being blanketed by the felling of being secure and held? I like kissing Finn.”
Finn smiles proudly when Quinn agrees.
“I like doing other stuff with Finn too,” She stage whispers and everybody laughs.
“But oh Quinn, dont be jealous. I like kissing you too. So much, your kisses are the sweetest and you know how to use the perfect amount of tongue.”
Everybody does a double take and the only sound is the background music (a synth version of Good Morning, Rachel notices).
“Is everyone on glee gay? Because that makes my coming out a lot less dramatic.” Kurt breaks the silence.
Rachel giggles into her glass and falls asleep.
Puck is carrying Rachel to the car when Santana approaches Quinn, Britanny in stow.
“Really Quinn? Your foray into lesbianism, and is with Rachel? The Queen of the gleeks?”
Brit chirps up and offers;
“I like Rachel. She’s pretty and is always singing, even outside of glee. Is nice to hear.”
Santana looks like she could kill, but Quinn only smiles.
“I agree. Good night ladies.”
So the unthinkable happens. They lose Regionals. Is not that big of a lost, they still place for Nationals, but is not perfect and Rachel is bummed. So bummed in fact that Quinn calls Finn and demands his presence. He picks his car and drives to Rachel’s, stopping at Puck’s in the way. Puck is very surprised. They sorta talk now and again, but they are not friends. Finn is still very pissed, but whatever, he knows Puck’s her friend, and that he can cheer her up, so he sucks up and do it.
When they get there Rachel is like, catatonic. Quinn looks panicked, and that is not good for the baby, so Finn makes her sit down and drink tea, while Puck tries to snap Rachel out of it.
“What happened? She was okay when we left you guys here. I mean, as okay as Rachel can get.”
“Nothing happened! She was a little sad that we lost, but that’s understandable, and then she started to get quieter, and quieter and just stopped.”
Finn and Puck look at each other in wonder.
“Man, I’ve always known she was crazy, but not that she was crazy crazy.”
“Did you try to put one of her musicals to play. Like The Wizard of Oz, or Hello Dolly or All That Jazz?”
Puck would have laughed if he didn’t recognized every single one of those titles. Fuck Rachel Berry, messing with his whole life.
“Yes, but then she just starts to cry hysterically. At least now she’s quiet.”
“And where are her dads? Maybe they’ve seen her like this before and know how to handle.”
“They are out of town, I think their cells have no signal.”
Rachel haven’t said one word since Finn got there. It started to freak him out. He looks at her and sees nothing. Is almost like she sleeping, like she is under a spell. Finn gets an idea (Rachel would be proud).
Oh, so he’s kissing her. That’s not something Puck needed to see right now. Still is kind of comforting to watch. Like they fit really well together, even if Finn is a giant and she is midget. His body covers her whole frame and it does looks like he is solid. And warm, like a blanket. And damn her getting under his skin and ingraining in his brain that metaphors are important.
She does wake up from her daze, and looks Finn right in the eyes. She whimpers a little.
“Oh Rach, oh sweetie, what’s the matter?”
She completely snaps and starts yelling, and Puck wonders why did they want her to talk again?
“The matter is that I’m a failure. If I cant even win a singing competition in OHIO, how will I ever enter Julliard and then how will I become a Broadway star? And Kurt is always telling me that everybody only likes me for my talent. But what if I’m not as talented as I think? What If I get stuck in this good for nothing town, with nobody to love me?”
The three of them look at each other with eyes big as sausages. Quinn recovers first, with a great sneer in her voice.
“Oh my God, can you stop being so selfish? You talk like you and you alone is the source to all of our talent. That if you are good we are good, and if you are a bad we are bad. Breaking news, there are eleven other people, 12 if you count Mr. Schue, that are just as important to our team as you. So get over yourself.”
Finn looks like he is just about to protest, when Quinn voice gets softer and she cradles Rachel’s chin.
“As for the other stuff, of course you are as talented as you think. Is almost annoying, but you worked hard to get there. And even if you dont make it to Broadway, and that’s not that big of a if, you can be sure that in this Godforsaken town, you are not staying, I’m guarantying you, because I’m not staying and wherever I go you will come with, comprendes?”
