Fic: The Past and Pending (2/?)
Title: The Past and Pending
Author: Maria/baggels
Fandom: Glee
Rated: T
Word Count: ~4,400. (This chapter only: ~3,100.)
Pairing: Finn/Quinn
Summary: The second time, it ended as quickly as it began. Finn and Quinn part ways and that's how it's supposed to be. Years later, they try to figure out why that had to be their fate. Futurefic.
Disclaimer: Obviously not my show.
--
I also just wanted to note that I had originally intended for this chapter to be longer, showing the dinner party. However, tomorrow I am leaving on a school trip to Europe for two weeks, and in preparation for the journey, I didn't have time to add to this. I could have left it until after I got back, but I'd already made you guys wait long enough. So I thought I'd post what I have before I left. I hope you do enjoy this chapter and I'll get to work on the next one as soon as I get back!
(1) moving forward
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
...
There's a screech of tires and some asshole flips him the bird, but Finn just dodges the yellow taxi cab and keeps going. He's still not completely used to the New York life: terrible traffic, seemingly uneducated drivers, that non-stop hustle and bustle. Nevertheless, he likes it here. Sure, it's not anything like home, the slow-paced, lazy town of Lima, but that place is also a dead end and he's just happy to have gotten out of there.
He wasn't supposed to. As the quarterback at McKinley High, he was destined for the average Lima life of failed dreams, 9 to 5, and faking it. Finn did what he could: he went to Ohio State on a football scholarship and lived like a king on campus, but beyond that, he didn't know where he was going. The future looked grim, but a saviour came in the form of Rachel Berry; the girl who had him step out of his comfort zone in sophomore year with glee club was about to do it again.
Of course, Rachel went straight from high school to New York after getting an early acceptance to the Tisch School. When she graduated, she was offered a part in a small production run by one of her professors, a man positively acclaimed in the business. Of course, she took it and while it wasn't an exceptional role, it was something. It opened some small doors and she worked hard to open bigger ones. Soon, she was moving out of her small, shabby apartment into a bigger condo without leaks and icy drafts. It was then that she called up Finn, who at the time had just completed a four year degree in pre-physical therapy at OSU and was applying to the graduate program.
It didn't require a lot of thought once she called him up and told him of how she had found this perfect place that she absolutely loved but couldn't fit into her budget, and how she'd already convinced Puck to move to New York with her. She persuaded him into joining them and without even really thinking about it, he'd agreed. He reminded her that he still had a graduate program to finish and she filled him in on NYU and how he could transfer there.
The truth is it could have been so much easier to say no and find a comfortable, easy life in Columbus or Lima or wherever, Ohio, but there was something a lot bigger than him telling him to take the chance and go through with it.
Now, four years later, he's still not quite sure what brought him here. For now, he doesn't really linger on it.
"Oh, and Rachel wanted me to ask you if you wanted to come to the dinner she's set up," he asks kind of awkwardly, listening intently to the voice through his cell as he walks the hall to Rachel's place. "Really? You will? Okay… cool."
He opens the door, not bothering to knock and moves into the apartment, finding the brunette on the couch scribbling on paper furiously and his best friend beside her, practically salivating. "I've gotta go now, but I'll call you with the details. Have a good night."
Finn greets his friends and plops down beside Rachel, who looks at him curiously.
"Who was that? Was that her?" she stops her pen and turns her attention from the cooking show on her television to Finn.
"Yeah," he says, slowly, "She also said she's cool with coming on Saturday…"
Puck catches Rachel turned away from the tv and grabs the remote. "You done with this? I'm starving. It's almost torture to watch this. And there's a game on, Berry."
Rachel sighs, resigning herself to following the program. She tosses the pad and pen on to the coffee table with frustration. "Fine. I can't keep up, anyway. Looks like this dinner party could be lacking an actual dinner. Speaking of, Finn, you said she can come? That's wonderful! It will be great to meet her finally."
