i think you're kinda sweet
Title: i think you're kinda sweet
Chapter: 1/1
Pairing: Puck/Rachel
Summary: Fictable prompt #7 - Chocolate.
Word Count: 2,900
Disclaimer: Don't own.
When her dads tell her the college fund they set up for her took a hit when the stock market basically went all to hell, Rachel panics. She doesn't really need to, they tell her, since there's still plenty of money in there to cover tuition and they're committed to paying her living expenses out of pocket. The problem is that there used to be enough money in that account for all four years of school, and now there's only enough for three.
How can she not panic over that?
So she gets a job. An honest to goodness job.
Sure, she continues to teach dance lessons, but that's just once a week and for an hour and it only pays $20. She needs more than that. Her schedule is crazy, but she cuts out a few clubs at school and her African Jazz dance class to free up some more of her time.
She gets a job at the local Starbucks. It just opened last year and it's always busy and she loves it there. The manager knows her by name because she goes in there a few times a week, and she knows before she's even through her interview that she's got the job. She also negotiates getting paid two dollars above minimum wage, but she's not at liberty to discuss how, just that it was totally legitimate and on the up and up, and really, her incredible grace, winning smile and shining personality are absolutely good reasons for her to earn more money than some of the misfits previously employed there.
She doesn't realize until halfway through her first shift that working in one of the most popular shops in the whole town means that she'll likely see people she knows.
All. The. Time.
First it's Mr. Schue. He smiles when he sees her and says he admires her dedication to her schooling. That's not so bad. He explains that sometimes he comes to Starbucks to grade papers because his house is too quiet, and she actually feels bad for him a little bit, because he doesn't really have anyone. She gives him a refill 'on the house' and drops change from her purse into the register to cover the cost after he's left.
Finn and Tina come in one night holding hands, and that's definitely been some big secret. The two of them blush and stutter and order one smoothie with two straws and Rachel thinks it's so cute she could be sick. They sit in the front corner by the window and talk and whisper, and really, she thinks they're basically adorable.
Mr. Hummel comes in one day for a bottle of water and ends up talking to her for 20 minutes, which is fine because it's a slow day and there's nothing else for her to do. She's always liked him more than anyone might think.
Santana orders a venti, double-sweet, half-caff, non-fat, no-whip, extra-hot, vanilla-raspberry latté. Rachel just shakes her head and calls the drink, and the barista looks at her like she's crazy. Santana buys a cupcake and says, "make sure it's the one with the most icing." Rachel knows it's for Brittany, but doesn't say anything about that.
The day Noah comes in with his little sister is the day Rachel is exhausted and even her usual grande soy chai latté can't pick her up. Hannah runs up to the counter and looks at all the treats through the glass, and Noah looks like he's bored and being forced into taking his sister anywhere.
"What's good?" he asks Rachel.
She smiles and waves at Hannah, then says, "Chocolate chip cookies," mostly because she knows they're his favourite. He doesn't crack a smile, though, just reaches for his wallet with one hand and holds up two fingers with the other. "Is that everything?"
"Hot chocolate!" Hannah says excitedly. Noah nods and Rachel rings them up.
They make small talk while she's fixing their drinks. Actually, it's mostly Hannah that does the talking, but Noah leans against the counter and listens and watches Rachel work.
"Thanks, hey?" he says, holding up his cup as Hannah heads back to the door. Rachel smiles and is about to say something when Hannah goes to sip from her cup. "Idiot! Don't! It's hot."
Rachel giggles and he looks at her over his shoulder. She waves and makes the next drink and listens to his truck as he drives off.
... ... ...
He starts coming in every Tuesday evening. He's always with his sister, and Rachel learns that it's the only day his mom works a 12 hour shift and she's out of the house from noon until midnight, so it falls on Noah to take care of Hannah. His mom leaves them money, so they either eat out or order in, or sometimes he cooks and they put the money in a secret hiding spot and save it. That's Hannah's idea, he swears. Rachel isn't so sure.