“Yeah” Finn starts “and about everybody only loving you for your talent, that’s not true either. You are kind, and smart, and loyal, and brave.”
“You are also hot and great on the sack.”
They all look at Puck expectantly.
“You are annoying and a pain in the ass.”
Puck thinks Quinn will murder him, but he sees a little smile on Rachel’s face.
“What? That’s a good thing, you annoy everybody so much that they go and do the stuff you want. That’s a great leadership skill.”
Rachel laughs, a belly laugh at that and Quinn just cant resist any longer and kisses her and it is sweet, and with the perfect amount of tongue.
Puck is not gonna lie, is hot. He thinks Finn thinks so too, because he is looking away trying to be distracted. But soon he is kissing her too, while Quinn is kissing her neck and this seems too fluid to be the first time. So the answer to the double team question is yes. He knew it.
Finn and Quinn kiss too and Rachel doesnt seem to mind. Actually there’s a fire in her eyes and she soons fixes her gaze on Puck and uh oh.
“Guys, Noah is there all alone and no one is kissing him, and he has been really nice to me latelly and he even came here today. So... can I?”
Rachel looks first at Quinn, and she nods and kisses her hairline. Then she looks at Finn and he is really not liking the idea. But Rachel looks at him with those big eyes and scratches her nail against his belly and he consents.
So now Puck is being summoned by Rachel and apparently they are going to triple-team her tonight, and how does that even work? But he is not gonna complain, being with Rachel and Quinn on the same night is pretty much the stock of fantasies and if for that to happen he has to kiss Finn too and do, hum, other stuff, well he can always remains in denial.
Nobody dies in their story. But someone is born. Drew Elizabeth, in short Drizzle. That is, that’s how Finn and Quinn call her. Most people say only Drew, Rachel calls her Liza because off-fucking-course she does, and Puck Lizzie, because every girl he ever dated made him watch that movie about pride and discrimination e and the main girl was smart, plucky, and didn’t fall for any other guy, just like his daughter is going to be, and was called Lizzie.
And yes, Quinn does keeps her, but the whole glee club sorts of adopt her, because Quinn is hell bent in finishing school to later become a CEO and own the world or something. Rachel makes schedules on who is going to watch her and everybody pitch in, even Santana under the pretense of accompanying Britanny, because Britanny might love babies but Rachel is almost certain that she has the same mental age as Liza. But every once and again she catches Santana by the corner of the eye, and she’s making faces and playing peak-a-boo
They find a replacement for Quinn on glee while she is on maternity leave. Rachel would have never pegged Karosfky as a singer.
Puck spends more time at the Berry’s home then his, and yes, sometimes he kisses Rachel just to piss Finn off, but nothing beyond that happens. He tries to date Tina for awhile (how did Rachel knew?) but Artie scares him away.
He doesn’t have time for more then one girl anyways, and even the load being almost equally divided between him, Finn, Quinn and Rachel (whoever heard of someone with four parents?) having a new born is still a lot of work.
And sometimes they all come exhausted for practice, but Rachel doesn’t care. After all, they still have the Nationals to conquer.
Storms of fabled foreign tongues
Author: latexana
Pairing,Character(s): The ot4 in almost all configurations. Rachel/Puck, Rachel/Quinn, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Finn, Finn/Rachel and a smidge of Puck/Finn
Rating: Hum, light R? There is no explicit sexy times, but they are implied. And there is a lot of swearing (thats hat you get for writing Puck POV)
Word Count: 4431
Spoilers: It takes place after sectionals
Disclaimer: Not mine. I just like to play a bit.
Summary:He keeps staring at Rachel’s face, and when he sees a familiar glimmer in her eyes and notices the way her breathing pattern changes he realizes he is totally fucked.
It happens because Quinn has no place to stay (Puck offered his room, but she only looked at him that way and said no), and because Rachel feels guilty enough for causing so much trouble. Quinn would have hesitated more if she had any other alternative or if the pregnancy wasn’t stopping her brain from functioning. She wonders if this is how Britanny feels all the time. Considering that Britanny always seems friendly and content, she thinks not.
