Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1027472.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Glee
  Relationship:
      Rachel_Berry/Will_Schuester
  Character:
      Rachel_Berry, Will_Schuester
  Additional Tags:
      Self-indulgent_fluff, Schmoop, AU, Future_Fic, Sentence_Meme, but_not
      really_sentences, Student/Teacher
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-11-01 Words: 3619
****** Like Nobody's Loved You ******
by carpelucem
Summary
     Happy together, unhappy together, just together is what they were
     meant to be. (50 sentences on Will and Rachel + then some.)
Notes
     Some student/teacher, some future fic, a couple AUs - basically all
     of the schmoopy, fluffy, self-indulgent harlequin romantic ideas I've
     had for these two in one place.
01. Comfort
It starts with her hand circling between his shoulder blades, and the hug Mr
Schue gives her after Regionals goes on a beat too long. He ducks his head when
they pull apart, won’t catch her eye, and that’s when Rachel knows.
02. Kiss
The first time she presses her lips to his, she’s timid but sure. It’s
unplanned, but not unwanted for either of them. Rachel struggles to engrave the
memory in her mind, she doesn’t want to forget the imprint of his mouth against
hers. He’s obviously surprised at first, his gasp is like a bomb going off in
the choir room, but then he’s kissing her back, surely and without hesitation.
(It’s like a scene from an old musical, and she didn’t have to plan a thing.)
03. Soft
If anything, he’s too gentle, and it’s maddening to Rachel, who thinks Will’s
afraid of breaking her until she sinks her teeth into his lip one night. (There
are marks across her shoulder and down her back after that, and she has to
think quickly when someone asks why she’s wearing a cardigan in the summer sun
and why her face is suddenly so red.)
04. Pain
“I wasn’t sure that’s what you meant,” he clarifies after, trying to feel his
way around her thoughts on the matter, his fingertips soothing her abraded
skin. Rachel shakes her head. “It’s definitely what I meant.”
05. Potatoes
Breakfast in bed on a lazy Saturday morning is supposed to be a romantic
surprise, and he knows she appreciates the gesture, but the only thing on the
tray she can eat is the pile of hash browns. (and that’s only after Will
assures her he used oil, not butter. He adds more fruit and Earth Balance to
his weekly shopping list.)
06. Rain
When the rain pounds on the roof of his car and the windows fog over, it takes
Will back to when he was in high school - snatched, stolen moments at the end
of dates with Live pumping through the speakers of his hand-me-down Jeep. Maybe
that’s a little part of this, remembering he was 17 once, too. (And that it
wasn’t nearly as far away as it seems most days.)
07. Chocolate
Tina is passing around a huge box of truffles in Glee on Valentine’s Day,
gushing about the surprise of the teddy bear and candy waiting in her bedroom
before school. Will sees Rachel politely decline the candy and nod at the
appropriate parts of the story, a perfect stage smile on her lips. (The Funny
Girl libretto he found on that teacher’s conference in Cleveland sits in her
locker, waiting to be discovered. He’d give anything to see her face when she
finds it.)
08. Happiness
When it happens, when he kisses her in public without hesitation, right place
at the right time and all that, it takes everything in her not to come apart
and stage some Tony-worthy musical number to commemorate the occasion. In
reality, she just opens her eyes and sighs, it took you long enough.
09. Telephone
"I'm sorry to bother you, today of all days, but my dads are visiting my
grandparents in Madison for the weekend, and the plumber can't come until
Tuesday, and there's just water EVERYWHERE and no one else would pick up the
phone," Rachel sputters down the line.
Will can only tell her to take a breath, he'll be over in a few minutes.
Pausing to grab his tool box from the hall closet, he wonders if he gets
vacation pay for spending his Easter Sunday at a student's house. (On second
thought, better if no one at the school knows, because the overflowing tub only
takes ten minutes to unclog and the second it starts to drain, Rachel pushes
him down against the damp carpet and lays her mouth on his.)
10. Ears
Will plays the piano, long bluesy runs, when he can’t sleep at night. Lying
with her head on his pillow, Rachel picks out a quiet harmony line, humming
along until he’s back beside her.
.
11. Name
“Will -- you show me again Mr Schuester?” All it takes is a soft, “I need you
over here, Rach,” and his hand is on the small of her back, guiding her into
place. A wry tilt of his mouth before he turns away lets her know he caught her
slip.
12. Sensual
He tries to be a gentleman, tries not to compare the women he’s been with, but
Terri was his first and he really didn’t know any better. Emma was lovely, but
she required a game plan and they never deviated. Rachel, for all her precise
schedules and flawless presentation, is ever a surprise in her lack of guile
(and inhibition).