After a couple weeks, he and Hannah start sitting at whatever free table they can find. One night Mike is there and the three of them sit together. Her manager jokes that her working there has doubled business. That's obviously an exaggeration, but there do seem to be a lot of customers who come in regularly when she's working. Maybe her friends from glee club think she'll give them discounts or something. She never does. That wouldn't be right. There are set prices for a reason.
He comes in alone one evening. He's always making jokes about how he's going to leave Hannah somewhere sometime. Rachel doesn't really believe he'd do it, but it's Tuesday and so she has to wonder.
"Where is she?" she asks worriedly. He just laughs.
"Nana's."
"And how come you're not there?" Rachel asks as she starts making his hot chocolate. He leaves a few bills on the counter; she'll ring it in later.
"Something about girls or whatever," he says, shrugging his shoulder. "I dunno."
"So you weren't invited?" she asks. She puts a little extra whipped cream on top and a few chocolate sprinkles. "There you go."
He reaches for the cup and she watches him lick some of the whipped cream. He presses a lid down onto the cup and grins at her. "You're getting good at this."
"I'm good at everything."
He laughs again and rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Hey, you get a break?"
She's a little surprised he's asking, since they haven't exactly 'hung out' outside of school since that pathetic week they dated. Of course, she dated Finn for nearly a year, and Noah was with Mercedes with a not-entirely-brief period of time. Rachel seems to think it was nearly three months or something like that, which is almost admirable, considering those two are quite the odd couple. Rachel hasn't been with Finn months, and Noah and Mercedes broke up around the same time. Other than a few dates with a boy from West Lima she knew through the choir circuit, she hasn't seen anyone since. She's sure Noah hasn't exactly been lonely.
She's getting ahead of herself.
"I already took it. We close in an hour," she explains, wiping down the counter.
"Alright," he says easily, like he doesn't really care one way or the other. "See you tomorrow."
She'd ask him to stay, but it'd be silly since she's working and wouldn't really be able to talk to him or anything anyway.
... ... ...
She stops by work in the morning after studying most of the night for a test. Noah has the same class and test first, and he's told her he's working hard at school this year so he can actually get into college. She thinks that's incredibly admirable.
She buys him a hot chocolate with her discount and takes it with her to class, smiles at him as she sets it on his desk and sits next to him.
"What's this for?" he asks, turning the cup to see where she wrote his name on the side.
"I was just there, and I know you were probably up as late as I was," she says as she pulls her pens and pencils from her bag. "I promise it's not laced with anything."
He laughs and pushes the cup to the top corner of his desk. "Thanks."
They talk after their test and go over the answers they gave, and she smiles and tells him it sounds like he did a really good job. He looks relieved and tells her he has to get to Bio, and she watches him toss his Starbucks cup into the garbage can at the end of the hall.
... ... ...
He doesn't come in on Tuesday, and she's faced with the harsh reality that she's got a bit of a crush on him.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be this disappointed.
... ... ...
He walks through the door right before closing time one night, alone, and it's just she and her coworker in the store.
"Hey," he says. "You just about done?"
"We're just about to lock up, but I can make you something if you really want."
He gives her a strange look and shakes his head. "No, that's not what...What are you doing?"
"After work?" she asks. She hates sounding so confused and clueless. He nods and leans against the counter a little bit, phone in hand. It's a Friday and she knows Mike is having a party, and the reason she told him she couldn't go is because she had to work. That said, it was mostly an excuse and she just doesn't want to go. "I have to get home."
She doesn't know why she's said it because she actually wants to spend time with him, she just doesn't want to do it around the members of McKinley's basketball team, because she really can't stand most of them and the feeling is generally mutual.
"'Kay. Whatever. I'll see you."
She spends the rest of her night trying to figure out why he was so mad about it, why he marched to the door and didn't look back at her like he always does.
... ... ...
He storms into the shop on Saturday afternoon and she watches him tap his foot and groan every time someone orders something more complex than a plain cup of coffee. She's at the register and the whole shop is busy, and she doesn't understand why he's being so impatient.
"Look," he says seriously, both hands on the counter and leaning towards her once it's his turn. "This is messed up."
She glances around and sees that the whole lineup of people is staring at him, along with a few other patrons and her coworkers. "What?"