It really doesn’t work. They are always at each other throats, and even Rachel, who is used to receiving criticism with a head-down starts responding viciously. It doesn’t helps that Finn is always grumpy and keeps having these not-so-whispered talks to Rachel, about “how can you be doing this to me?”, “I thought we were friends” and “do you remember what she did?” to which Rachel just replies “What do you expect me to do? Throw her in the streets? A sixteen year old pregnant girl, that has no one else in the world? Are you a moron?” Finn begins to think that they are spending way too much time together, because before, if Rachel wanted to insult him, she would use words like ignoble or chivalrous.
Quinn is always crying around school and Rachel has massive dark circles under her eyes. The mood on glee club gets heavy and the day Rachel shows up wearing jeans and a messy pony-tail Mercedes glares at Kurt before he makes any comments. Still, they have lunch together, because Rachel has always been an outcast and Quinn becomes one more each day. Rachel makes her take all her vitamins and always eat her vegetables
Things get better after awhile. Once, they are listening to Kurt rehearsing a solo and they are sitting side by side, because after all they got used to each other constant presence, and Rachel looks so touched and overwhelmed that Quinn, without looking, reaches for her hand and intertwine their fingers. When is over Rachel looks at her with a huge smile. Instead of acting with contempt, Quinn squeezes her hand a little e says softly “dork”. All of glee club look at each other in shock, except for Finn that pretends (or who knows, maybe he truly didn’t noticed) that nothing happened.
It gets weird when Quinn suggest to Mr Schue that they should do a RENT song, because it reminds her of the gleeks (Artie wonders which one of them will die by the end of the story), and they argue for what it feels like hours what song would be best. Mr Schue thinks La Vie Boehme is appropriate, but Quinn wants one of Maureen’s song, cause she is her favorite. Mercedes, Kurt and Santana all look at Rachel, but she shrugs: “Is not even one that I like best, but she watches again and again.”
And because their lives is a fucked up, musical, parallel universe, Finn starts to come around when he does a duet with Rachel. Artie has been doing some arrangements and they sing Strawberry Fields Forever like is a brand new thing. They hold hands, circle each other, he grabs her by the waist and puts her on a stool (she’s still a head shorter) and by the end of the song he has that goofy grin from before. Quinn feels such a deep relief that her knees buckle and she grabs Brittany’s shoulder for support. Rachel’s smile seems like is going to crack her face in half.
He still doesn’t meet Quinn’s eyes and does not speak with Puck, but asks about the baby, that he doesn’t call Drizzle (Quinn wish he would), e gives her money.
“Is my work pay. Is for the medical bills, or to buy some clothes or whatever.“
She says she cant take it, tries to return it, but he turns and leaves. Finn is a good guy.
Rachel splits her time between the two of them and glee. If her grades suffer a little, oh well. She talks a mile a minute and Quinn catches half of it and Finn about a quarter. Still, is nice to have someone to fill the silence.
They are studying Spanish because Rachel took that class the year before, and she sings under her breath a vaguely familiar tune while correcting his homework, when he looks at her sort of differently and asks if she wants to go out with him.
They are going bowling, is what Rachel explains and Quinn wonders why she looks so guilty. She believes the blessing is unnecessary, she has no business in who Finn should or not date, but Rachel gets so happy when she helps her pick her date outfit (not clothes, outfit, like in a play) that she sings to Quinn’s stomach, one hand over her expanding belly. Is about impossible dreams and stars to be reached. When she waves while walking to Finn’s car Quinn feels something in her stomach, but convinces herself that is only Drizzle changing positions.
Quinn can hear Rachel whistling I Could Have Danced All Night when she gets back, and for the first time in a while she think her tears are not just hormones.
Puck notices how down Quinn looks and her slight sneer every time she sees Rachel and Finn holding hands down the hallways, he so comically taller that it looks like a father holding his child hand. He realizes a window of opportunity and takes advantage of it. They still talk now and then, although with caution and about trivial things, mainly because crazy Berry had become like Quinn’s watchdog. But she has been busy lately so Puck corners Quinn one afternoon and asks to talk, to settle things about Drizzle, and no, his daughter is not being called that, thank you very much. She agrees and he takes her to his home that day.