Finn rubs the back of his neck, worriedly, as the girl beside him claps her hands excitedly. "Yeah, well…"
"I suppose I should remember her name first," she cuts him off. "Started with a 'Sh', I think? Shay-"
"Shannon," Finn fills in for her. "There's, like, a thing, though… I'm sorta worried about it. I mean, she's cool and all, but… I don't want her to get the wrong idea meeting you guys. I like her and stuff, but I'm not really ready to move forward, you know? Like, I don't know if she's the girl to do that with. If that makes sense."
The sound of a football game plays over them as Rachel considers his words. The woman has always been Finn's close confidante, someone he trusts and finds easy to talk to. This subject is something that has been plaguing his mind, ever since Rachel asked Finn to invite Shannon along. He never hesitated on the thought of asking her to come, but now that she's said yes, his nerves have started up.
Rachel exhales. "Well, Finn, I have to say that this seems to be a recurring problem for you."
Initially, Finn goes on the defensive. It only takes him a second to realize she's right. For the past couple years, Finn has dated a slew of women. It's true, but none of them lasted very long. It was just too easy for him to find something wrong with them - not wrong in general, but a reason of why he wasn't good for them.
Rachel always supported his decisions, reminding him that happiness is important and he as well as the girls he dates deserve to feel that way.
"Can I be honest with you?" she tells him, and of course he nods, because he needs honesty. "Maybe… maybe Shannon is the girl to do that with. And what if you don't take that chance? You're missing out, right? What you need to find out is what's stopping you from going further."
Finn bites his lip as he thinks. "What do you think it could be?"
She folds her hands in her lap and smiles briefly. "As you're aware, Dad is a psychiatrist and when he would offer me advice sometimes, it would be based on what he'd seen in his career and what he'd learned from school. From what he's said, I think it may be part of your past, Finn. There's something you're hanging on to that's keeping you from a future."
There's a burst of laughter and they both look to Puck, who raises an eyebrow at them. "You two sound like some shit on TLC. Not that I've ever actually watched the channel. My mom tells me about it," in turn, Rachel quirks an eyebrow at him. "Alright, shut up, shut up. Finn, man, maybe it's just about time you got laid. Ever thought of that?"
Rachel shakes her head. "Noah, not all problems can be solved with sex. Don't listen to him, Finn."
"I'm not," he shakes his head. If there's one thing he's learned in life, it's not to listen to his best friend. Ever.
Puck rolls his eyes. "Fine, listen. I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but Berry's got a point. You've got a fuckload of unfinished business, man. That's your problem and you've gotta deal with it. Then you can go marry blondie and have a house full of cryin' babies. Or don't, whatever."
With that said, he turns back to the t.v. and tunes out of the conversation.
Rachel furrows her brows and tilts her head to look at Finn. "Shannon's a blonde?"
Finn stares at the ground, too occupied with the heavy thoughts swimming in his mind to really pay attention any more. "Uh, yeah… Puck knows 'cause he came to the office once and she was there… why?"
"Hm," she replies, shrugging, not even sure why the fact caused her to stop for a moment, either. "Nothing… never mind."
Standing up from his seat and pushing a hand through his hair, Finn heads for the liquor cabinet. If he's got this much to think about, he's going to need some alcohol, especially if it means listening to advice from Noah Puckerman.
Rachel Berry is excited.
When Rachel Berry is excited, she shops.
It's just become easier living in New York City and having access to a nice amount of money thanks to her burgeoning Broadway career. With all the prep she's been doing for her dinner, she realized how in need she was of a nice dress and pretty heels to go with it, and that's how the excitement began. Anyways, she owes it to herself for finding the greatest recipe and a few bottles of wine to go perfectly with it. Rachel Berry, cuisine mastermind? No, but she's pretty damn close.
Pride in herself stirring, she makes her way out on the streets with a shiny credit card ready to be swiped and eyes steeled and ready for spotting outfits.