"You. This. You're..." He groans and runs his hand over his face. "I don't even like hot chocolate."
"What?" she repeats, her voice smaller.
"I don't. It's too sweet and I hate it and I always have."
"Well, sorry! I thought you liked it!" she shouts back. She could get fired for yelling in front of customers, but this moment seems bigger than...anything, actually.
"I never actually ordered it. You just kept making it," he says seriously, staring right at her. She opens her mouth, but he cuts her off before she can speak. "I don't like hot chocolate."
She scowls and crosses her arms. "Fine."
"No!" He rolls his eyes again and neither of them seems to care that there's now a lineup to the door. "I hate that shit, but I kept coming back for it." Now she's really confused. "And I didn't wanna, like, correct you or whatever, 'cause it's so fucking cute that you always have it just ready and waiting for me."
She holds her breath for a second, then blinks away the dryness in her eyes. "So what are you saying, Noah?"
He looks around and he must realize he's kind of causing a scene, because he leans over the counter to get closer to her, and starts speaking far more softly than he was before.
"I, like, like you or whatever," he says. She bites her lip but she knows she smiles anyway, because he does, too. "So don't give me some lameass reason why you can't hang out tonight. I'm coming over at 9:00."
She could just smile at him and nod, or tell him that a proper first date includes a meal and/or a movie, but she thinks if this line gets any longer, she really is going to get fired.
So she hops up on her toes, leans forward and fists the front of his shirt in her hand, then pulls him towards her and presses her lips to his. It's meant to be rather innocent. Well, as innocent as a kiss in a coffee shop full of people could be. Then he grabs onto the front of her apron at her stomach and holds her there, and his tongue comes out to try and part her lips. She won't let him, though, and she pushes him away a little bit. Her lids flutter before she looks at him, and the smirk on his lips is so predictable it almost makes her laugh.
"Yes, then?" he asks, cocky, which is about the least shocking thing about this whole scenario.
"9:00," she says, smoothing out her apron. She knows her cheeks are flushed with embarrassment, but she can't stop looking at him.
He winks at her before walking away, throws her a look through the window once he's outside.
... ... ...
He's early to her house, which she's okay with. They go to the edge of town, a spot you're not supposed to park at, and that's exactly what they do. She worries about it for a few minutes, getting caught and arrested and something going on their permanent records. Then his lips are slanted over hers and his hand is sliding up her thigh beneath her skirt. She vaguely hears him saying something about liking other kinds of chocolate, but it doesn't seem so relevant.
They share a Mr. Big as she sits close to his side in his truck, and she finds herself laughing at all the rude jokes he makes about the chocolate bar's name.
"I could make it less sweet for you," she says quietly when they're sitting in her driveway, really threatening to break her 1:00 a.m. curfew. "If you want."
He kisses her neck and grabs onto the side of her right knee, pulling her body so she's facing him. "Naw," he murmurs against her lips.
"Oh."
"What?" he asks, pulling back.
"I just thought I could have something else ready for you when you come see me at work," she says, shrugging one shoulder and playing with the bottom of her skirt.
He kisses her again, slides his hand beneath her skirt so his fingertips are tucked beneath the elastic of her underwear at the side of her hip. "Coffee, black."
She smiles. To be honest, she's just glad he's told her he'll come see her sometimes. "Okay. I have to go."
He kisses her and she can't really stop him. Technically she's home, right? This counts as beating curfew? "You taste like chocolate," he tells her. "Sexy."
"Noah, I really have to..." He finds the place below her ear that makes her mewl, and she can feel him smiling. When she feels his hand moving over her thigh and making its way to the inside, she puts her hand on his forearm. "Stop. I can't...You have to stop that." She's almost laughing as she shakes her head and he pulls away. "Goodnight."
He just nods and kisses the side of her mouth before she hops down out of his truck and heads to the house.
She beats her curfew by exactly 44 seconds and her father warns her about it, then in the next breath asks her how her date went, and she doesn't think she'll get into much trouble for this kind of thing.
"Honey, is that chocolate on your thigh?" Daddy asks as she gets up to go to bed. He doesn't look entirely thrilled. The fact that it's a smudged fingerprint probably doesn't really help her right now.