They talk for about ten minutes before his hand reaches her thigh. He feels very badass when she doesn’t flinch away. He kisses her once, twice. On the third time she doesn’t kisses back. He angles again and she pushes against his chest. He searches something in her eyes and finds it.
“Is not you Puck, is…”
“You like someone, don’t you?”
She nods.
“Finn?”
She shakes her head.
“Oh fuck.”
He sighs and deflates on the couch.
“Sorry”, she says while looking at the floor.
“Is not your fault, okay?”
They spend the rest of the afternoon watching movies on TV. In none of them someone sings.
Mr Schuester had assigned everybody to sing a solo, and when the day comes Quinn volunteers to go first. Puck plays his guitar and Quinn sings Unchained Melody. To Rachel. Directly at Rachel.
Nobody notices excepts Santana (that always notices those things) and Finn. He keeps staring at Rachel’s face, and when he sees a familiar glimmer in her eyes and notices the way her breathing pattern changes he realizes he is totally fucked.
After that catastrophic afternoon (Quinn’s words) who becomes responsible to keep Puck informed of all things baby is Rachel. She dines at his house once or twice a week. The first time he opened the door and she was there, smile on her face, sickly pink sweater and one of those skirts that should be illegal for being so short that she is always wearing, he almost closes the door on her face. Unfortunally his mother saw her David star over his shoulder and practically dragged her inside the house.
She was under the impression that this nice, jewish girl was dating Puck and no one bother to correct her.
Rachel talks too much but is polite and knows way more about jew history then he and his mom combined. She eats chinese with them and even lights candles on one of Hanukah days.
Always after dinner his mom leaves to “give the kids some privacy”. She stays in the kitchen, next to the living room and leaves the door open. At least they can whisper without her listening to it. Rachel talks about glee, he about football and both, as quietly as possible, about Drizzle (“That’s not her name!” “Noah!”). Rachel talk about medical visits and how much she have grown and what’s her favorite song.
“How the hell can you possibly know this?”
“Is when she kicks harder”
“May she is kicking so that you stop”
“You are such a jerk some times.”
He asks what Quinn decided to do, if she’s keeping the adoption plan or what. Rachel gets very serious and very quiet and only shakes her head, as if indicating that she cant say anything. He gets so frustrated that almost throws her out.
Once, his mom goes out and asks them to baby-sit his sister. Rachel comes, bakes cookies, play scrabbles and sings, because that is what Rachel do. After his sister is already asleep she sticks around and insists that they practice the last choreography because she noticed that he and Santana didn’t have all the steps down (He doesn’t mention that that is because Santana refuses to stays ten feet near him lately).
They dance and okay, there’s some grinding, so is not his fault he gets hard. He knows he shouldn’t, but you know what? Screw it, he cradles her face between his hands and kisses her, hard and furious. He sticks his tongue into her mouth, and while she grabs his bicep for shear life, and because she’s Rachel, she gives as good as she gets and sticks her tongue into his, fighting for dominance. When they come apart, he still dizzy from the kiss, feels the sting from the slap. Man, for someone the size of a midget she is surprisingly strong.
“Berry, what the hell?”
“How dare you, Noah? You know I´m with Finn. Just because Quinn fell for your charms...”
“Yeah? Lets talk about Finn and Quinn for awhile then. How does it feels to be fucking both of them?”
That shuts her up. She looks at the ground and has the decency to blush. His eyes double its size and he feels like sitting down.
“Shit Rachel, I was just sorta of reaching.”
She opens her mouth to speak but stops. Balls, Rachel speechless? Did he broke her?
“Does he know?”
“He... imagines it.”
He feels like laughing. Poor, dumb Finn. First is cheated with his best friend, now with the ex-girlfriend. And he doesn’t even do anything, not even when he knows.
“Did they ever double-teamed you?”
“Noah, dont be crude.”
That only increases his will to be dirty. He lifts an eyebrow and speaks in the most vulgar manner he manages.
“So, I want in. If you’re already a slut...”
