Title: Regret is a Powerful Thing

Pairing: Puckleberry [i.e. Noah/Rachel]

Rating: K+

Summary: The feeling of a slushie in the face was not something she would ever forget, nor would she forget the offenders. She just knew that one day they would regret all that they had done.

Warnings: cuteness [?]

Spoilers: I would say up until the most recent episode to be safe.

Authors Note: My first and probably last attempt at writing a Glee fic. :] I hope you enjoy it!

Oh the first part is set sometime before Noah joined glee maybe even before the premiere, and the second part is sometime after "Mash-up"

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The cold liquid dripped down her face in clumps, staining her yellow sundress a blotchy red as it went. She knew she shouldn't have been wearing her brand new clothes to school, but she thought maybe things would be different once they saw how nice she looked in the dress. She had been wrong.

The words came pouring out of her mouth before she could stop them, "One day you are going to regret this." Like the frozen slushie that continued to cascade off of her face in waves, her heart gained an icy chill as well. She did not care for the look in their eyes, for the hatred that shone so brightly within them.

"Is that a threat?" Noah Puckerman asked smarmily, causing raucous laughter to erupt from behind him.

She would not allow herself to be intimidated by this group of raging Neanderthals, so she simply raised her chin making sure to look at each every one of them in the eye, catching Noah's last. "No, Puck," She spat in a voice she had no idea she possessed, it was also the first time she had used his nickname – you could mark that as another one of Rachel Berry's many undiscovered talents. "It is a fact," she turned then, her head held high while she silently mourned the loss of her dress. It was in that moment that she knew that everyone at McKinley High was going to regret every cruel thing they had ever done to her. She was Rachel Berry and one day she was going to be a star.

--

Months had passed since that incident and so much had happened that she couldn't seem to connect that time to now. She had dated Noah Puckerman. The thought still caused shivers to course down her spine and she tried to tell herself it was out of revulsion but she couldn't really convince herself of this fact.

She tried to avoid him at all costs, knowing that one day he was going to regret everything he had done to her and she just had to work on getting there. When she was famous everyone that had been at McKinley High was going to eat their harsh words, they would be groveling at her feet and asking for her forgiveness. She'd think about it but in the end she probably wouldn't give it to them because the feel of that slushie slamming into her face would forever be ingrained.

She smiled a secretive smile as she pulled her last book out of her locker. She looked up from her musing only to see Noah Puckerman striding confidently down the hall towards her, a slushie was grasped in his firm grip. She froze her spine stiffening as she closed her eyes awaiting the newest attack. It had been a while since he had thrown a slushie at her, and sure the last time he had came to her with a slushie he had given it to her to drink. But so much had happened since then, she'd broken up with him and who knows how much that had affected his ego.

She squeezed her eyes tighter when she heard his footsteps come to a stop right in front of her. She clutched her bag in her hand as she awaited the frozen onslaught. "Just do it, Noah," she stated through gritted teeth, she was tired of playing the waiting game, once it was over with then she could run to the bathroom and clean off all the while trying to attempt this newest form of humiliation.

"Berry," his rough voice was calm, and she found herself sighing before she opened her eyes.

The first thing that was caught in her vision was the grape slushie and she found herself instinctively flinching away from him. He probably just wanted her to look him in the eyes as the doused her in the icy confection. She resigned herself to her fate then, trailing her gaze slowly up his form while she tried not to gawk at his muscular build, which would not help her situation at all.

When her gaze locked on his she found that his eyes were filled with hurt, and something she couldn't quite name. "Noah…" she whispered uncertainly though at the same time she had taken another step back.

She watched the emotion in his eyes shift again to something even more painful for her to look at. She turned her head away allowing her dark locks to shade her face from his view. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on, and she definitely wasn't sure if she liked where it was going.

"Rachel," Noah responded and she found her head whipping towards his in response. Her mouth may have fallen open in shock, and she swallowed heavily as she tried to get over her surprise. "Here," he stated, pushing the slushie into her hands.

She tightened shaking fingers around the beverage, trying not to spill it all down her body in response. "What?" She questioned lamely, for once she was at a loss for words. The last time that he had brought her a slushie had been the start of their somewhat relationship, she didn't know what this one could mean.

"It's for you to drink," he said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world and she only continued to stare at him. "It is to say I am sorry, and that you were right." His head hung low, inspecting his shuffling feet with all of his attention.

"Right about what?" she still couldn't wrap her head around this entire mess, he wasn't making any sense and she knew that her confusion was written across her face in the form of scrunched eyebrows and pouting lips.

"About how I would regret it," his voice was barely above a whisper and she found that she wanted to grab his face just to make sure that he was the same Noah "Puck" Puckerman that she had always known.

"You regret it?" she asked dubiously wishing that words would come to her.

"You said I was going to regret it," he lifted his head, shooting her a look and locking his fiery gaze with her own, "And I do."

"Okay," she stated calmly with a nod of her head. "Well now that that is settled, let me address another matter," she cleared her throat, holding up the slushie close to his face. She saw how his eyes widened like he thought she was going to dump it on him. "If you are going to start bringing me these," she shook the drink in his face, "would you please place a lid upon it, I don't want there to be any unexpected spills." She smiled at him, surprised that she felt okay with this, that she didn't want to make him suffer as she had.

She was content when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, squeezing her against his side as though he never wanted to let her go. "Yeah, okay," he smirked down at her and she was really confused by the little fluttering flip her stomach just made, "I'll put a lid on it next time."

She nuzzled into his shoulder taking the proffered straw that he had produced from his pocket and daintily sipping her slushie.

He'd remembered her favorite flavor and she smiled widely at that thought.

She knew that he would come to regret the things that he had done to her but she never thought that it would come so soon. Noah was changing, she could see it in the way he held himself, and she could feel it in the way that he held her.

One day, Rachel Berry was going to be famous, and she couldn't help but to think that when that day came, Noah Puckerman would be by her side.

--

I very much hope that you enjoyed my little one-shot. It was fun to write, even though I don't think I got them in character but I still like it. I hope you did too. :]

Thank you all for reading :D