#203 -- Crumpled Paper -- Glee

[persephone-20.livejournal.com]

Title: Crumpled Paper
Author: persephone_20
Rating: PG
Fandom: Glee
Characters: Puck, Finn and Rachel.
Spoilers: Between Funk and Journey
Notes: X-posted to gleefic

In the last weeks leading up to sectionals, Puck noticed himself being the recipient of some of Rachel's more high wattage smiles. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, and found himself being the guy who smiled back awkwardly, when Santana wasn't watching anyway.

Or, so he thought.

She came right up in his face when he was at his lockers, not giving him a moment in which to speak first.

"Rachel?" Her hand was up against the lockers level with Puck's head. He gave it a glance, which gave him, well, an extra second to come up with an appropriate response. "Like it wasn't enough with Quinn. Do you have to sleep through every group you're in?" Her eyes flashed, warning him to be careful where he treaded.

"Baby. I sleep with everyone. Period." So it wasn't the most careful treading that had ever occurred, but at least it took the focus off anything happening with him and Rachel. The corner of his lip quirked. "Jealous?"

"Shove it. I'm getting more, and I'm getting it more often." Her look was condescending, letting him know that him and Rachel was not forgotten. "You used to be a stud, Puck, and that made me look good. Don't make me look bad."

With one last look, she was pushing herself away from the lockers, away from him.

**

When he makes it to glee rehearsals--late, he had a reputation to keep up even without Santana's prompting--he notices Finn and Rachel sitting next to each other. Fine. Fine and good, he thinks, though he deliberately avoids sitting next to Santana. Of all the women there, it seems least offensive to sit himself next to Tina. He's not sitting with any of the dudes; he has enough of that at football practice.

Standing in front of them, Shue is going on about this week's current project. Imminent sectionals has gotten everyone's energy buzzing, even if it is only inside of this room. Therefore, it's not surprising when Rachel levers herself up away from Finn and addresses the rest of the club.

"As you all know, sectionals are a little over a week away. Even though most of your voices are sounding much better than they were at regionals, we still have a lot of work to do. I was thinking that the project for this week might feel more unified if it was to come from one of the group members so.." She looked at Shue. "..with Mr. Shue's permission..."

Shue waved a hand to her. He had long since become resigned to Rachel's sudden outbursts. They all had. For some reason, today nobody seemed surprised. It stood as evidence that the shadow of Jesse St. James was no longer so heavy on her.

Puck looked at Finn again. He thought he might have some idea of the reason for that.

He tuned out instead of listening to the rest of Rachel's suggestions for the rest of the club. They'd been able to meet privately for glee projects in the past; there was no reason to think that this time would be any different. Especially with those high wattage smiles in his favor. For some reason, the idea of Finn claiming all of her affections for himself stuck him in the back of the throat. They hadn't spoken since the time in the hall after Figgins' office.

**

It didn't start out that way, but when Puck caught sight of Finn and Rachel leaving the school hand in hand, he just had to call out to them.

Rachel turned around to face him happily; Finn, not so much.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I don't recall it was your name I called," Puck answered, before delivering the easiest smile he'd granted to Rachel since their kiss a couple of days ago. She returned it just as easily.

"What is it, Noah?"

"I figured we could work on the glee club project together. What do you think?"

**

It was like that terrible 'Run Joey Run' song all over again except, this time, both of the boys involved knew they were doing it together. The thought obviously occurred to Rachel too, but they were all nice enough not to mention it.

Both Puck and Finn were very much on their best behaviour from the time they three left the school grounds together. Rachel babbled on, oblivious to undercurrents, saying how good it was to see that their friendship was getting back on the rails again, saying also that wasn't it good how glee club brought people together and wasn't it great that they had both joined and stayed on.

About the only thing that Puck and Finn could both agree on was the murmured 'agreements' that came at the end of every one of Rachel's expectant looks towards them.