What she didn't expect to spot with those eyes while stepping into a shoe store (arms already filled with bags of purchases) was an old high school rival. Nothing stops her from getting closer and calling out the name when the realization hits in; only afterwards does she realize her mistake.
Turning her head at her name, the woman's blonde hair flips over her shoulder, and her eyebrows raise at the familiar face. "Rachel Berry?"
"Yes, hi," she mumbles, trying to place herself in reality instead of McKinley's hallways where the teenage version of the blonde spat insults at her. "How are you, Quinn? What's got you in New York?" There's something within Rachel that reminds her of being the bigger person. She's always taken that higher road and after all this time, she can't help but hope that Quinn will do the same.
Quinn looks at the floor, but smiles apologetically when she looks back at her. "I'm working for a fashion magazine. I moved out here a little while ago," they both nod and Quinn gestures towards her. "But, hello, look at you; you've done amazingly. I mean, the entire glee club always knew you would get there, but congratulations on everything," she pauses, considers her words. Tenderly, she adds: "I truly hope I don't come off fake saying that to you because I really do mean it."
Rachel grins and nods. The girl sounds genuine, and Rachel can feel that she's grown; for her sake, she hopes she's right. "You don't. Thanks, Quinn, it means a lot to me."
The blonde smiles and nods, then looks at her feet, which don black peep toe kitten heels. Rachel follows her gaze and watches as Quinn's pedicured toes wiggle in the shoes. Her eyes wander to the right, finding more heels lined up beside her feet. Rachel raises her eyebrows and smirks at the girl. "Special occasion?"
Quinn shakes her head, smiling. "Scoping out for the magazine… and maybe looking around for myself a little bit."
At once, Rachel comes to a decision. Her mind flips through all the names she's written down of the guests for her dinner party (way too many) and she knows it's probably a bad idea, but the friendliness within her takes over, as well as the need for a good bit of drama.
She puts a finger to her lips, thinking, then points to the platform sling backs next in line. "Well, those are cute, but these suede ones - much sexier," she advises. "I've even got an occasion for you to wear them."
Quinn smiles, but furrows her brows, confused. "What's that?" she asks.
The brunette grins. "I'm having this dinner party on Saturday. It'd be lovely if you came, Quinn. It sounds like you're rather new in town, and I think this could be a great opportunity for you to meet some people. No pressure, of course."
Rachel watches as Quinn nods and bites her lip, obviously thinking about it. Sure, it's not as if she is absolutely dying for Quinn to be there, but she grows to like the idea of the blonde attending. Rachel's got Noah and Finn, and they're great friends whom she loves, but she kind of thinks it'd be nice to have a girl friend, a good one… Quinn might be a candidate. At the very least, it's worth a try.
"Anyway," she says, while Quinn deliberates, "it's completely up to you. Dinner's at six; you can show up anytime after four. We'll have drinks beforehand and what not. Think about it, and let me know." She scribbles down her number on a scrap paper and offers it to Quinn, who gladly takes it.
"Thanks, Berry," she smiles softly, and Rachel feels oddly okay with the use of her last name. "I will."
"Anytime, Quinn. I've got to get moving now - you know, things to do - but think it over, seriously, okay?" The blonde nods and Rachel smiles as she moves away from her, waving, to the other side of the store after spotting some beautiful boots.
Quinn stands in the same spot, fiddles with the slip of paper in her hand, and considers the invitation. After a moment, a saleswoman approaches her and asks if she's doing okay. Quinn snaps back to reality, then asks for the sling backs to be packed up, at which the woman nods and whisks them away.
Puck picks up a seemingly satisfactory tomato and inspects it. "Looks good, feels good, should be good, right?" he says to his shopping partner. "How the fuck am I supposed to know what tomato is gonna make Berry happy? Woman's picky about this shit."
Finn shrugs, glancing at the tomato. "That's good enough, Puck. Let's just hurry up and get out of here."
