on the football field - one shot
Glee. Puck/Rachel. 1,548 words. PURE 150% ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP FLUFF, in the same "'verse" as the others. PG-13 (I guess?) for language and innuendo? Quick shout out to une_fille: you aight. Oh and this was entirely inspired by this photo:
On the Football Field
---
“How do you even put this-”
“Listen, Berry, just calm down and stop flailing like a fish outta water, okay? All you gotta do is stick your head through the-”
“I can’t even see where-”
“Fuck, its right there-”
“Oh! Got it!”
His padding falls onto her shoulders with a soft thud just as her head pokes out from his jersey. They’re standing on the twenty yard line, a case of beer in a cooler at Puck’s feet, the buzz of locusts and the damp heat of a sweltering summer day hanging in the night air. She’s standing there, drowning in sea of red, her flowery sundress billowing around her legs, longer than what he’s used to, but it’s breezy and reminds him of summers on Lake Michigan when he was a kid.
Two-a-days are starting in a week but no one’s really back from summer vacation yet, so he figures it’s the perfect time to get some extra work in. His mom’s been putting ridiculous thoughts in his head about recruiters and football scholarships, and having Berry’s gold star optimism buzzing in his ear non-stop has only made things worse because now he’s actually starting to think, Maybe…
She pulls his helmet over her tiny head then holds her arms out to her side, trying to keep balance. He takes a few steps forward and reaches a hand out to steady her.
“Whoa, lookin’ a little top-heavy there, champ.”
She swats his hand away and he chuckles, feigning surrender.
“It just takes a little getting-used to is all,” her voice is muffled behind her hair and the gear, and he swears she’s panting a little under the weight- “Now, okay, so…What are the rules again?”
“Oh my God, we’re gonna be here all night aren’t we?”
“Okay fine, forget it, where’s the ball?”
Puck reaches down into his duffel bag, pulls out a football, and tosses it to her. When the ball ricochets off her chest padding and into the grass, he bites his lip to keep from laughing. She reaches down and scoops it up, and her eyes meet his with a mischievous glint.
“So, basically all I have to do is hold on to this ball and run from one end of the field to the other and not let you catch me?”
“Pretty much.”
She tosses the ball to herself then looks back at him. “That doesn’t seem so hard.”
He laughs as he takes a swig of beer then shoves his can in the cooler with the others. “Is that a challenge?”
She stares him down, hopping from foot-to-foot, her mouth hanging open in a goofy grin and he just tilts his head and stares back at her through heavy lids. After a beat, he chuckles.
“Alright babe, you asked for it.” He reaches down for the hem of his T-shirt, slings it over his head, and tosses it into his bag. She rolls her eyes as he flexes his guns, his cargo shorts hanging considerably lower than his fire truck boxers.
With the ball under one arm, she stands up straight and puts her hands on her hips. “Excuse me, and how exactly was that necessary in any way?”
“Listen, it’s not my problem if you can’t resist my hot bod, okay?” He slips his flip flops off and tosses them to the side, but before his toes can even sink into the cool grass, she’s off.
“Fuck-You little cheater!”
“I learned from the best!” She tosses the words over her shoulder, already half-way down the field, and he laughs to himself because, she’s kind of right.
It only takes a couple strides at half-sprint for him to catch up with her. He throws his arms around her waist and she squeals as he spins her around and the ball pops out of her hands.
“Oh shit!” Quickly, he lets go of Rachel, lunges for the ball, and immediately starts heading back downfield.
“Hey! Unnecessary manhandling!” She gasps between giggles, chasing after him. He’s doing obnoxious touchdown dances all the way down the field, at one point, turning around to do a backwards running man to the endzone.
“C’mon, B? Show me what you’re made of,” he taunts, gesturing for her to hit him with all she’s got. So she trots towards him before putting her head down and bracing for impact.
The first thing he thinks when his 100-pound waif of a girlfriend barrels into his midsection, is something along the lines of, this-is-the-funniest-shit-I-have-ever-seen-in-my-life. When he realizes he’s lying on his back, all the wind knocked out of him, and Rachel frantically pulling the helmet off her head, he sticks his tongue out and plays dead.
“Jesus, Berry. Why didn’t you tell me you’re secretly an NFL linebacker? Shit.”
“Oh my God, Noah, are you okay? Should I call 911? Should I-” She’s scrambling around looking for her phone but Puck sits up with a grimace and grabs her hands immediately.
“I swear to God, if you tell anyone I got my ass handed to me by a chick, we are so done.”
When he settles back onto the grass with a groan, holding his gut, she smiles guiltily.
“Whatever, okay? If you weren’t wearing my stupid fucking pads-”
“Excuse me, if you were wearing a shirt, then maybe-”
“Because a little piece of cloth would really cushion the blow.”
“Oh hush up, you’re just a big baby, you know that right?”
He slaps on his sorriest fake pout and points to his abdomen. “Kiss and make it better?”