"I can explain."
Chapter: 1/1
Pairing: Puck/Rachel
Summary: Fictable prompt #7 - Chocolate.
Word Count: 2,900
Disclaimer: Don't own.
When her dads tell her the college fund they set up for her took a hit when the stock market basically went all to hell, Rachel panics. She doesn't really need to, they tell her, since there's still plenty of money in there to cover tuition and they're committed to paying her living expenses out of pocket. The problem is that there used to be enough money in that account for all four years of school, and now there's only enough for three.
How can she not panic over that?
So she gets a job. An honest to goodness job.
Sure, she continues to teach dance lessons, but that's just once a week and for an hour and it only pays $20. She needs more than that. Her schedule is crazy, but she cuts out a few clubs at school and her African Jazz dance class to free up some more of her time.
She gets a job at the local Starbucks. It just opened last year and it's always busy and she loves it there. The manager knows her by name because she goes in there a few times a week, and she knows before she's even through her interview that she's got the job. She also negotiates getting paid two dollars above minimum wage, but she's not at liberty to discuss how, just that it was totally legitimate and on the up and up, and really, her incredible grace, winning smile and shining personality are absolutely good reasons for her to earn more money than some of the misfits previously employed there.
She doesn't realize until halfway through her first shift that working in one of the most popular shops in the whole town means that she'll likely see people she knows.
All. The. Time.
First it's Mr. Schue. He smiles when he sees her and says he admires her dedication to her schooling. That's not so bad. He explains that sometimes he comes to Starbucks to grade papers because his house is too quiet, and she actually feels bad for him a little bit, because he doesn't really have anyone. She gives him a refill 'on the house' and drops change from her purse into the register to cover the cost after he's left.
Finn and Tina come in one night holding hands, and that's definitely been some big secret. The two of them blush and stutter and order one smoothie with two straws and Rachel thinks it's so cute she could be sick. They sit in the front corner by the window and talk and whisper, and really, she thinks they're basically adorable.
Mr. Hummel comes in one day for a bottle of water and ends up talking to her for 20 minutes, which is fine because it's a slow day and there's nothing else for her to do. She's always liked him more than anyone might think.
Santana orders a venti, double-sweet, half-caff, non-fat, no-whip, extra-hot, vanilla-raspberry latté. Rachel just shakes her head and calls the drink, and the barista looks at her like she's crazy. Santana buys a cupcake and says, "make sure it's the one with the most icing." Rachel knows it's for Brittany, but doesn't say anything about that.
The day Noah comes in with his little sister is the day Rachel is exhausted and even her usual grande soy chai latté can't pick her up. Hannah runs up to the counter and looks at all the treats through the glass, and Noah looks like he's bored and being forced into taking his sister anywhere.
"What's good?" he asks Rachel.
She smiles and waves at Hannah, then says, "Chocolate chip cookies," mostly because she knows they're his favourite. He doesn't crack a smile, though, just reaches for his wallet with one hand and holds up two fingers with the other. "Is that everything?"
"Hot chocolate!" Hannah says excitedly. Noah nods and Rachel rings them up.
They make small talk while she's fixing their drinks. Actually, it's mostly Hannah that does the talking, but Noah leans against the counter and listens and watches Rachel work.
"Thanks, hey?" he says, holding up his cup as Hannah heads back to the door. Rachel smiles and is about to say something when Hannah goes to sip from her cup. "Idiot! Don't! It's hot."
Rachel giggles and he looks at her over his shoulder. She waves and makes the next drink and listens to his truck as he drives off.
... ... ...
He starts coming in every Tuesday evening. He's always with his sister, and Rachel learns that it's the only day his mom works a 12 hour shift and she's out of the house from noon until midnight, so it falls on Noah to take care of Hannah. His mom leaves them money, so they either eat out or order in, or sometimes he cooks and they put the money in a secret hiding spot and save it. That's Hannah's idea, he swears. Rachel isn't so sure.
After a couple weeks, he and Hannah start sitting at whatever free table they can find. One night Mike is there and the three of them sit together. Her manager jokes that her working there has doubled business. That's obviously an exaggeration, but there do seem to be a lot of customers who come in regularly when she's working. Maybe her friends from glee club think she'll give them discounts or something. She never does. That wouldn't be right. There are set prices for a reason.