13. Death
She likes Will best just out of rehearsal, hair plastered to his forehead and
damp tshirt clinging to his back, adrenaline coursing through his veins. (He’s
missed it, the spontaneity in him died a little after two showers.)
14. Sex
Rachel’s graduation present waits in the choir room, after the parents and
students have finally filtered out to their celebrations. It was a mutual
(terrible, in hindsight) decision to wait to do anything here until she’s no
longer a student, just to cover their bases. Will thinks that at the end of her
high school career, it’s nice to be surrounded by the bits and pieces of their
beginning.
15. Touch
Puck’s hand lingers a little too long on her hip before he swings Rachel around
the stage during their finale number. From his place at the soundboard, Will
has to unclench his jaw and rein in the sudden caveman urge to march across the
auditorium to forcibly remove her from his grasp. (Later, when it’s Will’s
hands in her hair, his body pinning her to the door frame in his apartment, and
his name on her lips, Will wonders how he could ever worry.)
16. Weakness
Sometimes, Will wonders if he just tattooed ‘inappropriate’ on his index finger
to hold in front of his mouth, instead of parroting it all day long, exactly
how much time and energy he’d save himself.
17. Tears
Her little vanity is crowded with flowers on opening night, and even though he
knows pink tulips are her favorite, the sentiment of his McKinley red roses
chokes her up a little.
18. Speed
Rachel might be determined and stubborn, but she’s not always impulsive. The
exception is a snowy February afternoon, when she finds in her locker the most
thoughtful gift anyone’s given her. Rushing down the hallway, Rachel bursts
into the choir room, through the inner door of Mr Schuester’s office.
19.Market
Saturday, the farmers and peddlers hosted their goods in the village center.
The notions shop carried a small selection of books and a smaller choice of
sheet music, but Will browsed their wares faithfully each week. There was
nothing he hadn’t seen before and he was content to leave without purchasing
anything, but a length of yellow ribbon caught his eye. Sunny against a dark
dress, he was taken with the color combination and handed over his coin.
(Rachel was touched by the thoughtful gesture and couldn’t wait to pair it with
the dress she’d chosen for the autumn ball.)
20. Freedom
Most young ladies would require a maid, spending time unchaperoned with a
member of the opposite sex was frowned upon in town and polite society in
general. But they were at home in the country, Britt had fallen ill with a
stomach ailment the night prior, and Rachel wanted to practice her aria in the
meadow.
21. Wind
Mr Schuester stalked the edge of the forest as she sang, trying to maintain a
respectable distance, but the stiff breeze carried her voice away. The
instruction on her technique as he circled closer turned into a hand over her
ribs, then his mouth on her skin.
Breath control was just a matter of practice, and she was more inclined to
practice when properly motivated.
22. Jealousy
He watched her dance with the young earl, his moves clumsy and unpracticed
compared to their daily afternoon lessons. Will’s fingers clenched when
Hudson’s fingers glanced across the curve of Rachel’s shoulder, toying with the
end of the satin ribbon woven through her curls. The staccato triple beat of
the waltz kept steady time with Will’s heart.
23. Life
Though her family was without a title, Rachel was a well-bred young lady with a
hefty dowry to her name. Will couldn’t imagine any possible scenario where his
lack of pedigree and humble station in life would lead to Rachel choosing to
spend her life with a music tutor.
24. Bonds
As Will came to discover, Rachel’s family were no strangers to extraordinary
love matches. They offered their blessing and gazed fondly as she wed the man
of her choosing. After the wedding lunch, before they set off for their
honeymoon, Rachel readied her nosegay to toss into the attending crowd.
Unwinding the yellow satin binding the flowers together, Rachel tucked the
ribbon into her reticule and pressed a kiss to her husband’s lips.
25. Hands
The minute Principal Figgins hands Rachel her diploma, she glances back to
where Will sits in the audience, a broad smile on his lips. (It reads proud to
everyone else, but to her it says finally.)
26. Taste
Rachel’s not preachy about her eating habits, but Will decides to go vegan for
a week, just to see what happens. (He never tells Rachel how he caved on the
fourth day. He loves her, but bacon’s a close second.)
27. Innocence
When she catches a glimpse of Mr Schuester during their performances, Rachel’s
never not surprised at the unironic joy on his face. He nods his head, mouths
the words, is so utterly engrossed in their songs that he looks like a little
kid. (It’s a beautiful thing.)
28. Forever
After he slipped the ring on Rachel’s finger, softly repeating the words in
front of their family and friends, Will’s eyes never left her face. (And they
made fun of her for having a life plan when she was sixteen. Rachel had to bite
back a smile because starring role on Broadway? Check. Tony? Check. Mr
Schuester? Check.)