-
“Are you sure no one’s gonna-”
“Trust me, it’s just us out here tonight.” He fishes a can out of the cooler, snaps it open, and hands it down to her. She takes it gingerly, the cool perspiration a shock on her sweaty palms. She takes a small sip as Puck settles down behind her, positioning her between his legs. She rests her head back against his chest and takes a deep breath. She feels him take a final chug then toss his can to the side. He lifts her hand from his side and places a few ice cubes in them. She smiles as they melt into a little pool in her palm.
“When did you know you wanted to be a football player?” She asks softly. He runs a wet hand down her arm (which she should consider vile, but it keeps the heat away) then pats an indecipherable beat against her waist.
“Fuck if I know. Not all of us have our lives sorted out like you, B.” She takes another slow swig and feels his lips against her neck. She smiles.
“I mean…Doesn’t everyone have that moment? Where everything kind of clicks?” She lets her eyes drift closed with the lulling warmth of his tongue on her skin.
He pulls back and moves her hair to one side. “I dunno, thinking too far in advance…” He looks off into the distance, then back down at her smooth skin, “sometimes it’s hard just to not fuck things up in the here and now, you know?”
He watches her nod her head lazily, the hum of summer and the buzz of his skin putting her to sleep, so he leans his mouth to her ear and whispers something to her, his lips turned up in a conspiratorial grin as her eyes quickly perk open. He leans back, sprawling out on the grass, his hands behind his head. She tosses a suspiciously happy, disapproving glance over her shoulder, and he just puckers his lips and beckons her to him with one finger.
As she settles down beside him, her legs tangled with his, her fingers dancing across his abdomen, she presses a warm kiss on the corner of his mouth.
-
When they pull in front of Rachel’s house, she hops out of the car and walks around to the driver’s side window. Her dads are sitting on the front porch, drinking tea and pretending not to watch every move their daughter makes. She hangs her arms over Puck’s window and he tilts his head towards her.
“You know, the least you could have done was put your shirt back on.”
“And deprive your dads of two tickets to the gun show? That just seems wrong.”
She rolls her eyes and turns around, about to head towards her fathers when Puck calls her name. She turns back to him, a lazy smile on playing on her lips.
“C’mere.” He drawls, motioning to the car with his head.
She walks over and places her arms back in his window, and he just stares up at her, his eyes a wash of lust and green and wonder-
He places a gentle hand on her chin, tilting it down and kisses her, warm and full. Her hands flutter softly to his cheeks and stay there before he finally pulls away.
“See you in half an hour?” He whispers with a grin. She shoves his face away and laughs, a skip in her step as she makes her way towards her house.
“I take that as a yes?” He calls out, and she turns around and shrugs with a laugh, then throws him a wink.
---
On the Football Field
---
“How do you even put this-”
“Listen, Berry, just calm down and stop flailing like a fish outta water, okay? All you gotta do is stick your head through the-”
“I can’t even see where-”
“Fuck, its right there-”
“Oh! Got it!”
His padding falls onto her shoulders with a soft thud just as her head pokes out from his jersey. They’re standing on the twenty yard line, a case of beer in a cooler at Puck’s feet, the buzz of locusts and the damp heat of a sweltering summer day hanging in the night air. She’s standing there, drowning in sea of red, her flowery sundress billowing around her legs, longer than what he’s used to, but it’s breezy and reminds him of summers on Lake Michigan when he was a kid.
Two-a-days are starting in a week but no one’s really back from summer vacation yet, so he figures it’s the perfect time to get some extra work in. His mom’s been putting ridiculous thoughts in his head about recruiters and football scholarships, and having Berry’s gold star optimism buzzing in his ear non-stop has only made things worse because now he’s actually starting to think, Maybe…
She pulls his helmet over her tiny head then holds her arms out to her side, trying to keep balance. He takes a few steps forward and reaches a hand out to steady her.
“Whoa, lookin’ a little top-heavy there, champ.”
She swats his hand away and he chuckles, feigning surrender.
“It just takes a little getting-used to is all,” her voice is muffled behind her hair and the gear, and he swears she’s panting a little under the weight- “Now, okay, so…What are the rules again?”
“Oh my God, we’re gonna be here all night aren’t we?”
“Okay fine, forget it, where’s the ball?”
Puck reaches down into his duffel bag, pulls out a football, and tosses it to her. When the ball ricochets off her chest padding and into the grass, he bites his lip to keep from laughing. She reaches down and scoops it up, and her eyes meet his with a mischievous glint.
“So, basically all I have to do is hold on to this ball and run from one end of the field to the other and not let you catch me?”
“Pretty much.”
She tosses the ball to herself then looks back at him. “That doesn’t seem so hard.”
He laughs as he takes a swig of beer then shoves his can in the cooler with the others. “Is that a challenge?”
She stares him down, hopping from foot-to-foot, her mouth hanging open in a goofy grin and he just tilts his head and stares back at her through heavy lids. After a beat, he chuckles.
“Alright babe, you asked for it.” He reaches down for the hem of his T-shirt, slings it over his head, and tosses it into his bag. She rolls her eyes as he flexes his guns, his cargo shorts hanging considerably lower than his fire truck boxers.