He comes in alone one evening. He's always making jokes about how he's going to leave Hannah somewhere sometime. Rachel doesn't really believe he'd do it, but it's Tuesday and so she has to wonder.
"Where is she?" she asks worriedly. He just laughs.
"Nana's."
"And how come you're not there?" Rachel asks as she starts making his hot chocolate. He leaves a few bills on the counter; she'll ring it in later.
"Something about girls or whatever," he says, shrugging his shoulder. "I dunno."
"So you weren't invited?" she asks. She puts a little extra whipped cream on top and a few chocolate sprinkles. "There you go."
He reaches for the cup and she watches him lick some of the whipped cream. He presses a lid down onto the cup and grins at her. "You're getting good at this."
"I'm good at everything."
He laughs again and rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Hey, you get a break?"
She's a little surprised he's asking, since they haven't exactly 'hung out' outside of school since that pathetic week they dated. Of course, she dated Finn for nearly a year, and Noah was with Mercedes with a not-entirely-brief period of time. Rachel seems to think it was nearly three months or something like that, which is almost admirable, considering those two are quite the odd couple. Rachel hasn't been with Finn months, and Noah and Mercedes broke up around the same time. Other than a few dates with a boy from West Lima she knew through the choir circuit, she hasn't seen anyone since. She's sure Noah hasn't exactly been lonely.
She's getting ahead of herself.
"I already took it. We close in an hour," she explains, wiping down the counter.
"Alright," he says easily, like he doesn't really care one way or the other. "See you tomorrow."
She'd ask him to stay, but it'd be silly since she's working and wouldn't really be able to talk to him or anything anyway.
... ... ...
She stops by work in the morning after studying most of the night for a test. Noah has the same class and test first, and he's told her he's working hard at school this year so he can actually get into college. She thinks that's incredibly admirable.
She buys him a hot chocolate with her discount and takes it with her to class, smiles at him as she sets it on his desk and sits next to him.
"What's this for?" he asks, turning the cup to see where she wrote his name on the side.
"I was just there, and I know you were probably up as late as I was," she says as she pulls her pens and pencils from her bag. "I promise it's not laced with anything."
He laughs and pushes the cup to the top corner of his desk. "Thanks."
They talk after their test and go over the answers they gave, and she smiles and tells him it sounds like he did a really good job. He looks relieved and tells her he has to get to Bio, and she watches him toss his Starbucks cup into the garbage can at the end of the hall.
... ... ...
He doesn't come in on Tuesday, and she's faced with the harsh reality that she's got a bit of a crush on him.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be this disappointed.
... ... ...
He walks through the door right before closing time one night, alone, and it's just she and her coworker in the store.
"Hey," he says. "You just about done?"
"We're just about to lock up, but I can make you something if you really want."
He gives her a strange look and shakes his head. "No, that's not what...What are you doing?"
"After work?" she asks. She hates sounding so confused and clueless. He nods and leans against the counter a little bit, phone in hand. It's a Friday and she knows Mike is having a party, and the reason she told him she couldn't go is because she had to work. That said, it was mostly an excuse and she just doesn't want to go. "I have to get home."
She doesn't know why she's said it because she actually wants to spend time with him, she just doesn't want to do it around the members of McKinley's basketball team, because she really can't stand most of them and the feeling is generally mutual.
"'Kay. Whatever. I'll see you."
She spends the rest of her night trying to figure out why he was so mad about it, why he marched to the door and didn't look back at her like he always does.
... ... ...
He storms into the shop on Saturday afternoon and she watches him tap his foot and groan every time someone orders something more complex than a plain cup of coffee. She's at the register and the whole shop is busy, and she doesn't understand why he's being so impatient.
"Look," he says seriously, both hands on the counter and leaning towards her once it's his turn. "This is messed up."
She glances around and sees that the whole lineup of people is staring at him, along with a few other patrons and her coworkers. "What?"
"You. This. You're..." He groans and runs his hand over his face. "I don't even like hot chocolate."