She looks up tearing up and something catches in his throat from the amount of honesty he sees in her face. Fuck, why must she be so open? Doesnt she know you are suppose to guard your heart so no ones breaks it?
“I’m in love with him. I’m in love with her.”
He concedes that if he was a girl or something, he would have mixed what he feels in his chest for a pain . But he is not, he is a stud. There is no such thing as pain.
“Anyone but the Puckerman.”
She bites her lips and gets this determinated look. She not going to start to sing, is she?
“I like you Noah. But I cant do this to them. Wanting or not you are now my friend. I never had friends before, and I’m not willing to go back to that. So, I hope you get over this quickly. I’m still going to talk to you in glee and come back here next week, understood?”
“Yeah, whatever” He says to her while she’s opening the door to leave.
At night he jerks off till his dick feels like is going raw to images of Rachel and Quinn together. If Finn comes up some times is only because he feels sorry for the guy. How it goes that song from that musical that Rachel promised him he would like (He did, a little, but he is not going to tell or anything)? Oh yeah, its a bitch of a living.
Finn is furious. The first thing he does when he gets to school is look for Puck and…
“Ouch man, what did I do now?”
Puck is sprawled on the gym room floor, trying to feel if his nose is broken or not.
“You kissed her!”
“She told you?”
“Of course she did. Who do you think she is? You?”
“Yeah well, if she is so honest is not me you should be beating up.”
Finn feels a buzzing in his brain and changes stance.
“That’s none of your business, punk.”
“Hell yeah is my business. If Rachel is going to become some sort of step-mom to Drizzle you bet I want to know the details.”
Finn tries to relax a little but is a delicate subject. Puck begins to stand and he does nothing to stop him.
“Nothing was settled yet. Qui-Quinn is still weighting her options.” “Yeah, well, okay. Just dont sucker punch me again or I’ll have to fight back.”
When he is out in the hallway he sees Rachel, that smiles until noticing his purple hand.
“What did you do?”
“No biggie, Berry” He listens to Puck behind him “Was just helping my boy here with the punching bag when his hand slipped. I’ll live.”
Finn is certain she doesn’t buy it, but she doesn’t say anything either and kisses his knuckles before dragging him to class.
No one slushies Rachel anymore. Between Quinn reconquering the title of queen bee (after Sue Sylvester got suspended the Cheerios lost a lot of status) and literally hold her hand through the hallways, which nobody thinks much about since Britanny and Santana have being doing that for ages, the shear size of Finn, the fact that Puck’s fist had 4 or 5 asides with Karofsky´s face and the modicum of respect the glee club received after winning Sectionals, it has been weeks since she doesn’t bring a change of clothes to school.
She has the boyfriend of her dreams, a pregnant girlfriend, a friend that everytime he hugs her (and who knew Noah Puckerman would be so generous with hugging) tries to grabs her ass and glee club. Sometimes she wonders that is more then she can handle, that is more then she ever asked for. She has never felt so happy.
They decide to do Tonight for Regionals after all. And not that pansy-ass (she’s been hanging way too much with Puck) version that Kurt keeps angling, with just the two of them on the balcony, but the movie climax, with the Jets and the Sharks and everybody singing over each other till the last word. And okay, Tina is getting the lead, but Rachel doesn’t mind, since she got Rita Moreno’s part, which is a much more challenging and rich character, especially now that she gets that true love is not like Romeo and Juliet. No one should die for another, but live life at its fullest. She thinks she heard that in a song once.
Anyways, is almost as if is a scene from the play. They are going to dress in character and dance as close as the original choreography as possible. They might not have the right number of Jets or Sharks but they’ll manage, they always manage. Everything is going so smoothly, and with Kurt’s birthday coming along they set up to thrown a party. The first gleek party.
And that night Rachel decides to drink for the first time. On her third beer (that has a foul taste in her opinion) she’s already giggly and sleepy. She sitting (it feels like sinking) on this chair, with Finn by one of her sides and Quinn, the one who remains sober to drive them home, by the other.
Suddenly she sees Puck coming into the house and gets really happy.