29. Sickness
She’s obsessed with coffee ice cream the entirety of her pregnancy, in between
the soft pretzels and the nacho cheese and - God, how did he never realize
everything with Terri wasn’t real? It’s not just an overused cliche, Rachel’s
actually glowing the last six months, a beacon of light in his world.
30. Blood
His head was covered in a thatch of hair, dark like Rachel’s and curly like
Will’s. His cries filled the room as he was laid in his father’s arms for the
first time and Rachel beamed through her tears - her boy could already command
a room. .
31. Melody
He endured the good natured teasing during his song examples for glee club, but
Rachel isn’t lying when she admits to him later that his voice is one of the
best she’s ever heard. (She hopes the kiss she presses to his lips immediately
after conveys her sincerity.)
32. Star
After she flies back to New York, Will finds himself at least a dozen times
during the day absently running his fingers over the imprint her necklace left
on his forearm.
33. Home
The apartment is still pretty bare, just framed posters leaning against walls
and a lone shelf of college and family photos over the fireplace. Rachel
perches on the back of the couch, dangling a shoe from her toe. Soon a trail of
her clothes leads back to his room, and she’s sprawled across his comforter,
all dark hair and golden skin, the prettiest thing he’s seen in longer than he
can remember and Will wonders why he would ever bother decorating.
34. Confusion
On a Glee field trip to Detroit to see Les Mis, Rachel wonders why Eponine
never just pushed Marius against the wall of the ABC Cafe and told him how she
really felt. (She’s found the direct approach actually works, sometimes.)
35. Hair
Will curves against her at night, and her fingers absently stroke through his
curls. Her mind drifts to Coach Sylvester, and Rachel smiles because Sue was
terribly wrong when it came to Will’s hair.
36. Lightning/Thunder
"I never would have guessed you were a superhero fan, Mr Schue," Rachel laughs
as they settle into their seats and she takes a sip of her drink. (It’s not a
date. It’s just the glee coach and captain catching a movie after discussing
set lists.)
"How do you know a mild-mannered Spanish teacher isn't just my alter ego?" He
shoots back, and it’s then Rachel notices how far he's sitting from her, the
armrest between them as effective as a moat around a fortress. (Definitely not
a date.)
"Dealing with high schoolers every day is enough of a superpower," she
reassures him, sneaking a last look before the lights dim and the previews for
Thor flash across the screen. (His fingers brush hers for just a second when
the plot gets tense, and then a few minutes later they give up the pretense and
Mr Schue’s palm rests warmly on top of hers. Not a date?)
37. Technology
Her MySpace videos move from angsty showtunes to upbeat love songs over the
course of her junior year, and instead of wearing her heart on her sleeve, it’s
broadcast across her YouTube upload history.
38. Waves
They watch Titanic on a Friday night, and it’s only as he’s ejecting the DVD
that Rachel tells him her favorite part of the movie is the song in the closing
credits. (Will can count at least half a dozen ways he would have rather spent
three hours with her on the couch.)
39. Gift
Will was pretty sure he’d blown his first gig at the coffee shop when only
about six people showed up. A few clapped politely after each song, seemed to
really be listening, but the rest were absorbed in their lattes and
conversation. When his set was done, Will braced himself for the bad news, but
the manager of the Lima Bean handed him an envelope with three twenties in it
and told him they’d see him the next week. (Lima was about as far from New York
as Will could get, but it was close-ish to his parents in Toledo, and teaching
gigs where he could use both halves of his Spanish and music degree were few
and far between. He wasn’t the guy to look the horse in the mouth.)
40. Devotion
She’d been at the first few shows, and she actually paid attention to his set.
Will would be lying if he said he didn’t notice the steady tap of her fingers
keeping the beat against her slender tan thigh.
41. Smile
He noticed her light up when he started in on a soft version of Come Rain or
Come Shine, mouthing the words along with Will as he sang.
After, she complimented him on his song choice, and launched into a discussion
about Judy Garland vs Barbra Streisand’s version. (Will preferred Etta James,
but the girl - Rachel, she informed him, and she was a student, working towards
a career on Broadway sooner rather than later - had a deep, enduring love for
Barbra.)
42. Completion
Three months of Wednesday night shows and Rachel had moved from the back to the
front row of tables. They usually had coffee together and talked about their
favorite old movies and Rachel grilled him about the musicals he’d seen in New
York. Will began to lament the start of the semester, Rachel going back to
wherever she attended. They were the only dates he’d had all summer.