Once they started working on the glee project, though, things started getting easier. It wasn't like Puck and Finn hadn't been singing together almost every other day since Finn had realised what an idiot he'd been with believing he'd been the one to get Quinn pregnant.

They managed to get through that first afternoon seamlessly. The second time, Finn tried to talk Rachel around to a glee practice with just the two of them, but Rachel wasn't having any of it.

"We got so much done with the three of us last time. Why would we change it when we're going so well?"

The third time, Puck was the first one to get to her after school. With only a couple of days still remaining before sectionals, he'd expected to see Rachel more focused than ever. Neither one of them had talked about the kiss they'd shared since it had happened, certainly not in front of Finn. It had occurred to Puck that the same thing could have happened between Rachel and Finn and he wouldn't know, but he tried not to think about that too often. For now, it was just enough to make sure that he was still in the running.

What the prize would be still remained a solid question mark. It wasn't like he actually wanted to date her or anything.

Seeing her on that third time he, Finn and Rachel were meant to get together made Puck think of that kiss. While she didn't look quite so defeated as that last time, there was definitely something of that 'trying to hold it all in against the world' feeling about her.

"...Rachel?"

He queried her gently, almost hoping she wouldn't hear him. He still wasn't good at this, but at least with her he wasn't expected to be good at this. At least, it hadn't been expected last time.

Rachel turned slowly, trying a smile that so didn't work.

"Hi, Noah."

It wasn't a tissue she was holding in her hand this time, though it was the same colour. His eyes were drawn to it, curiosity drawing him to the weakest part of this picture. "What's that?"

She held it as though it was precious and awful at the same time. The tension of her grip had seen the paper she held completely crumpled. Who knew what condition it had arrived to her in, or what was written there.

"It's from Jesse." That last word, his name, was whispered pain. It was also all that was needed to be said; the rest was easily imagined. Puck felt previously forgotten rage rise up in him again, but this time there was no Finn to offload some of it onto. This close to sectionals and St. James was still trying to mess his girl up. Of course he was. Bastard.

"Here," he said, holding his hand out for the crumpled paper. He didn't do it so he could read it. More so she wouldn't.

But Rachel shook her head. "No... I..."

"What's up, guys?"

Finn's voice, suddenly interjecting into the charged moment, held nothing of the knowledge between the two of them. Rachel actually jumped; her hold on the paper became more tight. Puck didn't trust himself to speak.

Though Finn might not have been the brightest boy on the block, it didn't take even him long to figure something was wrong with this picture.

"What's up?" he said again, his tone completely different this time.

Still Puck didn't say anything, looking to Rachel so as to follow her lead. But again, she wasn't coming up with anything. Damned Jesse. This prince was really a piece of work.

"Jesse," Puck eventually ground out, between clenched teeth. Finn looked up to him, surprised at first, then his mouth flattened into a thin line that was probably much the same shape as Puck's. After that, however, Finn's reaction was significantly different than Puck's had been.

"It's okay.."

Rachel looked up to him, tentative hope shining in her eyes. Finn nodded once.

"It is. You don't have to worry. What ever he's said, or..." His eyes drifted down to the paper she still held, but he didn't pause long enough for her to get caught up on it again. ".. wrote. Come on." There he moved towards her, slow and nonthreatening, to put his arm around her shoulders. "Let's get you home."

Damn. But he was good.

Puck had never seen his ex best mate like this. No wonder the girls flocked to him. No wonder Quinn had chosen him over Puck. No wonder Rachel...

He took a deep though silent breath. No one here needed to know what was thinking here. He was still a stud. He had a lot of sleeping around still to do if he was going to catch up with Santana. How much more often had she been meaning, anyway? Puck wondered how long it would take him to get that information from her, in the most intimate way possible. He still had that reputation to protect after all.

Before Rachel and Finn walked off on him, Finn turned his head, looked Puck straight in the eyes. "You coming?"

"Yeah, man." Puck didn't hesitate. Screw reputation.