"What?" she repeats, her voice smaller.
"I don't. It's too sweet and I hate it and I always have."
"Well, sorry! I thought you liked it!" she shouts back. She could get fired for yelling in front of customers, but this moment seems bigger than...anything, actually.
"I never actually ordered it. You just kept making it," he says seriously, staring right at her. She opens her mouth, but he cuts her off before she can speak. "I don't like hot chocolate."
She scowls and crosses her arms. "Fine."
"No!" He rolls his eyes again and neither of them seems to care that there's now a lineup to the door. "I hate that shit, but I kept coming back for it." Now she's really confused. "And I didn't wanna, like, correct you or whatever, 'cause it's so fucking cute that you always have it just ready and waiting for me."
She holds her breath for a second, then blinks away the dryness in her eyes. "So what are you saying, Noah?"
He looks around and he must realize he's kind of causing a scene, because he leans over the counter to get closer to her, and starts speaking far more softly than he was before.
"I, like, like you or whatever," he says. She bites her lip but she knows she smiles anyway, because he does, too. "So don't give me some lameass reason why you can't hang out tonight. I'm coming over at 9:00."
She could just smile at him and nod, or tell him that a proper first date includes a meal and/or a movie, but she thinks if this line gets any longer, she really is going to get fired.
So she hops up on her toes, leans forward and fists the front of his shirt in her hand, then pulls him towards her and presses her lips to his. It's meant to be rather innocent. Well, as innocent as a kiss in a coffee shop full of people could be. Then he grabs onto the front of her apron at her stomach and holds her there, and his tongue comes out to try and part her lips. She won't let him, though, and she pushes him away a little bit. Her lids flutter before she looks at him, and the smirk on his lips is so predictable it almost makes her laugh.
"Yes, then?" he asks, cocky, which is about the least shocking thing about this whole scenario.
"9:00," she says, smoothing out her apron. She knows her cheeks are flushed with embarrassment, but she can't stop looking at him.
He winks at her before walking away, throws her a look through the window once he's outside.
... ... ...
He's early to her house, which she's okay with. They go to the edge of town, a spot you're not supposed to park at, and that's exactly what they do. She worries about it for a few minutes, getting caught and arrested and something going on their permanent records. Then his lips are slanted over hers and his hand is sliding up her thigh beneath her skirt. She vaguely hears him saying something about liking other kinds of chocolate, but it doesn't seem so relevant.
They share a Mr. Big as she sits close to his side in his truck, and she finds herself laughing at all the rude jokes he makes about the chocolate bar's name.
"I could make it less sweet for you," she says quietly when they're sitting in her driveway, really threatening to break her 1:00 a.m. curfew. "If you want."
He kisses her neck and grabs onto the side of her right knee, pulling her body so she's facing him. "Naw," he murmurs against her lips.
"Oh."
"What?" he asks, pulling back.
"I just thought I could have something else ready for you when you come see me at work," she says, shrugging one shoulder and playing with the bottom of her skirt.
He kisses her again, slides his hand beneath her skirt so his fingertips are tucked beneath the elastic of her underwear at the side of her hip. "Coffee, black."
She smiles. To be honest, she's just glad he's told her he'll come see her sometimes. "Okay. I have to go."
He kisses her and she can't really stop him. Technically she's home, right? This counts as beating curfew? "You taste like chocolate," he tells her. "Sexy."
"Noah, I really have to..." He finds the place below her ear that makes her mewl, and she can feel him smiling. When she feels his hand moving over her thigh and making its way to the inside, she puts her hand on his forearm. "Stop. I can't...You have to stop that." She's almost laughing as she shakes her head and he pulls away. "Goodnight."
He just nods and kisses the side of her mouth before she hops down out of his truck and heads to the house.
She beats her curfew by exactly 44 seconds and her father warns her about it, then in the next breath asks her how her date went, and she doesn't think she'll get into much trouble for this kind of thing.
"Honey, is that chocolate on your thigh?" Daddy asks as she gets up to go to bed. He doesn't look entirely thrilled. The fact that it's a smudged fingerprint probably doesn't really help her right now.
"I can explain."