“Noah, Noah, come here, I’m here! We are here!” (she might be yelling a bit, she is not sure.)
He goes trying to hide a smile. He is wearing a shirt and some jeans and he looks gooood!
“Hey Noah, come here, give me a hug. That’s it, you smell nice. Dont you think he smells nice Finn? No? And you dressed up! Are you trying to get it on with someone (at this Mercedes looks at Matt and mouths “Get it on?”). Is it Tina? Because you are doing Tonight with her, so is like fate or something. We like Tina, dont we Quinn? OH MY GOD! If you want to I can totally tell her you are a good kisser. Cause you totally are, dont you think he is a good kisser Quinn?”
At that Finn starts to look tense, but Quinn only laughs and answers:
“Maybe a littler eager, dont you think?”
Puck looks totally offended till Rachel steps up to defended his honor.
“No, but eager is good. Is very him, isn’t it? Is like completely different from Finn Who is so solid and deep. Dont you agree Quinn, that kissing Finn is like being blanketed by the felling of being secure and held? I like kissing Finn.”
Finn smiles proudly when Quinn agrees.
“I like doing other stuff with Finn too,” She stage whispers and everybody laughs.
“But oh Quinn, dont be jealous. I like kissing you too. So much, your kisses are the sweetest and you know how to use the perfect amount of tongue.”
Everybody does a double take and the only sound is the background music (a synth version of Good Morning, Rachel notices).
“Is everyone on glee gay? Because that makes my coming out a lot less dramatic.” Kurt breaks the silence.
Rachel giggles into her glass and falls asleep.
Puck is carrying Rachel to the car when Santana approaches Quinn, Britanny in stow.
“Really Quinn? Your foray into lesbianism, and is with Rachel? The Queen of the gleeks?”
Brit chirps up and offers;
“I like Rachel. She’s pretty and is always singing, even outside of glee. Is nice to hear.”
Santana looks like she could kill, but Quinn only smiles.
“I agree. Good night ladies.”
So the unthinkable happens. They lose Regionals. Is not that big of a lost, they still place for Nationals, but is not perfect and Rachel is bummed. So bummed in fact that Quinn calls Finn and demands his presence. He picks his car and drives to Rachel’s, stopping at Puck’s in the way. Puck is very surprised. They sorta talk now and again, but they are not friends. Finn is still very pissed, but whatever, he knows Puck’s her friend, and that he can cheer her up, so he sucks up and do it.
When they get there Rachel is like, catatonic. Quinn looks panicked, and that is not good for the baby, so Finn makes her sit down and drink tea, while Puck tries to snap Rachel out of it.
“What happened? She was okay when we left you guys here. I mean, as okay as Rachel can get.”
“Nothing happened! She was a little sad that we lost, but that’s understandable, and then she started to get quieter, and quieter and just stopped.”
Finn and Puck look at each other in wonder.
“Man, I’ve always known she was crazy, but not that she was crazy crazy.”
“Did you try to put one of her musicals to play. Like The Wizard of Oz, or Hello Dolly or All That Jazz?”
Puck would have laughed if he didn’t recognized every single one of those titles. Fuck Rachel Berry, messing with his whole life.
“Yes, but then she just starts to cry hysterically. At least now she’s quiet.”
“And where are her dads? Maybe they’ve seen her like this before and know how to handle.”
“They are out of town, I think their cells have no signal.”
Rachel haven’t said one word since Finn got there. It started to freak him out. He looks at her and sees nothing. Is almost like she sleeping, like she is under a spell. Finn gets an idea (Rachel would be proud).
Oh, so he’s kissing her. That’s not something Puck needed to see right now. Still is kind of comforting to watch. Like they fit really well together, even if Finn is a giant and she is midget. His body covers her whole frame and it does looks like he is solid. And warm, like a blanket. And damn her getting under his skin and ingraining in his brain that metaphors are important.
She does wake up from her daze, and looks Finn right in the eyes. She whimpers a little.
“Oh Rach, oh sweetie, what’s the matter?”
She completely snaps and starts yelling, and Puck wonders why did they want her to talk again?