43. Clouds
The last week of August was grey and heavy, the sky threatening to burst open
at any moment. His shirt was soaked by the time he got his guitar and mic
inside the cafe, and Will wasn’t terribly fond of performing with wet hair and
damp jeans in the air conditioned coffee shop. But when Rachel smiled at him
over her latte as he started Singin’ in the Rain, it helped warm him up.
He asked her on an actual date the next night.
44. Sun
As the sun sank red in the late summer sky, Will picked her up from a tidy
suburban split level. There was a passing mention of her two dads on a business
trip to Montreal when he rang her doorbell, and she blushed when he handed her
a bouquet of lilies. An hour later they were in Dayton, at a Thai place because
he missed spicy food and Lima wasn’t much of a culinary destination.
(Rachel beamed when she opened the menu and saw the array of vegetarian
options, going off on a tangent about how sick she was of the spaghetti
marinara at Breadstix - Will hadn’t been yet.)
45. Moon
Walking through Garden Station, Will’s fingers found Rachel’s when a soloist
began Some Enchanted Evening. She curtsied prettily to him when he bowed, such
a gallant and romantic gesture that Will was almost embarrassed if not for the
wonder on Rachel’s face. They waltzed a few moments across the grass, and he
sang the words into her ear, and her skirt fanned out over the lawn when they
collapsed in a giggling heap.
46. Sky
His arm stretched behind her shoulders and she curled into his side, watching
the stars wink through the city lights.
“Can’t get this in New York -” his surely witty observation was chopped short
by the feel of Rachel shifting in his arms, turning until he could feel her
breath on his cheek. Will only had to tilt his head forward a scant inch before
his mouth touched hers.
His hand didn’t leave hers the entire car ride back, thumb endlessly tracing
the hills and valleys of her fingers while Rachel hummed along with the radio,
watching the lights from passing cars blur together.
47. Heaven
They spent Labor Day weekend in his apartment, Rachel in one of his shirts on
the couch, eating popcorn and watching Mad Men. Monday afternoon was
bittersweet, grilling on the patio and a hastily thrown together shortcake that
turned into a last supper with his summer girl. He had to be at the high school
bright and early Tuesday morning and Rachel was back to her routine the
following Monday.
His last taste of her was the trace of strawberry on his lips before she let
herself into her fathers’ house.
48. Hell
The last Spanish teacher was clearly a packrat who hadn’t thrown away a handout
in the last ten years. Will spent two days with trash bags, decluttering his
classroom, and the rest in staff meetings or trying to determine the quickest
route from the language arts hall to the choir room.
He couldn’t sleep Sunday night, and Will hoped that Rachel wasn’t as jittery as
he was at the idea of a new school year.
He could see her in her dorm room, Funny Girl poster over her bed and DVDs
sorted in a careful row along the wall.
His first day was relatively pain free, sans a run-in with the cheerleading
coach who frightened the hell out of him. Will’s classes seemed eager to learn
and there had been no beginner hiccups.
He was anxious for Glee tryouts Tuesday afternoon, there were a dozen names on
his list, and the first eleven had been pretty stellar. The McKinley Glee Club
had won sectionals and regionals the year prior, but just missed out at
Nationals.
“‘Next, please,” Will called out from his seat behind the light board in the
auditorium, thankful to reach the end of the auditions. He took a moment to
appreciate the talent of the backing band when he heard a familiar intro start.
A girl in a blue sundress stood in the center of the stage, and Will almost
choked on his water when she spoke. “I’m Rachel Berry, and I’ll be singing Come
Rain or Come Shine, as popularized by the great Barbra Streisand.”
Holy hell.
49. Fear
When Rachel zips her suitcase to stow it under her bed, she looks around her
new room and she can’t help but feel a tug of uncertainty that this, New York a
second time, it isn’t the right thing to do. She has a life in Lima, family and
friends, and she could find something to keep her happy there, eventually.
Then Will finishes assembling the extra bookcase they had to buy, lugged across
the city in a cab from IKEA, stows his drill, and leads her to the window.
There’s a sliver of a view of the skyline from between the buildings across the
street, and if she tries really hard, she can imagine the traffic outside
almost sounds like music.
She can feel Will behind her, his arms wrapped around her stomach and his voice
in her ear.
“Have I ever told you how proud of you I am?”
Rachel smiles at the wistful note in his voice, and she nods.
“Maybe once or twice.” She grips his fingers between hers and squeezes. “I’m
pretty proud of you, too, Mr Schuester.”
50. Supernova
Will’s breath catches in his throat when he sees the candid snapshot stuck to
the mirror of Rachel’s vanity on her opening night. Six kids are crowded
together onstage in their red t-shirts and jeans, a few moments after the final
strains of a Journey song. Underneath in Finn’s unmistakably messy scrawl, it
reads ‘don’t stop believing.’
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