With the ball under one arm, she stands up straight and puts her hands on her hips. “Excuse me, and how exactly was that necessary in any way?”
“Listen, it’s not my problem if you can’t resist my hot bod, okay?” He slips his flip flops off and tosses them to the side, but before his toes can even sink into the cool grass, she’s off.
“Fuck-You little cheater!”
“I learned from the best!” She tosses the words over her shoulder, already half-way down the field, and he laughs to himself because, she’s kind of right.
It only takes a couple strides at half-sprint for him to catch up with her. He throws his arms around her waist and she squeals as he spins her around and the ball pops out of her hands.
“Oh shit!” Quickly, he lets go of Rachel, lunges for the ball, and immediately starts heading back downfield.
“Hey! Unnecessary manhandling!” She gasps between giggles, chasing after him. He’s doing obnoxious touchdown dances all the way down the field, at one point, turning around to do a backwards running man to the endzone.
“C’mon, B? Show me what you’re made of,” he taunts, gesturing for her to hit him with all she’s got. So she trots towards him before putting her head down and bracing for impact.
The first thing he thinks when his 100-pound waif of a girlfriend barrels into his midsection, is something along the lines of, this-is-the-funniest-shit-I-have-ever-seen-in-my-life. When he realizes he’s lying on his back, all the wind knocked out of him, and Rachel frantically pulling the helmet off her head, he sticks his tongue out and plays dead.
“Jesus, Berry. Why didn’t you tell me you’re secretly an NFL linebacker? Shit.”
“Oh my God, Noah, are you okay? Should I call 911? Should I-” She’s scrambling around looking for her phone but Puck sits up with a grimace and grabs her hands immediately.
“I swear to God, if you tell anyone I got my ass handed to me by a chick, we are so done.”
When he settles back onto the grass with a groan, holding his gut, she smiles guiltily.
“Whatever, okay? If you weren’t wearing my stupid fucking pads-”
“Excuse me, if you were wearing a shirt, then maybe-”
“Because a little piece of cloth would really cushion the blow.”
“Oh hush up, you’re just a big baby, you know that right?”
He slaps on his sorriest fake pout and points to his abdomen. “Kiss and make it better?”
-
“Are you sure no one’s gonna-”
“Trust me, it’s just us out here tonight.” He fishes a can out of the cooler, snaps it open, and hands it down to her. She takes it gingerly, the cool perspiration a shock on her sweaty palms. She takes a small sip as Puck settles down behind her, positioning her between his legs. She rests her head back against his chest and takes a deep breath. She feels him take a final chug then toss his can to the side. He lifts her hand from his side and places a few ice cubes in them. She smiles as they melt into a little pool in her palm.
“When did you know you wanted to be a football player?” She asks softly. He runs a wet hand down her arm (which she should consider vile, but it keeps the heat away) then pats an indecipherable beat against her waist.
“Fuck if I know. Not all of us have our lives sorted out like you, B.” She takes another slow swig and feels his lips against her neck. She smiles.
“I mean…Doesn’t everyone have that moment? Where everything kind of clicks?” She lets her eyes drift closed with the lulling warmth of his tongue on her skin.
He pulls back and moves her hair to one side. “I dunno, thinking too far in advance…” He looks off into the distance, then back down at her smooth skin, “sometimes it’s hard just to not fuck things up in the here and now, you know?”
He watches her nod her head lazily, the hum of summer and the buzz of his skin putting her to sleep, so he leans his mouth to her ear and whispers something to her, his lips turned up in a conspiratorial grin as her eyes quickly perk open. He leans back, sprawling out on the grass, his hands behind his head. She tosses a suspiciously happy, disapproving glance over her shoulder, and he just puckers his lips and beckons her to him with one finger.
As she settles down beside him, her legs tangled with his, her fingers dancing across his abdomen, she presses a warm kiss on the corner of his mouth.
-
When they pull in front of Rachel’s house, she hops out of the car and walks around to the driver’s side window. Her dads are sitting on the front porch, drinking tea and pretending not to watch every move their daughter makes. She hangs her arms over Puck’s window and he tilts his head towards her.
“You know, the least you could have done was put your shirt back on.”
“And deprive your dads of two tickets to the gun show? That just seems wrong.”
She rolls her eyes and turns around, about to head towards her fathers when Puck calls her name. She turns back to him, a lazy smile on playing on her lips.
“C’mere.” He drawls, motioning to the car with his head.
She walks over and places her arms back in his window, and he just stares up at her, his eyes a wash of lust and green and wonder-
He places a gentle hand on her chin, tilting it down and kisses her, warm and full. Her hands flutter softly to his cheeks and stay there before he finally pulls away.
“See you in half an hour?” He whispers with a grin. She shoves his face away and laughs, a skip in her step as she makes her way towards her house.
“I take that as a yes?” He calls out, and she turns around and shrugs with a laugh, then throws him a wink.
---