“The matter is that I’m a failure. If I cant even win a singing competition in OHIO, how will I ever enter Julliard and then how will I become a Broadway star? And Kurt is always telling me that everybody only likes me for my talent. But what if I’m not as talented as I think? What If I get stuck in this good for nothing town, with nobody to love me?”
The three of them look at each other with eyes big as sausages. Quinn recovers first, with a great sneer in her voice.
“Oh my God, can you stop being so selfish? You talk like you and you alone is the source to all of our talent. That if you are good we are good, and if you are a bad we are bad. Breaking news, there are eleven other people, 12 if you count Mr. Schue, that are just as important to our team as you. So get over yourself.”
Finn looks like he is just about to protest, when Quinn voice gets softer and she cradles Rachel’s chin.
“As for the other stuff, of course you are as talented as you think. Is almost annoying, but you worked hard to get there. And even if you dont make it to Broadway, and that’s not that big of a if, you can be sure that in this Godforsaken town, you are not staying, I’m guarantying you, because I’m not staying and wherever I go you will come with, comprendes?”
“Yeah” Finn starts “and about everybody only loving you for your talent, that’s not true either. You are kind, and smart, and loyal, and brave.”
“You are also hot and great on the sack.”
They all look at Puck expectantly.
“You are annoying and a pain in the ass.”
Puck thinks Quinn will murder him, but he sees a little smile on Rachel’s face.
“What? That’s a good thing, you annoy everybody so much that they go and do the stuff you want. That’s a great leadership skill.”
Rachel laughs, a belly laugh at that and Quinn just cant resist any longer and kisses her and it is sweet, and with the perfect amount of tongue.
Puck is not gonna lie, is hot. He thinks Finn thinks so too, because he is looking away trying to be distracted. But soon he is kissing her too, while Quinn is kissing her neck and this seems too fluid to be the first time. So the answer to the double team question is yes. He knew it.
Finn and Quinn kiss too and Rachel doesnt seem to mind. Actually there’s a fire in her eyes and she soons fixes her gaze on Puck and uh oh.
“Guys, Noah is there all alone and no one is kissing him, and he has been really nice to me latelly and he even came here today. So... can I?”
Rachel looks first at Quinn, and she nods and kisses her hairline. Then she looks at Finn and he is really not liking the idea. But Rachel looks at him with those big eyes and scratches her nail against his belly and he consents.
So now Puck is being summoned by Rachel and apparently they are going to triple-team her tonight, and how does that even work? But he is not gonna complain, being with Rachel and Quinn on the same night is pretty much the stock of fantasies and if for that to happen he has to kiss Finn too and do, hum, other stuff, well he can always remains in denial.
Nobody dies in their story. But someone is born. Drew Elizabeth, in short Drizzle. That is, that’s how Finn and Quinn call her. Most people say only Drew, Rachel calls her Liza because off-fucking-course she does, and Puck Lizzie, because every girl he ever dated made him watch that movie about pride and discrimination e and the main girl was smart, plucky, and didn’t fall for any other guy, just like his daughter is going to be, and was called Lizzie.
And yes, Quinn does keeps her, but the whole glee club sorts of adopt her, because Quinn is hell bent in finishing school to later become a CEO and own the world or something. Rachel makes schedules on who is going to watch her and everybody pitch in, even Santana under the pretense of accompanying Britanny, because Britanny might love babies but Rachel is almost certain that she has the same mental age as Liza. But every once and again she catches Santana by the corner of the eye, and she’s making faces and playing peak-a-boo
They find a replacement for Quinn on glee while she is on maternity leave. Rachel would have never pegged Karosfky as a singer.
Puck spends more time at the Berry’s home then his, and yes, sometimes he kisses Rachel just to piss Finn off, but nothing beyond that happens. He tries to date Tina for awhile (how did Rachel knew?) but Artie scares him away.
He doesn’t have time for more then one girl anyways, and even the load being almost equally divided between him, Finn, Quinn and Rachel (whoever heard of someone with four parents?) having a new born is still a lot of work.
And sometimes they all come exhausted for practice, but Rachel doesn’t care. After all, they still have the Nationals to conquer.
Storms of fabled foreign tongues