"You think I wanna be doing this? No way, man. I'm right there with you, but dealing with the Wrath of Rachel ain't gonna be pretty, either. May as well do it right the first time."
Finn nods, sticking his hands in his pockets; that is true. However, he's not quite sure what Rachel was thinking, sending the two men out together to buy her long list of groceries for her dinner. They were bound to mess up somehow. "How she even convinced us to go now is a mystery to me."
"Yeah, well, a lot of things are mysteries to you, if we're bein' honest," Puck shakes his head and moves through the produce. He stops at he onions and starts investigating again. "And face it, man, Berry's got us whipped and neither of us are even dating her."
Again, Finn has to agree. Sighing, he takes the list from the cart they've been pushing around and looks for the next item on the list. "Jesus, who'd she invite to this thing anyway? The entire city of New York?"
Puck chortles, tossing some carrots into the cart unceremoniously. "It's an event, that's for sure. Sounds like she's got a bunch of co-stars coming, agency friends, people from the building, whatever… Kurt'll show up at some point… oh, and Berry mentioned something about running into our Prom Queen and how she invited her to come, too. Can you believe it? That shit's gonna be awkward."
"Our Prom Queen? But our Prom Queen was Quinn Fabray…" Finn asks him, eyebrows furrowed. Quinn doesn't live in New York. Well, not since he last heard. Puck must have it wrong.
Instead, his friend nods his head slowly, eyes wide, basically telling Finn that he's being a dumbass. He grabs a bundle of garlic and quickly checks it before chucking it into the cart along with all the other groceries.
Something flares within Finn and when he means to place the celery stalks he grabbed into the trolley, he ends up throwing them down - a little harder than, say, a sane person would.
Puck doesn't fail to notice. "Shit, dude. What crawled up your ass?"
Sighing, Finn moves the produce in an attempt to make it seem like he'd just overshot. Through his expel of breath, he relaxes a little and finds himself confused over his own actions. Embarrassed, he runs a hand through his head full of dark hair. "Nothing, I'm fine."
Puck eyes him dubiously but Finn avoids his gaze, shrugging innocently after a moment. Puck accepts it hesitantly and they move down through the dairy aisle in an uncomfortable silence.
"It's just," Finn begins, realizing the need to clear the air, "I wish Rachel'd thought about it before she asked her. Thought about you and me, even. Like you said, it's gonna be weird, right?"
"Yeah, I mean, I'd bet on it. But whatever, man, 's Rachel's party. I'll deal. If you got a problem, you can bring it up with her."
Finn rubs the back of his neck, shaking his head gently. He doesn't have a problem; he just really wasn't expecting that.
Gradually, Puck slows the cart to a halt and he stops along with it. Finn catches the change in the atmosphere, things turning a little serious. He notices his friend's eyes glued to the eggshell-coloured linoleum and listens as he whispers to him.
"Besides, I mean, it - it wouldn't be bad seeing her, y'know? For me… to talk to her about… about Beth." When he finishes, his eyes move up, and Finn can tell that his best friend of over fifteen years is opening up to him. This isn't an everyday thing.
"Yeah," Finn says, right away. "Yeah, I understand." After a moment, "I won't say anything to Rachel. Could be cool if she comes…"
In a flash, Noah Puckerman, forever the teenage father to a baby girl, is gone, and Puck is back. He nods, smirking as he says, "How much you wanna bet she's a total dog now? Like, typical small town prom queen business."
Finn laughs as he shakes his head disbelievingly and pats his friend on the back. This Puck? This isn't uncommon. "Five bucks she's still beautiful."
He ignores Puck's comments of "You sure you wanna do that, dude? I know this game. I cleaned cougars' pools as a kid… I learned shit from that job, let me tell ya", only able to focus on his own thoughts. Potentially seeing Quinn again might mean a lot of things, and he's not sure exactly what to think of it. Despite that uncertainty, he is sure of one thing, and it's that Quinn Fabray is always going to be gorgeous.
(He's got the bet in the bag.)